was not the Church of the Priory. 17 
period of the demolitions. It is headed “ Receipts of the Superfluous 
Houses of the late Monastery of Amesbury, belonging to the Right 
Honourable Earl of Hertford,” 31st of Henry VIII. This would 
give the limits of time from the 4th December, 1539, to the 20th 
April, 1540, but, in reality, it extends to the 21st August, 1542. 
This document is rather puzzling, in respect of some of the dates, 
and it has to be studied in conjunction with Nos. 2 and 4. I have 
had to assume that, in one case, Canon Jackson has printed the 
34th, by mistake for the 38rd year of Henry VIII., and then, I 
think, I get the dates right. It would appear, from the dates, 
either that the demolition was begun, on behalf of the King, and 
afterwards brought into account on behalf of the Earl of Hertford, 
or else that it was an understood thing, all along, which is perhaps 
most probable, that the property would pass into his possession, and 
that therefore the Earl began the demolition before the date of the 
actual grant, 7th April, 1541. The first printed item appears to 
be 10th February, 1540. On the 16th February, paving tile is 
removed from before the high altar, with all the gravestones from 
the same spot. On the 4th March, two tombstones are taken from 
the north aisle. On the 12th March, paving tile is taken from the 
south aisle. 
It is noticeable that all the printed items, up to the 30th October, 
1540, with perhaps one exception, are such as could well be removed, 
whilst the roofs were still standing, and as the demolishers afterwards 
melted lead in the choir, they would naturally first remove the 
paving. The possible exception is the first item :— “10th day, 
February, Humphry Lovingbone, for a ceiling and boards of one 
chamber by the little cloisters, 4 shillings.” The little cloister 
however, is not mentioned in the survey of the lead. Therefore 
it, with the buildings adjoining, may have had stone-tile’ roofs, 
in which case there would be no reason for delay. 
1 One would not, I think, expect stone-tile as a roofing material at Amesbury 
-now, but something of the kind was formerly used, as, in demolishing ‘“‘ the 
midel house, by the parke,” Robert Pederell of Amesbury was to take down 
the ‘‘sclat” [slat stone, or slate] and to carry the same and setitin good | 
order at his cost and charge. (Wilts Arch. Mazg., vol. x., p. 76.) Possibly 
the word ‘‘slate’’ may have been applied loosely to earthen roofing tiles. 
VOL. XXXI.—NO. XCIII. Cc 
