was also himself a free-holder having "Gift-lands, and Amor's lands, and Clerk's lands: and a wine-tavern in Barkcombe." With regard to another lease of the manor to Edward Shelley, by his kinswoman Dame Elizabeth Shelley, the last Abbess of St. Mary, Winton, there is some interest attaching to it as having been probably the means of connecting with the parish the family described in the Herald's Visitations, as "Shelley of All Cannings," of whom we shall hereafter make mention. As one of the Religious Houses, the revenue of which was under £200 per annum, the Abbey of St. Mary, Winton, was ordered to be suppressed. Dame Elizabeth Shelley, its Abbess, by her own exertions managed to avert its complete fall for a time. She obtained letters patent, dated August 27th, 1536, by which her Abbey was new founded with all its possessions, except the valuable manors of Alle-Canninges and Archefonte (Erchfont), together with the Rectory of Archefunte and the advowson of both churches, which were alienated in favor of Lord Edward Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp (afterwards the Protector Duke of Somerset), and Lady Ann his wife. Dame Elizabeth Shelley was appointed Abbess of the newly founded convent. After four years, however, it fell. She would seem to have made the best use of her opportunities and was not unmindful of the claims of kindred, for the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the revenues of the suppressed monasteries, report under date of May 15th, 28 Hen. VIII. :

"Item, there bene no manner leases nor grauntes made to any person under the convent seale of the seid monastery sithen the iiiith daye of Ffebruary, anno xxvito R. H. VIII., butt oonly oon indenture, made unto Edward Shelley, of the manner of All Canninges in com. Wiltes, and theyer mille and medowe belonginge to the same from the feast of Seint Michell tharchungell, which shal be in the yere of our Lord God 1555, unto thend and terme of 40 yeres, yeldinge and payinge yerely £xxvi. vi. viiia., bering date the xx daye of Octobre, in the xxvii yere of the said Kinge." From the Protector Duke of Somerset's Register of estates at Longleat, Canon Jackson has supplied us with the following account of the profits of the manor, &c., of All Cannings.

It may be mentioned, in passing, that in 1550, Sir John Thynne of Longleat seems to have been the lessee of the Parsonage of All Cannings in his own hands and occupation, the same being worth, above the lord's rent, £28 6s. 8d. There were covenants in the lease to provide the cure with two ministers, one at Ashlington (Etchilhampton). In 1564, when John Fisher, the Incumbent deprived under Queen Mary, had been restored, the Baynton family seem to have been the lessees of the Parsonage.

The manor of All Cannings remained for a number of years in the possession of the descendants of the Protector Duke of Somerset. In 1676 it was included in the marriage settlement of Lady Elizabeth Seymour with Lord Bruce. At some later period it seems to have passed, by purchase, to the Nicholas family, and to have been held by them for many generations. It was devised by Elizabeth Nicholas, who had become possessed of it through the death of her brother John Nicholas, in 1737, without issue, to her great nephew Nicholas Heath, who was Rector of All Cannings, and died in 1808. Georgiana, daughter of Nicholas Heath, was married to Philip Gell, Esq., of Hopton Hall, co. Derby, and through her he became possessed of the manor. The father of the present Lord Ashburton purchased it subsequently from Mr. Philip Gell, and the manor and advowson now vest in his Lordship. The greater portion of the land is divided into two large farms, which are held under Lord Ashburton.

THE CHURCH.1

It is in the Parish Church that archæological interest chiefly centres. It stands at the west end of the village, close to the

Some difficulty is felt in determining to what chapel allusion is here made. Probably as the pension from the Parsonage would represent the ecclesiastical revenue received by the Lord of the Manor from All Cannings, and the pension from the Prebend, as we shall hereafter see, that from Allington, the chapel of St. Anne may be that of Etchilhampton. In a subsequent page, reasons will be given for believing that chapel to be dedicated to St. Anne.

It is right that we should acknowledge our obligations to Mr. E. Kite, for some valuable notes on the church of All Cannings communicated to the Rev. H. H. Methuen a few years ago.

present manor farm, where an old manor house formerly stood, and close to the Rectory house.

The Church is commonly said to be dedicated in honor of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin, but for reasons already stated it is believed that the more probable dedication was that of All Saints. It is cruciform in plan, with a central tower rising at the intersection of chancel, nave, and transept. There is besides, a small chantry chapel in the south side of the chancel. There are two porches, one on the north and the other on the south side of the church.

The internal measurements of the building are as follows:

The NAVE is divided from the aisles on either side by three arches, springing from circular piers. A curious fragment of carving, about ten inches in length, on the north side of the arch, connecting the south aisle and transept, is represented in the annexed woodcut. It would seem to be the figure of a serpent coiling round the lower part of a man, and apparently biting his arm. The west window of the nave together with

those in the aisles, possess but little architectural merit; and the roofs throughout the interior of the building have been modernised. Over the inner doorway of the north porch is a bracket, which seems to have supported a small figure.

