528 Review Sharp's Coventry Pageants, &c. damask flowers; also 2 Jackets partly Red and Black, 2 Mitres (for Caiphas and Annas). A Rochet for one of the Bishops. The description of the Pageant Vehicle, p. 17-20, is too minute for extracting, though highly curious and satisfactory; nor are the labours of our Author on the moving of the Pageants from station to station, the rehearsals, properties, &c. less worthy of commendation. The pains bestowed in bringing such a mass of detached items together, and reducing them into order, can only be appreciated by those who have attempted similar investigations. The platform of an ancient Mystery or Morality, at p. 23, from the Macro MSS. in Mr. Hudson's Gurney's possession, is an important illustration of the subject, and the delicately-engraved Pegma ad D. Jacobi (exhibited at Antwerp in 1594; for Mr. S. follows his subject wherever he can trace its footsteps) is graceful and elegant in the extreme. Each character of the Dramatis Personæ receives in turn, an acute and [Dec. thorough examination; from Herod, the turbulent tyrant, whose ragings are immortalized by Shakspeare, through the various gradations of Celestials and Mortals; some of whom are forgotten in the oblivion of time. Nor is his Satanic Majesty deprived of his due, in Mr.Sharp's impartial course of proceedings; for, having been "a very favourite and prominent character" of old, himself and his dominions are prominently displayed in this volume, rather more so, we venture to think and say, than the subject required; for how the "representaton of Israel Van Mechlin's curious and rare copy of the print of the Temptation of St. Anthony, by Martin Schoen," (take a little breath, good reader!)-came there, is not very obvious. Let us, however, forgive a writer who takes over pains to render his work valuable, and whose excess, if we may be excused the phrase, is never excessive. Cressets and CressetBearers, receive new light from Mr. Sharp's pen, and a Plate (the best of all describers) brings them actually before us. The Pageant of the Company of Shearmen and Taylors is printed entire, and we observe with pleasure a notice that the whole Ludus Coventriæ will be put to press, if only sixty subscribers send their names to the publishers before Christmas †. Four Plates of original Music accompany the Pageant, which will be a treat to the Musical Antiquary, and a Glossary and Illustrations are added. The preceding portions occupy 124 pages; the remainder of the volume is devoted to the Hox Tuesday Play, an appendix to the Corpus Christi Plays, Pageants on particular occasions, Processions on Corpus Christi Day, Midsummer and St. Peter's Eve; and concludes (excepting a few additional IIlustrations of former Articles) with a very curious and satisfactory Essay on Minstrels and Waits. Thanking our industrious Author for his singularly interesting Book, which contains more information and entertainment than we have lately received from any publication that has fallen under our notice, we bid him for the present adieu. The number proposed to be printed is 25 copies, Imperial, and 100 Royal, the size Octavo. Can either Editor or Printer look for remuneration, or will such a limited impression satisfy the lovers of old English literature? 94. The 1825.] REVIEW.-Sir R. C. Hoare's Modern Wiltshire. 94. The History of Modern Wiltshire- (Continued from p. 427.) THE labours of all the writers upon British Antiquities and Roman Roads bear no comparison whatever to those of Sir Richard Colt Hoare. The Honourable Baronet has discovered to us (we speak without a bull) a new country in one that was known before, that is to say, we were possessed of the watch, but knew nothing of its utility, parts, or construction, or how it was wound up. The contents of the "Ancient Wiltshire" are a selection of excellent experiments, as valuable to Historians (if they know how to make use of them) as State Papers; for a most instructive Volume might be formed upon these documents alone, of the state of the arts, and manners, and customs of the Britons and Roman Britons. In the "Modern Wiltshire," (as Sir Richard, and we Antiquaries respect him for so doing, is pleased to denominate the last eight hundred years,) the materials could only be of a certain character. They were ores of a mine, the nature of which ores was previously understood; but the mine had not been opened, nor the ores decomposed, refined, or analysed. The Volume opens with an admirable Map of the Hundred, in which we meet with the following curiosities; Roman roads running between and by ancient British earth-works, and a British town, with its strong hold or fort Yarnbury Castle, (a circular earth-work of double ramparts) the height of the vallum in some places being fifty-two feet, or seventeen yards, connected with an irregular outwork. We beg here to suggest, upon the authority of ancient writers, that outworks annexed to old camps, denote additional securities, thrown up where the ground was most assailable; and, according to the Map, this appears to have been the case here. Sir Richard thinks that such works have been occupied and altered at various periods. This British Fortress is perforated through the centre by a road, which communicates with a most remarkable British Village, that exceeds, in our judgment, even the rich specimens in the "Ancient Wiltshire." Sir GENT. MAG. December, 1825. 