Natural history -- England -- Wiltshire; Wiltshire (England) -- History
In St. Edmund’s church at Salisbury were curious painted glasse
windowes, especially in the chancell, where there was one window, I
think the east window, of such exquisite worke that Gundamour, the
Spanish Ambassadour, did offer some hundreds of pounds for it, if it
might have been bought. In one of the windowes was the picture of God
the Father, like an old man, which gave offence to H. Shervill, Esq.
then Recorder of this city (this was about 1631), who, out of zeale,
came and brake some of these windowes, and clambering upon one of the
pews to be able to reach high enough, fell down and brake his leg. For
this action he was brought into the Starr-Chamber, and had a great fine
layd upon him [£500. J. B.] which, I think, did undoe him. [See a
minute and interesting account of Sherfield’s offence, and the
proceedings at the trial, in Hatcher’s History of Salisbury, p.
371-374.—J. B.]
There was, at the Abbey of Malmesbury, a very high spire-steeple, as
high almost, they at Malmesbury say, as that of St. Paul’s, London; and
they further report, that when the steeple fell down the ball of it
fell as far as the Griffin Inne.
The top of the tower of Sutton Benger is very elegant, there is not
such another in the county. It much resembles St Walborough’s [St.
Werburg’s] at Bristoll. [The tower of Sutton Benger church, here
alluded to, has a large open-work’d pinnacle, rising from the centre of
the roof; a beautiful and very singular ornament. See the wood-cut in
the title-page of the present volume.- J. B.]
The priory of Broadstock was very well built, and with good strong
ribbs, as one may conclude by the remaines that are left of it yet
standing, which are the cellar, which is strongly vaulted with
freestone, and the hall above it. It is the stateliest cellar in
Wiltshire. The Hall is spatious, and within that the priour’s parlour,
wherein is good carving. In the middle of the south side of the hall is
a large chimney, over which is a great window, so that the draught of
the smoake runnes on each side of the chimney. Above the cellars the
hall and parlours are one moietie; the church or, chapell stood on the
south side of the hall, under which was a vault, as at St. Faithes
under Paules. The very fundations of this fair church are now, 1666,
digged up, where I saw severall freestone coffins, having two holes
bored in the bottome, and severall capitalls and bases of handsome
Gothique pillars. On the west end of the hall was the King’s lodgeings,
which they say were very noble, and standing about 1588. [Aubrey
records some further particulars of Bradenstoke Priory; a short account
of which edifice will be found in the third volume of the Beauties of
Wiltshire. The Gentleman’s Magazine, Nov. 1833, contains a wood-cut and
account of this old religious house. See also Bowles’s History of
Lacock Abbey.—J. B.]
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