First Bay's Proceedings. 123 



for the very able manner in which, in a few comprehensive words, 

 he had detailed to them the history of the building. The Churches 

 of Wiltshire they would find very different from those they saw last 

 year in Norfolk. The cruciform plan seemed to be the general 

 arrangement on which many of them had been erected, and originally 

 with the tower in the centre. At Potterne they would see an ex- 

 ample of such a Church in its original condition. Dr. B urges 

 had referred to the tower, and he must add that it was a rare 

 circumstance to find a tower that was not square. Having 

 suggested that it was hardly possible to conceive a Church of that 

 importance being built originally without the usual narrow side 

 aisles, which the Normans were so fond of introducing, and which 

 he thought there was evidence had existed, Mr. Brock said he 

 regretted to have to make an observation with regard to the age of 

 the building which might appear a little to clash with the generally- 

 accepted opinion. On examining the building they found there 

 were pointed arches with mouldings of precisely the same character 

 as those of the circular ones, which indicated that the builders were 

 well conversant with the use of the pointed arch. Round arches 

 carried the broad faces of the tower, and pointed arches the narrow 

 faces, and this indicated that the pointed arch was in use when the 

 Church was erected. But history showed there were no pointed arches 

 earlier than about 1145. He thought there would be very little 

 opportunity for the erection of two such Churches as that and St. 

 Mary's in the time of Bishop Poore, and he was led, therefore, to 

 consider that they must attribute the foundation of the earlier 

 portions to the more settled times of Henry II. He was crowned 

 in 1152, and between that date and 1160 they might very reasonably 

 set down the period of the erection of that Church. They would 

 see similar arches at Malmesbury, which dated from about 1160, 

 later than the time of William of Malmesbury, who, though a 

 resident in the Abbey, made no reference to the present building, 

 since it was later than his time. 



Mr. Lambert said he could not believe that these Churches were 

 ever finished by the founders. The Normans most decidedly began 

 that Church, and they began it where they most wanted it. at the 



