Mr. Cotman regards it as the only instance, in the duchy, of a real
Norman building having its principal entrance square-headed. Its massive
lintel, shaped, as at Bieville, into a pediment, and surmounted by an
arch, which is rather the segment of an ellipsis than of a circle, is
likewise remarkable. But the very large arch on the northern side of the
nave, adjoining the west end, is by far the most striking architectural
feature of the building. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to
assign any satisfactory reason for its existence. Its situation
precludes the idea of its having been placed there by way of support to
the tower: its size forbids the supposition, that it ever served as an
entrance. Had there been an aisle or chapel beyond, it certainly might
have been the medium of their communication with the main building; but
the buttress contiguous to it, proves that the wall in which it is
inserted, was the outer wall of the church. As it is, it appears a
perfect anomaly, and must remain as a _crux_ for the ingenuity of future
antiquaries.
The similar arch, now blocked up, at the western extremity of the
chancel, places it almost beyond a doubt that the church had a central
tower. The windows of the chancel far exceed, in point of length and
narrowness, any others that have yet appeared in this work. They are
wholly destitute of mouldings or decoration of any description; but,
like those at Anisy, are edged with freestone, as are the apertures left
by the scaffolding, which in this building are disposed with unusual
regularity, as if with the intention of their being ornamental. This
introduction of white smooth stone, assorts ill with the dull
reddish-brown mass all around it, and produces a glaring and
disagreeable effect. The indented cornice is similar to that observed by
Mr. Turner upon the gate-tower, leading to the monastery of the Holy
Trinity, at Caen.[146]
NOTES:
[146] _Tour in Normandy_, II. p. 183.
PLATE LXIX.
CASTLE OF LILLEBONNE.
[Illustration: Plate 69. CASTLE OF LILLEBONNE.]
Julius Cæsar, the principal source of information respecting ancient
Gaul, at the same time that he mentions the Caletes, the inhabitants of
the modern Pays de Caux, is altogether silent with regard to the
principal city of their territory. From Ptolemy, however, and the
Itinerary of Antoninus, it appears, that such city was called
_Juliobona_;[147] and, notwithstanding the attempts of Cluvier and
Adrien de Valois to establish Dieppe as the site of this Caletian
metropolis,[148] the learned of the present day seem unanimously agreed
to fix it at Lillebonne; and there are but few who are not also of
opinion, that the present French name is a corruption of the ancient
Roman one. Some Latin writers of the twelfth century make mention of
_Insula Bona_; and the word, _Lillebonne_, spelt, as it not uncommonly
is, _L'Ilebonne_, might be regarded as originating from that
appellation, of which, indeed, it is a literal translation. But the
point is not worth arguing: it is equally possible, that _Insula Bona_
may be no other than _Lillebonne_ latinized.
Leaving all discussions of this kind, and equally passing by the
attempts which have been made to derive the name of Lillebonne from
Celtic roots,[149] it is at least certain, that the place was a Roman
settlement; and the undoubted fact of no fewer than five Roman roads
branching from it, to different parts of the country,[150] justifies the
inference, that it was likewise a settlement of some importance. The
subterraneous passages and foundations of ancient buildings, scattered
over a wide extent of ground, attest a place of no small size. The
remains of a theatre,[151] added to abundance of vases, cinerary urns,
sepulchral lamps, and coins and medals, both of the upper and lower
empire, which have been from time to time dug up here, prove it to have
been occupied by the Romans during a considerable period. But no records
remain, either of its greatness or overthrow. It fell, in all
probability, in consequence of the irruptions of the northern hordes,
and was swept away, like other neighboring towns,
"Unknown their arts, and lost their chroniclers."
In the midst of the general destruction, it is possible that some
remains of the city may have been left, that attracted the notice of the
new lords of the country: or, possibly, their choice was fixed by the
lovely situation of Lillebonne, in a valley upon the eastern bank of the
Seine, not far from the mouth of that majestic stream. While Normandy
was ruled by its own princes, Lillebonne was the seat of a ducal palace;
and tradition, whose accuracy in this instance there is no reason to
impugn, teaches that the actual remains of such palace are to be seen in
the building here figured. It even goes farther, and maintains that this
hall is the very spot in which William assembled his barons, for the
purpose of hearing their counsel, and marshalling their forces,
preparatory to his descent upon England.[152] His actual residence at
Lillebonne at various times is clear, from a number of charters which
bear date from this place. In one of these, granted in the year 1074,
for the sake of establishing[153] harmony between the Abbot of St.
