Charles Henry Hartshorne

“ Nicholas Lord Burnell challenged the arms as belonging to the Burnells only, he having at that time under his command a hundred men, on whose banners were his proper arms. Sir Peter Corbet, then in his retinue, offered to combat with Robert de Morley in support of the right which his master had to the arms, but the duel never took place, probably because the king denied his assent. ”

“ The west window has three pointed lights without foliation, the central one being carried up to the point of the arch, and the spandrels being pierced. The transept front windows are of three lights with circles in the heads. All the other windows are single trefoil-headed lights, but placed in ranges: for instance the south side of the chancel has four which answer with an arcade in the interior, on shafts with trefoil heads. All the mouldings are Early English. On the north side are three similar windows. ”

“ An entry on the Patent Rolls of 50 Henry III., (1265,) states that the king remits to Robert Burnell, clerk of Edward his eldest son, and to his tenants of the manor of Langley, fifteen shillings, which he and his tenants had been used to pay annually for certain lands reduced into cultivation in the woods of the manors of Langley, Rokkeley, Howhales, and Acton Burnell, within the forest of Salop [5] . ”

“ He was elected bishop of Bath and Wells on the 23rd of January, 1275, but was not consecrated until Palm Sunday in that year [11] . He was even appointed to the see of Canterbury, (1272,) but the pope refused to confirm the election [12] , and the see remained consequently vacant for some years. ”

“ It is strictly an early embattled mansion, and wants all the characteristics of a castle. The heads of several of the windows exhibit elegant tracery, and they have generally stone seats or bench-tables within, in the thickness of the wall, serving as oriels. The other features of this embattled mansion will be better understood from the annexed illustrations. The last point deserving consideration, is the more difficult one of the connection of Acton Burnell with ”