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berrow it consists of three large canopied niches extending the whole width of the five-light east window, the centre niche being raised considerably above the side ones and in front of the window, but the whole is much mutilated.

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No original stone altar remains. A portion of one figured in the 'Glossary," as existing at Bengeworth (at the east end of the north aisle), was destroyed when the church was repewed some years ago.

Sedilia are scarce. The triple arrangement occurs in ten churches, the most elegant being the Decorated ones, at Kidderminster and Chaddesley Corbett, and the Early English ones at Kempsey. Double sedilia are met with in four churches; at Sedgeberrow and Bricklehampton they have much the appearance of stone arm-chairs. One wide arch encloses

the seats at Alvechurch, and there is said to be a single sedile at Beoley. Piscina are very general, occupying the usual position in the chancel aisle, and south-east of nave. They are commonly under a plain trefoilheaded opening, but there is a rich example under a projecting canopy at Sedgeberrow. Double piscinæ are very rare, the only ones I know of being at Fladbury (elegant Early English), in the Cathedral, and in the window-sill of a chapel in the Cathedral crypt. The piscina at Kempsey contains three carved brackets instead of the usual shelf. At Bredon is a sort of low side window at the back, opening into the churchyard. The piscina is placed across the south-east angle of the chancel at Hill Croome, and in the east wall, south of the altar, at Great Comberton.

We have but few Easter sepulchres. There is a richly-moulded niche, having much the appearance of a large piscina, on the north side of the sanctuary at Chaddesley Corbett, which was probably used for the purpose; as were also, no doubt, recessed tombs occupying a similar position, as the very fine example at Bredon.

Low side windows are occasionally met with, but always blocked up, as at Fladbury, Chaddesley Corbett, Pedmore, and Holt. At the latter church are two of these openings, one under the north-west window of the chancel, and one in the aisle exactly opposite the other. The westernmost window on the south side of the chancel is sometimes lower than the others, and doubtless served the same purpose, whatever that might have been. Squints, or hagioscopes as they have been termed, are not so common as in some districts where the more frequent occurrence of intricate ground-plans rendered their introduction desirable. There are good plain examples at Little Malvern, opening from the side chancels at the choir; at Bellbroughton is one commanding a view of the altar from the rood-stairs; and one at St. John's, Worcester, has been obliterated by the alterations recently carried out at that church.

Stalls with miserere seats occur at the Cathedral, Great and Little Malvern, Ripple, and Holy Cross, Pershore. Altar-tables and rails are generally of a date subsequent to the Restoration, though some are pro

bably earlier. The original chancel seats, returned against the screen, remain, at least on one side, at Birt's Morton, Sedgeberrow, and Huddington.

Side chapels, or aisles to the chancel, are frequently an extension of the nave-aisles eastward; sometimes to the extreme end of the chancel, as at Claines, Rock, St. Lawrence's, Evesham, St. Alban's, St. Helen's, St. Andrew's, and St. John's, Worcester; but often one bay eastward of the chancel-arch, as at Bromsgrove, Stoke Prior, and Alvechurch. Chapels with a gabled roof, and attached to the chancel, are often the private mortuary chapels of the lords of the manor, as at Spetchley, Hampton Lovett, Bockleton, and Cotheridge.

There are original vestries at Bellbroughton, Chaddesley Corbett, Rock, Stoke Prior, and Suckley, all on the north side of the chancel, and having lean-to roofs, except Suckley, which is gabled transversely. At Rock and Stoke Prior is an upper as well as a lower chamber, the latter being vaulted with stone at Stoke.

Passing on to the consideration of the nave, we find that it seldom exhibits any great height, owing to the absence of the clerestory, which occurs in but ten parish churches, and two or three of these possess it on one side only. The late Perpendicular church of St. Lawrence, Evesham, stands alone in having a clerestory to both nave and chancel, but here it does not alter the external appearance of the building, being hidden from view by the gabled roofs of the aisles. There is a Norman clerestory at Overbury, which is now an internal feature, in consequence of the widening of the aisles and the raising of their roofs in the fourteenth century.

