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THE     ANTIQUARY 


%^ 


VOL.  XXXIV. 


THE 


ANTIQUARY 


A    MAGAZINE   DEVOTED    TO    THE   STUDY 
OF    THE   PAST. 


Instructed  by  the  Antiquary  tttnes. 
He  must,  he  is,  he  cannot  but  be  wise. 

Troilus  and  Cressida,  Act  ii.,  sc.  3. 


VOL.   XXXIV. 
JANUARY— DECEMBER,   1898. 


London  :  ELLIOT  STOCK,  62,  Paternoster  Row. 

1898. 


THE  GETTY  CENTER 
UBRARY 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH, 


The   Antiquary. 


JANUARY,  1898. 


Jf3ote0  of  tfie  ^ontb. 

The  most  important  subject  to  chronicle  in 
these  notes  is  the  Ninth  Archaeological  Con- 
gress, which  met  at  Burlington  House  on 
December  i,  when  a  large  number  of  dele- 
gates of  societies  attended.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  for  forming  a  catalogue  of  effigies  of 
all  dates  in  parish  churches,  and  for  compiling 
models  for  catalogues  for  museums  and  for 
indexes  of  transactions  of  societies.  It  was 
announced  that  preparations  were  now  made 
for  obtaining,  through  the  various  societies, 
catalogues  of  family  and  historical  portraits  on 
the  forms  devised  at  the  request  of  the  Con- 
gress by  Mr.  Lionel  Cust,  the  Director  of  the 
National  Portrait  Gallery.  The  formation  of 
a  National  Photographic  Association  was  also 
announced ;  this  will,  it  is  hoped,  assist  the 
work  inaugurated  by  the  Congress  some  years 
back.  A  more  detailed  account  of  the  Con- 
gress will  be  found  on  another  page. 

^  ^  ^ 
Under  date  of  November  21,  but  too  late  for 
insertion  in  the  Antiquary  for  last  month, 
Dr.  Arthur  M.  Thomas  (Glenshee  Lodge, 
Trinity  Road,  Wandsworth  Common,  S.W.) 
wrote  to  us  :  "  On  the  west  of  Banstead 
Downs,  about  two  miles  from  Sutton  station, 
and  a  few  yards  off  the  main  Brighton  road, 
are  situated  four  round  barrows.  One  of 
these  has  been  recently  destroyed  for  turf  by 
the  local  golf-club.  Comment  is  superfluous. 
One  other  appears  to  have  been  opened  some 
time  ago ;  the  others  may  not  have  been  ex- 
plored. Can  any  of  your  readers  inform  me 
if  these  barrows  have  ever  been  scientifically 
explored,  and  if  so,  by  whom,  and  with  what 
results  ?  I  may  mention  that  in  the  destroyed 
VOL.  xxxiv. 


barrow  I  found  the  greater  part  of  a  skeleton  ; 
the  skull  was  unfortunately  missing." 

^  ^  ^ 
A  guarantee  fund  having  been  promised,  it  is 
intended  to  hold  the  suggested  Loan  Exhibi- 
tion of  Shropshire  Antiquities  in  the  month 
of  May  next  year.  The  Archbishop  of  York 
and  the  Earl  of  Powis  are  among  the  patrons. 
It  is  proposed  to  arrange  for  the  delivery 
during  the  exhibition  of  a  series  of  popular 
lectures  on  subjects  connected  with  archae- 
ology by  experts  in  different  branches  of  the 
subject.  The  exhibition  will  be  divided  into 
the  following  sections :  (i)  Arms,  Armour, 
Military  Trophies;  (2)  Heraldry;  (3)  Cor- 
poration and  Church  Plate,  Pewter,  Drinking 
Cups,  etc. ;  (4)  Shropshire  China  and  Earthen- 
ware previous  to  1850;  (5)  Pictures  and 
Prints  of  Archaeological  interest  relating  to 
the  County  of  Salop,  Portraits  of  Shropshire 
Worthies  (not  living),  and  Brass  Rubbings  ; 
(6)  Books  and  MSS.  printed  in,  and  relating 
to,  the  County  prior  to  1800  ;  (7)  Relics  from 
Uriconium  ;  (8)  Coins  and  Tokens  connected 
with  the  County  ;  (9)  Stone  Implements,  etc., 
found  in  the  County  ;  and  (10)  Miscellaneous 
(Ancient  Punishments,  Old  Needlework,  etc.). 
Mr.  Auden,  Chairman  of  the  Council  of  the 
Shropshire  Archaeological  and  Natural  History 
Society,  and  Mr.  Southam,  Hon.  Secretary  of 
the  Exhibition,  will  be  glad  to  hear  from 
owners  of  objects  of  interest. 

^  ^  ^ 
Readers  of  the  Antiquary  will  have  learnt 
with  regret  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Edward 
Walford,  its  first  editor.  We  quote  the 
following  short  but  appreciative  notice  of 
Mr.  Walford  from  the  Athenceum  : 

"  The  death  is  announced  of  this  busy  man 
of  letters,  who  in  his  time  played  many  parts. 
He  was  educated  at  Charterhouse  and  Balliol. 
and  although  he  gained  the  Chancellor's 
Medal  for  Latin  verse,  and  was  proxime 
accessit  for  the  Ireland,  he  only  obtained  a 
Third  in  Greats.  Ordained  about  1846,  he 
speedily  became  a  Roman  Catholic,  but  more 
than  once  subsequently  changed  his  creed. 
He  turned  schoolmaster,  was  for  some  years 
a  '  coach,'  translated  for  Bohn's  Classical 
Library,  and  published  a  number  of  ele- 
mentary school-books.  Subsequently  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  Times,  was  long 
reporter  for  that  journal,  contributed  largely 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


to  its  obituary  notices,  and  edited  several 
peerages  and  a  handsome  Volume  on  County 
Families.  •  He  was  also  editor  for  some  years 
of  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  and  also  of  the 
St. James  s  Magazine.  He  completed  Thorn- 
bury's  Old  and  New  London,  and  wrote  Holi- 
days in  Home  Counties.,  Pleasant  Days  in 
Pleasant  Places,  and  Tales  of  our  Great 
Families.  He  started  the  Antiquary,  and 
when  he  fell  out  with  the  publisher  he  com- 
menced a  rival  magazine,  which  he  carried  on 
for  some  six  years.  He  cannot,  as  an  archaeolo- 
gist, be  said  to  have  reached  a  high  degree  of 
accuracy  or  discernment.  Some  years  ago  he 
retired  to  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  amused  his 
leisure  by  publishing  a  volume  of  poems." 

^  ^  ^ 
We  also  very  sincerely  regret  to  have  to 
record  the  death  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Pearson,  R.A., 
which  occurred  on  December  12,  after  a  very 
short  illness.  Mr.  Pearson  was  in  his  eighty- 
first  year,  and  had  been  brought  up  in  the  old 
school  of  ecclesiastical  "  restorers,"  who  con- 
sidered that,  if  you  pulled  down  an  old  build- 
ing and  erected  a  copy  of  it,  you  were 
preserving  the  old  work.  Mr.  Pearson 
seemed  unable  to  shake  off  this  exploded 
and  destructive  conception  of  what  true 
restoration  means.  Hence,  he  was  brought 
of  late  years  into  constant  conflict  with  anti- 
quaries, more  especially  in  regard  to  matters 
relating  to  Westminster  Hall,  and  the  Abbey 
Church,  Peterborough,  Rochester,  Chichester 
Cathedrals,  and  other  mediaeval  buildings. 
No  one  disputed  Mr.  Pearson's  great  skill  as 
a  designer  of  new  churches.  What  was 
disputed  was  his  treatment  of  ancient  ones. 
Perhaps  Mr.  Pearson's  interest  in  antiqui- 
ties may  be  gauged  to  some  extent  by  the 
fact  that,  although  living  in  London  and 
elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries on  June  16,  1853,  he  never  attended 
a  meeting  of  the  Society,  and  was  never 
formally  admitted  to  his  Fellowship  in  it. 
Requiescat  in  pace. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Antiquary  is  glad  to  have  the  opportunity 
of  congratulating  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope, 
who  has  been  recently  awarded  a  silver  medal 
by  the  Society  of  Arts,  for  a  paper  which  he 
read  before  that  Society  last  February,  "  On 
the  Artistic  Treatment  of  Heraldry." 

•){(>        ^        (2> 
Miss  F.  Peacock  (Dunstan  House,  Kirton-in- 


Lindsey)  has  forwarded  to  us  photographs  of 
an  interesting  dated  mortar  belonging  to  Mr. 
Richard  Reynolds,  of  Clifi"  Lodge,  Leeds,  sent 
to  her  by  Mr.  J.  Rawlinson  Ford,  of  Leeds. 
The  mortar,  which  is  plain,  measures  6  inches 
in  height,  7  inches  in  diameter  at  the  top,  and 
weighs  twenty-one  pounds.     It  has,  it  will 


MORTAR   (1629)   BELONGING   TO    MR.    K.    REYNOLDS. 

be  seen,  square-shaped  handles  (one  of  which 
is  lost),  and  is  inscribed  ontheone  sidewith  the 
initial  letters  of  its  original  owners  (evidently 

H    r* 

husband  and  wife),       .      ,  and  on  the  other 

side  with  the  date  1629.  The  mortar  was 
purchased  by  Mr.  Reynolds  in  Leeds  about 
forty  years  ago,  and  was  in  this  way  rescued 


NOTES  OP  THE  MONTH. 


from  the  melting-pot,  to  which  it  had  been 
condemned.  Miss  Peacock  will  be  obliged  to 
any  of  our  readers  who  may  know  of  other 
ornamental,  inscribed,  or  dated  metal  mortars, 
if  they  will  kindly  communicate  with  her. 
Miss  Peacock  is,  we  believe,  preparing  a  book 
on  the  subject. 

'^  ^  ^ 
We  are  very  sorry  to  learn  that  the  finances 
of  the  Surrey  Archaeological  Society  are  not 
in  a  satisfactory  condition,  and  that  the  society 
will  be  compelled  to  curtail  its  work  unless  it 
speedily  receives  a  considerable  accession  of 
new  members.  An  important  county  like 
Surrey  ought  not  to  fall  behind  in  such  a 
matter ;  but  it  no  doubt  lacks  a  centre,  and 
the  life  and  interests  of  the  residents  in  the 
suburban  portion  of  the  county  are  wholly 
diverse  from  those  of  people  who  live  further 
from  London.  There  is,  unfortunately,  no 
big  county  town,  and  the  London  element 
predominates,  and  swamps  that  of  the  county 
at  large.  Still,  the  society  has  overcome  this 
difficulty  before  now,  and  it  ought  to  sur- 
mount it  again.  The  work  done  in  the  past 
is  excellent,  and  it  will  be  a  great  pity  if  it  is 
not  continued  in  the  future. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Glasgow  Herald  has  recently  printed 
some  papers  entitled  "  The  Ecclesiastical 
Remains  of  Ness,  Lewis,"  written  by  Mr. 
William  Mackenzie.  These  papers  contain  in- 
formation of  more  than  ordinary  interest  and 
importance,  and  we  venture  therefore  to  draw 
attention  to  them,  and  also  to  quote  the  follow- 
ing from  the  first  of  the  papers  in  question. 

After  describmg  the  records  of  ancient 
churches  formerly  standing,  and  calling  atten- 
tion to  the  lamentable  manner  in  which  these 
very  ancient  structures  have  been  ruthlessly 
destroyed,  Mr.  Mackenzie  proceeds  : 

"  The  visitor  to  Ness  at  the  present  day  will 
find  no  trace  of  St.  Clement's  Temple,  nor 
does  the  Ordnance  Survey  Map  show  where 
it  stood.  The  ruins  of  St.  Peter's  are  in  a 
corner  of  the  district  churchyard  (locally 
known  as  Cladh  Pheadair)  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Swanibost  River ;  but  of  the 
*  considerable  remains '  found  by  Muir  only 
the  east  gable  and  a  small  portion  of  the 
north  elevation  have  escaped  the  hand  of  the 
Goth.  A  small  eminence  overlooking  the 
Atlantic,  and  about  200  yards  to  the  north- 
west of  St.  Peter's,  is  pointed  out  as  the  place 


where  the  Church  or  Temple  of  St.  Thomas 
stood.  The  local  name  is  Teampull  Tbmais, 
not  Teampull  Thomais,  as  shown  on  the 
Ordnance  Survey  Maps,  and  as  the  ordinary 
rules  of  Gaelic  grammar  would  demand. 
The  walls  of  this  temple  have  entirely  dis- 
appeared, but  it  is  obvious  that  local  builders 
still  find  the  site  of  some  service  as  a  quarry. 
Fragments  of  craggans  may  be  seen  among 
the  debris.  The  site  of  St.  Ronan's  Temple 
in  Eoropie  is  clearly  seen,  but  it  has  long 
since  ceased  to  be  a  quarry. 

"  While  these  five  churches  have  suffered 
the  fate  now  described,  the  hoary  walls  of 
St.  Mulvay  still  stand,  and  the  veneration 
referred  to  by  the  parish  minister,  upwards 
of  a  century  ago,  has  not  yet  entirely  passed 
into  the  region  of  tradition.  Further,  the 
belief  in  the  efficacy  of  certain  superstitious 
usages  in  connection  with  this  shrine  still 
lurks  among  the  Lewis  peasantry.  From  an 
architectural  point  of  view  there  are  no  note- 
worthy features  about  the  ruin.  It  is  a  plain 
oblong,  about  45  feet  in  length  and  18  feet 
in  breadth.  The  side -walls  and  the  two 
gables  are  in  good  preservation.  The  ruins 
of  a  lean-to  sacristy  on  the  one  side  and  of  a 
chapel  on  the  other  still  stand,  but  they  are 
crumbling  away.  Taking  it  all  in  all,  it 
appears  to  be  in  nearly  the  same  state  of 
preservation  to-day  as  it  was  forty  or  fifiy 
years  ago. 

"  Martin  gives  a  minute  account  of  the 
veneration  and  superstitious  usages  above 
referred  to.  He  was  informed  by  John 
Morrison,  of  Bragar,  presumably  one  of  the 
old  Brehons  of  Lewis,  that  he  had  seen 
natives  kneel  and  repeat  the  Pater  Noster 
at  four  miles  distance  from  the  church.  At 
Hallowtide  there  was  a  sacrifice  to  a  sea-god 
named  Shony.     Concerning  it  Martin  says  : 

"  'The  inhabitants  round  the  island  came 
to  the  church  of  St.  Mulvay,  having  each 
man  his  provision  along  with  him.  Every 
family  furnished  a  peck  of  malt,  and  this  was 
brewed  into  ale.  One  of  their  number  was 
picked  out  to  wade  into  the  sea  up  to  the 
middle,  and,  carrying  a  cup  of  ale  in  his 
hand,  standing  still  in  that  posture,  cried  out 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  "Shony,  I  give 
you  this  cup  of  ale  hoping  that  you'll  be  so 
kind  as  to  send  us  plenty  of  sea-ware  for 
enriching  our  ground  for  the  ensuing  year," 
and  so  threw  the  cup  of  ale  into  the  sea. 

B  2 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


This  was  performed  in  the  night-time.  At 
his  return  to  land  they  all  went  to  church, 
where  there  was  a  candle  burning  upon  the 
altar,  and  then,  standing  silent  for  a  little 
time,  one  of  them  gave  a  signal,  at  which  the 
candle  was  put  out,  and  immediately  all  of 
them  went  to  the  fields,  where  they  fell 
a-drinking  their  ale,  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  the  night  in  dancing  and  singing,  etc. 
The  next  morning  they  all  returned  home, 
being  well  satisfied  that  they  had  punctually 
observed  this  solemn  anniversary,  which  they 
believed  to  be  a  powerful  means  to  procure 
a  plentiful  crop.  .  .  .' 

"  Martin  states  that  through  the  influence 
of  the  local  clergy  the  sacrifice  to  Shony  had 
been  abolished  '  these  thirty-two  years  past ' — 
that  is,  about  1660.  This  may  be  correct  as 
regards  the  celebration  in  the  church,  but 
there  are  indications  that  the  offering  to 
Shony  was  continued  long  after  Martin's  time. 

"  No  one  now  living  remembers  this  sacri- 
fice, but  old  men  speak  of  it  as  a  ceremony 
of  which  they  heard  traditions  in  their  youth. 
According  to  them  the  offering  to  Shony  was 
made  at  Port-a'-Stoth,  near  the  Butt  of  Lewis. 
At  Hallowtide,  in  presence  of  the  assembled 
multitude,  a  man,  specially  chosen  for  the 
purpose,  and  carrying  a  bottle  of  ale  (Buideal 
leanna)  in  his  hand,  waded  into  the  sea 
until  the  waves  surged  about  his  waist.  He 
then  poured  the  ale  into  the  sea,  saying, 
*  A  Dheonaidh  !  a  Dheonaidh  !  cuir  Thusa 
pailteas  feamuinn  air  tir  thugainne  'm 
bliadhna,  is  bheir  sinne  dhutsa  leann  gu 
leor  an  ath-bhliadhna' — 'O  Shony!  O 
Shony  !  send  Thou  abundance  of  drift-ware 
to  us  this  year,  and  we  will  give  Thee  ale  in 
abundance  next  year.' 

*'  After  the  ceremony  at  Port-a'-Stoth  the 
people  repaired  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
temple,  where  fires  were  lit,  and  food  and 
drink  liberally  partaken  of  Dancing  to  the 
strains  of  the  bagpipe  was  then  commenced, 
and  carried  on  with  great  spirit  till  the 
following  morning,  when  all  repaired  to  their 
homes,  after  conforming  to  a  custom  that  had 
obtained  in  the  district  from  remote  antiquity." 

^  ^  ^ 
Some  remarkable  prices  were  realized  during 
the  sale  of  the  second  portion  of  the  famous 
Ashburnham  collection.  The  keenest  com- 
petition was  on  December  9,  for  A  Booke  of 
the  Hook  Lyf  of  Jason,  translated  out  of  the 


French  by  William  Caxton,  and  printed  by 
him  in  1477.  For  this  book  the  bidding 
started  at  ^^500,  and  it  was  knocked  down 
to  Mr.  Pickering  for  ;^2,ioo.  Another 
Caxton,  The  Recueill  of  the  Historyes  of 
Troye,  fetched  ;^95o,  and  a  copy  of  the 
same  work  printed  abroad  by  Caxton  was 
bought  by  Mr.  Pickering  for  jC^oo. 

^  '^  ^ 
Mr,  W.  J.  Kaye,  F.S.A.,  has  very  kindly  sent 
us  sketches  of  two  collection-boxes  preserved 
at  Newchurch,  Lancashire,  which,  as  will  be 
seen  from  the  illustration,  are  both  dated 
1663.  They  are  similar  to  undated  collec- 
tion-boxes formerly  common  in  churches  in 


rfrK 


COLLECTION-BOXES,  NEWCHURCH. 


the  North  of  England,  and  are  useful  as  help- 
ing to  fix  the  general  date  of  such  boxes.  The 
Newchurch  boxes  are  also  of  interest  from 
the  fact  that  the  admirable  Thomas  Wilson, 
Bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man  (1697-1755),  and 
author  of  Sacra  Privata,  was  rector  of  New- 
church  before  he  became  bishop. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  very  notable  discovery  of  between  thirty 
and  forty  Roman  pewter  vessels  has  been 
made  at  Appleshaw  near  Andover,  by  the 
vicar,  the  Rev.  G.  L.  Engleheart,  while  ex- 
cavating the  site  of  the  Roman  villa  alluded 
to  by  Mr.  Haverfield  in  the  Antiquary  for 
December.  The  discovery  comprised  large 
circular  dishes,  bowls  of  various  forms  and 
sizes,  cups,  jugs,  platters,  etc.  Most  of  the 
dishes  have  incised  central  ornaments,  which 
are  strongly  suggestive  of  the  designs  of  late 
mosaic  pavements.  The  whole  find  was 
exhibited  to  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  at 
their  meeting  on  November  25,  and  all  the 
objects  have  since  then  been  acquired,  we 
understand,  by  the  British  Museum. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


Under  the  appropriate  heading  of  "  How 
did  they  get  there?"  Mr.  Harry  Hems,  of 
Exeter,  writes  to  us  as  follows :  "  At  a  sale 
held  at  Walton,  near  Peterborough,  on 
November  25,  1897,  Lot  232  is  described 
as  '  Four  very  curious  old  Miserere  Seats, 
with  carved  figures  from  Little  Gidding 
Church,  Lincolnshire.'  They  were  knocked 
down  to  a  Mr.  Jebb  for  ;£6  £os.  How  was 
it  they  ever  got  out  of  the  church  at  all  ?" 
Little  Gidding  is  in  Huntingdonshire  (not 
Lincolnshire),  and  from  inquiries  which  have 
been  made  it  seems  quite  certain  that  the 
misericords  did  not  come  from  that  church 
at  all. 

^  ^  ^ 
At  the  recent  annual  business  meeting  of  the 
Dumfriesshire  and  Galloway  Natural  History 
and  Antiquarian  Society,  the  chairman  (Mr. 
R.  Murray)  brought  forward  a  proposal  to 
carry  out  excavations  at  what  is  believed  to 
be  a  Roman  station  at  Raeburnfoot,  in 
Eskdalemuir.  The  funds  of  the  society  do 
not  permit  of  any  draft  being  made  upon 
them.  Mr.  Murray  undertook  to  inaugurate  a 
special  Fund  for  the  purpose,  and  suggested 
that  they  should  proceed  at  once  with  the 
work,  in  view  of  the  favourable  weather.  A 
motion  to  this  effect  was  made  and  adopted. 
Mr.  Barbour  (who  is  undertaking  the  work) 
mentioned  that  some  little  digging  had 
already  been  done,  and  some  pieces  of 
pottery  and  stonework  had  been  found. 

By  the  late  Sir  Stephen  Glynne,  Bart. 

DARLINGTON. 
HERE  have  been  handed  to  us  by 
Mr.  William  Brown,  of  Arncliffe 
Hall,  Yorkshire,  the  hon.  secretary 
of  the  Yorkshire  Archaeological 
Society,  certain  portions  of  the  manuscript 
"  Church  Notes "  by  the  late  Sir  Stephen 
Glynne,  Bart.,  which  are  in  course  of  publi- 
cation in  the  Journal  of  that  society.  The 
portions  which  Mr.  Brown  has  sent  for  publi- 
cation in  the  Antiquary  are  unsuitable  to  the 
Yorkshire  Society's  Journal,  as  they  do  not  re- 
late to  places  in  that  county.  It  is,  however,  felt 
that  the  Notes  are  so  valuable  in  themselves 
that  it  would  be  a  great  loss  were  they  not  all 
to  appear  in  print,  and  we  have  been  very 


glad  to  accept  the  offer  which  has  been  made 
to  us  to  print  those  portions  of  Sir  Stephen 
Glynne's  Notes  in  the  Antiquary  which  are 
not  suitable  for  the  Journal  of  the  Yorkshire 
Archaeological  Society. 

Sir  Stephen  Glynne  appears  to  have  made 
his  original  inspection  of  Darlington  Church 
in  1825.  In  the  autumn  of  the  previous 
year  the  Gentleman^s  Magazine  published  a 
picture  of  the  exterior  of  the  church  seen 
from  the  south-west.  As  this  view  shows  the 
church  just  as  Sir  Stephen  Glynne  must  have 
seen  it,  we  have  thought  it  of  interest  to 
reproduce  the  picture  (on  a  somewhat  smaller 
scale)  in  these  pages. 

There  is  also  an  almost  contemporary  note 
on  Darlington  Church  in  the  carefully-written 
History,  Directory,  and  Gazetteer  of  the 
Counties  of  Durham  and  Northumberland, 
etc.,  by  W.  Parson  and  W.  White  (vol.  i., 
p.  238),  which  was  published  in  1827.  This, 
too,  we  have  thought  well  to  reproduce  side 
by  side  with  Sir  Stephen  Glynne's  Notes.  It 
is  not,  however,  our  intention  to  annotate  the 
Notes  generally  in  this  manner. 

Sir  Stephen  Glynne  writes  : 

"On  Feb:  27'^^  [1825]  set  off  per  coach 
for  Durham,  passed  through  York,  from 
thence  through  frightful  flat  country  to  Easing- 
wold — a  small  town — thence  to  Thirsk,  the 
country  improving  to  the  right  from  the 
view  of  the  Wolds,  which  was  tolerably  fine. 
Thirsk  a  large  town,  with  a  large  Church  of 
very  late  Perpend""  Architecture.  From 
thence  to  North  Allerton,  a  handsome  town 
consisting  of  a  very  broad  street  of  great 
length.  The  Church  in  the  form  of  a  cross, 
with  a  lofty  tower  in  the  centre,  and  very  sad 
modern  innovations.  The  view  of  the  Wolds 
continued  for  some  time,  but  the  actual  face 
of  the  country  very  ugly  the  whole  way  to 
Darlington. 

"  Two  miles  from  Darlington  is  the  village 
of  Croft,  where  there  is  a  very  handsome 
bridge  over  the  Tees.  Darlington  is  a  large 
town,  and  has  a  very  handsome  Market  place. 
On  the  East  side  of  the  Market  place  is  the 
Church,  which  we  hastened  to  examine  instead 
of  partaking  of  the  dinner  prepared  at  the  Inn. 

"The  Church  is  a  beautiful  structure  in 
the  form  of  a  cross,  and  is  perhaps  one  of 
the  most  pure  and  unmixed  specimens  of  Early 
English  in  the  country.  The  nave,  chancel, 
and  transepts  are  nearly  of  equal  length,  and 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


from  the  centre  rises  a  square  tower  crowned 
with  a  stone  spire.  The  whole  of  the  exterior 
is  ornamented  with  arched  moulding  of  the 
lancet  form.  The  windows  are  also  mostly 
of  this  form.  The  arched  moulding  runs 
also  along  the  walls  within.  The  nave  is 
divided  from  the  aisles  by  pointed  arches 
springing  from  clustered  columns,  and  the 
Tower  rests  on  lofty  pointed  arches  springing 
from  clustered  columns.     The  whole  of  the 


On    the    opposite    pages     the    following 
description  of  the  church  has  been  written, 

travelled.  While  speaking  of  this,  it  may  be  permis- 
sible to  quote  what  the  same  book  (p.  245)  says  of  a 
new  method  of  travelling  which  was  destined  soon  to 
revolutionize  the  whole  conception  of  that  subject,  and 
which  was  first  introduced  at  Darlington.  The  com- 
pilers of  the  work,  after  speaking  of  a  canal  which  was 
projected  in  1767,  but  never  carried  into  execution, 
say,  "  This  undertaking,  which  promised  much  benefit 
to  the  town  and  the  surrounding  country,  has  now  given 


.DARLINGTON  COLLEGIATE  CHURCH,  s.w.     (From  the  Geui/eman's  Magazine,  SeptemheT,  1824.) 


nave  and  transept  is  disfigured  by  pews  and 
galleries.  The  organ  is  placed  between  the 
nave  and  chancel.  The  western  portion  of 
the  nave  is  not  pevved,  and  has  a  circular 
arch  resting  on  an  octagon  pillar.  In  it  is 
also  the  font,  which  has  an  elegant  carved 
canopy.  The  nave  has  some  large  square 
windows  on  the  South  side  filled  with  tracery, 
probably  of  early  Decorated  work.  From 
the  fear  of  being  late  for  the  Coach,  we  were 
prevented  from  examining  this  highly  curious 
and  interesting  Church  as  narrowly  as  could 
be  wished."* 

*  According  to  Parson's  and  White's  History,  etc. , 
p.  251  (alluded  to  above),  the  "  Express  "  coach  from 
York,  Thirsk,  and  Northallerton,  left  Darlington 
daily  at  2,30  for  Durham  and  Newcastle.  This  was 
probably  the  coach  by  which  Sir  Stephen  Glynne 


place  to  a  Railway  or  Tram-road,  which  passes  from 
Stockton,  by  way  of  Darlington,  to  Witton  Park,  three 
miles  east  of  Bishop  Auckland.  It  is  in  length  25 
miles,  and  cost  about  ^^125,000.  This  great  work, 
which  is  the  property  of  60  shareholders,  was  com- 
pleted in  September,  1825,  under  the  authority  of  an 
Act  of  Parliament.  Several  coaches,  drawn  by  horses, 
travel  daily  at  the  rate  of  7  to  9  miles  an  hour  on 
this  rail-road  from  Darlington  to  Stockton  ;  there 
are  also  six  loco-motive  engines,  employed  in  the 
transit  of  coal,  lime,  lead,  manufactured  goods,  &c., 
and  there  are  two  engines  stationed  on  the  line, 
which  are  used  to  assist  the  loaded  waggons  in  their 
passage  over  the  elevated  parts  of  the  road."  It  is 
almost  impossible  to  realize  that  it  was  only  seventy 
years  ago  that  these  words  were  written.  The  twenty- 
five  miles  of  the  "  Railway  or  Tram-road  "  and  the  six 
"loco-motive"  engines  have  indeed  been  multiplied 
in  the  interval  !  The  expression  "  Tram-road,"  too, 
is  noteworthy,  as  being  an  early  use  of  the  word 
"  Tram,"  the  etymology  and  derivation  of  which  have 
not  been  satisfactorily  established. 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


probably  at  a  rather  later  period,  after  a  fuller 
examination  of  the  building: 

"DARLINGTON    CHURCH. 

"The  whole  is  of  uniform  E.E.  design. 
The  extremities  of  each  side  of  the  cross 
very  handsome — especially  the  West  Front, 
which  has  the  gable  flanked  by  square  turrets 
crowned  with  pyramids.  The  doorway  is 
large  and  handsome,  and  having  shafts  with 
bell  capitals.  The  arch  of  W.  doorway 
crowned  by  a  triangular  pediment.  Above 
it  is  tier  of  5  E.E.  arches,  some  of  them 
pierced  for  windows  ;  the  shafts  are  some 
with  foliated  capitals,  some  with  bell  capitals. 
In  y^  pediment  of  y*^  gable  are  3  niches  of 
the  same  sort — between  the  stages  are  string 
courses  of  toothed  ornament.  The  South 
Transept  has  two  tiers  of  lancet  windows — 
2  windows  in  each  stage,  and  a  circular  one 
in  y^  gable.  The  string  course  is  continued 
round  y*"  buttresses.  The  North  Transept 
has  windows  arranged  as  in  y*^  South  Tr  : 
only  that  they  are  without  shafts.  The  nave 
has  a  Clerestory,  exhibiting  a  range  of  E.E. 
arches,  some  of  them  pierced  for  windows. 
The  whole  Church,  save  the  Tower,  has  a 
plain  E.E.  parapet.  The  nave  has  a  South 
door  with  shafts  having  bell  capitals — and  a 
similar  one  on  the  north  side.  The  Tower 
rises  from  the  centre,  and  has  on  each  side 
a  triple  belfry  window  of  C""*  design.  It  is 
surmounted  by  a  battlement,  and  lofty  well- 
proportioned  spire  of  stone.  The  East  end  of 
the  Chancel  is  flanked  by  square  turrets,  and 
has  2  tiers  of  lancet  windows  without  shafts. 

"  The  Interior  is  tolerably  neatly  fitted  up, 
though  the  -elegance  and  symmetry  of  the 
building  is  cruelly  destroyed  by  the  irregularity 
of  the  galleries  which  entirely  surround  the 
nave  and  transepts.  The  windows  of  the 
aisles  are  C''*  with  square  heads.  The  nave 
has  on  each  side  4  pointed  arches,  of  which 
the  Western  ones  have  octagonal  and  circular 
pillars — the  other  piers  are  of  clustered  shafts 
with  square  capitals.  The  Transepts  are 
enriched  internally  as  well  as  without  by  a 
double  tier  of  E.E.  niches  of  very  elegant 
appearance.  They  have  shafts  with  varied 
capitals,  and  architrave  mouldings  filled  with 
rich  toothed  ornament  (especially  those  in  y^ 
lower  tier),  and  between  the  heads  of  the 
niches  are  circles  filled  with  foliage  and  flowers 

*  Query,  "curvilinear." 


of  very  rich  design.  Between  the  South  aisle 
and  Transept  is  a  very  rich  and  deeply 
moulded  lancet  arch  springing  from  clustered 
shafts  with  capitals  foliated  and  resembling 
fleurs  de  lys.  The  great  arches  under  the 
Tower  are  fine  and  deeply  moulded — having 
in  the  mouldings  some  ball  flowers.  The 
Chancel  has  a  double  tier  of  E.E.  lancet 
arches,  in  which  the  shaft  is  alternately  with 
bell  and  foliated  capitals.  Of  those  in  the 
lower  tier  one  has  some  of  y^  toothed  mould- 
ing, another  is  enriched  with  y^  chevron  and 
lozenge  ornament.  On  the  North  side  of  the 
Altar  is  a  tomb  with  contracted  Rectilin"" 
arch,  crowned  with  an  embattled  parapet. 
There  are  also  3  stone  stalls  of  Rectilin'' 
work  ascending  eastward  —  having  ogee 
canopies.  Some  of  y«  ancient  wood  carved 
stalls  remain.  The  Font  stands  in  the  Western 
part  of  the  nave,  which  is  left  open  and  free 
from  pews,  forming  a  kind  of  porch  or 
vestibule.  The  Font  is  a  plain  octagon  on 
a  circular  shaft.  Its  canopy  of  wooden 
tabernacle  work  is  lofty  and  fine,  yet  with 
some  mixture  of  Italian  features.  There  is 
also  a  mutilated  effigy  of  a  priest." 

The  following  is  from  Parson  and  White's 
"  History,  Directory,  Gazetteer^''  etc.  (1827)  : 

"  According  to  Turgot,  prior  of  Durham, 
and  other  monastic  writers,  it  appears  that 
when  Bishop  Carilepho  removed  the  seculars 
from  the  cathedral  church,  Darlington  was 
one  of  the  receptacles  appointed  for  the  re- 
ception of  that  body ;  but  we  are  not  told 
who  first  erected  a  church  here,  or  where  the 
original  edifice  stood.  The  present  church 
owes  its  origin  to  the  great  and  powerful 
prelate,  Hugh  Pudsey,  which  he  proposed  to 
make  collegiate.  The  expense  of  the  fabric 
was  immense,  for  the  stone  with  which  it  was 
built  was  brought  about  twelve  miles,  from 
the  quarries  of  Cockfield  fell  This  prelate 
also,  about  the  year  1164,  erected  a  mansion- 
house  near  the  church,  and  instituted  a 
deanery,  with  three  secular  canons  or  pre- 
bendaries. Some  writers  have  asserted  that 
there  were  six  prebendaries  here ;  an  error 
which  probably  arose  from  the  chantry  priests 
and  the  chaplain  of  Badlifelde  free  chapel 
not  being  distinguished  from  them.  The 
foundation  charter  being  lost,  the  early  history 
of  this  church  is  involved  in  great  obscurity, 
but  it  is  certain  that  it  had  four  prebends,  as 


8 


CHURCH  NOTES, 


In 

Value  of. 

Randall's 

MSS. 

i.    s.   d. 

Deanery  of  Darlington  . 

•   36  13     4  • 

Prebend  of  Cockerton  . 

500. 

Prebend  of  Blackwell   . 

SCO. 

Prebend  of  Newton 

•     500. 

Prebend  of  Rowe 

■     '  13     4  • 

In 
26  Hen.  VIII. 


appears  by  the  register.  Notwithstanding 
the  opulence  of  the  foundation,  and  the  extent 
of  the  parish,  at  its  suppression,  in  the  reign 
of  Edward  VI.,  1550,  only  a  small  portion 
of  its  revenues  was  reserved  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  minister,  payable  from  the 
Exchequer,  the  clear  yearly  proceeds  amount- 
ing only  to  ;^2  2  6s.  8d.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  benefices  formerly  belonging  to 
the  college,  showing  their  annual  value  at 
different  periods,  according  to  the  authorities 
quoted  : 

DARLINGTON   COLLEGIATE   CHURCH. 

InB. 
Tunstall's 

Reg. 
;£    s.   d.       £    s.   d. 
36    o    o  ..  36    8    4 
10    o    o^  Only     3     pre- 
10    o    o  I  bends  are  men- 
500  j  tioned.     Total 
3    o    oj  value,  £,\$. 

In  Bishop  Tunstall's  Register,  the  Prebend 
of  Rowe  is  styled  Prcebenda  de  Prestgate  ;  in 
the  Lincoln  Taxation,  the  total  annual  revenue 
of  the  college  is  estimated  at  ^73  6s.  8d. ; 
and  in  Willis's  Hist,  of  Abbeys,  we  are  in- 
formed that,  in  1553,  yearly  pensions, 
amounting  to  ;^i9  6s.  8d.,  were  paid  to  the 
incumbents  of  the  religious  houses  and 
chantries  here,  out  of  the  crown  revenues 
from  the  receipt  of  the  abbey  lands. 

*'  The  Church,  which  is  dedicated  to 
S'  Cuthbert,  is  now  a  perpetual  curacy,  not 
in  charge,  of  the  certified  value  of  ;i{^2o,  but 
of  the  real  value  of  ;^iio,  having  been 
augmented  with  jQio  per  annum  by  Lord 
Crewe,  and  with  two  sums  of  ^400  each, 
half  of  which  was  obtained  from  the  governors 
of  Queen  Anne's  bounty,  in  the  years  1720 
and  1732,  and  the  remainder  was  raised  by 
the  contributions  of  the  parishioners  at  the 
same  periods.  The  Earl  of  Darlington  is 
patron  of  the  benefice;  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Gordon,  of  Lichfield,  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent. The  church  is  in  the  form  of  a 
cross,  with  a  tower  and  spire  rising  from  the 
centre.  The  elegant  frosted  (sic)  spire  being 
struck  by  lightning,  on  the  17'*^  of  July,  1750, 
was  so  shattered,  as  to  render  it  necessary  to 
take  down  and  rebuild  the  upper  part,  but 
the  workmen  did  not  replace  the  old  orna- 
ments, so  that  it  has  now  lost  much  of  its 
former  beauty.  There  are  six  musical  bells 
in  the  tower;  and  about  the  year  1822,  a 
handsome  organ  was  erected  by  subscription. 


The  church  has  been  frequently  repaired, 
and  is  kept  in  good  order,  but  the  appear- 
ance of  the  interior  is  greatly  injured  by  the 
irregularity  of  the  pews  and  galleries.  There 
were  formerly  four  chantries  in  this  church, 
but  the  date  of  their  foundation  and  the 
names  of  their  founders  are  unknown,  except 
the  chantry  of  Robert  Marshall,  the  endow- 
ment of  which  is  now  appropriated  to  the 
Grammar  School.  .  .  .  The  chantry  of  S' 
James  had  revenues  of  the  yearly  value  of 
jQ6,  and  the  chantry  of  All  Saints  was  worth 
;£4  19s.  od.  per  annum,  but  the  revenue  of 
the  chantry  of  the  Blessed  Mary  has  not 
been  ascertained.  There  was  also  a  Free- 
Chapel  or  perpetual  Chantry  of  Badlifeide, 
otherwise  Bedlefeld,  or  Battlefield,  in  the 
manor  or  parish  of  Darlington,  and  in  the 
patronage  of  the  bishop  :  the  chaplain,  or 
cantarist,  had  an  annual  sum  paid  him  out 
of  the  bishop's  exchequer  ab  antiquo.  About 
a  mile  west  of  Darlington  is  a  place  called 
Baddies,  where  this  chapel  is  supposed  to 
have  stood,  but  there  are  not  now  any 
remains  of  the  edifice.  The  clergy  who  now 
officiate  at  the  church  are,  the  Rev.  James 
Carr,  the  sub-curate ;  and  the  Rev.  Thomas 
W.  Minton,  assistant-curate." 


€nglanti'0  DlDegt  ^antiicrafts. 

By  Isabel  Suart  Robson. 
I. — Workers  in  Wool  and  Flax. 

"  The  history  of  the  loom  is  the  history  of  human 
progress." 

HE  most  ancient  of  all  human  inven- 
tions is  the  weaving  of  cloth  of  one 
kind  or  another,  and  though  before 
the  coming  of  the  Normans  the 
handicrafts  of  this  country  were  few  and 
simple,  this  industry  had  its  place  in  the  daily 
life  of  every  homestead.  Sheep  were  the 
chief  possessions  of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  and 
their  wool  was  combed,  carded,  spun,  woven 
and  dyed  by  the  women,  from  the  King's 
daughter  to  the  wife  of  the  churl.  Queen 
Boadicea  wore  in  her  last  great  stand  for 
freedom,  "under  her  cloak  a  tunic  of  English- 
made  wool  chequered  with  many  colours," 
says  the  Roman  historian,  Dion  Cassius,  and 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


he  goes  on  to  speak  admiringly  of  the  bril- 
liant tints  the  Britons  gave  to  their  wools  : 
light-red,  green,  blue,  madderpink,  sometimes 
violet  and  mulberry  colour,  no  doubt  woven 
into  plaids  much  like  those  the  Scottish 
Highlanders  use  to-day. 

The  Romans  always  paid  special  atten- 
tion to  textile  manufactures,  and  one  of  their 
earliest  acts,  after  subjugating  Britain,  was  to 
set  up  a  linen  and  woollen  factory  in  the 
fortified  town  of  Winchester.  No  doubt  the 
soldiers  of  the  various  cohorts  were  supplied 
with  raiment  from  its  stores,  for  it  was  a 
Government  establishment,  with  a  manager, 
called  by  Tacitus  "  the  procurator,"  appointed 
by  the  Emperor  of  Rome.  To  some  extent 
the  trade  of  Winchester  languished  when  the 
Romans  withdrew  from  the  country,  but  four 
centuries  later  we  find  the  people  of  England 
using  Winchester  linen.  Evidently  its  linen 
was  preferable  to  its  woollen  goods.  Among 
the  Saxons,  to  wear  wool  next  the  skin  was  a 
penance  for  heinous  misdoing,  and  all  per- 
sons of  rank  were  buried  in  linen  shrouds. 

Until  the  Normans  came  to  England  the 
wool  woven  produced  only  a  coarse  cloth  and 
a  rough  kind  of  blanket.  English  wool  was 
then,  as  now,  the  best  known  and  most 
highly  prized,  but  the  Saxons  had  not  ac- 
quired the  art  of  weaving  it  with  any  degree 
of  perfection.  They  did  little  more  than 
collect  the  fleeces  over  and  above  what  were 
needed  for  actual  clothing,  and  send  them  to 
Flanders,  then  and  throughout  the  Middle 
Ages  the  centre  of  woollen  manufacture.  At 
what  date  wool  was  first  exported  from  Eng- 
land we  cannot  tell.  It  must  have  been  very 
early  indeed,  for  we  read  of  merchants  going 
to  Marseilles  and  attending  the  great  French 
fairs  at  Rouen  and  St.  Denis  in  the  ninth 
century.  Before  that  time  commercial  inter- 
course was  carried  on,  for  we  have  a  most 
interesting  document — our  first  treaty  of  com- 
merce, in  fact — dated  796  ad.,  by  which 
Charlemagne  grants  protection  to  certain 
English  merchants  trading  between  France 
and  Mercia.  Henry  of  Huntingdon,  writing 
in  the  twelfth  century,  alludes  to  the  exten- 
sive exportation  of  fine  English  wool  "  to  the 
main "  —  an  exportation  which  eventually 
reached  such  proportions  that  a  stoppage  of 
supplies  used  to  throw  half  the  population  of 
Flanders  out  of  work. 

VOL.  XXXIV, 


Taxes,  until  almost  the  close  of  the  Plan- 
tagenet  period,  were  calculated  not  in  money 
but  in  wool.  In  one  year  the  Parliament 
granted  Edward  III.  20,000  sacks  of  fine 
wool,  and  in  another  year  30,000.  In  1339 
he  was  to  have  "the  tenth  sheep,  fleece  and 
lamb."  The  Cistercian  monks,  since  their 
settlement  in  England,  were  notable  wool- 
growers,  an  order  of  Benedictine  monks  con- 
tracting for  all  they  could  supply.  Indeed, 
England  supplied,  during  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury almost  all  the  wool  used  in  Northern 
Europe.  Spain  also  grew  wool,  but  it  was  far 
more  difficult  to  carry  goods  from  the  Penin- 
sula to  Flanders  than  across  the  German 
Ocean,  whereon  light  crafts  plied  constantly. 
The  monks  also  grew  much  flax,  some  affirm- 
ing that  the  soil  of  Great  Britain  was  more 
suitable  for  its  production  than  that  of  any 
other  country,  and  its  crops  the  largest, 
toughest,  and  finest  in  the  world.  Such 
natural  advantages  marked  England  for  a 
manufacturing  country  ;  and  though  unnoted 
and  unheeded  by  knight  and  by  baron  in 
mediaeval  towns,  in  merchant  and  craft-gilds 
silently  but  surely  was  growing  up  the  slow 
structure  of  England's  commercial  wealth  and 
influence. 

In  the  train  of  William  the  Conqueror  had 
come  certain  Flemings  skilled  in  textile  art, 
and  what  had  been  a  languishing  and  unde- 
veloped handicraft  received  impetus  and  im- 
provement. Winchester  remembered  its  old 
glory,  and  made  efforts  to  revive  its  trade, 
gaining  permission  from  William  to  hold  a 
great  annual  fair  on  St.  Giles's  Hill,  where  its 
manufactures  might  be  displayed,  and  to 
which  merchants  of  other  districts  might 
resort.  This  fair  was  a  great  centre  of  trade 
for  several  centuries.  Its  duration,  limited 
by  William  to  one  day,  was  gradually  ex- 
tended, until  by  a  charter  of  Henry  II.  it  was 
allowed  to  last  for  sixteen  days.  During  the 
time  it  was  held  the  shops  of  Southampton, 
as  well  as  Winchester,  were  closed,  and  all 
wares  sold  outside  the  fair,  within  a  radius  of 
seven  miles,  were  to  be  forfeited  to  the  bishop. 
Tolls  were  established  on  every  bridge  and 
roadway,  and  the  revenue  thus  levied  on 
goods  taken  to  the  fair  and  on  persons  going 
there  to  sell,  was  very  considerable.  The 
great  common  was  covered  with  booths  and 
divided  into  temporary  streets,  called  after 

c 


lO 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


the  goods  exposed  for  sale  therein,  "The 
Drapery,"  "The  Spicery,"  "The  Pottery," 
and  so  on.  Many  hard  bargains  were  driven 
on  Winchester  Common  in  those  days.  In 
the  famous  old  allegory  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  "The  Vision  of  Piers  Plowman," 
Covetousness  was  among  those  who  "To  Win- 
chester went  to  the  fair,"  carrying  goods  that 

Had  been  unsold 
These  seven  years, 
Had  there  not  gone 
The  grace  of  guile 
Among  my  chaffer. 

The  cloth  fair  in  St.  Bartholomew's 
Churchyard  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
important  commercial  institutions  of  early 
times.  Founded  in  the  reign  of  Henry  I.,  it 
lasted,  though  in  a  gradually  diminishing 
state  of  prosperity,  until  1855,  when  the  nation 
having  outgrown  it,  a  municipal  court  quietly 
decreed  its  extinction.  The  fair  in  its  early 
and  prosperous  days  consisted  chiefly  of  the 
booths  and  standings  of  the  "clothmakers  of 
all  England  and  the  drapers  of  London,  who 
there  closed  within  walls  of  which  the  gates 
were  locked  and  watched  every  night  for  safety 
of  men's  goods  and  wares."  A  "draper" 
was  then  the  London  name  for  clothier,  very 
few  of  the  Drapers'  Guild  living  beyond  the 
boundary  of  the  city. 

Of  all  institutions  for  organizing  the  craft 
of  the  wool-worker  in  the  Middle  Ages,  the 
most  important  was  the  Staple.  Certain  towns 
were  named  by  the  King  as  "  Seats  of  the 
Staple,"  or  places  where  alone  staple  goods, 
such  as  wool,  cloth,  linen,  leather,  lead  and 
tin  could  be  sold.  To  these  staples  foreign 
merchants  went  regularly  to  buy  and  sell,  and 
English  traders  met  there  for  a  like  object. 
Every  article  sold  had  to  bear  the  seal  of  the 
staple  upon  it  before  it  could  be  offered  for 
sale,  thus  ensuring,  as  far  as  possible,  honesty, 
weight,  measure,  and  quality,  Calais  was  at 
one  time  the  chief  staple,  but  the  places  were 
frequently  changed,  to  the  great  inconvenience 
of  those  who  came  from  abroad.  Edward  IIL, 
in  1 36 1,  removed  the  staple  from  Calais  to 
nine  English  towns,  one  of  which  was  West- 
minster, changed  seventeen  years  later  by 
Richard  IL  to  the  spot  still  known  as  Staple 
Inn,  in  Holborn.  More  than  once  the  staple 
was  abolished  and  re-established,  until,  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  it  ceased  to  be  of  any  com- 


mercial importance.  Edward  III.,  perhaps, 
did  more  than  any  other  king  for  the  de- 
velopment of  textile  manufacture.  It  is  true 
that  Henry  II.  had  allowed  numbers  of 
Flemings  to  settle  in  this  country,  and  estab- 
lished the  cloth  fair  in  the  churchyard  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  and  personally  interested  him- 
self in  the  growth  of  the  handicraft,  "  even  to 
the  length  of  purchasing  of  the  same ;"  but 
Edward  III.  had  an  influence  prompting  him 
wholly  sympathetic  to  the  foreigners,  that  of 
his  wife,  Phillipa  of  Hainault,  and  the  settle- 
ment of  Flemings  was  invariably  encouraged. 
Two  Flemings  established  themselves  in 
York  in  1331,  and  one,  John  Kemp,  founded 
in  Westmorland  the  manufacture  of  the 
famous  "  Kendal  Green."  Thomas  Blanket, 
about  the  same  time,  commenced  in  Bristol 
that  industry  which  has  always  borne  his 
name ;  but  Norwich  was  the  Manchester  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  supplying  the  country  and  also 
exporting  plain,  unpretending  cloths  which 
had  until  the  coming  of  the  Flemings  never 
gone  beyond  a  simple  weave  or  twill,  made 
from  yarn  which  had  been  spun  on  a  distaff 
with  a  primitive  spindle,  scarcely  different  to 
that  Penelope  must  have  used  for  the  spinning 
of  her  famous  web.  During  mediaeval  times 
the  loom  used  in  England  was  always  hori- 
zontal, such  as  is  shown  in  the  Bedford  Book 
of  Hours,  preserved  in  the  British  Museum, 
at  which  the  Virgin  Mary  is  seated  weaving 
curtains  for  the  Temple. 

Norfolk  may,  indeed,  be  regarded  as  the 
cradle  of  the  woollen  manufacture.  Long 
before  the  earliest  records  a  considerable 
industry  had  been  carried  on  there  in  coarse 
cloths  and  among  them  a  stuff  called  "burel," 
in  wool  or  thread,  or  in  both  woven  together. 
We  read  that  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  had,  in 
1295,  ^  light-blue  chasuble  of  this  texture, 
and  Exeter,  in  1277,  possessed  "along  burel 
pall."  Burel,  and,  in  fact,  all  coarser  fabrics, 
were  wrought  by  men,  sometimes  in  monas- 
teries, for  the  old  Benedictine  rule  obliged 
the  monks  to  give  a  certain  number  of  hours 
each  day  to  some  handicraft.  Of  monks  of 
Bath  Abbey,  says  one  writer,  "  shuttle  and 
the  loom  employed  their  attention  at  this 
early  period,  and  among  them  the  art  was  so 
well  carried  forward,  that  Bath  became  one 
of  the  most  considerable  cloth-weaving  towns 
in  Western   England."     In   Chaucer's  time 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


II 


Bath  cloth  rivalled  that  of  Flanders,  and  of 
his  "good  wif  of  Bath,"  he  tells  us 

Of  cloth-making  she  hadde  swiche  an  haunt 
She  passed  hem  of  Ipres  and  of  Gaunt. 

The  village  of  Worstead,  twenty  miles  from 
Norwich,  by  a  new  method  of  its  own  for  the 
carding  of  wool  with  combs  of  iron  well 
heated  and  then  twisting  the  thread  harder 
than  usual  in  the  spinning,  enabled  its  weavers 
to  produce  a  stuff  of  a  peculiar  quality,  which 
took  the  name  of  the  place  where  it  was  first 
produced,  and  became  immediately  popular. 
Kxeter  Cathedral  among  its  vestments  had 
several  of  worsted,  spelt  variously  "worsett" 
or  "  woryst."  and  York  enumerates  some  in 
the  rolls  of  the  Minster.  It  was  used  for 
cushions,  wall  draperies,  and  bed  hangings 
especially,  and  commanded  very  high  prices. 
Elizabeth  de  Bohun,  in  1356,  bequeathed  to 
her  daughter,  the  Countess  of  Arundel,  as 
something  exceedingly  valuable,  "a  bed  of  red 
worsted  embroidered."  This  manufacture 
very  early  migrated  to  Norwich,  and,  with 
other  fabrics,  profited  by  the  improved 
methods  and  skill  of  the  Flemings. 

Linen  in  mediaeval  records]seems  often  to 
be  included  under  the  generic  term  *'  cloth  :" 
thus,  we  find  the  fine  linen  of  Aylesham,  in 
Lincolnshire,  which  was  beginning  to  be 
noted  as  early  as  the  fourteenth  century, 
alluded  to  in  church  records  as  "  Aylesham 
cloth,''  of  which  certain  "  hand  towels  "  were 
to  be  made.  Fine  linen  was  manufactured 
in  Sussex  and  Wiltshire  in  the  middle  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  it  was  to  encourage 
this  growing  enterprise  that  Henry  II L  pur- 
chased in  1253,  through  the  sheriffs  of  the 
two  counties,  "  two  thousand  yards  for  his 
own  royal  use."  The  jealous  rivalry  between 
the  two  industries,  wool  and  flax  weaving, 
has  from  earliest  times  formed  a  humorous 
feature  in  the  history  of  the  craft.  Royal 
favours  to  linen-weavers  provoked  the  com- 
plaints of  the  workers  in  wool,  who  saw  in 
every  advantage  to  their  rivals  a  blow  aimed 
at  their  own  trade,  whilst  linen-weavers  felt 
— so  small  comparatively  was  the  demand 
for  their  goods — that  the  clothmakers  should 
permit  them  a  good  many  privileges. 

In  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  the  city  of  Nor- 
wich advanced  greatly,  and  when  in  1685 
'Louis  XIV.,  by  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict 


of  Nantes,  let  persecution  loose  upon  his 
Protestant  subjects,  over  50,000  refugees  fled 
to  Norfolk  and  settled  there.  This  large 
influx  of  foreigners  did  not  please  the  good 
people  of  Norfolk,  who  saw,  not  the  gain 
which  would  accrue  to  them  from  the  superior 
skill  of  the  newcomers,  but  a  certain  diversion 
of  their  own  work  among  fresh  hands.  Peti- 
tions were  drawn  up,  and  Government  aid 
demanded,  whilst  for  years  open  displays  of 
ill-feeling  were  frequent.  For  their  part,  the 
foreigners  kept  aloof  from  the  jealous  towns- 
folk, had  their  own  quarter,  their  own  places 
of  worship  and  their  own  wardens,  until  lapse 
of  time  cured  the  soreness  and  the  English 
were  ready  to  recognise  them  as,  not  only 
peaceable  and  law-abiding,  but  skilled  work- 
inen,  who  were  not  averse  to  share  their  trade 
secrets.  Among  the  many  light  fabrics  the 
French  introduced  at  this  time  was  crape,  a 
manufacture  which  added  considerably  to 
the  wealth  of  Norwich.  It  was  soon  in 
enormous  request,  and  gradually  increased  in 
popularity  until,  under  the  administration  of 
Sir  Robert  Walpole,  it  was  ordered  for  Court 
mourning. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  how  much  English 
charity  to  religious  refugees  has  done  to 
further  our  commercial  prosperity.  Harrison, 
in  his  description  of  Elizabethan  England  in 
the  famous  Holinshed  Chronicle,  touches  on 
this  point.  After  speaking  of  the  incursion 
of  those  "  whom  the  death  of  Mary  had 
relieved  of  fear  of  persecution,"  he  says, 
"While,  in  times  past,  the  use  of  wool  con- 
sisted for  the  most  part  in  the  cloth  and 
woolsteds,  now,  by  means  of  strangers  suc- 
coured from  domestic  persecution,  the  same 
is  employed  into  sundry  other  uses,  such  as 
mokados,  bays,  vellures,  grosgrains,  whereby 
the  makers  have  reaped  no  small  commodity." 
In  1623,  Misselden  writes  that  "clothmaking 
is  the  dowry  of  the  Kingdom  and  the  great 
revenue  of  the  King,  so  diverse  and  so  wide- 
spread had  become  its  many  branches." 

English  woollen  goods  achieved  such  a 
reputation  in  the  sixteenth  and  the  dawn  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  that  Genoese  and 
Venetian  ship-owners  came  up  the  Thames 
and  carried  off  large  cargoes  to  supply  the 
East,  whilst  Portuguese  vessels  bore  them  to 
India,  Brazil,  and  the  Barbadoes,and  Germans 
on  the  Rhine  wore  Norfolk  fustian.  The  linen 


12 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


made  at  Ipswich  at  this  time  was  so  exception- 
ally fine  as  to  command  the  large  sum  of 
fifteen  shillings  an  ell.  Unhappily,  this  age  of 
prosperity  had  its  disastrous  results.  A  haste 
to  grow  rich  began  to  undermine  the  integrity 
of  the  weavers.  When  it  was  so  easy  to  dispose 
of  the  work  as  quickly  as  it  could  be  pro- 
duced, it  was  a  temptation  to  produce  too 
quickly,  and  we  read  that,  in  1550,  huge 
bales  of  English  goods  were  lying  unsold 
on  the  wharves  at  Antwerp,  "  through  the 
naughtiness  of  their  making,"  and  that 
"woollens,  fraudulent  in  make,  weight,  and 
size,  were  exposed  in  the  square  of  St. 
Mark's  with  the  brand  of  the  Senate  upon 
them,  to  testify  to  the  decay  of  English 
honesty."  Somerset,  at  this  time  Lord 
Protector  of  England,  at  once  interposed,  and 
with  a  few  rigid,  summary  measures,  gave 
English  weavers  to  understand  that  national 
reputation  was  a  thing  with  which  they  must 
not  lightly  tamper.  Throughout  mediaeval 
times  the  drift  of  all  commercial  legislative 
matters  seems  to  have  been  to  ensure  quality 
rather  than  quantity.  "  Scamped  work  "  and 
"  doubtful  measurements  "  were  to  be  "  things 
abhorrent"  to  all  right-minded  men.  Any 
attempt  to  gain  undue  profit  or  any  exhibition 
of  trade  dishonesty  was  resented  as  hurtful  to 
the  community  at  large  and  the  wrong-doer 
was  promptly  dealt  with.  Kforestaiier,  the 
very  significant  name  by  which  our  forefathers 
indicated  a  man  who  bought  up  goods  before 
they  came  into  the  market  and  kept  them  to 
sell  at  a  moment  advantageous  to  himself,  was 
described  as  "an  open  oppressor  of  poor 
people,"  "an  enemy  of  the  whole  shire  and 
county."  There  was  no  desire  for  cheapness, 
and  it  was  believed  possible  to  fix  and  enforce 
a  fair  price,  so  that  manufacturers  and  sellers 
should  only  have  moderate  gains.  Com- 
petition and  speculation  as  they  exist  to-day 
\yould  have  seemed  to  mediaeval  craftsmen 
little  short  of  criminal,  yet,  in  spite  of  such 
halcyon  conditions,  depreciations  crept  into 
manufacture  more  than  once.  William  III. 
was  obliged  to  pass  an  Act  in  which  it  was 
found  advisable  to  describe  most  minutely 
how  yarn  was  to  be  made  and  sold,  and  how 
cloth  should  be  woven  and  measured.  The 
possessor  of  cloth  made  for  sale  had,  before 
exposing  it  in  the  market,  "  to  bring  it  to  a 
royal  burgh,  there  to  receive  the  public  seal 
and  stamp  of  the  burgh  upon   both  ends, 


which  shall  be  sufficient  proof  of  the  just 
length  and  breadth,  evenness  of  working,  and 
thickness  thereof.  To  which  effect  there  was 
to  be  in  every  burgh  an  honest  man,  well 
seen  in  the  trade  of  linen  and  cloth,  appointed 
to  keep  the  said  seal  for  marking  therewith." 
The  development  of  textile  industries  in  early 
days  was  considerably  limited  by  the  fact  that 
they  were  for  the  most  part  strictly  local,  and 
many  of  those  who  practised  them  did  not 
look  upon  them  as  a  sole  means  of  livelihood. 
Weaving  and  farming  were  often  combined, 
and  in  more  than  one  instance  weaving  and 
pot-making.  The  isolation  of  separate  com- 
munities and  the  national  distaste  for  travel 
account  largely  for  this  peculiarity.  Each 
township  provided  for  its  own  wants,  managed 
its  own  industries,  and  had  its  own  guilds. 
No  picture  of  the  life  of  the  mediaeval  crafts- 
man would  be  complete  which  did  not  give  a 
prominent  place  to  the  influence  and  im- 
portance of  his  guild.  Every  man  who  had 
reached  the  requisite  age  allied  himself  with 
his  fellows  in  this  earliest  form  of  trade 
co-operation,  and  in  every  town  sufficiently 
large  each  trade  had  its  separate  guild.  Even 
remote  villages  had  their  "  gild-hall,"  where 
members  met.  The  remains  of  some  are 
still  to  be  seen  in  country  districts  of  Norfolk. 
In  feudal  times  membership  in  a  guild  for  a 
year  and  a  day  made  a  villein  a  free  man,  an 
item  of  very  practical  value  in  the  eyes  of 
the  humbler  craftsmen.  Their  fundamental 
principle  was,  that  each  member  should  work, 
not  only  for  his  private  advantage,  but  for 
the  reputation  and  good  of  his  craft.  For 
the  furtherance  of  these  objects,  tools  and 
methods  of  work  were  frequently  examined 
and  bad  work  was  punished.  It  is  curious 
to  note  that  night-work  was  strictly  prohibited, 
as  likely  to  tend  to  inferior  workmanship.  A 
good  supply  of  competent  workmen  for  the 
future  was  ensured  by  training  young  men, 
from  which  practice  undoubtedly  rose  the 
apprentice  system,  productive,  at  least  at  this 
stage,  of  considerable  advantages.  The  guild 
also  exercised  a  moral  control  over  its  mem- 
bers, provided  against  sickness  and  death,  and 
fixed  the  number  and  length  of  holidays  and 
the  hours  of  work,  enforcing  its  rules  by  fines, 
often  consisting  of  drink,  which  was  consumed 
at  the  periodic  guild-feasts.  The  guild,  or,  as 
it  was  most  commonly  spelt,  "  gild,"  was  « 
distinct  forerunner  of  the  modern   trades- 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDLCRAFTS. 


13 


union,  going,  however,  farther  and  deeper,  in 
that  it  protected  the  work  as  well  as  the 
worker.  By  the  time  of  the  Tudors  the  days 
of  its  usefulness  seemed  to  have  passed, 
and  instead  of  benefiting,  its  numerous 
restrictions  tended  to  cramp  growing  indus- 
tries. To  escape  such  limitation,  craftsmen 
began  to  leave  the  towns  and  establish  them- 
selves in  remote  villages,  where  they  could 
pursue  their  work  in  their  own  way.  Thus  the 
trade  of  the  Eastern  counties  and  the  West 
of  England  had  by  the  close  of  the  sixteenth 
century  spread  to  the  Midlands,  and  was 
firmly  established  in  the  West  Riding  of 
Yorkshire.  Kent,  Reading,  and  York  were 
producing  heavy  cloths  ;  Worcester  and  Here- 
ford a  cloth  so  fine  that,  by  a  chapter  of  the 
Benedictine  order  held  at  Westminster  Abbey, 
it  was  forbidden  to  be  worn  by  monks,  as 
too  luxurious ;  Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire,  and 
Gloucestershire  broad  cloths  in  white  and 
red  had  achieved  popularity ;  whilst  the 
Midlands  furnished  "  Penistone  cloth  "  and 
"  Forest  white  ";  and  Devonshire  greys  and 
"kersey  "or  "causeway"  cloths,  so  named 
from  some  obsolete  reason  chroniclers  have 
not  given  us.  "  Causeway"  is  still  pronounced 
by  homely  Devonshire  people  as  "  kersey," 
and  the  flight  of  imagination  which  has 
peopled  the  ancient  village  of  Kersey  with 
looms  and  cloth-weavers  is  without  actual 
basis  in  fact. 

Various  measures  were  put  in  force  to 
prevent  this  migration  of  trade  from  the  old 
centres.  Henry  VIII.  enacted  that  "no  one 
should  dye,  shear  or  calendar  wool  but  in 
Norwich  ";  but  even  then  Bradford  and  Leeds 
had  become  lively  and  prosperous  cloth- 
weaving  towns,  and  Wakefield,  the  trading 
capital  of  the  West  Riding,  exceeded  them 
both  in  size  and  importance.  We  find 
the  citizens  of  York  in  1544  complaining  of 
the  competition  "of  sundry  evil-disposed 
persons  and  apprentices,"  who  had  "with- 
drawn themselves  out  of  the  city  and  com- 
peted with  York  in  manufacturing  coverlets 
and  blanketines."  York  got  the  monopoly, 
but  she  gained  little  thereby;  restrictive 
measures  only  tended  to  drive  the  manu- 
facturers further  afield ;  indeed,  the  history  of 
textile  arts,  more  than  any  other,  illustrates 
the  futility  of  endeavouring  by  legislation  to 
hinder  the  free  course  of  trade. 

An  important  progressive  movement  in  this 


industry  marked  the  sixteenth  century.  Cloth 
had  hitherto  been  carried  to  Holland  and 
Belgium  to  be  dyed,  and  many  Flemings 
found  lucrative  employment  in  completing 
English  manufactures  before  they  were  shipped 
from  Antwerp  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  A 
London  merchant,  named  William  Cholmley, 
in  Edward  VI.'s  reign,  conceived  the  idea  of 
performing  these  last  offices  for  the  cloth  at 
home.  By  experiment  he  "found  that  Thames 
water  was  as  good  for  dyeing  as  that  of  the  Low 
Countries,"  and  forthwith  imported  Flemish 
dyers  to  instruct  his  own  servants.  Having 
mastered  their  secrets,  he  patriotically  offered 
his  discovery  to  the  Government  for  the 
public  good,  prophesying  that,  "if  his  pro- 
posal were  taken  advantage  of,  and  England 
would  rely  upon  herself  to  complete  her 
manufactures,  the  trade  of  Antwerp  would 
droop  and  London  become  the  mart  of  the 
world."  The  complete  fulfilment  of  this 
prophecy  has  abundantly  proved  the  mer- 
chant's foresight  and  sagacity. 
{To  be  continued.) 


^panisft  ©istotic  ^onumentg. 

By  Joseph  Louis  Powell 
[Of  the  Royal  Academy  of  San  Fernando,  Madrid). 


§5- 


The  Synagogue  known  as  "  El 
Transito." 

EFORE  the  middle  of  the  tenth  cen- 
tury the  Jews  had  become  a  rich 
and  powerful  body  in  Toledo. 
At  that  time  they  occupied  two 
entire  districts  or  regions  of  the  city  named 
Great  and  Little  Jewry.  These  Jewries 
occupied  a  large  space,  and  were  surrounded 
by  an  enclosing  wall,  of  which  remains  still 
exist,  and  so  formed  a  considerable  and 
thriving  town  in  itself,  comprised  in  the 
greater  city.  The  Jews,  in  addition  to  all 
this,  kept  going  mercantile  establishments  in 
another  region,  La  Alcana,  which  formerly 
stood  where  now  are  the  cathedral  cloisters 
and  several  adjoining  streets.  Such  was  the 
condition  of  the  Toledan  Jews  at  the  time  of 
the  reconquest  of  the  city  by  the  Christian 
warriors  in  10S5.  Henceforth  they  were 
alternately  persecuted  or  tolerated,  according 


14 


SPANISH  HISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


as  they  could  be  useful  or  not  to  the  King 
and  his  magnates. 

The  IsraeUtes  assisted  Alfonso  the  Wise  in 
the  composition  of  his  chronological  tables, 
and  so,  under  his  sway,  prospered.  In  no 
reign,  however,  did  their  hopes  rise  higher 
than  in  that  of  Peter  the  Cruel,  through  the 
influence  of  his  Treasurer,  Samuel  Levi. 

The  more  ancient  building,  already  de- 
scribed,* being  insufficient  for  the  number  of 
worshippers,  it  was  determined,  through  the 
protection  of  Don  Pedro,  and  directly  at  the 


El  Transito  is  very  beautiful,  though  in 
some  respects  it  has  suffered  greatly  in  the 
course  of  five  centuries  of  existence.  Outside 
you  see  foliation  in  various  forms,  and  one 
feature  especially  striking  to  a  stranger,  the 
celosias,  windows  filled  with  admirable  de- 
signs in  stucco  instead  of  glass.  The  interior 
is  magnificently  rich  in  broad  bands  of  orna- 
ment, among  which  appear  the  range  of  pro- 
fusely foiled  arches,  with  celosias  at  intervals, 
and  double  and  single  lines  of  Hebrew  in- 
scriptions,   taken    from    the   Psalms.      The 


EL   TRANSITO.      INTERIOR    WALL. 
{Reduced from  a  photograph  by  Laurent  and  Co.,  Madrid.) 


instance  of  his  Hebrew  Treasurer,  to  construct 
a  new  and  magnificent  synagogue.  The 
architect  and  director  of  the  works  was  the 
Rabbi  Meir  Aben-Aldebi,  and  the  date  1366. 
It  served  for  Jewish  worship  till  1494,  when 
the  Jews  were  driven  out  of  Spain,  under 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  The  edifice  was 
then  turned  into  a  church,  under  the  invoca- 
tion of  St.  Benedict,  and  conceded  to  the 
military  order  of  the  Knights  of  Calatrava. 
The  name  El  Transilo  was  popularly  given 
to  the  church  from  a  picture  representing 
"  El  Transito,"  or  passage  from  the  world  of 
the  B.  V.  Mary,  which  seems  to  have  been 
held  in  much  esteem. 

*  Antiquary,  November,  1897. 


roof,  provided  with  tie-beams  below,  is  arte- 
sonado  as  to  the  higher  part ;  and  the  arte- 
so?i,  or  trough,  is  inverted  above  the  spec- 
tator, and  so  the  peculiar  form  and  disposition 
are  plainly  perceived. 

The  extreme  profusion  of  beautiful  orna- 
ment is  such  that  it  is  impossible  to  do  justice 
to  it  in  these  brief  remarks.  Our  illustration 
will,  however,  aid  the  reader  to  form  an  idea 
of  what  the  reality  is  like.  It  is  disposed  in 
three  chief  bands.  The  lower  division  pre- 
sents a  broad  band  of  foliage  between  double 
lines  of  Hebrew  inscriptions.  Here  we  have 
vine-leaves,  and  the  imitation  is  more  exact 
than  usual.  This  seems  to  show  a  very  ad- 
vanced  period   of   Moorish  art,   as    in   the 


OLD  KIRK  LONAN,  ISLE  OF  MAN. 


15 


Alhambra  de  Granada,  wherein  the  forms  at 
length  become  more  natural,  and  the  imita- 
tion often  exact.  Amid  the  foliage  appear 
the  shield  and  arms  of  Don  Pedro,  King  of 
Castile  and  Leon. 

The  second  band  of  ornament  shows  chiefly 
a  richly  foliated  arcade,  with  doubled  columns 
between.  The  forms  are  circular,  the  cusps 
heavy  and  inclined  to  be  coarse,  compared 
with  those  of  Gothic  buildings.  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  impossible  not  to  see  here  the 
reacting  influence  of  the  Gothic  style  upon 
the  Moorish.  The  pillars  recall  Romanesque 
rather  than  Gothic  art,  while  the  capitals  are 
strange  to  a  Northern  eye.  The  stucco  celo- 
sias,  through  which  the  light  does  actually 
penetrate,  and  the  pointed  arch  containing 
them,  are  more  especially  Moorish.  The 
interlacing  forms  of  the  celestas  are,  perhaps, 
of  more  ancient  design  than  the  floriated 
ornament  around. 

The  upper  band  contains  a  single  line  of 
inscription,  and  this  is  about  all.  The  rich- 
ness of  the  roof  is  on  a  par  with  all  the  rest, 
though  here  the  timber  takes  the  shape  of 
stars  and  sharp-edged  geometrical  lines.  The 
east  wall  of  the  synagogue  had  its  own  pecu- 
liar decoration,  as,  indeed,  became  the  Jewish 
worship.  It  shows  a  different  disposition  in 
the  ornament,  which  in  certain  respects  is 
still  richer  and  more  elaborate  than  that  of 
the  side-walls  I  have  been  describing.  The 
lower  bands  here  are  perpendicular,  above 
which  runs  a  sort  of  canopy  peculiarly  Moor- 
ish, seen  likewise  at  Granada. 

The  fine  late  Gothic  retablo,  or  reredos, 
which  stood  here  for  several  centuries  to 
mark  the  conversion  of  the  building  to  the 
worship  of  Christ,  has  been  of  late  years 
removed  to  another  site,  thus  to  show  the 
original  ornament  complete. 


©in  Eirk  Lonan,  %%\z  of  a^an. 

Bv  A.  Knox. 

HE   old   church   of    the    parish    of 
Lonan   lies   about   the  middle  of 
the    east    coast    of    Man.      It   is 
situated    nearly   above   cliffs   that 
descend  sheer  for  four  hundred  feet  into  the 


sea.  The  view  eastward  from  it  is  across  the 
Irish  Sea  to  the  coast  of  Cumberland.  Land- 
ward the  prospect  is  over  the  southern  part 
of  Man,  and  is  stopped  by  the  chain  of  hills 
which  cross  the  island  from  its  eastern  to  its 
western  coast.  The  visible  landscape,  where 
it  has  become  fixed  in  the  sentiments  of 
men,  is  a  Norse  land  :  the  name  of  every 
visible  object  of  Nature,  of  every  visible 
piece  of  land  in  it  that  bears  a  name,  is 
Norse.  The  church  of  Lonan  alone  in  all 
the  view  has  a  name  that  is  not  Norse. 
Lonan  is  thought  to  be  the  name  of  St. 
Adamnan,  Abbot  of  lona,  who  died  in  the 
year  704,  and  who  was  the  biographer  of  the 
Blessed  Columba.  It  is  the  name  "  Onan  " 
and  a  remnant  of  the  word  "Keeil" — Kill- 
Onan,  as  the  church  is  still  called,  and  Onan 
is,  by  comparison  of  dedication  names  in 
Scotland,  a  well -ascertained  corruption  of 
Adamnan.  A  runic  inscription  of  about  1150 
has  lately  been  found  at  Cornaa,  a  valley  on 
the  coast  in  the  parish  adjoining  Lonan  on 
the  north,  which  reads  : 

Christ,  Patrick,  Malachy,  Onan. 
John  the  Shepherd  carved  this  in  Kornadal. 

Malachy  is  presumed  to  be  the  Abbot  of 
Bangor,  in  Ireland,  who  died  in  1140,  and 
whose  name  is  associated  with  that  of  St. 
Bernard. 

This  name  of  the  church  is  part  of  a 
system  sustained  for  some  time  in  Man,  by 
which  the  names  of  the  holy  sites  there  have 
preserved  to  us  the  nanaes  of  a  cycle  of 
teachers,  who  in  all  else  have  passed  into  the 
retreat  of  the  blessed.  This  cycle  of  teachers 
is  of  a  time  some  centuries  before  Man 
became  definitely  a  Norse  centre  of  power. 
Their  influence  survived  the  changes  which 
such  a  growth  of  power  implies,  and  remains 
until  to-day  representative  of  the  authority 
still  most  powerful  in  Man. 

When  the  kingdom  of  Man  in  1265  passed 
into  the  possession  of  the  Crown  of  Scotland, 
efforts  were  at  once  made  to  bring  the  insti- 
tutions in  Man  into  conformity  with  those 
existing  in  the  larger  kingdom.  A  parochial 
system  was  established  in  the  Church,  but 
of  what  order  it  superseded  no  certain  know- 
ledge exists.  Some  consider  it  to  have 
been  a  system  which  utilized  the  multi- 
tude of  Treen  churches,  whose  remains  are 
distributed  over  Man.     The  Treens  were  the 


i6 


OLD  KIRK  LONAN,  ISLE  OF  MAN. 


estates  of  the  Taxiaxi,  or  freeholders,  under 
the  Manx  kings.  In  Lonan  there  were 
fourteen  such  Treens,  remaining  still  as  a 
division  of  land  for  administrative  purposes, 
and   their  chapels,  the  foundations   or   the 


plan  of  the  first  and  smaller  building.  It  is 
not  apparent  where  the  western  wall  of  the 
first  church  stood.  The  walls  throughout 
are  of  rubble ;  the  western  part  is  built  of 
field-stones,  laid  mostly  in  courses  on  their 


KIRK   LONAN,   THE   CHURCH    FROM   THE   NORTH. 


sites  of  them,  are  still  identifiable.  It  was 
from  among  the  Treens  that  a  selection  was 
made  of  buildings  that  were  to  serve  in  the 
then  future  as  parish  churches.  Some  of 
these  churches — Lonan  being  one — are  in 
remote  and  inaccessible  parts  of  their  parish, 
which  suggests  that  some  definite  reasons 
determined  the  choice  of  them  as  parish 
churches.  In  the  case  of  Lonan  this 
reason  is  suggested :  About  the  year  1 1 90 
Reginald,  King  of  Man,  gave  to  the  priory 
of  SL  Bees  a  grant  of  the  land  of  Escadala, 
in  Man.  This  name  does  not  survive,  but  it 
has  been  ascertained  to  mean  Clay-dale. 
The  headland  against  the  church  is  called 
Clay-head,  and  presumably  the  dell  that 
begins  there,  encircles  the  church,  and,  after 
a  course  of  about  a  mile  opens  upon  the 
sea,  is  Escadala.  The  dell  is  now  without  a 
name,  but  it  is  of  equal  size  with  other  dales 
in  Man  bearing  the  Norse  appellation  "  dal." 
On  this  presumption  the  status  of  the  church 
there  would  determine  its  choice  as  a  parish 
church. 

The  church  is  built  in  two  parts,  which 
have  had  their  origin  at  different  times.  The 
eastern  part  is  the  older,  and  is  greatly  dif- 
ferent in  the  character  of  its  structure  from 
the  western  portion.  The  junction  of  the 
two  buildings  is  very  clear,  for  the  walls  are 
not  bonded  until  above  four  feet  from  the 
ground.  This  clean  line  of  junction  repre- 
sents probably  the  eastern  jambs  of  doorways 
into  the  first  church.  The  extended  church, 
as  it  is  seenin  plan,  shows  doubtless  also  the 


bed  face.  The  doors  in  the  north  and  south 
walls  are  bordered  with  dressed  red  sand- 
stone brought  from  the  western  coast  of  Man. 
The  stones  are  regularly  cut,  and  beautifully 
disposed  in  an  alternate  wide  and  narrow 
arrangement.  Some  of  the  long  stones  are 
on  their  face  three  feet  broad  and  six  inches 
high,  and  alternate  with  stones  six  inches 
square.  The  jambs  of  the  west  window  are 
gone,  but  their  rests  remain  in  the  rubble 
wall.  The  eastern  building  is  ruder.  The 
sandstone  is  absent,  but  the  wall  and  its 
angles  have  in  it — not  in  consistent  order — 
great  stones  four  and  five  feet  long.  The 
stones  throughout  seem  quarry  stones,  and 
are  laid  on  their  edge. 


KIRK  LONAN,   N.E.    CORNER  OF  CHURCH. 

The  windows  of  the  church,  excepting  that 
in  the  western  wall,  are  in  the  older  building. 
The  east  window  is  large,  and  arched  semi- 
circularly;  the  arches  of  the  other  two  are 
pointed.     The  north  window,  at  some  time 


OLD  KIRK  LONAN,  ISLE  OF  MAN. 


17 


built  up,  has  recently  been  reopened  for  use, 
and  the  arch  masonry  has  been  exposed. 
Its  voussoirs  are  not  rightly  set,  but  stand 
almost  vertically,  and  in  the  vault  are  very 
irregularly  placed.  The  arches  do  not  spring 
directly  from  the  jamb,  but  at  a  distance  of 
four  inches  out  from  it.  The  east  window 
has  also  this  feature,  and  to  a  builder  these 
ledges  suggest  a  rest  whereon  was  laid  the 
centering  upon  which  the  arches  were  built. 

This  simple  formation  of  the  church  has 
an  effect  in  the  use  of  it  most  dramatic  and 
profoundly  attractive.  No  other  Manx 
church  remains  undisturbed  from  its  original 
plan ;  in  all,  the  south  wall  at  least  is  now 
filled  with  windows,  but  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Douglas  nunnery,  again  restored  to  the  ser- 
vice of  religion,  may  be  seen  the  relation  of 


it  must  be  considered  the  crosses  which  now 
have  their  home  in  the  churchyard.  The 
large  cross,  called  for  distinction  the  Lonan 
Cross,  stands  probably  on  its  original  site 
in  the  churchyard.  The  other  cross,  with  its 
shaft  expanded  into  a  base,  stood  until  1870 
on  a  mound  at  the  entrance  to  the  church- 
yard, but  about  that  year  it  was  overthrown 
and  broken.  The  cross  with  the  base  of 
spirals  came  from  Glenroy,  four  miles  away. 
The  two  remaining  crosses  have  always  been 
in  the  churchyard. 

The  Glenroy  and  Lonan  crosses  present 
tangible  artistic  features.  In  the  latter  the 
cross  is  raised  above  the  plane  of  the  span- 
drils,  and  the  four  pairs  of  squares  lie  also  in 
a  plane  lower  than  that  of  the  curves  of  the 
spandrils.     That  is  the  formative-thought  of 


>InH  I30O    (200    1800 


KIRK    LONAN,    GROUND-PLAN  OF   CHURCH. 


the  plan  to  the  service  of  worship  held  in  it. 
The  chapel  is  about  the  same  size  as  Lonan  ; 
it  is  very  dark,  and,  except  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, hardly  affected  by  the  light  from  the 
east  window,  but  through  the  little  window 
of  the  south  wall— in  size  and  position  in  the 
wall  similar  to  the  north  window  in  Lonan — 
a  stream  of  light  pours  across  the  east  end 
of  the  building,  illuminating  the  folds  of  the 
tapestry,  the  silk  and  lawn  of  vestments,  the 
soft  glow  of  candles  and  lamps,  glittering 
metals,  and  transient  persons,  and  uniting  all 
shadows  into  one  mass  of  deep,  glowing  ruby 
from  the  glass  with  which  the  window  is 
filled.  It  is  a  spectacle  as  living  as  words, 
and  a  perfect  achievement  of  art. 

This  distinctive  feature  of  the  building  is 
the  chief  element  in  fixing  the  time  of  the 
origin  of  the  building.     In  connection  with 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


the  cross.  The  back  of  the  cross-stone, 
though  splintered  and  rough  as  from  the 
quarry,  has  a  roughly-made  cross-shape,  and 
is  bordered  by  a  reed,  which  finishes  about 
halfway  down  the  shaft.  On  the  Glenroy 
cross  is  shown  a  feeling  for  structure  of  the 
utmost  value  in  determining  its  place  in  art. 
The  spiral  masses  perform  a  real  service  in 
making  steady  and  firm  the  cross  above  them. 
This  "  steadiness  "  is  a  necessary  aim  of  the 
artist,  whether  designer  or  builder ;  it  is  the 
mark  of  good  quality  in  all  work  in  which  it 
appears.  It  is  to  accommodate  this  feeling 
that  the  masses  occur  on  this  cross  in  the 
place  they  do.  That  they  have  the  form  of 
spirals  is  an  accident.  Similar  masses,  ful- 
filling the  same  purpose,  occur  in  nearly  the 
same  places  on  other  important  crosses  in 
Man.     They  there  also  take  the  same  spiral 

D 


i8 


OLD  KIRK  LONAN,  ISLE  OF  MAN. 


form,  and  so  form  one  confirmation  of  the  state- 
ment on  one  of  the  crosses  that  they  are  all 
from  the  hand  of  Gaut,  the  son  of  Biarn,  of 
Cooiley,  the  faithful  friend  of  Brideson,  a 
smith,  the  son  of  Keigeen.     The  distinction 


KIRK   LONAN,  THE   ROAD  CROSS. 

of  Gaut's  work  is  this  strong  feeling  for  right 
structure,  expressed  chiefly  in  the  form  of  a 
knot,  which  can  only  be  described  as  the 
form  in  which  the  feeling  shaped  itself; 
it  is  not  an  imitation  of  any  actual  knot,  nor 
is  it  the  casual  repetition  of  forms  used  in 
work  of  other  men. 

This  impulsive  kind  of  work  disappeared 
in  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and 
there  appeared  in  its  place  that  entirely  per- 
fect comprehension  of  structure  that  was 
developed  in  mediaeval  building.  At  the 
time  of  this  change  three  buildings  were 
being  raised  in  Man,  which  remain  un- 
altered in  any  part.  These  are  the  church 
of  St.  German,  the  Douglas  nunnery,  and 
the  church  of  St.  Trinian  of  the  Barony  of 
Whithorn.  The  walls  of  Lonan  are  suf- 
ficiently noble  to  be  seriously  considered  in 
comparison  with  those  of  the  three  buildings 
mentioned,  and  it  is  thereby  possible  to  say 
that  the  western  half  is  of  a  time  earlier  than 
they,  and  about  the  beginning  of  the  thir- 
teenth century. 


The  walls  of  St.  Trinian's  are  made  up  of 
fragments  of  a  more  magnificent  building. 
To  what  the  earlier  building  belonged  or 
what  service  it  fulfilled  is  not  known ;  its 
existence  has  not  hitherto  been  asserted,  but 
it  grew  up  under  an  influence  that  produced 
other  similarly  decorated  buildings  in  Man. 
Remnants  of  this  influence  may  be  seen  in  the 
churches  of  Marown,  Braddan,  Maughold, 
and  Bride,  and  the  period  of  their  erection 
can  be  placed  in  the  earlier  part  of  the 
twelfth  century.  No  part  of  Lonan  has  been 
built  under  this  influence. 

The  eastern  portion  of  the  church  must  be 
classed  in  the  group  of  Treen  churches.  The 
Treen  of  Raby,  on  which  the  church  stands, 
has  no  other  church  site,  and  on  the  remain- 
ing thirteen  Treens  of  Lonan  parish  the 
Vicar  of  Lonan  has  ascertained  the  sites  of 
the  churches  of  them  all. 

One  other  Treen  chapel,  at  least,  continues 
in  use  for  parochial  purposes,  that  of  St  Mary 
of  Ballure;  but  it  is  not  now  possible  to  ascer- 
tain how  much,  if  any,  of  the  original  building 


KIRK   LONAN,   THE  GLENROV  CROSS. 

remains.     Two  others  remain  in  such  sub 
stantial  integrity  as   to   afford   material   for 
consideration    of    the    chapels   as   a   class. 
Lonan  may  stand  as  their  fair  type,  better 
built,  in  the  form  of  its  windows  elaborate, 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  ARCH^OLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. 


»9 


somewhat  longer  than   most  of  them,  but 
without  a  doubt  one  of  them. 

Interesting  features  in  the  church  are  :  in 
the  west  wall,  between  the  plinth  and  the 
west  window,  a  square  opening  crossed  by  a 
lintel,  but  built  up ;  it  is  lower  than  the  level 
of  the  floor  of  the  church.  Above  it,  and  on 
either  side,  two  stones  project  about  nine 
inches  from  the  wall.  At  service  the  men 
sit  on  the  south  and  the  women  on  the  north 
side,  a  practice  elsewhere  in  Man  abandoned 
about  fifty  years  ago,  but  here  continued. 


Cf)e  Congress  of  atctoological 
Societies. 


HE  ninth  congress  of  Archaeological 
Societies  in  union  with  the  Society 
of  Antiquaries  was  held  at  Bur- 
lington House  on  December  i, 
under  the  able  and  genial  presidency  of 
Viscount  Dillon. 

The  attendance  was  thoroughly  represen- 
tative, and  included  delegates  from  the  Society 
of  i.\ntiquaries,  the  Royal  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries of  Ireland,  the  Cambrian  Association, 
the  Royal  Archaeological  Institute,  the  British 
Archaeological  Association,  the  Folk-Lore 
Society,  the  Huguenot  Society,  and  the 
British  Record  Society,  and  from  the  respec- 
tive societies  of  the  following  counties  :  Berks, 
Bristol  and  Gloucestershire,  Bucks,  Cumber- 
land and  Westmorland,  Derbyshire,  Essex, 
Hampshire,  Kent,  Lancashire  and  Cheshire, 
Leicestershire,  London  and  Middlesex, 
Maidenhead  and  Thames  Valley,  Norfolk, 
Oxfordshire,  St.  Albans,  Surrey,  Sussex, 
Thoroton  (Notts),  Wilts,  Woolhope  Field  Club 
(Hereford),  East  Riding  Yorkshire,  and  York- 
shire. A  few  other  gentlemen  were  present 
on  special  invitation,  the  most  notable  being 
Mr.  Lionel  Cust,  F.S.A.,  Director  of  the 
National  Portrait  Gallery. 

The  President  made  a  feeling  allusion  to 
the  great  loss  they  had  all  sustained  by  the 
death  of  Sir  A.  WoUaston  Franks,  out  of 
respect  to  whose  memory  the  congress  had 
been  deferred  from  its  usual  date  in  the  sum- 
mer.    Mr.  Ralph  Nevill,   F.S.A.,    the   assi- 


duous and  painstaking  hon.  secretary  of  this 
archaeological  union,  gave  a  clear  statement 
of  the  work  accomplished,  begun,  or  pro- 
jected during  the  year,  and  stated  that  the 
recent  addition  of  three  societies  to  the  roll 
brought  up  the  total  membership  to  thirty- 
nine.  The  statement  of  accounts,  audited  by 
Mr.  William  Minet,  F.S.A.,  was  accepted  as 
satisfactory. 

The  standing  committee  was  re-elected, 
with  three  additions,  and  may  now  be  taken 
to  be  a  thoroughly  representative  and  reliable 
body  of  antiquaries.  The  committee  consists 
of  the  officers  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries, 
Earl  Percy,  Sir  John  Evans,  Chancellor  Fer- 
guson, Revs.  Dr.  Cox,  P.  H.  Ditchfield,  and 
Rupert  Morris,  and  Messrs.  J.  R.  Allen,  E. 
W.  Brabrook,  G.  E.  Fox,  G.  L.  Gomme, 
Emanuel  Green,  R.  A.  S.  Macalister,  W. 
Minet,  G.  Payne,  and  J.  W.  Bund. 

The  Hon.  Secretary  reported  that  the  com- 
mittee had  authorized  the  completion  of  Mr. 
Gomme's  Index  of  Archaeological  Papers  from 
1682,  with  a  view  to  immediate  publication. 
This  index  will  be  invaluable  to  working 
archaeologists,  and  those  who  desire  a  copy 
should  put  themselves  at  once  in  communi- 
cation with  Mr.  Ralph  Nevill,  13,  Addison 
Crescent,  Kensington,  W.  The  price  to  sub- 
scribers will  be  15  s. 

Mr.  Hope,  on  behalf  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  consider  the  question  of  drawing 
up  a  catalogue  of  effigies,  presented  a  pre- 
liminary list  of  effigies  in  the  parish  churches 
of  England,  arranged  in  counties.  This  list 
had  been  prepared  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Richardson, 
F.S.  A.,  who  acts  as  antiquarian  editor  for  the 
whole  of  Kelly's  Post-office  Directories.  This 
reminds  us  to  suggest  that  Mr.  Richardson 
should  carefully  revise  the  church  dedications 
throughout  these  directories;  they  are  fre- 
quently faulty,  and  might  with  advantage  be 
amended  by  reference  to  Bacon's  Liber  Regis, 
as  that  work  is  almost  invariably  right.  A 
long  and  valuable  discussion  took  place  with 
regard  to  this  catalogue.  Mr.  Richardson's 
rough  list  included  effigies  up  to  the  present 
day.  Dr.  Cox  proposed,  and  it  was  eventu- 
ally carried,  that  the  lists  should  include 
effigies  of  all  dates,  as  well  as  busts  and  por- 
trait medallions.  A  further  proposition  was 
made  to  include  figures  on  incised  slabs,  but 
this  was  rejected,  as  it  was  thought  that  a 

D  2 


io 


tHi:  CONGRESS  OF  ARCH^OLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. 


complete  catalogue  of  all  kinds  of  incised 
slabs  might  be  taken  up  at  some  future  date. 
This  is  highly  necessary,  for  Cutts'  Manual 
on  this  subject  is  now  of  little  use.  Chan- 
cellor Ferguson  hoped  that  notes  would  be 
given  of  the  original  position  of  effigies  so 
far  as  it  could  be  ascertained.  He  gave 
instances  of  the  extraordinary  removal  of 
certain  effigies  in  the  North  of  England  from 
one  church  to  another.  Almost  every  eccle- 
siologist  is  acquainted  with  instances  in 
which  churchwarden-meddling  and  disastrous 
modern  restorations  have  brought  about  the 
shifting  of  effigies,  the  destruction  of  the 
altar  tombs  on  which  they  used  to  lie,  and 
their  not  infrequent  ejection  into  the  church- 
yard. Dr.  Cox  cited,  as  a  modern  instance, 
the  frequent  migrations  of  Chantrey's  beautiful 
statue  of  the  assassinated  premier,  Mr.  Per- 
cival.  Originally  placed  in  All  Saints'  Church, 
Northampton,  after  several  removals  it  now 
rests  in  the  new  Guildhall  of  that  town.  The 
committee  appointed  to  complete  this  some- 
what arduous  undertaking  consists  of  Lord 
Dillon,  and  Messrs.  Hartshorne,  Hope, 
Richardson,  Stephenson,  and  Walker. 

A  somewhat  desultory  conversation  then 
ensued  on  the  question  of  adding  to  Mr. 
Gomme's  Annual  Index  of  Archaeological 
Transactions  references  to  antiquarian  sub- 
jects in  ordinary  magazines  and  journals. 
The  general  opinion  of  the  congress  seemed 
to  be  against  such  a  proposal,  on  the  score  of 
expense  and  difficulty  of  selection.  Even- 
tually it  was  referred  to  the  standing  com- 
mittee for  their  decision. 

Mr.  Shore,  of  the  Hampshire  Field  Club, 
moved  that  the  Government  be  requested  to 
undertake  a  survey  of  early  earthworks,  in 
conjunction  with  experts  from  the  local 
antiquarian  societies.  His  proposition  was 
seconded  by  Mr.  Rutland,  but  received  little 
support  in  the  way  it  was  originally  drafted. 
Eventually,  on  the  motion  of  Sir  John  Evans, 
it  was  resolved  to  send  a  memorandum  to  the 
various  local  archaeological  societies,  suggesting 
the  desirability  of  placing  themselves  in  com- 
munication with  the  Ordnance  Survey  officers 
for  their  districts,  so  as  to  ensure  greater 
accuracy. 

The  secretary  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
(Mr.  C.  Hercules  Read)  made  a  full  and 
interesting  statement  as  to  the  steps  that  had 


been  taken  by  the  Government,  at  the  request 
of  the  last  congress,  for  information  as  to  the 
action  of  foreign  countries  in  the  protection 
of  their  respective  ancient  and  historical 
monuments.  Full  information  had  been 
obtained  and  would  be  published  in  a  Blue 
Book  at  the  opening  of  Parliament.  It  will 
then  appear,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Read,  that 
England  is  far  behind  every  other  civilized 
nation  (save  Russia)  in  the  care  it  takes  of 
its  ancient  remains. 

The  exceedingly  practical  subject  of  the 
systematic  cataloguing  of  Provincial  Museums 
was  brought  forward  in  an  able  speech  by 
Mr.  G.  L.  Gomme.  A  copy  of  the  recently- 
issued  illustrated  catalogue  of  the  museum 
of  the  Wiltshire  Archaeological  Society  at 
Devizes  was  laid  on  the  table  by  Rev.  E.  H. 
Goddard,  and  met  with  general  approval. 
The  question  was  admitted  to  be  one  of 
considerable  importance,  and  after  general 
discussion  resulted  in  the  appointment  of 
a  committee  to  draw  up  recommendations. 
The  committee,  with  power  to  add  to  their 
number,  consists  of:  Sir  John  Evans,  Revs. 
Dr.  Cox,  E.  H.  Goddard,  and  Messrs. 
Gomme,  Hope,  and  Read. 

The  chief  topic  at  the  afternoon  session 
was  a  national  portrait  catalogue.  Mr.  Lionel 
Cust  produced  some  admirable  books  and 
sheets  of  forms  that  he  had  had  printed  to 
ensure  the  accurate  and  technical  description 
of  portraits.  It  was  resolved  to  suggest  to 
the  societies  to  circulate  these  forms,  and 
to  do  their  best  to  eventually  procure  full 
catalogues  from  each  county.  The  sub- 
committee on  this  subject  was  reappointed, 
with  instructions  to  press  forward  in  this 
interesting  work.  The  members  are :  Lord 
Dillon,  Sir  Charles  Robinson,  and  Messrs. 
Cust,  O'Donoghue,  Gomme,  and  Nevill. 

Mr.  Hope  read  a  valuable  draft  report  on 
the  best  mode  of  indexing  the  Transactions 
of  societies.  In  preparing  the  twenty  sug- 
gestions into  which  the  report  was  divided, 
he  had  received  the  assistance  of  Messrs. 
Gomme  and  Round.  All  the  suggestions 
seemed  to  meet  with  fairly  general  approval, 
and  perhaps  the  best  of  the  number  was  the 
abolition  of  troublesome  separate  indexes,  in 
favour  of  a  single  one  of  a  comprehensive 
character.  It  matters,  however,  comparatively 
little   what   the   scheme   is,   provided    it   is 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. 


21 


generally  adopted.  If  all  our  archaeological 
societies  will  only  index  upon  one  uniform 
plan,  it  will  prove  an  enormous  boon  to 
readers  ;  and  when  such  a  system  is  adopted 
by  the  societies,  it  will  speedily  be  followed 
by  independent  writers  on  historic  and 
archaeological  subjects.  The  report  was 
referred  back  to  the  same  committee  for 
slight  revision,  and  will  shortly  be  issued. 

The  hon.  sec.  reported  that  a  National 
Photographic  Record  Association  had  been 
formed,  under  the  presidency  of  Sir  Benjamin 
Stone,  M.P.  Its  objects  and  methods  were 
lucidly  and  briefly  explained  by  Mr.  Scanmell, 
who  isr  acting  as  hon.  sec.  of  the  new  associa- 
tion. The  congress  recognised  its  value,  and 
passed  a  resolution  of  co-operation. 

The  debate  proved  of  such  sustained 
interest  and  length  that  no  time  remained 
for  listening  to  two  promised  papers,  one 
by  Mr.  George  Payne,  on  "  How  to  Pre- 
serve Antiquities,"*  and  the  other  by  Mr. 
St.  John  Hope  on  "  How  to  Excavate." 

There  is  not  the  least  doubt  that  this  was 
not  only  the  most  successful  of  these  nine 
annual  congresses,  but  that  it  abundantly 
proved  the  value  and  influence  of  such  a 
union.  Already  the  congress  finds  itself 
recognised  by  the  Government,  who  have 
been  glad,  in  at  all  events  one  direction,  to 
follow  its  initiative  and  suggestion.  It  has 
secured  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
Director  of  the  National  Portrait  Gallery 
in  its  endeavour  to  secure  a  national  por- 
trait catalogue,  and  it  is  doing  invaluable 
work  in  the  direction  of  securing  general 
principles  in  the  indexing  of  literature,  and 
the  arrangement  and  cataloguing  of  museums. 

In  the  evening  the  congress  dinner  was 
held  at  the  Holborn  Restaurant,  when  Rev. 
Dr.  Cox  took  the  chair,  in  the  absence 
through  indisposition  of  Sir  John  Evans, 
Mr.  Bray  brook,  C.B.,  being  in  the  vice- 
chair.  We  conclude  that  this  honour  was 
done  to  Dr.  Cox  as  the  originator  of  these 
now  most  useful  and  firmly  established  con- 
gresses. A  pleasant  evening  was  spent  by 
the  antiquaries,  all  the  pleasanter  from  the 
fewness  of  the  toasts  and  the  brevity  of  the 
speeches.  One  jest  shall  be  immortalized 
in  these  columns.  The  vice-chairman,  in 
*  Mr.  Payne  has  sent  us  his  paper,  which  we  hope 
to  print  in  an  early  number  of  the  Antiquary. 


proposing  the  health  of  the  chairman, 
thought  there  was  a  fitness  of  things  in 
having  a  parson  in  the  chair,  because  he 
must  feel  at  home  in  presiding  over  Thirty- 
nine  Articles,  that  being  the  precise  number 
of  the  societies  now  in  union  ! 


archaeological  Betog. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading. '\ 


THE  RHIND  LECTURES,  1897. 

In  the  Antiquary  ioT  December  we  gave  an  account 
of  the  two  first  of  the  Rhind  lectures,  borrowed  from 
the  report  in  the  Scotsman.  From  the  same  source  we 
take  the  account  of  the  succeeding  lectures  of  the  series. 

The  third  of  the  series  of  Rhind  lectures  was  delivered 
on  November  12  in  the  lecture-hall  of  the  National 
Portrait  Gallery,  Edinburgh,  by  Dr.  James  Macdonald. 
The  lecturer  observed  that  the  Roman  occupation  of 
North,  as  distinguished  from  that  of  South,  Britain  was 
a  purely  militaiy  one,  and  prefaced  the  archaeological 
evidence,  to  wnich  he  now  passed  on,  by  a  short 
account  of  the  means  the  Romans  took  to  shelter  their 
soldiers  when  in  an  enemy's  country,  and  to  protect 
their  frontiers  from  attack.  This  was  followed  by  a 
brief  sketch  of  the  organization  of  the  Roman  army 
under  the  Empire.  In  North  Britain  the  most  im- 
portant Roman  field-work  was  the  Pius  Vallum  on  the 
Forth  and  Clyde  isthmus.  Recent  excavations  by  the 
Glasgow  Archaeological  Society  had  revealed  to  us  the 
structure  of  its  different  parts,  which  was  imperfectly 
known  before.  It  consisted  of  a  military  way  ;  a 
wall,  built  to  a  large  extent,  at  least,  of  sods,  prepared 
and  laid  by  the  hand ;  a  ditch  of  the  V-shaped  type  ; 
and,  what  was  appropriately  called  in  the  Glasgow 
report,  the  outer  mound.  Each  of  these  was  described 
in  succession,  attention  being  specially  called  to  the 
systematic  layering,  the  stone  base,  the  culverts,  and 
the  expansions  of  the  turf  wall,  as  these  had  now  been 
brought  to  light.  After  discussing  its  probable  length 
and  the  number  of  occupation  camps  or  stations 
usually  assigned  to  the  vallum,  the  lecturer  noticed  the 
more  important  antiquities  found  at  or  near  them. 
These  were,  for  the  most  part,  distance  slabs  and 
altars  dedicated  to  various  deities.  In  conclusion,  Dr. 
Macdonald  stated  various  problems  that  were  sug- 
gested by  the  structure  and  position  of  this  ancient 
barrier.  The  lecture  was  illustrated  throughout  by 
limelight  views. 

The  fourth  lecture  was  delivered  on  November  15. 
Continuing  the  archaeological  evidence  of  a  Roman 
occupation  of  North  Britain,  Dr.  Macdonald  dealt 
with  those  rectilineal  entrenchments  classed  by  the 
older  writers  as  Roman  stations.  Apart  from  the 
forts  of  the  Pius  Vallum,  there  were  at  present  only 
seven  such  localities  that  could  be  shown  by  the  re- 
mains of  antiquity  found  within  or  near  them  to  be  the 
sites  of  Roman  permanent  examples.     These  were 


33 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


Birrens,  in  the  south-east  of  Dumfriesshire ;  Cappuck, 
near  Jedburgh  ;  Newstead,  near  Melrose  ;  Cramond 
and  Inveresk,  both  on  the  Firth  of  Forth ;  Camelon, 
west  of  Falkirk  ;  and  Ardoch,  north  of  Dunblane. 
Birrens  had  lately  been  thoroughly  excavated  by  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland  with  fruitful  results. 
Below  the  grassy  sward  there  had  long  lain  concealed 
the  foundations  of  a  military  station  planned  with  the 
utmost  precision.  The  number  and  extent  of  the 
several   buildings  were  ascertained  almost  to  com- 

[)leteness.  Several  altars,  most  of  the  fragments  of  a 
arge  tablet  bearing  the  date  A.D.  158,  a  large  quantity 
of  Roman  pottery,  and  many  small  objects  were  dug 
up.  After  describing  the  Roman  antiquities  dis- 
covered at  Cappuck,  Newstead,  Inveresk,  Cramond, 
and  Camelon,  the  lecturer  proceeded  to  give  a  short 
account  of  recent  excavations  by  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries at  Ardoch,  the  north-east  quarter  of  which  was 
examined.  In  the  course  of  the  operations  a  number 
of  holes,  as  if  for  posts,  and  of  small  trenches,  as  if  for 
planks  or  sleepers,  were  observed  at  a  considerable 
distance  below  the  surface.  Some  of  them  were 
almost  empty,  others  were  partially  filled  with  a  black 
dust  that  readily  ignited  when  dried.  Following  up 
the  clue  thus  obtained,  those  in  charge  ascertained  the 
former  existence  of  wooden  buildings  resting  on  these 
posts  and  planks,  one  of  which,  from  its  situation, 
must  have  been  the  prcetorium.  There  were  also  met 
with  specimens  of  pottery,  and  other  objects  character- 
istic of  Roman  stations,  including  small  pieces  of  two 
inscribed  tablets.  The  lecturer  next  briefly  discussed 
the  claims  of  five  other  forts  classed  as  Roman  stations 
by  General  Roy — Strageth,  north-west  of  Ardoch  ; 
Castle  Dykes,  near  Carstairs  ;  Bertha,  at  the  junction 
of  the  Almond  and  the  Tay ;  and  Burghead,  on  the 
Moray  Firth.  Among  the  stations  of  other  writers,  he 
referred  particularly  to  Raeburnfoot,  in  the  north-east 
of  Dumfriesshire,  first  set  down  as  Roman  by  the 
parish  minister  in  1810.  Excavations  there' within  the 
past  fortnight  by  the  Dumfriesshire  Antiquarian 
Society  had  resulted  in  the  finding  of  pieces  of  coarse 
pottery  and  some  other  indications  of  a  Roman  occu- 
pation. The  lecturer,  from  personal  knowledge  of  its 
form  and  situation,  and  his  confidence  in  the  judgment 
of  Mr.  James  Barbour,  Dumfries,  under  whom  the  ex- 
cavations had  been  made,  was  quite  ready  to  accept 
the  conclusion  arrived  at.  But,  if  we  might  judge 
from  what  was  observed,  Raeburnfoot  could  hardly 
have  been  a  station.  It  was  more  probably  a  camp, 
held  for  a  short  time  in  summer  by  an  exploratory  or 
punitive  expedition  that  had  marched  thus  far  from 
some  garrison  on  or  near  the  Hadrian  barrier. 
Summing  up,  the  lecturer  said  he  thought  it  proved 
that  in  the  eastern  lowlands  of  Scotland,  from  the 
Border  as  far,  at  least,  as  the  lower  valleys  of  the 
Forth  and  Clyde,  there  were  certain  Roman  camps  of 
occupation,  generally  some  distance  apart,  which  were 
evidence  that  the  Romans  had  for  a  time  more  than  a 
passing  hold  of  this  part  of  the  country. 

The  fifth  lecture  was  delivered  on  November  17. 
Having  in  his  last  lecture  disposed  of  the  entrench- 
ments that  have  been  called  stations,  Dr.  Macdonald 
now  passed  on  to  those  of  a  less  permanent  kind  that 
are  more  properly  named  camps.  Roy  was  the  only 
antiquary  possessing  a  practical  knowledge  of  military 
engineering  who  had  described  these  field-works,  and 


his  plates  might  be  taken  as  accurate.     The  mistakes 
into  which  he  fell  were  the  outcome  of  his  environ- 
ment, rather  than  errors  of  judgment.     On  matters 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  professional  studies,  he  was 
too   modest  to  differ  from  those  whom  he  deemed 
better  qualified  than  himself  to  form  a  correct  opinion. 
In  consequence,  his  plates  and  the  little  he  tells  us  in 
explanation  of  them  are  of  more  value  than  the  rest  of 
his  work.     Before  taking  up  the  temporary  camps,  the 
lecturer  referred  to  certain  redoubts  or  minor  forts  as 
being  a  connecting-link  between  them  and  the  stations. 
The  older  writers  gave  that  name  to  a  large  number 
of  small  enclosures,  some  of  them  certainly  not  Roman, 
if  even  forts.     But  seven  might  be  regarded  as  good 
examples  of  the  class  :  Rispain,  near  Whithorn,  and 
Castle  Grey  in  Mid-Lothian,  both  of  which  were  un- 
known to  Roy  ;   Castle   Dykes,  near  Carstairs,   set 
down  by  him  as  a  station  ;  Kemp's  Castle,  Keir,  and 
the  redoubt  attached  to  the  east  rampart  of  the  great 
camp  at  Ardoch,  all  three  of  which  were  in  the  same 
neighbourhood  ;  and  Fortingal,  in  a  bend  of  the  river 
Lyon,  near  its  junction  with  the  Tay.     Only  one  of 
these  (Castle  Grey)  has  been  excavated,  and,  till  the 
others  had  been   properly  examined,    nothing  very 
definite  could  be  said  as  to  their  origin.     The  Roy 
temporary  camps,  twenty  in  all,  subdivided  into  two 
kinds,  the  smaller  and  the  larger,  might  be  arranged 
in  two  groups.     The  first  group,  of  which  there  were 
fifteen,   had   certain   characteristics  in   common  —  a 
single  strong  rampart  and  a  ditch,  with  an  average  of 
three  or  four  gates,  each  defended  by  a  mound  and 
ditch  in  front  called  a  traverse  ;    the  second  group 
numbered  five,  three  of  which  seemed  closely  related 
to  the  first  group.     The  fifteen  were :  Toroford,  on 
the  Kale  water,  at  the  foot  of  the  Cheviots  ;  Channel- 
kirk,  in  the  north-west  of  Berwickshire  ;  Torwood- 
moor,  west  of  Lockerbie  ;  Cleghorn,  west  of  Carstairs ; 
the  greater   and  smaller  camps  at  Ardoch  ;    Grassy 
Walls,  above  the  junction  of  the  Almond  and  the  Tay  ; 
Lintrose,  Battle  Dykes,  Kirkbuddo,  and  Keithie,  above 
Dykes,  all  in  Strathmore  (the  discoveries  of  Melville)  ; 
Rae  Dykes,  very  near  Stonehaven  ;  and  Glenmailen 
or     Ki     Dykes,     in     Auchterless,      Aberdeenshire. 
To  these  the  lecturer  was  disposed  to  add  Gilnockie, 
in  the  parish  of  Canonbie,  Dumfriesshire.     The  five 
camps  of  the  second  group  were  :  Dealgin  Ross,  near 
Comrie  ;  two  on  Birrenswark  Hill,  near  Ecclefechan ; 
the  Ardoch  '*  Procestrium  ";  and  Inchstuthil,  on  the 
Tay.     After  a  brief  notice  of  these  enclosures,  the 
lecturer  asked  the  question,  "  Were  they  all,  or  any  of 
them,  Roman  ?"     No  properly  conducted  excavations 
having  as  yet  been  made  in  any  of  them,  considerations 
of  situation,  form,  and  other  external  appearances  were 
all  that  could  be  relied  on  to  supply  an  answer.     In 
discussing  the  conclusion  to  which  these  appeared  to 
point,  in  the  case  of  the  majority  at  least,  Dr.   Mac- 
donald favoured  the  supposition  that  if  Roman,  they 
belonged  to  the  period  when  the  preponderance  of 
auxiliaries  in  the  Roman  army  led  to  a  change  in  the 
form  of  encampment  from  the  square  to  the  oblong. 
Stress  was  also  laid  on  the  gate  defences,  the  traverse 
being  compared  with  the  titulum  of  Hyginus  and  the 
claviculas-like  arrangement  at  Dealgin  Ross,  with  the 
inner  bend  of  the  rampart — such  is  now  the  position 
assigned  to  it — to  which  Hyginus  gives  that  name.   In 
the  same  connection  he  called  attention  to  the  de- 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


23 


fences  of  some  lately  excavated  Roman  camps  on  the 
Continent,  among  them  one  on  the  Teutoburger  Wald, 
south-west  of  Osnabriick,  partially  explored  by  Dr.  F. 
Knocke.  The  inference  the  lecturer  drew  was  that, 
judging  from  the  facts  we  have  at  present  to  guide  us, 
we  seem  warranted  in  regarding  Kirkbuddo  and  most, 
though  not  perhaps  all,  of  the  Roy  camps  as  relics  of 
a  Roman  invasion  of  what  is  now  Scotland.  Further 
study  of  the  subject,  however,  was  required.  No 
good  purpose  would  be  served,  he  remarked  in  con- 
clusion, by  extending  his  investigations  so  as  to  in- 
clude an  account  of  other  earthworks  that  either  on  the 
Ordnance  map,  or  according  to  the  popular  belief  of 
particular  localities,  were  rightly  or  wrongly  classed  as 
Roman.  Very  few  of  them  lay  any  distance  outside 
the  district  already  traversed  ;  and  their  inclusion  in, 
or  their  exclusion  from,  the  list  of  camps  that  might 
be  more  or  less  certainly  Roman  would  add  but  little 
to  our  knowledge  of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
Roman  occupation.  The  lecture,  like  the  two  last, 
was  illustrated  by  limelight  views. 

The  sixth  and  concluding  lecture  was  delivered  on 
November  19.  Continuing  his  review  of  the  archceo- 
logical  evidence  for  a  Roman  occupation  of  North 
Britain,  Dr.  Macdonald  referred  to  certain  roads  that 
had  been  ascribed  to  the  Romans  by  the  older  writers. 
In  districts  that  the  Romans  merely  overran,  or  held 
a  short  time  by  force  of  arms,  vice  ptiblica,  as  these 
roads  had  been  said  to  be,  were  not  to  be  looked  for. 
The  beginnings  of  some  of  these,  however,  might  go 
back  to  Roman  times.  Noticing  next  the  pathways 
at  Kincardine  and  other  mosses,  .formed  by  trees  or 
logs  of  wood  laid  across  each  other,  he  remarked  that 
they  suggested  comparison  with  those  discovered  in 
18 18  in  the  province  of  Drenthe,  in  Holland,  and 
identified  by  Dutch  and  German  archaeologists  as  the 
long  bridges  of  Tacitus.  The  so-called  Roman  bridges 
of  Scotland  were  all,  he  believed,  mediaeval  structures. 
The  lecturer  finished  this  branch  of  the  evidence  by  an 
account  of  the  form  and  supposed  history  of  the  build- 
ing known  as  Arthur's  O'on,  demolished  in  1743  to 
build  a  mill-dam.  Proceeding  to  sum  up  both 
branches  of  the  evidence  as  bearing  on  the  nature  and 
extent  of  the  Roman  occupation,  he  gave,  first  of  all, 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  physical  features  of  the  country, 
and  the  social  and  political  condition  of  the  inhabi- 
tants  at  the  time  of  the  Roman  invasion,  so  far  as  the 
scanty  materials  available  enabled  him  to  do.  For 
the  ethnology  of  North  Britain  at  that  epoch,  he 
adopted  the  views  of  Professor  Rhys,  as  being,  he 
thought,  most  consistent  with  the  few  facts  of  which 
they  had  some  certainty.  According  to  that  authority, 
that  part  of  the  island  was  then  occupied  by  three 
distinct  peoples — two  Celtic  and  one  pre-Celtic — that 
must  have  differed  in  the  degree  of  civilization  they 
had  reached.  The  nhabitants  of  the  country  north 
of  the  Forth  and  Clyde  isthmus — the  Caledonians  of 
Tacitus  and  Dio — were  composed  chiefly  of  the  pre- 
Celtic  and  one  of  the  Celtic  peoples,  although  the 
other  Celtic  people  had  also  a  footing  north  of  the 
isthmus.  The  lecturer  then  explained  how  the  state- 
ments of  the  classical  writers  might  be  read  so  as  to 
harmonize  with  this  view,  and  to  indicate  at  the  same 
time  the  course  and  probable  limits  of  the  campaigns 
of  Agricola  and  Severus.  After  a  brief  reference  to 
the  frontier^ policy  of  Hadrian,  he  passed  on  to  the 


rebellion  of  the  Brigantes,  the  advance  of  LoUius 
Urbicus  to  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  and  his  raising  of  a 
vallum  there.  The  true  significance  of  that  barrier, 
which  was  apparently  held  by  the  Romans  only  for  a 
short  time,  seemed  to  him  to  be  a  difficult  question. 
If  it  meant  an  extension  of  the  province,  even  in  a 
military  sense,  there  seemed  no  sufficient  reason  for  its 
being  so  soon  abandoned.  It  might,  however,  only 
mark  out  the  inter-isthmian  territory  as  a  kind  of  pro- 
tectorate, the  inhabitants  of  which  were  entitled  to 
look  to  Rome  for  help  when  harassed  by  their 
northern  foes.  The  expedition  of  Severus  was 
avowedly  a  punitive  one.  If  the  Strathmore  and  Aber- 
deenshire camps  described  in  the  preceding  lectures 
were  Roman,  they  might  mark  the  route  some  portion 
of  his  forces  took.  But  this  was  only  conjecture. 
When  the  Picts  and  Scots  appeared  on  the  stage  of 
history  as  the  enemies  of  the  subject  or  protected 
Britons  of  the  North,  the  aid  afforded  by  the  latter  to 
the  Romans  became  more  and  more  fitful  and  un- 
certain, till  at  last  the  troubles  of  the  Empire  led  to 
their  withdrawal  from  the  whole  island.  Dr.  Mac- 
donald concluded  by  expressing  the  hope  that  the  ex- 
cavations lately  carried  on  so  successfully  by  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland  would,  in  some 
way  or  other,  be  continued,  as  it  was  only  by  such 
means  that  the  knowledge  of  the  Roman  antiquities 
of  Scotland  and  the  Roman  period  of  its  history  could 
be  made  more  complete.  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  J. 
Balfour  Paul,  Lyon  King-of-Arms,  Dr.  Macdonald 
was  awarded  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  for  his  very 
scholarly  and  interesting  series  of  lectures.  Mr.  Paul 
said  he  was  sure  Dr.  Macdonald  had  thrown  great 
light  upon  the  Roman  occupation  of  Scotland,  and 
that  his  lectures,  if  they  did  nothing  else,  would 
induce  people  to  take  a  greater  interest  in  the  subject, 
and,  perhaps,  supply  funds  wherewith  to  continue  the 
excavations  already  begun. 

♦  *  * 
The  Athetuzum  announces  that  at  Boscoreale,  on  the 
slopes  of  Vesuvius,  the  remains  of  another  Roman 
villa  have  been  excavated.  The  chief  result  has  been 
the  discovery  of  a  number  of  wall-paintings,  consist- 
ing of  landscapes  and  sea-pieces,  with  a  great  variety 
of  scenes  full  of  charm  and  life.  The  cella  vinaria,  or 
cellar,  containing  still  four  large  dolia  or  vases  for 
wine,  has  also  been  disinterred.  Seven  skeletons 
have  been  found  scattered  here  and  there  in  the  ex- 
cavations. 

At  Windisch,  the  old  Roman  colony  of  Vindonissa,  in 
the  Canton  of  Argovie,  excavations  recently  carried 
out  under  the  auspices  of  the  Swiss  Archaeological 
Society  have  yielded  important  results.  Large  Roman 
'illas  and  an  amphitheatre  have  been  disinterred,  and, 
Desides  a  large  quantity  of  coins,  pottery,  bronze,  and 
ironware,  some  large  silver  vessels  have  been  dis- 
covered, which  are  said  to  only  have  their  equals  in 
the  famous  treasure  trove  of  Hildesheim  in  Germany, 
brought  to  light  in  1868. 

%  if  ^ 
While  a  ploughman  was  recently  working  in  a  field 
on  the  Wolfelee  Home  Farm,  near  Jedburgh,  he 
turned  up  a  large  number  of  ancient  silver  English 
coins.  Thinking  they  were  of  little  worth,  the 
ploughman  gave  some  of  them  to  his  acquaintances. 


«4 


ARCffyEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


but  140  of  them  have  been  recovered,  and  are  now  in 
the  hands  of  the  county  authorities.  The  coins  are 
considerably  worn,  but  most  of  them  appear  to  have 
belonged  to  the  Edwards. 

3»t  ♦  * 
The  Rome  correspondent  of  the  Times  writes  under 
date  November  26  :  An  important  decision  regarding 
the  export  duties  laid  on  such  articles  of  commerce  as 
fall  under  the  very  vague  and  elastic  heading  of 
"  antiquities  "  has  just  been  rendered  by  the  Court  of 
Appeals  in  Rome.  As  is  known  to  all  who  have 
attempted  to  purchase  such  articles  here,  the  export 
duty  of  20  per  cent,  levied  on  them  by  a  law  which  is 
an  inheritance  from  the  Papal  Government  is  not 
only  a  grave  charge,  but  one  which  it  is  sometimes 
embarrassing  to  determine,  the  value  of  such  things 
being  purely  fantastic.  The  law,  known  as  the  Pacca 
edict,  applies  only  to  the  late  Papal  territory,  each 
one  of  the  ancient  realms  of  Italy  having  still  its 
ancient  regulation,  the  duty  from  Tuscany  being  i  per 
cent.,  and  that  from  the  former  Austrian  possessions 
nil.  The  Roman  Court  has  decided  that  it  only 
applies  to  such  objects  as  are  recognised  as  "  precious," 
i.e.f  as  of  exceptional  artistic  or  historical  value.  The 
limitation  is  as  vague  as  the  old  definition,  and  per- 
haps the  best  results  of  the  decision  will  be  to  compel 
the  Government  to  pass  a  general  and  rational  law, 
under  which  the  possessor  of  an  object  having  value 
from  its  antiquity  shall  be  free  to  carry  it  out  of  Italy. 
Professor  Villari,  when  Minister  of  Public  Instruction, 
proposed  a  sensible  and  comprehensive  law,  which, 
while  imposing  a  small  duty  and  the  necessity  of  a 
permission  to  export,  for  the  purpose  of  controlling 
the  exportation  of  the  heirlooms  of  the  nation,  made 
it  indispensable  for  the  Government  either  to  purchase 
or  permit  the  exportation.  This  law,  like  most  of 
those  which  the  public  good  has  called  for,  has  ever 
since  lain  covered  by  the  petty  legislation  for  electoral 
purposes,  which  impedes  all  useful  reforms  other  than 
those  demanded  by  the  constituents  of  the  ministerial 
deputies.  If  an  object  is  precious  and  indispensable 
to  the  honour  or  history  of  Italy,  it  is  reasonable  that 
its  exportation  should  be  prevented,  but  only  by 
purchase  ;  for  it  is  an  outrage  that  a  man  may  not 
dispose  according  to  his  interests  or  necessities  of 
articles  which  are  his  unquestionable  property. 

*  *     * 

Some  railway  constructors  in  the  Indian  territory  have 
uncovered  in  the  silt  underlying  deposits  of  the 
Quaternary  period  countless  prehistoric  skeletons. 
They  seemed  to  be  those  of  warriors  with  smashed 
skulls,  or  penetrating  arrow  wounds.  They  were 
buned  in  circles,  the  bodies  radiating  with  the  feet 
towards  the  centre,  and  food-bowls  had  been  placed 
at  each  elbow.  Professor  Walters,  becoming  inter- 
ested in  the  find,  dug  pits  over  an  area  of  thirty  acres, 
and  disclosed  a  battle-ground  of  an  extinct  race, 
where  no  less  than  ioo,cxx)  men  must  have  been 
buried. 

*  *     5«f       . 

The  Athemeum  learns  that  the  ancient  remains  dis- 
covered at  Thermopylas  while  the  Greek  troops  were 
making  entrenchments  during  the  late  war  have  been 
recently  examined  by  the  French  School  of  Athens. 
They  consist  of  a  strong  square  building  of  about 
eight  metres  on  each  side,  belonging,  as  it  seems  to 


the  time  of  the  Persian  wars,  and  of  a  necropolis  of 
later  date.  The  former,  which  was  thought  at  the 
l)eginning  to  be  a  small  Doric  temple,  is  a  watch- 
tower  built  on  a  hill  in  order  to  command  one  of  the 
mountain  paths  which  turned  Thermopylae  in  the  rear, 
probably  the  famous  path  of  Ephialtes.  The  latter 
consists  of  a  number  of  tombs  cut  in  the  soft  rock  of 
the  place  at  a  mile  distance  from  the  springs  of  warm 
water  which  gave  its  name  to  the  pass.  They  did  not, 
however,  prove  very  rich,  containing  only  common 
unpainted  pottery  and  iron  arms.  A  coin  of  Delphi 
of  the  Roman  imperial  times  shows  that  the  burial- 
place,  the  origin  of  which  is  perhaps  Hellenistic,  con- 
tinued to  be  used  till  the  Roman  epoch. 


>¥»Tyy¥T¥l 


BOOK   AND   OTHER    SALES. 


THE  ASHBURNHAM  LIBRARY. 

Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson  and  Hodge  com- 
menced the  sale  of  the  second  portion  of  the  Ash- 
burnham  Library  (Gadbury  to  Petrarch)  on  the  6th 
inst.  Very  high  prices  were  realized,  especially  for 
the  printed  Books  of  Hours.  Some  of  the  best  in  the 
first  two  days  were  the  following  :  George  Gascoigne's 
Whole  Works,  1587,  £,^0.  Gazius  de  Conservatione 
Sanitatis,  1491,  £ZZ  ^os.  De  Gheyn,  Maniement 
d'Armes,  rich  Le  Gascon  binding,  1607,  ;^55.  Giam- 
bullari,  Feste  nelle  Nozze  di  Duca  di  Firenze,  on 
vellum,  1539,  £2b  los.  (sold  for  ;^io  in  1859). 
Glanville,  De  Proprietatibus  Rerum,  Trevisa's  trans- 
lation, title  and  last  leaf  in  facsimile,  Wynkyn  de 
Worde,  n.d.,  ;^I95.  Gower,  Confessio  Amantis, 
printed  by  Caxton,  1483,  having  191  lines  only 
instead  of  222  lines,  ;^i88.  Grafton's  Chronicle, 
1570,  with  a  letter  of  Thos.  Howard,  Duke  of  Nor- 
folk (beheaded  1572),  in  the  margins,  ;^7o.  Gratia 
Dei  de  Esculo,  Quaestiones  in  Aristotelis  Physica,  on 
vellum,  1484,  ^68.  Gringoire,  Les  Folks  Enter- 
prises, fine  copy  with  rough  edges,  Paris,  1505, /'106. 
Gueroult,  Hymnes  du  Temps,  first  edition,  Lyon, 
1560,  ;^20  IDS.  Habitus  Prsecipuorum  Populorum, 
by  Jost  Amman,  Niirnb.,  1577,  ;i^29.  Hakluyt's 
Voyages,  with  the  rare  map  and  Cadiz  voyage,  1598- 
1600,  £2T<^.  Hall's  Satires,  with  Certaine  Worthye 
Manuscript  Poems,  1597-99,  ;f^34.  Hardyng's 
Chronicle,  1543,  £26.  Harman's  Groundworke  of 
Conny-Catching,  1592,  £2^.  Hawes's  Pastime  of 
Pleasure,  1554,  ;^55.  Hay,  Confutation  of  the  Abbot 
of  Crosraguels  Masse,  Edinburgh,  1563,  ;^29.  Vie  et 
Faits  Notables  de  Henri  de  Valois,  1589,  £ifi. 
Heylyn's  Historic  of  the  Sabbath,  dedication  copy  to 
King  Charles  I.,  1636,  ;^3i.  Hey  wood.  The  Spider 
and  the  Flie,  1556,  £36  ids.  Higden's  Poly- 
chronicon,  Caxton,  1482,  wanting  forty-six  leaves, 
j^20i  ;  Wynkyn  de  Worde's  edition  of  the  same, 
imperfect,  1495,  £Z'^'  Holbein's  Dance  of  Death  (in 
French),  first  edition,  Lyon,  1538,  ;^4i.  Holinshed's 
Chronicles,  1577,  ;i^58.  Engravings  (ninety-one)  by 
the  Brothers  Hopfer,  ;^50.  Heures  k  Paris,  T.  Kerver, 
1522,  £(Xi;  another  edition,  G.  Tory,  Paris,  1527, 
^31  ;  another  copy,  much  finer,  A 141.  Heures 
de    Paris,    Kerver,    1552,    £<,2.      Horse  ad   Usum 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


25 


Romanum,  Bourges,  1489,  ^f  179  ;  another,  printed 
on  vellum,  Paris,  Marnef,  1492,  ;i^io5.  Heures  de 
Rome,  on  vellum,  S.  Vostre,  1498,  ;^ioi  ;  another, 
by  Kerver,  1499,  on  vellum,  ;^i65  ;  another,  by 
Hardouyn,  on  vellum,  1520,  £^0,.  Heures  de  Rome, 
with  Tory  borders,  very  choice  copy,  delicately  illu- 
minated, 1525,  ;f86o ;  another,  same  date,  but 
inferior,  ;^II9;  another,  Paris,  O.  Maillard,  1541, 
;^530.  Heures  de  Rouan,  Paris,  S.  Vostre,  1528, 
;^I75.  Horse  secundum  Usum  Sarum,  on  vellum, 
Paris,  1536,  ^200.  Horologium  Devotionis,  Colon., 
s.a.,  £Tp.  Hortulus  Animse,  Argent,  1503,  £^(i. 
Hortus  Sanitatis,  Paris,  1539,  ^52. — Aihen<£um, 
December  11.  [The  six  days'  sale  closed  on  Decem- 
ber II  ;  the  total  sum  realized  was  ;^i8,6499s. — Ed.] 

OTHER  SALES. 

Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson  and  Hodge  concluded 
on  Saturday  the  two  days'  sale  of  the  collection  of 
coins  and  medals  formed  by  the  late  Mr.  George 
Augustus  Pepper-Staveley,  of  Crawley,  Sussex.  The 
317  lots  realized  a  total  of  £\,\i^  6s.,  and  included 
the  following :  Henry  IV.  noble,  of  the  second  coin- 
age, very  rare,  king  in  ship,  three  ropes  from  stern, 
one  from  prow,  ;^io  5s.  (Spink) ;  Henry  VHI. 
sovereign,  first  coinage,  1509,  ;^I3  15s.  (Verity); 
Elizabeth  ryal  or  noble,  very  rare,  with  the  hand 
rnint-mark,  £i2  IS^-  (Spink) ;  James  I.  thirty-shilling 
piece,  king  enthroned,  the  background  richly  dia- 
pered, £\o  I2S.  (Verity) ;  Anne  "Vigo"  five-guinea 
piece,  1703,  ;^i6  (Spink);  Charles  I.  silver  twenty- 
shilling  piece,  1643,  ;^io  12s.  (Verity) ;  George  IH. 
pattern  five-guinea  piece,  1777,  laureate  nude  bust  to 
right  with  long  flowing  hair,  excessively  rare,  /'40 
(Spink) ;  George  HI.  five-pound  piece,  1820,  by 
Pistrucci,  £-^2  (Spink) ;  and  a  very  rare  Persian 
military  medal  in  gold,  A.D.  1846,  with  four  lines  of 
Persian  inscription,;^  13  (Spink). — Times,  December  6. 

*      3*c      * 

Messrs.  Puttick  and  Simpson,  of  Leicester  Square, 
had  at  their  rooms,  on  Tuesday,  a  sale  of  violins,  the 
property  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Hipkins,  F.S.A.,  and  others, 
the  main  attraction  being  that  each  violin  that  was 
offered  was  guaranteed  according  to  the  description 
given  in  the  catalogue.  The  prices  throughout  ruled 
high  :  A  Cremona  violin,  £gj  ;  an  Italian  violin, 
labelled  Andreas  Guarnerius,  £/^^ ;  violoncello  by 
Fendt,  ;f  22  ;  violin  by  Guadagnini,  ^f 35  ;  an  Italian 
violin  (Venetian  school),  ;^35  ;  violoncello  by  Joseph 
Rocca,  of  Turin,  1830,  ;^32  ;  violin  by  Carlo  Tononi, 
£^0 ;  another  by  Joannes  Baptista  Guadagnini,  of 
Parma,  1762,  ;^I20  ;  another  by  Pietro  Guarnerius 
(Cremonensis  fecit  Mantuse,  sub  titulo  S.  Theresias, 
anno  1701),  £2,0;  an  Italian  violin  by  Gabrielli, 
;^28;  another  by  V.  Panormo,  Palermo,  1765,  ;if  20  ; 
an  Italian  violoncello  (late  the  property  of  Signor 
Piatti),  ^40  ;  a  violin  by  Cappa,  ^8o,  and  another  by 
Cappa,  ;^io5  ;  another  by  V.  B.  Vuillaume  (maggini 
copy),  £2^  los.  ;  another  by  Giovanni  Battista 
Gabrielli,  Florence,  1766,  ;^37 ;  violin  by  Joseph 
Gagliano,  £l^  los.  ;  German  violin  (Tourte  School), 
;^20  ;  and  a  violoncello  by  Georges  Chanot,  Paris, 
VOL.  XXXIV. 


1843  (Guarnerius  model),  ;^23  los.  The  day's  sale, 
which  contained  only  one  hundred  lots,  realized 
;i^i,928  I2S.  6d. —  Times,  December  9. 


.T^TyvrfvyTTTy 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  ARCH^OLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES. 
We  have  received  Part  I.  of  the  third  volume  of  the 
new  series  of  the  Transactions  oi  ihe  Glasgow  Archce- 
ological  Society.  It  contains  some  excellent  papers. 
The  first,  which  is  by  Dr.  D.  Murray,  F.S.A.,  the 
President  of  the  Society,  is  on  "An  Archoeological 
Survey  of  the  United  Kingdom."  It  has,  in  the  main, 
been  published  separately,  and  as  such  already  noticed 
in  the  Antiquary.  The  second  paper  is  on  "The 
Hall  of  the  Vicars  Choral  of  Glasgow  Cathedral," 
and  is  by  that  veteran  ecclesiologist  Monsignor  Eyre, 
the  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  Glasgow.  The 
paper  identifies  an  old  building  near  the  Cathedral  as 
the  Vicars'  Hall.  The  building  in  question  has  been 
hitherto  considered  either  a  temporary  out-building 
of  no  great  age,  or  a  dormitory  (it  is  not  said  for 
whom).  The  Archbishop's  arguments  seem  conclu- 
sive as  to  its  real  character.  The  paper  is  illustrated. 
The  third  paper  is  a  very  long  and  elaborate  one,  by 
Mr.  J.  T.  T,  Brown,  on  the  vexed  question  of  the 
authorship  of  the  "  Kingis  Quair."  It  is  followed  by 
some  notes  by  Mr.  T,  Etherington  Cooke,  on  "Pre- 
cept of  Infeftment  granted  in  1601  by  Queen  Anne 
of  Denmark,  wife  of  James  VI."  Dr.  Ferguson,  the 
Regius  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  University, 
follows  with  a  valuable  contribution  in  the  form  of  a 
"second  supplement"  to  his  paper  on  "Bibliogra- 
phical Notes  on  Histories  of  Inventions  and  Books  of 
Secrets."  The  concluding  paper  is  by  Dr.  Murray, 
on  a  brass  cup  found  in  the  churchyard  of  Rodil,  in 
the  island  of  Harris.  But  the  cup,  which  is  figured, 
is  certainly  not,  as  Dr.  Murray  supposes,  a  pre-Re- 
formation  chalice.  In  shape  it  is  not  unlike  an 
English  Elizabethan  communion  cup. 

^  ^  '^ 

The  Saga-Book  of  the  Viking  Club,  vol.  1.,  part  3,  has 
reached  us.  Besides  records  of  the  business  of  the 
club,  it  contains  the  following  papers,  which  are  well 
illustrated:  i.  "The  Norsemen  in  Shetland,"  by 
Mr.  Gilbert  Goudie,  whose  special  study  of  this  sub- 
ject is  well  known.  At  the  end  of  the  paper  is  a  list 
of  deeds  in  Norse  relating  to  Shetland,  many  of  them 
being  communications  by  Mr.  Goudie  himself  to  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland. 
2.  "  A  Boat  Journey  to  Inari  "  (a  large  lake  in  Fin- 
land), by  Mr.  A.  H.  Cocks.  3.  "  Saga  Illustrations 
of  Early  Manks  Monuments,"  by  Mr.  P.  C.  Kermode. 
All  these  papers  are  excellent,  and  are  admirably 
illustrated.  At  the  end  is  a  short  paper  (not  illus- 
trated) by  Dr.  Hildebrand,  on  the  "Monuments  of 
the  Island  of  Oeland."  The  Viking  Club  is  doing 
useful  work, 

*oe  ^  ^ 
The  tenth  volume  of  Transactions  of  the  Aberdeen 
Ecclesiological  Society  has  just  been  published.  It 
contains  inter  alia  "  The  Aberdeen  Non-Jurors,"  by 
James  Turreff";  "  Notes  on  the  Columbite  and  Cister- 
cian Monasteries,  and  the  Parish  Church  of  Deer  in 
Aberdeenshire,"  by  Rev.  Dr.  Cooper ;  and  "  The 
Parish  Church  of  St.  Monans,"  by  the  Rev.  J.  Turn- 


36 


PUBLICATIONS  AND  PROCEEDINGS. 


bull.  The  plates  (of  which  there  are  ten  in  this 
volume)  are  well-executed  photo-lithographs,  and  add 
much  to  the  permanent  value  of  the  Transactions. 
The  membership  of  the  Aberdeen  Ecclesiological 
Society  now  stands  at  362,  and  among  the  hon.  vice- 

g residents  we   notice  the  names  of  the  Marquis  of 
ute  and  the  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  ARCH^OLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  on 
November  25,  Mr.  F.  C.  Penrose  presented  a  plan  by 
Mr.  C.  H.  L5hr  of  a  Roman  colonnade  uncovered  at 
Lincoln. — Mr.  C.  H.  Read  exhibited  the  stall-plate 
of  Charles,  Earl  of  Worcester,  K.G.,  1496-1526,  lately 
lost,  but  found  in  New  Zealand  and  brought  to  this 
country  {Athenaum,  November  27,  p.  755). — The 
Rev.  G.  H.  Engleheart  read  an  account  of  the  exca- 
vation of  a  group  of  Romano- British  buildings  at 
Clanville,  near  Andover.  He  also  reported  the  dis- 
covery by  himself  of  a  deposit  at  Appleshaw  of  over 
thirty  Romano-British  pewter  vessels,  consisting  of 
plates,  dishes,  bowls,  cups,  etc.,  which  were  also 
exhibited. — Mr.  Fox  thought  that  the  Clanville  build- 
ings consisted  of  a  small  farmhouse  with  a  farmyard 
adjoining,  surrounded  by  out-buildings.  The  plan  of 
house  belongs  to  a  class  not  common  in  this  country, 
where  the  chambers  lie  around  a  court  like  the  peri- 
style of  a  Southern  house,  such  as  one  would  find  in 
Italy. — Mr.  W.  Gowland  gave  an  account  of  his 
examination  of  the  Roman  metallic  vessels,  of  which 
the  chief  results  are  as  follows  :  A  pair  of  the  vessels 
are  perfectly  preserved,  but  many  are  more  or  less 
corroded  and  converted  into  a  whitish  mass  of  tin 
oxide  and  lead  carbonate.  Six  specimens,  typical  of 
the  *'  find,"  were  selected  for  chemical  analysis.  Of 
these,  one,  a  small  oval  dish,  was  found  to  consist  of 
tin,  and  the  others  of  tin  alloyed  with  lead  in  various 
proportions,  some  being  of  similar  composition  to 
English  pewter.  The  analyses  showed  that  the  pewter 
of  the  Romans  was  not  a  single  definite  alloy  of  tin 
and  lead,  but  that  several  alloys  of  these  metals  were 
used  by  them.  The  "  pewter  "  vessels  analyzed  con- 
sist of  four  distinct  alloys,  composed  of  tin  alloyed 
with  lead,  not  in  haphazard  quantities,  but  in  which 
the  approximate  proportions  of  the  latter  metal  pre- 
sent are  5  per  cent.,  10  per  cent.,  20  per  cent.,  and 
30  per  cent,  respectively.  Very  few  analyses  of 
ancient  pewter  objects  have  hitherto  been  made.  Five 
only  are  recorded,  and  all  are  alloys  agreeing  in  com- 
position with  one  or  other  of  the  vessels  of  the  Apple- 
shaw "  find."  Two  represent  stamped  cakes,  to  which 
a  date,  the  fourth  century,  was  assigned  by  Sir  A. 
WoUaston  Franks.  Some  of  the  large  dishes  from 
Appleshaw  bear  incised  designs  inlaid  with  a  black 
material  resembling  "  niello  "  in  appearance.  An 
examination  showed,  however,  that  it  is  not  true 
•'  niello,"  but  only  a  black  pigment  of  organic  nature. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  on  December  2,  the 
President  (Viscount  Dillon)  announced  that  he  had 
received  a  letter  from  Mr.  J.  L.  Pearson  with  regard 
to  the  proposed  new  northwest  tower  of  Chichester 
Cathedral,  stating  that  there  was  no  intention  of  taking 
down  the  south-east  pier  of  the  tower,  or  the  responds, 
or  the  arches  resting  on  them.— The  Rev.  C.  R. 
Manning  exhibited  (i)  a  fine  engraved  peg-tankard 


bearing  the  York  hall-marks  for  1657,  and  that  of  the 
maker,  John  Plummer ;  (2)  a  bronze  seal  of  Richard 
Blauwir,  of  the  fifteenth  century  ;  and  (3)  a  flint  knife 
or  sickle  from  Roydon,  Norfolk. — Sir  J.  C.  Robinson 
exhibited  a  carving-knife  of  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  or 
the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  with  a  silver- 
gilt  haft  decorated  with  enamels  and  slabs  of  carnelian. 
The  decorations  include  the  Beaufort  portcullis,  a 
Tudor  rose  within  the  Garter,  and  SS  and  roses 
alternately  round  the  edge.  These  devices  point  to 
the  knife  having  formed  one  of  a  set  belonging  to  an 
officer  of  the  Royal  household. — Chancellor  Ferguson 
exhibited  a  silver  Elizabethan  communion  cup  and 
cover  belonging  to  Cartmel  Fell  Chapel,  with  the  un- 
usual decoration  of  a  band  of  popinjays  round  the 
bowl. — Mr.  W.  Page,  as  local  Secretary  for  Hertford- 
shire, made  a  report  upon  some  recent  excavations  at 
St,  Albans.  He  stated  that  while  the  north  side  of 
the  churchyard  of  St.  Albans  Abbey  was  lately  being 
turfed  he  was  able  to  disclose  sufficient  of  the  founda- 
tions of  the  parochial  chapel  of  St.  Andrew,  which 
adjoined  the  north-west  wall  of  the  Abbey  church,  to 
enable  him  to  make  a  ground-plan  of  it.  In  working 
out  this  plan  it  appeared  to  him  that  the  Norman 
church  erected  by  Abbot  Paul  de  Caen  did  not  extend, 
as  has  hitherto  been  supposed,  to  the  present  west 
front,  and  this  theory  was  corroborated  by  some  ex- 
cavations on  the  south  side  of  the  church,  which 
showed  a  thickening  of  the  foundation  of  the  wall  for 
a  length  of  2  feet  6  inches  from  about  the  middle  of 
the  third  to  the  middle  of  the  fourth  bay  from  the 
west  end.  These  foundations  consisted  of  flint  rubble 
with  Norman  mortar,  which  shows  a  marked  differ- 
ence in  colour  and  composition  from  that  of  the  Early 
English  and  later  work,  and  which  seems  to  appear 
nowhere  westward  of  this  point.  The  conclusion  at 
which  he  arrived  was  that  these  foundations  were  those 
of  the  west  front  of  the  Norman  church,  which  prob- 
ably resembled  Norwich,  and  that  Abbots  John  de 
Cella  and  William  de  Trumpington  extended  the 
church  three  bays  westward  at  the  close  of  the  twelfth 
and  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Mr.  Page 
also  referred  to  the  recent  discovery  in  St.  Michael's 
churchyard,  which  is  within  the  site  of  Verulamium, 
of  five  drums  of  a  Roman  column,  the  largest  of  which 
is  2  feet  2  inches  in  diameter,  and  of  a  Roman  wall 
which  ran  diagonally  under  the  church. — In  connec- 
tion with  Mr.  Page's  report  the  following  resolution 
was  unanimously  adopted  :  "  The  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries of  London  desires  to  express  its  appreciation 
of  the  action  taken  by  the  Earl  of  Verulam  and  Mr. 
Andrew  Mcllwraith,  of  Campbellfield,  St.  Albans, 
in  protecting  a  portion  of  the  Roman  wall  of  Veru- 
lamium." 

^  '^  ^ 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Numismatic  Society,  on 
November  18,  the  President  (Sir  J.  Evans)  exhibited 
a  selection  of  eleven  Roman  imperial  gold  coins  (in  a 
magnificent  state  of  preservation)  of  Antoninus  Pius, 
Marcus  Aurelius,  and  Faustina  I.  and  II.,  recently 
acquired  by  him  from  a  hoard  lately  found  in  Egypt. 
— The  Rev.  G.  F.  Crowther  exhibited,  on  behalf  of 
Mr.  W.  Maish,  a  Durham  penny  of  Edward  III.,  on 
which  the  name  of  Ireland  is  omitted  from  the  inscrip- 
tion on  the  obverse  ;  the  coin  is  also  peculiar  in 
having  the  crozier  to  the  left,  and  two  pellets  on  the 
right  and  one  on  the  left  of  the  crown  ;  rev.  legend, 


PUBLICATIONS  AND  PROCEEDINGS. 


27 


DUNOLM.  Mr.  Crowther  also  exhibited  a  York 
farthing  of  the  same  king,  reading  edwardvs  rex, 
and  examples  of  the  Diamond  Jubilee  medals  in  silver 
and  bronze  of  the  larger  size,  and  in  silver  of  the 
smaller  size. — Mr.  F.  Spicer  exhibited  a  half-groat  of 
David  II.  of  Scotland,  struck  at  Edinburgh,  differing 
from  all  the  specimens  described  by  Burns  in  having 
six  arcs  around  the  bust  and  a  star  on  the  sceptre- 
handle.  It  is  believed  to  belong  to  the  last  issue  of 
coins  by  David  II. — Mr.  L.  A.  Lawrence  exhibited 
some  interesting  varieties  of  the  coins  of  William  the 
Conqueror. — Mr.  R.  A.  Hoblyn  exhibited  a  circular 
disc  of  cast  bronze,  apparently  the  lid  of  a  box,  on 
which  were  impressions  from  the  dies  (probably 
executed  by  Croker)  of  two  trial  farthings  of  Queen 
Anne,  dated  1713,  with  the  mottoes  angli.^  palla- 
DIVM  and  LARGITOR  PACis. — Dr.  B.  V.  Head  gave 
an  account  (contributed  by  Mr.  G.  F.  Hill)  of  an 
interesting  discovery  of  Roman  and  ancient  British 
coins  and  bronze  objects  at  Honley,  near  Hudders- 
field,  in  1894.  The  Roman  coins  were  denarii  and 
bronze,  ranging  from  circa  B.C.  209  to  A.D.  73.  The 
British  coins  consisted  of  five  new  and  unpublished 
small  silver  pieces  of  the  time  of  Venutius,  King  of 
the  Brigantes,  and  of  his  faithless  Queen  Cartimandua, 
who  conspired  against  him  circa  A.D.  69,  and,  in  con- 
junction with  her  husband's  armour-bearer,  Vellocatus, 
succeeded  for  a  short  time  in  depriving  him  of  his 
kingdom  (Tacitus,  Hist.,  iii.  45).  One  of  these  re- 
markable coins,  exhibited  by  Dr.  Head,  was  struck 
in  the  Queen's  name,  the  first  syllable  of  which,  cart, 
is  clearly  legible  upon  it. — Dr.  Head  next  read  a  paper 
contributed  by  Canon  Greenwell  on  rare  Greek  coins 
recently  added  to  his  collection. 

^  ««^*  ^ 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
OF  Scotland  was  held  on  November  30,  Mr.  J. 
Balfour  Paul,  Lyon  King  -  of  -  Arms,  in  the  chair. 
The  following  were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing 
year  :  President,  the  Marquis  of  Lothian  ;  vice-presi- 
dents, J.  Balfour  Paul  (Lyon  King-of-Arms),  Major- 
General  Sir  R.  Murdoch  Smith,  and  the  Hon.  John 
Abercromby ;  secretaries,  David  Christison,  M.D., 
and  Robert  Munro,  M.  D.  ;  foreign  secretaries.  Sir 
Arthur  Mitchell,  K.C.B.,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  and  Thomas 
Graves  Law  ;  treasurer,  J.  H.  Cunningham ;  curators, 
Robert  Carfrae  and  Professor  Duns,  D.D.  ;  curator  of 
coins,  Adam  B.  Richardson  ;  librarian,  James  Curie  ; 
councillors.  Sir  George  Reid,  P.R.S.A.,  and  John 
Ritchie  Findlay  (representing  the  Board  of  Trustees), 
Charles  J.  Guthrie,  Thomas  Ross,  Gilbert  Goudie, 
Reginald  Macleod,  C.B.,  Sir  Herbert  Maxwell,  Bart., 
M.P.,  John  Home  Stevenson,  and  Alexander  J.  S. 
Brook.  From  the  annual  report  it  appeared  that  the 
museum  had  been  visited  by  22,310  persons  during 
the  year,  and  that  the  number  of  objects  of  antiquity 
added  to  the  collection  had  been  135  by  donation  and 
370  by  purchase,  while  77  volumes  of  books  have 
been  added  to  the  library  by  donation  and  102  by 
purchase,  and  the  binding  of  150  volumes  has  been 
proceeded  with.  Among  the  more  important  dona- 
tions to  the  museum  is  the  series  of  articles  discovered 
during  the  excavation  of  the  Roman  camp  at  Ardoch 
undertaken  by  the  society  last  summer,  which  have 
been  presented  by  Colonel  Home  Drummond,  of  Blair 
Drummond,  the  proprietor. 


The  seventh  annual  meeting  of  the  Henry  Brad- 
SHAW  Society  was  held  on  November  17,  at  Bur- 
lington House,  in  the  rooms  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries.  The  Bishop  of  Bristol  presided.  The 
report  showed  that  the  membership  of  the  society  is 
well  maintained,  and  its  financial  condition  continues 
to  be  satisfactory.  Good  progress  has  been  made 
during  the  past  year  in  the  work  of  editing.  The 
third  volume  of  the  Westminster  Missal,  edited  by 
Dr.  Wickham  Legg,  concluding  the  edition  of  that 
book,  has  recently  been  issued  to  members.  It  con- 
tains, besides  text  and  introduction,  notes  of  an 
elaborate  kind,  which,  with  the  indexes,  will  form  a 
useful  guide  to  the  contents  of  the  other  English 
Mass  Books,  in  many  cases  unprinted,  which  have 
been  collected  by  the  editor.  The  two  volumes  of 
the  Irish  Liber  Hymnorum,  forming  the  issue  for 
1897,  may  be  expected  to  appear  at  an  early  date. 
Among  other  works  in  preparation  are  the  Rosslyn 
Missal,  the  Hereford  Breviary,  and  the  Coronation 
Book  of  Charles  V.  of  France.  A  special  feature  of 
the  last-mentioned  edition  will  be  the  reproduction  of 
the  fine  miniatures  representing  the  various  acts  of  the 
Coronation  with  which  the  manuscript  is  adorned. 

^^  ^  ^ 

A  meeting  of  the  St.  Paul's  Ecclesiological 
Society  was  held  at  the  Chapter  House,  St.  Paul's, 
on  November  24. 

Two  papers  by  Mr.  Cuthbert  Atchley  were  read : 
the  first  was  on  the  variations  from  the  rule  in  the 
material  of  the  coverings  of  the  altar.  The  paper 
began  by  saying  that  in  the  Middle  Ages  it  was 
ordered  that  the  altar  should  have  a  coloured  front  of 
silk,  or  the  like,  in  front  of  it,  while  the  slab  was  to 
be  covered  with  three  linen  cloths.  The  modem 
little  books  on  ceremonial,  however,  speak  of  a 
"cerecloth,"  of  waxed  coarse  linen,  as  the  first 
covering  of  the  altar.  Evidence  of  this  was  hard  to 
find  in  the  inventories.  Canvas  and  hair-cloth  were 
much  more  in  use.  Of  hair-cloth  the  author  had 
collected  twenty-three  instances  from  inventories,  and 
it  was  spoken  of  by  Becon  in  his  Catechism,  so  that  it 
must  have  been  common.  The  corporas  was  ordered 
to  be  of  linen,  without  starch  or  other  stiffening ;  yet 
at  Sion  the  sisters  used  starch,  but  it  was  made  from 
herbs.  Silk  was  irregularly  used  for  the  corporas, 
and  the  author  was  inclined  to  think  that  the  silken 
corporas  may  have  been  the  forerunner  of  the  silken 
chalice-veil  of  the  Roman  use.  In  any  case,  the  use 
of  silk  instead  of  pure  linen  was  a  falling  away  from 
old  customs  and  the  traditions  of  centuries,  and  a 
development  on  bad  principles. 

A  discussion  was  begun  by  Mr.  Maidlow  Davis, 
who  mentioned  that  in  some  modern  books  the 
"cere  cloth"  was  said  to  have  been  introduced  in 
order  to  prevent  damp ;  and  Dr.  Wickham  Legg 
mentioned  that  Mr.  St.  John  Hope  had  thrown  out 
the  idea  that  the  "hair  cloth  "  of  the  inventories  was 
to  prevent  the  wet  of  the  stone  slab  of  the  altar 
coming  through  to  the  linen. 

The  second  of  Mr.  Atchley's  papers  was  on  the 
growth  of  the  custom  of  saying  the  first  fourteen 
verses  of  St.  John's  Gospel  at  the  end  of  Mass,  In 
principio,  as  it  is  called  from  the  opening  words. 
Mr.  Atchley's  researches  went  far  to  show  that  the 
practice  began  in  the  superstition  of  the  laity  and  the 

E   2 


a8 


PUBLICATIONS  AND  PROCEEDINGS. 


greed  of  the  clergy.  To  this  day  supernatural  effects 
were  attributed  to  the  reading  of  this  Gospel,  or  to  its 
being  carried  round  the  neck.  In  the  Middle  Ages 
the  powers  attributed  to  this  Gospel  were  in  excess  of 
those  attributed  to  the  others,  and  John  XXII.  helped 
on  the  superstition  by  granting  an  indulgence  of  a 
year  and  forty  days  to  its  recitation,  while  under 
Fius  V.  it  was  definitely  added  to  the  Mass  Book. 

^  ^  ^ 

The  first  of  the  winter  gatherings  of  the  East 
Riding  Antiquarian  Society  was  held  on  De- 
cember 7,  at  the  Royal  Station  Hotel,  Hull,  the  Rev. 
M.  Morris,  of  Nunburnholme,  president,  in  the  chair. 
Among  the  papers  read  was  one  by  the  Rev.  N.  J. 
Miller,  vicar  of  Winestead,  on  "  Leager  Book  of 
Winestead,"  The  Book  of  the  Hull  Coopers'  Guild 
was  next  explained  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lambert,  Vicar  of 
Newland,  who  prefaced  his  description  by  some 
account  of  ancient  guilds  of  Asia  Minor,  being  the 
outcome  of  recent  archaeological  discoveries  in  the 
district.  Canon  Maddock  also  gave  some  account  of 
the  Withernsea  Register,  as  well  as  of  the  Nunburn- 
holme Register. 

^  ^  ^ 

At  the  ordinary  monthly  meeting  of  the  Newcastle 
Society  of  Antiquaries  on  November  24, 1897,  Mr. 
W.  H.  Knowles  said  that  he  had  much  pleasure  in 
announcing  that  it  was  the  intention  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Oliver,  architect,  Newcastle,  to  present  to  the  society 
the  following  important  local  works  by  his  father, 
viz.  :  A  plan  of  town  and  county  Newcastle  and  the 
borough  of  Gateshead,  measuring  4  feet  4  inches  by 
3  feet  4  inches,  and  published  in  1830  with  a  book  of 
reference  containing  the  name  of  every  owner  of 
property  in  the  town.  A  plan  of  the  borough  of 
Newcastle  together  with  Gateshead,  3  feet  1 1  inches 
by  3  feet  i  inch,  and  book  of  reference,  published  in 
1844.  A  reduced  plan  (31  inches  by  22  inches)  of  the 
borough  of  Newcastle  together  with  Gateshead,  pub- 
lished in  1858.  A  reduced  copy  (13  inches  by 
10  inches)  of  the  1830  plan  of  Newcastle  and  Gates- 
head, showing  the  late  improvements,  and  published 
in  1844.  A  reduced  copy  (13^  inches  by  11  inches) 
of  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  published  in  1849.  A  map  of 
the  environs  of  Newcastle  and  Gateshead,  showing  the 
railways  of  1851,  and  also  a  copy  of  Corbridge's  plan 
( 1 1  inches  by  7  inches),  reduced  and  republished  by 
Thomas  Oliver,  1830;  together  with  a  copy  of  the 
book,  "  The  picture  of  Newcastle  being  a  historical  and 
descriptive  view  of  the  town  and  county  of  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne,  Gateshead  and  environs,"  published  1831. 
The  two  large  plans  will  be  mounted  on  rollers  for 
easy  reference,  and  the  smaller  ones  will  be  suitably 
framed  by  Mr.  Oliver.  The  whole  are  in  a  very 
perfect  condition,  and  form  a  valuable  supplement  to 
the  last  century  surveys,  Corbridge  and  others.  The 
various  plans  exhibit  the  growth,  and  represent  the 
streets,  buildings,  and  fortifications,  etc.,  of  the  town 
as  they  existed  and  developed  during  the  first  half  of 
the  present  century.  The  book  of  reference  issued 
with  the  1830  plan  of  Newcastle  contains  considerable 
information,  and  the  plan  itself  is  the  result  of 
enormous  labour,  a  model  of  care  and  accuracy,  and 
particularly  valuable,  as  so  much  of  the  town  therein 
delineated  has  since  _^disappeared.  Mr.  Thomas 
Oliver    was  a  native    of  Jedburgh,  and   sometime 


assistant  with  John  Dobson.  A  contemporary  of 
Dobson  and  Green,  he  was  also  associated  with 
Grainger.  He  enjoyed  a  large  surveying  practice  in 
connection  with  docks  and  railways,  and  died  1857. 
Mr.  Knowles  concluded  by  proposing  that  the  best 
thanks  of  the  society  be  tendered  to  Mr.  Oliver  for  his 
valuable  gift.  This,  on  being  seconded,  was  carried 
by  acclamation. 

Mr.  John  Ventress  exhibited  the  Constable's  accounts 
for  Elmton  and  Creswell,  in  Derbyshire,  of  which  the 
heading  is:  "The  Accountes  of  John  Masonn 
Constable  of  Elmnton  and  Creswell  for  this  yeare 
beganne  October  the  11"^  165^." 

These  accounts  having  no  local  reference,  were 
deemed  unsuitable  for  insertion  in  any  of  the  society's 
publications;  but  Mr.  R.  Blair,  F.S.A.,  has  made  a 
transcript  of  them,  which  will  be  found  printed  at  the 
end  of  this  report. 

Messrs.  Oliver  and  Leeson  also  sent  for  exhibition  a 
grave-cover,  about  20  inches  long,  by  9  inches  wide 
at  top,  and  8  inches  at  bottom,  having  in  relief  upon 
it  a  floriated  cross,  at  one  side  of  the  stem  a  sword  and 
buckler,  and  at  the  other  a  square  and  compasses,  and 
a  portion  of  a  gable  cross,  about  18  inches  across 
arms,  having  a  lamb  in  high  relief  in  the  centre,  both 
found  in  pulling  down  an  old  house  in  Collingwood 
Street. 

The  secretary  read  the  following  letter  from  those 
gentlemen : 

"We  have  much  pleasure  in  submitting  two  stones 
which  were  found  during  the  recent  demolition  of 
some  old  premises  situate  at  the  back  of  Collingwood 
Street.  There  were  a  great  number  of  stones,  appa- 
rently the  materials  of  a  church  of  considerable  size, 
and  which  had  been  re-used  in  some  seventeenth - 
century  buildings.  The  two  stones  which  we  have 
sent  for  your  inspection  are  a  grave  cross  of  late 
thirteenth-century  date,  bearing  a  head  of  eight  arms 
beautifully  interlaced.  On  the  dexter  of  the  shaft  is  a 
square  and  compass,  and  on  the  sinister  a  sword 
piercing  some  object  which  we  are  unable  to  deter- 
mine. The  other  stone  is  apparently  the  east  gable 
cross  of  Early  English  work,  with  the  Northumbrian 
sculptor's  idea  of  a  lamp.  Of  course,  this  would  be  at 
a  height  of  probably  40  feet  above  ground,  and  is 
therefore  very  old.  We  shall  be  glad  to  have  the 
opinion  of  your  learned  society  as  to  the  meaning  of 
the  symbols  on  the  grave  cross.  Possibly  they  may 
have  some  idea  in  whose  memory  it  was  dedicated." 

Mr.  Knowles  said  about  a  hundred  stones  had  been 
found  at  the  place  in  question.  He  had  made  careful 
drawings  of  these,  and  intended  putting  them  together 
to  endeavour  to  ascertain  where  they  h.id  come  from. 
There  were  fragments  of  tracery  windows,  arches, 
doorways,  piers,  etc.  He  would  ask  Mr.  Sanderson, 
the  owner  of  the  stones,  to  present  those  which  he  had 
sent  for  inspection  to  the  society. 

Mr.  Hodges  said  that  the  date  of  the  grave-cover 
was  A.D.  1300  or  thereabouts.  It  had  on  the  sinister 
side  of  the  floriated  cross  stem  a  sword  through  a 
buckler,  and  on  the  dexter  side  a  pair  of  compasses 
and  a  square.  These  objects  probably  commemorated 
an  architect  or  a  master-builder.  Small  grave-covers 
of  this  description  did  not  necessarily  imply,  as  was 
popularly  supposed,  that  they  commemorated  chil- 
dren. 


PUBLTCATIONS  AND  PROCEEDINGS. 


29 


It  was  decided  to  apply  to  Mr.  Sanderson,  the 
owner  of  the  building'in  which  these  stones  were  dis- 
covered, for  a  gift  of  them  for  the  society's  museum. 

A  communication  as  to  Roman  roads  in  Scotland 
was  read  from  Mr.  Hugh  W.  Young,  F.S.A.  Scot- 
land, and  also  a  paper  by  Mr.  W.  W.  Tomlinson  on 
"  Chopwell  Woods,"  which  will  be  printed  in 
Archaologia  Ailiana. 

Among  the  gifts  to  the  museum  which  were  an- 
nounced was  that  of  the  large  iron  key  of  the  old  gaol 
of  Newgate,  Newcastle,  by  Mr.  Goolden,  ex-mayor  of 
the  city,  to  whom  it  had  been  given  by  Mr.  T.  E, 
Smith. 

^  ^  ^ 

The  following  are  the  Derbyshire  Constable's 
Accounts,  the  original  of  which  was  exhibited  at  the 
meeting,  and  for  the  transcript  of  which  we  are  in- 
debted to  Mr.  Blair  : 

The  Accountes  of  John  Masonn  Constable  of 
Elmntoune  and  Creswell  for  this  yeare 

BEEGANNE   OCTOBER   THE    IITH    l6i;4. 

£    s.    d. 

Inp  my  oath  at  The  Leede       o    o    4 

Item  my  Charges  ...         ...         ...010 

paide  to  the  Cheife  Constable  for  the 

prouest  marshall      ...     o     2     8i 

my  Charges      o     i     o 

ffor  acquitance...         004 

to  Robert  Stainland  for  Caringe  hue 

and  Crie  to  howbecke  woodhouse  ...     o    o     i 
nouem'""    for  Caringe  hue  and  Crie  to 

Clown  in  the  night ...         ...         ...002 

paide   for   Roger    Stainland   Charges 

Two  dales  and  Two  nights  ...     o     i     5 

To  the  Justis  my  owne  Charges        ...     o     1     o 
The  second  time  to  the  Justis  ...     o    o    6 

The  third  time  to  the  Justis o    o    8 

decem''""  the  12*''    giuen  to  a  Ireish  man 
that  had  a  breef  for  Tenn  months 

in  England ...         ...     o    o    8 

ffor  seruinge  2  warrants  one  of  Richard 
Lann  another  of  Edward  Turne  [?] 
and  ffor  goeinge  to  the  Justis        ...     o     i     8 
the  20     ffor  goeinge  to  the  excise  to 

Chesterfeild ...         ...         ...         ...014 

the  22     ffor    goeinge    to    the    monthly 

meeteinge     ...         ...         ...         ...     o     i     4 

the  26    giuen  to  aman  that  had  a  pa.ss  ...     o    o    2 
Januari     paide   to   Mastr   Bowman   for 
Carininge   the   presentment  to  the 
sessions         ..  ...         ...         ...010 

ffor  makeinge  the  presentment         ...     o    o    4 
my  Charges      ...         ...         ...         ...     o     o  10 

the  8     Expended  at  the  sesment  make- 
inge   018 

giuen  to  Richard  Carter  when  hee  was 

put  in  at  the  leede  to  bee  Thirdboro    o     i     2 
to  John  Stainland        ...         ...         ...012 

to  Thomas  Rudd         ...         ...         ...     o     i     2 

the  14      paid    to  John    madeinge    ffor 

seruinge  the  Thirdboro  office         ...     o     I     3 
my  selfe  the  same  time  ..,         ...     o     i     3 

the  21     paide    to    will,     ffretwell    for 

Carinige  will.  Bell  to  Clowne        ...     o    o    6 

his  Charges  2  nights ...006 

the  25    giuen  to  aman  that  had  a  pas 


for  10  months  hee  and  his  wife  three 

small  chilldrin  

ffor  goinge  to  the  monthly  meetinge... 
ffebruarie    ffor  Carinige  a  hue  and  Crie 
to  woodhose... 
my  presentment  makinge  to  the  sise  ... 
the  Caringe  oHt 

and  my  Charges  ...         

[p.  2] 

March    to  the  excise  to  boulsouar  [Bol- 

sover]  

26    giuen  to  eight  lame  people  that  had 

a  pas  for  3  score  dales        

giuen  to  aman  that  had  a  pas 

giuen  to  a  Companie  of  Ireish  people 

28  giuen  to  a  souldier  that  had  a  pas 
his  meate  and  drinke  and  lodginge 
one  night      

Aprill  1 1  To  Chesterfeild  aboute  lisense- 
sing  bill        ...         

my  Charges 

ffor   the   presentment  to  the  sessions 
makinge 

and  the  Cariage 

my  Charges 
25     To  the  leede  my  bill  makinge 

my  Charges 

Three  old  ThirdborQwe  Theire  Charges 

The  new  Thirdboro  his  Charges 

his  oathe  ...         

paper  ffor  the  Collectors 

to  a  waterman  that  had  a  pass  ffor  3 
weekes  ...         

29  at  the  monthly  meeteinge  ffor  Two 
warrants  ffor  new  officers  ... 

my  Charges      ...         

my  Bill 

May    giuen  to  a  lame  man  and  Three 

Chilldren 
A  double  sessment  for  my  selfe  the 

Charges 
5    giuen  to  two  men  that  had  a  pass  . . . 
To  phileman  breadfforth  for  Caringe 

hue  and  Crie 
To  Edward  barker  ffor  Carringe  hue 

and  Crie  in  the  nighte  to  walley  ... 

12     ffor  seruinge  a  warrant  of  Ann  Lunn 

giuen  to  william  bagshaw  ffor  a  soul- 

diers  lodginge  one  night     

for  goeinge  to  bossouar  [Bolsover]  to 

the  excise 
fo  searchinge  with  a  hue  and  Crie  one 

night ...         

giuen  to  the  watchmen  the  ffeast  day 
June     paide  to  mastr  Bowman  for  the 

shirehall 
ffor  repaires  of  bridges  mentioned  in 

the  same  warrant     ... 

acquitance  for  both     ...         

and  my  Charges 

at  the  makeinge  of  a  single  sesment ... 
9     ffor  Caringe  a  hue  and  Crie  to  walley 

in  the  night 

[p.  3] 

July    ffor  another  hue  and  Crie  to  walley 

To  a  maimed  souldier  

To  Two  trauellers       


010 

006 
002 
006 


0 

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IS 

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30 


PUBLICATIONS  AND  PROCEEDINGS. 


24  To  mastr  Bowman  ffor  the  vper 
bench  martiell  sscse  and  gaile  for 
the  Countie  ...         ...         

fTor  the  releefe  of  the  maimed  souldiers 

ffor  Two  acquitances 

ffor  my  Charges  and  olliuer  Wood- 
heads  ...         ...         

The  presentment  to  the  stile  [?]  make- 

inge 

The  Cariage  of  it        

My  Charges     ...         

To  the  watchmen  at  the  workes  day 

and  night      ...         

Ag**  To  the  monthly  meetinge  my  pre- 
sentment     ...         

my  Charges      

to  two  souldiers 

To  ffrancis  manks  ffor  Caringe  a 
woman  To  Clowne .. . 

her  Charges  ffor  meate  and  money  ... 
Sept™    To  aman  that  had  alleter  of  Re- 
questt  

To  mastr  Bowman  ffor  the  Three 
houses  of  Correction  and  the  prouest 
marshall 

and  the  acquitance      

my  Charges      ...         

17  To  aman  and  awoman  that  had  a 
pass 

ffor  Carrinige  a  hue  and  Crie  to  Clowne 

to  a  souldier  that  had  a  pass ... 

To  the  excise  to  Boulsouer 

my  bill  makeinge        

To  aman  that  had  a  pass 

my  presentment  makeinge  to  the  ses- 
sions   

and  the  Carriage         

my  Charges     

ffor  lodginge  a  ministers  wife  one 
nighte  ...         ...         

To  a  poore  man  that  had  a  pass 
October    To  the  leede  my  Bill 

my  Charges      ...         

Two  thirdbores  Charges        

my  oath  ...         

my  Charges      

To  a  poore  man  that  had  a  pass 

and  to  the  writer        

Sum  is         

Endorsed  on  back : 
The  marke  of 

OLLIVAR  WOOD  HEAD 
FFRANCIS   BOWYER 

The  marke  of 

+ 
Edward  Mayser  [?] 
William  (?) 
also 

"giveinge  to  the  Con.stable 
on  this  accounte  ffoure 
shillins  seauen  pence." 


0 

5 

9  ha 

0 

19 

II 

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S 

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6 

o    4 


£,    s.    d.  At    the    meeting   of    the    Society    of    Biblical 

ARCHitOLOGY  held  on  December  7,  Mr.  Walter 
Morrison,  M.P.  (who  has  succeeded  the  late  Sir  P.  Le 
Page  Renouf  as  President),  in  the  chair,  gifts  of 
various  books  were  announced.  After  other  formal 
business,  Mr.  J.  Offord  read  some  notes  on  the  Con- 
gress of  Orientalists,  held  at  Paris,  and  the  Rev.  C.  J. 
Ball  read  a  paper  by  Professor  Dr.  Oppert,  entitled 
'*  The  Cuneiform  Inscriptions  and  the  Book  of 
Kings." 

The  anniversary  meeting  of  the  society  is  to  be  held 
at  37,  Great  Russell  Street,  Bloomsbury,  W.C.,  on 
Tuesday,  January  11,  1898,  at  8  p.m. 

^  ^  ^ 

At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Royal  ARCHiSO- 
LOGiCAL  Institute,  on  December  i,  Mr.  C. 
Edwards  exhibited  twelve  Romano- British  pewter 
vessels,  part  of  a  remarkable  deposit  of  thirty-three 
vessels  found  at  Appleshaw,  near  Andover,  by  Rev. 
G.  Engleheart.  They  consisted  of  three  round 
dishes  of  about  1 5  inches  in  diameter,  and  ornamented 
in  the  centre  with  geometrical  patterns.  The  other 
nine  vessels  were  cup-shaped,  resembling  the  well- 
known  types  of  Samian  pottery.  A  small  dish  in  the 
shape  of  a  fish,  and  having  an  ornament  in  the  centre 
of  a  fish,  as  well  as  a  shallow  circular  bowl  with  the 
Labarum  marked  on  its  base,  show  their  connection 
with  Christianity.  It  was  announced  that  the  British 
Museum  had  acquired  the  whole  collection. 

Dr.  Wickham  Legg  read  a  paper  on  "  The  Eastern 
Omophorion  and  the  Western  Pallium."  Many  years 
ago  G.  B.  de  Rossi  had  pointed  out  to  him  that  the 
modern  vestments  of  a  Greek  bishop  corresponded 
to  those  of  an  emperor  or  consul,  the  stoicharion  and 
saccos  to  the  two  undergarments  shown  in  a  consular 
diptych,  and  the  omophorion  to  the  consular  scarf. 
The  epigonation,  not  seen  in  the  diptych.  Dr.  Legg 
referred  to  the  lozenge-shaped  ornament  seen  on  the 
emperor  and  his  courtiers  in  the  mosaics  at  Ravenna. 
With  the  aid  of  illustrations  from  mosaics  and 
pictures  the  relation  between  the  two  forms  of  omo- 
[?]  phorion  and  pall,  the  one  broad  and  silken,  and  the 
other  narrow  and  woollen,  was  discussed,  and 
numerous  points  of  resemblance  in  detail  pointed  out. 
The  pall  in  the  East  was  the  distinctive  episcopal 
ornament,  much  as  the  stole  is  considered  the  distinc- 
tive presbyteral  ornament  in  the  West.  According  to 
Abbe  Duchesne,  the  pall  was  formerly  worn  by  all 
934  bishops  in  the  West,  at  all  events  in  the   Galilean 

countries.  Here  it  was  noticed,  however,  that  we  left 
the  safe  ground  of  the  monuments  and  began  to  deal 
with  the  uncertain  information  given  by  writers  who 
attributed  various  meanings  to  the  same  word,  and 
the  difficulties  of  the  antiquary  in  unravelling  the 
tangle  were  not  diminished  by  the  controversies  which 
had  raged  round  the  symbolism  of  the  pall.  A  great 
deal  of  sentiment  had  been  talked  about  the  Christian 
vestments,  and  much  unhistorical  writing  had 
darkened  the  history  of  things,  in  itself  plain.  But  no 
Christian  vestment  had  suflfered  more  than  the  pall. 
The  writings  on  the  pall  by  Du  Saussay,  Vespasiani, 
and  Dr.  A.  Gasquet,  might  give  pleasure  at  the  Court 
of  Rome,  but  they  can  hardly  be  considered  serious 
history;  while  the  essay  of  Dom  Tierri  Ruinart, 
though  now  200  years  old,  was  still  of  value  in  archae- 


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PUBLICATIONS  AND  PROCEEDINGS. 


31 


ology,  especially  if  supplemented  by  Abbe  Duchesne's 
able  rSsumi  of  the  subject  in  his  Origines. 

Mr.  H.  S.  Cowper  gave  an  account  of  the  examina- 
tion of  a  "  bloomery,"  or  old  iron-smelting  furnace  at 
Coniston.  Very  little  is  known  of  these  sites,  which 
in  the  Furness  district  are  numerous,  and  hitherto  no 
attempt  has  been  made  to  elucidate  them  by  excava- 
tion. It  is  known  that  the  Abbey  of  Furness  had 
three  smelting-hearths  in  Hawkshead  parish,  and  that 
after  the  Dissolution  the  smelting  was  leased  to  a 
private  firm  by  the  Crown.  These,  however,  were 
stopped  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  on  account  of  the 
damage  to  the  woods,  but  the  decree  allowed  the 
tenants  to  continue  making  iron  for  their  own  use. 
Heaps  of  slag  are,  however,  found,  not  only  in  the 
manors  belonging  to  the  Abbey,  but  also  in  the 
adjacent  lay  manors,  and  to  the  latter  class  the 
Coniston  example  belongs.  The  excavations  (con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Cowper  and  Mr.  W.  G.  Collingwood) 
failed  to  bring  to  light  anything  to  put  a  date  to  the 
site  ;  but  the  foundations  of  the  circular  hearths  were 
small  and  rude,  and  point  to  very  primitive  methods 
having  been  in  use.  A  very  difficult  point  to  explain 
is  the  fact  that  all  such  sites  are  close  to  a  stream,  and 
as  the  ore  was  brought  a  long  distance,  it  is  thought 
washing  would  have  been  done  before  its  arrival  at  the 
furnaces.  The  actual  situation  of  the  mounds  of  slag 
in  some  cases  renders  it  difficult  to  suppose  that  the 
stream  was  to  drive  a  wheel  for  an  air-blast,  and  it 
seems  possible  that  iron  was  wrought  at  every  site  as 
well  as  made,  which  shows  the  use  of  the  stream.  Mr. 
Cowper  thinks  that,  in  spite  of  the  rude  methods, 
many  of  these  furnaces  were  post-Reformation  in  date, 
and  used  by  the  people  for  making  iron  for  farm  use  ; 
but  it  may  well  be  that  different  bloomeries  represent 
very  different  ages. 

^  ^  ^ 

The  second  meeting  of  the  session  of  the  British 
Archaeological  Association  was  held  on  Novem- 
ber 17.  Mr.  Earle  Way  brought  for  exhibition  some 
antiquities  from  Egypt,  consisting  of  two  bronze 
figures  representing  Osiris  and  Isis  and  Horus,  of 
about  700  B.C.,  also  a  specimen  of  mummy  cloth  from 
a  mummy  recently  unrolled,  and  two  ancient  bronze 
sheep-bells.  Mr.  Way  also  submitted  some  Roman 
coins  of  Carausius,  Constantius,  and  Constantine, 
found  lately  in  excavating  for  a  main  sewer  in  Union 
Road,  Southwark,  and  a  shilling  of  Charles  I. 

A  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  Thomas  Blashill,  entitled 
"  Some  Illustrations  of  Domestic  Spinning."  Mr. 
Blashill  said  that  spinning,  except  in  its  modern 
revival,  may  be  considered  a  lost  art,  and  although  it 
went  out  of  practice  in  England  only  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago,  it  is  as  completely  forgotten  by  most 
persons  as  if  it  had  for  centuries  been  extinct.  From 
time  to  time  spindle-wheels  discovered  in  deep  exca- 
vations have  been  exhibited  at  meetings  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, and  implements  used  in  spinning  are  seen  in 
the  most  ancient  Egyptian  sculptures,  and  spindles 
with  the  whorl  attached  are  found  in  Egyptian  excava- 
tions. As  regards  hand-spinning  with  spindle  and 
distaff,  there  has  been  no  progress  through  all  the 
ages,  and  the  most  ancient  specimens  that  are  found 
might  be  used  by  women  who  in  remote  countries 
practise  hand-spinning  to-day.  Mr.  Blashill  described 
the  use  of  the  spinning  and  wool  wheels  be  had 


brought  for  exhibition.  The  great  wool-wheel  appears 
to  have  been  in  use  as  .early  as  the  fourteenth  century, 
and  lingered  on  in  Wales  down  to  recent  times.  The 
ordinary  spinning-wheel  was  known  as  early  as  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  wheel  being  at 
first  turned  by  hand,  and  afterwards  by  a  treadle. 
The  earliest  spinning-wheel  remaining  in  this  country 
is  believed  to  be  in  the  British  Museum,  and  is  of  the 
fourteenth  century.  In  former  times  the  art  of 
spinning  was  a  necessary  accomplishment  for  women 
and  girls,  and  perhaps  its  use  was  rendered  more 
popular  with  them  by  its  being  considered  to  promote 
grace  in  the  female  form.  In  the  year  1721  an  aged 
lady  left  considerable  property  for  the  purpose  ot 
endowing  a  school  for  spinning.  The  art  was 
practised  in  this  country  in  the  drawing-rooms  and 
servants'  halls  of  country  houses  as  late  as  1830.  In 
the  museum  at  Constance  there  are  several  good 
examples  of  spinning-wheels,  but  their  use  is  now 
forgotten.  Rabbit-wool  is  spun  at  Aix  in  Savoy  at 
the  present  time.  A  large  number  of  engravings  and 
drawings  illustrated  the  paper. 

A  discussion  followed,  in  which  Mrs.  Collier  re- 
marked that  the  Southerland  folk  still  use  the 
spinning-wheel,  and  Mr.  Way  said  that  "  home-spun  " 
is  made  in  the  Isle  of  Lewis  at  the  present  day. 
Speaking  of  Egypt,  Mrs.  Marshall  said  the  Bedouins 
use  their  fingers  only,  and  no  distaff.  Mr.  Gould 
mentioned  that  in  pulling  down  a  house  in  Essex 
twenty-eight  years  ago  a  distaff  was  found,  but  its  use 
was  utterly  unknown.  Mr.  Astley,  hon.  sec. ,  pointed 
out  that  the  wheels  used  in  the  Princess  of  Wales's 
schools  at  Sandringham  were  just  the  same  as  those 
upon  the  table. 

Mr.  Patrick,  hon.  sec,  announced  that  during  some 
recent  alterations  at  the  Bishop's  Palace  at  Peter- 
borough, part  of  the  great  drain  of  the  monastery  had 
been  laid  open,  the  line  of  which  had  previously  been 
unknown. 


a 


iaetJietos  anD  Botices 
of  Jf3eto  IBooks. 

Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.  ] 

The  Register  of  the  Priory  of  Wetherhal. 
Edited,  with   introduction  and  notes,  by  J.   E. 
Prescott,  D.D.  Being  Vol.  I.  of  the  "Chartulary 
Series"   of  the   Cumberland  and   Westmorland 
Antiquarian  and  Archaeological  Society.     Cloth, 
8vo.,    pp.   xliii,  552.      London:    Elliot    Stock, 
Kendal :   T.  Wilson.     Price  i8s. 
The  Priory  of  Wetherhal,  a  Benedictine  house  for 
a  superior  and  twelve  brethren,  was  founded  in  the 
eleventh  century  as  a  cell  of  St.  Mary's  Abbey  at 
York.     The  site  of  the  house,  a  beautiful  one  in  the 
valley  of  the  Eden,  is  four  or  five  miles  from  Carlisle. 
At  the   dissolution  the  possessions  of  the  Priory  of 
Wetherhal  were  transferred  to  the  newly-constituted 
secular  chapter  of  a  dean  and  prebendaries  at  Carlisle 
and  it  is  said  that  stones  were  brought  from  the  dis- 
mantled buildings  at  Wetherhal  as  material  for  the 


32 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


erection  of  prebendal  houses  in  the  cathedral  city. 
Little  now  remains  at  Wetherhal,  except  a  fine  entrance 
gateway,  of  which  a  good  photograph  is  given  as  a 
frontispiece  to  the  Register. 

The  Register  of  Wetherhal  is,  it  may  be  explained 
at  the  outset,  a  Chartulary  of  the  Priory,  but  in  several 
respects  from  the  light  it  throws  on  obscure  portions 
of  local  history,  is  of  considerably  wider  interest  and 
importance  than  is  often  the  case  with  similar  collec- 
tions of  charters.  Archdeacon  Prescott  deserves  to 
be  warmly  congratulated  on  the  very  thorough  and 
scholarly  manner  in  which  he  has  edited  it.  The 
original  chartulary  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Dean 
and  Chapter  as  late  as  1812,  but  when  Dr.  Prescott 
set  to  work  it  could  not  be  traced,  and  he  had  to 
make  use  of  three  transcripts  of  the  original,  two  in 
the  possession  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter,  and  the 
third  among  the  Harleian  Manuscripts.  Scarcely, 
however,  had  the  work  appeared  than  Mr.  G.  W. 
Mounsey-Heysham  wrote  to  the  Carlisle  Patriot  to 
say  that  he  was  unaware  that  Dr.  Prescott  was  at 
work  on  the  Register,  and  that  he  believed  that  the 
original,  which  had  been  lost  from  the  Cathedral 
library,  must  be  none  other  than  a  volume  in  his  pos- 
session, and  which  he  would  restore  to  the  library. 
While  it  is  a  matter  for  sincere  regret  that  Archdeacon 
Prescott  had  not  the  original  Register  before  him  to 
work  upon,  there  is  no  reason  to  question  the  sub- 
stantial accuracy  of  the  three  transcripts  of  it  which 
he  was  able  to  collate.  It  will  be  at  least  some  satis- 
faction to  him  to  know  that  his  labours  have  resulted 
in  the  discovery  of  the  original  volume,  and  its  restora- 
tion to  the  Cathedral  Library  at  Carlisle. 

The  work  is  really  a  very  great  one,  and  the  many 
important  points  raised  by  several  of  the  charters  are 
so  numerous  that  we  are  compelled,  from  want  of 
space,  to  forbear  entering  into  a  discussion  of  them. 
Archdeacon  Prescott's  editorship  is  a  model  of  what 
such  work  should  be.  Not  a  j^lace,  or  a  person,  or 
an  object,  is  mentioned  in  a  charter,  but  what  an 
admirable  explanatory  footnote  is  given.  Legal  terms 
are  briefly  but  clearly  explained,  persons  and  places 
identified,  dates  discussed  and  settled,  and  simple 
deductions  drawn  to  aid  the  reader  in  grasping  the 
gist  or  drift  of  the  matter.  We  know  of  no  better 
work  of  the  kind  anywhere,  and  we  are  not  sure  that 
we  know  of  any  quite  so  good. 

Among  what  may  be  termed  minor  points  of  in- 
terest in  the  Register  is  that  of  early  place-names,  of 
which  there  are  a  goodly  number,  some  of  them  being 
of  considerable  interest.     We  see  that  Dr.  Prescott 

•  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  here  that 
the  pretty  woodcut  at  the  foot  of  page  162  of  Graves's 
History  of  Clez'eland  is  a  picture  (not  very  accurate  in 
detail)  of  this  gateway.  There  is  nothing  in  the  book 
itself  to  indicate  what  the  picture  represents,  and  it 
has  been  a  puzzle  to  a  good  many  people  who  have 
naturally  supposed  that  it  depicted  some  building  in 
Cleveland.  Graves's  book  was  published  at  Carlisle, 
and  it  would  seem  that  the  printer,  having  the  wood 
block  at  hand,  used  it  to  fill  up  the  page.  In  the 
background  a  building  is  shown,  which  looks  as  if  it 
were  intended  for  some  portion  of  the  monastery, 
which  must  therefore  have  been  in  existence  when  the 
drawing  was  made  from  which  the  block  was  en- 
graved. 


derives  "  Wandales  "  from  the  Scandinavian  "  wang," 
an  open  field,  and  "dale,"  a  portion.  This  maybe 
the  true  explanation  of  the  name  which  prevails  almost 
everywhere  in  the  north,  but  the  derivation  from 
"wang"  is  more  or  less  a  piece  of  guessing,  and  is, 
we  think,  open  to  doubt.  Elsewhere  Dr.  Prescott 
translates  "salince"  by  "salt-/a«f."  This  is  the 
usual  meaning,  but  in  many  cases,  especially  in  low- 
lying  marshy  land  by  the  seashore,  artificial  hillocks 
were  raised,  and  on  the  top  of  these  the  seawater  was 
boiled  down  to  produce  the  salt.  Such  hills,  called 
"salt-hills"  and  "saltcote  hills,"  are  very  common 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Tees,  and  elsewhere  along  the 
north-east  and  east  coast,  and  they  are  invariably 
described  as  "salince"  in  Latin  documents  ranging 
from  the  twelfth  to  the  sixteenth  centuries.  We 
should  not  be  at  all  surprised  to  find  that  the  "salinse" 
mentioned  in  the  Register  were  similar  salthills,  and 
not  saltpans  at  all.  Perhaps  even  some  of  them  yet 
remain  at  Brough,  unidentified  as  to  their  original 
object  and  use. 

*  *         * 

The  third  part  of  volume  vii.  of  the  fournal  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Ireland  has  been 
issued.  It  contains  the  following  papers:  (l)  "A 
Crannoge  near  Clones  "  (with  two  illustrations),  by 
Dr.  S.  A.  D'Arcy  ;  (2)  "Notes  on  some  of  the 
Kilkenny  Oghams,"  by  Mr.  R.  A.  S.  Macalister ; 
(3)  the  conclusion  of  Miss  Hickson's  paper  on 
"Ardfert  Friary  and  the  Fitzmaurices,  Lords  of 
Kerry."  Besides  these  three  papers,  several  shorter 
communications  are  given  under  the  general  heading 
of  "  Miscellanea,"  and  there  is  also  a  full  account 
(with  many  illustrations)  of  the  Lismore  meeting  and 
the  summer  excursion  of  1897. 

*  *         * 

Part  7  (June,  1897)  of  the  Portfolio  of  the  Monu- 
mental Brass  Society  has  reached  us.  It  contains 
facsimiles  of  the  following  brasses  :  (i)  Laurence  de 
St.  Maur,  Rector  of  Higham  Ferrers,  1337  ;  (2)  the 
children  of  Sir  John  and  Lady  Joan  of  Salesbury  at 
Great  Marlow,  1388  (lost),  from  rubbings  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  belonging  to  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries ;  (3)  Sir  Ingelram  Bruyn,  South  Ockenden, 
Essex,  1400  ;  (4)  Sir  Thos.  Brook  and  his  wife  Joan, 
Thorncombe,  Devon,  1437  ;  (5)  John  Lord  Strange 
and  wife  Jacquetta,  Hillingdon,  1509  ;  (6)  Umphry 
Tyndall,  D.D.,  Dean  of  Ely,  1614,  at  Ely  Cathedral. 
The  facsimiles  are,  as  usual,  admirably  executed  by 
Mr.  Griggs,  of  Peckham. 

Note  to  Publishers. — We  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. — Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  general  interest,  or  on  some  new 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  reach  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


33 


The   Antiquary. 


FEBRUARY,  1898. 


J[3ote0  of  tbe  a^ontb. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  on 
January  1 3  the  following  were  elected  Fellows : 
the  Hon.  Harry  Lee  Stanton  Lee-Dillon, 
Ditchley,  Oxon  ;  Dr.  Oliver  Codrington,  71, 
Victoria  Road,  Clapham,  S.W. ;  the  Rev. 
Francis  Sanders,  M.A.,  Hoylake  Vicarage, 
Cheshire;  Captain  William  Joseph  Myers, 
Kytes,  Watford ;  the  Rev.  George  Frederick 
Terry,  20,  Denbigh  Road,  Bayswater,  W,  ; 
Mr.  Edward  Almack,  i,  Antrim  Mansions, 
England's  Lane,  N.W. ;  Mr.  Samuel  Clement 
Southam,  Elmhurst,  Shrewsbury;  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  John  Glas  Sandeman,  24,  Cambridge 
Square,  Hyde  Park,  W.  ;  and  Mr.  Daniel 
Charles  Addington  Cave,  Sidbury  Manor, 
Sidmouth. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  following,  among  other  communications, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  present  .session, 
are  announced  as  being  promised  :  "  Obser- 
vations on  some  Works  hitherto  unnoticed, 
executed  by  Holbein  during  his  First  Visit 
to  England,"  by  Mr.  F.  M.  Nichols ;  "  Note 
on  Further  Discoveries  in  St.  Martin's  Church, 
Canterbury,"  by  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope, 
assistant-secretary;  "Note  on  the  Will  of 
Thomas  Malory,"  by  Mr.  A.  T.  Martin ; 
"  On  a  Recent  Discovery  of  a  Chariot  Burial 
of  the  Early  Iron  Age  at  Kilham,  East  Riding, 
Yorks,''  by  Mr.  Thomas  Boynton,  local  secre- 
tary, and  Mr.  J.  R.  Mortimer ;  "  Aydon 
Castle,  Northumberland,"  by  Mr.  W.  H. 
Knowles,  local  secretary ;  "  On  the  First 
Foundation  of  Giggleswick  School,  York- 
shire, and  its  Records,  Stone  and  Parch- 
ment," by  Mr.  A.  F.  Leach. 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


Subscriptions  are  being  invited  among  the 
Fellows  for  the  purpose  of  placing  a 
memorial  portrait  of  the  late  Sir  Wollaston 
Franks  in  the  Society's  rooms.  It  appears 
that  Mr.  Charles  J.  Praetorius,  who  had 
for  many  years  worked  for  Sir  Wollaston 
at  the  British  Museum,  had  various  sketches 
and  notes  which,  in  his  opinion,  would  enable 
him  to  produce  a  portrait ;  and  having 
modelled  a  life-size  profile  head  in  relief  in 
wax,  the  work  has  been  approved.  The 
council  proposes  to  offer  a  duplicate  copy  of 
this  for  the  acceptance  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
British  Museum,  as  a  proper  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  their  late  President,  who  was,  by 
virtue  of  his  office  as  such,  a  Trustee  of  the 
Museum.  It  is  estimated  that  the  total  cost 
of  the  finished  portrait  in  bronze  will  be 
about  ^150. 

4?  ^  ^ 
A  new  part  of  Arc/iceologia  (New  Series,  vol. 
Iv.,  Part  II.)  has  been  issued  to  the  Fellows 
of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries.  It  contains 
the  following  papers  :  (i)  "On  Some  AVaxed 
Tablets,  said  to  have  been  found  at  Cam- 
bridge," by  Professor  T.  M'Kenny  Hughes, 
and  which  is  followed  by  a  useful,  and  appar- 
ently very  complete  bibliography  of  the  sub- 
ject of  waxed  tablets.  (2)  "  Visitations  of 
Certain  Churches  in  the  City  of  I>ondon  in 
the  Patronage  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  Church 
between  the  Years  1138  and  1250,"  by  the 
late  Dr.  Sparrow  Simpson.  The  paper  is 
followed  by  some  early  and  valuable  inven- 
tories of  the  churches  in  question.  (3)  "  The 
House  of  Aulus  Vettius,  recently  discovered 
at  Pompeii."  This  is  a  description,  fully  illus- 
trated, of  a  house  with  a  number  of  remark- 
able wall  pictures,  in  Regio  VI.  (4)  "The 
Prebendal  Stalls  and  Misericords  in  the 
Cathedral  Church  of  Wells,"  by  the  Rev. 
C.  ]V^  Church.  This  paper  contains  various 
elements  of  interest ;  it  not  only  places  on 
record  the  old  arrangement  of  the  choir  of 
Wells  prior  to  the  "restoration,"  which  upset 
everything  in  it  fifty  years  ago,  but  it  also  gives 
a  description  of  the  old  stall-work  and  of  the 
misericords,  the  latter  of  which,  though  dis- 
placed, are  fortunately  preserved.  Photo- 
graphs of  several  are  given,  and  they  exhibit 
most  excellent  examples  of  early  fourteenth- 
century  wood-carving.  (5)  "The  Mausoleum 
at  Halicarnassus — the  Probable  Arrangement 


34 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


and  Signification  of  its  Principal  Sculptures," 
by  Mr.  Edward  Oldfield.  This  very  impor- 
tant paper  is  fully  illustrated,  but  it  is  not 
possible  to  indicate  its  contents  here. 
(6)  *'  On  a  Votive  Deposit  of  Gold  Objects 
found  on  the  North-west  Coast  of  Ireland," 
by  Mr.  Arthur  J.  Evans.  This  is  a  descrip- 
tion of  a  very  remarkable  hoard  of  some 
magnificent  gold  objects,  which  are  figured 
and  carefully  described  by  Mr.  Evans,  and 
compared  with  others  found  elsewhere.  We 
do  not  see  that  the  exact  place  where  they 
were  found  is  indicated.  This  is  surely  a 
needless  omission.  (7)  "Excavations  on  the 
Site  of  the  Roman  City  at  Silchester,  Hants, 
in  1896,"  by  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope.  This 
paper  describes  in  detail  (with  plans,  sections, 
and  photographic  illustrations)  the  discoveries 
of  1896  at  Silcheste^;,  and  is  marked  by  Mr. 
Hope's  usual  careful  accuracy  and  clearness 
of  description.  (8)  "  Notes  on  the  Church 
now  called  the  Mosque  of  the  Kalenders  at 
Constantinople,",  by  Dr.  Freshfield.  This 
paper  is  elaborately  illustrated  by  a  number 
of  photographic  plates.  (9)  "  The  Dolmens 
and  Burial  Mounds  in  Japan,"  by  Mr.  William 
Gowland.  This  is  a  very  important  and 
elaborate  communication,  with  a  number  of 
figures  of  the  more  remarkable  of  the  dolmens 
and  mounds  examined  by  the  writer,  as  well 
as  of  the  objects  found  in  them.  It  is  an 
exceptionally  valuable  and  important  paper. 
(10)  "The  Domus  Inferior  or  Friary  of  our 
Oldest  Charterhouses,"  by  the  Rev.  Henry 
Gee.  Besides  the  papers  above  enumerated, 
there  are  illustrated  notes  on  "  A  Sixteenth- 
Century  Mathematical  Instrument-case,"  by 
Mr.  Percy  G.  Stone,  and  on  "  A  Silver  Dish 
with  a  Figure  of  Dionysos  from  the  Hindu 
Kush,"  by  Mr.  C.  H.  Read,  secretary.  In 
conclusion,  we  may  perhaps  express  our 
opinion  that  this  is  one  of  the  best  parts  of 
ArchcBologia  that  have  been  published,  and 
that  this  is  bestowing  very  high  praise  our 
readers  will  readily  admit. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Times  confirms  the  announcement  made 
several  months  since,  that  the  Government 
have  decided  to  undertake  the  construction 
of  the  new  building  at  the  South  Kensington 
Museum,  which  has  been  so  long  projected. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  a  Vote  will  be 
included  in  the  first  batch  of  Civil  Service 


Estimates  next  Session,  and  that  a  commence- 
ment will  be  made  before  the  summer  is  far 
advanced.  The  cost  will  probably  be  con- 
siderable, as  the  new  building  will  occupy, 
next  to  the  Natural  History  Museum,  the 
most  prominent  site  at  South  Kensington, 
and  it  will  necessarily  require  to  be  of  a 
somewhat  ornate  character.  When  the 
matter  was  last  under  discussion  in  the 
House  ^400,000  was  the  figure  mentioned. 
Probably  this  may  be  accepted  as  somewhere 
about  the  cost,  but  it  is  little  short  of  a 
scandal  that  it  has  not  been  incurred  long 
ago,  and  the  valuable  objects  of  all  kinds 
collected  together  in  the  shanty  at  South 
Kensington  properly  and  safely  housed. 

^  ^  ^ 
Mr.  R.  Blair  writes  (December  37)  as  follows  : 
"  About  ten  days  ago  a  Roman  altar  was 
discovered  by  some  workmen  during  building 
operations  in  Vespasian  Avenue,  a  street 
about  100  yards  from  the  south  east  angle  of 
the  Roman  station  at  South  Shields.     Un- 


fortunately,  the  lower  portion  of  it  and  the 
right-hand  'horn'  have  been  destroyed.  It 
bears  the  inscription  *  Julius  |  Verax  [  C[en- 
turio]  leg[ionis]  v[i].'  The  full  height  is 
17  inches,  and  breadth  of  plane  on  which 
are  the  letters  11  inches.  The  letters  are 
about  2  inches  high." 

^         ^         '^ 
Her  Majesty  the  Queen  has   accepted  the 
engraved    sapphire    signet    ring    of    Queen 
Mary  II.,  consort  of  William  III.,  from  Mr. 
Drury  Fortnum.     This  gift  forms  a  pendant 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


35 


to  a  similar  presentation  to  Her  Majesty  by 
the  same  donor,  in  1887,  of  Queen  Henrietta 
Maria's  engraved  diamond  signet  ring. 

^  ^  ^ 
Christmas  and  New  Year's  Day  bring  with 
them  the  observance  year  by  year  of  a  number 
of  well-known  old  customs,  which  are  annu- 
ally reported  in  the  newspapers  much  as  if 
no  one  had  heard  of  them  before.  One  of 
the  more  notable  is  the  Boar's  Head  cere- 
mony at  Oxford,  and  it  may  be  worth  while 
to  place  it  on  record  that  on  Christmas  Day, 
1897,  the  head,  which  was  bedecked  with 
flags,  a  gilt  crown,  and  rosemary,  weighed 
60  pounds,  and  was  taken  from  an  animal 
bred  by  Mr.  J.  Thomson,  of  Woodperry,  near 
Oxford.  It  was  prepared  by  Mr.  W.  H. 
Horn,  the  manciple  of  the  college,  and  was 
carried  on  a  massive  silver  dish  by  servitors 
of  the  college.  As  the  procession  passed  up 
the  centre  of  the  hall  the  Boar's  Head  Carol 
was  sung  by  the  choir,  the  solo  parts  being 
taken  by  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Carter,  of  Christ 
Church,  a  former  scholar  of  Queen's.  The 
company  at  dinner  included  the  Fellows  and 
a  few  guests.  The  Provost  of  Queen's  was 
not  present,  being  abroad  for  the  benefit  of 
his  health,  and  in  his  absence  the  Senior 
Bursar  presided. 

'^  ^  ^ 
The  Daily  Graphic,  which  often  does  the 
study  of  archaeology  and  folklore  a  good 
turn,  printed  a  communication  in  its  issue 
of  January  i  regarding  some  old  Here- 
fordshire customs,  which  are  not,  we 
believe,  so  widely  known  as  many  of  the 
others  recorded  in  newspapers  at  this  season 
of  the  year,  and  we  venture  to  quote  the 
following  from  our  contemporary's  columns, 
as  well  as  to  reproduce  the  small  illustration 
of  the  blackthorn  globe  which  accompanied 
it.  Some  correspondence  followed,  in  which 
one  or  more  of  the  writers  contended  for  a 
differently- shaped  globe  or  crown.  The 
explanation  surely  is  that  the  shape  varies 
more  or  less  in  different  parts  of  the  county. 
The  following  is  the  original  communication 
which  appeared  in  the  Daily  Graphic  : 

^         ^h         ^ 
"  A  strange  custom  still  lingers  in  out-of-the- 
way  country  places   in    Herefordshire.     On 
New  Year's  Day,  very  early  in  the  morning, 
the  farm-boys  go  out  and  cut  branches  of  the 


blackthorn,  which  they  weave  into  a  kind  of 
globe  of  thorns.  Then  a  large  fire  of  straw 
is  made  in  the  farmyard,  in  which  the  globe 
of  thorns  is  slightly  burnt,  while  all  the 
inmates  of  the  farm  stand,  hand  in  hand,  in 
a  circle  round  the  fire,  shouting  in  a  mono- 
tonous voice  the  words  'Old  Cider,'  pro- 
longing each  syllable  to  its  utmost  extent. 
When  the  globe  of  thorns  is  slightly  charred 
it  is  taken  indoors,  and  hung  up  in  the 
kitchen,   when   it  brings  good  luck  for  the 


rest  of  the  year.  No  one  seems  to  know  the 
origin  of  the  superstition,  though  probably 
the  words  '  Old  Cider  '  are  a  corruption  of 
some  much  older  words,  possibly  an  invoca- 
tion to  a  heathen  deity.  Old  people  say  that 
in  their  youth  the  practice  was  general  in  all 
country  places  in  Herefordshire,  and  it  was  a 
pretty  sight  on  New  Year's  morning  to  see 
the  fires  burning  all  over  the  neighbourhood. 
Another  custom  still  in  use  is  to  take  a  par- 
ticular kind  of  cake,  and  on  New  Year's 
morning  to  bring  a  cow  into  the  farmyard, 
and  place  the  cake  on  her  head.  The  cow 
walks  forward,  tosses  her  head,  and  the  cake 
falls,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  New  Year  is 
foretold  from  the  direction  of  its  fall." 

•sIp  ^  «$» 
Speaking  on  a  former  occasion  of  the  obser- 
vance of  old  customs,  and  alluding  to  the 
conservative  habits  of  the  English  people  in 
these  matters,  we  mentioned  the  practice  still 
followed  at  Newcastle-upon-Tyne  of  present- 
ing Her  Majesty's  Judge  of  Assize  with  a 
Jacobus  when  he  leaves  the  town.  Mr. 
W.  A.  Day,  of  Redcar,  Yorkshire  (a  son  of 
Mr.  Justice  Day),  kindly  writes  to  us  as  to 
this  as  follows  : 

"  In  looking  through  the  Antiquary,  in  the 
'Notes  of  the  Month,'  for  January,  1896,  I 
observe  a  paragraph  about  giving  the  judge  of 
assize  a  Jacobus.    It  occurs  to  me  as  possible 

F  2 


36 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


that  you  may  not  know  the  origin  of  this 
custom.  As  a  fact,  two  judges  visit  Newcastle. 
The  senior  judge  receives  one  coin  and  the 
junior  another.  One  coin  is  a  Jacobus  and  the 
other  a  Carolus,  once  termed,  tradition  says, 
a  Carolus  by  the  worthy  mayor  who  presented 
it !  In  the  old  days  of  the  Northern  circuit 
the  judges  posted  from  Newcastle  to  Carlisle, 
and  the  Sheriff  of  Northumberland  escorted 
them  as  far  as  Cumberland,  where  that  county 
received  them  by  its  sheriff.  This  escort 
was  caused  by  fear  of  border  marauders.  As 
things  settled,  the  escort  was  given  up,  and 
the  judges  received  a  little  dagger  each  in 
lieu  thereof  To-day  the  dagger  has  disap- 
peared, and  the  coins  suggest  that  the  judges 
shall  buy  their  safe  journey.  Newcastle 
shares  with  Bristol  the  peculiarity  of  putting 
up  the  judges  free  of  all  cost.  Lodgings  are 
always  found  by  all  counties,  but  Newcastle 
and  Bristol  find  food  and  drink.  I  do  not  know 
the  explanation  of  this,  though  I  have  often 
asked." 

^         ^         A(f 
Mr.  J.  Russell  Larkby  writes  : 

"  I  enclose  a  cutting  from  the  Globe, 
referring  to  the  deplorable  destruction  of 
Wrottesley  Hall  by  fire.  Surely  it  is  a 
matter  for  congratulation  to  think  that  so 
considerate  a  body  of  borough  authorities 
preside  over  the  administration  of  affairs  at 
Wolverhauipton.  All  antiquaries  will  be 
pleased  with  the  '  recent  regulations,'  pro- 
hibiting the  attendance  of  a  fire-engine,  when 
its  presence  would  probably  have  saved  the 
valuable  contents  of  Wrottesley  Hall  from 
almost  total  destruction." 

The  paragraph  {Globe,  December  i6)  is  as 
follows  : 

"  Wrottesley  Hall,  Staffordshire,  the  ances- 
tral seat  of  the  Wrottesley  family  for  two 
centuries,  has  been  entirely  destroyed  by  fire. 
The  flames  were  first  discovered  in  Lord 
Wrottesley 's  dressing-room  shortly  after  mid- 
night, and  before  help  could  be  obtained  the 
entire  west  front  was  in  flames.  A  mounted 
messenger  was  despatched  to  Wolverhampton 
for  the  steam  fire-engine,  but,  under  recent 
regulations  of  the  borough  authorities,  the 
police  brigade  are  prohibited  from  attending 
fires  outside  the  borough,  and  consequently 
the  engines  were  not  sent.  Lord  Dart- 
mouth's private  engine  from  PatshuU  arrived 


about  two  o'clock,  but  was  unable  to  check 
the  progress  of  the  flames,  and  the  entire  man- 
sion, as  stated  above,  was  completely  burned, 
and  its  valuable  contents  of  furniture,  family 
heirlooms,  pictures,  and  extensive  library 
almost  wholly  destroyed." 

'^  ^  ^ 
We  desire  to  call  renewed  attention  to  a  work 
of  the  highest  possible  value  to  every  anti- 
quary, and  which  has  been  undertaken  by 
Mr.  G.  L.  Gomme,  F.S.A.,  on  behalf  of  the 
Congress  of  Archaeological  Societies,  this 
being  no  less  formidable  a  task  than  the 
preparation  of  an  index  of  archaeological 
papers  published  from  1682  to  1890.  The 
records  of  British  archaeology  are  scattered 
through  the  transactions  of  so  many  societies 
that  the  need  for  a  collected  index  has  long 
been  felt,  and  the  formation  of  the  Congress 
of  Archaeological  Societies  in  1888  led  to  the 
first  important  step  being  taken  three  years 
later  of  the  compilationof  a  yearly  index.  This 
index  has  been  compiled  and  issued  for  each  of 
the  years  since  1891,  and  is  admittedly  of  great 
value  to  the  cause  of  archaeological  research, 
but  to  make  it  complete  the  index  from  the 
beginning  of  the  Royal  Society  in  1682  up 
to  1890  is  needed.  This  index  has  been 
compiled  up  to  1885,  and  prepared  for  the 
press  by  Mr.  Gomme,  who  has  offered  the 
use  of  his  manuscript  to  the  Congress,  and  it 
is  now  proposed  to  complete  the  work  for  the 
five  intervening  years — 1886  to  1890 — and 
to  issue  to  subscribers  the  entire  index  from 
1682  to  1890.  The  index  consists  of  a  tran- 
script of  the  titles  of  papers  contributed  to 
every  archaeological  society  and  other  societies 
publishing  archreological  material  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  these  titles  being  arranged 
in  proper  bibliographical  form,  under  author's 
name  in  alphabetical  order,  and  to  this  is 
added  an  exhaustive  subject  index.  Intend- 
ing subscribers  should  send  their  names,  with 
as  little  delay  as  possible,  to  Ralph  Nevill, 
Esq.,  13,  Addison  Crescent,  Kensington,  W. 

^  ^       'h       ^ 

Some  uneasiness  has  been  occasioned  by  a 
statement  that  the  Whitgift  Hospital  in 
Croydon  is  in  danger  of  being  demolished. 
From  a  paragraph  in  the  Times  of  December 
21,  it  appeared  that  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Croydon  Town  Council  held  on  the  previous 
evening  a  memorial  was  received  from  the 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH, 


37 


Surrey  Archjeological  Society  protesting 
against  the  demolition  of  the  hospital,  which 
is  a  very  fine  example  of  Elizabethan  domestic 
architecture.  Two  days  later  the  Times  con- 
tained a  supplementary  paragraph,  to  the 
effect  that  no  proposal  for  the  destruction  of 
the  hospital  had  ever  been  made  to  the 
governors  of  the  foundation,  Mr.  S.  L. 
Rymer,  chairman  of  the  court  of  governors, 
adding  the  expression  of  his  belief  that  any 
such  idea  of  vandalism  would  be  generally 
condemned. 

^  ^  "ill? 
Professor  Boyd  Dawkins  delivered  a  lecture 
in  December  at  Douglas,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Isle  of  Man  Natural  History  and 
Antiquarian  Society,  upon  "The  Isle  of 
Man  in  Prehistoric  Times."  Professor  Boyd 
Dawkins  gave  a  sketch  of  the  continental 
epoch,  when  the  woolly  mammoth  and  other 
extinct  animals  ranged  over  the  continent,  of 
which  the  island  then  formed  a  part.  He 
dealt  with  the  period  of  insularity,  and  de- 
scribed the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  island  when 
it  became  surrounded  with  sea.  Referring 
to  the  great  Irish  elk,  a  very  fine  skeleton  of 
which  has  been  quite  lately  found  in  the  marl 
beds  near  Peel,  he  said  the  country  must  at 
one  time  have  been  much  larger,  to  have  sup- 
ported such  noble  specimens  of  the  deer 
tribe.  Professor  Dawkins  then  proceeded  to 
describe  the  island  during  the  Neolithic, 
Bronze,  and  Iron  Ages,  and  dealt  with  the 
human  inhabitants  of  the  island  during  those 
ages.  In  conclusion,  Professor  Dawkins 
earnestly  appealed  to  the  Manx  people  to 
establish  in  the  island  a  Manx  museum. 
This,  we  understand,  they  are  likely  to  do. 

'J'  ^  «$» 
The  picturesque  fortified  manor-house  of 
Westenhanger,  near  Hythe,  Kent,  known  in 
the  locality  as  Fair  Rosamond's  Bower, 
has,  we  regret  to  learn,  become  the  head- 
quarters of  the  new  Folkestone  Racecourse 
Club.  In  connection  with  the  racecourse 
the  shifting  of  a  large  amount  of  earth  has 
taken  place,  and  the  moat  has  been  dug  out, 
in  what  manner  we  do  not  know,  in  order  to 
furnish  earth  for  a  mound  in  front  of  the 
grand  stand.  In  digging  the  moat  many 
worked  stones  and  other  objects  have  been 
found.  Up  to  the  present  the  remains  found 
have  been   for  the  most  part  of   an  archi- 


tectural nature.  Remains  of  pillars,  gurgoyles 
and  arches  have  been  dug  up  in  abundance, 
as  well  as  some  beautifully-sculptured  pieces 
of  stone,  which  have  been  rather  rashly 
supposed  by  some  to  have  formed  a  portion 
of  a  font.  The  house  forms  the  remains  of 
a  thirteenth  -  century  manorial  seat,  which 
belonged  to  the  Aubervilles,  passing  subse- 
quently to  the  Criolls,  the  Poynings,  the 
Smythes,  and  the  Champneis  ;  but  the  tra- 
dition which  would  connect  it  with  Fair 
Rosamond  rests  on  the  most  slender  basis. 

^  ^  ^T(f 
Mr.  Robert  Craufurd,  of  Stonewold,  Bally- 
shannon,  writes  to  us  :  "  With  reference  to 
the  very  careful  and  appreciative  review  of 
Mr.  Allingham's  account  of  'Captain  Cuellar's 
Adventures  in  Connacht  and  Ulster,'  which 
appeared  in  the  Antiquary  for  December,  I 
should  like,  as  the  translator  of  the  Spanish 
document,  to  add  a  word  or  two  in  support 
of  what  appears  to  me  to  be  the  important 
suggestion  of  the  reviewer  as  to  the  identity 
of  the  Bishop  who  helped  Cuellar  to  escape. 

*'  In  Captain  Duro's  book.  La  Armada 
Live7icible,  he  quotes  from  Cuellar's  narrative 
thus  :  '  Llamase  el  Obispo  D.  Reimundo 
Termi  (?)  Obispo  de  Times  (?),'  the  literal 
translation  of  which  is,  '  The  Bishop  was 
called  Don  Reimundo  Termi  (?)  Bishop  of 
Times  (?).' 

"  Now,  as  the  notes  of  interrogation  occur 
in  the  Spanish  text,  they  suggest,  I  think, 
that  Captain  Duro  found  difficulty  in  de- 
ciphering the  words  '  Termi '  and  '  Times '  in 
the  original  manuscript,  and  that  he  was  not 
altogether  satisfied  as  to  having  got  them 
correctly  in  print.  The  reviewer's  suggestion 
that  we  should  read  '  Tierney '  for  '  Termi '  is 
one  that  will,  I  think,  recommend  itself  to 
everyone  who  has  studied  the  subject.  It 
should  be  remembered,  too,  that  Cuellar  had 
no  note-book  in  which  to  enter  names,  and 
had  to  depend  altogether  upon  his  memory. 

"  Assuming,  then,  that  the  reviewer's 
suggestion  is  correct,  and  that  Raymond 
Tierney,  a  Galway  man,  who  was  Bishop  of 
Elphin  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  was  he  who  succoured  Cuellar,  the 
question  remains,  What  is  the  meaning  of 
'  Bishop  of  Times '  ? 

"The  word  'Tuam'  might  easily  be  mis- 
taken, in  writing,  for  '  Times.'     Tuam  is  in 


38 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


Galway ;  but  then  there  is  the  difficulty  that 
it  was  an  archiepiscopal  see,  and  a  man  who 
had  already  been  Archbishop  of  Tuam  was 
not  likely  to  be  met  with  subsequently  as 
Bishop  of  Elphin.  Besides,  Cuellar,  with 
his  Castilian  sense  of  the  dignity  and  im- 
portance of  titles,  would  most  probably  have 
remembered  that  it  was  an  Archbishop  who 
helped  him.  Could  it  be  that  he  was  a 
Suffragan  Bishop  of  Tuam,  assisting  the 
Archbishop  at  the  time  of  the  Armada,  and 
that  he  afterwards  became  Bishop  of  Elphin  ? 
The  only  other  name  of  an  Irish  see  likely  to 
be  mistaken  in  manuscript  for  '  Times  '  is 
'  Ferns.' " 

We  do  not  think  that  there  is  really  very 
much  difficulty  as  to  the  explanation  of  the 
title  given  by  Cuellar  to  Bishop  Raymond 
Tierney  of  Elphin.  He  probably  knew  the 
Bishop  by  the  name  of  the  village  or  house 
where  he  lived,  and  mistook  it  for  the  name 
of  the  episcopal  see. 

^        ^        ^ 

In  December  last  the  annual  social  meeting 
of  the  Council  of  the  Bradford  Historical 
and  Antiquarian  Society  was  held  at  Bradford. 
Some  years  ago  the  society  voted  a  sum  of 
money  towards  the  Grassington  explorations 
in  Upper  Wharfedale.  At  this  meeting,  as 
the  society  has  funds  in  hand,  it  was  re- 
solved that  excavations  should  be  made  on 
the  site  of  the  old  Roman  castle  at  Ilkley. 
It  was  also  determined  that  inquiries  should 
be  made  about  the  Roman  road  at  Bingley 
and  the  earthworks  on  Rumbolds  Moor,  as 
places  where  the  explorers  might  make  dis- 
coveries of  importance. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  smaller  provincial  societies  do  good  work 
by  fostering  a  taste  for  the  study  of  archae- 
ology ;  but  it  is  not  wise  for  them  to  be  too 
ambitious,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  should 
the  objects  for  which  they  exist  be  entirely 
forgotten.  We  make  this  latter  observation 
because  a  paragraph  has  reached  us  regarding 
a  meeting  of  the  Alloa  Archaeological  Society 
during  December,  when  a  lecture  was  de- 
livered on  *'  The  Jameson  Raid,"  which,  we 
are  told,  proved  "most  interesting  and  enjoy- 
able." Everything,  of  course,  is  a  matter  of 
opinion,  and  what  may  seem  to  one  person  as 
too  modern  to  be  treated  as  archreology  at 
all,  may  to  another  seem  just  the  reverse. 


Still,  we  hardly  realized  that  an  event  scarcely 
two  years  old  would  ever  come  to  be  con- 
sidered a  suitable  subject  for  the  meeting  of 
an  archaeological  society. 

