of a stone mask in the masonry is hollowed out and through this
a suspicious lord of the manor could, unseen, be a witness to
any treachery on the part of his retainers or guests.

[Illustration: PAXHILL, SUSSEX]

[Illustration: CLEEVE PRIOR MANOR HOUSE, WORCESTERSHIRE]

The old moated hall Baddesley Clinton, in Warwickshire, the ancient
seat of the Ferrers, has a stone well or shaft near "the chapel."
There were formerly projections or steps by which a fugitive
could reach a secret passage extending round nearly two sides
of the house to a small water-gate by the moat, where a boat
was kept in readiness. Adjoining the "banqueting-room" on the
east side of the building is a secret chamber six feet square
with a bench all round it. It is now walled up, but the narrow
staircase, behind the wainscoting, leading up to it is unaltered.

Cleeve Prior Manor House, in Worcestershire (though close upon
the border of Warwickshire)) famous for its unique yew avenue,
has a priest's hole, a cramped space five feet by two, in which
it is necessary to lie down. As at Ingatestone, it is below the
floor of a small chamber adjoining the principal bedroom, and
is entered by removing one of the floor-boards.

Wollas Hall, an Elizabethan mansion on Bredon Hill, near Pershore
(held uninterruptedly by the Hanford family since the sixteenth
century), has a chapel in the upper part of the house, and a
secret chamber, or priest's hole, provided with a diminutive
fire-place. When the officiating priest was about to celebrate