Eighteen churches have aisles with gabled roofs, but in the majority of cases the aisles are under lean-to roofs. The south aisle at St. John's, Worcester, and the aisles at King's Norton, are gabled north and south; the transverse gables in the latter instance being, however, a comparatively modern addition. Judging from old prints, the aisles to the former churches of St. Martin's and All Saints', Worcester, were treated in a similar manner. The eastern bay of the aisle often formed a chantry or other chapel, the piscina and other indications of an altar being of common occurrence in this position; and the screens also remain at Salwarpe. At Shelsley Walsh the south-east angle of the nave was screened off to form a chantry, there being but one other example for such an arrangement in the kingdom.

Roofs are for the most part of simple construction, the trussed rafter being the most common type; and it has always a good effect, which, however, is generally destroyed owing to the fashion which prevailed some century or more ago of plastering open-timbered roofs. Good cradle roofs exist at Sedgeberrow and Great Comberton; the timbers of the latter are remarkably massive, and neither of them have ever been plastered. There is a good Perpendicular roof over the nave at

Bromsgrove, and others of the same period at St. Peter's, Droitwich, Church Honeybourne, Chaddesley Corbett, &c.; but perhaps the finest is at Eckington, where the collar-pieces are richly ornamented with carving, the whole being now hidden from view by the introduction of a low plastered roof. Remains of coved and panelled roofs occur at Abberton, North Piddle, and at Grafton Flyford, where, at the east end of the nave, it is richly painted with the evangelistic symbols, stars, &c. There are flat panelled wooden ceilings over the transept at Severn Stoke, the chancel at Newland, the sanctuary at Besford, and the nave at Little Malvern-the latter now plastered.

Stone vaulting is very rare: the only large spaces thus covered are the Cathedral and Pershore Abbey Church. Among the smaller examples may be mentioned the tower and choir chapels of Great Malvern Priory Church, the chancel of Overbury, the chantry chapels at Evesham, the towers of St. Andrew's, Worcester, Hales Owen, and Hampton, the porches at Bredon and Fladbury.

Fonts are chiefly of the Norman and Perpendicular periods, the former being generally circular on a cylindrical stem, and the latter octagonal. The font at Warndon is heptagonal; and a few are Early English and Decorated. Traces of stoups are frequently to be met with on the right-hand side of the doorway or porch as you enter the church, though at Crowle it is on the left-hand side. Just within the doorway at Bricklehampton is a circular stoup, apparently Norman, and the only perfect example I have seen in the county. Above it is a plain bracket of the same date.

I am not aware of any pulpits earlier than the fifteenth century, and but few of this date, as at Overbury, Lulsley, Grafton Flyford (now a prayer-desk), and St. John's, Worcester. The only original stone pulpit is the well-known and very late Pointed one in the Cathedral. Jacobean pulpits are very common, and have sometimes an inscription with the date round the sound-board, as at Suckley and Broadwas. There is a heavy and very elaborate sounding-board, surmounted by a gilt "pelican in her piety," at St. Swithin's, Worcester. Hour-glass stands are met with at Bishampton, Offenham, and Oddingley; the latter is fixed on the top of an iron standard attached to the end of an open seat. The stand formerly in Shelsley Beauchamp Church is now in the possession of the Diocesan Architectural Society.

Open seats, though not so general as in some counties, are yet very numerous, especially towards the southern and eastern sides of the county. The naves of Strensham, Overbury, Great Comberton, Cropthorne, Elmley Castle, Chaddesley Corbett, and some other churches, are still filled with them. At Overbury, Bredon, Sedgeberrow, North Piddle, Cropthorne, &c., the bench-ends are richly ornamented with. carved tracery; while plain standards, having merely a moulded toprail, occur at Elmley Castle, Eckington, Birt's Morton, Suckley, &c.

The seat-ends at Great Comberton and Chaddesley Corbett are simply cut square out of plain oak boarding, without any attempt at ornamentation; and in some of our smaller churches seats of still ruder construction may occasionally be found. There is a sort of plain poppyhead termination to some of the standards at Sedgeberrow and the old seats at Hanley Castle.

