The cloisters are on the north side of the church, and form a quadrangle of about 110 feet square; originally, there were four walks, but the south walk is destroyed. The general style of the cloisters is that of the fifteenth century, with carved key-stones at the intersections of the vaulting, the arches of the windows are depressed; a lavatory projects from the west walk of the cloisters, and did extend along the south walk; over the east walk was a dormitory, which was sometime ago destroyed, much to the injury of the appearance of these conventual ruins. It is obvious that the present cloisters are only a restoration of an earlier one. In the east walk of the cloisters is the entrance into the Chapter House, or rather its singular vestibule, 30 feet 4 inches long, and 27 feet 4 inches wide. The vaulted roof of this apartment is supported by four columns without capitals, surrounded by eight slender shafts. The Chapter room itself is an elegant building, 35 feet high, 50 feet long, and 26 broad. The stone vaulting rests on clusters of slender shafts, with foliated capitals; all the windows are in the latest style, those at the east and west ends consist of five lights each. A gallery goes round three sides of the room, and where it passes the windows is carried between the mullions, and a corresponding series of light shafts connected with them, which have elegant sculptured capitals, and support the mouldings of the lancet arches above. Notwithstanding the soft nature of the stone, the carving is all in an excellent state of preservation. Pennant has ascribed the erection of this beautiful building to Randle Meschines, on the ground of his having removed the body of Hugh Lupus, “de cœmiterio in capitulum,” as mentioned in his charter to the Abbey; and he is, most probably, right in supposing that the same respect would have been paid at the time of his death, if a Chapter House had then existed. This argument, however, merely tends to prove that the Chapter House was built by Handle Meschines, but as far as can be inferred from the architecture, it may be reasonably doubted whether any part of the present Chapter House was built long before the extinction of the local earldom. The learned Dr. Ormerod is of opinion that this is about the date of its erection, and he is supported by several other competent authorities, who concur with him on the point. In the Chapter House are preserved some interesting local relics, among which is a red sand stone, 24 inches by 8 inches, found on the site of the Deanery, bearing this inscription:— [Picture: COH .I.C. OCRATI MAXIMINI . M . P]