362 On the Date of the Ecclesiola at Bradford-on-Avon. 



is, or used to be, ascribed to the seventh century ; but I am told 

 that infidels have sprung up there also, who doubt its extreme 

 antiquity. 



Some think that Aldhelm's Church, if he really built one, would 

 certainly have been destroyed by the Danes in the time of Ethelred 

 the Unready. If it had been of wood, like that of Doulting, that 

 might probably enough have happened ; but there is little doubt 

 that it was of stone : the English, as well as the Irish, had already 

 begun to build Churches of stone {e.g., at Jarrow and at Monk- 

 wearmouth) ; Aldhelm understood stone-masonry ; and there was 

 plenty of excellent building stone within sight. As to the- 

 destructiveness of the Danes, no doubt there was much reciprocal 

 persecution between the Christians and the Heathen, from 

 Charlemagne and Witikind to Thangbrand, the doughty missionary 

 who set out to Christianize Iceland by a succession of single- 

 combats ; but the object of the Danish bands was " loot " ; and it 

 is ridiculous to suppose that these roving bands of buccaneers, 

 generally not very numerous, would have gone out of their way 

 and put themselves to the labour and waste of time needed for 

 pulling down a solid stone building. Sweyn Forkbeard was once- 

 in the neighbourhood, probably with a considerable force, but be,. 

 I think, was a Christian. 



So far I have been endeavouring to weaken the case against an- 

 early date ; now let us look at the case in favour of it, the case for 

 St. Aldhelm, which depends mainly on the testimony of William 

 of Malmesbury. 



Signor Bivoira is somewhat contemptuous of the possibilities of 

 tradition. He even thinks it possible that the Aldhelmic story 

 might have had its birth in William's own time, for that is what 

 would be necessitated if the building had really been erected in 

 the reign of the Confessor. I, on the other hand, believe that in 

 those times, when writing and book-learning were comparatively 

 rare accomplishments, tradition was much stronger and more en- 

 during, had more of facts committed to its keeping, and actually 

 did preserve them. AVilliam was born about 1075, and lived 

 within a longish day's walk of Bradford-on-Avon. There must 



