greater fitness than of the chapel window that it was "brought from Salisbury Cathedral," or Christchurch. The inside dimensions are 11ft. 6in. wide and 14ft. long, and 15ft. high to the wall-plate. The outer arch is a magnificent one of two orders of deeply-cut mouldings, carried on three detached shafts to each jamb standing on a deep bench-table base. The niche on the outside is coeval and retains its corbel for the figure. In the east wall is a double doorway, now blocked up, but which formerly opened into the chapel-it has the appearance of having been intended more for seeing through than for means of access, as the openings are only 2ft. wide and there is a deep splayed sill standing above the floor level-each opening has a trefoil arch with roll moulding on the angle, and they are divided by a mullion 7in. thick. These are contained within a larger and richly-moulded arch, and both this and the inner arches are supported on shafts. Another twelfth century coffin slab is inserted over the doorway into the nave.

The font is the only bit of fourteenth century work in the Church, it is a plain octagonal one.

In the fifteenth century (circa 1450) the two three-light fourcentred arched windows were inserted in the south wall of the chapel, and the roof of trussed rafters with moulded ribs was put on. The present four-light east window is of the same date, but it is said to have been transferred here from the east end of the chancel in 1877. In this window are six figures of coeval glass in new setting.

The spire was added to the tower at this time, arched squinches being thrown across the angles to support the diagonal sides—these have since been re-built in corbelled-out form, probably owing to the settlements in the tower.

The rood-loft stair of unusual width was formed in the fifteenth century, and starts from the north chapel. There are fragments of fifteenth century screen work framed into the modern choir stalls.

The chancel arch and all windows here are modern.

There are five bells, the third of which is a medieval one with an inscription which I was not able to take on my visit, and it does not appear in Mr. Lukis' schedule.

The Church loses one of its chief features internally by the tower

being walled off-it is a pity that the foundations should not be strengthened so as to admit of the removal of the filling and of the fine archway being opened out.

The yew tree on the west side of the tower is probably older than the fabric-the trunk measures 18ft. 6in. round at a height of 6ft. from the ground; it is hollow for some 9ft or 10ft. high, and in the centre is the distinct stem of a smaller tree which has become merged into the main trunk.

NOTE.-The Illustrations.-For the drawing of the remarkable Norman font at Siddington, in Gloucestershire, the Society is indebted to the kindness of the Rev. W. Bagnall Oakley. The other illustrations are from drawings in the Society's possession made years ago by Mr. St. Aubyn.

Broughton Gifford.

Copy of Deed, belonging to the Rev. S. S. Keddle, relating to the Tithes of Monkton Farm, in the Parish of Broughton Gifford.

Communicated by the Rev. E. W. WATSON; translated by the Rev. ALAN BRODRICK.1

Anno ab incarnacione Mo CCo tricesimo secundo. Cum inter dominam Abbatissam et Conuentum sancti Edwardi ex una parte et Priorem et Conuentum Farlegh ex altera super iure

In the year of our Incarnate Lord, 1232, when, between the Lady Abbess and Convent of S. Edward, on the one part and the Prior and Convent of Farleigh on the other part, a dispute arose,

1 Monkton Manor in Domesday was held by the Saxon Rainburgis-then by Ilbertus de Chat, whose tomb found at Farleigh and transferred to Lacock records that he gave (Little) Broughton to Farleigh Priory. Hence Little Broughton came to be called "Monkton," the name which it now bears. At the Dissolution it was given to the Earl of Hertford. In 1615 it was sold to Edward Long; in 1669 it was sold again to Sir James Thynne, of Longleat. From him it passed to John Hall, whose granddaughter and sole heiress married the first Duke of Kingston. The second Duke sold it to his steward, Samuel Shering, whose brother left it to John Keddle, Esq., of Fordington, Dorset, in whose family the property still remains (see Wilts Magazine, vol. v., p. 326). The fine old gabled house-now a farm-is of various dates, and still retains a vaulted chamber known as the priest's chamber.

The Abbey of Shaftesbury, founded by King Alfred about 888 A.D., was at first dedicated to the Virgin Mary-but after the burial there of S. Edward, King and Martyr, it was called also by his name commonly in records, &c. The Lady Abbess of Shaftesbury was patroness of the Rectory of Broughton Gifford.

patronatus capelle de parua Brochtun' about the right of patronage of the

The seal of Bishop Robert Bingham, in white wax, is very fairly preserved. The Archdeacon's seal is lost.

