102

ANTIQUITIES.

burnt by the French . It contains nothing worthy of notice,except a tomb of Sir Robert Holmes, with his statue in whitemarble. He died in the year 1692;

Yaverland church is, though small, the most curious, and oneof the most ancient buildings in the island. It consists of abody and chancel. The door of entrance is arched, and orna-mented with Saxon mouldings of uncommon form, with a neatpillar on each side. The door way was square, and the spacebetween the door and arch is adorned with a sort of checquerwork, with roses interspersed. The body of the church is dividedfrom the chancel by a very handsome and richly ornamentedarch, in very good preservation. On the north side of this arch,th ere is the remain of a small staircase opening into the chancelbelow, and passing through the wall of separation. This evidentlyled into a pulpit situated nearly where the present wooden onestands, but of the original pulpit, which probably was of stone,there is not any part now discernible. The staircase appearscoeval with the wall, and it is a very curious and perhaps singularremnant of ecclesiastical antiquity; bringing to remembrance theambones or reading desks attached to the choirs or absides of theearliest Christian churches. The historians of the island referthe building of this church to the sera of Edward I. It is evidentthat it is of a much more early date ; but, perhaps, about thattime it was rendered parochial, having previously been merely aprivate chapel, for the use of the lord of the manor. A windowon the south side, now blocked up, is apparently of about thatdate. The present eastern window is still less ancient.

That the principal seignors, resident on the island, had privatechapels attached to their mansions, may be inferred from what