42 CHURCHES IN THE RURAL DEANERY OF DORCHESTER. 



of axe work in the sculpture except perhaps in the ground, and 

 unless it can be shown that the carving has been recut with the 

 chisel at a subsequent period we must conclude that the doorway 

 and the transept are of the same period transition Norman. If, 

 however, it can be shown that the work was originally wholly 

 executed by the axe there is no reason why it may not have been 

 of, Saxon origin and a portion of an original Saxon church, unless 

 the close jointing of the stones of which the sculpture is composed 

 is a proof of later work. Buildings of the 10th and early llth 

 centuries were undoubtedly of a ruder kind than those of a later 

 and perhaps also of an earlier age, if we may take Bradford-on-Avon 

 as a type of an 8th century church. 



It is supposed that the prevalence of the belief that the world 

 w r ould come to an end in the year 1000, of which there is frequent 

 mention in documents by writers of the time, led to a general 

 neglect of building in stone in the previous century ; perhaps the 

 knowledge of the art almost died out with the builders, so that 

 when building in stone was resumed it was resumed by men who 

 were untrained and unskilled in the art. This would account for 

 wide jointed masonry and the crudeness of the carving common in 

 work of the age.* It is assumed, and perhaps wrongly for the 

 whole subject is to a certain extent a matter of conjecture that 

 from the armour, the subject, and other details, the work could not 

 have been of an earlier date than the 12th century. Mr. Parker, 

 however, on the authority of an Italian author, has stated that 

 similar figures were found in Syrian churches 300 years before the 

 date of the Norman work (Archaeological Journal, No. 88, 

 page 349). 



The new window between the transept and porch, which was put 

 in in 1879, is Perpendicular in character and good in design. 



SOUTH ARCADE : Transition Norman. TRANSEPT Arch into Nave, 

 Perpendicular, 15th century. Arch into Aisle, ditto; 4 centred 

 period. High windows on east and west : Good 15th century. 



* On the other hand the magnificent illuminations in the Benedictional 

 of S. Aethelwoki which was written circa 977, the time in question, and 

 of which engravings will be found in Archaeologia, vol. 24, undoubtedly 

 shew buildings of stone as existing at that time. 



