The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-20 00:00:00

BARBICANS OF CASTLES.

In a paper read at the Lancaster meeting of archaeo-
logists, by Mr. George Godwin, "On the Barbican, in
connexion with our Castles," he says—" If we look into
a dictionary for the meaning of the word barbacan, or
barbican, we shall find it called a narrow opening left
in the walls of buildings liable to be overflowed, for the
water to come in and go out M, or to drain the water
from off a terrace; or an outer defence or fortification
to a city; a kind of watch-tower; any outwork at a short
distance from the main works; and a cleft made in the
walls of a fortress to fire through upon the enemy.' We
do not from this get a very clear idea of what a barbican
really was. The etymology of the word is doubtful. It
has been sought in barbacana, low Latin and Spanish;
barbacane, French; lock.in-einermaver, German, &e.
Spelman, the antiquary, derives it from the Saxon burgh
and kenn, a place to view or ken from. There is a street
in London, near Redcross-street, in Cripplegate, still
called Barbican,' from a watch-tower, and where, by
the way, Spelman died in 1640. John Milton lived also
at one time in Barbican. Camden, in his 'Britannia,'
(published 1586), says, when describing London, The
suburb also which runs out on the north-west side of
London is large, and had formerly a watch-tower or mili-
tary fence, from whence it came to be called by an
Arabic name—llarbacen.' Stow writes at the same
place—' On the west side of the Rtd Cross' (whence
Red Cross-street) 'is a street called the Barbican, because
some time there stood on the north side thereof a burgh
henin, or watch-tower of the city, called in some language
a barbican, as a Likening is called a beacon.' As early
as 1232, according to Britton's 'Architectural Dictionary,'
we find in a charter,' Antonurali qui dicitur barbacana,
qui est murus brevis ante murum nostri orti.' Spenser,
in the Faerie Queene' (b. ii.), has—
' Within the barbican a porter sate,
Day and night duly keeping watch and ward.'
- -

And Ben. Jonson uses the term in his 'Epithalamion,'—
' That far all-seeing eye could soon espy
What kind of waking man He had so highly set, and in what
barbican.'
The extracts I have quoted refer to the barbican mainly
as a watch-tower or outwork of defence, and this is the
idea which generally attaches to it. In a letter, however,
addressed (June, 1837) to the Society of Antiquaries,
Mr. Planche states that Oliver de la Marche says, that
at the siege of Oudenarde, A.D. 1452, Anthony bore a
great white standard embroidered with a barbacan; and
at the Pas de r Arbre d'Or, sixteen years afterwards, the
same author describes him as issuing from his pavilion,
on a horse trapped with tawny velvet, embroidered with
large barbacanes, with flames issuing out of them, and
letters of his device, all worked in gold thread. Re-
membering that barbican was explained by Roquefort
to mean not only a tower but a loop-hole, and any sort
of outwork, and that Cotgravu, under the same word,
e
coming
oaeloyemfl
before
rr,;ee
gs
usi
ho
through Some
wii
assu,g(i
gfhte(e)stlnthdededeidiceit
Anthony,titoi(,
ra bresee.
andppar Mr.sost
represent,
nuea
ttrbel
hnoa,
ettnsheacrat,o)ttui
sue
found
dthh otteehbu
afterwards
figure
sg,asutrmhodr
erese,
barbican,ab,actnlteto ot
nhdeevsracurriiionbusesdo
of the
portions
icloi
Castle
obuurilMarche,edhine building,
with filmes
innoAticretoi(vd
which he communicated to the Gcntkin aga,z -• ne.—

---
AhrrAt StMEV SW)* Alit) fartt.-=,-This long.
established and mcst prosperous arnual gathering of the
ruralists of Upper Annandale was held on Friday last. The
competing stock, Cheviots of course especially, were the
great object of attraction; and the high character of the
show was this year, no easy matter now, fully sustained.
The animals were in splendid order, and looked all the bet-
ter that sunshine, in place of rain, played upon their fleecy
backs. In cattle the competition was very keen, and the
stock shown superior. The show of tups for sale was also
very good, though the number were not so great as last
year. There would be about 750 tups on the ground, chiefly
Cheviots ; for these there was a fair ready sale, and the
principal portion found buyers. The quality was excellent,
and prices ranged from 21. to 4/, In a few instances higher
sums were given for particular animals, but the general
rate for a good ono was from 31. to 3/. 3e. Some Cheviot
Dinmonts made 2/. Me., and tup iambs about 24,—pum-
ifrio Courier.