^  '^  '^ 
We  are  glad  to  see  the  increasing  interest 
taken  in  parish  registers,  and  note  that  on 
December  20  the  Shropshire  Parish  Register 
Society  was  duly  constituted  at  Shrewsbury. 
'I'he  Bishop  of  Lichfield  presided,  and  four 
other  bishops  will  be  members  of  the  society, 
which  already  includes  about  150.  The 
society  will  be  governed  by  a  president.  Lord 
Windsor,  and  a  council,  having  as  chairman 
Mr.  Stanley  Leighton,  M.P.,  to  whom  the 
formation  of  the  society  is  mainly  due,  with 
the  Rev.  W.  G.  D.  Fletcher  as  hon.  secretary. 
Mr.  W.  P.  W.  Phillimore  hais  consented  to 
act  as  editor. 

We  have  also  received  a  prospectus  of  the 
Lancashire  Parish  Register  Society,  which 
has  been  formed,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
bishops  of  Manchester  and  Liverpool,  to 
publish  the  church  registers  of  those  ancient 
Lancashire  parishes  that  have  not  already 
been  printed.  The  transcripts  will  be  made 
by  thoroughly  competent  and  trustworthy 
persons,  under  the  auspices  of  the  society, 
and  to  be  "approved  of  by  the  legal 
custodians  of  the  registers,"  whatever  that 
may  mean.  The  prospectus  states  that  as 
far  as  can  be  ascertained  at  present,  of 
registers  commencing  not  later  than  1700, 
there  are  the  following  numbers  in  the 
various  hundreds:  Amounderness  11,  Black- 
burn 16,  Leyland  8,  North  Lonsdale  13, 
South  Lonsdale  12,  Salford  19,  West  Derby 
27 — making  a  total  for  the  whole  county  of 
106.  It  is  not  proposed  at  present  to  print 
any  of  the  registers  of  the  cTiurches  of  more 
recent  foundation.  The  society  has  several 
transcripts  ready  for  the  press,  all  of  which 
have  been  made  by  competent  antiquaries, 
and  early  in  1898  one  or  more  volumes  will 
be  issued  to  the  members.  It  is  purposed, 
so  far  as  possible,  to  select  registers  for  print- 
ing from  the  ^  arious  parts  of  the  county,  each 
in  turn,  so  as  to  evoke  general  interest  from 
the  whole  of  Lancashire.  All  registers  issued 
by  the  society  will  be  printed  in  full,  and 
every  volume  will  contain  an  index  of  names. 
Where  there  are  gaps  in  the  parochial  registers 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


39 


an  effort  will  be  made  to  supply  them  from 
the  episcopal  transcripts  at  Chester.  The 
subscription  is  to  be  a  guinea  a  year.  The 
.Rev.  W.  Lowenberg,  St.  Peter's  Vicarage, 
Bury,  is  the  hon.  secretary. 

•ilp  ^  ^ 
A  discovery  of  interest  is  announced  as 
having  been  made  at  Tasburgh  in  Norfolk. 
The  village  is  the  reputed  site  of  a  Roman 
camp,  and  occasional  remains  have  been  dis- 
interred there.  The  new  discovery  is  the 
burial  -  place  of  the  victims  of  what  was 
evidently  a  considerable  battle.  In  one 
small  pit,  only  a  few  yards  square,  forty 
skulls  were  found,  as  if  the  dead  had  been 
thrown  in  in  heaps,  and  at  other  points  in 
the  neighbourhood  excavations  following  on 
the  first  discovery  have  revealed  others.  The 
matter  is,  we  understand,  receiving  attention 
from  local  and  other  antiquaries,  and  a  more 
detailed  account  may  be  shortly  expected. 

^  ^  ^ 
Mr.  William  Adam,  of  West  Skichen,  Car- 
myllie,  in  Aberdeenshire,  recently  picked  up 
from  off  a  sandy  knoll  on  that  farm  a  small 
sepulchral  urn.  It  was  lying  near  a  ditch,  at 
a  place  where  the  soil  was  mouldering  away, 
and  was  just  protruding  from  the  ground.  It 
is  very  small  in  size,  hardly  bigger  than  a 
breakfast  -  cup,  of  earthenware,  presumably 
sun  -  baked,  but  neat  and  quite  entire.  It 
was  sent  to  Dr.  Anderson,  of  the  National 
Museum  of  Antiquities,  Edinburgh,  who  has 
written  to  the  finder  that  "  It  is  a  sepulchral 
urn,  and  of  great  interest  from  its  being  the 
smallest  of  its  shape  that  I  have  yet  seen. 
It  belongs  to  the  Bronze  Age,  that  is,  the 
archaeological  period  which  preceded  the  Iron 
Age,  and  began  after  the  use  of  stone  tools 
had  died  out,  and  lasted  in  Britain  till  within 
a  few  centuries  of  the  Christian  era.  The 
cup,  therefore,  is  at  least  a  century  or  two 
older  than  the  Christian  era — say  2,000 
years  or  thereby.  It  was  probably  placed 
with  a  burial,  and  if  the  place  where  it  was 
found  were  searched  the  bones  would 
probably  be  found,  and  perhaps  another  urn 
or  more,  for  where  there  is  one  burial  of  this 
kind  there  are  often  others.  In  fact,  the 
finding  of  an  urn  often  shows  the  site  of  a 
tribal  cemetery.  The  little  urn  is  such  a  fine 
and  perfect  specimen  that  we  are  anxious  to 
preserve  it  in  the  museum,  where  all  similar 


sepulchral  finds  throughout  Scotland  are  well 
represented."  We  hope  that  it  will  be 
secured  for  the  museum  at  Edinburgh. 

^       4?       •4» 

Although  more  properly  a  geological  than  an 
archaeological  discovery,  it  may  not  be  alto- 
gether out  of  place  if  we  record  in  these  Notes 
the  recent  finding  at  Stockport,  in  Cheshire,  of 
a  giaiit  fossilized  oak,  trunk  and  two  branches 
complete,  embedded  on  land  which  is  being 
excavated  for  the  construction  of  municipal 
sewage  outfall  works.  It  is  an  exceptionally 
fine  specimen,  exceeding  in  dimensions  any 
oak  now  growing  in  this  country,  and  its 
quality,  in  beauty  of  colour  and  grain  and  in 
solidity,  makes  it  unique.  The  tree  is  com- 
puted to  weigh  over  40  tons.  Professor 
Boyd  Dawkins  and  other  experts  have  de- 
clared it  to  be  one  of  the  giants  which  grew 
thousands  of  years  ago  in  the  primaeval 
forests.  The  Corporation  of  Stockport  has 
been  asked,  in  a  petition  signed  by  several 
well-known  men,  including  Professor  Boyd 
Dawkins,  to  undertake  the  expense  of  the 
removal  of  the  oak  in  order  that  it  may  be 
preserved. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  discovery  has  been  made  in  the  town  of 
Reigate  in  the  form  of  a  portion  of  a  road- 
way which  is  thought  to  be  possibly  of 
Roman  origin.  Some  workmen,  while  ex- 
cavating for  a  sewer  in  Nutley  Lane,  came 
upon  a  formed  roadway  about  5  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  highway.  The  path  is 
about  14  feet  wide,  and  is  composed  of 
flints,  the  edges  of  which  have  been  trimmed 
to  fit,  and  is  altogether  of  a  very  even  char- 
acter. By  some  the  path  is  considered  to  be 
a  continuation  of  the  "  Pilgrim's  Way "  to 
Canterbury,  which  passed  through  Reigate, 
and  which  can  be  seen  on  the  side  of  the 
road  leading  to  Reigate  Hill.  In  the  opinion 
of  others  the  road  formed  part  of  the  old 
Roman  road  from  Winchester  to  London, 
which  passed  over  the  hill,  the  name 
Reigate  being  a  corruption  of  Ridge-gate — 
the  way  over  the  hill.  Mr.  W.  B.  Paley,  of 
Chelsea,  writing  to  the  Times  of  January  8, 
suggests  that  "if  the  road  runs  north  and  south 
or  nearly  so  it  is  probably  a  portion  of  the 
Roman  road  from  Portslade,  near  Brighton, 
to  London.  This  place  was  most  likely  the 
Portus  Adurni,  the  River  Adur  running  into 


40 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


the  sea  close  by  at  Shoreham.  In  1781 
remains  of  a  precisely  similar  flint  road  were 
discovered  on  St.  John's  Common,  near 
Hurstpierpoint,  in  Sussex,  only  about  a  foot 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  It  ran 
north  and  south,  in  a  line  between  Portslade 
and  London."  Mr.  Paley  points  out  that 
the  Roman  route  from  London  to  Winchester 
was  via  Silchester,  where  it  struck  off  to  the 
south  from  the  Great  Western  Road. 

^  ^  Alf 
The  Mesa  Encantada,  or  Enchanted  Mesa 
(tableland)  of  New  Mexico,  has  been  surveyed 
by  a  party  from  the  Bureau  of  American  Eth- 
nology. Some  years  ago  Bandelier  found 
that  the  Acoma  Indians  have  a  tradition  of 
their  ancestors  having  occupied  the  summit, 
but  abandoned  it,  because  the  pathway  up 
the  cliff  was  destroyed,  probably  by  a  cloud- 
burst, which  they  ascribed  to  supernatural 
agency.  Lummis  and  Hodge  also  confirmed 
this  tradition,  and  the  mesa  was  regarded  as 
inaccessible.  Hodge  was  prevented  from 
trying  to  scale  it  by  regard  for  Indian  senti- 
ment. Quite  recently  Professor  Libbey,  of 
Princeton,  ascended  the  mount,  but  saw  no 
traces  of  Indian  occupation.  The  Indians, 
annoyed  at  his  impeachment  of  their  tradition, 
conducted  the  party  from  the  Bureau  to  their 
holy  place  on  September  3.  After  reaching 
the  height,  43 1  feet,  they  were  conducted  by 
the  Indians  along  the  old  route  to  the  top, 
where  they  stayed  the  night.  Several  pot- 
sherds, two  broken  stone  axes,  a  bit  of  shell 
bracelet,  and  a  stone  arrow-head  were  found 
on  the  narrow  and  windy  crest.  All  vestiges 
of  the  ancient  trail  up  the  talus,  and  .thence 
by  hand-and-foot  holes  to  the  top,  have  been 
obliterated,  except  some  traces  of  the  holes. 
The  party  found  no  difficulty  in  ascending, 
and  Professor  Libbey  need  not  have  used  his 
kite  and  boatswain  chair.  The  tradition  of 
the  Indians  is  thus  confirmed. 

^  ^  ^ 
From  the  Woolwich  District  Antiquarian 
Society  we  have  received  a  copy  of  the 
Annual  Report  for  1897.  The  society  seems 
in  a  quiet  way  to  be  doing  useful  work  in  its 
own  district.  The  report  contains  papers  on 
"  Crayford,"  by  Mr.  R.  J.  Jackson  ;  "  How 
bury  House,"  by  Mr.  G.  O.  Howell,  with 
illustration ;  "  Local  Place-Names  and  Vestry 
Books,"  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Vincent ;  "  Woolwich 


Parish  Registers,"  by  Mr.  William  Norman  ; 
and  "  Roman  Coins  relating  to  Britain,"  by 
Mr.  A.  H.  Baldwin. 


^panisi)  JJ)i!5totic  Monuments. 

By  Joseph  Louis  Powell 
(0/  the  Royal  Academy  of  San  Fernando,  Madrid). 

( Continued  from  p.  13.) 

§  5.  La  Puerta  de  Valmardon. 
HIS  ancient  gate,  known  also  as  the 
"Arco  del  Cristo  de  la  Luz"on 
account  of  its  position  close  to 
the  latter  monument,  is  sometimes 
called  "Arco  Romano."  There  is  no 
historical  record  of  its  construction,  so  we 


LA   PUERTA    DE    VALMARDON. 

must  depend  chiefly  upon  the  evidence  avail- 
able on  an  attentive  study  of  the  monument 
on  the  spot.     A  "  Roman  arch  "  it  is,  though 


SPANISH  HISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


41 


whether  actually  erected  in  Roman  time  may 
be  doubted.  It  more  probably  formed  part 
of  the  walls  erected  to  defend  Toledo  by  the 
Gothic  King  Wamba  towards  the  close  of 
the  seventh  century,  and  the  end  of  the  Visi- 
gothic  monarchy,  upon  which  the  curtain 
drops  with  the  defeat  and  death  of  Roderick 
at  the  battle  of  the  Guadalete  in  a.d.  711. 
It  is  evident  that  this  ancient  gateway  was 
erected  anterior  to  the  Moorish  dominion 
over  Toledo  then  begun.  Both  form  and 
construction  tend  to  prove  this.  The  inner 
arch  on  the  side  of  the  city,  as  well  as  the 
outer  towards  the  suburbs,  have  a  slightly 
irregular  outline,  which  yet  on  the  whole 
conforms  to  the  semicircle.  There  is  nothing 
of  the  Arabic  character  about  either  of  them. 
The  construction  of  the  arches  and  lower 
walls  is  of  large  blocks  of  granite,  with  wide 
joints  of  mortar  of  a  type  ihoroughXy prhnitive, 
not  to  say  rude.  Such  primitive  masonry 
can  hardly  be  set  down  to  finished  masters 
in  engineering  and  building  like  the  Romans. 
The  insides  of  the  gateway,  and  more  par- 
ticularly the  jambs,  are  much  worn  by  the 
ravages  of  time.  Hence  I  have  been  led  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  lower  part  of  this 
gateway  dates  back  a  good  many  centuries, 
though  not  quite  as  far  as  to  the  Romans. 
The  higher  part  was  evidently  added  by  the 
Moors.  The  inscription  now  extant  over 
one  of  the  city  gates — Erexit  fautore  Deo  rex 
indytus  urbein,  iFamba — is  a  historical  witness 
to  the  fact  that  King  Wamba,  the  Visigoth, 
was  a  great  builder.  Among  other  things, 
he  either  first  erected  a  city  wall  or  repaired 
that  which  previously  existed.  Defending 
walls  were  only  absolutely  required  on  the 
north  side,  as  the  Tagus  and  its  rocky  defile 
protect  the  city  in  other  directions.  Now 
two  lines  of  wall  exist,  both  starting  from 
the  Alcantara  Bridge,  the  inner  line  keeping 
higher  up  and  skirting  the  precipitous  clififs 
which  form  the  city's  natural  defence  north 
and  north-westwards.  This  inner  and  higher 
fortified  line  is  set  down  to  Wamba,  and  the 
date  of  its  erection  is  about  a.d.  674,  or,  at 
least,  previous  to  his  relinquishing  the  crown 
for  the  cowl,  which  took  place  in  a.d.  687. 
The  Puerta  del  Sol,  as  well  as  a  Roman 
arch  immediately  above  it  on  the  road  to 
the  city,  are  just  left  outside  this  inner  city 
wall,  but   the   Puerta  de  Valmarddn   is  in- 

VOL.    XXXIV. 


eluded,  and  the  three  gates  or  arches  are 
scarcely  more  than  a  stone's-throw  from  each 
other.     Hence  there  seems  everyreason  to 


TOWER   OF   SANTO   TOMfi. 
(Freiii  a  pfiotozraph  by  Laurent  and  Co.,  Madrid,^ 

include  this  ancient  gate  as  part  of  the  works 
of  King  Wamba,  who,  according  to  a  Spanish 
proverb,  lived  "a  very  long  while  ago." 

G 


4* 


SPANISH  HISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


%  7.  The  Tower  of  Santo  Tom6. 
In  this  tower  a  good  example  is  shown  of 
Moorish  work  applied  to  Christian  churches, 
and  which  is  usually  held  in  Spain  to  form  a 
style  by  itself,  known  as  Mudejar.  The  con- 
struction of  the  lower  part  of  the  tower  is  of 
that  effective  kind  peculiar  to  the  Moors  in 
cities  like  Toledo  and  Segovia.  Between  the 
several  courses  of  hard  stone,  resembling 
flint,  lines  of  brick  intervene,  the  quoins 
being  also  of  the  latter.  Here  we  find  the 
pointed  Moorish  arch  wrought  into  trefoils, 
cinquefoils,  septifoils,  and  multifoils.  These 
last,  along  with  the  whole  of  the  lower  of  the 


point,  whereat  they  are  cut  away  to  receive 
the  thrust  of  the  higher  part.  The  corbelled 
roof  of  the  tower,  with  eaves  of  corrugated 
tile,  forms  a  very  picturesque  skyline. 

The  view  of  the  street  adjoining  the  tower 
presents  on  the  walls  of  the  houses  the 
beautiful  masonry  and  stucco  decorations 
which  so  well  portray  the  constructive  skill 
of  the  Moors  of  Spain. 

§  8.  The  Palace  of   Petek  the  Cruel, 
NOW  Convent  of  Santa  Isabel. 

There  are  in  Toledo  numerous  doorways 
of  palaces  and  'private  houses  offering  quite 


PALACE   OK    PETER   THE   CRUEL, 


three  tiers  intoiwhich  the  tower  is  divided,  seem 
to  have  undergone  restoration.  The  bricks 
have  a  newer,  sharper  look  than  in  the  higher 
stages.  The  middle  stage  is  shortened,  the 
round  pillars  of  the  arcaded  panels  having 
all,  save  one,  disappeared.  Of  the  three 
higher  arched  openings,  the  outer  show  the 
peculiar  custom  of  Moorish  builders  in 
cutting  the  thrust  of  the  arch  at  a  given 
angle ;  that  is  to  say,  the  courses  of  the 
bricks  are  not  continuously  convergent  all 
round  the  arch,  as  in  Northern  work.  The 
lower   courses    are   horizontal   to   a   certain 


a  field  for  study  by  themselves,  and  show- 
ing a  most  remarkable  admixture  of  styles. 
These  remains  of  former  sumptuous  build- 
ings seem  at  first  sight  to  convey  to  a  chance 
observer  the  idea  of  Renaissance  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  as  it  was  then  that  many 
features  from  very  different  sources  were 
often  combined  in  a  single  work.  It  seems 
more  probable,  however,  on  a  comparison  of 
these  doorways  one  with  another,  that  they 
are  actually  mediaeval ;  and  such  elements  as 
appear  at  first  to  belong  to  the  Renaissance 
are   afterwards  found  to  be  rather  reniinis. 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


43 


cences  of  Romanesque.  Among  the  most 
notable  of  these  are  the  massive  portals  of 
Ayala,  of  the  palaces  of  Samuel  Levi,  as  well 
as  of  his  master,  Don  Pedro  of  Castile.  Our 
illustration  shows  a  view  of  one  side  of  the 
last- mentioned  palace.  The  portal  itself, 
like  that  of  Ayala,  shows  a  marked  Gothic 
influence,  more  especially  in  the  outline  of 
the  arch  ;  while  the  decoration  is  of  a  peculiar 
kind,  hard  to  classify.  The  right  of  the 
palace  wall,  on  the  other  hand,  shows  a 
marked  Moorish  character.  It  might  well 
be  supposed  that,  as  it  bears  the  name  of  the 
"  Alcazar  del  Rey  Don  Pedro,"  it  is  of  his 
time,  A.D.  1350 — 1369.  Madoz,  however, 
declared  that  nothing  is  positively  known  as 
to  its  date. 

In  conclusion,  it  may  be  remarked  that,  as 
there  formerly  existed  hereabouts  a  multitude 
of  important  edifices,  it  is  possible  that  the 
two  parts  of  the  wall,  of  which  we  give  a 
view,  and  which  show  such  distinct  influences 
at  work,  formed  part  of  two  distinct  buildings 
of  quite  different  origin,  use,  and  date. 

On  the  contrary,  the  palace  of  Samuel 
Levi,  near  the  synagogue  erected  at  his 
expense,  was  actually  built  by  the  Hebrew 
Treasurer ;  and  when  he  fell  into  disgrace,  it 
was  confiscated  by  his  master,  Don  Pedro. 
It  was  afterwards  the  property  and  residence 
of  the  Marquis  de  Villena. 


aBnglanti'0  SDltiest  ^antiicjcafts. 

By  Isabel  Suart  Robson. 

I. — Workers  in  Wool  and  Flax. 

N  many  industries  of  the  fifteenth 
century  the  germ  of  the  present 
factory  system  may  be  distinctly 
traced.  Manufacturers  were  al- 
ready organizing  little  communities  for  in- 
dustrial purposes,  arranged  as  to  afford  scope 
for  combination  and  division  of  labour.  The 
master  was  bound  to  his  workmen  more 
closely  than  the  modern  mill-owner  to  his 
"hands,"  but  the  germ  of  the  system  was 
none  the  less  present.  It  was  -not  a  system 
of  cottage  industry,  such  as  had  hitherto 
been  in  vogue,  but  of  congregated  labour. 


organized  by  one  man,  the  head  and  owner 
of  the  industrial  village.  Among  such  famous 
"  master  clothiers  "  we  read  of  Cuthbert  of 
Kendal,  Hodgkins  of  Halifax,  and  Richard 
King  of  Bradford,  whose  descendants  are 
woollen  manufacturers  in  the  Riding  to-day. 
Perhaps  the  greatest  of  them  was  John 
Winchcombe,  or  "Jack  of  Newbury,"  as  he 
was  called,  who  was  the  first,  so  far  as  we  can 
discover,  to  conceive  the  idea  of  congregating 
spinners  in  one  place.  It  is  recorded  of  him 
that  he  had  a  hundred  looms  always  at  work 
in  his  house,  and  was  rich  enough  to  send  a 
hundred  of  his  journeymen  duly  equipped  to 
Flodden  Field.  A  poem  of  his  own  com- 
posing rather  lengthily  describes  his  establish- 
ment ;  besides  "  the  hundred  looms  and  the 
place  of  the  carders  and  sorters,"  there  was  a 
spinning-room,  where 

Four  hundred  maidens  did  abyde 

In  petticoats  of  stemmel  red, 

And  milk  whyte  Kerchers  on  their  head. 

This  plan  of  setting  up  many  looms  and 
engaging  journeymen  had  always  given  great 
dissatisfaction  to  the  weavers  who  plied  their 
craft  in  their  own  cottages.  As  early  as 
1340  Thomas  Blanket,  of  Bath,  was  ordered 
to  pay  a  heavy  fine  "  for  having  caused 
various  machines  for  weaving  to  be  set  up  in 
his  house,  and  for  having  hired  weavers  and 
other  workmen  for  this  purpose."  In  the 
early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  they  again 
petitioned  Government  to  move  in  their  behalf. 
Henry  VIII.,  who  always  carefully  nurtured  his 
manufactures,  passed  an  Act  limiting  weavers 
living  in  towns  to  two  looms,  a  plain  inten- 
tion to  prevent  cloth  manufacture  from  falling 
into  the  hands  of  capitalists  who  employed 
"  hands  "  rather  than  men,  and  to  enable  as 
many  people  as  possible  to  earn  an  indepen- 
dent livelihood  in  their  own  houses.  The  cost 
would  be,  of  course,  necessarily  greater  and 
the  cloth  dearer  than  if  trade  had  been 
allowed  to  follow  its  co-operative  tendency, 
but  the  Government  seems  to  have  thought 
that  any  such  loss  was  compensated  by  the 
sense  of  independence  and  manly  freedom 
with  which  weavers  would  be  able  to  live 
and  support  their  families ;  yet  it  was  from 
these  village  communities  that  Manchester, 
Bolton,  Leeds,  Halifax,  Bury,  and  many  other 
important  towns  arose,  with  their  huge  fac- 

G    2 


44 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDLCRAFTS. 


tories,  where  workmen  number  thousands, 
and  produce  is  almost  incredibly  great. 

Exeter  in  the  seventeenth  century  had 
already  become  noted  for  its  serges,  "the 
whole  town  and  country  for  at  least  twenty 
miles  being  engaged  in  spinning,  weaving, 
dressing,  scouring,  fulling,  and  drying  the 
texture."  In  the  Diary  of  Celia  Fiennes, 
written  during  the  reign  of  William  III.  and 
Mary,  we  have  an  interesting  account  of  the 
industry  as  it  struck  a  young  and  observant 
girl  at  a  time  when  a  very  few  "fine  ladies" 
gave  a  thought  as  to  how  the  cloth  in  which 
they  habited  themselves  was  prepared  for 
use : 

"  At  this  tyme  serge  turns  the  most  money 
in  a  week  of  anything  in  England.  One 
weeke  with  another  there  is  looo  pound  paid 
in  ready  money,  sometymes  1500  pound. 
The  weavers  bring  in  their  serges  and  must 
have  their  money,  which  they  employ  to 
provide  them  yarne  to  goe  to  work  againe. 
The  carryers  I  met  going  with  it  bring  the 
serges  all  just  from  the  Loome,  and  soe  they 
are  put  into  the  fulling-mills ;  but  first  they 
will  Clean  and  Scour  their  rooms  with  them, 
which  by  the  way  gives  noe  pleasing  perfum6 
to  the  room,  and  I  should  think  the  oyle  and 
grease  would  rather  fouU  a  room  than  cleanse 
it,  but  I  perceive  it  is  otherwise  esteemed  by 
them  which  will  send  to  their  acquaintance 
that  are  tuckers,  the  dayes  serges  come  in, 
for  a  roll  to  clean  their  house."  Surely  this 
must  have  been  an  abuse  of  the  manufacture 
rather  than  a  legitimate  custom,  though  the 
fair  traveller  assures  us  "of  this  I  was  an 
Eyewitness."  The  next  process,  she  says, 
"was  to  lay  them  in  brine,  then  to  swape 
them,  put  them  into  the  fulling  mills,  then 
turn  water  into  them  and  scour  them.  The 
mill  draws  out  and  gathers  in  the  serges,  it's 
a  pretty  divertion  to  see  it,  a  sort  of  huge, 
machine  with  notch'd  timbers  like  great  teethe 
— one  would  think  it  would  injure  the  serges, 
but  it  does  not.  When  they  are  thus  scoured, 
they  drye  them  in  racks  strained  out  which 
are  thickly  set  one  by  the  other,  and  huge 
large  fields  are  occupy'd  this  way  almost  all 
round  the  town.  When  drye  they  pick  out 
all  knots,  then  fold  them  with  a  paper 
between  Every  fold  and  so  sett  them  oh  an 
iron  plate  on  the  top  of  which  is  a  furnace  of 
fire  of  Coales,  this  is  the  hot  press;  then 


they  fold  them  Exceeding  Exact  and  then 
press  them  in  a  cold  press,  some  they  dye 
but  the  most  are  sent  for  London  white." 
The  south-western  counties  still  hold  the 
chief  place  as  a  serge-producing  district,  and 
much  the  same  methods  on  an  improved 
scale  are  in  vogue,  though  the  preliminary 
detail  of  using  them  as  scouring-cloths  does 
not  find  a  place  to-day. 

Defoe,  in  his  Tour  through  Great  Britain 
(t724-i726),  gives  an  interesting  account  of 
the  class  of  small  manufacturers  "  who  lived  in 
their  own  land,  working  with  their  workpeople," 
not  only  in  the  western  counties,  but  in  the 
Yorkshire  Riding.  The  district  round  Hali- 
fax, he  says,  "is  divided  into  small  enclosures, 
with  hardly  a  house  out  of  speaking  distance 
from  another  !  And  we  could  see  in  every 
house  a  tenter  and  on  almost  every  tenter  a 
piece  of  cloth,  a  Kersey  or  shalloon.  At 
every  considerable  house  there  was  a  manu- 
factury.  Every  clothier  keeps,  at  least,  one 
horse  to  carry  his  goods  to  market,  and 
everyone  keeps  a  cow  or  two  or  more  for  his 
family.  The  houses  were  full  of  lusty 
fellows,  some  at  dye-vats,  some  at  the  looms, 
others  dressing  the  cloths  :  the  women  and 
the  children  carding  or  spinning,  being  all 
employed  from  the  youngest  to  the  oldest ; 
and,"  the  writer  adds,  "  not  a  beggar  to  be 
seen  anywhere  or  an  idle  person,"  a  comment 
scarcely  applicable  to  Halifax  or  any  large 
manufacturing  town  to-day. 

The  period  of  which  Defoe  wrote  was  the 
zenith  of  Norfolk's  prosperity  as  a  cloth- 
manufacturing  district.  It  had  suffered  con- 
siderably by  the  change  in  dress  and  material 
brought  about  by  the  Treaty  of  Commerce 
made  with  France  in  17 13;  and  the  griev- 
ances therefrom  resulting  were  set  forth  in  a 
pamphlet  entitled  The  Weaver's  True  Cause. 
The  weavers  in  this  protest  pointed  out  "that 
women  of  quality  who  had  hitherto  worn 
English  wares  were  now  clothing  themselves 
in  outlawed  chintzes,  and  that  the  wearing  of 
printed  and  painted  commodities  put  all 
degrees  and  orders  of  womankind  into  such 
disorder  and  confusion  that  the  lady  could 
not  be  known  from  her  chambermaid  " !  An 
Act  was  passed  prohibiting  the  selling  or 
wearing  of  foreign  calicoes,  and  so  rigorously 
enforced  that,  according  to  a  London  news- 
paper of  December  30,  1722,  a  woman  was 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDLCRAFTS. 


45 


seized  in  London  Wall  for  wearing  a  dress 
faced  with  the  forbidden  texture,  and  taken 
before  a  magistrate.     This  hardy  advocate  of 
free-trade  and  a  woman's  right  to  please  her- 
self, refused  to  pay  the  fine,  and  underwent  a 
term  of  imprisonment.  In  spite  of  its  "  griev- 
ances "  Norwich  was,   in   the   beginning   of 
the  eighteenth  century,  the  most  prominent 
manufacturing  town,  and  its  workmen  so  far 
in  advance  of  all  others  that  many  districts 
sent  their  goods  there  to  be  dyed  and  finished; 
150,000    people    were    engaged    in  various 
branches   of  textile  manufacture,  and  from 
;^6oo,ooo  to  ;i{^7oo,ooo  was  paid  annually 
in  wages.     "  The  weaver  never  thought  of 
sitting  down  to  commoner  fare  than  is  placed 
to-day  on  the  tables  of  the  well-to-do  middle- 
classes."     Upon  this  era  of  prosperity  broke 
the  Thirty  Years'  War,  disastrously  affecting 
the  large  trade  of  the  city  with  the  Continent, 
and  before  this  long  struggle  was  ended  York- 
shire was  competing  actively  for  the  supre- 
macy in  trade.    The  "  Industrial  Revolution," 
as  the  introduction  of  machinery  has  been 
aptly  termed,  was  now  at  hand,  and  York- 
shire accepted   the   change   with   quickness 
and    enterprise.      In  Norfolk   there   was   a 
strong   disinclination    to    adopt   mechanical 
methods  ;  there  were  in  Norwich  two  parties 
so  opposed  to  each  other  that  neither  dared 
to  introduce  improved  tools  lest  the  other 
should  riot.     "  On  this  crisis,  ending  as  it 
did  in  the  decline  of  its  trade,  Norwich  was 
its  own  worst  enemy."     In  1838,  when  the 
West    Riding   was    working    347    mills    by 
machinery,    and    employing   30,000    hands, 
there  lingered  in  Norwich  5,000  hand-looms, 
of    which    more    than    3,000   were    in    the 
cottages  of  the  weavers,  and  only  three  were 
worked  by   steam,  and  one   driven   by  the 
antiquated  water-wheel. 

The  manufacturers  of  Norwich  discovered 
their  mistake,  and  hastened  to  introduce  the 
newest  machinery  when  it  was  too  late. 
Attention  for  a  while  was  exclusively  confined 
to  the  specialities  which  formed  the  staple 
trade  of  the  district ;  the  Norwich  Spinning 
Company,  Messrs.  Grout  and  Co.,  Messrs. 
Jay  and  Sons,  Messrs.  Blake,  Messrs.  Middle- 
ton  and  Ans worth,  Messrs.  Willetand  Nephew 
especially  contributed  to  revive  the  trade, 
but  although  to-day  over  16,000  persons  are 
employed  in   Norwich,  and  all  the  villages 


help  to  swell  the  number,  the  West  Riding 
keeps  the  position  it  won  a  century  or  more 
ago,  as  the  chief  seat  of  England's  woollen 
manufacture. 

Until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century 
the  poet's  vision  of 

Contentment  spinning  at  the  cottage-door 

was  no  imaginary  picture.      Labour  at  the 
loom  went  on  leisurely  and  regularly ;  women 
and   children  shared  the   task  of  the  men, 
carding  and  spinning  the  weft  which  father 
and  sons  wove  into  cloth.     But  a  great  change 
was  now  to  take  place,  that  "  great  Industrial 
Revolution  "  which  was  at  first  neither  more 
nor  less  than  a  fierce  battle  between  manual 
labour  and  mechanism.     Those  who  brought 
it  about  had  as  many  difficulties  to  contend 
with   as   a   traveller   in   an   unexplored  and 
hostile  country.    "  Driven  from  town  to  town, 
persecuted  with  the  violence  of  hatred  by 
those  who  believed   that   machinery  was   a 
device  of  the  father  of  all   evil   to   deprive 
them  of  daily  bread,  their   lives  frequently 
endangered  and    sometimes  forfeited,   their 
machines   ruthlessly  broken   to   atoms   and 
their  every  attempt  to  improve  manufacture 
and  increase  English  industries  treated  as  an 
endeavour  to  steal  existence  from  the  working 
classes,"  such  phases  of  persecution  were  but 
too  common,  and  the  pages  of  contemporary 
history  and  fiction   have   perpetuated   their 
barbaric  details  for  us.     From  the  year  17 13, 
when  the  weavers  began  to  protest  against 
the  introduction  of  Dutch  and  French  textures 
to  the  disuse  of  English  homespun  garments, 
down   to    1830,   our   manufacturing   centres 
were    scenes   of    violence  and    lawlessness. 
On    many    occasions    the    newly-purchased 
machinery  had  to  be  protected  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet,  and  the  too  rabid  partisans 
of  handicraft  taught  the  law  of  progress  by 
the  severe  sentence  of  the  law.     Even  those 
who  "withheld  their  hands  from  violence" 
held  the  ineradicable  belief  that  "  before  long 
the  new-fangled  tools  would  have  had  their 
day,"  and  the  country  return  to  the  good  old 
fashion  of  "  hammer  and  hand,"  by  which, 
says  the  motto,  "  all  art  doth  stand."    As  late 
as  1798  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Ramsbotham, 
Swaine  and  Murgatroyd,  of  Bradford,  had  to 
strip  off  his  coat  and  literally  fight  his  way 
through  an  infuriated  mob  in  order  to  deposit 


46 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


the  first  cartload  of  stone  for  building  a 
factory.  Bradford  was  one  of  the  earliest 
towns  to  adopt  mechanical  aids,  and  adapted 
itself  with  surprising  rapidity  to  changing 
circumstances.  The  power-loom  was  intro- 
duced into  the  town  in  1825,  and  in  the 
following  year  very  determined  efforts  were 
made  to  prevent  its  use.  The  factory  of 
Messrs.  Horsfall  was  marked  out  as  the 
chief  object  upon  which  the  rioters  should 
wreak  their  displeasure.  On  a  bright  May  day 
about  250  persons  gathered  round  the  mill, 
and  after  proceeding  to  break  the  windows 
with  stones,  retired  to  the  moor.  There  they 
were  joined  by  as  many  more  dissatisfied 
workmen,  and  returned  to  the  mill  between 
eight  and  nine  o'clock.  The  authorities, 
however,  had  profited  by  this  delay  and  were 
ready  for  the  rioters.  The  Riot  Act  was  read, 
and  they  dispersed.  A  second  and  third  on- 
slaught was  made  on  the  following  day,  and 
the  Riot  Act  had  again  to  be  read  ;  but  un- 
fortunately some  foolish  person  in  the  crowd 
had  the  hardihood  to  fire  a  pistol.  The 
workmen  who  were  inside  the  mill  protecting 
the  machinery  hereupon  lost  patience  and 
fired  upon  the  rioters,  killing  two  lads  and 
wounding  others.  Authority  eventually  pre- 
vailed, and  quiet  was  restored  to  the  town, 
and  Bradford  did  not  again  rise  against  what 
Mr.  James  calls  "their  never-tired,  all- 
powerful  drudges."  Between  the  years  1812 
and  1816  destroying  machinery  was  an  or- 
ganized proceeding  carried  on  systematically 
by  a  band  of  discontented  handicraftsmen, 
calling  themselves  "  Luddites,"  after  one 
Ned  Ludd,  a  Leicestershire  idiot,  who  had 
in  a  passion  destroyed  some  stocking  frames 
thirty  years  before.  Their  leaders  boldly 
declared  their  willingness  to  march  a  hundred 
miles  in  order  to  destroy  the  detested  imple- 
ments which  seemed  to  promise  all  sorts  of 
future  misery  and  depression  in  their  parti- 
cular industry.  The  "  great  Industrial  Revo- 
lution "  seemed  to  them  absolutely  unneces- 
sary, and  yet  certain  difficulties  attending  the 
weavers'  craft  had  brought  it  •  about  quite 
naturally.  A  weaver  who  had  no  family  who 
could  spin  the  weft  for  him  was  at  an  im- 
mense disadvantage  :  he  had  to  give  out  the 
work  to  be  done,  and  lost  much  time  in  going 
from  house  to  house  to  find  assistance.  It 
was  no  unusual  thing  for  him  to  have  to  walk 


several  miles  each  morning  in  order  to  collect 
from  the  spinners  sufficient  weft  to  keep  him 
employed  during  the  day.  The  demand  for 
weft  was  usually  greater  than  the  supply,  and 
as  the  spinners  were  constantly  hurried  in 
their  work,  what  they  produced  was  not  of 
uniform  value,  often  unfit  for  use  in  the  finer 
branches  of  weaving.  When  we  remember 
that  under  a  heavy  penalty  the  weaver  was 
bound  to  return  his  work  finished  on  a  certain 
day,  and  every  hour  lost  in  the  morning  had 
to  be  borrowed  from  the  night,  it  is  only  to 
be  expected  that  some  long  head  should  strive 
to  compass  a  quicker  method  of  producing 
weft  than  the  old  hand  labour. 

In  1770,  James  Hargreaves,  a  weaver  of 
Standhill,  near  Blackburn,  patented  the 
spinning  jenny,  a  frame  with  a  number  of 
spindles  side  by  side,  which  was  fed  by 
machinery,  and  by  means  of  which  many 
threads  might  be  spun  at  once,  instead  of 
only  one,  as  on  the  hand-spinning  wheel. 
The  invention  was  first  applied  to  cotton, 
but  weavers  of  wool  soon  availed  themselves 
of  its  time-saving  properties. 

Nine  years  later,  Samuel  Crompton,  a 
spinner,  the  son  of  a  Bolton  farmer,  super- 
seded this  invention  with  a  machine  called 
the  '■  mule,"  which  was  an  enormous  success. 
Today  12,000  spindles  are  often  worked  at 
once  and  by  one  spinner,  and  there  is  scarcely 
a  factory  in  England  but  has  availed  itself  of 
Crompton's  "mule." 

These  inventions,  however,  only  increased 
the  power  of  spinning  raw  material  into  yarn, 
and  intelligent  men  were  puzzling  their  minds 
to  fashion  a  machine  which  should  do  as 
much  for  weaving.  In  1785,  Dr.  Cartwright, 
a  Kentish  clergyman,  brought  out  the  power- 
loom,  which  aimed  at  sweeping  away  the 
hand-weaver,  as  the  spinning-jenny  and  the 
mule  had  done  the  hand-spinner.  It  was 
eminently  successful,  and  was  the  precursor 
of  a  long  line  of  improved  machinery  for 
weaving  in  all  its  branches,  and  of  a  gigantic 
increase  in  the  textile  manufacture  of  England. 
The  widespread  discontent  the  power-loom 
caused  among  artisans  has  been  touched 
upon  already,  and  only  with  a  long  lapse  of 
years  could  men  be  brought  to  see  that  life 
and  labour  were  still  to  be  theirs,  though 
workers  in  wool  and  flax  ceased  for  ever  to 
be  handicraftsmen. 


RECEPTION  OF  JOHN,  DUKE  OF  BEDFORD. 


47 


deception  of  3Iot)n,  Duke  of 

T5eDforD,  Ecgent  of  jTtance,  as  a 

Canon  of  Eouen  in  1430. 

|HE  reader  will  scarcely  need  to  be 
reminded  that  Henry  V.  had  died 
in  1422,  leaving  his  only  son 
Henry  VI.,  an  infant  nine  months 
old,  successor  to  the  Crown.  The  elder  of 
Henry  VI. 's  two  uncles,  John,  Duke  of 
Bedford,  was  intrusted  with  the  Government, 
and  as  Regent  of  France  spent  much  of  his 
time  in  that  country  and  at  Rouen,  the 
capital  of  Normandy.  The  chief  events 
which  took  place  in  France  during  the  period 
of  his  regency  do  not  need  to  be  repeated, 
culminating  as  they  did  in  the  exploits  of 
the  Maid  of  Orleans  and  her  cruel  execu- 
tion in  143 1,  and  finally  closing  with  the 
duke's  own  death  four  years  later. 

The  episode  in  the  duke's  career  which 
is  here  related  has  been  Englished  from  the 
ninth  chapter  of  the  second  book  of  a 
rather  scarce  work  by  Dom  Pommeraye, 
entitled  Histoire  de  I'Egltse  Cathedrale  de 
Rouen,  Metropolitaine  et  Prwiatiale  de  Nor- 
itiandie,  divisee  en  cinq  /ivres,  and  pub- 
lished anonymously  in  1686  at  Rouen.  It 
describes  the  reception  of  the  Duke  of 
Bedford  as  a  canon  of  the  cathedral  church 
of  Rouen  in  1430. 

The  magnificent  illuminated  manuscript 
book  of  Hours,  generally  known  as  the 
Bedford  Missal,  executed  for  the  duke  while 
Regent  of  France,  contains  what  are  believed 
to  be  portraits  of  himself  and  his  wife  Anne 
of  Burgundy,  and  bears  further  testimony  to 
his  ecclesiastical  instincts.  The  accompany- 
ing illustrations  of  these  two  pictures  are 
copied  from  drawings  published  at  the  time 
of  the  purchase  of  the  Bedford  Missal  for 
the  nation  in  1852.  The  fact  that  the  Duke 
became  a  canon  of  Rouen  is  not  generally 
known,  and  is  an  interesting  event  in  his 
career. 

"  Chapter  IX.— The  Duke  of  Bedford 
ASSUMES  the  Habit  of  a  Canon  in 
THE  Cathedral  of  Rouen. 

"  A  modern  writer  has  very  truly  observed 
that  as  heathen  emperors  did  not  consider 
that  they  possessed  the  attributes  of  royalty 


in  full,  if  they  did  not  assume  the  functions 
of  the  priesthood  as  well,  so  our  Most  Chris- 
tian Kings  by  a  like  sentiment  have  ever  been 
ready  to  accept  the  honour  which  the  popes 
have  conferred  upon  them  of  wearing  the 
surplice  and  almuce  in  the  quality  of  canons 
of  St.  John  Lateran  at  Rome,*  and  not  only 
do  they  possess  this  right  in  the  Lateran 
church,  but  also  in  several  of  the  cathedrals 
of  their  own  kingdom  as  well,!  so  that  it  is 
no  matter  for  surprise  that  the  Duke  of 
Bedford  sought  to  enjoy  a  like  privilege  in 
the  cathedral  church  of  Rouen.  This  duke, 
who  was  son,  brother,  and  uncle  of  a  king,  J 
Duke  of  Bedford  and  of  Angers,  Earl  of 
Maine,  Richmond,  Kendal,  and  Harcourt, 
having  come  to  France  in  the  capacity  of 
regent  of  the  kingdom  on  behalf  of  the 
young  King  Henry,  his  nephew,  and  residing 
usually  at  Rouen  with  Anne  of  Burgundy, 
his  spouse,  deemed  that  it  would  be  a  proper 
and  pious  act  if  he  adopted  the  habit  of  a 
canon,  and  with  that  intention  he  testified 
on  October  20,  1430,  to  the  canons  of  the 
cathedral  in  chapter  assembled,  '  the  devotion 
which  he  bore  towards  God  and  the  glorious 
Virgin  Mary,  together  with  a  very  loving 
request  (by  which  placing  his  confidence  in 
them  for  the  good  of  his  body  and  soul,  and 
of  his  spouse  the  most  illustrious  Anne  of 
Burgundy,  and  by  a  sentiment  of  respect  for 
their  society,  being  already  one  of  their 
founders,  as  well  as  their  lord),  he  asked  to 
be  received  among  them  as  one  of  their 
brethren,  to  have  his  daily  distribution  of 
bread  and  wine,  and  as  a  mark  of  fraternity 
to  wear  the  surplice  and  almuce;  and  also 
that  both  he  and  his  most  gracious  and 
illustrious  spouse  might  be  associated  in  the 

*  The  church  of  St.  John  Lateran,  Ecdesia  Cathe- 
dralis  Laieranensis,  is  the  cathedral  church  of  Rome, 
in  which,  and  not  in  St.  Peter's,  the  pope  has  his 
throne  as  bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Rome. 

t  The  King  of  France  was  "  premier  chanoine  "  of 
Lyons,  Embrun,  Le  Mans,  and  other  churches  of  his 
kingdom.  The  English  sovereign  is  still  First  Cursal 
Canon  of  St.  David's  Cathedral.  It  is  generally  sup- 
posed that  the  quasi- sacerdotal  consecration  which  the 
English  sovereigns  still  receive,  and  which  those  of 
France  used  to  receive  at  their  coronation,  forms  the 
ground  of  their  eligibility  for  ecclesiastical  preferment 
of  the  kind.  This,  however,  cannot  be  made  to  apply 
to  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  who,  of  course,  was  never 
crowned  at  all. 

X  Son  of  Henry  IV.,  brother  of  Henry  V.,  and 
uncle  of  Henry  VI. 


48 


RECEPTION  OF  JOHN,  DUKE  OF  BEDFORD. 


prayers  of  the  society,  and  in  the  participa- 
tion of  all  the  good  works  which  it  might 
please  God  to  give  them  grace  to  perform.' 

"  The  members  of  the  chapter  having 
solemnly  debated  the  matter,  and  realizing 
the  great  advantage,  both  public  and  private, 
which  would  accrue   from   it,    unanimously 


Pardon,*  and  on  that  day,  which  was  observed 
with  solemnity  in  the  cathedral,  he  came  thither 
with  tokens  of  great  devotion,  accompanied 
by  his  spouse,  and  by  the  reverend  father 
in  God,  my  lord  Peter,  Bishop  of  Beauvais,t 
Peer  of  P'rance,  vested  in  pontifical  robes 
(who    had    on    either    side   Messieurs    the 


decided  that,  having  regard  to  the  devotion 
of  the  illustrious  prince,  they  would  receive 
him  with  pleasure  in  such  a  manner  as  he 
might  desire,  not  only  as  their  fellow,*  but  as 
their  only  and  most  honoured  lord  after  the 
king.  The  most  honourable  lord  duke  there- 
upon sent  his  reply  to  the  canons,  that  he 
desired  his  reception  to  take  place  on  the 
following  Monday,  October  23,  the  day  and 
festival   of  St.   Remain,  styled  that   of  the 

*  Confrere. 


Bishops  of  Avranchesj  and    Evreux),§  and 
Messieurs   the   Precentor,||   Treasurer,1T   the 

*  The  dedication  festival  of  a  church  is  known  at 
the  present  day  as  a  "  Pardon  "  in  Brittany. 

+  Peter  Cauchon  de  Sommievre,  appointed  in  1420, 
and  translated  to  Lisieux  in  1432,  "judex  de  la  Pucelle 
d'Orleans."  Gams,  Series  Episcoporum,  p.  566.  He 
died  in  1442. 

t  John  de  St.  Avit,  appointed  in  1391,  died  1442. 

§  Martial  Fournier,  appointed  in  1427,  died  1439. 

II  John  Brouillot,  M.A.,  appointed  142 1. 

H  Raoul  Roussel,  Doctor  of  Decrees,  appointed  in 
1420. 


RECEPTION  OF  JOHN,  DUKE  OF  BEDFORD. 


49 


Archcieacons  of  Eu,*  Vexin  Frangais,t  and 
Petit  CauXjJ  with  the  Chancellor,  §  and  many 
other  canons  and  chaplains  of  the  cathedral, 
besides  a   great   number  of  abbots,  priors, 


ladies,  and  persons  of  all  sorts  and  condi- 
tions, and  of  both  sexes. 

•'  Being  thus  nobly  supported,   the  duke 
was  received  with  his  illustrious   spouse  at 


and  others,  both  ecclesiastics  and  lay  people, 
grand    seigneurs,    gentlemen,    dames,    and 

*  Nicolas  de  Venderes,  appointed  in  1417. 

f  There  seems  some  doubt  as  to  who  was  the 
person  recognised  as  Archdeacon  of  Vexin  Fran9ais 
at  this  period.  John  Garin  had  been  appointed,  but 
his  possession  of  the  preferment  was  disputed. 

+  John  de  Boissay,  appointed  in  1409.  There 
were  anciently  six  archdeaconries  in  the  Church  of 
Rouen.  They  ranked  in  order  as  follows,  after  the 
treasurership  and  before  the  chancellorship:  (i)  The 
Grand  Archdeaconry  or  that  of  Rouen  ;  (2)  Eu  ;  (3) 
Grand  Caux  ;  (4)  Vexin  Franfais  ;  (5)  Vexin  Nor- 
mand  ;  (6)  Petit  Caux. 

§  The  chancellor  was  apparently  Giles  Deschamps. 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


the  great  entrance  of  the  church,  and  was 
given  the  holy  water.  Then,  after  having 
venerated  the  holy  cross  and  kissed  the  text 
of  the  holy  Gospels,  they  were  conducted  in 
procession  by  the  canons  and  other  clergy, 
singing  an  anthem  of  the  Virgin,  to  the 
crucifix.  There  they  halted  to  venerate  the 
image  and  the  holy  relics  within  it.  After 
which  the  procession  was  continued  to  the 
chapter  -  house,  where  the  said  lord  duke 
having  taken  the  first  place,  the  duchess 
retired  to  a  position  on  the  right  hand,  where 
she   knelt  down   and  remained  engaged  in 

H 


5° 


RECEPTION  OF  JOHN,  DUKE  OF  BEDFORD. 


devotion  during  a  short  exhortation  delivered 
by  the  venerable  Mr.  Nicholas  Coupequesne. 
After  this  the  lord  duke  rose  to  receive  the 
surplice  and  almuce  from  Mr.  Precentor. 
He  then  descended  with  modesty,  and  took 
his  place  among  the  canons  as  a  token  of 
tjie  fraternity  which  he  had  contracted  with 
them.  The  children  of  the  choir,  vested  in 
albes,  then  came  bearing  candelabra  with 
lighted  tapers,  the  text  of  the  holy  Gospels, 
and  the  bread.  The  duke  placed  his  hand 
on  the  text,  and  swore  to  defend  the  rights 
and  liberties  of  the  Church.  He  was  then 
put  in  possession  by  the  bread  and  wine 
which  Were  presented  to  him,  and  which  he 
touched  according  to  custom,  and  at  once 
thanked  the  society.  Return  was  made  in 
procession  to  the  choir,  where  another  solemn 

f>rocession  was  immediately  formed  around 
the  exterior  of]  the  church,  as  was  customary 
on  triple  festivals.  They  reentered  by  the 
nave,  all  the  canons  wearing  copes,  except 
the  lord  duke,  who,  on  account  of  having 
lately  recovered  from  illness,  was  too  weak 
to  bear  [the  weight  of]  one,  but  he  caused 
it  to  be  carried  immediately  in  front  of  him 
in  the  sight  of  everybody. 

"During  the  Mass  which  followed,  the  duke 
sent  to  the  sacristy  as  an  offering  a  full  and 
complete  set  of  ornaments,  namely,  the 
covering  of  the  altar  comprising  a  dossal 
and  frontal,  cloths,  hangings,  seventeen  copes, 
a  chasuble,  tunicles,  and  albes  for  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Divine  mysteries,  with  five  albes 
for  the  children  of  the  choir.  The  suit  was 
of  red  sendal,*  powdered  with  gold  fleursde- 
lys,  and  a  border  of  the  same  colour.  He 
also  gave  a  chalice  of  gold,  weighing  seven 
ounces.  In  the  centre  of  the  paten  was  a 
device — that  of  a  holy  vernicle.t 

"  The  duke  and  his  spouse  went  thence  to 
dine  at  their  own  residence,  where  they  very 
graciously  accepted  eight  loaves  of  bread 
and  four  gallons  of  wine,  which  were  pre- 
sented to  them  on  behalf  of  the  chapter. 
The  day  following  the  duke  had  his  distribu- 
tion with  the  other  canons,  and  it  was  ordered 
that  he  should  receive  it  during  the  whole 
of  the  time  that  he  was  at  Rouen." 

*  Sendal  was  "  a  silken  fabric  frequently  mentioned 
in  church  inventories  and  early  poems. " —  The  Draper's 
Dictionary,  p.  6f. 

t  The  vernicle  is  a  representation  of  the  bust  or 
face  of  our  Lord. 


archaeological  Jf3eto0. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading. "[ 


Excavations  have  been  carried  out  for  some  time 
past  in  Cooper's  Fields  and  in  the  grounds  between 
Cathays  Park  and  Queen  Street,  Cardiff,  by  Mr. 
C.  B.  Fowler,  F.R.I.B.A.,  on  behalf  of  Lord  Bute, 
with  the  view  of  finding  traces  of  the  ancient 
monasteries  of  the  Black  and  the  Gray  Friars. 
The  result  of  the  investigations  and  operations 
carried  out  is  that  the  sites  have  been  discovered, 
ground-plans  have  been  made,  and  Lord  Bute  has 
had  the  foundations  of  the  old  walls  of  both  places, 
long  buried  in  the  earth,  brought  up  overground. 
In  connection  with  the  work  that  has  been  accom- 
plished, Mr.  C.  B.  Fowler,  on  Thursday  evening, 
delivered  a  lecture  in  the  Engineers'  Institute, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Cardiff  Naturalists' 
Society,  on  "  Excavations  of  the  Black  and  Gray 
Friars'  Monasteries,  Cardiff  Castle." 

BLACK    FRIARS. 

In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  Mr.  Fowler  said 
the  monastery  of  the  Black  Friars,  was  situated 
near  the  east  bank  of  the  river  Taff,  without 
the  meskin  or  west  gate,  in  the  grounds  of  Car- 
diff Castle,  and  founded  in  1256  by  Richard  de 
Clare,  Earl  of  Gloucester  and  Lord  of  Glamorgan, 
son  of  Henry  I.,  and  Lady  West,  daughter  of 
Prince  Rhys  ap  Tewdwr,  Dinvawr  Castle,  ruler  of 
West  Wales  from  the  Neath  River  to  Cardigan  Bay. 
The  chief  founder  was  the  father  of  Gilbert  de  Clare, 
founder  of  the  Gray  Friars,  and  the  monastery 
was  probably  dedicated  to  St.  Dominic  in  1216. 
The  dissolution  of  the  monasteries  was  the  means 
of  casting  the  brethren  on  the  world  without  allow- 
ance, except  that  they  receive  forty  shillings  and  a 
new  gown.  The  Black  Friars'  monastery  was  no 
doubt  approached  by  a  bridge  over  the  river  Taff, 
about  100  yards  higher  up  than  the  present  one 
leading  to  Canton,  and  the  foundations  of  it  may 
now  be  seen  at  low  water.  Several  old  graves  were 
found  inside  the  site  of  the  church,  but  only  one 
contained  a  coffin,  and  this  one  was  in  the  choir. 
No  doubt  it  is  that  of  Bishop  Egglescliffe,  who  was 
Bishop  of  LlandafF  for  nearly  twenty-three  years, 
who  died  in  1346,  and  was  buried  in  this  church. 
Lord  Bute,  said  the  lecturer,  intends  having  a 
memorial  slab  fixed  over  the  grave  with  an  inscrip- 
tion in  Latin  to  the  effect  that  "  Here  lies  the  most 
illustrious  and  most  reverend  father  and  brother  in 
Christ,  John  de  Egglescliffe,  of  the  order  of  preachers 
of  the  diocese  of  Durham,  Master  of  Theology  at 
Oxford,  who  long  dwelt  with  his  brethren  at 
London,  Privy  Councillor  of  Edward  II.,  King  of 
England  ;  consecrated  Bishop  of  Glasgow  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1318  ;  translated  to  Bethlehem  in 
1319,  to  Connor  in  1322,  and  to  Llandaff  1323.  He 
died  at  Llancadwalladr  on  the  2nd  of  January, 
1346,  and  was  buried  here  amongst  his  brethren, 
on  whose  soul  may  God  have  mercy.  Amen." 
Sepulchral  slabs,  fragments  of  encaustic  tiles  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  painted  glass,  several  keys,  a 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


51 


leaden  bulla  of  Pope  Innocent  IV.,  etc.,  were  found 
among  the  debris.  In  Mr.  Fowler's  opinion  the 
tiles  were  manufactured  between  1320  and  1360. 
They  are  about  five  inches  square,  and  represent 
three  subjects,  namely,  armorial,  pictorial,  and 
symbolical.  There  are  the  arms  of  England  and 
France,  of  Maltravers,  Mansell,  Craddock,  Charlton, 
St.  George,  and  De  Clare,  together  with  doves, 
lions,  fleurs-de-lis,  etc.  Many  similar  tiles  are  in 
Gloucester  Cathedral,  Bristol,  and  other  places, 
as  well  £is  Abergavenny,  Bath,  and  St.  David's 
Cathedral.  There  were  also  found  stone  mould- 
ings, door  and  window  jambs,  mullions,  labels, 
window  cusping,  a  holy-water  stoup,  a  part  of  a 
piscina,  arch  moulds,  and  several  fragments  of 
worked  tomb  canopies.  The  whole  of  the  stone 
vaulting  was  found  intact  all  over  the  area  examined, 
and  so  also  was  a  piece  of  the  original  altar  slab. 
Having  described  the  daily  routine  of  the  fathers 
from  early  Mass  till  the  vespers,  the  lecturer  said 
the  preaching  friars  used  to  go  about  two  and 
two  preaching  at  village  crosses,  fairs,  festivals, 
wakes,  etc.,  and  in  all  the  parish  churches  when 
requested  to  do  so  by  the  rectors.  In  their  own 
churches  there  was  a  short  sermon  daily,  and  a 
longer  one  on  special  occasions,  such  as  festivals 
and  during  Lent. 

GRAY    FRIARS. 

The  monastery  of  Gray  Friars  at  Cardiff  was 
founded  by  Gilbert  de  Clare,  son  of  Robert  De 
Clare,  first  Earl  of  Gloucester,  the  founder  of  the 
Black  Friars,  and  he  died  in  1147.  The  church 
was  dedicated  to  St.  Francis,  and  was  under  the 
wardenship  of  the  Bristol  House.  It  was  situated 
without  the  eastern  gate,  but  the  exact  position 
of  the  monastery  and  church  were  unknown 
until  the  recent  investigations  and  discoveries 
were  made.  The  ruins  of  the  Herbert  Mansion 
remain,  that  place  having  been  at  one  time  in- 
habited by  Sir  William  Herbert.  It  was  built 
about  the  year  1585,  and  was  called  "  The  Friars  "  ; 
it  was  pulled  down  towards  the  end  of  the  last 
century  by  the  present  Lord  Bute's  grandfather. 
The  church  was  about  180  feet  in  length  by  62  feet 
in  width,  and  consisted  of  nave,  north  and  south 
aisles,  and  a  large  chancel  about  30  feet  wide. 
Many  skeletons — over  thirty  in  number — had  been 
unearthed  inside  the  walls  of  the  church.  Several 
coins  of  the  time  of  the  Edwards  and  an  abbey  token 
were  also  found  during  the  excavations,  as  well  as 
a  number  of  arch  moulds,  capitals,  etc.  In  1538 
the  Gray  Friars  surrendered  to  the  King's  visitor, 
the  prior  signing  the  surrender  being  Thomas  Gwyn 
(guardian),  Roland  Jones,  Owen  Jones,  Robert  Cas- 
tell,  Richard  Mellyn,  Hugh  Sawyer,  John  Brown, 
William  Barber,  and  Garwainjones(brethren).  They 
gave  up  the  place  to  the  bailiff's  deputy,  John  Love- 
day,  and  the  visitor  appropriated  the  most  valuable 
articles  there.  Owen  Glendower  was  very  fond  of 
the  Gray  Friars,  or  Franciscans,  and  refrained  from 
destroying  their  convent  in  Crockherbtown  when 
he  sacked  Cardiff,  but  he  seized  their  valuables, 
which  they  had  lodged  in  the  castle  for  safety.  Sir 
William  Fleming  and  Llewellyn  Bren  were  in 
charge  of  the  Gray  Friars'  monastery,  the  former 
being  High  Sheriff  of  Glamorgan  in  1316,  and  the 


latter  resided  at  Castle  Coch,  but  held  Caerphilly 
Castle,  in  a  military  sense,  for  the  Earl  de  Clare. 
Sir  Hugh  de  le  Spenser,  who,  according  to  one 
writer,  was  hated  by  all  the  barons  of  Great  Britain, 
came  to  Glamorgan,  dismissed  Llewellyn  Bren,  and 
placed  a  Norman  in  his  place.  Llewellyn  Bren  took 
the  field,  and  20,000  Welshmen  gathered  under  the 
banner  of  Glamorgan,  which  he  unfurled.  They 
knocked  Norman  castles  in  all  parts  of  the  country 
to  pieces,  and  the  Normans  bolted  to  England. 
Edward  II.  sent  an  envoy  to  Glamorgan  and  sum- 
moned Llewellyn  Bren  to  the  presence  of  the  King 
in  London,  giving  him  a  guarantee  of  safety.  He 
went,  and  after  stating  his  story  to  His  Majesty  in 
person,  received  a  full  pardon.  He  then  returned 
to  Cardiff  with  the  King's  pardon  in  his  possession. 
He  was,  however,  apprehended  by  Sir  William 
Fleming,  and  hanged  in  a  building  which  stood 
between  the  present  Royal  Arcade  and  Great 
Frederick  Street.  When  the  news  of  the  tragedy 
reached  King  Edward  he  signed  the  death-warrant 
of  Sir  William  Fleming,  who  was  hanged  on  the 
same  spot  on  which  Llewellyn  Bren  was  executed. 
Sir  William  had  caused  the  body  of  Llewellyn  Bren 
to  be  buried  in  the  Gray  Friars'  church,  and  he  him- 
self was  buried  in  the  same  grave  by  the  side  of 
Bren.  This  grave  had  been  found  and  opened  a 
few  weeks  ago,  and  the  remains  of  the  two  bodies 
were  discovered  lying  side  by  side.  It  was,  he 
said,  surprising  so  little  was  known  regarding  this 
monastery. 

The  lecture  was  illustrated  by  means  of  lantern 
views  thrown  on  a  screen  by  Mr.  John  Storrie, 
these  comprising  specimens  of  fourteenth-century 
painted  glass  and  encaustic  tiles,  graves  and  vaults, 
coins,  plans,  mouldings,  keys,  Papal  bulla,  sepul- 
chral slabs,  maps,  and  sites,  etc.  At  the  close, 
Monsignor  Hedley,  Bishop  of  Newport,  in  a  few 
words,  proposed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  lecturer, 
remarking  that  in  Mr.  Fowler's  discoveries  and 
restorations  they  had  a  thing  unique  in  the  history 
of  ecclesiastical  communities  and  buildings  of  the 
district. — Abbreviated  from  a  report  in  the  South 
Wales  Daily  Netvs  of  December  24,  1897. 

5*C         *         * 

Another  old  English  room  has  been  set  up  in  the 
western  arcade  of  the  south  court  of  South  Ken- 
sington Museum  by  the  side  of  the  "  inlaid  room  " 
from  Sizergh  Castle.  It  is  from  an  old  house,  now 
pulled  down,  at  Bromley-by-Bow,  and  belongs  to 
the  early  years  of  King  James  I.,  the  date  1606 
having  been  carved  on  the  outside  of  the  house. 
The  spacious  stone  fireplace  has  over  it  an 
elaborate  mantel-piece  in  oak  with  the  royal  arms 
very  boldly  carved.  The  ceiling  bears  in  the  centre 
the  same  arms,  with  the  initials  "I.R.,"  and  is 
covered  with  fine  strapwork  ornament,  having 
floral  enrichments  and  medallions  containing  heads 
of  ancient  warriors.  An  extensive  alteration  was 
made  in  the  last  century  whereby  the  room  was 
shortened  and  the  panelling  was  shifted  to  suit  the 
new  conditions.  A  few  mouldings  and  door-heads 
of  the  latter  period  have  been  left  out,  as  they  were 
in  pine-wood,  and  consequently  appeared  incon- 
gruous by  the  side  of  the  old  oak.  The  room  is, 
therefore,  more  nearly  in  its  original  form  than  when 

H    2 


52 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


demolished.  Specimens  of  furniture  of  the  period 
have  been  taken  from  the  museum  and  arranged  in 
the  room  in  order  to  give  it  a  furnished  aspect. — 
Times,  December  25,  1897. 

*  *     * 

A  year  or  more  ago  certain  finds  in  the  form  of 
ancient  stone  coffins  on  the  farm  of  Cushnie,  in  the 
Howe  of  the  Mearns,  were  recorded.  In  the  same 
locality  additional  discoveries  have  been  made. 
During  the  operation  of  ploughing  a  field  on  the 
north  side  of  Castleton  road,  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  farm  of  Cushnie,  a  ploughman 
came  upon  what  seemed  a  huge  mass  of  rock 
embedded  in  the  soil.  Being  unaware  and  some 
what  taken  by  surprise,  the  workman's  plough 
was  broken  by  the  contact.  On  attempting  the 
removal  of  the  obstruction,  it  was  seen  to  be  the 
stone  flags  of  a  coffin.  When  laid  bare,  it  was 
noted  by  local  antiquaries  as  a  relic  of  a  remoter 
time  than  the  discoveries  mentioned  previously. 
The  coffin  was  composed  of  six  stones — one  on 
either  side,  while  two  formed  the  lid,  as  it  were. 
The  inside  measurement  was  nearly  2  feet  6  inches 
by  2  feet  deep,  and  almost  2  feet  wide.  The  body 
had  evidently  been  placed  in  a  sitting  position. 
The  grave  contained  a  quantity  of  decayed  bones 
and  a  flint  spear-head  of  a  unique  shape,  one  side 
being  flat,  while  the  other  was  raised  to  a  ridge 
in  the  centre.  Since  that  coffin  was  unearthed 
another  has  been  found  in  the  same  field,  about  60 
yards  from  the  first-named.  This  one  contained  a 
few  bones  and  a  dark  substance,  somewhat  like 
charcoal,  with  a  large  quantity  of  soft  black  moist 
earth.  We  may  mention  that  other  stones  have 
recently  been  unearthed,  which  it  is  surmised  points 
to  there  having  been  a  cairn  in  the  neighbourhood. 
The  reason  of  the  present  discoveries  may  be 
traced  to  the  fact  that  the  farmer  is  ploughing 
much  deeper  this  season  than  in  former  years. — 
Montrose  Review,  January  i . 

*  :♦£      * 

A  very  valuable  find  of  gold  coins  is  reported  from 
Southern  India.  The  treasure,  which  was  found  in 
a  metal  box  by  coolies  when  digging  in  a  mound  on 
an  old  village  site  in  the  Kistna  district,  includes 
three  coins  with  boar  emblem  of  the  Eastern 
Chalukyan  King  Raja-Raja,  a.d.  1022-63,  and 
several  coins  with  lion  emblems,  ascribed  to  the 
Western  Chalukyan  kings  of  the  same  period. 
The  treasure- trove  has  been  deposited  by  the 
Government  in  the  Madras  Museum.  Among 
other  finds  lately  made  in  India  is  an  aureus  of 
Theodosius,  picked  up  by  ryots  when  ploughing  a 
field  in  a  hilly  place  to  the  south-east  of  Kottayam, 
in  the  Madras  Presidency. — Leeds  Weekly  Mercury, 
January  i. 

*  *      * 

Dr.  Barbour,  Dumfries,  has  prepared  a  report  on 
the  Roman  camp  in  the  high-lying  district  at 
Raeburnfoot,  Dumfriesshire,  the  existence  of  which 
was  proved  by  excavations  recently  made,  in  which 
he  says  the  camp  presents  several  points  of  resem- 
blance to  the  Roman  station  at  Birrens,  Eccle- 
fechan.     Like  Birrens,  it  occupies  a  bluflf  rising  in 


a  hollow  part  of  the  country,  and  skirted  on  two  of 
its  sides  by  running  streams.  The  interior  dimen- 
sions correspond,  it  may  be  accidentally,  but  more 
likely  by  design.  The  camp  conforms  to  the 
Vitruvian  rule  for  guarding  against  noxious  winds. 
It  inclines  to  the  same  point  of  the  compass  as 
Birrens  camp — north-north-west.  The  number  of 
men  to  be  encamped  would  govern  the  space  to  be 
embraced  within  the  fortifications,  and  its  form 
determined  by  the  manner  in  which  it  was  customary 
to  dispose  them.  The  plan  is  geometrical  and 
symmetrical,  suggestive  of  strict  discipline  and 
adherence  to  established  rule.  It  is  supposed  that 
this  camp  communicated  with  Netherbie,  on  the 
Cumberland  side  of  the  Border  and  Middlebie, 
Dumfriesshire.  The  principal  dimensions  of  the 
camp  are  :  Including  the  ramparts  and  ditches  the 
length  is  605  feet  on  the  east  side  and  625  feet  on 
the  west,  the  average  being  615  feet.  The  width 
cannot  be  ascertained  very  closely,  but  approxi- 
mately would  measure  about  400  feet.  Including 
fortifications,  the  camp  extends  to  over  5J  acres, 
and  the  interior  area,  including  the  fort,  contains 
rather  less  than  4  acres.  The  interior  of  the  fort 
itself  measures  220  feet,  by  about  185  feet,  and  con- 
tains nearly  an  acre  of  ground.  The  river  Esk 
now  runs  at  some  distance  from  the  camp,  but 
formerly  it  skirted  its  base  on  the  west.  The  camp 
rises  abruptly  40  feet  above  the  level  of  the  meadow 
now  intervening  between  it  and  the  Esk.  Several 
pieces  of  stonework  were  discovered,  and  in  regard 
to  these  a  quotation  from  Hyginus,  as  given  by 
General  Roy,  may  be  made.  "  In  time  of  war," 
says  Hyginus,  "  care  should  be  taken  that  proper 
steps  or  ascents  are  made  to  the  ramparts,  and  that 
platforms  are  constructed  for  the  engines  near  the 
gates."  The  relics  found  in  the  excavations  are 
comparatively  few,  but  in  judging  of  their  import- 
ance regard  must  be  had  to  the  limited  extent  of 
the  operations,  as  well  as  to  the  probable  disappear- 
ance of  nearly  everything  of  the  kind  owing  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  What  has  been  found  has 
chiefly  been  fragments  of  pottery,  and  the  ware 
is  of  the  same  character  as  that  got  at  Birrens. 
Though  injury  has  arisen  from  the  use  of  the 
plough,  it  was  evident  that  the  pick  and  spade  had 
also  been  in  requisition,  and  had  defaced  the  camp. 
The  injury  caused  by  the  plough  alone  is  apparent 
when  it  is  stated  that  the  soil  at  the  place  is  not 
generally  of  greater  depth  than  is  usually  reached 
by  the  plough,  and,  therefore,  considering  also  that 
the  area  has  been  drained,  it  is  apparent  that 
vestiges  of  the  camp  must  have  been  very  largely 
destroyed.  The  fortifications,  which  consist  of  earth- 
works, have  suffered  greatly  by  disturbance,  but 
their  lines,  nevertheless,  are  mostly  traceable.  The 
precipitous  natural  bank  protected  the  west  side, 
and  the  outer  defences  on  the  other  three  sides 
were  a  natural  rampart  and  a  ditch.  The  ditches 
are  mostly  V-shaped,  but  the  sides  appear  to  be 
slightly  convex  in  some  cases.  The  outer  ditch, 
extending  on  three  sides  of  the  camp,  measures 
15  feet  in  width  and  5  feet  in  depth.  Those  of  the 
central  fort  are  each  10  feet  wide  and  3^  feet  deep. 
The  mound  separating  them  is  of  a  rounded  sec- 
tion.     The  outer  rampart,   which   was   probably 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


53 


30  feet  at  the  base,  appears  to  have  been  built  of 
the  soil  taken  out  of  the  ditch,  with  the  addition  of 
other  similar  earth.  The  rampart  of  the  fort,  the 
width  of  which  at  the  base  appears  to  have  been 
about  35  feet,  is  differently  constructed.  It  exhibits 
stratification,  the  layers  being  earth  and  clay.  Dr. 
Barbour  also  enters  into  some  particulars  regarding 
the  gateways.  In  conclusion,  the  Doctor  says  that 
the  camp  will  be  readily  recognised  as  of  Roman 
origin,  and  an  interesting  memento  of  the  footsteps 
of  the  Romans  in  the  county  of  Dumfries. — 
Galloway  Gazette,  January  i . 

*  *      * 

Herr  Dorpfeld,  the  Director  of  the  German 
College  of  Archaeology,  who  has  for  some  time 
past  been  engaged  in  excavations  between  Pynx 
and  the  Areopagus,  believes  that  he  has  discovered 
the  ancient  system  of  drainage,  with  all  its  ramifi- 
cations. The  pipes,  which  are  in  an  admirable 
state  of  preservation,  conducted  to  the  various 
quarters  of  the  city  the  water  flowing  from  Mounts 
Pentelicus  and  Hymettus,  and  the  small  streams 
from  the  Acropolis,  as  is  shown  by  the  stalactites 
still  visible.  The  drains  are  large  enough  to  permit 
of  a  man  walking  upright  in  them  for  a  considerable 
distance. — Public  Opinion,  January  7. 

*  *      * 

In  the  spring  of  1897,  while  Mr.  Small,  gardener 
to  Dr.  Blair,  was  at  work  in  his  employer's  garden 
at  the  Abbey  Green,  he  discovered  a  curiously- 
shaped  stone,  which  has  been  since  declared  to  be 
an  ancient  whetstone,  or  polisher.  Canon  Green- 
well,  to  whom  the  stone  was  submitted,  said  that  it 
was  a  most  interesting  discovery,  as  few  stones  of 
the  kind  had  been  found  in  Scotland  ;  and  this 
opinion  has  been  confirmed  by  a  recent  examination 
of  the  stones  in  the  Edinburgh  Antiquarian  Museum, 
which  shows  that  the  stone  found  in  Jedburgh  is 
of  a  superior  character.  It  has  been  presented  by 
Mr.  W.  C.  Stedman  to  the  Marquis  of  Lothian, 
and  is  now  in  his  lordship's  museum  at  Monteviot. 
— Kelso  Mail,  January  8. 


SALE. 
Messrs.  Christie,  Manson,  and  Wood  sold  on  Wed- 
nesday and  yesterday  the  old  English  silver  plate 
and  collection    of   porcelain    of    Surgeon-General 

i.  Lumsdaine,  of  Mowbray  House,  Victoria  Em- 
ankment,  old  French  snuff-boxes,  miniatures,  and 
objects  of  art  and  vertu  from  various  sources.  The 
principal  lots  were  as  follows:  A  Louis  XVI.  oval 
gold  box,  with  panels  of  translucent  green  enamel 
in  chased  and  jewelled  borders,  an  oval  enamel  on 
the  lid,  48  guineas  (Partridge)  ;  an  octagonal-shaped 
gold  box,  inlaid  with  panels  of  dark  blue  enamel 
and  white  lines,  an  enamel  on  the  lid,  24  guineas 
(Frickenhaus)  ;  an  upright  cabinet  of  inlaid  king- 
wood,  mounted  with  corner  ornaments  and  scroll 
borders  of  chased  ormolu  in  the  style  of  Louis  XV., 
/iS  7s.  (Renton)  ;  a  square-shaped  Kor5  and  cover 
of  old  Cloisonne  enamel,  oblong  panels  of  inter- 
laced knots  and  jewels  in  chased  and  pierced  metal- 
gilt,  12  inches  high,  15  guineas  (Liberty)  ;  and  an 
old  English  marqueterie  chest,  inlaid  with  arabesque 
foliage  and  birds  in  coloured  woods,  £1^  (Hampton). 
— Times,  January  7. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 

Society  of  Antiquaries — December  9,  Viscount 
Dillon,  president,  in  the  chair. — Mr.  C.  Bicknell 
communicated  an  account  of  singular  devices  and 
emblems  incised  on  some  rock  surfaces  in  Val 
Fontanalba,  Italy.^ — Mr.  A.  J.  Evans  pointed  out 
the  great  interest  of  Mr.  Bicknell's  discoveries. 
He  had  himself  visited  a  limestone  plateau  above 
Finalbergo  presenting  somewhat  analogous  figures, 
among  which  two  types  were  specially  remarkable 
as  giving  a  clue  to  the  date.  One  was  a  kind  of 
halberd  with  three  rivets,  quite  characteristic  of 
the  Early  Bronze  Age  in  Europe,  and  diffused  from 
Great  Britain  and  Scandinavia  to  Southern  Spain. 
The  other  was  a  type  which  at  first  sight  resembled 
a  kind  of  beetle,  but  which  could  be  traced  by 
intermediate  examples  to  the  well-known  symbol  of 
Tanit  as  seen  on  Sardinian  and  African  stelcB.  De- 
velopments of  the  symbol  were  seen  on  the  Early 
Iron  Age  ornaments  of  Italy  of  the  ninth  or  tenth 
century  B.C.  The  importance  of  the  Col  di  Tenda, 
near  which  these  rock  carvings  lay,  was  very  great 
as  an  avenue  of  intercourse  between  the  Ligurian 
coastland  and  the  Po  valley,  and  the  present  dis- 
coveries might  be  regarded  as  evidence  that  it  was 
an  early  line  of  commerce  with  the  Mediterranean 
shores.  Later,  as  was  shown  by  finds  of  coins, 
part  of  the  overland  trade  from  Massalia  to  the 
Adriatic  passed  this  way. — Mr.  J.  E.  Pritchard 
exhibited  a  carved  walrus-ivory  draughtsman  of 
the  twelfth  century  and  an  ivory  box  with  small 
glass  bottles  for  essences,  both  lately  found  at 
Bristol.  Mr.  Micklethwaite  showed  part  of  an 
ingot  of  solder  found  in  a  drain  at  Westminster 
Abbey,  and  probably  lost  when  the  filter  next  the 
parlour  was  fitted  up  near  the  end  of  the  fourteenth 
century.  The  ingot  has  been  in  the  form  of  a 
grate,  which  is  still  in  use,  though  the  size  is  now 
much  larger.  It  bears  the  stamp  of  an  angel,  the 
mark  of  the  London  Plumbers'  Company,  and  is 
probably  the  oldest  example  of  that  stamp  in 
existence.  Mr.  Micklethwaite  also  showed  a 
number  of  small  articles  found  on  the  site  of  West 
Blatchington  Church,  near  Brighton,  one  of  which 
was  an  iron  bar,  which  he  believed  to  be  an  osmund 
Osmunds  are  often  mentioned  as  articles  of  com- 
merce in  the  Middle  Ages,  but  Mr.  Micklethwaite 
said  that,  so  far,  English  antiquaries  had  been  con- 
tent to  describe  them  only  as  "  a  kind  of  iron." 
He  showed  that  osmunds  were  Swedish  iron  of  the 
best  sort,  were  small  in  size,  and  were  packed  in 
barrels  for  convenience  of  transport,  that  fourteen 
barrels  made  a  last,  and  that  a  last  contained 
4,800  lb.  of  iron.  The  osmund  shown  weighed 
I  lb.  3  oz. — Mr.  Gowland  made  some  further  re- 
marks on  the  osmund  process  of  iron-smelting ; 
and  Mr.  C.  J.  Chatterton  gave  some  information  as 
to  the  customs  of  the  Plumbers'  Company,  and 
stated  that  the  stamping  of  solder  was  now  given 
up,  but  was  practised  within  memory,  and  that  the 
device  of  the  stamp  was  then  an  angel. — Mr.  A.  F. 
Leach,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  town  clerk  and 
corporation,  exhibited  the  earliest  charter  to  the 
burgesses  of  Walden,  Essex,  now  known  as  Saffron 
Walden.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  deed  poll  (there 
being  two  identical  counterparts)  from  Humphry 
de  Bohun,    seventh   Earl  of   Hereford,  and   third 


54 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


Earl  of  Essex  of  that  name.  Each  counterpart  has 
the  seal  attached  by  pink  silk  cords  in  green  wax, 
showing  the  shield  of  the  earl :  Azure,  between  six 
lionccls  on  «  bend  argent,  cotised  or,  flanked  by  two 
smaller  shields  quarterly  for  Mandeville,  his  great- 
grandmother  of  that  family  having  brought  the 
earldom  to  the  De  Bohuns.  The  counter-seal 
shows  the  earl  on  horseback,  with  a  trapper  of  his 
arms.  This  charter  had  been  overlooked  by  Lord 
Braybrooke  in  his  History  of  A  udlcy  End  and  Walden, 
and  on  it  was  endorsed  a  statement  that  it  was  the 
deed  of  Humphry  de  Bohun,  the  first  Bohun  Earl 
of  Essex,  1228  to  1275.  But  both  the  character  of 
the  writing  and  the  identity  of  the  seal  with  one 
appended  to  the  barons'  letter  to  Pope  Boniface  VIII. 
in  1 301,  asserting  the  sovereignty  of  England  over 
Scotland,  assigned  it  to  the  later  Humphry,  who 
succeeded  in  1298,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Boroughbridge  in  1321.  The  charter  is  undated, 
and  the  names  of  the  witnesses  do  not  fix  the  date 

fjrecisely ;  but  being  merely  a  confirmation  of 
reedom  from  relief  and  heriot,  and  of  the  continu- 
ance of  all  liberties  previously  enjoyed,  it  was  no 
doubt  granted  soon  after  the  earl's  accession,  i.e., 
about  the  year  1299.  The  two  charters  are  kept 
together  in  a  plain  round  wooden  box  or  skippet, 
the  top  of  which  is  peg- top-shaped .  Great  diversity 
of  opinion  was  expressed  as  to  the  date  of  the  box, 
it  being  assigned  variously  to  each  century  from 
the  fourteenth  to  the  seventeenth.  It  had  been 
turned  in  a  lathe. — Athenaum,  December  25. 

♦  ♦  ♦ 
Society  of  Antiquaries — December  16,  Viscount 
Dillon,  president,  in  the  chair. — A  letter  from  the 
Earl  of  Verulam  was  read,  thanking  the  society 
for  its  resolution  respecting  the  means  taken  to 
preserve  part  of  the  old  Roman  wall  of  Verulamium. 
— Mr.  J.  M.  Brydon  exhibited  and  presented  a 
photograph  showing  how  the  remains  of  the  large 
Roman  bath  at  Bath  have  been  preserved  by  their 
incorporation  with  the  new  buildings.  It  was 
thereupon  proposed  by  Sir  J.  Evans,  seconded  by 
Mr.  Micklethwaite,  and  carried  unanimously : 
"  That  the  best  thanks  of  the  society  be  offered  to 
Mr.  Brydon  for  the  photograph  of  the  Roman 
bath  at  Bath  that  he  has  been  good  enough  to  send. 
The  society  at  the  same  time  desires  to  express  its 
satisfaction  at  the  manner  in  which  the  difficult  task 
of  combining  a  modern  superstructure  with  Roman 
foundations  has  been  accomplished,  by  which  the 
early  portions  of  the  work  have  been  preserved 
intact,  and  will  be  safely  handed  to  posterity." — 
Chancellor  Ferguson  exhibited  a  gold  ring  of  the 
latter  end  of  the  fourteenth  century,  engraved  with 
an  image  of  St.  George  and  an  illegible  motto. 
The  ring  was  found  sixty  years  ago  in  an  old 
quarry  at  Potters  Ferry,  Northants. — Mr.  Read 
exhibited  a  leaden  figure  of  the  crucified  Saviour, 
of  the  fourteenth  century. — Mr.  A.  H.  Cocks  also 
exhibited  a  leaden  crucifix,  but  of  very  doubtful 
antiquity,  said  to  have  been  found  at  Thetford. — 
Mr.  W.  H.  Knowles  communicated  an  account  and 
ground-plan  of  a  complete  Roman  bathing  estab- 
lishment lately  laid  bare  outside  the  camp  of  ^Esica 
(Great  Chesters),  in  Northumberland.  A  similar 
structure  was  laid  open  some  years  ago  outside  the 


camp  of  Cilurnum. — Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope 
read  a  paper  on  a  grant  of  arms  under  the  great 
seal  made  by  Edward  IV.  to  Louis  de  Bruges,  Earl 
of  Winchester,  in  1472.  The  interest  of  this  grant, 
which  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  Hope,  lies  in  the  fact 
(i)  that  it  was  granted  to  a  foreigner  as  holder  of  an 
English  earldom,  and  (2)  that  it  bears  an  endorse- 
ment to  the  effect  that  it  was  surrendered  to 
Henry  VII.  at  Calais  in  1500,  in  order  that  it  might 
thereby  be  cancelled.  Mr.  Hope  showed  that  the 
letters  patent  conferring  the  earldom  upon  Louis  de 
Bruges  had  been  similarly  surrendered,  and  entries 
to  that  effect  had  been  made  upon  the  Charter  and 
Patent  Rolls,  where  the  documents  were  severally 
enrolled.  The  surrender  of  the  earldom  and  grant 
of  arms  had  been  made  by  John  de  Bruges,  son  of 
the  grantee,  but  it  did  not  appear  to  be  known  upon 
what  grounds  he  had  done  so.  Mr.  Hope  further 
communicated  some  remarks  upon  the  arms  of 
English  earldoms,  and  showed,  from  the  evidence 
of  numerous  seals,  that  in  many  cases  such  arms 
were  regarded  as  those  of  the  lordship  or  earldom, 
and  hereditary  with  it,  and  were  not  necessarily 
those  of  the  holder  or  possessor. — In  illustration  of 
Mr.  Hope's  paper,  the  Deputy  Keeper  of  the  Public 
Records  exhibited  the  original  writ  under  the  sign 
manual  directing  the  issue  of  the  letters  patent 
granting  arms  to  Louis  de  Bruges,  and  also  another 
writ  of  the  same  character. — AthencBum,  January  i. 

♦  *  * 
The  first  monthly  meeting  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  of  Scotland  for  the  current  session 
was  held  on  December  13.  The  first  paper,  by  Sir 
Arthur  Mitchell,  consisted  of  a  series  of  notices  of 
facts  or  objects  interesting  on  account  of  their 
bearing  on  the  methods  and  conclusions  of  scientific 
archaeology.  In  a  MS.  account  of  a  tour  made  by 
Mr.  James  Robertson  through  the  Western  Isles 
and  northern  counties  of  Scotland  in  1768,  he 
found  a  description  of  the  "  basket -houses  "  and 
barns  in  Arasaig  and  Contin,  which  may  be  re- 
garded as  an  addition  to  our  knowledge  of  the  dis- 
used methods  of  constructing  houses  and  other 
buildings  with  wattled  walls.  There  were  descrip- 
tions also  of  the  beds  made  of  heath,  the  "  grad- 
daning  "  of  corn  by  burning  the  ears  off  the  straw, 
the  whisking  of  whey  with  an  instrument  like  a 
churn-staff  surrounded  with  a  rim  of  horsehair,  the 
preserving  of  yeast  by  pieces  of  oak  twig  steeped  in 
it,  tanning  of  leather  by  tormentilla,  and  many 
other  extinct  processes  and  customs,  which  supplied 
suggestive  hints  and  useful  lessons  to  the  student 
of  archaeology.  David  Loch's  tour  through  the 
trading  towns  and  villages  of  Scotland,  at  the 
instance  of  the  Board  of  Manufactures  in  1778,  pre- 
sented quite  another  set  of  facts  equally  interesting 
and  instructive  by  contrast  with  the  facts  and 
conditions  of  the  same  places  at  the  present  day, 
and  from  which  conclusions  may  be  drawn  of  the 
utmost  value  for  the  interpretation  of  the  past. 
Selecting  sixty  of  the  smaller  towns  and  villages 
visited  by  Mr.  Loch,  it  became  apparent  that  the 
trading  industries  which  then  supplied  their 
principal  resources  were  now  either  extinct  or 
wholly  changed  in  character,  that  though  their 
populations  were  now  much  larger  they  were  no 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


55 


longer  dependent  on  merely  local  industries,  that 
these  great  changes  which  had  taken  place  gradu- 
ally and  silently  are  already  forgotten  and  would 
probably  be  otherwise  quite  unknown,  and  that 
what  has  thus  happened  is  in  no  sense  the  work  of 
m3rsterious  evolution,  though  it  probably  exhibits 
the  operation  of  the  law  of  natural  selection  which 
tends  to  the  survival  of  the  strongest.  The  author 
proceeded  to  notice  a  stone  implement  from  Uyea, 
Shetland,  known  to  have  been  made  and  used  for 
the  purpose  of  beating  down  and  forcing  into 
position  the  turf  or  divot  coping  of  drystone  dykes, 
and  which  is  sufficiently  like  other  rude  imple- 
ments from  Shetland  to  be  probably  included  in 
that  class  of  presumably  ancient  implements  if  it 
had  been  deprived  of  its  story.  Three  spade-like 
implements  of  stone  from  different  localities  in 
Tiree,  Sutherland,  and  Shetland,  which  were  ex- 
hibited and  described,  might  also  be  referred  to  the 
same  class,  although  their  purpose  and  age  were 
matters  of  speculation.  A  polished  stone  axe  and 
a  well-made  flint  arrow-head  found  in  a  cave  at 
Kildalton  in  Islay,  with  rude  pottery,  flint  chips, 
bones  of  existing  animals  and  shells  of  edible  shell- 
fish, embedded  in  a  layer  of  ashes  and  charcoal, 
were  described  from  notes  taken  at  the  time  of  the 
excavation  of  the  cave  by  Mrs.  Ramsay  of  Kildalton, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  William  Steven- 
son. An  open  stone  mould  used  in  the  making  of 
bronze  axes,  which  had  been  found  in  Ross-shire, 
and  sent  to  the  author  by  Miss  Balfour  of  Whitting- 
hame,  and  a  bronze  casting  made  from  it,  were 
described,  and  the  method  of  finishing  such  cast- 
ings demonstrated.  Finally,  the  author  noticed  the 
important  fact  recorded  in  O'Brien's  History  of  the 
Irish  Famine  in  1845-46,  that  when  the  general 
change  from  a  potato  to  a  corn  diet  was  inevitable, 
the  means  of  grinding  the  corn  imported  were  so 
limited  that  hand-mills  on  the  principle  of  the 
ancient  Irish  quern  were  made  for  distribution  in 
the  distressed  districts,  while  others  constructed  on 
an  improved  plan  were  imported  from  France. 
The  record  of  this  return  to  the  use  of  an  imple- 
ment which  appears  in  every  European  museum 
of  antiquities  was  very  instructive.  The  old  way  of 
grinding  corn  came  back  at  once  when  the  new 
way  failed  to  do  what  was  required.  But  the 
resumed  use  of  the  quern  was  not  the  result  of  any 
change  in  the  condition  of  the  people,  either  as 
regards  culture  or  civilization.  The  mere  use  of 
such  rude  implements  or  barbaric  methods  cannot 
be  made  the  measure  of  the  user's  capacity  or 
culture,  or  of  the  state  of  civilization  in  which  he 
lives.  Moreover,  so  much  can  fifty  years  do  to 
wipe  out  all  evidences  of  such  an  occurrence  that 
the  author  found  it  impossible  to  procure  a  single 
specimen  of  the  querns  thus  made  and  used,  or  of 
those  imported  from  France,  and  such  an  experi- 
ence in  regard  to  an  occurrence  so  recent  should  be 
a  caution  in  regard  to  the  strong  conclusions  so 
often  drawn  in  prehistoric  archaeology. 

In  the  next  paper,  Mr  F.  R.  Coles,  assistant- 
keeper  of  the  Museum,  described  a  cist  with  a 
double  unbumt  burial  which  had  been  recently 
discovered  at  Ratho  Quarry,  and  intimation  of 
which  had  been  sent  to  the  Society  by  Mr.  Grant. 


The  cist  was  not  a  large  one— measuring  only  4  feet 
4  inches  by  2  feet  6  inches,  and  lay  nearly  8  feet 
below  the  present  surface.  The  presence  of  two 
interments  was  inferred  from  a  skull  being  found 
near  the  north  end  of  the  cist,  with  traces  of  other 
portions  of  the  skeleton  to  the  south  of  it,  while  in 
the  angle  at  the  opposite  end  there  were  found  the 
enamel  crowns  of  the  teeth  apparently  of  another 
skull.  No  implements  or  ornaments  were  found 
associated  with  the  interments,  but  a  small  stone, 
with  two  cup-shaped  hollows  in  it,  was  found  out- 
side. 

Mr.  James  W.  Cursiter,  F.S.A.  Scot.,  contributed 
a  notice  of  a  stone  with  an  incised  cross  showing 
square-ended  arms  with  circles  at  the  intersections, 
and  the  two  sides  of  the  foot  of  the  shaft  ending  in 
scrolls,  which  had  been  found  on  the  site  of  the  old 
chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Columba  in  Walls,  Hoy, 
Orkney.  The  stone  has  been  presented  to  the 
Museum  by  Mr.  Heddle,  of  Melsetter,  with  consent 
of  Captain  Corrigall.  Mr.  T.  N.  Annandale  con- 
tributed a  note  on  the  hammer-stones  used  in  the 
Force  Isles  in  the  preparation  of  dye  from  tormen- 
tilla,  two  specimens  of  which  were  exhibited,  with 
the  leather  coloured  by  the  dye.  He  also  exhibited 
a  Faroe  bismar  or  wooden  weighing  beam  used 
like  a  steelyard  similar  to  those  in  the  Museum 
from  Orkney  and  Shetland. 

*         3«S         * 

The  second  monthly  meeting  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  of  Scotland  was  held  on  January  10. 
This  meeting  was  entirely  devoted  to  the  reports 
on  the  excavations  of  the  Roman  station  at  Ardoch, 
in  Perthshire,  undertaken  by  the  society  in  1896-97. 
The  success  of  the  excavations  at  Birrens,  in  Dum- 
friesshire, in  1895,  had  encouraged  the  society  to 
transfer  their  operations  to  Ardoch,  and,  accordingly, 
the  committee  of  management  having  been  reap- 
pointed, and  permission  willingly  given  by  the  pro- 
prietor. Colonel  Home  Drummond,  F.S.A.  Scotland, 
and  Sir  James  Bell,  the  tenant  of  the  ground,  opera- 
tions were  begun  early  in  the  summer  of  1896,  and 
continued  till  May  in  the  following  year.  Mr. 
Thomas  Ely,  who  had  filled  the  same  post  at 
Birrens,  was  again  in  charge  as  clerk  of  works. 
The  results  of  these  operations  were  now  detailed 
to  the  society,  and  illustrated  by  limelight  views 
from  photographs  taken  during  the  progress  of  the 
excavations.  The  secretary  (Dr.  D.  Christison) 
reviewed  the  various  notices  of  the  "  Roman  camp  " 
at  Ardoch,  from  the  earliest  in  1672  to  the  latest  in 
the  statistical  accounts,  all  being  more  or  less  vague 
and  unsatisfactory.  He  then  proceeded  to  describe 
the  fortifications,  which,  owing  to  a  complexity 
unknown  in  other  Roman  works  at  home  or  abroad, 
have  given  rise  to  much  speculation.  But  as  no 
trace  of  occupation  subsequent  to  that  of  the 
Romans  had  been  revealed  by  the  excavat  ins, 
the  fortifications,  complex  as  they  are,  must  be 
regarded  as  the  outcome  of  Roman  military  en- 
gineering. The  chief  cause  of  the  complexity  seems 
to  be  the  great  difference  in  the  width  of  the  fortifi- 
cations on  the  four  sides  owing  to  the  variety  in 
the  natural  strength  of  the  sides.  These  variations 
in  width  necessitated  modifications  at  the  angles  to 
make  the  sides  fit  into  each  other.     The  enclosed 


56 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


area,  which  is  a  rectangular  oblong  with  the  corners 
rounded  off,  measures  about  450  by  400  feet,  and 
the  width  of  the  fortifications  on  the  north  is  about 
280  feet,  on  the  east  200  feet,  and  on  the  south  and 
west  (where  they  are  much  destroyed)  about  130 
and  90  feet.  Only  three  of  the  lines,  the  inner 
rampart  with  its  berme  and  two  ditches  in  front, 
are  carried  round  the  whole  four  sides.  On  the  east 
face,  besides  the  inner  rampart  with  its  berme,  the 
lines  consist  of  five  parallel  trenches  8  to  9  feet 
deep,  separated  by  ridges,  with  a  wide  platform 
beyond  them  and  a  rampart  outside  of  all.  On  the 
north  face  there  is  more  complexity,  partly  from 
the  cause  referred  to  and  partly  from  the  introduc- 
tion amidst  the  trenches  of  two  long-shaped  works 
or  ravelins  capable  of  separate  defence.  The  east 
entrance  runs  straight  across  the  trenches  on  a 
level  with  the  tops  of  the  ridges  between  them,  and 
passing  through  the  outer  and  inner  ramparts.  It 
had  been  protected  by  an  angled  projection  of  the 
fifth  trench  in  front  of  it,  and  barred  by  an  outer, 
middle,  and  inner  gateway.  The  north  entrance 
did  not  traverse  the  three  outer  trenches,  which 
were  probably  crossed  by  a  removable  wooden 
gangway.  This  was  the  side  on  which  attack  was 
most  dreaded.  The  rampart  was  too  high  and 
broad  to  be  defensible  except  from  the  top,  which 
would  doubtless  be  palisaded  as  well  as  the  other 
lines.  Their  unwonted  multiplication  was  probably 
due  to  the  necessity  for  great  strength  in  a  station 
so  completely  isolated,  and  at  a  distance  of  two 
days'  march  beyond  the  utmost  lines  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  —  Mr.  J.  H.  Cunningham,  C.E.,  the 
treasurer  of  the  society,  next  gave  a  detailed 
account  of  the  methods  of  exploration  of  the  earth- 
works and  trenches,  and  described  the  buildings 
which  covered  the  interior  area  so  enclosed.  Sec- 
tions cut  across  the  ramparts  at  selected  points 
showed  that  the  main  rampart  had  a  foundation 
course  of  stones,  as  had  been  previously  found  at 
Birrens  and  in  the  case  of  the  Antonine  Wall.  The 
body  of  the  rampart  itself  consisted  of  layers  of 
gravel,  separated  from  each  other  by  thin  layers  of 
black  material,  peat,  or  the  remains  of  sods  or 
brushwood ;  and  traces  of  rude  stonework  were 
often  found  close  to  it  on  the  inside.  The  whole  of 
the  north-eastern  quarter  of  the  interior  area  was 
thoroughly  explored,  so  as  to  show  the  nature  of 
the  constructions  composing  the  station  buildings 
of  wood  and  stone.  The  plan  of  the  buildings  was 
disclosed  in  a  curious  manner.  In  one  of  the  cut- 
tings at  the  commencement  of  the  explorations, 
Mr.  Ely,  the  clerk  of  works,  detected  several  round 
holes,  about  10  inches  in  diameter  and  30  inches 
deep,  some  empty  and  some  partially  filled  with  a 
fine  powdery  soil,  quite  distinct  from  that  of  the 
surrounding  subsoil.  A  flat  stone  was  generally 
found  in  the  bottom,  and  the  sides  consisted  of  a 
packing  of  stones.  The  holes  were  perceived  to 
occur  in  lines,  and  at  pretty  regular  distances 
apart,  and  when  the  search  for  them  was  completed 
they  stood  revealed  as  the  post-holes  of  the  frame- 
work of  a  series  of  wooden  buildings  which  covered 
the  interior  area,  laid  out  in  rectangular  blocks 
intersected  by  gravel  roads,  and  many  of  them 
gravel-floored.    The  plan  thus  made  out  showed  a 


general  configuration  of  the  buildings  and  principal 
streets  closely  resembling  that  of  Birrens.  In 
several  places,  however,  stone  foundations  of  long 
narrow  buildings,  with  air-channels  or  heating-flues 
underneath,  were  found  among  the  wooden  struc- 
tures, but  greatly  dilapidated,  and  retaining  scarcely 
any  features  of  architecture.  Indeed,  the  only 
building  within  the  area  which  retained  any  archi- 
tectural features,  was  a  mediaeval  chapel  near  the 
centre  of  the  area,  whose  ruins,  surrounded  by 
those  of  the  square  enclosure  of  its  burying-ground, 
have  been  described  by  many  writers  on  Ardoch  as 
the  pretorium  of  the  Roman  camp.  Mr.  Thomas 
Ross,  architect,  in  describing  this  part  of  the  ex- 
cavations, said,  that  though  not  mentioned  in  any 
cartulary,  and  quite  forgotten  in  the  district,  it  was 
referred  to  by  Baron  Clerk  in  the  end  of  last 
century  as  a  chapel  and  a  burial-place  still  used 
by  the  country  people,  which  Dr.  Marshall  con- 
firmed in  his  Historic  Scenes  of  Perthshire,  and  the 
slight  remains  revealed  by  the  excavations  show 
that  it  was  a  chapel  about  40  feet  long,  probably 
with  a  north  aisle,  like  the  chapel  at  Moncreiff, 
and  its  other  features  similar  to  those  of  many  of 
the  country  chapels  found  throughout  Scotland. — 
Dr.  Joseph  Anderson  described  the  pottery,  bronze, 
and  other  objects  found  in  the  course  of  the  excava- 
tions. The  relics  found  at  Ardoch  were  generally 
of  the  same  nature  as  those  from  other  sites  of 
Roman  occupation,  consisting  of  articles  of  glass, 
pottery,  bronze,  iron,  and  lead,  with  a  few  coins, 
and  a  very  few  fragments  of  sculptured  tablets, 
bearing  inscriptions  and  fragments  of  architectural 
decoration.  The  general  quantity  of  relics  was  less 
than  at  Birrens,  and  the  proportions  of  the  different 
varieties  were  not  the  same.  While  Birrens  yielded 
much  window-glass  and  a  good  many  glass  vessels 
of  various  kinds,  Ardoch  had  exceedingly  little 
window  -  glass  and  but  few  glass  vessels.  In 
pottery,  also,  the  remains  of  the  finer  ware  so 
common  at  Birrens  were  scanty  here,  the  Samian 
ware  dishes  few,  and  the  black  and  slate-coloured 
ware  comparatively  scarce,  while  the  bulk  of  the 
pottery  recovered  consisted,  not  of  vessels  for  table 
service,  but  of  the  larger  kind,  such  as  "  amphorae  " 
and  "  dolia,"  which  were  used  for  transport  and 
storage  of  provisions  and  liquids,  and  of  "  mortaria" 
and  various  kinds  of  jars  for  kitchen  service.  This 
seemed  to  imply  that  while  at  Birrens  there  had 
been  a  settled  occupancy  and  a  somewhat  luxurious 
table  service,  the  occupation  of  Ardoch,  being  so 
much  more  distant  from  the  base  of  supplies,  was 
probably  less  permanent,  and  certainly  much  more 
deficient  in  the  materials  for  table  service.  An 
interesting  feature  of  Ardoch  was  the  occurrence  of 
a  large  quantity  of  the  doubly  conical  pellets  of 
burnt  clay  called  sling-bolts,  from  their  precise 
resemblance  to  the  sling- bolts  of  lead,  which  are 
well-known  as  Roman.  They  occurred  chiefly  in 
the  central  area  near  the  pretorian  buildings,  but 
were  also  found  scattered  over  the  whole  area 
examined.  Taking  this  along  with  the  fact  that 
the  buildings  here  were  generally  of  wood,  and 
must  have  been  covered  with  thatch,  as  no  remains 
of  roofing  tiles  were  found,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
regard  these  missiles  as  relics  of  the  persecution 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


57 


the  occupants  of  the  camp  must  have  suffered  from 
the  attacks  of  the  tribesmen  intent  on  setting  fire  to 
the  station  buildings.  Caesar,  describing  the  attack 
of  the  Nervii  on  one  of  his  camps,  relates  that, 
taking  advantage  of  a  high  wind,  they  began  to 
throw  into  it  sling-bullets  of  clay  made  red-hot, 
and  so  set  the  thatched  roofs  on  fire,  and  the  wind 
spread  the  conflagration  over  the  whole  camp.  A 
bronze-socketed  axe  and  a  late  Celtic  horse-trapping 
found  among  the  Roman  relics  seemed  to  indicate 
in  this  northern  region  a  survival  of  the  Bronze  Age 
and  late  Celtic  culture  into  Roman  times.  The 
coins  found  range  from  the  time  of  Nero,  a.d.  54,  to 
that  of  Hadrian,  a.d.  117.  The  few  fragments  of 
inscriptions  found  add  nothing  to  our  knowledge  of 
the  date  of  occupation,  the  only  thing  certain  being 
that  it  must  have  been  occupied  after  a.d.  117, 
though  there  is  nothing  to  show  when  the  occupa- 
tion first  commenced. — [We  are  indebted  to  the 
Scotsman  for  the  two  above  reports. — Ed.] 

*  *  * 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Scottish  Text  Society 
was  held  on  December  10,  when  the  following 
report  was  read  :  After  referring  to  the  loss  which 
the  society  had  sustained  by  the  deaths  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Gregor,  its  secretary,  and  of  Sir  John  Skelton, 
the  report  continued — The  works  for  the  past  year 
are  the  last  part  of  Scottish  Alliterative  Poems,  edited 
by  Mr.  Amours,  and  The  Gnid  and  Godlie  Ballates, 
from  the  hand  of  the  very  Rev.  Dr.  Mitchell  of  St. 
Andrews.  Mr.  Amours's  volume  is  now  in  the 
hands  of  the  members,  and  Dr.  Mitchell's  will  be 
issued  next  week.  Dr.  Gregor's  loss  was  felt  all  the 
more  because  he  had  just  undertaken  to  edit  for  the 
society  the  very  interesting  MS.  of  the  Scottish 
recension  of  Wyclif's  New  Testament,  kindly  lent 
for  the  purpose  by  Lord  Amherst,  of  Hackney. 
This  MS.  belonged  to  the  well-known  Covenanting 
family  of  Nisbet,  of  Hardhill,  in  the  parish  of 
Loudon,  Ayrshire,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  the 
text  contained  in  it  descended  from  the  Lollards  of 
Kyle.  For  the  important  undertaking  thus  so 
sadly  interrupted  in  its  beginning,  the  council  has 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  the  services  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Graves  Law,  librarian  of  the  Society  of 
Writers  to  the  Signet,  a  gentleman  whose  known 
scholarship  and  success  in  kindred  studies  give  full 
confidence  as  to  the  result.  Mr.  J.  H.  Stevenson's 
edition  of  Sir  Gilbert  Hay's  translation  of  L'Arhre 
des  Battailles  is  in  the  press,  and  will  be  issued  to 
subscribers  shortly.  The  Poems  of  Sir  William 
Mure  of  Rowallan,  edited  by  Mr.  Tough,  are  also 
in  the  press.  It  is  proposed  that  these  two  works 
shall  form  the  issues  for  the  year  now  current. 
Sheriff  Mackay  is  engaged  in  editing  the  Cronicles 
0/  Scotland,  by  Robert  Lindsay,  of  Pitscottie.  All 
the  known  MSS.  have  been  compared,  and  the 
choice  made  of  a  MS.  in  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh (Laing  Collection)  as  the  oldest  and  best 
text.  This  MS.  unfortunately  has  lacuna  at  both 
the  commencement  and  the  close,  and  it  was 
a  circumstance  of  rare  good  fortune  when  Mr.  John 
Scott,  C.B.,  of  Greenock,  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
the  society,  with  his  usual  liberality,  a  MS.  recently 
acquired  by  him.  This  MS.,  though  not  of  so  old 
a  date,  contains  a  text  substantially  the  same  as  the 
VOL.  XXXIV. 


university  MS.  It  supplies  the  missing  portions 
in  that  MS.  And  what  is  of  greater  import- 
ance, it  is  believed  to  contain,  for  the  first  time,  the 
complete  text  of  Pitscottie.  All  other  MSS.,  as 
well  as  the  printed  editions  of  Freebairn  and  Dalyell, 
give  mere  notes  or  jottings  of  the  years  1567-1575, 
the  date  to  which,  Pitscottie  says  in  his  preface,  he 
has  carried  his  history.  In  this  MS.,  for  the  first 
time,  has  been  found  a  full  and  as  yet  unknown 
record  by  a  well-informed  contemporary  of  the 
history  of  Scotland  from  the  death  of  Darnley  to 
the  deaths  of  Grange  and  Knox,  and  the  commence- 
ment of  the  regency  of  Morton.  The  council  has 
obtained  the  valuable  services  of  the  Rev.  John 
Anderson,  M.A.,  Assistant  Historical  Curator, 
Register  House,  who  is  engaged  in  copying  the 
newly-discovered  portion  of  Pitscottie.  Dr.  David 
Murray,  of  Glasgow,  has  undertaken  to  edit  a 
volume  of  Legal  Documents  in  Scots  for  the  society. 
This  will  supply  a  long-felt  want.  Not  a  little  of 
philological  and  historical  interest  lies  buried  in 
such  law  papers,  to  which  very  few  can  have  access. 
Dr.  Hermann  has  offered  to  edit  the  Breadalbane 
MS.  of  the  poem  of  "  Alexander  the  Great."  The 
Rev.  Alexander  Lawson,  of  Deer,  professor  of 
English  Literature  at  St.  Andrews,  is  at  work  upon 
the  Poems  of  Alexander  Hume. 

From  the  treasurer's  statement  it  appeared  that 
the  income  last  year,  including  the  contributions  of 
286  members,  amounted  to  ;^497  15s.  8d.,  and  that 
the  society  has  a  credit  balance  of  /404  igs.  gd. 

The  Marquis  of  Lothian,  in  moving  the  adoption 
of  the  report,  said  that  it  was  absolutely  essential  that 
the  society's  work  should  be  known  and  appreciated 
more  widely.  Their  object  was  to  make  known 
throughout  the  country  the  old  Scottish  literature 
which  was  gradually  disappearing.  A  great  many 
writings  in  that  tongue  were  still  in  manuscript, 
and  a  great  many  imperfectly  edited.  The  inten- 
tion of  the  Scottish  Text  Society  was  to  make  a 
really  good  Scotch  library.  The  society  laboured 
under  the  disadvantage  that  the  works  which  they 
dealt  with  were  rather  philological,  and  appealed 
to  the  student  rather  than  to  the  general  public. 
They  did  not  rouse  interest  like  a  novel,  or  appeal 
to  political  or  patriotic  passion.  They  were  of  a 
quiet  and  private  and  library  sort  of  interest  with 
reference  to  the  past  history  of  Scotland.  Without 
going  into  the  philological  question,  he  thought 
there  was  no  question  about  it  that  the  increased 
facilities  of  inter-communication  between  England 
and  Scotland  had  resulted  in  this,  that  the  old 
Scots  language,  in  face  of  the  enormous  and  power- 
ful mass  of  English  literature,  was  gradually  dis- 
appearing— in  some  sense  had  disappeared  The 
object  of  this  society  was  to  prevent  its  disappear- 
ing altogether,  and  the  only  way  to  do  it  properly 
was  to  get  as  large  a  number  of  people  as  possible 
to  take  an  interest  in  the  society.  One  might 
expect  that  its  work  would  have  an  interest  for  the 
chairs  of  English  Literature  in  the  Scottish 
universities,  and  yet,  with  one  exception,  he  did 
not  think  the  universities  took  in  their  books.  He 
did  not  see  why  Scots  literature  should  be  left  out 
of  the  curriculum  of  the  universities.  He  would 
not  say  the  study  would  have  any  practical  interest, 

I 


58 


AUCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


but  it  ought  to  be  included  in  the  Hberal  education 
which  every  Scotch  boy  ought  to  have  placed  before 
him.  He  hoped  those  who  had  influence  with 
others,  and  especially  with  the  universities,  would 
try  and  induce  them  to  help  on  the  work  of  the 
society. 

*  *      * 

A  general  meeting  of  the  Worcester  Diocesan 
Architectural  and  Arch^ological  Society 
w£is  held  at  Worcester,  on  December  13,  when 
there  was  a  large  attendance  of  members. 

The  Rev.  J.  K.  Floyer  read  a  paper  on  "A 
Recumbent  Effigy  in  the  Cloisters  of  Worcester 
Cathedral,  said  to  represent  Alexander  Neckam 
(died~  1217),  and  some  Account  of  his  Life  and 
Works."  The  paper  was  illustrated  by  two 
diagrams  of  the  masonry  at  the  spot  where  the 
effigy  lies,  and  by  excellent  photographs  taken  by 
Mr.  R.  H.  Murray. 

The  Dean  expressed  the  thanks  of  the  meeting 
to  Mr.  Floyer,  and  said  that  he  would  perhaps 
ead  a  paper  himself  on  "  Audela  de  Warren," 
whose  effigy  was  in  the  Cathedral.  Mr.  Floyer's 
paper,  the  Dean  said,  showed  deep  research,  and 
had  been  intensely  interesting  to  all  present. 

The  Rev.  J.  K.  Floyer  thought  the  society  did 
not  take  sufficient  cognizance  of  the  prehistoric 
remains  of  the  county.  He  also  remarked  that  the 
fund  for  the  restoration  of  Eckington  Cross  had 
been  well  supported  ;  but  about  ^5  was  still  re- 
quired to  enable  them  to  carry  out  the  scheme. 
The  design  of  the  base,  he  said,  was  simple,  and  did 
not  require  an  elaborate  superstructure.  [We 
venture  to  hope  that  nothing  of  the  nature  of 
"  restoration "  in  the  popular  sense  which  that 
word  has  acquired,  is  contemplated.^ — Ed.] 

In  reply  to  the  Rev.  F.  T.  Marsh,  Mr.  S.  G.  N. 
Spofforth  said  that  insufficient  interest  was  shown 
in  the  photographic  survey,  and  he  should  be  glad 
to  have  the  names  of  amateur  photographers  who 
would  assist  in  carrying  it  on. 

The  Rev.  H.  Kingsford  (hon.  sec),  as  one  of  the 
delegates  from  the  Worcester  society,  read  a  report 
of  the  Archaeological  Congress  in  London. 

Votes  of  thanks  were  passed  to  two  ladies  who 
had  kindly  lent  for  inspection  a  collection  of  coins 
and  medals. 

The  coins  and  medals  exhibited  were  about  1,300 
in  number,  and  excited  much  interest  on  the  part 
of  the  members.  There  were  also  on  exhibition  a 
small  silver  chalice,  a  christening  gift  of  knife, 
spoon,  and  fork  of  1701,  and  other  objects  of  silver, 
notably  a  large  embossed  dish  dug  up  at  Bahia  de 
todos  los  Santos,  in  Brazil,  of  fine  workmanship. 

*  *      * 

The  fourth  meeting  of  the  session  of  the  His- 
toric Society  of  Lancashire  and  Cheshire 
took  place  at  the  Royal  Institution  in  December. 
After  the  election  of  new  members  and  other 
business  the  paper  of  the  evening,  on  "  The  Moor 
Rentals  in  the  Time  of  Charles  II.,"  was  read  by 
Mr.  W.  Ferguson  Irvine,  who  commenced  by 
giving  a  survey  of  the  moor  property  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  the  position  of  several  streets, 
ancient  crosses  and  buildings  long  since  swept 
away,  and  much  amusement  was  caused  by  a  list  of 


complaints  and  many  quaint  anecdotes.  A  brief 
account  of  Liverpool  during  the  Civil  War,  the 
water  supply  and  many  other  items  were  given. 
Mr.  E.  W.  Cox  also  spoke  at  some  length  on  the 
old  Custom  House,  old  buildings,  and  other  in- 
teresting objects  existing  in  the  early  part  of  this 
century.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  heartily  accorded 
to  Mr.  Henry  Young  for  allowing  the  original  copy 
of  the  Moor  Rental  to  be  exhibited  at  the  meeting. 

•¥  •¥  -¥ 
At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries OF  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  held  on 
December  15,  Major  Browne,  of  Callaly,  exhibited 
through  Dr.  Burman  two  ancient  British  weapons 
of  chert,  found  in  Northumberland,  one  dug  up  at 
Callaly  Mill  a  short  time  ago  by  a  mason,  who 
was  repairing  the  bridge  and  washing  pool,  the 
other  at  Glororum,  near  Bamburgh,  now  in  his 
museum  at  Callaly. 

The  recommendation  of  the  council  to  ccmtribute 
£^o  towards  the  purchase  from  Mr.  Coulson,  the 
owner  of  the  site,  of  the  antiquities  discovered  at 
K,%\Q.z.  by  the  Northumberland  Excavation  Com- 
mittee during  their  operations,  the  balance  to  be 
raised  by  subscription,  was  agreed  to. 

At  the  meeting  a  list  was  passed  round,  when  a 
sum  of  £\o  was  contributed  by  members  present. 

Mr.  Hodges  reported  that  the  base  of  one  of  the 
sanctuary  crosses  at  Hexham  had  been  recently  dis- 
covered at  Maiden  Cross  Bank,  and  that  now  all 
four  crosses  were  known. 

Mr.  R.  Welford  read  a  paper  on  the  so-called 
"  Westmorland  House,"  at  Newcastle.  This  paper, 
which  is  an  exceptionally  valuable  contribution  to 
the  topography  of  the  town,  will  be  printed  in 
ArchcBologia  JEliana,  with  suitable  illustrations,  as 
will  also  a  paper  by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  H(/dgson  on 
St.  Andrew's  Church,  Auckland,  which  followed  it. 

A  proposal  for  an  exhibition  of  ancient  silver 
plate  (exclusive  of  Newcastle  plate)  was  made  by 
Mr.  L.  W.  Adamson.  Some  discussion  followed, 
and  the  idea  seemed  to  be  cordially  approved  by 
the  meeting  generally,  but  of  course  subject  to 
various  suggested  alterations  in  the  details  of  the 
previous  exhibition,  and  especially  the  desirability 
of  securing  premises  more  appropriate  for  the  dis- 
play than  could  be  obtained  in  the  limited  space  at 
disposal  in  the  Black  Gate. 

in  Ha  Hf. 
At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Stirling  Natural 
History  and  Arch^ological  Society,  held  on 
December  21,  Mr.  W.  B.  Cook  read  a  paper  en- 
titled "Notes  for  a  New  History  of  Stirling."  In 
the  first  part  of  the  paper  he  identified  the  site  of 
the  old  Playfield  of  Stirling,  where  the  miracle 
plays,  mysteries,  and  moralities  of  the  Middle 
Ages  were  performed.  This  was  the  hollow  between 
the  Ballangeich  road  and  the  Gowan  Hills,  in 
which  the  westernmost  houses  in  Lower  Castlehill, 
Ballangeich  Cottages,  and  Mitchell  Place  have  been 
built.  No  place,  Mr.  Cook  said,  could  be  better 
adapted  for  theatrical  performances,  as  it  was 
sheltered  on  every  side,  and  the  rising  ground  to 
the  north  and  south,  forming  a  natural  amphi- 
theatre, afforded  excellent  accommodation  for  the 
spectators.     Mr.  Cook  also  suggested  that  this  old 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


59 


Playfield,  rather  than  the  exposed  eminences  in  its 
neighbourhood,  was  the  probable  site  of  the 
rehgious  rites  of  the  earliest  settlers  on  the  rock  of 
Stirling.  If  it  could  be  traced  back  to  prehistoric 
times,  it  linked  the  past  centuries  together  in  a  way 
which  no  object  of  antiquity  in  the  district  could 
equal.  Only  the  testimony  of  the  rocks  could  reach 
back  to  a  remoter  age.  The  Playfield  of  Stirling 
was  deserted  prior  to  1578,  and  appeared  to  have 
become  a  sort  of  No  Man's  Land,  which  the  Crown 
appropriated  and  feued  out  to  the  royal  servants. 
The  nrst  feuar  was  Thomas  Ritchie,  servant  to 
James  VI.,  and  it  was  remarked  as  a  curious  coinci- 
dence that  a  well  in  the  Castlehill,  now  built  up, 
has  been  known  for  many  generations  as  the 
"Tammy  Ritchie"  well.  The  second  part  of  the 
paper  was  devoted  to  a  description  of  the  various 
sites  of  the  King's  stables  in  Stirling,  which  were 
originally  on  the  low  ground  to  the  south-west  of 
Stirling  Castle,  and  prior  to  1538  were  shifted  to 
the  north  side  of  the  Castle,  contiguous  to  the  old 
Playfield.  The  extent  of  stable  accommodation 
required  when  Stirling  Castle  was  the  abode  of 
royalty  was  shown  from  the  Household  Book  of 
James  V.  Mr.  Cook's  third  note  exposed  a  fabrica- 
tion of  a  masonic  charter  in  the  possession  of  Lodge 
"Stirling  Ancient,"  30,  which  set  forth  that  the 
building  of  Cambuskenneth  Abbey  had  brought  to 
the  district  a  large  number  of  unskilled  masons, 
and  granted  to  the  masons  of  Stirling  the  privilege 
of  forming  a  lodge.  Three  of  the  witnesses  to  this 
document  were  proved  to  be  myths,  and  it  was  also 
condemned  by  its  date,  March  5,  1147,  which  was 
long  anterior  to  the  appearance  of  the  annus 
domini  in  Scottish  charters.  The  object  of  the 
author  of  this  forged  charter  of  David  I.  was  no 
doubt  to  give  a  hoary  antiquity  to  the  Stirling 
Lodge  of  Freemasons,  which,  however,  could  law- 
fully claim  to  have  been  founded  by  William  Shaw, 
Master  of  Works  to  James  VI.,  and  so  rank  third 
instead  of  thirty  in  the  order  of  Scottish  lodges. 
In  his  fourth  and  concluding  note,  Mr.  Cook 
endeavoured  to  fix  approximately  the  age  of  Cam- 
buskenneth Abbey  Tower.  The  original  bell-tower, 
he  said,  was  destroyed  by  lightning  prior  to  1361, 
and  there  was  no  restoration  of  the  tower  before 
1405,  so  that  the  building  which  now  stood  out  so 
prominently  in  the  landscape  was  not  older  than 
the  fifteenth  century,  although  it  had  been  con- 
sidered by  certain  architectural  authorities  to  be  as 
old  as  the  twelfth  century,  when  the  monastery 
was  founded. 

Hfi  :¥  * 
"  Sixty  Years'  Reminiscences  of  Bradford  "  was  the 
title  of  a  lecture  delivered  on  January  7  by  Mr. 
George  Field,  of  West  Bank,  Heaton,  before  the 
Bradford  Antiquarian  Society.  Mr.  Field's 
connection  with  Bradford  began  in  the  year  1837. 
His  father,  a  small  top-maker  in  Devonshire,  was 
forced  by  the  decline  of  the  woollen  industry  in  the 
West  of  England  to  seek  work  further  afield.  After 
a  sojourn  of  a  few  years  in  Kidderminster,  he  came 
North  and  settled  in  Bradford,  where,  owing  to  the 
advent  of  machinery,  the  trade  by  which  he  gained 
his  livelihood  had  centred.  Here  he  was  soon 
joined  by  his  wife  and  children,  among  whom  was 


the  lecturer.  Mr.  Field  had  a  vivid  recollection  of 
the  journey.  From  Kidderminster  Manchester  was 
reached  by  canal  boat.  A  waggon  conveyed  the 
travellers  over  the  bleak  Blackstone  Edge  to 
Halifax,  and  the  remainder  of  the  journey  was 
performed  on  foot.  His  first  home  was  in  George 
Street,  a  thoroughfare  which,  though  it  now  has 
rather  an  unsavoury  reputation,  was  then  considered 
a  respectable  residential  neighbourhood.  Mr.  Field 
commenced  work  when  nine  years  of  age  in  a 
Brussels  carpet  factory.  On  coming  to  Bradford 
he  worked  for  two  years  and  a  half  at  the  comb, 
leaving  home  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  He  had  never 
in  his  life  had  a  day's  schooling,  all  that  he  knew 
having  been  acquired  by  self-tuition,  pursued  with 
resolute  perseverance.  Having  given  this  brief 
sketch  of  his  personal  history,  in  order,  as  he  ex- 
pressed it,  that  his  audience  might  be  better  able 
to  sympathise  with  his  views,  the  lecturer  proceeded 
to  deal  with  the  persons  and  places  occupying  a 
prominent  position  in  the  history  of  Bradford, 
giving,  besides  his  personal  recollections,  a  short 
historical  account  of  each.  Speaking  first  of  Boiling 
Hall,  as  being  the  most  ancient,  he  referred  to  its 
associations  with  Richard  Oastler  and  the  agitation 
which  resulted  in  the  passing  of  the  Factory  Acts, 
calling  attention  in  passing  to  the  fact  that  among 
all  the  Jubilee  celebrations  which  took  place  last 
year  it  had  occurred  to  no  one  to  celebrate  the 
jubilee  of  the  first  of  these  beneficial  measures.  In 
Spring  Wood,  which  was  part  of  the  Boiling  Hall 
estate,  Mr  Field  witnessed,  in  1846,  the  cutting  of 
the  first  sod  on  the  railway  from  Bradford  to  Low 
Moor,  the  first  line  which  put  Bradford  into  direct 
communication  with  the  outside  world.  Coming 
next  to  Scarr  Hill,  now  the  residence  of  the  Mayor, 
the  lecturer  pointed  out  that  the  old  house  had  for 
one  of  its  earliest  occupants,  in  the  person  of  Mr. 
Joshua  Pollard,  a  man  who  was  bitterly  opposed, 
first  to  the  incorporation  of  Bradford,  and  after- 
wards to  every  scheme  undertaken  by  the  young 
municipality  for  the  improvement  of  the  town. 
Joshua  Pollard  was  a  man  of  great  personal 
courage,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the  Chartist  riots 
he  showed  this  by  relieving  the  Mayor,  Mr.  Milligan, 
who  was  a  very  timid  man,  of  the  unpleasant  duty 
of  reading  the  Riot  Act  to  the  infuriated  mob. 
Speaking  of  a  fine  specimen  of  fossil  Stigmaria 
found  near  Clayton,  which  had  been  purchased  by 
the  authorities  of  Owen's  College,  Manchester, 
Mr.  Field  regretted  that  for  want  of  proper  accom- 
modation geological  finds  and  antiquarian  relics 
should  be  allowed  to  leave  the  district.  His  ac- 
quaintance with  Horton  Hall  dated  from  1840,  the 
hall  then  being  occupied  by  Mr.  Samuel  Hailstone. 
The  building  was  the  first  in  Bradford  to  be 
licensed  as  a  preaching  place.  It  was  also  the 
scene  of  many  great  functions,  and  was  visited 
from  time  to  time  by  many  eminent  men.  Bolton 
Hall  had  had  a  chequered  career,  and  of  all 
the  families  who  had  occupied  it  during  the  last 
century,  with  the  exception  of  the  Laws,  none 
remained  in  Bradford.  Mr.  Field  also  gave  a 
number  of  interesting  reminiscences  of  a  similar 
character  of  the  Clock  House  and  the  Manor  Hall 
and  their  various  occupiers,  mentioning  in  connec- 

I   2 


6o 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


tion  with  the  latter  place  that  it  was  under  its  roof 
Mr.  Gathorne  Hardy— now  Lord  Cranbrook — was 
born.  He  well  remembered  the  old  Talbot  Hotel, 
and  when  it  was  demolished  many  years  ago  he 
bought  from  the  late  Mr.  E.  W.  Hammond  the 
stone  effigy  of  the  dog  which  served  as  its  sign. 

*  *     * 

At  the  December  meeting  of  the  Natural  History 
AND  Antiquarian  Society  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  held 
at  Douglas,  the  report  of  Mr.  G.  W.  Lamplough. 
the  delegate  of  the  society  to  the  meeting  of  the 
British  Association  at  Toronto  was  received.  The 
Rev.  T.  Quine  read  a  paper  on  "Manx  Parish 
Church  Sites,"  in  the  course  of  which  he  remarked 
that  the  parochial  system  in  the  island — the  consti- 
tution of^  parishes  and  the  establishment  of  parish 
churches— dates  at  the  earliest  from  the  middle  of 
the  thirteenth  century  (Bishop  Richard,  the  English- 
man, first  Baron  Bishop  of  the  island),  but  more 
probably  from  the  last  quarter  of  that  century 
(Bishop  Mark,  first  Scotch  Bishop,  a.d.  1275-1300). 
Bishop  Simon  died  in  1247,  and  in  1266,  Magnus, 
last  King  of  Man.  They  were  the  last  of  the  old 
Manx-Norse  kings  and  bishops ;  henceforth  there 
was  Scotch  and  English  rule,  and  in  the  Church  an 
English  bishop,  then  a  succession  of  seven  Scottish 
bishops.  The  parochial  system  was  exotic  and 
alien  ;  but  as  it  had  been  introduced  from  England 
into  Scotland,  so  from  Scotland  most  probably  it 
was  introduced  into  the  Isle  of  Man.  Alluding  to 
the  cathedral  church  of  Peel,  Mr.  Quine  observed 
that  in  his  opinion  the  cathedral  was  founded  about 
a  century  before  parishes  were  constituted.  There 
is  something  more  than  a  hint  of  a  chapter  of  clergy 
at  St.  German's  about  1245.  These  were  not  all 
resident,  of  course,  but  a  resident  body  is  implied. 
There  is  evidence  of  a  body  of  clergy  at  Maug- 
hold  in  1 160,  and  no  doubt  there  were  other 
centres.  There  was  no  trace  of  a  separation  and 
isolation  of  the  clergy,  as  afterwards  came  to  pass 
in  the  parochial  system.  Mr.  P.  M.  C.  Kermode 
followed  by  reading  a  paper  on  "  Records  of  Sharks 
in  Manx  Waters,"  referring  more  especially  to  a 
specimen  of  a  true  shark  lately  captured  at  Derby 
Haven. 

*  *      • 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Clifton  Antiquarian 
Club,  held  on  January  5,  Colonel  Bramble,  F.S.A., 
briefly  surveyed  the  changes  which  have  taken 
place  at  Bristol  during  the  last  forty  years.  He 
observed  as  follows  :  "  The  boundaries  of  our  city 
have,  since  our  last  meeting,  been  very  widely 
extended,  but  its  archaeological  history  has  been 
comparatively  uneventful.  We  have,  however,  lost 
that  wonderful  specimen  of  an  aln-ost  untouched 
mediaeval  street— the  Pithay.  My  experience  of 
Bristol  is  only  of  some  forty  years'  standing.  I 
came  to  reside  here  in  the  spring  of  1857,  but 
during  that  comparatively  short  period  the  changes 
have  been  great.  I  would  instance  the  entrance  to 
St.  Nicholas  and  Mary-le-Port  streets,  which,  when 
1  first  knew  them,  were  so  narrow  that  a  single 
crank-axled  cart  blocked  both  road  and  pathways  ; 
I  have  seen  such  a  cart  break  through  the  wooden 
cover  of  a  cellar  opposite  St.  Nicholas  Church,  and 
effectually  block  the  entire  road,  even  to  foot  pas- 


sengers, for  nearly  an  hour.  The  opposite  house — 
the  Druid's  Arms — overhanging  the  road,  was  only 
kept  from  falling  against  the  north  side  of  the 
church  by  short,  stout  struts;  and  the  same 
method  was  adopted  at  the  High  Street  end  of 
Mary-le-Port  Street.  In  either  case  there  was  no 
difficulty  in  shaking  hands  from  the  windows  of 
houses  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  street.  The 
houses  at  the  corner  of  High  Street  and  Nicholas 
Street  were  pulled  down,  and  I  may  mention  that 
the  Angel  Inn,  contrary  to  popular  belief,  did  not 
stand  at  this  corner,  but  further  up  High  Street, 
with  a  return  at  right  angles  into  Nicholas  Street. 
There  were  two  shops  at  the  corner,  which  were 
pulled  down  for  widening  the  street,  and  the  re- 
maining houses,  being  imperfectly  shored  up,  one 
evening,  about  an  hour  after  I  passed  there,  slipped 
down  into  the  cellars.  It  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows 
no  one  any  good.  New  and  substantial  buildings 
took  the  place  of  the  old  ones,  but  the  picturesque- 
ness  of  the  High  Street  was  practically  gone. 
Further  down  St.  Nicholas  Street  the  Elephant, 
popularly  known  as  the  Pig  and  Whistle,  was, 
about  1863,  '  set  back.'  Up  to  that  time  there  was 
in  this  part  barely  room  for  a  cart  to  pass,  but  the 
obstruction  was  only  for  a  short  distance.  To  get 
from  College  Green  to  Park  Street  you  dipped  down 
into  Frogmore  Street  and  up  again.  Steep  Street, 
now  obliterated,  formed  the  wheel-road  from  Host 
Street  to  Park  Row.  To  pass  to  the  Imperial  Hotel 
opposite  King's  Parade  there  was  barely  room  for 
two  cabs  to  pass  each  other.  At  Pembroke  Road, 
then  called  Baths  Acre  Lane,  you  had  to  squeeze 
against  a  wall  to  enable  a  cart  to  pass  you,  and  the 
top  of  St.  Michael's  Hill,  near  Highbury  Chapel, 
was  little  wider.  Hampton  Road  was  a  country 
lane.  St.  John's  Road  was  a  field  path,  and  to  get 
on  wheels  from  Pembroke  Road  to  Clifton  Park 
you  had  to  pass  on  the  south  or  lower  side  of 
Clifton  parish  church,  and  return  by  way  of  Rodney 
Place.  Since  our  last  meeting,  Mr.  J.  L.  Pearson, 
the  architect  superintending  the  restoration  of  the 
cathedral,  has  died.  So  far,  I  believe,  no  selection 
of  a  successor  has  been  made  by  the  Dean  and 
Chapter.  We  may  be  allowed  to  express  a  hope 
that  their  choice  may  fall  upon  someone  who  may 
have  a  reverent  feeling,  not  only  towards  the  build- 
ing as  a  building,  but  also  towards  the  great 
historical  and  civic  interests  which  attach  to  it  as 
a  fine  ecclesiastical  building  of  date  long  antecedent 
to  the  establishment  of  the  see  of  Bristol.  As  I 
have  often  taken  the  opportunity  to  impress  on  this 
and  kindred  societies,  architecture  is  not  everything. 
Do  not  leave  the  shell  without  the  kernel ;  do  not 
discard  all  historical  and  human  interest  for  the 
purpose  of  having  a  building  architecturally  perfect 
and  complete."  In  conclusion,  the  president  stated 
that  their  secretary,  Mr.  Hudd,  was  leaving  for  the 
East  in  a  week's  time,  and  he  was  glad  the  club 
had  an  opportunity  of  showing  its  goodwill  by 
asking  him  to  accept  a  silver  bowl,  dated  181 1,  and 
a  set  of  four  silver  candlesticks,  dated  1779.  These 
gifts  had  been  subscribed  for  by  the  members  ;  the 
candlesticks  bore  a  monogram  specially  designed 
by  Mr.  Gough,  and  the  bowl  was  inscribed  with 
these  words :  "  Presented,  together  with  a  set  of 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


6i 


four  candlesticks,  by  the  Clifton  Antiquarian  Club 
to  their  honorary  secretary,  Alfred  E.  Hudd,  Esq., 
F.S.A.     January  5th,  1898." 

Mr.  Hudd,  in  acknowledging  the  gift,  said  it  was 
exceedingly  kind  of  the  members  to  give  him  such 
a  choice  and  valuable  present.  He  had  been  taken 
completely  by  surprise,  and  he  had  no  idea  such  a 
plot  was  being  arranged.  The  presents  would  be 
most  valued  by  him,  and  would  be  a  pleasure  to 
his  wife  and  family. 


lRet)ietri0  anD  jl3otices 
of  if3eto  T5ook0. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.l 

Thk  Dialect  and  Place-Namf.s  of  Shetland. 
.  By  Jakob  Jakobsen,  Ph.D.  Copenhagen.  Cloth, 
4to.,  pp.  125.     Lerwick  :    T.  and  J.  Manson. 

Although  this  volume  is  described  as  containing  two 
"popular  lectures"  delivered  at  Lerwick,  it  is  of  a  much 
more  solid  character  than  such  a  description  might  seem 
to  imply.  The  book  really  contains  a  scientific  and 
scholarly  treatise  on  the  old  Scandinavian  language  of 
the  Shetlands,  and  the  many  traces  it  has  left  of  itself, 
not  merely  in  Shetland  place-names,  but  in  the 
common  speech  of  the  people  themselves.  There  is, 
no  doubt,  something  very  appropriate  in  a  Dane 
crossing  to  Shetland,  and  for  three  years  patiently 
studying  the  language  of  the  people,  in  order  to 
gather  up  the  fragments  of  the  old  speech  which  still 
remain  ;  but  it  is  hardly  creditable  to  Englishmen  or 
Scotchmen  that  it  should  have  been  left  for  Dr. 
Jakobsen  to  do  this.  Yet  had  Dr.  Jakobsen  not 
taken  the  work  in  hand,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  in  a 
short  time  it  would  have  been  too  late,  and  that  much 
which  he  has  rescued  for  preservation  would  have 
been  wholly  lost. 

The  old  Scandinavian  tongue  as  a  common  speech 
died  out  in  Shetland  about  the  latter  part  of  the 
middle  of  last  century.  In  1774  an  old  man  in 
Foula  repeated  a  Norn  ballad,  but  could  not  translate 
it,  and  could  only  give  a  general  idea  of  its  meaning  — 
a  sort  of  echo,  as  it  were,  of  the  end  of  the  old 
tongue  as  a  spoken  language.  Yet,  as  Dr.  Jakobsen 
observes  (p.  10),  "The  fact  that  about  ten  thousand 
words  derived  from  the  Norn  still  linger  in  Shetland, 
although  a  great  number  of  them  are  not  actually  in 
daily  u.se  and  only  remembered  by  old  people,  is 
sufficient  to  show  that  it  cannot  be  very  long  since  the 
real  Norn  speech  died.  In  several  parts  of  Shetland, 
especially  Foula  and  the  North  Isle',  the  present 
generation  of  old  people  remember  their  grand-parents 
speaking  a  language  that  they  could  hardly  under- 
stand, and  which  was  called  Norn  or  Norse.  But  it 
must  have  been  greatly  intermixed  with  Scotch,  for 
many  of  the  old  words  now  dying  out  and  being  sup- 
planted by  English  are  really  Scotch,  although  they 
are  believed  by  many  to  be  Norn. 


The  book  comprises  two  parts  :  the  first  deals  with 
the  language  generally,  and  with  the  remnants  of  it 
which  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  speech  of  the 
people.  Very  remarkable  indeed  is  the  amount  of 
the  old  language.  We  quote  the  following  example, 
a  nursery  rhyme  from  Unst : 

"  Buyn  vil  ikka  teea  ; 
Tak  an  leggen, 
Slogan  veggen, 
Buyn  vil  ikke  teea." 
The  translation  of  which  is  : 

'■  The  child  will  not  be  still  ; 
Take  him  by  the  leg. 
Strike  him  against  the  wall. 
The  child  will  not  be  still." 

As  another  specimen  of  conversational  Norn,  Dr. 
Jakobsen  quotes  the  following  "goadik"  or  riddle 
belonging  to  Unst,  and  given  him  by  Mr.  Irvine,  of 
Lerwick  : 

"  Fira  honga,  fira  gonga, 
Fira  staad  upo  sk0, 
Twa  veestra  vaig  a  bee. 
And  ane  comes  atta  driljandi." 

This  curious  mixture  of  corrupt  Norse  and  Scotch 
is.  Dr.  Jakobsen  says,  a  riddle  about  the  cow's  body, 
and  may  thus  be  translated  : 

"  Four  hang  (that  is  to  say,  the  teats),  four  go  (the 
legs),  four  stand  skywards  (horns  and  ears),  two  show 
the  way  to  the  town  (the  eyes),  and  one  comes  shaking 
behind  (the  tail)." 

We  have  said  nothing  of  the  examples  of  words  and 
combinations  of  words  still  employed  in  ordinary  con- 
versation which  Dr.  Jakobsen  has  collected,  but  the 
whole  of  the  first  portion  of  the  book  is  full  of  matter 
of  this  kind,  and  shows  that  much  more  of  the  old 
language  still  lingers  in  Shetland  than  is  generally 
supposed. 

The  second  part  of  the  book  deals  with  the  place- 
names,  and  is  perhaps  the  more  serviceable  portion  of 
the  book,  though  it  covers  a  good  deal  of  ground 
already  occupied  by  English  and  Scotch  students. 
There  are,  nevertheless,  a  good  many  new  points 
brought  out  by  the  author,  and  what  he  says  in  many 
instances  throws  fresh  light  on  obscure  place-names, 
and  will  be  found  of  use  by  those  who  are  occupied 
with  the  study  of  English  place-names  affected  by 
Scandinavian  influences.  The  book  is  a  thoroughly 
sound  one,  and  its  type  and  get-up  do  much  credit  to 
the  Lerwick  house  which  has  issued  it. 

*         *         * 
The  Stapeltons  of  Yorkshire.     By  H.  E.  Chet- 
wynd-Stapylton.      Cloth,    8vo.,    pp.    xii,    333. 
London  :  Longmans,  Green  and  Co.     Price,  14s. 

A  few  years  ago  Mr.  H.  E.  Chetwynd-Stapylton 
contributed  a  series  of  very  carefully  prepared  papers 
on  the  old  Yorkshire  family  of  Stapelton  to  the 
Journal  of  the  Yorkshire  Archaeological  and  Topo- 
graphical Association,  or,  as  it  is  now  called  since  its 
incorporation,  the  Yorkshire  Archreological  Society. 
In  those  papers  the  author  brought  together  an 
amazing  amount  of  information  as  to  the  history  of 
the  family,  its  chief  members,  and  its  various 
branches.  It  might  have  been  thought  that  he  had 
exhausted  all  the  sources  of  available  information  on 


63 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


his  theme,  but  that  was  not  so,  and  we  are  told  in  the 
preface  that  "  great  advances  have  been  made  in 
genealogical  investigation  during  the  last  ten  years," 
which  is  very  true,  so  that,  as  the  author  further 
observes,  "A  great  portion  of  my  former  work  has 
accordingly  been  re-written,  and  large  additions  have 
been  made."  The  result  of  this  is  that  a  very  elabo- 
rate history  of  the  Stapeltons  of  Yorkshire  has  been 
compiled,  and  that,  we  may  add,  in  an  interesting  and 
readable  manner,  which  is  saying  a  good  deal  as 
ordinary  genealogical  works  go.  The  Stapeltons  are 
traced  from  a  small  hamlet  on  the  Toes,  lying  between 
the  towns  of  Richmond  and  Darlington.  They  have 
become  widely  spread,  and  various  distinct  branches 
of  the  Yorkshire  family  were  developed  at  a  fairly 
early  period,  some  of  which  have  struck  out  branches 
in  other  jiarts  of  England,  while  the  Carlton  branch 
has  become  ennobled. 

It  is  impossible  to  explain  in  detail  the  contents  of 
a  book  like  this,  but  its  main  outlines  may  be 
gathered  from  the  titles  of  the  different  chapters, 
which,  after  the  Introduction,  are  as  follow :  The 
Stapeltons  of  Richmondshire  and  Haddesley ;  of 
Cudworth  ;  of  Bedale  and  Norfolk  ;  Sir  Brian  Stapil- 
ton  of  Carlton  and  Wighill ;  the  Stapletons  of  Carlton ; 
of  Wighill ;  of  Warter  ;  of  Myton  ;  and  the  Baronets 
of  Greys  Court,  Oxon. 

So  far  as  it  is  possible  to  test  them,  the  statements 
made  seem  to  be  accurate  and  carefully  substantiated. 
The  only  slip  we  have  found  occurs  on  page  33, 
where  the  village  of  Brotton  is  described  as  being 
"  near  Yarm."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  some  twenty 
miles  from  Yarm.  On  reading  the  statement,  we 
were  for  the  moment  under  the  impression  that  some 
other  and  more  obscure  hamlet  of  the  same  name  was 
intended.  This,  however,  is  a  small  matter,  and  it 
only  serves  to  bring  out  into  greater  prominence  the 
general  accuracy  which  marks  Mr.  Stapylton's  book. 
We  ought  to  add  that  there  are  a  number  of  illustra- 
tions, more  than  fifty,  we  believe  ;  some  of  them  are 
good,  but  they  are  not  perhaps  the  strongest  feature 
of  the  book. 

*         «         * 
A  History  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre, Northampton.     By  the  Rev.  J.  Charles 
Cox  and  the  Rev.  R.  M.  Serjeantson.     Illustrated 
by  Thomas  Garratt,  architect.     Cloth,  8vo,  pp. 
290.     Northampton  :    William  Mark. 
This  book  is  an  excellent  one  in  every  respect.     In 
its  way  the  Round  Church  at  Northampton  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  the  lesser  ecclesiastical  structures 
in  the  country.     It  is  one  of  four — its  three  fellows 
being  the  Temple  Church,  in  London  ;  St.  Sepulchre's, 
at  Cambridge  ;  and  the  church  of  Little  Maplestead, 
in  Essex.     All  of  these  are  still  in  use,  and  besides 
them  there  is  the  ruined  chapel  in  Ludlow  Castle. 
There  were  three  others,  viz.,  the  Temple  in  Holborn, 
and  the  churches  of   Temple  Bruer  and  Aislaby  in 
Lincolnshire,  but  all  traces  of  the  three  last-named 
have  disappeared.     The  round  churches  in  this  coun- 
try were  in  all  cases  the  outcome  of  the  Crusades,  and 
were  intended  to  be  more  or  less  rough  copies  in  plan 
of  the  great  circular  shrine  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  at 
Jerusalem.     The  origin  of  the  church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  at  Northampton  is  a  matter  of  doubt.     It 
has  been  ordinarily  attributed  to  the  Templars,  but 


the  authors  of  this  book  prove  very  conclusively  that 
such  was  not  the  case,  and  they  suggest,  with  a  great 
deal  of  confidence  and  much  show  of  probability,  that 
it  is  really  due  to  Simon  de  St.  Liz,  who  in  1096 
joined  the  first  crusade,  returned  to  England,  and 
sixteen  years  later,  out  of  religious  zeal,  made  a  second 
and  peaceful  journey  to  the  Holy  City.  The  authors 
can  bring  forward  no  direct  proof  of  the  fact,  but  seek 
to  establish  it  by  what  is  known  in  the  law  courts  as 
"  circumstantial  evidence." 

In  the  first  chapter  an  admirable  account  is  given 
of  the  site  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  at  Jerusalem,  and  of 
the  buildings  raised  above  and  around  it.  This  chapter 
contains  the  most  concise  and  explicit  account  of  the 
matter  that  we  are  acquainted  with,  and  some  con- 
jectural plans  are  added  to  help  to  make  the  explana- 
tion clearer. 

Subsequent  chapters  deal  with  the  architecture  and 
architectural  history  of  the  church  at  Northampton, 
and  these  portions  are  also  freely  supplied  with  plans 
and  illustrations.  Nothing  of  interest  is  passed  by, 
and  one  is  almost  tempted  to  imagine  that  every  single 
stone  in  the  older  work  must  have  been  individually 
subjected  to  a  close  scrutiny.  If  we  have  a  criticism  to 
make  it  is  that  the  opening  paragraphs  of  Chapter  IV, 
are  tinged  a  little  too  much  by  the  theological  stand- 
point of  the  authors,  more,  we  think,  than  is  desirable 
in  a  book  of  this  kind.  From  the  picture,  too,  of  the 
memorial  font,  shown  in  the  photograph  of  the  Round 
on  p.  81,  we  should  be  disposed  to  think  that  it  does 
not  merit  the  commendation  (p.  73)  bestowed  upon  it. 
Passing  from  the  church  itself,  the  monuments  within 
it  are  described,  and  a  facsimile  is  given  of  a  rubbing 
of  an  excellent  late  brass  (1640)  to  the  memory  of  Mr. 
George  Coles,  his  two  wives,  and  their  children,  who 
are  represented  on  it.  Below  the  figures  is  a  device 
of  two  clasped  hands  with  a  legend  beneath  it  as 
follows  : 

"  FAREWELL  TRVE  FRIEND,  READER  VNDERSTAND 
BY  THIS  MYSTERIOVS  KNOTT  OF  HAND  IN  HAND, 
THIS   EMBLEM  DOTH  (W^HAT  FRIENDS  MVST  FAYLE 

TO  DOE) 
RELATE  OVR  FRIENDSHIPP,  AND  ITS  FIRMNES  TOO, 
SVCH  WAS  OVR  LOVE,  NOT  TIME  BVT  DEATH  DOTH 

SEVER 
OVR   MORTALL  PARTS,  BVT  OVR  IMMORTALL  NEVER 
ALL  THINGS  DOE  VANISH  HERE  BELOWE,  ABOVE 
SVCH  AS  OVR  LIFE  IS  THERE,  SVCH  IS  OVR  LOVE." 

Passing  from  the  inside  of  the  church  to  the  out- 
side, two  unusual  objects  are  specially  noted,  besides 
the  other  tombs,  etc.,  viz.,  a  figure  of  our  Lord  on  the 
cross  (the  body  clothed  from  the  waist  to  the  knees), 
which  is  built  into  the  wall  of  a  house  adjoining  the 
churchyard,  and  an  outside  recessed  but  unidentified 
tomb  in  the  exterior  wall  of  the  Round. 

After  this  come  lists  of  the  vicars  and  patrons, 
with  biographical  notices.  Then  the  churchwardens, 
clerks,  and  sextons,  the  bells,  bell-ringers,  registers, 
churchwardens'  accounts,  the  charities,  etc.,  each 
separately  and  fully  dealt  with.  Then  follow  a 
number  of  wills.  In  fact,  the  book  is  thorough  in 
every  respect,  and  admirably  illustrated  as  well.  It 
is  really  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  it  is  one  of  the 
very  best  books  of  the  kind  that  we  know.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  add  that  there  is  a  full  index. 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


63 


The  Arms  of  the  Royal  and  Parliamentary 
Burghs  of  Scotland,  by  John,  Marquis  of 
Bute,  K.T.,  J.  R.  N.  Macphail,  and  H.  W. 
Lonsdale.  4 to.,  392  pp.  (Edinburgh:  W^i7//am 
Blackwood  and  Sons,  1897.)     Price  42s. 

This  book  contains  a  large  drawing  of  each  coat 
of  arms  with  its  verbal  blazon,  followed  by  an 
inquiry  into  its  origin  and  modifications,  and  in 
many  cases  suggestions  for  its  improvement.  The 
illustrations  are  admirable.  It  would  be  hard  to 
produce  anything  better  than  the  wolf  of  Stirling, 
and  the  arms  proposed  for  Coatbridge  show  with 
what  success  a  commonplace  subject  can  be 
treated. 

To  say  that  the  letterpress  is  worthy  of  the 
illustrations  falls  short  of  the  praise  that  is  due 
to  it.  The  authors  were  pre-eminently  equipped 
for  the  task  they  set  before  them,  and  they  have 
spared  neither  cost  nor  labour  in  its  accomplish- 
ment. 

The  book  appears  opportunely,  at  a  time  when 
it  is  being  dinned  into  our  ears  that,  except  a  coat 
of  arms  be  registered,  it  is  nothing  worth.  Persons 
of  that  way  of  thinking  would  do  well  to  notice  that 
of  the  eighty-seven  coats  here  given,  only  twenty- 
seven  have  been  recorded  in  the  Lyon  Office,  and 
most  of  those  so  recorded  have  suffered  in  the  pro- 
cess. The  evil  has  been  caused  not  only  by  the 
ignorance  and  absence  of  artistic  taste  which  mark 
the  grants,  but  even  in  those  cases  where  nothing 
more  was  done  than  to  sanction  the  arms  presented 
by  applicants.  The  Lyon's  authority  has  crystal- 
lized absurdities  which,  if  left  in  their  fluid  state, 
might  have  passed  away.  One  of  the  earliest  mis- 
takes of  the  Lyon  was  to  put  St.  Michael  instead  of 
St.  Nicholas  on  the  shield  of  Aberdeen.  One  of 
his  latest  achievements  has  been  to  slay  the  salmon 
of  Peebles  by  turning  the  waters  of  the  Tweed  into 
blood. 

A  few  things  in  the  book  seem  to  require  correction. 
Is  not  the  chief  gules  on  afield  azure,  in  the  arms  sug- 
gested for  Forfar,  an  introduction  of  the  foreign  chef 
cousu,  and  an  infringement  of  the  rule  against  the 
superimposition  of  colours  ?  And  do  not  the  arms  of 
Peterhead  as  described — Argent,  on  a  chief  or,  three 
pallets  gules — offend  by  a  like  misplacement  of  metals  ? 
In  the  latter  case  the  offence  might  be  avoided  by 
giving  the  arms  of  the  Earls  Marischal  in  the  usual 
manner:  Argent,  on  a  chief  gules,  three  pallets  or,  or 
Paly  of  six  or  and  gules.  In  the  arms  of  Renfrew 
the  sun  and  moon  would  be  better  transposed,  for, 
as  they  stand,  the  increscent  moon's  dark  side  is 
turned  towards  the  sun.  We  doubt  whether  the 
legend  on  the  old  Rothesay  seal  can  fairly  be  said 
to  show  the  engraver's  ignorance  of  Latin.  At  all 
events,  as  pointed  out  by  Mr.  Hewison  in  his  Bute 
in  the  Olden  Time,  the  word  liberius,  for  which  libertas 
has  been  substituted  in  the  new  seal,  occurs  in  the 
original  charter  of  the  burgh,  and,  indeed,  is  of 
common  occurrence  in  such  charters.  We  observe 
that  the  dragons  are  drawn  as  bipeds.  Is  not  the 
difference  between  a  dragon  and  a  wyvern  that  the 
former  has  four,  while  the  latter  has  only  two, 
legs? 

It  may  safely  be  said  that  this  work  supersedes 
all  others  which  treat  of  the  subject,  and  presents 


a  model  which  might  with  advantage  be  imitated 
in  other  departments  of  heraldry. 
*  *  * 
Book  -  Prices  Current  (London  :  Elliot  Stock) 
is  so  widely  known  and  appreciated,  that  it  is  un- 
necessary for  us  to  say  more  than  that  the  volume 
for  1897  has  been  published,  and  bears  abundant 
testimony  to  Mr.  J.  H.  Slater's  painstaking 
accuracy.  We  may,  however,  draw  attention  to 
the  proposal  to  publish  a  General  Index  to  the 
volumes  already  issued.  The  utility  of  such  an 
index  is  obvious,  and  it  is  proposed  to  issue  it  by 
subscription,  the  price  being  fixed  at  a  guinea  net. 
We  hope  that  a  sufficient  number  of  names  will  be 
received  to  justify  the  publication  of  the  index  at 
an  early  date. 

.•^  *  * 
We  have  received  from  the  office  of  our  con- 
temporary, the  Architect,  three  proof  engravings  of 
"ink-photo"  engravings  of  the  series  of  the 
"Cathedrals  of  England"  which  has  been  in  pro- 
gress of  publication  in  the  Architect  during  1897, 
and  which  will  be  continued  in  the  present  year. 
The  three  engravings  sent  to  us  are  those  of  the 
interior  of  the  nave  of  Lincoln  Cathedral  looking  east, 
the  choir  of  Ely  Cathedral,  and  the  south  aisle  of 
Winchester  Cathedral.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  be  able 
to  speak  in  very  warm  terms  of  praise.  All  three 
engravings  are  excellent,  showing  light  and  shade 
admirably,  and  with  much  clearness  of  architectural 
detail.  We  should  be  disposed  to  award  the  first 
place  to  the  view  of  Lincoln,  but  the  two  others 
are  almost  equally  good,  though  the  Scottian  wood- 
work and  reredos  spoil  the  appearance  of  the  view  of 
Ely.  The  series  ought  to  form  a  valuable  addition 
to  the  published  views  of  the  cathedrals  when  com- 
pleted, and  we  have  much  satisfaction  in  drawing 
attention  to  it.  The  pictures  (not  counting  the 
margins)  measure  13  by  loj  inches. 


CorresponDence. 


THE  DATE  OF  WALTHAM  CHURCH. 
To  THE  Editor. 
HE  acceptance  of  a  pre-Norman  date  for 
the  main  part  of  Waltham  Cross  Church 
not  only  by  Mr.  E.  J.  Freeman,  but  by 
Mr.  Burges  (who  had  the  best  possible 
opportunity  of  studying  the  architecture 
when  engaged  on  the  restoration  of  the  fabric), 
would,  it  might  have  been  supposed,  have  sufficed 
to  settle  the  question  whether  it  was  the  church 
that  history  tells  us  was  founded  by  Harold.  Yet 
the  same  objection  from  time  to  time  is  advanced, 
that  the  style  is  later  than  that  of  the  middle  of  the 
eleventh  century,  since  there  is  an  entire  absence  of 
"  long  and  short  "  masonry  and  other  Saxon  features, 
such  as  occur  in  the  two  Lincoln  towers,  St.  Peter- 
at-Gowts,  and  St.  Mary-Wigford,  so  long  believed 
to  be  of  post-Norman  date,  and  built  in  a  style  it 
is  assumed  Harold  would,  as  an  Englishman,  have 
chosen  for  his  collegiate  church.     This  assumption, 


64 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


however,  would  scarcely  have  been  put  forward 
had  it  been  known  that  the  late  Precentor  Venables, 
a  year  or  two  before  his  death,  discovered  that  the 
two  churches,  of  which  mention  is  made  in  Domes- 
day Book  as  having  been  built  by  a  Saxon  named 
Colswegen,  after  the  Conquest,  were  not  the  ones 
now  standing,  and  the  age  of  which  is  absolutely 
unknown  ;  and  that  the  churches  mentioned  in 
Domesday,  above  referred  to,  were  taken  down 
three  or  four  hundred  years  ago,  and  it  is  not  known 
in  what  style  they  were  built,  though,  in  all  proba- 
bility, it  would  have  been  in  the  improved  Anglo- 
Romanesque  architecture  of  the  period,  as  at 
Waltham,  Lastingham,  St.  Frideswide,  and  other 
churches  which  have  been  altered,  though  the 
earlier  work  still  gives  the  date  of  the  building. 
And  it  should  be  remembered  that  Mr.  J.  H. 
Parker,  shortly  before  his  death,  admitted  that 
Anglo-Saxon  architecture  at  the  date  of  the  Con- 
quest, and  presumably  for  some  years  before,  was 
by  no  means  inferior  to  Norman. 

The  employment  of  Caen  stone  at  Waltham,  also, 
has  led  some  to  think  that  the  church  was  rebuilt 
by  Henry  I.,  since  this  stone  is  not  believed  to 
have  been  imported  into  England  before  Lanfranc's 
time,  though,  as  a  fact,  it  proves  the  exact  con- 
trary, as  will  presently  be  seen.  Two  of  the  pillars 
at  the  east  end  of  the  nave,  too,  were  no  doubt 
rebuilt  when  the  collegiate  church  was  converted 
into  an  abbey  of  regular  canons ;  but  the  founda- 
tions of  the  old  ones  had  given  way,  as  ascertained 
by  Mr.  Burges,  who  himself  rebuilt  another  one 
on  the  south  side  for  the  like  reason.  Caen  stone, 
too,  was  used  in  the  extensive  repairs  executed  by 
the  first  Norman  abbots — e.g.,  at  the  west  end  of 
the  nave,  and  in  building  buttresses  to  support  the 
north  aisle  wall,  where  the  tooling  or  axing  on  the 
Caen  stone  is  in  fine  diagonal  lines  in  the  late 
Norman  manner  ;  whilst  in  the  older  work,  where 
the  pillars  and  walls  are  of  clunch,  this  is  not  the 
case. 

Confining  myself  on  the  present  occasion  to  a 
single  architectural  point,  which  will,  however,  I 
think,  be  sufficient  to  show  that  some  part,  at 
least,  of  Harold's  church  is  still  in  existence,  I  will 
now  direct  attention  to  the  spiral  grooving  of  the 
cylindrical  column  on  the  south  side  of  the  nave. 
It  is  the  only  pillar  so  ornamented,  and  was  thought 
by  Mr.  Freeman  certainly  to  have  once  been  inlaid 
with  gilded  brass,  as  implied  in  the  Vita  Haroldi, 
but  he  failed  in  his  search  for  remains  of  fasten- 
ings. The  Rev.  J.  H.  Stamp,  sometime  curate 
of  Waltham,  met  with  more  success,  as  he  dis- 
covered drill-holes  in  the  upper  part  of  the  grooving 
under  circumstances  of  peculiar  interest,  for  the 
upper  part  of  the  clunch  masonry  remains  uncased, 
and  consequently  is  part  of  Harold's  work  ;  whilst 
it  is  important  to  note  that  the  lower  part  of  the 
pillar,  which  would  have  been  most  subject  to 
injury  and  depredation,  was  cased  with  the  Caen 
stone,  in  which  the  spiral  grooving  was  carefully 
continued ;  but  brass  was  not  inserted,  the  inlay  in 


the  upper  part  being  no  longer  in  existence.  Mr. 
Freeman,  though  he  found  no  evidence  of  metal 
having  been  inserted,  noticed  that  the  square  section 
of  the  groove  would  have  facilitated  its  introduc- 
tion. 

Now,  the  use  of  Caen  stone  in  other  parts  of  the 
church  —  for  instance,  at  the  west  end  and  the 
buttresses  outside  the  north  aisle  —  furnish  ad- 
ditional evidence  of  the  date  of  the  Norman 
restoration,  for  the  axe  markings  or  tooling  in 
fine  diagonal  lines,  the  late  Mr.  Bouet,  architect,  of 
Caen,  tells  us,  in  his  history  of  the  Conqueror's 
church  in  that  town,  was  the  practice  on  all  plain 
surfaces  in  the  later  Norman  period,  and  shows 
that  the  restoration  at  Waltham  was  in  Henry  H.'s 
time,  as  implied  in  documents  in  the  Rolls  office. 
Consequently  Harold's  church  was  repaired  and 
not  rebuilt. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  the  flat  characteristic 
ornament  round  the  nave  arches  in  place  of  a  label, 
which  occurs  elsewhere  also  in  churches  incorrectly 
styled  Norman,  are  sunk  in  a  similar  manner  to  the 
grooves  in  the  cylindrical  pillar. 

Reverting  to  the  important  discovery  made  by 
Precentor  Venables ;  there  is  evidence  that  one 
of  the  two  churches  recorded  as  built  after  the 
Conquest  by  the  Saxon  Colswegen  —  namely,  St. 
Peter-by-the-Pump  —  was  subsequently  given  by 
his  son,  Picot,  to  St.  Mary's  Abbey,  York,  and 
Mr.  Venables  says  it  was  served  either  by  the  prior 
of  a  cell  of  the  abbey  dedicated  in  honour  of 
St.  Mary  Magdalene,  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Witham,  or  by  a  vicar  appointed  by  him.  The 
last  vicar,  it  appears,  was  named  Bracebridge  (in 
1446),  and  to  him  no  successor  was  appointed,  the 
parish  having  become  destitute  of  people.  The 
other  church,  St.  Austin's,  fell  into  decay  for  the 
same  reason,  and  was  taken  down  in  1533-34.  See 
the  Lincoln  Diocesan  Archaeological  Society:  Asso- 
ciated Societies'  Reports,  vol.  vii.,  p.  52. 

J.  Park  Harrison. 
January  6. 


Note  to  Publishers. — We  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. — Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS. 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  general  interest,  or  on  some  new 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  reach  him.  A'o 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communiccUions  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


65 


The   Antiquary. 


MARCH,  1898. 


il3ote0  of  t6e  a^ontft. 

Very  considerable  interest  has  naturally  been 
aroused  by  a  statement  in  the  newspapers  to 
the  effect  that  Professor  Marucchi  had  dis- 
covered a  sketch  of  the  Crucifixion  in  the 
Palace  of  Tiberius,  with  the  names  of  the 


exaggerated.  There  are,  Professor  Marucchi 
says,  many  indications  that  this  drawing  may 
refer  to  the  Crucifixion,  from  the  action  of 
the  figures  and  the  place  represented.  But 
the  inscription  written  above  the  scene  is  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  to  decipher,  and  requires 
further  study.  A  correspondent  of  the  Guar- 
dian sends  the  following  description  of  the 
sketch  to  that  paper  :  "  There  was  represented 
a  cross,  against  which  were  leaning  two 
ladders,  one  on  either  side,  at  the  foot  was  a 
Roman  soldier  dragging  his  prisoner  towards 
the  ladder;  another  cross,  likewise  with  a 
ladder,  is  on  the  spectator's  left,  but  the  third 
is  wanting.  A  long  beam  runs  along  the  top, 
which  seems  to  have  been  used  to  steady  the 
crosses.  Several  Roman  soldiers  are  on  the 
scene.  Above  are  four  or  five  lines  in  Old 
Latin,  badly  written,  the  words  not  divided 
from  one  another."    The  graffito,  of  which  we 


Roman  soldiers  standing  by  the  cross,  placed 
against  each  figure.  Professor  Marucchi,  how- 
ever, writes  to  say  that  the  importance  of  the 
communication  which  he  made  privately  to 
some  friends  as  to  the  possible  interpretation 
of  a  sketch  scratched  upon  the  wall  in  the 
Palace  of  Tiberius  on  the  Palatine  has  been 
VOL.  xxxiv. 


are  enabled  to  give  the  accompanying  rough 
sketch,  has  been  hitherto  interpreted  as  a 
picture  of  rope-dancers. 

^         ^         ^ 
Mr.  Joseph  L.  Powell  writes  :  "  In  an  interest- 
ing article  on  the  '  Preservation  of  Ancient 
Buildings '  abroad,  in  the  December  number 

K 


66 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


of  the  Antujuary,  the  Royal  Academy  of  San 
Fernando,  Madrid,  is  referred  to,  though  it  is 
added  (p.  369),  '  but  of  its  composition  no 
information  is  vouchsafed.'  I  may  be  able  to 
supply  some  particulars,  having  by  me  the 
'  Statutes  of  the  Academy.'  Founded  by  King 
Charles  III.  in  the  last  century,  in  imitation 
of  the  French  Academy  of  Letters,  it  contains 
forty-eight  ordinary  Academicians,  who  must 
reside  in  Madrid,  divided  thus :  to  represent 
painting,  fourteen  members  ;  sculpture,  ten  ; 
architecture,  twelve  ;  and  music,  twelve. 
These  numbered  Academicians  were  elected 
much  as  members  of  the  French  Academy. 
In  addition  there  are  Honorary  Academicians 
who  may  reside  in  the  provinces  of  Spain  or 
abroad,  and  correspondents  at  home  and 
abroad.  The  Academy  has  a  legal  status, 
and  the  statutes  in  my  possession  are  signed 
by  the  Minister  de  Fomento  (of  Education  and 
Fine  Arts).  Among  the  duties  of  members 
and  correspondents  are  the  preservation  of 
ancient  historic  monuments  and  the  collec- 
tion of  information  in  regard  to  them.  The 
present  writer's  first  connection  with  the 
Academy  was  brought  about  in  this  way.  In 
1883  he  witnessed  the  destruction  of  the 
remains  of  the  historic  Logrono  Bridge,  dating 
from  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries. 
This  old  bridge  was  the  scene  of  a  conflict 
against  the  PVench  under  Gaston  de  Foix, 
and  a  model  of  it  is  on  the  arms  of  Logrono. 
Hence  he  forwarded  a  memorial  to  the 
Academy  against  its  wanton  destruction, 
merely  to  replace  it  by  a  modern  bridge  of 
no  architectural  or  historic  merit  or  interest. 
In  this  case,  either  the  work  of  destruction 
had  gone  too  far,  or  the  Academy  was  unable 
to  prevent  it." 

^  #  ^ 
A  curious  story  is  told  of  the  recent  dis- 
covery of  the  Charter  of  the  Shipwrights' 
Company.  For  the  past  century  the  Guild, 
owing  to  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  its 
charter,  has  been  working  under  ordinances 
granted  by  the  Court  of  Aldermen.  Owing 
to  the  investigations  of  Mr.  Kent,  the  secretary 
of  the  Trinity  Board,  the  long-lost  document 
has  been  recently  unearthed  from  the  cata- 
combs of  the  Trinity  House  on  Tower  Hill. 
After  considerable  pains  and  labour,  it  has 
been  deciphered  by  Mr.  Jeayes,  of  the  MS. 
Department  of  the  British  Museum.     The 


document  shows  that  powers  were  given  to 
the  Shipwrights'  Company  under  this  charter 
by  James  I.  to  inspect  the  construction  of 
ships  in  any  part  of  England,  and  to  punish 
those  who  put  bad  work  into  them.  It  is 
strange  that  the  original  grant  of  arms,  dated 
1 605,  only  came  into  the  company's  possession 
a  few  years  since,  it  having  also  mysteriously 
disappeared  more  than  a  century  ago. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  report  of  the  Leicestershire  Architectural 
and  Archaeological  Society,  adopted  at  the 
annual  meeting,  calls,  we  think,  for  some  ex- 
planation. Antiquaries  by  this  time  know 
only  too  well  what  the  "restoration"  of  an 
ancient  church  means,  yet  here  we  have  an 
archaeological  society  glorying  in  the  fact  that 
the  sixtieth  year  of  the  Queen's  reign  is  a 
record  for  what  it  calls  "  Church  work  "  in 
Leicestershire.  The  report  gives  a  long  list 
of  thirty  or  more  ancient  churches  which  have 
been  altered  or  restored  in  some  way  or  other 
as  a  memorial  of  the  Diamond  Jubilee.  At 
two  churches  (Hinckley  and  Thurmaston) 
new  communion-plate  has  been  given  or  pro- 
vided, and  we  are  not  told  what  has  become 
of  the  old.  At  Mountsorrell  St.  Peter's  "a 
new  granite  font  costing  100  guineas  " — fancy, 
a  hundred  guineas  ! — has  been  provided,  and 
mischief  of  all  sorts  of  kinds  has  evidently 
been  done,  with  the  society's  approval,  all 
round  the  county,  as  our  readers  can  see  from 
the  report  itself,  which  is  printed  on  another 
page.  We  repeat  our  observation  that  the 
matter  calls  for  explanation,  or  the  Leicester- 
shire Society  should  drop  the  word  "  archae- 
ological" from  its  title.  The  report  reads 
like  a  page  from  the  Ecclesiologist  of  fifty 
years  ago. 

^  "ilp  "ili? 
A  large  discovery  of  old  English  coins  was 
made  on  January  29  at  Penicuik,  near  Edin- 
burgh. The  coins  were  discovered  through 
the  action  of  a  mole,  and  270  coins  of  the 
first  three  Edwards  were  brought  to  light. 
The  coins  were  in  rouleaux,  and  the  regularity 
of  the  rolls  indicated  that  they  had  been 
placed  there  with  a  degree  of  deliberation. 
The  greater  number  consist  of  silver  pennies 
and  halfpennies  minted  between  1272  and 
1307.  The  majority  are  from  the  London 
mint,  Canterbury  comes  second,  while  Bristol, 
Newcastle,  and  Durham  also  occur.     A  few 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


67 


bear  the  stamp  of  the  Dublin  mint.  Two  of 
the  coins  are  Scotch  coins  of  the  reign  of 
Alexander  III. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  old  house  at  Dublin  of  which  the  late 
Mr.  D.  A.  Walter  contributed  a  sketch  and 
verbal  description  in  the  Antiquary  for  July 
last,  and  in  which  it  is  believed  that  Dean  Swift 
at  one  time  lived,  if  he  did  not  actually  die 
in  it,  is,  we  hear,  to  be  repaired  and  preserved. 
This  is  as  it  should  be,  for  the  house  is  a 
very  picturesque  building,  and  its  connection 
with  Swift  confers  upon  it  quite  an  exceptional 
amount  of  historical  interest.  We  are  glad 
to  understand  that  the  attention  drawn  to 
the  matter  in  our  pages  by  Mr.  Walter  has 
had  so  satisfactory  a  result. 

^  ^  4l? 
We  quote  the  following  strange  paragraph 
from  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  for  what  it  is 
worth :  "  It  is  said  that  a  petition  has  been 
lodged  with  Lord  Salisbury  by  the  Royal 
British  Antiquarian  and  Archaeological 
Societies  protesting  against  a  peculiar  form 
of  prison  labour  in  Egypt  which  has  grown 
up  under  British  auspices.  It  seems  that 
the  convicts,  of  whom  there  are  1,200  in  one 
prison  alone,  are  employed  in  the  profitable 
manufacture  of  bogus  antiques,  for  which  the 
sons  of  Mahommed  have  acquired  a  simply 
phenomenal  aptitude.  Any  visitor  to  the 
villages  on  the  Upper  Nile  will  have  seen 
some  of  these  forgeries,  which  are  so  clever 
as  to  baffle  detection  except  by  the  experts. 
Americans  are  the  largest  buyers  of  these 
vamped-up  mummies  and  coffins  and  tomb 
relics,  with  which  transatlantic  local  museums 
must  be  pretty  well  stocked.  As  yet,  only 
the  smaller  objects  are  said  to  have  been 
manufactured  at  the  prisons,  but  the  authori- 
ties are  hopeful  in  time  of  producing  full- 
fledged  mummies  and  sarcophagi."  With 
regard  to  this,  all  we  can  say  is  that  we  have 
not  heard  of  any  antiquarian  society  interest- 
ing itself  in  the  subject  of  prison  labour  in 
Egypt,  nor  do  we  know  what  is  meant  by 
the  "  Royal  British  Antiquarian  and  Archae- 
ological Societies."  There  is  a  delightful 
vagueness  about  the  expression,  which  is 
quite  in  keeping  with  the  "  It  is  said  "  with 
which  the  paragraph  begins.  One  thing, 
however,  is  certain,  and  that  is  that  Egypt 
vies  with  the  Field  of  Waterloo  in  being  the 


happy  hunting-ground  of  the  purveyor  of 
sham  antiquities  and  relics — but  we  thought 
they  were  made  at  Birmingham  ! 

^  ^  ^ 
It  is  with  much  regret  that  we  record  the 
decease  of  Mr.  G.  T.  Clark,  which  took  place 
on  January  31,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of 
his  age.  Mr.  Clark,  better  known  to  anti- 
quaries, perhaps,  by  the  name  of  "  Castles 
Clark,"  has  been  described,  and  not  without 
reason,  as  the  "  Grand  Old  Man  "  of  Wales, 
for  although  he  was  not  a  Welshman  by  birth, 
Mr.  Clark  had  long  resided  in  the  Principality. 
He  was  a  very  remarkable  instance  of  a  man 
who  not  merely  as  a  prosperous  ironmaster 
successfully  conducted  a  very  large  and  im- 
portant business,  but  who,  in  addition,  took 
much  part  (short  of  entering  Parliament)  in 
the  public  life  of  South  Wales.  In  addition 
to  all  this,  which  might  well  have  been  ex- 
pected to  have  absorbed  all  his  energies,  Mr. 
Clark  was  unquestionably  in  the  forefront  of 
archaeology  as  a  diligent  and  scholarly  student 
and  excavator.  His  papers  on  the  Castles 
of  England,  which  earned  him  his  sobriquet, 
were  published  in  1883  in  a  collected  form, 
under  the  title  of  MedicBval  Military  War- 
fare. The  work  at  once  took  its  place  as 
the  standard  work  on  the  subject.  Besides 
it,  Mr.  Clark  published  many  other  well- 
known  arch^ological  works. 

^  ^  ^ 
We  have  received  the  following  communica- 
tion from  Mr.  Montague  S.  Giuseppi,  F.S.A., 
one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Surrey  Archae- 
ological Society  :  "  In  the  January  number 
of  the  Antiquary,  in  the  '  Notes  of  the  Month,' 
there  is  a  paragraph  which  in  the  opinion 
of  the  Council  of  the  Surrey  Archaeological 
Society  is  misleading,  and  calculated  to 
seriously  prejudice  the  interests  of  their 
society.  I  therefore  beg  that  you  will  be 
so  kind  as  to  insert  in  the  next  number 
of  your  magazine  the  following  statement 
of  the  society's  financial  condition  and  pro- 
jects :  The  accounts  of  the  society  for  the 
past  year  show  liabilities  amounting  to 
^39  15s.  7d.  in  excess  of  the  balance  at 
the  banker's,  and  in  the  hands  of  the  hon. 
secretary.  But  this  deficit  is  no  greater  than 
the  average  of  preceding  years,  and  the 
liabilities  themselves  are  of  a  nature  that 
it  has  been  customary  to  carry  over  to  the 

K  2 


68 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


succeeding  year's  account.  This  custom  will 
be  followed  in  the  present  instance,  and  thus 
the  society's  reserve  fund  of  ^351  i6s.  3d. 
will  remain  intact,  and  constitute  a  guarantee 
of  solvency,  little,  it  is  believed,  if  at  all, 
inferior  to  that  of  most  other  societies  of 
similar  standing.  As  regards  the  future  work 
of  the  society,  the  council  are  so  far  from 
feeling  the  necessity  of  any  curtailment  as 
to  have  made  plans  for  the  removal  of  the 
headquarters  from  London  to  Guildford. 
The  more  spacious  premises  here  leased 
will  permit  of  the  proper  housing  of  the 
library  and  museum,  and  thus  render  them 
more  accessible  to  members,  and  in  the  case 
of  the  latter,  as  is  proposed,  to  the  public. 
So  that  while  no  intention  is  entertained 
of  a  decrease  in  the  literary  output  of  the 
society,  to  the  excellence  of  which  in  the 
past  you  are  so  kind  as  to  testify,  a  fresh 
field  of  usefulness  will  be  opened.  To 
suitably  fit  up  the  interior  of  the  new  premises, 
it  is  estimated  that  a  sum  of  ;^3oo  will  be 
required.  But  to  meet  these  initial  expenses 
a  special  appeal  for  funds  has  been  issued, 
and  has  resulted  already  in  promises  of 
contributions  amounting  to  over  ;^ioo. 
Although  the  membership  of  the  society 
is  far  from  what  might  be  expected  of  so 
populous  a  county  as  Surrey,  there  has  been 
no  decided  falling  off  in  recent  years  of  the 
numbers.  It  is  hoped,  now  that  a  centre 
has  been  found  at  Guildford,  that  the  interest 
taken  in  the  society  by  county  residents  will 
be  greatly  increased,  and  so  bring  about  a 
large  accession  of  new  members.  But  that 
at  present  the  society  has  no  reasons  for 
entertaining  the  grave  fears  expressed  in 
your  paragraph,  this  brief  statement  of  facts 
will,  I  think,  suffice  to  prove." 

•Up  rj?  «j|(» 
The  Editor  had  no  idea  when  he  inserted  the 
paragraph  in  question,  that  it  could  possibly 
bear  the  injurious  interpretation  placed  upon 
it  by  the  council.  Had  he  thought  so,  it 
would  not  have  been  inserted.  To  the  Editor, 
the  inculpated  paragraph  seemed  only  to  re- 
state in  other  words  what  the  council  had 
said  in  the  annual  report  published  in  the 
recently-issued  part  of  the  Collections  of  the 
society.  The  following  is  what  is  said  there 
(p.  xxv) :  "  The  council  regrets  to  report  that 
the  deficit  on  the  yearly  account  shows  a 


slight  increase  ;  this  is  partly  to  be  accounted 
for  by  the  increased  rent  which  has  fallen 
upon  the  society  since  the  loss  of  the  part 
tenancy  of  the  London  and  Middlesex 
Archjeological  Society.  Up  to  the  present 
the  society  has  been  unable  to  secure  another 
tenant.  In  order  to  lessen  this  deficit,  and 
to  keep  the  annual  expenditure  within  the 
annual  income,  it  will  be  necessary,  unless 
a  large  addition  can  be  made  to  the  number 
of  annual  subscribers,  to  cut  down  the  size 
of  the  Collections,  and  reduce  the  number 
of  illustrations.  To  a  certain  extent  this  has 
already  been  done,  as  the  following  table 
shows  : 

£ 

...     87. 


Cost  of  Collections  in  1890 


120. 


1892 

100, 

T893 

...     97, 

1894 

...     77. 

1895 

...     74, 

1896 

...     54. 

To  further  reduce  the  expenditure  on  this 
item  will  only  tend  to  impair  the  efficiency 
of  the  society's  work."  We  really  do  not 
see  that  our  paragraph  went  much  beyond 
the  report  of  the  council  itself.  However, 
we  are  very  glad  to  learn  that  the  prospects 
of  one  of  the  most  useful  of  all  our  provincial 
societies  are  much  brighter  and  more  hopeful 
than  we  feared  was  the  case. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  few  years  ago  very  general  distrust  was 
felt  by  antiquaries  as  to  the  treatment  the 
Roman  baths  at  Bath  were  receiving.  We 
are  glad  to  say  that  all  ground  for  apprehen- 
sion has  long  since  been  removed,  and  that 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries  has  expressed  its 
satisfaction  with  the  treatment  of  the  baths  in 
the  most  recent  alterations  and  additions  to  the 
bathing  establishment.  At  a  recent  meeting 
of  the  society,  Mr.  J.  M.  Brydon,  the  architect, 
exhibited  and  presented  a  photograph  show- 
ing how  the  remains  of  the  large  Roman 
bath  have  been  preserved  by  their  incorpora- 
tion with  the  new  buildings.  It  was  there- 
upon proposed  by  Sir  John  Evans,  seconded 
by  Mr.  Micklethwaite,  and  carried  unani- 
mously :  "  That  the  best  thanks  of  the  society 
be  offered  to  Mr.  Brydon  for  the  photograph 
of  the  Roman  bath  at  Bath  that  he  has  been 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


69 


good  enough  to  send.  The  society  at  the 
same  time  desires  to  express  its  satisfaction 
at  the  manner  in  which  the  difficult  task 
of  combining  a  modern  superstructure  with 
Roman  foundations  has  been  accomphshed, 
by  which  the  early  portions  of  the  work 
have  been  preserved  intact,  and  will  be 
safely  handed  to  posterity."  This  is  a  very 
satisfactory  ending  to  a  matter  which  at  one 
time  afforded  grounds  for  much  concern  and 
apprehension. 

^  ^  ^ 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Lancashire  and  Cheshire 
Antiquarian  Society  held  at  Chetham's 
Hospital,  Manchester,  on  January  14,  but 
too  late  for  us  to  mention  it  in  the  February 
number  of  rhe  Antiquary,  Mr.  W.  Harrison 
read  a  paper  on  the  "Ancient  Beacons  of 
Lancashire  and  Cheshire."  The  subject  is 
one  of  considerable  local  interest  everywhere, 
and  deserves  more  attention  than  it  seems 
to  have  usually  received.  The  sites  of  many 
beacons  are,  of  course,  still  well  known,  but 
in  several  cases  they  have  been  lost,  and  can 
only  be  rediscovered  after  much  trouble. 
Beacons,  as  Mr.  Harrison  pointed  out,  were 
of  immemorial  antiquity.  They  found  re- 
ferences to  them  in  Jeremiah  and  Isaiah. 
iEschylus,  in  his  Agamemnon,  gave  a  detailed 
and  vivid  picture  of  the  transmission  of  the 
news  of  the  fall  of  Troy  to  Argos.  In  England 
beacons  were,  no  doubt,  used  from  the  earliest 
times.  Mr.  Harrison  proceeded  to  say  some- 
thing of  the  different  beacon  hills  in  Lanca- 
shire and  Cheshire,  prefacing  these  remarks 
by  stating  that  it  was  not  always  the  highest 
hills  which  were  most  suitable  as  signalling 
stations,  for  a  low  hill,  standing  by  itself, 
might  be  quite  as  widely  seen  as  a  high  one, 
might  be  more  unmistakable,  and  at  the  same 
time  more  accessible.  In  Lancashire  Mr. 
Harrison  mentioned,  among  other  hills, 
Everton,  Billinge,  Rivington  Pike,  Whittle 
Pike,  Thieveley  Pike  (between  Bacup  and 
Burnley),  Bonfire  Hill  and  Pike  Law  (Burn- 
ley), Pendle  Hill,  Longridge  Fell,  Preesall 
Hill,  Clougha  (south  -  east  of  Lancaster), 
Warton  Crag,  Aldingham,  Coniston  Old  Man, 
and  Lowick.  In  Cheshire  he  mentioned 
Alderley  Edge,  Beacon  Hill  (Frodsham), 
and  Mow  Cop.  A  general  account  of  the 
beacons  in  different  parts  of  the  country 
would   form,  we   think,  a   very   useful   and 


interesting  piece  of  topographical  work.  It 
ought  not  to  be  a  matter  of  very  great 
difficulty  to  identify  the  sites  of  most  of  the 
ancient  beacons,  thanks  to  the  celebrations 
of  1887  and  1897.  Will  not  some  competent 
antiquary  take  up  the  subject  of  the  Ancient 
Beacons  of  England  ? 

^  ^  «$? 
A  discovery  of  a  peculiarly  interesting  and 
valuable  nature  has  been  made  on  the  banks 
of  Lough  Derg  by  Mr.  Charles  Butler  Stoney, 
owner  of  the  Portland  estate  on  the  Munster 
side.  The  find  is  that  of  a  magnificent 
specimen  of  the  ancient  Irish  canoe-shaped 
boat  or  barge,  hewn  out  of  the  solid  block 
manifestly  with  the  aid  of  blunt  instru- 
ments. The  vessel  measures  18  feet  long 
by  nearly  4  feet  in  width,  and  is  of  massive 
yet  graceful  proportions  and  outline.  It  is 
one  great  piece  of  the  finest  of  bog  oak,  and 
is  in  a  splendid  state  of  preservation.  It  is 
seatless,  but  slight  indentations  on  the  inner 
sides  indicate  where  at  least  one  seat  may 
have  been.  It  was  discovered  at  a  consider- 
able depth  beneath  the  surface  near  the 
shores  of  the  lough  and  buried  in  sand,  this 
spot  evidently  being  at  a  remote  period  well 
within  the  alluvial  area  of  Lough  Derg.  In 
size,  symmetry,  and  workmanship  it  is  con- 
sidered to  be  a  far  superior  specimen  of  the 
same  ancient  craft  than  anything  recently 
found.  The  boat  is,  we  are  told  by  the  Free- 
man^s  Journal  (from  whose  columns  our  in- 
formation is  derived),  "  in  a  place  of  honour  " 
on  the  ornamental  grounds  opposite  Portland 
Mansion,  and  is  "  an  object  of  much  interest." 
Surely  it  should  find  a  safer  and  more  appro- 
priate home  in  a  museum.  It  may  be  re- 
membered that  a  few  years  ago  a  hewn  boat 
of  the  same  type,  but  not  so  perfect  or  large 
as  this  one,  was  found  in  Lough  Ree.  This 
is  now  in  the  museum  at  Dublin. 

^  ^  ^ 
Mr.  Arthur  Mayall,  of  Endon,  Mossley,  near 
Manchester,  writes  :  *'  May  I  call  your  atten- 
tion to  a  very  serious  misstatement  in  the 
January  portion  of  '  England's  Oldest  Handi- 
crafts'?  On  p.  62,  col.  2,  one  reads  :  'To- 
day 12,000  spindles  are  often  worked  at  once 
and  by  one  spinner.'  Now,  spindles  are 
counted  by  the  dozen,  and  mules  are  worked 
in  pairs.  There  is  a  possibility  that  mules 
have    been    made    containing     120    dozen 


70 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


spindles  each.  This  will  give  to  each  mule 
1,440  spindles,  and  to  the  pair  2,880  spindles, 
or  a  fourth,  in  round  numbers,  of  the  12,000 
stated.  It  is  a  little  misleading,  too,  to  say 
they  are  worked  by  one  spinner.  On  this 
length  of  mule  the  spinner  invariably  has 
the  help  of  two  assistants.  It  is  not  a  case 
of  a  nought  too  many  having  crept  in.  To  say 
1,200  would  be  to  grossly  understate  the  case. 
The  average  number  of  spindles  per  pair  of 
mules  for  new  machinery  may  be  taken  at 
2,000,  and  it  is  certain  that  no  mules  are  at 
work  containing  more  than  3,000  spindles  to 
the  pair.  One's  appreciation  of  the  accuracy 
of  the  Antiquary  prompts  these  details." 
We  submitted  Mr.  Mayall's  letter  to  Mrs. 
Robson,  and  append  her  reply,  which  is  as 
follows :  "  I  thank  you  for  sending  me  Mr. 
Arthur  Mayall's  letter,  and  am  obliged  to 
him  for  the  correction.  It  should  have  been 
1,200,  not  12,000  spindles.  Mr.  Mayall  says 
1,200  very  greatly  understates  the  number; 
my  authority,  Mr.  Thomas  Ellison,  whose 
article  the  British  Museum  considered  an 
authority,  gave  that  number:  'At  the  open- 
ing of  the  present  century^the  mule  contained 
about  200  spindles ;  it  now  contains  from 
1,000  to  1,200.'  But  perhaps  that  information 
had  been  gathered  earlier,  and  the  improve- 
ments in  machinery  are  so  frequent  that  I 
am  quite  willing  to  accept  Mr.  Mayall's 
correction." 

•iH?       •)!(?       ^ 

A  book  that  is  likely  to  interest  many  is 
promised  by  the  delegates  of  the  Clarendon 
Press — Brief  Lives^  chiefly  of  Contemporaries, 
set  down  by  John  Aubrey  between  the  Years 
1669  and  1696.  For  the  first  time  these 
lives—  four  hundred  odd,  all  told — will,  we 
understand,  be  published  in  their  entirety, 
Aubrey's  four  chief  biographical  manuscripts 
having  been  edited  anew  by  Dr.  Andrew 
Clark.  Aubrey  began  these  lives  at  the 
suggestion  of  Anthony  Wocd,  and  the  great 
antiquary  owed  much  to  his  friend's  industry 
and  cleverness. 


Ciuarterlp  Jl5ote0  on  Eoman 
T5titain. 

By  F.  Haverfiem),  M.A.,  F.S.A. 


XXIV. 
HE  winter  is  seldom  fertile  in  dis- 
coveries of  antiquities,  and  the 
present  winter  is  no  exception. 
Enough,  however,  has  been  found 
or  put  on  record  since  my  last  quarterly 
article,  printed  in  the  December  number  of 
this  journal,  to  interest  archaeologists  to  a 
very  considerable  degree.  It  is  characteristic 
of  the  season  that  five  out  of  the  six  items 
which  I  have  to  record  belong  to  the  southern 
part  of  Roman  Britain,  and  only  one  to  the 
mural  region. 

Wiltshire. — My  readers  will  recollect  that 
I  have  noticed  in  two  or  three  of  my  pre- 
ceding articles  the  villa  close  to  Appleshaw, 
near  Andover,  which  has  been  excavated 
during  the  course  of  1897  by  the  Rev.  G.  H. 
Engleheart.  The  same  neighbourhood  has 
yielded  another  striking  discovery  to  the 
same  accomplished  archaeologist.  The  exact 
site  of  this  discovery  is  (as  Mr.  Engleheart 
tells  me)  on  the  Ludgershall  and  Weyhill 
road,  about  a  mile  south-west  of  the  Apple- 
shaw villa.  Here  is  a  field  in  which  roofing- 
stones,  flue-tiles,  and  other  indications  of  a 
villa  had  often  been  noted  by  Mr.  Engle- 
heart ;  he  therefore  obtained  leave,  dug,  and 
founi  a  floor  of  mortar.  At  one  point  in 
this  floor  was  a  hole  about  3  feet  across,  and 
in  this  hole,  which  must  have  been  sunk  for 
the  purpose,  lay  buried  a  score  and  a  half  of 
tin  and  pewter  dishes,  of  very  various  sizes  and 
shapes.  The  digging  also  yielded  some  frag- 
ments of  pottery  and  other  trifles,  including 
a  bit  of  wall-plaster,  painted  with  a  red  and 
white  pattern,  exactly  like  some  found  in  the 
Appleshaw  villa.  There  can  be  very  little 
doubt,  as  Mr.  Engleheart  observes,  that  a 
villa  of  sorts  once  stood  on  this  spot ;  very 
possibly  it  dates  from  the  same  period  as  the 
Appleshaw  house,  the  beginning  of  the  fourth 
century.  The  pewter  and  tin  dishes  are  still 
more  interesting ;  few  such  finds  have  ever 
been  made.  The  metal  is  in  every  case 
mostly,  in  some  cases  almost  wholly,  tin. 
Several  are  ornamented  with  curious  inlaid 


QUARTERLY  NOTES  ON  ROMAN  BRITAIN. 


71 


designs,  not  unlike  certain  mosaic  patterns, 
and  one  has  scratched  on  it  faintly  but  indis- 
putably the  Christian  emblem,  the  Chi-Rho. 
The  vessels  belong  almost  certainly  to  the 
fourth  century,  which  (as  I  have  said)  is  the 
probable  date  of  the  villa  in  the  midst  of 
which  they  were  buried.  The  occurrence  of 
the  Christian  emblem  in  a  villa  in  the  South 
of  England  is  no  new  thing.  I  pointed  out 
two  years  ago  in  the  English  Historical 
Revieiv  (July,  1896)  that  Christianity  was 
fairly  well  diffused  over  the  southern  and 
midland  districts  of  Britain  by  about  the 
middle  of  the  fourth  century.  The  new 
Appleshaw  find  falls  well  into  line  with  the 
facts  and  conclusions  which  I  then  stated. 
In  the  north,  where  the  Roman  troops  were 
principally  massed,  there  is  less  evidence  of 
Christians. 

Surrey. — Near  Reigate,  in  Surrey,  a  road- 
way was  discovered  in  January  under  Nutley 
Lane.  It  is  a  flint  road,  14  feet  wide,  with 
trimmed  edges,  and  it  lies  about  5  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  present  highway.  It  has 
been  considered  by  various  antiquaries  to  be 
the  Roman  road  from  London  to  Portslade, 
or  that  from  London  to  Winchester,  or  a 
continuation  of  the  Pilgrims'  Way,  but  it  will 
be  well  to  receive  these  theories  with  caution. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  a  Roman  road  ever 
joined  London  and  Portslade  (near  Brighton), 
and  the  remains  at  Portslade  are  wholly 
insignificant :  the  idea  that  Portus  Adurni 
stood  thereabouts  is  now  obsolete.  The 
second  alternative,  the  Roman  road  from 
London  to  Winchester,  undoubtedly  existed, 
but  it  did  not  traverse  Reigate.  About  the 
Pilgrims'  Way  I  am  not  qualified  to  speak. 
But  certainly  before  the  Reigate  road  is 
identified  with  any  particular  Roman  road, 
proof  is  desirable  that  it  is  of  Roman  origin 
at  all. 

London. — An  interesting  find  has  been 
made  in  Southwark,  in  the  Borough  High 
Street,  consisting  of  sepulchral  pottery,  a 
British  bronze  coin,  and  some  coins  of  Nero 
and  Claudius.  I  infer  from  the  published 
notices  of  the  find  that  all  the  objects  were 
found  together ;  if  this  is  so,  we  have  a  clear 
case  of  a  burial  outside  London,  dating 
somewhere  about  a.d.  55-65.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  fuller  accounts  of  the  discovery, 
with  illustrations,  will  be  forthcoming  in  due 


course.  The  find  did  not,  as  I  am  told, 
include  any  "  Samian  "  ware. 

South  Wales. — It  has  long  been  sus- 
pected that  Cardiff  Castle  stands  on  the  top 
of  a  Roman  fort  or  small  walled  settlement, 
and  some  masonry  which  I  was  shown  there 
two  or  three  years  ago  seemed  to  me  to  agree 
with  this  view.  I  now  learn  from  the  South 
Wales  newspapers  that  "  the  rubble  founda- 
tion of  an  angle  tower  of  undoubted  Roman 
work  "  has  been  unearthed.  Further  details 
will  be  awaited  with  interest.  Meanwhile, 
it  is  becoming  increasingly  probable  that 
Cardiff  was  a  Roman  post  on  the  Roman 
road  from  the  legionary  fortress  of  Isca 
(Caerleon  on  Usk)  through  the  coast  counties 
to  Maridunum  (Carmarthen).  Two  of  the 
posts  on  this  road,  Leucarum,  at  Loughor,  or, 
as  the  Welsh  have  it,  Llychwr,  and  Nidum, 
at  Neath,  are  already  identified  more  or  less 
satisfactorily.  The  Itinerary  mentions  a  third 
post,  Bomium,  or,  as  some  English  writers 
less  correctly  call  it,  Bovium.  If,  however, 
the  distances  are  correctly  given  in  the 
Itinerary,  Bomium  cannot  be  Cardiff,  for  it 
is  said  to  be  fifteen  Roman  miles  from  Neath 
and  twenty-seven  from  Caerleon,  while  Cardiff 
is  over  thirty  miles  from  Neath,  and  at  least 
fifteen  from  Caerleon.  However,  it  is  to  be 
noted  that  the  whole  Itinerary  distance  from 
Neath  to  Caerleon  is  only  forty-two  miles, 
and  that  a  road  of  only  this  length  between  the 
two  would  have  to  run  fairly  straight  from  one 
point  to  the  other.  That  is,  it  would  not 
curve  round  the  coast,  somewhat  Hke  the 
Great  Western  Railway,  but  would  run  inland, 
through  much  more  difficult  country.  I 
should  be  glad  if  some  Welsh  archaeologist 
could  examine  into  and  settle  this  question. 
There  is,  I  think,  some  evidence  that  the 
Roman  road  just  east  of  Neath  climbed  up 
on  to  the  moors  instead  of  following  the  low- 
land strip  along  which  modern  road  and 
railway  run. 

Manchester. — At  Manchester,  Mr.  C. 
Roeder  has  been  collecting  some  interesting 
relics  of  Mancunium,  some  of  which  he  has 
been  kind  enough  to  submit  to  me.  A  full 
account  will  be  published  shortly  by  him. 

The  North. — 'One  discovery  is  recorded, 
not  from  the  Wall,  but  from  the  Mural  region 
— an  altar  found  at  South  Shields,  and 
dedicated  by  one  Julius  Verax,  centurion  of 


72 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  V. 


the  Sixth  Legion,  to  a  god  or  goddess  whose 
name  is  lost.  The  stone  was  figured  in  the 
February  number  of  this  periodical.  I  am 
glad  to  be  able  to  add  that  two  important 
Scotch  reports  will  soon  appear.  The  results 
of  the  Glasgow  Archaeological  Society's  ex- 
cavations in  1891-92  in  the  Vallum  of  Pius 
will  be  at  last  put  before  the  world ;  and  the 
work  done  by  the  Scotch  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries at  Ardoch  in  1896  will  be  described 
in  that  Society's  Transactions.  Archaeologists 
will  be  glad  to  get  the  accounts  of  these  two 
important  undertakings,  and  the  sooner  the 
better. 
February  12,  1898. 


IRamtJlings  of  an  antiquary. 

By  George  Bailey. 

SOME  ANCIENT  WALL-PAINTINGS. 
Copyright. 

CHAPTER   I. 


HERE  remain  still  on  the  walls  of 
our  ancient  churches  quite  a  large 
number  of  these  shadowy  and  dila- 
pidated pictures  frequently  called 
frescoes,  but  really  paintings  in  distemper, 
on  a  thin  coating  or  ground  of  fine  plaster ; 
this  preparation  being,  in  some  cases,  white 
in  colour,  and  carefully  laid  on  ;  in  others 
not  so  white,  and  more  roughly  laid,  even  if 
it  consists  of  more  than  a  coating  of  colour- 
wash, as  appears  to  be  the  case  in,  perhaps, 
the  majority  of  those  we  have  seen  ;  and  it 
is  generally  very  thin.  The  paintings  now 
under  notice  are  in  the  church  of  St.  Peter  at 
Raunds,  Northamptonshire,  where  they  are 
numerous  and  interesting.  The  village  is 
about  seven  miles  from  a  railway,  but  the 
walk  is  delightful  in  summer-time.  We  in- 
tend to  illustrate  very  interesting  and  curious 
paintings  from  other  churches  in  future  parts 
of  the  Antiquary. 

We  will  first  direct  attention  to  Fig.  i, 
which  represents  what  remains  of  an  old 
clock  dial,  which  occupies  the  upper  portion 
of  the  tower  arch,  inside  the  church.  The 
dial  fills  the  centre  of  the  tympanum.     It  is 


of  raised  plaster  work,  painted.  The  numerals 
indicating  the  hours  were  painted  in  Old 
English  characters  on  the  twenty-four  small 
circles  or  raised  patterte  round  the  clock-face. 


FIG.    I. — ANCIENT    CLOCK    DIAL. 

There  was  only  one  finger,  which  would  take 
an  hour  to  move  from  one  of  these  to  the 
next.  There  are  now  neither  finger  nor  clock- 
works. Below  the  dial  there  has  been  an 
inscription  (Fig.  2),  part  of  which  remains ; 
but  the  plaster  of  the  scrolls  on  which  it  was 
written  is  cracked,  so  rendering  it  difificult, 
if  not  impossible,  to  read  the  whole  of  it.  It 
appears  to  have  contained  the  names  of  the 
donors  of  the  clock — a  man  and  his  wife, 
whose  efiigies  are  represented  in  the  paint- 
ings on  the  spandrels  on  each  side  of  the 
clock,  accompanied  by  angels.  We  have 
given  drawings  of  these  and  the  inscription 


vvv^avaMAardvci'ct^l 


fettcja:cDji^ojn.^m 


FIG.    2.— INSCRIPTION    ON    DIAL. 

on  a  larger  scale,  by  which  they  will  be 
better  understood.  The  whole  of  this  has 
been  in  bright  colours ;  much  of  it  still 
remains. 

In  Fig.  3  we  have  a  sketch  of  a  large  paint- 
ing on  the  wall  above  the  chancel  arch. 
What  we  see  now  formed  the  background 
to  a  rood  which  was  evidently  removed 
when  such  things  were  ordered  to  be  taken 
away,  as  only  the  white  plaster  spaces, 
where  it  and  the  accompanying  figures  stood, 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


73 


now  remain,  showing  out  from  the  deep  red 
or  chocolate  ground  on  which  the  group  of 
adoring  angels  are  painted.  This  background 
has  been  thickly  powdered  with  small  black 
plates  on  which  the  monogram  IbS  has  been 
painted  in  white.  The  floating  dresses  and 
peacock-feather  wings  of  the  angels  have  been 
white.  Each  angel  has  borne  one  of  the 
emblems  of  the  passion,  such  as  the  crown 
of  thorns,  cross,  nails,  etc.,  and  several  of 
these  may  still  be  distinctly  seen,  though  the 
whole  picture  is  very  much  obliterated  and 


aisle.  Our  drawing  from  it  (Fig.  4)  will  save 
any  lengthy  description,  as  enough  of  the 
outline  remains  to  enable  anyone  to  supply 
the  contour  of  the  whole  design  when  com- 
plete. The  housing  of  the  horse  is  fairly 
perfect.  The  shaded  stripes  are  red,  and 
the  other  part  of  the  cloth  is  white.  The 
surcoat  of  the  saint  is  also  white  with  red 
stripes,  and  he  wears  a  red  belt.  There  is 
also  another  belt,  worn  lower  down,  with 
cylindrical  ornaments  upon  it,  probably  a 
sword-belt.     The  left  arm  is  gone,  but  there 


FIG.    3. — REMAINS    OF    THE    ROOD. 


indistinct  in  parts.  Judging  from  the  feathers 
of  the  angels'  wings  on  this  painting  being 
the  same  as  those  in  the  spandrels  of  the 
clock  at  the  other  end  of  the  nave,  we  may 
perhaps  infer  that  the  date  of  both  is  very 
nearly  the  same,  i.e.,  fifteenth  century ;  but 
they  do  not  rank  so  high  as  works  of  art,  as 
do  all  the  others  we  hope  now  to  illustrate. 

We  may  conveniently  notice  next  the  re- 
mains of  what,  when  perfect,  was  a  very  bold 
and  spirited  drawing  of  St.  George  and  the 
Dragon.  This  occupies  the  whole  of  the 
wall  space  above  the  north  door  in  the  north 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


remains  the  long-pointed  tippei  worn  from  the 
sleeve,  which  has  a  knob  or  piece  of  a  tassel  at 
the  extremity;  such  appendages  were  common 
in  the  time  of  Edward  IV.  Only  a  part  of  his 
lance  remains.  As  is  nearly  always  the  case 
with  wall-paintings,  this  picture  shows  traces 
of  a  former  painting  ;  and  singularly,  in  this 
they  are  parts  of  the  same  subject  of  an  older 
date.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  are  three 
legs  of  another  horse,  two  in  front  and  one 
behind.  There  is  also  part  of  the  neck  of 
this  horse,  and  above  it  are  traces  of  the  head 
of  the  rider,  which  appears  to  have  had  a 

L 


74 


R  A  MB  LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  Y. 


nimbus.  Nothing  is  left  of  the  dragon.  There 
is  a  curious  head  of  an  animal  between  the 
forelegs  of  the  second  horse,  which  does  not 
appear  to  belong  to  either  of  the  St.  George 
pictures,  and  it  may  be  a  fragment  of  a  still 
older  subject.  The  legend  of  St.  George 
appears  to  have  been  a  favourite  one,  as  the 
South  Kensington  list,  published  in  1883, 
gives  a  list  of  seventy-two  places  where  it  has 
been  found,  though  many  of  them  have  been 
destroyed  since  that  time. 


it  nothing  remains  except  traces  of  two  letters. 
There  is  no  trace  of  the  hermit  with  his  lantern, 
who  is  usually  seen  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  nor  does  there  appear  ever  to  have  been 
such  a  person ;  but  behind  him  there  is  a  rock 
and  a  naked  man  upon  it  holding  up  his  hands, 
probably  in  terror  of  the  large  serpent  seen 
creeping  round  the  rock  on  his  right.  The 
colouring  is  nearly  all  gone  ;  but  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  the  dress  of  the  Christ-child 
was  brown  madder  colour,  and  so  was  the 


FIG.    4. — ST.    GEORGE    AND    THE    DRAGON. 


St.  Christopher  was  also  a  very  popular 
subject  for  representation  in  sculpture,  stained 
glass,  and  brasses.  The  South  Kensington 
list  enumerates  eighty  of  this  subject.  Fig.  5 
is  a  copy  of  the  painting  on  the  north  wall  of 
the  nave  at  Raunds.  The  legend  is  pictured 
much  as  usual.  The  colossal  figure  with  the 
Christ  on  his  shoulder,  crossing  the  stream 
leaning  upon  a  young  tree,  which  he  uses  as 
a  staff.  A  scroll  floats  from  him  on  his  left, 
upon  which  there  was  an  inscription,  but  of 


robe  of  the  saint ;  his  hair  and  beard  were 
white.  The  sapling  staff  was  brown  ochre, 
so  were  the  rocks,  and  the  naked  man  was  a 
cadaverous  gray.  The  whole  background  has 
been  seeded  with  a  very  pretty  brown-madder 
diaper,  of  which  we  give  a  somewhat  enlarged 
example  on  the  margin.  The  figure  is  very 
large,  and  occupies  the  whole  of  the  space 
between  the  nave  arcade  and  the  sills  of  the 
clerestory  windows. 

The  drawing  and  composition  is  good,  and 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


75 


the  painting,  when  complete,  must  have  been 
imposing ;  even  now,  faded  and  misty  as  the 
colours  are,  broken  and  obliterated  in  parts 
though  it  be,  there  remains  much  of  the  charm 


-ST.    CHRISTOPHER. 


of  colour  of  a  faded  and  worn  tapestry  hang- 
ing, which  no  doubt  these  huge  cartoons  were 
intended  to  represent.  This  will  be  more 
readily  perceptible  in  some  other  drawings 
from  the  same  walls  we  hope  to  give  in  a 
future  part. 

i^To  be  continued.) 


By  the  late  Sir  Stephen  Glynne,  Bart. 


II.  DURHAM 


THE  CATHEDRAL  CHURCIf. 
ROM     Darlington   we    proceeded 


through  an  uninteresting  country 
to  Rushyford,  a  single  house  and 
very  large  inn.  Soon  after  the 
country  improves.  On  the  left  appears 
Windlesham  House,  seated  high  and  among 
woods  ;  and  a  little  further,  in  a  very  elevated 
situation,  is  seen  the  tower  of  Merrington 
Church,  which  forms  a  very  conspicuous 
object.     The  Country  on  the  right  hand  is 


finely  diversified  by  wood  and  dale,  and  in 
the  summer  time  must  be  extremely  beautiful. 
The  Cathedral  of  Durham,  although  always  a 
fine  object,  does  not  show  to  much  advantage 
when  approached  from  this  side,  and  the 
entrance  to  the  town  is  by  no  means  splendid. 
The  part  of  the  town  nearest  Darlington  on 
the  side  of  the  Weare  is  called  Elvet,  and 
contains  the  Church  of  St.  Oswald,  the  Gaol, 
and  County  Court.  A  bridge  over  the  Weare 
leads  into  the  main  part  of  the  town,  in 
which  are  the  Cathedral,  Castle,  and  four 
parishes,  etc.  The  river  winds  completely 
round  this  part  of  the  town,  and  is  crossed 
by  another  bridge,  which  leads  into  the 
suburb  called  Crossgate,  through  which  the 
road  to  Newcastle  passes.  There  is  also  a 
third  bridge  of  very  elegant  and  handsome 
workmanship  built  by  the  Dean  and  Chapter, 
and  forming  a  communication  between  the 
College  and  some  beautiful  walks  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  The  general 
character  of  the  streets  (especially  in  the 
main  part  of  the  town)  is  very  great  steep- 
ness, narrowness,  and  dirt.  The  Houses  are 
mostly  mean  and  untidy,  and  the  town  is 
full  of  very  small  filthy  allies  and  courts. 
The  buildings  in  Elvet  are  of  rather  better 
description,  and  the  streets  wider.  The 
street  leading  from  Elvet  bridge  to  the  Gaol 
is  handsome,  and  of  great  width.  We 
happened  to  fall  in  with  the  Assizes ;  conse- 
quently our  Inn  was  filled  with  limbs  of  the 
Laiv.  There  was,  however,  no  reason  to 
complain  of  any  want  of  civility,  or  of 
exorbitant  charges  at  the  Waterloo  Hotel. 

"  Feb^  28'^ — This  morning  we  went  to 
the  Cathedral,  the  situation  of  which  is 
certainly  unequalled  by  any  other  in  England. 
It  is  seated  on  a  lofty  rocky  bank  over- 
looking the  Weare,  and  presents  its  west 
front  and  towers  to  the  Crossgate  side  of 
the  river.  Nothing  can  be  more  striking 
than  the  grand  effect  produced  by  the  stately 
front  of  the  Cathedral,  together  with  the 
venerable  Castle,  both  seated  on  the  same 
lofty  rock,  which  is  well  covered  with  trees. 
The  opposite  bank  is  adorned  with  the  finest 
wood,  and  is  laid  out  in  handsome  walks. 
The  Cathedral  is  a  magnificent  edifice,  and 
is  chiefly  remarkable  from  two  singularities 
in  its  plan.  At  the  west  end  is  a  small  low 
Chapel  called  the  Galilee,  the  only  instance 

L  2 


76 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


of  the  kind  in  England,  and  very  singular 
in  its  plan  and  style.  The  other  singularity 
is  the  Eastern  Transept  or  Chapel  of  the 
nine  Altars,  situate  at  the  Eastern  extremity  of 
the  Church,  which  is  very  rich  and  elaborate 
in  its  style  of  Architecture  In  other  respects 
the  plan  of  the  Cathedral  resembles  most 
others,  being  composed  of  a  nave  with  aisles, 
a  North  and  South  Transept,  and  a  Choir 
with  aisles.  At  the  West  end  are  two  low 
towers,  and  another  loftier  one  rising  from 
the  centre.  On  the  North  Side  are  the 
Cloisters  and  Collegiate  buildings.  The 
Central  tower  is  Perpend^  but  of  good  work. 
The  finishing  of  it  is  rather  abrupt,  and  it 
seems  to  want  pinnacles.  The  effect  is 
rather  injured  by  the  upper  story  being  as 
it  were  a  smaller  tower  raised  upon  the 
lanthorn  tower,  and  appearing  somewhat 
heavy.  A  spire  instead  of  the  upper  story 
of  the  tower  would  have  been  an  improve- 
ment. 

"west  front. 
"  The  West  front  of  the  Cathedral  has  a 
very  noble  and  majestic  appearance  when 
viewed  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Weare. 
The  Chapel  of  the  Galilee  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  large  porch,  being  very  low.  The 
Western  towers  which  flank  the  front  are 
not  of  great  height,  but  of  very  elegant  Early 
English  work  of  an  early  period,  the  arched 
mouldings  with  which  they  are  adorned 
being  but  slightly  pointed.  They  are  crowned 
by  crocketed  pinnacles,  which  have  been 
erected  of  late  years,  and  though  of  a  style 
long  subsequent  to  the  towers,  still  have  an 
elegant  appearance.  The  great  west  window 
between  the  Towers  is  of  peculiar  but  very 
elegant  Dec^  tracery. 

"  GALILEE. 

"  This  chapel,  which  is  quite  unique,  there 
being  no  other  instance  in  the  kingdom  of 
a  chapel  in  a  similar  situation,  displays 
architecture  the  style  of  which  it  is  difficult 
to  determine  whether  it  be  Norman  or  Early 
English,  there  being  features  of  each  style 
blended  together.  It  consists  of  5  aisles 
divided  by  semicircular  arches  springing  from 
very  slender  clustered  columns.  The  arches 
are  ornamented  with  the  chevron  or  zigzag 
moulding,  which  seems  a  genuine  Norman 
ornament,  but  the  clustered  columns  partake 


more  of  E.E.  The  windows  are  decidedly 
Early  English,  consisting  of  3  lights  of  lancet 
form  contained  in  a  large  pointed  arch.  At 
the  Eastern  extremity  of  the  chapel  was 
formerly  an  altar,  and  the  walls  and  ceiling 
still  retain  traces  of  gaudy  painting. 

'•  NAVE. 

*'  The  principal  entrance  to  the  Nave  is 
in  the  North  aisle  through  a  splendid  Norman 
doorway.  The  massive  grandeur  is  very 
striking,  and  perhaps  almost  unrivalled.  On 
either  side  of  the  Nave  is  a  row  of  semi- 
circular arches  springing  from  piers  of  various 
descriptions,  some  of  them  being  massive 
circular  pillars,  and  others  plain  piers  with 
half  columns  set  in  recesses  at  the  extremi- 
ties. The  ponderous  circular  columns  are 
many  of  them  adorned  with  mouldings, 
some  of  which  are  lozenge-wise,  some  ribs, 
etc.  The  arches  are  deeply  moulded,  some 
having  the  embattled  moulding,  and  most 
of  them  the  zigzag.  The  triforium  is  like- 
wise ornamented  with  the  zigzag  moulding, 
and  the  Clerestory  is  formed  by  a  large  semi- 
circular arch  between  two  smaller,  resting 
on  slender  shafts  with  capitals.  The  roof 
is  groined  with  stone,  and  the  ribs  are  of 
massive  and  substantial  formation,  and  are 
elegantly  moulded  with  zigzag.  The  windows 
are  mostly  with  round  heads,  but  filled  with 
Perpend""  or  Decorated  tracery.  At  the  west 
end  is  the  Font,  which  is  a  vile  modern 
composition  ;  but  the  canopy  which  sur- 
mounts it  is  of  extremely  rich  carved  work 
of  the  16'^*  century,  and  rises  to  a  great 
height.  On  the  north  side  is  a  magnificent 
Norman  doorway  leading  to  the  Cloisters. 

"  LANTHORN. 

"  From  the  intersection  of  the  Nave, 
Choir,  and  transepts  rises  the  lanthorn  or 
central  tower,  which  is  open  to  a  consider- 
able height,  and  sheds  a  brilliant  stream  of 
light  over  that  part  of  the  Church.  The 
whole  of  it  is  of  the  best  and  most  elegant 
Perpendicular  work,  and  although  differing 
from  the  prevailing  style  of  the  building, 
has  a  very  fine  effect.  The  Tower  is  sup- 
ported on  very  lofty  and  strong  semicircular 
arches. 

*  An  obvious  slip  of  the  pen  for  "  17"'." — Ed. 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


77 


"  TRANSEPTS. 

"  The  Transepts  resemble  the  nave  in 
their  architecture.  That  to  the  North  has 
a  large  window  of  very  beautiful  Decorated 
tracery.  The  great  South  window  is  Perpend^ 
Under  it  in  the  south  transept  is  a  very 
large  clock,  which  is  surmounted  by  a  very 
rich  carved  canopy. 

"choir. 

"The  choir  is  separated  from  the  Nave 
by  a  very  rich  and  elaborate  wooden  screen 
carved  very  exquisitely,  but  apparently  erected 
at  that  period  when  the  Gothic  architecture 
was  supplanted  by  the  less  chaste  work  of 
the  Italians.  On  it  stands  a  very  fine  organ, 
adorned  in  the  same  style  as  the  screen.* 
On  entering  the  Choir,  the  effect  is  very 
imposing,  the  magnificent  circular  window 
of  the  Chapel  of  Nine  Altars,  the  elegant 
and  light  altar  screeen,  and  the  highly-wrought 
tabernacle  work  over  the  stalls,  all  forming 
great  and  striking  features.  The  cieling  is 
more  ornamented  than  that  of  the  nave, 
being  varied  by  the  4  leaf  flower.  The 
triforium  is  formed  by  a  large  wide  semi- 
circular arch,  divided  into  2  lesser  arches  by 
a  central  shaft.  The  main  arches  are  semi- 
circular, and  spring  from  various  piers  as  in 
the  nave.  The  stalls  are  surmounted  by 
most  exquisite  tabernacle  work.  The  Bishop's 
throne,  also  of  very  fine  work  of  the  14th 
century,  is  raised  up  very  high.  Its  base- 
ment story  is  formed  by  the  tomb  of  Bishop 
Hatfield,  its  founder,  which  is  of  good 
Decorated  work.  The  north  aisle  of  the 
Choir  has  windows  of  Perpend""  tracery,  under 
which  runs  a  range  of  intersecting  semi- 
circular arches.  The  Eastern  end  of  the 
Choir  or  Chancel  is  of  highly  enriched  Early 
English  work,  in  some  parts  approaching  to 
Decorated.  On  the  last  pier  before  the 
altar  table  are  6  enriched  trefoiled  niches, 
from  which  rise  4  shafts  ending  in  corbels, 
from  which  spring  fine  canopies  richly 
foliated  and  terminating  in  finials.  The 
triforium  is  of  the  most  rich  Early  English 
work.  On  either  side  of  the  altar  are  3 
enriched  canopied  stalls. 

