72 The Bishop’s Palace at Salisbury. 
fantastic design of Sir Robert Taylor.” The windows are, however, 
much better than the porch, and those on the north side of the 
chapel, at any rate, seem to be old. What is clear, I think, is that 
at some time or other the ceiling of the old dining-room was 
raised, and with it the floor of the chapel, which is at present ap- 
proached by seven very steep steps. The present windows of the 
lower room are evidently much higher than the original ones, which 
are now blocked up in the front, but which are shown open in the 
eighteenth century plan. The chapel even then was approached by 
steps, and apparently by as many as ten, so that it would not be 
safe to assume that the ceiling was raised by Bishop Barington, 
though he certainly blocked the front windows and put in the two 
at the ends. I have said that the present chapel was probably the 
chapel of the palace before its consecration by Bishop Henchman, 
but that we can only trace ordinations in the palace back to the 
beginning of Bishop Jewel’s episcopate. It is, perhaps, reasonable 
to suppose that the causes why ordinations were not held in it before 
his time were because the bishops were so frequently absent from 
Salisbury that they did not wish to neglect the Cathedral when 
they were present, and also that the numbers to be ordained were 
larger than with us, owing to the number of acolytes, and sub- 
deacons, as well as monastic deacons and priests, who had to be 
provided for. I do not feel sure, however, judging from the evidence 
of our registers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that either 
of these reasons is quite sufficient, and I incline to think that there 
was some feeling on the subject, possibly some lack of sympathy 
between the Bishop and the Chapter, possibly some disinclination to 
interrupt the ordinary services of the Church by such a ceremony— 
which led to the more frequent use of the private chapel after the 
Reformation. No register of ordination is found between 26th May, 
1548, when the suffragan Bishop of Marlborough ordained Walter 
Bower, fellow of Magdalen College, in the Church of Fittleton, till 
the first ordination by Thomas Lankaster, another Bishop of Marl- 
borough, for Bishop Jewel, in our Cathedral, 13th April, 1560— 
that is, for nearly twelve years. The people were, therefore, un- 
accustomed to the service, and some might think it too Popish, 
