THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY & NATURALIST. 



107 



Four ancient kilns for burning these tiles have been dis- 

 covered in Worcestershire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. 

 One was brought to light in 1833, close to the Priory 

 Church of Great Malvern. In 1837 another kiln of a similar 

 construction was discovered near Droitwich. The site of 

 a third kiln was discovered in 1844, near Great Saredon, 

 Staffs. Towards the close of 1866 a fourth kiln, with 

 numerous perfect tiles, was discovered within the old 

 Abbey wall of Repton Priory, Derbyshire. The kiln, as 

 shown in the accompanying sketch, is composed of two 

 chambers each of six arches. 



I am not aware that a monastic kiln for burning encaustic 

 tiles has been discovered in the southern part of this 

 county. Most probably there were such at Beaulieu and 

 Quarr in the Isle of Wight, if not at Netley and Romsey, 

 and neighbourhood of Winchester. But, in any case, from 

 the similarity of the patterns of the tiles that are still to be 

 seen in Winchester Cathedral, the churches of St. Cross, 

 Romsey Abbey, and Christchurch Priory, and of the tiles 

 that have been discovered in the ruins of St. Denys Priory, 

 and the Abbeys of Netley and Beaulieu, there is evidence 

 to show that many of the tiles used at these six places 

 were made either from the same, or precisely similar 

 moulds. To illustrate my meaning, I have brought with 

 me a few drawings in fac simile, made by one of my 

 daughters, from tracings that 1 made some years ago from 

 the original tiles at these several places. 



Of 105 tracings of monastic tiles that I have made from 

 original examples in the south of this county, and from 

 the Nunnery o( Tarrant, in Dorsetshire, 34 are taken from 

 examples at Beaulieu, 43 at Netley, 39 at the Church of St. 

 Cross, 57 at Winchester Cathedral, 33 at Romsey Abbey 

 Church, 8 at Christchurch Priory Church, and 5 at Tarrant 

 Crawford. I would more especially direct your attention 

 to the following examples : 



(1) The shield of arms of the family of St. John 

 supported by two monkeys. This example is found at 

 Netley, Beaulieu, and Winchester. (This fragment of an 

 original tile impressed with this device was given to me 

 by the late Mr. Kell.) In the Heralds' Visitation of 

 Huntingdonshire made by Camden in 1613, and which 

 forms Vol. XLIII of the Camden Society's publications, 

 the shield of quarterings of the St. Johns is there repre- 

 sented between the same supporters. This baronial family 

 were seated in Hampshire prior to the reign of Henry III, 

 holding the Barony of Basing and 54 other lordships. 



(2) The armorial shield within semicular canopies is a 

 unique example from Netley. The drawing is made from 

 a fragment that I found at Netley (now before you). It re- 

 presents the arms of the De Spencers, who became Earls 

 of Gloucester, through the marriage of Hugh le Despencer 

 with the heiress of Clare. By an error in making the 

 mould, or die, the quartering has been reversed. Re- 

 versals in making moulds both in bell-founding and tile- 

 making are not unusual as regards numerals, lettering, 

 and heraldry. By turning the face of the water colour to 

 the light and looking at it from the back the quarterings 

 are seen aright. Quarterly, i and 4 Azure. 2 and 3 

 Gules a fret or. Over all a bend Sable. Four of this 

 pattern (probably with alternating shields of Clare and 

 Despencer) would form a large and beautiful circle com- 

 posed ot twelve cusped semicircles enclosing quatrefoils 

 with trefoils within the cusps, the whole enclosing four 

 heraldic shields, their base points meeting towards the 

 centre. 



(3) A like error of reversal of heraldic charges occurs in 

 the shield of arms o( Abbot Skevington. Three examples 

 of this tile have been found at Beaulieu, and only at 

 Beaulieu. Two of these are placed in the pavement ot the 



south-west turret at the palace, and one in the tablet of 

 tiles constructed by the late Rev. F. W. Baker, incumbent 

 of Beaulieu, and now kept in the Museum. The charges on 

 the shield may be thus described, S. on a chevron between, 

 3 doves Arg., 3 pinks, or gilly flowers slipped proper, in 

 chief three annulets Or. By a blunder of the mouldmaker 

 the doves are reversed. Thomas Skevington, alias Pace, 

 while Abbot of Beaulieu, was made Bishop of Bangor by 

 Henry VIII, and consecrated on i7th June, 1509. He re- 

 tained both the abbacy and the bishoprick till his death in 

 1533. Abbot Skevington had some connection with the 

 Cistercian Abbey of Merevale in Warwickshire, for he set 

 up a stained glass window in the abbey church there, in 

 which his shield of arms was to be seen in Dugdale's 

 time, circa 1650, viz., the See of Bangor, impaling Skeving- 

 ton, as above, surmounted by a bishop's mitre, and this 

 legend underneath in black letters, " Thomas Skevingtom 

 Epus Bangor. hanc fenestram fieri fecit." All this had dis- 

 appeared more than 130 years ago. 



(4) The spiral flowered scroll ending in a gorgon which 

 occurs at Netley, Beaulieu, and Winchester Cathedral, and 

 seven examples of a fabulous creature which occur at those 

 places, and at St. Denys Priory, St. Cross and Romsey, 

 very likely have reference to the heraldic gryphon, which 

 was the crest and badge of the Despencers. 



(5) The cluster of squares divided diagonally occurs at 

 Beaulieu, Winchester Cathedral and St. Cross. 



(6) The star of six rays, voided in the centre by a ring. 

 This example and pattern occur at Beaulieu, Winchester 

 Cathedral and Wherwell Priory. 



(7) Four examples of arcs oi circles intersecting each 

 other, forming the well-known pattern of the " Vesica 

 Piscis" occur at Netley, Beaulieu, Winchester Cathedral, St. 

 Cross, and Romsey. There is one other interesting ex- 

 ample at Beaulieu, remarkable for its beauty. 



(8) Five examples occur at Beaulieu, formed on the 

 element of the Cross, which show great variety and beauty 

 of form. 



(9) We now come to a set of designs, representing the 

 arm, or one portion of the Cross, four of which are required 

 to complete the pattern. Too much cannot be said in 

 paise of their beautj', variety, and exuberance of design. 

 Notice, for instance, the emblem of love and peace in the 

 two doves, combined with the flowered arms of ;he Cross, 

 and the emblem of purity in the fleur-de-lis, and its 

 redundant variety in forming the four arms of the cross. 



(10) Of the merely decorative pavement there are 

 several varieties of design at Beaulieu ; one combines the 

 elements of the square with curves and trefoiled cusps ; 

 another, the elements of the square with five stars within 

 truncated circles ; another, quatrefoils of two patterns 

 within squares ; another exhibits a combination of circles, 

 with balls, or plates between. A more elaborate design, 

 of which the circle forms the element, represents the 

 Catherine wheel, or rose window of Gothic architecture. 

 A more elaborate example ot this pattern occurs at Netley 

 and St. Cross. 



(n) Of border patterns five different examples are met 

 witli at Beaulieu. 



Of the 43 different examples that I' have noted at 

 Beaulieu, 20 of the same identical patterns are found at 

 Netley. 



There is enough to show that these t*ro abbeys, as well 

 as other monasteries in the neighbourhood possessed 

 decorated tiles of precisely the same patterns, if not made 

 in the same moulds. The Monks of Beaulieu and Netley 

 were members of the same order and governed by the same 

 rules, and the first Abbot and fraternity of monks of 

 Netley were chosen from Beaulieu. 



