yi. — The Church of St. Michael Fenhevel. 



WE have already* availed ourselves of information given tathe 

 Koyal Institute of British Architects by Mr. George Edmund 

 Street, F.S.A., for the purpose of submitting to our readers some 

 historical and antiquarian particulars concerning the Church and 

 Parish of St. Michael Penkevel. The restoration of the Church 

 having been at length completed, — it was re-opened for service last 

 Christmas Eve, — and as it is not only singularly beautiful, but 

 also peculiar in some of its structural arrangements, we propose 

 now to give some account of the present building; and for this 

 purpose we again have recourse to Mr. Street's Eepriat from the 

 Transactions of the Eoyal Institute of British Architects. 



The Plan of the Church is cruciform, with a "Western Tower, 

 and South Porch; but, probably, the original Church, consecrated 

 A.D. 1261, had only nave and chancel, and no transepts. The 

 whole remainder of the edifice was, evidently, altered and remodelled 

 shortly before the year 1319, when, on the petition of Sir John 

 Trejagu, patron of the Church, "Walter Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter, 

 approved and confirmed Sir John's proposal to found a Chantry for 

 four Chaplains. The Bishop, hereupon, erected the Church into a 

 collegiate one, and the head chaplain of the four clergy who served 

 it, into an archpriest, specially charged with the care of the parish- 

 ioners. In order to provide for the four Chantry Priests, four 

 altars were required. The first existed at the east end ; places for 

 two more could be provided by the erection of transepts ; and for 

 the fourth, a place was found on the first floor of the tower; where, 

 under a recessed segmental arch in the eastern wall, stood the fourth 

 altar, built of solid masonry, with a piscina by its side. Over this 

 altar, and opening just above the ridge of the roof, is a small vesica- 

 piscis shaped window, enclosed outside within a square panel formed 

 by the label moulding. In the rebuilding of this curious portion of 

 the old tower, Mr. Street had all the stones carefiilly replaced in 

 their former positions. This Chapel is approached by the Newel 



* See No. I. 



