St Osmund's Church - Melbury Osmond Parish Council

Our Church - St Osmund's

Services

St Osmund’s is part of the Melbury Team benefice, details of which can be found on the Team website

Our usual monthly pattern of services is as follows:
1st Sunday 6.30 p.m. Evening Prayer (Book of Common Prayer)
2nd Sunday 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion (Common Worship)
3rd Sunday No service. For services at other church in the Team see the Team website
4th Sunday 9.30 a.m. Morning Prayer or Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
This pattern often changes around Easter and Christmas. A list of services throughout the Team, including St Osmund’s, can be found on the notice board at the South gate.

History of St Osmund's

Melbury Osmond church was dedicated to St. Osmund who was probably a nephew of William the Conqueror.
Osmund was Bishop of Salisbury from 1078 - 1099 and had much to do with building the first Cathedral at old Sarum. His tomb is in the present Salisbury Cathedral.
This church is probably the third on this site and dates from 1745.
Please read more here
See the Friends of St Osmund's latest report here
See the Church report here

The Thomas Hardy Connection

The church has associations with Thomas Hardy's mother and grandmother. The latter, Elizabeth (Betty) Swetman of Melbury Osmond was married to George Hand Affpuddle, "a young man of whom her father strongly disapproved", in Melbury Osmond church. They had seven children of whom the fifth, Jemima was to become the mother of Thomas Hardy. Jemima, after spending some time in London, went in 1835 or thereabouts to live in the neighbourhood of Stinsford and there met her future husband. The wedding took place in Melbury Osmond Church on 22nd December 1839 and Thomas was born the following year. A copy of the marriage certificate is displayed on the west wall of the nave.

St Osmund's PCC and Officers 2024

At the Vestry Meeting and Annual Parochial Church Meeting on April 22nd 2024 the following elections were made

Janet Danks - Church Warden

John Senior - Vice Chairman

Marg Hayter - Secretary

Jon Hayter - Treasurer

Roger Caesley - PCC member

James Evans - PCC member

Ros Senior - PCC member

Helen Preston - PCC member

The 2025 APCM will be held on Monday 28th April in the Village Hall at 7.30pm with an update on the plans- all welcome.

St Osmund's Church Building Project

August 1st 2024

Following on from many parishioners' comments and requests last year, the PCC together with our church architect are moving slowly forward with the project, with a current slight delay relating to the appropriate new heating.

The proposals are for the addition of a new-build (wheelchair accessible) WC, hand basin and storage room ;new staircase from the Vestry into the ringing chamber ;sink, drainer and hot water in the Vestry together with built in storage; a re-vamp of both the lighting (LED) and heating (Carbon Zero); a new loft ladder into the tower from the ringing chamber. Depending on costings a porch as well.