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After her devotion her father consented, and at his death in 1572 
the property fell into the hands of the Talbots. The Charter 
granting the Shrievalty of the county during her widowhood to 
Countess Ela by Henry III. is extant. The cloisters were first 
inspected ; these are partly 13th and partly 14th century work, 
with groined roof and coloured )osses, representing animals and 
grotesque figure heads. There are three gravestones here, one of 
the Countess of Salisbury. The Nuns’ dormitories, with their 
closely-latticed windows looking into the courtyard, are very 
picturesque. In front of the house traces of tke arches may be 
seen which originally led to the Church, which appears to have 
stood where the existing gravel walk nowis, in front of the house. 
The crypt is in good order, but was used by Sir W. Sherrington 
as a kitchen. In the flooring the monogram “ W. G.” (Grace, his 
wife) appears on some of the tiles. The Chapter-house contains 
two stone coffins, which were found about sixty years ago near the 
position of the original Church and a tomb inscribed “ Ilbert 
Dechat.” The Nuns’ kitchen contains a trough cut from a solid 
block of stone, roughly measured as 10ft. by 4ft. and 2ft. deep, 
supposed to have been used for the storage of live fish. The 
remnants of the fireplace still remain ; the flue has been built up. 
The groined roofs of all these buildings are wonderfully perfect. 
Only one fish-pond now remains in the garden, the others havirg 
been filled up. At one end of the pond is a large bronze vessel, 
on a pedestal, called the Nuns’ cauldron, with the inscription : 
“Anno Domini millesimo quingentessimo Deo laus et gloria 
Christo a Petro Waghnens in Mechlinia effusus factus fueram,” 
and at the other side a rare species of cypress of considerable size. 
A good deal of the house and stables is 15 century work. Interior 
The entrance hall has a domed plastered ceiling with coloured 
shields, andislaterthan the house ; here and there are placed figures 
in terra-cotta, and there are remnants of asuit of armour with the 
Talbot crest, and a similar helmet was noticed in the Nuns’ 
dormitory. The stone gallery contains portraits of the Talbot 
