reign of Henry ii.; “and,” observes Mr. Hallam, “though not often perhaps regularly hewn stones, yet those scattered over the soil, or dug from flint quarries, bound together with a very strong and durable cement, were employed in the construction of manorial houses, especially in the western counties and other parts where that material is easily procured.  Harrison says, that few of the houses of the commonalty, except here and there in the west country towns, were made of stone.  This was about 1570.  Gradually, even in timber buildings, the intervals of the main beams were occupied by stone walls, or where stone was expensive, by mortar or plaster, intersected by horizontal or diagonal beams, grooved into the principal piers.  This mode of building continued for a long time, and is familiar to our eyes in the older streets of the metropolis, and in many parts of the country."[4] Harrison, just quoted, says, “the ancient manours and houses of our gentlemen are yet and for the most part of strong timber, in framing whereof our carpenters have been and are worthily preferred before those of like science among all other nations.  Howbeit, such as are lately builded are either of brick or hard stone, or of both.”

    [2] Britton’s Architect.  Antiq. ii. 86.

    [3] Rhodes’s Peak Scenery, Part iv. p. 4.—­One of the oldest
        of these structures at present in the kingdom, is Moreton
        Hall in Cheshire, which, though a highly-ornamented
        building, is entirely composed of wood, and was erected at
        a time before stone was generally used even for the lower
        apartments.  The earliest date about this ancient remain is
        1559.

    [4] Hist.  Middle Ages, vol. iii., p. 420.

The “Hall” before us may but ill accord with the present idea of one of these ancient residences; but, to explain away this error, it may be necessary to show in what respects the earliest “halls” (of which but few specimens are extant,) differed from those which remain in considerable numbers, to this day.  A passage to this point will be found in Mr. Hallam’s valuable work.  “It is,” observes this able historical writer, “an error to suppose that the English gentry were lodged in stately or even in well-sized houses.  Generally speaking, their dwellings were almost as inferior to those of their descendants in capacity as they were in convenience.  The usual arrangement consisted of an entrance-passage running through the house, with a hall on one side, a parlour beyond, and one or two chambers above, and on the opposite side, a kitchen, pantry, and other offices."[5] Such was the ordinary manor-house of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, as appears not only from the documents and engravings, but as to the latter period from the buildings themselves, sometimes, though not very frequently, occupied by families of consideration, more often converted into farm-houses, or distinct tenements.  Larger structures