Pews of all shapes, sizes, and dates are of course to be found. One at Suckley bears the date 1684; and a pew door at Alvechurch was inscribed, "Mr. Edmund Tayler, 1683."

Encaustic tiles are exceedingly common, there being but few churches entirely destitute of examples, though the pattern is often quite obliterated. Besides the extensive and well-known series of wall and floor tiles at Great Malvern Priory Church, excellent specimens occur at Bredon, Strensham, Worcester Cathedral, Holt, Wyre Piddle, Broadwas, Cotheridge, and Middle Littleton.

With the exception of the beautiful windows at Great Malvern, Worcestershire is very poor in stained glass. There is, however, a considerable quantity of fine old glass at the little church of Oddingley; a few figures also remain at Little Malvern, Kempsey, Sedgeberrow, and Himbleton; and shields of arms and other fragments at Fladbury, Severn Stoke, and the Cathedral.

The limits of this paper will not allow of more than a cursory glance at the sepulchral monuments of the county. Good recumbent effigies of early date occur at Great Malvern and Chaddesley Corbett. There is a cross-legged knight at Clifton-on-Teme; also a very fine fourteenthcentury one under a richly-moulded recessed arch at Alvechurch. Examples of fifteenth-century effigies may be seen at Stanford, Martley, and Kidderminster. Altar-tombs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are very common, and are generally surmounted by recumbent or kneeling figures, frequently with rows of children at the sides, the whole occasionally under elaborate arched or flat canopies. The most gorgeous monument of this latter description is that to the memory of Giles Reede (1611), at Bredon.

Brasses are comparatively rare, being found in seventeen churches only. Good examples at Fladbury, Strensham, Kidderminster, Alvechurch, Blockley, Tredington, Stoke Prior, and Chaddesley. Incised slabs at Rock, King's Norton, Cofton Hackett, Staunton, and Shelsley Walsh; the latter a cross. There is a very fine thirteenth-century raised cross on a plain tomb at Hagley; but the most interesting and numerous series of crosses and other memorials is to be found at Bredon, where there are also two or three medieval churchyard monuments. At Shelsley Walsh, and likewise at the Cathedral, is a floor-cross formed of encaustic tiles. Cast-iron slab at Himbleton, 1660.

(To be continued.)

Original Documents.

A SUBSIDY ROLL RELATING TO LONDON. MR. URBAN,-In arranging some papers in the muniment-room of J. Chamberlayne Chamberlayne, Esq., of Mangersbury Manor, near this town, I met with a roll that I conceive may have interest for your readers, and therefore, by the kind permission of the owner, I send you a transcript.

It is a subsidy-roll, which shews the temporals and spirituals belonging to various religious houses within the Archdeaconry of London; on the back is a similar return for the Archdeaconry of Middlesex. The document is in excellent preservation, the writing very exact and distinct, and the ink scarcely faded. The marginal notes appear to be in the same hand, but the ink is paler. The date of the document is uncertain. The mention of the abbey of Feschamp would seem to make it earlier than the suppression of the alien priories, but on the other hand the language of some at least of the marginal notes is certainly much later. Friends to whom I have submitted the document have expressed different opinions, judging from the handwriting. No doubt these notes will be the most interesting part of the whole, and it is to be regretted that they do not appear in every instance. Where they do, they give the exact locality of the property held in the archdeaconry by the various religious houses, and thus may furnish some useful hints for the London topographer. Probably some of your readers, who are better acquainted with ancient London than I am, will, through the medium of your pages, give the document its suitable illustration, and thus make its interest and value more apparent than may be the case at first sight.—I am, &c., Lower Swell Vicarage, Stow-on-the-Wold, September, 1862.

ARCHIDIACONAT' LONDON'.

D. ROYCE.

Abbas et co'ventus S'ci Albani

h'ent sp'ualia ibid'm.

Inde decima, xxxvij. ob'. Medietas decime

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ALBANI.

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Judging from a tracing of a small part that has been sent to us, we should take it to belong to the reign of Henry VIII. The circumstance of Feschamp occurring on the roll at such a date may be explained by the fact that the alien houses and their property, in Middlesex and certain other counties, were not seized by Henry V., but continued until the general dissolution.-ED.

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