which in my memory, was nearly complete, but is now altogether broken in, with the exception of about ten feet, and parallel to this is another, which This does not exfrom its darkness is commonly named the dungeon. tend more than twenty-four feet towards the east, but from its appearance we conceived that it originally was of the same extent as the other vault. On making a hole through the partition wall from the dungeon, we found that the arch continued eastward, and on further examination, we discovered that it was of equal length with the other: the arch wall, however, was broken in, and the inside filled with ruins and covered with earth. There appear to have been many vaults of this description further northward, and the space between the bank, where the hitherto supposed passage is, was undoubtedly arched over, as the quoins and mullions, remaining within my memory, prove. Over these I should suppose were the dormitories, and perhaps the dwellings of the monks. The floor of the first-mentioned vault is covered about twelve inches thick with a kind of black earth, which appears to be mixed with charcoal. We next opened the ground in several places eastward of the churchyard, where we supposed the priory church stood. Here were found many pieces of wall of various dimensions, thrown down into holes apparently formed for their reception. In this spot were many pieces of painted glass, and arched Caen stones. In another place near the centre of the plain, many more ornamented Caen stones were discovered. Against the west end of the church wall, were the ruins of some buildings, which proved to be those of two adjoining rooms, about twelve feet square. The most southerly had a chimney to the west, and a window to the north. On removing the rubbish with which the other was filled, we found that it had been an elegant water-closet or vault, and apparently of two stories high. This part is now converted into a burying vault for the family of Mr. J. Fuller. In digging towards the church-yard wall, the skulls of several tiers of skeletons were found." There are at present remaining within the scite of the priory, two subterraneous passages, which have given rise to numerous fanciful conjectures, as to their extent and use: the common opinion is, that they were designed to open a communication between the residents of the castle, the friery, and the monastery, and that whilst one branch extended to the castle, the other was continued to the friery, at the bottom of school hill. Amongst other objects that engaged the attention of the gentlemen before mentioned, were the two archways. The larger one which stands a little west of the ruins, was at that time in a great measure filled with rubbish beyond the turning which it makes at a short distance from the opening. The passage was partly cleared out, and its direction ascertained to be eastward; it did not however continue many yards. Its extremity was circular, arched over at the top in the manner of a dome, and steened with chalk, at the height of about nine feet. Near the top were two drains, one going nearly east, the other south, from which were marks of water having run down: the chalk appeared perfectly white and clean. There can be no doubt, then, of the use to which this subterraneous passage was appropriated: Mr. Grose conjectured that it was one of the great drains of the priory, and his conjecture is verified. The smaller drain, near the orchard, proved to be of much more modern date than the former, being arched over with brick. At the distance of about one hundred and forty feet from the entrance, there is a union of several small drains. This archway extended to the ruins nearly adjoining the east front of the barn, where a wall five feet thick, faced with Caen stone, with a door five feet wide, (probably leading to the cellar of Dorset House,) were exposed by excavations1. The different portions of the building were so completely destroyed by the industry of Portmarus, or have suffered so much from the effects of time, and the pilfering economy of past generations, as to defy even the ingenuity of antiquarian research, to ascertain either their original form, or fix the relative position of the numerous apartments. The drawing No. XV. exhibits an east view of part of the ruins as they now are. The eastern front of the walls is faced with Caen stone. To the left is a a Gothic window in a tolerable state of preservation, near to the grand entrance of the refectory. On the right hand is the appearance of a vault, which in the time of Mr. Grose was supported by pillars, and is stated to have been sixty-eight feet long, nineteen feet six inches wide, and ten feet high. So complete has been the demolition of this splendid establishment, that scarcely a single piece of ornamental carving remains, and with the exception of the Norman tiles in the possession of Mr. Mantell, a few of which are figured in Plates XVI. and XVII., and the marble monument Plate XX, fig. 10, no vestige of its internal magnificence is to be traced. The gateway2, a short distance east of Southover church, with the posterns, having clustered columns of Sussex marble, adorned with nail-headed quatrefoils, is in a better state of preservation, than any other part of the premises. Eastward of the priory ruins is a considerable mound of earth, obtained from an excavation near its base, now called the Dripping Pan. This mount was raised at considerable expense and labour, but by whom, or for what use in |