and improperly performed, and I bave made ufe of no fevere reprehenfions of those who have thus ignorantly and injudiciously profaned it. On the contrary, I have given them the credit of fincerity and good intention which your charitable correfpondent denies to me. By parity of reafoning with that which he has ufed, he might as jufily fay, that a man cannot be a true churchman, or fincere Chriftian, who does not build his barn in the form of a cathedral, give his coach-house and ftables the appearance of parish churches, and turn all the inferior offices into to many fham chapels. Now I, who have not this ecclefiaftical taste, do really think it in fome meature prophane, and that I fhould better evince my veneration for facred buildings by not introducing them upou unconfecrated ground.

For the most indubitable proofs of my attachment to the fervice of the Eftablished Church of England, I can only refer to the perfons amongst whom I live as to my confiant attend ance upon it; and to thofe who are acquainted with all that I have ever publithed or written, for the profound respect und ftrict adherence to its principles, which I have invariably fhewn and exprefled. With regard to what I understand your correfpondent Investigator to mean by fcruples of delicacy, I can only affert that they are not affected, but real, and do arife from the facts and confiderations I have fpecified. And it refts with him to prove, by a better mode of reafoning and fironger arguments than he has yet adduced, that they either have injured, or are likely to injure, the caufe of the church of Chrift in any particular whatever, which it is incuinbent on a Chriftian and a member of the Church of England to maintain. As to the point of fincerity, I can only appeal to the judgment of man, on the confiftency of my general conduct with my declared fentiments, and in the laft refort to that Being " to whom all hearts are open." But I cannot difmifs the fubject without a ferious admonition to this very orthodox Inveftigator, never to prefime fo far as he has now done in deciding the question of fincerity upon his future inveftigations of the human heart until he has fearched his own for the mofi effential qualifications. Yours, &c.

W.B.

In the account of the late Mr. Boys (p. 422, c. 2), for “Fern” r. “ Tern." GENT. MAG. June, 1803.

addition to the Kentish churches already given in your interefting Mifcellany, I forward to you a draw ing of the most curious one at St. Margarel's at Chiff. This parish is fituated five miles to the North-east of Dover, in the hundred of Bewsborough and Lathe of Auguftine, in the county of Kent.

At the time of making the grand furvey of the Kingdom. after the Conqueft, Sired, Radulf, Alred, Roger Niger, Turkat, Edwine, and Nigel. the phyfician, were poffeffed of de metines in this parish. It is molt probable that the church, manors, and lands, were fettled on the priory of St. Mary and St. Martin, near Dover, on its foundation in the reign of Henry 1. where they remained until the fuppreffion of it in the 27th of Henry VIII. and are then fuppofed to have been given to the Archbishop of Canterbury by the fame monarch, who in the 29th year of his reign granted the priory, with all the lands and poffeflions belonging to it, to that prelate. How they after wards pailed is not known, unul 1642, when the manor was purchased by Bartholomew Planker, merchant, of Pe ter Eaton, gent. who devised it to the children of John Francis his relation; in whole family it remained until 1710, when it was alienated to Will. Denne, gent. who paffed it again to William Francis, who fold it to William Tindale, M. A. from whom it paffed to Johu Chitty, of St. Margaret's, who conveyed it to Mr. Richard Solly of Sandwich, whofe grandfon, Richard Heaton Solly, efq. at prefent poffeffes it.

It has a pleasant village, which is fituated one quarter of a mile from the fea fhore, confifting of between 20 and 30 houfes, with the church at the South fide of it. This church, which is dedicated to St. Margaret, is in the ecclefiaflical jurifdiction of the diocefe of Canterbury and deanry of Dover. It was originally an appendage to the manor, and was appropriated with it to the priory abovementioned; a vicarage was endowed in it in 1296. It re mained with the priory until its diffo lution, when it came into the King's hands, and was given with the manor to the Archbishop, with a reserva tion of forty thillings yearly penfion to the vicar; and his grace the Archbi Shop of Canterbury is now poffelled of

the

the appropriation, with the advowfon of the vicarage. It is valued in the King's books at 61. 10s. per ann. and is now a difcharged living of the yearly value of 461.

The church (fee Plate II. fig. 1.) was a moit beautiful Saxon firucture, ftrongly built of Normandy flone, and coufifts of a lofty nave, with a cleretiory, two fide-ailes, a chancel, and a large fquare tower at the Weft end. The ailes are feparated from the nave by four grand Saxon arches on each fide, very lofty, light, and much enriched with zig-zag ornaments, &c. Between the chancel and the nave is a moft fpacious, admirably proportioned, and frikingly grand feuii-circular arch, and a pointed one of not lef's beauty between the nave and the tower. The nave is graced by its original roof of chefnut, whofe ornamented brown timbers look as entire as on the day they were erected: but the chancel has been defpoiled of its antient covering, and a rude roof of mean workmanship now disfigures even part of the handfone arch between the nave and the chancel. The chancel was enlightened by eleven beautiful lancet-windows, and has now a very handfome modern altar-piece of the Corinthian order, richly carved and gilded, and well painted to reprefent marble, infcribed, "J. Eaftes, churchwarden, M,DCC,LXXIII. John Moore pinxit

1773."

At the Weft fide of the tower was a moft exquifite doorway, of Saxon Architecture (fee fig. 2.); though from its expofure to the weather it is now much defaced; particularly the compart. ments at the fides and over the centre, which apparently had emblematical re prefentations of the Trinity, &c. Within the porch, at the North fide of the church, is a more handsome arch (see fig. 3.), which, from its defended fituation, were it not for the abominable coats of white-wash with which it is daubed, would ftill difplay all the beauties of the admirable performance of its accomplished artift: as it is, it fill manifefts the elaborate attention of the architect and carver, and is certainly one of the most perfect remains in the county. Around the fides of the nave, above the ailes, is an ornamental firing of Saxon arches, which probably at firft encircled the tower if hot the chancel likewife, asthat appears not now to be of its original height.

"Here lieth interred the body of Witliam Allen, of this parish, yeoman (eldeft fonn of Richard Allen, by Mary Freind, his first wife), who left iffue by Grace his wife, daughter of Thomas Tamms, Richard, William, and Katherine. Hee died the 31 of May, Anno D'ni 1667, aged 64 yeares.”

On another near the above is an in

feription, much obliterated, for Richard Allen, yeoman, who died 12th June 1648, aged 73 years.

On another white ftone:

"Here lieth interred the body of Willmore Ofban, fecond wife of Richard Allen, yeoman, by whom thee had iffue two fones, Richard and John. Shee died the 11th of Feb. Anno D'ai 1653, aged 61 years."

On another:

"Here lyes interr'd ye bodyes of Mr. William Barney, and Bɔrbara his wife, the daughter of Thos. Afhton, gent.; he was vicar of St. Margaret's at Cliff 38 years, and departed this life March the 28th, 1700, aged 69 yeares. She died January y 4th, 1684, aged 44. Here likewife three of their children are interred."

Arms. Barney, of Parkhall, in Norfolk, viz. a cross engrailed; impaling Afhton, viz. a star of eight rays. Creft, a wolf's head erafed.

In the North aile.

On a neat tablet of black marble, in the form of a lozenge, at the Eaft end of the aile: