By Harold Brakspear, F.SA. 



211 



the pulpitum. This usually contained the organs, and " also there 

 was a Letterne of wood like unto a pulpit standinge and adjoining 

 to the wood organs over the Quire dore where they had wont to 

 singe the nine lessons in the old time on principall dayes, standinge 

 with theire faces towards the High Altar.'" 1 Owing to the shortness 

 of the nave it is doubtful if there was a principal nave altar, as 

 was invariably the case in large monastic churches. The normal 

 position of the western door from the cloister was opposite the end 

 of the west walk, so that processions passing round the cloister might 

 go direct into the church and so take their station before the rood. 

 But at Lacock, for some reason, the doorway was some distance 

 further east, perhaps because the westernmost bay of the church 

 was filled by a gallery. The position and existence of the screen 

 that carried this is shown by the east side of the quoins of the 

 vaulting shaft being cut away in a perpendicular line to receive 

 the end of the screen. 



The Cloister. 



The cloister court is about 80ft. 

 square, and was surrounded origi- 

 nally by covered alleys, about 10ft. 

 wide, with wooden pentice roofs ; 

 supported next the court on 

 continuous open arcades. These 

 arcades were formed by twin 

 columns with moulded caps and 

 bases, all of Purbeck marble, 

 carrying trefoiled headed arches 

 and standing on a dwarf wall. 

 All this work has been removed 

 by subsequent re-buildings; but 

 fragments have been found at 

 various times, from which the 

 drawing (Fig. 2) has been made, 

 Fig. 2. to show the original arrange- 



Capitals and Bases of original Cloister. -mpnt 



1 Bites of Durham (Surtees Society, 15), ix., p. 14. 



