86 THE POOLS TOWN CELLAR. 



as Sir William Phipard's. It was from a panel over one of 

 the mantelpieces in this house that the celebrated lost Rubens was 

 taken, sold at auction for 4s. 9d., but afterwards realising, as 

 far as I recollect, over 900. This house never was the property 

 of Sir William Phipard, although a daughter of the Phipard 

 family married one Scalpin, who owned this property, which was 

 once the George Inn. I do not know anything of its previous 

 history, but presumably it was built at the same time as the Town 

 Cellars, as on one end of it is a finial base of exactly the same 

 carving, size, and character as those on the Town Cellars, and 

 there are other characteristics about the house with regard to its 

 doorways, windows, &c., which render it probable that it was 

 built at the same time, and for a similar purpose as the before 

 mentioned buildings. In the Kendall's alley wall is a curious 

 ventilating stone worthy of notice. I found when turning over 

 Chaucer in search of Par Adieux that in 1388 Chaucer assigned his 

 pension as comptroller of customs of wool, wine, &c., to a person 

 of the name of John Scalby, and that Chaucer married a sister of 

 Catherine Swynford (or Rouet), the mistress, and afterwards wife 

 of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The semblance of the 

 names Scalby and Scalpin is singular, and the more so that Henry 

 IV., after the execution of Sir Jno. de Montacute, claimed the 

 Manor of Canf ord and Town of Poole, amongst other properties, by 

 right of inheritance, as cousin and heir to Thomas, Earl of Lancas- 

 ter, the King's ancestor. 



There remains now the piece of wall at the back of St. Clement's 

 Inn, referred to by Sydenham and Hutchins as the remains of the 

 Town Wall. This piece of wall, built of rubble and pieces of 

 worked and unworked stone, has on the outside a long corbel 

 plate on the south side of the door, the corbels being of half 

 billet pattern, the billets being 13 in number ; they are 8in. in 

 width and 1ft. apart. There is in the wall a doorway arched, in 

 width 3ft. 2in., in height 7ft. Sin. There are on the top of the 

 wall the remains of three embrasures, in height 2ft. 9in., in width 

 1ft. 8in., width of piece between openings 2ft. 9in. The top of the 



