*

1925.] Antient Royal Palace of Westminster.

191 ** From Westminster Hall westward, to through St. Margaret's-lane, to Old the tower near the low public-house, as Palace-yard. St. Margaret's-street was

being of stone, appears to have been part of formed out of St. Margaret's-lane, by I the old palace, but from thence to St. Mar- taking down 34 feet of these “ Tudor garet's-street, as being of brick, is probably Buildings;” which, even until the year not older than the time of Henry VIII. and 1793, extended 72 feet farther westis supposed to have been erected on the ward than recently (to about the midstone wall, which originally connected that range

of
buildings with the stone gate then. dle of the present street); of the South

front of that part, a view is given in standing at the North end of the present

your vol. Lxxvi. p. 1185. Some apartSt. Margaret's-street."

ments of it were called Hell and ParaThis statement, I think, will be diset, and had been formerly used as found to be erroneous.

prisons of the palace, but lastly as the Upon the demolition of the front

Augmentation-office; the pump (callwall, the part

" of stone” appears to ed Hell pump), now standing by the have had but a slight facing of that foot pavement, was thus exposed to material, and it seems nearly certain, view. One large room appears to from some inscriptions hereafter insert- have been then diminished of half its ed, that the same stone front was raised

length;

the room between which and noi earlier than 1570, the twelfth year the Hall, has remained full of records I of Elizabeth. Mr. John Carter, in his till very recently; this room is 76 feet CVth number of “« Architectural In- long, and was originally 304 feet wide, novation” (see vol. LXXVII. 135), more

the North wall receding from the face correct in his conjectures, says (in his of the towers, and ranging with the usual style),

front of the Hall; but at the period « The Court of Exchequer, by the re- before named, its enlargement being mains of doors, windows, &c. must be of the required, the substantial stone wall earliest pointed style of workmanship; many was demolished, and substituted by of the windows have been cut into, and

massy wooden pillars which sustained otherwise havocked, about the time of Eli- the roof. These pillars are two feet zabeth."

in diameter, and the additional width It is well known that the road to to the room is 14 feet 9 inches. The : the Houses of Parliament was formerly entire number of pillars is eleven, six

through King-street, and Union-street, appeared in the Exchequer Court; the which were in so miserable a state whole were laid prostrate this morning, that faggots were thrown into the ruts and on removing them from their stone on the days on which the King went basements in the sub-structure, the to Parliament, to render the passage names of the following Pillars of the of the state-coach more easy. From State were discovered engraven round Union-street the road continued on seven of them, with the date 1570 in the western side of New Palace-yard, the middle of each.

REGNI ELIZABETHE ANGLIE FRANCIE ET HIBERNIE REGINE, XII. A. D. 1570.

NICHOLAVS BACON MILES DNS CUSTOS MAGNE SIGILLE ANGLIE. 4 ROBERTVS DVDLEY COMES LEICESTRIE MAGISTER EQVITVM.

GVLIELMVS CECILIVS PRINCIPALIS SECRETARIVS REGINE,

GVLIELMVS PAVLET MARCHIO WINTON THESAVRARIVS ANGLIE.

GVALTERVS MYLDMAY MILES CANCELLARIVS AC THESAVRAR. SCCII.

JACOBVS DYER MILES CAPITALIS JVSTICIARIVS DE BANCO. Nor is it the least curious particular, tecture, very considerable and perfect that the weight of what the oak-pillars relics of which were discoverable been the support, had caused impres, amidst the barbarous alterations and sions of the inscriptions to be formed mutilations it had at various times, in relief, as perfect as on wax.

and for various purposes, experienced. The ancient apartment, known as It is next in point of antiquity to the the Court of Exchequer, is entitled to particular notice from its remote

+ There were also in the Palace places antiquity, and the beauty of its archi- called Heaven and Purgatory.

These, with the contents of other

rooms, are now deposited in a large tempo* Mr. Smith's volume was published in rary wooden building, erected in the midst 1807.

of Westminster Hall.

