the Virgin, Bishops Cannings. 5 



which is 1ft. 7in. above the floor, and the exit from it on to the 

 bridge was by another doorway in the same wall, the sill of which 

 is lift. 3in. above the floor. The opening in the respond of the 

 nave arcade is 3ft. 5in. above the level of the upper doorway in the 

 aisle wall ; and the label of the archway beneath, leading into the 

 transept, is cut away on both sides in such a manner as to suggest 

 the probability that a bridge (and not a screen) was carried across 

 the aisle, with other steps from it to the opening in the respond, 

 and thus to the rood loft, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 9, 

 Plate II. As will be seen by reference to the sketch on the same 

 plate, and to the elevation, Fig. 2, Plate I., the position was a 

 difficult one in which to get a passage through the wall of the 

 respond, owing to the aisle roof being so near to the arch : the 

 opening was thus necessarily low, the entire height being only 

 4ft. lin. That this size should have been sufficient raises the 

 question of the use of the rood lofts, and confirms the theory which 

 the cramped dimensions of rood stairs often found seems to suggest 

 —that these were not intended for the passage of adults, and that 

 the ceremonial of the rood loft was not one in which the priest took 

 part, but rather such as the mere decoration of the rood and lighting 

 of tapers by an acolyte. 



At the west end of the north aisle (at G, Fig. 1, Plate I.) are 

 features of the greatest interest, which are illustrated by Figs. 1 

 and 2, Plate II. Previous to the restoration of the Church all that 

 could be seen in this wall was a small window of twelfth century 

 date, high up and near the respond of the nave arcade : the di- 

 mensions of this window on the outside were 3ft. high from 

 sill to springing and 6|in. wide : it was blocked up with modern 

 masonry on the outside, but open to the interior : there are holes 

 for a stanchion bar in head and sill, and marks on the south jamb 

 of the hooks to which a shutter was probably hung, the stone-work 

 being rebated for it. Upon removing the plaster from the inside 

 of the wall a similar window was discovered nearly in the centre of 

 the width of the aisle, the sill of which was only 3ft. 4in, from the 

 floor-level. The dimensions of the outer opening of this window 

 are, 2ft. 6in. high from sill to springing and 12iin. wide : this 



