236 OLD PORTLAND. 



From the Inquisilio Nunarum (e. 1340) we learn that the 

 parish " was burnt and destroyed by enemies of England " 

 (i.e., the French). Probably, the church was included in 

 the devastation of the year 1339. Mr. MerrickHead, after 

 making a careful and sympathetic excavation of a portion 

 of the existing ruins, suggested that practically a new church 

 was built about this time on almost the exact old site, though 

 all available portions of the Norman building were incor- 

 porated. His plan on page 122 of the Dorset Field Club's 

 Proceedings, Vol. XIX., is very helpful. The rebuilt church 

 (it is plain that the whole of the north wall and a portion 

 of the south wall and the \\hole of the west end of the nave 

 were rebuilt) and also the churchyard wall on the north 

 side were of the rudest description and of very indifferent 

 workmanship. Stone fragments of various dates lying 

 about suggest that the church had to undergo a reparation 

 in almost each of the successive centuries, until the year 

 1753, when the walls and roof had fallen into such a ruinously 

 decayed state that the parishioners decided not to repair 

 it further, but to collect funds to build a new church. They 

 realised that to repair substantially the old church would 

 cost half as much as to build a new one ; that its site, almost 

 overhanging the very steep cliff, was a source of danger ; 

 and that its size was not sufficiently large to receive half the 

 inhabitants owing to the increased population. In the 

 year 1755 services in the church ceased. Unfortunately, 

 the architect and builder of the new church of S. George 

 was permitted by his contract to cart away any part of the 

 old church for building the new. The small narrow " side- 

 aisle " at the middle of the south side of the old church has 

 not altogether unreasonably been thought to have been a 

 large buttress to support the main building ; but there 

 are signs in the foundations to suggest that this south aisle 

 probably contained at some time a very small chapel with 

 an exterior doorway and a still smaller chapel or sacristy. 

 There was no chancel doorway in the Norman church ; but 

 one was added on the south side in later times. The Norman 