Hall,

398
Antient Royal Palace of Westminster,

EMay, Hall, whose entire walls, from the handsomely formed pointed arch. The foundation to the foot of the windows, thickness of the walls admitting of are doubtless Norman, of the age of deep recesses, and their pillars resting William Rufus. Indicia of that style on the floor, the windows presented appeared on the removal of the Porch: towards the room the appearance of there had been three nearly equally pro- bays or oriels. The arches on this side portioned arches, probably covered by a were very flat, but formed of numerous vestibule or porch (but whether of the mouldings, and reposed on curiously same age or not, I cannot determine) sculptured capitals. Each window similar to that leading to the Chapter- was seven feet 11 inches wide on the house of BristolCathedral. The doorway outside, on the inside eight feet eight occupied the centre arch ; the side arches inches, and 15 feet high. were filled with masonry, placed in There were several doorways, both lozenge-shaped courses, exactly simi- ancient and modern, on the South lar to specimens in the Norman Chap- side of the room. An arch close to ter-house of Wenlock Priory Church, the wall of the Hall, coeval in date and others on the West front of Nor- with the fabric itself, entered an apartwich Cathedral. The beautifully exe- ment of rather an irregular figure, recuted new Porch has entirely hidden cently used by the Judges, but anthese relics from observation ; they ciently belonging to Queen Elizabeth ; were long exposed, and surely could it was lighted by windows of plain not have escaped the eye of the curi- form, but ample dimensions, and ous, who watched the progress of the would have been an oblong of 43 feet demolition of the old, and the erection by 29 feet, but for the intrusion of one of the new Front. It was also appa- of the great Aying-buttresses which rent, by a large fissure from the top to fank the sides of the Hall, and resist the bottom, that the square towers, the pressure of the magnificent tim. which - -now ennoble the front of the ber roof. The tradition that this was Hall, were additions to the original Queen Elizabeth's bed-chamber, dedesign. I must further observe, in serves notice; and I may at the same proof that the walls of the Hall were time observe, that the Exchequernever entirely rebuilt, but are of the court is said to have been her concert Norman era, that a curiously indented or breakfast-room, and the gallery in cornice remains on the exterior of the it to have been for the Musicians. East side, and that on the removal of Over the gallery was a long room the two Courts of Justice, the blank filled with records, affirmed to have arch of a Norman doorway appeared been the nursery of the Palace in the in the South wall, near the East angle. time of Henry the Eighth, and in it

But to return to the Exchequer Edward VI. is reported to have been Court. It was probably built in the nursed. (Smith, pp. 55, 56.) These reign of King Edward the Second; are, however, mere suppositions, and the the walls were four feet thick, sur- latter is overthrown by the date 1570 mounted by a corbel table, which re- on the bases of the pillars below. Remains nearly perfect on the South presentations of the Elizabethan front, side, and the architecture was of the with the octangularstaircase tower, have most pure and elegant Pointed style. been frequently published in views of The roof was rebuilt in the reign of the front of the Hall. Queen Elizabeth, at which time also I am induced to take particular nonearly all the windows were altered; tice of a blank but imperfectly formonly one being suffered to retain its ed arch, in that part of the wall of ancient character uninjured; this is the Hall which was enclosed by the so simple and graceful in its design, Exchequer Court, because many caso elegantly proportioned, and its nu-sual observers believe it to be the remerous mouldings so admirably carved, mains of a Norinan arch, and consethat at the period which produced it, quently a curious vestige of the origiGothic Architecture must have attain- nal design, but a glance at the inteed the summit of its excellence. It rior of the Hall will prove that the consisted of two compartments, triple arch is pointed, corresponding in-size slender pillars giving support to tretoil and figure with the rest of the winarches, and over them an open quatre- dows. foil, the whole recessed beneath a Yours, &c.

N. & B.

Mr.

a

a

1893.] Account of St. Bennet's Abbey, at Holme, Norfolk. 393 Mr. URBAN, Norwich, March 1. the midst of the church was 22 feet.

