38 PAPERS, ETC. 
only differ as the type of Wrington differs from that of 
Taunton, and must be considered as forming a portion of 
the same whole. 
Previous to the Perpendicular period, the churches of 
Somersetshire appear to have been, for the most part, 
structures of no very great pretensions. They seem to 
have been usually without clerestories, and, I suspect, very 
frequently without aisles. This Iinfer from the arcades 
being almost always Perpendicular ; we can hardly suppose 
that earlier arcades would have been so generally destroyed 
had they ever existed. They were frequently cruciform, 
and they have transmitted the use of that shape to some 
complete churches of the Perpendicular period, at which 
time I need not say it was very seldom employed in 
original designs. In some parts an octagonal tower, some- 
times central, sometimes at one side, appears to have been 
frequent. The square western tower, when it existed, 
seems to have been very small and plain, as at Wilton and 
Trull. St. Mary’s, Bridgwater, is an example on a larger 
scale, but with no further allowance of ornament. Now 
unfortunately, it seems destined to have all its character- 
istic features obliterated by that subtle form of destruction, 
which arrogates to itself the name of restoration. 
In a general survey ofthe county, all traces of these ear- 
lier fabrics should be carefully attended to, and the different 
types which they may present among themselves should be 
accurately marked, as well asreferred, as far as possible, to 
their causes; how far, for instance, they may be attributable 
to the influence of different abbeys, how far to the different 
stone of different localities, or to the appropriate require- 
ments of different kinds of scenery. All these are points 
of great interest and importance, and ought to be tho- 
roughly well worked out, but Ican at present give them 
only a very limited share of attention. 
