6 PAPERS, ETC. 
yet I have not given it the regular form of an architectural 
history, partly because the church, as a mere piece of 
architecture, hardly merits it; partly because, when I last 
. visited Dunster, my physical strength and consequent 
spirits were by no means equal to that process of examining 
every nook and corner, every scam and joint of masonry, 
which has cost me many a considerable head-ache in the 
eastern chapels of St. David’s. I think, however, I can 
make out a general sketch of the history of the building, 
as far as is required for our immediate purpose, though I 
would not put it forth with the same confidence as I might 
under more favourable eircumstances. 
The Priory of Dunster was originally founded towards 
the close of the eleventh century, and some small portions 
of the church, which was doubtless built soon afterwards, 
still exist. A little to the west of the western arch of the 
present lantern a large Norman arch, spans the nave, 
and connected with it on each side is a portion of masonry, 
that to the south showing a small fragment of a Norman 
pillar. The Norman church then had a nave and aisles, 
doubtless of the same proportion in point of width as the 
present ones, for the nave is still extremely wide, and the 
aisles unusually narrow. Of its probable length I cannot 
undertake to speak. 
The Norman arch across the nave has clearly been 
tampered with, and its inner order or orders taken away; 
but I could see no sign of its having been removed from 
its original place. From its position, it might be either 
a mere chancel-arch, if there were no central tower, 
or the western arch of a lantern, if there were one. 
But as a Transitional arch leads from the south tran- 
sept into the south aisle of the monks’ choir, I think we 
may safely infer that the original church was erueiform, 
