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THE CHURCHES OF CORNWALL 161 arches of these arcades are rather lower, and in other respects slightly different from remainder. Possibly this denotes beginning and interruption of a plan at same time as spire, which was taken up and completed on somewhat different lines later in the century. Can it be that this is one of the several instances wherein church building was for a time checked by ravages of the Black Death of 1348-9 ? The clerestory windows over the lean-to aisles are of unusual character. There are only 4 on each side, consisting of 3 grouped lancet lights of plainest construction. During the Civil War, Lost- withiel, in 1644, was centre of Earl of Essex's parlia- mentary forces. The provost-marshal, in order to secure certain royalist prisoners who had taken refuge in the belfry, fired a barrel of gunpowder within the church, which blew off the roof. Present clerestory is probably definite restoration (c. 1660) of upper part of the church after this disaster. The somewhat plain square-headed aisle windows not original ; a good deal of the work is last century restoration. One noble feature of church was spared, so far as the 14th cent, mullions and tracery (though somewhat repaired) are concerned, when the gunpowder wrought such havoc. The great E. window of the chancel of 5 lights is un- usually large, measuring 34 ft. high by 14 ft. wide. The tracery is a remarkably good example of later geometrical style. Above each light is a trefoil, and above these $ trefoils are rows of 4, 3, and 2 L