'Tis past! the Marcher's princely court, And o'er the solitary scene, While nature hangs her garlands green, The muse too weeps: in hallowed hour Subdued th' enraptured throng. But see! beneath yon shatter'd roof Yet there at midnight's sleepless hour. That too is past; unsparing time, Proud relic of the mighty dead! Peace to thy stern heroic age! We love, when smiles returning day, The remnant of the storm." From the "Athenæum," vol. 2. BEGINNING our perambulation of the Town from the north front of the Castle, we pass on eastward in a line with the town wall, which remains here nearly entire, serving as a foundation for garden walls, continued almost to the Church. Not far from the north-east corner of the Castle, tradition says there has formerly been a Priory, and some writers describe vestiges of the chapel belonging to it; but these accounts are doubtful. We enter the Churchyard where the gate called Linney gate formerly stood. This name it either receives from, or gives to, the lane into L which it opens; which lane leads circuitously into the lower part of Corve Street. A literary gentleman of Ludlow is of opinion that the name Linney has arisen from this lane having been the way to the chapel of Saint Leonard, deriving the term etymologically, Leonard, Lenney, Linney; but it is altogether as probable that the name has been given in the British æra of Ludlow, from Llanllheney, the place, or receptacle, of monks or learned men. The Church of Ludlow stands in the highest part of the town, and is a stately and very spacious structure, in the form of a cross, with a lofty and well adorned tower in the centre, in which is a melodious peal of eight bells. The principal entrance from the town is by a large hexagonal porch. The nave is divided from the aisles by six lofty pointed arches on each side, springing from light clustered pillars, each con-> sisting of four taper shafts, with the intermediate spaces hollowed. Above them is a clerestory, with a range of heavy unpleasing windows. The great western window is entirely modernised and its richly ornamented mullions destroyed. The four great arches under the tower are remarkably bold beneath the eastern arch is the choral rood loft, the lower part of which is embellished with open carved work, but upon it has been erected a modern gallery. Above which stands a large and very fine toned organ, given by Henry Arthur Earl of Powis, in the year 1764; it cost £1000. This Church having been formerly collegiate, possessed the characteristics of religious establishments of that denomination, of which the rood loft or perke was an essential; and here we find it was most elegantly fitted up as in cathedrals, with stalls on each side. These stalls remain entire and are of excellent workmanship, having been originally intended for the use of the ten priests of the rich chantry founded in the adjoining chapel of St. John of Jerusalem. Music, painting, and language are the three modes by which ideas are excited and communicated; the two former were especially used in the ancient church services, and psalm singing formed a necessary part of a religious education. It is not known when the ten priests ceased to officiate, conferring splendor and dignity on the choral service; yet in the registers mention is made of Master of the choristers (the Precentor) a considerable time after the reformation. The choir is spacious, and lighted by five lofty pointed windows on each side, and one of much larger dimensions on the east end, which occupies the whole breadth, and nearly the whole height of this part of the building. This great window is entirely filled with painted glass, though not of rich colouring, representing chief ly the legend of St. Lawrence the patron saint of the Church, In the side windows are also large remains of stained glass, principally figures of saints, of richer colouring than those of the eastern window. The chapel of St. John is north of the choir; in the windows of which are paintings representing the history of the Apostles, and also splendid remnants of stained glass portraying the story of the ring presented by some Pilgrims to Edward the Confessor, who, as the chronicles relate, "was warned of hys death certain dayes before hee dyed, by a ring that was brought to him by certain Pilgrimes comming from Hierusalem, which ring hee hadde secretly given to a poore man that asked hys charitie in the name of God and sainte John the Evangelist." These Pilgrims, as the legend recites, were men of Ludlow. At the north transept is a square building called the Fletcher's Chancel, on the top of which is an arrow. It is a probable conjecture, that this erection has been for the use of the Archers (Flecheurs, Norman-French) who might keep their bows and arrows, and hold their meetings here. Archery was formerly much encouraged, and English Archers became the best in Europe. The Artillery Company in London are the remains of the ancient Bowmen or Archers, the French word Artillerie signifying Archery. The English chronicles do not mention Archery till |