208 ~- Laeock Abbey. 
completion of the chapel, viz., twelve years from the date of the 
writing, which was “Done a Lacoke le Jeody procheyn apres la 
feste seynt bartolomeu lan du regne le roi Edward filz au roi Edward 
neofyme,” #.e., 1315. 
It will be seen from the above that the manner of building this 
addition formed no exception to the usual medieval system of 
almost completing the new work before any alteration was made to 
the original building. When the document was drawn up certain 
of the new windows were finished and the others were begun, but 
the older wall of the church was not interfered with. There were 
to be two arches of connection with the church in the old south 
wall as large as could safely be constructed between the buttresses, 
and continued down only as far as the string-course under the 
windows, and not to the ground;' the reason being that the 
canonesses’ stalls would occupy the blank wall below the string- 
course, and by this arrangement their disturbance would not be 
necessary. As there were only two arches to be made, and the 
new chapel was equal in length to three bays of the orginal 
church, the eastern bay must have remained unaltered. This was 
possibly done for two reasons :—the first, so that the new arches 
might have a good abutment; and the second, so that the sedilia 
and lockers in connection with the high altar, which would occupy 
this bay, might not be interfered with. 
The new roof was to be well ceiled and painted, and would be 
parallel with that of the church, and finished at the east and west 
ends with gables. In each gable was to be one window and in the 
south wall two windows, all well glazed and barred with iron. 
Between the two south windows, and occupying the centre bay, was 
possibly the monument of Sir John Bluet,’ which was provided 
for from the first. A large block of foundation was found 
1 The same arrangement of arches occurs across the transepts of the canons’ _ 
church of Newark, in Surrey, but formed part of the original design and was 
not an insertion. 
2In unblocking the east procession door there were found some small but — 
very beautifully carved fragments of a monument of early fourteenth century J 
work which may have belonged to this tomb. q 
