By Mr. Ed i card Kite. 



217 



The latter parish includes the Old Park, which formerly belonged 

 to the Castle. 



When we consider the antiquity of these Churches it seems 

 remarkable that so little should be met with relating to their early 

 history. Leland, who visited Devizes in the reign of Henry VIII., 

 gives (in his Itinerary) a particular description of the Castle, but 

 omits to make the slightest mention of either of the Churches. 1 

 His example has been followed by Camden and others ; even by our 

 Wiltshire Antiquary, John Aubrey. 



Dr. Stukeley in his " Itinerarium Curiosum," published in 1724, 



thus briefly describes them : — 



" Here are two Churches; the quire of St. Mary's, of a very old model, the 

 steeple, quire, and both wings of St. John's, the same, to which parcels have 

 since been tackt all round, and new wide Avindows put in with pointed arches, 

 instead of the antient narrow semicircular ones." 



In the present century their history has been more minutely 

 investigated by Mr. Britton, who in a description of them, published 

 in his " Topographical and Historical Description of the County," 

 and "Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain," has fortunately 

 preserved a record of one or two features, since destroyed. In 

 addition to this, the latter work, vol. 2, contains several fine engrav- 

 ings of the Church of St. John — viz., exterior and interior views, 

 together with some of its details. These, and a later volume by 

 Mr. James Waylen, entitled " Chronicles of The Devizes," contain 

 the greater part of the information hitherto published respecting 

 the Churches of Devizes. 



Since the appearance of Mr. Waylen's book, in 1839, both 

 Churches have undergone considerable alterations, in the course 

 of which several interesting points have been disclosed. 



It is the object, therefore, of the following paper to bring together 

 from these, and some other sources, whatever information has been 

 already met with, in order to present a more complete account 

 of these ancient edifices; and it is at the same time hoped that, 

 attention having been called, through the medium of this pub- 

 lication, to the deficiency in their historjr, access may be gained 



1 See " Wilts Magazine, Vol. I., p. 181. 



