298 On the Old Porch-House at Fotterne. 



been intended to facilitate the throwing' down stones or other missiles 

 on the heads of assailants^ in case of attack ; or perhaps more pro- 

 bably for the pouring of water on the faggots^ if they attempted to 

 set fire to the building. Whether such was the object of this per- 

 foration I cannot say, though the provision of such holes and for 

 such purposes was well understood by our forefathers. In Ireland, 

 such an opening was ap])ropriately called " the murthering hole/^ 



During the progress of the work the following objects of interest 

 were discovered. Of coins, many half-pence of the Georges ; two 

 of William and INIary ; one of George and Caroline ; and one of 

 Washington. Three tradesmens' tokens, one of them German ; one 

 Roman coin of Constantine, cast at Treves ; and best of all, in a 

 mortice hole of the northern wing, three golden ecus of France, 

 wrapped in a small portion of fine linen : two of these are of Louis 

 XI., the other of Charles VIII., of France. They appear to have 

 been placed in the hole for security, and then it seems they dropped 

 down out of reach ; but how these foreign coins came to be deposited 

 there, and what was the story of their being so concealed and then 

 abandoned, notwithstanding their value, are interesting speculations, 

 on which we may weave what romances we please, and which none 

 can dispute, for we shall never know the truth of the story, con- 

 jecture and search as we may. In the roof were found one or two 

 leathern articles, a coin of George I., and a tiler's measure; while 

 the great chimney yielded up a portion of a carved stone, and a 

 fowl, prepared without doubt for dinner, but somehow forgotten and 

 left a mummy ! 



And now I come to the critical question as to the probable date 

 of this interesting old building. I am happy to say that we are not 

 without documentary evidence with regard to a very old manor 

 house at Potterne : for as in those lawless days, when roving thieves 

 lurked in the forests, and plundered where they could find booty; 

 every manor house and every knight's house was protected by 

 crenellated or embattled inclosure walls (indeed it was contrary to 

 law in those disturbed times to build any house of any size or im- 

 portance without some such fortification) ; and as no one was allowed 

 to put battlements [crenelles) on his house without a license from the 



