276 



Great Bedwyn. 



as is evident both within and without ; and in fact the original 

 covering of this part of the Church was what is called a compass 

 roof, which stretched across both nave and aisles in one sweep. 

 The present aisles are roofed up to the base of the clere story, 

 which in 1854 was reduced in height : the north aisle and the 

 clere story were, till very lately, the most recent portions of the 

 Church, exhibiting nothing peculiar or interesting in their archi- 

 tecture ; and the south aisle is Decorated. The north porch [now 

 removed] was a curious structure of Perpendicular woodwork, and 

 was probably composed of materials from the ancient rood loft. It 

 rested on a base of brick walling. In the spandrels of the arch 

 were carved the badges of the Seymour and Hungerford families. 



To the north west of the nave, stands the ancient churchyard 

 cross, in tolerable condition : the style is Decorated, and on the 

 south face of the octangular stem is a shallow niche, containing a 

 time worn sculpture of the Virgin. The top is a modern stone set 

 up for the purpose of a sun-dial, but the gnomons are gone. 



From the South-east are seen the beautiful proportions of the 

 chancel, transept, and tower ; the whole of which must have been 

 erected early in the fourteenth century. The chancel is a few 

 years older than the transept, and the transept preceded the tower 

 by a few more. The date of the transept is ascertained to within 

 a very few years, as it was built by Sir Adam de Stokke, who died 

 in early manhood in the year 1313. 



The north and south transepts are very nearly uniform in struc- 

 ture and decoration ; the unique window on the south face is re- 

 peated on the north, and all the smaller windows, exactly similar 

 to each other, are very elegant. They consist of two lights, tre- 

 foiled in the head, with a cinquefoil (each foil trefoiled) between 

 them ; the whole enclosed in a drop arch, having a hood moulding, 

 terminated with grotesque heads. The north and south windows 

 are not so elegant, but much more elaborate ; they are of three 

 lights, cinquefoiled in the head ; above the two outer lights is a 

 sixfoil, having the upper and two lower points ogeed, and the 

 other three round, forming altogether a triangular figure ; between 

 these is a magnificent eightfoil, set diamond- wise, in the head of 



