e old site. It is now ascertained that the east end
of the Saxon church was nearly under the east wall of the present south
transept and the south walls of the south transepts of both buildings
were but a very few feet apart. The dimensions of the former church both
its length and breadth, were as nearly as possible half of those of the
existing one. A description of the present appearance of the remains
will be found in a later chapter (see page 80).

The Church of Bishop Ethelwold was not without its vicissitudes. Nothing
was more promising than its origin, and the circumstances of its
building. King Edgar and Dunstan, whom he had made Archbishop of
Canterbury, were very enthusiastic in extending the growth of monastic
influence in the country. No less than forty Benedictine convents are
said to have been either founded or restored by Edgar. Bishop Ethelwold
was entirely of one mind with the King and Archbishop, in the
ecclesiastical reforms of the day. Mr Poole well describes the
commencement of the work. "At Medeshamstede the ruins were made to their
hands, and they at once commenced the grateful task of their restoration
and appropriation. As usual, we find certain supernatural interferences
assigned as indications of the divine approval of the work. It is
related how Ethelwold was directed by God, in a dream, to go to the
monastery of S. Peter, among the Mid-English; how he halted first at
Oundle, supposing that to be the monastery intended; but being warned in
a dream to continue his eastward course, at length discovered the ashes
of the desolated Medeshamstede. It needs but little ingenuity to collect
from this that Ethelwold, having received some vague intelligence of the
present condition both of Oundle and Medeshamstede, started from
Winchester, determined on reaching either or both; and that being less
pleased with what he saw at Oundle than he expected, he extended his
progress to Medeshamstede."[6] The Queen is said to have overheard the
Bishop's fervent prayers for the success of his object, and to have used
her influence with the King; but he probably required very little
persuasion to undertake what was so much to his taste. It may be
mentioned that if we accept the date 972 for the completion of the
re-building (the Chronicle gives 970 for its commencement), the very
same year witnessed that well-known scene on the River Dee, when King
Edgar held the helm of a royal barge as it was being rowed by eight