ae 


nent ee eS i ot Se 
PRINTED AT THE HERALD OFFICE, NORTH GATE, BATH. 


mee ae ad 


HEE CAD ntiog.” en 
MELE F1i40 UT OA ae PALM Wat rR, cheery 


PROCEEDINGS 


OF THE 


BATH NATURAL HISTORY 


AND 


ANTIQUARIAN FIELD CLUB. 


BATH : 
PRINTED (FOR THE CLUB) AT THE HERALD OFFICE, NORTH GATE. 
1889, 


wrist 


TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


Vou. VI, No. 1. 


1.—CONTINUATION OF THE FUNGI oF Batu, By C. E. 
Broome, F.LS. _... vit ats ae we 

2.—On AN ABNORMAL FLOWER OF A PENSTEMON, BY 
C. E. Brooms, F.L.S. ee ae ois 2 

3.—NoTES ON RoMAN PAVING FOUND IN BRIDEWELL 
LANE, BY T. BROWNE 

4,—THr BouRNEMOUTH Firs ; CONSIDERED AS THE 
REMAINS OF AN ANCIENT Forest. WAS THERE 
EVER A ForEST OF FIRS ON THE HILLS AROUND 
Bato? By tHe Rev. LeEoNARD BLOMEFIELD, 
M.A., F.LS., F.G.8., &. ... 

5.—THE ALG OF THE BATH THERMAL WATERS, BY 
G. Norman, M.B. ... ve 

6.—THE Earuiest Map oF Batu, BY EMANUEL 
GREEN, F.S.A. 

7.—On RECENT DISCOVERIES MADE IN UNCOVERING 
THE ROMAN BATHS AT BATH, BY THE ReEv. 
Pres. ScARTH, M.A. 

8.—UPON SOME SCULPTURE RECENTLY DISCOVERED AT 
THE Cross BATH, BY THE Rey. H. H. Winwvop, 
M.A., F.G.S, sie ie vi 25 bye 


Pace. 


35 


37 


39 


53 


58 


79 


U2. CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 
9,—Nores ON THE OCCURRENCE OF SALT SPRINGS IN 
HE CoAL MEASURES AT RADSTOCK, BY J. 
McMvrrtnie, F.G.S. ‘os ae fs ot ee 
10.—List or Fosst, MAMMALIA FOUND NEAR BATH, BY 
rue Rev. H. H. Winwoop, M.A., F.GS. cae ee 
11.—SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FOR THE YEAR 1885-86, 
By THE SECRETARY... aie ee aoe ca’ Gen 


No. 2. 


1.—Nores oN THE GEOLOGY OF BRENT KNOLL, BY 
Horace B. Woopwarp, F.G:S. ... ii ree 
9.—PitAce NAMES DERIVED FRoM PLANTS (IN THE 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BATH), BY THE Rev. CANON 
ELLACOMBE ... dee me sy. ii ao ee 
3.—ADDRESS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BatH FIELD 
CLUB IN REFERENCE TO THE DEATH OF C. E. 
BROOME, F.LS., BY THE Rev. L. BLOMEFIELD, 
‘M.A, F.LS., F.G.S., &c. ... is tds vee 
4,—TRACES OF THE SAXON PERIOD IN BATH AND THE 
NEIGHBOURHOOD, BY THE REY. PREB. EARLE ... 153 
5,—Lerrers ILLUSTRATING THE BATTLES OF CLAVERTON 
AND LANSDOWN, BY H. D. Sxrine, M.A. ae 
6.—FurRTHER NoTES ON THE CLAVERTON SKIRMISH, BY 
H. D. Sxrine, M.A. 453 MG dis + ee 
7—Norrs oN THE HAM HILL STONE, BY Hx.B, 
WoopwarbD, F,G.S. oF Rr and an Oe 


CONTENTS. 


_8.—FurtTHEr RESULTS OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVA- 
TIONS MADE AT THE BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND 
SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION, BY THE REV. LEONARD 
BLoMEFIELD, M.A, F.L.S., F.G.S., &, . 

9.—SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FOR THE YEAR 1886-87, 


BY THE SECRETARY... ad fe Han My 


No. 3. 


1.—ON SOME OSTRACODA FROM THE FULLERS - EARTH 
OoLITE AND BRADFORD CLAY, BY PROFESSOR T. 
RuPert JONES, F.R.S., F.G.S., anp C. DAvits 
SHERBORN, F.G.S. ... 

2.—LANDSLIPS AND SUBSIDENCES, BY W. PUMPHREY ... 

3.—THE DESTRUCTION OF THE Two CHURCHES OF ST. 
Mary In Batu, By Austin J. Kine 

4.—A Barn Pott Tax 2 RicHarp II., py EMANUEL 


GREEN, F.S.A. ae a site ka eee 


5.—REMARKS ON SOME HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA TAKEN 
IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BATH, BY LIEUT.- 


Cot. BLATHWAYT, F.L.S. F.Ent.S. a ane 
6.—RECENT “ FINDS” IN THE VICTORIA GRAVEL PIT, BY 


THE Rev. H. H. Winwoop, M.A., F.G.S. a 
7.—NoTE ON WEBBINA IRPEGULARIS (D’ORB.) FROM THE 
Oxrorp CLAY AT WrYMOUTH, BY C. DAvIES 
SHERBORN, F.G.S. ... Ba oe age ie 
8.--SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FOR THE YEAR 1887-88, 
BY THE SECRETARY Se LA: wae PHS 


196 


vu. CONTEN'S. 


No. 4. 
PAGE. 
1.—On CuurcH Doorways, BY THE REV. REGINALD 
A; Gayiuy; McA. .«.. se ite aa .. 363 
2.—BatH Lay Supsipies, Henry IV. to Henry VIII, 
BY EMANUEL GREEN, F.S.A. me ~ ase de 


3.—Tue Divinine Rop, py THomas ForpER PLowMAN 411 
4,—ListT OF TERRESTRIAL HEMIPTERA - HETEROPTERA 
TAKEN IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BATH, BY 
Lizut.-Con. Buatawayt, F.L.S., F.Ent.S. «s ) 432 
5.—SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FOR THE YEAR 1888-89, 
BY THE SECRETARY we i des .. 435 


~ 

In 
SA 
\ 


¥ 


8 JUN. 92 


“OR OCT 13888. 


. : ‘ a PROCEEDINGS 
BATH NATURAL HISTORY 
ANTIQUARIAN FIELD CLUB 


NO. I. VOL, VI 


‘PRICE . HALF-A-CROWN. 


ee SX BATH: ; 
ieee THE HERALD OFFICE, NORTH. GATE. 
| J. DAVIES, GRAND PUMP ROOM LIBRARY. 
1886, 0 


Continuation of the Fungi of Bath, By C. E. Brooms, F.LS. 
(Read March 18th, 1885.) 


Continuing our Notices of the Fungi of the Bath District from 
. a Paper read in March, 1883, before the Bath Field Club, we 
commence with the 26th Order of Mr. Berkeley’s arrangement in 
the Outlines of British Fungology, Spheriacei. The Order is 
characterized by producing its fruit, called sporidia, in little sacs, 
or asci, which grow in closed vesicles, perithecia, opening by a 
round or elongate mouth. This is perhaps one of the most 
interesting Orders of the Family Ascomycetes, especially to 
Microscopists, owing to the great variety it presents, both in the 
outward form and arrangement of the perithecia, and in the 
nature of the sporidia which, in this section, often afford good 
specific characters, either in their mode of division, coloration, 
or in the number contained in each ascus. Spherie are to be 
found in all parts of the world. They are most abundant in 
temperate climates ; but they are by no means rare in the tropics, 
especially insect-spherie, and such forms as approximate to 
Xylaria Hypoxylon, the finer states of which occur in the warmer 
climates; and it is probable that if tropical countries were 
thoroughly investigated, a great number of undescribed species 
would be the result. Ceylon has furnished us with conclusive 
evidence on this point, thanks to the exertions of my late friend, 
Mr. Thwaites, whose contributions to the mycology of that island 
have been recorded in the Linnean Journal (Vols. XI., p. 494 and 
‘XIV., p. 29). The old unwieldy genus Spheria, of which Fries 
described, in his Systema Mycologicum, upwards of 1,000 species 
has, since that time, been divided into numerous genera and 
‘subgenera by almost every author who has written on the subject. 
“Many of these divisions are, however, of doubtful value; we 
‘shall, therefore, confine ourselves in the present enumeration to 


‘such as appear to be of most value, and are more generally 
Vou. 6, No. 1. 


2 


recognized, Fries divided them in the Systema according to 
their simple, or compound habits. 

Those in the simple section are either innate in the bark of trees 
or plants, or at length emergent by a longer or shorter neck, with 
round or elongate mouths, or quite superficial on the surface of 
wood or sticks, and these are glabrous, or hairy, or tomentose, and 
sometimes seated on a shaggy subiculum. In the compound 
section the perithecia are aggregated together in the substance of 
wood, or leaves, or in the stems of herbaceous plants, assuming, 
at times, a circinate or quincuncial arrangement, or occupying 
carbonaceous receptacles which are immersed in the wood. Some- 
times they are located in a flat, or globose, stroma, which, in the 
more perfect species, assumes a simple or branched, erect form. 

To begin, however, with the more simple forms. We have in 
them instances of species without any true perithecia as in 
the genus Dothidea, where, however, that want is fully compen- 
sated by the various forms of fruit which have been traced to it 
in its early stages; thus in Dothidea melanops 7'ul. there are 
macrostylospores and microstylospores, as well as ascigerous 
fruit. 

Again in Diatrype stigma Fr. Stictosphzria Noffmanni Tul, we 
have conidia lining the interior of irregular cavities of the wood, 
or bark, on which it grows; and, on the same stroma, ascigerous 
conceptacles containing sporidia of a form very similar to the 
conidia. 

In Cucurbitaria macrospora Tul. the three forms of fruit are again 
to be seen, occupying one stroma. In Melanconis macrosperma 
the conidia are shown, in Tulasne’s figure, growing intermixed 
with macrostylospores. The conidiiferous tufts of Stigmatea frag- 
rariz also present us with a beautiful microscopic object; this species 
grows on living strawberry leaves. I cannot pass over without 
notice a minute plant, the structure of which is very curious. 
It grows on the leaves of Aira czspitosa, a coarse grass known to 
the Wiltshire farmers as Bull-polls, it has been described, as a new 


3 


genus, under the name of Oomyces, on account of its egg-shape. 
Madame Libert published it in her exsiccata, as Spheria carneo- 
alba Libert. It is about a line high, bluntly conical, and of a 
pinkish-yellow colour ; there is an outer, leathery receptacle, trun-. 
-eate at top, around the centre of which are four to seven dark 
dots ; a cross section shows that these are the mouths of as many 
delicate, membranous perithecia which are closely packed in the 
outer conceptacle. The perithecia contain a number of elongate, 
cylindrical, asci, filled with very long, flexuous sporidia. It has been 
placed in a new genus on account of its compound character ; the 
outer conceptacle containing free, ascigerous perithecia. In 
Pleospora herbarum Pers. and P. polytricha Wallroth., belonging to 
the section Denudatz of the genus Spheria, the early states were 
considered autonomous plants; but it has been demonstrated that 
the canidia of the first constitute the genus Mystrosporium of 
Desmaziere, which again appears to give origin to Cladosporium 
herbarum Link., a common pest in greenhouses, covering the plants 
with a sooty stratum. The conidia of the latter, Pleospora polytricha 
Wall., being stipitate, and septate, present an elegant appearance 
under the microscope, and probably belong to Acrothecium 
simplex B.and Br. Nectria cinnabarina Fr. the conidiiferous state 
of which is known as Tubercularia vulgaris Tode., is interesting, 
from its common occurrence on dead sticks, covering them with 
bright, scarlet spots. Another of the same genus Nectria 
inaurata B. and Br. has two forms of ascigerous fruit, a very unusual 
occurrence ; it grows on dead twigs of holly. Capnodium and its 
allies, as Fumago and others, belong to the Spheriacei since they 
produce their more perfect form of fruit in asci, their perithecia 
being furnished with a round mouth. To the unassisted eye these 
plants appear as a mere sooty stain on the leaves of trees and 
shrubs, thus spoiling their appearance. We may mention in this 
place that the conidiiferous state of Hypoxylon coccineum Bull. 
was described by Persoon as a mould under the name of Isaria 
farinosa Pers. ; but it has been since traced.to the Hypoxylon, it is 


4 


common on decaying Beech. The genus Hypocrea is intermediate 
between Nectria and Cordyceps, it is generally effused, and 
horizontal in habit, and more remarkable from the moulds which 
constitute its early state, or are associated with it, than in its per- 
fect form. These moulds were considered autonomous species till 
Tulasne traced them to their true position ; they constitute the 
genera Botrytis, Verticillium, and others. Hypocrea inclusa B. and 
Br. is curious from its place of growth. It is parasitic in the flesh of 
a small truffle, Tuber puberulum £.; its presence may be detected 
by a minute, rusty spot not larger than the head of the smallest 
pin, visible on making a section of the Truffle. 

Another species, nearly related, is not uncommon on grasses; it 
surrounds the stalk with a bandlike, yellow stroma, crowded with 
perithecia. Tulasne has given it the generic name of Epichloe ; 
it differs from Hypocrea in the sporidia being linear and 
continuous. In habit it resembles the latter. The genus 
‘Hypomyces differs from Hypocrea in fruit, and in being generally 
parasitic on other fungi. In a Monograph of the genus, Mr. 
Plowright observes that Hypomyces luteo-virens attacks the 
Agaric on which it is parasitic, at a very early period before it 
‘appears above ground, and so distorts it that it is impossible to 
say to what species it belongs: most commonly the Hypomyces 
do not attack other fungi till they are in a state of decay. 
Another species, he says, grows, not on the Agaric itself, but on 
the ground under, or near, the spot where it has decayed, the 
decay being the result of the growth of an earlier stage of the 
Hypomyces; in other words, the Hypomyces, in its conidial 
state, first attacks the Host-Fungus, and, by causing its decay, 

‘generates the pabulum necessary for the nourishment and perfec- 
tion of the higher form of fructification. 

The genus Hypomyces is interesting from the various phases 

‘through which many of its members pass. As a rule, the 
ascigerous, or perfect form is more rare,—the conidiiferous state 
the more common. Hypomyces aureo-nitens Tul. was of striking 


5 


beauty, as it occurred on a damp morning in North Wales, each of 
the conidia growing on a branched mucedinous mycelium, was 
surmounted by a minute drop of dew, glittering in the sun’s rays 
like a diamond. Hypomyces cervinus Tul. is another pretty 
microscopic object, its macroconidia, or second form of fruit, are 
globose and echinulate ; they may be seen everywhere on decaying 
Boleti in autumn, converting them into a mass of yellow powder. 

The genus Xylaria has a branched, erect, clavate stroma, the 
early state of which, particularly in Xylaria Hypoxylon, often 
puzzles beginners ; the tips of the branches are then covered with 
a white powder, consisting of conidia, which fall off on being 
touched, leading the student to consider the specimen as belonging 
to such of the Hymenomycetes as Clavaria; but later on the 
branches swell out at the tips, and numerous perithecia are. 
developed in their substance, containing asci and ovate, coloured 
sporidia, thus showing the true position of the specimen in the 
series. 

I shall just allude here to a curious fungus belonging to this 
section, although # is not British. It occurred on rotting 
Bamboo in Ceylon, It has been named Astrocystis, on account 
of its starlike habit; in form it resembles a Geaster, having a 
double perithecium, the outer coat splitting into several rays, 
which become recurved, as in that genus; the inner coat opens 
by a more or less, regular mouth, to allow the escape of the 
sporidia, which are those of an Hypoxylon. The similarity of 
habit may be regarded as an instance of—what is now much 
discussed—mimicry in nature ; the structure and true affinities 
are here far apart. 

The genus Cordyceps, or Torrubia of Tulasne, is one of the 
most interesting of the Spheriacei, both from the variety of its 
habitats, or places of growth, and from the medicinal properties of 
one of the species. I allude to the Ergot of grasses. In a paper 
on this plant, published in the Journal of the Agricultural 
Society of England (Vol. x., 8-8, part II.), Mr. Carruthers says, 


6 


“The full grown Ergot is often overlooked in the barn, among the 
corn, owing to its fesemblance to the dung of mice ; but it is 
worth especial pains in examining the seed to secure immunity 
from this parasite”—“ Ergot might supply an interesting text 
from which to exhibit the worthlessness of speculation, as opposed 
to observation and experiment in dealing with natural science. 
Replacing, as it does, the seed of different grasses, and always 
attaining, when full grown, a greater size than the normal seed, 
it was, at first, thought merely to indicate an extra quantity of 
life and vigour in the particular seeds, which exhausted themselves 
in the production of the anomalous, horned grain; no special 
qualities being then associated with these abnormal productions. 

All along, however, the Ergot has been exerting its baneful in- 
fluence on men and animals, without being suspected. Through 
its agency the inhabitants of whole districts in France had been 
visited with intermittent attacks of gangrenous diseases. England 
also has records of similar, although not so extensive calamities. 
In the same Journal it is stated that the loss to one breeder 
of cattle alone, in Shropshire, was £1,200 in three years owing 
to this cause. It has been determined that the power of 
Ergot in causing muscular contraction extends to all unstriped, 
or involuntary muscular fibre, and it has therefore been applied 
in treating certain maladies connected with the intestinal canal, 
and the arteries, because these organs are chiefly composed of 
this kind of muscular tissue. The comparative immunity of 
England from disease arising from Ergot is probably owing 
to the less quantity of rye grown for seed, and used in 
bread, than is the case in France. But its frequent occurrence 
on our grasses as on the Bromi, Alopecuri and Festuz, expose 
our cattle to very serious losses. Ergot from the seed of 
Dactylis glomerata was sown, when gathered in autumn and kept 
under a bell glass through the winter ; in the following spring a 
large crop of Cordyceps purpurea was produced. Ergot of rye 
bought at a chemist’s, although then quite dry, and sown as 


7 


above, germinated after a like lapse of time producing the same 
species, It is fortunate for us that this pest is much less frequent 
on wheat and barley than on rye. 

Some species of Cordyceps, or Torrubia, attack wasps nee other 
insects, and have given origin to what are known as “ vegetable 
wasps,” the insects flying about with the fungus attached. 

Cordyceps alutacea F7, may be alluded to as showing some of 
the difficulties attending the study of this group of Fungi. Fries 
regarded it as a Cordyceps from its form and habit; Tulasne, 
guided by its fruit, placed it in the genus Hypocrea, considering 
it parasitic on Clavaria ligula, clothing that species with a thin 
stroma in which the perithecia are immersed ; but it may be said 
against that view, that Clavaria ligula has not occurred in 
England unaccompanied by its presumed parasite; and as Cor- 
dyceps alutacea is not uncommon in our fir plantations, it is 
scarcely possible that such would be the case were the Clavaria 
equally common. We may therefore fairly conclude that Fries was 
right in placing our plant in the genus Cordyceps, and that it is 
not merely a parasite on a Clavaria, but an autonomous species. 
Cordyceps entomorrhiza is parasitic on the larve of insects, Mr. 
Berkeley supposes that the sporidia fall on the caterpillars before 
they bury themselves to undergo their pupa change, or if at a later 
period they may be washed down through the soil so as to attain 
their proper habitat, as is now said to be the case with the 
Peronospora of the potato. At all events this must be the case 
where such species as Cordyceps capitata Fr. take possession of 
Elaphomyces, a subterranean fungus which is buried, sometimes 
deep in the ground. When the sporidia reach their proper 
habitat they germinate and pierce the skin of the insect, or the 
rind of the fungus, and occupy the whole of its body with an 
intricate mass of threads. They then throw out branching roots 
into the surrounding soil ; from these roots an erect, club-shaped 
stroma arises, in which, at length, the perithecia are formed. 
Tulasne says that a second form of fruit, conidia, occurs at the 


8 


base of the stroma of Cordyceps capitata and C. entomorrhiza, 
Cordyceps, Robertsii, a’ New Zealand species, parasitic on the 
larva of Hepialus virescens, is one of the finest species belonging 
to this genus. | 
_ In the Order Perisporiacei the sporidia are set free by the 
decay of the perithecia, the species not being furnished with a 
mouth. Some of the plants belonging to the Order are beautiful 
objects for the microscope, but very prejudicial to our crops. 
Thus Spherotheca pannosa Lév. covers the leaves and shoots of 
roses with a clothlike felt, thus preventing respiration, and causing 
the destruction of leaves and flowers. Spherotheca Castagnii 
Lédv. is equally destructive of our hop crops. Phyllactinia guttata 
Fr. is common on the leaves of various trees. Erysiphe Martii 
Lk, attacks our late crops of peas, often destroying them utterly 
in dry seasons. These plants are supported on the leaves by very 
elegant supports, or fulera, 

There remains only the Physcmycetes and Mucorini to be 
considered. The first Order is intermediate between Ascomycetes 
and Hyphomycetes, agreeing with the former in the free formation 
of its sporidia within a, generally globose, closed sac ; with the 
latter in its free, fertile, threads which are never compacted into 
an hymenium. The species belonging to these Orders, like the 
greater part of moulds, grow on decaying substances, and 
frequently on such as are used for food. In some instances, 
perhaps, the germination of the sporidia induces decay, and 
certainly accelerates it. Certain species of Mucor promote 
fermentation in fluids, like the true moulds, as Penicillium. In 
the genus Syzygites common on decaying Agarics in woods, the 
fertile threads throw out little tubercles from their forked 
branches—the tubercles soon touch each other and coalesce; a 
dissepiment is formed on either side, the two intermediate 
membranes are absorbed, and, finally, the united cells swell and 
form an irregular sac, which soon produces an abundance of 
sporidia ; thus resembling the connecting tubes of Zygnema 


9 


among Alge. In the genus Acrostalagmus the sporidia grow 
from the apex of the peduncle which protrudes into the cyst, 80 
that that genus varies somewhat from the character of the Order, 
in the absence of free formation of the fruit inacyst. Something 
similar occurs in Ascotricha. Enough has, perhaps, been said to 
show that these low types of fungi possess some interest, and 
exhibit the wonderful variety of form and structure made use of 
by nature in her work, affording an inexhaustible field of research 
to the Botanist and Microscopist. 

We will now proceed with a list of the species belonging to the 
Orders at present treated of, which have occurred in our 
District, and which carries us through its mycology according to 
the arrangement adopted by Fries. 


ORDER 26. SPHARIACEI. 


Perithecia carbonaceous or membranaceous, sometimes confluent 
with the stroma, pierced at the apex, and mostly papillate. 
Hymenium diffiuent. 


GENUS 288. CorDyceEps.* 


Stroma vertical, fleshy. Fructifying head distinct, hyaline or 
coloured. Sporidia repeatedly divided, submoniliform. 
Cordyceps ophioglossoides Fr. Spye Park, September, 1843, 
parasitic on Elaphomyces muricatus. 

C—— entomorrhiza Fr. Hartham Park, April, 1843, on 
some caterpillar buried in the ground in fir plantations, 


C——— nmuilitaris Fr. Hanham Woods, October, 1853. 

C—— myrmecophila Cesati. Leigh Woods, Bristol, March, 

1879. ; 

C———— microcephala Tul. Leigh Wood, July, 1878. C. 
Bucknall. 

C———— purpurea Fr. Raised from Ergot on _ grasses. 


Batheaston, June, 1854. 


* Cordyceps, from Kordule, a club, and cephalos, a head 


10 


C————-pistillarizformis B. and Br, Annals of Natural History. 
No. 969, t. 16, fig 22, on dead sticks still attached to a bush. 
Batheaston, March, 1860. 

C————-alutacea Fr. Lucknam Grove, in fir plantations, 
October, 1859. 


GENUS 289. HYPOCREA.* 7. 


Stroma horizontal. Perithecia tender, hyaline or coloured. 
Hypocrea gelatinosa Fr. Langridge, March, 1875. 


H rufa Fr, Batheaston, November, 1859. 

H vitalbe B. and Br. Batheaston, February, 1859. Annals 
of Natural History, No. 829, t. 9, fig 8, on Clematis vitalba. 

H delicatula Zulasne. Lucknam Grove, April, 1866; 
Ann. des Sciences Nat., Ser. iv., vol. xiii., p. 18. 

H farinosa B. and Br. December, 1863. Ann. of Nat. Hist., 
No. 592. 

H inclusa B. and Br. Hanham and Leigh Wood ; parasitic 
in the flesh of Tuber pubcrulum B. ; November, 1869. Ann. 
of Nat. Hist., No. 970, t. 17, fig 23. 

H. lenta Fr. St, Catherine’s, November, 1866, on wood. 


GENUS 290. HYPOMYCES.¢ Tul. 


Parasitic on fungi; mycelium byssoid; perithecia globose, 
papillate; asci 8-spored (rarely 2 or 4), without paraphyses ; 
sporidia lanceolate or elliptic, rarely obtuse, uniseptate, ejected 
in tendrils. 

Hypomyces ochraceus Tul. Langridge, April, 1874. 


H asterophorus Jul. Leigh Wood (Macroconidia), C. 
Bucknall. 
H aurantius Tul. Batheaston, March, 1871, Langridge. 


* From upo, beneath, and kreas, flesh. 
+ From upo, beneath, and muke, a fungus. 


11 


H torminosus Tul. Leigh Wood, October, 1879. C. 
Bucknall. ~ 

H. luteo-virens Tul. Ashton Court, Bristol, April, 1845 ; 
Bathford, December, 1864. 

H lateritius Tul. Leigh Woods, September, 1844. 

H aureo-nitens Tul. Lucknam Grove, December, 1864. 

H Broomeianus Jul. Batheaston, November, 1877. 


H——— candicans Plowright. Bathford, October, 1880. 
Grevillea xi., 50. 


GENUS 291. EPICHLOE.* J*7. 


Parasitic on grass, coloured ; perithecia fleshy, immersed in a 
mycelioid stroma ; sporidia linear. 
Epichloe typhina Berk. on stalks of grass. Bathford, &c., July, i877. 


GENUS 292. XYLARIAT Fr. 


Vertical, more or less stipitate. Stroma between fleshy and 
corky, covered with a black or rufous bark. 
Xylaria digitata Grev. Stapleton, June,1879. C. Bucknall. 
D.¢ polymorpha Grev. Rudlow, March, 1843. 
X—— hypoxylon Grev. Lucknam, &c., October, 1854. 
D4 carpophila Fr. Spye Park, October, 1843. 

X——— vaporaria Berk, Clitfe Pypard, November, 1863 ; on cow 
dung laid in a heap, proceeding from a sclerotioid body. 
pedunculata Fr. Wraxall, near Bristol, March, 1845 ; 

Bathford Hill, November, 1863. 
X——— bulbosa P. Lucknam, October, 1859; Bathford Hill, 
in plantations. 


Xx 


* Epichloe, from epi, upon, and chloe, green grass. 
+ Xylaria, from Xulon, wood. 


12 


GENUS 293. PORONIA.* Fr. 


Between fleshy and corky. Fructifying surface margined, 
orbicular. Perithecia immersed, vertical. 
Poronia punctata Fr. Batheaston, April, 1871; Hanham. 


GENUS 294. HYPOXYLON.¢ Bull. 


Stroma, corky or brittle, convex or plane, immarginate, at first 
clothed with a floccose veil, then with a black crust, distinct from 
the matrix. Perithecia vertical or divergent. 

Hypoxylon ustulatum Bul/. Batheaston, on old stumps. 

H — nummularium Bull. Stapleton, near Bristol, October, 
1853 ; Leigh Wood, September. 

H————- luteum Fr. St. Catherine’s, April, 1867 ; Warleigh 
February, 1862. 

— gastrinum Fr. Batheaston, December, 1862 ; Rudlow, 
February, 1843. 

H-~————- concentricum Grey. Batheaston; common on ash timber. 

H————  coccineum Bull. Batheaston, on beech timber. 


H 


H— multiforme Fr. Batheaston, November, 1875. 

H— argillaceum fr. Batheaston, winter, common on 
ash sticks. 

H—-——- fuscum fr. Very common on sticks. 

H————- rubiginosum Fr. On bare trunks, &c. 

H———— serpens Fr, Common on dead wood. 

H-————— coprophilum Fr. Batheaston, October, 1864; on cow 
dung. 

H —udum Fr. Leigh Wood, April, 1877. OC. Bucknall. 

H————- atro-purpureum Fr. Leigh Wood, April, 1877. C. 


Bucknall. 


* Poronia, from poros, a pore. 
+ Hypoxylon, from upo, beneath, and xulon, wood. 


13 


GENUS 295. DIATRYPE.* 


’ Stroma partly formed from the matrix, and not distinct from 

it ; perithecia sunk, elongated above into a distinct neck; and 

frequently rostrate. 

Dyatrype pantherina (B.) Leigh Wood, April, 1879. C. 
Bucknall. 

D———— scobina, Nike. Brockley Coombe, May, 1879. C. 
Bucknall. 


D——  bullata Fr. Batheaston ; common. 

D———- undulata Fr. Rudlow, April, 1865 ; on dead sticks. 
D————- stigma Fr. Rudlow, January, 1843 ; very common. 
D—_— disciformis Fr. Rudlow, January, 1843; very common. 
D———— favacea Fr. Spye Park, March, 1859. 
D—— verruceformis. Batheaston, March, 1872. 
D——- scabrosa Fr. Near Bristol, March, 1872. 

D — sordida Fr. Spye Park, February, 1851. 


D 


quercina Fr. Batheaston ; winter. 
D——- ferruginea Fr. Shockerwick, March, 1854. 
D——— ceratosperma Fr. Swainswick, March, 1856. 
D strumella Fr. Batheaston, April, 1852. 


D— corniculata B. and Br. Lucknam, March, 1853. 

D——— podoides Fr. Leigh Wood, February, 1877. C. 
Bucknall. 

D———— aspera Fr. Shirehampton, January, 1878. C. 
Bucknall. . 

D———- angulata Fr. Shirehampton, March, 1880. C. 
Bucknall. . 

D — ilicina Che. (Diaporthe). Durdham Down, May, 1878. 


C. Bucknall. 
-D———— lirella Mont. (Diaporthe). Boiling Wells, Bristol, 
June, 1881. C. Bucknall. i 
a nS ee ee 


* Diatrype, from dia, through, and trupe, a hole. . 


14 


D——— Laschii Nike. (Diaporthe). Leigh Wood, May, 1883. 
C. Bucknall. 

D—— euphorbie Che. (Diaporthe). Leigh Wood, May, 1883. 
C. Bucknall. 


GENUS 296. VALSA.* Fry. 


Perithecia carbonaceous, perfect, circinating, elongated into con- 
verging necks ; ostiola erumpent, joined together, or ending in a 
common disc. 

Valsa prunastri Fr. Rudlow, January, 1843 ; on sloe. 


V stellulata Fr. Batheaston, March, 1859. 
V. syngenesia Fr. Batheaston, March, 1870. 
V. detrusa Fr. Wraxall, January, 1845. 


V— fibrosa Fr. Rudlow, May, 1843. 


V nivea Fr, Bathampton, March, 1864. 
V. leucostoma Fr. Batheaston, February, 1851. 
V controversa Fr, Leigh Wood, January, 1880. C. Bucknall. 


V—— taleola Fr. Shirehampton. C. Bucknall. 


V. circumscripta Mont, Near the Avon, March, 1880. C. 
Bucknall. 

Vv pini Fr, Leigh Wood, December, 1866, 

V. profusa Fr. St. Catherine’s, April, 1852. 


V—— coronata Fr. Spye Park, February, 1851. 

V chrysostroma Fr. February, 1850; on hornbeam. 
V—— suffusa Fr. Spye Park, August, 1859. 

V—— leiphemia Fr. Rudlow, May, 1843. 

V. salicina Fr. Swainswick, January, 1852. 

V—— ambiens Fr. Rudlow. 

V—— stilbostoma Fr. Rudlow; var. platanoides. 

V— — tetratrupha B. and Br. Spye Park, March, 1859 ; on alder. 
¥: fenestrata B. and Br. Spye Park, March, 1859. 


* Valsa, a word used by Adanson, derivation uncertain. 


15 


V—— tetraploa B, and Curt. Batheaston, February, 1850. 
V. rhodophila B. and Br. Leigh Wood, C. Bucknall 
V—— pulchella Fr. Brockley Coombe, January, 1845. 


V. quaternata Fr, Near Chippenham, February, 1850 ; on 
beech. 

V. hypodermea Fr. Batheaston, December, 1851. 

V. hapalocystis B. and Br. Batheaston, ‘April, 1850, on plane. 


V— bitorulosa B. and Br. Batheaston, December, 1851. 

V—tilie Tul. Leigh Wood, May, 1881. C. Bucknall, 

V. gastrinoides (Anthostoma) P. and Wr., Grevillea X. 71. 
Leigh Wood ; Bristol Fungi, pl. IL, fig. 11. ©. Bucknall. 

V—— pustula Desm. Leigh Wood, June, 1882. C. Bucknall ; 
Bristol Fungi, fig 9. 

V—— conjuncta (Nees) Fr. On Rubus idzus; Batheaston, 
February, 1850. 


GENUS 297. MELOGRAMMA.* Fr. 


Perithecia confluent with the stroma, more or less free above, 
destitute of any neck; contents oozing out, and often forming 
eirrhi. 


GENUS 298. DOTHIDEA.t Jr. 
Perithecia none. Nucleus contained in globose cavities, 


immersed in the stroma, with a decided neck and papilleform 
ostiolum. 


Dothidea ribesia P. Langridge, April, 1872; on currant. 


D rose Fr. Batheaston, &c. ; common on roses. 

D filicina Fr. Leigh Wood, May, 1878. C. Bucknall. 
D striefornis Fr. Batheaston, January, 1857. 

D rubra P. Rudlow, September, 1843. 


2s I 2 AIR ih pa ee me 


* Melogramma from Melas, black, and gramma, a letter or mark, 
+ Dothidea, from dothien a tumour, and, eidos, a resemblance. 


16 


D——— ulmi /r. Rudlow, November, 1841. 
D——— trifolii Fr. Westbury, Bristol, April. C. Bucknall. 
D——— Johnstoni B. and Br. Sandy Lane, May. C. Bucknall. 


D chetomium Fr. Batheaston, February, 1851. 
D——— graminis Fr. Derry Hill, winter. 
D——— brassice Desm. Batheaston, &c. 


GENUS 299. ISOTHEA.* 7, 


Nucleus without any perithecium, coloured or black, covered by 
‘the transformed substance of the matrix, or immersed in it. 
Isothea pustula Berk. Batheaston, winter ; on oak leaves, 


GENUS 300. HYPOSPILA.t 7. 


Perithecia globose, black, mouthless; altogether innate, concealed 
by the blackened substance of the leaves, and when that falls 
away, splitting across. 


GENUS 301. STIGMATEAL Fr. 


Parasitic. Perithecia globose, black, innate, slightly prominent. 
‘Nucleus firm, at first mouthless, then bursting with a roundish 
aperture. 
Stigmatea geranii Fr. Batheaston ; on various Geraniums. 
S——_—— robertiani Fr. On Geranium robertianum. 


GENUS 302. oomMyces§ JB. and Br. 


Perithecia erect, contained in a polished, coloured sac, which is 
free above. Ostiola punctiform, apical. 
Oomyces carneo-albus. B. and Br. Spheria Libert. On leaves 
of Aira cespitosa. Batheaston and Bowood, autumn and 
spring. Ann. of Nat. Hist., No. 590. Libert excicc, No. 241. 


* Jsothea, beautiful. 
+ Hypospila, from upo, beneath, and spilon, a stain, 
{ Stigmatea, from stigma, a spot or mark, 
§ Oomyces, from Oon, an egg, and muke, a fungus. 


17 


GENUS 302. Necrria.* . Fr. 


Stroma none; or, if present, bearing the coloured, naked 
perithecia on its surface. 
Nectria cinnabarina Fr. Batheaston, common. 
N——— coccinea Fr. Batheaston, common. 
N——— ccucurbitula Fr. Batheaston, winter. 
N——— sinopica Fr. Batheaston, January, 1856, on ivy. 
N——— aquifolia Berk. Ashwick, April, 1854, on holly. 
N——— inaurata B. and Br. Ashwick, April, 1854, on holly. 

Ann. of Nat. Hist., No. 781. 


N. citrino-aurantia Lacroiz. Decem., 1873, on willow twigs. 

N——— ochracea Fr. Batheaston, Langridge, January, 1872. 

N——— aurantia Fr. Batheaston, winter, 1869. 

N——— Albertini B. and Br. Bathford, April, 1865. 

N——  flavida Fr. Batheaston, March, 1877. 

N——— furfurella B. and Br. Batheaston, February, 1869, on old 
cabbage stalks. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 1,331. 

N. Peziza Fr. Rudlow, August, 1842, common. 

N— sanguinea Fr. Rudlow, February, common. 

N. epispheria Fr. Batheaston, winter, on old, decaying 
hypoxyla. 

N— Rousselliana Mont. Batheaston, March, 1859, on box 


leaves. 

N——— graminicola B. and Br. Batheaston, April, 1854. Annals 
of Nat. Hist., No. 897, fig. 

helminthicola B. and Br. Bathford, January, 1859. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 896, on Helminthssporia, 

N——— ochraceo-pallida B. and Br. Batheaston, February, 1877. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 607, on dead elm. 

erubescens Desm., on holly leaves. Clifton, Oct., 1879. 

C. Bucknall; with a figure. Fungi of the Bristol District. 


N— 


N. 


* Nectria, from necto, to join together, the perithecia of some of the 
species being united by a definite stroma. 
B 


18 


N. muscivora B. and Br., on mosses. Bristol. Annals of Nat. 
Hist., No. 608. 

N. mammoidea P. and Ph. Walton Hill, July, 1881. C. 
Bucknall. 

N— dacrymycella Nyl. Blaize Castle, May, 1882. C. 
Bucknall. 

N arenula B.and Br. Batheaston, February, 1851, on Aira 


cespitosa. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 622, with a figure. 


GENUS 303. SPH#&RIA.* Hall. 


Perithecia black, pierced at the apex, mostly papillate, superficial 
or erumpent, without any stroma. 


Series J. SUPERFICIALES. 
Byssisede, 


Spheria thelena Fr. Box quarries on timber underground. 
April, 1872. William Broome. 

aquila Jr. Batheaston, common on sticks. April. 

tristis ode, Batheaston, common on sticks. 
March, 1861. 

S——— pheostroma Mont. Batheaston, January, 1859. 

S————. racodium P. Spye Park, February, 1851. 


S 
S 


S vervecina Desm. Rudlow, Dec., 1842, on the ground 
in woods. 
S Epochnii B. and Br. Warleigh. Annals of Nat. Hist., 


No. 1,177, with a figure, t. 5, fig 36. 


Villosz. 


S_———. ovina P. Batheaston, March, 1869, on rotten wood. 
g——. brassicee KJ, Batheaston, April, 1869, on cabbage 
stalks. 


ee i ee 
* Spheeria, from sphaira, a sphere. 


19 


canescens P. Lucknam Grove, April, 1866, on rotten 


S 
wood. 

Ss hirsuta Fr. Batheaston, January, 1869, on wood. 

Ss macrotricha B. and Br. Bathampton, February, 1851. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 619, with a figure. 

S—_—. Chetomium Fda. Batheaston, winter, on Carex 
pendula. 

SS) eres B. and Br. Spye Park, February, 1850, on dead 
carices. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 621, with a figure. 

S exilis_4. and 8. Lucknam Grove, March, 1859, on pine. 

S pilosa P. Bathford, December, 1875, on decayed 
wood. 

8 hispida Tode. St. Catherine’s, January, 1852, on 
decayed wood. 

S membranacea B. and Br. Langridge, April, 1874, on 


wood. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 1493. 

S———-_ barbula B. and Br. Belmont, near Bristol, March, 
1859, on pine. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 870, t. 10, f. 20. 

exosporioides Desm. Batheaston, March, 1859, on 
dead leaves of Carex pendula. 

S——— felina Feks. Batheaston, March, 1869, on dead 
stalks of Rubus. 


Ss 


Ss — cupulifera B. and Br. Langridge, April, 1869, on 
decayed elm stumps. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 1,333, witha 
figure. 

Ss pellita Fr. Leigh Wood, April. C. Bucknall. 

S——— capillifera Currey. Leigh Wood, autumn. C, 


Bucknall, 


Denudate. 


S—— bombarda Batsch. Rudlow, October, 1843, on wood. 

S—— spermoides Hoffin. St. Catherine’s, 1869, on wood. 

S- papaverea B. and Br. Batheaston, October, 1869, on an elm 
stump. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 612, with a figure 


20 


S——— moriformis Tode. Rudlow, February, 1843, on wood. 


S innumera B. and Br. St. Catherine’s, March, 1871, 
on wood, 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 2,578. Tulasne Carpologia IL. p, 
253, t xxxlii—f. 7 to 9. (Cheetospheria). 

S- stercoraria Sow. Batheaston, January, 1867, on horse 
dung. 

s- pomiformis Pers. Rudlow, November, 1841, on old 


apple trees. Annals of Nat. Hist., Series iv., Vol. 7, pl. xxi., 
_ fig. 28, conidia. 
S——-— obducens Fr. Batheaston, January 7, 1852, on wood. 
S——— pulvis-pyrius P. Batheaston, October, 1860, on wood. 
S——— rhytidodes B. and Br, St. Catherine’s, January, 1852. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 873, with a figure. On ash pollards. 
S——— perexigua Lév. Leigh Wood, April, 1877. C. 
Bucknall. 


Ss pulveracea Ehr. Batheaston, February, 1859. 
NS) myriocarpa Fr. St. Catherine’s, May, 1864, 
S vesticola B. and Br. Batheaston, December, 1858, on 


old cloth. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 874. 

S——— rubicola Currey, M.SS. Batheaston, March, 1869 ; Lin. 
Trans. 319. 

S—— caudata Currey. L.c., with a figure. 

S——— ostioloidea Che. on Hymenochete. Leigh Wood, January, 
1878. C. Bucknall; Greville iv., 113. 

S———- Stevensoni B. and Br. Stapleton, June, 1882. C. 
Bucknall, Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 1,926. Fungi of the 
Bristol districts, No, 1,016. 

S——— platyspora (Sordaria) Ph. and P. Leigh Down, May, 
1879. C. Bucknall. 

equorum (Sordaria) Winter in Hedwigia, 1871. Leigh 
Down, May, 1878, OC. Bucknall. 

S——— merdaria (Sordaria) Fr. Leigh Down, May, 1878. C. 
Bucknall, 


s 


21 


S minuta (Sordaria) Winter, 1.c., var. tetraspora. Leigh 
Down, January, 1881. C. Bucknall; with a figure, pl. 4, 
fig. 6. 

S curvula De By. (Sordaria) Hedwigia, 1871. Stapleton, 
February, 1881. C. Bucknall, 

8 pleiospora Winter, Grev. x., 72. Leigh Down, January. 


C. Bucknall ; with a figure. 

S——— Winteri Ph. and P. (Sordaria). Leigh Down, January, 
1881. C. Bucknall. 

bisporula Hans. (Sordaria). Leigh Down, March. C. 
Bucknall. 

S——— sparganicola PI. in littera (Sordaria). Yatton, July, 
1881. C. Bucknall; on Sparganium ramosum. 

S——— microspora Ph. and Pl. (Sordaria). C. Bucknall. Leigh 
Down, with a figure, December, 1881. Grevillea x., 73. 


Ss) 


8 polyspora Ph. and Pl, (Sordaria), Grevillea x.,73. Leigh 
Down, December, 1881. C. Bucknall, 
s intermedia Awd. (Sporormia). Leigh Down, April, 1879. 


C. Bucknall. 
Pertuse. 


S——— pertusa Fr. St. Catherine’s, February, 1852. 

S——— brachythele B. and Br. Batheaston, February, 1859, of 
dead elder. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 877, with a figure. 

S——— mastoidea Fr. Batheaston, January, 1857. 

S——— vilis Fr. Batheaston, January, 1757. 

8 pedida B. and Br. Langridge, April, 1859, on beech 
wood. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 1,396, with a figure, pl. x., 
fig. 13. 


Series I]. ERUMPENTES. 
Ceespitose. 


$————- cupularis P. Batheaston, January, 1869. 
S Saubinetii Mont. Batheaston, April, 1859, on elm sticks. 


22 


naucosa Fy. Batheaston, January, 1860. 

nigerrima Blox. St. Catherine’s, April, 1867. Parasitic 
on various Diatrypes. This seems to be the same thing as 
Dothidea Jerdoni. 


Obturate. 


S——— obliterans B. and Br. Batheaston, on bare fir poles. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No, 890, with a figure. 


Ss eulmifraga Fr. Rudlow, winter, 1851. 
Lophiostome. 

S macrostoma Fr. Spye Park, April, 1859, on holly. 

NS caulium Fr. Batheaston, December, 1858. 

S Arundinis Fr. Batheaston, March, 1854. 


S——— angustilabra B. and Br. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 881, 
with a figure. Leigh Wood, April, 1852. C. Bucknall. 
S——— bicuspidata Che. Bristol, near the Avon. C. Bucknall. 


Ceratostome. 
S rostrata Fr. Batheaston, December, 1866. 
8 lampadophora B. and Rr. Combe Hay, May, 1859, on 


elm stumps. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 882, with a figure, 
Batheaston, on white thorn. 

S———  ligneola B. and Br. Batheaston, on decayed oak. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 883, with a figure. 


8 ampullacea Che, Leigh Wood, February, 1877. C. 
Bucknall, 
Series III. sSUBTECTA. 
Immerse. 
S——— hypotephra B. and Br. Batheaston, January, 1861, on 
oak palings. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 624, with a figure. 
Ss - velata P. Leigh Wood, April, 1882. C. Bucknall. 


S——— verecunda Currey. Near the Avon, April, 1878. C. 
Bucknall. 


23 


Endophlez. 
S——  decedens F7. Batheaston, on hazel. 
S——— apiculata Currey. Batheaston, on bramble. 
S——— fraxinicola Currey. Brockley Coombe, May, 1869. C. 
Bucknall. 
S rubelloides Plowright. Cheddar, June, 1882. 
S——— melanotes B. and Br. Leigh Wood, December, 1841. 


Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 623, with a figure. 


Endocaule. 


S——— inquilina Fr. Langridge, March, 1853. 

S——— phomatospora B. and Br. Batheaston, Nov., 1850, on 
potato haulm, Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 647, with a figure. 

S———._ spiculosa P. Batheaston, January, 1860, on goose- 
berries. 


Obtectee RAMEALES. 


Ss siparia B. and Br. Spye Park, February, 1850, on birch 
twigs. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 625, with a figure. 

S —— = unicaudata B. and Br. Batheaston, February, 1859, on 
Clematis Vitalba. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 885, with a 


figure 


S——— ssalicella Fr. Near Chippenham, March, 1859, on 
willow. 

g——— Argus B. and Br. Spye Park, on birch wood, Feb., 
1850. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 626, with a figure. 

S-_—. aucta B. and Br. Spye Park, April, 1852, on alder. 


Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 625, with a figure. 

gigaspora Desm. Batheaston, February, 1860, on maple. 

conformis B. and Br. Spye Park, March, 1850, on 
alder. Annals of Nat. Hist., No, 635, with a figure. . 

g__-—._ trivialis B. & Br. Batheaston, March, 1854, on hazel. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 632, with a figure. 


Ss 
S 


24 


S——— peristens B. and Br. Batheaston, March, 1850, on 
Rosa canina. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 637, with a figure. 

S——— futilis B. and Br. Batheaston, March, 1857. Annals 
of Nat. Hist., No. 638, with a figure. 

S———__ oblitescens B. and Br. Spye Park, January, 1851, on 
Cornus. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 887, with a figure. 
melina B. and Br, Batheaston, March, 1850, on ash 

wood. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 888, with a figure. 
S——— clypeata Nees. Batheaston, Leigh Wood, February, 
1845, on Rubus. 


S 


S——— appendiculosa B. and Br. Batheaston, March, 1850. 
Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 613, with a figure, on Rubus 
fruticosus, 


S——— rusci Wail. Batheaston, winter, on Ruscus aculeatus. 

S——— obtecta Currey. Batheaston, November, 1878, on 
alder. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 979, with a figure (=S. 
celata Currey-Cke). 


S hemitapha B. and Br. Batheaston, Feb., 1852, on oak. 
Annals of Nat, Hist., No. 885, with a figure. 

S thodobapha B. and Br. Batheaston, April, 1869, on 
dead branches. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 1,334, with a 
figure. 

S——— quadrinucleata Currey. The Gully, Bristol. C. Bucknall. 


S8——— deflectens Karst (Teichospora) Myc. Fennicx, Staple- 
ton. December, 1878. C. Bucknall. Grevillea x., 73, with 
a figure. 


Herbicolz. 
S tomicum Lév. Batheaston, January, 1850, on Aira 
czespitosa. 
S acus Blox. Batheaston, Jan., 1859, on stems of dock. | 
Ss clivensis B. and Br. Bristol, near the Avon, April, 


1878. C. Bucknall. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 643, with 
a figure. . 


25 


Caulicole. 


S——— _ acuta Moug. Batheaston, on nettle stems. 

S———  doliolum P. Batheaston, on herbaceous stems. 

S———._ complanata Tode. Rudlow, on herbaceous stems, 
winter, 1842, 

S——— hematites Roberge. Batheaston, March, 1854, on 
Clematis vitalba. 

S. acuminata Sow. Rudlow, May, 1843, on thistles. 

S——— Thwaitesii B. and Br. Batheaston, January and March, 
1864, Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 646, with a figure. 

S———-tenebrosa B. and Br. Batheaston, on Arctium lappa, 
April, 1859. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 649, with a figure. 
parsnip. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 643, with a figure. 

S——— nigrans Rob. and Desm. Batheaston, June, 1847, on 
Dactylis glomerata. 

S——— tosta B. and Br. Rudlow, February, 1843, on Epilobicem. 

_ Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 648, with a figure. 

cariceti B. and Br. Batheaston, December, 1858, on Aira 
exspitosa. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 983, with a figure. 

S——— planiuscula B. and Br. Batheaston, June, 1857, 
on Umbellifere. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 891, with 
a figure. 

S—— rubella P. Clifton, April, 1878. C. Bucknall. 

S——— superflua Awd. Durdham Down, May, 1878. C. 
Bucknall. 

S——— ulnaspora Che. West Town. C. Bucknall. 
S——— agnita Desm. Bristol, near the Avon, May, 1880. C. 
Bucknall. | 
S——— infectoria Fekl. Bristol, near the Avon, May, 1880. C. 
Bucknall. 

S——— endopteris, Plowright (in littera). Leigh Down, April, 
1882 ; Bristol district, Fungi of, on Pteris aquilina, with a 
figure. C. Bucknall. 


Ss 


26 


Ss— Ogilviensis B. and Br. Leigh Wood, June, on Senecio 
jacobea, Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 642, with a figure. C. 
Bucknall. % 

S——— herbarum P. Batheaston, on various plants, 

S——— typhecola Che. Grevillea v., 21.; Pill, April, 1882. C. 
Bucknall. 

Foliicole. Rostellate. 

S——— setacea P. Rudlow, February, 1843, on oak leaves. 

s— tubeformis Tode. Batheaston, March, 1843, Spye Park. 

S——— gnomon 7ode. Batheaston, March, 1852. 

Ss— avellanee Schmidt. Batheaston, January, 1867. 

Ss— ostruthii Fr. St. Catherine’s, December, 1850. 

Spherostome. 

S——— pheosticta B. Batheaston, January, 1850, on Carex 
pendula. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 651, with a figure. 
S——— anarithma B. and Br. Batheaston, June, 1867. Annals 

of Nat. Hist., No. 893, with a figure. 

sS—— caine B. and Br. Batheaston, January, 1850, on 
Carex paniculata. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 654, with a figure. 

S eucrypta B. and Br. Batheaston, January, 1850, on 


Carex pendula, Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 652, with a figure. 
S——— rumicis Desm. Batheaston, December, 1851, on dock. 


8 helicospora B. and Br. Spye Park, Batheaston, June, 
1867, on Carices. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 653, with a 
figure. 

8 brassicecola B. and Br. Batheaston, on cabbage leaves 
(Asteroma brassice Chev). Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 656, 
with a figure, 

S——— punctiformis Fr. Batheaston, on dead leaves ; winter. 

NS) alliarie 4wd. Stoke, near Bristol, April. C. Bucknall. 

S——— italica Sace. Clevedon, Mr. Green (Sace, sylloge, No. 


1,107, anthostoma), 


27 


GENUS 304, SPHARELLA.* De Not. 


Perithecia membranaceous, immersed or semi-immersed, scarcely 
papillate, sporidia elliptical or oblong, two or more celled, rarely 
simple, hyaline, pale or colourless. 

Spherella maculzformis (P.) Che. Batheaston, on dead leaves. 


S — errabunda (Desm.) Awd. Batheaston, May, 1871, on 
beech leaves. 

s—— carpinea Fr. Batheaston, on hornbeam, Annals of 
Nat. Hist., No. 655, with a figure. 

S—— _ hedereecola Fr. Batheaston, May, 1851 (Depazea). 

S———— dianthi Desm. Batheaston, March, 1851, on carnations. 

S———— inequalis Che. Durdham Down, March, 1879. C. 


Bucknall. 
S————- taxi Che. Leigh Wood, February, 1878. C. Bueknall. 


8 — oblivia Cke. Brockley Coombe, May, 1879. C, 
Bucknall. 
S———— latebrosa Che. Leigh Wood, May, 1879. C. Bucknall. 


GENUS 305. MASSARIA.t De Not. 


Perithecium subcarbonaceous, Ostiolum papilleform, Sporidia 
septate or simple, oozing out and staining the matrix. 
Massaria inquinaus Fr. Batheaston, on elm branches. 
M fedans Fr, Batheaston, with conidia, February, 1852. 
(Sph. amblyospora B. and Br.) 
M——— macrospora Desm. Box, March, 1843, on beech. 


M eburnea Zul. Batheaston, December, 1858, with conidia 
(Septoria princeps B. and Br.) Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 
940, with a figure. 

M fimeti Fr. Bathford Hill, on rabbits’ dung. 

M holoschista (B. and Br.) On alder, Spye Park. 


Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 977, with a figure. 


* Spherella, a diminutive of Sphzria. 
+ Massaria, so named in honour of Dr. Massare, a botanist, 


28 


GENUS 306. HYPOCREOPSIS.* Winter, Hedwigia, 1875. 


Compound ; perithecia immersed in a fleshy red stroma, covered 
on the surface by a reddish down; ostiola erumpent, darker ; 
asci oblongo-ventricose, subsessile, 4 to 8 spored ; sporidia elliptic, 
simple, hyaline. Hedwigia Vol. 5, p. 123. 

Hypocreopsis pulchra, Winter. On sheeps’ dung, Bathford Hill, 
October, 1874. 


GENUS 307. HERCOSPORA.t F*r. 


Perithecium subcarbonaceous, cup-shaped, open above, covered 
by the bark, and differently coloured ; papilla heterogeneous, 
erumpent, 

GENUS 308. PYRENOPHORA.S JF’. 


Nucleus slowly formed, immersed in a sclerotioid mass which 
performs the office of a perithecium, Ostiolum at length slightly’ 
prominent, Sporidia mulsetiptate. 

Pyrenophora pheocomes Fr. Radlow, June, 1843, on Alisma 
plantago. 
GENUS 309. GIBBERA§ Fr. 


Perithecium between waxy and horny, at length free, radiato— 
rimose from the centre, always closed. 
Gibbera pulicaris /r. On various branches, common. 
G——— Saubinetii Mont. Batheaston, on twigs of elm, &e. 


GENUS 310. DICHANA|| 7. 


Perithecia subcarbonaceous, elliptic, closed, bursting by a longi 
tudinal fissure. Nucleus and asci diffluent, innato-erumpent. 
Dichena rugosa /r. On living barks of oak and beech. 


* Hypocreopsis, from its resemblance to Hypocrea. 

+ Hercospora, from erkos, an inclosed space and sporos a seed. 
+ Pyrenophora, from puren, a core or kernel, and phoreo, to bear. 
§ Gibbera, from gibber, hunch-backed. 
|| Dichzena, from dis, twice, and chaino, to crack or gape. 


29 


GENUS 311. cAPNopIUM.* ont. 


' Parasitic, Mycelium ereeping, black, consisting of branched, 

articulated, even or monliform threads, Perithecia elongated, 

frequently branched, composed of confluent threads, the tips of 

which are often free. 

Capnodium elongatum 2. and Desm. On pear leaves, common. 

C—— sphericum Oke. Leigh Wood, February, 1878. C. 
Bucknall. 


ORDER 27. PERISPORIACEI. 


Perithecia subglobose, always closed, except in decay, mostly 
membranaceous. Nucleus never diffluent. 


GENUS 312. PERISPORIUM.t 7%. 


_ Peridium subglobose, without any manifest thallus or append- 

ages. Asci clavate. Spores indefinite. 

Perisporium vulgare Cda. Batheaston, on old rope, November, 
1864. 


GENUS 313. LASIonoTRYS.{ Kye. 


Erumpent. Central peridium between fleshy and horny, pro- 
liferous, collapsing above, attached to radiating fibres. Secondary 
peridia ascigerous. Asci cylindrical. 


GENUS 314. SPHZROTHECA.$ Lév. 


Mycelium arachnoid. Perithecia globose, containing a single 
globose ascus. Appendages numerous, floccose. 
Sphzrotheca pannosa Lévy. On the leaves and shoots of roses, 
very common. 
S$ —————— castagnei Lév. On hops. 


* Capnodium, from capnédes, smoky. 
+ Perisporium, from peri, around, and sporos, a seed, 
t Lasiobotrys, from lasios, hairy, and botrus, a bunch of grapes. 
§Spherotheca, fromsphaira, a globe, and theke, a receptacle. 


30 


GENUS 315. PHYLLACTINIA.* Lév. 


Parasitic. Perithecia hemispherical, at length depressed, seated 
on a persistent or evanescent membranaceo—granular receptacle. 
Appendages straight, rigid, acicular, at length bent back. 
Phyllactinia guttata 77. On various leaves, Batheaston, common. 


GENUS 316, UNCINULA.t Lév. 


Mycelium floccose. Perithecia globose, Appendages rigid, 
simple, bifid or dichotomous, uncinate, at length bent upwards. 
Uncinula adunca Lév. On poplar and other leaves, common. 

U bicornis Lév. On maple leaves and other leaves, 
common. 


GENUS 317. MiIcROSPH@RA.{ Lév. 


Mycelium arachnoid. Appendages straight, dichotomous. 
Branchlets swelling at the tip, or filiform. 
Microsphera penicillata Lév. Bathford, September, on hazel. 


GENUS 318. ERYSIPHE$ edu. 


Mycelium arachnoid. Appendages floccose, simple, or irregularly 
branched. 
Erysiphe tortilis Zév. Rudlow, September, common. 
E communis Schlecht, on various leaves. 
E— macularis Fr, Batheaston, July, on hops. 


GENUS 319. CEPHALOTHECA,|| ekl. 
Symb. Mycol. der-theinischen Pilze. 


Perithecia simple, free, carbonaceous, very fragile, composed of 


* Phyllactinia, from phullon, a leaf, and aktin, a ray or spoke of a wheel. 
+ Uncinula, from uncinus, a hook. 
t Microsphera, from micros, small, and sphaira, a sphere. 
§ Erysiphe, from Erysibe, mildew. 
|| Cephalotheca, from cephalos, a head, and theke, a receptacle. 


31 


_ small pentagonal or hexagonal, radiato-striate cells, globose, and 
at first clothed on all sides with villose hairs, then glabrous, 
brown or black at the apex; asci at first seated on the tips of 
branched threads forming globose clusters, afterwards free, 
8-spored. Sporidia heaped together, then free, simple, ovate or 
subfusiform ek. I find globose asei seated laterally on irregular 
hyphe, filled with globose sporidia. 

Cephalotheca sulfurea /kl., on the underside of damp boards in 
Mr. Percival’s grapery at Henbury, near Bristol. The ville 
are bright, sulphur-coloured, the threads and sporidia pale. 
sulphur. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 1,729, with a figure. 


GENUS 320. CH#ZTOMIUM.* Kze. 


Perithecium thin, brittle, mouthless. Asci linear, containing 
dark, lemon-shaped sporidia. 

Chetomium elatum Kze and Schmidt. Leigh Wood, Bristol, Oct., 
1859, on an old, cast-off dress. 

C————. graminis Rabenh, Rudlow, November, 1842. 

C rufulum £. and Rr. Batheaston, May, 1871, on an 
old paper box under a bell glass. Annals of Nat. Hist., 
No. 1,397, with a figure. 

C— chartarum Ehb. Batheaston, April, 1862, on damp 
paper in a tin box. 


GENUS 321. ASCOTRICHA.t Berk. 


Perithecium thin, free, mouthless, seated on loose, branched, 
conidiiferous threads. Asci linear, containing dark, elliptic, 
sporidia. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 116. 

Ascotricha chartarum Berk. Batheaston, June, 1874. The 
conidia are at first developed in a mucous (hollow 1) globose: 
mass, which at length disappears, on damp paper. 


* Chetomium, from chaite, a hair. 
+ Ascotricha, from ascos, a sac, and thrix, a hair. 


32 


GENUS 322. EuROTIUM.* Lk. 


Perithecia reticulated, vesicular, coloured, attached to 
mucedinous threads, asci delicate. ; 
Eurotium herbariorum Zk. Batheaston, on plants in herbaria. 

This is considered merely an ascigerous state of Aspergillus. 
St. Catherine’s on damp sticks and leaves in the woods. 


ORDER 28. ONYGENEI. 


Peridium formed of loosely interwoven threads. Sporidia at 
length forming a compact, dusty mass. 


GENUS 323. ONYGENAS P. 


Parasitic on animal substances. Peridium stipitate or sessile, 
paper like, at length splitting. Asci delicate. Sporidia at length 
forming a dusty mass. 

Onygena apus B. and Br. Hanham, on bones buried in the soil 
in woods. 


FAMILY VI. PHYSOMYCETES.{ 


Threads free, or only slightly felted, bearing vesicles which 
contain indefinite sporidia, 


ORDER 29. ANTENNARIEIL. 


Threads black, more or less felted, moniliform and equal in the 
same felt, bearing here and there irregular sporangia. 


* Eurctium, from euros, mouldiness, 
+ Onygena, frem onux, a hoof, and ginomai, to spring from. 
+ Physomycetes, from phusa, a bladder, and muke, a fungus, 


33 


GENUS 324. ANTENNARIA.*~ Lh. 


Threads felted, black, articulated, often moniliform. Walls of 
sporangia mostly cellular. Spores chained together, immersed in 
gelatinous pulp. 

Antennaria semiovata B. and Br. Hanham, on fronds of Filix mas, 
September, 1853. Annals of Nat. Hist., No. 784, with a figure, 


_ GENUS 325. ZASMIDIUM.+ Fr. 


- Sporangium thin, carbonaceous but brittle, growing on a septate, 
byssoid, equal mycelium. Mouth subumbilicate. Spores simple. 
Zasmidium cellare. Common in wine cellars, forming brown, 

byssoid tufts, rarely forming any fruit. 


ORDER 30. MUCORINI. 


Threads free, bearing terminal or lateral appendages. 


GENUS 326. ascopHoRA.t Tode. 


Sporangia collapsing, and at length hanging down over the 
fructifying apices like a hood. Fruit sometimes of two kinds. 
Ascophora mucedo Tode. On bread, common. 


GENUS 327. MucoR.§ Mich. 


Threads free, Sporangia at length bursting, but not dependent. 
Mucor amethystiuus Berk. Rudlow, October, 1847, on rotting 
pears. 


M ramosus Bull. Box, October, 1863, on rotten wood. 
M mucedo LZ, - On paste, very common. 
M fusiger Lk. Rudlow, October, 1843, on rotten Agarics, 


* Antennaria, from antenna, a sailyard. 
+ Zasmidium, perhaps from zosma, a kind of seaweed. 
{ Ascophora, from ascos, a vessel, and phero, to bear. 


§ Mucor, mould. 
Cc 


34 


GENUS 328. HYDROPHORA.* Tode. 


Threads erect, tubular, sparingly articulate, equal above, ter- 
minated by a vesicle which is at first watery and crystalline, then 
turbid, and at length indurated and persistent from the conglo- 
meration of the spores. 

Hydrophora stercorea Tode. On dung, common, 


GENLS 329. ENDODROMIA.| Berk 


Vesicle very delicate, perforated by the stem, filled with 
delicate, branched, radiating threads, and globose spores, with a 
nucleus endowed with active motion. 

Endodromia vitrea Berk. Hook, f. 1., 1841, iii, t. 1, fig. C.; has 
not occurred in the district. 


GENUS 330. SPORODINIA.{ Lk. 


Stem dichotomously branched. Vesicles solitary, terminal, 
at length splitting horizontally. Columella large. Spores 
simple, growing on the columella. This genus has not occurred 
in our district. 


GENUS 331. ACROSTALAGMUS§$ Cda. 


Flocci branched. Branches verticillate. Vesicles terminal, 
pierced by the threads, from the tips of which the spores are 
produced within the cells. 


* Hydrophora, from udor, water, and phero, to bear. 
+ Endodromia, from endos, within, and dromos, a running about. 
t{Sporodinia, from sporos, a seed, and dineuo, to whirl about or 
move. Link remarks “continuatio Wild,c. I. p. 94, ‘ Ehrenberg vidit 


massam sporulosam e floccis in sporangium moveri. 


§ Acrostalagmus, from akros, pointed, and stalagmos, a drop, or a state 
of dropping. 


35 


Acrostalagmus cinnabarinus Cda. Batheaston, on decaying plants, 
Verticillium lateritium. One of the Mucedines is found to 
be a form of this species, with naked spores. See Corda 
Icones c, ii, 15, t. 10, fig 66. 


GENUS 332. syzyGiTEs* Jhb. 


Threads branched above. Vesicles of separate branches con- 
jugating, and forming a distinct sporangium. 
Syzygites megalocarpus Ehb. Has not occurred in our district, at 
least in its perfect state. 


GENUS 333. ENDOGONE.Tt Lk. 


Hypogeous. Flocci collected into a globose, spongy mass. 
Vesicles globose, solitary, or collected in little fascicles at the ends 
of the branches. 

Endogone pisiformis Zi, Near Bristol, in woods, autumn. . 


Onan abnormal Flower of a Penstemon, By C, E. Broome, F.L.S. 
(Read March 18th, 1885.) 


A flower of a Penstemon, communicated to me by C. Timmins, 
Esq., in May, 1884, presented the following peculiarities :— 

The calyx was leafy, the calyx leaves nearly those peculiar to 
the species, the corolla was situated closely above the calyx and 
was composed of segments partly green and partly blue, one 
stamen with its filament was normal; the other four stamens 
were converted into distorted green, leafy appendages; the style 


* Syzygites, from sun, together, and zugon, a yoke. 
+ Endogone, from endon, within, and gone, seed. 


36 


‘was prolonged into a green stalk about one inch in length, which 
was furnished with two leaves of the normal form. About two- 
thirds up there was a flower bud, above which the stem was 
again continued for about a quarter of an inch, and surmounted 
by a whorl of four leaves with an axillary flower bud as before. 

The above were the features presented by the specimen sent 
me, and they would seem to come under Dr. Master’s case of 
prolification of the flower mentioned in page 115 of his 
Teratclogy. Where the centre of the flower is occupied by a 
bud or branch, the growing point, or termination of the axis, 
which ordinarily ceases to grow after the formation of the carpels, 
has here taken on new growth. The mixed colours of the corolla, 
in the present instance partly green and partly blue, were of 
interest as tending to show the true nature of the floral leaves, 
viz., that they are merely the ordinary leaves of the plant 
converted into petaloid leaves, I do not find the genus 
Penstemon among those in which such reversion has been 
recorded, it has been observed, however, in other genera belonging 
to the order Scrophulariaceew, as Verbascum. Similar transfor- 
mations are not uncommon in other orders. 

Dr. Masters gives a remarkable instance in a flower of a cherry 
in which there was‘a gradual change from the floral to the foliar 
condition ; there were five distinct lanceolate sepals, the arrange- 
ment of whose veins betokened that they were leaf-sheaths 
rather than perfect leaves, ten petals partly foliaceous and sheath- 
like as to their venation, one of them funnel-shaped. The 
stamens were ten in number, their connectives prolonged into 
foliaceous appendages so that the filament represented the stalk 
of the leaf. The pistil was entirely absent, and its place was 
supplied by a branch with numerous perfectly formed stipulate 
leaves. The genus Plantago presents numerous instances of this 
kind of transformation, its monstrosities are not uncommon in our 
gardens, and that of P. major is frequent in our fields, it is also 
common in cultivated roses. 


37 


It seems probable that the prolification of the parts of flowers 
arises from over luxuriance of growth, since a check given to 
vegetative development, as by root pruning, &c., tends to the 
production of flowers and fruit, as is well known to gardeners, 
and the converse doubtless holds true, and plants which increase 
freely by scions, &c., are less free to blossom and produce seed. 


Notes on Roman Paving Found in Bridewell Lane. By T. 
BROWNE, Esq. 
(Read March 18th, 1885.) 


At the request of our Secretary, I have brought together a few 
notes on the fragments of tesselated Roman Pavement that were 
found in August, 1884, in digging the foundations for a new 
building in connection with the Mineral Water Hospital. 

The largest piece was found near the south-west corner, and 
under the old front wall of what had been a public-house known 
as the “Sedan Chair,” at a depth of about 7ft. Qin. below the 
pavement of the lane. The Paving was an irregular fragment 
that would be included in a measurement of 6ft. each way. A 
careful exploration was made for some distance all round, in hopes 
of finding more; but nothing further was discovered. The 
original Paving seems to have been largely destroyed in the 
making of a drain from the old public-house to the sewer, no 
doubt many years ago. 

A small fragment was also found at about the same depth near 
the north-west corner of the building, and} almost in a line with 
the other, and at about the same level. 

On comparing the depth at which the Paving was found with 
that which was discovered in 1859, when the Blue Coat School 
and Mineral Water Hospital were built, it appears that these 
fragments are about 3 ft. below the level of the old Roman 


38 


Paving which was then found, and is still preserved in sifu in the 
basement of the Hospital. 

The annexed photograph of the large fragment will give 
some idea of the patterns of the work. It will be seen that this 
was very richly designed, with a series of large octagons 
measuring 2ft. 8in, across, and containing in the interior of 
each a series of circles in small stones, and between the circles 
and the margins were foliated patterns worked in coloured stones. 
Apparently there must have been considerable variety of design 
in the whole of the original Paving, for we have here only one 
complete octagon, and fragments of two others, and the patterns 
are different in each. The small squares and triangles filling in 
the spaces between the several octagons and the outer borders are 
filled in with rows of tesserae with reversed squares of colour. 

On the outer border there is a line of dark tiles, and beyond 
this again we found a margin of tiles laid herring-bone fashion 
and of which three rows could be traced. This was no doubt 
intended to fill up the space between the ornamental centre and 
the walls of the room ; but no trace of the walls could be found. 

The Paving was bedded upon fine red concrete made from 
pounded bricks and lime—at least six inches thick, and resting 
upon the earth. 

The Pavement has been carefully lifted up in pieces, and 
secured to a fresh base of cement; and it was found to be in 
such a loose, rotten state, and the surface so damaged that it was 
most difficult to lift up anything but small portions at a time. 
A few of the tesserae have thus got slightly misplaced ; but as a 
whole the patterns are nearly as perfect as when first discovered. 

A portion has been brought here for the inspection of the 
members. 

The small fragment of Paving found at the north-west corner 
is of a much plainer character, and consists of a series of squares 
with dividing lines and border, and was probably from a room 
not considered worthy of a more ornamental Paving. 


39 


The tesserae in both cases appear to consist of pieces of white 
and blue lias, red brick or tile, and a purply red sandstone, all 
of which were probably obtained not far from Bath. Many of 
the stones are decayed and rotten, and would scarcely bear 
handling when once uncovered, no doubt from the effect of wet 
and corrosion in the ground, and subsequent drying in the air. 

Of course the question naturally arises whether these fragments 
have any connection with those found some 25 years ago at the 
adjoining Hospital and Blue Coat School, and I think there can 
be very little doubt that they all belong to the remains of a 
Roman building of some importance, but of which no sufficient 
remains are left to enable us to form any definite idea of its 
extent or plan. 

A great many irregular masses of concrete were found on the 
site (apart from these fragments) at different points, but they 
had been so broken and disturbed that no theory or idea of any 
regular plan could be derived from them, although they all 
appeared to be similar in character arid. of the well-known Roman 
composition. ecg? 

The governors of the Hospital have taken great interest in the 
discovery of these fragments of Paving, and have had them 
permanently preserved in their new building. 


The Bournemouth Firs; considered as the Remains of an Ancient 
Forest. Was there ever a Forest of Firs on the Hills around 
‘Bath? By the Rev. LEONARD BLOMEFIELD, V.A., F.LS., 
F.GS., &c., President. 
(Read December 9th, 1885.) 


No one who has been at Bournemouth, and noticed the fir trees 
that give so peculiar a character to that place—if he take any 
interest in the suhject,—can fail to desire some information as to 
their origin and history. Yet he would find it difficult to get his 
curiosity satisfied, and be obliged, in great measure, to work out 


40 


the question for himself as he could. During a visit paid to 
Bournemouth this last summer (1885) I was surprised to find how 
few persons seemed to know much about these firs or cared to 
consider the matter. The usual guide books scarce afford any 
help, except on one point, to which I shall revert hereafter. They 
speak of the firs as having been always there and forming part 
of the place, and they go no further. Persons, however, who 
say this do not consider of what modern growth the whole place 
and its surroundings are, whether as a place of sea-side resort for 
the public, or for permanent residence on the part of the large 
numbers who have made it their home; nor set themselves to 
inquire what was the state of things previously, 

As the place appears now, broad roads, equal to any in England, 
are seen branching off in various directions with elegant houses 
or villas on either side, at intervals, each having its own grounds 
and garden; the firs that have been left simply growing by the 
sides of the roads, or along the sides of the gardens, where 
they often form a boundary, as it were, between two contiguous 
properties. These roads and houses are mostly on the cliffs, or 
they run back more or less away from the sea; the town— 
properly so called—being at the bottom, nearly at sea-level, 
and, much like the towns in other watering places, calling for no 
particular remark. 

What now was the character of the place before all these roads 
and buildings came into existence? I was informed by a lady 
living in the neighbourhood, that an aged acquaintance of hers 
had known the locality ever since the early part of this century, 
when hardly a single building had been erected, or the first step 
taken towards bringing it into its present condition. It was in 
its wild primitive state—an enormous forest of Scotch Firs, with 
scarce any break, reaching for miles away from the sea into the 
surrounding country. Who, now, planted all these firs, supposing 
them for a moment to have been planted? Not one man, nor 
many men. Is it likely either that the several owners of the 


4] 


different properties, over which the forest must have extended in 
those days, would have all come to one agreement in this matter ? 
Let us bear in mind the contiguity of this forest of firs to the 
New Forest in Hampshire. The latter was formerly much more 
extensive than it is at the present day. “ By some it is thought 
probable that William, instead of actually creating the forest, 
simply added to the extent of a vast tract of woodland which 
previously existed there.”* Wise, too, states that the forest 
“ occupied nearly the entire §.W. angle of Hampshire:’+ if so it 
must have been conterminous with the Bournemouth forest, or 
mixed up with it. And though the New Forest is more 
distinguished at the present day for its oaks, beeches, and birches, 
&c. than for its conifere, it must surely have had formerly 
a large growth of firs in addition to the trees above mentioned, 
or at least in certain parts of the forest. - Lymington 
Heath is spoken of in the “New Forest Guide Book,” 
as “a vast stretch of heather and gorse extending down to the 
“Beaulieu estate, broken here and there by a few barrows and a 
« solitary fir tree, presenting a wild, inhospitable and dreary scene.” 
To my thinking, these solitary fir trees here and there are the 
sole survivors of a much larger number formerly growing in 
that part of the forest. According to a statement in the Times 
newspaper, “ there are hundreds of thousands of Scotch Firs in the 
New Forest at the present time.”{ Probably a large number of 
these have been planted, but the circumstance shows how con- 
genial the soil and other conditions of the forest are to the 
habits of the fir. 

As for the firs in the original Bournemouth forest, they must 
have been practically innumerable. It is said that even at the 
present day, notwithstanding the clearances that have been made, 
peng ARE AREF SS 

* New Forest Hand Book, 2nd Ed., p. 8. See also Leland, Itineraries, 
2nd Ed.,, vol. vi., p. 88. 

+ History of the New Forest, p. 20. { Times, September 19, 1885. 


42 


‘upwards of three million pine trees remain in the different 
districts of Bournemouth and its immediate surroundings.”* 

The gravels and sands, which cover so large a portion of the 
Bournemouth district, seem naturally favourable for the growth 
of the Scotch fir, and seedling plants abound everywhere, which 
if left to themselves would soon grow up into a thick plantation. 

There are a few groups of firs lying some way east or north east 
of the pier—one group especially, at the termination of the cliff 
road, and just within the one-mile radius, of a somewhat 
rectangular form, and reaching quite to the cliffs edge—which 
distinctly give the idea of having been self-originated and 
undisturbed by man. In this last group, away from all buildings, 
the trees present a very uniform appearance. They are near 
together, and of a fair height; but from never having been 
thinned out, are drawn up into mere poles, with a considerable 
brush of foliage at top, the ground underneath being quite bare 
of grass or any other herbage. 

There are, again, a few trees very much larger than any of the 
above; one especially, known to the inhabitants of the 
neighbourhood by the name of “The Four Evangelists,” from 
its spreading out, a few feet from the ground, into four large 
branches. This tree, thought by a friend resident in Bournemouth 
to be the largest in the district, stands in the angle formed by 
Grove Lane and the road leading from Christchurch to Herne 
Court. I measured it with the help of another party, and found 
it to be 13 feet and a half in girth, at about three and a half feet 
from the ground.t It is between three and four miles from 
Bournemouth, and had probably grown up, in times far back, 
near the border of an old forest, or in some open space, where 
with more light and air, it had room for expansion. 


* Fortnightly Review, Sept., 1885, p. 386. 
+ Loudon mentions firs in the Scotch forests 18 and 20 feet in girth, 
but does not say at what height from the ground, Arboretwm Britannt- 
cum. vol. iv. p. 2169. 


43 


There are other trees under conditions very different from those 
of the trees last mentioned ; trees on the edge of the cliff, exposed 
to the full force of winter storms, dwarfed, bent and distorted in 
various ways; others, below the cliffs, struggling, as it were, for 
life amid the shelving sand heaps threatening, to all appearance, to 
drag them gradually down into the sea. 

I have entered into the above details, as affording strong 
ground, in my opinion, for believing that the Bournemouth 
firs are true natives of that part of the country,—in 
opposition to those who assert that the Scotch fir, though 
indigenous in Scotland is not indigenous in England. Let us 
now go into this argument which dates back to the well known 
statement in Cesar’s Commentaries that there was the same 
timber in Britain as in Gaul, except the fir and the beech— 
“ preter fagum atque abietem.” This remark of Czsar’s, however, 
is of little worth. First, he could have seen scarce anything 
of Britain except Kent and the Thames district ;* secondly, in 
addition to the fir, he mentions the beech as not found in Britain, 
where he is certainly wrong, as witnessed by Windsor, Epping, 
Savernake, and many other native woods and forests; thirdly, 
firwood is recorded “to have been found under the foundation of 
some Roman roads.”+ In truth, firwood is abundant in many of 
the ancient mosses in England, and old roots of the Scotch Fir are 
found in the bogs of Ireland. In an Article on the Conifere in 
the Edinburgh Review it is stated that “remains of the Scotch Fir 
“are plentifully distributed in the northern peat bogs ; and that 
“the tree appears to have covered large districts, and to have 
“flourished continuously on the same spot for long periods of 
“time , .. . It has maintained its place, not by the long 


* “Cresar’s account (of Britain) is necessarily confined to Kent, the 
district known to him.” Scarth’s Roman Britain, p. 5. 
+ Notes and Queries, vol. i. (Sixth Ser.), p. 78. 
t Withering, British Plants, and other Authors. 


44 


“endurance of individual trees, but by successive propagation. It 
“was the prevailing tree not only in England and Scotland, but 
“over much of the north of Europe.” In the sunken forest at 
Cromer, in Norfolk, in a deposit of a period immediately preced- 
ing the glacial, even the spruce fir is found as well as the Scotch. 
This was proved by the cones being submitted to the scrutiny of 
the celebrated Robert Brown, the first botanist of his age, who 
pronounced them to be those of the spruce.* 

The Spruce, however, did not survive the glacial period, and is 
consequently, in this country, extinct ; but the Scotch Fir continues 
on to the present day, its range being now confined mainly to the 
Scotch mountains, though formerly extending to several of the 
northern counties of England. Gerard, in his “ Herball,”t 
speaking of the ‘‘firre tree,” says—I have seen these trees 
“ growing in Cheshire, Staffordshire and Lancashire, where they 
“grew in great plenty, as is reported, before Noah’s Flood ; but 
“then being overturned and being overwhelmed, have lien since in 
“the mosses and watery moorish grounds, very fresh and sound 


*See an Article on the Conifere, Edin. Rev., Oct., 1864, p. 347; 
also a Lecture by the late Professor Rolleston, on “The modifications 
of the externa] aspects of Organic Nature produced by man’s In- 
terference,” 1880, p. 13. See, further, Winch’s ‘‘Essay on the 
geographical distribution of Plants through the counties of North- 
umberland, Cumberland and Durham, 8vo., 1825.” In this essay are 
some remarks of much interest on the subject in question. The 
author says—“ On some of the elevated moors of this district the 
“roots and trunks of very large pines (P. Sylvestris) are seen 

protruding from the black peat moss, being exposed to view by the 
‘‘water of these bogs having drained off and left the peat bare, but 
“this tree is no longer indigenous with us.” He then adds—“It is 
“worthy of remark, that the Scotch Fir does not at this day attain 
“the size of these ancient pines, though planted in similar moorland 
“situations, even though the young trees be protected, and the 
“plantations situated at a lower level.” 

+ Ed. 2, by Johnson, 1636, p, 1364. 


45 


“ until this day.” We may smile at a part of this statement, but 
what Gerard had seen himself is a direct proof of the matter in 
question ; and there are other statements that bear evidence the 
same way. Merrett, in his ‘Pinax Rerum Naturalium 
Britannicarum,” published in 1666,* under the head of Abies, the 
Fir tree, writes—“in Alpibus Scoticis, et quondam in plurimis 
Angliz locis Borealibus.”—Ray, in his ‘Synopsis Stirpium 
Britannicarum,” first published in 1696, nearly repeats the same 
words. Wordsworth, the poet, in a private letter, gave it as his 
opinion that the “ Westmoreland mountains were formerly 
“covered in some places to their very summits by pines (the 
“ Highland Pine).” He speaks of many that had survived, and 
were living when he was a boy.t Selby, in his “British Forest 
Trees,” considers that formerly the Scotch Fir ‘“ occupied most 
‘of the elevated tracts of the kingdom, though the natural 
“forests now remaining are confined to the mountainous districts 
“ of Scotland.”{ Hooker, in his “* Student’s Flora of the British 
Islands, ”§ says of the Pinus sylvestris, “ Highlands, ascends to 
2,200 feet, rare in a native state ; formerly native over many parts 
of Britain.” 

Coming down now to the southern counties of England, we 
have important testimony in two local Floras. of comparatively 
recent date, ‘‘Mansel-Pleydell’s Flora of Dorset,” published in 
1874, and Townsend’s “ Flora of Hampshire,” published in 1883. 
It is on the confines of these two counties that Bournemouth is 
situated, and in consequence each author has something to say on 
the subject of the fir trees. 

Mansel-Pleydell speaks of the Scotch Fir as common on heathy 
places, but_ considers it a doubtful native of Dorset. Neverthe- 
less he states it is to be found in all the four adjacent counties of 
Devon, Hants, Somerset and Wilts.|| 


ill eS as, aa 
*P.1, + Notes and Queries, vol. 3 (2nd Ser.), p. 445. {P. 399. 
§ 2nd Ed., 1878, p. 368. | Flora of Dorsetshire, p. 232. 


46 


Townsend, though he too calls the Scotch Fir “a doubtful 
native,” speaks of it as ‘‘common on the heaths around Bourne- 
mouth,” and shortly afterwards says “there are abundant evidences 
that the pine formerly grew wild throughout the county.” 
In another place he says—“ it seems to me possible that living 
pine trees in some parts of the county may be descendants from 
the wild plant.”+ 

Such is the testimony afforded by botanists, in favour of the 
Scotch Fir being indigenous in England as well as Scotland. Other 
testimony is afforded to the same effect by local names. ‘Taylor, 
in his “ Words and Places,” thinking to confirm Czsar’s statement 
above alluded to, ventured the assertion that—“‘In no single 
instance throughout the Anglo-Saxon charters do we meet with a 
name implying the existence of any kind of pine or fir, a circum- 
stance which curiously corroborates the assertion of Cesar, that 
there was no fir found in Britain.”{ I have the high authority 
of Mr. Earle, the Professor of Anglo-Saxon, for saying that here 
“Taylor is wrong ;” and Mr. Earle has kindly looked out for me 
several names of places all of which he considers as undoubtedly 
derived from the fir: such are Firbank in Westmoreland,—Fur- 
becke (or Firbeck) in West Riding, and Firbie (or Firby) and 
Furgarth in East Riding, Yorkshire,— Furbie (or Firby or Firsby) 
in Lincolnshire,—Furcombe, in the parish of Farnborough, Berks, 
—Furlé (or Furleigh) in Sussex, Pevensy Rape. 

In addition to the above local names, I mentioned to Mr. Earle 
two others in the south of England,—Furland, a tithing of Crew- 
kerne in Somerset, and Furland Hill, one of arange of hills between 
Brixham and Dartmouth : both of which he had no doubt, were 
also named after the fir tree. 

But I come now to a still more important fact, in especial con- 
nection with the fir trees at Bournemouth. It is the circumstance 


* Flora of Hampshire, pp. 321-2. 
+ Words and Places, Ed. vi., p. 249: 


47 


I alluded to in the beginning of this paper as mentioned in the 
Bournemouth guide books. We read that “the remains of a 
“submerged forest may, under certain conditions of the beach, 
“be seen at the mouth of the valley, on the western side of the © 
“pier, This was especially the case in the early months of the 
year 1871, when some four or five of the remains of the trees, 
“tof which near thirty were at one time exposed, were removed 
‘‘ for examination, and were proved to be the Pinus Sylvestris or 
“common fir of the district, with an occasional alder, The 
“condition and position of these remains prove that at some 
“ comparatively remote period the valley extended a considerable 
* Jistance beyond its present sea board, and was covered with trees 
*‘ of a similar character to those now common to the locality.”* 
Of this submerged forest a detailed account has been given 
by the late Sir Charles Lyell, in his “Principles of Geology.”+ 
The forest is said, by him, to have been laid open during a low 
spring tide in 1831. ‘It is situated between the beach and a 
“bar of sand about 200 yards off, and extends 50 yards along the 
“shore, cropping out from beneath a bed of sand and shingle. 
“Tt also lies in the direct line of the Bournemouth valley, from 
‘the termination of which it is separated by 200 yards of shingle 
“and drift sand. Down the valley flows a large brook traversing 
“near its mouth a considerable tract of rough, boggy, and heathy 
“round, producing a few birch trees and a great abundance of 
“the Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale). In that part of the submerged 
“peat, which was exposed at low water, were seen twenty or 
“more large stumps of fir, from one to two feet in height, the roots 
“and bases of which still retain their bark. The sap wood of 
“these is soft and spongy, but perfectly white, and exhibiting its 
‘‘ original character; the heartwood is exceedingly hard and tough.” 
After some other details he goes on to observe that “as the sea 


* Sydenham’s Guide to Bournemouth, 15th Ed., p. 76. 
+ 12th Ed., vol. iL, p. 536. 


48 


is encroaching on this shore we may suppose that at some former 
“period the Bournemouth valley extended further, and that its 
“extremity consisted, as at present, of rough and boggy ground, 
“ partly clothed with fir trees.” His conclusion seems to be that 
the whole “had been sunk and submerged in modern times by 
the undermining of the sandy strata on which the peat and 
«trees rested, and did not imply a general subsidence or change of 
“level in that part of the coast.” 

Another submerged forest, of the same character as that of 
Bournemouth, and due to the same causes, is said by Sir Charles 
Lyell to occur on the north side of Poole Harbour. In truth, 
as stated by Geikie and others, submerged forests occur in places 
all round our coasts, testifying to what an extent living forests 
must have formerly prevailed in this island. Speaking of the 
Scotch Fir in particular, Geikie says—‘“ In ancient times it must 
have grown indiscriminately throughout the length and 
breadth of Britain, since we meet with it in the English mosses, 
as well those of southern as of northern districts.”* 

There were, according to Hutchins, some very large forests in 
Dorset formerly—one forest is said to have “extended over the 
whole island of Purbeck ”+—and we cannot but suppose fir trees 
to have abounded there as in the adjoining county of Hants. 

Taking all the above facts together, in connection with what 
was stated in the earlier part of this paper respecting the number 
and condition of the firs still growing at Bournemouth, we can 
hardly doubt the existence of an immense forest of firs on this 
part of the south coast of England, reaching over long distances 
east and west, in prehistoric times ; and which, continuing on by 
spontaneous propagation, has remained in great part to the 
present day. 

But there is another part of this enquiry yet to be considered. 


* Great Ice Age, p. 307. 
+ History of Dorsetshire, vol. i., p. 171. 


49 


How far north did this forest extend? As the fir abounds to this 
day in the Highlands of Scotland, of course it was not climate 
that determined its northern limit. Its advances in that direction 
could only have been checked by the progress of civilisation and 
agriculture. It is hardly possible to fix the boundary line exactly ; 
but as a rude approximation towards it, I interested myself in 
tracing on the return journey from Bournemouth to Bath, for 
what distance on either side of the line, the firs might still be 
noticed. The speed of railway travelling forbids any accurate 
observations of this nature; and possibly I may have been mis- 
taken in some instances. But certainly the firs were distinctly 
seen, though in gradually diminishing numbers, for a very 
considerable distance. They were in abundance—large patches 
of them here and there—as far as Wimborne; afterwards (but 
the patches fewer in number, or the firs only standing here and 
there in rows), they were noticed up to Blandford. There is a 
manifest reason, however, for their falling off here. 

The sands and gravels of the Bournemouth tertiary beds are 
exchanged, after a while, for the underlying chalk which is far 
more profitable for agricultural purposes, and which must have 
long since led to a clearance,of the firs on that account, if on no 
other. I have just said that some of the trees may be seen 
standing in rows, and it looks as if they had been purposely left 
so, when the clearance was made, to serve as a border line between 
two contiguous fields or holdings. One can hardly imagine them 
to have been planted for such a purpose, as farmers in general 
(certainly in the eastern counties) consider low hedges, and not a 
row of trees, essential for good corn crops, allowing a free 
circulation of air overhead, and thereby in great measure prevent- 
ing mildew. 

Passing Blandford there was a decided falling off in the number 
of the firs for the rest of the journey ; only a few observed here 
and there at rare intervals. I am almost sure I saw some at 


Templecombe and Wincanton, and others in the vicinity of one 
D 


50 


or two stations nearer Bath. Some of these last might certainly 
have been planted ; but taking them in connection with the large 
numbers that we had passed on different parts of the line since 
leaving Bournemouth, it seemed to myself as if there must have 
been originally one continuous growth of firs the whole way ; and 
the question occurred to me—Did the firs ever reach to 
Bath itself? And then I remembered a few old scattered, 
scraggy, forlorn-looking firs growing on Combe Down when I 
first came into this neighbourhood five and thirty years ago. 
These firs had always been a puzzle to me. Who planted them 
there? supposing them to have been planted. Who cared to 
set them on a sort of no man’s land, or if not so, strictly speaking— 
on an open down, where persons wander at will, and the trees are 
subjected to the rough usage of every passer by? No doubt the 
trees had a history once, but they looked, when I last saw them, 
as if awaiting extinction,—life’s day all but run out. May there 
not have been more firs once, and in full vigour? And is it not 
possible they may have had some connection, I do not say with 
the Bournemouth firs, but with a large growth of firs existing 
ages back over all the downs by which Bath is surrounded, and 
as truly plentiful and indigenous in those days as in Bourne- 
mouth itself, or any other part of Great Britain? The 
Combe Down trees, in that case, must have had a long 
ancestry, and they alone survive to tell the tale of the 
past, reminding one of the solitary firs on Lymington 
Heath above spoken of. There is something of sadness felt 
on hearing of things in which we take an interest being 
found or seen for the last time. The botanist mourns for the 
loss of some rare plant no longer to be met with in spots where 
he used to gather it. And the tree as well as the flower may 
evoke a feeling of this kind; or steps may be taken, as they have 
been taken in some cases, to preserve a few individuals still 
remaining. The rare and beautiful Ladies’ Slipper Orchis, 
formerly met with in many places in the north, is now, I believe, 


51 


restricted to one wood in Yorkshire, where (I have heard) the 
owner of the ground watches over and strictly preserves the 
few plants growing there still. 

More to our present purpose, however, is a record of the 
last Scotch Fir seen in Ireland. It is said that “in ancient 
times all Ireland was full of woods on every side;”* and 
there is no question but there were formerly forests of 
firs there, as well as in England. More+ gives a few 
localities in which till lately they were still found ; adding— 
“There is one large and old fir tree, supposed to be a last relic 
of the ancient forests, still growing on an open bog . . in 
Mayo, and which was lately fenced in and carefully ssolannca by 
the Earl of Arran, who is the owner of the land.” 

I do not propose any such close imprisonment for the few 
remaining firs on Combe Down. But I think they should be 
looked after, and some record kept as to their existence before 
they quite disappear. Babington makes no allusion whatever to 
these Scotch Firs in his “ Flora of Bath.” Should not the matter 
be taken up by our Club, expressly instituted for the investigation 
of the Natural History and Antiquities of the neighbourhood of 
Bath? There may be antiquity in trees as well as in stones. 

My own botanising excursions have necessarily for many years 
been discontinued ; and I was about to ask if some other of our 
members would not make it an object of one or more of their 
weekly walks to take a general survey of the downs, and to note 
what trees they might still find there and the condition they were in. 
I have, however, been anticipated in this matter. One of our mem- 
bers, Mr. Frederick Inman, on hearing of what I wanted, forthwith 
kindly volunteered his services; rambled over all the downs 
in turn, and sent me in a statement of what he had found. He 
has got together a good many details of much interest, and such 


* See “TIreland’s Natural History” by Boate (1652), p. 119 
+ “Cybele Hibernica,” -p. 276. 


52 


as would furnish matter for a separate paper which I hope he 
may be induced to give the Club at some future time. I will 
only here give a short summary of what he has ascertained. 
Setting aside fir trees growing in the proximity of houses, or in 
adjacent woods containing other trees besides firs, where it would 
be difficult to distinguish between such as were wild and such as 
had been planted ; he finds, on the open ground, scattered trees 
upon Kingsdown, Banner Down and Lansdown. I have already — 
spoken of the Combe Down Firs, and Mr. Broome informs me 
that he had seen formerly a few old trees, some merely stumps, 
in the vicinity of Sham Castle. On Hampton Down, on the 
edge of the hill near the Rifle Butts, where Mr. Inman remembers 
to have seen formerly about a dozen trees, only three stumps of 
trees are now left. This looks as if the race of old original firs 
was dying out. There are several trees scattered about the top 
of Banner Down in one place, where the ground looks more “ as 
if it had been covered with these trees at one time than any 
other place at the top ofthe hill.” 

There are no firs on Solsbury Hill. This may, perhaps, be well 
explained by Solsbury having been in aneient times, according to 
Mr. Earle, ‘‘the site of a well-inhabited and populous British 
city,’* which circumstance would necessarily have led to an early 
clearance of any natural forest that grew on its summit and slopes. 

Taking Mr. Inman’s notes as a whole, I consider there is 
evidence to show that these trees once existed in much larger 
numbers; and, in connection with all that I have said in the 
early part of this paper, sufficient to warrant the question— 
“Was there not formerly, in prehistoric times, if not later, a 
forest of Scotch firs covering all the hills by which Bath is 
surrounded ?” 

I cannot but think the answer to this question, if answer be 
possible, would be in the affirmative. 


* Bath Ancient and Modern, p. 9. 


53 


The Alge of the Bath Thermal Waters. By G. NoRMAN, Esq., M.B. 
(Read December 9th, 1385. ) 


The interest attaching to the occurrence of Fresh Water Alge in 
thermal waters is due, not so much to the discovery of numerous 
fresh species, as to the mere fact of the existence of Alge under 
such exceptional circumstances, and of their being able to grow 
and flourish at a temperature that would be fatal to members of 
the same genus or even species taken from a normal habitat. For 
instance, if a portion of Oscillaria were taken from the canal or 
river in our neighbourhood and subjected to a temperature of 150 
degrees it would undoubtedly be killed outright, whilst at the 
thermal springs of Karlsbad, Oscillaria grows freely in water of 
the temperature of 160°. 

Algz have been found in many of the thermal springs of 
Europe ; but the most important one both on account of the heat 
of the water, and of the variety of genera to be found in it, is that 
of Karlsbad, already mentioned. Here the calcareous and silicious 
deposits surrounding the spring are covered with Algz which also 
line the troughs conveying away the water into the river. In 
these various situations a large number of genera and species of 
Algz including diatoms are to be found, and some of the species 
of Oscillaria and Mastigocladus are peculiar to this water. 

At another very hot spring, the Herculesbad of Mehadia in 
Austria, no less than nineteen species of Alge have been found, 
including five species of Oscillaria. These waters are saline- 
sulphurous in character and vary in temperature from 80° to 
180°. In the spring itself only a few forms exist, amongst them 
the Oscillaria—the others are found in the outflow only. 

Closely allied with this is the organic matter found in the sul- 
phurous thermal waters of the Pyrenees called “ Sulfuraire de 
Fontan” or “Baregine” which has been lately shewn to consist 
almost entirely of felted masses of Oscillatoria ; this is especially 
seen at Cauterets, where the temperature is as high as 140°. 
Numerous Alge have also been observed in and around the 


54 


margins of the hot springs of Iceland, fully exposed to the 
influence of steam and boiling water—they consisted principally 
of Oscillatoria and species of Conferve. Dr. Hooker in his 
Himalayan Journal describes Conferve as present in the hot 
springs of Belcuppee. He says—‘Conferve abound in the 
warm stream from the springs and two species, one ochreous 
brown and the other green, occur on the various margins of 
the tanks themselves and in the hottest water; the brown is 
the best Salamander and forms a belt in deeper water than 
the green; both appear in broad luxuriant strata, whenever 
the temperature is cooled down to 168° and as low as 90°.” 
On the same expedition Dr. Thomson and Captain Strachey 
found Alge in the springs of Pugha in Tibet, which attain 
a temperature of 174°, and at the hot springs of Mormay, 
with a temperature of 110°. The Rev. J. M. Berkeley, who 
examined these specimens, says of them :—‘The vegetation 
in the three sets of springs was very different. As regards the 
Conferve, taking the word in its older sense, the species in the 
three are quite different, and even in respect of genera there is 
little identity ; but amongst the Diatomacez there is no striking 
difference except in those of the Behar springs, where three out 
of the four did not occur elsewhere. In the Pugha and Mormay 
springs the species were either identical with or nearly allied to 
those found in neighbouring localities, where the water did not 
exceed the ordinary temperature . . . . . The species are 
less numerous . . . . . than might be supposed from the 
vegetation of those European hot springs which have been most 
investigated.” 

In America, Horatio Wood describes two new species of Alge, 
Nostoc calidarium, and Chroococcus thermophilus, found in the 
hot springs of Benton, California, the temperature of which is 
160°; and in the Yeliowstone River district are some remarkable 
boiling mud springs which are coloured bright green by the mul- 
titude of Algz contained in them—this observation was made by 


55 


Professor Ramsay of University College, Bristol, during the 
Canadian meeting of the British Association, and mentioned by 
him at a meeting of the Bristol Naturalists’ Saciety. 

Lastly, Professor Moseley, whilst naturalist to the Challenger 
expedition, obtained Fresh Water Algz from the boiling springs of 
Furnas, at 8. Michael’s in the Azores. He describes the Algz as 
growing on the sides of clefts in the ground, about a foot 
wide from which, sulphuretted hydrogen, steam, and water so hot 
as to scald the hands, are discharged in jerks and splashes. 

Close to these were shallow pools of hot water, in the bottom 
of which were hollow channels from which hot gases and water 
were discharged ; the edges of these were green with deposits of 
Algz, which, however, were difficult to get on account of the heat of 
the water, In another place were swamps of hot mud, with pools 
of hot water, too hot to bear the finger in, constantly discharging 
gases and surrounded with crystals of sulphur, and here also Alge 
were found. He estimates the heat of the water in the hottest 
parts to be as high as 194°, and in others from 176°—149° ; but 
no accurate observations were made there. About thirty species of 
Algz were found, including some new ones; it was doubtful 
whether any Oscillaria was amongst the collection. 

As regards the Bath Thermal Waters, although they have 
been fully and frequently dealt with from historical and medical 
points of view, I am not aware of any recorded observations con- 
cerning their natural history, with, however, this exception, that 
both Harvey and Hassall in their respective manuals of the 
‘British Fresh Water Algee” mention one species of Oscillaria 
as peculiar to the Bath Waters, viz., O. tenuissima, which is 
described as occurring in irregular, broad, velvet-like patches of a 
dark green colour. The irregularity of its appearance arises 
from the filaments being collected together into little ascending 
tufts, apparently rooted in the muddy deposit of the water. 
Each tuft proves on examination to consist of simple, uniform, 
even filaments, crowded together and quite pellucid, and equally 


56 


destitute of joints and branches ; their diameter is not more than 
the eight or ten thousandth part of an inch. In various parts 
of the baths I have found an Alga corresponding very much to 
this description, although Cooke, in his recently published 
manual of the “ British Fresh Water Algz,” discards this species 
with many others, remarking that “the species of Oscillaria are at 
present distinguished by very artificial characters, which are by 
no means permanent, in which respect the genus is not in a much 
better condition than it was forty years ago.” 

The observations I have up to the present been able to make 
may be classed under three heads, according to locality, viz. :— 
1. The Algze of the Roman Bath. 2. The Algz of the King’s 
Bath. 3. ‘The vegetation of the Central Well. 

1. The Roman Bath.—The conditions under which Alge 
grow here are very favourable; the temperature of the water 
which is just tepid, and the sheltered position, with exposure to 
the sunlight, encourage luxuriance of growth to the utmost. 
The consequence is that one species of Cladophora, viz., C. 
insignis, has almost monopolised the bath, to the exclusion 
of many other species. Professor Nordstedt, to whom a specimen 
was sent, says that it is the finest species of Cladophora he has 
seen, and rivals the typical specimens in his collection. Growing 
upon the Cladophora are numerous diatoms, the principal of which 
is Amphiprora paladosa. This is so abundant as to produce the 
appearance of a white fringe on the Algze when seen in bright 
sunlight. Mr. Grove says it is a remarkably fine specimen, as 
large as his typical specimens from the shores of the Tay, and the 
frustules look healthy and full of endochrome. Besides this are 
found Surirella ovalis, Synedra tenera, Nitzschia amphioxys and 
linearis, and a few other minute forms. The only other Alga I 
have been able to find has occurred in small, darkish green patches 
around the margins of the bath, and may possibly represent the 
Oscillaria tenuissima already described. 

2. The King’s Bath.—This, I believe, would prove a very 


57 


productive field for the smaller filamentous and unicellular Algze ; 
but owing to the zeal of the caretakers of the bath to prevent 
the floor and walls becoming slimy and slippery, by means of 
weekly scrubbings and occasional lime washings, the algal 
vegetation is very scarce. However, by scraping the sediment 
from the floor of the bath when the water has been let out, I 
have been able to find portions of several species of Alge ; and 
the fact of their being able to grow in spite of the warfare 
carried on against them, justifies, I think, the opinion I have 
expressed as to the habitat being a favourable one. 

The principal genus is a Phormidium, or Lyngbya, as it is now 
termed by Cooke, of which there are two species, a larger and a 
smaller, probably P. corium and inundatum, also a few filaments 
of Nostoc and some unicellular Alge, principally Glzocystis. 
On the under sides of the wooden seats in the bath is a plentiful 
supply of the fungus Merulius lacrymans, common dry rot. 

3. The Central Well.—tThis is the centre of highest temperature 
in the baths, the water being generally about 118°, flowing up 
directly from the source to fill the King’s Bath. The whole of 
the inside wall of the well presents a curious appearance, being 
lined thronghout by a thick coating of the fungus Merulius 
lacrymans, which itself is stained by the iron deposited by the 
mineral water, and pierced by numberless filaments exceedingly 
fine in character, of the small Phormidium before mentioned. 
Under the microscope this arrangement may be well seen; but 
the Alga is so small that it is with difficulty detected by the 
naked eye. There are various patches of Algz around the mouth 
and outer walls of the well; but none different, as far as I at 
present know, from those found in the King’s Bath. 

I regret that, owing to the late period of the year at which I 
took up this subject, and to the pressure of other duties, I have 
been unable to do as much justice to my subject as I should have 
wished ; but I propose to continue my observations, and to 
supplement this paper on another occasion. 


