ST. apolline's chapel. 237 



who, in the persecution of the Christians under the Roman 

 Emperor Decius in the year 249, suffered martyrdom by 

 burning. Before being cast into the flames all her teeth were 

 pulled or beaten out, which is the reason Avhy her intercession 

 is invoked in Roman Catholic countries by persons suffering 

 from toothache. 



The Chapel cannot boast of any great beauty of archi- 

 tecture, the masonry being rough and of rmhevvn stone, except 

 the heads of the doorways, the jambs of the small openings 

 that serve as windows, and the corner stones of the edifice, 

 which appear to have been coarsely wrought. Its dimensions 

 are twenty-seven feet in length by thirteen feet nine inches in 

 width, but though small and totally devoid of ornament, the 

 building is by no means without that elegance which arises 

 from the observance of due proportions. The vault is in solid 

 masonry of small stones cemented together with a strong- 

 mortar ; and if it was ever slated or tiled all traces of the 

 covering have long since disappeared. The interior is stuc- 

 coed, and was originally adorned with mural paintings of 

 which some slight traces are yet to be seen. Figures of 

 angels and part of a group Avhich seems to have been intended 

 to represent the nativity of our Saviour are still to be made 

 out. There are three small narrow square-headed windows, 

 which may or may not have been once glazed, — one in the 

 east gable immediately above where the altar must have stood, 

 and the other two in the north and south walls near the east 

 end of the building. There is no opening whatever in the 

 Avestern gable, which was surmounted originally by a bell-cote 

 of which the base only now remains. The hole through 

 which the bell-rope passed is still to be seen in the interior. 

 Two small round or rather segmental-headed doors at the 

 western extremity of the north and south walls give access to 

 the interior. The building stands close to and projects a little 

 on the high road, on the opposite side of which to the south 

 of the Chapel is a very ancient and substantially built farm- 

 house, which is traditionally said to have been the residence 

 of the officiating priest. It is quite as probable that it was 

 the manor-house of the founder, Nicholas Henry. In it were 

 preserved the iron clapper of a bell, which is said to have 

 belonged to that of the Chapel, and some wrought stones, 

 which probably formed the supports of the altar-slab. A 

 more interesting relic, however, which is said by tradition to 

 have come originally from this Chapel, is a small silver 

 burette, one of a pair, such as are used in the Roman Catholic 

 Church to contain .the wine and the water employed in the 



