St. Mary's Church It is almost certain that there was a Saxon church in Puddletown. However, the oldest part of the present church appears to be a portion of the tower which is probably not earlier than 1180 - 1200 and suggests a re-building or restoration of the church at that time by the Canons of Christ Church at Twynham, Hants. Much the greater part of the structure is in the Perpendicular Style and dates from around 1400, when the magnificent oak roof was first added. 1505 saw a further restoration when the walls of the Nave were raised and the clerestory windows added. As this necessitated raising the roof by some 10 feet (3 metres) the opportunity seems to have been taken to add the North Aisle. According to some sources it is possible that the church was originally of a cruciform shape and the North Transept was extended to form the North Aisle. The existing arcading visible inside the church took the place of the original north wall. Further work saw the tower increased in height by some 20 feet (7 metres) and the addition of an external staircase on its south face. The parapet round the church and tower are of the same date. By 1633 the church, originally Roman Catholic, had become a Protestant establishment and further work was required to be carried out. Following his elevation to the Archbishopric of Canterbury William Laud set about remedying the neglect into which many parish churches had fallen during the latter part of the 16th century. According the report (or "presentment") by the Vicar and parishioners of Puddletown St. Mary's was suffering from decay in one of its main pillars and the seats were " … not decent and much decayed "; the need for increased accommodation was also noted. Accordingly, on 10th August 1634, the parishioners decided that: the church should be re-seated throughout, the defective pillar and arch should be strengthened, a Pulpit and Prayer Desk be made, a Communion Table with a frame (rails) about it should be provided, a gallery with seats should be placed at the west end of the church, and there should be a new cover for the font. Despite a cost estimate of some £130, a huge sum in those days, work was soon under way as the inscription on the front of the gallery, showing a date of 1635, indicates. A document exists in the County Record Office which shows how and where the parishioners were to be seated according to their social degree and rank and that, as was usual at the time, the sexes were divided. The lovely oak pews are part of the work undertaken at that time and, thankfully, the interior escaped the "restorations" of the Victorians and remains almost unchanged from how it would have looked three and a half centuries ago. It seems that the Chancel had been "restored" in about 1576 and so reduced in size as to be quite out of proportion to the rest of the building. This was rectified in 1911 when the only major work since the early 17th century was put in hand. The Lord of the Manor, the Rev. J. G. Brymer paid for an extension eastwards to its present size and included a comparable extension to the North Aisle. Much of the stones used in these extensions came from an old house which was situated some 220 yards (200 metres) northwest of the church. It is believed that the building concerned was an old toll-house and had been built in its turn using the stone work removed from the church in 1576! Some fragments of sculpture had taken the same journey and are now built into the wall which divides the North Aisle from the Chancel.