strengthen with a wall of stone and lime, and crenellate his mansion at Acton Burnell, and also a licence to cut timber in the king's forests for the building. It seems, therefore, that the old mansion was pulled down and the present one erected between this date and 1292, the time of the bishop's death. The only remains of the original buildings are the two ends of the barn, which will be mentioned afterwards, and which stand in the park at some distance from the house. This date therefore clearly brings the building within the thirteenth century, though its style is later than that which we usually consider as belonging to the period. The words " Early English" and "thirteenth century," when applied to architecture, are frequently taken to be synonymous, but it should be recollected that the portion of the Decorated style which is known as "Geometrical," was introduced in the reign of Edward I.; and, therefore, that the buildings of that style which exhibit a transition from the Early English to the Decorated, and pass gradually into the latter, belong, in almost all instances, to the last half of the thirteenth century, some few only being of the beginning of the fourteenth. A very conclusive body of evidence on this point is given by Mr. J. H. Parker, in a paper on Merton College chapel, Oxford, in the second volume of the Archæological Journal, p. 137. The style of Acton Burnell is further removed from Early English than we usually find at this date. The form of the tracery of the windows is geometrical, but the mouldings somewhat resemble those of a more advanced period of Decorated; the deep hollows, and doubly, or triply, filleted rounds which are so characteristic of the geometrical style are not found here, the mullions and tracery having merely a simple round and fillet. Bishop Burnell built also the episcopal palace at Wells, the hall of which is still remaining. The windows of both have transoms, a common feature of domestic architecture at this period, though of very unusual occurrence in ecclesiastical. The use of transoms in the large windows of halls was doubtless owing to the convenience of having shutters to the lower lights, which is well shewn at StokeSay. Between the two buildings of Wells and Acton Burnell there is a great general resemblance, though that of Wells is decidedly of a more geometrical character; the tracery is more elaborate, the mouldings have more numerous members, and the whole exhibits that superiority of workmanship and finish which might be thought necessary to mark the distinction between the principal palace of the bishop and his country residence. The general form of the house at Acton Burnell is a parallelogram measuring about ninety-five feet by sixty, and having a small square tower at each angle. These towers are now the only parts of the place which can be clearly made out; the whole of the rest of the interior having been destroyed to make room for stables, &c. The walls of the towers are thick, and those on the west are lighted by small narrow square-headed windows. The one on the north-east seems to have contained the staircase leading to the hall, and the opposite one at the north-west a staircase leading to the other parts of the building, and there is also a doorway from it to the roof. The building in general seems to have had three stories, but on the north side the two upper ones were occupied by the hall, the extent of which may be ascertained by the remains of doorways in the walls; by careful measurement its size appears to have been fifty feet by twenty-four; it communicated with small rooms at each end. It was lighted by three large transomed windows of two lights, |