The Ruined Mill, Or Round Ohuroh of the Norsemen, at Newport, Rhode Island

THE R INED MILL O R R ND U , O U H ROH OF THE N R E ME N O U O S , AT N E WPORT RH ODE I SLAND , , C OMPARED WITH T HE ROUND OH UROH AT CAMBRID GE AND O THERS IN E UROPE D . M F. J ALLEN, ’ From the Camb rid e Anti uar ian S oci et s Commun i at ions VO L. " " II. " g q y c , " C a m . b An . t S o c . V l o . " " II Pl a t e V I . 91 , p THE RUI D MI LL R U D C U C OF N S M NE , OR O N H R H THE OR E EN , N WP R D ISLAND U S . E ORT, HO E , . A. ’ ‘ " I . id e An t i ua ria n S ociet r s C m m un i a tions VOL . " I From t h e Cam b r g I o c , THE RUINE MILL OR ROUND C URC OF THE D , H H NORSEMEN AT NEWPO RT R O E ISLAN , , H D D , COMPARED WITH THE ROUND CHURC H AT AMBRI E AND OT ERS IN E RO PE C DG H U . D A M. By F . J . LLEN , 24 1 1 1 9 9 . Read November , (Na m es or n um bers in br ackets r efer to the bibl i ography on page Of a a The city Newport , Rhode Island , possesses fe ture n —a n a n unique in the Wester Hemisphere ve er ble rui , Of a a an d a medi ev l aspect , having the form of Norman round " an d church . It is called the Old Mill , is believed to be the ” buildin g described as my stone - built wind - mill in the l ast Of an De will Benedict Arnold , Governor of the Isl d , dated c em b er 24 1 677 . n o n , But while there is doubt that the buildi g w as a n n for used as wi dmill , its constructio is so unusual a mill a n d a a an an so like th t of Sc dinavian round church , that m y Observers are o f Opin ion that it w as built as a church by the Norsemen or Vikings (w ho h ad a colon y in this part of America in - a n the twelfth and thirteenth centuries) , and th t Gover or n a a o f Benedict Ar old merely d pted it to the purposes a mill , n a a believi g it to h ve been built s such . h as n Of a n The matter bee the subj ect consider ble co troversy , and from 1 83 8 on wards various an tiqua ries an d architects h a ve a r o an d con tr a n an d written p pers p ; but the question is still Ope , while many persons are quite satisfied th a t the building was n a n ever nything but a wi dmill of the seventeenth century , others thi n k it more probable that it w as primarily a church o f the twelfth century . in h is a er was read th e auth r h as re ei ed im rt an t in rm ati S ce t p p , o c v po fo o n n ern in Ben edi t Arn d wh i h a e ts th e h ist r th e ui din . See co c g c ol , c ff c o y of b l g e 9 p ag 9 . 2 J . 9 DR F . ALLEN - n - o f" The expression my stone built wi d mill , in the will n o t fa n : Benedict Arnold , does vour either side of the co troversy n it is the simplest possible description of the buildi g, and would apply equally t o a mill built by himself or to o n e built by any one else . n on I m a Before enteri g the discussion Of the question , y n a a a 1 840 a mentio th t bout the ye r skeleton in armour , supposed on e V n was n at to be the body of of the iki gs, fou d buried a n a an d F ll River , on the mainla d close to Rhode Isl nd ; that a on Longfellow wrote a ball d the event , describing the building ’ a t Newport as the warrior s tower . I d 1 880 a n d a visite Rhode Island in , m de notes and careful n drawings Of the Old Mill . The buildi g left a deep impression o n a n a an my mind , so th t I have ever since bee on the lert for y informa tion o r Observation tha t might help to elucidate its n o f n a n a a origi . In the course i vestig tio I h ve noted cert in points n ot which seem to me important , but which are mentioned by any of the writers whose works are within my reach ; and it is o f an d o f because these additional evidences , because certain resemblances between the ruin in question an d the Rou n d at a n ot a Church Cambridge , th t I think it in ppropriate to lay the subj ect before this Society . an a l ias A uidn eck a a n Rhode Isl d , q , is a little l rger th Jersey , an d is situated in the in let known as Narraganset Bay on the of a a 60 of south coast New Engl nd , bout miles south Boston 1 0 a - - o f " and 6 miles e st north east New ork . The island is separa ted from the mai n lan d by a channel which is on l y about a n a an a on e mile wide t the rrowest . Rhode Isl d gives its n me to a o f the sm llest Of the States , which it forms a part . Newport , on t h e l and h ad west coast Of the island , is its argest town , in the early days Of the New England colony a considerable trade as a seaport : but in recent times it h as developed into a very a l a a n s ea an d in on e luxurious w tering p a ce , g rde city by the ; of its public parks the Ruined Mill stan ds picturesquely a mong the trees . VI The photograph , Plate , shows the ruin to be of the a O f n n o f a w l n sh pe the ce tral portio t e fth ce tury round church , 3 THE U PO R I. 9 R I N AT NEW RT, . from which the surrou n ding aile or a mbul atory h as been re e It - a mov d . consists of eight round colu mns with semi circul r n and arches, supporti g an upper storey which is quite plain is a a a remark ble for the b rb ric paucity of its windows . When I V isited the buildin g I w as struck with two of its an d n characters , firstly its similarity in form dime sions to the n c at t h e Rou d Chur h Cambridge , and secondly skill with which t h e n n h ad n a e a builders , using o ly unhewn sto es , ma g d to imit te a a a the contour of the Norm n column , its sh ft , base and c pital . ’ Wa l k " 6 b em a l l u Fi . 1 . P an th e R un d Ch ur h th e H e u h re Cam rid e . g l of o c of oly S p lc , b g ’ Redu ed r m Atkin s n an d ark s i b ed a d Il l us tra ted b c f o o Cl s Ca mbridge D e cr n , y m i i n r n d B w . er ss ess s a m i an n . n d ssrs B wes a es p o of M M c ll a d Co , a M e o o a fi 1 a of t h e . The bove g shows the pl n Of the Round . Church a a o f Holy Sepulchre t Cambridge . It will be seen th t the circle eight colum n s in the plan would answer for either of the two n a a buildings under consideratio , but the outer circul r w ll enclosin g the a mbulatory does not at present exist at the New port ruin : whether it formerly existed is a matter fo r investiga an a a a tion . The ch cel at Cambridge is a l te ddition , replacing a a a a n sm ller e rly ch ncel . C reful digging arou d the Newport F J L 94 DR . AL EN buildin g might reveal the fou n dations o f a former ambulatory r an o ch cel . The dimensions of the Newport ruin are remark ably similar o f our a n to those C mbridge church , as the followi g figures will show Newport C am b ridge Diam et e of en t al uil din r c r b g, excl uding am bul at ory : * t e n al 23 i .

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