Other famous homes of Great Britain and their stories . ver found. A very young, but sage and prudent abbot, Robert deHockele, who died in 1149, repaired and beautified the Churchof the Abbey, of which very few traces are now to be found ; but,as Dugdale says, theGatehouse, a fair andstrong building, a n dalso one of his works,still standeth ; andover the gateway wenotice the large stoneescutcheon bearing thearms of Henry II.,placed there by Robertin memory of thefounder of StoneleAbbey. This Gatehousemay have been in-tended as a place of re-ception for guests, andan eleemosynary for distribut
Other famous homes of Great Britain and their stories . ver found. A very young, but sage and prudent abbot, Robert deHockele, who died in 1149, repaired and beautified the Churchof the Abbey, of which very few traces are now to be found ; but,as Dugdale says, theGatehouse, a fair andstrong building, a n dalso one of his works,still standeth ; andover the gateway wenotice the large stoneescutcheon bearing thearms of Henry II.,placed there by Robertin memory of thefounder of StoneleAbbey. This Gatehousemay have been in-tended as a place of re-ception for guests, andan eleemosynary for distribution of alms. In an ancient wooden bench within thegateway are ten curious circular holes, the original use of whichis uncertain ; but they were possibly destined in later warlikedays to hold lances or other weapons. The Church, as already stated, is no more ; though someencaustic tiles, which probably came from the Church, form partof an old pavement in the Abbey. A room thought to be theancient Chapter-house still exists, with a massive pillar in the. GABLES OF THE OLD ABBEY 254 Stoneleiob an& its flDcmories centre. A long chamber with a groined roof, for many yearsused as a brew-house, is supposed to have been a crypt underthe abbots lodging. This brew-house, by the way, is intro-duced into a pictureat Stoneleigh, in whicha Royalist butler andbrewer are representedendeavouring to per-suade a Roundheadbaker to drink to thePretenders health. Beautiful specimensof Norman arches andpillars still remain, bothin the Abbey, and in theparish church of Stone-leigh, where may beseen a very fine chancelarch of i i6o and a lateNorman door. Variousparts of the existingAbbey date from the reigns of Henry 11., Edward 111., James I.,and Charles 11. An inner courtyard, situated between the ancient Abbey andthe more modern building, appears to have formed part of theburying-ground of the monks. A few years ago three skeletonswere unearthed here ; as there were no traces of coffins, and nochali
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