529 Richard has given a plate of it at large (Pl. x1.), and we shall first convey an idea of it to our readers from the engraving. There is a plateau of high ground, nearly in the form of a human foot and leg, as high as the ancle. All along the line, where the rim of the shoe now comes, are tumuli in line, but not regularly so. Beneath this, on or about the part under the instep, is a small square earth-work, and below it a narrow oblong one, divided into checquers. On the slope below is a circular work, which at the bottom is very slight, but is divided by a straight line and more solid form of rampart in the upper part, into the shape of a horse-shoe, or theatre. This part in the interior is checquered, like a draught-board. This is accompanied with barrows, irregularly dotted on the surface, and valla like the divisions of fields. Some of these valla have tumuli at the end of them, and were apparently made for mere communication. The account given by Sir Richard of this curiosity is as follows: "Since the publication of my History of Ancient Wiltshire,' another British village has been discovered by the Rev. Mr. Seagram, of Steeple Langford, which is so singular in its appearance, that I have had it surveyed and engraved (see Pl. x1.) It is situated East of Yarnbury Camp, on the South-east declivity of a little valley, and so concealed that I do not wonder at its having escaped the scrutinizing eye of Mr. Cunnington. "On examining the annexed plan, we shall observe earthworks of singular and diversified forms, as well as many tumuli; but the most curious circumstance attending them is, that though most nicely formed, not one of them contained a single interment. It is to be observed also, that they are ranged in a more regular line than usual, as they encircle the earthen works on the North-west side almost entirely. "I am at a loss, even to conjecture for what reason, or for what purpose, so many regular and well-formed barrows should have been constructed. "At a short distance from this village to the East, is another decided British settlement, in which our spade brought to light the usual indicia of ancient residence, in excavations, pottery, coins," &c. &c. P. 171. Our opinion is, that the tumuli, without interment, were bases of the circular British wicker-houses, men tioned 530 REVIEW.-Str C. R. Hoare's Modern Wiltshire. tioned by the Roman Historians; that a Pulpit. At Grovely Works, which Sir Richard thinks bear a great resemblance to the oppida described by Caesar, occurs "one of those small pentagonal enclosures which are peculiar to British towns." P. 172. Sir Richard gives us ichnographical plans of all the Churches, and these plans suggest to us the following ideas. We have observed several long and narrow Churches without ailes, a fashion which we conceive to have obtained soon after the Conquest, and before the thirteenth century. The Church of Wily, in page 6, is of this description, as are various others. Domesday, however, mentions no priest, in the accounts of any parish in this Hundred. There was, therefore, no Church at that period. Now in the subsequent plans of the Churches, nearly all of them appear to have been originally of this oblong form, which was subsequently altered in manner following. As population increased, the nave, where the people sat, required enlargement. That part of the Church therefore was demolished on one side or both, as circumstances required, and the chancel and West end were left standing. On the site of the old walls a side colonnade was erected to preserve an open communication with the one or two projecting ailes newly annexed to the old building. In confirmation of this, we beg to lay before our Readers the Church of Wily, in ground plan, from p. 6; and show what we mean, by an actual delineation of the original form, observing that the porch and steeple are excrescences, for nothing is better known, than that many towers and steeples retain their primitive forms, and that the porch or porticus was no original portion of the Church, it being, in the early periods, a part of the Church itself at the West end. Font. c Belfry. [Dec. d.Porch. 76 ft. long. 17 ft. 6. in, wide. a d They then bulge out in various forms, by cutting through the middle and widening it; but in numerous instances the chancel retains its original form; and will be found often to correspond with the belfry in dimensions. Soinetimes only a chapel is thrown out on one side (Little Langford, p. 19); at other times two transept-like projections are adjoined to one side, and only one on another. At Rollestone (p. 33), the chancel remains, and the whole body of the Church is a little widened, without any projection, broken by arches. At Shrewton (p. 34), the chancel and belfry are of the same dimensions, and the body bulges out thus, there being arcades between the belfry and chancel. a Pulpit. Font. c Porch. d Belfry. e Piscina. Chancel 20 ft. 6 in. long; Nave and Ailes 29 ft. 3 in. long; 35 ft. 10 in. wide. At a Pulpit. b Font. c Porch. d Belfry. Chancel, 32 ft. long, 13 ft. 9 in. wide. Belfry 18 ft. long, 15 ft. wide. Nave and Ailes 40 ft. long, 28 ft. 3 in, wide. Here we shall stop, because we think that the remarkable irregularity of plan, in only twenty Churches, or thereabouts, here exhibited, could have originated in nothing but additions and alterations. These long narrow Churches are conspicuous in Herefordshire. Marcle is a fine specimen, and there are several others; and so far as our cursory observation goes, the length and narrowness of the chancel distinguish Churches which have been enlarged from those in which the Church and chancel are of contemporary erection. We do not give these matters as data, only as presumptions, but 532 REVIEW.