*  All  this  has  since  then  been  demolished  by  the 
"restorer." — Ed. 


"Immediately  behind  the  altar  is  a  very 
elegant  skreen  erected  at  the  expense  of  John 
Lord  Neville  in  1380.  Its  style  is  very  early 
Perpend"",  and  consists  of  3  stories,  2  of 
which  are  of  open  work,  and  have  a  par- 
ticularly light  appearance.  It  is  crowned  by 
light  pyramidical  pinnacles,  and  on  the  whole 
is  an  extremely  light  and  elegant  work.  The 
Neville  arms  are  carved  at  the  back  of  the 
skreen.  Behind  this  screen,  and  projecting 
into  the  Chapel  of  Nine  Altars,  is  the  feretory 
of  St.  Cuthbert,  which  at  present  displays 
but  few  traces  of  its  ancient  grandeur.  The 
stone  is,  however,  much  worn  by  the  feet 
of  pilgrims  who  formerly  resorted  to  it.  We 
next  proceed  to  the  elegant  and  curious 

"chapel  of  the  nine  altars. 

This  chapel  is  so  called  from  having  formerly 
contained  an  altar  under  each  of  its  nine 
eastern  windows,  and  forms  a  second  transept, 
as  it  extends  considerably  beyond  the  north 
and  south  walls  of  the  Choir.  Its  archi- 
tecture is  nearly  entirely  E.E.,  but  in  some 
parts  approaches  to  Decorated.  The  windows 
are  very  numerous,  and  give  a  peculiarly 
light  effect.  Most  of  them  are  long  and 
narrow,  and  supported  by  slender  shafts. 
One,  however,  in  the  centre  of  the  East 
front,  is  circular,  and  of  large  size,  and  forms 
a  most  noble  feature  when  viewed  from  the 
Choir.  The  Eastern  front  of  the  Chapel 
externally  has  been  lately  repaired,  and  has 
a  very  fine  effect.  It  is  adorned  by  octagon 
towers,  from  which  rise  lofty  pyramidical 
turrets.  On  the  towers  are  various  curious 
sculptures,  which  have  been  lately  restored. 
The  whole  of  the  Cathedral  is  kept  in  a  most 
exemplary  state  of  neatness  and  repair,  and 
has  a  large  sum  annually  expended  on  it. 
The  South  side  as  yet  is  untouched  by 
repairs,  and  from  the  decay  of  the  stone 
presents  rather  a  ragged  appearance.  The 
Cloisters  are  not  remarkable  for  any  elegance, 
being  extremely  plain.  They  are,  however, 
quite  perfect,  forming  an  entire  quadrangle. 

{^To  be  continued.) 


78 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


€n0lanD'0  ©luest  8)antiicraft0. 

By  Isabel  Suart  Robson. 


II. — Decorative  Work  in  Iron. 

"  A  heart  to  conceive,  a  head  to  contrive,  and  a 
hand  to  execute." — Gibbon. 

ORKING  in  iron  is  one  of  the  oldest 
of  English  handicrafts,  and  decora- 
tive work,  in  one  form  or  another, 
must  have  been  done  in  the  infancy 
of  the  craft.  Iron  was,  indeed,  in  the  time 
of  its  comparative  scarcity,  regarded  almost 
as  a  precious  metal.  In  Scotland,  this  scarcity 
was  the  cause  of  many  a  depredatory  raid 
over  the  Border,  and  Barrow-in-Furness,  then, 
as  now,  a  noted  iron  centre,  suffered  severely 
from  the  plunderers'  preference  for  the  pre- 
pared metal  and  the  manufactured  article. 


St.  Paul's  Cathedral  to-day,  and  was  made 
at  Lamberhurst  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century."'' 

The  Saxon  smith,  says  an  old  chronicler, 
was,  above  all  things,  "  very  cunninge,"  and 
though  unequal  to  moulding  huge  masses  of 
iron,  such  as  founders  of  to-day  transform 
into  our  heavy  modern  guns,  or  to  drawing 
iron  to  threads  of  gossamer  fineness,  he  could, 
with  exquisite  skill,  fashion  works  of  strength 
and  beauty  out  of  the  material  that  he  loved 
and  studied.  Nor  were  artists  and  men  of 
rank  wanting  who  used  hammer  and  anvil 
with  enthusiasm  and  no  little  measure  of 
success.  St.  Dunstan,  who  governed  Eng- 
land in  the  time  of  Edwy  the  Fair,  is  said  to 
have  been  extremely  skilful  in  working  in 
iron,  and  so  fond  of  the  craft  that  he  had  a 
forge  set  up  in  his  bedroom.  The  legend 
runs  that  it  was  while  labouring  at  this  forge 
that  his  famous  temptation  by  the  devil  took 


WROUGHT  IRON  TONGS  (sixteenth  century). 


Before  coal  came  into  general  use,  the 
neighbourhood  of  abundant  timber  for  fuel 
was  the  main  consideration  which  decided  the 
ancient  iron-worker  as  to  the  locality  of  his 
forge.  In  this  country  the  leafy  glades  of 
the  Forest  of  Dean,  where  there  are  still 
cinder-heaps  left  by  the  Roman  craftsmen, 
and  the  wooded  weald  of  Sussex,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  nurseries  of  the  iron  trade. 
So  actively  was  the  industry  pursued  in 
Sussex  that  a  total  annihilation  of  the  woods 
seemed  imminent,  and,  in  1580,  legislation 
had  to  interfere.  Queen  Elizabeth  issued 
a  prohibition  of  the  use  of  timber  as  fuel, 
and  forbade  the  erection  of  any  new  iron- 
works within  twenty-two  miles  of  London, 
aud  four  miles  of  the  Downs  and  the  towns 
of  Pevensey,  Winchelsea,  Hastings,  and  Rye, 
under  a  penalty  of  ;^io.  The  industry 
existed,  however,  in  Sussex  for  many  cen- 
turies, and,  as  a  parting  memorial  of  its 
metallurgic  skill,  left  us  a  piece  of  work 
familiar  to  many,  the  cast-iron  railing  of 
2,500     palisades    which     partly    surrounds 


place,  and  he  brought  the  conflict  to  an  end 
by  seizing  the  adversary  of  his  soul  by  the 
nose  with  the  red-hot  tongs.  This  incident, 
legendary  as  it  may  be,  always  formed  one  of 
the  most  popular  of  the  pageants  provided  on 
Lord  Mayor's  Day  by  the  goldsmiths  when 
that  Company  had  the  honour  of  giving  the 
City  its  mayor.  The  hammer,  tongs,  and 
anvil  which  played  such  an  important  part 
in  the  old  conflict  are  said  to  be  preserved 
in  Mayfield  Palace,  where  St.  Dunstan  lived 
in  the  middle  of  the  tenth  century.  The 
anvil  and  tongs  are  of  no  antiquity,  but  the 
hammer,  with  its  iron  handle,  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  mediaeval  relic.  It  was  probably 
under  St.  Dunstan's  advice  that  Edgar  issued 
the  command  "  that  every  priest,  to  increase 
knowledge,  diligently  learn  some  handicraft." 
This  order,  without  doubt,  greatly  influenced 
the  monks  in  gaining  that  proficiency  in  work- 
ing in  stonework,  precious  metal  and  iron, 

*  See  further  Mr.  Sidney  H.  Hollands's  paper, 
"  The  Extinct  Iron  Industry  of  the  Weald  of 
Sussex,"  in  the  Antiquary  for  July,  i8g6. 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


79 


seen  in  the  cathedrals  and  churches  of  the 
Middle  Ages. 

Although  we  have  no  examples  of  orna- 
mental ironwork  of  Saxon  manufacture  now 
remaining,  we  have  but  to  turn  to  the  illu- 
minated manuscripts   of  the   tenth   century 


i;:h!/ 


%Mm%l 


PART  OF   IRONWORK,    TOMB   OF  QUEEN    ELEANOR. 

to  see  that  the  art  of  smithing  was  highly 
developed.  In  the  Claudian  MS.  in  the 
British  Museum,  we  find  an  illustration  of 
the  door  of  Noah's  Ark,  and  also  of  the  gates 
of  Paradise,  represented  as  having  very 
elaborate  hinges,  with  beautiful  scroll-work 
— a  sufficient  proof  that  the  artists  who 
delineated  them  had  seen  somewhat  similar 
decorations. 

Hinges  on  church-doors  are,  for  several 
reasons,  the  most  ancient  pieces  of  architec- 
tural ironwork  still  remaining  to  us.  Ex- 
amples are  still  to  be  seen  of  Norman,  or 
twelfth-century  work  on  the  doors  of  secluded 
village  churches  which  have  escaped  the 
vandalism  of  some  destroying  Puritan  or 
reckless  restorer. 

The  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries 
were  rich  in  clever  workers  in  iron,  who 
extended  their  craft  to  the  decoration  of  all 
things  capable  of  ornamentation,  many  of 
their  designs  serving  as  models  for  reproduc- 
tion to-day.  Grilles  and  railings,  such  as 
may  still  be  seen  at  Winchelsea,  Wells,  Can- 
terbury, SaHsbury,  and  other  cathedrals,  and 
in  particular,  the  beautiful  grille  surmounting 
the  tomb  of  Queen  Eleanor  in  Westminster 
Abbey,  and  the  elaborated  ironwork  which 


strengthened  as  well  as  beautified  church- 
doors  throughout  the  land,  testify  to  the  skill 
of  the  mediaeval  smith  in  ecclesiastical  work. 
The  "cunninge"  craftsman,  however,  did  not 
disdain  to  lavish  art  and  time  upon  the 
decoration  of  the  humblest  kinds  of  personal 
and  domestic  objects.  Handles  and  knockers, 
as  well  as  hinges,  brackets,  and  lamps — the 
latter  especially  dear  to  mediaeval  artists  in 
metal — locks  and  keys,  were  beautifully 
decorated.  Locks  were  treated  so  elaborate 
in  the  sixteenth  century  that  they  came  to  be 
regarded  as  veritable  works  of  art,  and  were 
carried  about  from  place  to  place  like  any 
other  valuable  piece  of  furniture.  Keys, 
naturally,  were  made  to  correspond.  Recog- 
nising the  fact  that  the  bow  of  a  key  is  very 
easily  bent,  the  old  workers  filled  up  this 
part  with  open  work,  not  only  adding  strength 
but  beauty  also,  which  combination — greater 
use  with  greater  beauty — is,  says  Mr.  Ruskin, 
the  very  essence  of  true  art.  Medieval 
knockers,  such  as  may  be  seen  at  South  Ken- 
sington Museum,  are  also  being  reproduced 
by  modern  manufacturers,  to  the  greater 
enrichment  of  domestic  art. 

In  the  interior  of  mediaeval  houses,  decora- 


IRON  KEY  FROM  NETLEY  ABBEY  ^fourteenth  century). 

tive  ironwork  was  largely  used  ;  nearly  every 
person  with  pretensions  to  affluence,  pos- 
sessed chests  of  the  type  preserved  in  the 
Castle  of  Rockingham,  which  dates  from  the 


8o 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


time  of  King  John,  and  is  made  of  oak, 
solid,  skilfully  put  together,  and  ornamented 
lavishly  with  hammered  iron  hinges  and 
scroll-work.  Every  village  church  possessed 
similar  chests  for  the  preservation  of  their 
deeds  and  vestments,  and  many  of  these 
are  still  existing,  with  most  beautiful  iron- 
work upon  them.  At  York  Minster  there 
are  two,  of  a  quadrant  shape,  made  especially 
to  contain  richly-embroidered  copes  :  one  of 
these  has  ironwork  of  the  twelfth  century 
covering  the  lids,  and  the  other  dates  from 
the  end    of   the   thirteenth    century.      An 


interesting  example  of  decorative  ironwork  is 
the  cradle  of  Henry  VI.,  still  to  be  seen  in 
the  Ashmolean  Museum  at  Oxford.  The 
head  that  once  adorned  it  is  missing,  and  the 
rich  gilding  sadly  faded,  but  this  is  only  to 
be  expected  when  we  remember  what  a 
chequered  career  it  has  had.  Passing  from 
one  family  to  another,  none  of  whom  seem 
to  have  regarded  it  with  much  respect,  either 
for  its  intrinsic  worth  or  its  historic  associa- 
tions, the  royal  cradle  was  at  last  rescued 
by  an  antiquary  from  a  number  of  other 
articles  of  later  date,  henceforward  to  receive 
the  care  it  merited. 

Upon  no  class  of  objects  was  such  artistic 
skill  lavished  as  upon  the  rich  suits  of  armour 
made  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 
They  were,  for  the  most  part,  of  iron  or  steel, 
ornamented  with  repousse  work,  a  species  of 
decoration  which  consists  in  embossing  or 
beating  up  with  a  hammer  the  sheet  metal  in 
relief,  so  as  to  give  the  form  and  design  the 
artist  wishes.     This  is  a  very  ancient  kind  of 


work,  and  most  of  the  metal  Homer  describes 
was  ornamented  by  such  a  process,  and 
finished  with  the  chisel,  just  as  mediaeval 
workers  finished  their  work. 

During  the  whole  of  the  Middle  Ages 
hammered  work  was  used  for  statues,  bas- 
reliefs  and  vases,  whilst  cabinets,  caskets,  and 
various  other  pieces  of  furniture,  were  en- 
riched with  chasing  and  damascened  work. 
A  hammered  and  gilded  suit  of  armour,  pre- 
sented by  the  armourers  of  London  to 
Charles  I.,  is  still  preserved  in  the  Tower, 
and  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  work. 

Damascening,  that  is,  the  inlaying  of  iron, 
steel,  or  bronze  with  gold  and  silver,  with, 
in  many  cases,  the  addition  of  etching  and 
engraving,  was  an  art  introduced  into  this 
,  country  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  re- 
'  quired  very  skilled  workmanship  to  bring 
it  to  any  degree  of  perfection.  The  whole 
surface  of  the  iron  to  be  damascened  was 
first  covered  with  fine  incisions,  which  the 
artist  traced  with  gold  and  silver  wire,  driven 
firmly  in  with  the  hammer.  When  this 
process  was  completed,  the  whole  was  rubbed 
with  a  burnisher  until  the  incisions  were 
obliterated,  and  the  piece  of  work  assumed 
the  appearance  of  exquisite  metal  embroidery. 
Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester,  possessed 
many  pieces  of  damascened  work,  among 
them  a  beautiful  casket,  inlaid  with  his 
armorial  bearings,  which  is  still  existing. 
The  art  of  damascening  seems  to  have  dis- 
appeared from  Western  Europe,  though  it  is 
still  carried  on  in  its  early  Moorish  home, 
where  an  inlaid  casket  or  sword-blade, 
wrought  with  all  the  old  wealth  of  ornamen- 
tation and  skill,  may  be  bought  by  a  collector 
of  curios  from  some  descendant  of  Zulago  of 
Toledo.  In  India,  where  the  art  is  known 
as  kuftwork,  and  in  China  and  Japan, 
damascening  is  brought  to  perfection,  but  so 
costly  must  it  always  be,  that  we  can  have 
little  hope  of  its  revival  in  Europe. 

The  Renaissance  naturally  exercised  a 
powerful  influence  upon  decorative  ironwork. 
"  Genius  was  abroad,  and  handicraftsmen 
shared  the  enthusiasm,"  says  Dr.  Woltmann. 
"Infinite  pains  had  been  expended  before; 
now  all  that  human  hands  created  men 
wished  to  see  beautiful,  whatever  purpose  it 
served."  Some  students  have  found  a  beau- 
tiful indication  of  our  national  love  of  home 
and  hearth  in  the  fact  that  English  skill  in 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


8r 


forging  and  delicate  casting  should  turn  to 
the  household  utensils  for  an  added  field  of 
labour,  and  expend  on  the  objects  of  every- 
day use,  the  skill  and  finish  which  would  in 
France  have  been  lavished  on  the  elaborate 
tracery  of  a  balcony,  and  in  Italy  or  Spain  on 
some  screen  for  a  church,  or  bracket  from 
which  to  suspend  a  banner.  The  wrought 
ironwork  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries  claims  admiration  from  all  lovers 
of  the  handicraft  on  account  of  its  exuberance 
of  invention  and  its  grace  and  lightness  of 
design.  The  earlier  smiths  were  accustomed 
to  connect  the  framework  of  iron  panels  by 
means  of  tenons  and  mortises — indeed,  this 
forms  one  of  the  most  characteristic  features 
of  sixteenth-century  work  ;  welding  was  little 
used,  though  we  find  some  very  clever 
examples ;  it  was  replaced  by  riveting  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  with  other  modes  of 
connection,  and  it  is  with  regret  that  we 
notice  the  details  appearing  coarser,  and  the 
execution  gradually  less  finished.  Great  care 
in  selecting  material  distinguished  then,  as 
now,  good  smithing ;  the  iron  had  to  be 
malleable,  even  when  cold,  and  to  be  capable 
of  standing,  without  breaking,  the  beating  up 
into  the  foliage  so  characteristic  of  the  age. 
Swedish  iron  has  always  been  considered  the 
best  for  this  purpose. 

Among  the  many  good  pieces  of  seven- 
teenth-century work,  the  most  noted  are  some 
wrought  and  hammered  iron  screens,  which 
formerly  stood  on  one  side  of  Hampton  Court 
Palace  grounds,  but  were  removed  by  the 
South  Kensington  Museum  authorities,  who 
gained  permission  to  do  so  from  the  Queen, 
before  rust  and  the  dilapidation  of  two 
hundred  years  had  quite  destroyed  their 
beauty.  They  have  been  attributed  to  a  Not- 
tingham worker,  Huntingdon  Shaw,  who  is 
said  to  have  made  them,  in  1695,  at  the 
request  of  William  HI. ;  but  such  statement 
is  now  believed  to  be  erroneous.  Outside 
Hampton  Court  Church  there  is  a  tablet  to 
his  memory,  upon  which  he  is  described  as 
"  An  artist  in  His  way,"  and  the  additional 
remark  that  "  he  designed  and  executed  the 
ornamently  iron-work  at  Hampton  Court 
Palace,"  which  was  not,  however,  placed  upon 
the  tablet  until  its  removal  from  the  church- 
yard to  the  church  in  1830.  Research  has 
proved  to  students  of  decorative    ironwork 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


that  Shaw  was  scarcely  likely  to  have  been 
the  chief  executor  of  the  famous  piece  of 
work,  and  he  was  certainly  not  the  designer. 
In  all  probability  he  worked  upon  the  screens, 
following  out  the  plans  of  Jean  Tijou,  who  is 
to  be  credited  with  the  design  and  execution 
of  them.  In  1693  Tijou  published  a  book 
of  designs,  in  which  they  are  included, 
and  amongst  the  documents  in  the  Record 
Office  there  is  a  "  List  of  Debts  in  the 
office  of  Works,"  which  contains  an  entry, 
under  the  heading  "Hampton  Gardens,  '  of 
";^i.982  OS.  7d.  due  to  John  Tijou,  Smith." 
There  is  also  a  list  of  the  workmen  engaged 
upon  this  Hampton  Court  work,  including 
Grinling  Gibbons,  and  even  going  down  to 
the  commonest  labourers,  and,  curiously, 
Huntingdon  Shaw's  name  is  not  mentioned ; 
we  must  assume  he  was  engaged  with  other 
clever  smiths  by  Tijou,  who  was  entrusted 
also  with  many  other  fine  pieces  of  work, 
notably  the  iron  screens  to  be  seen  in 
St.  Paul's  Cathedral. 

Many  writers  would  have  us  believe  that 
the  modern  work  falls  immensely  short  of 
what  was  achieved  in  the  past,  and  that 
machine-work  of  a  purely  mechanical  kind 
alone  is  produced  except  in  insignificant 
and  isolated  instances.  This  is  far  from 
being  the  case ;  modern  metal-workers  in 
many  cases  pursue  their  art  with  all  the 
devotion  and  enthusiasm  of  the  mediaeval 
craftsmen,  and  modern  wrought  ironwork 
known  as  hammered  iron,  forged  iron, 
and  art  metal-work  is  practically  identical 
with  that  executed  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
later  on  in  the  Queen  Anne  and  Georgian 
days.  The  modern  smiths  are,  of  course, 
called  upon  for  more  varied  work.  "  They 
must,"  to  quote  the  words  of  Mr.  Charles  J. 
Hart,  of  the  firm  of  Hart,  Son,  Peard  and  Co., 
to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  much  valuable 
information  on  a  subject  which  has  been  to 
him  a  life-study,  "  be  prepared  to  turn  out 
work  in  any  style,  and  to  put  into  it  the  feeling 
that  prevailed  in  the  period  of  architecture 
for  which  it  is  required,  and  in  the  old  days 
the  smiths  knew  only  one  style.  Also  the 
work  itself  is  so  much  more  comprehensive ; 
not  only  hinges  and  door-furniture  and  gates 
and  grilles  are  demanded,  but  gas-fittings, 
electric-light  fittings,  and  innumerable  small 
articles    that    the     mediaeval    smith    never 

M 


82 


ENGLAND'S,  OLDEST  HANDLCRAFTS. 


dreamed  of."  In  the  opinion  of  this  repre- 
sentative of  artistic  ironwork  in  England, 
the  variety  of  smith's  work  leads  inevitably 
to  subdivision  of  labour,  one  man  being  more 
gifted  for  light  and  delicate  work  and  the 
beating  up  of  leaves,  whilst  others  are  more 
adapted  for  the  heavy  work.  Yet  most  cer- 
tainly handicraft  enters  into  modern  smithing. 
"  The  tools  and  methods  of  the  present  day 
are  identical  with  those  in  use  in  England  a 
thousand  years  ago,  the  only  difference  being 
that  the  hand-bellows  for  producing  the  blast 
are  largely  superseded  in  modern  factories 
by  the  steam  fan."  It  was  the  boast  of 
Sir  Richard  Newdigate,  when  William  III, 
doubted  his  subjects'  capacity  for  making 
weapons  as  efficiently  as  the  Germans,  that 
"what  skill  and  metal  could  do,  English 
smiths  could  do ;"  and  modern  smiths  can 
well  support  the  statement.  "  The  skilled 
worker  of  to-day,"  says  one  great  worker  in 
metal,  "  is  equal  in  every  way  to  his  prede- 
cessor in  the  Middle  Ages,  and  there  is  no 
existing  example  of  ancient  ironwork  that  he 
could  not  produce,  if  sufficient  time  were 
given."  For  the  sake  of  the  work  and  the 
artist's  pride  in  his  production,  we  cannot 
help  regretting  sometimes  that  the  question 
of  cost  has  so  largely  to  enter  into  everything 
made,  and  existing  conditions  of  trade  compel 
manufacturers  to  achieve  the  greatest  show 
at  the  least  expenditure  of  time,  and  there- 
fore of  money. 

A  great  deal  of  the  decorative  ironwork  we 
see  to-day  cannot  be  called  handicraft  in  any 
sense  of  the  term,  but  the  skill  and  beauty 
exhibited  in  numerous  examples  entitle  it 
to  a  share  of  notice  and  admiration.  The 
founder's  work  is  largely  mechanical,  calling 
for  little  individual  taste  or  originality  on  the 
part  of  the  moulder  and  founder  ;  the  article 
produced  being  imperfect  in  so  far  as  it 
deviates  at  all  from  the  pattern,  and  does  not 
reproduce  it  with  exactitude.  Yet  skill  and 
enormous  care  have  to  be  exerted  upon  this 
branch  of  industry,  which  has  sprung  into 
distinction  during  the  last  sixty  years. 

At  the  present  day,  English  founders'  work 
holds  the  first  place  in  the  world,  and  in 
the  other  countries  of  Europe  that  work 
which  most  nearly  approaches  English  style 
and  workmanship  is  most  esteemed.  This 
high   level    of  art    and   finish   we    owe    in 


a  very  marked  degree  to  the  Coalbrookdale 
Company,  who  must  be  regarded  as  the 
fathers  of  the  British  iron  trade,  and  for 
quality  of  work  and  the  variety  of  articles 
sent  out  as  representative  of  decorative  iron- 
founding  in  England. 

The  extensive  works  on  the  banks  of  the 
beautiful  Severn  have  been  described  as  "  a 
miniature  black  country  in  the  midst  of  leafy 
Shropshire,  sending  up  clouds  of  smoke  by 
day  and  illuminating  the  night  with  the  glow 
of  its  furnaces  ;"  they  form  no  such  blot  on 
the  landscape  as  the  word  picture  would 
indicate,  and  to  the  student  of  industrial 
history  add  but  another  touch  of  local  interest. 
The  ironworks  are  said  to  have  existed  in 
Coalbrookdale  at  a  very  early  date  ;  an  old 
record  mentions  a  smethe  or  smethhouse 
there  in  Tudor  times.  No  doubt  the  woods 
of  oak  and  hazel,  stretching  in  a  continuous 
forest  to  the  foot  of  the  Wrekin,  marked  it 
out  to  some  early  ironworker  as  a  spot  capable 
of  affording  abundant  timber  for  his  furnaces. 
The  gradual  diminishing  of  this  necessary 
article,  resulting  from  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  trade,  checked  the  industry,  and  the 
works  seem  to  have  been  given  up  almost 
entirely. 

In  1709,  however,  Abraham  Darby  came 
from  Bristol,  and  henceforth  a  new  life  was 
put  into  the  Coalbrookdale  iron  trade.  He 
took  the  lease  of  a  blast  furnace,  and  by 
enterprise  and  energy  extended  the  industry 
with  an  unparalleled  rapidity.  A  second  and 
third  Abraham  Darby  further  increased  the 
business,  ably  supported  by  Richard  Rey- 
nolds, who  had  married  the  daughter  of  the 
second  Darby.  It  is  noteworthy  that  each 
member  of  the  family  in  turn,  by  means  of 
diligence  and  devotion  to  their  trade,  had 
been  able  to  make  some  signal  discovery 
or  effect  an  improvement  which  permitted 
development  in  a  fresh  direction.  A.  M. 
Alfred  Darby  is  to-day  the  chairman  of  the 
"  Limited  "  firm,  and  taking  a  practical  part 
in  the  general  management  of  the  works. 

About  1750  decorative  work  was  com- 
menced ;  but  the  highest  reputation  and  the 
widest  development  was  reached  about  the 
middle  of  the  present  century,  under  the 
fostering  care  of  the  fourth  Abraham  Darby 
and  his  brother  Alfred.  The  brothers  worked 
indefatigably,  and  with  that  supreme  qualifi- 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDLCRAFTS. 


83 


cation  for  producing  good  work — a  love  for 
the  things  which  grew  under  their  hands. 
Their  enthusiasm  naturally  affected  those 
about  them,  and  old  workmen  still  tell  how 
early  and  late  they  and  "  the  masters  "  would 
remain  to  watch  the  cupolas  when  any  great 
piece  was  being  cast,  or  some  new  idea  was 
finding  form  in  the  foundry.  The  most 
energetic  agents  and  skilled  workmen  were 
pressed  into  the  service,  and  able  sculptors 
and  artists  received  commissions  to  furnish 
models  and  designs.  A  specimen  of  the  work 
of  this  time — a  more  than  life-size  figure  of  a 
huntsman  with  poised  arrow — was  awarded 


tripods,  no  less  than  medallions  and  statuettes 
for  ornament  only,  are  made  after  mediajval 
or  classic  designs,  whilst  the  fireplaces  in  old 
English,  Renaissance,  and  Italian  style,  once 
placed  in  a  room,  would  defy  one  to  furnish 
the  rest  in  anything  but  an  artistic  style. 
Some  have  an  overmantel  fitted  with  little 
cupboard,  with  tiny  diamond -paned  win- 
dows for  the  display  of  pretty  china  and 
bric-a-brac.  One  of  the  chefs-d'oeuvre  of 
the  company  is  a  fireplace,  with  exquisite 
freize  and  jambs  designed  by  the  famous 
Alfred  Stevens,  the  designer  of  the  Duke  of 
Wellington's  tomb  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 


THE    FIRST    IRON    BRIDGE   ERECTED. 


one  of  the  few  Council  medals  of  the  first 
Exhibition  of  1851. 

The  slightly  different  methods  of  treating 
the  ironwork  when  finished  now  in  use  have 
done  much  to  give  new  beauties  to  the  latest 
productions  of  this  company,  and  London  is 
rich  in  specimens,  combining  public  utility 
and  artistic  decoration.  The  fine  lamps  of 
Victoria  Embankment  and  in  Northumber- 
land Avenue  were  made  at  Coalbrookdale, 
also  the  gates  and  railings  in  Leicester  Square 
and  Grosvenor  Gardens,  and  a  beautiful 
screen,  exhibited  in  London  in  1862,  and 
awarded  a  bronze  medal,  is  now  erected  at 
the  Town  Hall,  Warrington. 

Like  the  mediaeval  ironworker,  the  Coal- 
brookdale founders  turned  their  attention  to 
making  '*  a  thing  of  beauty  "  of  the  humblest 
household  utensils.    Candlesticks,  lamps,  and 


who  was  perhaps  "  discovered  "  and  certainly 
employed  by  the  Coalbrookdale  Company 
long  before  he  was  known  to  fame. 

It  may  be  noted  that  the  first  iron  bridge 
ever  erected  was  made  at  Coalbrookdale 
works,  and  its  projection  and  erection  were 
mainly  due  to  the  skill  and  energy  of  Abraham 
Darby  the  third.  The  bridge  was  opened  for 
traffic  in  1779,  and  in  1788  the  Society  of 
Arts  recognised  Mr.  Darby's  services  to  art 
and  commerce  by  presenting  him  with  the 
Society's  gold  medal.  So  serviceable  has 
this  bridge  been  that  a  thriving  town  has 
grown  around  it,  taking  its  name  "  Iron- 
bridge  "  from  the  structure. 

We  are  sometimes  inclined  to  fall  into  the 
mistake  of  thinking  that  the  founding  of 
decorative  objects  in  iron  was  originated  to 
supersede  wrought  ironwork,  or  to  provide  a 

M  2 


84 


SPANISH  HISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


cheaper  article  than  that  supplied  by  the  handi- 
craftsmen. The  industries  must,  however, 
be  regarded  as  two  entirely  separate  branches 
of  the  art,  and  the  ironfounder  is  fully  as 
proud  of  a  splendid  piece  of  casting,  good  in 
design  and  workmanship,  as  the  worker  in 
wrought  iron  whose  chief  aim  is  to  come 
as  closely  as  possible  to  mediaeval  art.  Cer- 
tainly a  cast-iron  gate  or  railing  made  at  a 
tenth  the  cost  may  so  closely  imitate  some 
simple  design  of  wrought  iron,  that  at  a  dis- 
tance even  a  practised  eye  may  be  deceived. 
•'  A  good  imitation  "  it  would  be  called,  but  in 
the  artist-founder's  eyes  it  is  a  l>ad  imitation ; 
"  it  pretends  to  be  the  thing  it  is  not ;  it  is 
not  honest  work,  and  as  such  we  deprecate  it." 
A  representative  of  the  industry  said  to  me 
the  other  day  :  "  It  is  possible  to  have  honest 
work,  in  good  design,  at  a  small  cost,  and 
we  always  regret  that  the  exigencies  of  trade 
compel  us  to  produce  imitations  which  pre- 
tend to  be  what  they  are  not."  It  is  the 
belief  both  of  workers  of  wrought  iron  and 
founders  that  a  great  future  is  before  this 
important  industry.  A  taste  for  decorative 
metal-work  is  growing,  and  whilst  this  desire 
for  sincerity  and  thoroughness  actuates  the 
workers,  we  may  hope  for  large  things  and  a 
further  development  of  that  artistic  feeling 
such  firms  as  Hart,  Son,  Peard  and  Co.  of 
Birmingham,  Walter  Macfarlane  of  Glasgow, 
and  the  Coalbrookdale  Company  have  done 
so  much  to  foster  in  this  country. 


^panisf)  iE)istoric  Monuments. 

By  Joseph  Louis  Powell 
(Of  the  Royal  Academy  0/ Sati  Fernando,  Madrid). 

( Continued  from  p.  43. ) 

§  6.  La  Puerta  del  Sol,  Toledo. 

HK  Puerta  del  Sol  is  in  effect  a 
Moorish  castle,  defending  one 
entrance  to  the  ancient  city.  The 
very  name  stirs  the  imagination, 
and  arouses  associations  connected  with  the 
East.  It  is  one  proof  among  many  of  the 
Oriental  character  of  so  much  of  mediaeval, 
nay,  even  of  modern  Spain.     It  is  placed  on 


the  north  side  of  Toledo.  Hence,  about  the 
spring  and  autumn  equinoxes,  the  sun  would 
be  seen  over  the  city  soon  after  rising,  through 
this  gate  from  outside.  The  Valmardon 
Gate,  of  which  a  description  was  given  in 
the  Antiquary  for  February,*  is  quite  of  an 
opposite  style  and  construction.  It  is  rude 
and  primitive,  possessing  little  or  no  archi- 
tectural merit.  The  interest  of  this  one  is 
wholly  archaeological  and  historic,  as  a  speci- 
men of  Visigothic  work,  of  which  the  remains 
in  Toledo  are  few  and  fragmentary. 

It  is  no  doubt  true  that  the  horseshoe  arch 
— whether  in  the  earlier  form,  single-centred 
and  circular,  witli  a  segment  omitted,  or  in 
the  later,  double-centred  and  pointed — does 
usually  indicate  the  Moorish  style  in  Spain. 
Nevertheless,  some  modern  Spanish  authorities 
on  art,  e.g.,  Don  Pedro  de  Madrago,  R.A.  (San 
Fernando),  are  of  opinion  that  this  form  was 
introduced  into  Spain  from  Persia  before  the 
coming  of  the  Mohammedan  invaders,  early 
in  the  eighth  century.  Hence,  the  horseshoe 
arch  is  not  everywhere  an  infallible  test.  But 
as  to  the  Valmardon  Gate,  the  arches  are  not 
of  this  form,  but  rudely  semicircular.  Again, 
this  more  ancient  gate  is  within  the  line  of 
the  Visigothic  wall,  while  the  Puerta  del  Sol 
is  outside  of  it. 

The  Puerta  del  Sol  is  a  splendid  castellated 
gate,  showing  a  great  advance  in  art  as  com- 
pared with  the  older  one.  The  entrance  is 
through  a  series  of  arches,  five  in  number. 
While  the  exterior  arches  are  clearly  of 
Moorish  type,  the  character  of  the  inner 
ones  is  (according  to  my  "notes  on  the 
spot ")  less  pronounced,  and  has  been 
described  as  leaning  towards  a  form  of 
ordinary  pointed  arch.  In  the  illustration 
given  in  the  Antiquary  for  February  they 
appear  rather  to  be  round  (Moorish). f  The 
gate  appears  to  belong  in  part  to  two  distinct 
centuries,  the  lower  being  very  probably  of 
the  eleventh,  shortly  before  the  reconquest  of 
Toledo  by  Alonzo  VI.,  in  1085,  or  possibly 
constructed  for  this  sovereign  by  Moorish 
architects.     That  it  is  older  than  the  year 

*  By  a  most  unfortunate  mistake,  for  which  Mr. 
Powell  was  in  no  way  to  blame,  an  illustration  of 
the  Puerta  del  Sol  was  given  in  the  A  ntiquary  last 
month  as  that  of  the  Puerta  de  Valmardon. — Ed. 

t  The  reader  may  also  like  to  see  an  illustrated 
paper  by  the  writer  in  the  Builder,  September  12, 


ARCHyEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


85 


mentioned  was  the  opinion  of  Signor  Quadrado. 
If  constructed  by  Alonzo  VI.  the  gate  no 
doubt  was  part  of  the  wall  of  that  king.  The 
intersecting  arches,  the  multifoiled  cusping  of 
the  centre  over  the  principal  arches  forming 
the  entrance,  the  projections  of  the  round 
outer  tower,  and  the  very  handsome  tooth- 
shaped  battlements,  giving  such  an  imposing 
aspect  to  the  whole,  appear  to  belong  to  a 
later  century.  A  sculptured  medallion  over 
the  entrance,  and  some  figures  in  relief  on 
the  outer  face,  connect  the  gate  with  St.  Ilde- 
fonso,  patron  of  Toledo,  as  to  the  first,  and 
with  St.  Ferdinand  the  king  as  to  the  second. 
{Concluded.) 


[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.'\ 

SALES. 
Sale  of  Old  English  Silver  Plate. — Messrs. 
Christie,  Manson  and  Woods  sold  yesterday-  the  old 
English  silver  plate  of  the  late  Mr.  A.  R.  Suther- 
land, M.D.,  F.R.S..  formerly  of  Silver  Hill,  Tor- 
quay, some  old  English  silver,  including  a  few 
pieces  from  the  Guelph  Exhibition,  the  property  of 
a  gentleman,  and  articles  from  various  sources. 
The  principal  lots  were  :  An  oblong  inkstand,  with 
gadroon  borders,  with  three  silver-mounted  glass 
vases,  24  oz.,  at  i8s.  gd.  per  oz.  (S.  J.  Phillips) ;  a 
small  plain  teapot,  with  dome  lid,  171 7,  11  oz.,  at 
£2.  per  oz.  (Spink)  ;  a  small  plain  cream-jug,  on 
foot,  1742,  at  48s.  per  oz.  (Burde) ;  a  plain  oc- 
tagonal -  shaped  waiter,  1731,  at  31s.  per  oz. 
(Burde);  a  centre  basket,  with  open  ivy -leaf 
border  on  stand  formed  as  three  draped  female 
figures  holding  wreaths,  gj  in.  high,  by  Paul  Storr, 
designed  by  Flaxman,  68  oz.,  at  gs.  8d.  per  oz. 
(Crichton) — the  last  four  were  at  the  Guelph  Ex- 
hibition ;  a  Queen  Anne  porringer,  repousse  with 
corded  band  and  spiral  fluting,  4J  in.  high,  by 
John  Sutton,  1705,  10  oz.,  at  53s.  per  oz.  (Runy- 
cles)  ;  a  dozen  rat  -  tailed  tablespoons,  temp. 
George  I.  and  George  II.,  1721-27,  nine  rat-tailed 
dessert-spoons,  Dublin,  1715,  six  ditto,  1716,  and 
seven  ditto,  i735-3g,  ;^20  (Partridge);  an  octagonal- 
shaped  sugar-caster,  richly  chased  by  W.  Fawdery, 
1720,  12  oz.,  at  £\  (Phillips)  ;  a  Charles  II. 
porringer,  the  lower  part  repousse  with  cherubs 
and  large  foliage  and  flowers,  1663,  11  oz.,  at  Sis. 
per  oz.  (Phillips) ;  eight  Russian  silver-gilt  liqueur 
cups,  partly  fluted,  eighteenth  -  century,  £•]  (Dr. 
Levers)  ;  and  a  pair  of  silver  candelabra,  on  round 
faceted  stems  and  feet,  Sheffield,  1788,  £7,^^  (Lyon). 
— Times,  Jcinuary  15. 

*     *     * 

Sale  of  Engravings  and  Drawings.  —  Messrs. 
Sotheby,  Wilkinson  and  Hodge  concluded  yester- 


day a  four  days'  sale  of  engravings  and  drawings, 
of  which  the  more  important  were  the  following  : 
A  set  of  the  four  sporting  prints  by  W.  WooUett, 
after  Stubbs,  with  large  margins,  /lo  (Fores) ;  por- 
trait of  her  Grace  the  Duchess  01  Richmond,  after 
Downman,  by  T.  Burke,  in  colours,  very  fine  and 
rare, /8  8s.  (Mason)  ;  Lady  Rushout  and  Daughter, 
after  A.  Kauffmann,  by  T.  Burke,  in  red,  very 
choice  impression,  with  large  margin,  extremely 
rare  in  this  condition,  ;^32  los.  (Vokins) ;  two 
examples  from  the  "  Cries  of  London,"  after  F. 
Wheatley,  both  finely  printed  in  colours  :  "  Do  you 
want  any  matches  ?"  by  Cardon,  ;^20  (Colnaghi 
and  Co.) ;  and  "  Sweet  China  Oranges,"  by  Schia- 
vonetti,  £ig  5s.  (Colnaghi)  ;  and  a  series  of  77  lots 
of  drawings  by  T.  Rowlandson,  varying  from  about 
5  in.  by  4  in.  to  16  in.  by  ig  in.,  were  offered  in 
one  lot,  and  realized  /250  (Tregaskis). — Times, 
January  28. 

:*c  *  * 
Art  Sale. — Yesterday  Messrs.  Christie,  Manson 
and  Woods  sold  a  collection  of  objects  of  art  and 
decoration,  the  properties  of  the  late  Mr.  Henry 
Rucker,  of  Huntsland,  Crawley  Down,  of  the  late 
Lord  Rosmead,  and  of  the  late  Mr.  J.  Travers 
Smith.  The  more  important  included  the  follow- 
ing :  A  circular  box  of  lapis  lazuli,  inlaid  with  coral 
branches,  shells,  and  strings  of  pearls  in  mosaic, 

21  guineas  (Gall)  ;  a  circular  tortoiseshell  box,  the 
lid  inlaid  with  a  miniature  portrait  of  a  lady  in 
white  dress  and  head-dress,  signed  Sicardi,  1870, 
80  guineas  (Harding)  ;  a  larger  ditto,  the  lid  inlaid 
with  a  miniature  portrait  of  Mme.  Le  Brun,  the 
hat  with  feather  and  blue  riband,  signed  Vestier, 
1785,  240  guineas  (Harding)  ;  a  circular  miniature 
portrait  of  a  lady  of  the  Court  of  Louis  XV.,  in 
white  dress  with  blue  ribands  and  robe,  ;^2o 
(Renton)  ;  a  portrait  of  Talleyrand,  in  plum- 
coloured  coat  and  waistcoat,  signed  Augustin,  1818, 
a  Paris,  70  guineas  (Gall) ;  a  portrait  of  a  lady 
with  curling  brown  hair,  in  Empire  costume, 
signed  Pennequin,  ;^68  (Gall) ;  a  pair  of  Chinese 
powdered-blue  triple  gourd-shaped  bottles,  pen- 
cilled with  gold,  and  enamelled  with  birds,  plants, 
and  flowers  in  colours  in  shaped  medallions, 
g^  in.  high,  ^^260  (Lewis) ;  a  set  of  three  old 
Japanese  large  vases  and  covers,  and  a  pair  of 
beakers,  with  flowering  trees,  birds,  and  insects  in 
blue,  red,  and  gold,  the  vases  30  in.  and  the 
beakers  22  in.  high,  52  guineas  (Gribble) ;  a  pair  of 
Louis  XV.  candelabra,  of  bronze  and  ormolu,  with 
figures  of  infant  Bacchanals  bearing  cornucopias 
branches  of  two  lights  each,  18  in.  high,  70  guineas 
(Duveen)  ;  a  bronze  equestrian  statuette  of  the 
Due   de   Guise,   by    E.    de    Nieuwerkerke,    1843, 

22  in.  high,  20  guineas  (Gribble) ;  a  group  in 
statuary  marble  of  two  children  with  a  lamb, 
13  in.  high,  52  guineas  (Partridge)  ;  a  pair  of  altar 
ornaments  of  ancient  Chinese  cloisonne  enamel, 
formed  as  a  vase  and  seated  figue  of  a  deity,  11  in. 
high,  from  the  Summer  Palace,  Peking,  36  guineas 
(Lewis)  ;  a  pair  of  large  oviform  Sevres  vases, 
grosbleu  and  gold,  painted  with  Lady  Jane  Grey 
refusing  the  crown,  and  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  and 
Lord  Darnley,  by  Leber,  landscape  and  figures  in 
four   large   medallions,   35    in.   high,    42    guineas 


86 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


(Harris) ;  a  circular  Sheraton  table,  of  inlaid 
mahogany  and  satinwood,  42  in  diameter,  20 
guineas  (Philpot) ;  a  pair  of  old  Chelsea  figures  of 
a  gentleman  with  bagpipes  and  a  lady  with  a 
guitar,  seated  in  pierced  white  and  gold  arbour, 
12  in.  high,  28  guineas  (Hawes);  a  Louis  XVI. 
carved  and  gilt  wood  screen,  surmounted  by  a 
basket  of  flowers  and  open  scroll  ornament,  with  a 
panel  of  old  French  taj^stry,  54  in.  high,  34  guineas 
(White) ;  a  set  of  four  old  Chelsea  porcelain  female 
figures,  with  attributes  illustrating  the  quarters  of 
the  globe,  13  in.  high.  58  guineas  (Wills) ;  a  large 
oviform  vase,  of  old  Nankin  porcelain,  with  beaker- 
shaped  neck,  painted  with  figure  and  landscape 
subjects,  30  in.  high,  45  guineas  (Salting) ;  a  large 
bowl  of  old  Chinese  porcelain,  enamelled  with 
dragons  and  landscapes  in  panels  on  pink  ground, 
with  coloured  foliage  and  flowers,  mounted  with 
silver  rim  cover,  and  chased  two-handled  stand, 
24  guineas  (Harding) ;  a  Louis  XV.  small  cartel 
clock,  by  Balthazar,  in  ormolu  case  chased  with 
foliage  and  laurel  festoons  in  relief,  and  a  barometer 
en  suite,  50  guineas  (Lewis).  The  total  realized  by 
the  123  lots  was  /2,449  5s.  —Times,  January  29. 

Sale  of  Mummies.— Mr.  J.  C.  Stevens  included 
in  his  sale  yesterday  at  King  Street,  Covent 
Garden,  several  mummies  from  Egypt  and  else- 
where. One  lot  consisted  of  three  unrolled 
mummies  (without  bandages),  which  were  brought 
from  Egypt  in  January,  1863,  by  the  steamship 
Scotia ;  the  hieroglyphics  which  were  with  them  at 
the  time  are  now  lost,  but  according  to  these  in- 
scriptions the  cases  are  said  to  contain  the  bodies 
of  Ptolemy  H.  (Philadelphus),  King  of  Egypt ; 
Antiochus  Soter,  King  of  Syria ;  and  Alpina  (wife 
of  Seleucus),  Queen  of  Babylon.  The  genuineness 
of  the  three  mummies  was  certified  by  two  letters, 
one  from  Dr.  Birch,  of  the  British  Museum,  and 
the  other  from  Professor  Bonomi,  of  Sir  John 
Soane's  Museum.  This  curious  lot  fetched  75 
guineas  (Cross).  A  rolled  Egyptian  mummy,  in 
coffin,  with  a  rod,  as  found  in  coffin,  and  coffin-lid, 
18  guineas  ;  another,  16  guineas ;  and  a  Peruvian 
mummy  of  a  woman  in  a  crouching  position,  27 
guineas.  The  last  three  were  purchased  for  Horni- 
man's  Museum,  Forest  Hill.  An  antique  Egyptian 
mummy,  in  fine  decorated  case,  realized  34  guineas 
(Tregaskis).  Among  a  variety  of  curiosities  in- 
cluded in  the  same  sale  we  may  mention  an  early 
Roman  bronze  sword,  23^  in.  long,  found  in  the 
Thames  at  Woolwich  in  1871,  £^;  a  war-drum 
with  human  jawbones  attached,  £4  los. ;  and  a  cup 
carved  out  of  an  elephant's  trunk,  8^  guineas. — 
Times,  February  i. 

4^  *  3«c 
Sale  of  Rare  Books. — Some  unusually  rare  and 
interesting  books,  "  being  a  selected  portion  of  the 
library  of  a  gentleman,"  came  under  the  hammer 
yesterday  at  Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson  and 
Hodge's,  when  219  lots  brought  a  total  of  ^659  9s. 
The  most  valuable  book  in  the  sale  was  a  copy  of 
R.  Pynson's  edition  of  Chaucer's  Canterbury  Tales, 
1493,  of  which  the  only  perfect  copy  recorded  is  in 
the  Spencer- Rylands  library.  "The  copy  sold 
yesterday   wanted   22   leaves.      It    realized    £150 


(Leighton).  Last  season  this  same  copy  sold  for 
/200,  whilst  the  Earl  of  Ashburnham's  copy 
brought  ^233.  Another  excessively  rare  book  in 
the  sale  was  The  Court  of  Civill  Courtesie,  1591, 
of  which  there  is  only  another  example  known — 
that  in  the  Huth  library.  The  copy  sold  yesterday 
for  ;^2o  (Quaritch)  is  apparently  from  the  Heber 
collection  (previous  to  which  it  belonged  to  William 
Herbert,  the  bibliographer),  and  was  sold  in  the 
sixth  part  of  that  great  collection  in  March,  1830, 
when  it  fetched  19s.  The  other  important  books  in 
the  sale  were  :  Robert  Allot,  England's  Parnassus, 
1600,  a  good  copy  of  the  first  edition  with  the 
signature  of  Sophia  Evelyn  on  the  flyleaf,  £2^  los. 
(Maggs)  ;  Oliver  Goldsmith,  She  Stoops  to 
Conquer,  1773,  first  edition,  £8  (Pearson)  ;  and 
The  Deserted  Village,  1770,  Colonel  Grant's  copy 
of  the  first  edition,  ^"8  (Pearson) ;  Marc  Lescarbot, 
Histoire  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  1618,  a  fine  copy, 
with  the  four  original  maps,  ;^i6  (Quaritcn) ; 
Marguerites  de  la  Marguerite  des  Princesses,  etc. 
Lyons,  1547,  described  by  Brunet  as  the  rarest 
edition  of  these  Poesies,  ^'22  5s.  (Ellis)  ;  P.  B. 
Shelley,  Zastrozzi,  a  Romance,  18 10,  original 
edition,  £^ ;  John  Eliott,  A  Late  and  Further 
Manifestation  of  the  Progress  of  the  Gospel 
amongst  the  Indians  in  New  England,  1655,  a  fine 
copy  of  the  rare  original  edition,  ;f2i  los.  (Pear- 
son) ;  Antonio  Tempesta's  20  original  drawings  to 
Tasso's.  Jerusalem  Delivered,  with  a  set  of  the 
engravings,  from  the  Hamilton  Palace  collection, 
£8  (Pearson)  ;  and  John  Milton,  Paradise  Lost, 
1688,  a  very  fine  copy  of  the  first  folio  edition, 
£y  2S.  (Sotheran). — Times,  February  3. 

*  •  * 
Sale  of  Books  and  MSS.  —  Messrs.  Sotheby, 
Wilkinson  and  Hodge  concluded  on  Saturday  the 
three  days'  sale  of  the  library  of  the  late  Mr.  John 
David  Chambers,  Recorder  of  Salisbury,  a  selection 
from  the  library  of  Mr.  Arthur  Briggs,  of  Rawdon 
Hall,  Leeds,  and  property  from  other  sources. 
The  principal  lots  were  as  follows :  Galerie  Im- 
periale  Royale  au  Belvedere  a  Vienna,  Vienna, 
1821-28,  a  fine  copy  on  large  vellum  paper,  /16  5s. 
(Quaritch) ;  a  copy  of  the  Bugge  Bible,  1549,  with 
the  first  leaf  in  facsimile,  £8  12s.  (Bull)  ;  British 
Gallery  of  Pictures  from  the  Old  Masters  in  Great 
Britain,  with  descriptions  by  Tresham  and  Ottley, 
1818,  the  plates  coloured  and  mounted  like  draw- 
ings, /18  los.  (Robson) ;  John  Gould,  Mono- 
graph of  the  Trochilidae,  or  Family  of  Humming 
Birds,  1861,  £25  (Bull);  J.  B.  Silvestre,  Universal 
Palaeography,  translated  by  Sir  F.  R.  Madden, 
1850,  /■12  5s.  (Quaritch)  ;  The  Great  Boke  of 
Statutes,  printed  by  W.  Myddylton  about  1543, 
/12  (Quaritch) ;  Sir  R.  Strange,  Collection  of 
Historical  Prints,  with  original  impressions  of  the 
50  fine  plates,  /17  los.  (Sotheran);  J.  M.  W. 
Turner,  Picturesque  Views  of  England  and  Wales, 
with  descriptions  by  H.  E.  Lloyd,  1838,  the  Turner 
pictures  on  India  paper,  ^32  (Sotheran)  ;  J.  O. 
Westwood,  Facsimiles  of  Anglo-Saxon  and  Irish 
MSS.,  1868,  /'lo  (Quaritch);  A.  C.  Swinburne, 
Laus  Veneris,  1866,  first  edition,  in  the  original 
sheets,  /13  (Denham)  ;  a  collection  of  181  fine 
plates    of    the    Arundel     Society's    publications, 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


87 


/31  los.  (Bolton);  Description  de  I'Egypte,  etc., 
public  par  les  Ordres  de  Napoleon  le  Grand, 
1809-28,  /22  5s.  (Quaritch)  ;  John  Gould,  The 
Birds  of  Asia,  1850-83,  ^47  (Ellis) ;  and  The  Birds 
of  New  Guinea,  1875-88,  ^38  (Ellis) ;  Raphael, 
Loggie  del  Vaiicano,  Rome,  1772,  31  large  and 
finely-coloured  plates  by  Savorelli  and  Ottaviani, 
£\']  10s.  (Sotheran) ;  A.  Demmin,  Histoire  de  la 
Ceramique,  1875,  /'13  (Baer) ;  a  copy  of  the  fine 
Utrecht  Missal,  printed  on  vellum  by  Wolffgango 
Hopylio,  1507,  with  numerous  large  woodcut 
initials,  etc.,  /17  los.  (Leighton)  ;  M.  Drayton, 
The  Tragicall  Legend  of  Robert,  Duke  of  Nor- 
mandy, 1596,  ^'21  (Quaritch)  ;  a  presumably  unique 
copy  of  a  book  from  the  press  of  Robert  Wyer, 
The  Trayne  and  Polyce  of  Warre,  circa  1525,  27 
leaves,  wanting  title-page,  ^25  los.  (Main)  ; 
Histoire  de  Richard  sans  Peur,  printed  at  Paris  by 
S.  Calvaris,  bound  by  Padeloup,  and  from  the 
library  of  Giradot  de  Prefond,  £\^  (Leighton) ;  and 
a  fairly  good  copy  of  Tyndale's  version  of  the 
Newe  Testament  in  Englyshe,  printed  by  W. 
Powell,  1549,  £t.^  15s.  (Sotheran). — Times,  Feb- 
ruary 8. 

PUBLICATIONS  OF  ARCHAEOLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES. 

No.  215  of  the  Anhaolof^ical  Journal  for  September, 
1897,  ought  to  have  been  noticed  in  January.  It 
contains  the  following  papers:  (i)  "The  Coronation 
Stone  at  Westminster  Abbey,"  by  Mr.  James  Hilton. 
This  paper  discusses  the  fables,  legends,  traditions, 
and  history  of  the  stone  which  is  contained  in  the 
Coronation  Chair.  (2)  "  Some  Social  Coptic  Cus- 
toms," by  Marcus  Simaika  Bey.  This  is  a  valuable 
and  interesting  paper,  but  it  is  more  properly 
anthropological  than  antiquarian,  and  is,  we  think, 
a  little  out  of  place  where  it  is.  (3)  "  The  Treat- 
ment of  our  Cathedral  Chur.ches  in  the  Victorian 
Age,"  by  the  Rev.  J.  Charles  Cox,  LL.D.  This 
paper,  which  was  read  as  the  opening  address  of 
the  Architectural  Section  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Institute  at  Dorchester  last  summer,  is  a  very 
telling  and  true  statement  of  the  mischief  which 
the  "restorers"  have  wrought  in  the  fabrics  and 
arrangements  of  our  old  cathedral  churches  since 
the  Queen  ascended  the  throne.  It  is  all  the  more 
telling,  coming  as  it  does  from  the  pen  of  an  earnest, 
hard-working  clergyman  of  the  High  Church  school 
such  as  Dr.  Cox  is.  No  one  can  say  that  Dr.  Cox 
is  likely  to  wish  our  churches  to  remain  in  a  slovenly 
or  dilapidated  condition  for  the  sake  of  preserving 
them  as  antiquarian  curiosities.  Yet  no  stronger 
indictment  of  the  restoration  mischief  has  ever 
appeared  than  this  admirable  address.  (4)  "In- 
ventory of  Goods  and  Chattels  belonging  to 
Thomas,  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and  seized  in  his 
Castle  at  Pleshy,  County  Essex,  21  Richard  II. 
(1397).  with  their  Values,  as  shown  in  the  Es- 
cheator's  Accounts,"  communicated  by  Viscount 
Dillon  and  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope.  This  is  a 
very  remarkable  and  valuable  document,  entering 
quite  exceptionally  into  details,  and  with  the  value 
of  each  article  given.  A  very  useful  introduction 
is  prefixed  to  it  by  Lord  Dillon  and  Mr.  Hope. 


Part  II.,  vol.  iv.,  of  the  Transactions  of  the  St.  Paul's 
Ecclesiological  Society  has  reached  us.  It  contains 
the  following  papers:  (i)  "The  Reasonableness  of 
the  Ornaments  Rubric,  illustrated  by  a  Comparison 
of  the  German  and  English  Altars,"  by  Mr.  J.  N. 
Comper  (we  see  that  Mr.  Comper  adheres  to  the 
belief  that  the  canopy  in  Milton  Abbey  Church  is 
a  Sacrament  house,  in  spite  of  the  conclusive 
evidence  it  bears  in  itself  to  the  contrary) ;  (2)  "  On 
an  Early  Irish  Tract  in  the  Leabhar  Breac,  de- 
scribing the  Mode  of  consecrating  a  Church,"  by 
the  Rev.  T.  Olden;  (3)  "Notes  on  Customs  in 
Spanish  Churches,  illustrative  of  Old  English  Cere- 
monial," by  Dr.  Eager;  (4)  "The  Ecclesiastical 
Habit  in  England,"  by  the  Rev.  T.  A.  Lacey ;  and 
(5)  "  Notes  relating  to  the  Parish  Church  of  St. 
Mary,  Pulborough,  Sussex,  derived  from  Fifteenth 
and  Sixteenth  Century  Wills,"  by  Mr.  R.  Garraway 
Rice. 

^  4(  ^ 
The  Collections  of  the  Surrey  Archaological  Society, 
Part  II.,  vol.  xiii.,  is  a  capital  number.  It  contains, 
besides  the  reports  of  the  proceedings  of  the  society, 
the  following  papers:  (i)  "On  a  Ledger  to  the 
Memory  of  James  Bonwicke,  Esq.,  in  Mickleham 
Churchyard,  Surrey,  with  some  Account  of  the 
Familyof  Bonwicke,"  by  Mr.  A. R.Bax;  (2)  "Surrey 
Feet  of  Fines,"  by  Mr.  Ralph  Nevill ;  (3)  "  Notes 
on  the  Parish  of  Charlwood,"  by  the  late  Mr. 
William  Young;  (4)  "Conventicles  in  Surrey  in 
1669,"  by  Mr.  A.  R.  Bax ;  (5)  "The  Church  Plate 
of  Surrey"  {continued),  by  the  Rev.  T.  S.  Cooper, 
with  the  picture  of  a  comely  Communion  cup  and 
cover  of  1562  at  Wimbledon ;  and  a  continuation 
of  "  Surrey  Wills,"  communicated  by  Mr.  F.  A. 
Crisp. 

*  3<f        * 

The  fifth  volume  of  the  East  Riding  Antiquarian 
Society  Transactions,  1897,  has  reached  us,  and  in 
its  bright-red  cloth  cover  forms  a  neat  and  con- 
venient volume  to  handle.  It  contains,  besides  the 
business  matters  of  the  society,  the  following  papers : 
(i)  "The  Parish  Registers  of  South  Holderness," 
by  the  Rev.  Canon  H.  E.  Maddock ;  (2)  "Docu- 
ments from  the  Record  Office  relating  to  Beverley," 
by  Mr.  William  Brown;  (3)  "Notes  on  a  Sundial 
at  Patrington  "  (illustrated),  by  Miss  Eleanor  Lloyd ; 
(4)  ' '  The  Foundation  and  Re-foundation  of  Pock- 
lington  Grammar  School,"  by  Mr.  Arthur  F.  Leach ; 
and  (5)  "[An]  Ancient  Graveyard  at  Sancton,"  by 
Mr.  J.  G.  Hall  (with  some  illustrations  of  urns). 
The  East  Riding  Antiquarian  Society  may  be  con- 
gratulated on  the  volume. 

*  *      ♦ 

Part  IV.,  vol.  vi.  (New  Series),  of  the  Transactions 
of  the  Essex  Archaological  Society  has  also  reached  us. 
It  contains  the  three  following  papers  (besides  some 
shorter  notes,  and  the  account  of  the  three  meetings 
of  the  society  held  in  July,  September,  and  October, 
1897,  respiectively),  viz. :  (i)  "  Othona  and  the  Count 
of  the  Saxon  Shore,"  by  the  Rev.  Canon  Raven ; 
(2)  "  Some  Additions  to  Newcourt's  Repertorium  " 
(continued),  being  notes  as  to  Essex  wills,  contributed 
by  Mr.  J.  C.  Challenor  Smith;  and  (3)  "The  History 
of  Hatfield  Regis,  or  Broad  Oak,  with  some  Account 
of  the  Priory  Buildings,"  by  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Galpin. 


88 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


There  are  several  ground-plans  and  illustrations  to 
the  last-named  paper. 

5»t  ♦  * 
The  fourth  and  concluding  part  of  vol.  vii.  of  the 
Journal  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Ireland 
has  been  published,  and  contains  many  contribu- 
tions of  considerable  importance.  liesides  an  ac- 
count of  the  quarterly  meeting  held  in  Dublin  in 
September  last,  it  contains  the  following  papers : 
"On  Irish  Gold  Ornaments"  (Part  u).  by  Mr. 
Fraser ;  "  The  Rangers  of  the  Curragh  of  Kildare," 
by  Lord  Walter  Fitzgerald  ;  "  Fortified  Stone  Lake- 
Dwellings  on  Island  in  Lough  Shannive,  Conne- 
mara,"  by  Mr.  Edgar  L.  Layard  ;  "The  Islands  of 
the  Corrib,"  by  Mr.  Richard  J.  Kelly ;  "  A  Crannoge 
near  Clones"  (Part  II.),  by  Dr.  S.  A.  D'Arcy ; 
calender  of  the  "  Liber  Niger  Alain"  (Part  III.), 
by  the  Rev.  G.  T.  Stokes,  D.D. ;  and  Notes  of 
various  matter  under  the  heading  of  "  Miscellanea." 

*  *      * 

The  new  number  of  the  Journal  of  the  County  Kildare 
Archaological  Society  (No.  5,  vol.  ii.)  contains  the 
following  papers :  Mr.  W.  T.  Kirkpatrick  con- 
tributes two  papers — one  on  Donacomper  Church, 
the  other  on  St.  Wolstan's.  The  late  Rev.  Denis 
Murphy,  S.J.,  is  responsible  for  a  well -written 
paper  entitled  "  Kildare :  its  History  and  Anti- 
quities." Lord  Walter  Fitzgerald's  Notes  on  Great 
Connell  Abbey,  near  Newbridge,  are  excellent,  and 
the  same  may  be  said  for  a  paper  on  "Ancient 
Naas,"  by  Mr.  T.  J.  de  Burgh,  D.L.  There  are 
various  other  features  of  interest,  and  several  well- 
executed  illustrations. 

*  3*t         * 

Part  LVL,  being  the  fourth  part  of  vol.  xiv. 
of  the  Yorkshire  Arch  ecological  Journal,  contains 
the  following:  "Domesday  Book  for  Yorkshire" 
(continued),  by  Mr.  R.  H.  Skaife;  "The  Episcopal 
Visitations  of  the  Yorkshire  Deaneries  in  the 
Archdeaconry  of  Richmond,  1548  and  1554,"  by 
Mr.  H.  D.  Eshelby ;  "Extracts  from  the  House 
Books  of  the  Corporation  of  York,"  by  Mr.  R.  H. 
Skaife;  "Pavers'  Marriage  Licences"  (Part  XIV), 
by  the  late  Rev.  C.  B.  Norcliffeand  others  ;  "  Monu- 
mental Brasses  in  the  East  Riding"  (additions  and 
corrections) ,  by  Mr.  Mill  Stephenson ;  and  a  pleasing 
Memorial  Notice  of  the  late  Mr.  George  William 
Tomlinson,  F.S.A.  (who  for  twenty  years  was  hon. 
secretary  of  the  society,  and  whose  genial  and  kindly 
bearing  will  be  much  missed  by  the  members  of 
the  society),  by  Mr.  A.  D.  H.  Leadman.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  the  number  is  almost  wholly  filled 
with  documentary  matter.  This  we  consider  a 
mistake,  as  the  society  has  its  "  Record  Series," 
where  most  of  what  is  given  in  this  number  of  the 
Journal  would  have  found  a  more  appropriate  place. 

*  *      * 

No.  4,  vol.  iii.,  of  the  Berks,  Bucks,  and  Oxon  Archa- 
ological  Journal,  edited  by  the  Rev.  P.  H.  Ditchfield, 
has  been  issued.  It  contains  the  following  papers, 
etc.:  "The  Wilcotes  Family,"  by  Mr.  F.  N.  Mac- 
namara ;  "  Hurley  Priory  Seals,"  by  the  Rev.  F.  T. 
Wethered  (this  paper  is  illustrated  with  several 
facsimiles  of  the  seals) ;  "  Report  of  the  Berks 
Archaeological  Society  ;"  "  The  Congress  of  Archae- 
ological   Societies;"     "Monumental    Brasses    at 


Queen's  College,  Oxford  ;"  "  Southam,  John,  LL.B. 
(d.  1441-42);"  "Early  Berkshire  Wills,  from  the 
P.C.C.,a«/f  1558;"  "The  Malthus  Family."  With 
the  number  are  issued  the  title-page  and  index  to 
vol.  iii. 

:¥  *  * 
Part  III.  of  Volume  IX.  of  the  Transactions  of 
THE  Shropshire  Arch^ological  Society  for 
the  year  1897  contains  these  papers :  "  History  of 
Selattyn  "  (concluded),  by  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Bulkeley- 
Owen  ;  "The  Lordship  of  Shrawardine  "  ;  "The 
Early  Manuscripts  belonging  to  Shrewsbury 
School,"  by  Mr.  Stanley  Leighton  ;  "  West  Felton 
Church,"  by  Mr.  R.  Lloyd  Kenyon  ;  and  "Shrop- 
shire Place-Names,"  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Dingnan. 

The  Shrewsbury  School  manuscripts  are  thirty- 
six  in  number,  of  which  thirty-four  are  in  Latin, 
one  in  English,  and  one  in  Welsh.  The  Welsh 
MS.  is  of  the  date  circa  1400,  and  comprises 
"  Hours  of  the  Virgin  Mary,"  "  Story  of  the  Ghost 
of  Guy,"  "  History  of  the  True  Cross,"  "  Story  of 
the  Passion,"  "  Story  of  the  Invention  of  the  Holy 
Cross,"  and  "Vision  of  St.  Paul."  Some  of  the 
manuscripts  formerly  belonged  to  religious  houses, 
as  the  Dominicans  of  Chester,  the  Franciscans  of 
Hereford  and  Shrewsbury,  Buildwas  Abbey,  Wom- 
bridge  and  Lenton  Priories.  There  are  also  some 
portions  of  a  set  of  miracle  plays,  and  an  imperfect 
copy  of  Richard  Rolle's  "  Prick  of  Conscience." 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 
Society  of  Antiquaries — January  20,  Lord  Dillon, 
president,  in  the  chair.- — Messrs.  E.  Almack  and 
H.  Yates  Thompson  were  admitted  Fellows.— Mr. 
R.  Blair,  local  secretary  for  Northumberland,  re- 
ported the  discovery  of  a  Roman  altar  at  South 
Shields.  It  is  unfortunately  mutilated,  and  the 
only  words  left  of  the  inscription  are  ivlivs  verax 
legv.  The  altar  has  been  given  to  the  Public 
Library  at  South  Shields.  —  Sir  J.  C.  Robinson 
exhibited  a  gilt-brass  table  clock  made  by  N.  Vallin 
in  1600,  engraved  with  the  arms  of  Anthony,  Vis- 
count Montague,  1592-1629.  There  is  strong  pro- 
bability that  the  clock  came  from  Cowdray  House. 
The  works  have  been  replaced  by  others  of  modern 
date. — Mr.  W.  G.  Thorpe  exhibited  a  grant  by 
letters  patent  of  16  Edward  III.,  having  an  illu- 
minated initial  with  a  representation  of  the  Holy 
Trinity. — Mr.  Romilly  Allen  read  a  paper  "On 
Metal  Bowls  of  the  Late  Celtic  and  Anglo-Saxon 
Periods."  The  peculiarities  of  the  bowls  dealt  with 
were  (i)  that  they  were  made  of  extremely  thin 
metal,  and  strengthened  partly  by  a  hollow  mould- 
ing just  below  the  rim  and  a  corrugation  in  the 
bottom,  and  partly  by  ribs,  discs,  rings,  and  other 
pieces  of  thicker  metal  fixed  to  the  outside ;  (2) 
that  they  were  provided  usually  with  three  rings  for 
suspension,  passing  through  hook-shaped  handles 
terminating  in  beasts'  heads  abutting  against  the 
rims  of  the  bowls ;  and  (3)  that  the  lower  parts  of 
the  zoomorphic  handles,  which  were  fixed  to  the 
convex  sides  of  the  bowls,  were  in  the  form  either 
of  the  body  of  a  bird  or  beast  or  of  a  circular  disc 
or  of  a  pointed  oval,  in  most  cases  decorated  with 
champleve  enamel.     The  bowl  found  at  Wilton, 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


89 


Wilts,  and  exhibited  by  Lord  Pembroke,  was  first 
described  as   showing   the  zoomorphic  handles  in 
great  perfection,  although  there  were  no  enamelled 
decorations.     To  illustrate  the  use   of  enamelled 
mountings,  ribs,  handles,  etc,,  Sir  W.  Hart  Dyke 
had  kindly  lent  the  bowl  belonging  to  him  found  at 
Lullingstone,  Kent.     The  remains  of  a  third  bowl, 
found  in  a  grave  cut  in  the  Vock  at  Barlaston,  Staf- 
fordshire, with  an  iron  sword  and  knife,  were  ex- 
hibited by  Miss  Amy  Wedgwood.  This  was  of  cast 
bronze  turned  on  a  lathe,  and  in  the  thinnest  part 
not  thicker  than  a  sheet   of  ordinary  notepaper, 
showing    the    high    perfection    of     workmanship 
attained  by  the  metallurgists  of  the  "  Late  Celtic  " 
period.     The  handles  terminated  in  beasts'  heads, 
and  the  lower  parts,  which  were  originally  soldered 
to  the  sides  of  the  bowl,  were  beautifully  enamelled 
in  the  "  Late  Celtic"  style,  as  also  was  the  ring  at 
the  bottom  of  the  bowl.     The  chief  objects  of  the 
paper  were  to  prove  that  several  other  enamelled 
discs  with  zoomorphic  hooks,  which  had  been  found 
at  Chesterton,  Warwickshire,  and  elsewhere,  were 
handles  of  similar  bowls,  and  that  the  spiral  orna- 
mentation of  the   discs   threw  considerable   light 
upon  the  transference  of  certain  decorative  motives 
from  Celtic  art  of  the  Pagan  period  to  Celtic  art 
of  the  Christian  period.     The  date  assigned  to  the 
bowls  was  from  about  a.d.  450  to  600.     Several 
bowls  of  this  kind  had  been  imported  into  Norway 
from  Great  Britain,  and  it  was  the  Sandinavian 
archaeologist.  Dr.  Ingvald  Undset,  who  first  called 
attention  to  their  importance.  The  finest  Norwegian 
example  was  found  filled  with  the  iron  umbos  of 
shields  beneath  a  tumulus,  in  which  a  Viking  had 
been  buried  with  his  ship  at  Moklebust.     It  was  a 
curious  fact   that,   although  the  enamelled  orna- 
ments of  these  bowls  were  typically  Celtic,  none 
of  them  seems  to  have  been  discovered  in  Wales, 
Scotland,  or  Ireland. — Mr.  Arthur  Evans  congra- 
tulated Mr.  Romilly  Allen  on  having  for  the  first 
time  put  together  in  a  collective  form  the  evidence 
regarding  this  interesting  class  of  late  Celtic  enam- 
elled   bowls.      Their    distribution  over  so   many 
English  counties,  extending  to  Kent,  and,  he  might 
add.  East  Anglia,  was  of  special  importance  as  an 
illustration   of    the    artistic  fabrics   of    the    most 
obscure  period  of  British  history.    These  enamelled 
bowls,  though  representing  the  unbroken  develop- 
ment of  the  ancient  British  school  of  enamelled 
metalwork  which  the  Romans  found  already  estab- 
lished here  at  the  time  of  their  conquest,  had  their 
continuity  elsewhere  than  on  the  soil  of  what  was 
now  England.     The  Romans,  though  to  a  certain 
extent  they  borrowed  from  the  conquered  Britons 
the  enameller's  craft,  cut  short  all  true  development 
of  Celtic  art  on  the  soil  of  Southern  Britain.     It 
was  in  Ireland  only  and  Caledonia  that  the  true 
tradition   was   preserved,  and   it  was   from   these 
purer  Celtic  regions  that  such  fabrics  were  reintro- 
duced by  the  Pictish  and  Scotic  invaders,  who,  on 
the  break   up  of  the   Roman  administration,   so 
nearly  made  Britain  once  more  a  Celtic  country. 
The  fact  that  the  bowls  of  this  class  at  present 
known  were  none  of  them  found  in  Scotland  or 
Ireland  was  no  doubt  a  purely  accidental  circum- 
stance, considering  their  distribution  as  far  afield 
VOL.    XXXIV. 


as  the  Norwegian  coasts.  What  was  certain  was 
that  we  had  here  the  class  of  enamelled  metalwork 
which  supplied  the  designs  for  the  earliest  illum- 
inated scrolls  of  the  Irish  saints.  Certain  medallions 
seen  on  these — as,  for  instance,  in  the  Book  of 
Durrow — were  simply  the  translation  into  illum- 
inated design  of  the  enamelled  medallions  found 
on  these  late  Celtic  bowls.  Another  very  important 
piece  of  evidence  as  to  the  date  of  these  enamelled 
bowls  was  supplied  by  their  discovery  in  Derby- 
shire and  elsewhere  in  association  with  sepulchral 
relics  of  the  Pagan  Saxon  class. — Athenaum,  Janu- 
ary 29. 

*  *  * 
British  Arch^ological  Association. — Jan.  19, 
Mr.  C.  H.  Compton,  V.P.,  in  the  chair. — An  inter- 
esting collection  of  articles  connected  with  Roman 
cinerary  interments  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  Way, 
consisting  of  a  fine  cinerary  urn,  terra-cotta  lamps, 
vases,  a  tear-bottle,  and  other  relics.  With  these 
remains  was  found  a  fine  example  of  a  Celtic 
bronze  coin,  which  bore  on  its  obverse  a  repre- 
sentation in  relief  of  the  head  of  a  chief,  and  on 
the  reverse  the  head  of  a  boar,  with  circular  and 
half-circular  symbols  in  resemblance  to  what  is 
known  as  ring  money  ;  the  coin  was  found  with 
coins  of  Nero  and  Claudius.  All  these  remains 
were  discovered  in  the  course  of  excavations  in  the 
Borough  High  Street,  Southwark,  in  a  line  running 
direct  west  from  St.  George's  Church  to  Gravel 
Lane,  Blackfriars,  and  would  appear  to  indicate  the 
site  of  a  Roman  cemetery,  to  which  the  dead  were 
brought  for  cremation  from  the  city  within  the 
walls  on  the  north  side  of  the  Thames. — Mrs. 
Collier  exhibited  a  very  curious  pipe-bowl  with 
carving  of  Burmese  characters,  but  suggestive  of 
European  influence,  probably  derived  through  the 
Portuguese ;  she  also  submitted  a  small  wooden 
box  of  oval  form,  and  apparently  of  Irish  origin, 
with  heraldic  carving  on  the  lid — a  shield  bearing 
a  harp  and  surmounted  by  a  crown,  and  supported 
on  either  side  by  quaint  animals  resembling  a  lion 
and  unicorn. — A  paper  upon  some  ancient  houses 
near  Halifax  was  read  by  Mr.  N.  D.  Hoyle,  and 
containing  information  as  to  the  families  of  Lang- 
dale,  Lister,  Waterhouse,  Otes,  Drake,  and  others 
locally  connected  with  the  county  of  York.  The 
houses  described  and  illustrated  were  Shibden 
Hall,  Shibden  Grange,  and  High  Sunderland,  all 
situated  within  a  mile  of  the  ancient  town  of 
Halifax.  Shibden  Hall  is  a  very  picturesque  half- 
timbered  house,  some  portions  of  which  are  of 
fourteenth-century  work.  It  has  been  in  the  Lister 
family  since  1612.  In  the  discussion  following  the 
paper,  Mr.  Horsfall,  of  Halifax,  gave  some  personal 
reminiscences  of  these  and  other  old  houses  in  the 
locality. 

February  2,  Mr.  T.  Blashill,  treasurer,  in  the 
chair. — Mrs.  Collier  exhibited  two  prints  from 
engravings  on  copper  by  Albert  Glackendar  of 
playing  cards  used  in  the  seventeenth  century. — 
The  Rev.  H.J.  Dukinfield  Astley  exhibited  several 
arrow-heads  and  flint  implements  found  in  Norfolk. 
— Mr.  J.  Chalkley  Gould  read  a  paper  upon  a  naval 
manuscript  of  the  time  of  James  II.  The  manu- 
script is  in  the  form  of  a  small  bound  volume, 

N 


9° 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


beautifully  written,  and  is  full  of  curious  informa- 
tion concerning  the  ships  of  the  British  navy  in  the 
latter  days  of  the  last  of  the  Stuart  Kings  of  Eng- 
land. The  writer  of  the  book  is  unknown,  but, 
from  internal  evidence,  it  seems  not  improbable 
that  it  was  prepared  under  the  personal  super- 
vision of  Samuel  Pepys  upon  his  resumption  of  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty  in  1684,  after 
five  years  ofretirement,  by  the  request  of  Charles  II. 
During  those  five  years  the  navy  had  been  allowed 
to  fall  into  a  very  calamitous  condition,  some  of 
the  ships  "  being  with  difficulty  kept  above  water," 
as  Pepys  himself  wrote  in  1688.  The  manuscript 
also  contains  information  and  valuable  statistics  as 
to  the  size,  tonnage  and  armament  of  the  ships  of 
his  Majesty's  navy.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
actual  purpose  of  the  book,  there  is  no  doubt  about 
its  date — 1687  or  1688 — although  the  manuscript 
bears  no  date  upon  its  title-page.  A  ship,  the 
Sedgemore,  is  mentioned  in  its  pages  under  the  date 
of  1687,  therefore  the  manuscript  could  not  have 
been  written  earlier,  nor  could  it  have  been  com- 
piled much  later,  as  the  name  of  "  Samuell  Pepys  " 
appears  among  the  Admiralty  officers,  and  he  lost 
his  berth  at  the  Revolution  in  1688.  It  is  inter- 
esting at  the  present  day  to  find  that  the  largest 
ship  of  Pepys's  time  was  the  Brittannia,  146  feet 
long,  47  feet  broad,  and  of  1,546  tons  burden. 
Amongst  items  of  interest  suggested  by  the  paper 
is  the  perpetuation  of  ships'  names.  For  instance, 
the  name  Royal  Sovereign  occurs  in  this  list,  and 
dates  back  as  far  as  1485,  and  it  is  in  use  in  the 
navy  now.  The  paper  was  illustrated  by  a  fine 
engraving  of  the  naval  engagement  off  Cape  la 
Hogue,  from  a  painting  by  B.  West,  showing  very 
correctly  the  type  of  ship  of  the  period  ;  also  by  an 
original  pen-and-ink  drawing  of  the  stern  and 
quarter  of  a  man-of-war,  by  "  Delia-Bella,"  a 
Flox-entine  artist  (born  in  16 10,  died  in  1664),  con- 
tributed by  Mr.  Patrick.  Two  original  letters  of 
Pepys  to  Sir  Richard  Rothe,  dated  1678-79,  and  a 
facsimile  of  the  illustration  of  the  Dutch  fleet  in 
the  Medway  and  Thames,  taken  from  the  hill  of 
Gillingham  by  Evelyn,  the  original  of  which  is  in 
the  B  jdleian  Library  at  Oxford,  were  also  exhibited. 
— In  the  discussion  which  followed  Mr.  Compton 
and  the  Chairman  took  part,  and  Mr.  Williams 
mentioned  that  in  the  Beaulieu  river,  opposite  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  the  slips  still  exist  upon  which  the 
ships  of  the  time  of  Elizabeth  were  constructed. 

*  3«c  ^♦c 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne. — The  eighty-fifth  anniversary  meeting  of 
this  society  was  held  in  the  library  of  the  castle  on 
Wednesday,  January  20,  when  Mr.  Blair  (secretary), 
read  the   following  report  of  the  Council : 

"  The  monthly  meetings  of  the  society  have  been 
well  attended  throughout  the  year,  and  several 
interesting  papers  have  been  contributed  by  mem- 
bers, some  of  which  will  be  of  permanent  value  as 
preserved  in  the  A  rchaologia  JEliana.  Your  council, 
however,  think  it  right  to  point  out  that,  good  and 
interesting  as  the  papers  have  been,  they  have  been 
contributed  by  only  a  very  few  of  our  members, 
and  they  would  urge  all  the  members  of  the  society 
to  take  part  in  its  primary  work,  by  reading  notes 
or  papers  on  matters  of  local  history. 


"  Though  very  inadequately  supported  by  the 
Northumbrian  public,  the  Northumberland  Exca- 
vation Committee  has  continued  its  operations  this 
year,  and  has  achieved  some  interesting  results. 
The  Roman  camp  of  ^sica  (Great  Chesters)  has 
again  been  the  scene  of  the  excavators'  labours. 
A  large  building  outside  of  the  camp  on  the  south- 
east has  been  excavated,  and  reveals  several 
chambers,  some  of  them  furnished  with  hypo- 
causts :  this  was  probably  the  home  of  one  of  the 
officers  of  the  garrison  with  his  family,  or,  from 
the  size  of  the  building,  we  may  conjecture  that 
more  than  one  distinguished  family  has  here  taken 
up  its  quarters.  Excavations  have  also  been  made 
in  the  centre  of  the  camp,  which  have  at  last 
brought  to  light  some  inscribed  stones.  Three  fine 
examples  have  been  discovered,  one  of  them  bear- 
ing an  interesting  inscription  to  the  memory  of  a 
young  Roman  lady  who  probably  died  at  ^sica. 

"  Other  Roman  inscriptions  recently  discovered 
include  the  slab  at  Chesters,  recording  the  supply 
of  water  at  Cilurnam  while  Ulpius  Marcellus  was 
governor  of  Britain,  and  whilst  the  second  cohort 
of  Asturians  was  in  garrison,  and  an  altar  at  South 
Shields  naming  Julius  Verax,  a  centurion  of  the 
sixth  legion. 

"  The  eastern  portion  of  the  late  sixteenth- 
century  pele  of  Doddington,  the  most  prominent 
object  in  the  village,  and  a  picturesque  building, 
and  '  one  of  the  most  charming  remains  of  border 
architecture,'  fell  down  during  a  storm  in  the  early 
part  of  the  year ;  the  remaining  portion  is  in 
danger  of  sharing  the  same  fate.  It  has  been 
asserted  that  there  is  neither  written  history  nor 
tradition  about  the  tower,  but,  as  has  been  truly 
said,  its  history  '  was  clearly  written  on  its  own 
walls.'  In  1584  Sir  Thomas  Grey  was  obliged  to 
build  a  strong  house  of  this  description  for  the  pro- 
tection of  his  tenants  at  Doddington,  but  art  and 
industry  had  so  decayed  on  the  Border  that  he  was 
unable  to  build  it  of  better  masonry.  It  is  of  great 
importance  io  keep  up  this  unique  building  now 
that  its  counterpart  at  Kilham  is  gone. 

"  The  members  of  the  Armourers  Company  have 
granted  a  repairing  lease  of  the  Herber  tower  to 
the  Corporation  of  Newcastle  for  a  long  term,  so 
that  this  interesting  and  valuable  building,  the 
most  complete  of  the  few  wall-towers  remaining,  is 
now  saved  from  destruction. 

"  The  Corporation  of  Newcastle,  at  our  sug- 
gestion, has  placed  the  old  camera  of  Adam  da 
Gesmuth  in  Heaton  Park,  locally  known  as  '  King 
John's  Palace,'  in  a  condition  of  repair  sufficient  to 
resist  the  action  of  the  weather. 

"The  Corporation  of  Newcastle,  under  the 
direction  of  the  city  engineer  (Mr.  W.  G.  Laws), 
have  remounted  the  ordnance  on  the  battlements 
of  the  keep,  and  the  new  gun-carriages  restore  the 
carronades  to  the  embrasures,  where  they  once 
more  present  an  effective  feature  of  the  parapets  of 
the  old  castle. 

"  During  three  days  in  May  last  an  exhibition  of 
silver  plate  manufactured  in  Newcastle  was  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  society  in  the  uppermost 
room  of  the  Black  Gate  Museum.  It  was  in  every 
way  successful ;  it  was  highly  appreciated  by  the 
public,  and  every  class  of  work,  ecclesicistical  and 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


91 


civil,  was  represented  in  the  collection.  A  cata- 
logue of  the  different  objects  is  being  prepared,  and 
will  be  ready  shortly  for  issue  to  the  members.  It 
will  be  fully  illustrated,  several  of  the  exhibitors 
having  given  illustrations  of  their  respective  ex- 
hibits. 

"  The  banners  in  the  great  hall  of  the  castle  yet 
require  the  arms  of  Sir  Ralph  de  Neville,  Radcliffe 
Lord  Derwentwater,  Sir  Robert  Bertram,  Sir 
William  de  Montagu,  Sir  William  de  Tyndall, 
Robert  de  Raymes,  Sir  William  de  Herle,  the 
Countess  of  Pembroke,  Sir  John  d'Arcy,  and 
Clavering  (all  to  be  of  silk,  and  4  feet  6  inches 
square,  except  the  Neville  banner,  which  is  to  be 
6  feet  square),  to  make  up  the  number  of  baronial 
feudatories  who  served  in  castleward,  the  castle  of 
Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  etc.  An  appeal  is  made, 
especially  to  the  lady  members  of  our  society,  for 
assistance  in  rendering  this  highly  decorative 
feature  of  the  building  complete.  Any  member 
wishing  to  present  one  of  the  banners  may  obtain 
particulars  of  the  arms  from  Mr.  Blair,  one  of  our 
secretaries. 

"  Country  meetings  during  the  year  were  held  at 
Corbridge  and  Dilston,  at  Easington,  Dalton-le- 
Dale,  and  Seaham,  and  at  Elsdon,  Otterburn,  and 
Bellingham,  and  were  well  attended.  The  re- 
spective parties  were  hospitably  received  at  Dilston 
Castle  by  our  member,  Mr.  James  Hall,  who,  with 
Mr.  Heslop,  described  the  building ;  and  at  Sea- 
ham  Vicarage,  where  the  vicar,  the  Rev.  A. 
Bethune,  pointed  out  the  objects  of  interest  in  and 
about  his  church.     Our  thanks  are  due  to  them. 

"  Under  the  scheme  adopted  by  the  society  in 
1894,  3.S  much  progress  has  been  made  in  the  print- 
ing of  our  parish  registers  as  the  small  sum 
allocated  for  that  purpose  will  permit.  The 
registers  of  Esh  down  to  18 13,  and  Dinsdale 
baptisms  and  burials  to  the  same  year,  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  members,  as  are  also  instalments  of 
the  registers  of  Elsdon  and  Warkworth.  To  Mr. 
Crawford  Hodgson  and  one  or  two  of  his  friends 
the  society  is  indebted  for  a  contribution  of  £\^ 
towards  the  cost  of  printing  the  Warkworth 
register,  and  to  Dr.  Longstaff  of  £'^  towards  that  of 
the  Dinsdale  register.  Mr.  D.  D.  Dixon,  one  of 
our  members,  is  continuing  the  printing  of  the 
Rothbury  registers  in  the  Rothbury  Parish  Magazine, 
and  Dr.  Burman,  another  member,  has  commenced 
to  print  the  Alnwick  registers  at  his  private  press. 
An  appeal  has  been  made  to  the  society  for  assist- 
ance in  printing  local  parish  registers,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  the  favourable  terms  on  which  a  local 
organization  is  enabled  to  co-operate  with  the 
register  society  will  induce  a  cordial  response  to 
the  invitation  to  send  names  of  subscribers  to  Mr. 
H.  M.  Wood  of  Whickham. 

"  We  have  entrusted  Mr.  Sheriton  Holmes  with 
the  task  of  compiling  a  short  guide  for  visitors  to 
the  keep  of  the  castle,  and  congratulate  the 
members  on  having  secured  the  services  of  one 
whose  knowledge  of  the  structure  and  whose 
literary  and  artistic  accomplishments  are  a 
guarantee  that  this  desirable  work  will  be  satis- 
factorily carried  out. 

"  The  printing  of  the  general  index  to  the  trans- 
actions of  the  society  (Anhwologia  and  Proceedings) 


has  been  completed,  and  it  is  now  in  the  hands  of 
the  subscribers. 

"  The  fourth  volume  of  the  great  County  History 
of  Northumberland,  concluding  the  account  of  Hex- 
hamshire,  has  just  been  completed,  and  our  fellow- 
member,  Mr.  J.  Crawford  Hodgson,  under  whose 
editorship  it  has  been  produced,  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  the  admirable  manner  in  which  he  has 
carried  out  his  arduous  and  honorary  task. 

"  Another  work  of  historical  interest  has  been 
published  by  our  fellow-member,  Mr.  William 
Weaver  Tomlinson,  whose  Life  in  Northumberland 
during  the  Sixteenth  Century  is  not  only  a  description 
of  contemporary  history,  but  a  work  of  literary 
ability. 

"  Three  members  (including  one  honorary)  have 
died  during  the  year,  and  nine  have  resigned,  while 
fourteen  new  members  have  been  elected.  There 
are  now  13  honorary  and  337  ordinary  mem- 
bers, a  total  of  350.  Amongst  the  members  whose 
loss  by  death  the  society  has  to  regret,  are  Mr. 
John  Crosse  Brooks,  one  of  the  vice-presidents, 
and  the  generous  donor  to  the  society  of  the  large 
collection  of  valuable  autographs,  portraits,  etc., 
and  Sir  Augustus  Wollaston  Franks,  the  president 
of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  London,  an 
honorary  member." 

This  was  followed  by  the  report  of  the  treasurer 
and  of  the  curators. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  society's 
receipts  and  expenditure  during  the  year :  Balance 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  £^2  8s.  iid.;  the 
total  income  of  the  society  for  1897  ^^-d  been 
;^538  3s.  8d.'  and  the  expenditure  /510  2S.  iid.,  a 
balance  in  favour  of  ^28  2s.  9d.  ;  the  balance 
carried  to  1898  is  /^loo  9s.  8d.  The  capital  invested 
in  consols,  being  members'  commutation  fees,  is 
£^1  IS.  8d.,  members'  subscriptions  are  ^^356  iSs. ; 
from  the  Castle  and  Black  Gate  the  sum  of 
;^i43  I2S.  iid.  has  been  received  ;  while  the  ex- 
penditure has  been  /134  19s.  5d.  The  printing  of 
the  Archaologia  ^liana  has  cost  ;f8i  17s.  6d.,  and 
the  Proceedings  and  parish  registers,  £^6  17s.  6d.  ; 
but  of  this  the  sum  of  ^20  has  been  contributed  by 
members.  The  second  part  of  the  general  index 
has  cost  ^26  gs.  ;  the  sum  paid  for  illustrations 
been  ;^28  i8s.  3d ;  and  new  books  have  cost 
£16  i8s.  8d. 

The  curators  then  presented  their  report,  which 
consisted  of  a  list  of  objects  presented  to  the  Black 
Gate  Museum  during  the  year. 

The  election  of  members  of  council  and  various 
officers  of  the  society  (including  the  Earl  of 
Ravensworth  as  president  and  Messrs.  Thomas 
Hodgkin  and  Robert  Blair  as  secretaries)  was  then 
announced,  after  which 

Mr.  L.  W.  Adamson  moved  that  the  society 
sanction  by  its  patronage  or  otherwise  an  exhibition 
of  English,  Scottish  and  Irish  antiquarian  plate  in 
the  Northern  counties,  of  a  date  before  the  present 
century,  and  that  from  this  exhibition  Newcastle 
plate  should  be  excluded,  and  that  such  exhibition 
be  held  in  a  more  commodious  place  than  the 
Black  Gate,  and  that  it  be  held  in  1899. 

This,  on  being  seconded  by  Mr.  Taylor,  was 
carried  unanimously. 

Mr.  G.  Reavell,  jun.,  Alnwick,  then  exhibited  a 

N    2 


92 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


number  of  fine  photographs  of  Dunstanburgh 
Castle,  taken  for  the  purpose  of  a  petition  to  the 
Chancery  division  for  funds  for  the  necessary  repair 
of  the  building  to  prevent  it  from  falling  to  ruin. 

Mr.  Reavell  said  the  photographs  which  he 
exhibited  were  taken  for  the  purpose  of  supporting 
an  application  which  the  Eyres  Trustees  were 
making  to  the  Court  of  Chancery  for  the  grant  of  a 
sum  of  money  to  be  expended  on  the  preservation 
of  the  ruins,  not  by  any  conjectural  restoration,  but 
simply  by  judicious  pointing  and  facing  to  external 
faces,  securing  and  pinning  arches  which  have 
become  dangerous,  supporting  overhanging  parts, 
filling  the  wall  tops  to  exclude  the  weather,  and 
similar  works.  Mr.  Reavell  stated  that,  generally 
speaking,  the  state  of  affairs  is  rather  worse  than 
appears  from  the  ground,  more  especially  with 
regard  to  the  ashlar  of  the  exterior  face,  and  the 
loose  state  of  the  voussoirs  and  keystones  of  many 
of  the  arches.  The  ashlar  on  the  south  and  west 
faces  of  the  principal  towers  is  in  places  decayed  to 
such  an  extent  that  some  large  stones  are  entirely 
out,  leaving  cavities  in  some  cases  nearly  2  feet  deep, 
above  which,  naturally,  the  stones  are  becoming 
insecure,  and  show  some  very  recent  falls  ;  in  fact, 
a'  stone  fell  a  few  days  ago  during  the  absence  of 
the  workmen,  breaking  some  of  the  scaffolding  in 
its  fall.  These  cavities  are  being  filled  up, and  Mr. 
Reavell  has  arranged  to  have  this  done  as  far  as 
possible  with  the  fallen  stones  which  lie  round  the 
building  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  among  the 
debris  within  the  building.  Any  stones  with  any 
moulding,  or  other  work  indicative  of  special  pur- 
pose, will  of  course  be  laid  aside. 

In  the  excavation  of  the  debris,  which  had 
accumulated  to  a  depth  of  g  or  10  feet  within  the 
building,  there  have  been  disclosed  a  fireplace  with 
shouldered  corbels,  but  with  the  head  gone,  and  a 
chamber  within  the  thickness  of  the  wall.  In  sup- 
porting old  landings  and  other  overhanging  work, 
it  is  proposed  to  build  hard-burnt  bricks  and  cement 
in  as  small  piers  as  may  suffice  in  order  that  by  the 
erection  of  these  walls,  which  in  a  few  years  will 
look  old,  may  not  falsify  the  history  of  the  building. 
Probably  there  is  not  in  the  county  any  ancient 
building  which  has  been  less  tampered  with  by  the 
would-be  restorer,  and  therein  lies  much  of  its 
interest. 

A  part  of  a  very  fine  wall  reaching  from  the  main 
keep  to  St.  Margaret's  Cave,  with  the  towers  upon 
it,  requires  a  good  deal  of  attention,  which  Mr. 
Reavell  hopes  to  be  able  to  accomplish,  if  the 
Court  takes  a  favourable  view  of  the  application. 
Many  parts  of  the  castle  are  now  in  such  a  con- 
dition that  a  few  more  years'  neglect  will  mean  their 
loss  and  destruction,  while  carefully  directed  ex- 
penditure would  give  the  building  as  it  now  stands 
a  new  lease  of  life. 

Mr.  Reavell  concluded  by  asking  for  the  opinion 
of  members  on  the  proposed  repairs,  when,  after  a 
little  discussion  as  to  the  desirability  of  employing 
stone  or  brick  for  the  purpose,  the  unanimous 
opinion  seemed  to  be  in  favour  of  stone  for  exterior 
repair,  and  of  bricks  for  the  interior  works. 

Mr.  Reavell  further  announced  that  repairs  were 
being  made  at  Alnwick  Castle,  and  in  the  course  of 


the  work  several  interesting  features  had  been  dis- 
covered, amongst  which  was  a  wall  built  of  herring- 
bone masonry.  He  promised  to  report  fully  on  these 
discoveries  to  a  future  meeting  of  the  society,  when 
the  works  were  completed. 

*  *  * 
We  learn  from  the  Leicester  Advertiser  that  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Leicestershire  Archi- 
tectural AND  Arch^ological  SOCIETY  was  held 
on  January  31,  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Rendell  being  in  the 
chair.  The  annual  report  was  read  by  Major  Freer, 
from  which  we  extract  the  following  account  of  the 
work  of  the  society  during  the  year:  "As  in  1896, 
no  less  than  fourteen  new  members  were  elected. 
Your  committee  appeal  to  all  members,  and  espe- 
cially to  the  hon.  local  secretaries,  to  use  their 
best  endeavours  to  induce  their  friends  to  join 
the  society.  .  .  .  The  committee  congratulate  the 
Leicestershire  County  Council  upon  the  careful 
restoration  of  the  old  gateway  leading  into  the 
Castle  Yard  from  Newark.  At  the  Congress  of 
Archaeological  Societies,  the  society  was  repre- 
sented by  the  Rev.  C.  Henton  Wood,  M.A.,  and 
Theodore  Walker,  Esq.  At  the  March  meeting 
a  fine  collection  of  English  and  Foreign  Orders 
was  exhibited."  The  report  then  proceeds  as 
follows,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more 
appalling  record  of  mischief  gloried  in  by  an  archae- 
ological society  in  any  country  at  the  present  day. 
We  quote  it  verbatim  from  the  Leicester  Advertiser  of 
February  5,  although  we  do  not  mean  to  imply  that 
everything  mentioned  as  having  been  done  was 
necessarily  mischievous :  "  The  year  1897,  being  the 
sixtieth  year  of  H.M.  Queen  Victoria's  reign,  is  a 
record  for  Church  work.  During  this  year  the  follow- 
ing churches  and  buildings  have  been  added  to  or 
restored — namely :  Anstey. — New  reredos  of  oak  and 
two  brass  standards,  with  seven  lights,  costing  ;f  35, 
and  a  new  heating  apparatus  /70.  Asfordby. — The 
exterior  of  this  church  has  been  partially  restored 
at  a  cost  of  /loo.  Aylestone. — New  bell  frames  for 
four  bells  and  a  new  treble  bell  have  been  provided, 
and  the  spire  repointed,  etc.,  at  a  cost  of  £1.50.  A 
new  rectory  has  been  built,  and  the  old  one  sold. 
A  new  organ  costing  ^"300  has  been  placed  in  St. 
James's,  Aylestone  Park.  Barkby. — An  oak  seat  for 
the  prayer  desk,  and  an  oak  door  have  been  placed 
in  this  church.  Barrow-on-Soar. — /"goo  has  been 
spent  in  adding  a  class-room  and  other  buildings 
to  the  church  schools.  Belgrave  St.  Michael's. — A 
wrought  iron  and  copper  screen  with  chancel  gates 
has  been  presented  by  Mrs.  Henry,  and  a  proces- 
sional cross  by  Miss  Lines.  Bitteswell. — A  clock 
has  been  placed  in  the  tower  by  D.  Bromilow,  Esq. 
Blaby. — The  church  has  been  partly  restored,  and 
a  new  holy  table  provided  with  a  new  cover  and 
dossal  at  a  cost  of  £120.  Braunstone. — The  chancel 
and  nave  roof  of  this  church  have  been  restored 
according  to  their  original  design  in  oak.  The 
semi-pews  have  been  turned  into  low  seats ;  new 
steps  and  stone  pavement  have  been  provided  for 
the  east  end.  Cost  ;^9oo,  towards  which  the  Duke 
of  Rutland  and  Major  Paynter  have  each  con- 
tributed ;^i50.  Broughton  Astley. — A  north  porch 
has  been  built  at  a  cost  of  £ioS-  Nether  Broughton. 
— Improvement  in  church  and  churchyard,  costing 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  JSEWS. 


93 


^33.  Burrough-on-tlie-Hill. — A  brass  lectern,  costing 
£1^,  has  been  placed  in  the  church  in  memory  of 
the  Queen's  sixty  years'  reign.  Clayhroohe. — The 
Vicar  has  given  half  an  acre  of  land  to  the  cemetery, 
Cold  Overton. — The  church  is  being  restored  at  an 
estimated  cost  of  £300.  Diseworth. — The  Misses 
Shakespear  have  given  a  new  entrance  gate  to  the 
churchyard  in  memory  of  the  Diamond  Jubilee  of 
the  Queen.  Eaton.  —  New  altar  furniture,  choir 
stalls,  oak  lectern,  and  chancel  lamps  have  been 
placed  in  the  church.  The  wooden  partition  at  the 
west  end  has  been  taken  down,  thus  opening  out 
the  western  arch  ;  total  cost  £60.  Fenny  Drayton. — 
The  interior  of  the  church  has  been  renovated  at  a 
cost  of  £1'].  A  new  turret  and  bell  added  to  the 
school  cost  £1^.  Foxton. — Mrs.  C.  Gordon  M'Kenzie 
has  presented  a  large  American  organ  to  the  church. 
Frowlesworth. — A  new  manual  organ  by  Porritt,  of 
Leicester,  and  costing  ;^2oo,  has  been  given  to  the 
church.  Gilmorton. — A  north  porch,  costing  ;f  150, 
has  been  built  in  memory  of  the  sixtieth  year  of 
the  Queen's  reign.  Hallaton. — The  modern  debased 
tracery  of  the  east  window  has  been  replaced  by 
stone  tracery  in  the  decorated  style  at  a  cost  of 
;^ii8.  Hinckley. — A  silver  gilt  chalice  and  paten 
have  been  given  by  Miss  Parker.  A  large  addition 
to  the  cemetery  has  been  consecrated.  Houghton- 
on-the-HUl. — The  church  tower  has  been  thoroughly 
restored  at  a  cost  of  ^^150  as  a  memorial  of  the 
Queen's  Jubilee.  The  organ  (by  Walker)  has  been 
rebuilt  and  enlarged  (by  Hill)  at  a  cost  of  ;^ioo  by 
Mrs.  Glover  in  memory  of  her  parents,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harrison.  Kibworth. — An  oak  pulpit  and  brass 
tablet  (costing  £i2(>)  have  been  placed  in  the  chancel 
by  friends  in  memory  of  the  late  Canon  M.  F.  F. 
Osborn,  for  thirty-three  years  Rector.  Kilworth 
North. — Two  new  altar  chairs  have  been  placed  in 
the  church  as  a  memorial  of  the  Queen's  sixty 
years'  reign.  Kirby  Bellars. — The  south  aisle  has 
been  re-roofed,  and  the  floor  relaid  with  stone  and 
wood,  at  a  cost  of  ^140.  Leicester  St.  Barnabas. — 
A  portion  of  the  nave  of  the  new  church  of  St. 
Stephen,  North  Evington,  has  been  completed, 
costing  /2,oco.  Part  of  the  site  was  given  by  the 
Bumaby  Trustees,  and  part  purchased  for  ^^420  by 
the  Church  Extension  Society,  who  have  also  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  building  fund.  Leicester  St. 
Leonard's. — A  new  dossal,  18  feet  high,  together 
with  sanctuary  hangings,  have  been  placed  in  the 
church  at  a  cost  of  /'40.  Leicester  St.  Margaret's. — 
On  the  rood  screen  an  oak  memorial  cross  has  been 
placed  from  the  design  of  A.  Street,  Esq.,  cost  /21. 
Leicester  St.  Martin's. — The  partial  restoration  of 
this  church  has  been  undertaken.  The  estimated 
cost  is  _^3,ooo.  Leicester  St.  Nicholas. — Five  windows 
of  the  south  aisle  have  been  restored,  and  the  south 
wall  refaced  with  granite,  and  new  buttresses  built, 
at  a  cost  of  /550.  Loughborough  Emmanuel. — Mr. 
Berridge  collected  £jo  for  a  new  porch  for  the 
Mission-room  at  Nanpantan.  Loughborough  Holy 
Trinity.  —  New.  sanctuary  hangings,  pulpit  and 
lectern  frontals,  have  been  presented.  Lubenham. — 
The  churchyard  has  been  levelled,  planted,  and 
lighted,  at  a  cost  of  ^'40.  Lutterworth. — New  stairs 
have  been  placed  in  the  bell  tower ;  cost  £50. 
Markfield. — The  church  walls  have  been  replastered. 


Melton  Mowbray. — The  organ  in  this  church  has 
been  enlarged  at  a  cost  of  ;fi,ioo,  of  which  sum 
/■500  was  contributed  by  the  Ward  Trustees. 
Mountsorrel  St.  Peter's. — A  new  granite  font,  costing 
100  guineas,  has  been  placed  in  the  church,  and  a 
piece  of  ground  added  to  the  cemetery.  Osgathorpe. 
■ — Various  improvements  have  been  made  in  the 
vestry,  and  seats  and  articles  of  furniture  given  to 
the  church.  Owston. — Embroidered  frontals  have 
been  given  by  Mrs.  and  Miss  Palmer  in  com- 
memoration of  the  Queen's  Jubilee.  Packington. — 
A  brass  altar  cross  has  been  given  to  this  church 
by  Mr.  A.  P.  Dunstan,  of  Lea,  Kent,  Peckleton.— 
Various  articles  of  altar  furniture  have  been  pro- 
vided. Pickwell. — New  choir  stalls  and  altar  and 
appointments,  with  new  lamps  and  hangings,  have 
been  placed  in  this  church ;  cost  £'i-io.  Queni- 
borough. — New  heating  apparatus  and  lamps  have 
been  provided.  Quorn. — An  organ  chamber  has 
been  built,  costing  /350,  by  E.  H.  Warner,  Esq., 
High  Sheriff.  Saddington. — The  seating  accom- 
modation has  been  increased,  the  pulpit  lined  with 
oak,  and  a  font  cover  and  ewer  provided  by  the 
Goodman  family.  Shepshed. — /^loo  has  been  sj)ent 
in  various  improvements.  Sibstone. — The  nave  has 
been  re-roofed,  re-floored,  re-seated,  and  otherwise 
improved,  at  a  cost  of  ;^425,  in  memory  of  Mrs. 
Mitchinson.  Sileby.  —  The  church  has  been  re- 
seated, at  a  cost  of  ;^i8o,  in  memory  of  the  sixtieth 
year  of  the  Queen's  reign.  Stanton  Wyville. — New 
altar  furniture  has  been  provided.  Swinjord. — New 
choir  stalls,  with  furniture  for  clergy,  vestry,  and 
for  tower  vestry  have  been  placed  in  the  church  by 
Mrs.  R.  Spencer  and  friends ;  total  cost  over  /80. 
Syston. — A  portion  of  ground  between  the  west 
gates  and  tower  has  been  enclosed  and  planted. 
Thurmaston. — -New  communion  plate  has  been  pro- 
vided, which,  with  improvements  in  the  churchyard, 
etc.,  have  cost  £^6.  Tilton-on-the-Hill. — Two  of  the 
four  bells  have  been  re-hung,  and  new  dossal  cur- 
tains and  altar  furniture  have  been  given  by  the 
Vicar.  Tugby. — A  new  organ  has  been  provided, 
which,  with  the  fence  to  the  churchyard  and  new 
lamps  for  the  church,  and  other  improvements, 
have  cost  ^^338.  Walton-le-Wolds.  —  Lamps  have 
been  placed  in  the  church  in  commemoration  of 
the  Diamond  Jubilee.  Two  corona  in  the  nave,  and 
one  (given  by  the  Rector)  in  the  chancel,  cost  ^22. 
Wartnaby-cum-Grimston. — New  chairs  and  an  altar 
cloth  have  been  provided.  Long  Whatton. — Altar 
furniture,  given  by  Lady  Crawshaw  and  Messrs. 
Godfrey.  Whetstone. — / 1,400  has  been  spent  in 
restoring  this  church.  Whitwick. — ^^400  has  been 
raised  for  restoration,  and  new  altar  rails  placed  in 
the  church.  Wigston  Magna. — A  new  granite  wall 
with  iron  fencing  round  the  churchyard  has  been 
given  by  Thomas  Ingram,  Esq.  Woodville. — ;^i,5oo 
has  been  spent  in  restoring  this  church.  Note,  in 
the  Peterborough  Diocese,  ^'42,587  has  been  spent 
in  104  parishes  this  year,  besides  other  parishes 
where  no  sums  are  mentioned.  In  the  under-men- 
tioned churches  stained-glass  windows  have  been 
placed:  Branstone.  —  One  in  the  chancel.  Dise- 
worth.— Four  new  windows  have  been  placed  in 
the  church,  costing  /58.  Gilmorton. — A  stained- 
glass  window  has  been  placed  in  the  church  by 


94 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NE  WS. 


Mr.  Herbert  Parr  and  the  Misses  Rodgers  in 
memory  of  their  parents,  brother,  and  sisters : 
another  by  Mrs.  Faulkes  in  memory  of  her  two 
brothers,  Messrs.  J.  and  C.  Kinton,  both  church- 
wardens of  this  parish,  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Ormston  ; 
another  by  the  Bloxsom  family  in  memory  of 
various  members  of  their  family,  who  have  resided 
in  the  parish  over  200  years ;  and  a  fourth  by  the 
Rector  (the  Rev.   K.  Jackson)  in  memory  of  his 


County,  and  Helen  his  wife ;  this  is  a  four-light 
window,  and  both  are  by  Messrs.  Ward  and  Hughes, 
of  London.  HuggUscotc .^-h.  Jubilee  window  has 
been  placed  in  the  baptistry  at  a  cost  of  £^6. 
Kimcote. — A  stained-glass  window  has  been  placed 
at  the  east  end  of  the  church  by  the  family  of  the 
late  Rector,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Cox,  in  memory  of 
their  parents.  Loughborough  Holy  Trinity. — A  centre- 
light  in  the  east  window,  costing  /53,  has  been 


CHOIR  OF  LICHFIELD  CATHEDRAL  {before  the  restoration). 


mother.  Higham-on-the-Hill. — A  window  given  by 
Mrs.  Hurst  in  memory  of  her  mother,  Mrs.  Ada 
Mary  Ashton.  Houghton-on-the-Hill. — A  five-light 
window  has  been  placed  in  the  east  end  of  the 
south  aisle  by  Mr.  John  Freeman  Coleman  and 
the  Misses  Ann  and  Elizabeth  Coleman  to  the 
memory  of  their  family,  and  one  at  the  east  end  of 
the  north  aisle  to  commemorate  the  Queen's  Jubilee 
by  William  Jesse  Freer,  Clerk  of  the  Peace  for  the 


given  by  the  congregation  in  memory  of  Mrs.  Fraser, 
the  late  wife  of  the  present  Vicar.  Rothlty. — The 
east  window  in  the  south  aisle  has  been  filled  with 
stained-glass,  costing  /137,  by  Mrs.  Grieve,  Bury 
St.  Edmunds,  in  memory  of  her  husband,  Peter 
Grieve,  of  Culford,  and  Lucy,  their  only  daughter." 

[Several  other  accounts  of  Proceedings  of  Societies 
have  had  to  be  held  over.) 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


95 


"  QUEEN    MARY'S   CHAIR,"    WINCHESTER   CATHEDRAL. 


EetJieUis  anD  Notices 
of  jQeto  TBoofes. 

\_Publiskers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers."] 

Lichfield  :  the  Cathedral  and  See.  Crown 
8vo.,  pp.  135  (with  thirty-nine  illustrations). 
Edited  by  A.  B.  Clifton.  Wi-nchester  :  the 
Cathedral  and  See.  Crown  8vo.,  pp.  135 
(with  fifty  illustrations).  Edited  by  P.  W. 
Sergeant.  Price  is.  6d.  each.  (BsU's  Cathedral 
Series.)  London  :  George  Bell  and  Sons. 
Wa  are  glad  to  welcome  two  more  of  the  volumsi 

of  this  useful  series  of  handbooks  issued  under  the 


general  editorship  of  Messrs.  Gleeson  White  and 
E.  F.  Strange.  The  volume  which  deals  with 
Lichfield  Cathedral  rather  prejudiced  us  against 
its  contents  by  a  reference,  in  the  author's  preface, 
to  "the  late  John  Hewitt,  the  well-known  anti- 
quarian." When  a  writer  on  an  archaeological 
subject  speaks  of  antiquaries  as  "  antiquarians"  we 
generally  know  what  to  expect,  but  in  this  instance 
we  are  fain  to  confess  that  our  sinister  expectations 
have  not  been  realized.  Mr.  Clifton  evidently  knows 
his  subject,  and  takes  an  appreciative  interest  in  the 
building  of  which  he  writes.  The  remarks  regarding 
the  so-called  "restoration"  of  the  cathedral  of 
Lichfield  are  just  such  as  we  wish  to  see  dinned 
into  the  ears  of  the  public,  and  no  better  way  of 
doing  this  can  be  devised  than  that  of  speaking 
plainly  in   popular  handbooks.     We  quote,  with 


96 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


very  real  satisfaction,  the  following  excellent  re- 
marks from  page  25  :  "A  few  years  later  [than  the 
middle  of  last  century]  it  was  found  that  the  fabric 
itself  was  in  so  dilapidated  a  condition  that  much 
more  extensive  repairs  were  necessary  ;  and  so  Mr. 
Wyatt,  the  celebrated  architect,  as  Britton  calls 
him,  came  to  Lichfield,  and  began  that  scheme  of 
alteration  which  has  been  the  object  of  so  much 
ridicule  and  contempt.  To  lovers  of  church  archi- 
tecture at  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century  it 
seems  astounding  that  the  splendid  and  inimitable 
cathedrals  and  [other]  churches  of  this  country 
should  have  been  handed  over,  every  one  of  them, 
to  be  destroyed  or  debased  in  the  way  Wyatt  de- 
stroyed and  debased  them.  But  there  is  no  doubt 
that  Wyatt  represented  the  spirit  of  the  time,  just 
as  Sir  Gilbert  Scott  represented  the  spirit  of  the 
middle  of  this  century.  Then  it  was  a  love  of 
'  vistas  '  which  actuated  the  alterations,  and  caused 
the  destruction  of  anything  which  came  in  the  way 
of  what  was  considered  a  fine  view.  In  those  days 
'  vistas '  were  the  all-absorbing  consideration  and 
subject  of  discussion  amongst  those  who  considered 
themselves  cultured,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  novels 
of  Jane  Austen,  and  in  Mansfield  Park  in  particular. 
Later,  the  passion  for  replacing  what  was  old 
or  worn  by  time  by  something  new,  something 
which  was  supposed  to  be  a  reproduction  of  the 
old,  has  caused  endless  destruction.  The  later 
passion  has  not  yet  disappeared,  unhappily ;  but 
thankfully  we  may  note  the  signs  of  the  times,  and 
feel  sure  that  in  a  few  years  neither  a  Wyatt  with 
his  vistas  and  Roman  cement,  nor  a  Sir  Gilbert 
with  his  cheap  statuettes  and  Italian  trumperies, 
will  be  permitted  under  any  circumstances  to  lay 
a  finger  on  what  it  has  here  and  there  graciously 
pleased  their  forerunners  to  leave  unspoiled."  This 
is  plain  speaking  indeed,  and  to  the  point.  We  are 
especially  glad  to  meet  with  it  in  a  book  which  is 
likely  to  be  in  the  hands  of  many  persons  and  widely 
read.  This  long  quotation,  however,  scarcely  leaves 
us  space  to  say  much  as  to  the  book  itself.  Lich- 
field Cathedral,  which  is  quite  one  of  the  smallest 
of  our  English  cathedrals,  is  also  quite  one  of  the 
most  elegant  and  graceful  of  all,  and  its  general 
features  are  consequently  better  known  than  those 
of  most  cathedrals.  It  contains  some  minor  features 
of  an  exceptional  character,  such  as  the  demi-effigies 
in  the  south  aisle  of  the  choir,  and  the  half-naked 
effigy  of  a  knight.  So,  too,  the  two-storeyed  octagonal 
chapter-house  is  remarkable.  These  matters  are 
alluded  to,  but  except  the  effigy  of  the  knight,  are, 
we  think,  hardly  treated  as  fully  as  they  should  be. 
On  page  16  allusion  is  made  to  the  rifling  by  the 
Parliamentary  soldiers  of  the  tomb  of  '•  Bishop 
Scrope."  This  surely  is  a  slip,  for  Scrope  was 
translated  to  York,  and  his  tragic  end  formed  one 
of  the  most  memorable  events  of  the  time  in  the 
North  of  England.  He  was  buried  in  York  Minster, 
where  his  tomb  soon  became  the  object  of  pil- 
grimages from  all  parts.  Opposite  page  96  is  a 
picture  of  a  wall-painting,  which,  as  usual,  is  mis- 
called a  "fresco."  These  slips,  and  occasional 
allusions  throughout  the  book  to  "antiquarians," 
are  the  chief  and  only  faults  which  we  have  to  find 
with  a  book  which  in  all  other  respects  is  excellent. 
There  are  a  number  of  capital  illustrations,  several 


of  which  enable  the  reader  to  see  the  changes  (not 
for  the  better)  which  the  restorer  has  wrought. 

Turning  to  the  book  on  Winchester,  which,  con- 
sidering the  far  greater  importance  of  the  building 
it.self,  ought  perhaps  to  have  had  the  first  place  in 
this  notice,  we  are  confronted  with  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Sergeant  has  the  same  complaint  to  make 
about  Sir  Gilbert  Scott  at  Winchester  that  Mr. 
Clifton  urges  with  so  much  force  at  Lichfield.  We 
fear  that  this  is  almost  universally  the  case,  and 
that  very  few  of  our  cathedrals  escaped  the  reno- 
vating process  of  so-called  "  restoration  "  of  which 
Sir  Gilbert  was  the  chief  exponent  in  the  middle  of 
the  present  century.  Winchester  and  its  cathedral 
church  are  so  interwoven  with  English  history  that 
it  occupies  in  that  respect  a  very  different  position 
from  its  sister  at  Lichfield,  while  its  great  size  places 
it  in  the  forefront  as  one  of  the  most  important 
ecclesiastical  edifices  of  northern  Europe.  Mr. 
Sergeant  deals  very  thoroughly  with  its  history 
and  its  features,  both  external  and  internal.  Like 
Mr.  Clifton,  he  makes  a  few  slips.  A  chantry,  it 
should  be  explained,  is  not,  as  Mr.  Sergeant  seems 
to  imply,  a  chapel  or  a  building,  but  an  endowment. 
A  more  curious  error  than  this  occurs  on  page  80, 
where  it  is  not  merely  implied  that  a  cross-legged 
effigy  indicates  a  crusader,  but  Dugdale  is  cited  in 
a  footnote  to  confirm  the  idea.  We  had  hoped  that 
by  this  time,  at  any  rate,  such  a  notion  had  been 
for  ever  slain  and  laid  to  rest.  Opposite  page  90  is 
an  excellent  photograph  of  what  is  called  Queen 
Mary's  chair,  from  the  tradition  that  she  sat  in  it 
at  her  marriage.  It  is  never  pleasant  to  raise  doubts 
about  time-honoured  traditions,  but  we  cannot 
help  wondering  whether  it  may  not  have  been  the 
episcopal  chair  used  by  Gardiner  at  the  wedding. 
It  has  much  in  common  with  other  mediaeval 
bishops'  chairs,  and  the  Queen's  chair,  one  may 
suppose,  would  have  been  more  stately  and  mag- 
nificent. Besides  the  account  of  the  cathedral, 
Mr.  Sergeant  gives  shorter  accounts  of  the  College, 
St.  Cross,  and  the  Butter  Cross.  The  book,  like 
that  dealing  with  Lichfield  and  the  others  of  the 
series,  is  admirably  illustrated  with  pictures  of 
things  as  they  are,  and  as  they  were  before  the 
"  restorer  "  was  let  loose  upon  them.  Both  books, 
however,  lack  an  index,  and  nothing  is  said  in 
either  of  them  as  to  the  constitution  or  history 
of  the  capitular  bodies  attached  to  them.  We 
are  very  grateful  to  Messrs.  Bell  for  inaugurating 
this  very  useful  and  excellent  series. 

[A  large  number  oj  Reviews  are  held  over  for  want 
of  space.) 

Note  to  Publishers. — We  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS.  —  Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS. 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


97 


The   Antiquary. 


APRIL,  1898. 


K3ote0  of  tf)e  ^ontt). 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
on  Thursday,  March  3,  the  following  were 
elected  Fellows  of  the  Society  :  Mr.  Arthur 
Gregory  Langdon,  2,  Cowley  Street,  West 
minster;  Mr.  John  William  Ryland,  Rowing- 
ton,  Warwick ;  Mr.  Andrew  Sherlock  Lawson, 
Aldborough  Manor,  Boroughbridge ;  Mr. 
George  Sholto  Douglas  Murray,  M.A.,  6, 
Campden  Hill  Road,  W. ;  Mr.  John  Craw- 
ford Hodgson,  Warkworth,  Northumberland ; 
Mr.  Benjamin  Franklin  Stevens,  4,  Trafalgar 
Square,  W.C. ;  and  the  Rev.  John  Robbins, 
D.D.,  St.  George's  Vicarage,  Campden  Hill, 
Kensington. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Royal  Archaeo- 
logical Institute  is  to  be  held  this  summer  at 
Lancaster,  which  ought  to  prove  an  admir- 
able centre.  The  date  of  the  meeting  will 
be  from  Tuesday,  July  19,  to  Tuesday, 
July  26,  and  we  have  every  hope  that  it  will 
prove  as  satisfactory  a  gathering  as  that  held 
at  Dorchester  last  summer. 

«il(»  •iji?  ^ 
An  excellent  appointment  has  been  made  by 
the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Westminster,  who 
have  selected  Mr.  J.  T.  Micklethwaite  to 
succeed  the  late  Mr.  J.  L.  Pearson  as  archi- 
tect of  the  Abbey  Church.  Antiquaries  will 
feel  quite  at  ease  in  knowing  that  the  old 
work  there  is  now  in  safe  hands,  and  that  no 
further  "  restorations  "  will  be  perpetrated. 
At  Peterborough  Mr.  Bodley  has  succeeded 
Mr.  Pearson.  In  this  case  the  appointment 
is  a  far  better  one  than  was  to  be  hoped  for. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  remonstrances  of 
antiquaries  were  at  last  taking  effect. 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


With  respect  to  Peterborough  Cathedral 
Mr.  Bodley  reports  that  he  hopes  it  may, 
after  all,  be  found  possible  to  keep  up  the 
great  arch  on  the  south  side  of  the  west  front. 
He  thinks  that,  by  carefully  grouting  with 
liquid  grout  from  the  top  of  the  arch,  and 
other  means,  much  may  be  done  to  strengthen 
it,  but  it  has  yet  to  be  seen  how  far  this 
would  be  sufficient.  The  whole  of  the  front 
has  gone  considerably  out  of  the  vertical,  and 
is  a  good  deal  shaken,  and  the  gable  is  so 
weak  that  he  fears  it  must  be  reset.  The 
walling  behind  the  ashlar  face  is  in  so  bad  a 
state  that  he  thinks  no  method  of  strengthen- 
ing the  wall  is  here  practically  possible, 
though  he  laments  the  necessity  of  its  being 
taken  down.  The  stone  is  so  perished,  and 
the  masonry  is  so  shaken,  that  it  would  not 
be  feasible  to  back  the  existing  wall  of  the 
gable,  and  get  sufficient  strength  for  it.  This 
work,  he  says,  should  be  taken  in  hand  at 
once.  Mr.  Bodley  has  also  drawn  attention 
to  urgent  repairs  needed  in  the  walls  of  the 
eastern  chapel.  The  estimated  cost  of  the 
whole  of  the  work  is  ;!^8,659,  and  that  which 
it  is  urgent  to  undertake  at  once  would  cost 
^2,739. 

^  ^  ^ 
An  excellent  proposal  was  made  by  the 
council  at  the  February  meeting  of  the  Society 
of  Antiquaries  of  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  that  a 
circular  letter  of  inquiry  should  be  addressed 
to  those  persons  in  Northumberland  and 
Durham  who  are  likely  to  have  in  their 
possession  family  papers  or  documents  illus- 
trating local  history  and  topography.  The 
suggestion  might  well  be  followed  by  other 
local  archseological  societies.  Papers  of 
great  local  interest  and  value  are  constantly 
being  destroyed  as  waste  paper.  Even  if 
this  is  not  their  fate,  their  contents  are 
quite  unknown,  as  they  are  stowed  away 
in  muniment  rooms  and  chests. 

^  '^  ^ 
During  the  excavation  of  a  gravel-pit  at  St. 
James  Deeping,  Lincolnshire,  the  workmen 
on  March  9  came  upon  an  inverted  earthen 
vessel,  containing  ashes  and  charred  bones. 
On  being  taken  out,  the  vase  was  found  to 
be  of  simple  design,  without  a  trace  of  the 
potter's  wheel,  but  with  a  finger  or  thumb- 
nail decoration  upon  it.  The  contents  con- 
sisted of  ashes  and  small  fragments  of  charred 


98 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


bones,  none  of  them  larger  than  a  florin 
with  the  exception  of  two  halves  of  a  human 
lower  jaw,  minus  the  teeth,  which  were  ulti- 
mately found  among  the  ashes  in  the  vase. 
The  neighbourhood  where  the  vessel  was 
unearthed  bears  every  indication  of  having 
been  an  ancient  pit  dwelling.  Further  inves- 
tigations led  to  the  discovery  of  a  human 
skull,  which  was  lying  on  its  side,  with  a 
quantity  of  finger  bones  close  to  the  face, 
one  or  two  joints  of  the  vertebrae  also  being 
found. 

•fr       •)!(»       ^ 

Mr.  Thomas  Seymour,  of  9,  Newton  Road, 
Oxford,  writes  as  follows  :  "  I  send  herewith 
a  photograph  of  a   bronze   ball   or   weight 


recently  found  during  an  excavation  in 
Oxford.  It  weighs  5  lbs.  13  ozs.,  and  is 
10^  inches  in  circumference.     Four  shields 


of  arms,  in  relief,  decorate  the  surface,  viz : 

England,  three  lions  passant. 
Scotland,  lion  rampant  within  tressure. 
A  dragon  or  griffin  (uncertain). 
A  double-headed  eagle. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  can  find  space  for 
a  note  in  the  Antiquary,  as  I  am  anxious  to 
ascertain,  if  possible,  its  age  and  use. 


"  I. 
"2. 

"3. 
"4. 


"  It  may  have  been  used  as  a  weight  for  a 
steelyard,  but  such  inference  is,  of  course, 
conjectural." 

We  do  not  think  that  there  can  be  any 
doubt  as  to  what  the  object  is.  It  seems 
clear  that  it  is  an  old  steelyard  weight,  but 
the  question  as  to  its  exact  age  is  not  per- 
haps so  easily  settled.  It  looks  to  us  as  if  it 
belonged  to  the  latter  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  Perhaps  some  of  our  readers  can 
speak  more  positively  as  to  this  than  we  care 
to  do. 

^  ^  '^ 
Captain  Nilson  and  Dr.  Palk  Griffin,  of  Pad- 
stow,  have  been  recently  engaged  excavating 
one  of  the  Cornish  barrows  on  Bogee  Downs, 
immediately  adjoining  the  boundary  of  St. 
Columb  Major,  but  in  the  parish  of  St.  Ervan. 
At  a  depth  of  about  14  feet  human  remains 
were  removed,  and  the  hole  or  pit  again  filled 
in.  The  tumulus  is  a  large  one,  and  is  skirted 
in  a  semicircle  by  others  of  a  smaller  size, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  further  explorations 
may  be  undertaken  on  a  systematic  basis. 
There  is  a  huge  flat  stone,  evidently  covering 
other  remains,  but  these  cannot  be  reached 
until  a  very  large  amount  of  top  earth  is 
carted  away.  Thirty-five  or  thirty-six  years 
ago,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  south-west  from 
the  spot  at  Bogee,  called  Bears  Downs,  Mr. 
Nicholas  Capel  (since  deceased)  was  plough- 
ing over  a  barrow,  and  came  upon  an  urn. 
It  contained  bones  and  a  spear  with  bone 
handle,  with  a  silver  band.  Subsequent 
research  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Borlase  was  rewarded 
by  the  finding  of  a  cup  and  other  objects  of 
prehistoric  age. 

^  ^  ^ 
We  are  glad  to  hear  a  satisfactory  account 
of  the  Sussex  Archaeological  Society,  which 
continues  its  useful  work  accompanied  with 
financial  success.  The  committee  have  in- 
vested the  sum  of  ^120  in  Consols,  which 
represents  the  compositions  of  life  members 
who  have  been  elected  during  the  past  nine 
years.  During  1897  there  was  an  increase 
in  the  membership,  the  number  at  the  end  of 
1896  being  553,  and  at  the  close  of  last  year 
574,  consisting  of  484  ordinary  members, 
82  life  members,  and  8  honorary  members. 
Part  of  the  find  of  coins  at  Balcombe,  which 
excited  considerable  interest  at  the  time  of 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


99 


their  discovery,  will  not  go  out  of  the  county, 
the  society  having  purchased  from  the  Trea- 
sury a  portion  of  the  treasure-trove.  The 
coins  consist  of  two  nobles  of  Edward  III.  ; 
eight  groats,  London  and  York ;  four  half- 
groats,  ditto ;  six  pennies,  London,  Durham, 
and  York  ;  ten  Edward  I.  pennies,  London, 
Canterbury,  Bristol,  Durham,  Lincoln,  New- 
castle, and  York;  seven  Edward  II.  pennies, 
London,  Berwick,  Bury,  Canterbury,  and 
Durham  ;  one  Richard  II.  penny,  York ;  one 
ditto  half-penny,  London ;  and  one  David  II. 
Scots  penny. 

^  ^  «$» 
Very  great  indignation  has  been  aroused  in 
Wales  by  a  report  that  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  remains  of  Strata  Florida  Abbey  has 
been  carted  off  to  build  a  new  church  with 
at  a  village  called  Pontrhydfendigaid.  The 
Western  Mail  of  March  2  states  that :  "  Not 
only  has  a  quantity  of  stone  which  had  been 
dug  out  from  the  fallen  portions  of  the  build- 
ing during  the  excavations  been  taken  away, 
but  we  are  informed  that  the  walls  of  the 
chapter  -  house  and  other  portions  of  the 
church,  which  in  some  places  remained  to 
the  height  of  over  6  feet,  have  been  at  least 
partially  destroyed.  The  entire  ruins  are  said 
to  present  a  lamentably  dishevelled  appear- 
ance. Considerable  indignation  has  been 
excited  in  the  neighbourhood,  where  the 
ruins  of  the  most  famous  of  Welsh  abbeys 
are  regarded  with  pride,  not,  perhaps,  un- 
mingled  with  the  feeling  that  they  are  also 
a  source  of  profit.  The  attention  of  Lord 
Lisburne,  the  owner  of  the  land  upon  which 
the  abbey  ruins  are  situated,  has  been  directed 
to  the  matter,  and  his  lordship's  agent,  Mr. 
Gardiner,  of  Wenallt,  is  understood  to  have 
taken  it  in  hand.  The  officers  of  the  Cam- 
brian Archaeological  Association  have  also 
been  communicated  with,  but,  as  the  associa- 
tion does  not  possess  a  permanent  habita- 
tion, it  is  difficult  to  bring  the  weight  of 
its  displeasure  to  bear  in  an  immediate  and 
effective  manner."  The  matter  has  also  been 
brought  under  the  notice  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries ;  but  we  scarcely  see  what  can 
be  done  to  repair  the  mischief,  as  the  evil 
was  accomplished  before  it  was  known  what 
was  being  done.  Had  it  been  possible  to 
prevent  it  beforehand,  the  case  would  have 
been  different. 


Thanks  to  the  suggestion  and  efforts  of  Mr. 
Charles  J.  Munich,  an  antiquarian  society 
has  been  formed  for  Hampstead,  the  objects 
of  which  are  to  study,  and,  as  far  as  possible, 
to  preserve  and  record,  antiquarian  objects 
and  matters  in  regard  to  the  borough.  The 
society  was  established  in  December,  and,  in 
launching  it,  Mr.  Munich,  having  obtained 
for  his  scheme  the  approval  of  several  well- 
known  residents,  found  his  efforts  cordially 
seconded  by  a  provisional  council  which  was 
then  formed.  It  consisted  of  Messrs.  Cecil 
Clarke,  W.  E.  Doubleday  (Chief  Librarian, 
Hampstead),  W.  H.  Fenton,  and  E.  F. 
Newton  (Member  of  Hampstead  Vestry),  with 
Mr.  Munich  as  hon.  secretary  and  treasurer 
pro  tern.  Sir  Walter  Besant,  M.A.,  F.S.A., 
has  consented  to  accept  the  office  of  president 
The  inaugural  meeting  of  the  society  is  to  be 
held  at  the  Hampstead  Vestry  Hall,  Haver- 
stock  Hill,  N.W.,  on  Wednesday,  April  6, 
1898,  at  8  p.m.,  when  Sir  Walter  Besant  will 
preside.  Copies  of  the  rules,  and  any  in- 
formation concerning  the  society,  will  be 
gladly  supplied,  on  receipt  of  written  applica- 
tion addressed  to  Mr.  Charles  J.  Munich, 
hon.  secretary  and  treasurer,  8,  Achilles  Road, 
West  Hampstead,  N.W. 

^  ^tp  ^ 
At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Sussex  Archae- 
ological Society,  held  at  Eastbourne,  Mr. 
Michell  Whitley  read  a  paper,  entitled  "Saxon 
Eastbourne,"  in  the  course  of  which,  having 
made  some  explanatory  observations  as  to 
the  origin  of  Domesday,  and  to  the  identifica- 
tion of  Eastbourne  with  the  "Bourne"  therein 
described,  Mr.  Whitley  alluded  to  the  fact 
that,  in  the  early  days  spoken  of,  the  arable 
land  was  laid  out  very  differently.  It  was 
divided  into  blocks  or  fields  called  "furlongs," 
each  about  650  feet  in  width,  and  of  varying 
length.  The  "  furlongs  "  were  also  subdivided 
into  narrow  strips  running  across  them,  some 
of  the  strips  being  only  a  rod  wide,  and 
representing  the  multiplication  of  holdings. 
Incidentally,  Mr.  Whitley  observed  that  the 
peculiarity  about  these  strips  in  Sussex  was 
that  they  were  absolutely  straight,  while  in 
the  Midland  Counties  they  were  curved  like 
the  reverse  letter  "  S." 

cjlp  «J»  €)!(» 

At  the  same  meeting  Mr.  P.  M.  Johnston  dealt 
with  a  subject  which  was  pretty  thoroughly 


o  2 


lOO 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


discussed  in  the  Antiquary  a  few  years  ago — 
namely,  that  of  low-side  windows.  After 
rejecting  the  various  theories  entertained  as 
to  the  low  side  window,  Mr.  Johnston  came 
back  to  the  old  idea  that  their  object  and  use 
was  the  hearing  of  confessions.  We  should 
not,  perhaps,  have  alluded  to  the  matter,  were 
it  not  that  Mr.  Johnston  supported  his  opinion 
from  a  record  "by  one  of  the  Commissioners 
appointed  to  inquire  into  the  religious  houses 
by  Henry  the  Eighth,  who  recommended 
that  those  places  where  the  Friars  were  wont 
to  hear  the  confessions  of  the  people  should 
be  '  walled  up.' "  We  should  like  to  see  the 
whole  of  this  report  printed.  We  may,  how- 
ever, point  out  that  the  low-side  windows 
have  no  connection  with  "  the  religious 
houses,"  but  are  found  in  simple  parish 
churches  in  all  parts  of  England,  so  that 
we  fail  to  follow  Mr.  Johnston's  Hne  of 
argument. 

.J,  .J,  cjjp 

The  Congress  of  Archaeological  Societies,  in 
union  with  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  is 
anxious  to  draw  the  attention  of  all  municipal 
corporations  and  county  councils  to  the  ex- 
treme importance  and  value,  not  only  for 
local,  but  also  for  general  historical  purposes, 
of  all  such  old  documents  as  are  now  in,  or 
may  come  into,  their  possession.  The  value 
applies  not  only  to  charters  and  lists  of  freemen 
or  burgesses,  but  to  all  manner  of  ancient 
documents,  such  as  enclosure  maps,  leases, 
and  other  conveyances,  the  account  rolls  and 
books  of  treasurers,  chamberlains,  and  other 
officers,  leet  and  court  rolls,  and  papers 
relating  to  lawsuits,  etc.,  and  also  all  county 
papers  which  before  the  Local  Government 
Act,  1888,  were  in  the  custody  of  the  Lords 
Lieutenant  of  the  counties,  and  include  the 
Quarter  Sessions  records,  and  papers  directed 
by  Act  of  Parliament  to  be  kept  by  the  Clerks 
of  the  Peace.  It  is  impossible  to  foresee  what 
important  bearing  such  documents  may  not 
have  upon  general  history,  and  this  has  in 
the  last  few  years  been  very  generally  under- 
stood, and  many  corporations  have  not  only 
carefully  calendared  all  the  old  documents 
in  their  possession,  but  in  some  cases  have 
printed,  or  are  printing,  the  results.  The 
congress  prays  all  corporations  to  have  a 
diligent  search  made  for  all  documents  that 
may   belong   to   them,   and   to   have   them 


calendared  and  placed  in  safety  in  some 
public  office,  or  at  least  in  their  own  fire- 
proof safes.  It  also  suggests  thai  inquiries 
should  be  made  for  any  old  maces,  staves, 
seals,  and  other  badges  of  office  not  now  in 
use  that  may  be  in  existence,  so  that  they 
may  be  carefully  preserved.  The  congress 
feels  sure  that  the  councils  of  the  various 
county  archaeological  societies  will  be  glad 
to  render  any  assistance  required  in  their 
districts,  and,  in  default  of  the  existence  of 
such  a  society  in  any  particular  district,  the 
standing  committee  of  the  congress  will  be 
glad  to  give  advice  on  the  matter.  The  hon. 
secretary  (we  may  state,  although  we  have 
already  done  so  on  previous  occasions)  is 
Mr.  Ralph  Nevill,  13,  Addison  Crescent, 
Kensington. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  circular,  signed  by  Lord  Dillon,  Mr.  Lionel 
Cust,  and  Mr.  Ralph  Nevill,  has  been  issued 
dealing  with  the  proposal  for  a  catalogue  of 
national  portraits,  originated  at  the  Archae- 
ological Congress.  In  their  memorandum 
they  observe :  "  Until  recently  very  insufficient 
attention  has  been  paid  to  the  subject,  and 
no  organized  effort  has  yet  been  made  to 
obtain  any  accurate  record  of  the  portraits 
that  exist.  E^xperience  has  shown  that  the 
making  of  such  a  record  is  the  surest  way 
of  promoting  the  safe  keeping  of  objects  of 
interest.  Nearly  every  family  of  more  than 
one  or  two  generations  possesses  some  family 
portraits  ;  but  neglect,  the  enforced  dispersal 
of  possessions  after  death,  and  other  circum- 
stances, have  cast  a  large  proportion  of  these 
portraits  into  anonymous  oblivion.  Many 
public  bodies,  such  as  colleges,  municipal 
corporations,  and  other  endowed  institutions, 
own  collections  of  portraits  of  which  they  are 
trustees  for  the  time  being,  and  which  they 
will  be  anxious  to  hand  down  to  posterity 
properly  named  and  in  good  order.  In  these 
collections,  both  private  and  public,  apart 
from  the  National  Portrait  Galleries  of 
England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  there  are 
numerous  portraits  of  the  greatest  historical 
interest,  and  it  is  considered  very  desirable 
that  some  attempt  should  be  made  to  obtain 
a  register  of  them  in  order  that  their  identity 
may  not  be  lost."  With  this  end  in  view,  a 
schedule  has  been  drawn  up  on  which  to 
enter  particulars  as  to  each  portrait.     These 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


schedules,  which  have  been  printed  by  H.M. 
Stationery  Office,  will  be  on  sale  at  Messrs. 
Eyre  and  Spottiswoode's,  or  may  be  obtained 
through  any  of  the  usual  agents.  They  will 
be  sold  detached  at  3s.  a  quire,  or  in 
volumes  of  50  at  4s.  6d.  A  paper  of  in- 
structions and  an  example  will  accompany 
each  volume. 

^  ^  ^ 
We  mentioned  in  the  Notes  of  the  Month 
in  February  the  inauguration  of  societies 
for  the  publication  of  parish  registers  in 
Shropshire  and  Lancashire.  We  learn  that 
it  is  now  proposed  to  publish  the  marriage 
registers  of  Norfolk,  under  the  editorship 
of  Mr.  W.  P.  W.  Phillimore,  M.A.,  and  Mr. 
F.  Johnson.  In  a  prospectus  which  we  have 
received  from  Messrs.  Phillimore  and  Co., 
they  say  :  "  The  extreme  value  of  our  ancient 
parish  registers  is  now  universally  admitted, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  best  way  to 
preserve  their  contents  is  to  print  them. 
Of  late  years  many  registers  have  been  issued 
from  the  press  by  private  enterprise,  but  in 
nearly  every  case  the  practice  has  been  to 
print  the  whole  register — baptisms,  burials, 
and  marriages.  The  two  former,  however, 
are  so  very  numerous  as  obviously  to  preclude 
any  general  and  systematic  publication  of 
parish  registers  in  their  entirety.  A  new 
departure  has  recently  been  taken  by  the 
issue  of  a  special  series  of  Gloucestershire 
registers  dealing  with  marriages  only,  the 
first  volume  of  which  has  recently  been 
issued.  The  experience  thus  gained  shows 
that  it  is  feasible  to  print  parish  registers 
systematically  with  the  prospect  of  com- 
pleting a  whole  county  within  a  reasonable 
period  of  time,  provided  we  confine  our 
attention  to  the  weddings  only,  which  are 
admittedly  the  most  interesting  and  valuable 
entries  in  a  register,  and  obviously  will  often 
indicate  where  also  the  baptisms  and  burials 
of  a  family  may  be  looked  for.  The  editors 
have  therefore  decided  to  print  a  volume  of 
Norfolk  marriage  registers,  and  to  continue 
the  intended  series,  provided  they  obtain  a 
minimum  number  of  fifty  subscribers  at 
IDS.  6d.  the  volume." 

^         ^         ^ 
From  Yorkshire  comes  also  a  proposal  to  print 
the  registers  of  the  parish  of  Fewston  from 
the  years  1593-1812  a.d.  if  a  sufficient  number 


of  subscriptions  be  promised  to  defray  the 
cost.  The  parish  consists  of  the  townships 
of  Fewston,  Norwood,  Timble,  Great  Bluber- 
houses,  and  Thruscross,  and  practically  in- 
cludes the  whole  of  the  Washburn  Valley 
above  Lindley  ;  and  the  registers  contain 
many  entries  relating  to  the  families  of  Fairfax, 
Frankland,  Pulleyne,  Robinson,  and  Slingsby, 
as  well  as  an  almost  complete  genealogy  of 
the  substantial  yeomen  families  of  Bramley, 
Beecroft,  Dickinson,  Gill,  Holmes,  Hard- 
castle,  Hardisty,  Jeffrey,  Stubbs,  Thackray, 
Ward,  and  others  inhabiting  the  district 
within  the  last  300  years.  The  books  are 
of  great  interest  to  topographers,  genealo- 
gists, and  others  interested  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. It  is  proposed  to  issue  them  in  two 
volumes,  cloth,  printed  in  clear  type  on  good 
paper,  at  the  price  of  30s.  for  the  two  volumes. 
Intending  subscribers  are  requested  to  send 
their  names  to  the  Rev.  Thos.  Parkinson, 
North  Otterington  Vicarage,  Northallerton. 


EamtJlingg  of  an  antiquatp. 

By  George  Bailey. 

SOME  ANCIENT  WALL-PAINTINGS. 

RAUNDS — continued. 

HE  story  of  St.  Catharine  has  once 
formed  a  prominent  feature  on  the 
walls  of  the  north  aisle  at  Raunds, 
but  only  two  of  the  scenes  from 
her  history  can  now  be  disentangled  from  the 
mixture  of  other  legends  which  have  at 
various  periods  been  superposed.  The  most 
interesting  is  here  (Fig.  i)  carefully  copied. 
The  picture  is  remarkable  for  its  realism  and 
excellence  as  a  composition.  It  is  quite 
evident  that  the  argument  used  by  the  little 
lady  with  the  yellow  hair  and  ermine-trimmed 
robes,  her  left  hand  held  argumentatively  by 
her  right,  has  effectually  puzzled  the  whole 
conclave.  The  pose  of  their  heads  and  the 
position  of  the  hands  and  the  eyes,  or  what 
remains  of  them,  plainly  show  it.  The 
gentleman  to  the  right  of  the  lady,  with  his 
one  eye,  and  his  right  forefinger  against  his 
left  thumb,  and  the  astonished  look  of  the 
presiding  pope  or  bishop,  leave  the  spectator 


C02 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  V. 


^:;;ii!l.'&uiiiiiiHiHiiiiii(i(l(i''^ 

ll||ll||lH!l>"""" 


FIG.    I.— WALL-PAINTING   IN    RAUNDS   CHURCH 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


»03 


in  no  doubt  whatever  as  to  the  unanswerable 
nature  of  the  saint's  contention. 

The  colouring  of  the  picture  is  thus  :  The 
president  is  seated  on  a  seat  with  a  canopy. 
The  foreleg  upon  which  his  right  arm  rests  is 
chocolate,  the  remainder  yellow  ochre  ;  he 
wears  a  white  mitre,  edged  with  yellow,  and 
strings  of  the  same  colour ;  a  blue  ribbon 
hangs  down  at  the  back ;  his  hair  and  beard 
are  thick  and  white  ;  he  wears  a  white  cape 
and  a  long  yellow  coat  or  cassock,  with  wide 
sleeves  lined  with  blue ;  over  all  a  stiff  crimson 
velvet  cope,  flesh-coloured  hose,  and  curious 
brown  slippers,  his  left  leg  crossing  the  right. 
The  clergy  wear  what  we  now  designate 
pork -pie  hats,  and  two  of  them  have  crimson 
velvet  copes.  Probably  all  had  the  same,  but 
in  some  the  colour  is  gone,  and  they  now 
appear  nearly  white.  There  were  originally  ten 
persons  besides  the  lady  and  the  bishop,  but 
three  have  nearly  vanished ;  they  may  be 
dimly  seen  in  the  background.  The  build- 
ing they  are  assembled  in  is  a  kind  of 
chapter-house,  with  groined  roof  and  circular- 
headed  windows,  and  the  picture  is  seen 
through  an  arch.  What  style  of  architecture 
was  intended  is  not  easy  to  say,  the  colouring 
is  so  much  decayed  ;  but  it  appears  rather 
mixed.  There  appears  to  be  the  head  of  a 
dog  or  some  other  animal  against  the  crossed 
leg  of  the  bishop,  a  fragment  of  some  former 
painting  doubtless. 

Our  difficulty  now  is  as  to  which  of  the 
Sts.  Catharine  this  painting  is  intended  to 
represent.  Is  it  Catharine  of  Sienna,  or  her 
of  Alexandria  ?  Generally  the  latter  is  under- 
stood. She  appears  to  have  been  popular  in 
England,  for  the  South  Kensington  list  gives 
sixty  pictures  of  her,  while  there  are  only  two 
of  the  former.  We  carefully  examined  other 
fragments  on  the  same  walls,  but  could  find 
no  traces  of  the  wheel  or  beheading  scenes. 
There  is,  however,  an  entombment  by  angels 
(Fig.  2)  on  the  west  wall  of  this  aisle,  very 
much  broken  and  obliterated,  which  certainly 
applies  to  St.  Catharine  of  Alexandria.  She 
is  said  to  have  been  carried  by  four  angels 
to  Mount  Sinai,  and  was  by  them  buried 
there  after  her  martyrdom  ;  the  entombed 
person  is  short  in  stature,  like  the  little  lady 
of  the  other  painting  ;  but  we  think  the  dates 
of  the  two  subjects  differ  considerably; 
No.  2  must  be  older  than  No.  i.     Again, 


there  are  remains  of  five  angels,  and  there 
may  have  been  more  when  the  whole  was 
complete.  In  this  fragment  there  is  some 
yellow  on  the  cloaks  of  the  angels,  and  their 
wings  have  been  black  and  white,  but  not 
peacock-feather  wings.  If  there  were  other 
colours  except  white,  yellow,  and  black,  they 
have  vanished.  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna  was 
born  in  that  city  in  1347,  and  having  at 
eight  years  of  age  vowed  virginity,  she 
assumed  the  Dominican  habit,  which  was 
a  white  gown  and  a  black  cloak  and  hood. 


FIG.    2. — ENTOMBMENT    OF    ST     CATHARINE    OF 
ALEXANDRIA. 

the  two  latter  lined  with  white.  She  is  said 
to  have  been  famous  for  her  revelations,  and 
also  for  her  marriage  with  Jesus  Christ,  and 
a  ring  was  preserved  as  the  marriage  ring. 
Correggio  has  represented  the  marriage  :  the 
ring  is  being  handed  to  her  by  the  infant 
Saviour ;  she  wears  no  monastic  habit ;  she 
holds  a  palm  in  one  hand,  and  a  sword  lies 
on  the  ground  before  her,  both  emblems  of 
martyrdom  ;  but  so  far  we  are  unable  to  find 
that  she  was  martyred — there  was  no  cause 
for  it  in  her  day.  She  died  in  1380. 
Is  it  possible  that  here  again  the  lives 
of  the  two  Catharines  have  been  mixed 
up  by  the  painter?  Again,  Masaccio 
painted  a  fresco  in  the  church  of  St. 
Clement  at  Rome  in  the  fifteenth  century 
in  which  he  represents  the  lady  as  a  short 
person  standing  before  a  judge,  with  a  number 
of  persons  seated  on  either  side,  and  her  atti- 
tude is  very  similar  to  that  before  us  :  she 


I04 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTJQUAR  Y. 


holds  the  fingers  of  her  left  hand  with  her 
right,  leading  to  an  impression  that  the  artist 
who  painted  this  picture  had  seen  Masaccio's 
fresco.  The  Catharine  of  that  painter  is  cer- 
tainly her  that  was  sentenced  to  be  broken 
on  the  wheel,  and  who,  escaping  that,  was 
beheaded,  and  represents  her  as  addressing 
the  assembled  philosophers  at  Alexandria  in 
one  picture,  and  in  another  the  beheading  of 
the  saint,  and  her  burial  by  the  angels  on 
Mount  Sinai.  There  is  another  reason  for 
supposing  the  Raunds  picture  to  represent 
Catharine  of  Sienna.  The  building  in  which 
the  persons  are  met  is  a  church  The  presi- 
dent is  evidently  a  bishop,  and  not  the  Roman 
Caesar,  Maximin,  neither  are  the  others  at  all 
like  an  assembly  of  philosophers ;  they  are 
ecclesiastics.  These  are  some  of  the  diffi- 
culties which  surround  this  painting.  They 
may  go  for  little,  for,  after  all,  the  mediaeval 
artists  probably  only  represented  the  scene  of 
•what  took  place  in  a  heathen  city  in  their  own 
way.  And  here  we  must  be  content  to  leave 
the  subject  for  the  present.  The  dates  of 
these  paintings  are  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
century. 

We  are  unable  to  suggest  what  the  large 
portion  of  a  very  weird  picture  seen  below, 
and  the  upper  part  of  which  is  hidden  by 
that  we  have  been  describing  (Fig.  i),  was 
intended  to  represent.  It  is  very  much 
older,  and  represents  an  entirely  different 
phase  of  art.  Very  little  is  left  but  the 
scanty  remains  of  bold  outlines  and  a  few 
patches  of  the  red  background. 

Besides  the  three  subjects  we  have  been 
able  to  illustrate  from  the  north  aisle,  there 
are  remains  of  several  others,  of  which  we 
made  no  copies ;  we  will,  however,  briefly 
describe  what  we  could  see  of  them.  On  the 
next  space,  against  the  door,  we  could  dimly 
make  out  a  large  figure  of  a  bishop  kneeling, 
wearing  his  robes  and  mitre.  Assembled 
round  him,  there  appeared  to  be  a  crowd  of 
people  ;  several  of  them  have  drawn  swords 
in  their  hands,  others  are  cowled  like  monks, 
and  there  are  others  with  curious  head- 
dresses ;  some  appear  to  be  singing  or  shout- 
ing. Possibly  this  represented  the  murder  of 
Thomas  k  Becket.  There  have  been  two 
other  paintings  west  of  the  north  door  ;  one 
is  unintelligible,  and  the  other,  which  is  on 
the  north  side  of  the  west  end,  appears  to 


have  been  a  natural  history  subject — a  large 
bird  something  like  an  ostrich — but  there 
have  been  figures  as  well,  and  probably  there 
are  portions  of  two  pictures,  so  that  the 
bits  of  the  two  together  make  up  a  puzzle 
not  easy  to  separate.  Another  space  coming 
next  to  the  St.  Catharine  picture  has  a  few 
bits  left,  showing  remains  of  an  altar  or 
shrine,  a  pretty  candlestick,  and  some  diaper, 
and,  dimly  discernible,  parts  of  a  bishop, 
wearing  a  mitre,  standing  or  kneeling  before 
this  altar  or  shrine;  and  on  the  next,  or  fourth 
space  east,  there  is  no  trace  of  any  paint- 
ing whatever,  but  the  east  end  has  a  good 
deal  of  roughly-painted  diaper  or  trellis-work 
upon  it,  which  was  continued  on  the  south 
wall  of  the  aisle.  The  splays  of  the  windows 
have  upon  some  of  them  fragments  of  boldly- 
outlined  scrolls. 

In  the  succeeding  portion  of  this  paper  we 
hope  to  give  the  remaining  paintings  from  the 
nave,  which  are  very  remarkable. 

i^To  be  continued.) 


©n  tbe  Pce0ect)ation  of 
antiquities.* 

By  George  Payne,  F.S.A. 


VERY  man  who  devotes  himself  to 
archaeological  research  becomes 
painfully  aware,  from  time  to  time, 
of  the  immense  destruction  of 
objects  of  ancient  art  which  has  been 
wrought  in  the  past  through  the  ignorance 
and  apathy  of  workmen  and  their  employers. 
It  is  still  going  on,  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts 
to  prevent  it,  although  not  to  so  great  an 
extent  as  formerly.  The  purport  of  this 
paper  is  to  show  some  of  the  methods  which 
the  writer,  during  the  past  thirty  years,  has 
found  necessary  to  adopt  to  ensure,  not  only 
the  preservation  of  antiquities,  but  at  the  same 
time  to  secure  all  trustworthy  information 
connected  with  their  discovery,  without  which, 

*  It  was  intended  that  this  paper  should  have 
been  read  at  the  recent  Archaeological  Congress, 
but  time  did  not  permit  of  this.  Mr.  Payne  has 
therefore  sent  it  to  the  Antiquary  for  publica- 
tion.— Ed. 


ON  THE  PRESERVATION  OF  ANTIQUITIES. 


105 


from  an  historical  point  of  view,  they  are  value- 
less. 

In  all  counties  gigantic  excavations  are  con- 
tinually proceeding,  rendering  it  imperative 
on  the  part  of  every  archaeologist  to  be  con- 
tinually on  the  alert  in  each  respective 
district. 

It  must  not  be  imagined  that  workmen 
employed  in  quarries,  sand,  clay,  gravel  and 
chalk  pits,  will  flock  to  our  doors  with  all  the 
antiquities  they  find,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
unless  we  take  measures  to  bring  about  so 
desirable  a  result. 

It  is  of  the  highest  importance  that  ex- 
cavated areas,  such  as  we  have  mentioned, 
should  be  regularly  visited,  that  we  may  get 
in  touch  with  the  men,  and  instruct  them  how 
to  proceed  should  anything  come  under  their 
notice.  At  the  outset  it  is  necessary  to  make 
them  understand,  by  using  plain,  common- 
place language,  the  nature  of  the  objects  we 
seek,  what  they  mean,  and  why  they  should 
be  preserved.  In  a  short  time  they  become 
interested,  especially  if  your  remarks  are 
illustrated  by  pictures.  Having  secured  their 
attention  and,  perhaps,  gained  their  con- 
fidence, the  next  move  is  to  induce  them  to 
let  a  discovery  alone,  if  possible,  until  your 
arrival.  If  you  offer  to  pay  the  messenger 
who  brings  the  intelligence,  they  will  generally 
accede  to  your  request.  These  preliminary 
steps  having  been  taken,  the  archaeologist 
must  then  be  careful  to  obtain  permission  of 
both  landlords  and  tenants  to  enable  him  to 
carry  out  his  projects.  The  answers  he 
receives  will  serve  as  a  guide  to  him  in  all 
future  operations,  and  the  important  question 
as  to  what  is  to  become  of  the  relics  that 
may  be  discovered  will  be  settled  at  the  same 
time. 

We  now  come  to  sites  excavated  for  build- 
ing purposes,  and  here  we  are  confronted 
with  difficulties  which  do  not  occur  in  con- 
nection with  quarries  and  the  like.  Smaller 
areas  are  affected,  and  the  excavations  chiefly 
confined  to  the  cutting  of  narrow  channels 
for  the  reception  of  the  foundations  of  walls. 
Usually  several  men  are  employed,  and  the 
work  proceeds  at  a  rapid  rate.  It  often 
happens  in  such  cases  that  many  ancient 
graves  are  cut  through,  and  irreparable  damage 
done  in  a  few  hours  without  our  being  any 
the  wiser.     In  country  towns  it  is  an  easy 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


matter  for  the  local  archaeologist  to  ask 
builders'  foremen  to  promptly  communicate 
when  the  least  sign  of  a  discovery  presents 
itself.  If  news  is  received,  and  the  former 
on  visiting  the  site  finds  there  is  work  to  be 
done,  he  can  forthwith  arrange  with  the 
builder  to  be  allowed  to  make  further  in- 
vestigations before  the  trenches  are  filled 
with  "  footings."  Sanction  will  generally  be 
given  if  the  building  operations  are  not 
likely  to  be  impeded.  Care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  dealing  with  foremen  of  works,  as 
they  have  it  in  their  power  to  materially 
assist  or  obstruct.  During  the  progress  of 
the  work  every  available  opportunity  may  be 
sought  to  impart  instruction  to  all  present. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that,  although  we 
have  interviewed  the  foremen  of  each  builder 
in  a  given  district,  this  is  not  enough — far 
from  it.  They  are  apt  to  forget  or  become 
indifferent  to  your  requirements,  or  leave  the 
neighbourhood,  hence  it  is  essential  to  put  in 
an  appearance  whenever  a  new  site  is  opened 
for  building  purposes,  or  old  houses  give  place 
to  new. 

Having  made  these  few  suggestions  con- 
cerning fields  and  open  spaces  in  towns,  let 
us  see  how  archaeology  can  be  advanced  by 
watching  excavations  in  streets  and  public 
thoroughfares.  These  are  continually  in 
progress  for  the  laying  down  of  sewers, 
drains,  gas  and  water  mains,  bringing  the 
archaeologist  into  contact  with  surveyors  of 
corporations  and  district  councils,  and 
managers  of  gas  and  water  companies. 

The  assistance  of  these  officials  is  of  much 
value,  and  they  should  be  invited  to  co-operate 
in  the  effort  to  preserve  antiquities  from  de- 
struction. When  main  roads  are  cut  through, 
good  sections  of  them  may  often  be  seen, 
which  sometimes  enable  one  to  determine 
their  antiquity.  In  lanes,  alleys,  and  out-of- 
the-way  places,  foundations  of  all  kinds  of 
walls  are  met  with  in  ancient  towns,  render- 
ing it  most  necessary  for  an  archaeologist  to 
see  them  before  they  are  again  covered  up. 
Whatever  is  observed,  likely  to  be  of  service 
in  working  out  the  history  of  a  town,  should 
be  forthwith  marked  on  a  large-scale  map. 
These  scraps  of  evidence  may  seem  unim- 
portant at  the  time,  but  the  day  is  sure  to 
come  when  they  will  be  required. 

During  our  researches  we  have  found  that 

p 


io6 


ON  THE  PRESERVATION  OF  ANTIQUITIES. 


the  country  wayside  inn  is  one  of  the  best 
places  where  information  may  be  obtained  of 
local  discoveries.  The  '*  sons  of  the  soil " 
who  habitually  frequent  these  places  never 
fail  to  talk  over  what  they  have  found  in  the 
fields  at  the  bar  of  the  inn,  hence  a  chat  with 
the  landlord  often  results  in  the  inquirer 
spending  a  whole  day  in  the  immediate 
locality  interviewing  persons  to  whom  the 
former  has  referred  him. 

As  we  have  already  shown,  -an  archae- 
ologist's work  in  the  field  has  brought  him 
into  close  communion  with  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  men  ;  much  useful  information  has 
been  imparted,  many  curious  and  startling 
facts  revealed,  which  must  have  impressed 
everyone  concerned.  But  we  must  not  end 
here;  there  are  other  means  by  which  the 
preservation  of  antiquities  may  be  ensured, 
namely,  by  lectures  on  archasology  to  local 
scientific  societies,  workmen's  clubs,  village 
institutes  and  schools.  These  cannot  fail  to 
be  productive  of  the  best  results  if  they  are 
given  in  a  bright,  popular  manner  by  men 
who  are  qualified  to  speak  upon  the  subject. 
These  addresses  need  not  be  in  the  least 
degree  wearisome,  and  they  should  be  free 
from  all  technicalities.  Such  meetings  give 
golden  opportunities  for  directly  appealing  to 
each  member  of  the  audience  to  assist  in  the 
great  work  of  stamping  out  vandalism.  How 
can  we  expect  people  to  revere  and  jealously 
guard  antiquities  of  any  kind,  unless  they 
know  what  they  mean  and  what  is  to  be 
learnt  from  them. 

To  the  young  we  must  also  appeal,  remem- 
bering that  they  will  follow  us,  and  in  after- 
life have  the  care  of  the  precious  heritage  we 
leave  behind. 

The  majority  of  boys  collect  something, 
and  we  should  really  be  lending  them  a  help- 
ing hand  by  teaching  them  how  and  what  to 
collect.  If  no  other  good  is  done,  we  shall 
have  taught  them  order,  neatness  and  arrange- 
ment, which  will  prove  of  inestimable  value 
to  them  throughout  their  lives. 

We  have  hitherto  treated  of  the  preserva- 
tion of  antiquities  discovered  beneath  the  soil ; 
we  will  now  consider  what  part  an  archaeolo- 
gist may  take  in  preserving  the  ancient  monu- 
ments existing  upon  the  surface  of  the  land 
in  the  locality  in  which  he  resides.  These 
are  constantly  before  his  eyes,  and  no  one, 


perhaps,  surveys  such  remains  so  critically  as 
himself.  He  notes  with  sorrow  the  ravages 
of  time  upon  wall,  buttress,  and  battlement, 
and  witnesses  the  immense  damage  caused  to 
masonry  by  the  persistent  growth  of  ivy, 
which  is  a  far  more  destructive  agent  than 
the  hand  of  Time.  If  in  the  examination  of 
ruined  fabrics  common-sense  dictates  that 
there  is  need  for  his  intervention  in  order  to 
arrest  the  progress  of  decay,  then  let  him  go 
fearlessly  to  those  who  have  historic  or  note- 
worthy buildings  under  their  care,  and  lay 
the  facts  of  the  case  before  them,  at  the 
same  time  begging  leave  to  make  certain 
suggestions,  which,  let  it  be  observed,  must 
be  free  from  the  slightest  taint  of  restora- 
tion. 

It  seems  to  us  that  far  more  good  may  be 
done  in  this  way  than  by  writing  irritating 
letters  to  the  newspapers. 

Corporate  bodies  are,  happily,  becoming 
fully  alive  to  the  grave  responsibility  attach- 
ing to  the  protection  of  ancient  monuments, 
which  former  generations  have  handed  down 
to  them,  alas  !  in  a  sadly  neglected  condition  ; 
and  we  believe  that  they  would  gladly  avail 
themselves  of  any  assistance  archaeologists 
might  be  pleased  to  offer  them  as  to  the  best 
means  of  preserving  what  remains.  Action 
cannot  be  taken  in  these  matters  without  the 
expenditure  of  public  money  ;  it  therefore 
behoves  those  who  are  interested  to  use  every 
endeavour  to  gain  the  sympathy  and  support 
of  the  public,  which  education  alone  can 
achieve. 


SDID  %\x%%zx  JFarmf)ou0es  anD 
tbeir  jTurniture. 

By  J.  Lewis  Andr6,  F.S.A. 

ROM  Virgil  downwards  the  praises 
of  husbandry  have  been  sung  by 
poets  and  proclaimed  by  philoso- 
phers. Rousseau,  in  his  Etnile, 
speaks  eloquently  on  this  art,  and  says  that 
"  Agriculture  is  the  first  business  of  man. 
It  is  the  most  honest,  the  most  useful,  and 
consequently  the  most  noble,  that  he  can 
exercise."  Townsmen  generally  consider  the 
dwellers  in  the  country  as  beneath  them  in 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


107 


intellect,  but  many  a  distinguished  man  has 
been  reared  in  a  lonely  farmhouse  and  had  a 
farmer  for  his  parent.  Sussex,  a  purely 
agricultural  county,  has  furnished  several 
instances  of  this,  among  which  we  find  the 
names  of  John  Baxter,  William  Catt,  Richard 
Cobden,  John  Uudeney,  Bernard  Lintott, 
William  Pattison,  and  Thomas  Stapleton, 
whom  Lower  in  his  writings  designates  "  one 
of  the  learnedest  of  England's  sons."  The 
agriculturists  of  Sussex,  the  class  from  which 
the  above-named  sprung,  have  been  tenacious 
holders  of  the  soil ;  and  whilst  the  proud 
possessors  of  Brambletye,  Laughton,  and 
Slangham,  have  passed  away,  we  find  still 
existing  humble  yeoman  famiHes  who  have 
been  tillers  of  the  same  soil  from  generation 
to  generation.  Thus,  till  recently,  the  Woods 
of  Warnham  had  held  Broomhall  Farm  for 
200  years,  and  in  and  about  the  Manhood 
district,  near  Chichester,  we  find  the  land  in 
many  cases  cultivated  by  the  descendants  of 
sixteenth- century  farmers  in  the  same  locality, 
as  is  proved  by  the  wills  of,  for  instance,  the 
families  of  Alwyn  and  Hobgen. 

In  the  early  ages,  Sussex  being  for  the 
most  part  covered  with  oak  woods,  the  area 
under  tillage  was  of  scanty  proportion  to  the 
whole,  and  even  now,  having  regard  to  its 
size,  the  county  possesses  more  woodland 
than  any  other.  But  the  process  of  clearing 
the  ground  from  woods  began  in  the  middle 
ages,  for  the  Bollandists,  quoting  an  early 
Life  of  St.  Cuthman,  state  that,  when  he  lived, 
the  country  round  Steyning  was  covered  with 
a  thick  wood,  but  when  the  biography  was 
written,  it  had  been  rendered  "a  fertile  and 
fruitful  soil."  The  prosecution  of  the  iron 
industry,  and  in  a  less  degree  that  of  glass- 
making,  greatly  reduced  the  forest  area,  but 
even  in  the  last  century  the  little  village  of 
Itchingfield  was  so  buried  in  woods  that  it 
is  said  to  have  been  chosen  as  a  secure 
hiding-place  for  the  unfortunate  followers 
of  Prince  Charles  Stuart  after  the  rising  in 

17^5- 

Sussex  150  years  ago  was  considered  "a 
plentiful  county,"  as  the  Present  State  of 
England  for  1750  tells  us,  and,  according  to 
the  same  authority,  its  commodities  were 
"  corn,  cattle,  malt,  wood,  wool,  iron,  chalk, 
glass,  fish,  and  fowl."  The  county  is  still 
famous  for  some  of  these,  but  the  iron  and 


glass  have  disappeared  from  the  list.  Flax 
and  hemp  were  formerly  much  cultivated  in 
some  parts  of  the  district,  but  the  introduc- 
tion of  potatoes  in  the  eighteenth  century 
was  unpopular,  and  it  is  said  that  at  Lewes 
elections  the  popular  cry  was  "  No  Popery, 
no  potatoes  !" 

Had  there  been  good  roads  in  Sussex 
when  English  farming  was  a  profitable 
occupation,  the  county  would  have  been 
even  more  prosperous  than  it  was,  but  the 
badness  of  the  highways  greatly  hindered  the 
farm  produce  from  being  brought  to  market 
— indeed,  the  roads  were  so  impassable  in 
winter,  even  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  that  the  farmers  were  used  to  get  in 
all  their  supplies  for  that  season  from  the 
nearest  town  early  in  October,  and  not  re- 
visit it  until  the  following  March.  It  is  true 
that  attempts  were  made  to  remedy  the 
wretchedness  of  the  roads  even  as  early  as 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  money  left  for  the 
purpose,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  will  of 
Thomas  Standon,  of  Ticehurst,  who  in  1542 
bequeathed  a  sum  for  the  repair  of  ' '  the  most 
noysom  and  fowle  wayes  within  the  sayde 
paryshe  of  Tysherst,  whereas  most  nede  shall 
be  sene  by  the  discrecyon  of  the  honesty  of 
the  parishe."  At  the  present  day  the  roads 
in  Sussex  will  bear  comparison  with  any  in 
the  kingdom,  with  the  exception  of  some  un- 
frequented thoroughfares,  on  which  the  grass 
grows  freely,  causing  them  to  be  termed 
"green  lanes."  In  the  neighbourhood  of 
Hunger  Hill,  Horsham,  are  several  of  these 
verdant  highways. 

After  these  preliminary  observations,  the 
more  immediate  subjects  of  these  papers  may 
be  considered,  and  first  that  of  the  houses 
themselves. 

Many  of  the  smaller  manor-houses  and 
halls — such  as  Broomhall,  Warnham,  and 
Rotherfield  Hall — appear  to  have  partaken 
of  the  farmhouse  character  from  the  begin- 
ning, whilst  some  of  the  better-class  dwell- 
ings have  been  converted  into  farmers' 
homes,  as,  for  instance.  Moor  Farm,  Pet- 
worth,  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Dawtreys,  and 
Roughey,  Horsham,  the  former  habitation  of 
the  Copleys.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are 
numerous  instances  of  farmhouses  having 
of  late  years  been  turned  into  "  gentlemen's 
residences,"  often  losing  thereby  all  their  old 


To8 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


interest,  and  providing  uncomfortable  homes 
for  their  new  masters.  The  remains  of 
several  of  the  monastic  houses  now  form 
farmsteads,  as  at  Hardham,  Linchmere,  and 
Michelham. 

A  moat  surrounded  many  farmhouses, 
even  when  they  were  of  inconsiderable  size, 
as  at  the  Moated  Farm,  Horsham,  and  some- 
times there  were  two  such  in  the  same  parish, 
as  at  Crawley.  They  have  in  many  cases 
been  drained,  though  at  Leigh  Place,  in 
Surrey,  but  on  the  Sussex  border,  the  moat 
still  exists,  and  when  Manning  and  Bray 
wrote  their  History  of  Surrey  a  drawbridge 
crossed  the  somewhat  stagnant  ditch,  as 
appears  by  an  illustration  in  that  work. 


carried  by  curved  braces  over  the  centre 
between  the  projecting  rooms,  and  where 
the  chimney  was  a  central  one,  there  were  no 
gables,  but  each  angle  of  the  roof  was  hipped. 
Both  these  features  may  be  noticed  at 
Hooker's  Farm,  which  reseml)les  closely 
another  at  Horsham.  Often  to  these  plain 
oblong  buildings  additions  were  made,  and 
frequently  without  any  regard  to  congruity 
with  the  existing  structures,  but  from  these 
adjuncts  much  of  the  picturesqueness  of 
these  houses  now  takes  its  source,  and  of 
which  Lanaways  Farm,  Horsham,  furnishes 
an  example. 

The  foundations  of  old  houses  in  Sussex 
were  generally  of  the  local  sandstone,  even 


HOOKERS  FARM  ,>X/ARTaHAM 


The  plan  of  most  of  the  smaller  houses 
was  originally  a  simple  parallelogram,  with  a 
single  chimney-stack  in  the  centre,  as  may 
be  noticed  in  the  accompanying  illustration 
of  Hooker's  Farm,  Warnham,  the  end 
chimney  being  an  addition.  Inside  the 
house  the  flues  sprung  from  a  wide  central 
fireplace,  forming  a  chimney-corner.  This 
was  flanked  on  one  side  by  a  lobby,  serving 
for  a  porch,  and  on  the  other  was  a  space 
devoted  to  the  stairs,  which  wound  round 
the  "  gathering  in  "  of  the  chimney,  the  three 
divisions  occupying  the  entire  width  of  the 
building.  On  the  sunniest  side  of  the  house 
the  chamber-floor  overhung  at  each  end,  but 
the  roof  was  continuous  with  its  wall  plate. 


when  the  upper  walls  were  of  brick,  and  this 
stonework  was  carried  up  about  2  feet  above 
the  ground-level.  Many  buildings,  both 
religious  and  secular,  of  the  better  class 
were  of  chalk  faced  with  flint  or  freestone, 
as  at  Lewes  Priory  and  Parham  House ;  but 
although  some  farmhouses  were  of  masonry, 
the  great  majority,  especially  in  the  north  of 
Sussex,  were  of  half-timber  work.  The 
wooden  framing  was  first  of  all  put  together 
on  the  ground,  as  roofs  were  till  lately,  and  I 
have  seen  a  will  in  which  the  testator  says  he 
leaves  to  a  relative  "  the  house  which  I  have 
in  frame."  This  kind  of  building  was  called 
"  post  and  panel "  work,  and,  as  a  rule,  there 
is  an  absence  of  the   elaborate  devices  so 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


109 


often  seen  in  the  north-west  of  England,  the 
framing  consisting  solely  of  upright  and  cross- 
pieces  with  occasionally  curved  braces.  Un- 
like foreign  examples,  the  angle  pieces  carry- 
ing the  chamber  floors  are  seldom  carved,  and 
the  only  Sussex  ones  I  know  of  are  at  the 
Star  Inn,  Alfriston,  and  a  house  in  the  High 
Street,  Lewes.  Sometimes  ornamental  round- 
ended  tiles,  formed  into  diamond-shaped 
panels,  are  worked  in  with  the  plain  ones. 

By  far  the  commonest  material  for  the 
healing  of  roofs  in  the  wealds  of  Surrey  and 
Sussex  was  the  Horsham  stone  slate,  both 
churches  and  houses  having  been  covered 
with  this  most  picturesque  roof  covering, 
and  one  which  has  been  in  use  ever  since 
the  times  of  the  Romans,  who  not  only 
employed  square-ended  tiles,  but  also  hex- 
agonal slabs  and  socketed  ridge  tiles.  Reed 
and  thatch  are,  however,  common  in  some 
parts  of  Sussex,  especially  in  the  south- 
western district.  Shingles,  except  for  church 
spires,  appear  to  have  gone  out  of  use 
entirely,  though  formerly  churches  as  well 
as  houses  were  covered  with  them,  and  they 
formed  one  of  the  very  numerous  uses  to 
which  "  the  Sussex  weed  " — to  wit,  the  oak — 
was  applied. 

Bargeboards  were  generallyplainly  moulded 
or  had  a  row  of  dentals  running  along  them, 
as  in  examples  at  Hurst  Hill,  Horsham, 
and  at  Tillington.  The  eaves  were  usually 
dripping  ones,  or  had  wooden  gutters  and 
pipes.  Dormer  windows  where  met  with  will 
generally  be  found  as  modern  additions. 

The  external  doorways  were  often  con- 
structed to  form  parts  of  the  framing  of  the 
house,  of  which  there  is  a  good  example  at 
Dedisham,  Slinfold.  Where  the  entrance 
was  of  stone,  the  door  head  was  generally 
cut  out  of  one  piece,  as  at  Coates,  Bexhill, 
and  Portslade. 

Oriel  windows  framed  in  wood,  and  pro- 
jecting less  than  the  eaves,  are  common 
cut,  and  in  these  the  sills  are  supported  by 
brackets,of  which  there  are  good  specimens  at 
Horsham  and  Fittleworth.  The  lead  lights 
in  pantries  had  sometimes  quarries  pierced 
in  patterns,  though  the  only  example  I  know 
of  in  Sussex  has  been  destroyed ;  there  are  re- 
productions of  similar  ventilators  at  Hampton 
Court  Palace.  In  many  old  farmhouses  we 
find  blocked-up  windows,  the  result  of  the 


window-tax,  and  one  which  the  Sussex  diarist, 
Timothy  Burrell,  says  he  paid  for  the  first 
time  in  i6g6. 

At  Ninfield  is  a  farmhouse  with  the  in- 
scription on  its  front,  "  God's  Providence  is 
mine  Inheritence,"  a  favourite  Puritan  motto 
sometimes  seen  on  rings,  and  which  Calamy 
says  was  that  of  Mr.  Joseph  Bennett,  the 
ejected  minister  of  Brightling,  a  village  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Ninfield. 

Near  the  coast,  many  farmhouses  and 
buildings  formed  three  sides  of  a  square,  the 
fourth  being  a  high  wall,  and  the  yard  so 
enclosed  was  utilized  for  the  storage  of  wool, 


NO/\HS   ARK  INW 
LU  KG ASH ALL. 

which  was  clandestinely  conveyed  abroad,  as 
the  exportatiori  of  this  article  was  extensively 
carried  on  in  Sussex,  notwithstanding  the 
prohibitive  Acts  passed  in  1696  and  1718, 
laws  which  continued  in  force  till  1824. 

In  the  insides  of  the  smaller  farmhouses 
ship-timber  was  often  used,  even  in  places  as 
far  from  the  seaboard  as  Horsham,  and  may 
be  noticed  frequently  from  the  queer  mortices 
to  be  found  in  the  beams,  unlike  any  others 
in  house  carpentry. 

The  kitchen  of  an  old  farmhouse  is,  for 
the  antiquary,  by  far  the  most  interesting 
room  in  the  dwelling,  as  it  contains  so  many 
traces  of  the  manner  in  which  farmers  lived 
for  many  generations,  down  to  the  last  quarter 
of  the  present  century.  Very  frequently  it 
served  for  the  living-room  of  the  tenant,  his 
family,  and  labourers.  The  floor  was  of 
stone,  and,  from  the  dryness  or  wetness  of 
the  flags,  fair  or  foul  weather  was  prognosti- 


no 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


cated.  Overhead  were  the  open  joists  of 
the  chamber  floor,  and  nailed  to  them  one 
or  two  short  boards,  forming  shelves  for 
small  articles.   The  door-boards  in  the  oldest 


S  C  Al   t 

-  COB  I  ROMS. 

houses  were  laid  parallel  to  the  joists  ;  not 
across  them,  as  in  modern  work.  Sometimes 
there  was  a  wooden  cornice  round  the  room, 
as  at  Robin  Hood  Lane,  Warnham,  part  of 
which  I  strongly  suspect  formed  the  rood 
beam  at  the  church.  The  doors  from  the 
kitchen  and  other  rooms  were  generally 
ledged,  and  not  panel  ones,  the  boarding 
sometimes  double,  as  at  Weston's  Farm, 
Warnham,  the  outer  thickness  being  moulded, 
and  on  one  of  the  doors  at  this  farm  is  the 
quaint  wooden  bolt  here  sketched.  Window- 
seats  were  introduced  where  possible,  with 
cushions  anciently  called  "  bankers,"  and  it 
is  perhaps  worth  noting  that  the  low  bench 
on  which  a  mason  works  is  still  called  a 
"  banker." 

The  principal  object  in  the  kitchen  was 
the  large  open  fireplace  with  its  chimney 
corner,  over  which  was  a  massive  wooden 
mantle  with  a  narrow  shelf.  To  the  former 
hung  a  short  curtain,  and  along  the  edge  of 
the  latter,  I  have  been  told,  there  was  nailed 
a  strip  of  leather,  forming  a  rack  in  which 
the  men-servants  deposited  their  knives  after 
a  meal,  having  first  cleaned  them  by  the 
simple  process  of  drawing  them  across  their 
leather  breeches.  Here  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  there  are  two  kinds  of  chimney  corners. 


one  being  merely  an  enlarged  fireplace  open 
at  top  to  the  sky,  and  the  other  constructed 
with  an  internal  hood,  as  at  the  Noah's  Ark 
Inn,  Lurgashal,  here  delineated,  the  latter 
being  much  the  more  comfortable  form. 
Occasionally  there  were  two  flues  to  one 
fireplace,  a  common  mediaeval  arrangement. 

An  oven  was  sometimes  introduced  within 
the  chimney  corner,  and  at  New  Place,  Pul- 
borough,  there  are  two,  one  on  each  side. 
These  ovens  were  often  formed  very  neatly, 
domed  over  with  tiles  laid  on  edge  over  a 
wooden  core  afterwards  burnt  out.  Sper- 
shott,  an  eighteenth-century  Sussex  writer, 
says  that  in  his  youth  most  families  made 
"their  own  Bread  and  likewise  their  own 
Household  Physick."  Now  country  families, 
for  the  most  part,  depend  on  a  local  baker 
for  a  supply  of  bread,  and  he  brings  round 


to  them  the  needed,  though  often  ill-kneaded, 
loaves.  The  Sussex  peasant  still  believes 
that  the  bread  baked  on  Good  Friday  will 
not  get  mouMy. 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


Over  the  mantelshelf  there  was  often  a  set 
of  wooden  racks  for  the  spits  used  in  cooking, 
or  to  hold  guns ;  these  were  cut  in  various 
ornamental  patterns,  and  an  engraving  in 
Ashton's  Social  Life  in  the  Reign  of  Queen 
Anne  (p.  233)  shows  one  of  these  racks  with 
the  spits  on  it,  and  also  serving  as  a  receptacle 
for  ladles,  pot-lids,  etc.  Spits  are,  I  believe, 
still  used  at  Trinity  College,  Cambridge, 
seven  or  eight  being  employed  at  once. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  only  wood  was 
burnt  in  the  farmhouse  kitchen,  and  when 
we  meet  with  the  word  "  coal "  in  old 
writings,  charcoal  must  be  understood,  unless 
it  is  specified  as  "sea  coal."  The  fire  was 
made  over  a  stout  iron  plate  on  a  raised 
brick  platform,  at  the  back  of  which  was  a 
large  massive  fireback,  as  a  rule,  only  slightly 
ornamented,  and  which  would  stand  much 
heat.  There  is  a  capital  example  at  the 
W'ar-bill-in-tun  Inn,  VVarbleton.  Reference 
is  made  to  a  similar  back  in  the  Diary  of  the 
Rev.  Giles  Moore,  who  writes  that  he  bought, 
in  1659,  one  for  his  kitchen  weighing  "  100"^ 
&  3  q"","  costing  him,  with  the  casting,  13s. 

Every  kitchen  fireplace  had  its  cob-irons, 
or  creepers,  andirons  being  a  more  orna- 
mental form  of  fire-dog  seldomer  met  with, 
and  were  of  cast-iron,  whereas  the  former 
were  of  wrought-iron ;  they  were  often  quite 
plain,  with  bent  ends,  a  form  they  had  as 
early  as  the  fifteenth  century  ;  other  creepers 
had  a  series  of  hooks  for  the  spits,  or  a  hook 
which  worked  up  and  down.  The  name 
"  fire-dog  "  was,  I  think,  suggested  by  the 
emblem  of  the  lares,  a  dog,  a  conjecture 
supported  by  the  French  name  for  the  same 
object,  chenet,  or  chien-net. 

From  a  bar  in  the  chimney  hung  the  chain 
which  supported  the  rack  from  which  the 
cooking  pots  or  kettles  were  suspended,  and 
the  pot  or  kettle  could  be  turned  aside,  with- 
out the  hands  touching  either,  by  an  ingenious 
contrivance,  as  here  shown. 

The  flesh-pot  was  almost  identical  in  shape 
with  those  in  use  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
stood  on  three  legs.  An  engraving  of  one 
of  these  mediaeval  cauldrons  shows  it  in- 
scribed with  this  quaint  couplet : 
"  Je  su  pot  de  graunt  bonhur 
Viande  a  fere  de  bon  souhur." 

At  the  present  day  similar  vessels  are  slung 
under  the   traveller's   ox -waggon   in    South 


Africa,  and  form  the  chief  furniture  of  a 
Kaffir  kraal.  Pots  of  iron,  brass,  or  bell- 
metal,  are  of  constant  occurrence  in  old  wills, 
and  were  kept  in  some  places  for  the  weddings 
of  poor  maids.  A  large  cauldron  for  this 
purpose  still  exists  in  the  church  of  Frensham, 
Surrey.  Flesh  forks  are  rarely  to  be  met 
with ;  one  of  quite  mediaeval  rudeness  is  here 
sketched. 

Next  to  the  flesh-pot  in  importance  was 
the  skellet,  posnet,  or  possenet.     It  was  a 


TOASTER 


smaller  pot,  generally  of  brass  or  gun-metal, 
standing  on  three  feet,  which  are  often 
terminated  by  claws.  From  the  rim  extended 
a  long  handle,  sometimes  inscribed  with  pious 
ejaculations  or  truths,  such  as  "  fere  god  "  on 
one  in  Lewes  Museum,  whilst  another  has 
the  cheerful  intimation  that  "Ye  wages  of 
sin  is  death."  Trivets,  or  tripods,  called 
brendlets,  or  brandlets,  were  used  to  support 
kettles  or  pots  above  the  wood  embers. 

A  kind  of  iron  cage,  or  cradle,  is  very  often 
met  with,  and  was  used  to  dry  small  twigs  in 
for  the  purpose  of  lighting  fires  ;  it  was  also 
employed  to  cleanse  foul  clay  tobacco-pipes. 
Small  light  tongs,  about  18  inches  long,  were 
used  to  take  up  hot  embers  to  light  pipes, 
and  are  nearly  always  provided  with  a  knob 
to  serve  as  a  tobacco-stopper.  The  fire-tongs, 
of  larger  size,  were  in  one  piece,  and  resembled 
sugar-tongs  in  shape.  The  use  of  the  grid- 
iron in  Sussex  dates  from  very  early  times, 
as  one  of  Roman  manufacture  was  found  at 
Maresfield.      In    connection    with    cooking 


112 


OLD  ENGLISH  GLASSES. 


utensils,  it  may  be  noticed  that  every  house- 
hold had  one  or  two  mortars  for  pounding 
ingredients  used  in  the  culinary  art.  They 
were  of  various  materials— iron,  brass,  gun- 
or  bell-metal — and  differed  much  in  design, 
shape,  and  size. 

{To  be  contittued.) 


IR.  HARTSHORNE'S  imposing 
treatise  will  be  welcomed  as  a 
substantial  addition  to  the  some- 
what scanty  literature  of  the  world's 
glass  industry.  As  an  illustrated  record  of  a 
unique  collection  of  English  drinking  vessels, 
the  work  will  remain  for  all  time  the  collec- 
tor's guide  and  standard  book  of  reference. 
Of  its  merits  as  a  trustworthy  version  of  the 
rise  and  development  of  the  native  industry 
we  shall  have  more  to  say  anon.  But  Mr. 
Hartshorne  is  not  content  to  be  regarded  as 
the  historian  and  illustrator  of  English  glasses 
only.  Before  settling  down  to  chronicle  the 
obscure  and  often  inglorious  annals  of  the 
home  industry,  he  sets  forth  on  a  tramp  abroad 
in  quest  of  new  materials  wherewith  to  adorn 
and  illustrate  the  somewhat  threadbare  facts 
and  negations  which  must  perforce  serve  the 
compiler  of  the  history  of  English  glass- 
making  down  to  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

In  respect  of  this  prefatory  matter,  which 
occupies  the  first  loo  pages  of  the  work, 
we  propose  to  offer  little  in  the  way  of 
criticism,  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
may  be  engaged  in  further  research  in  this 
direction,  we  may  point  out  a  hitherto 
neglected  but  important  source  of  informa- 
tion concerning  the  documentary  trans- 
mission of  the  secrets  of  glass-making  from 
the  cradle  of  the  industry  in  Egypt  down 
to  their  final  embodiment  in  the  treatises 
of  Eraclius  and  Theophilus,  and  the  works 
of  Neri,  Haudicquer  de  Blancourt,  Merret, 
and  others.     We  allude  to  the  publication 

*  Old  English  Glasses  :  An  Account  of  Glass  Drink- 
ing Vessels  in  England  .  .  .  to  end  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century.  By  Albert  Hartshorne,  F.S.A.  London  : 
E.  Arnold.     1897.     Royal  4to. 


of  the  six  4to  volumes  of  Les  Alchiviistes 
Grecs,  and  La  Chimie  au  Moyen  Age,  edited 
by  M.  Berthelot  under  the  auspices  of 
the  French  Government.  This  work  estab- 
lishes for  the  first  time  the  unbroken  trans- 
mission of  a  body  of  practical  receipts  col- 
lected first  by  the  Grneco-y?^gyptian  philoso- 
phers of  the  seventh  to  ninth  centuries,  which 
found  their  way  into  Europe  by  the  medium, 
firstly,  of  Syriac  and  Arabic  translations,  and 
finally,  of  Latin  versions. 

In  tome  ii.,  for  instance,  of  La  Chimie  au 
Moyen  Age,  we  find  a  treatise  on  glass-making 
and  the  coloration  of  glass,  together  with  a 
lucid  account  of  the  mode  of  construction  of 
the  glass  furnaces.  We  there  learn  that  it 
was  in  one  and  the  same  furnace — "  le  four 
philosophe,"  or  "le  petit  four  des  Verriers" 
— that  the  alchemist  of  yore  practised  for  his 
own  ends  the  transmutation  of  metals  and 
the  imitation  of  the  precious  stones ;  a 
parallel  use  of  which  may  be  found  in  the 
experiments  of  the  Alchemist  de  Lannoy  in 
our  own  country.  Equally  important  are  the 
evidences  to  be  found  in  these  volumes  of 
the  state  of  the  art  of  glass-blowing  in  the 
Middle  Ages  afforded  by  the  representation  of 
glass  philosophical  vessels,  aludels,  alembics, 
etc.,  which  these  early  MSS.  are  found  to  con- 
tain. The  demand  for  these  vessels  in  the 
sixteenth  century  by  English  alchemists — 
"  savants  en  I'art  de  destiler  " — is  proved  by 
the  oft-cited  quotation  of  Charnock,  and  led 
to  the  first  introduction  of  the  g^entlemen 
glass-makers  of  France  into  this  country. 
To  return  to  Mr.  Hartshorne,  however :  the 
utility  and  value  of  these  introductory 
notices  must  be  gratefully  recognised  by 
the  student,  collector,  and  glass-maker  alike. 
They  are  to  be  commended  as  well  for  the 
excellence  of  the  illustrations  which  accom- 
pany the  author's  commentary  as  for  the 
research  displayed  by  the  numerous  refer- 
ences to  modern  Continental  authorities 
whose  works  are  not  generally  accessible  in 
this  country. 

The  positive  facts  respecting  the  mediaeval 
glass  industry  in  this  country  are  few  in 
number,  and  may  be  easily  summarized.  Of 
its  existence  in  Britain  during  the  Roman 
occupation,  Mr.  Hartshorne  admits  there  is 
no  certain  evidence  (p.  no),  nor  does  our 
author  profess  to  discover  a  continuity  of  the 


OLD  ENGLISH  GLASSES. 


"3 


industry  during  the  Saxon  period.     In  the 
thirteenth  century,  however,  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  glass-making  in  the  Weald  is  at 
length  forthcoming,  due  to  the  researches  of 
the   Rev.    T.    S.    Cooper,    of  Chiddingfold. 
This  Wealden  industry  is  traditionally  asso- 
ciated with  the  manufacture  of  green  glass 
vessels   only;    but    the    researches   of    Mr. 
Cooper,  collated  with  other  sources  of  in- 
formation,   prove   that   the    manufacture   of 
window-glass  —  the   vitrum    Anglicanum,    or 
glass  of  Weld  of  the  fabric  rolls,  etc.,  was  suc- 
cessfully carried  on  in  this  district  during  the 
fourteenth  century.     That  the  industry  was 
already  in  its  decay  by  the  middle  of  the 
fifteenth  century  is  shown  by  the  contract  of 
the  year  1447  for  glazing  the  windows  of  the 
Beauchamp  Chapel,  wherein  the  glazier   is 
bound  to  use  no  English  glass,  "  but  to  glaze 
all  the  windows  with  the  best  foreign  glass 
procurable  in  England  "  (  Winston^  339).    Mr. 
Winston's  views  may  here   be   cited.      He 
says  :    "  I  imagine  that  the  use  of  foreign 
glass  at  this  period  was  not  infrequent,  for  I 
cannot  perceive  that   the  material   used   in 
these  windows  differs  in  texture  or  in  tone 
from  much  other  glazing  of  the  same  date 
with  which  I  am  familiar." 

In  1485  {Hudson  Turner,  p.  78)  the  price 
of  English  glass  compares  unfavourably  with 
that  of  Dutch,  Venetian,  and  Normandy  glass. 
In  1557  Charnock's  doggerel  lines  suggest 
that  the  native  glass  manufacture  was  con- 
fined to  the  neighbourhood  of  Chiddingfold, 
and  in  1567  we  have  the  evidence  of  the 
local  trade  that  they  were  unable  to  make 
glass  other  than  bottles,  urinals,  and  other 
small  ware  {^Antiquary,  November,  1894). 
The  art  of  window-glass-making  therefore 
must  have  been  lost  in  this  district  long  prior 
to  the  year  1567,  nor  is  there  any  positive 
evidence  to  associate  this  industry  with  any 
other  district  prior  to  the  first  half  of  the  six- 
teenth century. 

We  will  now  give  Mr.  Hartshorne's  version. 
On  page  126  he  says  :  "At  the  end  of  the 
twelfth  century  window-glass- making  was 
flourishing  here  in  great  vigour  and  perfec- 
tion." And  he  proceeds  :  "  A  high  condition 
of  the  art  thus  verified  [from  the  windows  at 
Canterbury]  implies  a  season  of  practice  and 
training  in  England  of  such  a  length  as  to 
carry  the  re-introduction  of  glass-making  to 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


within  measurable  distance  of  the  Conquest." 
In  1349-51.  glass  being  required  for  the 
windows  of  St.  Stephen's  Chapel,  West- 
minster, and  elsewhere,  writs  were  issued  to 
procure  glass  in  twenty-seven  counties,  which, 
according  to  Mr.  Hartshorne,  shows  "to 
what  a  large  extent  glass  was  then  made  in 
England  "  (p.  128).  But  the  facts  relating  to 
the  glazing  of  these  windows  suggest  quite 
another  interpretation.  Between  July  30, 
1349,  and  March  20,  135 1,  no  less  than  four 
writs  were  issued  to  procure  glass — at  first  in 
specific  localities,  but  afterwards  "  wherever 
it  could  be  found  "  (Smith,  History  of  West- 
minster, p.  83),  pointing  to  the  scarcity  of  glass 
at  this  period,  not  to  the  universality  of  its 
manufacture  in  this  country. 

In  the  sixteenth  century,  in  the  glazing  of 
the  windows  at  King's  College,  Cambridge, 
the  contract,  which  was  drawn,  probably,  on 
the  lines  of  former  documents,  originally 
stipulated  for  the  use  of  Normandy  glass ; 
but  the  terms  of  the  contract  were  subse- 
quently amended,  so  as  to  leave  the  selection 
of  glass  free.*  The  suggested  disappearance 
of  the  native  window-glass  manufacture,  of 
which  no  positive  evidence  exists  at  this 
period  (^515-1531)  sufficiently  accounts  for 
the  alteration  in  the  terms  of  the  contract. 
Yet  Mr.  Hartshorne  boldly  asserts  that 
"  English  glass  was  finally  decided  upon 
because  it  was  the  best"  (p.  160),  and  adds  : 
"  After  centuries  of  practice  in  window-glass- 
making,  it  would  have  been  remarkable  if 
English  glass  had  not  been  chosen."  Having 
gone  so  far,  our  author,  when  confronted  with 
the  documentary  evidence  relating  to  the  re- 
introduction  of  the  industry  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  recognises  that  it  is 
too  late  to  recede  from  the  false  position  he 
has  taken  up.  In  commenting  upon  the 
patent  of  1567,  he  makes  the  following  lucid 
remark.  What  these  Continental  glass-makers 
could  teach  the  English  "  was  no  more  than 
just  so  much  of  the  Continental  practice  of 
glass-making  ...  as  might  be  novel  to 
them " ;  and  he  further  ventures  upon  the 
extraordinary  statement  that  we  hear  of  no 
complaints  of  the  refusal  on  the  part  of  the 
Frenchmen  to  instruct  the  English  according 
to  the  terms  of  the  patent  (p.  161).  Yet 
if  Mr.  Hartshorne  will  refer  to  his  own 
•  A nhaological  Journal,  vol.  xii.,  p.  157. 

Q 


It4 


OLD  ENGLISH  GLASSES. 


appendix,  he  will  find  that  a  complaint  to 
this  effect  was  filed  by  Becku  as  early  as 
1568,  again  by  Longe  in  his  two  petitions  of 
1589,  and  that  finally  the  subject  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  Legislature  in  the  same 
year  (6/.  Antiquary,  December,  1894). 

Here  we  should  be  content  to  leave  the 
subject  but  for  the  fact  that  Mr.  Hartshorne 
again  refers  to  it  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 
In  protesting  against  the  Mansel  Monopoly, 
Bongar,  a  descendant  of  the  original  body  of 
immigrant  glass-makers,  refers  to  the  fact 
that  "  his  ancestors  were  the  men  who 
brought  the  trade  of  windowe  glasse  into 
England,  which  had  beene  lost  many  yeares 
before  "  (p.  198).  The  repetition  of  this  un- 
palatable truth  is  too  much  for  our  author's 
patience.  'The  thing,"  he  says,  "is,  in 
fact,  impossible,  and  Bongar  was  assuredly 
a  vindictive,  untruthful,  and  unscrupulous 
knave." 

Unfortunately,  this  is  by  no  means  a 
solitary  instance  of  Mr.  Hartshorne's  logic 
and  treatment  of  facts  which  conflict  with  his 
preconceived  theories.  The  trite  but  unveri- 
fied quotation  from  the  author  of  The  Present 
State  of  England,  relative  to  the  manufacture 
of  glasses  of  the  finer  sort  at  the  Crutched 
Friars  in  1557  (an  evident  misprint  for  1575) 
refers  not  to  the  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
establish  the  manufacture  in  1549,  but  to  the 
glass-house  of  Verselyn  at  the  later  date. 
There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  Italian 
immigrants  ever  produced  glass  on  a  com- 
mercial scale  or  elsewhere  than  at  the  Tower 
of  London  where  they  were  confined.  Yet 
from  this  statement,  coupled  with  the  fact 
that,  of  the  seven  original  glass  makers,  one 
remained  in  I^ondon  for  a  period,  our  author 
infers  (p.  150)  that  glass  of  the  finer  sort  was 
being  manufactured  in  London  in  1557  by 
English  workmen  alone. 

In  respect  of  Mr.  Hartshorne's  chronicle 
of  events  relating  to  the  industry  under  the 
Monopoly  patents  of  Elizabeth  there  is  little 
to  call  for  specific  comment.  Our  author's 
researches  appear  to  have  terminated  in 
1894-95,  for  he  makes  no  mention  of  the 
additional  information  respecting  Verselyn's 
enterprise  contained  in  the  Acts  of  the  Privy 
Council  published  since  that  date.  We.there 
learn  that,  during  the  rebuilding  of  the 
furnaces,  Verselyn  appears  to  have  imported 


Italian  glass,  a  certain  "  chest  and  dreifatte  " 
of  which  were  seized  by  the  municipal 
authorities.  In  1580-81  Sebastian  Orlandini, 
a  Venetian,  and  John  Smithe  set  up  a  furnace 
•'at  the  Gonpowder  Mille  by  Ratcliffe  intend- 
ing to  make  glasses  " ;  but  the  furnace  was 
ordered  to  be  defaced  summarily,  although 
some  compensation  appears  to  have  been 
made  by  Verselyn  subsequently  {ibid.). 
Mr.  Hartshorne  therefore  makes  a  double 
blunder  in  asserting  that  no  Italian  besides 
Verzellini  was  master  of  a  glass  house  in 
England,  and  in  attributing  to  the  latter 
individual  the  possession  of  a  certain  glass- 
house in  Surrey.  The  same  records  contain 
additional  information  respecting  the  demoli- 
tion of  a  furnace  at  Hastings  belonging  to 
Gerard  Ansye,  a  Frenchman,  thus  confirming 
Aubrey's  statement  respecting  the  suppression 
of  glass  making  in  the  Weald  under  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Act  of  23  Eliz.,  cap.  5. 

With  the  period  of  the  Mansel  Monopoly 
Mr.  Hartshorne  enters  for  the  first  time  upon 
a  field  untouched  by  his  predecessors.  In 
confining  himself  to  a  strict  chronological 
abstract  of  the  interesting  documents  which 
he  has  rescued  from  the  obscurity  of  the 
State  archives,  a  substantial  addition  has 
been  made  to  our  knowledge  of  the  con- 
ditions under  which  English  glass -making 
was  carried  on  during  the  early  Stuart 
period.  Yet,  notwithstanding  the  well- 
attested  efforts  of  Mansel  to  improve  and 
extend  the  industry,  and  the  moderation 
which  he  displayed  towards  his  relentless 
opponents,  the  effect  of  the  monopoly  upon 
the  industry  was  unfavourable  to  individual 
enterprise,  and  led  to  a  considerable  deteriora- 
tion in  the  practice  of  the  industry.  His 
window  glass  was  denounced  by  competent 
critics,  such  as  Inigo  Jones  and  the  Company 
of  Glass-sellers,  as  inferior  in  quality,  and  in- 
sufficient for  the  trade  requirements.  The 
manufacture  of  looking-glass  plates  did  not 
long  survive  the  monopoly,  for  in  1660  "we 
bought  our  looking-glasses,  and  in  a  great 
measure  our  drinking-glasses,  from  Venice." 
Moreover,  the  manufacture  of  crystal  glass, 
together  with  the  secrets  of  the  Italian  flint 
glass-makers,  had  all  to  be  introduced  again 
at  the  Restoration.  The  only  permanent 
effect,  therefore,  of  the  Mansel  Monopoly 
was  to  stereotype  the  process  of  glass-making 


OLD  ENGLISH  GLASSES. 


115 


by  means  of  furnaces  heated  with  coal, 
although  even  here  there  is  some  reason  to 
beheve  that  a  recurrence  to  the  old  wood 
furnaces  could  be  established  in  the  case  of 
the  Henley  Glass  Manufactory  of  Ravens- 
croft,  with  whose  name  the  revival  of  flint 
glass-making  at  the  Restoration  is  closely 
connected.  For  the  chapter  on  the  Greene 
papers — first  noticed  by  Hudson  Turner — we 
have  nothing  but  praise.  The  work  is  excel- 
lently done,  and  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired. 
We  can  only  regret  the  absence  of  similar 
documents  illustrative  of  a  more  artistic 
period  of  the  Italian  influence  upon  the 
native  industry. 

For  the  collector  of  English  glasses  the 
story  of  the  revival  of  glass-making  at  the 
Restoration,  and  the  evolution  of  the  modern 
flint-glass  manufacture,  is  of  the  first  import- 
ance. By  the  publication  of  the  Greene 
papers,  Mr.  Hartshorne  has  thrown  a  wel- 
come light  upon  the  forms  of  drinking-glasses 
in  vogue  at  this  period.  It  remained  for  him 
to  demonstrate  by  additional  research  and  by 
the  evidence  of  his  own  collection  the  period 
at  which  the  native  glass  of  lead  (or  modern 
flint  glass)  superseded  the  crystal  or  flint 
glass  of  the  Restoration,  thereby  giving  to 
the  English  glass-makers  an  unquestionable 
supremacy  in  the  markets  of  the  world  for  the 
disposal  of  their  lustres,  mirrors,  drinking  and 
optical  glasses. 

Mr.  Hartshorne's  treatment  of  this  ques- 
tion appears  to  us  a  model  of  inconclusive 
reasoning.  The  grounds  upon  which  Tilson 
is  credited  with  the  introduction  of  the 
modern  flint-glass  industrymaybe  summarized 
as  follows  :  In  1662  Tilson,  a  London  mer- 
chant, obtained  a  re-issue  of  a  grant  formerly 
made  to  Clifford  and  Powlden  for  the  manu- 
facture of  crystal  glass.  The  terms  of  the 
subsequent  grant  were  extended  to  include 
the  manufacture  of  crystal  glasses  and  look- 
ing-glasses, plates  of  all  sorts  of  glass,  window 
glass  only  excepted.  A  few  months  later  an 
application  for  extracting  glass  from  flints  was 
rejected  by  the  influence  of  Buckingham,  who 
also  appears  to  have  enjoyed  a  privilege  not 
recorded  in  the  official  blue-books.  The 
Duke's  glass-house  at  Greenwich,  manned  by 
Italian  artists,  was  long  after  celebrated  for  its 
successful  production  of  glass  plates  for  coach 
windows.     Yet  from  "  this  slight  documen- 


tary evidence  "  Mr.  Hartshorne  is  forced  to 
conclude:  {a)  ThatTilson's  invention  of  1662 
was  glass  of  lead;  (b)  that  the  Attorney- 
General  had  all  the  facts  relating  to  these 
applications  before  him,  and  had  "  finally 
pitched  upon  Tilson  as  .the  real  inventor  " 
[?  of  lead  glass] ;  {c)  ergo,  the  Duke's  patent 
was  invalidated  by  the  subsequent  grant  to 
Tilson.  But,  except  upon  opposition  by 
interested  parties,  the  law  officers  of  the 
Crown  were  not  authorized  to  inquire  into 
the  secrets  of  the  alleged  invention  submitted 
to  them  for  the  grant  of  privilege.  The  pro- 
cedure from  first  to  last  was  of  a  purely 
formal  character,  the  grant  being  made  out 
in  the  terms  of  the  inventor's  petition.  The 
issue  therefore  of  the  extended  grant  to  Tilson 
left  the  Crown  and  subsequent  inquirers  in 
absolute  ignorance  of  the  methods  or  com- 
position proposed  to  be  employed  therein. 
That  Mr.  Hartshorne,  indeed,  is  insufficiently 
equipped  for  dealing  with  the  patent  litera- 
ture of  the  period  will  be  seen  from  the 
following  instances.  In  1696  Robert  Hooke 
{Antiquary,  May,  1895)  explained  to  the 
Royal  Society  the  nature  of  his  invention 
for  making  ruby  window  glass  (Hooke's  and 
Dodsworth's  patent,  a.d.  1691),  the  composi- 
tion of  which  had  recently  been  rediscovered 
in  the  Low  Countries.  The  process  con- 
sisted in  dipping  the  bulb  of  green  glass  into 
a  pot  of  red  metal,  and  so  obtaining  a  thin 
layer  of  red  glass  adhering  to  the  cheaper  and 
more  translucent  material.  Mr.  Hartshorne, 
however,  affirms  that  it  was  "an  improvement 
in  the  management  of  the  materials  ,  .  .  but 
whether  in  the  preliminary  fritting,  etc.,  is  a 
matter  which  need  not  be  speculated  upon 
and  indeed  cannot  be  discussed  here."  He 
is  also  puzzled  at  the  meaning  of  the  final 
clause  which  he  has  discovered  in  Oppen- 
heim's  patent,  which  he  attributes  to  careless 
draughtsmanship  on  the  part  of  the  law  officer. 
But  the  mystery  is  dispelled  by  the  statement 
that  this  clause,  which  has  no  reference  what- 
ever to  the  specification,  is  to  be  found,  with 
slight  modifications,  in  all  industrial  grants 
down  to  the  year  1883.  He  even  repro- 
duces in  the  Appendix  Mansel's  gratit  as 
Mansel's  specification,  an  error  on  the  part 
of  Her  Majesty's  printers  which  should  have 
at  once  been  detected  and  put  right. 

Nor    does    Mr.    Hartshorne    attempt    to 

Q  2 


ii6 


OLD  ENGLISH  GLASSES. 


defend  the  position  which  he  has  taken 
upon  such  "  slight  documentary  evidence  " 
by  reference  to  the  physical  characteristics  of 
glasses  to  which  a  date  prior  to  1700  might 
with  some  show  of  probability  be  assigned. 
So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  gather,  the 
evidence  of  his  own  specimens  points  to  the 
later  date — viz.,  circa  1730 — for  on  page  268 
he  illustrates  a  glass  containing  streaks  of 
metallic  lead  to  which  he  assigns  a  prob- 
able date  of  1740.  As  the  question,  how- 
ever, is  of  the  first  importance  to  the  collector, 
a  brief  recapitulation  of  the  facts  concerning 
the  two  flint  glasses  may  not  be  out  of  place. 

The  term  flint-glass,  unknown  prior  to  the 
Restoration,  has  left  its  indelible  impress 
upon  the  literature  of  the  country  and  the 
vocabulary  of  the  art.  The  references  to  the 
reintroduction  of  the  use  of  flint  or  pebble  as 
the  constituent  of  the  finer  glass  of  the  period 
are  too  numerous  for  recapitulation.  We 
agree  with  Mr.  Hartshorne  that  an  undue 
importance  was  at  first  attached  to  the 
innovation,  and  that  the  use  of  flint  was 
to  a  large  extent  laid  aside  in  favour  of  sand 
before  the  year  1700. 

To  what  cause,  therefore,  are  we  to  assign 
the  growth  of  the  English  supremacy  at  this 
period,  and  the  development  of  the  export 
trade  first  associated  with  Ravenscroft's  pebble 
glasses  ?  We  suggest  that  this  was  due,  firstly, 
to  the  increased  economy  of  materials ;  and 
secondly,  to  the  improvements  in  mechanical, 
optical,  and  metallurgical  science  introduced 
by  the  philosophers  of  the  Restoration.  In 
1695  John  Gary  in  his  Essay  on  Trade,  states 
that  the  materials  of  which  English  glass 
was  made  "  were  generally  our  own,  and  cost 
little  in  comparison  of  what  it  formerly  did 
when  fetcht  from  Venice."  In  addition,  we 
may  cite  the  introduction  of  cheap  American 
potash,  and  the  improvementts  eff'ected  in 
the  grinding  of  lenses,  the  polishing  of  glass, 
and  the  trituration  of  the  raw  materials. 

The  introduction  of  the  new  flux,  or  oxide 
of  lead,  appears  to  have  come  on  the  rise 
of  the  flood,  and  to  have  carried  the  in- 
dustry on  the  wave  of  prosperity  to  a  still 
higher  water -mark.  It  belongs  to  the 
"sand"  and  not  the  "flint"  period,  and 
its  introduction  must  have  been  preceded 
by  the  elimination  of  the  preliminary 
fritting  processes,  and  the  substitution  of  a 


direct  fusion  of  the  materials  in  the  glass 
pots.  Mr.  Hartshorne  admits  that  he  can 
find  no  earlier  reference  to  the  use  of  lead 
oxide  than  the  specification  of  Oppenheim  in 
1755,  at  which  date,  however,  the  use  must 
have  been  common  to  the  trade.  Of  the 
actual  date  and  authorship  of  the  improve- 
ment we  are  still  uncertain,  although  there  is 
an  apparent  reference  to  a  similar  process  in 
the  patent  of  Tooke  in  1727,  which  Mr.  Harts- 
horne entirely  overlooks.  But  the  date  of 
the  era  of  the  new  metal  is  approximately 
fixed  by  the  philosopher  and  glass-maker, 
Bosc  d'Antic,  who  carefully  recorded,  in  no 
friendly  spirit,  the  progress  made  by  the 
English  glass-makers  between  1760  and 
1780.  As  Mr.  Hartshorne  has  cited  the 
writer  only  in  abstract,  we  reproduce  at 
greater  length,  for  the  benefit  of  the  collector, 
passages  which  we  hope  to  find  included  in 
the  appendix  in  a  subsequent  edition  of  this 
work  : 

Les  verreries  angloises  ont  une  grande  reputa- 
tion. Elles  ne  sont  pas  fort  anciennes.  .  .  .  Les 
glaces,  lecristal,  le  verre  blanc  et  commun,  forment 
aujourd'hui  une  branche  considerable  du  com- 
merce de  la  Grande  Bretagne.  L'etranger  consomme 
les  quatre  cinquiemes  des  glaces  angloises.  II  n'est 
point  de  pays  ou  les  Anglais  ne  trouvent  moyen 
d'introduire  leurs  ouvrages  de  cristal  et  de  verre. 
.  .  .  Aujourd'hui  ils  nous  fournissent  des  lustres, 
des  lanternes,  des  verres  a  boire,  des  verres  d'optique 
de  toute  grandeur.  .  .  .  Les  grands  volumes  sont 
tres  chers.  Des  glaces  de  cent  quarante  quatre 
pouces  de  hauteur  sur  quarante  pouce  de  largeur  se 
sont  vendues  jusqu'a  mille  guinees  a.  Quelque 
florissantes  que  soient  leurs  verreries,  les  Anglois 
ne  doivent  point  de  flatter  avec  John  Cary,  quelles 
soient  portees  a  la  plus  haute  perfection .  I^ur  cristal 
n'est  pas  d'une  belle  couleur ;  il  tire  sur  le  jaune 
ou  sur  le  brun,  pour  pen  que  la  couleur  rouge  de 
manganese  domine.  II  est  si  mal  cuit  qu'il  ressue 
le  sel,  se  crassit,  serouille  promptement,  est  rempli 
de  points  et  nebuleux.  ...  II  a  encore  un  autre 
defaut  capital  c'est  d'etre  extremement  tendre. 

But  in  1780  the  same  writer,  commenting 
upon  the  progress  made  by  the  English 
during  the  preceding  twenty  years,  after 
referring  to  the  beauty  of  the  English  cut 
and  polished  lustres,  continues  : 

"  La  decouverte  du  flint-glass  de  ce  verre  dont 
les  effets  sont  si  etonnans,  est'entierement  due  k  la 
Grande  Bretagne.  Celui  qui  s'y  fabrique  presente- 
ment  est  fort  eloignee  de  la  perfection  dont  je  le 
crois  susceptible.  ...  II  est  tres  rare  de  trouver 
chez  eux  du  flint-glass  qui  ne  soit  infecte  de  graisse, 
de  points  blancs,  de  fils,  et  qui  ne  sont  neigeux. 
Quoique  quelques  compagnies  savantes  aient  con- 


OLD  ENGLISH  GLASSES. 


117 


somme  des  memoires  sur  la  fabrication  du  flint-glass 
il  ne  paroit  pas  moins  certain  quil  n'y  a  encore  que 
I'Angleterre  qui  fabrique  du  vrai  flint-glass.  C'est 
que  tout  I'art  ne  consiste  pas  uniquement  a  faire 
entrer  dans  cette  espece  de  verre  la  plus  grande 
quantite  possible  de  chaux  de  plomb. 

Passing  from  the  historical  to  the  purely 
descriptive  section  of  the  work,  we  may  at 
once  admit  that  Mr.  Hartshorne  is  enabled 
to  turn  the  tables  upon  his  reviewer.  Nor  is 
there  ground  for  belief  that  the  strict  canons 
of  historical  criticism  could  be  applied  with 
advantage  to  this  portion  of  the  work.  In 
harmony  with  the  nature  of  his  subject,  Mr. 
Hartshorne's  narrative  assumes  a  lighter  and 
more  convivial  tone  :  anecdote  and  personal 
reminiscences  are  freely  interspersed  with  the 
description  of  technical  processes  and  the 
classification  of  the  specimens  which  are  here 
reproduced. 

In  the  classification  of  the  glasses  we  note 
with  regret  the  omission  of  the  decanter, 
although  a  solitary  specimen  is  portrayed  on 
Plate  64.  The  sixteen  classes  into  which  the 
whole  collection  has  been  thrown  are  ob- 
tainea  by  a  system  of  cross-classification, 
based  upon  considerations  of  the  form,  pro- 
cess, and  uses  of  the  respective  vessels.  Thus 
an  engraved  champagne  glass,  with  baluster 
stain  and  double  ogee  bowl,  belongs  to  classes 
IV.,  VIII.,  IX.,  and  X.  Mr.  Hartshorne 
doubtless  has  good  reasons  for  the  system 
he  has  adopted,  otherwise  we  should  be  dis- 
posed to  suggest  that  the  reader  should  have 
been  introduced  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
various  methods  by  which  particular  designs 
and  shapes  are  produced  by  the  glass-blower, 
and  that  the  subsequent  classification  of  the 
vessels  should  have  been  arranged  according 
to  their  uses  and  in  the  chronological  order 
of  their  development.  The  question,  how- 
ever, is  one  purely  of  convenience.  The 
technical  information,  derived  evidently  from 
close  observation,  and  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  the  methods  of  the  modern  glass- 
maker,  will  be  found  by  the  collector  ready 
to  hand  under  one  of  the  classes  to  which  the 
glass  in  question  obviously  relates,  and,  we 
may  add,  consists  of  practical  detail  not  to 
be  found  in  any  modern  treatises  on  the 
subject.  The  illustrations  throughout  are 
excellent  as  reproductions,  so  far  as  the  form 
of  the  glasses  is  concerned,  but  leave  some- 
thing to  be  desired  in  respect  of  the  physical 


characteristics  of  the  objects  depicted.  The 
general  style  of  the  work  is,  it  is  perhaps 
needless  to  say,  beyond  reproach.  The 
historical  notices  of  the  various  stimulants 
in  fashion  with  our  ancestors  are  of  some- 
what unequal  value.  Raymond  Lully,  we 
are  told  (p.  314)  in  ''his  {sic)  Theatrum 
chemicum,  of  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, describes  the  process  of  distillation  from 
wine  and  its  results,  which  were  yet  unknown 
in  England  at  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury." We  should  hesitate  to  accept  this 
statement  of  the  state  of  chemical  know- 
ledge in  England,  although  the  commercial 
practice  of  distillation  is  undoubtedly  of  late 
introduction  in  this  country.  M.  Berthelot, 
for  instance,  discovers  both  in  the  Mappa 
Clavicida  and  in  Marcus  Grcecus  clear 
evidence  of  the  practice  of  distillation  of 
alcohol  from  wine  long  prior  to  this  date. 

