ON THE NORTH
SIDE OF THE NAVE]

In the next century the church was extended westward by the erection of
three bays and the west front with its three tall lancets and the small
cinquefoil window above the central one, all inclosed within a pointed
comprising arch. This work was done during the time when Henry III was
king; there are records of several gifts to the abbey of timber by him
from the royal forest. This was no doubt used in constructing the roof
of the westward extension of the nave and aisles. The next work was the
insertion of the two large east windows and the building of the pair of
Decorated chapels, one of which was dedicated to Our Lady, and the other
to St. AEthelflaed, or Ethelfleda, as her name was then spelt. They were
probably divided by an arcade, and stood until the dissolution of the
Abbey, when they were pulled down, being of no further use in the church
of the abbey which was purchased by the people of Romsey and converted
into a parish church.

[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE NORTH-WEST]

It has been said that little Perpendicular work is to be seen in Romsey
Abbey, but some did exist at one time. At Romsey, as at Sherborne, there
were disputes between the abbey and the town, though fortunately at Romsey
an amicable arrangement was arrived at. The north aisle of the abbey
church had been for many years set apart for the use of the people of
Romsey as a parish church, and was known by the name of St. Laurence; in
the year 1333 the abbess endowed a vicarage. As the town increased in size
the north aisle became too strait for the parishioners, and at times of
great festivals they used to encroach on the nuns' church. This led to
disputes, and the matter was referred to William of Wykeham, the
celebrated Bishop of Winchester, remodeller of his cathedral church, and
founder of Winchester School, and New College, Oxford. He persuaded the
nuns to give up the north arm of the crossing to make a choir for a new
parish church to be built adjoining the abbey church, in such a way that
the north aisle should be cut off by a wall and included in the new
church. The north aisle of the abbey church thus became the south aisle of
the parish church, the new building its nave, and the north end of the
transept of the abbey church the parish chancel, the Norman apsidal
chantry attached to the transept made a fitting eastern termination to the
chancel. A chantry of the Confraternity of St. George, built on the no