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Old England: A Pictorial Museum (page 28/52)

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[picture: Old England: Photograph of the book]

Old England: A Pictorial Museum of Regal, Ecclesiastical, Baronial, Municipal and Popular Antiquities, Charles Knight (1791 – 1873) London, Charles Knight and Co., Ludgate Street, First Edition, 1845, two volumes, folio, pp. viii, 392; vi, 386, 24 chromoxylographs (incl. frontis.). Many wood-engraved text illustrations.

My copy has contemporary (worn) half-calf with gilt backs; there is some light foxing and dampstaining to the plates and margins of some leaves. Ref. Abbey, Life, 43; purchased D. & E Lake Toronto, 1992.

This book has been reprinted, but the reprint is out of print; you can search for a used copy on Amazon.

I have typed in the index to the book so that you can ask me for other scans if you like.

I have the first few sections online as Old England: A Pictorial Museum if you want to read the actual book!

The book starts with Druidical and Prehistoric remains and continues on to have Castles, Manors and stately homes, Churches, Abbeys and Cathedrals and much more.

Charles Knight also produced an illustrated edition of the Works of Shakspere, as he spelt it.

There is an entry in the Nuttall Encyclopædia for Charles Knight.

Some of the engravings were done by the Dalziel brothers; I have some images from their autobiography, A Record of Work.

Contents

Volume I

Book I. Before the Conquest.

Chapter I. The British Period. [Fig. 1]

Chapter II. The Roman Period. [Fig. 80]

Chapter III. The Anglo-Saxon Period. [Fig. 189]

Book II. The Period From the Norman Conquest to the Death of King John. A.D. 1066—1216.

Chapter I. Regal and Baronial Antiquities. [Fig. 334]

Chapter II. Ecclesiastical Antiquities. [Fig. 491]

Chapter III. Popular Antiquities. [Fig. 795]

Book III. The Period From the Accession of Henry III. to the End of the Reign of Richard II. A.D. 1216—1399.

Chapter I. Regal and Baronial Antiquities. Fig. 814]

Chapter II. Ecclesiastical Antiquities. [Fig. 929]

Chapter III. Popular Antiquities.

Book IV. The Period From the Accession of Henry IV. to the End of the Reign of Richard III. A.D. 1399—1485.

Chapter I. Regal and Baronial Antiquities. [Fig. 1150]

Chapter II. Ecclesiastical Antiquities. [Fig. 1279]

Chapter III. Popular Antiquities. [Fig. 1335]

Although some of the images here are from Volume II, I plan to move them into their own darling little folder, and will make a second table of contents.

This book is online at archive.org (Vol I and Vol II), although the OCR has done a really bad job, and the scans are lower resolution and not cleaned up. But you could use it to request a specific image, and I will scan it for you if it’s not here yet.

Title: Old England: A Pictorial Museum

Author: Knight, Charles

City: London

Date: 1845

Total items: 407

Out of copyright (called public domain in the USA), hence royalty-free for all purposes usage credit requested, or as marked.

[picture: 524.---Plan of the Priory of St. Bartholomew.]

524.—Plan of the Priory of St. Bartholomew.

This twelfth-century priory (founded in 1123) was largely ruined, but the church was restored starting in the 1860s; this plan of the area was published in 1840 and predates any restoration work. [more...] [$]

[picture: 525.---The Crypt, St. Bartholomew's Church.]

525.—The Crypt, St. Bartholomew’s Church.

A dark stone-vaulted crypt extends as far as we can see; a man walks away from us, holding a burning taper out to light his way and carrying a heavy key. In the foreground a wine-barrel serves to hold a [...] [more...] [$]

[picture: Jailer walking into the dark]

Jailer walking into the dark

A man walks with a lighted taper into the back of the crypt. In the foreground we see empty wine-bottles and a wine-barrel (or beer-barrel). [more...] [$]

[picture: 527.---The Western Entrance, Interior, St. Bartholomew's church.]

527.—The Western Entrance, Interior, St. Bartholomew’s church.

There can be no doubt that we have the original walls, pillars, and arches of the twelfth century; the massive, grand, and simple style of the whole tells truly through the date of their erection. (p.139) [more...] [$]

[picture: 528.---Prior Rahere's Tomb.]

528.—Prior Rahere’s Tomb.

An elaborate gothick tomb in St. Bartholomew’s Priory. [more...] [$]

[picture: 565.---Canterbury Cathedral, South Side.]

565.—Canterbury Cathedral, South Side.

“Look at Canterbury. How many changes of architectural taste are not there visible; how many different periods of are history may not be there traced: yet is the effect anywhere discordant?—Oh, he were indeed presumptious who should say so. Is it not rather in the highest degree grand and impressive, conveying at once to the mind that sense of sublime [...] [more...] [$]

[picture: 566,---Cathedral Precinct Gateway.]

566,—Cathedral Precinct Gateway.

Entrance to Canterbury Cathedral precinct. [more...] [$]

[picture: 567.---Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral.]

567.—Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral.

“[...] an ancient chair in the chapel of the Holy Trinity, formed also of grey marble, in pieces, which is used for the enthronization of the Archbishops of the See, and which, sayeth tradition, was the ancient [more...] [$]


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