The  chapter  on  the  Jacobite  glasses, 
evidently  a  favourite  topic  with  our  author, 
errs  on  the  side  of  prolixity,  occupying  as  it 
does  nearly  thirty  pages  ;  but  the  illustrations 
are  of  great  interest,  and  of  considerable 
artistic  value.  The  final  chapter,  on  wine, 
appears  to  have  been  written  in  ignorance  of 
the  earlier  work  of  Henderson,  and  might 
easily  be  dispensed  with  altogether.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  appendix  of  original  docu- 
ments and  inventories  is  of  great  value,  and 
might  profitably  be  extended  by  the  inclusion 
of  certain  State  papers,  space  for  which 
might  be  found  by  the  abridgment  of  the 
unimportant  clauses  of  the  patent  grants  of 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries. 
A  few  minor  errors  may  here  be  noticed. 
The  author  of  the  chemical  essays  cited 
and  indexed  as  Parker  is,  of  course,  Sam 
Parkes.  The  derivation  of  the  word  "  bottle  " 
from  the  German  beutel  is  not  likely  to  com- 
mand the  assent  of  modern  philologists ;  nor 
do  we  conceive  that  Digby's  improvements 
resulted  in  the  production  of  bottles  of  the 
beutel  or  purse-shaped  character.  It  is  more 
probable  that  they  related  to  the  manufacture 
of  moulded  bottles  of  standard  sizes,  which 
were  certainly  introduced  at  this  period. 

For  an  index  in  triple  column  covering 
seventeen  pages  we  should  have  been  glad  to 
express  our  unqualified  thanks,  but  a  careful 
perusal  of  the  work  suggests  a  caution  to 
those  who  may  be  disposed  to  place  implicit 


ii8 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


reliance  upon  its  directions.  The  appendix, 
for  instance — the  mainstay  of  the  work — 
remains  unindexed,  and  we  have  found 
serious  omissions  in  the  entry  of  personal, 
place,  and  subject  headings.  The  index,  in 
fact,  fails  to  do  adequate  justice  to  a  work 
which,  in  spite  of  its  occasional  historical 
inaccuracies,  will  remain  for  all  time  the 
standard  work  of  reference  in  connection 
with  the  history  of  the  English  glass  trade. 
E.  Wyndham  Hulme. 


3rcb^ological  i^eto0. 

[  We  shall  he  glad  to  receive  iiifortuationfrom  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.  ] 

Regarding  it  as  the  province  of  the  Antiquary  not 
merely  to  deal  with  the  past,  but  also  to  record  the 
continued  observance  of  old  customs,  we  think  that 
the  following  paragraph  from  the  Northern  Echo 
(Darlington)  of  February  23,  may  appropriately  find 
a  place  in  our  pages  : 

"  SHROVETIDE  FOOTBALL  AT 
SEDGEFIELD. 


A  Well-Contested  Game. 


"VICTORY  OF  THE  COUNTRYMEN. 

"  Yesterday,  in  accordance  with  a  time-honoured 
institution,  the  Tradesmen  and  Countrymen  of  the 
Sedgefield  district  met  on  the  village  green  to  try 
conclusions  at  a  game  of  football,  which  custom  has 
been  carried  out  for  centuries  past,  and  has  been 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation  in  its 
entirety.  One  o'clock  is  the  hour  when  play  com- 
mences, and  some  minutes  before  this  over  1,000 
persons  were  assembled  to  witness  the  throwing  of 
the  ball,  the  great  majority  of  these  being  players. 

"  As  the  hour  approached,  Mr.  A.  W.  A.  Webb, 
the  village  sexton,  appeared  with  the  ball  in  hand. 
The  ball  bore  the  following  inscription  :  '  Shrove- 
tide Football,  February  22nd,  1898.  John  Robin- 
son, maker  ;  A.  W.  A.  Webb,  sexton. 

"  '  When  with  pancakes  you  are  sated, 
Come  to  the  ring,  and  you'll  be  mated, 
When  this  ball  will  be  upcast ; 
And  may  this  game  be  better  than  last.' 

"  When  the  clock  struck  the  hour,  the  assembled 
crowd  set  up  a  cheer ;  the  ball  was  passed  through 
the  bull-ring,  and  thrown  into  the  air.  On  its 
descent,  the  ball  was  passed  down  the  Front  Street 
to  the  low  end  of  the  village,  where  some  cross-play 
resulted  in  the  leather  travelling  down  Stockton 
Road  towards  Glower-o'er-Him,  in  favour  of  the 
Tradesmen,  when  the  Countrymen  by  a  determined 
effort  returned  the  ball  in  the  direction  of  the 
village,  which  it  failed  to  reach,  being  passed  into 


fields  on  the  Cite  Nook  Farm.  The  Tradesmen 
again  rallied,  and  held  their  own  across  lands 
behind  the  Rectory,  and  the  ball  travelled  to 
Hauxley,  every  inch  of  the  way  being  sternly 
contested.  A  small  running  stream  caused  some 
little  trouble  and  confusion  to  the  players,  as  the 
ball  was  frequently  kicked  into  it,  and  several  of 
the  players  realized  that  water  was  wet,  though 
this  did  not  for  a  moment  damp  their  ardour  as  it 
did  their  persons.  Passing  Hauxley,  the  ball  was 
kicked  into  a  larger  stream,  which  flows  from  the 
mill  dam.  One  of  the  Countrymen  took  out  the 
ball,  and  threw  it  in  the  opposite  direction  to  the 
Tradesmen's  alley,  which  was  not  considered 
exactly  fair.  Thereupon  one  of  the  Tradesmen 
sprang  down  beside  the  Countryman,  and  rolled 
him  into  the  water,  amidst  the  laughter  of  the 
bystanders.  The  Countrymen  again  scored  a  point 
by  returning  the  ball  the  way  it  had  come,  but 
their  triumph  was  short-lived,  as  the  Tradesmen 
got  matters  in  hand,  and  took  the  ball  past  Diamond 
Hall  in  the  direction  of  the  Spring  Lane.  The 
Countrymen,  however,  frustrated  the  attempt,  and 
the  ball  was  sent  forward  to  a  point  some  two 
miles  from  the  village  bordering  on  Shotton  Moors. 
Here  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  play  resulted  in  the 
ball  being  returned  by  South  Moor.  Onwards  by 
Morden  Moor  and  Sands  Hall,  the  leather  arrived 
in  the  park.  For  some  time  the  ball  was  played 
backward  and  forward.  At  last  the  Tradesmen 
made  a  break  away,  and  the  ball  went  across  the 
Station  Road  into  the  Cramer,  and  almost  within 
a  stone's-throw  of  their  alley.  The  Countrymen 
proved  too  heavy  for  them,  and  the  ball  was  as 
speedily  returned  into  the  park  as  it  had  travelled 
from  thence.  Slowly,  yet  surely,  the  Countrymen 
drove  toward  their  alley — the  North  End  Pond — 
and  after  some  tough  play,  the  ball  was  passed 
through  the  shrubbery  into  the  ducket,  and  from 
thence  into  the  North  End.  Here  the  Tradesmen 
made  a  strenuous  effort,  but  were  unable  to  stem 
the  progress  of  their  rivals,  who  drove  the  ball  to 
their  alley  at  4.40  p.m.,  after  3  hours  40  minutes' 
play.  Robert  Middleton  secured  the  ball  and  a 
free  gratis  bath  at  the  same  time.  He  was  carried 
shoulder-high  to  the  green  amidst  the  repeated 
cheering  of  the  Countrymen.  This  was  one  of  the 
best-contested  games  that  has  been  known  for  many 
years." 

SALES. 

Art  Sales.  —  Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson  and 
Hodge  sold  yesterday  the  collection  of  Egyptian 
antiquities  formed  by  Sir  Cecil  Domville  and  other 
property  from  other  sources.  The  most  important 
lot  in  the  day's  sale  was  the  interesting  miniature 
portrait  on  ivory  of  Lady  Edward  Fitzgerald,  in 
gold  mount,  with  her  hair  set  in  the  back  of  the 
frame  (described  in  the  Tiines  of  February  19),  and 
this  sold  for  £y^  (Stanley).  A  variety  of  silver 
articles  included  two  fine  old  beakers,  with  scroll 
handles,  and  weighing  38  ozs.  ;^22  19s.  (A.  Solomon) ; 
a  two-handled  porringer  and  cover,  temp.  Charles  II., 
weighing  24  ozs.,  ;^22  i6s.  (May)  ;  and  a  silver  gilt 
cup,  a  facsimile  copy  of  one  presented  by  the  Bank 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


119 


of  England  about  200  years  ago  to  the  Mercers' 
Company  in  recognition  of  their  granting  the  use  of 
their  hall  for  the  conduct  of  the  Bank's  business 
when  it  was  first  established  in  1694,  £^'^  5S- — 
Messrs.  Christie,  Manson  and  Woods  sold  on 
Tuesday  a  collection  of  engravings  from  several 
sources,  the  most  notable  lot  being  a  very  fine 
impression  of  the  early  state,  with  untrimmed 
margins,  of  W.  Dickinson's  engraving  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds'  picture  of  Mrs.  Pelham  feeding  chickens, 
420  guineas  (Colnaghi  and  Co.).  This  is  a  record 
price,  and  about  double  the  highest  amount  hitherto 
realized  for  an  example. — Times,  March  3. 

3<C       *       * 

Sale  of  Antiquities. — Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkin- 
son and  Hodge  concluded  yesterday  their  four  days' 
sale  of  objects  of  art,  vertu,  and  antiquity,  the  693 
lots  showing  a  total  of  ^2,668  15s.  Yesterday's 
portion,  which  comprised  a  selection  from  the  col- 
lection of  the  late  Mr.  S.  S.  Pearce,  of  Ramsgate, 
included  the  following  ;  Three  antique  Greek 
bronze  helmets,  withnosepieces, /15  los.  (Fenton)  ; 
a  bronze  spearhead,  socketed  type,  with  barbs  at 
base  of  blade  and  projecting  rivet,  ;^2o  (Ready) ;  a 
commemorative  sword,  "  Victory  of  the  Nile, 
August  I,  1798,"  the  blade  partly  blued  and  etched 
with  royal  arms,  inscribed  "  For  my  country  and 
King,"  on  one  side  an  oval  medallion  in  enamel, 
;^i8  15s.  (Fenton)  ;  a  very  fine  Mongolian  adze,  the 
head  attached  with  elaborately-braided  sinnet,  from 
the  Hervey  Islands,  £'/  5s.  (Boyton)  ;  a  well- 
modelled  bronze  statuette  of  a  female,  seventeenth 
century,  kneeling  and  holding  a  child,  £1^  5s. 
(Falser)  ;  a  pair  of  Derby  biscuit  pastoral  groups, 
modelled  by  Spangler,  of  a  youth  and  girl  at  a  gate, 
with  sheep  and  dogs,  13I  inches  high,  ;^3i  los. 
(Rathbone)  ;  an  old  slip-ware  two-handled  posset 
cup,  with  yellow  glaze,  partly  combed,  with  inscrip- 
tion "  God  bless  Queen  Ann,"  £ix  los.  (Fenton) ; 
another,  dated  1691,  and  inscribed  "The  best  is 
not  too  good  for  you,"  ^'26  (Fenton) ;  and  an  agate 
ware  jug  and  cover,  octagon  form,  finely  veined, 
;^io  15s.  (Rathbone). — Times,  March  4. 

*         3*C         5»t 

Sale  of  Curiosities. — Mr.  J.  C.  Stevens  sold 
yesterday,  at  his  auction  rooms.  King  Street, 
Covent  Garden,  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of 
curiosities  from  various  parts  of  the  world.  Among 
them  was  an  Egyptian  mummy,  in  a  perfect  state 
of  preservation,  supposed  to  be  the  body  of  Queen 
Ahmes  Nofritrai,  wife  of  King  Rameses  II.  The 
length  of  the  body  is  5  feet  2  inches,  and  the  mummy 
lies  in  a  rough  state  in  a  glass  case.  It  realized 
/■12  IS.  6d.  (Hunn).  The  other  lots  included  a 
bronze-moulded  plaque  of  six  figures,  found  in 
Tu-Ju  house  in  the  city  of  Benin,  drenched  with 
human  blood,  and  of  antique  workmanship, 
£11  IIS.;  bronze -moulded  head  figure,  very 
ancient,  from  the  same  place,  £y  ;  and  several  lots 
of  very  fine  specimens  of  native  castings,  which 
were  recently  taken  from  the  King's  palace,  Benin 
city,  and  of  which  the  more  important  were :  A 
bronze  life-size  head  of  negress,  9  inches  high, 
;^I7  17s.  ;  bronze  plaque,  20  inches  by  15s.,  group 
of  three  figures,  very  old  and  finely  modelled, 
£17  17s.  ;  bronze  pedigree  staff,  17  inches   long, 


with  ancient  king  at  head,  and  other  figures  and 
supports,  believed  to  be  of  great  age,  ;^i6. — 
Times,  March  8. 

*  *  '♦t 
The  Gurney  Collection.  —  Messrs.  Christie, 
Manson  and  Woods  began  yesterday  the  five  days' 
sale  of  the  choice  collection  of  works  of  art  of  the 
fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  seventeenth  centuries, 
formed  by  the  late  Mr.  James  Gurney.  Yesterday's 
portion  of  150  lots,  consisting  entirely  of  articles  in 
silver  or  silver-gilt,  realized  a  total  of  about  /4,ooo, 
and  included  the  following  in  silver  :  A  cream-jug, 
embossed  with  scrolls  and  flowers,  1746,  5  ozs.  at 
55s.  per  oz.  (Gall) ;  another,  formed  as  a  snail  shell, 
chased  with  foliage  and  scrolls,  3  ozs.  at  78s.  per  oz. 
(Phillips);  a  small  sauce-boat,  richly  chased  with 
figures,  animals,  scrolls,  etc.,  in  high  relief,  10  ozs. 
at  4  guineas  per  oz.  (Phillips) ;  a  William  and  Mary 
circular  tazza,  the  centre  engraved  with  a  coat  of 
arms,  1690,  10  ozs.  at  72s.  per  oz. ;  a  Charles  II. 
plain  tankard  and  flat  cover,  1669,  31  ozs.  at  673. 
per  oz.  (Welby)  ;  a  William  and  Mary  tankard  and 
flat  cover,  the  borders  embossed  and  chased  with 
acanthus  foliage,  1688,  37  ozs.  at  6is.  per  oz. 
(Phillips)  ;  a  Charles  II.  ditto,  engraved  a  coat  of 
arms,  1676,  30  ozs.  at  64s.  per  oz.  ;  a  Jacobean 
chalice,  with  cylindrical-shaped  bowl  engraved 
with  bands  of  interleaved  arabesques,  16 10,  17  ozs. 
at  64s.  per  oz.  The  silver-gilt  articles  included  a 
pair  of  plain  muffin-dishes  and  covers,  with  foliage 
borders,  from  the  Duke  of  Sussex's  collection, 
30  ozs.  at  30S.  per  oz. ;  a  pair  of  spirally-fluted 
canisters  and  covers,  chased  with  festoons  of 
flowers,  etc.,  1756,  18  ozs.  at  59s.  per  oz.  (War- 
wick) ;  a  circular  rose-water  tazza,  chased  with 
groups  of  fruit,  in  relief,  and  with  a  rose  in  high 
relief  in  the  centre,  19  ozs.  at  39s.  per  oz. 
(Arthur)  ;  a  Charles  I.  flat-shaped  porringer  and 
cover,  parcel-gilt,  repousse  with  large  flowers  and 
foliage,  the  cover  with  a  figure  emblematic  of  water, 
10  ozs.  at  50s.  per  oz.  (Duveen).  The  foreign 
silver-gilt  articles  included  a  cream-jug,  supported 
by  a  griffin,  handle  formed  as  a  serpent,  by  Van 
Vianen,  8  ozs.  ^34  (Duveen) ;  a  large  tankard  and 
cover,  parcel -gilt,  chased  with  medallions  of 
children  emblematic  of  the  seasons,  1727,  by 
J.  P.  Hofler,  Nuremberg,  23  ozs.  £^5  (Phillips) ; 
and  a  standing  cup  and  cover,  embossed  and  chased 
with  interlaced  strapwork,  masks,  fruit,  etc.,  Augs- 
berg,  late  sixteenth  century,  7  ozs.  ^^71  (Duveen).— 
Titties,  March  9. 

^♦C         •         5«C 

Messrs.  Puttick  and  Simpson,  commencing  on 
Monday,  February  28,  concluded  on  March  9  the 
sale  of  the  library  of  the  late  Mr.  J.  H.  Johnson,  of 
Southport.  The  following  were  some  of  the  chief 
prices  realized :  Ainsworth's  Guy  Fawkes,  three 
vols,  first  edition,  /'12  15s.  ;  Antiphonale,  MS.  on 
vellum,  /18  los.  ;  Biblia  Latina,  MS.  on  vellum  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  ^"39  los. ;  Biblia  Latina, 
MS.  on  vellum  of  the  fourteenth  century,  £25  los. ; 
Biblia  Latina,  MS.  on  vellum  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury, with  miniatures,  £65 ;  Biblia  Germanica, 
printed  at  Ausberg  in  1473,  ^49  los. ;  Biblia  Ger- 
manica, printed  at  Nuremberg,  1483,  /12  15s. ; 
Biblia  Germanica,  with  coloured  woodcuts,  1483, 


I20 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


/22;  Bible,  by  T.  Matthew,  1537, /i8;  Bible  in 
Englyshe,  November,  1540,  /18  i8s.  ;  Bible  in 
Englyshe,  Grafton,  July,  1540,  £t)0.  Breydenbach, 
Dat  boeck  vanden  pelgherym,  i486,  /17  los. ; 
Bryan's  Dictionary  of  Painters,  extra  illustrated, 
/14  los. ;  Burton's  Arabian  Nights,  sixteen  vols., 
£i%  los. ;  Caxton's  Cronycles  of  England,  Wynkyn 
de  Worde,  1520,  ^24  los. ;  Chaucer's  Works, 
Kelmscott  Press,  ^27  los. ;  Cicero  de  Officiis, 
Rome,  1469,  /20  ;  Floure  of  the  Commandments, 
Wynkyn  de  Worde,  1521,  £1^  los. ;  Horse  Beatac 
Marie  Virginis,  MS.  on  vellum  of  the  fifteen  cen- 
tury, £y>\  Josephus,  Historia,  MS.  on  vellum, 
/13  ;  Ludulphus,  Dat  boeck  vanden  leven  Jhesu 
Cristi,  1495,  /12  los. ;  Missale  ad  usum  Sarisburien- 
sem,  1555,  £12  los. ;  Nuremberg  Chronicle,  1493, 
/17  los. ;  Pilgrymage  of  Perfeccion,  Wynkyn  de 
Worde,  1531,  /16;  Psalmorum  Liber,  MS.  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  ^15  los.  ;  Billings'  Antiquities  of 
Scotland,  /'13  los.  ;  New  Testament,  1536,  /20  ; 
New  Testament,  1538,  £i2>  5s. ;  New  Testament, 
1550,  £\o ;  Tunstall,  De  Arte  Supputandi,  1522, 
;f  27  los.  The  total  amount  of  the  sale  was  /^3,375. 
■.—Athenaum,  March  12. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 

Society  of  Antiquaries. — February  3. — Viscount 
Dillon,  president,  in  the  chair. — Lieut. -Col.  Glas 
Sandeman  and  Mr.  S.  C.  Southam  were  admitted 
Fellows. — Mr.  M.  Stephenson  read  a  paper  on  the 
brass  of  Humphrey  Oker,  his  wife  and  children, 
1538,  at  Okeover,  Staffs,  which  he  showed,  from  a 
series  of  rubbings  taken  previous  to  the  partial 
destruction  of  the  brass  in  or  about  1857,  had  been 
converted  from  a  brass  to  William,  Lord  Zouch, 
and  his  two  wives,  c.  1447.  This  had  probably- 
been  laid  down  in  some  monastic  church,  and  re- 
presented the  three  figures  under  canopies,  with 
shields  below  the  finialsand  a  marginal  inscription. 
The  figure  of  Lord  Zouch  had  been  altered,  but 
one  of  the  wives  was  retained  unchanged,  together 
with  the  canopy,  and  the  other  was  simply  turned 
over  and  engraved  with  rows  of  Oker's  children. 
The  shields  and  inscription  had  also  been  reversed 
and  re-engraved. — Mr.  W.  H.  Knowles,  local  secre- 
tary for  Northumberland,  read  a  paper  descriptive 
of  the  architecture  and  history  of  Aydon  Castle. 
He  also  briefly  described  the  remains  of  Dodding- 
ton  Tower,  part  of  which  had  lately  fallen. 

Society  of  Antiquaries. — February  17. — Lord 
Dillon,  president,  in  the  chair. — Mr.  J.  Fenton  pre- 
sented a  gold  coin  of  Trajan. — Mr.  Willis-Bund,  as 
local  secretary  for  South  Wales,  reported  the  par- 
tial destruction  by  the  Vicar  of  Strata  Florida  of 
the  remains  of  the  Cistercian  abbey  which  lie  in 
the  churchyard,  and  were  excavated  some  years 
ago  at  great  cost,  in  order  to  furnish  building 
material  for  a  new  church.  Action  in  the  matter 
was  deferred  until  the  next  meeting,  when  Mr. 
Willis-Bund  promised  to  furnish  further  particulars. 
The  remains  of  the  chapter-house  are  reported  to 
have  been  already  destroyed. — Mr.  A.  F.  Leach, 
by  permission  of  the  Corporation,  exhibited  the 
"  Liber  Albus"  and  early  minute-books  of  the  city 


of  Lincoln. — Mr.  J.  W.  Walker  exhibited  an  original 
indenture,  dated  August  12,  13  Henry  VII.  (1498), 
containing  an  inventory  of  the  goods  and  ornaments 
in  the  chapel  of  St.  Mary  on  Wakefield  Bridge,  on 
which  he  read  some  historical  remarks. — Mr.  Hope 
pointed  out  the  leading  features  of  the  inventory, 
and  compared  it  with  an  earlier  one  of  the  chapel 
on  the  bridge  at  Derby,  dated  1466. — Mr.  Barclay 
Squire  read  a  paper  on  an  early  sixteenth-century 
MS.  of  English  music,  which  was  exhibited  by  the 
Provost  and  Fellows  of  Eton  College.  The  MS. 
consists  of  a  collection  of  motets  and  Magnificats 
for  several  voices,  written  for  the  use  of  Eton  College 
about  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.  A 
large  part  has  been  lost,  but  125  folios  still  remain, 
with  the  original  binding,  the  stamps  on  which  are 
the  same  as  those  on  the  Black  Book  of  the  Ex- 
chequer ;  they  have  also  been  found  on  a  copy  of 
Fitz  Herbert's  "  Grand  Abridgment  "  (1516).  The 
interesting  initials  are  carefully  done,  and  several 
have  heraldic  shields.  In  its  present  state  the  MS. 
contains  forty-three  complete  compositions,  for  four, 
five,  six,  seven,  nine,  and  thirteen  voices.  Biogra- 
phical details  were  given  of  many  of  the  composers, 
all  of  whom  are  English,  the  majority  seeming  to 
have  been  connected  with  Eton  or  with  colleges 
closely  allied  to  it  at  Oxford  or  Cambridge.  The 
MS.  is  important  in  the  history  of  English  music 
as  representing  the  tendencies  of  the  national  school 
of  composition  which  succeeded  that  founded  by 
Dunstable,  who  died  in  1453,  and  preceded  that  of 
which  Fayrfax  (ob.  1529)  was  the  chief.  For  Eton 
it  possesses  an  especial  interest  as  showing  that 
from  the  first  the  College  has  fostered  the  art  of 
music,  and  may  claim  to  have  had  a  school  of  com- 
posers of  its  own.  The  labour  and  cost  of  tran- 
scribing and  rendering  generally  accessible  the 
contents  of  this  MS.  is  an  important  matter  which 
should  appeal  to  all  musical  Eton  men. — Athsnmtm, 
February  26. 

Society  of  Antiquaries. — February  24. — Sir  H. 
H.  Howorth,  vice-president,  in  the  chair. — Corporal 
Norgate,  R.E.,  communicated  a  note  on  the  dis- 
covery by  him  of  a  series  of  "  hut  circles  "  in  the 
parish  of  Mullyon,  Cornwall,  in  1877,  which  are 
supposed  to  be  the  remains  of  a  British  village. — 
The  Rev.  W.  S.  Calverley,  local  secretary,  ex- 
hibited rubbings  and  communicated  a  description 
of  a  second  coped  or  "  hog- back  "  tombstone  dis- 
covered at  Gosforth,  Cumberland.  The  carving 
represents  reptilian  forms,  with  characteristic  knot- 
work,  and  figures  of  the  crucifix  at  the  ends. — Mr. 
Read  read  a  note  on  a  bronze  vessel  or  ewer  of  the 
end  of  the  fourteenth  century,  inscribed  he  that 

WYL    not    spare    whan    he    may  he  SCHAL  .  NOT  I 
SPEND  .  WHAN  .  HE  .  WOLD  .  DEME  .  THE  .  BEST  .  IN  . 
EVERY  .    I    DOWT  .  TIL  .  THE   .  TROWTHE   .  BE  .  TRYID  . 

owTE.  This  vessel,  which  is  2  feet  in  height,  and 
undoubtedly  the  work  of  an  English  founder,  was 
lately  brought  home  among  the  spoils  obtained  at 
the  last  sacking  of  Kumassi,  after  the  deposition  of 
King  Prempeh.  Mr.  Read  suggested  that  not  im- 
probably it  had  travelled  so  far  from  England 
through  one  of  the  expeditions  of  Prince  Henry  the 
Navigator  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  fifteenth  century. 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


141 


The  ewer  is  now  in  the  British  Museum. — Mr. 
Hihon  Price  exhibited  a  number  of  choice  examples 
of  Egyptian  antiquities  lately  acquired  by  him — of 
bronze  inlaid  with  gold  ;  lapis  lazuli,  alabaster,  etc., 
mounted  in  gold  ;  vessels  of  glass  ;  and  a  selection 
of  beautifully  worked  knives  of  flint. — Athenaum, 
March  5. 

ARCHiBOLOGiCAL  INSTITUTE. — February  2. — ^Judge 
Baylis  in  the  chair. — Mr.  G.  E.  Fox  exhibited  a 
series  of  tinted  rubbings  of  the  ornamentation  of 
the  white  marble  dwarf  wall  guarding  the  stairway 
to  the  crypt  of  the  Cathedral  Church  of  San 
Ciziaco,  Ancona.  The  panels  contain  representa- 
tions of  a  pair  of  peacocks,  a  pair  of  cranes,  a  pair 
of  grifiins,  and  an  eagle  displayed  holding  a  hare 
in  his  talons.  The  designs  seem  to  have  been 
copied  from,  or  suggested  by,  the  patterns  of 
Sicilian  silken  fabrics  of  late  eleventh-century  work. 
— Mr.  J.  L.  Andre  read  a  paper  entitled  "  Notes  on 
the  Rose  and  Remarks  on  the  Lily,"  describing 
various  customs  connected  with  the  former  flower, 
and  noticing  the  use  of  the  lily  in  ancient  art,  and 
its  adoption  in  later  times  as  a  symbol  of  purity. 
A  large  number  of  drawings  and  rubbings  were 
exhibited  in  illustration  of  the  subject. — Mr.  J.  R. 
Mortimer  communicated  a  paper  on  "  An  Ancient 
British  Settlement  on  Danby  North  Moor,  Yorks." 

*  *  4 
Arch^ological  Institute. — March  2. — Viscount 
Dillon,  president,  in  the  chair. — In  opening  the 
meeting-  the  Chairman  referred  to  the  great  loss 
that  archaeology  had  sustained  by  the  death  of  Mr. 
G.  T.  Clark,  a  vice-president,  and  for  many  years 
a  constant  attendant  at  the  annual  meetings. — The 
President  then  read  a  paper  "  On  Tilting  in  Tudor 
Times,"  noting  the  safe  phase  into  which  the 
dangerous  jousting  of  earlier  times  had  passed.  It 
was  shown  how  most  of  the  jousting  of  the  Tudor 
times  took  place  with  the  combatants  charging  in 
opposite  directions  along  the  opposite  sides  of  the 
tilt,  then  a  wooden  barrier  some  6  feet  high,  but  in 
its  earlier  form,  as  its  name  implies,  a  cloth  hung 
on  a  cord.  It  was  seen  that  in  this  way  the  riders 
had  to  carry  their  lances  to  the  left  side,  and  if  a 
blow  was  given,  it  was  at  least  at  an  angle  of  thirty 
degrees  from  the  course  of  the  riders.  The  system 
of  scoring,  as  shown  in  a  tilting  cheque  preserved 
in  the  Bodleian  Library,  was  also  referred  to  ;  and 
the  great  number  of  extra  pieces  of  armour  which 
went  with  each  suit  was  illustrated  by  photographs 
from  the  album  of  Jacob  Topf,  a  German  armourer, 
who,  during  his  stay  in  England  in  Elizabeth's  reign, 
made  the  Wilton,  Appleby  Castle,  and  many  other 
fine  suits  which  have  come  down  to  us,  and  at  the 
same  time  impressed  his  style  on  the  later  English 
armourers. — Mr.  A.  F.  Leach  read  a  paper  "  On 
the  Origin  of  Sherborne  School,  Dorset,"  tracing 
its  history  back  to  the  Middle  Ages,  and  showing 
that  it  was  independent  of  the  monastery- ,  and  not 
connected  therewith. 

*  ♦     ♦ 

British  Arch^ological  Association. — March  2. 
— A  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  T.  Cato  Worsfold  on 
"The  French  Stonehenge,"  illustrated  with  limelight 
views.  The  author  apologized  for  his  title,  but  said 
VOL.  XXXIV. 


he  thought  it  told  its  story  better  than  "  The  Mega- 
lithic  Monuments  of  the  Morbihan  in  Brittany " 
would  have  done.  "Carnac"  is  the  Breton  for 
"the  place  of  the  cairn";  just  outside  the  town 
there  is  a  tumulus  about  25  feet  in  height,  evidently 
artificial,  and  surmounted  with  a  grove  of  trees. 
Some  few  years  ago  this  tumulus  was  excavated, 
and  the  first  remains  come  to  were  Roman  ;  then, 
deeper  down,  Celtic  pottery,  etc. ;  and  finally  flint 
and  granite  arrow-heads  and  celts,  reminding  one 
of  the  hill  of  Hissarlik,  with  its  layers  of  deposits. 
Close  alongside  the  mound  have  been  found  the 
ruins  of  a  Roman  villa,  with  hypocaust,  etc.,  as 
usual;  and,  curiously  enough,  the  owner,  some 
1,800  years  ago,  must  have  been  an  archaeologist, 
as  some  flint  arrow-heads,  celts,  and  prehistoric 
pottery  were  found  carefully  placed  on  shelves  in 
one  of  the  rooms  excavated.  Coming  to  the  mega- 
lithic  monuments,  Mr.  Worsfold  said  they  were 
divided  into  three  classes,  viz.,  menhirs,  or  great 
monoliths,  varying  from  12  feet  to  25  feet  in  height ; 
dolmens,  or  "  table-stones,"  great  flat  stones  laid  on 
a  number  of  small  menhirs,  and  forming  a  chamber, 
reminding  one  of  the  cromlechs  of  Cornwall  :  and 
the  alignments,  or  rows — eleven  in  number,  and 
some  2  miles  in  length — of  monoliths,  running  from 
west  to  east,  and  terminating  in  a  quaint  chamber 
at  the  east  end.  Capital  views  of  the  principal 
menhirs  and  dolmens  were  shown,  and  also  two 
views  of  the  alignments,  which  are  in  three  divi- 
sions, running  from  west  to  east,  and  in  Breton 
mean  (i)  "  the  place  of  incineration,"  (2)  "  the  place 
of  mourning,"  and  (3)  "the  place  of  the  dead." 
These  consist  of  monoliths  or  menhirs  from  2  feet 
to  20  feet  in  height,  laid  in  long  rows,  and  thousands 
in  number.  These  "alignments"  are  sepulchral, 
and  evidently  the  work  of  the  same  race  as  that 
which  built  Avebury  and  Stonehenge,  though  data 
as  to  time  are  absolutely  wanting.  Stonehenge  is 
obviously  the  latest  of  the  three,  the  stones  being 
hewn  out  and  fashioned  with  mortice  blocks,  etc., 
while  Avebury  and  Carnac  are  quite  rough  and 
unhewn.  From  Carnac  the  lecturer  proceeided  to 
Loq  Mariaquer,  and  described  the  dolmens,  etc.,  to 
be  found  there,  and  the  great  tumulus  (with  the 
stones  at  the  end  of  the  long  gallery  ornamented 
with  curious  spiral  designs  resembling  axe-heads 
and  snakes)  on  Garor  Innis. 

*  J^c  * 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Lancashire  and  Cheshire 
Antiquarian  Society  on  March  4,  a  paper  pre- 
pared by  Mr.  Henry  Taylor,  of  Southport,  upon 
"  The  Ancient  Crosses  of  Lancashire,"  was  read,  in 
the  absence  of  the  writer,  by  the  Rev.  E.  F.  Letts. 
The  paper,  it  was  explained,  was  the  first  of  two  or 
three  papers  on  the  subject,  it  having  been  found 
impossible  to  bring  the  whole  of  the  information 
obtained  by  Mr.  Taylor  within  the  limits  of  one 
address.  The  crosses,  said  the  writer  of  the  paper, 
illustrated  an  interesting  phase  of  our  national  life 
in  past  centuries.  Wayside,  market,  and  other 
crosses  were  scattered  throughout  the  county  in 
amazing  numbers.  They  were  particularly  numer- 
ous in  the  hundreds  of  Leyland  and  West  Derby. 
He  had  notes  of  not  less  than  150  crosses.  The 
extraordinary  number  of  wayside  crosses  in  West 

R 


ii2 


arch^ological  news. 


Lancashire  might,  perhaps,  to  some  extent  be 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  many  of  the  land- 
owners were  Roman  Catholics,  and  therefore  free 
from  iconoclasm .  Near  the  abbeys  of  Whalley ,  Pen- 
wortham,  and  Burscough  wayside  crosses  abounded. 
The  ancient  crosses  of  Lancashire  were  classified  as 
follows :  Preaching  crosses,  churchyard  crosses, 
roadside  or  weeping  crosses,  market  crosses,  bound- 
ary crosses  and  mere  stones,  crosses  at  crossroads, 
crosses  at  holy  wells,  sanctuary  crosses,  crosses  at 
gateposts,  memorial  and  murder  crosses.  Mr. 
Taylor  proceeded  to  discuss  the  subject  of  crosses 
under  these  several  heads,  and  gave  a  large  amount 
of  important  information  as  to  the  reasons  and 
customs,  religious  or  otherwise,  which  had  in  all 
probability  led  to  their  erection.  Crosses  at  Whalley 
were,  he  said,  ascribed  to  the  seventh  century,  and 
Bede  was  quoted  in  support  of  the  supposition  that 
they  might  have  been  erected  to  commemorate  the 
preaching  of  Paulinus.  Town  crosses  might  be 
identified  as  the  ancient  meeting-places  of  local 
assemblies  all  over  England  ;  and  that  Paul's  Cross, 
London,  was  a  place  of  assembly  there  was  not  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt. — In  the  course  of  discussion  Mr. 
W.  Bowden  said  that  when  the  Ship  Canal  was  in 
course  of  construction  the  shaft  of  across,  distinctly 
of  Saxon  origin,  was  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Eccles.  He  endeavoured,  with  the  aid  of  Mr. 
Bourke,  the  then  resident  engineer  of  that  section 
of  the  canal,  and  Sir  W.  H.  Bailey,  to  get  it  placed 
in  Eccles  Church,  which  he  conceived  to  be  the 
proper  resting-place  for  such  "  finds,"  but  was  un- 
successful. It  was  now  at  Owens  College,  and  he 
was  not  without  hope  still  of  succeeding  in  getting 
it  removed  to  Eccles. 

The  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Royal  Society 
OF  Antiquaries  of  Ireland  was  held  on  the  after- 
noon of  January  ii.  Colonel  Vigors  presiding,  but 
a  report  of  it  did  not  reach  us  in  time  for  publica- 
tion in  the  February  number  of  the  Antiquary,  and 
had  to  be  held  over  from  pressure  on  our  space  in 
March. 

The  chairman  said  he  had  been  called  upon 
to  take  the  chair  in  the  absence  of  the  O'Connor 
Don.  The  meeting  would  not  expect,  under  the 
circumstances,  an  address  from  him  (the  chairman), 
and  he  had  only  to  express  his  satisfaction  at  the 
continued  success  of  the  society.  They  had  now 
over  1,300  members. 

Mr.  Cochrane  submitted  the  report  of  the  council, 
which  stated  that  the  finances  of  the  society  were 
in  a  satisfactory  condition.  The  principal  pro- 
vincial meeting  for  the  year  1898  would  be  held 
according  to  rotation  in  Connaught.  As  the 
O'Connor  Don  held  the  office  of  President  of 
the  Society,  the  council,  who  in  other  circum- 
stances would  have  submitted  his  name  for  election 
as  honorary  president  for  the  year,  had  decided  on 
this  occasion  to  recommend  that  no  honorary  pre- 
sident should  be  elected.  The  report  further  stated  : 
"  During  the  year  1897  the  deaths  of  6  fellows  and 
22  members  were  reported,  the  resignations  of 
3  fellows  and  51  members  were  accepted,  and 
32  names  were  removed  from  the  roll  for  non- 
payment of  subscriptions.     Thirteen  fellows  and 


93  members  were  elected  during  the  year.  There 
are  upon  the  roll  for  1897  the  names  of  202  fellows 
and  1,158  members,  making  1,360  names  in  all. 
The  council  have  to  deplore  the  loss  of  their  col- 
league. Deputy  Surgeon-General  King.  He  became 
a  member  of  the  society  in  1883,  and  a  fellow  in 
1886.  In  1889  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
council,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  year  1896, 
when  he  retired  by  rotation,  continued  a  member 
of  that  body  until  a  few  weeks  before  his  death, 
when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign  his 
seat.  In  consequence  of  the  difficulty  experienced 
by  local  members  in  arranging  excursions  in  con- 
nection with  the  meetings  in  Kilkenny,  where, 
under  the  existing  rules,  the  society  has  to  meet 
once  every  year,  a  notice  of  motion  has  been  given 
by  them  to  alter  the  rule.  As  there  was  some  doubt 
as  to  the  power  of  the  council  to  arrange  the  holding 
of  evening  meetings  in  Dublin  during  the  winter 
months,  it  is  proposed  to  alter  the  rule  to  enable 
such  meetings  to  be  held.  At  the  general  meeting 
held  in  Armagh  in  June,  1896,  it  was  unanimously 
resolved  that  the  action  of  the  council  in  recom- 
mending to  the  society  to  sanction  upon  certain 
conditions  the  transfer  of  the  Museum  of  Antiquities 
in  Kilkenny  to  the  Science  and  Art  Museum,  Dublin, 
be  approved  of.  In  pursuance  of  that  resolution, 
the  council  entered  into  correspondence  with  the 
director  of  the  Department  of  Science  and  Art, 
Dublin,  who  on  May  28  last  wrote  : 

"  With  reference  to  your  letter  of  March  24,  inti- 
mating the  wish  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries 
of  Ireland  to  transfer  their  collections  to  the  Science 
and  Art  Museum  in  Dublin,  I  am  directed  to  inform 
you  that  my  lords  highly  appreciate  the  motives 
which  have  actuated  the  council  and  members  of 
the  society  in  this  matter ;  but  having  received  a 
memorial  signed  by  many  of  the  principal  inhabi- 
tants of  Kilkenny,  representing  that  there  is  a  strong 
local  feeling  against  the  removal  from  that  town  of 
a  collection  which  has  been  kept  there  for  many 
years,  my  lords  have  decided  that  it  is  impossible 
for  them  to  avail  themselves  of  this  generous  ofifer. 
The  council  having  thus  been  unable  to  carry  out 
the  resolution  of  June,  1896,  would  remind  the 
members  that  the  charge  and  custody  of  the  museum 
remains  as  in  1895." 

Alderman  Murphy  (Kilkenny)  objected  to  the 
paragraph  in  the  report  stating  that  ' '  in  conse- 
quence of  the  difficulty  experienced  by  local  mem- 
bers in  arranging  excursions  in  connection  with 
meetings  in  Kilkenny,  where,  under  the  existing 
rules,  the  society  has  to  meet  once  every  year,  a 
notice  of  motion  has  been  given  by  them  to  alter 
the  rule."  He  denied  that  any  such  difficulty  as 
that  alleged  existed. 

Rev.  Canon  Rooke  also  objected  to  the  para- 
graph. 

Mr.  Cochrane  proposed  the  following  motion,  of 
which  notice  had  been  given  :  "  That  having  regard 
to  the  difficulty  of  varying  the  excursions  in  connec- 
tion with  the  annual  meeting  in  Kilkenny,  it  is 
desirable  to  relax  the  rule  making  it  compulsory 
for  the  society  to  meet  there  every  year,  and  in 
order  that  meetings  may  be  held  in  Kilkenny  at 
such  other  times  as  may  be  desired,  the  words  in 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


123 


Rule  24,  '  one  meeting  in  the  year  shall  be  held 
in  Kilkenny,'  be  omitted."  He  said  the  energies 
of  the  people  of  Kilkenny  had  been,  it  appeared, 
exhausted  in  the  matter  of  these  excursions,  and  it 
was  of  great  importance  that  the  April  meeting 
should  be  held  in  Dublin,  as  it  was  proposed  on 
that  occasion  to  celebrate  the  Jubilee  of  the  society. 
Dublin  afforded,  of  course,  much  greater  facilities 
for  such  a  celebration  than  Kilkenny.  They  could 
give  a  much  larger  and  better  programme  for  the 
metropolis  than  for  Kilkenny,  and  besides  it  was 
an  advantage  to  break  new  ground.  Dr.  Percival 
Wright  considered  it  a  matter  of  great  importance 
that  the  April  meeting  should  be  held  in  Dublin, 
but  he  would  not  like  in  any  way  to  slight  Kilkenny. 
Mr.  Longworth-Dames  suggested  that  a  resolution 
by  which  Kilkenny  should  forego  a  meeting  this  year 
might  be  accepted. 

After  considerable  discussion  an  amendment  was 
adopted,  carrying  out  Mr.  Longworth-Dames's 
suggestion. 

It  was  also  resolved  to  add  to  Rule  24  the  words  : 
"  Evening  meetings  for  reading  and  discussing 
papers,  and  making  exhibits,  may  be  held  at  such 
times  as  shall  be  arranged  by  the  council." 

The  meeting  adjourned  at  half-past  five  o'clock 
until  eight  o'clock,  when  the  O'Connor  Don,  presi- 
dent, occupied  the  chair  at  the  evening  meeting 
which  was  devoted  to  the  reading  of  papers. 

Mr.  W.  F.  Wakeman  read  a  paper  on  "The 
Antiquity  of  Iron,  as  used  in  the  Manufacture  of 
certain  Weapons,  Implements,  and  Ornaments 
found  in  Ireland."  He  said  that  in  Ireland,  previous 
to  the  establishment  of  Christianity,  iron  was  un- 
known, and  that  for  a  period  anterior  to  the  advent 
of  St.  Patrick  stone,  flint,  and  bronze  were  the 
only  materials  employed  for  the  manufacture  of 
weapons  and  instruments.  That  the  people  of  Erin 
centuries  before  the  birth  of  Christ  were  acquainted 
with  bronze  as  a  metal  of  every-day  use  was  uni- 
versally admitted  by  antiquaries.  Little,  however, 
was  to  be  found  in  ancient  manuscripts  of  the  use 
of  iron  amongst  the  people  of  Ireland  in  ante- 
Christian  days,  but  that  they  possessed  it  was 
certain.  In  not  a  few  districts  of  the  country  it 
was  known  to  geologists  that  abundance  of  iron 
ore  might  be  procured  with  the  outlay  necessary 
for  quarrying.  The  lecturer  produced,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  paper,  a  number  of  interesting  draw- 
ings of  relics,  dating,  he  said,  from  a  remote  period, 
and  which  were  found  in  cranogs  and  other  anti- 
quarian remains. 

A  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  G.  R.  M'C.  Dix  on 
"  Kil-ma-Hudduck,  near  Clondalkin,  Co.  Dublin." 

Both  papers  were  referred  to  the  council  for  pub- 
lication. 

•¥  •¥  ^ 
Birmingham  Archaeological  Society. — Hence- 
forth the  Archaeological  Section  of  the  Birmingham 
and  Midland  Institute  will,  we  are  informed,  carry  on 
its  operations  under  the  amenrled  title  set  forth  above. 
The  change  was  made  at  the  annual  meeting  held  on 
January  26,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  J.  A.  Cossins. 
— After  the  adoption  of  the  annual  report  and  state- 
ment of  accounts,  which  have  already  been  published, 
Lieutenant-General  Phelps  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to 


the  officers  for  their  services  during  the  past  year, 
mentioning  that  they  had  lately  increased  their  mem- 
bership, and  the  Section  had  never  been  more 
efficient  than  it  was  at  present. — The  motion  was 
seconded,  and  unanimously  agreed  to. — Mr.  H.  S. 
Pearson,  in  proposing  the  alteration  of  title,  explained 
that  it  meant  no  alteration  in  the  constitution  of  the 
society,  and  would  leave  it  still  connected,  as  of  old, 
with  the  Midland  Institute.  The  old  name  was  too 
long,  and  often  gave  rise  to  misapprehension  in  corre- 
spondence with  persons  at  a  distance.  —  Mr.  Wright 
Wilson  seconded  the  proposition,  and  it  was  agreed 
to. — Mr.  S.  Timmins,  who  had  promised  to  read  a 
paper  on  "James  Keir,  F.R.S.,"  was  unable  to  attend, 
but  he  forwarded  his  paper,  and  it  was  read  by  Mr. 
Wright  Wilson.  Mr.  "Timmins  referred  to  Keir  as 
one  of  the  worthies  of  Soho,  eminent  enough  to  rank 
with  Boulton  and  Watt.  From  his  birth  in  Edin- 
burgh, in  1735,  Keir's  history  was  carefully  traced. 
After  wanderings  abroad  as  a  medical  officer  in  the 
army,  he  married  Miss  Harvey  in  1770,  and  subse- 
quently lived  at  Birmingham.  In  1775  ^^  commenced 
business  as  a  glass  manufacturer  at  Stourbridge,  and 
became  acquainted  with  Watt  in  1768.  He  showed 
his  ability,  however,  when,  in  an  emergency  which 
necessitated  the  absence  of  the  two  partners,  he  took 
sole  charge  of  the  extensive  Soho  works.  An  estab- 
lishment at  Tipton  for  the  manufacture  of  alkali  and 
the  Tividale  Colliery  were  largely  due  to  Keir's  initia- 
tive. In  1785  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Society.  Keir's  many  important  works  on  mineralogy 
were  touched  upon,  and  Mr.  Timmins  recorded,  in 
conclusion,  how  in  1820  the  subject  of  the  sketch  died 
at  a  green  old  age,  leaving  the  records  of  his  work, 
his  frank  and  kindly  manners,  and  especially  his 
letters  to  his  friends,  as  marvellous  memories. 

*       *       3«t 

Yorkshire  ARCHitOLOGiCAL  Society. — The  thirty- 
third  annual  meeting  was  held  on  January  25,  in  the 
Society's  Rooms,  Leeds. 

In  the  annual  report  of  the  Council,  which  was 
adopted,  it  was  stated  that  the  cash  accounts  show 
that  the  society  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  a  sum  of 
;i^i85  remaining  in  the  bank  to  its  credit,  although  a 
fairly  large  amount  had  been  expended  in  putting  the 
new  rooms  into  a  condition  compatible  with  the 
society's  importance  and  usefulness.  The  large 
balance,  however,  is  owing  to  some  unavoidable  delay 
in  getting  out  Part  56,  the  production  of  which  would 
have  reduced  it  very  considerably.  The  capital  has 
been  increased  from  ;^l,32i  to  ;^  1,328  ids.,  and  the 
sum  of  £20^  stands  to  the  credit  of  the  society  in  the 
investment  account.  The  number  of  members  is 
rather  less  than  last  year — 598,  as  against  607  ;  but 
this  apparent  falling  off  is  not  significant  of  the  waning 
interest  in  the  society,  but  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  in 
the  list  of  members'  names  to  be  incorporated  with 
the  next  part  of  ^&  Journal  issued,  a  great  many  have 
been  struck  out  as  either  dead  or  being  members  in 
name  only.  During  the  past  week  the  society  has 
had  to  deplore  the  loss  of  a  member  of  the  Council, 
Mr.  G.  W.  Tomlinson,  F.S.A.,  who  died  at  Hudders- 
field  on  August  2X.  Two  excursions  were  made  by 
the  society  during  the  summer.  The  first  was  on 
Friday,  June  18,  when  Markenfield  Hall,  Ripon 
Minster,  and  the  chapel  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen  were 


124 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


visited.  The  second  excursion  took  place  on  Friday, 
July  22,  when  the  meeting- place  was  Milford  Junction, 
from  whence  the  party  drove  to  Steeton  Hall,  and  the 
churches  of  Ledsham,  Monk  Fryston,  Birkin,  and 
Brayton,  finishing  the  journey  at  Selby.  Excavations 
have  been  going  on  at  Mount  Grace  during  the  summer, 
under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope. 
A  commencement  was  made  at  the  west  end  of  the 
church,  where  the  foundations  of  the  frater  were  laid 
bare,  and  farther  to  the  south,  near  the  kitchen,  part 
of  the  monastic  bakehouse  was  discovered.  This  last 
was  a  building  of  considerable  size,  12  feet  in  diameter. 
At  the  east  end  of  the  church  a  cell,  forming  part  of 
the  lesser  cloister,  was  partially  excavated.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  excavations,  the  outer  cloister  has  been 
thoroughly  drained,  and  this  adds  very  much  to  the 
comfort  of  visitors.  If  there  are  sufficient  subscrip- 
tions— which  may  be  sent  to  the  hon.  secretary- 
excavations  will  be  resumed  next  summer,  when  it 
will  be  possible  to  make  a  complete  ground-plan  of 
this  ruin,  which  is  unique  as  being  the  only  Car- 
thusian monastery  in  this  country  where  the  ruins  are 
at  all  perfect.  The  society's  rooms  continue  to  give 
satisfaction.  It  is  hoped  that  the  catalogue  of  the 
library  will  appear  during  the  coming  year.  Members 
are  much  indebted  to  the  hon.  librarian,  Mr.  E.  K. 
Clark,  for  this  laborious  piece  of  work,  which  in- 
volved not  only  the  cataloguing  but  the  arranging  of 
the  books  when  brought  from  Huddersfield. 

The  report  as  to  the  Record  Series  stated  that  the 
second  volume  of  the  Yorkshire  Lay  Subsidies,  edited 
by  Mr.  William  Brown,  has  been  issued  during  the 
year.  The  two  volumes  for  1897  are  nearly  ready, 
and  will  be  issued  early  in  1898.  They  are  the  second 
volume  of  the  Yorkshire  Inquisitions,  and  a  further 
instalment  of  the  Index  of  the  York  Wills  up  to  the 
year  1594.  Another  volume  of  the  Wills  Index  will 
be  issued  in  1898,  but  the  second  volume  for  that 
year  has  not  been  definitely  decided  on.  There  has 
recently  been  a  slight  increase  in  the  number  of  sub- 
scribers, partly  owing  to  the  North  Riding  Record 
Society  having  come  to  an  end,  and  to  some  of  its 
members  having  transferred  their  subscriptions  to  this 
series.  The  number  of  subscribers  is,  however,  still  very 
small,  and  ought  to  be  increased,  if  efficient  work  is  to 
be  done  in  the  future.  The  North  Riding  Record 
Society  has  presented  its  stock  of  volumes  to  this 
society  on  certain  conditions,  which  have  been  agreed 
to.  There  is  plenty  of  work  to  do,  and  many  interest- 
ing and  important  records  await  publication,  the  only 
difficulty  being  that  of  money. 

The  president  (Colonel  Thomas  Brooke)  was  re- 
elected. The  vice  presidents  were  also  reappointed. 
The  hon.  secretary  (Mr.  William  Brown)  was  re- 
elected. The  death  of  Mr.  Tomlinson,  the  late  secre- 
tary, was  feelingly  alluded  to,  and  a  vote  of  condolence 
with  Mrs.  Tomlinson  and  the  family  was  passed. 

*  :«c  * 
Hawick  ArcH/EOLogical  Society.— The  forty- 
first  annual  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Hawick 
Archoeological  Society  was  held  on  January  28,  the 
president,  the  Rev.  W.  A.  P.  Johnman,  occupying  the 
chair.  There  was  a  good  attendance  of  members. 
Mr.  Robert  Murray  read  the  following  report,  which 
was  adopted  :  "  The  past  year  has  been  a  very  favour- 
able one  for  the  society.     There  are  at  present  72  life 


members  and  82  annual  members,  making  a  total  of 
154.  During  1897  there  have  been,  including  the 
annual  meeting,  five  meetings  of  the  society,  and  eight 
meetings  of  committee,  besides  the  excursion  to 
Peebles.  Traquair,  and  The  Glen,  and  the  'Old 
Mortality '  demonstration  at  Burnflat.  A  large 
number  of  donations  for  the  museum  have  been 
presented  during  the  year,  and  several  local  por- 
traits, lists  of  which  have  appeared  in  the  local  papers. 
The  woodwork  of  the  old  burgh  stocks  having 
crumbled  from  age  and  exposure,  a  model  of  them 
has  been  made  with  the  original  iron  portion  incor- 
porated. The  identification  and  ticketing  of  articles 
in  the  museum  has  been  practically  finished,  and  a 
list  of  them  prepared  as  the  foundation  of  a  catalogue. 
A  great  number  of  skins  of  foreign  birds  have  been 
stuffed  by  Thomas  Robson,  Weensland.  The  museum 
has  been  open  every  Saturday  and  on  holidays.  The 
attendance  of  visitors  has  greatly  increased  of  late,  the 
number  of  visitors  during  the  year  being  upwards  of 
1,000. 

*  4f  * 
The  second  meeting  of  the  winter  session  of  the  East 
Riding  Antiquarian  Society  was  held  at  Market 
Weighton  on  February  8,  when  a  paper  on  "  Field 
Names,"  by  the  Rev.  E.  Maule  Cole,  was  read.  Mr. 
Cole  stated  that  for  upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a  century 
he  had  been  engaged  in  tracing  out  on  the  six-inch 
ordnance  survey  map  of  Wetwang  the  entrenchments 
thrown  up  by  their  forefathers.  These,  since  the 
passing  of  the  Enclosure  Acts,  a.d.  1800,  had  been 
considerably  levelled  down  and  almost  obliterated  by 
the  plough.  The  names  given  to  any  particular  field, 
in  the  modern  acceptation  of  the  term,  were  extremely 
rare.  Originally  the  lands  bore  the  name  of  the 
parishes,  but  they  had  been  separated  or  subdivided 
to  suit  agriculture.  When  the  country  was  enclosed 
the  old  nomenclature  was  still  maintained,  and  called 
after  the  points  of  the  compass.  In  time,  however, 
there  were  further  divisions,  with  the  result  that  fresh 
names  were  introduced  to  distinguish  the  various 
fields.  Thus  they  found  that  the  fields  were  designated 
after  shrubs,  animals,  birds,  and  other  objects.  Many 
interesting  instances  of  the  changing  of  the  names  of 
fields  as  they  became  subdivided,  in  order  to  distin- 
guish them  from  others,  were  given.  The  President 
hoped  that  they  would  be  able  to  obtain  a  complete 
list  of  the  field-names  of  the  Riding. 

Canon  Stanbridge  then  read  another  paper  by  Mr. 
Cole,  on  "  Brunanburgh."  A  short  discussion  fol- 
lowed, in  which  Mr.  J.  R.  Boyle  gave  it  as  his 
opinion  that  Peter  of  Langtoft,  who  would  know,  if 
anyone  did.  the  site  of  the  battle,  had  given  it  as 
Brunenburgh-upon-Humber.  He  saw  no  reason  to 
divert  from  that. 

5k  *  * 
A  meeting  of  the  Lancashire  and  Cheshire  Anti- 
quarian Society  was  held  on  February  4,  at  the 
Chetham  College,  the  president  (Mr.  J.  Holme 
Nicholson)  in  the  chair.  In  a  presidential  address, 
the  Chairman  expressed  regret  that  so  few  of  the 
members  contributed  to  the  interest  of  their  meetings, 
and  gave  them  the  results  of  their  active  work.  He 
gave  some  hints  for  the  guidance  of  beginners  in 
archaeological  research,  and  remarked  on  the  number 
of  demolitions  of  old  buildings  in  Manchester  of  late. 


ARCffyEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


125 


From  the  sites  of  many  of  these  had  been  recovered 
objects  of  antiquarian  interest,  while  dovibtless  many 
others  would  have  yielded  like  objects  to  those  who 
had  looked  for  them.  Mr.  John  Dean  afterwards 
read  a  paper  on  "  The  Mediaeval  Lords  of  Middleton 
and  the  Assheton  Family." 

^       4c       3t( 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Worcestershire  Archi- 
tectural AND  Arch^ological  SOCIETY,  held  on 
February  7,  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Burton,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  preparing  a  bibliography  of  the  county, 
read  a  paper,  referring  to  the  invention  of  print- 
ing and  its  progress  generally,  placing  Worcester 
tenth  in  rank  in  connection  with  the  progress  of 
the  art  in  the  British  Islands.  In  1548  there  was 
established  at  Ipswich  one  John  Oswin,  who  there 
printed  several  works  which  were  still  extant.  It 
was  probably  about  Christmas  of  that  year  that 
Oswin  left  Ipswich,  for  on  January  30,  1549 — or 
exactly  100  years  before  the  execution  of  King 
Charles  I. — he  brought  out  a  small  octavo  black- 
lettered  volume  at  Worcester.  It  was  entitled  "  A 
Consultary  for  all  Christians,"  to  which  was  pre- 
faced the  king's  license,  the  original  of  which  was 
in  the  Record  Office.  Oswin  was  probably  induced 
to  come  westward  owing  to  his  appointment  as 
official  printer  of  the  Marches,  a  territory  embracing 
the  counties  of  Worcester,  Hereford,  Salop,  and 
Gloucester,  as  well  as  the  whole  of  Wales.  Its 
Court  was  held  at  Ludlow  or  Bewdley,  and  some- 
times at  Worcester,  Shrewsbury,  and  Hereford. 
Mr.  Burton  mentioned  that  Oswin's  printing-office 
was  somewhere  in  the  High  Street.  Oswin  was 
not  merely  a  tradesman,  but  was  a  literary  man 
with  strong  convictions.  On  the  accession  of 
Mary  I.  the  Worcester  Press,  like  that  at  Canter- 
bury and  elsewhere,  suddenly  ceased.  Three  copies 
of  the  first  book  printed  in  Worcestershire  were  in 
existence — one  being  in  the  library  of  Mr.  Huth 
and  two  in  the  Cambridge  University  Library.  Mr. 
Burton  went  on  to  refer  to  other  works  of  Oswin, 
and  mentioning  one  work,  said  that  five  copies  were 
in  the  Bodleian  Library,  and  not  one  at  Worcester, 
where  it  was  printed.  He  suggested  that  one  at 
least  might  be  offered  to  the  Victoria  Institute  in 
gratitude  to  the  city.  In  1658  they  found  the  first 
Worcester  bookseller  in  John  Jones,  who  continued 
his  occupation  here  for  thirty  years,  during  part  of 
which  period  he  had  a  rival  in  Sampson  Evans. 
Passing  to  the  birth  of  newspaper  printing,  Mr. 
Burton  mentioned  that  in  June,  1709,  Stephen 
Bryan,  then  three  years  out  of  his  London  appren- 
ticeship, started  the  Worcester  Postman,  which  paper, 
he  said,  was  printed  at  an  establishment  next  the 
Cross  Keys  Inn,  in  Sidbury,  and  Bryan  himself 
occupied  a  house  on  the  south  side  of  the  Cross 
Keys,  Mr.  Burton  suggesting  that  it  was  on  the  site 
of  the  present  boot-factory  in  College  Street. 

Mr.  F.  Corbett,  interposing,  said  that  the  Cross 
Keys  was  outside  the  city  boundary,  and  that  was 
probably  why  Bryan  established  himself  there,  as 
not  being  a  freeman  he  would  not  be  at  liberty  to 
start  business  within  the  city. 

Mr.  Burton,  proceeding  with  his  paper,  mentioned, 
as  holding  honoured  place  in  county  journalism,  the 
Worcester  Herald,  already  venerable  with  more  than 


100  years  of  active  intellectual  life.  Mr.  Burton 
referred  to  works  of  John  Baskerville  and  George 
Nicholson,  of  the  Stourport  Press,  and  the  fine  col- 
lection of  the  late  Sir  Thomas  Phillips,  who  was 
High  Sheriff  of  the  County  in  1825,  and  who  pos- 
sessed a  private  press  at  Middle  Hill,  near  Broad- 
way. 

The  Chairman  (the  Rev.  J.  B.  Wilson)  said  that 
they  had  been  delighted  with  a  most  interesting 
paper ;  and  Mr.  Burton  expressed  a  hope  that  more 
information  might  be  forthcoming,  as  it  would  be 
of  use  to  him  for  his  county  work. 

*  *  J^c 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  St.  Albans  Archi- 
tectural AND  Arch^ological  SOCIETY  was  held 
on  March  4,  when  Mr.  H.  J.  Toulmin,  as  treasurer, 
presented  the  annual  balance-sheet,  which  showed 
that  there  was  to  the  credit  of  the  society  a  balance 
of  ;^42  los.  4d.  The  Rev.  H.  Fowler  pointed  out 
that,  after  various  additional  items  of  income  had 
been  allowed  for,  there  was  an  available  fund  of 
^45  gs.  lod.  The  chairman  (Archdeacon  Lawrence, 
Rector  of  St.  Albans),  before  calling  upon  Messrs. 
Kitton  and  Page  to  read  their  report  on  their 
examination  of  the  remains  of  the  walls  of  Veru- 
lamium,  said  there  was  one  matter  which  he  should 
like  to  mention — namely,  the  works  that  were  going 
on  in  connection  with  the  Abbey  Tower.  He  wished 
only  to  say  that  he  was  distinctly  assured  by  the 
contractor  that  there  was  no  intention  whatever  to 
alter  in  any  respect  the  external  aspect  of  the  tower, 
and  that  the  works  carried  out  would  be  strictly 
confined  to  works  of  necessary  repair.  The  follow- 
ing report,  prepared  by  Mr.  W.  Page  and  Mr.  F.  G. 
Kitton,  respecting  the  remains  of  the  old  Roman 
wall  which  formerly  compassed  the  city  of  Veru- 
lamium,  was  read :  "We  beg  to  report  that  we  have 
examined  the  two  pieces  of  the  Roman  wall  of 
Verulamium,  as  desired  at  the  last  meeting  of  this 
society.  With  regard  to  the  portions  of  the  wall 
known  as  Gorhambury  Block,  we  find  this  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation.  It  is  protected  by  a 
thorn  hedge,  which,  although  somewhat  hiding  the 
wall,  if  kept  trimmed,  makes  an  effective  protection 
from  destruction  by  boys  and  heedless  persons. 
This  piece  of  wall  has  a  particular  value,  because 
for  a  part  of  its  length  the  original  face  still  remains 
to  about  a  foot  above  the  ground-level.  We  cannot, 
however,  make  so  favourable  a  report  respecting 
the  portion  of  the  wall  known  as  St.  German's 
Block.  This  is  about  60  feet  in  length,  and  has  an 
average  height  on  the  north  side  of  about  7  feet, 
and  on  the  south  of  11  feet  6  inches.  The  middle 
of  the  wall  from  the  ground-level  on  the  south  side 
is  in  many  parts  very  thin,  being  only  for  some 
distance  from  3  inches  to  about  a  foot  in  thickness, 
while  the  top,  which  considerably  overhangs,  varies 
from  2  feet  6  inches  to  4  feet  in  thickness.  In  two 
places  at  the  ground-level  on  the  north  side  there 
are  holes  from  6  feet  to  7  feet  in  length,  which  leave 
the  wall  at  these  places  without  support.  The  first 
thing  we  would  suggest  as  being  necessary  for  the 
preservation  of  this  piece  of  wall  is  protection  from 
the  hands  of  thoughtless  persons ;  the  field  in  which 
it  is  situated  is  now  used  for  football,  and  is  con- 
sequently visited  by  many  people.     On  the  day  on 


126 


ARCH^OLOGJCAL  NEWS. 


which  we  examined  the  wall,  we  noticed  fresh 
damage  had  very  recently  been  committed,  espe- 
cially at  a  most  dangerous  point  at  the  foot  of  the 
wall  on  the  north  side.  We  think  it  very  desirable 
that  the  Earl  of  Verulam  should  be  asked  to  permit 
a  fence  to  be  erected  to  protect  the  wall,  and  with 
regard  to  its  preservation,  we  would  recommend 
that  the  portion  over  the  two  holes  should  be  sup- 
ported by  two  small  pillars  of  brick  set  in  cement, 
in  each  hole,  and  if  practicable,  that  the  weaker 
portions  in  the  upper  part  of  the  wall  should  be 
carefully  strengthened.  In  conclusion,  we  should 
like  to  point  out  that  this  piece  of  the  Roman  wall 
is,  perhaps,  the  most  interesting  of  any  that  sur- 
round the  city  of  Verulamium,  being  probably  the 
highest  portion  now  remaining,  and  having  in  it 
two  curious  holes,  about  2  inches  in  diameter, 
which,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  do  not  occur  else- 
where. But,  beyond  this,  it  marks  the  traditional 
site  of  the  house  in  which  St.  German,  Bishop  of 
Auxerre,  dwelt  when  he  first  visited  this  country,  in 
A.D.  429,  at  the  invitation  of  the  British  bishops,  to 
combat  the  Pelagian  heresy,  when,  it  is  stated,  he 
carried  off  some  of  the  relics  of  St.  Alban,  upon 
which  story  the  claim  is  set  up  that  the  head  of  the 
English  proto-martyr  is  now  in  the  church  of  St. 
Mary  Schnurgasse  at  Cologne.  This  isolated  piece 
of  wall  owes  its  preservation  probably  to  the  fact 
of  its  having  formed  either  a  part  of  St.  German's 
Chapel  or  of  its  adjuncts,  which  was  first  erected 
on  the  site  of  St.  German's  house  by  Ulpho,  Prior 
of  St.  Albans,  about  the  middle  of  the  tenth  century, 
and  was  not  finally  destroyed  till  early  in  the 
eighteenth  century."  It  was  decided  that  a  letter 
to  Lord  Verulam  should  be  forwarded,  asking  his 
permission  to  carry  out  the  works  of  protection 
suggested  in  the  report. 

*      *      * 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Worcestershire  His- 
torical Society  was  held  at  the  end  of  February. 
We  learn  from  the  Report  of  the  Council  for  1897 
that  the  number  of  members  on  the  list  for  i8g6 
was  269.  Of  these  the  society,  during  1897,  lost  by 
death  14,  and  by  resignation  11.  The  list  for  1897 
contained  the  names  of  249  members.  No  less  than 
four  of  the  six  new  members  were  public  institu- 
tions. The  society  had  a  surplus  of  assets  amount- 
ing to  ;^i90  3s.  lod.,  without  taking  account  of  the 
stock  of  publications  in  hand.  The  publications 
for  the  year  1898  were  the  remaining  portion  of 
Habington's  work  which  relates  to  Worcestershire, 
the  first  part  of  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Burton's  Bibliography 
of  Worcestershire,  and  the  earliest  Bishop's  Register 
of  the  Diocese,  that  of  Bishop  Giffard.  The  Council 
had  agreed  to  share  the  expense  of  publishing  the 
indexes  of  wills  at  the  Bishop's  Registry  of  Wor- 
cester with  the  British  Record  Society,  and  those 
would  be  issued  uniform  with  the  ordinary  publica- 
tions of  the  society. 

The  Hon.  Editor  (Mr.  Amphlett),  in  his  report 
to  the  Council,  said  the  publications  for  the  present 
year  consisted  of  the  remainder  of  the  Index  of 
Worcestershire  Fines,  arranged  by  himself;  the 
remainder  of  the  Sede  Vacante'  Register ;  and  a 
further  portion  of  Habington's  Survey,  v^dth  a  re- 


production in  colour  of  the  hatchment  used  at  his 
funeral.  The  only  remaining  portion  of  Habington 
relating  to  Worcestershire  now  to  be  printed  was 
contained  in  an  MS.  in  the  British  Museum,  and 
was  not  very  lengthy ;  but  he  thought  his  surveys 
of  the  Gloucestershire  Manors,  Henbury,  and  others 
should  be  printed  as  an  appendix  to  the  second 
volume  of  his  Survey  to  make  his  work  in  that 
direction  complete.  During  the  past  autumn  he 
had,  in  company  with  Lord  Cobham,  been  visiting 
various  churches  in  the  county  for  the  purpose  of 
comparing  Sir  Stephen  Glynne's  notes  with  the 
present  state  of  the  edifices.  They  had  looked  at 
seventy-four  churches,  and  about  the  same  number 
remained  yet  to  be  seen.  It  was  certain  that  they 
could  not  get  the  work  ready  for  publication  in 
1898.  As  to  the  publications  for  1898,  the  Rev.  J. 
R.  Burton  informed  him  that  some  portion  of  the 
Bibliography  he  was  compiling  would  be  ready  for 
the  press.  Mr.  F.  S.  Pearson  was  forming  an  ex- 
haustive analysis  of  Acts  of  Parliament  relating  to 
Worcestershire,  which  would  form  part  of  this 
Bibliography.  He  had  agreed  with  him  that  the 
society  should  find,  at  all  events,  a  considerable 
portion,  if  not  all,  of  the  expense  of  this  work. 
The  statement  of  accounts  showed  receipts  of 
^■562  15s.  id.,  including  a  balance  from  1896  of 
;^32i  15s.  7d.  The  expenditure  included  /200  for 
printing,  and  there  remained  a  balance  in  hand  of 
/300  7s.  8d. 

The  Chairman  (Lord  Cobham)  moved  the  adop- 
tion of  the  report.  The  announcement  which  ap- 
peared with  regard  to  the  heavy  losses  the  society 
had  had  ought  to  incite  the  executive  and  members 
and  friends  to  increased  efforts  to  keep  up  the 
number  of  subscribers.  They  had  lost  fourteen 
members  by  death  in  the  course  of  the  year,  many 
of  them  excellent  friends,  such  as  Mr.  Robert 
Berkeley.  Only  that  morning  they  heard  the  news 
of  another  loss  in  the  lamented  death  of  Canon 
Douglas.  Whenever  a  member  dropped  out  from 
any  cause  they  ought  to  fill  his  place,  so  that  the 
society  might  not  gradually  decay.  Referring  to 
the  late  issue  of  the  publications  this  year,  he  said 
that  the  volume  had  attained  dimensions  quite  un- 
precedented. As  to  the  investigation  he  had  carried 
on  with  Mr,  Amphlett  of  country  churches,  they 
were,  he  said,  having  a  very  good  time,  and  very 
largely  instructing  their  minds  with  regard  to 
church  architecture  generally,  and  peculiarities  of 
Worcestershire  churches  in  particular.  They  were 
in  some  difficulty  as  to  the  form  in  which  the  result 
should  be  published.  Accounts  of  the  churches 
written  in  popular  form  would,  no  doubt,  be  in- 
teresting ;  but  they  had  to  bear  in  mind  the  high 
class  of  the  society's  publications,  and  the  import- 
ance of  not  giving  anything  that  had  already  been 
published ;  and  with  regard  to  the  churches  much 
good  work  had  been  done  by  archaeological  societies 
and  others,  especially  in  the  north  of  the  county. 
He  hoped  something  would  come  of  their  extensive 
and,  he  might  add,  expensive  peregrinations. 

A  discussion  of  some  interest  was  raised  by  a 
letter  from  General  Davies,  who  was  unable  to 
attend,  and  who  wrote  expressing  great  doubt  as  to 
the  wisdom  of  attempting  the  formidable  task  of 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


127 


compiling  a  county  history,  and  suggesting  that  a 
good  history  of  each  parish  would  be  better  than  a 
county  history. 

*  *  * 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland.  —  The 
February  meeting  was  held  on  the  14th  of  that 
month.  The  first  paper  was  a  survey  of  the  Catrail, 
by  Mr.  Francis  Lynn,  F. S.A.Scot.,  Galashiels;  in 
the  second  paper,  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.  Lawlor  gave 
some  notices  of  the  library  of  the  Sinclairs  of 
Rosslyn  ;  in  the  third  paper,  Mr.  T.  S.  Robertson, 
architect,  F.S.A.Scot.,  gave  some  notices  of  St. 
Fillan's  Priory  in  Glendochart,  with  a  plan  of  the 
ruins,  and  sketches  of  some  of  the  sepulchral  slabs 
and  the  broken  font,  which  still  remain  ;  and  in  the 
last  paper,  the  Rev.  J.  K.  Hewison,  F.S.A.Scot., 
described  an  effigy  in  the  churchyard  of  Morton, 
Thornhill,  Dumfriesshire,  which  lies  in  the  ground 
allotted  of  old  to  the  Milligans — a  fairly  well- 
executed  likeness  of  a  Covenanting  minister  in  the 
costume  of  the  last  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, carved  out  of  a  slab  of  red  freestone,  probably 
from  the  quarry  leased  by  "  Old  Mortality  "  (Robert 
Paterson),  within  about  a  mile  of  the  churchyard 


Eet)ieto0  anD  iBotices 
of  I3eto  TBooks. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for'  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.] 

The  Ornaments  of  the  Rubric.  (Alcuin  Club 
Tracts,  No.  i.)  By  J.  T.  Micklethwaite.  8vo., 
boards.  London  :  Longmans,  Green  and  Co. 
The  Alcuin  Club  is  to  be  heartily  congratulated 
on  having  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  Micklethwaite 
as  the  author  of  the  first  of  the  publications  issued 
under  its  auspices.  There  is  probably  no  other 
living  antiquary  who  possesses  so  profound  and 
thorough  a  knowledge  of  the  appointments  of  an 
English  mediaeval  church  as  Mr.  Micklethwaite 
does,  and  the  result  is  that  we  have  in  this  "  Tract  " 
an  exceptionally  valuable  account  of  what  ' '  orna- 
ments "  were  to  be  found  in  pre- Reformation 
times  in  the  churches  of  this  country,  and  an  ex- 
planation of  many  names  of  things  often  met  with, 
but  little  understood.  Having  said  so  much,  we 
are  bound  to  express  our  astonishment  at  the  mis- 
interpretation of  what  is  called  the  "  Ornaments 
Rubric "  in  the  Prayer-Book,  which  forms  the 
groundwork  of  much  of  Mr.  Micklethwaite's  argu- 
ment, and  enables  him  to  describe  a  number  of 
ecclesiastical  objects  which  are  most  assuredly  not 
included  in  the  scope  of  the  rubric  in  question. 
Mr.  Micklethwaite  argues  that  the  rubric  means 
that  all  such  "ornaments"  as  were  in  use  in  the 
second  year  of  Edward  VI.  are  to  be  retained,  and  be 
in  use  to-day,  whereas  what  the  rubric  really  says 
is  that  such  "  ornaments  "  as  were  authorized  by  an 
Act  of  Parliament  2  Edward  VI.  are  to  be  retained, 


and  be  in  use.  We  treat  this  question  on  archae- 
ological and  grammatical  grounds  only,  leaving  such 
ecclesiastical  consequences  as  are  involved  in  it  for 
others  to  deal  with  elsewhere.  In  order  to  make 
the  matter  clear,  it  will  be  well  to  quote  the  exact 
words  of  the  rubric  from  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.     It  is  as  follows  ; 

"  And  here  it  is  to  be  noted, 'that  such  Ornaments 
of  the  Church,  and  of  the  Ministers  thereof,  at  all 
times  of  their  Ministration,  shall  be  retained  and 
be  in  use,  as  were  in  this  Church  of  England,  by 
Authority  of  Parliament,  in  the  second  year  of  the 
Reign  of  King  Edward  the  Sixth." 

Now,  Mr.  Micklethwaite's  interpretation  of  the 
rubric  would  require  that  it  should  read  thus  : 

"  And  here  it  is  to  be  noted  that  such  Ornaments 
of  the  Church,  and  of  the  Ministers  thereof,  at  all 
times  of  their  Ministration,  shall  be  retained  and 
be  in  use,  as  were  in  use  in  this  Church  of  England 
in  the  second  year  of  the  Reign  of  King  Edward  the 
Sixth,  by  Authority  of  Parliament." 

This  is  quite  another  matter,  and  its  significance 
is  at  once  obvious  when  it  is  seen:  (i)  That  there 
was  no  specific  Act  of  Parliament  authorizing  the 
"ornaments"  in  use  during  the  second  year  of 
Edward  VI. ;  (2)  that  there  is  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment of  the  second  year  of  Edward  VI.  enforcing 
the  use  of  certain  "ornaments,"  which  came  into 
operation  and  the  "  ornaments  "  into  use  by  authority 
of  Parliament  in  the  third  year  of  Edward  VI., 
with  the  introduction  of  the  "  First  Prayer-Book  " 
of  Edward  VI.;  (3)  that  the  "  ornaments  "  in  use 
during  the  second  year  were  the  same  as  those 
during  the  first  year  (and  therefore  the  second  need 
not  have  been  specified),  and  were  also,  practically 
speaking,  those  in  use  during  the  later  Middle 
Ages  when  the  Church  of  England  was  Roman 
Catholic  in  doctrine,  practice,  and  obedience.  Thus 
Mr.  Micklethwaite  is  found  describing  in  this 
"Tract  "  holy  water  stocks,  the  elevation  curtain, 
the  hanging  pyx  for  the  reserved  sacrament,  the 
monstrance,  the  sackering  bell,  the  chrismatory, 
the  canopy  for  the  procession  of  the  sacrament,  the 
Easter  sepulchre,  the  Judas,  and  all  manner  of 
things  for  which  he  is  compelled  to  admit  there  is 
no  provision  made  in  the  Prayer-Book,  which,  he 
says,  orders  them  to  be  retained  and  be  in  use. 
Such  a  reductio  ad  absurdum  of  the  matter  ought  to 
have  made  Mr.  Micklethwaite  pause  before  he  com- 
mitted himself  to  an  explanation  of  the  rubric  at 
once  impossible  and  contrary  to  plain  English. 
However,  we  cannot  regret,  from  an  archaeological 
point  of  view,  Mr.  Micklethwaite's  obvious  mistake, 
for  it  has  enabled  him  to  include  the  whole  of  the 
appointments  of  a  mediaeval  church  in  his  catalogue 
of  "  ornaments,"  and  to  impart  a  vast  amount  of 
most  useful  and  valuable  information  as  to  them. 
There  are,  here  and  there,  points  of  detail  where 
we  are  not  sure  that  we  agree  with  the  author,  and 
we  wish  that  in  some  places  he  had  given  authorities 
for  his  statements.  For  instance,  without  in  the 
least  degree  wishing  to  appear  to  dispute  its  ac- 
curacy, it  would  have  added  much  to  the  interest 
of  the  statement  if  Mr.  Micklethwaite  had  given 
his  authority  for  the  assertion  that  the  clergy  at 
times  wore  garlands  of  flowers  over  their  vestments. 


128 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


The  mass  of  information  contained  in  this  tract 
is  quite  phenomenal,  and  we  really  wish  that  Mr. 
Micklethwaite  could  have  stretched  the  rubric  even 
wider  still,  and  given  us  a  history  of  English  eccle- 
siastical "ornaments"  from  the  earliest  times  on- 
wards. Anyhow,  we  are  thankful  to  him  for  this 
Tract,  and  for  his  amusing  and  convenient  expan- 
sion of  rubric,  untenable  as  this  in  itself  is. 

*  4*  * 
Summary  Catalogue  of  Western  Manuscripts 
IN  THE  Bodleian  Library  at  Oxford.  By 
Falconer  Madan,  vol.  iv.  (Collections  received 
during  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.) 
Cloth  8vo.,  pp.  xvi,  723.  Price  25s.  Oxford  : 
Clarendon  Press. 
This  volume  deals  with  twenty-three  collections 
or  7,661  manuscripts,  and  its  preparation  has,  Mr. 
Madan  states,  taken  him  rather  more  than  three 
and  a  half  years.  Among  the  more  important  of 
the  collections  are  the  Wight  MSS.  (wholly  music), 
the  D'Orville  MSS.,  the  Gough  Collection,  the 
E.  D.  Clarke  MSS.,  the  Canonici  MSS.,  the  Douce 
MSS.,  and  one  or  two  others  dealing  with  English 
topography  ;  and  perhaps  we  should  also  mention 
among  the  more  important  collections  one  of  diaries, 
letters,  and  personal  note-books,  bequeathed  in  1846 
to  the  Bodleian  by  Miss  Harriett  Pigott  of  Chet- 
wynd,  Salop.  The  Gough  Collection  is  mainly 
topographical,  and  of  the  very  highest  importance 
to  the  student  of  English  local  history.  Mr.  Madan's 
excellent  description  of  the  various  items  it  con- 
tains makes  it  at  once  available  for  general  use,  as 
it  can  be  seen  at  a  glance  exactly  what  the  collec- 
tion contains,  and  what  it  does  not  contain.  Besides 
topography  there  are  some  liturgical  books  (York 
and  Sarum  uses,  etc.)  in  it.  The  Canonici  Collec- 
tion is  very  rich  in  Italian  liturgical  manuscripts, 
and  in  the  Douce  Collection  there  are  a  number  of 
others,  remarkable  for  fine  illuminations.  It  may, 
perhaps,  be  of  some  little  use  if  we  give  the  rough 
list  of  subject-matters  under  which  Mr.  Madan  has 
found  it  possible  to  tabulate  the  manuscripts  as  a 
temporary  substitute  for  the  future  index.  These 
headings  are  as  follow  :  (i)  Bibles  and  Liturgies ; 
(2)  Theology  ;  (3)  Greek  Language  and  Literature  ; 
(4)  Latin  Language  and  Literature ;  (5)  English 
Language  and  Literature ;  (6)  History  of  Great 
Britain ;  (7)  Foreign  Languages  and  Literature  ; 
(8)  Foreign  History  and  Topography  ;  (9)  British 
Topography;  (10)  Sciences  and  Arts;  (11)  Mis- 
cellaneous. Besides  the  general  character  of  Gough's 
library,  chiefly  illustrating  as  it  does  the  topography 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  before  referred  to,  and 
containing  more  especially  considerable  material 
for  the  histories  of  Cambridgeshire,  Dorset,  Norfolk, 
and  Oxfordshire,  there  are  Blakeway's  Collections 
dealing  with  Shropshire,  and  Milles's  with  Devon- 
shire, and,  as  regards  foreign  topography,  there  are 
several  volumes  of  the  great  series  of  drawings  of 
French  monuments  and  tombs  made  by  Gaignieres. 
The  painstaking  work  involved  in  the  compilation 
of  this  excellent  catalogue  reflects  the  greatest  credit 
on  Mr.  Madan,  and  is  a  monument  of  what  can  be 
effected  by  the  steady  application  of  patient  industry. 
At  the  end  of  the  volume  Mr.  E  W.  B.  Nicholson, 
Bodley's  librarian,  has  added  short  critical  notes 


as  to  three  or  four  of  the  Douce  manuscripts.  We 
are  very  glad  to  see  the  work  of  cataloguing  in  such 
good  hands,  and  making  sure  and  steady  progress. 

*  *  * 
The  Printers  of  Basle  in  the  Fifteenth  and 
Sixteenth  Centuries.  By  C.  W.  Hecke- 
thorn.  Large  8vo.,  pp.  xiv,  208  (with  numerous 
illustrations).  Price  21s.  London:  T.Fisher 
Unwin. 
This  is  an  attractive-looking  volume,  and  one 
which  we  have  no  doubt  many  persons  will  be  glad 
to  possess.  It  is  beautifully  printed,  and  contains 
a  number  of  facsimiles  of  printers'  devices,  and  other 
tasteful  reproductions  from  early  books  printed  at 
Basle.  We  are  afraid,  however,  that,  as  a  serious 
contribution  to  the  history  of  printing  at  Basle,  it 
misses  its  mark,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  is  based 
on  a  work  long  out  of  date,  which  was  published  at 
Basle  in  1840.  A  book  such  as  this  appeals  seriously 
to  only  a  very  small  section  of  the  public,  and  that 
section  one  of  the  most  critical  of  all,  as  biblio- 
graphers are  proverbially  known  to  be.  We  fear 
that  such  persons  will  not  be  satisfied  with  a  work 
which  represents  in  1897  ^^^  initiatory  state  in 
which  bibliographical  knowledge  stood  in  1840, 
even  though  an  attempt  is  made,  here  and  there, 
to  intertwine  items  of  information  since  brought  to 
light.  In  fact,  if  the  book  were  to  be  treated  as  a 
serious  contribution  to  the  history  of  early  printing, 
as  we  rather  fancy  its  author  intended  it  to  be,  it 
would  have  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  a  somewhat  severe 
criticism.  We  prefer,  however,  to  look  upon  it  as 
a  book  for  the  drawing-room  table,  and  as  such  it 
may  very  well  pass  muster.  Its  chief  faults  are  that 
it  is  really  out  of  date,  and  that  Mr.  Heckethorn, 
who  was  himself  present  at  the  Basle  celebration 
so  long  ago  as  1840,  has  not  exactly  kept  pace  with 
the  times.  As  we  have,  however,  said,  it  forms  a 
very  nice-looking  volume,  and  if  it  is  not  too  closely 
criticised,  may  be  welcomed  as  likely  to  stimulate 
curiosity  as  to  the  early  history  of  printing.  The 
full-sized  reproductions  of  printers'  marks  add  much 
to  its  value  and  interest.  We  sincerely  wish  we 
could  say  more  in  its  favour  than  we  are  able  to 
do.  The  printing  and  general  get-up  of  the  volume 
leave  nothing  to  be  desired. 

Note  to  Fublishf.rs. —  IVe  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. — Unsolicited  MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS. 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  tf  of  general  interest,  or  on  some  mw 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  reach  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


129 


The   Antiquary. 


MAY,  1898. 


Jl3ote0  of  tf)e  Q^ontt). 

By  the  time  that  this  number  of  the  Antiquary 
is  in  the  hands  of  our  readers  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  (on 
St.  George's  Day,  April  23)  will  have  been 
held,  but  too  late  for  us  to  be  able  to  record 
it.  We  take  it  that  there  is  no  doubt  that 
the  Fellows  recommended  by  the  council  will 
be  duly  elected,  both  as  President,  Treasurer, 
Director,  and  Secretary,  and  as  Members  of 
the  Council.  Those  recommendations  are  as 
follow :  President,  Viscount  Dillon ;  Treasurer, 
Mr.  Philip  Norman ;  Director,  Mr.  F.G.  Hilton 
Price ;  Secretary,  Mr.  C.  H.  Read ;  and  as 
Members  of  the  Council,  besides  the  before 
mentioned,  the  following,  viz. :  Mr.  W.  Paley 
Baildon;  Sir  John  Evans,  K.C.B.  ;  Mr. 
Everard  Green ;  Mr.  H.  A.  Grueber ;  Sir 
H.  H.  Howorth,  M.P. ;  Mr.  Mill  Stephenson  ; 
Captain  Telfer,  R.N.  ;  Mr.  J.  J.  Cartwright ; 
Mr.  Alfred  Cock,  Q.C. ;  Mr.  Lionel  H.  Cust ; 
Mr.  W.  J.  Hardy;  Mr.  F.  Haverfield ;  Mr. 
Henry  Jenner ;  Mr.  J.  T.  Micklethwaite ; 
Mr.  W.  H.  Richardson;  Mr.  H.  R.  Tedder: 
and  Mr.  J.  W.  Willis-Bund. 

•ijp         «$»         'J* 
The  portions  of  the  statutes  which  regulate 
the  annual  election  of  officers  and  council 
are  sections  four  and  six  of  Chapter  VI.,  and 
are  as  follow  : 

"  Section  IV. — The  president  and  council 
shall,  in  each  year,  not  later  than  the  ordinary 
meeting  of  the  society  preceding  the  anni- 
versary meeting,  nominate  eleven  members 
of  the  existing  council,  whom  they  recommend 
to  the  society  for  election  as  the  continuing 
members  of  the  council  for  the  ensuing  year, 
and  also  ten  Fellows,  not  being  of  the  exist- 

VOL.    XXXIV. 


ing  council,  whom  they  recommend  to  the 
society  for  election  into  the  council  for  the 
ensuing  year  ;  but  they  shall  omit  the  name 
of  the  senior  existing  vice-president  from  the 
list  of  the  persons  whom  they  so  nominate. 
They  shall  also,  at  the  same  time,  and  in  a 
separate  list,  nominate  those  of  the  persons 
comprised  in  the  former  list  whom,  if  elected 
members  of  the  council  for  the  ensuing  year, 
they  recommend  to  the  society  for  election  to 
the  offices  of  president,  treasurer,  director,  and 
secretary  for  the  ensuing  year ;  but  as  often 
as  any  president  will,  on  the  next  anniversary, 
have  held  that  office  for  seven  consecutive 
years,  they  shall  omit  his  name  from  such 
nomination  for  election  as  president  for  the 
ensuing  year." 

**  Section  VI. — Two  balloting  lists,  num- 
bered one  and  two  respectively,  containing 
respectively  the  names  of  the  persons  nomi- 
nated and  recommended  by  the  president 
and  council  for  election  as  the  council  for  the 
ensuing  year,  and  as  president,  treasurer, 
director,  and  secretary  for  the  ensuing  year, 
and  each  of  them  having  a  blank  column 
opposite  to  the  names  for  the  substitution  of 
other  names  by  any  Fellow,  if  he  thinks  fit, 
shall  be  prepared  and  forwarded  to  every 
Fellow  at  the  same  time  as,  and  together 
with,  his  summons,  under  Section  iii.,  to  the 
anniversary  meeting." 

No  Fellow  can  vote  whose  subscription  is 
unpaid,  or  who  has  not  been  formally  ad- 
mitted. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  meeting  of  the  Council  of  the  Cumberland 
and  Westmorland  Antiquarian  and  Archae- 
ological Society  was  held  recently  at  the 
house  of  the  president  (Chancellor  Ferguson) 
in  Carlisle.  The  first  two  days'  excursion 
for  this  year  was  agreed  to  be  held  in  the 
Liddersdale  district,  when  Hermitage  Castle 
will  be  visited  ;  the  headquarters  are  not  yet 
arranged  for,  but  will  probably  be  at  Lang- 
holm. This  meeting  may  be  expected  to 
come  off  early  in  July.  The  second  meeting 
will  be  held  in  the  autumn,  with  Carlisle  as 
headquarters,  when  Wetheral  Priory,  a  place 
which  has  hitherto  been  overlooked  by  the 
society,  will  be  visited,  and  explained  by  Mr. 
W.  H.  St.  John  Hope,  assistant  secretary  to 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  London.  It 
may  be  objected  that,  contrary  to  the  usual 

s 


I30 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


practice,  both  these  meetings  are  held  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  society's  district.  But 
from  July  19  to  26  the  Royal  Archaeological 
Institute  will  be  at  Lancaster,  and  it  is  pro- 
posed to  include  in  its  excursions  much  of 
the  southern  part  of  the  local  society's  district 
— Kendal,  Levens,  Sizergh,  Cartmel,  Furness, 
etc.  The  council  at  Carlisle  also  transacted 
other  important  business  ;  they  resolved  to 
have  an  index  made  to  the  fourteen  or  fifteen 
volumes  they  have  already  issued,  and  also 
to  form  a  fund  for  the  continuation  of  their 
chartulary  series  (Holme  Cultram,  Lanercost, 
etc.)  by  setting  aside  ^50  a  year  for  that 
purpose.  Great  disappointment  was  expressed 
at  the  slow  sale  of  Dr.  Prescott's  valuable 
edition  of  the  Register  of  Wetherhal,  a  book 
which  goes  to  the  very  roots  of  the  history  of 
Cumberland,  and,  as  clearing  away  many 
time-encrusted  errors,  should  be  on  the 
shelves  of  all  who  love  the  county. 

«$»  "ilp  ^ 
A  curious  discovery  of  human  remains  has 
been  made  during  the  course  of  excava- 
tions in  progress  for  a  new  railway-station  at 
Windsor,  and  has  attracted  a  good  deal  of 
attention  from  a  wild  theory  which  has  been 
started  that  the  skeleton  which  was  found  is 
none  other  than  that  of  Edward  VI.  The 
suggestion  is  that  Edward  VI. 's  body  was 
stolen  on  its  way  to  St.  George's  Chapel, 
where  it  was  to  be  buried,  but  as  a  matter 
of  fact  there  is  undoubted  evidence  that 
Edward  VI.  lies  buried  in  the  abbey  church 
of  Westminster.  The  remains  found  at 
Windsor  are  described  as  those  of  a  youth, 
and  might  very  well  be  those  of  Edward  VI., 
if  there  were  any  real  doubt  as  to  where  he 
was  buried.  A  witness  of  the  examination 
of  the  remains  was  impressed  by  "  the  ap- 
parently youthful,  although  full-grown,  aspect 
of  the  body.  The  oval  face  bore  no  trace  of 
beard  or  moustache.  There  was  little  hair 
upon  the  head,  the  hands  and  feet  were 
delicately  shaped,  and  the  chest  and  trunk 
were  similar  to  those  of  a  youth  of  fair 
stature,"  which  would  very  well  correspond, 
were  the  theory  tenable,  that  the  skeleton  is 
that  of  Edward  VI.  Anyhow,  the  discovery 
which  has  been  made  is  a  very  remarkable 
one,  even  leaving  all  idea  of  Edward  VI. 
out  of  account.  The  body,  which  had  been 
embalmed,  was  enclosed  in  three  elaborate 


cofifins,  and  buried  outside  the  Castle  walls, 
in  a  place  where  no  burial-ground  ever 
existed,  and  was  evidently  that  of  a  person 
of  some  note.  The  linen  cloth  (which  was 
not  replaced  when  the  body  was  reburied)  is 
said  to  be  of  very  ancient  manufacture.  The 
material  is  hand-woven  and  much  like  mummy 
cloth,  having  possibly  been  dressed  with  wax. 
The  edges  are  scalloped  and  punctured  with 
holes  made  by  a  piercer,  a  cross  on  the  middle 
having  been  pricked  out  with  the  same  in- 
strument. Whether  it  will  ever  be  possible 
to  say  whose  remains  they  are  is  doubtful, 
but  the  suggestion  that  they  are  those  of 
Edward  VI.  may  be  dismissed  without 
much  further  consideration.  Possibly  if  the 
actual  age  of  the  linen  cloth  can  be  estab- 
lished, a  clue  may  be  obtained  which  will 
eventually  lead  to  the  discovery  of  whose 
remains  these  are  which  have  been  so  un- 
expectedly found  in  this  strange  place. 

Since  this  note  was  written,  the  body 
(which  had  been  lying  in  a  shallow  grave 
in  Windsor  Cemetery)  was  exhumed  by 
order  of  the  Home  Secretary,  and  a  further 
examination  was  made  in  the  presence  of 
several  local  officials  and  medical  men. 
Exposed  beneath  a  sheet  of  tarpaulin  sup- 
ported by  poles,  the  body,  which  appeared 
to  be  that  of  an  older  man  than  was  at  first 
supposed,  was  photographed,  after  which 
the  remains  and  other  contents  of  the  coffin 
were  thoroughly  scrutinized.  In  addition  to 
the  shroud  and  face  cloth,  a  cap  of  the 
same  material,  and  likewise  trimmed  with  a 
scalloped  border,  was  found  near  the  head, 
which  rested  on  a  cushion.  There  were 
no  rings  upon  the  delicately-shaped  fingers, 
and  although  the  sawdust  in  which  the  body 
had  been  packed  was  carefully  sifted,  nothing 
was  discovered  which  could  assist  in  the 
identification  of  the  remains. 

^  ^  '^ 
The  high-handed  action  of  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  of  Peterborough  in  refusing  to  listen 
to  the  remonstrances  uttered  by  antiquaries 
and  others  in  regard  to  their  destructive  treat- 
ment of  the  west  front  of  their  cathedral 
church,  led  the  Government  to  make  inquiry 
abroad  as  to  what  provision  existed  for  the 
safe-guarding  of  ancient  buildings  in  other 
countries.  We  quoted  the  late  Sir  A.  W. 
Franks's  rough  summary  of  the  replies  which 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


131 


had  then  been  received  last  year.  It  may 
be  of  use  to  mention  that  all  the  replies  have 
now  been  received  and  arranged,  and  that  the 
Stationery  Office  has  issued  them  as  a  Blue- 
book,  entitled  "Reports  from  H.M.  Repre- 
sentatives Abroad  as  to  the  Statutory  Pro- 
visions existing  in  Foreign  Countries  for  the 
Preservation  of  Historical  Buildings,"  which 
can  be  obtained  post  free  from  Messrs.  Eyre 
and  Spottiswoode  for  y^d.  The  documents 
include  information  from  Vienna,  Munich, 
Brussels,  Copenhagen,  Paris,  Berlin,  Athens, 
Rome,  The  Hague,  St.  Petersburg,  Dresden, 
Madrid,  Stockholm,  Berne,  and  several  States 
of  the  North  American  Union.  In  many  of 
these  countries  it  appears  that  there  is  no 
provision  whatever  for  the  preservation  of 
historical  remains  of  any  kind,  and  in  none 
of  them  is  the  protection  so  complete  as  it 
ought  to  be. 

^  '^  ^ 
In  Austria  there  is  an  official  body  called 
"  The  Imperial  and  Royal  Central  Commis- 
sion for  the  Investigation  and  Preservation 
of  Artistic  and  Historical  Monuments,"  which 
sits  in  Vienna,  and  is  assisted  in  its  work  by 
"  Conservators  "  and  "  Correspondents  "  who 
reside  in  the  provinces,  and  whose  duty  it  is 
to  report  to  the  Commission  on  all  matters 
of  historical  interest  within  their  districts, 
such  as  the  discovery  of  archgeological  objects 
of  interest  and  the  state  of  historic  buildings 
which  may  be  threatened  by  neglect  or 
modern  improvements.  France  possesses  a 
law  providing  for  the  scheduling  of  all  monu- 
ments of  artistic  or  historic  interest  under 
the  direction  of  the  Minister  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, and  for  their  protection  from  destruction 
either  in  whole  or  in  part.  Italian  legislation 
on  the  subject  is  in  a  somewhat  confused 
condition  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  law  is 
very  much  what  it  was  when  the  country  was 
divided  into  numerous  States,  but  it  may  be 
said  to  proceed  in  the  main  on  municipal 
lines.  There  is  an  enactment  conferring  upon 
provincial  councils  the  power  to  elect  a  com- 
mission for  the  preservation  of  monuments 
of  art  or  antiquity  in  their  respective  districts. 
The  municipalities  also  exercise  a  consider- 
able power  and  control  over  archaeological  or 
historical  buildings.  A  very  effective  measure 
by  means  of  which  the  Government  may  pre- 
vent the  destruction  of  buildings  of  historical 


importance  is  by  pronouncing  them  to  be 
"monumento  nazionale."  A  further  means 
to  the  same  end  is  the  insertion  in  the  con- 
tracts or  deeds  of  sale  of  a  provision  that  any 
objects  of  art  or  antiquity  that  may  be  dis- 
covered in  excavating  the  ground  belong  to 
the  Government  or  to  the  municipal  body 
chiefly  concerned.  In  the  Netherlands  no 
statutory  provisions  exist  for  the  preservation 
of  ancient  buildings,  but  the  Government 
devotes  a  considerable  sum  annually  to  the 
restoration  and  repair  of  monuments  of  archi- 
tectural or  national  interest.  Switzerland  has 
a  similar  system,  spending  50,000  francs 
annually  for  the  preservation  and  acquisition 
of  national  monuments.  The  general  control 
of  ancient  buildings  in  Spain  is  entrusted  to 
provincial  commissions  immediately  depen- 
dent on  the  Royal  Academies  of  History  and 
Fine  Arts  in  Madrid.  The  cost  of  any  works 
required  is  borne  by  the  province  or  town  in 
which  the  monument  is  situated.  Saxony 
also  has  a  "Commission  for  the  Preservation 
of  Monuments,"  that  body  being  charged 
with  the  superintendence  of  the  art  monu- 
ments of  the  kingdom  and  with  the  con- 
sideration of  all  matters  affecting  them.  Much 
the  same  system  prevails  in  Belgium,  where 
a  "  Royal  Commission  on  Monuments"  exists 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  advice  on  the  repairs 
required  by  the  monuments  of  the  country 
which  may  be  remarkable  for  their  antiquity, 
for  the  memories  which  they  recall,  or  for 
their  importance  from  an  artistic  point  of 
view.  Denmark  has  a  Government  Inspector 
of  Monuments,  who  is  entrusted  with  a  sum 
of  money  from  the  public  funds  for  the 
purchase  and  restoration  of  monuments,  and 
for  the  making  of  surveys  in  connection 
with  them.  Sweden  has  a  somewhat  similar 
functionary,  known  as  the  Antiquary  Royal, 
who  at  the  present  time  is  Dr.  Hans  Hilde- 
brand,  and  who  is  charged,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Royal  Archaeological  Academy, 
with  the  protection  of  all  national  monu 
ments  and  objects  of  antiquarian  interest. 
In  Russia  no  action  is  taken  to  preserve  the 
relics  of  the  past.  There,  no  statutory  pro- 
visions whatever  appear  to  exist. 

^         ^         ^ 
The  Times  oi  March  31  contained  a  leading 
article  on  the  subject,  which  concluded  in 
the  following  terms  :  "  Much  is  to  be  learned 

s  2 


132 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


from  the  laws  and  regulations  collected  by 
the  Foreign  Office.  But  none  of  them  are 
the  last  word  on  this  subject  of  an  enlightened 
civilization  truly  and  wisely  reverent  towards 
the  past.  It  is  pretty  evident  that  most  of 
them  were  framed  in  times  when  it  was 
thought  that  the  proper  place  for  everything 
of  historical  value  was  a  museum  or  a  col- 
lector's cabinet,  and  when  there  was  no 
adequate  sense  of  the  importance  of  leaving 
such  treasures  in  situ  even  when  no  harm 
would  apparently  be  done  by  their  removal. 
The  older  school  of  antiquaries  seemed  to 
think  that  an  ornament,  a  symbol,  or  a 
monument  was  out  of  place  if  it  were  left 
where  its  constructors  erected  or  placed  it. 
And  so  tombs  have  been  clumsily  rifled, 
their  contents  scattered  haphazard,  no  certain 
record  being  preserved  of  the  articles  dis- 
covered, or  their  exact  positions ;  ornaments 
have  been  torn  from  their  surroundings ; 
inscriptions  severed  from  the  buildings  or 
sculpture  which  explained  them,  to  the  great 
perplexity  of  investigators  and  the  lasting 
loss  of  science.  The  accidents  of  chance 
and  oblivion,  and,  above  all,  the  kindly, 
covering  earth  which  hid  its  treasures,  have 
been  the  true  scholar's  and  savant's  best 
friends." 

*)!(»       ^       ^h 

The  explorations  made  by  Mr.  Vincent  Smith 
at  the  birthplace  of  Buddha  have  so  far  been 
surprisingly  successful.  It  is  not  long  since 
Kapilavastu  was  discovered  by  him,  its  un- 
known site  being  indicated  by  a  Chinese 
manuscript,  and  a  sunken  pillar  put  up  by 
the  Emperor  Asoka  ;  yet  already  the  most 
important  facts  ihat  are  possibly  to  be  had 
about  that  city,  which  has  lain  beneath  the 
jungle  since  the  fifth  century  before  Christ,  are 
known.  The  actual  garden  in  which  Buddha 
was  born  has  been  uncovered,  and  the  tank 
in  which  the  mother  bathed.  It  is  even 
believed  that  actual  relics  of  the  Buddha's 
cremated  body  have  been  also  found.  Mr. 
Smith  writes  in  the  Allahabad  Pioneer  that 
"  These  consist  of  fragments  of  bone,  which 
were  deposited  in  a  wooden  vessel  that  stood 
on  the  bottom  of  a  massive  coffer,  more  than 
4  feet  long  and  2  feet  deep,  cut  out  of  a  solid 
block  of  fine  sandstone.  This  coffer  was 
buried  under  18  feet  of  masonry,  composed 
of  huge  bricks,  each  16  inches  long.     The 


wooden  vessel  was  decayed,  and  with  it  was 
an  exquisitely  finished  bowl  of  rock  crystal, 
the  largest  yet  discovered  in  India,  and  also 
five  small  vases  of  soapstone.  All  these 
vessels  were  partially  filled,  in  honour  of  the 
relics,  with  a  marvellous  collection  of  gold 
stars,  pearls,  topazes,  beryls,  and  other  jewels, 
and  of  various  objects  delicately  wrought  in 
crystal,  agate,  and  other  substances.  An  in- 
scription on  the  lid  of  one  of  the  soapstone 
vases  declares  the  relics  to  be  those  of 
Buddha  himself,  and  the  characters  in  which 
this  inscription  is  written  are  substantially 
the  same  as  those  of  the  Asoka  inscriptions, 
and  indicate  that  the  tumulus  was  con- 
structed between  300  and  250  B.C."  Mr. 
Smith  has  also  found  the  situation  of  the 
ruined  city  of  Sravasti,  where  Buddha  taught, 
and  hopes  to  identify  Kusanagara,  where  he 
died. 

^  'h  ^ 
According  to  the  Athenaeum,  an  interesting 
"find"  was  made  at  Windisch  (the  Roman 
Vindonissa),  in  Canton  Aargau,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  March  22.  In  digging  a  trench  for  a 
new  water-course,  the  workmen  came  upon 
the  broken  fragments  of  a  Roman  inscribed 
stone.  When  placed  together,  the  following 
letters  were  distinctly  legible  : 

TI.  CLAVDIO.  CA...RE.  AVG.  GERM 
IMP.  XII.  P.M.  TRPO...II.  COS.  III.  P.P. 

G.  AVG.  PROPR 

M.  LI NE.  LEG.  AVG. 

.EC A. 

The  length  of  the  inscription  is  180  cm.,  the 
height  84  cm.,  and  the  thickness  of  the  stone 
24  cm.  Professor  H.  Hagen,  of  Berne,  in  a 
letter  to  the  Busier  Nachrichten,  observes 
that  the  inscription  belongs  to  the  year 
53  A.D.  The  first  two  lines  contain  the 
name  and  titles  of  the  Emperor  Claudius : 
"Tiberio  Claudio  Caesare.  Augusto.  Ger- 
manico.  Imperatore.  XII.  [i.e.,  the  year  53 
after  Christ]  Pontifice  Maximo.  Tribu- 
nitiae.  Potestatis.  VIII.  Consule.  III.  Patre. 
Patriae."  The  third  line,  he  conceives, 
inserts  the  name  of  the  Imperial  legate  in 
Germania  Superior,  Pomponius  Secundus, 
and  his  title  "  Leg.  Aug.  et  Propraetor."  In 
the  fourth  line  there  are  possibly  the  names 
of  an  earlier  Imperial  legate.  In  the  fifth 
line  the  twenty-first  legion  was  named,  which 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


133 


is  known  to  have  been  stationed  in  Vindo- 
nissa  This  legate  of  the  Emperor  Claudius 
is  named  in  two  inscriptions  previously  found 
in  Windisch  :  one  in  1842  (see  Mommsen, 
Inscript.  Rom  Helvet.  No.  248),  the  other 
found  in  Altenburg,  near  Windisch. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Biddenden  Maids  received  their  full 
share  of  attention  this  year.  We  learn  from 
a  paragraph  which  has  been  going  the  round 
of  the  papers  that  "Crowds  of  people  from 
all  parts  of  Kent — many  even  travelling  from 
London  by  train  or  cycle — visited  the  quiet, 
remote,  and  sleepy  village  of  Biddenden,  not 
far  from  Tenterden,  on  Sunday  for  the  pur- 
pose of  celebrating  the  memory  of  the  Two 
Maids  of  that  ancient  hamlet  who  were  the 
original  precursors  of  the  Siamese  twins.  In 
life  they  were  joined  together  by  a  mysterious 
cord  of  flesh,  and  they  died  on  the  same 
day,  leaving  their  property  to  be  distributed 
among  the  poor  of  the  parish,  and  among  all 
who  care  to  apply  for  a  dole  of  bread  and 
cheese  on  Easter  Day.  This  benefaction  has 
been  in  existence  for  six  or  seven  centuries, 
and  at  present  its  value  is  about  ;!^42  a  year. 
Formerly  the  doles  consisted  of  bread  and 
cheese  and  ale,  but  the  latter  produced  so 
much  hilarity  in  the  village  that  it  was 
abolished,  and  the  charity  is  now  limited  to 
the  two  first  -  mentioned  nutritive  articles. 
The  bread  is  made  up  in  the  form  of  cakes, 
bearing  a  rude  representation  of  the  Twin 
Maids  of  Biddenden,  and  are  generally  pre- 
served as  curiosities  by  the  recipients.  They 
are  baked  very  hard,  and  are  admirably 
adapted  to  give  work  to  dentists  by  breaking 
the  molars  of  those  who  attempt  to  penetrate 
their  mysteries.  The  poor  of  the  parish,  as 
distinguished  from  necessitous  strangers,  are 
supplied  with  ordinary  quartern  loaves  and 
cheese."  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
Folklore  Society  has  not  yet  killed  the 
popular  interpretation  of  the  matter,  which 
still  sees  in  the  Biddenden  Maids  an  early 
version  of  the  Siamese  Twins. 

^  ^  ^ 
At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Lancashire  and 
Cheshire  Antiquarian  Society  an  address  was 
given  by  Mr.  Charles  Roeder,  who  has  been 
making  observations  on  the  site  of  a  new 
goods  station  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway 
which  is  in  course  of  construction  in  Deans- 


gate.  By  means  of  maps,  plans,  and  photo- 
graphs, Mr.  Roeder  illustrated  an  exhaustive 
paper,  and  indicated  points  where  he  carried 
somewhat  further  the  information  gained  by 
former  historians  of  the  city.  He  mentioned 
that,  besides  the  discoveries  on  the  station 
site,  there  had  been  a  few  of  the  usual  Roman 
relics  found  in  the  digging  for  the  foundations 
of  works  in  Quay  Street,  on  the  site  of  Dr. 
Byrom's  old  house,  and  he  was  of  opinion 
that  Quay  Street  might  be  taken  as  the 
northern  limit  of  the  Roman  town.  There 
are  scarcely  any  visible  relics  left  in  Deans- 
gate  of  the  Roman  period,  and  the  only 
record  above  ground  consists  of  a  piece  of 
Roman  masonry  inside  the  former  castrum, 
and  now  occupied  by  a  timber-yard.  Its 
position  seemed  to  establish  it  as  the  Prae- 
torium.  Mr.  Roeder,  dealing  with  the  nega- 
tive results  of  the  investigations,  observed 
that  he  could  not  record  the  discovery  of  any 
altars,  inscriptions,  or  sculpture.  He  had 
not  found  any  evidence  that  the  Romans  in 
Manchester  indulged  in  the  luxury  of  eating 
oysters,  as  he  had  not  come  across  shells 
such  as  had  been  discovered  at  Chester  and 
elsewhere.  Perhaps  the  station  was  too  far 
from  the  sea.  There  was  evidence  that  Man- 
cunium  had  its  local  potters  and  iron-smelters. 
The  recent  excavations  had  added  not  a  little 
to  their  knowledge,  but  what  he  had  obtained 
were  mere  scrapings  in  comparison  with  what 
might  have  resulted  from  a  careful  watching 
of  former  excavations  such  as  those  involved 
in  connection  with  the  Cheshire  Lines  ex- 
tension. He  had  been  surprised  how  many 
objects  he  had  met  with  in  the  little  area  he 
had  traversed.  They  would  now  know  much 
better  where  to  look  for  such  objects  in  any 
further  demolition  of  property  in  the  city. 
Mr.  Roeder  exhibited  the  objects  discovered, 
consisting  chiefly  of  pottery,  and  including 
specimens  of  mosses  and  other  plant  remains. 

^  "^  ^ 
We  quote  the  following  paragraph  from  the 
Guardian  of  March  22:  "The  Lord  Chan- 
cellor has  appointed  the  Rev.  S.  Forbes  F. 
Auchmuty,  Vicar  of  Cleobury  Mortimer,  to 
the  '  Lay  Deaconry  '  of  Cleobury  Mortimer. 
This  curious  office  is  said  to  have  originated 
in  a  grant  of  Roger  de  Mortimer  in  support 
of  a  chaplain  to  St.  Nicholas  Chantry,  now  a 
chapel  in  the  parish  church.     The  duties  are 


134 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


said  to  be  to  read  the  Lessons,  and  to  supply 
bell-ropes  for  the  church.  It  has  been  held 
since  1800  by  two  successive  vicars  of  Cleo- 
bury.  The  stipend  is  about  jQ^o  per  annum. 
The  Crown  now  presents  as  representing  the 
House  of  Mortimer.  The  Lord  Chancellor 
has  made  it  a  condition  of  the  present  ap- 
pointment that  the  vicar  shall  cease  to  hold 
it  on  vacating  the  Vicarage  of  Cleobury." 
Can  any  of  our  readers  give  the  actual  history 
of  this  office  at  Cleobury  Mortimer  ?  Is  it 
something  altogether  exceptional  in  itself,  or 
is  it  merely  that  there  is  an  endowment  for 
the  parish  clerk  ?  The  suggestion  that  the 
"Lay  Deaconry"  originated  in  a  chantry 
endowment  is  a  reasonable  one,  but  it 
does  not  appear  that  this  is  more  than  a 
guess,  and  itdoes  not  explain  the  name  "  Lay 
Deaconry." 

f)J(.  ^  .jjp 
At  the  March  monthly  meeting  of  the 
Penzance  Natural  History  and  Antiquarian 
Society,  the  secretary  read  a  paper  by  Mr. 
G.  F.  Tregelles  on  "  Mural  Paintings  in 
Cornish  Churches,"  The  walls  of  most 
Cornish  churches  were  once  covered  with 
mural  paintings,  but  from  one  cause  or 
another  they  have  disappeared  in  many  cases, 
and  the  total  number  now  in  existence 
is  twenty-four.  At  Linkinhorne  there  is 
an  interesting  representation  of  the  seven 
acts  of  mercy,  which  is  attributed  to 
the  fourteenth  century.  The  figure  which 
appears  with  the  greatest  frequency  in  these 
mural  paintings  is  that  of  St.  Christopher. 
A  representation  of  this  saint  is  among  the 
large  paintings  at  Breage.  There  was  formerly 
a  curious  painting  on  the  north  wall  of 
Ludgvan  Church,  a  record  of  which  is 
preserved  in  a  manuscript  by  the  late  Dr. 
Borlase,  dated  1740,  and  now  in  the 
possession  of  Lord  St.  Levan.  The  quaint 
device  represented  was  supposed  to  refer  to 
the  scandalous  deprivation  of  tithe  from  which 
the  parish  priest  had  suffered.  The  figure  of 
St.  Christopher  was  represented,  but  there 
were  the  unusual  additions  of  birds  mobbing 
an  owl,  a  fox  running  off  with  a  goose,  and 
geese  hanging  a  fox.  St.  George  and  the 
Dragon  also  often  appeared  in  mural  paint- 
ings, and  were  represented  on  the  north  wall 
of  St.  Just  Church.  This  painting  has  now 
disappeared,  the  only  painting  visible  in  that 


church  at  the  present  time  being  one  repre- 
senting the  siege  of  a  city.  At  Breage  there 
is  a  very  remarkable  figure  of  Christ,  ten  feet 
high,  surrounded  by  instruments  of  labour 
which  are  depicted  as  sprinkled  with  blood. 
At  the  time  of  the  Reformation  these  paintings 
were  covered  with  whitewash,  and  texts  of 
Scripture  took  their  place,  which  in  their  turn 
were  whitewashed  over.  These  paintings  are 
commonly  known  as  frescoes,  but  they  are 
not  true  frescoes  such  as  Italy  possesses, 
being  painted  on  dry  plaster.  The  president 
remarked  that  the  painting  at  Ludgvan  had 
presumably  disappeared.  He  had  certainly 
never  seen  it  or  heard  of  it.  Mr.  Preston 
observed  that  Mr.  Tregelles  had  not  men- 
tioned the  mural  paintings  at  Wendron,  which 
had,  he  believed,  been  discovered  since  those 
at  Breage  were  found.  Mr.  Barnes,  the  Vicar 
of  Breage,  had  informed  him  that  the  work  of 
restoring  the  mural  paintings  in  his  church  was 
done  entirely  by  himself  and  his  wife,  it  being 
of  too  delicate  a  nature  to  entrust  to  workmen. 

•if?  ^  fj? 
It  is  reported  that  whilst  a  drainer  was  at 
work  in  the  field  between  the  railway  bridge 
at  Lamancha  Station  and  the  blacksmith's 
shop  at  the  Whim,  Peeblesshire,  he  un- 
covered a  skeleton,  which,  upon  being  care- 
fully removed,  proved  to  be  that  of  a  full- 
grown  female.  The  skeleton  was  lying  at 
a  depth  of  30  inches  from  the  surface,  and 
was  well  preserved,  the  skull  and  teeth  in 
particular  being  perfect.  Not  far  from  the 
place  where  the  skeleton  was  found,  with  soil 
like  it  partaking  of  a  peaty  character,  is  a 
plateau  of  ground  said  to  be  thickly  strewn 
with  flint  arrow-heads. 

«J?  ^  «J» 

A  general  meeting  of  the  heritors  of  Colding- 
ham  was  held  during  March  in  the  Priory 
Church  of  that  parish.  Colonel  Milne  Home, 
of  Wedderburn,  presiding.  The  object  of 
the  meeting  was  to  receive  the  report  of  a 
committee  appointed  to  inquire  as  to  the  "pre- 
servation of  the  remains  "  of  the  old  Priory. 
Mr.  Fitzroy  Bell,  of  Templehall,  convener  of 
the  committee,  submitted  the  report,  which 
stated  that  the  committee  had  had  the  benefit 
of  the  advice  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Heiton,  architect, 
and  that  they  recommended  as  a  first  step 
that  the  heritors  should  authorize  them  to 
have  the  lines  of  the  exterior  walls  marked 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


135 


out  on  the  turf  wherever  that  could  be  done 
without  interfering  with  the  graves  in  the 
churchyard.  The  committee  further  recom- 
mended that,  when  the  Hnes  of  the  old 
building  have  been  thus  ascertained,  sepulture 
should,  as  far  as  possible,  cease  within  the 
old  church.  It  seems,  however,  that  the 
marking  out  the  lines  of  the  church  as  pro- 
posed is  not  to  be  really  undertaken  so  much 
for  the  "  preservation  of  the  remains "  as 
that  by-and-by,  more  church  room  being 
wanted,  the  building  may  be  enlarged  on 
the  original  lines.  Hence  we  have  all  the 
elements  of  a  mischievous  "  restoration  "  in 
store  for  Coldingham  Priory  Church.  Per- 
haps the  S.P.A.B.  will  kindly  keep  an  eye 
on  the  matter. 

^  ^  ^ 
We  have  constantly  to  deplore  the  loss  of  some 
ancient  church  by  fire,  and  we  regret  now  to 
add  Hepworth  Church,  Suffolk,  to  the  list. 
The  fire  was  observed  after  the  vestry  meeting 
on  the  morning  of  Easter  Monday,  and  every 
effort  was  made  to  save  the  building,  but  it 
was  unavailing.  Nothing  but  the  bare  walls 
and  tower  were  left  standing.  The  village  is 
about  eight  and  a  half  miles  from  Finningham 
Station.  The  church  was  a  quaint  structure, 
dedicated  to  St.  Paul  (a  somewhat  noted 
dedication  if  it  is  the  ancient  one),  and  stood 
on  high  ground,  the  district  being  notable 
for  one  of  the  highest  ridges  in  the  county. 
The  building  was  of  rubble  and  stone,  chiefly 
in  the  Early  English  style,  with  thatched  roof; 
it  comprised  chancel,  nave,  south  porch,  and 
a  western  tower,  containing  a  clock  and  five 
bells.  The  restoration  and  reseating  dates 
from  1855  ;  a  new  organ  was  erected  in  1892. 
There  were  280  sittings.  Having  a  thatched 
roof,  the  flames  spread  rapidly,  a  stiff"  breeze 
blowing.  Thatched  churches  are  becoming 
very  uncommon.  A  list  of  them  was  pub- 
lished in  1890  by  our  contemporary  the 
Reliquary,  but  Hepworth  Church  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  included  in  it.  We  ask 
again,  whether  something  cannot  be  done  to 
inquire  into  the  cause  of  these  frequent  fires 
in  churche,  with  a  view  to  lessening  their 
number  which  is  quite  out  of  proportion 
to  those  in  other  public  buildings, 

^         "fr         ^ 
While  these  Notes  are  passing  through  the 
press  we  learn  that  the  remarkable  discovery 


has  been  made  that  the  hill  on  which  the 
village  green  containing  the  school  and  other 
buildings  is  situated  at  Blythe,  in  Nottingham- 
shire, is  an  artificial  mound,  or  huge  barrow. 
During  the  removal  of  some  of  the  buildings 
skulls  and  bones  were  found,  and  interments 
in  cists  formed  of  small  stones  placed  edge- 
ways, and  having  a  vaulted  appearance.  A 
polished  axe-head  formed  from  a  quartzite 
boulder  has  also  been  discovered.  We  shall, 
no  doubt,  soon  learn  more  as  to  the  matter, 
and  regarding  the  real  significance  of  what 
seems  to  be  a  very  curious  and  huge  discovery 
of  prehistoric  remains  in  a  wholly  unsuspected 
position. 


£DID  %vmtx  jTarmf)ou0es  anti 
t!)eir  jTurniture. 

By  J.  Lewis  Andr£,  F.S.A. 
( Continued  from  p.  112.) 

GAINST  one  side  of  the  chimney 
corner  a  warming-pan  generally 
hung.  These  articles,  until  the 
time  of  Charles  II.,  had  iron,  not 
wooden,  handles,  and  the  pans  were  deep, 
but  small  copper  ones,  encircled  by  iron 
hoops,  fixed  to  the  handles.  The  brass 
lids  were  elaborately  ornamented  with  floral 
devices,  coats  of  arms,  and  even  Biblical 
scenes,  such  as  the  temptation  of  Adam  and 
Eve,  whilst  loyal  mottoes  are  found  on  some 
of  seventeenth-century  date. 

In  connection  with  the  above  may  be 
mentioned  a  little-known  instrument  called  a 
"  bed  waggon."  It  was  composed  of  three 
wooden  hoops,  joined  by  battens  in  a  barrel 
form,  and  was  of  a  diameter  sufficient  to 
admit  the  warming-pan,  placed  on  a  plate  of 
iron  within  the  waggon,  over  which  the  bed- 
clothes were  drawn,  and  thus  the  bed  was 
warmed.  One  of  these  odd  contrivances  is 
kept  at  Weston's  Farm,  Warnham,  and  a 
Sussex  gentleman  informs  me  that  he  re- 
members a  similar  one  in  use  at  his 
father's.  Something  analogous  is  described 
by  Chambers  in  his  Cyciopcedia,  published  in 
1 75 1,  where  he  states  it  was  used  in  Italy  to 
prevent  children  being  overlain  and  smothered 
*'  by  nurses  or  others." 


136 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


The  ornaments  on  the  mantelshelf  perhaps 
included  a  puzzle-jug,  or  one  inscribed  with 
the  "Landlord's  Caution";  mayhap,  also  a 
mug  with  a  horrible  red-eyed  toad  at  the 
bottom,  or  an  earthenware  box  shaped  like  a 
cradle.     Similar   devices   in    "rustic   ware" 


though  the  vigorous  polishing  which  many 
specimens  have  undergone  at  the  hands  of 
the  housewife  has  rubbed  away  the  edges  of 
the  mouldings,  and  reduced  them  to  mere 
wavy  surfaces.  The  design  of  these  candle- 
sticks is  infinite  in  variety,  and  many  of  these 


o 


WARMING-PANS. 


SCALf  v>^  INCHES. 


are  still  produced  at  Rye  and  Chailey,  and, 
moreover,  we  have  in  Sussex  the  splendid 
Willett  collection  of  such  articles  in  the 
Brighton  Museum. 

The  same  shelf  probably  has  a  few  brass 
candlesticks    serving    mostly   for   ornament, 


articles  are  extremely  elegant  in  outline  and 
finish,  especially  the  earlier  examples.  In 
some  cases  the  bases  are  oblong,  so  as  to 
stand  firmly  on  the  narrow  ledge  often  serving 
as  a  mantelshelf;  others  have  no  nozzles, 
though  a  "nosled  "  candlestick  is  mentioned 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


U7 


in  an  inventory  of  goods  at  St.  Dunstan's, 
Canterbury,  dated  as  early  as  1500,  and 
generally  the  candles  were  pushed  up  by  a 
rod  within  the  hollow  stick.  The  iron  rush- 
holders,  to  be  noticed  directly,  often  had  a 


>  r:: 


socket  for  a  candle  combined  with  the  clip 
for  the  rush.  Snuffers  were  placed  in  an 
upright  stand,  as  in  the  example  here  drawn, 
and  not,  as  now,  laid  on  a  tray  ;  one  of  these 
stands  may  be  seen  on  the  mantelshelf  of  a 
farmhouse  at  Charlwood,  on  the  Sussex 
border,  but  locally  in  Surrey. 

By  an  Act  passed  in  1709,  a  duty  was  laid 
on  candles,  and  they  were  also  forbidden  to 
be  made  by  private  individuals.  In  the 
Lady's  Magazine  for  1812  (p.  191)  we  are 
informed  that  "a  farmer  of  Mugginton 
(Derbyshire)  was  lately  convicted  in  the 
mitigated  penalty  of  ;^7o  and  costs  for 
making  candles  for  his  own  private  use," 
and  it  was  not  till  1831  that  the  above  Act 
was  repealed. 

As  a  substitute  for  the  candles  he  was  for- 
bidden   to    make,   the   farmer   used   rushes 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


dipped  in  grease — true  "rush-lights" — and 
the  iron  sticks  or  holders  for  these  rushes 
form  objects  now  eagerly  sought  after  by  the 
collector  of  curiosities.  Generally  they  are 
merely  rough  rods,  with  a  chp  working  on  a 
pin  to  hold  the  rush,  stuck  in  a  more  or  less 
ornamental  wooden  base.  The  quaintest 
example  I  know  of  is  here  sketched  (and 
also  a  candle-holder,  which  appears  to  have 
been  intended  to  hang  on  a  settle) ;  others 
were  for  fixing  into  holes  in  walls  or  wood- 
work. Some  are  tall  standards  of  wood  or 
iron,  with  the  rush  clips  moving  up  or  down 
at  pleasure  by  means  of  a  rack  and  loop. 
The  rushes  were  sold  at  general  shops  at  one 


HEICHT 


A.RUSH    HOLDER 

"B  .   HANGINO 

CANDLE -STICK. 


shilling  per  pound,  and  were  kept  before  soak- 
ing in  a  case  or  length  of  fir-tree  bark  ;  when 
wanted  for  use  they  were  dipped  in  an  iron 
boat-shaped  vessel  of  grease.  Rush  candles 
would  give  the  farmer  sufficient  light  to  go 


138 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


to  bed  by — their  probable  use — and  they 
were  used  till  the  cheap  lamps  superseded 
them,  though  perhaps  they  are  still  employed 
in  Ireland. 

Sometimes,  as  in  village  inns,  the  kitchen 
had  a  settle  near  the  fire ;  this  had  a  plain 
or  panelled  back,  and  the  seat  formed  the 
lid  of  a  small  chest. 

The  kitchen  dresser  had  no  "  pot-board " 
as  now,  but  the  front  was  closed  in  to  form 
cupboards,  sometimes  furnished  with  pretty 
drop  handles,  key-plates,  and  hinges,  whilst 
the  two  end  standards  supporting  the  shelves 
were  cut  in  quaint  patterns. 

Pewter  dishes  reposed  on  the  dresser,  and 
similar  platters  were  used  in  England  by 
the  Romans,  a  recent  find  of  such  articles 
having  been  made  in  Wiltshire.  In  the 
seventeenth  century  among  the  upper  classes 
pewter  vessels  were  much  ornamented,  as  is 
seen  on  a  dish  now  in  the  Ashmolean 
Museum,  Oxford,  which  bears  a  representa- 
tion of  King  Charles  II.  on  horseback,  with 
the  inscription : 

Where  grace  and  virtue  lie 
True  love  never  dies. 

But  the  service  of  this  "  factitious  metal,"  as 
Chambers  terms  it,  was  in  the  farmhouse  of 
a  much  plainer  character,  though,  as  Addison 
says,  "the  eye  of  the  mistress  was  wont  to 
make  the  pewter  shine."  Bequests  relative 
to  this  substitute  for  the  then  valuable  silver 
occur  in  many  wills,  as,  for  example,  in  that 
of  Thomas  Ever  of  Seaford,  who  in  1552 
left  Isabel  his  servant  "a  plater, 'a  pewter 
dyshe,  a  sawcer,  and  a  candel  styck."  And, 
again,  Henry  Boorer  of  "Warneham," 
yeoman,  by  his  will  of  April  10,  1679,  leaves 
the  residue  of  his  pewter  to  his  daughters 
and  his  son  Robert,  "  each  of  them  first 
taking  out  that  which  particularly  belongs 
to  them  and  is  marked  with  their  names." 
Pewter  plates  are  still  used  in  some  English 
convents. 

In  addition  to  a  good  array  of  pewter,  the 
better  class  farmer  had  some  articles  of  plate. 
Henry  Boorer  in  the  will  just  quoted  left  his 
son  "a  silver  bole,"  and  the  inventory  of  the 
goods  of  Cornelius  Humphrey  of  Newhaven, 
yeoman,  taken  in  1697,  shows  that  whilst  his 
pewter  was  valued  at  ^^5  i8s.,  his  silver 
plate  and  rings  were  estimated  at  ;^58 
1 8s.  lod. 


Tin  plates  were  not  uncommon,  sometimes 
inscribed  with  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  a 
feature  to  be  found  also  on  posset  cups. 
Besides  the  pewter  platters,  there  were 
wooden  trenchers,  two  of  which,  exhibited 
at  Slinfold  in  1892,  were  about  7  inches 
square  and  i  inch  thick,  having  in  each  a 
circular  square-sunk  depression,  and  a  little 
one  in  a  corner  to  hold  the  salt,  etc.  Fabyan, 
the  chronicler,  by  his  will  dated  1511,  ordered 
"xxiiii  treen  platers  and  xxiiii  treen  sponys" 
to  be  given  at  his  month's  mind  to  "xxiiii 
poore  persones";  and  in  16 13  the  Protestant 
courtiers  of  Charles  I.  were  scandalized  to 
see  the  young  Queen  Henrietta  Maria  eating 
out  of  treen  dishes  by  way  of  penance. 
From  the  above  it  appears  that  wooden 
plates  were  only  considered  suitable  for 
persons  in  the  lower  classes.  But,  however 
this  may  be,  some  persons  seem  to  have  had 
a  large  amount  of  these  platters,  as  we  read 
in  the  Diary  of  the  Rev.  Giles  Moore  that  in 
1658  he  purchased  four  dozen  square  beechen 
trenchers  and  two  dozen  round  ones,  for  the 
whole  of  which  he  paid  two  shillings. 
Parker,  in  his  Domestic  Architecture^  pub- 
lished 1853,  says  that  square  trenchers  are 
still  in  use  at  Winchester  College  hall. 

Drinking-cups  of  wood  were  in  use  in 
Herefordshire  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  and  horn  tumblers  are  still  to  be 
met  with  in  Sussex,  and  also  leather  ones, 
sometimes  mounted  in  silver. 

Although  in  the  sixteenth  century  there 
were  glass  works  in  Sussex,  Camden  speaks 
somewhat  contemptuously  of  them,  and 
drinking-glasses  were  scarce  in  this  county. 
In  1656  the  Rev.  Giles  Moore  states  that 
he  bought  four  Venetian  glasses  at  sixpence 
apiece,  and  Timothy  Burrell  records  that  in 
1709  his  "flint  glasses  and  decanters "  cost 
him  "6d.  a  lb.  in  London."  Venetian 
glasses  like  those  named  by  Moore  are  to 
be  met  with  in  old  Sussex  houses,  and  also 
elaborately  cut  jugs  and  decanters ;  but  the 
leather  bottles  and  black  jacks  were  the  most 
frequent  vessels  in  the  farmhouse  in  which 
to  hold  good  liquor.  Lower  mentions  "  The 
Leather  Bottle  "  as  an  inn  sign  near  Angmer- 
ing,  and  this  is  the  only  one  I  have  heard  of 
in  Sussex ;  but  in  the  adjacent  county  of 
Surrey  there  are  three,  which  show  the 
popularity  of  the  vessel  whose  praises  have 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


139 


been  set  forth  in  song.  The  labourer's  drink 
was  taken  with  him  into  the  fields  in  one  of 
these,  as  alluded  to  by  Shakespeare,  who 
speaks  of 

The  shepherd's  homely  curds, 
And  small  thin  drink  out  of  his  leather  bottle. 

3  Henry  VI.,  Act  II.,  Sc.  5. 

Little  neatly-made  wooden  casks  were  used 
for  the  same  purpose,  slung  over  the  shoulder 
by  a  leathern  strap,  as  they  are  at  present  in 
Somerset. 


i 

1 

(ll 

1!' 

P 

top  and  bottom,  the  former  often  having 
good  Jaco'bean  carving,  and  the  lower  one 
intended  to  act  as  a  foot-rest.  The  heavy 
bulbous  legs  sometimes  met  with  were  not 
formed  out  of  the  solid,  but  had  pieces  stuck 
on  or  "  applied,"  as  at  the  farmhouse  formerly 
Amberley  Castle. 

Along  the  sides  of  the  table  were  forms 
for  the  labourers,  whilst  at  the  top  and 
bottom  were  "joined"  or  "joint"  stools  or 
chairs  for  the  master  of  the  house  and  his 
wife.  In  Cornelius  Humphrey's  kitchen  was 
a  table,  a  "firme,"  and  "six  chaiers."  In 
former  days  the  chair  seems  to  have  been 
considered  a  characteristic  accompaniment 
of  old  age.  Does  not  Shakespeare  make 
young  CHfford  lament  the  death  of  his  father 
as  follows  ? 

In  thy  reverence  and  thy  chair  days,  thus 
To  die  in  ruffian  battle. 

2  Henry  VI.,  Act  V.,  Sc.  2. 

Both  forms  and  stools  had  ornamentally 
turned  legs  and  moulded  frames,  and  the 
kitchen  chairs  were  often  rush -bottomed 
ones ;  they  are  occasionally  named  in  wills, 
as  in  that  of  John  Godfrey  of  Westham,  who 
in  his  of  February  22,  1671,  leaves  to  his 
"  Sonne  Robert  one  Rishey  chaire." 
{To  be  continued.^ 


(ZTfjurc!)  Jl3ote0. 

By  the  late  Sir  Stephen  Glynne,  Bart. 

(Continued  frotn  p.  77.) 


Our  ancestors  had  a  singular  liking  for 
upright  cases  in  which  to  hold  articles  now 
laid  down  in  flat  ones  ;  pens,  mathematical 
instruments,  and  knives  were  so  kept,  and  in 
Sussex  farmhouses  there  were  always  one  or 
two  knife-boxes  hanging  in  the  kitchen; 
some  of  these  had  quaint  patterns  cut  round 
the  lids,  as  seen  in  the  three  examples  here 
sketched.  The  star  on  the  left  hand  one  is 
an  inlay  of  bone. 

In  the  centre  of  the  kitchen  stood  a 
massive  table,  sometimes,  as  at  Rotherfield 
Hall,  nearly  12  feet  long,  and  which  has  a 
sliding  lid  to  make  it  still  longer.  The 
turned  legs  were  connected  by  a  frame  at 


III.  DURHAM.— THE  PARISH  CHURCHES. 

E  next  proceeded  to  the  Castle, 
which  belongs  to  the  see,  and  is 
the  residence  of  the  Bishop  when 
he  comes  to  Durham.  The 
Judges  are  always  accommodated  there  at 
the  Assize  time.  The  building  retains  still 
many  curious  specimens  of  antiquity,  although 
much  modernized  in  parts.  The  Hall  is  un- 
commonly grand  and  spacious,  and  in  many 
parts  of  the  building  are  extremely  rich 
Norman  doorways,  which  prove  its  high 
antiquity.  Many  of  the  windows  are  very 
good  Decorated.  The  Chapel  is  small  but 
elegant,  although  of  very  late  Perpendicular. 

T  2 


I40 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


On  a  mound  of  some  height  stands  the  ruined 
keep,  which  is  an  octagon,  and  consists  of 
four  stories.  Round  it  are  pleasant  walks 
commanding  a  fine  view  over  the  town. 

"  Durham  contains  besides  the  Cathedral 
six  parish  churches,  the  most  spacious  and 
elegant  of  which  is 

"ST.  Oswald's. 
It  stands  in  the  part  called  Elvet,  and  is  a 
tolerably  spacious  and  handsome  structure, 
consisting  of  a  nave  with  side  aisles  and 
chancel,  with  a  square  tower  crowned  with 
a  pinnacle  at  each  angle  at  its  West  end. 

"  The  nave  is  divided  from  each  aisle  by  a 
row  of  six  semicircular  arches  springing  from 
slender  circular  pillars,  save  the  two  western, 
which  are  octagonal.  Some  of  the  arches 
are  just  pointed,  but  so  slightly  as  to  be 
nearly  imperceptible.  The  Tower  is  plain. 
Above  the  nave  is  a  Clerestory  of  Perpen- 
dicular windows.  The  windows  of  the  nave 
are  mostly  Early  English  of  three  lights ; 
some  are  nearly  approaching  to  Decorated, 
and  others  decidedly  Decorated,  but  of  a 
very  early  period.  The  ceiling  is  of  handsome 
woodwork,  supported  by  brackets  represent- 
ing angels  and  human  figures.  A  part  of  it 
is  painted  skyblue.  The  Chancel  is  divided 
from  the  nave  by  a  pointed  arch,  and  appears 
to  be  of  much  later  date.  It  contains  good 
stall  and  screenwork,  and  windows  of  good 
early  Decorated,  especially  that  at  the  East 
end.  Some  are  Perpendicular,  and  have 
flat  tops.  Many  of  the  windows  have  some 
mutilated  painted  glass.  There  are  no 
monumental  inscriptions  of  any  note.  In  a 
chapel  at  the  West  end  of  the  South  aisle 
there  is  an  arch  in  the  wall,  under  which 
apparently  was  once  a  tomb.  There  are 
some  old  mutilated  figures  in  the  Churchyard. 

"  1869. — St.  Oswald's  has  been  much  im- 
proved and  put  into  good  state,  though  the 
nave  still  retains  its  pews.  The  Chancel,  as 
many  others  in  the  Diocese,  is  of  consider- 
able length,  and  is  now  fitted  up  in  a  very 
ecclesiastical  manner — stalled,  and  with  a 
new  Altar  on  which  are  Cross  and  Candle- 
sticks. The  Nave  and  Chancel  have  been 
new  roofed.  The  roof  of  the  aisles  are 
ancient,  but  very  plain ;  that  on  the  North 
is  the  best.  There  is  a  good  Organ  placed 
in  a  chamber  on  the  North  side  of  the 
Chancel  and  a  vestry  adjoining. 


"ST.    NICHOLAS. 

"The  Church  of  St.  Nicholas  stands  on 
the  north  side  of  the  marketplace,  through 
which  is  the  principal  entrance  to  it.  It  is 
a  large  structure,  and  displays  some  marks 
of  antiquity,  although  the  barbarous  hand  of 
innovation  has  swept  nearly  all  before  it.  It 
is,  however,  neatly  pewed.  It  consists  of  a 
Nave,  with  north  and  south  aisles,  from  which 
it  is  separated  by  rows  of  pointed  arches. 
Those  on  the  south  side  are  wide,  and 
spring  from  slender  octagon  piers.  The 
Chancel  is  divided  from  the  Nave  by  a 
pointed  arch,  and  has  also  aisles  on  each 
side.  From  that  on  the  north  it  is  divided 
by  large  circular  pillars  with  Norman  capitals, 
from  which  spring  semicircular  arches,  one 
of  which  is  of  singular  form,  running  up  to  a 
much  greater  height  than  the  other.  The 
arches  on  the  south  side  resemble  those  of 
the  Nave.  The  windows  in  the  church,  alas  ! 
are  of  too  sad  a  description  to  be  mentioned, 
especially  the  Clerestory,  which  is  wholly 
modern.  The  Tower  stands  at  the  North- 
west angle,  and  has  been  lately  chiselled 
over.  The  south  porch  is  good  Perpen- 
dicular. 

"  1869. — St.  Nicholas  has  been  wholly 
rebuilt  in  a  shewy  style  of  Edwardian  Gothic. 
The  Tower  on  the  south  side  faces  the 
marketplace,  and  is  surmounted  by  a  fair 
spire  of  stone,  but  perhaps  rather  too 
slender. 

"sT.  Giles's  church. 

"  Originally  of  Norman  character — long 
and  narrow,  with  high  walls — the  original 
windows  may  be  seen  in  part ;  the  western 
Tower  plain,  stands  quite  at  the  extremity  of 
the  town  towards  Sunderland  in  a  part  called 
Gilesgate.  It  is  a  singular  structure,  consist- 
ing of  only  one  aisle  with  a  tower  at  the 
west,  which  has  a  Perpendicular  window, 
and  is  divided  from  the  body  by  a  pointed 
arch.  The  Church  is  obviously  of  very  great 
antiquity,  although  modern  taste  has  not 
suffered  one  of  the  original  windows  to 
remain  in  its  primitive  state.  Some  have 
been  stopped  up,  and  others  altered  into 
sashes,  etc.  They  were  all  mostly  with 
semicircular  heads  and  zig-zag  moulding 
supported  on  shafts  formerly,  but  now  present 
more  the  appearance  of  Methodist  meeting 
windows  than  those  of  a  Church,  and  but 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


141 


few  of  them  exist,  the  whole  of  those  on  the 
north  side  being  closed  up.  The  south 
door  bears  Norman  features.  The  Church 
within  is  of  singular  appearance,  being  very 
long,  narrow,  and  lofty ;  the  pews  are  of 
antient  fashion,  and  most  of  the  church 
furniture  of  a  very  homely  and  humble 
character.  Within  the  Altar  rails  is  a 
singular  wooden  effigy  of  a  man  said  to  be 
one  of  the  Heath  family  in  complete  armour, 
with  elevated  hands  and  the  head  resting 
upon  an  helmet. 

"There  are  no  monumental  inscriptions. 
On  two  flat  stones  near  the  west  end  are  two 
ornamental  crosses.  The  font  is  very  plain, 
and  of  Norman  character. 

From  the  Churchyard,  which  is  very  high, 
is  a  most  enchanting  view  over  the  town, 
and  a  wide  extent  of  most  beautiful  woody 
country. 

"  ST.  Margaret's 
Stands  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Weare,  in 
the  street  called  Crossgate.  It  is  an  ancient 
edifice,  consisting  of  nave,  chancel,  and  ai.sles 
to  both,  and  north  and  south  porches.  The 
nave  is  separated  from  the  aisles  by  a  row  of 
semicircular  arches  on  each  side.  Those  on 
the  north  are  lofty,  and  spring  from  smaller 
and  loftier  columns ;  those  on  the  south  are 
lower,  and  spring  from  ponderous  circular 
columns  with  square  Norman  capitals.  The 
Chancel  is  divided  from  the  north  aisle  by  a 
very  wide,  pointed  arch.  The  windows  and 
clerestory  are  of  ordinary  Decorated  and 
Perpendicular.  The  font  is  of  beautiful  black 
marble  of  an  oval  form.  The  Tower  is  low, 
and  at  the  west  end,  and  adorned  with 
pinnacles.  The  roof  under  the  tower  within, 
is  elegantly  groined  with  stone. 

"  1868.  The  nave  has  dissimilar  arcades, 
each  of  four  arches ;  on  the  north  they  are 
semi-Norman,  tall  and  round,  and  with  good 
mouldings.  On  the  south  they  are  low,  and 
very  plain,  the  columns  circular,  with  square 
capitals  of  genuine  Norman  character.  There 
is  a  Clerestory  both  to  nave  and  chancel,  with 
square-headed  windows.  The  South  arch  is 
continued  to  the  east  end.  The  Chancel  arch 
is  wide  and  pointed.  On  both  sides  of  it  is  a 
hagioscope.  There  is  a  pointed  arch  between 
the  Chancel  and  South  aisle,  a  smaller  one 
on  the  north,  and  a  vestry  east  of  the  latter 
aisle.      The   north   aisle   has   Perpendicular 


windows  of  two  lights;  other  windows  are 
modern  Gothic.  The  interior  still  has  pews 
and  galleries,  and  a  fair  Organ  at  the  west 
end.  The  tower  is  rather  small,  and  of  Per- 
pendicular character,  embattled  with  pinnacles 
with  three  string  courses,  and  no  buttresses, 
but  on  the  south  a  projecting  stair  turret. 

"  From  the  Churchyard  is  a  noble  view 
across  the  Wear,  of  the  Cathedral  and  Castle 
of  Durham. 

"ST.    MARY   LE    BOW, 

In  Bailey  Street,  is  a  structure  of  no  great 
extent  or  beauty,  consisting  of  only  a  nave 
and  chancel  without  aisles.  The  west  front 
was  rebuilt  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  a 
motley  style  of  architecture,  partaking  both 
of  the  Gothic  and  Italian  styles.  The  windows 
are  mostly  of  Perpendicular  character.  The 
interior  is  very  neatly  pewed.  There  is  a 
wood  screen,  but  not  of  a  good  period, 
between  the  nave  and  chancel,  and  a  small 
organ  at  the  west  end.  There  is  a  low  Tower 
at  the  west  end. 

"ST.    MARY   THE    LESS 

Is  situate  beyond  the  College,  and  is  a  very 
small  structure  without  aisles,  consisting  only 
of  a  body  and  chancel,  which  are  divided  by 
a  semicircular  arch.  The  Church  has  been 
lately  modernized,  and  the  windows  altered 
from  their  original  form,  which  probably  was 
with  semicircular  heads,  as  one  remains  of 
that  form  at  the  west  end.  The  Font  is  plain 
and  circular.  The  church  wears  a  very  neat 
appearance,  especially  the  chancel,  which  is 
fitted  up  with  some  elegance.  The  Altar- 
piece  is  of  exceedingly  elegant  Perpendicular 
work,  and  of  carved  oak.  The  Churchyard 
is  planted  with  trees.  The  parish  contains 
not  more  than  ten  houses. 

"  A  little  beyond  this  Church  is  a  beauti- 
ful stone  bridge,  erected  by  the  Dean  and 
Chapter,  over  the  Weare.  It  leads  to  some 
very  pleasant  and  beautiful  walks  on  the 
opposite  side,  which  are  beautifully  shaded 
with  trees,  and  must  have  a  most  enchanting 
appearance  in  the  summer-time. 

"The  Cathedral  and  Castle  form  most 
noble  objects  from  these  walks.  In  the 
course  of  the  evening  we  went  into  the  Assize 
Court,  which  is  small  and  incommodious,  and 
there  was  no  trial  of  any  interest  going  on. 


142 


THE  FRENCH  GLASS-MAKERS  IN  ENGLAND. 


The  next  day  we  returned  the  same  way  as 
we  had  come  to  Escrick. 

"[1868.]  This  church  [St.  Mary  the- Less] 
has  been  modernized  further,  but  in  rather 
better  style,  and  a  new  bell-cot  added. 

i^Here  the  notes  relating  to  Durham  end.) 


M^^)^ 


Cl)e  jFrencf)  (^lass^mafeets  in 
OBnglanti  in  1567, 

By  E.  Wyndham  Hulme. 


HE  present  paper  may  be  regarded 
as  supplementary  to  that  published 
in  the  Antiquary  for  November, 
1894,  and  deals  with  the  original 
proposals  of  the  French  glass-makers  who 
were  invited  over  in  1567  to  revive  the 
decadent  fortunes  of  the  native  glass  industry. 
The  first  of  the  documents  here  reproduced 
relates  to  an  application  by  Jean  Carre,  a 
merchant  of  Antwerp,  and  Pierre  Briet,  a 
Lorraine  glass-maker,  for  an  exclusive  license 
to  erect  a  glass-furnace  in  London  for  the 
manufacture  of  crystal  glasses,  ytff(9«  de  Venise, 
with  a  prohibition  of  all  similar  imported 
glasses,  save  only  those  of  Venetian  make. 
The  object  appears  to  have  been  not  to  com- 
pete with  the  Venetian  makers,  but  to  secure 
the  trade  in  the  inferior  imitation  ware  im- 
ported from  Antwerp  and  other  Continental 
towns.  The  applicants  state  that  they  had 
been  invited  for  this  purpose  by  members  of 
the  nobility  and  other  savants  "en  I'art  de 
destiler,"  viz.,  the  English  alchemists.  The 
rectangular  furnaces  of  Normandy  and  Lor- 
raine being  unsuitable  for  their  purpose,  they 
propose  to  erect  one  in  London,  after  the 
Italian  model — obtaining  their  wood  (by 
water)  from  Arundel.  Pending  the  discovery 
of  the  pro[ier  soda-producing  herbs,  they  ask 
to  be  allowed  to  secure  a  certain  quantity  in 
the  possession  of  Jean  Suigo,  an  Italian  mer- 
chant, on  paying  the  full  value.  The  applica- 
tion, however,  was  not  favourably  entertained 
by  the  Crown.  The  reasons  for  the  rejection 
are  not  clear,  but  possibly  the  Crown  still  pur- 
posed to  continue  the  experimental  work  of 
De  Lannoy,  with  a  view  of  inaugurating  a 
Royal  industry. 


State  Papers  Domestic,  Eliz. 
Vol.  43,  No.  42. 

A  monsigneur  monsr.  le  secretaire  cecille 
secretaire  de  sa  majeste. 

Remonstrent  en  toutte  humilite  pierre  briet  et  Jean 
Carre  a  vous  monsr.  pour  navoir  aultre  adreche  par 
devers  sa  majeste  que  par  vostre  moien  comme  Ilz  ont 
este  requis  par  plusieurs  grant  sieurs  de  ce  Roiaulme 
et  aultres  seigneurs  estrangiers  signament  de  monsr.  le 
Vidame  de  Charstre  Et  aussi  de  plusiers  scavans 
hommes  en  lart  de  distiler  de  leur  faire  des  vasiaux 
propre  pour  led'  faict  [mais  aucun]  four  de  normendie 
ny  de  Lorainne  a  faire  verres  de  table  [ne  se  poeult 
/aire]  lesd'  vasiaux  tant  pour  la  matiere  estre  trop 
[egree]  que  pour  nestre  les  fours  accomodes  a  telz 
faictz  ainsi  fault  ung  four  a  la  facon  de  ceulx  de  venize 
et  lestofe  de  mesme.  Parquoy  vous  supplions  pour 
satifaire  a  la  volonte  desd'  sieurs  Nous  faire  ce  biende 
procurer  par  devers  sa  majeste  que  puissons  avoir 
lisence  de  faire  ung  four  en  la  cite  de  Londre  a  la 
facon  de  ceulx  de  venize  pour  y  faire  les  vasiaux  par 
eux  requis  et  aussy  toute  sorte  de  verres  de  cristal  a 
boire  comme  aud'  lieu  de  venize  Et  combien  que  en 
tout  lieu  ou  se  faict  led'  verre  les  princes  et  commu- 
nautez  des  villes  ou  yl  se  font  leur  donnentt  maison 
propre  et  sont  francq  de  toute  gabelles  comme  aud' 
lieu  de  venize  anvers  Paris  et  en  la  cite  du  Liege  et 
aultres  villes  Mesme  celuy  Danvers  a  tel  previliege  que 
nulz  verres  de  cristal  ne  se  pouvenl  vendre  ez  pais  has 
de  la  domination  du  Roy  Philippe  que  ceulx  quil  faict 
en  lad'  ville  danvers  Sy  esse  que  nous  ne  requerans  de 
sa  majeste  ny  de  la  ville  de  Londre  maison  sinon  que 
en  paiant  et  aussy  paier  les  droictz  deu  ains  seuUe- 
ment  avoir  lad'  license  pour  21  ans  et  durant  led' 
tamptz  que  nul  quel  quil  soit  ne  porra  eriger  en  ce 
Roiaulme  fours  a  faire  led'  verre  de  cristal  sur  painne 
de  perdre  lesd'  fours  et  estofez  et  aultre  materiaux  en 
oultre  tel  somme  quil  plaira  a  sa  majeste  ordonner 
[Et  aussi]  defense  de  ne  pouvoir  vendre  en  ce 
Roiaulme  voires  de  [cristalfaits  auct  Anvers  ou  Liege\ 
ains  seuUement  ceulx  venant  de  venize  Et  pour  Raison 
quil  convient  avoir  de  la  soude  Monsr.  le  Vidame 
susd'  vous  Requiert  come  voires  par  sa  Lettre  quil  vous 
plaise  nous  faire  avoir  en  paiant  la  valeur  la  soude  quy 
est  ez  mains  de  Jean  Suigo  marchant  ytalien  Et  aiant 
lad'  soude  nous  esperons  en  Dieu  que  avant  trois  mois 
nous  aurons  decore  la  ville  de  Londre  dung  art  tant 
manifique  commes  les  villes  tant  fameuse  cy  dessus 
nommes  au  grant  proufict  du  Royaulme  et  aussi  de  lad' 
ville  car  elle  aura  en  elle  a  bon  comte  ce  quyl  luy 
fault  venir  de  pais  estrange  Car  nous  avons  en  ce 
Roiaulme  toute  chosse  requisse  sauf  la  soude  laquelle 
avoecq  le  tamptz  nous  esperons  trouver  comme  toute 
la  reste  et  sy  ferons  venir  nostre  bois  de  devers  aron- 
delle  ou  nous  en  avons  et  vous  avisons  quil  ne  fault 
guerre  plus  de  bois  par  ans  que  pour  une  braserie  Et 
asseures  vous  monsr  que  si  par  vostre  moiens  nous 
povons  obtenir  ce  que  dessus  Nous  vous  prometons  le 
Recongnoistre  a  vostre  discresion  Et  sy  ne  ferons  pas 
comme  plusieurs  ains  en  euxzecuterons  le  faict  en 
brief  comme  diet  est  Sur  ce  Je  prirons  le  createur 
donner  a  sa  majeste  bonne  et  heureuse  vie  et  a  vous 
monsr.  par  les  tous  vostre  et  [petits?]  tres  humble 
serviteurs  a  jamais  .  .  .  briet  et  Jean  Carre. 
Endorsed  (by  Cecil)  Jea  Carre  y*  glass  maker. 


THE  FRENCH  GLASS-MAKERS  IN  ENGLAND. 


143 


The  second  document  is  of  greater  im- 
portance. Although  emanating  from  the 
same  source,  it  relates  to  an  entirely  different 
proposition,  viz.,  the  establishment  of  the 
window-glass  manufacture  on  an  extended 
scale  throughout  the  kingdom.  Some  earlier 
correspondence  appears  to  have  been  lost, 
for  the  applicants  refer  to  certain  objections 
raised  to  their  original  proposition  which 
cannot  possibly  refer  to  State  Paper  No.  42. 
Apparently,  in  reply  to  this  missing  docu- 
ment the  Crown  had  urged  that  a  grant  of 
sole  license  would  conflict  with  the  liberties 
of  the  ancient  trade  at  Chiddingfold — a  dis- 
trict intimately  connected  with  the  manufac- 
ture of  window-glass  in  the  fourteenth  and 
fifteenth  centuries.  With  this  industry  I  hope 
to  deal  shortly  in  a  future  issue  of  the  Anti- 
quary. On  further  investigation,  however, 
the  Frenchmen  were  able  to  prove  by  the 
admission  of  a  Chiddingfold  glass-maker  that 
the  local  trade  was  occupied  solely  in  the 
manufacture  of  urinals,  bottles,  and  similar 
small  vessels.  This  fact  of  priority,  as  intro- 
ducers of  a  new  industry,  is  again  insisted 
upon  a  few  lines  lower  down,  "  Et  pour  que 
nous  sommes  les  premiers,"  etc. ;  and  upon 
the  strength  of  these  representations  a  grant 
was  issued  substantially  on  the  lines  of  the 
French  proposals,  subject  to  the  condition 
that  the  English  should  be  fully  initiated  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  new  industry. 

State  Papers  Domestic,  Eliz. 
Vol.  43,  No.  43. 

Tres  honorable  seigneur  par  Lordannance  de  sa 
seignourie  nous  avons  en  partie  mys  par  escript  nostre 
Intension  touchant  la  manufacteures  des  verres  de 
toutes  sortes  a  faire  veneres  comme  ausy  ce  que  nous 
disions  des  premiers  fruict  pour  sa  Majeste  avoecq  les 
secondz  pour  vostre  seignourie  Comme  ausy  nous 
touchons  certains  poinctz  des  Materiaulx  dont  les 
aucuns  sont  chosses  comme  Innutiles  a  toutes  per- 
sonnes  |  et  les  aultres  par  les  diligences  de  les  cultiver 
Croiteront  Quasy  de  mesme  quelle  se  comsommerons 
I  Plus  suivantz  les  propos  que  eusme  de  la  seignourie 
Assavoir  que  les  subjectz  de  sa  Majeste  quy  de  lomgtz 
tamptz  avoient  faictz  telle  besongnes  se  disconten- 
teroite  sy  on  nous  donnoit  previlieges  ou  Licences 
Que  aultres  que  nous  ou  noz  Commis  ne  poroient 
ouvrer  des  susd'  verres  pour  nous  acertener  de  la 
verite  nous  nous  sommes  acheminez  vers  Chydingfelde 
ou  nous  avons  communiques  avoecq  ung  des  maistre 
des  fourneaux  dud'  Lieu  imfourmes  syl  scavoit  faire 
les  susd'  sortes  de  verres  ou  sil  en  avoite  aultrefois 
faictz  Respont  que  non  et  quylz  ne  scavent  aultre 
Chosses  faire  que  petittes  ouvraiges  comme  orinaux 


bouteilles  et  aultres  petitte  besongnes  comme  a  la 
verite  la  chosse  se  trouvera  ainsy  Aiant  entendu  les 
chosses  susd'  pour  Recongnoissances  des  grasses  per- 
petuelles  nous  dedions  de  boncoeur  et  liberallement  a 
sa  Majeste  ung  demi  denier  seterlincq  pour  chacuns 
liens  de  verres  de  trois  table  carees  faict  a  la  maniere 
de  ceulx  que  Ion  apporte  de  dehors  Quy  est  comme  a 
ladvenant  de  la  coustume  dernierement  tauxees  sur 
lesd'  marchandises  comme  yl  appert  que  une  Casse  de 
verres  contenant  quarante  cincq  et  quaranle  huict 
liens  sont  Rates  a  quarante  soulz  la  casse  dont  la 
coustume  porte  deux  soulz  ou  environs  Lesquelz  demy 
deniers  nous  pairons  appres  que  nous  en  aurons  faict 
la  vente  Et  ausy  de  tout  che  quy  se  transporteras  hors 
du  Royaulme  ne  sera  obliges  de  paier  aultres 
Coustume  Impost  gabelles  ny  aultres  charges  aucunes 
a  personne  quel  quy  soit  fors  les  susd'  demy  deniers 
p're  soit  quil  soit  transportez  par  nous  par  noz  commis 
par  marchans  englois  ou  aultres. 

Et  pour  ce  que  nous  sommes  les  premiers  et  quecez 
besongnes  ne  se  poeuvent  emcommencer  encorre 
moins  parachever  sans  grandes  mises  de  noz  deniers 
frais  et  euxtreme  despens  Nous  desirons  humblement 
quil  plaise  a  sa  Majeste  nous  ottroier  previliegez  Et 
Licences  pour  I'espasse  de  t  rente  ans  pour  povoir 
eriger  fourneaux  en  tous  lieux  et  places  les  plus 
comodes  pres  des  bois  et  de  la  mer  ou  Rivieres  es 
Royaulme  de  sa  majeste  Jusque  au  nombre  de  douze 
en  engleterre  sy  nous  voions  que  la  necessite  le 
Requiert  Et  quant  les  susd'  nombre  de  douze  seront 
erigez  en  engleterre  en  porons  ausy  drecher  six  Aultres 
en  yrlande  syl  nous  est  de  besoingz. 

Et  ausy  que  a  nulz  aultres  personnes  quel  quy  soient 
ou  poroite  estre  ne  sera  donnez  les  mesme  previlieges 
ny  tout  ny  en  party  Ne  ausy  de  leur  auctorite  privee 
faire  les  chosses  susd'  ny  aucuns  verres  a  faires  verriers 
ny  faire  faire  par  quy  que  ce  soit  durant  led'  terme  de 
trente  ans  en  ces  Royaulmes  dengleterre  yrlande  et 
tous  aultres  pais  de  sa  domination  sur  painne  de  con- 
fiscation telle  quyl  plaira  deviser  par  vostre  seigneurie 
bien  entendu  Aussy  a  cause  des  chosses  susd'  Que 
diceluy  noz  priviliegez  yl  nous  sera  libre  d'en  faire 
comme  de  biens  propre  scavoir  est  de  le  povoir  donner 
vendre  alienner  (?)  par  forme  de  laise  ou  de  barat 
comme  nous  voirons  bon  estre. 

Et  quant  aux  estofes  et  materiaulx  nous  serons 
auctorisez  en  paiant  les  valleurs  et  prif  Raisounable 
telz  quil  sont  a  present  les  porons  lever  et  mener  ez 
lieux  ou  seront  noz  manoeuvres  sans  que  nul  nous 
puisse  faire  aucuns  destourbier  ny  empechement  en 
paiant  comme  dessus  est  diet. 

Combien  toutefois  que  par  toutte  les  provinces  ou 
se  sont  lesd'  verres  le  prince  donne  librement  tout  le 
bois  quy  se  consomme  sans  que  les  ouvriers  en  paient 
Riens  quy  soit  non  obstant  ce  pour  estre  mieulx 
entretenus  essusd'  noz  previliegez  Nous  sommes  con- 
tens  les  paier  comme  diet  est  soit  que  lesd'  bois  soite 
coupes  ez  forestz  de  sa  majeste  ou  des  sieurs  gentilz 
hommes  ou  aultres  ses  subjectz  Et  aiant  les  comodites 
susd'  et  les  bois  a  pris  Rnisounable  porons  continuera 
besongner  et  donner  ansy  nostre  verres  a  pris  Raisoun- 
able Tellement  que  le  tout  (?)  Relondera  au  proufict 
et  utilite  de  ce  Royaulme  et  des  subjectz  diceluy. 

Et  tant  a  ce  que  nous  avons  diet  cy  dessus  de  cer- 
tains materiaulx  quazy  Innutiles  ce  sont  certainnes 
herbes   comme   fugieres    Ronces    et    aultres   herbes 


144 


THE  FRENCH  GLASS-MAKERS  IN  ENGLAND. 


marinnes  Item  certains  Cayloux  ou  petites  pieres 
sables  et  aultres  menutes  de  petitte  estime  lesquelz  ne 
servent  comme  de  Riens  a  la  Republique  Le  bois  est 
le  plus  precieux  quy  socupe  en  ceste  besongne  Et 
pourquoy  Ion  poroit  avoir  aucuns  scrupulles  de  nen 
point  laisser  faire  nombre  Nous  disons  Monsieur 
avoecq  humble  ,Corection  que  sy  les  poeuples  des 
environs  ou  seront  assis  les  fours  sont  Incilez  et  pro- 
voquez  par  voz  seigneuries  et  aultres  voz  samblable  de 
cultiver  deligenment  les  forestz  bois  et  places  ou  se 
coupera  lesd'  bois  Assavoir  que  les  vendeurs  facent 
faire  la  painne  de  les  replanter  et  laisser  rebourgonner 
les  nouviaulx  tendrons  au  bout  de  dix  ou  donze  ans 
renderons  force  bois  nouviaulx  comme  par  avant  Et 
sy  Ion  faict  aux  terres  quy  sont  du  tout  deserte  le 
nombre  en  sera  plus  grant  que  Jamais  Joinctz  que 
nous  nentendons  point  de  couper  le  vray  troncque  des 
bons  abres  mais  seuUement  les  brances  lesquelz 
troncque  renderont  bois  nouviaulx  en  huict  ou  Noeuf 
ans  et  ainsy  dela  en  avant  de  tamptz  en  tamptz  les 
susd'  boane  gens  auront  de  largent  nouviaulx  de  leur 
bois  et  ce  Continuellement  Et  ausy  en  povant  perse- 
verer  a  faire  nombre  desd'  verres  les  domaines  de  la 
Royne  auguementeront  par  ce  que  chacun  four  peult 
rendre  chacune  sepmaine  environ  quatre  Cens  huic- 
tante  liens  desd'  verres  quelque  peu  plus  ou  moins 
vray  est  que  certains  tamptz  de  lannee  comme  ou 
soltice  de  leste  les  fours  se  reposent  huict  ou  dix 
sepmaines  a  causes  des  grandes  chaleurs  sy  esse  que 
les  susd'  demy  deniers  poroint  porter  a  la  domaine  de 
la  Royne  environ  quarante  ou  cinquante  Livres  par 
ans  pour  chacun  four. 

Quant  aux  secondz  fruictz  dont  nous  avons  faicte 
mension  pour  vostre  seignourie  pour  ce  que  nous 
avons  besoing  dung  personnaige  de  qualite  quy  con- 
tinuellement nous  sera  comme  protecteur  ou  Tuteur 
soubz  sa  majeste  nous  trouvons  bon  luy  dedier  ausy  la 
mesme  somme  comme  dessus  assavoir  le  demy  denier 
pour  liens  tout  le  tamptz  de  sa  vie  a  paieraussy  appres 
que  la  vente  desd'  verres  sera  faicte  Supplions  tres 
humblement  a  vostre  seignourie  quil  luy  plaise  acepter 
ceste  charge  et  prendre  de  bonne  part  le  petit  present 
ou  offre  que  nous  luy  faissons  pour  ce  commencement 
offrans  a  sa  majeste  et  ausy  a  sa  seignourie  tout  les 
ans  demy  ans  ou  quart  dans  de  leur  donner  a  cong- 
noistre  sans  nul  mal  engin  ou  fraude  aucune  Toutz  les 
nombres  des  liens  des  verres  quy  auront  este  faict  en 
chacun  fours  erigez  sur  les  terres  et  jiuissance  de  sa 
Ma'*  pour  par  ce  moien  quelle  ou  ses  officiers  poront 
congnoistre  largent  quy  sera  deu  a  sad'  majeste  et 
seignouries. 

Supplions  ausy  quil  plaise  a  vostre  seignourie 
desirer  de  nostre  part  a  sa  majeste  et  son  noble  con- 
seil  de  prendre  en  gre  les  susd'  petittes  offres  a  ce 
commencement  par  ce  que  touttes  Chosses  nous  serons 
fort  dificilles  et  tres  cheres  Ce  sont  en  party  les  poinctz 
principaulx  que  pour  le  present  nous  avons  a  dire 
remetant  le  surplus  a  vostre  prudence  quy  scait  mieulx 
comme  telz  Instrumentz  se  doibvent  ordonner  que 
nous  ne  faisons  nous  mesme. 

Et  puis  quil  a  pleu  a  vostre  seignourie  nous  com- 
mander descrire  nous  prenderons  la  hardiesse  de  dire 
encorre  ung  petit  mot  en  forme  davertissement  Cest 
que  nous  avons  veu  et  voions  encorre  a  present  que 
beaucoup  de  Royaulmes  et  provinces  se  sont  entretenu 
et  entretiente  encorre  maintenant  de  telz  manifactures 


et  daultres  faicte  destofes  de  petitte  Importance  Et 
samble  que  dieu  leur  ait  mys  en  mains  ces  besongnes 
pour  les  secourir  comme  de  Minnes  dor  et  dargentz 
voir  lor  et  largent  espure  le  plus  fins  quy  soit  et  tout 
monneyez  quilz  sont  venu  pescher  ou  a  vray  dire 
espuiser  hors  de  tout  les  pais  circonvoisins  et  princi- 
paliement  hors  de  cetuy  cy  Dengleterre  au  detriment 
diceluy  Ce  sera  une  grande  methafore  quant  par  ces 
comodites  et  plusieurs  aultre  quy  se  poront  faires  On 
retiendra  non  seullement  les  ors  et  argentz  en  ce 
Royaulme  mais  avoecq  Icelles  on  yra  en  Chercher 
dehors  Nous  vous  povons  monstrer  leuxemple  dung 
pais  seullement  Cest  de  celuy  de  Lorainne  Les  deniers 
sont  innombrables  quilz  ont  tires  de  plusieurs  Cen- 
taines  dannees  des  mesme  marchandises  dont  nous 
faissons  a  present  mension  Cez  chosses  ainsy  accordees 
Tres  honore  seigneur  nous  prometons  aultant  que  en 
nous  est  de  faire  tout  debvoir  davancer  les  affaires  au 
plus  tot  quy  I  nous  sera  possible  Rendant  grasses  in- 
mortelles  a  sa  majeste  pour  iceluy  bien  faict  en  nostre 
endroit  a  laquelle  nous  prometons  plus  que  volontier 
et  par  serment  de  demourer  loial  comme  ses  vrais  et 
naturelz  subjectz  en  toutte  choses  Que  dieu  garde  en 
bonne  vie  et  langue. 

Endorsed  (by  Cecil)  for  Glass  makyng. 

State  Papers  Domestic,  Eliz. 
Vol.  43,  No.  44. 

Tres  honnoure  et  manificque  seigneur  nous  avons 
entendu  par  Monsr.  nycaisins  que  vostre  seignourie  a 
thouchez  a  sa  Majeste  de  nostre  affaire  Et  quelle  a 
pour  agreable  le  faict  Et  ausy  quelle  se  contente 
dugne  coustume  pour  lesquelz  voz  travaulx  nous 
vous  rendons  grasses  perpetuelles  Et  Recongnoissons 
estre  grandement  attenus  et  obliges  a  vostre  seignourie 
II  nous  a  diet  aussi  que  vostre  seignourie  est  bien 
contente  de  nous  faire  encorre  a  ladvenir  toutz  les 
plaisirs  quelle  porra  mais  quelle  ne  voeult  accepter 
loffre  que  nous  luy  faisons  par  nostre  premier  et 
second  escript  que  nous  appellons  les  secondz  fruictz 
Chosse  quy  nous  a  rendu  aucunement  perplex  Car 
puis  que  des  le  commencement  Dieu  nous  la  ainsy 
mys  au  Coeur  nous  y  sasteferions  vollontier  Cest  ce 
quy  nous  faict  perseverer  en  ceste  nostre  premiere 
deliberation  Et  vous  prometons  derchef  en  foy  de  gens 
de  biens  que  nous  sommes  disposez  de  vous  bailler 
annuellement  le  tamptz  de  vostre  vie  Comme  il  a  este 
diet  au  paravant  assavoir  est  demy  deniers  de  chacun 
liens  que  nous  venderons  Et  prometons  par  ceste  a 
vostre  seignourie  que  la  ou  yl  vous  plaira  en  avoir 
Lettres  plus  autentique  nous  vous  la  baillerons  de  bon 
coeur  Sup[)liant  au  reste  a  vostre  seignourie  avoir 
nostre  diet  affaire  pour  recommande  faict  a  Wynzore 
ce  noeuvieme  daoust  1567  par  les  Tous  voz  tres 
humble  serviteurs  a  Jamais 

Jehan  quarre. 

The  subsequent  history  of  this  grant  having 
been  fully  dealt  with  elsewhere  {Antiquary^ 
1894-5)  little  further  comment  will  be  neces- 
sary. In  connection  with  the  statement  of 
the  French  practice  of  closing  down  the  fur- 
naces from  eight  to  ten  weeks  during  the 
summer  heat,  the  following  quotation  of  a 


THE  FRENCH  GLASS-MAKERS  IN  ENGLAND. 


U5 


century  later  may  be  of  interest :  "Col.  Blount 
reported  that  the  glass-houses  give  over  work- 
ing in  summer-time,  the  reason  of  which  was 
doubtful,  whether  because  the  workmen  could 
not  bear  it,  or  that  the  fire  was  not  sufficient. 
He  added,  that  the  workmen  were,  to  his 
knowledge,  desirous  to  continue"  (Birch, 
Hist.  Royal  Society,  ii.  15).  Some  idea  of 
the  form  of  a  urinal  glass  may  be  gathered 
from  the  same  source  :  "  Charcoal  included 
in  a  urinal  glass,  ordered  by  means  of  a  wire, 
that  the  charcoal  remained  in  the  middle  of 
the  belly  of  the  urinal.  Then  the  urinal  was 
placed  upon  a  chafing  dish,"  etc.  {Ibid., 
iii.  462-63),  whence  it  maybe  concluded  that 
the  "  urinal  of  the  philosophers "  was  a 
straight  cylindrical  vessel  with  a  blown  flat- 
bottomed  receptacle  at  the  other  end.  This 
description  does  not  tally  with  that  given  by 
Littre,  which  applies  to  an  alembic,  or  still. 
The  urinal  also  was  probably  of  clear  glass, 
for  it  was  used  for  the  examination  of  liquids. 
"These  follies  shine  through  you  like  the 
water  in  a  urinal "  (Shakespeare,  Two  Gentle- 
men of  Verona).  For  instances  of  the  non- 
philosophical  use  of  these  vessels  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  the  curious  may  consult 
Franklin's  La  vie  privee  d' autrefois- Hygiene, 
pp.  28-29. 

Possibly  amongst  the  petits  besognes  of  the 
Chiddingfold  glass-maker  should  be  included 
the  mortar,  a  mortar-shaped  glass  vessel  for 
holding  a  wax-light,  used  for  religious  and 
domestic  purposes.  From  the  Hist.  MSS. 
Commission,  Wills,  the  following  quotations 
are  taken  :  "  Item  inveniet  lumen  ardens  in 
mortar"  (p.  20).  Will  of  Richard  de  Bam- 
feld,  Canon  :  "  Also  a  mortarium  to  be  kept 
burning  at  night  before  the  altar  of  St.  Mary 
within  the  church"  {Ibid.,  p.  54).  Chaucer 
{Troil.  and  Cressid.,  6  iv.)  may  be  cited  for  the 
domestic  uses  of  the  mortar  or  night-light : 

For  by  that  morter  which  that  I  see  brenne 
Know  I  full  well  that  day  is  not  farre  henna. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  be  allowed  to  ex- 
press my  sincere  thanks  to  Mr.  E.  Salisbury, 
of  the  Public  Record  Office,  for  the  invalu- 
able assistance  rendered  in  the  reproduction 
of  the  above  MSS.  Portions  of  these  docu- 
ments, in  which  the  writing  had  been  almost 
obliterated  by  damp,  have  thus  been  com- 
pelled to  yield  their  hidden  meaning,  and 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


the  transcripts,  which  are  here  reproduced, 
may  be  regarded  as  an  accurate  representa- 
tion of  the  original  proposals  of  the  founders 
of  the  modern  English  glass  industry.  In  a 
few  instances  only,  where  room  for  doubt 
existed,  the  passages  in  question  have  been 
enclosed  in  square  brackets. 


EamtJlingg  of  an  antiquary. 

By  George  Bailey. 

SOME  ANCIENT  WALL-PAINTINGS. 

RAUNDS — continued. 

HE  fine  series  of  paintings  on  the 
north  wall  of  the  nave  are  very 
curious  and  valuable  relics  of 
mediaeval  art.  In  their  pristine 
state  they  must  have  had  a  gruesome  and 
startling  effect  upon  anyone  entering  the 
church  unprepared  to  see  these  extraordinary 
pictures.  They  are  seen  immediately  on 
entering  from  the  south  door.  Even  now,  in 
their  faded  and  indistinct  state,  they  cause 
an  uncomfortable  sensation  when  viewed  for 
the  first  time.  What  their  effect  must  have 
been  on  the  unsophisticated  people  who  lived 
in  the  Middle  Ages  could  only  have  been  a 
feeling  of  fear  and  dread. 

The  painting  (Fig.  i)  is  sometimes  called 
"Pride  and  the  Seven  Deadly  Sins,"  or 
"The  Purging  of  the  Seven  Deadly  Sins." 
Pride  is  represented  by  the  large  female 
figure  clothed  in  a  flowing  white  robe ;  the 
bodice  and  sleeves  have  tjeen  partly  black 
and  partly  green,  of  the  bluish  colour  of  a 
peascod ;  the  mantle  has  been  crimson, 
lined  with  a  deep  madder-brown ;  her  hair 
is  a  bundle  of  frizzy  dark  brown.  The 
features  have  been  handsome,  but  have  a 
tired  and  satiated  expression,  difficult  to 
render  in  a  small  drawing.  She  holds  in 
each  hand  a  sceptre,  the  heads  of  which  are 
now  obliterated ;  on  her  right  stands  a  grim 
cadaver,  who  is  thrusting  a  spear  into  her 
heart.  This  spectre  is  painted  in  a  colour 
only  describable  as  a  charnel-house  brown 
ochre.  The  spear  has  let  loose  the  "  seven 
deadly  sins,"  each  of  which  has  been  repre- 

u 


146 


R  A  MB  LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  Y. 


sented  as  being  devoured  by  a  hideous 
chimerical  animal  with  wings.  Four  of  these 
are  plain  to  see,  hut  the  remaining  three  are 
scarcely  visible,  only  fragments  being  left. 
They  have  been  arranged  three  on  each 
side  and  one  behind  the  head,  of  which  the 
yellow-brown  wings  only  remain.  They  were 
coloured  alternately  a  deep  purplish-brown 
and  a  yellow  ochre,  the  bats'  wings  of  all 
being  yellow.  The  figures  in  the  mouths  of 
the  chimerae  were  also  coloured,  but  very 
little  of  the  colour  remains  now.  Each  of 
them  appears  to  have  had  the  name  of  the 


by  "six  unequal  beasts,"  on  which  her  six 
councillors  did  ride.  First  was  "sluggish 
idleness,"  second  "  loathsome  gluttony,"  third 
"lustful  lechery,"  fourth  "greedy  avarice," 
fifth  "malicious  envy,"  sixth  "revenging 
wrath  " — all  these  ride  on  appropriate  beasts, 
which  draw  the  coach  of  Pride.  And  upon 
the  waggon  beam  "rode  Satan  with  a  smart- 
ing whip,"  "with  which  he  forward  lashed 
the  lazy  team." 

And  underneath  their  feet,  all  scattered,  lay       J2i7 
Dead  skulls  and  bones  of  men  whose  life  had  gone 
astray. 


sin  it  represents  written  above  it  on  a  scroll, 
but  only  a  portion  of  one  scroll  on  the  right 
can  be  seen,  and  the  lettering  upon  it  is 
broken  and  unreadable. 

A  description  of  the  sins  which  were  here 
represented  pictorially  was  given  by  our  Lord 
in  these  words :  "  For  out  of  the  heart  pro- 
ceed evil  thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  forni- 
cations, thefts,  false  witness,  blasphemies " 
(Matt.  XV.  19).  We  may  also  turn  to 
Spenser's  Juzefy  Queene,  Bk.  I.,  c.  iv.,  v., 
xviii.,  where  we  see  the  Red  Cross  knight  in 
the  "sinful  house  of  Pryde."  She  is  repre- 
sented as  riding  out  on  a  stately  coach,  drawn 


In  this  case  the  sins  ride  on  animals  driven 
by  Satan.  In  our  picture  they  are  driven 
out  by  the  dart  of  death,  and  devoured  by 
demons. 

Chaucer  also  has  introduced  the  same 
theme  into  his  Canterbury  Tales,  in  the 
"  Parson's  Tale  " — De  Septem  peccatis  mortali- 
hus.  The  parson  calls  them  "chieftains  of 
sins,"  and  that  "The  rote  of  thise  sinnes 
then  is  pride,  the  general  rote  of  all  harmes, 
for  of  this  rote  springen  certain  braunches : 
as  ire,  envie,  accidie  or  slouthe,  avarice  or 
coveitise,  glotonie,  and  lecherie."  He  de- 
scribes    these     sins,     together     with     their 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


147 


branches  and  twigs,  and  he  gives  a  recipe 
for  the  cure  of  each  {Chaucer,  Bell's  edition, 
vol.  v.,  p.  145,  et  seq.). 

The  subject  next  following  this  is  the  St. 
Christopher  already  given  (Fig.  5,  p.  75). 

We  now  come  to  the  large  picture  here 
represented  (Fig,  2),  which  occupies  the 
whole  of  the  remaining  wall -space.  Un- 
fortunately, justice  cannot  be  done  to  the 
importance  of  these  paintings.  Space  being 
limited,  they  can  only  be  given  on  a  very 
reduced  scale. 

There  is  a  certain  grimness  about  the 
design  not  unmixed  with  grotesqueness. 
The  three  dead  skin-and-bone  people  are 
certainly  very  cleverly  arranged ;  they  are 
ghastly  and  unpleasant  to  look  upon ;  never- 


attendants,  decked  in  the  gay  trappings  in- 
dicative of  their  rank.  Two  of  them  have 
the  remains  of  crowns  upon  their  heads,  but 
these  are  now  nearly  obliterated,  and  an  in- 
distinct outline  alone  remains.  The  first 
king  stands  in  a  sheepish  attitude,  looking 
at  the  three  cadavers  before  him  ;  in  his  right 
hand  he  holds  the  remains  of  a  bouquet,  and 
his  left  is  placed  over  his  heart.  His  hair  is 
dark  brown,  and  his  beard  is  doubly  pointed. 
He  has  on  a  closely-fitting  tunic,  reaching 
down  to  the  middle,  which  appears  to  have 
been  vandyked  or  slashed  at  the  edge ;  but 
this  is  not  now  quite  clear.  His  legs  are 
clothed  in  tight-fitting  hose.  There  is  no 
appearance  now  of  shoes ;  the  colour  is  gone. 
Over  his  shoulders  there  is  a  tippet  or  hood, 


theless,  they  almost  provoke  a  smile,  their 
attitudes  are  so  appropriate  to  the  satirical 
ejaculation  they  may  be  understood  to  ex- 
press, if,  as  we  believe,  the  origin  of  the 
picture  is  derived  from  the  words  to  be 
found  in  Isa.  xiv.  10,  etc.:  "Art  thou  also 
become  weak  as  we  ?  Art  thou  become  like 
unto  us  ?  How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven, 
O  day-star,  son  of  the  morning  !  Is  this  the 
man  that  made  the  earth  to  tremble,  that 
did  shake  kingdoms  ?"  These  words  are 
understood  to  have  been  addressed  to  the 
King  of  Babylon  on  his  descent  into  Hades, 
where  he  is  met  by  the  dead  kings  who  had 
gone  there  before  him,  and  which  these  jeer- 
ing spectres  represent.  What  a  satire  on 
human  greatness  !  On  the  other  part  of  the 
picture  we  have  the  once  great  king  and  his 


which  appears  to  have  been  crimson,  and 
there  appears  to  have  been  a  cloak  attached 
to  it  hanging  as  low  as  the  knees ;  but  this 
only  remains  on  the  right  side.  Over  all 
there  is  the  remains  of  a  kingly  robe,  which 
hangs  down  and  falls  on  the  ground.  The 
only  colours  now  discernible  are  very  faded 
and  subtle  bluish  tints  and  warm  grays; 
indeed,  we  think  the  intention  of  the  artist 
was  to  represent  the  clothing  of  this  person 
to  be  vanishing  away,  the  idea  being  that  he 
and  his  companions  are  just  entering  the 
shades  of  Hades,  and  in  the  original  there  is 
a  decidedly  shadowy  appearance  about  this 
figure,  which  very  much  conveys  this  im- 
pression. 

The   second    person   has   also   carried    a 
bouquet,  and  he  has  also  the  remnants  of  a 

u  2 


148 


RAMB LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


crown ;  his  hair  is  more  luxuriant  than  that 
of  the  former,  and  it  is  curled,  as  is  also  his 
beard ;  it  is  likewise  doubly  pointed.  The 
colour  is  a  pale  raw  sienna  colour.  He  aLo 
has  a  tunic,  which  has  had  a  pattern  upon  it, 
and  it  is  of  a  pale  colour — pink  or  nearly 
white.  His  hose  is  for  the  right  leg  a  pale 
flesh-colour  or  pink,  and  the  left  is  black. 
His  cloak  has  had  a  white  collar,  and  there 
hangs  from  the  corner  a  round  pendant 
ornament.  The  colour  of  his  cloak  is  a  pale 
ultramarine-ash-green,  and  his  large  robe  has 
a  lining  of  faded  crimson  ;  he  is  represented 
as  hastening  forward,  and  he  turns  his  head 
to  speak  to  his  follower. 

The  third  person  has  more  of  his  dress 
remaining,  and  it  differs  in  character  alto- 
gether from  the  two  in  front  of  him.  He  is 
a  portly  person ;  he  also  appears  to  have 
carried  a  bouquet,  but  no  trace  of  it  remains. 
It  will  be  observed  that  his  hand  is  put 
through  a  slit  in  his  sleeve,  which  is  pointed 
at  the  end,  and  the  under  dress  is  of  a  faded 
crimson.  There  is  also  a  white  collar  and 
corner  appendage  ;  over  this  he  wears  a  very 
stiff  robe,  with  a  hood  covering  his  head.  It 
is  of  a  pale-brown  colour,  of  a  warm  yellowish 
tone,  and  round  the  bottom  of  it  there  is  a 
deeply  vandyked  border.  It  and  the  lining 
of  the  cloak  appears  to  have  been  white,  or 
some  light  colour. 

There  is  part  of  another  figure,  with  one 
arm  carrying  a  basket,  some  drapery,  and 
parts  of  a  dog  and  a  sheep.  They  appear  to 
have  been  the  remains  of  a  previous  paint- 
ing. 

The  foreground  shows  numerous  rabbits, 
but  it  is  not  clear  what  they  have  to  do  with 
the  subject. 

The  background  is  rocky,  and  there  is  a 
scroll  above  the  figures  on  the  right,  with 
parts  of  three  letters  upon  it.  There  is  a 
diapering  of  a  four-petalled,  seeded  flower  on 
the  blank  spaces,  of  a  dark  purple  colour. 

This  picture  is  known  as  "  The  Kings  of 
Hades,"  or  "  Les  Trois  Morts  et  les  Trois 
Vifs,"  and,  judging  from  the  costumes,  may 
be  of  the  time  of  Edward  III.,  of  the  first 
part  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

These  pictures  have,  of  course,  faded  con- 
siderably since  they  were  denuded  of  their 
coatings  of  colour-wash,  and  no  doubt,  as 
time   goes   on,  they  will   gradually  become 


much  more  so.  Their  present  appearance 
is  that  of  a  "  dissolving  view,"  but  there  is 
an  indescribable  charm  about  the  faded 
colours  which  it  would  be  very  difficult  to 
imitate.* 

We  have  given  what  we  think  is  the 
primary  origin  of  this  picture,  but  so  far 
have  been  unable  to  get  at  the  French  poem 
which  the  title  indicates.  Perhaps  some  of 
our  readers  may  be  able  to  supply  it. 

In  a  future  paper  we  intend  to  give  some 
paintings  from  Burton-Latimer. 


Cbe ''  antiquarg'0 ''  eote^boob. 


THE  CRUCIFIXION  GRAFFITO  OF 
THE  PALATINE. 

j.HE  Anti-Christian  drawing  that  has  been 
found  scribbled  on  the  wall  of  a  dark 
passage  in  the  palace  of  Tiberius  does 
not  deduce  its  claim  to  that  title  from 
the  supposed  word  "  Chrestus."  The 
word  commencing  the  inscription  has  no  "  h"  in  it ; 
and,  moreover,  if  it  were  Chrestus,  this  was  a 
Roman  cognomen,  and  has  frequently  been  found 
in  inscriptions.  Vide  Corpus  Inscriptmmm  Latinarum, 
Vol.  IV.,  No.  2457:  "  Methe  cominiaes  atellana 
amat  Chrestum.  Corde  sit  utreis  que  Venus 
Pompeiana  propitia  et  semper  Concordes  veivant.' 
Also  in  the  Additamenta  ad  Corporis,  Vol.  IV.,  in 
Vol.  VI.,  Pars  I.,  of  Ephemeris  Epigraphica  Corporis 
Inscriptionum  Latinarum,  suppler.ientum,  p.  349,  is 
quoted  at  No.  944:  "  D[is]  M[anibus]  I.  Flavius 
Constans  P.  P.  sibi  et  suis  libertis  Libertubusque 
Posterisque  eorum  se  vivus  inchoavit  et  fiavii 
sabinus  et  chrestus  liberti  heredes  eius  cum  maceria 
clusumconsummaverunt."  These  quotations  show 
that  Chrestus  need  have  had  nothing  to  do  with 
Christ,  even  if  it  is  not  already  clear  to  most  people 
that  the  word  cannot  be  thus  construed.  Follow- 
ing the  religious  vein,  it  naturally  occurs  to  us  that 
Christian  graffiti  however,  referring  to  the  cruci- 

*  Since  this  article  was  in  type  we  have  seen 
Mr.  J.  C.  Waller's  paper  on  these  paintings  written 
in  1877 — Archaological  Journal,  vol.  xxxiv.,  p.  219. 
We  are  surprised  to  see  from  it  how  much  these 
pictures  have  lost  since  then.  Many  details  which 
he  describes  are  now  gone.  What  another  twenty- 
one  years  will  do  for  them  may  be  easily  imagined. 
We  here  give  the  inscription  figured  in  the  Antiquary, 
p.  72,  Fig.  2,  as  it  could  be  read  when  Mr.  Waller, 
saw  it :  "  Orate  p'  ai'  b'  Johis  elan  et  sarre  uxoris 
ejus." 


THE  ANTIQUARTS  NOTE-BOOK. 


149 


fixion  or  to  the  cross,  can  be  quoted.  It  has  been 
reiterated  that  a  cross  was  found  in  Pompeii,  in  the 
house  of  Pansa,  or,  rather,  in  a  baker's  shop,  which 
formed  part  of  the  mansion.  It  was  of  stucco,  but 
it  was  probably  not  a  Christian  symbol,  and  it  would 
require  more  space  than  can  be  given  here  to  com- 
pletely explain  its  full  signification ;  but  the  word 
crux  has  been  found  in  Pompeii,  as,  for  example,  one 
published  mCorpus  Inscriptionum  Latinarmn,  Vol.  IV., 
at  No.  2082  :  "  In  cruce  figarus."  Professor 
Zangermeister  sa.ys  Jigarus  stands  {ox  figaris. 

With  regard  to  the  figure  on  the  right  of  the  word 
crescens,  which  begins  the  new  Palatine  inscription, 
it  probably  represents  a  Y>  or  species  of  crux  mono- 
grammatica.  The  writer,  wishing  to  caricature  the 
Judaic  crucifixion,  and,  having  probably  noticed 
this  sign  in  some  other  caricature,  or  in  a  drawing 
of  some  real  Christian  crucifix,  had  roughly  repro- 
duced it,  ignorant  alike  of  its  correct  form  and  inner 
signification.  That  early  Christians  possessed 
drawings  or  images  of  the  crucifixion  is  evident 
from  what  Padre  Garucci  wrote  of  the  Graffito 
Blasfemo  in  the  Civilta  Cattolica,  1856,  and  from 
these  and  other  emblems  of  their  faith  the  carica- 
turists would  naturally  have  received  their  ideas. 
There  is  a  like  Y  in  the  Graffito  Blasfemo.  It  may 
have  been  from  this  that  the  figure  in  the  new 
drawing  was  copied,  the  scribbler  not  knowing  that 
it  stood  for  X  ^"d  p  combined,  and  equally  igno- 
rant of  the  meaning  that  those  Greek  letters  had  to 
the  Christians,  or  possibly  applying  it  with  a 
Gnostic  acceptation.  Of  such  apostolic  symbolism 
Garucci  is  perhaps  the  best  exponent  in  Vol.  I.  of 
the  six  folios  Storia  dell'  Arte  Cristiana.  Vol.  VI.  of 
this  work  gives  the  Graffito  Blasfemo  a  quarter  of 
the  real  size,  the  original  of  which,  discovered  in 
1856,  was  removed  to  the  Kircher  Museum  in 
Rome. 

Of  caricatures  the  ancients  were  as  fond  as  are 
we.  In  Pompeii  was  discovered  a  small  fresco  of 
the  judgment  of  Solomon,  now  in  the  Naples 
Museum.  The  pygmies  who  represent  the  judge, 
the  women,  the  soldiers,  are  all  possessed  of 
enormous  heads,  such  as  are  seen  in  French 
caricature,  and  probably  are  distorted  portraits  of 
some  of  the  officials  of  Rome  or  Pompeii  with  refer- 
ence to  some  Italian  or  local  event.  Such  may  be 
the  case  with  this  new  crucifixion ;  but  from  the 
scanty  tracing — which,  however,  I  must  acknow- 
ledge from  frequent  experience  to  be  a  difficult 
thing  to  produce  correctly  in  the  dark — we  cannot 
tell  whether  or  no  the  old  joke  against  the  Jews  and 
Christians  is  reproduced  by  means  of  the  ass's  head 
on  the  crucified  figure  as  it  was  in  the  graffito  of 
1856.  We  are,  however,  given  to  understand  that 
the  traces  of  a  cross  between  the  two  others  is  to  be 
seen.  To  do  this  justice  requires  a  careful  tracing 
by  a  practised  archaeologist.  That  the  original 
itself  is  a  mere  graffito  by  some  untrained  hand  is 
clear  from  the  careless  drawing  of  the  nude-looking 
figures  and  the  faulty  Latin  grammar,  and  the 
probabilities  are  that  the  amatory  verses  were 
scratched  by  another  writer.  But  Mr.  Reynaud, 
in  the  Standard  of  February  19,  is  in  error  when  he 
gives  1857  as  the  date  of  the  discovery  of  the 
Graffito  Blasfemo ;  1856  is  correct.     He  also  refers 


to  the  supposed  worship  of  asses  by  Jews  before 
the  birth  of  Christ,  which,  however,  does  not  alter 
the  age  of  that  graffito  which  was  drawn  on  walls 
that  were  contemporary  with  early  Christianity  ; 
moreover,  he  overlooks  the  fact  that  Anubis  was 
not  crucified,  and  that  that,  coupled  with  the  ass's 
head  of  the  supposed  Jewish  God,  in  itself  points  to 
a  reference  to  Christ.     So  much  for  Mr.  Reynaud. 

But  Tertullian,  writing  in  the  second  or  third 
century,  speaks  of  another  caricature  of  the  God  of 
the  Christians.  He  says  :  "  There  has  just  been 
made  public  in  the  next  town  a  new  edition  of  our 
God.  It  is  a  mercenary  [a  gladiator],  practised  in 
escaping  from  beasts,  who  originated  this  picture 
with  the  following  inscription ;  '  The  ass-headed 
God  of  the  Christians.'  He  had  the  ears  of  a 
donkey,  besides  a  hoofed  foot,  and,  holding  a  book 
in  hand,  was  clothed  in  a  toga.  We  laughed  over 
the  name  and  the  design."  An  intaglio  correspond- 
ing to  this  was  afterwards  found.  This  makes  us 
all  the  more  regret  that  the  centre  cross,  if  bearing 
a  crucified  figure,  is  not  forthcoming,  and  it  may 
be  even  probable  that  it  had  purposely  been 
obliterated  by  some  Christian  whom  it  offended, 
which  would  point  to  the  chance  of  its  being 
another  representation  of  the  Crucified  One  with 
an  ass's  head.  But  since  writing  this,  it  is  said 
that  the  whole  graffito  has  been  rendered  illegible. 
Possibly  it  irritated  modern  Roman  Christians, 
who,  in  spite  of  their  so-called  scientific  spirit  of 
investigation,  contentedly  followed  the  example  laid 
down  by  their  predecessors. 

I  may  be  wrong  in  my  deductions,  owing  to  the 
scant  and  faulty  tracings  seen  in  England,  but  as  I 
have  frequently  made  correct  tracings  myself  of 
other  graffiti,  and  a  few  years  ago  discovered  some 
that  were  difficult  enough  to  copy  in  one  of  the 
dark  towers  of  the  fortifications  of  Pompeii,  I  may 
suggest  that,  if  the  German  transcribers  have  got  a 
clear  tracing  of  the  inscriptions,  and  their  version 
of  its  "profane  and  obscene"  sense  be  correct, 
which  is  not  unlikely,  the  graffito  only  goes  to 
prove  again  the  early  tendency  to  Gnosticism,  or 
the  attempt  to  fasten  Eastern  philosophies  on 
Christianity,  and  explain  to  themselves  these  new 
mysteries  by  means  of  the  occult  learning  of  the 
ancient,  that  spread  with  Christianity  amongst  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

H.  P.  Fitz-Gerald  Marriott. 

*     *     * 

II.— THE  DATE  OF  WALTHAM  CHURCH. 

Having  met  with  an  important  letter  from  Mr. 
Burges  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  January,  i860, 
which,  besides  supplying  valuable  information  on 
the  above  subject,  reminds  me  that  there  was  a 
clerical  error  in  my  letter  last  month,  I  lose  no 
time  in  sending  you  this  correction  for  insertion  in 
the  next  number  of  the  Antiquary.  It  will  be  seen 
from  the  subjoined  extracts  from  Mr.  Burges's  letter 
that  the  ornamentation  of  the  third  pillar  from  the 
east,  on  the  south  side,  is  in  chevron  grooves,  and 
not  in  spirals,  which  occur  only  in  the  first  or 
easternmost  pillars  on  each  side  the  chancel. 
The  small   holes,  discovered   by  Mr.  Stamp,   are 


ISO 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


consequently  in  the  chevron  grooves,  and,  as  stated 
in  my  letter,  in  the  clunch  or  older  stones,  which 
it  has  been  found  remain  in  the  higher  part  of  the 
pillar,  but  only  on  its  south  side,  the  rest  of  the 
stonework  having  been  replaced  partly  in  Norman 
and  partly  in  recent  times. 

The  passage  relating  to  the  early  work  at  Waltham 
is  as  follows:  After  saying  {Gentleman's  Magazine, 
p.  76,  i860)  "  that  the  two  easternmost  pier  arches 
of  the  nave  on  the  south  side,  and  the  easternmost 
one  on  the  north,  have  their  interior  archivolts  much 
more  elaborate  than  those  of  the  other  arches," 
and  so  look  very  much  as  if  they  had  been  repaired 
or  rebuilt  at  a  subsequent  period  (the  latter 
afterwards  proving  to  be  the  case),  Mr.  Burges 
mentions  that  "  the  third  pillar  from  the  east  end 
on  the  south  side,  which  is  covered  with  chevrons, 
had  had  these  chevrons  filled  up  with  plaster,  and 
the  surface  made  smooth  ;  upon  it  three  figures 
under  canopies  had  been  drawn,  facing  respectively 
the  east,  north,  and  west ;  the  south  side,  being 
occupied  by  the  column  for  the  vaulting,  had  no 
figure." 

There  would  consequently  have  been  no  oppor- 
tunity for  some  time  of  examining  the  zigzag 
grooving,  and,  as  already  mentioned,  the  eastern- 
most pillars,  with  spirals,  having  been  rebuilt  in 
Norman  times,  it  would  have  been  unlikely  that 
any  traces  of  fastenings  would  have  survived  the 
rebuilding,  even  if  the  original  clunch  had  been 
re-used.  Whether  any  of  the  older  chevron  grooving 
remains  in  the  corresponding  third  pillar  from  the 
east,  on  the  north  side,  in  an  unrestored  condition 
has  yet  to  be  ascertained.  The  later  ornamentation 
on  the  third  pillar,  on  the  south  side,  being  of  so 
marked  a  character  might  perhaps  indicate  that  it 
had  been  the  only  one  inlaid  with  gilt  brass. 

I  subjoin  a  second  quotation  from  Mr.  Burges's 
letter  (Gefitleman's  Magazine,  p.  77) :  "  I  wish  to  call 
attention  to  one  fact,  viz.,  the  almost  total  absence 
of  what  is  called  hollow  moulding  in  any  of  the 
older  work  of  this  church,  it  being  a  moulding 
which  would  be  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to 
work  with  an  axe  parallel  to  the  curved  line  of  a 
voussoir.  It  does  occur,  indeed,  in  one  place  in 
the  Abbey,  viz.,  in  the  east  end  of  the  south  aisle, 
which  led  into  the  transept ;  but  there  the  columns 
which  support  it  slightly  differ  from  the  others,  and 
look  very  like  an  insertion." 

J.  Park  Harrison. 


arcba^ological  Jl^eto. 

tVe  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading. '\ 


SALES. 
Sale  of  Books  and  Manuscripts. — Messrs. 
Christie,  Manson,  and  Woods  concluded  yesterday 
their  three  days'  sale  of  the  collection  of  books  and 
manuscripts,  the  property  of  Mr.  Harold  Baillie 
Weaver,    the  gross   total   of    the   528    lots    being 


/5.527  7s.  6d.  It  is  stated  that  the  works  were  for 
the  most  part  bought  at  sums  much  beyond  a 
reasonable  market  value,  three  years  ago,  and  they 
have  now  been  sold  at  the  other  extreme.  The 
principal  lots  in  yesterday's  portion  were  the  follow- 
ing :  Preces  Piae,  cum  calendario,  a  fine  MS.  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  by  a  French  scribe,  with 
thirteen  exquisite  miniatures,  ;^io8  (Robson) ;  J. 
Ruskin,  Works,  in  nine  volumes,  first  editions,  /34 
(Sotheran) ;  Voltaire,  La  Henriade,  1770,  a  fine 
copy  with  a  duplicate  set  of  the  plates  and  vignettes 
before  letters,  £20  (Pearson) ;  Saint-Pierre,  Paul  et 
Virginie,  1806,  on  paper  velin,  with  the  plates  in 
four  states,  £26  (Nattali) ;  O.  Uzanne,  Son  Altesse 
la  Femme,  1885,  a  unique  copy  of  this  beautiful 
book,  with  forty-two  of  the  original  drawings  in 
water-colour,  etc.,  ^43  (Quaritch);  O.  Uzanne,  La 
Fran9aise  du  Siecle,  1888,  also  a  unique  copy,  with 
the  fifty  original  drawings  in  water-colours,  etc.,  by 
A.  Lynch,  /'55  (Sabin) ;  R.  H.  Home,  History  of 
Napoleon,  1841,  extended  from  two  volumes  to  five 
by  the  insertion  of  700  portraits,  engravings,  letters, 
drawings,  caricatures,  etc.,  ;^84  (Bumpus)  ;  Novum 
Testamentum,  Sancti  Pauli  Epistolae,  etc.,  a  twelfth- 
century  MS.,  £2^  (C.  F.  Murray),  at  the  Phillipps 
sale  this  realized  £^j ;  Ovid,  Metamorphosis  et 
Fasti,  a  magnificent  Italian  MS.  of  the  fifteenth 
century  on  292  leaves  of  pure  vellum,  with  the  com- 
mencement of  many  of  the  divisions  and  chapters 
of  the  work  in  capitals  of  burnished  gold  and  ultra- 
marine, formerly  in  Dr.  Hawtrey's  collection,  ^^310 
(Quaritch),  at  the  Stuart  sale  in  1895  this  sold  for 
/650;  a  Persian  MS.,  Shahnama  of  Firdawsf,  a 
splendid  MS.  on  574  leaves  of  glazed  paper  with 
twenty-nine  fine  full-page  illuminated  paintings, 
/135  (Marks)  ;  Psalterium  Latine,  a  tenth-century 
MS.  on  186  leaves  of  very  thick  vellum,  ^295  (Lord 
Crawford) ;  CI.  Ptolemseus,  Magnae  Constructionis, 
the  editio  princeps,  with  the  signature  of  "  Joannes 
Casaubonis  Isacci  F.  1611  "  on  title,  ;^20  los. 
(Leighton).  The  Shakespeare  folios  were  the  first, 
1623,  sold  with  all  faults,  the  title  made  up,  with 
reprint  of  the  portrait,  etc.,  ;^98  (Tregaskis) ;  the 
second,  1632,  £6^  (White)  ;  another  copy  of  the 
second,  ^'44  (White) ;  the  third,  1664,  /107  (Qua- 
ritch) ;  the  fourth,  1685,  /'20  (White)  ;  and  another 
of  the  same,  ^35  (Pickering),  these  folios  are  said 
to  have  cost  the  late  owner  about  ;^5,ooo  ;  and  M. 
A.  Thiers,  History  of  the  French  Revolution,  1838, 
the  five  volumes  inlaid  and  enlarged  to  ten  royal 
folio,  by  the  insertion  of  1,184  engravings,  portraits, 
autographs,  etc.,  ^^115  (Bumpus). — Times,  April  i. 

*      *      * 

The  Schieffelin  Coins. — Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wil- 
kinson, and  Hodge  concluded  on  Saturday  the  four 
days'  sale  of  the  collection  of  coins  of  Mr.  S.  B. 
Schieffelin,  of  New  York.  The  sale  of  684  lots 
realized  a  total  of  /■i,o52,  and  included  the  follow- 
ing :  Syrakuse  medallion  or  dekadrachm,  head  of 
Persephone  to  left,  a  very  rare  variety  struck  from 
a  broken  obverse  die,  ;^io  (Spink) ;  Syrakuse, 
Philistis,  2o-litra  piece,  veiled  head  of  the  Queen 
to  left,  fine  specimen,  /lo  7s.  (Spink);  Thrace, 
Lysimachos,  gold  stater,  diademed  head  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great  to  right,  ;^io  2s.  (Read) ;  Lamp- 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


151 


sakos,  electrum  distater,  forepart  of  winged  horse 
to  left,  within  vine  wreath,  £\z  los.  (Spink).  The 
Egyptian  gold  coins  included  Ptolemaios  II.,  with 
his  wife  Arsinoe  II.,  octadrachm,  fine  example,  /15 
(Chapman)  ;  a  similar  coin  of  Arsinoe,  veiled 
diademed  head  of  the  Queen  to  right,  £\},  (Hirsch) ; 
and  a  similar  coin  of  Ptolemaios  III.,  bust  of  King 
to  right  wearing  radiate  diadem  and  aegis,  £\},  5s. 
(Hirsch) ;  a  silver  dekadrachm  of  Arsinoe  II. ; 
^13  I2S. ;  and  a  Kyrene  gold  stater,  quadriga  to 
right,  driven  by  female  charioteer,  £\z  is.  (Hirsch). 
— Times,  April  4. 

*         3*f         * 

Sale  of  Books  and  MSS. — Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wil- 
kinson, and  Hodge  began  yesterday  a  three  days' 
sale  of  books  and  manuscripts,  including  the  library 
of  the  late  Mr.  Philip  Honywood,  of  Marks  Hall, 
Essex  (sold  by  order  of  the  Court  of  Chancery),  a 
portion  of  the  musical  library  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Hipkins, 
F.S.A.,  a  part  of  the  library  of  Mr.  Walter  Hamil- 
ton, and  other  properties.  The  day's  sale  of  291 
lots  realized  £916,  and  included  the  following  :  An 
imperfect  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  the  Bishop's 
Bible,  1568,  the  copy  said  to  have  been  presented 
by  Queen  Elizabeth  to  a  member  of  the  Honywood 
family,  the  centrepiece  of  the  cover  engraved  with 
the  Royal  Arms,  and  with  the  initials  "  El.  R.  E." 
on  each  side,  ^22  los.  (Tregaskis) ;  an  imperfect 
copy  of  the  Cronycle  of  Englonde  wyth  the  Frute 
of  Tymes,  printed  at  Westminster  by  Wynkyn  de 
Worde,  1497,  very  rare,  ;^22  (Pickering) ;  a  com- 
plete copy  of  The  Create  Herball,  1561,  and  with 
it  is  bound  up  an  imperfect  one  of  Bullein's  Bul- 
warke  of  Defence  against  all  Sickness,  etc.,  1562, 
/20  (Quaritch) ;  A.  de  Pluvinel,  L'Instruction  du 
Roy  en  I'Exercice  de  Monter  a  Cheval,  1625,  with 
the  beautiful  plates  by  Crispin  de  Pas,  and  portraits 
of  Louis  XIII.  and  others,  £21  los.  (Quaritch). — 
Times,  April  5. 

3*S         *         ♦ 

Art  Sale. — Messrs.  Christie,  Manson,  and  Wood's 
sold  on  Wednesday  and  yesterday  the  old  English 
silver  plate,  the  property  of  a  lady  of  rank,  a  collec- 
tion of  objects  of  art  and  decoration  from  Blundes- 
ton  Lodge,  Lowestoft;  and  Ayscough  Fee  Hall, 
Spalding,  the  property  of  the  late  Mr.  Maurice 
Johnson  (whose  library  was  sold  at  another  place 
yesterday),  and  property  from  various  sources. 
The  silver  included  a  Charles  II.  plain  tumbler 
cup,  gilt  inside,  circa  1665,  nearly  5  oz.,  at  £2  per 
oz.,  and  a  larger  ditto,  by  the  same  maker,  6  oz., 
at  64s.  per  oz.  (Phillips) ;  and  a  small  Common- 
wealth porringer,  the  lower  part  repousse  with 
foliage,  1657,  nearly  3  oz.,  at  £g  per  oz.  (Clarke) ; 
a  suite  of  three  panels  of  old  Gobelins  tapestry,  the 
largest  being  98  inches  by  66  inches,  and  the  two 
others  98  inches  by  24  inches,  600  guineas  (Sir  S. 
Crossley) ;  and  an  old  English  walnut-wood  oblong 
chest,  richly  mounted  with  pierced  scutcheons  of 
scroll  foliage,  etc.,  58  inches  wide,  the  treasure- 
chest  of  Charles  I. ;  the  royal  cipher  was  removed 
by  the  Cromwellian  soldiers,  65  guineas  (Cunliffe) . 
— Times,  March  25. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 
At  the  weekly  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries, on  March  24,  letters  were  read  from  the 
Bishop  of  St.  David's  and  the  Archdeacon  of  Car- 
digan deploring  the  recent  destruction  of  part  of  the 
ruins  of  Strata  Florida  Abbey,  and  announcing  that 
the  Vicar  of  Strata  Florida  had  undertaken  to  pre- 
vent further  demolition. — Mr.  P.  Norman  exhibited 
a  rubbing  of  a  bell  inscription  of  the  year  15 19  from 
Kettins,  Forfarshire.  Mr.  T.  Boynton  exhibited 
the  church  plate  of  the  parish  of  Lowthorpe,  Yorks, 
comprising  a  communion  cup  and  cover,  a  mazer, 
and  a  stoneware  jug  mounted  in  silver-gilt.  These 
vessels  were  discovered  by  Messrs.  Fallow  and 
Leadman  in  the  course  of  their  investigation  re- 
garding the  old  church  plate  of  Yorkshire,  in  con- 
nection with  the  work  on  the  subject  which  they 
have  undertaken  for  the  Yorkshire  Archaeological 
Society. — Mr.  J.  R.  Mortimer  communicated  an 
account  of  the  opening  of  a  number  of  the  "  Danes' 
Graves  "  at  Kilham,  Yorks,  including  one  that  con- 
tained a  chariot  burial  of  the  early  Iron  Age.  The 
objects  found  in  the  graves  were  exhibited  by  the 
kindness  of  the  committee  of  the  York  Museum  and 
Mr.  Harrison  Broadley.  After  the  paper  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  was  carried  unanimously:  "In 
view  of  the  great  importance  of  the  remains  found 
in  the  excavations  in  the  Danes'  Graves,  the  Society 
of  Antiquaries  of  London  would  urge  upon  the 
owner  of  the  land,  Mr.  H.  B.  Harrison  Broadley, 
the  desirability  of  further  explorations  on  the  site 
of  these  interments,  and  would  suggest  that  a  local 
'  committee  be  formed  for  the  conduct  of  the  diggings. 
The  society  would  give  such  advice  and  assistance 
as  might  be  desirable." 

^      ^      ^ 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Archaeological  Insti- 
tute, on  April  6,  Mr.  Mill  Stephenson  exhibited 
rubbings  of  incised  slabs  from  the  churches  of 
Madron,  Ludgvan,  and  St.  Buryan,  Cornwall. 
These  slabs  of  black  slate  are  peculiar  to  the  county, 
and  are  of  local  manufacture.  The  figures  are  in 
slight  relief,  but  the  inscriptions  are  incised. 

Mr.  Talfourd  Ely,  F.S.A.,  read  a  paper  on  the 
antiquities  of  Hayling  Island.  In  the  year  1045 
the  Manor  of  Hayling  was  granted  to  the  church 
and  monks  of  Winchester ;  but  William  the  Con- 
queror gave  the  greater  part  of  the  island  to  the 
Abbey  of  Jumieges.  In  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  a 
priory  was  built  in  Hayling,  which,  on  the  sup- 
pression of  alien  priories  by  Henry  V.  was  bestowed 
on  his  new  foundation  of  Carthusians  at  Shene. 
Henry  VIII.  granted  the  priory  of  Hayling  to  the 
College  of  Arundel.  Before  the  building  of  the 
priory  there  was  a  church  in  Hayling ;  but  it  was 
swallowed  up  by  the  sea  in  the  times  of  the  Edwards. 
The  older  font  in  South  Hayling  Church  may  have 
belonged  to  this  earlier  edifice.  The  later  church 
dates  from  the  thirteenth  century,  and  contains 
many  curious  features.  North  Hayling  Church  is 
perhaps  more  ancient.  Near  it  is  the  oldest  house 
in  the  island. 

The  Manor  House  dates  only  from  1777,  but 
staads  on  the  site  of  an  older  building,  to  which 


152 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


belonged  the  moat,  the  square  well,  and  the 
manorial  dovecote.  Close  by  is  the  old  tithe  barn, 
140  feet  long  by  40  feet  broad,  said  to  be  "  capable 
of  holding  upwards  of  150  loads  of  sheaf-wheat." 
Its  stone  basement  is  said  to  date  from  the  four- 
teenth century.  In  1293  we  hear  of  the  prior  hold- 
ing a  "  Watermill  worth  by  the  year  sixty  shillings." 
This  was  no  doubt  represented  by  the  tidal  mill, 
some  of  the  charred  timbers  of  which  are  still 
standing. 

Tourner  Bury  is  an  almost  circular  space,  sur- 
rounded by  an  earthen  rampart  and  fosse,  and  is  of 
British  origin. 

In  the  Towncil  Field,  not  far  from  North  Hayling 
Church,  are  the  foundations  of  a  large  building, 
near  which  much  pottery  has  been  found,  and  also 
coins,  ranging  from  a  middle  brass  of  Augustus  to  a 
British  imitation  of  a  coin  of  Postumus.  During 
an  experimental  excavation  of  this  site  Mr.  Ely  has 
discovered,  in  a  trench  21  feet  long,  over  fifty 
tessera,  which  had  obviously  formed  part  of  a 
mosaic  pavement.  This  established  the  Roman 
origin  of  the  remains.  For  the  illustration  of  Mr. 
Ely's  paper  Mr.  H.  R.  Trigg,  of  Hayling,  lent  the 
above-mentioned  coins  and  several  sketches ;  and 
Mr.  Ely  exhibited  photographs  and  specimens  of 
pottery  given  to  him  by  Mr.  Carpenter  Turner,  the 
owner  of  the  site  in  question. 

Chancellor  Ferguson,  F.S. A.,  contributed  a  paper 
on  "  More  Picture  Board  Dummies,"  being  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  subject  treated  by  him  on  former 
occasions.  He  first  dealt  with  those  that  exist  in 
the  Town  Hall,  Dorchester.  These  figures  are  life- 
size,  clad  in  armour,  each  having  his  hand  resting 
on  a  large  shield  with  armorial  bearings  thereon, 
and  were  made  some  thirty  years  ago  as  a  decora- 
tion of  the  town  on  the  occasion  of  a  local  festival. 
He  also  gave  descriptions  of  two  dummies  in  the 
possession  of  Sir  E.  R.  P.  Edgcombe,  representing 
a  boy  and  girl,  also  of  a  little  Dutch  girl,  the  pro- 
perty of  Major  Brown,  of  Callaly  Castle,  Northum- 
berland. Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  the  series 
were  four  from  Raby  Castle.  Two  of  these  are 
grenadiers,  one  a  peasant  woman  with  a  basket  of 
eggs,  and  the  other  a  man  carrying  a  goose.  Of 
the  first  two  Chancellor  Ferguson  brought  detailed 
evidence  to  show  that  they  represent  Royal  Welsh 
Fusiliers  of  the  time  of  George  II.  Chancellor 
Ferguson  exhibited  photographs  and  drawings  of 
the  various  dummies  described. 

*      *     ♦ 

At  the  March  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries OF  Scotland,  Sheriff  Mackay  read  a  paper 
entitled  "  Notes  and  Queries  on  the  Custom  of 
Gavelkind  in  Kent,  Ireland,  Wales,  and  Scotland." 
The  archaic  system  of  succession  to  lands  known  by 
this  name,  he  said,  presented  a  problem  long  keenly 
contested,  and  even  considered  insoluble.  Gavel- 
kind under  that  name  had  not  been  traced  outside 
the  British  Islands,  in  which  it  existed  in  three 
different  varieties  respectively  peculiar  to  Kent, 
Wales,  and  Ireland,  while  in  Scotland  its  traces 
were  slender  and  doubtful.  It  was  known  in  Kent 
before  the  Norman  Conquest,  and  still  existed  there. 


In  Ireland  it  had  existed  long  before  there  was  any 
written  law,  and  there  it  was  abolished  in  the  reign 
of  James  I.  In  Wales  it  was  also  of  unknown 
antiquity,  and  was  abolished  under  Henry  VIII. 
He  then  went  on  to  show  the  distinctions  between 
the  three  varieties,  dwelling  especially  on  the  com- 
plications of  the  Irish  system,  exemplified  in  the 
Brehon  laws.  After  discussing  the  philological 
aspects  of  the  word  and  its  derivatives,  and  referring 
to  the  three  different  derivations  attributed  to  it, 
according  as  it  was  derived  from  the  Celtic,  Anglo- 
Saxon,  or  Teutonic,  he  drew  attention  to  a  number 
of  points  which  seemed  to  favour  a  Celtic  deriva- 
tion. Both  its  component  parts  were  found  in 
Scottish  Gaelic,  and  there  were  traces  in  the  old 
system  of  land  division  in  the  Highlands  which 
were  suggestive  of  some  similar  custom. 

