XXX111. 



soon the village itself was reached. Here the party were welcomed by the 

 Yicar, the Rev. J. W. R. Stafford, and his wife. 



The fine parish church, just about to undergo restoration, was first 

 visited. It was hoped that the architect, Mr. G. Vialls, would have read 

 a paper on the architectural and antiquarian features of the building. In 

 his absence, however, Mr. J. S. Udal undertook the task. He said the 

 name of the parish was derived from St. White, a virgin martyr, registered 

 in the Roman Calendar by the name of St. Candida, "whose well on the 

 side of the hill where she lived is here shewn, and to whose honour a 

 church is built" (Hutchins). The church was of great interest to the 

 student of ancient architecture, and consisted of a western tower, contain- 

 ing four bells, opening into a nave by a lofty arch, side aisles, transepts, 

 chancel, and south porch. The chancel and portion of the nave were 

 Transition Norman, circa 1170, the transept about 1200, the tower and 

 some later additions about 1400. The nave was a wide and lofty building 

 covered with a cylindrical roof, circa 1400, which was of oak with orna- 

 mental bosses at the intersections, and covered with lead externally. The 

 pointed and richly moulded arches of the north arcade rise from a central 

 circular column, with semi-detached shafts at the cardinal points, having 

 covered capitals. The arch immediately opposite the north door had a 

 beautiful variety of the chevron ornament as an enrichment to the mould- 

 ings. The south aisle had an arcade of mixed character partly Norman, 

 partly ol later work. The south doorway was a good example of Transition 

 Norman. The church was extensively restored in 1849, in the course of 

 which the Commandments in the elaborate black letter of the date of 

 Edward VI. were discovered. The rectory before the Conquest belonged 

 to the Abbey of St. Wardvalgeselus in Normandy, and seems to have been 

 given to it by Edward the Confessor. Before A.D. 1215, either by 

 purchase or the gift of the Abbot, it came to the Bishop and Church of 

 Sarum. The gift was at present between the Canons of Sarum and the 

 Canons of Wells. The Vicarage : The patron was formerly the Bishop of 

 Bath and Wells, but it had recently been transferred by the Ecclesiastical 

 Commissioners to the Bishop of Salisbury. 



The Vicar read the report on the restoration of the church, drawn out by 

 the architect, Mr. Vialls. The cost of the restoration would amount to 

 upwards of 1,500. 



A discussion on Mr. Udal's paper ensued, in which the President, the 

 Vicar of the parish, the Rev. C. R. Baskett, and others joined. The Vicar, 

 the Rev. J. R. W. and Mrs. Stafford, then entertained the party at 

 luncheon at the vicarage. 



Mr. John Batten then read the outlines of a paper which he was pre- 



