MEDIEVAL FLOOR TILES. 135 



mason might lay as good a pavement as the expert. It is 

 certainly possible to trace a similarity of pattern between the 

 Saxon " bleo-stoenings " and the Roman mosaic work ; but the 

 clearest evidence of the evolution process is seen in the coloured 

 stone marqueierie patterns to the east of the altar screen at 

 Canterbury Cathedral, as well as in the floors of Fountains 

 Abbey and Ely Cathedral. In Prior Cranden's Chapel within 

 the latter edifice the designs are not inlaid into the tiles them- 

 selves, which are each of one colour only, but the pattern is 

 produced by the outlines of the individual pieces. Nor are these 

 necessarily rectangular, for, having been moulded in several 

 shapes and sizes, a geometrical figure, an animal, or flower 

 of one colour may be seen inserted after the manner of the 

 child's picture puzzle into a corresponding cavity prepared for it 

 in a specimen of another tint. Suffice it to say that, in spite of 

 the complications of this method, not only lions and other 

 ferocious beasts are pourtrayed at Ely, but flowers, trees, and 

 foliage receive treatment, in addition to which an effective 

 chef (Tccuvre is provided by a somewhat pretentious representa- 

 tion of the temptation of our first parents in the Garden of 

 Eden. 



Dealing next with mediaeval decorative glazed floor tiles I first 

 of all carefully refrain from calling them, as is so often done 

 nowadays, " encaustic tiles " ; for this designation has been 

 already appropriated to an antique process of a totally different 

 nature, and only causes confusion. The process of their 

 manufacture appears to have been as follows : The tiler first 

 made of red clay a batch of " quarries " ; as to shape, in most 

 cases square, though at Chertsey segmental and circular tiles are 

 found, narrow oblongs at Salisbury, Malmesbury, and here at 

 Fordington, elongated lozenges at St. Albans, three of which 

 combined into a regular hexagon, and wedge shapes, triangulars 

 and hexagonals in a few other instances; these, after being 

 partially dried in the sun, were imprinted with the pattern from a 

 wooden stamp cut in reverse relief. Then a preparation of 

 white china clay was worked over the whole surface, and when 



