466 -Malmesbury Alley. 



and with the exception of a small area running towards the north- 

 west, is rectangular in shape, 560 ft. from east to west by 430 ft. 

 from norch to south (fig. 1). It was apparently entered on its 

 south side through a gatehouse opposite the end of the High Street. 



The great church stands, almost due east and west, nearly in the 

 middle of the area, with the cloister to the north, but owing to the 

 contracted space on that side the other buildings of the abbey 

 spread out to the east and west. 



The abbat's house was contained within a circuit wall of its 

 own, protected by a gatehouse, and was to the east of the church. 



The guests' quarters, under the charge of the cellarer, were to 

 the west of the cloister, and also had a gateway of entrance — the 

 Spital gate. 



The present graveyard was always the lay folk's cemetery, and 

 adjacent to it was "the Seynt Mary house with the chaundery." 

 The monks' cemetery was round the east end of the Church. 



The outer court was inside the great gate, now occupied by a 

 brewery and a public-house. It is recorded in 1862 that "in the 

 narrow street leading from Malmesbury Cross to the Abbey House 

 there was to be seen a few years ago the arch of an entrance gate- 

 way, part of the wall of which is still against a house." 1 



After 1216 the site of the castle, conaining some two and a half 

 acres, was given back to the monks and the area thrown into the 

 precinct. This seems to have been unbuilt upon at the Suppression, 

 and to be " the bak vacant ground of the Abbay that is withyn the 

 Toune waulles" of Leland. The land is still vacant, and a part of 

 it is called the " Bowling Green." 



The area of the precinct outside the town walls contained some 

 26 acres, in which were the mill, fishponds, the vineyards, and 

 farm buildings. 



Of the sites of the Saxon churches nothing definite is known. 



As the first church of the monastery was hallowed in honour of 

 our Saviour, St. Peter and St. Paul, it probably stood on the site 

 of the later parish church, which now bears the clipped dedication 

 of St. Paul. 



1 Wiltshire Collections, p. 260, note. 



