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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

1. Full page photographs in the original text were sometimes placed so as to split paragraphs. These havebeen moved to immediately before or after the paragraph that was split.
2. Some page numbers are missing, as there were often blank pages before or after full page photographs.
3. Obvious printer’s errors have been corrected without note.
4. Inconsistencies in hyphenation or the spelling of proper names and dialect or obsolete word spellings have been maintained as in the original.

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romsey abbey from the east

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A SHORT ACCOUNT OF

ROMSEY ABBEY

A DESCRIPTION OF THE FABRIC AND
NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF THE
CONVENT OF SS. MARY & ETHELFLEDA

BY THE REV. T. PERKINS

RECTOR OF TURNWORTH, DORSET
AUTHOR OF “AMIENS,” “ROUEN,” “WIMBORNE
AND CHRISTCHURCH,” ETC.

WITH XXXIIILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON     GEORGE BELL AND SONS     1907

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CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.

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PREFACE

The architectural and descriptive part of this book is the result ofcareful personal examination of the fabric, made when the author hasvisited the abbey at various times during the last twenty years. Theillustrations are reproduced from photographs taken by him on theoccasions of these visits.

The historical information has been derived from many sources. Among thesemay especially be mentioned “An Essay descriptive of the Abbey Church ofRomsey,” by C. Spence, the first edition of which was published in 1851;the small official guide sold in the church, and “Records of Romsey Abbey,compiled from manuscript and printed records,” by the Rev. Henry G. D.Liveing, M.A., Vicar of Hyde, Winchester, 1906. This last-named workcontains all that is at present known, or that is likely to be known, ofthe history of the abbey from its foundation early in the ninth century upto the year 1558. To this book the reader who desires fuller informationand minuter details than could be given in the following pages isreferred.

The thanks of the writer are due to the late and present Vicars for kindpermission to examine the building, and to take photographs of it from anypoint of view he desired.

Turnworth Rectory,
Blandford, Dorset.
March, 1907.

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CONTENTS