272 



The Ecclesiastical History 

 Of the parish, so far as I have been hithei-to able to gather it, 

 runs thus : 



The Noi-man doorway -witnesses to a Church in early times. 



In the Book of Obits, drawn out anew in 1493, which belonged 

 to the Nunnery of Kington St. Michael, near Chippenham, occurs 

 the following : 



" January ix. For the soul of Reynold, Bialiop of Bath, who gave us our 

 parsonage of Twy vertone, and for the soules of Savary, late Bishop of Bath 

 and Glastonbury, and of Jocelyn, late Bishop of Bath, that confirmed to us 

 by their writing the same."* 



Reynold was Bishop, 1174 — 1191, afterwards Archbishop of 

 Canterbury. He rebuilt St. Mary's, Bath, St. Michael's intra 

 muros, and founded and endowed St. John's Hospital. Savaric was 

 Bishop, 1192—1205. Jocelin was Bishop, 1206—1242. 



In 1235 Michael of Amesbury, Abbot of Glastonbury, restored the 

 Church at Kington, and it was re-dedicated to St. Michael, as a 

 compliment to the Abbott The Church at Twerton is now 

 dedicated to St. Michael, but the village revel, which was generally 

 held on the vigil of the Saint's day to whom the Church was 

 dedicated, used to be kept on June 28th, or the vigil of St. Peter's 

 Day. May it not be that the Church of Twerton was hkewise re- 

 dedicated for the same reason, as the parsonage was in the hands of 

 the Nuns of Kington "? 



In 1318 William Malreivard gave the Church of Twyvertone to 

 the Nunnery of Kington. The deed is to be foimd in New 

 Monasticon, vol. iv., 398, or in Wilts Magazine, vol. iv., p. 70. 

 The Chui-ch was valued at six marks.J This gift was afterwards 

 confirmed to the Nunnery by Galfrid Malreward, the gi-andson of 

 William. The deed is signed by John, Abbot of Keynsham. This 

 seems to point out that Twerton had been more or less, though not 

 altogether (see on), in the possession of the Malrewards since the 

 time of the Conqueror, as then a portion was held, as we have 

 seen, by a Gosfrid or Goiffid Malreward. The Malrewards were 

 people of gi-eat distinction possessing laud in Somerset, Dorset, 

 and Devon. 



• Wilts Magazine, vol. iv., 61. f Wilts Magazine, iv. % Collinson, 348. 



