Above the village rises Batcombe Down, at the top of which is a stone pillar known as The Cross and Hand or The Cross-in-Hand. The pillar was used to dramatic effect in Thomas Hardy’s novel, Tess of the D'Urbervilles. It is said that some who see the Cross can view a ghostly hand grasping a bowl at the top of the pillar. According to Coxe, Gypsies will tell you that this is a wishing stone.

The church is the subject of one of Dorset's more curious tales. It is said that at one time, the local squire, who was known as 'Conjuring Minterne', rode his horse off Batcombe Hill and knocked off one of the pinnacles on the tower. He dabbled in magic and was regarded with a great deal of fear and superstition locally. After setting off to ride over steep Batcombe Hill one day, he suddenly remembered he had left his magic book open on the table, where his servants might find it. To save going back by the road, he turned his horse round and spurred it to attempt a massive leap over the church, knocking off the pinnacle as he soared clear over the tower. The fearful villagers were afraid that they might offend the devil by repairing the damage, so for a hundred years they left it alone. When it was repaired, they repaired it at a crooked angle. It is said that Minterne vowed that he would be buried neither in nor out of the church, so he was buried half in and half out of the Minterne Chapel. John Hicks rebuilt much of the church in 1864, which resulted in the loss of the Minterne chapel. The memorial tablets were repositioned on the north side of the tower.