124 [Proc. B. N. F. C, 



the men at arms or retainers, for protection the windows were 

 narrow shts. Over this came the principal room or hall, of the 

 knight and his family, and an attic partly in the roof, gave pro- 

 bably bedrooms for some of these, in addition to the small re- 

 cesses off the large hall. The thick County Down slate slabs 

 made a strong, though very heavy roof, A shaped, and a broad 

 gutter of this slate, running all round behind the battlements, 

 formed a walk from which the defenders could shoot in safety 

 through the machicolations. We now see the reason for the 

 arch across the front, — from behind this, which was provided 

 with a wider platform than the other parts, missiles, melted 

 lead &c., could be dropped just unto the front of the narrow 

 doorway. In the case of the Ardglass Castle the same arrange- 

 ment is to be seen, the door being to the right instead of the 

 left, as at Audley's, and in addition there is a second arched 

 projection perpendicularly over the door itself, evidently for 

 the same purpose. There is in this castle considerable archi- 

 tectural elegance, and the proportions are singularly lofty and 

 graceful. This castle can hardly be so early in date as De 

 Courcy's time. The ogive window seen in front, and the 

 corbelling of the arches, all look more like the work of the 

 fourteenth century than the twelfth. 



The well preserved castle of Kilclief, about the middle of the 

 Western shore of the inlet which joins Strangford Lough to 

 the open sea, marks the site of a very early ecclesiastic station, 

 for the foundation of an abbey here is attributed to SS. Eugene 

 and Neill, disciples of St. Patrick. The original castle is very 

 like Audley's but better preserved. It was subsequently added 

 to, and became for some time the palace of the Bishops of 

 Down. The original door, in the same position as Audley's 

 was probably altered when the two story addition in front was 

 erected — over the roof of this, however, the arch is still seen, 

 and the winding stair remains in the South Eastern projection. 

 There are the remains in the original part of a two-light cusped 

 and mullioned window of fourteenth century character, which 

 regarded by itself might be deemed an insertion, but looked at 



