Notes on the Parish and Saxon Churches, Bradford-on-Avon. 319 



Bradford to celebrate mass at the altar of St. Nicholas for his 

 soul and for the soul of his mother ; it is not clear whether he built 

 the chantry, but it belongs to this period. Its position is said to 

 be the western portion of the north aisle. 



I state here what I find recorded, but I am not sure that there 

 is not some confusion as to the work of Hall : the chapel on the 

 south side was built by this family, but it appears of a later date 

 than 1420, or at any rate was altered at a later date. Canon 

 Jones, in his history, speaks of two chantries, but there was 

 a third, that of Thomas Allerton, during the incumbency of 

 William Ffurbrier, and if Allerton's chantry was in the north 

 aisle as well as Horton's, the south chapel would be that of Hall. 



A little later in this century Thomas Horton, a wealthy clothier 

 of Bradford, built the eastern portion of this north aisle, endowing 

 it as his chantry, and the cross wall between the two was removed 

 — thus we have the aisle. He prepared his monument during his 

 lifetime, for on his brass now fixed against the wall at the south- 

 east corner of the aisle (originally no doubt on the floor before his 

 altar), the date of his death and that of his wife is left blank. It 

 is as follows : — 



" Of your charity pray for the souls of Thomas Horton and Mary his wife, 



which Thomas was some time founder of this Chantry and deceased the 



day of Anno D ni 15 and the said Mary deceased the day of 



15 On whose souls Jesu have mercy." 



He died in 1580. He seems to have been engaged largely in 

 building, for he built himself a house at the east end of the Church, 

 now the Abbey House, in the outbuildings of which there are 

 walls and beams and fireplaces of this date. He also built a 

 mansion house for the chantry priest, now incorporated in the 

 house still called the Chantry, the residence of our President, Dr. 

 Beddoe. The rent paid by the chantry priest was 3s. Ad. a year. 

 Later on we find him building another house at Iford, where he 

 died, about two miles distant, still in existence; as is also his will. 



Amongst stones now stored in the Saxon Church is part of the 

 i basin of a piscina of this date, which may have been the piscina 

 ' of this altar, mutilated possibly when the huge slab with his brass 

 i upon it was fixed against the wall in modern times. 



i 



