ABBOTSBURY ABBEY. 43 



With this certainty as to the general site of the Abbey Church on 

 the northern extremity of the Convent precinct, and the certainty as 

 to the vast existing barn on the southern boundary thereof, our 

 certainties as to the buildings unfortunately come to an end. And 

 we cannot call to our aid argument from the normal Benedictine 

 plan, which, Liibke says, was to group the buildings round the 

 church. Here that could not be, the Church, as we have seen, 

 being at the very northern edge of the precinct. I may remind 

 you that the refectory at Benedictine Milton is north of the church, 

 and so are the remaining buildings at Benedictine Sherborne. 

 Here at Abbotsbury all has to be looked for south of the church. 

 It seems to me just possible to trace a square of about 6sft. each 

 way south of the western half of the nave, which may be the area 

 of the cloisters. It is difficult to reconcile with this idea the 

 isolated remaining archway forming part of a demolished enclosing 

 wall. But I don't think we need reconcile it, for I consider that 

 arch to have belonged not to the Abbey at all, but to be part of 

 the precinct of the later Strangways house. 



Now, to speak of the " Pynion end," the high fragment with 

 ivy on it. In Buck's view, dated 1733, this gable has fragments 

 of the side walls attached to it, and a two-light second-pointed 

 window in each, with a low arch showing below that on the south 

 side ; and, indeed, the sill of the south window and a springer of 

 the arch below it yet remain. From the look of these upper 

 windows, and from the chimney and fireplace on a level with them, 

 I conjecture that this was the refectory with cellars or storehouses, 

 and possibly the kitchen, below. There is a sign of a ledge or 

 set-back in the walls below the window. This might have carried 

 beams for the refectory floor. There is a curious little stone, 

 panelled in an odd way, in the chimney back. 



The dwelling of the monks would be adjoining the church, the 

 refectory, and the cloisters, and I imagine it to have been on the 

 east side of the cloister square. Possibly the abbot's lodging was 

 on the south side of the same, reaching to the steep descent to 

 the pond. Of this upper group of buildings, spoken of a little 