Wandrille and the Count of Evreux, the sovereign styles himself
_gloriosus rex Anglorum_ and he dates it a _Castro Julio-Bona_. At
another time, in consequence of a dispute respecting the succession to
the abbacy of St. Evroul, Ordericus Vitalis relates, that one of the
rival competitors repaired to the Duke, "who was then holding his court
at Lillebonne" and who, incensed at the interference of the Pope on the
occasion, exhibited a strong trait of his natural character, by
swearing, that if any monk belonging to his territory, should dare to
calumniate him abroad, he would hang him by his cowl upon the highest
tree in the neighboring wood.[154] This happened in the year 1063: in
1080, there was held here, by order of the same prince, a provincial
synod, which passes in the annals of the Norman churches, under the name
of the _Concilium Julio-Bonense_. Its canons are preserved, and are
reported at length by Bessin, "with the intention," as he remarks, "of
enabling posterity to judge of the character of the laws in Normandy,
during the reign of Duke William."[155]
Lillebonne is at present a poor small country town, whose inhabitants
carry on an inconsiderable trade in tanning, and in the manufacturing of
cotton. The ruins of the castle, however, are far from unimportant. Not
only is the whole plan of the structure still distinctly to be traced;
but there remain, in addition to the great hall, here figured, extensive
portions of other buildings, some of which are altered into a modern
farm-house. A noble circular tower, surrounded by a deep moat, and
approached by a draw-bridge, appears at first view to be the great
character of the ruin; but it is obviously an addition of a subsequent
period, and, indeed, of a time considerably posterior to the hall. The
pointed arches of its windows, and the elegant bosses of its ceiling,
denote an æra when the arts had arrived at a high state of
perfection.--Of the date, or cause of the decay of the castle, nothing
is recorded.
The hall has the appearance of having been erected by Italian
architects. Its features are distinctly Roman; and it may be regarded as
holding, in this respect, the same place among the castellated buildings
of Normandy, as the church of St. Stephen, at Caen, occupies among the
ecclesiastical. The broken cornice at the top of the walls, is a decided
imitation of that upon the tomb of Cæcilia Metella, the arch of
Constantine, and the colosseum at Rome; and the windows may be likened
to those of Mæcenas' villa at Tivoli, in which there is the same
arrangement of arch within arch. But the Norman architect has introduced
a peculiarity, scarcely to be paralleled, in the transom, which, placed
upon a line with the capitals, divides each window into two unequal
parts, and at once supports, and is supported by, the central pillar,
that subdivides the lower moiety.
The Church at Lillebonne is also an object deserving of observation,
especially in the principal entrance: the great arch is flanked by two
square massy projections, in the form of buttresses, each of them faced
by a row of small cylindrical pillars in high relief, broken towards the
centre, to give place for canopied saints, and ending at the top in
ornaments, apparently intended to convey the idea of a series of antique
candelabra.
NOTES:
[147] Ordericus Vitalis, on the other hand, says, but he is borne out by
no classical authority, that Lillebonne occupies the site of an old
Belgic town, called _Caletus_ which was destroyed by Julius Cæsar; who
built on its foundation a new one, and named it _Julio-bona_, after
himself. The passage, which is curious, is as follows:--"Antiqua urbs
fuit, quæ Caletus ab incolis dicta est. Hanc (ut in antiquis Romanorum
legitur gestis) Caius Julius Cæsar obsedit, et pro nimia bellatorum
obstinatione intus acerrimè repugnantium subvertit. Deinde postquam
hostes ibidem ad libitum compressit, considerata opportunitate loci,
præsidium Romanorum providè constituit, et a nomine suo Juliam-bonam
(quam barbari nunc corrupto nomine Ille-bonam nuncupant)
appellavit."--_Duchesne, Scriptores Normanni_, p. 554.
[148] These authors were led to this opinion by the difficulty of
reconciling the distances, as stated by Antoninus, between Julio-bona
and the adjacent towns, with the actual distance of the same places from
the modern Lillebonne.