Mr.  David  Macthentchie  discussed  the  question  of 
the  frequent  occurrence  in  British  topography  of  the 
words  "  man,"  "  men,"  and  "  maiden,"  principally 
in  place-names  applied  to  stones  and  rocks,  and 
assigned  the  origin  of  these  names  in  the  majority 
of  cases  to  the  Cymric  words  "  man,"  "  men,"  or 
"  medn,"  signifying  a  rock  or  stone.  < 

Mr.  A.  G.  Reid  described  the  state  of  the  ruins  of 
the  Abbey  of  Inchaffray  in  1789,  from  materials  com- 
piled from  the  correspondence  of  General  Hutton 
with  Mr.  John  Dow,  then  the  tenant  of  the  Abbey. 
This  correspondence  is  partly  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Reid  and  partly  supplied  from  General  Hutton's 
MSS.  in  the  Advocate's  Library.  When  Mr.  Dow 
wrote,  the  only  part  of  the  Abbey  remaining  was  the 
north  gable  of  the  house,  where  the  clergy  lived.  On 
the  east  or  north-east  side  of  the  area  stood  the 
church  and  steeple.  The  latter  fell  in  the  end  of  the 
reign  of  Charles  II.  On  the  south-east  side  of  the 
church  was  the  burial  ground.  On  the  south  side  was 
the  Charter  house  and  the  Abbot's  house,  to  which 
water  was  conducted  in  leaden  pipes  from  the  Lady 
Well.  On  the  west  side  were  the  houses  of  the 
clergy,  and  beyond  them  a  fine  fruit  garden.  The 
whole  of  the  buildings  were  surrounded  by  a  wall 
of  ashlar  work,  and  outside  the  wall  by  water,  the 
access  from  the  south  being  by  a  bridge  over  the 
Pow,  and  on  the  north-east  by  a  stone  causeway, 
60  feet  broad.  The  different  parts  of  the  monastery 
were  pulled  down  at  different  times  to  supply 
material  for  modern  buildings,  In  the  church  was 
found  an  effigy  in  armour,  said  to  represent  one  of 
the  Earls  of  Strathearn,  which  was  taken  to  Aber- 
cairney,  and  in  Mr.  Dow's  time  two  stone  cofiins 
and  a  fragment  of  an  inscribed  stone  still  remained 
upon  the  site  of  the  church. 

Mr.  J.  T.  Irvine  gave  descriptions  of  some 
sepulchral  cairns  discovered  by  the  blowing  of  the 
sand  on  the  sandsof  Bracon.in  North  Yell,  Shetland, 
and  of  a  sculptured  stone  discovered  at  South  Garth, 
in  the  island  of  Yell,  and  subsequently  lost.  The 
tops  of  the  cairns  were  first  made  visible  in  1862, 
and  Mr.  Irvine  made  plans  and  partial  excavations 
in  1863,  when  a  skeleton  was  found,  and  a  tracing 
made  of  the  skull,  which  did  not  appear  to  be  of  low 
capacity.  In  1865  Mr.  Tate  saw  five  of  the  cairns, 
and  explored  several  for  the  Anthropological  Society, 
finding  four  skeletons,  of  which  an  account  is  given 
in  the  publications  of  that  society.     In  1897  Mr. 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


153 


Irvine  again  visited  the  cairns,  finding  them  further 
exposed  to  the  depth  of  several  feet,  and  made 
rough  plans  and  notes  to  place  the  facts  on  record, 
as  the  sand  is  beginning  to  creep  over  them  again, 
and  they  v^ill  soon  be  covered  up  and  forgotten. 
The  sculptured  stone  found  at  South  Garth  upwards 
of  forty  years  ago  was  seen  by  Mr.  Thomas  Irvine 
at  the  peat  bank  where  it  was  found,  and  is  described 
by  him  as  covered  on  both  sides  with  figures  of  men 
and  ornament.  It  was  to  have  been  taken  to  the 
house  of  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Thomas  Mouat,  at 
Belmont,  but  all  attempts  to  trace  it  have  been 
fruitless. 

The  April  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  in  the 
library  at  the  National  Museum  of  Antiquities, 
Queen  Street,  on  the  nth  ult.,  when  Sir  Arthur 
Miichell  described  and  exhibited  a  number  of  neo- 
archaic  objects  from  diiferent  parts  of  Scotland, 
recently  added  to  the  Museum,  These,  he  said,  had 
an  archaic  character  in  respect  of  the  rudeness  of 
their  form  and  purpose ;  but  though  they  were  in 
reality  not  archaic,  having  been  all  made  and  used  in 
our  own  time,  the  study  of  them  threw  light  on  the 
study  of  many  objects  that  were  really  archaic. 
Their  society  was  among  the  first  to  recognise  the 
value  of  such  objects,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the 
national  collection  was  becoming  rich  in  them. 
His  description  of  them  suggested  the  question  of 
whether  they,  or  any  other  such  rude  implements  or 
contrivances,  could  be  properly  regarded  as  repre- 
senting stages  in  an  evolution  from  ruder  to  more 
skilfully  contrived  and  more  efficient  methods  and 
implements.  Taking  the  lighting  appliances,  for 
instance,  we  might  start  with  the  resinous  fir 
splinter,  and  go  on  to  a  solid  fat  in  the  candle  ;  to  a 
liquid  fat,  or  oil,  in  the  cruise ;  to  a  volatile  oil  in 
the  paraffin  lamp ;  to  a  fixed  gas  ;  to  imponderable 
electricity.  But  though  there  might  be  a  seeming 
evolution  in  this  series,  yet  it  had  to  be  admitted 
that  the  resinous  splinter  of  fir  at  the  one  end  in  no 
way  led  to  the  discovery  and  use  of  solid,  liquid, 
and  volatile  oils  or  fats,  nor  did  the  fixed  gas  at  the 
other  end  lead  in  any  way  to  the  discovery  and  use 
of  lighting  by  electricity.  The  passage  from  the 
one  to  the  other  marked  an  advance  of  knowledge  ; 
but  the  steps  of  the  progress  did  not  spring  out  of 
each  other,  and  did  not  exhibit  the  phenomena  of 
evolution.  But  the  progress  from  a  very  rude  con- 
trivance to  one  less  rude,  and  so  on  to  one  that  dis- 
played great  skill,  might  disclose  real  interdepending 
steps,  and  to  such  a  case  the  term  evolution  might 
be  applicable,  yet  without  implying  the  operation 
of  a  law,  or  meaning  that  it  had  been  the  result  of 
increasing  mental  power  in  those  who  made  and 
used  the  improved  contrivances.  Men  who  had 
nothing  to  depend  on  for  their  light  but  fir  splinters 
or  tallow  candles  might,  nevertheless,  be  as  strong 
intellectually  as  those  who  read  and  worked  by  gas- 
light or  electric  light.  The  last  might  live  in  times 
of  greater  knowledge,  but  it  would  not  follow  that 
they  had  greater  capacity  for  knowledge.  Each 
generation  was  born  heirs  to  a  greater  accumulation 
of  knowledge,  and  man's  environments  went  on 
changing  for  the  better.  How  different  was  the 
state  of  knowledge  in  our  time  from  what  it  was  in 
that  of  our  grandfathers.     Yet  if  they  reappeared 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


among  us,  we  all  believed  they  would  easily  and 
intelligently  fall  into  the  present  order  of  things. 
Had  we  any  reason  to  believe  otherwise  of  the 
grandfathers  of  our  grandfathers  ?  Could  anyone 
fix,  or  even  suggest,  the  point,  going  backward,  at 
which  this  belief  must  change  ?  Man  might  be 
progressing  towards  a  higher  position,  and  might 
have  been  growing  into  his  present  high  position  in 
the  ages  that  were  past ;  but  as  yet  we  had  no  proof 
that  such  a  progress  would  take  place,  or  had  taken 
place.  It  was  this  want  of  proof  that  he  wished  to 
emphasize.  Was  there  any  proof,  from  anything  we 
yet  knew,  that  there  ever  was  a  time  when  there  did 
not  exist,  somewhere  on  the  earth,  men  of  as  good 
mental  capacity  and  of  as  good  bodily  build  as  any 
who  now  existed  ?  It  seemed  to  him  that  there  was 
no  such  proof,  if  we  limited  our  inquiry  to  historic 
times,  and  as  yet  nothing  had  been  discovered 
which  made  it  possible  to  say  with  certainty  that 
the  case  was,  or  would  be,  different  in  prehistoric 
times.  In  our  day  the  environments  of  man  (in- 
cluding the  outcome  of  his  scientific  and  intellectual 
labour  in  the  past)  were  of  higher  character  and 
wider  extent  than  ever  before.  But  the  growth  of 
the  environments  in  quantity  and  quality  did  not 
involve  a  corresponding  growth  either  in  man's 
mental  or  physical  powers.  There  was  nothing  to 
show  that  those  who  had  had  as  their  servants  such 
things  as  the  steam-engine,  the  telegraph,  and  the 
telephone  produced  offspring  with  a  storage  of 
power  due  to  the  high  character  of  the  environ- 
ments in  which  they  lived.  We  could  never  fairly 
or  fully  examine  this  question  if  we  lost  sight  of 
the  very  important  fact  in  anthropology  that  the 
human  animal  without  fail  bred  "  shotts,"  just  as 
sheep  did.  All  animals,  from  man  downwards,  re- 
produced badly  or  imperfectly  -  constituted  indi- 
viduals among  their  progeny.  The  great  possession 
of  scientific  achievements  into  which  the  parents  of 
such  human  weaklings  were  born  had  certainly 
evolved  no  corresponding  greatness  or  power  in 
them.  Almost  all  of  them  were  incapable  of 
even  understanding  the  marvellous  constituents 
of  their  environment,  which,  indeed,  were  intelli- 
gible only  to  a  small  percentage  of  those  who 
could  not  be  classed  as  weaklings.  Realizing 
this,  we  could  scarcely  feel  surprise  that  the  vast 
changes  which  had  taken  place  and  were  taking 
place  in  man's  environments  were  the  outcome  of 
the  intellects  and  energies  of  a  mere  handful  of 
men — an  outcome  in  the  production  of  which  the 
multitude  had  no  share.  Let  the  supply  of  such 
exceptional  men  as  Newton,  Watt,  Kelvin,  and 
Edison  come  to  an  end,  and  there  would  be  an  end 
also  to  the  accretions  of  knowledge,  or,  at  least,  an 
enormous  fall  in  the  rate  of  its  growth,  There  \yas 
no  known  reason  for  supposing  that  these  creative 
men  did  not  appear  in  the  upper  rank  in  the  scale 
of  reproduction  just  in  the  same  way  as  the  weak- 
lings appeared  at  the  bottom.  Their  appearance 
there  was  not  due  to  any  law  of  evolution.  Man's 
offspring  was  made  up  of  three  classes — those  im- 
perfectly constituted  ;  those  having  the  average  con- 
stitution, varying,  of  course,  within  a  certain  range ; 
and  those  with  a  constitution  superior  to  the  average, 
and  thereby  endowed  with  potentialities  superior  to 


154 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


their  fellows.  It  was  the  last  class  mainly  that  gave 
shape  and  growth  to  our  environment.  Then  it  had 
to  be  remembered  that  the  exceptionally  strong  at 
the  one  end  of  the  scale,  who  were  the  leaders  and 
creators,  were  much  less  numerous  than  the  ex- 
ceptionally weak  at  the  other  end,  who  started  with 
a  low  viability,  had  a  hard  fight  for  existence,  and 
died  off  early  in  the  struggle.  In  consequence  of 
this,  and  of  some  grading  up  in  the  multitude  lying 
between  the  exceptionally  weak  and  the  exception- 
ally strong,  the  average  quality  in  the  reproduced 
was  maintained ;  in  other  words,  the  species  was 
maintained.  These  views  might  easily  be  elaborated, 
but  his  present  object  was  merely  to  suggest  the 
inter-connection  between  anthropology  and  archae- 
ology, and  to  point  out  that  while  it  was  the  business 
of  archaeology  to  disclose  the  condition  of  early 
man,  the  hope  of  its  success  had  risen  since  its 
methods  had  been  brought  into  line  with  those  of 
other  branches  of  science. 

In  the  second  paper,  Mr.  James  Curie,  jun.,  gave 
some  notes  on  the  traditionary  story  associated  with 
the  silver  chain  known  as ' '  Midside  Maggie's  Girdle," 
with  the  view  of  connecting  it  and  the  story  of  its 
owners  with  the  authentic  history  of  the  Earl  of 
Lauderdale,  who,  in  1651,  was  taken  prisoner  at  the 
battle  of  Worcester,  and  confined  in  the  Tower  for 
several  years  thereafter.  The  girdle,  which  is  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  Scottish  silversmiths'  work  of  the 
time,  h£is  been  presented  to  the  National  Museum 
of  Antiquities,  through  the  author  and  Mr.  R. 
Romanes,  as  a  memorial  of  the  late  Mr.  James 
Curie  of  Morriston,  Melrose,  who  took  such  a  keen 
interest  in  the  society. 

In  the  third  paper,  Mr.  Alexander  Hutcheson, 
Broughty  Ferry,  gave  an  account  of  the  dis- 
covery of  a  Bronze  Age  burial-place  on  the  Hill 
of  West  Mains  of  Auchterhouse,  which  had  been 
explored  by  Mr.  D.  S.  Cowans,  the  proprietor. 
The  top  of  the  hill  was  crowned  by  a  cairn,  which 
was  found  to  contain  a  cist  near  the  centre,  on  the 
floor  of  which  were  two  small  heaps  of  burnt 
human  bones  mingled  with  ashes.  In  one  of  these 
there  was  found  a  fine  bronze  dagger,  with  remains 
of  the  handle  of  ox-horn,  which  had  been  fastened 
to  the  blade  by  nine  rivets.  Bronze  daggers  are  not 
unfrequently  found  with  cremated  burials,  but  the 
present  example  is  of  a  very  rare  type,  and  its 
interest  is  enhanced  by  the  preservation  of  the 
handle  of  horn.  The  careful  examination  of  the 
structure  of  the  cairn,  carried  out  by  Mr.  Cowans, 
also  revealed  some  interesting  facts  regarding  the 
manner  in  which  the  construction  of  the  burial- 
place  proceeded,  and  resulted  in  the  discovery  of 
two  other  very  thin  blades  of  bronze,  which,  how- 
ever, were  so  much  decayed  that  they  fell  to  pieces 
on  being  touched.  A  fine  drawing  made  by  Mr. 
Hutcheson  immediately  after  the  discovery  of  the 
dagger,  and  before  its  handle  had  warped  and 
shrunk  in  the  drying,  was  exhibited,  along  with  a 
large  ground-plan  and  section  of  the  cairn. 

In  the  fourth  paper.  Dr.  Robert  Munro,  secretary, 
discussed  the  subject  of  prehistoric  trepanning,  with 
reference  to  a  large  number  of  examples  of  trepanned 
skulls  which  he  had  examined  both  in  the  old  and 
new  worlds.     At  the  close  of  the  paper  Professor 


Annandale  made  some  remarks  on  the  surgical 
aspects  of  the  question. 

5*c     ♦      * 

A  meeting  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries 
OF  Ireland  was  held  on  the  evening  of  March  29 
in  the  Royal  Dublin  Society's  premises,  Leinster 
House.  Dr.  E.  Percival  Wright,  vice-president, 
presided,  and  there  was  a  large  attendance. 

Rev.  Sterling  de  C.  Williams  read  a  paper  on 
"  The  Termon  of  Durrow."  In  the  course  of  his 
paper  he  said  that  Durrow  continued  to  be  the 
centre  of  light  and  learning  for  many  centuries. 
The  light  kindled  there  by  St.  Columba  might  have 
flickered  and  grown  dim,  but  the  light  of  that  lamp 
had  never  been  quenched,  even  though  it  might 
never  afterwards  have  shone  with  the  brightness 
of  its  palmy  days.  Illustrations  of  the  Book  of 
Durrow  were  here  shown  on  the  screen,  and  Bishop 
Healy's  description  of  this  celebrated  copy  of  the 
Four  Gospels  was  quoted.  A  picture  of  the  Crozier 
of  Durrow  was  next  shown.  This  most  interesting 
object,  he  said,  had  been  removed  from  the  parish 
of  Durrow,  but  it  might  now  be  seen  in  the 
Museum  of  Irish  Antiquities  in  Dublin.  No  one 
could  see  it  without  being  convinced  that  it  bore 
signs  of  very  great  antiquity.  Indeed,  the  descrip- 
tion in  the  catalogue  of  the  museum  ascribed  it  to 
the  sixth  century.  The  word  "  Termon  "  was,  some 
authorities  held,  derived  from  the  Latin  word 
terminus,  and  was  applied  to  free  and  unprotected 
land  attached  to  the  monastic  establishments  of 
the  early  ages.  Pictures  of  the  probable  site  of  the 
Durrow  monastery  and  the  land  surrounding  it 
were  shown,  and  details  were  given  of  the  enclosure 
of  the  land  around  the  monastery,  and  the  conver- 
sion of  Durrow  into  a  Celtic  stronghold. 

A  paper  by  Miss  Margaret  Stokes,  honorary 
fellow  of  the  society,  was  read.  The  paper  dealt 
with  the  instruments  of  the  Passion  as  depicted  on 
tombstones.  The  custom  seemed  to  be  charac- 
teristic of  German  and  Flemish  art,  but  it  also  pre- 
vailed in  parts  of  Ireland,  notably  in  the  district 
of  Ormond.  It  would  be  curious  if,  on  investi- 
gation, it  was  found  that  the  introduction  of  this 
custom  in  Ireland  was  due  to  some  German  or 
Flemish  influence.  The  most  complete  set  of  these 
instruments  in  Ireland  was  that  on  the  tomb  of 
Lord  William  Fitzgerald,  in  the  church  of  Kilkea, 
county  Kildare. 

The  paper  was  referred  to  the  council  for  publica- 
tion. 

The  programme  contained  the  announcement  of 
a  paper  on  "Walter  Reagh  Fitzgerald:  a  Noted 
Outlaw  of  the  Sixteenth  Century,"  by  Lord  Walter 
Fitzgerald,  MR. I. A.,  fellow  of  the  society.  On 
the  proposition  of  Lord  Walter,  the  paper  was  taken 
as  read. 

The  following  papers  were  taken  as  read,  and 
referred  to  the  council  for  publication  in  the  journal 
of  the  society :  "  The  Inauguration  Chair  of  the 
O'Neills  of  Clandeboye,"  by  William  Frazer, 
F.R.C.S.I.,  M.R.I.  A.,  Fellow;  "  Notes  on  the  Diary 
of  a  Dublin  Lady  of  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
Part  II.,"  by  Henry  F.  Berry,  MA. ;  "Presby- 
terian Marriages  from  Records  of  Armagh  Congre- 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


155 


gation,"  by  W.  Frazer,  F.R.C.S.I.,  M.R.I.A., 
Fellow;  "  Irish  Bells  in  Brittany,"  by  James  Cole- 
man; "The  Gates  of  Glory,  Dingle,  Co.  Kerry," 
by  R.  A.  S.  Macalister,  M.A. ;  "  The  Site  of  Ray- 
mond's Fort,  Dundonalf,"  by  Goddard  H.  Orpen, 
M.A. 

The  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Sussex  Arch.«o- 
LOGiCAL  Society  was  held  on  March  23  at  the 
Town  Hall,  Lewes.  —  The  hon.  secretary  (Mr. 
Michell  Whitley)  reported  that  the  whole  of 
Vol.  xli.  was  in  type,  and  would  be  issued  in  the 
course  of  the  next  month. 

The  annual  report  for  1897  was  then  read.  It 
referred  to  the  meetings  of  the  society  during  the 
year,  and  stated  that  since  the  last  meeting  Vol.  xl. 
has  been  issued  to  members.  The  arrangements 
the  committee  had  made  would  result  in  such  a 
financial  saving  that  it  would  now  be  possible  to 
issue  a  volume  annually,  and  this  they  intended  to 
do. — The  committee  had  elected  Mr.  C.  G.  Turner, 
of  Lewes,  clerk  in  Mr.  Sawyer's  place.  The  Con- 
gress of  Archaeological  Societies,  in  union  with  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  London,  was  held  at 
Burlington  House  on  December  i,  at  which  their 
society  was  duly  represented  by  Mr.  Lewis  Andre, 
F.S.A.,  and  Mr.  R.  Garraway  Rice,  F.S.A.  It 
would  be  seen  from  the  accounts  that  the  finances 
of  the  society  were  in  a  satisfactory  condition,  and 
it  would  be  noticed  that  the  committee  had  invested 
the  sum  of  /^izo  in  consols.  This  sum  represented 
the  life  compositions  of  life  members  who  had  been 
elected  during  the  past  nine  years.  The  consols 
were  invested  in  the  names  of  Major  Molyneux, 
Mr.  Latter  Parsons,  and  Mr.  H.  Michell  Whitley 
as  trustees  for  the  society,  and  a  proper  trust-deed 
had  been  executed.  The  roll  of  members  now 
stood  as  follows:  On  the  books,  December  31, 
1896,  465  ordinary,  80  life,  8  honorary,  total  553 ; 
on  the  books,  December  31,  1897,  484  ordinary, 
82  life,  8  honorary,  total  574.  This  showed  a  clear 
gain  in  the  year  (after  deducting  all  losses  by  death, 
withdrawal,  etc.)  of  19  ordinary  and  two  life 
members.  There  were  in  all  62  new  members 
elected  during  the  year.  The  society  had  sustained 
a  great  loss  by  the  sudden  and  lamented  death  of 
Mr.  C.  P.  Phillips,  who  was  for  many  years  the 
esteemed  and  energetic  honorary  curator  and 
librarian  of  the  society,  and  who,  since  his  removal 
to  Brighton,  had  acted  as  local  secretary  to  that 
town.  By  the  deaths  of  the  Earl  of  Egmont  and 
Lord  Monk  Bretton,  the  society  has  lost  two  of  its 
vice-presidents ;  and  by  the  deaths  of  the  Rev. 
G.  A.  Clarkson  and  Prebendary  Gordon  it  had  lost 
local  secretaries  at  Amberley  and  South  Harting. 
The  committee  appealed  to  the  members  for  their 
co-operation  in  introducing  new  members  to  the 
society.  The  annual  subscription  was  purposely 
fixed  at  the  low  sum  of  los.,  in  order  that  all  in- 
terested in  the  antiquities  and  history  of  the  county 
might  find  no  difficulty  in  joining.  The  committee 
were  desirous  not  only  of  maintaining,  but  also  of 
incrccising,  the  efficiency  of  the  society,  and  an  in- 
creased membership,  such  as  might  be  well  ex- 
pected from  such  a  county  as  Sussex,  would  enable 


them  to  more  fully  advance  the  cause  of  local 
archaeology  in  numerous  ways.  Documents  re- 
lating to  the  county  and  other  materials  were  ready 
for  publication,  and  excavations  might  be  under- 
taken which  would  not  fail  in  adding  to  their  stock 
of  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  county. — The 
accounts  of  receipts  and  payments  showed  a  balance 
in  hand  and  at  the  bank  of  ;^i34  6s.  lod. 

The  chairman  (the  Rev.  Chancellor  Parish),  com- 
menting on  the  report,  said  that  the  head  and  front 
of  the  success  of  the  proceedings  last  year  was  due 
to  the  hon.  secretary,  Mr.  Michell  Whitley.  The 
society  had  now  entered  smooth  water.  They  had 
got  the  wind  behind  them,  and  were  going  to  sail 
on  a  very  good  and  prosperous  voyage.  He  re- 
ferred to  the  district  meeting  at  Rotherfield  in 
August,  and  said  that  such  meetings  were  likely  to 
add  greatly  to  the  number  of  the  society's  members. 
In  the  past  difficulty  had  arisen  because  of  dis- 
satisfaction in  the  delay  of  publishing  the  volumes, 
the  complaint  being  that  the  volumes  were  not  pub- 
lished yearly,  but  once  in  two  years ;  but  they  had 
heard  Vol.  xli.  had  so  far  advanced  that  it  would  be 
in  their  hands  during  next  month.  In  that  direction 
Mr.  Michell  Whitley  had  developed  matters.  In  re- 
gard to  finance,  that  was  satisfactory,  and  they  would 
notice  that  62  new  members  had  been  elected,  and 
in  this  connection  he  mentioned  that  the  list  of 
defaulters  had  been  reduced  from  the  tens,  twenties, 
and  fifties  in  former  years  to  five,  and  these  would 
come  in  when  they  found  the  volumes  of  the 
society's  proceedings  were  regularly  published.  In 
conclusion,  he  bespoke  the  co-operation  of  the 
members  in  the  matter  of  getting  new  members, 
and  in  this  respect,  if  they  followed  the  example  of 
the  Rev.  Canon  Cooper,  the  success  of  the  society 
was  assured. — Mr.  D.  Parkin  suggested  that  local 
secretaries  should  call  meetings  of  the  members  in 
their  respective  districts.  It  would,  he  thought, 
give  a  fillip  to  the  society. — Mr.  G.  R.  Rice  sug- 
gested that  as  a  writing  of  a  paper  was  a  formidable 
undertaking,  members  who  from  time  to  time  came 
across  useful  notes  should  send  them  to  the  secre- 
tary.— The  report  was  adopted. 

Canon  Cooper  then  read  a  paper  on  the  Treasure 
Trove  found  at  Balcombe  on  May  23,  1897.  He 
said  after  such  coins  were  forwarded  to  the  British 
Museum  they  were  examined  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Grueber 
and  Mr.  A.  L.  Lawrence,  who  were  of  opinion  that 
the  coins  belonged  to  the  time  of  Edward  III., 
who  in  1384  issued  the  first  regular  gold  coinage — 
florins — but  they  were  soon  withdrawn,  and  instead 
of  florins  he  coined  nobles.  The  coins  were  of  very 
pure  gold,  and  were  the  first  struck  in  all  Europe, 
hence  their  name.  The  noble  was  half  a  mark,  or 
80  pence,  audits  weight  was  just  that  of  the  present- 
day  sovereign.  In  the  Balcombe  find  there  were 
twelve  nobles,  of  which  eight  were  purchased  by  the 
British  Museum,  two  by  the  Sussex  Archaeological 
Society,  and  two  returned  to  the  finder.  Of  the 
twelve,  one  of  the  coinage  of  1346  was  of  a  different 
type  from  any  known  before.  The  other  eleven 
were  of  the  fourth  coinage,  their  dates  being  deter- 
mined by  the  obverse  legend,  the  title  of  King  of 
France  being  assumed  by  Edward  III.  in  1338.  In 
regard  to  the  groats  found,  groats  were  struck  by 

X   t 


156 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


Edward  I.,  but  they  were  not  in  general  circulation 
till  Edward  III.'s  reign,  and  in  the  Balcombe  find 
only  those  of  the  latter  reign  were  found. 

The  secretary  referred  to  a  paper  he  had  received 
from  a  Lewes  member  in  regard  to  the  church- 
wardens' account  and  register  of  births  and  poor-law 
matters  of  the  parish  of  St.  Michael's,  Lewes,  which 
were  interesting,  and  which  would  be  incorporated 
in  Vol.  xlii. 

*      *      * 

At  the  March  meeting  of  the  Glasgow  Arch^o- 
LOGiCAL  Society,  Mr.  J.  Dalrymple  Duncan 
reported  that  in  the  course  of  some  building  opera- 
tions now  being  carried  out  by  Messrs.  John  Pater- 
son  and  Son  at  their  new  brickfield,  near  Crow 
Road,  on  the  lands  known  as  the  Temple  of  Gars- 
cube,  it  had  been  found  necessary  to  remove  the 
last  vestiges  of  the  old  Temple  Farm.  Mr.  J. 
Paterson,  senr.,  who  is  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  district,  and  knowing  that  there  was  some  sort 
of  local  tradition  that  the  farm  had  been  erected 
upon  the  site  of  an  earlier  structure  connected  with 
the  Templars,  had  the  matter  brought  under  the 
notice  of  the  Society  for  investigation  before  all 
traces  were  removed,  at  the  same  time  offering  them 
every  assistance  for  an  extended  research  if  that 
was  considered  necessary.  The  place  was  carefully 
examined  in  presence  of  Mr.  Ralston,  the  factor  of 
Garscube,  and  of  Mr.  Paterson.  Nothing,  however, 
was  found  of  earlier  date  than  the  farmhouse,  which 
was  probably  little  more  than  a  hundred  years  old. 
Many  of  the  dressed  stones  from  the  farm  buildings 
might  now  be  seen  in  the  lower  part  of  the  back 
wall  of  the  adjoining  tenement.  Everyone  interested 
in  local  history  would,  he  was  sure,  feel  indebted  to 
Mr.  Paterson  for  his  care  in  directing  attention  to 
this  matter,  and  for  his  generous  offer  of  assist- 
ance. 

Mr.  J-  J-  Spencer  exhibited  a  set  of  tally-sticks 
which  he  had  seen  in  actual  use  in  a  village  baker's 
in  France,  and  described  the  method  of  their  em- 
ployment. 

Professor  Ferguson,  of  the  Glasgow  University, 
submitted  some  further  notes  on  "  English  Receipt 
Books  of  the  Sixteenth,  Seventeenth,  and  Eighteenth 
Centuries."  He  said  that  in  previous  papers  he 
had  dealt  in  an  exhaustive  manner  with  foreign 
technical  and  medical  receipts,  and  now  he  pro- 
posed to  deal  with  those  of  England,  extending  over 
a  space  of  250  years — from  about  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  to  the  early  years  of  the  present  century. 
Many  of  these  were  cheap  handbooks,  sold  by 
flying  stationers  and  pedlars,  and  carried  by  them 
all  over  the  country ;  and  many  were  of  the 
nature  of  chap-books,  printed  on  coarse  paper,  of 
semi-duodecimo  size,  and  rudely  bound  in  brown 
sheep.  Among  those  of  local  interest  were  "  Art 
Treasures  or  Rarities,  printed  for  Robert  Smith, 
and  sold  at  his  shop  in  the  Saltmarket,  at  the  sign 
of  the  Gilt  Bible,  1761."  This  was  reprinted  in 
1773  by  John  Tait,  bookseller  in  the  Saltmarket, 
who  was  the  printer  of  theGlasgow  Journal,  and  had 
a  shop  at  the  head  of  the  Saltmarket.  Of  a  superior 
description  was  "A  Century  of  the  Names  or 
Scantlings  of  such  Inventions  as  at  present  I  can 


call  to  mind,"  by  the  Marquis  of  Worcester.  This 
was  printed  by  R.  and  A.  Foulis,  1767,  and,  like  all 
Foulis'  works,  was  beautifully  printed  on  stout  and 
excellent  paper. 

*         3<S         * 

At  the  March  monthly  meeting  of  the  Penzance 
Natural  History  and  Antiquarian  Society  Mr. 
J.  Banfield  read  a  paper  by  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Lach- 
Szyrma  on  "  Australian  Lights  on  Cornish  Sub- 
jects." Mr.  Lach-Szyrma  remarked  that  when 
they  surveyed  dolmens,  hut  circles,  and  other 
ancient  monuments  in  West  Cornwall,  they  asked 
themselves  what  sort  of  people  were  those  who 
erected  them.  There  were,  he  conceived,  subjects 
of  Queen  Victoria  at  this  present  time  who  were 
emerging  from  the  neolithic  state,  and  through 
them  some  idea  might  be  formed  as  to  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  Cornwall. 
A  study  of  the  folklore  of  the  Australian  aborigines 
raised  many  important  questions.  Among  these 
were  whether  some  of  the  Cornish  folk-tales  might 
not  come  to  us  from  remote  antiquity,  as,  for 
instance,  those  which  dealt  with  the  changing  of 
people  into  animals,  and  one  which  was  related  to 
him  by  Mr.  Kelynack,  that  a  certain  tree  was  under 
the  protection  of  the  "  briccaboo,"  who  would 
change  anyone  cutting  it  down  into  a  monkey.  It 
might  be  that  there  were  traces  of  "  totemism  "  in 
their  Cornish  "Mullion  Gulls,"  "St.  Ives  Hakes," 
and  "  Sancreed  Hogs."  It  was  possible  that  some 
of  the  Cornish  folk-tales  were  as  old  as  their  granite 
monuments. 

The  President  (Mr.  J.  B.  Cornish)  said  it  was 
suggested  by  the  council  that  some  of  the  funds  of 
the  society  should  be  spent  in  excavating  at  Botrea 
Hill,  Sancreed,  on  the  summit  of  which  were  three 
barrows.  In  two  of  these  pits  were  sunk  by  a  Mr. 
Cotton  in  1825,  and  kistvaens  were  discovered.  Only 
a  very  small  portion  of  the  area  had  been  disturbed, 
and  nothing  had  been  done  there  since.  He  also 
drew  the  attention  of  members  to  the  objects  dis- 
covered in  the  excavations  at  Chysauster,  which  in- 
cluded pieces  of  glazed  pottery  and  some  rusty  iron. 

*     ♦     * 

The  newly -formed  Hampstead  Antiquarian 
Society  was  inaugurated  at  a  meeting  in  the 
Hampstead  Vestry  Hall,  on  April  6.  Sir  Walter 
Besant,  the  president,  occupied  the  chair,  and 
among  those  also  present  were  Mr.  E.  Bond,  MP., 
Sir  R.  Temple,  and  Messrs.  J.  Seymour  Lucas, 
R.A.,  Talfourd  Ely,  J.  W.  Hales,  C.  E.  Maurice, 
B.  W.  Smith,  John  Hayns,  and  C.  J.  Munich,  hon. 
secretary  and  treasurer.  Sir  W.  Besant,  in  open- 
ing the  proceedings,  stated  that  the  society  was 
formed  on  March  23  last,  its  objects  being  the 
study,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  the  recording  of  anti- 
quarian and  historical  matters,  and  also,  should 
necessity  arise,  the  protection  of  any  historic  land- 
mark from  needless  violation.  Having  advised  the 
members  to  take  up  a  definite  line  of  work.  Sir  W. 
Besant  remarked  on  the  many  interesting  associa- 
tions with  which  Hampstead  was  surrounded.  In 
the  Middle  Ages,  when  it  was  a  small  village  on 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


157 


the  fringe  of  a  forest,  it  wcis,  he  said,  chiefly  known 
to  the  people  of  London  in  connection  with  the  pil- 
grimages which  took  place  to  the  shrines  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Oak,  Our  Lady  of  Muswell  Hill,  and  Our 
Lady  of  Willesden.  In  the  eighteenth  century  the 
mineral  springs  became  popular,  and  before  long 
Hampstead  vied  with  Tunbridge  Wells  and  Bath 
as  a  fashionable  resort.  Many  well-known  men 
were  at  some  time  or  other  connected  with  Hamp- 
stead either  as  residents  or  visitors,  among  them 
being  Addison,  Steele,  Sterne,  Samuel  Johnson, 
Keats,  Leigh  Hunt,  Constable,  Romney,  William 
Blake,  Chatham,  Mansfield,  and  Wilberforce. 
Clearly  the  work  before  the  society  was  real  and 
useful  work,  and  work  that  would  be  well  worthy 
of  the  attention  of  its  members.  He  hoped  they 
would  keep  the  Heath  steadily  before  their  minds. 
He  wanted  to  have  that  noble  open  space  preserved 
in  its  integrity  as  a  heath  and  not  as  a  park.  They 
must  take  care  that  trees  were  not  planted  there 
that  did  not  belong  to  heaths,  and  that  no  more 
of  the  beautiful  gorse  was  grubbed  up  by  the 
authorities.  On  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Hales,  a 
resolution  was  passed  expressing  satisfaction  at  the 
establishment  of  the  society,  and  asking  for  the 
hearty  support  of  the  inhabitants  of  Hampstead. 

if      if      if. 

The  usual  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries OF  Newcastle  was  held  on  March  30, 
when  Mr.  Carr  read  Mr.  Adamson's  report  with 
regard  to  the  proposed  destruction  of  the  lighthouse 
tower  and  Governor's  house  in  Tynemouth  Castle. 
The  secretary  of  the  Trinity  House,  in  response  to 
an  application  made  to  him,  had  forwarded  infor- 
mation to  the  effect  that  the  entire  removal  would 
be  carried  out  in  the  autumn,  though  the  local 
authorities  had  stated  that  a  portion  would  be  left 
to  be  utilized  as  a  signal  station.  The  replacing  of 
the  lighthouse  by  the  one  being  built  on  St.  Mary's 
Island  would  insure  better  protection  for  vessels 
coming  from  the  north.  The  Governor's  house  was 
to  be  destroyed  in  order  to  furnish  a  recreation 
ground  for  the  soldiers  engaged  at  the  battery.  Several 
of  the  members  suggested  that  Mr.  Donkin,  M.P. 
for  Tynemouth,  should  be  communicated  with  in 
order  that  he  might  bring  the  matter  before  the 
Government.  Dr.  Adamson  exhibited  an  excel- 
lently painted  miniature  of  William  III.,  encased 
in  beautifully  carved  ivory,  apparently  forming 
half  of  a  locket  On  the  back  were  engraved  the 
Royal  arms,  and  it  was  conjectured  that  originally 
a  miniature  of  Mary  had  occupied  the  missing  half. 
The  relic  was  the  property  of  Mr.  Galloway,  of 
Gateshead,  in  whose  family  it  had  been  for  some 
time.  Mr.  Knowles  reported  that  the  ruin  at  Jes- 
mond,  known  as  King  John's  Palace,  had  now  been 
thoroughly  repaired,  and  it  was  eminently  satisfac- 
tory to  know  that  it  was  in  a  condition  to  with- 
stand further  decay.  A  circular  was  read  by  Dr. 
Hodgkin  advocating  the  preservation  of  old  manu- 
scripts, by  means  of  which  it  was  often  made  easier 
to  reconstruct  the  history  of  the  past.  A  memoir 
of  the  late  Mr.  W.  H.  D.  Longstaffe,  a  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  society,  written  by  Mr.  Richard  Wel- 
ford,   M.A.,   was   read  by  Mr.    Heslop ;   and  the 


meeting  concluded  with  a  few  extracts  from  Mr. 
George  Skelley's  l^otes  on  Alnwick  Parish  Church, 
read  by  Dr.  Hodgkin. 

i^      if      if 

The  tenth  and  last  meeting  of  the  session  of  the 
Historic  Society  of  Lancashire  and  Cheshire 
was  presided  over  by  the  vice-president  (Mr.  J. 
Paul  Rylands).  Mr.  John  Thompson  exhibited 
some  eighteenth-century  ladies'  jewellery.  A  paper 
on  "  Archaeological  Discoveries  at  Birkenhead 
Priory,  with  remarks  on  Conservation  versus 
Restoration  of  Ancient  Buildings,"  was  read  by 
Mr.  E.  W.  Cox,  who  commenced  with  extracts  from 
some  of  the  early  grants  and  a  plan  of  the  position 
of  the  early  Norman  Church,  with  an  account  of 
the  various  additions  and  alterations  that  took  place 
from  time  to  time  up  to  the  dissolution.  Several 
lantern  slides,  specially  prepared  for  this  lecture 
by  Mr,  Haswell,  of  Chester,  the  contractor  to  the 
restoration  committee,  were  put  on  the  screen  and 
described  in  detail  by  Mr.  Cox.  Mr.  A.  M.  Robin- 
son spoke  at  some  length  on  the  success  that  had 
attended  the  efforts  of  the  committee  in  preserving 
these  interesting  remains  from  destruction.  The 
meeting  brought  to  a  close  a  most  successful  session. 


EetJiettus  anti  Jl5otice0 
of  Jl3eto  15oDfe0. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.'^ 

A  History  of  the  Parish  of  Selattyn.  Com- 
piled chiefly  from  original  sources  by  the  Hon. 
Mrs.  Bulkeley-Owen  (Gwenrhian  Gwynedd). 
8vo.,  pp.  477.  Oswestry:  Woodall,  MinshuU, 
and  Co. 
We  have  very  great  pleasure  in  drawing  attention 
to  the  publication  of  this  book.  Careful  and  accurate 
parochial  history,  such  as  that  of  Mrs.  Bulkeley- 
Owen's  History  of  Selattyn,  is  always  useful  as  a 
contribution  to  the  general  history  of  the  country  at 
large,  besides  possessing  its  own  especial  value  and 
importance  locally.  The  parish  with  this  curious 
name  is  situated  in  the  extreme  north-west  of  Shrop- 
shire on  the  confines  of  the  county  of  Denbigh. 
The  origin  and  meaning  of  the  name  Mrs.  Bulkeley- 
Owen  frankly  admits  that  she  cannot  solve,  and 
that  it  "  still  remains  a  mystery."  This  is  much 
better  than  indulging,  as  so  many  people  do,  in 
wild  guesses.  We  see,  indeed,  that  some  wise  person 
has  sought  to  derive  Selattyn  "  from  Cselestine  the 
Pope  when  St.  Martin  was  Bishop  of  Tours."  This 
is  about  as  good  a  specimen  of  guesswork  as  we 
have  ever  met  with.  Unfortunately  this  clever 
piece  of  etymological  derivation  occurs  in  "an 
anonymous  and  undated  manuscript."  It  is  indeed 
a  pity  the  author's  name  has  not  been  preserved  ! 


158 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


The  book  deals  seriatim  with  the  general  history 
and  descent  of  the  manor,  the  various  hamlets  and 
houses  of  Brogyntyn,  Pentrepant,  Oldport,  Bryny- 
bara,  etc.,  Selattyn  church  (of  which  a  picture 
showing  the  exterior  as  it  was  in  1826  is  given), 
and  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  parish,  much  of 
which  is  interwoven  with  the  fortunes  of  Dr.  Sache- 
verell,  who  was  at  one  time  Rector  of  Selattyn. 
Two  pictures  are  reproduced  from  satirical  playing- 
cards  of  the  time,  one,  the  six  of  diamonds,  having 
a  picture  of  Sacheverell  in  his  coach  approaching 
the  Welsh  hills.  The  people  appear  to  be  of  the 
poorest  and  lowest  class,  and  the  goats  are  depicted 
as  scampering  up  the  hill-sides.     The  legend  is 

"  Here  Welch  Parishioners  attend  his  Coach, 
And  joy  to  See  their  Minister's  Approach." 

The  other  card,  the  ten  of  diamonds,  has  a  picture 
of  Sacheverell  receiving  institution  to  the  parish  of 
Selattyn.     The  legend  in  this  case  is 

"  St.  Asaph's  Bishop  for  his  Flock's  Instruction 
Allows  him  Institution  and  Induction." 

A  strong  point  in  Mrs.  Bulkeley-Owen's  book  is  the 
information  which  it  gives  as  to  families  settled  in 
Selattyn,  or  less  directly  connected  with  the  parish, 
the  result  being  a  very  valuable  piece  of  family 
history  with  several  carefully  compiled  pedigrees 
in  tabular  form,  including,  it  may  be  mentioned, 
those  of  Brogyntyn,  Bonnor,  Carew,  Davies  of 
Gwysaney,  Daker,  Edwards  of  Chirk  and  of  Tal- 
garth, Godolphin,  Hanmer,  Ireland,  Lloyd  of  Aston, 
of  Leaton  Knolls,  and  of  Swanhill,  Powell  of  Park, 
Pryce,  Venables,  and  others.  Several  original  letters 
from  Lord  Harlech's  muniments  are  printed  for  the 
first  time,  many  of  them  throwing  fresh  light  on 
the  history  of  the  Civil  War  in  North  Wales.  The 
volume  is  illustrated  by  facsimiles  of  numerous 
signatures,  amongst  them,  besides  royal  and  other 
signatures  of  notable  persons,  those  of  Dr.  Sache- 
verell and  most  of  the  later  incumbents  of  the  parish. 
This  is  an  interesting  feature  which  might  well  be 
adopted  in  other  local  histories  more  frequently  than 
it  is.  We  are  greatly  pleased  with  Mrs.  Bulkeley- 
Owen's  book,  which  is  a  thoroughly  good  model  of 
what  a  parish  history  ought  to  be. 

*     *     * 

Young's  Literal  Translation  of  the  Bible. 
(New  edition.)  Cloth  8vo.,  pp.  763.  Edin- 
burgh: G.  A.  Young  and  Co.,  Bible  publishers. 
This  is  a  work  which  it  is  a  little  difficult  to 
review  in  a  publication  like  the  Antiquary.  The 
"  Revised  Version,"  as  it  is  called  (of  the  New  Testa- 
ment at  least),  is  so  universally  condemned  for  its 
pedantic  and  factious  changes  from  the  Authorized 
Bible  that  there  is  no  reason  to  wonder,  as  the 
publishers  appear  to  do,  that  it  has  not  interfered 
with  the  demand  for  the  "  literal  translation  "  by 
Dr.  Robert  Young.  The  explanation  is  that  the 
Revised  Version  falls  between  two  stools.  It  is 
too  pedantic  and  irritating  in  its  needless  changes 
for  public  use  in  reading.  It  is  not  strictly  literal 
enough  for  those  who  want  a  word  for  word  trans- 
lation.   Those  who  want  the  latter  have  it  in  the 


skilful  translation  by  Dr.  Young,  which  will  probably 
hold  its  own  for  what  it  professes  to  be  for  some  time 
to  come.  Of  course  there  are  many  things,  of 
necessity,  open  to  criticism  and  debate  in  such  a 
book  ;  but  taking  it  for  what  it  is,  it  is  probably  as 
well  done  as  any  one  man  could  do  such  a  thing. 
Its  popularity  attests  this  recognition  of  its  useful- 
ness. The  volume  (minion  type)  is  clearly  printed 
and  neatly  got  up.     More  we  needly  hardly  say. 

*     *     * 

The  Ceramics  of  Swansea  and  Nantgarw.  By 
William  Turner  Buchran.  Crown  4to. ;  pp.  xii, 
349  (with  33  collotype  plates).  London : 
Bemrose  and  Sons,  Limited.     Price  42s. 

This  handsome — we  had  almost  said  sumptuous 
— volume  forms  an  admirable  monograph  on  the 
ceramics  of  Swansea  and  Nantgarw,  and  will  be 
very  generally  welcomed  as  a  thoroughly  satisfac- 
tory book  by  all  who  are  competent  to  form  an 
opinion  on  the  subject.  We  rather  understand 
from  some  remarks  in  the  Preface  that  the  author 
has  felt  a  little  nervous  as  to  the  kind  of  reception 
which  his  labours  might  meet  with.  There  was 
surely  no  need  for  apprehension  on  this  score  at  all. 
A  work  which  is  the  outcome  of  several  years'  pre- 
paration, and  which  has  been  a  labour  of  love  on 
the  part  of  the  author  is  not  likely  to  miss  the 
mark.  In  the  present  instance  Mr.  Turner  may  rest 
assured  that  his  book  is  not  merely  (thanks  to  its 
excellent  illustrations)  a  beautiful  one,  but  that  it 
is  a  very  valuable  and  important  addition  to 
existing  literature  on  the  subject  of  English 
ceramics. 

The  Cambrian  Pottery  at  Swansea  was  founded 
in  1761,  and  finally  closed  about  1870,  while  the 
pottery  at  Nantgarw  (a  village  near  Cardiff,  and 
still  in  a  humble  way  turning  out  tobacco-pipes 
and  common  earthenware)  only  produced  its  best 
examples  of  work  during  the  years  1812,  1813, 1814, 
and  1817  to  1819.  Yet  in  the  brief  periods  of  their 
existence  these  two  potteries  turned  out  some 
admirable  porcelain  work,  well  qualified  to  hold 
its  own  against  almost  anything  of  the  kind  pro- 
duced elsewhere  in  this  country. 

Mr.  Turner  traces  the  origin,  history,  and  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  two  potteries,  together  with  notices  of 
their  proprietors  and  the  artists  employed,  as  well 
as  a  description  of  the  methods  of  manufacture 
adopted,  and  the  reader  who  may  not  be  familiar 
with  the  work  turned  out  at  Swansea  or  Nantgarw 
can  form  a  very  good  idea  of  the  charm  and  beauty 
of  various  pieces  from  the  excellent  plates  (many  of 
them  in  colours)  which  are  given  in  the  work. 

It  is  claimed  for  the  book  in  the  preface,  in  the 
first  place,  that  it  is  the  history  of  two  factories  in 
which  the  very  best  of  our  British  porcelains  were 
produced.  Secondly,  that  all  the  facts  it  contains 
have  been  carefully  verified,  and  that  nothing  has 
been  taken  on  mere  hearsay  evidence.  Thirdly, 
and  specially,  that  it  is  illustrated  by  one  of  the 
latest  developments  in  art  ceramics,  namely, 
coloured  collotypes,  in  order  to  show  the  man- 
nerisms of  the  artists,  so  as  to  protect  the  collector 
and  connoisseur.  These  claims  are  fully  sub- 
stantiated in  every  respect,  and  the  book  is  one 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


159 


which  reflects  credit  on  all  connected  with  its  pro- 
duction. 

We  ought  also  to  say  that  it  contains  an  excellent 
illustrated  account  of  the  Swansea  "  Etruscan 
Ware,"  reprinted  from  a  paper  which  appeared  in 
our  contemporary  the  Reliquary,  and  also  a  thought- 
ful excursus  by  Mr.  R.  Drane,  of  Cardiff,  on  "  The 
Mannerisms  of  the  Artists."  We  are  only  sorry 
that  we  cannot  find  space  here  to  enter  at  all  into 
detail  in  regard  to  the  subject  of  which  the  work 
under  notice  deals  in  every  respect  in  an  eminently 
satisfactory  manner. 

*     *     * 
The   Records  of  the   Burgery  of  Sheffield, 

COMMONLY  CALLED  THE  ToWN   TrUST.      Cloth, 

crown  8vo.,  pp.  Ixiii,  540.   London  :  Elliot  Stock. 
Price  I  OS.  6d. 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  that  Sheffield,  with  its 
present  huge  population,  has  only  of  late  years 
become  a  corporate  town.  It  has  indeed  quite 
recently  been  made  a  titular  "  city,"  and  its  chief 
magistrate  honoured  with  the  prefix  of ' '  lord . ' '  Yet , 
although  its  corporate  life  and  dignity  only  date 
from  yesterday,  Sheffield  is  no  mushroom,  like 
Barrow  or  Middlesbrough,  but  is  a  very  ancient 
town.  How  it  came  to  grow  together  and  maintain 
itself  in  an  unincorporated  condition  we  have  not 
space  to  enter  upon.  Its  life  was  a  curious  mix- 
ture of  that  of  a  large  country  village,  with  certain 
town  features,  which  became  inevitable  in  conse- 
quence of  its  size,  and  which  were  in  part  derived 
from  a  charter  granted  to  its  inhabitants  in  1297  by 
the  lord,  Thomas,  Lord  Furnival.  Under  this 
charter  the  inhabitants  were  formed  into  a  Trust 
known  as  the  Sheffield  "Burgery"  or  "Town 
Trustees,"  and  by  means  of  it  the  affairs  of  the 
community  were  regulated.  Thus  Sheffield  presents 
to  the  student  of  English  social  history  a  peculiar 
instance  of  a  large  "  town- village  "  ruled  by  Trustees 
under  a  manorial  grant,  instead  of  under  a  charter 
of  incorporation,  raising  it  to  the  position,  and  con- 
ferring on  it  the  privileges  of  a  borough.  There 
are  other  towns  which  were  in  some  respects 
similarly  situated  as  regards  their  organization,  but 
none  were  exactly  on  all  fours  with  Sheffield  in  this 
matter.  It  is  no  doubt  true,  as  Bishop  Stubbs  says, 
that  the  powers  granted  to  Sheffield  by  the  Furnival 
charter  were  little  short  of  those  of  a  corporate 
town ;  yet  the  fact  remains  the  same  that  the 
organized  government  of  the  town  under  the  charter 
was  rather  that  of  a  large  village  than  that  of  an 
incorporated  borough.  For  the  last  three  hundred 
years  or  so  the  "  Burgery "  Accounts  and  the 
Minutes  of  the  Great  Court  Leet  have  been  pre- 
served, and  these  it  is  which  Mr.  Leader  has  edited 
with  much  thoughtful  care  in  the  volume  before  us, 
together  with  a  transcript  of  the  Furnival  Charter 
(of  which  a  facsimile  is  also  given),  prefaced  by  a 
valuable  introductory  chapter  as  to  the  significance 
of  the  Charter,  and  the  position  of  Shefiield  under  it. 
The  "  Burgery  "  accounts  are  much  what  might  be 
looked  for,  and  do  not  contain  many  items  of  much 
individual  interest,  but   collectively    they    throw 


important  light  on  the  life  and  government  of  Shef- 
field during  the  last  three  hundred  years.  Many 
books  deahng  with  the  constitution  and  government 
of  corporate  boroughs  have  been  published  of 
recent  years,  but  this  book  introduces  us  to  new 
features  of  English  town  life,  and  is  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  existing  literature  on  the  subject 
which  is  available  to  the  student.  Mr.  Leader  has 
given  us  a  very  useful  book,  and  one  which  to 
persons  connected  with  Sheffield  cannot  fail  to  be 
of  very  high  interest  as  well. 

*     *     4» 

A  History  of  Cambridgeshire.  (Popular  County 
Histories  Series.)  By  the  Rev.  Edward  Cony- 
beare.  Demy  8vo.,  pp.  xxviii,  306.  London: 
Elliot  Stock.  Price  7s.  6d. 
Mr.  Conybeare's  contribution  to  the  series  of 
popular  county  histories  is  a  very  successful  one, 
It  is  no  easy  matter  to  combine  accuracy  and 
thoroughness,  and  at  the  same  time  to  present 
the  result  in  a  popular  form  for  the  general 
reader.  This  difficulty  is,  moreover,  enhanced 
when  the  limits  of  space  at  an  author's  disposal 
are  strictly  circumscribed.  Hence  we  have  an 
explanation  of  the  reason  that  the  volumes  of  the 
series  have  varied  rather  more,  perhaps,  than  is 
usual  in  books  of  a  series  in  regard  to  their  degrees 
of  excellence.  Among  those,  however,  to  which  a 
high  place  is  assigned  for  .their  unusual  merits,  Mr, 
Conybeare's  History  of  Cambridgeshire  may  justly 
claim  a  place.  As  has  been  pointed  out,  the  history 
of  Cambridgeshire  as  a  county  has  never  been  fairly 
taken  in  hand.  Books  relating  to  the  history  of  the 
university  abound,  and  they  appear  to  have  stood 
in  the  way  of  the  compilation  of  a  county  history. 
A  book  like  Mr.  Conybeare's  is  necessarily  only  a 
survey  of  the  history  of  the  county,  but  as  an 
epitome  it  is  very  well  done  indeed,  and  will  be  very 
generally  welcomed.  The  earlier  part  of  the  book 
dealing  with  the  geological  characteristics  (quaintly 
termed  by  the  author  "  The  Creation  and  Dimen- 
sions of  Cambridgeshire  ")  and  the  prehistoric  por- 
tion of  the  book  are  exceptionally  good,  both  from 
the  thoroughness  and  accuracy  with  which  they 
are  treated,  as  well  as  for  the  clear  and  interesting 
manner  in  which  facts,  too  often  made  dry  and 
uninteresting,  are  here  presented  to  the  reader  in 
a  simple  and  readable  form.  The  main  body  of 
the  book  is  divided  into  ten  chapters,  which  deal 
respectively  with  the  prehistoric  period,  the 
Romano-British  period,  the  Anglo-Saxon  period 
(two  chapters),  the  Norman  period,  the  Early 
English  period,  the  Perpendicular  period  (that  is, 
the  period  after  the  devastation  caused  by  the  Black 
Death,  and  when  the  Perpendicular  style  of  archi- 
tecture was  in  vogue),  the  Reformation  period  (two 
chapters),  and  the  Modern  period  (which,  following 
Lord  Macaulay's  estimate,  is  taken  to  begin  with 
the  reign  of  Charles  II.).  Besides  these  sections 
in  the  body  of  the  work,  there  are  chronological 
tables  and  six  appendices.  Finally,  there  is  a  full 
index.  The  book  is  one  which  pleases  us  in  every 
respect,  only,  hke  the  others  of  the  series,  it  lacks 
a  map. 


i6o 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


From  Messrs  George  Bell  and  Sons  we  have 
received  two  more  of  their  useful  series  of  Cathe- 
dral Handbooks,  viz. :  Normch  :  the  Cathedral  and 
See,  by  Mr.  C.  H.  B.  Quennell,  and  Peterborough  : 
the  Cathedral  and  See,  by  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Sweeting. 
As  we  have  already  commended  the  other  volumes 
of  the  series  very  highly,  we  need  not  say  more 
than  that  both  the  Norwich  and  Peterborough 
volumes  are  quite  equal  in  merit  to  the  general 
standard  of  those  which  have  preceded  them.  We 
must,  however,  take  exception  to  Mr.  Sweeting's 
remarks  on  p.  33  and  elsewhere  about  the  "  restora- 
tion," falsely  so  called,  in  progress  at  Peterborough. 
Neither  do  we  at  all  agree  with  him  that  the  "  much 
strong  language  and  many  hard  words  ' '  which  were 
used  regarding  the  partial  destruction  of  the  west 
front  "  had  better  be  forgotten."  On  the  contrary, 
we  hope  that  they  will  be  remembered  by  those 
who  did  the  mischief  for  many  a  long  day  to  come. 


CortesponDence. 


one-third  or  two-fifths  of  my  book  are  not  in  that 
of  1840.  But  the  unkindest  cut  of  all  your  reviewer 
deals  me  is  giving  my  work  the  character  of  a 
drawing-room  book !  A  work  on  which  I  have 
liestowed  much  loving,  almost  reverential,  study  to 
be  thought  no  better  than  one  of  those  inane,  insipid 
productions  put  on  the  drawing-room  table  to  amuse 
the  visitor  whilst  waiting  for  the  mistress  of  the 
house,  or  to  keep  the  children  quiet  during  the 
visit — a  mere  picture-book,  in  fact — such  faint 
praise  indeed  is  damning." 

[We  are  sorry  that  Mr.  Heckethorn  is  dissatisfied 
with  what  was  honestly  meant  to  be  (as  we  believe 
it  is)  a  fair  estimate  of  his  book.  If  Mr.  Heckethorn 
thinks  that  bibliographical  knowledge  stands  to- 
day where  it  did  in  1840,  we  have  an  explanation 
of  the  failure  of  his  book  to  reach  the  high  standard 
of  value  he  sets  upon  it.  No  "  unkind  cuts  "  were 
intended  by  the  reviewer,  and  if  the  allusion  to  the 
drawing-room  table  is  considered  offensive  we  regret 
the  allusion.  As  was  admitted  in  the  review,  the 
book  has  many  attractive  features,  and  is  likely  to 
stimulate  curiosity  into  the  early  history  of  printing. 
As  a  popular  book  on  the  subject,  therefore,  it 
passes  muster.  More  cannot,  in  our  opinion,  be 
fairly  claimed  for  it. — Ed.] 


Mr.  C.  W.  Heckethorn  writes  :  "  Your  reviewer  of 
my  '  Printers  of  Basle,'  though  evidently  anxious 
to  be  fair  in  his  judgment  of  the  book,  says  that  it 
misses  its  mark  because  it  is  based  on  a  work  long 
out  of  date,  viz.,  1840.  But  he  admits  that  attempts 
are  made  here  and  there  to  intertwine  items  of  in- 
formation since  brought  to  light.  Now  this  admis- 
sion to  a  great  extent  neutralizes  the  preceding 
censure.  Bibliographical  knowledge,  the  reviewer 
says,  was  in  an  initiatory  state  in  1840.  To  this 
I  demur.  Bibliography  is  not  like  some  other 
branches  of  knowledge,  Egyptology  for  instance,  a 
progressive  science  as  to  essentials,  but  only  as  to 
incidentals.  A  book  printed  in  the  fifteenth  or 
sixteenth  century  was  then  a  perfect  specimen  of 
printing,  and  could  then  be  as  fully  described  as  it 
can  be  at  the  present  day,  as  to  itself,  though  the 
printer's  name  or  date,  if  absent,  may  have  been 
discovered  since  then ;  and  wherever  such  omis- 
sions have  been  supplied  I  have  inserted  them  ;  and 
of  books  not  known  in  1840,  but  since  come  to  light, 
I  have  given  many  instances.  I  distinctly  stated 
in  my  preface  that  the  book  of  1840  was  only  the 
framework  of  mine ;  into  that  frame  I  have  fitted 
much  new  information  obtained  since  then ;  in  fact, 


Note  to  Publishers. —  We  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. — Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  tlie  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS, 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  general  interest.,  or  on  some  mw 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  recuh  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


i6i 


The   Antiquary. 


JUNE,  1898. 


jeoteg  of  tfte  ^ontft. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries was  duly  held  on  St.  George's  Day 
(April  23).  The  officers  and  members  of 
council,  whose  names  we  gave  last  month, 
were  duly  elected,  with  the  sad  exception  of 
Mr.  Arthur  Cock,  Q.C.  Mr.  Cock's  lamented 
decease  occurred  only  a  few  days  previous  to 
that  of  the  annual  meeting. 

^  ^^  ^ 
We  are  sorry  to  hear  that  the  island  of  Philae 
is  again  in  danger.  The  Athencettm  states 
that  "  a  fresh  scheme  has  been  started,  and 
the  impression  derived  from  the  daily  papers 
is  certainly  general  in  Europe  that  the  dam 
to  be  erected  at  the  first  cataract  will  not 
cause  the  Nile  to  overflow  the  surface  of  the 
island.  But  information  we  receive  from 
Egypt  shows  that  if  the  new  scheme  is  carried 
into  execution,  the  monuments  with  their 
sculptured  walls  will  to  a  certain  height  be 
submerged.  This  is  a  distinct  breach  of 
faith  on  the  part  of  the  Egyptian  officials. 
Whether  two  feet  or  twenty  feet  of  water  flow 
over  Philge  the  result  will  be  equally  disastrous. 
The  monuments  on  the  island  have  been 
preserved  for  2,000  years  or  more  simply 
because  they  stand  high  and  dry.  Soak 
them  with  Nile  water,  and,  sooner  or  later, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  scenes  of  natural 
beauty  in  the  world,  the  impressive  effect 
of  which  is  owing  to  a  marvellous  combina- 
tion of  art  and  nature,  will  be  wrecked  for 
ever." 

^         ^         ^ 
Dr.  Greenwell's  many  services  to  archaeology 
have  been  fitly  acknowledged   by  the   pre- 
VOL.  xxxiv. 


sentation  of  his  portrait,  which  it  is  intended 
shall  hang  in  the  library  of  the  cathedral 
church  at  Durham,  with  which  he  has  been 
so  long  and  honourably  connected.  Arrange- 
ments had  been  made  for  the  unveiling  of 
the  picture  by  Sir  John  Evans  on  May  9, 
and  the  subscribers  and  other  friends  of 
Dr.  Greenwell  met  for  the  purpose  as  arranged, 
but  by  some  mishap  the  picture  had  mis- 
carried, and  was  not  forthcoming.  However, 
as  Sir  John  Evans  humorously  observed, 
they  had  Dr  Greenwell  himself  with  them, 
which  was  better.  The  congratulatory  and 
other  speeches  were  made  in  the  absence  of 
the  picture,  which  arrived  just  as  the  meeting 
was  breaking  up,  and  just  in  time  for  Sir 
John  Evans  to  see  it  before  leaving  Durham. 
The  portrait,  which  has  been  painted  in  oils  by 
Mr.  Cope,  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  likeness. 

^         ^         ^ 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Durham  and 
Northumberland  Archaeological  Society  re- 
cently held.  Dr.  Greenwell  told  an  instructive 
story  with  reference  to  the  fate  of  objects  of 
archaeological  interest.  A  few  years  ago  he 
and  a  couple  of  friends  were  visiting  some 
churches  in  North  Yorkshire,  when  they  came 
upon  an  ancient  sculptured  cross,  lying  in 
the  churchyard.  He  was  advised  by  his 
friends  to  carry  it  off"  for  the  Cathedral  Museum 
at  Durham,  but  Dr.  Greenwell  did  not  like  to 
break  the  law  in  that  way  ;  he  had  never 
stolen  before — even  for  archaeology — and  was 
not  to  be  tempted  to  do  so.  Accordingly,  he 
went  to  the  rector,  told  him  of  the  existence 
and  historical  value  of  the  stone,  and  asked 
that  he  would  present  it  to  the  collection 
of  similar  stones  in  the  library  at  Durham 
Cathedral.  The  rector  was  not  aware  of 
the  existence  of  the  stone,  but  after  hearing 
about  it  from  Dr.  Greenwell  he  at  once 
assumed  it  must  be  of  some  consequence, 
and  refused  to  part  with  it.  He,  however, 
promised  that  it  should  be  taken  into  the 
church  and  preserved.  The  next  time  Dr. 
Greenwell  visited  the  village  the  stone  was 
not  in  existence  —  the  sexton's  wife  had 
broken  it  up  for  sandstone  !  The  stone 
was  lost  because  Canon  Greenwell  refused  to 
steal  it ;  but,  he  added,  much  to  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  meeting,  after  that  event  his 
scruples  ended,  and  he   had  done  the  act 

Y 


l62 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


since.  "  If  you  find  things  that  people  won't 
take  care  of,  you  must  take  care  of  them  for 
them." 

^        ^        ^ 
Mr.  John  Ward,  F.S.A.,  has  recently  issued 
a    pamphlet    entitled    IVilliam   Hutton,    the 
''  Father  of  Derby  History" :  a  Sketch  of  his 
Life,  in  which  he  makes  an  appeal  for  the 
erection  of  some  memorial  in  Derby  to  the 
memory  of  William  Hutton.     We  are  glad  to 
learn  that  Mr.  Ward's  suggestion  has  been 
cordially  taken  up,  for  Hutton  was  a  very 
remarkable  person,  and  a  native  of  Derby, 
besides  being  its  first  historian.     We  learn 
from  the   Derby  Mercury  that  Mr.    Sidney 
Barton  Eckett,  a  Derby  journalist  now  residing 
at  Birmingham,  has  taken  the  matter  in  hand, 
and  a  fund  has  been  started,  to  which  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire,  Lord  Burton,  the  Arch- 
deacon of  Derby,  the  Hon.  W.  M.  Jervis,  Sir 
Henry  Bemrose,  M.P.,  Alderman  Bottomley, 
and  others,   are  subscribers.      Mr.   Eckett's 
suggestion  is  that  the  form  of  the  memorial 
should  be  a  portrait  placed  in  the  Derby  Free 
Library,  and  the  purchase  for  the  same  in- 
stitution of  a  more  complete  representation 
than  it  at  present  contains  of  the  numerous 
works  of  the  author.  •  We  are  glad  to  be  in- 
formed that  the  fund  so  far  is  making  satis- 
factory progress.     Mr.  Eckett,  whose  address 
is  Union  Street,  Birmingham,  will,  we  under- 
stand, be  happy  to  receive  and  account  for 
any  subscription  which  may  be  sent  to  him 
for  the  purpose. 

^  ^  ^ 
Another  cave  has  been  discovered  at  Oban. 
On  removing  some  earth  from  a  rock  face  at 
the  west  end  of  High  Street,  a  large  quantity 
of  shells  was  come  upon.  These  were  recog- 
nised as  of  the  same  type  as  those  found  in 
the  M' Arthur  Cave.  Messrs.  Munro  and 
M'Isaac,  of  Oban,  took  measures  with  the 
view  of  having  the  cave  refuse  thoroughly 
examined,  and  these  gentlemen  were  joined 
by  Dr.  Allan  Macnaughton,  of  Taynuilt. 
Two  bone  harpoons  were  speedily  found. 
Their  length  is  3  inches,  and  breadth  |  of  an 
inch.  The  barbs  are  only  on  one  side,  and 
in  this,  it  was  explained,  they  differed  from 
the  harpoons  of  the  M'Arthur  Cave,  which 
had  barbs  on  both  sides.  That  the  cave  had 
been  occupied  for  a  long  time  was  evident 
from  the  cartloads  of  shells  which  have  been 


taken  away  from  the  opening.  A  part  of  a 
very  large  antler  of  red  deer  was  also  found. 
That  the  cave-dwellers  had  fires  was  shown 
clearly  enough,  burnt  wood  and  ashes  being 
abundant.  The  vaulted  roof  of  the  cave  is 
blackened  as  if  by  smoke. 

^  ^  ^ 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
of  Scotland,  on  May  9,  Dr.  Anderson  pre- 
sented a  report  as  to  the  cave,  which  has 
been  explored  for  the  society  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  John  Munro  and 
Mr.  Dugald  M'Isaac.  The  cave,  which  was 
found  to  be  of  no  great  extent,  being  more  of 
the  nature  of  a  mere  rock-shelter,  is  situated 
on  the  east  side  of  the  ridge  of  Druimavargie, 
and  was  found  to  contain  an  accumulation  of 
the  shells  of  edible  molluscs,  mingled  with 
broken  and  split  bones  of  animals,  chiefly 
of  red  deer,  birds,  and  fish.  The  implements 
found  were  similar  to  those  found  in  the 
M'Arthur  Cave,  including  the  two  bone  har- 
poons with  barbs  only  on  one  side,  already 
mentioned,  and  some  bone  pins,  as  well  as 
splinters  with  smoothly  rounded  ends,  and  a 
single  flake  of  flint. 

^  ^  ^ 
According  to  a  telegram  published  in  some 
of  the  daily  papers,  the  war  between  Spain 
and  the  United  States  of  America  has  so 
strained  the  resources  of  the  Spanish  people 
that  the  bishops  of  that  country  have  applied 
to  the  Pope  for  permission  to  sell  their 
church  plate  and  other  treasures.  We  can 
hardly  think  that  this  is  really  the  case,  for 
in  the  first  place,  loyal  Roman  Catholics  as 
the  Spaniards  are,  no  Papal  sanction  for  such 
a  step,  if  decided  on,  would  be  needed  ;  and 
in  the  second  place,  we  can  hardly  believe 
that  Spain  is  already  so  hard  pressed  for 
money  as  to  have  to  fall  back  upon  such  an 
expedient  for  raising  a  few  thousand  pesetas. 
The  English  newspapers  are  so  one-sided 
in  their  sympathy  with  the  Americans  that 
it  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  the  actual  con- 
dition of  things  in  this  respect.  In  no 
country  (Italy  perhaps  excepted)  are  the 
Church  plate  and  treasures  (not  to  mention 
the  pictures)  of  so  much  value  as  are 
those  of  Spain,  and  we  shall  sincerely  regret 
to  learn  that  there  is  any  serious  idea  of 
alienating  them  from  their  ancient  and  sacred 
connection. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


163 


A  discovery  of  frescoes  has  just  been  made 
in  the  Senatorial  Palace  at  the  Capitol,  Rome. 
For  several  days  workmen  had  been  em- 
ployed to  remove  a  wall  which  showed  signs 
of  weakness,  and  in  the  course  of  demolition 
a  number  of  mediaeval  frescoes  were  dis- 
covered, one  of  which  represents  the  Annun- 
ciation. The  colours  are  extremely  vivid  and 
well  preserved.  When  the  operations  have 
been  completed,  it  is  hoped  that  further 
discoveries  will  be  made  which  will  enable 
an  accurate  idea  of  the  internal  and  external 
decoration  of  the  building  in  the  Middle 
Ages  to  be  ascertained. 

^         ^         ^ 
Signor  Piceller,  of  Perugia,  kindly  writes  to 
us  to  say  that  he  has  recently  found  on  the 


floor  of  the  Middle  Church  of  St.  Francis  at 
Assisi,  under  a  dark  archway  between  the 
chapels  of  St.  Anthony  and  St.  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, an  incised  grave-slab  of  marble,  bear- 
ing a  figure,  of  which  the  accompanying 
rough  outline  gives  a  general  idea.  The  slab 
is  2  metres  25  cm.  in  length,  and  i  metre 
75  cm.  in  width.  Above  the  figure,  in  seven 
lines,  is  the  following  legend  in  Lombardic 
letters  : 


-f 


HIC    .    JACET 
HERTILPOL       . 
ISTER     .     IN 


PRATER    .    HUGO    DE 

ANGLICUS       .       MAG 

SACRA     .      THEOLOGI 


A  .  QVONDAM  .  MINISTER  .  ANG 
LIE  .  QI  .  OBIIT  .  Ill  .  ID  .  SEPTE 
MBR  .  ANNO  .  DNI  .  MCCC  SCDO  . 
ORATE       .       P      .      ANIMA       .       EIVS      . 

The  discovery  of  this  old  memorial  is  of  no 
little  interest  to  Englishmen,  especially  to 
those  of  the  North  of  England,  and  we  are 
much  obliged  to  Signor  Piceller  for  calling 
attention  to  it. 

^  ^  ^ 
Miss  Florence  Peacock  writes  as  follows : 
"  So  far  as  is  at  present  known,  the  piece  of 
tapestry  here  illustrated  and  described  is  the 
only  known  tapestry  which  records  the  life  of 
the  Prodigal  Son,  and  my  object  in  bringing 
the  matter  before  the  readers  of  the  Afitiquary 
is  that  I  think  it  possible  they  may  have 
heard  of  similar  work,  an  account  of  which 
ought  to  be  preserved.  The  founder  of  the 
English  branch  of  the  Hallen,  or  Van  Hallen, 
family,  who  settled  in  this  country  early  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  brought  with  him  a 
coverlet  made  of  very  fine  Flemish  tapestry. 
It  is  about  five  feet  square,  and  is  formed  of 
four  squares,  each  square  being  surrounded 
by  a  border  of  fruit  and  flowers.  Between 
the  two  upper  and  the  two  lower  squares  is  a 
strip  composed  of  fragments  of  linen,  em- 
broidered with  gold  and  silver  thread,  with 
the  emblems  of  the  Passion.  These  have 
evidently  been  at  some  time  part  of  vest- 
ments. The  whole  coverlet  is  surrounded 
with  yellow  and  red  silk  fringe.  The  Hallen 
who  brought  it  to  England  came  from  Malines 
about  thirty  years  after  the  city  was  sacked 
by  the  Spaniards,  and  there  is  an  account  in 
the  city  archives  of  an  action  brought  against 
a  broker  for  the  recovery  of  tapestry  he  had 
bought  after  the  sack.     It  is  by  no  means 

Y  2 


164 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


impossible  that  this  coverlet  was  made  up  of 
fragments  obtained  in  a  like  manner. 

"No.  I  square  (misplaced  as  No.  2)  shows 
the  Prodigal  sitting  at  a  meal  with  his  father 
and  mother  and  some  friend.  The  son  is 
evidently  asking  for  his  portion.  The  elder 
son  is  seen  in  the  background  going  to  his 
work. 

"No.  2  (misplaced  as  No.  i). — Three 
young  women  are  driving  the  Prodigal  out 
of  a  house.  In  the  background  he  is  seen 
talking  to  an  elderly  woman,  most  likely 
asking  for  work. 

"  No.  3  shows  the  Prodigal  and  the  swine, 
and  the  background  shows  the  same  cottage 
and  the  Prodigal  talking  to  a  man. 

"  No.  4  shows  the  Prodigal  embraced  by 
his  father ;  a  servant  brings  a  new  robe  and  an 
enormous  ring.  In  the  background  a  servant 
is  flaying  the  fatted  calf,  and  the  elder  son  is 
coming  home  from  the  fields. 


"  The  square  representing  the  Prodigal  and 
the  swine  is  a  free  interpretation  of  Albert 
Diirer's  well-known  engraving.  The  return 
of  the  Prodigal  is  also  a  free  rendering  from 
an  engraving  by  Lucas  van  Leyden  (died 
1533),  but  he  gives  six  or  seven  figures,  and 
this  one  only  three — he  gives  the  return  of 
the  brother  and  the  flaying  of  the  calf.  Can 
anyone  tell  me  what  engravings  have  been 
followed  in  squares  No.  i  and  2  ? 

"  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  back- 
ground of  the  misplaced  No.  i  has  been 
copied  from  Diirer.  I  shall  be  glad  of  any 
information  relating  to  any  point  which  can 
cast  light  upon  where  and  by  whom  the 
tapestry  was  made." 

^         ^         ^ 
A  discovery  of  considerable  local  interest  has 
been  made  at  the  Guildhall  of  Newcastle- 
upon-Tyne.     In  the  course  of  some  excava- 
tions made  in  connection  with  the  old  Read- 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


165 


ing  Room,  once  used  as  an  exchange  by 
the  Quayside  merchants,  the  foundations  of 
masonry  similar  to  that  of  the  town  walls 
were  found.  Although  the  masonry  shows 
no  trace  of  Roman  work,  it  has  nevertheless 
been  surmised  that  the  town  wall  at  this 
place  was  originally  built  on  the  foundations, 
or  on  the  site  of  an  older  Roman  wall  or  fort 
built  to  protect  the  Roman  bridge  over  the 
Tyne  at  this  place,  the  "  Pons  ^lii."  During 
the  alterations  to  the  Guildhall  building,  a 
length  of  about  60  feet  of  the  foundation  has 
been  laid  bare,  and,  owing  to  its  being  in  line 
with  other  known  parts  of  the  wall  that  marked 
the  southern  boundary  of  ancient  Newcastle, 
and  possessing  similarities  of  masonry  to  well- 
ascertained  remains  of  the  town  wall,  it  is 
practically  certain  that  the  discovery  is  one 
of  a  hitherto  unknown  part  of  the  wall. 
Besides  this,  various  fragments  of  older 
buildings  that  have  existed  on  the  spot  have 
been  found.  These  will  be  preserved  at  the 
Castle,  together  with  some  ancient  stone  balls 
used  in  defence  of  the  town,  which  have 
been  unearthed,  these  stone  missiles  being 
similar  to  others  found  in  different  vicinities, 
which  are  already  in  the  collection  of 
antiquities  at  the  Castle. 

^  «J»  'I? 
Brechin  possesses  in  the  remains  of  its  ancient 
cathedral  church  a  very  interesting  relic  of 
Scottish  mediaeval  architecture.  It  is,  indeed, 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  original  structure, 
(which  was  never  of  any  great  extent)  that  is 
left.  It  comprises  a  fine  Decorated  tower 
and  spire  at  the  west  end,  while  the  choir,  a 
ruined  fragment  with  four  lancet  windows, 
remains  at  the  east.  The  body  of  the  church 
suffered  severely  at  the  beginning  of  the  pre- 
sent century,  when  it  was  refashioned  accord- 
ing to  the  prevailing  taste  of  the  time.  We 
deeply  regret  to  learn  that  the  "  restorer  "  is 
now  casting  his  eyes  on  what  is  left  of  the 
old  building,  and  that  plans  have  been  pre- 
pared "  for  a  complete  restoration  of  the 
nave,  choir,  and  aisles  "  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  John  Honeyman.  A  fund  has  been 
started,  and  ;^  10,000  is  asked  for.  It  seems 
a  thousand  pities  that  the  good  people  of 
Brechin  cannot  leave  their  old  church  alone, 
repairing  it  where  absolutely  necessary,  and 
building  a  new  one  instead  of  "  restoring  " 
the  remains  of  the  old  one. 


The  annual  meeting  of  the  Cambrian  Archae- 
ological Association  for  the  current  year  will 
be  held,  during  the  second  week  in  August, 
at  Ludlow,  which  for  over  two  centuries  was 
the  administrative  capital  of  Wales.  The 
president-elect  is  Lord  Windsor,  whose  grand- 
father, the  Hon.  R.  H.  Clive,  was  president 
in  1852,  when  the  association  previously 
visited  the  town. 

'^  '^  ^ 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  scheme  for  a 
Manx  national  museum  at  Douglas  appears 
to  have  fallen  through,  or  at  any  rate  is  not 
being  taken  up  as  heartily  as  it  was  hoped 
would  be  the  case.  At  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Isle  of  Man  Natural  History  and 
Antiquarian  Society,  held  on  April  22,  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  island  (Lord 
Henniker)  expressed  disappointment  that 
the  projected  museum  had  not  been  more 
generally  supported,  but  promised  he  would 
endeavour  to  secure  accommodation  for 
the  various  objects  of  interest  and  antiquity 
which  the  society  had  in  its  possession  in 
some  suitable  Government  building.  Lord 
Henniker  is  reported  in  the  Manx  Sun  to 
have  said  :  "  As  far  as  the  museum  is  con- 
cerned, and  as  far  as  I  am  concerned  as 
Governor  of  this  island,  although  I  have  not 
made  any  proposals,  I  am  quite  determined, 
and  I  hope  with  your  approval,  to  do  my  very 
best  to  provide  some  place  where  we  shall  be 
able  to  receive  things  of  interest,  which 
really  belong  to  the  island,  and  which  are 
being  sent  off  the  island  day  after  day,  because 
we  have  no  place  to  put  them  in.  I  shall  do 
the  best  I  possibly  can  to  provide  a  place  for 
them,  and  I  think  if  we  cannot  provide  a 
proper  place  by  building  a  new  museum,  we 
should  try  to  utilize  one  of  the  splendid  build- 
ings belonging  to  the  island.  1  shall  have 
another  opportunity  of  saying  clearly  what  I 
think  about  it.  But  I  am  still  just  as  anxious, 
although  a  great  many  people  are  not  anxious 
for  it,  to  see  a  place  provided  where  the  things 
we  have  acquired,  and  those  we  shall  acquire, 
may  have  a  proper  place  of  keeping." 

«j»  ^  '^ 
The  Hampshire  Field  Club  held  an  excursion 
at  the  end  of  April,  which  included  Christ- 
church,  and  objects  of  antiquarian  interest  in 
the  vicinity.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  excur- 
sion the  members  were  received  at  the  Town 


1 66 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


Hall  by  the  Mayor,  when  Mr.  Drewitt  (ex- 
Mayor)  sounded  a  note  of  serious  alarm. 
He  is  reported  in  the  Hampshire  Independent 
to  have  said  that  he  desired  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  the  members  "  to  what  he  considered 
was  a  serious  fact,  and  which  for  years  he 
had  been  pressing  forward  for  consideration. 
They  had  visited  the  earthworks  at  Hengist- 
bury  Head  and  saw  the  condition  they  were 
in,  but  when  he  first  knew  the  place  it  was 
very  different  to  what  it  was  now.  There  was 
a  spacious  Down  on  the  Cliff,  but  it  had  been 
all  washed  away,  and  what  was  left  was  the 
only  bulwark  of  Christchurch  against  the  in- 
cursions of  the  sea,  and  if  the  destruction 
went  on  their  Priory  Church  would  not  long 
remain.  It  was  a  startling  thing  to  say,  and 
he  had  spoken  so  much  about  it  that  it  was 
referred  to  locally  as  Drewitt's  Deluge.  A 
small  expenditure  might  even  now  arrest  the 
inroads  of  the  sea,  but  nothing  had  been  done 
during  the  last  forty  or  fifty  years,  and  it 
appeared  as  if  nothing  was  to  be  done." 
Sympathy,  we  are  told,  was  expressed  with 
Mr.  Drewitt's  remarks.  If  things  really  are 
in  the  condition  mentioned,  and  could  be  put 
right  at  a  small  cost,  something  ought  cer- 
tainly to  be  done,  and  Mr.  Drewitt  has  acted 
quite  rightly  in  calling  public  attention  to  the 
matter. 

^  ^  '^ 
The  series  of  brochs,  or  mounds,  on  the  coast 
at  Keiss,  in  Caithness-shire  is  well  known, 
and  several  excavations  were  made  there  many 
years  ago  by  the  late  Mr.  Samuel  Laing. 
Recently  attention  has  been  again  directed  to 
them,  and  one  of  the  most  important  finds 
in  connection  with  the  ancient  brochs  was 
lately  made  by  Mr.  F.  T.  Barry,  of  Keiss, 
M.P.,  who  found  in  one  of  the  Keiss  brochs 
the  tooth  of  a  bear.  The  tooth  was  found  in 
the  secondary  building  outside  the  road  broch, 
near  Keiss  village.  Mr.  Barry  also  got  an 
elk's  horn  at  Skirza  broch,  also  in  the  secondary 
building,  and  this  is  also  the  first  one  found 
in  any  building.  This  proves  that  at  the  time 
the  brochs  were  inhabited  the  bear  and  the 
elk  inhabited  Caithness.  This  is  said  to  be 
the  only  instance  known  of  such  remains 
having  been  found  in  the  dweUings  of  men  in 
Scotland. 

<^         ^         ^ 
The   eighth    annual    report   of    the   British 
Record  Society  tells  of  good  work  done  during 


1897.  The  annual  meeting  was  held  at 
Heralds'  College  on  May  5,  and  the  report 
submitted  states  that  the  society  numbers  229 
subscribers,  and  that  the  two  volumes  com- 
pleted during  1897  are  :  (volume  16)  The 
Co m mi ssar to t  0/ Edinburgh  Testaments,  15 14 
to  1600,  and  (volume  17)  Bristol  Wills  and  the 
Great  Orphan  Book.  The  Parish  Register 
Society  also  held  its  meeting  on  the  same  day 
and  at  the  same  place.  Its  second  annual 
report  records  the  issue  during  1897  of  six 
books  of  registers,  viz.,  those  of  Stratford- 
upon-Avon  (baptisms) ;  St.  Nicholas,  Ips- 
wich ;  Upton  (Berks);  Haydon  (Lincoln- 
shire) ;  Newendon  (Kent) ;  and  Kirkella 
(Yorks).  The  report  concludes  with  the 
following  paragraph:  "During  1897  three 
societies  for  printing  Parish  Registers  have 
been  started,  namely,  the  Shropshire  Parish 
Register  Society,  the  Lancashire  Parish  Re- 
gister Society,  and  the  Durham  and  North- 
umberland Parish  Register  Society.  To  these 
societies  the  council  offers  its  congratulations, 
and  trusts  they  will  meet  with  success,  feeling 
that  every  attempt  to  put  the  contents  of  the 
Registers  throughout  the  kingdom  beyond 
the  reach  of  utter  destruction  is  much  to  be 
desired." 

'^  ^  ^ 
Mr.  A.  B.  Clifton  writes  :  "  In  the  very  kindly 
notice  of  my  little  book  on  Lichfield  Cathedral 
in  your  March  number,  the  reviewer  is  appa- 
rently very  much  shocked  at  my  reference  to 
the  late  John  Hewitt  as  'the  well-known 
antiquarian  '  (using  '  antiquarian  '  instead  of 
'antiquary').  It  is  quite  true  that  in  writing 
the  sentence  I  was  under  the  impression  that 
the  two  words  were  synonymous ;  but  on 
reading  the  review  in  question  I  looked  the 
point  up  in  A  New  English  Dictionary,  The 
Century  Dictionary,  and  Latham's  Johnson^s 
Dictionary.  Each  of  these  authorities  states 
that  the  words  are  exact  equivalents  the  one 
of  the  other,  and  not  one  of  them  hints  that 
any  distinction  has  ever  been  made.  I  con- 
fess I  was  curious  to  know  what  distinction 
your  reviewer  had  in  his  mind,  but  I  thought 
that  I  would  not  trouble  you.  However, 
yesterday  I  was  reading  Professor  Saintsbury's 
book  on  Sir  Walter  Scott,  where  I  found  the 
following  note  by  the  author  on  the  word 
'antiquarian':  'The  objection  taken  to  this 
word  by  precisians  seems  to  ignore  a  useful 
distinction.     The  antiquary  is  a  collector,  the 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


167 


antiquarian  a  student  or  writer.  The  same 
person  may  be  both  or  he  may  not.'  If  this 
definition  is  correct  I  was  unwittingly  right, 
and  your  reviewer  is  mistaken.  But  is  it 
right,  or  are  the  dictionaries,  or  is  your  re- 
viewer, or — to  make  the  question  complete — 
are  any  of  them  ?" 

The  matter  is  surely  one  of  the  proper  use 
of  the  parts  of  speech  rather  than  anything  else. 
"Antiquarian"  is  an  adjective,  "antiquary" 
a  substantive,  and  to  use  the  one  word  for  the 
other  is  a  sHpshod  use  of  the  English  language. 
Dictionaries  are  not  infallible,  not  even  the 
New  English  Dictionary  ! 

^         ^         ^ 
Mr.  Philip  M.  Johnston  also  writes  to  us  as 
follows,  regarding  our  remarks  on  the  paper 
on  low  side  windows  which  he  recently  read 
before  the  Sussex  Archaeological  Society  : 

"  In  '  Notes  of  the  Month,'  in  the  April 
number  of  the  Antiquary,  you  refer  to  a 
paper  on  '  The  Low  Side  Windows  of  Sussex 
Churches,'  read  by  me  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Sussex  Archaeological  Society  at  Eastbourne. 
In  particular,  you  draw  attention  to  my 
quotation  of  the — as  I  imagined — well-known 
passage  in  Bedyll's  letter  to  Cromwell,  and, 
while  expressing  a  wish  to  see  that  document 
printed  in  extenso,  you  disagree  with  my  con- 
clusions and  express  your  inabihty  to  follow 
my  line  of  argument. 

"  Pray  allow  me,  therefore,  a  brief  space 
for  explanation  ;  for  a  fuller  defence  of  my 
view  I  must  refer  you  to  my  paper  shortly 
to  appear  in  Vol.  XLI.  of  the  Sussex  Archaeo- 
logical Collections. 

"  That  paper  is  an  attempt  at  a  systematic 
classification  of  existing  examples  of  the  low 
side  window  within  the  county,  and  I  was 
induced  to  gather  particulars  of  these  pecuhar 
openings  within  the  limits  of  a  county,  by  a 
suggestion  of  one  of  the  writers  in  the  'Con- 
ference'upon  this  subject  that  appeared  in 
the  Antiquary  in  1890. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  arguments  adduced 
from  prominent  isolated  instances  will  not 
help  so  much  towards  a  solution  of  the  vexed 
question  of  the  origin  and  use  of  these  open- 
ings as  an  examination  of  the  varying  charac- 
teristics and  the  points  of  agreement  to  be 
found  in  all  the  examples  of  each  county. 
I  am  acquainted  with  many  instances  in 
other  counties,  and  wherever  I  go  I  am 
recording    their    peculiarities    by    sketches. 


photographs,  measurements,  and  descriptions. 
So  that  my  general  conclusions  are  not  based 
on  Sussex  examples  alone. 

"  As  to  Bedyll's  letter,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  refer  to  the  transcript  given  in  the  Camden 
Society's  Letters  relating  to  the  Suppression 
of  the  Monasteries  ,  but  the  passage  relevant 
to  the  question  at  issue,  as  quoted  by  Bloxam, 
reads  :  '  We  think  it  best  that  the  place  wher 
thes  frires  have  been  wont  to  hire  outtward 
confessions  of  al  commers  at  certen  tymes  of 
the  yere  be  walled  up  and  that  use  to  be  for- 
doen  forever.'  Now,  it  is  of  monastic  build- 
ings that  Bedyll  is  writing,  and  the  abuse  or 
irregularity,  if  such  it  were,  of  which  he 
complains,  is  in  connection  with  a  friary. 
Obviously,  he  is  alluding  to  an  aperture  in 
an  external  wall,  through  which  '  all  comers  ' 
were  wont  to  make  confession  to  a  friar  'at 
certain  times  of  the  year,'  i.e.,  before  the 
great  festivals  of  the  Church. 

"  Where  shall  we  look  for  one  of  these 
external  confessionals  ?  If  we  hope  to  find 
one  still  remaining  in  any  of  the  friars' 
churches  or  conventual  buildings,  we  shall 
be  disappointed.  In  none  of  the  existing 
remains  of  the  buildings  belonging  to  the 
various  orders  of  friars  is  any  such  opening 
now  to  be  found,  so  far  as  I  am  aware. 

"  But  we  have  in  the  low  side  window,  so 
often  met  with  in  parish  churches,  a  con- 
struction that  exactly  carries  out  the  idea  of 
an  external  confessional. 

"  The  methods  of  hearing  private  con- 
fession in  church  would  seem  to  have  varied. 
From  a  very  early  period  the  velum  that  hung 
across  the  chancel  arch  was  doubtless  utilized 
to  form  a  division  between  the  penitent  and 
confessor.  Then,  when  chancel-screens  be- 
came general,  apertures  were  pierced  in  their 
close-boarded  lower  part  for  the  penitent  to 
speak  through.  Perhaps,  too,  the  so-called 
hagioscope  may  have  served  the  same  pur- 
pose, independently  of  its  use  in  giving  a 
view  of  the  altar ;  and  not  long  before  the 
Reformation,  a  structure  of  wood,  called  the 
shriving-pew,  came  into  fashion. 

"  May  not  the  low  side  window  have 
formed  another  '  use,'  brought  into  existence 
by  peculiar  circumstances  ?  Certainly  the 
features  found  in  connection  with  many 
examples  accord  much  better  with  the  con- 
fessional theory  than  with  its  many  rivals, 
such  as  the  iron  grille  and  wooden  shutter. 


i68 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


the  recess  in  the  thickness  of  the  internal 
cill-wall  (as  at  Warhngham,  Surrey,  and  else- 
where), and  the  stone  book-rest,  niche  for 
crucifix,  and  aumbry,  all  accompanying  the 
opening  on  the  north  side  of  the  chancel  of 
Doddington  Church,  Kent. 

"And  granted  that  the  low  side  window 
answers  to  the  class  of  openings  which  Bedyll 
ordered  to  be  blocked  up  in  the  friars' 
churches,  is  it  so  very  wild  a  theory  to  con- 
nect their  appearance  in  parochial  churches 
with  the  popular  furor  aroused  by  those 
bodies  of  earnest  preachers  and  confessors 
at  their  coming  to  this  country  early  in  the 
thirteenth  century?  We  know  how  power- 
fully they  were  backed  by  popes,  prelates, 
kings,  and  great  laymen,  so  that  they  became 
confessors  par  excellence;  and  although  at 
the  outset  they  must  have  exercised  this  office 
anywhere,  yet  when  their  position  became 
assured,  they  may  well  have  claimed,  and  suc- 
cessfully maintained,  the  right  of  intruding  so 
far  upon  the  domain  of  the  secular  clergy  as  to 
hear  confessions  at  stated  periods  within  the 
walls  of  the  parish  churches,  where,  by  the 
way,  they  would  already,  as  invited  preachers, 
have  become  familiar  figures.  The  very 
external  character  of  a  low  side  window 
seems  to  fit  in  with  such  a  theory. 

"  Of  course,  it  is  possible  that  these  open- 
ings, having  been  invented  (or  adapted  from 
some  older  purpose,  possibly)  for  the  use  of 
the  friars,  were  in  later  times  used  by  the 
parish  priests  for  the  same  or  other  objects. 

"  The  whole  question  needs  ventilation 
in  the  light  of  facts — structural  as  well  as 
historical." 

Our  reply  is  that  the  letter  of  Bedyll  refers 
to  conventual  churches,  and  not  to  country 
parish  churches  where  the  low  side  windows 
exist.  We  would  suggest  that  it  might  be 
useful  to  endeavour  to  collect  evidence  in 
each  parish  where  a  low  side  window  exists, 
as  to  what  the  traditional  belief  as  to  the 
former  use  of  the  window  is,  and  whether 
there  is  any  local  name  for  it. 
e{»  .jj,  4. 
Messrs.  Eyre  and  Spottiswoode  announce  for 
publication  an  important  work  by  Major 
Leslie  entitled  The  History  of  Landguard 
Fort  in  Suffolk. 


Cfte  3ntiquarp  among  tbe 
Pictures. 

THE  ROYAL  ACADEMY. 

N  sacred  art,  the  picture  that  stands 
out  far  above  the  rest,  and  which 
is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  pictures 
of  the  year,  is  "  The  Temptation 
in  the  Wilderness"  (22),  by  Briton  Riviere, 
R.A.  The  wilderness  is  represented  by  a 
great  expanse  of  bare  limestone  rock ;  the 
comparatively  small  figure  of  the  Christ  in  a 
single  white  vesture,  with  bowed  head,  is  full 
of  pathos ;  the  wriggling  snake  not  far  from 
the  central  figure,  and  the  rapidly  escaping 
fox  in  the  gloom  of  the  foreground,  yield 
subtile  touches  of  guile  and  cunning ;  the 
purple-red  of  declining  day  glows  in  the 
background,  and  throws  the  rest  into  a 
melancholy  shade ;  whilst  the  whole  effect  is 
subtilely  saved  from  depressing  gloom  by  the 
bright  points  of  a  hope-yielding  silvery  star 
in  the  clouds  above  the  Christ.  It  is 
eminently  a  thought-suggesting  and  teach- 
ing picture,  and  might  appropriately  find  a 
resting-place  within  a  church. 

There  are  several  other  pictures  dealing 
with  the  life  of  Christ,  but  they  are  not 
characterized  by  any  extraordinary  merit  or 
power.  "  The  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds  " 
(180),  by  James  Clark,  is  a  conventional  but 
reverent  treatment  of  the  subject ;  we  much 
prefer  "  The  Magi  "  (1046),  by  Helen  Squire, 
in  the  Water-Colour  Room.  "  Christ  and  the 
Little  Child"  (223),  by  G.  W.  Jay,  is  on  a 
large  scale,  parts  of  which  show  much  skill, 
particularly  the  dear  little  lad  at  the  Saviour's 
feet,  but  the  face  and  eyes  of  the  Christ  are 
by  no  means  attractive.  "  Christ  and  the 
Man  possessed  with  Devils"  (213)  cannot 
fail  to  rivet  attention  because  of  the  contrast 
between  the  quiet,  sympathetic  dignity  of  the 
One,  and  the  wildness  of  the  other,  who 
seems  almost  leaping  out  of  the  canvas. 
"Eloquent  Silence"  (624),  by  Sigismund 
Goetze,  is  the  title  of  the  entombed  figure  of 
the  dead  Christ  with  two  angels  ;  it  is  a 
beautiful  conception  of  a  difficult  subject, 
and  forms  part  of  the  decoration  of  the 
chancel  of  St.  Botolph's,  Aldersgate. 

We  only  noticed  one  Old  Testament 
picture,  namely,   "Joseph  sold  to  the  Ish- 


THE  ANTIQUARY  AMONG  THE  PICTURES. 


169 


maelites "  (316),  by  H.  H.  Mileham,  a 
somewhat  confused  figure  medley,  of  which 
Joseph  is  not  the  true  centre. 

Mr.  Savage  Cooper  has  a  painting  to  illus- 
trate these  lines  from  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  : 
"  Now  as  he  stood  looking  and  weeping, 
behold  three  shining  ones  came  to  him  and 
saluted  him  with  '  Peace  be  to  thee '  "  (337). 
The  shining  ones  are  dressed  in  such  shock- 
ing taste,  and  have  withal  such  insipid  doll- 
faces,  that  it  is  hard  to  imagine  the  possibility 
of  their  conveying  comfort  to  anyone. 

Mr.  T.  C.  Gotch  is  somewhat  disap- 
pointing this  year.  "The  Awakening"  (511) 
is  the  interior  of  a  severely  furnished 
medieval  bedroom.  A  maiden,  leaning 
against  the  bed  from  which  she  has  just 
risen,  is  quietly  regarding  the  visit  to  her 
chamber  of  three  angelic  beings,  gracefully 
clad  in  subdued  tints  of  yellow,  red,  and 
blue.  The  contrast  of  the  ascetic  tone  of 
the  room  with  the  halo  round  the  angelic 
figures  is  most  noteworthy.  One  longs  to  be 
at  the  back  of  the  artist's  mind  to  read  his 
motive  and  intention.  Can  it  be  that  it  is 
intended  to  indicate  the  awakening  of  a 
commonplace,  unemotional  nature  to  the 
higher  religious  life  ?  Mr.  Gotch's  portrait 
of  three  stiff  children  (375)  makes  us  hope 
that  he  will  not  again  forsake  the  mystic  and 
poetical. 

In  Galleries  III.  and  IV.  are  two  ecclesi- 
astical subjects,  both  full  of  motion  and 
interest,  but  affording  strong  contrasts.  The 
one  is  "  Sunshine  and  Shadow  "  (266),  by 
Gwilt  Jolley,  which  represents  the  funeral 
procession  of  a  maiden  under  a  bright 
Italian  sky  ;  and  the  other  a  vivid  render- 
ing of  "  La  Benediction  de  la  Mer :  k 
Etaples"  (311),  by  T.  A.  Brown,  with 
draperies  strongly  blown  by  a  sea-breeze. 
"The  Thurifer"  (395)  by  Josephine  M. 
White,  is  a  devotional  picture  of  a  boy 
in  black  cassock  and  white  cotta  with  a 
silver  censer.  "The  Chorister"  (531)  of 
J.  H.  Lauder  is  a  more  effeminate-looking, 
long-haired  lad  in  scarlet  cassock  and  much- 
belaced  cotta,  with  censer  on  the  ground  at 
his  feet.  These  two  pictures  also  afford  a 
curious  contrast.  In  "Sacrament  Sunday" 
(910)  Mr.  Blandford  Fletcher  takes  us  back 
to  the  quiet,  sleepy  attendance  of  a  very 
select  few  at  the  altar  of  an  absolutely  un- 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


restored  church  (with  high  pews  blocking  up 
the  chancel),  according  to  the  barest  inter- 
pretation of  Anglican  ritual. 

Passing  to  classical  subjects,  we  find  the 
President  (Sir  E.  J.  Poynter)  at  his  very  best 
in  "The  Skirt  Dance"  (222).  A  dancer  in 
a  diaphanous  robe  of  tender  rose  colour,  is 
weaving  a  graceful  measure  in  the  centre  of 
a  luxurious  Roman  alcove  of  varied  and 
bright-coloured  marbles.  On  a  marble  bench 
that  runs  round  the  building  are  grouped  a 
variety  of  stately  and  beautifully  clad  ladies 
watching  and  appreciating  the  dancer's  move- 
ments. It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the 
President  or  Mr.  Alma-Tadema,  R.A.,  excels 
the  most  in  the  production  of-  marble  effects, 
but  the  latter  has  seldom  been  more  success- 
ful than  in  his  striking  figure  picture  of 
"  The  Conversion  of  Paula  "  (286),  which  is 
his  one  contribution  to  this  year's  Academy. 
"  Telemachus  at  the  House  of  Menelaus  " 
(358),  by  Thomas  R.  Spence,  is  an  attempt 
to  follow  in  the  steps  of  the  two  great  artists 
just  named.  "  The  Signal  of  Death  :  pollice 
verso  "  (328),  by  F.  M.  Skipworth,  is  so  well 
worn  a  theme  that  it  should  only  be  attempted 
by  a  thorough  expert.  There  is  far  too  much 
sameness  of  look  on  these  Roman  ladies,  as 
though  the  same  model  had  been  used  again 
and  again. 

"Love  Triumphant  "  (310),  by  the  veteran 
G.  F.  Watts,  R.A.,  deservedly  occupies  the 
best  position  in  the  fourth  gallery ;  it  is  a 
majestic  allegory. 

"Juno's  Herd  Boy"  (38),  by  Emily  R. 
Holmes,  is  a  nude  lad  tending  a  number  of 
stately  peacocks,  the  general  effect  being 
much  spoilt  by  the  rawness  of  the  apple- 
green  grass.  Mr.  J.  W.  Waterhouse's  "  Flora 
and  the  Zephyr  "  (64)  introduces  a  variety  of 
charming  figures,  and  is  characterized  by  his 
brilliant  and  peculiarly  bold  colouring — a 
colouring  that  grates  on  the  taste  of  not  a 
few.  For  our  own  part,  we  prefer  his 
quieter  picture  of  "  Ariadne  "  (211)  slumber- 
ing on  a  couch,  whilst  the  departure  of 
Theseus  and  his  men  in  a  bark  is  seen  in 
the  background.  Mr.  G.  W.  Godward  has 
two  nudes  ;  one  of  these,  "  The  Nymph  of 
the  Chase"  (128),  is  the  chaste  representa- 
tion of  a  follower  of  Diana  drawing  the  bow 
in  a  beech  forest,  with  wonderful  lights ;  the 
other,  named   "Circe"  (442),  breathes  too 

z 


17© 


THE  ANTIQUARY  AMONG  THE  PICTURES. 


much  of  the  model.  "  The  lament  for 
Icarus "  (903),  by  Herbert  J.  Draper,  is  a 
noteworthy  picture,  whilst  "Endymion"  (140), 
by  Mouat  Loudan,  is  mercifully  skied.  Mr. 
Hugh  G.  Riviere  treats  of  the  "  Lotus  Land  " 
(295): 

"  In  the  afternoon  they  came  into  a  land 
In  which  it  seemed  always  afternoon  .  .  . 
They  sat  them  down  upon  the  yellow  sand, 
Between  the  sun  and  moon,  upon  the  shore." 

It  is  undoubtedly  a  fine  picture,  but  to  us  it 
conveys  no  idea  of  sleep  and  rest.  The  red 
glow  over  the  whole  makes  sand  and  every- 
thing look  far  too  hot  and  scorched  for  any 
idea  of  repose. 

"  Britomart  and  Amoret"  (242),  by  Mary 
F.  Raphael,  illustrates,  with  some  success, 
the  "  Faerie  Queene  "  story  of  the  Princess 
Britomart,  disguised  as  a  knight,  rescuing  the 
Lady  Amoret  from  durance  vile  by  slaying 
the  monster  Busyran.  Britomart's  simple 
suit  of  plate  armour  is  consistent  enough, 
but  why  was  the  painter  so  misguided  as  to 
give  the  princess  a  broken  wooden  tilting 
lance  as  the  weapon  wherewith  the  monster 
(sprawling  in  the  background)  had  been 
slain  ! 

That  old  favourite,  "The  Pied  Piper  of 
Hamelin  "  (259)  appears  again  ;  the  children 
following  the  piper  "  to  a  joyous  land  "  are 
somewhat  successfully  represented  by  Arthur 
A.  Dixon.  Youthful  visitors  to  the  Academy 
will  probably  appreciate  "  A  Fairy  Tale " 
(591),  by  P.  H.  Fisher,  as  much  as  any 
picture  on  its  walls ;  the  attitudes  of  the 
rabbits  grouped  round  the  wondering  girl 
are  excellent.  "  A  Fairy  Wooing  "  (209),  by 
Charles  Sims,  is  a  medley  of  inelegant 
absurdities. 

Historical  subjects  are  this  year  well  to  the 
fore.  The  largest,  and  to  some  extent  the 
most  important,  of  these  is  placed  in  that 
position  in  the  sixth  gallery  which  is  generally 
reserved  for  large  compositions,  as  it  is  seen 
from  the  vestibule  across  the  central  hall. 
"  William  the  Conqueror  granting  a  Charter 
to  the  Citizens  of  London  "  (449)  is  a  great 
picture  by  Seymour  Lucas,  one  of  the  new 
Academicians.  The  face  and  attitude  of  the 
Conqueror  are  worthy  of  all  praise,  and  the 
grouping  of  the  soldiers  and  ecclesiastics 
most  effective ;  but  the  attitude  and  appear- 
ance of  the  portreeve,  as  representative  of 


the  citizens,  is  somewhat  overdone  in  humility 
and  insignificance.  The  charter,  which  the 
king  is  in  the  act  of  handing  to  the  kneeling 
reeve,  clearly  showed  that  it  was  not  the 
intention  of  William  to  reduce  them  to  a 
state  of  dependent  vassalage,  but  to  confirm 
them  in  all  the  rights  and  privileges  they  had 
enjoyed  under  Edward.  This  charter  is 
preserved  at  the  Guildhall.  Professor  Free- 
man states  that  it  still  bears  "  the  cross 
traced  by  the  Conqueror's  own  hand."  The 
prominent  position  given  to  the  Bishop  of 
London  is  quite  correct,  for  London  was  at 
that  time  subject  to  the  combined  authority 
of  portreeve  and  bishop.  It  was,  too,  mainly 
owing  to  the  bishop's  intercession  that  the 
charter  was  granted,  in  memory  of  which 
the  mayor  and  aldermen  were  long  accus- 
tomed to  pay  an  annual  visit  to  this  bishop's 
tomb  in  St.  Paul's  Church.  Mr.  Lucas  has 
paid  much  attention  to  details,  and  the 
armour  and  most  of  the  costume  entirely 
synchronizes  with  the  date ;  but  the  flatness 
of  the  mitres  of  the  three  bishops  has  been 
somewhat  exaggerated,  the  foliated  work  in 
the  head  of  one  of  the  crosiers  is  a  century 
too  late,  and  some  of  the  work  of  the  pro- 
cessional crucifix  wrong  by  about  two  cen- 
turies. It  is,  however,  a  great  picture  in 
every  sense. 

"To  Arms"  (570),  by  Lucy  Kemp-Welch, 
is  an  early  morning  scene  in  the  camp  of 
the  Duke  of  York's  army  before  the  first 
battle  of  the  Roses  at  St.  Albans.  The 
picture  is  full  of  vigour,  but  is  chiefly  a 
study  of  horses,  which  are  being  hastily 
caught  and  equipped.  Mr.  Ernest  Crofts, 
R.A.,  has  two  charming  episodes  of  the 
Great  Rebellion.  "To  the  Rescue"  (2)  is 
a  small  company  of  troopers  hastening  over 
a  moor,  a  flaming  manor-house  being  seen  in 
the  distance.  "  Charles  II.  at  Whiteladies 
after  the  Battle  of  Worcester"  (270)  is  also 
eminently  characteristic  of  this  painter's 
careful  and  picturesque  style.  W^e  doubt 
much,  however,  if  Whiteladies  then  possessed 
a  mansion  of  such  a  size.  A  third  picture 
of  the  Commonwealth  period  is  of  a  very 
diff'erent  style.  Mr.  F.  D.  Millet  in  "  Un- 
converted "  (76)  has  given  us  a  picture 
brim  full  of  life  and  humour,  and  abounding 
in  effective  costume.  In  a  panelled  room 
of  white  wainscot  the  sparse  figure  of  a  black- 


THE  ANTIQUARY  AMONG  THE  PICTURES. 


171 


clad  Independent  minister,  stamped  with 
hypocrisy,  is  vainly  endeavouring  to  check 
the  jesting  taunts  of  two  buxom  maidens. 
"James  II.  at  La  Hogue,  May,  1692  "  (407), 
by  Eyre  Crowe,  A.,  is  carefully  finished  and 
effective,  but  rather  strains  after  the  style  of 
sea-pieces  of  last  century.  Modern  history  is 
brilliantly  illustrated  by  "  The  Guards  Cheer  " 
(198)  of  Hubert  Herkomer,  R.A.,  which  occu- 
pies the  place  of  honour  in  the  large  third 
gallery.  This  big  picture,  which  illustrates 
the  cheering  of  the  Crimean  veterans  of  the 
Guards,  as  the  Queen  passed  the  Guards 
Monument  on  the  Diamond  Jubilee  Day,  is 
overweighted  with  reds  and  scarlets ;  it  is  a 
picture  that  will  depend  much  for  its  effec- 
tiveness on  its  environment.  Where  it  now 
hangs  it  is  almost  painful  to  look  upon  save 
to  the  strongest  eyes,  and  it  effectually  kills 
or  mars  not  a  few  of  its  neighbours. 

Mr.  E.  A.  Abbey,  A.,  has  again  produced 
a  picture  of  the  year.  "King  Lear,  Act  I., 
Scene  i  "  (138),  reminds  us  not  a  little  of 
the  same  artist's  "Duke  of  Gloucester  and 
Lady  Anne."  There  is  a  like  combination 
of  black  and  red  in  some  of  the  costume. 
The  sombre  and  deeply  rich  character  of 
much  of  the  colouring  throws  into  strong 
relief  the  beautiful  figure  of  Cordelia  in  white 
and  citron.  The  cunning  and  striking  con- 
ceit by  which  the  dramatic  effect  of  many 
of  the  figures  being  apparently  in  motion 
is  produced,  is  even  more  remarkable  in  this 
picture  than  it  was  in  the  funeral  procession 
of  last  year. 

Another  wholly  delightful,  picture,  though 
not  so  marvellously  able  as  Mr.  Abbey's,  is 
Mr.  Boughton's  "Road  to  Camelot,  from 
'The  Lady  of  Shalott '"  (216).  These  two 
stanzas  from  Tennyson's  well-known  poem 
have  never  been  better  illustrated  : 

And  moving  through  a  mirror  clear, 
That  hangs  before  her  all  the  year, 
Shadows  of  the  world  appear. 
There  she  sees  the  highway  near 

Winding  down  to  Camelot : 
There  the  river  eddy  whirls, 
And  there  the  surly  village  churls, 
And  the  red  cloaks  of  market  girls, 

Pass  onward  from  Shalott. 

Sometimes  a  troop  of  damsels  glad, 
An  Abbot  on  an  ambling  pad. 
Sometimes  a  curly  shepherd-lad. 
Or  long-haired  page  in  crimson  clad. 

Goes  by  to  towered  Camelot ; 


And  sometimes  through  the  mirror  blue 
The  knights  come  riding  two  and  two : 
She  hath  no  loyal  knight  and  true, 
The  Lady  of  Shalott. 

The  crimson-clad  page,  with  a  deer-hound 
in  leash,  forms  the  centre  of  the  picture 
effectively  placed  between  groups  of  graceful 
singing  damsels  and  roughly-clad  market- 
girls.  The  knights  in  the  distance  riding 
two  and  two  should  surely  not  be  carrying 
their  own  pennons  ;  these  would  be  borne  by 
their  esquires. 

Of  war  pieces  there  are  not  quite  so  many 
as  usual.  Waterloo  has  two  (446  and  505), 
Trafalgar  one  (583),  and  the  very  recent 
Dargai  Heights  two  (437  and  899),  but 
neither  of  them  a  striking  success. 

The  show  of  1 898  will  be  memorable  for  the 
number  of  good  and  appreciated  portraits. 
Mr.  Sargent,  R.A.,  avails  himself  to  the  full 
of  the  privilege,  so  very  rarely  acted  up  to, 
of  sending  eight  canvases.  There  is  only 
one  of  these  that  appeals  very  strongly  to  us, 
namely  the  painting  of  "  Francis  Cranmer 
Penrose,  Esq.,  President  R.I.B.A."  (63). 
"  Mr.  Asher  Wertheimer  "  (603)  is  obviously 
lifelike  to  a  fault,  but  produces  a  painful 
effect.  Mr.  Sargent  [is  on  the  high  wave  of 
popularity  just  now,  and  some  of  the  leading 
critics  burn  perpetual  incense  before  him, 
but  two  or  three  more  years  like  1898  will 
bring  about  a  partial  eclipse. 

The  President's  three-quarter-length  por- 
trait of  "  The  Duchess  of  Somerset  in  a  Dress 
as  Lady  Jane  Seymour"  (179),  though  not 
pleasing  in  expression,  is  eminently  note- 
worthy. The  rich  Holbein  costume  has 
evidently  suggested  to  Sir  E.  Poynter  to 
follow  Holbein's  method  and  style  ;  we  have 
probably  no  other  portrait-painter  who  could 
have  achieved  such  a  success.  For  richness 
of  treatment  Mr.  Harris  Browne's  picture  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  "  Bishop  of  Emmaus  " 
(592)  deserves  the  next  mention.  The  pre- 
late is  represented  standing  in  front  of  an 
altar  in  a  tall  florid  mitre  and  magnificent 
old  cope.  "  Phyllis  Dillon  "  (648),  by  the  same 
artist,  is  full  of  charm.  Mr.  Orchardson,  R.A., 
has  achieved  marked  success  with  his  fine 
likenesses  of  "Viscount  Peel"  (330),  and  of 
"Mrs.  Pattison  "  (325),  the  latter  of  which 
is,  to  our  mind,  the  best  in  this  year's 
galleries.    Another  admirable  picture,  though 

z  2 


172 


THE  ANTIQUARY  AMONG  THE  PICTURES. 


disappointing  as  a  portrait,  is  that  of  "  Herbert 
Spencer"  (6oi)  by  Hubert  Herkomer,  R.A. 
The  honourable  society  of  the  Inner  Temple 
commissioned  Hon.  J.  Collier  to  paint  for 
them  full-length  portraits  of  Lord  Chancellor 
Halsbury  and  Mr.  Speaker  Gully.  This  has 
been  accomplished  with  no  little  success, 
and  the  portraits  hang  near  to  each  other  in 
the  first  gallery  (59  and  71).  The  contrast 
these  pictures  afford  of  coarse  and  refined 
features  is  almost  painful,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  they  will  be  far  more  widely 
separated  when  hung  in  the  Temple. 

"Ethel"  (256),  by  Ralph  Peacock,  is,  we 
suppose,  rather  a  study  than  a  portrait.  It 
is  a  most  powerful  piece  of  painting,  and 
represents  a  young  girl  of  thirteen  or  fourteen 
in  black,  seated  on  a  stool  in  front  of  an  old 
oak  bureau.  The  wistful,  thoughtful  expres- 
sion is  most  life-like. 

In  landscapes  there  is  no  new  departure 
worth  mentioning,  but  old  favourites  do  well. 
Mr.  John  Brett,  A.,  is  faithful  to  Cornwall, 
and  pleases  again  with  "Trevose  Head" 
(194)  and  •'Trevone  Bay"  (448).  Mr. 
Peter  Graham,  R.A.,  has  never  done  better, 
with  the  inevitable  Scotch  cattle,  than  in  his 
"  Road  across  the  Moor  "  (28),  and  "  Moor- 
land Quietude  "  (229).  "As  the  Shades  of 
Evening  Close  "  (388)  is  the  best  of  three 
by  Joseph  Farquharson ;  but  "  The  Weary 
Waste  of  Snows  "  (626),  by  the  same  artist, 
is  full  of  poetry.  "  A  Winter  Pairy  "  (660), 
by  J.  MacWhirter,  R.A.,  is  a  delight- 
ful frost-tipped  birch-tree  in  a  snowy  land- 
scape, whilst  " '  Evelyn's  Silva,'  Wotton, 
Surrey  "  (453),  by  Frank  Walton,  is  a  vigorous 
study  of  two  Scotch  firs.  A  most  pleasing 
effect  is  also  produced  by  F.  Spenlove's 
•'  Avenues  of  Gold  :    a   Picardy   Pastoral " 

(i»7). 

To  the  credit  of  the  Academy,  the  best 
of  English  landscape-painters,  Mr.  B.  W. 
Leader,  has  at  last,  though  far  too  tardily, 
been  raised  to  the  full  rank  of  Academician. 
None  but  the  most  prejudiced  of  critics  can 
dare  to  deny  that  three  out  of  four  of  his 
pictures  of  this  year  abundantly  justify  his 
election.  The  picture  "  In  a  Welsh  Valley  " 
(188)  gives  a  winding  reach  of  stream,  with 
stepping-stones  in  the  foreground,  whilst  the 
mountains  and  low  misty  clouds  of  the  dis- 
tance are  something  of  a  new  departure.     In 


gallery  4  Mr.  Leader's  pair  of  pictures  is 
deservedly  well  hung  on  either  side  of  Watts' 
"Love  Triumphant."  "Where  Peaceful 
Waters  glide "  (309)  is  a  cool  inspiring 
stretch  of  inland  water  in  well-wooded  banks, 
whilst  "The  Silver  Sea"  (314)  is  full  of 
restful  poetic  thought. 

Architecture  in  this  year's  Academy  dis- 
appoints us.  There  is  nothing  in  all  the 
galleries  that  treats  of  a  distinctive  building 
or  group  of  buildings  in  any  satisfactory 
fashion.  "  The  Fisherman's  Courtship " 
(161),  by  Henry  Woods,  R.A.,  gives  a  well- 
known  bit  of  Venice  ;  whilst  "  Going  to  the 
Procession  (170),  by  W.  Logsdail,  supplies  a 
mother  and  child  crossing  a  bridge,  the 
Venetian  Gothic  of  its  pierced  parapet  and 
other  marble  work  being  admirably  portrayed. 
An  "Old  Bridge  at  San  Remo"  (291),  that 
we  have  often  seen  sketched  or  rendered  in 
water-colours,  is  here  effectively  set  forth  in 
oils  by  Louis  Saugy.  In  the  Black  and 
White  Room  we  only  noticed  for  special 
observation  the  "  Design  for  Pulpit,  St. 
Michael's,  Croydon"  (17 14),  by  G.  F. 
Bodley,  A.,  and  "  Processional  Cross  for  St. 
Paul's  Cathedral"  (1777),  by  Reginald Blom- 
field. 

The  present  exhibition  is  doubtless  superior 
to  the  average  of  the  last  ten  years. 

©ID  %m%tx  J7armf)ou0e0  anti 
tfteit  JTurniture. 

By  J.  Lewis  Andr6,  F.S.A. 
(Continued  from  p.  139.) 


HE  husbandman  used  till  quite  lately 
to  share  his  meals  with  the  farmer, 
and  had  the  same  phrases  respect- 
ing his  food  as  his  fifteenth-century 
refathers,  speaking  of  each  plateful  as  a 
"mess,"  and  calling  his  dish  of  greens  his 
"  sauce."  As  for  the  liquor  of  both  farmers 
and  men,  if  not  beer,  it  was  not  unlikely 
mead,  as  in  Saxon  times.  On  Sundays  the 
farmer  walked  with  his  labourers  to  the  parish 
church. 


( 

OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE.      \     173 


Probably  on  a  side-table  in  the  kitchen 
would  be  a  "Bible-box,"  containing  a  large 
family  Bible,  and  with  the  sides  ornamented 
with  carving.  I  need  hardly  add  that  the 
Bible  was  used  as  a  family  register,  but  would 
suggest  that  this  custom  was  derived  from  an 
ecclesiastical  one,  as  before  the  Reformation 
the  parish  missal  served  the  same  purpose ;  and 
when  Church  Bibles  were  introduced,  register- 
books  were  sometimes  bound  up  with  them. 
Small  Bibles  are  still  used  in  Sussex  for 
divining  whether  a  sweetheart  will  be  true  or 
false. 

A  large  desk  will  be  frequently  seen, 
which,  like  the  Bible-box,  was  often  nicely 
carved  with  quaint  designs,  as  in  the  one 
here  shown.  The  inkstand  was  sometimes 
a  block  of  wood  hollowed  out,  a  curious 
example  of  which  is  in  the  Lewes  Museum. 
Crow-quills  were  the  pens  often  used  in 
writing. 

Although  a  kitchen  formed  the  only  living- 
room  in  small  farmhouses,  in  the  larger  ones 
there  was  another,  called  the  parlour,  and 
sometimes  two  of  them,  as  with  Cornelius 
Humphrey's  house,  where  he  had  his  "  great 
Parlor "  and  his  "  little  Parlor."  These 
rooms  had  generally  plaister  ceilings,  as 
recommended  by  Chambers  in  his  Cydopcedia, 
in  which  he  says  that  "  they  are  much  used 
in  England,  more  so  than  in  any  other 
country,  nor  are  they  without  their  advan- 
tages, as  they  make  the  room  lightsome  ;  are 


good  in  case  of  fire  ;  stop  the  passage  of  the 
dust ;  lessen  the  noise  overhead ;  and  in 
summer  make  the  air  cooler."  In  houses 
formerly  the  abodes  of  good  families,  orna- 
mental ceilings  may  be  found,  as  at  Moor 
Farm,  Petworth.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
chimney-pieces,  beautiful  specimens  of  which 
are  at  the  above  house,  dated  1580,  at  Town 
House,  Slinfold,  and  Weston's  Farm,  Warn- 
ham,  all  being  in  richly-carved  oak. 


The  parlour  walls  were  often  panelled  with 
wainscot,  and  the  writer  of  the  New  Present 
State  of  England  observes  that  "as  England 
is  a  damp,  moist  country,  nothing  indeed  is 
so  fit  to  prevent  the  Danger  arising  from  wet 
Walls  as  Wainscot." 

The  fire-backs  in  parlours  were  smaller 
and  much  lighter  than  those  in  kitchens,  and 
ornamented  with  figure  subjects,  armorial 
and  other  devices.     In  these  rooms  were  the 


ornamental  fire-dogs,  andirons,  or  brandirons 
of  cast-iron,  of  which  many  are  in  the  late 
Pointed  style,  whilst  others  show  a  mixture 
of  it  with  Classic  details.  Some  of  these 
dogs  have  the  remains  of  hoops  in  front  of 
them,  as  though  to  hold  spits,  and  appear  to 
have  been  intended  for  kitchen  use. 

The  tables  were  generally  round,  and  made 
with  two  folding  flaps ;  they  had  often  small 
drawers  with  pretty  drop  handles  of  brass. 

Sofas  were  in  use  in  Shakespeare's  time, 
and  were  then,  according  to  Knight,  called 
"  day-beds.''  The  word  in  the  last  century 
was  spelt  "  sopha,"  and  these  articles  of 
luxury  are  not  often  seen  in  old  farmhouses, 
but  amongst  the  furniture  a  quaint  kind  of 
double  armchair  is  fairly  common.  The 
parlour  generally  had  some  "armed  chairs," 
as  they  were  called,  though  sometimes 
designated  "elbow-chairs,"  and  a  letter  in 
the  Tatler  relates  how  a  late  comer  in  an 
assembly  had  to  put  up  with  "  an  armless 
chair  "  whilst  the  rest  of  the  company  lolled 
in  elbow-chairs.  The  great  parlour  of  Cor- 
nelius Humphrey  had  "  Eighteen  Turky 
chaiers,"  and  John  Rowland,  of  Horsham, 
yeoman,  in  his  will  of  July  27,  1674,  says  : 
"  Item.  I  give  vnto  my  said  Wife  Six  of  those 
Turkie-worke  Chaires  now  standing  or  being 
in  the  Parlour."     Were  these  chairs  covered 


174 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


with  Turkey  silk  ?  The  seats  of  most  of  the 
seventeenth-century  chairs  are  higher  than 
modern  ones,  as  the  sitter's  feet  rested  on  a 
footstool  or  on  the  frame  of  a  table. 

Various  cabinets,  resembling  chests  of 
drawers  over  open  arched  framework,  and 
quaintly  combined  boxes  and  drawers,  found 
places  in  the  parlour,  and  a  cupboard,  either 
standing  or  hanging,  filled  in  a  corner  of  the 
apartment. 

Looking-glasses,  varying  in  size  from  one 
foot  to  four  in  height,  hung  on  the  walls,  and 
were  sometimes  to  be  found  also  in  the 
kitchen.  They  mostly  resembled  the  one 
here  figured,  having  oddly-cut  fretwork  stuck 
round  their  frames,  and  the  glasses  them- 
selves having  bevelled  edges  within  narrow 
borders  of  gilt  gesso.  According  to  Mr. 
Hungerford  Pollen,  these  plates  were  made 
by  colonies  of  Venetian  workmen  in  England, 
and  he  pertinently  remarks  that  the  bevelling 
gives  "  preciseness  and  prismatic  light  to  the 
whole  glass,"  and  he  truly  says  of  similar 
modern  work,  that  "  the  bevel  itself  is 
generally  too  acute,  whereby  the  prismatic 
light  produced  by  this  portion  of  the  mirror 
is  in  violent  and  too  showy  contrast  to  the 
remainder  "  {Ancient  and  Modern  Furniture 
and  Woodwork,  pp.  99,  100). 

Clocks  are  in  the  farmhouse  generally  of 
the  "grandfather"  type,  and  of  which  many 
will  be  found  to  have  been  made  at  Hen- 
field.  Very  rarely,  as  at  Dedisham,  Slinfold, 
a  domed  seventeenth-century  clock  with 
open-work  and  gong  may  be  found. 

It  need  hardly  be  noticed  that  spinning 


-^. 


was  practised  in  every  farmhouse,  and  not 
only  so,  but  in  the  abodes  of  the  gentry 
likewise.  In  1849,  a  writer  in  the  Sussex 
Archceological  Collections  says  that  "  the  spin- 
ning-wheel which  used  to  ornament  every 
drawing-room,  and  is  still  occasionally  met 
with  in  Sussex  houses,  afforded  a  healthful 
recreation";  and  not  only  was  it  a  country 
occupation,  but  ladies  in  cities  spun,  as  did 
the  sisters  of  the  unfortunate  Major  Andre 
at  their  Bath  residence. 

In  the  better  class  houses  some  good  line 
engravings  are  to  be  found  on  the  sitting- 
room  walls,  and  among  subjects  I  have  met 
with  were  the  Conflict  of  St.  Michael  with 
Satan,  the  Fathers  discussing  the  dignity  of 
St.  Mary,  and  another  of  a  Jesuit  kneeling 
before  her  picture.  Washington  Irving,  in 
his  Bracebridge  Hall,  says  of  that  edifice  that 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


175 


the  "  walls  were  hung  with  coloured  prints 
of  the  Prodigal  son,  who  was  represented  in 
a  red  coat  and  leather  breeches";  but  Dickens 
is  far  more  just  when  he  locates  such  prints 
in  a  country  alehouse.  In  humble  farmsteads 
many  such  are  to  be  met  with,  and  are  ex- 
ceedingly amusing.  Generally  small  in  size, 
they  are  set  in  neatly-moulded  black  frames. 
Among  them  one  shows  Joseph's  dream  ;  the 
patriarch  is  extended  on  the  'ground,  and, 


has  a  lady  descending  a  rope-ladder  placed 
behind  her,  whilst  she  faces  the  spectator. 
Finally,  one  exhibits  "  Prince  Coburg  pre- 
senting to  the  Princess  Charlotte  a  Letter 
from  the  Late  Duke  of  Brunswick,"  an 
incident  I  have  not  been  able  to  identify. 
Such  were  the  farmhouse  prints,  now  nearly 
everywhere  superseded  by  oleographs  from 
Christmas  numbers,  and  mostly  of  the  "kiss 
mammy  "  style,  as  artists  call  it. 


like  Irving's  prodigal,  he  wears  a  scarlet  frock- 
coat  and  breeches,  whilst  his  broad-brimmed 
straw  hat  lies  by  his  side.  Another  print 
gives  us  "  The  Happy  Father,"  who  is  in  a 
blue  coat,  pants,  and  Hessian  boots  ;  he  is 
bestowing  a  lackadaisical  look  on  his  wife, 
seated  before  him,  and  suckling  a  child  in 
the  dress  of  one  two  years  old.  Two  more 
are  prints  of  ladies,  and  entitled  respectively 
"  The  Charming  Florist  "  and  "  The  Amiable 
Fruiterer."     One  called  "  The  Elopement  " 


X  L.-A. 


Before  the  present  School  Board  kind  of 
education  came  into  vogue,  each  farmhouse 
and  cottage  had  one  or  two  worked  samplers 
on  its  walls.  The  subjects  on  these  examples 
of  feminine  industry  varied  from  representa- 
tions of  flowers,  fruits,  and  the  crowns  worn 
by  the  various  ranks  of  the  nobility,  to  cross- 
stitch  embroidered  maps  of  the  globe.  Usually 
one  or  two  moral  verses  were  worked  on  them. 
One  example  I  met  with  was  thus  inscribed 
within  a  border  of  trees  and  stags  : 


176 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


All  you  my  friends,  who  now  expect  to  see, 
A  piece  of  workmanship  performed  by  me, 
Cast  but  a  smile  upon 
This  my  small  endeaviour 
ile  strive  to  be  obedient  ever. 

A  companion  sampler  bore  the  following : 

Next  unto  God,  Dear  Parents,  I  address 
Myself  to  you  in  humble  thankfulness. 
For  all  the  care  and  cost  on  me  bestowed 
And  means  of  Learning  me  allowed. 

I  have  been  told  that  the  "  Letter  of  Abgarus  " 
is  sometimes  to  be  met  with  suspended  as  a 
talisman  on  the  walls  of  Sussex  cottages,  but 
have  met  with  no  instance  of  it  myself. 

The  most  primitive  kind  of  staircase  I  ever 
saw  was  formerly  at  Ford  Church,  Sussex, 
which  consisted  of  a  single  sloping  beam, 
through  which  rungs  projected  on  either  side  ; 
but  the  earliest  stairs  in  Sussex  farmhouses 
were  nearly  as  rude,  being  composed  of 
triangular  blocks  of  wood  on  a  couple  of 
bearers,  and  of  which  an  example,  since  de- 
stroyed, was  at  Broomhall  Farm,  Warnham. 
As  before  observed,  in  small  houses  the  stairs 
often  wound  round  the  contraction  of  the 
fireplace;  in  larger  dwellings  the  well-form  of 
staircase  is  common,  and  may  be  seen  at  New 
Buildings,  Shipley,  and,  like  this  example, 
consisting  of  many  small  flights  of  eight  or 
nine  steps  only  in  each.  A  gate,  breast  high, 
was  often  at  the  bottom  of  the  stairs,  and 
sometimes  at  the  top,  to  keep  the  dogs  of 
the  house  from  entering  the  bedrooms.  At 
New  Buildings  it  is  solid,  and  studded  all 
over  with  nails. 

Occasionally  there  was  on  the  chamber 
floor  a  trap-door,  which  could  be  let  down 
to  close  in  the  headway,  and  prevent  burglars 
from  using  the  staircase,  being  bolted  from 
above.  Examples  are  at  East  Maskells,  Lind- 
field,  and  Broadhurst,  Horsted  Keynes.  To 
fence  in  the  staircase  at  top,  there  was  often 
a  balustrade,  as  at  Town  House,  Slinfold,  and 
at  a  house,  now  destroyed,  at  Horsham ;  the 
turned  balusters  of  these  seventeenth-cen- 
tury examples  greatly  resemble  some  wooden 
details  in  Anglo-Saxon  MSS. 

The  bedchamber  walls  were  often  panelled, 
as  at  Weston's,  Warnham,  and  the  rooms  were 
sometimes  ceiled,  at  others  partly  open  to  the 
timbers,  which,  as  at  Broomhall,  reminded  one 
of  a  church  roof  having  collars  and  braces. 

Good  oak  chimney-pieces  are  often  seen 
in  the  bedrooms,  as  at  New  Buildings  and 


Weston's,  and  there  are  the  remains  of  a 
good  stone  one  at  Town  House.  Like  the 
other  rooms,  there  were  iron  backs  in  the 
fireplaces,  and  it  may  be  noted  here  that 
these  articles  are  often  mentioned  in  wills,  as 
in  that  of  Thomas  Ovenden,  of  Rotherfield, 
January  12,  1670,  by  which  he  left  "two  iron 
cast  Plates  for  Chimney  backs."  When  "sea 
coal "  was  introduced,  small  movable  grates 
were  fashioned  with  light  ornamental  backs, 
and  Cornelius  Humphrey,  we  find,  had  in 
his  "  middle  Chamber  one  payer  of  grates, 
one  payer  of  Brandjrons,"  and  "one  fire 
shovell." 

Bedsteads  were  called  "  bedsteddles,"  a 
name  by  which  they  are  still  known  in  East 
Sussex,  and  there  were  "  high  bedsteddles " 
and  trundle  beds,  the  latter  being  truckle 
bedsteads  to  go  under  the  high  ones  when 
not  in  use.  Ann  Carr,  of  Hastings,  speaks 
in  her  will  of  May  4,  1678,  of  her  "best 
bedsteddle "  and  her  "  lesser  lower  bed- 
steddle,"  or  trundle  bed. 

The  valance,  curtains,  and  quilts  were  oc- 
casionally of  linen,  embroidered  handsomely 
with  worsted  thread,  an  instance  of  which  I 
met  with  in  quite  a  small  house  at  Pulborough. 
In  1656  the  Rev.  Giles  Moore  tells  us  that  he 
bought  a  similar  coverlet  of  "  an  upholsterer 
itinerant"  for  ^2  los.,  and  which  was  covered 
with  "  birds  and  bucks." 

From  very  early  times  it  has  been  cus- 
tomary to  have  a  chest  at  the  foot  of  a  bed, 
and  in  Sussex  every  farmhouse  had  one  or 
two  such  receptacles  ;  they  were  generally  of 
oak,  and  more  or  less  richly  carved.  Some- 
times they  were  leather-covered,  or  encased 
in  a  hide  retaining  its  hair ;  one  of  the  last 
kind  is  mentioned  by  Mr.  Moore,  as  he  says 
he  had  a  "  furred  "  one.  Some  of  these  oak 
chests  are  of  the  rudest  character,  and  appear 
to  date  as  far  back  as  the  fifteenth  century, 
greatly  resembling  the  church  chests  of  that 
period.  Many  later  ones  have  good  Jacobean 
carving,  and  some  of  the  guilloche  patterns 
are  like  those  to  be  seen  on  ancient  Egyptian 
ivories.  Across  the  end  of  the  chest  there  is 
generally  a  small  box  formed  with  a  separate 
lid,  which,  being  raised,  forms  a  support  to 
the  larger  one,  and  in  the  little  receptacle 
thus  contrived  trinkets  and  other  small 
articles  were  deposited,  whilst  the  chest  en- 
closing  it   contained   the   household    linen. 


OLD  SUSSEX  FARMHOUSES  AND  THEIR  FURNITURE. 


177 


Lacroix,  in  his  Mceurs  et  Usages  (p.  77), 
mentions  that  in  France  such  a  chest  "  served 
at  the  same  time  for  a  seat  and  for  a  priedieu, 
in  the  inside  of  which  were  found  now  and 
then  some  books  of  prayers  or  of  devotions." 
In  Norway  such  chests  serve  also  as  registers, 
the  names  and  dates  of  family  events  being 
inscribed  on  them. 

Two  kinds  of  chests  of  drawers  are  to  be 
met  with,  the  first  resembling  modern  ones, 
the  second  consisting  of  two  "  nests  of  drawers  " 
one  over  the  other.  Often  formed  of  oak, 
they  are  frequently  veneered  with  mahogany, 
though  at  the  present  day  both  woods  are  of 
equal  value.  Sometimes  the  top  drawer  is  a 
secret  one,  very  simply  so  contrived,  a  small 
flap  of  wood  on  the  bottom  of  the  drawer 
having  to  be  pressed  in  from  the  one  below. 
Buckle  handles  are  of  great  antiquity,  and  a 
Roman  one  was  found  at  Brading  in  the  Isle 
of  Wight ;  similar  ones  on  these  chests  of 
drawers  are  often  fixed  to  elegant  brass  plates, 
heightened  by  engraving,  as  are  also  the  key 
plates.  Pretty  little  drop  handles  are  to  be 
met  with. 

In  conclusion,  it  may  be  remarked  that  if 
heraldry  is  any  criterion,  the  estimation  in 
which  husbandry  was  held  in  former  times 
was  a  high  one,  as  shown  by  the  number  of 
heraldic  charges  representing  objects  con- 
nected with  farming.  Guillim,  discoursing 
of  "  Illiberall  "  professions  in  his  Display  of 
Heraldrie,  says  :  "  In  the  first  ranke  of  these 
Illiberalls,  reason  exacts,  that  Agriculture 
should  have  precidence,  it  being  the  chiefe 
Source  of  man's  life."  And  of  the  implements 
belonging  to  farming  forming  armorial  bear- 
ings, he  says  some  of  the  chiefest  and  most 
frequent  are  ploughs,  harrows,  scythes,  and 
wheels.  Others  not  named  by  Guillim  are 
dung  forks,  hay-hooks,  rakes,  sickles,  spades, 
and  thatch-rakes.  My  best  thanks  are  due 
to  R.  Garraway  Rice,  Esq.,  F.S.A.,  for  many 
extracts  from  wills. 

(concluded.) 


VOL.  xxxiv. 


Cfte  ^WelD^toall  anu  tbe 
^cbilttum. 


R.  NEILSON  has  entertained  the 
readers  of  the  Antiquary  with  some 
pages  of  speculation,  ingenious,  I 
think,  rather  than  convincing,  as  to 
the  meaning  and  the  mutual  relationships  of 
the  words  "scild-truma,"  "schiltrurn,"  "scild- 
burg,"  "shield-wall,"  and  "testudo."  I  may 
perhaps  be  pardoned  for  venturing  to  offer  a 
few  suggestions  of  my  own  on  the  same  sub- 
ject, suggestions  which,  I  hope,  will  not,  at 
any  rate,  be  found  more  hazardous  than  those 
of  Mr.  Neilson. 

If  I  understand  Mr.  Neilson  rightly,  he 
thinks  that  at  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, and  in  the  early  part  of  the  fourteenth, 
the  Old  English  word  "  scild-truma"  —  in 
various  spellings,  "  sceld-trume,"  "  scheld- 
trom,"  "  scheltrom,"  "schiltroun" — repre- 
sented a  body  of  fighting  men  drawn  up  in 
one  special  array,  of  which  the  main  charac- 
teristics are  (a)  a  particular  use  of  the  spear, 
and  {b)  a  circular  form  (i).  Mr.  Neilson's  ex- 
pressions leave  me  uncertain  whether  he  does 
or  does  not  regard  this  latter  feature  as  essen- 
tial (2)  to  his  conception  of  the  "schiltrum." 
To  me,  indeed,  the  language  which  he  uses, 
throughout  almost  the  whole  of  his  article, 
appears  strangely  wanting  in  that  precision 
and  lucidity  which  I  have  been  accustomed 
to  find  in  his  writings.  It  seems,  however, 
plain  that  the  typical  example  of  the  "  schil- 
trum," in  Mr.  Neilson's  sense,  is  supposed  to 
be  found  at  the  battle  of  Falkirk,  and  that 
the  locus  classicus  for  this  application  of  the 
word  is  a  passage  in  Walter  of  Hemingburgh, 
who,  referring  to  the  circles  in  which  the 
Scottish  spearmen  were  drawn  up,  and  which 
he  has  already  minutely  described,  adds  : 
Qui  quidem  circuli  vocabantur  "  schiltrouns  " 
(ii.  180,  Eng.  Hist.  Soc.  ed.).  Mr.  Neilson, 
if  I  do  not  mistake  him,  holds  that  the  word 
"  schiltroun  "  is  here  used  as  a  technical  name 
for  this  particular  formation  ;  and  the  drift  of 
his  article  as  a  whole  is,  apparently,  to  urge 
that  since  "scild-truma"  =  testudo,  and  testudo 
=  "  shield-wall,"  it  follows  that  the  ancient 
Teutonic  "  shield-wall  "  was  essentially  iden- 
tical with  the  array  of  Wallace's  spearmen  at 
Falkirk. 

AA 


178 


THE  SHIELD-WALL  AND  THE  SCHILTRUM. 


On  each  of  this  series  of  equations  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  Neilson,  I  wish  to  say  a  word. 
A  break  in  either  the  first  or  the  second 
equation  —  (i)  " scildtruma  "  =  testudo ;  (2) 
/«/'7^d?'^=  "shield  wall" — would  be  sufficient 
to  break  the  argument.  To  me  it  seems  that 
there  is  a  break  in  both. 

Etymologically  speaking,  the  word  "  scild- 
truma "  means  simply,  as  Professor  Skeat  says, 
"  a  shield-troop,"  i.e.,  "  a  troop  of  men  with 
shields,  or  selected  for  defence."  It  may,  of 
course,  have  been  used,  during  one  and  the 
same  period,  in  both  these  senses  ;  in  each  of 
these  two  senses,  independently  of  the  other, 
and  even  in  a  combination  of  both  senses  at 
once.  The  examples  of  its  use  in  Old  English, 
however,  seem  (to  me  at  least)  to  point  rather 
to  the  first  (the  more  general)  than  to  the 
second  (the  more  limited)  signification.  We 
know  that,  in  days  when  the  shield  was  the 
most  conspicuous  feature  in  the  accoutrement 
of  a  fully-armed  warrior,  people  frequently 
spoke,  in  other  tongues  besides  English,  of  a 
force  of  so  many  *'  shields  "  when  they  meant 
so  many  knights  or  men-at-arms.  Mr.  Neil- 
son,  however,  thinks  that  "  scild-truma  "  in 
Old  English  must  have  had  a  more  narrowly 
defined  meaning  than  either  of  those  given 
above  ;  that  it  must  have  meant  a  troop  not 
merely  of  armed  men,  or  even  of  armed  men 
"  selected  for  defence,"  but  of  men  drawn  up 
in  one  particular  array,  the  array  of  the 
"  shield-burg  "  or  '«  shield-wall."  Why  ?  Be- 
cause ^Ifric  makes  "  scild-truma  "  =  fesludo. 

I  will  add  that  another  Old  English  glos- 
sary-maker does  the  same  (Bosworth-Toller, 
p.  831).  But  I  will  also  add  another  remark, 
and  a  question. 

i.  The  author  of  a  third  Old  English 
glossary  makes  "  scild-truma  "  =  phalanx 
(Leo,  p.  386,  1.  31). 

ii.  Is  it  quite  certain  that,  even  in  ^Ifric's 
time,  "  testudo "  necessarily  and  always  = 
"  shield-wall "? 

For  the  present,  at  least,  I  cannot  accept, 
as  absolutely  certain  and  invariably  exact,  (3) 
the  equations  "scild-truma  =  testudo  =  shield- 
wall."  Still  less  can  I  accept  the  much  more 
startling  equation  which  crowns  Mr.  Neilson's 
series — the  proposition  that  a  thing  which  is 
called  a  wall  (or  "  fortress  ")  of  shields  was 
essentially  one  and  the  same  with  a  circle  of 

SPEARS. 


The  witnesses  produced  by  Mr.  Neilson  for 
the  supposed  technical  use  of  the  word  "schil- 
troun  "  are  practically  only  (4)  two — Walter 
of  Hemingburgh  and  Robert  of  Brunne  ;  for 
he  acknowledges  that  he  cannot  prove  this 
special  meaning  to  be  implied  in  the  later 
examples  of  the  word.  It  would,  indeed,  be 
hardly  possible  to  maintain  that  it  had  this 
special  meaning  in  {e.g)  the  minds  of  the 
translators  of  the  so-called  "  Wyclif"  Bible — 
whoever  they  may  have  been — when  they 
rendered  the  acies  of  the  Vulgate  by  "  schil- 
trum "  in  one  passage  of  Old  Testament 
history ;  or  in  the  mind  of  Trevisa  when  in 
his  translation  of  Higden's  Polychronicon  he 
used  the  same  word,  "  scheltroun,"  in  no  less 
than  eleven  different  places,  in  every  one  of 
which  th^  Latin  word  which  it  represents  is 
acies  likewise. 

Turn  we  first  to  Robert  of  Brunne.  This 
writer,  compiling,  in  the  first  quarter  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  from  materials  of  an 
earlier  time — chiefly  from  Wace's  Brut — a 
"  history "  of  times  much  earlier  still,  twice 
uses  the  word  "scheltrom  "  or  "  scheltroun." 

i.  Describing  Csesar's  fight  with  "Cassi- 
bolan  "  on  the  Thames,  Robert  says : 

Theyr  \t.e.,  the  Britons']  egre  comyng  the  Romans 

aboden, 
A-geyn  the  Brutons  stifly  they  stoden ; 
Aha  wal  the  scheltrom  held (5) 
&  ruysed  the  Brutons  abak  in  feld. 

(11.  4655-58,  Rolls  ed..  i.  163.) 

Now,  in  this  passage  Robert  is  translating 
Wace  almost  word  for  word.  The  line  of 
Wace  which  corresponds  with  Robert's  line 
4657  runs  thus  : 

Lor  hardiment  orent  por  mur  (Brut,  1.  4369); 

and  while  one  of  the  two  sole  extant  MSS.  of 
Robert's  work  has  the  reading  already  given, 
the  other,  in  place  of  "the  scheltrom  held," 
reads,  "  ther  hardines  held."  From  these 
circumstances  it  does  not  look,  to  me  at  least, 
probable  that  Robert  was  thinking  of  any 
special  formation  (6)  or  array  when  he  rendered 
— if  it  was  he  who  here  rendered — Wace's 
"hardiment"  by  "scheltrom." 

ii.  The  other  passage  where  Robert  speaks 
of  a  "  scheltroun,"  however,  is  the  one  which 
Mr.  Neilson  considers  "  determinative  "  as 
to  the  meaning  attached  by  Robert  to  the 
word.     It  occurs  in  his  narrative  of  the  siege 


THE  SHIELD-WALL  AND  THE  SCHILTRUM. 


179 


of  Rome  by  "  Belyn  "  and  "  Brenne."  Here, 
again,  throughout  the  whole  passage  of  which 
the  lines  quoted  by  Mr.  Neilson  form  a  part, 
Robert  is  following  Wace  very  closely ;  many 
of  his  lines  are,  in  fact,  translated  as  literally 
as  it  is  possible  to  translate  from  one  language 
into  another  when  both  original  and  transla- 
tion are  in  verse.  In  such  a  case  the  words 
of  the  original  may  be  an  element  of  some 
importance  in  determining  the  meaning  of 
the  words  used  by  his  translator.  I  will 
therefore  quote  Robert  and  Wace  side  by 
side  : 

Tho    that   were    strong, 

hardy  &  wyght 
fformest  they  were  set  to 

fyght ; 
They  here  the  lances  up  S- 

doun 
On  the  manere  of  a  schel- 

troun  (7). 
&  non  for  wele  ne  for  wo 
Ne  scholde  byforen  other 

go; 
Ne  go  swyther  than  softe 

paas, 
At    ones    to    smyte,    as 

Cometh  the  cas. 
(11.  3509-16,  ed.  Fur- 
nivall,   vol.   i.,   p. 
124.) 


Les    plus    hardis    com- 

bateors 
Misrent  avant  as  fereors ; 
Les  eels  firent  destre  et 

senestre 
Arbalestiers    et    sergans 

estre ; 
Li  mialx  de  lor  gent  et  li 

plus 
Descendirent  des  chevax 

jus ; 
Enmi  le  camp  furent  a 

pie 
Ordeneement  et  rangie. 
Cil  ont  parmi  trancie  lor 

lances 
Et   lasquies  lor    connis- 

sances. 
Ja  nus  d'als  n'i  desran- 

gera 
Ne  nule  part   n'i  guen- 

cira; 
Cil  en  iront  le  petit  pas 
Ferir  en  la  grant  presse, 

el  tas. 

(11.  3171-84,  ed.  Le 
Roux  de  Lincy, 
vol.i.,pp.i5o,i5i.) 

It  is  evident  that  Robert's  lines  3509-10 
and  3513-16,  are  almost  literal  translations 
of  Wace's  lines  3171-72  and  3181-84  re- 
spectively. The  source  of  the  two  English 
lines  on  which  Mr.  Neilson  relies — lines 35 1 1- 
12 — must  besought  in  Wace's  lines  3173-80. 
One  word  in  Robert's  line  35 11 — "lances" 
— obviously  comes  from  Wace's  line  3179. 
At  the  precise  meaning  of  the  couplet, 

Cil  ont  parmi  trancie  lor  lances 
Et  lasquies  lor  connissances, 

I  will  not  even  attempt  to  guess  (7);  the  ren- 
dering given  in  M.  Le  Roux  de  Lincy's  note  is 
to  me  quite  as  unintelligible  as  the  lines  them- 
selves. But  I  will  venture  to  ask  Mr.  Neilson  to 
point  out,  either  in  that  couplet  or  in  the  six 


lines  preceding  it,  any  unmistakable  suggestion 
of  a  special  array  such  as  he  considers  to  be 
implied  in  Robert's  rendering  of  the  passage ; 
and,  if  not,  what  is  his  ground  for  supposing 
that  Robert  gratuitously  introduced  into  his 
otherwise  almost  literal  translation  an  idea  (8) 
of  which  there  was  no  hint  in  the  authority 
whom  he  was  translatmg  ?  The  probability 
of  his  having  intended  to  introduce  the  par- 
ticular idea  ascribed  to  him  by  Mr.  Neilson 
is,  to  my  mind,  considerably  weakened  by 
the  fact — which  Mr.  Neilson  notices,  though 
apparently  without  perceiving  the  full  force 
of  his  own  observation — that  Robert  ofBrunne 
does  NOT  employ  the  word  "  scheltroun  "  in  the 
place  where,  of  all  others,  we  should  have 
expected  him  to  use  it  (9),  if  his  conception  of 
its  meaning  were  identical  with  Mr.  Neilson's, 
viz. ,  in  his  account  of  the  great  battle  where 
another  writer  of  his  time  does  pointedly 
apply  the  word  to  one  special  array — the 
battle  of  Falkirk. 

This  brings  us  to  Walter  of  Hemingburgh. 
After  all,  can  we  determine  with  certainty 
what  is  the  real  force  of  Hemingburgh's  words, 
Qui  quidem  circuli  vocabantur  schiltrouns  ?  I 
will  risk  threeguesses  (10)  with  reference  to  this 
passage,  and  then  leave  my  readers  to  choose 
between  Mr.  Neilson's  conjecture  and  any 
one  of  my  three  suggestions. 

i.  Hemingburgh  says  the  Falkirk  circles 
"  were  called  schiltrouns."  Very  likely  they 
were  so  called.  But  why  ?  Simply  because 
they  were  "schiltrouns" — " scild-truman  "  in 
both  the  etymological  senses  (11)  of  that 
ancient  and  honourable  appellation ;  squadrons 
of  fighting  men,  and  of  the  very  best  fighting 
men  to  be  found  in  the  isle  of  Britain ; 
squadrons,  too,  "  for  defence  " — living  shields 
to  guard  their  country's  freedom. 

ii.  "  Scild-truma "  became  "  schiltroun," 
Professor  Skeat  thinks,  probably  by  assimila- 
tion with  "  squadron,"  a  word  of  French 
origin.  "  The  force  of  the  latter  part  of  the 
word"  scild-truma  thus  became,  as  he  says, 
"utterly  lost  "  (although  trume,  as  a  separate 
word  meaning  "  troop,"  survived  in  English 
literature  till  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth 
century).  May  not  the  first  half  of  "  scild- 
truma  "  have  been  in  a  similar  way  con- 
founded with  an  old  French  word,  a  word 
identical  in  meaning  with  "squadron,"  viz., 
eschele?     Dr.    Furnivall,    in    his    glossary  to 

AA    2 


i8o 


THE  SHIELD-WALL  AND  THE  SCHILTRUM. 


Robert  of  Brunne,  says,  under  Scheltrom^ 
scheltroun  :  "Line  of  soldiers,  face  of  a  square. 
O.  Fr.  esc/iele,  bataillon,  corps  de  troupes." 
As  an  alternative,  then,  to  my  first  conjecture 
respecting  the  use  of  the  word  "  schiltroun  " 
at  Falkirk,  I  offer  this  :  The  Lowland  Scots 
confusedan  old  English  word,  whose  etymology 
was  forgotten  (12),  with  the  P>ench  word 
eschele  ;  and  thence  they  proceeded  to  attach 
it,  as  a  technical  name,  to  an  "  eschele  "  of 
one  particular  kind.  Hemingburgh,  being  a 
Yorkshireman,  would  learn  their  use  of  it 
direct  from  themselves,  or  from  those  who 
were  in  frequent  contact  and  conflict  with 
them. 

iii.  Lastly,  I  suggest  yet  another  alternative. 
Hemingburgh  may  have  misinterpreted  his 
authorities.  He  says  the  circles  "  used  to  be 
oilhd"  {vocabanttir)  schiltrouns,  as  if  he  were 
dealing  with  a  past  state  of  affairs,  not  familiar 
to  his  own  age.  Possibly,  therefore,  in  the 
sources  (whatever  they  may  have  been) 
whence  his  account  of  Falkirk  was  derived, 
the  word  "  schiltroun  "  may  have  been  ap- 
plied to  the  circles  in  its  general  sense, 
while  he  may  have  erroneously  supposed  it 
to  be  applied  to  them  in  a  technical  sense. 
In  other  words,  he  may  have  been  doing 
what  I  am  doing  now — guessing  (13). 

Or,  to  put  these  two  latter  alternatives 
in  another  way  :  I  suggest  that  either  Walter 
of  Hemingburgh,  or  the  Lowland  Scots,  gave 
(perhaps  from  a  false  etymology)  to  an  Old 
English  word  a  signification  totally  different 
from  that  which  it  had  originally  borne.  He, 
or  they,  misapplied  to  a  squadron  arrayed 
in  a  particular  form  a  word  which  properly 
meant  nothing  but  a  squadron  whose  dis- 
tinguishing characteristic  was  either  a  par- 
ticular purpose  or,  more  likely,  a  particular 
weapon  ;  he,  or  they,  misused  (14)  the  name 
of  a  "  troop  of  shields  "  to  indicate  a  cir- 
cular group  of  spears.  A  strange  misappli- 
cation of  a  word  indeed,  but  one  which  does 
not  stand  alone  in  its  strangeness.  Was  it 
not  in  that  same  "  north  countrie  "  that 
men  took  to  calling  a  particular  type  of  stone 
tower  by  a  name  (15)  which  properly  belonged 
to  a  wooden  fence  ? 

Kate  Norgate. 


[We  submitted  Miss  Norgate's  criticism  to 
Mr.  Neilson,  and  the  following  is  his  reply  to 
it.— Ed.] 


"  Miss  Norgate  is  very  courteous,  and  in 
my  comments  I  trust  brevity  will  excuse 
brusqueness.  For  convenience  I  have  taken 
the  liberty  of  marking  with  numbers  the 
passages  touched  upon.  i.  Add  to  the 
characteristics,  density.  2.  The  circular 
schiltrum  is  known  to  have  been  used  de- 
fensively ;  beyond  that  need  I  go  ?  3.  Two 
out  of  three  Old  English  glosses  give  scild- 
tru/na,  the  specific  sense  on  which  I  found. 
If  the  third,  or,  for  that  matter,  one  or  two 
besides,  should  favour  a  wider  definition,  that 
by  no  means  falsifies  the  stricter  rendering ; 
and  it  must  be  falsified  if  a  breach  is  to  be 
effected  in  my  argument.  4.  My  fair  critic 
is  exacting ;  the  law  is  usually  well  content 
with  two  witnesses,  and  Robert  of  Brunne 
and  Hemingburgh  are  both  specific  and  cor- 
roborated, and  are  not  to  be  gainsaid  by 
looser  later  language.  5.  Does  the  'wal' 
here  not  suggest  the  shield-wall  ?  6.  Robert's 
specialization  makes  for  my  contention.  The 
intrusive  '  scheltrom '  added  a  definite  idea. 
7.  Although  without  present  access  to  Wace's 
Brut,  I  am  happy  to  assist  in  solving  the 
passage  to  the  extent  of  explaining  the  second 
of  the  two  lines.  Undoubtedly  it  seems  that 
the  "cognisances,"  or  banners  bearing  dis- 
tinguishing signs  (afterwards  to  become 
armorial),  were  "laced"  upon  the  lances. 
(See  Du  Cange,  laqueare,  cognitio.)  The 
Song  of  Roland  mentions  (line  1157)  how 
the  hero's  lance  had  "  laced  "  at  the  end  of 
it  a  gonfanon  all  white  : 

Laciet  en  sum  un  gunfanun  tut  blanc. 

In  Wace  the  pennon  evidently  bears  an  en- 
sign. 8. 'On  the  manere  of  a  scheltroun.'  Miss 
Norgate's  argument  is  not  too  clear :  I  take 
it  to  be  that  because  the  phrase  is  not  in 
Robert's  original,  therefore  'schiltrum'  cannot 
have  had  a  special  meaning  here.  But  varia- 
tion, even  divergence,  was  the  rule  of 
mediaeval  translators.  If  '  in  the  manner  of 
a  schiltrum '  does  not  imply  that  a  schiltrum 
had  a  distinctive  manner,  words  cease  to 
have  meaning.  The  manner,  I  suppose,  was 
that  of  holding  the  spears  '  up  and  down,' 
the  front  rows  levelled  or  at  various  degrees 
of  slant,  those  behind  with  the  points  higher. 
The  two  passages  of  Robert  when  contrasted 
show  the  unity  of  conception  of  the  shield- 
wall  and  the  dense  array  of  spears.  The 
shieldmen  were  spearmen   too ;  that  is  the 


THE  SHIELD-WALL  AND  THE  SCHILTRUM. 


whole  transition.  9.  I  must  apologize  for 
my  imperfect  statement  of  my  own  argument 
and  for  misleading  Miss  Norgate,  yet  I  can 
scarcely  regret  that  her  criticism  here  proves 
the  cause  of  the  complete  overthrow  of  her 
ingenious,  though  negative,  inference.  I  said 
that  Robert  of  Brunne  did  not  use  the  term 
'schiltrum'  in  connection  with  Falkirk.  What 
I  should  have  said  was,  that  he  did  not  use 
it  in  the  five  verses  I  had  cited  as  equivalent 
to  Langtoft's  French  in  that  connection. 
The  fact  is  that  he  did  use  it  about  Falkirk. 
He  tells  how  Wallace's  spearmen  stood  : 

So  wer  thei  set  sad  [i.e.  solid]  with  poyntes  rounde 
aboute ; 

and  he  expressly  calls  the  formation  '  ther 
scheltron'  (Robert  of  Brunne  in  Hearne's 
Langtoft,  p.  305).  10.  To  the  three  guesses 
proffered  to  explain  away  an  imagined  error, 
I  prefer  the  single  induction  of  historic  con- 
tinuity that  no  error  exists.  1 1.  ^Ifric's  actual 
and  precise  gloss  must  rank  before  any  general 
'etymological  sense.'  12.  It  is  suggested 
that  the  lowland  Scots  and  Hemingburgh 
mistook  an  Old  English  word  for  a  French 
one  !  why,  I  utterly  fail  to  apprehend.  13. 
Miss  Norgate  (i.)  tells  us  that  she  is  guessing, 
and  (ii.)  puts  it  forward  that  Hemingburgh 
was  guessing  too  !  I  am  ungallant  enough 
to  admit  the  first  proposition  and  deny  the 
second.  If  Miss  Norgate  will  look  at 
Hemingburgh  again  (ii.  176-180),  her 
extensive  knowledge  of  mediaeval  Latinity 
will  satisfy  her  that  as  the  imperfect  tense  is 
used  so  often,  'vocabantur'  cannot  refer  to 
an  earlier  period.  14.  The  sum  of  all  is 
that  my  accomplished  censor,  without  appre- 
ciable cause  assigned  for  her  conflicting 
hypotheses  of  thirteenth-century  error,  thinks 
that  Hemingburgh  and  my  countrymen  were 
wrong.  I,  on  the  contrary,  hold  that  they  were 
right.  15.  The  complimentary  pleasantry  of 
this  choice  of  an  image  must  not  blind  me 
to  the  fact  that,  though  the  peel  was, 
figuratively,  petrified,  the  first  ones  of  stone 
were  probably  identical  in  type  with  their 
wooden  models.  The  schiltrum  underwent 
no  such  drastic  change." 


[Miss  Norgate's  paper,  as  well  as  Mr.  Neilson's 
reply,  have  been  unavoidably  held  over,  month 
after  month,  since  the  January  number  (when  it 
was  intended  they  should  appear) .  We  owe  our 
sincere  apologies  to  both  writers  for  the  delay.] 


)arca0m  anD  Rumour  in  tbe 
^anctuatp. 

By  Henry  J.  Feasey. 

ISTORY  tells  us  that  the  monks  did 
not  love  the  friars,  and  the  ballads 
of  their  own  time  confirm  it ; 
indeed,  they  themselves  have  left 
us  the  fact  wrought  in  language  more  enduring, 
more  eloquent,  than  either  ballad  or  written 
history  could  ever  be.  The  carvings  in  their 
churches,  be  they  on  sedile,  chancel  stall, 
misericord,  roof-boss,  or  door-entry,  are  in 
many  instances  pregnant  with  the  ready  wit 
and  jocund  humour  of  these  satirists  of  the 
mediaeval  age. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  here,  however,  to 
follow  out  the  rivalry  between  these  two 
bodies  of  Religious,  which  was  in  itself  long 
and  lasting,  but  to  examine  the  outcome  of 
some  of  it  as  they  have  left  it  to  us,  exhibited 
in  the  carvings  which  yet  remain  in  their 
churches. 

One  of  the  most  frequent  of  these  facetious 
carvings  is  a  fox  preaching  to  a  flock  of  gabbling 
geese.  It  is  represented  on  the  stalls  of 
Bristol  Cathedral,  upon  the  stone  base  of 
the  shrine  of  Prior  Richard  in  Hexham  Abbey 
Church,  and  again  upon  the  thirteenth-cen- 
tury stalls  of  Christchurch  Priory,  Hamp- 
shire, where,  in  addition  to  the  fox  exhorting 
the  geese,  a  cock  is  figured  at  the  rear  of  the 
pulpit  to  crow  the  "  Amens,"  evidently  satire 
directed  against  the  mendicant  friars.  In 
another  of  the  same  series  a  zany — doubtless 
intended  to  symbolize  the  people — turning 
his  back  upon  a  dish  of  porridge,  has  it  licked 
up  for  him  by  a  rat,  under  whose  form  our 
friend  the  friar  is  again  recognised.  Under 
another  seat  is  a  baboon,  with  a  cowl  on  his 
head,  reposing  on  a  pillow,  and  exhibiting 
an  enormous  swollen  paunch.  Two  illustra- 
tions of  bench-ends  at  Thornham  Church, 
Norfolk,  kindly  contributed  by  J.  Lewis 
Andre,  F.S.A.,  representing  cowled  foxes, 
may  be  appropriately  introduced  here.  One 
of  the  foxes,  it  will  be  seen,  has  taken  captive 
a  goose,  which  is  held  in  the  folds  of  the  cowl. 
Upon  the  grotesque  stalls  and  misericords 
in  St.  David's  Cathedral  Church,  we  find  the 
fox-and-goose  subject  repeated  with  a  little 
variation,  the  cowled  fox  being  portrayed  as 


l82 


SARCASM  AND  HUMOUR  IN  THE  SANCTUARY. 


BENCH  END  AT  THORNHAM,  NORFOLK. 

offering  the  sacramental  wafer  to  a  goose  with 
a  human  head  and  equivocal  cap.  Both 
foxes  and  geese  seem  to  have  been  favourite 
subjects  with  the  mediaeval  carver,  for  we  find 
them  repeated  with  slight  variations  time  after 
time.  The  choir  misericords  of  Manchester 
Cathedral  bear  figures  of  apes  and  foxes,  one 
of  which  is  running  off  with  a  goose.  In 
Faversham  Church,  Kent,  on  a  misericord 
a  fox  is  shown  carrying  off  three  hens.  In 
the  choir  of  Whalley  Church,  Lancashire, 
among  several  representations  full  of  humour, 
is  a  man  shoeing  a  goose.  At  Christchurch 
Priory,  Hants,  again  we  have,  on  the  miseri- 
cords, a  sailor  doing  battle  with  a  hungry 
goose  which  has  stolen  his  dinner.  Some 
old  benches  at  St.  Michael's,  South  Brent, 
Somersetshire,  show,  or  did  until  recently, 
among  a  variety  of  grotesque  carvings,  a  story 
of  retaliation,  where  a  fox  is  being  hanged 
by  the  geese,  with  two  young  ones  yelping  at 
the  bottom  ;  another  represents  a  fox,  crosier 
in  hand  and  mitre  on  head,  above  is  a  young 
fox  chained,  with  a  bag  of  money  in  his  right 
paw.  Geese,  cranes,  and  other  fowls  sur- 
round him,  all  hard  at  work  chattering  at  him. 
Below,  another  young  fox  is  depicted,  engaged 
in  the  delectable  employment  of  turning  a 
boar  on  a  spit. 


It  must  not  be  supposed  that  foxes  and 
geese  have  the  monopoly  of  these  quaint 
representations  ;  indeed,  I  had  almost  said 
every  animal  under  the  sun  could  be  found 
on  them  for  the  searching,  and,  moreover, 
many  strange  animals  (as  witness  the  gurgoyle 
at  North  W^alsham  illustrated  in  the  accom- 
panying sketch  by  Mr.  Andr^),  whose  proto- 
type could  neither  be  found  in  heaven,  on 
earth,  or  under  it.  A  carved  stone  found 
among  the  ruins  of  Lewes  Priory  represents 
one  monster's  head  within  the  jaws  of  a 
larger  monster ;  while  a  boss  from  the  de- 
stroyed nave  of  St.  Mary's  Overy,  South- 
wark  (now  called  "  St.  Saviour's  Collegiate 
Church  "),  shows  the  face  of  an  ogre  eating 
a  man,  who  is  being  bitten  in  two.  For 
illustrations  of  these  carvings  we  are  also 
indebted  to  Mr.  Andre. 

The  carved  figure  of  a  mermaid  is  to  be  seen 
in  Zennor  Church,  near  Penzance,  Cornwall. 
At  Eddlesborough,  a  mermaid  is  shown 
suckling  a  lion.  On  the  south  side  of  the 
choir  of  Exeter  Cathedral,  a  mermaid  and 
a  merman,  holding  a  circular  mirror  be- 
tween them,  is  exhibited  on  one  of  the 
misericords.  Another  upon  the  north  side 
shows  a  mermaid  holding  a  fish.  Among  the 
carvings  at  Christchurch  Priory,  Hants,  are 


BENCH    END    AT    THORNHAM,    NORFOLK 


SARCASM  AND  HUMOUR  IN  THE  SANCTUARY. 


183 


GARGOYLE  FROM  THE  RUINED  TOWER  OF  NORTH 
WALSHAM  CHURCH,  NORFOLK. 

mermaids,  dragons,  a  porpoise,  grififins,  beasts 
of  various  kinds,  and  fabled  monsters.  At 
St.  Michael's,  South  Brent,  aforesaid,  is  a 
monkey  at  prayers  ;  below,  another  of  his 
species,  holding  a  halberd,  and  an  owl  perched 
on  a  branch  over  his  head,  and  again  another 
monkey,  with  a  pair  of  bellows,  puffing  the 
fire.  Among  the  grotesque  carvings  upon 
the  arches  of  the  north  choir  aisle  of  Bristol 
Cathedral  we  have  a  monkey  playing  on  the 
Pan-pipes  ;  a  goat  blowing  a  horn,  and  carry- 
ing a  hare  slung  over  its  back,  a  ram  and  an 
ape  playing  upon  musical  instruments ;  and 
the  usual  fox  making  off  with  a  goose. 

A  stall  upon  the  north  side  of  the  chancel 
of  Boston  Church,  Lincolnshire,  exhibits 
another  jesting  sculpture  of  a  bear  playing 
upon  an  organ,  a  pig  upon  the  bagpipes, 
a  dog  accompanying  them  upon  a  drum. 
At  Holy  Trinity  Church,  Hull,  on  a  corbel 
over  the  last  column  at  the  west  end  of  the 
north  aisle,  is  depicted  an  angel  playing  on 
the  bagpipes.  At  Eddlesborough,  one  stall 
bears  two  frogs,  another  an  owl ;  and  a 
hedgehog  was,  or  is,  on  a  misericord  in  Cart- 


mell  Church,  Lancashire.  A  rabbit  habited 
as  a  pilgrim,  with  staff  and  scrip,  is  carved 
upon  the  entrance  of  the  small  chantry  chapel 
traditionally  called  the  Flemish  chapel,  in 
St.  Mary's  Church,  Beverley. 

Jesters  arrayed  in  cap  and  bells  are  carved 
upon  two  of  the  bench-ends  close  to  the 
entrance  of  St.  Levan  Church,  Cornwall. 
A  domestic  scene  of  an  old  woman  beating 
her  husband  with  a  ladle  is  a  relic  of  the  old 
conventual  church  of  Whalley,  Lancashire; 
while  a  misericord  in  the  chapel  of  Durham 
Castle  exhibits  a  picture  of  conjugal  affection 
of  quite  a  different  type,  showing  as  it  does  a 
man  driving  a  woman  (in  all  probability  his 
better  half)  in  a  wheelbarrow.  Among  the 
Bristol  Cathedral  stalls  we  have  a  comical 


STONE    FROM    LEWES    PRIORY. 


BOSS    FROM    ST.    MARY  S    OVERY. 

picture  of  a  tilting  match  with  brooms  between 
a  man  and  woman,  one  mounted  on  a  pig, 
the  other  horsed  on  what  to  all  appearance  is 
a  turkey-cock.  Fightings  and  combats  seem 
to  have  been  a  choice  subject  with  these 
mediaeval  workmen,  to  judge  by  their  frequent 
occurrence.  We  find  them  again  on  the  oak 
chancel  stalls  at  Halsall  Church,  Lancashire, 
where  a  priest  is  trying  to  interpose  himself 
between  the  combatants.  A  man  and  woman 
fighting  is  shown  also  in  a  quatrefoil  over  the 
south  aisle  door  in  York  Minster.  Here  also 
we  have  a  man  with  a  sword  and  a  circular 
shield  engaged  in  a  combat  with  a  lizard- 
shaped  monster,  and  in  quatrefoils  Samson 
with  the  lion,  and  Delilah  in  the  act  of  cutting 
off  his  hair.  Over  the  door  in  the  north  aisle 
a  woman  is  shown  setting  her  muzzled  dog  at 


184 


SARCASM  AND  HUMOUR  IN  THE  SANCTUARY. 


two  beasts ;  behind  stands  a  man  blowing  a 
horn.  At  the  sides  in  the  quatrefoils  a 
man  is  seen  drinking  and  being  attacked 
by  another,  and  a  man  driving  another  out 
of  his  house.  'I'he  misericords  of  Exeter 
Caihedral  (cut  down  to  fill  their  present 
places),  dating  from  the  thirteenth  century, 
and  probably  the  earliest  in  the  kingdom,- 
have,  too,  among  the  usual  grotesques, 
foliage,  etc.,  animals  (among  which  is  an 
elephant)  engaged  with  knights  in  combat, 
whose  greater  shields,  flat  helmets,  and  early 
armour  are  especially  noticeable.  Upon  the 
south  side  of  the  choir  a  knight  is  shown 
seated  in  a  boat  drawn  by  a  swan  ;  an  illus- 
tration of  the  romance  of  the  Chevalier  au 
Cygne — just  as  the  romance  of  Reynard  the 


GARGOYLE  AT  YATTON,  SOMERSET. 

Fox — is  found  sculptured  at  the  base  of  the 
central  pillar  of  the  Chapter  House,  Salis- 
bury. On  the  north  side  a  knight  is  seen 
attacking  a  leopard,  a  monster  upon  whose 
back  is  a  saddle  with  stirrups,  a  minstrel  with 
tabour  and  pipe,  and  a  knight  thrusting  his 
sword  into  a  grotesque  bird.  A  gargoyle  at 
Yatton,  Somerset,  of  which  Mr.  Andre  has 
kindly  sent  a  sketch,  shows  a  man  riding  on 
the  back  of  a  boar,  by  whose  open  jaw  he  is 
holding  on. 

Scenes  of  country  life  and  labour  are  not 
infrequent  in  these  carvings  and  sculptures. 
A  good  series  are  those  at  St.  Alban's  Abbey 
(now  Cathedral)  Church,  upon  the  upper  frieze 
of  the  watching  tower,  and  on  the  base  mould- 
ing of  the  gallery,  where  we  have  a  woman 
milking  a  cow  (the  east  face  of  the  tower  of 
Milverton  Church  bears  a  similar  subject) ;  a 
sow  and  a  litter  of  young  ones  (a  subject  fre- 


quently seen,  in  Devonshire,  carved  on  bosses 
of  church  roofs) ;  a  pig  pulled  down  by  dogs  ; 
a  chained  bear  attacked  by  dogs  ;  wrestlers ; 
a  reaper  and  corn  ;  and  figures  carrying  loaves 
in  a  basket ;  the  best  of  the  carvings  being 
on  the  north  side  towards  the  aisle.  Upon 
a  very  ancient  misericord  at  St.  German's, 
Cornwall,  is  the  representation  of  a  man 
carrying  a  hare  across  his  shoulder  on  a  stick; 
attended  by  dogs  in  couples.  One  of  the 
Worcester  Cathedral  stalls  bears  representa- 
tions of  three  mowers  upon  the  misericords, 
and  at  Wellingborough,  Northamptonshire,  is 
the  celebrated  "shoemaker"  misericord. 

Whilst  on  the  subject  of  cows,  mention 
should  be  made  of  the  famous  Dun  Cow 
of  Durham,  whose  sculpture,  attended  by 
two  women  in  the  costume  of  the  time  of 
George  III.,  occupies  the  place  of  the  ancient 
sculpture  at  the  north-east  end  of  the  east 
transept  of  the  Nine  Altars  placed  by  Bishop 
Flambard  early  in  the  twelfth  century,  which 
replaced  another  of  still  earlier  date  in  the 
original  cathedral  of  Bishop  Aldune.  Neither 
should  the  very  quaint  carvings  of  nursery 
rhymes  on  the  pews  of  Fawsley  Church, 
Northamptonshire,  be  forgotten,  which  include 
the  cat,  the  fiddle,  and  the  cow  jumping  over 
the  moon. 

Sometimes  the  subject  chosen  for  repre- 
sentation partook  very  decidedly  of  a  secular 
rather  than  of  an  ecclesiastical  nature,  as  the 
carvings  in  a  church  near  Wellingborough, 
where  is  a  representation  of  an  ale-wife  about 
to  fill  the  goblet  for  her  customer,  who  in  all 
the  felicity  of  anticipation  stands  by,  rubbing 
his  stomach  with  one  hand,  and  scratching 
his  head  with  the  other,  his  eyes  meanwhile 
glancing  sideways,  watching  the  "  tolling  out" 
process  with  delighted  satisfaction.  A  drink- 
ing figure  is  portrayed  also  upon  the  porch 
of  Chalk  Church,  Kent,  where  one  of  two 
grotesque  figures  holds  a  jug  with  both  hands, 
as  he  looks  upward  at  the  performances  of  a 
morrj^-dancer  or  tumbler.  Strangely  enough, 
in  a  niche  between  these  figures  is  an  image 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  to  whom  the 
church  is  dedicated. 

At  other  times  we  have  short  stories  set 
forth,  evidently  for  the  instruction  of  evil-doers, 
as,  for  example,  the  poppyhead  of  the  pre- 
centor's stall  in  the  choir  at  Lincoln,  where 
upon  its  three  sides  is  represented — first,  two 


SARCASM  AND  HUMOUR  IN  THE  SANCTUARY. 


185 


monkeys  churning  ;  secondly,  a  baboon  who 
has  stolen  the  pat  of  butter,  hiding  among 
the  trees  ;  and,  thirdly,  the  hanging  of  the 
thief,  the  churners  pulling  the  ropes,  and  the 
culprit  with  clasped  hands  offering  his  last 
prayer.  The  story  is  concluded  upon  one 
of  the  misericords  below,  where  the  baboon's 
lifeless  body  is  being  carried  to  burial  by  the 
executioners.  Upon  the  third  pier  of  the 
south  transept  of  Wells  Cathedral  is  such 
another  story  told  at  length.  Beginning  at 
the  side  nearest  the  south  window,  we  have  : 
(i.)  Two  men  stealing  grapes  from  a  vineyard  ; 
(ii.)  the  discovery  of  the  theft  by  the  vine- 
dressers, one  of  whom  carries  a  pitchfork  ; 
(iii.)  one  of  the  thieves  caught  by  the  ear,  and 
threatened  with  the  pitchfork  ;  and  (iv.)  the 
second  caught  and  receiving  castigation  with 
the  pitchfork.  1  he  expression  and  spirit  of 
all  these  sculptures  are  truly  admirable. 

Who  would  think  of  looking  for  ^sop's 
fables  upon  the  walls  of  a  church  ?  Yet  his 
fable  of  the  Fox  and  the  Crane  is  to  be  found 
sculptured  upon  the  north  doorway  of  Holt 
Church,  Worcestershire.  At  another  Wor- 
cestershire Church,  that  of  Bretforton,  the 
capital  of  one  of  the  late  Norman  arcades 
display^  the  legend  of  Maid  Margery,  who, 
according  to  the  story,  being  tempted  by 
the  devil,  and  resisting  him,  was  swallowed 
by  the  fiend,  but  fortunately,  having  a  crucifix 
in  her  hand,  she  burst  the  serpent  asunder, 
thus  escaping  unhurt.  Not  so  fortunate, 
however,  was  the  monk  at  Castle  Hedingham 
Church,  Essex,  who  is  seen  being  carried 
away  by  the  devil  slung  over  his  shoulder, 
and  held  down  by  his  heel.  Another  repre- 
sentation of  which  is,  or  was,  on  the  curious 
handle  on  the  north-west  door  of  St.  Nicholas' 
Church,  Gloucester,  where  a  fiend  is  repre- 
sented bearing  the  soul  of  a  witch  to  the 
infernal  regions.  The  little  demons  at  the 
feet  of  St.  Benedict,  from  a  painting  on  the 
screen  at  Burlingham  St.  Andrew,  Norfolk,  of 
which  Mr.  J.  L.  Andre  has  been  so  good  as 
to  send  the  accompanying  sketch,  introduce 
us  to  another  phase  of  the  grotesque  in  con- 
nection with  the  religious  art  of  the  Middle 
Ages. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  though  our  ancient 
friend,  the  mediaeval  carver  and  sculptor,  went 
to  Nature  for  the  often  very  exquisite  and 
wonderfully  realistic  adornment  of  his  capitals, 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


etc.,  and  took  the  wide  range  of  the  subjects 
of  everyday  life  as  his  models,  manipulating 
them  to  his  requirements,  he  did  not  forget 
also  to  draw  largely  upon  his  imagination, 
and  even  in  that,  too,  with  the  most  satis- 
factory results.  Subjects  the  most  common- 
place did  not  escape  him,  but  were  caught 


and  utilized  in  his  work,  as  witness  the  curious 
piscina  in  the  crypt  of  Wells  Cathedral,  close 
within  the  door,  where  in  the  hollow  appears 
a  sculptured  dog  gnawing  a  bone;  or  at 
Halsall  Church,  Lancashire,  where,  on  the 
stalls,  we  have  a  laughing  head;  or,  again, 
upon   the   Christchurch    Priory  misericords, 

BB 


[86 


SARCASM  AND  HVMOUR  IN  THE  SANCTUARY. 


where  a  weary  traveller  is  shown  extracting 
a  thorn  from  his  foot  (a  subject  repeated  on 
the  second  pier  of  the  south  transept,  Wells 
Cathedral,  where  is  also  represented  a  man 
in  the  throes  of  toothache),  and  upon  another 
a  monk  at  prayer,  while  a  lean-looking  dog 
is  eating  the  contents  of  his  porridge-pot. 
Here  also  we  have  three  men  arguing,  two 
having  the  thistle  and  shamrock  issuing  from 
their  mouths  (perhaps  a  solitary  instance  of 
the  use  of  mistletoe  in  ecclesiastical  decora- 
tion) is  seen  represented  on  the  label  and 
inner  moulding  of  one  of  Abbot  Knowles's 
recesses  in  the  third  and  fourth  bays  from 
the  east  m  the  Lady  Chapel  of  Bristol  Cathe- 
dral ;  an  artisan,  and  grotesques  and  hideous 
caricatures,  as  three  Hogarth-looking  faces 
beneath  one  hat,  a  head  with  ass's  ears,  etc. 

The  source  from  which  these  curious 
grotesques  and  carvings  of  impossible  dragons, 
apes,  demons,  cockatrices,  wyverns,  and  other 
monstrous  creatures  fearfully  and  wonder- 
fully conceived  and  executed,  was  derived 
was  most  probably  the  old  Bestiaries,  or 
books  of  natural  history  and  fable  ;  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  carvings  representing  the 
occupations  and  pastimes  of  the  months  and 
seasons— sowing,  reaping,  hunting,  hawking, 
and  so  on — were  probably  derived  from  the 
old  monastic  calendars,  which  were  wont  to 
be  illuminated  and  illustrated  with  such 
scenes. 

To  this  explanation  must  be  coupled  the 
fact  that,  in  the  days  of  the  conception  and 
execution  of  these  works,  travellers  to  any 
extent  were  comparatively  few,  and  these, 
as  their  own  accounts  of  their  voyages  and 
travels  bear  ample  witness,  came  back  to 
astonish  their  stay-at-home  brethren  with 
stories  truly  most  marvellous,  as  did  Sir 
John  de  Maundeville,  who  in  his  peregri- 
nations came  across  some  people  cruelly 
endowed,  if  true,  with  feet  as  large  as  the 
circumference  of  an  umbrella  ! 

In  one  of  the  recent  issues  of  the  Antiquary, 
a  lady  (authoress  of  a  work  on  Misericords) 
asked  for  further  information  on  the  subject. 
If  she  is  still  collecting  matter,  she  will  find 
a  great  store  in  the  illuminated  missals  and 
other  office-books  of  the  Mediaeval  Church. 
In  a  paper  contributed  by  the  Rev.  E.  S. 
Dewick  to  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  in  1895 
{Archceologia,  vol.  liv.  part  3),  on  a  MS.  Pon- 


tifical of  a  Bishop  of  Metz  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  is  shown  over  a  dozen  of  these 
grotesques  taken  from  the  tail  and  other 
ornamental  pieces,  e.g. :  (i.)  A  knight  attacking 
a  snail ;  (ii.)  The  knight's  farewell  of  his  lady 
before  going  forth  to  the  attack;  (iii.)  A  hare 
playing  upon  a  pair  of  organs ;  (iv.)  A  hare 
attacking  a  castle ;  (v.)  A  sailor  threatening  a 
hare  and  her  young  (in  swaddling  clothes)  to 
deprive  them  of  their  skins;  (vi.)  Hares  lead- 
ing a  man  to  prison  ;  (vii.)  Hares  skinning  a 
man ;  (viii.)  A  monkey  lecturing  a  class ; 
(ix.)  A  dropsical  man  consulting  a  monkey — 
his  leech;  (x.)  A  stork  consulting  a  monkey 
doctor,  etc. 

These  are  but  a  few  samples  of  the  many 
similar  pieces  shown  in  the  work,  in  which 
the  hare  alone  figures  in  no  less  than  forty- 
eight.  The  scheme  of  the  whole  composition 
is  the  turning  of  the  tables  by  the  animal 
upon  his  inveterate  foe,  the  man,  and  in  enter- 
taining him  to  the  precise  treatment  he  is  apt 
to  lavish  upon  himself.  In  short,  the  hare 
takes  his  place  in  the  work  as  the  man,  being 
folded  in  swaddling  clouts  at  its  birth,  and 
dying  with  clasped  hands  like  a  "real  Chris- 
tian." Or,  again,  the  monkey  disports  himself 
either  in  grave  studies,  such  as  medicine  and 
teaching,  or  in  such  frivolous  amusements  as 
bird-catching,  and  playing  on  the  tabor  and 
pipe. 

To  Mr.  J.  L.  Andre,  F.S.A.,  our  best 
thanks  are  due  for  the  contribution  of  original 
sketches  in  illustration  of  what  has  been  said 
in  this  paper. 


arcb^oloffical  Beto. 

[  IVe  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.^ 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  place  on  record  the  follow- 
ing paragraph  from  the  Daily  Graphic  of  April  20 : 

"  KiSSlNG-DAY    AT    HUNGERFORD. 

"  At  Hungerford,  in  Berkshire,  one  of  the  two 
remaining  unreformed  boroughs,  kissing-day,  or 
hock-tide,  as  it  is  locally  called,  was  celebrated 
yesterday.  The  ceremonies  began  last  Friday  with 
the  '  macaroni  supper  and  punchbowl,'  held  at  the 
John  of  Gaunt.  But  the  most  important  day  was 
yesterday,  when  at  an  early  hour  the  bellman  went 
round  the  borough,  commanding  all  those  who  held 
land  or  dwellings  within  the. confines  of  the  town 
to  appear  at  the  Hockney,  under  pain  of  a  poll-tax 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


187 


of  one  penny,  called  the  'head-penny.'  Lest  this 
warning  should  be  insufficient,  he  again  mounted 
to  the  balcony  of  the  Town  Hall,  where  he  blew  a 
blast  upon  an  ancient  trumpet.  Those  who  do  not 
obey  the  summons,  and  refuse  the  payment  of  the 
head-penny,  are  liable  to  lose  their  rights  to  the 
privileges  of  the  borough.  By  nine  o'clock  the  jury 
assembled  in  the  Town  Hall  for  the  transaction  of 
their  annual  business,  and  immediately  after  they 
had  been  sworn  in,  the  two  tithing  men  started  on 
their  round  of  the  town.  It  was  in  this  part  of  the 
proceedings  that  most  interest  was  taken,  for  the 
business  of  the  tithing-men  is  to  take  a  poll-tax  from 
every  male  inhabitant  and  a  kiss  from  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  the  burgesses.*  The  tithing-men  are 
known  as  tuttymen,  tutty  being  the  local  word  for 
pretty.  They  carried,  as  insignia  of  office,  short 
poles  decorated  with  blue  ribbon  and  choice  flowers, 
known  as  tutty-poles,  while  behind  them  walked  a 
man  bearing  a  heavy  weight  of  'tutty  oranges,'  it 
being  the  custom  to  bestow  an  orange  upon  every 
person  who  is  kissed  as  well  as  upon  the  school  and 
workhouse  children.  This  year  the  tuttymen  were 
the  respective  managers  of  the  two  banks,  the  Capital 
and  Counties  and  the  London  and  County.  The 
rights  of  office  having  been  duly  conferred  on  them, 
the  two  tuttymen  started  off  down  the  High  Street 
on  their  kissing  mission,  followed  by  the  orange- 
bearer  and  greeted  with  the  cheers  of  the  assembled 
people.  One  by  one  the  houses  were  entered,  and 
the  custom  observed  both  in  spirit  and  letter ;  nor 
was  it  confined  to  the  young  and  comely,  for  the 
old  dames  of  Hungerford  would  deem  themselves 
sadly  neglected  were  the  tuttymen  to  pass  them  by. 
Usually  these  officers  found  little  difficulty  in  carry- 
ing out  their  duties,  the  ladies  of  Hungerford  showing 
very  little  objection  to  the  observation  of  the  ancient 
customs.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  ceremony  the 
Chief  Constable  was  elected  into  the  chair.  A 
great  bowl  of  punch  was  placed  on  the  table  after 
dinner,  and  various  toasts  were  drunk.  One  was 
drunk  in  solemn  silence — that  of  John  of  Gaunt, 
who,  as  is  graven  on  the  old  summoning  horn, 
'  did  give  and  grant  the  Royal  fishing  in  Hunger- 
ford towne,'  the  horn  being  a  guarantee  of  their 
privileges." 

SALES. 
The  sale  of  the  celebrated  collection  of  works  of 
art  comprising  the  Heckscher  collection,  was  con- 
cluded at  Messrs.  Christie,  Manson,  and  Woods's 
on  May  6,  the  interest  and  keen  competition  being 
kept  up  to  the  last  lot.  The  total  realized  by  the 
324  lots  amounted  tO;^64,705  los.,  which  works  out 
at  an  average  of  ;^200  per  lot — certainly  one  of  the 
very  highest  averages  ever  realized  by  any  collection 
of  a  like  character.  The  first  day's  sale  averaged 
nearly  /280  per  lot.  In  1892  the  late  Mr.  Magniac's 
collection  of  1,554  lots  brought  a  total  of  ;^io3,ooo, 
or  an  average  of  rather  under  £^0  per  lot ;  whilst 
the  great  Hamilton  Palace  sale  of  1882,  with  its 
2,213  lots,  brought  a  total  of  ;f  397, 562,  which  shows 
an  average  of  rather  less  than  /180  per  lot.     Mr. 

*  Is  not  this  latter  statement  of  the  nature  of  a 
hoax  ? — Ed. 


Heckscher,  who  died  in  Paris  twelve  months  ago  at 
the  comparately  early  age  of  58,  was  born  and  partly 
educated  in  London.  He  was  connected  with  the 
insurance  business,  and  although,  like  all  other 
collectors,  when  he  first  started  collecting  he  bought 
much  that  was  inferior,  he  profited  by  his  mistakes, 
severely  weeding  out  the  rubbish  and  retaining  only 
the  choicest.  The  result  was  a  collection,  in  number 
small,  but  in  quality  of  the  very  highest  order. 
The  list  of  objects  forming  the  collection  is  un- 
fortunately too  long  for  us  to  give  them  separately ; 
and  as  most  of  them,  if  not  all,  were  foreign  and 
not  English,  there  is  perhaps  the  less  reason  for 
regretting  this.  The  collection  comprised  all  sorts 
of  works  of  art,  secular  and  ecclesiastical.  We 
may  mention  among  the  latter  several  Limoges 
enamels,  chalices,  reliquaries,  and  shrines,  as  well  as 
a  Carlovingian  liturgical  comb  of  the  ninth  century 
carved  in  relief,  and  measuring  8^  inches  by  4^ 
inches.  This  fetched  a  sum  of  £zio.  It  was 
formerly  in  the  Spitzer  collection,  when  it  was  sold 
for  3,000  francs. 

•¥  ^  ^ 
The  collection  of  Greek  and  English  coins  and  com- 
memorative medals,  the  property  of  the  late  Mr. 
Thomas  Miller  Whitehead,  was  sold  at  the  beginning 
of  May  by  Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson,  and  Hodge. 
We  borrow  the  following  report  from  the  Times  of 
May  6.  The  more  important  lots  were  :  Thurium 
Lucaniae,  tetradrachm,  head  of  Pallas  to  right, 
wearing  crested  helmet  adorned  with  Scylla,  a 
beautiful  piece,  £^\  (Rollin) ;  Hiero  II.  of  Syracuse, 
piece  of  32  litrae,  head  of  King  to  left,  wearing  a 
plain  diadem,  only  two  other  specimens  known,  one 
of  which  is  in  the  British  Museum,  /70  (Rollin)  ; 
Cromwell's  gold  crown,  by  Simon,  1658,  garnished 
shield  of  the  Protectorate  crowned,  an  extremely 
fine  pattern,  ^75  (Spink) ;  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
famous  "  Petition  "  crown  of  Charles  II.,  by  Simon, 
1663,  King's  bust  to  right,  draped  and  laureated, 
with  flowing  hair,  ;^i68  (Brown);  the  "  Reddite  " 
crown  of  Charles  II.,  by  Simon,  1663,  from  the 
same  dies  as  the  "Petition"  crown,  but  the  edge 
inscribed  "  Reddite.  Quae.  Caesaris.  Caesari.,"  etc., 
this  specimen  is  said  to  be  the  finest  known,  ;^io5 
(Spink) ;  George  III.  gold  crown  by  Pistrucci,  1818, 
a  brilliant  and  almost  unique  pattern,  ^26  (Spink) ; 
a  George  III.  five-pound  piece  by  the  same,  a 
brilliant  pattern,  ;^38  (Spink) ;  Victoria  gold  Gothic 
crown,  1847,  extremely  rare,  /40  (Spink).  The 
English  medals  included  a  beautiful  specimen  of 
the  Queen  Elizabeth  oval  silver  medallion  by  Simon 
Passe,  ;^43  (Spink) ;  Charles  I.,  on  the  dominion  of 
the  sea,  1630,  gold,  by  Nicholas  Briot,  ^'52  (Spink)  ; 
General  Monk,  1660,  gold,  by  Thomas  Simon,  bust 
of  Monk  to  right,  long  curly  hair,  ^53  (Spink)  ; 
Commonwealth  naval  reward,  1653,  known  as  the 
"Blake  Medal,"  in  gold,  by  Thomas  Simon,  in 
border  of  laurel  leaves,  a  medal  of  the  highest 
historical  interest  and  in  the  finest  possible  state, 
;^430  (Spink).  The  67  lots  of  coins  and  medals 
realized  /^i,595  us.,  or  just  ;^2o  more  than  they 
cost  the  late  owner." 

♦      ♦      * 
The    Ashburnham    Library.  —  Messrs.    Sotheby, 
Wilkinson,  and  Hodge  commenced  yesterday  the 

BB    2 


iS8 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


sale  of  the  third  and  final  portion  of  the  collection 
of  books  formed  by  the  late  Earl  of  Ashburnham. 
There  were  196  lots  in  yesterday's  sale,  and  the 
total  realized  amounted  to  /'a, 268.  The  principal 
books  were  as  follows :  Phoebus,  Comte  de  Foix, 
Phebus  des  deduiz  de  la  Chasse  des  Bestes  Sau- 
vaiges,  etc.,  Paris,  Verard,  about  1507,  a  fine  and 
perfect   copy  of  this   exceedingly   rare  book,  £^0 

Suaritch) ;  a  rare  edition  of  the  Proenico  di  Ser 
exandro  Braccio  al  prestantissimo  Giovanne 
Lorenzo  di  Pier  Francesco  de  medici,  etc.,  Florence, 
undated,  £go  (Quaritch) ;  Plinius  Secundus,  His- 
toria  Naturalis,  lib.  xxxvii.,  printed  upon  vellum  by 
Jenson  at  Venice  in  1472,  beautifully  illuminated  in 
the  highest  style  of  the  Renaissance  period,  £190 
(Quaritch) ;  another  edition  of  the  same  book, 
Tradosta  di  lingua  Latina  in  Fiorentina,  by 
Landino,  and  also  printed  on  vellum  by  Jenson,  in 
1476,  £?>o  (H.  Yates  Thompson);  A.  Pluvinel, 
LTnstruction  du  Roy  en  I'exercise  de  monter  a 
Cheval,  1625,  £^0  (Ellis)  ;  another  copy  of  the 
same  work,  issued  two  years  later,  the  plates 
coloured  and  heightened  with  gold,  £&?>  (Yates 
Thompson) ;  and  Thomas  Potts,  The  wonderfull 
Discoverie  of  Witches  in  the  Countie  of  Lancaster, 
1613,  a  copy  of  the  very  rare  original  edition,  /14 
(B.  F.  Stevens).  Of  Prayer-Books  there  were  fifty 
lots,  the  more  important  being :  A  fine  copy  of  the 
first  Common  Prayer  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign, 
1559,  exceedingly  rare,  ^^240  (Quaritch)  ;  an  in- 
teresting copy  of  a  later  issue  of  the  same  date, 
with  the  monogram  of  John  Evelyn  on  back  and 
sides,  and  his  arms  in  centres,  the  only  known  copy 
of  this  issue  which  contains  the  Psalter,  /148 
(Field  and  Co.)  ;  a  sound  copy  of  the  first  edition 
of  John  Knox's  Liturgy,  1565,  the  binding  stamped 
with  the  arms  within  the  garter  of  Francis  Russell, 
second  Earl  of  Bedford,  /150  (Quaritch)  ;  The 
Booke  of  Common  Prayer,  printed  by  R.  Barker, 
1604,  sold  with  all  faults,  /Si  (Field  and  Co.) ;  and 
one  of  two  sets  on  vellum  of  Pickering's  Reprints 
of  various  Prayer-Books,  £^0.  The  nine  lots  of 
Primers  included  the  Prymer  of  Salysbury  Use, 
newly  emprynted  at  Parys,  1531,  exceedingly  rare, 
on  vellum,  £85  (Quaritch)  ;  another,  printed  at 
Paris  in  the  month  of  August,  1532,  ;^39  (Quaritch) ; 
and  A  Goodly  Prymer  in  English,  printed  in  Fleet 
Street  by  John  Byddell  for  Wylliam  Marshall, 
June  16,  1535,  on  vellum,  and  probably  unique, 
quite  perfect,  ^'225  (Quaritch).  Of  nineteen  editions 
of  the  Psalter  we  may  specially  mention  :  Psalterium 
ex  madato  victoriosissimi  Anglie  Regis  Henrici 
Septimi,  printed  by  William  Facques,  1504,  a  quite 
perfect  copy  of  this  excessively  rare  Psalter  pub- 
lished by  command  of  Henry  VIL,  only  two  others 
known,  with  the  autograph  of  Arthur  Nowell,  1588, 
on  last  leaf,  /'loo  (Quaritch). — Times,  May  10. 

*  *  * 
Yesterday's  portion  of  this  celebrated  library,  now 
being  dispersed  by  Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson, 
and  Hodge,  realized  a  total  of  ^'2,185  i8s.,  and  in- 
cluded the  following  :  Claudius  Ptolemseus,  Cosmo- 
graphia,  a  complete  set  of  the  twenty-seven  maps 
from  the  rare  edition  of  Peter  de  Turre,  printed  at 
Rome  in  1490,  £ie^  los.  (H.  Stevens)  ;  F.  Rabelais, 
Les  CEuvres,   1556,  a  rare  edition,  containing  the 


first  four  books  only,  /■12  los.  (Ellis) ;  the  same, 
La  Plaisante  et  Joyeuse  Histoyre  du  Grand  Geant 
Gargantua,  the  first  four  Livres,  of  which  three  are 
the  genuine  Valence  edition,  and  of  which,  accord- 
ing to  Brunei,  only  two  copies  are  known,  and  the 
fourth  book  is  of  the  genuine  first  edition,  £6^ 
(Quaritch) ;  the  same,  Les  Songs  Drolatique  de 
Pantagruel,  1565,  a  fine  copy  of  the  first  edition, 
£^1  (Bain);  Sir  Walter  Ralegh,  The  Discoverie  of 
the  Large,  Rich,  and  Bewtiful  Empire  of  Guiana, 
1596,  first  edition,  extremely  rare,  £2,1  (Jackson). 
Four  small  quarto  volumes,  containing  altogether 
124  extremely  rare  Italian  pieces  known  as  rappre- 
sentationi,  all  printed  during  the  sixteenth  or  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  centuries,  and  each  piece 
usually  consisting  of  about  eight  or  ten  leaves, 
brought  the  remarkable  total  of  ;^7i2,  three  of  the 
volumes  being  purchased  by  Mr.  Aubrey  and  one 
by  Mr.  Quaritch.  Hugh  Rodes,  The  Booke  of 
Nurture  for  Men  Servauntes  and  Children,  a  small 
oblong  quarto  of  twenty-two  leaves,  printed  in 
1568,  and  supposed  to  be  unique,  first  edition,  £ij 
(Quaritch) ;  Roman  de  la  Rose,  one  of  the  earliest 
editions  known,  printed  absque  nota  upon  vellum, 
with  all  the  woodcuts  finely  painted  like  miniatures, 
but  with  the  title  and  the  leaf  in  facsimile,  /355 
(Pickering) ;  a  perfect  copy  of  the  edition  of  the 
same,  printed  in  Paris,  1525,  £iS  (Hazlitt) ; 
W.  Roy,  Rede  me  and  be  note  wrothe,  for  I  saye 
no  Thynge  but  Trothe,  cifca  1526,  the  first  edition  of 
this  satire  against  Cardinal  Wolsey,  ;f  30  (Quaritch) ; 
G.  Sabadino,  Poretone,  settanta  novelle,  Venice, 
1510,  a  fine  copy  of  an  extremely  rare  edition, 
£ii'i  (C.  Smith)  ;  a  small  quarto  volume  containing 
rare  tracts  relating  to  French  matters,  chiefly  in 
the  reign  of  Francis  I.,  including  the  tract  contain- 
ing the  treaty  of  peace  between  Louis  XIL  and 
Henry  VIII.  of  England,  dated  1514,  £^^5 
(Quaritch). — Times,  May  11. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 
Society  of  Antiquaries.  —  April  23.  —  Annual 
meeting. — Mr.  P.  Norman,  treasurer,  and  afterwards 
Viscount  Dillon,  president,  in  the  chair. — Mr.  E. 
W.  Brabrook  and  Mr.  W.  G.  Thorpe  were  appointed 
scrutators  of  the  ballot  — The  following  were  elected 
members  of  council  and  officers  for  the  ensuing 
year  :  president.  Viscount  Dillon  ;  vice-presidents, 
Sir  H.  H.  Howorth,  Sir  J.  Evans,  Mr.  Everard 
Green  ;  treasurer,  Mr.  P.  Norman ;  director,  Mr. 
F.  G.  Hilton  Price;  secretary,  Mr.  C.  H.  Read; 
other  members  of  the  council,  Messrs.  W.  P. 
Baildon,  E.  A.W.  Budge,  J.J.  Cartwright,  L.  H.  Cust. 
H.  A.  Grueber,  W.  J.  Hardy,  F.  J.  Haverfield,  H. 
Jenner,  J.  T.  Micklethwaite,  W.  H.  Richardson, 
M.  Stephenson,  H.  R.  Tedder,  and  J.  W.  Willis- 
Bund,  and  Capt.  Telfer. — The  president  delivered 
his  annual  address,  containing  obituary  notices  of 
deceased  Fellows,  especially  Sir  A.  W.  Franks,  late 
president,  and  reviewing  the  principal  events  con- 
nected with  the  society  during  the  past  year. — 
Athenaum,  April  30. 

*      =*f      ♦ 
Society   of   Antiquaries. — April    28. — Viscount 
Dillon,  president,  in  the  chair. — Capt.  Myers  was 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


189 


admitted  a  Fellow. — The  president  announced  that 
he  had  appointed  Mr.  J.  T.  Micklethwaite  to  be  a 
vice-president. — The  society's  accounts  for  1897 
were  read,  and  thanks  voted  to  the  auditors  and  to 
the  treasurer. — The  Rev.  Dr.  Cox  exhibited  a  gold 
ring  with  the  device  of  a  cockatrice's  head  and  leg, 
with  the  inscription  "  yn  to  wode,"  found  in  Nor- 
folk; also  a  bronze  late  Celtic  ornament,  a  Saxon 
comb,  and  a  bronze  stylus,  all  found  in  Northamp- 
tonshire.— Mr.  T.  J.  George  exhibited  two  gold 
British  coins  and  other  antiquities  found  in 
Northampton. — Mr.  Somers  Clarke,  as  local  secre- 
tary for  Egypt,  communicated  a  report  on  the  con- 
striction of  the  proposed  dam  at  Assouan  and  its 
effect  upon  the  buildings  on  the  island  of  Philae. 
Owing  to  the  opposition  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries and  other  learned  bodies,  the  original 
scheme,  which  would  have  involved  the  total  sub- 
mergence of  the  island  and  of  half  the  Nubian 
valley  by  a  colossal  reservoir  not  less  than  one 
hundred  miles  in  length,  had  now  been  considerably 
modified,  and  under  the  revised  scheme  the  water- 
level  will  be  twenty-seven  feet  lower  than  at  first 
proposed.  Had  the  original  scheme  been  carried 
out,  not  only  would  nothing  have  been  seen  of 
Philae  and  its  buildings  for  part  of  the  year,  except 
the  upper  part  of  the  pylons,  but  the  temples  south 
of  Philae,  at  Dabod,  Qartassi,  Tafa,  Kalabsha, 
Dendur,  and  Dakka,  would  all  have  been  more  or 
less  submerged,  and  must  sooner  or  later  have 
fallen.  Under  the  revised  scheme  only  Philae  will 
be  seriously  affected,  and  the  Department  of  Public 
Works  at  Cairo  is  doing  all  that  can  be  done  to 
reduce  the  evil  to  a  minimum.  For  a  short  time 
each  year  the  whole  surface  of  the  island,  excepting 
the  site  of  the  Temple  of  Isis,  will  be  covered  with 
water.  The  strengthening  of  the  foundations  of 
the  stone  buildings  will  prevent  their  sustaining  any 
damage,  but  the  very  interesting  brick  buildings  of 
the  Christian  period,  including  the  remains  of  an 
early  church,  will  inevitably  be  resolved  into  their 
primitive  mud.  The  small  temple  or  porch  of 
Nectanebo,  at  the  south  end  of  the  island,  will 
be  immersed  to  nearly  the  whole  height  of  its 
columns,  and  as  it  is  much  ruined  will  be  difficult 
to  maintain.  All  painted  sculpture  and  decoration 
on  the  buildings  will,  of  course,  be  destroyed  by  the 
water ;  but  there  is  no  reason  to  think  that  the  stone 
itself  will  suffer.  The  deposit  of  mud  on  the  sub- 
merged floors  will  probably  be  less  than  that  which 
is  annually  removed  from  the  temple  at  Luxor,  owing 
to  the  water-level  at  Philae  not  being  raised  artificially 
until  some  time  after  the  fullest  Nile  flood.  The 
deposit  of  mud  does  not  stick  to  the  walls.  Although 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  antiquary  and  the  artist 
the  necessity  for  making  the  reservoir  is  to  be  de- 
plored, it  is  impossible  to  shut  one's  eyes  to  the 
immense  importance  of  it  to  the  agricultural  interests 
of  the  country,  and  there  is,  unfortunately,  no  other 
site  between  Wadi  Haifa  and  Cairo  where  a  dam 
could  be  raised  with  so  great  security  and  economy. 
Mr.  Clarke  also  communicated  an  account  of  some 
important  excavations  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  town 
of  Nekhen,  or  El  Kom  el  Ahmar  as  it  is  now  called, 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Quibell.  These  resulted  in 
the  discovery  of  a  bronze  hawk,  full-size,  ornamented 


with  gold  ;  a  terra-cotta  lion  ;  a  statue  of  a  king  in 
bronze  and  rather  above  life  size  ;  and  a  remarkable 
group  of  ivories,  statuettes,  mace  heads,  flint  knives, 
etc.,  all  of  the  earliest  Old  Empire.  Of  the  ivory 
objects  there  were  quite  a  hundred,  but  unfortunately 
all  are  in  a  very  decayed  state.  Mr.  Clarke  further 
reported  that  the  new  director  of  the  Department  of 
Antiquities  (M.  Loret)  had  already  begun  to  ex- 
cavate at  Thebes,  where  he  had  opened  the  tombs 
of  Thothmes  II.  and  III.,  Amenhetep  II.  and  III., 
and  Rameses  IV.  and  VIII.  It  is  to  be  deplored 
that,  whilst  the  whole  administration  of  the  depart- 
ment is  rotten  to  the  core,  and  needs  thorough 
reform,  the  limited  funds  at  his  command  should  be 
spent  in  one  direction  only  ;  whilst  the  museum  re- 
mains a  chaos,  the  great  historic  monuments  are 
ill-protected  and  falling  to  decay,  and  sites  brimming 
with  history  are  ravaged  by  curiosity  dealers.— 
Athmceum,  May  7. 

*  *      * 

Society  of  Antiquaries. — May  5. — Sir  H.  H. 
Howorth,  vice-president,  in  the  chair. — The  Rev.  F. 
Sanders  was  admitted  a  Fellow. — Mr.  F. Tress  Barry 
exhibited  a  quantity  of  animal  bones,  flint  imple- 
ments, and  a  sword-blade  of  early  mediaeval  date, 
from  the  Thames  at  Windsor  and  a  cutting  at 
Boveney  Lock. — Dr.  Mansel  Sympson  exhibited  a 
cocoa-nut  cup  mounted  in  silver,  of  the  early  part 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  used  as  a  communion- 
cup  in  Yarborough  Church,  Lincolnshire. — Mr.  E. 
Peacock  exhibited  an  original  agreement  between 
the  priories  of  Blyth  and  Monk  Bretton,  relative  to 
tithes  in  the  manor  of  Bolton-super-Dern,  1392. — 
Mr.  W.  J.  Hardy  read  some  notes  on  a  lawsuit  as 
to  the  Princess  Elizabeth  Stuart's  jewels. — Mr.  W. 
P.  Baildon  called  attention  to  the  threatened  de- 
struction of  the  domestic  buildings  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's Hospital,  Oxford,  which  were  rebuilt  during 
the  Commonwealth,  and  moved  the  following  reso- 
lution, which  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Micklethwaite, 
and  carried  unanimously:  ""The  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries of  London  has  heard  with  regret  that  there 
is  a  possibility  of  the  domestic  buildings  connected 
with  St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital  at  Oxford  being 
destroyed,  and  would  venture  to  urge  upon  the 
authorities  the  importance  of  preserving  these  as 
well  as  the  religious  buildings."  Copies  of  this 
resolution  were  directed  to  be  forwarded  to  the 
Charity  Commissioners,  the  Provost  of  Oriel,  the 
Town  Clerk  of  Oxford,  Viscount  Valentia,  M.P. 
for  the  city,  and  Mr.  Haverfield,  local  secretary. — 
Athenaum,  May  14. 

*  *      * 

At  a  general  meeting  of  the  Royal  Arch^ological 
Institute,  on  May  6,  Mr.  Andrew  Oliver  exhibited 
and  described  rubbings  of  brasses  from  Whaddon, 
Dauntsey,  and  Broughton  Gifford,  Wilts,  and 
Childrey,  Berks. 

Professor  Boyd-Dawkins,  F.R.S.,  F.S.A.,  read  a 
paper  on  the  excavations  made  in  Hod  camp,  near 
Blandford,  in  1897.  This  fortress  of  Hod  Hill  forms 
one  of  a  series  of  strongholds  on  the  River  Stour,  to 
guard  the  country  to  the  east  from  attack  from  the 
direction  of  the  low-lying  valley  of  Blackmore. 
Hod  Hill  stands  on  the  edge  of  a  precipitous  chalk 
cliff  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Stour,  at  a  height 


1 90 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


of  over  400  feet  above  the  sea.  It  consists  of  a  series 
of  three  ramparts  and  two  fosses  on  every  side  except- 
ing the  west,  facing  the  river,  which  itself  forms  the 
second  fosse.  It  is  roughly  rectangular  in  form,  with 
rounded  angles.  There  is  an  inner  camp  within 
and  to  the  north-east  angle  of  the  Hod  camp,  known 
locally  as  Lydsbury  Rings,  and  fortified  entirely  on 
a  different  principle  to  that  of  the  outer.  Professor 
Boyd-Dawkins  assigned  this  inner  camp  to  the  work 
of  the  Roman  engineer,  whereas  the  outer  strong- 
hold belongs  to  the  time  immediately  before  the 
Roman  conquest,  or,  in  other  words,  to  a  late  period 
in  the  prehistoric  Iron  Age.  The  interior  of  both 
fortresses  contained  unmistakable  traces  of  occupa- 
tion in  circular  pits,  and,  in  the  outer  fortress,  in 
circular  enclosures.  The  pits  in  the  outer  fortress, 
sunk  from  three  to  six  feet  in  the  chalk,  are  the 
bases  of  old  habitations,  more  or  less  filled  with 
refuse,  and  had  flat  bottoms.  The  refuse  belongs 
to  two  different  periods :  that  at  the  base  to  the 
prehistoric  Iron  Age,  and  contained  rough  and 
coarse  pottery,  bones  of  domestic  animals.  The 
weights  of  the  loom  pointed  in  the  direction  of 
weaving.  In  some  were  fragments  of  human  bones, 
and  in  one  a  perfect  skeleton  was  discovered,  proving 
that  the  body  had  been  interred  resting  on  its  side 
in  a  crouching  posture,  a  mode  of  burial  prevalent 
in  Britain  from  the  Neolithic  Age.  In  the  upper 
stratum  unmistakable  proof  of  Roman  influence 
was  to  be  seen  in  the  fragments  of  Roman  pottery, 
including  Samian  ware,  the  iron  fibulae,  and  oyster 
shells.  The  exploration  of  the  pits  within  the 
Roman  fortress  revealed  the  date  of  this  occupa- 
tion. Roman  remains  of  various  kinds  were  met 
with.  Among  the  coins  were  one  of  Augustus, 
struck  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  and  one  of  Caligula. 
With  the  exception  of  one  coin  of  Trajan,  the  whole 
series  belong  to  an  early  period  in  the  Roman  con- 
quest, or  immediately  before.  It  may,  therefore, 
be  inferred  that  the  military  occupation  was  not 
continued  far  into  the  second  century  after  Christ. 

*  *  * 
At  the  meeting  of  the  British  Arch^ological 
Association,  on  April  20.  Mr.  C.  H.  Compton,  vice- 
president,  in  the  chair,  some  further  particulars  of 
the  ancient  font  recently  discovered  at  Bassingham, 
Lincolnshire,  were  contributed  by  the  rector,  the 
Rev.  W.  A.  Mathews,  through  Mr.  J.  T.  Irvine, 
accompanied  by  an  excellent  photograph.  The 
font  has  been  thoroughly  cleansed  and  placed 
where  it  will  no  longer  be  overgrown  with  shrubs  and 
vegetation.  [Why  has  it  not  been  replaced  in  the 
church  ? — Ed.] — A  paper  by  Mr.  G.  G.  Irvine  upon 
the  well-known  church  and  well  of  St.  Doulough, 
CO.  Dublin,  was  read  by  Mr.  Patrick,  hon.  secretary. 
The  church  is  about  eight  miles  north-east  of 
Dublin,  not  far  from  the  battle-field  of  Clontarf, 
and  at  one  time  was  the  centre  of  a  considerable 
village,  of  which  many  ruined  dwellings  remain. 
There  is  also  a  very  good  plain  granite  cross  of 
early  type  at  the  cross-roads  leading  to  the  church. 
The  ground-plan  of  the  church  is  in  two  divisions, 
the  easternmost  being  much  the  larger,  vaulted  and 
groined,  but  without  ribs.  A  modern  church  ad- 
joins it  on  the  north,  from  which  it  is  now  entered, 
although  there  was  most  probably  an  external  door 


on  that  side  originally.  In  a  recess  formed  by  one 
of  the  windows  in  the  south  wall  is  a  curious  stair- 
case leading  up  to  a  long  room,  which  runs  the 
whole  length  of  the  building,  forming  an 'upper 
floor.  The  walls  of  the  church  are  carried  up,  and 
make  a  square  tower  in  the  centre,  with  embattled 
parapet.  The  eastern  portion  of  the  ground-floor 
is  14  feet  6  inches  to  the  crown  of  the  vault,  but  the 
western  portion  is  in  two  heights,  a  priests'  chamber 
occupying  the  upper  part,  and  rising  into  the  long 
chamber  above,  where  it  forms  a  raised  floor  of 
four  steps.  There  are  several  stairs  leading  to 
various  parts  of  the  building  and  to  the  tower,  and 
the  whole  arrangement  is  quaint  in  the  extreme. 
The  church  dates  probably  from  the  beginning  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  and  is  one  of  a  type  of 
buildings  peculiar  to  Ireland.  The  well  is  situated 
to  the  north-east  of  the  church,  and  is  in  character 
with  it.  There  is  also  a  curious  underground 
chamber,  roofed  with  a  circular  barrel  vault,  and 
approached  by  a  very  narrow  flight  of  steps  from 
the  ground-level.  It  was  probably  the  baptistery. 
— Mr.  J.  C.  Gould  drew  attention  to  the  cross,  holy 
well,  and  baptistery  near  the  church  of  St.  Cleer, 
in  Cornwall,  and  mentioned  that  in  the  tower  was 
suspended  a  ringers'  board  bearing  some  quaint 
lines. 

^♦c  *  * 
Numismatic. — April  21 . — Sir  John  Evans,  president, 
in  the  chair. — Mr.  W.  Clinton  Baker,  Mr.  L  Forrer, 
and  Mr.  J.  Mewburn  Levien  were  elecied  members, 
and  Mr.  F.  W.  Madden  an  honorary  member. 
— The  president  gave  a  detailed  account  of  a  large 
hoard  of  Roman  Imperial  silver  coins  recently 
found.  It  consisted  of  3,169  pieces,  denarii  and 
argentei  antoniniani,  covering  a  period  of  about 
160  years  from  Nero  to  Severus  Alexander.  The 
later  coins  were  in  fine  condition,  especially  the 
argentei,  which,  though  rarely  found  in  England, 
were  present  in  considerable  number.  The  writer 
drew  attention  to  several  varieties  of  types  hitherto 
not  known,  and  to  some  which  were  unpublished. — 
AthmcBiim,  April  30. 

