Chap. IV. CONVENTUAL BUILDINGS-REFECTORY; PRIOR'S ORATORY; STONE COFFINS; APOSTLE SPOONS; PRIORY LODGE-CHRIST-CHURCH CASTLE: ITS OWNERS, AND ANCIENT AND PRESENT STATE-BOROUGH SEAL OF CHRIST-CHURCH-LAZARHOUSE VISIT OF EDWARD VI.-SALMON FISHERY-HENGISTBURY HEAD. THE Conventual Buildings were situated immediately to the southward of the Church, within a spacious quadrangular area, bounded on the southern and eastern sides by a water-course, called the Little Stream; upon which, at the south-west point of the inclosure, the water mill that anciently belonged to the canons of Christ-church is situated. With the exception, however, of a strongly-built stone edifice, considered to be the entrance Lodge, not any of the priory offices are now standing, and their respective sites can be only imperfectly guessed at. When the priory estate was purchased by the late Gustavus Brander, Esq. about seventy years ago, that gentleman erected a modern dwelling-house and conservatory upon a part of the site of the demolished buildings, and being desirous, as he himself states, in a communication made to the Society of Antiquaries, in January, 1775,-" of obtaining the Ichnography of that venerable ruin," he caused the rubbish to be "carefully removed from the foundations, and was thus "enabled very clearly to trace out the plan and arrangement of the whole building, and to ascertain, in a great measure, the appropriation of the several principal parts, how they were disposed, and what their respective form and size." Unfortunately, he neglected to specify any other particulars in his communication than are comprised in the subjoined extract; and it is supposed that his notes are now lost. REFECTORY, AND PRIOR'S ORATORY. 91 "The Refectory is a room thirty-six feet long by twenty wide. On the east side was a doorway, leading into an interior apartment, which measured twenty feet by eighteen, with two gothic windows in it to the south. The walls here were at least five feet thick, and in the easternmost of the two windows was fixed a large stone of pentagonal figure, excavated and perforated in the centre. Its use, I suppose, was to hold water for sacred or other purposes; and the hole to draw it off, and discharge it occasionally. This room, I should imagine, was the Prior's oratory. At the distance of two feet from the doorway, within the room, I observed a square flat stone, two feet, nine inches long by two wide, carefully cemented with lead into the adjoining pavement, having all the appearance of a grave-stone. Curiosity alone prompted me to examine the contents, to see what might be the reason for such singular caution in securing them. You must conceive what was my surprise, when, on the opening, I found it to be only a repository of birds' bones, to the amount of at least half a bushel, and these of herons, bitterns, cocks and hens, [domestic fowls] many of which had long spurs, and mostly well preserved. The cavity was about two feet deep, and lined at the bottom and round the sides with square stones."* From the singularity of this interment, conjoined with the known fact of a religious foundation existing here in the Saxon times, Mr. Brander thought it warrantable to conjecture that the site of the priory had been occupied by a Pagan temple, which was "afterwards converted to Christian uses." In another paper on the subject, written by the Rev. Samuel Pegge,† several instances are cited of similar reputed conversions of Heathen Temples into places for Christian worship; and the farther conjecture is advanced-from a consideration of the high regard which the Romans had for their Auspicia,— that the bones of fowls discovered at Christ-church had been deposited there by the romanizing Britons, (or "Belga, who soon became romanised by adopting all the religious practices of their conquerors,") before their conversion. to Christianity." In excavating for the foundations of Mr. Brander's house, (which is now * Archæologia, vol. iv. p. 118. The late well-known antiquary, Thomas Astle, Esq. F.R.S. and S.A. was present at this discovery. + Ibid, pp. 414-420. Ibid, pp. 419, 420. 92 APOSTLE SPOONS-PRIORY LODGE. occupied as a superior boarding establishment for the education of young ladies) the workmen dug up three very rudely-formed stone Coffins, some account of which was communicated to the Society of Antiquaries, by the Rev. Samuel Pegge, in November, 1777.* They were each constructed of not fewer than ten or eleven blocks of stone, forming a kind of trough, but without a bottom: a semicircular cavity for the reception of the head had been wrought in each of the upper stones, but it does not appear, from the account, whether either of them had any top, or covering stone. Mr. Pegge considered them to be, at least, of as early a date as the " fourth century," and as affording an additional proof" that Twynham was a place very anciently settled." At a subsequent period, and within the limits of the priory demesne, but of a date long posterior to its dissolution, three Apostle Spoons were found, of the size and form represented in Plate XVII., Fig. 1., &c. in which front and back views are given of the upper ends of each spoon. The figures are considered to be those of the Virgin Mary; our Saviour; and St. Peter. The Priory Lodge (now occupied as the Miller's House), appears, from the style of its architecture, and from the initials, J. D., which are sculptured on the terminations of the window labels, to have been erected when John Draper, the second of the name, was prior of that foundation. Whilst repairing this lodge in May, 1831, the following lines were discovered on the eastern wall of the upper room, (which had possibly been used as a private chapel) together with the Lord's Prayer, inscribed in characters of the sixteenth century : The World must end, all things away must fly; For there's no work, nor counsell in the Grave. Some remains of the wall which enclosed the conventual offices are yet standing; and without it, on the south-east, is a meadow still called the Convent Garden; in a field adjoining to which, are the vestiges of several stews, or fish-ponds. Another trace of this establishment may be found in a * Vide "Archæologia," vol. v. pp. 224-229. CHRIST-CHURCH CASTLE: ITS SUPPOSED ORIGIN. 