1831.] Crosby Hall, London.-Malmesbury. tion showing the Pointed arch, struck from four centres, now known by the name of the Tudor arch. The soffit is made into panels with moulded styles, having bosses at the intersections, and again divided by ribs or bands, running both longitudinally and crossways into compartments or divisions; each division comprising four panels. At the intersections of these ribs are pendants of beautiful construction, every pendant forming the nucleus of four pointed arches, with pierced spandrils. These flying arches are merely decorative, but they gave the whole design somewhat the appearance of an open worked timber roof, and at the same time varied the tasteless monotony which the ceiling would have possessed, if unaccompanied by this or any sort of ornament; and I am inclined to think, from the excellent construction of such a ceiling as the present for the conveyance of sound, that the architect contemplated the effect it would have, when on splendid banquets the minstrels' gallery poured forth its full tide of melody. It would form an excellent model for a church ceiling, if the architects of the new churches would condescend to take lessons from antiquity. In Mr. Allen's Survey of London, vol. iii. p. 155, you will find a short notice of the present state of the Hall and its appendages. It is there said, that "the late Duke of Norfolk occasionally visited Crosby Hall, and was so much pleased with the roof, that he employed an artist to make several drawings of the whole, and built his celebrated banqueting-room at Arundel Castle precisely on the model, of mahogany." This is, however, at variance with the description in Mr. Dallaway's History of Arundel. It is there said, that "the Duke had accurate sections made of the celebrated roofs in the halls of Westminster, Eltham, and Crosby Place, London, for the purpose of composing from them a plan for this of Arundel, and (with certain deviations) that which was adopted resembles the last mentioned. It is entirely of timber frame, of Spanish chesnut. The corners at each termination are canted off, and thus describe a semi-octagon, a form certainly not usual in any ancient example. The dimensions are 70 feet by 34, and 36 feet 6 inches to the cen 499 tre of the roof." (Dallaway's Rape of Arundel, p. 163.) I am inclined to give credit to the latter authority, and cannot help regretting the manifest want of taste which is shown in the alteration of the design. Mr. Allen goes on to say, that "in the spring of 1816, the council-chamber was plundered of its beautiful masonry by the proprietor, Strickland Freeman, esq. who removed it to his seat at Henley-upon-Thames, and there erected with the misused materials a dairy!" and this brings me back to what I set out with in the commencement of my letter, viz. the probable destruction of the Hall. If the proprietor at the present time is the same as the despoiler of the councilchamber, I fear there is little chance of its preservation; for, of all the enemies of real antiquity, those are the greatest who are the patrons of modern antiques. I trust, however, that this is not the fact; and I hope further that some of your numerous Correspondents will suggest some plan which may save and preserve it. To destroy such a building would be an act of true Gothic barbarity; its preservation would be an honour to the age. We have a chartered Society of Antiquaries, a numerous and wealthy body; can it do nothing for the preservation of an historical monument of such value as the present? Let us hope, Mr. Urban, that the feeling which has been excited in many instances in favour of some of the most interesting of our national antiquities, will not lie dormant, when the existence of a relic of old times, so endeared by historical associations as well as intrinsic merit, is in peril of termination. Yours, &c. E. 1.C. Mr. URBAN, Malmesbury, Oct. 5. ated on a hill, surrounded, with the THE town of Malmesbury is situexception of a narrow neck of land, by two streams which form a junction at a short distance on the south side of the town. It is said to have been cessible, guarded by a steepe descent strongly fortified, and "almost inacand double channell round about.” phen and the Empress Maud, it was During the contest between King Stethe seat of war; and in the civil wars * Corbett's Military Government of Gloucester, p. 91. 500 Ancient Triangular Bricks.-Buttevant Abbey. between Charles and his Parliament, was frequently taken and retaken by the opposing parties.* On the east side of the town there are still considerable remains of the ancient walls; and in memoria hominum (to use an expression of Leland's), the northern gate of the town was still standing on the road leading to Cirencester and Oxford; it was, however, destroyed in the year 1778, by those enemies of all good taste, certain commissioners of turnpike roads, whose example has been recently followed by the tenants of the Rev. George Rushout Bowles, the lord of the manor, in the further destruction of parts of the walls. On all sides of the hill on which the town stands, is daily discovered a stratum of red earth intermixed with stones, bearing marks of the action of fire. In many places this stratum of red earth is buried under other strata, and in it from time to time have been discovered fragments of badly burned bricks. In a recent excavation of the site of the ancient wall, were discovered considerable quantities of these bricks; they were in general very much decayed; but of one more perfect than the others I send you a drawing. The bricks were triangular, and perforated, perhaps