OLD CLEEVE ABBEY. 83 
Abbey itself, an ancient mill, two fish-ponds, and, without 
doubt, the farm and other oflices necessarily attached to so 
large an establishment ; and at the same time afforded a 
defence against any sudden attack of robbers—a precaution 
which the state of society at the end of the 12th century 
must have rendered very useful to a body of foreign 
ecclesiastis. Near the middle of the south-eastern side 
of the moat is a ford which is now, and probably was 
anciently, used for farmiug purposes; and from the 
number of building stones lying near, it seems to have 
been flanked by walls, and, perhaps, closed by a gate, 
though I have not been able as yet to discover any well- 
defined foundations there. The gate-house itself is a very 
curious and beautiful structure ; and from its architeetural 
peculiarities requires a minute and accurate description. It 
ständs nearly north-east and south-west, and is entered at 
the north end by a very fine and lofty equilateral archway, 
flanked on the east side by a buttress of two stages, the 
mouldings of which prove it to be a work of the latter part 
of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century. Upon 
close investigation, it does not seem that this buttress 
is part of the original building, which is probably as 
early as the 13th century; for it is simply built against 
the wall, with very little, if any, bonding, and was 
clearly meant to strengthen the original walls, when 
the additions, which I shall point out, were made to 
the gate-house by William Dovell, the last abbot. "The 
west side of the gate is entirely occupied by a massive 
plain buttress of modern construction, the necessity of 
which to the preservation of the building is unfortunate, 
as it not only diminishes the beauty of the gate, but by 
blocking up a doorway, traces of which may be seen on that 
side, destroys what might otherwise have probably afforded 