93 pleasant walk, by the side of the above stream, called Paradise, now used as a place of recreation by the scholars of Christ-church school. The CASTLE at Christ-church is situated at a short distance, northward, from the Church, and its exterior precincts almost adjoin to the church-yard. Nothing can be satisfactorily ascertained of the origin of this fortress, but the probability is that it was built by the Saxons at an early period; as we learn from the "Saxon Chronicle," that on the accession of Edward the Elder, in the year 901, his cousin-german Ethelwold, "rode against [or subdued] the towns of Winburn, and Twineham, without leave of the King and his Council."* It may possibly, therefore, have been a place of strength even then, although not calculated to withstand a siege, for Ethelwold immediately retreated to Winburn, on the advance of Edward from the west. Norden, speaking of Christ-church, says,—" At this place was a most auncient Castle, though now much defaced, builded by Edward, surnamed the Elder, which hath thereunto annexed many seignories, and sundry lordships held of it, and ought to perform thereunto great services." Upon what authority this is stated does not appear; but the most extensive list on record of the fees, and parts of fees, which appertained to the "Honour and Castle of Christ-church Twynham," is inserted on the escheat rolls of the tenth of Henry the Fourth, from the inquisition made respecting the property then under forfeiture of Thomas de Montacute, fourth Earl of Salisbury; and which had belonged to John de Montacute, the third earl, who was beheaded at Cirencester, in January, 1400. In the confirmatory charter granted to the Dean and Canons of Christ-church, by Baldwin de Redvers, second Earl of Devon, the fossatum Castelli,—the Castle moat,—is twice mentioned in connection with lands at Christ-church appertaining to the priory.§ The wardship of the Castle (with that of the manors of * Vide Ingram's "Saxon Chronicle," &c. p. 124: 4to. 1823. See also Chap. I. pp. 2 and 3, of the present work. 66 + Chorigraphical Description of the several Shires and Islands," &c. 4to. 1595. The estates thus enumerated, (thirty-six in all) are comprised within the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Berks. Vide "Cal. Inquis. Post Mortem," vol. iii. pp. 326 and 327. § Vide Appendix, No. II. p. 4. 94 SUCCESSIVE OWNERS OF THE CASTLE. Lymington, Edbrighton, and Bronmore) was for some years in the reign of Edward the First, entrusted to John Bardolf, who, in the eighth of Edward the Second, petitioned parliament for redress, in respect to an unsettled account for charges, &c. relating to the said wardship which he had rendered to the exchequer.* In the fourth of Edward the Third, Sir Thomas West, K.B., who was related by marriage to the Montacutes, (to whom this property had been then recently granted) was made Governor of the Castle of Christ-church. In the eighteenth of the same reign, William de Montacute, first Earl of Salisbury, died possessed of this castle, together with the borough and hundred;† but the castle and manor appear to have been parcel of the dowry of Katherine, his wife, daughter of William, Lord Grandison, who died seised of the same in the twenty-third of Edward the Third, anno 1349. William, second Earl of Salisbury, (who was one of the founders of the Order of the Garter) may possibly have died in this fortress, as his last will "bears date at Christ-church Twyneham, April 20, 1397:"§ his decease occurred on the 3rd of June following. The castle, borough, and hundred of Christ-church, as well as the various fees in Somersetshire, which were held by military service of this castle, (together with their tenants) are enumerated with his other estates in the inquisitions post mortem of the same year.|| Although all the possessions of the Earls of Salisbury became forfeited to the crown by the attainder of John, the third earl, (on the failure of the ill-advised conspiracy to restore the deposed King Richard) yet Elizabeth, the widow of the second earl, appears to have been seised of the castle and hundred of Christ-church, with the fees appertaining to the same, in the second year of Henry the Fifth, together with other considerable estates belonging to the earldom,¶-which, it is probable, had been assigned to her in dower. In the ninth of Henry the Sixth, as may be gathered from the escheats, this castle was *See Rotuli Parl. vol. i. p. 339, b. + Escheats, 18th Edw. III. No. 51. Ibid, 23rd Edw. III. sec. pars, No. 88. § Collins's Peerage, vol. ii. p. 64: edit. 1779. Ex Regist. Arundel, vol. i. 159, a. || Escheats, 20th Rich. II. No. 35: whence it appears that the earl's possessions were immense. Escheats, 2nd Hen. V. No. 39. |