for the purpose of fastening, by means of pieces of wood, one brick to the other, in order to avoid the use of a cement; the sides Corbett, supra, and May's History of tle Long Parliament, lib. 3, cap. 4, p. 72. [Dec. of the triangle are about 6 inches, Mr. URBAN, Churchtown, co. Cork, Nov. 25. HAVING been delayed at Buttevant on my way here, I availed myself of the opportunity of visiting its ancient Abbey. Smith informs us, that it was an Abbey of Friars Minors founded by David de Barry, Lord Justice of Ireland, in the reign of Ed ward I. who was buried there in a tomb in the choir opposite the high altar. This tomb was in existence, when Smith wrote his History of the County of Cork, 1749; but the fall of the tower in the centre has buried it, and almost every thing else in the nave, under the ruins. The most ancient of the inscriptions remaining, all of which are in raised letters, is low down in the wall of the nave on the left as you enter from the street. It is quite perfect, but my time only allowed me to decypher of its two lines, Hic jac't Job'es O'Dulpng....arpent... ...............progenit..... Near the east end is an altar tomb standing against the wall, with this inscription, running in two lines, on three sides of it: "Redmond's Barry cũ matre et conjuge struxit Hunc tumulum Patri quem Dea Parca tulit. Redmundus Johannis Barry de Lisgriffin et Kathelin Barry uxor ej', me fieri feceru't 1612." In the Virgin's Chapel, a south transept, are a variety of memorials of past times and persons. In a niche is part of the rude representation of the Crucifixion. The arms of one of the knights of Kerry (Fitzgerald the Black Knight), on a shield Ermine a cross 1831.] Liscarrol and Loghort Castles.-Rock of Egmont. saltire; crest, a knight on horseback with an upraised sword. Below the shield a bird chained. On a small mural monument: "Hic jacet Evgenis O'Duling, et Kathelina Dod hoc fecit 1615." Near the Abbey is a lofty square tower, which, after centuries of uselessness, is now incorporating into a Roman Catholic Chapel, that promises to be a very durable building. Possibly it may form the belfry. In the street is a castle, modernised into a dwelling, called Lombard's Castle. About four miles from Churchtown, are the remains of Liscarrol Castle, the most extensive fortress of its day that I have seen. It is a parallelogram or oblong square, 120 feet long by 240 wide, and 30 feet high, said to have been built in the reign of King John, which I do not believe. At each corner is a circular tower, between two of which is a square one; and opposite to this, the main fortress, and only entrance. The state apartments here were handsomely finished with cut stone, particularly the Lady's Bower, which has a kind of cornice running round it; there are short thick columns supporting the fireplace, which projects from the wall; adjoining is a small bed-room. Lis carrol Castle is said to have once belonged to the Barrys, and then passed to the Perceval family, from whom it was taken by the Irish rebels in 1642; and in their turn they were driven out of it by Sir Hardress Waller, in 1650. Six miles from Liscarrol is Loghort Castle, the residence of Lord Arden, when he visits his Irish estates. It is a square keep about 90 feet in height. The ground-floor is now the kitchen. The first floor was the armoury, and contained arms for 100 soldiers, which were removed and lost in the year 1798. This is now the dining parlour. Above this is the drawingWe then rise to the state bedroom: besides which there are six others. room. 501 From the battlements an extensive prospect is commanded. This castle was garrisoned by Sir Philip Perceval in the rebellion of 1641, but was taken through treachery by the Irish, and retaken also by Sir Hardress Waller in May 1650. Near Churchtown, on an eminence called the Rock of Egmont (and part of the estate of Perceval Lord Arden, the younger branch of the Egmont family), stands a curious stone-roofed building called the Old Barn. Enquiring of a neighbouring farmer, on my return, as to its name and when it was built, he said it was very old, and had been a barn and cider-press. I asked him, did he remember its being so used? No. Did he know any body who did? No; but he had heard an old woman say, that she had heard the children of one Mick Barry, who did live at Churchtown, state, that they had heard their father say he remembered it being a barn and cider-press; and this traditionary information is all I could learn. The form of the building is that of an -L, the entrance being at -. It stands nearly east and west. The entrance is north, under a broad flat archway, to which there is a corresponding archway on the south. From the holes in the wall, it would appear that it was intended to have been lofted, as the term is here; but I should not suppose there ever had been a floor put up. There is a doorway out to the west. A wall up to the intended joists separates it from the angle to the south, into which there is a doorway; and from this apartment there is another doorway northeast, that leads out, and a window south. This is said to have been the cider-press. Returning to the main entrance, there is another door to the east, but the wall here is perfect up to the roof; and at each end, west and east (as on the south), on the level of the seemingly intended second story, there are square windows; and in the north side of the stone roof, three sharp-arched windows. Passing out by the east is another apartment, the walls of which are nearly down. Narrow doors are to be traced on the north and east, and also windows adjoining. Under