But while the history of the church shows that the
original Lady Chapel and crypt or charnel-house, were built soon after
1300, the present superstructures belong to a time about one hundred
years later. Now as the western crypt may be safely assigned to the
earlier date the Lady Chapel doubtless stood over it and flanked the
old chancel of the church, in its normal position in fact as the
existing one is now. But a point which remains to be explained is that
the walls of the crypt are parallel to the line of the new chancel and
not to the line of the old or new naves. It seems certain therefore
that the inclination of the new chancel is a simple perpetuation of
the old arrangement, and if not, the position of the crypt is hard to
account for.

It is generally supposed that these crypts were used as Mortuary
Chapels and the eastern one has in fact a piscina and aumbry, showing
that there was once an altar. But for some centuries they served as a
charnel-house, and are so called in a papal grant of Indulgences. In
1640 there is an entry in the church accounts of five shillings for
"cleansinge the charnel-house and laying the bones and sculles in
order."

They now contain fragments that have been removed or discovered in the
course of various restorations. A small Norman scalloped capital,
another of Early English workmanship and a voussoir showing the Norman
zig-zag or chevron are interesting relics of structures earlier than
anything now existing, while a number of the decayed statues from the
tower find here a dark and damp repose very different from the airy
outlook enjoyed by them for five centuries. It will be seen that they
are near life size and are executed in a gray sandstone which has
stood the weather much better than the red. The outer north aisle
containing the Girdlers' Chapel on the east and the Smiths' or St.
Andrew's Chapel on the west of the porch, is plainly of later date.
The windows have depressed, distinctly four-centred arches, and in
1730 their five lights had simply cusped heads, the mullions running
up to the architrave.

The =north porch= has only a slight projection. Above the four-centred
arch are two two-light canopied windows opening into the church. The
soffit of the doorway is panelled. On the west side where is now a
canopied niche was formerly an external pulpit reached from within by
the staircase which leads to the roof. It is shown in the 1730 view.
On the east side are two odd