Wimborne Minster was then visited. As the Society hail, on a previous 

 occasion, spent some time on the consideration of the architectural 

 features of the fabric as a whole, it was proposed to deal only at this 

 meeting with the architecture of the Lantern Tower, on which an 

 address was delivered by Mr. W. J. Fletcher, the subject of which will 

 Ije found at p. 142 of this volume. He subsequently stated that the 

 tower fell in 1608, owing, no doubt, to the arches in the side aisle being 

 taken away. At that time the aisles were merely used for the purposes 

 of procession by the choir and monks, but when the Church was altered 

 in the Decorated Period the aisles were also altered to make more room, 

 as at present. To do this the aisle arches were taken away, and this, 

 no doubt, weakened the tower, and was the cause of its falling. It fell 

 to the east. 



The Rev. Vosper Thomas then read a Paper on "The Ancient Library 

 of the Minster." He said the Library of the Minster was of some 

 interest, not merely as a storehouse for valuable literature of the period, 

 but as an example of one of the earliest attempts at popularising know- 

 ledge. It was formed as early as 1686 for the free use of the inhabitants 

 of the town of Wimborne. It was founded by the Rev, William Stone, 

 formerly principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford, and one of the three 

 ministers and officials of the Royal Peculiar of Wimborne Minster. By 

 his will, dated May 12, 1685, he gave certain lands for augmenting the 

 income of the hospital of St. Margaret's, and also a large collection of 

 books, which were placed in the Treasury, a room which is now known 

 as the Library. The books were brought from Oxford in 1686 under the 

 care of the Rev. Richard Lloyd, master of the Free Grammar School. 

 The books consisted chiefly of the Fathers and other works of divinity, 

 and several additions had been made to Mr. Stone's collection. In July, 

 1725, the library was catalogued, and on the shelves were found 200 

 separate works. In 1863 a new catalogue was made, and the library was 

 then found to contain 185 works, .and, since ten of these were not in the 

 former catalogue, it is evident that some 25 works were lost in the 

 interval. The single MS. in the library bears the date of 1343. From 

 the latter catalogue it apj>ears that the books were nearly all printed 

 between 1520 and 1710. The principal donors were the Rev. T. Ansty, 

 1697, one of the principal presbyters or ministers appointed in 1661, and 

 the Rev. Samuel Concul. At the so-called Restoration of the Minster 

 the library was rebuilt, and the iron rods on the edges of the shelves were 

 replaced, to which the books were attached to the old chains, as they 

 now appear. There was a good edition of Walton's Polyglot Bible in 

 7 volumes (1657), a black leather Breeches Bible (1595), a line copy of Sir 