58 


The Earliest Map of Bath. By EMANUEL GREEN, F.S.A. 
(Read 13th January, 1886.) 


In the British Museum there is a manuscript, a quarto volume, 
entitled: The Particular Description of England, with the 
Portratures of Certaine of the Chieffest Citties and Townes. 
Having been given by Sir Paul Methuen to Sir Hans Sloane, 
it now reposes in the Sloane Collection, being numbered 2,596. 
The author of the book was one William Smith, who, after being 
at Oxford, studied heraldry and antiquities, became Rouge 
Dragon, and died in 1618. He seems in his wanderings to have 
copied the plans of different citics when he found them already 
done, and when not so, to have drawn them for himself. The 
plans given are all coloured. Bristol, placed with the county of 
Gloucester, is labelled :—Measured and laid in Platforme by me, 
Wm. Smith, at my being at Bristow, the 30th and 31st July, Ano. 
Dom, 1568. Canterbury is dated 1588 ; and as the title page is 
dated 1588, it may be fairly assumed that the work was then 
finished. It may be mentioned that the volume has been privately 
printed ; but so privately and so small an impression that the 
fact is barely known. 

Bath, described as but a “little Cittie, yet one of ye most 
auncientest in England,” is here reproduced. Taking it in hand 
as a novelty, as if the sight were quite new, it is seen to be a 
walled city. Then comes the desire to know all about those 
walls. The Domesday survey does not mention it, as it does a 
few other places, as being a walled city. Two years later, in 
1088, our histories mention, as Florence of Worcester and other 
Chroniclers record, the coming of a party from Bristol in rebellion 
against William Rufus, when Bath was burned, plundered and 
devastated : William of Malmesbury says, depopulated and the 
spoils treasured up at Bristol. These are very strong words. 
There is again no intimation in these accounts that it was a 
walled city, or that it offered resistance as if it were so. Passing 


59 


now over some seventy years, we come to a Chronicle of 
extreme interest, the Gesta Stephani,* hitherto altogether over- 
looked. Covering the time of Stephen, a terrible time, 
imperfectly known through our present histories, this Chronicle 
is of particular interest, as, contrary to those more known, it 
is in Stephen’s favour. Unlike the others too, which treat more 
of northern affairs, the western events being but shortly 
mentioned and from general rather than personal knowledge, 
this one treats the western events fully, the author writing as 
having been an eye witness of what he records. Who the author 
was is unknown; but he was clearly cotemporary—probably a 
Norman—and connected either with the Court or the King. 

After describing Bristol and the Castle, and telling us that the 
latter, “‘ vast and fearful” to beholders, was made terrible to the 
district by a garrison of freebooters and robbers, he adds :— 
“There is a city six miles [error for twelve] from Bristol where 
the hot springs circulating in channels beneath the surface are 

-conducted in channels artificially constructed and are collected 
into an arched reservoir, to supply the warm baths which stand 
in the middle of the place—most delightful to see and beneficial 
for health. The city is called Batta, the name being derived from 
a word in the English tongue which signifies Bath, because infirm 
people resort to it from all parts of England for the purpose of 
washing themselves in these salubrious waters, and persons in 
health also assemble there to see the curious bubbling up of the 
warm springs and to use the baths.” 

The date of this charmingly pretty account is 1138, and it is 
the earliest mention of the scene. By a little imagination we can 
see Bath, “The” bath back to the Conquest, and had the writer 
added that in a gallery hard by minstrels minstreled, we should 
have before us almost as perfect a picture as through any much 
later description. 


* By Sewell. 


60 


Bath being held for Stephen, the Bristol. men in rebellion 
wished to get it, the more especially as it could be easily 
fortified (co quod facilis esset ad muniendum) A party therefore 
marched out stealthily in the dusk of early morning, carrying 
ladders and other implements for scaling the wall (scalis que secum 
et aliis machinulis ad murum conscendendum convectis), and took 
post under cover of a hollow, while scouts reconnoitred to 
choose the most advisable point for attack. Geoffrey Talbot, and 
Gilbert de Lacy, his cousin, were selected as scouts, and went out 
hoping to do their work unobserved; but the guards within 
espying them they sallied out upon them, and after a struggle 
secured Geoffrey as their prisoner—took him and put him in 
fetters and threw him into their deepest dungeon; Gilbert, 
stronger and more wary, escaped and returned to tell of the 
mischance. A curious picture this, these resolute citizens struggling 
with the two knights, who were, presumably, in the chain armour 
of the time. Then one would like to know where this dungeon 
was. Determined to liberate Geoffrey, the Bristolians approached 
Bath and summoned the Bishop (Robert) to come out and treat 
with them, promising him safe conduct and safe return. The 
Bishop “dwelling in his house with simplicity,” giving credit to 
their words, went out accordingly, when he was quickly seized 
and held a prisoner. He was then covered with abuse, and 
threatened with hanging unless he released Geoffrey. As soon 
as it was known within that the Bishop was captured, the citizens 
closed the gates and manned the walls (conclusis portis wd muros 
defendendos concurrerant) ; no assistance or succour consequently 
could be sent out and the Bishop was obliged to order that 
Geoffrey should be set at liberty. The Chronicler endeavours to 
excuse this, first, as being a clemency more becoming a bishop, 
and also because reason did not require him either to expose 
himself to insult, or to sacrifice his life. For Geoffrey, however, 
he had no biessing, but duly doomed him to the usual torment. 
The Bishop, being free, became emboldened, and charged his 


61 


captors with violation of their pledge, threatening them with 
discomfiture in all future enterprises. To all this they 
answered with jeers, and reminded him of his simplicity in 
supposing they were pledged ; then throwing back perhaps a little 
of the Bishop’s own teaching, they argued that, being already a 
perjured lot, their pledges went for nothing. 

The robberies and cruelties of the Bristol garrison becoming 
too notorious, King Stephen determined to reduce it. Setting 
out hurriedly, he unexpectedly arrived at Bath. The Bishop on 
his approach went out to meet the royal cavalcade ; and at once 
had to soften the King’s anger against himself, for having let 
Geoffrey go. After telling his story, how grossly insulted he 
had been and well nigh hanged, he was restored to favour, and 
the King accompanied him into the city. Stephen examined the 
entire circuit of the walls, commanded them to be raised higher 
and outworks to be constructed, and marked a special spot very 
capable of defence which would defy assault (ideoque muros altius 
sustolli, propugnacula in devectum surrigi). Then, says the 
Chronicle, he marched to Bristol—‘ the seat of fraud.” The 
Bath men, meanwhile, gallantly and vigorously maintained 
themselves, using every means to make the walls and ramparts 
impregnable (muros et aggeres omni resistendi artificio inexpugnabiliter 
firmare.) Keeping the walls always manned, they sometimes 
sallied out at night, placing parties in ambush, whilst by day the 
country folk and the men at arms overran the Bristol lands, 
sometimes appearing in force even at the gates, or setting fire to 
churches or houses, or whatever would burn. 

Bristol, however, was not taken, and the King marched on to 
other work. 

Our own records are few for this date. Passing, then, some 
seventy years, we come to the reign of King John. The custom 
of the Kings to journey with their Courts from place to place 
prompts a search for the movements of John, as, after the year 
1200, documents may possibly be found. In 1206 some arrange- 


62 


ments apparently were in progress for a western journey, as the 
King sent to the Bishop of Bath and Wells twenty-four palfreys 
and twelve stable boys, and also a servant with one horse and one 
stable boy. Twelve palfreys and four stable boys were ordered 
to be removed from Taunton to Wells; five others and two 
stable boys were moved from Winchester to Glastonbury, 
and ten others with three stable boys were to be placed at Bath ; 
also six mares were paid for three tonells of wine sent from 
Bristol to Bath, with nine shillings for carriage.* There is no 
record, however, of a visit in this year. 

In 1207, the Bailiff of Bath was directed to see if the king had 
two dolia of wine at Bath; and presumably he had not as the 
Constable of Bristol was ordered to send that quantity to Bath, 
and place it in the house, which was the Bishop’s house.t There 
seems again to be no record remaining of a royal visit in this year. 

In 1209, however, John was at Bath for two days, May 13th 
and 14th; but no account of his stay can be found. 

In 1212, John paid another visit, being in the city on the 17th 
October ; and for this time there happens to be an account of the 
petty or smaller expenses. Besides a hundred and fourteen 
warreners, of whom two had three farthings per day, there were 
twenty-five dogs in the care of a huntsman, costing for two days, 
fifteenpence; then there was the huntsman himself at sevenpence 
halfpence per day ; and twenty-four keepers who, for the two days’ 
stay at Bath, had four shillings ; the total being 16s. 10d. There 
was also charged for hire of a cart with two horses, bringing fruit 
from Gillingham to Bath, from Bath to Bristol, and from Bristol 
to Lacock, three days, two shillings. To Odo who stayed a night 
at Bath with the wardrobe and the “harness” of the wardrobe, 
and one night at Bristol, eightpence. To five carriers of the 
wardrobe, five shillings, and to nine others, nine shillings. There 


* Close Rolls, 7 John, m. 1. + Close, 9 John, m. 15, m. 12. 
+ Itinerary. 


63 


was also a payment to Agnes, the laundress, of twelvepence ; and 
there was an outlay of sevenpence, pro tribus wrinalibus for the use of 
the king ; there is another entry, pro wrinalibus et chassiis ad urinalia 
imponendi. An entry a little later, not specially relating to 
Bath, but giving an idea of what must have been the case, accounts 
for fifty-five stable boys who had between them six shillings and 
fourpence per day, and sixty-two horses costing for forage, hay, 
corn, and shoeing for the night, sixteen shillings and fourpence 
halfpenny. Six carters divided twelvepence per day, and fifteen 
‘horses consumed sixteen bushels of oats; the charge for a night’s 
livery, hay, oats, forage, lights and litter, being three shillings 
and twopence. 

In 1213, March 13th, John was again at Bath, but the expen- 
diture is only briefly recorded. Five shillings were paid for fowl 
for the falcons, and five pounds were given between the head 
falconer and his associates. A day or two later the falconers were 
paid ten mares for flying their birds. Eighty tonells of wine were 
obtained from Bristol, thirty-seven at 26/-, and forty-three at 24/-* 

This roll is unique, and of extreme interest ; no other record 
affords such minute information, even down to the loss of five 
shillings when the king played at ‘Tables.” To dwell too long 
on it would be out of place, yet, besides the insight into prices, the 
picture is ever curious, with the cavalcade, the incessant move- 
ment, usually twenty or thirty miles a day; the hounds and 
huntsmen ; the falconers and falcons ; then the preparation in 
advance, and the hubbub and arrival of the party in the little— 
very little city. 

In 1216, John was again at Bath, and for the last time. Going. 
from Bristol to Hinton, then to Sherbourn, he was at Wells, 
27th August; Bath, 28th; Bradford, 29th; and Chippenham, 
1st September.t There is no record of the expenditure. 

In 1223, Henry III. apparently had an intention to visit the west, 


* Rotulus Mise, 14 John. + Close, 18 John. 


64 


as he ordered the Prior of Bath to repair his houses there, at a cost 
of sixty shillings, and to account for the same to the exchequer.* 
He appears to have been there, however, in 1235, as a patent was 
dated therefrom in that year.t There seems no other record of 
the visit, except an entry on the Pipe Roll of the following year 
be taken as a result of personal inspection. By this the Prior of 
Bath rendered his account for £13 11s.—a considerable sum at 
that time,—spent by order of the king in repairing the king’s 
houses and the wall around the King’s bath (in domibus Regis in 
villa Bathonie que reparatione indigent, et muro circa balneum Regis 
ibidem reparandis.{ This is so far the first known mention of the 
King’s bath under that name, and it shows the origin of the name 
as being not from usage as generally supposed, but from owner- 
ship, distinguishing it from the Prior's bath so named from the 
same cause. 

Henry III. died abroad, having been absent from England for 
some years. Edward I. on succeeding, in 1273 made inquiry in 
every Hundred concerning the rights or dues of the Crown, and 
to discover the neglect in payment or performance during the late 
king’s absence. Relating to Bath there are three returns; two 
for the city and one for the Hundred “Forinsecum” or outside the 
city. The last is sometimes written as the Hundred Forinsecum 
de Berton Bathonie ; or, the Hundred Forinsecum Bathonie de la 
Berton. In some documents it is noticed as the Barton Regis extra 
civitate. By adopting the early mode of contracting, and taking 
the first and last syllables of “Forinsecum” we get Forum; and 
thus Bath Forum is simply Bath outside the city and has nothing 
to do with a forum, as has been stated. 

As to Bath City, the juries found that King John had given 
the city and the Hundred “ Forinseewm” to the Prior of Bath ; 
and then we get a return well showing the utter neglect into 


* Close, 7 H.IIL,m.5. 7+ Pat. Roll, 19 H., ITI, m. 5. 
t Pipe Roll, 20 H. III., dors. 


65 


which everything had fallen, and showing clearly how reasonable 
the enquiry was. It was found that Henry de Courteney had 
built a noble chamber on the city wall, for which he had taken 
the stone from the wall. That the miller of the Prior took stone 
from the wall for repairing the pool of his mill. That the Prior 
took stone for building an almshouse. That he, as also had other 
Priors before him, made lime from the walls at the Southgate ; 
and other Priors had made lime at the Westgate for eight perches 
towards Monksmill; and that the defunct Prior had carried 
stones to the Priory, to the damage of the whole city. That the 
Master of the Hospital of St. John took stone for his house ; 
that Thomas Wlbeyn, William le Commandur, Roger Budde, 
William Faber, John Koker and William Cocer carried away 
stone from the walls to construct or repair their houses. That 
Peter Forester took stone for the pool of his mill, and Thomas 
Sweyn took stone to build the house in which Thomas Sweyn his 
son lived, and that Gunilla le Marescal’ held a house built of the 
stone from the wall: all being declared to the damage of the 
city and of the King. It was also found that the King’s own 
houses within the gates of the Abbey were deteriorated and 
destroyed, and to repair them to their pristine state would cost 
ten mares beyond the cost already expended on two houses 
within the metes of the Priory. It was also found that Robert 
Cherin had a tenement within the city and a meadow without, 
for which he kept the gate on the bridge in time of war.* 
This is an early mention of such a bridge. No order for repairs 
seems to have followed these enquiries, and so the picture here 
drawn must have been seen by the King himself when he came 
to Bath three years later, on the 15th September, 1276. He 
stayed the 16th, and then went on to Keynsham the 17th, and 
then to Bristol. He was in Somerset again in 1278, but did not 
visit Bath. In 1285, coming now from Bristol, Edward was in 


* Hundred Rolls. 


66 


Bath for four days, the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th January, and then went 
onto Marlborough.* There seem to be no accounts existing relating 
to these visits. 

Passing on to another reign, in 1369, 43 Edward III., there 
was a prospect of a war with France, and the king was asked to 
set his house in order. A petition presented to Parliament, 
prayed that all fortresses, cities and towns should be hastily 
surveyed and put in “ sauve garde ;” and that a command should 
be given to all Mayors and Bailiffs to have their walls, ditches 
and gates duly furnished.t This was done accordingly, and a 
letter was ordered, 4th June, to be sent to the Mayor of Bath 
concerning enclosing the city.t Then came the letter or patent 
on 8th July, directed to Nicholas de Berkeleye, chiv., and the 
Mayor and Bailiff of Bath, and Henry de Forde. That whereas 
the walls and towers of the city are in divers places destroyed 
and broken, the walls being threatened with imminent ruin ; and 
whereas the ditches around the walls are obstructed by trees and 
herbs growing in them, and are used for dungheaps and ordure 
(fimos et fimare), and other sordid filthy things thrown therein ; 
unless a quick remedy be applied, as well by us as by the said city 
and parts adjacent, heavy dangers and damages are likely to 
happen immediately or at any moment. Being willing to remove 
these damages and dangers, as has been requested, We assign you 
to survey the walls and towers and ditches aforesaid, and to 
repair and mend the defects existing in the same ; and to clear 
the said ditches from the trees and herbs growing in the same ; 
and to cut and clear out all sordid matter and filth. And, with 
power to compel and distrain ; to cause all those who have land, 
tenements and rents in the city or suburbs, or those who are resi- 
dent, or carry on business therein and gain by reason of their stay, 
to contribute to the said reparation and clearing,—viz., each one 


* Itinerary. + Rolls of Parliament, vol. ii., p. 300, 
t Pat. 43 Ed. IIL, pt. 1, m. 23. 


67 


according to his status or ability as reasonably as may be, so that 
none have consideration. And to you and each of you we command 
that you set about the work with all diligence. We give orders 
also to all and singular the men of the city, by tenor of these 
presents, that they appear and attend to assist us or our deputy 
in making and executing the said work, as by you or others for 
us on our part shall be required.* 

The way in which cities were taxed in early times is of interest; 
but unfortunately no special plan was ordered or granted by this 
patent, and the plan adopted is therefore unknown. Patents for 
murage, pavage and pontage are found for several other cities, 
but not one for Bath. Sometimes such aid was got by taxing all 
articles brought through the gates ; thus a cart paid sixpence ; 
skins, 1d.; skins of lamb, hare, &c., td. ; salmon, congers and 
eels, 4d. One city, 6 Richard II., was granted the privilege of 
not sending a burgess to Parliament for five years, the cost saved 
to go towards building the walls.+ The payment to a burgess 
ranged apparently from two shillings to four shillings per day ; 
the sheriffs getting eight shillings.t 

In 1377, 1 Richard II., the Commons again prayed, as a 
necessary preparation for war, that cities having walls should 
repair and make them defensible ; all who had property in them, 
Religious houses as well as others, and merchants for their 
merchandize, to be reasonably taxed, following the usual custom, 
“come y ad estee usee devant cest heure.” This was ordered 
accordingly, and a writ issued to the Mayor and Bailiff of Bath 
to survey and repair; but coming so soon after the more 
imperative order of 1369, it must have been unnecessary, except 
perhaps as reviving dormant energy. 

A patent issued in 1417 raised hopes that some good account 
of the city would be found. It was for repairs of walls, ditches, 


ER ES ER te eR Tia RTIG a TOT 


* Pat, 43 Ed. IIL, Pt. ii, m. 39. + Colchester, Pat. Pt. ii, m. 26. 
+ Rolls of Parliament, 


68 


gutters, water courses, and stone bridges between the city of Bath 
and the town of Bristol, which by constant flux and reflux of 
the sea, and inundations and encroachments of the water, and 
neglect of reparation were greatly damaged and broken.* 
Beyond the above facts there is, however, no further special 
allusion to Bath. 

These notes clear the way for understanding the early maps. 
With a little imagination, a little filling-in of domestic habits and 
domestic events, a fairly clear image of the city is seen, including 
“The” bath, for the first time back to the Conquest. Whatever 
the condition in which the walls and the city were left after 
the damage of 1088, both were perfect in 1138, in the time of 
Stephen. After this there seems to have been a general easy 
neglect, until during the absence of Henry III., say after 1235, 
heavy damage was actually done, as declared in 1273, when the 
walls appeared waste and the stones the common property of any 
who chose to take them. So all remained yet another ninety odd 
years, until 1369, when the great reparation was ordered and the 
ditches cleared. To this date, 1369, we may feel inclined to 
assign the using up of the Roman stones, recorded by Leland 
some 250 years later, as seen by him in the walls; and, after 
another repairing, these would be the walls seen by ‘“‘The Most 
Illustrious Lord the Lord Richard ” when he was in Bath in July, 
1658. Thus the medizval period passes, and we come to a time 
with which we are more in touch, a time more readily under- 
standed of all men, the time of the view or plan now to be 
considered. 

Giving this plan a glance, it is seen not to be exact, as it shows 
the Abbey church without the Abbey or Priory house. The 
grounds around the church are represented as all grass, unfor- 
tunately so, as Leland writing some thirty-five years earlier, 
records that “a great square tower with other ruins” of the once 


* Pat. 5 Henry V., m. 34, dors, 


The Kings Bath) 
RB The Grofs Bath 
Thetomon Balk. |] 


dhe mucll Bu th 


yemor Het Place. 


SLOANE MSS. Wo. 2596. 


69 


existing bishop’s palace on the south-west of the monastery were 
then to be seen. Had Smith marked these, supposing they were 
there in his time, we should know the exact site of the palace, 
the “bishop’s house” of King John’s time. Possibly they were 
removed under the Act of 1540, 32 Hen. VIII, cap. 18, for 
re-edifying townes, which declared that in Bath, as well as other 
cities named, houses had fallen down decayed and so “doo 
“lye as desolate and vacante groundis, many replennyshed 
“withe unclennes and filthe.” After proclamation made they 
were to be re-edified or repaired within three years; but here 
re-building would not be likely, and the greater improvement 
would be to remove altogether. 

On a further examination of the plan it is seen that although 
the bridge is shown, the gate is omitted—the great gate with a 
stone arch at the centre of the bridge ; recorded in 1273 as being 
kept as a service for certain land and a tenement. 

Another peculiarity must be noticed, as this Smith’s map 
attempts to show the suburb southward over the bridge, this 
being the more remarkable as not only does he so but he marks 
a church just at the foot of Holloway, at the corner on the left 
turning towards Widcombe. What does this mean? Was there 
ever a church here? Going first to the dissolution documents and 
the accounts of particulars for grants or for leases, there is found full 
notice relating to the “ cathedral” and the site of the Priory, and 
the Grange, and le Hayes, and le Ham and pasture for three 
hundred and twenty-two sheep called the hogflock. Then there 
were pastures in Walcot and Barton; and a pasture on Launce- 
down with all commons; and pasture for a flock of three hundred 
and sixty ewes called the eweflock of Barton.* Selecting Wid- 
combe more especially, there was the farm of the manor of 
Widcombe and Lyncombe with the lands and feed called Bewchen- 
clyff, or Beauchyncliff, or Bychincliff, or Beachynclyffe, with Prior 


* Particulars for Leases, Ed. VI., sec. i. 


70 


park and other meads and pastures.* Going still backwards, the 
Valor mentions Stalls with the chapel of Widcombe annexed ; and 
earlier still, in the Wells registers the same thing is found. In 
1322, Bishop Drokensford’s register mentions the admission of the 
Vicar of Stalls with the chapel of Widcombe, with all the tithes of 
Widcombe and Lyncombe. So is it in other registers. There is 
no record of a church or chapel on the site here marked by Smith. 
Smith’s plan may be considered perhaps, not as a map plotted 
exactly as a survey, but rather asa view—a bird’s-eye view—“ a 
- portrature” as if taken from Beechen cliff. This church may 
then be accounted for, the intention being, not to mark exactly a 
site, but, after the manner of early maps, to mark that here in 
this suburb was another parish ; and this would then be the parish 
church of Widcombe. In this case too, as it happens, this was, 
ecclesiastically, really a part of Bath. It is not forgotten that there 
was the chapel for lepers, the chapel of St. Mary Magdalen in 
Holloway. This is found noticed in 1256 as the chapel of St. 
Mary “extra civitate Bathonie,” thus perhaps marking it as the 
otherwise unrecognised church of St. Mary extra muros, often 
mentioned in the local records.* But it need not be confounded 
with the site or suggested site of the church now considered. 

One note must be made, as from the above documents we get 
the origin of the name Beachen cliff—this being Beau Chine cliff, 
chine meaning one side of a gorge such as this is; and so from 
Beauchine we drop to Beechen or Beachen, as from Beauchamp 
we get to Beecham ; without any origin from the beech tree, as 

many suppose. 

The intention in these notes is not to examine minutely any 
differences in the early maps, as that may be better done by one 
more capable and with more minute local knowledge ; but there 
is yet one point which must be attentively considered, and here 
too must be quoted for once, one local author, but quoted only to 


* Particulars for Grants, Hen. VIII. + Pat. 40, H. iii, m. 7. 


71 


criticise. John Wood in his description of Bath, on page 84, vol. i. 
of 2nd edition, has given an engraving of what he calls :—“A 
“copy of Doctor Jones’s view of the city of Bath, as it was 
‘* published in the year MDLXXII.” He gives it boldly as being 
a view taken in the reign of Queen Elizabeth to illustrate Jones’s 
book, “The Bathes of Bathes Ayde ;” and considering it suitable for 
illustrating his own text, he adds—(p. 84) “I have therefore copied 
it.” First, here the title to this map is Wood’s own ; with attentive 
reading that is clear, and so it must not be confounded or 
taken as being the copy of an original, as a hasty general reader 
may readily do. On pp. 85-86, Wood has described this map by 
the usual method of using capital letters ; and then he has marked 
by the use of other small letters or figures of his own, certain 
localities which, as he says, are ‘“‘neither named nor referred to by 
Dr. Jones.” Thus alluding to a certain house, he writes, ‘‘it stood 
by the fig. 5 in Dr. Jones’s view ”—adding—“‘some of the parts of 
which view he (Jones) thus described.” Then he refers to the 
capital letters as being Jones’s. 

Now all this is false. Dr. Jones’s book does not name or refer 
to the city, nor does he by means of letters or figures refer to any ° 
spot or locality in it. There are no such letters in the book, nor 
is there any description of or allusion to any such subject as a map. 
The treatise is entirely on the baths, as the heading of the four 
chapters or books given in the dedication clearly show. The first 
book treats of the descent of Bladud, and of the sicknesses the 
baths help ; the second book shows the divers opinions concerning 
the cause of the waters ; the third expresses things natural and 
non-natural, and the signs of the sick for the better consultation 
whether the baths will help them or not; and the fourth book 
declareth aphorisms and rules how the baths shall be used. Again 
in vol. ii., p. 305, Wood says when speaking of Bellot’s hospital, 
“it was built on the ground marked “k” in Jones’s view,” thus 
conveying two entirely erroneous impressions ; first, that the “k” 
on the map is Dr. Jones’s own letter, and also that Bellot’s hospital 


72 


must have been founded before 1572, the date given for the map, 
whereas Bellot’s hospital was not founded until 1609. Again, 
writing here in vol. ii. he has forgotten that in vol. i., p. 86, in the 
description there, whilst “i” marks the site of Counter’s tower, 
and “1” the site of St. Catherine’s hospital, the “k,” which should 
come between these letters and mark Bellot’s hospital, is omitted 
from the letterpress, although it appears on the engraved map. An 
excellent example this of how a thing may be conspicuous by its 
absence, as had the ““k” been in its place it must at once have 
attracted attention; Bellot’s hospital, as already noticed, not 
being in existence. This little fact seems to show that Wood knew 
what he was doing; that this omission was deliberately made. 
Comparing now this Jones’s map with two other early ones, 
Speed’s and Johnson’s, any little differences will be seen. 

Speed’s—entitled, ‘‘ The plott of the famous and most wholsom 
waters and citie of the Bathe,” was published in a corner of the 
map of Somerset as issued in his volume, entitled, ‘“‘ The kingdom 
of England described.” Some of his maps are dated 1605, some 
1608, some 1610, others are undated. Somerset is undated, 
but usually the year 1610 is assigned for it ; yet when the date is 
used it should be stated as being only approximate, or else the 
figures should be put in brackets to convey that correct impression. 
To print such date on the map and so imply no doubt, is to falsify 
it, and convey an impression which may be erroneous. 

Johnson’s was published in 1634 in his Therme Bathonicz,—an 
extremely rare little book which treats not only of the baths, but, 
De urbe et Thermis,—and is the first map published in book form, 

Wood inlettering his Joneshas shifted two or three letters slightly 
at the beginning, but it may be noted that the letter “x” marks 
the site of the Leper’s bath, and ‘‘y” the Hot bath, whilst in Speed 
these letters are reversed, “y” marking the Leper’s bath and “x” 
the Hot bath. Johnson follows Speed exactly except in these two 
letters, and just as Wood’s Jones differs here in these two letters 
from Speed, so does he differ, to correspond with Johnson. Further, 


73 


Speed shows the ferry outside the North gate complete, the uprights 
being seen on either shore, with the ferry on the river. Johnson 
shows only the uprights on the shore, without the ferry, and so 
does Wood’s Jones. Here again Johnson differs slightly from 
Speed, the difference exactly occurring in Wood’s Jones. Another 
peculiarity is that in the Timber green near Gascoigne’s tower ; 
the timber lying about as shown in Speed’s, has not been moved in 
Johnson, the seven logs shown in the one are still seven logs in 
the other, lying too in exactly the same positions. As Johnson 
is exactly like Speed, so again is Wood’s Jones exactly like 
Johnson. Speed, too, marks some trees such as by Monk’s mill, 
with two small houses; Johnson marks the houses, but not the 
trees. Here again, as Johnson differs from Speed, so does Wood’s 
Jones agree with Johnson. 

This so called Jones’s map has been misnamed and misdated ; 
it is simply Johnson’s of 1634. ‘There is not, and there never 
was a Jones’s map of Bath. 

Besides a personal knowledge of several copies of Jones’s 
book—a scarce work notwithstanding—the above argument is 
founded on or taken from Wood’s 2nd edition, this being 
the one usually quoted or referred to, the complete edition 
in four parts. The earlier edition or Part i, issued in 1742, 
it not often seen, and as being only a part would not be 
bought or sought by a general reader. For this reason it has 
been overlooked that the 2nd edition is the first in which the 
so called Jones’s map appears, for, on referring to the 1st edition 
of 1742, Parti, p. 83, the map there given, is given honestly as 
Johnson’s. The paragraph describing it actually begins :—‘‘In 
“the year 1634, Dr. Thos. Johnson wrote a description of Bath and 
“therein inserted a draught of the same, a copy of which I have 
“caused to be engraven.” The map is then given as in Johnson 
without any heading or name. It is the same map as given in the 
2nd edition, but there called Jones’s. The small letters on it 
mark the same spots, not only without any reference to Jones or 


74 


his pretended omissions, but actually with direct allusion to Dr. 
Johnson. The letter “‘k” noticed for its absence from the letter- 
press in the 2nd edition in the description of the so called Jones’s, 
duly and properly appears here in its place in the letterpress as 
well as on the map, and marking Bellot’s hospital ; fair evidence 
that it was purposely omitted in the 2nd edition. 

That the two maps are the same may be seen from the fact that 
both have two “ w’s”; one near the Guildhall having no reference, 
the other marking the Cross bath. The difference in them is that 
Wood has added small figures in the 2nd edition in extending his 
references, and also the line on the margin naming it Jones's, for 
which, as can be seen by the pressure indent, the plate just 
allowed sufficient space. 

Wood gives no reason for this alteration, attempts no explana- 
tion whatever. Thus he leaves the conclusion open that he 
was not misled, but that he supposed the change would not be 
noticed. Further, it must be clear, that he either never saw 
Jones’s book, or that if he did so, he has wilfully practised a fraud. 

Smith’s view now brought to notice, for it is rather a view, a 
“portrature,” than a map, is, clearly, independently made. The 
walls are shown more bastioned than in the other maps, and the 
timber green, although green, is without timber. Whether it were 
“measured and laid in platform” like Bristol and at the same 
time as Bristol, viz., 1568, cannot be stated. No exact date can be 
given for it. If not done in 1568, it may be taken as not done after 
1588. Asit is the earliest known thing of the kind, there seems 
no great reason why the Bristol date of 1568 should not be given 
to it, as no change took place in the form of the city during the 
twenty years named. If it cannot be accepted as quite exact, yet 
better than any other map since, it conveys a very exact idea 
hardly realized by us to-day, of what must have been the original 
appearance of this very ancient and pretty, but yet very little, city 
of The Bath. 


“a (te ee 


75 


On Recent discoveries made in Uncovering the Roman Baths at Bath. 
By the Rev. Preb. ScARTH, M.A. 


(Communicated 13th January, 1886.) 


In the proceedings of the Bath Field Club, Vol. iv., no. 4, p. 
357, will be found an account of the excavations made at the 
baths, by Major Davis, who gave some very interesting details to 
the Club. This was in 1881, and as further important discoveries 
have been made since that date, it is well that an account of them 
should find a place in the records of the Field Club. 

The Roman sewer had then been fully examined and utilized for 
conveying away the waste water from the thermal spring, and this 
led to the discovery of the Roman tank for receiving the hot springs, 
as described by Major Davis ; but since then the large Rectangular 
Bath has been exposed to view, together with the Ambulatory (or 
Scholz) which surrounds it, and the three recesses on the north 
and south sides of the Ambulatory. The whole seems to have 
formed a vast Hall for bathing,—111ft. 4in. long by 68ft. Gin. 
wide, and about 6ft. 8in. deep. The bottom of the bath, like 
that of the tank or reservoir which received the hot springs, is 
covered with sheet lead, and is 73ft. 2in. by 29ft. Gin. The 
sheets of lead covering it are about 10ft. by 5ft., and are 
supposed to have been laid rather to keep the hot water which 
rises through the earth from entering the bath, than to make the 
bath water-tight. Six steps lead down into the bath, but do not 
appear to have been covered with lead. At the bottom step in 
in the N.E. corner, was a bronze sluice, with an opening 13in. by 
12in., which may now be seen in the Pump Room; an overflow was 
provided also. 

The extreme surface of the water, according to Major Davis’s 
measurement, was 83ft. 8in. by 40ft. 2in., and formed a parallelo- 
gram, except that the N.W. angle was cut off by the steps being 
carried obliquely in three tiers for a length of 7ft. Some of the 


76 


stones of the bath are 10ft. long,—square sockets appear cut in 
some of the steps, as if to support a baluster to a handrail.* 

At present the offices of the Poor Law Board stand above rather 
more than one-third of this bath ; but it is hoped that before long 
this building may be purchased, and the offices removed elsewhere, 
so as to allow the whole area to be laid open. 

Six piers of wrought stone stand on each side of the bath, the 
width of the platform surrounding the bath is 14ft. This has 
been arched, as the remains of the roofing have been found in 
large fragments, composed of hollow tiles, wedge shaped. It is 
probable that the whole was orginally covered—the roof of the 
central bath being higher than that of the platform surrounding 
it. The present piers remain only to the height of 6 or 7ft., and 
appear to have been strengthened by additions. Fragments of 
the capitals of the pilastres have been found from which the 
arches took their spring, and some portious of a frieze, also the 
figure of a lion, which seems to have served as an antefix. 

Since the large bath above described was exposed to view, 
further discoveries have been made at the western end, near to 
the large tank or reservoir below the King’s Bath. These consist 
of a Hall, 55ft. long by 36ft. wide, in the centre of which is a 
circular bath with steps leading into it ; the depth is the same as 
the great bath. To the south of this are vaulted chambers, as 
may be seen in the plan given in the guide to the Roman Baths, 
drawn by Major Davis, to whom very much is due for the spirit 
and energy he has shewn in elucidating these remains. 

The steps which surround the circular bath and form seats, 
are quite perfect, and the bath is now filled with water. To 
the south of this a drain has been found by which the over- 
flow from the baths was carried off. This circular bath has been 
connected with the large Roman reservoir, which also supplied 


* See Paper by Major Davis in Trans. of Bristol and Gloucester 
Arch, Soe., vol. viii., pt. i, p. 89 and following. 


17 


the large Rectangular Bath. The short columns supporting the 
roof of the Ambulatory which surrounded this circular bath, are 
found perfect in one or two instances ; but the arched roof that 
‘must have rested on them has been removed. 

This circular bath occupies the western end of the large Rectan- 
gular Swimming Bath, as the Rectangular Bath, found in the last 
century, formed the eastern end. 

The workmanship of the circular bath does not seem so massive 
or well put together as that of the large bath. They may perhaps 
eventually be found to be of different dates, though both are 
undoubtedly Roman, and form portions of a grand arrangement 
for bathing. 

A circular bath is not common in Roman bathing establish- 
ments, but semi-circular baths are very common ; and circular 
chambers of very large proportions were attached to baths as 
Sudatories and halls. This may be seen at Rome in the Pantheon, 
which was a circular hall, with chambers attached, for the 
purposes of the Sudatorium, or Vapour Bath ; also the same may 
be seen at the baths of Dioclesian, where one or more have 
been turned to the purpose of a Circular Church. 

Contiguous to the Circular Bath, and beyond the Ambulatory 
surrounding it, a chamber has been opened, which seems to 
have been used for heating purposes. The remains of a 
Hypocaust have also been found. It is probable that this 
Circular Bath (as well as the Rectangular one) was supplied with 
cold water from a spring, not mineral, but which could be used 
for ordinary washing or other purposes. Much, however, remains 
yet to be discovered, and more must be laid open before the 
exact purposes and arrangement of these baths can be accurately 
ascertained. The lead coating of the Circular Bath, which 
probably also covered the steps or seats that surround it, had been 
removed in past times. 

Major Davis, in his paper recently read to the Bath Literary and 
Philosophical Society, supposes that the entire establishment of 


78 


the Roman Baths was contained in a parallelogram of 440ft., or 
460ft. from east to west, with a width of from 140ft. to 160ft. 
from north to south, and the total area would then be nearly 
6,500 sq. ft.; but this would not include the outer Courts or 
Gardens, and the whole probably covered two acres. 

It has also been stated that the area marked by the Medizval 
Walls—helieved to stand on the foundation of the ancient 
Roman—is too small for a Roman town, and comprehended the 
baths only ; but as their circuit is nearly a mile in extent, there 
was ample space not only for the forum, baths, and other edifices, 
but for a population of considerable extent, knowing how closely 
they were packed in ancient times. The area allowed for the 
baths seems to be a fair allowance of space, though considerably 
less than was assigned to their area in a paper read last year to 
the Literary and Philosophical Society, which supposed the area 
of the Roman Baths to have extended over the whole space of 
the enclosure within the walls, from E. to W. 

The Roman Baths only occupied the southern front of the 
forum which is now represented by the Abbey Church Yard; but 
the space occupied by the ancient forum is much encroached upon 
by modern buildings. If the medizeval walls followed the line of 
the Roman, they enclosed an area of 224 acres; and if the 
Roman Baths extended over 2} acres, their remain 20 acres for 
the forum, streets, temples and other buildings of the ancient 
town. 

We cannot but hope that the investigation of these baths 
will be continued, and that their remains may be carefully 
preserved, The coins and vessels hitherto found have been few, 
considering the extent of the area now laid open; but such 
discoveries are always uncertain, as the baths were probably 
in use for a limited time after the Roman domination had 
ceased, and were well ransacked for articles in later times, before 
they became permanent ruins. 

The inscribed Metal Plate, of much interest, found in the 


he 


79 


bath, is not yet admitted to be satisfactorily explained. If 
access to this plate could be allowed to certain competent 
scholars, something more might be known as to the correctness 
of the reading. 


Upon some Sculpture recently discovered at the Cross Bath. By Ruv. 
H. H. WInwoop. 


(Read January 13th, 1886.) 


In the Bath Herald, of September 12th, 1885, was a letter upon 
“ Preshr discoveries at the Baths,” describing the recent “ find” of 
a stone with carving on three sides. “At a depth (the writer says) 
“ of very nearly 20ft. in the excavations at the Cross Bath, was dug 
“up on Tuesday, 8th inst., a stone, 30in. high by about 17in. wide 
“and 10in. in thickness,with carving on three sides. The carving on 
“the first side is little more than incisive work, the second side is 
“sculptured in high relief, the third side is fractured—showing it was 
“ attached to other masonry, and the back is a carving in low relief, 
«‘ having no connection as to scale with the principal work. The 
“incisive carving (No. 1)is a tree with spreading roots and branches, 
“the trunk being entwined by aserpent. Two figures occupy the 
“front of the stone ; they are headless and almost armless. The 


_ “figure of a man partially covered below the waist by some drapery 


“is on the right reclining on a bank beneath atree. The figure on 
“the left is that of a woman (nude), and is erect reaching something 
“from the tree, but the other arm has perished. Between the 
« fioures is a vase or wallet. On the back of the stone is a large 
“ dog (?) somewhat like the Danish boar hound, except that it has 
“a tail like a collie turned up over its back (some architectural 
“foliage and that may be another tail), the Sculpture (and now 
“ comes the startling theory), I believe to represent the temptation 
“and fallof Adam. It is possible that it may be Hercules and the 
« Hesperides ; but the male figure is by no means Herculean, The 


80 


“discovery is the first found in Bath that may be said to be of 
“Christian or rather Biblical character, and certainly the only 
“important one of similar character found in Britain.” So far for 
the letter with its ingenious conclusion. This brought forth one 
or two other letters from another antiquary, written from a 
distance, in which an equally hasty suggestion was made that the 
stone described was probably the portion (lower shaft) of a Saxon 
cross of which two other portions were in the Museum of the 
Institution. 

Having inspected the carved stone myself several times and 
looked at the pieces of Sculpture in the Museum, I could not 
possibly reconcile either of the above statements with the actual 
facts of the case. Not deeming myself sufficiently competent to 
controvert the views set forth by two such authorities, a lucky 
chance presented itself, or rather a Deus ex Machina appeared in 
the person of Professor Sayce, who accompanied me to the Roman 
Bath where this interesting stone is fast being injured (if not 
destroyed) by exposure to the action of the weather, stated his 
impressions as to the Sculpture at the time and has since written 
to me on the subject.* 

The following communication clears up the whole matter and 
brings conviction to every reasonable mind :— 

“‘Thave not had time before to write down for you my notions 
about the curious altar-like stone found last summer in the Cross 
Bath, which we examined together a few weeks ago. I believe it 
must have come from a chapel dedicated to Aisculapius, a deity very 
likely to be worshipped in the neighbourhood of the hot springs. 
The serpent entwined around a staff, which is engraved on one of 
the faces of the stone, is his well-known symbol. The dog repre- 
sented on another face was also associated with Aisculapius. 


* It is but fair to add that on January 8th a note from the writer 
of the first letter states that “he has altogether changed his views as 
to this Sculpture.” : 


81 


According to Festus, dogs were employed in the temples of that 
god because he had been “suckled” by one of them, and the 
monuments of Epidauros, and of the Asklépion at Athens, as well 
as the coins of the Magnetes show us the dog in combination 
with the serpent. Inscriptions recently discovered at Epidauros 
prove that dogs acted there as the ministers of Asklépios. 
The piece of Sculpture on the third face of the stone seems to 
me to represent Apollo and Kéronis the mother of Asklépios. It 
may be compared with a bas-relief, once built into the walls of 
Bath, and figured by Guidott who makes out that it depicts a 
shepherd and his mistress! On the newly found stone the male 
figure seems evidently intended to represent Apollo. Can any 
traces of a crow be detected among the branches of the tree above 
the head of the reclining female figure ?” 

The Rev. Preb. Scarth, having examined the Sculpture and 
formed an independent opinion thereon before hearing Professor 
Sayce’s interpretation, read the following notes at the Anniversary 
dinner of the Club February 18th. 

“The statement of Solinus respecting the “Calidi Fontes” in 
Britain, “Opiparo exculti apparatu,” has received singular con- 
firmation, after an interval of 1,500 years, by the discovery of an 
interesting Sculpture in the form of an Altar, but not quite so 
massive as Roman Altars of the same dimensions usually are. 

“This stone has two Sculptures on opposite sides, front and back, 
and one on the side,—the other side seems to have been fixed 
into masonry. 

“The Sculptures are much defaced, but shew signs of early, 
Roman art, being executed with much spirit. The stone has a 
plinth which projects, and the subjects are on panels, the figures 
being in relief. 

“The whole surface of the front face is occupied by two Se 
the one standing and the other reclining. 

“The standing figure is that of a man extending the right arm, 


and. holding what on minute examination is found to be a lamb, 
% F 


82 


above the head of the reclining figure. The reclining figure 
rests on one elbow (the left) and extends the right arm, while the 
head is turned away, as if to reject the offering. This is a 
female figure ; the lower portion of the body is draped, one leg 
being extended the other bent, 

“Tn the space between these figures is a large bowl, on one side 
of which appears to be a serpent. 

“On the side of the stone, reaching from the base to the upper 
portion, is a tree, around which is coiled a serpent, with the head 
downward. 

“On the opposite side of the stone, in the upper portion, is a 
wide panel, extending over half the surface. On this is a dog 
with a bushy tail, in the act of walking; at the back of the dog 
is a tree. 

“Below this Sculpture in relief, the surface is quite plain, 
apparently without any lettering, though, unfortunately, like the 
rest of the stone, much injured. The top portion of the stone 
projects considerably over the panel. 

“In a letter to the Bath Herald (September 12th, 1885) this 
Sculpture was considered to be a representation of the fall of our 
first parents! but a careful study of the stone at once shews it to 
be connected with the Heathen Mythology. 

“This was discovered at once by Professor Sayce, es on 
examining it, made the suggestion to the Secretary of the Field 
Club, in a letter addressed to him, that it was a representation of 
Apollo and the nymph Kéronis. Before seeing his communication, 
or knowing the explanation he had given, I had on two 
examinations of the stone come to the conclusion that it must be 
Aésculapius (the Greek Asklepios) offering a lamb to the goddess 
Hegiéa. The serpent feeding out of the crater, or large cup, and 
the serpent entwined round the tree, are emblems of Aisculapius, 
and the dog also is connected with the worship of that god. 
Hegiéa was worshipped in the Temple of Adsculapius at Argos, 
where these two divinities had a sanctuary ; also at Athens and 


a 


83 


at Corinth ; also the Goddess Hegiéa is usually represented as 
feeding a serpent froma bowl or cup. The bowl, or large cup, 
upon the Sculpture may also indicate the healing waters of the 
Bath Thermal Spring. 

The dog also is not only a symbol of Aisculapius, the god of 
healing, but represents also the Dog Star, (xuwv) adopted by the 
Romans from the Greeks, and indicating the passage of the sun 
into the constellation Leo. The season known as the ‘Dies 
Caniculares.” The dog may therefore here be an emblem of the 
heat of the thermal springs. 

It is not unworthy of remark how the “serpent” enters con- 

tinually into the ancient Sculptures found in Bath. The drawings 
of the Sculptures given by Guidott in his work, formerly to be 
seen in the city walls, contain two representations of figures, one 
of which, apparently a female, carries two serpents ; this figure is 
nude, the other, apparently a male figure, is clothed and carries 
one serpent. Two heads are represented as covered with hair 
formed of serpents, and serpents are sculptured in the hair and 
beard of the head of Medusa, which formed the centre of the 
pediment of the temple,—the remains of which are now in the 
portico of the Literary and Scientific Institution. All these seem 
to be emblematic of the healing properties of the thermal springs, 
which have been for so many hundred years celebrated, and 
granted, as Solinus expresses it, ‘ad usus mortalium.” 
The chief Altars found in Bath are dedicated to the goddess Sul, 
or Sul-Minerva. The British goddess being associated with the 
Roman. But the Roman Minerva was the same as the Greek 
Athena, and Athena was the goddess of health as well as of the 
arts and sciences. According to Proclus, a late Roman writer, 
H A@HNA NIKH gpocayopeverar cat YIIEIA. Athena or 
Minerva is called victory and health, and this leads me to the 
conclusion that the Sculpture represents Alsculapius making an 
offer to Hegiea, the goddess of health, and that she is the 
presiding goddess of the thermal springs. 


84 


These remarks are only offered until some more satisfactory 
explanation can be found for the meaning of a Sculpture which 
appears to me to be of no common interest, and which should be 
carefully preserved among the other interesting lapidary records 
of Roman Bath. 


Notes on the occurrence of Salt Springs in the Coal Measures at 
Radstock. By J. McMurtrig, F.G.S. 


(Read 10th February, 1886 ). 


While engaged during the past year in carrying out a deep 
sinking in the Coal Measures at Radstock, the writer encountered 
certain Salt Springs not previously met with in the parish, and 
believing it to be a comparatively rare occurrence in the Carboni- 
ferous series, he has thought it of sufficient importance to bring it 
under the notice of the Bath Field Club. Had these springs been 
met with in working coal near or under the sea, as in the 
Whitchaven, Newcastle and other coal fields, their presence would 
not have occasioned any surprise ; but their occurrence in an 
inland coal field, twenty-one miles from the nearest sea board, is 
very remarkable, and it has given rise to much speculative inquiry 
as to their probable source. 

In order to explain the position in which these Springs were 
met with, it is necessary to point out the geological features of 
the locality in which they occur, which are probably familiar to 
some who have turned their attention to the subject, but may not 
be so to others. 

Although Radstock is known chiefly in connection with coal, 
a geological stranger visiting the place would be surprised to 
find that, after examining every hill and valley within the parish 
he had entirely failed to discover any trace of Coal Measures, except- 
ing those unsightly shale tips which now disfigure what was once a 
picturesque rural parish. The explanation of all this is that the 


———— 


85 


Carboniferous rocks, having undergone many changes and much 
denudation, were in later but still very remote geological times 
overlaid by newer formations which now cover the entire surface 
of the parish, capping the higher ground with Inferior Oolite and 
Lias, while the lower slopes and the bottoms of the valleys are 
occupied by the Rheetic beds and Keuper Marls. 

The Middle Pit, in which the sinking operations referred to 
have been carried on, is situated about 100 yards on the North 
side of the Radstock Market Place, and is easily recognised by 
its tall, circular stone chimney, which visitors may have noticed 
on their right in driving into Radstock from Bath. The shaft, 
being situated in the bottom of the valley, did not meet with the 
Lias and Rheetic beds, but passed at once into the Keuper 
Marls, which are here 89 feet in thickness, and rest on a bed 
of Conglomerate immediately overlying the Coal Measures. These 
Marls, fed by the rain and streams from above, and resting 
on a water-tight bed beneath, yield a large quantity of water ; 
but it is ordinary spring water, without any special mineral 
ingredient. 

It is hardly necessary to state that it is these same Marls 
which, in the Midland Counties, yield almost all the Rock Salt and 
Brine Springs which we possess in England. Although only about 
17G feet in thickness in the Radstock area, the New Red Sandstone 
of Cheshire attains a thickness of 1,700 feet; and it is the 
upper 700 feet of this formation which contains the Salt Mines 
and Brine Springs which, in Worcestershire and Cheshire, yield 
annually from 160,000 to 170,000 tons of prepared Salt. But 
although geologically identical, no trace of either Rock Salt or 
Salt Springs has ever, so far as the writer is aware, been met with 
in the Keuper Marls of Radstock. 

Immediately under the New Red Sandstone, but not at all 
conformable with it, lies the upper or Radstock group of the 
Somersetshire Coal Measures, to win which the Middle Pit was 
originally sunk, and which has here been worked successfully for 


86 


many years. The strata comprised in this series yield very little 
water, the Conglomerate at the base of the New Red Sandstone 
serving as a nearly water-tight covering, through which only a 
very moderate quantity of water ever passes. The only feeder 
worth naming occurs in a thick bed of Sandstone overlying the 
Middle Vein ; but the water produced here and elsewhere in the 
series is entirely free from Salt, of which the writer has never 
discovered any trace. 

The Middle Pit was originally sunk to the lowest seam of the 
Radstock group, which was here met with at a depth of 875 feet, 
and beneath which there lay an unknown country. The sinking 
operations carried on under the direction of the writer began at 
that point on the 8th of May, 1884, and having been carried down 
through the second or Farrington group of the Somersetshire Coal 
Measures, reached a depth of 1791 feet from the surface on the 
25th of January last; the ground below this point having since 
been proved by a boring to a total depth of 1846 feet. It is not 
the object of the present paper to describe the geological features 
met with in this exploration, nor to record in any detail the strata 
passed through ; but it may be noted that the thickness of barren 
ground, intervening between the lowest vein of the Radstock 
series and the first workable vein of the Farrington group, was 
here found to be 628 feet, and that it contained the well known 
beds of Red Shale which invariably lie between the two groups. 

It may also be stated in passing, that the result of this sinking 
has entirely falsified the expectations of some who had turned their 
attention to the subject. It had long been held in certain quarters 
that wherever the Farrington veins have been worked beneath 
the Radstock series, the former have been thin and inferior ; and 
that the Farrington veins are only valuable in the margin outside 
the outcrop of the Radstock group. The writer could never see 
any good ground for this contention, believing that the range and 
thickness of the seams composing the Farrington group could 
not be affected by strata by which they were not overlaid for 


nan nna =i == -=-=-------=--=-- RADSTOCK SERIES, ------—---~-----> 


€ ---=-—----------------' FARRINGTON SERIES. 


SECTION OF MIDDLE PIT, 
RADSTOCK. 


ScALe 280FT TO AN INCH. 


Pre [ee] | 


|New Repo SANDSTONE 


=| CONGLOMERATE 


=| GREAT VEIN 


Top LitTLe VEIN 


Mippte VEIN 


_|Styvinc VEIN 


Bottom LitTLe VEIN 
Butt VEIN 


DHjOverae Faurt 


Styvinc VEIN, 
Bottom LitTLe VEIN 


But Vein 


Nine IncH VEIN 


Rep SHALES 177 0 ;|}0 


ee SALT SPRING 225 |.3 | 0 
a. 2ND SALT SPRING 230 | 5 | 0 
\ 
| 
| 
“H3ro SALT SPRING 282 1 i) 
| 
Bottom oF Pit 298 Std. 


iS Bottom oF Bore Hote || 307 4} 10 | 


87 


long ages afterwards. He considered the contention in question 
especially valueless, because in all probability the entire area now 
occupied by the Farrington group was originally covered by the 
Radstock series ; and the fact of one part having been denuded 
while another area had escaped denudation, could not in his 
judgment affect the thickness of the seams lying beneath. 

And without expressing any sanguine opinion as to the com- 
mercial value of the undertaking, which a little time will probably 
establish, the writer can only say that the result of this sinking, 
carried out in the very centre of the Radstock basin, has entirely 
disproved the evil predictions referred to; the thickness of coal 
proved being fully equal to what has been met with in other parts 
of the district. 

To return however to the subject of the paper, the strata 
immediately under the Radstock series yielded little or no water, 
and what little there was appeared to be quite fresh. The Red 
Shales already referred to were cut at a depth of 190 feet below 
the 9 inch vein, and were found to be 170 feet in thickness, 
presenting no feature of special importance. The first indica- 
tion of Salt water was in a bed of Sandstone met with at a 
total depth of 1353 feet, and it yielded 90 gallons an hour. Ata 
depth however of 1385 feet from the surface, and in a bed of Grey 
Sandstone, 21 feet in thickness, a much more considerable spring 
of water was met with which was found to be highly impregnated 
with Salt. In approaching this bed the miners were first warned 
of the presence of these Springs, by the water issuing with consider- 
able force from the bore holes made for blasting purposes, in 
some instances spouting up to a height of several feet, and 
evidently indicating considerable pressure. On reaching the rock 
from which the water came, it was found to be full of joints and 
fissures from which the water issued on all sides in considerable 
quantity, amounting at first to 1,000 gallons per hour; but 
gradually decreasing until it did not much exceed 400, Although 
the water was excessively salt, as members will find who taste the 


88 


sample produced, an examination of the rock from which it issued 
shewed that it contained no trace whatever of Rock Salt. 

An attempt was made to stop back the water, which was found 
both expensive and troublesome in sinking, and for that purpose 
the shaft was lined for 30 feet with iron casting, technically 
called ‘“tubbing,” the operation being attended with some 
degree of success. In thus damming back the water, it was 
necessary to carry a small vent pipe from the casting, as high 
up the shaft as the water would rise, in order to carry off any 
pent-up gasses; and it was found that the water rose up the 
pipe to a height of 102 feet. The pressure under this head of 
water was so considerable, that the water forced its way 
through joints and fissures in the strata, and did not rise any 
higher ; but it is probable that the natural level of the water 
may have been much higher than was indicated by the height 
of the water in this pipe. 

Through the kindness of Mr. Coomber, principal of the 
Merchant Venturers’ School in Bristol, whose valuable assistance 
the writer is glad to have this opportunity of acknowledging, he 
is enabled to supply the following analysis of the water. Writing 
on the 5th February, Mr. Coomber states as follows :— 

‘“‘T have made a qualitative analysis of your sample. 

“There is almost as much matter dissolved in the sample as in 
sea water. 

“Next to the Chloride of Sodium present (Sea Salt), Lime 
Salts occur in greatest quantity. There is a considerable 
quantity of Carbonate of Lime held in solution by Carbonic 
Acid. 

‘Potassium Salts also occur in quantity, Alkaline Carhonate 
is present, and perhaps both Potash and Soda are present in 
this form. 

“There are also present in small quantity Iron, Alumina, 
Magnesia, Lithia, Sulphuric Acid and a trace of Phosphoric 
Acid.” 


89 


And Mr. Coomber has supplemented this by the following 
more exact analysis received to-day :— 

“T regret to say that I have been unable to get an exhaustive 
quantitative analysis of your sample of water completed in time 
for your paper upon it, but its qualitative examination is complete, 
and almost all the weighings made that have any teaching 
regarding the sample. 

‘The principal constituent of the water is Chloride of Sodium. 
Other constituents present in quantity are Lime, occurring both 
as Calcium Chloride and as Carbonate of Lime held in solution by 
Carbonic Acid. 

“Potassium Chloride is also present in appreciable quantity as 
well as Silica. 

“Lithium and Iron occur in very small quantity, and there are 
also present exceedingly small traces of Magnesium and of 
Sulphates and Phosphates. 

_ “Jodides, Bromides, and Nitrates are entirely absent. 
. “The specific gravity of the sample is 1:02899. 

“The total weight of the solids dissolved (dried at 180c°), is 
1292-34 grains per gallon. 

“The weighings that have been made are the following :— 


«“ Calcium Chloride ait ... 149-27 grains per gal. 
“Carbonate of Lime... me 11:99 i 


amount of Potassium, Chloride 
and Silica 


” 


“Sodium Chloride, with a small 
broore 


1252-75 re 


_ The writer does not possess sufficient chemical knowledge to 
discuss as fully as he could wish the chemical aspect of the 
question; and the analysis having only come to hand this 
morning, there has not been sufficient time to give it adequate 
consideration; but the following remarks may serve to direct 
attention to one or two points in the analysis. 


90 


The specific gravity may be compared as follows :— 


Pure Water being ... ae Me 1-000. 
Sea Water is ae aud is 1:027. 
Bath Mineral Water is... ... 10025. 
And Radstock Salt Springs -- 102899: 


Then as to Solids,—the Bath Mineral Waters contain only 
144:018 grains, according to Merck and Galloway, while other 
writers give even less; but the Radstock Salt Springs yield, 
according to Mr. Coomber’s analysis, 1292°34 grains per gallon. 

It may be further noted that nearly all the ingredients in the 
Bath Mineral Waters are present in these springs, although in 
very different proportions. 

Soon after this Spring was tapped, it was found, much to the 
annoyance of the Engineer in chage, that certain boilers which 
were partly fed by the water from tl.is mine had become encrusted 
with Salt. A specimen of this encrustation is now produced, 
and the quantity of Salt it contains is very remarkable— 
considering that the water before reaching the boilers was 
diluted with about twenty times its volume of fresh water from 
other sources. 

As the sinking proceeded, another Salt Spring was met with 
about 302 feet below the one I have already described, and at a 
total depth of 1,693 feet from the surface. In this instance also 
the Spring indicated very great pressure from beneath, for not 
only did the water rise some height out of the bore holes, but 
the beds of shale in the bottom of the shaft were heaved up bodily 
through its agency. No separate analysis of this Spring has been 
obtained ; but it was apparently similar in character to the one 
previously met with. Its yield was found to be 100 gallons per 
hour ; but a corresponding decrease seems to have taken place in 
the upper Spring, with which it may possibly be connected, as 
the total quantity continued as before at about 400 gallons per 
hour, and it has so remained down to the present time. 

Although new in Radstock, the occurrence of Salt Springs 


91 


seems to have been discovered in several previous sinkings to the 
same series in other parts of the district. 

The writer has not been able to obtain particulars of some of 
the earlier shafts, which were sunk many years ago; but he is 
indebted to the Managers of various neighbouring Collieries 
for the following information on the subject. 

At Braysdown Oolliery, where, about the year 1862, the shaft 
was sunk from the Radstock to the Farrington series, the 
Manager reports as follows :— 

“The water found in the sinking to the Farrington series was 
a little Salt before we came to the Red Shales; after passing 
through these it was and is at the present time intensely Salt ; 
it was very much like brine, from the Red Shales down to 
where we left off sinking. 

“The water is most destructive to iron and steel, destroying 
their properties by eating them away, exposing the grain of iron 
as if it was wood, and making it very hard and uncertain. It covers 
wood with a coat almost like sheet iron, and preserves it from 
decay. At the sides of the roads where it runs, it leaves a 
thick sediment very much the colour of blood, but perhaps a 
little darker. This I believe to be largely composed of iron, 
and it is very heavy indeed. 

“These Springs of water do not increase with us in any case, 
and if they decrease it is very little indeed, having remained 
much the same for the last twenty-four years.” 

At Foxcote Colliery, where the same ground was afterwards 
proved, a similar result was experienced. The then Manager 
informs me that “at a depth of 531 feet from the surface, and 
in avery hard bed of Grey Sandstone, 33 feet in thickness, he 
met with a Spring which yielded 700 gallons per hour. Also 
that 87ft. 9in. below this bed he had another Spring, which 
yielded 96 gallons per hour; and again, at a point 391 feet 
lower down, he cut a third Spring, yielding 80 gallons per hour, 
which so increased in going downwards that the sinking had to 


92 


be abandoned at a total depth of 1,212 feet from the surface. 
The water from all these Springs was extremely Salt. The 
Manager tested it on several occasions by boiling a gallon of it, 
and when the water was boiled away, he had a common tea cup 
full of Salt left on each occasion.” 

At the Old Mills Colliery, on the other hand, where two 
shafts have been sunk through exactly the same ground, although 
a good deal of water was met with, it was uniformly fresh ; 
and it remains so to this day. In this instance, however, 
the circumstances are somewhat different, the Secondary beds 
overlying the Coal Measures being very thin, and the shaft 
having passed direct from the New Red Sandstone into the 
Farrington Measures, without any of the Radstock series 
occurring between. 

It may be instructive to compare the depths at which these 
Brine Springs have been met with in the different localities to 
which I have referred, taking the sea level as the datum for 
comparison. 


Middle Pit. Foxcote. | Braysdown.| Old Mills. 


Depth in | Depth in | Depth in | Depth in 
Feet Below| Feet Below] Feet Below | Feet Below 
Sea Level. | Sea Level. | Sea Level. | Sea Level. 


To I. Spring. 1,110 176 708 242 Feet 
eA hee we 1,142 264 to (water 
pea Clear 1,450 655 1,241 fresh), 


As to the probable source.—The frequent occurrence of these 
Salt Springs in the Deeper Measures in and around Radstock, 
has naturally given rise to some speculation as to their probable 
source ; and whatever their origin may be, it seems tolerably 


93 


certain that they cannot derive their supply from the Keuper 
Marls above. In the memoirs of the Geological Survey mention 
is made of crystals of Rock Salt occurring in these Marls at 
Hallatrow, and at one or two other places, which, apart from 
other evidence, may be taken to indicate their identity with the 
same formation in Worcestershire and Cheshire, where it is so 
rich in Salt; but having examined the New Red Sandstone at 
many points in and around Radstock, the writer has never found 
~ even an isolated crystal of Rock Salt ; and it may be stated with 
tolerable certainty that nothing in the nature of Salt Springs 
exists in the Keuper Marls of this neighbourhood. 

In proof of this it may be stated, that all the wells in the 
lower parts of Radstock and adjoining parishes have been sunk 
in these Marls, the water obtained being perfectly suitable for 
domestic purposes; and, as already stated, the shaft sinkings 
through the same ground shew a like result. 

It also seems clear that the source of supply cannot be in the 
upper or Radstock Coal Measures, which have been worked 
extensively for many years, without any trace of Salt Springs 
being met with. 

It also seems evident that these Springs cannot have their origin 
in the beds of Sandstone from which they flow, for the writer 
having observed them very closely has never found the slightest 
trace of Salt in those rocks, 

It also seems unlikely that these Springs can come from the 
Pennant rocks which lie at no great distance beneath, for it is well 
known that they contain no Rock Salt; and although they are 
commonly very heavily watered, they generally derive their supply 
from the rainfall near the outcrop; the water being so pure that 
the Bristol Water Company at one time proposed to acquire a 
celebrated Spring in an Iron Mine in the Pennant, at Frampton 
Cottrell, in order to augment the supply of Bristol. 

The more the facts are considered, the more difficult it seems 
to be to account for these Springs; the origin of which must 


94 


probably remain a matter of conjecture. Notwithstanding the 
distance from the nearest coast line, and the fact that the outcrop 
of the Farrington series is far inland, it is possible that the source 
may be the waters of the Bristol Channel, which may find their 
way along the lines of faults or other underground fissures to 
this inland district. The great difference of level, however, 
between these Springs at diffeaent Collieries hardly seems to 
favour this theory. But is it not also possible that we have in 
these Salt Springs, long hermetically sealed, a remnant of that 
ancient sea which swept away the upturned edges of the Coal 
Measures, before the New Red Standstone began to be deposited. 

In conclusion, the writer would only allude to one or two 
circumstances connected with these Springs, which may or may 
not have some bearing on their origin. Sir Charles Lyell, in his 
Elements of Geology, page 362, remarks that “As in various 
parts of the world red and mottled Clays and Sandstones, of 
several distinct geological epochs, are found associated with Salt, 
Gypsum, and Magnesian Limestone, or with one or all of these 
substances, there is in all likelihood a general cause for such 
coincidence. Nevertheless, we must not forget that there are dense 
masses of Red and Variegated Sandstones and Clays, thousands 
of feet in thickness, and of vast horizontal extent, wholly devoid 
of Saliferous or Gypseous matter. There are also deposits of 
Gypsum and of common Salt, as in the Blue Clay formation of 
Sicily, without any accompanying Red Sandstone or Red Clay.” 

Now it is a strange coincidence that the beds of Grey Sand- 
stone in which these Radstock Springs rise, occur near, and, for 
the most part, immediately under the Red and Mottled Shales 
which intervene between the Radstock and Farrington series; 
but this may be a coincidence only, and it may be questioned 
whether either of the theories indicated offers any adequate 
solution of the origin of these Springs, which will probably 
remain a matter of doubt and uncertainty. 


95 


By Rev. H. H. 


List of Fossil Mammalia Found near Bath. 


Wixwoop, F.G.S. 


Read 10th February, 1886. 


from 


alns 


d other rem 


ia an 
the drift deposits in the Bath basin,” was read before our Club 


the Paper, on “the Mammali 


Since 


by the late Charles Moore in 1869, some fresh sections have been 


1 additions made to the list 


I have, therefore, thought it might be 


,» and severa 


opened in the gravel beds 
of extinct animals. 


tabulated 


iscoveries in a 


useful to record the result of those d 
form for the sake of easy reference. 


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‘uinasny, Weg 

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ywweq sow 
*[[098,"M"H’H 
‘TUnesny, We 


‘munesny WIV 


“we YS OW 

‘TI8H UAL, 
"001909 

100 8M ‘HH 


‘mnesny Weg 


*201499[[09 
8’ “H “H 
‘unesny Weg 
‘wnesny Weg 


*U01402T 
709 8M “H 
"HE ‘wanesnyy 
yaeq 10g 


TUnesny, WIV 


“CHLIsodaa 
quagHM 


*J9911G 9789489 
‘1e[[90 OJ sumo1yBAvd 


“x9 "ployysory *|[eyyre'yT 


‘uussnd ga ‘xog “ITH 
SIPPIAT ‘ornssy 9191[0O 
*ployysoay spoq joavry 

"xog ‘TH 

SIPPIIA “Seanssy 9141/00 
*paoyyseig speq [eavsy 

_ S68 “WBysy OI 

Ieou ‘UOAW JOATI ou 
SUIYsy Ul pe]suvjue peo 


*paxoyqse. iy 
*prlojyysor iy ‘spoq [aav14y 


‘od pig 

“Wey “TeyywyT “3014 
-qnd ploygeroyy ‘pxrozyysor iy 
“TG Ae T 

‘espliquie’y ‘yIeq 

qyeg "a0j10m 7,42 M [1837 

qyosioq pues yasiau0g 

*SU14jNO pleyaroyy "pros 

“JIBS “90'T “JG WOFMON 

‘Adojomen §=sqmMooplAy 

2 oquiooud'T *pxrozyso. iy 
‘TeGALeT spoq [aavsy 


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pur q}90} Le;OpT 


som0g 29 prox 


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—spvoy oM, 


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IB[Oul'e.1g9}19 A. 


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pue viqry‘sysny, 


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"snvndoungy Uosig 


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*199pUlIY 

‘SNPUDADZ Snarsag 
‘deeyqg ysuyl 

‘snqnyosopy snquaoQ 
*so1200U 


1qy pousoy omy 
‘poarey Buoy ‘snu. 
-1.40Y 91] SOLBIOULY QT | 


snnbyup snydayq 


YROWUMD TT 10 snr 


UAB Uletd sNY MAT 


aNV SONaS 


eo 


96 


Summary of Proceedings for the Year 1885-86. 
Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN, 


In reviewing the events of the past year, the first fact to 
record is the absence again from the Anniversary programme of 
the evening’s social gathering. The Committee appointed to 
carry this out were unable to do so by difficulties which they 
found to be insurmountable ; with the exception of this incident, 
a subject of regret to many, the Proceedings of the year may be 
considered fairly successful. The Papers read at the afternoon 
meetings sustained their usual character, and the attendance was 
more encouraging ; though there is still room for improvement in 
this respect, as barely one-fourth of the whole number of 
members were present. Natural History has been well repre- 
sented, and it can not be deemed invidious to others if especial 
allusion be made to the admirable paper on the ‘‘ Bournemouth 
Firs” by our venerable President. The vigour of his mind and 
the lucidity of his pen seem not in the least abated ; and may he 
be long spared to us to enrich our ‘‘ Proceedings ” with the results 
of his keen observation, accuracy of statement and eloquent 
simplicity of language ! 


AFTERNOON MEETINGS. 


The afternoon of March 18th was given up to Mr. Broome who 
continued his account of the Fungi of Bath and its neighbourhood, 
and contributed another of those valuable papers on Mycology, the 
study of which has been his life-long pursuit, and has acquired 
for him well earned reputation (vide page 1). This was followed 
by a short description of an abnormal flower of Penstemon sent 
to him for examination by a member of the Club (vide page 35). 
Canon Ellacombe’s remarks on “ Study of Varieties with reference 
to Field Club work” was postponed till the Quarterly Meeting on 
7th April, when 

Excusing himself for having but little to lay before them, and that 


97 


little not being new, he said, that clubs like the one he was addressing 
ought to be a clubof observers, and as their president had oftenimpressed 
upon them the duty of observing, he would venture to bring before 
them some examples of matters which required their observation. 
They need not go out of their way to do this, but everything they 
met with in their regular walks or excursions that was a deflection 
from a given type, anything abormal or eccentric ought to be at once 
catalogued ; by so doing local clubs would do much good. There were 
three or four objects he would specially call their attention to as worthy 
of this observation. First, Architecture ; It had long been laid down 
that an accurate date could be fixed for Norman, Early English, 
Decorated, and the Perpendicular styles ; but the conclusion he had at 
length arrived at was that though these dates were most valuable, yet 
they must be received with great modification. It was often thought 
that architects worked by a certain fixed law in Medieval times and 
never departed from this law and standard, but he thought architects 
then were much like architects now, and they went in for imitations of 
a past period. Then as now in their church restorations they were as 
reckless as the destroyers of our own day ; in fact, they had not any 
hard and fast rule. Though it was difficult to prove the cases in 
which architects previous to date had anticipated the style peculiar to 
that date, yet in some instances it could easily be traced, eg., Norman 
architects by the intersection of two round arches built pointed arches 
as much as those of a subsequent period. To come to latter instances ; 
why in Decorated architecture should there never he a vertical line as 
some suppose? Look at Gloucester Cathedral, there Perpendicular 
work was found at least 100 years before the accepted date of that 
style. Fan tracery, so distinguishing an English feature, was con- 
sidered not to have come in till temp. Henry VII., exceptin Gloucester 
Cathedral, where we find it in work of the 14th century (1360). Then 
again we have architects directly imitating work of an earlier period ; 
take for instance the so-called Norman work at Bradenstoke Priory, 
and the Norman work introduced into the Perpendicular wall at 
Kilmersdon. To come nearer home take the case of Bitton (his own 
church), originally an Ante-Norman building, where the Bishop 
Buttons of the 14th century literally smashed up the old Norman work, 
the 15th century architects destroyed the old chancel and west front, and 


G 


98 


those of a later period put a Norman corbel table into a Perpendicular 
wall. The churches at Dauntsey and Iron Acton contain likewise 
copies of older work, and this is very conspicuous in the buildings of 
Oxford. Hence the conclusion he wished to impress upon the members 
was that the date of a building could not be always determined by the 
style of its architecture. He ventured to think that the interest in the 
Somerset and Devonshire churches was much lessened by this fact of 
many of them being simply an imitation and reproduction of each 
other. Then there was another point worthy of observation, the stone 
which was found in the old buildings ; beneath the variety in the 
stone often lurked a great history, e.g., in one church granite was found 
mixed up with the stones peculiar to the neighbourhood. This led to 
the discovery that the original founder had property in Cornwall, 
whence, doubtless, this foreign material was derived, The mention of 
this led him on to the second subject, z.e. (2) Geology. Here every 
variety in the strata should be noted. Were the strata always 
uniform, one bed following another in regular succession, how little 
should we know about the study ; but the variation in their succession 
caused by the disturbances and topsy-turvy movements of some of the 
beds added go very much to the interest of the study ; the greater the 
variations the greater the interest, eg., the disturbances in our 
own Mendips, as at Vobster. Though not professing to be a 
geologist himself, yet when in the north of Ireland, between Port Rush 
and the Giant’s Causeway, he could not fail to be struck with the 
varieties in the colour of the rocks—white rocks stained by red 
streaks and capped by black. Then there were the varied movements 
of a river ; take, for instance, the Avon, which ought naturally to flow 
in a straight line, but witness itsmany windings, study the causes of 
these windings, follow the turns ; consider why the water retires here 
and encroaches there, and you will have a good key to the geology of 
the district between Bath and Bristol. Then again the gorge of the 
Avon, which drained off the ancient lake which must have existed 
there once; viewed from the Hogsback it looked a mere crack in 
the rocks, yet consider how this came about, and the vast alteration 
in the surrounding country were this gorge to be dammed up, as 
it might easily be by some Brunell of the period. Finally, the third 
subject he wished to notice was his favourite one (3) Botany. Of this 


99 


he certainly knew more than Geology. How full was the study of all 
sorts of deviations from the accepted forms of classification, both in the 
flowers, the leaves, and the roots, called “vegetable monstrosities,” 
until Darwin taught us that all these variations were but the gradual 
workings of nature pointing back to old forms once existent, or forward 
to some evolution about to come. Note every variety, whether of leaf 
or flower, accumulate facts, they will all fall into their right place at some 
time or other. This was the one of the chief lessons that great observer 
taught us, Carnivorous plants notice especially ; they not only killed but 
digested the insects. This food was necessary for their existence. The 
utricularia, with its fibrous roots and the little bladders at the end has 
recently been discovered to be a feeder on fish, these appendages being 
used for that purpose. Notice, too, all those plants that are visited by 
insects and find out the reason of these visits, The colours of plants 
should be observed; the two opinions about them are that they were 
originally (1) all green, (2) all yellow. Green, he thought, was the 
more ordinary colour, and that most of them arose from green originals ; 
the richer colours (the golden autumnal tints) arising from decay and 
death. All yellow flowers were entomophilous—fertilised by insects—all 
green, anemophilous—or fertilised by wind—according to Sir Joseph 
Hooker. The observations of Col. Jones of a few white spots on lady- 
ferns led to an important result as to fertilisation. In conclusion, he 
would impress upon local clubs the necessity also of noting the 
variation in language, local phrases, peculiarities and expressions, which 
were fast passing away. 

Mr. Browne agreed with Canon Ellacombe as to his remarks 
respecting the imitations in some of the churches mentioned, but 
the subject was too great a one to deal with on the spur of the 
moment. 

After some remarks from Mr. Broome, the warm thanks of those 
present were given to Mr. Ellacombe for his admirable address 
and hope expressed that they might see it in a more permanent 
form for their future instruction. 

The SECRETARY (Rev. H. H. Winwood) exhibited some fossils, 
which he found during a visit last autumn (1884), to the Rocky 
Mountains. Having briefly pointed out, on the maps recently 


100 


published by the Geological Survey of Canada, the geology of those 
regions, he said— 

The Canadian Pacific Railway, which would shortly connect the 
Atlantic Ocean on the east with the Pacific on the west, had lately 
opened out a tract of country in the heart of the Rockies hitherto but 
little known ; and it was his good fortune to accompany Professor 
Selwyn, Dr. Dawson, Professor Boyd Dawkins and other geologists in 
a geological ramble down the Kicking Horse Pass in search of some 
fossil evidence, which would help to determine the age of the beds. 
The Secondary and Tertiary strata, so horizontal in the Prairie country 
to the east, became much disturbed and folded at the “foot hills” of 
the Rockies, until on approaching the head of the Kicking Horse Pass, 
some 5,000 feet high, the older beds—which here come in and are sup- 
posed to be of Devonian age—became tilted up in some places quite 
vertical, if not reversed altogether. These beds, consisting of 
Quartzites and calcareous rocks, were diligently searched for fossils in 
vain ; but just after crossing the high trestle bridge over the Kicking 
Horse River, on the left of the track a micaceous slab of rock with 
apparently an easterly dip had been exposed, and certain markings 
thereon like worm tracks attracted his attention ; on examining these 
he found also the trace of something evidently organic, which after 
some time and trouble was chiselled out. The exact nature of the fossil 
he was unaware of at the time, but a short distance further west on 
the same side of the track he found a band of calcareous rock six 
inches thick, crammed full of portions of ¢rilobites. On returning home 
he shewed them to Dr. Hicks, well versed in the Archzan rocks of 
England, and was informed by him that the first specimen contained 
the tail of a Paradoxides upon it, and that the calcareous fossiliferous 
band was full of portions of the same genus, and of Conocoryphe and 
other allied forms, thus shewing that these rocks contained a 
Primordial fauna, and that they belonged to what Dr. Hicks calls the 
Menevian zone, so ably worked out by himself in Wales. He further 
stated that in his opinion these beds were not far distant from an 
Archean axis. This was a fortunate discovery, as it will enable future 
explorers to take these beds as a datum line, and it is expected that Dr. 
Dawson, who was then about to survey that portion of the track, will 
have by this time been enabled to define the position of the other beds 
both eastward and westward. Specimens of the fossils were exhibited. 


LLMs Oe eee 


101 


The first of the winter meetings took place on Wednesday 
afternoon, December 9th, when the President (the Rev. L. 
Blomefield) read a paper on the Bournemouth firs (vide page 40). 
Before beginning his subject he exhibited a nest of the water- 
ouzel presented to the institution by Mr. Bankart. This “dipper,” 
he said, allied to the thrush and the blackbird, is essentially a 
waterbird, whilst the latter are land birds. It may be seen by 
the sides of rapid streams, and diving into the water like a moor- 
hen. It endeavours to keep at the bottom of the water 
as much as possible in search of its food, consisting of 
water beetles and fresh water shells. Its nest is built 
in the rocky inequalities by the banks of streams, and is 
composed of a tangled mass of brown rootlets. The specimen 
in question was from the Yorkshire moors. The bird is a 
native of Somerset, and especially frequents the rocky streams 
on its borders near Devon. The President took the opportunity 
of expressing a wish that some one connected with the county 
would present a local specimen to the museum in Bath. 

The Rey. Canon ELLACoMBE, who had taken the chair, ex- 
pressed the pleasure it gave the Club, and especially himself, at 
hearing another of the President’s papers, so full of interest and 
originality. Though a labour of love to him yet they all felt 
that he must have taken no ordinary trouble in preparing it, and 
he was glad to see so large an audience on the occasion. He had 
never doubted that the Scotch fir was indigenous. The Pinus 
pinaster too, associated with the former at Bournemouth, had 
been admitted into the English flora. Mentioned in old writers 
as the pine apple tree, it had now lost this name when the present 
fruit was discovered in America. Owing to the rapid onward 
march of the Scotch fir it is a wonder that it has not spread 
even further. Kingsley alludes to the way which the pollen of 


this tree propagates itself in his charming essay “ My Winter 


Garden.” The growth of the Scotch fir on our neigh- 
bouring hills was alluded to by many of the members present, 


102 


and the President said the tracing of its former existence in the 
neighbourhood might well be one of the objects of the Club’s 
weekly walks. 

Mr. NorMAN then gave some notes on the Algz of thermal 
waters, with especial reference to those of Bath (vide page 53). 

In the discussion which followed, the PRESIDENT congratulated 
the writer on his researches into the natural history of our hot 
springs, and urged him to continue his observations therein, so 
that their natural history, both animal and vegetable, might in 
course of time be well known. Some remarks on the temperature 
of the water followed, and a wish was expressed that the scien- 
tific observations which it was believed were being systematically 
carried on should be made public, so that those locally interested 
in the question might be able to obtain some trustworthy data as 
to the variation, if any, in their volume and temperature. 

The third meeting took place on Wednesday, January 13th, 
Mr Skrine in the chair, when Mr. GREEN read a paper on “ The 
Earliest Map of Bath ”(vide page 58); another of those valuable 
historical leaflets with which Mr. Green has favoured the club 
from time to time. The orginal, he said, was to be found in the 
British Museum. No exact date could be given for it, but it was 
made about 1568 by one Wm. Smith, a herald and antiquary, 
who in his account calls Bath “A little cittie, yet one of ye most 
anncientest in England.” <A fac-simile of the map being produced 
it was now duly examined, some discrepancies and some 
differences from later maps being pointed out, although minute 
criticism was not attempted or intended. 

The next paper was from Mr. Scarth upon “ Recent Discoveries 
in Bath connected with the Ancient Roman Baths” (vide page 
75). As pressing engagements prevented Mr Scarth from 
being present himself, his notes were read by the SECRETARY. 
They principally related to the discovery of the oval bath, and the 
extent which the whole system of baths occupied in Roman times. 

The third communication was from Professor Sayce with 


103 


reference to the sculpture on the altar stone lately found at the 
Cross Bath (vide page 79). The ingenious but somewhat rash 
views enunciated in a letter to The Bath Herald, of September, 
12th, 1885, with regard to this stone, followed by the equally 
erroneous suggestions in a letter to the same Journal dated 
September 14th, 1885, were refuted and the true interpretation 
of the sculpture given. Instead of the figures thereon being of a 
Christian character they are essentially Heathen, and depicted 
scenes of heathen mythology well known to classical students. 

In the discussion that followed on Mr. Green’s paper, Mr 
AusTIN J. KING bore testimony to the great value of the paper 
with which Mr. Green had favoured the Club. It was undoubtedly 
the case that Wood’s misstatement concerning the early map of 
the city, which he wrongly attributed to Jones, had been 
generally accepted as true, and had givenrise to many misconcep- 
tions and misunderstandings, and they should be very grateful to 
Mr. Green for removing this false history, and for reproducing 
the original plan of Smith. The plan itself was full of interest. 
The church shown at the bottom of Holloway certainly could 
not be the chapel of S. Lawrence, for that stood on the bridge, 
and was a mere oratory. It could not either be the church of 
8. Mary, extra muros, for although the exact site of this was not 
known it appeared clear that it was on the city side of the Avon. 
If, however, the plan was made rather from views than measure- 
ment, the exact position might be misstated. When this church 
was destroyed was not known, but it was certain that it was not 
used for ecclesiastical purposes during the reign of Elizabeth. 
There seems no doubt that until the commencement of the 18th 
century the houses outside the walls remained substantially as 
shown on Smith’s plan—a straggling street between the South 
gate and the bridge, and a little cluster of houses near S. Michael’s 
Church. These houses belonged for the most part to the parish 
of S. Michael before the Reformation. They then passed to the 
Crown, as part of the nominal possessions of the Priory, and 


104 


comprised the “56 tenements” granted by Elizabeth to the 
municipality as trustees for the church. The Town Council 
appropriated the houses and still retain them. The parishioners 
took legal proceedings to assert their rights, but their purses were 
not deep enough, and the Corporation prevented the case from 
coming to a hearing. 

The CHAIRMAN said those who heard Bishop Clifford’s paper 
would remember that he said there were no walls except round the 
baths, and that there was no trace of its having been a fortified city 
but it seemed there must have been considerable space enclosed, 
and there was no reason why it should not have been done in the 
times of the Romans. 

Alderman BartruM thought the map which Mr. Green had 
kindly brought before them was one of exceptional interest, and he 
had cleared up many of the difficulties which those who had taken 
an interest in these subjects must have experienced. What had 
struck him as strange was the similarity between the city as it 
is, and as it was depicted on that map. 

Mr Suvm said it was rather curious that the map, which Mr. 
Green had shown them, exceedingly accurate as it was generally, 
did not mark 8. Lawrence’s church which afterwards appeared 
on the bridge. 

Mr. GREEN replied to the discussion, and, in the course of his 
remarks, regretted that the Roman Baths were left uncovered, 
allowing the weather to act upon and injure thestones. It was a 
question for a club like theirs to take up, and another question 
was the style of architecture which was to be adopted in the new 
building to be erected at the baths. From what he had read in a 
local paper it seemed to him that it was to be Jacobean, but he 
did not see why they might not, at any rate, endeavour ta 
reproduce the old state of things. He protested against any 
other style of building being erected on a classical site. 

Photographs of the altar stone were exhibited, and the 
SECRETARY alluded to the injury already taking place to the 


105 


sculptures through exposure to the weather, and expressed a hope 
that they would be placed under cover either at the Institution or 
elsewhere. 

The fourth and concluding afternoon meeting for the session 
took place on Wednesday, February 10th, at the Institution, when 
Mr. McMovrtrig, of Radstock, communicated some notes on the 
occurrence of Salt Springs in the Coal Measures at Radstock (vide 
page 84). He said it was an unusual thing for Salt Springs to 
be found in an inland coal pit. Recently, however, whilst extend- 
ing the shaft of the ‘middle pit,” not far from the Market Place 
at Radstock, three different springs of salt water had been met 
with—1,i10, 1,142, 1,450 feet, respectively, below sea level. The 
geological features of the locality were described, and the import- 
ant fact alluded to that coal had been found at the depth of 1,791 
feet, the boring having been carried still further to a depth of 
1,846 feet. From an analysis of the water it was shown that 
with the exception of its temperature and extreme saltness, its 
constituents were not dissimilar to the Bath waters. Whence, 
however, came the sodium? The stratum of New Red lying on 
top of the shaft, and which generally was associated with Rock 
Salt, Mr. McMurtrie said had no trace of Salt crystals in it. 
Was the salt then derived from the Channel, 21 miles distant at 
the nearest point? He thought this a possible solution, though 
it had its difficulties. 

Questions were asked respecting the temperature of the water, 
and suggestions made that observations should be taken to 
ascertain whether any variation had taken place. 

The SECRETARY thought that the source of the Salt Springs 
might be situated in the New Red beds, cropping up to the surface 
at some distance off, and at a higher level. 

Mr. SKRINE, who was in the chair, thanked Mr. McMurtrie for 
his instructive paper. 

The next communication was from the Rev. H. H. Winwoop 
on the fossil Mammalia of the district (vide page 95). Since 


106 


Mr. Moore’s paper had been read to the Club, several additions 
had been made by himself and others (he said) to the list of ex» 
tinct animals found in the ‘“‘mammal drift” of the neighbourhood, 
and he thought a list of these, together with their localities, might 
be of use to the Club. Giving a short description of the ‘‘mam- 
mal drift” which was found in our valleys, and the associated fossil 
bones therein, specimens of which were exhibited, he called 
attention to the change in the climate since the time that the 
Mammoth, the Rhinoceros, the Musk sheep and Reindeer, roamed 
amongst our hills and valleys, and remarked on the singular 
absence of any of the works of man in the shape of palceolithic 
implements in these gravels, Almdant in other localities, the 
most careful search had failed to fil them in our neighbourhood. 
Allusion was made to the recent decease of Dr. Errington, of 
Prior Park, whose collection of remains of extinct animals was 
shown in the museum there, found chiefly in the Moorfield cutting 
on the Somerset and Dorset Railway ; and with whose enthusiasm 
in the science of collecting Mr. Winwood had often had opportu- 
nities of becoming acquainted. 


EXCURSIONS. 


Devizes and Potterne. The Secretary having been disabled by 
an accident from joining this excursion, is indebted for the follow- 
ing notes to the kindness of Dr. Mantell, Colonel Chandler and Mr. 
Onslow Watts. The party, which seemed to be fairly numerons, 
started on April 28th, by the 10.25 a.m. train for Trowbridge 
and Devizes. Having nearly an hour to spare at the former 
place, a visit was paid to the Rectory house. The Rector 
conducted the party to the celebrated mulberry tree in the 
garden, called Crabbe’s tree, still surviving, but looking rather 
crabbed—as some one suggested—thence into the house to Crabbe’s 
study,—a pleasant-looking room, with bookcases and everything 
just as they were in the Poet’s time. As there was not anything 
else particularly worthy of notice, the train for Devizes was 


107 


taken, and the two churches, St. John’s and St. Mary’s, were 
visited. Dr. Hart Burges, the Rector, kindly pointed out their 
architectural peculiarities, and read a Paper, of which the follow- 
ing is an abstract :— 

St. John’s Church, so far as his information from reliable sources 
went, was considered one of the most interesting parochial churches in 
Great Britain; and contained specimens of five distinct styles of 
architecture. The oldest of these are the chancel tower and 
transept, built about the same time as the Castle, by the celebrated 
Roger of Sarum, 1130 a.p. The small arcades on the outside of the 
tower, as well as those within the belfry, the nail head chevron, 
embattled fret, and intersecting arches are indications of the date. The 
east and west arches of the tower are semicircular, while the north and 
south are pointed, but evidently built at the same time. Oblong in 
form, the measurement from north to south being half as much again 
as from east to west as is sometimes found in these central towers, it 
is considered to resemble Tewkesbury Abbey. The fineness of the 
jointing in the masonry of the tower is another indication of Roger’s 
work, The original form was that of a cross, with lantern tower in 
centre, and nave without side aisles, chancel being vaulted. Side 
aisles and cutting away of the basement of turret staircase took place 
in the 15th century. Duke Humphrey’s residence in the Castle having 
given an impetus to ecclesiastical architecture, the transept windows 
were supposed to have been altered at this period. The north-east 
and south-east private chapels are of somewhat later date, the more 
florid one being attributed to Beauchamp, who held the town and 
Castle for Edward IV. The transepts have been much cut about for 
the insertion of Perpendicular windows. On the outer walls of the 
chancel, within the present church, the original Norman corbel ‘able 
may be seen. ‘Ihe present east window is a recent restoration. The 
Norman nave has almost entirely disappeared. The church plate has 
been recast some years since 1804. The registers commence 1559. 
One monumental brass of John Kent, 1630, is worthy of note. 
There are eight bells. 

St. Mary’s Church, consisting of a chancel, nave, two side aisles, 
western tower and south porch, was evidently erected at various 
periods. The chancel is supposed to have been built soon after the 


108 


Conquest. The walls are 4}ft. thick, faced on each side and filled with 
rubble. The present Perpendiculer windows (16th century) are 
supposed to have replaced the five small original semicircular windows 
resting externally on a plain string course. A corbel table remains on 
north and south walls. Remains of an arcade can be traced round the 
interior walls. ‘The porch, next in order of date, is a very beautiful 
specimen of Transition; and the outer doorway, showing the 
characteristic Norman mouldings and deep splay on an arch of Early 
English form, is of great interest. The large and lofty nave is built 
upon the Norman foundations, On the outside, rising from the 
eastern end of the ridge of the roof in the usual position of the 
sancte bell, is a beautiful statue of the Virgin and Child. The fine 
oak roof was exposed during the restoration, as als» was the rood loft 
door over the chancel arch. The tower is quadrangular, and there are 
six bells. The church plate has been re-cast. The churchwardens 
accounts commence in 1499 ; the register in 1569. 


After this a short walk of about 2 miles was taken to the 
picturesque village of Potterne; the fine early English church, 
containing a tub shaped font, and the old 14th century house, 
bought by Richmond, the artist, were inspected, and Devizes 
left at 6.24 for Bath. 


Brockley Combe. Twenty members and their friends started by 
the 10 a.m. train for Nailsea, on May 19th. After a pleasant 
walk of about 2 miles to the southern and lower end of Brockley 
Combe, Mr. Duckworth writes— 


Here the path wound for a mile through a picturesque valley between 
steep limestone rocks ; but the fern (polypodium calcareum) of which 
the members were in search was not found there. At the 
top of the Combe they emerged on an open down, along the 
sides of which they observed near the top several small clusters 
of circular pits, like those near Pen Selwood and Weston-super- 
Mare. After reconnoitring to the left, they made a straight tack 
of a mile to the right, which, they afterwards discovered, would 
have led them directly to the head of the Goblin valley. From 
the highest point of the down they obtained a good view of Weston- 
super-Mare, and of the Welsh Coast. At an isolated house with 


109 


a farm yard they asked the keeper’s wife to tell them their way. She, 
not altogether liking the look of the Field Club, who might be poachers 
in disguise, seemed apprehensive for her poultry, and was much relieved 
when her husband was observed returning with his gun. He pointed 
out the airection, but the forces were so scattered in seeking for con- 
venient routes of descent upon the Goblin, that only three faithful 
followers remained to aid their gallant captain, when with drawn 
trowel he charged at the grey boulders on their left and captured the 
position. The Polypodia were drawn up on the slope in loose skirmish- 
ing order to the uumber of about 50, and they had to be dislodged by 
cutting away the ground from under them. This was with some difficulty 
accomplished, and many fine prisoners were taken. Their feet were 
long and branching. After a full resistance they suffered themselves 
to be secured in paper bags. Passing through a doorway in the middle 
of the valley, they at length reach an open space where two ways 
meet. The right way was the wrong one, as two of the members dis- 
covered to their cost, having followed it till it led them back to this 
very spot again. It is now 3 miles to Nailsea Station and 4 to 
Yatton Junction, from which points all return to Bath after a most 
enjoyable day, marred only by a drizzling rain during the afternoon. 

Romsey and Rufus Stone. The excursion to Southerndown and 
Kidwelly Castle, fixed for June 16th, having been for various 
reasons postponed, the excursion to Romsey and Rufus Stone 
took place on that day instead. 

The predicted storm never having come off, the members 
mustered strongly on the morning of Tuesday, at the station. 
Owing to the facilities kindly afforded by the authorities of the 
G.W.R., a through-coach was provided for the party to Romsey, 
and that station was reached at 11.25. Two brakes were soon 
well filled, and a start made without delay for the Abbey. 
Passing the Berthon lifeboat yard, a friendly hail from the Vicar 
was responded to with alacrity by one of the brakes speedily 
emptying its contents into the yard, whilst the second pursued 
its own way somewhere. The Rev. E. Lyon Berthon, the 
enthusiastic inventor of the portable folding lifeboats, has spent 
the best part of a quarter of a century in perfecting his admirable 


110 


invention, and if enthusiasm merits success he ought to succeed. 
There certainly seemed to be plenty of orders on hand, for the 
yard was all alive with shipwrights and boats in various stages of 
progress.* The second brake having turned up, or rather turned 
out, Mr. Berthon showed the members the various inventions in 
his line—large lifeboats that will hold 14 horses and 40 men; 
small yacht dingies and fishing boats; duplex boats, serving as 
tents on shore and folding up into handy sizes to be carried, when 
separate, on either side of a camel ora horse, rejoicing in the 
name of skenoscaphos ; and small canoes for one person—in fact, 
inventions capable of much expansion and future utility, made of 
two skins of waterproof canvas, filled with air by the mere act 
of opening and setting them up, and ribbed with Canadian elm, 
The boats have many advantages over other lifeboats, both in 
their capabilities of floating and sustaining blows without injury. 
A little book containing the necessary information as to their size 
and price was distributed. The invention is now in the hands of 
a Company. It was not far from the bustle of the yard to the 
quiet precincts of the Abbey; and for those who had not seen 
before one of England’s finest Norman abbeys, a great treat was 
in store for them. Mr. Berthon, if great in the yard, was still 
greater here in the interior of the Abbey he loves so much, and 
every stone of which seemed to be as familiar to him as the boats 
he had watched building. Step by step the history of the 
building was given, commencing with the beginning of the 12th 
century, and passing on through the Transition, Early English, 
Decorated, down to the period when the recent ugly parapet 
disfigured the outside walls of nave and aisles. A stone crucifix 
in one of the side chapels was pointed out as a portion of the 
original church, and the date of the 10th century suggested for 


* Mr. Berthon writes that the Company have, since our visit, 
received orders from the Orient 8.S. Company ; and their big ship—the 
“ Orient”—5,500 tons, is now (June) on her way to Sydney with 
Bertkon boats. 


111 


it. In the present vestry, originally a side chapel, an altar cloth 
of the 15th century work, once a cope with the “‘ Romsey passion 
flower worked on it,” attracted the attention of the curious in 
needlework art. Much as the members wished to linger amid the 
massive Norman pillars, and listen to the Vicar dwelling upon the 
uniformity, beautiful in its variety, of the old Norman ornament, 
yet much of the day’s work was still before them, and they had 
to bid their kind-hearted cicerone adieu, and move on to the New 
Forest. After passing the bronze statue of Lord Palmerston and 
the gates of Broadlands, where that eminent statesman lived, the 
first halt was at the gates of Embley Park, to admire the avenue 
of rhododendrons now in their wealth of flower. This was 
memorable as once the home of Florence Nightingale. A lovely 
drive through oaks and hollies, rich in their early summer foliage, 
was taken to Stony Cross, about eight miles from Romsey. 
Here the brakes were left, and a short half-mile walk over springy 
turf and by boggy hollows, home of the drosera rotundifolia and 
bog myrtle (the former seemed to have been hugely enjoying its 
carnivorous propensities, as the bodies of many slaughtered insects 
were found on their thick hairy leaves), and Rufus Stone was 
reached, the reputed site of Rufus’s death. The original oak was 
replaced by astone, the stone by the present hideous three-sided 
iron pillar, on one face of which the following inscription is 
east :—‘‘ Here stood the oak tree on which an arrow, shot by Sir 
Walter Tyrrell at a stag, glanced and struck King William the 
Second (surnamed Rufus) on the breast, of which he instantly 
died, on the second day of August, Anno Domini 1100.” 
Probably more enthusiasm was felt over the Forest scenery than 
over the fabled site of the death of a red haired Norman. 
Photographers of the party had been busily at work, and were 
apparently successful in their attempts to catch the impressions of 
the moment. The return to Romsey, somewhat quicker than the 
drive out, being effected in safety, some needed refreshments were 
had at the White Horse, and the members arrived at Bath at 
9.8 p.m., after an instructive and pleasant day. 


112 


During the drive through the Forest, a small pool of water 
attracted the attention of the members by its peculiar blood-red 
colour. This arose from the fresh water alga chlamydococcus 
pluvialis interesting from the fact, as Mr. Norman tells us, that 
some of the cells were in the ameeboid or locomotive condition, 
and moved freely about across the field of the microscope. Mr. 
Norman sends also the following list of the least common plants 
found during the day :—Ranunculus hederaceus, lingua, and 
flammula ; Drosera rotundifolia ; Polygala vulgaris and calcarea ; 
Genista anglica ; Galium sacatile ; Carduus acaulis ; Salix repens ; 
Myrica gale ; Habenaria bifolia ; Erica tetralic and cinerea ; Nardus 
stricta ; Eriophorum polystachyon. 

Tewkesbury.—The Midland Railway Company having placed 
one of their commodious saloon carriages at the disposal of the 
club, rendered the excursion to Tewkesbury on Tuesday, July 
14th, very agreeable. The necessity of an hour’s halt at 
Gloucester enabled those who were not already familiar with the 
beauties of the Cathedral to pay it a hasty visit, and to add 
somewhat to the contents of the Treasury box, by the poll tax 
levied upon the members of whom there were some 18 or 20. 
Before arriving at Tewkesbury, distant glimpses were seen of the 
Malvern hills standing out blue and jagged, and the smoke from 
the Forest of Dean Coal fields rose up far away to the left murky 
but distinct in the clear air. Arriving at the station about 1.30, 
a hot walk through the picturesque streets of the town, lined on 
each side with overhanging timber and plaster gable-ended houses 
brought the members to the abbey churchyard. A curious rude 
looking monument on the right hand, reminding those familiar 
with Eastern lands of certain Pagan cults, attracted attention until 
the arrival of the Rev. F. R. Carbonell, who, in the absence of 
Canon Robeson, courteously conducted the members over the 
Abbey. Beginning with the west end, the magnificent deep 
Norman arch with its six recessed shafts (the seventh hidden by 
the more recent Perpendicular wall and exposed in part during 


113 


the restoration) was as usual the subject of discussion. The 
insertion of the Perpendicular window has obscured the original 
design, but it seemed to be the opinion of those competent to form 
one, that the designer originally intended the wall to be pierced 
with Norman windows or arcaded, and that two western towers 
should flank it on either hand—the masonry on the inside seemed 
to strengthen this idea. On the south the foundations of some 
old buildings connected with the monastic establishment ‘have 
been quite lately laid bare, and the remains of the cloister exposed 
toview. Recent alterations have thrown open the south side very 
materially, and the view of the whole building at the south-east 
end has been much improved. From this point the original 
form of the Abbey was plainly seen. Begun early in the 12th 
century, and consecrated 1123, it was cruciform taking the form 
of the Latin cross. The long limb of the cross was the present 
nave with its aisles and western turrets ; the transverse limb was 
formed by the central tower and two transepts, each of which had 
an apse on its eastern side. The shorter limb of the cross was 
formed by the existing choir and an aisle surrounding it, which 
followed the same apsidal form as the choir, but on a much 
larger scale. To these have since been added a chevet of chapels 
in the Decorated period, somewhat obscuring the old design. 
Entering at the north porch, the beautiful interior burst upon 
the view; and the judicious restoration made since the Club 
visited the Abbey in 1869, and finished under the superin-tendence 
of Gilbert Scott in 1879, was manifest in every detail. It was 
difficult to realise the former appearance of the interior ; the now 
fine perspective from the west end, then hidden by a screen and 
organ, and the proportions dwarfed and obscured by hideous high 
pews. The monuments of the Despencers, Sir Guy de Brien, Abbot 
Wakeman—and the chantry chapels erected in memory of the 
founder FitzHamon, and of Richard Beauchamp (first husband 
of Isabel Despencer, afterwards the Countess of Warwick), for 


which the Abbey is so famous, elegant examples of Early 
H 


114 


Decorated and Late Perpendicular, attracted the admiration of all. 
The unique sancte bell canopy on the face of the north wall of 
the chancel arch was especially admired, and the remains of the 
beautiful Sedilia on the south of the chancel. On passing out of 
the north porch several masonic signs were noticed on the old 
masonry, and the structural peculiarities of the tympanum of the 
Norman doorway. Hours could easily have been given up to the 
further elucidation of the structure, but it was necessary to pass 
on; and so, under the guidance of Mr. Carbonell, the party 
walked through the vicar’s garden, whence a charming view of 
the fine arcaded Norman tower and exterior was obtained, and 
along the dusty road to the ‘‘ bloody meadow,” site of the last 
decisive battle of the Houses of York and Lancaster in 1471, 
where the hopes of the latter were finally extinguished. After 
thanking Mr. Carbonell for his kindness in placing his time at 
the disposal of the members, and for the instruction they had 
received from his thorough acquaintance with the history of the 
building, they returned by the way they came, pausing at the 
“Y” street the supposed site of the death of Edward Prince of 
Wales, to the station, arriving at Bath at 8.25, after an instructive 
and pleasant day. 


WALKS AND Byz-EXCURSIONS. 


On March 3rd some of the members walked to Twerton, 
and at the invitation of Mr. Carr visited his Cloth Factory—and 
were shown the process of manufacture from the earliest stage of 
cleansing the wool to the final one of trimming and folding up 
the various qualities of cloths. The adjoining works of Mr. 
McMichael were also kindly thrown open for their inspection, and 
the different stages of carpet making explained. But few Bath 
residents are aware what important industries are thriving so 
close at hand, 


115 


A lunch was hospitably provided for the members at the 
Vicarage and amongst other objects of interest laid out for 
inspection in the Vicar’s study, was the Register of the Parish, in 
which the first entry was that of a burial A.D. 1538—and the 
remaining portion of the fine tusk of Elephas Primigenius found by 
Mr Harrison in a gravel pit near Twerton and described by the 
late Chas. Moore in Zhe Bath Herald of 1881. When first 
discovered it measured 84ft. on the outside curve; but has 
been since reduced (notwithstanding Mr Harrison’s care) to 4ft. 
2in. Since this visit of the Club itis gratifying to record the 
fact that Mr Harrison has presented it to the Bath Museum at the 
Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, where it may be seen in 
one of the glass cases at the south end of the gallery. The members 
visited the site of the discovery on their way back to Bath in 
drenching rain. 

‘On March 24th a walk was taken to the Fuller’s Earth 
Works at Combe Hay, by Holloway and Entry Hill ; turning into 
the field opposite the Cross Keys and following the line of the 
Wansdyke to the road leading down to Combe Hay. On the 
left of the path the works which had originally existed here were 
abandoned, the “tips” of blue clay alone indicating the site. 
On the right of the road a new opening had been made about 
7 months ago, to a depth of some 55 feet in the Great Oolite, 
by Mr. Butler, the proprietor. There were about 25 feet of good 
stone, succeeded by “blue rock” and clay at bottom. The works 
on the top of the rise opposite the newly made road to Combe 
Hay were still being carried on. 

