the surface: accordingly, under the high altar, nothing
appeared but a bed of undisturbed and native sand; but beneath the
second half-pace, immediately leading up to it, were turned up many
broken remains of a painted pavement, consisting of small glazed
floor-tiles, adorned with various devices, and of different forms and
dimensions. At the foot of the stalls, a narrow rectilinear filleting of
the same material had bounded the whole. On some was inscribed the word
MARIE, in Longobardic characters.

"This pavement had been deeply bedded in mortar, but was altogether
displaced, and turned down from one to three feet beneath the surface,
where several skeletons were found very entire, and in their original
position, but without any remains of coffins, vestments, or other
ornaments, as appeared upon a most minute investigation. These, however,
were, beyond a doubt, the Abbots of Whalley. From the confused state of
the original pavement, the whole floor of the presbytery, from the foot
of the stalls, appeared to have been successively covered with
grave-stones, all of which, however, had been removed, excepting
fragments of two: one of these had a groove, once inlaid with a
filleting of brass, and the other, beneath which lay the skeleton of a
tall and robust man, had deeply cut upon it the stump of a tree reguled.
This I conjecture to have been a thorn, intended as a rebus upon the
name of Christopher Thornber, the fifteenth abbot, who died in 1486. In
this search we narrowly missed the fragments of the grave-stone of Abbot
Lindley, which were casually turned up on this very spot, A.D. 1813. On
one, in the Longobardic character of Edward the Third's time, were the
letters IOP, and on the other AJ PVIV.

"From these data, slender as they may seem, I arrive at my conclusion,
thus:--First, None but abbots were interred in the high choir; secondly,
The characters cannot be later than the latter end of Edward the Third,
when the old English black letter was substituted in its place. From the
foundation to this time three Johns had been Abbots of Whalley;
Belfield, Topeliffe, and Lindley. The termination of the surname must
have immediately preceded the word _hujus_, but the letters AJ can only
have formed the termination of Lindelai, the old orthography of the
word.

"The remains of the Lacies, wherever deposited, after their removal from
Stanlaw, had undoubtedly been preserved with religious reverence, and
enclosed in mag