There are several tombs in the Minster Church of St Cuthburga. The Tomb of King Ethelred, is hidden within the walls of this great church. The featured Tomb in this listing are those of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and his duchess, the maternal grandparents of King Henry VII, (Who was born in Wales) The Tomb is constructed out of alabaster and Purbeck Marble.
"John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, KG (1373 – 21 April 1410) was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife. Beaufort was born in about 1371 and his surname probably reflects his father's lordship of Beaufort in Champagne, France.
The family emblem was the portcullis which is shown on the reverse of British pennies minted between 1971 and 2008. A parliament during Richard II declared the Beaufort children legitimate, as well as Pope Boniface IX in September 1396. John of Gaunt married Katherine Swynford in January 1396. Despite being the grandchildren of Edward III, and next in the line of succession after their father's legitimate children, the Lancasters, the Beauforts, including John Beaufort, were initially barred from succession to the throne." Text Source: (
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"Wimborne Minster is a Saxon church with Norman and Gothic architecture. It is famous for its unique chained library as well as the tombs of King Ethelred (the brother of Alfred the Great), John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, and his Duchess (the maternal grandparents of King Henry VII of England" Text Source: (
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"The Minster is dedicated to St Cuthburga, sister of Ina King of Wessex. She founded a Benedictine Nunnery here around 705 AD; there may also have been a monastery. Nuns from Wimborne were sent to Germany with St Boniface of Crediton (c. 680-755) to help convert the pagan tribes. As a result, Wimborne still has a special link with the town and Benedictine nunnery of Ochsenfuhrt. In 871, Alfred the Great buried his brother Ethelred here (not the later King of England Ethelred), after a battle near Cranborne. The Nunnery, possibly already in decline, was destroyed in a Danish raid in 1013.
In 1043 Edward the Confessor founded a college of secular (non-monastic) canons to live and worship here. The greater part of the church as we see it today was built by the Normans between 1120 and 1180, to support these canons. It was flourishing in the 13th century, when a spire was built and in the 14th century an early clock installed. Around this time St Margaret’s Chapel and Almshouses were built, and services are still held at the Chapel. In 1318 Edward II declared the Minster a Royal Peculiar which exempted it from all diocesan jurisdiction. The choir used to wear scarlet robes, a legacy of this 'Peculiar' which lasted until 1846. The spire collapsed around 1600 and was not rebuilt.
In 1496 Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and mother of Henry VII, founded a small chapel in the Minster and the priest attached to it was required to be in permanent residence and 'to teach grammar to all comers'. This was the seed of Wimborne’s Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, now Queen Elizabeth’s Upper School and still a church school. Lady Margaret’s parents are buried near the high altar.." Text Source: (
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Hours of Operation:
Morning Prayer is said on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8.30am (entry by vestry door)
Evening Prayer is said Monday-Friday at 5pm in the Minster.
The Minster is open Daily for Visitors & private silent prayer. Mostly between 10am and 5 pm.
Admission is Free - Donations are appreciated.
Street address of Church:
The Minster, Church House, High Street, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1HT