On March 31st fifteen members took advantage of a lovely 
day, went by train to Corsham, and walked thence to Biddeston 
about 2 miles ; inspected the interesting Church with its 12th 
century Bell Turret, south doorway and font; tried to read 
some old English lettering on the plaster of the wall of a 
blacksmith’s house to the east of the church; and returned to 
Corsham, viewing the pictures at the Court on their way. 


116 


On April 21st a bye-excursion was arranged for Bristol. 
The party was met at the joint stations by Mr. Harold Lewis 
and Mr. W. E. Jones, Assistant City Surveyor, who had kindly 
undertaken to direct the perambulations of the visitors. From 
the station the party quickly made their way to the Church of 
St. Mary, Redcliffe. It was impossible in the short time at 
disposal to do justice to this magnificent pile of architectural 
beauty and historic interest. A brief but careful survey of the 
interior was first made. The portions of the old or 13th 
century Church, viz., the inner north porch was first examined. 
This, with the hexagon north porch beyond, is so gorgeously 
decorated in gold and colour as to entirely destroy that quiet 
dignity and repose—that old time venerable appearance—which 
all lovers of the past would rather see undisturbed. Standing at 
the west end, looking eastward, the beautiful proportions and 
exquisite detail of the Church may be seen at a glance; the 
engrafting of their work by the 15th century builders, viz., 
clerestory of nave on the older work below was pointed out, and 
the succession of architectural style clearly traced from the 
tower at the west end 13th century work, nave and transept 
14th century, thehce to the lady chapel at the east end, a 
fair specimen of the lifeless and debased Perpendicular. A few 
specimens of old stained glass are still preserved in the windows 
of transepts, with some admirable modern work serving a 
double purpose, not only telling its own story, but emphasising 
the wretched design and hideous colouring of a few of the last 
generation’s attempts. 

The beauty and variety of the carved bosses at the intersections 
of roof-vaulting ribs were greatly admired, as also some fine and 
well preserved 18th century wrought-iron work. 

Great satisfaction was expressed at the evident care and 
attention bestowed on the Church and its surroundings by those 
in charge. 

A walk round the exterior from the south porch, through the 


117 


undercroft to the north east corner of the enclosure, reveals at 
once the exceptional beauty of this magnificent pile; quite 
continental in its proportions, broken up into infinite variety of 
pinnacle, buttress and gable, crowned by the magnificent tower 
and spire. With all its variety of outline and its exceptional 
wealth of detail, its strength and beauty lay in the repose— 
except where the eye is attracted to the useful but sadly 
incongruous tin tallboy over the vestry chimney. 

From Redcliffe the party went to Canynge House, in Redcliffe 
Street, where by the courtesy of Mr. Charles Jefferies they were 
enabled to examine a most interesting and beautiful roof, tiled 
floor and other relics of the house of William Canynge, one of 
Bristol’s greatest merchants and most eminent divines. 

Thence they proceeded to Temple Church, believed to have 
been founded by the Knights Templars, about 1145. The oldest 
part of the present Church cannot be dated earlier than the 14th 
century. A Chapel at the east end of the north aisle, known as 
the Weavers’ Chapel, which, with a certain piece of ground 
adjoining, was granted to the ancient Guild of Weavers 1299. 
The interior of the Church, with the exception of the Weavers’ 
Chapel and a few Decorated windows, may be said to be of 
the 15th century or Perpendicular period. The tower is remark- 
able on account of its leaning ; it is 14th and 15th century work ; 
is about 120 feet high and has an inclination of 5 feet. There 
is some interesting wrought-iron grille work and an old brass 
candelabrum in the chancel. 

A walk through Maryleport Street, one of the most picturesque 
and best preserved streets in the City, where there are some 
excellent specimens of 15th, 16th and 17th century half-timbered 
town houses, led the way to St. Peter’s Hospital, formerly the 
mansion of the Nortons in the 15th century, a magnificent piece 
of domestic architecture of that date. It passed into the hands of 
the Corporation of Bristol in 1698, and was converted into a 
Workhouse for the poor. There is much interesting work of 


118 


the early 17th century in the wainscotting, chimney-pieces, &c., 
and the splendid roof of the original building may still be seen. 

The Church of St. James was then visited—one of the oldest 
foundations in Bristol; it was part of the Benedictine Priory 
erected in the 12th century. The present nave and west end is 
the only part of the original Church existing. It is singularly 
impressive with its huge piers and semi-circular arches and simple 
clerestory, covered (as is usual) with a 15th century wooden roof. 
The south aisle is of debased Perpendicular 17th century work. 
The north aisle is a modern addition from designs by the late 
Sir Gilbert Scott. The tower is 15th century, exceedingly plain, 
and stands at the east end of the Church. 

The party then proceeded through Trenchard and Host Streets 
to the Hospital of St. Mark, or the “ Mayor's Chapel,” founded 
by Maurice de Gaunt in the 13th century; very little of the 
original work remains, and what little there is is sadly mutilated. 
The most interesting part of the Church is the Poyntz Chapel 
(now used as a vestry), which, as a specimen of early 16th century 
work, is superlatively beautiful and refined, and one of the best 
in the country. In the south aisle are the recumbent effigies of 
the founders, as also some excellent examples of monuments of 
the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, with a curious hagioscope, 
giving a view of the high altar, and a pannelled and richly 
decorated recess, which has the appearance of a reliquary. 

Time was now slipping away, and with a glance at the Church 
of St. John Baptist, built on the wall and forming one of the 
gates of the city, a move was made to the Council House, which 
contains a most interesting and valuable collection of ancient 
charters and MS. books, including the well known Ricart’s 
Calendar, the Great Book of Wills, and the Little Red Book, 
dating from the 14th century ; ancient state swords and maces, 
letters from celebrities of the 14th to the 19th century, pictures by 
old masters, one or two by Van Dyke, Lawrence, Kneller, 
and others, 


119 


On the steps of the Council House the visitors parted from 
their resident friends in order to catch the five o’clock train to 
Bath, but not before they had expressed their hearty thanks to 
Mr. Jones, for the trouble he had taken on their behalf and his 
able and interesting explanations of all that they saw. The 
Secretary is indebted to Mr. Harold Lewis for the above notes on 
the Bristol excursion. 


St. Gregory’s College, Downside—On December 29th about 
20 members availed themselves of the courteous invitation 
of the Benedictine Fathers to visit their Monastery, and the 
Secretary is indebted to Captain Huth for the following account 
of the visit :— 

We started at 9.10 and arrived at Chilecompton at 9.45, numbering 
altogether 19, including Father Wright who accompanied us. A 
walk of about a mile brought us to the Monastery, where we were 
received in the first place by Father Finch, and requested to write 
our names and addresses in the Visitors’ Book. We were then shown 
over the old manor house of which the small reception room formed a 
part, and which might be called the nucleus of the Monastery, as it is 
the only old part of the magnificent range of buildings. Mr, Inman 
and his son here left the party to take some photographs of the exterior 
under very favourable circumstances as regards the atmosphere ; while 
the rest of the party, now joined by two or three other monks, were 
conducted over the whole of the Monastery—the library, refectory. 
dormitory, playrooms, museum, lecture room, school room, private 
studies, &c,,and the church, The latter struck us much for its grandeur 
and purity of style ; the tower is yet in an unfinished state ; there is 
a very fine circular window of stained glass over the altar. Many of 
us ascended a winding staircase to the gallery running round the 
building inside in the thickness of the wall, a great height from the 
floor ; and while there had an opportunity of judging of the tone of 
the organ which is of great volume, though not very large, and was 
well performed on by the monk organist. We were shown some very 
beautifully embroidered vestments, chasubles, copes, &c., some dating 
before the Reformation, and said to be 500 years old; also some 
* Persecution” vestments, made of very thin material, so that they 


120 


could be rolled up and hidden away at a moment’s notice. The 
monks seem indeed to pride themselves on the fact that it was their 
Order (the Benedictines) that was turned out of Westminster Abbey. 
Among other things notable was a painting by Corregio (a Christ’s 
head) ; a very fine ivory crucifix of early date, presented by Admiral 
Sartorius (this had formerly belonged to some Spanish church); an old 
deed by one of our earliest printers, dating from Boston in Lincolnshire, 
making over some property to the Order—and which they lately sent 
for inspection to the Bristish Museum, an offer by the authorities of 
£25 for it being refused. One of the curiosities shown was a marvel 
of calligraphy, it was apparently a pen and ink etching of the 
Crucifixion, nor would anyone with the best eyesight believe it to be 
anything more ; but on inspection with a very powerful glass it was 
seen to be composed of the most minute writing it is possible to 
conceive. The monks claim, I believe, to be in possession of a large 
piece of the true cross. The Libraries were very rich in books, many 
thousands of volumes ranged in bookcases according to subject, and 
some valuable editions of the “ Fathers.” 

The Museum was richly stocked with geological specimens, fossils, 
shells, minerals, stuffed birds and fishes, and articulated skeletons 
of various small animals, forming a very fine collection in Natural 
History. It was in this part of the building we were joined by the 
Prior Father Ford, who received us very hospitably. In this room, 
too, were shown us some good rubbings of early English brasses. 

The arrangements connected with the schoo] seemed to be very 
perfect. The Dormitories were divided into “ stalls,” each containing 
a bed—a row on each side ef the room, with a wide space—warmed 
with pipes, and thoroughly ventilated in the roof. Besides the school 
room, the boys have a large playroom, with a few simple gymnastic 
appliances, or if they want to be quiet during play hours, there are 
small studies provided for them ; each filled with light reading, story 
books, &c. In the out-buildings is a steam laundry and a silo, the 
grass of which obtained the first prize last year for condition ; there 
is also a bathing pond, flagged with stones. 

Atabout 12.30 we were shown into the Refectory, where we all sat 
down to bread, cheese and beer, and having thanked the Prior in the 
name of the Club for his courtesy and hospitality, to which he replied, 


121 


saying how glad he was to see us, we walked to Midsomer Norton 
village and looked at the church, which has nothing much worthy of 
note except a stone statue of Charles IT. on the tower, and thence to 
the station leaving by 2.10. 

Some more detailed notes supplied by Father Wright are 
worthy of being recorded. 

The community are descendants of the old monks of Westminster. 
After the Reformation they lived at Douay, in France, until driven 
out by the French Revolution, when they returned to their native 
country, in March, 1795. 

A temporary home was given them at Acton Burnell, in Shropshire, 
the seat of Sir Edward Smythe, until 1814, when they removed to 
Downside. A substantial square stone house sufficed for College and 
Monastery for the first ten years. The following buildings were 
added at different dates :— 

The old chapel group, built in 1823, from the designs of Goodrich, 
of Bath, contains the chapel, now used for the students ; the monks’ 
refectory, now the museum ; the “ Petre Library,” used by boys in the 
upper forms ; and two large dormitories. 

The College group, built in 1854, from the designs of Charles Hansom, 
of Clifton, contains the boys’ play room, study room, several class 
rooms, and libraries for the lower forms. Over the study room, the 
theatre, and the boys’ private rooms, ete. 

The refectory group, built in 1876, from designs by Messrs. Dunn 
and Hansom, contains the boys’ dining hall, a fine room, 75ft. by 40ft. 
and 25ft. high. The walls hung with portraits of bishops and priors 
who have been members of the community. Above it a dormitory, 
105ft. long by 40ft. broad, containing 38 beds ; also, the Procurator’s 
office, infirmary, etc. 

The “ Petre Cloister,” built in 1876, to connect the College with the 
Monastery. 

The Monastery, built in 1876, with additional storey in 1884. 

The party then entered the Monastery by the east. door, and visited 
the following in order :— 

_The Monks’ Cloister, with fine groined stone roof, and ancient tiled 
floor, 160ft. long by 14ft. 

The Calefactory, or monks’ recreation room, size 36ft. by 20ft., 18ft. 


J 


122 


high. Some valuable oil paintings on panel, a large stone fireplace 
surmounted with a statue of St. Benedict. On the table some old 
M.S.S.—(1.) Date June 13th, 1366, relating to an appointment in the 
diocese of Lincoln. (2.) Date 1539, concerning the rental, etc., of 
properties belonging to Bath Abbey. (3.) A bull of Pope Urban VIIL., 
relating to St. Gregory’s,1626, (4.) The Boston Letter of Confraternity, 
a valuable and unique specimen of Early English printing, c. 1535, by 
Richard Fakes. 

Also a silver-gilt monstrance, formerly used in the Chapel Royal St. 
James, 1678. 

The Lecture room, used by the community for lectures in Holy 
Scripture, Theology and Canon Law. 

The Prior’s room. 

The Library, containing 40,000 volumes. <A curious picture of the 
crucifixion, composed entirely of handwriting, so minute as to be 
almost invisible. 

The Sacristy. Several vestments with ancient embroidery, from 
Westminster Abbey. A richly coloured ivory crucifix, some old pre- 
Reformation vestments, a handsomely embroidered modern cope. 

The Church. The building begun in 1879. Two transepts opened 
in 1882 are 85ft. long, and form the present church; height to stone 
groining 66 feet. When finished the total length (without nave) 220 
feet, and will contain about 20 chapels with their altars. The massive 
tower, not yet complete, is 145ft. high. The altar in the north 
transept, now used as the high altar, is dedicated to the Blessed 
Sacrament ; and the rich carvings and stained glass are all in connec- 
tion with this Mystery of the faith. All the other altars are only 

_ temporary, and the chapels in an unfinished condition. 

The visitors made a tour of the triforium, while the Rey. Choirmaster 
played the organ. They then left the church by the west door, and 
went to— 

The foundations of the lady chapel and choir of the church, the 
crypt, and position of the future high altar. 

Leaving the foundations and passing round the back of the 
Monastery, they next went to— 

The boys’ bathing place—a sheet of water 100 feet long by 45ft. broad, 
and varying in depth from 3 to 6 feet. 

' From the bathing place they went to the College, going in at the 
Peter cloister door, 


% 


123 


The boys’ Carpenters’ Shop, the Refectoryand Dormitory overhead, 
the Theatre, containing some good oil paintings, the boys’ private 
rooms, and the second dormitory were visited in turn. 

Downstairs again, the “Petre Library,” fitted up with every 
accommodation and comfort ; next— 

The Museum. Any detailed list of its contents would be too long to 
be of service. 

The party returned to the refectory for slight refreshment. 


The Tuesday walks have been kept up by some of the younger 
and more energetic members of the Club with great vigour; and 
though the Secretary has not received such information as might 
have been expected from the keen intelligence of those who 
joined them, yet he is thankful for information sent him by two 
of the members bearing upon the investigations of the Club. 
The first note has reference to the chambered tumulus at Stony 
Littleton, on a former visit found to be in a state of dilapidation 
at one end. Major Evans reports that some of the members 
walked there on October 6th, and ascertained that Lord 
Hylton had ordered it to be repaired a twelve month ago. This 
had been done by propping up the roof, where it had fallen in, 
with old stones, “in the manner of an arch,” and thus securing it 
from further ruin, At the same time some injury was reported 
as having occurred to one of the angles of the outer wall, caused 
by sheep jumping up on the mound. 

The second was from Mr. Henderson, who reported that during 
a walk on Tuesday, 7th April, he, in company with three other 
members of the Club, started a couple of hares in the park at 
Newton St. Loe, one of which swam across a stream somewhat 
wider than the canal. Mr. Henderson considered the fact of a 
hare taking to the water, unless hotly pursued by dogs, one of 
rare occurrence, though he had himself seen a hare swim the 
Burhamputra River in Eastern Bengal, at a spot where it was 
wider than the Thames at London Bridge. Upon this 
Mr. Blomefield remarks “that most of our mammalia will 


124 


occasionally take to the water, though some, of course, much 
oftener and more readily than others. A mole (blind) has been 
found out at sea some little distance from the shore, making for a 
near island. A friend of his had a cat that was in the habit of 
plunging into a pond after fish.” 

It now only remains to allude to the satisfactory state of the 
numbers and Finances of the Club, the latter showing a 
balance of £40 on the right side. 

The Club album has received several photographs from Dr. 
Mantell and Mr. Powell of objects of archzological and 
geological interest visited during the year; and the library has 
had many additions from the various kindred societies with which 
publications. are exchanged. Amongst these valuable contribu- 
tions, none surpass or can even equal the volumes issued by the 
Department of the U.S. Geological Survey. 


H. H. WINWOOD, 
Hon. Sec. 


RULES 


Hath Aatuval Zistowy & Autiquarian 
Field Club. 


1886. 


1.—The Club shall be called “THE BATH NATURAL 
HISTORY AND ANTIQUARIAN FIELD CLUB,” and 
shall consist (for the present) of not more than One 
Hundred Members. 


2.—The object of the Club shall be to make Excursions around 
Bath, with the view of investigating the Natural History, 
Geoloyy, and Antiquities of the neighbourhood. 


3.—The Founder of the Club, the Rev. LEONARD BLOMEFIELD, 
shall be considered the permanent President ; and a Vice- 
President, Chairman, Secretaries, and Treasurer shall be chosen 
each year from among the Members at the Anniversary 
Meeting on the 18th February. 


4.—Quarterely Meetings for the election of Members, and for 
other business, shall take place on the First Tuesday in 
April, July, October, and January. 


5.—There shall be a Committee of Management, consisting of 
the officers and three other Members of the Club (the latter 
to be elected annually), whose business it shall be to con- 
sider and determine all matters connected with finance, and 
printing the Proceedings of the Club, or papers read at any 
of its meetings; or any business requiring consideration 
previous to the Quarterly Meetings. 


6.—There shall be Four Excursions during the year, to be fixed 
at the Anniversary Meeting, subject to alterations at any 
previous Quarterly Meeting, if agreed to by all the Members 
present—six to form a quorum. A list of such Excursions, 
with the respective places of meeting, shall be suspended in 
the Vestibule of the Bath Literary and Scientific Institution. 
Such Members as feel disposed shall also meet every 
Tuesday, at the Institution, at 10 a.m. 


7.—The hour of meeting shall not be changed, except for the 
convenience ot taking particular trains, when it is arranged 
to go by rail to any place ; in which case the altered time 
shall be posted at the Institution not later than Twelve 
o’Clock on the Tuesday previous. 


8.—In arranging the Excursions, due regard shall be paid to 
Natural History and Antiquities, so as to secure an equal 
share of attention to each subject ; with this view, when 
the same Excursion does not include them both, they shall, 
so far as practicable, be taken alternately. 


9.—Special Meetings shall be appointed for the Reading of 
Papers or Exhibition of Specimens, notice being given to 
the Secretary at, or previous to, any one of the Quarterly 
Meetings, by Members having such communications to 
make to the Club. 


10.—Persons wishing to join the Club may be proposed by any 
Member at one of the Quarterly or Special Meetings, and 
elected (by ballot) at the next meeting afterwards ; three 
black balls to exclude. The Committee shall have the 
privilege of electing Four New Members during the year, 
provided there are vacancies. 


11.—Any Members of the Club may invite a friend to accompany 
them on the proposed Excursions. 


12.—It shall be the business of the Secretary to take Notes of the 
Day’s Excursion, and to draw up a summary of the Year’s 
Proceedings, previously to the next Anniversary; he shall 
also see that the proper Notices of Excursions are suspended 
at the Institution, and communicate with the Members by 
letter, when occasion shall require. The Treasurer’s accounts 
to be passed at the Anniversary. 


13.—A Subscription of Ten Shillings shall be paid yearly by each 
Member, with an Entrance Fee of Five Shillings, to defray 
any expenses the Club may incur otherwise than by journeys 
and refreshments. This Subscription to be considered due 
on the Anniversary. Newly elected Members to pay such 
a Subscription for the current year at the time of their 
election. 


14.—Members whose Subscriptions are in arrear for one year 
shall be considered as having withdrawn from the Club, if, 
after application, the same be not paid up. 

15.—There shall be a Supernumerary List for Members whose 
absence from Bath does not exceed three years. Such Mem- 
bers, on their return, and on payment of their Subscription 
for the then current year, may be admitted to the Club at 
once, or sO soon as a vacancy occurs. 


H. H. WINWOOD, 
Hon. See. 


Brit Wate Fpistony and Antiquarian fie {ts 


INSTITUTED FEB. 181TH, 1855. 
LIST OF MEMBERS FOR THE YEAR 1886. 


President. 
*Rev. LEONARD BLOMEFIELD, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., 19, Belmont. 
Pice-President. 
. *Rrv. PREBENDARY SCARTH, M.A, F.S.A., Rectory, Wrington. 


Chairman. 
H. D. SKRINE, Esq., Claverton Manor, Claverton. 


Secretary. 
Rey. H. H. WINWOOD, M.A., F.G.S., 11, Cavendish Crescent. 


Treasurer, 
Cot. CHANDLER, 33, Marlborough Buildings. 


*BROOME C. E., Esq., M.A., F.L.S., Elmhurst, Batheaston. 
DOBSON W., Esq., Oakwood, Bathwick Hill 

MEADE Rey. De Courcy, M A., Tockenham Rectory, Wootton Bassett 
LE MARCHANT J., Esq., 35, Park Street 

SHAW Rev. W.38., M.A., The Vicarage, ‘'werton-on-Avon 
LYSAGHT Captain, R.N.. 35. Sion Hill 

GREEN Emanuel, Esq., F.S.A., Junior Atheneum Club, London 
ROGERS Rev. T. P., Vicarage, Batheastou. 

COCKELL Colonel W., 5, Queen’s Parade 

DAVIS Major C. E., F.S.A., £5, Pulteney Street 
McMURTRIE J., Esq , F G.S., Radstock 

YEELES J. Wedgwood Esq., Bathford 

INMAN H. B., Ksq., Batheaston 

INMAN T. F., Esq., F.L.5., Apsey House, Batheaston 
TIMINS C., Esq., F.R.C.S., F.G.S., 12, Somerset Place 
TAYLOR Col. R.L., C.B., Sunnyside, Weston Road 
MENARS Major H., 12, Bathwick Street 

HERDMAN J., Esq., 18, Camden Crescent 

HARPER C., Esq., Manor House, Batheaston 

WATTS J. Onslow, Esq., Warleigh Lodge, Bathford 

SHUM Fred, Esq., F.S.A., Belcombe House, Bradford-on-Avon 
WARD Rev. H. N., Radstock Rectory 

CLARKE W., Esq., Bath and County Club 

WALKER F. J., Esq., the Priory, Bathwick 

HOW Rev. A. G., B.D.. Rectory, Doynton, Bath 

TAGART W..H., Esq., Parkfitld, Park Gardens 

WILLIAMS D., Esq., F.L.S., Cleveland Cottage, Sydney Gardens 
TALBOT C. H., Esq., Lacock Abbey, Chippenham 
THOMPSON Lieut.-Col., 9, Grosvenor Place 

MULCASTER General, 3, Portland Place 

WILSON Spencer, Esq., 5, Kensington Place 

BLATHWAYT Rev. Wynter T., Rectory, Dyrham 

EVANS Major J. Ll., Keaufort House, Grosvenor 

HUNT R. Elton, Esq , Handel House, Clevedon 


* Original Members. 


LEWIS Harold Esq.. B.A., Woodside, Hampton Road, Bristol 

HENDERSON W. H. ¥sq., 9, Royal Crescent 

MUNDY Lieut.-Gen. Fitzroy, 98, sydney Place 

BROOKE Major-Gen. J. C. 

MACKILLOP C. W., Esq., 14, Royal Crescent 

BLACK Col. G. A., 1, Bennett Street 
SKRINE H. Mills, Esq., Warleigh 

BROWNE T., Esq., 1, Fountain Buildings 

SANDYS Rev. J. E., Babington Rectory 

FOXCROFT E. T. D., Esq., Hinton Charterhouse 
DUCKWORTH Russell, Esq., The Cloisters, Perrymead 
CARLINGFORD Right Hon. Lord, The Priory. Chewton Mendip 
MAISTER Major-Gen. G., Heathfield, Mount Beacon 

GAINE Charles, Esq., Weston Lea, Weston Park 

WRIGHT Lieut.-Col. A. F. Bingham, Lower Swanswick 

SHUM F. Ernest, Esq., 4, Union Str-et 

PHILP Captain Francis Lamb, Pendogget, Timsbury 

PESTER Major-Gen. H. L., Fern Lodge, Weston Road 
BYTHESEA Major-Gen. H. F., 20, Grosvenor 

BARLOW W. H., Esq., Cleveland Villa, Bathwick 

NORMAN G., Esq., M.B., 12, Brock Street 

PIGOUT Lieut.-Col. A., 7, Cavendish Crescent 

TUCKER. J. Allon, Esq., 12. Northgate Street 

GRAHAM Thos., Esq., 13, Kensington 

POWELL G. F., Esq., Butt Ashe Cottage Lyncombe Hill 

PITT W., Esq , C.E., 5, Wideombe Terrace 

CHRISTMAS W. O., Esq., Pulteney Villa, Bathwick : 
MANTELL A. A., Esq., M.D., The Elms, Bathampton 
KITT Benjamin, Esq., C E., Sydney Lodge, Bathwick : 
WICKES W. H., Esq., Wynaytt Lodge. Freshford 

BLATHWAYT Lieut.-Col. L., Eagle House, Batheaston : 
TABUTEAU Lieut.-Col. A. O., F.G.S., Brow Hill, Batheaston 


PLOW MAN T. F., Esq., 5, Terrace Walk 
BOBINSON Rev. &. Hayes, 9, Sion Place, Sion Hill 
KERR Douglas. Esq., M.D., 6, Circus 
MORGAN Edwd. Jas., Esq., Forefield House, Lyncombe Hill 
HILL W., Esq., C.E.,7, Upper East Hayes 

WARKRY Henry C., Esq., 43, Rivers Street 

HALL A. B. Esq., 3, Raby Place 

BURN Colonel, 17, Lansdown Crescent 

KING Austin J., Esq., 19, Portland Place : 
JANVRIN A. F., Esq., 1, Queen's Parade Place q 
PUMPHREBY W., Esq., The Cottage, Lyncombe Vale 

O'CONNELL Major-Gen. P., R.E., 2, College Koad, Lansdown 

BYROM Edmond, Esq., Byland House, Cleveland Walk 

ADYE Charles 8. Esq., Bradford 

BEATSON W. B., Esq., M.D., 11, Cavendish Place 

HUTH Captain F. H., 20, Lansdown Crescent 

RENDELL Rev. L. T., Rectory, Timsbury 

STROVER Major-Gen., R.A., 2, Springfield Place 

BARTRUM J. 3.. Esq., J-P., 13, Gay Street 

STUBBS Rev. E. T., 11, Oxford Row 

GEORGE Rev. P. E., Winifred House 

SKRINE Lieut.-Col. C., Laurel Cottage, Sion Hill 

LEWIS Egbert, Esq., 12, Grosvenor 

FULLER E. N., Esq., 4, Ainslie’s Belvedere 


How. Members. 


DAWKINS Professor W. Boyd, F.R.S., F.G.S., &¢., Owens College 
Manchester 

CARPENTER W. Lant, B.A., B.Sc. 

EARLE Rev. Prebendary, M.A., Swanswick Rectory, Bath 

HERIOT Col. Mackay 

BIRD H., Esq., M.D. : 

ELLACOMBE Rev. Canon, Bitton 


Supernumerary ist. 


Lieut.-Col. ST. AUBYN 28 OCT 1888 


CONTENTS OF NO. I, VOL. VL 1886. — 


enn OF 


Pace... is 
1.—CoNnTINUATION OF FUNGI FoUND IN THE NEIGH ea 
BOURHOOD OF Batu, By C. E. Brooms, F.L:S. 


2.—ON AN ABNORMAL FLOWER OF A PENSTEMON, BY: | | 
‘0; EB.  Broomes PLS. veer Ge Lea 


3.—NoTES oN RoMAN PAVING FounD In BRIDEWELL: 
LANE, BY T. BROWNE 


4.—TuHe BouRNEMOUTH Firs, BY THE Rev. LEONARD 
BLOMEFIELD, M.A., F.L.S., &c. 


5.—TuHe Ac or THE BATH. THERMAL WATERS, BY 
G. Norman, M.B. ... 


6,—Tue Earttest Map or Batu, sy EMANUEL GREEN, © 
F.S.A. SSeS ehas od hae ca sees Ses aaa 


7.—On Recent DISCOVERIES MADE IN UNCOVERING © 
THE Roman Batus at Batu, By THE Rev. — 
Pres. Scartsa, F:S.A. — ... i a bt 


8.—Upon some SCULPTURE RECENTLY DISCOVERED AT. 
THE Cross BATH, BY THE Rev, H. H. Winwoop - 


9.-NoTes oN THE OCCURRENCE OF SALT SPRINGS IN’ ~ 
THE CoaL. MEASURES AT RapstTocK, By Ji > 
McMortrig, F.G.S. fe wie Ye ee 

10.—List or Fosst, MAMMALIA FounpD NEAR BATH, BY 
THE Rev. H. H. Winwoon, F.G.S8. a Lit 

11.—SuMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FOR THE YEAR 1885-86, — 
BY THE SECRETARY ee i ae ed 


eet Sts 2 FEB 1988 
PROCEEDINGS 
é OF THE 
AND 
VOL. VI., NO. II. 


| PRICE ~HALF-A-CROWN. 


’ 


' BATH: 
“THE: ‘HERALD OFFICE, NORTH GATE. 
DAVIES, REND: PUMP ROOM LIBRARY. 


3 


mics 
5 Me by 
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a ow . ~~ Cee ne ee og) ee ae ee 


125 


Notes on the Geology of Brent Knoll, in Somersetshire. By 
Horace B. Woopwarp, -F.G.8.,* of the Geological 
Survey of England and Wales, 


(Read March 10th, 1886.) 


The conspicuous hill of Brent Knoll rises to a height of about 
450 feet above the Alluvium of the Burnham Level between 
Highbridge and the Mendip Hills ; its precise height above the 
sea-level is 457 feet. Some attention has been given to its 
Geological structure, but as it has been differently interpreted, 
_ afew remarks on the subject may be of interest. Thus the area 
_ occupied by the Romano-British Camp, was regarded by Conybeare 
and also by William Sanders as Inferior Oolite,+ while on the 
e. - Geological Survey Map (sheet 20) it was originally coloured as 
a Marlstone or Middle Lias, the lower portions of the hill being 
regarded as Lower Lias. During the re-survey of the district in 
1872, it fell to.my lot to examine Brent Knoll, and in the 
A - Memoir subsequently published, a section to illustrate the 
_ structure of the hill was inserted.t This section represented the 
4 Knoll to be capped by a thin layer of the ‘“ Cephalopoda-bed ” 


composed of Upper, Middle, and Lower Lias. 

No natural section was to be seen at the encampment, but 
there were loose blocks of sandy and ferruginous limestone which 
= ontained Ammonites; and although too imperfect for specific 
_ determination, the specimens were considered by Mr. Etheridge 
3 ¢ to belong to a type that characterizes the so-called “Cephalopoda- 


Bega This paper is communicated by permission of the Director General 
of the Geological Survey, 

_ t+ Conybeare and Phillips’ “Outlines of the Geology of England dod 
Wales,” pp. 255, 275 ; Sanders’ “ Map of the Bristol Coal Fields,” 1862, 
t “Geology of East Somerset,” &c. (Geol. Survey), p. 116. 

- Vou. 6, No. 2. , 


126 


bed,” which occurs at the top of the Midford Sands in Glouces- 
tershire. So far as the divisions of the Lias were concerned, 
the identification of Upper Lias was satisfactorily proved by the 
presence of Ammonites communis, A. bifrons, &c., on the platform 
beneath the Knoll. Here pale earthy and rubbly limestones, 
(beds which characterize the lower part of the Upper Lias at 
Pennard Hill, and further south at Yeovil and Ilminster), are 
turned up in the ploughed fields and may be traced on the brow 
of the hill to the west of the Knoll. 

The Marlstone rock-bed was probably present in an attenuated 
form, although at the time of my first visit I found only “ one 
loose block on the hill which might be identified with this bed.” 
At Pennard Hill its thickness is from 15 to 18 inches, and at 
Glastonbury Tor it is not much more.* 

The rarity of sections, however, rendered the interpretation of 
the Geology of Brent Knoll far from satisfactory, and I was 
glad to have the opportunity of revisiting it in July, 1885, on 
which occasion I had the advantage of being accompanied by 
Mr. Alfred Gillett, of Street; Mr. J. Edmund Clark, and Mr 
Martin F. Woodward. 

On approaching the foot of the hill from the Brent Knoll 
railway station, our attention was attracted by a spoil heap 
thrown up from a well-sinking. This proved to consist of blue 
micaceous Shale, and a search disclosed several specimens of 
Ammonites margaritatus, together with Belemnites and fragments 
of lignite. 

This discovery leads to the conclusion that no Lower Lias is 
exposed at Brent Knoll, for the well was commenced but a few 
feet above the level of the Alluvium which encircles the hill, 
and it had been sunk to a depth of 15 or 20 feet, if not more. 


* The thickness of “about 15 feet” assigned to the “ Marlstone- 
rock,” at Glastonbury Tor, by Dr. Wright, is I feel sure much 
exaggerated. See Quart. Journ. Geol. Sce., vol. Xvi., p. 34. 


4 


. 


4 
| 


ee ee Ne le * a 
a ia . 


” 


= 


127 


There are, moreover, certain beds exposed in a lane-cutting west 
of East Brent Church, that were described by my colleague, Mr. 
W. A. E. Ussher, as “hard and rather fine-grained light grey 
Limestone, with bluish-grey spots, containing Ammonites.”- These 
beds are interstratified with clay, and I formerly regarded them 
as Lower Lias,* but they proved on re-examination to contain 
Ammonites communis, and thus to belong to the Upper Lias. 
This additional evidence confirms the view that no Lower Lias is 
exposed at Brent Knoll. 

The upper sandy beds of the Middle Lias are not well exposed 
in this hill, but they form a comparatively steep scarp, surmounted 
by the Upper Lias. Nor are the Midford Sands shown in 
section, although portions of the beds are thrown out from many 
rabbit burrows. The thin capping of the so-called ‘‘ Cephalopoda- 


¥ __ bed,” that had been inferred from the rubble and loose blocks’ 


of calcareous sandstone of which the walls of the Camp are 


formed was again examined and I was fortunate in finding a 


specimen of Rhynchonella cynocephala in one of the small 


exposures, in re-arranged material on the summit of the Knoll. 


Another and fragmentary specimen was also obtained from a 


a loose block of calcareous sandstone by Mr. J. E. Clarke. 


Considering the nature of the ground, this is the most 
satisfactory evidence that could be obtained of the age of the 
beds forming the Knoll. Specimens of Serpula also occurred, 


‘ and these prevail at the same horizon below the Inferior Oolite 
_ in the neighbourhood of Beaminster and Crewkerne. 


It should, however, be mentioned that a variety of Rhynchonella 
cynocephala has been found by Mr. E. Witchell in the lower beds 


of the Inferior Oolite near Stroud,t so that the species has a- 


higher range in the Cotteswold district than it is known to have 
in Dorsetshire. 


_ * “ Geology of East Somerset,” &c., p. 116. 
+ “ Geology of Stroud,” 1882, p. 47. 


128 


The section of Brent Knoll would therefore be the following*:— 


**Cephalopoda-bed” and 


Midford Sands’ | \ about"2004ee8 


Sands 
Upper Lias ... Clay and Stone vs > 
: Rock bed and Micaceous ) 80 
Middle Lias Sands 1 ” 


Micaceous Shales and Clays ,, 130 ,, 
Hence the section published in the Geological Survey Memoir 
is incorrect, with respect to the Lower Lias, which may now be 
altered to Middle Lias. 


SECTION OF BRENT KNOLL. 
Scale three inches to one mile. A 


———————— 


a. Cephalopoda bed. c. Upper Lias. e. Middle Lias Clays. 
6. MidfordSands. . d. Mddle Lias Sands. 


Comparing Brent Knoll with Glastonbury Tor we find the 
same structure with the exception that no traces of hard 
beds at the top of the Midford Sands can there be recognized. 
The Tor is formed of these Sands, resting on a platform of 
Upper Lias Clay and Stone, beneath which come the Marlstone 
rock-bed, and the Middle Lias Sands, well shown in some of the 
deep road-cuttings. Micaceous clays and sandy Shales beneath 
the Middle Lias Sands, are opened up in three briekyards to the 
north-west of the Tor; and although I could find no organic 
remains in the beds I feel confident they belong to the same 
division as the basement beds of Brent Knoll, which contain 
Ammonites margaritatus. 

' The general sequence of beds forming the Middle Lias of this 
district is the following :— 

3. Marlstone rock-bed with 4. spinatus, A. margaritatus, &c. 


* The estimates of the thickness of each division are based on the 
height of Brent Knoll. 


129 


2. Sands—not usually fossiliferous. 

1. Micaceous Sandy Shales and Clays with 4. margaritatus. 

These beds may be traced from the Dorsetshire coast inland 
through the district north of Yeovil to Brent Knoll.* Whether 
the junction of Middle and Lower Lias should be taken at the 
base of the beds with A. margaritatus, or still lower, is a question 
about which much difference of opinion has been expressed ; but 
it is usual now to group the beds with A. capricurnus, A. 
Henleyi ; A. Jumesoni, &c., wherever they occur, with the Lower 
Lias. The Middle Lias is well developed on the Dorsetshire 
coast, but it becomes much thinner towards the Mendip Hills. 

The determination of Middle Lias at the base of Brent Knoll 
may be of some slight importance to those interested in the 
prospects of Coal on the south of the Mendips; at the Knoll 
itself a considerable thickness of Middle Lias, as well as the 
whole of the Lower Lias being present. The fault which 
stretches from the neighbourhood of Wanstrow,} to the south 
of Pilton, and brings the Lias north of Glastonbury against the 
Red Marls, is concealed beneath the Alluvium north of Meare, 
and its continuance in the neighbourhood of Brent Knoll cannot 
be indicated with any certainty. It is, however, evident that 
Brent Knoll, like Glastonbury Tor, forms part of a basin-shaped 
or synclinal structure in the rocks, and a greater thickness of 
Lias might be expected in the immediate neighbourhood of these 
hills than in the areas further away. | 

Concerning the origin of the hill itself, the denudation is 
probably due in part to subaérial and in part to estuarine agencies, 

Knolls like Brent Knoll and Glastonbury Tor are met with in 
many other parts of the south-west of England, but nowhere 


* E. C. H. Day. Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xix. p. 278, and C, 
Moore, Proc. Somerset Arch, Soc., vol. xiii., part 2, p. 119. 

+ The inlier marked as “Great Oolite” on the Geological Survey 
Map, at Waustrow, is in reality Fulle:’s Earth. 


150 


else are they so conspicuous from the fact that at these localities 
they are further removed from the main mass of Oolites in the 
escarpment. Near Bridport, Colmer’s Hill is a well-known Knoll 
of Midford Sands and many other outliers of the Sand and 
Inferior Oolite are met with in this neighbourhood. Further 
north again similar Knolls occur near Montacute and other places 
between Ilminster and Castle Cary. Those near South Cadbury 
indicate how the severance of outliers from the main mass may 
take place. 

Subterranean drainage and erosion in the first instance may 
lead to the formation of underground channels in the impervious 
Lias Clays beneath the porous Midford Sands and the Limestones 
of the Inferior Oolite. The Limestones themselves may be in 
part wasted by chemical dissolution, and if channels are formed 
in subjacent strata, slight subsidences must take place here and 
there, and pave the way for the disconnection of portions of the 
main Limestones to form outliers. The subsequent more 
complete isolation of the severed masses, is due to the superficial 
and subterranean denudation by rain and streams. And in the 
case of Brent Knoll, as well as in that of Glastonbury Tor (to 
some extent), the influence of the estuarine waters that once 
spread over the Somersetshire levels, must have helped to com- 
plete the denudation. The preservation of both Brent Knoll and 
Glastonbury Tor, however, appears to be due to the basin-shaped 
arrangement of the strata, and this although slight, has exercised 
some influence on the agents of subaérial denudation. 


Place-Names derived from Plants (in the Neig des of Bath). 
By Rev. CANON ELu ACOME I 


(Read March 1 16th. 1886.) 


I feel that I ought to apologise to the members of the Club 
for offering them a paper on such a hackneyed subject as Place 
and Plant-Names; but by limiting the question to the neighbour 


as 


131 


hood of Bath, and so giving a local colouring, I hope my short 
paper may have an interest which it would not have otherwise. 
The process of naming places by our early ancestors was a 
very simple one. Like all uncivilized people they chose out 
their settlement in the places best fitted for their mode of life, 
looking out for the necessary requirements of water, wood and 
shelter. Tacitus described it in his terse way (speaking of the 
Germans) “Colunt discreti ac diversi, ut fons, ut campus, ut 
nemus placuit—suam quisque domum spatio circumdat” *— 
and having so squatted they named the place after the fons, 
campus or nemus—giving it one of the many names signifying 
stream, or wood, or meadow. But as the squattings increased in 
number it was necessary still further to distinguish them, and so 
they looked out for some distinctive natural feature which would 
mark out their special property, and among these natural 
features trees and plants would readily present themselves for 
the purpose of place-names.¢ It is these placenames from trees 
and plants which form my subject to-night—and I shall try and 
show not only that the trees and plants enter largely into place- 
names, but also that their use as place-names tells us something 


about the plants. I begin with the forest trees—and first with 
- The Oak. We are fond of calling this grand tree the British 


Oak, and rightly so; there is no doubt whatever that it is a 


native tree, and it forms a part of some place-names. In its 


present form of Oak it is not much used in this part of the 
country.. There is an Oakhill, near Bath, but I fancy that is a 
modern name, and there is an Oaksey, near Cirencester, which 
we, with a little stretch, can claim as a neighbour. But its 
older form of ac, which we retain in acorn, is also retained in 
many place-names. We have, in this neighbourhood, Iron Acton 


* Germania, c. 16. 
+ Names so distinguished are of course not so old as the simpler 
forms—and many of them may be comparatively modern. 


132 


and Acton Turville. Many of you know those places, and would 
at once say that neither of them now are remarkable for 
abundance of Oaks, and there is no doubt, that not only in those 
places but throughout England, the Oak is becoming scarce, 
except where preserved in parks or such places. The reason is, as 
I suppose, that though the Oak ripens a very large quantity of 
fruit (in this respect being unlike the Elm which never ripens 
any in England), yet both the acorn and the young tree are 
searched for as food for so many animals, that you seldom find 
a colony of Oak seedlings except in sheltered and protected 
places.* The Oak is seldom planted, as planters now look out for 
a rapid growing tree instead of one “datura nepotibus umbram” 
—and when cut down it dies, in that respect also being unlike 
the Elm, and Poplar, and some other trees, which when cut down 
often send up large colonies of saplings from the roots, which not 
only soon take the place of the parent tree, but largely extend 
its bounds. 

The Ash is an undoubted native—and probably less than two 
hundred years ago it was the most abundant of the wild trees of 
England, and was probably as abundant in the south of 
England as it is still in the north. Its great abundance is shown 
by the many places named after it. In the last edition of Lewis’ 
“ Topographical Dictionary ” there are no less than 122 places in 
which the Ash forms a distinct part of the name, and there are 
perhaps as many in which the word is more or less hidden, and 
of these 122 a large portion are in the south of England. In our 
neighbourhood we have Cold Ashton, Long Ashton, Steeple 
Ashton, Rood Ashton, Ashwick, and others; and we have the 
common family name of Nash. But now the Ash is not one of 
our most common trees, and the reason is that it has been 
pushed out of our hedgerows by the 


* Tusser pointed this out long ago :— 
“Tf cattle or coney may enter to crop, 
Young oak is in danger of losing his top.” 


133 


Elm. This is not a native tree. Its very name (corrupted from 
ulmus) shows its foreign origin, and the fact that it never ripens 
its seed in England is another proof of the same. Yet it is now 
our commonest tree. In Evelyn’s time Elm trees were not found 
in Shropshire and several other counties, and rarely any beyond 
Stamford.* It was probably introduced by the Romans, and 
must at once have spread rapidly, for though Aubrey said that 
there were only three places in England named from the Elm, 
yet it would be easy to find more. In Somersetshire there are 
two places called Elm, and in my own parish is a family, of long 
standing, called Elms or Nelms. These are probably from the 
Elm, but I think it doubtful whether some other places such as 


_ Elmley, Elmworth, &c., may not have some other origin, because 


I find that one of the places so named is in the Isle of Sheppy, 
and I feel sure that there never could have been there such a 
growth of Elms as to give a name. The whole Isle is almost 
treeless. There is an Elm which is a true native, the Wych Elm, 
_ but it does not spread like the other Elm, and so is a much less 
common tree. I am not aware of any places named after the 
Wych, unless Wychnor, in Staffordshire, and Wychwood Forest 
_ may be so named ; but if there was any place so named it would 
_ be difficult to distinguish it on the one hand from the common 


3 Wic, which we have in Wick, Bathwick, Swanswick, &c., and on 
:. the other from the Wich which marks the salt works. 


There is a village under Lansdown called Beach, and it is 
always assumed that it is so named from the tree. It may be so, 


q but there are no Beeches there now, and the soil is not that in 
___ which you would expect a natural growth of Beeches. The name 


__ is certainly an old one, it occurs in the old accounts of the manor 
as Le Beche, and I am inclined to look for the derivation of the 
mame in another direction. The village lies under that 
_ remarkable acutely-pointed headland which we call Derby Point, 


* Sylva, C. iv. 


134 


and I think it very probable that le Beche, is another form of 
le Bec, the beak, just as in other parts of the country such a 
headland would be called a ness.* 

There can be little doubt that the Birch gives the name to 
Berkley—its old name Beorca-ley shows this. The Birch is 
certainly not the tree of Berkley now, but we must recollect 
that when the name was given, the rising ground on which 
Berkley stands was a promontory or almost a peninsula jutting 
out from the Cotteswold into a vast impenetrable morass, the 
drainage of which has completely altered the vegetation, so that 
there may well have been Birches there in olden times, which 
have now given place to Elms and Oaks. Shakespeare describes 
the trees of Berkley as Bolingbroke and Percy saw them from 
Stinchcombe Hill, and as he may have often seen them from the 
same “wild high hills and rough uneven ways” that Northum- 
berland complained of— 

“There stands the castle, by yon tuft of trees.”t 
but he does not tell us what the trees were. 

And near Berkley there is another place named after a tree, 
and apparently now misnamed. This is Alderly, which must be 
named after the Alders, as many other places are. Alderly now 
is at a considerable elevation above the low ground in which we 
should look for Alders,{ and so the name probably tells us some- 
thing of the history of the place ; that the first settlement was 
‘in the lower ground, as most early settlements were for the sake 
of water, but that it afterwards migrated to the higher ground, 
taking, however, with it its older name. The very same thing 
must have happened with Marshfield. Such a name could never 
have been given to that dry exposed hogs-back on which the 
present Marshfield stands, but it must point to an older 


* Compare “ High Beach,” in Epping Forest. 
+ Ric: IL, A, 2. s. 3. 
t Crassisque paludibus alni nascuntur—Geo. II., 110. 


135 


settlement in the lower ground adjoining some part of Box 
Brook, afterwards deserted for the higher ground. In my own 
parish is the hamlet of Oldland. The name is a puzzle, and one 
of the many suggestions I have received is that it is Alder-land. 
This is rendered rather probable by the fact that it is sometimes 
written Aldeland But against it must be set the fact that there 
are other Oldlands, all like this in the neighbourhood of an 
ancient forest, and the name is said (but I cannot recollect the 
authority) to denote land recovered from the forest, and not 
subject to the laws of the forest manor. 

The mention of Box Brook may at once take us to the Boz. 


There is no doubt that the village of Box is not named from the 


tree. It is one of those numberless places which are named 
from the streams, and which appear in every direction under the 
different forms of Axe, Exe, Ix, Ox, Ux, with all sorts of 
different initials and terminals—the same word appears in the 
centre of Shockerwick in the same parish.* But if Box is not 
named from the tree, we may almost (though not quite) certainly 
claim it for Boxwell. Many of you will know that remarkable 
valley sloping from the Cotteswold, near Dursley, covered with a 
wonderful growth of old Eox trees. Any who have not seen it 
may be recommended to visit it, for it is within easy reach of 
Bath, and it is one of the most remarkable woods I know. 

The Lime or Lind may give its name to Lincombe, but though 
T have made some little search for the origin of the name, I have 
~ not been able to meet with any that would be decisive. 

Before quite leaving the forest trees I would just mention that 
the reason more places are not named from the trees is that many 
of the most common trees are modern. The Plane has not been 
much more than 300 years in England. The Spanish Chestnut 
is older, but is a complete foreigner. The Horse Chestnut, now 
so common, is an eastern tree, unknown in England 200 years 


re a aig ee ie se 


* On the upper part of the same stream is Okeford. 


136 


ago. The Fir tree is a native, and gives its name to a few places, 
but not in these parts; and the Walnut, by its very name, is a 
foreigner. hs 

I will now go to somewhat humbler trees. I am surprised that 
so few places are named from the Holly or Holm. It must once 
have been most abundant, and probably formed the chief 
underwood of Kingswood Forest. But I know of no placa 
certainly named after it. There are plenty of Holmes, but they 
all mean Islands, There is, however, a Holcombe near Bath, 
which may have been Holmcombe, and if so, it must have been so 
named from the Holly—a valley could not have been named from 
an island. I am also surprised to find none named after the 
Hazel ; for Evelyn says, “for the place they above all affect. 
- . Where quarries of freestone lie beneath.” Yet, though we 
have abundance of freestone, I know of no other place named 
after the Hazel nearer than Haslebury, in Wiltshire, and 
Hasleton, near Cheltenham. 

I know of no place near here named after the Elder, but 
I mention it because there is a family name, known to some of 
us, which may be traced to that tree, I mean the name of 
Ellacombe. The old form of Elder was Eller, or Ellern, and 
Eller-combe or Ellern-combe would very easily be written 
phonetically Ella-combe. Ferguson, however (a good authority 
on names), says that Ell or Elli is the old Norse form for the 
Alder.* SoIcan take my choice between the Alder and the Elder. 

I wish we could say that the different Hayes—Combehay, &c., 
were named after the Hawthorn, but I suppose they are simply 
“‘Hagas” (enclosed lands), the same word which afterwards 
became “ Hedge.” It is true that the same word also forms the 
first syllable of Hawthorn, but we cannot stretch it further. We 
can, however, claim the Thorn as the chief component of 
Thornbury. 


* Ferguson’s “ North Men,” p. 125, 


iii, 


a 


137 


Thorns naturally lead us to Gorse and Furze. There is a hill 
near Lansdown called Frizen Hill, now generally corrupted to 
Freezing Hill, and believed to be so named as being the coldest 
part of Cold Ashton, in which parish it lies. I was sorry to see 
this mistake perpetuated in two publications of great authority, 
the “Ordnance Survey” and the “Proceedings of the Bath 
Field Club” *—for it is a mistake. Frizen, or Frysen, is merely 
the old form of furzen, and within the memory of man the hill 
was an open hill covered with Furze, and I have conversed with 
men who helped to grub up the furze that gave the name and 
enclose the land, and a lane leading from it is called Gorse Lane. 

I know of no place near Bath named after fruits. In some 
parts the Apple has given a name to a few places, but not here. 
The nearest approach is such a name as Orchardleigh. 

But we have places named from the Vine—not parishes, but 
fields. I believe there is no parish named from the Vine, but 
there are many places that have Vines and Vineyards. Bath is 
one, and the position of the Bath Vineyards, facing due south, 
with full protection behind and a warm brashy soil, must have 
been the best possible for the growth of the Vine. At 
Claverton there is another, and I have to thank Mr. Skrine, not 


_ only for showing me the old position, in some respects almost 
_ better than the Bath one, but also for giving me much interesting 


history connected with it. Vineyards have now gone from Bath, 
as they have from other parts of England; but I am sure that a 
search into the names of fields in many parishes round Bath 


_ would bring to light the former existence of many old Vineyards. 


It is the same with hops. The time was when it paid the farmer 
to grow his own hops, and in many parishes there are fields 
called Hop Gardens (there is one at Bitton), but the cultiva- 
tion ceased to pay when it was cheaper to buy hops grown on 
more favourable soils. 

Of more humble plants I can only name the nettle as giving 


* Vol. iv., p. 290. 


138 


names to places. In Somersetshire we have a Nettlecombe, and 
there is a Nettlebridge near Radstock, and if it is really so 
named from the plant, it is an additional proof of the value 
attached to the nettle by our forefathers as the chief fibre plant. 
You will recollect in the churchwardens’ accounts of St. Michael’s, 
read to us by Mr. Pearson, one entry pro wrticis, and the plant 
is often mentioned in the old cookery books as a good vegetable. 
I know of no place named after flowers, strictly so called.* 
Our ancesters had to look after something more materially useful 
than roses and gilly flowers, when they chose their settlements, 
(it required a more advanced state of civilisation to name an 
“habitation ” after a “ primrose.”) But there is one place near 
Bath for which a flower derivation has been claimed; this is 
Claverton, and on this name I should like to speak a little more 
at length and so conclude. There are many places in England 
compounded of Claver, and it is quite possible that in some of 
these (as in Claverham, Clavermead), the word may mean Clover, 
of which the old form is Claver, thereby preserving its connection 
through the French Cleffre with the Latin Clava, a club, a connec- 
tion which we now preserve by calling the trefoils on our cards 
clubs. {But in Claverton we are prevented from applying this 
derivation, because in the Saxon codex the name is certainly 
written Clat-ford-tun,t+ and on this name it has been decided, 
chiefly by Professor Earle, that Clat is the same as Clote, and that 
Clote means the Water Lily, and so the whole name means the 
village by the ford of the Water Lily. Professor Earle calls this 
‘a pretty example.” I entirely agree with the prettiness, but 
I venture to doubt its correctness, and for these reasons :— 
Supposing that Clat could be converted into Clote (which is 


* Flax Bourton is so named, not from the Flax plant, but from 
having belonged to Flaxley Abbey—(Rutter). 

+ Charter of Wulfwarn, 694, and ic geaun Wulfmere mynum 
yldrad suna thoes landes cet Clatfordtune mid mete and mid mapnum 
and mid eallre tilthe. 


a 


a ay ee 


Ee eee 
y . 


139 


doubtful), there is absolute proof that Clote never meant the 


Water Lily in the days when Claverton first got its name. Clote 


always meant the bur or burdock and nothing else. On this 
point there is a complete consensus of all the old writers, 
beginning with the early vocabularies, through the early diction- 
aries, such as the Promptorium, the Catholicon and the dictionaries 
of Cotgrave and Palsgrave, through all the old Herbalists of the 
16th and 17th centuries, down to our own day, in which the 
name has been almost lost. In all of these the Clote is always 
the Lappa, the bur or burdock, and there is not the slightest hint 
that the name was ever applied to the Water Lily. But about 
forty years ago Mr. Barnes stated in his Poems of Rural Life, 
that in Dorsetshire the Water Lily is now called the Clote. It may 
be so now occasionally, and the fact is curious as an instance where 
a lost name has survived and been transferred to another plant, 
but it is no proof as to any such ancient use of the word, and the 
loose way in which the English peasant names plants deprives the 
fact of any etymological value.* But it was taken up by three 


_ different persons, all of good authority—first by Cuckayne.t In 


an Anglo-Saxon Leechdom is a remedy against worms—“ take 
dock or clote, such as would swim;” and Cockayne, following 
Barnes’ lead, thinks that ‘‘Clote that would swim,” may be the 


‘Water Lily. But I have no doubt that the “Clote that would 


swim” would be the Water Clote, i.e, the water-bur, ditch-bur, 


or reed-bur,} especially as the medical qualities do not apply to 


* “Throughout our travels in India we were struck with the undue 
reliance placed on native names of plants, and information of all kinds, 
and. the pertinacity with which each linguist adhered to his own 
crotchet as to the application of terms to natural objects and their 
pronunciation. It is a very prevalent but erroneous impression, that 
savage and half-civilised people have an accurate knowledge of objects 
of natural history and a uniform nomenclature for them.”—Hooker, 
“Himalayan Journal,” II, 328—note. 

+ Cockayne II. 123. Sparganium ramosum. 


140 


the reputed qualities of the Water Lily, and Protcssor Skeat 
approves of this interpretation. The next was Halliwell. In his 
dictionary of Archaic words, he has—‘ Clote, the yellow Water 
Lily. Chaucer has Clote leaf, explained the leaf of the burdock, 
although the present meaning best suits the context *—see 
Gerard, p. 674, and Cloten in Walter de Bibblesworth.” Now 
having been taught to “verify your references,” especially in the 
case of voluminous writers, I went to these two referred to with 
this result—Gerard calls the Clote the Bur, and gives no hint 
that the Water Lily was so named, but he says of the Water Lily 
that “it is good against the pilling away of the haire of the 
head,” and that the flowers made into oil coole and refrigerate the 
’ temples,” that isall Gerard says. Walter de Bibblesworth wrote a 
long poem in the French of his day, the 14th century, and in it 
is thist— 

Sy vus trovet en toun verger 

Ameroke e gletoner 

Les aracez de un besagu 

E choletz plantez en lour lu. 
The poem has an English interlinear gloss and gletoner is 
translated Cloten, so the whole is—“ If you find in your garden 
Mayweed or Cloten, dig them up with your fork, and plant 
marygolds in their place.” I do not think this proves anything, 
except, perhaps, that the Cloten there spoken of could not have 
been the Water Lily. 

The third person I spoke of is Professor Earle. He is a very 
great authority, so great that I could not venture to enter the 
lists against him myself. All I can do is to enter them by 
deputy, by sending against him another professor of equal or 


* Chaucer’s words are— 
“ A Clote-leaf he had under his hood 
For swote, and for to keep his head from hete.” 
“ Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale.” 
+ Wright, p. 162. 


141 


greater weight. Professor Skeat, in his notes on Chaucer, refers 
to this theory of the Clote being the Water Lily, but soon dis- 
misses it as of no value. He refers, however, to Gerard, and on 
my writing to him on the subject, he wrote as follows :— 

“Tt is not J who refer to Gerard. I only say that Halliwell refers 
to Gerard ; and he gives the reference which I copy. I did not look it 
up, because I did not believe in it. As to Claverton, it is simply a 
ract that either that place, or some other place of like name, is spelt 
Clatfordtin in a charter published by Kemble in his ‘Codex 
Diplomaticus.’ There is also an A.S. Clatford as a place-name, and 
still two parishes named Ciarrorp. But it cannot well mean Clote- 
ford, for the reason that if the A.S. word was Cldt, it would now be 
Clote ; but it is not ; therefore the A.S. word was Clat (with short a), 


_ and it did not mean Clote, but something else. Had it meant ‘Clote,’ 
_ your place would have been Cléverton with long o.” 


Here I might well stop, but my inquiry into this one name has 
led me into so many pleasant paths that I should like to conclude 
the argument from my own researches. I now feel certain that 
Clat or Clote, in Claverton, never had any connection with the 
Water Lily for this reason, that the Water Lily did not grow 
there when the name was given. I feel certain that there were 
no wild Water Lilies, and very few, if any, cultivated ones in the 
South of England for many centuries after that date. There is a 
botanical reason for this. The plant is a northern one, and 
perhaps indigenous in Scotland, but it is of such a rapid growth, 
that if it had been long introduced, the still waters of our 


_ southern rivers would have been filled with it by this time. I 


can recollect the large pond at Warmley when I could pull or sail 
on it anywhere. A Water Lily has since then been introduced, 
and now the pond is completely choked with them. And that it 
was not known as a wild plant is proved by the early writers. 


_ The writers of the early Vocabularies found Nympheza in Pliny, 


and so tried to translate it, but could make nothing of it; and 
the early Herbalists of the 16th and 17th centuries all name it, but 


they all copy one from another, and none of them name any wild 


L 


142 


habitat for it. If Turner or Gerard had ever found it, they 
would have said so—they are always fond of giving localities ; 
Gerard so much so, that he was convicted on one occasion of 
planting a rare plant in one locality and then discovering it, 
and publishing the locality. In Ray’s time it had reached 
Cambridgeshire, but the first notice that I can find of it south of 
the Trent is in Blackstone’s “Specimen Botanicum,” 1746. He 
names a few places round London, and among them Windsor 
Lake. This looks as if the plant might have been introduced 
from Scotland to please the Scottish King, James I., or he might 
have introduced it himself, for he was fond of introducing rarities. 
The whole of what is now Buckingham Palace and Gardens was 
planted by him with mulberries to encourage the silk trade. 

But to my mind there is a still stronger proof that the 
plant was unknown in England, because with the exception of 
the Herbalists, the plant is entirely absent from English 
literature, either under its name of Water Lily or its other name 
of Water Rose. When we consider what a grand plant the 
Water Lily is, it seems impossible that it could have escaped the 
notice of all our writers, who yet notice so many of our wild 
plants. It is not named by Chaucer, Gower, or Spenser, nor by 
Shakespeare (who surely must have named it in the death of 
Ophelia had he ever seen it); nor by Drayton, who wrote a long 
account of rivers; nor by Vaughan, the Silurist, who had a 
special eye for all things that grew in or by rivers; nor by 
Herbert, Marvell, or Herrick. Not trusting my own research 
I applied to Dr. Murray, who is always most helpful, and he at 
once sent me all the slips that they had been able to collect, 
expressing at the same time his surprise at finding the plant 
unnamed except by the Herbalists.* It is named once in a 


* There is a passage in Walton’s Angler which apparently proves 
the contrary :—‘‘ You are to cleanse your pond, if you intend either 
profit or pleasure, once every three or four years. . . . to kill the 


he ee 


’ 


os 
Nr 


143 


Scotch Book, “The Complaynt of Scotland,” 1549, but the 
plant is Scotch—the first English writer that names it is Byron, 
in 1818.* From all this I conclude that Clote does not mean 

_ Water Lily, and that Claverton does not owe its name to that 

grand flower. If I were asked what the name does mean, I 

should say that I do not know—but in lack of a better derivation 

‘I should think that we might adopt the well-known rule of 

rejecting or paying no attention to initials (consonants), in 

; names, and should say that Ulatfordtun is simply At. ford tun, 

the farm at the ford, which exactly describes the place. But 

this is a mere guess to be taken quantum valeat. 

I have only in conclusion to say-that I offer this paper to the 
Club not as an exhaustive account of the names of places in the 
neighbourhood, but as a slight sketch which others can fill in at 
their leisure.+ 


water weeds, as water lillies, candocks, reate, and bull-rushes that 
breed there.”—c. xx. But this chapter was not in the first edition, 
4 and is confessedly not original, but a compiled translation from 
. _Dubravius and Lebault. The words of Lebault are:—“On si tu 
veux avoir proffit de son estang ou de la fosse, tu dois prendre soing 
s & la curer de trois en trois ans oster les roseaux, ioncs, et larges ftelles 
que 1’6 appelle nymphee de fleurs d’eau,” &c, If the Water Lily was 
F as abundant in the streams round London in Isaac Walton’s time as 
_ itis now, it seems impossible that he could have overlooked them, both 
3 as a keen observer of natural objects and as an angler. 


Since writing this I have found that Cowper’s Poem on the Dog 
and the Water Lily was published in 1799. 

. + I have found in the “Synonoma Bartholomei,” 1387, a strong 
confirmation of my opinion that the old writers did not confuse Clote 
and Water Lily, he says :—Ungula caballina est duplex, videlicet 
_ terrestris que confert ptisicis et ethicis, et aquatica, cnjus flos dicitur 
ke nenufar, Ungula caballina campestris, i. clote.” 


144 


Address to the Members of the Bath Field Club, in reference to the 
death of C. E. Broeme, Esq., F.L.S. By Rev. L. BLoMEFIELD, 
M.A., F.LS., F.G.S., &c., President. 


(Read December 8th, 1886.) 


GENTLEMEN, 

Before proceeding to any other subject, I am 
anxious to address you this afternoon in reference to the great 
loss our Club has sustained by the death of Mr. Broome, one of 
our original Members. I think some record of so earnest and 
hard working a naturalist should appear in our “ Proceedings.” 
With a view to this, I have briefly put together the chief 
particulars of his life, wishing afterwards to speak of him, as a 
friend personally known to myself over a long term of years, and 
as a Member of this Club. : 

Christopher Edmund Broome was born at Berkhamstead in 
1812. His father, Christopher Broome, lived at White Hill, 
Berkhamstead, and was a lawyer by profession, and is said to 
have been “a strictly just and most excellent kind-hearted man.” 
His mother was a Miss Seller, a niece of Lady Knightly, of 
Fawesley. 

At the age of nine Broome went to a school at Dr. Jamieson’s, 
at Kensington. This school, a few months after, being moved to 
Heston, near Hounslow, Broome went with it, and remained 
there till he was eighteen, in 1830. 

It was in this year that his father died ; two years after which 
he and his mother went to live at Chelsea, and it was from thence 
he went to be the pupil of a clergyman who held the curacy of 
Swaffham Prior, in Cambridgeshire, with whom he remained till 
he went up to the University. He was entered at Trinity Hall, 
Cambridge, October 23rd, 1832, the same college to which his 
tutor belonged, and took his degree in January, 1836. In April 
of that same year, he married Charlotte Horman, fourth daughter 
of the Rey. John Bush, incumbent of Chelsea Old Church. 


145 


A few months after his marriage he went to liye at Rudloe 
Cottage, Rudloe Firs, near Box, a place probably known to some of 
~ the Members of this Club, though the house is now pulled down. 
Thence, in 1844, he moved, for nine months, to Wraxall Lodge, 
near Bristol, and thence again for a few years to Clifton, where 
he became very intimate with Thwaites, a botanist of high 
reputation and well known in the botanical world, and who was 
afterwards Curator of the Botanical Gardens in Ceylon. I 
suspect it was at this time that he began to give especial attention 
to the Fungi, as he is said ‘to have made, with Thwaites, many 
expeditions in the neighbourhood in search of truffles.” It was 
in November, 1848, that Broome took up his abode at Elmhurst, 

_ near Bath, where he remained for the rest of his life. 
I would now speak of my own acquaintance with Broome, who 
_ was the oldest friend I had—relatives apart. It arose out of the 
circumstance mentioned above, of his coming to be the pupil of a 
clergyman who was curate in the next parish to my own 
vicarage of Swaffham Bulbeck, in Cambridgeshire. I was 
4 intimate with the tutor, and I soon became intimate with the 
_ pupil, especially when I found him taking an interest in Natural 
History, for which he seemed to have a latent taste, only waiting 
to be evoked according as circumstances were more or less 
favourable. And circumstances certainly did favour him ; for the 
tutor himself, under whom he was placed, was fond of collecting 
_ fossils and rare plants for his garden, independent of my own 
_ Natural History pursuits, which I had taken up many years 

before the pupil came. 

____ Nor could any young naturalist have been placed in a richer or 
more attractive neighbourhood, in a Natural History point of 
view, than that in which Broome found himself. Newmarket 
Heath, with its wide expanse of unenclosed land, crossed by the 


miles, and only disturbed in places ; this Ditch terminating at one 
, extremity in the Woodlands, at the other in the Fens, the latter 


146 


reaching far and wide, even to Ely and beyond, as well as in 
other directions. This whole district not merely abounded in 
birds, insects, shells and plants, but in certain localities were to be 
found many rare species, of plants especially, seldom met with in 
other parts of England. I know nothing in Somerset, within 
easy reach from Bath, approaching to the Cambridgeshire Fens in 
this respect, except it be Shapwick Moor, as it was formerly, 
when Broome and myself twice visited it, and had a most 
successful day’s botanising each time, but not as now, when little 
of the Moor remains, its chief rarities having in great measure 
disappeared with it. 


Such was the rich neighbourhood in which Broome found him- . 
self situated, and of which he soon availed himself. He set about 


collecting insects, plants, and its other natural productions, and 
we frequently took walks together. In 1832, as stated above, he 
entered the University, where I often met him for a day’s 
excursion, or visited him in his college rooms, and where also he 
became acquainted with Henslow, Professor of Botany at that 
time, and whose botanical excursions, with his class, I think he 
often joined. Darwin had taken his degree the January previous 
to Broome’s entering the University in October, 1832, and I am 
not sure that the latter ever made the acquaintance of that distin- 
guished naturalist, who, soon after graduating, left Cambridge to 
accompany Captain Fitzroy on the far-famed voyage of the 
Beagle. 

After Broome left the University we still kept up our 
acquaintance, but we only met at intervals in London or else- 
where. His frequent change of residence caused an interruption 
of all companionship in Natural History excursions, though it left 
a place for occasional correspondence. It was not till after he 
had fixed his residence at Elmhurst, Batheaston, and myself had 

-moved from Cambridgeshire and come to Bath, that we were able 
to associate together as formerly for field explorations. 


And here I am led to speak of him in connection with the. 


| 


— 


ea 
4 
“4 


147 


origin of this Club, and the circumstances that led to it, which 
may not be known to all the Members, and which it may be of 
interest to put on record. Broome was one of the original 

Members of the Bath Field Club, no other remaining now except 
Mr. Scarth (Vice-President) and myself. But Broome was more 
than an original Member. I should not be far from the truth in 
saying—that he was a joint founder of it with myself. True I 
originated the idea, but the idea would never have been carried 
out but for Broome. It would never have received shape, but 
for the circumstance of the weekly walks, which he and I agreed 
to take for the investigation of the Natural History of Bath. Of 
these walks I proceed to speak. 

_ When I first came to this neighbourhood I resided for a time 
at Southstoke, near Combe-Down. Broome, having heard that I 
was there, took an early opportunity of walking across the Down 

and coming to see me, and we were both glad to renew an 
acquaintance which had been interrupted for some years previous. 
We then arranged that the most agreeable way of keeping up the 
acquaintance, having especial regard to the pursuits we had in 
common, would be to take weekly walks together in order to 
explore the Natural History of the Bath district. Thursday was 
the day fixéd on, and the walks, weather permitting, were taken 
recularly. It was not long, however, before we were joined by 
friends ; two others especially, both now deceased, joined us 
regularly— Captain Hewitt and Mr. Mackarness, the latter Father 


; 4 of the present Bishop of Oxford, who was then living at Bathford, 


‘not very far from Elmhurst. These gentlemen entered warmly 
into our project, and it was agreed that we should meet at each 
other’s house in turn as a starting point, regard of course being 
had to the direction in which we were going and the spot we 
wished to visit. 

Others also joined in the walks from time to time, until I 
thought things were ready for a move towards setting up a club 


a similar to the Berwickshire, Tyneside and Cotteswold Field 


148 


Clubs, the only ones, I believe, then existing, though now 
abounding throughout the country. Accordingly I invited all 
who were favourable to the scheme to meet me on an appointed 
day at the Literary Institution, where, in the room now called 
the Lockey Room, after reading over for approval a few rules 
which I had drawn up, and which I thought would serve in the 
first instance, on the 18th of February, 1855, the “ Bath Natural 
History and Antiquarian Field Club” took its beginning. 

But to return to him of whom I desire to speak most on this 
occasion : Broome was naturally quiet and reserved, and did not 
show to advantage in public gatherings. But as a companion in 
a walk—a botanising excursion especially—none could excel him, 
none make himself more friendly and agreeable. 

Broome had an uncommon sharp eye in looking after a plant 
known to grow in a particular locality, and which we were in 
search of. He seemed to have a sort of instinctive determination 
not to leave the place till one of us had found it, unless compelled 
by circumstances to do so, and the discovery of the first specimen 
rested much oftener with him than with myself. 1 remember 
only two instances in which neither of us had any success, and 
when we were forced to return home without the prize. In one 
of the cases we were led to think afterwards it was a mistake, and 
that the plant did not grow there at all; in the other, that the 
plant had become extinct in that particular locality. 

He was also clever in finding his way about in strange places. 
When at a loss about the road or in doubt as to where a par- 
ticular path led, I always left the decision to him, feeling sure we 
should come right in the end. 

It was mostly during our quiet walks alone that we carried on 
our botanical researches. The Club’s regular excursions, though 
very pleasant in themselves, afford little opportunity for any 
steady work in Natural History. I remember once, our late much 
esteemed Member, Charles Moore, on its being remarked that he 
seldom walked with the Club, gave as a reason that there was 


—_ 


ey hy 


s 


iS ae Ca ee 


149 


‘no liberty of action.” Of course when a large party is wending 
its way, on foot or by rail, to some pre-arranged place or object of 
attraction, gentlemen can hardly be expected to make any long 
stand, whilst one stops to search for fossils in a particular stratum 
unexpectedly met with—another to look for some particular 
plant. Stationary work of this kind is best done at other times. 
Accordingly it was apart from the Club, on different occasions, 
that Broome and myself collected by degrees all the rarer plants 
growing in the Bath district, besides discovering several new ones 
not mentioned in Babington’s “ Flora Bathoniensis.”* Fine 
specimens of all of them are preserved in the Herbarium, in the 
Jenyns Library, at the Bath Literary Institution. 

But Broome was not merely a local collector, he was a general 
botanist ; he had been in Italy and some other parts of the Con- 
tinent, where he had made himself acquainted with foreign plants, 
many specimens of which are preserved in his Herbarium. The 
particular department. of botany, however, in which he worked 
hardest, and to which he had given his chief attention for a long 
term of years before his death, was that of Mycology, perhaps the 
most difficult class in the Cryptogamia, and one which very few 
botanists attempt to take up asa special pursuit. The “ Pro- 
ceedings” of our Club are enriched by several of his papers 
relating to the Fungi of the Bath district, and a collection of the 
same was placed by him many years back in the Duncan Local 
Museum. 

In the study of this obscure and difficult tribe of plants, he was. 
often associated with the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, celebrated for his 
works and papers on Mosses and Fungi, and who, as a Crypte- 
gamist, stands as high as any name in this country or abroad. 
Berkeley, until his health failed, was a visitor at Elmhurst most 


* In the supplement to the “Flora Bathoniensis,” published in 
1839, Babington mentions Broome as one of the parties from whom he 


_. had derived much assistance in his work. 


150 


years, where I often met him. I had known him ever since he 
was at Cambridge, and even in his undergraduate days he began 
to take up the study of Mycology with ardour and success. 

I have so slight an acquaintance: myself with that branch of 
botany, that I am glad to be able to give the testimony of others 
as to what Broome did in this way, and the excellence of his 
work. 

Broome has bequeathed his rich Collection of Fungi to the 

British Museum, and I am permitted to make an extract from a 
letter written by Mr. George Murray, an assistant curator in the 
botanical department of the Museum, to one of our Members, in 
which he speaks of Mr. Broome as follows :—“ The great mass 
of his work is contained in the long series of ‘ Notices of British 
Fungi,’ contributed by him and the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, to the 
Annals and Magazine of Natural History. The whole of it, from the 
earliest to the latest, is characterised by remarkable accuracy, the 
result of faithful, conscientious research, often involving far more 
labour than appéars. A mere dry reference may contain the 
result of serious scientific labour, and in such matters as that, 
Mr. Broome took as great pains to be accurate beyond doubt as 
in far more showy researches so to speak. His modesty appeared 
in his work. No one but the Rev. Mr. Berkeley can know the 
full extent of it, but all students of the subject recognise his 
authority and trust it implicitly as of the highest order. 
It is impossible to separate the two names, Berkeley and 
Broome, they are familiar to all workers in botany, as the very 
highest authority on British Mycology, and in the first rank 
of workers in this field throughout the world.” 

Thus far the letter. Besides working in the field and in his 
study, Broome did hard work in yet another way. He was a 
successful cultivator of plants, and did much in the garden with 
his own hands. His garden was always attractive—to botanists 
especially—from its containing many choice or rare plants not 
often met with in other gardens. Perhaps the most attractive - 


Ag 
- 
= 
a 
: 


151 


part of his grounds was the drive up to his house from the 
Bannerdown Road—the borders on each side of the carriage way 
displaying an assortment of shrubby and tall herbaceous plants, 
many seldom seen in gardens, and presenting in summer, when 
in full flower and foliage, a most ornamental drive, not very long, 
but such as I never saw elsewhere in this part of the country. I 
remember when it was part of a ploughed field. The wonderful 
transformation since effected was done under Broome’s immediate 
direction, and much of it, I believe, was the work of his own 
hands. 

In truth, Broome was a hard worker by habit and by rule. 
In summer he rose at six, occasionally at five, and worked in his 
garden till breakfast, after which he worked in his study, with his 
microscope at hand ready for immediate use, as wanted, till 
luncheon. ‘Then in the afternoon, he was out for a botanising 
walk, if not called into Bath or elsewhere on some special 
business; and not unfrequently in summer, the whole day, 
between breakfast and a late dinner, was given up to some 


excursion or other, when he would walk long distances, taking 


little refreshment. He seemed to me, indeed, to eat and drink 
very sparingly at all times, and hardly what I should consider 
sufficient to meet the daily expenditure of strength and energy 
required for the work he did. For, lastly, it was in the evening, 
after dinner, that he took to his reading, especially botanical and 
other scientific periodicals, by which he kept himself abreast with 


the researches and discoveries of others in his own particular 


department. Engaged with his books in this way, he would 
often sit up, I have been told, till after midnight, sometimes till 
after the short hours had commenced. 

No wonder that nature resented such an incessant strain upon 
her energies. Interruption of health, in some form or other, had 


more than once warned him to desist and spare himself a little, 


the warning being backed by the solicitation of friends, but it 
was to no purpose. In one case, when confined to the couch by 


152 


an affection of the knee joint, I went up to visit him in his room, 
where his table, spread with the usual books and papers and the 
microscope at hand, was drawn closely up, though he could do 
but little under the circumstances. I reasoned with him as to 
the necessity of his breaking off for a while from such occupations, 
and giving rest both to his mind and body. But he only said in 
reply, “If I am to lie by and do nothing, I may as well die 
at once.” 

And no doubt it was incessant work—over fatigue of both 
mind and body—that brought on the sudden attack that proved 
fatal. He had property in Essex, which he visited regularly at 
stated times every year, his head quarters in London being 
Wood’s Hotel, Furnival’s Inn. He was there the second week of 
last month. On the evening of Friday, November 12th, after a 
fatiguing day in Essex, in wet weather, he returned to his Hotel 
as usual. Soon after he had gone up to his room, he had 
a paralytic seizure, and became insensible. In this state he 
remained, his consciousness never returning, till the evening 
of the following Monday, the 15th, when at 11 p.m. he passed 
away. A sudden death to all outward appearance, but not 
sudden to himself—he was prepared for it. He had Jatterly 
hinted to one or two of his friends that he felt he should not 
be here long. 

I conclude, gentlemen, with a few words suitable to the 
occasion, and suitable to ourselves. 

The life and death alike of our much esteemed Member reads 
a lesson to us all—a short lesson, but a most important one— 
“ Work to the full extent of your powers, but not to the injury of 
your health.” Few Members of our Club, I imagine, need to be 
cautioned against working too hard for their health’s sake, but 
there may be some to whom the first half of this advice might be 
given with advantage. When I look over the volumes of our 
“ Proceedings,” and compare the few names which stand as 
authors of the chief-papers in them, with the hundred names or 


153 


more in the list of Members, I say to myself, where are the 
many ? What are they doing to promote the objects of this Club 9 
We can ill spare a man so active at home and abroad as our late 
Member. Will no one come forward and take his place? What 
may not a man do for science, if he be only active and willing, in 
these days of evolution, when the sciences have been so rolled 
together that he who works for one, in some degree works for all. 
But I have one more thing to say respecting Broome. 1 stated 
above that he had bequeathed his collection of Fungi to the 
British Museum. I have now to add that he has bequeathed all 


~ his other collections of plants, along with the main part of his 


botanical library, consisting of about 340 volumes, to the Bath 
Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, When we consider 
this last bequest, in connection with the Jenyns Library of 
Natural History, and the Herbarium of British plants, already in 
the Institution, I conceive that hardly any place in England, out- 
side London and the Universities, Kew of course excepted, will 
henceforth be more favourably circumstanced than Bath for the 
study of botany. May there be at least one, if not more, of the 
Members of our Club desirous of availing himself of these 
resources, which promise so much assistance and success to those 
who take up this subject in good earnest. - 

But whether botanists or not, whatever be our work in the 
study or the field, may we all copy often the indomitable zeal 
and industry of our deceased friend. Let us take for our motto 
that which was the guiding star of his whole life—‘ Work while 
it is day.” 


Traces of the Saxon period in Bath and the Neighbourhood. By 
Rey. Prebendary EARLE, Professor of Anglo-Saxon. 
(Read December Sth, 1886.) 
The Rev. Prebendary EAR.z said, before I begin my subject I 
think I must say a word or two, in echo of the very kind and 
interesting remarks which our President has made upon Mr. 


154 


Broome. A great deal of what he said I was able to follow in 
my mind, and by recalling my own experience to go over the 
same ground. Many a time have I enjoyed a walk with Mr. 
Broome himself, or with some member of his family, up that 
drive of which Mr. Blomefield has spoken, and I remember 
perfectly well the circumstances of its making—how it contributed 
to the pleasure which Mr. Broome had in it, that it was a son 
of his who had been to the Colonies and had come home who 
engineered it and planned it for him. I have often gone round 
Mr. Broome’s garden with him; I have been with him to 
Bitton, and spent a day or half a day among Mr. Ellacombe’s 
remarkable collection of trees and plants; for Mr. Ellacombe 
is very fond of bringing home and domesticating rare and 
wild English plants which are to be found in his garden, as well 
as many exotics. It is fresh in my memory that I went up more 
than once to Mr. Broome’s room when he was confined to his 
sofa, and as Mr. Blomefield has already told you, he was always 
at his table with his work before him. I remember that summer 
extremely well. He had been with his son to the Alps on a walking 
tour, and keeping pace with the activity of the young man, had 
done too much, and so he was for some months confined to his 
house by a stiffening in the knee. I am sure that I shall be ex+ 
pressing the sentiments of many when I say that Mr. Blomefield, 
in the way in which he has brought his friend and our friend before 
our minds in this memoir, has touched a very deep chord in 
our feelings and carried us back to many very pleasant 
reminiscences, though now tinged with sorrow and _ regret. 
And we cannot but rejoice that our President, among his many 
high acquirements and rich accomplishments, adds to it that 
power of appreciating the value of his friends, which is one of 
the most amiable and admirable qualities, and is thereby able to 
do justice to his friend, though Mr. Broome is not the only one of 
whom ke could speak. He has indeed already spoken of some of 
his acquaintances. I have had the pleasure of reading a 


M4 - « 


ee ee ee TL -* = 
~ "2 


Se 


155 


biography by him upon Yarrell, the Ornithologist ; and I think 
there is another great name in natural history, one whom he has 
this afternoon mentioned, of whom he could give a sketch, 
as well as, or perhaps better than any other man living, I mean 
the great Naturalist Darwin. All the best and chiefest traces 
that I possess of the life and character of Darwin I owe to 
conversation with my valued friend, Mr. Blomefield. It is among 
the treasures of my memory that I have had the pleasure of Mr, 


Blomefield’s acquaintance, When I first came here in the year 


1857, Mr. Blomefield was residing at Swainswick, and from that 
time to this I have always been able to feel that I had in hima 
friend. But if I were to go on as far as my feelings would let 
me upon this subject I should never come to the “ traces of the 
Saxon period,” and I hope I have not said more than is right on 
an occasion which might be allowed, I suppose, to stir up one’s 
feelings a little in the pilgrimage of this life. 

The subject of the ‘traces of the Saxon period in Bath 
and the neighbouring,” I fear, may seem a very distant subject. 
One might say it is eight hundred years ago, speaking roundly ; 
yes, it is more than eight hundred years ago since the Saxon period 
was brought, or supposed to have been brought to a close by the 
Conquest ; and then from the time of its close till it began, we 
must reckon back a period of 500 years. From the middle of the 


sixth to the middle of the eleventh century is what we call the 


Saxon period. It seems a long time ago, but it really is so 
only in the arithmetical way of calculation in the sound of 
figures; it is not long ago for anyone who has cultivated a 
consciousness of his relationship to the national life. We have 
had, as I may say, but three stages in our life. We have had the 
first Colonists’ stage, when we laid out the country and occupied 
the fields, and built farm houses and fenced lands, and instituted 
agriculture, and had one more struggle in repelling the Danes, 
when to a very great extent we received them as additional 
Colonists to our country. 


156 


So the first 600 years is but a chapter in our life passed. 
It is an agricultural chapter, and if you want to go back into the 
Saxon period you have only to walk out into the lanes and by-ways 
of our remote villages and there you may find all you want for 
essentials in the Saxon period. Since that time we have had 
two great periods ; we have had the period in which we formed 
our municipalities, and then we have had since that the period 
of our great manufactures and our Colonies, and these second 
and third periods have tended to shut out from our view that 
great and important Saxon period which is after all the solid 
basis of our national history. Now Bath is a spot in which one 
might be naturally led to ask whether there are any remains of 
this period. There are many reasons why one should look to 
Bath as one of a very small number of spots in which you 
might expect to find traces of the Saxon period, other places 
which might rank with it, but hardly above it, would be such as 
Canterbury, or York, or Winchester for various historical reasons. 
I feel that there are very few places that a student acquainted 
with Saxon periods and literature, on coming to England from a 
foreign country to try to see what he could see in England, would 
be more likely to visit with curiosity than the neighbourhood of 
Bath. For consider, it was first of all a Roman city, and so 
was one of those places which was attacked by the Saxons very 
early. It was destroyed by the Saxons in the year 577 after the 
battle of Dyrham, as recorded in the Chronicle; but it was 
not occupied by the Saxons, they were not fond of city life. 
They destroyed cities because cities contained populations that 
were hostile to them and they could not live peaceably by them. 
This city of Bath must have laid for 100 to 200 years in a 
state of desolation—a vast city of stones and buildings, but 
without inhabitants—and the proofs of this are very various, and 
have been remarked upon independently by different observers 
and discoverers. That period was even the subject of a record 
in the shape of an ancient poem preserved in the Exeter book— 


—— 


oe 


oe ee ee 


157 


the “Codex Exoniensis” —a volume of the Saxon period which is 
the one remaining volume of Bishop Leofric’s library that still lies 
in his cathedral. In that volume there is a poem which describes 
a city in ruins—splendid ruins—with a pool of water of natural 
heat in the centre, and which appears to me to indicate no place 
in this country except Bath, and in that opinion I have received 
the confirmation of very many important authorities. So far for 
literature. I am only touching on the literature as indicating 
what means we have to expect that the neighbourhood of Bath 
should be one that might probably preserve objects of the Saxon 
period. We have a considerable number of documents relating 
to Bath, documents of various dates during the Saxon period, 
and these documents tell of two things —the transfer of land 
and the manumission of slaves. In these documents we have 
mention of Widcombe, Lyncombe, Northstoke, Priston, Farm- 
borough, Corston, Weston, Hampton and Freshford. In short, 
an American or New Zealander, or any visitor who had studied 
our early literature, might very well come and ask what there 
was to be seen in the neighbourhood of Bath; what v:sible and 
tangible objects remained in existence in the neighbourhood of 
Bath. Let me first mention one or two things that have been 
here, but have been removed. There are lying in Cambridge in 
the Parker library, that famous library which Archbishop 
Matthew Parker bequeathed to his college, Benet College, now 
called Corpus Christi, two important books that were formerly 
the property of the Abbey of Bath ; one is a volume of 
Gospels, in the fly leaves of which were written the manu- 


missions of slaves ; and there is also a volume entirely de- 


yoted to documents relating to landed property, mostly of 
the property of the Monastery of Bath, but also partly of the 
Monastery of Abingdon, which I can only account for by sup- 
posing that this book was transcribed after the Conquest. I 
think that after the Conquest, when religious houses were 


very anxious to multiply the proofs of their property, they 
M 


158 


interchanged with one another the compliment of writing 
entries of documents in each other’s book, by way of multiplying 
the security of the copy. At any rate there are a number of 
entries in the Bath book relating to Abingdon, and I cannot 
conceive any other explanation of them. Among other things 
that may be mentioned as being found in distant places 
are the coins. There were a great number of coins struck in 
Bath from the time of Athelstan in 925, up to the period of 
Edward the Confessor. I think there must have been more than 
one monetarius who was licensed to strike coins in Bath. 
At any rate there are a great number of coins in existence of 
the Saxon period that have the name of Bath on them, but I 
am sorry to say there is not one preserved in the place itself. I 
asked Mr. Russell, at the Royal Institution, the question this 
morning, and he said they had none. The place where I made 
the acquaintance of these coins was at Stockholm. 

I had the pleasure many years ago of looking over the great 
collection of Saxon coins in the museum at Stockholm, and 
the memory of it was revived in a recent conversation with 
Mr. Arthur Evans, who told me that his father had just 
come back from Stockholm, where he had bought from the 
Trustees of the Museum there a large number of coins. Mr. 
Evans, who is well-known as an authority in numismatics, 
especially British and Saxon, had bought a very large number 
of Saxon coins, which were superfluous duplicates in the 
Stockholm collection. While Saxon coins do exist in- the 
world in very large numbers, and while Bath has its place 
among the limited number of cities in which they were struck, 
it is remarkable that they are all gone from their native place. 
There: is not one to be found in our cases here in the Bath 
Museum. 

I have spoken of the Monastery. We all know that the 
present Abbey Church represents it. Of the Saxon building 
we have nothing left, but there are some solid traces of the 


KO? wrce —e 


adh 


Pa eee ee ee ee he 
2, . x ee 


159 


Norman edifice which was built by John de Villula upon the 
site previously occupied by the Saxon building ; consider- 
able remains will be found by those who know where to look 
for them. Of the Saxon building there are none, but in this 
book at Cambridge which I have mentioned there is informa- 
tion about the Saxon Church. It is incidentally mentioned that 
the church is of unusually beautiful architecture—mira fabrica—a 
wonderful fabric, and such it might naturally be. It was built 
in a place in which stone was in abundance without quarrying. 
There were all the materials of the Roman city to build a church 
with, so that at a time when stone churches were extremely rare 
in our country there was a beautiful stone church at the Abbey 
of Bath. Of that church we have no part of the architecture 
remaining, but I think I can point to certain fragments which 
are connected with its history. There are in the Institution two 
fragments of two different Saxon crosses ; the cross was an object 


‘which the Saxons particularly decorated and ornamented, in fact 


we are rather beginning in some of our tomb-stone crosses 
to copy the decoration of the Saxon crosses. There are two 
pieces of the heads of two different Saxon crosses in the 


Institution here, and they both have been figured by Mr. 
Poole in his “ Old Crosses of Somerset.” Then there is among 


the excavations from the Roman baths a piece of the upper part of 


the shaft of a Saxon cress, ornamented with a triquetrous inter- 
lacing pattern which is quite unmistakable. It belongs to no 


other period at all unless it may possibly be a specimen of the 
interlacing work of British crosses. But I believe it is 


Saxon. There is also the basement of a Saxon pillar, probably 


one of the pillars of the church which was part of this handsome 
building I have referred to. These are the chief ecclesiastical 
remains that I have been able to see in Bath, but at Bitton (Mr. 
Ellacombe says, I have not myself verified it) there is over 
the chancel arch—which is Norman—higher up in the wall 
and surrounding the Norman arch, visible traces of a previous 


160 


Saxon chancel arch; at Limpley Stoke there is a very remark- 
able Saxon doorway on the south side of the church. It is 
a sight that visitors to the church may easily miss, as they may 
visit the church and go away and not see it. If they do not 
walk all round they will not see it because all the architectural 
featuring of Limpley Stoke Church, contrary to the usual plan 
of a church, is on the north side. It is by the door on the north 
side that the church is entered, and almost all the windows are 
on the north side, so that the south side appears to be a blank 
wall. But if you take the trouble to walk round the church, 
you will see a most perfect bit of Saxon architecture; an old 
doorway in its place perfectly complete. There are the jambs 
of the door and the arch of rude timber, like stone-work, but 
in perfect condition. Mr. Forss who showed it to us (I was 
led thither by my friend Mr. Skrine) was himself under the 
impression that it was a door that was brought from the Manor 
House close by, indeed in the next field. That this door had an 
intimate relation with the Manor House, is manifest, in so far 
as it was through this doorway that the people of the Manor 
House would pass in and out. In this sense it was the door of 
the Manor House, but that it had a more material connection 
with that house is not at all likely. It is not like anything ina 
private house, and there it is where it should be, directly 
opposite the north door, It was usual for a church of that 
period to consist of one long room, one long parallelogram 
crossed by two doors opposite to each other. Limpley Stoke 
Church has both these doors in evidence, but the south door 
is walled up, and the north door isin use. It is worth anyone’s 
while to walk there to see it. But when we speak of church 
architecture, there is in this neighbourhood an example, such as 
exists nowhere else; a unique example of a Saxon Church that 
has been discovered in our own day, and which was brought out 
and cleared from the incumbrances of the adjoining buildings 
mainly by the activity of Mr. Jones, who was then the vicar. He 


—— a 


WN Abc iste 


e 


r 


161 


laboured at it day after day, till it became to him an object of 
affection ; he worked hard at getting the money to pay for the 
expense of clearing it, and it has added a very great ornament 
to this whole district. To persons that have a taste for historical 
knowledge it is an object that is worth going a very long distanee 
to see. When we compare it with our historical records—the 
only historical records which we can bring to bear upon it— 
we are led to think not only that it belongs to the Saxon period 
—that is quite certain, a look at it for anyone with a practised 
eye is enough for that—but when we go into the records we 
find it probable that it belongs not only to the Saxon period, but 
hundreds of years back in the Saxon period. It is quite probable 
that it is the very little church—the “ Ecclesiola”—stated by 
William of Malmesbury, to have been built by Bishop Aldhelm 
at Bradford. Now Bishop Aldhelm died in the year 709; — 
and while on the one hand the pushing it back to so high an 
antiquity seems to render it more difficult to accept, on the other 
hand there are evidences of very high probability. In the first two 
centuries of our English Christianity there was a nobility about their 
architecture it did not afterwards exceed. We do not realise to 
how great an extent the fortunes and the improvements, and 
even the minds of the people were crippled in the years of the 
Danish visitations. The people were impoverished. They were 
driven hack into ruined barbarism, so that to say that a Saxon 
church was built in the year 700 is not really harder to believe 
than to say it was built in the year 900, or even so hard. It is’ 
certainly harder to strain our convictions to the point of believing 
that it should have existed so long, but that it was built in 700 is in 
itself more likely than that it was built in 900 or 950. Now for the 
chancel archof that church, there is in the wall above, high up, what 
I suppose is the most perfect example of sculpture of the Saxon: 
period existing. The Saxons never, at their best, arrived at a 
perfection of sculpture to be compared to that of the 
Greeks ; that we understand perfectly well. It is something 


162 


that appeals not to our ethestic feelings and imaginations for its 
heauty of outline, but something that appeals to us as English- 
men, something which we may look at with the same indulgence 
and tenderness of feeling as we look at the drawings of our own 
children, and in that point of view Saxon sculpture is intensely 
interesting. There is found up in that wall what I think may 
be taken as a specimen of the palmy period, an example of early 
Saxon sculpture, because in a later period they had lost something 
of their artistic ability. By the way, let me pause a moment to illus- 
trate what I mean about thedifference in thelater period. It isinthe 
early period that we have the best worksof art,notinthelate period. 
By the early periol I mean the period before the ninth century, 
a period in which our national existence was imperilled, out of 
which we were drawn by the heroism of Alfred, and this was the 
achievement which makes him a great national hero. Well, before 
that time, art had gained a higher perfection than it ever gained 
afterwards up to the time of the Conquest. One little example. 
Of the whole series of Anglo-Saxon coins during that 500 years 
_the most beautiful as works of art are the denarii of King Offa 
King Offa died in the year 793, and the most perfect works of ait 
in the Saxon period are his coins. That is an illustration of 
what I mean. The early period is the period of the best Saxon 
art, and the later period is a period of recovery from an enormous 
shock. 

The sculpture to which I have referred represents two 
angels, which we may suppose are in a flying or soaring 
position, almost horizontal in their figures, and evidently looking 
towards some object, inasmuch as they are looking, as it were, to 
one another; but in all probability there was the head of the 
cross between them, and perhaps the head of the Lord himself, 
and these angels must have been, as it were, worshiping, 
waiting, tending or serving the crucified one. That is pro- 


bably the meaning of the composition of which they are the relics, . 


There is another piece of Saxon sculpture of which, however, I am 


es LP eS 


Rg KW ie 


163 


not able to say anything as to date (I should rather be disposed 
to attribute it to a later period) to be seen at Bristol in 
the Chapter House, dug up when some repairs were being 


‘done in the Cathedral there. It is really the slab of a stone 


coffin, and upon it there is represented the figure of a man, 
apparently Christ (as far as I can recollect, 1 have not seen it 
for a great number of years), delivering a soul, represented 
by a little figure, out of the mouth of the Dragon. This stone is 
now in the vestry within the Chapter. You go through the 
Chapter House to a door at one corner of the room and into 
the vestry, and there this stone is walled up and presents 
itself as a picture over the fire-place. Another kind of 
Saxon remains which exist in this country very numerously 
are the earthen banks made by the Saxons. Now there are 
earthen banks which it may be doubted whether they were 
made by the Saxons or not. The Wansdyke may be a Saxon 
earth work, or it may not, I cannot pretend to say, but there 
are certain earth works of which there is no doubt that 
they are Saxon, and these are the earth works which represent 
the ground plan of the old Saxon gentleman’s house, the Thane’s 
house, the house of the landlord, the man of property. I 
think that there is probably one of these mounds at English- 
combe. I do not speak of a bit of Wansdyke, which runs through 
Englishcombe, but I speak of a couple of concentric circles which 


are to be seen near the village of Englishcombe. I think they 


are the remains of a fortified house. The first and chief idea of 


fortification, (perhaps the feature of Saxon times that possesses 
most durability), was to make an earthen bank. 


Around the group of buildings of which a noble residence 
consisted, was carried a bank and ditch, and at a point in this 
enceinte a conical mound was raised, of comparatively high 
elevation, with a flat top, on which was erected the watch-tower 


' which constituted the citadel of the domestic fortress; I am 


persuaded there are relics of many such still capable of being 


164 


traced if they were looked for, in the neighbourhood of ancient 
churches and manor houses. Before castles were built of stone, 
the strength of the defence lay in the advantage which the bank 
gave to the defenders, and in the hindrance it caused to the 
besiegers when they would set the citadel on fire. 

You may see an illustration of this in the Bayeaux tapestry. 
The best extant figure of a wooden fortress, pitched on a conical 
and moated mound, is to be seen in that part of the Bayeaux 
tapestry which represents the assault on Dinan. Now these 
mounds exist in two forms, that which I have already mentioned 
of the fortifications of a domestic house, and also in the 
other form of the fortifications of a city. There is a very 
large one at Oxford near the station. There is one at Tam- 
worth, and one at Canterbury. I think there is one, too, at 
Leicester. The most perfect example that I have ever seen of 
the fortifications of a domestic house is to be seen at a village 
called Laughton, about eight miles from Sheffield. The field in 
which it is placed is called, I think, the Castle Field. 
There is another very good example, only partly preserved, in 
Northamptonshire at Earl’s Barton, close to the churchyard. Mr. 
Clark, in a work of his published some years ago, gave some 
ground plans of various places in which he had observed these 


remains of Saxon houses, and when once they are ascertained and. 


recognised they are exceedingly interesting, as illustrating the life 
of our forefathers. 

Turning now to the churches of the neighbourhood, I have no 
doubt that Charlecombe was a very old church, as itis reputed to 
be. Before the Norman church was built there was, no doubt, a 
Saxon chuch there, as there was at Swanswick and a great many 
other villages about here. The churches about Bath are very 
generally Norman churches, or churches that bear traces of 
having been Norman churches. There original form is in some 
instances much obscured. At Twerton, for instance, the church 
has been subject to many changes, and the only extant evidence 


Mth sen 


. — eS. Ue ae 


165 


ofits Norman history is a well-preserved doorway which originally 
stood on the south side, but which in the extension of the area of 
the church has been unavoidably removed to the north side. 
John de Villula, in building the Norman Abbey, drew a large 
number of Norman masons here, who were ready to be 
employed in similar works in the neighbourhood. Of all these 
Norman Churches which were then built, I have always looked 
upon Englishcombe Church as being the most perfect specimen, 
indeed I always fancy that Mnglishcombe Church was intended 
to be a kind of miniature picture of the Norman Abbey. 
However, to return to Charlecombe, there is something at Charle- 
combe Church I should like to know a little more about. The 
yew tree in the churchyard there is said to be older than the 
church. Now that is a very interesting saying, for if we could 
really verify it as a genuine tradition in any one place that the 
yew tree is older than the church, this would be a matter of 
historical value. I am strongly of opinion that the yew trees 
did not go to the churches, but that the churches came to the 
yew trees. The yew trees did not arrive upon the spot first, 
they went there in attendance upon the cross. The first thing 
that was erected, speaking generally, in our country, was the 
cross. I do not say the cross instead of the church, the cross 
was the church, and our word church, whatever people may tell 


you about its being derived from «vpiaxdv is simply an anglicism 


of the Latin word crucem. 

When I say that in our own country at the first the cross was 
the church, I mean that the people assembled around the cross, 
they received the sacraments at the cross, and they were baptized 
at the cross. But the question is what the yew trees had to do 


with it? When we travel through our country and see the yew 


trees in our churchyards, we cannot divest ourselves of the 
idea that there is some very considerable reason, hitherto in- 
adequately explained, why there are yew tress so constantly in 
the churchyards, being sometimes hundreds of years old, for the 


166 


yew trees in our churchyards are among the highest antiquities 
in the vegetable world. Some people have said that yew trees 
are poisonous to cattle, and they were planted in churchyards in 
order that farmers might not turn their cattle into them. Well, 
that does not satisfy me, and I do not suppose that it satisfies 
many members of the Club. Another reason was that the 
branches of the yew trees made good bows, and that at the time 
when our artillery consisted chiefly of bows and arrows, it was 
a matter of public interest that yew trees should be cultivated, 
and so they were planted in the churchyards. I think the 
national interest would hardly have been dependent upon such a 
provision as that. Yet another way of explaining it is that the 
yew tress succeeded to the cypresses of the classical period as 
symbols of mourning. 

All this seems to me to be exceedingly fanciful, and does not 
bite into the marrow of the case, but one hint I got from Bishop 
Hobhouse, and I was very glad, when as J was preparing these 
remarks and turning over old memoranda, to come upon the very 
date when Bishop Hobhouse communicated the idea to me. His 
idea was that they were planted for the shelter and protection of 
the worshippers around the cross when as yet they had no roof 
over their heads. I felt at once that this touched the truth, and 
ever since that time I have continually looked and searched for 
evidence with the purpose of ascertaining whether the yew trees 
were in the churchyards before the churches were built.. From 
the localities in which they are generally found, namely, on the 
south side of the chancel, and the east or west side of the south 
door, it would seem that they were about and around the spot 
upon which the cross stood. 

The cross usually stood upon the south side of the line now 
occupied by the church and most generally somewhere about the 
middle of that line, and the fact that these trees are found on 
one side or the other of that spot shows that there was probably 
a ring of yew trees round the cross, the best possible protection 


167 


that could be devised for people too poor to build a church, and 
worshipping in the open air. And let me add one word more. Not 
only was this word Church made in this island ; but it reflects in 
a remarkable manner the condition and circumstances of our 
people in the first age of our national Christianity. Before this 
time there never had been in Christendom but one word of 
general acceptance to express the idea which that word expresses. 
We, the English nation, made a second. To the old word 
“Ecclesia” we added an equivalent, a new word, Church. And 
we not only used this word ourselves, but we propagated it. We 
carried it across seas to our kindred who were still heathen, and 
we converted them and brought them into the Church. And 
this is the true explanation why the German and the Scan- 
dinavian nations use the same word as we do, and speak not 
of the Ecclessia but of the Church. 

We stand in Christendom on a pinnacle in this respect, that 
when Christianity seemed to have grown old, to be worn out, 
when no extension had taken place for generations in the area 
of Christendom, then it was that our people embraced Christi- 
anity, and embraced it with such ardour and passion as caused 
them to become in the second generation missionaries, to convert 
the people in the old Mother Country, and to found Churches 
calling them naturally by the new name which reflected the 
circumstances of their own conversion, and the manner of their 
earliest Christian ceremonial. 


Letters Illustrating the Battles of Claverton and Lansdown. By 
H. D. Sxrinz, M.A. 
(Read January 11th, 1887.) 

