The Architecture of Malmesbury Abbey Church. 



83 



however, I have only to deal with times when his imperial sceptre 

 had passed into the hands of a stranger and an enemy, and when 

 within the very walls of that ancient convent, the most elegant — 

 perchance not the most truthful — historian of his age was tracing 

 out the story of that memorable change, as a grateful offering to 

 the best and bravest of the conquering race. 



The church of Malmesbury consisted of the usual parts of a 

 great English minster, the four limbs of the cross and the central 

 tower. The church was purely conventual, and did not belong to 

 that class of churches, partly monastic and partly parochial, to 

 which a first glimpse might tempt one to refer it. That is to say, 

 the whole church belonged to the monastery, and not, as often 

 happened, the eastern part to the monks and the western to the 

 parish. The remains of the proper parish church stand a little to 

 the south of the abbey ; as the parishioners did not obtain possession 

 of the abbey church till after the dissolution. 



It appears to be generally believed that the present church was 

 begun by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, about the year 1135. This tra- 

 dition seems confirmed by two passages of William of Malmesbury, 

 neither of which directly assert it. 1 Certainly the architecture 



destroyed, the tomb might be removed into the part of the building which 

 remained, just as was done with the tombs of the Dukes of York at Fotheringhay. 

 The passage from William of Malmesbury about iEthelstan's burial " sub altari 

 SanctEe Maria? in turri," can of course prove nothing, as referring to the church 

 which no longer exists. 



1 William (De (rest. Pont, v., ap. Gale, ii., 349) clearly implies that the 

 church was rebuilt in his time. Aldhelm he tells us, in the eighth century 

 built two churches, one of St. Michael, the other of St. Mary. Of St, Michael 

 only some fragment or ruins spared to William's time (cujus nos vestigia 

 vidimus). But Aldhelm's church of St. Mary — or one which the monks believed 

 to be Aldhelm's church, — remained perfect in his own time. " Lata majoris 

 ecclesise fabrica Celebris et illibata nostro quoque perstitit sevo." The use of 

 the past tense clearly shows that both the ruins of St. Michael and the perfect 

 fabric of St. Mary's had ceased to exist when he wrote. That is, they were 

 destroyed to make way for a new church during his lifetime. Now in another 

 work (Gesta Regum lib. v., § 408, p. 637 Eng. Hist. Soc, ed.) he speaks of the 

 building of Roger at Salisbury and Malmesbury, describing their general archi- 

 tectural splendour and also all the excellent masonry, which is very conspicuous 

 in the present church of Malmesbury. The expression would but naturally apply 

 to a church, and can hardly be understood of the castle, which, according to 

 William (Hist. Nov. lib. ii. § 19, he barely began, inchoaverat). 



