OLD PORTLAND. 233 



the walls of the tower. Penn, to whom George III. handed 

 over Rufus Castle, also built later a bridge well imitating 

 the Norman style of the Keep, and connecting the building 

 with the field sometime known as " Castle Hays " (i.e., 

 the Castle hedge, fence, or boundary), which field might well 

 have been one of the baileys of the Castle. The large imita- 

 tion-Norman doorway in the Keep, adjoining the said bridge, 

 was also made by Penn ; it is a delusive piece of work, but 

 is paralleled by other cleverly-constructed " Norman " 

 arches, built by local labour in the last century, in the West 

 Cliff Quarries and elsewhere. Penn made the large archway 

 in order that his carriage might be able to pass through 

 the Castle. 



III. The Ruins of Old S. Andrew's Church. 



When was Christianity introduced into Portland ? There 

 are many reasons for believing that the Island was a vigorous 

 Pagan stronghold, with its chief centre in the district still 

 known by the semi-sacred name of " Grove," and that it 

 yielded slowly, late, and perhaps last, locally, to the new 

 Faith. There were few Celtic missionaries in Dorset ; and 

 the Saxon Church in Wessex, strong though it was in some 

 respects, was harassed by frequent Danish raids, and did not 

 or could not do much in the way of church extension. 



On the other hand, it is possible that monastic missionaries 

 unconnected with Wessex, a monk and his companion from 

 over the seas, brought Christianity to this citadel of heathen- 

 dom ; in which case " Holy Point " may have been the site 

 of their landing place or first preaching. " Breston," near by, 

 has been suggested as a corruption of Preston (Priest's town) ; 

 and " Monk's Plot," also in the neighbourhood, has been 

 connected with the same idea. This ingenious theory would 

 place the establishment of Christianity in the southern portion 

 of the Island ; but it has also been surmised that there was a 

 small Saxon church of stone which was destroyed by Earl 



