8. James, Ahury. 397 



of which was 16in. within the present chancel wall, and which was 

 smoothly plastered on its inner surface to the depth of the original 

 floor-level of the nave. The eastern extremity of this wall had 

 been broken through, probably for the purpose of making a vault ; 

 so that the chancel was evidently not apsidal, but of a similar 

 character to those of S. Lawrence, Bradford-on-Avon, and S. Mary 

 le Wigford, Lincoln. 



I may here call the attention of visitors to a rude piece of sculpture 

 which is now placed inside the porch, aod which was found built 

 into the east wall of the chancel. This consists of the representation 

 of the Heavenly Father giving benediction to the Son, who is em- 

 bracing the cross, and was doubtless one of the decorations of the 

 Saxon Church, as a similar piece of sculpture, found amongst the 

 remains of another Saxon Church, has been described by the late 

 Mr. J. H. Parker. 



In conclusion, I would offer here an observation upon the probable 

 origin of those very peculiar circular openings in the north wall of 

 the nave, which are accurately described in Mr. Poutiug's paper. 

 They have, as he has pointed out, an arrangement for a cradle of 

 " wattle-and-daub " work, in order to continue the internal splay of 

 the opening into the Church ; but then the question occurs, " What 

 could be the object of such arrangement in a stone wall, in which 

 that splay might so easily be continued in the stone-work, as it is 

 at present in the central opening ? " 



Does not this peculiar arrangement unmistakably point to the 

 inference that these circular openings were the windows of a still 

 earlier British Church of " wattle-and-daub,^^ and that when that 

 Church was replaced by the Saxon Church of stone, these openings 

 were utilized in their present position, for the purpose of giving a 

 glimmer of light within the building when the larger Saxon win 

 dows were obliged to be closed by their shutters, through stress of 

 weather ? 



If this inference be correct, then — as Avebury was certainly one 

 of the very earliest inhabited spots of Britain — so in these very 

 peculiar openings we have the remains of one of the very earliest 

 Churches of the Kingdom. 



