12'i The Church of All Saints, The Leigh, near CricJclade. 



window was inserted in the south wall of the nave eastward of the 

 porch, the tracery of which has heeu disturbed by a lowering of the 

 walls and window-head — probably to receive the new roof in \&'6'6. 

 At about the middle of the fifteenth century a great alteration took 

 place in this Church. The interesting (and in some respects unique) 

 wooden tower, with its massive posts and braces rising from the 

 ground inside the nave walls, was erected, the west gable was re- 

 built and a new three-light window introduced, two similar windows 

 of two lights each and a second doorway were inserted in the north 

 wall of the nave, and the cross on the east gable renewed. 



At the same time the chancel was entirely re-built with the 

 diagonal buttresses characteristic of the period. The three-light 

 window in the south wall of the sanctuary, with its inside sill carried 

 down as sedilia, and the charming piscina in the east jamb, are 

 coeval with the re-building ; the east window (a good three-light 

 one temp. Edward I., with early cusping and the nail-head ornament 

 on outside label) and the priests' door, which is of late fourteenth 

 century date, w^ere, however, parts of the previous chancel, re-built 

 with the walls at this time. 



The roof of the chancel is concealed by a coved plaster ceiling, 

 and it has a modern tie-beam ; but its ancient pitch is retained, and 

 the old roof probably exists. Shortly after this a rood-loft was 

 erected, and, although it does not still remain, traces of its former 

 existence may be seen in the cutting away of the label of the 

 chancel arch and the insertion of the small square window to light 

 it. A two-light square-head window was also inserted in the south 

 wall of the nave westward of the porch. 



The roof of the nave is an absolutely unique feature in a Parish 

 Church so far as my experience goes, and its Gothic character at so 

 late a period may be attributed to the revival in the Church which 

 took place at the time of Archbishop Laud. On the wall-plate on 

 the north side is carved the inscription : — 



H-yy-^-T T + W H + N Carppenters." 



(with a fleur-de-lys between each pair of initials.) 



" Blanchadin Wake : John Waldron : 

 Churchwardens : 1638." 



