138 Leland’s Journey through Wiltshire. 
The walles in many places stond ful up; but now very feble. 
Nature hath diked the toun strongely. 
It was sum tyme a castelle of greate fame, wher yn the toun 
hath syns ben buildid; for in the beginning of the Saxons reign, 
as far as I can lerne, Malmesbyri was no toun. 
This castle was namid of the Britons, Cair-Bladun. 
The Savons first caullid it Ingelburne. 
And after, of one Maildulphus a Scotte that taught good letters 
there and after procurid an abbay ther to be made, it was 
Maidulphesbyri : i. e., Matldulphi curia. 
The King of the West-Sarons and a Bishop of Winchestre were 
founders of this abbay. 
Aldeimus was then after Maildulph abbate there, and after Bishop 
of Shirburn. 
This S. Aldelme is patrone of this place. 
The toune hath a great privileg of a fair about the fest of Sainct 
Aldelme ; at the which tyme the toune kepith a band of harnesid 
men to se peace kept: and this one of the bragges of the toun, 
and therby they be furnishid with harneys. 
Ther were in th abbay chirch yard 3 chirches.!_ Th abbay chirch 
a right magnificent thing, wher were 2 steples, one that had a 
mightie high pyramis, and felle daungerusly in hominum memoria, 
and sins was not re-edified. 
It stode in the midle of the transeptum of the chirch, and was a 
1 “3 Churches.” He cannot mean that there were 3 churches besides the 
abbey church, but inclusive of it? There are now only the remains of one, 
St. Paul’s: of which he afterwards says that the body had been taken down at 
the time of his visit, the east end was in use as a Town Hall, and the tower at 
the west end as a dwelling-house. Of this, which was the old parish church of 
Malmsbury, the tower, surmounted by a spire, still remains, at the S.W. corner 
of the abbey yard, and continues to be used for the induction of the vicars of 
Malmsbury. The east end ceased to be used asa ‘‘ Town Hall” about 1623: 
and having been since that time in a state of desecration was finally taken down 
in June, 1852, and the site added to the church yard. It did not appear to be 
quite in a straight line with the tower ; but stood rather south of that line. In 
it were some remains of window mullions and perpendicular tracery, a niche, &e. 
Of the 3rd church which probably was a chapel attached to the south transept 
of the abbey, there is no trace. 
