Mr. George Tate on the Fame Islands. 225 



seen from the shore at Monkshouse. The columnar character of 

 the basalt is very interestingly shown by the pinnacles or pillars 

 which rise out of the sea, apart from the mass of the islands. 

 On the south side of the Fame, one of these stupendous columns 

 is nearly 60 feet high. It stands in the midst of the sea in rude 

 majesty, like a memorial monolith dedicated to the memory of 

 the numerous voyagers who have been entombed beneath the 

 surging waters. 



Not far from the landing-place on the east side of the island, 

 St.Cuthbert erected his lowly Oratory; and still nearer to the 

 water's edge stood the Hospitium, a larger building, where the 

 brethren and strangers visiting the island might repose without 

 intruding on the lonely anchorite. All relics of the Oratory 

 long ago disappeared; but the Hospitium was in existence 

 in the twelfth century; and though that too in the course of 

 ages has passed away, yet a more recent, but an old building, 

 called in Speed's Map " a Fishe Howse," stands on its site, and 

 was, until recently, used as a stable. 



On the brow of the hill are some interesting mediaeval re- 

 mains of two chapels and a tower. One chapel was dedicated 

 to St. Mary, and it is now so completely a ruin, that all archi- 

 tectural features are lost ; but of the original structure of the 

 other, enough is left to show its character and determine its age. 

 One original window in the south wall, and a small doorway at 

 the south-east end, are of the decorated Gothic style ; the win- 

 dow has a pointed arch with a quatrefoil centre, and two lights, 

 each with a trefoil heading. This chapel is 40 feet by 18 feet, 

 and is placed from E.S.E. to W.N.W. The ancient accounts of 

 the House of Fame show, that extensive repairs, equal almost 

 to its rebuilding, were made in this chapel from the years a.d. 

 1369 to 1372. Funds for this purpose were obtained chiefly 

 from contributions by the pious and collections made by the 

 monks. Tn the year a.d. 1370, gifts from divers persons were 

 received, amounting to £29 13s. 2d. " Let their names," ex- 

 claim the grateful monks, as they record the benefactions, " be 

 for ever written in the Book of Life ! " Fifty years ago, this 

 chapel was inhabited by the person who attended to the light 

 on the tower; subsequently it became roofless, and was fast 

 hastening to decay ; but Archdeacon Thorp, with the laudable 

 design of preserving this interesting relic of another age, and of 

 supplying a place for occasional public worship on the island, 

 caused it, in a.d. 1848, to be repaired and restored. This has 

 been effected with excellent taste ; the characteristic portions of 

 the old building have been preserved, and the restorations are 

 in accordance with the original design. The interior has been 

 fitted up with oak sittings, and with a range of carved oak stalls 



