XXXVI. 



the Rector, the Rev. E. Highton, who read a paper on the church and 

 barn, from which the following are extracts. A view of the interior of 

 the barn is given opposite : 



" A religious house of the Cistercian order was founded here sometime 

 in the 12th century by Ralph de Kahaines, and it is clear that a Norman 

 church was also built about the same time, for the remains of Norman 

 work are still to be seen in various parts of the church. There is the 

 Norman bowl to the piscina. This piscina was found behind the plaster two 

 or three years ago. It had been filled up with loose stones, and plastered 

 over. The stone forming the west side of the piscina is a piece of a 

 Norman string-course. On the opposite side of the chancel an aumbry 

 has also come to light in the recent repairs. One side of this is also a 

 piece of apparently the same string-course. The aumbry was filled up 

 by a piece of cut stone which now stands on the step of the south door 

 of the chancel. It will be noticed that the bowl of the font is also 

 probably of the same date. In the early part of the 13th century the 

 abbey was enlarged and the endowments increased by Bishop Richard 

 Poore, who was born in this parish. It seems likely that the inciease of 

 wealth brought a larger population into the parish, and the church was 

 enlarged, evidently at one period ; for the small two-light windows 

 were introduced in the nave as well as in the renovated chancel, and are 

 evidently all of one date. The head of the south door of the chancel is, 

 on the inside, semi-circular ; on the outside, pointed in the centre. This 

 may be accounted for by the fact, which came to light in the recent 

 repairs, that there is a break between the outer and inner face of the 

 wall there. The inner face of the wall contained the original Norman 

 arch ; the outer face was probably renewed and an arch of different 

 character introduced. The small pieces of colour on the plaster were 

 found underneath the coating of plaster which had been laid on the walls 

 subsequently. The tower arch and the arch at the entrance of the porch 

 are probably contemporary with the nave, and the stanchions and bars 

 of the windows are of the same date as the windows themselves most 

 of them late Early English and two, the westernmost window and the 

 ons over the pulpit, are of Perpendicular date. The upper stage of the 

 tower contains three Perpendicular windows which are worthy of notice. 

 Within the altar rails two coffin-slabs have been laid in the pavement. 

 The coffins were found about 40 years ago near the barn lying side by 

 side in a building, which had fallen into ruins possibly the chapel of the 

 abbey about 150 yards from the church. In the tower is a large 

 Purbeck maible sepulchral slab. There are signs of a shallow incised 

 design in various parts of the stone, but not sufficiently clear to make 



