CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



Pn-tice. mouldings and sculpture. In the Norman style the 

 mouldings were chevron work, or zig zag moulding ; 

 Ornaments. em ijattled frette; triangular frette; nail head moulding; 

 Noim.in. billet moulding ; or cylinder cut into part^ ; fascia, band 

 or fillet ; hatched mouldings j nebuli terminated by an 

 undulating line. Ranges of small arches upon small pillars 

 or pilasters were also used for ornaments ; they frequently 

 intersected each other, and were sometimes placed upon 

 corbels or brackets with carved heads. These latter or- 

 naments were likewise found in the spandrel of arches or 

 capitals, and above the keystones. Some whole figures 

 are found over doors in mezzo relievo, being the nearest 

 approach made by the Normans to a statue. 



In the first change from the Norman, the mouldings 

 were less various than in the Norman, and were usually 

 composed of leaves or flowers, with which, not only 

 arches of windows, but pillars, were decorated. Trefoils, 

 quatrefoils, cinquefoils, roses, mullets, bosses, paterae, 

 &c. are found in the spandrels of arches and above key- 

 stones. Ornamentt-d pinnacles are found upon shrines ; 

 also pediments in straight lines, extremely high, with 

 niches and small statues under them ; and on the west 

 front, niches with statues as large as life. 



In the second order, the ornaments are more various 

 and graceful : as finer niches, tabernacles, and statues ; 

 pinnacles though not so lofty, yet more richly embellish- 

 ed with leaves, crockets, and other sculpture ; also rich 

 screens, stalls, and panneled ceiling. 



During the third rder, there is found a profusion of 

 fret work, figures, niches, tabernacles with canopies, pe- 

 destals, croclcett-, tracery ; but above all the rich pendent* 

 and finiab, all of the most exquisite execution, and that 

 equally in stone, wood, and brass. 



The foil- > wing description of the situation and distri- 

 bution of a religious establishment, during the prevalence 

 of Gothic architectun , will convey a pretty distinct idea 

 of the general plan of ecclesia-tical structures. It is taken 

 from a well written account of the town of Shrewsbury, 

 published in 1808. The principal buildings of an abbey, 

 were, 1st, The church, which consist! d of a nave or 

 great western aisle, choir, tran-ept, and usually a large 

 chapel beyond the choir dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, 

 with smaller chapels or chantries adjoining the side aisles 

 of the choir, and some'imcj of the nave. In short, an 

 abbey church differed hardly at all from one of our 

 cathedrals. Attached to one side of the nave, common- 

 ly the southern, was, 2dly, The great cloister, which had 

 two entrances to the church, at the eastern and western 

 ends of the aisle of the nave, for the greater solemnity of 

 processions ; and over the western side of the cloister 

 was, in general, 3dly, The dormitory of the monks ; a 

 long room divided into separate cells, each containing a 

 bed, with a mat, blanket, and rug, also a desk and stool, 

 occupied by a monk. This apartment had a door which 

 opened immediately into the church, on account of mid- 

 night offices. Attached to the side of the cloister, op- 

 posite to the church, was, 4thly, The refectory where 

 the monks dined. In the center of the upper end, raised 

 on two or three steps, was a large crucifix. On the 

 right hand, at a table, sat the abbot, when he dined there : 

 aiid, in his absence, the prior with his guests, of which 

 there were every day many ; and on the left the sub- prior. 

 The monks sat at tables, ranged on each side of the hall, 

 according to their offices and seniority. Near the re- 

 fectory, under which were cellars, as at Worcester, &c. 

 wa, Sthly, The locutorium or parlour, an apartment 

 answering to the common room of a college, where, in 



VOL. VI. PART II. 



the intervals of prayer and study, the monks sat and con- 

 versed. This was the only room in which a constant fire S " - "~V" 

 was allowed in winter. Beyond was the kitchen and its 

 offices, and adjoining to it, the buttery, lavatory, &c. 

 On the eastern side of the cloisters, was, in the center, 

 fithly, The chapter-house, where the business of the 

 abbey was transacted. On one side was a place with 

 stone benches around it, where, perhaps, the tenants 

 waited ; on the other, a room in which records were de- 

 posited, and near it the library and scriptorium, where 

 the monks employed themselves in copying books. On 

 this side also, close up to the transept of the church, was " 

 the treasury, where the costly plate and church orna- 

 ments were kept. Beyond the greater cloister was fre- 

 quently, in the greater abbeys, a smaller, perhaps for the 

 lay brothers, as at Gloucester. Aid more eastward was 

 the lodging of the abbot, consisting of a complete house, 

 with hall, chapel, &c. The i/ther principal offices of the 

 convent had also separate houses, viz. the cellarer or 

 house-steward, the sacrist, almoner, &c. as at Worcester. 

 In this part was usually the hosiery and guesten hall, 

 rooms for the entertainment of strangers ; also the apart- 

 ments for novices. Westward of the cloister was an out-- 

 ward court, round which was the monks infirmary, and 

 the almery. An embattled gate house led to this court, 

 which was the principal entrance of the abbey. The 

 whole was surrounded with an high wall, generally for- 

 tified with battlements and towers. The precinct which 

 it included, was, besides the above-mentioned buildings, 

 occupied by gardens, stables, a mill, barns, gran.iry, &c. 

 Some of the great abbeys situated in the country, as at 

 Glast nbury and Furness, covered sixty acres. 



In the survey of the province of Moray, in Scotland, Pluscar- 

 we have the following- particulars respecting the priory dine 

 of Pluscardine, situated ix miles west of Elgin, which, in P rior y- 

 the distribution of its internal buildings, is said to be af- 

 ter the plan of the French priories and convents of that 

 sera. It was surrounded by a stone wall about 15 feet 

 high, inclosing an area of ten acres. The first edifice ia 

 the church, originally intended to have been built in the 

 form of a cross. 



Dimensiont of Pluscardine Priory. 



Feet. In- 

 Length from north to south, (on the east has Dimen- 



been a suit of aisles, ) 94 4^ siont. 



Breadth within the aisles 27 8 



Ditto including the aisles, 46 10 



Length of the eastern transept, 56 1 



Breadth of ditto, 26 4 



Contiguous to the church, on the south is the 

 Lady or Virgin's aisle, extending from east to 



west, 56 1 



Breadth of ditto IS 



To the south of the Lady's aisle is the chapter- 

 house supported by a clustered piliar, an ele- 

 gant room, having four very large windows, it 



is (square,) 30 



Contiguous to this, on the south, is a vault- 

 ed lobby, leading to a cloistered court on the 

 we t. 



Beyond this, to the south, is the kitchen, sup- 

 ported by two pillars ; length 45 6 



Breadth 29 8 



Beneath the southmost half of the kitchen was 

 4o 



