Romanesque tower in Kent. Yet, when Archbishop Becket came to Romney, to embark for the Continent, as he did more than once, this tall tower would not meet his view. The lower portions of it, alone, existed in his time.

When we regard this massive tower attentively, we perceive evident indications that its two upper stages are of later date than the two lowest and that the middle stage was, of necessity, altered to some extent when the upper stages were added. The two lower string-courses are of the usual Norman character; the upper strings are Transitional, or Early English. The arcading around the second stage is all round-headed; upon the turret, and upon the flat buttresses, as well as in the walls. The stair turret has likewise a minute round-headed window-slit in the second stage, and another in the third stage; but above them the window-slits are rectangular and broader. The weathering of an earlier nave roof appears upon the west face of the third stage. The windows and arcading in the three upper stages are pointed. In the west front, there are, in the third stage, two large lancet windows, with shafts; in the fourth stage, there is a window of two lights surmounted by a small circle, beneath a shafted pointed arch; and two small lancet lights, with shafts, are seen in the top stage. Above them, a cornice of heads, and a band of toothed ornament, runs around the tower and turret. These upper portions are those which could not have been seen by Thomas Becket the archbishop.

These features abundantly testify that the tower is of at least two periods. Examination of the masonry, on the west face, tends to suggest that the great doorway, and the triplet of round-headed windows above it in the second stage, received additional enrichments after the tower had been built. The masonry has been disturbed, and the enrichments seem to be insertions.

Entering the tower, through the grand west doorway, we find that the architecture of the interior tells the same tale as that without. The tower opens to the nave by a beautiful pointed arch, which has handsome mouldings (Transitional or Early English) on its western face, but none on its east side. Above that pointed arch, within the tower,

where the wall meets the eyes of all who enter by the great west door, there is an arcade of round-headed arches, enriched with chevron ornaments, standing upon a Norman string-course. Upon each side, the tower-walls are pierced, north and south, with noble round arches richly moulded. Were these here when the tower was first built, or have they since been inserted? Passing into the narrow north aisle of the tower, we find the reply ready to our hands. The external Norman string-course, of the tower, runs through the west wall of the aisle; and it appears, within the aisle, upon the stair turret, and above the round arch. The base of the stair turret is well finished as external work; but the west wall of the aisle is built up against it, marring its perfection. Thus it becomes clear and certain, that, although the west wall of the aisle contains a round-headed window, the aisle was added after the two lowest stages of the tower were built. Consequently, we know that the arches in the north and south walls of the tower are insertions, not planned by the architect when the tower was first erected. Yet it is quite possible that the eyes of Archbishop Becket may have seen these round arches, although he could not have seen the pointed arch, which opens into the nave.

The history of the tower then seems to be, that circa A.D. 1100, (whether a little before, or a little after, none can tell,) a square tower three stages high, with a northwest turret, was built here; it had no side arches, and no aisles. Later in the twelfth century, the north and south walls were pierced, and lean-to aisles were built; when enrichments were added to the west doorway and to the window arcade over it. Whether the pointed arch, opening to the nave, was added at the same time, must be doubtful; yet it is possible. Afterwards, circa A.D. 1200, the two upper stages with pinnacles were added to the tower, and some alteration was made in the upper part of the middle stage. This supposition, that there were three distinct epochs in the tower's history, seems to me to be the most feasible. Nevertheless, it is just possible that the whole of the enlargement, and addition to its height, may have been made at one time, circa A.D. 1185. Certainly we may pre

sume that when King John came to Romney, in 1206, the existing noble tower, by its great height, attracted his attention when he was yet a long way from it.

Entering the nave, we find on each side an arcade of four Norman arches, of simple character; their faces are adorned with the billet moulding, and half of them also with the embattled ornament. Their piers are massive, round and octagonal alternately, built of small squared blocks of stone; each pier has a deep square abacus, and a very shallow cap, slightly carved. Close above the apex of each round arch, there is a small Norman window, beneath which, on the aisle side of it, runs a Norman string-course. These were clerestory windows, when Becket was here; and also when King John was in this church; and it is hoped that two of them will again be opened, as shewn on the annexed plate. At present, they simply look into the roof of the aisle. the west end, north and south, a portion of the original narrow aisle still remains; it opens by a half-arch, of Early English character, into the wider aisle which was added early in the fourteenth century.

At

The clerestory windows are remarkably close to the arches of the nave arcades; so that the apex of the arch forms part of the splayed sill of the window.

It has been suggested that, at some time, the nave stood alone, without any western tower, and that the arcade over the tower arch was then an external adornment. If so, the nave must have been built soon after the Norman Conquest. The history of the tower would not be affected by this theory, but the changes undoubtedly made in the tower itself could not well have been undertaken during less than eighty or one hundred years; consequently, we should be driven to suppose that the nave is earlier than its features would at first sight suggest.

These fine old Norman arcades of the nave have, however, certainly resounded with voices in Holy worship, for fully 780 years. Between them have passed successive generations of Cinque Port Barons, who welcomed here Becket, or King John; Simon de Montfort, or the Princess his wife; Edward I, or the authorities of Pontigny Abbey. When