60 ON THE OLDER FORMS OF 



thickness from five-eighths of an inch to an inch. Half 

 of one side, which would have been exposed npon a roof, 

 was glazed, and they were made with pin-holes in them, 

 as is still the custom in some districts." {Glossary of 

 Architecture, Vol. i, p. 463). In the work above cited it 

 is stated that, in the fourteenth century, "the manufacture 

 of tile was one of sufiicient importance in England to re- 

 quire regulation by statute . . . whereby the dimensions 

 of plain tile are fixed at ten by six and one-fourth and half 

 an inch and half-quarter thick, at least. Roof or crese 

 tile at thirteen inches long, thickness same as other." Also 

 that, in the Middle Ages, tiles were extensively employed 

 in covering buildings though they seem always to have 

 been considered an inferior material to lead. In the same 

 work are given some remarkable ridge-tiles with figures, 

 crosses, etc., modelled upon them. These were found at 

 Great Malvern and London ; the statement is also made 

 that flat tiles only were used at that time. 



From the above data, we venture to suggest the follow- 

 ing historical sequence in the introduction of the various 

 forms of roofing-tiles into Great Britain : First, the large 

 flat Roman tile and the same time the rude stone tile prob- 

 ably devised by the Romans while in England. Second, 

 the normal tile, probably introduced by monks. Third, 

 the flat tile introduced from Normandy, and, finally, the 

 pan tile introduced from Belgium. 



The flat tile is not only used for roofing but is also used 

 in finishing the vertical walls of a gable end. In this case 

 the tiles may be cut pointed, or otherwise shaped, as in 

 fig. 80. Dobson's hand-book of Tiles and Tile-making 

 says that pan tiles were formerly made with holes in them 

 for the reception of the tile-pins by which they were hung 

 on the laths. The common method now is to turn down 

 a couple of nibs at the head of the tile, which answers 



