Page:The parochial history of Cornwall.djvu/118

76 the arms of England, France, and Ireland; and lastly, that of his own or his ancestors' arms, viz. in a field Argent, on a chevron Azure three annulets, between three bears' heads erased and muzzled Sable, on a chief Gules three martlets Or; which are arms of a strange confused bearing, according to the rules of heraldry, composed or consisting of two of the honourable ordi- naries, a chevron and a chief, and the same charged with martlets and annulets, of colours yellow, white, red, blue, and black, charge upon charge, and colours upon colours ; all which monument is surrounded with an ancient and broken inscription to this purpose: Hìc tumulatus venerabilis Pater Thomaus Vivian, Megarensis Episcopus, hujus domus Prior; qui obiit tertio die Junii, anno Dom. 1533. Cujus animæ propitietur Deus. Amen.

This church of the Prior's, after dissolution of the priory aforesaid, was converted to a parochial church for the parish and town of Bodmin, and the secular church of Beni left to fall into utter ruin and decay, as it now stands; and is discontinued either for use of living or dead human creatures, the tower only standing, and cattle daily depasturing in the same, and the cemetery thereof, as in other places.

Also this prioral rectory church, long before its dissolution, was converted by the Prior into a vicarage church; for in the Inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester before mentioned, anno Dom. 1294, Eccles. de Bodmin, in Decanatu de Trigg minor, was taxed to the Pope's annats vil. xiiis. 4d. Vicar ibidem nihil propter paupertatem. The rectory or patronage now in Prideaux, the Incumbent Wood (Key), and the parish rated to the 4s. per pound Land Tax, 1696, 89l 1s. per annum; the borough of Bodmin 178l. 12s.; in all 267l. 13s.

In Bodmin churchyard is a well-built school-house, built over a very spacious charnel-house or grott, where