HALL, the large principal apartment of the castles and dwelling-houses of the middle ages. The hall is of very ancient origin. The earliest Saxon buildings we have any record of are the palaces of the kings, and these seem to have consisted of one large hall. in which the king, his courtiers or `‘1.1eartli-men," and all his retainers dwelt together, eating at the same table, and sitting round the same fire; and one other chamber, in which time king and his hearth-men slept, while his retainers slept in the hall. The Normans built their houses on the same plane—with the hall and one solar (q. v.) or sleeping apartment. The same arrangement prevailed, with slight modifications, during the 12th and 13th centuries. In the 14th and 15th centuries, when the country was more settled and prosperous, and manners more refined, more numerous apartments became necessary. The hail, however, still retained its place as the chief apartment. In it the king or the lord of the manor gave audience, administered justice, received and entertained his retainers and guests, and performed all the public acts of feudal life.
At one end ofthe hall was a raised platform or dais, mi which the table of the lord of the manor was placed, and where his more honored guests sat along with him. The retainers sat at a table which ran along the lower part of the hall. This part was not always in the cleanest and sweetest condition, and hence it received the name of "the marsh." . The hall partook of the style of architecture prevailing at the time when it was built, and being a large and important apartment, was generally ornamental in its character. The roofs especially were very carefully and elegantly constructed, as many still remain ing show. The hall of the king's palace, now aled " Westminster Hall," built by Wil liam Rufus, and restored by Richard II., is the finest example in England, being 300 ft. long and 100 ft. broad.
The ball was essentially a part of feudal architecture. When that system gave way, the large common halls were abandoned. Many old ones, however, still remain, but their use is changed.