42 _ Malmesbury. 



A.D. ' 



the bones of Aldhelm. On the outside were carved 

 his miracles in bas-relief (" levato metallo"). After- 

 wards he added a lid of crj'stal, with Aldhelm's name 

 in letters of gold. (Ditto, p. 359). 



924-41. King Athelstan's nephews, Elwin and Ethelwin, are 

 buried right and left of the Altar of St. Mary's Church. 

 (Gale, IL, 362.) 

 Athelstan builds the monastery from the foundation 

 (" coenobium a fundamento fecit ") and brings hither 

 the relics of St. Samson. (Ditto, p. 364.) 



941. Athelstan is buried, "sub altari Sanctae Mariae in turri" 



(under the Altar of St. Mary, in the tower) : " where- 

 fore they are in the wrong who say that Abbot ^Ifric 

 built that tower, for he was not made Abbot until 

 more than 30 years after Athelstan's death." (Ditto, 

 p. 363.) In another of his works (De GestisReg:) 

 William of Malmesbury says that Athelstan was 

 " interred at the head of the sepulchre of St. Aldhelm." 

 (W. of M., Bohn's Antiq : Library, p. 137.) 



955. Edwin, King. St. Dunstan removes the silver shrine 



containing Aldhelm's bones from St. Michael's Chapel, 

 and places it in St. Mary's. (Gale, II., 365.) 



959-75. Edgar, King. He restores a certain manor, (Estcote) 

 to the monks, under the title of the " Church of St. 

 Saviour, Mary, Peter and Paul." He gives money 

 for the restoration of decaj^ed monasteries : and 

 appoints -3lllfric Abbot of Malmesbury. (p. 365.) 



977-82. Abbot ^Ifric rebuilds all the offices of the monks ("omnes 

 monachorum officinas ") : and transfers the dignity of 

 principal church ("caput loci") from the Church of 

 " The Saviour, Peter and Paul " to that of St. Mary. 

 (Gale, II., 366.) But nothing is said in this Treatise 

 " De Pontif." by Wm. of Malmesbury, about ^Ifric's 

 having built a new church. Only the "offices" of the 

 monastery are mentioned. 



