Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/102

 Hiflory of Dojnejlic Manners William of Malmelbury points out as one of the more remarkable circiimil.r.ices which diflinguiflied the Normans from the Saxons, the magnitude and folidity of their domeftic buildings. The Anglo-Saxons leem, indeed, to have preferved the old national prejudice of their race againft confining themfelves within ftone walls, while the Normans and Franks, who were more influenced by Roman traditions, had become great builders. "VVe have fcarcely any information relative to the pro- grefs of domeflic architefture under William the Conqueror, but the Norman chiefs feem from the firil to have built themfelves houfes of a much more fubftantial chara6ter than thofe which they found in exiftence. The refidence of the Conqueror, while engaged in his operations againfi: the infurgents in the ifle of Ely, is imperfeftly defcribed by the anony- mous author of the life of Hereward. It confided of the hall, kitchen, and other buildings, which were inclofed by hedges and fofiTes {per fepes ct foveas), and it had an interior and exterior court. Towards the end of the Conqueror's reign, and in that of his fon, were railed thofe early Norman baronial caftles, the mafonry of which has withfi:ood the ravages of fo many centuries. Under William and his fons, few ordinary man- fions and dwelling houfes feem to have been built fubfi:antially of fl:one ; I am not aware that there are any known remains of a ftone manfion in this country older than the reign of Henry II. The miracles of St. Cuth- bert, related by Reginald of Durham, contain one or two allufions to the private houfes of the earlier part of the twelfth century. Thus a parifliioner of Kellow, near Durham, in the time of bilhop Walter Rufus {'^^33 — 1140)5 is defcribed as pafllng the evening drinking with the parifli priell ; returning home late, he was purfued by dogs, and reaching his own houfe in great terror, contrived to fliut the door (ojlium do7niis) upon them. He then went up to what, from the context, appears to have been the window of an upper floor or garret {ad fenejiravi parietis), which he opened in order to look down with fafety on his perfecutors. He was fuddenly feized with madnefs, and his family being roufed, feized him, carried him down into the court {in area), and bound him to the feats {ad fedilia). The fame writer tells the ftory of a blind woman in the city of Durham, who u(ed to run her head againft the