Some years ago I read a Paper to this Club giving an account 
of the Skirmish at Claverton during the Civil War. My main 
object was to elicit information on the subject, as the only 
historical records which I had then the opportunity of consulting 


168 


were the brief notice of the engagement in Clarendon’s History of 
the Rebellion, the entry in the Claverton Register, the account in 
Collinson, and last, but in my opinion most important—that given 
in the Rushworth Historical Collections—I had not seen Mr. 
Emmanuel Green’s description of the Battle of Lansdown in which 
this skirmish was noticed. In the course of last summer I was 
able to consult sgme MSS. in the Bodleian Library, part of the 
Clarendon Papers (documents sent to Lord Clarendon as materials 
to enable him to write his history). These were two letters, one 
by Lord Hopton, then Sir Ralph Hopton, the other by Colonel 
Slingsby, both of whom held commands in the Royal army. 
These letters give a very clear, graphic and consistent account of 
what took place ; and a knowledge of the ground and acquaintance 
with the roads, both ancient and modern, as given in maps in my 
possession, lead me to conclude that we have in these documents 
the true history of what actually did take place. In many 
important particulars both my own and Mr. Green’s account 
require correction. My information had led me to suppose that 
Waller was in position on the Warleigh side of the river from 
which he had attacked Claverton Manor House, then in the 
possession of the Royalists, and that, being repulsed, Waller 
retired along the Warleigh valley to Batheaston and Bath. Mr, 
Green was of opinion that Waller occupied both sides of the river 
and that the Royalists had been first encountered at Monkton 
Combe and that the defeated Parliamentarians withdrew through 
Batheaston to Bath and Lansdown Hill. He also thought that 
there had been a previous skirmish at Claverton when three 
Parliamentary and one Royalist soldier were slain and buried in 
Claverton churchyard. There is certainly a discrepancy in the 
dates here, but I cannot believe there was more than one battle 
at this period in this valley of the Avon. The date of the 
burial of these soldiers is stated in the Register to be the 30th 
June, 1643, whereas the battle described in the following letters 
was fought, according to the Mercurius Aulicus, on the 3rd of July 


169 


that year. The true explanation of the discrepancy of the dates 
probably is, that the letters were written and the entry in 
the Register made, some time after the event. Humphrey 
Chambers, the Rector of Claverton, was a member of the 
Assembly of Divines and was probably in London at the 
time, and as there is evidence to show that the bodies 
were buried without coffins* it may be conjectured that the 
funeral may have been hasty and “ without benefit of clergy.” 
It appears by these letters that Waller, having heard that the 
Royal army coming from the west had reached Bradford, had 
taken post with all his forces on Claverton Down ; and having 
thrown a bridge across the Avon at Warleigh ferry, and built a 
redoubt to protect the bridge and the ford there, had sent a force 
of horse and foot and artillery across the river to occupy Monkton 
Farleigh Down—so as to be prepared to meet the enemy on 
whichever side of the river he might select to march. As a 
matter of fact, the Marquis of Hertford and Prince Maurice, 
who commanded the Royalists, marched by the road on the right 
bank of the river, which was identical as far as Farley Wick 
with the present high read from Bradford to Bath. Near the 
point of junction of this road with that leading to Warleigh lane, 
and about halfamile from Farleigh Down on the way to Bradford 
at the foot of a hill, was a small wood which was grubbed about 
30 years ago. In this wood Major Davet,t who commanded the 
Parliamentary force on Farleigh Down, placed some of his infantry 


* Collinson states that these soldiers were buried under the west 
wall of the church. There is at present no room west of the church to 
bury, but previous to the building the new north aisle there was a 
. Space for burial, and in digging a deep grave there early in the century 
some bones were found which apparently had been buried without 
coffins, and these were removed to the other side of the church, where 
tradition now is that these victims of civil war were finally interred, 

+ Rushworth’s account. 


170 


in ambush, and then advanced to meet the Royal army on the 
road to Bradford, and after a slight skirmish with their advance 
of cavalry withdrew behind the ambush. And the: battle began 
which shall be described by the writers of these letters. 

I think it will be seen from the letters when read that the 
skirmish at Monkton Farleigh* and Claverton was by no means an 
unimportant incident of the Civil War, and very possibly had it 
been fought a little earlier in the day the Royalists would have 
been able to have pushed on to Lansdown hill, and thus to have 

completely reversed the conditions of that battle. 


Lord Hopton’s Account of the Movements of the Royalist army, 1643. 
Clarendon MSS., 1738. (4). 


Vpon Sunday the the Army advanced to Bradford, 
where they had a passe over the River Avon at theire Comand, 
and were on either side within 4 miles of the Enimye’s Quarters. 
The same night Sr Wm. Waller aduanced a great part of his 
Army, both Horse foote and dragoones over the River vnder 
Claverton-house, where besides the fforde, he had made a Bridge, 
and a Redoubte on his side to defende bothe, reserving the other 
part of his Army with his Ordnance in Battalio on Claverton- 
downe. With this part of the Army so drawen over the River, 
he advanced in the night and possest himselfe of the high-ground 
at Munckton-ffarly and layd an Ambuscade in a woodland-wald- 


* It may be some corruboration of the fact of the battle having been 
fought near Monkton Farleigh (or rather Warleigh Down, as the Downs 
adjoin) that close to the present Bradford road over the Downs near the 
Dry Arch the Warley revels used to be held, and tradition said 
in memory of a battle fought there—and labourers who had attended 
these revels assured me that they frequently turned up human bones 
there. = Be 


pp TORS. i er me 


171 


ground in the ffoote of the Hill, and so in the morning he 
advanced strong Partyes of Horse; vpon theire out guards of 
Horse, which being then strong and well comanded by Major 
Lower, he held them vp till the whole Army drew forth, which 
then in good order both Horse and ffoote advanced towards the 
Enimy. 

The Cornish ffoote in an hower or two beate the Enimy out of 
theire Ambuscade, and then both ffoote and Horse advanced 
vpon theire maine-body on the topp of Munckton-farley hill, 
where they durst not to stande them and so they had the chace 
of them as farr as Bathe-Easton. In which chace and not before 
they discouvered Sr Wm. Waller with his maine Body on the 
other side of the water on the topp of Claverton-dowre with his 
Bridge and his worke before mentioned. Herevpon Prince 
Maurice turn’d the maine of the force of ffoote to gaine that 
pass which he did just as it was night, and so Sr Wm. Waller 
in the darke retreated into Bathe. By this time many of the 
Horse in pursuite of that part of the Enimy that fledd the 
other way had passed into the ffields vnder Lansdowne close by 


- Bathe, where about 12 at night it was considered by the officers 


there present, whereof the principle were the E. of Carnarvon, 
Lo-Mohun and Sr Ralph Hopton and Sr Nicholas Slaiing, 
whither they should that night drawe to the topp of Lansdowne 
or not, and it was considered that they were there but a part of 
the Army, and that the rest of the Army being surprized by the 


‘night, after that dayes chace might not be in very good posture 


to receive concurrent orders; So they resolu’d to drawe back 
that night within Bath-Easton-bridge, and to advise with the 
Generall to quarter the Army in the best order they could, with 
a resolution to drawe out the next morning verie early to try if 
they could prevente the Enimy of that high ground of advantage, 


which the next morning early they endeavoured with a little 


more heate then was altogether expedient, for moveing verie 
early with all theire Horse, ffoote, Canon and Baggage towards 


172 


Lansdowne, by that time they came to the foote of the hill, the 
Enimy, by the advantage of his neernes to it, was possest of the 
ground, and themselves with the whole Army, especiaily the 
Carriages which were most troublesome, engaged in a ffield just 
ynder them, out of which there were verie inconvenient wayes 
to retreate, to advance noe possibility, and to stay there least of 
all, for the Enimye’s Canon played into them, and they had noe 
meanes to requite them. So about one in the afternoone the 
chiefe Comanders resolved of a retreate. towards Marsfield, and 
comitted the order of it to Sr Ralph Hopton, who drawing vp 
the Army in the best order he could to face the Enimy, first 
sent of the Canon and Carriages with convenient guards by the 
“% narrow lanes that went from thence towards Marsfield, and 
presently after sent 1000 Muskettiers to line the hedges vpon 
the entrance of both those wayes, then he sent off the Army in 
parts, remayninge onely to hold vp the Enimy with a strong 
forlorne hope of Horse with which at last he marched off without 
any loss and drew a strong party of the Enimye’s Horse within 
the Ambuscade of Muskettiers, which haveing tasted they 
quickly retired. And so the Army came that night safe to 
Marsfield sending out theire Parties of Horse everie way to 
secure their Quarters. 

The next morning earlie Sr Wm. Waller drew out his whole 
Army over Lansdowne to that ende which lookes towards 
Marsfield and there vpon the verie point of the hill over the 
high way suddenly raysed breast workes with faggots and earth, 
and sent downe strong partyes of Horse into the field towards 
Marsfield, where they lighted vpon a party of Horse and beate 
them in. This roused the Army at Marsfield and so about 8 
that morning being the 13th of July, 1643, all drew forth, and 
within verie short time a light skirmish was engaged with 
dragoones in the hedges on eache side; But the chiefe Comanders 
of the King’s Army considering that the continuing of that 
kinde of fight would be to little effect, but might onely waste 


a 


173 


theire Amunition (whereof they had not plenty) drew off and 
retreated in Batalio towards theire Quarter to Marsfield, which 
the other Army perceiveing tooke the courage to sende downe 
great partyes of arm’d Horse and Dragoones to charge them 
both in reare and flancke. Those that came vpon the reare 
vsed most dilligence and haveing left theire dragoones in the 
ende of the Lane towards the field charged verie gallantly, and 
rowted two Bodyes of theire Horse, whereof the last was, by 
Prince Maurice his comand to Sr Ralph Hopton winged with 
Cornish-muskettiers, who poore men (though the Horse were 
rowted betweene them) kept theire ground and preserv’d them- 
selues till the E. of Carvarvons Regiment of Horse was drawen 
vp to them. In the meane time Sr. Nicholas Slanning wes 
comanded with two or three hundred Muskettiers to fall vpon 
the reserue of dragoones behinde them, which he performed 
verie gallantly and beate them off; And at the same time the 
Earle of Carvarvon with his Regiment and the forementioned 
Muskettiers charged the Enimyes Horse and totally rowted them. 
Presently after this appeared two great Bodyes of the Enimyes 
Horse advancing towards theire flanck, which indured a good 
charge of two bodyes of the Kings Horse and some volleys of 
Muskettiers before they brake, but at last were rowted and 
chaced. And then the whole Army in the best order they could 
in that broad way that leads to Lansdowne advanced towards 
the Enimy sending out as they wente strong partyes of 
Muskettiers on eache hand to seconde one another to endevour 
vnder the Couvert of the inclosed grounds to gaine the flanck 
of the Enimy on the topp of the Hill, which they at last did, 
But the Pikes and the Horse with the rest of the Muskettiers 
that advanced vp the broade way as the space would beare had 
much to doe by reason of the disadvantage of the grounde, the 
Enimye’s ffoote and Batteryes being vnder couvert of theire 
breast-workes, and theire Horse ready to charge vpon the verie 


browe of the Hill, where the Kings forces were five times 
N 


174 


charg’d and beaten back with disorder. There was Sr Bevil 
Grenvile slayne in the head of his Pikes, and Major Lower in 
the head of a Partye of Horse, and Sr Nicholas Slanings Horse 
kild vuder him with a greate shott, and the whole body of 
Horse soe discomforted that of 2000 there did not stand aboue 
600. Yett at last they recovered the hill, and the Enimy drew 
back about demi-culverin-shott, within a stone wall, but there 
stood in reasonable good order, and eache part played vpon the 
other with theire Ordnance, but neither advanced being both 
soundly batter’d. So the night came on, and all things grew 
quiett, where Prince Maurice and Sr Ralph Hopton remayning 
in the heads of the Troopes all that night, aboute one of the 
clocke heard an advancing of Horse and ffoote, but without 
drum or trumpet and they presently received a smart vollye 
from the Enimye’s Muskettiers, which was answeared with the 
like, but being verie darke noe more was done and all things 
grew quiett againe. So after an howers silence the chiefe 
Comanders before mentioned rightly iudgeing that this might be 
the Enimye’s parting blowe, gave a comon souldier a rewarde to 
creepe softly towards the place where the Enimy stoode to bring 
certaine notice whether they were retreated or no, who found 
them gone. By this time it was towards breake of daye, and 
in the morning the Comanders founde themselves possest of the 
field and of the dead, and of 3 or 400 of the Enimye’s Armes, 
and 9 or 10 barrells of theire powder, And so about 9 in the 
morning they retired with the Army to Marsfield, where they 
rested the next day, principally by reason of Sr Ralph Hopton, 
he having bin in the begining of the battell shott through the 
Arme and in the ende of it blowen vp with Gun-powder, and 
so was verie vnfitt to be removed the next daye.” 


175 


By Col. Stingshy. Events of the West, ‘ After Stratton field to taking 
of Bristol.” Clarendon MSS., 1738. (3). 


“Then does the kings Army mooue first and marches to Brad- 
ford* within fower miles of Bathe : the next morning our skoutts 
brought vs word that the Enemy was drawne into the field horse 
and ffoote in the midle way betwixt our quarters ; wee draw out 
presently and marche towardes the place, and finds them but a 
party and fixed vpon a ground of greate aduantage, yett from 
thence (though with a very hott dispute) they were remou’d 
with the losse of two small pieces, and neare 100 men. Wee 
possessing this ground discouer’d the body of the Enemy drawne 
vp in batalia on the other side the Riuer and about two miles 
of ; thus had the shifting Rebell deluded vs one day with a party, 
hoping to make vs weary with dancing about him, or else to 
fight where hee pleas'd: vpon this wee were once resolu’d to 
marche directly vp to Lansdowne hill, but afterwardes (consi- 
dering the night approaching, the narrow and craggy passage vp 
the hill, with the aduantage theire horse might take vpon our 
Reare, who: would bee more bold and troublesome hauing a good 
Towne for a retreate soe neare them) wee lay all night in the 
bottome close by the ffoote of the hill. 

The next morning when day appear’d our Enemy did the like 
vpon the hill, who as with iudgement obseru’d our motion 
and discern’d our intention soe with greate industry and care 
eee ek cree ME lake! Ut el Tene ue Ey as 

* Mercurius Aulicus . . . the seven and twentieth weeke p. 356. 
It was advertised this day, that Prince Maurice hearing of a Partee 
which Waller had sent out to obtaine a Passe over Bradford-bridge, 
not farre from Bath, sent out an answerable strengh tto deprive them 
of it. Who did their work so valiantly like men of courage that they 
did not onley gain that Passe for the Princes use, but killed neare an 
hundred of the Rebels, and drave the residue into Bath. 


176 


labour’d all night both to preuent vs, and to serue himselfe of 
such an advantage: and indeede that Generall of the Rebells 
was the best shifter and chooser of ground when hee was not 
Master of the field that I euer saw; wch are greate abilityes 
in a Souldier. 

Vpon this south side of Lansdowne hee shewes vs his whole 
body ; that day wee spent in looking vpon one another; the Enemy 
veiwd our whole Army as it stood rang’d in the valley whose 
number could not then bee disguis’d, soe that it appear’d too big 
to invite him downe to fight: towardes night wee marchd of the 
ffeild towardes Marsfeild, vpon our remoouall a lusty party of 
the Enemys horse falls on our Reare, who att first bred a litle 
trouble, but were att Jast repulsed with losse and shame : 

That night wee lay att Marsfeild and next day fought 
Lansdowne batle the Rebells being then drawne vp vpon the 
North side of the hill.” 


After the Rebells are drawn out on North side of the Hill. Col. 
Slingsby’s relation of the battle of Lansdown, July Sth, and 
that of Roundway, July 13th. Clarendon MSS., 1738. (2). 


The night before the battaile att Launsdowne the kings Army 
quarter’d att Marsfeild; in the morning betimes Waller sent a 
strong party of horse towardes our head quarter, who beate in 
all our horse guards, and alarum’d all our quarters: wee instantly 
drew into the feild and marched two miles towardes Launsdowne 
where wee could see the Rebells Army drawne vp vpon the top 
of the hill, he stood vpon a piece of ground almost inaccessible. 
In the brow of the hill hee had raised brestworkes in w™ his 
Cannon and greate store of smal] shott was placed; on either 
fflanke hee was strengthned with a thicke wood w™ stood vpon 
the declining of the hill, in w™ hee had putt store of mus- 
keiteires ; on his reare hee had a faire plaine where stood rang’d 


177 


his reserues of horse and ffootte ; some bodyes of horse with 
muskeiteires hee bestow’d vpon some other places of the hill, 
where hee thought there was any accesse ; thus fortyfied stood the 
foxe gazing at vs when our whole Army was rang’d in order of 
battle vpon the large Corne feild neare Tughill. In this posture 
wee continued about two houres; nothing passing but ‘loose 
skirmishes vpon Tughill, betwixt a party of our vantgard and a 
party of horse and dragoones of the enemys sent downe the hill 
for that purpose. The kings Army found that the Rebells would 
not bee drawne to fight but vpon extreame aduantages; and 
therefore faced about and marched towardes our quarter in order 
as wee had stood w™ the ground would admit of, being a 
continuing plaine large feild all the way to Marsfeild ; when wee 
had marched neare a mile the whole streneth of Wallers horse 
and dragoones descends the hill, and falls vpon our Reare ; wee 
faced about againe and aduanced vpon them endeavoring to 
regaine our ground where wee were before rangd: w™ wee 
gott with muche dificultye and hazard, our horse receiving some 
dangerous foiles ; soe that had not our ffootte bin excellent wee 
had certainly suffer’d theire: the rebells horse not enduring our 
charges of horse and volleys of small shott that fell vpon them 
from our approaching bodys of ffootte, they retir’d themselues out 
of that feild; but left all theire dragoons vpon the walls and 
hedges vpon the farre end of feild the neare Tughill from whence 
our ffoote beate them suddenly. The enemys horse being now 
forest into the laine that leades ouer Tughill to Lansdowne, were 
obseru’d to be in some disorder by reason of the narrow and ill 
passage. Prince Maurice therefore takes all our horse and wings 
them on both sides the laine within the hedges with smali shott, 
and soe smartly fell vpon them, that some run in greate disorder; 
but it seemes they had (like prouident souldiers) placed theire 
best horse in the Reare who being compeld, turnes about and 
fights desperately, and theire giues our horse another foile with 
the death of Major Lower, Major James and many others: but 


178 


our horse being still assisted by the ffootte, att last beate them 
downe Tughill, where in the bottome they were cruelly gall’d 
by our ffootte that then drew vp thicke vpon Tughill. 

Now did our ffootte beleiue noe men theire equalls, and were 
soe apt to vndertake anything, that the hill vpon wch the 
Rebells stood well fortyfied litle without muskett shott (from 
whence they racked ys with their Cannon) could not deterre 
them ; for they desir’d to fall on and ery’d lett vs fetch those 
Cannon. Order was presently given to attempt the hill with 
horse and ffootte: greate partys of Muskeiteires was sent out of 
either of our wings to fall into those woodes w® flanked the 
Enemye, and in w™ they had lodg’d stoare of small shott for 
their defence, the horse were to passe vpp the high way, but were 
att first repulsed ; Sr Beuill Grenville then stood on the head of 
his Regiment vpon Tughill, who aduanced presently putting all 
his shott vpon his left hand within a wall, and cary’d with him 
horse on his right hand the ground being best theire for horse, 
and hee himselfe lead vp his pikes in the midle: hee gain’d with 
muche gallantry the brow of the hill receiving all their small 
shott and Cannon from theire brest worke, and three charges of 
horse, two of wch hee stood; but in the third fell with him 
many of his men: yett had his appearing vpon the ground soe 
disorder’d the Enemy, his owne muskeiteires fyring fast vpon 
theire horse, that they could not stay vpon the ground longer ; 
the Rebells ffootte tooke example by theire horse and quitt theire 
brestworks retyring behind a long stone wall that runs acrosse 
the downe; our ffootte leps into their brestworks ; our horse 
draws vp vpon theire ground: our two wings that were sent to 
fall into the two weodes had done theire businesse and were vpon 
the hill assoone as the rest. 

The Enemy (obseruing our ffront to enlarge it selfe vpon the 
hill, and our Cannon appearing theire likewise) began to suspect 
himself, and drew his whole strength behind that wall, weh hee 
lined well with muskeiteires, and in seuerall places broke down 


179 


breaches very broade that his horse might charge if theire were 
occasion, w™ breaches were guarded by his Cannon and bodyes 
of Pikes. 

Thus stood the two Armys taking breath looking vpon each 
other, our Cannon on both sides playing without ceasing till it 
was darke, Leges and Armes flying apace the two Armys being 
within muskett shott: After it was darke theire was great 
silence on both sides, att wch time our right wing of shott gott 
muche nearer theire army lodging themselues amongst the many 
litle pitts betwixt the wall and the wood from whence wee gald 
them cruelly. 

About 11 of ye clock wee receiu’d a very greate volley of 
small shott but not mixt with Cannon by which some of vs 
iudg’d that hee was retreating, and gaue this att his expiring ; 
but the generall apprehension through our Army was that the 
Enemy had intention to trye a pushe in the night for theire 
ground, wch they had soe dishonorably lost; for wee were 
then seated like a heauy stone vpon the very brow of the hill, 
weh with one lustye charge might well haue bin rowl’d to 
the bottome. 

It was not long before wee knew certainly that they were gone. 
att theire departure they left all theire light matches upon the 
wall and whole bodys of Pikes standing upright in order within 
the wall as if men had held them : wee were glad they were gone 
for if they had not I know who had within an hower ; but indeede 
had our horse bin as good as the Enemys the rebells had never 
gone of the feild unruin’d. We kept the ffeild till it was day 
light and then plundered it, and sent severall partys of horse 
seueral waies, att whose retourne we were inform’d that the 
Enemy was in Bathe: at eight of the clocke we marched of 
towards Marsfeild.* Upon Tughill one of our ammunicon 
waggons tooke fyer, blew up many men and hurt many; especially 


* End of Bath, Lansdown. 


180 


my Lord Hopton, Major Sheldane dyed the next day and was 
muche lamented: this disaster encourag’d the Rebells and dis- 
courag’d vs. Our horse were bad before but now worse, our 
ffoote drooped for theire Lord whom they low’d, and that they 
had not powder left to defend him, for as I remember we had 
then but nine barrells left : that night wee quarter’d att Marsfeild 
being Thursday, the same night the enemy drawes out of Bathe 
up to Lansdowue againe ; the next morning being friday we 
marched to Chippenham, the same night the Enemy steps into 
our quarters att Marsfeild, and now the Country seeing him 
following vs begins to disert vs ; soe that wee could gett neither 
meale nor intelligence, two necessary things for an Army : wee 
lay att Chipenham two nights, but were on Sunday earely ffrighted 
from thence by the Enemys neare approache; wee marched to 
the Deuizes. 


Further Notes on the Claverton Skirmish. By H. D. SkRiNgE, M.A, 


An old map shows very distinctly the road I suppose the Royal 
Army to have taken, and you will see that at the date of that 
map the road joined the present ford road below the Dry Arch. 
The maps do not show how far Monkton Farleigh Down extended 
towards Bradford, but I think it can hardly have been farther 
than the ford road. That road would be the line of communication 
between Davet and Waller, and down it must have been the 
pursuit of the defeated Parliamentarians; though some may 
have scattered over the precipitous and eraggy common towards 
Bathford and Bath. 

I do not think the line of march I have pointed out can be 
disputed ; but it may be well to note that strategical reasons 
would be very strongly in favour of its being chosen by the 
Marquis of Hertford and Prince Maurice. It was the most 
direct, the shortest, and in every respect, from the open country 
it traversed, the most suited to the march of an army; and there 


MAP ILLUSTRATING BATTLES OF MONCKTON FARLEIGH 
AND CLAVERTON. 


REDUCED FROM THORPE’S MAP OF BATH AND ENVIRONS, 1742. 


z 
Ss 
I 
& 
3 
Ee} 
e 


a 


SCALE—1# in. to the Mile. 


181 


was but one little piece of “walled wood ground” where an 
ambush could have been laid. Near the spot just named, still 
is to be seen by the side of the high road a deep hollow ditch at 
one side, evidently the old road which must have been rather 
like a Devonshire lane. The other road through Turley, Winsley 
and Conkwell would have presented more physical obstacles and 
have also been farther ; and besides, the armies would have been 
in sight of each other long before they reached Warleigh Woods, 
or the line of Monkton Farleigh Down. That they should have 
marched on the left bank of the river may be dismissed for still 
stronger reasons. It would have been the wrong side for their 
purpose of keeping between Waller under fire ; and at Westwood, 
Freshford, Limpley Stoke and Monkton Combe were defiles which 
might have been defended easily, as the road most of the way 
follows the valley of the Avon with steep hills on both sides. 
The circumstances mentioned in the letters, that “in the chase 
and not befure the Royalists perceived Waller’s army drawn up 
on Claverton Down” exactly tallies with the site of the battle as 
described by Lord Hopton ; as until the position at Monkton 
Farleigh was won, the rise of the ground would prevent the 
Royalists from seeing the Claverton Down. 

Rushworth giving the authorized Parliamentarian account of 
this battle says “that the Royal Army having come within two 
miles of Fourd Hill, Waller sent Major Davet to secure the pass at 
Fourd Bridge.” Fourd Hill means Bathford Hill. Fourd Bridge 
existed at that time, but the real pass was at Warleigh where was 
a bridge at the time, and this could be best secured by occupying 
the southern end of Fourd Hill—i.c., Monkton Farleigh Down 
and Warleigh Hill. Warleigh would have been naturally named 
as the locality, but was probably not known to writers, though 
Ford or Bathford was well known, and Warleigh is only a part 
of the Manor of Ford. In making the attack on Claverton 
Redoubt, cannon no doubt would have been employed to support 
the attack, and this accounts for the cannon balls found at 
Claverton. 


182 


Note on the Ham Hill Stone. By Horace B,. Woopwapp, F.G.S.,* 
of the Geological Survey of England and Wales. 


(Read February 9th, 1887.) 


The celebrated building-stone of Ham Hill, near Yeovil, offers 
but little attraction to the collector of fossils, for he may hammer 
away in the quarries all day long, without obtaining any 
palzontological reward ; but the stone is not without geological 
interest, for it differs considerably from the ordinary beds of the 
Inferior Oolite, and its precise position in that series has been a 
subject of some discussion, 

The ordinary beds of the Inferior Oolite comprise an upper 
division of marly, oolitic, and iron-shot limestones ; and a lower 
division of sands (known as the Midford Sands) with impersistent 
bands and large concretionary masses of calcareous sandstone. 
The Ham Hill stone is mainly composed of sand and comminuted 
shells. In considering its relation to other divisions of the series, 
we must, of course, remember that however persistent the 
ordinary or characteristic features of a formation may be in our 
country, such features after all are but local portions of the 
original formation ; and with regard to marine deposits, were the 
full record of each period preserved and open to our inspection; 
it would no doubt exhibit as much diversity as do the sea-bottoms 
at the present day. 

In the case of the Ham Hill stone, we picture a shoal of shifting 
sands and broken shells, such as may be found in many areas of 
the English Channel or the German Ocean ; and we are thank- 
ful, while searching for fossils, to recognise even the fragment 
of a Pecten or an Oyster. After contemplating the rock and 
endeavouring to picture the conditions under which it was 


* Communicated by permission of the Director General of the 
Geological Survey 


183 


formed, it is but natural to inquire into its precise position in 
the Inferior Oolite series, and to ascertain what others have said 
upon the subject. Unfortunately a study of the literature is 
likely at first to create a feeling of perplexity, for those who 
have written about the Inferior Oolite of the Yeovil district, 
have not agreed in the correlation of its members with those in 
other parts of the West of England ; nevertheless, by the aid of 
personal observation, we may extract the truth from the several 
Geological papers, and ultimately restore comfort to our minds. 
Mr. Charles Moore (to whose papers we naturally turn for 
information on the Lias and Oolites of Somersetshire) has given 
the best account of the strata at Ham Hill; but he did not enter 
into the question of their exact equivalents, as his object was 
simply to show the intimate connection between the so-called 
Midford Sands and the limestones of the Inferior Oolite, in 
opposition to the view of Dr. Wright that the sands should be 
grouped with the Upper Lias.* On the Geological Survey Map 
the Ham Hill stone is coloured the same as the Inferior Oolite 
Limestone, but Mr. Bristow, who originally surveyed the area, 
has expressed the opinion that the stone is the equivalent of 
the upper part of the Midford, or Inferior Oolite Sands, which 
contain thin and interrupted beds of limestone.t This is the 
true view of the case, and Prof. Buckman claimed to have been 
the first to point it out.t Thus layers of stone like Ham Hill 
stone appear in the Sands in the railway cuttings near Yeovil 
Junction, and in some of the deep road-cuttings or ‘‘hollow-ways” 
of Babylon Hill. Lately Mr. W. H. Hudleston has drawn 
particular attention to one of these layers opened up in a pit at 
Stoford, west of Yeovil Junction. This shelly-layer yielded 
Trigonia anguluta, Tancredia, Ammonites (Harpoceras) Moorei, 


* Moore, Proc, Somerset Arch, Soc., vol. xiii. 
t Damon’s Geology of Weymouth, &c., 1884, p. 219. 
{ Proc. Somerset Arch. Soc., vol. xx., p. 162. : 


184 


and A. radians.* These shelly limestones may be traced in 
places to the south and south-west of Yeovil, and there is a large 
quarry in stone similar to that of Ham Hill, at North Perrot, 
east of Crewkerne. 

Although the Ham Hill stone is, as a rule, devoid of recog- 
nizable fossils, I have obtained several specimens of Rhynchonella 
cynocephala in the beds exposed on the eastern side of the outlier, 
in a quarry about half-a-mile south-west of Montacute Church 
and this discovery has since been confirmed by the Rev. H. H. 
Winwood. This fossil corroborates the stratigraphical evidence 
that the Ham Hill stone belongs to the upper part of the 
Midford or Inferior Oolite Sands. + While Professor Buckman 
recognized the true position of the Ham Hill stone in reference 
to the Inferior Oolite series of the neighbourhood, he was not 
justified in grouping the upper part of the Sands at Yeovil 
with the lower part of the Inferior Oolite limestone of the 
Cotteswold Hills. His son, Mr. S. S. Buckman, has pointed 
out that although the limestones of Dorset are comparatively 
thin, yet paleontologically they represent the whole of the 
Inferior Oolite limestones of Cheltenham, and yield the same 
succession of Ammonite-zones ; a succession confirmed by the 
more recent observations of Mr. Hudleston. Hence the Sands 
below the Inferior Oolite limestone in Dorsetshire, Somersetshire 
and Gloucestershire are approximately the same, and the term 
Midford Sands (given to them by John Phillips) is applicable to 
all these areas. 


* Proc. Geol. Assoc., vol. ix., p. 190. 
+ As mentioned in my Notes on Brent Knoll, a variety of 
Rhynchonell1 cynocephala occurs at a higher horizon in the Cotteswold 
Hills, 


185 


Further Results of Meteorological Observations made at the Bath Royal 
Literary and Scientific Institution. By the Rev. Lronarp 
BLuMEFIELD, M.A., F.LS., F.G.S., &c., President, 


(Lead February, 18th, 1887.) 


In a former paper read to this Club in November, 1875, and 
published in our “ Proceedings,”* I stated the Results of Meteoro. 
logical Observations made at the Bath Royal Literary and 
Scientific Institution, during ten years commencing with March, 
1865, and ending with February, 1875. I stated under what 
circumstances these observations had been taken in hand, as also 
what had been done previously, or written by others, in reference 
to the subject of the Bath climate. This was followed by a 
description of the structure erected in the Institution Gardens 
for the reception of the instruments employed, the nature and 
character of the instruments themselves and the way in which 
they were fixed. As the instruments remain unaltered in 
character and position, it is unnecessary to repeat here what was 
then said on this part of the subject. 

Neither is it necessary to say anything further respecting the 
situation of Bath and its surrounding hills, or as to any other of 
its features ; nor to speak of other places, some in the immediate 
neighbourhood, others in the far distance, east and west, of which 
as compared with Bath in the matter of climate, I gave some 
account in my first paper. 

My main object at present is to annex the results of ten years 
further observations of the Thermometer and Rain-gauge to those 
of the decades preceding. This will cover a period of twenty 
years, commencing with January, 1866, and ending with Dec., 
1885. I also give the results of eleven years’ observations of the 
Barometer. Very little was said about this instrument in my 
first paper, from the circumstance of there being no barometer 


rt 
* Vol. III, p 205, 


186 


in the possession of the Institution at that time with which 
any trustworthy observations could be made. At the same 
time I stated that a much better instrument had recently been 
acquired, “a Fortin’s Barometer made by Casella,” with which 
observations were commenced on the Ist of January, 1875 ; and 
I now proceed, in the first instance, to give the results of eleven 
years’ observations, 1875-85, both years inclusive. 

It will be seen, on inspecting the accompaning tables, that the 
mean height of the Barometer at the Bath Literary Institution 
on an average of eleven years is 29°976 inches. This differs 
scarcely more than three hundreths of an inch from the result of 
ten years’ measurement at the same Institution with the old 
instrument, spoken of in my former paper,* and set at 29-944 
inches. It also differs but very little (only ‘012 inches) from the 
mean height of the Barometer at Exeter, determined by Dr, 
Shapter,t on an average of twelve years, to be 29-988 inches. 
The observations I made formerly at Swaffham Bulbeck, in 
Cambridgeshire, continued for nineteen years, gave a mean of 
29°885 inches. Other observations made at the Cambridge 
Observatory for ten years gave a result of 29-906 inches.t 
Combining these results we shall not be much in error, if we 
consider the mean height of the Barometer in the southern half 
of England as about 29°950 inches. 

In table 2 are given the greatest and lowest heights of the 
Barometer in each month of each year from 1875 to 1885. All 
these observations, like those in the first table, have been corrected 
for temperature and height above the sea. On inspection they 
will be found to possess several features of interest. 

The highest of all the Barometric observations registered is 
30°978 inches, which occurred on January 18th, 1882. The 


* See the Club’s “ Proceedings,” vol. iii., p. 211. 
+ Climate of South Devon, p. 24, 
t Observations in Meteorology, p. 139, 


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187 


lowest is 28°337 inches on December 4th, 1876. The range 
consequently during the whole eleven years is 2°641, or rather 
more than two inches and six-tenths. The above extremes have 
been exceeded in other places on former occasions. Dr. Shapter’s 
extreme maximum at Exeter is 30°98, or very nearly 51 inches, 
observed in January, 1825; his extreme minimum 28:13, 
observed in December, 1821. 

I doubt whether the former, the extreme maximum at Exeter, 
has ever been exceeded ; but with regard to the extreme mini- 
mum, there are a few unquestionable cases on record, in which: 
the Barometer has fallen considerably below 28 inches. Howard 
mentions a reading of 27°83 inches at Tottenham, on December, 
25th, 1821,* a day on which there was a very remarkable 
depression of the Barometer over a great part of the kingdom, 
noticed at Greenwich and Cambridge and several other places.t 
Perhaps the greatest falls on record were two of more recent 
occurrence, in one of which the Barometer, at Barrow-in-Furness, 
on December 8th, 1886, fell to 27:410 inches ; in the other at 
Ochtertyre, Perthshire, on January 26th, 1884, when it fell to 
27°333 inches.t 

Belville remarks that the great depression of the Barometer 
in December, 1821, above mentioned, occurred after “a heavy 
rain of some hours’ duration, with the wind S8.E.” He speaks 
also of a great depression (28°21 inches) that occurred “at the 
close of the great frost of 1814, which in like manner was pre- 
ceded by a stormy wind from S.E. and much rain.” 


* “Climate of London,” vol. iii., p. 69. 
+ Belville’s Manual of the Barometer, pp. 19, 20. 

t See “Nature,” vol, xxxv., p. 157; where it is added as remarkable— 
“that these two low Barometers, hitherto the lowest observed by man any 
where on the land surfaces of the globe after being reduced to sea-level, 
should have occurred in the British Islands, and within three years of 
each other.” 


188 


Judging from my own experience, derived from observations 
during a long term of years, I should say that sudden thaws, 
after frosts of some continuance—and yet more after frosts of 
long continuance—are the occasions generally on which occur the 
greatest depressions of the Barometer; and, what is more, that 
the greatest elevations also, as well as lowest, mostly occur in 
winter. This makes it of interest to notice how far this is the 
case in the table of maxima and minima during the eleven years 
1875—1885. It will be seen on inspection that the maxima 
occurred five times in January, twice in December, twice in 
October, once in February and once in May. The minima 
occurred four times in February, three times in November, twice 
in January, once in December and once in April. Perhaps this 
will appear plainer when set out as under, alotting the three 
usual months to each season :— 


SPRING. SUMMER. AUTUMN WINTER. 


Maximum... l ae ie 2 Pe etc} 
Minimum... 1 nee Ores 3 mee rE 
2 0 5 15 


Thus, not only are the greatest elevations and depressions 
clearly in excess in winter ; but with the two exceptions of one 
high elevation in May and one depression in April, there are no 
- extremes one way or the other to be found between the months 
of February and October. 

The mean height of the Barometer for each season on an 
average of eleven years, which it may be useful to record, is as 


follows :— 
Spring sn hs “s 29°958 
Summer ae ibe aie 29:°973 
Autumn us esis EE 29-961 


Winter sie bas See 30°010 


—— 


189 


TEMPERATURE. 


From the subject of Barometrical observations I pass on to 
consider that of Thermometrical observations. I went so fully 
into the subject of temperature, considered generally, in my 
former paper on the Bath Climate, that it is hardly necessary to 
do more here than to combine the results of ten years’ further 
observations with those of the first decade. The period, therefore, 
now to be considered is one of 20 years, commencing with 
1866 and ending with 1885 ; and there is the less occasion, also, 
for going much into detail from the results varying but little 
in the two cases. I shall confine myself chiefly to a statement of 
results as regards the mean temperature of the whole term of 
years and the temperature of the seasons. 

The mean temperature of the first nine years will be found in 
my former paper. The mean temperatures of each of the eleven 
last years is as follows :— 


ee —— 


MEAN MEAN 
YEARS, TEMP. YEARS. TEMP. 
AGiGeliieit. oc baGieots PASE 2, o cay 48 
1876... ... BLS 1882 ... .. 509 
1877... .. 508 1883... ... 504 
1878... ... 507 ise OT 
1879... ww ATS 188... .. 502 
1880... 502 Mean 2000 Sowa 


eeeeee eee ee eee ee nena EEE 


The mean temperature of the whole series of twenty years is 
exactly the same as that of the first ten, which in my former 
paper is set at 50°5. The variation also between the two 
decades, taken separately, does not amount to one-tenth of a 
degree ; so we may fairly consider the mean temperature of 
Bath, at least in the lower part of the town, to have been 
determined with tolerable correctness. 

The year of highest mean temperature in the whole series is 


1868, when the mean rose to 52°, The year of lowest mean 
OG 


190 


temperature is 1879, when the mean fell to 47°°5, three degrees 
below the average, and following the severest winter in the 
series—that of 1878-79. . 

’ Fourteen out of the twenty years had a mean temperature of 
50° or upwards ; the remaining six had a mean below 50°. 

With regard to the seasons, next to be considered, the following 
table shows the mean temperature of each season, as deduced 
from twenty years’ observations, together with the highest and 
lowest means observed in each season—also the range :— 


SEASONS. MEAN. HIGHEST. | LOWEST. 
Spring eae 48°4 512 
Summer ... 60°3 63°5 
Autumn ... 50°7 52°3 
Winter He 41°4 463 


The warmest spring, and the hotest summer, in the series 
occurred both in the same year, 1868, which year had also the 
highest mean temperature of all the years. Of the summer of this 
year (1868) I gave a detailed account to the Field Club shortly 
afterwards,* and I need say nothing further about it here. No 
such hot summer has occurred since in Bath. The nearest 
approach to it was the summer of 1876 ; but the spring preceding 
that summer was nearly 4° lower than the spring of 1868. 

Looking to the summers generally it appears that the mean 
temperature of that season was above 60° in sixteen out of the 
twenty years, the four exceptions being 1879, and the three 
consecutive summers of 1881, 1882 and 1883. In 1879 the mean 
temperature of the summer was scarcely above 38°; it was a 
notoriously wet and cold year throughout, of which also I gave a 
full account to the Field Club in a paper published in their 
Proceedings. 


* Proceedings of Bath Field Club, vol.i., No. 3, p. 43. 
+ Id, vol. iv., No. 3, p. 209. 


191 


With respect to the range of mean temperature in the several 
seasons, it is worth noticing that while the ranges of Spring and 
Summer are identically the same, the Autumn range, or 
difference between the highest and lowest mean temperatures, 
amounts to nearly 4°,—while in the winter season this difference 
is greatly augmented, being nearly double that of any of the 
others. Whether this is the case in other places I know not, but 
it shows the great uncertainty of character that attaches to the 
Winter season in Bath, and the matter seems to call for closer 
investigation. For which purpose I annex a Table showing the 
mean Winter temperature of each of the twenty years to which 
this paper relates— 


WINTER. MEAN TEMP. WINTER. MEAN TEMP. 
1866-7 42°7 1876-7 461 
1867-8 40°8 1877-8 42°8 
1868-9 46°3 1878-9 364 
1869-70 389 1879-80 375 
1870-1 38°0 1880-1 39:0 
1871-2 42°6 1881-2 43°0 
1872-3 41°1 1882-3 43°6 
1873-4 42°1 1883-4 44°38 
1874-5 39°0 1884-5 43°4 
1875-6 412 1885-6 38°1 


Analysing the results of the above Table, it will be found 
that the coldest winter in the whole series of years was that of 
1878-9, when the mean temperature fell to 36°4; the next cold- 
est being the winter following, that of 1879-80, scarcely more 
than one degree higher than its predecessor, being 37°'5. The 
two coldest winters, therefore, in the whole series were two 
consecutive winters. a5 

The mildest winter in the series was that of 1868-9, following 
the very hot summer of 1868,.the mean temperature of that 
winter being as high as 46°°3, or ten degrees higher than that of 


192 


the coldest spoken of above. The next mildest winter in the 
series was that of 1876-7, its mean temperature being 46°], 
or scarcely less than that of 1868-9. 

It may be further remarked—and this perhaps is the result o¢ 
chiefest importance,—that thirteen out of the twenty winters 
had a mean temperature above 40°, while there were but seven 
in which the mean temperature did not rise to 40°, the former 
being to the latter in a ratio of nearly two to one, so that, 
perhaps, we should not be very wide of the truth in coming to 
the conclusion that, though Bath winters are more variable than 
the other seasons, they are as a rue mild. 

I might add that the great range of the mean temperature of 
the winter season in Bath, exceeding that of any of the other 
seasons, is in keeping with the circumstance spoken of above, 
when treating of the Barometer, viz., that the greatest elevations, 
as well as the lowest depressions, of that instrument for the 
most part occur in winter; for from this it follows that the range 
of th Barometer is, as a rule, also greater in winter than in the 
other seasons. I now pass to the subject of 


RAINFALL. 


In the annexed table are given the results of rainfall measure- 
ments during the last ten years. Combining these with the 
measurements of the preceding decade, 1866—1875, given for 
the most part* in Table I. in my former paper on the climate of 
Bath, the results of the whole twenty years may be summed up 
as follows :— 

The mean Rainfall (mean of 20 years) is 32:064 inches. I 


* The above reservation has reference to the circumstance of the 
first and last years in that Table being incomplete years. ‘The results 
now to appear are those derived from the measurements of 20 complete 
years 1866—1865. 


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193 


spoke in my first paper of the necessity for rain measurements 
being continued for a long term of years “in order to determine 
the true average fall at any particular place,” and this necessity 
is clearly shown in the present instance. The average Rainfall 
in the Institution Gardens, as determined by ten years measure- 
ment, is set in my former paper at 29:986, or allowing for errors 
at 30 inches. Now—at the end of 20 years, it is found to be 
32-064inc., or more than two inches in excess of the ten years 
measurement. 

But this is not the only striking circumstance in the com- 
parison of the two decades. It may further be observed that 
the excess of rainfall is almost entirely confined to the latter 
decade, so that in a general way the first decade may be called 
a dry one, and the latter a wet one. In the first decade there 
are only three very wet years, or in which the rainfall amounted 
to more than 30 inches. In the second there were seven such 
years, the fall in 1882 being more than 42 inches. This last 
year was the wettest of the whole twenty; and not only that, 
but in no other year did the rainfall attain even to 40 inches. 

Other wet years were 1866, 1872, and the five consecutive 
years 1875—1879, in all which years the rainfall was between 
34:953 inches and 37°795 inches. 

Thus, in consequence of most of the wet years occurring in the 
second decade, the two decades are very unequal in respect of 
rainfall ; the mean yearly fall in the first decade (1866—75) 
being 30-504 inches, that of the second (1876—85) being 33°573 ; 
the difference between the two being 3-069 inches. 

The driest year in the whole series was 1870, when the rainfall 
did not exceed 27 inches. The only other very dry year was 
1875, when the rainfall as measured, was 24°890 inches. 

Passing on to the consideration of the seasons. The following 
table represents the mean, maximum and minimum rainfall 
in each of the four seasons as the result of twenty years’ 
meaurement :— 


194 


MEAN, MAXIMUM. MINIMUM, 
Spring oe 6 056 10°848 2°737 
Summer ... 7°633 15°583 2 592 
Autumn ...._~—:10°008 14°302 4°227 
Winter Be. 8°785 13°388 4°830 


It appears from this that, as a rule, Autumn is the wettest 
season, and Spring the driest season in Bath. In the Rainfall 
Table, deduced from the first decade, as given in my ‘former 
paper, the inter season is shown to be the wettest ; but there is 
not very much difference between the autumn and winter falls in 
either table, and either season might prove to be the wettest in 
any particular year. 

Taking the seasons separately in reference to their extreme 
character of wet and dry, it may be worth recording that the 
greatest spring rainfall (10°848 inches) occurred in 1878, the 
least spring rainfall (2-737 inches) in 1883. 

The wettest summer (rainfall, 15°583 inches) occurred in 1879 ; 
the summer of 1882 (rainfall, 14°701 inches) being nearly as 
wet; the driest summer in the series (rainfall, 2592 inches, 
occurred in 1870. 

The greatest autumn rainfall (14:302 inches) occurred in 1885 ; 
the least autumn rainfall (4°227 inches) occurred in 1884. 
Hence the driest autumn in twenty years was succeeded by 
the wettest. 

The wettest winter in the series was 1869, rainfall amounting 
to 13°388 inches. The driest winter was that of 1878, rainfall 
being 4:830 inches, It is worth noting that 1878 was one of 
the five consecutive wet years spoken of above ; but the heavy falls 
were in the spring, summer and autumn months, especially in 
‘the month of May. 

In reference to wet and dry months, it may be observed, 


195 


Autumn as a rule being the wettest season, that there is not 
much difference between the rainfall of September and that of 
October ; and this confirms a remark I made in my former paper, 
that “on an average, one of the two months of September and 
“October is, comparatively speaking, a wet one, and the other a 
“dry one. But which is to be wet and which dry is an even 
‘“‘chance looking merely to results.” 

The highest mean monthly fall in the results of twenty years 
is that of January ; and it will be seen again on referring to my 
former paper, that this same month presented the highest 
mean fall’in the first decade. January, therefore, may well stand 
as on an average, the wettest month in the year in Bath; 
though September and October (or one of those months in 
any single year) may make a near approach to it. 

:: The absolutely wettest month during the whole twenty years 
was. May, 1878, when the fall amounted to 7-060 inches; a 
remarkable circumstance, May and April being the two months, 
in which the mean rainfall (nearly the same in each case) is 
lower than in any other months of the year. In only five instances 
besides the above did it amount to so much as six inches. 

The absolutely driest month in the whole series was July, 
1885, when the fall was 0:210 inches. There was no month 
absolutely without rain. 

: This leaves little more to be said on the present occasion. I 
have nothing further to state with respect to the temperature, 
rainfall and humidity, of Bath compared with other places, 
beyond what I stated in my former paper. Nor need I add 
anything to what was therein said respecting the general 
conditions of the Bath climate. I believe the results given in 
that paper are as a whole correct. Of course the longer the term 
of years for which the observations are continued, the more 
trustworthy they become ; while there are anomalous states of 
weather, in one or other of its aspects, sure to recur from time 
to time during long periods, which it is of interest to record ; 


196 


while also they not unfrequently serve to correct former views 
as to the causes that combine to bring about the very variable 
states of weather characteristic of the English climate. 


Summary of Proceedings for the year 1886-87. 


Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN,—_ 


The thirty-first anniversary of the Club was held at the Royal 
Literary and Scientific Institution, on Thursday, 18th February, 
when after the usual routine business had been transacted, the 
subject of the preservation of the recently uncovered Roman 
remains was brought to the notice of the members by the Com- 
mittee. The injury caused by their exposure to the vicissitudes 
of the weather having been insisted on, a memorial to that 
effect was adopted for presentation to the Mayor and Corporation 
suggesting that some protection should be given to the whole, 
either by enclosure beneath a suitable roof or covering, or at least 
that the recently discovered “‘Altar” stone and other more delicate 
and easily moveable portions of sculpture should be placed 
without delay in the Museum, or elsewhere as may be deemed 
advisable. This Memorial having been signed on behalf of the 
Committee by the President, Vice-President and officers of the 
Club was duly sent to the proper authorities, and courteously 
acknowledged by the Architect of the works on behalf of the 
Baths Committee, with thanks for the suggestion, which should 
receive every consideration. With regard to the sculpture he 
stated, that the stones lately uncovered had been partially pro- 
tected, but that as to the temporary roof over the whole, 
advocated by himself, the Committee considered it unnecessary, 
unless the Corporation were willing to erect one of a permanent 
character, which could not be undertaken before the removal 
of the Poor Law Offices. 


197 


' Seventeen members having been brought together by a three- 
lined Whip, the dinner, which had fallen through the year before, 
was held at the Grand Pump Room Hotel in the evening, the 
vice-president, the Rev. Preb. Scarth, in the chair. 

After the usual loyal toasts, Mr. SKRINE, who was called upon 
to give the health of the president the Rev. L. Blomefield, said 
it was a duty as well as a pleasure to propose such a toast to 
them. From the very commencement of the Club’s life, now 
some thirty years ago, until the present time, it might well be 
said of him éu es Patronus, tu es Parens. Ever ready to lead the 
way and encourage the research of any interesting object of 
natural history in our neighbourhood, he had earned our respect 
and regard by the vigorous exercise of his intellect. If not 
able, through physical weakness, to be with the Club in their 
excursions and walks, yet his mind showed no lack of its former 
strength, witness his recent admirable paper on the *“ Bourne- 
mouth Firs,” and the numerous contributions to our “Proceedings.” 
Let, then, his unceasing energy excite us never to rest on our 
oars, but to work on and do our very best to distribute valuable 
information on the subjects which concern the Club, and with 
which we may be familiar. Without putting himself forward, 
but showing that modesty which becomes a great mind, it may 
be truly said of him, nihil tetigit quod non ornavit. Before sitting 
down he must also give the health of the Vice-President, so well 
known for his antiquarian lore, and so ready at all times to come 
forward and support and promote the objects of the Club. He 
was glad to see him among them that evening so vigorous and 
well. For nearly 30 years he had been connected with the 
Club, may he be so for 30 years more! 

Mr. ScCARTH, in returning thanks, spoke of the advantage of 
such clubs, and said that this one had taken up a portion of 
work much needed in the neighbourhood. 


* Proc. 1886, Vol. vi., No. 1, p. 39. 


198 


. After some more appropriate remarks, the health of the . 


Treasurer and Secretary was proposed, and Mr. Scarth made 
some remarks on the recently discovered “Altar” stone, and stated 
that his interpretation of the figures differed somewhat from that 
of Mr. Sayce (vide Vol. vi., No. 1, p. 81), 

' The Rey. J. B. Medley, the Rector of Orchardleigh, being the 
only one able to be present of those gentlemen from whom the 
Club had received hospitality and assistance during their excur- 
sions, facetiously returned thanks for his health in the character 
of the country mouse visiting the town mouse. 


AFTERNOON MEETINGS. 


The attendance at these meetings has been encouraging, the 
small room at the Institution on some occasions being so inconveni- 
ently crowded as to induce the Club to migrate on one afternoon 
to Christ Church Hall; an experiment not entirely satisfactory 
owing to its size and imperfect acoustic properties when only 
partly filled. 

The afternoon of Wednesday, March 10th, was given up to 
Geology and Botany ; the first paper was from Mr. Horace B. 
WoopwarbD, of the Geological Survey, on the “Geology of Brent 
Knoll” (vide p. 125). Owing to the absence of sections, the struc- 
ture of that remarkable hill, rising some 400ft. from the alluvial 
flats of the Burnham level, has always been somewhat doubtful, 
especially as regards its lower portion. Hitherto the sequence 
of the beds has been, Inferior Oolite on the top, Midford Sands 
next, then Upper Lias, followed by Middle Lias and Lower Lias 
at the base. From recent discoveries made by Mr. Woodward 
in 1885, he has now found out from fossil evidence that the 
Lower Lias has no existence at the base of the hill; but that 
the basal portion consists of Middle Lias Clays. His paper 
then went on to show the bearing of this thickness of the Lias 
upon the coal question to the south of the Mendips, and concluded 


ee 


-'* 


199 


with a descripton of the agencies at work in the formation of 
such outlying conical hills as Glastonbury Tor, and the one in 
question. Mr. Woodward was unfortunately prevented from being 
present himself, but was enabled, by the kind permission of the 
Director General of the soak Sue Survey, to forward the paper 
for the Club. 

Mr. McMurrrie said these notes were an important addition 
to our knowledge of local geology, and the Survey deserved 
great credit for so readily acknowledging an error they had 
formerly made in mapping this knoll—a readiness which had not 
been conspicuous on former occasions when the work of amateur 
geologists did not exactly accord with their views. As regards 
the prospects of coal, of course this discovery of the thickness 
of the Liassic beds at this point did not affect the question 
as to the existence of coal south of the Mendips, but merely as 
to the depth at which it might be won. Bearing in mind too 
that the Lias thinned out near the Polden Hills, and that the 
New Red Sandstone came in there, the depth might not after all 
be so great. Moreover, a sinking for coal would be made nearer 
the Mendips. Mr. Skrine (who was in the chair) proposed a 
vote of thanks to Mr. Woodward for having given the Club the 
benefit of his notes. 

Canon ELLACOMBE then read a short paper on “ Place Names 
derived from Plants (in the neighbourhood of Bath),” stating 
that the process of naming places by our early ancestors was a 
very simple one, for like all uncivilised people they chose out 
their settlements in the places best fitted for their requirements, 
where the necessaries of life, water, wood and shelter could be 
most easily procured; and naming their places from some 
distinctive natural feature, those of trees and plants would 
readily present themselves for the purpose of place-names. It 
was then his endeavour to show that trees and plants enter 
largely into place-names, and that the latter also tell us something 
about plants. Taking forest trees first, how many places derive 


200 


their name from the British oak, ash, elm, beech, birch, alder, 
box, &c.? He knew of no places near Bath, however, derived 
from flowers or fruit; but from more humble plants, e.g., the 
nettle, several instances were given. Claverton, near Bath, was 
supposed by a high authority to have derived its name from the 
water lily, and was originally written Clat-ford-tun, or the town 
at the ford of the clote or lily. This derivation, though extremely 
pretty, he thought was incorrect, for clofe he considered to be the 
water-bur, ditch-bur, or reed-bur, and not the water lily. This 
view as regards Claverton was not acceptable to Mr. Skrine, who 
contended earnestly for the more flowery and poetical derivation, 
and had not failed to fortify himself with the following letter 
from Professor Earle, who maintained the correctness of his 
former view of the connection of Claverton and water lily by 
reference to some learned authorities :— 


“The argument for the Water Lily claims no higher a rank than pro- 
bability, and it is of the nature of such arguments to be in some 
degree matter of opinion. My opinion is strong in favour of the 
connection of Claverton with the Water Lily. 

Our early authorities are Glossaries of Latin and English, ranging 
from the 8th to the 12th century. In these we find the word clate 
representing various Latin names of plants, Blitum, Tubera, Blitum 
vel Lappa, Amorfolia, Philantropium, Cliton, all, so far as we can 
gather (for the identity of these plants is obscure), large leaved plants. 
The name of all these which we have most confidence in recognising 
is Lappa, which is our Burdock, and the fruit of which is still called 
clotbur, where I have no doubt clot is the old clate. But the Glossaries 
contain another entry besides all the above, viz., Ovylapation “‘aneo 
cyunes clate,” ie. one sort of clote; thus informing us that 
clate was used very freely for a large diversity of plants, and that all 
the above Latin names are not a variety of names for the same or 
nearly the same plant, but rather for so many different plants. 

The name of clate being then used with so much latitude, we may 
claim it for the Water Lily without denying it to the Burdock. And as 
one part of the evidence in favour of the Burdock consists in the 


201 


modern name of its fruit, so the fact, stated by Barnes, that the Water 
Lilies of the Stour are called clotes, must be held good evidence for an 
ancient connection between clate and Water Lily. For as on the one 
hand we cannot regard our Glossaries as a complete record of the case 
of clate, so on the other we must remember that the old English of 
the Saxon period is now best represented by the dialect of Dorset, 
The Saxon form of Claverton is Clat-ford-tin, and there is a Clatford 
in Hants near Andover, where the clat is preserved in its early form. 
Does not the association in these instances of clate with water speak 
in favour of a water plant with big leaves? And does not the natural 
fact which you mention of the habitat of Water Lilies in the Avon at 
Claverton lend added force to this presumption ? 

I think these are the chief points of the argument ; but you know 
in twilight men interpret objects diversely, and if Ellacombe likes his 
idea better, he has a right to prefer it. One thing, however, I think is 
quite out of court, and that is the Clover.” 


Notwithstanding this letter, Mr. Ellacombe, in reply, said that 
his opinion had not been in the least shaken, and he thought 
that the absence of the water lily from old writers, and the fact 
that it was unknown in England till within the last 100 years, 
were strong arguments in his favour. 

The Rey. S. SHaw exhibited a plaster cast of an inscription 
found on the N.E. buttress of his tower during the recent 
alterations at Twerton. The tower’s date was about the 13th or 
14th century, and the inscription was probably not earlier than 
the 15th. The inscription was a complete puzzle to antiquaries 
and he sought a solution from those present. 

On Wednesday, Dec. 8th, there was a large attendance of 
members and their friends on the occasion of the President 
opening the winter session with an obituary notice of their 
late distinguished mycologist. Regretting that age and its 
attendant infirmities had prevented him from taking that chair 
for a long time past, he said that he was extremely anxious 
to come before them that afternoon in consequence of the great 


202 


loss. their Society had sustained by the death of Mr. Christopher 
Edmund Broome. He desired to speak of him as an acquaint- 
ance who had been his friend for a large number of years, and 
more particularly to speak of him in reference to his connection 
with that club. Mr. Broome was the oldest friend he had, 
relatives excepted, and he supposed he had known him for nearer 
‘60 than 50 years, their acquaintance taking its origin from the 
circumstance of his going, when he was a quite a young man, to 
be pupil to a clergyman who was curate of the parish adjoining 
his own parish in Cambridgeshire. Then he went to Cambridge 
University and graduated in 1836, but after leaving the University 
they only fell in with each other at intervals. After a time he 
took up his residence at Elmhurst, Batheaston, where he was 
living when he (the speaker) first came to Bath, in 1850, and 
where he resided until his death. Mr. Broome was one of the 
original members of the Bath Field Club, of whom none remained 
now except the vice-president and the speaker. But Mr. Broome 
was more than an original member, and he would not be far from 
the truth in saying that he was the joint founder with himself. 
It was true he originated the idea, but if it had not been for Mr. 
Broome it would never have received its ultimate shape. 
Mr. Blomefield then described the origin of the Field Club, 
and spoke of Mr. Broome’s great activity in research, and all 
matters connected with natural history, and especially botany ; 
also of his rare and valuable collections. He described his 
great energy and capacity for work, and attributed his death 
to incessant labour and over fatigue of both mind and body. 
The death of their much esteemed member read a lesson for all 
of them, a sharp lesson, but a most important one—to work to 
the full extent of their energies, but not to the injury of their 
health. Few members of their Club, he imagined, needed to be 
cautioned not to work too hard, and he felt there were not a few 
to whom the first half of this advice would be given with 
difficulty. They could ill spare one so active at home and 


——— 


203 


abroad, as their late member—would anyone, come forward .and 
take his place? He asked them to take for their motto, that 
which was the guiding star of the whole life of their departed 
member—‘ Work while it is day.” The President then read 
extracts from the will of the deceased, which he had received 
from the hon. secretary of the Royal Literary and Scientific 
Institution, bequeathing to that Institution all his books (on.the 
fly page of which he had written his initials, “'C.E.B,”), consisting 
of works on a number of sciences, which were enumerated, 
and his’ herbarium; and also stating that if the bequest of 
his fungi made to the British Museum was not accepted, it 
should be given to the Institution. This, however, had been 
accepted. 3 , 

The Rey. Predendary ScARTH also expressed his sincere 
sorrow at the loss they had sustained, and thanked the President 
for the excellent memoir which he had placed before them. He 
further spoke of his ‘personal friendship with Mr. Broome. | 

The PRESIDENT then called upon the Rey. Prebendary EARLE 
to read a paper on the “Traces of the Saxon period in Bath 
and the neighbourhood.” Before doing so, the Prebendary also 
said a few words with reference to the remarks of the President 
upon the late Mr. Broome, and added that he was sure he 
would be expressing the sentiments of many when he said 
that Mr. Blomefield’s memoir of his friend had touched a very 
deep chord in their feelings. He then passed on to his subject 
(vide p. 153). 

The third meeting was held at the Institution, on Wednesday, 
January 12th, 1887, when, in the absence of Mr. Skrine, the 
Secretary read certain “ Letters illustrating the Battles of 
Claverton and Lansdown,” one written by Lord Hopton (then 
Sir Ralph), the other by Col. Slingsby, both Royalists (vide p. 167). 
In the discussion which followed, Mr. GREEN said he had always 
felt sorry that Mr. Skrine had made a former. contribution on 
this subject, as printed in 1878, without. having read, or-without 


204 


having noted, the account of the Battle of Lansdown as printed 
in 1875. He had, however, perhaps better not remark further 
on this. The letter now read to them was not new, as he had 
used it very much, practically embodied it, in his Lansdown 
paper, and duly gave the reference to it, where it could be found. 
Perhaps, again, a notice of this and a comparison should have 
now been made, The whole of these MSS. had just then been 
arranged, and he thought he was the first who had referred to 
them. It seemed that Mr. Skrine, from his minute knowledge of 
the roads about Claverton, had detected that the Royalists could 
not have been at Monkton Combe as stated; and looking up 
this reference had found the place therein written Monkton 
Farleigh. The relation of this march from Frome was epitomised, 
being introductory, not as giving full particulars, but merely to 
bring both forces to Lansdown. The object in view was the 
Battle on Lansdown. Writing at the time full of Somerset, the 
more familiar name of Monkton Combe had been substituted 
and passed unnoticed ; it was evidently wrong, as it placed both 
forces on that side of the river. But it was a slip, a clerical 
error, not an error affecting any statement or fact. The para- 
graph now as it stood, was meaningless and obscure ; Farleigh 
not Combe was clearly intended, as by substituting Farleigh for 
Combe all became clear and the account read on correctly. The 
narrative of the Lansdown fight was taken from his full 
manuscript of the Civil War as relating to the whole county, and 
probably a reference to this would show the name written 
Farleigh*. The Royalists passing round by Bradford bridge were 
met at Monkton Farleigh by Waller’s advanced guard which he 
had passed over the “ford” below Claverton, his main body 
being drawn up on Claverton Down. Beaten back and losing the 


* The Secretary has since been informed by Mr. Green that on 
referring again to his original MS. of the Lansdown fight he finds 
therein— Monkton Farleigh and not Monkton Coombe.” 


205 


ford, he then retreated his whole force down the hill and through 
Bath to Lansdown. The Royalists keeping the opposite side of 
the river passed on as related, and rested that night within 
Batheaston bridge. He was glad to have the oversight corrected, 
although no great harm had been done. 

The fourth afternoon meeting was held at the Institution on 
Wednesday, Feb. 9th, when the ‘‘ Note on the Ham Hill Stone,” 
contributed by Mr. Horace B. Woodward, of the Geological 
Survey, was read by the Secretary. The object of the com- 
munication was to define the position of that celebrated building 
stone in the Inferior Oolite series, the conclusion being that the 
Ham Hill stone belongs to the upper part of the Midford or 
Inferior Oolite sands. Mr. McMurtTRIBg, in the discussion which 
followed, stated that he was not prepared to come to any definite 
conclusion as to the exact position of the stone in the Inferior 
Oolite series, as his attention had not been especially directed to 
those beds. Hitherto the information respecting them afforded 
by the Geological Survey was very meagre, and he congratulated 
the Club on hearing this contribution to the subject from one so 
well qualified to deal with it as was Mr. Woodward, who had 
worked so much in our neighbourhood. He reminded the 
members what a different aspect these beds put on in different 
parts of the country, comparing their facies on the north of the 
Mendips with that on the south, where they were more largely 
developed and so different in appearance—instancing their thin 
representatives in the neighbourhood of Frome and Mells, 
‘resting upon the Carboniferous Limestones ; and their thickness 
at Doulting and Ham Hill, both of which places were so 
celebrated for their building stone. The CuarrMan, in giving 
the thanks of the members to the author of the paper, stated 
that everyone must be interested in this stone, who had 
seen how much it had been used in our churches for 
decorative and other purposes, and how durable it was. As 


to his own church he stated that there was a tradition that the 
P 


206 


stone for the tower came from a quarry near Langridge and not 
far from Battlefields. 

The SEcRETARY having been asked for his view respecting 
Mr. Woodward’s “Note,” stated that he was not prepared in 
any way to criticise it. The brachiopod—Rhynconella cynocephala 
—which the writer said he had found in a small section on the 
right hand side of the road, on the last rise before coming to the 
main quarries, had subsequently been found there by himself on 
two occasions, one being during the excursion of the Club to. 
Ham Hill last year; and unless the identification of strata by 
their fossil contents was an exploded theory, the discovery of 
this peculiar shell (of which specimens were shown) certainly 
fixed these beds as coming in somewhere at the base of the 
Inferior Oolite series. Alluding to the chairman’s remark about 
the locality whence the Oolite for the Tower of Bitton Church 
came from, he asked for some definite information as to the 
quarries whence the Bath Abbey was hewn; Mr. Chas. Moore 
had informed him that the now disused quarry (called Shepherd’s) 
on the right of the Entry Hill road supplied the material. 
Some sections on the black board illustrated the position of the 
Ham Hill Stone as compared with the Inferior Oolite beds at 
Leckhampton Hill; and a block of the hard nodular bed at the 
base of the workable “Gray beds” at Ham Hill, resting im- 
mediately upon the Yellow “ Brim Sands” was exhibited. The 
Secretary reminding the members that a very large block of 
this stone had just been brought to the surface when they visited 
the quarries in September last ; Mr. Trask, the owner, who was 
then present, stating that it was rather an uncommon thing to 
see this bed exposed, and promising to send a specimen to the 
Bath Museum. This he has since kindly done. 


EXCURSIONS. 


Sherborne Abbey and Park, May 4th. The Club was most fortu- 
nate in having so fine a day for the first excursion of the season 
to Sherborne. Tuesday was simply a perfect May day, and as 
the members, comfortably “located” ina saloon carriage, ascended 
the slope of the Mendips and found themselves on the watershed 
at Maesbury, looking over the Somerset moors, with a bright 
sun and a clear sky everywhere around them, they thought that 
the ‘merry month of May” was after all not merely a tradition 
of the past, but a bright possession of the present. Glastonbury 
Tor, to those unfamiliar with the curious freaks of denudation, 
stood out like a huge conical tumulus on the horizon, appearing 
and disappearing as the train swept down the winding descent to 
Shepton Mallet, and the Polden hills were seen, a faint blue 
bank in the distance. The trees were hardly yet in full leafage, 
and the grass, owing to the cold nights and late season, was very 
scanty of growth; but, notwithstanding this, the rich, rolling 
Somerset meadows through which the train passed to Temple- 
combe looked as only Somerset meadows can look—verdantly 
luxuriant. At Sherborne the members were met at the station 
by the viear, the Rev. W. H. Lyon and his son, and were at once 
conducted by the south porch of the Abbey to the King’s School. 
Here one of the masters, the Rev. A. Wood, showed them over 
the school whilst the vicar attended the mid-day service in the 
Abbey. From the schoolroom, erected within the last eight 
years, containing an organ at one end for concerts (music being 
one of the fine arts much cultivated at this school), all the 
various portions of the buildings were visited in detail. The 
boys’ studies—once the cells of the Benedictine monks, whose 
monastery formerly stood on the north side of the Abbey, and 
has now been appropriated for the use of the school ; the crypt— 
with its Norman piers; the old schoolroom—built 1670, with the 
statue of King Edward VI. at its east end, transferred from a 


208 


more ancient schoolroom to its present site, well known to old 
Sherborne boys, as they “ capped” the image of royalty—better 
known, perhaps, than the Latin lines beneath :— 


En! tibi, Flos juvenum, Britonum Decus, Inclytus orbis 
Splendor, Appolinei Delicizeque chori, 

* Gymnasium hie pueris statuit, gratumque Minerve 
Ut gratis discant—discito—gratis eris. 


Outside and over the gateway leading to the court in which this 
hall stands, the following two Latin lines record the foundation 
of the school :— 


Edvardi impensis patet hic Schola Publica Sexti, 
Grammatice cupidis, nobile Regis opus. 


From the hall up to the sick chambers curiously built amid the 
stone groining of what was the Lady Chapel, thence to the 
admirably fitted up library, the ancient Guesten hall, and through 
the chapel to the museum on the opposite side of the road. 
Formerly belonging to a silk factory, this well lighted room con- 
tains a very good collection of the characteristic fossils of the 
neighbourhood, principally from the Inferior Oolite, and has 
evidently had more attention bestowed on its contents than most 
school museums. Mr. Wood briefly indicated from a geological 
section of the neighbourhood the formations recently traversed in 
descending order from the Oxford Clay and Cornbrash at Temple- 
combe to the Forest Marble, Fuller’s Earth, Fuller’s Earth Rock, 
and Inferior Oolite on which Sherborne is built; the only 
peculiarity being that the Great Oolite so thick at Bath had 
thinned out in this direction altogether, and was probably 
represented by the Forest Marble. The Secretary supplemented 
Mr. Wood’s remarks with a few words as to the formations 
successively passed over on the morning’s journey. Leaving the 
Lower Lias of the Bath valley they had passed through the Upper 
Lias in the cutting below Devonshire buildings, the Sands of 
the Midford tunnel, on to the Inferior Oolite beyond, over the 


209 


anticlinal of the Mendips, with the Mountain Limestone dipping 
successively north and south, until they reached the levels on the 
other side, and once more came upon the Lias. He then drew 
especial attention to the series of Ammonites from the Sands 
and the Inferior Oolite; alluded to the researches of the late 
Professor Buckman, so ably continued by his son, which had done 
so much to clear up the vexed question as to the true horizon of 
the Sands, and he ventured to think that their researches went 
far to establish the fact that these Midford or Yeovil Sands put 
on a facies more Oolitic than Liassic. Having thanked Mr. Wood 
for his kindness in showing them over the famous school, the 
members entered the Abbey at the west end under the guidance 
of the vicar. Before doing so the remains of an old doorway on 
the north side of the present one were pointed out as containing 
traces of Saxon work, and attention was called to the picturesque 
effect of the painted window at the east end as seen through the 
open portal, The contrast from the glare outside to the subdued 
light of the interior of this noble Abbey was most restful to the 
eye. ‘The richness of the carving in pannelled pier and vaulted 
tracery, and the soft blending of the whole in one harmonious 
warm tint, due to the quality of the far celebrated Ham Hill 
stone, renders this interior probably unequalled in beauty. The 
vicar, notwithstanding the sad affliction in the almost total loss 
of his eyesight, was an excellent expositor of all the architectural 
details. Recently he has had the gratification of taking a pro- 
minent part in the restoration of the tower, and pointed out some 
Norman pier work on the north wall of the lantern, recently brought 
to light. Scarcely any portion now remains to be restored ; 
almost everything has been done through the liberality of the 
Digby family that was necessary. There still, however, remains 
the anomaly of the Lady Chapel being used as a sick ward to be 
done away with, and then this Abbey will be even more perfect 
than it is now. A visit was paid to the belfry, containing a peal 
of eight bells. The tenor, called “Great Tom,” the gift of Cardinal 


210 


Wolsey, and the smallest of the seven brought from Tournay and 
presented to various cathedrals in England, bears the inscription ; 


By Wolsey’s gift I measure time for all ; 
To mirth, to grief, to church I serve to call. 


The bell rung on the alarm of fire, and from its shape giving out 
a peculiar sound, has the following inscription : 


Lord, quench this furious flame ! 
Arise! run! help! put out the same. 


The panoramic view from the top of the tower, of the park, 
town and surrounding neighbourhood, was much enjoyed by the 
few who were energetic enough to make the ascent. A cordial 
vote of thanks was given to the vicar for his able guidance, the 
members parting with him at the south porch and turning their 
steps to the park. The lake looked its best in the bright sun- 
shine, dotted here and there with swans sailing out from beneath 
the shade of the fine overhanging trees. Having inspected the 
outside of the house built in the shape of the letter “ H,” the 
cross part of which is said to have been erected by Walter 
Raleigh, and the architectural features of which have not much 
to attract attention, they wandered on to Walter Raleigh’s seat 
and tree (an elm), the traditional scene of the pipe and flagon 
of beer anecdote—and finally found themselves admitted, by the © 
civility of the gardener, to the precincts of the old castle, Bishop 
Rogers’ once famous fortress, now a picturesque ruin, with here 
and there traces of the once rich Norman mouldings in column 
and window tracery, characteristic of his period. Several of the 
members now returned to Bath by an early train, whilst others 
remained to dine at the Digby Hotel. 

Southerndown and Ewenny Priory, June Sth, 1886.— The 
members (14 in number) who met at the G.W.R. station on 
Tuesday, June 8th for this excursion were much indebted to 
Mr. T. Graham for the arrangements he had made with the 
company, whereby they were enabled to break their journey at 


211 


Cardiff or elsewhere. Leaving Bath by the 10.18 train, and not 
finding much to interest them during the earlier portion of the 
morning, in spite of the well known custom of the Club to avoid 
politics, the burning question of the day ‘‘Home Rule” unavoid 
ably cropped up, and a surprising unanimity prevailed with the 
representatives of both sides of political thought in the satisfac- 
tion felt by the news of the Government defeat by a majority of 
30. At the Patchway station, however, interest was concentrated 
upon the great works in progress there in connection with the 
Severn Tunnel; the deep cuttings at the sides made for the 
double line of rail revealing fine sections of Lower Lias and 
Keuper Marls. Just beyond the station, and before approaching 
the entrance to the new Patchway tunnel, a thin section of the 
Rhetic Bone Bed has been exposed lying on the Light Green 
Marls. And the “tips” from the blastings in the tunnel show 
many interesting specimens of Millstone grit (containing curious 
spherical concretions similar to those found in the Lias near 
Bitton whilst making the line there, but in this case siliceous) of 
Limestone and a coarse and fine Conglomerate. Though goods 
trains have passed through the Severn Tunnel from the other 
side the passenger traffic is not yet in working order. Passengers, 
who are sadly inconvenienced by the present break at New 
Passage, anxiously }ook forward to the completion of this great 
undertaking which has already cost about two millions of money. 
Arriving at Cardiff about 1.30 the members were met by Dr. 
Vachell, President of the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society, and Mr. 
Gavey, the Secretary, and at once conducted to the Angel Hotel, 
whence, after lunch generously provided and most thoroughly 
appreciated and an ascent to the roof to see the fine view thence 
of the town and neighbourhood, they went to the Museum and 
Free Library close at hand. The principal object being to see 
the Rheetic and other fossils from the neighbourhood, time did 
not admit of more than a cursory glance at the rest of its 
contents. At half-past three a start was made for Llandaff, not 


212 


before cordial thanks were returned by our Vice-President, the 
Rev. Preb. Scarth, on behalf of the Club to the representatives 
of the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society for the hospitality and courtesy 
shown to the members, and a cordial wish that they would give 
the Bath Field Club an opportunity of returning their civility, 
and of showing them some of the objects of interest in their 
own city. Under the guidance of Mr. Storrie, the able and 
intelligent Curator of the Museum, some of the party proceeded 
on foot to Llandaff, whilst the rest preferred the more easy, if 
less dignified, method of riding on a bus. On looking back 
after crossing the fine bridge over the Taff, the Marquis of Bute’s 
castellated residence was seen standing out clearly defined in 
all the minute details of its architecture and guilding against 
the back ground of a black thunder cloud. A slight detour was 
made from the main road through the Sofia gardens, the out- 
lying district of Canton passed through, and a path to the right 
led through pleasant fields to Llandaff, distant about a mile and 
a half. Before crossing the last stile a lovely view of the 
Cathedral was seen, framed as it were in the limbs of a venerable 
ash tree, which must have seen 200 winters at least; the crocketed 
spire on its S.W. tower and the Perpendicular pinnacles 
of the N.W. standing most picturesquely out of the surround- 
ing foliage. Entering by the north porch and passing in to 
the nave, the simplicity and unity of the interior was the first 
and most noticeable feature before the various details unfolded 
themselves ; then the eye was attracted by a curious and most 
unhappy series of horizontal graduated pipes projecting over the 
stalls from the organ, like long and short post horns held by 
some invisible hands; then passing on to the colours of the 
41st Welsh Fusileers finally rested with pleasure on the view 
of the Lady Chapel seen through the fine Norman arch at the 
east end of the choir. Mr. Prichard, the Architect and restorer, 
being prevented from meeting the members through illness, they 
were severally indebted to Mr. Storrie, the Verger, and a “Sketch 


EE EE ae 


213 


of Llandaff Cathedral by John Taylor,” for particulars of the 
structure ; from these various sources of information it was 
gleaned that the present building was mainly the work of Bishop 
Urban, about 1120, whose work may be recognised in the N. 
and §S. doorways and the choir arch and some portions of the 
external walls. The pillars of the nave and choir and the W. 
frent are later, about 1220; the Lady Chapel is still later in date, 
and the Chapter House on the S. is advanced Early English, 
square with a central pillar. The tower on the N.W. was 
built by Jasper, Earl of Pembroke, 1485, and is similar in its 
overhanging pinnacles to that of St. Stephen’s, Bristol, and to the 
one at Cardiff. The S.W. tower has been recently re-erected, 
and the whole of the careful restorations, completed in 1869 under 
the skilful hands of Messrs. Prichard and Seddon, give general 
satisfaction. There are many monuments, amongst them two are 
worthy of special mention, the one at E. end of N. aisle, an 
altar tomb with a knight in armour, said to be that of Sir David 
Matthew standard bearer to Edward IV. at the battle of 
Towton, 1461, and murdered by a Turbervill ; and another at the 
N.E. of the nave to Sir William Matthew and Janet his 
wife, two fine alabaster figures, 1528—1530. The wood-work of 
the stalls, cedar wood inlaid with oak, box and lignum vite, are 
very beautiful. As afternoon service was just about to commence, 
the members passed by the well, the water of which was level 
with the floor, outside round by the cross erected to the memory 
of Dean Conybeare and ascended the table land immediately 
N. of the Cathedral, and wended their way through Fairwater to 
Ely station, about one mile distant ; here the train was taken for 
Bridgend, and after a drive of five miles the barren uplands of 
Southerndown were reached, and the Marine Hotel and some 
neighbouring houses received the members for Tuesday night. 
Wednesday, June 9th.—Some of the younger and more 
enthusiastic members rose early on Wednesday morning and 
found their way to the beach in spite of the stone walls which 


214 


run down in all directions seawards—small proprietary rights 
sadly interfering thereby with the roaming instincts of the free 
Briton. Looking upwards from the yellow sands a very fine section 
of Lower Lias beds about 250ft. in height are seen from summit to 
base. The horizontal reefs extend to low water mark, the 
lowest of them being a blue coarsish crystalline limestone, its 
outer surface roughened with angular and sub-angular pebbles of 
Chert and Mountain Limestone. Fossils seemed scarce in these 
lower reefs, but blocks with impressions of Ammonites Bucklandi 
were scattered about under the cliff, probably fallen from higher 
beds above. The strata were nearly horizontal with perhaps a 
slight dip landwards. After an early breakfast a start was made 
at 9 a.m. for Sutton, Mr. Storrie, who had come all the way from 
Cardiff, kindly acting as guide through the day. Following the 
cliff road by the farmhouse of West, before descending to the 
sea level a halt was called at a road section on the left, where 
the Sutton stone was first seen and many characteristic fossils 
were found on the heaps of weathered blocks lying about, e.g. 
Pecten Polluw ; Ostrea multicostata ; Cardinia  Suttonensis 
(Tawney), &e., &c. Passing still further downwards another 
section on the right just above some houses was visited, it was 
here that the Sutton stone was originally quarried for building 
purposes. Standing on one of the “ tips,” now grass grown, the 
Secretary gave a short description of the geology of the district, 
and the discoveries made here by their late lamented brother 
geologist, Charles Moore. ‘They were standing (he said) on 
that remarkable formation called the ‘Sutton stone,” so named 
from the locality where it was first worked—the question was, 
to what particular position in geological sequence these beds 
belonged—were they representatives of the Rheetic series ? a view 
once held by a very able geologist, now passed away to the 
majority, (his friend E. B. Tawney), but a view which he, the 
Secretary, knew had been given up at the latter period of his life 
—or were they representatives of the Lower Lias—the Ammonites 


215 


angulatus zone? The latter was the view held by Charles 
Moore; than whom no one could be better able to form an 
opinion. The Rhetic theory had recently been resuscitated by 
Messrs. Tomes and Lucy based principally on coral evidence. A 
re-examination of the geology of this district was therefore 
necessary, and this excursion had been planned with this object. 
A great alteration had taken place in the lithological character of 
these beds,—as could be readily seen by comparing the speci- 
mens before them with the Lias through which they had passed 
on their journey yesterday—this rendered their correlation so 
difficult. Those however familiar with the Secondary rocks in the 
Mendip area must be struck with the practical identity of these beds 
with those at Shepton Mallet, both as to their appearance and fossil 
contents—the latter were admittedly Lower Lias. Indeed when~ 
ever the Liassic beds rested uncomformably on the Carboniferous 
Limestone this alteration (as Charles Moore had pointed out) has 
taken place. Similar conditions prevailed in this district, on looking 
seawards the members would perceive the reefs of Carboniferous 
Limestone with the Sutton stone resting uncomformably upon 
them, the high range of hills at their back were a like formation 
and throughout this neighbourhood those beds resting on these 
Palzeozoic rocks were much changed in structure. What caused 
this was still an open question, the evidence of igneous rocks 
in close proximity could not be adduced as a reason here, as it 
had been across the water—however the fact of their alteration 
remains, so that the fossil contents of these beds were the only 
safe guide to their place in the geological series—members 
had an opportunity of winning their spurs.” 

The carriages being rejoined below they drove past the mouth of 
the Ogmore and on to Ogmore Castle, a picturesque ruin of which 
not much beyond the old keep and a portion of the outer walls 
remain, situated on the river Ewenny crossed here by stepping 
stones. The view of the yellow sand hills at the back across the 
Ogmore framed in one of the old windows was most picturesque. A 


216 


two-mile drive landed the party at Ewenny Priory. Colonel Turber 
vill, notwithstanding the early hour of arrival, was ready to 
receive the members and to show them over the Priory Church and 
grounds. Entering by the S. door into the chancel it was at 
once seen that no ordinary hand had been busy with the restora- 
tion of this perfect specimen of early Norman work. The 
Presbytery or chancel is simply perfect and one of the purest 
specimens of Norman work in 8. Wales. The floor has been 
recently covered with encaustic tiles, modern reproductions of 
the various coats of arms belonging to the noble families of which 
traces have from time to time been discovered, the three-light 
Norman window at the E. end has been opened and various 
other restorations recently carried out. From Colonel Turber- 
vill’s description and from the account of the Priory by Mr. 
Freeman in the Archzologica Cambrensis, 1857, the following 
history was gathered :— 

It was originally a Norman fortress built by William de Londres, 
one of the twelve knights who with Fitz Hamon invaded 
Glamorgan and who built Ogmore Castle. In 1141 it was added 
as a cell to the Abbey of St. Peter at Glo’ster. The Priory 
belonged to the Benedictines and after the dissolution passed to 
the Carne family and afterwards by marriage to the Turbervills. 
Freeman considers the Priory Church highly remarkable on 
several grounds, and to be one of the best specimens of a fortified 
ecclesiastical building—the union of Castle and Monastry in the 
same structure— and that it exists very nearly as it was originally 
built. The Church was cruciform with central tower very massive 
—when perfect there was a nave with N. aisle—N. and S. 
transepts, latter only now remaining with eastern vaulted chapels 
now destroyed, and presbytery. The nave originally formed and 
now forms the parish Church, the choir, the presbytery and their 
appendages formed the church of the Priory. The vaulting of 
the Presbytery, Freeman writes, is one of the rare instances of 
Romanesque on so large a scale in England. Over the two 


217 


western bays is a barrel vault, the third and eastern has groined 
cellular vaulting—the S. transept has three round-headed 
lights at the S. end, an arcade of seven arches approached by 
a stone newel staircase in the S.W. corner leading to the 
tower belfry, and contains the supposed tomb of the founder, on 
which is a floriated cross with the following inscription round it :— 


“Tei gist Morice de Londres le foundeur, 
Dieu lui rend on labeur Am.” 


Several other incised slabs of later date are let into the floor 
at the S. end. Entering the nave through the S. arched 
doorway lately opened out, the massive Norman cylindrical piers, 
with plain imposts on the N. side instructive characteristics 
of English Norman (as Freeman writes) were pointed out, also 
the fine oval Norman font at the W. end, and the 18th century 
plain tablet to a local blacksmith in the S. wall adjoining 
with the following appropriate inscription :— 


“Underneath 
“ Lieth the body of David William, 
“of this Parish, who died the 16th of 
“March, 1742, aged 57. 

““ My sledge and hammers lie decay’d, 

“My fires extinct, my force allay’d ; 

“My vice is in the dust confin’d, 

“My coal is spent, my irons gone ; 

“ My nails are drove, my work is done.” 
Passing through the N. door to the outside the remains of the 
N. transept were seen, also the foundations of two of the 
chapels E. of that transept. The domestic buildings of the 
Priory were on the S. side and remained nearly perfect till about 
the beginning of the present century. A large portion of the 
enclosing wall remains with two gateways ; on passing out of the 
S. door a broken slab with the following portion of an inscrip- 
tion has lately been discovered :— 

Hic jacet ..... . DeLon. .. +. 


218 


Evidently the cover of a tomb to one of the De Londres. Colonel 
Turburvill having most hospitably invited the members to lunch, 
the spare time was occupied in wandering through the grounds 
and following the course of the ancient walls; the curious 
dovecot in the E. wall, the S.W. gateway, the kitchen 
garden enclosed on three sides by the old ramparts and the N. 
gateway were the chief objects of interest. The Secretary 
likewise in company with Mr, Storrie took a few of the members 
more especially interested in the subject to see a geological section 
about a mile distant on the Brocastle road, an account of the 
result of this visit is appended :— 


Brocastle Section—In a paper recently read by Mr. Lucy before 
the Cotteswold Naturalists’ Field. Club, and published in their 
Proceedings for 1884-1885 (p. 257), an attempt is there made 
to revive Mr, Tawney’s theory of the Rhetic age of the Sutton 
stone Conglomerate, and to show that Charles Moore was in 
error in supposing it to be of Lower Lias age, and had mistaken 
one bed for another. In his paper on Abnormal Secondary 
Deposits (Quarterly Journal Geological Society, Vol. xxiii., p. 521), a 
section is there given at Brocestle, with a description of “a deposit 
of Conglomerate” found there resting on the Mountain Limestone 
immediately under the soil, the Liassic character of which he 
brought forward abundant evidence to prove. At p. 257 of Mr, Lucy’s 
paper—with a view of rebntting this evidence of the Liassic age of 
the Conglomerate—a statement is made that “it was clear (to the 
writer’s mind) that it was merely a large mass of drift ”—whatever 
this may mean. It was then to ascertain the accuracy of this view 
that the visit was made. About a mile from the Priory on the S. 
road to Brocastle, just at the top of a slight rise, and nearly opposite a 
road section on the right-hand, a gate on the left led into a field at 
the top corner of which, close to the hedge bounding the road on the 
S., Moore’s section was found. There could not be any doubt of this, 
as the Secretary had the original map used by that Geologist on which 
the spot was marked. The quarry having long been disused was of 
course much grown over ; but the E. side revealed the section sought 
for. There immediately under the. turf.were loose blocks of bluish 


219 


Conglomerate full of cavities on the exterior, with encrinital plates 
attached and apparently bored by zthodomi, some two or three inches 
thick ; these were followed on the slope to the N. by thicker beds of 
whitish fine grained blocks, having precisely the character of the fine 
grained Sutton stone, and containing Lower Lias fossils ; one of the first 
blocks, about 1ft. long and 2in thick, revealing when broken open good 
specimens of Ostrea liassica Avicula decussata and a perfect tooth of 
Acrodus nobilis ; so far for the fossil contents. Mr. Lucy, however, 
apparently does not dispute the fact of this deposit containing a Lower 
Lias fauna ; but of its similarity in stratigraphical position with the 
beds at Sutton. In the opinion of the Geologists present and also that 
of Mr. Storrie, who is well acquainted with these beds, the similarity 
of these deposits with the Sutton stone could hardly be doubted ; and 
the “drift” theory of Mr. Lucy, whatever that might mean, did not 
hold good. Charles Moore’s views in this respect were not proved 
erroneous, and the legitimate, though at the same time hazardous, 
attempt to overthrow observations made by cautious authorities had 
not as yet proved successful, 


Prebendary ScARTA having after lunch thanked the courteous 
host and hostess for their hospitality and the instructive morning 
the members had passed under their guidance, the intervening 
distance to Bridgend was soon traversed, and the 3.5 p.m. train 
received them just in time before the break up of the fine 
weather which had so much enhanced the pleasure of the 
excursion. 


Excursion to Chepstow and Tintern Abbey, Tuesday, July 13th, 
1886.—Memories of pleasant places and things need refreshing 
sometimes, hence though the Club had previously, in 1864, visited 
Chepstow and Tintern, many who had recently become members 
were anxious to see those far-famed places for the first time, and 
the others were not adverse to revisit those architectural gems 
ever revealing something new to wonder at and admire at 
every fresh visit. The G.W.R. arrangements necessitated an 
early start from Bath and the 8.5 a.m. train for Portskewet 
received some twenty members. On the way they were joined by 


220 


Mr. Charles Richardson, the acting engineer of the Severn Tunnel 
works. That costly undertaking of driving a tunnel five miles 
long—two-and-a-quarter beneath the water and two-and-a-quarter 
on land—thoughnow so farfinishedasto have admitted the passage 
of a good’s train, yet is not in sufficient working order for 
passenger traffic. The unfortunate bursting out of a land spring 
on the Portskewet side having more than once impeded progress, 
and now requiring the pumping up of 15 million gallons of water 
every 24 hours; a drain which report states has considerably 
affected the neighbouring springs, and must also affect the 
finances, notwithstanding the contemplated saving of £12,000 per 
annum, by the doing away with the present water traffic. Let us 
hope, however, that this like other difficulties will be successfully 
met by engineering skill! After having duly noted the velocity of 
the Severn currents causing a perceptible irregularity inthe level of 
the water which in some places seemed to be flowing down hill 
near the “Shoots,” the trajectus at all times unpleasant and 
especially so at low tide was accomplished, and nothing particular 
occurred worthy of record before arriving at Chepstow, except the 
pretty peeps of the Wye seen through the intervening masses of 
rock as the train wound its way along the right bank. On 
alighting of course the first object was the Castle so picturesquely 
perched on its inaccessible crag, rising 130 fect in a sheer per- 
pendicular wall of Mountain Limestone from the river which 
washes its base. Ascending a grassy slope and passing under the 
eastern gateway with its grooves for portcullis flanked on either 
hand by round towers of Edwardian date, late 13th century, the 
first of the four courts was entered. On the right was the 
Banqueting hall, the tracery in its windows looking on to the court 
indicating early Decorated work, temp. Edward II. Pantry 
and buttery are shown at the E. end of this hall and a flight 
of stone steps leads to the kitchen. The groining over the steps 
is particularly good, also that of the vaulted subterranean store 
chamber beneath, with its opening to the Wye and its iron ring 


—_—-~ 


0 a” 
‘ 


221 


in the floor to which the rope of the boats bringing provisions to 
the inmates was attached from below. Proceeding to the left side 
of the first court, the tower where Henry Marten, one of the judges 
of King Charles I., was interned and died, was next inspected. The 
moulding of the upper part, supposed to be the chapel, shows the 
ball flower and is of early English date, the windows facing the 
court are much later. Ascending the spiral staircase, the battle- 
ments were followed to the fine hall at the upper end of the 
first court, supposed once to have been a chapel. The windows 
are fine specimens of Decorated work. On the inside face of the 
south and west walls, above the holes where the flooring joists were 
inserted, there are several apparently Norman arches possibly 
some of the original work of Fitz Osborn, the Norman, who is said 
to have been the original founder of the Castle in the 11th 
century. At the upper end of the hall are remains of some 
Early English work, probably of a screen which separated a portion 
from the rest and made it into a chapel. Passing outside this 
hall, on the river side, a steep ascent led into another court- 
yard approached by an outer gate. Having returned to the 
first courtyard and enjoyed the shade of a magnificent walnut 
tree for a space, the members passed out through the east entrance 
and followed the deep ditch on the S., noting by the way at 
the bottom of “ Marten’s” tower the peculiar strengthening of the 
base which seemed to rest on an inverted arch of hewn stone, 
the sides forming the angles of the tower and gradually dying away 
in the masonry above. A coach and break met the members at 
the top of the moat on the Tintern road, and after a pleasant and 
breezy drive through Piercefield Park they commenced the 
ascent of the Windceliff by an easy path through the woods at the 
back of Moss Cottage. The far-famed view was seen to 
advantage. The windings of the Wye through its tree-clad 
inland cliffs, the distant islands of the Steep and Flat Holmes, 
the Cotteswold hills across the expanse of the Severn on the 
horizon, and Chepstow and its Castle almost hidden in the midst 
Q 


222 


of the surrounding deep foliage at their feet, were the prominent 
features in a view rarely excelled in beauty. A descent through 
the woods was then made, and after paying the usual toll at the 
Cottage, the conveyances, which had been sent round to meet 
the members, were re-mounted and after a drive of two miles 
the much needed lunch, prepared at the Beaufort Arms, was 


thought highly necessary before the further prosecution of . 


antiquarian research. To those entering the western portal of the 
Abbey for the first time the view of the exquisite interior seems 
unrivalled ; wall, pier, window and tracery seem so little injured 
by time that one almost fancies the roof is only waiting 
to be erected to restore the whole to its former state of chaste 
beauty, even the large bosses at the intersection of the groining 
are there ready to be raised into place—but perhaps its present 
state of ruined preservation is better for pilgrims. Founded in 
1131 by Walter de Clare, a Norman baron and relative of William 
the Conqueror, but little, if anything, remains of that early date ; 
all the chief architectural features of the present building date 
from the 13th century. Roger de Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, to 
whom the de Clare estates descended by marriage, commenced it 
in 1269; and 1287 saw it finished for divine service. After the 
dissolution in 1537, the monastic buildings and estates fell to the 
share of the Earl of Worcester and through him to his descendant 
the present Duke of Beaufort. The interor illustrates the 
typical arrangements of the Cistercians. The nave which was 
given up to the lay brethren has on its south side the remains of 
the stone screens which shut out the lay brothers from the monks, 
and was entered by a door-way still existing in the N.W. corner. 
All the monastic offices are on the N. side; the Chapter House 
with its encaustic flooring recently uncovered, the Guest House, 
Refectory and elegant vaulted pulpit on its west side for the 
reader, the buttery, kitchen, dormitories, and the Cloister Garth. 
At the south side of the Garth, near the richly Decorated north 
doorway to the nave, are two tombstones on one of which the in- 


223 


scription ‘‘ Johannes de Lynns;” and on the other “Jacet Henricus 
de Lancaut . . . Abbas de Voto,” can be plainly read. The 
Cloisters themselves have disappeared, but the well proportioned 
windows of the N. aisle, dwarfed purposely for the admission of 
the lean-too roof beneath, indicate the line where these originally 
ran. Situation and architectural details both combine to make 
these ruins some of the most picturesque in England. Passing out 
again beneath the beautifully proportioned west window with its 
nearly perfect Decorated tracery, a last look was given at the 
fine west front with the remains of its Galilee, and then the modern 
procession of lay brethren wound their way reluctantly back to 
those less interesting but most useful conveyances, the coach and 
break, which took them on to the station at Tintern Parva, a 
mile distant, whence the train was taken for Chepstow. The 
lovely peeps of rock, wood and river, as the train winds its way 
to Chepstow, are unsurpassed even by the hitherto celebrated 
drive by the coach road. The beauty of the scenery was much 
enhanced, too, by the freshness which the recent rains had effected 
on the foliage after the long drought of the past June, and every- 
thing conspired to render this a most pleasant and successful 
archeological excursion. 

Ham Hiil and Montacute, Tuesday September 14th, 1886.—Those 
who were present at a former excursion to Montacute on 
10th October, 1865, may recollect that owing to the bad weather 
and other contretemps the day did not leave pleasant memories 
in its wake. Neither the house nor the quarries were seen to 
advantage. Such remarks, however, could not be recorded of 
this the fourth and last excursion of the season. A glorious 
summer's day and courteous civility combined to make this 
certainly one of the pleasantest and most instructive of the 
series. Owing to the length of the programme an early start for 
Yeovil by G.W.R. was necessary, and at 10.45 twenty members 
and their friends, comfortably packed away in two breaks supplied 
by the landlord of the “Three Choughs,” left the Pen Mill 


124 


station for Ham Hill, . Pleasant was the drive in the balmy 
morning air by upland and deep cut hedge-embowered lane, with 
distant peeps of church tower, and stately mansion house 
embosomed in luxuriant foliage, thechurch of Odcombe conspicious 
on the right, and the fine Queen Anne facade of Brympton in 
the vale below. Agreeable, too, was the shade from the long avenue 
of Scotch firs on either side of the road; though perhaps not planted 
by the original makers of the camp, yet planted many years 
ago by a former owner of Montacute (?) with excellent taste, and 
seemingly rejoicing in the rich nature of the Inferior Oolite Sands 
capping the elevated ground on which they grow. Ata sharp 
rise of the ground leading to the outer defence of the camp, the 
members left the breaks and walked up the road cut through the 
steep vallum on the KE. At a small quarry on the right hand, 
immediately on passing into the camp, the Secretary called a 
halt, and pointing to a particular ferruginous band about six feet 
from the top of the section, suggested that a search should there 
be made for a small and characteristic shell. Crowbar and 
hammer having been plied, many specimens more or less perfect 
were soon found of the Rhynconella cynocephala, a brachiopod 
marking a certain horizon in the Pisolitic beds of the Inferior 
Oolite of the Cotteswold hills. Proceeding onwards from the 
corner, ‘‘ too hot” in some respects for the comfort of many, the 
more airy plateau of the hill was reached, and a short detour to 
the left led to the quarries so widely celebrated for their 
building stone, Fortunately the owner, Mr. Trask, was there, 
and from him the following facts were elicited. The deep 
quarries have only been opened in the present century; the one 
above which they were standing, some 90ft. from the top soil to 
the bottom of the working, only during the last 30 years. The 
stone had been known and utilized for centuries, the original 
makers of the camp were acquainted with it, as the use of it in the 
S. and W. ramparts plainly showed. The Romans certainly used 
it, and the architects from the Norman period down to the 


125 


present day, as so many of the churches bear witness. The 
problem was, how with the bad roads of former days they were 
enabled to convey the material so far. As to the details of the 
section he referred to the late Mr. Charles Moore’s description, 


which is given below in ascending order :— 
Feet. Inches. 
Inferior Oolite ; Yellow “ Brim Sands” with occasional 


concretionary boulders of Sandstone j 80 
Bottom bed—hard Nodular bed, not worked ... ee! 
Gray bed 2 
Ditto 2 6 
Ditto 2 
Ditto aoe be ar Sai ace C3 
The “Yellow beds” closely bedded, varying from 2ft. 

to lft. Gin. ode ace Het Si ee 50 
“ Ochre ”—consisting of Yellow sands, sometimes passing 

into Sandstone... ae: wae tid nas 30 


The ‘Gray beds” yield the best weathering stone, and are 
separated from the ‘ Yellow beds” by a band about 1ft. thick 
containing many pellets of iron ore (Somerset Archeological 
and Natural History Society, vol. xiii, 1865-6). Mr. 
Trask told us that in working back the quarries many hut 
circles had been destroyed containing skulls, burnt earth and 
pebbles. During the morning an example of one of these “ finds” 
was shown by a workman, consisting of round water worn flint 
pebbles, a broken implement, probably portion of 2 polished celt 
made of some hard blue stone (? igneous), and some bones of 
domestic animals, sheep, &c. The flint pebbles looked 
like sling stones. The Secretary thanked Mr. Trask for his infor- 
mation, and said he would supplement his remarks by calling their 
attention to the numerous fissures and joints running at cross 
angles to the beds, facilitating the removal of the large blocks 
from their parent bedding. Having accompanied Professor 
Boyd Dawkins to these quarries a few weeks ago, he could give 
them the substance of the latter’s remarks on these beds. Being 


226 


composed of comminuted shells, the Professor stated that in his 
opinion these beds owed their formation to shallow water and 
were probably laid down at a depth not exceeding 150 fathoms. 
There was once a time when a walk could have been made from 
this hill, without descending any very deep valleys, to Glastonbury 
Torr ; but owing to the enormous wearing down that had gone 
on in comparatively recent times the intervening rock had been 
removed by the action of the sea, rain, river, frosts and carbonic 
acid until the hill stood out boldly as at present, a monument of 
past denudation. The geological part of the day’s programme 
having been finished, a traverse was made to the S.W. entrance of 
the camp and the vallum followed to a projecting spur, whence a 
magnificent view of the distant Quantocks with the intervening 
rich lowlands and numerous church towers scattered about was 
obtained. At this point extra strength has been given to the 
camp by a series of outworks defending the entrance in this 
direction in a manner which even military authorities of the 
present day would acknowledge as well and skilfully carried out. 
The Secretary, here again referring to the great authorities on 
these camps, said that this was one of the largest in England, 
being 210 acres in area and three miles round; and that such 
strongholds as these, of which there are numerous examples on 
all our neighbouring hills, were made by the Neolithic people, 
the Non-Aryans who preceeded the Celts, and by whom the 
polished stone weapons were made. They were a military 
people, and wherever there was a weak point to protect it was 
always defended on scientific principles, such as would guide 
defenders in the present day. The reasons why these camps 
were situated on rising ground was due to the fact that in those 
early days the country was divided into small communities, and 
when the latter took to fighting among themselves—and the 
country was “up” either from domestic feuds or from foreign 
invasion—these upland enclosures served as places of refuge to 
which they drove their cattle and in which they lived till the 


227 


clouds rolled by. Generally water was to be had close at hand 
or could be temporarily obtained from the rainfall or dew ponds, 
asin Wiltshire. These camps were in existence when the Romans 
came, and were of course adapted and occupied by them as good 
strategical points. Continuing along the W. side, the contour of 
the ground was seen to have been much altered by the ancient 
quarrying ; the Romans and others seem to have gradually worked 
the stone back from the W. face, throwing up the “tips” as 
they went eastward and in some places obliterating the ancient 
vallum. The heat of the sun taxing the powers of some of the 
members a cross cut over the broken-up ground was made 
to the N.E. side, and the much needed lunch, brought in the 
breaks, having refreshed them for the remaining portion of the 
day’s work, the ‘‘Frying Pan” was the next object. This, an 
undoubted portion of Roman adaptation, is situated at the N.E. 
point of the hill, and was probably originally an amphitheatre ; 
the scene of Roman military agitation, as in latter days it has been 
utilized by arch agitators of the bucolic stamp. Many unfinished 
Roman swords, coins chiefly of the Antonine period, one 50 years 
later, and fibule have been found; also a curious row of holed 
stones existed close at hand in situ, but during the last ten 
years these have nearly all disappeared. One still remains 
much broken away, but what their use was is doubt- 
ful. Some think they were used for the purpose of tether- 
ing horses. The hill having been both geologically and 
archeological examined, it now remained to make a steep and 
rapid descent to the church of Stoke-sub-Hamdon below, where the 
Vicar, the Rev. W. J. Rowland, was kindly ready to receive the 
members in his churchyard and point out the peculiarities of his 
most interesting church. Proceeding first of all round the out- 
side, attention was directed to some Early English work on the N. 
wall of the nave, the meaning of which it was not easy to under- 
stand. Over this,on the same side, was a good specimen of an 
Early Norman narrow-lighted window, with grotesque carving in 


228 


the headstone forming the arch, at the W. end a fine Decorated 
window, on the 8. Norman and Early English windows side by 
side. The S. doorway, originally Norman, had been altered to 
admit of the insertion over it of a later window. The S. side of 
the chancel caused some discussion. Mr. Talbot considered that 
the curious Norman corbel table was in its original position, that 
the masonry of the walls was Norman work as was evidently that 
of the end buttresses ; and that the windows were Early English 
and Early Decorated, but altered on the north side of the chancel 
in the 15th century. Entering the church by the N. porch the 
tympanum of the doorway, originally blocked up by masonry and 
discovered as the Vicar told us in 1857, created much interest. 
The subject—in the centre a tree with three birds in the branches ; 
an archer, half beast half man, on the left, turning backwards 
shooting at a lion, with “ Sagittarius” roughly cut below; a lamb on 
the right with a cross on back ; beneath, a lion with head turned 
to right and tongue out as if wounded, with ‘‘ Leo” cut in like rude 
characters—gave rise to many curious explanations (wide Mr. 
Talbov’s ‘ Notes” below). Inside, the following facts were gleaned 
from the Vicar. Originally a Norman church with chancel and 
nave, subsequent alterations had made it cruciform. The chancel 
arch, a very fine specimen of Norman work, had probably been 
altered, the square abaci apparently being older than the capitals 
below, a heavy roll runs completely round the soffit, a peculiarity. 
The tower instead of being at the W. end, as was usual, is over 
the N. transept, the stand for the hour glass on right of pulpit 
was a relic of olden times. The S. transept was a beautiful 
specimen of Early Decorated work, and the “ squints” were also 
noticeable. In short but few churches in Somerset, so noted for 
its churches, equal this in interest, as it is an example of nearly 
every style from Early Norman down to our own times. 

