126 Congress of British Arcluwlogical Association at Devizes. 



The tie-beams and cornices have hollow mouldings adorned with 

 paterae, which I ventured to colour a little. The space above the 

 beams is filled with pierced tracery. You may observe at the ter- 

 mination of the additional rafter at each end a beautifully-carved 

 demi-angel, in oak, bearing a shield projecting from the corner at 

 either end. 



" Round the cornice in the centre compartment of the roof is the 

 following inscription : — 



' Orate pro aia Willi Smyth qui ista eccliam fieri fecit qui obiit primo die 

 mensis junii ano dni millo cccc xxxvi.' 



" Also in removing the plaster over the chancel aisle I came upon 

 the rood loft door, which I left open as an interesting feature in the 

 Church's history : and I opened out the fine west window, by re- 

 moving the west gallery and the organ, which completely blocked 

 it from view." The Rector also mentioned other alterations he 

 had made, described the six bells with their inscriptions, and ob- 

 served that the churchwardens' accounts commence in 1493, the 

 overseers'' from 1613, and the registers from 1569. 



Mr. Brock congratulated Devizes and the Rector on possessing 

 two such beautiful Churches. St. Mary's — as well as St. John's — 

 bore out, so far as the later portions were concerned, the dates that 

 had been ascribed to them. In the re-building any of the Members 

 who walked round would see how closely the builders had adhered 

 to the old foundations ; these showing that Devizes at the period of 

 the first erection of the Church must have been large enough to 

 have required two such Churches. As to the older part of St. Mary's 

 the architecture appeared to have been the work of the same hand 

 that constructed St. John's. From the character of the work it 

 appeared that the Normans had not executed it in the substantial 

 < manner in which they had built St. John's, and it was not unusual 

 to find their work in some cases in this respect the reverse of what it 

 was elsewhere. He looked upon it that when that Church was erected 

 the builders did not desire to expend so much money as in the other ; 

 in fact it was built a little less expensively. It would be of interest 

 to the people of Devizes to review what appeared in the history of 



