144 The Field Naturalist' s Quarterly May 



architecture before the Conquest. The Norman style was 

 first introduced into England in the time of Edward the 

 Confessor (1042-1066), who founded the noble Abbey of 

 Westminster in the year 1060. But although this Norman 

 style had appeared in England, still it had not spread over 

 the whole land even some years after the Conquest. There 

 is no reason to doubt that some churches were built in the 

 earlier style during the reign of William I. (i 066-1087). 

 For example, the churches of St Peter-at-Gowts and St 

 Mary-le-Wigford, both in the city of Lincoln, may be 

 mentioned. These churches, notwithstanding the evidences 

 of what are correctly regarded as pre-Norman style, were 

 built about the year 1080 — i.e., fourteen years after the 

 Conquest, and at least twenty years after the earliest 

 appearance of the Norman style in England. Such works 

 as these are by no means to be regarded as the last efforts 

 of a dying style, but rather as the lingering traces of one 

 that had been general and vigorous. 



The earliest attempts in England of the Norman style 

 of ornaments were rude and irregular in their workmanship : 

 no two of the points of the flat shallow zigzag (chevron) 

 ornament were exactly of the same angle or of the same 

 projection. Each ornament was roughly worked out of its 

 own separate stone, and took its chance of being exactly 

 in all respects like the others. In the earliest Norman work 

 we have a singular lack of ornament, and much even of the 

 work of the middle Norman period is very plain. The nave 

 and choir of Peterborough Cathedral, which, except to- 

 wards the west end of the nave, are of unaltered Norman 

 character, show little attempt at ornament ; yet Peter- 

 borough choir was consecrated in the year 1143, and 

 probably a considerable part was built at even a later 

 Norman date. The early Norman masons, whether master 

 or apprentice, when engaged on ornamentation, seemed not 

 to wait to measure out with exactness angles or projections 

 by compasses, and did not work to labour to smoothness 

 with the few tools then in use. The irregularity gave the 

 impression of free hand — i.e.. power; and the rudeness or 

 roughness of appearance suited the barbaric, i.e., not classic, 

 design. Hence the modern imitators of Norman style are 