[149] See _Description de la Haute Normandie_, I. p. 6, where it is
suggested, that the word, _L'Ilebonne_, may be derived from the two
Celtic words, _Ile_, signifying a current of water, and _Bonne_, which
denotes the termination of any thing. The towns of Bonne, upon the
Rhine, and of Libourne, are supposed to have taken their names from
these words.
[150] _Noel, Essais sur le Département de la Seine Inférieure_, II. p.
126.
[151] Figured in the _Voyages Pittoresques et Romantiques dans
l'Ancienne France, par Nodier, Taylor, et De Cailleux_.--In the section
of this publication, comprising Normandy, the authors have devoted nine
plates to the illustration of Lillebonne.
[152] In the _Gallia Christiana_, XI. p. 31, it is said on this subject,
in speaking of Maurilius, archbishop of Rouen, that "adfuit
Juliobonensibus Comitiis pro expeditione Anglicana, in 1066."
[153] See _Neustria Pia_, p. 168.
[154] _Duchesne, Scriptores Normanni_, p. 488.
[155] _Concilia Normannica_, I. p. 67.
PLATE LXX.
CASTLE OF BRIQUEBEC.[156]
[Illustration: Plate 70. CASTLE OF BRIQUEBEC, NEAR VALOGNES.]
Briquebec is an extensive parish, situated about seven miles to the
south of Valognes, with a population of four thousand five hundred
inhabitants, a weekly market on Mondays, and several considerable fairs.
Its castle claims an antiquity, nearly, if not altogether, coeval with
the days of Rollo. When that Duke, on gaining peaceable possession of
Normandy, parcelled out the land among his companions in arms, the
portion that included Briquebec was one of the most considerable. The
lord of Briquebec held in the Norman exchequer the third place among the
barons of the Cotentin, the present department of La Manche.[157] His
services and his rank, to which may probably also be added, his
relationship to Rollo, entitled him to this proud distinction.
After the assassination of William Longue Epée, second Duke of Normandy,
in 942, Amlech, or, as he is sometimes called, Lancelot, of Briquebec,
was appointed one of the council of regency, during the minority of the
young prince, Richard, the son to the deceased, and heir to the throne.
In this capacity he was also one of those deputed to receive Louis
d'Outremer, King of France, at Rouen.--Amlech had a son, named Turstin
of Bastenburg, and he left two sons, one of whom, William, was lord of
Briquebec.--The other, Hugh, commonly called _the bearded_, was the head
of the family of Montfort, which produced the famous Count, Pierre,
slain at the battle of Evesham, while commanding the barons in revolt
against Henry III.--The line of the lords of Briquebec was continued in
the posterity of William, whose son, of the same name, attended the
Conqueror into England. Seven of his descendants successively bore the
name of Robert Bertrand, and successively possessed the barony of
Briquebec. The last died in the middle of the fourteenth century,
leaving his extensive domains, including this castle, to his eldest
daughter, Jane, with whom it passed in marriage to William Paisnel,
baron of Hambye.[158]
The name of Paisnel will be found, as well as that of Bertrand, in the
roll of chieftains engaged in the conquest of England. Duke William
recompensed the services of Ralph Paisnel, his companion in arms, with
various domains in different counties of his newly-acquired kingdom, and
particularly in Yorkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Somersetshire. His
descendants, who were numerous in Great Britain, possessed, among other
distinguished lordships, those of Huntley and of Dudley.--In the
Cotentin, their family was equally extensive and powerful. William, son
of Jane Bertrand and of William Paisnel, succeeded his parents as lord
of Briquebec and of Hambye.--He, in his turn, was followed by another
William, who, by a marriage with his cousin, daughter of Oliver Paisnel,
lord of Moyon, united that great barony to a property, which was
previously immense. Upon the death of William, without children, Fulk
Paisnel, his brother, became his heir; and, as he likewise died
childless, the fortune devolved upon a younger brother, Nicholas. This
Nicholas, who was previously lord of Chanteleu, married Jane de la
Champagne, baroness of Gaie, and left an only daughter, by whose
marriage with Louis d'Estouteville, in 1413, the baronies of Gaie,
Moyon, Hambye, and Briquebec, passed at once from the family of Paisnel.
