ury Academy (and here Dean Swift commenced his Gulliver's
Travels, taking the title of Gulliver from the name on a tomb in the
churchyard opposite), are typical houses of the time. A beautifully carved
oak cornice remains in the north-west room of house No. 47 North Bar, Mrs.
J. Bolton's.

CALTHORPE HOUSE.--The Calthorpe Manor of old time is now sadly diminished,
its fish pond drained and its park a building ground. The north-west part
of the house is in use as a wool warehouse, but yet the east front, now
Calthorpe House School, stands in good order with stone porch, and
armorial shield of the Hawtayne's, and a good oriel window above bearing
the arms in stained glass of the Brancestre (1545) and Danvers'
families. The inscriptions thereon are "Danvers Matched D'Oyley," "Danvers
long time owned Calthropp," etc. The house, one of the religious houses of
early date and probably part of the hospice of St. John, was linked with
the early history of the town. Beesley and Macnamara speak of its
associations with the Brancestre family in the time of Richard II. (1378),
and later with that of Danvers. The former granted lands to the master of
St. John, thus implying a religious holding. By its reconstruction in
Queen Elizabeth's days we know the reformation had swept away its
religious order, and the fine oriel window is of that date. It is said
that Nonconformity was preached for the first time in Banbury in the oriel
room.

[Illustration: COURTYARD, REINDEER INN, BANBURY.]

OLD INNS.--The Reindeer, in Parson's Street, is probably older than any of
the houses before mentioned; the wooden gates are dated 1570, and have
inscribed on them the names Iohn Knight, Ihone Knight, David Horne. The
richly moulded ceiling and the fine panelling of the principal room, known
as the Globe Room, are of the style of the Italian renaissance, and above
the window is an inscription of the date 1570. The Unicorn Inn, in the
Market Place, and the adjoining house, at one time no doubt part of the
inn, belong to a later period; the massive wooden gates are carved with
the date 1648. The Old George (1614) seems to have formerly borne the name
of The George and Altarstone, from a supposed Roman altar dug up on the
site of the inn, and formerly exhibited in one of the rooms.

THE BARS.--The entrances to the town were formerly crossed by gates, or
bars, five in number. The North Bar, from which the present street is
named, stood near the tan-yar