1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



375 



ANTIQUARIAN DISCOVERIES AT LEWES. 



Strange, indeed, are the chanpes wrought by time and man's inge- 

 nuily ; for these relics of nearly eight centuries since have been upturned 

 in a work peculiar to our own times — the construction of n railway ; and 

 this by a circumstance purely accidental, and but for which the relics 

 might have rested for many more centuries. The ])rojected line of rail- 

 way from Brijjhtou to Hastings, it may be necessary to slate, runs lhrou};h 

 a portion of the town of Lewes, or rather through the grounds of the 

 ancient Priory of St. Pancras ; and, although it will not materially dis- 

 turb the walls, there will yet be a cutting 40 feet wide by about fj feet 

 deep, traversing in a north-eastern direction from the western boundary 

 to the north-eastern wall adjoining the Mount Field. 



Nearly upon this spot, workman bad, for some lime, been removing the 

 earth from the side banks of the western ruins of the Priory, without dis- 

 covering anything of interest; but, ou Monday week, they commenced 

 clearing a driftway on the bank of the west side of the remains of the 

 Priory chapel, on the high ground. During the day, the workmen found 

 a leaden coffin, 5 ft. 4 iu. long, containing the remains of a female skele- 

 ton, and portions of cere cloth : the coffin was surrounded with Caen stone, 

 and the lead was muck decayed. Slill, there was nothing to aid the iden- 

 tifying of these remaios ; and their discovery was chiefly interesting as a 

 good presage of wbatmight beexpected. Accordingly, on Tuesday morning, 

 the workmen exposed a leaden cist, or coll'er, surrounded by a few Caen 

 stones ) After clearing away the soil, the cist was carefully removed, and, 

 on being opened, was found ',o contain human bones, proved to be the 

 remains of Gundreda, daughter of William the Conqueror, the name 

 " GVNI)REUA,"as it is spelt, being cut upon the lid. The size of the 

 cist is about S feet in length, a foot in width, and 9 inches in depth : the 

 lid, sides, and ends, are in excellent preservation, but the bottom is much 

 corroded. The lead is oroamenlally cast in beaded compartments of the 

 lozt-nge form, 5 inches by 3 ; and the lid fits on, or rather laps over the 

 sides. Soon afier the finding of this cist, and at a short distance from it, 

 the workmen found a second cist, precisely similar in form, character, and 

 material; being, however, slightly longer: the bottom is much decayed, 

 and on the lid is inscribed" WILLMs," an old but usual way of writing 

 Gulielmus. This has been readily interpreted into the name of William of 

 Warren; by this means establishing the fact that these cists contain the 

 remains of Gundreda, the founder of the Priory, and of her lord, the first 

 Earl of Warren and Surrey. Ancient records prove ihat Gundreda died 

 in 1085, and that both were interred in the Chapter House of Lewes Priory ; 

 the latter being, as it is stated, " buried in the Chapter House, in a tomb 

 adjoining that in which his Countess was laid. The cists were found lying 

 about 2J feet below the surface in two square coniparlments, formed, ap- 

 parently, by the foundation-walls, or under the floor of what is presumed 

 to have been the Chapter House. 



Thus far the circumstances of the discovery of ihe relics. The ground is 

 the site of the great Cluniac Priory of St Pancras, in Soulliover ; the origin of 

 which is traceable to the piety of ihe Earl of Warren and his lady Gundreda, 

 who, in the year 107G, set out on a pilgrimage to Rome ; and receiving 

 great kindness from the prior and monks of St. Per, at Cluny, they were 

 induced to entertain a greater regard for that order and house than any 

 other which they had seen. Being already determined, by the persua- 

 sion of .-Vrchbishop Lanfranc, to erect a religious house for the pardon of 

 their sins and the saving of their souls, they requested of ihe abbot at 

 Cluny three or four monks for Ihe intended monastery. The abbot consented, 

 and the grateful baron returned home to carry into effect his holy project. 

 In about six years, the work was completed ; the brethren took posses- 

 sion of their magnificent residence, and grants and benefactions, to an 

 almost incredible extent, enriched the increasing fraternity. Some idea of 

 the extensive scale of the monastery maybe formed from Ihe well-ascer- 

 tained fact, that its walls embraced an area of more than 32 acres. The 

 great church was rebuilt in the reign of Henry II. lis length was 130 

 feet ; its height, (jO feet : it was supported by 32 pillars, S of which were 

 not less than 42 feet high, 18 feet thick, and 45 leet in circumference ; the 

 remaining 24 were 10 feet thick, 25 feet in ciicumference, and IS feet in 

 height. The roof before the great allar had an elevation of 93 feet. The 

 Chapter House and Ihe Church were by far the most splendid parts of 

 this stately pile : in the former were interred the remains of tlie founder of 

 the monastery and his Countess (as we have explained), several of his 

 successors iu the barony, and some distinguished nobles ; the latter was 

 richly adorned by the painter and sculptor, and was distinguished by the 

 magnificence of Ihe funeral monuments, with which it appears to have 

 been crowded. We quole these details from Mr. Baxter's forthcoming 

 " Guide to Lewes." 



AVe should add, from the Sussex Express, that, in 1828 and 1829, work- 

 men were eniploved to level the ground about the standing walls, when 

 the turf was taken off from a great portion of the land, and the foun- 

 dations of many walls wei-e exposed. A plan of them was made by 

 Mr. W. E. Baxter, the publisher, in whose possession it now is. Iu 

 1836, the frontage to the north of the Priory grounds was laid out for 

 building a crescent and row of houses. To Ihe south-west of the ruins 

 stood, till lately, a portion of the immense pigeon house belonging to the 

 fraternity ; it was built in the form of a cross, and contained recesses for 

 more than 3,000 pair of doves. A mansion of Ihe Dorset family, which 

 was destroyed by fire about 150 years ago, stood adjoining the church- 

 yard, and haji given the name of Lord's place to the site. 