The FONT stands in the centre of the nave between the two

1 These were the dimensions of the chancel before the recent entire re-building of this part of the church, of which a more particular account will be found in a subsequent page.

porches. It is octagonal, the bowl being enriched with quatrefoil pannels, each alternate one enclosing a blank shield. It has a lining of lead and also a drain. The carved oak cover bears the initials "T. M. ;" and the date "1633."

The TRANSEPTS vary, as will be seen from the measurements given above, both in length and width. They were probably originally built of the same dimensions; and the one on the south. side, enlarged at the time when the chantry chapel was added. There is a difference to be observed in the probable date of the two windows in the extreme wall of each transept; the one in the northern being some few years earlier than that in the southern transept. There are a few fragments of stained glass in the tracery of both these windows. On the north side we have an angel

1 Under the floor of the north transept there was discovered a few years ago a Purbeck marble coffin. It was interred there no doubt before that portion of the church was enclosed, and whilst it still formed part of the churchyard. The following account of it was given in the Devizes Gazette of February 28th, 1861.-"During the past week, whilst making excavations for a flue in the north transept of All Cannings Church, the workmen accidentally came in contact with an ancient coffin of Purbeck marble, seven feet in length, gradually tapering from the head towards the feet, and constructed from a solid block hollowed out for the reception of the corpse, with a circular cavity at the upper end for the head. It lay across the middle of the transept, with the head to the west, and when discovered was only from six to nine inches beneath the ground, so that the slab with which it was originally covered, and which probably bore an incised cross or inscription, must have formed a portion of the pavement of the church. Of this slab unfortunately no trace could be found. The coffin, from long interment had become very much decayed, but the skeleton seemed to have been undisturbed. The skull was quite sound and well proportioned: the nose a fine aquiline; several of the vertebræ were grown together in consequence of disease, and the sides of some were carious, so that death may have been occasioned by spinal curvature and attendant abscess. The general appearance of the bones indicated that the deceased was a stout well proportioned man, nearly six feet in height, and perhaps not much above thirty years of age. Coffins of this description constructed from stone found in the immediate locality of the interment, were in general use amongst the higher classes during the 12th and 13th centuries; but Purbeck marble from the distance of the quarries and the difficulties which must necessarily have attended its transit at this early period, seems to have been rarely used in this neighbourhood. The interment may perhaps be referred to the commencement of the 13th century, at which date the Purbeck beds are known to have been extensively worked for architectural purposes. Near the coffin was found a silver penny, nearly illegible, but apparently of the reign of Edward I."

swinging a censer, und underneath the monogram M (for the Blessed Virgin Mary), with the legend "be plena gratia Dominus tecum," the figure or subject beneath it having been destroyed. On the south side we have the initials I. B., of which we shall say more hereafter. The date of the original transepts may have been about the middle of the fifteenth century. The roofs of both transepts were originally gabled; but that of the south transept, on the addition of this chantry chapel, when the ornamental parapet which distinguishes this part of the building was carried round it, was lowered in pitch.

The TOWER, of three stages, is a plain but substantial erection of the perpendicular period, and is, like the transepts, to be attributed to the middle of the fifteenth century. It possibly superseded an older tower which, having fallen into decay, was perhaps reconstructed at the same time that the transepts were added, for it seems difficult to believe that the turret stair-case, now enclosed within the north transept, was not at one time outside the church. It rests on four pointed arches, each of two chamfered orders, but without shaft or capital. In the upper stage are four openings, each with a pointed arch and central mullion. From the squinches or arches thrown across the angles, it would seem that the tower was originally intended to carry a spire. The parapet is quite plain, without either battlements or pinnacles. On the north side is the stair-case turret, square in form, rising to the same height as the tower, and also terminating with a plain parapet. The lower portion, which is enclosed within the north transept, anciently served as a communication between the church and roodloft, the doorway which opened into the latter being still visible in the wall. The Bells, five in number, bear the following inscriptions :

1. A. R. 6261 IN IM OD: ON: NA✈

2. Thomas Andrews, William Maslen, Churchwardens, 1771.

3. AN: NO DO MI NI. 1626

4. James Wells, Aldbourne, Wilts, fecit 1806. Henery Hitchcock and William Hayward, Ch-wardens.

Tenor. Robert Mareslen, William Stevens, Churchwardens, 1658. W▲P (Diameter 3ft. 7in.)

Above is a small bell 14 inches in diameter, with date 1629.

*These letters have become reversed in casting. The inscription is "ANNO DOMINI, 1626, A. R." The last two letters are most probably the initials of the caster, ABEL [or ABRAHAM] RUDHall.