Briquebec, at the same time that it thus again changed masters, was
still possessed by a descendant of one of those powerful barons, who had
shared in the glory of the conquest of England.--Robert de Huteville,
one of the Conqueror's companions in arms, had received from that
sovereign a princely recompense, particularly in the county of York. But
after the death of William Rufus, he espoused the party of the eldest
brother, against Henry I. and was taken prisoner at the battle of
Tinchbray, when his property was confiscated, and given to Néel
d'Aubigny.--The name of his son, Robert, is to be found among the
Yorkshire barons, who defeated the Scotch army at North Allerton; and it
again occurs in the twentieth year of the reign of Henry II. at the
battle of Alnwick, where he made the King of Scotland prisoner.
To return to the possessor of Briquebec, who was destined to afford a
striking example of the mutability of fortune--scarcely had he become by
his marriage the most powerful lord in the Cotentin, or possibly in
Normandy, when Henry V. of England, invaded the duchy, gained the battle
of Agincourt, and shortly afterwards made himself master of the whole
province, except Mount St. Michael. In this trying emergency, Louis
d'Estouteville remained faithful to his sovereign, and was,
consequently, deprived of his possessions.
Henry immediately bestowed Hambye and Briquebec upon one of his favorite
generals, William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk,[159] who, in 1427, still
continued lord of Briquebec, in which capacity he confirmed to the abbey
of Cherbourg, a rent of fifty sols, that had been given by his
predecessor, Robert Bertrand, in 1329. The act of confirmation yet
exists: it is dated in the year just mentioned; two years after which,
the Earl of Suffolk, who had always previously been victorious,
experienced a reverse of fortune, and was made prisoner at Gageau,
together with his brothers, Alexander and John de la Pole. The
consequence was, that he was compelled to sell his lands in the Cotentin
to pay his ransom.
They were purchased by Sir Bertyn Entwyssle, a knight of the county of
Lancaster, who, in the archives of the castle of Briquebec, dated about
the year 1440, is styled Admiral of England; as his brother, Henry
Entwyssle, in the same documents, bears the title of the King of
England's Lieutenant-General in Normandy. In the hands of this nobleman,
Briquebec continued, till the battle of Formigny compelled the British
to evacuate Normandy. Sir Bertyn afterwards took part with Henry VI.
against the Duke of York, and was slain at the battle of St. Albans, in
1455.
Upon the restoration of the province to the crown of France, the family
of D'Estouteville were replaced in the lordship of Briquebec. They had
deserved eminently well of the French King, for whom Louis
D'Estouteville had continued to hold possession of Mount St. Michael,
the only fortress that offered an availing resistance to the English.
In succeeding times, Briquebec and Hambye passed, by different
marriages, into the families of Bourbon St. Pol, and of Orleans
Longueville; but at the close of the sixteenth century, Mary of Orleans,
Duchess of Nemours, sold this property to Jaques Gougon de Matignon,
Marshal of France.--The descendants of the marshal continued lords of
Briquebec till the revolution. It had shortly before that event fallen
into the hands of a female, the only survivor of that family, and she
had married the eldest son of the Duke de Montmorency. But the
revolution swept away the whole of their fortune. A few detached
fragments of the property, which had not been alienated, have recently
been restored to them: the rest has long since been sold, including the
castle, the only habitable part of which now serves for an ale-house.
All the remainder is hastening fast to decay.
The walls of the castle inclose a considerable space of ground; and, at
the time when they were perfect, they comprised eight towers, of
different sizes and forms, including the multangular keep, the principal
feature of the plate. This tower, which is a hundred French feet in
height, is still nearly perfect. The sides towards the west and
south-west, from which Mr. Cotman has made his drawing, are entirely
so.--In an architectural point of view, Briquebec offers specimens of
the workmanship of many different epochs.--The case is widely different
between fortresses and churches: the latter, whatever the date of their
construction, commonly exhibit a certain degree of unity in their plan:
in castles, on the other hand, the means provided for defence have
usually had reference to those employed in attack. Both the one and the
other are found to vary _ad infinitum_, according to time and
localities. Briquebec shews some traces of the architecture of the
eleventh century, but many more of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and
sixteenth. The chapel, the magazines, the stables, and the present
dwelling-house, were the parts last built. Of these, the two first have
been for some years destroyed: the others are in a state of extreme
neglect; and, neither in the dwelling-house, nor in the apartments over
the great gate, does there now remain any thing curious.
NOTES:
[156] For the whole of this article, the author has to express his
acknowledgments to his friend, M. de Gerville, from whose manuscript it
is almost verbatim translated.
