CITY OF DURHAM 



and 3 ft. 6 in. from the inside of the north 

 wall, which leaves a space of 2 ft. I in. 

 between the return and the present face of 

 the great north wall, and it is suggested 

 that here was the original entrance to this 

 turret from a passage in the great north wall. 

 There is the lower part of a blocked window of 

 two lights in the upper part of the west wall. 

 The original work of this wall and the roof 



surrounded hy the Garter, with the lion and 

 unicorn as supporters standing on a wTeath 

 bearing the motto Beati Pacifici. Each side 

 panel contains a group of three shields, the larger 

 in the centre bearing the arms of the see, 

 impaling the arms of Bishop James quarterly 

 I and 4 (a dolphin embowered), 2 and 3, ermine 

 on a chief azure three crosslets or, the whole 

 standing on a ribbon bearing the motto Dei 



do not appear to be bonded with the great north gratia sum quod sum. The four earlier 

 wall, but the joint of the east wall cannot be 

 seen, as it is covered with a pyramidal mass of 

 rough uncoursed rubble work. 



The only feature of interest on the courtyard, 

 or south side, is the wall immediately above 

 Bishop TunstaU's chapel, which appears to be 

 of 14th-century date. In this wall can be traced 

 a large pointed double window the upper part 

 of which has disappeared. This window must 

 have lighted a large apartment, now divided into 

 the Bursar's Lodgings, above the Senate Room or 

 Drawing Room. In the passage, on the inside, 

 a portion of the jambs of one of the windows 

 may be seen. In the place of these older 

 windows, three windows have been inserted ; 

 the centre one, of 16th-century date, is a square- 

 headed window of three lights. The east one 

 is above the jamb of the earlier window, which 

 is to be seen from the level of the window sill 

 down to the floor ; it i s deeply splayed and checked 

 in the centre. Both the new and the old jambs 

 are of finely dressed ashlar with close joints. 

 The east and west windows are of modern date 

 and have two lights with four-centred heads 

 having small eyelets in the spandrels. Under 

 this apartment and immediately over the old 

 Norman Chapel is the Senate Room, probably 

 formed by Bishop Neile (1617-28), who inserted 

 the present square-headed windows in the great 

 north wall, here 9 ft. thick; the flat arches of 

 these windows are noticeable on the north 

 front.'* This room was probably refitted by 

 Bishop Egerton (1772-87). The walls are 

 covered with Brussels tapestry of the i6th cen- 

 tury, depicting incidents in the life of Moses. 

 There is also a fine carved oak overmantel of 

 the time of Bishop James (1606-17). The 

 mantel possesses a cornice supported on carved 

 lion heads as brackets, a frieze and architrave, 

 the latter supported by caryatides standing 

 on an ovolo fluted base, and dividing the lower 

 portion into three compartments each slightly 

 recessed and decorated with elaborately carved 

 arches springing from fluted pilasters with 

 carved Ionic capitals. Each compartment con- 

 tains a coat of arms on a scroll groundwork ; that 

 in the centre bears the arms of France and 

 England quarterly i and 4, Scotland 2, Ireland 3, 



shields in the two side panels are insertions, 

 supposed to be the arms of Palatinate officials 

 of that time, but several are of obviously later 

 date. The three panels of the frieze each con- 

 tain the lion and unicorn standing at gaze on 

 either side of a Tudor rose. The mantel has had 

 a somewhat chequered existence. It is supposed 

 to have been prepared for the place where it 

 now stands in expectation of the proposed visit 

 of King James ; it was recovered in later years 

 from a house in the Exchequer Buildings 

 and restored to its former position in the 

 Senate Room by the University.'* The large 

 oak doors of this room are in two panels with 

 raised moulds, and together with the architraves 

 are of Jacobean feeling. In the east wall is a 

 door leading into a bedroom by a short passage 

 with closets or stores, the one on the left having 

 been probably used as a powder or stool closet. 

 The walls of the bedroom are lined with late 

 17th-century paneUing, and a portion hung with 

 an odd piece of tapestry. 



The mound and keep are placed practically 

 on the centre of the total width of the north 

 front. The mound rises to 45 ft. above the 

 general level of the courtyard and is divided into 

 three terraces by means of alternate slopes and 

 retaining walls. The terraces, it is recorded, 

 were made during the time of Bishop Cosin 

 (1660-72), long after the keep had lost any 

 military value. They have been identified with 

 the cubitis iribus referred to by Laurence," 

 but the words will not bear this meaning, nor 

 for defensive reasons could terraces be possible 

 on a castle mound. The original mound may 

 have been partly natural but enlarged with the 

 earth taken from the south moat. In any 

 case it was considerably extended or widened 

 later by Bishop Hatfield, who is said to have 

 enlarged the keep, for which purpose the mound 

 must have been lowered. This widening is 

 evidenced by the blocking of the east windows 

 of the Norman Chapel. The base of the mound 

 was at one period defended by a chemise wall, 

 the foundations of which exist in places, and the 

 position of it may be roughly followed by the 

 various walls at present supporting the base. 



'* Hutchinson, op. cit. i, 605 ; iii, p. rvi ; Heylin, 

 Cypreanus Anglicus, pt. i, p. 74. 



'* There is grave doubt whether the jamb supports 

 are original. 



" Laurence of Durham, op. cit. (Surt. Soc.), 11. 



89 



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