^♦c  *  * 
The  eighth  annual  meeting  of  the  British  Record 
Society  was  held  on  May  5  at  the  Heralds'  College, 
Queen  Victoria  Street.  Lord  Hawkesbury  pre- 
sided. From  the  report  of  the  council,  it  appeared 
that  during  1897  880  pages  of  various  printed 
calendars  of  wills  or  abstracts  of  original  documents 
were  distributed  to  each  of  the  230  subscribers. 
The  number  of  volumes  now  forming  the  "Index 
Library"  amounts  to  18.  The  chairman  moved 
the  adoption  of  the  report  and  accounts,  which  was 
carried.  The  Marquis  of  Bute  was  re-elected  presi- 
dent, while  Lord  Hawkesbury,  Lord  Aldenham, 
Lord  Amherst  of  Hackney,  Sir  Francis  Jeune,  the 
Bishop  of  Oxford,  the  Earl  of  Rosebery,  and  Sir 
Horace  Rurabold  were  re-elected  vice-presidents  for 
the  ensuing  year. 

♦  ♦  * 
The  concluding  meeting  of  the  present  session  of  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland  was  held 
at  the  Museum,  Queen  Street,  on  May  9.  We  are 
indebted  to  a  report  in  the  Scotsman  for  our  account 
of  the  meeting.     In  the  first  paper  the  Bishop  of 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


191 


Edinburgh  (Dr.  Dowden)  discussed  the  inscriptions 
on  the  early  Christian  monuments  at  Kirkmadrine, 
Wigtownshire.  No  one  had  questioned,  and  prob- 
ably no  competent  student  of  Christian  antiquity 
would  question,  that  Dr.  Joseph  Anderson  was  right 
in  declaring  the  Kirkmadrine  stones  to  be  "  the  oldest 
inscribed  Christian  monuments  in  Scotland."  It 
was  impossible,  however,  to  do  more  than  approxi- 
mately determine  the  date  of  the  inscriptions. 
The  character  of  the  symbolical  decoration  is, 
according  to  the  same  authority,  "  suggestive  of  a 
period  which  at  the  latest  cannot  be  far  distant  from 
the  time  of  the  Roman  occupation."  These  stones 
may  belong  to  the  time  of  St.  Ninian,  but  it  will  be 
prudent  to  allow  a  large  margin  on  this  side  of  that 
period — say  of  a  hundred  years  or  thereby.  In  the 
second  paper,  Professor  Rhys,  Principal  of  Jesus 
College,  Oxford,  gave  a  revised  account  of  the  inscrip- 
tions of  the  Northern  Picts,  supplementary  to  the 
general  description  of  these  epigraphs,  which  he  had 
given  five  years  ago.  Relinquishing  the  attempt  to 
establish  the  relationship  of  the  Pictish  language 
to  the  Basque,  he  still  held  to  the  position  that  it 
was  not  Celtic,  nor  Aryan.  After  referring  to  the 
Colchester  tablet  bearing  an  inscription  of  the  time 
of  the  Emperor  Severus,  in  commemoration  of  his 
victory,  by  Lossio  Veda,  grandson  of  Vepogen,  a 
Caledonian,  which  formed  a  fitting  introduction  to 
the  study  of  the  Pictish  inscriptions  north  of  the 
Forth,  he  went  on  to  discuss  the  particular  inscrip- 
tions in  detail,  with  a  view  to  their  interpretation  and 
chronological  arrangement.  In  the  third  paper,  Mr. 
A.  G.  Reid,  Auchterarder,  gave  an  account  of  the 
discovery  on  the  farm  of  Bailielands,  by  Mr.  James 
Sharp,  of  an  urn  of  the  drinking-cup  type,  deposited 
with  an  unburnt  burial  enclosed  in  a  cyst,  and  of  a 
fine  bronze  sword,  19  inches  in  length,  which  was 
found  in  digging  a  drain  about  200  yards  from  the 
cist.  The  urn  and  sword  were  exhibited  to  the 
meeting.  In  the  fourth  paper,  Mr.  Malcolm  Mac- 
kenzie Charleson  described  a  number  of  stone 
implements,  including  a  slab  with  three  small  cup- 
marks,  made  not  in  the  ordinary  way,  but  by  a 
rotating  tool,  and  surrounded  by  an  irregularly 
oval  line,  which  was  found  in  a  recently-excavated 
burial  mound ;  a  fine  stone  axe-hammer,  with  the 
perforation  begun  from  both  sides,  but  not  com- 
pleted ;  a  stone  lamp  ;  a  whorl  of  steatite,  with  an 
inscription  scratched  round  it  in  runes ;  two  fine 
flint  arrowheads  ;  a  human  skull,  and  a  part  of  the 
skull  of  Bos  longifrons ;  and  other  relics  of  the 
early  inhabitants  of  Orkney,  chiefly  found  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Stromness,  and  most  of  which 
he  had  presented  to  thg  museum.  In  the  fifth 
paper.  Dr.  William  W.  Ireland  gave  notices  of  the 
Scottish  De  Quincys,  chiefly  of  the  families  of  Faw- 
side  and  Leuchars,  tracing  their  connection  with 
the  great  English  De  Quincys.  Dr.  Joseph  Ander- 
son gave  the  report  of  the  cave  at  Oban  which  is 
noticed  elsewhere,  in  the  "  Notes  of  the  Month." 

At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries OF  Newcastle,  held  on  April  27,  the 
secretary  (Mr.  R.  Blair)  presented  to  the  institution, 
on  behalf  of  Mrs.  Oakleigh,  of  Newland,  in  Glouces- 
tershire, a  small  Roman  lamp,  which  was  discovered 
in  the  North  of  Spain  last  year.— Mr.  R.  O.  Heslop 


stated  that  a  portion  of  the  Town  Wall  had  been 
discovered  in  excavating  beneath  the  Exchange,  on 
the  Sandhill.  The  discovery  had  been  made,  in 
the  first  place,  of  three  large  balls  of  sandstone  ; 
secondly,  of  four  more,  and,  as  the  work  proceeded, 
outside  the  Exchange,  at  a  depth  of  between  3  and 
4  feet,  a  complete  set  of  fourteen  balls  was  dis- 
covered. The  curators  had  been  able  to  secure 
the  greater  part  of  this  find  for  the  Castle,  and  they 
were  now  in  the  guard-room.  The  society  was 
now  in  possession  of  a  great  many  such  balls. 
They  had  frequently  been  the  subject  of  banter  on 
the  part  of  visitors,  who  alleged  that  the  balls 
had  been  obtained  from  some  ornamental  garden. 
These,  however,  were  found  just  at  the  spot  where 
they  would  naturally  gravitate  from  the  Half  Moon 
Battery.  He  thought  that  the  balls  were  missiles 
fired  from  the  keep  of  the  Castle.  Some  of  the 
balls  which  were  got  from  the  river  Tyne  were 
inscribed  with  the  Roman  numeral  XII.,  and  some 
of  those  now  found  had  the  corresponding  numeral. 
They  were  of  various  sizes,  the  smallest  measuring 
12^  inches  in  circumference.  They  were  of  great 
weight,  weighing  from  three  to  four  hundredweight. 
The  engine  or  catapult  by  which  these  were  thrown 
must  have  been  very  powerful  indeed.  He  fancied 
that  their  use  for  defensive  purposes  would  be  much 
simplified  if  the  balls  were  rolled  along  the  parapet 
and  turned  into  a  shoot.  They  would  then  be  very 
formidable.  He  moved  that  thanks  should  be  given 
to  the  directors  of  the  Exchange  for  their  gift, 
through  Alderman  W.  H.  Stephenson.  Mr.  Eccles 
had  suggested  that  three  of  the  largest  of  these  balls 
should  be  placed  on  pedestals  in  the  renovated 
Exchange.  Thus,  these  would  remain  on  the  site 
where  they  were  recovered,  with  a  suitable  tablet 
setting  forth  all  particulars. — Mr.  Gibson  (Hexham) 
suggested  that  the  balls  were  cannon-balls.  —  Mr. 
Heslop  did  not  think  so,  as  many  of  them  were  too 
rough  to  be  used  in  ordnance. — It  was  agreed  that 
the  society  should  take  over  the  work  of  the  North- 
umberland Excavation  Committee,  at  the  latter's 
request,  and  that  an  appeal  should  be  made  for 
subscriptions  to  carry  on  the  work. — Dr.  Hodgkin 
remarked  that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  they  were 
able  to  excavate  the  whole  of  a  Roman  camp. — Mr. 
Richard  Welford  read  a  paper,  by  Professor  Terry, 
of  the  Durham  College  of  Science,  on  the  visits  to 
Newcastle  of  Charles  I.  The  following  is  a  sum- 
mary of  the  discoveries  made  by  the  writer :  i.  That 
Bourne  and  Brand  are  wrong  in  their  account  of 
Charles's  reception  in  Newcastle  in  May,  1646. 
2.  The  residence  of  Charles  and  the  Court  is  con- 
stantly referred  to  as  that  of  Sir  Francis  Liddell. 
Leven  and  also  Governor  Lumsden  had  lived  in  it, 
and  the  latter's  wife  had  to  turn  out  to  make  room 
for  Charles.  3.  The  tradition  of  Charles's  projected 
escape  is  amply  confirmed,  and  the  story  pieced 
together,  mainly  from  the  depositions  of  the  man 
who  was  chiefly  concerned  in  arranging  it.  4.  Various 
references  to  the  action  and  conduct  of  the  chief 
local  men  of  the  time.  5.  Interesting  items  regard- 
ing Stephen  Bulkley,  the  printer,  who  arrived  in 
Newcastle  from  York  about  November  16,  1646. 
6.  Various  accounts  of  Charles  at  golf  in  the  Shield 
Field,  showing  that  Newcastle  can  claim  one  of  the 
oldest  links  in  the  kingdom.     7.  The  date  of  the 


192 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


Scotch  preacher  episode  —  Sunday,  December  6, 
1646,  and  records  01  other  sermons  preached  before 
the  King,  none  of  them,  however,  bearing  any 
reference  to  St.  Nicholas  as  the  place  of  delivery, 
and  one  of  them  being  distinctly  assigned  to  the 
King's  dining-room. — Mr.  Hodgkin  (secretary)  read 
a  short  paper  by  Mr.  John  Ventress  on  "  Merchants* 
Marks  in  St.  Nicholas's  Church,  Newcastle." 


Eet)ieU)0  anD  I13otice0 
of  Jl^eto  IBooks. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.^ 

East  Anglia  and  the  Great  Civil  War.  By 
Alfred  Kingston.  Cloth,  crown  8vo.  London  : 
Elliot  Stock. 

In  this  volume  Mr.  Kingston  describes,  with 
much  effect,  the  rising  of  Cromwell's  Ironsides  in 
the  associated  counties  of  Cambridge,  Huntingdon, 
Lincoln,  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  Essex,  and  Hertford.  In 
its  production  much  discriminate  research  has  been 
expended.  The  original  manuscript  accounts  to  be 
found  at  the  Public  Record  Office,  at  the  British 
Museum,  and  at  the  University  libraries  have  been 
consulted,  with  the  result  that  the  account  is  not 
only  trustworthy,  but  a  few  fresh  facts  have  been 
brought  to  light  and  others  corrected.  Although 
the  writing  is  in  places  bald  and  unattractive,  still 
the  subjects  dealt  with  in  the  sixteen  chapters  are 
so  stirring,  that  the  book  is  a  distinctly  attractive 
one,  and  should  be  on  the  shelves  of  all  interested 
in  the  memorable,  popular,  and  puritanical  move- 
ment that  was  of  such  vital  importance  in  the  more 
recent  phases  of  the  making  of  England.  "  Ship- 
money  Riots,"  "  Strange  Scenes  in  the  Churches," 
"  Cromwell  and  the  College  Plate,"  The  East 
Anglian  Compact,"  "  The  Battle  of  the  Parsons," 
•'  Sequestrators  and  their  Ways,"  are  among  the 
sub-headings  of  the  chapters. 

On  one  or  two  points,  if  space  permitted,  we 
should  be  inclined  to  join  issue  with  Mr.  Kingston's 
general  opinions.  We  are  convinced,  for  instance, 
that  he  exaggerates  the  puritanical  religious  fervour 
as  the  main  cause  of  the  uprising,  even  in  East 
Anglia,  against  the  King  and  his  advisers.  The 
chief  factor  throughout  the  kingdom  was  arbitrary 
and  excessive  taxation,  more  especially  in  connection 
with  "  loans  "  and  "  ship-money."  Has  Mr.  King- 
ston yet  searched  for  papers  of  this  period  among 
the  Quarter  Sessions  documents  of  the  various 
associated  shires  ?  If  not — and  the  volume  contains 
no  references  to  such  source — there  is,  or  ought  to 
be,  a  great  field  still  open  to  him,  and  evidence 
therefrom  is  pretty  sure  to  support  our  contention. 

Mr.  Kingston  seems  to  think  that  there  is  some- 
thing peculiar  in  finding  such  families  as  the  Bacons 
and  Barnadstons  on  the  Parliamentary  Committee 
of  Suffolk,  and  assumes  that  it  was  the  strong 
Puritan  turn  of  the  East  Anglian  shires  that  secured 


the  presence  of  certain  county  family  representatives 
on  these  lists  of  the  associated  counties.  But  this 
is  a  complete  mistake.  The  lesser  nobility  and 
county  squires  were  about  equally  divided  through- 
out England  between  the  Cavaliers  and  Round- 
heads when  hostilities  broke  out.  East  Anglia  had 
a  smaller  part  of  the  local  gentry  on  the  Parliament 
side  than  other  counties,  such  as  Derbyshire  and 
Shropshire,  where  taxation,  and  not  religious 
bigotry,  most  assuredly  brought  matters  to  an 
issue. 

The  volume  lends  itself  to  popular  and  trust- 
worthy quotation  when  dealing  with  special  subjects 
or  incidents.  It  is  but  seldom  remembered  that 
England's  "thin  red  line"  is  a  tribute  to  the 
efficiency  of  the  East  Anglian  contingent  of  the 
national  army.  Red  and  scarlet  are  so  essentially 
royal  colours,  that  but  very  few  associate  its  origin 
with  the  popular  side  of  the  great  Civil  War :  "  The 
question  of  clothing  the  soldiers  raises  an  interesting 
point  as  to  the  colour  of  their  coats.  When  the 
two  great  armies  of  the  King  and  Parliament  faced 
each  other  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  there 
was  very  little  in  the  uniforms  of  the  different  forces 
to  distinguish  friend  from  foe,  excepting  the  red  sash 
worn  by  the  Royalists,  and  the  orange  sash  worn  by 
the  Parliamentarians.  When  the  various  regiments 
were  brought  together  at  a  rendezvous,  the  effect 
was  therefore  pretty  much  like  that  of  a  gathering 
of  volunteers  from  different  counties  of  England 
to-day,  only  that  the  diversity  was  much  greater. 
Vicars  describes '  red-coats,  blew-coats,  purple-coats, 
and  gray-coats  '  at  the  battle  of  Edgehill,  but  even 
these  did  not  complete  the  diversity,  which  em- 
braced coats  of  many  colours :  red,  white,  blue,  green, 
purple,  gray,  and  brown  or  tawny.  This  diversity 
of  colours  often  led  to  confusion,  and  the  slaying  of 
friends  by  friends.  The  evolution  of  the  red  coat 
was,  in  fact,  a  part  of  that  strict  discipline  which 
made  the  Eastern  counties  forces  the  predominant 
factor  in  the  strife.  .  .  .  There  were  red  coats  worn 
even  before  the  war  began.  Certainly  the  Suffolk 
men  raised  to  march  against  the  Scots  in  1641  wore 
red  coats.  Essex  men,  who  came  up  to  Cambridge 
coatless,  tattered  and  torn,  a  few  months  after  the 
war  began,  in  the  summer  of  1643,  were  provided 
with  red  coats,  and  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  red 
coat  became  general  among  the  Association  forces, 
apparently  in  time  to  afford  an  example  for  the  New 
Model  Army." 

(A  large  7iumber  of  Reviews  as  well  as  accounts  of  the 
Proceedings  and  Publications  of  A  rchcBological  Societies 
are  held  over  for  want  of  space.) 

Note  to  Publishers. — We  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  intending  Contributors. — Unsolicited MSS' 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editoi 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS. 
would  first  "write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  .subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


193 


The   Antiquary. 


JULY,  1898. 


jBotes  of  tt)e  ^ontf). 

If  only  as  a  passing  allusion,  reference  ought 
to  be  made  in  these  Notes  to  the  death  of 
Mr.  Gladstone.  Elsewhere,  and  by  others, 
testimony  has  been  borne  to  his  noble  and 
exemplary  Hfe.  It  has  been  a  happy  thing 
that  during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life 
Mr.  Gladstone  was  removed  from  the  turmoil 
of  politics,  so  that  when  death  came  all 
were  able,  without  distinction  of  party,  to 
join  in  honouring  one  of  the  noblest  English- 
men who  have  ever  figured  in  their  country's 
history.  Mr.  Gladstone's  many  attainments 
included  a  considerable  knowledge  of  various 
branches  of  archaeology,  as  his  works  on 
Homer  and  the  interest  he  took  in  ecclesi- 
ology  amply  testify.  At  the  present  time 
the  Antiquary  is  publishing  some  of  the  ex- 
ceptionally valuable  "Church  Notes"  written 
by  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  Sir  Stephen 
Glynne ;  and  on  that  account,  too,  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's death  ought  not  to  pass  unnoticed  in 
our  pages.  We  are  glad  to  record  the  fact 
that  among  the  watchers  by  the  coffin  in 
Westminster  Hall  was  a  former  editor  of  the 
Antiquary,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cox. 

^  ^  ^ 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries, 
on  June  9,  the  following  were  elected  Fellows 
of  the  Society :  Mr.  William  Brown,  Tren- 
holme,  Northallerton  ;  Mr.  Erancis  Cranmer 
Penrose,  Copse  Hill,  Wimbledon ;  Mr. 
Charles  van  Raalte,  Aldenham  Abbey,  Wat- 
ford;  Mr.  Leonard  William  King,  Palace 
Chambers,  Westminster;  and  Mr.  Thomas 
Morgan  Joseph  Watkin,  College  of  Arms, 
E.C.     Mr.   Brown,  who  is  secretary  of  the 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


Surtees  Society  and  of  the  Yorkshire  Archae- 
ological Society,  and  Mr.  Penrose,  who  was 
till  lately  Surveyor  of  the  Eabric  of  St.  Paul's, 
were  proposed  by  the  Council  honoris  causa. 

^  ^  •){? 
Viscount  Dillon,  who  has  succeeded  the  late 
Sir  Augustus  Franks  as  President  of  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries,  has  resigned  the  office 
of  President  of  the  Royal  Archaeological  In- 
stitute, and  at  the  monthly  meeting  of  the 
Institute,  held  on  June  i,  the  nomination  by 
the  Council  of  Sir  H.  H.  Howorth,  M.P.,  as 
President  in  succession  to  Lord  Dillon  was 
unanimously  confirmed.  Lord  Dillon,  who 
succeeded  Earl  Percy  a  few  years  ago,  has, 
like  his  predecessor,  made  an  exceptionally 
good  President,  and  the  thanks  of  the 
members  of  the  Institute  are  due  to  him 
for  his  assiduous  attention  to  the  duties  of 
the  office,  and  the  interests  and  welfare  of  the 
Institute. 

'^  ^  ^ 
As  has  been  already  announced,  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Institute  is  fixed  for  this 
summer  at  Lancaster.  A  preliminary  pro- 
gramme of  the  arrangements  that  have  been 
made  has  been  issued.  Sir  H.  H.  Howorth, 
the  newly-elected  President  of  the  Institute, 
will  be  President  of  the  Meeting,  which  will 
be  held  from  Tuesday,  July  19,  to  Tuesday, 
July  26,  inclusive.  Dr.  Monro  will  be  presi- 
dent of  the  Antiquarian  Section,  with  Pro- 
fessor Boyd-Dawkins  and  Mr.  W.  O.  Roper 
as  vice-presidents,  and  Mr.  T.  Cann  Hughes 
as  secretary. 

Mr.  J.  T.  Micklethwaite  will  be  president 
of  the  Architectural  Section,  with  Mr.  G.  E. 
Fox  and  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Calverley  as  vice- 
presidents,  and  Mr.  C.  R.  Peers  as  secretary. 

Mr.  J.  Holme  Nicholson  will  be  president 
of  the  Historical  Section,  with  Chancellor 
Ferguson  and  Mr.  J.  Paul  Rylands  as  vice- 
presidents,  and  Mr.  A.  H.  Lyell  as  secretary. 

Mr.  Mill  Stephenson  is  the  secretary  for 
the  Lancaster  meeting. 

4p  ^  ^ 
The  following  arrangements  have  been  made 
as  to  the  excursions,  sectional  meetings,  etc. : 
Tuesday,  July  ig. — Reception  by  the  Mayor 
in  the  Town  Hall.  President's  address. 
Luncheon.  St.  Mary's  Church  The  Castle. 
Section  in  the  evening. 

cc 


194 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


Wednesday^  July  20.— By  rail  to  Furness 
Abbey  Station.  Furness  Abbey.  Luncheon. 
By  rail  to  Piel  Pier.  By  boat  to  Piel 
Castle.  Return  by  rail  to  Lancaster.  Sec- 
tion in  the  evening. 

Thursday,  July  21. —  Drive  through  Kellet 
to  Borwick.  Borwick  Hall.  Milnthorpe  for 
luncheon.  Levens  Hall.  Section  in  the 
evening. 

Friday,  July  22. — Annual  business  meet- 
ing. Section.  Luncheon.  Drive  to  Hey- 
sham.  Heysham  Church.  The  crosses  and 
stones. 

Saturday,  July  23. — By  train  to  Grange. 
Luncheon.  Drive  to  Cartmel.  The  Priory 
Church.     Return  from  Cark  Station. 

Monday,  July  25.  —  Drive  to  Halton. 
Halton  Church  and  crosses.  Gressingham. 
Melling  Church.  Hornby  for  luncheon. 
Hornby  Church  and  Castle.  Returning  by 
Claughton  and  the  Crook  of  Lune.  Section 
and  concluding  meeting  in  the  evening. 

Tuesday,  July  26. — By  train  to  Whalley 
Station.  Drive  to  Mytton.  Mytton  Church. 
Luncheon  at  Whalley.  Whalley  Church. 
Whalley  Abbey.  Return  by  train  from 
Whalley  Station. 

^  ^  4? 
As  has  now  become  customary,  an  exhibition 
of  objects  found  during  the  excavations  at 
Silchester  was  held  during  the  early  part  of 
June  at  the  rooms  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries. Some  well-preserved  pieces  of  red 
Samian  ware,  with  the  name  of  the  maker 
boldly  figuring  on  the  bottom,  were  worthy 
of  special  notice,  as  was  also  a  case  of 
pieces  of  coloured  glass  and  various  bone 
implements,  used,  it  may  be  surmised,  in 
the  boudoirs  of  the  Roman  dames  and 
damsels  who  originally  peopled  Silchester. 
Another  case  contained  a  quantity  of  bronze 
articles,  chiefly  of  an  ornamental  and  personal 
character ;  one  of  these  was  an  exact  replica 
of  the  modern  watch-chain,  with  a  hook, 
minus  the  swivel,  for  carrying  the  ornament 
for  which  the  chain  was  used.  Side  by  side 
with  this  were  two  enamelled  brooches  in  a 
perfect  state  of  preservation,  a  buckle  almost 
exactly  of  the  modern  shape,  and  a  curious 
socketed  object  surmounted  by  the  head  of 
an  eagle,  used  probably  as  an  adornment 
to  the  top  of  a  staff.  A  good  deal  of  coarse 
pottery,  in  addition  to  the  Samian  ware  pre- 


viously mentioned,  was  brought  to  light. 
The  most  notable  specimen  was  a  jar  of 
gray  ware  of  unusual  size,  measuring  2  feet 
in  height  and  22  inches  in  diameter.  Per- 
haps the  most  notable  discovery  of  all  was  a 
huge  wooden  tub  in  an  exceptional  state  of 
preservation,  and  two  others  less  perfect. 
They  are  longer  and  more  tapering  at  the 
ends  than  the  modern  cask,  but  the  principle 
upon  which  they  were  constructed  appears  to 
be  exactly  the  same.  In  all  likelihood  they 
were  used  to  store  the  wine  in  the  Roman 
house  in  the  purlieus  of  which  they  were 
found.  As  far  as  the  general  work  of  excava- 
tion is  concerned,  steady  progress  is  being 
made.  Altogether  the  town  covers  about 
eight  acres,  and  three  of  these  have  been 
thoroughly  explored.  The  foundations  of 
two  large  houses  of  the  courtyard  type  have 
been  laid  bare,  presenting  several  unusual 
features.  One  of  them  apparently  replaced 
an  earlier  structure,  part  of  which  was  in- 
corporated in  the  new  work.  Other  houses 
of  a  like  character  have  been  discovered,  and 
in  connection  with  one  of  them  two  detached 
structures,  warmed  by  hypocausts  and  fur- 
nished with  external  furnaces,  perhaps  for 
boilers,  of  which  no  examples  have  hitherto 
been  met  with  at  Silchester.  In  another 
part  of  the  excavated  area  the  foundations  of 
a  house  of  unusual  size  and  plan,  distin- 
guished by  an  apsidal  chamber,  were  exposed, 
and  also  another  corridor  house  containing 
six  circular  rubble  bases,  which,  it  is  sug- 
gested, might  have  been  used  as  supports  for 
querns  or  corn-mills.  Several  of  these  querns 
were  obtained  in  the  course  of  the  excavating 
operations,  and  they  proved,  on  examination, 
to  be  remarkably  like  the  hand  flour-mills  in 
use  in  Ireland  at  the  present  day.  The  plan 
of  operations  for  the  present  season  embraces 
an  area  which,  if  thoroughly  dealt  with,  will 
leave  little  more  than  half  the  city  still  un- 
touched. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  year  or  so  ago  two  of  the  most  important 
of  our  English  provincial  societies  kept  their 
jubilee — to  wit,  the  Sussex  Archaeological 
Society  and  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Archae- 
ological Society.  This  year  the  Royal  Society 
of  Antiquaries  of  Ireland  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  having  entered  on  the  fiftieth  year 
of   its   useful   career   in   the    sister    island. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


195 


Founded  originally  in  Kilkenny  in  the  year 
1849  as  the  Kilkenny  Archaeological  Society, 
it  has  just  entered  on  the  jubilee  year  of  its 
existence.  There  are  now  upon  its  roll  the 
names  of  fourteen  hundred  fellows  and 
members,  who  are  distributed  not  only 
throughout  all  parts  of  Ireland  and  Great 
Britain,  but  are  also  to  be  found  in  every 
quarter  of  the  globe.  All  ranks  of  society, 
religious  denominations,  and  shades  of  poli- 
tics are  represented,  all  harmoniously  united 
in  pursuing  the  objects  of  the  society :  the 
investigation  and  preservation  of  the  history 
and  antiquities  of  Ireland.  The  results  of 
the  society's  labours  are  contained  in  its 
excellent  Journal,  of  which  twenty- seven 
volumes  have  been  issued  up  to  the  present, 
besides  numerous  extra  publications.  The 
society  celebrated  the  entry  on  its  fiftieth 
year  by  a  banquet  held  in  the  Antient  Con- 
cert Rooms,  Dublin,  on  June  15. 

•ij?  ^  # 
The  recent  exhibition  of  local  antiquities  at 
Shrewsbury  has  proved,  from  an  educational 
standpoint,  an  unqualified  success,  and  great 
credit  is  due  to  those  with  whom  the  idea 
originated  and  who  have  carried  out  the 
programme.  The  papers  read  were  excel- 
lent, and  the  whole  affair  has  been  most 
successful — we  hope  we  may  say  financially, 
as  well  as  in  other  respects.  Are  we  too 
sanguine  in  expressing  a  hope  that  other 
local  societies  may  arrange  for  similar  exhi- 
bitions within  their  respective  "  spheres  of 
influence " ? 

•ij?  ')|(»  ^ 
The  work  of  excavation  which  has  been  in 
progress  at  Mount  Grace  Priory,  Yorkshire, 
during  the  past  two  summers  was  recom- 
menced this  year  at  Whitsuntide,  under  the 
supervision  and  direction  of  Mr.  W.  H.  St. 
John  Hope  and  Mr.  William  Brown,  of  Arn- 
clifTe  Hall,  the  owner  of  the  ruins.  The 
great  interest  attached  to  the  exploration  of 
Mount  Grace  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
only  mediaeval  Carthusian  monastery  of  which 
any  considerable  remains  exist,  and  of  which 
it  is  therefore  possible  to  learn  the  general 
plan  and  arrangement.  The  ruins  cover  an 
area  of  about  five  acres,  and  comprise, 
roughly  speaking,  two  large  courts  with  the 
church  in  the  middle.  On  previous  occa- 
sions some  of  the  houses  on  the  north  side 


of  the  northern  or  great  cloister  court  have 
been  cleared  out,  and  the  church  and  ground 
west  of  it  also  cleared.  .  This  year  the  heaps 
of  soil  which  cover  the  foundations  of  build- 
ings in  the  southern  or  outer  court  have  been 
in  part  removed.  There  is,  however,  still  a 
great  deal  of  work  to  be  done  before  the 
whole  of  the  buildings  have  been  cleared. 
W^e  shall  probably  revert  to  the  matter  on  a 
future  occasion,  but  meanwhile  we  venture  to 
hope  that,  as  the  work  is  a  costly  one,  all 
who  are  interested  in  it  will  support  it  as 
liberally  as  possible. 

^       ^       ^h 

A  copy  of  the  Christchurch  Times  of  May  14 
reached  us  too  late  to  be  noticed  in  these 
Notes  last  month.  It  contains  a  letter 
addressed  to  the  Mayor  of  that  town  by 
Mr.  George  Brownen,  from  which  we  quote 
the  following  paragraphs.  Mr.  Brownen 
states  that  he  writes  as  he  had  learnt  that 
the  Corporation  had  decided  to  protect  as 
far  as  possible  the  antiquities  on  Kattern's 
Hill.  The  letter  proceeds  to  say  that  it 
"  does  seem  a  pity  that  prehistoric  remains 
of  such  interest  as  the  site  of  a  mediaeval 
chapel,  a  Roman  exploratory  camp  (squared), 
and  a  larger  area  of  a  trapezoidal  shape, 
bounded  by  watch-towers,  and  flanked  by 
tumuli  of  the  ancient  Stone  Age,  should  be 
destroyed  for  the  few  cartloads  of  bleached 
gravel  they  contain  !  Once  destroyed,  the 
remains  are  lost  for  ever.  I  enclose  you  a 
tracing  from  the  recent  6-inch  Ordnance 
Survey,  which  I  think  will  explain  the  posi- 
tions. From  it  you  will  see  the  relationships 
of  the  several  portions.  I  may  add  that  the 
dotted  red  line  connecting  the  so-called 
watch-towers  of  the  ordnance  survey  are  in 
reality  the  boundary  of  the  oppidum,  or  pre- 
historic hill-town  or  fort.  This  line  or  bank 
is  almost  gone,  excepting  a  few  fragments. 
Time,  military  evolutions,  and  gravel-digging 
have  broken  the  continuity  of  the  line  or 
bank,  but  as  yet  sufficient  remains  exist  to 
indicate  the  ancient  intention  and  its  extent. 
I  have  dotted  this  area  with  red  ink  on  the 
plan  sent  herewith.  I  trust,  in  the  interest 
of  all  lovers  of  the  ancient  landmarks,  your 
protection  may  stop  further  wilful  destruc- 
tion." The  writer  then  goes  on  to  say  that, 
"  in  selecting  from  your  ancient  documents 
the  other  day  for  exhibition  to  the  Hamp- 

cc  2 


196 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


shire  Field  Club,  no  complete  list  could  be 
found,  but  only  a  rough  list  of  bundles, 
some  marked  with  letters,  thus :  A.  Old 
leases,  Bure  Mead  ;  B.  Old  leases,  Bernard's 
Mead,  etc.  Later  on  the  letter-mark  became 
less  distinctive,  thus  :  N.  Sundry  old  deeds  ; 
O.  Leases  and  counterparts.  Then  follow 
old  documents,  vouchers,  proclamations,  etc., 
exhausting  the  alphabet.  I  ought  to  say 
here  that  the  deeds  and  other  documents 
of  the  present  century  seem  to  be  numbered 
and  dated  distinctively  from  the  alphabetic 
collection  as  a  general  rule,  yet  in  one  of 
these  later  parcels  an  Elizabethan  charter 
was  found  with  its  great  seal  broken  in 
pieces !"  Mr.  Brownen  suggests  that  the 
Corporation  documents  should  be  properly 
arranged  and  catalogued,  and  offers  his 
assistance  in  the  work.  From  the  report  of 
the  discussion  which  followed  the  reading  of 
the  letter,  we  very  much  hope  that  the 
Corporation  will  attend  to  the  matters  men- 
tioned in  it.  Mr.  Brownen's  suggestions  are 
most  proper,  and  it  will  be  a  great  disgrace 
to  the  Corporation  if  they  are  not  carried  out 
— the  ancient  remains  preserved,  and  the 
deeds  and  documents  properly  arranged. 

^     4p      4f? 

We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  record  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  London  Topographical  Society, 
which  is  to  take  up  the  work  of  the  old 
society  connected  with  the  ancient  and 
modern  topography  of  London.  The  com- 
mittee is  composed  of  Lord  Welby,  Sir 
Walter  Besant,  Sir  Owen  Roberts,  Mr.  E. 
Freshfield,  Mr.  G.  L.  Gomme,  Mr.  F.  G. 
Hilton  Price,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dickinson,  Mr, 
Wynne  E.  Baxter,  Mr.  H.  B.  Wheatley,  Mr. 
Philip  Norman,  Mr.  John  Tolhurst,  Mr.  W.  J. 
Hardy,  Mr.  J.  E.  Smith  (vestry  clerk,  West- 
minster), Mr.  J.  P.  Emslie,  Mr.  J.  F.  Gomme 
(hon.  treasurer),  and  Mr.  T.  Fairman  Ordish 
(hon.  secretary),  the  offices  being  at  Warwick 
House,  8,  Warwick  Court,  Gray's  Inn.  In 
the  prospectus  setting  forth  the  objects  of 
the  society,  it  is  stated:  "There  is  a  long 
series  of  maps  and  views  of  London,  de- 
picting almost  continuously  the  changes 
which  have  taken  place  ever  since  the  days 
of  Queen  Elizabeth.  A  complete  set  of  such 
original  maps  and  views  is  not  at  present 
obtainable.  One  or  two  are  known  only  by 
unique  copies  j  of  others  there  are  only  two 


or  three  impressions  known  to  be  in  exist- 
ence ;  for  the  rest,  nearly  all  of  them  are 
scarce,  seldom  changing  hands,  and  then 
only  at  prices  which  place  them  beyond  the 
reach  of  many  who  would  prize  them  most 
highly.  The  London  Topographical  Society 
has  for  its  object  the  publication  of  a  com- 
plete set  of  London  maps,  views,  and  plans 
in  facsimile,  so  that  every  period,  every 
change  of  importance,  may  receive  illustra- 
tion from  the  issues  of  the  society.  With 
this  cartographical  illustration  of  the  change 
and  development  of  London  as  a  whole,  it  is 
proposed  to  combine  the  not  less  important 
illustration  of  London  localities  and  districts 
at  various  periods  by  the  reproduction  of 
parish  maps,  tithe  maps,  surveying  plans, 
estate  maps,  and  so  forth.  By  the  accom- 
plishment of  these  objects  a  mass  of  interest- 
ing and  valuable  material  will  be  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  every  student  and  lover  of 
London  history  and  topography.  Lawyers 
and  Parliamentary  agents,  owners  of  London 
property,  members  of  London  local  govern- 
ment bodies  and  their  officials,  antiquaries, 
students  of  London  government  and  institu- 
tions, will  all  obtain  material  for  their  in- 
quiries. The  portfolios  in  the  possession  of 
members  of  the  society  will  be  collections  of 
original  material  for  arriving  at  exact  and  pre- 
cise knowledge,  from  which  new  light  will 
pour  on  many  points  of  interest  in  connection 
with  the  local  and  general  history  of  London. 
It  is  proposed  to  adopt  a  uniform  size  of 
paper  upon  which  each  map  will  be  repro- 
duced. That  is  to  say,  the  large  maps  will 
be  divided  and  printed  on  separate  sheets ; 
small  maps  will  be  printed  with  larger 
margins.  This  will  enable  the  portfolios  to 
be  arranged  in  the  most  suitable  manner  for 
ready  reference  and  use.  In  the  year  1880 
a  topographical  society  was  formed  in  London 
with  wider  and  more  varied  objects  than 
those  now  suggested.  The  most  successful 
item  on  its  programme  was  the  publication 
of  maps  and  views — the  department  of  work 
which  it  is  now  proposed  to  take  up  and 
expand.  The  active  personnel  of  that  society 
formed  the  nucleus  of  the  present  committee, 
and  this  has  facilitated  an  arrangement  by 
which  the  old  society  has  become  merged 
in  the  London  Topographical  Society.  Not 
only  has  the  valuable  stock  of  publications 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


197 


been  transferred,  but  the  plates  and  blocks 
are  also  available,  so  that  additional  copies 
may  be  obtained  as  required  by  the  members 
of  the  new  society.  The  works  published  by 
the  old  society,  available  at  once  for  issue 
to  members  of  the  London  Topographical 
Society,  are  as  follows :  i.  Van  den  Wyn- 
gaerde's  'View  of  London,  circa  1550,' 
measuring  10  feet  long  by  17  inches;  seven 
sheets  in  portfolio.  2.  {a)  Hoefnagel's  '  Plan 
of  London,'  from  Braun  and  Hogenberg's 
Civitates  Orbis  Terrarum,  1572;  {b)  'Illus- 
trated Topographical  Record,'  first  series. 
3.  {a)  Visscher's  'View  of  London,  16 16,' 
in  four  sheets  ;  {b)  '  Handbook  to  Views  and 
Maps,'  published  by  the  society.  It  is  the 
present  intention  of  the  committee  that  these 
works  shall  be  issued  on  the  same  terms  as 
by  the  old  society,  reserving  for  the  council 
of  the  London  Topographical  Society  the 
right  to  raise  those  terms  hereafter  at  their 
discretion.  From  the  list  of  proposed  future 
publications  which  the  committee  have  in 
preparation,  the  following  items  are  selected 
as  the  publications  for  the  year  1898  :  Porter's 
'  View  of  London  circa  1660,'  Norden's  '  Map 
of  London,'  1593,  Norden's  'Map  of  West- 
minster,' 1593.  Each  map  or  view  as  issued 
to  subscribers  will  be  dated,  so  that  it  may 
at  once  be  placed  in  the  portfolios  in  proper 
chronological  order." 

^  ^  '^ 
On  June  3  Professor  Flinders  Petrie  delivered 
a  lecture  at  the  Royal  Institution  on  "The 
Development  of  the  Tomb  in  Egypt."  In 
order  to  understand  the  tomb,  he  said  it 
was  necessary  to  know  the  theory  of  the  soul 
on  which  it  was  constructed.  Four  theories 
were  held  among  the  Egyptians.  According 
to  the  bird  theory,  the  soul  fluttered  in  and 
out  of  the  tomb  in  the  form  of  a  human- 
headed  bird;  on  the  Osiris  theory,  the 
deceased  went  to  the  kingdom  of  Osiris  ; 
on  the  solar  theory,  he  joined  the  souls  in 
the  boat  of  the  Sun  God ;  while  the  mummy 
theory  required  that  the  body  must  be  pre- 
served for  ages  until  restored  to  the  soul. 
The  earliest  tombs  belonged  certainly  to  a 
time  when  the  mummy  theory  was  not  in 
force.  The  principal  age  of  development 
was  from  about  4000  B.C.  to  2500  h.c, 
after  which  date  no  new  ideas  were  intro- 
duced.    Professor  Petrie  proceeded  to  exhibit 


a  long  series  of  lantern-slides,  illustrating  the 
development  of  the  above-ground  portion  of 
the  tomb  from  a  mere  mound,  with  a  niche 
out  of  which  the  soul  might  come,  to  an 
elaborate  and  complex  structure  with  nume- 
rous chambers  and  courts.  He  pointed  out 
how  the  form  and  plan  were  influenced,  now 
by  the  desire  of  the  family  to  have  the  statue 
representing  the  deceased  in  full  view,  now 
by  their  anxiety  to  have  it  preserved  from 
any  disfigurement  that  might  grieve  the  soul 
by  having  it  entirely  walled  up,  and  explained 
how  the  sculptures  and  decorations  were  for 
the  delectation  of  the  soul.  Next  he  described 
a  series  of  tombs  with  sloping  brickwork 
passages  leading  down  to  the  chamber  con- 
taining the  coffin,  and  showed  how,  on 
account  of  certain  engineering  difficulties, 
the  passage  itself  became  a  high-vaulted 
chamber.  The  earliest  pyramid  started  from 
such  a  type.  Successive  coats  of  masonry 
were  added  above  the  tomb,  so  as  to  leave 
the  outline  stepped,  and  finally  it  occurred 
to  the  builders  to  put  on  an  external  smooth 
slope.  All  pyramids,  however,  were  not  built 
in  this  gradual  way,  later  ones  being  started 
de  novo  and  carried  out  as  single  structures. 
In  conclusion,  the  lecturer  said  that  in  later 
times — say,  about  600  b.c. — the  tomb  was 
merely  a  well-shaft,  with  a  chamber  opening 
off  it  at  the  bottom  to  contain  the  body,  and 
that  ultimately  it  became  a  simple  shallow 
grave,  into  which  the  body  was  put  in  the 
clothes  worn  in  life. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  unknown  depths  of  the  sea  yield  from 
time  to  time  objects  the  least  likely  of  any 
to  be  found  there,  as,  for  instance,  the  stone 
with  an  inscription  in  runes  which  was  fished 
up  from  the  sea  at  Havre  a  year  or  two  ago, 
and  which  was  afterwards  identified  as  a 
stone  which  had  been  sent  to  the  Paris 
Exhibition  of  1878.  The  following  curious 
story  of  the  kind  appears  in  the  Daily  Mail 
of  February  2,  1898,  copied  from  the  Fish 
Trades  Gazette  : 

"  A  Strange  Catch. 

"  A  Douglass,  Massachusetts,  fisherman 
recently,  while  trying  his  fortune  with  hook 
and  line  at  what  is  known  as  Bad  Luck  Pond, 
brought  to  the  surface  a  relic  of  the  first 
settlers.     He   was   fishing   through   the   ice 


198 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


when  he  saw  indications  of  a  bite.  The  line 
was  quickly  drawn  in,  but  instead  of  a  big 
pickerel,  there  was  a  mysterious  object  upon 
the  hook.  This  proved  to  be  an  old  hide- 
case,  about  2  inches  in  circumference,  and 
10  inches  in  length.  When  cut  open  with 
a  knife,  the  case  was  found  to  contain  a 
well-preserved  paper,  which  was  a  will  made 
by  one  John  Coffin,  bequeathing  two  houses 
and  two  lots  near  Sunderland,  England,  to 
his  daughter  Mary.  The  boundaries  are 
distinctly  designated.  The  will  has  the 
official  stamp  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  Lord 
Protector  of  England,  and  is  signed  by  two 
witnesses — Moses  Trofton  and  Elizabeth 
Marsh.  The  document  is  dated  March  3, 
1646." 

^  ^  ^ 
Attention  is  from  time  to  time  drawn  to  the 
manufacture  of  sham  antiquities  by  some 
absurd  revelation,  as  that  of  a  "grand- 
father clock "  with  a  mediaeval  date  on 
the  face,  or  an  Egyptian  "antiquity"  when 
accidentally  broken  being  found  to  contain 
inside  it  a  portion  of  a  Birmingham  news- 
paper !  Still,  the  nefarious  manufacture  goes 
on  at  the  expense  of  English  and  American 
collectors  of  what  are  called  "  curios,"  and 
with  little  to  check  its  course.  Occasionally 
the  forger  aims  at  bigger  game,  and  occa- 
sionally, though  only  occasionally,  he  succeeds. 
With  the  general  public,  however,  the  case 
is  different,  and  the  collector  who  is  not  an 
expert,  and  is  only  a  collector,  is  very  likely 
to  fall  a  victim  to  the  forger.  Mr.  Litchfield 
recently  drew  attention  in  the  Times  to  the 
manufacture  of  modern  Dresden  china,  which 
is  one  of  the  most  successful  of  the  fraudulent 
ventures  of  the  kind,  whereupon  Mr.  Spiel- 
mann  wrote  to  point  out  that  the  one  subject 
touched  upon  by  Mr.  Litchfield  in  his  letter 
"opens  out  a  very  large  question." 

•fr  ^  # 
Mr.  Spielmann,  in  the  letter  referred  to,  pro- 
ceeds as  follows:  "It  may  not  be  generally 
known  that  factories  exist  in  certain  capitals 
of  Europe  for  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds 
of  works  of  art  that  are  likely  to  attract 
amateur  collectors.  This  in  itself  would  be 
unobjectionable  were  it  not  that  the  articles 
manufactured  are  intended  to  deceive.  Were 
such  articles  sold,  as  they  should  be,  as  re- 


productions, no  one  could  reasonably  com- 
plain ;  but  when  they  have  old  marks  stamped 
upon  them,  and  are  sold  as  old  objects  of 
art,  and  at  very  high  prices,  it  is  time  that 
the  public  should  be  put  on  their  guard. 
Not  only  are  modern  articles  of  china  and 
faience  stamped  with  the  old  marks  and 
imitated  so  cleverly  as  to  make  experts 
doubtful  of  their  origin,  but  arms  and  armour 
are  treated  with  acids  to  eat  away  portions 
of  the  metal  so  as  to  reproduce  as  nearly 
as  possible  the  ravages  of  time.  Carved 
ivories  are  stained  with  oils  to  make  them 
yellow,  and  subjected  to  heat  to  produce 
cracks  in  them.  Pieces  of  furniture  have 
worm-holes  artificially  drilled  in  them,  and 
there  is  hardly  anything  that  the  collector 
values  that  is  not  now  imitated  with  the 
intention  to  deceive.  Even  Greek  and 
Roman  coins  and  other  antiquities  are  re- 
produced, and  often  in  a  very  perfect  way ; 
indeed,  some  coins  that  were  recently  sent 
to  England  from  Turkey  were  very  wonderful 
and  dangerous  examples  of  these  manu- 
factures. In  connection  with  these  industries, 
another  trade  of  semi-spurious  objects  has 
developed.  Cabinets,  tables,  clocks,  and 
furniture  containing  only  fractions  of  old 
work  apparently  justify  the  makers  and 
vendors  in  selling  them  as  old  and  at  very 
high  prices.  For  example,  a  genuine  old 
clock  would  be  divided,  the  dial  being  put 
into  one  new  clock,  the  hands  and  works 
into  another,  and  the  case  into  a  third  ;  all 
of  them  would  be  cleverly  completed  and  sold 
as  three  genuine  old  clocks.  In  the  same 
way  a  cabinet  may  have  but  an  old  panel 
in  its  door ;  the  top  of  a  table  may  be  the 
only  old  part  about  it ;  a  small  part  of  a 
tapestry  panel  of  a  chair  may  be  genuine, 
yet  seven-eighths  of  the  whole  may  be  "  made 
up."  It  is,  of  course,  not  suggested  that 
respectable  dealers  countenance  this  trade 
in  any  way,  yet  there  are  persons  to  whom 
quantities  of  these  spurious  articles  are  con- 
signed for  sale,  and  the  fact  remains  that 
these  objects,  manufactured  chiefly  for  the 
English  and  American  markets,  find  a  ready 
sale  at  extravagant  prices.  The  closer  appli- 
cation of  the  Merchandise  Marks  Act  would 
be  the  best  and  only  way  of  dealing  with 
this  trade,  for  no  one  would  buy  antiquities 
branded  with  the  words  '  Made  in  Austria ' 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


199 


— the  only  'mark,'  by  the  way,  which  the 
objects  should  rightly  possess." 

'^      4r      "^ 

An  interesting  discovery  has  been  made  at 
Hampton  Court  in  the  course  of  the  excava- 
tions for  the  effluent  pipe  of  the  new  Thames 
Valley  drainage  along  the  towing-path  by  the 
palace  gardens.  Between  the  railings  of  the 
private  gardens  opposite  the  end  of  Queen 
Mary's  bower  the  foundations  of  the  old 
water-gate,  or  '•  water -gallery,"  built  by 
Henry  VHI.  have  been  cut  through.  The 
walls  or  piers  are  of  immense  thickness, 
being  no  less  than  25  feet  wide,  and  con- 
structed of  the  hardest  chalk  faced  with 
stone.  The  opening  through  which  the 
State  barges  passed  is  clearly  discernible. 

^  ^  ^h 
The  Athenaum  states  that  at  the  last  session 
of  the  Munich  Anthropologische  Gesellschaft, 
under  the  presidency  of  Professor  J.  Ranke, 
a  lecture  by  Professor  F.  Hirth  upon  "  Chinese 
Culture-History"  led  to  an  interesting  discus- 
sion on  the  antiquity  of  the  iron  industry  in 
China.  Professor  Montelius,  of  Stockholm, 
one  of  the  foremost  of  living  authorities  on 
prehistoric  culture,  who  was  present  as  a 
visitor,  stated  that  iron  was  unknown  in 
Egypt  and  in  the  West  of  Asia  before  the 
fifteenth  century  b.c.  Professor  Hirth  de- 
clared that  at  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Lii 
(2200  B.C.)  iron  was  mentioned  as  one 
amongst  the  tributary  articles  in  the  "  Shu- 
King."  In  Liang,  at  that  period,  he  said,  if 
not  earlier,  the  iron  industry  was  flourishing. 
In  the  time  of  the  philosopher  Kuan-tze, 
whom  Professor  Hirth  described  as  the 
pioneer  of  all  the  statisticians,  iron  was  men- 
tioned amongst  the  articles  subject  to  taxation. 
He  lived  in  the  seventh  century  B.C.  Pro- 
fessor Hommel  indicated  a  word  in  the  oldest 
Egyptian  texts  which  represented  iron,  from 
which  he  concluded  that  iron  was  in  use 
before  1500  b.c.  Professor  Montelius  re- 
plied that  in  Egypt,  as  elsewhere,  a  word 
which  originally  represented  "  metal,"  or 
"  ore,"  was  subsequently  used  to  represent 
iron.  This  was  the  case  with  the  Indian 
ayas,  the  Roman  cbs. 


'h         4" 


^ 


The  society  for  the  preservation  of  the  Irish 
language,  in  its  report,  congratulates  itself 
on  the  increase  in  the  sale  of  its  books  last 


year,  which  amounted  to  7,233  copies,  as 
compared  with  4,636  in  1896,  and  on  the 
appointment  of  a  professor  of  Irish  in  St, 
Patrick's  Training  College,  Drumcondra. 
From  the  statistics  supplied  by  the  National 
Board,  it  appears  that  the  number  of  pupils 
who  presented  themselves  for  examination 
in  Irish  amounted  last  year  to  1,297,  against 
1,217  iri  1896,  and  the  number  that  passed 
amounted  to  882,  as  compared  with  750  in 
1896,  while  the  number  of  schools  in  which 
Irish  was  taught  was  85  in  1897,  and  only 
70  in  1896. 

^  ^  ^ 
An  interesting  discovery,  in  its  way,  is  reported 
from  Dublin,  where  some  workmen  engaged 
in  street  excavations  for  laying  the  conduit 
pipes  for  electric  tramway  wires,  during  their 
operations  recently  struck  upon  a  small  brick- 
work dome  close  to  the  pathway  adjoin- 
ing Trinity  College,  and  opposite  Dawson 
Street,  at  a  depth  of  about  10  feet  from  the 
surface.  The  men  set  to  work  to  make  a 
hole  in  the  brickwork,  and  were  not  a  little 
surprised  to  find  as  the  result  of  their  exer- 
tions that  it  was  the  cover  of  a  well,  the  water 
being  seen  some  distance  below.  It  appears 
that  this  well  was  formerly  in  the  College  Park, 
from  which  there  exists  an  approach  to  it  by  a 
flight  of  steps,  but  that  in  1841,  when  the 
present  College  Park  wall  was  being  con- 
structed, the  street  was  altered  so  as  to  in- 
clude the  site  of  the  well,  which  was  accord- 
ingly bricked  up.  It  is  supposed  by  some 
persons  that  this  is  St.  Patrick's  Well,  from 
which  the  present  Nassau  Street  obtained  its 
previous  name  of  St.  Patrick's  Well  Lane. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Daily  Telegraph  announces  that  some 
discoveries  have  been  made  at  Paris  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Seine,  between  the  old  Hotel- 
Dieu  and  the  Boulevard  Saint  Michel,  during 
the  excavations  necessitated  by  the  extension 
of  the  Orleans  line  to  the  Quai  d'Orsay. 
Near  the  Rue  des  Ecoles  were  found  one  of  the 
pillars  of  the  Saint-Victor  gate,  and  even  a 
part  of  the  wall  enclosing  the  city  in  the  time 
of  Philip  Augustus.  The  ditch  of  the  old 
ramparts  was  represented  by  black  and  muddy 
ground.  Protruding  from  part  of  the  wall  was 
an  old  fourteenth-century  piece  of  artillery. 
Farther  on,  in  the  Rue  Saint-Severin,  some 
Gallo-Roman  pottery,  mediaeval  lamps,  coins. 


200 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


and  fragments  of  old  sculpture  were  brought 
to  light.  The  articles  found  will  be  divided 
between  the  Carnavalet  Museum  and  the 
Hotel  de  Ville. 

^  ^  *k 
The  Bishop  of  Southwell  has  reopened  the 
Church  of  St.  Helena,  Austerfield,  after 
"restoration"  from  designs  by  Mr.  Hodgson 
Fowler.  Many  objects  of  interest  have  been 
discovered  during  the  progress  of  the  work, 
chiefly  a  beautiful  Norman  arcade  buried  in 
the  north  wall  of  the  church.  This  arcade 
now  occupies  its  original  position  in  the 
interior,  a  new  aisle  having  been  added  to  the 
north  of  it  by  subscriptions  received  from  the 
Society  oi Mayflower  Descendants  in  America 
and  other  descendants  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
and  a  memorial  brass  is  shortly  to  be  inserted 
in  this  aisle  in  memory  of  William  Bradford, 
who  was  a  native  of  Austerfield.  The  brass 
will  contain  the  following  inscription  :  "  This 
aisle  was  built  by  the  Society  of  Mayflower 
Descendants  and  other  Citizens  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  memory  of  Governor 
William  Bradford,  who  was  born  at  Auster- 
field and  baptized  in  this  church  on  the  19th 
March,  1589.  'He  was  the  first  American 
citizen  of  the  English  race  who  bore  rule  by 
the  free  choice  of  his  brethren.'  "  The  date 
of  the  church  is  about  1130.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  windows  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
and  of  the  addition  of  the  north  aisle  and  a 
new  vestry,  the  original  Norman  structure 
remains  intact. 

•ij?  ^  jf? 
Two  minor  discoveries,  which  seem  to  be 
worth  recording,  are  reported  from  parts  of 
Scotland.  In  one  case  two  "  excellent  spe- 
cimens of  tombstones  of  the  Knight  Templar 
period "  (whatever  that  may  exactly  mean), 
are  said  by  the  Scotsman  to  have  been  found 
in  digging  the  grave  for  the  interment  of  the 
late  Dr.  Langwill,  minister  of  the  parish  at 
Currie,  near  Edinburgh.  The  second  dis- 
covery is  that  of  two  horns  (supposed  to  be 
those  of  a  wild  breed  of  cattle)  which  have 
been  found  at  a  great  depth  beneath  the  moss 
of  Auquharney,  near  Criiden,  in  the  shire  of 
Aberdeen.  The  horns,  which  are  in  excellent 
preservation,  and  both  for  the  left  side  of  the 
head,  were  found  at  a  distance  of  21  feet 
apart,  the  largest  measuring  22  inches  in 
length  and  1 1  inches  girth  ;  the  other,  which 


is  somewhat  less,  being  17  inches  in  length 
by  12  in  thickness. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  Winchester  correspondent  writes  as  follows : 
"Antiquaries  will  rejoice  to  hear  that  the 
venerable  West  Gate  of  Winchester  is  under- 
going, as  to  its  interior,  a  thorough  restora- 
tion, and  the  Society  for  the  Preservation  of 
Ancient  Buildings  comforted  with  the  assur- 
ance that  the  awful  word  '  restoration  '  in  this 
case  means  the  pulling  out  of  modern  cup- 
boards, shelves  and  drawers,  a  great  deal  of 
lath  and  plaster-work  of  the  end  of  the  last 
and  beginning  of  this  century,  and  a  conse- 
quent revealing  of  the  arrangements  of  the 
gate  above  the  road  for  the  purposes  of  de- 
fence. The  structure  is  beyond  doubt  on 
the  site  of  the  Roman  gate,  and  as  now  exist- 
ing includes  some  Norman  walling,  windows 
of  Henry  IH.'s  reign,  and  indications  on  the 
exterior  in  machicolations  and  string-course 
of  Richard  H.'s  or  Perpendicular  style.  The 
clearing  out  of  the  abominations  of  the  in- 
terior has  uncovered  the  archway  and  grooves 
for  the  portcullis  and  the  iron  loops  which 
suspended  it,  also  the  two  oillets  and  their 
splayed  arches  through  which  the  approach 
on  the  Western  road  was  commanded  by  the 
archers.  It  is  interesting  to  state  that  from 
the  time  of  Philip  and  Mary  down  to  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  gate 
was  used  for  the  confinement  of  debtors  and 
other  offenders,  and  the  porter  who  lodged 
next  door  was  the  gaoler.  After  repairs, 
towards  the  close  of  the  century,  the  large 
area  within  the  walls  over  the  arched  passage 
was  utilized  for  entertainments,  and  for  a 
smoking-room  for  the  adjacent  inn ;  then 
came  its  adaptation  as  a  muniment  room, 
when  the  cupboards  and  other  disfigurements 
were  put  up,  and  now  the  Corporation,  who 
are  keen  to  preserve  all  the  monuments  of 
the  past,  have  got  rid  of  their  predecessors' 
sins  in  plaster,  etc.,  and  are  going  to  have 
the  gate  open  as  a  museum,  placing  therein 
sundry  really  local  antiquities,  weights  and 
measures  (Tudor),  armour,  curios  from  the 
sewerage  works,  etc.  The  event  is  creating 
quite  a  sensation  in  the  city  and  county. 
There  are  on  the  walls  a  great  many  inscrip- 
tions of  prisoners  and  others  which  are  inter- 
esting, and  also  a  grand  iron-bound  oaken 
coffer  with  three  locks,  probably  Tudor.  The 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


20I 


view  of  the  old  city  from  the  battlements  is 
a  fine  one."      ^         ^         ^ 

A  report  of  the  recent  surveys  made  at 
Haddon  Hall  for  the  Society  for  the  Pro- 
tection of  Ancient  Buildings  was  laid  before 
the  members  of  the  Society  at  its  meeting 
on  June  i6.  On  the  whole,  the  report  proved 
a  somewhat  disquieting  one.  It  showed  that 
a  very  serious  movement  has  taken  place  in 
the  great  tower  by  the  entrance,  which,  if  not 
arrested,  may  have  disastrous  results.  The 
movement,  it  was  found,  was  partly  due  to 
the  large  overhanging  turret,  which  caused 
the  wall  to  lean  forward,  and  partly  to  a 
settlement  in  the  foundation  of  the  great 
curtain  wall  to  the  south  of  the  tower,  which 
had  occasioned  that  wall  also  to  lean  west- 
wards. Great  pains  were  taken  to  ascertain 
the  exact  nature  and  causes  of  the  various 
cracks  and  settlements,  and  as  a  result  of 
the  investigations  it  was  recommended  that 
to  arrest  the  movement  in  walls  some  25  feet 
high  a  new  3  feet  thick  wall,  well  bonded  to 
the  old  walls,  should  be  built  back  to  the 
fifteenth -century  curtain  wall,  which  runs 
longitudinally  between  them  in  the  aviary 
below  the  Earl's  rooms.  Another  proposal 
made  is  that  the  lead  roofing  and  gutters, 
which  were  found  past  repair,  should  be 
taken  up  and  recast  on  the  site,  and  then 
relaid  as  before,  any  repairs  needed  to  the 
roof-timbers  being  undertaken  at  the  same 
time.  It  is  strongly  recommended  that  all 
repairs  to  the  lead  light  panels  should  be 
done  as  far  as  possible  without  removing  the 
panels.  This,  experts  consider,  is  the  more 
necessary,  owing  to  the  unusual  interest 
attaching  to  their  intentionally  curved  forma- 
tion, which,  presumably,  was  aimed  at  se- 
curing greater  brilliance  of  effect  from  outside. 
The  same  design  is  to  be  seen  at  Levens 
Hall,  in  Westmorland,  and  it  is  known  to 
have  been  in  use  in  Holland.  In  spite  of 
the  defects  to  which  they  draw  attention,  the 
Society's  experts  were  very  highly  impressed 
with  the  excellent  state  of  preservation  of  the 
building,  a  fact  which  they  consider  is  a 
subject  for  great  congratulation,  since  it  is 
difficult,  if  not  absolutely  impossible,  to 
point  to  even  a  small  house  in  which  can  be 
seen  so  completely  undisturbed  so  many  of 
the  familiar  surroundings  of  fifteenth-century 
English  domestic  life. 
VOL.  xxxiv. 


Cfjurcf)  Il5ote0. 

By  the  late  Sir  Stephen  Glynne,  Bart. 
(Continued  Jrom  p.  142.) 


IV.  LINCOLNSHIRE.— I.  BARTON- 
ON-HUMBER. 

PRIL  21^'  [1825].— On  this  day  we 
set  out  on  an  expedition  into  Lin- 
colnshire, in  order  to  examine  the 
numerous  magnificent  Churches 
which  that  County  contains.  To  Selby  we 
rode,  and  thence  went  by  steam  packet  to 
Hull.  We  performed  this  voyage  in  about 
five  hours.  The  scenery  on  the  banks  of  the 
Humber  is  most  uninteresting,  but  the 
Churches  of  Hemingbrough  and  Howden 
form  fine  objects.  On  getting  within  about 
six  miles  of  Hull  the  left  bank  of  the  river 
improves  much,  and  is  varied  by  wood  and 
hill.  The  spire  of  Hessle  Church  also  forms 
a  beautiful  object.  At  Hull  we  just  stopped 
an  hour  to  dine,  and  execute  a  few  com- 
missions, and  then  set  off  per  steam  packet 
again  for  Barton,  distant  seven  miles.  This 
voyage  was  accomplished  in  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour.  We  arrived  at  Barton 
Waterside  Inn  (which  is  a  very  comfortable 
house,  nearly  a  mile  from  the  Town)  about 
5  o'clock,  and  slept  there. 

"Barton  contains  two  Churches,  situated 
at  a  very  short  distance  from  each  other. 

"  The  Old  Church,  or  St.  Peter's,  has  a 
tower  which  has  been  often  mentioned  as 
being  the  only  building  in  the  country  that 
can  have  a  just  claim  to  be  considered  of 
Anglo-Saxon  Architecture.  The  arguments 
in  favour  of  this  are  the  extreme  rudeness  of 
the  work  of  the  lower  part  of  the  tower,  while 
the  higher  story  has  a  window  of  much  more 
elegant  workmanship  and  apparently  Anglo- 
Norman. 

"  [The  upper  story  being  Anglo-Norman 
the  building  on  which  that  story  is  raised 
clearly  must  be  of  older  date  than  it,  and 
the  difference  of  workmanship  seems  veiy 
much  in  favour  of  the  supposition  of  their 
having  been  erected  at  different  periods. 
[1867]  There  is  attached  to  the  West  side  of 
this  tower  a  building,  forming  a  kind  of  porch 
or  galilee,  also  of  rude  and  early  character — 
has  circular  openings  on  the  West  side  and 
rude  round-headed  doorways  to  the  Tower 

DD 


202 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


and  at  the  West  side.  The  exterior  of  much 
of  the  church  is  covered  with  stucco  of  old 
standing,  and  some  of  the  stone  masonry  is 
bad  and  patched  with  brick.  The  South  aisle 
with  its  battlement  of  excellent  stone.]* 

"  Moreover,  its  being  called  the  Old  Church, 
while  the  New  Church,  or  St.  Mary's,  is 
evidently  Norman  originally,  proves  its  anti- 
quity to  be  very  great.  The  work  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  Tower  certainly  is  peculiar 
and  very  rude.  The  Tower  is  low  and  has 
thick  walls  2  ft.  10  in.  in  thickness.  The 
two  lower  stories  are  adorned  with  slips  of 
stone,  projecting  somewhat  from  the  wall  of 
the  Tower,  set  perpendicular  and  breaking 
into  arches.  The  arches  in  the  lower  stage 
are  semicircular,  those  in  the  second  are 
formed  of  lines  without  any  curvature.  Above 
this  last  set  of  arches  is  a  plain  tablet,  above 
which,  in  the  third  story,  is  a  very  rudely 
formed  ornament,  two  ill-shaped  and  small 
arches  formed  of  strips  of  stone  as  the 
other  arches.  In  the  second  stage  is  a 
rude  double  window  formed  of  two  round 
arches  divided  by  something  nearly  resem- 
bling a  barrel,  but  altogether  so  very  rudely 
worked  and  so  different  from  the  window  in 
the  upper  story,  which  is  certainly  good 
Anglo-Norman,  as  to  leave  very  little  doubt 
of  its  being  an  earlier  work.  The  Tower  is 
in  width  from  E.  to  W.  22f  ft,  and  is 
divided  both  from  the  body  of  the  Church 
and  from  a  building  projecting  on  the  West 
side  by  a  narrow  semicircular  arch,  doubly 
moulded  but  very  simple.  There  is  also  a 
doorway  on  the  South  side  which  has  a  semi- 
circular arch  and  is  very  rude  in  its  com- 
position. The  body  of  the  Church  is  entirely 
of  a  later  style,  and  contains  no  trace  of 
Norman  work.  It  is  spacious,  and  consists 
of  a  Nave  with  side  aisles  and  a  Chancel. 
The  Nave  is  divided  from  the  aisles  by 
pointed  arches  springing  from  octagon  piers, 
with  various  ornaments  and  capitals.  Those 
on  the  South  side  have  mostly  the  Early 
English  toothed  ornament,  but  there  are  on 
the  North  side  two  at  the  Eastern  extremity 
which  have  very  rich  capitals  wrought  with 
foliage  and  heads  and  appearing  to  be  De- 

*  The  portion  within  the  square  brackets  is 
written  on  the  opposite  leaf,  the  first  part  in  ink 
and  writing  corresponding  with  the  original  notes. 
The  two  latter  paragraphs  in  the  writing  and  darker 
ink  of  the  notes  elsewhere  dated  1867. 


corated.  The  Chancel  is  Perpendicular  and 
has  square  windows.  It  is  divided  from  the 
Nave  by  an  elegant  open  work  carved  screen 
of  Perpendicular  work.  The  Nave  is  ex- 
tremely light,  and  has  several  very  good 
Decorated  windows,  some  of  which  are 
square,  and  one  at  the  East  end  of  the  North 


SAXON   TOWER,   ST.    PETER'S,  BARTON-ON-HUMBER.* 

aisle  is  of  particularly  elegant  tracery,  and 
has  its  mullions  within  ornamented  with 
images.  The  drip-stones  of  the  arches  in 
the  Nave  terminate  in  heads.  The  Clere- 
story has  numerous  windows  set  very  close 
together,  all  Perpendicular  work.  At  the 
West  end  is  a  gallery  and  barrel  organ.  The 
Church  is  a  pattern  of  neatness  and  cleanli- 
ness. There  are  two  inscriptions  on  brass, 
one  of  which  runs  : 

"  Hie  jacet  .  .  .  de  Barton  qui  obiit  nono  die 
Julii  Ano  Dni  mo  cccco  .  .  .  aie  ppicietur  Deus. 
Amen. 

*  Sir  Stephen  Glynne's  notes  on  the  architecture 
of  this  tower,  written  more  than  seventy  years  ago, 
are  necessarily  somewhat  out  of  date  at  the  present 
day.  It  has  been  long  ago  recognised  not  only 
that  the  tower  is  Saxon,  but  that  there  are  a 
large  number  of  other  churches  which  still  retain 
portions,  more  or  less  complete,  erected  prior  to 
the  Conquest.  The  accompanying  woodcut  of  the 
tower  at  Barton-on-Humber,  borrowed  from  the 
Concise  Glossary  of  Architecture  (Parker),  will  help  the 
reader  to  follow  Sir  Stephen's  description  of  its 
features  the  more  readily. 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


203 


"  The  other  is  thus  : 

"  Hie  jacet  Robtus. 

"  The  Chancel  is  short  in  proportion  to 
the  Nave.  The  Dimensions  of  the  Church 
are  as  follow  : 

Length  of  the  Nave  ...     78I  by  65  in  width. 
„       „     „  Chancel     43^ 


Total 


122  feet. 


"  1867. — The  Church  has  been  fairly 
restored  within,  and  has  very  neat  open 
seats.  The  Nave  is  of  five  bays,  each  of 
pointed  arches  on  octagonal  pillars.  On  the 
North  the  two  eastern  have  enriched  foliage 
on  the  Capitals  of  Decorated  character  and 
clustered  East  respond.  The  South  piers 
have  toothed  ornament  in  the  Capitals.  The 
windows  of  the  Clerestory  are  Perpendicular, 
closely  set,  and  very  light ;  those  of  the 
aisles  are  Decorated  of  three  lights — some 
square-headed. 

"The  Chancel  arch  is  a  plain  one,  spring- 
ing straight  from  the  wall.  The  East  arch  on 
the  South  side  of  the  Nave  has  been  partly 
walled  and  contracted  by  the  change  of 
plan  in  planning  [?]  the  Chancel  arch  in  its 
present  position.  The  full  dimension  of  it  can 
be  traced  in  the  wall  East  of  the  Chancel 
arch.  In  both  aisles  are  piscinae  near  the 
East  end — that  of  the  North  has  a  bowl  with 
pretty  foliage.  The  pulpit  is  of  carved  wood 
on  stone  base.  In  the  Chancel  Arch  is  a 
Perpendicular  rood  screen.  The  Chancel 
has  a  five-light  Perpendicular  East  window — 
the  others  square- headed  and  Decorated. 
The  Organ  is  now  East  of  the  North  aisle.  At 
the  North-east  of  the  Chancel  is  the  original 
Vestry. 

"sT.  Mary's  church, 

or  the  New  Church,  is  a  very  handsome  and 
spacious  structure,  consisting  of  a  nave  with 
collateral  aisles,  and  a  chancel  with  a  spacious 
chapel  on  the  South  side.  At  the  West  end 
is  a  very  handsome  Early  English  tower 
finished  with  Perpendicular  battlement  and 
eight  crock eted  pinnacles.  The  Tower  has 
three  stages  :  in  the  lowest  on  the  West 
side  is  a  rich  and  deeply-moulded  doorway. 
In  the  second,  of  four  orders  of  shafts 
having   capitals   of  foliage,   is   a   very  long 


and  narrow  window  ornamented  with  slender 
banded  shafts.  Above  this  is  a  plain  tablet, 
and  in  the  third  stage  a  very  rich  and  deeply- 
moulded  window  of  two  lights  divided  by  a 
slender  shaft.  The  body  of  the  church  is 
without  battlement  throughout,  and  is  origin- 
ally built  of  brick  and  stone.  The  South 
porch  is  very  rich.  The  outer  doorway  is 
deeply  moulded,  and  has  the  dog-toothed 
ornament.  The  mouldings  rest  on  capitals 
which  seem  to  have  been  intended  to  have 
had  shafts.  The  dripstone  of  this  doorway, 
and  as  well  as  of  two  niches  on  either  side 
of  it,  is  elegantly  returned  and  foliated. 

"  The  Church  within  is  extremely  light  and 
elegant.  It  exhibits  a  great  variety  in  its 
windows.  The  Clerestory  is  Perpendicular. 
On  the  North  side  are  some  Early  English 
plain  lancet  windows,  and  some  Perpendicular. 
On  the  South  side  of  the  Nave  they  are  of  a 
very  elegant  early  Decorated  pattern.  In  the 
Chancel  the  East  window  is  of  very  beautiful 
early  Decorated  and  of  large  dimensions. 
Those  on  the  North  side  of  the  Chancel  are 
of  late  Early  English,  being  of  two  lights, 
with  a  small  circle  between  them,  but  not 
contained  in  the  same  frame,  and  thereby 
fairly  showing  them  to  be  Early  English. 
There  is  also  one  window  of  that  description 
which  cannot  be  called  exactly  Early  English 
from  it  having  cross  mullions,  nor  can  it 
well  be  called  Decorated  from  its  extreme 
simplicity  and  plainness.  It  may,  how- 
ever, be  said  more  properly  to  belong  to  the 
latter  style  than  the  former.  The  chapel 
on  the  South  of  the  Chancel  has  windows 
of  the  same  description,  and  one  of  a 
richer  description.  The  Nave  is  divided 
from  its  North  aisle  by  massive  circular 
Norman  piers  with  square  bases  and 
supporting  arches  only  just  pointed,  and 
adorned  with  all  those  mouldings  so  purely 
Norman,  the  chevron,  the  herring-bone,  and 
the  network.  At  the  Eastern  end  there  is 
half  an  arch  abutting  against  the  wall,  which 
is  much  loftier  and  pointed.  The  Nave  is 
divided  from  the  south  aisle  by  pillars  and 
arches  totally  different  from  those  just  men- 
tioned. The  arches  are  four  in  number, 
pointed,  and  very  lofty,  and  springing  from 
circular  piers,  which  are  surrounded  by  eight 
slender  shafts,  elegantly  banded  about  the 
middle,  and    with    beautiful    flowered   and 

DD   2 


204 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


foliated     capitals.       This    is    a    very    fine 
specimen  of  Early  English  work. 

"  The  arches  which  divide  the  Chancel 
from  the  South  chapel  appear  to  be  of  early 
Decorated.  They  are  three  in  number,  and 
spring  from  a  central  pier  formed  by  slender 
shafts  in  clusters  with  fine  foliated  capitals. 
In  the  Chancel,  on  flat  stones,  are  many 
vestiges  of  brasses,  but  they  are  all  gone 
excepting  one,  which  is  in  the  Chancel,  and 
represents  the  brass  figure  of  a  merchant 
with  barrels  at  his  feet.  An  inscription  runs 
round,  also  on  brass,  and  thus  runs  : 

"  In  gjacia  et  misericordia  Dei  hie  jacet  Simon 
Seman  quonda  civis  et  vinitaris  ac  Aldermani 
Londin  qui  obiit  xio  die  mens'  Augusti  anno 
domini  millmo  cccco  tricesimo  tercio  Cujus  anime 
et  omnium  fidelium  defunctorum  deus  propicietur 
Amen    AMEN.* 

"  On  a  flat  stone  in  the  Chancel : 

"  Hie  jaeet  Rieardus  Baivod  quoda  capells 
pochit  isti'  .  .  .  q  obiit  x  die  mes  Apl  a  dni 
mccee  septimo  I  .  .  . 

"  The  Church  has  at  the  western  end  a 
neat  gallery  and  new  barrel  organ.  Nothing 
can  exceed  the  neatness  with  which  it  is 
kept ;  the  pewing  is  good  and  tidy,  and  the 
whole  cleanly.  It  is  highly  creditable  to  the 
inhabitants  that  these  two  spacious  Churches 
should  both  be  kept  up  in  so  excellent  a 
condition.  The  measurements  of  St.  Mary's 
Church  are  these : 

"  Length  of  Nave  ...  71  by  58  in  breadth. 
„       of  Chancel  56 

Total    ...  127  feet. 

"  1867.  — The  battlement  is  finely panneled, 
and  below  it  is  a  corbel  table  of  Early 
English  character,  of  which  is  the  whole  of 
the  tower  save  the  parapet. 

"  The  exterior  is  of  inferior  masonry,  and 
has  some  stucco  covering  of  ancient  date. 

"  At  the  two  ends  of  the  North  aisle  were 
originally   two   lancets;    those   at   the   East 

*  Sir  S.  Glynne  repeats  the  Amen  in  capitals  as 
here  printed.  In  the  second  legend  the  word 
"  pochit"  is  given  as  written  by  Sir  Stephen.  It 
is,  of  course,  a  mis-reading  for  a  contracted  form  of 
"  parochialis." 


remain,  the  others  have  been  supplanted  by 
a  Perpendicular  inserted  window. 

"  The  interior  is  handsome,  but  unrestored 
still,  with  its  pews  and  West  gallery,  in  which 
is  a  finger  organ. 

"  The  Tower  is  large  enough  to  hold  ten 
bells,  but  has  only  four. 

"  At  the  West  end  of  the  South  aisle  is  a 
pedimental  buttress,  and  a  good  geometrical 
window  of  three  lights. 

"  The  Chancel  has  a  good  East  window. 
Decorated,  of  five  lights,  and  on  the  North 
are  two-light  windows — one  Decorated — one 
without  foliation. 

"  The  northern  arcade  has  five  arches 
transitional  from  Norman  to  Early  English, 
barely  pointed,  having  chevron  ornament  in 
the  mouldings,  also  lozenge,  etc.  The  piers 
are  circular,  with  plain  round  capitals.  The 
fifth  arch  is  loftier,  and  looks  as  if  it  had 
opened  into  a  Transept. 

"  The  Southern  arcade  is  quite  different, 
and  decided  Early  English,  with  four  fine 
pointed  arches,  lofty  and  well  proportioned, 
upon  circular  columns  surrounded  by  banded 
shafts.  The  Clerestory  has  Perpendicular 
windows  of  three  lights  closely  set. 

"The  South  aisle  of  the  Chancel  is 
spacious,  and  was,  till  lately,  used  as  a  school. 
It  has  odd  windows.  One  has  a  double  two- 
light  window  with  no  foliation,  and  interiorly 
included  in  a  larger  [.  .  .  ?].  The  East 
window  Perpendicular,  and  there  are  three 
plain  pointed  sedilia  with  window  over  them. 
There  is  a  parclose  screen  between  the 
Chancel  and  South  Chapel,  and  the  East 
end  of  the  latter  is  raised  for  an  Altar.  There 
is  at  the  South-East  of  the  nave  a  low  leper 
window  of  two  lights,  with  late  Decorated 
tracery,  somewhat  Flamboyant  in  character, 
with  iron  bars — an  unusual  feature. 

"  On  the  north  of  the  Chancel  is  the 
original  Vestry.  The  original  Altar  stone  is 
seen  in  the  Sacrarium  floor  with  five  crosses. 

"  The  Altar  has  a  marble  slab  mounted  on 
ironwork. 

"  The  north  Clerestory  is  almost  wholly  of 
brickwork. 

"  There  is  also  a  bust  brass  much  worn, 
and  without  inscription." 


THE  CAVE  AT  AIRLIE. 


205 


Cbe  Caue  at  atrlie. 

By  David  MacRitchie. 


IN  or  about  the  year  1794  an  in- 
teresting discovery  was  made  on  a 
Forfarshire  farm,  The  Barns  of 
Airlie,  situated  near  "The  Bonnie 
Hoose  o'  Airlie,"  famed  in  Scottish  song. 
The  work  of  the  ploughmen  had  been  inter- 
rupted by  a  huge  stone  lying  a  little  beneath 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  one  of  the 
men  set  himself  to  remove  it  by  means  of  a 
crowbar.  Scarcely,  however,  had  he  got  the 
crowbar  inserted  at  the  edge  of  the  stone 
when  the  imperative  call  for  dinner  obliged 
him  to  leave  it.  On  his  return  the  crowbar 
had  mysteriously  disappeared.  A  closer  in- 
vestigation showed  him  that  its  head  was 
still  visible  an  inch  or  two  above  ground, 
and  on  further  examination  this  huge  stone 
was  found  to  be  one  of  the  roof-slabs  of  an 
underground  building,  into  which  the  crow- 
bar had  slipped. 

Descending  into  this  subterranean  retreat, 
the  farmer  and  his  men  found  that  it  con- 
tained nothing  more  important  than  a  quantity 
of  charred  wood,  the  remains  of  bones,  several 
stone  querns  or  hand-mills  (of  which  some 
were  broken),  a  brass  or  bronze  pin,  and  "  a 
piece  of  freestone  with  a  nicely -scooped 
hollow  in  it,  somewhat  resembling  a  trough 
or  mortar."  This  last  article  is  described  as 
"  precisely  similar  "  to  other  such  specimens 
found  in  a  souterrain  at  Migvie,  Tarland, 
Aberdeenshire.* 

This  Airlie  souterrain,  variously  referred  to 
as  a  cave,  a  weetn  (the  Lowland- Scotch  pro- 
nunciation of  the  Gaelic  uaim,  "a  cave"), 
an  eirde-  or  earth-house,  and  a  Picfs  house, 
has  been  very  carefully  described  by  the  late 
Mr.  A.  Jervise,  from  whose  account!  the 
above  statements  have  been  gleaned.  At  the 
date  when  Mr.  Jervise  wrote  (1864),  the 
"Cave,"  as  it  is  locally  called,  was  in  as  good 
order  as  when  it  was  discovered  seventy  years 
before,  thanks  to  the  wisdom  of  a  former 
Earl  of  Airlie,  who  had  a  clause  inserted  in 

*  Described  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  vol.  v.,  pp.  304-306. 

t  Op.  cit.,  pp.  352-355;  with  ground-plan  and 
sectional  view  at  Plate  XXI.,  opposite  p.  301. 


the  lease  of  the  farm  by  which  the  tenant  is 
bound  to  protect  the  structure ;  and  this 
arrangement  is  happily  still  in  force.  Con- 
sequently, the  plans  here  reproduced*  are  as 
truly  representative  of  the  original  structure 
as  those  delineated  by  Mr.  Jervise,  and  they 
have  the  advantage  of  being  drawn  on  a 
much  larger  scale,  and  with  fuller  detail. 
One  statement  of  Mr.  Jervise's,  however, 
maybe  specially  referred  tof  :  "About  12  feet 
from  the  entrance,"  he  says,  "  a  smoke-hole 
was  visible  within  these  few  years ;"  from 
which  we  may  clearly  infer  that  in  1864,  as 
now,  that  orifice  was  choked  up  with  earth. 
But  its  existence  leaves  no  doubt  that  the 
recess  g  was  a  fireplace,  as  perhaps  the 
recess  f  also  was. 

The  following  are  some  measurements 
taken  by  the  present  writer  :  The  innermost 
of  the  roof-slabs,  which  are  seventeen  in 
number,  measures  49  inches  across  by  46 
inches  lengthwise,  while  that  next  the  en- 
trance is  64  inches  across  by  66  inches 
lengthwise  (the  actual  length  in  each  case 
being,  of  course,  much  greater,  as  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  slabs  are  buried  in  the  earth). 
Of  the  wall-stones,  two  of  the  larger  speci- 
mens, forming  part  of  the  base  tier  at  the 
inner  end  of  the  cave,  measure  respectively 
55  and  58  inches  long,  the  former  being 
29  inches  high.  The  height  of  the  gallery 
varies  from  about  5  feet  to  6  feet  3  inches, 
and  the  width  averages  a  little  over  7  feet  on 
the  floor,  narrowing  to  4  feet  at  the  roof,  due 
to  that  convergence  of  the  walls  which  charac- 
terizes such  "  Cyclopean  "  buildings.  The 
uneven  earthen  floor  shows  a  kind  of  rude 
paving  in  some  places.  The  whole  roof  has 
a  superincumbent  layer  of  soil,  cultivated 
with  the  rest  of  the  field ;  but  this  covering 
is  so  shallow  that  it  is  quite  easy  to  signal 
from  the  field  above  to  the  occupant  of  the 
cave  below  by  tapping  on  a  loose  stone,  and 
thereby  eliciting  answering  knocks  on  the 
roof  underground.     (See  e  in  ground-plan.) 

The  cave  at  Airlie  has,  of  course,  long 
been  known  to  antiquaries  as  well  as  to  the 
people  of  the  district,  and  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  it  was  visited  about  thirty  years  ago 
by  members  of  the  British  Association,  under 

*  Made  in  the  present  year  by  Mr.  J.  A.  R. 
Macdonald,  Blairgowrie. 

t  His  whole  paper  is  well  worthy  of  perusal. 


2o6 


THE  CAVE  AT  AIRLIE. 


The  Qave  at  Airue     • 

NOTES    • 

A .  B .  C<'  D .    Angle  poi  nts  of  m  easure  m  tNTs . 
A.  /entrance  . 

F.  Gc,      R5CESSES     OR     PlRtPLACeS 
H/     UAR&E.    FLAT    STONE    ON    FLOOR 
l/lI.IL         REKE.R      TO     CROSS     SECTIONS 
M.M.  TRANSVERSE     DOTTBD    LIMtC    SHEW  COVtR.  RTOMtS 

E.  Point  at  which  knocking^  were  m*>oe  in 

FIELD       OVER.    CAVE    TO  FIND     OUT    LIME   . 

A.To  B.   ta"  o" 

B.ToC.    »<■  ■  9' 
C.TO  D.      13';  O 
TOTAJ-     7S-    9" 


&cAue     OF       rEBT 

■  l^  .  ■ .  1° 


the  guidance  of  the  late  Lord  Airlie,  who  had 
been  entertaining  them  at  Airlie  Castle. 

The  rapid  destruction  and  disappearance 
of  similar  structures,  valuable  witnesses  to 
this  bygone  underground  life,  is  nowhere 
better  illustrated  than  at  Airlie,  although  the 
same  process  has  unfortunately  been  repeated 
again  and  again  all  over  Scotland.  Mr. 
Jervise  states  that,  besides  one  near  the 
parish  church  of  Ruthven,  only  a  few  miles 


distant,  "  there  were  two  other  '  eirde '  houses 
upon  the  farm  of  Barns  of  Airlie,  also  other 
two  in  the  same  neighbourhood,  making  no 
fewer  than  five  in  all."  Of  these  six  the  one 
now  under  consideration  is  the  sole  sur- 
vivor, and  it  is  only  because  of  the  precaution 
taken  by  the  noble  proprietor  that  it  also 
was  not  hopelessly  wrecked  long  ago,  its 
stones  taken  for  farm  purposes,  and  the 
cavity  itself  filled  up  with  solid  earth. 


THE  CAVE  AT  AIR  LIE. 


207 


SC^LE  I  I  ■  .  ■  I  ■  I  I  I  I 


LONGrlTLlDINAL  SECTION 

o  5 


^..i^&y^mmm^^ 


I.  I.  ji 

CRa&S      SECTIONS    &    RECESSES       TO   SAME.     SCALE     AS      PLAN 


sKETCK  sMEwma  ENTRANCE  A 

FROM    ABOV^    OROUND 


Mr.  Jervise's  account  of  the  finding  of  one 
of  these  vanished  "  weems  "  is  amusing  and 
interesting  : 

The  circumstances  which  led  to  the  discovery  of 
one  of  these  weems  is  curious.  Local  story  says, 
that  the  wife  of  a  poor  cottar  could  not  for  long 
understand  why,  whatever  sort  of  fuel  she  burned, 
no  ashes  were  left  upon  the  hearth ;  and  if  a  pin  or 
any  similar  article  was  dropt  at  the  fireside,  it 
could  not  be  recovered.  Having  "a  bakin "  of 
bannccks,   or  oatmeal   cakes,   on   some  occasion, 


one  of  the  cakes  accidentally  slipped  from  off  "  the 
toaster,"  and  passed  from  the  poor  woman's  sight ! 
This  was  more  than  she  was  prepared  for;  and, 
believing  that  the  house  was  bewitched,  she  alarmed 
her  neighbours,  who  collected  in  great  numbers, 
and,  as  may  be  supposed,  after  many  surmises  and 
grave  deliberation,  they  resolved  to  pull  down  the 
house  !  This  was  actually  done  :  still  the  mystery 
remained  unsolved,  until  one  lad,  more  courageous 
and  intelligent  than  the  rest,  looking  attentively 
about  the  floor,  observed  a  long  narrow  crevice  at 
the  hearth.     Sounding  the  spot,  and  believing  the 


208 


THE  CAVE  AT  AIR  LIE. 


f)lace  to  be  hollow,  he  set  to  work  and  had  the  flag 
ifted,  when  the  fact  was  disclosed,  that  the  luckless 
cottage  had  been  built  right  over  an  "  eirde  "  house. 
The  disappearance  of  ashes,  and  the  occasional 
loss  of  small  articles  of  household  use,  were  thus 
satisfactorily  accounted  for. 

"I  am  told,"  adds  the  same  authority, 
*'  that  the  castle  of  Colquhanny,  in  Strathdon 
[Aberdeenshire],  stands  upon  a  weem."  This 
castle,  begun  by  the  Laird  of  Towie  early  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  was  never  finished, 
but  when  and  under  what  cirdamstances  the 
underlying  weem  was  discovered  is  not  stated. 
Perhaps  by  some  accident  similar  to  that 
which  revealed  the  Airlie  weem  to  the 
cottar  who  unwittingly  had  built  his  cottage 
above  it. 

In  the  case  last  named  it  is  clear  that  the 
underground  dwelling  had  no  inhabitants  at 
the  date  when  the  newcomer  reared  his 
foundations  upon  its  roof.  But  it  is  unlikely 
that  the  other  contingency  had  never  hap- 
pened, and  that  invading  settlers  of  another 
race  had  never  unconsciously  placed  their 
habitations  above  or  beside  those  earth- 
houses  while  some  surviving  earth-dwellers 
were  still  in  possession  of  their  homes. 
Indeed,  it  is  by  this  hypothesis  that  the 
present  writer  and  others  explain  the  origin 
of  the  numerous  traditional  stories  relating 
to  an  underground  race,  distinguished  in 
folklore  by  many  names,  among  which  are 
those  of  "  the  little  people  "  and  "  the  fairies." 
Whatever  be  the  true  etymology  of  the  latter 
title,  it  is  evident  from  the  dimensions  of 
many  souterrains  that  their  denizens  must 
have  been  "  little  people."  And  the  follow- 
ing story  offers  itself  as  a  complement  to  that 
of  the  Airlie  cottager ;  the  salient  difference 
between  the  two  being  that  in  the  one  case 
the  weem  was  empty,  and  in  the  other  it 
appears  to  have  been  still  occupied  : 

A  shepherd's  family  had  just  taken  possession 
of  a  newly-erected  onstead,  in  a  very  secluded  spot 
among  "  the  hills  o'  Gallowa,"  when  the  good  wife 
was  one  day  surprised  by  the  entrance  of  a  little 
woman,  who  hurriedly  asked  for  the  loan  of  a 
"  pickle  saut."  This,  of  course,  was  readily  granted; 
but  the  goodwife  was  so  flurried  by  the  appearance 
of  "  a  neibor  "  in  such  a  lonely  place,  and  at  such  a 
very  great  distance  from  all  known  habitations, 
that  she  did  not  observe  when  the  little  woman 
withdrew  or  which  way  she  went.  Next  day,  how- 
ever, the  same  little  woman  re-entered  the  cottage, 
and  duly  paid  the  borrowed  "saut."    This  time 


the  goodwife  was  more  alert,  and  as  she  turned 
to  replace  "  the  saut  in  the  sautkit "  [the  salt  in  the 
salt-box]  she  observed  "  wi'  theJ  tail  o'  her  e'e" 
that  the  little  woman  moved  off  towards  the  door, 
*  and  then  made  a  sudden  "  bolt  out."  Following 
quickly,  the  goodwife  saw  her  unceremonious  visitor 
run  down  a  small  declivity  towards  a  tree,  which 
stood  at  "  the  house  en'."  [She  passed  behind  the 
tree,  but  did  not  emerge  on  the  other  side,  and 
the  "goodwife,"  seeing  no  place  of  concealment, 
assumed  she  was  a  fairy.]  In  a  few  days  her  little 
"  neibor"  again  returned,  and  continued  from  time 
to  time  to  make  similar  visits — borrowing  and 
lending  small  articles,  evidently  with  a  view  to 
produce  an  intimacy;  and  it  was  uniformly  re- 
marked that,  on  retiring,  she  proceeded  straight 
to  the  tree,  and  then  suddenly  "  gae'd  out  o'  sight." 
One  day,  while  the  goodwife  was  at  the  door, 
emptying  some  dirty  water  into  the  jaw-hole  [sink, 
or  cesspool],  her  now  familiar^acquaintance  came 
to  her  and  said;  "  Goodwife, 'ye're  really  a' very 
obliging  bodie !  Wad  ye  be  sae  good  as  turn  the 
lade  o'  your  jaw-hole  anither  way,  as  a'  your  foul 
water  rins  directly  in  at  my  door  ?  It  stands  in  the 
howe  [hollow]  there,  on  the  aff  side  o'  that  tree,  at 
the  corner  o'  your  house  en'."  The  mystery  was 
now  fully  cleared  up — the  little  woman  was  indeed 
a  fairy ;  and  the  door  of  her  invisible  habitation 
being  situated  "  on  the  aff  side  o'  the  tree  at  the 
house  en',"  it  could  easily  be  conceived  how  she 
must  there  necessarily  "  gae  out  o'  sight,"  as  she 
entered  her  sight-eluding  portal.* 

Divested  of  the  slight  air  of  mystery  that 
hangs  around  it,  due— as  in  the  Airlie  instance 
— to  superstitious  ignorance,  this  story  strongly 
suggests  that  it  is  only  a  garbled  account  of 
an  actual  incident.  To  compare  it  with  many 
other  kindred  traditions  in  Scotland  and  else- 
where—for such  stories  and  such  dwellings 
are  by  no  means  restricted  to  Scotland— is 
impossible  within  the  limits  of  this  paper. f 
But  those  desirous  of  studying  the  appear 
ance  of  one  of  these  underground  dwellings 
can  hardly  do  better  than  pay  a  visit  to  the 
cave  at  Airlie. 

•  Legends  of  Scottish  Superstition,  Edinburgh,  1848 
PP-  30-32. 

t  Reference  may  be  made,  however,  to  a  paper 
on  "  Subterranean  Dwellings,"  contributed  by  the 
present  writer  to  the  Antiquary  of  August,  1892; 
and  "An  Aberdeenshire  Mound  Dwelling"  in  the 
Antiquary  of  May,  1897.  Also  to  his  account  of 
"  Pitcur  and  its  Merry  Elfins  "  in  the  Reliquary  and 
Illustrated  Archaologist  of  October,  1897. 


THE  SHIELD-WALL  AND  THE  SCHILTRUM. 


209 


^cf)iltrum. 

'  THANK  Mr.  Neilson  for  the  courtesy 
of  his  reply,  and  I  trust  that,  in 
his  own  words,  "  brevity  will  excuse 
brusqueness  "  in  my  rejoinder. 

1.  ^'■Densily."  Mr.  Neilson's  use  of  this 
word  can  give  me  no  help  towards  under- 
standing his  conception  of  the  "  schiltrum  " 
— i.e.,  according  to  him,  of  the  "shield- 
wall  "—until  he  defines  precisely  what  he 
means  by  "  density  "  as  regards  {a)  direction 
(lateral,  in  depth  or  otherwise),  and  {b)  degree. 
As  to  this  last,  does  he  or  does  he  not  hold 
with  Mr.  Oman  {Art  of  War,  p-  71)  that  in 
the  shield-wall  the  men  were  "ranged  in 
close  order,  but  not  so  closely  packed  that 
spears  could  not  be  lightly  hurled  or  swords 
swung " ? 

2.  Mr.  Neilson  virtually  declines  to  ex- 
plain whether,  in  his  opinion,  circularity  was 
or  was  not  essential  to  the  shield-wall.  If  he 
prefers  his  meaning  to  remain  obscure,  so  be 
it.  But  I  certainly  do  not  stand  alone  in 
thinking  that  unless  he  is  prepared  to  main- 
tain that  "circularity"  was  essential  to  the 
shield-wall,  his  case,  from  the  historical  point 
of  view,  is  so  extremely  weak  as  to  be  hardly 
worth  a  serious  examination. 

For  all  Mr.  Neilson's  other  notes  a  very 
few  words  must  suffice.  They  do  not  go  to 
the  heart  of  the  subject. 

3.  Mr.  Neilson  begs  the  question  which  I 
put  very  plainly,  viz.,  whether  "testudo" 
had,  necessarily  and  always,  this  specific  sense 
for  Old  English  writers. 

4.  I  insinuated  nothing  as  to  the  numerical 
sufficiency  or  insufficiency  of  two  witnesses. 
'Jhe  strange  thing  to  me  was  that  Mr.  Neil- 
son should  have  brought  into  court  a  number 
of  other  witnesses  whom  he  himself  admitted 
to  be  not  worth  calling.  He  now  says  his 
two  witnesses  are  "  both  specific  and  corro- 
borated." Again  he  begs  the  question.  The 
main  point  of  my  contention  with  regard  to 
them  is  that  they  are  not  "specific." 

5.  To  my  mind,  no. 

6.  Mr.  Neilson  assumes  (a)  that  the 
"specialization"  is  Roberfs ;  and  {b)  that 
Robert  made  it  on  purpose  to  introduce 
into  his  translation  an  idea  which  was   not 

VOL.  XXX IV. 


in  his  original.  For  myself,  as  regards  (a),  I 
make  no  assumption  at  all ;  as  to  (/-'),  I  am 
vain  enough  to  think  that  my  assumption  is, 
to  say  the  least,  as  probable  as  Mr.  Neil- 
son's. 

7.  I  thank  Mr.  Neilson  for  his  suggested 
explanation  of  VVace's  line  3512.  That,  how- 
ever, is  a  mere  side-point.  The  main  points 
here  are  the  questions,  which  he  leaves  alto- 
gether unanswered,  as  to  the  whole  passage 
in  which  that  line  occurs  and  as  to  Robert's 
translation  of  the  same.  Instead  of  an  answer 
to  my  questions,  he  offers  {a)  an  assertion, 
and  (b)  a  supposition.     As  to  these  : 

8  {a).  To  the  sweeping  assertion  that 
"  variation,  even  divergence,  was  the  rule  of 
mediaeval  translators,"  Mr.  Neilson  can 
hardly  expect  a  serious  reply.  {V)  Since  his 
suggested  interpretation  of  "the  manner  of 
a  scheltroun"  avowedly  represents  merely 
what  he  himself  '^supposes,"  there  is  room 
for  others  to  "  suppose  "  anything  else  that 
they  may  choose. 

9.  I  am  much  obliged  to  Mr.  Neilson  for 
his  correction  of  the  erroneous  statement 
which  he  made  in  his  first  paper.  As  to  his 
amended  statement,  I  reply :  Robert's  use  of 
"  scheltron  "  in  the  line  to  which  Mr.  Neilson 
now  gives  a  reference  is  a  matter  in  no  way 
conflicting  with  the  positive  inference  which 
I  drew  from  Robert's  use  of  the  word  else- 
where. 

10,  II.  Here  again  Mr.  Neilson  begs  the 
question.  I  dispute  the  "  historic  continuity  " 
in  which  he  believes ;  and  I  challenge  him, 
for  the  third  time,  to  prove  that  yElfric's 
gloss  is  "  precise  "  in  the  sense  of  which  he 
is  thinking. 

1 2.  I  merely  suggested  that  (the  so-called) 
Hemingburgh's  and  the  Scots'  use  of  the 
word  "  scheltroun "  anight  have  been  in- 
fluenced by  an  etymological  confusion  of  a 
kind  which  Mr.  Neilson  must  know  to  be 
quite  possible  in  itself. 

13.  "As  the  imperfect  tense  is  used  so 
often,  '  vocabantur '  cannot  refer  to  an  earlier 
period."     Earlier  than  what  ? 

14.  {a)  I  deny  that  my  "hypotheses  "  are 
"  conflicting ";  they  are  alternative,  which  is 
quite  a  different  thing,  {b)  I  did  not  say 
that  "  Hemingburgh  "  and  his  Scottish  con- 
temporaries were  wrong  ;  I  merely  suggested 
that  they  might  be  wrong;  and  I  also  sug- 


R  A  MB  LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  Y. 


gested  another  alternative  which  Mr.  Neilson 
ignores,  viz.,  that  they  might  be  right,  and 
that  Mr.  Neilson  might  be  ivrong  in  his  inter- 
pretation of  them.  As  for  "  thirteenth  ceniwxy 
error,"  I  have  no  idea  what  he  means  by  the 
phrase. 

15.  I  alluded  to  the  history  of  "peel" 
merely  as  an  illustration  of  the  strange  ways 
in  which  a  word  may  lose  its  original  meaning 
and  acquire  a  new  one.  Whether  a  change 
from  wood  to  stone  be  less  or  more  "  drastic  " 
than  a  change  from  shields  to  spears  is  a 
question  of  which  Mr.  Neilson,  I  feel  sure, 
will,  on  reflection,  see  that  he  is  hardly  a 
disinterested  judge.  He  must,  I  think,  be 
well  aware  that  when  he  has  answered  me  on 
all  the  foregoing  points,  he  will  be  only  at 
the  beginning  of  the  real  difficulties  of  the 
subject  with  which  he  has  undertaken  to  deal. 
Kate  Norgate. 

[Mr.  Neilson,  as  the  author  of  the  paper  which  Miss  Norgate 
criticized,  is  of  course  entitled  to  a  further  reply  if  he  chooses 
to  make  one,  but  the  discussion  must  then  close. — Ed.] 


iaamblings  of  an  antiquary. 

By  George  Bailey. 

SOME  ANCIENT  WALL-PAINTINGS. 
CHAPTER    II. — BURTON-LATIMER. 


HE  fine  church  at  Burton-Latimer 
is  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 
This  church  has  many  curious  and 
puzzling  architectural  features. 

There  are  two  Register  Rolls  written  on 
long  pieces  of  parchment,  similar  to  Rent 
Rolls,  but  not  so  long.  They  date  from  1538. 
On  one  of  them  is  the  singular  record  of  the 
burial  of  a  man  who  had  not  been  baptized, 
and  the  then  vicar  (one  of  the  Montagues) 
has  added  that  he  "was  buried  with  the 
burial  of  an  ass." 

The  wall-paintings  in  this  church  bring  us 
again  to  the  story  of  St.  Catharine  of  Alex- 
andria. She  is  stated  to  have  been  a  daughter 
of  the  King  of  Cyprus.  She  was  born  in 
Alexandria,  and  converted  to  Christianity  in 
A.D.  305.  Maximin  was  at  that  time  one  of 
the  four  Caesars  who  governed  the  Roman 
Empire  after  the  retirement  of  Diocletian  and 
Maximinianus,  Egypt  and  Syria   being   the 


provinces  he  governed.  According  to  legend, 
Catharine  was  a  lady  of  much  learning  and 
ability,  and  her  conversion  was  not  at  all 
relished  by  the  heathen  philosophers  with 
Maximin  at  their  head,  so  she  was  summoned 
to  defend  herself  before  a  solemn  conclave 
of  fifty  of  them,  with  the  ultimate  result  that 
her  defence  of  the  Christian  religion  effected 
their  conversion.  This  so  enraged  Maximin 
that  he  ordered  them  to  be  burned  alive ; 
but  for  the  saint  some  refinement  of  cruelty 
had  to  be  devised,  and  the  manner  of  it  is 
thus  described  by  an  old  author,  Villegas.* 
The  wishes  of  Maximin  having  been  made 
known  to  the  public,  a  cunning  engineer 
presented  himself,  and  addressed  the  Roman 
governor  in  these  words  : 

"  My  lord,  if  you  be  pleased,  I  will  invent 
and  make  an  engine,  wherewith  this  rebellious 
damosel  shal  either  do  that  which  you  co'mand 
or  els  she  shall  be  tome  in  pieces  unto  death. 
This  engine  shal  be  made  with  four  wheels, 
in  the  which  shal  be  sawes  of  iron,  sharp 
nails,  and  sharp  knives  :  the  wheels  shal  be 
turned  one  against  another,  and  the  sawes, 
the  knives,  and  the  nails  shal  meet ;  and 
when  they  be  moven  they  shal  make  such  a 
noise  as,  when  she  sees  them,  she  shal  fol 
downe  with  fear,  and  so  she  shall  be  brought 
to  doe  your  wil ;  but,  if  she  be  still  stub- 
borne  in  her  opinion,  she  shall  dye  a  most 
cruel  death." 

This  engine  met  the  approval  of  the 
governor,  and  he  ordered  it  to  be  ready  in 
three  days  ! 

In  the  meantime  great  efforts  were  used  by 
the  chief  authorities  of  the  old  religion  to 
persuade  her  to  recant,  but  without  effect. 
Accordingly  the  wheel  was  brought  forward, 
and  the  saint  bound  upon  it ;  but  just  as  the 
executioner  was  about  to  set  in  motion  the 
frightful  engine,  suddenly  an  angel  descended 
and  liberated  the  saint,  and  she  remained 
unhurt.  "Then  the  same  angel  struck  the 
wheels,  which  fell  among  the  Pagans  and 
killed  many  of  them."  This  miracle,  how- 
ever, did  not  save  the  life  of  the  saint ; 
Maximin  was  so  enraged  at  the  failure  of  this 
cruel  device  that  he  caused  her  to  be  be- 
headed. Then  angels  rescued  her  body  and 
buried  it  by  night  upon  Mount  Sinai ;  there 
it  remained  uncorrupted.     It  was  at  last  dis- 

*  See  Clavis  Calendaria,  by  John  Brady,  vol.  ii., 
p,  304,  1815. 


RAM B LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR\. 


covered  in  the  early  part  of  the  ninth  century. 
Pilgrimages  to  see  the  wonder  then  became 
the  fashion.  This  excited  the  cupidity  of 
the  wandering  Arabs,  who  looked  upon  the 
pilgrims  as  a  providential  means  of  supply, 
and  robbed  all  they  could  catch.  This  kind 
of  brigandage  went  on  for  a  long  time,  until 
at  last  it  was  resolved  to  put  an  end  to  it, 
and  in  1063  an  order  of  knighthood  was 
established  for  the  protection  of  the  pilgrims. 
They  were  called  knights  of  St.  Catharine  of 
Mont-Sinai.  Their  habit  was  white,  on  which 
was  embroidered  a  half-wheel  armed  with 
spikes,  and  a  sword  stained  with  blood. 
Nothing  appears  upon  record  concerning 


remaining,  formerly  covered  a  large  part  of 
the  north  aisle  wall,  and  were  continuous  ; 
but  the  picture  is  now  broken  into  three 
parts.  This  was  done  when  the  present 
windows  were  inserted  in  the  fourteenth- 
century  wall,  upon  which  the  painting  was 
done.  There  was  a  continuous  border  ot 
scrolled  ornament  above  and  below.  The 
subject  is  boldly  designed  in  a  monochrome 
of  browns,  with  dark  outline  of  madder- 
brown,  and  it  is  no  doubt  of  the  same  date 
as  the  wall.  The  largest  fragment  (Fig.  i). 
nearest  the  west  end,  represents  the  scene  as 
described  by  Villegas  above,  and  represents  it 
very  accurately.     The  saint  is  free  from  the 


Fig  I. 


this  saint  until  her  remains  were  said  to  be 
discovered  on  Mount  Sinai.  That  she  be- 
came a  popular  saint  in  England  is  evident 
from  the  number  of  paintings  of  her  martyr- 
dom found  in  churches,  and,  what  is  still 
more  remarkable,  her  day  is  given  in  the 
calendar  of  the  Church  of  England  as 
November  25.  She  was  the  patron  saint  of 
spinsters ;  young  women  assembled  on  her 
anniversary  and  made  merry,  others  fasted  to 
get  good  husbands,  and  married  women  also 
did  so  to  get  rid  of  bad  ones.* 

The  long  picture   at    Burton-I,atimer,    of 
which   we   give   the    three    fragments    now 

*  Fosbroke's  Encydoptsdia  of  Antiquities,  vol.  ii., 
p.  660. 


wheel,  and  stands  with  hands  joined,  her 
hair  long,  loose,  and  wavy,  naked  to  the 
waist,  and  having  a  long  flowing  drapery  on 
the  lower  part,  and,  allowing  for  some  defec- 
tive drawing,  the  figure  is  well  posed  and 
elegant.  The  destruction  of  the  wheel  and 
the  sudden  death  of  the  assembled  philo- 
sophers by  the  sword  of  the  rescuing  angel 
(of  whom  nothing  remains  but  the  part  of  a 
wing,  hand,  and  sword)  is  quite  graphically 
rendered.  There  behind  is  the  vacant  judicial 
seat  and  the  broken  sceptre  of  the  chief 
functionary,  who,  together  with  his  com- 
panions, lies  dead  on  the  floor,  while  the 
broken  wheel  flies  about  in  all  directions.  The 
kneeling  figure  is  no  doubt  intended  to  re- 

EE  2 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


present  the  saint  after  her  decollation.  The 
head  is  crowned  and  appears  to  be  falling 
from  the  body,  and  the  left  hand  holds  the 
knife  which  was  the  instrument  of  her  death. 


^  .  ^  iL.^tlL_Ja 


Fig.  2  follows  this  further  east,  and  repre- 
sents the  saint  being  taken  from  before  the 
judge,  who  is  shown  seated  cross-legged 
upon  the  judicial  seat  reading  the  sentence 
from  a  scroll.  The  saint  is  being  taken  away 
by  the  executioner ;  she  is  clothed  in  a  long 
loosely-flowing  dress,  and  carries  in  her  left 
hand  the  knife,  and  in  her  right  a  portion  of 
the  wheel.  The  executioner  follows  her, 
having  in  his  left  hand  what  may  have  been 
a  sword  or  an  ofificial  staff;  he  also  held 
something  in  the  right  hand,  now  gone.  He 
is  clothed  in  a  short  hooded  cloak,  and  has 
on  his  left  leg  a  long  stocking  rolled  at  the 
top,  with  a  ribbon  or  cord  twisted  spirally 
round  it ;  the  right  leg  is  similarly  clothed, 
with  the  addition  of  a  wide  boot,  which  is  of 
a  darker  colour,  something  like  a  cavalier's. 
There  are  three  letters  near  the  official  staff, 
"  F.  R.  E.";  we  have  no  idea  what  they  mean. 
There  are  slight  remains  of  other  figures. 
This  seems  to  conclude  what  is  left  of  the 
St.  Catharine  subject,  but  there  was  certainly 
more  before  the  wall  was  broken  by  the 
insertion  of  the  perpendicular  windows. 

It  will  be  seen  how  entirely  this  painting 
differs  from  that  at  Raunds,  which  has  been 
already  described  (p.  102).  That  painting  was 
certainly  the  commencement  of  a  new  series, 
which  it  was  intended  to  paint  over  what  had 


previously  been  there,  but  the  new  series 
never  were  executed;  something  appears  to 
have  put  an  end  to  the  project  after  the  first 
one  was  done.  Mr.  J.  G.  Waller,  who  was  at 
Raunds  in  1877,  says  the  north  aisle  must 
have  had  eight  subjects  from  the  life  of 
Catharine  of  Alexandria,  and  he  considers 
the  new  series  were  intended  to  represent 
scenes  from  the  same.  At  the  time  when  he 
saw  them  he  could  evidently  see  much  more 
than  can  be  seen  now.  He  thought  the  series 
began  at  the  east  end  of  the  north  aisle,  and 
commenced  with  the  marriage  of  St.  Catha- 
rine ;  but  this  Catharine  of  Alexandria  was 
not  the  one  that  was  married  to  the  infant 
Jesus,  as  it  has  been  depicted  by  Correggio, 
but  Catharine  of  Sienna,  as  we  have  stated 
before ;  the  two  Catharines  *have  become 
inextricably  mixed  by  painters  and  others. 

We  have  a  third  fragment  from  Burton- 
Latimer  (Fig.  3),  which,  though  forming  a  part 
of  the  same  long  picture,  which  it  finishes  at 
the  extreme  end  of  the  wall,  has  certainly 
nothing  to  do  with  St.  Catharine.  It  will  be 
seen  from  our  drawing  that  it  represents  a 
man  with  bushy  hair  and  a  long  beard  seated 


upon  the  back  of  a  camel,  with  his  face 
towards  the  tail.  He  is  seated  cross-legged, 
wears  sandals,  is  clothed  in  a  striped  gown 
with  a  wide  pointed  sleeve ;  his  left  hand  is 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


213 


held  up  in  benediction,  and  his  right  holds 
what  appears  to  be  a  child,  and  there  are 
some  outlines  of  the  dress  of  what  appears  to 
have  been  a  female,  who  has  also  been  seated 
upon  the  camel.  The  dark  part  of  the  man's 
dress  is  a  reddish  brown  or  brown  madder 
colour,  the  stripes  or  bands  are  white ; 
no  colour  is  left  on  the  camel,  or  whatever 
animal  it  represents.  This  may  be  intended 
to  picture  the  Flight  into  Egypt,  the  artist 
having  taken  a  new  departure  and  repre- 
sented the  Holy  Family  riding  upon  a  camel ; 
we  can  offer  no  other  conjecture  as  to  the 
subject,  but  it  is  certainly  a  most  unusual 
rendering  of  the  story,  if  such  it  be. 

{To  be  continued.) 


^n0lanD'0  ©lDe0t  ©anDicraftg. 

By  Isabel  Suart  Robson. 


Hand-made  Lace. 

Yon  cottager,  who  weaves  at  her  own  door, 
Pillow  and  bobbins  all  her  little  store. 
Content  though  mean,  and  cheerful  if  not  gay, 
Shuffles  her  threads  about  the  live-long  day, 
Just  earns  a  scanty  pittance,  and  at  night 
Lies  down  secure,  her  heart  and  pocket  light. 

COWPER. 

T  would  seem  as  though  a  special 
blessing  rests  on  those  who  show 
kindness  to  the  refugee.  How  much 
our  textile  industries  owe  to  English 
charity  towards  the  persecuted  Flemish  and 
Huguenots,  we  have  already  seen ;  out  of 
the  kindness  of  the  people  of  the  Midland 
counties  to  a  royal  sufferer  arose  the  industry 
of  lace-making.  To  Catherine  of  Aragon 
belongs  the  honour  of  establishing  in  Eng- 
land an  art  which,  though  it  cannot  be  called 
an  ancient  handicraft,  may  justly  claim,  on 
account  of  its  popularity  and  the  excellence 
achieved  by  the  workers,  a  place  in  the 
history  of  our  country's  crafts,  Catherine, 
after  her  separation  from  Henry  VHI.,  in 
*533>  retired  for  awhile  to  Ampthill  in 
Bedfordshire,  where  she  received  such  kind- 
ness and  sympathy  from  the  simple  country- 
folks, that  "she  cast  about  in  her  mind 
for  some  means  to  recompense  them." 
Believing,    no   doubt,    that   "he  who   helps 


another  to  help  himself,  helps  him  best," 
the  royal  lady  put  to  practical  use  the  skill 
in  lace-making  she  aYid  her  ladies  had  ac- 
quired in  the  Spanish  convent-school.  To 
all  those  who  were  willing  to  learn  she  had 
''the  art  and  mysteries  of  thread-work"  taught, 
and  thus  created  a  new  industry  for  England  ; 
it  is  said  that  in  their  desire  to  help  those 
who  had  treated  them  with  such  respect  and 
sympathy,  the  Queen  and  her  ladies  even 
went  the  length  of  destroying  their  own  laces 
when  trade  was  bad,  to  give  sufificient  em- 
ployment. 

To  this  day,  lacemakers  look  on  "Catten's 
or  Catherine's  Day,"  November  25,  as  the 
gala-day  of  their  craft,  though  the  appro- 
priate feasts  are  now  only  a  memory.  In 
the  palmy  days  of  the  craft,  old  and  young 
workers  used  to  subscribe  and  enjoy  a  good 
cup  of  Bohea  and  cakes,  which  were  called 
Cattern  cakes,  together.  After  tea,  they 
danced  and  made  merry  after  the  fashion 
of  those  mirthful,  laughter-loving  times,  and 
finished  the  evening  with  a  supper  of  boiled 
rabbit,  smothered  with  onion  sauce.  In  some 
places  it  used  to  be  the  custom  to  distribute 
Cattern-cakes,  somewhat  as  Christmas  cakes 
are  dispensed  in  the  north  to-day. 

As  might  be  expected  from  its  origin,  the 
earliest  English  lace  followed  Spanish  and 
Flemish  patterns,  the  latter  especially  graceful, 
with  wavy  designs  on  a  thoroughly  well-made 
ground. 

Two  of  the  bands  of  Flemish  refugees 
who  did  much  to  extend  the  new  industry 
established  by  Queen  Catherine,  settled  in 
Maidstone  in  1561,  establishing  there  a 
manufacture  still  known  as  "  Dutch  work," 
whilst  others  from  Alengon  and  Valenciennes 
transferred  their  special  branch  of  the  art 
to  Cranfield,  Bedfordshire,  from  whence  it 
soon  spread  into  Buckingham,  Oxford,  and 
Northamptonshire;  others  went  south  and 
settled  in  Devonshire,  and  commenced  the 
making  of  the  famous  Honiton  lace.  Many 
of  the  skilled  workers  of  to-day  show  their 
foreign  ancestry,  not  only  in  superior  skill, 
but  in  their  evidently  Flemish  names. 

Lace-making  during  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries  seems  to  have  been 
a  very  widespread  industry,  covering  an  area 
which  took  in  most  of  the  Midland  and 
Southern  counties.  Lace-schools  were  es- 
tablished in  various  places,  where  children 


214 


ENGL  AN  US  OLDEST  HANDLCRAETS. 


were  taught  to  practise  the  art  when  only 
eight  years  old.  Lysons,  in  the  Magna  Bri- 
tannia, says  they  went  at  five  or  soon  after, 
and  were  able  to  maintain  themselves  at  the 
age  of  eleven  or  twelve,  but  such  cases  must 
have  been  very  exceptional.  An  account  of 
a  school  at  Spratton  near  Northampton  gives 
some  interesting  details  of  the  management 
and  output  of  such  institutions.  There  a 
child  entered  when  it  had  completed  its 
seventh  year,  and  worked  in  summer,  from 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  eight  at 
night,  in  winter  from  six  till  six.  They  paid 
twopence  a  day  for  lights,  and  in  return  re- 
ceived the  money  realized  by  their  handiwork ; 
some,  after  practice  and  tuition,  could  make 
about  sixpence  a  day.  Fuller,  in  his  Worthies, 
makes  a  quaint  and  reasonable  plea  for  the 
encouragement  of  such  schools,  and  the 
greater  use  of  home-made  lace.  "  Let  it  not 
be  considered  for  a  superfluous  wearing,  seeing 
it  doth  neither  hide  nor  heat,  but  doth  only 
adorn,"  he  writes;  "is  not  expensive  as  bullion, 
costing  nothing  but  a  little  thread  descanted 
on  by  art  and  industry.  Hereby  many  children, 
who  otherwise  would  be  burthensome  to  the 
parish,  prove  beneficial  to  the  parents.  Yea, 
many  lame  in  the  limbs  and  impotent  in  theii 
arms,  if  able  in  their  fingers,  gain  a  Hveli- 
hood  thereby ;  not  to  say  that  it  saveth  some 
thousands  of  pounds  yearly,  formerly  sent 
over  the  seas  to  fetch  lace  from  Flanders." 

The  earliest  lace-school  was  opened  and 
endowed  by  Sir  Henry  Borlase  at  Great 
Marlow  in  1626.  In  this  town  the  industry 
flourished  so  well  that  Marlow  was  cited  on 
the  Continent  as  a  noble  lace-making  centre, 
and  some  black  lace,  made  in  1830,  and 
recently  exhibited  by  Miss  Watson  of  Lacey 
Green,  proves  that  the  handicraft  has  not 
been  allowed  to  die  out. 

At  Launceston  in  1720  were  two  schools 
of  forty-eight  children,  who  made  bone-lace 
and  received  their  own  earnings  by  way  of 
encouragement.  At  that  time  two  kinds  of 
lace  were  made,  needle  or  point-lace,  which 
is  allied  to  embroidery,  and  pillow-lace,  which 
has  been  described  by  many  workers  as  really 
an  elaboration  of  fringe-work.  Needle  or 
point-lace  has  always  been  the  favourite 
abroad,  but  the  majority  of  English  makers 
have  devoted  themselves  to  the  bobbin  and 
pillow.  For  its  production,  the  pattern  is 
first  drawn  on  a  piece  of  parchment,  which 


is  fastened  to  a  cushion  or  "pillow,"  into 
which  pins  can  easily  be  stuck  as  required 
for  the  twisting  and  plaiting  of  the  thread. 
The  worker  is  provided  with  a  number  of 
bobbins,  round  the  upper  part  of  which 
the  thread  to  be  used  is  wound ;  for  a 
piece  of  lace  of  the  simplest  pattern,  half 
an  inch  wide,  as  many  as  fifty  bobbins  may 
be  required,  while  for  an  elaborate  pattern 
twelve  hundred  may  not  be  sufficient,  as  the 
whole  work  of  the  pillow  lace-making  con- 
sists in  twisting  and  plaiting  threads ;  its 
value  depends  entirely  on  the  worker  and 
her  capacity  for  "  infinite  patience  and  infinite 
care."  At  a  recent  exhibition  of  lace  held 
by  the  Countess  of  Buckingham  at  Hampden 
House  in  the  so-called  Brick  Parlour,  where, 
long  years  ago,  John  Hampden  was  arrested, 
some  interesting  curios  connected  with  this 
industry  were  shown,  among  them  a  pillow- 
stand  locally  called  a  "  pillow  horse ;"  a 
candlestick,  used  to  give  light  in  the  lace- 
schools  ;  a  fine  old  oak  lace-box,  dated  1 702  ; 
and  a  collection  of  dainty  bobbins  with  their 
beads  and  "jingles,"  which  made  one's  fingers 
ache  to  twirl  the  threads  and  learn  to  weave 
airy  beauties  displayed  in  the  adjoining  hall. 
In  the  early  days  of  its  history  lace  was 
known  as  "bone-work."  Shakespeare,  in 
Twelfth  Night,  speaks  of  "free  maids  that 
weave  their  threads  with  bone."  It  is  un- 
certain how  the  term  originated,  perhaps 
because  sheep's -trotter  bones  were  used 
before  the  invention  of  wooden  bobbins,  or 
because  fishermen  were  accustomed  to  pro- 
vide their  wives  with  the  bones  of  fish  cut 
and  pared  in  various  sizes  for  pins,  brass 
pins  being,  when  first  invented,  too  costly 
to  come  within  the  reach  of  poor  workers. 
A  statute  in  1543  fixed  the  price  of  these 
pins  which  was  not  to  exceed  six  and 
eightpence  a  thousand,  a  sufficiently  large 
sum  for  poor  workers  when  the  work  en- 
tailed the  manipulation  of  many  threads 
and  the  use  of  multitudinous  pins.  If  we 
may  judge  of  the  importance  of  a  handi- 
craft by  the  necessity  the  Government  sees 
to  legislate  for  it,  then  lacemaking  soon 
assumed  a  prominent  position.  One  of  the 
last  acts  of  Henry  VIII. 's  reign  was  the 
prohibition  of  all  foreign  lace,  in  order  to 
"  remove  the  grievances  of  workers  of  the 
mysteries  of  thread  and  bone-work";  this 
regulation  had  to  be  made  again  and  again 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


215 


in  subsequent  years,  for  fashion  and  fancy 
perpetually  drew  the  wealthy  to  invest  in  the 
wares  of  France  and  Flanders. 

Royalty  always  seems  to  have  recognised 
the  beauty  of  home-made  lace  as  well  as  the 
duty  of  encouraging  its  workers.  Among 
the  presents  Henrietta  Maria,  the  wife  of 
Charles  I.,  sent  to  the  powerful  Empress  of 
Austria,  mention  is  made  of  "  fine  English- 
made  bone  work,"  and  in  the  previous  reign 
some  had  been  sent  out  to  India,  a  country 
well  able  to  appreciate  exquisite  decorative 
arts. 

William  III.  and  his  Queen  were,  if  any- 
thing, more  extravagant  than  their  prede- 
cessors in  the  matter  of  lace,  whether  with 
a  disinterested  view  to  encourage  the  industry 
or  not  history  does  not  record.  His  Majesty's 
lace-bill  for  1695  amounted  to  ;^2,4S9  19s. ; 
that  of  the  Queen  for  the  preceding  year  we 
have  in  detail,  and  it  amounts  to  a  sum  suffi- 
ciently large  for  ornamentation  : 

I  s.  d. 

21  yds.  of  lace  for  pillow  beres  at  52s.  -      54  12  o 

16  yds.  of  lace  for  two  toy  lights  at  £ii     192  o  o 

24  yds.  for  six  handkerchiefs  at  £0,  los.     108  o  o 

30  yds.  for  six  nightshirts  at  62s.  -         -       93  o  o 

6  yds.  for  two  combing  cloths  at  £r\  -       84  o  o 

3^  yds.  for  a  combing  cloth  at/'iy  -  59  10  o 
An  apron  of  lace  -        -        -        -        -1700 


/608     2     o 


So  large  a  use  of  expensive  lace  by  royalty 
was  naturally  imitated  by  their  subjects,  and  a 
golden  age  for  lace  makers  ensued.  Periodic 
fancies  for  wearing  foreign  lace,  however, 
kept  the  home  trade  in  a  state  of  fluctuation. 
A  patriotic  revival  set  in  during  the  latter 
part  of  George  II.'s  reign,  and  at  the  marriage 
of  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  in  1736,  special 
injunctions  were  given  to  the  Court  to  wear 
no  lace  but  that  of  English  make.  In  1750 
the  Society  of  Anti-Gallicans  was  formed  to 
encourage  the  home  industry,  and  to  stimu- 
late dislike  to  the  use  of  foreign  work.  It 
held  meetings  and  distributed  prizes  for  bone 
and  point  lace,  and  for  many  years  proved 
most  beneficial  to  the  lace-making  trade.  It 
excited  interest  also  among  gentlewomen  of 
the  middle  class,  who  were  glad  to  add  to  a 
small  income  by  making  elaborate  and  deli- 
cate work,  which  required  more  time  and 
attention  than  could  be  given  by  those  de- 
pending for  maintenance  on  their  exertions. 

George  III.  took  most  rigid  measures  to 


suppress  the  smuggling  into  the  country  of 
foreign  laces,  which  had  become  common. 
A  paper  of  the  day  records  "  how  lace  and 
ruffles  of  great  value,  sold  on  the  previous 
day,  had  been  seized  in  a  hackney  coach 
between  St.  Paul's  and  Covent  Garden ;  how 
a  lady  of  rank  was  stopped  in  her  chaise 
and  relieved  of  French  lace  to  a  large  amount ; 
and  how  a  poor  woman  carelessly  picking  a 
quartern  loaf  as  she  walked  along  was  arrested 
and  the  loaf  found  to  contain  ;^2oo  worth  of 
lace.  Even  ladies,  when  walking,  had  their 
black  lace  mittens  cut  off  their  hands,  the 
officers  supposing  them  to  be  of  French 
manufacture ;  and,  lastly,  a  Turk's  turban  of 
most  Mameluke  dimensions  was  found,  con- 
taining a  stuffing  of  jQ(^o  worth  of  lace." 
Even  persons  of  high  position  in  society  did 
not  think  it  derogatory  to  evade  the  King's 
prohibitory  measures  in  this  way.  The  wife 
of  Chief  Justice  Ellenborough  tried  to  bring 
over  a  large  freight  of  lace  concealed  in  the 
lining  of  her  carriage,  but  the  trick  was  dis- 
covered and  her  treasure  confiscated.  The 
High  Sheriff  of  Westminster  was  more  suc- 
cessful when,  in  1731,  he  brought  over 
^6,000  worth  in  the  coffin  of  Bishop  Atter- 
bury,  who  died  in  exile  in  Paris,  and  with  the 
removal  of  whose  body  to  England  the  High 
Sheriff  had  been  entrusted.  Concealment  of 
lace  in  coffins  became  such  a  general  resource 
that  the  number  of  supposed  Englishmen 
dying  abroad  aroused  the  suspicion  of  the 
Government,  and  the  searching  of  coffins 
was  insisted  on.  The  nobility  were  much 
incensed  when  George  III.  ordered  that  all 
stuffs  and  laces  to  be  worn  at  the  marriage 
of  his  sister,  the  Princess  Augusta,  should  be 
of  English  make.  Their  vanity  exceeded 
their  loyalty,  and  a  shrewd  French  milliner 
was  found  to  aid  them  in  evading  the  in- 
junction, only,  however,  to  her  own  advantage. 
A  few  days  before  the  wedding  a  custom- 
house officer  visited  the  Frenchwoman's  estab-. 
lishment,  and  seized  the  forbidden  goods, 
which  were  subsequently  burnt.  The  milliner 
had  by  that  time,  however,  accumulated  a 
fortune,  and,  turning  her  back  upon  our 
"prejudiced  island,"  she  returned  to  Ver- 
sailles, where  she  purchased  a  villa,  to  which 
she  gave  the  significant  name  "  La  Folic  des 
Dames  anglaises." 

{To  be  continued.) 


2l6 


ARCHAiOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


3rcb^ological  il^etos. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  informatiov  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.\ 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  ARCH.COLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES. 
No.  216  (for  Decemljer,  1S97)  of  the  Archasological 
Journal  has  reached  us.  It  forms  the  fourth  part 
of  Volume  IV.  (Second  Series),  and  contains  the 
following  papers:  (i)  "  Presidential  Address  to  the 
Dorchester  Meeting  of  the  Institute,"  by  General 
Pitt-Rivers;  (2)  "A  Roman  Villa  at  Frilford,"  by 
Mr.  A.  J.  Evans  ;  (3)  "  On  Some  Dorset  Bells,"  by 
Canon  Raven  ;  (4)  "  On  the  Evidence  bearing  upon 
the  Early  History  of  Man,  which  is  derived  from 
the  Form,  Condition  of  Surface,  and  Mode  of 
Occurrence  of  Dressed  Flints,"  by  Professor  T. 
M'Kenny  Hughes;  (5)  "  The  Present  Phase  of  Pre- 
historic Archaeology,"  by  Professor  Boyd-Dawkins  ; 
(6)  "  The  Age  of  Carfax  Tower,"  by  Mr.  J.  Park 
Hamson. 

*  ♦  * 
No.  217  of  the  Archceological  Journal  (for  March, 
1898)  has  also  been  issued.  It  contains  the  follow- 
ing papers :  (i)  "  Sherborne  School,  Before,  Under, 
and  After  Edward  VI.,"  by  Mr.  A.  F.  Leach  (there 
is  a  photograph  given  of  an  amusing  misericord  in 
Sherborne  Minster  representing  a  scholar  receiving 
chastisement  from  his  master  on  that  portion 
of  the  body  provided  by  Nature  for  the  purpose, 
otherwise  once  facetiously  described  as  the  repre- 
sentation of  a  "Pedagogue  in  his  Glory"!); 
(2)  "A  Saxon  Church  at  Breamore,  Hants,"  by  the 
Rev.  A.  Du  Boulay  Hill  (this  paper  describes  the . 
building,  of  which  the  true  character  and  age  were 
only  ascertained  a  summer  or  two  ago  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Institute.  The  paper  is  illustrated)  ;  (3) 
"  Excavations  at  Springs  Bloomery  (iron-smelting 
hearth),  near  Coniston  Hall,  Lancashire,  with  notes 
on  the  probable  Age  of  the  Furness  Bloomeries," 
by  Mr.  H.  S.  Cowper.  Following  this  there  is  an 
"In  Memoriam "  notice  of  the  late  Mr.  G.  T. 
Clark. 

Ttf-         itf.         T^f. 

Part  IV.,  Volume  VIII.  (Fifth  Series)  of  the  Journal 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Ireland  has  been 
issued.  It  contains  the  following  papers  :  (i)  "On 
Irish  Gold  Ornaments — Whence  came  the  Gold, 
and  When  ?"  (Part  II.),  by  Mr.  William  Eraser ; 
(2)  "The  Rangers  of  the  Curragh  of  Kildare,"  by 
Lord  Walter  FitzGerald ;  (3)  "Fortified  Stone 
Lake -Dwellings  on  Islands  in  Lough  Skannive, 
Connemara,"  by  Mr.  Edgar  L.  Layard ;  (4)  "The 
Islands  of  the  Corrib,"  by  Mr.  R.  J.  Kelly  ;  (5)  "  A 
Crannoge  near  Clones"  (Part  II.),  by  Dr.  S.  A. 
D'Arcy ;  and  the  third  part  of  the  Calendar  of  the 
Liher  Niger  A  lani,  by  the  late  Professor  Stokes,  whose 
recent  decease  is  widely  lamented  by  antiquaries 
in  Ireland  and  elsewhere.  Besides  these  papers  there 
are  a  number  of  shorter  notes  included  under  the 
general  heading  of  "  Miscellanea,"  and  an  account 
of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society  and  its  excursions. 
As  is  usual  with  the  Journal,  there  are  numerous 
excellent  illustrations. 


We  have  received  the  third  part  of  Vol.  III.  of  the 
Papers  and  Proceedings  of  the  Hampshire  Field  Club, 
edited  by  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Minns.  As  usual,  it  contains 
several  excellent  archaeological  papers,  and  is  well 
illustrated.  The  following  are  its  chief  antiquarian 
contents  :  (i)  "  Traces  of  the  Languages  of  the 
Ancient  Races  in  Hampshire,  contained  in  the 
Place-Names  of  the  County,"  by  Mr.  T.  W.  Shore  ; 
(2)  "  Ancient  Hampshire  Mazes,"  by  Mr.  Shore 
and  Mr.  N.  C.  H.  Nesbett ;  (3)  "  The  Palaeolithic 
Implements  of  the  Southampton  Gravels,"  by  Mr. 
W.  Dale;  (4)  "  Ancient  Bronze  Weapons  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  Southampton,"  also  by  Mr.  W. 
Dale;  (5)  "On  a  Memorial  Brass  from  Brown 
Candover,"  by  the  Rev.  W.  L.  W.  Eyre  ;  (6)  "  The 
Nave  Roof  of  Winchester  Cathedral,"  by  Mr. 
J.  B.  Colson  ;  (7)  "  Historical  Notes  on  the  Manor 
of  Knighton,"  by  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Davis;  (8) 
"  Supplementary  Hampshire  Bibliography,"  by 
the  Rev.  Sumner  Wilson;  and  (9)  "  Titchfield 
Abbey  and  Place  House,"  by  the  Rev.  G.  W. 
Minns. 

*  ♦  * 
No.  39  (being  No.  3  of  the  ninth  volume)  of  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Cambridge  Antiquarian  Society  (from 
October  28,  1896,  to  May  26,  1897)  has  just  been 
issued.  It  contains,  inter  alia,  the  following  papers 
and  contributions:  (i)  "Bishop  Bateman "  (the 
founder  of  Trinity  Hall),  by  Professor  E.  C.  Clark  ; 
(2)  "  Address  on  Taking  Office  as  President,"  by 
Mr.  J.  Bass  Mullinger  ;  (3)  "  Notes  on  the  His- 
tory of  Exning,"  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Foster;  (4)  "A 
Description  of  Objects  Exhibited  by  Mr.  J.  S. 
Freeman  illustrative  of  Old  Cambridge,"  by 
Professor  Hughes ;  (5)  "  Further  Observations 
on  Castle  Hill,"  by  Professor  Hughes ;  (6)  "  A 
List  of  the  Plate,  Books,  and  Vestments  Be- 
queathed by  the  Foundress,  the  Lady  Margaret,  to 
Christ  College,"  communicated  by  Mr.  R.  F.  Scott 
(this  list  contains  several  entries  of  very  consider- 
able interest,  as  those  of  "  a  hole  gamy  she  for  a 
Crostaffe  to  be  borne  in  procession,"  etc.,  followed 
by  the  entry  of  "on  gilt  ffoote  for  a  Crosse  to  reste 
in  vppon  the  aulter."  "  Item,  a  paire  of  organs 
the  pypis  of  waynskott.  Item,  a  lesser  payre 
with  pypes  of  Tynne.  Item,  an  olde  paire  with 
an  olde  case."  We  learn,  too,  from  the  list 
that  there  was  a  spoon  with  the  word  "  Mercy  " 
engraved  on  the  end,  that  there  was  a  vestment 
of  red  sarcenet  for  use  on  Good  Friday,  a 
canopy  of  green  baudkin  to  hang  over  the  dean's 
head  in  the  chapel,  and  a  Lenten  veil  of  white 
sarcenet  with  a  cross  of  red  sarcenet  on  it.  The 
books  seem  to  have  been  wholly  for  church  service. 
Is  there  not  an  omission  or  error  at  the  top  of 
page  352,  which  begins,  "  graven  on  the  Snoute  of 
the  patente"?  As  it  stands,  the  entry  does  not 
make  sense) ;  (7)  "  On  the  Charters  granted  by 
Ramsay  Abbey  to  the  Fraternity  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,"  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Foster ;  (8)  "  On  the 
Ditches  Round  Ancient  Cambridge,  with  special 
reference  to  the  adjoining  ground,"  by  Professor 
Hughes;  (9)  "On  the  Gilds  of  Cambridgeshire," 
by  Mr.  T.  D.  Atkinson.  In  addition  to  these  papers, 
the  number  contains  a  record  of  the  business  of 
the  society  for  the  period  it  covers. 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


217 


No.  20  (Vol.  III.,  Part  II.)  of  the  Transactions  of 
the  Monumental  Brass  Society  has  also  reached  us.  It 
contains  the  following  papers,  etc  :  (i)  "  Lincoln 
Cathedral,  a  List  of  Brasses  existing  in  1641,  from 
Mr.  Peck's  collation  of  Bishop  Sanderson's  MS. 
Notes,  compared  with  Browne  Willis's  copy  of  the 
same  "  (Part  II.)  ;  (2)  "  On  a  Palimpsest  Brass  at 
Checkenden,  Oxfordshire"  (illustrated),  by  Mr. 
Mill  Stephenson ;  (3)  "  Ely  Cathedral,  List  of 
Brasses";  (4)  "Note  on  the  Brass  (illustrated)  to 
Simon  Bache,  1414,  at  Knebworth  Church,  Herts," 
by  Mr.  H.  Eardley  Field;  (5)  "List  of  Stafford- 
shire Brasses  to  the  End  of  the  Eighteenth  Cen- 
tury," by  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Peck ;  and  (6)  "  A  Note 
on  the  Distribution  of  Monumental  Brasses  in 
England,"  besides  some  minor  notes.  From  the 
"  Note  on  the  Distribution  of  Monumental  Brasses," 
we  learn  that  Kent  heads  the  list  with  no  less  than 
327,  after  which  there  is  a  drop  to  237  in  Essex, 
which  comes  second.  Norfolk  follows  with  232, 
Oxfordshire  has  213,  and  Suffolk  211.  Bucking- 
hamshire (185),  Hertfordshire  (180),  Berkshire  (140), 
Surrey  (129),  Bedfordshire  (121),  Middlesex  (121), 
Sussex  (107),  and  Northamptonshire  (106)  all  have 
more  than  a  hundred  examples.  The  list  winds  up 
with  Northumberland  and  Westmoreland,  each  of 
which  is  credited  with  one  brass  only  ;  but  this  is 
perhaps  not  quite  accurate  as  regards  Northumber- 
land, for  besides  the  well-known  Flemish  brass  at 
All  Saints,  Newcastle,  there  is  a  small  portion  of 
another  at  St.  Andrew's  church,  in  that  city. 

a^  if.  if. 
The  Journal  of  the  Derbyshire  A  rchaological  and  Natural 
History  Society  contains  "  A  few  Brief  Notes  on  some 
Rectors  and  Vicars  of  Heanor,"  by  the  Rev.  R.  J. 
Burton.  Mr.  Burton  begins  with  the  reign  of 
King  John,  when  the  living  of  Heanor  was  in  the 
gift  oithe  Greys  of  Codnor.  It  was  then  a  rectory, 
but  the  great  tithes  being  appropriated  to  Dale 
Abbey  in  1473,  it  became  a  vicarage,  and  remained 
such  until  1868,  when  the  then  vicar,  the  Rev. 
Frederick  Corfield,  assumed  the  title  of  rector. 
After  pointing  out  that  it  appears  possible  that 
Heanor  suffered  in  common  with  the  greater  part 
of  England  under  the  terrible  scourge,  the  Black 
Death,  which  in  1349  swept  away  a  great  portion 
of  the  population,  more  than  half  the  Yorkshire 
priests,  and  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  beneficed 
clergy  of  Norfolk,  Mr.  Burton  gives  a  goodly  list 
of  the  vicars  and  rectors  of  the  parish,  mentioning 
specially  the  name  of  Richard  Arnold  (1547),  who 
was  the  first  vicar  presented  to  the  living  of  Heanor 
after  the  dissolution  of  Dale  Abbey,  and  who  suc- 
cessfully steered  his  way  through  the  Marian 
reaction  well  into  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 
A  short  account  is  also  given  of  John  Hieron,  who 
was  ejected  from  Breadsall  at  the  Restoration, 
having  previously — at  the  commencement  of  the 
civil  war — been  apprehended  for  preaching  against 
Episcopacy,  but  liberated  through  the  influence  of 
his  father-in-law.  Eventually  he  settled  down  at 
Loscoe,  where  he  continued  the  work  of  his  ministry 
in  his  own  house  and  at  the  houses  of  his  neigh- 
bours. A  good  deal  of  important  local  information 
is  contciined  in  this  article.  The  Rev.  Reginald 
H.  C.  FitzHerbert  contributes  a  copy  of  "  The  Will 
VOL.  XXXIV. 


of  Elizabeth  FitzHerbert,  widow  of  Ralph  Fitz- 
Herbert, Esq.,  of  Norbury,  Derbyshire,  dated 
October  20,  1490."  It  is  of  special  interest,  on 
account  of  the  many  articles  of  domestic  use  and  of 
dress  mentioned  by  the  testator.  Mr.  C.  E.  B. 
Bowles  gives  a  copy  of  "  The  Agreement  of  the 
Freeholders  in  Eyam  to  the  Award  for  Dividing 
Eyam  Pasture,  November  12,  1702  ";  and  the  Rev. 
C.  Kerry  articles  on  "  The  Ancient  Painted  Window, 
Hault  Hucknall  Church"  (with  illustrations),  and 
"  The  Court  Rolls  of  the  Manor  of  Holmesfield." 

*  *  * 
From  the  Somerset  Archaeological  and  Natural 
History  Society  (Northern  Branch)  we  have  re- 
ceived a  very  careful  and  painstaking  piece  of  work 
by  Mr.  T.  W.  Williams,  entitled  Somerset  Mediaval 
Libraries  and  Miscellaneous  Notices  of  Books  in  Somer- 
set prior  to  the  Dissolution  of  the  Monasteries.  Mr. 
Williams  speaks  very  modestly  of  his  performance 
in  the  Preface,  but  he  has  really  compiled  a 
valuable  contribution  to  the  study  of  English 
mediaeval  bibliography.  The  work  (which  is  illus- 
trated, and  fills  about  200  octavo  pages)  can  be 
obtained  from  the  pubHsher,  Mr.  J.  W.  Arrow- 
smith,  II,  Quay  Street,  Bristol.  The  gratitude  of 
antiquaries  is  due  to  Mr.  Williams  for  this  scholarly 
and  acceptable  publication,  dealing  with  the  local 
aspects  of  a  subject  which  has  been  too  much 
neglected  in  the  past. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 
Royal  Archaeological  Institute.  General  meet- 
ing, June  I,  Judge  Baylis,  Q.C.,  in  the  chair. — It 
was  announced  that  Viscount  Dillon  had  resigned 
the  presidency  of  the  Institute,  and  that  the 
position  had  been  offered  to  Sir  Henry  Howorth, 
M.P.,  who  had  intimated  his  willingness  to  accept 
it.  The  nomination  of  president  was  unanimously 
confirmed  by  the  meeting. — Mr.  George  E.  Fox, 
F.S. A. .described  the  mosaic  floors  in  the  house  of 
M.  Caesius  Blandus  in  Pompeii,  and  exhibited  a 
tracing  from  one  of  them,  giving  also  a  brief 
account  of  the  baths  in  some  of  the  principal  houses 
of  that  city.— Professor  W.  Flinders  Petrie  was 
announced  to  give  a  description  of  excavations  at 
Dendereh,  but  it  was  explained  that  he  was  unable 
to  be  present  owing  to  illness.  His  place  was  taken  at 
short  notice  by  Mr.  G.  E.  Fox  and  Mr.  F.  Davis,  who 
gave  a  description  of  a  dwelling-house  only  recently 
uncovered  during  the  excavations  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Roman  city  at  Silchester.  This  was  one  of  the 
largest  houses  which  had  yet  been  discovered.  It 
was  of  the  courtyard  type.  One  of  the  rooms  con- 
tained a  fragment  of  a  fine  mosaic  pavement.  As 
the  work  is  now  in  progress,  further  discoveries  are 
still  to  be  looked  for,  not  only  in  this  house,  but 
also  in  some  half-dozen  acres  still  to  be  explored 
this  year. — Mr.  Mill  Stephenson,  F.S. A.,  read 
some  notes  on  the  palimpsest  brass  at  Okeover, 
Staffordshire.  This  brass  was  originally  laid  down 
to  the  memory  of  William,  Lord  Zouch,  of 
Haryngworth,  on  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Alice 
Seymour,  in  1447,  and  in  1538  was  converted  into  a 
memorial  to  Humphrey  Oker  and  his  wife  and 
family. 

FF 


2l8 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


British  ARCHiEOLOGiCAL  Association.  —  The 
eighth  meeting  of  the  session  was  held  at  the 
rooms  in  Sackville  Street,  on  May  i6,  Mr.  C.  H. 
Compton.  vice-president,  in  the  chair.  —  Mrs. 
CoUier  submitted  for  exhibition  an  unusually  fine 
example  of  a  coin  of  Magnentius,  found  in  College 
Green,  Worcester,  also  coins  of  Charles  III.  of 
Spain,  and  Louis  XIV.  of  France,  together  with  a 
token  of  Home  Tooke.— The  Rev.  H.  J.  W.  Astley. 
hon.  sec,  exhibited  photographs  of  old  engravings 
of  two  large  family  pictures  now  at  Melton  Con- 
stable, one  illustrating  the  tournament  at  Paris,  in 
1438,  between  Sir  Jacob  Astley  and  Sir  Gerald 
Massey  ;  the  other  a  combat  at  Sraithfield,  in  1441, 
between  the  former  knight  and  Sir  Philip  Boyles, 
in  which  they  are  represented  fighting  on  foot. 
On  either  side  of  the  two  principal  pictures  are 
grouped  several  smaller  views  depicting  various 
scenes  in  the  history  of  the  tournament.  From  the 
costumes,  armour,  and  accessories,  the  date  of  the 
paintings  would  appear  to  be  the  sixteenth  century. 
— The  paper  of  the  evening  was  by  Mr.  Allen  S. 
Walker,  on  "The  Screen  of  All-Hallows  the  Great." 
The  neighbourhood  of  Thames  Street  and  the  river 
bank  is,  said  Mr.  Walker,  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting spots  in  London,  and  may  be  called  the 
cradle  of  the  city,  as  the  earliest  place  of  commerce 
was  at  Greenhithe.  Ever  since  the  time  of  the 
Normans  the  customs  have  formed  a  source  of 
revenue,  and  here,  in  1250,  Henry  III.'s  brother, 
Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall,  had  jurisdiction  over 
weights.  In  the  Steelyard,  the  site  of  which  is  now 
occupied  by  Cannon  Street  Station,  the  Hanseatic 
merchants  were  established  and  had  their  Guild- 
hall, their  charter  of  Liberty  being  granted  in  1259. 
They,  however,  possessed  no  chapel,  but  wor- 
shipped in  the  Church  of  All-Hallows  the  Great. 
They  beautified  the  church  by  presenting  windows 
and  founding  altars,  and  at  length  endowed  a  chapel 
therein.  Edward  IV.  gave  to  the  Hanseatic  League 
the  absolute  property  of  the  Steelyard  ;  here  they 
erected  warehouses  and  other  buildings,  but 
although  the  League  was  suppressed  in  1560,  the 
Steelyard  remained  the  property  of  the  League 
until  it  was  purchased  for  the  Cannon  Street  im- 
provement in  1853.  The  church  was  entirely 
destroyed  in  the  Great  Fire  in  1666,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  tower.  After  the  fire  the  parishes  of 
All-Hallows  the  Great  and  Less  were  united,  and 
the  church  was  rebuilt  by  Sir  C.  Wren,  the  cost  of 
the  fabric  being  defrayed  out  of  the  coal  dues  ;  it 
amounted  to  ;^5,640.  The  parishioners,  however, 
raised  a  rate  for  the  sum  of  ^^500  for  the  interior 
fittings.  The  Master  of  the  Steelyard  at  that  time 
was  Jacob  Jacobson,  a  very  rich  and  benevolent 
man,  who  gave  £\o  to  the  poor  of  the  parish,  and 
rebuilt  the  Guildhall ;  he  died  in  1680.  There  is 
a  curious  legend  to  the  effect  that  the  famous 
screen  was  made  in  Hamburg,  and  was  the  gift  of 
the  Dutch  merchants,  but  the  researches  of  Mr. 
Walker  into  this  matter,  which  have  extended  over 
three  years,  apparently  quite  dispose  of  this  tradi- 
tion, for  it  appears  to  have  been  first  put  forward 
by  Malcolm  in  1803,  one  hundred  and  twenty  years 
after  the  rebuilding  of  the  church.  It  has  also 
been  said  that  Jacob  Jacobson  gave  the  screen,  but 


he  died  in  1680,  and  the  church  was  not  ready  to 
receive  any  fittings  until  1683.  The  truth  seems  to 
be  that  the  parishioners  had  always  desired  to  have 
a  screen,  but  they  were  in  want  of  money,  and  could 
not  pay  for  it.  Mr.  Theodore  Jacobson,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded his  brother  as  Master  of  the  Steelyard,  had 
given  the  pulpit  to  the  church,  and  thereupon 
came  forward  and  presented  the  screen.  A  com- 
parison between  the  screens  of  All-Hallows  and 
of  St.  Peter's,  on  Cornhill,  strongly  confirms  the 
belief  that  both  are  of  English  design  and  work- 
manship. They  only  differ  in  design  by  some 
small  details  ;  the  measurements  of  both  are  iden- 
tical, the  cost  of  each  was  about  the  same,  and 
there  are  other  entries  in  the  parish  books  as  to 
the  charges  for  the  screen,  and,  finally,  it  is  known 
that  the  screen  of  St.  Peter's  was  carved  by  Eng- 
lishmen. Some  beautiful  photographs  of  both  the 
screens  illustrated  the  paper.  The  screen  is  now 
at  St.  Margaret's,  Lothbury. 

*  ♦  » 
The  closing  meeting  of  the  session  was  held  at  32, 
Sackville  Street  on  June  i,  Mr.  C.  H.  Compton, 
vice-president,  in  the  chair.  Dr.  Winstone  exhibited 
a  silver  penny  of  Henry  III.,  which  was  dug  up  at 
Chigwell  in  Essex,  in  making  a  sewer  deep  down  in 
the  clay.  He  also  exhibited  a  brass  coin  dated  1800. 
— Mr.  W.  J.  Nichols  exhibited  two  letters  of  marque 
and  general  reprisals  issued  in  the  years  1795  and 
1796  against  the  United  Provinces  and  Spain 
respectively,  and  granted  by  King  George  III. 
to  Captain  Thomas  Alston,  of  the  ship  Ceres, 
of  Lancaster.  Mr.  Nichols  also  exhibited  the 
marriage  certificate  of  the  same  Thomas  Alston 
with  Caroline  Shewell,  which  marriage  was  con- 
tracted at  Gretna  Green  in  1819,  "  according  to  the 
way  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  agreeable  to 
the  laws  of  the  Kirk  of  Scotland." — Mrs.  Collier 
read  a  paper  upon  the  "  Church  of  St.  Crantock  in 
Cornwall,"  which  was  a  well-endowed  collegiate 
church  before  the  coming  of  St.  Augustine.  At  the 
Dissolution  it  possessed  nine  prebends,  and  was 
rated  at  /'19  3s.  6d.  The  church  is  quaint  and 
rudely  designed,  and  has  remains  of  very  early 
work.  The  paper  was  well  illustrated  by  drawings 
and  photographs. — The  Rev.  W.  S.  Lach-Szyrma 
read  a  valuable  paper  upon  the  "  Preservation  of 
Antiquities,"  in  which  he  demonstrated  the  duty 
which  England  owed,  not  alone  to  her  own  sons 
and  daughters  and  to  their  descendants,  but 
to  the  other  nations  of  Europe  and  the  civilized 
world  at  large,  the  duty  of  carefully  preserving 
and  protecting  antiquities  of  every  kind,  even  those 
of  remote  and  out-of-the-way  places,  as  bestowing 
on  the  locality  special  historical,  antiquarian,  or 
artistic  interest.  Our  national  antiquities  form  a 
part  of  the  heritage  of  the  ages  which  the  nation 
has  received  from  generations  long  gone  by.  What, 
then,  he  asked,  are  we  doing  to  preserve  them  ? 
We  are  very  much  behind  other  civilized  European 
nations  in  the  steps  we  have  taken  for  the  preser- 
vation of  our  national  antiquities.  In  France  the 
vote  for  preserving  or  purchasing  antiquities  is 
usually  ;^5o,ooo  per  annum,  and  in  the  colony  of 
Algeria  antiquities  belong  to  the  State.  In  Austria 
there  is  a  central  commission  for  preserving  monu- 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


219 


ments,  which  works  with  local  societies.  In 
Switzerland  there  is  a  Federal  Commission,  and 
over  ;^2,ooo  per  annum  is  voted  for  Swiss  anti- 
quities, while  rich  England  can  only  afford,  under 
Sir  J.  Lubbock's  Bill,  /^loo  for  expenses,  and  £'2.^^ 
for  inspector's  salary.  In  Denmark  in  1895  ^^ 
grant  for  this  purpose  was  ;^i,500.  In  Italy  the 
destruction  of  antiquities  is  a  legal  offence.  In 
Spain  the  Government  acts  with  the  provincial 
authorities  in  cataloguing  and  preserving  anti- 
quities ;  and  even  in  Russia  there  exists  a  similar 
commission.  The  author  considered  that  in 
England  an  Act  of  Parliament  should  be  passed 
requiring  the  license  of  the  Home  Secretary,  or 
other  high  official,  for  permission  to  destroy  or 
mutilate  any  edifice  or  other  monuments  erected 
before  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth ;  and  this  limit 
might  subsequently  be  extended  to  include  all 
seventeenth  -  century  buildings  and  monuments. 
He  also  thought  that  the  presidents  of  the  chief 
archaeological  societies  ought  to  be  consulted  before 
a  license  was  issued. — The  Chairman,  Mr.  Gould, 
the  Rev.  H.  J.  D.  Astley,  and  Mr.  Patrick,  took 
part  in  the  discussion. 

*  *  ♦ 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich 
Arch^ological  Society  was  held  on  May  4,  at 
Norwich,  Canon  Manning  presiding. — The  annual 
report,  read  by  Mr.  L.  G.  Bolingbroke,  detailed  the 
work  of  the  past  year,  and  included  a  feeling  refer- 
ence to  the  deaths  of  the  Rev.  W.  F.  Creeny  and 
Sir  A.  W.  Franks,  K.C.B.  The  treasurer's  account 
showed  that  a  balance  of  ^276  was  brought  forward, 
which  included  a  legacy  of  /loo  left  by  Sir  J. 
Boileau,  subscriptions  amounted  to  /'iii  15s.,  the 
sale  of  publications  £\  12s.  6d.,  and  bank  interest 
/3  17s.  2d.,  a  total  of  ;^393  13s.  id.  The  total  ex- 
penditure was  ;^i7o  17s.  7d.,  leaving  a  balance  in 
hand  of  ^'222  15s.  6d.  Sir  F.  G.  M.  Boileau  was 
re-elected  president,  and  the  other  officers  and  the 
committee  were  also  reappointed. — Dr.  Bensly  re- 
ferred to  the  proposed  restoration  of  Ranworth 
Church,  the  fine  rood-screen  of  which  was  known 
to  antiquaries  all  over  the  country.  A  committee 
had  been  formed  to  carry  out  the  work,  and  very 
wisely,  considering  what  a  priceless  treasure  they 
possessed,  they  had  asked  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
and  the  Society  for  the  Preservation  of  Ancient 
Buildings  to  advise  them  as  to  the  best  way  of  dealing 
with  the  church.  Canon  Manning  also  mentioned 
the  proposed  restoration  of  Attleborough  Church, 
and  expressed  the  hope  that  the  screen  would  not 
be  touched  in  any  way. — Captain  King,  R.N.,  then 
read  a  paper  on  "Armour  and  Arms  found  in 
Churches."  He  said  that  information  as  to  churches 
in  Norfolk  being  used  for  armour  and  arms  was  un- 
fortunately rather  scanty.  The  Cathedral  armour 
and  arms,  the  halbert  at  Worstead,  and  the  two 
interesting  Elizabethan  helmets  found  in  the  parish 
chest  at  Hanworth,  were  the  only  instances  he 
knew  of  at  present.  There  was  certain  evidence 
that  the  Cathedral  had  an  armoury  attached  to  it, 
from  the  ancient  records  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter's 
accounts,  which  included  several  items  for  armour 
and  repairs,  and  also  showed  that  eight  soldiers 
were  attached   to   the   Cathedral.      Captain  King 


then  proceeded  to  describe  the  armour  and  weapons 
which  he  had  been  able  to  bring  to  the  meeting. 
A  rapier  of  a  German  type  of  the  early  seventeenth 
century  was  first  shown,  while  another  interesting 
weapon  was  a  broken  horseman's  sabre  of  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  which  might  prob- 
ably have  belonged  to  one  of  Cromwell's  troopers. 
Two  helmets  were  exhibited,  one  of  which  appa- 
rently bore  the  impress  of  a  bullet  and  the  other  of 
a  sword-cut.  They  were  the  simple  headpiece  worn 
by  pikemen ,  and  were  also  of  the  seventeenth  century . 
— Mr.  Barwell  remarked  that  in  the  church  of  Bard- 
well,  Suffolk,  was  an  ancient  sword,  hanging  over 
the  pulpit,  said  to  have  belonged  to  Sir  William  de 
Burdwell.  It  was  an  unusual  circumstance  to  find 
weapons  in  the  church  itself. — Mr.  W.  H.  Jones 
regretted  that  Captain  King  had  not  carried  his 
researches  into  the  old  documents  further  back. 
He  gave  extracts  from  the  accounts  of  the  master 
cellarer  to  the  Prior  of  the  Cathedral  dated  from 
1382  to  1387,  which  proved  that  a  considerable 
amount  of  money  was  spent  on  the  armoury  and 
for  the  general  supply  of  arms  to  the  officers  for  the 
defence  of  the  monastery  in  the  days  of  the  warlike 
bishop,  Despenser. — Mr.  G.  A.  King  then  exhibited 
a  fine  series  of  designs,  taken  from  the  dresses  of 
the  saints  pictured  on  the  screen  at  Ranworth. 
These,  he  explained,  formed  a  striking  example  of 
the  use  made  by  early  artists  of  the  old  Italian 
brocades.  They  were  fourteenth-century  work, 
and  exhibited  many  points  of  similarity  with  the 
designs  preserved  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum. 
In  the  earlier  figures  the  designs  embraced  animals 
and  birds,  as  were  found  in  the  Italian  materials, 
while  the  latter  paintings,  after  the  influence  of 
Persian  art  had  made  itself  felt  in  Italy,  showed  a 
corresponding  change. — Mr.  Tingay  reported  an 
interesting  discovery  made  in  the  city  during  the 
making  of  the  new  road  near  St.  Augustine's  Gates 
from  the  Aylsham  Road.  Six  funeral  urns,  all 
evidently  of  Saxon  workmanship,  had  been  un- 
earthed a  few  feet  below  the  surface.  Unfortunately 
all  but  one  were  broken,  and  the  perfect  one  had 
been  in  the  possession  of  a  workman  and  had  since 
been  destroyed.  At  the  same  spot  various  other 
small  articles  of  apparently  Saxon  workmanship 
had  been  found,  while  the  greater  portion  of  a 
human  skeleton  had  been  discovered. 

t  *  * 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Arch^ological  and 
Architectural  Society  of  Durham  and  North- 
umberland was  held  at  Durham,  on  April  27. 
— The  president  (the  Rev.  Dr.  Greenwell)  presided 
over  a  large  attendance  of  members. — The  treasurer 
(Mr.  J.  G.  Gradon)  presented  the  statement  of  ac- 
counts for  1897,  which  showed  a  credit  balance  of 
;^i54  i6s.  I  id. — The  election  of  officers  resulted 
as  follows :  President,  Rev.  Wm.  Greenwell  ; 
Messrs.  R.  O.  Heslop  and  W.  Knowles,  hon. 
secretaries ;  Mr.  J.  G.  Gradon,  secretary  and 
treasurer  ;  and  Sir  Wm.  Grossman  (Ellingham)  to 
a  vacancy  on  the  committee  caused  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  W.  H.  Longstaffe.  — The  secretary  announced 
that  the  portrait  in  oils  of  the  president,  which  the 
society  arranged  to  have  painted  last  year,  was 
completed,  and  it  had  been  arranged  to  make  the 

FF   2 


220 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


presentation  in  the  Chapter  Library  on  Monday, 
May  9.  The  portrait  had  been  painted  by  Mr. 
A.  S.  Cope  at  a  cost  of  300  guineas,  and  practically 
the  whole  of  the  money  had  been  raised  by  volun- 
tary subscription. — Mr.  F.  R.  N.  Haswell  referred 
to  the  loss  the  society  had  sustained  by  the  death 
of  Mr.  Longstaffe,  of  Gateshead.  He  described 
him  as  a  very  remarkable  man,  and  one  who  took 
a  deep  interest  in  the  work  of  the  society  in  its 
early  days. — The  president  said  he  echoed  what 
Mr.  Haswell  had  said.  Mr.  Longstaffe  was  an 
extremely  valuable  member,  and  years  ago  con- 
tributed a  very  valuable  paper  to  their  "  Proceed- 
ings "  on  "  The  Buildings  of  Bishop  Pudsay  in  the 
Diocese."  He  was  a  man  of  great  originality,  of 
great  power  of  mind  and  industry,  and  it  was  a 
matter  of  sincere  regret  to  him  (the  president)  that 
he  had  not  been  able  to  complete  the  history  of  the 
county  of  Durham,  so  admirably  begun  by  Mr. 
Surtees.  This  important  work  was  put  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Longstaffe,  but  he  was  never  able  to 
carry  it  to  completion.  It  was  impossible  to  esti- 
mate the  value  of  his  services  to  archaeology  and 
archaeologists,  and  his  loss  was  quite  an  irreparable 
one,  for  he  did  not  know  anyone  who  had  a  tenth 
part  of  the  information  on  this  subject  possessed  by 
Mr.  Longstaffe. 

The  meeting  then  proceeded  to  select  the  places 
for  the  outdoor  meetings  during  the  ensuing  sum- 
mer. The  president  afterwards  delivered  an  address 
on  the  work  of  the  year.  In  the  course  of  his 
remarks  he  said  that  Dr.  Fowler,  of  Durham,  was 
engaged  upon  the  production  of  another  edition  of 
Tht  Rites  of  Durham,  which,  when  completed,  would 
form  a  really  valuable  record  of  the  life  of  the 
monastery.  Proceeding,  the  president  congratu- 
lated the  committee  on  having  published  another 
volume  of  The  History  of  Northumberland.  It  was 
said  that  they  could  complete  the  work  in  twelve 
quarto  volumes,  but  he  thought  it  would  take  four- 
teen volumes  to  complete  it.  It  was  a  very  great 
work  indeed,  but  he  might  say  that  every  person 
who  had  looked  into  the  volumes  produced  spoke 
of  it  as  being  well  done.  The  editorial  work  had 
been  extremely  well  done  by  their  editors,  of  whom 
they  had  had  three — Mr.  Bateson,  Mr.  Hinds,  and 
Mr.  Crawford  Hodgson.  The  latter  gentleman  was 
now  engaged  upon  the  fifth  volume,  which  would 
deal  with  Warkworth  and  Coquetdale.  In  conclu- 
sion, the  president  referred  to  the  collection  of 
memorial  crosses  in  the  Chapter  Library.  It  had, 
he  said,  been  brought  together  during  the  past 
thirty  years,  and  formed  a  large  and  valuable 
collection  of  sculptured  work  of  the  pre-Conquest 
period. 

*         3<C         ♦ 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Essex  Archaeological 
Society  was  held  at  Colchester  in  the  middle  of 
April,  Mr.  Henry  Laver  presiding  in  the  absence  of 
the  president,  Mr.  G.  A.  Lowndes. — The  chairman 
congratulated  the  society  on  its  continued  improve- 
ment in  numbers,  and  the  work  they  were  doing. 
The  more  frequent  meetings  were  much  appre- 
ciated ;  letters  of  approval  had  been  received  from 
all  parts  of  the  county.  Without  studying  its 
antiquities,  the  history  of  a  county  could  not  be 


fully  appreciated.— The  secretary  (Mr.  G.  F.  Beau- 
mont) presented  the  annual  report,  which  showed 
that  the  membership  last  year  was  329  ;  now  it  was 
334.  When  the  new  members  to  be  proposed  had 
been  elected,  the  total  would  be  345.  The  report 
also  chronicled  the  death  of  two  vice-presidents. 
Lord  Carlingford  and  Major  Thomas  JennerSpitty, 
and  in  their  place  the  council  recommended  the 
election  of  Lord  Claud  Hamilton.  The  council 
regretted  that,  owing  to  failing  health,  the  Rev.  F. 
Spurrell  had  felt  compelled  to  resign  his  member- 
ship. Mr.  Spurrell,  who  was  elected  in  July,  1854, 
had  been  an  active  and  useful  member  of  the 
council  for  forty-two  years.  The  council  recom- 
mended that  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Galpin  be  elected  to 
fill  the  vacancy.  The  amount  received  from  sub- 
scriptions compared  very  favourably  with  previous 
years.  Five  meetings  and  excursions  had  been 
held  during  the  year,  and  all  were  well  attended. — 
On  the  motion  of  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Gould,  it  was 
decided  that  Messrs.  C.  E.  Benham,  G.  Joslin,  and 
P.  G.  Laver  should  represent  the  society  on  the 
Museum  Committee  of  the  Colchester  Corporation. 
An  excursion  to  Great  Horkesley  Church  was 
made  at  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting,  after  which 
Pitchbury  Woods  were  visited,  and  the  ramparts 
examined  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Laver.  Mr. 
Laver  pointed  out  that  the  entrenchments  had 
unquestionably  belonged  to  a  British  camp,  and 
were  very  interesting  on  account  of  the  fact  that 
such  earthworks  were  very  rare  in  Essex.  Subse- 
quently the  ramparts  seemed  to  have  been  used  by 
the  Romans,  but  the  assertion  that  the  latter  con- 
structed them  was  entirely  without  grounds. 

♦  *  * 
The  monthly  meeting  of  the  Glasgow  Arch^o- 
LOGiCAL  Society  was  held  on  April  21  in  the  rooms 
of  the  society,  207,  Bath  Street. — Dr.  David  Murray, 
president,  in  the  chair.  A  paper  was  read  by  the 
president  on  ' '  The  Faculty  of  Procurators'  Pew  in 
the  High  Church,"  and  Mr.  Robert  Dunlop,  White- 
rig,  Airdrie,  contributed  a  paper  in  which  an  account 
was  given  of  the  archaeological  collections  of  the 
late  Dr.  Hunter  Selkirk,  of  Daleville,  Carluke. 
Mrs.  Murray  exhibited  and  described  an  old 
Swedish  altar-cloth. 

5<f         *         * 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Suffolk  Institute  of 
Archeology  and  Natural  History  was  held  at 
Bury  St.  Edmunds  on  May  5,  the  Rev.  E.  Hill, 
Rector  of  Cockfield,  presiding.  The  annual  report 
of  the  Council  stated  that  1897  would  be  memorable 
in  the  history  of  the  Institute,  for  the  conclusion  of 
descriptive  sketches  of  church  plate  in  the  twenty- 
seven  deaneries  of  Suffolk — a  comprehensive  survey 
of  ecclesiastical  objects  of  antiquity,  appreciation 
of  which  had  become  more  widely  extended.  Allu- 
sion was  made  to  the  death  of  Mr.  B.  P.  Grimsey, 
of  Ipswich.  The  Council  regretted  that  the  Rev. 
F.  Haslewood  desired  to  resign  the  duties  he  had 
carried  out  with  so  much  earnestness,  and  to  the 
advantage  of  the  Institute.  He  had  held  the  office 
of  honorary  secretary  since  May,  1887,  when  he 
succeeded  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Evelyn  White.— The 
president  (Lord  Henniker)  and  the  vice-presidents 
and  members  of  the  Council  were  re-elected.    To 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  B.  P. 
Grimsey,  Mr.  V.  B.  Redstone,  of  Woodbridge,  was 
elected.  Upon  the  proposition  of  the  Rev.  Canon 
Scott,  seconded  by  Mr.  R.  Burrell,  a  vote  of  warm 
thanks  to  the  Rev.  F.  Haslewood  for  his  services  as 
honorary  secretary  was  unanimously  adopted. — It 
transpired  that  the  Council  had  suggested  the 
desirability  of  asking  Mr.  H.  C.  Casley,  of  Ipswich, 
to  accept  the  secretaryship. — Upon  the  proposal 
of  the  Rev.  Canon  Betham,  seconded  by  the  Rev. 
H.  Jarvis,  a  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted 
empowering  the  Council  to  appoint  a  secretary. 

*  4(     * 

The  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Berks  Archaeo- 
logical Society  was  held  at  Reading  on  April  27. 
— The  honorary  secretary  (the  Rev.  P.  H.  Ditch- 
field)  read  the  report,  which  after  recording  the  fact 
that  the  present  society  is  the  lineal  descendant 
of  the  old  Berks  Ashmolean  Society,  proceeded  to 
state  that  during  the  winter  months  three  meetings 
were  held  for  the  reading  of  papers  and  discussion, 
and  that  during  the  summer  three  excursions  had 
been  made  to  places  of  general  or  local  interest. 
The  report  then  continued  as  follows:  "  The  pho- 
tographic survey  of  the  county  has  been  commenced 
by  the  Camera  Club,  at  the  suggestion  of  your 
secretary,  who  recently  gave  an  address  on  the 
subject  at  the  Extension  College,  and  the  Oxford 
Architectural  and  Historical  Society  are  co-operating 
in  this  important  work.  The  committee  are  glad  to 
be  able  to  report  that  some  steps  have  been  taken 
with  regard  to  the  compilation  of  a  catalogue  of 
Berkshire  portraits,  in  connection  with  the  National 
Portrait  Catalogue.  Your  committee  recommend 
that  a  sub-committee,  consisting  of  Lord  Saye  and 
Sele  (chairman),  the  Rev.  Alan  Cheales  (secretary). 
Miss  Thoyts,  and  W.  Ogilvie,  Esq.,  be  appointed  to 
carry  out  this  work.  The  archaeological  survey  of 
the  county  was  commenced  some  years  ago,  but  it 
still  is  in  a  very  imperfect  state.  The  committee 
would  be  glad  if  some  members  of  the  society  who 
have  leisure  would  undertake  this  very  important 
work."  The  committee  then  proceeded  to  deplore 
the  loss  the  society  had  sustained  in  the  death  of 
its  late  president.  Sir  George  Russell,  Bart.,  Mr.  G. 
Palmer,  and  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Goadby.  The  report 
having  been  adopted,  the  chairman  (Mr.  Charles 
Smith)  proposed  the  election  of  Mr.  C.  E.  Keyser 
as  president  in  the  place  of  Sir  George  Russell ;  the 
Mayor  of  Reading  seconded  the  proposal,  which 
was  unanimously  agreed  to.  Mr.  Keyser  having 
taken  the  chair,  which  was  vacated  by  Mr.  Smith, 
then  delivered  an  inaugural  address,  in  which  he 
gave  a  brief  summary  of  the  antiquities  of  the 
county. 

*  ♦     ♦ 

An  ordinary  meeting  of  the  Hampstead  Anti- 
quarian AND  Historical  Society  was  held  on  Fri- 
day, May  27, 1898,  Basil  Woodd  Smith,  Esq.,  F.S.A., 
a  vice-president,  in  the  chair.  There  was  a  good 
attendance  of  members  and  visitors. — Mr.  Charles 
J.  Munich,  hon.  secretary  and  treasurer,  having 
read  the  names  of  twenty-four  new  members  elected 
since  the  inaugural  meeting,  April  6,  acknowledged 
the  receipt  of  several  books,  prints,  etc.,  which 
were  on  view,  including  two  photographs  of  the 


old  houses  recently  demolished  in  Church  Row, 
Hampstead.  —  The  thanks  of  the  society  were 
accorded  to  the  donors. — Mr.  George  W.  Potter 
then  read  a  paper  entitled  "  Some  Historical  Notices 
of  Hampstead,"  which  contained  much  valuable 
and  important  information  concerning  this  ancient 
borough,  its  residents,  old  houses,  etc. — Mr.  Munich 
having  stated  that  outdoor  meetings  had  been 
arranged  for  June,  July,  and  August,  read  a  com- 
munication from  Professor  J.  W.  Hales,  in  which 
considerable  information  was  given  with  regard  to 
the  old  King  of  Bohemia  tavern  in  High  Street, 
Hampstead. — Votes  of  thanks  were  passed  to  Mr. 
G.  Potter,  of  Highgate,  for  the  loan  of  several 
pictures,  etc.,  which  were  on  view  at  the  meeting. 


lRet)ieto0  anD  H^otices 
of  Jl^eto  15ook0. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.] 

The  Records  of  the  Borodgh  of  Northampton. 
Published  by  order  of  the  Corporation  of  the 
County-Borough   of    Northampton ;    the   first 
volume  edited   by  Christopher  A.  Markham, 
the  second  volume  edited  by  the  Rev.  J.  Charles 
Cox,  LL.D.     2  vols.,  buckram  royal  8vo.,  pp. 
XXXV,  510,  and  pp.  xii,  602  respectively.     Lon- 
don :  Elliot  Stock ;  Northampton :  Birdsall  and 
Son. 
Northampton  to-day  occupies  a   very  different 
position  to  that  which  it  held  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
when,  situated  as  it  is  in  the  centre  of  England,  it  was 
often  the  residence  of  the  Sovereign,  and,  as  we 
should  say,  the  seat  of  the  Government.     By  the 
reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  it  had  sunk  to  the  level  of 
an  ordinary  county  town  of  no  special  importance, 
a  position  from  which  of  late  years  it  has  been  but 
slowly  emerging.     It  is  obvious,  however,  that  its 
older  history,  as  told  in  and  by  its  Records,  must 
be,  from  its  former  position  of  influence,  more  than 
usually  varied  and  important.     It  was  therefore  a 
very  commendable  project  on  the  part  of  the  Cor- 
poration  of   Northampton   to  have  the   Borough 
Records  printed,  for,  as  the  Bishop  of  London  very 
truly  says  in  the  preface,  such  publication  "  is  a 
substantive  contribution  to  the  history  of  that  dis- 
tinguishing quality  of   the   English   people,    their 
capacity  for  managing  their  own  affairs  quietly  and 
reasonably,  with  a  view  solely  to  discover  what  is 
the  fairest  and  wisest  way  of  dealing  with  each 
question   that  arises."      It  is  to  be  regretted,  we 
think,  that  the  Corporation  should  have  decided  on 
dividing  the  work  between  two  persons,  for,  as  Dr. 
Cox   observes  in   the   Introduction  to  the  second 
volume,  such  division  has  rendered  unity  of  action 
and  design  a  matter  of  impossibility.     We  regret 
on  other  grounds,  too,  that  the  entire  work  was  not 
placed  in  Dr.  Cox's  hands,  for  we  are  bound  to  say 
that  the  first  volume  is  not  edited  in  such  a  manner 


222 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


as  a  work  of  this  kind  ought  to  have  been,  while  Dr. 
Cox's  own  work  in  the  second  volume  leaves  little,  if 
anything,  to  be  desired  in  the  way  of  improvement. 
The  first  volume  contains  (besides  the  Records  them- 
selves and  Bishop  Creighton's  short  preface)  an 
admirable  excursus  by  Mr.  W.  Ryland  D.  Atkins  on 
"The  Position  of  Northampton  in  English  History." 
This  paper,  which  follows  the  Bishop's  preface, 
gives  a  most  clear,  succinct,  and  scholarly  survey 
of  the  matter,  and  is  deserving  of  very  high  praise. 
We  wish  we  could  say  as  much  in  favour  of  what 
follows,  but  we  are  unable  to  do  so.  We  have  a 
collection,  or  rather  a  selection,  of  quotations  from 
Domesday  Book,  Pipe  Rolls,  Charters,  and  other 
Grants  and  Letters  Patents,  as  well  as  the  Liher 
Custumarum  of  Northampton,  printed  in  Latin,  in 
what  is  known  as  Record  type,  and  accompanied  by 
English  translations.  We  are  told  nothing  in  the 
volume  as  to  the  documents  that  are  thus  printed, 
and  we  only  learn  incidentally  from  Dr.  Cox,  in  the 
second  volume,  that  "  these  copies  of  early  royal 
grants  of  murage,  pontage,  and  paviage  to  the  town 
of  Northampton  were,  one  and  all,  procured  about 
1831,  to  be  used  in  evidence  in  the  great  toll  case," 
and  as  Dr.  Cox  proceeds  to  point  out,  they  form 
only  a  small  portion  of  what  is  important  in  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  Northampton  so  far  as  the 
muniments  of  the  nation  go.  Thus,  the  documents 
printed  in  the  volume  are  by  no  means  complete, 
and  no  attempt  seems  to  have  been  made  to  make 
them  so,  or  to  explain  in  the  first  volume  that  they  are, 
most  of  them,  only  office  copies.  But  this  is  not 
all.  The  Latin  in  nearly  every  document  is  wrong 
in  several  instances,  the  contracted  forms  of  the 
Record  type  are  often  confused,  and  as  often  omitted, 
showing  that  the  person  responsible  for  correcting 
the  proofs  cf  this  part  of  the  work  was  either  ex- 
ceedingly careless,  or  unequal  to  the  task.  That 
we  are  not  speaking  too  severely  we  have  only  to 
refer  to  the  Charter  of  April  17,  1200  (p.  30)  where 
in  the  third  line  (to  go  no  further)  "aliq^"  should 
be  "  aliq°,"  to  that  of  January  26,  1252  (p.  41), 
where  in  the  first  line  "  quis  "  should  be  "  suis," 
and  in  the  second  line  "  nobis  "  should  be  "  vobis," 
in  the  fourth  line,  "  venate"  should  be  "  venale," 
and  throughout  "  D  "  should  be  "  De,"  and  so  forth, 
while  in  the  translation  on  the  next  page  we  read 
of  "  Cordulean  leather"  (!)  instead  of  "Cordovan 
leather,"  and  (as  it  would  seem)  the  word  for  leather 
is  accidentally  omitted  in  the  Latin  transcript.  We 
need  not  proceed  with  this  analysis.  The  same 
sort  of  thing  goes  on  throughout,  and  a  worse  piece 
of  work  we  have  never  met  with  in  an  important 
publication  such  as  that  with  which  we  are 
dealing.  As  if  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  it  was 
not  carelessness  which  has  caused  all  this  blunder- 
ing, a  so-called  "Glossary"  is  appended,  and  a 
more  childish  piece  of  work  can  scarcely  be 
imagined,  as  the  following  samples,  all  taken  from 
the  first  page,  will  show  :  "  Acouaunde  (sic),  a  con- 
cord or  agreement ;"  "  Admitte  me,  betake  myself 
in  order  to  seek  sanctuary  again  ;"  "  Afflode,  a  flood 
or  rising  tide;"  "  Aguy ten  (sir),  acquit ;"  "  Ainged 
(sic)  adjudged  ;"  "  All  halous.  All  hallows'  or  All 
SEiints'  Day,  ist  November;"  "All  Seyntis,  all  the 
saints"    [why  not  All  Saints?];   "  Allonly,  exclu- 


sively;" "  Alonly,  only  ;"  "  Anctecteucly  [we  make 
bold  to  say  there  never  was  such  a  word],  authori- 
tatively, or  perhaps  additionally."  These  are  from 
the  first  page  only,  and  we  could  have  even  added 
to  them  from  it.  The  fact  is,  that  Mr.  Markham 
ought  not  to  have  consented  to  edit  this  volume  for 
the  Corporation,  as  it  is  evident  that  the  work  was 
really  beyond  him. 

Independently  of  the  manner  in  which  this  volume 
has  been  edited,  we  are  not  sure  whether  in  a  work 
intended  for  the  general  student  of  history  it  is  wise 
to  use  Record  type.  Record  type  is,  at  best,  but 
an  imperfect  method  of  reproducing  in  print  the 
recognised  contractions  in  writing  of  the  mediaeval 
scribe.  Is  there  any  real  reason  why  those  con- 
tractions should  not  be  expanded  in  a  book  like 
this  ?  Comparatively  few  people  can  read  the  con- 
tracted Latin,  and  there  must  be  many  students  of 
local  history  to  whom  documents  so  printed  form 
an  almost  insoluble  puzzle.  We  say  nothing  against 
the  use  of  Record  type  elsewhere,  but  we  think  that 
in  a  work  like  that  before  us  it  would  have  been 
better  to  have  expanded  the  documents.  Had  this 
been  done,  it  is  only  fair  to  assume  that  Mr.  Mark- 
ham  would  not  have  passed  over  the  numerous 
grammatical  and  other  blunders  which  disfigure  the 
Latin  of  the  documents  he  has  printed. 

We  have  left  ourselves  little  space  in  which  to 
speak  of  the  second  volume.  There  is  less  need  to 
do  this  at  any  length,  for  there  is  not  only  nothing 
to  find  fault  with  in  it,  but  very  much  on  which  to 
bestow  praise,  and  we  can  only  regret  the  more 
sincerely  that  the  Corporation  of  Northampton  did 
not  place  the  whole  work  in  Dr.  Cox's  hands.  In 
the  second  volume  Dr.  Cox  deals  in  turn  with  such 
matters  as  the  Civic  Government  and  State  of  the 
Town  ;  the  Civic  Jurisdiction  ;  its  Property,  Build- 
ings and  Revenues ;  the  Members  of  Parliament ; 
and  the  Topography  of  the  Town.  This  latter 
chapter  is  an  excellent  piece  of  work  which  should 
find  its  counterpart  in  other  local  histories  more 
often  than  it  does.  We  note  in  it  the  mention  of  a 
Gold  Street  and  a  Silver  Street,  both  of  which  Dr. 
Cox  not  unnaturally  explains  as  having  obtained 
their  names  from  their  being  the  residence  of  the 
goldsmiths  and  silversmiths  respectively  of  North- 
ampton. We  question,  however,  whether  this  is 
the  true  explanation  of  these  names,  which  are  com- 
mon to  other  towns  as  well.  Northampton  never 
was  a  town  in  which  goldsmiths  or  silversmiths 
were  known  to  carry  on  their  trade,  and  indeed 
metal  work  seems  not  to  have  been  an  industry  at 
all  generally  followed.  There  is  no  mention  of 
pewterers  that  we  have  seen  in  either  volume,  and 
the  only  allusion  to  the  goldsmith's  craft  is  the  ad- 
mission as  a  freeman  in  1680  of  one  Henry  Bazly, 
a  goldsmith,  on  the  payment  of  twenty  marks,  in 
place  of  ;^2o,  on  account  of  the  "  usefullness  of  his 
Trade  in  the  Towne,  there  being  noe  other  person  of 
this  Towne  that  is  a  working  goldsmith,"  nor  is  there 
any  allusion  in  the  Liber  Cnstumarum  or  other 
mediaeval  records  to  the  existence  in  the  town  of 
goldsmiths.  The  explanation  of  the  names  must  be 
sought  elsewhere.  Although  we  do  not  pretend  to 
be  able  to  say  what  the  explanation  is,  we  feel 
nearly  sure  that  what  we  may  call  the  obvious  ex- 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


223 


planation  is  not  the  true  one.  Moreover,  gold- 
smiths were  not  distinct  from  silversmiths,  as  Dr. 
Cox's  suggestion  would  seem  to  imply. 

The  Corporation  of  Northampton  has  set  a  good 
example  to  other  towns  in  the  publication  of  these 
two  important  volumes,  which,  in  spite  of  the 
blemishes  in  the  first  volume,  form  a  very  valuable 
contribution  to  the  study  of  English  municipal  life 
and  government  in  the  past.  We  ought  to  add  that 
there  are  several  facsimiles  and  illustrations,  as  well 
as  a  topographical  plan  or  map  of  old  Northampton 
based  on  Speed's  plan  of  1610.  Each  volume  is 
supplied  with  a  full  index,  and  the  printing  and 
general  get-up  of  the  two  volumes  leave  nothing  to 
he  desired. 

*  «  * 
Abstracts  of  the  Protocols  of  the  Town 
Clerks  of  Glasgow.  Edited  by  Robert 
Renwick.  Vol.  IV.  Cloth,  4to.,  pp.  viii,  158. 
Glasgow :  Carson  and  Nicol. 
We  have  noticed  this  work  favourably  on  pre- 
vious occasions,  and  we  need  say  but  little  more 
regarding  it  on  the  present  occasion.  It  is  of  a 
very  different  character  to  that  of  the  Records  of 
Northampton,  as  it  only  deals  with  the  transfer 
of  lands  and  houses  in  Glasgow ;  but  it  affords  a 
great  deal  of  very  valuable  information  as  to  the 
topography  of  the  city  in  the  middle  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  It  contains  the  "protocols"  of 
William  Hegait,  the  town  clerk,  from  1568  to  1576, 
and  in  an  appendix  those  of  one  Michael  Fleming 
from  1530  to  1567.  Thus  the  whole  of  the  middle 
of  this  century  is  covered.  Mr.  Renwick  has 
made  what  is  evidently  a  very  careful  abstract 
of  each  document,  quoting  the  essential  portions 
verbatim,  but  avoiding  the  printing  of  merely 
useless  legal  verbiage  with  which  all  such  docu- 
ments abound.  It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate 
the  topographical  value  and  interest  of  such  "  pro- 
tocols "  as  those  printed  in  this  book.  Besides  the 
"  protocols  "  there  are  a  few  other  documents  con- 
tained in  the  volume,  including  an  "  Instrument  of 
Sasine,"  dated  November  5,  1539,  in  which  some 
interesting  directions  relating  to  religious  services 
are  contained.  One  of  these  directs  the  "  maister 
of  the  sang  scuyll  of  the  metropolitane  Kyrk  of 
Glasgow  "  to  arrange  for  the  singing  each  night  of 
"ane  gloriosa"  at  "our  Lady  altar  in  the  nethir 
kyrk,  and  the  said  maister  to  uphald  and  fynd  ane 
pryckat  of  wax  nychtlie  byrneand  induryng  the  tyme 
of  the  synging  of  the  sammyng,  in  the  middis  of  the 
sammyng  altar,  fra  the  begynning  to  the  endyng." 
With  regard  to  other  services  there  is  an  interesting 
direction :  ••Item  I  wyll  Sanct  Mungo  bell  be  tursyt 
[i.e.,  carried]  ryngand  throwch  the  towne,  the 
nyght  befoir,  and  the  morne  the  tyme  of  the 
messis,  be  the  belman  and  he  to  half  thairfor 
fowir  penneis."  The  reference  to  St.  Mungo's  hand- 
bell IS  noteworthy.  Are  there  other  allusions  to  it 
elsewhere  ? 

The  whole  book  is  full  of  items  of  more  than 
mere  local  interest,  but  as  regards  Glasgow  itself 
Us  interest  and  importance  can  hardly  be  estimated 
too  highly.  Mr.  Renwick  has  added  a  very  useful 
glossary,  and  there  are  separate  and  complete 
mdexes  of  names  and  of  places.     The  publication 


of  these  "  protocols  "  of  the  town  clerks  of  Glasgow 
was  a  happy  thought,  and  it  is  being  admirably 
carried  out  by  Mr.  Renwick,  to  whom  the  grateful 
obligations  of  Scotch  and  other  antiquaries  and 
topographers  are  due. 

*  *  * 
Aubrey's  Brief  Lives.  Two  vols.  Edited  by 
Andrew  Clark,  M.A.,  LL.D.  Clarendon  Press. 
English  scholars  and  literary  students  in  general 
will  welcome  these  two  volumes.  Dr.  Clark  has 
done  his  work  admirably,  and  given  a  clearly-written 
introduction.  John  Aubrey,  to  whom  Wood  in  his 
Athene  Oxonienses  was  so  immensely  indebted,  has 
never  before  been  properly  edited.  His  MSS.  at 
the  Bodleian  yield  about  400  short  biographies, 
chiefly  of  his  contemporaries,  between  the  years 
1669  and  1696 ;  they  are  chiefly  lives  of  authors, 
and  next  of  mathematicians,  but  accounts  of  states- 
men, soldiers,  men  of  fashion,  and  personal  friends 
are  also  introduced.  With  but  few  exceptions,  the 
manuscripts  are  closely  followed.  They  are  very 
outspoken.  Aubrey,  writing  to  Wood  in  1686,  says 
of  them:  "These  arcana  are  not  fitt  to  lett  flie 
abroad,  till  about  30  years  hence ;  for  the  author 
and  the  persons  (like  medlars)  ought  first  to  be 
rotten."  A  great  variety  of  quaint  bits  of  lore  occur 
in  the  midst  of  these  realities  and  fragmentary 
biographical  notes.  For  instance,  the  following 
occurs  under  the  account  of  Sir  John  Popham 
(1531-1607) :  "  Memorandum.— At  the  hall  in  Wel- 
lington in  the  countie  of  Somersett  (the  ancient  seate 
of  the  Pophams,  and  which  was  this  Sir  John's, 
Lord  Chiefe  Justice — but  quaere  if  he  did  not  buy 
it  ?)  did  hang  iron  shackells,  of  which  the  tradi- 
tion of  the  countrey  is  that,  long  agoe,  one  of  the 
Pophams  (lord  of  this  place)  was  taken  and  kept  a 
slave  by  the  Turkes  for  a  good  while,  and  that  by 
his  ladle's  great  pietie  and  continual  prayers,  he 
was  brought  to  this  place  by  an  invisible  power, 
with  these  shackells  on  his  legges,  which  were  hung 
up  as  a  memoriall,  and  continued  till  the  house 
(being  a  garrison)  was  burn't.  All  the  countrey 
people  steadfastly  beleeve  the  trueth  hereof." 

A  variety  of  "  Notes  of  Antiquities  "  are  collected 
together  from  the  different  Aubrey  MSS.  at  the 
end  of  the  second  volume.  One  result  of  the  Civil 
War,  says  Aubrey,  was  that  the  tabor  and  pipe, 
which  were  used  when  he  was  a  boy  on  Sundays 
and  holidays,  and  at  christenings  and  feasts,  gave 
way  to  the  noisier  and  more  martial  music  of  the 
trumpet  and  drum.  The  paper  mill  at  Bemerton, 
Wilts,  was  the  second  in  England  ;  it  had  been 
standing  112  years,  when  Aubrey  wrote  of  it  in 
1681.  "Jessamines  came  into  England  with  Mary 
the  queen-mother,"  that  is  Henrietta  Maria,  con- 
sort of  Charles  I.,  who  landed  on  our  shores  in  1624. 
Laurel  was  introduced  by  Alathea,  daughter  of  the 
seventh  Earl  of  Shrewsbury ;  she  married,  in  1606, 
Thomas  Howard,  Earl  of  Arundel. 

*     *     * 
The  Gentleman's  Magazine  Library  :  English 

Topography,  Part  X.    Edited  by  G.  L.  Gomme, 

F.S.A.     Elliot  Stock. 
The  tenth  volume  of  this  valuable  collection  of 
topographical  extracts  from  the  Gentleman's  Magazine 
from  1731  to  1868  covers  the  two  counties  of  Shrop- 


224 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


shire  and  Somersetshire.  Domestic  architecture  is 
well  to  the  fore,  though  so  often  neglected  by  local 
antiquaries.  Old  Parr's  cottage,  at  Glyn,  in  the 
parish  of  Alberbury,  is  described  under  the  year 
1814,  and  the  farmhouse  at  Stanton  in  1808.  The 
ancient  renovated  mansion  at  Berwick-Maviston, 
long  since  destroyed ;  Boscobel  House,  of  archi- 
tectural as  well  as  historic  interest ;  the  old  birth- 
places of  Wycherley  at  Clive,  and  of  Shenstone  at 
Halesowen  ;  and  the  mansion  at  Longner,  pulled 
down  in  1830,  are  amongst  the  more  important 
ancient  Salop  dwelling-places  herein  noted.  Under 
Somersetshire,  there  are  interesting  references  to 
the  mediaeval  houses  near  Clevedon,  to  the  Manor- 
house  of  Ashington,  to  the  Duke  of  Monmouth's 
cottage  at  Grenton,  to  Hardington  House  in  1802, 
to  the  Manor-houses  of  Hinton,  Kingston  Seymour, 
South  Petherton,  and  Tickenham,  and  to  the  old 
house  at  Ilchester,  temp.  Henry  VI.,  which  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1846.  Almshouses,  monuments, 
remarkable  trees,  popular  usages,  churchwarden 
accounts,  and  chained  books  are  amongst  the 
numerous  interesting  items  chronicled  in  these 
pages.  This  volume,  like  its  predecessor,  is  of  much 
value  to  others  besides  those  who  take  special 
interest  in  Shropshire  or  Somersetshire. 

*  *     * 

St.  Botolph,  Aldgate  :  the  Story  of  a  City 
Parish.  By  Rev.  A.  G.  B.  Atkinson.  Grant 
Richards. 
Mr.  Atkinson,  who  has  been  curate  of  the  parish 
for  a  year  or  two,  is  the  young  author  of  this  book. 
The  preface  is  headed  by  the  now  hackneyed  quota- 
tion from  Montaigne—"  I  have  gathered  a  posie  of 
other  men's  flowers,  and  nothing  but  the  thread 
that  binds  them  is  mine  own."  We  suppose  this  is 
intended  to  disarm  criticism,  and  therefore  our 
remarks  shall  be  very  brief.  These  pages  are  not 
sufficiently  attractive  for  the  general  reader,  and 
they  are  far  too  cursory  for  the  antiquary  and 
student ;  but  they  are  no  doubt  of  some  value  and 
interest  to  local  folk.  The  valuable,  varied,  and 
voluminous  "  Record  Books"  of  this  parish,  begin- 
ning in  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  well  merit  more 
painstaking  and  fuller  treatment  than  they  have  yet 
received. 

*  *     * 

The  Legend  of  Sir  Gawain.  By  Jessie  L. 
Weston.     D.  Nutt. 

No.  7  of  the  "  Grimm  Library"  well  maintains 
the  repute  of  this  series.  These  studies  upon  the 
original  scope  and  significance  of  the  Gawain 
legends  were  undertaken  with  the  object  of  throw- 
ing light  upon  the  Arthurian  cycle  as  a  whole. 
If  the  precise  nature  of  the  traditions  associated 
with  a  knight  who  plays  so  important  a  part  in  that 
cycle  can  be  ascertained,  the  result  will  naturally 
affect  the  whole  group.  The  results  seem  un- 
doubtedly to  point  to  a  Gaelic  (Irish)  origin  rather 
than  a  Kymric  (Welsh)  one  ;  and  Miss  Weston  begs 
us  to  believe  that  these  results  are  in  no  sense  due 
to  a  previous  bias  towards  or  against  the  conclu- 
sions of  any  individual  scholar  or  group  of  scholars. 

The  parallels  that  are  here  adduced  between  the 
Gawain  tales  and  those  of  Cuchulinn,  the  nephew 


of  Conchobar,  King  of  Ulster,  as  told  in  "  The 
Wooing  of  Emer,"  are  certainly  most  remarkable, 
and  run  through  the  whole  series  of  studies.  The 
modesty  and  quietness  of  the  author's  contentions 
make  them  all  the  more  convincing  and  reliable. 

*  *     * 

English  Masques.  With  an  introduction  by 
Herbert  Arthur  Evans.  Blackie  and  Son. 
This  is  a  desirable  book,  and  admirably  carried 
out.  Moreover,  the  printing  and  binding  are  all 
that  can  be  desired.  The  exhaustive  and  learned 
introduction  of  Mr.  Evans  covers  58  pages,  and 
to  this  is  added  a  chronological  list  of  fifty 
masques  extant  in  print,  from  1604  to  1640.  Of 
these  fifty  masques,  this  volume  contains  sixteen 
well-selected  examples,  viz.  :  Samuel  Daniel's 
"Vision  of  the  Twelve  Goddesses";  Thomas 
Campion's  "Lords'  Masque" ;  Beaumont's  "  Masque 
of  the  Inner  Temple  and  Gray's  Inn " ;  James 
Shirley's  "  Triumph  of  Peace  "  ;  Sir  W.  Davenant's 
"  Salmucida  Spolia  "  ;  Ben  Jonson's  "Masque  at 
Lord  Haddington's  Marriage,"  "  Masque  of  Queens," 
"  Oberon,"  "Golden  Age,"  "Lovers  made  Men," 
"News  from  theNew  World."  "  Masque  of  Augurs," 
"Pan's  Anniversary,"  "Neptune's  Triumph," 
"  Fortunate  Isles  "  ;  and  an  anonymous  one  termed 
"  The  Masque  of  Flowers." 

*  *     * 

Dante's  Pilgrim's  Progress.  By  Emelia  Russell 
Gurney.  Second  edition.  Elliot  Stock. 
The  scheme  of  Mrs.  Gurney's  modest  contribu- 
tion to  Dante  literature  may  be  gathered  from  the 
secondary  title,  "  The  Passage  of  the  Blessed  Soul 
from  the  Slavery  of  the  Present  Corruption  to  the 
Liberty  of  Eternal  Glory,  with  Notes  by  the  Way." 
The  plan  of  the  book  is  to  print  on  the  left-hand 
page,  in  the  original  Italian,  extracts  from  the 
"  Inferno,"  "  Purgatorio,"  and  "  Paradiso  "  ;  whilst 
on  the  opposite  side  are  placed  "  hints  towards  the 
spiritual  meaning."  In  addition  to  various  apposite 
passages  from  the  Scriptures,  the  writings  of  Sir 
Philip  Sidney,  Milton,  Wordsworth,  Victor  Hugo, 
Henry  Vaughan,  Ruskin,  George  Eliot,  and  Deans 
Plumptre  and  Paget  are  all  utilized  for  the  pur- 
poses of  illustration,  though  most  of  the  comments 
are  from  Mrs.  Gurney's  own  pen. 

Note  to  Publishers. — IVe  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. — Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS. 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  general  interest,  or  on  some  new 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  recuh  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


225 


The   Antiquary. 


AUGUST,  1898. 


if3ote0  of  tfte  Q^ontf). 

The  event  of  most  importance  to  chronicle  as 
having  taken  place  during  July  has  been  the 
holding  of  the  annual  Archaeological  Con- 
gress on  July  6,  in  the  rooms  of  the  Society 
of  Antiquaries  at  Burlington  House.  As  we 
print  elsewhere  a  special  paper  dealing  with 
the  Congress,  it  is  unnecessary  to  do  more 
than  allude  to  it  here  in  passing. 

^  ^  ^ 
July  is  the  month  during  which  most  of  the 
chief  outdoor  meetings  and  excursions  of  the 
more  important  of  the  archaeological  societies 
are  held.  This  year,  as  we  have  already 
mentioned,  the  Royal  Archaeological  Institute 
meets  at  Lancaster,  while  the  British  Archae- 
ological Association  has  selected  Peter- 
borough as  its  headquarters.  In  both  cases 
the  meetings  will  be  held  too  late  in  July  for 
us  to  notice  them  in  the  August  number  of 
the  Antiquary.  We  hope,  however,  to  note 
the  more  salient  matters  in  regard  to  both 
meetings  in  September,  and  as  regards  the 
Institute  meeting,  a  special  descriptive  account 
has  been  arranged  for.  A  general  feeling  of 
curiosity  is  entertained  as  to  what  the  Associa- 
tion will  make  of  Peterborough,  where  the 
members  are  to  be  conducted  round  the 
Cathedral  by  the  Dean. 

^  ^  ^ 
While  speaking  on  the  subject,  we  may  take 
this  opportunity  of  saying  that  the  prospectus 
of  the  Association  meeting  did  not  reach 
us  in  time  for  mention  to  be  made  of  it  in 
July.  This  we  very  much  regret,  and  it 
may  be  well  to  state  once  more  that  informa- 
tion intended  for  publication  in  any  ensuing 
VOL.  xxxiv. 


number  of  the  Antiquary  ought  to  be  in  the 
Editor's  hands  by  the  14th  of  the  preceding 
month  at  the  very  latest,  or  it  will  probably 
be  impossible  to  insert  it. 

^  «)|p  4» 
The  first  meeting  of  the  Cumberland  and 
Westmorland  Antiquarian  and  Archaeological 
Society  for  this  year  was  held  in  the  Lang- 
holm district  on  July  12  and  13.  The  mem- 
bers visited  Lochmaben,  thence  went  to  the 
Roman  fort  at  Birrens,  and  over  the  moors 
to  Langholm,  passing  the  site  of  Kirkconnell 
Church,  and  various  stone  circles  and  pre- 
historic forts  on  the  moors.  Owing  to  ill- 
health.  Chancellor  Ferguson,  the  president, 
whose  presence  adds  so  much  to  the  pleasure 
and  enthusiasm  of  these  meetings,  was  un- 
avoidably absent.  The  second  day's  excursion 
was  from  Langholm  through  the  beautiful  and 
historic  district  of  Ewesdale  and  Liddesdale. 
A  stay  was  made  at  Hermitage  Castle,  where 
the  party  were  met  by  Mr.  John  Elliot,  the 
farmer  there,  a  descendant  of  the  famous 
Border  Elliots.  He  gave  the  party  an 
interesting  description  of  the  ancient  strong- 
hold, which,  on  the  Scottish  side,  occupied  in 
the  lawless  period  of  the  Borders  a  position 
similar  to  the  fortress  of  Belted  Will,  the 
Warden  of  the  Marches  at  Naworth,  on  the 
English  side.  The  party  had  lunch  at  New 
Castleton,  and  afterwards  visited  Mangerton 
Tower,  noted  as  the  residence  of  the  Arm- 
strongs, to  one  of  whom,  who  was  assassi- 
nated at  a  feast  at  Hermitage  Castle,  an 
interesting  inscribed  monolith  is  erected. 
During  the  excursion  various  papers  were 
read.  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope,  under  whose 
superintendence  the  recent  excavations  at 
Furness  Abbey  were  carried  out,  sent  a 
paper  on  the  result.  The  remains  of  a  thir- 
teenth-century kitchen  have  been  discovered, 
having  fireplaces  with  projecting  stone  hoods. 
It  is  believed  to  have  been  the  abbot's 
kitchen.  Mr.  Hope  has  completed  the 
greater  part  of  a  new  plan  of  the  Abbey, 
showing  all  the  discoveries. — Mr.  C.  W. 
Dymond,  F.S.A.,  contributed  a  paper  on  the 
prehistoric  village  at  Threlkeld  Knott.  It 
appears  to  be  threatened  with  destruction 
by  quarrying  operations.  He  believes  the 
village  is  practically  complete  and  intact  so 
far  as  modern  spoliation  is  concerned.  The 
place  is  called  Settrah,  and  he  asked  if  this 

GG 


226 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


is  a  corrupt  form  of  the  word  •  saeter,'  a 
Norwegian  upland  dwelling. — Canon  Thorn- 
ley  contributed  a  paper  on  the  recent  dis- 
covery of  a  tumulus  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Kirkoswald. — The  Rev.  J.  Brunskill,  Rector 
of  Ormside,  contributed  a  paper  on  dis- 
coveries in  the  churchyard  there.  —  Some 
notes  upon  a  fragment  of  a  British  Christian 
cross,  found  in  a  field  at  Aspatria  Vicarage, 
were  contributed  by  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Calverley. 
— Mr.  G.  Watson, Penrith,  read  a  paper  on  "A 
Misappropriated  Bishop."  This  related  to  the 
reputed  Bishop  of  Penrith,  John  Bird  (1537). 
Mr.  Watson  declares  that  the  John  Bird 
named  was  suffragan  to  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff, 
and  took  his  name  from  Penruth  or  Penreeth, 
which  became  confused  with  Penrith. 

'^  ^  ^ 
A  great  deal  of  local  anxiety  seems  to  be 
felt  as  to  the  future  of  Tintern  Abbey,  which, 
with  Raglan  Castle,  is  about  to  be  sold  by 
the  Duke  of  Beaufort.  A  proposal  has 
been  made  that  the  Monmouthshire  County 
Council  should  purchase  the  ruins,  but  this 
they  have  no  power  to  do.  The  fact  that 
such  national  monuments  should  be  freely 
bought  and  sold,  without  any  restriction  as 
to  their  ultimate  fate,  is  undoubtedly  a  great 
anomaly,  and  calls  for  serious  attention. 
There  ought  to  be  an  Act  of  Parliament 
passed  by  which  all  such  monuments  should 
be  compulsorily  scheduled,  and  the  owner 
considered  to  hold  them  in  trust  for  the 
nation.  As  a  rule,  most  of  the  owners  of 
our  national  monuments  take  good  care  of 
them,  and  are  generally  very  willing  and 
ready  to  listen  to  advice  when  such  is 
tendered  in  a  proper  spirit.  Still,  there 
ought  to  be  some  check  on  the  possibility  of 
a  "crank"  (in  the  language  of  America) 
pulling  down  an  important  historical  monu- 
ment on  his  property  out  of  "  pure  cussed- 
ness "  (to  borrow  another  Americanism). 
At  present  there  is  no  check  of  any  kind, 
and  the  owner  of  Tintern  Abbey  might  pull 
it  down  to-morrow  without  let  or  hindrance, 
so  far  as  the  law  is  concerned.  Perhaps 
when  somebody  commits  some  such  an  act 
of  destruction,  steps  will  be  taken  to  put  a 
stop  to  it  in  the  future. 

^        ^         ^ 
A  correspondent  has  sent  us  a  cutting  from 
the    Western  Mail  dealing  with  the  matter. 


From  it  we  learn  that  one  suggestion  is  to 
purchase  Tintern,  roof  over  the  church,  and 
use  it  again  for  sacred  offices.  The  Western 
Mail  says  :  "  Both  these  noble  ruins  have  at 
present  a  small  revenue  from  sightseers. 
Tintern  Abbey,  in  the  richly-wooded  hills 
overhanging  the  Wye,  is  the  greater  favourite, 
and  is  said  to  yield  about  p^6oo  a  year  from 
the  sixpences  of  visitors.  Raglan,  it  is  said, 
may  be  credited  with  about  half  that  sum. 
If  a  representative  body  obtained  possession 
of  either  of  these,  it  is  felt  that  a  systematic 
process  of  preservation  of  the  walls  would  be 
desirable.  The  idea  of  restoring  Tintern  as 
a  '  habitable '  church,  if  that  term  be  per- 
missible, is,  we  suppose,  out  of  the  question, 
though  in  some  respects  the  ruins  have  not 
gone  past  redemption  much  more  than  Llan- 
daff Cathedral  had  done  not  so  very  many 
years  ago.  People  who  would  feel  offended 
at  being  called  old  recollect  having  played  as 
youths  over  the  grass-grown  ruined  walls  of 
the  Cathedral  Church  of  Llandaff.  But  the 
restoration  of  Tintern  is,  to  employ  a 
utilitarian  phrase,  rather  too  big  an  order. 
The  last  historic  occasion  of  a  service  there, 
if  we  remember  rightly,  was  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Queen's  Jubilee  in  1887,  when  the 
Bishop  of  Llandaff  preached  in  the  ruins. 
The  sale  of  the  estate  is  to  be  by  private 
treaty,  intending  purchasers  having  been 
invited  to  send  offers  to  the  solicitors,  the 
agent,  and  the  surveyors  of  the  estate.  It  is 
all  a  question  of  money,  but  we  feel  certain 
that  if  a  reasonable  offer  could  be  made  by 
a  party  of  Monmouthshire  gentlemen,  the 
advisers  to  the  Duke  of  Beaufort  and  the 
Marquis  of  Worcester  would  treat  it  with 
great  respect"  A  representative  of  the 
paper  appears  to  have  "  interviewed "  the 
chairman  of  the  County  Council,  who  is 
reported  to  have  spoken  as  follows  :  "From 
private  intimation  some  time  ago,  some  of 
us  heard  that  it  was  probable  that  Tintern 
Abbey  and  Raglan  Castle,  as  well  as  the 
other  castles  on  the  Beaufort  Estate,  would 
come  into  the  market,  and  it  occurred  to  one 
or  two  members  of  the  County  Council  to 
consider  what  could  be  done  under  the 
circumstances.  We  felt  that  to  allow  such  a 
grand  old  pile  as  Tintern  Abbey  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  strangers  would  be  a  grave 
reflection  upon  the  country,  and  the  same 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


227 


would  apply  to  Raglan  Castle,  for  there  are 
no  finer  ruins  in  the  county  than  these  two 
present.  It  was  discussed  whether  a  syndi- 
cate could  possibly  be  formed  to  purchase 
these  two  old  buildings,  and  then  apply  for  a 
short  Act  of  Parliament  to  enable  the 
County  Council  to  buy  them.  Of  course, 
this  view  has  never  yet  been  brought  before 
the  County  Council,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  the  public  announcement  of  the  sale  has 
only  been  issued  within  the  last  few  days. 
The  question,  I  am  afraid,  presents  grave 
difficulties,  for  the  greatest  uncertainty  would 
rest  upon  the  question  whether  it  would  be 
sanctioned  for  such  a  purpose,  and,  therefore, 
I  look  with  more  confidence  to  the  generosity 
and  public  spirit  of  some  of  the  titled  and 
wealthy  inhabitants  to  come  forward  and  do 


was,  I  believe,  at  Hungerford,  Berks.  I 
should  be  glad  to  know  if  it  is  uncommon, 
and  also  what  was  its  use.  I  can  only  suggest 
two  possible  uses  :  (i)  As  a  game  of  chance : 
fire  the  pistol  and  see  what  number  turns 
up;  or  (2)  As  a  test  of  the  explosive  force 
of  various  powders.  Neither  suggestion  is, 
I  think,  satisfactory.  It  consists  of  a  wooden 
stock,  a  brass  pistol  barrel,  externally  square 
in  section,  and  a  brass  disc  working  in  a 
fork  attached  to  the  barrel,  having  its  pivot 
directly  underneath  the  end  of  the  barrel. 
To  the  edge  of  the  disc  is  attached  a  leaf- 
shaped  projection,  set  at  right  angles  to  the 
plane  of  the  disc,  so  that  on  turning  the  latter 
to  a  certain  point,  the  projecting  piece  presses 
against  the  mouth  of  the  barrel.  It  is  obvious 
that  when  the  pistol  is  fired  off  the  disc  will 


PISTOL  WITH   DIAL. 


what  would  appear  to  be  almost  impossible 
for  the  County  Council  themselves."  "  Have 
the  County  Council  power  to  promote  a  Bill 
in  Parliament  for  such  a  purpose  ?"  "  No. 
County  Councils  have  no  power  to  promote 
Bills  at  all ;  and  if  a  Bill  were  promoted,  it 
would  have  to  be  at  the  expense  and  risk  of 
the  syndicate  which  purchased  the  abbey  and 
castle."  It  is  quite  reasonable  that  anxiety 
should  be  felt  in  the  matter,  and  the  desire 
of  the  Monmouthshire  people  to  secure  these 
fine  remains  for  their  own  is  worthy  of  all 
possible  support  and  sympathy. 

At  ijn  ^ 

Mr.  Bertram  R.  Wallis,  of  3,  Gray's  Inn 
Square,  W.C.,  has  sent  us  a  sketch,  from 
which  the  accompanying  illustration  has  been 
made,  of  an  object  in  his  possession.  He 
says :  "  I  enclose  an  accurate  sketch  and 
description  of  a  singular  instrument  which 
has  come  into  my  possession.     Its  last  home 


turn  on  its  pivot.  In  order  to  retard  the 
movement  of  the  disc,  a  spring,  pressing 
against  its  edge,  is  attached  to  the  under 
part  of  the  barrel.  The  fork  in  which  the 
disc  runs  ends  in  a  pointer,  and  round  the 
circumference  of  the  disc  are  engraved  (on 
one  side  only)  numbers  from  one  to  eight,  the 
latter  being  at  the  furthest  point  to  which 
the  disc  can  turn.  The  pistol  has  no  lock, 
but  is  fired  by  a  match  in  the  pan.  The 
whole  is  well  finished,  and  the  brass-work 
is  somewhat  rudely  ornamented  with  the 
chisel."  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  in- 
formation as  to  what  the  pistol  with  the 
dial  attached  to  it  was  used  for.  Perhaps 
attention  being  drawn  to  this  example,  others 
may  be  brought  to  light. 

MA  ijn  cjh 

In  the  Antiquary  for  July  (p.  217),  in 
speaking  of  the  comparative  list  of  brasses 
enumerated  by  counties  and  published  by 

GG   2 


228 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


the  Monumental  Brass  Society,  we  pointed 
out  that  Northumberland  should  have  been 
credited  with  (as  we  thought)  two  brasses, 
instead  of  one  only,  as  given  in  the  list. 
Mr.  R.  Blair  writes  to  us  to  say  that  the 
number  should  really  be  three.  He  says : 
"Not  only  is  there  the  fragment  of  the 
Newcastle  St.  Andrew's  brass  (which,  by  the 
way,  is  in  our  Black  Gate  Collection),  but 
the  arms  (or  rather  two  of  them)  and  inscrip- 
tion of  the  Ogle  brass  in  Hexham  Priory 
Church." 

<^  ^  ^ 
With  regard  to  monumental  brasses,  we  may 
take  this  opportunity  of  mentioning  that 
Mr.  E.  M.  Beloe,  junior,  of  King's  Lynn 
(whose  previous  work  of  the  kind  has  been 
before  now  noticed  in  the  Antiquary),  has 
recently  issued  a  series  of  photo-lithographs 
by  Mr.  Griggs  of  eight  brasses  in  Westminster 
Abbey.  These  include  a  chromolithograph 
of  the  fragment  of  a  tomb,  showing  eight 
Lombardic  letters  in  brass,  and  ascribed  to 
a  son  of  William  de  Valence.  There  are 
also  seven  sheets,  containing  photo-litho- 
graphs of  the  brasses  of  (i)  Bishop  John 
de  Waltham  of  Salisbury  ;  (2)  of  Archbishop 
Waldeby  of  York ;  (3)  of  Alianore  de  Bohun  ; 
(4)  of  Sir  John  Harpenden;  (5)  of  Abbot 
Estney ',  (6)  of  Sir  Thomas  Vaughan,  Sir 
Humfrey  Stanley,  and  Sir  Humfrey  Bourg- 
chier  (all  on  one  sheet)  j  (7)  of  Dean  Bill, 
Abbot  Kirton  (matrix  only),  and  Thomas  of 
Woodstock,  youngest  son  of  Edward  HI. 
(matrix  only),  the  three  last  being  also  all 
on  one  sheet.  Mr.  Beloe  deserves  the  best 
thanks  of  all  who  are  interested  in  the  subject 
of  monumental  brasses  for  this  new  series 
of  facsimiles  of  brass  rubbings.  The  series 
was  issued  by  subscription  at  the  modest 
price  of  five  shillings.  Anyone  wishing  to 
obtain  spare  copies  should  apply  to  Mr. 
Beloe. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  recently  issued  part  of  the  Transactions 
of  the  Essex  Archaeological  Society  (which,  by 
the  way,  is  an  exceptionally  good  number) 
contains  the  continuation  of  a  paper  (freely 
illustrated)  on  "Some  Essex  Brasses"  by 
Messrs.  Miller  Christy  and  W.  W.  Porteous. 
This  contains  such  a  curious  and  instructive 
story  as  to  the  vicissitudes  and  loss  of  a  brass 
.  that  we  venture  to  quote  it  here  in  extenso. 


It  relates  to  a  palimpsest  brass  to  Charles 
Barett,  Esquire,  1584,  at  Aveley.  Few 
brasses,  they  say,  "  have  a  stranger  history 
than  this.  When  the  Rev.  Wm.  Holman,  of 
Halstead,  visited  Aveley  Church,  about  the 
year  17 10,  the  brass  was  in  situ  and  perfect. . . . 
The  late  Mr.  H.  W.  King  had  a  rubbing  of 
the  brass,  taken  about  the  year  1726,  when 
it  was  still  in  the  same  state  of  completeness 
as  above  described.  In  1856,  however,  when 
he  visited  Aveley  for  the  purpose  of  rubbing 
it,  he  found  the  dexter  half  of  the  inscription 
gone,  having  been  forcibly  broken  from  the 
sinister  half.  The  subsequent  history  of  the 
brass  is  peculiar.  In  or  about  the  year  1878, 
during  the  building  of  a  workshop  for  Mr. 
Henry  Booth,  builder,  of  Romford,  the  lost 
dexter  half  of  the  inscription-plate  was  dug 
up,  having  probably  been  there  buried,  in 
order  to  avoid  detection,  by  the  thief  who 
stole  it  from  Aveley  Church.  This  fragment 
remained  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Booth 
until  the  spring  of  1892,  when  that  gentleman 
presented  it  to  one  of  our  members,  Mr. 
T.  Kennedy,  of  Arden  Cottage,  Romford. 
In  the  course  of  time,  Mr.  Kennedy  ascer- 
tained that  the  brass  came  originally  from 
Aveley.  Shortly  after,  two  clerical  gentlemen 
from  Romford  took  Mr.  Kennedy's  por- 
tion of  the  brass,  with  his  permission,  over 
to  Aveley,  where  they  found  the  other  (sinister) 
half  of  the  plate  still  in  its  original  matrix  on 
the  floor  of  the  church.  With  a  presumption 
which  is  almost  unaccountable  and  certainly 
most  culpable,  these  gentlemen,  assisted  by 
the  church  clerk,  tore  up  from  its  stone  and 
carried  away  to  Romford  the  remaining  half 
of  the  plate.  Against  this  most  unwarrantable 
act  Mr.  Kennedy  protested  on  August  23, 
1892,  when  he  exhibited  his  portion  of  the 
brass  before  a  meeting  of  the  Essex  Archae- 
ological Society  held  at  Aveley.  Mr.  Kennedy 
had  been  previously  asked  to  give  up  his 
portion,  which  he  agreed  to  do,  on  condition 
that  both  portions  should  be  securely  refixed 
in  their  old  position  on  the  slab  in  the  floor  of 
Aveley  Church.  After  some  correspondence, 
however,  Mr.  Kennedy  was  informed  that  the 
Rev.  B.  G.  Luard,  Vicar  of  Aveley,  desired 
that,  instead  of  being  refixed  in  its  original 
position  on  the  stone,  the  brass  should  be 
placed  in  a  wooden  frame  which  should  leave 
both  sides  of  the  plate  accessible,  and  that  it 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


229 


should  be  hung  up  in  the  church.  To  this 
Mr.  Kennedy  would  not  consent,  contending 
(not  without  some  force)  that  this  course 
(against  which  he  had  been  advised  by  several 
expert  archaeological  friends)  would  expose  it 
to  the  risk  of  being  again  stolen  by  any  evil- 
disposed  person.  Ultimately,  Mr.  Kennedy 
deposited  his  portion  of  the  brass  in  the 
Museum  at  Colchester,  upon  condition  that 
it  should  remain  there  until  arrangements 
were  made  by  some  competent  authority  to 
refix  it  in  its  original  matrix  in  Aveley  Church. 
Mr.  Kennedy's  portion  is  still  at  Colcheste**, 
where  we  have  seen  it.  The  other  portion 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Vicar  of 
Aveley." 

