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"As to the origin of these sepulchral towers, and chapels surmounted 

 by towers (these I shall mention further on), nothing certain is known. 

 Le Cointre thinks that they are of very ancient origin, and can be 

 traced, perhaps, to the early periods of Christianity. "Without disputing 

 this opinion, which would require to be confirmed by authorities which 

 I am not in a position to produce, I think that it was about the twelfth 

 century, consequently about the time of the Crusades, that the greater 

 number of these erections were built ; for, among those which remain, 

 I know of none to which an earlier date can be assigned than that of 



: the end of the eleventh century, and many are of the thirteenth. If 

 we are to judge by those which remain, few sepulchral chapels with 

 towers were bailt after the thirteenth century ; some of these which 

 were rebuilt in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries took the form of 

 a high tower. Such is, at Bordeaux, the tower of Peyberland, not far 



: from the cathedral. This very high tower was commenced in 1481, 

 and finished in 1492, but it has succeeded or was built on a sej)ulchral 

 chapel; for it is well known that, in 1S97, the base on which it was 

 built was used as a sepulchral vault, and that over the sepulchral vault 

 was a chapel, in which the canons celebrated mass. The belfry of 

 St. Michael, of the same town, which has a sepulchral vault at its base, 

 and Vfhich is of the fifteenth century (1480), has been, perhaps, also 

 built over some sepulchral vault ; it is detached from the church, and 

 is in the midst of a plot of ground which formed the ancient cemetery." 



J)e Caumont then describes one of the towers at Antigny, near 

 St. Savin, department of Yienne : — ''It is in the middle of a square, 

 before the parish church, which evidently formed part of the ancient 

 cemetery, for it is almost completely paved with tombstones. Four 

 square windows turned towards the east, west, north, and south, open, 

 under its roof, at the summit of the tower ; it was there the light was 

 placed. The door was at some distance from the ground." 



He then mentions others: — "The Panal of Eenioux is in the 

 cemetery of the village, at a hundred paces from the church, opposite 



I the south door. 



■ " The Fanal of Estrees occupies nearly the centre of a large plot of 

 i ground, to the south of which is the ancient road from Buzancais to 

 i Palluan, and to the north of Avhich are the remains of the parish church 

 of Estrees, a building of the eleventh century, the choir of which is still 

 remaining. This plot of ground was formerly the burial-ground of the 

 ; parish. This tower has an octagonal basement; its height is eight 

 metres thirty centimetres. 



" The Eanal of Ciron is one hundred and fifty metres from the 

 i church of the village, and, like that of Estrees, is in the centre of a vast 

 ! cemetery. 



" The Eanal of Terigny PEveque was also in a cemetery, about three 

 i hundred paces from the church, near which passed the ancient road, 

 which, according to Mr. Dumazy, was the ancient way which led from 

 iMans to the Eoman camp at Songe. It is terminated by a conical roof ; 



