THE visitor's GUIDE TO REDCAR, YORKSHIRE. 1C9 but lyved all on the Abbey ; twoe Gatehouses had Lodgings, and all Houses of oflyces appertayninge to a Dwellinge House, whereof two of the Bulmers Knights within the jNIemory of me were resydent, havinge allowance when they came of a plentiful! Dyet, at eyther to entertaine Strangers, and as many Horse in Winter in the Stable as in Sommer at Grasse ; the Number whereof and other particulars one Thompsone an Almesman there, and di- verse others have related to me ; and alsoe of the State Pryor's Service by Yeomen, who broughte his Water to a rounde Hole in the great Chamber where it was receayved by Gent" who served the Pryor only at his Table; one Thing I remember of this great Provision, that a Steward of theirs was put out of his offys because he had aforehand but only 400 Quarters of Grayne to serve their House. But nowe all these Lodgings are gone, and the Countrye as a Wydowe remaynethe mournfull." There is another passage in the same letter especially interesting to the architectural antiquary : "In a previous portion of this letter, where the writer is alluding to a vein of russet-coloured sand, not far from Guisbrough, which, being mixed with lime, he supposed would make ' a mortar as strong as Cynient,' he incidentally mentions the very singular fact that a pillar in the chapter- house of this priory was coated with artificial marble ; and, what is still more remarkable, that he found the method of preparing this ancient scag- liola recorded in one of the books of the abbey. ' W^alkinge,' says he, ' in the chapter-house at Gisbrough I remarked a broken j^iHer, that had a cruste of blue poUished stuffe, like naturall blewe marble, the inner p'te being nothing else but a piece of ordinary freestone.' He then presumed that the marble crust was compounded of the like substance as the devil's arrows at Borouglibridge, which were long thought, from their bulk, to be of artificial composition, ' beinge of a blewe harde stone found there in the shallow ryvers and knowne by the name of a lyme stone, of w*^*^ stone finely beaten and seaued after yt Iftith bin half calcyned take two p'ts, and of the same stone not calcined but beaten, three parts, of quicke lyme made of marble or blacke fiynte one p'te. All these bemge tempered w^^ the oulde glayse of egges or water wherein sal gemme is dissolved (w'^'^ hath the pro- pertye to turne wood beinge steeped therein, into a stone) make an excel- lent marble, and when your plaister soe tempered is of the thickness of Cyment eyther cast yt in mouldes or applye yt to pillers as they do worke plaister of parjs. Lastly when yt is drye burnish yt w^ oyle and w"* p'te of the calcyned stone. This receipte I tooke out of an antyent booke be- longinge to some of the Abbey, and, consyderinge yt, entred into a conceyte that in steede of Sal gemme or whites of egges, allum water might very aptly be incert in the mixtures.' " The following notice, by Chaloner's correspondent, of superstitions pre- valent in the district, may be valuable to the student of our ancient manners a nd customs " They have a custome, that if any whi^^tle after daylight is closed, that he must be put out of dores, and three tymes goe about the house, fur pen-