this part of the building are two vaults, entered on the south side; one has a doorway with windows on each side, the other only a doorway. These vaults, which are Henry Isaac-Elizabeth, William Isaac-Abigail, Richard. Prudence, of Lon- d. and h. eldest son, son, 2d son, D.D. Rector dau. of William of St. Andrew's | Perkins, son, don, gent. of John Fau 1633, Trea (quere?) Wardrobe, surer of of Lon and of Wood ford in Essex. and Bedlam, 1645. of Cam bridge. Susan. Randolf. Francis. Anne. The arms are Or, on a pile between two escallops Azure a lion rampant. It is not probable that Thoresby had any other works of Isaacson (the Henry Isaacson of the preceding pedigree), beside those mentioned by your Correspondent. Thoresby was, at the time alluded to, a very young Mr. URBAN, Grimsby, Nov. 14. I HAVE in my possession several Coins which have been found at different periods in Grimsby, during the last few years, a description of which may not be foreign to the design of your venerable Journal. They are of silver and copper, the latter principally foreign, and were probably introduced into this town by the Flemish and Lombardic merchants. They are evidently of different ages and value, as the letters of the circumscription vary in their form and state of perfection on the several pieces, and they differ materially in weight and magnitude. The most ancient are three Roman copper coins. 1831.] Coins and Tokens found at Grimsby. the latter with a bow in one hand, and a dart in the other. On the reverse is a large square subdivided into fortynine smaller ones, charged with hieroglyphics. Five Silver Coins. be 1. A Saxon piece, which may deemed somewhat valuable, as it was manufactured at York, and escaped the attention of the indefatigable Drake, who collected a series of near fifty ancient coins, which had been issued from the mints in that city; and amongst the rest, no less than three varieties struck off by different monetarii in the same reign with that under our consideration. It bears a rude head facing towards the dexter side, and a sceptre terminating in three balls, with this legend, EDELRED REX ANGLO. The reverse is divided into quarters by plain double lines, and is circumscribed with the name of the mint-master, &c. thus, FROSDY ...........MOEOF, which may be read FROSDY...... (the termination is defaced) Monetarius de EoFerwic (York.) It is evidently a coin of the unhappy Ethelred, the son of Edgar and Elfrida, who by his weakness of intellect, united with a constitutional apathy and cowardice, subjected his country to a repetition of those barbarous inroads by which the Danes recovered all the advantages of which they had been deprived by the successful exertions of his gallant forefathers. 2. Obverse, head regally crowned, and hand bearing a sceptre. HENRICU. Reverse, a lozenge fleury, and two sceptres in fret......PIN: ON: LVN. 3, 4, 5. The same, except that the name of the moneyer varies. These were probably silver pennies of Hen. I. The remaining coins are copper, principally Flemish and Lombardic; and as they are abundant in quantity, I shall only subjoin a few of the most striking varieties. 1. Obverse, a globe and cross within an irregular figure, partly circular and partly angular, with this circumscription, HANS KRAVWINCKEL IN NURUB. Reverse, three crowns, and as many fleur de lis in a circle, placed alternately, DAS WORT GOTEB BLEIB TEWICK. 2. Same designs. Obverse, HANS SCHLTES IN NURENBERG. Reverse, CLUCKKVMBTVON OTALEIN. 3. Obverse, same design. Reverse, a lion passant gardant crowned; with 503 something in his right paw resembling a hour-glass. The legend, which is in the Lombardic character, is defaced. 4. Obverse, Semée of fleur-de-lis; over all a cross. Reverse, semée of fleur-de-lis. The inscriptions are illegible. 5. Obverse, a crown. Reverse, a cross of triple lines, fleury at points. No legend. 6. Obverse, a shield with three fleurde-lis, AVE MARIA REGINA CELORY'. Reverse, same as 5. 7. Obverse, a cross pommée florée, with four fleur-de-lis in the quarters. Reverse, device defaced. Legend, AVE MARIA GRACIA PLENA. Three copper tokens issued in the reign of Charles II. 1. BRIAN COVERDAILE IN BARROW UPPON HUMBER, HIS HALFPENNY. 2. WILLIAM TOD, GRIMSBY, 1668. 3. THOMAS CUTLER JVNIOR IN SARUM, HIS HALFPENNY, 1666. The copper coins which were issued from the mints at Nuremburg and some other places, were dug up at Grimsby in such numbers, that before the present substantial copper coinage was substituted for the thin halfpence and farthings formerly in circulation, they passed current according to their size and value. They are still occasionally found in many parts of the town, where new soil is turned up, which indicates that they must have been in general use at some period of our history prior to the reign of James II. They have been taken up from the foundations of buildings as old as the civil wars of Charles I. Those in my possession were many of them found in the churchyard, when opening ground which had not been disturbed for centuries. In searching into the remote transactions of the town of Grimsby, we find that it was a port where the Hanseatic merchants, and those of Flanders and Lombardy, transacted considerable business. In the year 1336, the Mayor and Bailiffs of Grimsby received a Royal mandate from King Edward III. the purport of which was to encourage these merchants to land their cargoes in the port; and John Crabbe of that place was appointed a commissioner for the purpose of making the necessary accommodations. A piece of land was set out in the wastes for their especial use as a mart, where they might con |