John Henry Parker

“ This is a valuable work, deserving to be better known, and the English translation of the letter-press, which now accompanies the plates, will greatly facilitate this object. It is desirable that English architects should make themselves acquainted with the foreign varieties of Gothic architecture, although it is seldom to be wished that they should imitate them: to architectural amateurs the comparison is so extremely interesting, that there is little fear of their neglecting any opportunities for investigating it. ”

“ In this instance there are three lancet windows in the west end, the centre the highest, carried up into the tower, and opening within under a very tall tower-arch, the two side windows also opening within on each side of the piers of this arch; there being no aisles the effect is singular, but must have been strikingly beautiful when perfect. ”

“ In Germany, however, there is a boldness and vigour in the sculpture throughout this century which we do not find at home; witness the panel from a stall in St. George's, Tubingen (III. 6) . Our Perpendicular style is peculiar to ourselves; the German work of the same period is much more free and bolder, and rather resembles the French Flamboyant, but still has a distinct national character of its own. ”

“ Of the thirteenth century we have a capital from Denkendorf, still Byzantine, (II. 2) ; two curious capitals from Lilienfeld, in Lower Austria, (IV. 1) ; a very beautiful piece of sculpture in relief of a knight and his betrothed, from the head of a doorway at Rotweil, in the Black Forest, (VI. 5) ; and a richly carved wooden chair, or throne, with the arms of king William of Holland, crowned in 1247, probably in this very chair; the ornament agrees with that period, and it is a highly interesting specimen of early oak carving. ”

“ The windows of the vestry have tracery in flowing lines, and of somewhat later character than those of the choir, though the mouldings are almost identical. The doorway which led from the chapel into the vestry is immediately connected with the remains of the sedilia, which have been partly cut away to make room for the monument of Sir Henry Saville. The mouldings of this doorway are very rich, and of some- what later character than those of the window arches, having the fillets rounded instead of square, and not so bold, and the hollows not so deep. ”

“ In Germany the state of the arts, both of masonry and sculpture in stone, may have been much more advanced, but no satisfactory evidence of this has yet been produced.
St. Sebald's, at Nuremberg, is assumed to be of the eleventh century, from its resemblance to Bamberg, having no records of its own: it bears an equally close resemblance to the other examples before mentioned as undoubtedly of the twelfth century, and this date would appear far more probable. ”

“ The Chancel has Early English walls, without buttresses; of the lancet windows there remain two on the south and one on the north side: there are Decorated windows inserted on each side next to the chancel-arch; these are of two lights, long and narrow, cinqfoiled, with quatrefoiled openings in the head, under an acute arch: the north window has some good Decorated painted glass, but it has been partly re-glazed, and the pattern destroyed; the opening is splayed, with a segmental inner arch, supported by two heads. ”

“ Rickman as the commencement of the Decorated style, is 1307, or the beginning of the reign of Edward II.; and this opinion is maintained by some of the highest living authorities, whose conclusions being generally formed with much caution are entitled to great consideration and respect. It is therefore the more necessary to examine carefully the evidence in support of the date of this building, and to compare it with some others of the reign of Edward I., to shew that the Decorated style really was in use in England at that period. ”

“ Another contrivance for strengthening the west wall when it carries the bell, is to throw an arch across it from buttress to buttress, either in the interior, as at Strixton, Northamptonshire, or on the exterior, as at St. Helen's, (12) and St.Michael-le-Belfry, (13) York; the first of these carries a sort of lantern bell-turret; the second has the bell-cot destroyed, but the corbels of it remain, and now carry a modern wooden structure for the same purpose. ”

“ The most usual situation for them is by the side of the chancel-arch, sometimes on one side only, in other instances on both sides, but when in this situation they are always so arranged as to enable a person in the nave, or aisle, or transept, to look towards the high altar, and in whatever part of the church the openings occur, they are usually but not invariably in this direction. ”

“ In some churches in South Wales, in the neighbourhood of Tenby, and in some other places, the Squint is carried across the angle of the chancel and transept, through a low structure erected for the purpose externally, filling up the angle. ”

