paid to Briaco from 1127 down to the 15th century, which only ceased on the dissolution of the Alien Houses, when Eton College was founded. It would be, to say the least, a curious coincidence if the old Elyndon pension to Briaco could thus be finally traced to the tithe on" Bryan's Acre" of the Eton College leases.

Canon Jackson (in a note to page 369 Aubrey and Jackson, Wiltshire Collections) says that "some rents that had belonged to a Priory, belonged in 1535 to Eton College," and the fact of this

To face page 417.

ERRATA.

Page 419, l. 27. The tower and porch of Berwick Bassett are of stone, not

454, 1. 17, for the Rev. Thomas Thorold, buried Feb. 23rd, 1747-8, read (according to Jackson's Aubrey) the Rev. John Brinsden, died 1719.

1 Valor Ecclesiasticus, Henry VIII. Elyndon. Anth. Barker Rector affirms value to be total

...

...

Out of this he pays to Abbot (sic) Winton

...

...

"et solut' Collegio Sancti Frieswid' in Oxon' for yearly

£37 18 8

500

1 6 8

2 St. Frides wide was suppressed in 1529 by Wolsey to found and endow his new cardinal college of Christ Church, Oxford.

NOTES ON THE CHURCHES OF ASHLEY, BERWICK BASSETT, CLYFFE PYPARD, COMPTON BASSETT, HILMARTON, LYDIARD TREGOZE, WINTERBOURNE BASSETT, AND WINTERBOURNE MONKTON.1

By C. E. PONTING, F.S.A.

THE CHURCH OF S. JAMES, ASHLEY.

THE plan consists of chancel, with modern vestry on the south, nave with three-bay south aisle, south porch, and western tower.

This Church has very striking features of early work of two periods. Of the Norman Church there remain the south doorway of the aisle and the chancel arch-both very masculine in character and of a period shortly after 1100. The doorway has a square opening with lintel and tympanum contained within an unmoulded semi-circular arch. Outside of this is a roll mould supported on shafts with cushion caps. The lintel and upper part of the tympanum are ornamented with a star pattern diaper and the lower part of the tympanum with semi-circles, or scales (Plate I.). The chancel arch is a semi-circle of one order, without label, both arch and jambs having square unmoulded edges, with an impost 8in. deep; this latter is a square course chamfered on the under edge, the flat vertical face, on the west side and reveals only, having a band of stars cut on it.

The south aisle is extremely narrow-only 3ft. 2in. wide from the shafts of the arcade to the wall which, even if the south doorway did not exist, would point to its being on earlier foundations. It appears to have been re-built at about 1200-1220 rather than added at this time.

'For kind permission to reproduce the photographs illustrating this paper the Editor is indebted to Miss Walker, of Tetbury, for two photographs of Ashley Church; to Messrs. Tompkins & Barrett, of Swindon, for two of Clyffe Pypard; to Mr. J. C. Hood, of Swindon, for four of Lydiard Tregoze; and to Mr. Davison, of Swindon, for four of Winterbourne Bassett and Winterbourne Monkton. Six of the photographs of Clyffe were taken by the Rev. B. W. Bradford. Part of the expense of the illustrations of Clyffe Pypard and Winterbourne Bassett has been borne by the Rev. E. H. Goddard and the Rev. H. G. O. Kendall. For the loan of two blocks in the text the Editor is indebted to the kindness of Mr. R. Heath, of Calne.

Outside there is a buttress of this period westward of the porch. The aisle is divided from the nave by an arcade of three bays of arches of two orders-the outer chamfered and the inner moulded -with moulded labels; these are supported on piers having four clustered shafts and carved capitals. The bases are apparently buried under the new tiled floor laid at a higher level. The eastern bay of the three is wider and an earlier semi-circular arch, re-set, is carried across from the pier to the south wall. A later arch is carried in like manner from the other pier. The outer wall of the eastern bay was re-built wider with a new window, and gabled as a transept, probably in the fourteenth century, and the gable cross looks old. The western bay has a two-light square-headed Perpendicular window.

The north wall of the nave has been re-built with two two-light windows. The ceiling is a plastered barrel vault, and probably conceals an old braced-rafter roof. There are two corbels in the south wall under this, near the east end.

The porch retains an outer arch of the fourteenth century.

