THE 



WILT SHIRE MAGA ZINE. 



"multoeum manibus gbande levattte onus." — Ovid. 

 June, 1909. 



THE CHUKCH OF ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY, 



SALISBURY. 



By C. Haskins. 



[Head at the Salisbury Meeting, 1908.] 



The visitor who enters St. Thomas' for the first time sees 

 apparently a large Perpendicular Church, but, after a short 

 examination of the fabric, he will notice several points, including 

 the chancel arch, the two thirteenth century arches communicating 

 with the side chapels, and the remains of an Early English arch 

 inside the wall of the south choir aisle, which give evidence that 

 this is a much earlier Church than its general appearance conveys 

 any idea of. St. Thomas' Church was built in the early part of 

 the thirteenth century, and there is a record of one Robert, Rector 

 of the Chapel of St. Thomas of Canterbury, as early as 1238, and 

 in 1247 the name is given as Robert de Beavvor. This early 

 Church was cruciform, and comparatively a small building, con- 

 sisting of a nave, with a choir formed at the east end, and north 

 and south transepts. The choir of this ancient Church was only 

 40ft, 4in. in length, whereas the present choir is 59ft. long. The 

 Church had no structural chancel, its absence being a common 

 feature of town Churches in the Middle Ages. 



The late Rev. Edward Duke, in his book, Prolusiones Historical, 

 tells us we must picture the original Church as being lighted with 

 lancet windows, similar to those of the Cathedral, and that these 

 windows were placed in the side walls of the nave where are now 

 the pillars and arches, the Church having no side chapels, no 



VOL. XXXVI. — NO. CXI. B 



