128 On the Church of St. Peter, Manning ford Bruce, Wiltshire. 



this Church some years ago, and mentioned it in my Paper, on 

 Stockton Church, read before the Society of Antiquaries, London, 15th 

 January, 1880. I re-visited it on the 22nd of September, 18S1, 

 and made careful measurements and observations from which I have 

 had drawn out a plan which is a remarkable illustration of Man- 

 ningford Bruce, and other small apsidal Churches of early date. 

 Here the bema, choros, and naos are well defined. The bema or 

 apse is semi-circular, the diameter being 10ft. At present the floor 

 of the bema is 1ft. higher than the floor of choros and naos. At 

 the height of 10ft. 2in. on each side is an iron crook, said to have 

 been used for the suspension of a curtain in those early times, in the 

 place of Ka<yn€ha or eiKovoa-raai^. On the north side is a seat for 

 the Bishop, and on the south side a seat for his assistants. It is 

 possible that these seats were continued round the apse, and cut 

 away to make room for the mediaeval stone mensa with five crosses, 

 which is now fixed against the east wall, and supported on modern 

 legs of the epoch of Louis XIV., or later. Just outside the apse, 

 in what may be called the choros or chancel, in the modern sense of 

 chancel, is on each side a large square deep recess, clearly corres- 

 ponding to the prothesis and diaconicon of early and simple Churches 

 in the East. 



The dimensions of the square recess on the north side are, width, 

 3ft. 6in. ; height, 2ft. llin. ; depth, 2ft. 10in.; and of that on the 

 south side the same. The dimensions of the round arched recess on 

 the north side of Manningford Bruce chancel, for prothesis or credence 

 are, curiously, 21in. throughout, for width, height from base to 

 apex, and depth. It almost seems as if there were some intentional 

 reference to the multiples 3 and 7. There is no rebate or mark of 

 its ever having had a door. The dimensions are the same of the 

 round arched recess on the south side for diaconicon, skeuophylakion, 

 or locker, for the safe keeping of the sacred vessels, &c, and this 

 recess has a rebate of 2in. width, and the marks of a bolt for folding 

 doors. 



The only further features of the ground-plan of St. Mellon to be 

 mentioned are the architectural definition of the choros or chancel 

 by a massive pier on each side ; the stone seat running round the 



