‘Dear Mr. Rogers,—Here is a sketch of Sir Thomas More’s House at Canterbury—I have been promised one, which I expect to be still better, and which I hope to have the pleasure of sending you soon.
‘The following account of the building I copy from a topographical history of Canterbury, which has just fallen in my way. It seems to be pretty correct—
‘“In Orange Street are the remains of the
house of Sir Thomas More. It was a
spacious and noble building, in the form of a quadrangle, having the
entrance through a large gateway now standing on the south side of the
street; in front of the house and between the two wings was a large
courtyard, which is now called Dancing School Yard. The building is
principally of wood, with gable front and a long range of windows extending
all along the front of the building, very much ornamented with stained
glass, of which little remains. The rooms are spacious and ornamented with
carved mouldings or cornices. The walls were painted in fresco, as appears
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‘While you were on your way to Dover I got into the house and had some talk with the owner, who told me that when he, some few years ago, took possession, there was a good deal of stained glass in the windows, and that no doubt the whole of that glazed range of gallery had been formerly glazed with painted glass. I saw a small portion of it.
‘I think I mentioned to you that the head of Sir Thomas More is in a vault in St. Dunstan’s Church at Canterbury, the first Church you come to in the suburbs on the right hand side of the road as you come from London. His body was buried, I believe, at Chelsea. As to the head, the story is that it was exposed on London Bridge for a fortnight, and that Margaret Roper “begged it” and carried it to Canterbury and placed it in the church opposite to the dwelling-house of the Ropers—now a brewery—(a brick archway remains and some of the walls of this old building). She is said to have desired that her father’s head should be placed in her arms in her own coffin, but this request appears to have been neglected.
‘We arrived here a fortnight ago, and are more comfortably lodged than we were at Canterbury.
‘We heard by accident, two or three days since, of your return to town, from Signor Prandi, who is the Italian teacher at Mrs. Gee’s school near us.
‘Dora is quite
well, and has the impudence to send you her love. On my taxing her with
boldness, she says
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‘Believe me, my dear Sir, yours faithfully,
