XI. Observations by Sir Henry Englefield, Bart. on the antient Buildings at York, &c. In a Letter to the President

There is no task more painful than to contradict the assertions of learned and ingenious men; yet, as the detection of error is at least as necessary to the advancement of knowledge as the investigation of truth, I hope I shall stand excused to this Society for the reasons which I now mean to offer for my dissent from the learned Drake, with regard to the Roman antiquities supposed by him to be now existing at York. The first of which I mean to speak is the tower and wall of the Mint Yard, spoken of in high terms by Dr. Lister, and engraven in the Eboracum. This I carefully viewed, but could not see the least difference either in material or construction from the rest of the city walls; except the courses of Roman brick mentioned to bond the work in two places. But I am far from looking on such courses as a certain mark of Roman work, the ingenious Mr. Essex having fully proved brick to have been made by our Saxon ancestors, and I myself having seen four courses of thin and fine brick ranging round the keep of Chepstow castle about twelve feet above ground; nobody will, I believe, attempt to ascribe the last mentioned building to the Roman times.