-Sir R. C. Hoare's Modern Wiltshire. but certainly we have seen evidences in Domesday Book of the existence of Churches at that era, of which not a trace remains, except in these long narrow chancels, and often belfries of corresponding dimensions. Ross, in Herefordshire, is a specimen. It is proved by Domesday to have had a Church coeval with the Conquest. A long deep narrow chancel opens into a broad nave, like a street into a square, and at the further end is a narrow belfry, corresponding with the chancel in breadth. We shall, as we observed before, deduce no rules from these observations, but only observe, that long narrow Churches, without any arcade, appear to us more ancient than broad ones, but yet we could name instances where the nave has been widened and arched, even in the Anglo-Saxon, or early Norman æra ; but we know no instance where a chancel, which is a continuation of a broad nave, is not contemporary. It is, in short, our rule to look at the chancel and the belfry, where the styles of Architecture in Churches are not homogeneous, for the most ancient parts; but this cannot be infallible, because builders in repairs are governed by the rule of preserving sound parts, or ornamental ones; and this is possibly the reason why we see old Saxon or Norman doorways still existing in Churches of evidently far later date. However, narrowness is a certain mark of Antiquity. Our Readers know that there are tales, in vulgar phrase, called cock and bull stories. In the Church of Great Wishford, "There is a very old monument in memory of one BONHAM, Lord of the Manor, in solid stone, at full-length, drest in pilgrim's habit, with a leathern belt round his waist, and pouch or scrip by his side; and as report says, was the father of the seven children born at one birth, and all brought to Church in a sieve to be baptized. The occasion of this wonderful event was said to be, that their family coming on very fast, they were mistrustful that they should not be able to maintain them, and so agreed to part for seven years, and if neither party was seen or heard of, to be at liberty to marry again. He went abroad, and she was in England; the time was nearly expired, and the lady on the point of marriage. The news was made known to him (report says) by a witch, who conveyed him home instantly, and found his lady to be married the next day. He was denied admittance, [Dec. for he had not shaved himself the whole time, and no one remembered his person, until he produced the ring they had broken. Then he was introduced to his lady, and at the next birth she had seven children; and it is said was buried in the Church, and a representation of them laid in brass, which is now to be seen." P. 48. That this was a pious fraud, intended to show the sinfulness of distrusting Providence, there can be little doubt; and the old German story of the 365 children at a birth, was a good exemplar for so inferior a number as seven. However, some of these vulgar stories have a much depeer origin. It was said that two hogsheads full of money were concealed in a subterraneous vault at Penyard Castle in Herefordshire. A farmer took twentyfour steers to draw down the iron door of the vault. When the door was opened, a crow or jackdaw was seen perched upon one of the casks. As the door was opening, the Farmer exclaimed, "I believe I shall have it." Thereupon the door immediately closed, and a voice within exclaimed, "If it had not been for your quicken tree goad and your yew tree pin, You and your cattle had all been drawn in." This story, as far as we know, has never been printed; but we mention it because it has features of resem blance to some curious nonsense concerning a cave and cock, related in "Dugdale's Warwickshire;" p. 619, Ed. 1st; and because the prophylactick properties of the Quicken tree (Mountain ash) shows an incorporation with Druidical superstition *; for we believe that these ancient personages were accustomed to delude the people with wonders. Here we must leave this valuable and important collection of records, with sincere respect for the Author. 95. Monastic Remains of the Religious Houses at Witham, Bruton, and Stavordale, co. Somerset. Collected by Sir Richard Colt Hoare, Bart. anno 1824. 4to. pp. 151. THIS elegant Publication, of which only 50 copies are printed, and none for sale, is dedicated by the worthy Baronet to John Caley, esq. a gentleman well known to be at all times See an account of this tree, as connected with Druidism, in "Sylvan Sketches," p. 250, and other works. ready |