374 



of Christianity after St. Augustine's mission, when church 

 building became extensive, a plain west wall (or sometimes a 

 west apse, as at Canterbury), and, in later times, a west tower 

 unpierced with anj^ external doorway became customary — as we 

 find in the early Ehenish churches — and lateral doorways became 

 the prevailing use. We may, therefore, take it for certain that 

 an early tower at the west end of the nave is not later than 

 1050, while many are a century or two earlier. AVhere we find 

 a very small village church, consisting of an aisleless nave and 

 chancel (often without a chancel arch), with west entrance only^ 

 it is, I believe, a survival in ground plan, if not in actual work 

 and detail, of the Brito-Eoman style, and may very possibly stand 

 on such early foundations. Such churches are common enough 

 in all the Keltic parts of Great Britain and Ireland, and are to be 

 also found, though not so commonlj', in the more Teutonic parts. 



We are expressly told that Archbishop Wilfrid built his 

 church at Ripon " more Romano.'" All that remains of this church 

 is the crypt, almost identical in position, design, and dimensions, 

 with that in his sister foundation at Hexham. Now both these 

 crypts are rectangular and have their principal entrances to the 

 W. If, in the same way, a west entrance was used in the super- 

 structure it may possibly account for the description of its having 

 been built " more Romano." 



We may observe that the west towers of early churches 

 opened into their naves through doorways too low and too 

 narrow to admit of a funeral procession passing through; so that, 

 even when these towers were pierced in later times for external 

 doorways, they could rarely have been intended for principal 

 entrances. 



In considering all these various modes of treatment of door- 

 ways in their several classes in connection with the history of 

 the buildings of which they form so necessary a part, we must 

 ever bear in mind they were erected, primarili/ for use — for 

 ornament quite in a secondary degree. Such a triple portal as- 



