English Villages | Page 2

the history of manors; and the ancient parish registers and churchwardens' account books have been made to yield their store of information for the benefit of industrious students and scholars. There has been much destruction and much construction; and this good work will doubtless continue, until at length English archaeology may be dignified with the title of an exact science. Destruction of another kind is much to be deplored, which has left its mark on many an English village. The so-called "restoration" of ancient parish churches, frequently conducted by men ignorant of the best traditions of English architecture, the obliteration of the old architectural features, the entire destruction of many interesting buildings, have wrought deplorable ruin in our villages, and severed the links with the past which now can never be repaired. The progress of antiquarian knowledge will I trust arrest the destroyer's hand and prevent any further spoliation of our diminished inheritance. If this book should be found useful in stimulating an intelligent interest in architectural studies, and in protecting our ancient buildings from such acts of vandalism, its purpose will have been abundantly achieved.
I am indebted to many friends and acquaintances for much information which has been useful to me in writing this book; to Sir John Evans whose works are invaluable to all students of ancient stone and bronze implements; to Dr. Cox whose little book on How to Write the History of a Parish is a sure and certain guide to local historians; to Mr. St. John Hope and Mr. Fallow for much information contained in their valuable monograph on _Old Church Plate_; to the late Dr. Stevens, of Reading; to Mr. Shrubsole of the same town; to Mr. Gibbins, the author of The Industrial History of England, for the use of an illustration from his book; to Mr. Melville, Mr. P.J. Colson, and the Rev. W. Marshall for their photographic aid; and to many other authors who are only known to me by their valuable works. To all of these gentlemen I desire to express my thanks, and also to Mr. Mackintosh for his artistic sketch of a typical English village, which forms the frontispiece of my book.
P.H.D.
BARKHAM RECTORY May, 1901
CONTENTS

CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION II. PREHISTORIC REMAINS III. TUMULI OR BARROWS IV. PIT AND PILE DWELLINGS V. CROMLECHS, CAMPS, AND EARTHWORKS VI. ROMAN RELICS VII. ANGLO-SAXON VILLAGES VIII. SAXON RELICS IX. ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE X. NORMAN VILLAGES AND THE "DOMESDAY BOOK" XI. NORMAN CASTLES XII. MONASTERIES XIII. THE MANOR-HOUSE XIV. PARISH CHURCHES XV. CHURCH PLATE XVI. MONUMENTAL EFFIGIES AND BRASSES XVII. THE PARISH CHEST XVIII. STAINED GLASS, TILES, AND MURAL PAINTINGS XIX. CHURCH BELLS XX. THE MEDIAEVAL VILLAGE XXI. VILLAGE SPORTS AND PASTIMES XXII. THE VILLAGE INN XXIII. VILLAGE SUPERSTITIONS AND FOLKLORE
APPENDIX--BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS RELATING TO PAROCHIAL HISTORY
INDEX
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FULL-PAGE
An English village Village street Palaeolithic implements Neolithic and bronze implements Old market cross Broughton Castle Netley Abbey, south transept Southcote Manor, showing moat and pigeon-house Old Manor-house--Upton Court Stone Tithe Barn, Bradford-on-Avon Village church in the Vale An ancient village Anne Hathaway's cottage Old stocks and whipping-post Village inn, with old Tithe Barn of Reading Abbey Old cottages
IN THE TEXT
Barbed and leaf-shaped arrow-heads Plan of a tumulus Plan of tumulus called Wayland Smith's Cave, Berkshire Celtic cinerary urn Articles found in pit dwellings Iron spear-head found at Hedsor Menhir Rollright stones (from Camden's Britannia, 1607) Dolmen Plan and section of Chun Castle The White Horse at Uffington Plan of Silchester Capital of column Roman force-pump Tesselated pavement Beating acorns for swine (from the Cotton MS., Nero, c. 4) House of Saxon thane Wheel plough (from the Bayeux tapestry) Smithy (from the Cotton MS., B 4) Saxon relics Consecration of a Saxon church Tower of Barnack Church, Northamptonshire Doorway, Earl's Barton Church Tower window, Monkwearmouth Church Sculptured head of doorway, Fordington Church, Dorset Norman capitals Norman ornamental mouldings Croyland Abbey Church, Lincolnshire Semi-Norman arch, Church of St. Cross Early English piers and capitals Dog-tooth ornament Brownsover Chapel, Warwickshire Ball-flower mouldings, Tewkesbury Abbey Ogee arch Decorated capitals, Hanwell and Chacombe Decorated windows, Merton College Chapel; Sandiacre, Derbyshire Decorated mouldings, Elton, Huntingdonshire; Austrey, Warwickshire Perpendicular window, Merton College Chapel, Oxford Tudor arch, vestry door, Adderbury Church, Oxon Perpendicular parapet, St. Erasmus' Chapel, Westminster Abbey Perpendicular moulding, window, Christchurch, Oxford Diagram of a manor Ancient plan of Old Sarum A Norman castle Tournament A monk transcribing Ockwells manor-house Richmond Palace Doorway and staircase, Ufton Court The porch, Ufton Court Window of south wing, Ufton Court Ancient pew-work, Tysoe Church, Warwickshire Early English screen, Thurcaston, Leicestershire Norman piscina, Romsey Church, Hants Lowside window, Dallington Church, Northamptonshire Reading-pew, seventeenth century, Langley Chapel, Salop. Chalice and paten, Sandford, Oxfordshire Pre-Reformation plate Censer or thurible Mural paintings Ancient sanctus bell found at Warwick

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Local histories--Ignorance and destruction--Advantages of the study of village antiquities--Description of an English