WHITECHURCH CANONICORUM. 



S3 



name of Hwitan Cyrican about A.D. 900, then in William's charter 

 to his Rector Guntard, Withchirche, in Domesday, Witcerce, and 

 in later periods (1200) Whytecherche, (1228) Wittecheriche, 

 (1240) Witcherche, or, in its latinised form, Album Monasterium, 

 and then Whitechurch Canonicorum. 



To make a tour of the church in systematic order it is best to 

 proceed first to the outside of the western tower. This massive 

 and lofty tower, in the Perpendicular style of architecture, 



is a conspicuous object in the 

 landscape for miles around, and is 

 used as a landmark by vessels at 

 sea when making for the port of 

 Lyme Regis. With its buttresses 

 it is thirty-two feet square and 

 seventy-five feet high. The fine 

 western window with three lights is, 

 so far as the tracery is concerned, 

 more modern, although a copy of 

 the original. On either side of it 

 there are canopied niches well 

 preserved, but from which sacri- 

 legious hands in times of religious 



strife have torn down the effigies of the saints. The tower 

 contains six bells, with inscriptions respectively as follows : 



f lefts | |otjtms| |pIauD'il|[urnie||Iatti 



2 C-IVE-THANKES -TO-GOD- I^C|-IL- IG 



H DRAWE 

 HARKE*WHEN*I*CALL*COME*TO<ORCH*AU.* 



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 6 RING- IN -THE -CHRIST-THAI -IS -TO-BE 



