242 The Churches of Devizes. St. Mary's. 



Tenor. " Fcarc God and Honour the King, Anno Domini 1663." 

 " Come when I eall to sarve God all to sing Halliviah." 

 "John Drew and Phillip Strong, Churchwardens. W.P. P.P. I.M."! 



THE POUCH, 



which is on the south side, measures ten feet by six-and-a-half feet 

 inside. The outer doorway is a good specimen of the Transition 

 style, from Norman to Early English; of probably c. A.D. 1200. 

 The arch is nearly equilateral, and ornamented with the chevron 

 moulding in various forms: the capitals from which it springs are 

 Early English, and the shafts end about a foot below them. Above 

 the doorway is a small window of two lights. The parapet is em- 

 battled. On the west side, at the junction of the aisle wall, is a 

 square turret approached from the interior, and leading to the roof, 

 which is covered with lead. Within the porch is a stone seat, on 

 either side, and above the inner doorway is a niche for a figure. 



The porch underwent repair in 1612, when the upper part of it 

 seems to have been rebuilt. The agreement made between the 

 churchwardens and mason on this occasion is still preserved. It is 

 as follows : — 



Articles of agreement had and made betweene John Erwood and Robert Hope, 

 Churchwardens of the p'ish of St. Maries in the Devises in the Countie of Wilts, 

 and Henrie Sweate of ffrome in the Countie of Som'sett, fl'ree mason, 2 the 

 xxvij th of October, Anno Domini 1612, as followeth: — 



1 The following entries relative to the bells are taken from the churchwardens' accounts : — 



£ s. d. 



"1606. Itm. pd. Mr. Wallis for the casting our bells 21 



(A subscription amounting to £11 Ids. Id. was also made in 

 this year for the same purpose). 



1616. Itm. to the bellfounder for the casting of the bell 5 10 



1640. Itm. pd. for takeing down the fowerth bell and for hanging of 



him upp 8 



Itm. pd. for articles and bond thereuppon for the bellfounders 



casting of the fowerth bell 2 



Itm. given the bellfounder for earnest money uppon the bargayne 



for casting the bell 10 



Itm. pd. for Tynne putt into the bell 3 110 



1664. It. pd. the bellfounder for adding near 3 cwt. of metal to the 



third and fourth bell and for waste of metal 18 17 



1696. Pd. for new casting the bell 18 10 



1701. Paid Mr. Corr in full for casting the bell 16 9 5 



2 For some account of the Freemasons of the Middle Ages, and their connection with the rise, 

 progress, and decline of Pointed Architecture, the reader is referred to " Dallaway's Historical 

 Account of Master and Freemasons," and " Hope's Historical Essay on Architectnre." A notice of 

 them will also be found in the Rev. F". A. Paley's " Manual of Gothic Architecture"— Van Fovrst, 

 1846— Chap. vi. And "A Hand Book for the Mediaeval Courts of the Crystal Palace."— Jiradbury and 

 Evan*, 1854, p. 12. 