[157] _Masseville, Histoire de Normandie_, III. p. 46.
[158] While one branch of the Bertrand family continued in possession of
the barony of Briquebec, another branch established itself in
Northumberland, where it received from the Conqueror many manors. Under
the reign of Henry I. William Bertrand, or, as he is called by Tanner,
Bertram, founded the priory of Brinkburn. Roger, one of his descendants,
was conspicuous among the barons who revolted against King John; at the
death of which prince, he espoused the party of Henry III.; but his son,
Roger, took arms against this latter monarch, and was made prisoner at
Northampton. A third Roger succeeded him, and was the last baron of
Brinkburn.--Richard Bertram, who lived under Henry II. had a son called
Robert, baron of Bothal, whose son Richard joined the confederate barons
against King John. A descendant of his, of the name of Robert, lived
under Edward III. and enjoyed the title of Lord Bothal, and was sheriff
of Northumberland, and governor of Newcastle. He was present at the
battle of Durham, where he made William Douglas prisoner. His only
daughter, the heiress to his property, married Sir Robert Ogle; and thus
the family of Bertram became extinct both in France and England nearly
at the same time.
[159] The instrument, which is curious, is still in existence, and is as
follows:--"Henricus dei gracia rex Francie et Anglie et dnus hybernie
oibus ad quos psentes littere puenerint salutem. Sciatis qd de gracia
nostra speciali et ob grata et laudabilia obsequia nobis per carissimum
consanguineum nostrum Guillelmum, Comitem de Suffolk, huc usque
mirabiliter impensa dedimus et concessimus eidem comiti castra et
dominia de Hambye et de Briquebec cum ptinenciis suis una cum oibus
feodis, aliis hereditatibus et possessionibus quibuscumque quas tenuit
fouques Paisnel chevalier defunctus intra ducatum meum Normannie
habendis et tenendis prefato comiti et heredibus suis masculis de
corpore suo nascentibus ad valorem 3500 scutorum per annum, cum omnibus
dignitatibus, libertatibus, franchesiis, juribus, donationibus,
reversionibus, forisfacturis, etallis, proficiis, commoditatibus et
emolumentis quibuscumq. ad pdicta castra et dominia vel altera eorum seu
ad feoda hereditates et possessiones predictas aliqualiter ptinentibus
seu spectantibus intra ducatum nostrum Normannie adeo plene perfecte et
integre et eodem modo sicut pdictus fouques vel aliquis alius tenebat et
possidebat per homagium nobis et heredibus nostris faciendum et reddendo
unum scutum de Armis Sci Georgii ad festum suum apud castrum nostrum de
Cherbourg, singulis annis in perpetuum reservata tamen nobis et heredib.
nostris alta et summa justicia et omni alio jure quod ad nos poterit
pertinere proviso semper qd idem comes et heredes sui predicti sex
homines ad arma et 12 sagittarios ad equitandum nobiscum seu heredibus
nostris vel locum tenente nostro durante presenti guerra qui ad sumptus
suos servire tenebuntur funtaque presenti guerra hujus modi et servicia
in parte debita faciet et supportabit, et ulterius de uberiori gracia
dedimus et concessimus...... in cujus rei testimonium has litteras
nostras fieri fecimus patentes.--Teste meipso apd civitatem nram de
Bayeux, XIII. die Martii, anno regni nri quinto.
L. S. Per ipsum regem STORGEON."
PLATE LXXI.
CHURCH OF ST. STEPHEN, AT FÉCAMP.
[Illustration: Plate 71. CHURCH OF ST. STEPHEN, AT FÉCAMP.
_Southern entrance._]
Fécamp, like many other towns in Normandy, has fallen from its original
greatness to a state of extreme poverty. The sun of its prosperity has
set, to rise no more. Neglect immediately followed upon the removal of
the ducal throne to England: the annexation of Normandy to the crown of
France, completed the ruin of the town; and the great change in the
habits of mankind, from warlike to commercial, leaves no hopes for the
restoration of the importance of a place, whose situation holds out no
advantages for trade. Hence, Fécamp at present appears desolate and
decayed; and, though the official account of the population of France
still allows the number of its inhabitants to amount to seven thousand,
the great quantity of deserted houses, calculated to amount to more than
a third of all those in the town, impress the beholder with a strong
feeling of depopulation and ruin.[160]