As peculiarities deserving attention at Coningsburgh, we may mention the flat lintels of the door and windows, generally characteristic of an early period, when the arch was rather a suspected wonder, than a principle well understood. These lintels generally occur in Saxon work, but are found also (like flat roofs to passages[1]) at a later period. The chimney flues are interesting examples, rather later I should suppose than those at Rochester. The absence of any light to the first floor is also a peculiarity, since we thus have two store rooms, or store room and dungeon, instead of one which is the usual practice. The large turrets and the oven have been mentioned as deserving of notice, and as resembling in both cases the arrangements of Orford castle. Connected with the occurrence of an oven at the summit of the castle, King mentions the existence of a kitchen on the top of some Welsh tower.
In the Glossary of Architecture the date of the fire-place is set down as circa 1170. From the general style of the chapel and fire-places, I should be inclined to consider this date sufficiently early, and perhaps place the erection of the castle rather nearer to the year 1200. A castle appears to have existed on the spot from a very early period. Caer Conan is given as the British name, translated by the Saxons Cyning or Coning Byrgh[2]. A castle at this place having jurisdiction over twenty-eight townships, afterwards belonged to King Harold, and on the overthrow of that prince William the Conqueror bestowed it with all its privileges on William de Warren, in whose family it remained till the reign of Edward III.[3] Some suppose that the present keep was built by William de Warren, but that date would be too early for the style of architecture.
Richmond castle, Yorkshire, occupies a very prominent position, being defended on three sides by a natural slope of considerable height and abruptness, while the third is connected with the more level ground on which the town is built. On this side is the lofty keep, which from its commanding situation is a striking object from every point of view. Two sides of the rocky promontory are washed by the river Swale, along whose banks are shady walks following the line of its rapid stream. The fortress appears to have consisted of a large irregular
