across the road and have a look at the ancient church. On reaching this the first thing that attracted our attention was the following, "Iohn Oak, Churchwarden, 1690," cut boldly straight across the old oak door, though why John Oak's name should be inscribed in such a prominent position, and handed down to posterity thus I cannot say. Possibly he presented the door to the church—though it looks older than the date mentioned—and modestly inscribed his name thereon to record his gift.
Within we found the building in a state of picturesque but pathetic decay. Right in the centre of the nave was a big wooden post reaching straight up from the stone slab floor to support the open timber roof above; all the windows, except one to the right of the chancel which from its position was hidden from the general view, had lost their stained glass; and a huge horizontal beam that stretched across the chancel also blocked the top of the east window,—the unhappy result of a previous restoration we were informed. On the floor we noticed an incised slab inscribed to the memory of one of the Armyn family; this bore the date of MCCCLXVIIII, and was decorated with a finely engraved cross, and a shield charged—I believe that is the correct heraldic term—with a coat-of-arms. Another old tombstone laid on the floor, having an inscription the lettering of which was deeply cut, we should have liked to decipher, for it looked of interest, but as the greater part was covered by a pew this was impossible.
