The Cirencester Excursion. 



147 



window of the south aisle, were of about the middle of the fifteenth 

 century, but there were portions of older work still remaining, more 

 especially in the chancel and its aisles. Among others was the little 

 arch at the back of the organ, which was very old. At the south of 

 the chancel again was a portion of very old work . From the centre 

 of the east termination of the principal colonnade which flanked the 

 nave on the south, there sprang a Norman arch at right angles, a part 

 of which had been destroyed in the formation of another arch into St. 

 John Baptist's chapel, and the remaining portion built up. It was 

 certain that when this arch was in existence the present colonnade 

 between the chancel and the chapel could not have been standing, 

 which pointed to the inference that originally the chancel must 

 have been much narrower than the present one. As to the Par vise 

 in which they were then assembled, he could give them but a very 

 faint idea. It used to consist of two halls, and was only made into 

 one in 1828. He did not think it was used for the residence of the chan- 

 try priests, because he found evidences of some of them living elsewhere. 

 There used to be in connection with the church numerous guilds, and 

 wdiether this was used for their meeting he could not ]X)sitively say. 

 But there used to stand next-door a tavern, called the Church-house 

 Tavern, and whether these guilds held their meetings in this room, 

 and then went to church, and afterwards adjourned to the tavern to 

 dinner (an essential element in their meetings), he could not say, 

 but it was probable that it was so. The name by which it appears 

 in the old vestry book is the " vice/'' and tradesmen from Gloucester, 

 &c, paid various sums to be allowed to exhibit on market days their 

 wares for sale in this place, or else in stalls against it, or in the 

 Porch; the phrase in the churchwardens' accounts being " standings 

 at the vice/' The last mention of the " vice " in these accounts was 

 towards the end of Charles the First's time, when the clerk was 

 allowed it for drying clothes until it was repaired for further use. 

 Such further use was settled in Charles the Second's reign, when 

 Bishop Nicholson granted it to the town for public purposes ; and 

 in the deed of grant he suggests an origin of the name, viz., Vice, 

 from Device, because it is so contrived as only to block up one win- 

 dow. In the year 1 45 3 9 a petition was forwarded to the Archbishop 



