St Michael's Church, Stinsford
St Michael's Church is a Church of England parish church in Stinsford, Dorset, England. It has origins in the 13th century and is a Grade I listed building. People have worshipped at the site since Anglo-Saxon times.
The church’s west tower was added in the early 14th century, and the north and south aisles were built in the 15th century. The north aisle was rebuilt in 1630. Major restorations took place in 1868, 1883 and 1910. In 1995–96 a scheme rebuilt the west gallery and installed a new organ. Much of the original gallery was removed in 1843 after a barrel organ was brought in around 1841.
St Michael’s is built of rubble stone with ashlar dressings and includes a nave, north and south aisles, a chancel, a west tower and a north vestry. A notable feature is a relief of an angel in a recess in the tower wall, dating from before the Norman Conquest.
The church has three bells from different periods, a square font in the nave from the late 12th century, and a font in the north aisle from the early 18th century. The communion plate of 1736 was made by Paul de Lamerie.
Thomas Hardy, the famous novelist and poet, was baptised here in 1840. The nearby village of Mellstock inspired his novels Under the Greenwood Tree and Jude the Obscure. Hardy’s heart was buried in the churchyard in 1928 beside the grave of his first wife Emma, while his body was later placed in Westminster Abbey after his executor’s decision. His second wife Florence Dugdale (died 1937) is also buried in the churchyard. A stained glass memorial window dedicated to Hardy was added in 1930, and in 1931 Katharine Hardy donated a new organ in memory of family members. The organ was replaced in 1996 with a new instrument in the west gallery, though the front part remains on display in the chancel.
The churchyard contains Grade II listed monuments.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:22 (CET).