216 



The Churches of Devizes. 



their appearance in the churchyard, and having overcome the sheriff's 

 party bore him away in triumph into Wales. 



This happened a.d. 1233, from which time no historical event of 

 importance is recorded in connection with St. John's church until 

 the period of the Civil Wars, when it appears to have undergone 

 its full share of calamity. An entry in the Chamberlain's Books, 

 1642, "for making a place for a magazine for the powder and for 

 carrying of it up into the church," seems to show that a portion 

 (at least) of it was, at that time, sacrilegiously converted into a 

 powder magazine. The lead was also (we are told) torn from the 

 roofs of the churches, in order to be molten into bullets, on the 

 occasion of the storming of the town in 1645, by Sir William 

 Waller. 



In the " Commons Journals" is the following : — 



" 1646. 28 May. Ordered — That all such materials as are now remaining 

 in the Castle of The Devizes, and which were part of, or belonging to St. John's 

 Church in the Town of The Devizes, or to the Parsonage House belonging to the 

 said Church, shall be forthwith restored to the Churchwardens there, for the 

 re-edifying of the said Church and Parsonage House." 



At what period the Church of St. John was made Parochial, or 



that of St. Mary annexed to it, does not appear ; the latter, however, 



is mentioned for the first time in an institution to the Rectory, 



a.d. 1398. 



The original parts of the present Church of St. Mary, although 

 much inferior in point of workmanship to those of St. John, appear 

 to be of nearly the same date, and from some of the Norman 

 foundations which still remain, it would seem that the fabric was 

 originally of much the same size as at present. Whether, or not, a 

 church existed on this site prior to the twelfth century is unknown. 

 It is not improbable that this may have been, at an early period, 

 the Parish Church; whilst the other, as conjectured above, may 

 have been reserved for the special use of the garrison. 



At the commencement of the fourteenth century the town con- 

 sisted of two portions, known as the Old and New Port. This 

 distinction will be frequently alluded to in the following memoir. 

 They appear to have corresponded nearly with the present parishes — 

 the Old Port, with that of St. Mary; the New, with that of St. John. 