“ The plain Norman imposts to the arches leave no doubts of their age, and the peculiar form of the bells, having no runs turned outwards, but a thick plain edge, seems to indicate an equally great antiquity. ”

“ These buttresses were sometimes found insufficient for the weight and play of the bells, and an additional projection was given to them, as at Forest Hill [2] , Oxon, where one buttress has been added to, considerably more than the other, the effect of which is very singular, though when the situation is considered it is easily explained; this example is strikingly picturesque. Some of the examples which have been referred to belong to the Decorated style, and such bell-cots may be found in Perpendicular work also, but they are more common in Early English. ”

“ In some instances the object must have been to see the celebrant at a chantry altar only, without reference to the high altar at all, and some are so small that one person only could look through the opening at the same time. ”

“ The more usual fashion is to have the bell-cot built upon the west wall and carried up above the roof; examples of this kind in Norman work are not common, but they may be found, as at Adel, Yorkshire, Northborough, (5) Northamptonshire, and in other instances. Another position for the bell-cot is between the nave and chancel, being built upon the wall of separation or immediately over the chancel-arch ”

“ The publication being intended chiefly for architects, we must not expect the plates to be made intelligible to unprofessional eyes; they are accordingly executed in such a manner, that few besides architects can enter into the spirit of them, or take much delight in beholding them. They are drawn on stone with a pen, in outline only, without any attempt at shadows or effect, but fairly done in their way, with general accuracy and attention to details, sections of mouldings, &.c. ”

“ Occasionally the Squints are carried through the side walls of the chancel, either from the sacristy, or from chantry chapels: a good example with a trefoiled head occurs at Bishop's Sutton, Hampshire, another in the chapel at Sudeley. ”

“ In many of our ancient churches we find in various parts of the building oblique openings or perforations through the walls, technically called Squints. The use of these openings is not always obvious, and for want of any better explanation, they are frequently called Confessionals. ”

“ If this computation is reduced to its equivalent value in our money, his property will appear to have been equal to that of the late Marquis of Westminster. ↑ Matthew Paris considers this and other presents made by Richard on this occasion as bribes; considering the parties to whom they were given and the spirit of the age this does not seem very probable, but for whatever purpose the money was given, the coincidence of date and the character of Archbishop Conrad makes it highly probable that it was spent on the cathedral. Richard resided chiefly at Beckley, near Oxford. ”

“ For the sake of persons not acquainted with Oxford, it may be well to observe that the only part of Merton chapel here referred to is the choir; the transept, or ante-chapel, having been added in 1424, with the exception of the noble arches supporting the tower, which are part of the original work. The style of this work is pure Decorated, as will be seen by the sections of the mouldings, and the tracery of the windows. The date assigned by Mr. ”

“ In this suit the proctor for the abbey was the nominee of the prior of Northampton, who is styled proctor general in England for priories alien. The ordination of the vicarage bears date A.D. 1358, John Brendon, vicar, and successor to Richard Pyni, who was the rector in possession at the time of the appropriation.
The manor was purchased by Sir Thomas White, founder of St. John's College, Oxford, and given by him to his new foundation. I. H. P.
↑ "In the east window of the North Isle, the right hand pane of glass, is a man in armour, kneeling. ”

“ It. ix.d liberat. eidem pro duabus columpnis [14] in fenestris. Item eidem iij.s iiij.d pro xx pedibus in longitudine de quibusdam lapidibus qui vocautur scuwes [9] et ponuntur in opere in tecto parve domus retro coquinam. Item xviij.d liberat, eidem pro viij pedibus de pynun [11] table. Item eidem ij.s vii.d ob. pro xiiij pedibus de pynun [11] table pret. ij.d qa. Item comput. vj.s viij.d liberat. Payn le quareour de Teynton in partem solucionis pro franc. lapidibus ad novam coquinam, per unam dividendam, in qua patet de conventione inter Custodem et predictum Payn. ”