[Illustration:  PORTESHAM.]

Blackdown is 789 feet above the sea, and the Hardy column, 70 feet high, is a conspicuous landmark over a wide circumference.  This hill and its outliers are a museum of stone circles and dolmens, the best known of which is the “Helstone,” or Stone of the Dead.  On Ridge Hill, north of Abbotsbury, are the five large stones, almost lost in a tangle of nettles and undergrowth, called the “Grey Mare and her Colts.”

Abbotsbury is famous for its Abbey, St. Catherine’s Chantry, and the Swannery.  The latter is probably the most attractive of the sights to the majority of visitors, and it is certainly worth seeing.  Application must be made, during the afternoon as a rule, to the keeper.  On a board near the gate is a record of the great sea flood during the storm of 1824, when the country around was inundated to a depth of 22 feet.  Besides the sight of the long lines of white swans on the Fleet, there is an interesting decoy for trapping wild duck, the procedure being explained by the courteous attendant.  The history of the Swannery takes us back to Elizabeth’s days, when one John Strangeways was in possession not only of the swans but of the abbey and much else besides.  It is still in the possession of his descendant, Lord Ilchester, to whom the new Abbotsbury Castle belongs.  This was destroyed by fire about nine years ago and has since been rebuilt.  The original “Castle” is a small prehistoric entrenchment west of St. Catherine’s Chapel.  The grounds of Lord Ilchester’s mansion are very fine, the sub-tropical garden being of especial interest, and contains many rare plants and trees.  Admission is granted at certain times, and advantage should, if possible, be taken of the permission.

The sixteenth-century church with its sturdy embattled tower is interesting.  In the doorway will be noticed the lid of a sarcophagus that has the presentment of an abbot carved upon it, but nothing to show who the one-time occupant was.  Some old stained glass still remains in the windows and an archaic carving of the Trinity may be seen upon the wall of the tower.  It is conjectured that this was removed from the abbey at the time of the Dissolution.

A skirmish took place within the church during the Civil War and marks are pointed out in the Jacobean woodwork of the pulpit as those of bullets fired during the fight.  Doubts have been thrown upon this, and the damage placed to the account of amateur decorators at the time of harvest festivals!  The writer prefers the more romantic explanation, but is open to correction.  The sounding board over the pulpit is contemporary with the base and is a fine piece of work.