By the Rev. J. Ward. 



275 



property ; and the rest of the two parishes, with the exception of 

 some small quantities, to the Marquis of Ailesbury. 



The population of Great Bedwyn, with its hamlets, is now 1153 

 of the District of East Grafton . . . . 1040 

 „ of the parish of Little Bedwyn . . . . 600 



We now proceed to a description of the Church at Great Bedwyn. 



The Ground Plan, with an orientation of five degrees to the 

 south, remains very nearly the same as it was five hundred years 

 ago, the only addition being a staircase turret to the tower at its 

 north-east angle. It consists of a nave with aisles, a transept, and 

 a chancel : from the large piers, at the intersection of the nave and 

 transept, rises the tower, to the height of 60 feet : its square, out- 

 side, is 26 feet north and south, and 25 feet east and west. 



The Exterior. The west front of this Church was rebuilt in the 

 year 1843, in consequence of the ruined condition of the former 

 wall. Very little alteration was introduced, except a new door- 

 way in the north aisle, an enlargement of the principal door, 

 (which has since been removed and a new one inserted), and a 

 reduction of the excessive height of the centre window. This 

 window is of three lights, with tracery in the head, which at first 

 sight appears to be Decorated, but it is really Perpendicular, with 

 dripstone and corbel terminations of the same character. There is 

 a Decorated west window to the south aisle, and to the north a 

 similar window was inserted, in place of the small doorway, above' 

 mentioned, in 1854. On pulling down the west front, it was dis- 

 covered that the buttresses had been built of ancient stone coffins, 

 cut into lengths and the hollows filled with flints and mortar. As 

 many as eight or ten coffins had been thus used. A small part of 

 a lid was also found, on which was cut a large cross pattee within 

 a circle, conjectured to be the symbol indicating the deceased to 

 have been a Knight Templar. This, with two other sculptured 

 stones, found in the old wall, were built into the new front, and 

 exposed to view. The old buttress stones were also used again. 



The aisles of the nave were formerly much lower than they are 

 at present, and the clere story of the nave is altogether an addition, 