SENI) you an account (principally The Frayter t was 40 virgæ long to

from Blomefield) of st. Bennet's the pantry door, and seven broad. Abbey at Holme, in the parish of Horn- Master Thos. Newton built Trinity ing in Norfolk, to accompany a draw- chapel in the abbey church. ng of the remains of the West, or prin

Blomefield recites a long string of pal Gate of the Abbey* (see Plate I.) nobles who were admitted to be breth

Holme was a solitary place in the ren here; to whose History of Norfolk I marshes, called Cowholme, &c. and I refer for the Worthies’ names. given (according to the tradition of William Rugg, alias Repps, S.T.D. the monks) by Horus, a little prince, installed Abbot April 26, 1530. On to a society of religious hermits, un- Feb. 4, 1535, the See of Norwich der the government of one Suneman, being void, an Act of Parliament was about the year 800, who (with the passed (though never printed) whereehapel of St. Benedict, by them here by the ancient barony of the See, and builo) were all destroyed in the element the priory of Hickling, with the ba

its revenues, were separated from it, and neral destruction of this country by the Danes, under Inquar and Hubba, rony and revenues of this Abbey, were in 870. In the next century, Wol. annexed to the See of Norwich instead fris, a boly man, gathered seven com- thereof; and in right of this barony, panions here, and rebuilt the chapel the Bishop of Norwich now sits in the and houses they had resided here House of Lords, the barony of the See some years, when King Canute, the being in the Crown; so that this Abbey Dane, founded and endowed at Holın was never dissolved, only transferred by an abbey of Benedictine monks, before the statutes, before the dissolution. 1020. This abbey was fortified by the Holme was a mitred abbey, and its monks with strong walls, &c. that it abbots always sat in the House of Lords. resembled more a castle than a clois- The revenues of this Abbey were

ter, and, as tradition says, held out great, in the 26 Henry VIII. it was some time against King William I, valued at 5831. 175.; as Dugdale, and tin betrayed by the treachery of one of as Speed at 6771. gs. 8d. as appears the monks, on condition of his being from Bishop Tanner. made abbot, and on his promotion he

King Edward the Confessor was a was ordered to be hanged directly. benefactor, granted them many privi

From an old MS. in the College of leges, and confirmed those of King Corpus Christi, Cambridge, written by Canute, as did Maud the Empress, William Botoner, alias Worceter, gent., King Henry II., Richard I. &c. Blomefield gives these particulars: The Mill, standing on the ruins of

The Abbey Church, from the East this ruin, is used to draw the water window to the West door, together from the marshes on which it is situwith the choir, was De gradibus meis, ated, and to empty the same into the Anglice Steppys, 148. "The breadth North river, whereon it nearly abuts.

' of the choir and presbytery 17 gradus. There are still standing two arches The breadth of the South isle of this

of this once

sumptuous pile ;' the church, which was built by Sir John West one is situated inside the mill, Fastolf, 11 gradus, and the length of and is niuch ornamented;

its spandrils it from East to West 58 gradus. This have the figures of a man with a sword last appears to have been a beautiful and a lion finely relieved ; the other pile, built of, and vaulted with free. arclı, standing more Easterly, is well stone, and had seven large windows to proportioned, and ornamented with the South. The length of the North

shields, blazoned with the arms of aile was 68 gradus, the breadth 12 some of the principal Norfolk families. gradus. The length of the choir and Yours, &c.

C.E. stalls, 24 gradus. The length of the high altar was 17 of Botoner's spans, Mr. URBAN,

April 5. and that of the South isle 15; the THE following extract from the space of the bell tower that stood in

. ,

has been transmitted to me by a friend, * Three views of this Gate, in a more perfeet state, with a ground plot, are engraved + Refectory, or hall. in the “Vetusta Monumenta" of the so- Vol. V. fol. edition; or vol. XI. p. 32, ciety of Antiquaries.

gvo. edit. Gunt. Mag. May, 1893.

and