and his grandaughter Phillipa brought it to Sir Nicholas Carew, who deceased in 1404, aged 69, as appears from the elegant brass to his memory in the chancel. It is clear that the tiles, even if they were laid down by Sir Warren Archdeacon, could not have been designed much later than 1370, but they were probably twenty years earlier.
7. Within a circle, two birds seated back to back, looking at each other: between them a plant, possibly intended for some sort of dead nettle. The corners arc filled, apparently with a quarter of a circle, and another figure adapted in form to the circles on each side of it.
This is not an uncommon ornament. An example occurs in the vestry of Bristol cathedral; and I have seen a drawing of a similar tile at Tintern abbey. The more common arrangement, however, is with the whole placed diagonally, and the birds seated on branches of the plant, which has usually trefoils at its upper extremity. This occurs at Winchester, Exeter, Bristol, and Salisbury[1]. And a similar but simpler form exists at Hereford.
8. A circle, the corners being filled with foliage growing from it, and having a sort of diamond formed within it by circles sprung from the corners as centres. This diamond is filled by a cross and four squares, and the four spaces formed by the intersecting circles have fish in them.
On the authority of this tile we might arrange those containing fish (ex. gr. Nichols, p. vi.) in squares, head to head, and tail to tail, as well as heads inwards, of which examples exist in the Exchequer chamber, Exeter cathedral; in which case they resemble another not uncommon tile. Indeed some faint traces of the arrangement here suggested, exist in St. James' chapel, in the same cathedral.
9. A diamond, formed similarly to that in the centre of the last described tile, and is filled with a row of spots and a flower of eight petals, both adapted to the space. The foui- corners contain coarsely designed fluers-de-lis, pointing out- wards.
A somewhat different tile, to which the above description would apply, occurs in St. Michaels chapel, Exeter cathedral.
10. This tile is divided into nine spaces by narrow strips
- ↑ Nichols' No. 98 seems to be a fragment of a tile of this sort.
