158 



Abridgement of the History of the 



remnant of the old building in the decorated style of the fourteenth 

 century. 



Adjoining the Church, and in the centre of the village, at the 

 convergence of its three streets, stands the ancient Market-cross. 1 

 It consists of a square stone pedestal raised on two steps, and 

 placed on an elevated stone platform having piers of the same 

 material at the angles, supporting a wooden-framed roof, pierced 

 by a stone shaft rising from the central pedestal, and capped by 

 an ornamental finial. The sides of the pedestal are elegantly 

 carved in sunk pannels, containing quatrefoil tracery with roses 

 and shields at the intersections. An old market-house (now pulled 

 down) formerly stood near the cross, resting on stout timber posts 

 and open below. The upper story served the purpose of a town- 

 hall, or church-house, and was used for the meetings and feasts of 

 the principal inhabitants, from which church-ale was in early times 

 occasionally distributed to the poor. 



The Manor-house, an ancient gabled building, retains something 

 of its early character, varied however, by recent additions and 

 alterations. It does not appear to have been at any time of much 

 size or pretension. 



An old Rectory-house in a most dilapidated condition, and which 

 had probably received no repairs since the Reformation, was pulled 

 down a few years since, and a new building erected on a better 

 site, for the purpose, by the Lord of the Manor. 



The Court Rolls of the Manor of Castle Combe are preserved in 

 a very perfect state, from a very early period, and as they afford 

 some curious examples of ancient customs, and of the self-govern- 

 ment of a small rural community through several centuries, it is 

 proposed to make them the subject of another paper in a future 

 number of this Magazine. Extracts will also then be given from 

 the Rolls of the Knights' Court (Curia Militum) of the Barony. 

 These will serve to throw some light upon the early history of 

 those numerous other Wiltshire manors which were held under it 

 by knight-service. 



1 See the Vignette at head of this article. 