4^  ^  ^ 
This  is  one  way  in  which  brasses  are 
gradually  disappearing,  and  it  is  high 
time  that  such  persons  as  the  "  two  clerical 
gentlemen  "  who,  with  the  clerk,  removed  the 
portion  of  the  brass  were  punished  for  their 
misdeeds  with  no  sparing  hand.  We  regret 
that  their  names  are  not  given,  so  that  we 
might  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  gibbeting 
them  in  the  Aftiiqziaiy. 

^  ^  ^ 
One  of  the  oldest  coins  of  Europe  will,  it 
is  said,  shortly  disappear.  The  Austrian 
"  kreuzer  "  was  withdrawn  from  commercial 
circulation  on  June  30,  in  accordance  with 
the  convention  establishing  a  copper  currency 
of  equal  value  for  all  parts  of  the  Empire. 
It  will  be  received  at  public  banks  in  pay- 
ment or  in  exchange  for  new  money  until 
December  ^i,  1899,  but  from  the  first  day 
of  1900  it  will  no  longer  be  legal  tender. 
The  "  kreuzer "  has  been  in  existence  since 
the  Middle  Ages,  taking  its  name  from  the 
cross  which  it  bore  in  common  with  many 
other  coins.  It  circulated  freely  in  North  as 
well  as  South  Germany  at  one  time,  but  for 
some  twenty-five  years  has  not  been  current 
beyond  the  Austrian  frontier. 

•il?  ^  ^ 
Mr.  James  Brooksbank,  of  St.  Helens,  I^nca- 
shire,  writes  as  follows:  "I  herewith  enclose  a 
photograph  of  a  baptismal  font  of  mediaeval 
workmanship.  The  subject  may  be  interest- 
ing to  some  of  your  readers,  and  will  illustrate 
what  little  thought  or  care  is  bestowed  upon 
ancient  art   relics   in   this  smoke -begrimed 


town  of  St.  Helens.  The  font,  as  you  now 
see  it,  stands  in  the  Conservative  Club  yard 
(at  one  time  the  garden  of  Peter  Greenall, 
Esq.,  M.P.),  after  having  recently  undergone 
some  repairs  at  the  cost  of  Mr.  Joseph  Robin- 
son, who  has  happily  rescued  it  from  complete 
destruction  by  having  it  cemented  together 
and  placed  upon  a  new  base.  Why  it  has  not 
been  removed  to  the  church  is  matter  for 
great  regret,  or  why  it  was  ever  allowed  to  be 
removed  from  the  church  is  still  more  sur- 
prising. ...  It  may  not  be  generally  known 
to  Lancashire  antiquaries  that  when  the 
present  parish  church  was  built  in  1615,  it 
was — so  runs  the  deed  of  feoffment — on  the 
site  of  an  older  church,  '  then  being  in  great 
decay.'  The  font,  it  would  seem,  remained 
in  the  church  from  that  time  until  about 
1840,  when  this  (almost  the  only  relic  of 
mediaeval  times  in  the  neighbourhood)  had 
to  give  place  to  an  ugly,  second-hand,  in- 
artistic font  from  Prescot  Church,  engraved 
with  the  initials  of  some  churchwardens  of 
that  parish."  From  the  photograph  which 
Mr.  Brooksbank  has  sent  us,  it  would  seem 
that  the  font  is  a  comely  font  of  rather  late 
date.  It  is  a  very  great  pity  that  it  should 
be  allowed  to  remain  in  its  present  inappro- 
priate position.  Cannot  the  Conservative 
Club  at  St.  Helens  be  persuaded  to  restore 
it  to  its  proper  place  in  the  church  there  ? 

^  ^  ^ 
An  extraordinary  incident  has  lately  occurred 
at  Durham.  More  than  fifty  years  ago  a 
copy  of  the  Sarum  Missal,  printed  at  Paris  in 
15 14,  was  mysteriously  stolen  from  a  locked 
case  in  Bishop  Cosin's  library.  Great  efforts 
were  made  to  trace  the  volume,  but  they 
proved  fruitless.  The  other  day  a  parcel 
arrived  by  post,  which,  on  being  opened, 
was  found  to  contain  the  lost  missal,  bearing 
the  library  book-plate.  The  volume  was 
returned  in  perfect  condition,  but  by  whom, 
or  whence  it  was  sent  back,  remains  a  mystery 
which  does  not  seem  likely  to  be  solved. 

^  ^  4* 
Colonel  Hime,  R.A.,  writes  to  ask  whether 
anyone  can  tell  him  "where  any  infor- 
mation can  be  procured  respecting  Colonel 
Robert  Scott,  who  was  buried  in  St.  Mary's, 
Lambeth,  1631,  and  whose  epitaph  states 
that  he  received  from  Government  ;!^6oo  a 


230 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


year  for  inventing  the  leather  guns.  The 
money  grant  is  mentioned  in  the  Calendar 
of  State  Fapers,  Dom.  Series,  February  20, 
1630." 

4lf  ^  ^ 
A  good  deal  of  interest  has  often  been  ex- 
pressed at  the  fact  that  in  the  lists  of  the 
members  of  the  Chapter  of  St.  David's 
Cathedral  the  name  of  the  King  (or  Queen) 
of  England  is  given  as  one  of  the  canons 
of  the  cathedral.  The  idea  has  been  widely 
prevalent  that  the  case  was  analogous  to 
those  abroad,  where  the  King  of  Spain  was 
canon  of  Leon  and  Toledo,  and  the  King  of 
France  of  Lyons,  Embrun,  Le  Mans,  and 
other  churches.  We  alluded  to  the  matter 
ourselves  in  a  footnote  only  a  short  time  ago, 
and  accepted  the  general  interpretation  of 
the  matter.  Bishop  Jones  and  Professor 
Freeman,  in  their  joint  work  on  St.  David's 
Cathedral,  published  in  1856,  entered  into  a 
discussion  of  the  matter,  but  were  unable  to 
throw  any  light  on  it.  It  appears,  however, 
that  the  origin  of  the  connection  of  the 
Crown  with  the  canonry  has  lately  been  dis- 
covered, and  that  it  is  a  very  matter-of-fact 
and  uninteresting  one.  Adjoining  the  cathe- 
dral church  at  St.  David's  (as  those  who  have 
visited  that  village-city  will  remember)  are  the 
remains  of  St.  Mary's  Collegiate  Church. 
The  master  of  St.  Mary's  held  the  stall  in 
this  cathedral  ex  officio^  and  when  with  other 
collegiate  chapters  St.  Mary's  was  dissolved 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  VL,  the  property 
passed  to  the  Crown,  and  with  it  that  of  this 
particular  canonry,  which  thus  became  a  lay 
fee  vested  in  the  Crown.  It  is  therefore  not 
owing  to  any  quasi-sacerdotal  character  at- 
tached to  the  kingly  office  by  virtue  of  which 
the  Sovereign's  name  is  given  as  the  holder  of 
this  stall,  but  simply  owing  to  the  sacrilegious 
Act  of  Edward  VI.,  which  seized  Church 
property  for  the  Crown.  The  canonry,  not 
having  been  formally  dissolved,  has  remained 
the  property  of  the  Crown.  In  no  sense, 
however,  is  the  Sovereign  really  canon  of  St. 
David's  merely  because  the  property  attached 
to  the  stall  has  become  vested  in  the  Crown. 
Now  that  the  true  character  of  the  matter  is 
known,  the  mistake  which  originated  with  the 
Report  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Commission  in 
1835  ought  to  be  corrected.  It  is  entirely 
erroneous  and  misleading,  and  is  suggestive 


of  a  very  interesting  phase  of  mediaeval  church 
life,  whereas  it  is  due  to  nothing  else  than 
a  piece  of  sordid  sacrilege  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  VI. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  old  rectory  house  at  Beaconsfield,  in 
the  county  of  Buckingham,  is  undergoing 
the  process  of  a  very  careful  reparation — this 
word  is  used  in  contradistinction  to  that 
word  of  ill-omen,  "restoration."  The  build- 
ing is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  domestic 
architecture  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  its 
quaint  gabled  roof  and  half-timbered  fa9ade 
are  familiar  objects  to  every  visitor  to  a 
neighbourhood  with  which  so  many  great 
names  are  associated.  Owing  to  neglect,  the 
structure  some  time  since  fell  into  a  ruinous 
state,  and  there  was  talk  of  its  demolition. 
But  the  Society  for  the  Preservation  of 
Ancient  Buildings  stepped  in,  and,  thanks 
mainly  to  its  exertions,  the  place  is  being 
carefully  and  thoroughly  repaired  at  the 
expense  of  Sir  Edward  Lawson,  in  memory 
of  his  wife.  On  removing  the  plaster  from 
the  wall  in  one  place,  a  fine  mullioned  Tudor 
window  was  discovered,  and  this  is  being  used 
as  a  guide  by  those  engaged  to  replace  the 
existing  windows,  or  what  time  has  left  of 
them.  When  the  repairs  are  completed  the 
building  will  be  used  for  parochial  purposes. 

4?  ^  ^ 
In  a  field  called  Blackheath,  at  Higher 
Cross  Stone  Farm,  Todmorden,  a  "ring 
circle,"  long  known  to  exist,  has  been  ex- 
cavated by  Mr.  Robert  Law,  of  Hipper- 
holme,  Mr.  Tattersall  Wilkinson,  of  Burn- 
ley, Alderman  Crossley,  of  Todmorden, 
and  other  friends.  Seven  urns  and  two 
incense  cups  have  been  found. 

«jjp  «jji.  ^ 
A  considerable  number  of  local  antiquaries 
met  on  July  13  to  witness  the  opening  of 
three  of  the  urns  found  at  Blackheath,  Cross 
Stone,  Todmorden.  The  discovery  was 
made,  as  already  mentioned,  by  Mr.  Tat- 
tersall Wilkinson,  of  Burnley,  and  others. 
The  principal  urn  is  of  beautiful  workman- 
ship, and  was  found  within  a  ring  of  six  urns 
of  smaller  size  and  wider  make.  Four  of 
the  urns  were  so  disintegrated  that  removal 
was  impossible,  but  the  others  were  conveyed 
to  the  Free  Library  in  a  remarkably  good 
state   of   preservation,   and    their    contents 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


231 


underwent  examination  on  the  occasion  men- 
tioned. Much  interest  was  manifested  in 
the  proceedings.  The  bottom  of  the  larger 
urn  was  found  to  contain  a  mass  of  human 
bones,  on  which  rested  an  incense  cup  of 
beautiful  pattern,  containing  a  bronze  pin,  a 
bronze  spear-head,  more  human  bones,  the 
tusk  of  a  small  boar,  and  several  small  orna- 
ments ;  the  other  two  urns  were  filled  for 
the  most  part  with  debris  from  the  burning 
pile.  The  presence  of  the  bronze  pin  and 
spear-head  was  taken  as  an  indication  that 
the  remains  belong  to  the  Bronze  period. 

^  ^  ^ 
Some  fresh  and  very  interesting  archaeological 
discoveries  are  reported  by  a  Rome  corre- 
spondent. In  the  Via  Rasella  remains  of  the 
old  road  which,  in  the  latter  epoch  of  the 
Republic  and  the  beginning  of  the  Empire, 
led  to  the  Pincian  and  Salaria  gates,  have 
been  revealed.  Near  the  villa  of  Pope 
Julius  II.,  outside  the  Porta  del  Popolo,  a 
deep  grotto  has  been  discovered,  leading  to 
a  subterranean  piece  of  water  and  containing 
niches  evidently  intended  for  statues.  But 
the  most  curious  find  of  all  is  that  of  a  tomb 
which  has  been  opened  up  near  Rome,  con- 
taining the  skeleton  of  a  woman  with  a  com- 
plete set  of  false  teeth,  displaying  admirable 
workmanship  and  wrought  out  of  solid  gold. 
By  a  curious  coincidence,  a  dentist  in  one  of 
the  towns  of  the  State  of  New  York  has,  it 
is  announced,  recently  discovered  from  the 
examination  of  the  skulls  of  certain  Indians 
that  they  must  have  been  acquainted  with 
the  elementary  principles  of  dentistry,  for  one 
of  the  skulls  contained  several  artificial  teeth 
made  of  flint.  The  roots  of  the  natural  teeth 
had  been  removed,  and  in  the  sockets  were 
inserted  these  pieces  of  peculiarly-shaped  flint. 

^  ^  ^ 
News  has  been  received  at  Cambridge  of  the 
arrival  of  the  Cambridge  Anthropological 
Expedition  to  Torres  Straits  at  Murray 
Island.  The  expedition  reached  Thursday 
Island  on  April  23.  The  Hon.  John 
Douglas,  C.M.G.,  the  Government  Resident, 
did  all  in  his  power,  personally  and  officially, 
to  advance  the  aims  of  the  expedition,  as  did 
also  the  other  Government  officials  and  many 
others.  The  Hon.  J.  G.  Byrnes,  Chief 
Secretary,  sent  a  cordial  telegram  of  welcome 
and  promise   of  assistance   from  Brisbane, 


on  behalf  of  the  Government.  After  a 
week's  delay  a  start  was  made  for  Murray 
Island  in  two  open  luggers,  but  owing  to 
unfavourable  weather,  it  took  another  week 
to  traverse  the  120  miles  between  the  two 
islands.  All  the  party  suflfered  considerably 
from  heat  and  exposure  in  the  open  boats. 
The  Murray  Islanders  gave  Dr.  Haddon  a 
very  hearty  welcome,  bringing  gifts  of  cocoa- 
nuts  and  bananas  as  expressions  of  goodwill. 
They  appeared  to  understand  the  main 
objects  of  the  expedition.  A  deserted 
mission-house,  in  which  Dr.  Haddon  stayed 
ten  years  ago,  was  occupied  as  a  dwelling- 
house,  and  had  also  been  converted  into  a 
temporary  anthropological  and  psychological 
laboratory,  photographic  studio,  surgery  and 
dispensary.  All  the  members  of  the  ex- 
pedition were  in  good  health,  and  work  had 
begun  in  earnest. 

^  ^  ^ 
Messrs.  Frost  and  Reed  of  Bristol  are  publish- 
ing a  series  of  twelve  original  etchings  of  the 
Temple,  London,  by  Mr.  Percy  Thomas, 
R.P.E.,  with  descriptive  letterpress  by  the 
Master  of  the  Temple  (Canon  Ainger).  The 
two  first  numbers  of  the  series  have  reached 
us,  and  are  in  every  way  deserving  of  very 
warm  commendation.  The  etchings  are 
excellent,  and  the  letterpress  which  ac- 
companies them  is  what  might  be  looked  for 
as  coming  from  Canon  Ainger's  graceful  pen. 
Many  of  our  readers  may  be  glad  to  have 
their  attention  called  to  this  very  attractive 
work. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  annual  report  of  Sir  John  B.  Monckton, 
Town  Clerk,  on  the  Corporation  Records, 
states  that  the  calendar  to  a  series  of  rolls 
known  as  "  Pleas  and  Memoranda "  had 
been  further  advanced  and  continued.  In 
the  course  of  the  work  a  discovery  of  no 
little  interest  was  made,  viz.,  the  enrolment 
in  1380  of  three  documents  having  reference 
to  that  strange  event  in  the  life  of  Chaucer — 
the  carrying  off"  or  raptus  of  Cecilia  Chaum- 
paigne.  This  latest  discovery  served  at  least 
to  show  that  the  city's  archives  had  not 
hitherto  been  exhausted  for  information 
touching  the  poet  and  his  family,  and  inspired 
a  hope  that  something  more,  perhaps,  might 
yet  be  brought  to  light.  Dr.  Sharpe,  the 
Records'   Clerk,    had  prepared  an    English 


232 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


abstract  of  the  contents  of  "  letter-book  A," 
which,  with  an  exhaustive  index  and  an 
introduction  to  the  series,  was  about  to  be 
printed.  The  book  contained  a  copy  of  the 
earliest  complete  list  of  the  aldermen,  with 
their  respective  wards,  found  in  the  city's 
records,  together  with  the  names  of  those 
chosen  in  each  ward  to  consult  with  the 
aldermen  on  the  affairs  of  the  city.  The 
precise  date  of  the  lists  could  not  be  ascer- 
tained, but  there  was  good  reason  for  ascribing 
them  to  the  year  1285  or  1286,  and  con- 
jecturing that  they  mark  a  time  when  the 
city  was  entering  upon  a  long  term  of  govern- 
ment under  a  custos  or  warden  appointed 
by  the  king  in  the  place  of  a  mayor  elected 
by  the  free  will  of  the  citizens.  The  index 
to  Dr.  Sharpe's  Cale?idar  of  Deeds  enrolled 
in  the  Court  of  Husting  had  made  consider- 
able progress,  and  a  second  volume  would 
shortly  be  completed.  The  index  of  names 
of  persons  would  be  finished  in  four  volumes. 
It  was  proposed  to  make  separate  indexes 
for  streets  and  parishes.  The  Corporation 
have  made  a  further  grant  of;^2oo  to  enable 
Dr.  Sharpe  to  continue  the  work. 

4?  ^  ^ 
Mr.  George  Esdaile,  of  the  Old  Rectory, 
Platt-in-Rusholme,  near  Manchester,  writes 
as  follows  :  "  I  have  an  oil  painting  on  panel, 
64  inches  high  by  57  inches  wide,  by  Raphael 
— 'The  Last  Judgment.'  This  subject  is 
stated  to  be  lost,  and  on  referring  to  the  list 
of  the  artist's  works,  it  is  not  stated  where 
it  was  before  it  was  lost.  I  am  anxious  to 
ascertain  its  history  before  it  became  lost. 
In  this  work  are  many  portraits — Raphael, 
Maddalena  Dorsi,  the  Madonna  of  the 
Malcolm  Collection  and  Leo  X.  Now,  as 
the  accession  of  this  pope  took  place  15 13, 
and  Raphael  died  1520,  the  picture  must 
have  been  painted  between  those  dates.  It 
is  of  the  so-called  architectural  type,  and  the 
various  ellipses  of  figures  have  a  cusped 
apsidal  appearance."  Possibly  some  of  our 
readers  may  be  able  to  help  Mr.  Esdaile. 
If,  as  we  presume,  Mr.  Esdaile  is  certain  of 
the  genuine  character  of  the  painting,  the 
discovery  of  a  lost  picture  by  Raphael  is  a 
matter  of  no  little  interest. 

^         ^         ^ 
That  the  whole  is  greater  than  the  part  is  an 
axiom  which  is  early  learnt  by  every  boy 


when  he  goes  to  school.  "Unfortunately,  the 
editor  made  a  slip  in  inserting  an  abbreviated 
notice  of  the  excavations  at  Silchester,  which 
made  the  measurements  of  a  small  portion 
of  the  town  stand  for  the  area  of  the  whole. 
The  error  was  so  obvious  that  although  not 
detected  until  too  late  to  correct  it,  it  could 
mislead  nobody.  The  statement  was  that 
Silchester  "covers  about  eight  acres,  and 
three  of  these  have  been  thoroughly  ex- 
plored." It  had  been  intended  to  have 
printed  the  Report  and  Circular  issued  in 
connection  with  the  Silchester  Excavation 
Fund,  but  although  in  type  they  were  pressed 
out  for  want  of  space.  Had  they  appeared, 
as  they  do  in  the  present  number,  the  state- 
ment that  the  area  of  Silchester  comprises 
100  acres,  and  is  nearly  2  miles  in  circum- 
ference, would  have  effectually  counter- 
balanced any  possible  mistake  arising  from 
the  unfortunate  blunder  referred  to. 


Ciuamtlp  il3otc0  on  Eoman 
15titain, 

By  F.  Haverfield,  M.A.,  F.S.A. 


XXV. 


IVE  months  have  elapsed  since  I 
wrote  the  last  instalment  of  my 
so-called  Quarterly  Notes,  and 
those  five  months  include  the 
spring  and  early  summer.  Nevertheless  the 
tale  of  finds  is  a  small  one.  There  have 
been,  as  usual,  excavations  at  Silchester  and 
on  the  Roman  Wall :  there  have  also  been 
excavations  at  Cirencester  and  near  Andover, 
but  very  few  discoveries  have  been  announced 
from  other  quarters. 

Silchester. — At  Silchester  the  excavators 
are  attacking  the  extreme  south-west  of  the 
town,  where  a  triangular  piece  of  two  and  a 
half  insure  remains  to  be  explored.  When 
this  area  has  been  explored,  considerably 
more  than  half  the  whole  town  will  have 
been  examined,  including  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  south  and  west  quarters.  Work  began 
on  May  2,  and  a  large  house  of  the  court- 
yard type  was  soon  found.     This  is  one  of 


QUARTERLY  NOTES  ON  ROMAN  BRITAIN 


233 


the  largest  houses  yet  found  in  the  place :  one 
of  its  rooms  contains  fragments  of  fairly  good 
mosaic  pavement.  Besides  the  discovery  of 
this  house,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  there 
was  much  open  ground  in  this  as  in  other 
parts  of  the  city.  The  smaller  finds  include 
an  upper  millstone  with  its  wooden  handle 
intact,  and  some  "  late  Keltic  "  pottery  found 
in  a  pit.  This  latter  is  interesting  as  being 
a  relic,  perhaps,  of  the  British  town  which 
preceded  the  Roman  occupation.  The  whole 
area  to  be  excavated  this  season  amounts  to 
eight  acres,  and  it  is  therefore  very  necessary, 
as  I  may  point  out  here,  that  all  well-wishers 
to  the  undertaking  should  subscribe  liberally 
and  induce  others  to  subscribe.  The  Sil- 
chester  excavations  are  of  a  rather  peculiar 
character.  They  do  not,  and  in  the  nature 
of  things  they  cannot,  result  in  a  continuous 
succession  of  startling  discoveries,  each  in- 
teresting and  significant  by  itself.  But  I  fear 
that  many  persons  expect  such  discoveries 
and  are  disappointed  at  their  absence,  and 
through  the  disappointment  are  led  to  under- 
estimate the  real  value  of  the  excavations. 
It  may  therefore  be  proper  to  say  that  the 
excavations  have  a  very  definite  value  for 
historians  and  archaeologists.  This  value 
does  not  depend  so  much  on  individual 
finds,  though  they  are  not  by  any  means 
unimportant :  it  depends  on  the  cumulative 
result  of  the  uncovering  of  a  whole  town. 
It  is  most  desirable  that  this  uncovering, 
now  two-thirds  through,  should  be  carried  to 
a  successful  completion,  and  it  is  the  duty  of 
all  archaeologists  to  enlighten  the  outer  world 
about  the  real  merits  of  the  work  and  to 
help  it  on  as  it  deserves. 

Cirencester. — At  Cirencester  Mr.  Wilfred 
Cripps  has  discovered  and  partially  excavated 
what  he  believes  to  be  the  "  basilica  "  of  the 
Roman  town.  It  is  a  large  building,  perhaps 
325  feet  long  and  125  feet  wide,  with  an  apse 
having  a  radius  of  39  feet  at  one  end.  It  is 
close  to  the  centre  of  the  Roman  town,  and 
to  the  point  where  the  two  main  Roman 
streets  seem  to  have  intersected.  The  apse 
is  close  to  the  junction  of  the  modern  Tower 
Street  with  the  modern  Corin  Street  (other- 
wise known  as  the  Avenue),  and  one  side  of 
the  building  underlies  Corin  Street.  It  can 
hardly  be  doubted  that  this  hall  had  a  similar 
purpose  to  the  large  apsidal  hall  which  fronts 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


outside  of  the  Silchester  forum,  and  that  Mr. 
Cripps  is  quite  right  in  calling  it  one  of  the 
chief  public  buildings  of  the  place.  Such 
public  basilicas,  varying  somewhat  in  form, 
existed  in  most  towns,  small  or  large,  in 
the  Roman  Empire.  They  served  a  great 
number  of  purposes — local  administration, 
trade  and  business,  lectures,  even  marriage 
ceremonies.  The  size  of  the  Cirencester 
basilica,  though  not  quite  ascertained  with 
complete  certainty,  is  remarkable  :  it  is  even 
larger  than  the  Silchester  basilica,  which  is 
about  270x60  feet,  and  which  itself  must 
be  considered  capacious.  The  magnitude 
of  these  dimensions  has  caused  some  sur- 
prise. It  may  be  explained,  I  think,  by  the 
English  climate.  As  I  have  said  elsewhere, 
and  as  I  believe  a  French  archaeologist  has 
said  before  me,  the  skies  of  Gaul  and  Britain 
necessitated  the  construction  of  large  roofed 
buildings,  which  were  less  required  in  sunny 
Italy  or  rainless  Africa. 

Andover.  —  The  Rev.  G.  Engleheart, 
having  finished  the  excavation  of  the  villa 
between  Appleshaw  and  Clanville,  has  made 
some  search  on  the  site  of  another,  a  mile 
distant.  As  I  noticed  in  my  last  article 
(p.  70),  he  found  at  the  spot  on  the 
Ludgershall  and  Weyhill  Road  some  traces 
of  Roman  building,  and  had  the  good 
fortune  to  discover  among  them  a  notable 
collection  of  large  and  small  tin  or  pewter 
dishes.  He  has  pursued  his  search,  and 
has  excavated  a  small  hypocaust  room  with 
attached  bath,  well  built  and  well  preserved. 
No  trace  of  building  can  be  detected  im- 
mediately adjoining  this  room,  which  Mr. 
Engleheart  takes  to  be  a  detached  bath- 
room, but  it  is  plain  that  a  villa  stood  close, 
and  the  excellence  of  the  masonry  found 
suggests  that  it  was  a  better  and  larger  villa 
than  the  little  house  between  Appleshaw  and 
Clanville.  Archaeologists  will  hope  that  Mr. 
Engleheart  may  be  able  to  prosecute  his 
good  work. 

Wales. — Mr.  John  Ward  has  published  a 
short  account  of  the  Roman  masonry  recently 
discovered,  or  perhaps  I  should  say  re- 
discovered, at  Cardiff.  The  masonry  is 
apparently  part  of  a  fort  or  town  wall,  as 
I  have  said  in  noticing  it  before  (p.  71),  and, 
indeed,  of  two  dates,  so  that  at  some  perhaps 
late  period  the  wall   seems   to   have  been 

HH 


•3* 


QUARTERLY  NOTES  ON  ROMAN  BRITAIN. 


reconstructed.  The  account,  with  an  illus- 
tration, is  in  a  place  where  it  would  hardly 
be  looked  for,  the  Cardiff  Public  Library 
Journal  for  last  April.  A  ground-plan,  with 
further  details  of  the  masonry,  would  be 
useful.  I  hope  that  the  vigorous  Cardiff 
antiquaries  will  be  able  to  pursue  the  wall, 
and  to  determine  the  area  of  the  fort  or 
settlement.  I  should  also  like  to  learn 
something  more  as  to  the  Roman  roads 
leading  to  and  from  the  place,  hitherto  im- 
perfectly examined. 

A  few  Roman  objects  have  been  found 
near  Llanhilleth,  on  the  mountain  between 
Aberbeeg  and  Pontypool.  Some  mounds 
were  levelled  in  the  spring  to  make  room 
for  a  sheep  and  cattle  fair  which  meets 
here  periodically,  and  the  levelling  disclosed 
some  masonry  of  uncertain  age,  a  bit  of 
Samian  ware  and  a  coin  of  "  Trebunius  " — 
that  is,  I  suppose,  Trebonianus  Callus,  who 
reigned  in  the  middle  of  the  third  cen- 
tury A.D.  The  spot  is  called  Castell 
Taliorum.  Attention  was  directed  to  the 
subject  by  a  letter  from  Mr.  J.  Storrie  in  the 
Western  Mail  (April  30),  from  which  I  derive 
the  above  information. 

Midlands. — At  Leicester  two  more  tessel- 
lated pavements  have  just  been  discovered, 
one  showing  a  peacock  with  spread  tail; 
they  were  found  whilst  excavating  for 
cellars  in  St.  Nicholas  Street.  They  deserve 
mention  if  I  am  rightly  informed,  because 
the  owners  of  the  site,  Messrs.  W.  F.  Simpson 
and  E.  Sharlow,  intend  to  preserve  them 
intact  and  in  situ.     This  is  excellent. 

At  Wroxeter  there  is  talk  of  excavation. 
The  Shropshire  Archaeological  Society  met 
at  Shrewsbury  in  May,  and  decided  to  make 
an  attempt  to  explore  the  site  thoroughly. 
The  expense  is  recognised  as  likely  to  be 
very  great,  but  the  reward  will  be  great  also. 
In  particular  the  cemeteries  should  be  worth 
exploration.  We  are  apt  in  England  to  ignore 
cemeteries,  but  very  wrongly.  At  Wroxeter 
the  tombstones  already  found  by  chance 
are  extremely  interesting  and  valuable,  and 
the  discovery  of  more  would  be  a  very  real 
and  solid  gain  to  the  student  of  Roman 
Britain.  I  do  not  like  to  speak  too  boldly, 
but  I  conceive  it  as  quite  possible  that  the 
Wroxeter  graves  and  gravestones  might  yield 
results  of  far  greater  value  than  even  the  city 
itself. 


The  Wall. —On  the  Wall  the  Newcastle 
Society  of  Antiquaries  has  closed  its  excava- 
tions at  y^^^sica,  and  commenced  at  House- 
steads.  There,  under  the  most  competent 
direction  of  Mr.  R.  C.  Bosanquet,  work  was 
commenced  on  June  21,  and  much  success 
has  been  obtained  in  the  way  of  tracing  and 
laying  down  the  buildings  which  filled  up 
the  inside  of  the  fort.  In  particular  the 
Praetorium  has  been  carefully  plotted.  Later 
on  it  is  intended  to  examine  the  ground 
outside  the  fort.  There  will  also  probably 
be  excavations  in  August  along  the  line  of 
the  Vallum,  and  at  one  or  two  sites  in 
Cumberland,  the  latter  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Westmorland  and  Cumberland  Society. 

Christ  Church, 

July  6,  1898. 


iRamtilingg  of  an  antiquatp. 


By  George  Bailey. 


Burton  I>atimer. 


HE  series  of  patriarchs  painted  on  the 
walls  of  the  nave  of  this  church  are 
probably  the  most  perfect  now  left. 
There  were  others,  but  all  of  them 
have  long  since  been  destroyed,  if  we  except 
a  probable  fragment  or  two  at  Hargrave  in 
the  same  county.  Those  at  Burton  Latimer 
have  lost  two  of  their  number.  We  have 
selected  for  illustration  two  from  the  north 
side  and  one — Levi—  from  the  south.  From 
these  it  will  be  observed  that  each  patriarch 
is  painted  life-size,  within  a  frame  or  border, 
the  designs  being  of  the  Italian  renaissance 
of  Queen  Elizabeth's  time.  These  borders 
are  very  much  like  those  seen  on  the  title- 
pages  of  the  folios  of  that  period,  that  is,  at 
the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  there 
are  remains  of  such  ornaments  on  the  walls 
of  some  old  mansions  of  the  period,  notably 
on  the  frieze  of  the  long  gallery  at  Hardwick 
Hall,  Derbyshire,  and  there  are  also  several 
large  texts  within  similar  borders  at  Holdenby 
Church  of  the  same  date.  Many  others  have 
been  destroyed. 

Our   first   illustration   (Fig.   i)   represents 
Levi.     It  is  the  most  Eastern  subject  on  the 


RAM  BUNGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


235 


Fig.  I. 

south  side.  The  large  figure  of  the  patriarch 
stands  with  his  right  arm  and  hand  raised ; 
in  the  left  is  held  a  curious  sceptre  with  a 
crossed  handle,  the  upper  part  having  put 
out  leaves.  The  patriarch's  head  is  covered 
by  a  mitre,  or  cap,  on  the  front  of  which  there 
is  a  crescent.  The  upper  part  of  the  dress 
consists  of  a  white  tunic,  reaching  to  the 
hips,  which  terminates  with  a  border  or  fringe ; 
on  the  breast  is  embroidered  a  large  sun  with 
rays  ;  under  this,  and  hanging  as  low  as  the 
knees,  is  another  similar  dress,  of  blue,  having 
also  a  fringe ;  then  comes  a  long  white  dress 
down  to  the  ankles,  without  a  border.  The 
Tabernacle,  rudely  drawn,  with  its  cords,  is 
seen  to  the  left ;  and  there  are  also  numerals, 
one  to  seven.  Above,  on  a  scroll,  is  the 
name  Levi ;  and  below,  in  the  border,  a 
reference  is  given  to  Deut.  xxxiii.  8-1 1. 
At  the  top,  above  the  border,  there  is  an  open 
book  upon  a  shield,  bearing  these  words  : 
"  Verbum  Dei  manet  in  eternum  ;"  and  below 
this,  in  the  border,  there  is  another  open 
book,  also  on  a  shield,  which  has  had  an 
inscription  but  it  is  now  obliterated.     The 


border  consists  of  scrolls,  ribbons,  and  strap- 
work,  and  hanging  beneath  two  pendants  of 
vine-leaves  and  various  fruits  are  pelicans 
wounding  themselves,  the  blood  spurting  out 
of  their  breasts  and  falling  in  drops.  It  may 
be  noted  that  none  of  the  borders  are  alike. 

It  is  not  clear  why  Levi  should  have  been 
portrayed,  as  seen  here,  with  the  symbols  of 
the  sun  and  moon  upon  his  dress.  It  may 
be  that  the  sceptre  symbolizes  the  almond 
rod  of  Aaron.  No  doubt  the  dress  is  intended 
for  the  priestly  one  of  Aaron ;  but  it  does  not 
agree  with  the  description  of  it  given  by  Moses 
in  the  Old  Testament. 

The  painting  of  Judah  (Fig.  2),  which  is 
here  represented,  is  on  the  north  side,  east 
He  is  depicted  seated  upon  a  throne,  with  a 
cushion  and  tassels ;  he  is  attired  in  a  long 
crimson  robe,  with  a  white  tippet  over  the 
shoulders,  fastened  in  front  by  a  crescent 
brooch,  and  there  is  a  round  ornament  just 
below  it.  In  the  left  hand  he  holds  a  large 
purse  with  a  number  of  tassels  upon  its  lower 
edge ;  in  the  right  hand  is  held  the  sceptre. 
He  wears  a  cap  with  an  embattled  crown  upon 


Fig.  2. 


HH    2 


236 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAE  Y. 


it.  There  is  the  name  Judah  upon  a  scroll 
above  the  seat,  and  the  drapery  is  black ; 
below,  at  his  feet,  are  a  ram  on  his  right  hand 
and  the  head  of  a  black  ox  on  his  left. 
Between  these  is  the  head  of  a  man,  and 
probably  a  roll  of  the  law,  in  allusion  to  the 
text  given  below  in  the  border,  Gen.  xlix. 
8-12.  There  was  an  inscription  on  the 
shield  in  the  top  of  the  border,  but  the 
letters  are  gone.  The  design  of  the  border 
is  another  arrangement  of  strap-work,  fes- 
tooning, and  pendent  clusters  of  fruits. 


Fig.  3. 

The  drawing  which  follows  here  (Fig.  3)  is 
also  taken  from  the  north  side,  nearer  the 
west ;  Zabulon  is  the  person  figured.  It  is 
the  most  perfect  and  characteristic  of  the 
series.  In  Gen.  xlviii.  13  we  read,  "Zebulon 
shall  dwell  at  the  haven  of  the  sea ;  and  he 
shall  be  for  a  haven  of  ships,  and  his  border 
shall  be  unto  Zidon."  So  the  painter  repre- 
sented him  as  a  fisherman,  wearing  a  brown 
hat,  much  like  some  now  worn  ;  his  jacket  is 
purplish  brown,  with  a  white  band  down  the 
front,    buttoned    with   many   buttons.     The 


lower  part  of  his  dress  is  a  kind  of  skirt  or 
wide  trousers,  and  it  is  yellow-ochre  colour, 
his  boots  being  brown,  or  some  such  colour. 
He  holds  a  fish  in  his  right  hand,  and  in  his 
left  a  net  and  a  staff;  what  is  perhaps  a  knife 
is  attached  to  his  side,  and  a  fish-basket,  or 
creel,  is  fastened  on  his  back  by  a  strap. 
The  sea,  with  ships  in  full  sail,  appears  on 
the  background  of  the  picture.  The  border 
to  this  subject  is  one  of  the  best,  and  is  of 
the  usual  design,  being  another  arrangement 
of  strap- work,  with  a  shield  above  from  which 
the  lettering  has  perished,  and  into  this  design 
the  artist  has  introduced  some  kind  of  shell- 
fish as  pendants.  Nearly  all  the  other  patri- 
archs have  been  clothed  in  armour  as  warriors, 
and  have  had  similar  borders  to  those  we  see 
here,  but  they  are  all  of  them  in  various  stages 
of  decay,  though  it  would  be  quite  possible 
to  copy  them.  We  think,  however,  the  three 
before  the  reader  quite  adequately  give  the 
character  of  the  whole  series.  They  are  cer- 
tainly of  great  interest  to  us,  because  they 
bring  down  to  the  latest  period  the  practice 
of  wall-painting,  which  appears  to  have  died 
out  very  soon  after  these  were  done,  figure 
subjects  giving  way  to  large  texts  with  borders, 
very  few  of  which  now  remain.  Those  at 
Holdenby  are  the  best  and  most  perfect  we 
know  of. 

We  may  mention  that  this  church  contains 
a  good  specimen  of  a  painted  screen.  It  was 
restored  when  the  church  was,  but  very  wisely 
the  then  vicar,  the  Rev,  Mr.  Newman,  caused 
a  portion  of  the  old  colouring  to  remain  un- 
touched, so  as  to  show  that  the  old  pattern 
had  been  carefully  followed.  From  this  we 
see  that  the  only  difference  is  in  the  brighter 
colours  of  the  repainted  parts.  It  may  be 
open  to  question  whether  it  is  desirable  to 
repaint  these  old  time-faded  things  at  all.  The 
artist  and  the  antiquary  naturally  say.  No ; 
but  what  they  may  desire  cannot  always,  from 
the  very  nature  of  things,  be  carried  out. 
Time  and  ill-usage  make  sad  havoc  of  such 
things,  and  eventually  inevitable  decay  will 
always  render  repair  or  even  renewal  impera- 
tive ;  but  we  think  the  very  careful  conser- 
vative spirit  manifest  in  what  has  been  done 
at  Burton-Latimer  is  highly  praiseworthy,  and 
a  good  example  for  imitation.  Time  will 
remove  the  discord  caused  by  the  newness, 
and  restore  the  harmony  much  sooner  than 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  ARCHMOLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. 


237 


at  the  first  sight  appears  possible.  We  shall 
none  of  us  err  greatly  if  our  motto  be  "  Reti- 
nens  vestigia  famse." 


Ciie  Congress  of  arcft^ological 
Societies, 


HE  tenth  annual  Congress  of  Archae- 
ological Societies  was  held  in  the 
meeting-room  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries,  Burlington  House,  on 
July  6.  There  was  a  good  attendance  of 
delegates.  In  addition  to  several  well-known 
Fellows  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  who 
attended  as  members  of  the  standing  com- 
mittee, there  were  gentlemen  representing  the 
Royal  Archaeological  Institute,  the  British 
Archaeological  Association,  the  Royal  Society 
of  Antiquaries  of  Ireland,  the  Folk-Lore 
Society,  the  British  Record  Society,  and  the 
societies  pertaining  to  the  counties  of  Berks, 
Bucks,  Cambridge,  Cheshire,  Derby,  Essex, 
Gloucester,  Hants^  Herts,  Lancashire,  Mid- 
dlesex, Norfolk,  Notts,  Shropshire,  Surrey, 
Sussex,  Warwick,  Wilts,  Worcester,  Yorks, 
and  Yorks  East  Riding. 

Viscount  Dillon,  P.S.A.,  made,  on  the 
whole,  an  excellent  and  always  courteous 
chairman,  both  at  the  morning  and  afternoon 
sessions,  though  he  occasionally  allowed  some 
of  the  speakers  to  be  too  erratic  and  discur- 
sive. 

Mr.  Ralph  Nevill,  F.S.A.,  to  whom  the 
societies  are  so  much  indebted  for  his  industry 
and  ability  in  the  post  of  hon.  secretary,  pre- 
sented the  report  of  the  standing  committee. 
The  report  dealt  succinctly  with  "  Na^onal 
Catalogue  of  Portraits  ";  Mr,  Gomme's 
"  General  Index,"  for  which  the  names  of  300 
subscribers  have  been  received,  and  of  which 
at  least  one  volume  will  be  issued  before  the 
end  of  the  year;  the  "Model  Rules  for  In- 
dexing ";  "  Catalogue  of  Effigies  ";  "  Photo- 
graphic Record  Society  ;"  and  the  "  Index  of 
Papers  for  1897,"  now  passing  through  the 
press.  The  committee  also  expressed  their 
pleasure  in  recording  the  formation  of  county 


societies  for  the  publication  of  parish  registers 
in  Shropshire  and  Lancashire. 

The  special  committee  for  dealing  with  the 
question  of  a  "  National  Catalogue  of  Por- 
traits "  is  a  strong  one,  and  has  done  good 
work  during  the  year.  The  chairman  is  Mr. 
Lionel  Cust,  the  director  of  the  National 
Portrait  Gallery,  and  the  members  are  Vis- 
count Dillon,  Mr.  Round  and  Mr.  Nevill. 
With  them  is  associated  a  committee  of  ad- 
vice, consisting  of  Sir  E.  J.  Poynter,  P.R.A., 
Sir  J.  Charles  Robinson  (Her  Majesty's 
Surveyor  of  Pictures),  and  Mr.  Freeman 
O'Donoghue,  of  the  British  Museum,  The 
committee  has  issued  a  circular  for  general 
distribution,  wherein  the  advantages  of  form- 
ing such  a  catalogue  are  succinctly  expressed. 
From  it  we  take  the  following  passages  : 

"  Nearly  every  family  of  more  than  one  or 
two  generations  possess  some  family  portraits, 
but  neglect,  the  enforced  dispersal  of  posses- 
sions after  death,  and  other  circumstances, 
have  cast  a  large  proportion  of  these  portraits 
into  anonymous  oblivion, 

"  Many  public  bodies,  such  as  colleges, 
municipal  corporations  and  other  endowed 
institutions,  own  collections  of  portraits  of 
which  they  are  trustees  for  the  time  being, 
and  which  they  will  be  anxious  to  hand  down 
to  posterity  properly  named  and  in  good 
order, 

"  In  these  collections,  both  private  and 
public,  apart  from  the  National  Portrait 
Galleries  of  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland, 
there  are  numerous  portraits  of  the  greatest 
historical  interest,  and  it  is  considered  very 
desirable  that  some  attempt  should  be  made 
to  obtain  a  register  of  them  in  order  that  their 
identity  may  not  be  lost, 

"  Of  other  and  more  modern  portraits  it 
may  be  said  that  it  is  impossible  to  tell  that 
great  interest  may  not  some  day  attach  to 
them  as  portraits  of  ancestors  of  the  great 
men  of  the  future,  or  as  specimens  of  the 
work  of  great  artists," 

The  schedules  for  the  full  description  of 
portraits,  with  instructions,  had  been  printed 
by  H,M,  Stationery  Office,  and  are  on  sale  at 
Messrs,  Eyre  and  Spottiswoode's.  They  are 
sold  detached  at  3s,  a  quire,  or  in  volumes  of 
fifty  at  4s.  6d.  The  congress,  however,  has 
printed  a  large  number  of  loose  forms  on 
cheap  paper,  which  will  serve  all  practical 


238 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  ARCH^OLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. 


purposes,  save  permanent  record,  and  it  is 
suggested  that  they  should  be  distributed  by 
the  various  archceological  societies  to  owners 
of  portraits  or  to  members  who  will  under- 
take to  fill  them  up.  It  was  stated  that  the 
Wiltshire  Archaeological  Society  had  already 
obtained  1,000  copies  of  the  special  form, 
and  that  the  societies  of  Bucks  and  St.  Albans 
have  formed  committees  to  follow  up  the 
scheme. 

Mr.  Stanley  Leighton,  M.P.,  in  order  to 
induce  owners  of  portraits  to  allow  them  to 
be  registered,  proposed  the  following  import- 
ant resolution,  which  was  seconded  by  Mr, 
Shore,  of  the  Hampshire  Field  Club  :  "  That 
the  Congress  of  Archaeological  Societies,  in 
view  of  the  importance  of  obtaining  registra- 
tion of  historic  portraits  in  private  ownership, 
is  of  opinion  that  portraits  registered  under 
the  authority  of  the  National  Portrait  Gallery 
should  be  exempted  from  estate  duty  unless 
and  until  they  are  sold." 

Rev.  Dr.  Cox  suggested  that  an  addition 
should  be  made  to  this  resolution  empowering 
the  committee  to  seek  an  interview  with  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  and  in  other 
ways  to  expedite  the  carrying  out  of  this  idea. 
A  spirited  debate  followed,  in  which  Lord 
Dillon,  Mr.  Round,  Mr.  Gomme,  Mr.  Leach, 
and  others  took  part,  with  the  result  that 
the  amended  resolution  was  carried  by  a 
large  majority. 

Mr.  A.  Leach,  F.S.A.,  introduced  the  ques- 
tion of  the  recently -issued  report  of  the 
Foreign  Office  on  the  statutory  provisions 
made  by  other  countries  for  the  preservation 
of  historic  buildings.  He  moved  that  the 
attention  of  the  societies  in  union  be  called 
to  this  important  return,  which  showed  that 
England  shared  with  Russia  the  discredit  of 
having  no  higher  authority  for  the  preservation 
of  such  buildings  than  the  transitory  owners. 
He  thought  that  the  societies  should  prepare 
registers  of  historic  buildings  in  their  own 
districts,  to  be  ready  for  future  legislation. 

Mr.  Gomme,  F.S.A.,  supported  the  propo- 
sition, and  reminded  the  congress  of  the 
clause  introduced  into  a  recent  Act  by  the 
London  County  Council  empowering  them 
to  spend  money  on  historic  preservation,  and 
hoped  this  clause  would  be  cited  to  the  dif- 
ferent societies. 

Dr.  Cox  desired  that  a  resolution  embody- 


ing these  views  should  be  sent  to  all  County 
Councils,  and  spoke  of  the  interest  taken  by 
the  Northampton  County  Council  in  the  pre- 
servation of  old  buildings  and  bridges. 

Mr.  Phillirnore,  of  the  British  Record 
Society,  strongly  opposed  any  action  of  the 
kind,  and  objected  to  rate-fed  archaeology, 
but  he  was  effectually  answered  by  Mr.  Parker 
of  Oxford,  and  a  resolution  on  the  lines  indi- 
cated was  carried  almost  unanimously. 

Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope  presented  the 
report  of  the  Catalogue  of  Effigies  Committee, 
which  dealt  with  the  question  after  a  brief 
and  practical  fashion. 

It  was  resolved  by  the  congress  to  vote 
;^2o  towards  the  preparing  of  a  short  illus- 
trated handbook  dealing  with  classification  of 
effigies  under  subjects  and  dates,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  issue  a  rough  interleaved  hand- 
list of  English  effigies  prepared  by  Mr. 
Richardson,  F.S.A.,  from  Kelly s  Gazetteers. 
We  hope  that  these  handbooks  and  handlists 
will  be  speedily  issued,  and  that  much  progress 
will  be  made  towards  a  complete  catalogue 
before  the  next  congress. 

The  Committee  on  the  Indexing  of 
Archaeological  Transactions  (Messrs.  St. 
John  Hope,  Gomme,  and  Round)  brought 
up  their  detailed  report.  The  twenty-five 
rules,  which  were  unanimously  approved  by 
the  congress,  are  so  valuable  for  all  historic 
and  archaeological  work  that  we  make  no 
apology  for  reproducing  them  in  extenso : 

"  The  committee  is  of  opinion  that  it  would 
be  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  research  work 
of  all  kinds  if  a  perfectly  identical  plan  of 
indexing  were  adopted  by  every  archaeological 
society,  so  that  each  separate  index  would 
read  into  every  other  index  and  act  correc- 
tively. 

*'  The  conclusions  of  the  committee  are  as 
follows : 

"  I.  That  there  be  only  one  index  of  per- 
sons, places,  and  subjects,  under  one  alphabet. 

"  2.  That  the  name  of  every  person  oc- 
curring, both  in  text  and  footnotes  (except 
the  authors  of  books  and  articles  cited),  be 
indexed. 

"  3.  That  the  name  of  every  place  occurring, 
both  in  text  and  footnotes,  be  indexed. 

"  4.  That  surnames  with  the  Norman  prefix 
'de,'  e.g.,  'd'Amori,'  *de  Bohun,'  'd'Eyn- 
court,'  '  de  Lisle,'  '  de  la  Tour '  (which  have 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. 


239 


often  become  Anglicized  by  coalescing,  as 
'  Deincourt,'  *  Darell,'  *  Delamotte,'  etc.),  be 
indexed  under  D,  with  cross-references  to 
the  eventual  surname,  under  which  the  refer- 
ences will  be  given,  as  '  de  Braose,  see  Braose,' 
'  de  Vere,  see  Vere.' 

"  5,  That  surnames  with  the  prefix  '  atte,' 
e.g.,  'atte  Field,'  'atte Tree,'  'atte  Teye,'  etc., 
be  indexed  under  those  forms,  but  that  a 
cross-reference  be  appended  in  each  case  to 
the  form  without  the  prefix,  as  'atte  Green, 
see  also  Green,'  and  '  Green,  see  also  atte 
Green.' 

"  This  rule  will  apply  also  in  case  of  such 
prefixes  as  '  o'  the,'  '  in  the,'  etc. 

"  6.  That  surnames  with  the  prefix  '  Fitz,' 
e.g.,  '  Fitz  Hugh,'  '  Fitzalan,'  and  '  Fil  Johan- 
nis,'  be  indexed  only  under  '  Fitz ';  except 
that  such  a  case  as  '  John  Fitz  Richard  of 
Loughton  '  be  indexed  under  '  Fitz  Richard ' 
and  '  Loughton.' 

"  It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  this 
is  only  a  convention  for  index  purposes,  and 
does  not  determine  the  actual  form  of  the 
surname. 

"Names  prefixed  by  'Ap,'  'Mac,'  'O',' 
'Van,'  or  'Von,'  should  be  indexed  under 
those  prefixes. 

"  7.  That  surnames  like  '  Le  Strange,' 
'I'Estrange,'  'le  Tyler,'  etc.,  be  indexed  under 
L,  with  cross-references  to  the  true  surname, 
under  which  the  references  will  be  given,  as 
'le  Tyler,  see  Tyler.' 

"  8.  That  the  names  of  sovereigns  be  in- 
dexed under  the  personal  name,  with  the 
numerical  title  when  it  occurs,  followed  by 
(emperor),  (king),  etc.,  e.g.,  'Henry  VHI. 
(king),'  '  Elizabeth  (queen),'  '  Maud  (em- 
press).' 

"9.  That  names  of  bishops  be  indexed 
under  their  sees,  abbots,  etc.,  under  their 
abbeys,  princes  and  peers  under  their  titles, 
and  so  forth,  with  cross-references  from  their 
proper  names  (as  'Laud,  William,  Bishop  of 
London,  see  London,  bishops  of).' 

"  10.  That  names  of  saints  be  indexed 
under  their  personal  names,  e.g.,  'Agatha 
(saint),';  but  surnames  and  place-names  de- 
rived from  saints  should  be  indexed  under 
the  full  name,  as  '  St.  Ives,'  '  St.  Pancras.' 

"  II.  That  Latin  names  of  persons  (both 
Christian  and  surnames),  places,  and  offices  or 
callings  be  translated  into  English  equivalents, 


e.g.  Egidms  (Giles),  Wydo  (Guy),  Extraneus 
(Strange),  de  Bella  Monte  (Beaumont),  de 
Mortuo  J/flr;  (Mortimer),  Bellus  Visus  (Bel- 
voir),  Cestria  (Chester),  f^/^//a«?/.y  (chaplain), 
miles  (knight),  dominus  (lord  or  dan).  But 
in  the  case  of  persons  and  places  a  cross- 
reference  must  be  given  under  the  Latin  form, 
as  '  Novum  Locum,  see  Newstead,'  '  Bellus 
Visus,  see  Bel  voir.' 

"  12.  That  bearers  of  the  same  surname  be 
arranged  alphabetically  under  that  surname, 
according  to  the  first  Christian  name. 

"  The  Christian  names  should  not  run  on 
in  block,  but  each  should  have  a  fresh  line, 
with  a  '  rule '  to  indicate  the  surname,  e.g.. 

Smith,  Arthur,  46,  92,  loi. 
James,  220,  332. 

"  13.  That  in  case  of  a  change  of  surname 
or  style  all  entries  be  indexed  under  the  more 
recent  name,  with  cross-references  from  the 
previous  name. 

"  14.  That  place-names  (including  names 
of  manors),  such  as  '  West  Langdon,' '  Long 
Marston,'  '  North  Curry,'  etc.,  be  indexed 
under  '  West,' '  Long,'  'North,'  etc.,  with  cross- 
references  to  the  true  place-name,  under  which 
the  references  will  be  given,  as  '  Long  Mar- 
ston, see  Marston,  Long.' 

"  Field-names  need  not  be  indexed  separ- 
ately. 

"15.  That  contractions  such  as  St.  for 
'  saint,'  Mc  for  '  Mac,'  etc.,  be  indexed  in  the 
order  of  the  full  word  'saint,'  'Mac,'  etc., 
and  not  in  the  order  of  the  contraction  '  St.,' 
'Mc' 

"  16.  That  all  place-names  be  grouped 
together,  as  cross-references,  under  the  coun- 
ties, provinces,  districts,  or  countries,  in  which 
they  are  situated,  e.g.  '  Kent,  see  Canterbury, 
Dover,  Maidstone,  Reculver.' 

"  17.  That  variations  of  spelling  and  Latin- 
ized formations  of  personal  and  place-names 
be  all  grouped  together  under  the  entry  of 
the  modern  name  {e.g.,  Reynolde,  Raynold, 
Reynold,  Reignolde,  Renold,  Ranoulde), 
with  cross-references  from  the  variants  as 
'  Ranoulde,  see  Reynolde.' 

"  18.  That  every  entry  be  qualified  as  far 
as  possible  by  a  descriptive  reference  to  its 
subject,  ^.^.,  'window  in,'  'barrow  at,'  '  exca- 
vation of,'  '  at  Dorchester,'  etc. 


240 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  SOCIETIES. 


"19.  That  names  of  ships,  etc.,  be  entered 
as  a  separate  heading  under  'Ships,'  etc. 

"  20.  That  books  and  articles  quoted  be 
not  indexed. 

**2i.  That  the  papers  in  the  transactions 
of  the  society  be  indexed  under  the  author's 
name  by  a  separate  entry  giving  the  title  of 
the  paper,  e.g.. 

Way,  Albert,  on  'Palimpsest  Brasses,'  121. 

"  The  title  of  the  paper  may,  if  preferred, 
be  given  in  a  special  type. 

"  22.  That  the  election  or  decease  of  mem- 
bers of  a  society  be  indexed  under  the  mem- 
ber's name  with  the  necessary  explanatory 
clause  'election  of '  or  '  decease  of.' 

"  23.  That  in  the  cases  of  indexes  to  a 
series  of  volumes,  group-headings  be  given, 
such  as  'Castles,'  'Field-Names,'  'Pedigrees,' 
'  Heraldry,'  '  Roman  Antiquities,'  etc.,  with 
cross-references  to  the  papers  treating  of  these 
subjects,  in  accordance  with  the  system 
adopted  in  the  annual  Index  of  Archaeolo- 
gical Papers  published  by  the  congress. 

"  24.  That  every  index  be  edited  by  some 
person  qualified  by  local  knowledge. 

"  25.  That  for  general  guidance  in  matters 
not  fully  dealt  with  in  these  conclusions,  the 
rules  adopted  by  the  Public  Record  Office, 
and  set  forth  in  the  preface  to  the  Calendar 
of  Close  Rolls,  1307-1313,  should  be  fol- 
lowed." 

The  afternoon  session  was  chiefly  occupied 
by  an  interesting  account  of  the  National 
Photographic  Record  Society,  its  progress 
and  work,  by  its  president.  Sir  J.  Benjamin 
Stone,  M.P.  There  was  a  considerable  ex- 
hibition of  the  plates  of  the  society.  Mr. 
St.  John  Hope  said  that  without  a  scale  in 
the  picture  these  plates  of  details  were  com- 
paratively valueless,  and  drew  attention  to 
his  own  "  side-show  "  of  Silchester  photo- 
graphs with  a  scale  introduced,  which  was 
plainly  marked  both  in  metres  and  in  feet 
and  inches.  Such  scales,  ready  for  mounting, 
are  issued  by  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  and 
can  be  obtained  for  sixpence.  Mr.  G. 
Scarnell  (21,  Avenue  Road,  Highgate,  N.), 
the  hon.  secretary  of  this  photographic  society, 
took  part  in  the  discussion  ;  he  will  be  glad 
to  give  any  information  that  may  be  required. 

During  the  sittings  of  the  congress  two 
bits  of  interesting  information   were   made 


known.  Lord  Dillon  mentioned  that  the  25- 
inch  scale  Ordnance  maps  were  now  under 
revision  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and 
that  it  might  be  useful  for  societies  to  know 
this  for  the  sake  of  correcting  archaeological 
errors  or  omissions.  News  came  from  Leices- 
ter of  the  discovery  of  two  pieces  of  Roman 
pavement  13  feet  by  10  feet,  and  10  feet  by 
7  feet,  about  8  feet  below  the  surface,  near 
the  church  of  St.  Nicholas ;  they  were  de- 
scribed as  of  good  design,  one  of  them  por- 
traying a  peacock  with  tail  displayed. 

The  usual  pleasant  ending  to  the  day's 
congress — a  dinner — took  place  at  the  Hol- 
born  Restaurant,  Rev.  Dr.  Cox  in  the  chair. 

It  might  be  well,  we  think,  next  year  to 
somewhat  increase  the  length  of  the  congress, 
and  to  include  a  visit  of  inspection  to  some 
of  the  less-known  sites  of  historic  interest 
within  the  Metropolitan  area. 


aBnglant)'0   ©IDe0t  lE)anDictaft0. 

By  Isabel  Suart  Robson 
{Continued  from  p.   213.) 


Hand-made  Lace — {(Continued). 


DEVONSHIRE  has  long  been  the 
chief  seat  of  hand-made  English 
lace.  Wescote,  who  wrote  in  1620, 
speaks  of  the  abundance  of  bone- 
work — "  a  pretty  toy  now  greatly  in  request " 
— made  at  "Honitown";  and  Fuller,  in  the 
before  quoted  Worthies,  refers  to  "  Honitown" 
work  as  "weekly  returned  to  London,"  and 
fetching  the  most  extravagant  prices.  At 
one  time  the  prices  paid  were  so  enormous 
that  the  men  left  working  in  the  fields  to 
follow  the  gentler  craft  of  the  bobbin  and 
pillow.  Honiton  work  owes  its  great  reputa- 
tion to  its  sprigs,  which  were,  when  first 
introduced,  woven  into  the  ground,  and  later 
applique,  or  sewn  on  the  ground ;  in  the 
opinion  of  many,  the  effect  of  the  first  method 
was  the  prettier.  In  the  last  century,  making 
net  for  the  groundwork  was  a  separate  branch 
of  the  art ;  it  was  made  from  very  beauti- 
ful thread,  the  finer  sorts  costing  from  ;^7o 
to  ^105    for  a  pound's  weight,   and  was 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


241 


exquisitely    regular    and    light.     A    curious 
method  was  adopted  for  paying  the  workers. 
The  piece  of  net  was  spread  out,  and  covered 
with  shillings,  and  as  many  coins  as  would 
lie  upon  the  net  constituted  the  wages  of  its 
worker.    Honiton  veils,  made  from  the  finest 
net,  elaborately  worked,  formed  a  favourite 
present  to  a  bride  in  the  last  century,  and  in 
the  palmy  days  of  the  industry  p^ioo  was  no 
uncommon  price  to  pay  for  one.    The  gradual 
decline  in  the  production  of  Honiton  and 
other   hand-made   laces   from   the   close   of 
the   last   century  may   be   traced   to    many 
causes,   chiefly   the   successful   imitation    of 
the  fine  hand-lace  by  machinery,  the  desire 
to   buy   cheaply,   and   the    many   new   em- 
ployments for  women  which  have  drawn  the 
young   from   the   villages.       In    1874   more 
than  thirty  lace-makers  left  a  village  of  400 
inhabitants   to    seek   work  elsewhere.     The 
old   workers,    left   to    maintain   a   languish- 
ing art,  gradually  gave  up  making  the   old 
quality   of    lace,    and    bore    out    the    trade 
axiom   that    "  demand   creates    supply "   by 
producing  cheaper  lace  with  inferior  thread 
and  common  patterns.     The  old  parchment 
patterns,    which    were    immensely    valuable 
and,    in    some    cases,    extremely  old,    and 
which    had    been    hitherto    most    jealously 
guarded  by  their   owners,    were  allowed  to 
become   lost  or  destroyed.     So  little   store 
was   set    by    them    that    we   hear    of  them 
being  boiled  down  to  make  glue  !     So  near 
extinction  was   the   art   of  lace -making   in 
Devonshire  in  the  first  half  of  the  present 
century  that,  when  lace  was  required  for  the 
wedding-dress  of  Queen  Victoria,  it  was  only 
with  great  difficulty  that  workers  were  found 
sufficiently  skilled  to  undertake  it.    The  work 
was  eventually  placed  in  the  hands  of  Miss 
Jane  Bidney,  who  caused  it  to  be  done  in 
the   little   fishing   hamlet   of  Beer  and  the 
neighbourhood.     The  dress  cost,  when  com- 
plete, ;^i,ooo,  and  was  composed  entirely  of 
Honiton  sprigs,  connected  by  a  variety  of 
openwork  stitches.     The  patterns  were  im- 
mediately destroyed,  so  that  they  could  never 
be  reproduced. 

Dorsetshire  lace  had  at  one  time  a  great 
reputation.  When  Queen  Charlotte  made 
her  first  appearance  in  England,  she  was,  to 
the  great  pride  of  the  Dorset  workers,  arrayed 
in  head-dress  and  lappets  of  their  work.     A 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


curious   piece   of   lace   is   preserved   as   an 
heirloom  in  a  Dorset  family,  which  formerly 
belonged    to    Queen    Charlotte,   and   when 
bought    was    labelled    "  Queen    Elizabeth's 
lace,"  with  the  story  that  it  was  made  in 
Dorset  to  commemorate  the  coming  of  the 
Spanish    Armada,    in   token   of    which    the 
pattern  takes  the  form  of  dolphins,  ships, 
and  marine  wonders.     This  history  is  very 
doubtful,    for   no   such   lace   was    made    in 
England  at  that  time ;  it  is  far  more  probable 
that  it  was  designed  in  this  country,  and  sent 
abroad  to  be  worked  by  some  skilled  Fleming. 
Collecting  and  storing  up  large  quantities 
of  lace  seemed  to  be  an  early  hobby  with  great 
ladies,  and  to  leave  behind  them  a  legacy 
of  exquisite  work  was  the  desire  of  many 
who  could  not  be  called  wealthy.     Queen 
Elizabeth  was  a  great  collector  of  lace,  but 
patriotism  on  this  point  was  not  one  of  her 
virtues,  and  she  bought  largely  from  foreign 
lace-makers  no  less  than  from  English.     In 
our  own  day,  the  Princess  of  Wales  has  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  collections  of  lace,  care- 
fully collected  by  herself  from  many  sources  ; 
and  at  one  royal  wedding  the  bride's  gown 
was  panelled  with  a  piece  of  lace  which  dated 
from  early  Stuart  times. 

A  few  ladies  recently  banded  themselves 
together  with  the  laudable  purpose  of  re- 
viving the  hand- lace-making  industry;  they 
formed  the  Lace  Association,  which  aims  at 
improving  and  stimulating  the  making  of 
pillow -lace,  and  affording  to  the  workers 
better  facilities  for  the  sale  of  their  work. 
Instruction  is  also  to  be  given  in  the  art,  and 
successful  schools  are  now  in  work.  That 
at  Lacy  Green,  Buckingham,  has  admirably 
answered  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  estab- 
lished, whilst  the  schools  of  Bedfordshire 
have  become  of  sufficient  importance  to 
be  visited  periodically  by  Government  in- 
spectors. Four  or  five  may  be  found  in  one 
district,  each  with  from  twenty  to  thirty  pupils, 
whose  work  is  disposed  of  by  the  instructress 
to  large  dealers,  who  arrange  for  the  purchase 
of  all  the  output  that  reaches  the  required 
standard  of  merit. 

The  work  of  the  Association  has  already 
had  a  great  effect  upon  the  erstwhile  languish- 
ing craft;  lace-makers  are  on  the  increase, 
and  in  one  town  in  the  Midlands,  which  ten 
years  ago  had  but  forty  workers,  over  100 

II 


242 


BISHOPS  GLOVES. 


are  now  in  full  employment.  It  has  been 
asked  whether  any  real  benefit  is  to  be 
derived  from  the  revival  of  the  art,  and 
whether  it  will  not  actually  be  a  disadvantage 
to  the  districts  in  which  it  is  practised  by 
encouraging  women  to  neglect  their  families 
and  the  care  of  the  home.  A  visit  to  any 
Devonshire  or  Midland  lace-making  village 
would,  I  think,  silence  such  demurs.  Clean- 
liness and  nicety  are  such  essentials  to  the 
work  that  any  neglect  of  the  home  or  the 
person  would  be  a  serious  disadvantage  to 
the  worker.  Most  immaculate  surroundings 
are  the  rule  where  bobbins  and  pillow  are  in 
constant  use,  and  without  any  infringement 
of  housewifely  duties  a  mother  can  earn,  on 
an  average,  from  3d.  to  6d.  a  day — probably 
the  rent  of  the  cottage  she  occupies.  The 
work,  too,  furnishes  a  means  whereby  the 
delicate  or  the  cripple  of  both  sexes  may, 
instead  of  being  a  burden,  share  the 
household  expenses,  and  all  who  know  the 
weary  monotony  of  a  forced  inactivity  will 
understand  the  gratitude  with  which  the 
lace-makers  of  the  Midlands  and  of  Devon- 
shire regard  the  labours  of  those  who  were 
instrumental  in  forming  the  Lace  Association. 


By  Henry  John  Feasey. 

N  the  early  days  of  English  chivalry, 
gloves  played  an  important  part  in 
the  affairs  of  men.  The  mere 
throwing  down  or  hanging  up  of 

a  glove  was  often  the  prelude  to  many  a 

bloody  contest : 

Edmund,  thy  years  were  scarcely  mine, 
When,  challenging  the  clans  of  Tyne 
To  bring  their  best  my  brand  to  prove, 
O'er  Hexham's  altar  hung  my  glove; 
But  Tynedale,  nor  in  tower  nor  town, 
Held  champion  meet  to  take  it  down.* 

The  earliest  authentic  mention  of  the 
wearing  of  gloves  in  England  appears  in  the 
reign  of  King  Ethelred  II.  (979-1016),  and 
for  several   centuries  after,    the  wearing   of 

*  Rokeby  (Scott),  canto  vi.,  21. 


these  very  expensive  articles  of  luxury  was 
the  exclusive  privilege  of  the  most  exalted 
personages  in  the  realm,*  their  place  being 
supplied  among  the  classes  of  lower  standing 
by  the  long  sleeves  of  the  outer  garments 
being  drawn  over  the  hand,  many  examples 
of  which,  both  among  monks  and  lay  people, 
appear  in  the  pictures  and  illuminations  of 
the  mediaeval  period. 

Gloves  were  at  first  fashioned  with  thumb- 
pieces  only,  the  four  fingers  being  encased  in 
a  single  compartment  after  the  pattern  of  a 
modern  baby's  glove.  This,  the  true  mediaeval 
pattern,  without  either  fingers  or  thumb,  or 
with  the  thumb  only,  prevailed,  according  to 
an  illustration  given  in  an  old  manuscript, 
until  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  the 
material  employed  being  of  white  tanned 
skin,  ornamented  with  sewn  tracery  and  silk 
fringes,  crossed  by  a  narrow  band  of  red 
leather,  with  leathern  tags  and  thongs  for 
fastening.  At  one  period  the  wrist  was  cut 
particularly  wide  to  admit  the  hand  with 
ease  and  to  tuck  up  into  the  close-fitting 
sleeve  for  warmth,  on  which  an  old  writer, 
descanting  on  the  follies  of  the  times,  com- 
plains that  the  young  nobles  covered  their 
hands  with  gloves  too  long  and  too  wide  for 
the  doing  of  anything  useful. 

Gloves  were  frequently  used  in  the  character 
of  purses  to  convey  rich  and  sumptuous 
offerings  to  the  noble  and  the  fair.  They 
were  a  very  favourite  method  of  conveying 
New  Year's  gifts  and  similar  tokens  of  good- 
will. When  a  Mrs.  Croaker  presented  Sir 
Thomas  More  (when  Lord  Chancellor)  on 
New  Year's  Day  with  a  pair  of  gloves  con- 
taining fifty  angels,  as  a  token  of  her  gratitude 
for  a  decision  in  her  favour,  he  replied,  "  It 
would  be  against  good  manners  to  forsake  a 
gentlewoman's  New  Year's  gift,  and  I  accept 
the  gloves.  The  lining  you  will  be  pleased 
to  bestow  elsewhere."!  The  Wells  Corpora- 
tion received  payment  for  freedom  in  wine, 

*  Gloves  were  in  use  among  the  ancient  Ar- 
menians, the  Babylonians,  Greeks,  Hebrews, 
Persians,  Phoenicians,  Romans,  Sidonians,  and 
Syrians. 

f  Such  presents  frequently  appear  in  the  ac- 
counts of  his  successor,  Thomas  Cromwell,  Earl  of 
Essex,  e.g.,  money  "in  a  glove,"  "at  Arundel  in  a 
glove,"  "  in  a  pair  of  gloves  under  a  cushion  in  the 
middle  window  of  the  gallery,"  etc. ;  but,  unlike  Sir 
Thomas,  he  did  not  return  the  "lining." 


BISHOPS  GLOVES. 


243 


gloves,  or  wax  when  money  was  scarce.  So 
also  Piers  Plowman  :  "  Paid  never  for  their 
prenticehood  not  a  pair  of  gloves."* 

Gloves  were  also  hung  up  in  churches,  and 
hung  up,  too,  in  indirect  connection  with 
death,  being  first  borne,  suspended  in  the 
centre  of  a  hoop  of  flowers,  at  the  burial  of 
English  maidens.  But  with  these  we  have 
not  to  deal. 

Gloves  were  worn  originally  by  all  ranks 
of  the  clergy,  and  not  exclusively  by  those  of 
episcopal  rank.     In  various  parts  of  France 


A   MEDIEVAL    PONTIFICAL    GLOVE. 

the  clergy  wore  them  at  Divine  service ;  at 
Tours  the  cantors,!  and  at  Angers  and  other 
churches  the  bearers  of  reliquaries,  performed 
their  functions  in  gloves.  Monks  also  wore 
them.  On  the  complaint  of  the  bishops  at 
Aix,  long  before  the  time  of  Louis  le  Debon- 
naire,  monks  were  ordered  to  be  content 
with  gloves  of  sheepskin.  Cluniac  monks 
were  interred  wearing  their  gloves. 

The  mediaeval  glove  was  drawn  consider- 
ably over  the  wrist  at  the  underside  of  the 
arm,  and  terminated  in  a  gracefully  turned 
point,  from  the  extremity  of  which  hung  a 
tassel.     The  middle  finger  of  the  right  hand 

*  Passus,  vii.,  p.  250. 

t  "  Per  chirothecas  significative  cantela  in 
opere." — Thos.  Aquin.,  Krazer,  p.  322. 


was  sometimes  cut  away  in  order  to  expose 
the  episcopal  ring,  which  was  worn  below  a 
guard  upon  that  finger. 

The  giving  of  a  glove  in  the  Middle  Ages 
was  a  ceremonial  of  investiture  in  bestowing 
lands  and  dignities.  In  1002  two  bishops 
were  put  into  possession  of  their  sees,  each 
receiving  a  glove,  and  in  England  in  the 
reign  of  Edward  II.  the  deprivation  of  gloves 
was  a  ceremony  of  degradation. 

Although  the  ecclesiastical  use  of  gloves  is 
of  considerable  antiquity,  the  general  adop- 
tion of  them  as  a  part  of  the  formal  episcopal 
attire  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  place 
until  the  twelfth  century.  Even  after  their 
adoption  by  bishops,  abbots  were  not  at  first 
allowed  the  use  of  them.  The  Council  of 
Poitiers  forbade  abbots  the  use  of  them,  and 
in  1224  the  reigning  Pope  declared  that  he 
had  never  conferred  the  right  on  any  abbot 
of  wearing  gloves,  or  of  giving  solemn 
benediction,  and  the  Abbot  of  Glastonbury 
having  assumed  the  ceremonial  use  of  gloves, 
was  deprived  thereof. 

The  earliest  material,  like  that  of  all  the 
ancient  clerical  vesture,  employed  in  making 
gloves  was  white  linen.  Bruno,  Bishop  of 
Segni,  says  they  were  made  of  linen  to 
denote  that  the  hands  they  covered  should 
be  chaste,  clean,  and  free  from  all  impurity. 
Durandus,  quoting  various  authors  to  prove 
that  the  chirotheca  were  worn  white,  gives  the 
same  significance. 

A  survival  of  the  use  of  white  linen  gloves 
was  maintained  in  the  ceremony  of  anointing 
at  the  king's  coronation,  when,  in  addition  to 
the  linen  coif  placed  on  the  newly-anointed 
sovereign's  head,  a  pair  of  linen  gloves  were 
also  placed  on  the  king's  hands  for  the  con- 
servation of  the  unction.*  Their  use  also 
survived  in  the  ceremony  of  the  Boy  Bishop 
held  annually  in  many  English  mediaeval 
churches.  The  Compotus  Rolls  of  York 
Cathedral  for  1396  have  a  charge  for  a  pair 
of  linen  gloves  for  the  Boy  Bishop  at  three- 
pence the  pair,  and 'twenty-eight  pairs  for  his 
attendants.! 

*  See  Roch,  "  Church  of  our  Fathers."  At  the 
coronation  of  English  Sovereigns  the  Lord  of  the 
Manor  of  Worksop  claims  the  privilege  of  offering 
a  red  glove,  which  is  put  on  the  Sovereign's  right 
hand. 

t  See  an  illustration  in  the  Queen  newspaper  for 
June  12,  1896;  also  Chambers'  Miscellany,  vol.  vii. 

II  2 


244 


BISHOPS  GLOVES. 


On  the  disuse  of  linen,  gloves  of  white 
netted  silk  came  into  use,  to  be  followed  by 
other  colours,  whicB  latter  were  forbidden  by 
the  English  sumptuary  laws,  red,  green,  or 
striped  gloves  being  especially  forbidden  to 
the  clergy.  To  judge  from  the  episcopal 
monuments,  red  appears  to  have  been  the 
prevailing  colour  for  bishops'  gloves  during 
the  later  mediseval  period.  St.  Charles 
Borromeo,  writing  on  the  subject  of  gloves, 
says :  "  They  should  be  woven  throughout, 
and  adorned  with  a  golden  circle  on  the 
outside."  This  circle  in  red  silk,  surrounding 
the  sacred  monogram,  appears  on  the  gloves 
of  William  of  Wykeham,  preserved  at  New 
College,  Oxford. 

Mediaeval  gloves  were  lavishly  decorated 
with  embroidery,  and  frequently  ornamented 
with  gold  and  jewels,  some  being  valuable 
enough  to  be  left  as  legacies.  Archbishop 
Bowet  of  York  (1407-1423)  possessed  a  pair 
of  gloves,  valued  at  6s.  8d.,  "de  coton, 
browdid,  cum  ratione  Auxilium  meum  a 
Domino^*  The  gloves  of  St.  Martialis  are 
said  to  have  miraculously  rebuked  an  act  of 
sacrilege,  pouring  forth  precious  stones  in 
the  light,  in  the  presence  of  witnesses. 
Numerous  examples  appear  in  the  inven- 
tories. Thus,  the  prior  of  the  cathedral 
church  of  Canterbury  had  twelve  pairs  of 
gloves  in  his  keeping  in  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century;  two  of  them  were 
adorned  with  two  large  cameos  and  other 
smaller  white  cameos ;  two  others  were 
adorned  with  stones  and  pearls ;  four  had 
great  tassels,  and  the  remaining  four  small 
silver-gilt  tassels. t  At  St.  Paul's  in  1295 
two  gloves  seeded  with  pearls  all  over,  in 
which  many  stones  were  stated  to  be  want- 
ing, are  found  in  the  inventory ;  also  another 
pair  of  gloves,  ornamented  with  silver  plates 
and  set  with  stones;  and  in  1552,  "A  pair 
of  gloves  with  broches  sewed  upon  each  of 
them  with  perles  and  stones." 

At  Westminster  Abbey  there  were  the  fol- 
lowing sets  and  pairs  of  gloves  in  1388  :| 

"  Paria  quidem  serotecarum  sunt  sex  de 
Cerico  quorum  primum  par  est  ex  dono 
Nicholai  Lytlyngton  quondam  Abbatis  auri 

*  Test.  Ebor.,  iii.  75. 

t  Archaological  Journal,  vol.  liii.  (1896),  p.  266. 
X  Archaologia,  vol.   Iii.,  p.  222.     See  also  Dr. 
Wickham  Legg's  note  there  on  the  subject. 


frigiatum  continens  in  utraque  seroteca  xvj 
lapides  preciosos  cum  uno  monili  argenteo 
et  amelato  perillis  margeritis  permixtis. 

"  Secundum  vero  par  est  ex  dono  domini 
Symonis  quondam  Cardinalis  ornatum  bor- 
duris  argenteis  et  amelatis  cum  diversis 
ymaginibus  et  in  utraque  seroteca  unum 
monile  argenteum  amelatum  cum  armis  Sancti 
Edwardi. 

•'  Tercium  autem  par  aurifrigiatum  cum 
diversis  lapidibus  insertis  ex  quibus  grandiores 
deficiunt  et  in  utraque  seroteca  unum  monile 
aureum  veteri  modo  amelatum. 

"  Quartum  vero  par  simpliciter  aurifrigiatum 
et  in  utraque  seroteca  unus  circulus  ad  modum 
monilis  parvi  valoris. 

"  Quintum  autem  par  simpliciter  aurifrigi- 
atum est  in  custodia  dompni  abbatis.  Et 
est  triffuratum  cum  perillis  ad  modum  crucis. 

"  Sextum  vero  par  simpliciter  est  aurifrigi- 
atum cum  duobus  platis  argenteis  et  de- 
auratis. 

"Item  tria  sunt  paria  Serotecarum  de 
cerico  bona,  sed  minime  ornata  extra 
numerum  predictorum. 

"  Et  in  incremento  de  novo  dua  paria 
cerotecarum  de  correo  vocata  Cheverel  cum 
duobus  platis  argenteis  et  deauratis  unum  in 
unius  circumferencia  scribitur  Ora  pro  nobis 
beate  Nicholae.  In  alterius  vero  Ut  digni 
efficiamur  et  cetera  ex  dono  R.  Tonworthe." 

At  the  period  of  the  Dissolution  of  the 
Monasteries,  "the  best  payre  of  Pastural 
Gloves  "  there  are  described  as  "  with  parells 
of  brodered  work  and  small  perles  hanging  on 
them."  In  the  Winchester  inventory  taken 
in  1552  is  "j  payre  of  red  gloves  with  tassels 
wrought  with  venis  [Venice]  gold." 

The  pontifical  gloves  of  Richard  de 
Gravesend,  Bishop  of  London  (i  280-1 303), 
worked  with  gold  and  enamelled,  were  valued 
at  jCSf  a  great  sum  at  that  time,  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  those  of  Thomas  Button, 
Bishop  of  Exeter  (1291-130 7),  only  fetched 
the  despicable  sum  of  tenpence. 

Fine  examples  may  be  seen  on  the  monu- 
mental effigies  of  bishops,  as,  for  example, 
those  worn  by  the  effigy  of  Bishop  Goldwell 
of  Norwich  (1499),  and  those  of  Bishop 
John  de  Sheppey  of  Rochester  (1360).  The 
effigy  of  Bishop  Ralph  of  Shrewsbury  (died 
1363)  in  Wells  Cathedral  well  shows  the 
large  jewelled  ornament  usually  attached  to 


BISHOPS  GLOVES. 


245 


the  back  part  of  the  gloves.  These  jewelled 
ornaments  were  known  as  "monials." 
"Monileaureum"  {Ely  Inventory)  \  "Gemmis 
in  plata  quadrata  "  ( Dart's  Canterbury,  App. 
xiii.);  "Laminis  argenteis  deauratis  et  lapi- 
dibus  insertis  "  (Dugdale,  St.  Paul's,  p.  205); 
"  Monilia  argentea  "  (Dugdale,  Mouasticon, 
ii.,  p.  203);  "Two  monyals  of  gold  gar- 
nyshed  with  six  stones  and  twenty-four  great 
perles,  either  of  them  lacking  a  stone  and 
the  colet  four  unces  "  (Westminster  Abbey 
at  the  Dissolution). 

Bishops  were  interred  wearing  their  gloves 
and  the  rest  of  the  episcopal  habit.  From 
Bzovino  we  learn  that  the  gloves  placed  on 
the  hands  of  Boniface  VIII.  at  his  interment 
were  of  white  silk,  beautifully  worked  with 
the  needle,  and  ornamented  with  a  rich 
border  studded  with  pearls.*  Fitz-Stephen, 
monk  of  Canterbury,  also  mentions  gloves 
as  upon  the  hands  of  St.  Thomas  k  Becket 
at  his  interment.  Gloves  were  found  in 
1854  on  the  body  of  one  of  the  early 
bishops  of  Ross  in  Scotland,  disinterred  in 
the  cathedral  church  of  Fortrose,  near 
Inverness.! 

At  the  assumption  of  the  gloves  by  the 
bishop,  prayer  was  made  as  in  the  case  of 
the  other  parts  of  the  pontifical  vesture, 
beseeching  Almighty  God  that  of  His 
clemency  He  would  inwardly  cleanse  the 
hands  of  His  servant  in  like  manner  as  they  are 
being  outwardly  clothed  in  gloves.  A  missal 
of  Illyricum,  ascribed  to  the  seventh  century, 
directs  the  bishop,  previously  to  performing 
Mass,  to  put  on  gloves  with  the  prayer : 
"  O  Creator  of  all  creatures,  grant  me,  un- 
worthiest  of  Thy  servants,  to  put  on  the 
clothing  of  justice  and  joy,  that  I  may  be 
found  with  pure  hands  in  Thy  sight." 

Purple  gloves  fringed  with  gold  thread 
were  officially  worn  by  our  English  bishops 
down  to  quite  recent  times,  a  direct  survival, 
and  not  a  reintroduction,  of  the  ancient 
custom.  The  late  Archbishop  Marcus 
Beresford  of  Armagh  (186 2- 1886)  used  such 
episcopal  gloves  with  a  gold  fringe.  At  St. 
Andrew's,  Holborn,  the  clergy  were  given 
gloves  at  Easter,  and  candidates  for  degrees 

*  Pugin,  Ecdes.  Glos. 

t  Jewelled  gloves  were  found  on  the  hands  of 
King  John  (1199-1216)  when  his  coffin  was  opened 
in  1797. 


in  medicine  formerly  gave  gloves  to  the 
graduates  of  the  faculty  in  New  College, 
Oxford,  in  return  for  their  escort  to  the 
doors  of  the  Convocation  House,  this  latter 
fact  indicating  the  ceremonial  significance 
formerly  attached  to  the  use  and  wearing  of 
gloves. 

According  to  Innocent  III.,  gloves  typify 
the  hiding  of  iniquity  by  the  merits  of  our 
Saviour,  and  the  benediction  of  Jacob  when 
he  wore  gloves  of  skins. 


Cjje  ^i)ielD=UiaU  and  tfte 
^cljilttum. 


AM  categorically  required  to  assent 
to  or  dissent  from  Mr.  Oman,  who 
writes  that  the  Anglo-Saxon  armies 
were  "  ranged  in  the  '  shield-wall,' 
i.e.,  in  close  line,  but  not  so  closely  packed 
that  spears  could  not  be  lightly  hurled  or 
swords  swung."  I  publicly  profess  my  faith 
that  this  is  well  within  the  truth,  and  that  the 
Anglo-Saxon  array  of  the  shield-wall  was  not 
too  close  to  hinder  the  Anglo-Saxon  from 
fighting  in  it  But  I  do  not  take  Mr.  Oman's 
brief  sentence  as  a  complete  definition.  Were 
it  offered  as  such,  I  am  afraid  that,  notwith- 
standing my  extreme  appreciation  of  his 
learned,  luminous,  and  delightful  book,  I 
should  disagree. 

Next,  I  am  pressed  to  say  whether  testudo 
had  necessarily  and  always  among  old  English 
writers  the  specific  sense  of  "  shield-wall."  I 
confess  to  believing  that  a  great  many  words 
had  several  strings  to  their  bow,  and  that 
few  terms  had  necessarily  and  always,  even 
amongst  persons  so  enlightened  and  respect- 
able as  the  old  English,  a  single  unqualified 
and  unvarying  specific  meaning.  Testudo 
was  too  fruitful  a  metaphor  to  be  so  confined  : 
for  instance,  amongst  Old  English  writers,  it 
sometimes  meant  the  crypt  of  a  chancel !  As 
a  military  term  it  is  quite  possible  that  there 
may  be  instances  of  a  more  general,  alongside 
of  the  specific,  significance. 

Miss  Norgate's  importunity  about  "circu- 


246 


THE  SHIELD-WALL  AND  THE  SCHILTRUM. 


larity"  amuses  me.  In  her  first  article  it 
was  my  indefiniteness  on  the  essentiality  or 
otherwise  of  rotundity  in  the  schiltrum  that 
troubled  her.  Having  cleared  my  conscience 
on  that  score,  I  am,  in  her  second  article, 
reproached  for  lack  of  precision  on  rotundity 
in  the  shield-wall.  My  original  article  gave 
examples,  as  I  conceived  them,  of  both  shield- 
wall  and  schiltrum  being  sometimes  round. 
There  I  stay,  needing  and  wishing  to  go  no 
further. 

There  are  adduced  undisputed  demonstra- 
tions of  Anglo-Saxon  scild-truma  =  testudo, 
and  of  testudo  =  s\{\e\d-wi3i\\.  Examples*  of 
thirteenth  and  fourteenth  century  schiltrum 
are  cited,  unquestionably  from  the  context 
denoting  a  special  "manner,"  which  in  some 
cases  is  described,  and  has  the  closest  analogies 
to  antecedent  characteristics  of  the  shield  wall. 

My  inference  is  simple  and  self-evident 
that  (after  allowing  for  the  inability  of  man- 
kind, even  in  Scotland,  to  stand  absolutely 
still  for  half  a  millennium)  the  Scottish  schil- 
trum of  the  fourteenth  century  was — alike  as 
word  and  thing — essentially  a  continuation 
from  a  remote  age. 

Miss  Norgate's  criticism  is  not  that  I  am 
wrong.  She  does  not  say  so :  her  premises 
restrict  her  to  a  conclusion  much  more 
qualified.  It  is  this  :  Scild-truma  does  not 
necessarily  and  always  mean  testudo;  nor 
testudo  necessarily  and  always  "shield-wall"; 
therefore  the  Scottish  schiltrum  was  not  neces- 
sarily and  always  a  species  of  shield-wall,  and 
so  "  Mr.  Neilson  might  be  wrong."  That  is 
the  amiable  syllogism : — a  notable  exercise 
in  logic,  as  it  may  operate  in  vacuo,  not  as 
it  works  in  practical  history.  In  a  world 
constituted  like  the  present,  one  cannot  rely 
on  necessarily  and  always  finding  words  rigidly 
constant  to  one  specific  signification,  and  in 
order  to  avoid  hopeless  uncertainty  about 
every  subject  under  the  sun,  it  has  long  been 

*  I  may  give  one  more,  from  the  poem  "  Orfeo 
and  Heurodis,"  in  Early  Popular  Poetry  of  Scotland, 
ed.  Laing,  revised  Hazlitt,  vol.  i.,  p.  69.  King 
Orfeo,  whose  queen  is  in  danger  of  being  carried 
off  by  the  King  of  the  Fairies,  assembles  his  "  well 
ten  hundred"  knights  about  the  trysting  "  ympe  " 
tree : 

And  with  the  quen  wente  he 

Right  unto  that  ympe  tre  : 

Thai  made  scheltrom  in  ich  a  side 

And  sayd  th£ii  wold  there  abide, 

And  dye  ther  everichon 

Er  the  quen  schuld  fram  hem  gon. 


customary  to  accept  a  prevalent  and  con- 
sistent contemporary  meaning  as  the  basis  of 
interpretation.  On  that  my  schiltrum  stands 
to  arms. 

Geo.  Neilson. 


Cf)e  OBrcatJation  of  ^ilcbestet.* 

E  have  received  a  copy  of  the  follow- 
ing report  (which  is  the  eighth 
that  has  been  issued)  of  the  Sil- 
chester  Excavation  Fund : 

"The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Silchester 
Excavation  Fund  have  pleasure  in  submitting 
the  following  report  of  the  works  carried  out 
during  the  year  1897  : 

The  excavations  at  Silchester  in  1897  were 
begun  on  May  3,  and  continued,  with  the 
usual  interval  during  the  harvest,  until  Novem- 
ber 4. 

The  area  selected  for  excavation  included 
two  insulie  (XVII  and  XVIII),  extending 
from  insula  III  (which  was  excavated  in 
1 891)  to  the  south  gate,  and  lying  on  the 
west  side  of  the  main  street  through  the  city 
from  north  to  south.  The  area  in  question 
contains  about  five  acres. 

The  northern  margin  of  ifisula  XVII  is 
entirely  filled  with  the  foundations  of  two 
large  houses  of  the  courtyard  type,  present- 
ing several  unusual  features.  One  of  them 
apparently  replaced  an  earlier  structure,  part 
of  which  was  incorporated  in  the  new  work. 
South  of  the  houses  was  a  large  area  destitute 
of  pits  or  buildings.  The  southern  part  of 
the  insula  contained  the  remains  of  a  house 
of  the  corridor  type  of  early  date,  portions  of 
apparently  two  other  houses  of  the  same 
type,  and  two  detached  structures  warmed 
by  hypocausts,  and  furnished  with  external 
furnaces,  perhaps  for  boilers,  of  which  no 
examples  have  hitherto  been  met  with  at 
Silchester.  Near  one  of  these  was  discovered 
a  well,  containing  at  the  bottom  a  wooden 
tub  in  an  exceptional  state  of  preservation. 
After  some  difficulty,  owing  to  the  continuous 
collapse  of  the  sides  of  the  well,  the  tub  was 
successfully  extracted.  It  measures  over 
6  feet  in  height,  and,  save  for  one  rotten 
stave,  which  has  had  to  be  renewed,  is  quite 
♦  This  was  unavoidably  held  over  last  month. 


THE  EXCAVATION  OF  SILCHESTER. 


247 


complete  ;  it  will  be  added  to  the  collection 
in  the  Reading  Museum. 

Insula  XVIII,  like  XVII,  has  the  northern 
fringe  entirely  covered  with  the  foundations 
of  buildings.  These  belonged  to  one  house 
of  unusual  size  and  plan,  and  perhaps  two 
other  houses.  The  large  house  is  distin- 
tinguished  by  an  apsidal  chamber  on  the 
west  side,  and  has  attached  to  it  a  large 
courtyard  and  other  appendages.  One  of 
the  other  houses  is  most  complicated  on 
plan,  owing  to  the  fact  that  three  different 
sets  of  foundations  are  superposed.  The 
remainder  of  the  insula  is  unusually  free 
from  buildings,  and  even  rubbish-pits.  It 
contains,  however,  towards  the  south  gate, 
foundations  of  an  interesting  corridor  house 
with  an  attached  enclosure  containing  six 
circular  rubble  bases.  It  is  possible  that 
these  are  the  supports  for  stone  querns,  and 
that  the  building  was  actually  a  flour-mill. 
In  a  well  near  this  building  were  discovered 
two  more  tubs,  one  above  the  other.  The 
uppermost  had  partly  decayed  away,  but  its 
lower  half  was  fairly  perfect,  as  was  the  other 
tub  beneath  it.  Both  have  been  successfully 
raised  and  preserved.  The  perfect  tub  is  of 
the  same  large  size  as  that  found  in  ifisula 
XVII. 

The  architectural  fragments  discovered  in 
1897  were  few  in  number ;  among  them 
were  a  terra  -  cotta  antefix,  parts  of  two 
inscribed  tiles  and  of  a  marble  mortar,  a 
stone  slab  with  moulded  edge,  apparently  a 
portion  of  a  pedestal  or  some  such  object, 
and  two  fragments  of  capitals,  evidently  from 
the  basilica. 

The  finds  in  bronze,  iron,  and  bone  are 
of  the  usual  character.  Among  the  bronze 
articles  are  two  good  enamelled  brooches, 
several  chains,  and  a  curious  socketed  object 
surmounted  by  the  head  of  an  eagle,  perhaps 
to  fit  on  a  staff.  The  finds  in  bone  and  glass 
were  unimportant. 

The  pottery  includes  a  number  of  perfect 
vessels  of  different  kinds.  One  of  these,  a 
jar  of  gray  ware  with  painted  black  bands,  is 
of  unusual  size,  being  nearly  2  feet  high  and 
22  inches  in  diameter. 

So  far  as  the  remains  of  buildings  are  con- 
cerned, the  year's  work  was  quite  satisfactory, 
and  the  plans  of  the  two  insulce  will  make  a 
valuable  addition  to  that  of  the  city. 


A  detailed  account  of  all  the  discoveries 
will  be  laid  before  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
on  May  26,  and  will  no  doubt  be  duly  pub- 
lished by  the  Society  in  Archceologia. 

A  special  exhibition  of  the  antiquities,  etc., 
found  will  be  held,  as  in  former  years,  at 
Burlington  House,  by  kind  permission  of 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  from  June  i  to 
June  15  inclusive  (Sundays  excepted). 

The  committee  propose,  during  the  current 
year,  to  excavate  the  two  insulce  south  of 
insulce  XV  and  XVI  (excavated  in  1896). 
With  them  must  also  be  included  the  ground 
to  the  south  of  them,  a  triangular  piece 
almost  as  large  as  a  third  insula. 

When  the  examination  of  this  area  is  com- 
pleted, considerably  more  than  half  the  city, 
including  the  whole  of  the  south-west  quarter, 
will  have  been  systematically  excavated  and 
planned. 

As  the  insulce  and  adjoining  portions  now 
(1898)  under  examination  cover  nearly  eight 
acres,  the  expenses  of  the  excavations  this 
year  will  be  more  than  usual ;  the  committee, 
therefore,  venture  to  appeal  for  the  necessary 
funds  to  enable  the  work  to  be  carried  out  as 
efficiently  as  in  the  past  eight  seasons. 

The  Honorary  Treasurer  of  the  Excava- 
tion Fund,  F.  G.  Hilton  Price,  Esq.  (17,  Col- 
lingham  Gardens,  South  Kensington),  or  the 
Honorary  Secretary,  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope, 
Esq.  (Burlington  House,  W.),  will  be  glad  to 
receive  further  subscriptions  and  donations. 

A  statement  of  accounts  for  the  year  1897 
is  appended. 

May  14,  1898. 

SILCHESTER  EXCAVATION  FUND. 
Statement  of  Accounts  for  the  Session  1897 
Cr.  £    s.   d: 

By  Balance  from  1896 13  15     8 

,,    Subscriptions  ..  ..  .,     401  18     6 

„    Reading  Local  Fund  for  1896        ..       34     i     o 
,,    Sales  of  Short  Copies  ..         ..       10  18     6 


/460  13     8 


Dr. 


I  s.  d. 

To  Wages  from  May  6  to  November  4      308  ig  4 

,,    Carpenters  and  Printers      ..         ..       28  16  6 

,,   Mr.  Lush  for  Rent    ..         ..         . .       45  o  o 

,,    Incidental  and  other  Expenses      ..       21  15  g 

,,   Balance  in  hand        . .         . .         . .      56  2  i 


/460  13     8 


F.  G.  Hilton  Prick,  Treasurer." 


248 


THE  EXCAVATION  OF  SILCHESTER. 


Accompanying  the  report  the  following 
circular  has  been  issued  : 

'*  About  ten  miles  S.VV.  of  Reading,  and 
within  three  miles  of  Mortimer  Station,  is  the 
site  of  a  large  Romano-British  city  or  town, 
which  has  been  identified  with  the  Calleva  or 
Calleva  Attrehatum  that  begins  or  ends  three 
and  occurs  in  a  fourth  of  the  Antonine 
Itineraries. 

It  is  situated  in  the  parish  of  Silchester, 
and  comprises  loo  acres,  chiefly  of  arable 
and  pasture  land,  enclosed  by  the  remains  of 
the  Roman  wall,  and  nearly  two  miles  in  cir- 
cumference. 

With  the  exception  of  the  old  manor- 
house,  now  a  farm-house,  and  its  outbuild- 
ings, and  the  ancient  parish  church  of 
Silchester,  all  situated  close  to  the  east  gate, 
there  are  no  buildings  within  the  city  walls. 

Casual  excavations  made  in  the  last  cen- 
tury showed  that  the  foundations  of  houses 
and  other  Roman  buildings  lay  buried  a  very 
little  way  beneath  the  surface,  while  the  lines 
of  the  streets  have  long  been  noticed  through 
differences  in  the  colour  of  the  crops  growing 
over  them,  a  peculiarity  also  recorded  by 
Leland  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  and 
other  writers. 

The  first  regular  excavations  on  the  site 
were  begun  in  1864,  at  the  expense  of  the 
then  Duke  of  Wellington,  by  the  Rev.  J.  G. 
Joyce,  rector  of  Stratfieldsaye,  and  continued 
from  time  to  time  until  his  death,  in  1878. 
Mr.  Joyce  uncovered  the  remains  of  two 
small  and  two  large  houses,  and  part  of 
another,  a  circular  temple,  the  north,  east, 
and  south  gates,  the  great  town  hall  {basilica) 
with  the  market-place  {forum)  adjoining,  and 
a  very  large  building  with  baths  attached, 
near  the  south  gate,  which  is  believed  to 
have  been  an  inn  or  hospitiuni. 

After  Mr.  Joyce's  death  several  other 
buildings  were  examined  by  the  Rev.  H.  G. 
Monro,  the  Rev.  C.  Langshaw,  and  Mr. 
F.  G.  Hilton  Price. 

In  1890  the  Silchester  Excavation  Fund 
was  established  for  the  systematic  excavation 
of  the  whole  area  within  the  walls,  a  work 
that  was  begun  and  has  since  been  carried 
on  year  by  year.  Under  the  scheme  of 
operations  adopted,  each  of  the  squares  or 
insula  into  which  the  area  of  the  city  is 
divided  by  the  Roman  streets  is  thoroughly 


examined  by  trenching,  and  all  buildings,  or 
traces  of  such,  in  it  fully  explored.  The 
foundations,  etc.,  so  laid  bare  are  properly 
planned,  after  which  they  are  again  buried 
for  preservation,  and  the  land  restored  to 
cultivation. 

In  the  eight  years  thqt  have  elapsed  since 
the  establishment  of  the  Fund,  sixteen  com- 
plete insula  (one  of  double  size)  and  portions 
of  five  others  have  been  systematically  exca- 
vated. Besides  buildings  within  certain  of 
them  that  were  discovered  by  Mr.  Joyce  and 
his  successors,*  there  have  been  brought  to 
light  thirty-one  additional  complete  houses 
and  parts  of  six  others,  a  private  bathing 
establishment,  two  square  temples,  the  re- 
mains of  the  west  gate,  a  Christian  church 
(probably  of  the  fourth  century,  and  one  of 
the  oldest  relics  of  Christianity  in  Europe), 
and  a  series  of  buildings,  etc.,  in  the  north- 
west quarter  of  the  town,  which  seemed  to 
have  belonged  to  an  extensive  system  of  dye- 
works.  The  basilica  and  forum  and  the 
north  and  south  gates  have  also  been  re- 
examined, and  new  facts  brought  to  light. 
Further  exploration  of  the  baths  attached  to 
the  hospitium  near  the  south  wall  has  led  to 
the  discovery  of  a  singular  series  of  drains 
and  a  small  water-gate  in  the  city  wall. 
Another  minor  gate  has  also  been  found  to 
the  south  of  the  west  gate. 

The  sites  of  Roman  cities  in  Britain  being 
mostly  overlaid  by  modern  towns,  very  few  of 
them  are  available  for  excavation.  The  site 
of  Calleva  at  Silchester,  therefore,  offers 
exceptional  advantages,  from  its  freedom 
from  buildings,  and  from  its  not  having  been 
occupied  since  the  extinction  of  the  town  in 
early  Saxon  times. 

All  previous  examinations  of  Roman  re- 
mains in  Britain,  excepting,  of  course,  those 
of  villas  or  country  houses,  have  been 
devoted  almost  exclusively  to  the  military 
side  of  the  Roman  occupation,  and  little  or 
nothing  has  been  done  to  show  the  existence 
of  a  civil  population  with  purely  civil  institu- 
tions. 

Most  of  the  Roman  camps  or  military 
stations  are  of  comparatively  small  area,  and 
only  contain  a  few  acres,  though  some  con- 

*  The  investigations  of  these  explorers  were  con- 
fined to  isolated  buildings,  and  not  to  the  examina- 
tion of  entire  insula. 


THE  EXCAVATION  OF  SILCHESTER. 


249 


siderably  exceed  this  size.  Not  one,  how- 
ever, is  even  half  the  area  of  Silchester,  a 
fact  which  shows  that  it  was  a  town  and  not 
a  camp  or  mih'tary  post. 

This  has  also  been  confirmed  by  the  exca- 
vations, which  have  hitherto  revealed  nothing 
whatever  implying  a  military  occupation, 
while  the  remains  of  large  public  buildings, 
temples,  a  church,  houses,  shops,  and  traces 
of  manufactures,  betoken  the  former  existence 
of  a  purely  civil  community. 

In  no  other  Romano  -  British  site  have 
there  been  brought  to  light  the  remains  of  so 
many  houses,  temples,  or  other  public  build- 
ings ;  while  no  other  place  has  previously 
yielded  ix  forum  or  a  Christian  church. 

The  exploration  of  Silchester  is,  therefore, 
the  beginning  of  the  history  of  the  civil 
occupation  of  Britain  by  the  Romans. 

So  extensive  a  work  cannot  be  carried  on 
without  ample  funds,  and  an  average  yearly 
expenditure  of  at  least  ;!^5oo  is  necessary  in 
order  to  make  any  progress  with  the  explora- 
tion of  so  large  a  site.  Already  about  60 
out  of  100  acres  have  been  thoroughly 
examined,  but  a  large  portion  of  the  city  still 
remains  to  be  explored.  Nearly  ;^4,ooo  has 
been  subscribed  and  expended  since  the  for- 
mation of  the  Silchester  Excavation  Fund, 
and  it  is  estimated  that  a  further  sum  of  at 
least  ;^3,ooo  will  be  required  to  complete 
the  examination  of  the  area  within  the  walls. 

The  Executive  Committee  therefore  ven- 
ture to  appeal  to  the  public  generally,  and 
especially  to  such  as  are  interested  in  the 
early  history  of  this  country,  for  funds  to 
carry  on  a  work  that  has  already  produced 
such  valuable  and  interesting  results. 

The  whole  of  the  numerous  antiquities 
and  architectural  remains  found  during  the 
excavations  have  been  deposited  by  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  the  owner  of  the  site,  in  the 
Reading  Museum,  where  they  have  been 
admirably  arranged  by  the  Honorary  Curator, 
Dr.  Stevens.  No  such  collection  as  that  in 
the  architectural-room  can  yet  be  seen  in  any 
other  museum  in  Britain. 

The  work  of  excavation  is  carried  out 
under  the  personal  supervision  of  an  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  experts,  who  will  be  glad 
at  any  time  to  show  to  visitors  what  is  in 
progress." 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


^rcb^ological  Bete. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.] 


SALES. 

Messrs.  Christie,  Manson,  and  Woods  sold  at 
the  beginning  of  July  the  collection  of  silver  plate 
formed  by  the  late  Mr.  Alfred  Cock,  Q.C.,  F.S.A. 
The  collection  included  a  circular  deep  dish,  with 
fluted  border  and  escalloped  edge,  10^  in.  diameter, 
with  the  hall-mark  of  1716,  29  oz.,  at  33s.  per  oz. 
(Gribble)  ;  four  William  III.  small,  plain,  cylin- 
drical sugar  dredgers  by  Thomas  Bolton,  Dublin, 
circa  1693,  7  oz.,  at  60s.  per  oz.  (Taylor) ;  a  Charles  I. 
small,  plain  tazza,  or  drinking-cup,  5 J  in.  diameter, 
1637,  nearly  50Z.,  at  82s.  per  oz.  (Phillips)  ;  and  an 
Early  English  tazza,  with  plain  bowl  chased,  with 
narrow  band  beneath  of  pierced  cut  card  ornament 
in  relief,  3jin.  diameter,  circa  1540,  6oz.,  at  148s. 
(Taylor).  A  Charles  I.  Apostle  spoon,  with  figure 
of  St.  John,  1631,  £1^  (Crichton) ;  another,  with 
figure  of  Matthias,  probably  1639,  £1^  los. 
(Harding) ;  a  small  standing  cup  and  cover,  with 
beaker-shaped  bowl  chased  with  stag  and  fox  in 
landscapes, about  70z.,9gin.  high,  Nuremberg  work, 
sixteenth  century,  ^^48  (Phillips) ;  a  standing  bulb 
cup  and  cover,  the  bowl  and  foot  spirally  fluted, 
the  cover  surmounted  by  a  group  of  flowers  in 
silver,  Nuremberg,  sixteenth  century,  13J  in.  high, 
II  oz.,  ;f44  (Phillips);  a  miniature  of  a  gentleman 
with  powdered  hair  and  red  coat,  by  J.  Smart, 
1774,  /21  (Colnaghi  and  Co.);  "The  Fighting 
Gladiator,"  a  French  seventeenth-century  bronze, 
19  in.  high,  ;^39  (Moscheles) ;  14J  in.  high,  /51 
(Smith)  ;  and  an  old  oak  cabinet,  carved  with 
figures  in  sixteenth-century  costume,  etc.,  80  in. 
high,  43  guineas  (Adams). 

*         3*C         ♦ 

On  July  13  Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson,  and 
Hodge  concluded  a  three  days'  sale  of  Mr.  Cock's 
library.  The  collection  sold  extremely  well,  con- 
sidering its  very  miscellaneous  character.  The 
more  important  lots  were  :  A.  Durer,  Passio  Christi, 
Nurnberg,  151 1,  very  scarce,  /15  15s.  (Rimell) ; 
Illustrated  Catalogue  of  the  Exhibition  of  Portrait 
Miniatures  at  the  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club,  1889, 
^■22  (Bain) ;  a  fifteenth-century  MS.  of  Thomas  a 
Kempis,  Meditationes  de  Incamatione  Christi,  with 
numerous  capitals  and  initials,  a  very  beautiful 
specimen  of  Low  Country  work,  probably  from 
some  convent  of  the  Windesham  school,  £2^ 
(Quaritch) :  this  MS.  cost  Mr.  Cock  /12  a  tew 
years  since;  W.  Morris,  The  Story  of  the  Glittering 
Plain,  1891,  the  first  book  printed  at  the  Kelmscott 
Press,  /"16  los.  (Edwards) ;  The  Works  of  Chaucer, 
from  the  same  press,  1896,  £z6  (Shepherd) ;  Rev. 
W.  R.  Eyton,  Antiquities  of  Shropshire,  1854-60, 
in  twelve  volumes,  only  300  copies  printed,  /31  los. 
(Quaritch)  ;  and  J.  A.  Symonds,  The  Renais- 
sance in  Italy,  1875-86,  seven  volumes,  /16  15s. 
(Sotheran). 

KK 


250 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  ARCHAEOLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES. 
No.  218  (being  the  Second  Part  of  Volume  V.  of 
the  Second  Series)  of  the  Archaological  Journal  for 
June,  1898,  has  been  issued.  The  following  is  a 
summary  of  its  contents:  (i)  "An  Effigy  of  a 
Member  of  the  Martin  Family  in  Piddletown 
Church,  Dorset,"  by  Viscount  Dillon.  This  "  very 
beautiful  effigy,"  as  Lord  Dillon  truly  describes  it, 
is  excellently  represented  in  a  drawing  by  Mr.  G.  E. 
Fox.  {2)  Sir  Henry  Howorth's  inaugural  address 
at  the  Dorchester  meeting  last  year  on  "Old  and 
New  Methods  in  writing  History "  follows.  (3) 
Mr.  F.  G.  Hilton-Price  describes  the  "  Remains  of 
Carmelite  Buildings  on  the  Site  of  the  Marigold  at 
Temple  Bar"  in  the  next  paper,  which  is  followed 
by  (4)  one  by  Mr.  J.  R.  Mortimer  on  certain  "  Pits 
or  Ancient  British  Settlement  at  Danby  North 
Moor."  From  certain  letters  which  passed  between 
Mr.  Mortimer  and  Canon  Atkinson  (the  venerable 
Vicar  of  Danby),  and  which  are  printed  in  the 
course  of  the  paper,  we  are  reminded  of  the  saying 
that  two  lions  cannot  roar  in  the  same  field. 
(5)  "  Further  Notes  on  the  Rose,  and  Remarks  on 
the  Lily,"  by  Mr.  J.  L.  Andre,  follow,  and  in 
turn  is  succeeded  by  a  contribution  from  Chancellor 
Ferguson  (6)  on  "  More  Picture- Board  Dummies,"  in 
which  certain  of  these  "  fancies  "  at  Spilsby,  Raby 
Castle,  and  Dorchester  Museum,  are  described  and 
illustrated.  We  are  glad  to  meet  with  a  greater 
variety  of  matter  in  this  part  than  in  some  others 
recently  issued. 

3(e      3^      ^fc 
Part  I.  of  the  Eighth  Volume  of  the  Fifth  Series 
of  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Society  0/  Antiquaries 
has  reached  us.     It  contains  the  following  papers  : 

Si)  "  The  Dun  at  Dorsey,  Co.  Armagh "  (with 
our  illustrations),  by  the  Rev.  H.  W.  Lett;  (2) 
"Ballywiheen  Church,  Co.  Kerry"  (four  illustra- 
tions), by  Mr.  R.  A.  S.  Macalister  ;  (3)  "  Stillorgan 
Park  and  its  History,"  by  Mr.  F.  E.  Ball;  (4) 
"  Limerick  Cathedral :  its  Plan  and  Growth,"  by 
Mr.  T.  J.  Westropp  (five  illustrations).  This 
paper  (which  is  to  be  continued)  is  the  first  attempt 
to  describe  at  all  fully  and  in  detail  one  of  the 
most  interesting  of  the  old  provincial  cathedral 
churches  of  Ireland.  We  hope  that  Mr.  Westropp, 
in  a  succeeding  portion  of  his  paper,  may  be  able 
to  give  a  shaded  ground-plan  of  the  cathedral ,  in- 
dicating the  dififerent  periods  of  its  erection.  In 
(5)  Mr.  W.  Frazer  describes  the  discovery  of  a 
"  Cist  at  Dunfagny,  Co.  Donegal,  with  Human 
Remains"  (reported  by  Archdeacon  Baillie).  (6) 
"  Notes  on  the  Newly-discovered  Ogam-Stones  in 
County  Meath,"  by  Mr.  R.  Cochrane,  with 
readings  by  Professor  Rhys,  follow,  and  help  to 
make  up  an  excellent  number.  In  addition  there 
are  several  useful  and  interesting  shorter  notes 
grouped  under  the  heading  of  "  Miscellanea." 
The  number,  as  usual,  is  copiously  illustrated. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  First  Part  of  the  Seventh  Volume  of  the 
Transactions  of  the  Essex  Archaological  Society  has 
reached  us.  It  is  a  very  good  number,  and  con- 
tains the  following  papers :  (i)  "  On  some  In- 
teresting Essex  Brasses,"  by  Mr.    Miller  Christy 


and  Mr.  W.  W.  Porteous.  We  have  alluded  to 
this  paper  in  the  "  Notes  of  the  Month,"  and  have 
quoted  from  it  what  the  authors  say  as  to  a  brass 
at  Aveley.  The  paper,  which  is  continued  from 
previous  parts  of  the  Transactions,  contains  some 
sixteen  facsimiles  of  rubbings  of  brasses,  and  is  a 
valuable  addition  to  the  literature  on  the  subject. 
Our  main  objection  is  that  all  the  brasses  do  not 
seem  to  be  included.  (2)  The  second  paper  is  a 
contribution  by  Mr.  H.  C.  Maiden  of  some 
"  Ancient  Wills,"  i.e.,  circa  1490-1530,  bearing  on 
the  subject  of  the  erection  (at  the  end  of  the 
fifteenth  and  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  centuries) 
of  the  steeple  of  Chelmsford  Church.  This  paper 
is  followed  by  (3]  an  account  by  Mr.  Laver  (with 
an  illustration)  of  the  Parish  Cage  and  Whipping- 
Post  at  Bradwell-on-Sea.  Then  come  (4)  "  Some 
Additions  to  Newcourt's  Repertorium,"  by  Mr.  J. 
C.  Chancellor  Smith.  In  the  next  paper  (5)  Mr.  W. 
C.  Waller  contributes  the  fourth  part  of  his  very 
useful  paper  on  "Essex  Field-Names,"  which  we 
have  previously  commended.  A  fine  font-cover  at 
Takely  Church  is  illustrated,  and  described  among 
the  "  Archaeological  Notes."  The  statement  that  it 
dates  "from  the  sixteenth  or  early  seventeenth 
century  "  is  manifestly  a  mistake.  From  the  photo- 
graph we  should  say  that  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  or  perhaps  earlier,  is  the  probable  date  of 
the  cover.  The  cover,  we  are  told,  was  "  originally 
surmounted  by  a  small  wooden  tabernacle  or  font- 
case.  This  '  cupboard,'  as  it  is  popularly  called, 
is  now  standing  in  the  vestry.  It  is  6  feet  3  inches 
high  and  2  feet  6  inches  square,  each  side  con- 
taining eight  panels  finely  carved  after  the  well- 
known  linenfold  pattern."  [Here  comes  a  de- 
scription of  an  ordinary  unglazed  white  ware 
fontlet,  which  used  to  be  placed  in  it  and  served 
for  baptisms.  The  account  then  proceeds  to  say  :] 
"  These  font-cases  are  by  no  means  common,  but  a 
fine  example,  with  its  pinnacle  in  position,  is  to  be 
seen  in  the  neighbouring  church  of  Thaxted." 

There  is  apparently  a  good  deal  of  confusion 
(and  no  little  ignorance  of  the  subject)  in  this  note, 
but  we  have  quoted  what  it  says  because  we  fancy 
that  the  so-called  "cupboard"  or  "font-case"  is 
very  possibly  of  far  greater  interest  than  the  writer 
seems  to  suppose,  and  we  hope  that  the  fuller  atten- 
tion of  local  antiquaries  may  be  drawn  to  it. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Navy  Records  Society 
was  held  on  Thursday,  June  16,  when  it  was  an- 
nounced that  the  Master  and  Fellows  of  Magdalene 
College,  Cambridge,  have  given  permission  to  Mr. 
J.  R.  Tanner,  of  St.  John's,  to  calendar  the  manu- 
scripts in  the  Pepysian  Library.  It  is  intended 
that  this  calendar,  which  will  be  on  somewhat  the 
same  lines  as  that  of  the  Cecil  Papers,  drawn  up 
and  published  for  the  Historical  Manuscripts  Com- 
mission, will  be  printed  and  issued  by  the  Navy 
Records  Society.  It  is  a  matter  of  satisfaction  to 
all  historical  students  that  Magdalene  College  has 
felt  able  to  relax  in  some  degree  the  strict  seclusion 
in  which  these  manuscripts  have  been  kept  for  the 
last  two  hundred  years. 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


251 


At  the  weekly  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries, on  June  16,  Chancellor  Ferguson  exhibited 
a  Danish  sword,  shield-boss,  etc.,  found  in  a  West- 
morland churchyard. — Mr.  A.  T.  Martin  read  a 
paper  on  the  identity  of  the  author  of  Morte  d'A  rth  itr, 
with  notes  on  the  will  of  Thomas  Malory  and  on 
the  genealogy  of  the  Malory  family.  Mr.  Martin 
pointed  out  that  until  last  year  no  investigations 
had  revealed  the  existence  of  any  Malory  named 
Thomas  in  the  year  1469-70,  the  year  in  which  the 
author  handed  over  his  book  Morte  d' Arthur  to 
Caxton.  In  September,  1897,  however,  he  was 
able  to  communicate  to  the  Athenaum  an  account  of 
a  will  of  a  Thomas  Malory  of  Papworth,  who  must 
have  died  in  September  or  October,  1469.  Since 
that  time  further  research  had  brought  to  light 
many  additional  facts  about  the  author  of  this  will, 
and  had  also  revealed  the  existence  of  one,  or  per- 
haps two,  other  Thomas  Malories,  who  were  alive 
in  this  year.  These  last  two  Malories  were  respec- 
tively Sir  Thomas  Malory  of  Winwick,  and  a  Sir 
Thomas  Malory  of  whom  nothing  was  known,  except 
the  facts  recorded  by  an  Inquisition  post-mortem  that 
he  died  in  1471,  and  held  no  lands  in  Northampton- 
shire. There  are  reasons  for  believing  these  two  to 
be  identical,  and  the  only  ground  for  identifying 
either  or  both  of  them  with  the  author  is  the  fact 
that  both  they  and  the  author  appear  to  have  been 
knights.  Of  the  history  of  the  first-named  Thomas, 
the  testator,  many  facts  have  come  to  light,  all  of 
which  tend  to  identify  him  with  the  author.  He 
was  the  grandson  of  Anketin  Malory,  formerly  of 
Kirby  Malory,  in  Leicestershire,  into  whose  family 
the  manor  of  Papworth  passed  by  his  marriage  with 
Alice,  daughter  of  William  Papworth.  Anketin's 
son  William,  the  father  of  Thomas,  the  testator,  also 
held  lands  at  or  near  Morton  Corbet,  in  Shropshire. 
Here  Thomas  was  born  and  baptized  in  the  year 
1425.  His  godfather  was  Thomas  Charleton,  of 
Appeley,  and  his  godmother  Margery,  wife  of 
Thomas  Thomes,  of  Shrewsbury.  He  proved  his 
age  at  Shrewsbury  in  1451,  having  been  for  six  years 
in  the  King's  wardship  as  a  minor.  He  did  not, 
however,  obtain  a  release  from  the  King  of  his 
manor  at  Papworth  till  May,  1469,  and  he  died  in 
September  or  October  of  the  same  year.  Now,  his 
birthplace  corresponds  with  remarkable  closeness 
with  the  account  of  Thomas  Malory  given  in  1548 
by  Bale,  who  says  that  Mailoria  was  "in  finibus 
Cambriae  regio  Devae  flumini  vicina, ' '  Morton  Corbet 
being  close  to  the  Welsh  border,  and  not  far  from 
the  Dee.  Other  evidence  was  adduced  as  to  the 
existence  of  a  district  called  Mailoria.  The  chief 
obstacle  to  the  identification  of  this  Thomas  with 
the  author  was  the  fact  that  in  the  documents 
examined  there  is  no  designation  of  rank,  while  the 
author  styled  himself  "Knight."  Bale,  however, 
also  omits  any  title.  The  fact  that  this  Thomas 
Malory  did  not  obtain  a  release  from  the  King  of 
his  manor  at  Papworth,  moreover,  tends  to  identify 
him  with  the  Sir  Thomas  Malory  expressly  ex- 
empted from  a  pardon  by  Edward  IV.  in  the  year 
1468,  of  which  a  note  was  communicated  to  the 
AthencBum  in  July,  1896,  by  Mr.  Williams.  Mr. 
Martin  also  exhibited  a  deed,  kindly  lent  by  Mr, 
Williams,  which  was  interesting  because  it  bore 
the  seal  of  John   Malory,  the   father  of  Thomas 


Malory  of  Winwick.  On  this  seal  were  the  arms  of 
Revell,  which  had  been  apparently  adopted  by  his 
grandfather,  who  married  the  daughter  and  heiress 
of  John  Revell,  of  Newbould  Revell. — Mr.  Harts- 
horne  communicated  some  notes  on  the  cross  now 
in  the  churchyard  at  Claverley,  Salop,  and  on  the 
characteristics  of  churchyard  crosses  generally. 

*  *      * 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Numismatic  Society 
was  held  on  June  16,  Sir  J.  Evans,  president,  in  the 
chair.  The  medal  of  the  society,  which  had  been 
awarded  to  Canon  Greenwell,  of  Durham,  for  his 
marked  services  to  ancient  numismatics,  especially 
in  connection  with  the  coinages  of  Cyzicus  and 
Lampsacus,  was  formally  presented.  In  Dr.  Green- 
well's  unavoidable  absence,  the  hon.  secretary,  Mr. 
Grueber,  received  the  medal  on  his  behalf. — The 
President  delivered  his  annual  address  on  the  work 
done  by  the  society  during  the  past  year,  referring 
at  some  length  to  the  various  articles  published  in 
the  society's  journal,  the  Numismatic  Chronicle.  He 
also  mentioned  the  losses  sustained  by  the  society 
by  death  or  resignation,  and  gave  a  summary  of  the 
more  important  numismatic  publications  which  had 
been  issued  during  the  last  twelve  months  at  home 
and  abroad. — The  ballot  for  the  election  of  officers 
and  council  was  then  proceeded  with.  Sir  John 
Evans  being  re-elected  president,  and  Messrs. 
Grueber  and  Ray  son  secretaries. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  General  Committee  of 
the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  was  held  on 
July  5  at  38,  Conduit  Street.  The  chair  was 
occupied  by  Mr.  James  Glaisher,  F.R.S.  The 
report  of  the  executive  committee  having  been 
read  and  adopted,  the  meeting  was  addressed  by 
Dr.  Bliss  (who  is  shortly  proceeding  to  Palestine 
to  resume  the  work  of  excavation),  by  Professor 
Hull,  Mr.  Henry  Harper,  Dr.  Lowry,  Colonel 
Goldsmid,  and  Mr.  Walter  Morrison,  the  treasurer, 
It  was  stated  in  the  report  that  a  letter  had  been 
received  from  the  British  Consul  at  Jerusalem, 
informing  the  committee  that  permission  to  ex- 
cavate in  Palestine  had  again  been  granted  by  the 
Sultan,  and  that  arrangements  have  been  made  for 
commencing  excavations  on  sites  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Tell-es-Safi,  the  supposed  site  of  Gath, 
about  midway  between  Jerusalem  and  Ashkelon. 
The  cost  of  these  researches  will  be  about  /loo  a 
month,  and  funds  are  needed  in  order  that  the  work 
may  be  done  quickly  and  efficiently. 

*  *     * 

At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Newcastle 
Society  of  Antiquaries,  held  on  May  29,  Mr.  R. 
Welford  presiding,  the  chairman  moved  that  a 
vote  of  condolence  be  sent  to  the  family  of  the  late 
Mr.  John  Philipson.  He  mentioned  that  Mr. 
Philipson  was  with  them  a  month  ago,  apparently 
in  the  enjoyment  of  his  usual  health,  and  with  the 
prospect  of  many  years'  usefulness  before  him. 
The  late  Mr.  John  Philipson  was  a  member  of  a 
very  old  and  Honourable  family  in  the  North  of 
England,  and  had  been  a  sort  of  connecting-link 
between  the  older  members  and  founders  of  that 
society  and  themselves,  owing  to  his  marriage  with 
Dr.  Bruce's  daughter.  They  would  miss  his  genial 
face,  his  dignified  bearing,  and  that  old-time  sort  of 

KK   2 


252 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


courtesy  which  made  him  so  excellent  a  chairman 
and  so  agreeable  a  companion. 

Dr.  Hodgkin  seconded  the  proposition,  which 
was  agreed  to. 

The  gift  was  announced  from  Mr.  Walter  Reid 
of  a  chemical  balance,  probably  of  early  eighteenth- 
century  date,  formerly  belonging  to  the  Goldsmiths' 
Company  of  Newcastle,  and  purchased  by  the 
donor  at  the  sale  of  the  effects  of  the  Newcastle 
Assay  Office.  In  a  letter  which  accompanied  the 
gift,  Mr.  C.  L.  Reid,  a  member  of  the  society  and 
one  of  the  firm,  said  :  "  The  ex-Assay  Master,  Mr. 
James  Robson,  told  me  he  believed  they  were  pur- 
chased at  the  time  of,  or  shortly  after,  the  restora- 
tion of  powers  of  assay  to  the  Goldsmiths'  Company 
by  the  special  Act  of  1702 ;  and  his  statement  is 
corroborated  by  an  entry  in  the  minute  books  of 
the  company,  when,  under  date  of  May  2,  1729, 
there  occurs  this  item  amongst  the  disbursements : 
'  To  a  pair  of  scales  for  the  use  of  the  Company, 
£^  4s.  od.'  Unfortunately  the  name  of  the  maker 
is  not  stated,  but  they  would  probably  be  made  by 
one  of  the  goldsmiths,  James  Kirkup  possibly,  as 
he  is  mentioned  in  a  former  entry  as  repairing  the 
scales  for  iis.  6d." 

On  the  motion  of  Mr.  Heslop,  seconded  by  Mr. 
Gibson,  special  thanks  were  voted  to  Mr.  Reid  by 
acclamation. 

The  following  objects  were  exhibited  : 

By  Mr.  Hodgkin  :  A  circular  bronze  plate,  origin- 
ally 3f  inches  in  diameter,  covered  on  its  face  with 
sunk  patterns.  Mr.  Bosanquet  thought  the  design 
was  Greco-Roman  rather  than  Celtic,  as  there  are 
four  or  five  zones ;  the  outermost  is  the  double-wave 
pattern  of  leaves  and  grapes,  followed  by  a  pear-like 
pattern.  The  centre  is  pierced,  and  around  it  is 
another  ring  of  ornamentation.  This  object  was 
probably  used  for  attachment  to  harness. 

By  Lieut. -Colonel  Haswell,  of  Monkseaton : 
(i)  A  silver  beaker  of  beautiful  workmanship, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  formerly  in  use  as  a 
communion-cup  in  a  Yorkshire  church.  It  is 
5^  inches  high  by  3f  inches  in  diameter  at  mouth, 
and  2§  inches  at  base.  The  hall-marks  on  the 
bottom  are  maker's  marks :  (i.)  h  m  tied,  dot  above, 
spur-rowel  below ;  (ii.)  leopard's  head  crowned  ; 
(iii.)  lion  passant;  and  (iv.)  London  year  letter, 
Gothic  M  for  1609.  There  is  the  usual  strap,  with 
band  crossing  three  times,  enclosing  a  leaf-scroll  of 
thistle,  acorn,  etc.,  a  flower  ornament  extends  half- 
way down  the  sides  where  the  bands  interlace. 

(2)  An  open  oval  badge  of  silver,  with  a  loop  for 
suspension,   bearing    the    inscription,   "c.   heron 

SERJ'^  AT  ARMS    LAW   HOUSE    SOUTH    SHIELDS    I795." 

In  the  centre  is  an  anchor,  round  which  a  rope  is 
twisted.  It  is  4  inches  long  (including  loop)  by 
2j  inches  wide,  and  has  on  loop  three  hall-marks : 
leopard's  head  crowned,  lion  rampant,  and  sove- 
reign's head. 

This  gave  rise  to  some  discussion  and  to  various 
suggestions  as  to  the  office  mentioned. 

Lieut. -Colonel  Haswell  said  that  nothing  can  be 
authoritatively  given  in  explanation  of  it.  In  the 
new  History  of  Northumberland,  vol.  iv.,  the  gene- 
alogy of  this  family  is  given,  and  it  is  noted  he 
assumed  the  title  of  "  Sir,"  but  whether  rightly  or 
wrongly  is  not  stated.     In  a  book   (presented   to 


Colonel  Filter,  C.B.,  by  Captain  Linskill)  entitled, 
List  0/  Volunteers  and  Yeomanry  Corps  0/  the  United 
Kingdom,  published  by  his  Majesty's  Secretary  of 
State,  dated  1804,  under  co.  Durham,  South 
Shields  is  shown  to  have  had  two  corps,  the  one 
consisting  of  236  volunteers,  under  the  command  of 
"Sir  C.  Heron,  Bart."  Many  stories  are  still 
extant  about  his  doings,  but  the  grandfather  of  the 
Dr.  Ward  of  Blyth,  who  was  in  Clifford's  Fort  at 
the  time  of  a  sham  fight,  has  handed  down  the  fact 
of  the  South  Shields  volunteers  crossing  the  Tyne 
at  the  narrows  on  a  bridge  of  keels,  on  which  occa- 
sion Sir  C.  Heron  waded  over  on  horseback  at  the 
head  of  his  men.  Col.  Haswell  stated  that  the 
beaker  came  into  his  possession  about  thirty  years 
ago.  As  regards  the  badge,  he  had  not  been  able  to 
make  anything  out.  The  Cuthbert  Heron  referred 
to  lived  in  Heron  Street,  South  Shields,  and 
assumed  the  title  of  a  baronet  at  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  and  was  then  generally  so  known  and 
addressed. 

Mr.  Adamson  remarked  that  "Sir"  C.  Heron 
raised  a  corps  of  volunteers — the  Sea  Fencibles— 
of  which  he  was  captain,  and  in  his  commission  he 
was  designated  Sir  Cuthbert  Heron,  Bart.  Could 
the  office  of  Sergeant-at-arms  have  anything  to  do 
with  the  corps  ? 

The  recommendation  of  the  council  to  hold  an 
additional  afternoon  country  meeting  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Newcastle,  proceeding  from  the  castle 
by  way  of  Jesmond  Chapel,  Salter's  Bridge,  ruins 
of  North  Gosforth  Old  Chapel,  to  Burradon  Tower, 
and  back  by  Stephenson's  cottage,  Westmoor,  was 
agreed  to. 

The  council  recommended  that  a  sum  of  £25  be 
contributed  out  of  the  funds  of  the  society  towards 
the  excavation  of  the  Roman  station  of  Housesteads 
(Borcovicus)  per  lineam  valli. 

Mr.  Hodgkin  said  that  the  committee  had  been 
fortunate  in  securing  for  a  time  the  valuable  services 
of  Mr.  Carr-Bosanquet,  the  son  of  their  fellow- 
member,  Mr.  C.  B.  Bosanquet,  of  Rock,  who  had 
considerable  experience  of  excavation  in  Greece,  in 
superintending  the  excavations.  At  present  about 
a  dozen  men  were  employed  on  the  work.  They 
had  only  been  engaged  about  six  or  seven  days, 
but  already  the  results  were  very  encouraging.  He 
thought  they  would  be  able  to  trace  the  general 
outline  of  the  camp.  They  found  the  remains  of  a 
large  and,  he  thought,  stately  building  in  the  centre 
of  the  camp.  There  were  some  fine  bases  of  pillars, 
which  were  very  massive.  As  at  Msica,  there  were 
traces  of  successive  occupations.  They  hoped  to 
continue  the  work  for  two  months,  and  he  thought 
they  would  get  some  interesting  results. 

Mr.  R.  C.  Clephan  stated  that  he  had  just  visited 
Housesteads,  accompanied  by  Professor  de  Ceule- 
neer,  of  Ghent,  an  honorary  member  of  the  society, 
and  they  were  pleased  to  see  that  great  progress 
had  been  made  in  opening  out  the  station.  No  new 
light  had  been  shed  on  the  situation,  and  no  objects 
had  then  been  found  beyond  some  pieces  of  pottery. 

The  recommendation  of  the  council  for  the  grant 
of  £2^  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 

Mr.  Hodgkin  also  announced  that  the  council 
had  approved  of  the  draft  of  an  appeal  for  subscrip- 
tions towards  the  excavation  fund.  He  had  already 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


253 


received  and  been  promised  about  £^},o,  but  two  of 
the  larger  contributions  (of  £^0  each)  were  con- 
ditional on  the  sum  of  /500  being  obtained.  He 
hoped,  therefore,  that  members  would  assist  in  the 
carrying  out  of  so  desirable  a  work.  Should  any 
funds  remain  after  the  exploration  of  Housesteads 
the  balance  would  be  applied  to  the  clearing  out  of 
another  camp. 

The  Rev.  C.  E.  Adamson  mentioned  that  he  had 
recently  seen  the  book  of  the  parish  accounts  of 
Monk  Heselden,  at  the  commencement  of  which 
were  the  names  of  the  select  vestry  of  "  The  Twelve 
of  the  Parish."  There  was  no  date,  the  nearest 
stating  the  amount  of  "  the  whole  Book  of  Rates 
for  the  parish  the  Quakers  sess  deducted  "  for  1687. 
The  present  Vicar  found  this  "Twelve  of  the 
Parish  "  in  existence,  but  he  had  not  thought  it 
advisable  to  do  what  was  necessary  to  prolong  its 
existence,  and  consequently  it  has  now  ceased  to 
exist.  Mr,  Adamson  said  that  he  mentioned  this 
because  some  time  ago  some  of  the  members  had 
asked  questions  on  the  subject  of  select  vestries. 

*       *       3«f 

At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Royal  Arch^o- 
LOGiCAL  Institute,  on  Wednesday,  July  6,  Mr. 
F.  G.  Hilton  Price  exhibited  and  described  a 
fine  example  of  a  thirty-hour  alarum  clock-watch 
by  Thomas  Tompion,  made  about  the  year  1670. 
The  silver  case  is  beautiful  and  rich  in  design,  and 
is  considered  by  Mr.  Charles  Shapland  as  English, 
despite  the  six  French  marks  that  are  on  it  and  the 
lilies.  One  of  the  marks  is  a  spider,  being  an 
ancient  mark  of  Alen9on.  But  the  weight  and  feel 
of  the  case,  and  the  leafy  circles  and  roses,  which 
are  also  on  the  brass-work  under  the  dial,  suggest 
its  English  origin.  The  movements  are  original  in 
all  parts,  and  are  remarkably  well  preserved. 

Professor  Bunnell  Lewis,  F.S.A.,  read  a  paper 
on  "  Roman  Antiquities  in  South  Germany,"  in 
which  he  noticed  the  following  remains  : 

1.  A  mosaic  at  Rottweil,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Wiirtemberg,  where  the  principal  figure  is  Orpheus. 
He  is  represented,  as  usual,  seated,  playing  the  lyre 
and  wearing  the  Phrygian  cap  ;  but  the  expression 
of  his  countenance  is  remarkable  ;  he  looks  upwards 
to  heaven,  as  if  inspired  by  the  Deity. 

2.  An  inscription  at  Constance,  which  was 
formerly  at  Winterthur  in  Switzerland.  It  belongs 
to  the  period  of  Diocletian,  and,  though  only  a 
fragment,  is  useful  for  deciphering  inscriptions  still 
more  imperfect.     The  date  is  a.d.  294. 

3.  Badenweiler,  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden, 
is  surrounded  by  the  beautiful  scenery  of  the 
Schwarzwald,  a  short  distance  north  of  Bale.  The 
Roman  baths  at  this  place  are  the  best  preserved 
in  Germany.  They  consist  of  two  equal  parts, 
each  containing  two  large  and  some  smaller  apart- 
ments, and  separated  by  a  thick  middle  wall.  It 
was  formerly  supposed  that  the  division  was  made 
between  the  military  and  the  civilians  ;  but  as  no 
objects  have  been  found  belonging  to  the  former 
class,  it  is  now  generally  agreed  that  this  division 
had  reference  to  the  two  sexes.  No  halls  are  to  be 
seen  here  as  at  Pompeii;  on  the  other  hand, 
enough  remains  of  the  foundations  and  walls  to 
enable  us  to  trace  the  ground-plan  distinctly. 

4.  The  Roman  boundary  wall  in  Germany  has 


been  the  subject  of  important  publications  by 
English  and  foreign  writers.  It  is  now  being  ex- 
plored with  great  care,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Reichs-Limes  Commission,  by  various  local  savants : 
the  results  of  their  investigations  appear  in  a  series 
of  monographs  upon  the  forts  (castella).  Many 
important  discoveries  have  been  made.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  is  a  Mithras-relief  at  Osterburken, 
which  ranks  first  of  its  class  for  size,  for  Mithraic 
legends,  mysterious  deities,  and  the  union  of 
Persian,  Greek,  and  Chaldsean  elements. 

*  ♦  34c 
The  first  of  the  outdoor  meetings  of  the  Hamp- 
STEAD  Antiquarian  and  Historical  Society 
took  place  on  Saturday  afternoon,  June  25,  and 
included  visits  to  Cannon  Hall,  Hampstead,  and 
Wildwoods,  North  End.  There  was  a  good  attend- 
ance of  members  and  friends,  including  Mr.  Talfourd 
Ely,  F.S.A.,  one  of  the  vice-presidents.  Mr.  Henry 
Clarke,  a  member  of  the  society,  in  conducting  the 
party  over  Cannon  Hall,  pointed  out  that  the  oldest 
part  of  his  residence  was  the  hall  and  staircase.  An 
old  well  formerly  existed  in  the  courtyard,  and  the 
house  took  its  name  from  the  various  pieces  of  old 
cannon  placed  at  different  parts  of  the  lawn  and  on 
the  walls  by  a  former  resident. — The  old  fire- 
engine,  the  dungeon  or  lock-up,  the  court-room 
(now  used  as  a  billiard-room)  were  in  turn  visited, 
whilst  from  the  drawing-room  the  beautiful  view 
was  much  admired.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  having 
been  passed  to  Mr.  Clarke,  on  the  motion  of  Mr. 
C.  J.  Munich  (hon.  sec),  seconded  by  Mr.  Chandler, 
the  party  then  proceeded,  under  the  guidance  of 
Mr.  George  W.  Potter,  to  Wildwoods.  On  the 
way  Mr.  Potter  pointed  out  various  objects  of 
interest,  and  at  the  Judges'  Walk  he  read  some 
extracts  from  an  old  manuscript  in  corroboration 
of  the  general  idea  that  at  this  spot  the  courts  were 
held  at  the  time  of  the  Plague.  On  arriving  at 
Wildwoods,  the  party  visited  the  small  room  occu- 
pied for  nearly  two  years  by  William  Pitt,  Earl  of 
Chatham,  and  also  other  parts  of  the  house  and  the 
garden.  On  leaving,  the  hon.  sec.  conveyed  the 
thanks  of  the  Society  to  Mr.  Figgis,  junr.  (in  the 
absence  of  his  father),  for  the  latter's  kindness  in 
permitting  them  to  visit  Wildwoods. 


of  Jl3eto  TBoolis. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.] 
Hereford,    the    Cathedral    and    See    (Bell's 
Cathedral  Series).     By  A.  Hugh  Fisher,  with 
forty    illustrations.      Crown     8vo.,    pp.     112. 
London  :  George  Bell  and  Sons.     Price  is.  6d. 
The  cathedral  church  of  Hereford,  although  one 
of  the  smallest  of  our  English  minsters,  is  at  the 
same  time  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  pic- 
turesque.    A  little  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago 
it  possessed  a  feature  which  was  unique  among  the 
cathedral  churches  of  this  country,  viz.,  a  single 


254 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


western  tower.  Unfortunately  this  fell  in  1786, 
destroying  the  west  front  as  well.  Mr.  Fisher 
has  reproduced  opposite  page  18  one  of  the  old 
engravings,  showing  the  western  elevation  of  the 
church  prior  to  this  disaster.  He  merely  describes 
it  as  taken  "  from  an  old  print,"  and  we  have  not 
identified   the    original    from   which   it   has   been 


When  the  tower  fell  Wyatt  was  called  in,  with 
the  result  that  he  not  only  wantonly  pulled  down 
a  whole  bay  of  the  nave,  thus  shortening  it  by  that 
amount,  but  he  also  demolished  the  nave  triforium, 
substituting  a  miserable  design  of  his  own. 

The  ground-plan  of  Hereford  Cathedral  is  that 
of  a  double  cross.     Other  of  our  cathedrals  have 


ill  i  /if 


mmm 


HEREFORD   CATHEDRAL   CHURCH  :      THE    OLD    WEST    FRONT    AND    TOWER. 


copied,  but  it  gives  a  very  good  idea  of  what  the 
old  west  front  and  tower  must  have  been  like,  only 
that  the  figures  introduced  into  the  foreground  are 
manifestly  out  of  all  proportion  and  too  large,  thus 
seriously  dwarfing  the  church.  It  will  be  seen 
from  this  picture,  which  the  publishers  have  kindly 
lent  us,  that  the  Norman  front  of  Hereford  bore  a 
general  likeness  to  that  of  Rochester. 


perhaps  suffered  as  severely  as,  but  few  more  so  than, 
Hereford  has  from  the  hand  of  the  "  restorer." 
And  what  with  the  disaster  of  1786,  followed  by 
the  vandalisms  of  Wyatt,  and  the  alterations  by 
Cottingham,  and  the  "thorough  restoration"  of 
Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  the  once  venerable  appearance  of 
tha  building  has  been  almost  entirely  obliterated, 
while  its  internal   arrangjamant   his   h^^a   turned 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


255 


topsy-turvy.  Certainly  the  hideous  disfigurements 
which  Bishop  Bisse,  with  the  most  excellent  and 
pious  ihtentions,  effected  at  the  east  end  of  the 
choir  in  the  beginning  of  last  century,  were  such 
as  to  justify  some  rather  violent  revulsion  of 
feeling,  but  none  the  less  the  present  appearance 


the  west  end.  Sir  Gilbert  shortened  the  choir,  and 
at  the  same  time  parochialized  the  arrangement  of 
the  church  by  placing  a  light  open  screen  of  metal 
work  at  the  eastern  arch  of  the  tower,  abolishing 
the  returned  stalls,  and  providing  the  church 
generally    with    fittings    of    the    most    approved 


HEREFORD   CATHEDRAL   CHURCH  :     THE    EAST    END   OF    THE    CHOIR,    WITH    BISHOP   BISSE'S   ALTAR-PIECE. 


of  the  interior  is  now  little  better  than  a  show 
place  for  the  abominations  of  the  ecclesiastical 
tailor  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  Prior  to  Sir 
Gilbert  Scott's  "restoration"  the  choir  extended 
to  the  western  <piers  of  the  tower  arch,  and  was 
arranged  with  four  returned  stalls  on  either  side  at 


"  Gothic"  pattern  of  the  period.  It  is  only  fair  to 
say  that  the  "  restored  "  building  was  re-opened  in 
1863,  and  that  the  work  done  in  it  was  therefore 
effected  at  about  the  very  worst  period  of  the 
so-called  "  Gothic  revival." 

Mr.  Fisher  is,  perhaps,  scarcely  as  much  alive  to 


aS6 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


the  modem  mischief  as  we  might  wish  that  he 
were,  but  he  has  compiled  a  very  useful  and  appre- 
ciative handbook  to  the  cathedral.  The  book  is 
arranged  in  four  chapters.  The  first  of  these  deals 
with  the  history  of  the  building,  the  second  with 
its  exterior,  the  third  with  the  interior,  and  the 
fourth  with  the  history  of  the  see.  Occasionally 
there  is  a  little  confusion,  as,  for  instance,  on 
pages  6  and  7,  where  the  late  Mr.  Mackenzie 
Walcott's  summary  of  the  duties  of  the  Treasurer 
of  Hereford  Cathedral  Church  are  introduced  im- 
mediately after  an  allusion  to  the  foundation  of  the 
secular  chapter  in  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth 
century.  We  have  referred  to  Mr.  Walcott's  book, 
Cathedralia,  which  is  cited  by  Mr.  Fisher,  but  as 
usual  no  reference  or  authority  is  given  by  Mr. 
Walcott  for  his  statements,  so  that  it  is  impossible 
to  assign  a  definite  date  to  the  document  he  drew 
his  information  from.  It  is,  however,  we  think, 
quite  clear  that  it  must  have  been  of  a  very  much 
later  date  than  Mr.  Fisher's  reference  to  it  would 
lead  the  reader  to  suppose. 

We  are  glad  to  welcome  this  addition  to  the 
series.  As  usual,  it  is  freely  illustrated,  and  forms 
a  very  convenient  guide-book  to  the  highly  in- 
teresting building  with  which  it  deals.  The  books 
of  the  series  would  be  none  the  worse  if  each  con- 
tained, at  least,  a  brief  index.  The  table  of  contents 
at  the  beginning,  though  full,  scarcely  makes  up  for 
the  want  of  an  index.  This  is  the  only  fault  we  have 
to  find  with  this  very  useful  series  of  handbooks. 

*  *  * 
The  Hill  of  the  Graces.  A  Record  and  Inves- 
tigation among  the  Trilithons  and  Megalithic 
Sites  of  Tripoli.  By  H.  S.  Cowper,  with 
ninety-eight  illustrations  and  a  map.  Cloth, 
8vo.,  pp.  xvi.,  312.  London:  Methuen  and  Co. 
Price  IDS.  6d. 
Our  readers  will  remember  the  series  of  papers 
contributed  by  Mr.  Cowper  to  the  pages  of  the 
Antiquary  at  the  beginning  of  1897,  dealing  with 
the  remarkable  stone  monuments,  bearing  so 
marked  a  resemblance  to  Stonehenge,  which  are 
to  be  found  in  considerable  number  near  Tripoli. 
Unfortunately,  the  Turkish  Government  has  refused 
since  1880  to  allow  any  foreigner  to  travel  inland, 
so  that  Mr.  Cowper's  investigations  have  had  to  be 
made  by  stealth,  and  under  the  guise  of  sporting 
expeditions.  Considering  this  difficulty  which 
thwarted  his  investigations,  it  is  certainly  re- 
markable that  Mr.  Cowper  should  have  succeeded 
in  gathering  so  much  information  as  he  has  been 
able  to  do  regarding  the  ancient  "  Senams  "  as 
they  are  called.  The  word  "  Senam  "  is  the  Arabic 
for  "idol,"  and  it  seems  to  convey  a  rude  inkling 
of  the  object  of  these  stone  structures,  of  which  a 
number  of  photographs  are  given  by  Mr.  Cowper. 
For  a  detailed  description  of  these  objects  them- 
selves we  must  refer  to  Mr.  Cowper's  book,  and  to 
the  articles  in  the  Antiquary,  which  are  really  all 
that  is  at  present  to  be  learnt  about  them.  Not 
until  the  Turkish  Government  can  be  prevailed 
upon  to  withdraw  its  edict  forbidding  travellers 
to  enter  the  interior,  can  we  hope  to  learn  more 
about  structures  which  seem  to  bear  a  very  marked 
likeness  to  the  rude  stone  structures  of  Stonehenge 
and  elsewhere,  and  which,  perhaps,  may  in  time 


be  made  to  reveal  to  us  the  story  of  those  structures. 
Mr.  Cowper's  patient  investigation  of  the  Tripoli 
Senams  under  very  difficult  circumstances  is  de- 
serving of  all  possible  praise,  and  he  will  some  day 
have  the  satisfaction  of  being  acknowledged  as  the 
first  person  to  draw  serious  and  intelligible  atten- 
tion to  them. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  from  what  we 
have  said,  that  this  book  (which,  by  the  way,  ought 
to  have  been  noticed  in  these  columns  before  now) 
deals  only  with  the  Senams  of  Tripoli.  Although, 
perhaps,  the  most  curious  and  valuable  information 
which  the  book  contains  is  that  which  relates  to 
them,  this  forms  only  a  comparatively  small  portion 
of  the  whole.  In  the  first  section  into  which  the 
book  is  divided  we  have  an  interesting  and  graphic 
account  of  the  town  of  Tripoli  at  the  present  day. 
The  second  section  treats  of  two  journeys  in  the 
hill  range — the  first,  taken  in  1895,  being  a  ride  in 
Tarhuna  and  Gharian ;  the  second,  a  ride  in  the 
following  year  in  Tarhuna,  Jafara,  and  M'salata. 
In  the  third  section  of  the  book  Mr.  Cowper  deals 
with  the  modern  and  ancient  geography  of  the 
Hill  Range,  while  in  the  fourth  section  we  have 
brought  more  directly  before  us  the  Senams  and 
their  story.  The  fifth  section  deals  with  Khoms 
and  Lebda,  the  sixth  describes  the  sites  visited, 
and  the  seventh  deals  with  the  future  of  Tripoli. 
In  two  appendixes  are  (i)  a  list  of  works  relating  to 
the  Tripoli  coast,  and  (2)  aneroid  and  thermometer 
readings.  The  book  is  anything  but  a  dry  book 
of  archaeology ;  it  abounds  with  information  of 
various  kinds,  and  is  really  a  very  valuable  con- 
tribution to  a  part  of  the  north  of  Africa  which 
is  little  known  to  most  persons,  and  which  it  is 
not  unlikely  may  eventually  help  to  unlock  some 
of  our  own  prehistoric  problems.  The  book  is 
fully  illustrated,  and  contains  several  maps  and 
plans.  One  of  these — that  of  the  town  of  Tripoli — 
Mr.  Cowper  paced  and  measured  by  stealth,  and- 
he  is  naturally  not  a  little  proud  of  the  performance. 
When  will  the  stupid  Turkish  Government  remove 
the  restriction  which  now  hampers  an  intelligent 
survey  of  the  district  and  its  remains  ? 

We  congratulate  Mr.  Cowper  very  heartily  on 
his  labours  and  on  the  production  of  this  book. 

{Several  Reviews  are  unavoidably  held  over  for  want 
0/  space.) 

Note  to  Publishers. — fVe  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  Q,o-iiTV.\^\iiOK%.— Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS. 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  general  interest,  or  on  some  new 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  urulertdke  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  reach  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


257 


The   Antiquary. 


SEPTEMBER,  1898. 

if3ote0  of  ti)e  Qionti). 

The  recent  annual  meeting  of  the  Royal 
Archaeological  Institute,  at  Lancaster,  appears 
to  have  been  a  very  successful  one,  the  fine 
weather  which  prevailed  throughout  adding 
in  no  small  degree  to  the  comfort  and  pleasure 
of  the  members  who  attended  it.  As  a 
special  account  appears  on  another  page,  there 
is  no  need  for  us  to  say  more  about  it  here. 
The  meeting  of  the  British  Archaeological 
Association  seems  also  to  have  been  a  satis- 
factory one.  Peterborough  was  its  centre, 
and  the  neighbourhood  including  Stamford, 
Burleigh  House,  Crowland,  and  other  places, 
were  visited.  We  learn  with  great  regret  that 
the  members  found  that  the  ancient  and  very 
fine  tithe  barn  near  Peterborough,  so  well 
known  to  antiquaries,  had  recently  been  de- 
molished. Stamford  naturally  afforded  (with 
Burleigh  House)  a  number  of  points  of  interest. 
Perhaps,  too,  the  fact  that  the  main  line  of 
railway  misses  Stamford  has  helped  it  to  pre- 
serve, more  than  most  other  towns  of  its  size, 
the  old-world  character  which  it  still  possesses, 
and  which,  independently  of  its  antiquities, 
strikes  most  visitors.  At  St.  Mary's  Church 
the  members  met  with  some  amount  of  rebuif, 
but  as  we  do  not  know  all  the  particulars 
we  forbear  to  comment  on  the  occurrence. 
Altogether  the  meeting  is  pronounced  to  have 
been  a  very  successful  one. 

^  ^  «{? 
As  we  observed  last  month,  a  good  deal  of 
curiosity  was  felt  as  to  how  the  Association 
would  hit  it  off  with  the  Dean  of  Peterborough 
who  had  undertaken  to  show  the  members 
round  his  cathedral.     According  to  the  ac- 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


counts  in  the  newspapers,  the  Dean  was 
reported  to  have  described  the  opponents  of 
the  so-called  "  restoration  "  as  "  ignorant 
persons."  This  drew  from  the  Athenceum 
a  short  but  pithy  paragraph,  whereupon 
Mr.  H.  J.  Dukinfield  Astley,  one  of  the 
secretaries,  wrote  in  reply  : 

As  one  who  was  present,  and  heard  the  remarks 
made  by  the  Dean  of  Peterborough  before  the 
members  of  the  British  Archaeological  Association 
...  I  should  like  to  point  out  that  the  Dean's 
reference  to  "ignorant  persons"  was  not  in  any 
way  understood  to  be  of  general  application,  but 
only  as  implying  that  many  of  those  who  had 
criticised  his  action  and  that  of  the  late  Mr.  Pear- 
son, then  architect  of  the  cathedral,  were  ignorant 
of  the  special  features  which  made  the  plan  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  Pearson,  and  carried  out  as  regards 
the  north-west  gable  and  arch  by  the  Dean  and 
Chapter,  the  only  feasible  one  for  dealing  with  the 
west  front.  As  the  Dean  explained  it,  the  west 
wall  consisted  of  some  2  feet  of  solid  stone  facing, 
and  some  14  inches  of  solid  stone  backing,  the 
intermediate  space,  originally  filled  with  rubble 
and  concrete,  having  become  mere  dust.  This 
he  proved  by  ocular  demonstration.  The  remain- 
ing stonework  was  totally  unable  to  support  the 
weight  of  the  roof  and  walls,  and  was  fast  falling 
outwards. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  idea  of  driving 
a  tunnel  between  the  facing  and  backing  stones 
and  building  up  the  interior  could  not  possibly 
have  been  carried  out.  It  only  remained  to  do 
what  had  been  done  with  the  north  gable,  and 
what  it  is  hoped  to  do,  when  funds  permit,  with  the 
whole  west  front — viz.,  pull  down  and  re-erect. 
Out  of  2,006  stones  taken  down,  only  ii6  were 
found  unfit  to  be  re-used,  and  only  7  stones  in  the 
face  of  the  actual  north  arch  are  new.  It  is  the 
same  gable,  but  strong  instead  of  weak,  and  this  is 
what  it  is  hoped  the  whole  west  front  will  be  in 
time. 

Without  expressing  any  opinion  as  to  the  relative 
merits  of  the  rival  plans,  several  members  of  the 
Association,  architects,  and  more  than  one  an 
F.S.A.,  felt  bound  to  say  that  Mr.  Pearson's  plan 
seemed  "justified  by  results." 

On  the  whole  it  seems  to  us  that  the  Dean 
distinctly  scored  off  the  Association.  As  for 
ourselves,  we  entirely  demur  to  the  statement 
that  the  new  gable  "  is  the  same  gable."  It 
is  nothing  of  the  kind.  It  is  a  modern  build- 
ing, although  composed  of  most  of  the  stones 
of  the  old  one. 

^  ^  ^ 
Burnswork,  or  Birrenswark,  in  Dumfriesshire, 
is  being  explored,  and  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries of  Scotland  has  made  a  commence- 
ment. Burnswork  is  a  well-known  hill,  about 
900  feet  high,  whose  characteristic  and  bold 

LL 


258 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH 


outline  is  recognisable  from  great  distances, 
not  only  in  Scotland  but  in  Cumberland 
and  Northumberland.  From  it  the  unlucky 
James  V.  watched  his  army  passing  into 
England  in  that  invasion  which  was  so  effec- 
tually checkmated  by  the  rout  of  Sollom — 
afterwards  miscalled  Solway — Moss.  It  is  one 
of  the  claimants  to  the  honours  of  the  site  of 
the  great  tenth-century  battle  of  Brunanburh 
which  one  ancient  authority  styles  Brunes- 
werce.  Doubts  have  been  rather  faintly 
urged  on  the  Roman  character  of  the  two 
large  earthen  camps,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
hill.  The  spade  is  a  fair  umpire,  and  its 
decisions  beyond  appeal.  A  result  different 
from  that  of  Birrens  would,  however,  be  a 
great  surprise.  Alleged  tradition,  and  that 
not  of  yesterday,  has  gone  so  far  as  to  manu- 
facture an  "  Agricola's  well "  within  the  en- 
trenchment of  the  better  preserved  or  south- 
eastern camp. 

We  alluded  recently  to  the  formation  of  the 
new  "London  Topographical  Society."  We 
have  since  received  from  Mr.  Bernard  Gomme, 
the  assistant  secretary  of  the  society,  a  copy 
of  a  volume  entitled  Illustrated  Topographical 
Record  of  London.  Mr,  Bernard  Gomme,  in 
sending  the  volume,  points  out  that  the 
subject  has  greatly  widened  since  the  late 
Topographical  Society  of  London  ceased  its 
work  some  years  ago.  He  adds  that  the 
publication  now  issued  has  been  furnished 
from  material  got  together  by  the  defunct 
society,  and  that  the  newly-founded  society 
has  sufficient  material  in  hand  for  another 
such  issue.  The  drawings  published  in  the 
Illustrated  Topographical  Record  are  exceed- 
ingly useful.  They  are  clearly  and  accurately 
drawn,  and  place  on  permanent  record,  for 
all  time,  many  picturesque  bits  of  old  Lon- 
don which  have  already  passed,  and  are  so 
rapidly  passing  out  of  existence  at  the  pre- 
sent time.  We  can  conceive  of  few  pieces  of 
work  more  useful  than  that  of  the  society, 
and  we  have  much  pleasure  in  again  drawing 
attention  to  it,  and  inviting  antiquaries  to 
assist  with  their  support,  and  by  becoming 
members.  As  we  printed  the  prospectus  of 
the  society  in  the  Antiquary  for  July,  we 
need  only  add  that  the  address  of  the  hon. 
secretary  is  Warwick  House,  8,  Warwick 
Court,  Gray's  Inn,  W.C. 


Mr.  Alex.  Napier,  of  Wishaw,  has  lately  found 
some  sculptured  stones  of  no  little  interest 
in  the  old  churchyard  at  Cambusnethan. 
While  searching  in  and  around  the  church- 
yard for  botanical  specimens,  he  observed 
several  carved  stones,  and  lying  half  buried 
was  one  which  specially  attracted  his  atten- 
tion. The  stone  is  27  inches  high,  i6| 
inches  broad  at  the  base  and  14I  inches  at 
the  top.  In  the  centre  there  is  a  carving  of 
four  legs,  and  these  are  arranged  so  as  to 
form  a  square.  Underneath  this,  and  stand- 
ing 9|-  inches  from  the  ground,  is  a  group  of 
four  figures,  which  Mr.  Napier  took  to  repre- 
sent the  Crucifixion,  the  fourth  figure  pre- 
sumably being  a  sitting  soldier.  At  the  top 
is  some  interlacing  knot-work.  Both  sides 
of  the  stone  seem  to  be  similar  in  design, 
but  it  is  broken  and  somewhat  defaced. 
Mr.  Napier  had  the  stones  cleaned  and  then 
photographed.  These  photographs,  together 
with  several  drawings  of  other  old  gravestones, 
on  which  are  carved  swords  and  other  sym- 
bolic figures,  he  sent  to  Mr.  Romilly  Allen, 
who  replied  :  "  The  cross  shaft  at  Cambusne- 
than is  quite  new  to  me,  and  is,  as  far  as  I  am 
aware,  an  unpublished  example.  It  is  cer- 
tainly pre-Norman,  and  from  the  similarity 
of  the  key  pattern  to  those  on  some  of  the 
Welsh  crosses — i.e.,  at  Margam,  Glamorgan- 
shire— it  is  possibly  of  early  date,  when 
Strathclyde  was  Welsh.  The  figure-subject 
is  not  the  Crucifixion,  and  it  is  not  intended 
for  the  three  children  in  the  fiery  furnace.  I 
am  unable  to  suggest  any  explanation." 

#  'ilp  ^ 
The  Bishop  of  Bristol  held  a  conference  on 
August  8  with  the  vicar  and  churchwardens 
of  Malmesbury  and  the  mayor  of  the  borough 
on  the  subject  of  the  abbey  church.  The 
unanimous  opinion  was  that  the  ancient 
fabric  must  be  taken  in  hand  without  delay. 
The  work  naturally  divides  itself  into  three 
heads  :  (i)  To  make  quite  sound  the  fabric 
of  the  six  bays  of  the  nave  which  form  the 
parish  church ;  (2)  to  make  the  interior  more 
dignified  as  a  place  of  worship ;  and  (3)  to 
protect  the  ruined  part  as  far  as  possible  from 
further  decay.  The  first  and  third  of  these 
may  be  regarded  as  of  national  interest  and 
importance  ;  the  second  is  more  of  the  nature 
of  local  work. 

The  ruins  are  the  result  of  accident  before 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


259 


the  Reformation.  The  central  tower  fell  in 
consequence  of  a  very  lofty  and  heavy  spire 
being  placed  upon  it  in  the  later  Middle 
Ages,  and  only  the  west  and  north  arches  of 
the  tower  and  a  small  part  of  the  transept 
walls  are  now  left.  At  the  west  end  the 
north  half  of  the  great  western  facade,  and 
the  north  side  of  the  three  western  bays  of 
the  nave,  fell  long  ago.  The  southern  half 
of  the  fagade  and  the  south  walls  of  the  three 
western  bays  remain  fairly  complete ;  but 
decay  has,  it  is  believed,  set  in  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  ruins  will  not  long  remain  as 
they  are  if  they  are  not  attended  to.  We  are 
glad  to  learn  that  there  was  an  agreement  of 
opinion  at  the  conference  against  proposing 


accompanying  illustration  has  been  made. 
He  says : 

"  I  send  a  sketch  of  a  pistol  powder-tester 
(for  such  I  have  always  believed  it  to  be) 
which  I  have  in  my  collection  of  antiquities. 
Unlike  the  one  illustrated  and  described  in 
the  Antiquary  of  this  month  (August),  mine 
has  a  hammer  and  trigger,  as  well  as  a  more 
perfect  flash-pan.  The  lock  and  dial  are  of 
nicely-finished  brass,  and  the  lock-plate  bears 
the  name  of  '  Beddow.'  This  little  instru- 
ment, which  I  have  sketched  as  though  just 
fired,  measures  exactly  6  inches." 

Mrs.  H.  Lewes-Gibbs,  of  Elm  Hurst, 
Stratford-on-Avon,  also  sends  a  sketch  of 
one  in  her  possession.     She  says  : 


S^^dai^ 


■V^  N^  ^^ 


POWDER-TESTER    PISTOL    IN   THE    POSSESSION   OF    MR.    W.    B.    REDFERN. 


to  undertake  two  other  works  which  have 
often  been  suggested,  namely  (4)  to  build 
out  a  chancel  to  the  east;  and  (5)  to  re- 
build the  three  western  bays  of  the  nave. 

The  Bishop,  who  is  a  vice-president  of  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries,  has  undertaken  to 
obtain  a  preliminary  survey  of  the  fabric  from 
an  antiquarian  point  of  view,  to  be  followed 
eventually  by  a  complete  report. 

•Jp  4?  ^ 
The  note  in  the  Antiquary  for  August  as  to 
Mr.  Wallis's  pistol  with  dial  has  brought  us 
several  letters  and  sketches  of  three  others, 
together  with,  in  each  case,  an  explanation  of 
the  use  of  these  articles.  Mr.  W.  B.  Red- 
fern,  of  Cambridge,  has  kindly  sent  us  a  draw- 
ing of  one  in  his  possession,  from  which  the 


"  I  have  in  my  collection  of  curiosities  a 
'  flint-lock  powder  eprouvette,'  the  name  given 
to  me  for  it  by  the  late  Sir  Vivian  Majendie. 
He  told  me  that  mine  was  the  first  he  had 
ever  seen,  and  until  the  one,  a  sketch  of 
which  you  give  in  this  month's  Antiquary,  I 
have  never  heard  of  another." 

Mr.  H.  F.  Napper,  of  Lakers  Lodge,  Lox- 
wood,  near  Billingshurst,  Sussex,  gives  still 
further  information  on  the  subject.  He 
says  : 

"  For  the  information  of  Mr.  Wallis,  the 
'  singular  instrument '  of  which  he  sends  you  a 
sketch  is  a  gunpowder  tester,  and  I  send  you 
a  rough  sketch  of  another  of  my  own,  but 
more  complete,  with  a  flint-and-steel  lock ; 
and  this,  when  I  was  a  boy,  was  in  use  to  try 

2  LL 


26o 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


the  strength  of  powder  then  obtained  from 
the  mills  in  small  barrels.  But  about  the 
time  when  I  began  to  shoot  at  young  rooks 
with  a  flint-and-steel  gun — say  1828 — a  better 
sort  of  sporting  powder  was  introduced,  con- 
tained in  canisters,  and  after  this  the  testers 
were  not  much  used.  On  my  instrument  the 
dial  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  disk,  and  is 
marked  5,  10,  15,  20." 

Mr.  Thomas  Seymour,  of  Oxford,  also 
writes,  while  these  Notes  are  passing  through 
the  press  :  "  I  have  recently  acquired  a  pistol 
with  dial  similar  to  that  sketched  in  the 
Antiquary  this  month.  I  believe  these  instru- 
ments were  used  for  testing  the  strength  of 
gunpowder.  I  am,  however,  unable  to  assign 
the  date  of  use,  but  presume  they  were  made 
circa  1720." 

The  interesting  communication  from  Mr. 
Napper  actually  fixes  the  fact  of  such  powder- 
testers  having  been  in  use  within  the  recollec- 
tion of  persons  still  living.  We  are  grateful 
to  all  our  correspondents  for  their  informa- 
tion. A  little  time  longer  and  the  use  of 
these  powder-testers  might  have  entirely 
passed  out  of  memory.  At  so  rapid  a  pace 
have  things  changed  during  the  century  now 
drawing  to  its  close,  that  objects  acquire  a 
quasi-antiquarian  character  almost  within  the 
lifetime  of  those  who  made  them. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Cardiff  Museum  is,  under  the  fostering 
care  of  its  curator,  Mr.  John  Ward,  P\S.A., 
gradually  acquiring  an  important  position  as 
the  National  Museum  of  Wales.  Mr.  Ward 
has  sent  us  the  seventh  number  of  The 
(Cardiff)  Public  Library  Journal  for  July. 
We  learn  from  it  that  the  museum  has  lately 
received  several  additions  of  local  import- 
ance. Among  the  recent  donations  are  a 
number  of  flint  implements,  potsherds,  etc., 
from  a  grave-mound  at  Ystradfellte,  South 
Breconshire,  presented  by  Mr.  T.  Crosbee  Can- 
trell,  of  the  Geological  Survey,  and  Mr.  James 
Mathews,  of  Plas-y-darren,  jointly.  This 
mound,  which  was  a  bowl-shaped  heap  of 
stones,  was  opened  by  the  former  gentleman 
last  year,  and  its  investigation  proved  that 
the  pyre  had  been  erected  on  the  spot,  and 
that  so  thoroughly  had  the  fire  done  its 
work  that  only  the  most  meagre  traces  of 
burnt  bone  remained.  The  flint  implements 
have  also  passed  through  the  fire,  but  whether 


they  were  worn  or  used  by  the  deceased,  or 
were  thrown  on  the  pyre  by  the  mourners,  is 
not  clear.  There  are,  however,  good  reasons 
for  thinking  that  many  of  the  accompani- 
ments of  these  ancient  burials  were  specially 
made  for  funeral  purposes  and  not  for  use. 
One  of  these  implements  is  a  dagger-like  knife 
of  beautiful  shape,  almost  exactly  like  the 
one  illustrated  in  Sir  John  Evans's  Stone 
Implements  (first  edition),  Fig.  266.  It  is 
about  6 1  inches  long,  and  nowhere  thicker 
than  about  \  inch.  It  is  a  wonderful 
example  of  prehistoric  chipping.  The  in- 
teresting feature  is  that  the  carbonized  dis- 
colorations  of  the  bindings  of  the  handle 
remain.  The  potsherds  appear  to  belong 
to  a  "food-vessel"  of  the  type  frequently 
associated  with  Neolithic  and  Bronze  Age 
burials. 

^  ^  'h 
Of  similar  local  importance  are  several 
donations  of  flint  implements  (mostly  arrow- 
points  and  scrapers)  and  flakes,  collected 
from  Merthyr-Mawr  Warren,  between  Newton 
Nottage  and  Ogmore  Castle,  Glamorgan,  by 
the  donors,  Mr.  W.  Riley  of  Brigend, 
Mr.  Nicholl  of  Merthyr  Mawr,  and  Captain 
E.  P.  Brooker,  R.E.  The  "warren"  is  a 
tract  of  blown  sand  from  the  Bristol  Channel, 
about  three  square  miles  in  extent.  The 
implements  were  found  upon  the  original 
surface  where  denuded  of  the  sand,  and  thus 
appear  to  be  older  than  the  sand-dunes. 
Mr.  Tiddiman  (H.M.  Geological  Survey) 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  call  attention 
to  the  prevalency  of  these  implements  in  the 
region,  and  other  gentlemen  besides  those 
named  above  have  been  investigating  and 
collecting  them.  It  may,  therefore,  be  con- 
fidently expected  that  the  museum  collection 
of  these  local  "  finds "  will  be  thoroughly 
representative. 

•ij?  ^  «$»  _ 
Among  a  large  number  of  fossils,  flint  im- 
plements, etc.,  presented  by  Mrs.  David  of 
Llandaff,  is  a  bronze  axe  which  bears  a 
label  to  the  effect  that  it  was  found  during 
quarrying  operations  in  the  Great  Wood  at 
St.  Fagans,  near  Cardiff.  In  the  museum 
are  several  similar  axes  found  at  Coed  Mawr 
(Anglice  "Great  Wood"),  St.  Fagans,  in 
1850;  while  Sir  John  Evans  describes 
another  in  his  Ancient  Bronze  Implements  as 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


261 


having  been  found  in  Great  Wood,  St.  Fagans, 
during  the  construction  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway  in  1849.  ^s  all  these  axes  appear 
to  have  never  been  used,  it  is  probable  they 
relate  to  the  same  hoard,  and  were  part  of 
the  stock-in-trade  of  some  prehistoric  trader. 

^  ^  ^ 
While  the  salmon  fishermen  were  hauling  a 
shot  on  the  "  Reekit  Lady  "  station,  situated 
between  Mugdrum  Island  and  Newburgh,  in 
Scotland,  they  caught  in  their  net  a  sword  of 
bronze  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  It  is 
supposed  to  belong  to  the  later  Bronze  Age,  the 
blade  being  leaf-shaped.  The  extreme  end  of 
the  hilt  plate  has  been  broken  or  worn  off, 
and  its  extreme  length  is  2\\  inches.  The 
bronze  rivets  in  the  handle  are  still  intact. 
The  blade,  which  measures  2  inches  in 
breadth  at  the  hilt,  gradually  tapers  to  \  of  an 
inch,  and  then  spreads  out  to  i^  inches,  then 
tapering  towards  the  point.  This  is  the 
second  sword  which  has  been  found  during 
the  past  ten  years,  the  other  having  been 
found  on  the  north  side  of  Mugdrum  Island. 
It  was  of  a  different  shape,  and  measured 
over  30  inches  in  length. 

^^  ^  ^ 
Mr.  Thomas  Seymour,  of  Oxford,  writes  to 
say,  with  reference  to  the  steelyard  weight 
found  at  Oxford,  and  figured  in  the  Antiquary 
for  April  from  a  photograph  sent  by  him 
that  he  has  received  several  letters  on  the 
subject.  Mr.  Albert  Hartshorne  has  written 
to  him  to  say  that  the  weight  is  a  thirteenth- 
century  weight  for  wool,  and  bears  the  arms 
of  Richard,  Earl  of  Cornwall,  King  of  the 
Romans,  who  is  said  to  have  had  some  sort 
of  an  impost  granted  to  him  on  wool. 
Mr.  Hartshorne  is  of  opinion  that  it  has 
nothing  in  common  with  weights  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  which  are  of  a  different 
shape.  Mr.  Seymour  adds  :  "  I  am  collect- 
ing and  making  notes  with  reference  to  these 
objects,  and  hope  at  some  future  time  to 
print  the  same."  Perhaps  some  of  our 
readers  can  help  him  in  his  researches. 

4*  ^  «$» 
The  Times  of  July  29,  under  the  heading  of 
"  An  Ancient  Custom,"  states  that  in  accord- 
ance with  annual  custom  at  this  time  of  year, 
the  First  Commissioner  of  Works  has  issued 
to  the  Lord  Mayor,  warrants  addressed  to  the 
Keeper  of  Bushey  Park  for  the  killing  and 


delivery  of  a  number  of  fat  bucks  of  this  season. 
To  the  Sheriffs  three  bucks  will  be  delivered, 
and  to  the  Recorder,  Chamberlain,  Town 
Clerk,  Common  Serjeant,  and  Remem- 
brancer one  buck  each.  In  December  of 
each  year  Avarrants  for  does  of  similar 
number  are  presented  to  the  same  function- 
aries. The  custom  dates  from  the  times  of 
the  ancient  civic  hunts,  and  the  first  charter 
extant,  under  date  of  iioi,  refers  to  the 
privileges  which  the  ancestors  of  the  then 
citizens  enjoyed.  So  that  the  practice  was 
of  a  still  earlier  period.  A  venison  warrant 
dated  1428,  and  preserved  in  the  British 
Museum,  bears  the  signatures  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  the  Bishop  of  London, 
and  six  other  members  of  the  Privy  Council. 

^  '^  ^ 
As  we  have  observed  on  former  occasions, 
one  of  the  lesser  of  the  local  societies,  the 
Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society, 
sets  an  excellent  example  of  energetic  zeal  in 
the  pursuits  of  the  objects  for  which  it  was 
founded  which  might  well  be  copied  by  other 
of  the  larger  and  more  influential  societies. 
At  the  end  of  July  it  visited  Richmond,  where 
the  castle,  the  parish  church,  and  Easby 
Abbey  were  inspected  by  some  seventy  of  its 
members,  and  a  couple  of  papers  read  on 
matters  relating  to  the  West  Riding.  Not 
content  with  this,  the  August  Bank  Holiday 
was  utilized  for  a  four  days'  visit  to  Furness 
Abbey,  Cartmel,  etc.,  the  hydropathic  estab- 
lishment at  Grange-over-Sands  forming  the 
headquarters  of  the  members.  Even  the 
Sunday  was  made  use  of,  the  Vicar  of  Cartmel 
showing  the  members  round  his  church  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  morning  service.  The 
society  is  really  deserving  of  all  possible  praise 
for  the  energy  it  displays.  ^Ve  hope,  how- 
ever, that  as  its  members  are  led  to  appreciate 
more  thoroughly  the  study  of  the  past,  they 
may,  perhaps,  be  induced  to  abandon  a  little 
of  the  picnic  element,  which  is  rather  to  the 
fore  in  their  outings,  and  produce  a  larger 
amount  of  solid  work  of  standard  value  in  the 
field  of  archaeology. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  AtheficBum  complains  that  "  the  ecclesi- 
astical authorities  of  Wakefield  are  again 
pushing  forward  the  scheme  for  adding  an 
anomalous  eastern  appendage  to  the  inter- 
esting old  parish  church,  which,  if  they  have 


262 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


their  way,  will  owe  its  destruction  to  its  having 
been  raised  to  cathedral  dignity.  If  the 
people  of  the  West  Riding  want  a  better 
cathedral,  by  all  means  let  them  build  one. 
What  we  protest  against  is  the  destruction  of 
the  present  church  to  make  way  for  it.  There 
are  many  other  sites  as  good.  But  surely,  if 
anything  is  to  be  done,  the  first  step  should 
be  the  endowment  of  a  Chapter.  Architec- 
turally the  distinction  between  a  cathedral 
and  a  parish  church  is  the  choir  provided  for 
the  use  of  the  Chapter.  There  is  no  Chapter 
at  Wakefield  ;  but  the  excuse  for  the  pro- 
posed work  is  to  make  a  choir.  The  result 
of  the  present  design  will  be  to  render  the 
building  unfit  either  for  parochial  or  capitular 
use.  It  will  be  neither  a  chancel  nor  a  choir. 
But  perhaps  the  Archdeacon-Vicar  of  Wake- 
field and  those  who  are  working  with  him  do 
not  know  the  difference.  We  have  met  men 
of  higher  ecclesiastical  rank  in  the  same  state 
of  ignorance." 

4»  ^  «$» 
The  volume  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society 
of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland  for  the  session 
1895-96  (volume  XXX.)  has  reached  us,  and 
affords,  as  usual,  much  solid  food  for  diges- 
tion. The  most  important  portion  of  the 
volume  is  that  which  deals  with  the  excava- 
tions at  Birrens,  and  the  inscriptions  found 
there.  This  occupies  about  120  pages  of  the 
426  which  compose  the  volume,  and  it  is 
freely  illustrated  with  plans  and  plates,  as  well 
as  figures  in  the  letterpress.  Besides  it,  there 
are  several  other  papers  of  no  little  value  on 
various  matters.  The  following  is  a  complete 
list  of  all  the  papers  contained  in  the  volume  : 

1.  "  Notice  of  Four  Contracts  or  Bonds  of 
Fosterage,"  by  Mr.  Alex.  O.  Curie. 

2.  "  Notes  on  Ancient  Structures  in  the 
Islands  of  Seil  and  Luing,  and  in  the  Garbh 
Island,"  by  Mr.  W.  I.  Macadam. 

3.  "  Notice  of  a  Casket  of  Amenhotep  II. 
(xviii.  Dynasty,  circa  1430  B.C.)  in  the  Scottish 
National  Museum  of  Antiquities,"  by  Pro- 
fessor Flinders  Petrie. 

4.  "Some  Notes  on  Sir  William  de  Alde- 
burgh,"  by  Mr.  Joseph  Bain.  [This  paper 
raises  some  curious  questions  for  Yorkshire 
antiquaries  to  settle.] 

5.  "  Notice  of  a  Burial  Cist  found  on  the 
Farm  of  Magdalen's,  Kirkton,  on  the  Estate 
of  Balmuir  near  Dundee,"  by  Mr.  R  N.  Kerr. 


6.  "  Notice  of  an  Early  Inscribed  Mural 
Monument  and  of  an  Undescribed  Sculptured 
Stone  Preserved  in  the  Parish  Church  of 
Tealing,  Forfarshire,"  by  Mr.  A.  Hutcheson. 

7.  "The  Masters  of  Work  to  the  Crown 
of  Scotland,  with  Writs  of  Appointment,"  by 
Rev.  R.  S.  Mylne. 

8.  "  Traces  of  River  Worship  in  Scottish 
Folk-lore,"  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Mackinlay. 

9.  "  Account  of  the  Excavation  of  Bir- 
rens." 

10.  "Notice  of  Remarkable  Groups  of 
Archaic  Sculpturings  in  Dumbartonshire  and 
Stirlingshire,"  by  Mr.  John  Bruce. 

11.  "Note  on  the  Proclamation  for  Dis- 
arming of  the  Highlands  in  1746,"  by  Mr,  A. 
H.  Millar. 

12.  "Note  as  to  the  Recovery  (and  Con- 
tents) of  Three  Volumes  of  the  MS.  Collec- 
tions of  Scottish  Antiquities  of  the  late  Robert 
Riddell,"  by  Mr.  A.  G.  Reid. 

13.  "  Notes  on  St.  Anthony's  Chapel,  near 
Edinburgh,  with  Views  and  Plans,"  by  Mr. 
F.  R.  Coles. 

14.  "PreHminary  Notice  of  the  Seals  of 
the  Royal  Burghs  of  Scotland,"  by  Mr.  J. 
Urquhart. 

15.  "Note  on  '  Chesters,'  a  Fort  near 
Drem,"  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Cunningham. 

16.  "  Notes  on  the  Fortified  Site  on  Kaimes 
Hill,"  by  Mr.  F.  R.  Coles. 

17.  "Notes  on  the  Record  Room  of  the 
City  of  Perth,"  by  Mr.  David  Marshall. 

18.  "Notes  on  the  Discovery  and  Explo- 
ration of  a  Circular  Fort  on  Dunbuie  Hill, 
near  Dumbarton,"  by  Mr.  A.  Millar. 

19.  "Notes  on  a  Helmet  Found  on  Ancrum 
Moor,  on  Helmets,  and  on  a  Stone  Axe  from 
New  Guinea,"  by  Professor  Duns. 

20.  "  An  Examination  of  Original  Docu- 
ments on  the  Question  of  the  Form  of  the 
Celtic  Tonsure,"  by  Bishop  Dowden. 

21.  "'The  Prayer  Bell'  in  the  Parish 
Church  of  Elgin,"  by  Mr.  A.  H.  Dunbar. 

22.  "Rude  Bone  Pins  of  Red-deer  Horn, 
from  County  Sligo,"  by  Colonel  Wood-Martin 
and  Mr.  E.  C.  Rotheram. 

23.  "  Note  on  a  Deposit  of  Flints  Worked 
into  Leaf-shape  found  at  Bulwark,  Old  Deer, 
Aberdeenshire,"  by  Dr.  Joseph  Anderson. 

24.  "  Note  on  a  Bronze  Sword  found  at 
Inverbroom,  Ross-shire,"  by  Dr.  Joseph 
Anderson. 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


263 


25.  "An  Archaeologist's  Study  of  the  Ad- 
miralty Islanders,"  by  Sir  A.  Mitchell ;  and 

26.  "The  Fall  of  Iron-age  Man  into  the 
Stone  Age,"  by  Sir  A.  Mitchell. 


lRambling:0  of  an  antiquary. 

By  George  Bailey. 
Irchester  and  Mears-Ashby. 


HE  Day  of  Doom  was  a  very 
favourite  subject  for  wall-painting, 
and  the  remains  of  such  pictures 
were  to  be  seen  in  more  than  a 
hundred  churches.  The  two  we  here  submit 
were  taken  from  All  Saints'  Church,  Mears- 


below  it  a  kneeling  figure  with  a  nimbus  to 
the  head,  holding  something  like  a  book 
pressed  against  his  breast.  Next  we  saw  a 
female  in  a  brown  dress  with  wide  sleeves ; 
two  other  persons,  partly  nude,  were  clasping 
her  round  the  neck,  and  below  at  her  feet 
there  was  a  person  in  grave-clothes,  who 
appeared  to  have  come  out  of  a  grave  close 
by,  the  stone  of  which  stood  at  its  edge, 
and  there  were  two  or  three  lines  which 
probably  were  what  remained  of  outlines  of 
other  stones  belonging  to  the  grave.  Then 
in  the  corner  below  was  one  of  those  large 
boats  with  curious-headed  prows,  such  as  are 
often  seen  in  illuminated  Norman  and  Saxon 
manuscripts  ;  a  nude  figure  of  a  man  was  at 
the  helm,  and  the  boat  was  full  of  people 
being  conveyed  across  the  dark  river  to  per- 
dition. Nothing  more  could  be  made  out 
on  that  side  except  remains  of  a  grassy 
background.     On  the   right-hand  side,  just 


Fig  I. 


Ashby,  and  Irchester,  in  Northamptonshire. 
The  latter,  Fig.  i,  is  the  most  perfect;  our 
drawing  was  made  in  1895,  and  shows  what 
we  could  then  see  by  the  aid  of  a  good  glass. 
In  the  centre  there  had  been  the  figure  of 
the  Almighty,  then  in  a  fragmentary  condi- 
tion, but  indicating  a  large  central  figure. 
Seen  on  the  left  was  the  stem  of  a  tree,  and 


above  the  head  of  the  large  figure,  there  was 
seen  the  outlines  of  a  scroll  and  part  of  a 
figure ;  below  these  were  two  persons  coming 
up  out  of  graves,  several  gravestones,  and  a 
person  seated  on  a  throne,  which  we  took  to 
represent  the  second  person  of  the  Trinity. 
Then  below  these  a  number  of  people  being 
received  into  a  large  church,  and  they  are  wel- 


264 


RA  MB  LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  Y. 


conned  by  a  person  (St.  Peter,  no  doubt,  but  his 
keys  are  obliterated)  standing  within  the  door, 
who  extends  a  hand  to  one  of  them. — The 
painting  over  the  chancel  arch  in  the  Guild 
Chapel  at  Stratford  on-Avon  had  also  a  large 
building,  into  which  the  blessed  were  being 
received  by  St.  Peter,  which  appears  to  have 
been  very  similar  to  that  here  represented,  but 
it  was  much  more  perfect  when  Mr.  Fisher 
copied  it  in  1804  than  this  is. — Some 
windows  and  part  of  an  arcade  of  statues 
could  be  seen  above,  and  below  these  a 
person  was  seen  in  a  coffin,  and  a  person 
rising  from  a  grave  and  seen  coming  out  of 
one  of  the  cloths  in  which  people  were 
formerly  buried,  which  was  tied  at  the  head 
and  feet,  giving  much  the  appearance  of  a 
large  fish  ready  for  boiling.  There  are  some 
very  perfect  representations  of  these  carved 
in  marble  and  lying  on  a  tomb  in  Fenny- 
Bentley  Church  in  Derbyshire. 

It  is  strange  how  differently  the  same 
objects  appear  to  different  minds,  for  we 
suspect  it  is  more  owing  to  the  mind  than 
the  eye  that  they  arise.  For  instance, 
Mr.  R.  Ram,  writing  in  the  Builder  in  1891, 
describes  this  painting  in  very  different  terms 
to  what  it  appears  to  be  in  our  drawing ;  and, 
what  makes  it  more  remarkable,  he  assisted 
in  uncovering  the  picture.  Writing  of  what 
he  saw  on  the  right  of  the  spectator,  he  says 
there  "  were  several  figures  with  a  rope 
dragging  a  sort  of  truck,  this  truck  being 
full  of  male  figures :  their  destination  was 
plainly  in  sight  and  well  alight."  Now 
nothing  of  this  can  be  seen  ;  true,  there  are 
two  or  three  lines  beside  an  open  grave,  but 
the  tramcar  and  its  occupants  have  vanished. 
There  is  a  large  boat  full  of  people,  but  no 
tramcar  full  of  "  male  figures  "  that  we  could 
discover.  "Angels  with  trumpets"  are  also 
said  to  have  been  visible  near  the  central 
figure.  Angels  were  adjuncts  to  such  pic- 
tures, and  in  the  very  remarkable  Doom  at 
Lutterworth  in  Leicestershire  they  might  be 
seen  blowing  trumpets ;  and  another  curious 
feature  of  that  picture  was  that  a  number  of 
bones  were  seen  flying  through  the  air  as  if 
to  adjust  themselves  to  their  own  special 
frames,  in  which  it  differs  from  those  we 
have  met  with  up  to  this  time.  There  are 
certainly  no  angels  with  trumpets  to  be  seen 
now  in  the  painting  under  notice.     We  have 


noticed,  when  making  the  drawings  for  these 
articles,  that  it  would  be  quite  easy  to  be 
deceived  by  stains  and  broken  places  in  the 
plaster  to  fancy  them  to  be  a  variety  of  objects, 
and  so  produce  something  purely  imaginary  ; 
and  in  writing  descriptions  of  such  paintings, 
one  who  has  seen  a  number  of  them  in  different 
places  is  apt  to  trust  to  the  memory,  and 
thus  may  introduce  bits  seen  elsewhere.  To 
avoid  this  we  have  all  along  found  it  neces- 
sary to  make  written  notes  on  the  spot,  and 
have  perhaps  erred  on  the  side  of  leaving 
out  doubtful  stainy  patches  in  our  draw- 
ings rather  than  give  any  play  to  the 
imagination,  because  we  have  found  how 
soon  that  faculty  runs  away  with  us,  and 
lands  us  in  dreamland.  That  seems  to  have 
been  the  case  with  the  writer  above  named, 
for  he  says  the  central  figure  "  seemed  to 
have  been  seated  upon  a  rainbow."  That 
was  a  usual  feature,  but  it  does  not  appear 
in  this  ;  but  in  our  next  illustration,  Fig.  2, 
the  rainbow  is  visible  enough.  The  fragment 
was  taken  from  above  the  chancel  arch  of 
the  church  at  Mears-Ashby ;  nothing  but  the 
skirts  of  the  central  figure  remains,  and  there 
are  traces  of  a  second  rainbow,  which  we 
think  is  part  of  a  former  painting  of  the  same 
subject.  There  was  quite  a  crowd  of  nude 
persons  on  the  left  of  the  central  figure,  and 
above  them  portions  of  several  other  figures, 
and  in  the  extreme  corner  there  was  a  queer 
open-mouthed  animal,  probably  a  dragon, 
of  which  the  bowed  and  curved  lines  seen  in 
the  corner  may  be  the  outlines  of  wings,  and 
the  convolutions  of  a  long  tail.  This,  how- 
ever, was  not  very  clear,  and  it  might  be  a 
boat  with  such  a  head  for  a  prow,  especially 
as  there  is  a  curious-headed  figure  with  a 
staff,  who  appears  to  stand  in  it,  and  beckons 
to  the  crowd,  whose  faces  are  all  turned 
beseechingly  towards  the  central  figure. 
From  the  small  remains  of  this  picture  now 
left,  we  take  it  to  have  been  when  complete 
a  very  good  example,  as  the  crowd  of  people 
left  appear  fairly  well  drawn.  It  was  painted 
on  a  thick  coating  of  plaster,  which  accounts 
for  the  small  portion  left.  Those  painted 
on  a  thin  ground  have  survived  best. 

We  may  mention  here  that  this  church 
contains  a  most  beautiful  ancient  font ;  it  is 
of  a  very  uncommon  type.  The  patterns 
are  not  in  relief,  but  are  sunk  into  the  stone. 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


265 


and  so,  presenting  a  number  of  faces  to  the 
light,  have  a  most  pleasing  effect.  Each 
side  of  the  font  has  a  different  design.  The 
centres  are  squares,  and  the  space  left  on 
each  side  the  squares  is  filled  with  knot-work 
patterns,  like  those  on  the  ancient  Celtic 
crosses,  the  squares  being  filled  in  with 
geometric  and  diaper  patterns.  We  are  not 
aware  of  any  similar  font,  and  the  method  of 
carving  is  perhaps  peculiar  to  Northampton- 
shire, as  we  noticed  a  similar  mode  of 
working  the  patterns  on  a  piscina  in 
St.  Mary's  Church  at  Weekly.  There  are 
numerous  fragments  of  ancient  carved  stones 
preserved   in   the   church    at   Mears-Ashby, 


the  first  chapter  of  the  Revelation,  where 
He  is  called  the  "  first  and  the  last."  St. 
John,  in  describing  the  vision  in  verse  13, 
says  he  "  saw  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  Man, 
clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the  feet,  and 
girt  about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle.  His 
head  and  His  hairs  were  like  wool,  as  white 
as  snow  ;  and  His  eyes  were  like  a  flame  of 
fire."  The  artist  did  his  best  to  represent 
what  we  have  just  read ;  and  fairly  well  too, 
when  it  was  perfect.  The  dress,  as  we  saw  it, 
looked  to  be  a  dark  reddish-brown  ochre, 
with  darker  coloured  bands  upon  it ;  and 
from  each  side  projected  "  sharp-pointed 
swords,"   or   rays.     The  hand  that  is  seen 


Swf^Arar-^-'  ■ 


Fig.  2. 


and  in  the  nave  some  curious  corbel  heads. 
The  font  at  Irchester  is  very  ancient  and 
curious,  but  not  on  the  same  lines  as  that 
noticed  above.  That  church  has  also  remains 
of  a  painted  screen,  and  many  ancient  frag- 
ments of  carvings  in  stone  as  well  as  archi- 
tectural features  of  interest. 

Besides  Dooms  there  were  frequent  repre- 
sentations of  Christ  seated  in  judgment,  as 
well  as  in  majesty ;  and  there  is  over  the 
chancel  arch  of  All  Saints'  Chjirch,  Hastings, 
the  picture  of  which  Fig.  3  is  a  careful  copy. 
It  is  called  a  fragment  of  the  "  Last  Judg- 
ment "  in  the  South  Kensington  list,  but  it  is 
certainly  not  that.  It  is  evidently  intended 
for  the  Almighty,  or  "  the  Ancient  of 
Days,"    and  the  idea    has  been  taken  from 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


holds  what  appears  to  have  been  a  scroll  ; 
and  there  is  a  nimbus  to  the  head,  now  black, 
but  originally  gold,  no  doubt.  He  is  seated 
on  a  throne,  and  below  it  there  are  two 
scrolls ;  and  above  them  is  part  of  a  rainbow, 
and  kneeling  upon  it,  on  each  side,  are  two 
figures  in  dark  purple  robes,  also  having  each 
a  nimbus  to  the  head.  The  background  has 
been  seeded  with  stars,  and  there  is  a  bit  of 
ornament,  a  triangle  with  rays  below  it,  and 
some  fragments  of  an  architectural  character. 
To  the  left  of  the  principal  figure  there  are 
three  curious  red  signs,  to  which  we  can  give 
no  meaning.  They  most  likely  do  not  belong 
to  the  present  subject,  but  are  part  of  an 
older  painting.  This  picture  appears  to  be 
executed  upon  the  rough  stonework.     The 

MM 


266 


R AMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  Y. 


roughness  not  being  perceptible  from  below, 
and  in  spite  of  the  coarseness  of  the  execu- 
tion, it  has  still  a  certain  dignity  about  it, 
even  in  its  faded  and  broken  condition. 

From  the  tower  of  this  church  we  copied 
the  following  lines,  which  are  painted  on  a 


leading  to  his  grave.  The  churchyard  is  left 
in  its  simplicity,  with  its  erect  gravestones 
marking  the  last  resting-places  of  so  many  of 
Hastings'  departed  citizens.  Unlike  so  many 
others  in  these  upstart,  proud  days,  when  it 
has  become  the  fashion  either  to  sell  them 


Fig.  3. 


neat  panel,  with  a  border  of  coloured  scrolls 
and  flowers  : 

IHS 

This  is  a  belfry  that  is  free 

For  all  those  that  civil  be 

And  if  you  please  to  chimeorring 

There  is  no  music  played  or  sung 

Like  unto  bells  when  they  rwell  rung 

Then  ring  your  bells  well  if  you  can 

Silence  is  best  for  every  man. 

But  if  you  ring  in  spuror  hat 
Sixpence  you  pay  be  sure  of  that 
And  if  a  bell  you  overthrow 
Pray  pay  a  groat  before  you  go 

1756. 

All  Saints'  has  also  the  unenviable  notoriety 
of  having  had  for  its  minister  Titus  Gates,  in 
the  time  of  Charles  II.  The  remains  of  a 
very  worthy  man  lie  in  the  churchyard,  George 
Mogridge,  best  known  as  "  Gld  Humphry." 
There  the  old  man  lies  surrounded  by  all  that 
is  beautiful  in  nature,  which  he  so  fully  appre- 
ciated, and  his  memory  is  cherished,  as  is 
attested  by  the  well-worn  track  of  many  feet 


for  money  or  else  turn  them  into  playgrounds 
or  pleasaunces,  although  so  much  has  been 
said  about  the  unhealthiness  of  such  places, 
whereas  if  they  had  been  properly  kept,  as 
they  ought  to  have  been,  they  would  always 
have  suggested  salutary  thoughts  to  passers- 
by,  as  do  Bunhill  Fields  and  some  others 
which  have  so  far  escaped  the  rapacity  of 
greed  of  gain  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
frivolous,  shallow,  fashionable  spirit  which 
seeks  to  get  rid  of  "sentiment,"  as  they 
sneeringly  say,  and  the  sceptical  spirit  which 
trys  to  ignore  allserious  thought,  on  the  other, 
forgetting,  as  they  do,  that  to  them  also  will 
come  "  the  inevitable  hour "  which  comes 
alike  to  all. 

In  our  next  paper  we  hope  to  give  somedraw- 
ings  from  Stratford-on-Avon,  Guildhall  and 
Church,  which  will  conclude  this  series,  though 
we  have  by  no  means  exhausted  the  subject, 
which  covers  a  wide  field  of  pictorial  art.  It 
must  be  remembered  also  that  besides  wall- 
paintings  proper,  a  great  number  of  paintings 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


267 


were  made  on  the  oak  panels  of  screens  and 
roofs,  as  well  as  in  memorial  chapels,  as  at 
Windsor,  and  on  fragments  at  Winchelsea, 
many  having  been  removed  and  destroyed,  or 
are  now  in  the  hands  of  private  owners. 
Painted  panels  were  taken  away  from  Peter- 
borough Cathedral ;  one  of  these  the  writer 
saw  in  a  second-hand  dealer's  shop.  It  was 
a  picture  of  St.  John  with  the  cup  and  serpent, 
few  at  that  time  having  any  idea  of  the  value 
of  such  pictures  as  records  of  English  deco- 
rative art. 


©ccutrenceg  at  %aintes— 1781  to 
1791. 

From  the  Diary  of  the  Abbe  Legrix. 

Translated  (with  Notes)  by  T.  M.  Fallow, 
M.A..  F.S.A. 


HE  journal  which  was  kept  by  the 
Abbe  Legrix,  Canon  of  Saintes, 
during  the  eventful  decade  from 
1781  to  1791  offers  a  valuable 
commentary  on  the  earlier  stages  of  the 
French  Revolution,  as  seen  in  progress  in  a 
comparatively  small  provincial  town  in  the 
west  of  the  country.  From  the  study  of 
local  details  such  as  these,  we  gain  a  clearer 
conception  of  the  motive  power  which  first 
set  the  Revolution  on  its  headlong  career,  than 
is  to  be  obtained  from  a  study  of  its  after- 
history  as  a  whole.  We  see  in  it  the  clergy 
and  law-abiding  citizens  taking  a  willing  part 
in  a  movement  which  wrought,  before  its 
course  was  ended,  such  dire  and  unheard-of 
disaster  upon  themselves  and  their  country. 
It  is  impossible,  in  reading  the  journal,  not 
to  be  struck  with  the  strange  inability  to 
decipher  the  signs  of  the  times  which  pre- 
vailed on  all  sides.  On  almost  the  same 
page  we  read  of  the  clergy  taking  part  in  the 
revolutionary  meetings,  and  passing  resolu- 
tions in  Chapter  on  some  ecclesiastical 
matter  of  the  utmost  insignificance  to  safe- 
guard themselves  against  forming  precedents 
for  the  future,  all  heedless  of  the  fact  that 
within  five  or  six  years  the  Revolution  they 
were   speeding   on   its    course   would    have 


swept  away  their  ancient  Chapter  for  ever, 
and  sent  all  of  them  either  into  exile,  to  the 
galley  ships,  or  the  scaffold. 

The  Abb^  Legrix  begins  by  simply  register- 
ing the  personal  changes  in  the  cathedral  to 
which  he  belonged,  and  the  trivial  everyday 
matters  connected  with  it  which  engrossed 
his  attention  as  one  of  its  Canons.  They  are 
matters  many  of  them  trivial  enough  in 
themselves,  but  which  are  not,  indeed,  with- 
out an  ecclesiological  value  now  that  the 
customs  and  practices  described  have  become 
for  ever  things  of  the  past.  From  the  record 
of  these  simple  matters,  the  good  Abbe's  pen 
glides  imperceptibly  into  a  record  of  the  first 
symptoms  of  that  great  upheaval  which  was 
destined  so  soon  to  overthrow,  in  convulsions 
of  blood  and  fire,  the  whole  of  the  ancient 
regime  of  the  country,  and  lay  the  Church  of 
France  in  the  dust.  There  are,  indeed,  many 
points  on  which  it  would  be  tempting  to 
ponder  in  these  introductory  notes,  but  space 
forbids. 

The  diarist  himself,  Claude-Furcy-Andre 
Legrix,  is  said  to  have  come  of  an  old  Irish 
family  which  settled  in  La  Rochelle  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  There  he  was  born  in 
1745,  and  after  his  ordination  he  became 
vicaire  of  St.  Sauveur  in  that  town,  where  he 
remained  till  1781,  when  he  was  appointed  to 
a  canonry  in  the  cathedral  church  of  Saintes. 
Upon  his  refusal,  in  1791,  to  take  the  oath 
required  by  the  Constitution  Civile  du  Clerge, 
he  went  into  exile,  and  suffered  much  priva- 
tion in  Spain,  Germany,  and  England.  Upon 
the  re-establishment  of  the  Christian  religion 
in  France,  by  virtue  of  the  Concordat  of 
1 80 1,  he  returned  to  La  Rochelle  as  Dean  of 
the  Cathedral  Chapter  of  that  city,  and  there 
he  died  in  18 18. 

The  diary  was  printed  at  St.  Jean  d'Angely, 
a  small  town  near  Saintes,  in  1867,  by  the 
Abbe  Lecurie,  Honorary  Canon  of  La 
Rochelle,  from  the  original  manuscript  pre- 
served in  a  family  connected  with  the  diarist. 
From  its  having  been  printed  where  it  was, 
may  probably  be  ascribed  the  fact  that  it  has 
hitherto  escaped  attention  in  this  country. 

With  regard  to  the  town  of  Saintes  a  few 
words  may  be  desirable,  but  as  its  antiquities 
have  been  very  fully  described  by  Mr.  Bunnell 
Lewis  in  the  Archceological  Journal  {yo\.  xliv,), 
it  is  not  necessary  to  say  much.     Originally 

MM    2 


268 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


a  Roman  city  known  as  Mediolanum  San- 
tonum,  it  afterwards  became  the  chief  town 
of  the  province  of  Saintonge.  It  is  now  com- 
prised within  the  department  of  Charente 
Inferieure,  of  which  La  Rochelle  is  the 
capital.  Its  population,  according  to  the 
last  census,  was  18,461.  It  is  picturesquely 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Charente,  and 
it  contains  some  very  notable  vestiges  of  its 
Roman  occupation,  especially  the  Arc  de 
Triomphe  and  the  Amphitheatre.     There  are 


SAINTES    CATHEDRAL. — THE    TOWER. 

three  churches  of  importance — the  Cathedral, 
St.  Eutrope,  and  Notre  Dame,  the  latter 
being  the  most  interesting  of  the  three. 
The  Cathedral  suffered  much  from  the 
Huguenots,  but,  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross, 
in  the  Byzantine  style  of  Angouleme  and 
Perigueux,  it  still  retains  the  two  cupolas 
over  the  transepts.  Its  detached  bell-tower 
was  formerly  surmounted  by  a  lofty  spire, 
and  even  without  it,  is  a  noble  structure. 
The  portal,  with  its  rich  flamboyant  decora- 
tion, is  even  yet,  in  spite  of  its  mutilation,  a 


very  beautiful  piece  of  work.  Those,  how- 
ever, who  desire  to  know  more  as  to  the 
antiquities  of  Saintes  cannot  do  better  than 
consult  Mr.  Bunnell  Lewis's  exhaustive  papers 
in  the  Archceological  Journal. 

It  should  be  explained  as  to  the  footnotes, 
that  those  within  square  brackets  have  been 
added,  the  rest  are^those  of  the  Abb^  Lecurie 
in  the  French  edition.  Some  of  the  latter, 
however,  have  been  abbreviated  and  others 
wholly  omitted,  as  they  relate  to  purely  local 
matters,  and  are  of  no  interest  or  use  to  the 
English  reader. 

1781. 

January  4. — After  High  Mass  the  blessing 
of  a  bell  weighing  about  6  cwt.  took  place. 
M.  Delaage,*  Uean,  performed  the  ceremony, 
at  which  all  the  canons  and  the  under  choir 
assisted.  M.  the  Marquis  de  Monconseilf 
and  Mme.  the  Comtesse  de  la  Tour  du  PinJ 
were  godfather  and  godmother. 

September  6. — The  repair  of  the  vaulted 
roof  of  the  Cathedral  was  finished.  The  next 
day  the  church  was  reoccupied  for  High 
Mass. 

September  29. — Died  Mgr.  de  Chataigner 
de  la  Chataignerais,§  Count  of  Lyons,  Lord 
Bishop  of  Saintes.  The  two  following  days 
he  lay  in  state  in  the  Synod  Hall.  The 
fourth  day,  October  2,  the  funeral  was  cele- 
brated, at  which  the  Dean  officiated,  assisted 
by  the  whole  body  of  clergy,  both  secular 
and  regular.  He  was  buried  in  the  choir  of 
the  Cathedral.  The  same  day,  after  vespers, 
the  Chapter  met  and  nominated  four  Vicars- 
general,  viz.,  Messieurs  Delaage,  Dean ; 
Deluchet,  Canon  and  Archdeacon  of  Aunis  ; 
Croisier,  Canon-theologal  and  Master  of  the 
Schools;    and    M.  Delord,  Canon,   to   take 

*  Pierre-Leonard  de  Laage,  D.D.  (Paris),  Seigneur 
of  Douhet,  Abbot-Commendatory  of  Our  Lady  of 
Bellefontaine,  died  as  an  emigre  in  Spain. 

t  Etienne,  Marquis  Guinot  de  Monconseil. 

X  Marguerite-Seraphine-Charlotte-Cecile  Guinot 
de  Monconseil  married  Jean  Frederic  Comte  de  la 
Tour  du  Pin,  Lieut. -General,  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Provinces  of  Poitou,  Saintonge  and  Aunis, 
who  died  on  the  scaffold  in  1794.  The  present  [1867] 
head  of  the  family  lives  in  Italy. 

§  Germain  du  Chataignier  de  la  Chataigneraye, 
formerly  King's  Chaplain,  Canon  or  Count  of 
Lyons,  second  son  of  Gaspard-Joseph  du  Chataigner, 
Seigneur  of  Sainte  Foy  and  Marquis  du  Chanteigner. 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


269 


charge  of  the  diocese  sede  vacante.  At  the 
same  meeting  the  Chapter  nominated  M. 
Delord  official ;  M.  Pichon,  Canon,  pro- 
moter; and  the  Sieur  Fauche,  his  clerk, 
secretary  of  the  diocese,  in  place  of  the  Sieur 
Abbe  Augier. 

October  12. — Died  M.  Delaage  de  Vibrac," 
priest,  and  canon  of  this  church.  He  was  an 
ecclesiastic  commendable  for  his  piety,  his 
virtues,  and  his  assiduous  attention  to  his 
duty,  which  procured  for  him  the  regrets  of 
the  company  of  which  he  had  been  a  mem- 
ber, and  which  regarded  him  as  its  model. 
The  abundant  alms  which  he  dispensed 
caused  him  also  to  be  lamented  by  a  number 
of  poor  and  obscure  families  whom  he  had 
assisted.  The  next  day,  the  13th  of  the 
same  month,  his  funeral  took  place,  at  which 
M.  Pichon,  Canon,  officiated.  He  was  buried 
in  the  Cathedral,  in  St.  Catherine's  Chapel. 
The  14th,  after  High  Mass,  the  Chapter  met 
to  nominate  a  successor  to  the  late  Abbe 
Delaage  de  Vibrac,  and  nearly  all  the  votes 
were  recorded  in  favour  of  M.  Deguillon, 
priest,  vicaire  of  the  parish  of  Chaniers  in 
this  diocese,  a  Peculiar  of  the  Chapter,  in 
regard  to  his  degrees.  The  same  day,  after 
vespers,  M.  Deguillon  took  possession  of  the 
canonical  prebend. 

November  9. — A  solemn  service  was  cele- 
brated in  the  Cathedral  church  for  the  repose 
of  the  soul  of  the  late  M.  de  la  Chataignerie, 
as  is  customary  at  the  end  of  forty  days. 
The  magistracy  and  town  council  were  pre- 
sent, at  the  invitation  of  the  relatives  of  the 
said  Lord  Bishop. 

1782. 

March  20.  —  Mgr.  Pierre-Louis  de  la 
Rouchefoucault,t     nominated     Bishop     of 

*  Brother  of  the  Dean. 

[t  The  history  of  this  Bishop  and  that  of  his  brother 
Louis-Joseph,  Bishop  of  Beauvais,  is  a  very  pathetic 
one.  Born  of  noble  parentage,  it  was  said  that 
their  father  was  so  poor  that  he  worked  eis  a 
village  carpenter.  This,  however,  has  been  shown 
by  M.  Louis  Audiat,  in  a  work  published  last  year 
— Deux  Victimes  des  Septembriseurs — not  to  have  been 
the  case.  The  two  brothers  took  holy  orders,  and  the 
one  became  Bishop  of  Saintes,  and  the  other  Bishop 
of  Beauvais.  Both  were  barbarously  massacred, 
together  with  Mgr.  Dulau,  the  Archbishop  of  Aries, 
and  a  hundred  and  fifteen  priests,  in  the  Carmelite 
monastery  in  the  Rue  Vaurigard  at  Paris,  in  1792. 
The  account  of  the  massacre  reads,  it  has  been 
truly  said,  more  like  a  page  out  of  the  history  of 


Saintes  in  the  month  of  October,  1781, 
consecrated  at  Paris  in  the  month  of  January, 
1782,  arrived  at  the  chateau  of  Douet,*  two 

the  early  Church  than  of  a  time  so  near  our  own, 
the  venerable  Archbishop,  in  response  to  the  sum- 
mons of  the  vagabonds  who  had  come  to  murder 
him,  stepping  forward  and  thanking  God  that  he 
was  deemed  worthy  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the 
truth.  A  Protestant  writer  thus  describes  the 
occurrence :  "  The  premeditated  massacre  com- 
menced on  Sunday,  the  2nd  of  September;  when 
twenty-three  priests,  who  had  been  confined  at 
the  Mairie  under  pretence  of  providing  them 
with  passports  to  leave  the  country,  were  trans- 
ferred by  order  of  the  Commune  to  the  prison 
of  the  Abbaye,  and  there  barbarously  slaughtered. 
The  ruffians  next  hurried  to  the  church  of  the 
Carmelite  Convent  in  the  Rue  Vaurigard,  which 
served  as  a  prison  for  about  180  of  the  destined 
victims.  Among  them  were  the  saintly  Arch- 
bishop Dulau,  of  Aries ;  the  two  brothers  De 
la  Rochefoucauld,  Bishops  of  Beauvais  and 
Saintes;  Hebert,  Superior  of  the  Eudistes  and 
Confessor  to  Louis  XVI. ;  Father  Lenfant,  the 
celebrated  ex- Jesuit  preacher  :  and  Despres,  Vicar- 
general  of  Paris.  The  sufferers  met  death  with 
admirable  fortitude  and  heroism.  Nothing  short 
of  profound  faith  in  their  principles,  and  in  the 
paramount  claims  of  the  cause  which  they  repre- 
sented, could  have  sustained  them  under  this  ap- 
palling ordeal.  In  most  cases  life  was  offered  them 
on  condition  of  accepting  the  constitutional  oath ; 
but  they  resolutely  refused.  .  .  .  The  ci-devant 
Carmelite  Convent  remains  at  this  date  (i88o)  in 
much  the  same  state  externally  as  it  did  at  the 
time  of  the  massacre.  An  important  institution 
has  been  founded  there  under  the  title  of  '  6cole 
des  hautes  etudes  ecclesiastiques,'  which  is  directed 
by  the  congregation  of  St.  Sulpice.  The  garden 
has  been  partially  demolished  by  the  works  of  the 
new  Rue  de  Rennes.  A  very  large  collection  has 
been  formed  of  the  remains  of  the  bishops  and 
clergy  murdered  here  in  September,  1792  ;  these  are 
deposited  in  the  crypt  beneath  the  sanctuary  of  the 
church.  The  altar  in  the  crypt  and  the  pavement 
in  front  of  it  were  removed  from  the  '  Chapelle  des 
Martyrs,'  a  small  oratory  which  stood  in  the  garden 
on  the  spot  where  many  of  the  priests  met  their 
death.  Stains  of  blood  may  still  be  plainly  traced 
upon  the  stones.  Around  the  walls  are  arranged 
large  panels  of  black  marble,  upon  which  the 
names  of  all  the  victims  are  recorded  alphabetically 
in  gilt  letters,  a  separate  space  being  reserved  for 
those  of  the  three  prelates — Archbishop  Dulau  and 
the  Bishops  of  Beauvais  and  Saintes.  Below  is  the 
text,  '  Beati  estis  cum  maledixerint  vobis,  et  perse- 
cuti  vos  fuerint,  et  dixerint  omne  malum  adversum 
vos  mentientes  propter  me  ;  gaudete  et  exultate, 
quoniam  merces  ves"tra  copiosa  est  in  coelis ;  sic 
enim  persecuti  sunt  prophetas  qui  fuerunt  ante 
vos.'  " — Jervis,  The  Galilean  Church  and  the  Revolu- 
tion, p.  201.] 

[*  C.  Le  Douhet,  a  village  to  the  north  of  Saintes. 
where,  besides  the  castle,  there  is  a  fine  church  of 
the  twelfth  century.] 


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OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


leagues  from  this  town.  The  next  day 
Messieurs  Croisier,  Dhdrisson,  and  Pichon, 
canons,  were  deputed  on  behalf  of  the 
Chapter  to  go  to  the  chateau  of  Douet  before 
named,  and  salute  the  said  Lord  Bishop,  and 
present  the  duty  of  the  company  to  him. 
The  same  day,  the  21st,  at  half-past  five  in 
the  evening,  the  Lord  Bishop  arrived  before 
the  great  door  of  the  Cathedral,  where  the 
entire  Chapter  met  him  outside,  the  door  of 
the  church  being  closed.  There  M.  Uelaage, 
the  Dean,  made  him  a  complimentary  address, 
to  which  he  replied ;  and  after  he  had  taken 
the  accustomed  oath  to  preserve  and  main- 
tain the  immunities  and  privileges  of  the 
Cathedral  church,  he  was  presented  with  two 
silver  keys,  which  were  tied  together  cross- 
wise with  a  purple  riband.  This  being  done, 
the  doors  of  the  church  were  opened,  and 
I  he  Lord  Bishop  having  been  vested  at  the 
entrance  of  the  church  in  a  cope,  with  mitre 
and  crosier,  was  conducted  in  procession  to 
the  choir,  where  he  precented  the  Te  Deum, 
which  was  continued  by  the  musicians.  This 
being  finished,  all  the  canons  went  adosciduvi 
pads,  after  which  the  prelate,  having  given 
his  solemn  benediction,  was  conducted  in 
procession  to  the  Synod  Hall  of  the  episcopal 
palace. 

June  20. — Died  at  Paris  M.  I'Abbe  Du- 
chosat,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  priest,  and 
Canon  of  this  church.  The  Chapter,  who 
received  the  news  on  the  26th  from  Mgr.  the 
Bishop  (who  was  then  at  Angouleme),  met 
immediately  after  Mass,  and  unanimously 
nominated,  on  his  recommendation  and  in- 
junction, M.  I'Abbe  Ducheron  du  Pavilion, 
Canon  of  the  church  of  Pdrigueux,  and  Vicar- 
general  of  this  diocese.  The  ist  of  July 
following,  after  vespers,  M.  I'Abbe  du 
Pavilion  took  possession  of  the  canonical 
prebend. 

July  9. — After  matins  a  solemn  service 
was  performed  in  this  church  for  the  repose 
of  the  soul  of  the  late  M.  I'Abbe  Duchosat. 
The  Mass  was  celebrated  by  M.  I'Abbe 
Pichaye,  Canon,  nominated  for  this  purpose 
at  a  Chapter  meeting. 

October  9. — Died  M.  I'Abbe  des  Romans, 
priest  of  the  diocese  of  Angers,  Archdeacon 
of  Saintonge,  and  Canon  of  this  church.  He 
was  an  ecclesiastic  who  for  nearly  twenty-five 
years  had  been  confined  to  his  room  by  an 


illness  which  he  suffered  with  much  resigna- 
tion to  the  will  of  God,  The  ceremony  of 
his  funeral  was  performed  on  the  eleventh  of 
the  same  month,  immediately  after  matins. 
His  body  was  buried  in  this  church  in  St. 
Thomas's  Chapel.  M.  Dudon,  Canon,  cele- 
brated the  High  Mass.  Immediately  after 
the  ceremony  the  Chapter  met  to  make  a 
nomination  to  the  vacant  prebend.  The 
majority  of  the  votes  was  recorded  in  favour 
of  M.  I'Abbe  Renaldi,  priest  of  the  diocese 
of  Rhodez,  and  vicaire  in  that  of  Bordeaux, 
in  virtue  of  his  degrees,  notified  to  the 
Chapter  four  days  previously. 

October  12.— M.  I'Abbe  de  Luchet,  Arch- 
deacon of  Aunis  and  Canon  of  this  church, 
took  possession  after  High  Mass  of  the  arch- 
deaconry of  Saintonge,  vacant  by  the  death 
of  M.  1  Abbe  des  Romans,  which  he  re- 
ceived by  virtue  of  his  indult  from  Mgr.  the 
Bishop. 

October  17.  —  M.  I'Abbe  de  Renaldi, 
nominated  the  nth  of  the  present  month 
to  the  canonical  prebend  vacant  by  the  death 
of  M.  I'Abbe  des  Romans,  took  possession 
of  the  same  at  the  conclusion  of  Vespers. 

August  19. — Died  M.  I'Abbe  Cuenet  de 
St.  Andre,  priest,  Canon  of  this  church. 
The  same  day  at  six  o'clock  he  was  buried 
in  the  Cathedral,  in  St.  James's  Chapel. 
M,  I'Abbe  Pichon,  Canon,  performed  the 
funeral  ceremony,  at  which  Mgr.  the  Bishop 
assisted.  After  the  interment  the  Chapter 
met  in  the  accustomed  manner,  and  nomi- 
nated M.  I'x^bbe  Paroche  Dufresne,  cure 
of  St.  Michel  in  this  town,  to  the  vacant 
canonical  prebend.  The  following  day, 
August  20,  after  High  Mass,  M.  I'Abbe 
Dufresne  took  possession  of  the  prebend. 
A  few  days  after  the  demission  which 
M.  Dufresne  made  of  his  cure  of  St.  Michel, 
M.  Delaage,  Dean  (to  whom  alone  belonged 
the  nomination  and  collation  to  this  cure), 
nominated  to  it  M.  I'Abbe  Daubonneau, 
priest  of  this  diocese,  and  vicaire  of  the 
parish  of  St.  Quantin. 

