Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/215

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leges, that the dean, prebendaries, and sacrist of the free chapel of Wolverhampton, should be a corporation, and have a seal. This grant was confirmed by Elizabeth and James I. under which various ratifications the deans of Windsor have held, and at present possess, this ecclesiastical pre- ferment ; but have long been in the habit of leasing it to different individuals at the reserved rent of 3 81. per annum. The present lessee is Sir William Pulteney, bart.

The fine old church, disgraced by a chancel of modern architecture, placed upon the highest part of the town, is seen from afar. Its battlements command a wide range of view. Every thing within the structure bears the marks of antiquity; the massive grotesque wood-work that support the rood-loft; the curious octagonal font, rudely sculp- tured with figures of saints and representations of flowers; and the pulpit of stone, richly chisselled into arches and adorned with mouldings, which are ascended by a sweeping flight of steps, whose bot- tom is guarded by the figure of a large stone lion. Many old monuments also, and curious inscriptions, gratify the antiquary, whose taste leads him to this branch of research. Amongst other objects of curiosity is a fine brass statue of a warrior, stand- ing in a recess of the south wall, large as life.

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