GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE. 



tate a moment in pronoum;ing them part of the work in 

 qucflio!!, executed by De Blois in 1138. As the fame pre- 

 late reftored the abbatial church at Rumfey, where his 

 niece Mary was a nun, and as he himfcif had been abbot 

 of Glaftonbury, before he was bifliop of Winctieiler, we 

 may fafely attribute the pointed arclies, intermixed witli 

 the circular ones in thefe two ilruclurcs, to his direAion, 

 fome time in the latter end of the reign of his coufui 

 Henry I. 



After all, it wouLl be rafli to pronounce abfolutely that 

 bifhop De Blois of Winchefter was the author of pointed ar- 

 chitedlurc, fince we have convincing evidence, that churches 

 were built bv other architects about this peri-od, in tlie fame 

 mixed ilyleof pointed and circular work. We niulL I'.ov.ever, 

 incidentally obferve, that before the conclufion of this twelfth 

 century, the circular ftyle was entirely laid alide, as well 

 witii refpect to columns as to arches. We have evidence, 

 for example, in the annals both of St. Warburg's abbey 

 Chefter, and of Peterborough abbey, quoted by Uiigdale, 

 that Bildwas abbey in Shroplhire, where the feven pointed 

 arches of the nave, furmounted by fmall circular arches, in 

 the upper ilory, are ilill feen, was founded either in 1136 

 or 1139; probably it was begun in the former year, and 

 fiuiilied in the latter. We might argue in the fame manner 

 from the dates and actual ftate of Kirkftal abbey, Lantony 

 abbey, and feveral other ancient ftruftures. If we may give 

 implicit credit to the teftimony and the plates of captain 

 Grofe, the Scotch architects were not long in adopting the 

 Uyle of their Englifn neighbours. It is rem.arkable that the 

 ecclefiallical buildings erected by David king of Scotland, 

 and his aobhs, before he came into England in order to com- 

 mand ihi armies of his niece, the emprefs Maud, were 

 purely in the Saxon ftyle ; whereas thafe founded there, 

 after that event, prefent the fame mixture of circular and 

 pointed arcliiteclure vrhich prevailed at tliat period in 

 England. 



A late WTiter, the Rev. Mr. V/hittington, whofe pro- 

 f.;{red object it was to transfer the credit of the difcovery 

 in que'.llon from the Norman Engliih and Englilh to the 

 French, which credit tlie latter feem difpofed, from tradi- 

 tio.nary accounts, to attribute to om- countrymen, has al- 

 ferted that examples of pointed arches, of a more ancient 

 date than any cxilling in England, are to be met with at 

 tlie abbey church of St. Deals near Paris, which church 

 was fmil'hed in 1144. It appears, however, that this 

 writer was unacquainted with the hillorical evidence on 

 which the above-mentioned early inftances of the pointed 

 arch in England reft, and that he was even at a lofs to de- 

 termine which of the works at St. Denis really belonged 

 to t!ie period he huS affigncd. If we examine the pointed 

 windows of this abbey, exhibiting diffcFent tranfaclions of 

 th- firll crufade in Montfaucon's " Monarchie FFaii9oile,'' 

 which windows are faid by this great antiquary to have been 

 executed by abbot Suger in 1140, we fhall not find tlie 

 api>ea:-ance of a pointed arch in any one of them. It may 

 be added, that in the famous tapeftry of Bayeux, reprefent- 

 ing the conquell of England, and faid to have been wrought 

 bv the conqueror's mother, there is no appearance either 

 oi a pointed, or fo much as of an interfeCted arch, in the 

 feveral churches, llirlncs, and other architecinral works there 

 difplayed. In a word, throughout the whole of Montfas-.con's 

 flates, we every where fmd the French pointed architedure 

 much inferior to that of a currefponding date in our own 

 country. 