Mr. Talbot’s notes on the church being of value are here 
appended :— 

Notes on Stoke-sub-Hamdon Church. By C. H. Tazo. 


This church is very picturesque and of great interest, owing to the 


229 


successive alterations it has’ undergone, and the work of different 
periods remaining. It is a cruciform, aisleless building, with a tower 
over the north transept and a north porch. The walls of the nave and 
chancel are Norman; those of the nave having been raised probably 
in the fourteenth century. The original Norman north doorway of 
the nave remains, though somewhat concealed in the upper part by 
the fourteenth century poreh which has been built against it. This door- 
way has a solid tympanum, with curious and interesting carving ; in 
the centre is a tree, with three birds in its branches ; on the right, an 
Agnus Dei ; and below, on the left, a Sagittarius ; and, on the right, a 
lion, identified by an apparently contemporary inscription underneath 
—“Sagittarius . . . Leo.” The suggestion, in this and other cases, 
that the Sagittarius had reference to King Stephen, appears to me 
fanciful ; as also the notion that the carvings typify St. Michael and 
the devil ; though the Sagittarius is certainly represented as shooting 
at the lion, they may simply be two of the signs of the zodiac. There 
are the remains of a corresponding Norman doorway on the south side 
of the nave, but it has lost its arch and tympanum owing to the 
insertion of a later window over it; so that we cannot tell whether 
more signs of the zodiac were carved upon it. There are the remains 
of two small original windows in the north and south walls of the 
nave, and one in the south wall of the chancel. The chancel walls 
retain very interesting original corbel tables. The chancel arch is a 
Norman one restored. Above it, on the side next the nave, is a 
defaced carved string course, apparently Norman, which would be 
parallel to the orginal flat ceiling if the usual Norman arrangement 
existed. 

On the south side of the chancel, near the east end, is a double 
lancet window of the thirteenth century, under one arch internally ; 
to the west of this, a lancet of the fourteenth century ; and, to the 
west of that again, a low side window, of the same date, with a plain 
cusped head. It is obvious that the latter window may have been 
exactly similar in the head, and have been reduced to the lancet form 
by cutting away the cusps, but it is not absolutely certain. 

Exactly the same arrangement seems to have prevailed on the north 
side of the chancel, as is shown by the original arches of the windows 
remaining internally ; but externally they have been remodelled in 


250 


the fifteenth century. The east window is an interesting specimen of 
Perpendicular. Buttresses were added to the side walls of the chancel, 
apparently at the same time. 

The north transept and tower over it are of the thirteenth century, 
with the exception of the north window, which was inserted in the 
fifteenth century. The lower storey has groined vaulting, and there is 
a projection on the east side, which may perhaps act as an abutment 
to the chancel arch ; but, no doubt, served to enlarge the transept and 
to contain an altar internally. All this is of the thirteenth century. In 
front of this eastern recess is placed a stone screen of the fifteenth 
century, which formerly occupied a different position in the church. 

The south transept has ranges of windows in the side walls, of 
early fourteenth century character, so close together that their splays 
meet, forming an angle, and the whole has much the effect of a con- 
tinuous arcade internally. The south window is of a later type, 
fully developed fourteenth century work. There is, in the south wall, 
a well preserved male effigy in a canopied recess of the same date ; and 
piscinas across the S.E, angles in the transept and chancel. The 
nave has several good windows inserted in the fourteenth century ; 
particularly the west window, under which is a late fifteenth century 
doorway. A bracket, affixed to the east splay of one of the windows, 
on the south side of the nave, probably carried a statue. The font 
is Norman. 

The north porch, added in the fourteenth century, is of two stories 
with a groined vault to the basement, and a ribbed vault, apparently a 
true stone roof, to the upper chamber. Close to this porch, by which 
it is partly concealed, in the outer wall of the nave is a feature of the 
thirteenth century, not very easy to understand, consisting of tabling 
crowned with Early English foliage. A similar, but perfect, example 
is said to occur elsewhere. Internally there are remains of early 
painting on the splays of the Norman windows, and also remains of 
painting on the wall, over the chancel arch—two censing angels ; 
probably, the figure of our Lord was formerly in the centre. 

On the north side of the chancel there is a male effigy, under a 
canopy, which may be of the time of Elizabeth, or, as some think, 
later. The arms, on the monument, show that it commemorates a 
member of the Strode family, as the same arms occur on a later tablet of 
that family against the east wall of the chancel. 


231 


In the churchyard is an altar tomb, apparently of the fifteeuth 
century, probably removed from the church. 

There are a number of houses near the church, mostly of late date, 
but preserving the ancient traditional character, well preserved and 
but little altered. 


After thanking the Vicar for his information a short drive took 
the members to the W. entrance of Montacute house, where a 
cordial reception from Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Phelips enabled them to 
see both the exterior and inside of their noble mansion. Passing 
beneath “and yours my friends” into the hall, they issued 
“through the wide-opening gate,” where “none come too early, 
none return too late,” on to the courtyard opposite the W. 
entrance. Attention was here directed to the grand Elizabethan 
facade with its so called nine worthies writ in stone—Hector, son 
of Priam, Alexander the Great and Julius Czsar, three Gentiles ; 
Joshua, David and Judas Maccabzus, three Jews ; Arthur the 
King, Charlemagne and Godfrey de Bouillon, three Christians. 
Beneath the windows, of which there are said to be 365, a 
number equal to days in the year, were round hollows—what 
was their use? Mr. Talbot thought they were for statues 
originally ; the round chimmeys too, were they a part of the 
original structure, or a later introduction? Longleat had similar 
ones, these the last authority thought were not original. Was John 
of Padua the architect, or who? Records are silent; but the 
founder of this noble house all know was Sir Edward Phelips, 
Knt., Queen’s Sergeant to Elizabeth between 1580 and 
1601 ; and in possession of that family it has been ever since. 
The eastern facade has had a subsequent addition made to it, 
the centre portion between the two wings having been brought 
from the house of the Horsey’s, Clifton, May Bank, and inserted 
here ; “J. H.” or “C. H.” and the crest of the Horsey family, a 
horse’s head, being recognised in the 15th century carving over 
the porch and elsewhere. The members then entered the hall, in 
which at the N. end is a curious plaster relief of the pratice called 


232 


“‘ Skimmerton riding,” of which the following is a description :— 
“ Riding the Skimmity,” 

* “On the left-hand of the bas-relief a man is seen stooping over a 
beer barrel, in one arm he is holding a baby which has evidently 
been entrusted to his charge by his absent wife. In the meantime he 
has been drinking the beer, and apparently in a state of intoxication 
is about to draw more, as the hand of his other arm is extended towards 
the tap, and a cup to receive it stands underneath. But the wife 
returns, and finding him in this condition rates him soundly ; then 
while an altercation ensues between them, and she is whacking him 
with an old shoe, a third person, supposed to be the school-master from 
a scroll of paper in his hand, overhears the quarrel and reports it to 
the village. Then follows the procession composed of men and women, 
most of whom are carrying an eftigy of the delinquent on a pole and 
proclaiming the matrimonial scandal to the surrounding crowd.” 

Nore,—The term “skimmerton” is supposed to be derived from the 
“skimmers” and ladles which the person riding carries in his hand and 
with which he was sometimes belaboured. The Rey. J. B. Medley, 
Rector of Orchardleigh, informed the Secretary that during his curacy 
at Shepton Beauchamp he once saw (1854) this old use of “‘ Skimmerton 
riding.” 

From the hall the members ascended the stone staircase to the 
long gallery, one of the most striking features of the house ; 
supposed once to have been the library it extends the whole 
length of the building and has a good oriel window at either 
end. A refreshing cup of tea was awaiting their descent to the 
hall, and after thanking their host and hostess for their courtesy 
the breaks were remounted, and a pleasant ride through the 
park brought them to Yeovil in time for the 6.23 p.m. train to 
Bath after a most enjoyable day. 

The bye-excursion to Dundry, fixed for May 18th—postponed 
owing to the rain—came off on October 12th. There were only 
five or six members who ventured in spite of a somewhat 
unpromising morning to take part in it, and on leaving the 
Bristol station had a most unpleasant trudge through muddy 


233 


roads and blinding rain to the top of the hill. The derivation of 
the word—whether from the Saxon Dagian, to dawnor spread light, 
according to Bishop Clifford, the Tower of the Church being 
on the site of an ancient beacon, or ‘“ Dawn tree”; or whether 
from two words Dun and Draegh, signifying “a hill of oaks,” 
according to Collinson—was discussed by the way; the chief 
conclusion arrived at, however, was that it was not done dry. 
As it was impossible to enjoy any view, or to visit the celebrated 
quarries; after some needed refreshments were taken at a 
friendly Hostelry, the Church was hastily inspected, with its 
“Dole stone” and fine cross in the Churchyard, and a rapid 
descent made to Bristol. 

The other bye-excursions, to West Harptree and Win- 
chester, were not carried out; but the long deferred one, to 
‘visit the little Saxon Church at Bradford, on the invitation 
of Mr. Adye, the architect at present engaged in the 
needful structural repairs, was made on Tuesday, December 
14th. Owing to the heavy rainfall in the early morning only about 
six members were present. These. were met by Mr. Shum at 
the Bradford station, and had some of the interesting features of 
that picturesque and foreign looking town pointed out to them. 
Before crossing the bridge, the house in which Lord Westbury 
was born, and the residence, nearly opposite, of the inventor of 
the Shrapnell shell, were passed, and the strongly built and 
curious little chapel on the south side of the bridge, overhanging 
the water, claimed more than a mere passing look. At the 
Ecclesiola, Mr. ’Adye met the party, and pointed out the various 
repairs to walls and roof, which had elicited the commendation 
of Mr. Freeman, and therefore must needs be historically and 
architecturally correct. Since the last visit of the club much 
has been done, the precincts of the chapel have been cleared 
from the tumble-down cumbrous sheds before built against 
the south wall and hiding its features; the roof has been 
repaired and made watertight, and the walls, which were in a 


234 


dangerous state and consisted of an outer and inner facing of 
masonry with the space between hollow, have been filled in with 
Portland cement, thus binding the whole together in a solid mass, 
The small round arches have been repaired and completed 
wherever it was necessary for structural reasons to do so, and 
wherever there was sufficient “springing” left to carry on the 
design. On clearing away the structure abutting against the 
south side, the foundations of a south porch were found ; and the 
pitch of a high roof, corresponding with the height of the wall, 
plainly indicated on the outside; an interesting point, thus 
showing that the south porch was a fac simile as to height and 
dimensions of the existing north porch. Two solid buttresses 
have been carried up, resting upon the base of the east and west 
walls of this porch, thus marking the site, and acting as a 
support to the main wall on that side; though in the opinion of 
the architect such support was not needed. Of course it is a 
question about which the different schools of thought may 
readily dispute, whether this present ugly masonry should 
remain breaking the harmony of the south side; or whether 
the porch should be restored (hateful word to some!) and 
the walls and roofs added. MJntering through the arched 
doorway into the nave, the great height of the building 
at once arrested attention; and when the eye became 
accustomed to the dim light, the irregularity of the details, the 
descent instead of ascent into the chancel by a step , the bulging 
look of the walls, which might have been original and intended 
to be out of ‘plumb line ;” the curious “rundlet,” or reed-like 
ornamentation round the chancel arch—the only ornament in the 
chapel save the two angels high up in the chancel wall, about which 
Professor Earle discoursed to the Club at their last meeting (Vide 
p- 162),—all came out at last into prominence. The chancel 
appears to have been lit by one deeply-splayed window, high up in 
the south wall, and the length of the whole building, corresponded 
with the height of the walls, 25 feet. Passing through the north 


235 


porch, the outside details were inspected, which are equally 
interesting with those in the interior. The arched panelling, 
all round under the eaves, evidently cut out of the masonry ; the 
flat pilasters, “stepped” now on one side of the base, now 
on the other, here and there on both sides; the irregularity 
of the string courses and the general idiosyncrasy of the 
structural details were remarkable. The west front has three 
windows pierced in it, and on the inside beneath them it is 
stated that they were not found there originally ; here, perhaps, 
utilitarian purposes were a sufficient reason for breaking the 
otherwise plain western wall facc. Having thoroughly seen this 
most instructive building the parish church adjoining was visited ; 
and thus in a very small space were seen illustrations of church 
architecture, from the eighth century (so some suppose) down 
through all the ages to the present nineteenth century garter-like 
bands with which some fanciful hand has girt the westernmost 
pillars of the north aisle. Having thanked Mr. Adye for his 
guidance, the party, taken in hand by Mr. Shum, were shown the 
priest’s chapel on Tory hill, admired the beautiful view o’er 
woodland and vale below flecked with storm clouds and sunshine, 
and descended to the beautifully situated manor house of 
Belcombe Brook, and were there most hospitably entertained by 
Mr. Shum. 

Amongst the walks that to Claverton Down, at the invitation 
of Mr. Skrine, to examine the Camp and excavations lately made 
there by him, may be recorded. The meeting place was Sham 
Castle, on October 26th. About twenty members were present. 
The day was fair, cold and bracing, and so nipping and eager was 
the wind on that airy height that the party were fain to crowd 
under the lee of the Sham Castle, which some must have wished 
to have formed a little more real defence against the elements. 
Here Mr. Skrine read his paper (Vide p. 236), which was listened 
to with attention, and the whole party then ascended to the ram- 
parts of the Camp, noting several longitudinal mounds, considered 


236 


by Mr. Scarth to have been barrows. They struck the line of the 
ramparts at the stile leading on to the Down and followed it 
round to the Rifle Butts, where the ancient road through the 
Camp ha‘ its exit towards the nortli, and where is still the cart 
track. The line of the road curving through the Camp was 
then followed, Mr. Skrine pointing out the lines of the enclosures 
which bordered it. The rampart on the south was then observed, 
dividing a field belonging to Major AlJen from the Down, with a 
wall on the top of the bank as in prehistoric times. Several of 
the enclosures were then pointed out with a reference to the map 
of the Camp, and the party entered a field of Mr. Skrine’s, in 
which he is carrying on some excavations. The building here 
had been partially cleared, showing a solid wall 6ft. thick and 
about 3ft. 4in. in height. A small piece of pottery (apparently: 
Roman) and a piece of worked flint like a sling stone had been 
found on the spot. The members then were guided to 
Gainsborough’s Kitchen, a romantic dell in a rocky lane leading 
down to a spring, the course of which is the boundary of the manor ; 
and then through the wood to Claverton Manor by a charming 
road overlooking the Avon valley. At Claverton the Club were 
entertained at luncheon by Mr. Skrine in the picture gallery, 
after which, on Colonel Chandler’s motion, a hearty vote of 
thanks was given to Mr. Skrine for his paper and hospitality. 


Hampton Camp.—The ancient camp on Hampton Down which I, 
have asked you to explore with me to-day, is by all learned archzologists 
considered to have been constructed by the Belgz, the invaders and 
conquerors of South Britain, about 200 years B.C. 

It was their most important fortress in this part of the country, and 
was closely connected with their famous Boundary-Earthwork called’ 
the Wansdyke. It is very strong by situation, for it crowns a steep’ 
and wooded hill about 700 feet above the sea, and 600 at least 
above the valley of the Avon which it commands. It overlooks a 
considerable expanse of country, and was within sight of numerous’ 
hill forts on the line of the Wansdyke. It was then of considerable. 
strategic importance to the Belgz, and was surrounded by an embank- 


aoe 


237 


ment and ditch still to be clearly traced on three sides, north, west 
and south. On the east the quarries have destroyed the line of the 
ramparts, but probably as the hill on that side seems to have been 
scarped and is very precipitous, its ramparts may not have had so much 
attention. It is most likely that a wall stood on the top of the bank, 
stone being plentiful and near the surface. The old road which passed 
through the settlement from south to north and which was part of the 
ancient Fosse Road from Seaton to Lincoln is still distinctly traceable. 


The interior area of the camp is about 74 acres, and it is divided 
into a number of parcels of land of unequal size by low longitudinal 
ridges or banks. These are the remains of substantial walls or high 
banks, that served to separate the hut dwellings, and the homesteads 
or yards of the cattle, belonging to the inhabitants ; and also perhaps 
enclosed gardens and fields of arable. The number and size of these 
enclosures show that this was a permanent settlement or town, and 
not merely a military post, or refuge for the neighbouring villages in 
time of war. The cattle would be stabled or yarded at night by 
their owners to protect them from wild beasts, or robbers ; and would 
be led out to pasture by day in the woods and on the adjacent 
downs, under the charge of their herdsmen. 


Sir Richard Colt Hoare says that he has repeatedly met with 
similar foundations of enclosures on and near the Wiltshire Downs, and 
that he had invariably found they were indications of a British village. 
The situation of Hampton Down also corresponds with the description 
by Cesar of an “oppidum” of the Britons. He says “the Britons 
call a town a place with a tangled wood round it and fortified with a 
yampart and ditch.” Inside this, as Strabo tells us, they would build 
their huts and collect their cattle, but not with a view to remaining 
there long. As, however, Hampton Down was on the frontier, it was 
no doubt always occupied by a garrison, and was a permanent settle- 
ment. I am indebted to Mr. Spackman for the assistance of a map 
of the camp which he made by direction of Mr. Scarth, more than 
30 years ago, and which I have had reduced. It gives all or nearly 
all the enclosures within the camp, some 34 innumber, andsome outside ; 
and a recent measurement directed by myself has verified the lines as 
on the whole very accurate. No excavation has been made of these 
lines ; but some hut circles have been explored by Mr. Scarth. And 1 

R 


238 


have discovered enclosures of a similar kind to them within the camp 
in a field of mine called Bushy Norwood, on the south side of the 
camp, where I am now carrying on some. excavations to which I 
shall invite your attention. 

It has, I think, been shown that we have here a considerable camp, 
occupying an important military position in pre-historic times. 

What traces there may be of Roman occupation I am not prepared 
to say, a small fragment of pottery being all I have found by 
excavation ; but it is certain that this must have been one of the forts 
garrisoned by Ostorius on the Avon and Severn rivers when he marched 
against the Silures in South Wales. Mr. Scarth found traces of a 
Roman camp on what was Claverton Down; but the plough has 
probably obliterated it. We are, however, on the present occasion 
dealing with its occupation by the Belg as their frontier fortress, 
Now who were the Belge? This is a question which has puzzled a 
good many antiquaries; but it is fairly solved by the researches of 
the late Dr. Guest, given to the world ina posthumous work of his 
“ Origines Celticce.” 

He says, “the Belgze were a powerful and aggressive people, but 
from what quarter they had intruded themselves into the seats where we 
find them settled is a difficult question to answer, Cvesar says that the 
country of Gaul was parcelled out among three great tribes—Belge, 
Celte and Aquitani—and he makes the Seine and the Marne the 
Southern boundary of the Belge. The basin of the Rhone and 
Saone with Toulouse the capital was called ‘Provincia’ by the 
Romans (‘ Provence’ now), and this was occupied by the Volcse— 
another reading of Bole or Belcz the V and B being interchange- 
able letters. These Volce were traced also to Ancyra in Asia 
Minor, whither the Belge under Brennus some centuries before 
had passed from Byzantium. Jerome says, the people of Ancyra 
spoke the same language as those of Toulouse. Identity of language 
in this case means identity of race.” These Volcz were also called 
Tectosages ; the meaning of which, says Guest, is the wayfaring men 
who wore cloaks of skins, ze... shepherds or herdsmen ; and curiously 
enough the Scythians who drove some of these same Belge from the 
basin of the Danube over into Asia, were also called Belew or Tecto 
sages. The name being a collective term for their occupation as herds- 
men, Dr. Guest pursues the matter by an argument from etymology. 


239 


Fir-Bolg, the Irish or Gaelic form of the name Belgze, means the men 
of the Bolg tribe, Fir, plural of Fear-Men (or say it was an Irish form 
of the Latin Vir which would be pronounced Fear) the meaning is the 
same. He thinks that the Roman Bubulcus comes from Bolg, or 
Buile, againa Gaelic form of the word, and hederives it from the Sanscrit 
Palah, or Palakah, protector ; Go-Palah, or Palakah, being cow-herd ; 
Greek Bov-moros, Latin Bu-Bulc-us. Supposing this conjecture to 
be correct, the name admirably fits the character and occupation of 
the Belge who invaded Britain 200 years before the Christian era. 
And what does Cwsar tell us of them? Cvsar says that the southern 
coasts of Britain were occupied by these tribes, who had crossed over 
from Belgium for the purposes of plunder and war, and who had 
finally settled there and begun to cultivate the Jand. Dr. Guest 
follows up this by saying that they probably landed near Christ 
Church, in Hamsphire; and thus possessed themselves of the fine 
grazing lands on the banks of the Stour and Avon ; and that they fixed 
their first boundary line by a Dyke—called Bokerley Dyke and Combe 
Bank—which included Cranborne Chase and part of the new Forest. 
They next pushed on beyond Old Sarum and Amesbury to the Downs 
of Hants and South Wiltshire. Their third line was the Wansdyke, 
which has been traced from the Berkshire Downs through Savernake 
Forest to near Portbury Lane and the Bristol Channel. It is plainly 
visible near Warleigh on the opposite side of the Avon. The ditch in 
every instance faces the N. to keep back the British tribes, of whose 
land they had taken possession. There were numerous forts along the 
Wansdyke, many of which must have been within sight of Hampton 
Down ; English Combe, Maes Knoll, Dundry and Stantonbury camp 
on the W., or Bathford Hill, which appears to have been scarped, 
though no certain traces of a camp have, so far as I am aware, 
been discovered. Many of the forts on the Marlborough Down 
from Roundway eastwards would also be in communication, and the 
Wansdyke itself was utilised by the Romans as their own road to 
Marlborough. 

These observations will, I think, have shown the strategic import- 
ance of the Hampton Camp. It was the great frontier fortress 
settlement of the Belge ; and, as observed before, no doubt permanently 
occupied by them. Now assuming Dr. Guest’s conjecture to be correct 
as to their name and origin, we shall see that their migrations may have 


240 


been dictated by the necessity of their occupation. They had out- 
grown their own lands in Gaul, or possibly had been driven out by 
an inundation of the sea, and sought fresh grazing and arable lands in 
the fertile vallies of Southern Britain, where the Downs afforded dry 
and safe situations for their fortified settlements ; many of these had 
no doubt been occupied by the British tribes who had preceded them, 
but were further strengthened by these men who possessed iron and 
bronze tools unknown to the early settlers of the stone age. It would 
also become necessary to mark out in some definite manner the limits 
of their conquests, both to keep their own cattle in and to exclude 
those of the neighbouring tribes from their grazing grounds. 

That their migration and conquest of South Britain may be thus 
explained is no mere theory, but is in accordance with what may be 
called the laws of Nature. 

In the primitive times it was undoubtedly the case that the owners 
of cattle had to move their quarters frequently, their herds and flocks 
having out-grown the pastures. Abraham and Lot had “ exceeding 
many flocks and herds,” and separated in consequence. And cattle, 
if short of food, would certainly move, whether with or without their 
master’s leave, and draw them after them “to fresh fields and 
pastures new.” 

An illustration of this may be drawn from the ranches in N.W. 
America ; where, when prairie fires or overstocking has laid the 
pastures bare, the herds rush tumultuously down on the homesteads 
and wreck them in order to get at the hay and provender stored 
within. We find the Belgic tribes had before Czesar’s time occupied 
the greater part of Southern Britain, and were his sturdy antagonists 
in war. 

Dr. Guest considers that the Wansdyke was merely a boundary 
fence, and argues that it could not be defended in time of war ; but it 
must be borne in mind that the hedge, that most probably surmounted 
the bank, would be a very valid obstruction, and one that was certainly 
made use of as such by the Romans in that famous dyke constructed 
by Drusus from the Rhine to the Danube, a distance of 300 miles, to 
repress the incursions of the German tribes. It is called the Pfahl- 
Graben, or the hedge-bank and ditch, and is still clearly traceable 
from near Coblentz to Ratisbon. This was like the Wansdyke, guarded 
at intervals of a few miles by forts garrisoned by Roman soldiers ; one 


241 


of these, the Saal-Burg, near Homburg, has been carefully explored, 
and the foundations of all the usual buildings ina Roman camp are 
visible. When first discovered little more was to be seen than 
raised mounds, such as we have on Hampton Down. The hedges 
had grown into trees and thickets, and formed a thick barrier in many 
places ; and the idea was, that if an enemy came through in one place 
he would have a difficulty in finding again the hole through which he 
had entered the territory, and might be cut off in his retreat by the 
garrison of the adjacent forts, which were all within signal notice of 
each other. 

It seems to me that the Wansdyke, with its numerous forts along the 
line, may have suggested to the Romans the means of fortifying their 
positions on the Rhine and Danube ;-and also afterwards, the walls in 
the North of England to curb the Scots. 

The Belgze were far in advance of the ancient Britons in civilisation 
and knowledge of husbandry. Whereas the British tribes were wont 
to burn the straw, and to store the ears of corn, which they cut from the 
stalks, in holes in the earth, the Belge built barns and threshed 
their corn and stored it therein. But though nearly as much civilised 
as their neighbours on the continent (says Mr. Elton in his origins of 
English History) they were simpler in their habits. They had not 
learned to build regular towns, though their kinsmen in Gaul had 
founded cities with streets and market places. What they called a 
town or dunum, was still no more than a refuge in time 
of war, a stockade on a hilltop. Their villages were built of 
beehive huts with roofs of fern or thatch, But their farms 
were laid out in large fields without enclosures, except when 
fences were necessary to separate the arable from the pasture. 
Such enclosures can, I think, be shown on Hampten Down, and must 
have been more than walls of huts and yards, for some are several 
acres in extent. It may be that further excavations may show more 
clearly the nature of this Belgic settlement and the character of its 
ancient inhabitants, but the main facts above related are, I think, 
reliable. A building on my side of the camp, the foundations of 
which are now being cleared, appears to have been erected for some 
peculiar object and to be of a public nature, It is of an oval shape, 
and the walls are at least 6ft. thick. The length 93ft., breadth 50ft. 
It seems to be connected with what looks like an exterior defensive 


242 


wall of the settlement on the hither side of the camp. Mr. Scarth 
finds on the N, side remains of a temple and several barrows, which 
will probably attract the attention of the Club. On the whole I 
think the camp deserves very full and serious exploration, and ought 
to be included in the ancient monuments protected by the Act of 
Parliament. 


The weekly walks have been kept up, but the Secretary has 
not received any Notes respecting them, and concludes that bodily 
exercise, unaccompanied with any particular strain upon the mind 
by way of observation, was the chief object. As he is not always 
able to join in these walks himself, he wishes members would 
from time to time send him some result of their meetings, ¢.9., 
the time of the flowering of plants, the first appearance of 
migratory birds, and other events connected with natural history ; 
any notices connected with the geology of the district, such as 
the opening of new sections and quarries in the rocks, the 
occurrence of landslips, so constantly going on around our hills 
of more or less magnitude, and lastly the state of preservation 
of our momuments both ancient and modern. In connection 
with this last subject a communication was received in the 
summer from the authorities of the Somerset Archeological 
and Natural History Society, requesting to have a report upon 
any Ancient Monuments in our neighbourhood which it was 
desirable to place under Government protection. In accordance 
with this request a report was made and sent to the secretaries 
upon the remains of the Wansdyke at Englishcombe and 
Claverton Down; also of the Cromlechs opposite Tracey Park, 
near Castle Combe, and in Orchardleigh Park. It is right to 
mention here, in connection with the preservation of ancient 
remains, that the so called altar-stone, of so much archeological 
interest, having again been brought out from its temporary 
shelter and exposed to the destructive action of the weather, 
it was found necessary to call the attention of the Mayor and 
Corporation to a former presentation from the Club on this 


243 


subject. Owing also to a statement made at one of the 
Quarterly Meetings of the danger lest some of the interesting 
Roman work lately uncovered at the Baths should be interfered 
with and obscured by the new buildings in process, your 
Secretary was empowered to present the following memorial to 
the Town Council :—‘*The Committee of the Bath Natural 
History and Antiquarian Field Club having been credibly 
informed that a wall has lately been built intersecting some of 
the Roman work recently uncovered, respectfully beg the Mayor 
and Corporation to make such structural arrangements in 
the new work as that any destruction or concealment of 
the Roman work by plaster or otherwise may be avoided, in 
order that the public may have free access to, and free inspec- 
tion of, the valuable system of Baths prevailing at the Roman 
period. This was presented by your Secretary on Tuesday, 
November 23rd. 


The Inscribed Leaden Tablet found in the Roman Bath. 


As every reading and every notice of this Table must be of 
importance and of value to local archeologists, a record of such 
notices may well find a place in our Proceedings. Two new 
readings, which will accordingly be acceptable, having recently 
appeared, they are here, with the kind permission of the authors, 
produced. 


But just lately, in the volume of the Archzological Assocation for 
1886, Mr. W. de Gray Birch, F.S.A., after remarking that the 
characters on the tablet appear to be a mixture of cursive and rustic 
letters, assigns the date to a period ranging from the second to the 
fifth century after Christ. Mr. Birch considers that the reading 
should be from left to right as usual, but that every word is written or 
inscribed in reversed order of the letters, a manner quite unique. All 
other readers have begun at the right-hand side of the first line, and 
so on each line consecutively from right to left ; but that the reading 
should be from left to right is clear, as the last line starts from the left 
and finishes half way across towards the right. 


244 


A fac-simile of the tablet given in the Berlin Hermes, Vol. xv., 
March, 1881, shows the inscription clearer than a photograph, and Mr. 
Birch thus reads the text as :— 


QIHIM. MAIBLIV TIVALOG 
VI . CIS TAVQIL OMOC AVQA 
ELAT...... VVQMAE TI VA 
VL...... ANNIVLEVSVEREPV 
—— SXESVNAIRFASVNIREV 
ESSILATSVGASVNAITI 

MOC SVNAINIMSVTAC 
LLINAMREG ANIVOI 


No contractions are used except Q for qui. As the whole of the 
fourth word could not be got into the first line, it was finished on the 
second, and so with the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh lines 
which all begin with end parts of words from the lines above them. 
The reversed mode of writing is supposed to recommend itself to the 
avenging deity. 

By this reading the inscription becomes clear and we get an intelli- 
gible piece of tragedy. It works out as :— 


Q(ui) MIHI VILBIAM JUGOLAVIT (= 
jugulavit) sic LiquaT (=liquatur) 

Com? (=Comodo, quomodo) aqua. TALE 
vu (enus) Q(ui or qua) cUM (sa)LVAVIT 
(est or fuit ) VELVINNA EXSUPEREUS 
AFRI1(C)ANUS SEVERINUS AGUSTALIS 
COMITIANUS MINIANUS CATUS GERMANILLA 
JOVINA 


“ Mihi” is considered to refer to Germanilla Jovina. 

In the Journal no translation is given, but Mr. Birch has kindly 
favoured us—his own version being so desirable—and gives the 
followiig ; 

May he who cut Vilbia’s throat for me melt away like water. It 
is (or was) Velvinna who cured her of such a wound. Exsupereus 


ii ee 


245 


Africanus, Severinus, Augustalis, Comitianus, Minianus, Catus, Ger- 
manilla Jovina. These names may possibly be those of witnesses ; 
and lastly comes Germanilla Jovina as the lady whose servant had 
been so nearly murdered. 

In a previous volume of the Archeological Association, that for 
1885, Mr. Thos. Morgan, F.S.A., has given an account of his reading, 
and by his kind permission the following extracts are made. After 
remarking that three tablets have been found, only this one having 
been described in print, he reads the inscription, taking the words 
from right to left, as :— 


COLAVIT. VILBIA, M(iniana) MIHI Q(ue) 

AQUA. COM. CLI(ens) Qv(in) T(u)s. E(git) c(ommentariensis) 
VEL [R] (atiocinator) Iv 

AVITE, AMVL(ius) E(t). AEL(ius) (vel) AEL(ianus) 

EXPERIVS VELVINNAI(tem) L(avit) V 

GVERINVS. AERIANVS. EX 

ITIANVS. AGVSTALIS, S(evir) 

CATVS MINIANVS, COM 

JOVINA, GERMANILL(a) 


Translated thus :—Vilbia Miniana, in company (with Jovina the 
little sister), bathed in the water four times ; and when Quintus my 
client, ancestrally named Amulius and lius or Atlianus, acted as 
secretary or accountant. Experius Velvinna also bathed fives times ; 
Guerinus Airianus Exitianus member of the Augustal College; as 
also Catus Minianus, with Jovina the little sister, 

The only conjectural emendations made are, the setting out Amulius 
in full in the third line, and the substitution of V for X the fourth 
letter from the end, in the fifth line. The reading thus seems to be 
the testimonial of a family party who went to take the baths, viz. :— 
Catus Minianus the pater-familias, with his wife or daughter Vilbia, 
and a little sister Jovina, and their attendants. The words on the 
tablet are easily read because the position only of the letters is 
reversed ; the letters are written in the right way. This could not 
therefore have been a tablet for stamping or printing. Professor 
Zangemeister, of Heidelberg, requires an I instead of E in line two, 
then Mr. Morgan could read Juit (for egit) ; or if the E be allowed to 
remain. then E Commentariis might be preferred as relating to Avite 

S 


246 


Aurelius et Aflius in the third line. Hgit Commentariensis is not 
common in inscriptions, though good Latin. The A at the end of the 
second line forming the first syllable of Aqua is considered too faint 
to do duty as a letter ; omitting it the words would be mihique quacum 
cliens Quintus, which makes the sense more explicit, and the sentence 
would run :—Vilbia Miniana in company (of the little sister Jovina), 
bethed four times (quater), with whom (quacum) my client Quintus 
went as secretary, &c. The IV in the second line wants the dash 
over it to mark it as a numeral, though this may have disappeared 
with age ; if consequently this IV must be read as two letters, then 
E CIV might stand for e civibus if Quintus were entitled to citizen- 
ship; or IV might mean [VIT if the reading = CoMMENTARIIS 
be adopted. 

The investigation of the circulation, quality, and quantity 
of underground waters being one of the subjects about which our 
Society, as one of the corresponding Societies of the British 
Association, was requested to acquire information, an applica- 
tion was made to the Baths Committee with a view to ascertain 
whether any scientific observations had been carried on for a 
series of years to dertermine the temperature and volume of the 
Hot Springs. In reply to this your Secretary was informed that 
the experiments as to the temperature, which appear to have been 
carried on merely during the last two years, have been conducted 
at the expense of a private physicianin London. It is very much 
to be regretted that accurate and scientific observations, in 
connection with a subject so vastly important to the welfare of 
the city and general public as the variableness or otherwise of 
the flow, temperature, and mineral contents of these Hot Springs, 
should not be systematically made. One other subject may be 
briefly mentioned, the Club having offered to assist the Mayor 
in his reception of the Colonial visitors on September 8th and 
9th, your Secretary was placed on the Reception Committee, 
and was in attendance at the Museum of the Royal Literary and 
Scientific Institution during their visit on the latter day, and 
briefly pointed out to them the valuable contents of the Moore. 
Geological collection. 


247 


The finances of the Club continue in a fairly prosperous posi- 
tion, for though the yearly expenditure exceeds the receipts by 
£4, Os. 7d., the Treasurer was able to meet the deficiency by the 
balance in hand from past years. The increased expenses arising 
mainly in the Printing items, the Committee have been instructed 
to consider the question of possible reduction in this quarter. 

In conclusion, the past year has been rather an eventful one 
in the death annals of the Club, three old members whose 
presence used to be so familar have passed away ; the Rev. A. 
G. How, General Mulcaster ; and C. E. Broome, Esq. ; the latter’s 
absence cannot easily be replaced ; another * (star) has fallen 
out of our list, two only now remain, let his and their example 
encourage us to work while time is ours! 


H. H. WINWOOD, 
Hon. Secretary. 


Nrsauwed 
of FEB 1888 


CORRIGENDA. 


Page 200, tenth line from bottom, for “aneo” read “ anes.” 


Page 201, sixth line from top, before England insert “ the S. of.” 


CONTENTS OF NO. IL, VOL 
‘ 10: 

eee pte 

is  -1—Nores on THE Grotocy or Brent KNoLL, IN | 
f ne Ree SOMERSETSHIRE, BY Horace “B. Woopwarpb, | ; 
_2,—Puacr-Names DERIVED FROM PLANTS (IN THE es 
react NEIGHBOURHOOD or Batu), By Rev. CANON — 
{ ELLACOMBE rot Bienes = Pe aie 


3,.—ADDRESS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BaTH FIELD ~~ 
Cus, IN REFERENCE To THE Dearu or C. E. ioe 
Broome, Esq, F.LS., By Rev. L. BLoMEFIELD, ~ 
MA, F.LS., F.GS., &e. | 


4,—TRACES OF THE SAxoN PERIOD IN. BATH AND THE — y 
NEIGHBOURHOOD, BY REV, PREBENDARY EARLE . 153 


-3.—LETTERS ILLUSTRATING THE BATTLES OF CLAVERTON 
AND LANSDOWN, BY H. D. SkKRINE, M.A. 


’ 6.—FurRTHER NOTES ON THE CLAVERTON SKIRMISH, BY 


Wan: H. Di Siriwe, -MiAS ye a ea 
7, Notes on toe Ham Hin Sronu, sy Horace Bo 
eet Woopwarp, F.G.S. =~ a ve way oe ORS 


8.—FurTHER RESULTS OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVA- 
TIONS MADE AT'THE BATH RoyAL LITERARY © 
Sanam AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION, BY Rev. LUONARD 
;--* -. Bromeried, M.A., F.LS., F.G.S., &e. , 
- -9,—-SuMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FoR THE YEAR 1886-87, a 
Re ioe RY. TH SRORETARY. 00. {res eae Heer 


aa PROCEEDINGS 


OF THE 


BATH NATURAL HISTORY 


NO. 3, VOL. VI. 


7] 


ha . : ra 


x 


PRICE HALF.A-CROWN. 


. Slap S 
rs - 
= =o “} 
‘ 


Se BATH: 
. THE HERALD OFFICE, NORTH GATE. 
' J. DAVIES, GRAND PUMP ROOM LIBRARY, 


= 


ror rene as a . Pa He Pres 
“i ‘ . os 3 
= < 3 


| 


249 


On some Ostracoda ‘from the Fullers-earth Oolite and Bradford Clay. 
By Professor T. Rupert Jongs, F.R.S., F.G.S., and 
C. Davies SHERBORN, Esq., F.G.S. 


(Read November | 16th, 1887.) 
[Plates i—v.] 


Introduction.—In a short paper on Jurassic Microzoa in the 
Geological Magazine for June, 1886 (pp. 271—274), we referred 
in detail to each of the hand-specimens courteously supplied to 
us a few weeks previously by the Rev. H. H. Winwood, F.G.S., 
and H. B. Woodward, Esq., F.G.S., of the Geological Survey. 
Amongst them were examples of the Fullers-earth Clays, from 


-Midford, containing Ostracoda. These minute bivalved Entom- 


ostracan Crustacea are the subject of the present memoir. 
The Ostracodes were obtained from the blue and yellow clays 


of the Fullers-earth Oolite, as exposed in the sections at Midford,- 


near Bath.* One of the two blue clays is directly under the 
Great Oolite. Not far beneath is a yellow Fullers-earth Clay ; 
and this rests upon the second bed of blue clay. Very few 
Microzoa (not 10 per cent.) were found in the yellow bed. 

The Rev. H. H. Winwood has also sent us a small piece of 
the Fullers-earth Rock,+ from near Bath, as it contained some 
Ostracodes. These are rather obscure on account of their embed- 
ment in the matrix, but are evidently a Bairdia and a Cytherella, 
and are probably of the same species as some of those from 
the clays. 

Several specimens from the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite, 
near the Cotteswolds (see p. 256), have been courteously sub- 


* The Clays at Midford are mentioned in H. B. Woodward’s 
“ Geology of England and Wales,” 2nd edition, 1887, p. 297. 
+ Mentioned in H, B. Woodward’s “Geol. England and Wales,” 


“2nd edition, p. 295. 


Vou. 6, No. 3. 


250 


mitted for our examination by Mr..E. A. Walford, F.G.S. 
They are figured in the fifth plate issued herewith. 

One piece of the Bradford Clay from Bradford (Geol. Mag., 
1886, p. 273) has yielded a few specimens which are also 
treated of here. 

A bibliographic list of works treating of the Jurassic Ostracoda 
(omitting those of the Lias and the Purbeck beds) is given in the 
Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., p. 776. To this list may be 
added the paper on the species obtained from the boring at 
Richmond, Surrey, described in the same volume, and M. O. 
Terquem’s memoir on the Ostracodes. from the Inferior Oolite* 
of the Department of the Moselle, in France (Mém. Soc. Géol., 
France, sér. 3, vol. iv., 1885). The latter is elaborate and fully 
‘illustrated ; but we are not satisfied with all the generic deter- 
minations, and the drawings in some instances leave much to 
‘be desired. Another such memoir by M. Terquem treats of the 
‘Ostracoda of the Inferior Oolite near Warsaw, 1886. 

The figures on the five plates illustrating this present memoir 
‘give the valves with the anterior extremities upwards; the 
dorsal and ‘ventral margins being on the right and left hand, 
as the case may be. Of course, this position is not in accordance 
with the natural habit of the animal when swimming; but it is 
‘a convenient arrangement in plates, and often adopted. Hence 
the height of the valves (from the ventral to the dorsal margin) is 
‘occasionally referred to in the text as the (apparent) breadth. 
"In every case the specimen has been mounted ona ‘‘ Beck’s 
revolving disc,” and drawn under the camera; and thus the several 
‘views that we have given of each individual type of a species 
“have an assured correctness. : 

The Ostracodous Genera mentioned in our note in the Geological 
‘ Magazine, June, 1886, have been more accurately determined in 


* One figure, p. 100, pl. ‘xviii, fig. 1, seems to approach our C. 
pentagonalis, p. 261. Mee ; i 


o 


251 


the present memoir. Their characters have been defined 
chiefly in the works of Sars and Brady. We need offer no 
remarks except on Cytheridea. In this genus the hinge is con- 
structed as described by Jones (Monogr. Tertiary Entom., Pal. 
Soc., 1856, p. 41) and Brady (Trans. Zool. Soc., vol. v., 1866, 
p. 369), and has the following characters :—Hinge-margin of the 
right valve marked with a series cf small tubercles, which are 
received into corresponding depressions of the opposite (left) 
valve. These tubercles or crenulations are mostly disposed in 
two terminal groups, and the intervening portion of the valve- 
margin either is plain, or may be marked by minute tubercles 
on the left, and corresponding fosse on the right valve. 
G.S. B., Zc. 

The continuance of the crenulation along the dorsal edge 
occurs in Cyprideis, Jones (Monegr. Tert. Entom., p. 21); and, if 
worthy of being noticed as a distinctive feature, this name might 
have been retained as subgeneric, were it not that Cytheridea 
perforata and C. Sorbyana (Monogr. Tert. Entom., pp. 40 and 44) 
have it also. Moreover, Cythere lutea, Miiller, is figured by G. 
S. Brady as having this hinge-structure in the Trans. Linn. Soc., 
vol, xxvi., pl. xxviii., fig. 5 b, and a simple Cytheridean form of 
hinge in Trans. Zool. Soc., vol. v., pl. lviii., figs. 13 c,d. This shows 
that ‘merely by the hingement the tests of Cytheridea, Cyprideis, 
and Cythere cannot be always clearly separated ; but, for the sake 
of convenience in Palzontology, we must use some special terms 
for the forms having the different kinds of hinges, as they are among 
the few leading characters that we have at command. Thus 
those forms having hinges with crenulated teeth and edges are 
teferred to Cytheridea, whilst those having the bar and furrow, 
‘with teeth (rarely crenulated) at the angles, belong to Cythere.* : 

We may also notice that the allied Cytheropteron and Loxoconcha 
have sometimes crenulations on or near-their hinges. 

* This kind of hinge is definitely described and figured in the 


Monogr. Tert. Entom., 1856, p. 23, pl. iii. ; and in the Challenge 
Report, 1880, p. 62. 


DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES. 


[In Zoologicul arrangement. | 


1. BYTHOCYPRIS WINWOODIANA, sp. 1. 
HL. v,, figs. 1. 4,0, .c. 

Reniform, nearly symmetrical, sub-convex, smooth ; left valve 
overlapping the right on the ventral margin. Edge view, 
lanceolate ; end view, compressed ovate. 

Named after the Rev. H. H. Winwood, M.A., F.G.S., who 
courteously favoured us with some of the material from Midford, 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


2. MACROCYPRIS HORATIANA, sp. 
Pl. v., figs. 2 a, 0, ¢. 

Subreniform, elongate, narrower behind than in front, with a 
flattening at the antero-dorsal margin. Not very convex ; 
surface perfectly smooth; edge view, lanceolate; end view, 
narrow-ovate. 

Named after Mr. Horace B. Woodward, F.G.S., to whom we 
are indebted for some of the fossil material from Midford. 

This species is near M. decora, G. S. Brady, Challenger Report, 
p. 44, pl. 1, fig. 3, but it is shorter, blunter, and less arcuate. 

Five examples; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


3. MACROCYPRIS TERRA-FULLONICH,* sp. n. 
Pl. v., figs. 3 a, b, ¢. 


Subreniform, posterior end narrower than the anterior. 
Ventral margin nearly straight. Well-curved on the dorsal 
margin. Surface smooth. Edge view, lanceolate; end view, 
vroadly ovate. , 

Four examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


* Of the Fullers-earth, 


253 


4. BAIRDIA JUDDIANA, Jones. 
Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 1884, p. 767, pl. xxxiv., fig. 18. 


/One perfect example of this boldly characterized Bairdia 
occurs in the Blue Fullers-earth Clay at Midford. It is well 
known to us as occurring in the Lias, and from the Richmond 
boring. 


5, BAIRDIA TRIGONALIS, Jones. 


Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 1884, p. 767, pl. xxxiv., fig. 19. 
_ Two valves of this species occur in the Blue Fullers-earth 
Clay, Midford. 


6. BAIRDIA FULLONICA, sp. n.- 
Pl. v., figs. 4 a, 6, ¢. 


Of the usual subdeltvid outline, evenly convex, smooth, and 
delicately punctate. We do not, however, know any form yet 
figured that exactly matches these specimens from the Fullers- 
earth Oolite. Edge view, lanceolate ; end view, sharp-oval. 

Two examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


7. Three examples of Bairdia, more nearly approaching to 
B. Hilda (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 1884, p. 771, pl. xxxiv., 
fig 20) than to others, occur in the Blue Fullers-earth Clay of 
Midford; also a single valve of a Buirdia very near to the 
smaller valve of B. Jurassica (loc. cit., fig. 22.) 


8. CYTHERE SPHERULATA, sp. 1. 
Piva, figs. 6 a, b, ¢. 

Broadly sub-oblong and convex, with the antero-dorsal border 
very oblique, and the posterior end well rounded. Surface 
ornamented with minute tubercles arranged in curved lines, 
resembling strings of beads, and becoming straighter, but con- 
fused in the dorsal region. Edge view, long-ovate; end view, 
sub-cordate or broadly ovate, with flat base. 


254 


One specimen; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay,* Midford. 

The dorsal view (not figured) of this perfect specimen shows 
the anterior hinge-tubercles usual in Cythere, and the dorsal 
depression (as in Monogr. Tert. Entom., Pal. Soc., pl. iii., fig. 2 ¢), 
hence we are inclined to refer tiiis specimen to Cythere. 


9. CYTHERE (1) SPECIOSA, sp. n. 
Pia, figs: 10°a;"b, 2. 

Carapace convex and smooth, sinuous on the dorsal margin, 
the anterior hinge being prominent. The ventral margin is 
elegantly outlined with an oblique curve. Anterior end nearly semi- 
circular ; posterior narrower, with a sharp curve, and distinct 
rim. Edge view, sub-sagittate ; end view (like that of pl. ii, 
fig. 8), ovate and compressed dorsally, this depression showing 
on the front half of the carapace, behind the anterior hinge. 


One specimen (unfortunately lost since the drawing was 
made) ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


10. CYTHERE CORROSA, sp. 2. 
Pl. ii, figs. 12 a, b, ¢. 

A short, sub-oblong form, neatly rounded behind, and obli- 
quely rounded in front, with the dorsal slope meeting the 
prominent anterior hinge, and forming a shoulder, hence the dorsal 
edge shows features strongly suggestive of a Cythere. Surface 
with a rugose, sub-concentric reticulation. Edge view, ovate, 
slightly compressed at the anterior third ; end view, subcordate. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


11. CYTHERE OSCILLUM,T ep. n. 
Pi it, figs. 8 a; 0, ¢. 


Sub-oval ; angularly curved and rimmed in front; angulate 
with a flattened extremity behind. Ventral margin partly 


* See Geol. Mag., June, 1886, p. 272. 
+ A little mask. 


255 


straight ; dorsal margin convex. Hinge consisting of strongly 
developed, crenulated processes at the angles, separated by a. 
furrow, and with corresponding depressions and ridge or bar in 
the opposite valve ; thus differing in the character of hingement 
from many of the associated Cytheridean forms. ' 

Surface smooth and convex, but strongly impressed by broad, 
sunken areas along the ventral region, and by more irregular 
impressions in the dorsal region, there remaining a central, 
rounded but broken ridge, 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


12. CYTHERE JUGLANDICA, Jones, var. MAJOR, nov. 
Pl. iv., figs. 2 a, 0. 
This form is like C. juglandica (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 
1884, p. 766, pl. xxxiv., figs. 36 and 37), from the Richmond 
boring, in all its essentials, but is much broader (higher). 
One specimen from the Bradford Clay, Bradford.* 


13. CYTHERE JUGLANDICA, Jones, var: MINOR, nov. 
Pl. iv., figs. 3 a, b, ¢. 

' This also approximates in all essential features to C. juglandica. 
too nearly to allow of any specific distinction. The ventral 
ridging is much stronger in this specimen than in either the type 
or the var. major ; but, as this only represents the longitudinal 
ridges of the meshes in an exaggerated form, the departure from 
the type is but slight. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


14. CYTHERE WALFORDIANA, sp. n. 
. Pl. v., figs. 9 a, b, ¢. . 
Mr. Walford’s specimens were from the Fullers-earth Oolite 
in a cutting on the Banbury-and-Cheltenham Railway, about 


ej Geol, Mag., June, 1886, p. 273. 


256 


midway between Notgrove and Bourton-on-the-Water, east of 
the Harford-road Bridge, in Gloucestershire and within the 
Cotteswolds region. The section has been described by Mr. 
Walford in the Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xxxix., 1873, p. 225; 
and the Ostracoda were obtained by washing the nodules there 
described as occurring at the base of the Fullers-earth Blue Clay. 
C. Walfordiana is represented by one valve of the usual sub- 
oblong form of this class of Cythere. Rather larger than the 
majority of the specimens from Midford. The anterior hinge 
is distinct ; and near it are two oblique transverse furrows on 
the valve, with a triangular swelling between them, having its 
apex directed forwards. The anterior margin is thickly rimmed ; 
and a coarse reticulation covers the valves. 
« We name this species after Mr. E. A. Walford, F.G.S., through 
whose kindness we are enabled to. catalogue several new forms 
of Ostracoda from the above-mentioned clay found between 
Notgrove and Bourton. 


15. CYTHERE TRAPEZIOIDES, sp. 1. 
Pl. v., figs. 10 a, 4, ¢. 

Convex, oblong, with the front hinge strongly expressed, 
Obliquely rounded at the ends, and nearly trapezioidal. Posterior 
extremity suddenly compressed to a flat narrow rim. An 
irregular wrinkling of the surface is observable on some parts of 
the valve. The tubules perforating the test, in the subconcentric 
pits, falsely appear, in some lights, under the microscope as 
projecting spines, a condition observable in other Ostracoda. 

From the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite between Notgrove 
and Bourton. In Mr, E. A. Walford’s collection. 


16, CYTHEREIS FULLONICA,* sp. n. 
P). iv., figs. 13 a, b, ¢. 


' This little form is of considerable interest, as it is the first or 


* Having reference to the Fullers-earth. 


257. 


oldest known of those allies‘ of Cythere which have been divided 
off as Cythereis on account of their quadrate angular features. 
The smooth test bears, in addition to the characteristic: posterior 
angles, the central tubercle usual in this genus, also a curved 
lumpy ridge along the ventral region, and a smaller interrupted 
ridge in the antero-dorsal region. 

Two specimens from the Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


17. CYTHEREIS WALFORDIANA, sp. 1. 
Pl. v., figs. 12 a, 8, ¢. 

. This is near to C. fullonica (pl. iv., fig. 13), but the surface is 
somewhat differently sculptured. The anterior ridge is stronger 
and more continuous, and ends sharply over the hinge; the 
dorsal ridge is not quite so acute posteriorly; the ventral ridge 
is somewhat weaker ; and there are two small longitudinal ridges 
on the posterior third of the valve. These last are slightly curved, 
and one of them bears a small smooth tubercle. 

One specimen from the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite between 
Notgrove and Bourton. Collected by Mr. E. A. Walford, F.G.S., 
after whom the species is named. 


18. CYTHERIDEA ZQUABILIS, sp. n. 
PL ih, figs: 1a, 0; .¢. 

‘Oblong, with symmetrically rounded and equally compressed 
ends; the latter feature giving a truly lanceolate edge-view, longer 
than broad, and diminishing each way from the middle. The hinge- 
line (seen to the left in figure 1 @) is straight, with feeble angles, 
thus associating this form with similar Cytheridew (figs. 3 and 4), 
which have this character definitely though weakly marked. 

Surface smooth, very convex, especially in the ventral region ; 
end view, broadly ovate. 

At first sight this species is something like Cythere (?) tenella, 
(Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl, 1884, pl. xxxiv., fig. 24) ; but 
the present specimen is much larger and more symmetrical. 


258 


‘ It has also some resemblance to Terquem’s Pontocypris sub- 
deltoidea, Mém. Soc. Géol. France, sér. 3, vol. iv., 1885, p. 14,. 
pl. ii., fig. 1, as far as the side view is concerned ; but there is: 
no real alliance. 

: One specimen ; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


19. CYTHERIDEA PUNCTIPUTEOLATA, sp. 1. 
Pl. i., figs. 4, a, b, ¢. 

This form resembles pl. i., fig. 2, in outline, but is longer and 
narrower, more convex’ in the middle, and more compressed 
anteriorly. Surface finely punctate, and marked with upwards 
of 40 larger pits scattered about. Edge view, acute-ovate, com- 
pressed anteriorly ; end view, almost circular. Hingement differs: 
from that of pl. i, fig. 2, by not clearly showing crenulations on’ 
the teeth at the angles; but on this point we are not well satisfied. 
~ One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


20, CYTHERIDEA TERRAI-FULLONICH, sp. 1. 


Cytheridea perforata, Terquem (non Reemer). Mém. Soc. Géol. 
France, sér. 3, vol. iv., 1885, p. 28, pl., iv., fig. 8. 
Pl. i., figs. 5 a, 6, ©. 

Broad-oblong, ends rounded, the anterior somewhat compressed 
and rather broader than the posterior, which is slightly rimmed. 

Surface coarsely reticulate, with large and irregularly rounded, 
shallow meshes. Hingement as in pl. i., fig. 2. End view, ovate. 
_ Cytheridea spinulosa, G. S. Brady, Challenger Report, 1880, pl. 
XXxiii., fig. 6,is probably allied to this form. The name perforata, 
having been used by Roemer, we refer M. Terquem’s species to 
the form under notice. 

Four specimens from the Blue, and two from the Yellow. 
Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. One valve, from the base of the 
Fullers-earth Oolite, between Notgrove and Bourton, is in Mr. E., 
A. Walford’s collection. 


259 


21. CYTHERIDEA WINWOODIANA, sp. 1. 
Pl. i, figs. 2 a, b, c, d. 

Smooth, sub-oblong in outline ; anterior hinge sub-angulate, as 
commonly seen in these forms of Ostracoda. Edge view, narrow- 
lanceolate, blunted anteriorly; end view, sub-ovate, the valves 
not being very convex. Hinge consists of a crenulated tooth at 
each end of a shallow groove in one valve, and corresponding 
pitted depressions at the extremities of a delicate ridge in the 
other. This hingement is common to the greater number of 
Ostracoda here to be described, and has therefore been figured 
only in a few cases (pl. iii., fig. 11; pl. iv., fig. 9). 

Cytheridea Winwoodiana is comparable with Cytheridea sub- 
perforata, Jones (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 1884, pl. xxxiv., 
fig. 26) ; but the anterior extremity is less contracted and less 
oblique, while the posterior is more fully rounded. 

Named after the Rev. H. H. Winwood, M.A., F.G.S., by whose. 
kindness we received some of the material from which these: 
Ostracoda are here described. 

_ Two examples from the Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


22. CYTHERIDEA COARCTATA, sp. n. 
Pl. i, figs. 3 a, b, ¢. 

A narrow, convex, approximately oblong form, with oblique 
ends, making it somewhat subrhomboidal. Surface smooth, 
marked with a few scattered small pits. Edge view, long-ovate, 
compressed at the middle; end view, acute-ovate. A form 
perhaps allied to this is the Cytheropsis obliquepunctata, Terquem 
(Ménm. Soc. Géol., France, ser. 3, tome iv., 1885, p. 23, pl. iii, fig. 13 ). 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


23. CYTHERIDEA PUTEOLATA, sp. 2. 
Pl. i, figs. 7 a, 6, ¢. ; 
' Also a sub-oblong Cytheridea, having the ventral and dorsal 


260 


margins nearly parallel ; very convex, especially in: the posterior 
third. A slight transverse depression occurs near the middle, 
in front of which can be seen the lucid spots of the muscle- 
mark, visible externally. These apparently consist of a row of: 
four, and there are probably one or two more in front of them. 
Surface smooth, with a few very faint ridges in the ventral. 
region, and ornamented with scattered shallow pits. Hingement 
as in pl. i., fig. 2. 
Three examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


24. CYTHERIDEA RETORRIDA,* sp. %. 
Pl. i., figs. 8 a, b, ¢. 


_If compared with pl. i., fig. 5, this form is seen to be less 
symmetrical, smaller, and narrower. The dorsal margin also is much 
straighter, and the hinge-line is more defined. The posterior 
and anterior ends are unequally and obliquely rounded, and the 
ventral margin is much incurved. Edge view, narrow acute- 
ovate, falling in sharply at the base; end view, ovate. Ornament 
somewhat similar to that of pl. i, fig. 5; the carapace has a 
dried up, parched, or withered appearance. 

One specimen ; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


25. CYTHERIDEA PARALLELA, sp. n. 

' Pi. 1, figs. 9 a, 6,2. 
_Sub-oblong, with ends obliquely rounded, especially on the 
postero-ventral margin. Hinge-line long and distinct. Valves 
very convex ; the left valve overlapping the right in the posterior 
region, smooth, and ornamented with some shallow, scattered 
pits. Edge view, almost lanceolate, the greatest fullness in the 
posterior third ; end view, almost circular. 


Four or five examples from the Blue Fullers-earth Clay, 
Midford. 


* Parched. 


261 


26... CYTHERIDEA ‘SEDATA,* sp. 2. 
Pl. i, figs. 10 a, 0, ¢. 

Perfectly smooth and unornamented ; much like some of the 
foregoing sub-oblong forms in general outline, but less convex. 
Anterior end broadly rounded and compressed ; posterior end 
more convex, and obliquely rounded, curving to join an incurve 
on the ventral margin. Edge view, narrow-ovate ; end view, 
compressed-ovate. 


One specimen from the Blue, and one from the Yellow Fullers- 
earth Clay, Midford. 


27. CYTHERIDEA EMINULA,f sp. n. 
Pl. i., figs. 11 a, 0, 6. 

In general outline this approaches Cythere Blakeana, Jones 
(Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 1884, pl]. xxxiv., fig. 34), but it 
differs from it in ornamentation considerably, having a few scattered 
pits instead of a coarse reticulation. Edge view, sharply ovate, 
apiculate posteriorly ; end view, ovate. Hingement like that of 
pl. i., fig. 2. 

Two examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


‘28. CYTHERIDEA SUBEMINULA, sp. n. 
Lees MOS, 8. Bb 
A form nearly allied to C. eminula (pl. i., fig. 11), but squarer, 
flatter, and more swollen behind. The surface also differs from 
that of C. eminula, in being quite smooth. 
One specimen from the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite, 


‘between Notgrove and Bourton. In Mr. E. A. Walford’s 
‘collection, 


29, -CYTHERIDEA PENTAGONALIS, sp. n. 
Pl. ii, figs. 1 a, 6, ¢ 
The dorsal margin of this species has a distinct, but short and 


SS ee ee 


* Quiet or calm. + Rising slightly, 


262 


slightly incurved hinge-line ; the anterior margin slopes with a 
long curve round to the straight ventral edge, while the posterior 
margin has two slopes—one ventral, and one meeting the hinge- 
line. These five border-lines give a pentagonal aspect to the 
valve. In the edge view the convexity of the valve is nearly 
equal, making an acute-oval ; the end view is ovate, somewhat 
compressed dorsally. Surface smooth, with small scattered pits. 
Hingement as in pl. i., fig. 2. 
One specimen ; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


30. CYTHERIDEA SUGILLATA,* sp. n. 
Pl. ii., figs. 2 a, b, ¢. 

Obovate in outline, almost semicircular anteriorly, more 
convex posteriorly ; the three free margins have a broad and 
strong rim, that on the ventral margin very nearly hidden by the 
convexity of the valve. Surface smooth, but raised into 
irregular wales, weals, or broken rolls in the dorsal region, and 
into a loosely-reticulate ridge in the ventral region ; the weals 
run together posteriorly, but their junction anteriorly is defined 
by a small tubercle. Hingement as in pl. i., fig. 2. 

Two examples; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


31. CYTHERIDEA REFECTA, sp. n. 
Pl. ii, figs. 3 a, 5. 

A sub-oval Cytheridea, rounded at the ends, broadest posteriorly ; 
nearly straight on the ventral margin, somewhat sinuous dorsally, 
with the anterior hinge-joint marked by a small tubercle. 
Surface somewhat depressed and irregularly undulate, as if it 
had been crushed and repaired—this feature, however, appears to 
be natural. Edge view, a narrow acute-oval; end view (not 
drawn), acute-oval, compressed, and sinuous. 

Two or three examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


--* * Beaten, with weals or wales. - 


263 


- 32. CYTHERIDEA VULSA,* sp..n. 
Pl. ii., figs. 4a, 6. 

Sub-oblong, rounded in front, obliquely rounded behind, 
straight on the ventral and dorsal margins. Hinge-line long and 
distinct, terminating anteriorly with a faint tubercle. Surface 
irregularly convex, depressed and sulcate in the dorsal region, 
‘and raised along the ventral region, as if forcibly pinched up. 
‘The general appearance, looking at the carapace with the dorsal 
‘margin uppermost, is that of a partially melted wax seal, 
hanging in a curved lump away from the upper margin, and 
showing a furrow at the top. 

-. One specimen from the Blue. Fullers-earth Clay, Midford ; 
another specimen of this form has been sent to us by Mr. E. A. 
Walford, F.G.S., from the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite 
‘between Notgrove and Bourton. 
33. CYTHERIDEA HORATIANA, sp. n. 
Pl. ii., figs. 5 a, b. 

This large, smooth, and somewhat oval form, has a short 
hinge-line in the middle of an arched dorsal margin, with a 
‘strong shoulder. The ventral margin is nearly straight, but 
‘sinuous, owing to a slight median convexity. The ends are 
‘rounded, rather narrow; the anterior largest, but more com- 
pressed than the posterior. The lucid spots of the muscle-mark, 
‘seen through the shell, are arranged in a group much the same 
.as in other Cytheridew. Hingement the same as in pl. 1, fig. 2. 
There is some fine punctation on the surface of the posterior sixth 
of the carapace, but it is not shown in the-figure. 

We name this species after Mr. Horace B. Woodward, F.G.S., 
to whom we are indebted for some of the material from which 
these forms were obtained.. 1 ae 
, Three examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. - 


- * Pulled out, or pinched up. 


264 


34. CYTHERIDEA OBOVATA, sp. “n. 
Pl, ii., figs. 6a, 6, ¢. 

Smooth and very convex; obovate, the anterior being broader 
than the posterior ; nearly symmetrical, but-the dorsal margin is 
more rounded than the-ventral. Edge view, long oval; end 
view, ovate. A slight notch (not shown in the figure) marks the 
junction of the anterior and the ventral margins. The hinge- 
ment in the specimen from which our figures are taken is 
beautifully perfect, and consists of two crenulated ridges, running 
side by side and gradually dying away in the middle third of the 
hinge-line. This is precisely the same feature as seen in Cytheridea 
pinguis, Jones, Monogr. Tert. Entom., Pal. Soc., 1856, p. 43, 
pl. ii, figs. 4¢, 4f. 

Two or three examples ; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 

The side view of this form seems to have a close resemblance 
to that of Terquem’s Bairdia affinis (op. cit. p. 8, pl.-i., fig. 1); 
but there is no real affinity between the two. 


35. CYTHERIDEA SPINIGYRATA, sp. 2. 
Pl. ii, figs. 7 a, b, ¢. 

Near Cythere drupacea, Jones (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 
i884, p. 772, pl. xxxiv., fig. 30), but the posterior end is much 
broader, and the ornament is more distinctly gyrate, with prickles 
instead of pits. It is also denticulate on the front margin. 

Swollen in posterior ventral region. Hinge-line distinct, and 
longer than in C. drupacea. Hingement, that of pl. i, fig. 2. 
Edge-view, long-ovate ; end view, ovate. 

One specimen only; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


36. CYTHERIDEA SPINIFASTIGIATA, sp. 2. 
Pl. ii, figs. 8 a, 0, ¢. 
_ This belongs to the same group as the last. It is much swollen 
in the ventral region, the swelling hiding the incurved margin. 


265 


The small notches seen at the anterior hinge are probably due 
to fracture. Ornament consisting of delicate longitudinal ridges, 
bearing short, sharp spines. Hingement, as in pl. 1,, fig. 2. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


37. CYTHERIDEA SUBTRIGONA, sp. 2. 
Pl. ii,, figs. 9 a, 5, ¢. 


This form differs from Cytheridea obovata, pl. ii., fig. 6, in 
having a narrower anterior, and a broader posterior margin ; and 
in being somewhat angular at the shoulder or front end of the 
hinge-line. The edge and end views are less convex than those 
of C. obovata. Hingement, the same as pl. 1, fig. 2. 

Terquem’s Cytheridea fabacea (op. cit. p. 27, pl. iv., fig. 4) is 
allied to the form here figured and described. 

Three or four examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


38. CYTHERIDEA POLITULA, sp. 1. 
Pl. v., fige: 7 a, 6G, ¢. 


Small, sub-triangular, smooth, and sparsely pitted. Cytheridea 
perforata of the Tertiary and Cretaceous formations is allied to 
this form. The tubules at the base of the pits appear falsely as 
spinules, in some lights, under the microscope. 

One specimen from the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite 
between Notgrove and Bourton. In Mr. Walford’s collection. 


39. CYTHERIDEA BLAKEANA, Jones. 
Pl. ii, figs. 11 a, b, ¢. 


Cythere Blakeana, Jones, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 1884, 
p. 772, pl. xxxiv., figs. 34, 35. 

This appears to be the same as Cythere Blakeana from the 
Richmond boring. Although slightly narrower posteriorly, it 
agrees in the hingement (as in pl. i, fig. 2) and other important 

U 


266 


features. In outline C. Blakeana has some alliance with the recent 
Cythere impluta, Brady (Challenger Report, 1880, p. 76, pl. xvi., 
fig. 3), but this latter has a fuller ventral margin, and a more 
sharply marked outline. 

Two examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


40. CYTHERIDEA RENOIDES, sp. n. 
Pl. iii., figs. 1 a, b, ¢. 


Subreniform, smooth, but pitted with large, shallow, scattered 
holes. Ventral margin slightly incurved ; dorsal margin convex, 
but with a distinct hinge-line. Ends rounded, the posterior 
narrowest. Edge view, bluntly lanceolate ; end view, broad- 
ovate. Hingement, like that of pl. i., fig. 2. 

G. S. Brady’s figure of Cytheridea papillosa, Bosquet (Trans. 
Zool. Soc., vol. v., 1866, pl. lviii., fig. 8), is almost identical in 
outline with our figure, but it is broader (higher) than Bosquet’s 
species ; and neither of the two agrees with ours in the surface 
ornaments and end view. 

Four examples from the Blue, and one from the Yellow Fullers- 
earth Clay, Midford. 


41. CYTHERIDEA PULVINAR,* sp. n. 
Pl. iii., figs. 2 a, b, ¢. 


A large and sub-ohlong form, both ends broadly rimmed ; 
semicircular in front, angular behind, and having both the 
ventral and the dorsal margin sinuous and swollen. Surface 
smooth ; transversely undulate to a slight degree, and marked 
with large shallow scattered pits. Edge view, lanceolate, with 
pinched ends; end view, ovate, with blunt ends. Hingement, 
as in pl. i., fig. 2. 

Three specimens, Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


* A pillow. 


267 


42. CYTHERIDEA DOLABRA,* sp. n. 
Pl. iii., figs. 3 a, b, ¢. 


Dorsal margin straight in the middle, strongly sloping towards 
each end from the hinge-angles; the posterior slope incurved 
like that of a Buirdia. Ventral margin rounded before and 
behind, and incurved in the middle. Surface smooth, but marked 
with scattered pits, as in the two foregoing species. Edge view, long 
acute-ovate ; end view, acute-ovate. Hingement, as in pl. i.,, fig. 2. 

Reuss’ C. notata (Haidinger’s Nut. Abth., vol. iii., 1850, pl. ix., 
fig. 16), approaches this form ; but Reuss’ species has a strong 
antero-ventral notch, and a curved transverse mid-dorsal ridge, 
dying out towards the antero-ventral region. 

Four examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


43. CYTHERIDEA TRANSVERSIPLICATA, sp. 7. 
Pl, iii., figs. 4 a, 6, ¢. 


Broadly curved anteriorly, angulate behind. Dorsal margin 
almost straight, but slightly projecting at the anterior hinge. 
Ventral margin sinuous, being incurved in the middle. The valve 
has somewhat the outline of the sole of a human foot. Surface 
smooth, but with numerous small transverse undulations (well 
seen in the edge view), and marked all over with large, irregular, 
shallow pits. Edge view, bluntly lanceolate, with wrinkled 
outline ; end view, oval. Hingement, the same as pl. i., fig. 2. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


44, CYTHERIDEA EGREGIA, sp. n. 
Pl. iii., figs. 5 a, }, ¢ 


Nearly allied to the last, but broader, more oblique anteriorly, 
and rather less angular behind. Surface bearing faint cross 


* An axe, 


268 


wrinkles or undulations; not pitted; with a few limited 
flattened areas in the anterior and posterior regions. Hingement, 
as in pl. i., fig. 2. 

One specimen ; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


45, CYTHERIDEA VISCERALIS,* sp. n. 
Pl. iii., figs. 6 a, 6, c. 

Oblong with oblique ends, subrhomboidal ; truncate in front, 
angular behind. Surface punctate, swollen into irregular lumps, 
and having a short depression in the antero-ventral region, and 
a flattened area along the postero-ventral border. 

One specimen; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. In Mr. 
Walford’s collection, there is a specimen from the base of the 
Fullers-earth Oolite between Notgrove and Bourton, which we 
regard as an immature specimen of this form. It differs from the 
figured individual in being smaller, and in having the postero- 
ventral swelling more prominent; thus giving the valves a more 
triangularly sagittate edge view. 


46. CYTHERIDEA STRIBLITA,t sp. 7. 
Pl. iii, figs. 7 a, b,c. 

Sub-oblong, with rounded anterior margin, and angular 
posterior margin; sloping on the postero-dorsal margin, and 
flattened at its extremity. Surface smooth, with a few pits ; 
irregularly swollen, and partially crossed by a sulcus, it looks 
like a dough cake. The hingement is as in pl. 1, fig. 2. 

Two specimens; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford 


47. CYTHERIDEA IGNOBILIS, sp. 7. 
Pl, iii., figs. 9:a, b, ¢. 
Neatly sub-oblong, convex; rounded in front, straight at 


eee UE EES EEE ESET 


* Like bowels. + A twisted cake. 


269 


upper and lower margins, and bluntly angular behind. This 
simple form is covered with minute puncta, amongst which are 
sparsely scattered a few pits. Edge view, sub-lanceolate; end 
view, acute-ovate. Hingement, as in pl. i., fig. 2. 

Two specimens ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


48. CYTHERIDEA VENTROSA, sp. n. 
Pl. iii., figs. 10 a, 5, ¢. 

Obovate, but angular and lipped behind, and rather narrowed 
anteriorly. Convex and quite smooth. Edge view, sharp-oval ; 
end view, ovate. Hingement, like that of pl. i., fig. 2. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


49. CYTHERIDEA PURA, sp. Nn. 
PI. iii., figs. 11 a, 5, ¢, d. 

A delicate and simple form, much like a common type of 
Cythere, having a curved dorsal margin, rounded anterior, angular 
posterior, and swollen ventral margin, defined at each end by a 
slight depression. Altogether, sub-oval, smooth, and convex. 
Hingement, as in pl. i., fig. 2. In some respects allied to Cythere 
virginea, Jones (Monogr. Cretaceous Entom., Palwontographical 
Society, 1848, p. 12, pl. i, fig. 2n). If magnified 75 diameters, 
the surface has the appearance of hammered metal. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


50. CYTHERIDEA LIMACIFORMIS,* sp. 2. 
Pl. iii., figs. 12 a, 8, ¢. 

Ovate-oblong, very convex ; hinge-line distinct ; ventral region 
swollen ; posterior end somewhat angular and lipped. There are 
some faint ridges parallel with the ventral margin, not well 
shown in the figure. Hingement, like that of pl. i, fig. 2. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


* Like a slug (resting). 


270 


51. CYTHERIDEA TRAPEZOIDALIS, Terquem. 
Pl. iv., figs. 1 a, 0. 

Mém. Soc. Géol., France, ser. 3, vol. iv., 1885, p. 31, pl. iv., 
figs. 20 a, }, c. 

Straight on the dorsal margin, angular behind, with the 
postero-ventral slope reaching into the middle of the ventral 
margin, giving to the latter an obtuse angle. Both anterior 
and posterior margins are lipped. Surface moderately convex, 
smooth, but sparsely pitted; and with two or three shallow 
transverse sulci in the dorsal region. Hinge-line very long. 

Terquem’s figures are not quite equal among themselves, but, 
taking the average, we think that they are not unlike the form 
here figured and described. 

One specimen; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


52. CYTHERIDEA PERSICA,* sp. 1. 
Pl. iv., fig. 4. 

Roughly obovate, much resembling a coarsely marked peach- 
stone, rounded in front, angular behind, and lipped at each ex- 
tremity. A strong longitudinal keel is developed on the ventral 
margin of the valve, and this is repeated, with less intensity, by 
the raised ridges of the concentric reticulation on that region. 

Edge view (not drawn), compressed ovate, with apiculate ends. 
Hingement, like that of pl. 1, fig. 2. 

One specimen ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


53. CYTHERIDEA BICARINATA, sp. 2. 
Pl. iv., figs. 5 a,b, ©. 
Sub-obovate, obliquely rounded in front, angular and lipped 


behind. Dorsal margin oblique, with a straight hinge-line, 
which is tuberculate externally. The ventral region bears two 


* With reference to the stone of a peach. 


271 


ridges, one of which overhangs and hides the margin. The 
surface is more strongly reticulate than shown in the figure 3 
it has a low tubercle on the anterior third, and a limited 
impression on the posterior region, near the dorsal border. 
Edge view, bluntly sub-sagittate ; end view, sub-quadrate. 

Four’ examples ; Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford, 


54, CYTHERIDEA OSTREATA,* sp. n, 
Pl. iv., figs. 6 a, b, ¢. 

A large and sub-oblong Cytheridea, obliquely rounded in front, 
contracted and irregularly angular behind. Dorsal margin 
straight; anterior hinge-angle prominent, hinder hinge-angle 
hidden by a coarse, irregular growth of shelly matter. Surface 
reticulate, with irregular meshes, looking like. oyster-spat. Two 
strong ridges runs along the ventral region, the upper of which 
turns upwards, and runs parallel with the two ends of the valve 
for some distance. Hingement, as in pl. i., fig. 2, 

One specimen ; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


55. CYTHERIDEA RUGIFERA, sp. n. 
Pl. v., figs. 11 a, b, ¢. 

Oblong, obliquely rounded in front, rounded and deeply 
rimmed behind. Upper and lower margins slightly incurved. 
Surface rugulose (not well shown in the figure), with numerous 
small, shallow, irregular depressions. A slight curved ridge 
rises above and behind the front hinge. 

From the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite between N otgrove 
and Bourton. In Mr. E. A. Walford’s collection. 


56. CYTHERIDEA ACUTIPLICATA, Nn. Sp. 
Pl. iv., figs. 7 a, b; 8 a, b, ¢ 
Obovate, being broader (higher) anteriorly than posteriorly. 


* Scabby, as if covered with small oyster shells, 


272 


Surface marked with sharp longitudinal ridges. There are 
two very closely allied forms of this species. In fig. 7 the 
anterior margin is thickened and pitted, and the ridges, instead 
of occupying the middle of the valve (as in fig. 8), occupy the 
posterior half: fig. 7 has also a longer valve, and the dorsal region 
differs from that of fig. 8, in not being compressed. Hingement, 
as in pl. i, fig. 2. 

Two specimens of fig. 7 from the Blue Fullers-earth Clay ; 
and one specimen of fig. 8 from the Blue, and one from the 
Yellow Fullers-earth Clay of Midford. 


57. CYTHERIDEA CRATICULA,* sp. n. 


Pl. iv., figs. 9 a, 6, c, and 10 a, J, «. 


These two specimens appear to us to belong to one form, fig. 9 
being weaker in its details, and narrower in the posterior region 
than fig. 10. Taking the latter (fig. 10) as the type, we may 
describe it as having an oblong carapace, with an angular posterior 
margin. The surface bears several longitudinal ridges, more or 
less curved, coarsely reticulate in the interspaces, the meshes 
passing up on the sides of the largest ridges, making them 
fenestrate. We consider fig. 9 rather as a weak variety, than as 
an immature form of fig. 10. Hingement, as in pl. i, fig. 2. 

Of fig. 9, one specimen from the Yellow Fullers-earth Clay ; 
of fig. 10, two specimens from the Blue Fullers-earth Clay, 
Midford. 


58. CYTHERIDEA BRADIANA, Jones. 
Pl, iv., figs. 11 a, 0, ¢. 


Cythere Bradiana, Jones, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. xl., 1884, 
p. 772, pl. xxxiv., figs. 38 a, b. 


* A gridiron 


273 


We see no reason for separating this form from that figured 
under the name of C. Bradiana, from the Richmond boring. 
Hingement, like that of pl. i, fig. 2. 

This character of ornament, ridges with intermediate rows of 
pits, is figured also in Cythere Jurinei, Minster, by G. S. Brady, 
Trans. Zool. Soc., vol. v., 1866, p. 372, pl. lix., fig. 1. 

Five examples from the Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


59. CYTHERIDEA FULGURATA, sp. 2. 
Pl. iv., figs. 12 a, 6, ©. 


Sub-obovate, convex, with straight but oblique dorsal and 
ventral margins; rounded and lipped in front, and angular, 
broadly lipped, and depressed behind. Surface smooth, and 
bearing two longitudinal, slightly curved ridges in the ventral 
region, and several minor oblique ridges, irregular, but radiating 
from the middle of the dorsal, towards the ventral region. 
Hingement, as in pl. i., fig. 2. 

Four examples from the Blue Fullers-earth Clay, Midford 5 
and two or three examples from the Bradford Clay, Bradford. 


60. CYTHERIDEA EXIMIA, sp. 7. 
Pl. v., figs. 5 a, 0, c. 


Oblong, with obliquely rounded ends; straight dorsal, and 
slightly sinuous ventral margin. Both extremities have a 
depressed rim. Surface very convex, especially in the posterior 
region ; finely punctate, and also pitted with scattered shallow 
pits. Edge view, lanceolate. End view, broadly ovate, almost 
circular. The hingement is the same as in pl. i, fig. 2. 


One specimen ; Yellow Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. 


274 


61. CYTHERELLA FULLONICA, sp. n. 
Pl. i,, figs. 12 a, 6, ¢. 

Sub-oblong, compressed, with a faint median sulcus, slightly 
incurved on the ventral, and somewhat angular on the dorsal 
margin, symmetrically rounded anteriorly; contracted posteriorly. 
Surface smooth, muscle-mark unusually distinct, in the ordinary 
shallow depression. 

This approaches C. pulchra, G. S. Brady (Trans. Zool. Soc., 
vol. v., 1866, p. 361, pl. lvii., fig. 5), in general appearance, but 
its ventral incurve is more marked, and the _postero-dorsal 
margin has a stronger angle and slope. The dorsal process is 
analogous to that seen in C. dromadaria, G. S. Brady ( Challenger 
Report, 1880, p. 173, pl. xliii., fig. 6), but is very rare in Cytherella. 
C. Leopolitana, Reuss (Denkschr. k. Ak. Wiss., Wien, vol. vii., 
1854, p. 140, pl. xxvii, fig. 4), has projections on both upper and 
lower margins. 

Four examples from the Blue, and four from the Yellow 
Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. We have also seen three similar 
valves, but with the dorsal process obsolete or nearly so, in the 
small collection of Ostracoda sent to us by Mr. E. A. Walford, 
and collected at the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite between 
Notgrove and Bourton. ~ 


62. CYTHERELLA CATENULATA, Sp. 1. 
Pl. v., figs. 6 a, b,c. 

This Cytherella, of the usual oblong outline, with rounded ends 
and slightly incurved ventral region, has an irregularly wavy 
surface, very clearly seen in the edge view. The surface is 
ornamented with a neatly regular concentric reticulation, the 
elongated meshes of which assume a chain-like appearance. 

Nine examples from the Blue, and one from the Yellow 
Fullers-earth Clay, Midford. We have also received one specimen 
from the base of the Fullers-earth Oolite between Notgrove and 
Bourton, from Mr. E. A. Walford, F.G.S, 


275 


TABLE OF THE FOSSIL OSTRACODA FROM THE FULLERS- 
EARTH OOLITE AND THE BRADFORD CLAY. 
[ Zoologically arranged. | 
MIDFORD. 


Blue Yellow Base of Bradford 
F.E. Clay. 
Clay. Clay. Oolite. 


1 Bythocypris Winwoodiana, 7. ... wae 
2 Macrocypris Horatiana, n. nae x 
3 terrz-fullonice, 7.... x 
4 Bairdia Juddiana, J. cs 
5 trigonalis, J. ... S. ryiyk Ye 

x 

aie 


6 fulloniea, 7. 
7 2 spp. . ae 
8 Cythere spherulata, 7. wa Naehedes XG 
9 2 speciosa, 2. x 
10 corrosa, 7. cee aoe cere. 
11 oscillum, 7. ae R 
12 juglandica, J. var. major, n. es x 
13 var. minor, nN, ae ae. 
14 Walfordiana. 7. Le Cn es x 
15 trapezioides, 7. aa i at x 
16 Cythereis fullonica, x. ... EP ae x 
17 ———— Walfordiana, n. de — x 
18 Cytheridea cequabilis, 2. atk SN a 
19 ——_——— punctiputeolata, n. ... Si 
20 —— terre-fullonice, n. ... ae ee 
21 ——_———- Winwoodiana,n. ... Sof hohe 
22 ———-—— coarctata, n. x 
23 ———-—— puteolata, n. he Yh eS: 
24 ———_——-retorrida, n. re ee 
25 ———-—— parallela, ... x 
26 —————- sedata, n. ... as See AR To 
27 ——_——— eminula, n. x 
28 ————— subeminula, z. tee es x 
29 —_———- pentagonalis,n. _... oes x 
30 ——_———- sugillata, n. a re we 


HTT 


refecta, 7. 
——_—— vulsz, 7. 


— Horatiana, 7. 
——_—_——  obovata, 7. 
——_——- spinigyrata, 7. 


spinifastigiata, 7. 
—_—_—_——- subtrigona, 7. 
—_—__—_—— politula, n. 
4 Baka, jal 


renoides, 7. 
——_—_—— pulvinar, n. 
dolabra, 7. 


—____—— - transversiplicata, 7. 


egregia, 7. 
————_ visceralis, 7. 
—_—_—— striblita, 7. 


ignobilis, ”. 
——__—_—_—_ ven trosa ” ... 
_—_—__—. pura, 2. ..- 
__—___— limaciformis, 7. 


—_— 


— persica, 2. ... 
___—— hbicarinata, 7. 
—__—_—— ostreata, 7. 
—__—_——-_ rugifera, n. 
—_____—— acutiplicata, n. 
—___—— craticula, 7. 
Bradiana, J. 
—___—_—— fulgurata, 7. 


—————- 


—_—_—_——- eximia, %. 
Cytherella fullonica, 
catenulata, 7. 


—_—— 


trapezoidalis, Terquem 


MIDFORD. 
Blue Yellow —s 
Clay. Clay. Oolite. 
vee x 
«00 ose x es x 
. x 
— x 
x 
. x 
x 
— = x 
ee x 
x x 
. x 
ee x 
x 
eee — x 
2:4 — — 
x 
eee x 
x 
x 
x 
ese x 
eee x 
wee —= x 
o- — x 
. x x 
ose x x 
oe = 
ace 1 —_ 
. . es x 
a x x x 
eee x x x. 


Bradford 
Clay. 


277 


EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 
N.B. All the Figures are magnified 50 diameters. 
Plate i., Figs. 1a, b,c. Cytheridea cequabilis, sp. x. 


— » 24,6, c,d. Cytheridea Winwoodiana, sp. n. 
i » 34,6, c. Cytheridea coarctata, sp. 2. 

” »  4a,b,c. Cytheridea punctiputeolata, sp. x. 
S ’, 54a, 6,c. Cytheridea terrz-fullonice, sp. n. 
os »  64a,6,c. Cythere spherulata, sp. 7. 

of » 74a, 0,¢. Cytheridea puteolata, sp. n. 

” »  84a,6,c. Cytheridea retorrida, sp. n. 

3 »  94a,0,¢. Cytheridea parallela, sp. n. 

- » 10a, 6, c. Cytheridea sedata, sp. n. 

+ »  lla,6,c. Cytheridea eminula, sp. n. 

” »  12a,6,c. Cytherella fullonica, sp. 7. 


Plate ii., Figs. 1 a, 6, c. Cytheridea pentagonalis, sp. n. 


55 » 2a, 6,c¢. Cytheridea sugillata, sp. n. 

a » 38a,b. Cytheridea refecta, sp. n. 

en »  4a,6. Cytheridea vulsa, sp. 2. 

is »  5a,6,c. Cytheridea Horatiana, sp. n. 
rr »  6a,6,c. Cytheridea obovata, sp. n. 

&n » 7a, 0,c¢, Cytheridea spinigyrata, sp. n. 
5 »  8a,b,c. Cytheridea spinifastigiata, sp. n. 
x »  94,6,c. Cytheridea subtrigona. Sp. N. 

5 » 10a, b,c. Cythere? speciosa, sp. n. 

“ »  1l4a,0,¢,d. Cytheridea Blakeana, Jones. 
is » 12a, b,c. Cythere corrosa, sp. n. 


Plate iii., Figs. la,6. Cytheridea renoides, sp. n. 


os »  2a,b. Cytheridea pulvinar, sp. n. 

or » 24,6, c, Cytheridea dolabra, sp. n. 

5 »  4a,6,c. Cytheridea transversiplicata, sp. n. 
F »  54a,6,c. Cytheridea egregia, sp. n. 

os » 6a, 6,c, Cytheridea visceralis, sp. n. 

¥ » 74,6, ¢, Cytheridea striblita, sp. n. 

“ »  8a,0,c, Cythere oscillum, sp. n. 


cf »  94a,6,c. Cytheridea ignobilis, sp. n. 


278 


fs »  10a,b,c. Cytheridea ventrosa, sp. n. 
= »  lla,b,c. Cytheridea pura, sp. n. 
5s »  12a,6,c. Cytheridea limaciformis, sp. n. 
Plate iv., Figs. 1a, b,c. Cytheridea trapezoidalis, Terquem 
2 a, b, c, Cythere juglandica, Jones, var. major, nov. 
3 a, b, c. Cythere juglandica, Jones, var. minor, nov. 
53 Fig. 4 Cytheridea persica, sp. n. 
33 Figs. 5 a, b,c, Cytheridea bicarinata, sp. x. 
6 a, 6, c. Cytheridea ostreata, sp. n. 
7 a,b; and 8a, b,c. Cytheridea acutiplicata, sp. x. 
9 a, b,c; and 10 a, 6, c, Cytheridea craticula, sp. n. 
11 a, b, c. Cytheridea Bradiana, Jones. 
12 a, b, c. Cytheridea fulgurata, sp. 7. 
13 a, 6, c. Cythereis fullonica, sp. 7. 


Plate v., Figs. 1 a, b, c. Bythocypris Winwoodiana, sp. x. 
2a, b, c. Macrocypris Horatiana, sp. 7. 

3 a, 6, c. Macrocypris terree-fullonice, sp. n. 
4 a, b, c. Bairdia fullonica, sp. x. 

5 a, b, c. Cytheridea eximia, sp. n. 

6 a, b, c. Cytherella catenulata, sp. n. 

7 a, b, c. Cytheridea politula, sp. 7. 

8 a, b, c. Cytheridea subeminula, sp. 7. 

- »  94a,6,c. Cythere Walfordiana, sp. 7. 

10 a, 6, c. Cythere trapezioides, sp. n. 

11 a, 6, c. Cytheridea rugifera, sp. n. 

12 a, 6, c. Cythereis Walfordiana, sp. n. 


”? 499 


Landslips and Subsidences. By W. PuMPHREY, Esq. 
(Read 16th November, 1887.) 


My excuse for taking up your time on the present occasion 
must be that having been accidentally very near the scene of the 
disaster at Zug, on July 5th, I became considerably interested 
in the affair, and possibly am inclined to attach too great 
importance to it. 


Proc. BathNH.s« Antia.F. Club. Vol VI. No.3 .1888. PII 


CD.S&GW. del. Geo West & Sons lith.etimp. 
OSTRACODA OF THE FULLERS-EARTH OOLITE. 


Proc. BathNH.« Antia.F. Club. Vol VI. No.3 .1888. 
1 


CD.S&G.W del. Geo West & Sons ith et imp. 
OSTRACODA OF THE FULLERS-EARTH OOLITE. 


Proc. BathNH.z Antia.F. Club. Vol-VI. No.3 .1888. PIM 


C.D.S&GW del . Geo West & Sons lith.et imp. 
OSTRACODA OF THE FULLERS-EARTH OOLITE. 


Proc. BathNH.« Antia.F. Club. Vol VI. No.3 .1888. PLIV 


CD.S&G.W. del Geo West & Sons, lith.et imp 
OSTRACODA OF THE FULLERS: EARTH OOLITE. 


Proc. BathNH.a Antia.F. Club. Vol VI. No.3 .1888. PLY 


CD.S&GW. del. 


Geo West & Sons, lith et imp. 
OSTRACODA OF THE FULLERS-EARTH OOLITE. 


279 


Before referring to the event of July it may be well to glance at 
the general contour of the surrounding country. The Lake of Zug, 
which has an elevation above the sea of 1,388 feet, and a depth of 
about 1,300 feet, is at its upper and southern end hemmed in by the 
Rigi and the Rossberg, which are separated by the low pass, by 
means of which the St. Gothard railway is enabled to avoid some 
of the engineering difficulties that the bizarre outline of the Lake 
of Lucerne presented. From this low pass and from the northern 
slopes of the Rigi, and from the western slopes of the Rossberg a 
series of small streams send down their waters to the Lake, but 
the quantity is not large. The greater part comes from the 
northern slopes of the Rossberg, and after passing through the 
Egeri See, takes a northerly direction till it passes the hills that 
bound the Lake of Zug on the east, when turning to the west and 
then to the south-west it falls into the Lake very near its outlet. 
In the latter part of its course it traverses a very level tract of 
country, the result apparently of fluvial detritus. 

The Rigi and the Rossberg have not contributed largely 
towards the filling up the Lake of Zug—the alluvial tract at the 
head of the Lake being of small extent. But they have given us 
some striking examples of landslips on a large scale. They are 
both mainly composed of beds of conglomerate (Nagelfluh) 
consisting of calcareous and silicious pebbles cemented together 
by a calcareous infiltration, which has bound the whole into a 
concrete mass, so firm that very often the compacted pebbles will 
break across rather than quit the mass. These beds of conglome- 
arate are separated by beds of sand and clay, and anything that 
seriously disturbs these beds has a tendency to alter the relation 
in which they stand towards each other. Hence changes have 
taken place from time to time, and within the last hundred years 
two very notable events of this kind have happened. In 1795 
there issued from below some of the upper strata of the Rigi, a 
vast outflow of mud, which, like a stream of lava, rolled down the 
mountain side, spreading ruin and desolation in its course. It is 


280 


said to have taken fourteen days in reaching the Lake of Lucerne. 
This of course gave ample time for escape, and we believe that no 
lives were lost, though the destruction of property was very great. 

There is also evidence in the piled-up masses of conglomerate 
which form what is called the Felsenthor, that at some period of 
which we have no record, a berg-fall, similar in kind to that which 
we are about to notice took place on the Rigi. 

The summer of 1808 had been very wet and we may assume 
had loosened the intervening beds of clay and sand, or at least 
had rendered them so slippery that the superincumbent strata 
which rested on them at a considerable angle slid forward, and 
the crest of the mountain was precipitated into the valley below. 
The mass that fell was about 1,000 feet in length and 100 feet 
in thickness and of unknown breadth. Such a mass descending 
from a height of between 3,000 and 4,000 feet pressed forward 
with irresistible force, bearing down everything that was in its 
course, overwhelming villages—filling up about one third of the 
Lake of Lowerz and doing untold damage to life and property. 
The masses of rock now fill the valley on the eastern side of the 
Jlow col on which the village of Goldan stands, and many 
of them rest on the slopes of the Rigi about four miles from the 
spot whence they began their descent. Though it is now nearly 
80 years since the disaster occurred (Sept. 5th, 1808), the crest 
of the Rossberg, as seen from the Rigi, appears entirely barren, 
and the course of the falling rock is clearly evident all down the 
mountain side. 

In both these cases the exciting cause appears to have been 
the same—an excessive fall of rain rendered the beds of clay 

' &c., soft or slippery. In the first case the clay and sand were 
squeezed out by the pressure of strata whose angle of inclination 
was not sufficient to cause them to slide down ; in the second the 
angle of inclination determined the fall of the mass—the sub- 
stratum became so altered in its condition as no longer to give 
the support that had hitherto sustained the rock in its place. 


281. 


However disastrous these berg-falls may be they are too 
common among the Alps to excite any great attention, except 
when of very exceptional extent, as in the case just mentioned ; 
but when a large tract of land that looks like solid ground, with 
substantial houses built on it and covered with orchards and 
gardens sinks down and become part of an adjoining lake we 
are more likely to feel and express great surprise. Thus all 
Switzerland was taken by surprise when on July 5th of the 
present year the telegraph flashed over the whole country, the 
intelligence that a portion of the little town of Zug had dis- 
appeared below the surface of its lake; the thing seemed utterly 
unlikely and the news was received with much incredulity— 
nevertheless it was true. The town of Zug is situated at the 
north-eastern corner of the lake, at a point where the hills that 
have formed the eastern rampart of the lake, continuing onward in 
northerly direction leave its shore, which now consists of a dead 
level plain. Through this level plain the principal affluent of the 
lake finds its way, having in all probability been the agent in pro- 
ducing the level plain through which it now flows. Two or three 
smaller streams also fall into the lake near Zug. The greater part 
of the town lies on the gentle slop of the hills—but a long suburb 
extends along that margin of the lake, which I have spoken of as 
part of the level alluvial plain. It was in this suburb that the 
disaster occured. I have noticed a peculiarity in the Lake of Zug 
and possibly some connection may exist between these repeated 
subsidences and this peculiarity. The river, Lorze, the principal 
feeder of the lake, falls into it at a point not more than a kilometer 
and a half (rather under a mile) in a direct line from the place 
where the waters of the lake have their outlet. 

Whatever may have been the causes, either predisposing or 
exciting, the facts are these:—About mid-day, July 5th, some of 
the houses that formed part of the suburb I have mentioned sud- 
denly sank down, and later in the afternoon other houses, amount- 
ing in all to about thirty, were swallowed up, and where but a few 

v 


282 


hours before, stood a substantial hotel—new built and not yet 
opened for guests—a street of substantial houses, orchards and 
gardens, there was nothing but mud and water, floating wreck. 
Though some notice of what might happen was given by cracks 
in some of the houses and in the quay that was in course of con- 
struction, yet the actual fall was so sudden that about thirty 
persons were either drowned or crushed to death in the ruins. I 
was staying for a few days at Lucerne, distant about 18 miles, so 
accompanied by my brother we went over on the afternoon of the 
6th to see for ourselves the extent of the disaster ; but we were 
able to see but very little We found the usually quiet town full 
of an excited crowd, and all the approaches to the scene guarded 
by the Federal soldiers, who would not allow any person to go 
near, as it was considered quite unsafe. We were therefore 
obliged to return to Lucerne with little definite information ; but 
with a knowledge that rumour had not exaggerated the extent of 
the disaster. 

The Rev. E. Hill, who visited the spot about two weeks after, 
when the excitement had calmed down and it was possible to 
investigate the causes, &c., read a paper at the meeting of the 
British Association, at Manchester, on the subject. He stated 
that it had been proved that the first 10 or 12 feet of the soil 
consisted of alluvial detritus—and below this there was an 
unknown depth of soft oozy stuff. It would seem that the 
accumulation of buildings on a soil of this kind had ultimately 
produced a state of unstable equilibrium, and anything that 
tended either to increase the superincumbent pressure or remove 
in ever so slight a degree the support from below would destroy 
that equilibrium. It is worth notice that similar calamities have 
happened very near the same spot. In 1435 a similiar subsidence 
took place accompanied, it is said, by a loss of 160 lives—and 
again about 100 years since something very similar occured. In 
both these cases there appears to have been some connection with 
a sudden reduction of the level of the waters of the lake. It is 


283 


assumed that the subsidence is due to an outflow towards the 
deeper parts of the lake of this oozy substratum—that under 
ordinary circumstances the waters of the lake give to this ooze 
sufficient support to maintain it in its normal position. But if 
by any means that support were withdrawn, or the superin- 
cumbent pressure increased, the equilibrium would cease to be 
maintained, the oozy matter would be pressed outward and the 
upper crust would be broken up. In the present case there had 
been no lowering of the level of the water—but a considerable 
amount of pile driving had been going on which very possibly 
had disturbed the superficial arrangement of the soil below the 
surface of the water—and the gradual accumulation of buildings 
on the surface had gone on adding from time to time to the 
weight that pressed more and more heavily on the soft matter 
below. If this be the explanation of the event it comes to very 
much the same as in the cases of the Rigi and the Rossberg, viz., 
superincumbent pressure and withdrawal of supports. The moving 
bogs of Ireland appear to be phenomena of an analogous kind. 

To come still nearer home, we have a series of subsidences 
taking place in Cheshire and Worcestershire in consequence of 
the abstraction of the salt. In Cheshire these are in some places 
altering the face of the country, producing depressions of the 
surface, that fill up with water, forming large pools, where only a 
few years ago was dry ground. Almost any person who passes along 
the railway through Droitwich must have noticed how the retain- 
ing walls of the railway are fissured by the sinking of the ground. 

Similiar operations have been going on on a large scale in 
limestone districts—water charged with carbonic acid, percolating 
through beds of limestone, dissolves it, making caverns and 
galleries—and these from time to time fall in, forming cliffs and 
ravines. The gorge in the cliffs at Cheddar is assigned by many 
geologists to this cause. 

But at our own doors we have a neat little landslip and we 
find it a rather troublesome neighbour. So far as I have been 


284 


able to ascertain the cause of the movement at Hedgemead is 
this—it presents no feature widely different from other landslips 
—certain beds of clay are super-saturated with water, they 
become softened at their planes of contact, superincumbent 
pressure causes them to slide over each other, the upper bed 
being the one most liable to move. In the ground of the 
Hydropathic Establishment at Limpley Stoke, they have lately 
constructed a new tennis lawn, which required that soil should 
be cut away from the upper side and transferred to the lower; 
in doing this they cut through two thin beds of clay, the support 
to these beds being now removed the upper has begun to slide 
over the lower, bringing the soil down on to the new level. 

What is the remedy for such things? Clearly the first thing 
appears to get rid of all superfluous water—and thus to keep the 
adjacent beds in a condition to exert as much friction on each 
other as possible—and secondly to reduce the superincumbent 
pressure. 

As regards Hedgemead, we have had long continued warnings— 
and if at an unexpected moment some great catastrophe should 
happen we cannot plead that we have not had notice. Such an 
event is not probable, but there is no saying what might be the 
effect of a very wet season and a very stormy time. 

Doubtless there are many other forms that landslips and sub- 
sidences may take, but these are enough for my present purpose, 
which had chiefly reference to the Zug disaster. I see a notice 
from Geneva, in last week’s papers, in which it is stated that nearly 
the whole of the northern shore of the lake of Zug has become 
unsafe, and that it has been deserted by all the inhabitants. It 
would be interesting to know how far inland the danger is 
supposed to extend. The Railway station is not far away and 
may have to be removed. 

The plans on the table are copies from one issued at Zurich 
directly after the subsidence, and the photos are copies of 
photographs of taken on the 6th of July. 


285 


The Destruction of the two Churches of St. Mary in Bath. By 
Austin J. Kine. 


(Read December 14th, 1888.) 


There were at one time three churches in Bath dedicated to 
the Blessed Virgin. One of these was Saint Mary extra muros, 
otherwise called St. Mary by the Southgate. This Church is, I 
think, intended to be shown on the earliest map of Bath, which 
formed the subject of an interesting lecture in this room by Mr. 
E. Green. I say intended, because the situation given to it is 
almost certainly wrong namely on the north instead of the south 
side of the Avon. 

I am inclined to think that it was near to the south side of 
the Old Bridge, but it must not be confused with the little 
Chapel of St. Lawrence built on the centre pier of the bridge. 

Warner speaks (p. 123) of this Church being a Rectory but it 
is clear from the document he cites as his authority that it is the 
Church of St. Mary intra muros which was intended. 

The words are ‘‘ecclesie beate marie infra portam acquil.” 

Leland does not mention this Church on the occasion of his 
visit in 1530. Itis probable therefore that it was only an oratory. 

The two other Churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin were 
Saint Mary de Stalles or ‘Sancta Maria de Stabulis” more 
commonly called Stalls Church and Saint Mary intra muros or 
Sancta Maria intra portam Borealem. 

And first as to Stalls Church. It has been suggested that the 
original name of the Church was “Sancta Maria in Stabulo i 
(our Lady of the Stable), and that it was intended to honour the 
Blessed Virgin by reference to the stable where Christ was born. 

This derivation is ingenious, but I think inaccurate. In the 
earliest deeds in our Record room, dated 1218, a district “the 
Stalls of Bath” is mentioned, and I am inclined to believe that it 
was so called, as being a sort of rough place where temporary 


286 


booths and sheds were put up. The word used in the convey- 
ances as denoting the tenement is “ Selda.” 

The Church was situate at what was called “ Bear Corner,” 
that is at the junction of Stalls Street with Cheap Street. The 
Bear Inn stood of course just opposite at the bottom of what is 
now Union Street. The churchyard adjoined, and probably lay 
in common with the open space to the west of the Abbey. The 
Abbey Church was what its name implied, and was only resorted 
to by the citizens on special days. Stalls Church stood, as 
regards the Abbey, in the same position and for the same purposes 
as did the Church of St. Margaret at Westminster, the Church 
which overshadowed it. 

Stalls was a Vicarage, the Rectory having been vested in the 
Prior and Monks in 1263. To the Vicarage was appendant the 
Chapelry of Widcombe. In 1322 the relations between the Vicar 
and Rectors were put upon a definite footing, the tithes were 
apportioned and it was ordered that the Vicar should be 
resident, that there should be a priest at Widcombe, and that 
the Rectors should be charged with the repairs of the Chancel. 

This Church was the official one of the city, and one of the 
aisles was set apart for the Mayor and Corporation, and went 
under the name of the Mayor's aisle. The seats in this aisle 
were repaired from time to time at the expense of the Chamber. 