The tower is a square embattled structure covered with ivy; sufficient can be seen to show that the upper stage is of the fifteenth century. The arch opening into the nave is of early fourteenth century character--a pointed arch of two orders of chamfers, the inner dying on to the jambs and the outer chamfer carried down: the west window of the tower is of the same type, two-lights with ogee heads.

The font is somewhat unusual; a circular bowl with mouldings of fourteenth century type, on modern base and plinth.

The chancel was re-built in 1858, and the only part of the old work preserved is a peculiar piscina of the fourteenth century. It is detached from the wall and consists of a semi-octagonal bowl and shaft supported by a corbel-head, the latter presenting the unusual feature of a corbel standing on the floor. The question has naturally been raised whether this was ever used for another purpose (Plate II.).

The windows contain some rather modern-looking medallions of Flemish glass representing events in the life of our Lord.

THE CHURCH OF S. NICHOLAS, BERWICK BASSETT. The Church consists of nave with tower forming south porch and chancel with vestry on the north.

The nave is the only pre-Reformation structural work here; this dates from late in the fourteenth century, as judged by the doorways on north and south, with their deep labels moulded back to the face of the head and the four tall two-light square-headed windows, without labels, in the side walls. The west window, a pointed one of three lights, appears to have been inserted some seventy years later. In the south wall is a trefoil-arched piscina. with circular bowl. The only buttress is one on the south to support the chancel arch, which is modern. Across this arch is a fifteenth century oak screen of five bays each side of the central opening, the mullions being small buttresses in the lower part, with carved finials, the central opening has a four-centred arch with floriated cusps and carved spandrels; in the cornice is one band of inserted carving with a band of XXXX ornament below and the old cresting above. The rood-loft has disappeared (Plate III.).

The font is a most interesting one of the latter half of the thirteenth century; it is octagonal with shafts at the angles, and each side has a trefoil arch with carved floriated cusps, and the unusual feature of foliage branching out at the springing above the caps of the shafts. It is badly broken by the iron hinges and staple.

In the floor of the chancel is the brass of William Bayley, who died in 1427.1

The chancel and the tower-porch are built of thin bricks, and probably date from early in the eighteenth century; the former has an east window of triple-lancet form, and two lancets in the south wall, all of which are coeval with the brickwork.

The vestry was added under the direction of Mr. T. H. Wyatt.

Adjoining the churchyard is an interesting specimen of the manor house of the fifteenth century, the whole being old with the exception of the brick addition at the south-west angle, although some alteration has taken place in the south projection.

1 Kite's "Brasses of Wiltshire,” p. 22.

The plan is a parallellogram running east and west divided by a cross passage with a door at each end. On the west of this passage, and divided from it by a solid-framed oak screen (moulded on the west side and chamfered on the other) is the hall with fireplace and chimney in the west gable and a two-light north window, also another by the side of the fireplace, and the south window has been superseded by the modern addition. On the other side of the passage is a solid division wall, and beyond it the kitchen. All this part has the original roof. The entrance to the hall inside the south porch, the stone doorway of which remained until a few years ago, now forms the entrance to the old house at Vasterne, Wootton Bassett. The doorway at the north end of the passage leading out into the churchyard, as well as that in the south porch, still remains.

On the south is a two-gabled projection, one part forming the two-storied porch, with its stone doorway preserved, and the other part the stair; on the north side opposite the stair is a projection, probably the buttery, with overhung half-timber framing to the room over. The whole of the kitchen has half-timber work to the upper storey, and the main posts are conspicuous features in the rooms, but the hall (which is now divided into two storeys) had the stone walls carried up to the roof.

Part of the timber framing has been covered with rough-cast, and part with tile-hanging.

This house does not appear to have been favoured by the lord of the manor in later times, for a larger house of the Jacobean period has been built some distance to the south-east of it, nearer the road. Here the walls of one room were covered with painted canvas, said to have been done by a Dutch prisoner; but this also went to adorn the dining-room of the house at Vasterne.

Sir Stephen Glynne's notes on this Church, made 29th April, 1850, are as follows:-1

In St. Deiniol's Library, Hawarden, are preserved the MS. notes made by Sir Stephen Glynne, cir. 1850, on a great number of Churches throughout England, including one hundred and ten in Wiltshire. Of these last, by the kindness of the Warden, Canon Joyce, the Society has been enabled to procure copies. The notes dealing with the Churches described by Mr. Ponting in this paper are here printed within brackets.-ED.