ARCIIITECTURE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD OF YEOVIL. 6 



churches of Somerset, is the universal absence of aisles; 

 the second is the frequent presence of transepts ; the 

 third is the octagonal form not uncommonly given to 

 the towers. I have alluded to all of these in my 

 previous papers ; but I will now comment on them a 

 little more at length. I travelled frora Buruham to 

 Kingweston, and made two considerable excursions thence, 

 both in tlie direction of Yeovil, without seeing a single 

 church with regulär aisles, but cross churches of every 

 variety I found in abundance. In fact I think I may safely 

 say that the occurrence of aisles in a Somersetshire church 

 earlier than the Perpendicular period is something quite 

 exceptional, unless in the case of quite large buildiugs, like 

 St. Cuthbert's at Wells. But transepts occur extensively, 

 even when the tower is not central. Sometimes \ve find an 

 original central tower, or a later one which evidently replacea 

 an original one; sometimes a side tower forming one tran- 

 scpt ; often a grand Perpendicular tower has been added ; 

 sometimes the church has remained without a tower to this 

 day. But under all these modlfications, the cross form still 

 remains the typical ground-plan of the district and period. 

 The use of the octagonal tower, as was first pointed out to 

 me by Mr. Giles, Stretches over a long nari-ow line of country 

 from about Taunton nearly to the easteru boundary of the 

 county. As far as I have seen, I regard it as the distinctive 

 Somersetshire steeple of early times, just as the grand 

 western tower is of later. It has often been raised in 

 Perpendicular times, it may occasionally be of Perpendi- 

 cular erection from its foundation, but in all such cases it is 

 evidently a mere retention of an earlier practice ; it never 

 Catches the true Perpendicular character; it may have Per- 

 pendicular belfry Windows, but it always remains in its essen- 

 tial conception, a Avork of an earlier period. Also its proper 