1 Tanner's "Notitia," under Monkton Farleigh, gives the following references : Cart. II., Hen. III., p. I.M., 134; Claus. 12, Hen. III., m. . 5.,“ d. pro ii. hidis terræ in Broughton Parva"; Claus. 13 Hen. III.. m. 13, " de maner de Broughton Parva." 2 Stephen, Archdeacon of Wilts. See Jones' Fasti, list of archdeacons, p. 170. He was present in 1227 at the election of Robert Bingham as Bishop of Sarum, was still Archdeacon in 1243, but died before 1245. He was also Rector of Easton, and is said to have founded the priory there, see Jackson's Aubrey, p. 382.

For pedigree and connection of the Hardings with Broughton Gifford see Rev. J. Wilkinson's History of Broughton Gifford, Wilts Mag., vol. vi., p. 11.

Notes on pre-Norman Sculptured Stones in Wilts.

By the Rev. E. H. GODDARD.

HE study of the pre-Norman Christian art of England has received a great impetus of late from the researches of Canon G. F. Browne, F.S.A., and Mr. Romilly Allen, F.S.A. Scot. -to the latter of whom we are indebted for the accompanying valuable paper on the stones recently brought to light in Wiltshire. A few words by way of preface to this paper seem desirable. The only examples of pre-Norman sculpture in Wilts hitherto noticed in the Magazine are the two angels over the chancel arch of the Saxon Church at Bradford-on-Avon, illustrated in vol. v., p. 248; the panels of interlaced work and twining foliage on the piers of one of the early arches in Britford Church, described and illustrated in vol. xvii., p. 248; and the curious stone in Codford St. Peter Church, described and illustrated by Dr. Baron in vol, xx., p. 138.

Mr. Romilly Allen, in his very excellent little book, The Monumental History of the Early British Church, published by the S.P.C.K. in 1889, stated that, at the time he wrote, there were about two hundred and thirty localities in England where stones with Hiberno-Saxon decoration were known to exist, the number of specimens being about four hundred. Of these very few indeed are to be found in this part of England—the number of localities noted by him being in Dorsetshire and Berkshire (0), Hampshire (1), Somerset (5), Devonshire (2), Gloucestershire (1), and Wilts (2).

On the other hand, in those counties which in the ninth century constituted the southern halves of Northumbria and Strathclyde and the northern half of Mercia, they are far more numerous; Yorkshire heading the list with sixty-six localities, Cumberland (20), Durham. (19), Derbyshire (16), Northumberland (15), Northampton and Lincolnshire each (11), Staffordshire (9), and Cheshire (8).

In Celtic Cornwall they are found in eighteen localities, in Wales there are sixty-four stones, and in Southern Scotland they are numerous, whilst the finest and most elaborate of all are found in Ireland, where as many as two hundred and fifty sepulchral slabs and forty-five high crosses are known.

During the extensive works of restoration and re-building at Ramsbury in 1891, however, no less than six of these early sculptured stones were found, either built into the foundations of the south pier of the chancel arch and the east wall of the south aisle adjacent to it, or lying buried close by, near the line of what seemed to be the wall of an earlier Church, running outside the present south wall of the chancel.

The largest of the stones (A) had to be sawn in two parts to be removed and the bottom of it is broken into several pieces. The upper part is, however, but little injured and is richly sculptured on all four sides. Unfortunately, however, the stone is temporarily placed in such a position that a photograph could only be taken of the one side here given, and its size and weight were too great to allow it to be moved without danger of chipping the broken pieces of the base. Two of its sides are covered with interlacing knotwork of the same pattern, of which I am only able to give here tracings made from rubbings, and as the position of the stone made it impossible to get a rubbing of the bottom on one side it appears blank in the illustration. The fourth side of this stone is covered with fine interlacing dragonesque work, of which a plate is given from a drawing by Mr. Romilly Allen.

Stone (B) measures 354in. in height by 15in. wide at the base on two sides and 14in. on the others, and an inch less at the top, which has four dowel holes, each 4in. deep. All four sides are covered with sculpture and are all perfect except the lower half of one side which has been much defaced. As will be seen, two sides are covered with interlacing work, and the other two with three circular medallions of beasts biting their own tails. This stone doubtless formed part of the shaft of a cross, perhaps of the same as that of which (A) formed the base.

The other cross stone is that marked (C), much smaller than the