The New Forest: Its History and Its Scenery — John Shaqi
The New Forest: Its History and Its SceneryWise, John R. (John Richard)
History
The New Forest: Its History and Its Scenery
Wise, John R. (John Richard)
New Forest (England : Forest)
Not only do the Abbey grounds,[96] but the whole district, show the size
of the monastery. Going out of Beaulieu, upon the road to Bucklershard,
we come upon the ox-farm of the monks, still called Bouvery, and still
famous for its grazing land. A little farther, about the centre of their
various farmsteads, at St. Leonard’s, better known now as the Abbey
Walls, stands part of the large barn, or _spicarium_, of the monastery,
such as still remains in other parts of England—at Cerne Abbey, and
Abbotsbury, and Sherborne, and Battle Abbey.[97] A modern barn now
stands within it, partly formed by its walls, but its original size is
well shown by the lofty eastern gable, locally called the Pinnacle,
which, covered with ivy, overhangs the road. Close to the old
farm-house, built from its ruins, stands a small roofless Decorated
Chapel. The west window, and the arch of the west doorway, still remain,
and at the same end still project the corbels which supported the
gallery. In the east wall are canopied niches, under which stood
figures; and on the south the piscina, and the broken conduit where the
water ran, and two aumbries are still visible, whilst opposite to them,
in the present doorway, another aumbrie is inserted with its two grooves
for shelves cut in the stone.[98]
[Illustration: The Barn of St. Leonard’s Grange.]
[Illustration: The Chapel of St. Leonard’s Grange.]
Close to St. Leonard’s lies also the sheep-farm of the monks, still
called Bargery, and still famous for its sheep-land. Nearer Bucklershard
is Park Farm, another grange, where fifty years ago stood a chapel,
smaller even than the one we have just seen, partly Early-English and
Decorated. It was divided into two compartments by a stone screen
reaching to a plain roof. The piscina in the south wall was finally used
by the ploughmen to mix their wheat with lime, until the whole building
was pulled down to enlarge the farm-house from whose south-east end it
projected.[99]
At these two granges the brethren worked in summer from chapter till
tierce, and from nones till vespers. Here lived the ploughmen and
artisans, the millers, and smiths, and carpenters, of the monastery. For
them were these chapels built, lest either the weather or the roads
might prevent them going to the Abbey Church.[100] Here they all
worshipped as one family, the serf no longer a serf, but a freedman,
when he entered the service of the abbey.
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