292 The Wiltshire Possessions of the Abbess of Shaftesbury. 



socms to have been unjustly taken from the Abbey by one of the 

 king's bailiffs. 



Tradition speaks of ' Place Farm/ or ' Grange ' in this parish, as 

 having been a favourite country retreat of the Abbess of Shaftes- 

 bury. It was there that she, or her steward, held the Court Baron 

 for the manor of Tisbury. There are still sufficient remains to 

 indicate its importance in ancient times. It is approached by an 

 old gate-way with two pointed arches. Within the court is another 

 entrance gate-way of one arch. A small portion only of the manor- 

 house is left, but there are fragments of an early date. There is an 

 interesting old Grange barn more than 200 feet in length, with 

 three entrances, having a roof of oak, the main timbers of which 

 spring from the ground and form large arches. 



The church at Tisbury deserves notice. It is one of the largest 

 in South Wilts, and consists of a chancel, nave, two side aisles, a 

 central tower, together with two porches, one at the west end, and 

 the other on the north side of the church. In some of the entrance 

 door- ways, and in the piers supporting the central towers, you have 

 the remains of a church of earlier date. The chancel has evidently 

 been rebuilt in the style of a later period, and tradition makes Sir 

 Christopher Wren to have been the designer of its side windows. 

 I do not know whether this tradition extends to the design 

 of the east window, if so, the famous architect must have 

 been in a far happier mood than when he drew the outlines of the 

 others : — in fact, the east window, though peculiar in the lines of 

 some of its tracery, and apparently of late date, is nevertheless of 

 singular beauty. There would seem to have been two side chapels, 

 each of which was some thirty years ago separated by a screen 

 from the aisle of which it formed part. These, according to a 

 tradition reported by the aged sexton, were dedicated to St. 

 Ann, and St. John, respectively. There was also a chantry 1 



1 In the Index to ' Sales of Chauntreys,' (vol. I., pp. 724, 726) in the Public 

 Record Office, some lands in Tisbury, late the endowment of a chantry in the 

 parish church, were sold to ' John Dodington and others, late the endowment 

 of a chantry in St. John's, Shaftesbury, were sold to ' Wm. Ward.' Among 

 grants in Philip and Mary is a chantry at Tysburye to — Dier. 



