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 390 MedicBval Military Architecture. side walls, two in each, and probably there were three, indicated by notches in the ivy. In the east wall, 20 feet from the north end, are the remains of a large fireplace, of which the convex back and the upper part of the circular tunnel remain, and above is a tall cylin- drical chimney-shaft, probably original. A door from the south end of this wall led into the garderobe turret, which had a loop to the east. There is also a round-headed window in the south gable, which opened into the roof There was no vaulting ; the floor and roof were of timber, the latter open. The view in Grose, taken in 1783, shows the garderobe turret to the full height of the side wall, and the great chimney-shaft unin- cumbered with ivy. It also shows the north-east angle unbroken, within which was then contained a well-stair. This angle has now fallen away or been removed, and its broken parts are so encum- bered with ivy and rubbish that nothing has been ascertained as to what may remain; but no doubt the staircase ascended from the basement to the main floor and thence to the roof or to the ram- parts of the curtain. In Grose's time, the north wall was encum- bered by a cottage and some chimneys and other additions in brick ; these have now been removed. The garderobe turret was wilfully pulled down when the castle changed hands towards the end of the last century. There is a letter in the Gentleman' s Magazine com- plaining of this, and which possibly put a stop to further injuries. It is remarkable that a building closely resembling this is found at Desmond's Castle, at Adare, near Limerick. That castle is late Norman, with a rectangular keep, though not on a mound, as the ground is naturally high ; and just below the keep, upon the bank of the river, is placed the hall-house. It has a basement on the ground level, evidently a store, with a separate entrance, and above is the hall, with a boarded floor and open roof The garderobe turret is built out into the stream, has a culvert below, and is nearly perfect. The keep, hall-house, and gate-house are there preserved, and if, as is probable, the entrance at Christchurch was near the river at the foot of the bridge, the relative position of the buildings would be the same. An excellent plan of Desmond's Castle will be found, with much else of a valuable character, in Lord Dunraven's " Memorials of Adare." Christchurch Castle has not been the scene of any remarkable event, nor does its name occur with any prominence in the history of the country, or even of the county. The manor was first alienated from the Crown by Henry I. in favour of Richard de Redvers, whom he created Earl of Devon. In the "Monasticon" (vi., 304) is printed a grant or confirmation by this earl to the canons of Christ- church of the " Terram usque in aquam de havene, quae est inter cimeterium et fossatum castelli, messuagium supra ipsius castelli fos- satum, quodhabent ex dono Gamelini." This is the first mention of the castle, and would make it earlier than 1 137, in which year Earl Richard died. As the masonry of the castle looks twenty or thirty years later, the allusion may be to the earthworks, or older castle ;