e
hardly capable of bearing the weight of a tower; and so the builders
must have thought. Early in the thirteenth century, they began the
present west tower, the first stage of a rebuilding which, with long
intervals, continued into the sixteenth century. The final step by which
the church reached its present plan was the addition of a transeptal
chapel to either aisle, opposite the site which, more than three
centuries before, had been chosen for the piers of the abandoned central
tower.

[Illustration: Fig. 15. St Mary's, Beverley: arcades of quire and S.
transept, from S.W.]

Sec. 63. Even in strictly cruciform churches, transepts were sometimes
treated with a freedom which was more appropriate to the transeptal
chapel. It is not unusual to find one transept longer than the other, as
at Felmersham in Bedfordshire. Here, however, the transepts are not only
of different lengths, but the south transept is loftier, as well as
shorter, than the north, which is little more than a chapel-like
excrescence from the tower. At Witney in Oxfordshire both transepts are
of great projection, but the north transept is slightly longer than that
on the south. Both have considerable traces of thirteenth century
work; but, in the fourteenth century, the north transept was lengthened
by an addition divided into two stories, the upper of which was a
chapel, while the lower was probably a vaulted bone-hole. The south
transept was also lengthened; and a chapel was built, projecting from
its east wall near the south end. Both transepts have western aisles:
that of the north transept, which stops short of the two-storied
extension, contained an altar near the north end. There are traces of at
least three other altars in the transepts, so that there was excellent
reason for their somewhat unusual projection. At St Mary's, Beverley, an
eastern aisle was added to the south transept in the fifteenth century,
to provide more room for altars. The north transept already had a large
chapel of two stages upon its eastern side, so that the plan was treated
unsymmetrically. The tower of St Mary's at Stafford rests on heavy piers
and narrow arches, and is flanked by north and south transepts. However,
while the south transept, of good thirteenth century work, is rather
small and short, the north transept was rebuilt with great magnificence
in the fourteenth century, and its internal effect is that of a large
side chapel rather than a transept. Aisled t