THE ARCHITECTURE OF WALSINGHAM. We are informed of the dimensions of the several churches at Walsingham by the measurements of William of Worcestre.* He says, the length of the New Work of Walsingham was sixteen yards, its interior width ten yards. The length of the chapel of the blessed Virgin (that is, the wooden chapel) was seven yards, thirty inches; its width four yards, ten inches. The length of the whole church of Walsingham from the end of the chancel was 136 of Worcestre's paces, its breadth 36 paces; the length of the nave from the west door to the tower in the middle of the church 70 paces; the square of the tower 16 paces; the breadth of the nave without the two ailes 16 paces. The length of the quire was 50 paces, and the breadth 17. The cloister was square, 54 paces in each walk the length of the chapter-house 20 paces, its * The writer of the description in Mr. Britton's "Architectural Antiquities" charges Parkin (the continuator of Blomefield) with having confounded the New Work and the Chapel of the Virgin. This he has not exactly done: and, if he had, he would have been right. Parkin incorrectly conjectured that the New Work was probably at the east end of the choir," instead of its being a separate building as Erasmus tells us. But Mr. Britton's author has himself gone wider astray; for he has confused the church of the Franciscan Friars of Walsingham with that of the Canons; and this although Worcestre had inserted the dimensions of the church of Scottow between the two. breadth 10 paces, but the length of the entrance of the chapter-house from the cloister was 10 paces, so in all it was 30 paces. "The remains of this once celebrated place (remarks Mr. Parker*) are now very small. Of the chapel of our Lady we have only part of a fine Perpendicular east front, consisting of two stair-turrets covered with panelling of flint and stone, with rich niches, &c. and fine buttresses connected by the arch and gable over the east window; but the window itself is destroyed. In the gable is a small round window, with flowing tracery, set in the middle of a very thick wall." This striking feature of the Walsingham ruins will be found represented in most of the engraved views of the place, of which the two best are that by Coney in the New Monasticon, and that in Britton's Architectural Antiquities. Mr. Parker has followed former writers in calling this a part of the chapel of our Lady; but it must surely have belonged to the larger Priory church. The ruins were more considerable when described by Parkin in Blomefield's Norfolk, and when a view of them was published in the Vetusta Monumenta in 1720; but they have given way to trees, and walks, a trim lawn, and all the agremens of modern pleasure grounds. Some ruins close adjoining to the modern mansion are a portion * Architectural Notes prepared for the Archæological Institute, 1847. of the refectory: they consist of a range of four early Decorated windows, with the staircase to a pulpit in the wall. There is also a doorway and vault of another apartment. In the contrary direction (west of the church) are the Holy Wells, lined with plain ashlar stone; on one side of them is a square bath (perhaps altered since the days of the canons); on the other, a small early-English doorway. The family of Lee-Warner have owned this beautiful estate from the time of Dr. Warner, Bishop of Rochester, by whom it was purchased in 1766. ARTICLES OF INQUIRY FOR THE MONASTERY OF WALSINGHAM. (MS. Harl. 791, p. 27.) Walsingham. 1. In primis, whether there be inventarie allweys permanent in the house betwene the priour and the brethern of this house, aswelle of alle the juelles, reliques, and ornaments of the churche and chapel, as of alle the plate and other moveable goodes of this house. Et si sic exhibeatur. 2. Item, yf there be no such inventarie, whether there be any bokes made therof, and of the guyfte of the juelles that have bene geven to our Ladye. Et si sic producatur. 3. Item, whether any of the said juelles, ornamentes, plate, or goodes hath bene alienated, solde, or pledged at any tyme heretofore. And yf there were, what they were, to whome they were solde, for how moche, whan, and for what cause. 4. Item, what reliques be in this house that be or hath bene moste in th'estimacion of the people, and what vertue was estemed of the people to be in theym. 5. Item, what probacion or argument have they to shewe that the same are trewe reliques. 6. Item, in howe many places of this house were the said reliques shewed, and whiche were in whiche? and whether the kepers of the same did not bring about tables to men for their offering, as thought they would exacte money of theym or make theym ashamed except they did offer.* 7. Item, for what cause were the said reliques shewed in divers sundrye places more than alltogether in one place. 8. Item, what hathe th'offring made to our Ladye and to the said reliques bene worth a yere whan it hathe bene moste? what commonly? and what the laste yere ? 9. Item, yf the said reliques be nowe layde aside, howe long ago, and for what cause they were so? 10. Item, what is the gretest miracle and moste un *This last clause is interlined in the MS. as if it had been suggested by the perusal of Erasmus's Colloquy see p. 16. doubted whiche is said to have bene doon by our Ladye here, or by any of the said reliques? and what prouffe they have of the facte or of the narracion therof. 11. Item, whether than (yf the facte be welle proved) the case might not happen by some naturalle meane not contrarie to reason or possibilitie of nature. 12. Item, yf that be proved also, whether the same might not procede of the immediate helpe of God? and why the successe of that case shulde be imputed to our Lady, and yet that to the image of our Ladye in this house more than another. 13. Item, whether the miracles were wonte to be declared in pulpite heretofore, and for what cause they a Whitesonne Monday the faire were soe? tyme they were wonte to be opened. 14. Item, what is the sayng of the buylding of our Lady chappelle, and of the firste invencion of the image of our Ladye there; what of the house where the bere skynne is, and of the knyght; and what of the other wonders that be here, and what proves be therof? 15. Item, whether they knowe not that men shulde not be lighte of credite to miracles, unlesse they be manifestly and invinciblie proved. 16. Item, whether our Lady hathe doone so many miracles nowe of late as it was said she did when there was more offring made unto her. 17. Item, what prouffe were they wonte to take of the miracles that the pilgremes did reporte shulde be made by |