--This abbey was destroyed by Henry
VIII., and there now remains only a portion of the southern aisle-
wall. It is believed that the king had most of the stones carried
away for building a castle; and it is certain that they have been
removed. The positions of the nave and transepts were ascertained
not long ago by the foundations having been found; and the place is
now marked by stones let into the ground. Where the abbey formerly
stood, there now extends a smooth grass-covered surface, which
resembles in all respects the rest of the field. The guardian, a
very old man, said the surface had never been levelled in his time.
In the year 1853, the Duke of Buccleuch had three holes dug in the
turf within a few yards of one another, at the western end of the
nave; and the old tesselated pavement of the abbey was thus
discovered. These holes were afterwards surrounded by brickwork,
and protected by trap-doors, so that the pavement might be readily
inspected and preserved. When my son William examined the place on
January 5, 1872, he found that the pavement in the three holes lay
at depths of 6.75, 10 and 11.5 inches beneath the surrounding turf-
covered surface. The old guardian asserted that he was often
forced to remove worm-castings from the pavement; and that he had
done so about six months before.
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