350 



Notes on Lacock Church. 



with its pendants, though not a fan vault, approximates to it. In 

 the east window of this chapel a good deal of the original glass 

 remains, in situ, patched in places, hut the design that filled the 

 tracery may ho made out. On the north side of the chapel a very j 

 beautiful window 1 may be seen externally, which was blocked for | 

 the erection of a monument to Sir J ohn Talbot, who died March 

 13th, 17 f 4 . This chapel was evidently converted into a mortuary 

 chapel for Sir William Sharington, who died in 1553. The design 

 for his monument was probably prepared in his lifetime, but the 

 monument, which occupies the space of one of the side windows, 

 was erected in 1566, and the execution of it is not quite equal to 

 his work at the Abbey. The effect of this monument suffers from I 

 the present painting, 2 which was apparently executed in the last 

 century, and the tinctures of the arms have been falsified. The 

 west arch of the chapel was walled up, in the sixteenth century, and 

 the wall contained a doorway of Eenaissance character, resembling, 

 but again not quite equal to the work at the Abbey. About I 

 twenty-five years ago, the arch w T as re-opened, 3 and it was found 1 

 that the walling up, though it had mutilated the stone- work, had 

 been the means of preserving some of the original painting, the ji 



argent two annulets interlaced in fess. — Pap worth, page 1079). This gives an 

 earlier date, in the reign of Henry the Sixth, than most persons supposed. » 

 I may here notice a remarkable fact, to which my attention was drawn by 

 Mr. Ponting. In building the respond, of the easternmost of the two arches, j 

 which open from the chapel into the chancel, the builders found that they 

 had made the opening too narrow. Instead of pulling the work down they i 

 set it back, and treated the junction in an ornamental manner. 



1 It is noticeable that there is an analogy between this window and the north 

 windows of the north aisle, though the latter have not the same beauty, and 

 also between the east window of the Lady chapel and the west window of the 

 aisle. 



2 A small portion of the stonework, in the soffit of the arch of the monu- 

 ment, has never been painted, and it is possible that, originally, the arms only 

 were coloured. The tinctures were correct in Dingley's time. I 



3 The Renaissance doorway was taken down, without much care, and the j 

 stones lay in the churchyard, until, on an addition being made to the National 1 

 Schools, the architect of the new building — the late Mr. John Prichard, of | 

 Llandaff — brought in the doorway, aa a door of communication between the 

 old and new schools. About a foot of new stone was added in the jambs, 

 to gain increased headway. 



