SHAFTESBURY MEETING. Iv. 



been extended at a later date, the work being begun in about 

 the 15th century. The vantage ground on which he was stand- 

 ing to speak was the top altar step, and they saw behind him 

 the base of the high altar and the reredos at the back of it. The 

 east end of the church was apsidal both internally and externally, 

 and of apsidal churches there were but few in England. Norwich 

 was perhaps the only large church of that date remaining un- 

 altered of all the abbey churches of that shape which were built 

 or rebuilt immediately after the Norman Conquest. The parts 

 of the transepts that they had excavated and the whole body of 

 the nave were on the other side of the wall. The width from 

 transept to transept was 114 feet, larger than Worcester Cathedral 

 and much larger than Wells. He pointed out the crypt. Over 

 it must have been a large chapel, and he gave his reasons for 

 believing that it was the chapel in which stood the tomb of King 

 Edward the Martyr. The greater part of the tile paving remained 

 in situ, and the earth had been left on most of the tiles tem- 

 porarily for their protection during the progress of the excavations. 

 In the north aisle the tiles displayed heraldic devices, and 

 on them they would see the arms of the IMontacutes, the De 

 Brions, Talbots, and Fitzjamcs's. Of the large quantity of carved 

 stone found during the course of the excavations by far the 

 greater part was now stored in the Town Hall. That very morn- 

 ing they made a most interesting find — some Purbeck marble 

 caps and bases used in an old shaft formed after the destruction 

 of the abbey at the end of the south transept. He pointed out 

 two rather deep graves. One when opened contained a skeleton 

 with the nails and a portion of the wood of a coffin. The other 

 contained very small bits of bone, the back portion of a skull, and 

 also a gold ring which- once had a stone in it, although the stone 

 was now gone. In the earth that came out of this coffin a lady 

 (Miss Oliver) found a leaden bulla bearing the name of Pope 

 Martin V. and on the other side the heads of SS. Peter and Paul. 

 There were besides in the grave 14 bronze pinsof varying length, 

 doubtless used to secure the vestment round the body when it 

 was interred. It appeared that the clay used for puddling the 



