LL On the History of Chippenham. 
for his donation. The arms of Sir Francis are on a large shield 
above the western door. 
In 1655 the north side of the church was rebuilt. It has been 
once more rebuilt in modern times, and the sooner it undergoes 
the operation again, the better the church will look. 
Tue Recrory and VicaraceE. 
Chippenham would have a Rector resident until about a.p. 1150, 
when the tithes were for the first time severed from parish uses. 
They were bestowed, about that year, by the Empress Maud, on 
the Monastery of Monkton Farley; the gift consisting of the tithes 
of the whole parish, including the chapelry of Titherington-Lucas. 
The Prior and Monks then appointed a Vicar, with a small en- 
dowment. The Vicar frequently complained that it was too little, 
and the Bishop augmented it. Again he complained, and again it 
was increased. Under the second application of the Episcopal 
screw, the Prior and Monks began to wince, and presented a re- 
monstrance in their turn that the Vicar’s share was too large, that 
his income was now “immoderate;”’ whereupon the Bishop directed 
an entirely new Ordination. A copy of this document is preserved 
in the Registry at Salisbury, and it forms in fact the title-deed of 
the present Vicarage. In it the Official, one Master Stephen, 
professes his determination to pursue a just and middle course. 
He will do on the one hand, not too little, on the other not too 
much. The Vicar’s income, for all time to come, shall not be lean, 
but it must not be exuberant. The Parish Priest must live, but to 
be pampered is not good. Following out these cautious principles, 
his sentence therefore is that the first augmentation shall stand, 
and that in addition to it, the Vicar shall take and enjoy the profits 
of the chapelry of Titherton-Lucas, the tithes of which had hitherto 
belonged to the Prior. But Master Stephen’s mind still secretly 
feared the error of excess to the secular clergy. The Vicar might, 
after all, be overpaid and underworked. He would have indeed 
upon his hands the care of the parish, and the ministrations of the 
parish church. This might one day be enough, whilst the emolu- 
ments of Titherton might be superfluously plenteous. The 
further precaution was therefore taken, that out of the Titherton 
