ST. MARY'S TOWER, TAUNTON. 135 



that he may have designed the beautiful tower of St. 

 Mary's church." Now I cannot think it likely Abbot 

 Beere did design this steeple ; for if he were " eminently 

 skilled in architecture," which I think is doubtful, and that 

 he did not build both the Glastonbury churches seems very 

 certain — why should he confer on Taunton a much more 

 noble tower than he erected on his own ground — a town in 

 the diocese of Wells, with whose Bishops the Abbots of 

 Glaston were seldom on the best terms % 



As regards the two Glastonbury churches, the Eev. 

 Richard Warner, in his history of that place, makes it 

 evident that Abbot Beere was totaliy unconnected with 

 the building of St. John's, and had only to do with the 

 repair of St. Benedict. He says : " The gorgeous tower 

 of Taunton, indeed, may have been built by the grateful 

 Henry VII, at a time when the simpler beauties of the 

 pure Gothic had been entirely superseded by the unmean- 

 ing, meretricious Ornaments of the florid style ; but that 

 the sober graces of St. John the Baptist's tower at Glaston 

 should have been the production of the same era, is an 

 hypothesis which cannot possibly be granted." He likewise 

 adds : " Among the curious accounts of the Churchwardens 

 of the parish is an account without date, headed thus : 

 ' Compotus Thoma3 Colbrook, super visoris fabrice ecclesie 

 Sancti Johannis ibidem.' In this we find the followino- 

 entries : ' Et de xnd. de tabulo vendito. I. Morthfield et 

 Bicardo Attwelle, et de xxiiifr. xiiis. mid. ; receptis de 

 Thome Dunster, de bonis ecclesie de remanentibus;' to- 

 gether with various receipts of sums, arising from the sale 

 of old materials, amounting together to between £40 and 

 £50, as well as charges for building materials and work- 

 men, to the extent of £117 4s. ll^d. Now it appears from 

 other Churchwardens' accounts, that John Dunster was 



