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have been able to preserve the ancient fabric. That, however, was 
not the feeling of the age. And so the historical old church was 
swept away, and with it—to complete the work of destruction—all 
the most important of the monuments were destroyed. The 
Puritan revolutionists might have been blamed for this vandalism, 
had we not had the painstaking account of Bishop Nicolson of 
the monuments in and about the church only sixteen years before 
its demolition ; from which we learn that there was then nearly a 
score of monuments and brasses of great interest, only five of 
which can now be found—and these the least important of the 
number mentioned. We are therefore forced to the conclusion 
that the missing monuments of the ancient family of the Huttons 
and others were ruthlessly destroyed with the old church. 
The tower of the church is of massive proportions, being at its 
base twenty feet square, with walls six feet thick; the top, or 
belfrey, stage is twenty-two feet square, with walls four feet thick, 
the total height from ground to top of parapet is seventy-one feet. 
Up to the belfrey stage it is the original 13th century tower, which 
has been much tampered with; some small mean windows have 
been inserted, and angle buttresses added, and—greatest abortion 
of all!—an Italian doorway and Grecian pediment stuck to the 
old Gothic tower. From structural indications it appears probable 
there was a large west window, which, seen from the interior of 
the church through the great arch now spanning the gallery stairs, 
would be a fine feature. The belfry stage was, from the architec- 
tural details of its eight two-light windows, added in the latter part 
of the 15th century ; and there is good reason to suppose it was 
built by the Earl of Warwick, when he held the manor (1460—70). 
The reasons for this supposition are, that upon the north-west 
angle of the parapet there is what tradition calls the Warwick 
ragged staff; and it is noticeable on examination of the parapet, 
that similar ragged staffs were originally placed on all four angles 
and the centre of each side. It may also be observed that while 
all other parts of the tower are of red stone, the ragged staff is of 
white, that being the proper colour for Warwick’s staff, another 
nobleman having a black one. Again, the belfrey windows are of 