On our late visit, the spot was crowded with wonder-stricken inquirers. 

 We there learned that, ou the discovery of the relics, they were carefully 

 preserved by Mr. Aclon, the chief oliicer of the Lewes and Hastings 

 Railway Police, who had them removed to his own house, and the greater 

 part of them from thence to the Church of Saint John the Baptist, at 

 Soulhover. The urn, with its leaden case, and a few small relics, were 

 left at Mr. .Melon's : the case, iu form, resembles a kitchen boiler, uud has 

 a projection from the lower part resembling a tap. 



Nearly in the centre of the west end of Ihe nave is the memorial, or 

 collin-lid, of Gundreda. It is a slab of black Norman marble, sculptured 

 Willi foliage iu a fine early style, and bearing around its edge, and up ihe 

 middle, tile following inscription, with blight conjectural suppleineuis, iu 

 Anglo-Norman characters ; — 



•' Stirps Ciundreda Ducuni, decus evi, nobile germeo, 

 Intulit Ecclesiis Anglorum balsama roorum, 

 Martha fuit miseris, fuit ex pietate Maria; 

 Pars obiit Marlhe, superest pars magna Marie. 

 O pie Pancrati, testis pietatis et equi, 

 Te fecit heredem, tu cleinens suscipe niatr 

 Sexta kalendarum .lunii lux obviu carni 

 Ifregit alabastrum." 

 The following observations ou the discovery, communicated to the 

 Sussex Express, by Mr. lilaauvv, one of the committee, are entitled to 

 special attention ; — 



" It is obvious, from the length of these receptacles, that the bones of 

 the Earl and Countess have been transferieil to them from some previous 

 tombs ; and it is not difficult to suppose that the Chapter House, not being 

 built at the time of their deaths, the founders were buried elsewhere until 

 its completion; and that the bodies were then found so decayed, Ihat 

 their bones only remained for removal to a more distinguished siliiatiou, 

 and were on that occasion placed in these very leaden chests. A rebuild- 

 ing of the Priory Church was begun on the anniversary of William the 

 founder's death in 1243, and from the antique form of the letters G and M, 

 the inscriptions cannot he fixed at a later period. The characters, indeed, 

 more resemble the form used in the 12lh century. Of the genuiue anti- 

 quity of these relics there caunot be Ihe slightest doubt." 



SOCTHOVER CHURCH, 



wherein the relics are deposited, is an heterogeneous but interesting 

 structure, built upon the northern verge of the Priory grounds ; and the 

 discovery of great quantities of bones near this spot, a few years since, 

 led to the inference that it was the cemetery of the church of the monas- 

 tery. 



Still, the present church of Southover is, in part, ancient. It consists 

 of a square brick tower, in which is the principal entrance doorway, 

 lately restored in good taste. You pass beneath, or through, Ihe tower, 

 into the nave, which is separated from the only aisle (south) by arches, 

 three of which are circular, supported by cyliudriciil columns, whilst the 

 remaining arches are of about the 16th century. The, edifice was originally 

 of much greater length than at present ; for it terminates with the chancel 

 midway in one of the arches of the later period. The stone window- 

 frames, of various design, some of them very fine, are stated to have been 

 brought from the Priory ruins, but the original bases of the cylindrical 

 columns carry us to the Norman age. The interior has lately been re- 

 paired ; and in the windows are some good examples of old stained glass, 

 a few fine specimens of yesterday ; the emblem of the Trinity, in one of 

 the northern windows, for instance. We are happy'to learn that the 

 chancel is shortly to be restored, and its large altar window to be dis- 

 placed by one of appropriate design. Above the allar is a painting of the 

 Last Supper, by Mortimer, who was a native of Eastbourne; and high 

 above this, filling the gable of the roof, hangs a large but ill-executed 

 painting of St. .John the Baptist, lo whom the church is dedicated. The 

 roof of ihe nave, too, has open timber-work. There is a gallery at the 

 west end, with a small organ ; and in the south-west corner is au unsightly 

 wooden inclosure, lighted by one window, and used a* a veslry-ioom. 

 Here we saw the remains of the woollen gown of a monk, and a portion 

 of his shoes, the materials of both readily crumbled at the touch. 



The tower of the church was built early in Ihe last century, in place of 

 the tower and steeple, which fell down in 109S. The former bears the 

 date 1714 ; in its west face is sculptured in stone the shields of the Karls 

 of Warren; in the soulrli, a rose and ducal crown; and ou the north, iu 

 .-\uglo-Saxon characters, T. A. D. K. (Theobaldus Archiepiscopus Dedi- 

 cavit Ecclesiam), commemorating the dedication of the church by 'I'heo- 

 bald. Archbishop of Canterbury, who was translated to the see, a. d. 

 1 138. In the ground, at the eastern end of the church, are some massive 

 remains of columns and arches, which may bespeak the original extent of 

 the fine old castle. 



The relics have been preserved by these means. The land on which 

 the Priory stood, and through which the railway passes, belongs to a lady 

 named .lackson, and who stipulated with tlie contractor for the railway 

 works, Mr. Wytlies, through her solicitor, Mr. Hoper, of Lewes, that all 

 relics which might be. discovered should be reserved for her. Accord- 

 ingly, they have been saved from falling inlo the hands of persons who 

 might have been unable to appreciate their real interest, but who might 

 have caused tlieui to minister to their cupidity. — Illustrated London A'eus. 



