476 Mahnesbury Abbey. 



similar in character to those on the south, but the sills are kept 

 much higher so as to clear the cloister roof. In the first bay was 

 the processional doorway by which the convent gained the church, 

 and though now blocked, the original Norman arch still shows 

 (fig. 26). On this side it will be seen that the eastern bay of the 

 wall arcade has been moulded, whereas the remainder is left with 

 plain square arches. The string-course above is alike throughout, 

 and has a zigzag on the splayed face. 



Early in the fourteenth century the clearstory stage of the nave 

 was re-modelled, owing to the desire to vault this part of the church 

 in place of the old timber ceiling. 



In the first bay from the east a tall two-light window was in- 

 serted within the Norman window and the wall passage built up 

 solid, 1 In the next two bays three-light windows were inserted, 

 but the wall passage was allowed to remain. The tracery of these 

 windows was at first designed with the springing some 23 in. lower 

 than at present, and the large trefoils were six in number with 

 little cusped openings pointing to the middle, and were finished 

 with trefoiled heads to the lights (fig. 4), 2 



When the work had proceeded to this point apparently more 

 money was forthcoming, for in the remaining bays up to the west 

 end the Norman work was entirely taken down, and the clearstory 

 was built afresh from the string-course over the triforium. The 

 windows of this part are of one design throughout, three lights ; 

 with tracery of three trefoils in the heads and with' one small 

 cusped opening to each trefoil. After these windows had been 

 built the lower part of the tracery of the second and third bays 

 was cut out and a curved rib to form the inner half of the outer 

 lights was placed across the original little cusped opening so as to 

 make all the windows uniform. 3 



1 The small size of these windows and the doing away of the wall passage 

 were to give additional support to the tower. 



2 The great north window of Exeter Cathedral consists of seven lights, of 

 which the outer three are arranged so exactly like those at Malmesbury that 

 the same hand seems to have been employed on both works. The Exeter 

 window was erected in 1280. 



3 In the second window on the south some of the added ribs fell out, and 

 the rest were removed to show the original design, but in the third bay they 

 remain as altered. 



