ST. OLBTHER OHAPEL AND HOLT WELLS. 543 



Such being the condition of things, manifestly the restorers 

 cannot have laid to their charge any of that spirit of vandalism 

 which delights in pulling down an ancient building merely to 

 set up a modern one in its stead. 



The first thing to be done was to get the water under 

 command; — a slushy undertaking, neither easy nor expeditious, 

 as several springs had to be diverted into temporary channels. 

 Draining and excavation soon brought to light the outline of 

 the (upper) holy well, with the jambs in place, the arch 

 (broken), and sufficient walling in situ to make it apparent 

 what the well had been like ; the oblong trough, of cut granite 

 slabs on edge, proving to be quite perfect, though of course 

 choked up with fallen stones. 



At this period it became the intention of Mr. Baring-Grould 

 simply to re-erect this well at his own expense ; but clearly some 

 of its stones might have slid down the slope and been submerged, 

 — hence search must be prosecuted with pick and shovel about 

 the north wall of the chapel. This resulted in such encouraging 

 finds, that, while about it, it seemed desirable to excavate all 

 around the foundation courses, and within the area, of the 

 chapel. For, when walls and gables collapsed, part fell in, part 

 fell out, and part rolled downwards ; and, until the whole was 

 cleared, it was impossible to know what worked stone there 

 might be. 



Having the supervision of this clearance, my attention was 

 first drawn to the inner face of the east wall, about ground- 

 level and close to the north-east corner, where was a small 

 recess, for which no use could be imagined, the sludge under 

 foot preventing adequate investigation. As matters proceeded, 

 the altar was found to be standing on all its four upright 

 supports ; and this is a remarkable thing, considering the top 

 merely rests on, and is not mortised on to the legs, and 

 considering the weight of many of the stones that had fallen 

 by its side. Then, at the south end of the altar, in the east 

 wall, another recess was unearthed, larger and altogether more 

 carefully fashioned than the preceding one. Next, forming the 

 inner face of the south wall, at its south-east corner, a granite 

 slab, set on edge and resting on a set-off, was noticed — and 

 severely left alone. 



