THE FIRST of a series of benches dedicated to one of Dorset's literary greats has been unveiled near the county town.

The William Barnes Society welcomed the installation of the bench at Whitcombe.

Following an anonymous donation from a society member, a number of benches will be installed at various locations around the county to highlight the poet's contribution to Dorset.

William Barnes Society chairman Brian Caddy said they felt that Whitcombe was an 'appropriate place' for the first bench to go as it was where Barnes started his church ministry and where he ended it.

Mr Caddy said: "The bench is placed just outside the boundary of the church and we hope it will be the first of several we rare going to put up around the county as time goes by.

"Hopefully we are going to put one at Winterbourne Came and some in the Blackmore Vale where he was brought up as well as other places where that maybe have not got a direct association with William Barnes just to try and draw attention to his contribution to the area."

Mr Caddy unveiled the bench on what he described as a 'brilliant day' that saw society members start out at Winterborne Monkton to visit the church where Barnes' son was rector before they were treated to a summer tea at Whitcombe Barn by author Minette Walters and her husband Alec.

The unveiling of the seat was accompanied by a reading of one of Barnes' poems.

Mr Caddy said: "It was a lovely afternoon."

Barnes was born into a farming family at Rushay in the parish of Bagber near Sturminster Newton.

After running schools in Wiltshire and Dorchester, he was ordained into the church at St John's College at Cambridge and returned to Dorset to take up his role at Whitcombe.

He also served as rector of St Peter's Church in Dorchester, Winterbourne Came and Winterborne Farringdon.

In all he penned more than 800 poems, some of them in Dorset Dialect.

For more information about the writer and the William Barnes Society visit william-barnes-society.org.uk