210 Lacock Abbey. 
Immediately to the east of these doors would be one or more 
steps across the church, known as gradus presbyterit, and at this point 
usually hung the veil in front of the altar during Lent. As this 
arrangement leaves only twenty feet for the presbytery proper,which 
is very short, the high altar must have stood against the east wall. 
In the centre of the quire would stand the monument of the 
Foundress, who was “in choro decentissime tumulata,’”’ and around 
it twenty-five candles were lighted daily throughout the year.! Part 
of this monument is now placed in the floor of the south alley of the 
cloisters where it suffered severely at one time by being walked 
upon. It consists of a hard blue stone slab, with the housing 
for a figure and canopy of brass, in the centre; and round the 
margin was the following inscription in Lombardic characters cut 
in the stone, but now much obliterated :— 
INFRA.SVNT.DEFOSSA.E| L22 VENERABIL |18.0SSA.QVH.DEDIT.HAf.SEDES 
SACRAS . [MONIALIBVS . ZDES . ABBAT ISSA . 
QVIDEM . QV. SANCTE . VIXIT . IBIDEM . ET . COMITISSA . SARVM . 
VIRTVTVM . PLENA . BONARVM.2 
There is a space at the end of the last line that may have con- 
tained a date. From the style of the canopy it would appear to 
be no older than the 14th century, so must have superseded some 
earlier memorial, from which apparently the inscription was exactly 
copied. 
All evidence of internal fittings immediately west of the quire 
screen has been obliterated, but, judging from other cases of oblong 
churches, there would be a second transverse screen westward of 
the processional door, with two small altars against its west side 
and a door in the centre. 
Resting on the top of this and the quire screen and occupying 
the full ‘idth between them, would be the loft or gallery called — 
1“ Ht salut annuatim pro xliiij libris cere emptis pro manutencione xxv 
cerearum quolibet die per totum annum ardencium circa sepulturam domine 
Elie Longespe fundatricis monasterii de Lacok valoris cujuslibet ponderis 
communibus annis, vij’., Summa xxv’. viij’. Valor Keclesiasticus, ii., 117. 
2 The parts within brackets are now quite obliterated; but are givenonthe 
authority of Bowles and Nichols, History of Lacock, p. 5. 
