l8 [Proc. B. N. F. C, 



ginally called, situated as it was on the extreme confines of 

 western civilization, bears in its ruins, in the nature of its site, 

 even in the very outlines of its foundations, evidences of its 

 origin. There are the remains of another and very much larger 

 Cistercian Abbey at Inch, near Downpatrick, and it also bears 

 similar impress of its origin. Water to drink and to flush their 

 sewers was the first object of the monks — indeed, the names of 

 many of their abbeys indicate this uniform proximity to wells 

 and founts of water. The well of spring water, which at Grey- 

 abbey is still a perennial stream, stands in what originally was 

 the kitchen garden of the abbey — and Melli-font is the name of 

 their first abbey in Ireland. 



The church of every abbey had two principal divisions, the 

 eastern portion for the ritual services of the "religious" of the 

 community, the part westward of the rood screen being allo- 

 cated to the lay monks, the conversi or working men of the 

 community. This rood screen at Greyabbey had been swept 

 away in Cromwellian times, in order to render the abbey church 

 more serviceable as a barn, but mere accident has lately brought 

 to light evidence which corroborates previous surmise as to its 

 exact site. When in its prime, the secular buildings lay, accord- 

 ing to rule, west and north of the wall or buildings which 

 flanked the west side of the cloister quadrangle. As regarded 

 the buildings devoted to the " religious" of the abbey, we have 

 at Greyabbey very interesting remains left, showing a complete 

 coincidence to the architectural ideal of that order. Very few 

 abbeys have suffered so little as Greyabbey has at the hands of 

 prosperous abbots ambitious to extend the Church, and to bring 

 the original simple, and chaste excellence of its architecture, up 

 to an advanced, or more decorated style, or to render it suitable 

 for a relaxed ritual. Whatever remains of the original struc- 

 ture we have, are almost as left by the hands of Lady de Courcy's 

 builders — pure early English, with occasional traces of Norman 

 Romanesque. True, there are some few " late insertions," evi- 

 dencing mediaeval changes of a minor character, but not at all 

 of the sweeping nature which affected most of the abbeys of 



