244 MIDLAND UNION OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 
was also found a very large quantity of fragments of monu¬ 
mental cross slabs of Early English and decorated work, some 
presenting good and elegant designs, and two curious foot- 
stones, with incised line double crosses. Several of the 
window-jamb stones had been wrought out of these, the words 
“ hic jacet ” being plainly discernible on one of them; and 
this use of tomb-stones was carried so far as to include the 
use of stone coffins for ashlar in two or three instances. 
As I have already observed, very considerable remains of 
the old Norman lantern have been recovered, and the history 
of the “three stories” of the “master tower” has been 
fully made out. 
First, there are the bases, caps, jambs, and arches of what 
appears to have been t-lie tower stage or third storey which 
was shielded from the light on all sides by the then roof. 
Secondly, almost all the caps, bases, and parts of jambs, 
arches, and pillars of what formed the second internal stage 
(or third, if four existed) and also quantities of the jambs 
and external arcades as well as of the small blank arcades 
over them,—a feature similar to what is seen on the present 
transept gables. 
Thirdly, there are considerable quantities of the caps, 
jambs, arch orders, &c., of the upper stage. This on the 
interior presented a design of three arches, precisely as in the 
windows of the clerestory on the east side of the transepts, 
and like these had probably a small blank arcade above on 
the exterior. 
Further, large portions of the richly zigzagged string over 
the Norman arches of the crux have been found, as well as of 
the two moulded strings over it; and also fragments of the 
shafts at the angles of the interior and of the attached half 
columns which formed the interior upright division lines of 
the composition. 
In a similar way a great quantity of the external strings 
and half pillars has come to light. Of the outside woik a 
part still retains the lichened coating with which it became 
covered when it was in its original position. 
It is well worth considering whether in rebuilding the 
lantern it would not be desirable to make some use of this 
Norman arcading. There is enough, or nearly enough of it, 
to reconstruct the whole of the lower or first stage immediately 
above the arches of the crux. If this is thought desirable, 
and I confess it appears to me very desirable, there would be 
no structural difficulty in the way. The arcading would be 
quite complete above the two Norman arches on the north 
and south sides; it would be intersected by the pointed arches 
