shades of grey colour, and a black outline. This border appears to have had fixed within it a triptych, or moveable painting. The layer of whitewash on which this was painted, as well as the border itself, concealed a portion of the figure of the blessed Virgin. On that portion of the wall occupied by the crucifixion, were found large traces of colour (especially red); but in consequence of its crumbling off almost instantly, the only piece we were enabled to sketch Rood Screen. was a small fragment representing a portion of a castle (see woodcut): the turret or tower was painted blue, the roof red, and the rest of a purple colour. This painting did not appear to be older than the end of the fifteenth century. The most interesting discovery was a reparation. On developing the face of the figure holding the scroll, -the right eye not appearing to be painted on the same surface as the rest of the features,-a sketch was taken; a little scraping off brought to light an exact counterpart of the first eye, though greatly faded; indeed, only the stain of the colour remained. It appeared that the eye had been damaged, and that then a thin layer of lime was laid over the part, and on this the eye was repainted. This interesting series of paintings appears to have been executed towards the latter end of the thirteenth century: they shew great boldness in the touches, and a good deal of artistic skill, especially in the folds of the drapery. The subject of the Last Judgment is painted with a great deal of care, and in it a great variety of colours is employed: this, no doubt, was to cause more attention to be paid to it, and to excite in the beholders a fear of that dreadful day. The folds of the drapery of the apostles, and of St. Michael, and the graceful figure of the Blessed Virgin, are worthy of attention: likewise the folds of the loose garment worn by St. Andrew, as well as those in the figures of our Lady and Child. All this will help to shew that the paintings on the walls of our old churches are worthy of a careful study, and might be made useful in illustrating the manners of past ages, in giving evidence of the religious feelings of our ancestors, and in defending a calumniated clergy against charges which have so often been repeated as to obtain general credence. ON NEWSTEAD ABBEY. BY T. J. PETTIGREW, ESQ., F.R.S., F.S.A., V. P. AND TREASURER. (Read at the Newark Congress.) THE monastic houses in Nottinghamshire were numerous, and appertained to various orders, being known as Hospitallers, or the Brothers of St. John of Jerusalem; Minorites, Carmelites, Benedictines, Carthusians, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Gilbertines. There were no less than thirteen priories in Notts, at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, none dating earlier than Henry I, nor later than Edward III; and of these, seven were of the order of St. Augustine, namely, Thurgarton, Newstead, Felley, Worksop, Shelford, Welbeck, and Brodham. NEWSTEAD ABBEY (the name of which appears to be derived from its having originally been erected upon a piece of waste land in the forest, hence, New Stede, or place) was a priory of Black Canons Regular; so called from wearing a black habit, to commemorate the widowhood of the blessed Virgin. According to the charter by Henry II, it was dedicated to God and the Virgin Mary; and its situation and character have been well and poetically depicted by the late lord Byron: "An old, old monastery once, and now Mix'd Gothic, such as artists all allow Withal it lies perhaps a little low, "It stood embosom'd in a happy valley, Crown'd by high woodlands, where the Druid oak His host, with broad arms 'gainst the thunderstroke; The dappled foresters-as day awoke, "Before the mansion lay a lucid lake, Broad as transparent, deep, and freshly fed. : And sedges, brooding in their liquid bed: The woods sloped downwards to its brink, and stood "Its outlet dash'd into a deep cascade, Sparkling with foam, until again subsiding, Pursued its course, now gleaming, and now hiding Don Juan, Canto xiii, stanzas 55, 56, 57, 58. Thus stood Newstead Abbey, which at the dissolution was estimated at the sum of £229. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus (vol. iv, p. 109) of 26 Henry VIII, it is placed at £219:18:8. In the 31 of the same monarch, homages are entered among the originalia for the site of Newstead, of John Bellone and Richard Manners; but the abbey was granted on the 28th of May, 32 Henry VIII, to sir John Byron, knight of Colewyke (Par. 4, Pat. 32 Hen. VIII). The value of the monastery in the First Fruits Office is put down at £167: 16:11. In the reign of Henry II one hundred and sixty-five monasteries, collegiate churches, hospitals, preceptories, alien priories and abbeys, were founded,' and on his own express foundation are recorded: Witham, in Somersetshire (the first Carthusian House established in England). Waltham, in Essex Ivychurch, in Wilts Marton, in Yorkshire all of the Augustinian order. Also Newstead, in Lincolnshire, Gilbertine. Henry II is generally considered by historians as being induced to the foundation of monasteries in repentance for his share in procuring the assassination of Thomas à Becket. Lord Byron appears to have coincided in this opinion, as expressed in his lines in the Elegy on Newstead Abbey: "Newstead! fast falling, once resplendent, dome! Religion's shrine! repentant Henry's pride !" The foundation of Newstead Abbey by Henry II dates about 1170, and the correctness of this assigned period is supported by the fact that one of the witnesses to the charter was Geoffrey, archdeacon of Canterbury, who in 1174 was promoted to the bishoprick of Ely. Dugdale (Monast. Angl., vol. vi, p. 473) gives a list of the abbots of Newstead, commencing with Eustace, 17 Joh. Richard, in the same year. John de Lexington, upon whose cession Richard de Halum received the temporalities, 15 Edw. I. Richard de Grange, who succeeded on Halum's resignation, 21 Edw. I. 1 Twenty-eight Benedictine, twenty-seven Augustinian, sixteen Premonstratensian, one Carthusian, two Gilbertine, five Cluniac monasteries, two collegiate churches, twenty-nine hospitals, ten preceptories, twenty-six Alien priories, nineteen Cistercian abbeys. William de Thurgarton, who received the temporalities, 3rd Jan., 18 Edw. II. Hugh de Colingham succeeded on Thurgarton's death, 26th Oct., 23 Edw. III. John Willesthorp, 7th Nov., 30 Edw. III. William de Allerton, 12th May, 40 Edw. III. John de Stokewell, 10th Sept., 7 Henry IV. William Bakewell, 26th April, 3 Henry V. Thomas Carleton, 6th July, 10 Henry V. Robert Cutwolfe, 16th Oct., 2 Henry VI. William Misterton, 23rd Nov., 34 Henry VI. John Durham, 17th June, 1 Edw. IV. Thomas Gounthorp, 11th July, 7 Edw. IV. William Sandall was confirmed 29th April, 1504. John Blake, confirmed 19th Sept., 1526, and was consequently the last prior of Newstead. From the Register of Lenton (p. 1. 118) we learn that "Henry II gave to Lenton Priory eighty acres of essarts of Curtenhale in Northantesor, and the mill of Blaccliff, in exchange for the land of Papilwick, which he gave to the canons of Newsteade, in Shirewode, which he there founded". And from the Register of Newstead, we find that he gave "the town of Papelwick, with the church of the same, and the mill which the canons of Newstede made, with the meadow of Beskewod, along the water, with all the appurtenances, to God and St. Mary, together with the New Stede or Place which he founded in Shirewod for canons regular of the order of St. Augustin, to whom he gave also long and large wastes lying about the said monastery within the forest; which wastes in ancient charters are called Kygell and Ravenshede, and are described by their bounds and the particulars within them. He granted the monks also view of frank-pledge, and many other privileges and freedoms, and a park of ten acres, according to the measure of the foot of the forest, by the site of the said monastery, to be inclosed as they should please, out of the view of the verderers, regarders, foresters, and other officers of the forest, and a field of arable land called Abby-field, lying between the town of Papilwyck and the said monastery, to hold inclosed with hedge and ditch, according to the assize of the forest, upon the head of which the canons made a grange nigh VOL. IX. 3 |