270 ALTARNON CHURCH. 



Within the memory of those now living, an oak statue of a 

 saint— perhaps the last of a series — stood on the top, but not in 

 the centre, of the screen ; this must have been placed there 

 subsequent to removal of groining ; it fell to the floor in frag- 

 ments through natural decay and that corroding burden of 

 accumulated dust, which large numbers of bats, in successive 

 generations, had kept sending down from the interior of the roof 

 Dust, indeed, where it settles and is allowed to remain, is a very 

 potent factor in the destruction of ancient wood-work ; the upper 

 parts of the transoms of the screen, for example, nearly all 

 needed new wood, whereas the under portions are sharp and 

 good as when first worked. 



The floors having been raised in 1865, so as to partly bury 

 the sill, it became necessary to raise the latter in 1888, so that 

 it now occupies the same position, in reference to the present 

 floors, as it occupied to the original floors when first constructed 

 — except that it stands back four or five inches farther east. 

 The screen had never been painted, and some of the panels had 

 never contained tracery : why, it is not easy to say, unless stalls 

 came up close to those portions where the uprights and sill were 

 left unfinished. 



The bench ends, considering their age, are in an exceedingly 

 good state of preservation, thanks to the care they have received 

 in the shape of sundry applications of linseed oil. Even in a 

 county where such things are not uncommon, they form a most 

 valuable series — in number only equalled by those at Kilkhamp- 

 ton. They are of perpendicular work ; 1 7 inches wide, 2 feet 

 9 inches high ; each of a single slab of oak, accurately designed, 

 and remarkably well executed ; but they shew a great deal of 

 repetition, as though the designers, having got hold of certain 

 devices, endeavoured to ring the changes upon them to the 

 utmost. The end next the Font gives the legend EObAET : 

 DAYE MAKER : OF ThIS WOEKE ; & WILLYAM 



BoKIMhAM CUEAT IOHN : HODGE Ch M 



D , the last letters of the date being obliterated; but 



" the seats were erected after Bishop Oldham's time, who sat at 

 Exeter from 1507 to 1523, for on one of them are the Arms of 

 See of Exeter, as borne at present ; but down to his death the 

 sword, which is now in pale, was placed in saltire with the 



