ANCIENT SLAB IN BODMIN CHURCH. 105 



At a meeting of " The Royal Arcliseological Institute," last 

 year, in London, it was assigned by the prevailing opinion to a 

 late period, when mediaeval art had much declined. The style of 

 its ornamentation was considered as^in accordance with Tudor 

 times. It was deemed to belong to the 16th, or perhaps the 17th, 

 century. Other archaeologists were of the same opinion ; and a 

 discovery shortly afterwards tended to confirm this view. On the 

 concrete floor of the parvise, or chamber, over the porch of Bodmin 

 Church, I found some loose fragments of slate buried beneath the 

 remains of decaying oak bench-ends stored there. Other similar 

 loose pieees of slate were in two square holes (near the floor) in 

 the masonry of the wall. They were inscribed and otherwise 

 incised, and formed no part of the wall. On examination, these 

 pieces were found to fit each other, and the characters at once 

 struck me as being remarkably like those on the '' nuper Uxor " 

 slab. Comparison shewed that they did form pai-t of it, the 

 fractured edges fitting accurately, and the pieces of stone display- 

 ing the same grain and quality. All this was declared to be the 

 case by an experienced mason, who was called upon to test tlie 

 correctness of the supposition. The pieces brought from the 

 parvise supply portions of the sinister base-moulding, branch, 

 quatrefoil, &c., which had been missing. These are found to agree 

 precisely in form with those delineated on the dexter side, already 

 cemented into the box. The largest fragment found, j)roved to be 

 the most interesting ; for besides a continuation of the cross-shaft, 

 part of the date is incised upon it in Arabic numerals — " . . K 57." 

 It fits the other portions of the slab exactly; and thus the 

 "Saxon" theory is finally disposed of as untenable, and the 

 " Debased Period " surmise is established. 



So far, this conclusion has been arrived at by merely studying 

 the appearance of the slab itself in. its isolation, and by comparing 

 its letters one with another. When, however, it is compared with 

 other existing monuments, fresh proofs of its lateness are per- 

 ceived. There are many ancient slabs in the pavement of the 

 Church, and these may easily be classified according to their 

 general characteristics. Some are dated as far back as 1455, and 

 some, older still, are without dates. In design, distinctive types 

 prevail, according to age ; all these ancient memorials are exceed- 

 ingly well wrought, are comparatively easy to decipher, and do 



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