A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



left a highway (via rtgaRs) 1 3 ft. broad with a head- 

 way of at least 1 6 ft. to admit of the passing of carts 

 and men-at-arms and their serving-men with lances 

 and arms. The ' kynges custom hows ' 93 was ' by ye 

 water gate,' and 'j gret gonne upon wholes' stood 

 before it. The present entrance to Winkle Street was 

 due to a breach in the town wall made towards the 

 end of the eighteenth century to facilitate business on 

 the quay. Finally in 1 804 the gate and ancient 

 buildings flanking it were removed. 



From Watch Tower below Water Gate the wall, 

 some vestiges of which remain, passed eastward with a 

 southerly inclination for about 250 ft., when it 

 touched the south flanking of God's House Gate. 

 This portion of the wall did not exist at the end of 

 the thirteenth century, as we have proof that the 

 south side of the quadrangle of God's House (see 

 below) was exposed to the sea. 



God's House Gatehouse is a plain oblong structure 

 of two stories, 23 ft. deep and 3 oft. broad, its south 

 end projecting with an obtuse angle beyond the line 

 of the town wall. A lofty vaulted roadway, 10 ft. 

 wide, piercing its north end leads into Winkle Street ; 

 and no other ancient opening occurred in the base- 

 ment, which was used as a dungeon. The somewhat 

 awkward position of this gateway passage was governed 

 by the abutment of the town wall ; it may also be 

 noticed that the gatehouse was in existence some 100 

 years before the erection of the adjacent gallery and 

 tower, which have in effect thrust the old entrance 

 into a corner. These latter buildings belong to the 

 close of the fourteenth or beginning of the fifteenth 

 century, their object being not only an increase 

 of the accommodation, but the securing an exten- 

 sive flank defence for the gate and the protection 

 of the sluices of the ditch over which the tower 

 was constructed. 



This work projects about 85 ft. The two-story 

 gallery connecting the gate with the tower is about 

 55 ft. in height by 30 ft. in breadth. The lower 

 story had no opening on the south or outside, and 

 was originally covered with a vaulted roof. The 

 tower is in three stages crowned by a battlement 

 with only one wide-splayed embrasure on each side 

 adapted for fire-artillery. 



Since 1775 it had been used as the town gaol, the 

 Bridewell having been settled over the gateway since 

 1707. The felons' gaol was within the gallery, the 

 debtors' prison in the tower. In 1835 the whole 

 condition was very bad. 94 The buildings themselves 

 had become misused, injured, and dilapidated : but 

 when their use for prison purposes had been abandoned 

 in 1855, and when again in 1875 the gatehouse and 

 gallery were needed for storage accommodation, a 

 careful repair of the whole surface was carried out, and 

 a curious garderobe was discovered at the north-west 

 angle of the second floor, carefully blocked by clear 

 masonry at least 2 ft. thick. 95 Close by the tower was 

 the ' Millhouse,' which was probably the gallery 

 adjoining. In 1468 labourers were paid to ' sette 

 owte the gonnes ' there. Among its several guns in 

 store was one called ' Thomas with the beard ' ' the 

 whiche seyd gonne called Thomas wt ye Berd new 



bowned and pencylled, as in yis sam bok shewt, wt ij 

 holle chawmbers to ye sam, wt viij gonne stones and 

 viij tampons to ye same were delyvcred by Master 

 Andrew J.imes, leftenaunte, ye xxx day of May, Ano. 

 viij R. E. iiij, to my lord Scales by endenture as y 

 onderstond.' In connexion with these buildings 

 frequent mention is made of the ' Longhouse before 

 God's house,' which was no doubt the early fifteenth- 

 century building the remains of which we see in that 

 position with the town wall behind it. 



From the north-west corner of the spur-work just 

 described the wall runs 1 60 ft. to a half-round tower, 

 23 ft. in diameter. This tower in 1468 carried two 

 guns. Ninety feet farther on are the remains of a small 

 rectangular tower, 22 ft. broad, which at the same date 

 was furnished with two guns with chambers. At 

 another 90 ft. was a second square tower, 30 ft. broad, 

 which had two guns and six chambers. The wall is 

 traceable most of the way, but nothing remains of 



GOD'S HOUSE TOWER, SOUTHAMPTON 



the other towers as far as East Gate. In this line from 

 God's House Tower to East Gate there were altogether 

 eight towers, two rectangular and six drums or half- 

 drums ; though the muster book of 1544 enumerates 

 only seven, possibly omitting one as too small for 

 special defence. 



East Gate was a heavy structure with bold side 

 towers and a front thrown well forward beyond its 

 flankings. There was a chapel above the gate dedicated 

 to St. Mary to which Agnes le Horder 96 left a bequest 

 in 1348. In 1641 we find this same chapel leased 

 out with a tenement and garden close by. It had 

 been for many years used as a warehouse. 97 Between 

 East Gate and St. Denys Tower some 145 ft. from 

 the gate was a small tower. 



St. Denys or Polymond Tower at the north-east 

 angle of the town, a drum 28 ft. in diameter and in 

 three stages, mostly demolished in 18289, still 

 presents some considerable remains. In 1468 it was 



8 Steward's Bk. 1468. large spruce chest contained 'xix chawm- polaxis. Item ....iij qrtes of barell 



M Ref. on Munic. Corf. (1835). bres longyng to ye Orgons after specifyed. gonne powder. Item .... gonne itones 



K Among the military stores of this Item in the sam chest j baner steyned upon of dyvcrs sorts.' Stewards' Bks. 



tower in 1460 were a brokeri gun, two lynyne cloth wt ye kinges armes and Add. MS. 15314, foL 85, 86. 



whole guns and one 'serpentine.' A order. Item in ye same towre iij hold 9 " Steward's Bk. 1641-2. 



5O2 