To return to the fubjeft of interfcfting arches : we ob- 

 ferve thefe fometimcs to confill of plain femicircles croduig 

 each other, as on the outfidc of the fouth tianli pt of Wal- 



cf 



kelyn's wo'rk at Winchefter, and on the north trand-pt c 

 Warle waft's work at Exeter, forming in the interfef-ioi, 

 fimple pohited arches ; and fomeiim(s we rcm.?rk ttin; i' • 

 interfections reft upon pillars, each of them being fur.-, 

 ed with a capital, or at leaft with an abacus. e« ■ ., • 

 north tranfept of Durham, and the weft front cf Eiftcl-i 

 cathedrals. In the latter cafe, we have the appearance ,{ 

 poHited arcRs with lateral points, or cufps wiihin the hradj 

 of them, as fir James Hall has very aptlv termed '■'.■■^1 

 This addition to the pointed arch was occafion'allv ufed 

 hrft period or order of pointed architecture, biit aftci ..„.t. . 

 It became univtrfal. The addition of another ct:fp on rvxh 

 fide of the pointed arch turned its trefoil head into a ei' ■ 

 foil. In like manner, fjur of thefe cufps beino- r,h 

 cqu?l diilances within that circle or " l,'CEi\ de'Sa..:. 

 which the Roman and Saxon architefls had been in t!;- 

 habit of placing in the tympanum of their pediments, turn- 

 ed It into an elegant quatrefoil or crofs. Bv means of 

 additional cufps, and circles within circles, the Catharine 

 wheel, cr Marygold window, as it is called in En^laiid, o- 

 " La Rofe du Poitail," as the French term it, wa-: ■ ' 

 produced. In all the works executed during the n 

 and latter part of the twelfth century, a confufed anc ,:.- 

 terogencotis mixture of ftyles is every' where difcemible, as 

 might be expected where circular faihion began to be left 

 oii, and the pointed one to be ufed inftead of it. 



In a general way, tlie arches were altered before the 

 column.«. Hence nothing is fo common as to fmd in 

 the ftruclures erected between 11 40 and 1180, arches of 

 the ftiarpelt points, refting on circular Saxon pillars of 

 the greateft circumference. It could not, however, long 

 efcape the obfervation of our indefatigable aichitefts, that 

 fach heavy fupporters ill accorded with the lightnefs of 

 the afpiring arch. Accordingly, towards the latter end of 

 this twelfth century, in fome inftances the circular Saxon 

 column began to be ftiaped like the Arabic numerical 

 figure 8, fo m to ivtain its former ftrength, and to appear 

 gracefully flcrider ; and where coliur.ns were made ufe of 

 more for decoration than for ftrength, as for example to 

 fupport ornamental arcades, or the cornices of windows 

 or doors, very thin detached colr.mns were employed, 

 and tkofe for the moll part made of Purbeck or Peiworth 

 marble. We have a ftrikiug and moft interefting example of 

 tliefe and other improvements which took place in tlie point- 

 ed ftyle, towai-ds the latter part of the twelfth ci-nturv, 

 in the eaft end of Canterbury cathedral. Pcrfons who 

 cannot fee the original, will find it accunitelv rcprcfented in 

 Mr. Carter's trcafury of original fpecimens, called '• The 

 Ancient Aichitedure of England.'' This portion of our 

 Metropohtan church was rebuilt, after an accidental fire h:A 

 deltroyed the upper part, ar.d weakened the remainder cf 

 it, between the years 1175 and 1 180. As we have the 

 incomparable advantage of poffelTing a circ-.imftantial ac- 

 count of this building, and cf tlie diflerenccs K-lwecn it 

 and the former ftruCture, niifed a hundrcil years before by 

 archbilliop Lanfranc, which account is drawn up by the 

 intelligent monk Gervafe of Canterbury, who was an eve- 

 witnels of what he relates, we fhall fubioii> fome of the 

 moll material parts of it ; he tells us thcii", that the pillars 

 of the new choir were of the fame form and tl..<.!<nefs wiili 

 tliofe of the old choir, but that they wx>re twelve fo-t 

 longer ; that the former capitals were plain, while thr 

 latter were delicately carved ; that there were no marble 

 columns in Lanfranc's work, but that there was au 

 incredible number of them in the work of iLo two 

 Williams ; that the ftones which f.rjRed tlie ancient 

 arches were cut witli an axe, but thoft 01 ucw arches witli 

 I a chifl^l i 



