19 
PETWORTH. 
houfes, founded by the duchefs of Somerfet, are built of 
brick, and adapted for the accommodation of twenty 
widows, each of whom has an allowance of 20I. a-year. 
Thompfon’s hofpital, another benevolent inftitution of 
the fame kind, affords lodging for fix poor men, and as 
many women, who annually receive 10I. each. At a 
fmall diftance fouth-eaft of the town is the bridewell for 
the county, a brick edifice, on Howard’s plan. 
The petty feffions are holden at Petworth. The market 
is on Wednefday (Wilkes fays it is on Saturday), where 
are brought great quantities of oats, barley, and wheat; 
the latter of which is chiefly bought up by the Surrey 
millers for the London markets, being of excellent qua¬ 
lity. There are alfo two fairs ; the one on Holy Thurf- 
day, and the other on the 20th of November. 
By the cenfus of x8u,the houfes amounted in number 
to 453, and the inhabitants to 2459; the l atter had in¬ 
creased in 1821 102781. 
Petworth was the refidence of jofceline of Louvaine, 
the progenitor of the renowned Percies of Northumber¬ 
land; and it was their family-feat till the extinction of 
the title, when it devolved by marriage to Charles duke 
of Somerfet; from whom, alfo by marriage, the manor 
and manfion-houfe have been tranfmitted to the family 
of Egremont, the prefent pofleflors. Petworth-houfe, 
the magnificent family-manfion of the earl of Egremont, 
is clofe to the town, the back front opening into the 
church-yard. It was ereCted on the fcite of the ancient 
lioufe belonging to the duke of Somerfet. The front of 
freeftone, adorned with ftatues on the top, forms one un¬ 
broken range, having twenty-one windows in each ftory. 
The interior is elegant; and all the principal apartments 
are decorated with paintings, antique ftatues, and bulls, 
fome of which are of the firfl excellence. Wilkes men¬ 
tions a Angular circumftance attending thefe ftatues, viz. 
that “a great many, when the earl bought them, were 
complete invalids; Some wanting heads, others hands, 
feet, nofes, &c. Thefe mutilations his lordlhip endea¬ 
voured to Supply by the application of new members, 
very ill Suited either in complexion or elegance of finifli- 
ing to the Roman and Grecian trunks; fo that, in fome 
refpeCts, this (lately fabric gives us the idea of a large 
hofpital or receptacle for wounded and difabled ftatues.” 
Some of the rooms are noble, well contrived, and richly 
furnifhed, and the difpofitions of the Specimens of art 
tafteful and judicious. The park is very extenfive, the 
wall being about twelve miles in circumference. In 
front of the manfion is a (heet of water, which has been 
formed at a vaft expenfe: it is Supplied by the Springs 
colle£ted from the neighbouring hills. This park, which 
commands delightful views of the Downs of Surrey and 
Suflex, is well (locked with deer and game. There are 
alfo various breeds of cattle and (beep fattened in the park : 
befides the native breeds of the latter, the prefent earl 
has imported the Calmuck and Aftracan race, and like- 
wife the (hawl-goat of Thibet, from the fleece of which 
fome of the moft valuable manufactures of the Eaft In¬ 
dies are produced. 
From Petworth weft the country is a little lefs w'oody 
than the Weald ; and, afterafcending the South Downs, a 
great many fine feats begin to (how their heads above the 
trees; as the duke of Richmond’s feat at Goodwood, near 
Chichefter, (defcribed under the article Chichester, vol. 
iv.) Parham, the feat of Lord Zouche; Bignor Park, 
New Grove, Woollavington, &c. Turning to the north 
you command Shillinglee, the feat of the earl of Winter- 
ton ; alfo Parkhurft, Eberno, &c. and a little more to the 
eaft you See at one time Several pari(h-churches fituate 
in a range through the Weald of Suflex. 
