130 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF DALE ABBEY. 



square. The garth was enclosed by a wall pierced with windows, 

 whose foundations were 5 feet thick. From the Visitation Book* 

 of Bishop Redman, Visitor- General of the Premonstratensian 

 Order, 1475-1501, we learn that this cloister was "newly begun " 

 in 1478, and " almost built " in 1482. Whether the Sacristy had 

 an entrance from the cloister, cannot be ascertained, the whole of 

 its western wall having been removed. 



Of the Chapter House and its fine series of monuments, we have 

 much to say. The remarkable effigy of a Canon is still a crux. 

 Mr. Bloxam, after a personal inspection, pronouncing it to repre- 

 sent an Abbot, and the Rev. F. M. Geudens, of Crowle, Don- 

 caster, who is himself a Canon Regular of the Premonstratensian 

 Order, suggesting it is the figure of a Cantor, with a Service Book. 

 My own investigations have, however, led me to adopt still another 

 theory. I will first state my objections to the other three : (a) 

 the figure is not a Lector,t as no such personage would be found 

 in a conventual establishment, though, if in a parish church, the 

 effigy would doubtless represent one. In this view, Mr. Bloxam 

 concurs, {b) The figure can scarcely be a Cantor, as that officer 

 was not of sufficient importance to be commemorated by an 

 effigy in the Chapter House. (c) If an Abbot, where is his 

 pastoral staff? For, although the Premonstratensians avoided the 

 use of episcopal insignia, yet the pastoral staff was as much 

 abbatical as episcopal, and many of the seals of abbeys, of the 

 same order as Dale, bear the figure of an Abbot, holding a book 

 in the left hand, and pastoral staff in the right, e.g., Coverham, 

 Newhouse, Alnwick, Torre, etc., and the pastoral staff occurs 

 on slabs at Dale, Welbeck, Blanchland, and other Premonstra- 

 tensian houses. It is quite certain, too, that our effigy never had 

 a staff which is now broken away. 



From a comparison with seals and other representations, I have 

 come to the conclusion that we have here the effigy of a Prior. There 

 were two classes of Priors, — Claustral and Conventual. The 



* Bodleian Library, Oxford. Ashmole MSS. 15 19. 



f The Lector, who read during dinner, was appointed weekly, and was not 

 an officer of a monastery. 



