249 



NOTE OF FURTHER EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF 

 LAUNCESTON PRIORY. 



By OTHO B. peter. 



Since the discoveries on the site of this Priory, of which a 

 description appeared in the number of the Journal for April, 

 1892, I have further explored the land. The opportunity thus 

 arose: Mr. Trood, a local merchant, having purchased the 

 portion of the Priory meadow which is on the north of the 

 Railway cutting for the purpose of building stores thereon with 

 railway access by a siding, I, on behalf of the Launeeston 

 Scientific and Historical Society, asked his permission to sink 

 some trial pits within his purchase. He kindly consented, and 

 the result so far as we have gone entirely confirms the suggested 

 outline of the Priory Buildings indicated by my conjectural plan 

 published with the earlier paper. 



I have uncovered walls at several points. On the first day 

 I struck the base of a trefoil respoud-column on my supposed 

 line of the North Arcade. All the remains discovered are of the 

 purest 12th century moulded tj'pe of architecture. Enough of 

 the foundations of the walls exist to indiciite the princely 

 proportions of the original structure. Instead of columns 

 forming the arcade walls, which walls are 3 ft. 6 ins. thick, I 

 found semi-columns and then a stretch of wall ; indicating 

 arched openings at irregular distances. The semi-columns of 

 the first opening were trefoil shaped, those of the second were a 

 flowing combination of mouldings, and those of the third bowtell 

 moulded. Attached to the Arcade wall foundations in the spaces 

 between the semi-columns are delicate shafts of trefoil form, 

 from whose summits the stone groined roofs once sprang. 

 North of the N. Arcade wall I have laid open the foundations 

 of the outer wall of the north aisle and another wall indicating 

 a north Transept. These walls still retain patches of plaster on 

 them, on the sides which were within the building I have traced 

 the foundations of the north arcade itself up to 200 ft. from 

 east to west, but the wall is almost totally destroyed beyond 

 the third opening. A finely carved arch key-stone was dug out 



