CERNE ABBAS ABBEY
Cerne Abbas abbey was a Benedictine Monastery founded in 987 by Ethelmaer the Stout. By 1086 the abbey had substantially added to its endowment. Much of this wealth has been credited to the veneration of Saint Eadwold of Cerne, a 9th-century hermit reputedly a brother of Edmund, king of East Anglia. Eadwold lived as a hermit on a hill about four miles from Cerne.

The last abbot, Thomas Corton was accused of various offences including that of allowing the abbey and lands to become ruinous, and of keeping a mistress who seems to have borne him children. The accusations were taken seriously enough to warrant inspection by commissioners, and the abbey was closed in 1539.

ST AUGUSTINES WELL
(Info taken from an information board near the well.)
‘Legend says that St Augustine once visited Dorset. While there he met some shepherds grazing their flocks and asked them whether they would prefer beer or water to drink. The temperate shepherds replied “Water”, whereupon St Augustine struck the ground with his staff, crying “Cerno El” as the water gushed out. The words were, supposedly, a pun on Cernel, the old name of the village and meant “I perceive God”.

It is thought that the above legend was invented by the Benedictine monks of Cerne Abbey to serve as an attraction for pilgrims. Closer to the truth, probably, is the story of St Edwold, a member of the Mercian royal family, who one day had a vision of a silver well. He went wandering through the countryside, and when he came to Cerne he gave some silver pennies to a shepherd in return for bread and water. The shepherd then showed him a well where he could drink and St Edwold recognised it as the well of his vision. He built a small hermitage by the spring and lived there until his death in 871.

CERNE ABBAS GIANT
The Cerne Abbas giant is a 180ft {55ft} high chalk figure in a hill on the outskirts of the village.
There are many theories as to when the giant was built and who it depicts. One theory is that it's of Romano-British origin and is a representation of Hercules.
The earliest known written record of the giant is a written record in the church wardens accounts on 4th November 1694 which reads "for repairing ye giant, three shillings.". Because there's no written record before this, one theory is that the giant was made in the 17th Century and was a parody of Oliver Cromwell.
A recent archaeological investigation points to a construction date between 700-1100AD. The Abbey was founded at the end of the 10th Century and a lot of its wealth came from pilgrims coming to worship St Eadworld of Cerne, the 9th Century hermit/holy man. There is tentative speculation the Giant could be of St Eadworld.
Will we ever find out for definite exactly when the Giant was built and who, if anyone, it represents?

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