BRADBOURNE CHURCH. 75 



The Norman nave and chancel were taken down and an early 

 English one newly built or recast with the old materials. This 

 must have been very soon after 1238, the character of the two 

 Early English windows remaining tell us this, and unfortunately 

 for the credit of the Dunstable canons, we can also recognize some 

 of tiieir work, not by its goodness, but by its badness. Unlike the 

 Cistercians and the Benedictines, the Dunstable Augustines seem 

 to have been but sorry constructors. Their own Chronicle is full 

 of their building troubles. Walls and towers were constantly 

 tumbling down, and the accounts of restorations carried on at 

 Dunstable and elsewhere are quite alarming. They probably 

 enjoyed it then as too many people do now. 



Here they made use of the Norman walls as far as they suited 

 their purpose, just as I have endeavoured to show that the 

 Normans did of the Saxon walls, and they swept away the old 

 chancel and put up a wider one. This we know from one little 

 feature ; namely, another straight joint, at the point E on the plan. 

 Straight joints are as godsends in architectural history. There 

 yet remain two of the Early English windows, one in the chancel 

 and one in the nave, and the priest's door. I can say nothing 

 about the Early English work in the south side of the nave, 

 because it has been supplanted, but the north wall carries the south, 

 so to speak. On the east face of the tower is the mark or 

 chase of the high-pitched Early English roof which impinged 

 upon it, and had its apex cut into and level with the sill of the 

 belfry window. I think the font belongs to this period, but it is 

 difficult to say positively, owing to circumstances which I will 

 touch upon later. 



For the architectural story of the church we have no more docu- 

 mentary guides, but there is an interesting little entry in the 

 Chronicle, under the year 1282, informing us that Ralph de Hare- 

 wood, canon, died at Bradbourne on the fourth of the calends of 

 September. I do not undertake to find a tenant for every stone 

 coffin that is dug up, but they cannot have bean frequent here, and 

 it does happen that a stone coffin was found soriie years ago in the 

 churchyard which is certainly of the time of Harewood's death. 



