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The story of Kingston’s churches is
rather an unusual one. Since the 12th century Kingston
had been a chapelry of Corfe
Castle, and a chapel had
stood on the east side of the village, served by the Rector of Corfe Castle
or his assistant. In 1833 the first Earl of Eldon replaced the chapel, at his
own charge, by the building – now the Church Hall – which can still be seen
on the site: it was designed by his son-in-law, George Repton, and largely
followed the ground plan of the chapel, embodying some of the old material.
The first Earl and his wife are buried in the surrounding churchyard.
In 1874 the present parish
church was commenced by the third Earl, and was completed in 1880. It did not
immediately replace the existing church, and for over forty years it was, in
effect, the private chapel of the Eldon family. In April 1921 Lord Eldon
conveyed the church and churchyard to the Church Commissioners, and on
October 11th, 1921 they were consecrated by the Rt. Rev. Bishop
Jocelyne. On January, 1922 the new church was substituted for the old one
under an Instrument of the Church Commissioners.
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