The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-01-22
From Dickenss Household Words.
MR. BULL AT HOME IN THE MIDDLE AGES.

We all know what delightful times the medi-
seval times were We all know, on undeniable
authority, If we would only believe it and act
accordingly that to restore the medieval times
is the only hopeful and thoroughly sensible
thing left us to do in these degenerate days.
Let US be middlc-aged or perish
We will present the reader with a sketch OF
Mr.. Bull at Home, after the manner of the
Middle Ages. Mr. Bulls home shall be a
medieval home; but our sketch of it shall not be,
after the manner of the middle ages false in
drawing and extravagant in color. We will
sketch correctly; coming fresh from the in
struction of an able MASTER Mr.. Hudson Tur-
ner, who has lately published an elaborate
work on the Domestic Architecture OF the
Middle Ages"
To begin with house-building The Romans
in Britain scattered few villas here and there
among our woods but the Romans were very
far from British in their habits They were
accustomed to the warm sky of the south; but
for all that, they were John Bullish, too in one
respect; what it was the custom to do, they
thought could not be wrong They built houses
IN Italy, OF which the grand apartment had nc
roof and had "a rain-cistern in the middle of
the floor; with little bedrooms, very much like
penitentiary cells, leading out of it. The grand
apartment was the sitting room, and study and
dining-room, and also kitchen: to do the Ro
man justice, however, we must add bath &c
this ground plan of his family mansion 1t is
very doubtful whether the Romans in Britain
often allowed it to occur to them, that in our
climate a parlor without a roof is open tc
wind, rain fog and other inconvenience
Sometimes no doubt spirited proprietor roof
ed himself in; but we can imagine more than
few Romans of the true hereditary breed who
scorned to let etfemnacy lead them to the
breach of a time-honored custom. Roof or no
root to his hall-dfrtum he called 1.-THE
ground-plan of a Romans house remained the
same, and it was always very solid in its struc-
ture. The remains of Roman towns and houses
greatly edited the Saxons, whose taste ran for
less solid kind of house property. The Ro-
mans having made roads over the country, con-
yeyed stones from distant quarries, to give
strength to the massive buildings, which the
Saxons called emphatically works and honor
ed with their verbal admiration by such names
as the Ald-wark in York and the Southwark
in London
The Romans gradually went, the Saxons
gradually came; aud where the Saxon chief
tain found Roman house vacant, he would
not object to become its tenant Why should
het He had been accustomed, in his home by
the Baltic, to two-roomed establishment Of
which one was the cooking feAstng, and pro
mlscuous sleeping room the other was the pr
waite council chamber, and the place in which
he and his chief retaners were Uttered down
ut night IN more select and exclusive man
ner The old Roman house still left him
ieastng-hall, and gave him increased private
accommodation. The family mansion of a Sax
on thane was built of the same wood that over
spreads the country and was matched witt
reeds or straw, and rooted with wooden shingles
IL was the usual two-roomed compact resi-
denee; there WAS the hall, with a fire lighted
IN the centre, and hole in the roof above 3,
leu t0e smoke out-that is to say when til,
owner had spice OF foppery about him; gen
erally, The smoke found its way out as it pleas
ed. IL was wood smoke, of course.
WOOD, and mud, and tbatch, therefore, wer,
the building materials of our forefathers. tn,
naxons their chiefs may have added a few
dalos OF pant, by way of ornament, or lttl,
gliding and a few pinnacles. Moreover il
the latter centuries of Saxon dominion. ston,
buildings were raised, undoubtedly. Church
men and traders out of England saw the world
and brought some wisdom home with them
The clergy cried for churches in the Ro
man manner" and, being spoiled children. O
course got them Mansions, however, in the
Roman manner, did not include chimneys II
1868, Prince of Padua visiting Rome. tool
with hun masons who built chimney in th,
lnn at which he stopped because; says Mu
ra'ori in the city of Rome they did not ther
use ehmneys; and all lighted the fire in tn,
middle Of the house, on the floor" Chimneys
probably, were understood in principle, centu
re- before custom gave way, and permitted
1nen 10 be introduced into common practice
TOT Saxon iortresses. they probably were no
worth much; the fortrcsses Of England in thos,
ams We're supplied by Nature--fens and forests
,,a nyu retired for protection to the woods and
81 ~ s OIL Somersetshirc; and the last stanC
a,,o s .aAons against the Normans was mad,
anon" ron Tue fcns Of Ely.
ne Normans prevailing. introduced the;,
sty'e o' house, IN which the accommodation still
Ion Of great hall and single bed-cham
Der, oer. They used more stone and paid more At
had done, Still, however, wood and mud cIs,
were employed by the vast majority Of house
builders; still, the carpenter might answer. a.
he answered IN the colloquy Of H;lfric, that
nc made hoases-and bowlsp To the end Of