Numerous gifts and benefactions were made to the Church. 
In 1326 Benedict de Stoke gave a pound of wax yearly for a 
taper to be lighted on the Feast of the Assumption of the 
Blessed Virgin and fourpence for four masses yearly for the 
repose of his soul, and charged the necessary annual payments on 
a house of his in Stalls Street. In 1403 Sybil Pochon gave her 
best veil (manutergium) to Stalls Church, a sum of money to the 
Vicar to say masses for her soul and to the image of St. 
Catherine de Stalls her best silk robe (unum flamiolum meum 
optimum de serico ). 

St. Catherine was a favourite saint in Bath. This appears not 


287 


only from the references to her in the Ruber Codex Bathon at 
Longleat, but from the ancient oath taken by apprentices on 
taking up their freedom. This rans— 

“T schal buxom and obedyent be to the mayr of Bathe 
and to al hys successowrys and Y schal mentayne me to 
no lordschyp for hynderans of eny burges of Bathe 
Nether Y schal nozth plete wyth no burges of Bathe 
but on the mayr courte yf hit so be that the mayr wyll 
do me ryght or may do ryght Seynt Katern day Y 
schall kepe holy day yerely and. Seynt Katern Chapell 
and the brigge help to mentayne and to susteyn by my 
power. All other custumys and fredumys that Jangit 
to the foresayde fredum Y schal well and truly kepe and 
mentayne on my behalf selme God and halydom.” 

Notwithstanding that the Rectory of Stalls was vested in the 
Prior and Monks, the Vicar of Stalls sided with the Citizens in a 
memorable dispute with the Monks, temp. Henry V., as to the 
‘right: of ringing church bells. The inquisition is set out by 
Warner (Appendix xli.) The ancient custom contended for by 
the Monks was at this time (1421) distinctly recognized, namely 
that none of the City Churches should ring their bells in the 
morning before the Abbey bells, nor after the Curfew (ignitigium) 
had sounded from the Abbey tower in the evening. Certain 
exceptions were allowed ; Christmas, the Epiphany, the feasts of 
the dedication of the Churches and of the patron saints of the 
Churches and of St. Catherine, St. Nicholas and All Saints. On 
other feasts the City Churches were to summon to Matins with 
one bell only. 

The participation of the Rector of St. Mary intra muros, in this 
dispute is the only early recorded fact I have been able to find 
concerning this Church. It was a Rectory, and the advowson 
was vested in the Prior and Monks. The parish attached to 
it must have been a very small one, and it is a little difficult to 
conjecture what district it covered. The parish of St. Michael 


288 


extended to the city walls, and so did the parish of Walcot, and 
Stalls parish pressed hard upon the intervening district from the 
other side. 

The Church was situate just within the Northgate, and across 
what is now the junction of Bridge Street with High Street, 
It must have been very ancient because we read of its repair by 
Fitz Jocelin in 1190. In the reign of Edward VI. the charitable 
property annexed to Stalls Church for lights to burn before 
statues, anniversary masses and doles, was stated to be £2 16s. 4d. 
per annum, and that annexed to St. Mary’s intra muros, to be 
£4 Os. 2d. It is clear, however, that these returns were false, 
and it is probable that both these Churches had considerable 
property belonging to them, much as was proved to be the case 
with regard to the Church of St. Michael extra muros. 

At the Dissolution the monastic property in Bath was granted 
to a speculator, Humphrey Colles. Colles sold to Mathew 
Colthurst, and the property descended from him to Edmund 
Colthurst. Colthurst thus became possessed of, of course, the 
Abbey Church, and the Rectory of St. Mary intra muros, and 
St. Mary de Stalls and the advowson of the other parish Churches, 

The citizens agreed with Colthurst for the acquisition of 
this Church property. The royal licence was required to the 
conveyance, and in a “remembrance” to Lord Burleigh the 
citizens thus stated their views :— 

‘‘ And that whereas there are 3 little Churches decayed 
within the said city, that the parishes thereof may be 
annexed to the great Church by the assent of the 
Ordinary there and that your lordships orators may 
have the advowson thereof by grant of the Queen.” 

The licence asked for was given on the 21st November, 1572. 
It was not, however, for 10 years that the scheme could be 
even partially carried out. There were several reasons. In the 
first place there was an Incumbent of Stalls, one Henry 
Adams. This ecclesiastic had in 1571 been presented by Sir 


289 


Walter Daveys, to whom Prior Holwaye had granted the “next 
presentation.” Adams did not die until 1577, and even then 
there was an obstacle in the person of Gilbert Berkley, the Bishop 
of the Diocese, whose consent was required. The Bishop died 
in 1581, and during the vacancy of the See a Dr. Aubrey was 
Vicar Capitular. Aubrey was a pensioner of the Bath munici- 
pality, and received some relatively handsome presents for his 
complaisance in consenting to the spoliation. The order for 
consolidation of the parishes was made in April, 1583. The 
order recites that the ‘“‘ruinated church” belonging to the 
Priory had been re-edified, except the south aisle, and then orders 
that the Church of Stalls and the Chapel of Widcombe should 
be annexed “for the increase of Divine worship and the 
preaching of the word of God to the said great ruinated Church. 
The Abbey Church is then erected into a Parish Church “ to 
which as to their Parish Church all and singular the inhabitants 
of the said late parishes should be obliged always to come to 
and to no other place to hear Divine service and to receive the 
Sacraments.” The order permits the use of other Churches 
until the repair of the south aisle of the Abbey. 

Thus what had been for centuries the parish of St. Mary de 
Stalls became the parish of SS. Peter and Paul, the Abbey 
having been dedicated to those Saints. 

The inhabitants of Widcombe were prompt in the action which 
they took. They applied for a, sequestration of the living and 
obtained an order to that effect and a Mr. Gaye was appointed 
to serve the Chapel. There was consternation amongst the 
citizens; and by intriguing and bribing, and probably also by 
promises to the men of Widcombe, they got the sequestration 
removed. 

The parishioners of St. Michael’s exira muwros and St. James 
were probably equally active, and to their remonstrances we owe 
it that these two city Churches were not desecrated and destroyed. 
The little Church of St. Michael intra muros was annexed to St 


290 


John’s Hospital ; the two Churches of St. Mary were abandoned 
to their fate, 

We have certain data from which we can approximately fix 
the dates of their secularization. 

The Church of Stalls was used as the official city Church until 
1593, for in that year we find the Chamberlain making a payment 
for “twoe mattes for the maior his seate in Stalles Church.” 
Probably Stalls Church was soon afterwards given up as a place 
of worship for in 1600-1 the partial restoration of the Abbey 
Church was finished, and money was expended by the Chamberlain 
in fitting that Church with wainscoting and benches. Writing 
in 1608 Sir John Harrington says ‘“‘ The tower, the choir and two 
aisles are already finished by Mr. Billett, executor of the worthy 
Lord Treasurer Burleigh.” 

Probably the transfer from Stalls to the Abbey was in about 
1606, for in that year we read in the Council Book :— 

“Agreed upon the 25th march, 1606, by the mayor, 
parson and parishioners of Stalls concerning burials in 
the great church vault. That any of the degree of a 
Knight which shall be buried there shall pay for the 
breaking the ground, 20/-, and 6/8 for ringing the 
great bell, and others 6/8 for breaking the ground and 
2/6 for ringing the bell, and every child 2/- for breaking 
the earth.” 

The following entry in the Chamberlain’s account in 1609 is. 
somewhat obscure :— 

“Paid for the Abbey Bell and Stalls ...£20 10 0 
Paid for the Clipp of the Bell... oo LO As 
but I am inclined to think it refers to the recasting of a bell, 
probably the ‘‘Inket” or Inquest Bell formerly in Stalls Church, 
and setting it in the Abbey tower. 

In 1616 the Corporation took possession of Stalls Churchyard 
and granted each other leases at nominal rents ; the site of the 
Churchyard can be traced from the block of houses now 
standing. 


291 


From this date we do not hear of Stalls Church being em- 
ployed for any ecclesiastical purposes, although the parish 
retained for many years its ancient name. 

A reference to the valuable collection of Bath maps made by 
the late Mr. Russell may here be interesting. 

The map of the city erroneously attributed by Wood to Dr. 
Jones, dated in 1572, and Speed’s map, issued in 1610, both 
show Stalls Church. Gilmore’s map, under date 1694, shows a 
blank where a part of the Church stood, and later maps show 
the site of the Church. Strachey’s Map of Somerset, published 
in 1732, shows the corner where the Church stood by a cross, 
and the reference “ St. Mary de Scalys, now dwelling-houses.” 

These maps are so manifestly copied from each other, and 
contain so many obvious mistakes, that they are not at all reliable 
as evidence of dates. 

Strachey’s statement as to the conversion of the Church into 
dwelling-houses is no doubt correct, for in 1632 we find leases 
granted of houses described as “in the Church.” During the 
Civil Wars the Church was used as a military prison and hospital. 

In 1656 we read in the Council book :— 

“Whereas the Tower of the Church of Stalles in this 
City is now much fallen into decay and cannot be 
repaired. Whether the said tower shall be taken 
down so far as the roof of the said Church or so far 
as need required or not, the profit to be employed to 
the use of the Abbey Church, and the churchwardens 
of the said Abbey Church to undertake the care and 
oversight thereof.” 

This resolution was carried, and three aldermen were elected 
to oversee the work and take the churchwardens accounts. 

In 1659 the Church itself fell down, for we read :— 

“Whereas Stalls Church within the said City is fallen 
down, and the materials, by a formal order, appointed 
to be employed to and for the use of the Church of St. 


292 


Peter and Paul within the same City, the question is 
who shall be appointed to dispose of the said materials 
to the use aforesaid, both to make, sale thereof, and to 
employ the money made thereof to the use of the said 
Church of St. Peter and Paul.” 

It curiously happens that we can trace the exact destination of 
the money received from the sale of the materials of this old civic 
Church. The sum realized was £100; and in 1663, when the 
Citizens were making a present to Charles II., under circum- 
stances which 1 have detailed elsewhere,* it was mentioned in the 
Council minutes that there was this sum in hand “ belonging to 
Stalls Church,” and it was accordingly appropriated to the gift. 

And now I return to the Church of St. Mary intra muros. 

The last date on which we have evidence of its use for 
Ecclesiastical purpose is 1588, and probably its desecration 
occurred very shortly afterwards. 

But the building was not destroyed. The Grammar School 
(founded by Edward VI. out of a portion of the much larger 
property formerly devoted to educational purposes), was held in 
some rooms over the Westgate. This school was moved into the 
nave of St. Mary’s Church, and we can fix the date with 
substantial accuracy. 

In 1589, we find the Chamberlain paying— 

“To Thomas Gardener and Thomas Hibbett, masons, for 
byldinge up the chancell at the Schole hous 1/- more 
to a Free-mason for making a window in the poining 
end 9/-” 

From this date then the nave was used as a school, and there 
are many quaint and curious records connected with the master 
and his teaching. These however relate rather to the history of 
the “ Grammar School.” 

The tower of St. Mary’s Church was used asa gaol. I have 


* “Cavaliers and Round-heads : a Chapter in the History of Bath.” 


293 


not been able to fix the date at which this user commenced, for 
there was, of course, always a gaol for the city, and there is no 
record of the change from an older building to this one. 

Wood writes :— 

“The City Prison so nearly appertaining to her Court of 
Justice that structure is the very tower of St. Mary’s 
Church . . . but no sooner had Queen Elizabeth 
consolidated the Churches of the City into one cure 

than they looking upon this house of God no 
more as a house of Prayer turned the tower of it into 
a den for thieves.” 

The gaol in the tower of the Church must not be confused 
with the Bridewell or house of correction in the lane of that 
name. This was built in 1632, partly by subscriptions, partly 
out of the proceeds of a special rate. The entry concerning 
this latter is :— 

“Whereas Mr. Chambers hath possession of a barn, 
stable and backride, which is agreed shall be converted 
to a house of correction, what he think fit to give him 
freely to quit the possession without any rule £5 to 
give him.” 

The Church was used for the purposes of the Grammar School 
until about 1760, when the present building in Broad Street was 
erected. A map of 1750 shows St. Mary’s Church, and refers to 
it as St. Mary’s Church now the free school, and another similar 
map, published in 1760, contains the same reference to the 
Church but shows also the building in Broad Street. 

Wood tells us that he completed the design for the Broad 
Street schoolhouse in 1742. 

The destruction of St. Mary’s Church, was, however, to be 
thorough. In 1773 Mr. William Pulteney framed the design of 
opening up the Bathwick estate by building what is now 
Pulteney Bridge. St. Mary’s Church stood in the way of this 
improvement, and he purchased it from the Corporation. No 


294 


money passed, but certain springs of water on Castle Down were 
conveyed to the City, and the family house in Grove Street was 
made over for use as a gaol. 

We cannot now even accurately fix the spot on which this 
ancient Church stood. 


A Bath Poll Taz, 2, Richard IT. By HE. Green, F.S.A. 
(Read 11th January, 1888). 


In my last communication I brought before you the first known 
map of our City, endeavouring generally at the same time to work 
out its picture from the earliest records; but as those notes 
applied entirely to the plan then produced and the surrounding 
walls, it remains next to fill the enclosure with a population,— 
with the living and moving makers of history. Of our later 
times in this respect we know much, but of the early days we 
know almost nothing. The documents now offered will it is 
hoped,—as a first instalment,—help to throw some light on 
several obscure points, such as the number of inhabitants and 
their local status, or occupations, or wealth, subjects of no mean 
interest, only to be worked out from the class of record here 
either quoted or transcribed. 

There is also the question ef Christian and Surname ; from 
what origin or under what influence did they arise; the extent 
to which Surnames had become general and whether derived from 
merely personal peculiarities, or from places, or from occupations, 
English names derived from places do not imply territorial posses- 
sions, as so many hastily assume, but on the contrary, they are 
marks simply of residence or a birth of the lowliest, in fact but 
for such local designation there was no other name. The early 
Law proceedings are full of such instances when the witnesses are 
only given as John of this place or of another. The names of 
territorial influence, for the most part Norman, were given to, 


295 


not taken from, the places to which they are attached, and often 
in addition to the English name already existing. 

The first document which may be noted is of great in- 
terest as being the earliest of the class extant as specially 
relating to Bath, and although not so full in details as a later one 
will well serve the purpose of comparison. It is a Nonz Roll of 
the year 1340, 14 Edward III., to be found in our Public Record 
Office, relating to a subsidy or tax made for two years for the 
good keeping of the Realm and for assisting the King in his wars, 
granting in Counties the ninth fleece and the ninth sheaf, and in 
Cities and Boroughs the ninth part of all moveable goods and 
chattels. It was to be levied by lawful and reasonable 
means, the valuation being made by inquisition upon the oath of 
the parishioners. Two assessors were appointed for Bath, in this 
case they were Adam le Muleward and William Cubboll, who 
made a return of the following names and the amount paid by 
each for the first of the two years for which the tax lasted :— 


Richard le Deyare_... liijs. Thomas Berughogg ... xvjd. 
Adam de Doynton ... xijd. Nicholas le Fysshare ... xijd. 
Henry le Webbe me vjs. Henry de Sulbury ... lijs. 
John Gourlmay 274 ijs. John Payn ... aa liijs. 
William le Hoper..._—_ xviijd. John de Heottlegh ... xijd. 
Walter le Carpenter ... ijs. William Spray bu iijs. 
Isabell de Kary =e liijs. John Baytyn see ijs. 
Joan Cooke ... WA ijs. Peter de Lewas 2c lijs. 
Adam Knevet aS yjd. William le Porter See lijs. 
Thomas le Touker ... vjd. | William Bouche oa) Rade 
Robert le Porter emt se John Corteys te iijs. 
Ralph le Deyare 3 ijs. Elias Gower... Se xijd. 
Nicholas de Deyare ... _iiijd. | John Freman we Xd. 
Henry Hurel at XXS, Walter Saundres eek xijd. 
Barto de Deyare venta Wiijs: Roger la Tannere_..... ijs. 
Adam le Boy ie iijs. Ralph le Taylour EAS vid. 
Willliam 4 dieux as ijs. |‘ John de Mersfeld ... iijs. 


Richard le Boy ae iijs. | William Gay... .. Xviijd, 


Richard le Webbe 
Gilbert le Webbe 
Richard Shakesho 
John Coventree 
Adam le Barber 
Peter de Marsfeld 
Richard Beone 
John atte Tame 
John RBerughogg 
William Hindeman 
Nicholas Basse 
Ralph atte Tame 
William Swayne 
John Baron ... 
John de Alynton 


Walter le Lindraper ... 


William Cubboll 
John Allyn ... 
William de Sarum 
John Wodelond 
Robert de Natton 
John Croknutte 
Roger Sutor... 
Reginald Nony 
John Castell... 
John de Durcot 
John Tryg 

John le Rydelar 
John Cole 

John Deverel 
John Gyvelegh 
Robert Pluco 
William Orlegh 
Thomas Gourlemey 
Henry le Mareschal 
John atte Brome 


ixs. 

ijs. 
xijd. 
lijs. 
liljs. 
a) ilijs. 
xviijd. 
ijs. 
xijd. 
iijs. 
lijs. 
vjs. 
ijs. 
liijs. 
ijs, 
vjd. 


296 


John de Boldebury xijd. 
Thomas Stoke vjd. 
William Clement xxd, 


John Hoirys... Bes ijs. 


Adam Whiteson vjd. 
Thomas Fovel : liijs. 
Giles de Cheyppenham __ xviijd. 
William Symond tie ijs. 
Elias la Spicer Se vs. 
John de Sambourn ... vs. 
Robert le Deyare .. Ljs. vd. 
Walter atte Brugge xijd. 
Julian de Wyke xijd. 


Robert le Deyare . ijs. vjd. 
Henry Rossel Hy ijs. 


William de Kemyngton iiijs. 
Thomas Buryman xijd. 
John de Budeston ..... ijs. 
EKustach de Button... ijs. 
William de Wyke ..... ijs. 
John Rolf... AS ijs. 
John Nywman af ijs. 
John de Farleigh ___.... ijs. 
Henry Burel scr xd. 
Adam Storch xijd. 
Ralph le Hoper iijd. 
Nicholas le Chaloner ... xijd. 
Agnes le Zork xijd. 
Stephen de Pryssheton xijd. 
Roger de Roding ... — xijd. 
Thomas le Mason _... lis. 


Alexander le Deyare xiijs. iiijd. 
Richard le Vyngour ... vijs. vjd. 


Total ... xiiijli. xs. jd. 


297 


Thus the substantial men of Bath in 1340 having personalty 
warranting taxation numbered 106, and their payment amounting 
to £14 10s. 1d. as a ninth, gives the total gross value of the 
assessment as £130 10s. 9d. 

In a collection of a 20th in 1 Ed. III, the totals only being 
returned—Bath produced £8 4s. 7d.; Wells at the same time 
paying £10 Os. 6d. As another point of local interest one example 
may be given of the entire Hundred of Bath Forum. In 12 
Ed. IV. in payment of a 15th and 10th, the return was from :— 


Claverton ... a cvs. Wyke Abbatisse xxvijs. viijd. 
Hampton ... i iiijlz. Eston es it iiijle. 
Aumarle Chamfiour ... iiijlz. xs. Wallecote ... ie eps 
Calueston ... ast ijl. Weston = mtr Is. 
Northstoke -.  Xxxiijs. Lynecombe ... sie lxijs. 
Langrigge ... ¥ Sept. Charlcombe... boone , xLViSe 
Swayneswyke and Ford a a3 Ixijs._ 
Ferschford ... xls. xd. Wollegh ... XXVjs. Viijd. 
Southstoke ... ay XXXS. Combe af << EES Kile 


Analysing the names in the None Roll it will be observed 
how many use the de or le—the de being prefixed to names of 
places the le to occupations, atte appears only three times. In 
some cases the prefix has been either dropped or perhaps never 
existed. There are seven bearing the name of le Deyare, but 
shown as not necessarily of one family as there are two Roberts. 
There are three Webbe, a le Tuker, and le Fisher, and others. 
such as Lindraper, Mareschal, Sutor and Spicer, which speak 
for themselves ; then there is the name of Swayne so constant in 
early Bath deeds. 

The taxation of the clerics was distinct, as they claimed to be, 
and were taxed separately, and when possible not at all. This 
part of the subject being very difficult must be avoided, but an 
example which seems fairly clear may be used as well for itself as 
also for a further illustration of early name giving. In 1377, 


51 Edward III, in a list of the names of all the religious persons . 
WwW 


298 


in the Deanery of Bath, there is found first John Berwykes, 
Prior of the Cathedral Church of Bath, and following him come 
fifteen brothers, all paying uniformly twelvepence The names of 
the brothers are—John Bradlegh, William Tonar, John Brok, 
William de Welles, John de Ciceter, Michael de Combe, Nicholas 
Vinor, John Kyneton, John Rockbourne, Henry Godeley, John 
Preston, John Ploute, Thomas Bampton, Philip de Pekelynch, 
Nicholas Huse and John Milverton. Besides these there were 
John Astwykes, master of St. John’s Hospital and Brothers Peter 
Harding, John Dunstarr, John Briwton and John Wedmor, and 
then Edward, without other name, master of the house of St. 
Mary Magdalen. The Dean, the Vicars of St. James, St. 
Michael, St. Mary, and Stalles, all paid uniformly twelvepence. 
The inferior clergy paid fourpence. ; 

The modes adopted for taxation in these days are not easily 
understood. The plans met with are called fifteenths, and 
presently fifteenths and tenths, The fifteenth at first was laid 
upon goods only, as granted in 18 Edward I., but later this seems 
to have included lands also. Two assessors were appointed for 
every County and City, and they in turn appointed a jury of 
twelve,—in the Counties a jury in every Hundred,—and these 
returned their valuation of every man’s personal estate, and 
levied thereon the fifteenth of such value. When the tax fell 
upon land also, a valuation was made in 1344, 18 Edward IIL, 
of all the cities and towns in England and returned into the 
Exchequer, and this became then the fixed guide, the amount due 
upon any fifteenth or tenth being always the same, and known 
exactly. A Subsidy was another form of taxing. This was laid 
upon every individual’s estate either real or personal, and con- 
sequently varied in the amount produced. In time these forms 
generally became known by the one name of Subsidy. There 
was also another plan occasionally met with, the following being 
an example for Bath. It is entitled the account of John Natton, 
John Gregory and William Cook collectors of a tenth and half a 


299 


tenth of all moveable goods from the Laity of the City of Bath, 
as warranted by Letters Patent dated the fourth of March in the 
aforesaid third year. As the year said to be aforesaid is nowhere 
given, the date of the document is uncertain, but from internal 
indications it is attributed to the third year of Richard II. The 
totals only are given, viz. :— 


For the 10th ... Per olor eos oO 
For the half-a-tenth ... 613 4 


Total £20 0 0 

It will be noted here that the expression a tenth and half-a- 
tenth did not mean a fifteenth, about 64 per cent. or a total 
of £8 17s. 94d., as without help it might have done, but it 
actually meant 15 per cent. or a total of £20. The gross value 
here of the city in 1380 is—£133 6s. 8d., against the same in 
1340—£130 10s. 9d. There was yet another plan of taxation 
called exactly a Poll Tax. Although a little out of chronological 
order, the result of one of the year 1381, 4, Richard II., may 
be shortly mentioned. It is entitled—‘‘ A View of the Account 
of John Gregory, John Natton and Robert Wattes, collectors 
of the Poll Tax of xijd. in the City of Bath on all aged xv. 
years, true mendicants excepted.” Payment appears to have 
been prompt, as the warrant or order being dated in December, 
two-thirds of the assessment were paid at liilary, and the 
other third at Pentecost. The totals only are given, and in 
this document only the first payment, viz—£9 14s. 8d. for the 
two parts of £14 12s.—the Subsidy from two hundred and 
ninety-two persons, men and women of the city. 

The preceding notes so far will aid towards a comparison with 
the next and last example, one for the second year of King 
Richard II., the one specially intended for notice, and the one of 
the fullest and greatest interest. It is a Subsidy granted on the 
accession of Richard in the form of a Poll Tax on the Laity. 
The rates were graduated and ranged from ten marks for a Duke 


300 


down to fourpence for the “general,” not being really mendicants. 
Married couples paid at a single rate. The Roll here transcribed 
consists of three consecutive membranes duly indented, and by 
good fortune the counter indenture or duplicate also exists, or, on 
account of the decay of the ink, without such duplicate the 
names could not have been read. The business of deciphering 
has been certainly most troublesome and fatiguing, and not- 
withstanding often examination and every care it is more than 
possible that some names may bear a different reading. The 
occupations however, perhaps the chief point, will be found 
correct. The document is not only of extreme interest as giving 
full names of persons and their occupations, but it also by a 
happy chance gives the names of the streets in which they lived, 
so that we have presumably a complete Directory for the city in the 
year 1379. It will be seen that the Mayor begins, an early 
notice of one, perhaps the earliest actually named. 


CITY OF “BATH. 

Indenture made the fourth day of June, in the second year of 
King Richard the Second after the conquest, between John 
Gregory, John Natton and Robert Compe, assessors of the 
Subsidy of (iiij.) pence, for the lord the King on the one part, and 
Robert Wattes, Richard Ford, John Swayne and John Cherde, 
collectors of the same on the other part, from all the men and 
women of the age of xvj. years, true mendicants excepted. 

John Natton, Maior, — (xs). 


SOWTHEYATE STRET. 


John Balle... see tanner eee aca.) elles 
William Webbe ice laborar a -oo, adli@e 
William Zawoher 5 laborar sie sao, pallga. 
Felicia Launder aie filator wee Pep en ibiye ts 
Walter Thesher Bs laborar ae - iif. 
John Growe ... sae laborar ath Lee as 
John Bowby ... sed laborar a .. lj. 


John Hosteler oe laborar_.... . liijd. 


John Coxler ... 
William Y — dene 
Philip Bryan... 
Stephen Growe 
Robert Baker 
John Fanna ... 
Elen Sims 

John Fletcher 
John Feyror ... 
Harri Wreg .. 


BYNBURI 


Richard Port ... 
Richard Legge 
Jobn Beyon ... 
Andrew Trotebosse 
Robert Schoylocke 
Richard Farley 
John Nappeford 
William Redheffed 
William Bedistone 


301 


laborar 


’ Jaborar 


folator 
(ilegible) 
(illegible) 
(illegible) 
(illegible) 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar 


Total :—xixs. viijd. 


STRETE. 
cissor des 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar 
laboror 
laborar 
laborar 


Total :—iijs. ijd. 


BY YE BATHE STRETE. 


John Popp 

Robert Porch 

John Taylor ... 

Alan Cissor 

Robert Waterman 

John Warbey 

John Eston 

John Mulwerton 

John Pochon ... 

Richard Lockyer 

John Porke 

John Howard a 
Walter Hasilwod ode 


laborar 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar 
laborar Fcc 


laborar Ae . 


laborar 
laborar ede 
laborar ade 


laborar ea ase 


laborar add 


Total :—iiijs. iiijd. 


302 


STALLE STRETE, 


John Lacockes sb carnifex 
Thomas Norhorne me carnifex 
Agnes Porter ... ie filator 
John Norhamton Sao laborar 
John Tame ... sp artificer 
Roger Chepman wee pedeler 
Christiana Caunton... filator 
Robert Cauersam ae pedeler 
John Monemewye ras laborar 
Walter Wek . faber 
John, serviens ‘ the said Walter 
Roger Gewe ... ane skynner 
Philip, serviens to the said Roger 
John Stone ... A laborar 
John Streyle ... ace soutor 
laborar 
cissor 
Richard Swetys ace cissor 
John Fyssher See artificer 
John Seymour : faber 
Jobn, serviens to the ied John 
Joan Forester aes filator 
Richard Andrewe ae laborar 
Thomas Porter ae laborar 
John Teyntyghulle ... laborar 
Herri Touker eet folator 
John Panter ... at laborar 
Edward Hopere ot laborar 
William Parson eck laborar 
John Mytteford eee skynner 
Alice Pigeley ... wee braciator 
Joan, serviens to the said Alice 
William Carpenter... laborar 
William, serviens to the said William 
William Hulle .. mit cissor 


William Rolphe Ase folator 


303 


John Castell ... ae laborar 
John Druhed... aoe artificer 
Morgery, serviens to the said John 
Thomas Durant ibe laborar 
Richard Baysse aie cissor 
John Scottfisher Pas (nil) 
John Hawkyn as cissor 
Agnes, serviens to the said John Scottfisher 
Thomas Bedull oe braciator 
Agnes, serviens to the said Thomas 
John Fadur ... aa folator 
Roger Vookes ie laborar 
John Mycham ae laborar 
Nicholas Burynton _... artificer 
John Bobichon as: braciator 
John, serviens to the said John 

William Caulestocke ... laborar 
Robert Pistor... ae artificer 
Nicholas, serviens to the said Robert 
Richard Bedulle Se textor 
William, serviens to the said Richard 
Herri Jolifphe Be braciator 
William Payne a laborar 
Richard Chepman wad pedeler 
John Cherd ... a laborar 
Richard Browne ons laborar 
William Cooke ... Dpety marchant 


John, serviens to the said William 

Matilda, serviens to the said William 

Agnes, daughter of the said William 

John Schete ... ay pedeler 
William Chaumberleyn laborar 
Roger, serviens to the Prior of Bath 

William, serviens to John Brocke Bee 
Richard Cooke, serviens to the Prior of Bath 
Nicholas, serviens to the said Prior 

Thomas, serviens to the said Prior 

Walter Palfreyman ... (nil) 


iijs. iii 


304 


Thomas Plomer, jun ... (nil) see wee liijd. 
Richard, serviens to the baker of the Prior of Bath ...  1iijd. 
John Waderleder Ye Jaborar’* \" <:. co alee 


Total: ; —xliijs. iiijd. 
WESTYATE STRETE. 


John Morekek ts laborar... a. ilijd. 
Richard Bromilbe iss laburar—.... ..- iliijd. 
John Sarne ... se textor oes feo Pas 
John Homfrey ress laborar_—.... ws. iiijd. 
Christiana Homfrey ... filator ee .. iliijd. 
John Goffe... shes laborar ee w» Liijd. 
Thomas Mountwalle ... (nil) | see .. iiijd. 
Thomas, serviens to John Cerne sys ws, ay 
Robert Greywod ass laborar a w. iiijd. 
John Atteberwe os laborar ae wes . UNG 
Nicholas Speragroue ... sutor ef vse, eee 
Herri V yuour ae sutor ee .. xijd. 
John Freyne ... a laborar oy oe MR 
John Baytn ... ais laborar ie we. Llijd. 
Stephen Corior bk laborar aa .. iiijd. 
Thomas Payerd ac laborar ace ... iliijd. 
Walter Deyher ae laborar pe ... iiijd. 
Walter Souter ia laborar 7 aco MULL 


Total :—ixs. 
SOWTER STRET. 


Richard Vitull Ls pedeler Bis .. xijd. 
William Hedeman ~ laborar an ... iiijd. 
John Chaperwe BAe pedeler +e ous Kl 
John Clacton... 5c faber ne ae XG 
Thomas Swayne fos hosteler... OA ijs. 
Robert Coppe ow »., pedeller .. son, KAJ 
Agnes Carter ... as filator Ss w. iiijd. 
John Barbor ... Ree artificer ... w= Vd. 
Robert Brent ar hosteler: <.. . Asm ede 
Joan Lokyngton ots filator ie ... liijd. 
Walter Mirkely ee laborar as ... iiijd. 


Margery Sowthstok ... braciator ... a Xa 


305 


John Bregwater ae laborar 
Geoffrey Nynnan Re laborar 
Edithe, serviens to the said Goeffery 
John Donne ... one cissor 
Robert Waccus a pety marchant 
Thomas Berwehog fee laborar 
Robert Cherchward ... pedeler 
Thomas. Poffe ai laborar 
Alice, serviens to Robert Cherchward 
Peter Heneley ate artificer 
Robert Spyrelackes.... soutor 
Thomas Brockword ... pedeler 
John Keynshym gi laborar 
William Cropp wes laborar 
Joan Swayne oe filator 
Nicholas Swayne oe laborar 


Alice, serviens to Richard Vitull 
John, serviens to Robert Waccus 
Joan, serviens to the said Robert 
William Bath ae laborar 

John, servaunt to Thomas Swayne 

John, servaunt to John Barbor 

Thomas, servaunt to Hugh Coteler 

Walter, servaunt to the said John Clacton ... 
Aylmer Flemyng 2 artificer 

John Tybowode ae laborar 


NORYATE STREET. 


Stephen Brigman = laborar 

John Compe ... aie pety marchant 
Xpine Loffe ... ae filator 

John Carnyfex acy carnifex 
William Chestburie ... laborar 

Herri Aurifaber aie (nil) 

Roger Skynner see artificer 
Stephen Dernned a cissor 


Thomas Carewyle oii soutor 


Total :—xxvs. 


iiijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
xijd. 
ijs. 
liijd. 
ijs. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
vjd. 
xijd. 
vjd. 
iiijd. 
iiijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
vjd. 
liijd. 


iiijd. 
vs. 
iiijd. 
vjd. 
iiijd. 
xijd. 
vjd. 
yjd. 
xijd. 


306 


Robert Waspour ne artificer 
John Wyche ... ee laborar 
Philip Bichewe a artificer 
Thomas Saundrus 1a pedeler 
Sewale Fraunces Sc artificer 
John Kynt... ies braciator 
William Cissor ele laborar 
Thomas Hopere oes laborar 
Alice, servaunt to Sewale Frauncis 
Robert Bentley mae pedeler 
William Aurifaber es (nil) 
Vylbo, servauut to the said William 
Richard de Forde it artificer 
Margery, servaunt to the said Richard 
Xpine Bynald sek filator 
Edmund Teylerd ae laborar 
William Peyntor ses artificer 
Jokn Heyward me artificer 
Robert, servaunt to the said John 
Walter Meynard T laborar 
John Benet ... ek artificer 
Henry Barbor =e laborar 
Hugh Coteler ae artificer 
John Colurbre bie laborar 
John Gowher sve laborar 
William Cherward ... artificer 


Thomas, servaunt to John Compe 
John, servaunt to William Chestiburie 
Henry, famulus to the said William 
John, famulus to Stephen Derned 
Agnes, servaunt to Philip Bichewe 
Jobn Wyte ... oe faber 
Richard, servaunt to the said John 


Total :—xx 
BRADE STRET. 
Thomas Saltford wi laborar 
William Deyher be laborar 


iijs. itijd. 


ijs. 
liijd. 
xijd. 
vjd. 
ijs. 
xijd. 
liijd 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
xijd. 
xijd. 
liijd. 
vs. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
vjd. 
xijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
vjd. 
liijd. 
vjd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
xijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
vjd. 
liijd. 


iiijd. 
iiijd. 


307 


Deodonay (Belde) cor soutor 
Margery, serviens to the said Deudonay 
Richard Carter ahi folator 
Richard Hoper a3 artificer 
John Broun ae laborar 
Walter Webbe ane artificer 


Laurence, famulus to the said Walter 
Robert, famulus to the said Walter 
Joan, serviens to the said Walter 

Iwan Glover ... see laborar 
John Gregorye oy (ntl) 
John, famulus to the said John 

Tsolda, serviens to the said John 
Alice, serviens to the said John 

John Lacy... ode laborar 
Agnes, serviens to the said John 
Alexander, famulus to John Natton 
Morgery, serviens to the said John 


John Garrard its laborar c 
Walter, serviens to:the said John Gregory .. 
Thomas Plomer ees artificer 
John Fadur ... 2 artificer 
Herri Workman eft laborar 

Joan Wysdom oes filator 
Richard Folator ef (nil) 


Stephen, famulus to the said Richard 
Richard, famulus to the said Peter Cissor 


Philip Follator fu (nil) 
John, famulus to the said Philip 

John Wysdome see laborar 
William Burrell aes laborar 
Isack Irysse itp artificer 
John, famulus to the said Isack 

Peter Cissor ... vs (nil) 
John Banestre ov laborar 
Herre Kente ... ore laborar 
John Salpe ... tr laborar 


William Kymton de laborar 


308 


John Duke ... S36 laborar 
John, son of John Brown dee 
Thomas Kymton sas artificer 
John Honybrige si textor 
William Rowse ive artificer 
John Faber ... ae (nil) 
Henry Colnette wes laborar 


Total :—xxviijs. ijd. 


WALCOTE STRET. 


William Deyher on artificer ... 
Agnes, serviens to the said William 
Thomas Barbor Se artificer 


William, famulus to the said Thomas 
Roger, famulus to the said Thomas 
Robert, famulus to the said Thomas 


Thomas Webbe (nil) See 
John, serviens to the said Thomas... 

John Smalcombe es artificer 

John Cornewalle ae: follator 
Richard Balleard as artificer : 
Ralph Scerfhe... me laborar Ses 
John Harneham Ae laborar 

John, famulus to Richard Ballard ... te 
Willliam Momeray .... laborar ... 
John Gregory... oe webbe artificer 
William Teylour see artificer ... 
William Workman ote laborar eee 
Robert Heyward aos laborar 
Alexander Workman ... laborar 
William Seaker re laborar 
Hugh Teyler ... mee laborar 
William Hanykok 200 laborar 
William Reding ai laborar ane 
Thomas Parchimennor ... laborar ork 
Roger Glover ai artificer 
Robert Parchimennor ... artificer 
Roger, famulus to the said Robert ese 


William Bekyngton ... laborar 


iiijd. 
iiijd. 
vjd. 
ijs. 
vid. 
vjd. 
liijd. 


vjd. 
iiijd. 
ijs. 
vjd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
vjd. 
iiijd. 
vid. 
vjd. 
vjd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
iiijd. 
vjd. 
vid. 
ilijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
ilijd. 
xijd. 
vjd. 
iiijd. 
iiijd. 


309 


William Tyborde bo: laborar 
Peter, famulus to the said Roger Glover 
Roger, famulus to the said Roger 
William, famulus to the said Roger 


John Colingborne =. laborar 
John Busseswayne_... laborar 
Robert Cissor oes (nil) 
Henry Cissor Fe (nil) 
Richard Pochon ses pedeler 
Thomas, son of the said Richard 
Robert Bolle ae pedeler 
Herri Wolley din laborar 
Richard Cluherd ots pedeler 
Margery, servaunt to the said Richard 
Herri Tonker <a artificer 


William, servaunt to Richard Clewer 
John, servaunt to the said Henry Tonker 
William Horligham ... artificer 
Nicholas Heyward... laborar 
Agnes, daughter of the said Nicholas 
John, famulus to Philip Touker 
Margery, famulus to Walter Webbie 
John, famulus to the said Walter 
Thomas, famulus to John Gregorie 


Herri Fawe ... S7 artificer 
Nicholas Coobler be. soutor 
Thomas Leche Be (nil) 
John Masoun Ae (nil) 
Richard Brower Be artificer 
William Langstone..... artificer 
Henri Soyler ye artificer 
Gilbert Henton ae artificer 
John Gobell = (nil) 
John Honor <r artificer 
William Hogg sai sutor 


Total :—xxxiiijs. ijd. 


Grand Total :—xl. ijd. 


310 
The following analysis of this valuable document, in a tabulated 


form, will bring out and show its contents more clearly 


8éE 6 €1 co Li a ete, 

P 4 ; * opgbony 
OI . ees Ti A I G 9 e eee wee eee qr 
@ eee an : I ee eee I eee I vee ee SIQAVO AA 
I ee " T eee eee eee ‘ ‘ a tee eee SLITUUY T, 
8 T eee are eee T I tre eee G nee ore S1O]1VT, 
Z ee oon eee vee eee T I Fs 5 tee ee "sto 
one ee . I it see aon Zz tee eee syiug 
Z eee eee . eee eee . eee Z see eee SIOUULyG 
8 ee oh: irae I I IS aene Lae S104 BUL9OYS 
&% eee eee ee ee e 8 rail ae eee snpnwe,7 
Fe . eee I G eee L e 61 eee SUOTAIOG 
OT eee . o- G 8 alate ra Ser eee s]UvAlag 
z oe . I eee eee I eee SIUVIIIOT, A440 
FI one eee eee . G Zz a re P one aoe sae[ pag 
SII | 8 el 10 oe) ST ie UE or | st | Zt] i |‘ ‘°° Stemnogery 
Z eee . aoe Z cee eee eee oe ee S19]}80F] 
I eee eee eee tee ee . o see eee eee WytUspjoy, 
9 o eee T see eee eee T T g eee eee 81078] 0,7 
11 eae see I T eg Z I eee e ve Inge oie SIOWLT 
e . eee eee . T eee I I eae eee sioz one 
e . eee oon ee oe I eee eee z ee tee sustpyng, 
9 ‘ eee ee T I eee eee t “se ear SIOMOIG 
IP im See ee he or | 4 OT «|g TS” 3 aeavpeey: 

040.148 aqong ‘qaeg | ‘eens | ‘jeg “qo0199 “4014S “‘qoeqqg | “400149 
wnqudg | eajeq of Ag | eJBSyYQNOG | 9}B54Saq | ABZMog | a7Bsy7ION JOoTeM 11@3g 


311 


The totals here number 329 people including the mayor, the 
amount received being £10 Os. 2d.; thus this poll tax as a 
personal tax, rather than a property tax as the previously noticed 
returns may be called, taking in a lower stratum gives a fuller 
and more satisfactory return of the inhabitants. 

Looking at the list several questions arise and some remain un- 
explained. Thus there is no guide as to the number married 
and so paying only as one, and curiously there is nothing to guide 
as to the number of children. Two sons and three daughters only 
are mentioned, no others appear to have been taxed, yet it can 
hardly be supposed these were the only children above sixteen 
years of age, 

As to the probable population, deducting say one third of the 
above number or 110 for the young and unmarried, the 220 
couples remaining may be supposed to average another 110 
children above the age of sixteen, and two children per couple 
or 440 children under the age of sixteen, making together 660 
adults and children; the grand total now with the 440 people 
married being 1,100. Or as a shorter calculation for such a 
case simply multipy the number of householders by five, then five 
times 220 make an exactly similar total of 1,100. The “true 
mendicants,” the poor probably being meant, are not included, 
their number cannot be found in any way. These remarks are 
made only as suggestions to aid in realising the general position ; 
the argument must remain open for individual opinion or for 
further evidence and research. 

The occupations followed will be seen at a glance in the 
tabulated form. It will be remarked that there is no baker, 
although the name Pistor appears as an artificer in Stall Street. 
There is no douber or dauber or builder, but the name Masoun, 
his occupation not otherwise given, appears in Walcot Street. 
There is no milner or miller, yet the mill was an important 
adjunct to the Priory, it may not, however, have been considered 
a part of the city. There is no bowyer, fletcher or arrowsmith, 


312 


although the name Fletcher appears in Southgate Street. There 
is no spicer, a strange want to us with our habits and demands 
upon the grocer of to-day. But our great articles tea, coffee, 
tobacco and snuff had no existence here, were all unknown, and 
pepper was a rarity, extremely dear, hence the custom of a pepper 
rental. Then there is no medico except the name Leche in 
Walcot Street, no occupation. being attached to it, be taken as 
indicating the one happy man. There is no occupation noted as 
in any way connected with the bathing or the baths. As with 
those above, the other names having,no occupations attached 
were apparently derivative; thus in Stall Street there are 
Palfryman and Plomer, in Walcot Street there are two Cissors 
and one Webbe; in Northgate Street are two Aurifiabers, one of 
whom has the foreign sounding Vylbo for his servant, and in 
Brade Stret are two Follators or Fullers, a Cissor and a Faber. 
In Brade Stret also was John Gregory, his occupation not given, 
yet he appears perhaps the most important man in the city. 
In Brade Stret also John Natton’s servants paid their tax. It, 
would be useless to constantly write say John Fuller, fuller, yet 
in Northgate Street occurs once this unnecessary doubling in 
the entry John Carnifex, carnifex, as perhaps also in Walcot 
Street, in the case of Nicholas Coobler, sutor. 

Of the personal names some are curious, either for their spell- 
ing or derivation. Zawoher is splendid Zummerzet for Sawyer; 
then there is the very remarkable name of Schoylocke, and 
the scribe does himself full justice in Jolifphe for Joliffe. The 
Deyare of the previous roll becomes Deyher ; others on this first 
roll do not reappear. There are no names from either vegetables 
or flowers. Foreign influence appears twice, in the surname 
Fleming and the Christian name Deodonay. There seems no- 
thing remarkable in the Christian names: John of course is 
common, as would be Joan, our Jane, for his wife ; but there is 
no trace of any extra or ultra influence either royal or otherwise, 
such as we have in the Georges, Georginas, and Wilhelminas of a, 


313 


generation or so ago, or the Almas, Alberts, Victorias and 
Alexandras of to-day. Of the street names given Bynbury 
Strete remains as Bynbury Lane. Sowter Stret, with its sug- 
gestive but unexplained name, has disappeared. By y® Bathe 
Strete, spelled in one document Byy*Bay® St., may have a 
fair representative in the Bath Street of to-day. This position 
leads to the conclusion that the baths used were the Cross 
bath and the Common bath; the King’s bath was enclosed 
behind the houses then facing Stall Street, standing on the site 
of the now Queen’s bath and the western end of the Pump 
Room, and was in fact Crown private property within the pre- 
cincts of the Priory. Stall Street was evidently the thorough- 
fare, but how was Southgate Street without the walls within the 
city jurisdiction, or how came it that Walcot Street and Broad 
Street are included. Such questions perhaps take us back to 
Domesday and the subject of hidage, so they must be passed 
here for this occasion. Yet, with Walcot Street, Broad Street 
and Southgate Street outside the walls, their inhabitants must 
be deducted from the previous estimate when attempting to 
determine the population within the walls. 

Much has been said from time to time of the former industrial 
occupations of the city of Bath, and assertions have been made 
that great wealth was accumulated from the woollen trade once 
existing: all such statements being from tradition and as yet 
almost entirely without any supporting evidence. In these Rolls 
this question receives some assistance, as besides the often re- 
eurring names of Dyer, Fuller, Webbe, i.e. Webber, and Tucker, 
there are actually as traders three textors or weavers and six 
_ folators or fullers so returned, enough in such a population to 
warrant the conclusion that these industries were briskly carried 
on. Then there are eleven filators, mostly women, whose 
occupation must have been that of spinsters or spinners of yarn 
in connection with this same woollen business. In one case 
too there is just a help towards explaining the work of the often 

x 


314 


noted artificer, as when in Walcot Strete, John Gregory is 
returned as a “ webbe artificer.” With our customs this seems 
at first to read as John Gregory Webbe, artificer, but as no third 
names were given in these early days the “ webbe ” must be 
taken here as in conjunction with the general working designation. 
Other so called artificers too must have been men of fair status, 
as in the case of Walter Webbe, in Brade Strete, who paid as 
much as two shillings and had three servants; Thomas Barbor, 
Thomas Webbe, and Roger Glover in Walcote Strete, all had 
three servants; and others it will be seen had one. Thus 
without much imagination Bath can be discovered as an industrial 
city depending on the woollen trade, neither the waters nor the 
baths in any way contributing. 

The servants are seen as divided into three classes. The 
famulus I take to be the household or domestic servant ; the 
serviens was probably a bond servant of some sort, perhaps an 
apprentice ; then there were the servaunts, so called, whose status 
I cannot suggest, except that they did the out-door work. 

There is one other question which must not be omitted, one 
not easily realised, one extremely difficult, perhaps impossible to 
decide certainly : viz.i—what was the relative value of money 
between then and now ; what was the purchasing power of the 
silver tokens then and now called shillings and pence. Omitting 
all questions about the standard of living, without saying more, 
let it be roughly assumed that the 3d. a day of the mechanic in 
Elizabeth’s time, say 1580, was equivalent for all purposes of life 
to the 5s. a day of the mechanic of our own time, a difference of 
20 times. But the difference of two centuries before 1580— 
in the time of this Roll—would be again very great, as the 
increase of wealth after the freedom which came with the 
Reformation was both rapid and widely diffused. If we say that 
between now and the time of the Roll, the difference was 40 
times, it would not be too great. The 4d. of the Poll Tax at 40 
times would then be our 13s. 4d. ; and the £10 0s. 2d. received 


315 


from the whole city would be £400. Following this to the 
assessment valuation, the £130 become £5,200: here probably 
this calculation of a 40 times difference fails to approach the 
valuation of to-day. 

As with the question of population, these points are only 
‘mentioned te enable the mind to realise somewhat the very great 
differences and the many difficulties always to be encountered 
when considering these subjects in relation to our early days. 


Remarks on some Hemiptera-Heteroptera taken in the Neighbourhood 
of Bath. By Lieut.-Col. Bhatuwayt, F.L.S., F.E.S. 


(Read February 8th, 1888). 


One hundred and twenty years ago Linnzus completed the 
plan of his Systema Nature ; he was then acquainted with about 
3,000 species of insects. Stephens, writing in 1839, says that he 
then possessed 11,898 species of British insects in his own 
collection ; and Professor Westwood, about the same time, in his 
“Modern Classification of Insects,” stated that the number of 
beetles with which entomologists were actually acquainted could 
not be less than 35,000; and now, in the opinion of Dr. Sharp, 
the President of the Entomological Society, there are in the 
collections of the world, at least 200,000 species of insects; he 
said also that from collections made by recent travellers, and 
from other data, he inferred that we very likely do not possess 
as yet more than one tenth of those existing. This would give 
a total of 2,000,000 species. 

In Linneus’ time an entomologist might say he studied all 
insects ; but, as the number of known species increased, he would 
have to restrict himself to orders, and now a single Family, or 
even a genus, is about as much as one person can well undertake. 
Buckton’s recent ‘“ Monograph on the Aphides ”—restricted to 


316 


British species—and, as he says, to those only which have come 
under his own observation, extends to four good sized volumes. 

Formerly the study of entomology was looked upon as a some- 
what frivolous and useless pursuit, and Kirby and Spence record 
that an attempt was made to set aside the will of Lady Glanville 
on the ground of lunacy, evinced by no other act than her 
fondness for collecting insects, and that Ray had to appear at 
Exeter on the trial, as a witness to her sanity. Or, coming 
nearer our own time, when less than 50 years ago (as recorded 
by Darwin in his Naturalist’s Journal), a certain M. Renous found 
himself arrested at St. Fernando in Chili on a charge of witch- 
craft, because he kept some caterpillars that turned into 
butterflies. 

Latterly we have had a good illustration of the usefulness of 
this study—I allude to the Hessian Fly scare. It has been 
found that this destructive insect did not come unattended, but 
that several species of parasites came with it, which it is to be 
hoped may keep it in due bounds. Exactly 100 years ago (1788), 
there was a perfect panic about it in this country. It was called 
the Hessian fly, under the idea that it was carried to America by 
the Hessian troops in their straw from Germany. It is a very 
small two-winged fly, belonging to the same family as the common 
Daddy-long-legs (Tipulide). 

In a French newspaper, the Montpellier Médical, for February, 
1885, there was an article under the title, “un nouveau cas 
d’application de l’entomologie a la Médicine légale ” (Entomology 
and Medical Jurisprudence). It said that when pulling down an 
old house at Montpellier, the workmen discovered the mummified 
remains of a new-born infant concealed under the flooring. An 
enquiry was held on the remains, which (owing to their condition) 
mainly resolved itself into a question as to how long a period had 
elapsed since they were deposited. As insect remains were 
present, M. Lichtenstein was asked to report as an “ expert.” He 
found in the linen in which the body was wrapped numerous 


317 


empty pupe of Diptera, numerous “runs” of Lepidopterous 
larve, which he considered the work of Aglossa pinguinalis, and 
the remains of Anthrenus. On the body itself were débris of 
Ptinus and the cast skins of Acari. But nothing whatever in a 
living state. In taking into consideration the nature of the insect 
remains, M. Lichtenstein arrived at the conclusions that four or 
more years must have elapsed since the body was deposited where 
it was found, and (from the Dipterous pupz), that it must have 
previously been exposed to the air for some time. 

A slight knowledge of entomology might have saved Rogers 
from a great mistake. In his “ Pleasures of Memory” he says— 
alluding to the bee— 


“That eye so finely wrought, 
Beyond the search of sense, the soar of thought, 
Now vainly asks the scenes she left behind ; 
Its orb so full, its vision so confined !” 


And to this he appends the following note :—“ This little 
animal, from the extreme convexity of her eye, cannot see many 
inches before her.” 

Rogers had probably read somewhere that shortsight was 
caused by a too great convexity of the cornea, and noticing that 
the bee had a very convex eye, came to the conclusion that it must 
in consequence be extremely shortsighted. 

The truth is just the other way—the more convex the eye of 
an insect the further it is able to see—for the eye is not simple 
but compound, composed of a number of facettes, varying much 
in different species, and many insects, the bee among the number, 
are provided with ocelli, or simple eyes, probably to enable them 
to see objects when quite close, as inside the corolla of a flower 
for instance. 

The specimens now before you, and which have all been taken 
by myself in this neighbourhood, comprise 46 species of the sub- 
order Hemiptera-Heteroptera, and these are probably not more 


. 318 


than a quarter of the number which might be found by diligent 
search, for Dale, in his “History of Glanvilles’ Wooton,” records 
178 species as having been taken in that parish, and I have no 
reason to believe that this neighbourhood will prove less prolific. 
His father and he had however been assiduous collectors for at 
least 70 years. 

The total number of described British species is about 415, 
many of which are said to be very rare; but when really 
indigenous, and not a mere chance introduction, ‘‘rare” must be 
taken to mean, as a rule, locally so, and I have little doubt, that 
if anything like the attention bestowed on the butterflies and the 
beetles were given to this sub-order, a great proportion of our 
so-called scarce species would be shown to be in reality quite 
common. There isa rather handsome insect in the box, among 
the Capside, Calocoris Sexguttatus, regarding which Messrs, 
Douglass and Scott, in their monograph say, ‘‘ This species’ 
appears to be somewhat scarce. Dr. Power has taken it at 
Thornton Reservoir, Leicestershire, in July.” This insect swarms 
in places near here on the blossoms of various umbelliferous 
plants in July and August. And the converse I also find to hold 
good, of many species said to be “abundant everywhere” I 
have never succeeded in finding a single specimen. 

In their classification, the Heteroptera have been a good deal 
shifted about. The Linnean order, Hemiptera, was divided by 
Latreille into two sub-orders, Homoptera and Heteroptera. 
Dr. Leach and Mr. McLeay considered them as separate orders— 
an arrangement adopted by Professor Westwood in his ‘ Modern 
Classification of Insects.” 

The order, Hemiptera is now divided by some entomologists 
into five sub-orders (1st, Phytophthiria, scale insects and Aphides, 
tarsi one or two jointed; 2nd, Homoptera, tarsi three jointed— 
these two forming Westwood’s order Homoptera; 3rd, The 
Heteroptera ; 4th, Thysanoptera—Thrips—regarded as a distinct 
order by Westwood ; and 5th, Mallophaga parasitic, mostly on 


319 


birds). Others, however, adhere to the classification of Latreille, 
H. Homoptera, and H. Heteroptera, and it is with these latter 
only that we have now to do. 

_ I must now offer an apology for a word I shall have frequently 
to use. The common English for this class of insects is ‘‘ Plant- 
Bug,” and though “ Phytiphagous Norfolk Howard” might sound 
better, it would be less concise. The Americans use the word 
“bug” for insects in general, just as we make the word “ insect ” 
include the Myriopoda and Arachnida. So if an American lady 
is to be held blameless for calling a beautiful butterfly a lovely 
bug, I must consider myself fully justified in calling a spade a 
spade. 

The Heteroptera vary considerably from other insects both in 
their structure and their so-called metamorphoses. 

The mouth of a typical insect may be divided into six parts. 
First there is an upper lip called the labrum, and a lower lip the 
labium ; but then in place of the upper and lower jaws, possessed 
by man and other mammals, the one fixed and the other moving 
up and down, the insect has one pair of upper jaws, mandibles, 
and one pair of under jaws, maxille, both of which move from 
side to side. 

These six parts may be represented thus— 

ji 1 
2 3 
4 5 
6 
In which 1 shows the position of the upper lip, 2 and 3 the 
upper jaws, 4 and 5 the lower jaws, and 6 the lower lip. 

Taking one of the common ground beetles—this is the head as 
seen from above—the upper lip, the two upper jaws, the two 
lower jaws, each with a feeler attached, and the lower lip which 
closes the mouth, with a palpus or feeler on each side of it.* 

It would take up too much time to go from one order to 


* Referring to sketches not reproduced.—H. H. W. 


320 


another, showing all the various modifications of the mouth. So 
I now draw the head of a cabbage butterfly sideways. In this 
case the upper lip and the upper jaws have almost disappeared, 
though their rudiments can be seen, but the two lower jaws are 
enormously developed—they are joined together but capable of 
being separated—and forming a tube through which the insect 
sucks up its food ; when not in use it is curled up like a watch 
spring, and guarded by the two labial palpi, which stand up on 
each side of it. 

In the Heteroptera the upper and the lower jaws have become 
very long and slender like stiff pointed bristles, and these are 
enclosed in the lower lip, which is greatly prolonged, and which 
eurls up round them forming a sheath—the feelers have almost 
disappeared. 

This combination of jaws and lip forms the instrument by 
which they are able to pierce plants and suck their juices, for as 
a general rule they are vegetarians, though some few are blood- 
suckers, and some feed on weaker insects. A wound is made by 
the four internal bristles, and the juice is then drawn up by a 
gradual contraction and dilatation of the tube formed by the 
lower lip. This form of mouth was called by Kirby and Spence - 
promuscis, from museca, a fly, but it is now generally termed 
rostrum. This rostrum is either three or four jointed, and when 
not in use, lies close to the breast between the bases of the legs. 

It is from the formation of their wings that they have received 
the name “ Heteroptera” (different wings), the upper wings being 
partly leathery and partly membranous, and the under wings 
being entirely membranous. 

All insects were thought to pass through four distinct stages or 
metamorphoses, the egg, the larva, the pupa, and the imago or 
perfect insect. But with some it appears that this is hardly the 
case, the Heteroptera for example. When first hatched from the 
egg, the young larva is very similar to the perfect insect, only it 
has no trace of wings which come gradually after a series of 


321 


moults ; it has no quiescent stage like the chrysalis of a moth or 
butterfly, neither does it change its food, its mouth organs having 
always the same form. 

Regarding the natural history of these insects comparatively 
little is known, and it is very difficult to keep them alive in 
confinement. 

Most insects, probably all, have their parasites. I have not 
looked for them much among the Heteroptera, and all I have yet 
noticed belong to the genus Scirus (snouted mites). Among the 
water bugs I have frequently found Gerris Gibbifera, with its 
colour changed from that of black velvet to a brilliant scarlet by 
the number of these parasites* that had fastened themselves to it. 

I said that most insects had their parasites, two specimens of 
which I have brought to show you. The first is one of the 
Hymenoptera, Trichiosoma lucorum. The parasite, an ichneumon 
fly, lays a number of eggs in the body of the larva of Trichiosoma. 
This larva looks very like a green caterpillar, and unless looked 
at closely might easily be mistaken for the larva of a butterfly or 
moth ; but whereas the true caterpillar has never more than 16 
legs, this larva has 22. These eggs soon hatch into little white 
maggots within the body of the larva, and reach their full 
development by feeding on its substance, and they are endowed 
with a wonderful instinct which prevents their attacking any vital 
part, and so killing their host, for in this case they would die also. 
The larva therefore is left with sufficient strength to form its 
cocoon, but having done so it dies, and the small ichneumons, 
which belong to the same order of insects, the Hymenoptera, 
proceed to make their own cocoons within it, where they remain 
until the following spring, when they appear as the fly you see by 
its side. 

This is an example where the parasites are large, and where 


* T have not examined these ; they probably belong to a different 
family. 


322 


te 

anyone who paid the smallest attention to the Trichiosoma would 
be sure to notice them. But on the other hand some are very 
small, and these again are said to be subject to the attacks of 
other parasites. 

On the other side of the small box are a number of eggs, or 
rather egg-shells, for they are now empty, of, I think, the Pale 
Tussock Moth (Dasychira pudibunda), the caterpillar of which is 
known as the Hop-Dog, and which must be classed among our 


injurious insects. Now in each of these eggs a small Hymen- 


opterous insect, a Teleas, belonging to the family Proctotrupida, 
has laid a single egg of its own. After a short time the enclosed 
egg hatched, and the young larva found sufficient nourishment in 
the contents of this one egg to grow to its full size, make its 
cocoon, and soon after force its way out, a full grown Teleas. 

How very small this young parasite must be, you may judge 
from the fact that the moth’s egg, which contains all the food it 
requires, is rather less than the 1-25th of an inch in diameter, so 
that one cubic inch of food would suffice for a generation of at 
least 20,000 of these parasites. 

I am afraid I have been rather straying away from my subject— 
the Heteroptera. The first group, in which the Scutellum is very 
large, consists of three families ; the most important of which is 
the Arthropteride, of which the first insect in the box, Acantho- 
soma Hemorrhoidale, affords a good example. Closely allied to 
this is Acanthosoma grisewm, quite common enough, though I 
have not yet come across one. They are particularly partial to 
raspberries, and often quite spoil the fruit they touch ; they are 
popularly known as Bishops, or Bishop’s Mitres. Their peculiar 
odour is caused by a very volatile fluid they have the power of 
emitting from two small pores on the underside of the body, and 
which is only perceived when the insect is alarmed and which it 
probably uses for defensive purposes. 

Although most of this family are injurious to the horticul- 
turalist, there is one—a native of France—that is said to destroy 


323 


@ small beetle which is very injurious to the vines. The Phyl- 
dozera vastatriz which has destroyed so many of the French 
vineyards, belongs to the other sub-order—the Homoptera. 

In the next group, the Scutellum, is much smaller. One family 
is the Pyrrhocoridz, of which in England we have only one 
genus containing but one species—Pyrrhocoris Apterus. This 
‘species is rather uncommon, and I have not yet succeeded in 
finding a specimen, though it is chiefly confined to the south-west 
of England. When, however, it does appear there would seem 
to be plenty, for Curtis mentions that he once saw a rock in the 
sea, near Teignmouth, perfectly red with them; this seems 
peculiar, for as a general rule they have no wings. 

Curtis had a theory that climate had something to do with 
the development of the wings, but later entomologists have 
doubted this. 

The typical family is the Capsidae, it contains a good many 
genera, and there are 32 species in the box. It is also called 
Phytocoride, from the genus Phytocoris, which means Plant 
Bug. Of the next family Anthocoride, Anthocoris Nemoralis is 
interesting, as I have known one of them kill and suck a spider 
larger than itself, or I should say suck and kill, for the spider 
appeared to die from extreme suction. 

The family Acanthidae has but one genus, Acanthia or Cimex, 
and it contains four species, of which I regret to say I have 
no specimens. 

Three of them should be of interest to members of the Bath 
Field Club, as I believe they were first named and described by 
our President, Mr. Blomefield ; they are <Acanthia columbaria, 
A. pipistrelli and A. Hirundinis, these, as their names denote, are 
found on the pigeon, the bat and the swallow. And No. 4, who 
should by right stand at the head, is Acanthia lectularia. 

This creature has given rise to much discussion among entom- 
ologists, as to when and how it was first introduced into England. 
Some thought it was brought over from America in timber used’ 


324 


in rebuilding London after the great fire of 1666. It certainly 
does not seem to have been common in the time of Queen 
Elizabeth, as no mention is made of it in Shakespeare or any of 
the old dramatists so far as I am aware. 

Kirby and Spence quoting Moufet or Muffet, as his name is 
sometimes spelt, who wrote his Insectorum Theatrum towards 
the close of the 16th century, though it was not published until 
1634, said that in 1503 two noble ladies were sadly frightened 
by finding spots on their bodies which they thought to be the 
plague, and were not tranquillized until their doctor, who. 
happened to be a naturalist as well, assured them that they were 
only the bites of lectularia; and that this refutes the opinion 
that lectularia was not known in England before 1670. 

The original name, the same authors say, was Chinche, or 
Wall-louse, and the term Bug, which is a Celtic word, signifying 
a ghost or goblin, was applied to them after Ray’s time (d. 1705), 
probably because they were considered as “ terrors by night.” 

In Matthews’ Bible (1537), Ps. xci., verse 5, is rendered, “thou 
shalt not need to be afraid of any bugs by night.” In. this sense 
also Shakespeare uses it— 


Winter’s Tale—Act iii, Scene 2. Hermione—“Sir, spare your: 
threats, the bug which you would fright me with I seek.” 
King Henry VI.—Act v., Scene 2. King Edward— 


“So lie thou there, die thou, and die our fear, 
For Warwick was a bug that feared us all..” 


And Hamlet Act v., Scene 2— 
“With ho ! such bugs and goblins of my life.” 
Puck in “ Midsummer Night’s Dream” would seem to be only 
another form of “ bug,” and Spencer— 


“A ghastly bug doth greatly them afear.” 


According to Professor Westwood, the insect was well-known 
to Pliny, Dioscorides, Aristophanes and Aristotle. 


es 


325 


The next of most interest is Reduvius Personatus, the large 
insect in the fourth row with spread wings. These insects have 
a habit of flying towards the light. The only two | have ever 
taken came in at my window at night. It has received the name 
of Personatus (disguised), on account of a habit it has while in its 
larval state, of covering itself with a thick coating of dust. It is 
said to be a great enemy to the Bed-Bug, and the Rev. J. G. 
Wood says he knew of a case in which the larva of Reduvius 
kept in captivity used to eat three or four bugs daily. 

They are not very common. Dale in his “ History of Glanville’s 
Wooton,” omits them altogether from his list of local insects, but 
as he states, that only in one instance, namely on the Ist 
September, 1874, was /ectularia captured in his parish, though 
his father before him was an assiduous insect collector since the 
beginning of the present century, it could hardly have been 
expected to remain where its favourite food was so scarce. 

Of the Hydrometride, Hydrometera Stagnorum is the only 
British species. I have not included it in my local list, as I have 
not yet taken it in this neighbourhood, though no doubt common 
enough. The one in the box came from Bournemouth. 

Velia Currens is the little black velvety thing you must have 
often seen running over the surface of the water. My specimens 
were not taken here. They are in the fifth row beneath 
Hydrometra. 

Gerris Gibbifera (the last but one in the fifth row). In this 
species, which darts about on the surface of the water like Velia 
Currens, the female is nearly twice the size of the male. In 
these insects the wings though sometimes developed are in general 
rudimentary. 

We now come to the true water bugs, one of which Notonecta 
glauca, the last in the fourth row, is tolerably common in stagnant 
water, but is rather difficult to capture. The popular name is 
water boatman, and was given on account of the appearance they 
present when resting on the surface of the water; their long hind 


326 


legs are thrown out at right angles to the body, so that it looks. 
like a waterman resting on his oars. The scientific name 
Notonecta (back swimmer), was given for a similar reason. The 
hind legs are furnished with a fringe of hair, which enables them 
to “feather their oars,” so to speak ; as the leg is drawn forward 
the hairs lie straight and parallel to the line of motion, but as 
soon as a back stroke is given the hairs turn at a right angle, 
which gives it great propulsive power. 

The rostrum of the Water-boatman is very strong and sharp, 
and will pierce the skin if carelessly handled. ~ 

The last that I have to mention is the large Genus Coriza, 
which contains 28 British species, but of which the box contains 
only one, Coriza mesta. Of this Genus there is a Mexican 
species, regarding which a French naturalist, M. Virlet D’Aoust, 
has published an account. ‘‘ Myriads of these little ‘ flies,’” he 
says, “(Moucherous) fly about over the surface of the lake, and 
then plunge into the water to lay their eggs at the bottom. I 
had the advantage of being present at a great fishing for these 
eggs, which under the Mexican name ‘haoutle,’ are much 
appreciated by the Indians, who make them into a kind of cake. 
The manner of gathering the eggs is as follows :—The Indians 
place bundles of reeds upright in the water at some distance from 
the bank. After ten or fifteen days these reeds will be completely 
covered with eggs; they are then taken out of the water and laid 
on pieces of cloth in the sun to dry, after which the eggs are 
easily rubbed off and the reeds are put back again.” 

M. Virlet thought that these were the eggs of flies, but Guerin- 
Meneville having received some eggs from which the “ haoutle ” 
was made, determined them to be of two species, one well known, 
as the Coriza Mercenaria, and the other he named C. Femorata. 

Pascoe in his “ Zoological Classification” says, though he does 
not give his authority, “that at the present day in the Lakes of 
Texcona and Chalco, a white limestone rock is forming from the 
eggs of Corixa Mercenaria. 


327 


The specimens I have brought do not comprise all I have taken 
in this neighbourhood, but only those that I feel pretty sure I 
have named correctly. I propose to leave the list in manuscript, 
and place the insects in the Local Insect Cabinet, and hope by 
next winter to have added largely to their number ; and should 
any entomologist doubt the correctness of the list, the insects, 
like Jack Cade’s father’s bricks, will there be alive to testify it, 
or in case of mistake correct it. 


Recent “Finds” in the Victoria Gravel Pit. By Rev.” By He 
Winwoop, F.G.S. 


(Read February 15th, 1888.) Sy 


In the “List of Fossil Mammalia found near Bath,” Vol. vi., 
No. 1, p. 95, of our “ Proceedings,” ‘“ Morefield Cutting, Somerset 
and Dorset Railway,” occurs as one of those places where 
Mammalian remains had been found. Some members of the 
Club may recollect visiting a section, whilst that line was in 
process of construction, made through gravel beds resting on 
Blue Lias clay, immediately E. of the third bridge after crossing 
the main road, this was called at the time “Morefield Cutting.” - 
Since then the gravel banks on each side have been concealed by 
a clothing of vegetation, and their presence forgotten save by a few 
especially interested in the subject. As good gravel becomes every 
year more scarce and valuable in our neighbourhood, the property 
~ in which these beds occur having been purchased by a gentleman 
who had a keen eye to their commercial value, excavations have 
of late years been made to the S.W. of the line, and a fine 
exposure of gravel was the result, and the pit was given the 
name of “ Victoria Gravel Pit.” These few preliminary explana- 
tions are deemed necessary, as confusion often arises from one and 
the same place having two names. As in addition to the “ finds” 


328 


of the bones of extinct animals when the beds were first opened 


many more have since been discovered, it will be well to place 


these on record in the pages of a publication whose chief use and 
object is to take note of such local events ; hence my excuse for 
taking up your time this afternoon. 

Before however alluding to the bones, let me say a few words 
as to the material composing the gravels, as there are many 
interesting facts connected with it. Our valley is not particularly 
rich in its gravels ; patches occur here and there, but not of any 
thickness. One often hears of a bed of gravel having been 
opened, but it does not fulfil the conditions of true gravel. 
Frequently on the slopes of our hills a mass of small angular 
and subangular stones mixed up with clay and loam fills up 
the depressions and small hollows of the ground; to this the 
name of angular drift ought to be given, as there is no 
indication in its sharp edges of transport from any distance or 
of attrition by water. Moreover the material of which it is 
composed consists of portions of the rocks on or near which it 
lies. Whatever may be its origin, whether the result of a crust 
of land ice breaking off the subjacent rock over which it passes 
in its downward movement; or whether the result of subaerial 
denudation and wearing away of rock surfaces, it never was 
deposited in its present position by swiftly flowing water as true 
gravel must be ; moreover, it is destitute of any shells or other 
remains which could fix its position in the geological record. On 
the other hand the true gravels in our basin contain many indica- 
tions of their age, and are of very great interest and importance ; 
and, as Charles Moore wrote, ‘help to fix some milestones in our 
journey backwards from the present time into the dim vista of 
the past.” Looking at our present gently flowing Avon, winding 
its sluggish and somewhat dirty course through our beautiful 
valley, we can with difficulty realise the time when it must have 
been a rushing torrential river, now swinging from this side, now 
from the other; shingle banks accumulating in the more rapid 


a ae 


329 


reaches, sand, silt and mud in the less rapid and more embayed 
curves and back rushes, leaving its footprints at various levels at 
which it once flowed. What a history, too, do these deposits 
unfold of the wear and tear of our so-called everlasting hills ! 
For in most of the sections hitherto examined, and more especially 
in the one about to be described, are specimens of all the forma- 
tions between this and the Mendip Hills. This evidence I will 
at once proceed to place before you in the section of the “ Victoria 
Gravel” pit, taken on the S.W. side, lately exposed, and 
whence most of the recent “finds” have come. 


SECTION VICTORIA GRAVEL Pit, S.W. Sipe. 


Feet Inches 


1. Reddish loam withangular and 

subangular stones a l 7 
2. Gravel .. id a4 1 
3. Lenticular band of sand _... 1} to 2 
4, Gravel O°) 10 
5. Black band be 0 2 
6. Gravel. ... ie fe 0 4 
7. Black band 0 if 
8. Irony coloured gravel 0 7 
9. Ditto coarser, with black bands 


and mottled clay containing 
mammalian remains and 
resting on light blue clay... 1 8 


These beds occur about 100 feet above the level of our present 
Avon, and are therefore some of the highest gravels in our 
neighbourhood yet opened up. In the soil overlying the gravel 
an earthen pot was found, containing portions of bones apparently 
calcined. The vessel was so rotten that it fell to pieces on 
exposure to the air, From the character of the pottery it was 


probably of the Romano-British period. Besides this there is 
e 4 


330 


nothing particularly worthy of mention in the top divisions 
beyond the reddish loam containing the angular and subangular 
fragments of principally Oolitic debris with now and then an 
‘unrolled flint ; a deposit of comparatively recent age, the last 
evidence of denudation possibly occuring just at the dawn of the 
historic period ; and the evidence beneath this in the lenticular 
bands of sand, and indications of current marking of the many 
changes which took place in the force of the stream when 
they, were being laid down. When we come to the base 
however our curiosity is aroused by the size of the blocks 
which are seen lying on the clays beneath—the old land 
surface on which they were dropped—large blocks of Sand- 
stone and Oolite principally from the Coral bed which caps 
our hills, especially those which flank the Warley Valley. Just 
above these in the ferruginous and black gravel bands was 
found the portion of an elephant’s tusk which some Members of the 
Club saw in situ in the Autumn. Before however giving further 
details of the Manmalian remains let me describe the character 
of the gravel. Though the great mass of it consists of Oolite 
and Lias from our hills and valleys more or less rounded, we 
have in a less proportion flints and chert from the Chalk ; Lime- 
stone and Millstone grit from the Mendips. These latter are well 
rounded as we may expect from their distant transport, some 
score of miles from their parent beds. It would be interesting 
to trace their course from their home near Frome, through the 
many windings of that picturesque little river in its present 
woody and peaceful valley to its junction with the Avon at 
Freshford; and onwards through the Warley valley into the 
Bath basin and to their present site so high above the river 
level. So far for the materials of which the gravels are made up. 
Now for some peculiarities connected with its deposition. At the 
base of the beds and resting upon the mottled Liassic clays are 
many large blocks of Grit and Oolite, which it is difficult to 
account for, as having been transported by water alone. One 


331 


block of subangular Oolite from the Coral band of Great Oolite 
which caps our hills, measured in its greatest length 1ft, 10} in., 
in breadth 1ft. 3in., and in thickness llin. Another block of a 
lightish yellow Saccharine Sandstone, most probably Millstone 
Grit, measured in its greatest length 2ft. 9in., in breadth 1ft. 6in., 
and in thickness 8in. This was smoothed and polished, and had its 
angles rounded. Charles Sawyer, the man who digs the gravel, 
informed the writer that the largest stone he had taken out 
weighed near three cwt. How were these large masses moved and 
dropped in their present position? I would venture to suggest 
they may have been rafted down from their site by ice floes ; 
which as they gradually melted dropped their burden on to the 
floor on which they grounded. Though from the nature of the 
rocks around us they are too soft to preserve any traces of a glacial 
period, yet we may infer that there was a time when our local 
hills and valleys were coated in an ice sheet—as were we know 
those of the North and Midland Counties of England. Indeed, 
Charles Moore always held this opinion from other indications 
which in his long and intimate knowledge of our local geology 
he had from time to time observed. It is time now to mention 
the contents of our pit. From the section it will be noticed that 
many ferruginous stained bands of sand and gravel run through 
it ; in or near these, and especially at the base, bones of extinct 
animals have been found, amongst which may be enumerated the 
following—Molar teeth and portions of bones and tusk of Elephas 
primigenius ; Molar tooth of Elephas antiquus(?),; Molar teeth 
of Rhinoceros tichorinus, and Bos (primigenius),—teeth and 
Metatarsal bone of Equus fossilis, &c. With regard to the 
portion of the tusk of the Mammoth—having at the close of 
the meeting of the British Association at Manchester, in 
September, heard that some bones had been recently uncovered, 
on my return I at once went to the pit and found at the depth of 
five feet below the gravel the portion of a tusk of that Mammal, 
lying point upwards and sloping down into the gravel. The 


332 


material around it was so black that my hands were stained as if 
with soot. The ivory was discoloured outside with the black 
coating and so fragile that the least touch caused it to fall to 
pieces ; and, seeing at once that it was almost impossible to take 
it out or pour liquid plaister round it for a cast owing to the 
pervious nature of the bed in which it was lying, I had it covered 
up temporarily and called the public attention to it in one of the 
weekly papers. It remained in this state for some time and was 
frequently visited until some one out of curiosity or mischief 
attempted its removal, the result being that only portions were 
left behind. Its length was 2 feet 74 inches, outside curve— 
102 inches in circumference measured round the middle; and 
tapering off at its exposed end to 3 inches. A tooth of Bos was 
found near it, and the root of one of the elm trees growing above 
had penetrated below the tusk. 

Such is the evidence afforded by a gravel pit of the changes 
which have gone on around us in recent times when these 
quaternary gravels were deposited ; changes in contour of hill and 
valley, climate and fauna, so difficult to realise, but changes 
which nevertheless it is certain must have taken place in the 
yesterday of Geologic time, and which it is the proud boast of the 
latest born of Sciences to have demonstrated by an ever 
increasing weight of uncontrovertible facts. 


Note on Webbina irregularis, (d’Orb ;) from the Oxford Clay at 
Weymouth. By C. DAVIES SHERBORN, F.G.S. 


(Communicated Feb. 15th, 1888.) 


Dr. G. J. Hinde, F.G.S., has kindly drawn my attention to a 
fragment of a large specimen of Gryphea dilatata, from the Oxford 
clay of Weymouth, collected by R. Formby, Esq., of Bath. The 
fragment, which measures 20 x 14 cm., is occupied on its exterior 

by one very large and two smaller Serpule, and part of the 


a ee 


WEBBINA IRREGULARIS, D’ORBIGNY. 


333 


lower valve of an ostrea, all being covered by thousands of 
specimens of Webbina irregularis. The specimens of this finelv 
arenaceous foraminifer do not call for any especial notice, except 
for their great abundance, the whole surface of the shell appearing 
white with them; the chambers also are slightly more oblong 
than in those specimens previously figured. The majority of the 
individuals are filled with iron-pyrites and allow the arrange- 
ment of the stolon-connected chambers to be readily made out, 
Webbina irregularis ranges from the Lias* to the present, but 
I do not remember any previous mention of its occurrence in the 


Oxford clay. C. DAVIES SHERBORN. 


Nore. Mr. Robert Formby having shown me a specimen of 
Gryphea dilatata which he had obtained from the Oxford clay at 
Weymouth, covered with a net work of delicate branching organisms, 
I sent it on to Dr. Hinde for examination. The latter finding it 
covered with Foraminifera, forwarded it to Mr. C. Davies Sherborn, an 
authority upon the subject. The occurrence of this peculiar form 
being rare, so low down in the Geological Strata, Mr. Sherborne thought 
it worthy of record in our local “ Proceedings,” kindly made a figure 
of it, and drew up the above note, for which the Club is much 
indebted to him.—H. H. W. 


Summary of Proceedings for the year 1887-8. 
Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN, 

Your Secretary has again to begin the record of the Club’s 
Proceedings with the statement that the Anniversary dinner was 
not held. The committee appointed at the October meeting to 
make the necessary arrangements did their part, but having 
received only five names in answer to their appeal, they had not 
any other alternative but to put it off. The papers read at the 


* Figured by H. B. Brady, “ Proc. Somerset Arch. Nat, Hist. Soc.,” 
vol. xiii., p. 232, 1865-6, Pl. L., figs. 2 and 3. 


334 


afternoon meetings have been of much value, and the attendance 
of members has been encouraging, notwithstanding a lack of 
discussion which was very evident on several occasions. On 
March 9th, Mr. Irvine, well-known for his archeological re- 
searches in Bath during his superintendence of the restoration of 
the Abbey by Sir Gilbert Scott, contributed some interesting 
Notes on Old Bath, collected chiefly from the Municipal Records 
of the City; and facts connected with the history of the 
Church of St. Mary de Stalles (Stalls Church) not hitherto 
apparently made public. Mr. Austin King added some valuable 
additional information respecting the Municipal Records, and 
considered that the word “Stalls” arose from the permission 
given to the public to erect stalls for the sale of their goods outside 
the walls in that part of the parish extending down what is 
now Stall Street. In the course of the discussion it was elicited 
that the valuable collection of papers and prints connected with 
Bath, formerly made by the late Mr. William Long, was now in 
the possession of his son Colonel Long. The: winter portion 
of the session began with a communication of great value from 
Professor Rupert Jones, F.R.S., F.G.S., and Mr. C. D. Sherborn, 
F.G.S., on the Ostracoda found in the neighbourhood of Bath. 
The Secretary, to whom the paper was entrusted to read, 
prefacing it by a short history of the Entomostraca in general 
—their habits, food and characteristics—stated the condition 
under which these in particular were found. The Fuller’s Earth 
industry having lately been much developed in our locality, 
new excavations have recently been made on the North side 
of the hill on which Midford Castle is situated, and a driving 
of some length on the horizon of the Fuller’s Earth, here 
about 20 feet thick. Several visits were paid by him from time 
to time to the works in company with Mr. H. B. Woodward, of 
the Geological Survey and others, and specimens of the Blue 
Clays and Yellow Earth were sent up to Professor Rupert Jones 
who was engaged in a microscopical examination of such clays 


335 


for Entomostraca, with a rich result as his paper shows. The clays 
sent to him for the same purpose from Bradford were obtained 
from the deposit peculiar to that locality, and underlying the 
Forest Marble. The thanks of the members present were 
returned to the authors for their contribution to the “ Pro- 
ceedings” of the Club. 

Mr. PuMPHREY followed with a paper on “Landslips and 
Subsidences.” The remarkable landslip at Zug, in Switzerland, 
visited by him last summer, being first described, he proceeded to 
touch upon the same natural phenomena in our own locality, 
special allusion being made to what has been going for so long a 
period at Hedgemead. A conversation followed in which Messrs. 
Skrine, Bartram, Morgan and the Secretary took part; and 
well-known instances of local slips on our hills were described, 
a distinction being drawn between subsidences and landslips. 
The general opinion as to the cause of the Hedgemead slip 
seemed to be the comparatively recent addition of new houses on 
the steep slopes, without the precaution being taken of piercing 
through the ¢alus and laying the foundations of the houses in 
the natural ground instead of the subaerial wash of the hill. To 
this may be added the result of water percolating between the 
natural slope and the falus greasing the “slips” as it were 
and thus aiding the natural effect of gravitation. 

The second afternoon Meeting on December 14th was given up 
to Mr. Austin J. Kine, who made a valuable contribution to the 
ancient history of Bath in “Some Notes on Stalles Church, Bath.” 

The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Shum) thanked Mr. King for his most 
interesting Antiquarian paper, especially valuable to Bath people 
and placed before the Club in an admirable and succinct manner. 
It was well known how very little information was obtainable 
respecting that particular portion of the ancient history of the 
City; but Mr. King having been so favourably situated for research, 
had made most admirable use of his opportunities of hunting up 
the Municipal Records, and had from time to time given to the 


336 


public the result of his enquiries therein, of which the present 
contribution was by no means the least valuable. 

Several members joined in the discussion afterwards, and 
questions were asked as to the position of the Chapel of St. 
Lawrence, on the Old Bridge, and whether there was originally 
a ford where Bridge Street now crosses the river, &c. ? 

The SECRETARY stated that Mr. Irvine was of opinion that 
Bishop Fitzjocelin, who rebuilt the Churches of St. Marie and 
St. Michael, intra muros, probably pulled down the Great Temple 
in Bath, and used up the materials for that purpose. A window, 
possibly of the Church he pulled down, was found during the 
White Hart excavations, and is now, together with a fragment of 
a Saxon cross found at the same time and place, in the Bath 
Museum. Two other fragments of Saxon crosses which are also 
in the Museum, were found when the Grand Pump Room was 
built in 1790. 

Local history had another able exponent in Mr. EMANUEL 
GREEN, who read a paper on vanuary 11th, on “A Bath Poll 
Tax: 2, Richard IL.” In the discussion which followed, Mr. 
Morean asked whether the estimate of the population was not 
rather small, and whether it would not be increased very much 
by large numbers of beggars, and whether there were not many 
serfs in the city ? 

Other members desired to know what the servants would be 
that were mentioned in the records, also whether the records 
referred to were the property of the Bath Corporation ? 

Canon ELLACOMBE said it was a curious thing that whilst 
the names of nearly all trades were preserved in surnames of 
the present day that of shoemaker seemed to have vanished. 
They had “Schumacher” in Germany, and he was interested to 
hear the name “Sutor” in Mr. Green’s list. He thought the 
reason that so few children were mentioned was because many of 
them might be apprentices and included under that head in the 
record. He supposed that if the majority of people were asked 


337 


to mention the oldest city inthe West of England, they would 
name Bristol, because it possessed a number of ancient buildings. 
Now, Bath was very much older than Bristol, but did not possess 
many architectural remains above ground ; it was, however, very 
rich in old records, which such papers as the present one were 
very useful in bringing to light. 

Mr. GREEN in replying said he had no clue as to the number 
of mendicants, but probably they would be very numerous ; it 
was very doubtful if serfdom existed in the city. The returns of 
the poll tax were no doubt very much “cooked” in those days, 
especially as regarded the clerics and certain favoured indi- 
viduals. The number of burgesses however in the Domesday 
Book was only one hundred and fifty, which, multiplied by five, 
would give seven hundred and fifty as the gross population. The 
servants consisted of three classes, corresponding most likely 
to domestic servants, apprentices, and hired men servants. He 
would be glad of some information as to the locality of Bimbery 
Street and Sowter Street mentioned in the old records. The 
records he had worked up his paper from were not in Bath, 
but in London, and were written in very difficult text. 

Mr. Brown said that Bimbery Lane still existed along the 
east side of the United Hospital, and he thought that “By ye 
Bathe Strete” might be the street on the W. side of the 
Hospital now called Hot Bath Street, and that “Sowter Stret” 
may be Beau Street. 

The CHAIRMAN having dwelt upon the usefulness of all infor- 
mation as to population and antiquities of Bath, in view of the 
early preparation of a handbook to Bath, for the use of the 
British Association, went on to say, that whilst there had been 
much investigation concerning the Roman and Saxon periods in 
Bath there had not been so much done for the immediately 
succeeding period. As regarded the Roman period, it was now 
considered probable that Frontinus, a great engineer, and the 
immediate predecessor of Agricola in these islands, was the 


338 


founder of the Baths of Bath. If so that would be during the 
reign of the Emperor Titus. Prebendary Earle had done good 
work with regard to the Saxon period, and it was now important 
to throw some light on the Medieval Period which this paper 
was calculated to do. A vote of thanks was accorded to the 
reader of the paper and the Chairman. 

The fourth and last afternoon of the session, on February 8th, 
was given up to Natural History and Geology. The first paper 
was from Colonel LiNLEY BLATHWAyT, ‘On Hemiptera- 
Heteroptera taken in the neighbourhood of Bath,” the second by 
the SECRETARY on recent “ Finds in the Victoria Gravel Pit ;” 
who also had a communication from Mr. Davies SHERBORN on 
“ Webbina irregularis,” a Foraminifera found on a fossil oyster 
shell from the Oxford Clay, near Weymouth. Unfortunately 
neither of the Authors were able to be present to read their 
papers, owing to illness in their families, hut Canon Ellacombe 
(who took the chair) and Mr. Norman very kindly undertook to 
do so for them. Noslight compliment was paid to the first paper 
by a member present who evidently was not a naturalist reporting 
in substance that it was a dry subject admirably handled and 
made most interesting. The Secretary was indebted to Mr. 
Formby for the specimen of Gryphea dilatata, from the Oxford 
Clay, near Weymouth, which was sent to Dr. Hinde for 
examination of the parasitic growth with which it was covered. 
Through his kindness the specimen was forwarded to Mr. 
Sherborn—hence the note of the occurrence of a form of 
Foraminifer in the Oxford Clay, undoubtedly rare and desirable 
of being inserted in our local Proceedings. Thanks were returned 
to the respective authors for their communications. 


EXCURSIONS. 


Passing on to the four Excursions considered evidently by a 
section of the members the most important events of the year, 
the record is one of success. The first took place on April 26th to 


339 


Thornbury Castle. The long spring drought broke upon Tuesday, 
April 26th, and the first Excursion of the Club was inaugurated by 
six hours of continued rain. Notwithstanding this unpropitious 
circumstance sixteen members met at the Midland Station at 10.40, 
and comfortably seated in a saloon carriage proceeded to the Yate 
Station, whence owing to the inconvenient arrangement of the 
trains they were obliged to engage a special engine to take them 
on to Thornbury. The interesting strata through which they 
passed were but dimly seen through the streaming windows, but 
enough was visible to indicate that they crossed the N.E. portion 
of the Gloucestershire coal-field at Yate, and at Tytherington 
Station entered deep cuttings of the Mountain Limestone 
coming out on to the old Red Sandstone. Thus traversing during 
their morning’s ride the breadth of ‘the coal basin, from its S.E. 
edge at Bath, to its N.W. at Thornbury. The deserted streets 
of that town echoed dismally to the falling rain and footsteps 
of the party as they made their way under umbrellas and mack- 
intoshes to the church; the inhabitants peered through their 
windows wondering at the sight. At the church the vicar, Mr. 
Hodgson, met the members in the S. porch and proceeded at 
once to give a short history of the building, for which, he said, he 
was indebted to the late vicar, the Rev. T. Waters. Dedicated 
to St. Mary the Virgin, the present church, he said, stood on the 
site of an earlier one, founded probably in the 12th century, as in 
an ancient deed still extant in which Simon, Bishop of Wor- 
cester (1125-1150), confirmed to the Abbey of Tewkesbury various 
grants of churches, tithes, &c., formerly given by Robert Fitz 
Hamon to that monastery, the church of Thornbury is mentioned 
amongst others. Of this early church probably their are not 
any remains existing, unless the transition N. and S. doorways 
and square font similar to that at Oldbury church are examples. 
The slender pillars of the nave support a clerestory which appears 
to have been a later addition when the flat roof replaced a more 
pointed one in 1599. The circular string moulding over the 


340 


bays finishes off differently on the S. side to that on the N. at 
the E. end. The wooden corbels supporting the roof brackets 
were replaced by stone at the last restoration in 1848 ; on them 
are emblazoned the arms of the proprietors of the Manor and 
Castle from William Rufus to the Howards on the N. side, and 
those of ecclesiastical dignities on the S., seven on each side. 
The chancel contains remains of the Decorated period in its triple 
Sedilia and S$. window. Some old glass in one of the 8S. 
windows has the “Sun in Splendour,” the badge of Edward IV. 
The beautiful Perpendicular tower, with its overhanging pinnacles, 
fine specimens of the 16th century work (c. 1540), much re- 
sembles those of St. Stephen’s Bristol, Dundry, and Gloucester 
Cathedral, though the first was built ¢. 1470. 

Before leaving the church, Mr. Stafford Howard, who had 
purposely come to Thornbury to meet the Club, joined the 
members and conducted them at once through the celebrated 
gateway to the inner courtyard of the Castle. The walls of this 
fine specimen of Baronial Castle, built by Edward Stafford, Duke 
of Buckingham, between 1511-1522, are nearly perfect. The 
roof, however, owing to his death in 1522 seems never to have 
been put on. Before passing round to the S. front, Mr. Howard 
directed attention to the beautiful stack of brick chimneys on the 
N. face of the S. wing, with the date 1514 carved below, showing 
what progress had been made in three years since the building 
of the gateway. Tradition existed that the decoration on the 
chimneys had been carved out after they had been erected, and 
that the bricks had not been moulded in that form. The far 
famed bay windows on the S. side, the carved brick chimneys 
and the litttle spirally decorated stone chimney above, were much 
admired (as indeed they could not fail to be by everyone who 
wants a model for such necessary, but generally hideous append- 
ages to the modern roofs); and the party having left their 
dripping umbrellas and overcoats in the conservatory, were 
conducted through the interior adapted during the lifetime of 


i i i 


ai 


341 


the last owner to serve all the requirements of a modern dwelling 
house. The construction of the bay windows, catching every ray 
of sun, was duly appreciated from the inside ; and the fine tower as 
seen through them was a beautiful architectural object. Passing 
out to the N. side of the quadrangle, the remains of the huge 
oven, the kitchen and buttery hatch, and the stables for the 
horses and men were visited, and the tour of the courtyard 
having been made, a cordial vote of thanks was given to Mr. 
Stafford Howard for his courtesy, and the members returned back 
to the long street and found warmth and refreshment in the 
hostelry of the Swan. Attempts were made after lunch to visit 
the neighbouring heights for a view of the Severn valley (the 
walk to Oldbury Camp was necessarily postponed, the rain being 
too persistent even for the walking members of the Bath Field 
Club), but these generally proved unsuccessful, though some 
umbrellas in the far distance indicated various efforts that way. 
The Secretary, however, in a slight intermission of the rain, visited 
an interesting section of Old Red in a field about three-quarters 
of a mile S.E. of the station and to the N. of the line. A small 
opening had been made and exposed the Old Red Conglomerate. 
The top bed beneath some 2 feet of Red Marl being coarse Con- 
glomerate, with large white quartz pebbles, graduating down- 
wards into simple quartzite, with dark brown or black specs thickly 
scattered throughout. The peculiarity in this section being that 
the top bed was divided from the bottom by fissile bands of 
red shales, having at their base a band 2 inches thick of loose 
quartz pebbles, held but slightly together in a yellow matrix, 
and crumbling away in the fingers; the whole depth of the 
section was 7 feet. At 4.50 the return journey was made, and 
for the first time during the day the rain ceased, and the sun 
shone out allowing distant glimpses of the Severn and Welsh 
hills in the back ground to appear sufficiently clearly to 
show us what had been hidden from our view during the morning, 
(Vide Proceedings, vol. i, p. 102 for further account of Thorn- 
bury Castle.) 


342 


Savernake, May 25th. Three hours’ tedious railway journey 
to Savernake station were passed in comfort in the salwon 
carriage provided for us by the G.W.R., the delay at Trowbrid + 
being taken advantage of to visit the Rectory and Church where th» 
poet Crabbe passed some years of his life, and now lies bari««| 
(Vide Proceedings, vol. vi., No. 1, p. 106.) Arriving at the station 
at 1.3() the members were not sorry to leave their carriage and 
breast the rising ground leading to the entrance of the Forest on thie 
S.W. Making direct for the obelisk, showing its top above thi 
trees on the left, they struck across the svringy turf, and from thi» 
traces of sand, pebbles, and chalky debris which the rabbits ha: 
brought out to the entrance of their burrows saw at once hiw 
suitable the soil was for tree growth. The obelisk tells its own 
tale from the following inscription on the S.E. face :— 


This column was erected 
by Thomas Bruce, Earl of Ailesbury, 
as a Testimony 
of gratitude 
to his ever honoured Uncle, 
Charles, Karl of Ailesbury and Elgin, 
Who left to him these Estates, 
and procured for him the Barony of Tottenham. 
And of loyalty 
To his Most Gracious Sovereign 
George IIL., 
who unsolicited conferred upon him 
the honour of an Earldom, 
But above all 
of Piety 
To God first, highest, best, 
Whose blessing consecrateth 
every gift 
And fixeth its true value. 
MDCCLXXXI. 


The long vista to the S.E. carries the eye to Tottenham 
House. Turning to the right and following one of the roads to 
the N.E., the members were tempted to wander off in quest of 


343 


some ‘“ Ruins” inscribed on a sign post, and after much 
wandering and the usual divided counsels found themselves at 
the edge of a park like expanse of greensward, with large herds 
of fallow deer grazing on the left. The “ruins” were then 
discovered to be merely the remains of Savernake Lodge, after the 
fire which destroyed it a few years since. However this detour was 
not without its advantage. The tall straight stems of the beech 
trees, with their light green spring foliage, arose on either hand 
as far as the eye could reach, and one felt penetrated with the 
the spirit of the forest primeval; then an oak tree struggled up here 
and there tall and slim like its beech brethren; then as one 
advanced further into the inner penetralia a large and wide spread- 
ing solitary oak maintained its true dignity and asserted its right of 
expanse ; until passing through a wooden fence houndary mag- 
nificent old oaks reared their gnarled arms and heads in solemn 
grandeur alone, keeping their brother trees at a respectful 
distance, and claiming respect due to their patriarchal age. 
Then again there was much of interest in remarking the soil 
upon which these trees grew. A section on the left revealed 
some four or five feet of Tertiary beds, rounded flint drift on the 
surface succeeded by sand and angular chalk flint debris resting 
upon clay, thus affording an admirable subsoil and nourishment 
for the forest growth before its roots reached the Chalk 
beneath. Whilst enquiries were being made of a gardener, near 
the lodge, for the nearest way to the “ King Oak,” the botanists 
found several dwarf orchids in flower, either Maculata or Morio, 
and the photographers of the party made their first attempt with 
the camera. Turning westward, the party struck across the 
grass for the great avenue, crossing it in the direction of the “12 
o'clock avenue ;” just before doing so a fine herd of fallow deer 
away to the left, picturesquely feeding in the open, were 
‘unconsciously the object of most earnest attention by two 
curiously posed figures beneath a black pall in front of a tripod; the 
distance, however, was probably too far for their successful capture. 


344 


Following the avenue southwards for a little way, a detour 
to the right led to the place where the “ King Oak” formerly 
held his court. At the last visit of the Club, in 1868, one arm 
still remained to this magnificent old tree, measuring from 23ft. 
to 24ft. in girth, since then this has disappeared, said to have 
fallen the day after the Duke of Connaught lunched beneath it, 
now 16 or 17 years ago. Palings protect all that remains of its 
former greatness reduced to a hollow stump, on which a notice 
board has been fixed warning visitors of the danger of lighting 
fires in its vicinity. Within a few paces grows the “Queen Oak,” 
venerable but apparently still healthy and as yet uninjured. 
Many a jubilee year has her Majesty seen, and may she continue 
to see many more! Luckily last winter’s destructive snow storm 
seems to have dealt very gently with her, and her branches 
remain unscathed, though fine oak trees all around have suffered 
considerably. The destruction caused by that storm is very 
remarkable amongst the oak trees; whilst the beech seem to 
have escaped without a twig broken, the former have huge limbs 
and branches torn off in all directions. Successful photographs 
having been taken of the “‘ King Oak,” the members retraced their 
steps back by the “ 12 o’clock avenue” to the “eight walks,” and 
by the aid of useful direction posts struck into the “ great avenue ” 
of Beeches four miles long. Nothing can excel the beauty of 
the view down the long vista of tall slim smooth boles, with 
their graceful over-arching limbs ; the foliage, too, of the beech 
was just perfect in its spring freshness, and the chequered light 
added picturesquesness to the undulating character of the 
ground. Leaving the Forest by the old and now disused Turn- 
pike gate for the Marlborough Road, a walk of about one mile 
and a quarter was all that intervened between the Forest and the 
Ailesbury Arms; the rich vale of the Kennet spread out in front. 
Folly Farm, the ancient Cunctio was passed, the ‘Five Alls” Inn 
was glanced at and the much needed lunch was fairly earned. 
A herd of goats picturesquely lying about in the Market Place 


345 


attracted much attention, reminding us of continental ways; 
the camera was focussed upon them, with what success as yet 
remains to be seen. Nineteen members took part in the excursion, 

It was remarked as a sign of the lateness of the season that 
the oaks in the forest were but a very little out in leaf, and 
that the note of the cuckoo was silent. 

Barry Island and Docks, June 14th.—Owing to the Jubilee to be 
celebrated on the 21st (the original day fixed for this excursion), 
it was thought advisable by the committee to alter the date to 
the 14th. Summer having burst upon us with sudden energy, 
twenty-three members assembled at the G.W.R. Station, at 10.18 
for Cardiff vid the Severn Tunnel lately opened for passenger 
traffic. The comfort to passengers by the through route was 
most fuliy appreciated. Instead of the inconvenient change from 
carriage to steamer, down and up the dirty and slippery steps 
with the chance of a wetting in crossing the “ Trajectus” from 
rain above or Sabrina’s muddy water below, one passes through 
the Tunnel in a few minutes, sensible chiefly of the extreme 
freshness and purity of the air. From reliable information 
obtained en route, the following facts in connection witit this vast 
and important work were obtained. Between Pilning Station, 
the last stopping place on the Bristol side, and the Severn Tunnel 
junction on the opposite side, the distance is 7 miles, 1,009 yards ; 
the actual length of the Tunnel being 4 miles 624 yards, or 
nearly 43 miles. The line appears to have a descent both ways 
to the centre where it is level for a short distance, about 12 
chains ; the gradient on the Pilning side being 1 in 100, that on 
the opposite side being 1in 90. So that the time occupied in 
passing through ought to be longer on the down that on the up 
side ; this was verified at the time, eight minutes being calculated 
,on the down journey to Cardiff between the entrance and exit, 
and about 7 minutes on the return up journey. 

On arriving at Cardiff two breaks met the members, and after a 
hot, dusty, and disagreeable ride of about 9 miles through an 

Z 


346 


undulating and wooded country, leaving Penarth docks and the 
fine Rheetic section on the left, it was a relief to descend on terra 
firma at the Wenvoe Arms, Cadoxton juxta Barry, where the 
usual signs of large works in progress were seen in lounging 
navvys and a noisy bar. After a few minutes’ delay below on the 
newly made line connecting Cardiff with Barry, a locomotive 
with saloon carriage attached was seen steaming up from the 
west, which Mr. John Robinson, the Resident Engineer of the 
Docks, and Mr. C. H. Walker, the nephew of the great contractor 
of the works, had kindly put at the disposal of the members. 
Under their guidance the various details of this truly great work 
were pointed out. Steaming away to the E., the foreshore— 
from which is obtained some of the best blocks of Limestone and 
Red Sandstone for the masonry of the docks—was reached by a 
temporary line of rails, The section exposed here was New Red 
Marl resting upon a Limestone Conglomerate of varying thickness, 
below which came horizontal beds of Red Sandstone, with inter- 
calations of greenish bands. Returning westwards in the direction 
of the docks, a fine section of Keuper Marls was passed to the 
N., a pretty little fault bringing down the Lower Lias beds on 
the W. Passing on to the middle of the works the members 
alighted, and then were enabled to appreciate the magnitude of 
the undertaking. Barry Island, surrounded by water at high tides, 
has been connected with the mainland by a raised causeway, 
cutting off the waters of the Channel on the E.and W. The large 
bay on the E., 110 acres in extent, is to be converted into ac- 
commodation for shipping ; for this purpose breakwaters have 
been run out from the mainland and island—a temporary sea bank 
at present serving the purpose of a dam to exclude the waters. 
Inside this bank, which will be cleared away when the work is 
finished, Dock gates will be erected, the foundation work being 
now in progress; the width of the gates to be 80 feet, and the 
depth of the water at ordinary low tides 12ft. 6in. These gates 
admit to a fine deep basin, 600 feet long by 500 feet wide, about 


347 


7 acres. The walls made of local stone, 17 feet thick at the base, 
are coped with Cornish Granite and will enclose the largest single 
basin in Great Britain, containing an area of 73 acres at high 
water. Along the N. side of this, arrangements will be made 
for shipping the coal by a railway running from the Rhondda, 
Merthyr, and Aderdare valleys. The vast heaps of stones and 
mud banks appearing chaotic at the first view gradually assume 
some order and design as one wanders about the works; and 
the magnitude of the undertaking, employing 2,500 men, grows 
upon one, and a wonder finds expression whether it is possible 
for the work to be finished within two years as stated. It was 
commenced in 1884, the estimated cost being £1,520,000. 

Walking across the excavations many large trees were passed, 
and some peat had been cut through ; this Mr. Robinson informed 
us had been found throughout the excavations in the Dock proper 
but not in the Basin; its thickness at the W. end being from 6 to 
8 inches. On the N. side of the Dock it is 2 feet thick and comes 
in about 16 feet above Dock bottom, (the latter being 20 feet 
below ordnance datum) and rests upon Lias shale or clay. 

Time now drawing near for departure Mr. Robinson took the 
members to his house at East Barry, where he had hospitably 
provided tea and other much needed and welcome refreshments, 
and then showed them a collection of Red deer antlers, bones and 
horns, a skull of a Bos longifrons and other remains found during 
the excavations. Amongst these may be specially mentioned 
two bone needles and a human skull, the teeth of which were well 
preserved. The two needles were found below a layer of sand and 
fine gravel on top of the mud about 18 feet below the surface, and 
10 feet above the Dock bottom on the S. side. The skeleton of the 
man about 40 yards to the East of this, about 12 feet below the 
surface and on the top of the layer of fine gravel about 6 feet thick 
at this point. 

