416 The Church of S. John the Baptist and S. Helen, Wroughton. 



the late Mr. N. Story Maskelyne, before the Church was restored 

 (although in the year in which this took place), showing the same 

 late windows of the aisle. I shall have occasion to refer again to 

 the evidences of both model and photograph. 



On the early history of the Church I quote a note supplied to 

 me by Mrs. Story Maskelyne : — 



" Though we know of the existence of a Church at Ellendune in 

 956 A.D. and of the Pension paid from Elyndon Church to £he 

 Alien Monastery of Ivry in 1127, also that the Prior and Brethren 

 of Winchester were called upon by the Pope to " administer the 

 Church " in 1243, it is not till the year 1304 that we find Elyndon 

 mentioned as in the diocese of Sarum, in Sir Thomas Phillipps' Wilts 

 Institutions. The Kegistry having been commenced only seven 

 years before this entry may account for this late date. In every 

 entry the Patron of the Eectory is given as the Bishop of Winchester 

 — the Rector appointing the Vicars. 



" The name Wroughton first appears as that of the Church in 

 1490 ; after that date it is generally Elyndon alias Wroughton. 



"The Church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. Helen. 

 The village feast being held on Old St. John Baptist day (i.e. Old 

 Midsummer-Day) shows that the dedication to St. John the Baptist 

 is probably the older of the two dedications." 



Although there are no features of Norman work in situ, we have 

 the evidence of the model showing that, up to 1846 there were in 

 the north wall of the nave three simple semi-circular arched 

 openings of one order, with a small roll mould on the edge of jambs 

 and arches, and wide responds and dividing piers of plain walling. 

 The arches are without base or abacus, yet have the appearance of 

 Norman work, and they may have been (as at Avebury) inserted 

 in a still earlier wall. The late Mr. Nevil Story Maskelyne re- 

 membered seeing the arches and told his wife " that they were of , 

 Norman date and that they were low, and shut off a great deal of 1 

 light." 



Then the doorways in the south and north walls of the nave 

 aisles are undoubtedly the work of about the middle of the 

 12th century. The south doorway, which is the more important, 