The diScovery of a Roman pavement at Bignor, having 
proved a Source of considerable profit to the owner of the 
land, induced a farmer, in the neighbouring parifti of 
DunClon, to permit his children to Search on the fide of 
a field, in a Spot where the plough was unable to work, 
from the foundations of buildings being near the Surface 
of the ground. This refearch (which was continued by 
the dire&ion of the earl of Egremont, the proprietor of 
the eftate) led to the diScovery, in June 1816, of the re¬ 
mains of a Roman hypocauft, or Sweating-place. , The 
building (lands exaClly north and South. At the South 
end is a room paved with tile, fix feet fix inches by eight 
feet feet four inches: the walls withinfide, Seventeen 
inches high, and nearly level with the ground without- 
fide : this was a room to heat the flue. The fire-place is 
on the north fide of the room, and on that fide the floor 
is raifed fix inches, forming two Square divifions, one three 
feet fix inches by three feet, the other two feet four inches 
by three feet, leaving a paflage between of twenty inches 
in breadth. In a line with this paflage is the fire-place for 
heating the flues. This fire-place is Seven feet five inches 
long, by two feet one inch and a half in breadth. The 
tiles it is paved with are much injured by the fire. The 
flues are divided into two divifions ; the weft fide of the 
South divifion remains uncovered. The piers of the three 
uncovered flues are formed of tiles, Seven inches and a 
half to nine inches Square, each pier containing Seven 
tiles. Two of the flues or openings are nine inches wide, 
and twelve inches high ; the third is fix inches wide, and 
fifteen inches high. The covering of the flues is formed 
with tiles (eleven inches by fifteen inches and a half in 
fize). In fome parts there are two tiles, one on the other, 
with mortar between, the whole covering being thirteen 
inches thick. On the top of the flues is a drain of Semi¬ 
circular tiles, four inches and a half in diameter, with a 
large Square tile at the mouth. Over one of thefe unco¬ 
vered flues is a perpendicular cavity, fix inches and a half 
by three inches, lined with tile; with a groove in the end 
tiles, one inch wide. The tile forming the top of the flu e, 
on which the cavity defcends,is of this form, | j 
the plain fide uppermoft ; being, in all probability, a con¬ 
trivance to regulate the heat, as the drain on the top was 
to carry off all moifture. When the remains were firft 
laid open, the bafes of the piers of the other or uncovered 
part of the South divifion, were to be Seen ; they were tiles 
eleven inches Square; part of four of the piers were 
(landing; the whole number was Seventeen. The north 
divifion contained twelve piers ; eight are perfedl, being 
two feet three inches high, and Seven inches and a half 
Square; the bottom tile eleven inches Square: each pier 
confifts of thirteen tiles, with mortar between each tile. 
The floor under the piers is formed of double-courfe tiles, 
eleven inches by fifteen inches and a half, with mortar 
between ; and under the lower courfe the floor was co¬ 
vered with a black fubftance, refembling foot or pow'dered 
charcoal, near an inch in thicknefs. North of the flues 
is a compartment four feet eight inches by eight feet in 
fize : beyond this compartment is a circular finking in 
the earth, about three feet and a half in diameter; but 
whether it has been a compartment of that form, or a well, 
is uncertain 5 adjoining to it, on the eaft fide, is a Square 
divifion, or compartment, three feet by four feet two 
inches in fize, and eleven inches deep; the bottom and 
(ides formed of tiles, the fide-tiles fattened with cramps : 
within this Square compartment was a curved divifion, 
formed of mortar and tiles (now deftroyed). On the weft 
fide of this Square is a piece of two-inch lead pipe, palling 
through the wall, and communicating with a compart¬ 
ment of three Sides; the South and eaft fides ftraight lines, 
the other of a curved form, confiderably more than the 
fourth part of a circle ; the bottom very neatly paved with 
tiles, the fides formed with cement, having a moulding 
of the fame material all round the bottom of the compart¬ 
ment ; on the eaft fide a double moulding, apparently to 
break the fall of water. The remains of the fides are from 
eighteen inches to two feet four in height; the largeft 
diameter three feet ten inches. When firft discovered, 
this compartment was covered with a bed of Solid-mortar, 
nearly two feet in thicknefs. The walls of thefe remains 
are from eighteen inches to two feet in thicknefs. 
Dunfton is a Small village, (landing on the north fide 
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