Having returned their grateful thanks to Mr. Robinson for his 
courtesy and hospitality, the saloon carriage and truck took the 


348 


members speedily back to Cadoxton, when they mounted the 
breaks and had even a more disagreeable ride than the morning’s 
one back to Cardiff, leaving by the 6.25 train for Bath. 
Deerhurst, July 19th. A very agreeable and interesting 
archeological excursion was taken to Deerhurst and Tewkesbury. 
N otwithstanding the season, when proverbially speaking, “ there 
is no one left in Bath,” a goodly array of members mustered, no 
less than 21, a number exceeding the average on these occasions. 
Starting at 8.45 from the Midland Station, the train was due in 
Gloucester at ten, and arrangements had been made to proceed 
from thence on the Severn by steamboat, advertised to leave at 
10 o'clock. The courteous captain had promised to wait if the 
party was not “very late,” but as the distance from the railway 
station to the starting place on the river was at least a mile there 
was no little anxiety, lest, on arriving at the bridge, the boat 
should be seen steaming away in the distance. Happily the 
captain’s patience was not exhausted by twenty minutes’ waiting ; 
the party was soon on board, and not a moment lost in starting. 
The prospect of a long day’s work suggested the propriety of 
husbanding time. A telegram was therefore forwarded to secure 
a break at Deerhurst to take the Club to Tewkesbury after seeing 
the churches of Deerhurst. The river was an agreeable change 
after the railway, and with a bracing wind from the north, the 
members congratulated themselves on having selected this route. 
The appearance of black angry clouds gave the pessimists an 
opportunity of prophesying wet jackets before returning to Bath ; 
but the more sanguine ones protested, and, as often is the case, 
were right. Before reaching the landing place at Deerhurst a 
remarkable geological section opposite the Wainlode cliff was seen, 
and permission to wait afew minutes for a closer inspection might 
have been obtained if any one of the party had been equal to the 
oceasion and able to enlighten his fellows, but unfortunately the 
secretary, the Rev. H. H. Winwood, always at home in 
this department of science, was far away in the ‘land of cakes.” 


349 


Soon after 12 o’clock Deerhurst was reached, and an examination 
of the Saxon Church, which has recently attracted so much 
attention, immediately entered on. To call it a chapel would be 
more in accordance with its history ; and its unpretentious and 
non-ecclesiastical exterior had very much the appearance of the 
old-fashioned timber-built dwellings so common in Cheshire. 
Here Mr. Sxum, F.S.A., upon whom, in the absence of the 
secretary, devolved the management of the excursion, gave a brief 
account of the building. He commenced by saying that in no 
part of England could a student of English architecture alight 
upon two edifices of so much value and interest as this Saxon 
chapel, and the pre-Norman parish church, both situated in the 
charming, though now sparsely populated and out-of-the-way 
village of Deerhurst ; not only on account of the great antiquity 
and genuine character of the remains, but because of the many 
moot points and difficult questions connected with the several 
periods of the architectural details. He stated that the Saxon 
chapel was discovered in August, 1885, by the Rev. G. Butterworth, 
vicar of the parish, who, he (Mr. Shum) regretted was unable to 
accompany the club in consequence of his absence in Scotland. 
Great credit was due to him, not only for its discovery and 
judicious restoration, but for the able andaccurate description hehad 
given to the Society of Antiquaries in London and to the Bristol and 
Gloucestershire Archeological Society. Originally the building was 
a chapel attached to the Manor House of Deerhurst, and up tothe 
date first mentioned had been considered a very picturesque old 
farmhouse, commonly known by the name of “ Abbot's court ;” 
in the latter part of Edward the Confessor’s reign the manor 
of Deerhurst belonged to Pershore Abbey, but in the last year of 
his life he granted both the manors of Pershore and Deerhurst to 
his royal abbey of S. Peter, at Westminster. The Dean and 
Chapter of Westminster afterwards became the owners until it 
fell into the hands of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In 
consequence of a change of tenancy in 1885, the Commissioners 


350 


proposed to turn the farmhouse into cottages, and commenced to 
do so, Plaster of amazing thickness encrusted the walls both 
inside and outside, effectually obliterating all ancient marks. At 
the back of the building Mr. Butterworth detected a slight 
depression about 14 feet from the ground, which he imagined, 
from its semi-circular shape, might have been a window. On 
moving the plaster this was found to be the case. After further 
careful investigation, a chapel, consisting of a nave and chancel 
was found, separated from each other by a chancel arch. The 
extreme length is 46 feet, the width of the inside of the nave 16 
feet, that of the chancel 16 feet, but the original wall on the 
south of the chancel has been destroyed. The height of the side 
wall of the nave is 17 feet, and the thickness of the walls 2 feet 
6 inches; the material is blue Lias of the locality, but the 
angles, arches and jambs are worked in dressed stone of an 
Oolitic character. The height of the chancel arch is 10 feet, 
the width about 6 feet. It is built with large blocks of stone. 
Like the Saxon Ecclesiola of Bradford-on-Avon, this chapel had 
two entrances towards the west end of the nave. The one on 
the south side is scarcely discernible, but on the north side half 
of the arch remains of horse-shoe shape, and one entire jamb 
consisting of tive solid blocks of different sizes. There appear 
to have been no doors. The dimensions of the entrance arch 
are about 8 feet high by 2 feet 8 inches wide. There is another 
resemblance to the Bradford Chapel in the absence of windows 
at both the east and west ends. In the chancel there is a 
window of the 16th century, and in the south wall of the nave 
an original semi-circular window, about 10 feet from the ground, 
and on the north wall there are evidences of a window opposite. 
The roof is modern, resting upon two side walls; across these 
walls are old oak beams black with age, probably a thousand 
years old. The existence of these in situ gives a unique character 
to the remains, and in this respect more interesting than the 
Bradford Chapel with its open modern slanting roof. In the 


351 


east end of the chancel is inserted in the wall for preservation a 
curious stone, with an inscription showing it to have been the 
dedication slab of an altar. It was discovered in some Tudor 
work of the Manor house; originally square, it has been cut to 
form the head of a window, and Mr. Butterworth supposes the 
inscription was to this effect—“‘In honore sancte Trinitatis 
hoc altare dedicatum est.” 

Mr. Butterworth says ‘that as the English Council of Cealchythe 
in the year 816 one of the canons ordered that care should be 
taken in the erection of new churches that the names of the 
holy persons to whom they were dedicated should be inscribed 
on the wall or on a tablet or on the altars.” This fact invests 
the discovered stone with considerable interest, as there are so 
few examples known in English churches. It is difficult to assign 
a date to this chapel, Mr. Butterworth thinks it dates from the 
11th century, but if the late Canon Jones was correct in assigning 
the Bradford Chapel to the 8th century, Deerhurst cannot be so 
late asthe 11th. Some portion of the masonry bears unmistakably 
the character of early Saxon, and just as part of the Saxon 
work in the pre-Norman parish church in the same village gives 
evidence of Norman influence, so the rough cemented stone work 
of the Saxon Chapel bears a likeness to Roman work. 

The Club then proceeded to an examination of the parish 
church, when Mr. Shum read a brief account, being a summary 
of Mr. Buckler’s exhaustive paper, now in the British Museum, 
but which has been published in the Bristol and Gloucestershire 
Society’s Proceedings, with notes by Mr. Butterworth. A volume 
might be written of this most interesting pre-Norman Church ; of 
varied history in Saxon, Danish, Norman and Reformation 
periods, and of its peculiar adaptations to conventual arrange- 
ments and services. After a pleasant drive to Tewkesbury, and 
an invigorating lunch at the Swan Hotel, the members assembled 
in Tewkesbury Abbey, where a very well-informed guide, con- 
nected with the church, gave a full description of the various 


352 


chapels, &c. Mr. Adye, of Bradford, member of the Club, was 
present, and with his professional knowledge greatly assisted the 
party in obtaining an accurate knowledge of this church, so rich 
in historical associations, and so full of architectural beauty 
and interest. (N.B.—The Secretary is indebted to Mr. Shum 
for these notes). 

Bye-Excursions—The break up of the long continued severe 
weather ushered in the 22nd of March on which the Club began 
its Excursions, On that morning 22 members met at the G.W.R. 
Station and proceeded to Bristol to continue the explorations of 
the antiquities of that ancient city. They were met at the 
Bristol Station by Mr. Harold Lewis and his friend, Mr. W. E. 
Jones, assistant city surveyor,and these gentlemen conducted them 
at once to S. John’s Church adjoining the north gateway of the 
city, following generally the old line of road and crossing the 
site of the High Cross. The two figures on either hand of the 
gateway looked grimly down as one by one the party passed in 
through the south door, and mounting a flight of steps found 
themselves in the long parallelogram of a church lighted by nine 
Perpendicular windows. Mr. Jones at once proceeded to give 
the history of the building. The original church, he said, was 
founded in 1174, and in spite of tradition to the contrary the 
present structure could not have been erected on the walls, as 
those were of 15th century date, but followed the line of the old 
wall. The stone shafts, with their capitals now supporting a 
horizontal beam, originally carried a stone vault. The present 
wooden roof of late 16th century is poor in construction and 
carpentry, as are most of the roofs of that date. The records of 
S. John’s were numerous and interesting, and from them it 
appears to have been most favoured by the ancient guilds. The 
hour glass in frame of hammered iron, which once existed on right 
side of pulpit, is now placed in the vestry. Attention was called to 
the Jacobean woodwork, in which Bristol was very rich, and the 
prevalent form of bracket, which for want of a better name, 


353 


Mr. Jones called the Bristol bracket—a form of scrollwork to be 
seen outside many houses in the city. Passing out by the same 
door, and through the gateway, which now carries the tower and 
spire of the church, the party disappeared through a low door- 
way on the north side into the crypt beneath dedicated to the 
Holy Cross. Considered by Freeman to be of late 16th century 
work, it has many features of interest, especially the stoup on 
the left hand of doorway and the vaulting. At the most easterly 
portion the shafts carry capitals; at the remaining part on the 
west the groining dies off into the shafts, which are quite plain 
throughout. Service was originally held here. S. Stephen’s, 
with its far-famed tower, built by John Shipward, Mayor of 
Bristol, in 1455, claiming to be one of the handsomest parish 
church towers in England, was the next point. Entering through 
the south doorway some good stone groining over south porch 
attracted attention. The present building, dating from 1450 to 
1490, apparently contained no traces of the earlier date (1304) 
assigned to the building. Probably it was longer than at 
present. The peculiar feature of the west wall, containing a 
good window with flaring glass, running askew and not at right 
angles to the rest of the building, may be attributed probably to 
the necessities of construction, and avoiding obstruction to a 
right of way to the west. The piers, according to Mr. Jones, 
appeared to be of somewhat different date to the arches which 
they carried, the moulding being much poorer. As to the tombs, 
owing to the common practice of placing older slabs under later 
recesses, there was much doubt about their true date. The 
somewhat highly ornamented reredos gave rise to an interesting 
discussion. Mr. Jones stated that the whole had been resusciated 
from one old piece of Perpexdicular cornice which had been 
preserved. The period when the Renaissance style was over- 
lapping the Perpendicular seems to be well represented here, as 
a certain classic refinement in the carving is plainly perceptible, 
especially in the pine apple form occurring in the cornice, 


354 


indicating an acauaintance of the workmen with the fruits 
of the east. The next place visited was the Black Friars, now 
called the Quakers’ Friars. Founded early in the 13th century 
by Dominic de Guzman, hence called the Dominican or Black 
Friars, this order had an important establishment in the city. 
The Priory, of which there are still many interesting remains, 
was founded by Sir Maurice Berkeley de Gaunt and Matthew de 
Gurney. Two rectangular buildings, running east and west— 
that on the north called the dormitory, and that on the south the 
baker’s hall—is the property of the Quakers, and serves at the 
present time for a commodious Board School. The beautiful 
roof, which Mr. Jones said could not be surpassed by any other 
14th century roof in this part of the country, is in excellent 
preservation. The lancet windows on the south side still remain. 
The west window is remarkable for the beautiful tracery in the 
head lights. Beneath this room, on the ground floor, there is a 
beautiful 13th century two-light window. After lunch the party 
proceeded under Mr. Jones’s guidance to the Chapter House. 
Here he drew the attention of the members to the well-known 
beauties of its transition style of architecture, and pointed out 
what he considered to be a portion of somewhat later date, i.¢., 
the upper portion of interlacing arches in the wall, the older 
work being the plain round arches beneath the string course. 
He also differed from the view which attributes the carving 
in the fireplace in the adjoining room to Saxon times, and 
considers it to be of much later date. Proceeding hence to the 
interior of the cathedral and the beautiful Newton Chapel on the 
south, he called attention to the ornamentation round the arch. 
The party afterwards proceeded to the cloisters and inspected 
a small chapel near the Chapter House, which was discovered 
and opened five years since. After visiting the ruins of the 
Bishop’s Palace, destroyed in the Bristol Riots of the year 1831, 
Mr. Jones conducted his visitors to All Saints’ Church in Corn’ 
Street, the last item of the day’s programme. The edifice, a 


355 


puilding of mixed styles, existed in 1216. The south aisle was 
rebuilt early in the 15th century by the fraternity of Calenders, . 
and served as their chapel. At the east end of this aisle is an 
imposing monument to Edward Celston in the classic style. 
Some volumes belonging to the libraries of the ancient Guild of 
Calenders, which was the first free library known, are preserved 
in the vestry. Before separating Mr. Jones was cordially 
thanked for his kindness in giving up so much of his valuable 
time for the purpose of showing the members the interesting 
antiquities of his ancient city. 

Roman Villa at Tockington. Another Bye-Excursion was 
arranged on Oct. 11th to see the recently opened up Roman Villa 
near Alveston. The train was taken to Patchway, thence a walk 
of three miles along the ridgeway through Almonsbury, with 
fine views of the Severn, brought the members to a lane on the 
right hand leading to Tockington Park Farm, when Mr. Smith, 
the tenant, courteously showed them over the remains, a small 
charge being made towards the expenses of the excavations. 
'These have been very extensive, cutting into the farm yard and 
buildings on each side, and covering a space about the size of 
St. James’ Square, some 200 feet from N. to S. and 136 feet 
E. to W. lt was known before that Romans had occupied this 
site, for about 58 years ago a tessellated pavement had been 
uncovered at the N.E. of the buildings. The present discovery 
lies to the S. of the farm-house, and arose through the labourers, 
whilst digging the foundation for a wall across the farm-yard, 
cutting through a fine piece of Roman pavement about 16 feet 
square, with a border of plain tessere 18 inches wide. Since then 
other floors have been found of much finer work and beautiful 
design. The materials of which the walls were made are the local 
stone of the district,—the Carboniferous Limestone ; a narrow 
water course or flue being composed of Pennant Sandstone. T he 
tesser consist of blue and white Lias and brick, the different 
shades of the blue Lias being most artistically worked into the 


356 


somewhat elaborate pattern of scroll, fret and other work ; figure 
subjects being entirely absent. The following notes from Dr. 
Beatson and Mr. Barlow may help to illustrate the patterns :— 

1.—The principal tesselated floor 18 feet square (discovered 
12 inches below surface*), colours red, blue and white. The 
former appears to be red brick, the latter blue and white Lias. 
The tesserz are larger in the margin of the pavement than in 
the pattern which is very complex. The centre consists of a 
circle, with a star, surrounded by an octagon inclosed in a 
hexagon. The corners of this pavement do not seem to 
correspond. 

2.—There is asmaller pavement adjacent [double key pattern?], 
upon which was discovered the base of a freestone column. 

3.—A third pavement has been opened up in the Court Yard, 
this appears to be at a lower level than the previous two, and 
has been known some time previous to the present explorations. 

4.—A fourth pavement has been opened up in the kitchen 
garden (this would be about the same level as the preceding 
one), with a very beautiful pattern, the centre of which is a 
circle containing a cross with four hearts surrounding. 

The thickness of the walls of the Villa vary from 1 foot 
6 inches to 2 feet thick, and from even the present amount 
opened up seems to suggest an extensive plan. 


WE 


Mr. Smith says “there are jive colours, but it is not easy to 
make out the fifth.” This is because the colours are red, blue, 
white, and a grey or drab of two shades, in one of which blue 
in the other yellow slightly predominates. In the first pavement, 
which has been least protected by its covering, the colours are 
dull and a good many tesserze have been removed, so the pattern 
is difficult to follow, but it is, I think, mainly as above 
described. The figures are not all geometrical, and the corners are 


* One part only six inches below. 


357 


filled in with freehand scrolls. These are all freely not formally 
drawn, and this accounts for the irregularity of the pattern, 

Similar forms varying in their proportions are found on all the 
pavements, but are best shown in No. 4. This has an outer 
border of the Roman or Etruscan well-known key pattern, and 
an inner one of Greek fret or wave pattern. In the corners of 
the principal square are pyriform ornaments. In the centre a 
circle with four heart-shaped figures placed base to base separated 
by a cross. Bands of an interwoven knot pattern cross the 
squares diagonally. A space between walls is shown which was 
lined with Pennant, this is supposed by some to be a drain, but 
is probably the channel by which hot air was conveyed from the 
hypocaust. There is also below ground a well arched drain or 
conduit which now contains water. 

Mr. Smith said there was a tradition that a Roman road ran 
near the house, and that it is marked by an avenue of trees. 
We found what we believed to be this avenue in a field above 
the farm, on our way to the next village (Almonsbury). 

There are several portions of pottery and fragments of bones, 
some disticntly those of sheep or other domestic animal, two I 
thought were bits of human long bones, humerus and lower 


end of radius. 
W. B. B. 


WALKS. 


Two of these are especially worthy of record. The first on 
March 8th was to the Cromlech near Cold Harbour Farm, 
through Weston, following the escarpment by Woodbine Cottage 
to Hanging Hill, thence over the brow to Beech Farm and 
through the fields to the lane by Granham Rocks (Uarboniferous 
Limestone) and so to the farm, Several “Bitton Sawyers,” as 
the local people call the pebbles of Millstone Grit, were observed 
in the lane near the rocks. The field in which the Cromlech is 
situated lies to N.E. of the farm, and adjoins that in which the 
Club some years ago excavated a Roman Villa. Two stones 


358 


alone remain now, but Mr. Davey, the Lord of the Manor, had 
been superintending some excavations here in the morning, and 
had uncovered the portion of a third from which two other large 
blocks had been broken off, according to Mr. Matthews some 42 
years ago, and are now lying in the hedge. The stones are Dolomitic 
Conglomerate, and probably have been brought from some 
distance, as that rock does not occur close at hand. After due 
inspection of the stones and some photographs had been taken, 
the members walked across to Tracey Park and partook of the 
grateful hospitality of Mr. Davey. After lunch a part returned 
to Bath by the Granville Monument and the rest prolonged their 
walk round by Bitton. 

The second was on Jan. 2nd, 1888, to Northstoke, the object 
being to inspect the stone coffin and skeleton lately found just 
under the brow of the hill. Crossing the Roman Camp behind 
the Grand Stand, the rampart surrounding it stood out in marked 
prominence owing to the shortness of the herbage and the low 
position of the sun on the other side throwing its slanting rays 
athwart it. Passing over the outer rampart and ditch of the 
pre-Roman fortification, and following the escarpment to the 
promontory above the Church, whence a fine view of the Avon 
winding through the valley was seen, a descent was made to 
Church Farm, where the proprietor, Mr. Gibbs, had carefully 
conveyed the coffin and skeleton. The body of the coffin was 
quite perfect, and had been roughly hewn out of the Great 
Oolite which caps the hill, measuring 6ft. 6in. on the outside 
and 5ft. llin. inside; 18in. in its broadest part at the 
shoulder and 7iin at the foot; thickness from 3 to 4 in. 
It was covered by three slabs of the same material, the 
portion covering the head was exposed at the surface when 
found, and the whole only a few inches below the soil. The 
bones of a male, supposed to be Roman by Dr. Beddoe, were 
lying at the bottom, and the whole had been filled by the natural 
earth which had found its way into the interior through the 


359 


imperfectly closed lids. The skull had been broken, there were 
four or five teeth in the jaw sound but slightly worn. The 
bone of the left arm had been broken since it was discovered ; 
this was at the end of November, 1887, whilst excavating for wall 
material near the top of the lane leading up to Lansdown, from 
the N.E. of the Church and on the right hand side, in a depression 
or slip of the Great Oolite beds just under the brow. 


As a record of the Walks pure and simple, in which exercise 
alone seems to have been the chief object, the following letter from 
Mr, Henderson to the Secretary may be of interest. 


Knowing your partiality for statistics, I append a list of the walks, 
ordinary or subsidiary, together with the number of miles they cover, 
which I, and a few other members of the Field Club, have taken 
during the past four years, ¢e., from January, 1884 to 1887 inclusive. 


In 1884 we walked 408 miles in 24 walks. 
” 1885 ,, ” 336 EY: 18 ” 
” 1886 _,, ” 583 234 ae 30 ” 
EAR i) MOLD. oi sn DS x55 


—_— ——— 


Making a total of 2338 miles in 125 walks. 


The longest walk I achieved was on 14th July, 1884. I was not 
accompanied hy any of the members of the Field Club ; but went to 
Frome and back, a distance of 29 miles. No member would undertake 
this stretch, so my younger son, then a cadet at Sandhurst, and I 
tramped it alone. The shortest walk was on 26th April, 1887, when 
16 members of the Field Club went by train to see Thornbury Castle 
and Church, when 4 miles would about cover what we did in the 
walking way. The day was wet, probably that was the cause of so 
limited a walk. It may amuse you to hear that I have walked the 
above 2338 miles in two pairs of boots, whereby I think you will 
admit that I have beaten the celebrated Somersetshire traveller, 
Tom Coryate. In 1608 he walked 900 miles in one pair of shoes, 
which on his return he hung up as a curious relic in Odcombe 
Church, in this county! I conclude they were past work ; but mine, 


360 


after their long tramp of 2338 miles, are still to the fore, and too 
good to he hung up as a relic anywhere, even assuming that they 
would be worthy so honoured a position. 

In conclusion, I will only add that I have been most frequently 
accompanied in my walks by Major Menars, General O’Connel 
General Burn, Major Evans and Mr. Holst. 

Wi. dele Ele 


On the 15th June about 100 members of the Cardiff Naturalists 
Society visited Bath, and were received at the Royal Literary 
and Scientific Institution by a committee of our Club, appointed 
for the purpose. 

After inspecting the Geological Museum and other objects of 
interest they went to the Abbey, when Mr. T. Browne conducted 
them over the building and pointed out its Architectural details ; 
thence to the Roman Baths, under the guidance of the Rev. 
Prebendary Scarth. After luncheon at the Grand Pump Room 
Hotel they were driven up the North Road and walked to the 
Wansdyke and Earthworks on Claverton Down; returning to the 
Hotel for tea. As a slight return for the hospitality shown to our 
members on a former occasion at Cardiff, conveyances and tea 
were provided by the Club; the expenses incurred being nearly 
met by a private subscription. The day was fine and general 
satisfaction was expressed, and thanks returned to the committee 
for their reception and arrangements. 

The Club still continuing on the list of the Corresponding 
Societies of the British Association, your Secretary attended the 
last meeting of that body at Manchester, and at the quarterly 
meeting in January laid the report of that meeting on the table 
for the perusal of members ; it contains many useful suggestions 
for the direction in which the work of such clubs may forward 
the objects recommended as worthy of attention or research by 
the various committees of the different sections. 

Your Treasurer, to whom the thanks of the Club are due for 
his attention to the finances, reports that the audited accounts 


361 


show the receipts as £48 2s. 6d., the expenditure £45 11s. 10d., 
leaving a balance for the year of £2 10s. 8d. in his favour. 

Five members have resigned and one withdrawn and five new 
ones elected, so that at present there are 92 members on our list. 
In accordance with the request of the late Mayor, the names of 
six members were sent in as representatives of the Club on the 
Local Committee of the British Association for 1888. 

Your Secretary, at the request of the last quarterly meeting, 
and in accordance with the suggestions in the Report of the 
Corresponding Societies of the British Association, again urged 
upon the Chairman of the Baths Committee the necessity of 
having regular systematic observations taken of the temperature 
and volume of the Hot Springs. 

The Library -continues to be enriched with many valuable 
Transactions and Proceedings of the different Societies, amongst 
them the publication of the United States Geological Survey 
stand out conspicuously, and the album has had additions made 
to it from time to time by Dr. Mantell and Mr. Powell. 


H. H. WINWOOD, 
Hon. See. 


a 
PRINTED AT THE HERALD OFFIOH, NORTH GATE, BATH. 
oe 


wu oe 


CONTENTS OF NO.-3;, VOR.“ Viz. 1888. 


apie te 


1.—ON somME OSTRACODA FROM THE. FULLERS-EARTH 
QOLITE AND BraprorpD CLAY, BY PROFESSOR 


T. Rupert Jones, F,R.S., .F.G.8S., and G.. 


DAVIES SHERBORN, F.G.S. 
2.—LANDSLIPS AND SUBSIDENCES, BY W. PUMPHERY... 


3.—THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TWO CHURCHES OF ST. 
Mary 1n Baru, spy Austin J. Kine 


4.—A-Batu Pott Tax, 2 Ricuarp []., py E. GREEN, 
F.S.A. 


5.—REMARKS ON SOME HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA TAKEN ~ 
IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD oF BATH, BY LIEUT.- ~ 


Cou, BLATHWAYT, -F.L.S., -F.E.S.... 


6.—REcENT “FINDS” IN THE VICTORIA GRAVEL. PIT, 


BY THE Rey, H. H, Winwoop, F.G.S. ... 


7.—NoTE oN WEBBINA IRREGULARIS (D’ORB.), FROM 
THE OxFORD CLAY AT WkryMouTH, BY C: 
Davies Suerporn, F.G.S, 


8:—SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS FOR THE YEAR 1887-88, 
BY THE SECRETARY ae aes ae ee 


~ <PAGE 


316.<: 


327 


332 


A 
‘ 
OAS Sa ae 


Mp read § Paha MTG a 


oo PROCEEDINGS 


_ BATH NATURAL HISTORY 


INTIQUARIAN FIELD CLUB. 


ys 


“VOL. VI, No. 4 


Sais PRICE HALF-A-CROWN. 


_ BATH : 
RY “PRINTED (FOR THE CLUB) AT THE HERALD OFFICE, NORTH GATE. 
on) 1889. 


363 


On Church Doorways. By the Rev. Recinauv A. Cayuey, M.A. 
(Read December 12th, 1888 ). 


I fear that the subject of church doorways is one of only 
limited interest ; but as the various domains of Medizval Church 
Architecture in this country have been so carefully mapped out 
and discoursed on, in all their leading features, by earnest 
students both professional and amateur, in the past 50 years, 
there are only such minor subjects left for us moderns to take up. 

They have however their proper place in the history of the 
art,.and though this one of church doorways cannot compete 
in attractiveness with many others, it yet, as I hope to show you, 
is instructive, if it only draws our attention to the general rules 
which guided the builders of old in their treatment of such 
necessary parts of a building. 

People, in ridicule, may, perhaps compare this subject with the 
poet's sonnet “To his Mistress’s Eyebrow,” when he might have 
extolled in verse the charms of her whole face. Be it so. I 
simply claim for my subject a patient hearing. Ridicule it as 
much as you please after you have heard what I have got to say, 

In this Paper I will not attempt to describe the architectural 
designs and details of church doorways, but rather try to 
give a brief sketch of the various positions that they occupy, and 
draw from them certain historical deductions to which they point. 

In England, from the fact of our nationality being extremely 
mixed (more so in fact than is the case of any other nation of 
‘Western Europe), we have had in bygone ages architectural 
influences passing over us in’ successive waves, each of which has 
left its mark in the marvellous variety of ground plan, structure, 
and detail, noticeable not only in E. and W., N. and S., but even 
in adjacent counties and dioceses. 

Now, perhaps, I may be ridiculed for holding the opinion, as 
I do most firmly, that though, after the withdrawal of the Roman 
legions, A.D. 401, the Brito-Roman civilization and Christianity 

Vou. 6, No. 4. 


364 


were to a great extent stamped out by the English, Saxon, and 
Jute invaders of the S.E. of Britain, yet this effacement was, 
after all, gradual and partial, as the following approximate dates 
will show. 

The kingdom of Kent was founded c. 450; that of Wessex 
c. 500, i.e, only about 77 years before St. Augustine’s mission. 
It is therefore hardly credible that Christianity could have 
totally disappeared in so short an interval. From this considera- 
tion we can better understand how St. Martin’s Church at 
Canterbury was restored for the use of Ethelbert’s Queen, and 
still exists ; as also does the Castle Church of Dover, which is 
generally believed, from the rudeness of its detail, to have been 
the work of native workmen after the withdrawal of the Roman 
garrison. From these survivals to the present day, we may fairly 
surmise that St. Augustine found (perhaps) hundreds of churches 
in the country, possibly dilapidated, but capable of repair. 

To the W. and N.W. of the island (especially in Wales) we 
know that Christianity was never extinguished, and even now 
there are Brito-Roman buildings extant, in part, at any rate ; as 
for instance, St. Pirans Church (Perran-zabuloe), in Cornwall, and 
possibly the little known St. Trillo’s Chapel, on the seashore, 
about two miles E. of the Little Orme’s Head in N. Wales; 
a building which I have the authority of Mr. M. H. Eloxam in 
assigning to early in the 6th century, and thus uninfluenced by 
St. Augustine and his mission. Another fact to which sufficient 
attention has not been paid is the way that the majority of the 
Cornish and Welsh Churches are dedicated to local saints of 
these early times, whose names are unknown elsewhere, and thus 
pointing to a continuous existence from their foundation. 

Now, though this civilization and architectural tradition is of 
such ancient date, I think its influence is still to be seen even in 
the present day ; but to this subject I shall have to return later 
on. Mr. Fergusson, in his most useful handbook of Architecture, 
makes the very just observation that in the churches of the 


365 


Latin races the principal doorway faced the high altar ; whereas 
in those of the Teutonic races lateral entrances mostly prevailed. 

Here, in England, from the peculiarities of our early history, 
we find the two arrangements striving for the mastery, and in 
the end often combined in the same building. 

If we examine carefully the ground plans of our great Cathe- 
drals, Minsters, and Monastic churches, we shall find that the 
position of doorways in them is not accidental, but follows certain 
intelligible general rules, which I will try to point out, and then 
proceed to those of our parochial churches, which, having less 
complex requirements, have not the same variety as the larger 
buildings. 

For the sake of clearness of arrangement it will be well to 
classify our subject as follow :—I., Secular Minsters ; II., Augus- 
tinian ditto ; III., Benedictine Abbeys; IV., Cistercian Abbeys ; 
V., Parish Churches. 

Of course, this does not comprise the numerous Carthusian, 
Franciscan, and other minor religious houses, the examination and 
classification of which would be highly interesting, but would 
take up more time and space than their relative importance 
demands. The above-mentioned classes will be quite enough for 
our consideration at present. 

In the larger buildings comprised in classes I.—IV. the door- 
ways may be sub-divided into three main groups, to which a few 
exceptional arrangements (to be noted hereafter) may be added. 
These are A, Western; B, Lateral (ie. flanking the nave) ; 
C, Transeptal. 

First in importance is undoubtedly the triple west doorway— 
an importation from France, and that not till the middle of the 
12th century. This is a happy combination of the useful with 
the dignified which cannot be well surpassed. I do not con- 
sider the sub-division of the central doorway by a shaft, as at 
York, Winchester, and, I believe, formerly at Bath, to be more 
than a mode of ornamenting the entrance, uot a structural 


366 


variation. The triple W. doorway is, however, almost entirely 
confined to class I., though there are instances in class II. (a9. 
Ripon, to be considered later) and in class HI., Peterborough, 
Winchester, Bath, and Durham (though the latter requires an 
explanation which will exclude it). In class 1V., as far as I 
know, it is not to be found. 

The reason why I assign the middle of the 12th century for 
the introduction of this arrangement is that the earliest instance 
we have is at Lincoln Cathedral. Here, the central portion of 
the west facade (to judge from the wide-jointed masonry—an . 
infallible test of 11th century work) is the work of Bishop 
Remigius (1067—1092) ; and, from excavations made about five 
years ago, it was conclusively proved that this originally had 
no west doorways at all, but was entered in all probability 
under the rich quasi-transeptal gables that project N. and S. 
from the west towers, although the structural alterations of 
the 13th century have completely obliterated such entrances. The 
triple portals were insertions by Bishop Alexander (1123—1148), 
and in one instance show faint traces of Transitional detail, thus 
placing the work at the extreme end of his episcopate. 

Where we do find triple portals, as at Salisbury, Wells, Lich- 
field, and even in the great Metropolitical Church of York, 
where everything else is on so large a scale, they are noteworthy 
for their comparative insignificance, when we remember the huge 
‘cavernous west portals of French cathedrals—often their most 
striking external feature.* 

In class II. (Augustinian Minsters) the arrangement at 
‘Ripon is altogether exceptional, and for its size is by far the 
grandest design in England. Here the three portals are closely 


* This is the more remarkable since, as Canon Ellacombe (who was 
in the chair when this Paper was read) observed, the round-arched 
doorways in our English churches are infinitely finer and grander 
than the corresponding ones in France, 


367 


grouped, and open side by side into what originally was a wide 
aisleless nave, having west towers projecting N. and S., as at 
Wells. It was only at the end of the 15th century (almost 
contemporary with the rebuilding of the Abbey here) that the 
present side aisles were added. The only instance at all similar 
is the 9th century nave of Beauvais Cathedral (La basse euvre), 
which has three west doorways closely grouped, and opening into 
the centre aisle. It is possible that, as Archbishop Roger, the 
builder of the nave of Ripon (though the actual west front was 
carried out by his successor Archbishop Walter Gray), came 
from Pont lEvéque, this arrangement may have been a tra- 
ditional one in the Seine valley and neighbourhood in early days, 
At Beverley, and a few others, there is a central and one side 
doorway, but the rule is to have only one west doorway. 

In class III. (Benedictine Abbeys) in early Norman days there 
was no west doorway at all, e.g. Worcester (where the west front is 
entirely modern) and Romsey ; though we find one at Rochester, 
but of so decidedly a French type that it looks as if it had been 
imported bodily from Burgundy—so far is it from following the 
usual English treatment. In all other extant Norman west 
fronts there is but one central doorway to be found. 

The only exceptions in class III., in later times, are Peter- 
borough, early 13th century (where the whole west front is 
unique) ; Winchester, 15th century (where the Norman nave was 
shortened by nearly two bays); St. Albans (an unfinished 13th 
century design, which has survived only to be murdered by Lord 
Grimthorpe in the 19th), and Bath, a 16th century rebuilding. 

Durham seems to be an exception in having three west door- 
ways ; but the side ones were only pierced by Bishop Langley 
in the 15th century to give access to the Galilee (Lady) Chapel; 
at which time the central doorway (the former entrance) was 
closed by -screen-work and an altar, until the present century. 

In class IV. (Cistercian Abbeys) a single west doorway was, I 
believe, the invariable rule. 


368 


B, LareraL DoorwAys.—These may be sub-divided into two 
groups ; viz., 1st—Those available for the laity frequenting the 
building ; and 2nd—Those communicating with the Cloisters 
and the private buildings of the clergy. 

1st.—In classes I., II. and IIL, we find these people’s door- 
ways, as a rule, the grandest feature of the church, and they would 
appear to be survivals of the early Teutonic custom of having no 
west entrance, but sometimes even a west apse, as it is on record 
once existed at Canterbury. 

They usually had a porch projecting some 20 or 30 feet 
(generally of two bays), with a chamber above, to which various 
uses have been assigned. At Durham (destroyed by the sacrilegious 
hand of Wyatt) this chamber was occupied by two monks night 
and day, who watched for and admitted any who came and 
claimed sanctuary. 

This doorway and porch was usually on the N., side of 
the church—the 8. being a more convenient position for the 
Cloisters and other premises belonging to the clergy, nestling 
under the shelter of the high walls of the nave ; but occasionally, 
as at Canterbury, Gloucester, Chester, and Malmesbury, these 
positions were for local reasons reversed. At Canterbury the 
‘“‘Suthe dure,” in the same position as at present, is recorded as 
the principal entrance long before the Conquest. 

This porch is usually in the second bay from the west, but in 
class I, we find it sometimes half-way up the nave (the result of 
the early nave having probably been lengthened at some re- 
building). In class IL. it is often in the third bay, and in class ITI. 
in the first bay. 

In class IV., to the best of my recollection, with the exception 
of Kirkstall, such a lateral doorway is not to be found; but 
this may be accounted for by the fact that the Cistercian were 
never otherwise than alien houses, exempt from episcopal visita- 
tion, and did not follow old English customs in the matter of 
ground plan—not to mention that it is very doubtful whether the 


369 


laity, beyond those immediately connected with the domain, were, 
according to the original intentions of the foundation, ever 
admitted to the church at all. 

Qnd—The doorways communicating with the Cloisters are 

common to almost all buildings of classes II., IH. and IV., and 
in all cases hold pretty nearly the same relative positions. As I 
mentioned above, they are usually to the S., but exceptions are 
found, caused by some peculiarity of the sites chosen for the 
religious houses. 
_ The more eastern of the two doorways is usually in the bay 
adjoining the great transept, and opens opposite the east walk of 
the Cloister; but there are the following exceptions to be 
noted ; viz., Canterbury, where the east doorway opens out of 
the transept (facing the south walk), an arrangement entirely 
exceptional, as far as I know, in a religious house, and this 
is little more than a postern. That this is its original position 
we know from the records of the Martyrdom of St. Thomas of 
Canterbury. At Peterborough, both east and west doorways 
are one bay, within the. lines of the corresponding walks. This 
would lead us to infer that originally the transept had a west 
aisle, as at Ely and Winchester, and that the Cloister garth was 
smaller, At Westminster, the exact opposite is the case. The 
east walk of the Cloister is, as it were, cut out of the west aisle 
of the transept, showing that there was no west aisle to the 
older church. 

The westernmost doorway is usually opposite the great porch (or, 
more strictly speaking, the west Cloister doorway rules the position 
of that opposite) and depends for its position on the size of the 
Cloister garth, and not on its distance from the west front which, 
in the great eastern cathedrals of Norwich, Ely, Peterborough 
and St, Albans, is often carried many bays west of the Cloister. 

Between these two doorways there was a cousiderable difference 
both in size and treatment in class III., but their richness of 
detail does not correspond with their size, The smaller were 


370 


much richer in ornament and were called the Abbots’ (or, in 
cathedral churches, the Priors’) doorways, while the larger, or 
Monk’s, doorways were not so ornate. Their relative positions 
depended on whether the Monk’s day room (with dormitory above) 
lay on the west side of the Cloisters, as at Durham, Worcester, 
Norwich, Winchester and others; or on the east side, as at Wesmin- 
ster, Canterbury, Bath, Gloucester, Tewkesbury, &c., in which 
case the Abbot’s (or Prior’s) house occupied the west side. 

In class IV. (Cistercians) the west doorway was for the use 
of the Conversi (or lay brothers), who were onlv admitted to the 
western parts of the nave; the eastern one was for the Monks. 
The Abbot’s entrance led direct from his house, which lay to 
the south east of the great transept, as at Fountains. 

In a few cases in class II. (eg. Ripon) we find no trace of a 
Cloister or its doorways, unless in this case it followed the example 
of Wells and a few other secular churches, and had no walk under 
the wall of the nave—the east walk ending with the north 
transept doorway. There is a 16th century doorway towards 
the west end of the nave which may have corresponded with an 
earlier one in Archbishop Roger’s nave before the aisles were 
added. This, however, is merely conjectural. There is no 
evidence one way or the other beyond what I have here stated. 
These remarks lead us to our 3rd division. 

C, TRANSEPTAL Doorways.—In France, these give some of 
the most striking features of the larger churches, and only 
slightly fall short of those at the W. in size and grandeur, ¢.9., 
Amiens, Chartres, Paris, Rheims, Rouen (both the Cathedral 
and St. Ouen) ; but in England, where they are found at all; 
they are, comparatively, quite insignificant. We only find them 
in classes I. and II., and here they are quite subordinate features 
of the elevation. In the larger churches of class I. they are 
placed ‘under the apex of the gable, while in the smaller ones 
and in class IL they are usually close to the west wall, 09-4 
Southwell, Beverley, Carlisle, Ripon, &c. 


371 


In class I. it is not uncommon to find a doorway of some 
importance opening through the south bay of the west wall, 
e.g., at Lincoln, into the Galilee porch, and at Salisbury into the 
Cloisters. In each case, they were the state entrances for the 
Bishop, though at Lincoln, when the choir was lengthened, another 
was substituted near the high altar. 

In class III. transeptal doorways are never found, with one 
remarkable exception, viz., Westminster Abbey ; where that in the 
north transept (triple in plan, though the east one is unpierced) 
is a thoroughly French design, carried out with purely English 
details. Perhaps the reason for this exceptional arrangement 
lies in the fact that this north transept abutted on the Royal 
Palace, and consequently was the state entrance for the King. 

In class IV. Strata Florida Abbey, in S. Wales, shows a doorway 
in the centre of the north wall of the transept, but this is the 
only instance that I am aware of. 

‘ In addition to these, as exceptional arrangements, I may 
mention the great south doorway at Lincoln (spoken of above), 
giving access to the Palace, the College of Vicars’ Choral, and 
(together with a less important one opposite) to the Prebendal 
houses in the Close. We have doorways in nearly similar positions 
at Hereford, leading through a short Cloister to the College of 
Vicars’ Choral, and at Chichester into the east walk of the 
Cloisters. At Lincoln, also, a doorway leads from the N.E. 
transept to the Cloisters. Besides these important doorways, 
we find small posterns in various positions, which either led to 
buildings now destroyed or were convenient means of access 
from the surrounding precincts. 

Such is a brief summary of the doorways to be found in our 
larger churches, classified as I., II., III. and IV. 

In our numerous parish churches, class V., we find endless 
varieties of arrangement, from the small village church, consisting 
of an aisleless nave and chancel, to the large semi-collegiate or 
semi-monastic building, which is a combination of the Minster 


372 


and parish church, In all, however, notwithstanding. some 
marked exceptions of particular periods, we find the lateral 
doorway to be the principal one, even if there be a west one as 
well ; and we often find, in by no means large churches, both 
north, south, and west doorways of pretty nearly the same date. 

The position of the principal doorway (whether lateral or 
western) depends, to a great extent, upon the date of the 
original foundation of the church. 

To explain my meaning, I may say broadly that when there are 
any traces of work previous to the reign of Edward the Con- 
fessor (the real introducer of the Norman style), we find the 
tower almost invariably at the west end of the nave, into which 
it opens through a low narrow arch (sometimes merely a square- 
headed doorway); but the west wall is unpierced by a coeval 
doorway, though such piercing often took place in the 12th and 
later centuries, but rarely for a principal one. 

With Norman influence, about the middle of the 11th century, 
a great revolution in the ground plan of our churches was 
introduced. In lieu of single west towers and Jateral portals, flanking 
west towers, as at Melbourne, in Derbyshire, or a single one 
between nave and chancel, either with or without transepts, as 
at Iffley, near Oxford, and Englishcombe, became the rule ; but 
if the church was a rebuilding on old foundations, the lateral 
doorway was generally preserved (with a porch) of equal or 
greater importance, as a sort of survival from the previous style. 

We may gather from this that the lateral entrance was in 
accordance with the old English and Teutonic custom, in contra- 
distinction to the Norman, and that when the architectural 
influence of the latter race waned (as it most undoubtedly did by 
the middle of the 12th century), the west doorway, though not 
exterminated, sank into comparative insignificance. 

As in the greater churches above considered, we usually find 
the lateral doorways in the last or penultimate bay of the nave. 
Where this is not the case, and the doorway is found further east, in 


373 


existing buildings, we may often gather from this abnormal position 
that the building has been lengthened westwards. For instance, 
at Ashchurch, near Tewkesbury, we find a very fine late Norman 
doorway exactly central between the tower and chancel ; but a 
close examination of the exterior rubble walling W. of the 
porch reveals a straight joint, showing how the church had been 
lengthened in the 14th century. Why, in such a case, the 
doorway was not moved westwards is obvious when we consider 
that when a walk leads through a graveyard to a doorway 
(especially if it be to the main one) the graves cluster thickly 
on either side, and in course of time there comes an accumulation 
of soil on either hand, till the path becomes a sunken one. 
If then, in consequence of the lengthening of the building, the 
doorway were to be moved westward, a fresh path would have 
to be made, and the consequent disturbance of many graves 
and tombs would ensue. This would naturally be avoided, 
except in case of absolute necessity. 

When the original church had no aisles, and in later days 
these were added, we often find the early doorway re-inserted in 
the later aisle-wall in the same relative position, so as to cause as 
little change as possible in the approaching footpath. 

To sum up, and if possible to apply the lessons to be Sapherad 
from these observations, we may conclude that in the early Brito- 
Roman churches and in their lineal successors (to judge from the 
ground plans surviving in the Keltic districts of Great Britain 
and Ireland), the principal doorway (if not the only one) was to 
the W., facing the altar. 

This is one among other features which point to a barbarous 
development of the Basilican arrangement, strongly influenced 
however by that Eastern (Ephesian) element, which showed itself 
so markedly in our ancient office books, and which is, to this day, 
perpetuated in the square east end of our churches—a feature 
universal here (except from 1042—1150 at latest), yet quite 
exceptional in any other part of W. Europe. With the revival 


374 


of Christianity after St. Augustine’s mission, when church 
building became extensive, a plain west wall (or sometimes a 
west apse, as at Canterbury), and, in later times, a west tower 
unpierced with any external doorway became customary—as we 
find in the early Rhenish churches—and lateral doorways became 
the prevailing use. We may, therefore, take it for certain that 
an early tower at the west end of the nave is not later than 
1050, while many are a century or two earlier. Where we find 
a very small village church, consisting of an aisleless nave and 
chancel (often without a chancel arch), with west entrance only, 
it is, I believe, a survival in ground plan, if not in actual work 
and detail, of the Brito-Roman style, and may very possibly stand 
on such early foundations. Such churches are common enough 
in all the Keltic parts of Great Britain and Ireland, and are to be 
also found, though not so commonly, in the more Teutonic parts. 

We are expressly told that Archbishop Wilfrid built his. 
church at Ripon “ more Romano.” All that remains of this church 
is the crypt, almost identical in position, design, and dimensions, 
with that in his sister foundation at Hexham. Now both these 
crypts are rectangular and have their principal entrances to the 
W. If, in the same way, a west entrance was used in the super- 
structure it may possibly account for the description of its having 
been built “ more Romano.” 

We may observe that the west towers of early churches 
opened into their naves through doorways too low and too 
narrow to admit of a funeral procession passing through; so that, 
even when these towers were pierced in later times for external 
doorways, they could rarely have been intended for principal 
entrances. 

In considering all these various modes of treatment of door- 
ways in their several classes in connection with the history of 
the buildings of which they form so necessary a part, we must 
ever bear in mind they were erected, primarily for use—for 
ornament quite in a secondary degree. Such a triple portal as 


379 


that at Ripon is the only instance I can call to mind where the 
idea of ornament seems more prominent than that of utility. It 
is, however, so graceful, and withal so dignified, that it disarms 
the criticism of mere utilitarianism. 

Many theories have been held in different districts as to 
whether the N. or S. should be the chief entrance. These are 
often very ingenious, but to my mind they do not account for 
the variation half so plainly as the simple question of situation, 
nearness to highroads, houses, &c. 

Iam afraid my paper has run to undue lengths, but I should 
like, if I may, to say a few words respecting Bath Abbey, in 
connection with what I have been just saying. 

In its present condition it is a building thoroughly abnormal 
in ground plan, and unfortunately we have little to guide us 
as to the original design. Bishop de Villula’s Church had 
probably a single west entrance, but whether its west front coin- 
cided with the present one I have never been able to learn for 
certain, though I have a strong suspicion-that the lower parts of 
the turrets on which are carved the ladders and angels are 
Norman in core, There was probably a people’s door, with a porch, 
opposite the present south door of the nave. 

This south door, adjoining the ancient Palace of de Villula, 
which afterwards became the Prior’s lodging, must have been 
the Prior’s doorway, opening into the west walk of the Cloisters, 
while the corresponding Monks’ doorway must have been that 
of the present vestry. 

But here comes the difficulty. If the north waik of the 
Cloisters lay close under the aisle wall (as is the case in every 
Benedictine house in England, to the best of my knowledge) the 
question arises; How is one to get over the difficulty of the 
projection of the transept right through the line of the walk ? 

After having constantly had it in my thoughts for the past 
three years, and after having considered theory after theory only 
to discard them as failing to satisfy necessary requirements all 


376 


round, I have at last formed an opinion which I put forward 
with great diffidence ; for, though it may be satisfactory to my 
own mind, it does not follow that it may be equally so to others. 
I therefore give you full leave to criticise and pull it to pieces 
as you please. 

I believe, then, that de Villula’s Church had no transepts 
proper, that it covered the same ground as at present up to the 
existing east end; that beyond this there was an apse, a procession 
path, and circlet of chapels—the present east end marking the 
chord of the apse. 

Further, I believe this building had no central tower, as at 
present ; but, like Exeter Cathedral and Ottery St. Mary’s, it had 
two towers flanking the building on the site of the present 
transepts, and marking the division between nave and choir. 
We know that in the late Norman or Transitional choir, built 
by Archbishop Roger at York, there were two flanking towers, 
which, when the choir and Lady Chapel were extended and 
rebuilt in the late 14th century, were absorbed into the building 
in the form of transeptal-bays, only projecting as far as the aisle 
walls, but, in other respects, the counterparts of the transepts of 
Bath, but with earlier details. 

The lower story of the southern tower I once thought had been 
pierced for the Cloister walk to pass through, but I have had 
reasons of late, as I shall presently show, to modify this opinion, 
We know, however, that the south bay of this transept was not 
built above the lower window sills till about 1610, when all 
need for a Monastic Cloister had passed away, and by that time ~ 
the central tower had been erected. 

The common opinion that the existing building is merely the 
nave of the earlier church, and that eastwards of it lay transepts, 
choir, &c., I cannot accept as possible, for the following reasons.* 


ee ia ee eer 
_ *Iam here speaking of de Villula’s erection. There is reason to 
believe that a considerable extension eastward was made before the 
end of the 12th century. 


377 


1st.—Between the east end of the present church and the city 
wall there is not room enough for transepts, choir, apse, procession- 
path and chapels, unless we suppose the east end came quite close 
to the city wall, which is unlikely to have been the case in the 
11th century, whatever may have been done in more settled 
times, especially as there was plenty of ground on which to build 
westwards towards Stall Street. 

2nd.—The two turrets that flank the present east window are 
Norman, as we can see by the way they push out of their proper 
position the arches over the east windows of the aisles. We 
see the same derangement at the same place in the choir aisles 
at Durham (c. 1074), though the turrets have disappeared. 
Turrets in this position, 7.¢., at the chord of the apse, are not 
uncommon in Norman work, as we can see at Peterborough and 
Gloucester ; but they are unheard of in the angles between the 
nave and transepts, as would have been their position according 
to the popular theory. 

3rd.—The position of the doorway, east of the vestry, can only 
be accounted for on the supposition that it is that of the ancient 
Sacristy—a suitable and customary place for it if the high altar 
stood at, or near, its present site; but incongruous and incon- 
venient in the extreme if it stood some hundred feet further east, 
as it must have done if we accept the popular theory. 

4th.—In the bays, east of this doorway, we find on the exterior 
the plinth is raised some 18 inches. This probably marks the 
rise of the Sacrarium floor. If this aisle here was merely that 
of the nave, there would be no need for such a change of level, 
especially as of old the grownd sunk east of the present transept. 

5th.—The fact that the Norman turrets and adjoining arches 
(above referred to) were preserved, and worked into the new build- 
ing, seems to point to the inference that when the new work was 
taken in hand, the Norman apse was still standing, and was not 
removed till the new choir was complete. Then the arch across 
the chord of the apse, which sprang at the level of the second set- 


378 


off on the outside (as a break in the masonry shows), was removed, 
and the great east window was placed to fill in the gap as a 
makeshift (as we can see by the exterior straight-joint running 
down on either side between it and the turrets). At the same 
time, as all apparent need for side chapels was at an end, the 
apse, &c., were destroyed, and the east doorways and windows 
inserted in the aisles blocking up the Norman arches. 

6th.—There is just the springing of a semi-circular arch to be 
seen at the east extremity of the north aisle (against which a 
17th century buttress has been built), and an old engraving shows 
a similar one on the south, which could not have anyhow had to 
do with a transept, but may well have opened into'the western- 
most of the circlet of chapels on either side. 

It has been suggested that these arches opened into the west 
aisles of the transept. If that be so, the section of these arches 
being considerably wider in span (if they were semi-circular) 
than those adjoining across the nave aisles, it would follow that 
the transepts had wider aisles than the nave, which is contrary 
to my experience, nor do they rake with the arches that would 
spring from the piers whose bases are exposed at the east end. 

If the above arches were pointed they must belong to the 
later work, and may have in that case opened into a low transept, 
like the eastern one at Wells. 

For these reasons I must discard the popular theory as to the 
site of the high altar. 

Since reading this Paper, a plan, dated 1725, has been shown to 
me that clearly marks out the square of the Cloister. It gives its 
dimensions as abcut 110 feet each way. Its north walk, unlike 
that of any other Benedictine house in England, as far as I can 
learn, was not against the wall of the church, but clear of the 
transept, and connected with the church by short passages of 
about the dimensions of the present vestry. The east walk, 
owing to a fall in the ground, was at a lower level by 
about 3 feet. | 


379 


It would appear that in the Transition period the procession 
path and chapels were pulled down, and a building of the same 
width as that to the W. was extended nearly to the city wall, 
terminating in a square east end. The bases exposed at the east 
end are, I believe, those of the junction of the extension with 
the apse ; the large round base of the pier being that of the 
arch of the apse, the two smaller members being those of the 

extension. 

' T fear I have been too long and tired out your patience by 
giving you many words and little matter. I thank you for your 
kind attention, and await with interest your criticisms on what I 
feel to be a venture beyond my power to handle as it deserves. 


Bath Lay Subsidies, Henry IV. to Henry VIII. By EMANUEL 
GREEN, F.S.A. 


(Read 9th January, 1889 ). 


In my Paper read last year, a notice was given of all the 
earliest documents preserved in the Record Office relating to the 
taxation of Bath, leading up to the Poll Tax of Richard 11., who 
died in 1399. In continuation, all other Subsidy Rolls, dating 
from the time of Henry IV., A.D. 1400, to the end of the reign of 
Henry VIII, a.p. 1547, are now examined, thus exhausting the 
returns of this class to the last named date. Unlike a Poll Tax 
a Subsidy was a tax on property, so that whilst the former 
helped us to some speculations as to the population of its time 
and their occupations, the latter will aid towards a realisation of 
the value of the principal properties and give us the names of 
the leading inhabitants. 

The first document to be noticed is one of the second year of 
Henry IV., 1401, entitled the account of John Marreys and 
John Pochon, collectors of a tenth of all moveable goods of 

A 


380 


the laity in the city of Bath and the suburbs of the same; 
one half being payable at the Feast of the Holy Trinity and 
the other half at the Feast of All Saints next following. 
The amount received for the first half and duly paid into the 
Exchequer, was £6 13s. 4d., the receipt stating that the particu- 
lars relating to the same were “contained in a certain schedule 
deposited in the Treasury.”* In 1416, 4 Henry V., John Huett 
and Richard Honybrugge were collectors of two-tenths granted 
by Parliament at Westminster, payable one whole tenth and half- 
a-tenth at the Feast of the Purification, the other half-tenth at 
the Feast St. Martin next following. The receipt accounts for 
£26 13s. 4d. for the whole two-tenths.t To these receipts are 
usually added the names of a Baron of the Exchequer and a clerk, 
as auditors, the document being then cancelled by drawing a pen 
across it. The schedules of particulars are in neither of the above 
cases now to be found. In 7 Henry V., 1419, Thomas Martyn 
of Bath, and Thomas Holbrook of Bath, webber, were collectors 
of a whole-tenth and the third part of a tenth, and duly 
accounted for the sum of £17 15s. 644d.,t being £13 6s. 8d. 
for the tenth and £4 8s. 1044d. for the third. In 1429, 
8 Henry VI., William Hoggekyns and John Hereford, in response 
to a writ dated 28 August, accounted for two whole-tenths ; one 
payable on the morrow of St. Hillary and the other on the 
octave of St. Martin in the following year. The amount, 
£26 13s, 4d., was duly received of the Burgesses and other men 
of the city ‘‘ que est de antiquo dominico Regis.”§ Seventeen 
years later, in 1446, 24 Henry VI., William Hogekyns again, 
with now William Drayton, accounted for £20 for a tenth and 
half-a-tenth, by writ dated 16 July; the tenth payable at the 
Feast of St. Martin in winter next following, and the half at 
the same feast in the next year.|| 


* Subsidies Lay 169—56 Somerset. t+ Subsidies 169—71. 
t Subsidies 169—74, § Subsidies 169—84. || Subsidies 169—97. 


381 


For the defence of the realm, in 1449, 27 Henry VI., the 
“poure communes by his commaundment” granted half a 
quinzisme and half a disme, there being now a reservation of 
£3,000 to be deducted for the “relief and coumfort of pouere 
townes desolate, wasted and destroyed, or to the said quinzisme 
and disme too greatly charged or too greatly empoverished.” 
Accordingly, in response to the above writ to them directed,* 
Richard Kokesale and William Bushell gathered in from the city 
of Bath two halves of a fifteenth and tenth, the first half paid 
at the Feast of St. Martin in winter next following, half of the 
other half at St. Martin in 1450 and the other half of this half 
at the same Feast in 1451. The amount acknowledged was 
again £13 6s. 8d.t It may be noticed here that, notwithstanding 
the new expression in the writ of a fifteenth and tenth instead 
of a tenth only, the amount received was the same. The tenth 
was the tax levied on cities, the fifteenth was for counties. 

In 1453, 31 Henry VI., by writ dated 12th June, Hugh 
Coleynges and John Were were appointed collectors of a fifteenth 
and tenth payable half at the next Feast of St. Martin and half 
at the same Feast in the next year ; also for half a fifteenth and 
tenth payable half at the Purification and half at the Feast of St. 
John Baptist next after; the whole amount being £20, The 
return seems not to have been made until 1455 after the whole 
‘was collected.§ Six thousand pounds were to be set aside for 
decayed cities, &c., as before. 

The office of collector was not apparently altogether a com- 
fortable one, being not only objectionable to the taxed, but also, 
as two were always appointed, there was a chance that one of 
these may prove dishonest. 

In 1421, 9 Henry V., a remedy was attempted to enable 
collectors to protect themselves. The statute, in Norman French, 


* Subsidies 169—99. +t Subsidies 169—98, 101. 
{ Subsidies 169—103.  § Subsidies 169—104, 


382 


records that divers collectors of dismes and quinzismes had by 
brocage and subtlety absented themselves, so that the honest and 
true men when they brought their gathering could not get an 
acquittance, but on the contrary, were charged to find the whole 
sum due or in default were sent to prison, or their lands and 
tenements seized. The remedy conceded was the power to 
proceed against the dishonest “by action of debt and double 
damages,” a proceeding which must have been as bad, or worse, 
than the trespass. These difficulties were increased by the 
exactions of the officers or clerks in the Exchequer. So great 
was this oppression that in 1455 a prayer was made to the 
Commons for protection against the extortion of these men who 
“take fees and wagez of you for theym and their clerkez in 
grete and outrageous yefts for doyng of thaire offices ayenst 
all reason and conscience, and their office will not doo to the 
deliveraunce of your accomptauntz, till they have suche out- 
rageous fees and yifts. The which causen Shiryves and others to 
take outrageous and excessive fees for their offices doyng, to the 
grete hurt and destruction of all your said liege people.” The 
result was a statute by which the fees of the Exchequer were 
determined, so that the officers and others who “ take fees and 
wages of the King for their work ” should not also extort excessive 
gifts from the sheriffs or others in counties. 

In 1460, after a reign of thirty-eight years, Henry VI. had to 
give way to Edward IV. In 3 Edward IV., 1463, Andrew 
Dedford and Thomas Wyther were collectors for Bath of a 
fifteenth and tenth granted for ten years, the usual £6,000 for 
poor cities to be deducted. The amount received from the 
Counts, Barons, Magistrates, Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of 
Bath, was, as before, £13 6s. 8d.* In 8 Edward IV., 1468, 
William Walley and William Walker were collectors for two 
whole tenths, to be collected in moieties in 1468 and 1469, and 


* Subsidies 169—111. 


383 


they accounted accordingly for two moieties and for £6 13s. 4d. 
for a third moiety.* 

After a reign of ten years, in 1470, Edward IV. had to give 
way to Henry VI., who reigned until 1471 only, when the battle 
of Barnet drove him finally from the throne, and Edward IV. 
returned. For the present purpose, however, neither appears 
again ; there are no Bath Lay Subsidy receipts for these dates. 

The accession of Henry VII. in 1485, settled all the long 
existing disputes. In his third year, 1487, the “ pore commens” 
granted two whole fifteenths and tenths, “to be taken and levied 
of the moveable goodes and cattalles and other thynges of the 
lay people in forme as aforetime used ;” £6,000 to be retained as 
before, for the relief of decayed towns. The collectors for Bath 
were, for the first of the two-tenths, William Walley and John 
Geffrey, and for the second William Wodeward and John 
Graunsyre, as returned by the oaths of William Walley and 
William Walcer formerly collectors.t 

In 1491, 7 Henry VII., calling to mind the “ great zeal, love, 
and tenderness ” of the King to defend the realm, the Parliament 
granted two whole-fifteenths-and-tenths, with the usual exception 
for places decayed ; collectors were now to be discharged of all 
fees due to the Exchequer. The collectors for Bath were Richard 
Lacy and Laurence Lech for the first of the two, and for the 
second, which was paid in 1492, Stephen Cuovke and Edward 
Broughton. t 

The manner or plan of procedure was, first certain commis- 
sioners or assessors were nominated by the “persons of the 
city coming to the Parliament,” and these having found and 
determined the amounts to be received appointed collectors, 
who were ordered to charge only the amounts named in the 
assessment. 


* Subsidies 169—113, 115. +t Subsidies 169—120, 121, 122. 
t Subsidy 169—127, 128. 


384 


In 1496, 12 Henry VII., when a grant of two Subsidies was 
made as a guard against the “cruell malyce of the Scottis,” the 
commissioners for Bath were Laurence Leche, Robert Batyn, 
William Tyler, and John Cokkis. They appointed as collectors 
John Chapman, touker, and John Slugge, baker,* who in turn 
appointed as sub-collectors, John Gypbons and John Gunner, 
for the first grant, and for the second grant Richard Herst 
and Thomas Chapman, who duly accounted for the usual old 
sum of £13 6s. 8d.,+ as being raised from certain persons of the 
city having land, tenements, possessions, or hereditaments, of 
the value of xxs. per annum not being liable for spiritual tithes, 
and from certain persons having goods and chattels of the value 
of ten mares. 

There being, unfortunately, no schedules of particulars now 
remaining attached to any of the forgoing returns, much desired 
information is lost to us. The very old gross valuation of about 
£133 as existing since 1340 being retained, if the number of 
people taxable had increased the amount levied on each must 
have decreased, the amount to be paid to the Exchequer being 
always the same, as was also the gross amount of the Subsidy 
granted, viz., £37,000. 

We come now, however, to a time when some changes occur, 
and these documents, hitherto so uniform, are more full in detail 
and consequently, more interesting. 

In February, 1516, 7 Henry VIII., the Parliament granted a 
Subsidy of £110,000, just three times the former amount, to be 
raised from lands, tenements, goods, chattels, wages and profit 
from wages ; lands “ dymable” only excepted. The collectors for 
Bath were Henry Cabell and Thomas Weste, who, proceeding 
upon the old lines, accounted for the receipt of the old amount, 
the usual £13 6s. 8d.t Others presumably did the same, so 


* Subsidies 169—130, 131. + Subsidies 169—132. 
t Subsidies 169—138. 


385 


that the money received falling short of the amount to be raised, 
another collection was ordered. The reason assigned for this 
Subsidy, which was to be paid yearly for four years, was the 
hostile conduct of the French King—remembering our own 
King’s “royall viage with puissant army” into France and his 
“intendyng further pursuite of his noble enterprise of reducing 
Louis, the late French King” from the ‘“‘scisme and division of 
Christendome unto due obedience of the See Apostolique.” The 
charge was no longer a tenth. All lands, tenements, rents, 
revenues, annuities, or profits, paid one shilling in the pound. All 
coin, plate, stock of merchandise, household stuff, and goods and 
chattels moveable—except apparel, jewels of gold and money 
owing—paid one shilling in the pound for £20 and upwards, 
under £20 and down to 40s. every pound paid sixpence. Aliens 
in every case paid double. 

Every mar of sixteen years of age and above, worth forly 
shillings in goods, or in daily or weekly wages up to twenty 
shillings or above and having no other substance taxable, paid 
fourpence. Aliens, taking neither wages nor profits, nor having 
either goods or chattels, paid eightpence. Heads of monasteries 
were charged for their servants; but care was ordered for all the 
privileges of Holy Church, nothing in any wise hurtful to be 
done. Sometimes separate returns were made of the aliens, 
these, no doubt, helping the authorities to a knowledge of their 
number. 

The commissioners first called to their assistance such in- 
habitants as they chose and then administered the following 
oath :—“I shall trully enquyre wyth my fellowes that shalbe 
sworn with me of the best and moost value and substaunce of 
every person dwellyng or abydyng withyn my lymytes, without 
any concealment, favour, love, affection, dread or malice, so God 
me help, and all Sayntes by this book.” Aided thus, they made 
their assessment, the result being the following interesting 
documents. 


386 


If every man of substance be thus returned we shall have a 
fair census of the wealthy of the city in the time of Henry VIII. ; 
as by the Poll Tax given last year we had of the population, 
the indigent excepted, in the reign of Richard II. To bring 
the amounts to about our own currency they may be multiplied 
by twenty. 

By Indenture of 30th November, 1523, 15 Henry VIII., John 
Kent, mayor, Thomas Chapman, Thomas Styll, John Byrde, and 
Geffraye Francombe being “citesyunes” of the city, and the 
Recorder of the same, were appointed commissioners for the 
levy of the first payment.* They in turn having made their 
assessment, deputed Thomas Chapleigh and John Cheppman 
“inhabitaunts there” to be high collectors, to “receyve, per- 
ceyve, and take” of every Ward the particular sums contained 
in “ fyve foiles” as sealed with the seal, and signed with the sign 
manual of the foresaid commissioners, which ‘‘ oon certeyne sum 
of monie by anticipation amounteth to xljli. viijs. vjd.” As 
near as possible three times the old amount. 

The two high collectors appointed as sub-collector, William 
Rumsey, who, being duly sworn, made a return on one file of 
apparently only the five commissioners, H. Cavell being sub- 
stituted for J. Byrde, viz. :— 

Thomas Cheppman, cc. mares in goods ; for 

the King ae w. Vila. xiijs. iiijd. 
Thomas Style, clz. in goods ; for the King cs. 
Geffrey Francam, xl/z.in goods ;forthe King xls. 
Henry Cavell, xlli. in goods ; for the King xls, 
John Kentt, cc. mares in goods; for the 

Kirg ; ase »-- © Vile. xiljs, i1ijd. 

Total :—xxij/z. vjs. viijd. 

The sum actually paid to the Treasury was—xxijli. vijs. iiijd., 

the receipt attached being noted, sic h’ent surplus viijd. 


* Subsidies 169—141. —_ + Subsidies 169, 179. 


387 


This document has a further special interest as it is the first 
that occurs in English and it is the first that mentions together 
three names now somewhat historic. Says Leland, the often 
quoted, in his Itinerary, writing of Bath :—“ the Toun hath a 
‘long tyme syns bene continually most mayntained by making 
“of clothe, There were in hominuwm memoria three clothiers at 
“one tyme thus named—Style, Kent, and Chapman, by whom 
“the toun of Bath then flourished. Syns the death of them it 
“hath somewhat decayed.” Until the publication of the Poll 
Tax last year this entry has been a constant puzzle, no previous 
history in any way recording Bath as a manufacturing city. 

The next files are yet more full; the title, somewhat long, 
being here slightly epitomised:—This indenture of certificat 
made the xviij. day of Aprell the xv. yere of the reign of our 
Sovereign Lord King Henry the VIII. by John Kent, then 
maior of the Citie of Bath, Thomas Chepman, Thomas Style, 
John Bryd, and Jeffray Francom, of the said citie, and by Thomas 
Gibbes, Recorder there, Commissioners for the said citie and the 
suburbes of the same, &c., witnesseth, &c., the names and 
surnames of every person and persons with their values and 
profits inhabitaunts within the same, also of the some or somes 
of money thereof rated and assessed, at the utasse of (eight days 
after) the Purification of our Lady last past, &c.* Thomas 
Whelpleigh and John Chepman were then nominated to be high 
collectors, to receive of the petty collectors the money gathered 
by them according to the five schedules annexed. An allowance 
of sixpence in the pound was deducted, twopence for the 
commissioners and their clerk, twopence for the high collectors, 
and for the petty collectors twopence. 

The total sum for the whole city was £43 6s. 4d. By 
good fortune we have now not only the names of those who paid, 
but also their parishes in which they lived. First came the— 


* Subsidies 169—142. 


388 


PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL 
BY THE BATH THERE, 


Sedule of the seid hole parishe of and within the Warde of Westyate 
Strete and by the Bath of the seid Citie, of the names and surnames 
of every person and persons inhabitaunts within the same chargable 
of and for the first yeres payment of Subsidy at the last Parliament 
graunted, as by sumes of money assessed of and uppon there valuations 
and euerich of theym here folowith and by theym payed to Thomas 
West and John Cheppman, petye collectoures for the same assigned. 


Thomas Whelpleigh, in goods xxvs. Subsid Joey, 
Thomas West, in goods xxxlt.... Subsid Bs XXXS. 
Thomas Haslett, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid Pa ilijd. 
John Cheppman, in goods cs. nes Subsid ee 
Thomas Bankes, in goods xls, ane Subsid ve xijd. 
William Kyght, in goods xls... Subsid re xijd. 
Thomas Smyth, profit by wages xxs. Subsid neg iiijd. 
John —, profit by wages xxs.  Subsid eck iiijd. 
Thomas Dauntley, profit by wages xxs. Subsid ee liijd. 
John Pyttard, in goods xls, ...  Subsid ji xijd. 
William Wodd, in goods xls. aa Subsid af xijd. 
Nicholas Albard, in gocds xls. ... Subsid a xijd. 
David Horsman, in servant’s wages xxs. Subsid éc3 liijd, 
John Geld, in goods xxs. oe Subsid Be liijd. 
William Bocher, in goods xxs. ... Subsid Kee liijd. 
Robert Penner, in profit by wages xxs. Subsid oe liijd. 
Richard Whyte, in profit by wages xxs. Subsid liijd. 


Total of the Subsidy for the whole parish above sraraets vjd. 


PARISH OF THE BLESSED MARY 
WITHIN THE NORTH GATE THERE. 


Sedule of the seid hole parishe of and within Ward of Northyate 
Strete of the seid Citie, of the names and surnames of every person 
and persons inhabitauntes within the same chargable of and for the 
first yeres Subsidy at the last Parliament graunted, as by sumes of 
money assessed of and vppon there valuations and euerich of theym 
here folowith and by theym payed to John Sachffild and Richard 
Strong, petye collectoures for the same assigned, 


389 


John Byrd, in goods xxii. ahs Subsid rh XXS. 
John Fisher, in goods exxs, aa Subsid oe iijs. 
William Hayes, in goods xls. aS Subsid a xijd. 
Thomas Wylson, in goods xls. __... Subsid “te xijd. 
Dionis Payton, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid er iijd. 
John Coffyn, in goods xls. _ Subsid 5 xijd. 
Robert Wylbye, servant in wages xls. Subsid ye xijd. 
William Cheppman, in goods xxvii. Subsid se XXVS. 
Thomas Wyldycote, in land and 

tenements xxjlt. iv Subsid me Xxjs. 
Thomas Grauntesher, in goods cs.. Subsid ee a Alee 
Richard Stronge, in goods yjli, nije aie, Subsid ... lijs. liijd. 
Richard Batyn, in goods lxxxs. ... Subsid Ree ijs. 
Thomas Poynt, in profit by wages xxs. Subsid ia liijd. 
John Sachffild, in goods xiijlz, vjs, viijd. Subsid ... VJs. Viijd. 
John Cheppman, in goods xiijiz. 

vjs. viijd. ... af in Subsid ... VS. Viijd. 
William Busshe, in goods xls. ire Subsid Ae xijd. 
Robert Styll, in goods xxv. ees Subsid ves XXVs. 
Thomas Wodward, in goods lxxxs, Subsid aoe ijs. 
George Danson, in goods xxs. i Subsid aes liijd, 
John Ap Yeven, in goods lxxxs. ... Subsid a ijs. 
Henry More, in goods xls. .. *© Subsid Fe xijd. 
John Hoke, in profit in wages xxs. Subsid at liijd. 
Isabell Chaunceler, in goods xxii... Subsid ay XXs. 
Agnes Ricardes, in goods xijli.... Subsid See vjs. 
Henry Cavell, in gouds xlvjli, —... Subsid i xlvjs. 
Thomas Styll, in goods cli. ste Subsid : Cs. 


Payed by Thomas Cheppman and Thomas Styll, 2 peat the 
Collectores assigned for the same. 


Total of the Subsidy for the whole parish above said, with anticipa- 
tion, xivli. xviijs. vjd. 


THE PARISH OF THE BLESSED MARY DE STALLES THERE. 


Sedule of the seid hole parishe of and within the Warde of Chepe 
Strete and of the seid citie of the names and surnames of 
every person and persons inhabituantes within the same, chargable of, 


390 


and for the first payment of Subsidy at the last Parliament graunted 
as by somes of money assessed of and vpon ther valuations and 
euerich of them here folowith and by theym payed to John 


and William petye collectours for the same assigned. 
William (Moris), in goods xls. ... Subsid se xijd. 
Edward Jefford, in goods xxs._.... Subsid a liijd. 
Maurice Nycott, in goods xls... Subsid Sa xijd. 
Thomas ————., in goods xxs. ... Subsid = iiijd. 
Roger Gregorye, in goods lxs. ae Subsid we Savage 
Anthony Hadyng, in goods xxs. ... Subsid ane iiijd. 
William Rumsey, in goods lxs. ... Subsid ws | RVI 
Thomas Pouter, in goods cxxxs. ... Subsid sae) LijSvaee 
William Vawse, in goods xls. oe Subsid oa xijd. 
Nicholas Doore, in goods xxs. eas Subsid ee liijd. 
Henry Lerke, servant, in goodsIxxxs. Subsid Zn liijs. 
Thomas Priour, in goods xls, eas Subsid 4. xijd. 
Thomas Godpath, in goods xxs._.. Subsid ae ilijd. 
Richard Pereman, in goods xxs, ... Subsid te liijd. 
John Wakeffyld, in goods xls, ... Subsid ee xijd. 
John Gwynne, in goods xxs. ea Subsid sss liijd. 
Richard Priour, in goods xxs, uae Subsid ae iijd. 
Hugh Yettes, in goods xls... Subsid ok xijd. 
Henry Wyke, in goods xxs. ee Subsid Je iiijd. 
John Norres, in goods xls. ae Subsid wee xijd. 
William Mylton,in goods xls... Subsid Ag xijd. 
Hugh Lane, in goods xls. esa Subsid os xijd. 
John Talbott, in goods Ixs. ie Subsid seo. Ss cvilltes 
Richard Wolgrave, in goods xxs. ... Subsid ath liijd. 
Richard Dolvng, in goods xxs. ... Subsid 538 iiijd. 
Edward Shewman, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid “i liijd. 
John Aworster, profit by wages xxs. Subsid Ae iiijd. 
Hugh Yevan, in goods xxs. asa Subsid a liijd. 
John Benett, in goods vjlz. xiijs, iiijd. Subsid .. lijs. iiijd. 
Maurice Briporte, in goods xxs. ... Subsid ac iiijd. 
Richard Apte, profit by wages xxs. Subsid re) liijd, 
William Martyn, in goods xls. ... Subsid a xijd. 


John Mydylton, in goods exxs. ... Subsid — iijs. 


391 


Agnes Wodward, in goods, xxl. ...  Subsid a XXs, 
William Hochyns, in goods xi, ... Subsid oh vs, 
Richard Brownborugh, in goods 

xiijlt. vjs viijd. ... we Subsid ... VJs. Viijd. 
William Broll Subsid 
Thomas Hicheock, in goods viijlz. Subsid ae liijd. 
James Cogan, in goods xxs. fe Subsid 2. iiijd. 
Lodowic Cherrye, in goods xls. ... Subsid a xijd. 
Robert Dealley, in profit in wages xxs. Subsid oe lijd. 
Richard Wykeing, in goods ]lxxxs. Subsid fie ijs. 
Richard Jolye, in goods xls. a Subsid he xijd. 
John Sydman, in goods xiijl. vjs. viijd. Subsid ...VJs. viijd. 
William Cornyshe, in profit by wagesxxs. Subsid is iiijd. 
Thomas Cheppman, in goods 

€Xxxlijlv. vjs. viijd. See Subsid = vjlz.. xiijs. iiijd. 


payed to Thomas Cheppman and Thomas Stylle, by anticipation, 
collectores assigned for the same. 


Sum of the Subsidy for the whole parish above said, with the 
anticipation,—x/i. xiiijs. viijd. 


THE PARISH OF ST. MICHALL 


WITHOUT THE NORTH GATE THERE, 


Sedule for the hole parishe of and within the Warde of Brade Strete 
and Walcot, suburbes of the seid citie, of the names and surnames 
‘of every person and persons inhabitauntes within the same, chargable 
of and for the first payment of Subsidy as by somes of money assessed 
of and vpon ther valuations and euerych of them here folowifh, and 


by theym payed to Richard Kypping and Thomas » petye 

collectores for the same assigned. 
John Gybbons, in goods ]xs. = Subsid .. = Xviijd. 
John Dealiey, in goods viiili. ane Subsid a liijs. 
John Coffyn, in goods lxs, ..  Subsid sac. 1 VEU 
John Clement, in goods xiiijli, ... Subsid Si, Vijs. 
Thomas Cottyn, senr., in goods cs, Subsid ose iUles Vie- 
Thomas Pottiner, in goods xj. ... Subsid axe . VS. Nae 


Richard Kypping, in goods vyjli. 
xlijs. iiijd. aie ..  Subsid .. lijs. vjd. 


392 


Thomas Sqwall, in goods lxyjs. viijd. 

Thomas Parker, in goods vjlz. 

John Warren, in goods cs, 

Thomas Kien, in goods cs. 

John Sydelcroft, in goods lxs. 

David Ap John, servant, in wages xs. 

Ralph Danford, alien, servant in 
wages Xxs. : 

William Smyth, in scat lxs. 

Thomas Battyn, junr., in goods xls, 

Thomas Sherston, in goods lxs. 


Thomas Ricardes, in profit by wages, xxs. 


Thomas Knappe, alien, servant, in 
wages XXs, 
Richard Bowne, in oid Ixs. 
William Francombe, in goods xls.... 
Thomas Ap Yevan, in goods lIxs. ... 
Richard Gylbard, in goods xls. 
Thomas Smyth, in goods Ixvjs. viijd. 
Thomas Waryngton, in profits by 
wages XXs. ge 
William Smyth, senr., in aM a xls, 
Robert Smyth, in goods xls. 
John Henburye, servant, in wages xxs. 
Robert Wattes, in goods liijs, iiijd. 
Richard Griffyn, in goods xls, 
Richard Playce, in goods Ixs. 
Thomas Chestre, in goods xls, 
Thomas Wattes, in goods lxxxs, 
John Byrd, in goods xls. soe 
Thomas Kentt, in goods liiis. iiijd. 
Thomas Goodynowe, in goods xxs. 
John Davys, in goods xxs. oe 
William Jonson, in goods xls... 
Edward Denmede, in goods lxxxs. 
Thomas Roo, in goods xls. 
Laurence Rawlyns, in goods xxs. ... 


Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 


Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 


Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 


Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 
Subsid 


Edward Pachment, servant, in wagesxxs. Subsid 


lijs. 

ijs. vjd. 
ijs. vjd. 
xviijd. 
liijd. 


viijd. 
xviijd. 
xijd. 
xviijd. 
iiijd. 


viijd. 
xvlijd. 
xijd. 
xviijd. 
xijd. 
xxd. 


iiijd. 

xijd. 

xijd. 

iiijd 

ati Xvja. 
xijd. 

xviijd, 

xijd, 

ijs. 

xijd. 

oe xvjd, 
iiijd. 

va liijd. 
xijd. 

ijs. 

xijd. 

ate iiijd. 
eee liijd. 


393 


Philip-——, in goods xxs. ae Subsid See iiijd. 
Peter , in goods xls. sas Subsid Te xijd. 
John , in goods xxs, ae Subsid Ae iiijd. 
, in goods xxs, bt Subsid me liijd. 

Batyn, in goods xls. aaa Subsid ea xijd. 
Hendley, in goods xls... Subsid Ay xijd. 
Walter Harper, in goods xxs. ... Subsid aa9 liijd. 
John ,in profit by wages xxs.  Subsid TH iiijd. 
Richd. Coffyn, servant, in wagesxxs. Subsid nic liijd. 
Coffyn, servant, in wagesxxs. Subsid oF liijd. 

Philip Morice, in goods xls. ie Subsid og xijd. 
John Axbridge, in goods xxs._... Subsid ae liijd. 
Philip Wevere, in goods xxs. ee Subsid ae ilijd. 
Thomas Toser, in goods xxs. ste Subsid Fe liijd. 
Thomas Burche, in goods xxs. ... Subsid hag iiijd. 
William Pysen, profit in wages xls. Subsid be xijd. 
Richard Dicker, in goods xxs._.... Subsicd car ilijd. 
Thomas Rode, in goods xxs. oe Subsid sea iiijd. 
William Southrey, in goods xls. ... Subsid aie xijd. 
William Weston, in goods xls. ... Subsid eee xijd. 
John Browne, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid ass ilijd. 
Richard Warper, in profit by wages xxs. Subsid seu liijd. 
Henry Cokes, in profit by wages xxs. Subsid “OC liijd. 
Thomas Wyrryat, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid Ges liijd. 
Thomas Whyting servant, in wages xxs. Subsid ane liijd. 
Richard Whytt, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid iiijd. 


John Kentt, in goods cxxxiijlz. vjs. viijd., Subsid vili. xiijs. iiijd., 
payd to Thomas Cheppman and Thomas Styll, by anticipation, 
collectores assigned for the same. 

Sum of the Subsidy for the whole parish above said, with the 
anticipation— xl. xiijs. 

PARISH OF ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE THERE. 

Sedule of the seid hole parishe of and within the Wardes of South- 
yate Strete and Bynburye of the seid citie of the names and surnames 
of euery person and persons inhabitauntes within the same, chargable 
of and for the first yeres payment of Subsidy att the last Parliament 
graunted by sumes of money assessed of and vpon ther valuations and 


394 


euerich of theym here followith, and by theym payed to William 
Griffyth and John Walishe, petye collectores for the same assigned. 


William Pytt, in goods ixlv. nob Subsid ... liijs. vjd. 
William BES Ps se 5c Subsid ss iiijd. 
William Filice, in goods x/z. He Subsid Sey vs. 
Richd. Filice, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid x liijd. 
John Bewshen, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid ice iiijd. 
John Walishe, in goods xij/i. ee Subsid we yjs. 
William Philipp, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid fy iiijd. 
William Colyns, in goods cs. are Subsid ~... ijs. vid. 
John Mog, servant, in wages Xxs. .., Subsid = liijd. 
John Fyse, servant, in wages xxs.... Subsid seis liijd. 
John Netherwent, in goodses.  ... Subsid one LSI 
Richd Cockes, in goods xiijlz. vjs. viijd. Subsid w+. VjS. Vij. 
John Cockes, servant to the same, in 

wages XXS. ‘ ee Subsid a iiijd. 
Robert Batt, in goods 5H Ass Subsid e xijd. 
William Griffyth, in profit by wages lxs. Subsid .  XvViijd. 
Thomas Jacson, in wages xls... Subsid are xijd. 
Johu Ballerde, in goods xls, re Subsid ae xijd. 
John Baker, in goods xls. ane Subsid 55 xijd. 
Andrew Baylie, in goods xls. By Subsid ae xijd. 
Maurice Chalke, in goods xls... Subsid a sa xijd. 
Thomas Foster, in goods xls. ee Subsid re xijd. 
John Geye, in goods exxs, aes Subsid a lijs. 
Thomas Hunt, in goods xls. see Subsid as xijd. 
Gilbert Cysbirye, in goods xls, ... Subsid aes xijd. 
John Gylys, in goods xxs. 4A Subsid 0s iiijd. 
Thomas Mede, in goods xxs. 2. Subsid ia liijd. 
William Kynnewerd, in goods xxs. Subsid ae iiijd. 
John Baronne, in goods xxs, 5g Subsid ae liijd. 
Thomas Chaffer, in goods xxs,_... Subsid wee iiijd. 
William Davye, in goods xls, ote Subsid aes xijd. 
John Boyce, in goods xxs, Pe Subsid — liijd. 
Thomas Perce, in goods xxs, ae Subsid <= liijd. 
Thomas More, in goods xxs. sie Subsid oF liijd. 
John Baker, in goods xxs. “a Subsid me iiijd. 
John Hylman, in goods xxs. te Subsid es iiijd. 


a 


395 


-John Andrewes, in goods xxs,_... Subsid Ms iiijd., 

» Edward Browne, in goods xxs._... Subsid oak iiijd. 
Richard Davys, in goods xxs, bes Subsid ai iiijd. 
Richard Dawes, in goods aa Subsid he 
John Marchall, in goods xxs. be Subsid 5 liijd. 
Thomas Aldaye, in goods viijli. ... Subsid seehyhs, (psa) 
Edward Donyett, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid Sen (obbatr A) 
John Ball, servant, in wages xxs. ... Subsid aoe en (Lal) 
Richard Fosebroke, in goods xls. ... Subsid cee xijd. 
William Savege, in goods xxs.__.... Subsid 4 liijd. 
John Vaghan, servant, in wagesxxs. Subsid Jas liijd. 
Willm. Gylles, servant, in wagesxxs.  Subsid be liijd. 
John Bryant, servant, in wages xxs. Subsid liijd. 


The domestic servants of the Prior and Priory of the city as 


below written. 
Richard Salfford, servant to the same, 


in goods lxs. ae “3 Subsid ox xijd. 
Thomas Dewke, servant, in wages ae Subsid 
Giles Wattes. servant, in wages Subsid 
William Coper, in goods xls. Bie Subsid 
Thomas Denham, in wages es Subsid 
Edward Gronger, servant to the 
same in goods xxs. Subsid sas 


Geoffiy Frauncom, in goods sll, Subsid xs., payed to Thomas 
Cheppman and Thomas Styll, by anticipation, Sieetors assigned for 


the same. 
Sum of the Subsidy for the whole parish afore said, with the 


anticipation —cvjs. iiijd. 

By Indenture, dated 17th January 1525, 16 Henry VIIL, 
Geoffry Francam, maior, John Kent, Thomas Style, and Joka 
Byrde, citizens, and Thomas Jubbes, Recorder, were appointed 
commissioners to collect and certify, &c., to the Exchequer. 
They appointed Henry Cavell and John Clement high collectors, 
to receive of the parish collectors ; the total amount for the city 
being £43 8s. 10d.,* according to the following assessment. 

* Subsidies 169—178. 
B 


396 


Schedule of the parish of Stalles of and within the Ward of Chepe 
Strete and Stall Strete : of Saynt Jamys of and within the Ward of 
South Strete and Bynburye: and also of Saynt Michell by the bath of 
and within the Warde of Westyate Strete and by the bath, of the 
names and surnames of every person and persons inhabitauntes within 
the same, chargable to the Subsidy at the last Parliament graunted of 
-and for the seconde yeres payment of the same as here folowith. 


PARISH OF ST. MARY DE STALLES. 


Roger Gregorye, in goods lxs. os Subsid sc VUE 
Aathony Hudyng, in goods xxs. ... Subsid a iiijd. 
William Romsey, in goods lxs.... Subsid ae WUE 
Thomas Parker, in goods cs. oe Subsid sna, A] Sava 
Richd. Parker, servant, in wagesxxs. Subsid = iijd. 
Willm. Vawse, in goods xxs. eee Subsid Be liijd. 
Nich. Doore, in goods xxs, oy Subsid +P iiijd. 
Edith Cheppman, in goods cecil 

vjs. vijd. ee Bee Sub. CXXXlijs. liijd. 
Henry Lerke, alien, in goods Ixxxs. Sub. re liijs. 
Thos. Por, in goods xxvis. viijd. ... Sub. aes vjd. 
Thos. Godpath, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. ae vjd. 
John Wakefiild, in goods xls. ae Sub. ote xijd. 
John Gyrynne, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. aK. vjd. 
Hugh Yettes, in profits by wagesxxs. Sub. ae liij7. 
Henry Wokem, profit in wages xxs. Sub. aes liijd. 
John Norres, in goods xls. oc Sub. oa xijd. 
Willm. Mylton, in goods xxxiijs. iiijd. Sub. oo viijd. 
Hugh Lane, in goods xls. =x Sub. = xijd. 
John Talbot, in goods lxs. do. Sub. wo) XViniee 
Richd. Wolgrove, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. ses vid 
John Dolyng, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. 8 vjd. 
Maurice Nicoll, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. eee vjd. 
Edward Gefford, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. if vid. 
Thomas Cantt, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. ee vjd. 
Isabell Clerke, in goods xls. sa Sub. x xijd. 
Edward Chewman, profitin wages xxs. Sub. ots iiijd. 


a 


397 


John Aworsetre, in goods xxvjs..viijd. Sub. 
Hugh Yevan, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. 
John Benett, in goods vijdz. ae Sub, 
Maurice Briscotte, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. 
John Laurence, servant, in wagesxxs. Sub. 


Willm Marten, in goods xls. ae Sub. 
John Mydylton, in goods cxxs. ... Sub. 
Agnes Wodward, in goods xxl. ... Sub, 
Robt. Hochyns in goods xii, age Sub. 
Richd. Browneberugh, in goods 

xiijlt. vjs. viijd. ... cies Sub. 
Thos. Hichcock, in goods viijlz. ... Sub. 
James Cogan, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. 


Edward Chyrrye, in goods xxxiijs. 1iijd. Sub. 
Robt. Walley, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. 
Richd. Jobyn, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. 
John Syduam, in goods xiijlz. vjs. viiid. Sub. 
Willm. Cornishe, in goods xxvjs, viijd. Sub. 
Thomas Coke, in goods xls. 262 DE 
Richd. Wylton, in goods xls. ie Sub. 
Richd. Yonge, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. 


Total :—xj/t. xijs. vijd. 


PARISH OF ST. JAMES APOSTLE. 


Geoffrey Francman, in goods xll.... Subsid 


Willm. Pytt, in goods ixi. ans Sub. 
Willm. Filice, in goods xl. aa Sub. 
Richd. Filice, in goods xls. a Sub. 


John Bewshen, servant,in wages xxs. Sub. 
John Walishe, in goods xijlz. Fg Sub. 
Willm. Colyns, in goads cs. ae Sub. 
John Fosse, profit in wages xxxiijs. iiijd. Sub. 
Richd. Cockes, in goods xiiili. vjs. viijd. Sub. 
Robert Call, in goods xls. ies Sub. 
Willm. Griffith, servant, in wageslxs. Sub. 
Thomas Jackson, servant, in wages xls, Sub. 


wa. hiijs. vj. 


vjd. 
vjd. 

ijs. vjd. 
vjd. 
iiijd. 
xijd. 
lijs. 
XXS, 

vs. 


... VJs. viijd. 


iiije. 
yjd. 
viijd. 
vjd. 
vjd. 


.-. VJs. Viijd. 


vjd. 
xijd. 
xijd. 
vj7. 


xls. 


vs. 
xijd. 

iiijd. 

vjs. 

ijs. vjd. 
viijd. 

... VJs. Viajd. 
xijd. 

xviijd. 

pa xijd. 


398 


John Ballard, in goods xls. 

John Baker, in goods xls. 

Andrew Bayly, in goods xls. 

Maurice Chalke, in goods xls. 

John Jaye, in goods cxxs. 

Thos, Huntt, in goods xls. 

Gilbard Cysburye, in goods xls. 

Jobn Gylys, servant, in wages 
xXxvjs, viijd. a 

Thos. Mede, in goods xxs. a 

Willm. Kynneward, in goods 
XXVjs. viijd. 

John Baron, in goods xxvjs. viijd.... 

Willm. Davye, in goods xxxiijs. iiijd. 

John Boyce, in goods xxs. 

Thomas Moore, in goods xxs. 

John Baker, in goods xxs, 

John Hyllman, in goods xxs. 

John Andrewes, in goods xxvjs. viijd. 

Edward Browne, in goods xxs. 

Richd. Dawes, in goods xxyjs. viijd. 

John Marshall, in goods xxs. 

Thomas Alday, in goods viijiz. 

Edwd. Danyal, servant, in wages 
Xxvjs. viijd. ~ 

John Ball, servant, in wages xxs.... 

Richd. Fosebroke, in goods xxxs. liijd. 

Willm. Savage, in goods xxs. 

John Vaghan, in goods xxs. 

Richd. Salfford, servant, in wages lxs. 

Thos. Webbe, servant, in wages xls. 

John Wattes, servant, in wages xxs. 

Willm. Copar, in goods x/z. 


Edwd. Grainger, servant,in wages xxs. 


Thos. Denham, servant, in wages lxs. 
Richd. Pereman, in goods xls. 

Thos. Toker, in goods xxs. 

Thos, Amevoo, in goods xxs. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 
Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 
Sub. 


Sub, 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 


Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 


Sub. 


Sub. 


a 


399 


John Crowder, in goods xxs. act Sub. ay liijd. 
Thos. Poynte, in goods xxs. wae Sub. ae iiijd. 
John Rudman, in goods xxs. Bae Sub. ee iiijd. 
Richd. Coke, servant, in wages xxs. Sub. see iiijd. 
Richd. Jenkyns, servant, in wages xxs. Sub. “of liijd. 


Total :—ciijs. xd. 


PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL 


BY THE BATH. 


Thos. Whelpeley, in goods xxvii. ... Sub. ise XXvVs. 
Thos. West, in goods xxxli. fos Sub. jek, eee 
John Cheppman, in goods cs. oes Sub. eos AS Ves 
Thos. Bankes, in goods xls. ee Sub, «aq xijd. 
Willm. Woddes, in goods xls. «. §«=—, HUD. kag xijd. 
Willm. Kyght, in goods xls. ate Sub. is xijd. 
Thos. Smyth, in goods xxs. aa) aD aie liijd. 
Richd. Aprice, in goods xxs. = Sub. =P iiijd. 
Robt. Payne, in goods xxs. Ae Sub. Pr liijd. 
Thos. Bythwaye, in goods xxs._... Sub, — liijd. 
John Packard, in goods xxxiijs. iiijd. Sub. ee viijd. 
Thos. Baker, servant in wages xxs. Sub. = iiijd. 
John Geele, in goods xxs. <a Sub. nas liijd. 
Willm. White, in goods xxs. =a SD: a liijd. 
Richd. White, in goods xx, Con Sub. ae liijd. 
John Groombold, in goods xxs. ... Sub. sa iiijd. 
John Hancock, servant, in wages xxs. Sub. na liijd. 
Nichs. Alfford, in goods xxs. Panes lie Lo liijd. 
Willm. Lawncedowne, servant, in 

wages xxs. wy Sub. See iiijd.. 


Total :—Ixvs. ijd. 

Schedule of the parishe of Saynt Mighell withoute N orthyate of and 
within the Warde of Brade Strete and Walcot Strete, and also of the 
parishe of our Lady within the seid yate of and within Warde of 
Northyate Strete of and within the seid citie of names and surnames of 
every person and persones inhabitauntes within chargable to the 
Subsidy att the last Parliament graunted of and for the seconde pay- 
ment of the same as here folowith.. 


400 


THE PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL 


WITHOUT THE NORTH GATE, 


John Kent, in goods exxxiijlz. vjs. viijd. Sub. exxxiijs. iijd. 
John Gebons, in goods lxs. Bae Sub. xe sxVald. 
John Waller, in goods viijl. sats Sub. pe ilijs. 
Thos. Batyn, sen., in goodscs. ... Sub. ceo) HAS. we 
John Clement, in goods xiiij. ... Sub. ee vijs. 
Thos. Palmere, in goods xjlz. Bee Sub. we VOU We 
Richd. Kypping, in goods cxxxiijs. iiijd. Sub. ... lijs. iiijd. 
Thos. Sqwall, in goods lxvjs. viijd. Sub. AO Ce 
Willm. Jonson, in goods xls. a Sub. ie xijd. 
John Jonson, in goods xls. fr Sub. ast xijd. 
John Warren, in goods cs. =...» Soe! w.  ijs. vjd. 
Thos. Parker, in goods exxs. ied =} ne iijs. 
Thos. Keyn, in goods cs. Ses Sub. wwe! dpSey eee 
Willm. Smyth, in goods lxs. me Sub. Pre mae eit 
John Shelcrofte, in goods lxs. oe Sub. «ve | =KVING. 
Thos. Batyn, junr., in goods xls. ... Sub. ie xijd. 
Willm. Francam, in goodsxls._... Sub. n- xijd. 
Walter Harper, in goods lxs. eha Sub. w. xviijd. 
Thos. Shereston, in goods lxs. ee Sub. sen VUNG 
Philip Denmede, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. fs vjd. 
Thos. Batyn, in goods xxs. 5 Sub. Ae iiijd. 
Thos. Goodynowe, in goods xxxiijs. se Sub. wee viijd. 
John Burde, in goods xls. «| Sab. a xijd. 
Thos. Kent, in goods liijs. iiijd. ... Sub. an xvjd. 
Richd. Playce, in goods Ixs. as Sub. wes VAC 
Thos. Chestre, in goods xls. ae Sub. A xijd. 
Robert Wattes, in goods liijs. iiijd. Sub. 7 xvjd. 
Thos. Wattes, in goods lxxxs. Se Sub. nee ijs. 
Edward Denmede, in goods lxxxs. ... Sub. “e ijs. 
Thos. Smyth, in goods lxvjs. viijd. Sub. ote xxd. 
Thos. Roo, in goods xls. Bs Sub. Re xijd. 
Thos. Buckeler, in goods cs. we Bubs we ijs. vid. 
Thos. Ap Yevan, in goodslxs._... Sub. eos VALI. 
Willm. Smyth, in goods xls. at Sub. sity xijd. 


Robt. Smyth, in goods xls. tee Sub. is xijd. 


401 


Philip Wevere, in goods xxvjs., viijd. 
Richd. Griffyn, in goods exxs, 

Thos. Hendley, in goods xxvjs. viijd. 
Willm. Sowthrey, in goods xxvjs. viijd. 
John Morres, in profit by wages xxs. 
Laurenee Rawlynes, in goods xxvjs. 
Thos. Leche, profit in wages xxs. ... 
Henry Coke, servant, in wages xxs. 
Thos. Toner, in profit in wages xxs. 
John Batyn, in goods xxvjs. viijd. ... 
Robert Cosyn, in profit by wages xxs. 
Thos. Waryngton,in profit by wages xxs. 
John Henburye, in profit by wages xxs. 
Philip Saunderes, in profit by wages xxs. 
Henry Henterden, in profit by wages xxs. 
_ Thos. Kicardes, in profit by wages xxs. 
John Browne, in profit by wages xxs. 
George Olyvere, in profit by wages xxs. 
David Ap John, in profit by wages xxs. 
Willm. Hoke, in profit by wages xxs. 
Thos. Burche, in profit by wages xxs. 
Thos. Whytinge, in profit by wages xxs. 
Willm. Weston, in profit by wages xxs. 
Richd. Gylberd, in goods xls. 

Roger Morres, in profit in wages xxs. 
John Axbruge, in profit by wages xxs. 


Total :—xli. xs. 


Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
fub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 


PARISH OF ST. MARY 


WITHIN THE GATE. 


John Fysher, in goods cxxs. 

John Atkins, in goods xls. os 
Thos. Wylson, in goods xls. 

Henry Cavell, in goods xl. 

Jobn Coffyn, in goods xls. 

Thomas Style, in goods elz. 

Robert Wysbiche, servant, in wages 


Subsid 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 
Sub. 


vjd. 

iijs. 
vjd. 

vjd. 
liijd. 

vjd. 
liijd. 
iiijd. 
liijd. 

vjd. 
iijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
liijd.. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
iiijd- 
iiijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 
xijd. 
liijd. 
liijd. 


XXVjs. Viijd. os eee Sub. es vjd. 
Richd. Wrenche, servant, in wages 

XXxvjs. viijd. ooo “is” “ae, ae vjd. 
Willm. Cheppman, in goods xxvii. . Sub. ney: XXVS. 
Thos. Wydycote, in lands aia 

tenements xxii. ... Se Sub. Py xe, 
Thos. Grantesher, in goods cs. =e Sub. tee LySs wee 
Richd. Stronge, in goods exxxiijs.iijd. Sub. ... lijs. ilijd. 
Richd. Wekinge, in goods Ixxxs. ... Sub. es ijs. 
Richd. Baten, in goods Ixxxs. i Sub. a ijs. 
John Sacheffild,in goods xiijlz. vjs. viijd. Sub. ... VJs. Viijd. 
John Cheppman, in — goods 

xlijlv. vjs. viljd. ... ei Sub. ... Vjs. viijd. 
Willm. Busshe, in goods xls. o% Sub. ane xijd. 
Robt. Style, in goods xxvii. “nc Sub. xy; XXVS. 
Thos. Wodward, in goods xls. “tp Sub. vee xijd. 
George Benson, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. x yjd. 
John Ap Yevan, in goods xxxs. ... Sub. es ijs. 
Isabell Chaunceler, in goods xxii. ... Sub. ine XXS. 
Henry More, in goods xxvjs. viijd. Sub. tg vja. 
John Byrd, in goods xxi. its Sub. Bc Xx8. 
Willm. Kyng, servant, in wages xxs. Sub. te liijd. 
John Lentall, servant, in wages xxs. Sub. 33% liijd. 
Agnes Ricardes, in goods xij... Sub. rh vjd. 
John Hoore, servant, in wages xxs. Sab.” wt liijd. 


The next document relating to Bath occurs in 1540, 32 
Henry VIIL, a void of fifteen years, when the Parliament granted 
four Subsidies payable in four years, the first in 1540; the 
second in 1541; the others in 1542-43. The change in the 
reason given for the grant will be noticed. It was now, 
remembering the innumerable benefits of the King’s reign, 
during which every one had lived in surety for their wealth, 
quiet, and rest ; and remembering too, that by the inestimable 
grace God had given .him, he had brought his true subjects out 
of all blindness and ignorance into the true and perfect know- 


a 


403 


ledge of God’s most holy Word ; in the abolishing also of the 
Bishop of Rome and his usurped authority, by whose “ subtyll 
“devises, exceeding somes of money have wonte daylye and 
“ yerelye, to be conveyed out of the realm.” 

The first Indenture for the first half is between Robert Styll, 
mayor, and Sir Edward Gorges, Knt. as commissioners, and John 
Byrde, alderman, and Anthony Scrope, gent., as high collectors, 
the amount accounted for being £8 18s. 4d.* as follows :— 


Robt. Styll, mayre, in goods xlh. ... Subsid Pa XXS. 
Harry Kavell, in goods xlli. a Subsid ue oe 
John Byrde, in goods xxh. sce Subsid 8 XS. 
John Sachefyld, in goods xxxli. ... Subsid or XVS. 
Anthony Scrope, gent., in goods xxl. Subsid ate XS, 
Richd. Chapman, in goods xh, ... Subsid tPehad Xs. 
The Stake of the Chamber ther xllz. Subsid oe xls. 
John Clement, in goods xxii. a Subsid see Xs. 
John Clement, the yonger, in 

goods xxlz. ue an Subsid Os xs, 
Richd. Perreman, in goods xxxli. .. Subsid be XVS. 
John Chapman, in goods xxxli. ... Subsid ae XVS. 
Harry Larke, alyen, in goods xxs.... Subsid ied xijd. 
The same Harry have a son of 18 

years of age dss Re Subsid Ae liijd. 
John Lewys, alyen, in goods xls. ... Subsid ijs. 


Total :—viijlz. xviijs. iiijd. 

The return for the second half is in duplicate, between John 

Chapman, maire, Edward and Henry Capell, Knts. 

as commissioners, and John Sachfyld and Robt. Chapman as col- 
lectors, the amount received being £13 11s. 4d.,¢ viz., from :— 


John Chapman, maier there, in 


goods xxx. oi es Subsid ‘7 Xvs. 
Henry Cavell, in goods xl, -. Subsid oa XXS. 
John Sachefyld, in goods xxxli. ... Subsid ae xvs. 


* Subsidies 170—189. + Subsidies 170—195—197. 


