The parish's official canonical boundary comprises the civil parishes of:

Ashmore

Cann

Compton Abbas

Fontmell Magna

Iwerne Minster

Melbury Abbas

Motcombe

Shaftesbury, and

Sutton Waldron

Of course in a rural parish such as ours, the boundaries are rather fluid since no matter where the administrative boundaries are drawn the practicality of travelling to and from church in both time and distance tends to dictate where people attend Mass.  

Apart from the names listed above, the parish includes the villages of Bedchester, Cann Common, East and West Melbury, Guy’s Marsh, and its prison, Sutton Waldron, Twyford and Well Bottom.

Adjacent Parishes

Our parish is part of the Diocese of Plymouth but borders the Diocese of Clifton.  Our neighbouring parishes are:

Blandford Forum (to the south), in the Diocese of Plymouth;

Marnhull (to the West, which includes the town of Gillingham which has its own Catholic church), in the Diocese of Plymouth;

Tisbury (to the the North and East, which includes the chapel at New Wardour Castle), in the Diocese of Clifton.

The Clifton Diocese includes Wiltshire and St Mary’s School, Shaftesbury is actually in the Clifton Diocese.

Map of the Parish

Click on image to enlarge: