PAINTED GLASS WINDOWS, &c.

483

much smaller than in the Norman; and no rule would be more fallacious than that that would estimate the importance of the castle by the size of its keep alone. From an actual admeasurement of the keep of Conisbro' castle, compared with the ground plan before us, we find that in size they nearly agree, but in shape they do not, Nottingham being in the latter respect more like Richmond or Newcastle, than this; h is a large guard-room, entered by the portal c, and i another guard-room or barracks for the infantry; the inner court or ballium, which was 160 ft. by 120 ft.; j is a well for the use of the garrison, and k is the entrance into the celebrated cavern, called " Mortimer's hole," I the chapel, m hospital, n store rooms and infantry barracks. Flaxman in his lectures, makes mention of a splendid painting in Nottingham castle in the 14th century, executed at the command of Henry III., who was a great patron of the fine arts; the following is a list of the various subjects he had executed, and the places he appropriated to them, "our Lord and the four Evangelists, with St. Edmund and St. Edward," in the chapel of Woodstock; "the last Judgment," for that of St. Stephen's chapel, in the palace of Westminster; "the history of Antioch (some victory of the Crusades), for the room called the Antioch room in the same palace; and "the history of Alexander," for the queen's chamber in Nottingham castle. In the published records of the Society of Antiquaries, we have the first notice of painting on glass, in the form of precepts for glazing three windows in St. John's chapel in the Tower of London, with a little virgin Mary holding the Child, a Trinity, and a St. John the Apostle; and for executing the history of Dives and Lazarus in glass at the castle of Nottingham."

Very few specimens now remain of so early a date as this of which we are speaking, but the style of executing such works at this remote period was in small medallions of different forms, inlaid upon a sort of mosaic ground, in various patterns and of the most brilliant colours; windows of this date were sometimes surrounded by elaborate borders, and may further be distinguished by the predominance of a rich deep blue.

The castle enclosure contains about nine acres, including the abrupt declivities of the rock on the south and west sides, where many trees have been planted, and where several modern gothic dwellings may be seen peeping through the sylvan recess.

The Riding School stands on the out-side of its limits, a little below the castle lodge, where a part of the old wall was removed in 1798, to make room for that building, which was erected by the Nottingham Troop of Yeomanry Cavalry, and is occasionally

used for equestrian exhibitions, for which it is well adapted. The house, school, and stables adjoining, are let to Mr. William Chester, who keeps here all kinds of carriages for hire, and extensive livery stables.

The park is now an open pasture, except a bowling green, and a garden plot at its south-east corner; its eastern boundaries, which have lately been lined with large and beautiful houses, with hanging gardens in front, descending by an abrupt, but picturesque semicircular sweep to the green pastures of the park, which extends by irregular undulations to the verge of the parish of Lenton, and the north bank of the Leen. From hence is a delightful prospect of the new line of Railway, where the trains are seen going toward Beeston, Derby, &c., and returning to the stationhouse; the park forms a pleasant summer promenade, and is much frequented by the town's people, and persons from Lenton, Beeston, &c.

On its north-western corner are the Barracks, which are pleasantly situated, and is the only permanent military depôt now possessed by the town; they were built in 1792, on ground leased for the purpose of his Grace the Duke of Newcastle; they contain convenient apartments for the officers, a sutling house, barrack-rooms, stabling for three troops of horse, an hospital, &c., with an extensive yard, enclosed by a strong wall of brick. The garrison is supplied with water by a well, from which it is raised by a horse, into a large cistern. Barrack Master,-Lieut.Colonel M'Gregor. Commander of the district,-Major General Sir

C. J. Napier.

On Nottingham hill, about a mile from the town, are some lines of fortifications, and several barrows, in one of which Deering says, "great quantities of human bones have been found, supposed to be the remains of some Saxon soldiers, for it was their custom to cover the graves of their slain with moulds of earth, now called barrows.

the

Extra parochial places are found generally to have been the sites of ancient castles, or religious houses, the owners of which were privileged with an independent jurisdiction, and did not permit any interference with their authority, within their own limits; hence they enjoy a virtual exemption from maintaining poor, because they have no overseer on whom a magistrate's order may be served, from the military laws, because they have no constable to make returns; and from repairing the highways, because they have no surveyor. In the language of the ancient law of England, such places were not "geldable or shireground," and as the sheriff was the receiver general in his county till about

the time of the Revolution, in 1688, extra parochial districts were neither taxable nor within the ordinary pale of civil jurisdiction, they are still virtually exempt from many civil duties, and the inhabitants are not called upon to serve many public offices to which others are liable. These exclusive privileges are enjoyed by all the castle ground at Nottingham, viz. the castle enclosure, the Park, Standard hill, and Brewhouse yard, which, though they contain 100 houses at the west end of Nottingham, are not within the jurisdiction of the "Town and County of the Town," but are included in the County at large. If these four extra parochial districts could be united by an Act of Parliament, and made responsible for the maintenance of their own poor, it would be of considerable advantage to the three parishes of Nottingham, for here it is that many of the principal merchants, manufacturers, &c., build their handsome mansions, whilst Nottingham is their principal source of wealth, they thus avoid paying their just share of parochial burdens of that town.

Brewhouse-yard, is a small district of itself, under the south east side of the castle rock, and on the north bank of the Leen, where the Old Water Works Company have lately built a new engine house. As has already been seen, it was formerly within the jurisdiction of the castle, and contained a malt-kiln and brewhouse for the use of the garrison, but in 1621 James I., constituted it a separate constablery, and granted it to Francis Phillips, gent, and Edward Ferres, mercer, both of London. It has now more than 100 inhabitants, several dye-houses, and two publichouses, one of which has a room cut in the rock, with "a hole at the top for the admission of light, on which account it has obtained the name of the star parlour." The other tavern has two large chambers, and other conveniences cut in the rock, near the entrance to Mortimer's hole, which is now built up. Thoroton says "this place was once an asylum for a fraternity of fanatics, called Philadelphians, or the family of love, from the love they professed to bear to all men, though never so wicked, and their obedience to all magistrates though never so tyrannical, be they Jews, Gentiles or Turks." Their founder was one David George, an Anabaptist, of Holland, who propagated his new doctrine in Switzerland, where he died in 1556, after which his tenets were declared to be impious, and his body and books sentenced to be burnt by the common hangsman.

Since king James's reign, Brewhouse-yard has had a constable and overseer, and the united office is now held by Mr. Yates.

Standard-hill comprises about five acres, nearly one half of which is occupied by St. James' church, and the gardens, &c.,

of the General Infirmary; the north end of which charitable institution, is within the limits of the town, in the parish of St. Nicholas, which bounds Standard-hill on the east, as the Park does on the north and west, and the outward wall of the castle on the south. This portion of the ancient castle land, perhaps originally part of the Park, derives its name from the royal standard, which king Charles I. erected here in August 1642. In 1807 the Duke of Newcastle divided nearly all that part of it which is not occupied by the Infirmary, into 32 building lots, containing together about 9000 square yards, which he sold for nearly £7010, and which now forms four handsome streets, "King-street," "Charles-street," "Standard-street," and "Hill-street." Each purchaser at the time of sale covenanted, "to pave and keep in repair one half of the street, so far as they respectively extend in front, or by the side of his lot; to make foot pavements four feet broad, and not to build any house upon the premises of less value than £25 per annum, nor erect any manufactory, nor suffer any obnoxious trade whatever to be carried on upon the premises." Since this sale St. James' church, and upwards of twenty large and handsome houses have been erected, so that every building site is now occupied. In 1814 the parishioners of Nottingham complained, that the wealthy inhabitants who had built houses on Standard hill, were not only exempt from the heavy poor rates of the town, but refused to relieve those paupers who by servitude were considered to have gained a settlement in that extra-parochial district; in consequence of these grievances, the magistrates appointed two of the inhabitants to act as overseers, and afterward ave orders for the removal of a pregnant servant girl from St. Mary's parish, to the house of one of the said overseers, where she was refused admittance; after an expensive legal contest, in which the three parishes of Nottingham made common cause against the inhabitants of this extra-parochial district, it was fully determined by the court of King's Bench,-" that Standard-hill, not having been proved to be an ancient ville, or a ville by reputation, is not subject to the jurisdiction of magistrates in the appointment of overseers," consequently, according to this decision, no settlement can be made within its boundaries, either by servitude, by the occupation of property, or by any other means.

INDEX TO VOLUME I.