404 


Anthonie Serope, in goods xxl. ... Subsid bee 185 
Joan Style, widow, in goods xxxii. Subsid i Xv. 
And she has in her custody for the 

use of John Style, a legacy, xv. Subsid a xls. 
And she has for the similar use of 

Thomas Style, xllz. a Subsid ae xls. 
Richd. Chapman, in goods xxl. ... Subsid ae xs. 
John Clement, senr., in goods xx/t... Subsid ay Xs. 
John Clement, junr., in goods xxii. Subsid aa XS. 
Edward Ludwell, in goods xxl. ... Subsid ast XS. 
Rickd. Perman, in goods xxxli.... Subsid ie xV8. 
Walter Bems, in goods xxii. ee Subsid Le XS. 
Margaret Felbes, in goods xxiv. ... Subsid wt XS. 
The Chamber of the City xllz. ... Subsid a xls. 
John Lewes, alien, in goods xxs. ... Subsid a xijd. 
John Larke, alien, in goods nil... Subsid aes liijd. 


Total :—xiijli, xjs, iiijd. 
The return for the second Subsidy, collected in 1541, is made 
in parishes, the total being £15 15s. only.* 


THE CITIE OF BATHE. 
THE PARYISHE OF SAYNT MICHELL 


WITHOUTE THE YATE. 


John Clement, thelder, in goods and 


chattels vj/z. hee Subsid so. liijs. 
John Walley, thelder, in goods aud 

chattels cs. = Set Subsid ... lijs, ilijd. 
John Clement, the yonger, in goods 

and chattels cs. ... Subsid .. lijs. lijd. 
John Walley, the yonger, in Fone 

and chattels cs... Subsid ... lijs. liijd. 
Richard Keteley, in goods sai 

chattels cs. iss Subsid ... lijs. iiijd. 


Total : :—xvijs. ilijd. 


+ Subsidies 170—229a. 


405 


THE PARRISHE OF SAYNT MARY’S 
WITHYN THE YATE. 


Henry Cavell is worth in goods and 


chattels xxi. San Subsid xxvjs. viijd, 
John Busshe, gent, in landes anid 

tenements by the yere xxl. ... Subsid Aa xls. 
John Sachefeld, in goods and 

chattels xviv. re Be Subsid a Xxvs. 
Joan Style, widowe, in goods ad 

chattels xvli. eck : Subsid =a XVS. 
Willm. Horsyngton, in goods ‘aul 

chattels xxxit, Pe Subsid see xls. 
The same Willm. Horsyngton so Gharced 

the last yere and not paydxxxi, Subsid Pre xls. 
Richd. Chapman, in goods and 

chattels xvlz. ae Subsid age XVS, 
Edward Ludwell, in goods and 

chattels viijlz,  ... Subsid w.. VS. liijd. 
Alys Birde, widowe, yn annuyte by 

yere iiijdz. wae Subsid ats Viijs. 
John Style, in goods and chattels sli. Subsid ws xs. 
Willm. Abyam, in goods and chattels cs. Subsid ... lijs. iiijd. 
Willm. Panne in goods and chattels cs. Subsid ws. lijs. iiijd. 


Total :--xjlt. xxd. 


STALLES PARISH. 


Richd. Pereman, in goods and 


chattels xxdz. ae Ae Subsid XxVjs. Viijd. 
Alys Chapman, widowe, in goods 

and chattels cs. ... Rae Subsid w.. iijs. iiijd. 
Willm. Cowp, in goods and chattels vjlz. Subsid ioe liijs. 
David Meredith, in goods and 

chattels vjli. ss =f Subsid awe iiijs. 
Walter Barry, in goods and chattels cs. Subsid .» lijs. iiijd. 
Thomas Pewyd, in goods and chattels cs. Subsid ... lijs. liijd 
Willm. Mitton, in goods and chattels cs. Subsid ... lijs. ilijd. 


Total :—xlviijs. 


406 


THE PARRISHE OF SAYNT JAMYS. 


Jeffrey Stayner, in goods and chattels cs. Subsid ... lijs. ilijd. 
James Sherston, in goods aud chattels cs. Subsid .-» lijs. iiijd. 
Willm. Wattes, in goods and chattels cs. Subsid ... lijs, iiijd. 
Michel Drake, in goods and chattels cs. Subsid w+» lijs. iiijd. 
Joan Wilman, widowe, in annuyte 

by yere lxs. wP oe Subsid sed vjs. 
Edward Apevan, in lands and 

tenements by yere xxs, aes Subsid are ijs. 


Total :—xxiiijs. viijd. 


THE PARRYSSHE OF SAYNT MICHELL 
BY THE BATTHESYDE, 
Joan Ball, widowe, in goods and 
chattels es. =e ae Subsid woe LG 
Total :—iijs. iiijd. 

The total of the second payment of the Subsidy for the said City,— 
xvi. xvs. 

In 1545, 37 Henry VIII, as remembering the blessings 
enjoyed under the King and especially the perfect peace in 
which all lived ‘even as the small fishes of the sea in the most 
tempestuous weather doe lie quietly under the rocks or bancks 
side and are not moved nor stirred howsoever the wind bloweth,” 
two whole fifteenths and tenths were granted, payable the first 
in June next and the second before 30th June, 1547. The 
certificate of Aldred Fitzjames of Bath, and another whose name 
is torn away, for the first payment of this subsidy, sets out by 
parishes the valuation of all the lands, tenements, goods and 
chattels of the contributories in the city of Bath with their 
names and surnames.* 


PARISH OF STALLES THERE. 


Richd. Pereman, is worth in goods 
and chattels xxdz. ... sae Subsid XXVjs. Viijd. 


* Subsidies 170—218. 


407 


Alice Chappman, widow, is worth in 
goods and chattels viij/z. 50 Subsid 
Willm. Cotop, is worth in goods 


and chattels viijlz. Subsid 
Willm. Belshyre, is worth in ead 

and chattels xz. ... Subsid 
Thomas Pewyd, is worth in Sate 

and chattels vijlz. , Subsid 
James Masters, is worth in dapie 

and chattels cs. ... Subsid 
David Meredith, is worth in aos 

and chattels vjli. ... Subsid 
David Higgins, is worth in tea 

and chattels cs.” ... Subsid 
Thomas Garland, is worth in Nona 

and chattels cs. ... Subsid 


Total :—lxyjs. 


PARISH OF ST. MARIE 
WITHIN THE GATE. 


John Birde, has annual of ‘the 


annual value of es. Subsid 
Henry Kavell, is worth in bhode 

and chattels xxlz. ... Subsid 
Jobn Sachefeld, is worth in ye 

and chattels xvjli. és Subsid 
Joan Stile, widow, is worth in dads 

and chattels xviij/7. we Subsid 
John Stile, is worth in goods and 

chattels xvii. oe Subsid 
Richd. Chappeman, is werth in shod 

and chattels xviv, ... Subsid 
Edward Ludwell, is worth in Sands 

and chattels xi. .., Subsid 
Willm. Abyam, is worth in intods 

and chattels cs... Subsid 
Willm. Pypper, is worth in sects 

and chattels cs. ... as Subsid 


vs. itijd 
vs. iiijd. 
xs. 

iiijs. viijd. 
.. iijs, itijd. 
ilijs. 

._ iijs. iiijd. 


. iijs. iiijd. 


XS. 

XXVJs. Viijd. 
oo xvjs. 
xViijs. 

xvs. 

XVs. 

xs. 

. lijs. ilijd: 


. iijs, injd. 


408 


John Busshe, is worth in goods and 


chattels es. é, mi Subsid w lijs. iijd. 
John Clement, is enh in pee 

and chattels cs, ... Subsid ... lijs. liijd. 
John Whyte, is worth in goods Sad 

chattels cs. neo Me Subsid west AijS. AlIj. 
Agnes Chappman, widow, is aut 

in goods and chattels cs. Sf Subsid ... lijs. iiijd. 


Total :—vjlz. xs. viijd. 


PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL 
WITHOUT THE GATE. 


John Clement, senr., is worth in 


goods and chattels vj/z. eee Subsid aes liijs. 
John Walley, senr., is worth in 

goods and chattels vij/z. ..  Subsid iiijs. viijd. 
Thomas Long, is worth in goods and 

chattels cs. £ Subsid w.. Lijs. ilijd. 
Richd. Keteley is orn in caus 

and chattels viij/z. eee Subsid w-. V8. ilijd, 


Total :—xxs. viijd. 


PARISH OF ST. JAMES. 


John Wilman has annually of the 


annual value of Ixs. ae Subsid ae vjs. 


Geoffrey Francom is worth in goods 


and chattels cs. ... Subsid ... lijs. jd. 


Thomas Sherford is worth in Mint 
and chattels cs. ... Subsid ... lijs. lijd. 
Richd. Gilberd is worth in crete 


and chattels cs... Subsid we. lijs, ilijd. 


Michael Drake is worth in gods 


and chattels cs. ... Subsid ... lijs. iiijd. 


Edward Abyam has in land per 


ann, XX8. an wa Subsid a ije 


Total :—xxjs. iijd. 


409 


PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL, 
WITHIN THE GATE, 


Willm. Kyte is worth in goods and 


chattels cs. che an Subsid ... lijs. lijd, 
Johanna Ball, widow, is worth in 
goods and chattels ¢c:. ye Subsid ... Ujs. iiijd. 


Total :—vjs. viijd. 
Grand total -—xijlz. vs. liijd. 

The earlier rolls having only a uniform total attached, give 
but little opportunity for remark. These last require some 
attention, and the following tabulated form will help to bring 
the changes or differences in them directly under notice. 


PARISH. Date. |Names. Paid. Valuation. 
—- £3. a £ s. d. 
Micuarn WITHIN ...| 1524 17 34/5, 46 Soo eo 
1525 19 on Oe Pees a! 

1541 1 OS + 5. 0 0 

1545 2) 0) .6..58 10 0 0 

Mary WITHIN 1524 26 1418 6 341 6 8 
1525 28 14413 2 239 3 4 

1541 12 1 Md Lid atc 177 0 O 

1545 if? 610 8 129 0 0 

STALLS a8 we) 1524 4D 10 14 8 255 3 4 
1525 46 a Loe D7 desea 

1541 7 2°8 0 52 0 O 

1545 9 3 6 0 56° 10k -C 

Sr. James’s ... 1524 54 5 6 8 158 6 8 
1525 52 Siutgo. LO 139 3 8 

1541 6 i458 24 0 0 

1545 6 1 iaee li 24 0 0 

MicHarL Wirnovur...| 1524 69 1013 0 297 10 0 
1525 61 10 10 O 289 2 8 

1541 5 017 4 26 0 0 

1545 4 Ler Ss 26 0 0 


410 


The point brought out here in this table is the great change 
or decay during the fifteen years from 1525 to 1540. How, or 
why, came this change? After the deaths of the three clothiers, 
Kent, Style, and Chapman, the city decayed somewhat says 
Leland. When then did they die? The exact year when 
Leland visited Bath is uncertain. His Commission to travel is 
dated 1533, but his notes generally are not dated. Some part 
of the Journal however is dated 1542. Bath was visited 
three times, once when the notes were recorded—ZItinerary, 
Vol. ij.. p. 57; again, when passing through only-—Vol. wi., 
p. 87; and a third time when passing by—Vol. vy., p. 99. 
The city is also mentioned in Vol. iij., p. 116. In the record 
of his official visit, after noting the names of the three clothiers 
and the decay of the city, the next paragraph speaks of the 
‘‘late monasterie.” As the dissolution of this occurred in 1539, 
this entry must have been made after that date. But in the 
next paragraph he says “The Prior of Bath told me,” &e. ; 
thus either the Prior continued to be known by that name after 
the dissolution, or the allusion is to some earlier conversation. 
The second is possible, as a few paragraphs further on, he 
notes that “nine years sins” he saw the old church lying 
waste and unroofed. The first is also possible as the Prior 
had given him for a dwelling ‘‘a tenement in Stall Street, 
wherein one Jeffry Stainer lately dwelled,” being of the 
yearly rent of twenty shillings. (Augment: off: Miscell - Bhs. 
245, f 109.) Taking the case of Bath generally as above, the 
entries as they have come to us must have been made after 
1539, and may be fairly taken as made when dated viz. 1542, 
Some references to the last documents herein considered will 
help rather to confirm this. In the Subsidy for 1525 John | 
Kent is Mayor, but his name appears no more. In the Roll 
for 1540, for the first collection Robert Style is Mayor ; in the 
second collection he is gone, and there then appears Joan Style, 
widow. At the time of this second collection John Chapman 


411 


was Mayor, but in the next year, 1541, he is gone, and there 
appear Alice Chapman, widow, in Stalles ; and Agnes Chapman, 
widow, in St. Mary’s within. It was then, after the year 
1541 that Leland’s record was made. The position can be 
further seen by an Act of the year 1540, 32 Henry VIII. 
passed to compel the rebuilding of several decayed towns, Bath 
being one where the houses had fallen down and so “do lye 
as desolate and vacant groundis, many replennyshed with 
unclennes and filth.” Bath, however, was not alone even locally, 
.as Leland also tells us the same of Keynsham ; and at Bridgwater 
two hundred houses, he says, had decayed within the memory 
of man. Not omitting the earlier decay noted from 1449, 
although Bath is not mentioned, we have again to ask what 
cause could have produced this change? The deaths of three 
such men as those named would be no doubt a great loss, but it 
is clear they must have felt the change before their deaths, 
Such decay could not have come suddenly. Perhaps a further 
examination of other documents, bringing an accumulation 
of detail extending over many years, may help towards a 
satisfactory conclusion. 


The Divining Rod. By THos, FoRDER PLOWMAN. 
(Read 6th February, 1889.) 


In view of the attitude assumed by scientists generally 
towards the subject of this Paper—a not altogether unnatural 
attitude under the circumstances—I feel that I need some 
justification for bringing it under the notice of a scientific 
society. I venture to hope that an excuse for my temerity 

Cc 


412 


may be found—lstly, in the fact that the phenomenon under — 
discussion (supposing it to exist) can be utilised for the benefit 
of mankind ; and, 2ndly, in the character of the evidence which | 
I shall submit, in my endeavour to show that the subject is 
not altogether unworthy of your attention. 

The belief in Rhabdomancy, or divination by means of a 
rod or wand, extends over a long period of time and a wide 
geographical area. The term itself connects it with the Greeks, ° 
and allusions in early writings sufficiently show that it was - 
practised by the Romans, Scythians, Medes, Persians and other 
ancient peoples, including, of course, the Chinese, who, unless 
they are over-rated, seem to have known everything that any- ’ 
body else ever did, and a good deal more besides. Cassiodorus, * 
in one of his epistles written in the 6th century, speaks of the ° 
utility of the professional water discoverers, but this allusion ° 
is exceptional, as, until much later times, the divining rod 
appears to have been mainly regarded as a medium for the 
detection of crime, or as an: indicator of desirable courses of ° 
action in the affairs of life. As no one nowadays claims for it 
the position either of a police detective or a confidential adviser 
it is unnecessary to make further reference to that branch of the 
subject. 

The alchemistic literature of the 15th century drew attention 
to the more utilitarian purposes of the divining rod by dwelling 
upon its power to discover hidden treasure or metallic ore. Its 
use with reference to metals, especially, became general in 
Germany, and was extended thence through Flanders, England, 
Sweden, France, Italy and Spain before the end of the 17th 
century. Many works were published on the subject, in which 
various theories were advanced to account for its attributes. 
Scientific explanations were given by some, others regarded the 
rod and its operator as recipients of a divinely-given faculty, 
whilst many more put it all down to the credit of the Evil One, 
which was a very convenient way of accounting for many, 


413 


otherwise unaccountable, things in those days. Some writers 
described the divining power as genuine, some as illusory, some 
as superstitious, and some as sorcerous, and much contradictory 
evidence was the result. As, however, it is not my purpose to 
discuss the question from an antiquarian point of view, I will, 
having stated sufficient to indicate the lengthened vitality of the 
belief, proceed at once to consider it in its present-day aspect. 

The use of the divining rod now appears to be restricted to 
the discovery of oil, metal and water, and for this purpose we find 
it continually employed in various parts of Europe, in America, 
and also in many uncivilised portions of the globe. I shall 
confine myself to a consideration of its use in this kingdom, and 
mainly in relation to the discovery of water. The subject may 
be said to have a special local interest, inasmuch as it is in this 
part of the country that a belief in the divining power especially 
flourishes. De Quincey affirms that he has often seen the 
divining rod used with success, and says that in a vale of North 
Somerset most of the tea-kettles are filled by Rhabdomancy, 
whatever science may have to say to the contrary, The 
prevalence of the belief in these parts may be to some extent 
attributable to the success which has attended the operations of 
certain local practitioners, but whether the supply of these is 
due to a greater demand for them here than elsewhere, or 
whether the supply itself creates a demand, I am unable to say. 
At any rate the services of the Western diviners, and one in 
particular, are in frequent requisition in other parts of the 
kingdom, 

In speaking of the power of the divining rod it must be 
understood that this is inherent, not to the rod itself, but to the 
person using it, the former being merely a means of communica- 
tion between the person affected and the object which calls the 
latent faculty to life. The misapprehensions as to this, which have 
occasionally come under my notice, furnish a reason for stafting 
what to many would appear self-evident. A water diviner is 


414 


commonly known in these parts as a “dowser,” and his 
instrument as a “dowsing rod” or “twig.” It is usually a 
forked branch of hazel, of from two to three feet in length, and 
shaped like the letter ‘‘V.” But other mediums are sometimes 
used ; among others a steel watch spring, forked rods of iron or 
brass wire, &c. The dowser’s method of procedure to find 
water, as witnessed by myself, is as follows :—He grasps a limb 
of the twig firmly in each hand, the point where the limbs meet 
being turned in a slanting direction towards the earth. He 
carries the twig in front of him and proceeds slowly, necessarily 
stooping somewhat to bring it as near as possible to the ground. 
When he comes across running water the spot is supposed to 
be marked, without any voluntary action on the part of the 
diviner, by the twig jerking up and down, and, in some cases, 
twisting round in the operator’s hand. 

The following incident first drew my attention to this subject, 
and is mainly accountable for my after-investigations :—Some 
time ago I met a personal friend, Mr. William Brown, of 
Middlehill House, Box, at the Board Room of the G.W.R. 
Company, at Bristol, whither we had both come to attend 
a meeting, quite unconnected with either water or divining. 
While we were waiting, some one called to see Mr. Brown, 
and before this person left my friend asked me if I had ever 
-seen a water diviner, as he could show me one. I replied that 
IT had heard of such persons, but had never dropped across them. 
He then introduced me to John Mullins, who, he said, had 
been most successful in finding water on his property. After I 
had had some conversation with Mullins, my friend asked him 
to leave the room for a few moments. When he had done so 
Mr. Brown informed me that, although Mullins would not bind 
himself to find anything but water, he had had proof of his 
capacity to discover hidden metal, and he would test it in my 
presence. He then took three sovereigns from his purse and 
placed them in a line, and several feet apart, underneath the 


es 


415 


Turkey carpet. I may say that the door of the room was 
closed, and that no one could observe our proceedings through 
the keyhole, as it did not command the end of the room we 
were in. We then called Mullins in, and asked him to use his 
rod along the left hand side of the room. He took a forked 
twig from his pocket and proceeded up the room with it, holding 
it in front of him as I have described. It showed no agitation 
at first, but soon did so, and we marked the spot with a piece of 
paper. Twice afterwards this occurred, and Mullins said he had 
no doubt but that he had come across some water conveyed 
under the flooring, probably the supply to a cistern. We then 
turned up the carpet and found the sovereigns on the spots 
indicated by the rod. 

It was this circumstance which first aroused my interest in 
the subject, and I thought it sufficiently remarkable to be 
recorded here, but, at the same time, my observations have not 
led me to believe that diviners are so invariably affected by the 
presence of metals as of water. I have read of instances where 
diviners, other than Mullins, have failed to discover metal under 
similar conditions to those just narrated. Mullins, however, 
told me that, although he could detect the presence of gold, he 
did not feel equally sure about other metals, and, in fact, that 
he did not bind himself to find anything but water. 

As I expressed a desire to follow this matter up, Mr. Brown 
was good enough to furnish me with the following particulars as 
to his own experiences :—He said, “I employed Mullins to try 
for water near Box, the only well near, which was 180 feet 
deep, being often out of water from September to December, 
after a dry summer. Mullins marked the track of four different 
springs, one of which, he said, was rather stronger than the 
others. I asked him how deep the best spring was under the 
surface, and he said ‘about 110 feet.’ I them directed Mullins 
to search for an old well, which, when I was a lad, my father 
had. discovered in an open quarry at the time the Box Tunnel 


416 


was being made. Although it had been filled up many years 
ago, and there were no outward signs of it, I had an opinion as 
to where it was, and directed Mullins where to try. They 
worked all day, but came upon no trace of it, and the general 
opinion was that I was mistaken as to the spot. However, I 
ordered them to go on in the same direction the next day, and 
in the afternoon, after working a little more westward, they 
suddenly came upon the well, and, on examining, we found that 
the marks Mullins had made in the first place to denote the 
position of the strongest spring pointed exactly into the centre of 
the well. I then directed him to go down further for the water, 
and, strange to say, at 111 feet, viz., within a foot of the distance 
he had stated at first, we found the spring come in, and just 
where he had marked it. The well now supplies 20 cottages, 
and if, in a very dry season, they draw all the water out by 
night, there is plenty again the next morning. 

“Whilst this work was in progress, some friends and myself 
arranged to test Mullins’ capacity for discovering metal. In his 
absence we took ten stones off the top of a wall, and, having 
placed them on the road, we deposited a sovereign under three 
of them. Mullins passed his rod over the top of each stone, 
and, without the slightest hesitation, told us at once under 
which stones the sovereigns were. When he came to a stone 
under which there was no sovereign, he at once said ‘ Nothing 
here, master,’ but when he got to the others he remarked ‘ All 
right, master, thankee,’ turned the stone over and put the 
sovereign in his pocket. He afterwards tried for water on the 
Cottle’s House Estate, the then owner, Dr. Parfitt, being very 
anxious to obtain it, as there was none on the estate. Mullins, 
however, tried in vain, and, having given it up as a bad job, 
was leaving for home, when, just as he passed the front of New 
House Farm, with his rod in his hand, it suddenly indicated the 
presence of water. He at once said there was a strong spring at 
a depth of about 18 feet only below the surface. He sank a 


417 


well on the spot, and the water was found exactly at the depth 
he stated. The tenant has told me it is capital water, and the 
supply never runs short. After Mullins has indicated water I 
have blind-folded him and turned him round and round, but 
whenever after this he crossed the spring up went the rod 
directly. I conclude by saying I believe in him thoroughly.” 

The value, or otherwise, of such evidence as this lies very 
much in one’s previous knowledge of the individual who gives it. 
Mr. Brown has been a member of the Council of the Bath and 
West of England Society for many years, and has occupied a 
seat on other public bodies, and anyone who knows him as well ° 
as I do can as readily testify both to his integrity and capacity. 
I observe that he is present here to-day, and so can endorse, or 
otherwise, my statements with reference to his experiences, 

John Mullins, who resides at Colerne, near Chippenham, was 
brought up as a stone mason, and he still follows that occupation, 
but much of his time is now employed in searching for water in 
various parts of the kingdom. He undertakes to sink wells in 
localities where he has previously stated water will be found, so 
that he does not shirk the final test of his own powers. Cases 
have come under my notice in which he has adopted the 

-principle of “no cure, no pay,” and has contracted to sink the 
well with the condition that he would make no charge for the 
work if a plentiful supply of water were not forthcoming. I 
have interviewed Mullins on more than one occasion, and have 
been present when he has been searching for water. He is 
open and straightforward in manner, and is without any of the 
outward characteristics of the professional charlatan. He puts 
on no air of mystery or pretentiousness, but appears ready and 
willing to tell all he knows, and to submit to any practical test. 
I catechised him on various points, and obtained the following 
answers to my questions. He has no reason to believe, he said, 
that he inherited the gift, as he never heard of any other 
member of his family possessing it. He discovered it in himself 


418 


during his boyhood, when, having witnessed the operations of a 
dowser, he picked up the twig and found he could use it. He 
has several children, to none of whom has he transmitted his 
power. He finds a hazel twig gives the best results, and a 
hawthorn one next, but has no idea why ; box, elder, and plane 
will not do at all. He feels a sensation in his arms similar to 
that produced by a very slight electric shock when the rod is 
agitated by the presence of water or metal, and the degree of 
force in the sensation enables him to say whether the spring is 
a strong or a weak one, and, usually, to predicate the depth 
within a few feet. A twig of some sort is necessary for the 
discovery of water under-ground, but when standing over a 
strong stream above-ground he feels a slight tingling sensation, 
although he may not have the rod. I particularly enquired of 
him whether the power was influenced in any way by the state 
of his health. He said that when he had a bad cold or was other- 
wise indisposed, he felt an exhaustion after using the rod, such 
as he would not experience at other times. As he himself put 
it, “ It seemed to take more out of him then.” A too-prolonged 
use of the rod at any time was apt to produce sleeplessness. 
He will undertake to find running, but not stagnant, water. He 
doves not confine himself to one particular rod, but usually goes 
to the nearest hedge and cuts one when he wants to use it. His 
experience leads him to believe that the power is more frequently 
to be met with in women than men. This view has been 
corroborated by my own investigations in other directions. On 
one occasion, myself and about a dozen other persons, who were 
observing Mullins when he was dowsing, all tried the rod at two or 
three spots where, in Mullins’ hands, it indicated the presence of 
water, and the only person with whom the rod moved was a lady. 

I may say that I do not attach any special importance to 
the mere movement of the rod in the hands of a diviner, as 
very similar motions can be produced by voluntary muscular 
contractions. I had evidence of this on the part of a friend, in 


Se 


419 


whose hands the twig moved readily enough, and in a way that 
deceived all who were present at the time, except Mullins him- 
self, who pointed out a slight difference in the movement of the 
twig, by which he knew it was caused by the will merely of the 
holder. This my friend at once admitted, and showed us how 
he did it. 

I am not so unreasonable as to desire to inflict upon this 
meeting more than a small proportion of the evidence I have 
accumulated in the course of my investigations. In selecting 
what I shall lay before you, my endeavour has been to illustrate 
as many different points as possible. 

The Earl of Jersey, the Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, a 
nobleman who has no ordinary endowment of business capacity, 
as anyone in that county will testify, has frequently employed 
Mullins on his estates to find water. I have both conversed and 
corresponded with his lordship’s estate agent, Mr. W. D. Little, 
and he informed me that a number of wells had been sunk on 
the estate on spots indicated by Mullins, and in every case 
abundant supplies of water had been obtained from them. Mr. 
Milton Druce, of Fyfield, Abingdon, a leading agriculturist, a 
member of the Council of the Bath and West of England Society, 
the Smithfield Club, and other bodies, mformed me that Mullins 
not only discovered water for him but told him at what depth it 
would be found, and his accuracy was proved within a foot 
when the well was sunk. On one occasion, in order to test 
Mullins, he took him across a grass field, underneath which there 
was a drain for the conveyance of water. It had been put in 
many years before, and not a trace of it was visible above 
ground ; nevertheless the rod in Mullins’ hands at once indicated 
the presence of water, and correctly traced the whole course 
of the drain. 

I have a letter from Mr. W. H. Ashhurst, of Waterstock, a 
county magistrate of Oxfordshire, testifying that he was present 
when Mullins was divining for water on Mr. Henley’s estate, 


420 


and in every case his correctness was proved by the sinking of 
a well. In this instance a lady was again the only person among 
the spectators who could use the rod, and she seemed to be able 
to do so quite as well as Mullins. 

Sir W. E. Welby Gregory, Bart., of Denton Manor, Grantham, 
formerly M.P. for South Lincolnshire, and who has just been 
elected chairman of the Lincolnshire County Council, gives some 
interesting experiences in a published letter which is too long to 
quote in its entirety, but from which I will extract the most 
essential points. He was preparing to build a large country house 
on a site selected, among other reasons, for its dryness, and it 
was a problem where the water supply was to come from, as there 
was none apparent which could be brought to the house without 
great expense. Mullins was sent for, and he was first tested by 
being taken across the lawn of the old house, underneath which 
was a current of water at a depth of a few feet, though there 
was nothing to indicate it. Whenever he crossed the drain, how- 
ever, the twig at once turned upwards. He then went to the 
kitchen garden, where there had always been much want of 
water, and presently the twig stopped him at a spot apparently 
as dry as the rest and with nothing distinctive about it. Here 
he said was water at a depth of between 20 and 30 feet. He 
next proceeded to the site of the new house, and indicated two 
lines, about 30 yards apart, along which, he said, water was 
flowing in somewhat greater volume than the rill he had found 
in the kitchen garden. He afterwards went further afield, but 
could find no other signs of water. From his repeated trials he 
appeared to be exhausted, and was dismissed to tea in the 
housekeeper’s room. The remainder may be told in Sir Welby 
Gregory’s own words :— 

“ After tea several of the servants, whose curiosity was excited, 
got him to exhibit his art to them, and tried whether they them- 
selves had any power with the twig. My gardener, Joseph Towers, 
found that it worked in his hands nearly as strongly as in 


421 


‘those of Mullins himself, I took no further action then in the 
matter; but described what I had seen to an eminent civil 
engineer, who assured me that from his knowledge of the 
geological formation of the country, he could say confidently 
there was no chance of finding a water supply under my new 
house at a depth of less than 120 or 130 feet, and his opinion 
was confirmed by another geological authority who was then 
in the neighbourhood. So I virtually gave up all hope of 
deriving any benefit from Mullins’ assertions. Some weeks later, 
‘however, my gardener came to me and said that he was in great 
want of water in the kitchen garden; that he had tried repeatedly 
with the twig over the place where Mullins indicated a rivulet ; 
that it invariably turned up at the spot, and that he was quite 
convinced there was water there. If I would allow him, he 
could sink a well with the garden labourers, so as not to involve 
any additional expense. I consented to this; the well was sunk 
‘to a depth of nearly 20 feet, when water poured into it freely, 
and it has supplied a long range of hot-houses ever since. 

“On the strength of what had occurred in the kitchen garden, 
I set Towers to traverse the new site, where the lines of water 
indicated by Mullins had been marked by pegs 60 yards or 70 
yards apart, and just visible above the grass. These lines Towers 
and his twig emphatically confirmed, and I proceeded to test 
him. I had the projecting extremities of the prongs of the twig 
held tight by pincers, so that there could be no voluntary action 
on Towers’ part when crossing the marked lines. Despite this, 
the point of the twig twisted itself upwards till the bark was 
wrinkled and almost split, while the strain and pressure upon the 
muscles of the man’s hands were most apparent. I then blindfolded 
him, and turned him loose. The result was precisely the same. 
Whenever he crossed Mullins’ lines, up went the twig. The 
presumption now appeared to be so strong in favour of the twig 
that I determined to disregard the geologists, and have a well sunk 
‘on one of the lines. This was done; at the depth of about 28 


422 


feet the water rushed in, and rose till it stood about 8 feet 
deep, at which it now remains, having, in the meantime, fully 
supplied all the requirements during building the house, which 
were probably not less than 1,000 gallons a day for three 
years or more, I may add that I have since had occasion to 
sink a shaft for a lift between the two lines indicated by Mullins, 
some 12 yards or 15 yards from either, and to a depth consider- 
‘ably greater than the well. As no water came into this, though 
the formation was precisely similar, and the well has not been 
affected by it, I am satisfied that, had I not employed Mullins, 
I might have sunk wells in any number to no purpose under my 
house, unless I had happened to hit upon the rills indicated by 
him with such perfect precision.” 

There are one or two remarkable features in this letter :— . 

1.—It shows that the diviners were more correct in their 
conclusions than the geologists. I do not call attention to this 
with a view to reflecting in any way upon the latter, but 
merely to meet the scientist's argument that a knowledge of 
physical geography and geology is amply sufficient to account for 
the divining power. If the stone mason and the gardener 
had in this case proceeded upon these lines, in all probability 
Sir Welby Gregory would have waited in vain for the water 
which, under other circumstances, he obtained. 

2.—The letter testifies to the diviner’s utility in pointing out, 
not only where water is, but where it is not, which, as some 
persons contend it can be found almost anywhere, is worth 
remarking. 

3.—It furnishes a remarkable instance of the corroboration of 
one diviner by another. 

I will trouble you with extracts from another letter, as the 
evidence is valuable, as coming from one so well-known as the 
present Earl of Winchilsea, he being at the time the letter was 
written, viz., in 1884, the Hon. M. E. G. Finch-Hatton, M.P. for 
the Spalding Division of Lincolnshire, and also because it supplies 


i ai 


423 


a particularly good instance of the blindfold test. He had heard 
of Mullins as a diviner, and was anxious to test his powers, so he 
sent for him to come to Haverholme Priory, near Sleaford, his 
then residence. Lord Winchilsea says :— 

“We established it on good authority that Mullins had no 
previous acquaintance with Haverholme. 

“1.1 took him on to the grass in front of the house, across 
which the water supply pipe passed. There was no indication of 
its presence on the surface, nor did I previously mention its 
existence to Mullins; on crossing it the twig moved in the 
manner described, and he could trace the water to right and left, 
by its means, along the path actually taken by the pipe. 

‘© 9On our way to the kitchen garden Mullins discovered a 
spring on the open lawn, whose existence was unknown to me, 
it had been closed in so long, but was subsequently attested by 
an old labourer on the place, who remembered it as a well, and 
had seen it bricked in many years before. 

«“3.On reaching the kitchen garden I knew that a lead pipe, 
leading water to a tap outside the wall, crossed the gravel path 
at a certain spot. On crossing it the twig made no sign. I was 
astonished at first, till I remembered what Mullins had said about 

stagnant water, and that the tap was not running. 

“TJ sent to have it turned on, re-conducted Mullins over the 
ground, when the twig immediately indicated the spot. 

“ When Mullins had passed on I carefully marked the exact 
spot indicated by the twig. When he had left the garden I said, 
‘Now, Mullins, may we blindfold you and let you try Y Hesaid, 
‘Oh yes, if you don’t lead me into a pond or anything of that 
sort. We promised. _ 

«Several sceptical persons were present, who took care the 
blindfolding was thoroughly done. I then re-conducted him, 
blindfold, to the marked spot by a different route, leaving the 
tap running, with the result that the stick indicated, with 
mathematic exactness, the same spot. At first he slightly 


424 


overran it a foot or so, and then felt round, as it were, and 
seemed to be led back into the exact centre of influence by 
the twig. 

“All present considered the trial entirely conclusive of, 
two ‘things. 

“First, of the man’s perfect good faith. 

. “Secondly, that the effect produced on the twig emanated 
from an agency outside of himself, and appeared due to the 
presence of running water. 

‘*My brother, Mr. Harold Finch-Hatton, is present as I write, 
and confirms what I say. 

“Tt is true that one of the Misses Wordsworth tried the twig, 
and was surprised to find that an influence of a similar nature, 
though not so strong, was imparted to it.” 

Within the last few days I have been fortunate enough to 
obtain some other very valuable and significant evidence. 
Valuable from the fact that it is the testimony of one whose 
position and attainments entitle him to be heard on any subject 
with respect, and significant on account of its remarkable 
corroborative character. It came from Mr. H. D. Skrine, of 
Claverton Manor, who says :— 

“ My first acquaintance with the divining rod was in January, 
1865. 1 had heard that one John Mullins, a well sinker, who 
lived at Colerne, had the gift of finding water by the rod. I sent 
for him and took a walk through the great wood at Warleigh 
and a field called Biggs’ Leaze, adjoining the village of Conkwell, 
where I had thought of building a cottage as a sort of sanitorium 
for my wife, who was then in delicate health and required a more 
bracing air than Warleigh. On the way, he tried the divining 
rod several times, and I was aware that in a line below the 
points where the twig turned with him there was a spring in the 
wood which came to the surface, Arrived on the field, the twig 
turned with him in several places, and he set a mark on the wall 
opposite the spot. A few days after I asked Mr, Earle, Rector 


425 


of: Monkton Farleigh, to meet John Mullins and myself on the 
field (this was Friday, January 20th, 1865), as I had heard that. 
Mr. Earle had the gift, and had discovered water by it on his 
own land at Monkton Farleigh. He was not aware of the marks 
on the wall, but the twig turned with him at the same places as. 
with Mullins ; they differed only in the position in the field as to 
the best place to sink the’ well, both being in the same line. The 
well was sunk, and water was found at about 80 feet in yellow 
clay under the rock, but this not being of sufficient depth, and 
the clay being a thin bed, Mullins went down about 25 feet, 
lower and came on a good spring in the blue lias. This allowed 
a cavity of 4 feet, but, as the bed was not water-tight much 
farther down, we ended with this. 

“‘Mullins afterwards found some springs near the house, and. 
traced them up to the spot where, under the croquet lawn, a. 
spring had been found some years before. Since then I have 
employed him at Claverton, and sunk two wells successfully, and 
he has again traced several springs which have been verified.. 
In two instances where the line of a drain had been lost he 
recovered the spot, and was always correct. My two sons, who 
had watched the operation, found they also had the gift. I 
‘cannot resist the conclusion that it is a real gift possessed by 
some persons, and that it may have been a natural provision to 
enable men to obtain that very necessary element (water) when 
there are no signs above the surface.” . 

I have referred especially to John Mullins because I have 
seen and heard more of him than others, and because it would 
hinder too much of your time to go into details in reference to 
more than one diviner. I have, however, information with 
regard to several others, and a notable one in this district is Mr, 
W. S. Lawrence, of Bishopston, Bristol, who uses a piece of 
watch-spring as well as a hazel rod, and to whose success in 
finding water for them, Messrs. Evans and Owen, of the Ely 
Paper Works, Cardiff, have recently testified in the Bristol Times 
and Mirror. 


426 


The evidence I have submitted has particularly referred to 
professional diviners, but the following exceedingly interesting 
letter is from one who has only practised the art as an amateur. 
The writer is Mr. Frederick Webster, who is engaged in the 
estate office at the Queen’s Home Farm, at Osborne, and his 
testimony is endorsed by Mr. A. Blake, Her Majesty’s Steward, 
whom I have long known and esteemed. Mr. Webster says :— 

“Mr. Little has asked me to write you an account of how I 
first found that I possessed the power to find water by means of 
the ‘dowsing’ or ‘divining rod,’ and the effects produced at 
the time of using it and afterwards. 

“Until I saw John Mullins, of Colerne, Wilts, who was 
engaged by the Earl of Jersey, in the dry summer of 1884, to 
find water on his estate at Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire, I had 
not seen the dowsing rod, nor had I even heard of it, but whilst 
Mullins was there I was induced, amongst many others in the 
village, to try and see if it worked with me, when I was greatly 
surprised to find that it would, but I was the only one that it 
did turn up with. 

“The twig can be either nut or white thorn, and in shape 
like the large letter ‘V.? The two branches are held between 
the two first fingers and thumbs of each hand, with the bottom 
of the twig pointing to the ground; then the performer walks at 
a steady pace, and when nearing a spring there is a sensation 
in the arms and wrists like a slight shock from an electric 
battery, which gradually increases in force until you get directly 
over the spring, when, if the spring is a strong one, the end of 
the twig which was pointing to the ground will suddenly rise 
and point upwards, but if the spring is weak it will only rise 
gradually. Some people imagine that the performer forces the 
twig up with his fingers, but it can be easily proved that this is 
not the case, for if the end of one of the branches or forks of 
the twig is broken off, all but the bark, and the performer holds 
the piece that is broken in one hand, and the other branch in the 
other hand, the twig will turn up the same as before. . 


ee ae 


aie’. 


427 


“T have tried the effect of the twig over a stream, and found 
that when I stood directly over the stream the twig would turn 
up quicker and stronger than if I stood with one foot on each 
side of the stream, which leads me to think that the electricity 
(or whatever other force it is) passes through the body into 
the twig. 

“Tf the twig is used very much in a day, and the springs are 
generally strong, it causes a dull, sleepy, heavy and weakening 
feeling, and the wrists get quite painful, but if the springs are 
weak it has a less marked effect upon you. 

“ t have been out on several occasions with Mullins, when he 
has been searching for water on estates, under the management of 
Mr, Little, both in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, and in every case 
_in which a well has been sunk on the spot indicated by Mullins 
water was found, and the most curious thing is that Mullins can 
tell (by means of the force working in him), to within a few feet, 
how deep you will have to dig to get to water. ‘The correctness 
of his opinion as to the depth to be dug to the water was very 
strikingly shown in digging a well on the Charterhouse Estate, 
in Wiltshire, which Mr. Little had dug to supply two new 
cottages with water; Mullins said they would have to go 50 
feet, but when the man who was digging the well got down to 
48 feet, he said it was no use going any lower for there was no 
water, as the ground was so dry, but Mr. Little told him to keep 
on till he did find water. He had only gone the other two feet 
when he had to beat a hasty retreat, the water came in so fast, 
and in two days there was 23 feet of water in the well, the well 
_ being about four feet six inches in diameter. 

‘‘The ‘dowsing rod’ is very useful in finding drains, if there 
is any running water in them; the water must, however; be 
running, or the twig will not turn up. It has also been the 
means of saving a great deal of expense in searching for water.” 

This latter is a case, and there are many of a similar character, 


_ which is worthy of particular notice. Here the possessor of the 
D 


428 


gift made no profit out of it, and had no inducement to practise 
a deception. To do so was to court an imputation of dishonesty 
without any counterbalancing advantage. 

Mr. Vaughan Jenkins, of Cheltenham, to whom the two 
letters I have quoted from Sir Welby Gregory and the Earl of 
Winchilsea were addressed, has a most valuable collection of 
contemporary evidence on the subject, some of which has been 
examined and published by the Society for Psychical Research, 
whom he supplied with between 60 and 70 well-authenticated 
cases, which he obtained in a very short space of time. 

Among these is a very remarkable one, which came under his 


notice at a time when he was incredulous as to the power in © 


question. He required water on an estate whereon he was about 
to erect a residence. The architect fixed upon the most con- 
venient spot for the well, but after the well sinkers had reached 
a depth of 51 feet they decided, from the nature of the strata, 
&c., that it would be perfectly useless to proceed further, and 
the authorities who were consulted came to the conclusion that, 
owing to the peculiar dip of the land and for various other 
reasons, there was not the least chance of water being obtained on 
the plot of land anywhere. One of the workmen, however, per- 
suaded Mr. Jenkins to allow the divining rod to be tried, as he had 
ason, a boy eleven years old, who could use it. The rod on being 
passed over a portion of the land exhibited signs of motion, 
then began to revolve, and ultimately twisted about to such an 
extent that the boy was obliged to let it go. The father’s 
positive assurance that there was now a certainty of success 
induced Mr. Jenkins to sink a well, and, at a depth of 48 feet, 
they struck on a strong spring of water. In a few hours the 
well contained 10 feet of water, which occasionally rises now to 
15 feet. Mr. Jenkins says :—‘I was then, and I am now, fully 
convinced of the total absence of deceit or collusion, and of the 
full integrity of the whole transaction, no fee or reward being 
asked for or expected.” Here, according to scientific experts, 


ee eee 


ae 


429 


water ought not to have been discovered, but a mere child, 
unlikely to be guided by any clues supplied by science, proves to 
the contrary. 

I approached this investigation with the one desire of 
ascertaining the truth, and, if the evidence I have submitted to 
you has been one-sided in character, it is because those with whom 
I have been brought into contact, who have tried the diviners, 
could testify of successes only, and not failures. At, the same 
time, I am far from saying there are no failures, or that there 
are no pretenders in this, as in other matters. 

The value of the evidence in favour of the existence of the 
power we have been considering lies chiefly in the following 
points :— 

Firstly.—That it is supplied by individuals of education and 
position, whose general intelligence and shrewdness are not 
likely to be called in question. 

Secondly.—That none of it is anonymous in character, but is 
capable of being verified by a reference to the individual who 
gives it. 

Thirdly.—That it has not been gathered from a band of 
enthusiasts in communication with each other, and bent upon 
pushing some theory or hobby to the front, but has been collected 
from independent and isolated witnesses, who could have no 
object to serve by misrepresentation. 

Fourthly.—That the bulk of it is derived, not from the pro- 
fessional diviner, who has an interest in a belief in it, but from 
those who lay no claim to the possession of the power they 
concede to others. 

Fifthly—That much of it is of a corroborative character, as 
illustrated, especially, in those instances where an amateur has 
followed the professional diviner, and, without any knowledge of 
what the latter has indicated, has been correspondingly affected, 

This evidence, as far as a plain statement of facts is concerned, 
can only be impugned on the ground either that the witnesses 


430 


were accessories to a fraud, or victims of it; and the knowledge 
one has of them, whether as regards their probity or their 
acuteness, does not lend itself to either supposition. 

But there are some who, while admitting that diviners 
frequently fulfil what they undertake, deny the existence of any 
special power confined to certain individuals. They have several 
ways of accounting for a diviner’s success, and the following is a 
summary of them. They contend :— 

1.—That he makes a guess at the position of what he has to 
discover, and the fact that he is sometimes right is a mere 
coincidence. The adoption of this theory would lead to the 
conclusion that luck favoured the diviners to a much greater 
extent than the rest of mankind, and stood by them even when 
they were blindfolded. 

2.—That a knowledge, on the part of the diviners, of the 
locality and of its geology sufficiently accounts for their 
discoveries. Western diviners, however, are frequently sent for, 
on very short notice, to distant parts of the kingdom where 
they have never been before, and with successful results. But 
even admitting their possession of a knowledge of locality and 
geology combined, this would not help them much when they 
were blindfolded, or were passing over artificial water courses 
and drains. 

3.—That the so-called power is merely due to an involuntary 
muscular action resulting from a fixedness of idea. But there 
must be something behind the idea which determines its 
adoption, and the correctness of the results indicates the working 
of a guiding principle. 

Lastly, there is the irrefutable sledge-hammer argument—that 
there can be no such power as is claimed, because there is no 
accounting for it within the lines which science, as represented by 
man (an essential point), has laid down. This is almost equivalent 
to saying that man has adopted certain principles to which 
Nature is expected ta adhere, and that any departure from them 


431 


is to be rather deprecated than otherwise. A friend once said 
to me—“As a man, I believe in divining; as a scientist, 
I can’t.” 

Time will not permit me to enter upon a discussion of the 
many theories which have been set up to account for the 
phenomenon we have been considering by those who have a 
belief in it. Some attribute it to electricity, others to magnetism, 
whilst some cherish the idea that it is an altogether new force 
which, if its origin and conditions could be traced out, would 
prove of vast utility and importance to mankind. The faculty 
possessed by some animals of scenting water a considerable dis- 
tance off may be worth remembering when we begin to theorise. 

Premising, of course, that no claim to supernatural power is, 
or can be, set up by those who possess the divining gift, to what 
preliminary conclusions does the evidence we have been con- 
sidering seem to point :— 

1.—That some persons are distinctly influenced by the presence 
of water or metal. 

2.—That this is due to no law universally applicable to all 
persons alike, but to one whose operation is dependent upon 
certain exceptional conditions in the individual. - 

3.-—That it is the physical rather than the mental organization 
that is affected. 

Investigation, methodically pursued, may in time bring us 
nearer to a solution of the questions:—How is that influence 
generated ? and, What are the exceptional conditions in the in- 
dividual affected by it? And possibly the germ of a great 
principle may be found in the answers. This course seems, at 
any rate, preferable to that of regarding any phenomenon as 
outside the pale of scientific enquiry if it does not fit in with a 
preconceived plan of accounting for it. ‘There are more things 
in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your 
philosophy” is as perfect a crystallization of the truth now as 
when it was first uttered nearly three centuries ago, and it will 


432 


probably remain so for many a long year to come. In this spirit, 
I commend this subject to your consideration, and, if I have done 
anything towards vindicating its claim to a spare corner in the 
wide region of practical research, my labour has not been in vain. 


List of terrestrial Hemiptera-Heteroptera taken in the neighbourhood 
of Bath. By Livvut.-Cou. Buatuwayt, F.L.S., F. Ent., 8. 


The following list, which is a continuation of a paper read on 
the 8th February, 1888, and specimens of which are deposited 
in the Bath Local Museum, contains the names only of such 
insects as I have myself taken within a walk from my house at 
Batheaston, and does not pretend to be exhaustive. The classifi- 
cation adopted is that of Mr. E. Saunders, F.L.S., published in the 
Transactions of Entomological Society 1875-76. In the column 
of remarks the words “ Rare,” “ Not Common,” &c., merely show 
what I have hitherto found the insects to be; and very possibly 
one rare in this immediate neighbourhood may be exceedingly 
common on the other side of Bath. Against four I have pur- 
posely left a blank, because I believe that my failure to find 
more than one or two specimens may be attributed to the search 
not having been made in the right places. 

The month is only that in which I have found the insects 
most abundant, and does not mean that they are not to be found 
either earlier or later. 


ARTHROPTERIDZ, 


Acanthosoma hemorrhoidale, £. Not common. 
Tropicoris rufipes, Z. ... ... On oaks not common, 


433 


LYGAIDA. 


Scolopostethus adjunctus, Dovgl. 
& Scott ae Ar, ... Very common on nettles, July. 
ee affinis, Schill... Ditto do. 
Drymus sylvaticus, Yab.... ... Wery common on herbage in sum- 
mer, and in winter under stones 
and bark. 


TINGIDIDZ. 


Monanthia cardui, Z. ... ... Swarms on thistles, July, August. 


ARADIDA, 


Aneurus levis, /ab. sad ... Moderately common under bark 
at all seasons. 


CAPSID. 
Miris calcaratus, Fall. ... .... Common on herbage, July. 
»  levigatus, L. ae we Ditto do, 
Megalocerea erratica, L.... we Ditto do. 
Leptoterna dolobrata, Z.... sa Ditto do. 


re ferrugata, Fall. ... Moderately common, do. 
Phytocoris longipennis, Flor, ...’ Common on hazel, July, August. 


Me tilie, Fab. ... .... Not common, various trees, do. 

ee varipes, Boh.... bie Ditto do. do. 

- pibeviey Sm ae Aas Se Ditto do. do. 
Oncognathus binotatus, Fab. ... Very plentiful on herbage, do. 
Calocoris fulvomaculatus, De Geer Common on hazel, do. 

»  sexguttatus Fab. ... Very common on flowers of um- 


belliferse, do. 
»  yroseomaculatus, De Geer Moderately common on various 


. flowers, do. 

»  bipunctatus, Fab. ... Plentiful on various plants, do. 
Rhopalotomus ater, Z. ... ... Common on nettles, summer. 
Capsus laniarius, L. ... Somewhat rare. 

Liocoris 3-pustulatus, Fab, ... Wery common on herbage, July, 
August. 


Peeciloscytus Gyllenhalii, Fall... Not common. 
Lygus pabulinus, Z. ...  «» Common on nettles, July, August. 


»  lucorum, Mey. 

» pratensis, Fab. 

»° Kalmii, Z.... ee a. 
Camptobrochis lutescens, Schill... 
Globiceps flavomaculatus, Fab. ... 


Cyllocoris histrionicus, J. Ace 
Campyloneura virgula, H. Scff.... 
Z®torhinus angulatus, Fall. 
Chlamydatus ambulans, Fall. 
Dicyphus pallidus, H. Sef. 


Malacocoris chlorizans, Block. ... 
Orthocephalus saltator, Hahn. ... 
Harpocera thoracica, Fall. 
Phyllus melanocephalus, Z. 

»  Ppalliceps, F%eb. ... 

 conyli, 7... Y 

» avellane, H. Sef. 


Atractotomus mali, Meyer 
Psallus betuleti, Fal/. 
»  Ambiguus, Fall... 
»  variabilis, Fall. ... 
»  simillimus, Kirsch. 
»,  Rotermundi, Scholtz. 
»  Sanguineus, Jab... 
»  lepidus, Mieb. ... 
»  roseus, Fall. 35: 
»  alnicola, Dougl. & Scott 
»  varians, H. Scff. ... 
Plagiognathus viridulus, Fall. 
5 arbustorum, ab... 


434 


Common on oaks, July. 

Not common. 

Not common. 

Very common on limes, July. 

Moderately common on herbage, 
July, August. 

Common on oaks, July. 

Somewhat rare on oaks, do. 

Swarms on alders, July, August. 

Not common. 

Common on various plants, July, 
August. 

Very common on hazel, do. 

Common on herbage, do. 

Rare. 

Not common on oaks, July. 

Moderately common on oaks, do. 

Moderately common on hazel, do. 

Very plentiful on hazel, July, 
August. 


. Moderately common on herbage, do. 


Rare. 

Common on alders, July, August. 
Common on oaks, July. 

Rare. 

Rare. 

Not common. 

Not common, 

Common on alders, July. 
Common on alders, do. 

Common on oaks, do. 

Common on herbage, July, August. 
Common on herbage, do. 


MIOROPHYSIDA. 


gees ules pselaphiformis, West 
Fs elegantula, Baer. 


Not common. 
Not common. 


435 
ANTHOCORIDZ. 


Anthocoris nemorum, J. ... 


i summer, and in winter found 
~ nemoralis, Fab. 


— on various trees all the 
under bark and stones. 


Piezostethus galactinus, Fieb. 


REDUVIDZ. 


Reduvius personatus, L. ... ... Not common, occasionally flies 
into the house at night. 


NABIDE. 
Nabis major, Costa. 


»  flavomarginatus, Scholz ... 
»  rugosus, Z.... 


Summary of Proceedings for the year 1888-89. 


Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN, 


Twice within the existence of our Club the British Association 
for the Advancement of Science has visited Bath ; once in 1864, 
and, after a elapse of 24 years, a second time during the year 
just passed. Some of our members survive who took part in 
the business of the various Sections at both meetings; some 
have passed away from our midst. It is a subject; however, of 
congratulation to us, and one worthy of record, that our vener- 
able President, the Founder of this Club, and at the same time 
one of the oldest, if not the oldest, surviving member of the 
Association, was enabled to be present on more than one occasion. 
Though his advancing years preclude him from taking any active 
share in our Afternoon Meetings, or the customary Excursions, 
yet the vigour of his intellect remaining unimpaired, he never 
ceases to watch over the interests of the Club; and by his 


436 


counsel and advice materially assists in the advancement of 
Science, and the forwarding those objects for which the Club 
was constituted. 

The committee of six members appointed as your representa- 
tives on the Local Committee of the B.A. did good work, and, 
without particularising names, it is but right to say that the 
active share taken by two or three conduced not a little towards 
facilitating the arrangements for the reception of the guests, and 
contributed much to render the meeting the success it was. One 
of the results of the recent meeting was the appointment of a 
committee for the purpose of placing a tablet on the house in 
Bath where William Smith, the “Father of English Geology,” 
lived longest. After making every possible enquiry the committee 
found such an uncertainty attaching to the exact house (at least 
two or three localities having been suggested) that they decided 
to recommend that the memorial should be placed on the house 
called Tucking Mill at Midford, where, without doubt, he resided 
for many years during his construction of the Somerset Coal 
Canal, and the members at their Anniversary meeting, held on 
February 18th, decided that the memorial tablet should be 
erected there at the cost of the Club. 

The afternoon meetings for the session began on Wednesday, 
18th of December, when a paper on ‘‘Church Doorways” was 
read by the Rev. Reginald A. Cayley. His subject was divided 
into five heads, viz—1, Secular Minsters ; 2, Augustinian ditto ; 
3, Benedictine Abbeys; 4, Cistercian Abbeys; 5, Parish Churches. 
These were treated under the several divisions of Western, 
Lateral, Transeptal and Exceptional positions ; in conclusion he 
attempted to apply the foregoing considerations to elucidate the 
original design of the Bath Abbey Church ( Vide p. 363). 

Canon ELLACOMBE, who took the chair, expressed the pleasure 
with which he had listened to Mr. Cayley’s paper, and said that 
it was just the sort of treatment of an out-of-the-way subject, 
applied to details close at home, so useful to a Club like theirs, 


are Mn 


~<a eT 


437 


Such an intimate knowledge of architectural details was shown 
by Mr. Cayley that he hardly dared to criticise anything he had 
said ; but still he hesitated to accept the statement that when 
Augustine landed in England he found hundreds of churches in 
existence. On the contrary, he was of opinion that the ancient 
churches had well nigh vanished at that time, in England at least. 
As to the comparative insignificance of our western doorways 
as compared with those on the Continent, he thought an exception 
ought to be made in the case of those of the Norman pericd ; 
the English examples of doorways of that date not only being 
unsurpassed by any foreign ones, but, indeed, being far superior. 
He agreed with Mr. Cayley as to the lateral doorways of our 
parish churches being situated in accordance with the position of 
the highway or the contiguity of houses, but asked for the 
evidence of Cloisters having existed on the south of the Abbey. 
In conclusion, he thanked Mr. Cayley for his admirable paper, 
and called upon those present for any criticisins. 

Mr. Browne remarked that the paper went over a large 
number of illustrations, and was certainly of great interest for 
the care and research evinced by Mr. Cayley. He referred to 
the large south-eastern porch at Lincoln as a further illustration 
of the points mentioned by the reader of the paper. In regard 
to our parish churches, there could be no doubt that the position 
of the doorways N., S. or W. was in many cases governed by 
considerations of convenience for access or conformity to the 
levels of the ground. As an instance, he mentioned the entrance 
of Sompting Church, Sussex, on the south side, with several 
steps up to the nave level, and in what was practically a 
south transept. With reference to Mr. Cayley’s theory of the 
original Bath Abbey Church being finished at the east end with 
an apse surrounded by an ambulatory, it was certainly novel and 
ingenious, but, before accepting it, a more careful study of the 
Abbey in the light of the new theory was desirable. The 
Norman remains to be seen in the bases of columns below the 


438 


pavement of the north aisle, and especially also those on the 
exterior of the east end, must be taken into account, and although 
not absolutely inconsistent with such a theory as was now pro- 
pounded, yet it was far from clear that these remains at the east 
end would adapt themselves to such a termination of the building. 

Mr. J. S. BARTRuM referred also to the Norman remains 
found during the restoration of the Abbey by Sir Gilbert Scott, 
and also doubted whether a Cloister could have existed on the 
south side of the Abbey Church, as the site was so much occupied 
by the Roman Baths, the remains of which are known to exist 
under the Chronicle Office. 

Mr. CAYLEY, in reply, stated that he had long thought upon 
the difficulties in connection with the present eastern turrets ; 
and, on the principle of comparative anatomy, had come to the 
conclusion that they were ‘Norman in structure and originally 
flanked the chord of the apse—a not uncommon position in 
Norman work, but not usual at the corners of transepts, a position 
they must have occupied on the theory of the present east end 
being the site of the central tower of the Norman Church. As 
to the evidence of the existence of Cloisters on the S., it was 
admitted that the Prior’s House existed there, and other buildings 
connected with the Monastery, and, moreover, Benedictine Abbeys 
always had Cloisters attached to them. 

There was a good attendance at this meeting, and Mr. Cayley 
promised to illustrate his remarks on some future occasion by 
taking the members round the Abbey and showing them some 
of the points under discussion. 

The second meeting was held on January 9th, for Mr. Emanuel 
Green’s paper on “ Bath Lay Subsidies, Hen. IV. to Hen. 
VIII.” (Vide p. 379) Mr. SkRtNz took the chair, and, whilst 
expressing his admiration for the care Mr. Green had shown in 
drawing up his paper, stated that he was under the impression 
that an assessment of a tenth or fifteenth on property was a 
fixed sum, and the levying of it in the hands of local officials, 


"P< 


439 


but the Subsidy was an uncertain and arbitrary tax, and often 
made most oppressive and unfair. He invited discussion. Mr. 
H. M. Skrine asked whether Prior Holloway sold his rights for 
£5 a year, charged on Bathford parish, and paid to Cromwell for 
his trouble in arranging the cession of the Abbey to the Crown ? 

Mr. Austin KinG spoke of the valuable labours of Mr. Green 
in illustrating, by means of patient research, a phase of English 
history which historians had, for want of accurate information, 
been unable to deal with. The Proceedings of the Field Club 
were becoming every year more important as a store-house of 
valuable information on historical subjects. 

The afternoon of Wednesday, February 6th, was given up to 
Mr. Plowman, Sec. B. & W. Eng. Soc., for a paper on “ The 
Divining Rod.” (Vide p. 411.) Ananimated discussion followed 
the reading of the paper. 

Mr. H. D. Sxrinz, who was in the chair, in moving a vote of 
thanks to Mr. Plowman for his interesting paper, mentioned a 
few instances in his experience when water had been discovered 
by means of the divining rod; in one case, some years ago at 
Warley, two of his sons who possessed this power when they 
were boys, by the use of the divining rod found a spring of 
water beneath the library. He himself and the only other person 
who knew of its being there were not present at the time they 
found it. 

Col. THomrson related an incident which occurred when 
he was serving with his regiment 40 years ago in Ireland. A 
“dowser ” was searching for water, using an ordinary hazel twig . 
he accompanied him, and found water in several places. He 
wished to try himself, by using the man’s rod, but the latter 
suggested that he should “ cut his own stick,” which he did. He 
was at first unsuccessful, so also was the “‘ dowser” who followed 
him ; but soon afterwards the stick distinctly bent, and on the 
“ dowser” comiug to the same spot his twig was similarly affected. 
On a subsequent trial in another locality the twigs of both again 


440 


moved, and he found on enquiry that a water course carrying 
water from a lake on the hill to a pond below crossed under that 
field at the place indicated. 

Prebendary ScarRTH remarked that the question of the in- 
sulation of the ‘‘dowser” had not been touched upon. In his 
part of the country there was a tradition that if four glasses 
were placed over running water and a piece of slate or glass 
placed on them, the water finder, when standing on this sort 
of platform, was insulated and lost all power of divining. The 
divining rod had been used in every part of the country more 
or less successfully for the discovery of water. 

The Rey. pu CourEY MEADE said that in the neighbourhood 
of Swindon, instead of ‘‘dowsing” it was known as “ jossling.” 

Mr. W. J. BRowN related his experience at Box, when Mullins 
was employed by Mr. W. A. Bruce, who was no believer in the 
efficacy of the divining rod. Water was, however, found, and a 
well sunk, which gives a good supply to the present time, and 
Mr. Bruce was converted to a belief in the “ dowsing ” rod. 

Mr. J. L. SToTHERT said that at the Bristol Gas Works a man 
named Lawrence, who was supposed to possess the power of 
water finding, had been tested by the Secretary, and pointed 
out, by the aid in this case of a metal spring, without any 
previous knowledge, a spot in the yard under which there was a 
water supply. 

Surgeon-General BEATSON spoke of water being found under 
a particular portion of the late ice factory, just where it was 
wanted, but he was rather inclined to believe that the man must 
have known water was under the whole place, and only pointed 
out the particular spot, knowing that it was the most con- 
venient to the manager of the works. He also drew attention 
to a letter on the divining rod in Hone’s year book, written at 
Bath, in which there is not any mention of ‘‘ dowsing.” The 
“dowser” is there called “ finder,” and the implement a 
“ finding stick.” 


44] 


Mr. T. BrowNe was not inclined from his experience to 
entirely believe in the properties of the divining rod. He related 
a circumstance which took place at Swanswick some ten years 
ago, when a well was sunk to a depth of 60 feet, and water found 
which lasted for 18 months, and then the supply ceased. The 
supply was renewed again some time after, but subsequently 
stopped altogether. Mr. Browne mentioned a second case at 
Wellow where the water finder entirely failed. On the other 
hand, at the Viaduct Hotel, Mullins pointed out a spot where 
water could be found, and he was confirmed by Willcox, another 
“dowser,” and a well was sunk which yields a good supply 
of water. 

The Rey. H. H. Winwoop, while admitting that Mr. Plowman 
had made out a very strong case, and also that there was a good 
deal which could not be explained with reference to the divining 
rod, yet, he said, in most of the instances given where water had 
been discovered, the finder had been accompanied by some one 
who knew of its position before, and he, therefore, was inclined 
to believe that it was more by thought-reading than by the use of 
the rod that water was discovered. With regard to Mullins, he 
considered him to be a good practical geologist, and, in neighbour- 
hoods which he knew well, could easily point out where water 
was to be found from his knowledge of the nature of the ground, 

Mr. Foxcrorr related his experience of an attempt by 
Willcox to find water for him some years ago. A spot was 
selected by means of the divining rod where water was to be 
found at a depth of 30 or 40 feet. The attempt was made, and 
so far persevered in, that a depth of 130 feet was reached, 
without, however, coming to water. The springs in the im- 
mediate neighbourhood are from 30 to 40 feet in depth. Mr, 
Willcox appeared completely baffled, and the attempt was 
abandoned. ' 

The discussion was continued by the Rev. R. Cavey and 
Messrs. GILL and Morgan, Major-General Burn and Colonel 
BLATHWAYT. 


442 


Mr. PLowMan replied to various points that had been raised 
in the course of the discussion, and expressed his satisfaction 
that the conclusions to which his investigations had led him had 
been endorsed by the majority of those present, many of whom 
had furnished remarkable and significant evidence derived from 
practical experience. The main testimony that had been given 
by the speakers was, undoubtedly, in favour of the proposition 
that water divining was no myth, but a real power possessed by 
certain individuals. 


EXCURSIONS. 


The four Excursions fixed for the year have all been carried out 
under generally favourable conditions as to weather. 

The first to Caldicot Castle and the Severn Tunnel took place 
on 24th April. Notwithstanding the gloomy sky and a cold north- 
east wind, which prevented many faint-hearted ones from putting 
in an appearance, twenty-four members and two visitors had 
sufficient confidence in Field Club weather to start by the 10.18 train 
on Tuesday, the 24th inst., for the Severn Junction. To those who 
had taken part in the Barry Docks excursion last year the road 
was familiar as far as the Junction. Here the saloon carriage, 
which, through Mr. Graham’s agency, had been provided by the 
G.W.R.., was left, and a start made for Caldicot, about one mile 
distant. Passing along a somewhat uninteresting road and 
through the straggling village, the church was the first object 
visited. Having been re-built some twenty-seven years ago, there 
was nothing worthy of note in the inside, the tower being the 
oldest part ; one of the many towers built for defence it is solid 
_and massive, the lower stage being larger than the upper and 
apparently of a somewhat earlier date, the belfry and windows 
indicating an early Perpendicular period. The Rev. E. V. Collins 
the Rector of the parish, courteously guided the members across 
the fields to the Castle, and pointed out its various architectural 


443 


details. Crossing a depression in the ground he said that was the 
first outer defence on the side which was most unprotected 
naturally. Recent excavations had uncovered the base of a 
square building, probably a tower, from which the foundations 
of a wall extended to the N. ‘The Castle, an irregular polygon, 
running mainly E. and W., was seen from this point to have 
been erected on ground slightly raised above the surrounding 
level marsh land, and presented a very imposing appearance. 
The large round tower, with its bold machicolations, on the 
N.W. seemed to be the oldest portion of the existing 
building, and reminded many of a Norman keep, though it was 
gathered from Mr. Collins’s statement that Mr. Cobb, the owner, 
who had spent so much time and labour in the excavation and 
in the preservation of the ruins, considered that there was not 
any portion of the building so old as the Norman times. Passing 
round the outside of this tower to the western entrance, the 
recent excavations had disclosed a flight of steps leading to a 
doorway opening out into what was formerly a ditch, the entrance 
to the Castle having been originally through the gateway over 
this postern. Attention was drawn to the string course round 
the tower not following the line of the curtain wall, showing that 
the latter was of more recent date. Entering through a small 
door on the E., a square stone on the right side of the jamb 
and low down, had the word “ Thomas” cut on it in old English 
characters, the first letter being a small “t,” not a capital as one 
would expect ; on another square stone inside at the base of 
a wall on the left hand was cut the word “ Elanor,” in incised 

lettering—query, was this corroborative of the legend that Sir 
Thomas Woodstock was born here, whose wife’s name was 
Elanor? Major Davis considered that the masonry in the wall 
above was Norman; but that the name was cut on the stone 
later, in the beginning of the 15th century. Walking across 
the neatly kept greensward to the west gateway, the round 


arch over which was considered by some to be Norman, the 
E 


444 


amount of material now removed, which once covered up the 
small postern beneath, could be fully understood and the 
labours of Mr. Cobb duly appreciated. The hall was situated 
on the south side, some very elegant Decorated windows 
still remaining ; on either side of the great gateway are flanking 
square towers, which serve as a residence for the proprietor. 
That on the right hand on leaving the Castle has its battlements 
resting on corbels carved into heads. The Castle formerly be- 
longing to the Bohun family passed by marriage to Thomas of 
Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, and gives the title to the 
Barony of Beaufort. Having thanked Mr. Collins for his kindly 
guidance, the members traversed the short distance between 
Caldicot and Portskewet, visiting the church on the way. Unlike 
that of Caldicot, it can boast of having been spared the hand 
of the restorer for many years, and remains in its covering of 
ochre and whitewash, concealing doubtlessly unknown bits of 
antiquity beneath. An old cross, with its steps and upright 
shaft of New Red Sandstone. stands in the churchyard, and the 
now rare wooden stocks can be seen outside the wall to the E. ; 
no longer a terror to evil doers, but still a sport to the village 
boys whose boast it appears to be that they had once been put in 
the stocks themselves. An excellent hot lunch at the Black Rock 
Hotel at 2.30 prepared the members for an inspection of the 
great pumping works in connection with the tunnel. Under the 
guidance of Mr. Hosken, who met them at the works about a 
quarter of a mile from the hotel, they were first of ail conducted 
to the outfall, where a fine body of clear fresh water was 
rushing into the Severn, the result of the pumping then going 
on representing the drainage of the surrounding area to the 
amount of 20,000,000 gallons per day. At the present time, 
owing to the late heavy rains, the quantity was increased to 
22,000,600 gallons, 11,000,000 of which came from the Sud- 
brook spring alone, a seemingly sad waste of an element becoming 
daily more necessary to the people of England whether in large 


445 


towns or in the rural districts. To give some idea of the 
gigantic nature of the undertaking, on which the safety of the 
tunnel depends, one has only to inspect the building where the 
engines are at work in connection with the Sudbrook spring, 
which has given the authorities so much trouble. Here six 
steam cylinders, each 5ft. 10in. in diameter, work day and night 
(at this. time it was necessary to work four only), it may be said 
almost noiselessly, so smooth is their action, drawing by the 
united efforts of “ plunger” and “bucket,” 2,160 gallons per 


stroke, as the following table shows :— 


Rr: ohn ete eet 


Steam Cylinder, Description. aoe Stroke. Calapiee: 
No. Diam. in inches. In. re 
1 70 Bucket 34 9 336 
2, 9 ‘ ”? ” 33 ” 
; : e 12 9 42 
¢ & 
4, os Plunger 1 35 ; 356 
5 ” 3) 9 ” 99 
f 12 i 42 


” » 35 = 356 
ee ee I el - | 886 


Passing on through the boiler house the great fan, 40ft. in 
diameter, was visited, so necessary to the ventilation of the 
tunnel. A minute or two was quite sufficient for the small 
parties of six at a time to witness its murky revolutions, and to 
be smirched with the black greasy residuum from the vitiated air 
that was drawn up from below. Time was all too short to dwell 


much on these works, and a quarter of an hour was alone 


permitted to a small party of four ata time to descend in cages 
to the bottom of the shaft, whence the Sudbrook spring is 
pumped 180 feet below the surface. The huge pumps slowly and 
methodically working up and down in the darkness, just rendered 
visible by the workmen’s lamps, and the noise of the running 
water underfoot contributed much to the weird uncanniness of 
the scene. An iron door slowly moving on its hinges admitted 


446 


to a bricked tunnel through which, in a crouching attitude, the 
venturesome few passed along till they arrived at the spot where 
the water was seen rushing from the subway beneath the main 
tunnel, to be drawn to the surface by the monsters they had 
just left behind them. Returning by the way they came they 
were speedily hauled to the surface, and tendering their sincere 
thanks to Mr. Hosken, who. had shown himself so anxious to 
explain everything, wended their way rather dirty from their 
underground experience to Portskewet Station, much pleased and 
instructed by their visit. The whole excursion was very much 
facilitated by the railway arrangements made through Mr. 
Graham, and by the opportune assistance afforded by Mr. Oliver 
Norris, who placed himself and trap at the disposal of the more 
infirm of the members. 

The second Excursion was a two-day-one to Christ Church, 
Hants, on Tuesday, May 15th, under the guidance of the Vice- 
President of the Club. The party left Bath in a saloon carriage, 
provided for them by the Midland Railway, and reached 
Bournemouth in the afternoon, when they were met by a break 
at the Bournemouth Station, and drove through the town and 
its picturesque outskirts to Christ Church. Here they were 
met by the Rev. G. H. West, who had kindly undertaken to 
explain the church to the party. The Priory Church dates its 
foundation to the time of ‘Villiam Rufus, and the nave, the 
earliest portion, is pure Norman, and the work of Prior Flambard, 
who was afterwards removed to Durham, and who built the 
nave of that Cathedral in the same style; there is a close 
correspondence between the two buildings. But Christ Church, 
like Durham, contains specimens of every style of architecture, 
from the early Norman to the late Perpendicular work of the 
time of Henry VIII.; besides which the church has several 
crypts of an early date, and chantry chapels not less interesting 
than the main building. The Cloisters, the Infirmary, the 
Guest House, and all the arrangements of a Conventual Cloister 


» Fle hele dee Bad be ak 


bab «a - 


447 


are now gone, and their site on the southern side is occupied by 
a modern house ; but the Monks’ walk along the river on the 
south side of the church can still be seen, Near the church, on 
the north side, stands the old Norman Castle, the keep of which 
is placed upon an artificial mound, probably of still earlier date ; 
beyond the site of the Castle is the house of the Castellan, 
or Governor, a pure Norman house, and one of the very few, 
and indeed said to be the best specimen of the kind left in this 
island. The ancient bridge across the Avon river is probably 
Norman also, and the view one of the most picturesque and 
perfect in England. The eye rests upon the ancient house, now 
much covered with ivy, with its tall Norman chimney still 
standing, and the Castle beyond, with its mound crowned by the 
square keep, which breaks the long line of the Priory Church 
roof. Beyond is the blue sea with its line of broken cliffs, below 
the junction of the two rivers, the Avon and the Stour, which 
unite their waters below the meadow on which the Priory 
stands. It has the name of Christ Church, Twynham, from 
this junction of the rivers, as is noted by Camden, and still 
retains it. The church has had ample justice done to it by 
the late Mr. Benjamin Ferry, architect, by the late Rev. 
Mackenzie E. C. Walcott, B.D., whose family resided not far 
distant from it, and by the present Mr. F. A. Paley, LL.D., 
who has written a short but able treatise upon its architecture. 
Full time was given to the inspection of the church, which was 
very lucidly explained by Mr. West, and the party having taken 
leave of him, with many cordial thanks, drove to the Chine 
Hotel, where they spent the evening. The situation on the Cliff 
is very pleasant, and the hotel most comfortable. The next morn- 
ing, after breakfast, a paper on ‘‘The Church and its History,” 
(Vide 448) was read by the Vice-President, and the morning until 
mid-day was spent by. the members of the Club in visiting the 
town of Bournemouth, with its walks and gardens, which were 
new to some members. At noon the party started for Poole to 


448 


examine the harbour and district around, and to note the 
direction of the Roman road, which seems to have run from 
thence in a line for Badbury Rings, where is a well-known 
earthwork ; in the neighbourhood Roman roads have been traced, 
one of which connected it with Maesbury Camp, on the line of 
the Fosse Road. A well-known line of Roman road along the 
Mendip hills connected the camp last mentioned with the Roman 
port at Uphill on the Severn, and thus united the Bristol Channel 
with the harbour of Poole on the English Channel, and so 
connected the Western and Southern coast of Britain. The party 
then returned to Bath after an agreeable two days’ excursion. 
The following is the paper read by Rev. Prebendary Scarth. 


The Priory of Christ Church, Twynham, dedicated to the Holy 
Trinity, takes its name from its peculiar position between two rivers, 
which flow one on each side, viz., the Avon and the Stour. According 
to Camden the ancient name was “ Twinamburne,” ‘Ubi ad 
confluentes intersidet emporiolum frequens, nunc ab Afde Christo 
Sacra, CHRIST CHURCH, olim quod inter amnes interpositum, 
TWINAMBURNE, eodem plane sensu quo Italie Jnteramna. Sub 
quo Sturus et Avona uno conjuncti ostio in mare effunduntur.” 
(See Camden’s Britannia, 1st edition, 1586, p. 123.) The meadow 
between the two rivers aptly describes its position. 

Respecting the site of the present Church, we find a college with a 
dean and secular canons planted there very early in Saxon times. 
According to Camden, Ralph Flambard, afterwards Bishop of Durham, 
was Dean of Christ Church, Hants ; he built the nave of the present 
Church in the time of William Rufus. Previous to this the College 
of Secular Canons had nine small chapels and manses. Christ Church 
afterwards became a community of Augustine or Austin Canons, 
fuunded by Bishop Flambard * and the Earl of Devon, a.p, 1150. 

The Austin Canons were constituted au Order A.D. 1061, and had as 
many as 175 houses in this island. Many of their Churches remain, 
and are still in use, as Christ Church. The community consisted of 
18 canons. 


* He became Bishop of Durham, 4 pb. 1099. 


449 


The nave of the Church, as we see it at present, is the work of 
Bishop Flambard (1093-9), who also built the nave of Durham 
Cathedral, which, although on a much grander scale, corresponds in 
style to that of Christ Church. The intersecting arcade along the S. 
wall is a characteristic feature of his design. The ground storey and 
triforium are plain but fine Norman work, the clerestory is Transitional, 
or first pointed, of the date of Henry I. The transept is Norman, and 
has a beautiful turret in the N.E., covered with net-work ornament. 
The large north porch is early English, and had a parvise, or chamber, 
over it. The stone rood screen with the rood loft above is of the time 
of Edward III., and forms the entrance to the choir.* It is one of 
the few to be met with in our Collegiate or Priory Churches. The 
work is probably of the time of Edward III.t There is a contraction 
at the entrance of the choir or chancel which is skilfully concealed by 
this screen—for the choir (erected, time Henry VI.) is seven feet 
narrower than the Norman nave. There is a narrow stone staircase 
ascending to the rood loft. Slight traces of ancient colouring remain, 
and the niches were anciently filled with statues. The Priory of Christ 
Church, according to Mr. Ferry, could boast of screens equal to those 
of any other Church in this country. The massiveness of these stone 
screens forms a great contrast,to the light and elegant character of the 
many oak rood screens which remain in the counties of Somerset, 
Devon and Norfolk. The architectural designs of the stone rood 
screens consisted in a series of niches. 

The Rey. Precentor Walcott, in his account of Christ Church, says 
“that the parish altar stood one bay westward of the crossing, thus 
leaving a choir entry for the canons.” There are crypts under the 
transept, and a third crypt below the sanctuary. Mr. Walcott states 
that this formed the Chantry Chapel of the first founder, de Redvers. 

The chapels of the N. aisle are Early Decorated, and above one was 
the designing room, and, on its plastered wall is delineated the perfect 
tracery of a window. The eastern chapel of the 8. aisle is apsidal. 
There are 36 canopied stalls of late Perpendicular work ; these 


* For an engraving see “Archeological Journal,” vol. v., p. 73, from a drawing 
by Mr. Ferry. 
+See “‘ Archeological Journal,” vol. v., p. 142-145. 


450 


retain “ misericords” most fantastically carved.* The vaulting of the 
choir was added 1502-20. On the north is the Chantry Chapel of the 
Countess of Salisbury, Margaret Pole, beheaded 1541 by the cruel 
tyrant, Henry VIII. The ornamental work of the chapel of the 
Countess of Salisbury at Christ Church is supposed to be by 
Torrigiano. The Heraldic work was ordered to be defaced by 
Henry VIII., because she was the mother of Cardinal Pole; she was 
executed because she would not disclose the retreat of her sun, who 
was supposed to have stirred up the rebellion in Yorkshire. The 
Countess was granddaughter of the Earl of Warwick, the King 
Maker. She married Sir Richard Pole. Henry VIII. seized all the 
members of Cardinal Pole’s family. Cardinal Pole had written 
against Henry in his Book on the Unity of the Church, “in which 
he inveighed against the King’s supremacy.”+ She was buried in 
the Tower of London, in 8. Peter’s Church, not in the tomb which 
she had designed for her resting place at Christ Church. 

Eastward is the reredos, having as its subject the Tree of Jesse, 
David with his Harp, Solomon in his Glory, and the Epiphany. The 
other subjects, viz., The Death, Coronation and Assumption of the 
Virgin, have been removed to the aisle. Two doors open eastward on 
a small gallery. 

The Hary’s Chantry (date 1525) is in the south aisle. Prior Draper’s 
Chapel at the E. end has a stone screen (1552), 

On the N. side there are the effigies of the two Chidiockes (1449) in 
alabaster ; this monument was originally in the N. transept.{ 

The Lady Chapel is Perpendicular work of the end of the 14th 
century. It has a rich traceried vault like that of the choir, a 
mutilated reredos, and the old altar slab of Purbeck marble, one of 
the few ancient altars now remaining in England, and the old 
‘* sedilia ’’’ still remain. Above is the chapel of S. Michael, 
approached by covered stairs from the outside. This was formerly 


* See description in ‘‘ Bright’s Guide to Bournemouth,” p. 115, which 
contains a very good account of the Priory Church. Also “ History of Hants,” 
by Theod. Wilks, vol. iii., p. 102 and following. 

" + See “‘ Hume's History of England.” 
+ See ‘* Wilk’s History of Hants,” vol. iii. 


Se ate 


451 


used as a school, being granted for that purpose from the date 1666, 
The Sacristy opens into S. choir aisle. 

The total length of the Church is 311ft.; Nave, 118ft. by 58ft. ; 
Choir, 70ft. by 60ft.; Transept, 101ft. by 24ft. The West Tower is 
120ft. high ; Lady Chapel, 36ft. by 21ft.; 8. Michael’s Loft, 58ft. 
by 19ft. The Refectory measured 36ft. by 20ft., the Infirmary was to 
the S. of it. The Dormitory stairs remain at the W. end of the S. 
aisle, The Prior’s Lodge was in the §.E. The Mill and Porter's 
Lodge (16th century) remain. 

In the year 1404 there were 33 canons, and at the Dissolution 18. 
The name Paradise still points out the Canons’ walk by the water. 

At the Dissolutipn in the time of Henry VIIL., the Prior implored 
the King to spare the house on the ground of its utility to the neigh- 
bourhood, because there “was neither church, town, nor parish of 
any substance where any honourable or honest man might have 
succour or repose on horseback or on foot nigh thereto, by the space 
of 8 or 9 miles, and sume ways by the space of 16 or 18 miles ; and 
the poor folk, inhabitants of the town, and also of the country there- 
about, are daily relieved and sustained with bread and ale.”* There 
is a bridge over the Avon a short distance from the Church, and 
is of old construction, probably the 12th century, or still earlier. The 
view from it takes in the ruins of the Castle with its Norman keep ; 
and the hall of the “Castellan,” or custodian, partly covered with ivy; 
and has been thought to be one of the most picturesque in England, 
commanding as it does the Castle, the Hall and the Priory Church, 
with the landscape beyond. The Norman houset is stated to be the 
most perfect house of the 12th century remaining in England, the 
walls being entire, though much concealed with ivy. It is thus 
described by Mr. Hudson-Turner in his work on ‘f Domestic Archi- 
tecture of the 12th century,” p. 38 :—“ At Christ Church, in Hamp- 
shire, is the ruin of a Norman house, rather late in style, with good 


* See ‘*Walcott’s English Minsters, 1879,” and also his ‘‘ Memorials of 
Christ Church,” and B. Ferry’s ‘‘ Delineations, 1834,” and ‘‘ Remarks on the 
Architecture of Christ Church,” by F, A. Paley, LL.D. 

t See ‘Journal of the Archzlogical Institute, Great Britain and Ireland,’ 
vol. ii, p. 310. 


452 


windows of two lights, and a round chimney-shaft. The plan (of the 
house) is a simple oblong, the principal room seems to have been on 
the first floor. . . . Whether it formed part of another series of 
buildings or not, it was a perfect house in itself, and its character is 
strictly domestic. On the ground floor are a number of loop holes ; 
the ascent to the upper storey was by a stone staircase, part of which 
remains ; the ground floor was divided by a wall, but the upper storey 
appears to have been all one room, lighted by three double windows 
on each side ; near the centre of the east wall, next the river, is a 
large fire-place, to which the round chimney belongs. At the N. end 
there appears to have been a large handsome window, of which part 
of the arch and shaft remain, and there is a small circular window in 
the south gable. From what remains of the ornamental part of this 
building, it appears to have been elegantly finished and cased with 
squared stones, most of which are now taken away, There is a small 
projecting tower, calculated for a flank, under which the water runs ; 
it has loop holes both on the north and east fronts, these walls are 
extremely thick. By the ruins of several walls, there were some 
ancient buildings at right angles to this hall, stretching away towards 
the keep.* This was probably part of the residence of Baldwin de 
Redvers, Earl of Devon, to whom the manor of Christ Church be- 
longed about the middle of the 12th century.”* 

I have dwelt more particularly on the features of this very interesting 
house, because it is one of the few Norman houses still remaining in 
this country, and it is to be hoped that it may always be preserved as 
a specimen of the houses of great nobles in the Norman period. These 
ancient works grow fewer year by year, but what remain should be 
preserved as landmarks of our national history, which, if once 
obliterated, can never be recovered. 

It ought to be recorded that the stained glass in the west window 
in the tower of Christ Church, as well as that in the east window of 
the Church, was the gift of Admiral Walcott, once member for Christ 
Church, and for a long period resident in Bath. The west doors were 
the gift of his sister, Mrs. Dixon, 


— 0am 


* See “‘Groses Antiq.,” vol. ii., p. 178. 


* See ‘* Domestic Architecture of 12th century,” p. 39. 


es 


453 


Hereford and Kilpeck, June 19th.—Kither the unseasonable, 
chilly weather, or the two days’ programme, must have been the 
cause why only eight members started on Tuesday, June 19th, 
for Hereford. The route selected being by the 10.40 a.m. 
Midland train, vid Gloucester, there was ample time before the 
next train started for Hereford to allow of a walk to the 
Cathedral in the former city, and of a renewed acquaintance 
with its architectural beauties. Its 15th century tower and 
delicate perforated pinnacles; its Norman nave and lofty round 
piers; its Perpendicular cased choir and early Norman crypt; 
and above all its beautiful early 15th century cloisters—the most 
perfect in England, with the recesses on the south side used by the 
monks for their studies and illuminating their MSS. —its lavatory 
on the north, some 30 or 40 feet in length, once supplied by a 
running stream, now only wanting the cowled forms to make the 
realistic picture complete—being rarely equalled. Passing out by a 
side door in the neighbourhood of the Bishop’s Palace, and back 
to the station, the 1.45 G.W.R. train for Ross and Hereford was 
taken, and after a pleasant run through rich meadow and wood- 
land scenery skirting the Forest of Dean, and many crossings of 
the much-winding and now, alas! weedy Wye (for the Anacharis 
alsinastrum weed was in full bloom), the Green Dragon received 
the party about 3 p.m. The leary portion of the travellers having 
speedily secured the rooms which suited them best, a visit to the 
Cathedral was the next object of engrossing interest. “ Injured 
by Wyatt, rebuilt by Cottingham, and restored by Sir Gilbert 
Scott,” few can surpass its rich specimens of 11th, 13th and 15th 
century architectural work. Entering through the fine north- 
west porch, with its parvise chamber, built by Bishop Booth in 
1520, the first thought that occurred was the superiority of the 
nave as compared with that so recently seen at Gloucester, in 
the softened richness of its red sandstone and beautiful propor- 
tions of its massive Norman piers. The eye wanders upwards 
in admiration to the 13th century triforium and still later 


454 


clerestory ; but as it rests upon the roof the architectural 
harmony is spoilt by its inappropriate and discordant colouring, 
said to be the work of Cottingham. The celebrated metal work 
screen, well known to visitors to the first Exhibition in 1851, 
toned down by age, has not lost in beauty. Before passing 
through it, the curious stone gratings of the lantern tower, 
upon which an inner casing of the side walls rest, was the 
subject of much speculation, and the venerable verger in charge 
of the party discoursed largely upon Cottingham’s mechanical 
ingenuity, whereby in 1843 the tower was underpinned, whilst 
the piers, then in a dangerous state, were being rebuilt from 
foundation to capital. The Norman choir and Early Decorated 
clerestory, grotesque stall carvings, and reproduetion in tiles of 
the murder of King Ethelbert by the Saxon Offa, having been 
sufficiently admired, the party passed through the south choir 
aisle and under the fine organ to a building now used as a 
vestry, in which a glass case contains various relics, rings, patens, 
crosiers, MSS., &c. ; and then examined the far-famed “ Mappa 
Mundi,” preserved in a_ suitable oaken case and glazed, 
considered to be one of the oldest maps in the world—a curious 
and grotesque representation of the then known world, a plain 
surrounded with its ocean, whereon are represented cities and 
places in unusual juxtaposition, man and beast and things 
creeping innumerable, after the fashion of the times, and 
ascribed as the work of one De Haldingham, 1300. It only 
remained to visit the erypt, called Golgotha, eud of 11th century, 
under the Lady Chapel, and the south transept ; on the east wall 
of which is some Norman work, supposed to be the earliest 
Norman work in the Church. A fire-place of much later date 
is in the west wall, and appears to be about the date of the 
window in that wall, z.¢., Bishop Trevenant’s time, 1400. 

The fine organ, the especial care of Sir Fredk. Ouseley, the 
Precentor, having warned the members of the commencement of 
afternoon service, a few of them remained, whilst the rest 


455 


wandered round the exterior and through the town, and across 
the bridge to the right bank of the Wye, whence a pretty view 

of the tower is seen through the rich foliage of the Bishop’s 
~ Palace gardens. After service was over, a visit was paid to the 
Red Coat, or Coningsby Hospital, in the outskirts to the N. 
of the City, in Widemarsh Street. Formerly a Preceptory of 
the Knights of S. John of Jerusalem, it is now supported 
principally by the generosity of one individual as a place of 
retirement for old army pensioners and their wives. It con- 
sists of open quadrangle with rooms round it, the north side 
being occupied by a plain and simple Chapel and an old Hall. 
Some gardens at the back contain the remains of the Refectory 
of the Black Friars Monastery, founded in 1276; also an 
hexagonal preaching cross, approached by steps and closed in on 
all the six sides (how was it entered ?). A walk round the 
Castle Green—home of children and perambulators—a courteous 
invitation from an inhabitant to see some curiosities in the 
garden of his house, facing the river (the said house having a 
Norman pilaster on the north side, and the walls of which 
were stated to be more than 6ft. thick, with a secret stairway 
from the roof to the bed of the adjoining river), closed 
a most instructive day. The Green Dragon provided a good 
dinner and comfortable quarters for the night. 

Wednesday, June £0/h.—Leaving Hereford at 9 a.m., in a break 
and pair, the members started for Kilpeck, about eight miles on 
the Abergavenny road, crossed the Wye over the bridge to the 
south of the City, left the flourishing Benedictine Monastery of 
Belmont on the right, skirted the rich meadows of Allensmore 
on the left, with its fine oak trees, and turned off from the main 
road to St. Devereux, whence the first view of the little Church 
of Kilpeck was seen standing below on its woody knoll. Having 
obtained the key from an adjoining cottage, they entered through 
the south porch into one of the most perfect little Norman 
churches that probably exists in England, and the Seerétary at 


456 


once read some extracts from a paper by Sir George Cornwall, 
kindly furnished to him by one of the members, of which the 
following is an abstract :—“ The design of the south doorway is 
that of the 12th century. The tympanum is filled with sculpture 
representing the vine, The grotesque figures surrounding it are 
the ordinary carvings representing the beak or cat’s head. The 
figures on the W. of the doorway are said to be in Anglo- 
Saxon costumes; the twining forms on the east side are those of 
serpents or dragons. ‘The interior is in the form of the ancient 
Basilica or Hall of Justice, and therefore the earliest type of 
Christian Church, with its nave, choir and sanctuary terminated 
with a semi-circular apse. The chancel arch is of ordinary 
Norman character, its jambs have figures of Saints carved on the 
west side, holding their various attributes; one figure appears 
to be that of S. Peter with the keys, one that of a female. On 
the south wall of the choir is an Early English window and a 
priest’s doorway of later date. The apse has ribs with Norman 
zig-zag moulding and a central boss with grotesque heads. The 
font is a large shallow bowl composed of the Old Red Con- 
glomerate of the district. In the apse is what appears to bea 
holy water stoup, with a pair of human arms around clasping it, 
and the head of a serpent looking downwards ; it is detached, 
and has probably been moved from its original position. The 
altar stood away from the east wall, leaving a space behind it for 
the Questor’s seat in ancient times, and subsequently for that of 
the Bishop or Presbyter.” Having fully mastered the interior 
arrangement the members passed out and noted the corbel table 
with its grotesque heads and monsters under the eaves of the 
roof, crocodiles, dragons, rabbits, and the distinct emblem of 
Christianity, the Lamb and the Cross ; and at the west end the 
gargoyles or brackets, probably a survival of the projections 
from the end of the wall-plates in timber houses. The west 
window, high up under the roof, was particularly elegant with 
its Early Norman columns, and roll of the same size as the columns 


ee 


457 


carried round the head. ‘This peculiarity and the ornament 
are supposed to be purely Celtic. Separated from this little gem 
of a Church on the W. by a deep ditch and vallum are the 
remains of the Castle, of which but a small portion of the wall 
remains. The members mounted the steep sides of the keep» 
whence a view of the Black Mountains can be seen, but the 
atmosphere was too hazy, and finally paying a visit to the site 
of the Priory founded by Hugh Fitz Norman in 1134, saw only 
a barn and a not altogether obliging female native, and then 
mounted the break for Pontrilas. One of their party was left 
here with his bag to await the arrival of a friend from some 
distant spot (he hardly knew where) to pick him up—and he 
may be there still. The rest drove merrily on to Pontrilas, 
took the train, ran through Abergavenny, Pontypool road, and 
the Severn Tunnel, and reached Bath at 4.20, after a two days’ 
delightful and instructive excursion. 

July 17th, 1888.—The Club was most fortunate in its excursion 
to Clevedon and Portbury, Tuesday last having been one of the 
very few sunny days in the midst of the recent wet and gloomy 
weather. The Great Western Railway having by their arrange- 
ments made the journey to Clevedon very pleasant, a large 
break received the party, numbering 15, at that station, and 
trundling merrily through East Clevedon rounded “ Sir 
Abraham E!ton’s” hill, a woody spur of Mountain Limestone, 
and entered the rich pastoral valley, busy with its haymakers, 
running up like a grassy straight between two rocky headlands, 
to Portishead in the hazy distance. Passing Walton-in-Gordano, 
with its picturesquely-situated castle on the hill above, the first 
halt was made at the church of Weston-in-Gordano, well known 
for its almost unique ground plan, consisting of nave, chancel, 
tower at the south-east end of the nave, with chapel E. of the 
tower and S. of the chancel, curious south porch and sanctus- 
bell cot over the nave gable. Entering by the south porch the 
singular gallery over the inner doorway gave rise to the usual 


458 


discussion as to its object. Evidently built at a date subsequent 
to that of the doorway, which is 13th century, it has a passage 
cut in the east wall leading up to it with a niche over the 
doorway above. The general idea prevailed that it was used 
for some function in the 15th century connected with the 
Romish ritual. Inside the square lead-lined font on the left 
hand attracted attention, and was pronounced to be late 12th 
century work, its steps were composed of fine Dolomitic 
Conglomerate of the neighbourhood ; the base was either of the 
same material or of QOolite, the hammer of the sacrilegious 
geologist not being permitted to test its structure. A tomb to 
one Richard Percival, in the north wall of the nave, was much 
admired for its beautiful wrought-iron enclosure. The following 
inscription surrounded the stone slab :—“ Cy gyste le corps de 
Rycharde Percyvale le quel mort I’an de boinet Jesus Dieu ay 
pitie de son Ame. MCCCCLXXXIIL,” one of the latest French 
inscriptions on a monument now existing. The Percivals were 
the original founders of the Church. The old stone pulpit 
exists on the S., entered through the thickness of the wall. 
Beneath the tower on the S. are the steps leading up to the 
rood loft. The chancel, with its waggon roof, is later than the 
rest of the building, being a transition from the Decorated to 
the Perpendicular ; indeed the whole Church is a very interesting 
specimen of that transition period. The north doorway is now 
closed, but the Vicar, who courteously conducted the members 
through the Church, stated that some of the parishioners 
remembered that when baptisms took place in former times the 
north doorway was always opened to allow the evil spirit to 
escape during the ceremony. The journey was now resumed 
through pleasant lanes to Clapton-in-Gordano. Here a short 
walk through fields led to the Church, almost concealed from 
view on its woody knoll. Entering through a small gate on the 
E. of the churchyard, a beautiful English three-lighted window 
at the east end of the north chapel was the first object of 


ll ie ei Nt 


459 


interest. The plan is, nave, chancel with transept chapel N. of 
nave, and a chapel N. of chancel. The threatened restoration, 
so much dreaded, has had its dire effect, and the interior is 
spoilt—the least said about it the better. A few of the fine 
early 13th century bench ends remain. The reredos, which has 
been recently “ beautified,” still retains the curious supports 
for the candlesticks—two 13th century Purbeck marble shafts, 
with their capitals topsy-turvey, forming the base, and a 15th 
century plaister capital, subsequently stuck on, forming the top. 
The stone slab, now the vestry table in the north chapel, 
appears to have been once an altar slab or a tombstone, and is 
composed of Dolomitic Conglomerate. A large “squint,” 
forming an archway into the chapel on the N., is a peculiar 
feature. A consecration cross, painted on the north wall over 
the “squint” still remains, and some of the old timbers and 
carving on the chancel roof are there—the rest has been 
repaired with pitchpine. Over the 15th or 16th century doorway 
of the south porch are the remains of a Norman tympanum 
cut into to form’the present inner doorway. A Maltese cross, 
in original red colouring, still remains. The tower is of special 
interest, supposed to be 13th century. It has some features 
about it, which to some of those present indicated an earlier 
origin; ¢g., the small light immediately beneath the belfry 
window on the N. The parapet is comparatively modern, 
the corbel table beneath Norman. The top story batters and 
the plaister seemed to some to be 13th century, the masonry 
underneath it being very rough, and apparently consisting of 
the reddish stone of the knoll on which the Church stands. 
By the courtesy of the tenant, Mrs Stowell, the members were 
permitted to inspect the Manor house, nestling in its quiet nook 
below the knoll to the W. of the Church, and ascended the 
tower porch, date 1442. The original portion of the manor 
dates from the time of Edward II., and the wooden screen 
formerly in the hall, but now forming the entrance to the 
F 


460 


garden in front, framing a lovely view across the valley, has 
been considered to be the earliest domestic screen in existence, 
Returning to the break the members were too earnestly bent on 
the lunch awaiting them at Portbury to give much attention 
to the interesting geology around them. About the distance 
of a bow shot to the E. of the Church was the shaft sunk, 
not so long ago, for coal, the section passed through being :— 
Soil and N. Red Sandstone... se Su ... 10 ft. 
Dolomitic Conglomerate _... ‘ ccs, aie 
Pennant Sandstone and Marls, with Loin. vein 1 of coal ... 489 ft. 
The geological question being, whether if the boring had been 
continued it would have passed through the Pennant Sandstone 
to the truce lower Coal Measures beneath or whether these beds 
were absent altogether? The remarkable nature of the geology 
here being the fact that the higher ground is Carboniferous 
Limestone, lower down on the slope the Pennant Sandstone 
comes in, as proved by the boring, whilst still lower down to 
the N. is a section of Carboniferous Limestone again. A 
complicated series of faults must be called in to account for this 
abnormal state of things. However, lunch at the Priory Hotel, 


Portbury, drove all other thoughts away, Due justice having ~ 


been done to it, some of the more earnest minded antiquaries 
resumed their researches afterwards. The Church was visited 
under the guidance of the Rev. G. O. Tyler, who lovingly 
pointed out all its peculiarities. The contrast between the 
restorations here and at the last Church visited was most 
marked—nave, aisles, chancel and western tower have all been 
reverently dealt with. The plainness of the piers and arches, 
13th century work, was very noticeable, also the great width of 
the Church. A stone bench runs round the north, south, and 
west walls of the building. The “squint” is one of the largest 
in existence. The three Early English sedilia on the south 
chancel wall are very elegant. Three other sedilia also exist, 
somewhat plainer, on the south side of the south aisle. N. 


a 


el tial 


461 


of the chancel is a stone ribbed recess 13th century—query, a 
chapel or Easter sepulchre? The old parish chest with three 
locks has been preserved in the nave, and a Dolomitic 
Conglomerate slab close at hand records the fact that one 
Goodwin Wolcombe, of Portbury, yeoman, died at the age of 
95. On the north wall of the north aisle is a small quaint brass, 
date 1621, to the memory of Sarah, widow of Walter Kemish. 
Under the east window of the same aisle, and much out of the 
centre, is a small niche, discovered during the restoration. This 
gave rise to some discussion amongst the party as to its probable 
use, but no satisfactory conclusion was arrived at. In the south 
aisle is a Norman font, very similar to the one previously seen 
in Weston Church. Attention was attracted to the piers 
between the aisles, which are much out of the perpendicular, all 
of them leaning outwards from the top, although there was no 
evidence of the foundations having sunk at all. The body of 
the Church was reseated at the restoration, but the old oak 
benches were not destroyed, and have been placed in the south 
aisle, where a second altar has been erected, and the aisle is used 
now for early celebrations and special services. Passing out of 
the Church the two magnificent old yew trees said to be as old 
as the Church (why not older?) were much admired. One of 
them was measured by a member of the party and found to be 
over 17ft. in circumference at a height of 5ft. from the ground. 
The churchyard is entered through a lych gate, a structure 
rarely met with now. The Priory, now a parish school, was 
next looked at, and the 5.10 train afterwards taken for Bath. 

Every reasonable effort was made to carry out the bye-Excursion 
to Bowood, but proving unsuccessful, owing to the return of the 
Marquis of Lansdowne from Canada, it was postponed for some 
future and more favourable opportunity. 

The weekly walks have been maintained with more or less 
energy. Several proposed during the months of January and 
February of the present year have been prevented by the snow 


462 


and other causes due to the weather. One to Langridge came 
off on Tuesday, February 5th; some nine or ten members were 
present, and having first of all enjoyed the hospitality of the 
Rector, the Rev. C. W. Shickle, were conducted by him to the 
Church, having first of all looked at the two stone coffins, one 
now forming a water trough in a field beneath the rectory, the 
other lying much mutilated to the S. of the school house. 
The Church, and Manor House adjoining built by the Walshes 
in the 14th century, are so well known, and have been lately 
described by the Rector in the Bath Chronicle for December 13th, 
1888, that it is unnecessary to give any details; it will be 
sufficient to state that there is a great neea of speedy restoration, 
otherwise the Rector’s fear that the ancient structure will 
crumble away before his eyes wil) be realised. The crack in the 
tower is widening and ominous, and the new chancel, built 
within the last 17 years, appears to be running away from the 
body of the Church. Some incised lines on a stone in the S. 
wall of the nave and E. of the S. porch, about 3ft. 9in. from the 
present level of the ground, and 2ft. 6in. above the plinth, may 
indicate traces of an early sundial. 


Diameter of Circle, 8 in, 
Length of Gnomon, 3} in., barely reaching to Circumference of Circle, 
Depth of Lines, 25 in. 


The Finances of the Club, so carefully looked after by your 
Treasurer, are in a healthy condition, as the Balance Sheet will 


463 


show. Notwithstanding the somewhat heavy expenditure in- 
curred in lithographing the Ostracoda (illustrating Prof. Rupert 
Jones's valuable contribution to last year’s Proceedings on those 
curious Crustaceans), yet there is a balance of £1 Os. 9d. in the 
Club’s favour; the total receipts being £49 15s. 8d., and the 
expenditure £46 14s. 11d. 

Owing to various causes arising from change of residence, &c., 
and in one instance that of the decease of a member (General 
Mundy),* ten vacancies have occurred during the past year ; three 
new members have since been elected, leaving a total of 86 
members at present. Many valuable contribntions to the album, 
from Dr. Mantell, have been made, illustrative of some of the 
points of interest seen during the Club’s rambles, and will, in 
course of time, form a valuable accession to the library of the 
Club now deposited in the Literary and Scientific Institution. 


H. H. WINWOOD, 
Hon. Sec. 


* Since this was written we regret to state that two other members 
have deceased, E. J. Morgan and A, F, Janvrin, 


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The Honorary Trexsurer in account with “The Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club” 
for the Year ending February 18th, 1889. 


SSS :///[——” mm”_—,  —O— 


Dr. 


Balance from last year’s Account 


2 
92 Subscriptions, at 10/- (four arrears from 1887) 46 
1 


5 Entrances, at 5/- ... ses 


One Subscription Unpaid 


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£49 15 8 


Also Deposit in Post Office Savings Bank of £40, with Interest 
to 19th March, 1888, £1 15s.—Total £41 15s. 


‘15th February, 1889, 


Examined and found correct, 


Cr. 


Donation to the Literary and Scientific Institution 
Gratuities—Librarian, 10/-; Assistant ditto, 7/6 ; 


Porter, 2/6 


Ditto at Printer’s for Addressing Cards, &e, ... 


Ditto at Excursions #0 


Donation to the Broome Botanical Fund wae 
Lithographing Professor R. Jones’s Drawings 


Messrs. Lewis, viz. :— 


Printing Proceedings & Postage of do. 22 0 


Cards, Circulars, &c. 
Postage, viz. :—Honorary Secretary 
a3 i Treasurer 

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109 
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J. T. CHANDLER, Treasurer. 


( Bd TALON; 
\ JAMES HERDMAN. 


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