at the Salisbury Meeting. 



39 



however, good examples at Chilmark, Bishops Cannings, Trowbridge, 

 and Lacock. There is a nice specimen of a small stone spire at 

 Little Bedwyn. Pack-saddle roofs, an unusual form in England, 

 are found at North and South Wraxall, at Holt, and at Winsley. 

 A bell turret crowned with a spirelet of much elegance is rather 

 frequent in the north-west corner of the county, as at Acton Turvill, 

 Sutton Benger, Corsley, Corston, Biddeford, and Great Chaldfield. 

 The small wooden turrets of the south-east have been already referred 

 to. They are often very picturesque. Stone groined roofs, though 

 far from being common, are less uncommon in Wiltshire than in 

 other parts of England. The Norman chancels of St. John's and 

 St. Mary's at Devizes have good vaults of that date. Early English 

 and Decoroted vaulting is found at the beautiful Churches of Bishops 

 Cannings., Urchfont, Steeple Ashton, Bishopston, Marlborough St. 

 Peter's, and the south transept of Bromham. The nave of Steeple 

 Ashton is groined in wood, the ribs springing from stone shafts. 1 

 At Knoyle and Edington there are curious plaster ceilings of late 

 date which deserve notice. 



Taking a general survey of the county we find Norman work 

 very abundant, though not usually of a very high order. The 

 humble village Churches frequently contain a door or a window or a 

 chancel arch of that period. Great Durnford is a typical example, 

 and the fabrics of a large number evidently belong to this period. 

 We have examples within a short distance of Salisbury. Berwick 

 St. James preserves its Norman doorway, while there are doorways 

 and other remains of Norman work, as in the Churches of Winter- 

 bourne Stoke, Stapleford, South Newton, and Little Langford, all 

 very near together. The tower of Netheravon is very Early Norman. 



1 Mr. Ponting tells me that the nave and aisles of Steeple Ashton were 

 originally groined in stone, as the chancel is now. This is shewn by the existing 

 flying buttresses, and various indications inside the Church. The stone vault 

 was probably destroyed by the fall of the spire in the latter part of the seven- 

 teenth century. This catastrophe is thus described by Aubrey : " Ou 25th July, 

 1670, thero was a rupture of the steeple of Steeple Ashton, by lightning. Tho 

 steeple was 93 feet high, above the tower, which was much about that height. 

 The stones fell and broke part of the church, but never hurt the Font." 



