THE ANCIENT FREE CHAPEL OF CORTOJi. 165 



before that time. Until further documentary evidence is fortli- 

 coming (and it is not improbalile that some further information 

 may be gleaned from ancient documents) it will be safest to fix the 

 date of it from the architectural details of the building. The 

 oldest feature in it is the S. doorway, which could not be much 

 later than Transition Norman of the latter end of the twelfth 

 century, Henry II.'s reign, and it may, I suppose, be much earlier. 



It seems probable that the original building to which the door- 

 way belonged was a rectangular building without chancel, and that 

 the chancel was added in the 13th century ; the east end of the 

 church, the walls, with the east and south windows, as well as the 

 piscina, are of that date. The square head of the south window, 

 ■which was originally a 13th century lancet window, as well as the 

 head and tracery of the east window, are of course of later date ; 

 they are insertions of the loth century, probably by one of the 

 Courtneys, and about the same time the brackets for the images 

 on either side of the altar were inserted in the walls. The ancient 

 altar step and some of the tiles still remain in situ, and I have 

 seen portions of encaustic tiles which were found in the building, 

 but none of the fragments were large enough to show the pattern. 

 The north doorway blocked up may be traced in the wall outside. 



But the most interesting and remarkable feature of the church is 

 the altar, which still remains in its original position. What the 

 date of the altar is it is impossible to say definitely ; it could not 

 from its construction be later than 1400; its form, and the details, 

 such as they are, speak of still higher antiquity. There must 

 have been an altar here in the 13th century, but the rude work- 

 manship of the altar slab, so much ruder than the 13th century 

 work contained in the building, lead one to suppose that the slab 

 belonged to the earlier chapel, and was removed and set up here, 

 as you see it now, wdien the 13th century chancel was built. 



It might be asked how it was that notwithstanding the stringent 

 orders for the removal of stone altars from all parish churches this 

 one was allowed to remain. The answer seems to be that free 

 chapels were suppressed and the revenues taken away by the 



