48 



Malmesbury. 



dum cuidam Abbati nomine Walter Loring." (Lei., 

 Collect., I., 301.) 

 In one of the Malmesbury Chartularies (Cotton MSS. 

 Faustina, B. viii.) are several gifts of houses, &c., 

 for establishing "Lights" and "Lamps," "Deo et 

 altari Beatse Marise in majori ecclesid Malmesb:" 

 (to God and the altar of St. Mary in the larger church). 



1267-1252. In Henry III., some land at Fyneswike was given 

 to maintain the Chaplain of "Le Charnere" at 

 Malmesbury (Tanner, p. 592). This name is from the 

 French " charnier," a charnel-house. A building of 

 this kind stood also in the cemetery of Gloucester 

 Abbey. (Tanner, 138.) 



e. 1500. The central Tower of Malmesbury Abbey Church fell 

 down : " within the memory of man," says Leland, 

 writing about A.D. 1540. 



1534. In the " Yalor Ecclesiasticus " of this year, mention is 

 made of " The Chapel of St. Mary," and its wardens : 

 and of the " Chapel of St. John the Baptist:" both in 

 the Abbey Church. 



1540. Leland at his visit noticed in the church-yard, Three 



Churches. 1. St. Mary's (the present church) : the 

 central tower fallen, but " a great square tower at the 

 west end of the church." 2. " A little church joining 

 to the south side of the transept of the Abbey Church, 

 in which, they say, John Scot the great clerk, was 

 slain about the time Alfred." This which he describes 

 as " a very old piece of work," was probably the ancient 

 church of " St. Saviour, Peter and Paul." 3. The church 

 of St. Paul, the parish church before the Dissolution. 



1541. St. Paul's being dilapidated, a License is granted to con- 



vert the Nave of the Conventual Church into a Parish 

 Church. (See the Deed, Wilts. Mag., i., 248.) Yet 

 there are entries on a fly-leaf on one of the old Parish 

 Registers which show that sermons were preached in 

 St. Paul's so late as 1638. 