December  26. — In  consequence  of  the 
letter  of  the  King,  and  of  a  mandate  of 
Mgr.  the  Bishop,  there  was  chanted,  on  the 
Sunday  following  in  the  Cathedral  church 
at   the   conclusion   of  vespers,  a   Te  Deum 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


271 


for  the  proclamation  of  peace.*  All  the 
municipal  and  military  bodies  were  invited 
to  it.  The  Chapter  had  resolved  that 
M.  le  Comte  de  la  Tour  du  Pin,  Second 
Commander  of  the  Province,  should  have 
the  stall  of  honour,  adorned  with  a  carpet  and 
cushion,  assigned  to  him,  which  is  the  first 
stall  on  the  left  side  (M.  le  Baron  de 
Montmorenci,  commander-in-chief,  being 
absent).  In  addition,  that  on  the  arrival  of 
M.  le  Comte  at  the  choir,  the  two  senior 
Canons  should  descend  from  their  stalls,  and 
receive  him  at  the  choir  door.  However 
M.  le  Comte  did  not  come. 

1784. 
February  8. — The  Chapter  received  intelli- 
gence of  the  death  of  M.  1' Abbe  Mondauphin, 
priest.  Canon  of  this  church,  and  Vicar-general 
of  this  diocese,  who  died  at  Bordeaux  the 
5th  of  the  same  month,  aged  sixty-one  years. 
He  was  an  ecclesiastic  whose  regularity  of 
life,  learning,  and  solid  piety  had  justly 
merited  for  him  the  attachment  and  con- 
fidence of  the  whole  of  this  diocese  and  of 
that  of  Bordeaux,  of  which  he  was  also  Vicar- 
general  and  Official  Metropolitical  for  many 
years.  M.  the  Prince  de  Rhoan,  formerly 
Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  and  at  present 
Archbishop-Duke  of  Cambrai,  and  M.  de 
Cice,  the  present  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux, 
reposed  entire  confidence  in  him.  He  was 
the  soul  and  light  of  that  vast  diocese  on 
account  of  his  learning,  and  his  assiduous 
labours,  which  did  much  to  shorten  his  days. 
His  charities  caused  him  to  be  lamented  by 
the  poor,  and  particularly  by  many  indigent 
and  obscure  families  of  whom  he  was  the 
support  and  resource.  At  his  death  a  will 
was  produced,  in  which  he  devised  to  the 
Chapter  of  Saintes  all  his  books,  as  the 
nucleus  of  a  Library  for  the  use  of  the 
Chapter,  besides  several  other  bequests 
which  caused  him  to  be  accounted  a 
benefactor.  The  same  day,  February  8,  at 
the  conclusion  of  Vespers,  the  Chapter  met 
in  the  accustomed  manner  to  appoint  to  the 
vacant  canonical  prebend.  After  some  dis- 
cussion a  majority  of  votes  were  cast  in 
favour  of  M.  I'Abbe  Marchal,  priest  of  the 
diocese  of  Verdun,  and  cure  of  the  parish  of 
St.  Pierre  in  this  town,  whose  virtues  and 
*  The  peace  concluded  with  England. 


talents  justified  the  choice  of  the  company. 
The  next  day,  February  9,  M.  I'Abbe 
Marchal  took  possession  of  the  canonical 
prebend,  to  which  he  was  appointed  on  the 
previous  day. 

On  the  demission  which  M.  Marchal 
made  to  the  Chapter,  on  March  i,  of  the 
cure  of  St.  Pierre,  the  company  nominated 
M.  Godreau,  priest  of  the  diocese  of  La 
Rochelle  and  cure  of  the  parish  of  Migron  in 
this  diocese. 

April  23. — Arrived  in  this  town  M.  Louis 
Joseph  de  la  Rochefoucault,  Bishop,  Count, 
and  Peer  of  Beauvais,  and  brother  of  our 
prelate.  The  next  day,  after  matins,  the 
Chapter  met  and  decided  that  although  the 
custom  of  the  company  had  never  been  to 
send  a  deputation  to  the  Lord  Bishops  or 
Archbishops,  who  might  pass  through,  or 
stop  at  this  town,  yet,  without  causing  a 
precedent  for  the  future,  they  would  send 
a  deputation  of  four  members  to  the 
Lord  Bishop  of  Beauvais  —  M.  Delaage, 
Dean,  Dudon,  Pichon,  and  D'Herison — to 
present  their  respects  and  compliments,  and 
to  offer  him,  in  their  behalf,  the  position  of 
honorary  canon.  This  the  Lord  Bishop 
accepted  with  pleasure  and  gratitude. 

May  12. — Before  Mass,  being  the  day 
selected  by  M.  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais 
to  be  installed.  Messieurs  de  la  Gontrie, 
d'Aigui^res,  Croisier,  and  Pichon,  nominated 
by  the  company,  went  to  receive  him  at  the 
door  of  the  church.  M.  de  la  Gontrie  made 
him  a  complimentary  speech,  to  which  he 
replied.  Then  they  conducted  him  to  the 
choir,  and  installed  him  in  the  first  stall  on 
the  left-hand  side.  He  began  the  Mass,  and 
gave  the  ordinary  benedictions,  except  the 
benediction  at  the  end  of  Mass,  which  he 
did  not  give.  At  the  offertory  the  incense 
was  offered  to  him  before  the  sub-chanters 
(the  Dean  being  absent  that  day).  To  make 
the  ceremony  more  imposing,  the  altar  was 
decorated,  and  the  Mass  sung  ritu  solemm, 
although  it  was  only  a  semi-double.  The  same 
day.  May  12,  Mgr.  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais 
gave  a  dinner  to  the  whole  of  the  Chapter. 

During  the  session  of  the  general  Chapter 
it  was  decided,  at  the  request  of  Mgr.  the 
Bishop,  that  for  the  future  vespers  should 
be  chanted  at  three  o'clock  instead  of  at  two. 
At  the  same  meeting  it  was   debated   and 


272 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES 


decided  that  with  the  consent  of  Mgr.  the 
Bishop,  matins  should  for  the  future  be 
sung  at  six  o'clock  throughout  the  year,  and 
Mass  at  ten  instead  of  at  nine.  Further  it 
was  decided  that  during  Lent  the  sermon 
should  be  at  nine  instead  of  at  eight  o'clock, 
and  during  Advent  at  nine  instead  of  ten. 

June  30. — The  Chapter  gave  a  repas  de 
cours  to  MM.  the  Bishop  of  Saintes  and  the 
Bishop  of  Beauvais,  to  which  M.  the  Comte 
de  la  Tour  du  Pin,  Second  Commander  of 
the  Province,  and  M.  de  Reverseaux, 
Intendant  of  this  GeneralUe,  were  invited. 
M.  de  la  Tour  du  Pin  excused  himself  for 
not  being  present. 

1785. 

April  24. — After  vespers,  at  the  request  of 
the  Town  Council,  and  in  virtue  of  an  order 
of  Mgr.  the  Bishop,  and  with  the  consent  of 
the  Chapter,  a  solemn  procession  took  place, 
in  which  was  borne  the  relic  of  the  head  of 
St.  Eutrope,  and  in  which  the  whole  body  of 
the  clergy,  secular  and  regular,  took  part — 
that  is  to  say,  those  of  the  parishes  and  the 
communities  of  the  town  and  its  suburbs — 
also  the  magistracy  and  municipality,  in  order 
to  implore  God  for  rain.  The  procession 
started  from  the  Cathedral  to  go  and  seek 
the  relic  at  the  Porte  de  St.  Louis,  where  it 
had  been  taken  and  deposited.  Four  semin- 
arists in  dalmatics  bore  it  during  the  proces- 
sion (which  took  the  same  route  as  that  on 
Corpus  Christi  day).  In  passing  before  the 
great  door  of  the  Cathedral  it  was  incensed 
by  the  Archdeacon  of  Saintonge  {dignior 
chori  absente  decano).  The  Chapter  con- 
ducted the  relic  back  as  far  as  the  Porte  de 
St.  Louis,  whence  they  returned  in  proces- 
sion to  the  Cathedral.  The  monks  of  St. 
Eutrope  then  received  back  the  relic,  to  take 
it  to  their  church,  where  it  is  preserved. 
Note,  that  since  the  middle  of  March  this 
year,  up  to  the  twenty-fourth  of  April,  no  rain 
had  fallen,  and  the  drought  was  general 
throughout  the  kingdom,  and  in  this  province 
we  had  no  rain  till  the  end  of  the  month  of 
July  following ;  further,  the  failure  of  crops 
and  fodder  was  general. 

August  14. — Died  M.  I'Abb^  Binet,  priest. 
Canon  semi-prebendary  of  this  church.  The 
interment  took  place  the  next  day  after  prime; 
all  the  Chapter  assisted  at  it.   There  were  no 


hangings  in  the  church,  nor  in  the  choir 
(such  is  not  customary  except  for  canons 
capitulant).  He  was  buried  in  the  vault 
which  is  behind  the  choir.  M.  Simp6,  Canon 
semi-prebendary,  performed  the  service,  and 
sang  the  High  Mass. 

August  16. — After  the  return  of  the  pro- 
cession from  the  Jacobins,  where  the  Chapter 
had  gone,  according  to  custom,  to  sing  the 
High  Mass,  there  was  a  general  meeting  in 
order  to  make  a  nomination  to  the  semi- 
prebend,  vacant  by  the  death  of  M.  I'Abbe 
Binet.  M.  I'Abb^  Chevalier,  the  senior 
Vicar-choral,  was  nominated  to  the  said  semi- 
prebend  una  voce. 

August  20. — At  the  conclusion  of  High 
Mass  the  Chapter  met  for  the  installation  of 
M.  Chevalier,  which  is  the  same  as  regards 
ceremonial  as  that  of  the  canons  capitulant, 
except  that  the  semi-prebendary  does  not  pay 
the  droit  de  chappe,  rachat  de  gros  fruity  etc. 

1786. 

January  11,  1786. — Mgr.  the  Bishop  re- 
ceived intelligence  of  the  death  of  the  Comte 
de  la  Rochefoucault,  his  brother.  The  next 
day  M.  I'Abb^  de  Bourdeille,  clerk,  sum- 
moned the  Chapter  after  vespers  to  inquire 
of  the  company  whether  they  desired  to  send 
a  deputation  to  the  Lord  Bishop  to  express 
their  sympathy  in  the  loss  he  had  sustained. 
The  company  deliberated  as  to  this,  and  de- 
cided to  send  two  deputies  to  Mgr.  the  Bishop 
for  this  purpose,  but  not  to  make  any  record 
of  the  discussion  in  their  register,  so  that  it 
should  not  form  a  precedent  for  the  future. 

January  13.— M.  I'Abb^  de  Bourdeille, 
clerk,  summoned  the  Chapter  after  Mass  to 
convey,  on  the  part  of  Mgr.  the  Bishop,  his 
acknowledgment  of  their  sympathy  in  his 
grief  at  the  loss  of  his  brother,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  request  the  Chapter  to  hold  a 
service  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of  his 
brother.  The  Chapter,  having  taken  this 
into  consideration,  decided  to  hold  such  a 
service  as  that  requested  by  the  Lord  Bishop, 
with  all  the  solemnity  suitable  for  such  an 
occasion  ;  that  Mr.  Dean,  assisted  by  two 
Canons,  should  perform  the  ceremony,  that 
all  the  nobility  should  be  invited  in  the  name 
of  the  Chapter,  that  Mgr,  the  Bishop  should 
be  asked  what  day  he  considered  appropriate 
for  the  service,  and  that  the  nave  and  choir 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES 


273 


should  be  hung  with  black  as  at  the  interment 
of  a  Canon. 

January  20,  1786,  was  celebrated  in  the 
Cathedral  church,  the  solemn  service  for 
the  repose  of  the  soul  of  the  late  M.  le 
Comte  de  la  Rochefoucault,  decided  on  in 
the  Chapter  of  the  thirteenth  of  the  same 
month.     M.  the  Bishop  officiated  himself. 

May  16,  1786,  died  M.  Godreau,  priest  of 
the  diocese  of  La  Rochelle,  and  cure  of  the 
parish  of  St.  Pierre  in  this  town.  He  was  an 
ecclesiastic  who,  during  the  brief  period  that 
he  had  been  cure,  had  gained  the  esteem  of 
his  parishioners,  who  lamented  him.  The 
next  day,  after  vespers,  the  interment  took 
place.  According  to  custom  he  was  buried 
by  the  priests  and  other  members  of  the  under 
choir  (in  the  parish  church  of  St.  Pierre).* 
Messieurs  the  cures  of  the  town  and  suburbs 
were  invited  ;  M.  the  ci^re  of  St.  Eutrope  per- 
formed the  funeral. 

May  19,  1786.— After  the  Canon's  Mass 
the  Chapter  met  to  nominate  a  successor  to 
M.  Godreau.  The  majority  of  votes  was  in 
favour  of  M.  Delacroix  de  St.  Cyprien,  of  this 
diocese,  at  the  request  which  the  Bishop  of 
Saintes  made  to  that  effect  to  the  Chapter. 

May  27,  1786.— Died  M.  Guillaume  Gar- 
ripui,  priest,  canon  semi-prebendary  of  this 
church.  The  next  day,  after  matins,  his 
funeral  took  place,  at  which  all  the  Chapter 
assisted  according  to  custom.  M.  Simpe, 
Canon  semi-prebendary,  performed  the  cere- 
mony of  his  obsequies  and  celebrated  the  High 
Mass.  There  were  no  hangings  used  either 
in  the  choir  or  the  nave,  the  custom  being 
not  to  use  them  except  for  canons  capitulant. 

May  30,  1786.— After  Mass  the  Chapter 
met  to  nominate  to  the  semi-prebend,  vacant 
by  the  death  of  M.  Garripui.  M.  Maurin, 
the  senior  Vicar-choral,  received  the  majority 
of  votes,  and  took  possession  the  day  follow- 
ing after  Mass. 

June  1,  1786.— M.  I'Abbe  de  la  Croix  de 
St.  Cyprien  took  possession  of  the  cure  of 
St.  Pierre,  and  was  installed  in  the  choir  as 
first  Vicar-choral. 

1787. 
June  9,  1787. — Died  M.  d'Hdrisson,  canon 
of  this  church,  and  Abbot  commandatory  of 

•  [The  parish  church  of  St.  Pierre  was  a  building 
distinct  from  the  Cathedral.  It  is  now  secularized, 
part  of  it  forming  an  ordinary  dwelling-house.] 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


Madion  in  this  diocese.  His  burial  took 
place  the  day  following,  after  compHne.  His 
body  was  buried  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Sebas- 
tian. After  the  ceremony  of  his  obsequies 
the  Chapter  met  in  the  accustomed  manner 
and  unanimously  nominated  to  the  afore- 
mentioned vacant  prebend  M.  I'Abbe  Taillet, 
Archdeacon  of  Aunis.  The  same  day,  im- 
mediately after  his  nomination,  M.  I'Abbe 
Taillet  was  installed,  and  received  ad  osculum 
pads. 

June  18,  1787. — After  Matins  a  solemn 
service  was  celebrated  in  the  Cathedral 
church  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of  the  late 
M.  d'Herisson.  M.  Dudon,  Canon,  sang 
the  High  Mass. 

1788. 

July  15,  1788.— After  Matins  a  solemn 
service  was  celebrated  in  the  Cathedral 
church  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of  the 
late  Mgr.  de  Grave,  Bishop  of  Valence, 
formerly  Canon  in  this  Cathedral  church 
of  Saintes.  M.  Croisier,  Canon-theologal 
and  Master  of  the  School,  and  Vicar-general 
of  the  said  Lord  Bishop,  sang  the  High 
Mass. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1788, 
M.  Daubonneau,  cure  of  St.  Michel  in 
this  town,  and  nominated  the  same  month 
in  the  preceding  year  to  the  charge  of  Nieul 
le  Viron  in  this  diocese,  by  M.  de  St.  Leger, 
Canon  of  this  church,  resigned  his  charge  of 
St.  Michel  in  favour  of  M.  Chasserieux  du 
Charon,  priest  of  the  diocese  of  La  Rochelle, 
who  took  possession  of  it  in  the  month  of 
November  following. 

December  31,  1788. — At  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  without  the  authority  of  M.  le 
Comte  de  la  Tour  du  Pin,  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  province,  there  was  held,  at  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  a  general  meeting  of  the  three 
orders  of  the  town  only,  at  which  M.  Delaage, 
Dean,  presided,  in  order  to  consult  as  to 
establishing  the  States  Provincial.  It  was 
decided  that  the  formation  of  the  different 
provinces  in  States  Provincial  would  be  of 
much  utility,  that  the  Regime  des  Intendants 
and  the  elect ion.s  were  open  to  much  abuse, 
and  that  arbitrariness  and  favouritism  were 
causing  day  by  day  the  most  crying  injustice. 
The  result  was  that  the  three  orders  thus  met 
together  voted   in    favour  of  requesting   of 

NN 


274 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES 


the  King  the  formation  of  Saintonge  into 
States  Provincial  wholly  separate  from  Guy- 
enne,  that  the  Bas  Angoumois  and  Aunis 
should  be  invited  to  join  Saintonge  in  form- 
ing one  and  the  same  province  under  the 
name  of  the  States  Provincial  of  Saintonge. 

The  assembly,  recognising  that  it  was  not 
sufficiently  representative  of  the  entire  pro- 
vince, decided  that  without  the  authority  of 
M.  le  Comte  de  la  Tour  du  Pin  a  general 
meeting  of  the  three  orders  of  the  province 
should  be  summoned  for  February  5  follow- 
ing, at  which  Mgr.  the  Bishop  and  M.  le 
Comte  de  la  Tour  du  Pin  should  be  invited 
to  be  present  At  the  same  meeting  each 
order  appointed  commissaries  for  summon- 
ing the  members  of  its  order;  M.  Delaage, 
Dean  of  the  Cathedral,  and  M.  I'Abb^  de  la 
Magdaleine,  were  nominated  for  the  clergy  ; 
M.  de  Turpin  and  M.  Bremond  d'Ars  for 
the  nobihty,  MM.  de  Rochecuste,  formerly 
Assessor  at  the  Court  of  Justice  ;  Gamier,* 
King's  Advocate,  Gregoireau,  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  and  Charrier,  merchant,  for  the 
Tiers  Etat.  It  was  decided  that  the  record 
of  the  deliberations  and  the  minutes  of  the 
meetings  should  be  deposited  at  the  office  of 
the  Seneschal,  in  order  that  reference  might 
be  made  to  them  if  needed,  after  which  the 
assembly  separated. 

The  eight  commissaries  nominated  met 
a  few  days  afterwards  at  the  house  of 
M.  Delaage,  Dean,  in  order  to  determine 
among  themselves  the  manner  in  which  they 
would  summon  the  members  who  were  to 
form  the  assembly  appointed  for  February  5 
following.  It  was  decided  that  the  com- 
missaries of  each  order  should  summon  the 
members  of  their  own  order.  The  cures 
were  summoned,  two  for  each  rural  deanery, 
which  did  not  exceed  the  number  of  fifteen, 
and  four  besides  the  fifteen,  including  the 
incumbents  of  sinecures,  who  were  within 
the  limits  of  each  rural  deanery.  All  the 
other  incumbents  were  invited  individually. 
The  communities  of  men  and  women  were 
also  invited,  viz.,  those  of  men  by  a  deputy 
from  each  community ;  those  of  women  by 
an  appointed  Proctor.  The  nobility  were  all 
individually  invited ;  as  to  the  gentlemen  of 
the  Tiers  Etat,  it  is  not  known  in  what  manner 
they  were  summoned. 

•  Son  of  a  proctor  at  Saintes,  Deputy  to  the 
Convention,  voted  for  the  King's  death. 


February  5,  1789. — In  consequence  of  the 
decision  of  the  assembly  of  IJecember  30 
last,  and  the  summons  from  the  commis- 
saries, the  three  orders  of  the  province 
assembled  in  the  great  hall  of  the  Palace. 
M.  le  Comte  de  la  Tour  du  Pin,  although 
he  had  arrived  in  the  town  on  the  third  of 
the  present  month,  took  no  part.  Mgr. 
the  Bishop,  detained  in  Paris  by  private 
business,  wrote  to  the  order  of  the  Clergy, 
excusing  himself  for  not  being  able  to  attend. 
At  the  day  aforesaid  M.  Delaage,  Dean  of 
the  Cathedral,  opened  the  assembly,  which 
was  composed  of  about  500  persons,  by 
explaining  the  object  of  the  meeting. 
After  a  number  of  speeches  on  the  same 
topic,  made  by  MM.  Gamier,  King's  advo- 
cate ;  Lemercier,  lieutenant-criminal  of  this 
Court  of  Justice ;  and  Bonneau  de  Mon- 
gaugd,  advocate,  the  three  orders,  profoundly 
convinced  of  the  great  advantage  of  the 
establishment  of  the  States  Provincial,  unani- 
mously voted  for  asking  of  the  King  the  for- 
mation of  Saintonge  into  a  State  Provincial. 

After  having  voted  unanimously,  each 
order  retired  to  the  place  assigned  to  it  j 
viz.,  the  gentlemen  of  the  Tiers  Etat  remained 
in  the  great  hall  of  the  Palace,  those  of  the 
order  of  the  clergy  retired  to  the  Council 
Hall,  and  the  gentlemen  of  the  nobility  to 
the  Audience  Hall.  Each  order,  thus 
separated  for  deliberation,  nominated  re- 
spectively a  president  and  commissaries. 
The  president  of  the  clergy  was  Mr.  Delaage, 
Dean  of  the  Chapter.  The  commissaries  were 
MM.  de  la  Magdaleine  and  Delord,  Canons ; 
Bonnerot,  Cure  of  St.  Maur  in  this  town  ;  and 
Beauregard,  of  the  order  of  the  Chancelade,* 
Prior-Cure  of  Champagnoles,  in  this  diocese. 

The  president  of  the  nobility  was  M.  the 
Marquis  d'Aiguieres  ;  the  commissaries  were 
MM.  Turpin  de  Fiefgallet,  de  Bremond 
d'Ars,  the  Comte  de  Mornac,  and  the  Comte 
de  Livenne.  The  president  of  the  Tiers 
Etat  was  M.  Gamier,  advocate  of  the  King 
at  the  Court  of  Justice.  The  commissaries 
were  MM.  Fonremis  (senior),  councillor; 
Duchesne,  advocate ;  Gregoireau,  doctor ; 
Charrier,  merchant ;  Rochecoute,  formerly 
assessor ;  Gueron,  advocate ;  Lemercier, 
lieutenant-criminal. 

*  A  local  branch  of  Augustinians  at  Chancelade 
in  Dordogne.  A  subordinate  house  of  the  order 
was  just  outside  Saintes. 


WITH  THE  INSTITUTE  AT  LANCASTER. 


275 


The  Sieur  Gaudriau,  mayor  and  sub- 
delegate,  was  present  at  the  assembly  of  the 
Tiers  Etat,  but  in  consequence  of  being  sub- 
delegate,  which  rendered  him  "  suspect,"  was 
obliged  to  retire. 

The  meetings  of  Thursday  and  Friday 
were  passed  in  conferences  and  deputations 
between  the  respective  orders,  without  any- 
thing being  definitely  agreed  or  decided  upon, 
except  that  at  the  last  meeting  on  Friday  it 
was  decided  that  each  order  should  separately 
draw  up  its  memorandum  and  request  to  the 
King  relating  to  the  matter  for  which  they 
had  met.  Finally,  on  Saturday  morning,  the 
seventh  of  the  said  month,  spirits  revived, 
and,  in  consequence  of  the  deputation  of  the 
Tiers  Etat  to  the  two  other  orders,  the  three 
orders  met  together  in  the  Great  Hall  of  the 
Palace,  and  the  five  articles  following  were 
definitely  adopted,  with  the  almost  unanimous 
agreement  of  the  assembly  :  (i)  That  a  most 
humble  appeal  should  be  made  to  the  King 
in  the  name  of  the  three  orders,  asking  of 
him  the  formation  of  Saintonge  into  States 
Provincial ;  (2)  that  the  order  of  the  Tiers 
Etat  should  have  in  it  a  number  of  represen- 
tatives equal  to  those  of  the  two  first  orders  ; 
(3)  that  the  clergy  and  the  assembly  should 
renounce  all  pecuniary  privileges  ;  (4)  that 
it  should  be  left  to  the  decision  of  the  King 
or  of  the  States  Provincial  (to  be  immediately 
assembled)  whether  the  voting  should  be  by 
orders  or  collectively ;  (5)  that  the  clergy 
and  the  nobility  should  be  bound  not  to  veto 
a  matter  directly  or  indirectly  in  any  manner, 
but  that  it  be  decided /(?r  or  against.  These 
five  articles  being  definitely  decided,  rejoicing 
spread  through  the  entire  assembly.  Mutual 
congratulations  were  made,  and  complete 
minutes  were  drawn  up,  which  were  signed 
by  all  the  members  of  the  assembly. 
{To  be  continued.^ 


^itf)  tbe  Institute  at 
lancastet. 


HE  fifty-sixth  meeting  of  the  Royal 
Archaeological  Institute  was   held 
this  summer  at  Lancaster,  extend- 
ing  from    July     19    to    July    26. 
Once   more  it  is  a  pleasure  to  be  able  to 


congratulate  the  members  and  friends  of  the 
Institute  on  the  signal  success  of  their 
annual  excursions  and  sessions.  The  pro- 
gramme was  not  quite  so  varied  and  ex- 
tensive as  at  Dorchester  in  1897,  but  there 
was  no  falling  off  in  numbers  or  in  well- 
sustained  interest,  whilst  the  weather  was 
perfect. 

About  the  only  drawback  was  the  absence 
of  some  of  those  who  usually  brighten  these 
meetings  with  their  presence.  Amongst 
those  notably  missed  were :  — Viscount 
Dillon,  P.S.A.  (who  was  prevented  from 
attending  at  the  last  moment  through  a 
family  engagement).  Sir  Stuart  Knill, 
Chancellor  Ferguson,  Mr.  G.  E.  Fox,  and 
Rev.  W.  S.  Calverley,  who  were  all  detained 
through  illness.  Nevertheless,  the  attend- 
ance was  good,  the  number  at  the  excursions 
averaging  somewhat  over  a  hundred. 

Sir  Henry  Howorth,  M.P.,  made  an  excel- 
lent successor  to  Lord  Dillon  as  president  of 
the  Institute.  He  was  assiduous  in  his 
attendance  at  meetings  and  excursions,  over- 
flowing with  quaint  humour  and  old-world 
courtesy,  happy  in  his  graceful  compliments 
to  all  kind  Lancashire  hosts,  and  invaluable 
in  his  serious  contributions  to  almost  every 
subject  under  discussion. 

Among  the  new  members  of  the  Institute 
present  on  this  occasion,  none  was  more 
welcome,  nor  added  more  to  the  intellectual 
power  of  the  society,  than  Dr.  Munro, 
hon.  sec.  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of 
Scotland,  and  the  well-known  author  of  The 
Lake  Dwellings  of  Europe^  Prehistoric 
Problems,  etc.  Dr.  Munro's  address,  as 
president  of  the  antiquarian  section,  was  on 
"  The  Relation  between  Archaeology,  Chron- 
ology, and  Land  Oscillations  in  Post  glacial 
Times."  It  was  a  stiff  subject,  and  most 
ably  treated  ;  any  attempt  at  a  brief  summary 
would  be  futile.  The  paper  is  sure  to  be 
closely  studied,  when  it  appears  in  the 
Archceological  Journal,  by  all  deep  anti- 
quaries. In  many  respects  this  paper  formed 
an  apt  sequel  to  that  of  Professor  Boyd 
Dawkins  last  year  at  Dorchester,  both  deal- 
ing inferentially  with  the  gap  between 
palaeolithic  and  neolithic  man. 

Mr.  Micklethwaite,  who  presided  over  the 
architectural  section,  gave  a  supplement  to 
the  valuable  paper  on  the  different  types  of 

NN    2 


276 


WITH  THE  INSTITUTE  AT  LANCASTER. 


Saxon  churches  which  he  dehvered  two 
years  ago  at  Canterbury.  The  most  note- 
worthy feature  of  his  address  was  the  record 
of  the  discovery  last  autumn  of  another 
Saxon  church  of  an  early  type,  contained 
amongst  the  later  mediaeval  work  of  the 
church  of  Lydd,  on  Romney  Marsh.  Mr. 
Micklethwaite  received  many  congratulations 
on  his  appointment  as  architect  of  West- 
minster Abbey.  It  was  generally  acknow- 
ledged that  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Mick- 
lethwaite to  the  charge  of  Westminster,  of 
Mr.  Somers  Clark  to  St.  Paul's,  and  of  Mr. 
Bodley  to  Peterborough,  marked  a  most 
noteworthy  change  within  the  past  twelve- 
months, which  abundantly  justified  the 
stringent  protest  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
and  the  Arch^ological  Institute  against  the 
general  action  of  Deans  and  Chapters  during 
the  present  reign. 

Sir  Henry  Howorth  and  Mr.  J.  H. 
Nicholson  (in  their  respective  addresses) 
dealt  cursorily,  but  after  an  interesting 
fashion,  with  the  history  and  general 
antiquities  of  Lancashire.  Mr.  W.  O. 
Roper,  F.S.A.,  as  local  secretary,  proved 
himself  to  be  as  capable  and  pleasant  a  guide 
as  Mr.  Moule  was  at  the  Dorchester  meet- 
ings. His  graphic  and  occasionally  eloquent 
descriptions  of  the  church  and  castle  of 
Lancaster,  of  Berwick  Hall,  and  of  Hornby 
Castle  were  much  appreciated.  The  wrath 
of  the  less-informed  local  worthies  of  Lan- 
caster was  somewhat  kindled  upon  being 
assured  pretty  generally  by  the  Institute  that 
their  castle  (notwithstanding  "  Hadrian's 
Tower")  had  not  a  scrap  of  Roman  work 
about  it,  and  that  the  tower  which  bears  the 
name  of  John  of  Gaunt  (as  proved  by  the 
heraldry)  was  of  far  later  date.  Some  indeed 
went  so  far  as  to  say  that  there  was  no  evi- 
dence that  John  of  Gaunt  had  ever  even 
visited  Lancaster  ! 

Although  there  were  no  great  ramparts  01 
camps  or  entrenchments  to  visit  during  these 
meetings,  this  part  of  Lancashire  did  not 
prove  destitute  of  earthworks  of  interest.  At 
Halton,  Melling,  and  Gressingham  there 
were  noteworthy  mounds,  near  to  the 
churches,  which  seem  undoubtedly  to  have 
been  Saxon  burhs.  When  the  Anglo-Saxons 
were  Christianized,  the  first  preaching-cross, 
and  subsequently  the  first  church  (originally 


of  timber),  would  naturally  be  erected  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  centre  of  life  of  the 
settlement. 

But  the  most  remarkable  evidence  of  pre- 
Norman  civilization  throughout  this  district 
is  to  be  found  in  the  abundant  remains  of 
Christian  crosses  and  other  sepulchral  frag- 
ments, sculptured  for  the  most  part  with 
knotwork.  There  are  several  fragments  of 
these  early  crosses  built  into  the  outer  wall 
of  the  north  aisle  of  Lancaster  church.  Two 
lofty  examples  were  noted  at  Halton,  one  in 
the  church,  and  the  other  in  the  churchyard. 
At  Melling  there  are  some  fragments  care- 
fully preserved  in  the  vestry.  Dr.  Cox 
pointed  out  in  the  churchyard  of  Hornby  a 
massive  monolith  arcaded  on  each  side,  of 
early  Saxon  date,  which  has  been  un- 
doubtedly the  great  base-stone  of  a  cross  of 
remarkably  fine  proportions.  In  Whalley 
churchyard  there  are  several  upstanding  but 
imperfect  shafts  of  differing  pre-Norman 
dates.  Heysham  churchyard  has  another 
fine  cross,  of  perhaps  eighth-century  date  ; 
whilst  in  the  same  place  is  the  remarkable 
"  hog-back  "  tomb,  so  rich  in  carving.  This 
last  stone  is  now  generally  admitted  by 
students  of  this  kind  of  work  to  be  a  striking 
example  of  the  pagan-Christian  overlap,  in 
which  the  stories  from  the  Sagas  were 
blended  with  those  of  Christ  as  the 
Conqueror  and  Christ  as  the  Redeemer. 
Rev.  W.  S.  Calverley,  F.S.A.,  was  the  first  to 
apply  this  method  of  interpretation  to  the 
remarkable  pre-Norman  sculptures  of  the 
north  of  England,  and  much  regret  was  felt 
and  expressed  that  he  was  unable  through 
illness  to  be  with  the  Institute  at  Heysham, 
Halton,  and  other  places  where  the  members 
were  looking  forward  to  his  expositions. 
Mr.  Nicholson,  however,  made  an  admirable 
substitute.  It  may  here  be  mentioned  that 
Mr.  Wilson,  of  Kendal,  will  shortly  publish 
by  subscription  (los.)  Mr.  Calverley's  illus- 
trated Notes  on  the  Early  Sculptural  Crosses, 
Shrines,  a?id  Monumetits  of  the  Diocese  0/ 
Carlisle. 

Parts  of  Heysham  church  are  undoubtedly 
Saxon,  but  to  the  immediate  west  of  the 
church,  and  on  high  ground  overlooking  the 
sea,  stand  the  ruins  of  a  very  early  little 
church,  dedicated  to  St.  Patrick.  Sir  Henry 
Howorth    contended    that    the    remarkably 


WITH  THE  INSTITUTE  AT  LANCASTER. 


277 


good  character  of  the  masonry  and  its 
details,  as  well  as  the  dedication  and  historic 
evidence,  all  pointed  to  a  Celtic  or  Irish 
origin  for  this  intensely  interesting  building. 
The  six  stone  coffins  hewn  out  of  the  solid 
rock,  with  sockets  at  the  heads  for  crosses, 
to  the  west  of  the  little  church,  were^con- 
sidered  to  be  of  later  date. 

The  devastating  work  of  church  "  restora- 
tion "  in  its  worst  form  has  to  a  great  extent 
spared  this  district,  mainly  owing  to  the 
conservative  and  artistic  tastes  of  Messrs. 
Austin  and  Paley,  the  leading  church 
architects  of  this  part  of  Lancashire.  The 
Institute  had  the  advantage  of  the  company 
and  brief  explanations  of  Mr.  Austin  in  their 
visits  to  several  churches.  Everyone  was 
charmed  with  the  tasteful  and  gentle  way  in 
which  the  interesting  church  of  Melling  has 
been  preserved,  repaired,  and,  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  word,  "  beautified "  by  the 
universally  respected  Vicar,  Rev.  W.  B. 
Grenside,  mainly  under  the  guidance  of  Mr. 
Austin. 

Mr.  Micklethwaite  was  happy  in  his 
description  of  the  delightful  woodwork  in  the 
parish  church  of  Whalley,  with  its  early 
fourteenth-century  stall-work  from  the  abbey, 
and  its  much  later  chantry  screens  or 
parcloses,  locally  termed  "  cages,"  of  which 
three  examples  remain  in  the  nave.  Dr.  Cox 
described  the  churches  of  Hornby  and 
Mytton.  In  the  latter  church  he  seemed 
happy  in  the  opportunity  of  once  more 
demolishing  the  silly  "  leper "  theory,  and 
still  more  foolish  and  absolutely  impossible 
"  confessional  "  theory  for  "  low  -  side  " 
windows.  He  begged  any  present  who  knew 
anything  whatever  about  confession,  either 
as  priests  or  penitents,  to  test  the  possibility 
of  such  a  use  for  the  Mytton  double  window, 
and  to  carry  out  their  experiments  elsewhere 
in  cases  where  such  windows  occurred.  He 
was  then  confident  that  this  notion  would 
utterly  collapse  among  folk  of  any  pre- 
tensions to  thoughtfulness.  The  chapel  of 
St.  Nicholas,  on  the  north  side  of  Mytton 
chancel,  is  crowded  with  monuments  of  the 
once  important  family  of  Shireburne,  of 
Stonyhurst.  Of  this  family  Dr.  Cox  gave  a 
long  account  the  night  before  Mytton  was 
visited,  the  facts  being  in  the  main  original 
and   drawn   from   the   Duchy  of  Lancaster 


records.  It  was  pointed  out  that  three  of 
the  Shireburne  recumbent  effigies  of  seven- 
teenth-century date  had  their  legs  crossed, 
and,  as  Dr.  Cox  dryly  remarked,  "  it  was 
generally  supposed  that  they  did  not  go  to 
the  Crusades  !" 

The  abbeys  visited  were  those  of  Furness 
and  Whalley,  both  Cistercian,  and,  in 
addition,  the  very  noble  priory  church  of 
Cartmel  (Austin  Canons)  was  closely  in- 
spected. Mr.  St.  John  Hope  was  the  lucid 
and  vivid  expounder  of  their  plans,  uses,  and 
architectural  details.  We  have  heard  Mr. 
Hope  give  monastic  talks  on  the  sites  of 
England's  old  religious  houses  for  over 
twenty  years,  but  it  was  generally  admitted 
that  he  was  never  heard  to  greater  advantage 
than  during  this  Lancaster  meeting. 

One  of  the  pleasantest  days  was  a  delight- 
ful drive  to  the  old  halls  of  Borwick  and 
Levens.  The  former  is  a  somewhat  bleak 
and  uninhabited  example  of  a  good  country 
house,  of  moderate  size,  mainly  of  Eliza- 
bethan date.  It  was  for  several  generations 
the  property  and  residence  of  the  Bindloss 
family.  The  lodge  was  built  in  1650;  the 
hall  was  visited  by  Charles  II.  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  Levens  Hall,  which  is  in  West- 
moreland, contains  work  in  its  peel-tower  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  but  is  mainly  Eliza- 
bethan. It  has  been  continuously  occupied, 
and  consequently  has  a  true  homely  aspect ; 
but  successive  residents  have  sadly  altered  it 
both  without  and  within.  The  gardens,  with 
their  fantastically  clipped  yews  and  other 
trees,  are  much  as  they  were  laid  out  by 
Monsieur  Beaumont  (the  designer  of  Hamp- 
ton Court  gardens)  in  1689. 

Dr.  Munro  and  others  were  very  much 
interested  in  finding  in  one  of  the  rooms  of 
the  Storey  Institute  a  remarkable  "  dug-out  " 
or  early  rude  canoe,  of  the  coracle  or  spoon 
shape,  and  entirely  dissimilar  to  any  previous 
find  in  the  British  Isles.  It  was  understood 
to  have  been  found  at  Blea  Tarn,  six  miles 
from  Lancaster,  during  some  recent  reservoir 
excavations.  Lancaster,  strange  to  say,  is 
wholly  without  an  antiquarian  museum. 
Possibly  the  visit  of  the  Institute  may  stir 
up  the  good  townsfolk  and  their  neighbours 
to  supply  this  curious  omission.  If  so,  this 
canoe  would  form  a  unique  trophy  of  the 
past.     Here,  too,  it  may  be  mentioned  how 


278 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


highly  desirable  it  is  that  the  known  frag- 
ments of  Saxon  crosses  should  be  carefully 
withdrawn  from  the  north  wall  of  Lancaster 
church,  so  as  to  save  the  exposed  surfaces 
from  a  speedy  obliteration,  and  to  discover 
and  preserve  the  now  hidden  parts  of  the 
carving. 

It  seems  likely  that  Ipswich  will  be  the 
centre  for  next  year's  meetings,  whilst  Dublin 
is  talked  of  for  1900.  If  not  looking  for- 
ward too  far,  Northampton  may  very  likely 
be  visited  in  1901. 

The  pleasant  social  feeling  amongst  all  the 
excursionists  of  the  Institute  and  their 
friends  was  never  more  marked  than  at  the 
Lancaster  meetings.  Friendliness  and  con- 
sideration for  all  were  the  common  character- 
istics of  the  honorary  officials,  both  of  the 
Institute  and  of  the  Lancaster  local  com- 
mittee. Once  again,  though  it  may  be 
somewhat  invidious  to  make  special  mention, 
everyone  felt  personally  indebted  to  Mr.  Mill 
Stephenson  for  his  hard  work  and  excellent 
arrangements  as  Meeting  Secretary,  and  for 
his  continuous  good-nature  and  infectious 
botihomie.  Even  the  startling  and  unre- 
hearsed feat  that  he  accomplished,  with  a 
Grossmith  like  agility,  at  the  annual  business 
meeting  seemed  only  to  move  him,  as  well 
as  the  audience,  to  a  laughing  hilarity.  May 
he  long  be  spared  to  marshal  antiquaries 
with  the  success  that  he  achieved  at  Lan- 
caster ! 


Cburcb  5l^ote0. 

By  the  late  Sir  Stephen  Glynne,  Bart. 
{Continued  from  p.  204.) 

IV.  LINCOLNSHIRE.— II.  THORNTON. 

PRIL  22"d  [1825].— The  day  un- 
fortunately turned  out  very  rainy. 
We  took  the  road  to  Thornton 
Abbeyovercountry  which,  though 
flat,  must  be  rather  pleasing  when  the  trees 
are  in  full  leaf. 

"Thornton  Abbey  consists  principally  of 
a  noble  gateway  with  spacious  chambers 
over  it,  and  some  other  rooms  adjoining  to 
it.      The  Church  is  nearly  entirely  destroyed. 


A  small  portion,  however,  remains  at  a  great 
distance  from  the  gateway,  mostly  Early 
English.  The  gateway  appears  to  be  of 
Decorated  character.  Its  arch  is  very 
elegantly  feathered,  and  over  it  are  three 
niches  with  extremely  rich  Decorated  canopies 
wrought  with  crockets  and  finials.  Within 
each  niche  is  a  statue.  The  ceiling  within 
the  gateway  is  also  Decorated,  and  finely 
groined  with  stone.  The  rooms  above  are 
mostly  Perpendicular,  having  elegant  door- 
ways and  fireplaces,  with  Tudor  arch  and 
windows  of  the  same  period.  The  rooms, 
passages,  staircases,  etc.,  remain  pretty  entire, 
and  one  of  the  staircases  is  finished  with  a 
beautiful  groined  roof.  A  great  portion  of 
the  buildings  of  the  Abbey  is  built  with 
brick.  The  gateway  is  certainly  a  most 
magnificent  object. 

"  [There  is  also  part  of  the  Chapter  House 
to  be  traced,  a  small  polygon,  also  a  groined 
room  in  the  Abbot's  house,  now  incorporated 
in  a  farmhouse. 

"  The  spacious  hall  over  the  gateway,  with 
bedchambers  and  oratory,  was  probably  used 
by  the  Abbot's  guests.]* 

"  We  next  went  to  the  village  of  Thornton 
Curteis,  which  contains  a  handsome  Church, 
having  an  Early  English  tower,  with  a  window 
resembling  that  in  the  tower  of  St.  Mary's 
at  Barton.  The  Church  has  a  nave,  with 
side  aisles  and  a  Chancel.  On  the  South 
side  of  the  nave  is  a  porch,  which  exhibits 
remains  of  good  Early  English  work,  but 
much  defaced.  Its  interior  doorway  is 
good  Early  English,  has  the  toothed  orna- 
ment, and  foliated  capitals  to  the  shafts  [of* 
two  orders,  with  bands  of  toothed  ornament]. 
The  Nave  of  this  Church  presents  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  rather  late  Early  English  work. 
It  is  divided  from  either  aisle  by  four  pointed 
arches  springing  from  piers  formed  by 
clustered  columns,  but  the  columns  in  each 
pier  are  of  very  different  proportions.  On 
the  south  side  there  is  one  very  rich  pier 
formed  by  four  clustered  slender  shafts, 
having  very  rich  foliated  capitals,  but  with 
the  toothed  ornament  running  between  the 
shafts.  The  shafts  on  the  north  sidef  have 
all   plain   rounded   capitals.     The   windows 

*  See  footnote  at  end. 

f  There  is  an  illegible  interlineation  here  of  si.x 
words  of  the  later  date  referred  to  elsewhere. 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


279 


of  the  nave  are  very  elegant,  and  yet  simple 
Decorated.  The  Font  is  at  the  west  end 
of  the  nave,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  size 
and  beauty.  It  is  made  of  Petworth  marble, 
and  consists  of  a  large  square  curiously 
carved,  with  figures  of  dragons,  leopards, 
etc.,  supported  on  a  circular  pillar,  round 
which  are  set  at  long  intervals  four  slender 
shafts.  The  Clerestory  of  the  Church  is 
now  formed  of  abominable  modern  windows. 
The  dripstone  of  each  arch  ends  in  a  foliated 
boss.  The  Chancel  of  the  Church  is  of  a 
date  somewhat  earlier  than  the  Nave,  [and 
has  two  Norman  windows  on  the  North,  and 
two  others — lancets — on  the  South].*  Ex- 
ternally the  Chancel  has  the  cornice  of  heads 
so  common  in  Early  English  buildings,  [and 
flat  buttresses].  On  the  North  Side  is  a 
plain  semicircular  Norman  doorway,  [slightly 
projecting],*  supported  on  shafts  with  plain 
Norman  capitals.  The  East  window,  [of 
four  lights,  is  ugly  and  unfoliatedj.*  On  the 
South  side  of  the  Altar  is  a  Norman  [piscina]* 
niche,  a  thing  not  very  common.  It  con- 
sists of  a  semicircular  arch  [with  cylinder 
mouldingl,*  resting  on  shafts  with  plain 
capitals,  [and  west  of  it  another  piscina 
of  Early  English  character.  There  is  an 
aumbrye  in  the  East  wall].* 

"  Upon  a  pew  in  Thornton  Church  is  the 
following  inscription  cut  in  black  letter  upon 
oak : 

"  In  the  yer  yat  all  the  stalles 
in  thys  chyrch  wa  mayd 
Thomas  Kijrkbe  ihon  skre 
bye  hew  resten  ihon  smyth 
Kyrkmasters  in  the  yer  of 
owre  Lorde  God  mccccc  xxxii." 

"  [Thornton  Curtis.  The  tower  is  Early 
English,  has  bold  buttresses  of  that  character 
and  ...(?)  projection  the  belfrey  windows 
have  two  lancet  lights  under  a  pointed  arch 
with  shafts,  and  are  unusually  long.  There 
is  a  corbel  table  under  the  parapet,  and  un- 
finished pinnacles. 

"  The  outer  doorway  of  the  porch  has  one 
shaft,  with  a  capital  of  foliage ;  the  door 
has  some  good  iron  work.  The  stone  of 
the  porch  is  coarse  and  bad ;  there  are 
corbels  for  an  intended  groining.  The 
Tower  arch  has  clustered  Early  English 
*  See  footnote  at  end. 


shafts,  with  capitals  foliaged.  There  is  a 
single  lancet  in  the  west  wall  of  the  tower. 

"  The  nave  is  of  remarkable  width,  and 
the  north  aisle  wider  than  the  south.  The 
Clerestory  is  bad. 

"The  windows  of  the  North  aisle,  plain 
Decorated  of  three  lights  without  foliation, 
the  East  and  West  reticulated.  The  South 
aisle  has  flat  arched  Decorated  windows  also 
of  three  lights.  The  roof  of  the  North  aisle 
has  arched  timbers  ;  the  other  roofs  are  flat 
and  ordinary. 

"  The  Chancel  walls  internally  have  been 
cleared  of  paint,  and  now  present  bare  stone  ; 
its  South-East  window  of  two  plain  lights. 
One  pillar  on  the  South  has  toothed  orna- 
ment in  the  capital ;  the  rood  screen  has 
an  ogee  arch.  In  the  South  aisle  is  a 
piscina ;  the  pulpit  Jacobean].* 


archaeological  Beto. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.'] 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  ARCHAEOLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES 
Volume  XLI.  of  Sussex  ArchcBological  Collections  has 
reached  us,  and  it  well  maintains  the  reputation  of 
the  Sussex  Society  for  thorough  and  scholarly  work. 
It  contains  the  following  papers :  (i)  "  On  the 
Discovery  of  a  Roman  Cemetery  at  Chichester 
(illustrated),  by  the  Rev.  F.  H.  Arnold.  This 
records  the  finding  in  1895,  during  some  drainage 
operations  at  a  house  in  Alexandra  Terrace,  of  a 
very  remarkable  collection  of  objects — no  less  than 
sixty  fictile  vessels  besides  other  things— in  the 
limited  area  of  10  feet  square  ;  (2)  "  On  the  Dis- 
covery of  a  '  Kitchen  Midden,'  Refuse  Pits,  and 
Urn,  at  Eastbourne,"  by  Mr.  H.  M.  Whitley; 
(3)  "  Sompting  Church  "  (illustrated),  by  Mr.  J.  L. 
Andre;  (4)  "An  Old  Churchwarden's  Account- 
Book  of  Rotherfield,"  by  the  Rev.  Canon  Goodwyn  ; 
(5)  "West  Tarring  Church"  (illustrated),  by  Mr. 
J.  L.  Andre;  (6)  "  Durrington  Chapel,"  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Springett ;  (7)  "  The  Manor  of  Cuckfield 
from  the  Fourteenth  to  the  Nineteenth  Centuries," 
by  the  Rev.  Canon  J.  H.  Cooper;  (8)  "Itching- 
field  "  (illustrated),  by  Mr.  P.  S.  Godman  ;  (9)  "  The 

*  The  portions  within  square  brackets  incor- 
porated in  the  text  are  interlineations,  and  the 
concluding  paragraphs  at  the  end  in  square  brackets 
are  additions  written  on  the  opposite  page.  All  are 
in  darker  ink  and  in  the  later  handwntmg.  else- 
where dated  1867. 


aSo 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


Low  Sid^-windows  of  Sussex  Churches"  (illus- 
trated), by  Mr.  P.  M.  Johnston.  In  this  paper 
Mr.  Johnston,  as  might  be  expected,  advocates  the 
confessional  theory  of  the  use  of  these  windows, 
(lo)  "Old  Cuckfield  Families,"  by  Canon  J.  H. 
Cooper;  (ii)  "Inscriptions  in  the  Churchyard  of 
All  Saints,  Hastings,"  by  Mr.  A.  R.  Bax ;  (12)  "  An 
Epitaph  for  the  Tomb  of  Lady  Gundreda,"  by 
Mr.  C.  L.  Prince.  In  addition  there  is  the  usual 
allowance  of  "  Notes  and  Queries."  The  volume  is 
a  very  good  one,  and  is  usefully  illustrated.  The 
volume  also  contains  a  "  Subject  Index "  for 
Volumes  XXVI. -XL. 

sfc  ^  4c 
The  Second  Part  of  Volume  VIII.  (Fifth  Series) 
of  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries  of 
Ireland  has  reached  us.  It  contains  the  following 
papers:  (r)  "  Knockmany "  (with  two  plates  and 
twelve  illustrations),  by  Mr.  George  Coffey.  This 
paper  deals  with  some  very  noteworthy  remains 
of  pre-historic  date  in  County  Tyrone.  (2)  "St. 
Mary's  Cathedral,  Limerick  :  its  Plan  and  Growth  " 
(Part  II.,  with  five  illustrations),  by  Mr.  T.  J. 
Westropp.  In  this  concluding  portion  of  his  paper, 
Mr.  Westropp  has  given,  as  we  ventured  to  express 
a  hope  that  he  would,  a  shaded  and  dated  plan  of 
this  very  interesting  building.  (3)  "A  Notice  of 
some  County  Wexford  and  other  Chalices "  (one 
plate  and  one  illustration),  by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  M. 
ffrench.  In  this  paper  the  writer  describes  and 
figures  some  interesting  Irish  chalices,  mostly 
dating  about  the  period  of  the  Reformation — ^just 
before  and  after ;  but  Mr.  ffrench  seems  scarcely 
to  have  studied  the  literature  on  the  subject  which 
has  been  published  in  England,  notably  so  in  the 
Archaological  Journal  and  elsewhere,  our  own  pages 
included.  (4)  "The  Instruments  of  the  Passion  " 
(one  plate  and  two  illustrations),  by  Miss  Margaret 
Stokes;  (5)  "Notes  from  the  Diary  of  a  Dublin 
Lady  in  the  Reign  of  George  II.,"  contributed  by 
Mr.  H.  F.  Berry;  (6)  "Site  of  Raymond's  Fort, 
Dundunnolf,  Baginbun,"  by  Mr.  G.  H.  Orpen ; 
(7)  "  Kill-Ma-Huddrick,  near  Clondalkin,  co.  Dub- 
lin," by  Mr.  E.  R.  M.  Dix.  In  addition  there  are 
the  usual  shorter  notes  under  the  general  heading 
of  "  Miscellanea." 

Volume  XIII.,  Part  III.  for  1897,  of  the  Journal  of 
the  Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall  has  been  issued. 
The  chief  contributions  of  antiquarian  interest  which 
it  contains  are  the  following :  (i)  "  Notes  on  the 
Parliamentary  History  of  Truro,  1295-1467,"  by 
Mr.  P.  Jennings;  (2)  The  Supposed  Priests'  Hiding- 
Places  at  Golden,  Probus "  (illustrated),  by  Mr. 
H.  M.  Whitley;  (3)  "Letter  of  Elizabeth  Tre- 
lawney  [circa  1640],"  contributed  by  the  Right 
Hon.  L.  H.  Courtney;  (4)  "The  Adventures  and 
Misfortunes  of  a  Cornishman  One  Hundred  Years 
Ago,"  contributed  by  Mr.  F.  J.  Stephens  ;  (5)  "  Cor- 
nubiana"  (second  part,  with  an  illustration  of  the 
Cross  at  Helegan),  by  the  Rev.  S.  Rundle. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 
At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  Archaeological 
Institute,   on  July  6,  Mr.   F.   G.   Hilton   Price 
exhibited  and  described  a  fine  example  of  a  thirty- 


hour  alarum  clock-watch,  by  Thomas  Tompion, 
made  about  the  year  1670.  The  silver  case  is 
beautiful  and  rich  in  design,  and  is  considered  by 
Mr.  Charles  Shapland  as  English,  despite  the  six 
French  marks  that  are  on  it,  and  the  lilies.  One  of 
the  marks  is  a  spider,  being  an  ancient  mark  of 
Alen9on.  But  the  weight  and  feel  of  the  case  and 
the  leafy  circles  and  roses,  which  are  also  on  the 
brass-work  under  the  dials,  suggest  its  English 
origin.  The  movements  are  original  in  all  parts 
(except  the  springs),  and  are  remarkably  well  pre- 
served.— Professor  Bunnell  Lewis  read  a  paper  on 
"  Roman  Antiquities  in  South  Germany,"  in  which 
he  noticed  the  following  remains :  (i)  A  mosaic  at 
Rottweil,  in  the  kingdom  of  Wiirtemberg,  where 
the  principal  figure  is  Orpheus.  He  is  represented, 
as  usual,  seated,  playing  the  lyre,  and  wearing  the 
Phrygian  cap  ;  but  the  expression  of  his  countenance 
is  remarkable :  he  looks  upwards  to  heaven,  as  if 
inspired  by  the  Deity.  (2)  An  inscription  at  Con- 
stance, which  was  formerly  at  Winterthur,  in 
Switzerland.  It  belongs  to  the  period  of  Diocletian, 
and,  though  only  a  fragment,  is  useful  for  decipher- 
ing inscriptions  still  more  imperfect.  The  date  is 
A.D.  294.  (3)  Badenweiler,  in  the  grand  duchy  of 
Baden.  The  Roman  baths  here  are  the  best  pre- 
served in  Germany.  They  consist  of  two  equal 
parts,  each  containing  two  large  and  some  smaller 
apartments,  and  separated  by  a  thick  middle  wall. 
It  was  formerly  supposed  that  the  division  was 
made  between  the  military  and  the  civilians ;  but 
as  no  objects  have  been  found  belonging  to  the 
former  class,  it  is  now  generally  agreed  that  this 
division  had  reference  to  the  two  sexes.  No  halls 
are  to  be  seen,  as  at  Pompeii ;  on  the  other  hand, 
enough  remains  of  the  foundations  and  walls  to 
enable  us  to  trace  the  ground  plan  distinctly.  (4) 
The  Roman  boundary  wall  in  Germany,  which  has 
been  much  discussed,  is  now  being  explored  with 
great  care,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Reichs-Limes 
Commission,  by  various  local  savants,  who  are  pro- 
ducing a  series  of  monographs  upon  the  forts 
(castella).  Many  important  discoveries  have  been 
made.  One  of  the  most  interesting  is  a  Mithras- 
relief  at  Osterburken,  which  ranks  first  of  its  class 
for  size,  for  Mithraic  legends,  mysterious  deities, 
and  the  union  of  Persian,  Greek,  and  Chaldaean 
elements. 

•  *  * 
The  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne  held  its  first  "country  meeting"  at  Raby 
Castle  and  Staindrop  on  July  4.  The  members 
assembled  at  Bishop  Auckland  in  the  morning, 
whence  they  drove  in  carriages  through  interesting 
country  to  Raby  Castle,  the  chief  seat  of  the 
Nevilles,  and  now  the  seat  of  Lord  Barnard. 

The  Rev.  J.  F.  Hodgson,  standing  in  front  of  the 
high  embattled  wall  of  Clifford's  Tower,  first  made 
a  few  descriptive  historical  comments  on  the  ancient 
pile.  He  said  that  though  the  present  was  of  a 
much  later  date  than  the  original  building,  it  had 
been  a  fortified  dwelling-house  from  about  1130. 
Uchtred,  son  of  Gospatric,  a  descendant  of  the  old 
kings  and  earls  of  Northumberland,  was  the  first 
lord  of  Raby,  and  his  descendant,  Robert  Fitz- 
Maldred,  founded  the  house  of  Neville  by  his 
marriage  with  Isabel,  a  descendant  of  the  admiral 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


281 


of  the  Norman  conqueror's  fleet,  Gilbert  de 
Neville.  Geoffrey,  the  son  of  Robert  and  Isabel, 
took  his  mother's  maiden  name.  From  1130  until 
the  present  day  Raby  Castle  has  only  been  in  the 
occupation  of  two  families — the  Nevilles,  who  lost 
it  to  the  Crown  during  a  revolution  in  Queen 
Elizabeth's  time,  and  the  Vanes — the  first  of  that 
line  being  Sir  Henry  Vane,  cofferer  to  Charles, 
Prince  of  Wales.  The  curiously  interesting  and 
pleasing  thing  to  observe  now,  said  Mr.  Hodgson, 
was  that  the  present  owner.  Lord  Barnard  and  his 
wife,  represent  these  two  families.  Lord  Barnard 
being  the  present  head  of  the  house  of  Vane,  and 
his  wife  a  Neville,  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  the 
victor  of  Neville's  Cross  battle  outside  of  Durham 
city.  The  only  alteration  ever  made  to  the  main 
fabric  was  by  the  man  who  originally  built  it,  but 
the  octagon  tower  on  the  south  side  is  quite  modern, 
having  been  built  in  Duke  Henry's  time,  on  the 
site  of  an  old  tower  which  had  been  burnt  down 
something  like  two  hundred  years  ago,  through,  it 
was  said,  the  insane  dislike  of  the  then  Lady 
Barnard  to  her  eldest  son  and  heir  at  law.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  tone  the  colour  of  this  new 
part  down,  and  amongst  many  experiments  tried 
was  the  revolting  one  of  splashing  bullock's  blood 
and  soot  over  the  whole  face  of  the  walls. 

Mr.  Hodgson  proceeded  to  descant  with  singu- 
larly apt  and  familiar  knowledge  on  the  many 
points  of  historical  and  architectural  interest  in  the 
castle,  and  on  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  some 
of  its  owners  and  their  wives.  The  interior  of  the 
castle  was  then  inspected,  the  housekeeper  accom- 
panying the  party.  The  lower  hall  has  a  carriage 
way  running  through  it  and  passing  out  to  the  east 
front  through  the  adjoining  chapel  tower.  "  It  is 
surely,"  writes  the  Duchess  of  Cleveland,  "  a 
nefarious  idea  of  Lord  Darlington's  to  drive  his 
coach  and  six  right  through  the  castle,  destroying 
the  barbican,  several  fine  windows,  and  the  outer 
flight  of  steps  that  led  to  the  Baron's  hall.  Yet  I 
am  bound  to  confess  that  this  entrance — unique  in 
England — is  what  most  attracts  visitors ;  and  it  is 
no  doubt  a  novel  and  startling  experience  on  a  cold 
wet  night  to  see  the  great  gates  fly  open,  and  to 
drive  into  a  hall  blazing  with  light  between  two 
roaring  fires." 

The  fourteenth  century  kitchen  is  thirty  feet 
square,  and  is  similar  to  that  at  Glastonbury  and 
to  the  "  Prior's  kitchen  "  at  Durham.  There  are 
three  very  large  fireplaces  in  it,  the  smoke  escaping 
from  a  louvre  in  the  centre  of  the  roof ;  an  unbarked 
tree-trunk  of  large  size  is  placed  across  each  corner. 
The  stairs  that  led  up  to  the  great  hall  remain  in 
the  south  side. 

Leland  says  "  there  is  a  tower  in  the  castel 
having  the  mark  of  two  capitale  b's  for  Bertram 
Bulmer."  According  to  Mr.  Longstaffe,  they  also 
"  occur  on  seals,  and  bordered  the  glass  in  a 
window  above  the  Nevil  tombs  in  Durham  Cathe- 
dral. Glass  and  tracery  alike  disappeared  when 
the  windows  were  reduced  to  the  Norman  style 
a  few  years  ago." 

In  the  octagon  room  is  Hiram  Power's  celebrated 
marble  statue  of  the  "  Greek  Slave,"  purchased  in 
1859.  Among  the  pictures  is  a  fine  early  drawing 
by  Turner  of  the  castle  from  the  north  pasture, 

VOL.    XXXIV. 


with  the  Raby  hounds,  of  which  the  first  Duke 
of  Cleveland  was  master,  in  full  cry  in  the  fore- 
ground. There  are  some  fine  pieces  of  Oriental 
china  and  old  Chelsea  in  the  large  drawing-room, 
and  two  porcelain  pagodas  8  feet  high.  Amongst 
the  old  Sevres  "some  of  the  jewelled  pieces, 
especially  a  very  large  basin  and  ewer,  are  of  quite 
exceptional  value,  and  there  are  a  few  Capo  di 
Monte  pieces  that  belonged  to  Mrs.  Siddons.  In 
the  large  hall,  which  is  132  feet  long  by  60  feet 
wide,  there  is  a  large  collection  of  family  portraits, 
and  also  some  interesting  pieces  of  old  Nankin  and 
Delft  ware.  On  the  chimney-pieces  are  five  large 
birds  of  white  Dresden  porcelain,  said  to  have  been 
stolen  from  the  "  Griine  Gewolbe"  in  1848,  and 
bought  at  Christie's  by  Henry  Duke  of  Cleveland. 
On  a  table  an  old  crimson  velvet  casket  mounted 
in  gold,  which  holds  Queen  Elizabeth's  looking- 
glass,  and  also  an  old  brass  candlestick,  which 
is  likewise  said  to  have  belonged  to  her,  were 
pointed  out. 

On  the  landing  of  the  principal  stairs  the  four 
picture-board  dummies  described  by  Chancellor 
Ferguson,  of  Carlisle,  in  a  paper  read  recently 
before  the  society,  were  observed.  When  the  notes 
were  prepared  the  two  military  figures  temp. 
George  II.  were  so  black  that  the  details  of  their 
uniform  could  scarcely  be  made  out,  but  Lord 
Barnard  has  lately  had  all  four  cleaned. 

In  the  chapel  of  the  castle  there  is  some  ancient 
painted  glass,  portions  of  it  of  the  twelfth  or  thir- 
teenth century,  others  of  Flemish  manufacture,  and 
some  roundels  said  to  be  from  Whitby  Abbey.  On 
January  13,  1411-12,  a  dispensation  was  granted  to 
enable  Allan  or,  daughter  of  Ralph,  Earl  of  West- 
merland,  to  marry  Richard,  Lord  le  Despencer, 
though  related  in  the  third  degree,  and  license 
granted  to  Richard,  Abbot  of  Jervaux,  and  others 
to  marry  them,  and  also  John,  Earl  Marshal,  and 
Catherine,  another  daughter  of  the  same  Earl,  in 
the  chapel  of  Raby  Castle. 

At  Raby  Castle  Ambrose  Barnes  fell  in  company 
with  that  noted  Quaker,  William  Penn,  the  lord 
proprietor  of  Pennsylvania,  with  whom  he  had 
some  debate  touching  the  universality  and  suf- 
ficiency of  the  light  within,  urging  for  proof  the 
words  from  heaven  to  Paul ;  but  Penn,  growing 
weary,  ended  the  dispute  at  once  by  replying, 
"Thou  knowest,  Ambrose,  now  that  Paul  is  dead, 
he  can  neither  tell  thee  nor  me  what  his  meaning 
was." 

In  1645,  during  the  Civil  War,  the  castle  was 
besieged  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  by  the  Par- 
liament, and  after  holding  out  for  about  a  month 
(until  August  i)  it  was  "yielded  up,  the  officers  to 
march  away  with  arms,  and  the  common  soldiers 
with  their  arms  upon  their  lesrs ;  they  may  put 
their  hands  into  their  pockets  if  they  will.  They 
left  300  good  arms  behind  them  :  powder  and  am- 
munition, good  store."  It  was  again  besieged,  this 
time  by  the  Royalists ;  as  the  Staindrop  parish 
register  informs  us,  "August  27"',  1648,  William 
Jopling,  a  souldier  slaine  at  the  seidge  of  Raby 
Castle,  was  buried  in  this  church.  Many  soldiers 
slaine  before  Raby  Castle  were  buried  in  the  parke 
and  not  registered." 

Amongst  the  State  Papers  is  the  following  curious 

00 


382 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


letter  from  Dean  Carleton  to  Jas.  Williamson, 
esquire,  relating  to  the  castle  : 

"  Sir, — I  beleive  you  wonder  that  we  have  been 
so  backward  in  our  informacion  what  success  the 
King's  Commission  hath  mett  with  in  this  country, 
as  to  Sir  Henry  Vane's  estate  at  Barnard  Castle 
and  Raby.  The  truth  is  the  progress  hath  bene 
slow,  and  retarded  by  such  measures  as  I  cannot 
give  you  a  full  account  of,  unless  I  first  begg  leave 
to  lay  before  you  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Durham's 
carriage  in  the  whole  transaction  of  this  businesse, 
ah  ovo  usque  ad  malum  hitherto,  which  follows  thus, 

"I.  The  first  publique  act  that  he  did  for  the 
country  to  take  notice  of,  after  he  came  down 
Bishop  of  Durham,  was  an  usurpation  upon  his 
Majestie's  rights,  by  seizing  upon  the  forfeitures 
due  upon  the  attainder  of  Sir  Henry  Vane,  and  not 
only  receiveing  of  rents  which  weer  in  arrear,  but 
sueing  the  poore  tenants,  compelling  them  to 
answear  upon  oath  what  monie  any  man  had 
remaining  in  his  hands,  and  obtained  a  decree  in 
his  own  Court  to  the  great  costs  of  the  poore 
tenants,  which  sute  being  meerely  vexatious  (for 
the  balif  that  collected  those  rents  had,  before  the 
sute  was  commenced,  given  in  upon  oath  to  the 
Bishop  what  was  due  for  every  particular  tenant 
and  what  was  in  arrear) .  This  made  such  a  noise 
among  the  common,  especially  the  disfected  people, 
that  the  eccho  reflected  (though  unjustly)  from  the 

f)erson  to  the  scandal  of  his  holy  and  innocent 
unction. 

"2.  Secondly,  when  he  heard  that  some  were 
comeing  (by  the  King's  authority)  to  sease  upon 
that  estate  for  his  Royall  heighnesse,  the  Bishop 
put  souldiars  into  Raby  Castle  to  keep  it  against 
the  King  and  the  Duke,  haveing  first  sett  ladders 
to  the  walls  and  gone  over,  broke  open  the  gates, 
took  away  all  the  goods  with  eightene  wild  beasts 
out  of  the  parke  and  a  horse  out  of  the  stable,  all 
this  in  open  contempt  of  his  Majesty's  authority." 

Amongst  the  items  in  Bishop  Cosin's  accounts 
are  these  : 

"May  1666  Extraordinaryes  22°....  Given  M^ 
Cox  man  of  Raby  that  brought  a  present  of  rabitts 
and  sparra  grasse  2s.  6d." 

"  July  1666  27°  Given  to  M'  Cox  man  Keeper  of 
Raby  parke  that  brought  a  side  of  venison  5s." 

Later  in  the  day  the  members  assembled  at 
Staindrop  Church,  which  was  also  described  by 
the  Rev.  J.  F.  Hodgson,  who  pointed  out  the  chief 
objects  of  interest  in  it.  Mr.  Hodgson  said  that 
the  church  was  originally  a  Saxon  cruciform  build- 
ing, built  by  King  Canute,  and  it  has  been  uninter- 
ruptedly used  as  a  place  of  worship  since  before 
the  Norman  Conquest.  About  the  middle  of  the 
thirteenth  century  the  church  was  enlarged.  It 
contains  some  thirteenth-century  effigies,  and  others 
are  those  of  Ralph  Neville,  the  first  Earl  of  West- 
merland,  and  his  two  wives  in  alabaster.  This, 
which  some  sixty  years  ago  was  removed  from  the 
chancel  to  the  west  end  of  the  south  aisle,  has  now 
been  railed  round  to  prevent  vandalism,  of  which 
the  tomb  and  figures  bear  signs.  This  doughty 
scion  of  the  Nevilles  was  a  devoted  supporter  of 
Henry  IV.,  and  defeated  the  Percys  at  the  battle  of 


Shrewsbury,  where  Hotspur's  career  was  brought 
to  a  close.  It  was  he  again  whom  Shakespeare 
makes  to  wish  before  the  battle  of  Agincourt : 

"  Oh,  that  we  now  had  here 
But  one  ten  thousand  of  those  men  in  England 
That  do  no  work  to-day." 

Other  effigies  there  were,  but  none  more  interesting. 
Attention  was  drawn  to  an  early  sundial  built  into 
the  chancel  arch,  the  squint,  and  other  objects  of 
like  antiquity. 

The  octagonal  font  is  of  local  marble.  On  the  east 
side  of  it  is  affixed  a  brass  shield  bearing  "  i  and  4 
[gu.]  a  saltire  [ar.],  a  rose  for  difference,  for  Neville; 
2  and  3  quarterly  i  and  4  [;?«•]  a  fesse  between  six 
crosses  crosslet,  [or]  a  crescent  on  fesse  for  differ- 
ence, for  Beauchamp  ;  2  and  3  chequy  for  Warren." 
According  to  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Hodgson,  this  shield 
was  once  in  one  of  the  angles  of  a  slab,  on  which 
is  the  matrix  of  a  brass,  now  at  the  west  end  of  the 
north  aisle,  but  removed  some  time  since  from  the 
Neville  Chapel  in  the  south  aisle.  In  the  bottom 
left-hand  angle  of  this  stone  is  another  shield  bear- 
ing quarterly  "  i  and  4  a  cross  saltire  for  Neville,  a 
rose  for  difference,  2  and  3  a  fesse  between  6  crosses 
crosslet  for  Beauchamp,  a  crescent  for  difference, 
over  all  a  label  of  three  points  for  difference." 
This  shield  was  restored  to  the  slab  some  time  ago 
by  the  Rev.  J.  T.  Fowler,  of  Durham.  A  third 
shield  exactly  like  the  last  is  now  in  the  museum  of 
the  society  at  the  Black  Gate,  Newcastle.  Leland 
says,  "  In  the  South  Isle,  as  I  hard,  was  buried  the 
Grandfather  and  Grandedam  of  Rafe  Raby  and  they 
made  a  Cantuarie  there.  .  .  .  Ther  is  a  flat  Tumbe 
also  with  a  playunte  Image  of  Brasse  and  a  Scrip- 
ture, wher  is  buried  Richard  Sun  and  Heire  to 
Edward  Lord  of  Bergevenny,  this  Edwarde  was  the 
fift  Sun  of  Darahy.  Johanna  Bewfort  was  his 
mother." 

In  Hutchinson's  time  (Durham,  iii.  317)  much  of 
the  brasswork  had  gone  from  the  tombstone,  but 
two  of  the  escutcheons  remained.  Near  to  this 
grave  is  a  large  slab  of  Frosterley  marble. 

Leland  says  that  "  Stanthorp  a  Smaul  Market 
Toun  is  about  a  Mile  from  Raby.  Here  is  a  Col- 
legiate Chirch,  having  now  a  body  and  2  Isles.  .  .  . 
Rafe  Neville  the  first  Erl  of  Westmerland  of  that 
Name  is  buried  yn  a  right  stately  Tumbe  of  Ala- 
baster yn  the  Quire  of  Stanthorp  College,  and 
Margarete  his  first  wife  on  the  lift  Hond  of  hym ; 
and  on  the  right  Hond  lyith  the  Image  of  Johan  his 
2  Wife,  but  she  is  buried  at  Lincoln  by  her  mother 
Catarine  Swinesford  Duchess  of  Lancaster.  This 
Johan  erectid  the  very  House  self  of  the  College 
of  Stanthorp,  it  is  set  on  the  North  side  of  the 
Collegiate  Chirch  is  strongly  buildid  al  of  Stone." 

In  Mr.  Hutchinson's  time  the  large  alabaster 
monument  and  also  the  wooden  one  were  in  the 
chancel,  the  former  nearest  to  the  altar.  This  is 
the  finest  monument  in  the  counties  of  Durham  or 
Northumberland . 

The  pre-Reformation  chancel  screen  of  simple 
design  is  in  its  original  place.  A  large  oak  chest 
almost  covered  with  bands  of  iron  stands  against 
the  wall  at  the  west  end  of  the  north  aisle. 

The  ancient  painted  glass,  with  the  exception  of 


ARCHMOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


283 


some  fragments  including  the  arms  of  Greystock, 
Percy,  and  Clifford,  now  in  the  east  window,  has 
been  destroyed. 

The  college  of  Staindrop  was  "founded  in  1412 
by  Ralph  earl  of  Westmerdland  and  marshal  of 
England,  and  Joan  his  illustrious  consort  to  support 
a  chaplain  who  was  to  be  called  master  or  warden, 
8  chaplains,  4  secular  clerks,  6  esquires,  6  valets, 
and  six  poor  persons.  There  is  very  little  known 
about  this  foundation,  which  did  not  survive  the 
destruction  of  the  monasteries.  On  Jan.  5,  1537-8, 
Edmund  Nattrace,  ST. P.  warden,  and  his  brethren, 
made  a  grant  of  4^.  a  day  to  Roger  Gower  for  his 
life.  An  oval  seal  is  attached,  and  there  is  prob- 
ably no  other  impression  of  it  in  existence.  This 
seal  represents  the  Virgin  and  Child  sitting  in  a 
tabernacle,  an  old  man  is  on  his  knees  before  them 
.  .  .  below  the  tabernacle  are  the  arms  of  Neville 
supported  by  two  greyhounds."  The  skeleton  of  a 
greyhound  was  found  at  the  feet  of  a  Neville's 
bones  at  Staindrop.  The  Clavis  Ecclesiastica  of 
Bishop  Barnes  gives:  "  Diocesse  of  Dunelm. — 
Stainedroppe  Colledge— Magistratus  Collegii  Ixxxl. 
Six  presbiteri.  Six  chorawles.  Octo  choristae. 
Summa  redditus  annualis  cccvij/.  [307/.].  erle  of 
Westmerlands  patronaige,  but  now  dissolved  and 
in  the  Quene's  hands." 

On  March  6,  1312-13,  Archbishop  Bowet  gave 
leave  to  Ralph,  Earl  of  Westmerland,  to  appro- 
priate the  living  of  "  Lethim  "  {i.e.,  Kirkleatham,  in 
Yorkshire),  of  which  he  was  patron,  to  his  college 
of  Staindrop.  By  his  will,  Thomas  Witham,  of 
Cornburgh,  senior,  gave  "  to  the  fabric  of  the 
church  of  Staindrop,  for  forgotten  tenths,  vis.  viii(^. 
and  xxl.  for  the  souls  of  Ralph  istearl  of  Westmer- 
land &  Johanna  his  wife."  By  her  will  of  May  10, 
1440,  Johanna,  Countess  of  Westmerland,  left  to  the 
college  of  Staindrop  as  a  mortuary  her  best  palfrey. 
On  May  23,  1480,  William  Lambert,  vicar  of  Gain- 
ford  and  master  of  the  college  of  Staindrop,  left 
to  the  college  one  great  "  Portiforium "  called 
"  j  coucher,"  and  one  vestment  "  de  blodio  worset  " 
with  flowers,  for  the  altar  in  the  parish  church  of 
Staindrop  called  "  lorde's  alter";  "  to  the  chaplain 
of  the  said  college  at  my  funeral  and  mass  3s.  ^d., 
to  2  deacons  ijs.,  and  to  the  others  i2d.,  and  to 
2  chints  and  the  others  viiji. ,  to  the  vicar  xxd. ,  and 
to  the  parish  clerk  xiji.,  to  the  gilds  of  the  Holy 
Trinity  and  St.  Mary  in  the  parish  church  of  Stain- 
drop xiijs.  ivd.  .  .  .  cs.  to  distribute  among  the  poor 
of  Staindrop  at  the  discretion  of  Thomas  Hedon." 

Sir  William  Bulmer  the  elder,  knight,  by  his  will 
of  October  6,  153 1,  left  "  to  the  College  of  Staindrop 
&  the  priests  there  xs.  for  the  soules  of  my  father 
and  mother  and  for  my  wyfs  Saull,  &  for  all  the 
Saulls  I  am  bound  to  pray  for." 

At  a  synod  held  in  the  Galilee,  at  Durham,  on 
October  4,  1507,  amongst  those  present  were  the 
Master  of  the  College  of  Staindrop  and  the  Vicar  of 
the  same.  Amongst  the  sums  due  to  the  Bishop  of 
Durham  sede  plena  and  to  the  Chapter  of  Durham  se^fe 
vacante  was  "  de  Magistro  colegii  de  Standrop  xxs." 

On  October  13,  1567,  Christopher  Todd  by  his 
will  directed  his  body  to  be  buried  within  the 
church  of  St.  Gregory  at  the  Trinity  altar  of  "  the 
sayd  churche  of  Stayndropp." 


According  to  the  "  Inventorie  of  the  16  August, 
6  Edward  VI.,"  there  were  at  "  Staindrope  one 
challice,  weying  viij  ownces,  thre  bells  in  the 
stepell,  and  a  sance  bell  and  one  hand  bell." 

There  is  a  curious  story  of  Humphrey  Keene, 
who  in  1635  cast  the  church  bells.  It  appears  he 
ran  short  of  metal,  and  entered  the  house  of  Cuth- 
bert  Cartington,  of  Durham,  whose  wife,  Cecilia, 
deposed  that  she  knew  the  said  Keene,  "  who  about 
4  yeares  agoe  did  cast  bells  att  Durham  and 
amongst  the  rest  two  bells  for  the  church  of  Stain- 
dropp,"  and  took  away  certain  articles  weighing 
about  two  hundredweight,  including  a  brass  pot,  a 
brazen  mortar,  two  great  chargers,  etc.,  and  pro- 
mised to  "  pay  her  in  money  soe  much  as  the  same 
was."  Keene  had  to  have  £2^  from  Toby  Ewbank 
for  casting  the  bells.  The  bailiff  of  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  of  Durham  "did  distryne  certayne  bell 
metall  and  worke  geare  then  remayneing  in  a  chist 
in  the  guest  hall  att  Durham." 
*  *  * 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Wiltshire  Arch^o- 

LOGICAL  AND   NATURAL  HiSTORY  SOCIETY  waS  held 

at  Swindon  on  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  and  Thurs- 
day, July  5,  6  and  7.  The  general  meeting  was 
held  on  the  evening  of  July  5,  Mr.  C.  H.  Talbot, 
the  president,  being  in  the  chair.  After  the  annual 
dinner  had  taken  place,  the  report  for  the  past  year 
was  read  by  Mr.  H.  S.  Medlicott,  hon.  sec.  This 
stated  that  the  society  has  at  present  354  subscrib- 
ing members — a  decrease  of  three  on  last  year — and 
that  considerable  progress  had  been  made  towards 
the  production  of  a  second  part  of  the  illustrated 
catalogue  of  the  antiquities  in  the  society's  museum, 
the  first  part,  comprising  the  Stourhead  collection, 
having  already  been  published.  Considerable 
additions  have  been  made  to  the  library  during 
the  year  by  the  gift  of  a  large  number  of  MSS.  by 
Mr.  John  Mullings,  and  the  catalogue  of  the  collec- 
tions of  drawings  and  prints  will  soon  be  ready 
for  issue.  The  work  of  compiling  a  catalogue  of 
the  portraits  existing  in  the  county  has  been 
started,  some  800  of  the  forms  having  been  issued 
to  picture-owners  and  others,  a  certain  proportion 
of  which  have  already  been  returned  filled  up. 
The  report  having  been  carried  and  the  officers 
re-elected,  Mr.  A.  Cole  read  a  paper  on  "The 
Registers  of  Swindon."  This  concluded  the  even- 
ing's proceedings. 

On  Wednesday,  July  6,  the  members  left  by 
train  for  Uffington,  where  they  were  met  by  the 
carriages,  in  which  they  proceeded  to  Uffington 
Church,  Mr.  Doran  Webb,  F.S.A.,  acting  as  guide 
throughout  the  day.  This  church  is  a  very  remark- 
able thirteenth-century  building,  with  many  curious 
and  unusual  features  about  it,  and  except  that  the 
lancet-windows  of  the  nave  have  lost  their  tops, 
owing  to  the  ruined  condition  in  which  the  nave 
remained  for  some  time,  the  original  work  has  been 
singularly  little  altered  or  spoiled.  The  octagonal 
tower,  the  two  piscinae,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
sedilia,  the  transept  chapels,  the  south  transept 
porch  and  door,  and  the  numerous  consecration 
crosses  on  the  outside,  as  well  as  the  fine  old  iron- 
work of  the  south  doors,  were  all  commented  on 
and    admired.  —  The    next    stop    was    Woolstone 

00    2 


2^4 


A RCffyEO LOGICAL  NEWS. 


Church,  where  the  principal  object  of  interest  is  the 
leaden  font,  apparently  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
From  this  point  the  members  walked  up  the  steep 
sides  of  the  downs  to  the  White  Horse  and  the  camp 
above,  and  as  the  day  was  a  perfect  one,  the  view 
from  the  top  was  very  fine.  Proceeding  thence 
along  the  ancient  ridgeway,  the  chambered  tumulus 
known  as  Weyland  Smith's  Cave  was  visited. 
There  are  many  of  this  class  of  chambered  barrow 
in  Brittany  and  the  Channel  Islands,  but  very  few 
in  the  South  of  England.  From  this  point 
the  breaks  took  the  party  past  Ashdown  Park, 
with  its  multitudes  of  sarsen  stones,  still  lying 
in  sites  half  buried  in  the  ground,  to  Lambourn. 
Here,  after  lunch,  the  fine  church  and  the 
newly-restored  fifteenth- century  cross,  with  part  of 
its  ancient  head  embedded  in  the  new  work,  were 
inspected.  The  church  has  a  nave,  with  arcades 
and  clerestory  of  twelfth-century  work ;  a  fine 
central  tower,  and  a  number  of  brasses  and  other 
objects  of  interest. — Leaving  Lambourn,  the  car- 
riages drove  back  past  Ashdown,  and  entering 
Wiltshire  (the  places  hitherto  seen  are  in  Berk- 
shire), set  down  the  members  at  Bishopstone 
Church.  Here  there  is  a  fine  Norman  doorway, 
built  into  the  north  wall  of  the  Perpendicular 
chancel,  a  fragment  of  a  Norman  font,  embedded 
in  a  wooden  one  made  to  match  it,  and  a  few  pieces 
of  stained  glass  in  one  of  the  windows. — Little 
Hinton  Church,  in  the  adjoining  parish,  has 
Norman  arcades  of  two  types,  and  a  font  that  was 
originally  a  very  remarkable  specimen  of  Norman 
work.  Unhappily,  however,  some  years  ago  it  was 
ruthlessly  re-cut,  and  one  cannot  be  at  all  sure  that 
either  the  knot-work  on  the  lower  part  of  the  bowl, 
or  the  arcading  at  the  top,  represents  the  original 
form  or  appearance  of  sculpture. — A  short  halt  at 
Wanborough  Church,  remarkable  for  its  western 
tower  and  small  central  spirelet,  completed  this 
day's  excursion. — At  the  evening  meeting  papers 
by  Mr.  A.  D.  Passmore  on  "A  Roman  Building 
lately  discovered  at  Swindon,"  and  by  Mr.  A.  S. 
Masicelyne  on  "  Cricklade "  were  read,  and  the 
attention  of  members  was  drawn  to  the  remarkable 
collection  of  antiquities,  etc.,  admirably  arranged 
round  the  large  room  in  which  the  meeting  was 
held  by  Mr.  A.  D.  Passmore.  The  objects  were 
almost  entirely  of  local  origin,  and  have  been  col- 
lected by  their  owner  during  the  last  four  or  five 
years.  They  include  a  large  number  of  celts, 
arrow-heads,  and  scrapers,  nearly  all  of  flint,  but 
in  the  case  of  one  or  two  celts  of  a  hard  green  stone 
foreign  to  the  county. 

Thursday,  July  7,  was  devoted  to  the  inspection 
of  a  number  of  churches  and  houses  in  the  north- 
eastern corner  of  the  county,  the  boundary  only 
being  passed  at  Coleshill,  which  lies  in  Berkshire. — 
Stanton  Fitzwarren  Church  was  the  first  to  be 
visited.  The  highly  ornate  Norman  font,  with 
figures  of  the  Virtues  trampling  on  the  Vices,  is  well 
known  for  its  being  figured  in  Paley's  "  Fonts,"  but 
the  very  interesting  early  features  of  the  building 
itself  do  not  seem  to  have  attracted  notice  hitherto. 
Before  the  quite  recent  addition  at  the  west  end 
the  proportions  of  the  aisleless  nave  with  its  high 
narrow  north  and  south  doorways,  and  its  small 
original  window  high  up  in  the  wall,  were  singularly 


Saxon  in  appearance. — Hannington  Church,  which 
came  next,  is  less  interesting,  though  it  has  certain 
points  about  it  which  are  difficult  to  explain.  Here 
special  notice  was  drawn  to  an  effigy  now  lying 
exposed  in  the  churchyard,  and  the  Vicar  promised 
that  it  should  be  taken  into  the  church  for  better 
preservation. — Castle  Eaton  Church,  lying  some 
four  miles  to  the  north,  and  close  to  the  Thames, 
has  several  interesting  features,  notably  what  seems 
to  have  been  a  bone-hole,  the  windows  of  which 
remain,  but  the  chamber  itself  has  been  filled  up. 
There  are  also  curious  rough  wooden  posts  instead 
of  pillars  in  the  fifteenth-century  north  aisle,  a 
sanctus  cot  of  the  type  of  Leigh  Delamere  and  Acton 
Turville,  and  the  remains  of  some  wall-painting 
where  the  altar  at  the  end  of  the  north  aisle  stood. — 
After  lunch  Highworth  Church  was  visited — a  large 
much  restored  building,  chiefly  fifteenth  century, 
with  twelfth  and  thirteenth  century  work  in  parts. 
The  most  interesting  thing,  however,  is  the  mag- 
nificent silver  gilt  pre-reformation  chalice  bearing 
the  date  letter  for  1534.  Wiltshire  is  fortunate  in 
possessing  two — Wylye  and  Highworth — of  the  four 
or  five  known  chalices  of  this  type  and  date,  both 
of  them  still  in  use  in  the  churches  to  which  they 
belong. — Coleshill,  the  residence  of  the  Hon.  Dun- 
combe  Bouverie,  which  was  the  next  item  on  the 
programme,  is  a  wholly  unaltered  Inigo  Jones 
house,  with  a  magnificent  hall  and  staircase  of  the 
usual  carved  and  painted  deal,  characteristic  of  the 
period — a  fine  example  of  the  style. — Leaving  Coles- 
hill, which  is  just  over  the  Berkshire  border,  and 
returning  once  more  to  Wilts,  Warneford  Place, 
the  seat  of  one  of  the  oldest  Wiltshire  families, 
with  its  picturesque  grounds,  was  reached.  The 
house  itself  shows  but  few  evidences  of  an  antiquity 
greater  than  Jacobean  times,  and  is  quaint  rather 
than  interesting,  the  greater  part  of  the  existing 
building  being  apparently  of  eighteenth-century 
date. — A  few  miles  drive  from  this  point  brought 
the  party  back  to  Swindon,  from  which  point  they 
dispersed,  after  a  very  pleasant  two  days'  meeting  — 
Throughout  the  second  day's  excursion,  Mr.  C.  E. 
Pouting,  F.S.A.,  who  has  so  often  laid  the  society 
under  a  like  obligation  before,  acted  as  an  archi- 
tectural guide  to  the  members. 


lRet)ieto0  anti  il3otice0 
of  Jf3eto  16oofes. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers,'\ 

The  History  of  Landguard  Fort  in  Suffolk. 

By  Major  J.  H.  LesHe.     Published  with  the 

sanction  of  the  Secretary  of  State  for  War. 

Cloth,    4to.,    pp.     141.      London  :    Eyre    and 

Spottisivoode.     Price  12s. 

A  good  many  people  will  probably  ask  where 

Landguard  Fort  is.     It  will  scarcely  help  them  to 

discover  its  exact  position  if  they  are  told  that  it  is 

described  in  some  documents  as  being  in  Sufiblk 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


28s 


and  in  others  as  in  Essex.  Its  position  is  more 
exactly  identified  when  it  is  explained  that  Land- 
guard  Fort  guards  the  port  of  Harwich,  and  that, 
being  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  water,  it  is 
geographically  in  Suffolk,  although  from  its  con- 
nection with  Harwich  it  is  very  frequently  (but 
quite  erroneously)  described  in  legal  papers  as  in 
Essex.  Major  Leslie  seems  fully  conscious  of  the 
obscurity        Landguard  Fort,  and  he  begins  the 


Shoeburyneso,  then  under  orders  to  remove  to 
Landguard  Fort  in  the  October  of  that  year.  The 
result  has  been  the  production  of  a  very  thorough 
and  careful  piece  of  historical  topography,  showing 
as  it  incidentally  does,  how  very  much  there  is  of 
really  stirring  history  to  be  told  (and,  it  may  be 
said,  rediscovered),  relating  to  many  forgotten  and 
outlying  corners  of  the  country. 

Landguard  Fort,  as  a  fort,  dates  from  the  reign 


^^    WATEK  TO  MA^^^ 


TILE 


H 


tm:e   mayne    sea 

PLAN    OF    LANDGUARD    IN    I534 


preface  to  this  excellent  piece  of  topographical 
history  by  observing  that :  "  Very  few  people, 
probably,  except  soldiers  who  have  had  the  good 
fortune,  or  the  misfortune,  to  be  quartered  at 
Landguard  Fort,  have  ever  heard  of  the  place ; 
still  fewer  know  where  it  is,  and  scarcely  anyone  is 
aware  that  it  possesses  a  history."  Like  some 
other  excellent  archaeological  work,  Major  Leslie's 
seems  to  have  received  its  inception  from  an 
accident,  in  his  appointment  in  1896  to  the  com- 
mand   of   a    company    of    Garrison    Artillery  at 


of  Charles  I.,  but  there  is  ample  evidence  to  show 
that  there  was  some  sort  of  fortification  there  long 
before  1627-28,  when  the  fort  as  such  was  first 
completed.  Indeed,  it  is  very  probable,  we  think, 
that  some  sort  of  earthwork  existed  at  the  spot 
even  long  before  the  earlier  fortification,  which 
Major  Leslie  has  traced  back  to  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.  It  was  during  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury that  Landguard  Fort  played  its  most  important 
part,  when  England  was  at  war  with  the  Dutch. 
In  1667  the  Dutch  made  a  determined  attack  on  it. 


286 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


A  thousand  men  were  landed  by  one  o'clock  on 
July  2,  and  their  number  was,  later  in  the  day, 
mcreased  to  two  or  three  thousand  with  ' '  a  very 
great  stand  of  pikes."  Detailed  accounts  of  the 
landing,  the  assault  on  the  fort,  and  the  subsequent 


of  the  day  rested,  as  he  points  out,  with  Captain 
Nathaniel  Darell,  the  Governor  of  the  Fort,  and 
an  interesting  relic  of  the  repulse  of  the  Dutch  is 
still  preserved  in  the  family  of  his  descendant,  Mr. 

J.  Darrl'  r!!-   ;-t   in  a  Dutch  scaling-ladder. 


retreat  of  the  Dutch,  are  given  by  contemporary 
witnesses,  who  are  quoted  by  Major  Leslie  in 
detail.  We  are  sorry  that  we  have  not  space  to 
cite  their  description  of  the  fight,  and  must  refer 
our  readers  to  Major  Leslie's  book.    The  honours 


Speaking  of  this  attack  by  the  Dutch  on  Land- 
guard,  Major  Leslie  observes  that  it  is  an  event 
"  which  is,  I  regret  to  say,  almost  forgotten  by  most 
of  us  to-day.  More  than  230  years  have  elapsed, 
yet  nothing  has  ever  been  done  to  commemorate 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


287 


the  victory  won  on  that  July  2,  1667.  Surely  some 
part  of  the  existing  fort  might  be  called  after 
Darell,  so  that  the  name,  at  least,  of  a  fine  soldier 
shall    not    be    entirely    lost    to    recollection.     A 


which,  coming  as  it  did  at  a  very  critical  period  of 
the  history  of  our  country,  was  of  more  far-reaching 
effect  than  we  are  now  probably  able  to  realize." 
This  is,  we  venture  to  say,  a  very  proper  sugges- 


DUTCH    SC.\LING-LADDEP    CAPTURED(_AT JlANDGUAR*     IULY"2,    1667. 


'  Darell '  Battery,  with  a  suitable  inscription  on 
one  of  the  fort  bastions,  would  be  a  fitting  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  a  distinguished  and  brave  man, 
as  also  a  simple  manner  of  recording  the  victory 


tion,  and  we  trust  that  Major  Leslie's  book,  which 
is  sure  to  attract  attention,  may  be  the  means  of 
bringing  about  something  of  the  kind. 
Although  further  attacks  on  Landguard  Fort  by 


288 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


the  Dutch  were  expected,  none  took  place,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  month  the  treaty  of  peace  between 
England  and  Holland  was  signed  at  Breda. 

In  1768  orders  were  given  by  the  council  to  the 
officers  of  the  Ordnance  to  prepare  and  lay  before 
Parliament  an  estimate  for  "  enlarging  the  fortifica- 
tions at  Landguard  Fort  and  fortifying  Harwich," 
and  in  the  following  year  an  estimate  amounting  to 
over  /lo.ooo  was  presented  to  Parliament,  but 
nothing  was  done  in  the  way  of  building  for  the 
next  few  years.  In  the  estimates  for  1717  a  sum 
of  about  £3,000  was  included  for  the  erection  of  a 
new  fort,  which  was  at  once  begun,  when  the  fort 
of  1625  disappeared.  The  site  chosen  was  not 
exactly  identical  with  that  of  the  old  fort,  being 
rather  closer  to  the  shore.  The  new  fort  was 
what  is  called  in  technical  language  "a  closed 
lunette"  (with  a  bastion  at  each  angle),  being  a 
fortified  work  of  more  than  four  sides,  with  parapet 
and  ditch  all  round.  The  fort  and  buildings  seem 
to  have  remained  very  much  the  same  till  1854, 
when  some  changes  were  introduced.  In  1871  the 
fort  was  dismantled  and  rebuilt  more  in  accordance 
with  the  needs  of  modern  warfare,  owing  to  the 
war  between  France  and  Prussia.  These  altera- 
tions and  bringing  of  materials  for  the  erection  of 
the  new  buildings  led  to  an  absurd  encounter 
between  the  lord  of  the  manor  and  the  Crown, 
which  gave  birth  to  a  very  clever  and  amusing 
jeu  d' esprit  in  the  Ipswich  Journal  of  December  5, 
1874,  which  is  generally  ascribed  to  the  pen  of  the 
late  Colonel  Henry  Jervis-White-Jervis,  R.A.,  who 
was  at  the  time  M.P.  for  Harwich.  Major  Leslie 
has  printed  it  in  extenso.  This  brings  us  to  the 
modem  fort  which  was  completed  in  1875,  and 
concerning  which  Major  Leslie  has  to  maintain 
silence,  being  precluded  by  the  Officials'  Secrets 
Act  of  1889  from  giving  any  detailed  description  of 
it.  Our  very  brief  summary  of  the  fortunes  of 
Landguard  Fort  is  but  a  bare  outline  of  the 
very  thorough  and  scholarly  account  which  Major 
Leslie  has  given  of  it  in  the  book  under  notice. 
We  have  said  nothing  as  to  the  Governors  and 
Lieutenant-Governors,  of  each  of  whom  a  short 
memoir  is  given,  accompanied  in  most  cases  by 
excellent  portraits.  Some  of  these  have  been 
copied  from  published  prints,  and  others  taken 
from  unpublished  miniatures,  etc.,  preserved  in  the 
different  families. 

The  book  is  almost  lavishly  supplied  with  pic- 
tures and  plans,  and  the  author  must,  we  suspect, 
have  spent  no  little  time  and  trouble  in  hunting 
many  of  them  up.  He  has  produced  a  really 
admirable  book,  for  which  the  gratitude  of  all 
antiquaries  is  due.  Landguard  Fort  has  been 
rescued  from  the  undue  oblivion  which  enveloped 
it,  and  a  very  attractive  and  interesting  volume  has 
been  placed  in  the  reader's  hands.  For  precision, 
thoroughness,  and  painstaking  care,  this  volume 
should  take  high  rank  amid  current  topographical 
works.  We  need  hardly  add  that  it  is  well  printed, 
and  is  nicely  got  up.  The  numerous  illustrations 
we  have  already  commended. 

Several  reviews  are  again,  unfortunately,  held  over 
for  lack  of  space. 

[We  have  received  a  long  letter  from  a  resident 
at  Northampton,  signed  '•  K.,"  complaining  that  in 


the  review  of  The  Records  of  the  Borough  of  Northamp- 
ton we  have  misunderstood  Dr.  Cox's  reference  in 
the  second  volume,  and  have  done  Mr.  Markham 
an  injustice  in  saying  that  he  has  not  given  an 
account  of  the  documents  printed  in  the  first 
volume  of  the  work.  We  presume  that  we  may 
take  it  on  the  authority  of  our  correspondent 
(i)  that  the  documents  printed  in  the  first  volume 
are  not  the  office  copies  obtained  in  1831,  as 
Dr.  Cox's  remarks  led  us  to  suppose  ;  (2)  that  we 
should  have  said  that  Mr.  Markham  had  not 
accurately  described  the  documents,  as  certain  very 
brief  notes  are  appended  to  each.  Our  critic,  how- 
ever, has  here  misunderstood  us.  To  take  an 
example  at  random,  there  is  on  pages  64  and  65  a 
modern  English  version  of  the  "  Letters  Patent  of 
3rd  Edward  III."  This  Mr.  Markham  heads  with 
the  word  "Translation,"  and  at  the  end  says: 
"These  letters  patent  are  not  with  the  muniments 
of  the  borough.  The  preceding  transcript  (sic)  has 
been  made  from  the  copy  now  in  the  Public  Record 
Office,  where  it  is  referred  to  as :  Originaha  of 
yd  Edward  III.  tn  the  Lord  Treasurer's  Remem- 
brancer's Office."  Are  we  to  understand  that  this 
modern  English  version  of  these  Letters  Patent  is 
at  the  Record  Office,  whence  the  "  transcript  "  has 
been  derived,  or  what  ?  As  other  of  the  documents 
are  printed  in  abbreviated  Latin,  why  without  a 
word  of  explanation  is  this  one,  for  example,  given 
in  modern  English  ?  It  is  this  sort  of  thing  that 
we  complain  of.  It  is,  however,  only  a  minor  fault 
compared  with  the  mistakes  in  most  of  the  printed 
documents  themselves,  which  the  "Glossary"  at 
the  end  forbids  our  entertaining  the  charitable 
thought  were  only  due  to  hurry  or  carelessness. 

Mr.  Markham  has  done  good  service  in  other 
branches  of  archaeology,  and  we  are  very  sorry  to 
pass  an  adverse  verdict  on  his  work  in  this  instance, 
but  we  cannot  in  honest  fairness  do  otherwise. 
There  is  a  common  idea  prevailing  with  the  public 
that  anyone  well  versed  in  one  branch  of  archae- 
ology knows  everything  about  archaeology  in 
general,  and  is  equal  to  undertaking  any  sort  of 
antiquarian  work  on  the  spot.  Every  antiquary 
experiences  this  repeatedly,  but  no  true  student  of 
antiquities  ought  to  yield  to  it  for  a  moment.  If 
he  does,  he  may  be  pretty  sure  to  make  a  mess  of 
the  matter.  This,  we  fear,  is  the  explanation  in 
the  present  instance.  Ancient  documents,  includ- 
ing municipal  documents  and  manuscripts,  can 
only  be  properly  dealt  with  by  a  person  having  a 
special  knowledge  of  the  subject.] 

Note  to  Publishers.  —  fVe  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CoNTRihVTORS.  —  [/nsolicitedMSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  gerural  interest,  or  on  some  nrw 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  reach  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


289 


The   Antiquary. 


OCTOBER,  1898. 


Ji3ote0  of  tbc  ^ontb. 


The  excavations  which  have  been  in  progress 
at  P'urness  Abbey  under  the  supervision 
and  direction  of  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope 
for  some  time  past,  and  which  excited  much 
attention  and  interest  on  the  part  of  the 
members  of  the  Royal  Archaeological  Insti- 
tute, who  visited  Furness  Abbey  from  Lan- 
caster this  summer,  are,  we  understand,  to 
be  continued  during  the  present  autumn. 
Most  of  the  points  concerning  which  there 
was  some  doubt  as  to  the  plan  and  arrange- 
ments of  the  buildings  have  now  been  cleared 
up,  but  a  few  questions  have  still  to  be 
solved  as  to  the  connection  between  the 
abbot's  lodging  and  the  other  buildings,  and 
as  to  the  original  extent  of  the  church  and 
chapter-house.  Mr.  Hope  has  promised  to 
contribute  a  paper  on  the  architectural 
history  of  the  abbey,  illustrated  by  a  new 
series  of  plans,  to  the  Transactions  of  the 
Cumberland  and  Westmorland  Archaeological 
Society,  under  whose  auspices  these  important 
excavations  have  been  carried  out. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  question  of  the  so-called  "  restoration  " 
of  ancient  churches  is  a  very  pressing  one, 
and  the  absolute  farce  which  the  issuing  of  a 
Faculty  has  in  most  cases  become,  has  led  to 
many  suggestions  for  the  amendment  of  the 
law.  We  have  received  from  Mr.  J.  W. 
Watson,  of  Bessborough  House,  Ravens- 
court  Park  Square,  London,  the  manuscript 
draft  of  a  suggested  Bill  to  be  introduced 
into  Parliament  with  the  view  of  tightening 
the  law  as  to  the  issue  of  a  Faculty.  We 
had  hoped  to  have  found  room  for  the  gist 

VOL.    XXXIV, 


of  Mr.  Watson's  suggestions  before  now,  but 
have  been  unable  to  do  so.  With  many  of 
them  we  are  in  hearty  accord  ;  others  seem 
to  us  of  doubtful  usefulness,  and  those  for 
abolishing  the  bishop's  veto  a  mistake,  as 
they  introduce  into  the  restoration  question 
the  additional  burning  question  of  "ritualism," 
which  is  extraneous  to  the  subject  itself.  A 
provision  in  Mr.  Watson's  suggested  Bill  that 
the  details  of  the  proposed  alterations  to  be 
granted  by  the  Faculty  shall  be  submitted 
to  the  County  Council  and  to  the  Society 
of  Antiquaries  strikes  us  as  an  exceedingly 
useful  provision.  We  hope  we  may  be  able 
to  return  to  the  subject  again  before  long, 
and  indicate  rather  more  fully  what  Mr. 
Watson's  proposals  are. 

^  *1lf  ^ 
While  speaking  of  County  Councils  in  refer- 
ence to  archaeology,  we  may  note  in  passing 
that  the  Hertfordshire  County  Council,  of 
which  Sir  John  Evans  is  chairman,  has 
undertaken  the  examination  of  all  secular 
parochial  documents  in  the  county.  The 
Shropshire  County  Council  has  followed  suit, 
and  some  very  curious  and  interesting  in- 
formation is,  in  each  case,  already  to  hand. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  great  amount  of  interest  has  been  excited 
both  in  England  and  in  Scotland  by  the  dis- 
covery of  a  tidal  crannog  on  the  banks  of  the 
Clyde,  a  little  to  the  east  of  Dumbarton 
Castle.  That  it  is  such  there  can  now  be  no 
doubt ;  indeed,  Dr.  Munro  declares  the  find 
to  be  one  of  first  importance.  Its  associa- 
tions and  structure  are,  in  his  opinion, 
unique,  and  he  advises  the  immediate  ex- 
cavation and  investigation  of  the  place.  At 
an  extraordinary  meeting  of  the  excavation 
committee  of  the  Helensburgh  Naturalist 
and  Antiquarian  Society,  if  was  resolved  to 
proceed  with  a  thorough  exploration,  and 
operations  are  in  progress.  Already  a  further 
discovery  of  an  interesting  character  has 
been  made,  Mr.  John  Bruce  having  found  a 
canoe  37  feet  long  by  48  inches  beam.  The 
canoe  has  been  hollowed  out  of  the  trunk  of 
a  tree. 

#         «|»         ^ 
On  another  page  of  the  present  number  of 
the  Antiquary  will  be  found  a  notice  by  the 
Rev.    Dr.    Cox   of  the   late    Dr.   Johnston's 
book,  The  Finding  of  St.  Augustine s  Chair, 

PP 


290 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


published  by  Messrs.  Cornish  Brothers  of 
Birmingham.  The  Editor  wishes  to  add  his 
opinion  to  that  expressed  by  Dr.  Cox  in 
behalf  of  the  good  case  for  the  age  of  the 
chair  and  its  connection  with  St.  Augustine, 
which  Dr.  Johnston  seems  to  have  made  out. 
By  the  kindness  of  the  publishers  we  are 
enabled  to  reproduce  the  illustration  of  the 
chair,  and  our  readers  will  be  able  to  recognise 
its  general  likeness  to  the  well-known  chair 


ST.    AUGUSTINE  S    CHAIR. 

of  the  Venerable  Bede  at  Jarrow.  Our 
reason  for  drawing  attention  to  the  matter 
in  these  Notes  is  that  Dr.  Johnston,  whose 
book  Dr.  Cox  notices,  is  dead,  and  as  he 
had  become  the  possessor  of  the  chair,  steps 
ought  to  be  taken,  if  possible,  to  rescue  the 
chair  (which  Dr.  Johnston  himself  had  saved) 
from  possibly  falling  again  into  unsympathetic 
hands.  If  there  is  a  general  consensus  of 
opinion  among  antiquaries  that  its  traditional 
history  is  true,  it  might  not  unfittingly  find 
a  home  at  Canterbury.  Antiquaries  will  feel 
grateful  to  Dr.  Cox  for  drawing  attention  to 
Dr.  Johnston's  book,  and  to  the  latter  for 
his  rescue  of  so  interesting  an  object  as  that 
which  this  chair  would  seem  to  be. 

^         ^         ^ 
Mr.  C.  W.  Dymond  writes  :  "  The  Antiquary 
for  August  gives  the  substance  of  a  brief 
report  which  I  made  last  year  to  the  presi- 


dent of  the  Cumberland  and  Westmorland 
Antiquarian  Society  on  the  state  of  the 
ancient  village  near  Threlkeld.  This  notice 
concludes  thus :  *  The  place  is  called 
"Settrah,"  and  he  (Mr.  Dymond)  asked  if 
this  is  a  corrupt  form  of  the  word  "  Saeter," 
a  Norwegian  upland  dwelling.'  At  the  date 
of  the  report  I  had  not  been  able  to  find 
where  rested  the  authority  for  the  said 
name,  which,  if  well  established  as  ancient, 
might,  it  was  thought,  have  been  given  to 
the  inclosures  by  Scandinavian  settlers,  even 
though  these  might  not  have  built  or  even 
used  them.  And  so  the  matter  stood  until 
a  few  days  ago,  when  I  received  a  letter  on 
the  Threlkeld  village  from  a  former  vicar  of 
the  parish,  mentioning,  among  other  things, 
that  after  reading  Feats  on  the  Fiord,  he  was 
so  impressed  with  the  apparent  similarity  of 
these  remains  to  the  Saeters  therein  de- 
scribed by  Miss  Martineau,  that  he  '  had 
some  success  in  giving  the  town  a  name,' 
implying  that  this  was  the  one  in  question. 
It  turns  out,  then,  that  Settrah,  or  Setterah, 
is  only  a  fancy  name  given  to  the  ruins 
within  the  last  few  years,  and  thus  of  no 
evidential  value." 

This  reminds  us  of  another  fancy  name 
given  to  a  prehistoric  mound  and  stone  in 
the  Isle  of  Man — "King  Orry's  Grave." 
This  name  was  in  a  fair  way  of  becoming 
accepted  as  the  traditional  name  of  the 
mound,  when  some  official  in  the  island 
wrote  to  say  that  he  and  a  few  friends  had 
originated  it  at  a  picnic  on  the  spot.  It  is 
quite  possible  that  a  good  many  strange 
local  place-names  may  have  originated  in  this 
manner. 

4ff       ^       ^ 

The  Surtees  Society  has  just  issued,  as  one 
of  its  volumes  for  1897,  the  Chapter  Act  Book 
of  Beverley  Minster  (1286  to  1347),  which 
has  been  edited  by  Mr.  A.  F.  Leach  from 
the  original  manuscript  volume  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries.  The 
work  has  been  prepared  with  Mr.  Leach's 
usual  accuracy  and  skill,  and  is  a  welcome 
addition  to  the  society's  volumes.  The  re- 
marks (pp.  Iv  to  lix  of  the  Introduction)  are 
unfortunately  vitiated  from  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Leach  appears  to  have  been  ignorant  of 
the  distinction  between  an  " office"  and  a 
"dignity"  in  a  secular  chapter.  He  con- 
fuses the  two,  both  in  that  portion  of  the 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


291 


Introduction,  and  also  when  dealing  with  the 
position  of  the  provost  of  Beverley.  At 
Beverley,  chancellor,  precentor,  provost,  and 
treasurer  were  "officers"  and  not  "digni- 
taries." Nor  is  the  designation  of  provost  a 
foreign  one,  as  stated  on  p.  xl.  It  was  cer- 
tainly not  usual  in  England  as  the  designation 
of  a  "dignitary"  (Eton  being  the  only  instance 
we  recall  at  the  moment),  but  as  the  designa- 
tion of  an  "officer"  it  was  not  uncommon, 
and,  as  at  Lincoln,  was  sometimes  found 
among  the  clerks  of  the  second  form. 
Abroad,  the  name  is  more  common,  both  as 
applied  to  a  "dignity"  and  an  "office."  At 
Chartres,  down  to  the  suppression  of  the 
ancient  chapter  at  the  Revolution,  there  were 
four  provosts,  all  of  them  dignitaries,  but 
three  only  canons.  In  some  churches  where 
the  provost  was  a  dignitary  he  ranked  above 
the  dean,  and  was  head  of  the  chapter ;  in 
others  he  ranked  below  the  dean.  Much 
may  be  learnt  as  to  these  matters,  and  the 
distinction  between  a  "dignity"  and  an 
"office,"  in  Van  Espen,  D'Hericourt,  Bor- 
denave,  Frances  De  Ecdesiis  Cathedralibiis, 
and  other  standard  works  of  that  class.  It 
seems  strange  that  Mr.  Leach  should  have 
made  this  slip,  and  that  he  should  not  have 
been  cognizant  of  the  distinction  between  a 
dignity  and  an  office  in  a  secular  chapter. 
Independently  of  this,  however  (and  it  is 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  whole),  anti- 
quaries will  be  grateful  to  him  for  the  pains- 
taking manner  in  which  he  has  edited  the 
Beverley  Chapter  Acts  for  the  Surtees  Society. 

^         ^         ^ 
Perhaps  it  may  be  convenient  to  point  out 
here  what  the  distinction  between  an  office 
and  a  dignity  is. 

An  "office,"  like  a  "dignity,"  involves 
certain  obligations  and  duties,  but  it  confers 
no  pre-eminence  or  prerogative  on  its  holder 
either  in  choir  or  chapter,  and  is  not  unfre- 
quently  held  only  for  a  specified  period, 
although  this  is  not  of  its  essence,  and  it 
may  be  a  permanent  appointment. 

A  "  dignity "  is  of  two  kinds  :  the  one 
interior  and  the  other  exterior.  An  interior 
dignity  confers  pre-eminence  (and  certain 
statutory  prerogatives  with  it)  both  in  choir 
and  chapter.  An  exterior  dignity,  on  the 
other  hand,  confers  no  pre-eminence  or  pre- 
rogatives in  choir  or  chapter,  but  the  holder 


of  an  exterior  dignity  exercises  episcopal 
jurisdiction  in  certain  places  where  the  corps 
of  his  prebend  lies.  In  England  before 
modern  changes — and  abroad,  too,  although 
not  so  often  as  in  this  country — an  interior 
dignitary  was  frequently  an  exterior  dignitary 
as  well,  either  by  virtue  of  the  exterior  pre- 
rogatives attached  to  his  dignity  as  dean, 
precentor,  etc.,  or  because  of  those  of  some 
separate  prebend  held  with  it.  Thus,  to 
take  one  example  from  many,  the  precentor 
of  York  was  an  interior  dignitary  by  virtue 
of  his  precentorship,  and  an  exterior  dignitary 
by  virtue  of  the  prebend  of  Driffield  annexed 
to  the  precentorship. 

Lack  of  familiarity  with  these  matters  has 
puzzled  Mr.  Leach  not  only  in  the  Beverley 
book,  but  also  in  that  relating  to  Southwell 
which  he  edited  a  few  years  ago  for  the 
Camden  Society,  and  has  led  him  rather 
far  astray  in  some  of  his  remarks  in  the  In- 
troductions to  both  volumes. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Archaeological 
Society  has  suffered  severely  in  the  recent  fire 
at  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Library.  Mr. 
Leonard  G.  Bolingbroke,  the  honorary 
secretary,  writes  to  us :  "  On  the  ist  of  this 
month  (August)  the  society  lost  the  greater 
part  of  its  stock  of  Transactions  in  the 
disastrous  fire  which  destroyed  the  Norfolk 
and  Norwich  Library,  whilst  the  society's 
own  library  and  manuscripts  have  suffered 
considerably  from  water."  Mr.  Bolingbroke 
adds :  "  May  I  ask  whether  you  could  in 
the  Antiquary  draw  attention  to  our  mis- 
fortunes, and  thus  induce  both  authors  and 
publishers  to  show  their  practical  sympathy 
with  us  by  presenting  us  with  works  of  an 
archaeological  character?"  We  have  much 
pleasure  in  making  known  this  request,  and 
we  shall  be  glad  to  learn  that  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  important  of  the  provincial 
societies  in"  the  country,  has  received  that 
practical  assurance  of  sympathy  in  its  mis- 
fortune which  it  solicits. 

^  ^  ^ 
From  the  Wilts  Record  Society  we  have 
received  a  copy  of  the  Churchwardens' 
Accounts  of  St.  Thomas  and  St.  Edmund's 
Churches  at  Salisbury.  In  sending  it  Mr. 
Straton,  the  secretary,  writes  :  "  The  next 
volume,  now  well  advanced,  is  one  of  very 

pp  2 


292 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH 


gceat  interest.  It  is  by  the  Sarum  Chapter 
clerk,  Mr.  Arthur  Russell  Maiden,  and  will 
be  called  *  The  Canonization  of  St.  Osmund.' 
It  will  include  (i)  the  official  record  com- 
piled at  Rome  of  the  legal  proceedings 
preliminary  to  canonization.  This  takes  up 
nearly  half  the  volume,  and  besides  mere 
formal  proceedings  it  contains  quotations 
from  ancient  records,  and  full  particulars 
of  about  seventy  miracles,  with  a  notarial 
attestation  cf  the  whole  at  the  end.  It  also 
includes  (2)  documents,  some  original,  others 
fifteenth- century  copies,  but  chiefly  cor- 
respondence passing  between  the  bishop, 
dean,  and  chapter,  and  their  agents  and 
emissaries  at  Rome,  concerning  the  business 
of  the  canonization ;  some  are  in  Latin, 
others  in  English,  and  they  often  contain 
references  to  current  topics,  such  as  the 
taking  of  Constantinople  by  the  Turks,  and 
give  many  curious  peeps  behind  the  scenes 
of  th2  Papal  Court  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. (3)  Accounts  of  money,  showing  how 
the  costs  of  the  canonization  were  raised 
and  spent.  (4)  The  text  of  the  Bull  of 
canonization.  (5)  Mr.  Maiden  will  con- 
tribute a  critical  introduction  and  an  index. 
The  Extenta  or  survey  of  an  important 
religious  house  owning  land  in  Wilts  will 
next  be  published." 

^  ^  ^ 
We  are  sorry  to  learn  that  the  Somerset 
Record  Society,  which  has  issued  so  many 
excellent  volumes,  is  not  in  a  flourishing 
condition  financially.  This  ought  not  to  be. 
Somerset  is  a  large  county,  and  its  Record 
Society  (especially  after  the  good  work  it 
has  done)  ought  to  be  generously  sup- 
ported, 'rhe  value  of  the  work  of  local 
record  societies  is,  however,  of  much  wider 
range  than  the  immediate  district  they  cover. 
We  hope,  therefore,  that  the  Somerset 
Record  Society  will  be  able  to  secure  more 
recruits  from  other  parts  of  the  country,  so 
that  it  may  be  able  to  continue  its  work 
without  being  cramped  by  a  dwindling 
balance  at  the  bank.  Last  year  a  volume 
of  Somerset  Pleas  for  the  year  1 1 99 
(41  Henry  III.)  was  issued.  This  year  the 
society  is  busy  with  a  volume  of  Feet  of 
Fines,  which  come  down  to  the  middle  of 
the  reign  of  Edward  III.  The  society  is 
also    searching     for    a    lost    chartulary    of 


Muchelney,  which  is  known  to  have  been 
in  existence  last  century.  Perhaps  some 
reader  of  the  Antiquary  can  help  by  saying 
where  it  now  is. 

'^  ^  ^ 
At  the  recent  meeting  of  the  Devonshire 
Association,  held  during  August,  Mr.  R. 
Hansford  Worth  presented  the  seventeenth 
report  of  the  Barrow  Committee,  which  con- 
tained a  description  by  Mr.  R.  Burnard  of 
the  exploration  of  a  small  kistvaen  on  Lake 
Head-hill,  Postbridge.  The  kist  stood  like  a 
box,  with  about  half  its  height  showing  above 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  Its  extreme  depth 
was  2  feet  The  cover-stone  had  been  re- 
moved. No  trace  of  a  surrounding  circle 
was  visible,  but  there  were  slight  remains  of 
the  once-existing  barrow.  The  result  of 
cleaning  out  the  kist,  and  subjecting  the 
interior  to  a  close  search,  was  very  gratifying, 
for  no  less  than  three  flint  knives  and  three 
scrapers  of  the  same  material  were  found 
packed  in,  close  against  the  south-south-east 
end  stone  of  the  kist.  The  scrapers  were 
apparently  quite  unused,  and  were  very  fine 
specimens.  One  of  the  knives,  by  its  shape, 
suggested  the  idea  of  a  spear-head,  but  it 
might  be  safer  to  include  it  in  the  knife 
class.  In  addition  to  these  implements, 
about  thirty  small  potsherds  were  found,  re- 
presenting two  vessels,  one  evidently  being  a 
large  urn  and  the  other  a  small  food  vase. 
The  pottery  was  of  the  usual  type,  and  the 
vessels  were  hand-made.  The  small  speci- 
men was  considerably  ornamented.  The 
large  urn  evidently  held  the  cremated 
remains,  and  the  small  example  the  offering 
of  food.  The  interment  indicated  the  late 
Neolithic  and  early  Bronze  Age. 

^  «jj(>  .J. 
Mr.  Thomas  May,  of  Warrington,  has 
recently  found  several  Roman  remains  of 
more  or  less  interest  at  Wilderspool.  Among 
the  objects  unearthed  is  that  of  a  mason's 
foot-rule  of  bronze,  which  was  found  on 
September  10.  Mr.  May  describes  it  as 
measuring  5^-  inches  when  folded  (or 
doubled),  or  11^  inches  when  expanded.  It 
has,  he  states,  inch-marks,  stop,  and  notches, 
and  is  quite  perfect,  except  that  a  small 
piece  of  the  stop  is  broken  off.  A  piece  of 
a  tile,  stamped  with  letters,  has  also  been 
found.     There  is  not  sufficient  of  it  to  ma!<e 


NOTES  OF  THE  AW  NTH. 


293 


it  easy  to  say  what  the  legend  was,  but  it  is 
the  only  inscription  that  has  as  yet  been  met 
with  on  the  site. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Royal  Cornwall  Polytechnic  Society, 
following  the  lead  of  other  local  societies, 
has  been  holding  an  exhibition  of  ancient 
plate  existing  in  Cornwall.  The  D'Amboise 
chalice  at  St.  Kea,  with  its  paten,  and  the 
various  maces  and  pieces  of  corporation 
jilate  from  different  Cornish  towns,  appear  to 
have  been  the  objects  which  attracted  most 
attention.  Colonel  Tremayne,  of  Carclew  ; 
the  Earl  of  St.  Germains  ;  Mr.  Chichester, 
of  Grenofen,  all  lent  articles  of  domestic 
plate  of  considerable  beauty  and  interest. 
Among  the  more  unusual  pieces  exhibited 
was  a  silver  figure  of  our  Lord,  the  property 
of  Major-General  Sterling,  and  a  Cornish 
"hurling  ball,"  dated  1783,  sent  by  Mrs. 
Peters,  of  Chyverton.  On  the  whole,  the 
collection  was  an  exceptionally  interesting 
one,  although  many  of  the  objects  exhibited 
were  of  foreign  make. 

^  ^  ^ 
In  these  notes  last  month  we  commented  on 
the  Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian 
Society  in  a  manner  which  has  been  taken  to 
imply  that  it  was  not  doing  any  serious  and 
solid  work.  Our  comments  would  certainly 
have  been  very  much  modified  if  we  had 
seen  the  last  number  of  the  publication  of 
the  society,  entitled  the  Bradford  Antiquary, 
which  contains  several  useful  papers.  We 
think  it  only  fair  to  say  this,  in  order  to 
correct  any  false  impression  which  our  re- 
marks may  have  made.  We  would  specially 
mention  papers  on  the  "  Roman  Road 
from  Manchester  to  Aldborough,"  by  Mr.  J. 
Norton  Dickons,  and  one  on  "  Baildon  Moor 
and  its  Antiquities,"  by  Mr.  W.  Cudworth, 
as  well  as  another  on  "  Bramhope  Chapel  " 
(a  Puritan  foundation  and  structure),  all  of 
which  are  fully  illustrated,  as  being  specially 
worthy  of  notice.  As  regards  our  picnic 
criticism,  we  have  nothing  to  retract,  but  it 
is  well  that  we  should  say  that  the  Bradford 
Society  is  by  no  means  the  only  one  that  errs 
in  this  respect. 


iRamtilmgg  of  an  antiquatp. 

By  George  Bailey. 


Trinity  Church  and  the  Guild  Chapel, 
Stratford-on-Avon. 

IV. 

HERE  is  but  little  wall-painting  left 
in  the  old  church  at  Stratford-on- 
Avon  where  lie  the  remains  of 
that  most  remarkable  man  and 
extraordinary  genius,  William  Shakespeare, 
but  the  little  that  we  can  still  see  is  certainly 
worth  preserving.  From  an  artistic  point  of 
view,  it  is  highly  suggestive  for  its  admirable 
decorative  character.  We  give  here  the 
drawings  we  made  there  last  year,  1897, 
during  the  time  we  were  engaged  making 
the  sketches  for  our  series  of  etchings  of 
Shakespearian  subjects,  now  nearly  com- 
plete. Both  these  fragments  are  painted  on 
the  south  pier  of  the  tower ;  they  have,  when 
complete,  occupied  the  whole  space  from  the 
spring  of  the  arch  down  to  the  base  of  the 
pier.  The  most  important  is  that  which  is 
on  the  broadest  face  of  the  column  (Fig.  i). 
It  represents  the  dedication  of  a  church,  or 
monastic  establishment,  perhaps  both,  as 
may  be  inferred  from  the  outlines  of  a 
large  building  seen  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
picture,  where  the  ceremony  is  taking  place. 
There  are  the  assembled  clergy,  who,  we 
may  suppose,  are  engaged  in  some  part  of 
the  ceremony  outside,  in  the  pleasant  grounds 
in  which  the  establishment  has  been  built, 
with  its  alcoves  and  bowery  walks.  Though 
only  very  fragmentary  portions  of  the  out- 
lines of  the  procession  survive,  there  is 
quite  sufficient  to  fill  in  the  scene  without 
drawing  very  greatly  on  the  imagination. 
The  person  in  the  front  who  carries  the 
casket  and  holds  up  his  other  hand  in  the 
attitude  of  benediction  is  evidently  bearing 
the  relics  of  some  saint  to  deposit  them  on 
the  altar  of  the  new  church.  The  scene 
may  represent  the  opening  of  the  original 
church,  of  which  these  pieces  no  doubt 
a  part,  though  the  church  in  the 
does  not  agree  in  style  with  the 
one ;    yet   there   are   certain  to   be 


formed 
picture 
present 


some  remains  of  it  embodied  in  it,  becau-^e 


294 


R  A  MB  LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUAR  Y. 


!    / 


J^'z!J='-Ir-'='^'-p\ 


\ 


1 1( "   "'yyj,; 


0 


j^^V^  S13..VI.,, 


Fig.  I. 


^^ 


FllG.    2. 


we  know  well  enough  that  the  custom  of     phase  of  vandalism,  common  to  the  century 

totally  destroying  and  obliterating  all  traces      in  which  we  have  the  honour  to  live. 

of   old   churches   is    only   quite   a   modern  The  other  piece  (Fig.  2)  of  painting  is  on 


R  A  MB  LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


295 


the  more  curved  portions  of  the  pillar,  which 
more  directly  carries  the  present  tower  arch 
of  the  nave.  There  are  no  figures  upon  it, 
but  it  conveys  a  charming  idea  of  trees  and 
remains  of  architecture,  and  we  can  quite 


ruined  arches  and  windows  now,  whatever 
they  were  originally.  This  painting  is  not 
recorded  in  the  South  Kensington  list. 

The  ancient  Guildhall  at  Stratford  contains 
numerous  fragments  of  wall-painting.     The 


Fig.  3. 

imagine  the  pleasant  shady  walks  among  the  most  important  is  that  here  figured,  No.  3. 

ruins  at  the  back.     True,  they  may  be  only  The  Crucifixion  has  been  often  found;  what 

fragments   of    former    paintings    that    have  remains  of  this  one  was  discovered  about 

worked  up  again  into  their  present  picturesque  1895    behind    some   woodwork   which    was 

form,  but  they  certainly  look  very  much  like  then   removed.      The   date    appears   to   be 


296 


RAMBLINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQIARY. 


early  fifteenth  century.  It  may  be  noted 
that  the  picture  is  divided  into  three  parts, 
through  having  been  painted  on  the  plaster 
between  the  upright  beams  which  form  part 
of  the  wall.  It  is  now  carefully  preserved 
under  plate-glass.  A  much  more  perfect, 
small  Crucifixion,  which  forms  the  back  of 
a  piscina  at  Lichfield  Cathedral,  was  repre- 
sented in  the  A/iiiquary,  vol.  xxxi.,  p.  71. 
Above  the  figures  of  the  Virgin  and  St.  John 
there  are  mutilated  coats-of-arms.  The  most 
perfect  has  been  the  arms  of  England,  and 
may  be  of  Edward  I.'s  time,  as  it  was  he 
who  first  introduced  the  three  leopards  in 
1329  and  the  fleur-de  lis  in  1337.  The  date 
of  building  the  Guildhall  is  not  known,  but 
it  is  mentioned  in  records  as  far  back  as 
1353,  at  which  time  it  was  said  to  be  very 
ancient.  It  may  be  stated  here  that  the 
place  underwent  considerable  repairs  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  V.,  about  1417.  If  this 
went  so  far  as  the  rebuilding  of  the  Hall, 
then  the  dates  of  the  paintings  must  be  of 
his  time  also.  The  arms  on  the  other 
shield — those  on  the  spectator's  right — are 
so  far  a  puzzle.  We  cannot  find  that  they 
agree  with  the  arms  of  any  benefactor  to  the 
Guild,  neither  have  we  been  able  to  allocate 
them  to  any  family  of  the  time.  This 
difficulty  in  appropriating  them  may  arise 
from  the  very  imperfect  condition  in  which 
they  are  found,  and  also  from  the  probability 
that  some  former  heraldic  device  had  been 
painted  upon,  and  has  come  up  again,  so 
producing  confusion.  Our  sketch  shows  as 
nearly  as  we  could  make  it  out  what  it  looks 
to  be.  The  field  appears  to  have  been  gules, 
upon  which  are  portions  of  sable  frets,  and 
there  are  also  quatrefoils  of  the  same  colour, 
one  being  placed  above  the  shield  in  the 
position  of  a  crest,  which  appears  to  have 
been  surrounded  by  a  border  of  frets.  These 
charges  appear  black  now,  but  may  originally 
have  been  gold.  In  the  centre  there  appears 
to  have  been  of  pretence  two  shields,  one 
over  the  other,  the  lower  one  being  red. 
Upon  the  upper  one  there  is  a  fret,  but  it 
may  be  only  what  has  belonged  to  a  former 
painting  of  fretty  shield  ;  and  the  other  arms 
upon  which  it  was  superposed  may  have 
been  powdered  with  the  quatrefoils,  and 
upon  the  latter  was  also  an  inescutcheon. 
Whether   this  suggestion   will   lead   to   any 


other  and  better  way  of  removing  the  difii- 
culty  we  cannot  divine,  but  we  hope  it  may 
lead  some  longer  head  than  ours  to  disen- 
tangle it,  and  give  us  its  true  explanation. 
It  is  quite  evident  that  the  frets  have  formed 
part  of  one  shield,  and  the  quatrefoils  of 
another ;  and  it  is  this  mixture  of  the  two 
which  causes  the  muddle 


Fig.  4. 

Not  the  least  interesting  memory  con- 
nected with  this  old  "  Rode  Hall,"  as  it  used 
to  be  called,  is  that  in  it  the  players  used  to 
perform  when  they  visited  the  town,  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  in  that  hall 
young  William  Shakespeare  saw  his  first 
play,  which  may  have  led  to  the  develop- 
ment of  his  poetic  faculty  by  which  the 
world's  literature  has  been  so  wonderfully 
enriched.  Leaving  the  Guildhall  by  a  door 
that  leads  to  a  room  called  the  "  Armoury," 
we  noticed  above  it  a  much -defaced  in- 
scription apparently  of  Elizabethan  date, 
but  not  readable,  and  in  the  armoury  over 
the  fireplace  is  a  large  Royal  Arms,  which 
commemorates  the  restoration  of  the  Stuarts 
in  1660;  and  on  entering  the  room  above 
this,  we  saw  two  large  roses  painted  at  one 
end,  one  red  with  a  white  centre  for 
Lancaster,  and  the  other  white  with  a  red 


RAM B LINGS  OF  AN  ANTIQUARY. 


297 


centre  for  York,  These  symbolize  the 
union  of  the  rival  Houses  by  the  marriage 
of  Henry  VH.  with  his  cousin  Elizabeth  in 
1485,  thus  ending  the  Wars  of  the  Roses, 
the  first  battle  between  them  having  been 
fought  at  St.  Albans  in  1455. 

Adjoining  the  Guildhall  is  the  Chapel  of 
the  Guild,  which  once  contained  a  fine  series 
of  paintings  representing  the  "Legend  of 
the  Cross."  They  were  most  curious  and 
interesting.  They  were  found  under  the 
numerous  coatings  of  whitewash  with  which 
the  walls  had  been  covered.  In  the  summer 
of  1804  this  whitewash  was  cleaned  off,  and 
careful  coloured  drawings  were  made  and 
etched  by  Thomas  Fisher,  F.S.A.,  but, 
strange  to  say,  after  this  had  been  done, 
they  were  the  same  year  again  whitewashed 
over.  Fancy  if  you  can  the  amazing 
stupidity  of  the  act !  Nothing  can  now  be 
seen  of  them.  But  the  faint  traces  of  two 
female  saints  under  canopies  in  the  nave — 
Modwena  and  Ursula — may  still  be  seen, 
but  very  dim  and  misty. 

The  folio  volume  of  Mr.  Fisher's  beauti- 
fully executed  coloured  etchings  remains  to 
show  what  all  these  paintings  were  like  when 
he  saw  them,  and  we  owe  him  a  good  deal 
for  his  careful  preservation  of  them  in  his 
invaluable  book.  A  copy  of  this  accurate 
and  unique  work  may  be  seen  in  the 
Memorial  Library  at  Stratford. 

It  is  curious  that  this  series  of  paintings  of 
the  "  Legend  of  the  Cross  "  appears  to  have 
been  the  only  one  in  England.  But  there 
is  a  series — the  only  one,  we  believe — 
represented  on  the  stained  glass  of  an  old 
window  in  Morley  Church  in  Derbyshire. 
The  subjects  are  not  identical  in  these  two 
series,  but  how  much  they  differ  will  be  best 
understood  from  the  lists  we  give.  The 
Stratford  ones  are  as  follows:  (i)  Visit  of 
the  Queen  of  Sheba  to  King  Solomon ; 
(2)  the  victory  of  Constantine  over  Maxen- 
tius ;  (3)  the  departure  of  St.  Helena  to 
Jerusalem  to  seek  the  Holy  Cross;  (4) 
Julius  Cyriacus  confesses  where  the  Cross  is 
hidden;  (5)  the  Holy  Cross  is  discovered 
by  laying  it  upon  a  corpse,  which  it  brought 
to  life  again ;  (6)  Heraclius  and  the  son  of 
Chosroes  fighting  on  a  bridge ;  (7)  Heraclius 
cutting  off  Chosroes's  head  ;  (8)  Heraclius 
brings   the   Cross   to   Jerusalem  with   great 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


pomp,  but  the  gate  is  closed  as  a  protest 
against  their  pride ;  (9)  the  gate  opens  to 
them  when  they  go  humbly  on  foot.  The 
subjects  on  the  glass  at  Morley  now  follow  : 
(i)  The  Holy  Cross  is  being  made;  (2) 
Jesus  Christ  is  nailed  to  the  Cross ;  (3)  the 
Holy  Cross  buried  in  the  earth ;  (4)  the 
Holy  Cross  shown  to  St.  Helena  in  a  vision ; 
(5)  the  Holy  Cross  discovered ;  (6)  the 
Holy  Cross  laid  upon  a  corpse ;  (7)  Heraclius 
cutting  of  Chosroes's  head;  (8)  the  son  of 
Chosroes  baptized  by  Heraclius ;  (9)  the 
Holy  Cross  taken  to  Jerusalem;  (10)  the 
Holy  Cross  set  up.  There  were  originally 
twelve  of  this  series,  but  two  are  lost. 

It  will  be  seen  on  comparing  these  lists 
that  the  subjects  differ  somewhat  in  both, 
and  it  would  also  be  seen,  if  the  work  of  the 
two  artists  were  compared,  that  the  style  of 
each  differs  also,  though  they  must  both 
have  been  executed  very  nearly  at  the  same 
period.  The  History  of  Morley  Church, 
Derbyshire,  by  Rev.  S.  Fox,  gives  a  coloured 
plate  of  this  window  by  the  author  of  these 
Ramblings,  but  neither  this  nor  Mr.  Fisher's 
book  are  very  accessible  now,  having  become 
scarce.  Mr.  Fisher's  book  gives  illustrations 
of  all  the  paintings  that  were  formerly  to  be 
seen  in  the  Guild  Chapel,  of  which  there  were 
twenty.  Some  of  them  were  very  curious. 
Those  who  are  interested  in  the  Holy  Cross 
legend  may  refer  to  a  small  quarto  by  Mr. 
Ashton,  published  at  the  office  of  the 
Antiquary,  in  which  are  given  drawings 
taken  from  Fisher's  book,  also  History  of  the 
Holy  Cross,  by  J.  Veldener,  1483.  This  is 
a  block  book,  and  begins  the  story  in  the 
time  of  Adam.  There  is  a  translation  of 
this  book,  with  facsimiles  of  the  blocks,  by 
J.  Ph.  Berjeau;  Stewart,  London,  1863,  and 
in  the  British  Museum  there  are  two  MSS.  of 
the  thirteenth  century  written  on  vellum. 
We  are  not  aware  that,  on  walls  or  glass, 
this  subject  exists  now  in  any  church  in 
England  except  in  St.  Matthew's,  Morley, 
Derbyshire,  where  it  may  be  seen  in  one  of 
the  windows  of  the  north  aisle.  It  was  pur- 
chased by  Francis  Pole  at  the  dissolution  of 
Dale  Abbey,  1539,  and,  together  with  some 
other  curious  and  interesting  glass,  placed 
where  it  now  is.  It  appears  to  be  of  fifteenth- 
century  date,  most  likely  of  Henry  VI. 's  time, 
which  is  about  the  date  of  the  Stratford  series. 

QQ 


298 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


We  have  now  given  examples  of  nearly 
every  kind  of  subject  found  on  the  walls  of 
our  old  churches.  Many  others  might  have 
been  given,  but  we  think  enough  has  been 
written  here  to  show  how  deeply  interesting  is 
the  subject.  Our  illustrations  have  given  a 
fairly  general  idea  of  the  art  of  wall-painting 
as  it  has  been  found  in  England  from  the 
thirteenth  century  down  to  the  sixteenth. 
We  know  nothing  of  the  men  who  did  these 
pictures,  but  their  work  shows  that  they  were 
men  of  no  inconsiderable  ability. 
{Concluded.) 


©ccutcences  at  ^aintes— 1781  to 
1791. 

From  the  Diary  of  the  Abb]^  Legrix. 

Translated  (with  Notes)  by  T.  M.  Fallow, 
M.A.,  F.S.A. 

{Continue  J  from  p.  275.) 

March  4,  1789. — In  conformity  with  the 
letter  of  the  King,  dated  January  24  pre- 
ceding, and  of  the  Regulation  annexed  to  it 
for  summoning  the  States  General  of  the 
Kingdom  at  Versailles  on  April  27  of  the 
same  year,  the  Chapter  met  extraordinarily 
after  Compline,  and  nominated  (in  accord- 
ance with  Article  10  of  the  Regulation)  three 
Canons,  who  were  Messieurs  Delaage  the 
Dean,  d'Aiguieres,  and  Dudon,  to  assist  in 
its  name,  and  to  represent  it  at  the  general 
meeting  appointed  by  M.  le  Berthon,  Lieu- 
tenant-General  of  the  Stewartry,*  at  the  Great 
Hall  of  the  Palace  for  the  i6th  of  the  same 
month,  in  order  to  draw  up  papers  f  of 
requests,  grievances,  remonstrances,  and  for 
the  nomination  and  election  of  Deputies  to 
the  States  General. 

At  the  preceding  Chapter  -  meeting  on 
March  3,  it  was  decided  that  the  Canons 
semi-prebendaries,  not  being  Canons  capitu- 
lant,  should  not  be  summoned  to  the  Chapter 
to  concur  in  the  deputation  of  the  three 
members  aforesaid,  and  that  all  four  of  them 
being  provided  with  sinecure  benefices,  they 
were  (by  the  terms  of  the  said  Regulation) 


•  Senechaussee. 


t  Cahiers. 


entitled  to  take  part  individually  at  the 
general  meeting  on  the  i6th.  The  Priest- 
vicars  of  the  choir  deputed  M.  Girard,  priest, 
to  represent  them,  and  to  take  part  in  their 
name  at  the  aforesaid  meeting. 

Independently  of  the  three  Deputies  before- 
mentioned  nominated  by  the  Chapter,  several 
other  of  the  Canons  also  took  part  in  the 
general  meeting  on  the  i6th  by  virtue  of 
their  dignities,  chaplaincies,  priories,  or  other 
benefices  of  which  they  were  incumbents. 

March  9,  1789. — The  Marquis  de  Nieiil, 
Grand  Seneschal  of  Saintonge,  who  arrived 
at  this  town  in  the  preceding  week,  was 
admitted  and  installed  in  that  position  at  the 
seat  of  the  Stewartry.  |  On  the  12th  of  the 
same  month  he  went  to  St.  Jean  d'Angely 
in  order  to  be  admitted  there,  and  installed 
in  the  same  position  in  that  Stewartry.  He 
returned  on  the  day  following  to  Saintes. 

March  11,  1789. — M.  Deluchet,  Canon, 
Archdeacon  of  Saintonge,  Vicar-General  and 
Abbot  -  Commendatory  of  the  Abbey  of 
Madion  in  this  diocese,  was  nominated  by 
the  Chapter  to  represent  it  at  the  general 
meeting  of  the  Stewartry  of  St.  Jean  d'Angely 
appointed  for  March  16  in  that  town,  in 
consequence  of  an  assignment  made  to  the 
Chapter  for  the  property  it  possessed  in  that 
district.  It  was  recommended  to  the  said 
Sieur  Deluchet  by  the  Chapter  that  if  the 
order  of  clergy  obstinately  refused  to  recognise 
him  as  president  of  the  clergy,  he  should 
make  his  protest,  and  withdraw  from  the 
meeting.  As  this  was  refused,  he  withdrew 
according  to  his  instructions. 

March  16,  1789. — The  general  meeting  of 
the  three  orders  of  the  Stewartry  of  Saintonge 
was  opened,  having  been  summoned  by  the 
ordinance  of  the  Lieutenant-General  of  the 
said  Stewartry,  dated  February  16  preceding, 
in  conformity  with  the  letter  of  the  King, 
dated  January  24  of  the  same  year,  and  of 
the  Regulation  annexed  to  it  for  summoning 
the  States  General  of  the  Kingdom  on  April  27 
of  the  same  year  at  Versailles. 

On  the  before-mentioned  day  the  three 
orders  met,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
in  the  church  of  the  Rev.  Frferes  Jacobins. 
The  clergy  were  seated  on  the  right  hand  in 
the  choir,  the  nobility  on  the  left  hand,  and 
the  Tiers  Etat  in  the  nave. 

1  Senechaussee. 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


299 


Mgr.  the  Bishop  intoned  the  hymn  Veni 
Creator^  and  then  celebrated  Mass  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.     The  Mass  ended,  the  three 
orders  met  in  the  Great  Hall  of  the  Palace  ; 
the  clergy  occupied  the  right  side,  the  nobility 
the  left,  and  the  Tiers  Etat  the  lower  part 
of  the  Hall  opposite  the  Grand  Seneschal, 
who  was  seated  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Hall. 
The  Marquis   de   Nieiil,   Grand   Seneschal, 
opened  the  meeting  with  a  speech  bearing 
on  the  circumstances.    The  discourse  ended, 
the  roll  was  called  of  all  the  members  who 
were  to  compose  the  meeting,  whether  in 
person,  or  by  proctors   appointed   as   their 
attornies.     The  roll-call  ended,  the   Grand 
Seneschal  informed  the  meeting  that,  in  order 
to  comply  with  the  King's  letter,  each  of  the 
members  present  should  take  the  required 
oath  to  proceed  faithfully  with  drawing  up  of 
the  papers  of  requests,  etc.,  and  with  the 
election  of  Deputies  of  each  order  to  the 
States  General.     Then  each  and  all  of  the 
members  rising  up  took  the  required  oath — 
namely,  the  clergy  with  the  hand  ad  pectus, 
and  the  two  other  orders  with  the  hand  raised. 
The  oath   having    been   taken,    the   Grand 
Seneschal  indicated  the  places  where  each 
order  was  to  assemble  for  its  meetings,  so 
that  it  might  proceed  with  drawing  up  its 
papers,  and  the  election  of  Deputies — viz., 
the  clergy  in  the  Synod  Hall  of  the  fiveche, 
the  nobility  in  the  Hall  of  Exercises  at  the 
College,  and  the   Tiers   Etat  in  the  Great 
Hall  of  the  Palace,  after  which  the  meeting 
separated. 

The  same  day,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, the  order  of  clergy  held  its  first  meeting 
at  the  place  appointed.  Mgr.  the  Bishop 
opened  it  with  a  short  speech,  reminding 
each  of  the  members  of  the  object  of  the 
meeting,  and  exhorting  all  to  guard  against 
party  spirit,  and  to  have  nothing  else  in  view 
than  the  general  good  of  the  State,  the 
Province,  and  Religion.  Seventeen  commis- 
saries were  thereupon  nominated  to  draft  the 
papers  of  grievances,  etc.  It  was  also  decided 
that  the  several  private  papers  of  grievances 
which  individual  members  might  make  or 
advance  should  not  be  read  out,  as  they 
would  be  too  numerous,  and  would  unduly 
prolong  the  meetings,  but  that  they  should 
all  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  seventeen 
commissaries  before  mentioned,  so  that  they 


might  be  arranged  and  formed  into  a  single 
general  paper,  which  might  then  be  submitted 
to  the  meeting,  when  everybody  would  be 
able  to  make  comments  on  it.  This  having 
been  decided,  commissaries  were  nominated 
to  proceed  with  the  verification  of  the  proxies. 
This  occupied  the  remainder  of  the  meeting, 
and  the  two  meetings  of  the  day  following — 
Tuesday,  the  17th. 

On  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  the  i8th 
and  19th,  the  seventeen  commissaries  retired 
to  a  private  room  to  work  at  the  reduction 
of  the   separate   papers   into  a  single  one. 
There  was  only  one  meeting  during  the  day, 
at  which  what  they  had  so  far  drafted  was 
read.     Upon    the    observations    of    several 
members   of  the   meeting,    certain   changes 
and   modifications  were   made,  after  which 
the  gentlemen  were  requested  to  continue 
their  work,  and  to  report  upon  it  when  they 
had  finished      On  Friday  and  Saturday,  the 
20th  and  2ist,  the  commissaries  continued 
the  work  they  had  begun.     At  the  meeting 
on  Friday  evening  M.  Dufresne,  Canon,  one 
of  the  editorial  commissaries,  read  to  the 
meeting  a  number  of  articles  mentioned  in 
the  separate  private  papers,  which  the  com- 
missaries did  not  think  it  desirable  to  enter 
in   the  general   paper.     After  the   remarks 
which  he  made,  and  the  reasons  which  he 
adduced,  the  meeting  decided  that  mention 
should  not  be  made  of  these  articles  in  the 
general  paper.     At  the  meeting  on  Saturday 
evening   the   revised   paper  was   read,  and, 
after  remarks  which  were  made  by  several 
members   of  the   meeting,   certain   changes 
and  modifications  were  introduced,  and  after 
this  the  paper  was  closed,  and  was  definitely 
adopted,  with  the  approval  and  consent  of 
the   meeting.     At   the   same   meeting   four 
commissaries  were   appointed  to   deal  with 
the  subject  of  the  powers  and  instructions 
which  were  to  be  given  to  the  Deputies  to 
the   States   General.     The   intervals   during 
these  two  days  were  spent  in  dealing  with 
the  general  and  private  affairs  of  the  diocese 
and  province. 

Monday,  23rd. — At  the  morning  meeting 
the  four  commissaries  appointed  to  deal  with 
the  powers  to  be  given  to  the  Deputies  pre- 
sented their  report  to  the  meeting.  With  a 
few  slight  modifications  it  was  approved  and 
adopted,  and  was  at  once  taken  by  a  deputa- 

QQ  2 


300 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES 


tion  of  four  members  to  the  orders  of  the 
nobility  and  the  Tiers  Etat  in  order  to  be 
communicated  to  them. 

The  two  orders  having  read  it  returned  it 
by  a  deputation,  and  thanked  the  meeting. 
At  the  same  meeting  it  was  decided  that,  on 
the  evening  which  preceded  the  election  of 
scrutators,  each  of  the  members  should  place 
in  the  urn  as  many  tickets  as  he  had  votes, 
either  for  himself,  or  for  the  proxies  of  which 
he  was  the  bearer,  and  that  he  should  inscribe 
as  many  different  names  as  there  were  tickets 
to  place  in  the  urn.  At  the  evening  meeting 
the  election  of  the  scrutators  was  proceeded 
with.  The  three  oldest,  according  to  age, 
and  the  secretary,  being  placed  at  the  desk, 
the  roll  of  all  the  electors  was  called ; 
each  responding  Adsum  proceeded  to  cast 
into  the  urn  one,  two,  or  three  tickets, 
according  as  he  possessed  more  or  fewer 
votes.  AH  the  tickets  having  been  placed 
in  the  urn,  the  three  oldest  members  before 
mentioned  checked  the  number,  which  they 
found  to  agree  with  the  number  of  voters, 
and,  after  having  counted  the  votes,  they 
declared  that  Mgr.  the  Bishop,  M.  d'Aiguillon, 
Canon,  and  M.  Laroche,  cure  of  Cherac,  had 
received  most  votes,  and  they  were  immedi- 
ately declared  scrutators.  It  was  then  and 
there  decided  that  on  the  next  day  the  election 
of  two  Deputies  to  the  States  General  should 
be  proceeded  with. 

Tuesday,  24th. — In  accordance  with  the 
decision  arrived  at  the  evening  before,  the 
election  of  the  Deputies  was  proceeded  with. 
Each  of  the  electors,  on  being  summoned  by 
name,  responded  Adsum,  and  proceeded  to 
cast  openly  in  the  urn  (which  was  placed  on 
the  desk  in  front  of  the  secretary  and  three 
scrutators  named  the  evening  before)  as  many 
tickets  as  he  possessed  votes.  All  the  tickets 
having  been  deposited  in  the  urn,  the  three 
scrutators  proceeded  to  collect  and  count 
them.  On  their  being  found  to  correspond 
with  the  number  of  electors,  they  opened 
the  tickets,  counted  the  votes,  and  declared 
before  the  whole  meeting  that  M.  Beauregard,* 

•  Bernard  Labrousse  de  Beauregard,  bom  in 
1735,  professor  of  philosophy  in  the  Abbey  of 
Chancelade,  and  the  incumbent  of  the  living  of  the 
value  of  4,000  livres  in  the  diocese  of  Saintes,  was 
a  clergyman  of  considerable  local  influence.  He 
took  much  pains  to  get  himself  elected,  but  beyond 


of  the  order  of  Chancelade,  t  and  prior-cure 
of  Champagnoles  in  this  diocese,  had  obtained 
an  absolute  majority  of  votes.  He  was  at 
once  declared  Deputy  to  the  States  General. 
For  this  first  election  it  was  found  unnecessary 
to  take  more  than  a  single  ballot.  This  first 
election  accomplished,  the  election  of  the 
second  Deputy  was  deferred  to  the  evening 
meeting. 

At  the  evening  meeting  on  the  same  day, 
agreeably  with  the  decision  arrived  at  in  the 
morning,  the  election  of  a  second  Deputy 
was  proceeded  with  in  the  same  manner  as 
that  adopted  at  the  election  in  the  morning. 
Mgr.  the  Bishop  of  Saintes  having  received 
nearly  three-fourths  of  the  votes  was  declared 
second  Deputy.  This  caused  great  excite- 
ment and  satisfaction  with  most  of  the 
meeting. 

The  election  of  the  Deputies  having  been 
accomplished,  the  meeting  despatched  a 
deputation  of  four  members  to  inform  and 
give  notice  of  it  to  the  nobility,  who  an 
instant  afterwards  despatched  a  deputation 
of  four  members  to  thank  the  clergy,  and  to 
congratulate  the  Deputies  on  their  election. 
A  meeting  was  forthwith  appointed  for  the 
evening  of  the  next  day  for  reading  over  and 
signing  the  minutes. 

The  next  day,  on  the  evening  of  the  25th, 
all  the  clergy  having  repaired  to  the  Hall  of 
the  fiveche,  Mgr.  the  Bishop  stated  that  the 
secretary,  not  having  been  able  to  complete 
the  transcribing  of  the  acts  and  deliberations, 
asked  that  the  meeting  would  assemble  again 
next  morning  in  the  same  Hall  in  order  to 
hear  the  minutes  read.  The  meeting  agreed 
to  this. 

A  moment  later  there  arrived  a  deputation 
of  four  members  of  the  nobility  to  com- 
municate to  the  clergy  their  paper  or  instruc- 
tion to  be  handed  to  their  Deputies  to  the 
States  General.  This  having  been  left  on 
the  desk,  they  retired,  after  which  M.  de  la 
Magdeleine,  Canon,  read  it  to  the  meet- 
ing. The  reading  finished,  there  was  a 
deputation  of  four  members  of  the  meeting 
to  the  nobility,  who  took  back  the  paper  and 

voting  with  the  cote  droit  at  the  States  General,  he 
did  not  take  any  prominent   part.      He  held  the 
living  of  Champagnoles  from   1778,  and  in  1792 
emigrated  to  Spain, 
t  Chanceladais. 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


301 


thanked  them.  The  meeting  then  at  once 
broke  up. 

The  26th,  in  the  morning,  the  order  of 
nobility  assembled  in  the  salle  ordinaire;  in 
smaller  number,  however,  many  of  the  gentle- 
men having  left  for  home.  M.  Chateauneuf, 
cure  of  Earbezieux  in  this  diocese,  secretary, 
read  all  the  acts  and  deliberations  which  the 
order  of  clergy  had  taken  in  their  meetings. 
The  reading  finished,  the  minutes  were  placed 
on  the  desk  to  be  signed  by  all  the  members 
present,  which  being  finished  and  settled,  the 
meeting  separated.  At  this  same  meeting 
Messieurs  Delord,  and  De  la  Magdeleine, 
Canon,  M.  Bonnerot,  cure  of  St.  Maur,  and 
Gillebot,  cure  of  Ste.  Colombe,  were  nominated 
commissaries  of  the  correspondence  by  which 
the  Deputies  were  charged  to  give  information 
as  to  what  might  occur  that  was  of  most 
interest  at  the  States  General,  and  principally 
in  relation  to  the  clergy,  so  that  they  might 
at  once  give  information,  and  communicate 
thereon  with  the  clergy  of  the  Stewartry  of 
Saintonge. 

The  Sunday  preceding,  the  22nd  of  the 
present  month,  the  order  of  the  Tiers  Etat 
finished  its  meetings.  Messieurs  Lemercier, 
Lieutenant  -  Criminal  at  the  Magistracy, 
Garesche,  merchant,  of  Marennes,  Augier, 
merchant,  of  Charente,  and  Ratier,  were 
appointed  Deputies  to  the  States  General. 

On  the  evening  of  Thursday,  the  26th,  the 
order  of  the  nobility  finished  its  meetings. 
Their  Deputies  to  the  States  General  were 
the  Comte  de  la  Tour  du  Pin,  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  provinces  of  Aunis  and 
Saintonge,  and  M.  de  Richier. 

P.S. — The  order  of  the  clergy  allowed  its 
Deputies  18  francs  a  day.  Fifteen  days  to 
go,  the  same  to  return  ;  also  with  18  francs 
a  day. 

The  order  of  the  nobility  allowed  its 
Deputies  24  francs  a  day. 

The  Tiers  Etat  allowed  12  francs  a  day. 
Twelve  days  to  go,  twelve  to  return ;  also 
with  1 2  francs  a  day. 

Friday,  27th. — At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing a  general  meeting  of  the  three  orders  was 
held  in  the  Great  Hall  of  the  Palace,  at  which 
the  Deputies  of  each  order  took  the  oath  at 
the  hands  of  the  Grand  Seneschal  relatively 
to  the  commission  of  which  they  were  charged 
by  their  respective  orders. 


May  22,  23,  24,  1789.— In  consequence 
of  a  mandate  of  Mgr.  the  Bishop,  dated 
Versailles  the  9th  of  the  same  month,  which 
appointed  public  prayers  throughout  his 
diocese  in  connection  with  the  States  General 
of  the  Kingdom  opened  at  Versailles  on  the 
4th  of  the  same  month,  there  was  held  in  the 
Cathedral  church  the  prayers  of  the  Quaranie 
heures.  On  the  21st  the  Chapter  decided 
that  during  these  three  days  the  Chapter 
Mass  should  be  sung  immediately  after 
Prime,  and  that  the  Solemn  Mass  appointed 
by  the  mandate  should  be  sung  at  ten  o'clock. 
M.  Deluchet,  Archdeacon  of  Saintonge  and 
Canon,  was  appointed  by  the  society  to  sing 
the  High  Mass.  On  these  three  days  two 
Canons  acted  as  deacon  and  subdeacon  of 
honour,  and  two  priests  of  the  under  choir 
acted  as  deacon  and  subdeacon  of  office. 
There  was  music,  and  the  chanter  carried 
his  baton.  The  prayers  of  the  Quarante  heures 
being  finished  at  the  Cathedral,  they  were 
continued  the  three  following  days  in  the 
parishes  of  the  town  and  suburbs ;  then  in 
all  the  communities,  and  so,  one  after  another, 
in  all  the  rest  of  the  parishes  and  churches 
of  this  diocese. 

Saturday,  July  25,  1789.— The  Chapter 
met  after  compline,  when  the  clerk  stated 
that  the  next  day,  Sunday,  there  was  to  be 
held  a  general  meeting  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville, 
to  which  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Saintes  were  invited  by  placard  to  be  present, 
that  the  object  of  this  meeting  was  to  draw 
up  an  address  to  the  National  Assembly, 
and  to  write  a  letter  to  it  of  congratulation, 
and  gratitude  for  its  zeal  and  firmness  in 
maintainmg  the  interests  and  laws  of  the 
nation.  The  Chapter  having  deliberated  as 
to  this,  appointed  Messieurs  Deluchet,  Arch- 
deacon, de  la  Magdeleine,  Dufresne,  and 
Marechal  to  represent  it  at  the  said  meeting, 
and  to  consult  as  to  the  subjects  which 
might  be  brought  forward  at  it. 

At  this  meeting  (at  the  Hotel  de  Ville)  at 
which  M.  Guenon,  advocate  and  mayor's 
lieutenant,  presided,  M.  Bernard,  advocate 
and  sheriff,  proposed  a  resolution  to  the 
effect  that  the  Sieur  Gaudriau,  the  mayor, 
was  deposed  from  office,  and  that  the  elec- 
tion of  a  new  mayor  should  be  proceeded 
with  at  once.  The  meeting  agreed  and  con- 
sented to  this  almost  unanimously,  and  then 


302 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


proceeded  to  the  said  election  by  ballot. 
M.  Gamier,  junior,  King's  advocate  at  the 
court  of  justice  of  this  town,  having  received 
most  votes  was  elected,  and  recognised  as 
mayor  ad  tenipus. 

Nota. — That  after  the  resolution  proposed 
by  M.  Bernard,  and  before  the  election  of 
a  new  mayor  was  proceeded  with,  one  of  the 
members  of  the  assembly  read  a  letter  from 
the  Sieur  Gaudriau  in  which  he  resigned  the 
place  of  mayor  in  perpetuity,  to  which  he 
had  been  appointed,  and  which  he  had  held 
for  thirty-three  years. 

The  election  held  and  proclaimed,  M.  de 
la  Magdeleine,  Canon,  Vicar-General  and 
Official  of  the  diocese,  represented  to  the 
assembly  that  the  town  and  whole  district  of 
the  Stewartry  witnessed  with  much  pain  the 
divisions  which  had  existed  for  many  years 
among  the  advocates  of  this  town,  and  urged 
that  there  could  not  be  a  more  favourable 
opportunity  of  exhorting  and  inviting  those 
gentlemen  to  put  an  end  to  it,  in  forgetting 
on  the  one  part  and  the  other,  the  injuries, 
real  or  pretended,  with  which  the  one  section 
thought  it  had  to  reproach  the  other.  The 
meeting,  after  having  applauded  the  zeal  and 
patriotism  of  M.  I'Abbe  de  la  Magdeleine, 
requested  these  gentlemen  to  give  to  the 
town  and  to  the  whole  province  the  con- 
soling and  edifying  spectacle  of  a  prompt 
and  perfect  reconciliation.  Then  all  these 
gentlemen,  yielding  with  loyalty  and  readi- 
ness to  the  wish  of  the  meeting,  were  recon- 
ciled, and  embraced  each  other  with  the 
protestation  that  they  would  forget  all  that 
was  passed. 

At  this  meeting  the  address  was  drawn 
up  which  was  to  be  sent  to  the  National 
Assembly. 

Sunday  morning,  July  26.  —  In  conse- 
quence of  the  public  news,  and  of  various 
letters  from  Paris  which  announced  that  the 
King  had  gone  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville  of 
Paris  in  order  to  quiet  by  his  presence  the 
troubles  of  the  capital,  and  to  prevent  those 
which  might  arise  in  other  towns  of  the 
kingdom,  M.  Bailli,  lately  appointed  Provost 
of  the  Merchants,  had  presented  him  with  a 
cockade,  which  he  had  been  pleased  to  accept 
and  place  in  his  hat,  a  portion  of  the  youth 
of  this  city  and  suburbs,  to  the  number  of 
about  four  hundred,  went  to  the  houses  of 


Mr.  Dean  of  the  Cathedral,  the  President 
of  the  Nobility,  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
King's  regiment,  the  Lieutenant-General  of 
the  Court  of  Justice  and  of  the  police,  and  the 
King's  Proctor,  to  present  them  with  the 
national  cockade  inviting  them  to  wear  it, 
to  which  they  all  consented,  as  well  for  them- 
selves as  in  the  name  of  the  companies  of 
which  they  were  the  heads,  and  from  that 
day  all  the  inhabitants,  without  distinction 
of  order,  estate,  or  condition,  wore  the  said 
cockade  of  three  colours,  blue,  white  and 
red,  as  a  sign  of  the  peace  and  union  of  all 
the  orders  of  the  kingdom. 

Wednesday,  July  29. — At  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  Milice  Bourgeoise  as- 
sembled at  the  place  called  La  Galliarde  for 
the  reception  of  M.  Gamier  in  the  post  of 
mayor  and  colonel  of  the  Milice  Bourgeoise, 
The  reception  took  place  with  every  sign  of 
rejoicing ;  and  indications  of  satisfaction 
were  exhibited  at  having  M.  Gamier  for 
mayor. 

Between  the  26th  and  the  31st  of  July, 
1789,  there  was  formed  in  this  town  a  volun- 
teer corps  of  infantry,  under  the  name  of  the 
Regiment  National,  composed  of  about  five 
or  six  hundred  young  men  from  the  town 
and  suburbs.  They  named  as  Lieutenant- 
General  the  Marquis  d'Aiguieres,  president 
of  the  nobility,  knight  of  the  royal  and 
military  Order  of  St.  Louis,  and  Lieutenant- 
General  of  the  Marshals  of  France;  the 
Comtes  de  Brie,  de  Montalembert,  de 
Baume  for  his  aides- de-caj7ip,  M.  Bernard 
des  Jeusines  as  colonel,  and  other  chief 
inhabitants  of  the  town  for  lieutenant-colonel, 
major,  captains,  lieutenants,  etc. 

August  1,  1789. — In  accordance  with  the 
declaration  of  the  King  of  June  27  preceding, 
and  of  the  summons  made  by  the  Lieutenant- 
General  of  this  Stewartry,  the  order  of  nobility 
of  Saintonge  met,  to  the  number  of  about 
sixty  persons,  in  order  to  give  to  their  repre- 
sentatives at  the  States  General  powers  or 
directions  more  general  and  more  extended 
than  the  preceding  ones,  so  that  they  might 
more  readily  and  more  efficaciously  co- 
operate for  the  general  good  of  the  kingdom, 
as  was  expected  from  the  zeal  and  patriotism 
of  each  and  all  of  the  members  who  formed 
the  National  Assembly. 
August  2,  1789.— After  the  Chapter  mass, 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


303 


the  blessing  of  the  colours  of  the  Regiment 
National  took  place  in  the  Cathedral  Church ; 
there  were  invited  and  were  present  the 
officers  of  the  King's  Regiment,  the  cavalry, 
and  other  corps  de  ville.  M.  Delaage,  dean 
of  the  chapter,  performed  the  ceremony, 
after  having  celebrated  mass  and  delivered 
an  oration  suitable  to  the  ceremony.  M. 
Bernard  des  Jeusines,  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment, approached  the  Marquis  d'Aiguibres, 
and  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  King's 
regiment  of  cavalry,  to  request  them  to  pre- 
sent the  colours  to  the  celebrant  who  was  to 
bless  them,  and  this  they  consented  to  do. 
The  ceremony  performed,  all  the  different 
corps  dispersed. 

The  same  day,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, there  assembled  at  the  place  called  La 
Gaillarde,  to  light  a  bonfire,  the  Milice  Bour- 
geoises at  the  head  of  which  was  M.  Garnier, 
mayor,  and  the  other  officers  of  the  corps  de 
vil/e,  as  well  as  the  new  Regitnent  National^ 
having  at  its  head  M.  Bernard,  colonel.  A 
moment  afterwards  there  arrived  the  Lieu- 
tenant-General,  the  Marquis  d'Aiguibres, 
accompanied  by  his  four  aides-de-camp,  and 
the  order  of  nobility.  At  his  arrival  the  Regi- 
ment National  fired  a  salute.  He  then  held 
a  review.  A  little  afterwards  M.  Garnier, 
mayor,  accompanied  by  the  municipal 
officers,  and  preceded  by  a  valet  de  ville 
holding  a  lighted  torch,  went  to  the  place 
where  the  bonfire  was  prepared,  and  imme- 
diately approached  the  Marquis  d'Aiguieres 
to  present  him  with  the  torch,  and  to 
request  him  to  set  fire  to  the  bonfire.  The 
Marquis  d'Aiguieres  having  signified  his 
appreciation  of  the  civility  of  the  mayor,  re- 
sponded, and  accepted  his  invitation,  and  at 
the  moment  when  he  set  fire  to  it  the  Milice 
Bourgeoise,  the  Regiment  National,  and  all  the 
people  present  shouted  with  repeated  ac- 
clamations, Vive  le  Roil 

August  20,  1789.— There  was  held  at  the 
Hotel  de  Ville  a  general  meeting  of  the 
three  orders  summoned  by  the  officers  of  the 
municipality  (in  consideration  of  their  de- 
cision of  the  1 6th  of  the  same  month), 
M.  Garnier,  mayor,  opened  the  meeting  with 
a  speech,  in  which  he  displayed  in  the  most 
energetic  and  truest  fashion  the  sentiments 
of  union  and  concord  which  animated  the 
three  orders.     He  then  drew  a  picture  of 


the  National  Fete  in  the  province,  and  indi- 
cated the  pressing  need  there  was  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  disorders  occasioned  by  the 
cupidity  of  the  monopolists  who  seemed  to 
have  united  in  all  parts  of  the  province  to 
destroy  the  produce  of  their  own  lands, 
which  was  the  important  and  serious  reason 
which  had  called  for  the  present  meeting, 
and  indicated  that  it  was  important  to  adopt 
the  surest  measures  to  put  a  stop  to  these 
disorders  and  prevent  any  others  for  the 
future. 

Upon  the  suggestion  of  two  worthy  and 
patriotic  members  of  the  meeting  to  the 
effect  that  it  was  important  at  once  to 
appoint,  like  other  towns,  a  committee  able 
to  act  every  time  that  the  safety  and  interest 
of  the  public  required  it,  such  motion  was 
adopted  unanimously,  and  it  was  decided  on 
the  spot  that  the  committee  should  consist 
of  twenty-four  members,  of  whom  the  twelve 
first  should  be  those  who  at  the  time  formed 
the  municipality.  Secondly,  that  the  twelve 
other  members  should  be  chosen  by  ballot, 
viz.  :  three  from  the  clergy,  three  from  the 
nobility,  and  six  in  the  communes.  The 
ballot  of  the  clergy  having  taken  place. 
Messieurs  Guillebot,  cure  of  St.  Colombe,  de 
la  Magdeleine,  Canon  and  Vicar-General, 
and  Claude,  Superior  of  the  Seminary,  were 
elected,  having  obtained  most  votes.  Among 
the  nobility  Messieurs  du  Turpin,d'Aiguilleres 
and  Deluchet  were  also  chosen  by  a  majority 
of  votes.  In  the  communes  Messieurs  Faure, 
receiver  of  taxes  ;  Dangibaud,  councillor  at 
the  Court  of  Justice;  Gout,  merchant;  Canole, 
and  Dhi^res  Monplaisir,  commissary  of  the 
marine,  received  a  majority  of  votes.  A 
general  cheering  justified  the  wisdom  of  this 
choice. 

August  21. — The  day  following  it  was 
decided  that  the  members  of  the  committee, 
that  is  to  say,  the  six  last,  should  be  elective 
every  six  months,  unless  they  were  to  be 
continued  if  such  were  the  vote  of  the  com- 
mune ;  that  the  decisions  and  decrees  of  the 
committee  concerning  peace  and  public 
tranquillity,  the  regulations  and  precautions 
to  be  taken  against  monopolists  and  with- 
holders  of  grain,  and  in  general  everything 
which  emanated  from  the  committee  relative 
to  the  benefit  of  the  public  matters,  should 
be  received  with  submission  and  respect  and 


304 


'occurrences  at  saintes 


be  carried  out,  but  in  no  way  to  the  pre- 
judice of  those  matters  which  should  and 
ought  to  be  of  the  cognizance  of  the  pro- 
vince and  municipality. 

After  its  establishment  the  permanent 
committee  issued  several  decrees  full  of 
wisdom  and  prudence  as  to  the  provisioning 
of  the  province,  and  the  precautions  to  be 
taken  against  the  cupidity  of  the  monopolists 
and  withholders  of  grain;  secondly,  as  to 
the  rate  of  rights  of  the  millers  and  sellers 
of  flour,  with  injunction  to  them  to  have 
weights  and  measures  stamped,  in  order  to 
be  assured  of  their  integrity  in  the  recep- 
tion of  the  dues  for  grinding ;  thirdly,  as 
to  the  Milice  Bourgeoise  and  the  Regiment 
National,  the  watch,  patrols,  and  licences  to 
carry  arms  ;  fourthly,  as  to  various  regula- 
tions of  police  and  things  connected  there- 
with. 

September  20,  1789. — In  conformity  with 
a  letter  from  the  King,  and  a  mandate  of 
Mgnr.  the  Bishop,  dated  the  ninth,  there 
was  a  general  procession  after  the  cathedral 
vespers  of  all  the  clergy  of  the  town  and 
suburbs,  both  secular  and  regular,  to  the 
church  of  St.  Eutrope,  and  on  the  return  of 
the  procession.  Benediction  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  at  the  cathedral,  in  order  to 
obtain  God's  mercy  in  the  cessation  of  the 
troubles  agitating  France.  In  response  to 
the  invitation  given,  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  of  the  Court  of  Justice,  and 
of  the  Consular  Jurisdiction,  assisted  in  a 
body,  as  did  also  the  officers  and  soldiers  of 
the  Milice  Bourgeois  and  Regiment  National, 
and  the  gentlemen  of  the  Gendarmerie, 

On  the  21st,  the  day  following,  there  was 
also,  with  the  same  end  in  view.  Benediction 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  with  the  prayers 
appointed  by  the  said  mandate  in  the 
parishes  of  the  town  and  suburbs,  and  the 
day  after  in  all  the  churches  of  the  com- 
munities of  men  and  women. 

At  the  end  of  the  month  of  August,  or  at 
the  beginning  of  this  month  of  September, 
there  was  also  formed  in  this  town  a  com- 
pany of  Gendarmes,  about  sixty  men,  who 
chose  as  their  colonel  M.  Garataine,  knight 
of  the  royal  and  military  order  of  St.  Louis 
and  formerly  captain  of  the  gardes  du  corps  ; 
and  as  major,  M.  Heard,  junior,  advocate. 
This  troop  has  ever  since  been  distinguished 


for  its  good  discipline,  its  activity,  and  its 
patriotic  devotion  whenever  it  has  been 
needed  for  the  security  of  the  citizens  or  the 
public  tranquillity. 

October  9, 1789. — According  to  the  request 
made  by  the  officers  of  the  municipality  to 
the  Vicars-General  there  was  a  procession 
after  vespers  on  this  and  the  two  following 
days,  during  which  the  litanies  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  were  sung  in  order  to  implore  of  God 
a  cessation  of  the  rain,  the  continuation  of 
which  hindered  the  sowing  of  the  land. 

October  18.— There  was  held  in  the  Great 
Hall  of  the  Palace  of  this  town  a  general 
meeting  of  the  principal  inhabitants,  and 
heads  of  houses,  summoned  by  the  military 
and  patriotic  committee  (formed  a  few  days 
since  of  the  principal  officers  of  the  Milice 
Bourgeoise  and  the  Regimejit  National),  at 
which  meeting  it  was  proposed  and  decided 
that  there  should  be  added  to  the  permanent 
committee  (established  on  the  20th  of  August 
last  at  a  general  meeting  of  the  commune 
summoned  by  the  municipal  officers)  three 
chief  officers  for  the  Milice  Bourgeoise,  the 
same  for  the  Regiment  National,  and  an  equal 
number  of  the  Gendarmerie  of  Saintonge,  and 
an  inhabitant  of  each  of  the  parishes  of  the 
town,  and  of  the  suburbs,  which  sixteen 
commissaires  were  appointed  and  requested 
to  join  with  the  twenty-four  members  pre- 
viously appointed,  ana  in  conjunction  with 
them  to  appoint,  regulate,  and  decide  what- 
ever would  most  assist  the  public  tranquillity, 
the  security  of  the  citizens,  the  police,  and 
the  provisioning  with  grain  the  town  and 
immediate  district. 

1790. 

February  7,  1790. — Were  begun  in  this 
town  meetings  for  the  election  of  a  mayor, 
eleven  officers  of  the  municipality,  and 
twenty-four  notables,  in  conformity  with 
various  decrees  made  by  the  National 
Assembly  on  the  matter.  The  meetings 
were  divided  into  three  sections  or  districts, 
viz.  :  one  assigned  to  the  Eveche,  the  second 
to  the  Palace,  and  the  third  in  the  Great 
Hall  of  the  College.  The  president  of  the 
first  was  M.  Fonremis,  senior,  councillor  at 
the  Court  of  Justice,  that  of  the  second 
M.  Lamarque,  and  that  of  the  third  M. 
Dugue,  a  tradesman.     The  three  scrutators 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


305 


of  the  meeting  at  the  Eveche  were  M.  de  St. 
Leger,  canon  and  N.N. ;  those  at  the  Palace, 
Messieurs  Doucin,  surgeon,  Gregoireau, 
doctor,  and  Veuille,  councillor  at  the  Court 
of  Justice.  Those  at  the  Palace  were 
Messieurs  N.N.  The  scrutators  appointed, 
the  election  of  a  mayor  was  proceeded  with. 
In  the  sections  at  the  College  and  at  the 
Evechd  M.  Gamier,  King's  advocate,  obtained 
a  majority  of  votes ;  in  the  section  at  the 
Palace*  .  .  .  caused  a  delay,  and  the 
election  was  deferred  to  the  following  day, 
the  eighth  of  the  present  [month] ;  and 
before  proceeding  there,  several  members  of 
that  section  demanded  and  insisted  that  all 
who  held  any  rank  in  the  Milice  Bourgeoise, 
or  the  Regiment  National,  or  the  Gendarmerie, 
should  decide  between  such  rank  or  that  of 
municipal  officer,  in  case  they  should  be 
elected.  This  motion  gave  rise  to  the  most 
animated  discussion,  and  delayed  the  elec- 
tions till  the  afternoon.  In  the  evening  the 
two  other  sections  subscribed  and  accepted 
the  resolution,  after  which  the  election  of 
mayor  was  proceeded  with.  On  the  exam- 
ination of  the  ballot  of  the  three  sections 
M.  Gamier,  King's  advocate  at  the  Court  of 
Justice  of  this  town,  having  obtained  a  large 
majority,  was  elected  and  proclaimed  mayor. 
M.  Gamier,  not  desiring  to  accept  the  office, 
tendered  his  resignation,  which  was  inscribed 
in  the  register.  But  on  the  insistance  of  a 
number  of  members  of  the  three  sections  this 
resignation  was  not  acted  upon.  A  fresh 
ballot  was  taken,  and  the  absolute  majority 
was  cast  for  M.  Gamier,  who  accepted. 

Thursday,  the  eleventh  of  the  same  month, 
the  election  was  held  of  eleven  municipal 
officers  and  the  twenty-four  notables.  The 
first  were  MM.  Bouc,  merchant ;  the  Cheva- 
lier Deluchet,  who  took  the  place  of  M. 
Pinier,  officer  in  the  Milice  Bourgeoise,  who 
declined ;  Chainier-Duchesne,  advocate ; 
Fonremis,  senior,  councillor;  Gout,  mer- 
chant ;  Godet,  merchant ;  Dugue ;  Briault, 
advocate ;  and  Suire,  who  took  the  place  of 
M.  Turpin,  who  declined.  The  deputy  clerk 
was  M.  Duchene-Martmand,  and  M.  Chetit, 
notary,  substitute.  The  twenty-four  notables 
are  MM.  Neron,  slater ;  de  la  Magdeleine, 
canon ;  Guillebot,  cure  of  St.  Colombe ; 
Moreau ;  Charrier,  senior,  merchant ;  Biron- 

•  There  is  an  omission  here  in  the  manuscript. 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


neau,  notary  ;  Riviere,  doctor ;  CanoUe ; 
Petit,  notary  ;  Prieur  ;  Dangibaud,  councillor 
at  the  Court  of  Justice;  Gregoireau,  doctor ; 
Lamouroux,  senior;  Boinard,  surgeon; 
Gautier,  carpenter;  Belou,  notary;  Vistet, 
merchant ;  Dhieres,  commissary  of  the  classes 
of  the  marine  ;  Geoffroi,  stove-maker,  etc. 


Ct)urc6  il3ote0. 

By  the  late  Sir  Stephen  Glynne,  Bart. 
{Continued,  from  p .  279.) 

IV.  LINCOLNSHIRE.— III.  GRIMSBY,  CLEA, 
LOUTH,  AND  GRAISTHORPE. 

Y  a  circuitous  road  passing  through 
sundry    villages,    with    churches 
built  of  a  dark  unpleasing  sort 
of  stone,  we  got  to  the  village 
of  Limber. 

"  The  Church  is  built  of  the  gloomy  stone 
before  alluded  to,  and  has  externally  no  pre- 
possessing appearance.  Internally,  however, 
it  is  exceedingly  neat  and  well  pewed,  as 
seems  to  be  the  case  with  most  of  the  country 
churches  in  this  district.  The  Church  has 
at  the  west  end  a  square  tower,  with  belfry 
window  of  early  Decorated.  The  Church 
consists  of  a  nave,  side  aisles,  and  chancel. 
The  chancel  is  pure  Early  English,  and  has  a 
plain  string  course  running  completely  round 
it  below  the  windows.  The  windows  are  plain 
and  lancet,  that  at  the  East  end  very  early 
Decorated.  Over  the  Altar  table  is  a  square 
recess  in  the  wall,  in  which  probably  the 
communion  plate,  etc.,  might  have  been  kept. 
The  nave  is  divided  from  the  aisles  by  pointed 
arches  springing  from  octagon  pillars.  The 
windows  are  mostly  square,  and  have  some 
Decorated  tracery.  That  at  the  Eastern 
extremity  of  the  South  aisle  is  of  very  elegant 
Decorated  work.  There  is  a  small  staircase 
in  the  wall  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  nave, 
which  seems  evidently  to  have  anciently  com- 
municated with  the  rood  loft.  At  the  Eastern 
extremity  of  each  aisle  is  a  piscina  with  a 
trefoiled  arch.  In  the  north  aisle,  on  a  slab, 
is  the  upper  part  of  a  figure  sculptured.  The 
Font  is  very  elegant,  and  Early  English.     It 

RR 


3o6 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


is  an  octagon,  worked  with  dog-tooth  mould- 
ing, supported  on  a  cylindrical  pillar  sur- 
rounded by  elegant  shafts,  which  seem  to  be 
placed  topsy-turvy,  as  they  have  their  fine 
foliated  capitals  downwards.  A  portion  of 
the  rood  loft  remains  of  good  carved  wood- 
work. The  South  door  is  deeply  moulded, 
but  unornaniented. 

"  On  the  left  of  Limber  is  Brocklesby  Park, 
which  is  very  extensive  and  well  wooded, 
and  diversified  by  uneven  ground.  In  the 
part  of  the  park  near  to  the  village,  and  ap- 
proached by  a  shrubbery,  is  the  Mausoleum 
erected  by  the  late  Lord  Yarborough  to  the' 
memory  of  his  wife.  It  is  an  extremely 
elegant  Grecian  rotunda,  ornamented  ex- 
ternally by  Doric  pillars,  and  having  a  sky- 
light at  the  top  which  is  filled  with  painted 
glass,  and  has  a  graceful  effect  when  viewed 
from  within.  The  interior  is  adorned  by 
elegant  Corinthian  pillars  of  a  beautiful  lilac- 
coloured  marble,  and  has  fine  white  marble 
monuments  to  several  of  the  Pelham  and 
Anderson  families.  In  the  centre  is  a  beauti- 
ful statue  of  Mrs.  Pelham  by  Nollekins. 
Beneath  is  the  cemetery  of  the  family. 

"The  road  from  thence  to  Grimsby  is 
occasionally  cheered  by  trees  ;  but  the  latter 
part  of  it  extremely  dreary,  being  across 
open  fields  without  hedge  or  tree.  The 
villages  of  Keelby,  Aylesby,  and  Laceby, 
have  churches  built  of  the  before-mentioned 
stone.  That  of  Laceby  has  a  good  tower 
adorned  with  pinnacles.  On  approaching 
Grimsby  the  sea  becomes  visible,  but  is  by 
no  means  a  grand  object,  owing  to  the  shore 
being  flat,  and  there  being  no  cliffs  to  add 
dignity  to  the  prospect. 

"  The  Town  of  Grimsby  is  very  unpleasant, 
consisting  entirely  of  dirty  narrow  streets. 
The  Church  is  a  large  structure,  but  has 
suffered  considerably,  both  from  the  ravages 
of  time  and  the  depredations  of  modern 
architects.  Its  exterior  is  rendered  unpleasing 
and  out  of  proportion,  from  the  greater  part 
of  the  Choir  having  fallen  down,  and  thereby 
making  the  Eastern  wing  of  the  cross  con- 
siderably less  than  the  other  three.  At  the 
East  end,  and  throughout  both  aisles  of  the 
churcli,  are  placed  the  most  horrible  Venetian 
windows,  which  greatly  vilify  the  appearance 
of  the  Church.  It  is,  however,  still  a  fine 
and  spacious  structure,  and  deserves  attention 


from  the  good  Early  English  work  which  it 
contains.    It  is  cruciform,  and  from  the  centre 
rises  a  large  but  somewhat  heavy  tower  of 
singular  Early  English  work.     In  its  belfry 
story   it   has   two   large   pointed   arches,   in 
which  are  inserted  Perpendicular  belfry  win- 
dows.   The  battlement  is  elegantly  panelled 
with  canopies,  but  the  buttresses  are  heavy 
and  unpleasing.     The  nave  of  the  Church  is 
now  pewed.     It  is  a  fine  space,  divided  from 
the  aisles  by  pointed  arches  springing  from 
clustered  columns.     Above  the  arches  is  an 
elegant  clerestory,  consisting  of  a  range  of 
Early  English  arches,  supported  on  slender 
shafts  with  plain  capitals.     Every  second,  or 
sometimes  every  third,  arch  is  higher  than 
the  rest,  and  contains  a  small  lancet  window. 
The  West  window  has  been  fine  and  large, 
but  what  tracery  it  might  have  contained  can 
now  be  no  longer  distinguished,  as  it  has 
been  shamefully  stopped  up  and  debased. 
The  pews  and  galleries  are  tolerably  neat, 
and  in  the  west  gallery  is  a  small  organ. 
The  Font  somewhat  resembles  that  at  Limber. 
It  is  an  octagon,  supported  on  a  round  pillar 
surrounded  by  slender  shafts.    The  Transept 
has  a  Clerestory  of  arches  slightly  pointed, 
some  having  shafts  with   Norman   capitals. 
The  windows  at  the  ends  of  the  Transept  are 
lancet  Early  English,   supported  on  shafts. 
At  the  South  end  of  the  Transept  is  the 
recumbent  effigy  of  a  knight  in  chain  armour, 
with  a  lion  at  his  feet,  but  no  inscription. 
The   figure   is   very   perfect.     Between   the 
Transept  and  Choir  is  the  remnant  of  a  good 
Perpendicular  rood  loft.     The  Tower  rests 
on  lofty,  pointed  arches.     Both  the  Transept 
and  Choir  have  a  gloomy  and  dirty  appear- 
ance, and  are  kept  in  a  state  of  unneatness 
and  dirt  which  is  not  very  creditable.     The 
Choir  has   a   Clerestory  of  pointed   arches 
springing    from    clustered    shafts.     In    one 
part  the  shafts  are  continued  down  the  wall 
of  the  Church  some  way.     The  Aisles  of  the 
Choir  are  now  divided  off  from  the  Choir, 
and   appropriated  to  other  purposes.     The 
extremities  of  the  Transepts  are  flanked  by 
heavy  octagon  turrets,  terminating  in  heavy 
and  ill-formed  pyramids,  which  do  not  add 
to  the  beauty  of  the  Church.     The  Aisles 
have  the  common  cornice  of  heads.     In  the 
South  Transept  is  an  elegant.  Early  English 
doorway  deeply  moulded,  having  the  dog- 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


307 


toothed  ornament,  and  the  plain  rounded 
capitals  of  shafts.  On  the  south  side  of  the 
nave  is  a  porch,  having  a  good  Early  English 
exterior  doorway,  and  having  a  cornice  of 
leaves  very  elegant.  The  west  doorway  is 
Norman,  deeply  moulded,  but  very  plain. 

"  Dimensions  of  the  Church. 

Length  of  the  Nave  -        -  87  by  57J  in  width. 
„          ,,      Space  under 

the  Tower  22 

,,         ,,      Choir  -  31 

Total  -        -        -  140  feet. 
Length  of  Transept  from  N.  to  S.  87  feet. 

"S'  James's,  Great  Grimsby,  1859.  An 
excellent  restoration  has  been  effected :  the 
nave  has  been  cleared  from  the  old  pews  and 
side  galleries,  and  fitted  with  neat,  uniform 
open  benches  \  the  miserable  partitions  have 
been  removed,  and  the  whole  of  the  Transepts 
and  Chancel  thrown  open  to  the  nave.  The 
Transepts  are  cleared  and  fitted  up  with  seats, 
the  noble  Tower  arches  opened,  and  the 
Tower  thoroughly  secured  and  laid  open  to 
the  interior  to  some  height,  lanthorn  fashion, 
with  a  gallery  for  ringing  the  bells  above  the 
great  arches.  The  chancel  is  fitted  with 
stalls  and  a  decent  altar.  There  is  still  a 
West  gallery,  in  which  is  a  good  organ,  and 
the  old  roofs  of  the  nave  and  chancel  are 
still  unrenewed.  The  Venetian  windows  of 
the  aisles  still  remain,  and  at  the  East  end 
of  the  Chancel ;  likewise,  the  unsightly  large 
West  window  formed  out  of  ancient  materials 
in  a  debased  style. 

"Nothing  can  excel  the  grandeur  of  the 
interior  of  the  Transept,  the  roof  of  which 
has  been  raised  to  a  high  pitch. 

*["  Great  Grimsby  Church.  Cruciform, 
with  large  Transepts  and  Central  Tower. 
Aisles  to  both  Nave  and  Chancel,  and  a 
South  porch.  There  remain  the  original 
Early  English  corbel  tables  under  the  parapets, 
and  the  ends,  both  of  nave  and  transepts, 
have  large  flanking  pyramidical  turrets.  The 
West  doorway  is  Norman,  of  four  orders, 
with  shafts.  The  South  porch  has  a  very 
rich  Early  English  doorway  entrance,  with 
rich  mouldings  and  shafts.     One  course  of 

*  The  portion  included  within  square  brackets 
has  been  written  in  a  later  hand  to  that  of  the 
original  and  on  the  back  of  the  previous  pages.  It 
is  undated. 


moulding  toothed ;  the  inner  doorway  is 
debased,  like  the  windows. 

"  The  nave  has  on  each  side  a  fine  Early 
English  arcade  of  six  pointed  arches,  having 
deep  mouldings,  some  cylindrical ;  the  piers 
peculiar,  clustered,  of  four  large  and  four 
small  shafts;  the  capitals  octagonal  and 
without  ornament.  The  Clerestory  original 
Early  English  and  very  good,  and  continued 
along  both  Transept  and  Chancel.  In  the 
Nave  it  presented  internally  an  arcade,  with 
shafts  every  third  arch  loftier,  and  pierced 
for  a  lancet  window.  In  the  Transept  and 
Chancel  the  arcade  is  of  equal  arches,  pierced 
at  intervals ;  in  the  Chancel  they  are  obtuse 
and  almost  semicircular,  marking  an  earlier 
period. 

"The  large  Tower  arches  are  very  lofty; 
the  piers  altered  (perhaps  strengthened)  in 
Perpendicular  period,  and  ornamented  with 
panelling  without  shafts.  The  Tower,  how- 
ever, is  Early  English,  but  Perpendicular 
belfry  windows  are  inserted  within  the  large 
and  striking  earlier  arches,  two  on  each  face, 
which  are  so  remarkable  a  feature  in  the 
Tower.  The  arches  from  the  aisles  of  the 
Nave  to  the  Transepts  are  narrow,  springing 
discontinuously  from  the  wall.  There  are 
two  arches  East  of  the  North  Transept,  and 
only  one  East  of  the  South.  The  Chancel 
has  now  but  one  bay.  Fine  lancet,  and  in 
the  windows  in  each  Transept.  There  is  an 
inscription  on  the  North-East  pier  of  the 
Tower :  Orate  p  aia  Joh'is  Mason  qi  lias 
colunmas  fecit.     1354.*] 

"  We  next  proceeded  to  Clea,  a  village  two 
miles  distant,  for  the  purpose  of  viewing  its 
curious  church.  This  Church  consists  of  a 
nave  with  side-aisles,  a  transept,  and  chancel. 
At  the  west  end  is  a  Tower,  the  lower  part  of 
which  has  a  semicircular  doorway  of  work- 
manship extremely  rude,  and  somewhat  re- 
sembling that  at  Barton.  The  upper  story 
has  a  Norman  window  divided  by  a  shaft, 
and  above  this  is  a  Perpendicular  battle- 
ment and  pinnacles  crocketed.  The  Church 
presents  a  very  fine  specimen  of  Norman 
architecture.  The  Nave  is  divided  from  either 
aisle  by  Norman  semicircular  arches ;  on  the 

*  According  to  Murray's  Handbooh  of  Lincolnshire 
(1890),  p.  150.  the  name  should  be  John  Ingson,  and 
the  date  1365. 

RR  2 


3o8 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


South  side  they  spring  from  massive  circular 
pillars,  and  are  four  in  number,  and  at  the 
eastern  and  western  extremities  terminate  in 
clustered  shafts.  On  the  north  side  the 
Arches  are  three  in  number,  and  are  sup- 
ported on  plain  piers  with  shafts  at  the 
extremities.  The  arches  are  mostly  richly 
adorned  with  the  zigzag  and  billet  mouldings. 
The  Transept  is  Early  English,  and  is  divided 
from  the  Nave  by  lofty  pointed  arches  spring- 
ing from  clustered  columns ;  it  also  opens 
to  the  aisles  by  arches  of  a  similar  descrip- 
tion. In  the  Chancel,  south  of  the  Altar,  are 
two  beautiful  Early  English  niches,  orna- 
mented with  dog-tooth  moulding,  and  spring- 
ing from  a  central  shaft  with  a  rounded 
capital.  The  Font  is  Norman  and  circular, 
having  a  twisted  moulding  round  the  top. 
There  is  the  following  interesting  inscrip- 
tion in  Roman  letter,  with  some  Lombard 
characters,  against  a  pillar  in  the  nave  : 

H.  ecclla  dedicata  est  in  honore  See 
Tfiitatis  ac  be  Marie  Hugone  Lincolnesi 
epo  anno  ab  incarnatione  Diii  MC° 
DC°  XC  II  tempore  Ricardi  Regis.* 

The  windows  of  the  Church  are  mostly  with 
square  heads,  and  contain  tracery  of  simple 
Decorated  or  Perpendicular  work.  The 
Chancel  is,  however,  Early  English,  and  has 
lancet  windows. 

"This  Church  is  a  very  fine  specimen  of 
Norman  work,  and  has  also  good  Early 
English,  and  is  rendered  more  interesting 
from  the  inscription  above-mentioned  giving 
the  date  of  its  consecration,  which  is,  how- 
ever, a  late  period  for  Norman  work  of  such 

•  On  the  opposite  page  Sir  Stephen  Glynne  has 
reproduced  the  inscription,  but  in  an  imperfect  form 
and  not  quite  accurately,  although  it  differs  from 
the  form  given  in  the  diary  itself.  For  an  exact 
representation  of  this  inscription  see  Rickman's 
Gothic  Architecture,  edited  by  J.  H.  Parker,  seventh 
edition  (1881),  p.  158,  where  the  following  remark 
is  made  as  to  it : 

"  This  inscription  is  inserted  in  one  of  the  western 
pillars  of  the  nave,  which  is  Early  Norman,  and 
this  was  long  ago  considered  as  evidence  of  the  late 
continuance  of  the  Norman  style.  But  the  small 
square  stone  on  which  the  inscription  is  cut  has 
evidently  been  inserted  in  an  earlier  pillar,  and  the 
part  of  the  church  rebuilt  at  that  time  was  the 
chancel  with  the  transepts,  which  are  of  transitional 
character,  closely  approaching  to  Early  English, 
and  very  much  resembling  St.  Hugh's  work  at 
Lincoln." 


purity.  The  Tower  seems  much  earlier,  if 
we  may  so  conjecture  from  its  very  rude 
doorway.  The  Church  should  on  no  account 
be  overlooked  by  such  as  go  in  pursuit  of 
architectural  beauties,  although  its  situation 
is  so  remote  that  it  has  probably  been  not 
much  visited  hitherto. 

"  Returning  to  the  Louth  road,  we  passed 
through  Scartho  and  other  villages,  the 
Churches  of  which  seemed  to  have  Norman 
belfry  windows  in  their  towers,  but  the  dark 
overtook  us  long  before  we  arrived  at  Louth. 

"  April  24'\ — The  Town  of  Louth  is  large, 
and  contains  some  good  houses;  but  its 
principal  ornament,  and,  indeed,  the  pride 
and  glory  of  the  whole  county,  is  the  steeple 
of  its  Church.  This  consists  of  a  lofty  tower, 
with  buttresses  adorned  with  canopies,  and 
beautiful  panelled  battlements.  At  each 
angle  is  a  lofty  crocketed  pinnacle,  and  the 
spaces  between  the  large  pinnacles  are  filled 
with  smaller  pinnacles.  The  whole  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  lofty  crocketed  spire,  connected 
to  the  pinnacles  by  beautiful  pierced  flying 
buttresses,  which  have  a  noble  effect.  The 
proportions  of  the  whole  are  quite  unrivalled 
in  elegance  and  grace,  and  the  tower  is  richly 
ornamented,  and  built  of  beautiful  brown 
stone.  The  belfry  windows  are  crowned  with 
elegant  ogee  canopies,  with  crockets  and 
finials.  The  west  doorway  of  the  tower  is 
elegant,  being  deeply  moulded,  with  an  ogee 
head,  and  a  very  fine  moulding  of  cusps.  The 
whole  church  is  of  Perpendicular  character, 
except  the  Clerestory  of  the  nave,  which 
more  resembles  Decorated,  but  somewhat 
simple.  The  East  front  is  very  fine;  the 
great  window  is  of  large  dimensions,  and 
good  Perpendicular  tracery;  the  parapet  is  of 
pierced  quatrefoils,  and  crowned  by  crockets, 
which  have  a  noble  effect.  The  interior  of 
the  Church  is  far  inferior  to  the  splendid 
exterior,  and  disappoints  one  greatly,  being 
extremely  plain  and  devoid  of  ornament.  It 
is,  however,  very  spacious  ;  it  is  formed  of 
a  nave  and  chancel,  each  having  collateral 
aisles.  The  Nave  is  divided  from  the  aisles 
by  pointed  arches  rising  from  plain  octagon 
piers ;  the  Clerestory  resembles  the  Decorated 
style  [but  is  clearly  contemporary].  The 
two  western  arches  of  the  nave  are  left  open, 
the  pewing  beginning  about  the  third.  The 
Tower  rests  on  very  fine  lofty  arches  at  the 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


309 


west  end,  and  there  is  a  good  stone  groined 
ceiling  under  the  Tower.  The  Nave  is  filled 
with  pews  and  galleries.  At  the  West  end 
is  a  large  and  excellent  Organ.  The  Chancel 
is  divided  from  the  aisles  by  graceful  narrow 
arches,  with  ogee  canopies  springing  from  a 
Perpendicular  pier  formed  of  four  shafts  set 
at  long  intervals.  In  the  South  wall  are 
three  fine  equal  sedilia  with  ogee  heads, 
groining,  and  pinnacles.  On  the  north  side 
is  a  good  doorway  of  Perpendicular  work. 
There  are  several  vestiges  of  good  brasses. 
The  Font  is  octagon  and  of  Perpendicular 
work,  but  now  disfigured  by  paint.  The 
extreme  length  of  the  Church  within  is 
183  feet.  The  nave  108  feet.  Chancel, 
47^.  The  Tower  at  West  end  ayf.  The 
breadth  of  the  body  and  aisles  is  76  feet. 
The  height  of  the  Spire  .is  said  to  be 
289.  We  attended  divine  service  in  Louth 
Church  to-day.* 

["  Louth.  The  whole  Church  is  Perpen- 
dicular. The  Steeple  is  engaged  in  the  West 
end  of  the  nave.  The  nave  is  wide;  the 
roof,  lately  improved,  has  good  open  tracery 
above  the  beams.  The  Clerestory  three- 
light  windows  are  poor.  The  aisles  are  con- 
tinued quite  to  the  East  end  of  the  Chancel. 
The  nave  arcades  are  of  six  pointed  arches, 
with  octagonal  pillars  oddly  grooved.  The 
West  pier  next  the  tower  has  much  wall.  The 
Tower  arch  is  very  lofty  and  fine  ;  has  very 
good  mouldings  and  shafts.  The  Tower  piers 
are  strengthened  internally  by  buttresses,  and 
its  north  and  south  arches  opening  to  the  aisles 
are  very  wide  and  rather  flat,  springing  from 
shafts,  and  strengthened  by  being  set  within 
still  larger  ones,  which  have  walling  inthe  upper 
part,  and  quasi  Clerestory  windows,  a  curious 
arrangement.  The  Nave  is  very  long,  but 
not  rich  internally  compared  with  the  Tower, 
and  the  galleries  intrude  on  the  piers.  The 
Chancel  arch  is  very  ordinary.  The  Chancel 
has  on  each  side  an  arcade  of  four  arches, 
superior  to  those  of  the  nave  ;  the  arches 
?t  ,  and  with  ogee  hood ;  the  piers 
light  and  stilted,  with  four  shafts  having  small 
shafts  having  octagonal  caps.  The  Clerestory 
also  is  better.  The  roof  a  new  modern  one. 
There  is  a  rood  turret  to  the  South  of  the 

•  St.  Mark's  Day,  from  which  it  would  appear 
that  saints'  days  were  then  observed  at  Louth, 
t  An  illegible  word  here. 


Chancel  arch,  and  there  are  some  wood 
screens  in  the  aisles.  The  windows  of  the 
aisles  are  of  three  lights,  except  those  at  the 
East,  which  are  of  five.  The  East  window 
of  the  Chancel  of  seven  lights,  and  has  a 
transom.  There  is  a  vestry  at  the  North  of 
the  North  aisle,  opening  by  a  fair  doorway. 

"  The  Organ  is  the  work  of  Snetzlers. 

"  The  Exterior  is  entirely  embattled  and 
pinnacled.  The  East  end  has  pierced  parapet. 
There  are  also  cornices  of  foliage,  and  foliage 
in  the  buttresses.  There  are  North  and  South 
Porches ;  not  very  fine,  but  that  on  the  North 
has  a  wood-ribbed  roof,  and  wood  tracery  on 
the  door.  The  tower  has  a  west  window  of 
five  lights,  and  a  stone  groined  roof  (and  is 
engaged  with  the  aisles,  and  for  additional 
strength  there  are  double  arches  North  and 
South)].* 

"  Nov"",  x868. — The  Interior  was  wholly 
cleared  out,  preparatory  to  new  fitting,  all 
pues  and  galleries  removed,  and  the  effect 
of  the  interior  much  improved,  and  made  to 
look  of  vast  space. 

"April  25"'. — We  went  to  see  a  beautiful 
Hermitage  in  the  garden  of  the  vicarage.  It 
was  built  chiefly  by  the  hands  of  the  present 
Vicar,  and  is  a  most  beautiful  and  ornamental 
feature  in  the  garden.  It  is  quite  perfect, 
having  cloisters,  burial  place,  and  hermitage 
with  all  its  rooms,  built  mostly  of  rough  wood 
in  a  most  elegant  rustic  style.  The  Hermit- 
age contains  the  chapel,  the  study,  and 
kitchen,  with  a  bedroom  up  stairs.  The 
Chapel  is  fitted  up  in  a  most  appropriate 
style,  with  a  large  prayer  book  open  on  a 
table,  with  sculls  and  all  things  necessary  to 
devotion.  The  windows  are  filled  with  a 
quantity  of  ancient  painted  glass.  The  study 
has  several  books  suited  to  the  place,  and 
the  kitchen  contains  the  usual  utensils,  mostly 
formed  of  wood.  Upstairs  is  the  sleeping 
apartment,  with  a  couch  covered  with  a  mat. 
There  are  several  antique  sculptured  stones, 
etc.,  scattered  about  the  place.  The  whole 
is  so  exceedingly  neatly  executed,  and  so 
beautiful  and  ornamental,  that  it  is  quite  one 
of  the  best  lions  in  the  place  and  neighbour- 

*  The  portion  within  square  brackets  is  undated, 
and  is  written  on  the  backs  of  the  previous  pages. 
It  was  evidently  written  subsequently  to  the  original 
notes,  and  as  supplementary  to  them.  The  last 
few  words  enclosed  in  ordinary  brackets  are  an 
addition  in  the  handwriting  and  ink  of  1868. 


3IO 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


hood.  From  the  garden  of  the  Vicarage  is 
a  most  beautiful  view  of  the  Spire  of  the 
Church. 

"  This  day  we  visited  the  Church  of  Grais- 
thorpe,  eight  miles  distant,  standing  in  an 
extensive  fen  about  three  miles  from  the  sea. 
The  Church  is  a  very  handsome  structure,  in 
the  very  best  style  of  simple  Decorated  and 
Perpendicular.  The  Tower  is  very  elegant, 
embattled,  and  crowned  by  eight  crocketed 
pinnacles.  It  has  a  very  elegant  doorway, 
formed  by  a  pointed  arch  beneath  a  label 
not  returned,  but  terminating  in  shafts.  The 
spandrels  are  ornamented  with  quatrefoils. 
The  Church  consists  of  a  Nave,  which  is 
divided  from  the  side  aisles  by  four  pointed 
arches  springing  from  octagon  pillars.  The 
Clerestory  has  Perpendicular  windows  of 
three  lights,  very  simple.  The  windows  of 
the  nave  are  some  Perpendicular  [and  others 
Decorated].*  The  whole  is  embattled.  The 
north  doorway  is  under  an  ogee  arch  with  a 
finial.  The  Chancel  has  windows  of  simple 
and  early  Decorated.  The  arched  doorway 
leading  to  the  rood  loft  still  remains.  The 
whole  is  very  neatly  pewed.  The  measure- 
ments are  as  follows : 

Feet. 

"  Length  of  Nave     -        -        -    57 

Breadth  of  Do.      -        -        -    58 

Length  of  Chancel         -        -     26 

Whole  length        -        -        -     83 

'*  Graisthorpe  revisited,  1868.  Graisthorpe 
has  Clerestoried  nave,  aisles,  Chancel,  and 
West  Tower.  The  Tower  divided  by  three 
Storys  ;t  buttresses  not  quite  at  the  angles, 
and  there  are  good  base  mouldings. 

"There  are  pinnacles  at  the  angles  of  the 
Clerestory.  The  tower  arch  is  lofty.  The 
Nave  has  Decorated  windows.  All  windows 
of  aisles  nearly  similar,  save  at  the  East  end 
of  the  North  aisle,  which  is  Decorated  of 
three  lights,  and  one  odd  five-light  one  on 
the  North.  In  the  Chancel  all  the  windows 
are  Decorated — reticulated  of  three  lights. 
The  rood  door  and  steps  are  seen  on  the 
south.  The  Chancel  arch  is  on  octagonal 
corbels." 

*  These  words  obliterated,  apparently  in  the  ink 
of  1868. 
t  Query  or  "  strings." 


€nglanD'0  £DlDe0t  lJ)anDicraft0. 

Bv  Isabel  Suart  Robson. 


IV. — Tapestry. 

Goodly  arras  of  great  majesty 
Woven  with  gold  and  silke,  so  close  and  mere 
That  the  rich  metal  lurked  privily. 

Spenser's  Fairy  Queen. 


APESTRY  was  not  so  early  an  in- 
dustry in  England  as  some  have 
believed.  Much  so-called  tapestry 
has  been  found  on  examination  to 
be  really  embroidery,  made  after  the  manner 
known  in  Saxon  times.  The  Bayeux  tapestry 
is  so  misnamed,  being  actually  a  gigantic 
sampler  worked  with  the  needle  upon  coarse 
linen,  whilst  the  tapestry-worker  forms  his 
fabric  as  he  makes  the  pattern,  line  by  line, 
much  as  carpets  are  made.  "  It  is,"  says 
Dr.  Rock,  "neither  real  weaving  nor  true 
embroidery,  but  in  a  manner  unites  in  its 
working  these  two  processes  into  one."  It  is 
worked  in  a  loom,  and  upon  a  warp — that  is, 
a  series  of  threads  are  extended  in  the  loom, 
without  a  woof  or  crossing  thread,  and  the 
weft  is  made  with  many  short  stitches,  put 
in  with  a  needle,  as  close  together  as  possible. 
Thus,  in  a  picture  design,  the  background 
would  have  to  be  worked  as  well  as  the 
figures  and  scenery,  whilst  in  embroidery  the 
material  upon  which  the  design  was  worked 
might  serve  as  a  background.  Two  kinds  of 
looms  used  to  be  in  vogue  in  the  early  days 
of  tapestry-making,  the  high  warp  and  the 
low  warp  loom,  the  former  having  the  threads 
arranged  vertically,  and  the  latter  horizontally. 
Only  an  expert  could  distinguish  between  the 
work  of  the  two  looms,  but  the  low-warp 
fabric  was  woven  more  rapidly,  and  therefore 
less  expensively,  whilst  the  most  elaborate 
and  storied  tapestries  were  made  on  the  high- 
warp  looms.  In  producing  a  design,  the 
workman  wrought  from  the  wrong  side,  with 
the  cartoon  he  was  copying  behind  him, 
manipulating  an  endless  number  of  shades 
and  tones  of  wool  and  silk,  with  gold  and 
silver  thread.  The  utmost  skill  and  accuracy 
were  needful  not  only  to  outline  the  figures, 
but  also  for  the  proper  grading  and  matching 
of  the  colours  so  as  to  get  the  graduated  effect 
of  a  painted  picture.  The  skilled  worker 
had  indeed  to  be  artist  as  well  as  craftsman, 


ENGLAND'S  OLDEST  HANDLCRAFTS. 


3" 


and  it  is  an  evidence  of  the  artistic  spirit  of 
medieval  times  that  such  workers  were  not 
rare  in  London.  When  Chaucer  wrote,  "tapis- 
siers  "  were  numerous,  and  we  find  one  riding 
among  the  pilgrims  to  Canterbury. 

The  weaver,  who  considered  the  durability 
as  well  as  the  beauty  of  his  work,  was  very 
careful  in  selecting  his  wools.  Inferior 
qualities  produced  unevenness,  and  were 
difficult  to  manipulate,  and  uncertain  in  their 
dyes.  On  the  Continent,  as  in  this  country, 
English  wool  was  always  used  for  the  best 
work.  Workers  in  the  Gobelins  manufactory 
to-day  prefer  Kentish  wool  to  all  other 
qualities. 

Arras  was  the  early  name  for  the  completed 
fabric,  originating  doubtless  in  the  fact  that 
a  Flemish  town  of  that  name  was  a  centre  of 
the  trade  in  the  twelfth  century.  Earlier 
still  it  had  been  known  as  "  Sarrazinois,"  or 
*'opus  Saracenum,"  showing  that  the  monks, 
who  first  practised  the  art  in  Western  Europe, 
must  have  acquired  their  knowledge  in  the 
East  or  from  the  Spanish  Moors. 

To  foreign  monks  in  English  monasteries 
we  owe  much  of  the  arras  made  in  the  early 
Middle  Ages.  The  tapestry  loom  was  set  up 
in  nearly  every  religious  house,  and  many 
followed  the  example  of  the  monks  of  Canter- 
bury, who  adorned  the  walls  of  the  choir  of 
the  cathedral  with  the  richest  hangings. 

In  the  thirteenth  century  tapestry  was 
plentiful  in  England,  whilst  the  craft  had 
become  sufficiently  important  in  1344  for  a 
law  to  be  passed  regulating  the  manufacture. 
The  walls  of  great  houses  were  draped  with 
it,  and  it  was  the  favourite  street  decoration 
on  festival  occasions,  hung  from  the  windows 
or  suspended  from  banner-rods.  The 
tapestries  displayed  by  city  companies  on 
such  occasions  were  most  elaborate  and 
valuable.  Great  lords  frequently  possessed 
immense  quantities,  which  were  carried  with 
them  upon  campaigns,  or  even  on  a  progress 
from  one  estate  to  another,  to  adorn  their 
tents  or  temporary  residences.  When  the 
Duke  of  Lancaster  entertained  the  King  of 
Portugal  in  his  tent  between  Mougal  and 
Malgago,  there  were  "on  all  sides  hangings 
of  arras,  as  if  he  had  been  at  Hertford, 
Leicester,  or  any  other  of  his  manors." 

In  1509  a  manufacture  was  started  at 
Barcheston,  in   Warwickshire,  by  a   certain 


William  Sheldon,  with  the  assistance  of  a 
master  tapestry  weaver  named  Robert  Hicks, 
but  it  assumed  no  importance  until  the  next 
century,  and  was  then  eclipsed  by  the  factory 
established  under  royal  favour  at  Mortlake. 

Sir  Francis  Crane  was  responsible  for  this 
later  venture  and  he  received  very  practical 
help  from  James  I.  and  Charles  I.  Flemish 
weavers  from  Oudenarde  were  attracted  to  it, 
and  the  promoters'  enthusiastic  hope  of  seeing 
tapestry  one  of  the  industries  of  England 
seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  be  fulfilled.  Art- 
loving  King  Charles,  on  the  advice  of 
Rubens,  purchased  seven  of  Raphael's  car- 
toons, representing  the  acts  of  Christ  and 
the  Apostles,  and  had  five  of  them  worked 
at  Mortlake ;  how  admirably  the  work  was 
done  existing  specimens  show  us.  The 
cartoons  are  in  South  Kensington  Museum, 
whilst  some  of  the  tapestry  has  been  pre- 
served in  the  Garde  Meuble  at  Paris.  In 
1876  the  French  Government  sent  them  to 
the  Exhibition  of  the  History  of  Tapestry, 
where  they  excited  the  lively  admiration  of 
all  amateurs  in  needlework.  Other  specimens 
of  the  tapestry  made  at  Mortlake  may  be 
seen  at  Hampton  Court,  and  one  piece  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch. 

The  factory  was  in  work  during  the  time 
of  the  Commonwealth  and  received  fresh 
impetus  during  the  reign  of  the  second 
Charles,  but  on  the  death  of  Sir  Richard 
Crane,  Francis's  brother  and  successor,  it 
was  closed.  An  atelier  in  Soho,  also  one  at 
Fulham  and  at  Exeter,  tried  to  compete  with 
Mortlake,  but  all  were  of  short  duration,  and 
we  hear  no  more  of  English  tapestry-making 
until  a  century  later,  when  a  second  Soho 
manufactory  was  started.  Some  large  and 
beautiful  pieces  of  work  were  undertaken 
and  a  good  deal  of  zeal  shown  in  pushing 
the  enterprise.  The  Duke  had  a  room  in 
Northumberland  House  hung  with  a  piece 
of  work  designed  by  the  famous  Francesco 
Zuccharelli,  representing  landscape  scenery, 
with  groups  of  peasants  in  exquisitely  shaded 
colouring.  This  praiseworthy  undertaking, 
though  countenanced  by  George  III.,  had  an 
even  shorter  career  than  its  predecessor,  and 
those  who  desired  to  purchase  tapestry  were 
thrown  once  more  upon  the  work  of  France 
and  Flanders. 

These  continual  failures  to  establish  the 


312 


ENGLANUS  OLDEST  HANDICRAFTS. 


industry  on  a  secure  and  permanent  basis 
was  a  problem  which  occupied  the  minds  of 
many  who  loved  the  art.  English  workers 
had  shown  themselves  well  qualified  by  the 
admirable  work  produced,  and  the  wool  of 
the  country  was  the  best  which  could  be  got 
for  the  purpose. 

In  1877  it  was  resolved  that  another 
attempt  should  be  made  to  add  this  craft  to 
the  long  list  of  England's  triumphs.  At  the 
suggestion  of  Mr.  Henry,  some  French 
weavers  were  brought  to  Windsor  and  the 
tapestry  works  of  Old  Windsor  started.  The 
late  Duke  of  Albany  was  the  president  and 
Lord  Ronald  Gower  the  honorary  secretary, 
whilst  a  large  number  of  distinguished 
nobility,  as  an  acting  committee,  ably 
seconded  Mr.  Henry's  efforts  as  art-director. 
The  manufactory,  like  the  South  Kensington 
School  of  ornamental  needlework,  was  to  be 
self-supporting,  and  at  first,  whilst  largely 
employed,  compassed  this  end.  The  workers 
were  of  both  sexes,  and  exhibited  consider- 
able taste  and  skill.  Some  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  Windsor  works  shown  in  the 
Prince  of  Wales's  Pavilion  at  the  Paris  Inter- 
national Exhibition  in  1878  were  awarded 
the  gold  medal.  An  important  branch  of 
the  work  of  the  factory  was  the  mending  of 
old  tapestry  sent  from  various  country  houses, 
valuable  for  its  age  as  well  as  its  intrinsic 
worth.  Sometimes,  when  a  part  was  torn 
away,  the  workmen  could  put  in  a  new  piece, 
so  cunningly  joining  and  simulating  the  faded 
colours  of  age  that  only  an  expert  could 
detect  the  repair.  The  workers  produced 
their  own  dyes  at  the  works  and  possessed 
more  than  twelve  thousand  different  colours 
or  shades  of  colour.  For  their  designs  the 
most  promising  Royal  Academy  students  were 
commissioned,  and  even  R.A.'s  sometimes 
contributed  scenes  or  figures  to  be  turned 
into  silk  and  wool.  The  late  E.  M.  Ward,  R.  A., 
designed  several  vigorous  hunting  scenes;  Mr. 
J.  E.  Hodgson,  R.  A.,  provided  "  The  Saving 
of  the  Colours  of  the  24th  Regiment  by 
Lieutenants  Coghill  and  Melville";  and  Mr. 
John  O'Connor,  the  noted  scene-painter, 
designed  "  A  View  of  Windsor  Castle,"  from 
which  was  worked  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of 
tapestry  made  at  the  factory. 

Mr.  Henry  had  entered  upon  the  enter- 
prise with  high  hopes  and  a  very  wide  scope 


of  possibilities.  It  was  his  intention  to  send 
out  the  best  work  English  hands  could  accom- 
plish and  to  train  young  workers  in  a  practical 
knowledge  of  the  art ;  he  hoped  also  "  to  see 
this  most  beautiful  of  industries  extended  to 
such  dimensions  that  it  attracted  the  admira- 
tion and  custom  of  other  lands."  Such  hopes 
were  not,  however,  destined  to  be  fulfilled. 
Demand  must  always  regulate  supply,  and 
gradually  public  interest  seems  to  have 
flagged,  until  it  was  felt  expedient  in  1888 
to  close  the  manufactory.  The  building  is 
now  used  for  almshouses,  and  we  can  only 
look  forward,  with  a  very  faint  hope  of  its 
realization,  to  a  time  when  tapestry-weaving 
will  again  be  pursued  in  this  country. 


atcba^ological  I15eto0. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading."] 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  SOCIETIES. 

The  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Archaeological 
Society  held  its  "  summer  excursion  "  on  August  16. 
The  Norfolk  Chronicle  contains  a  very  full  account  of 
the  excursion,  from  which  we  have  derived  the  fol- 
lowing particulars  :  The  first  building  inspected  was 
North  Elmham  Church,  where  the  Rev.  A.  G.  Legge, 
who  was  for  many  years  Vicar  of  the  parish,  ex- 
plained the  building  in  detail.  Records  of  the  con- 
struction of  portions  of  the  church  and  of  its  fittings 
are  extant,  and  these  lend  a  greater  interest  than 
usual  to  it.  We  regret  that  we  have  not  space  to 
do  more  than  allude  to  Mr.  Legge's  paper. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Tones  read  a  translation  of  entries  re- 
ferring to  the  building  of  the  chancel,  which  he  had 
discovered  whilst  searching  amongst  the  monastic 
rolls  in  the  Diocesan  Registry  at  Norwich.  He 
observed  that  in  the  cellarer's  accounts  for  the  year 
1384  there  were  included  in  the  expenses  the  fol- 
lowing items:  "Paid  to  the  masons  for  erecting 
the  chancel  of  Elmham,  £^  6s.  8d.  For  lime 
bought,  for  sand  and  stone,  with  carriage,  tiles, 
spars  of  fir,  and  the  wages  of  the  carpenters  making 
one  centre  (cyntor)  for  the  window  of  the  said 
chancel,  bars  of  iron  bought,  with  wages  of  divers 
labourers  there,  34s.  lod.  Paid  to  Master  Michael, 
the  carpenter,  in  part  payment  for  making  the  said 
chancel,  los.  The  expenses  of  the  carter,  carrying 
timber  from  Hyndolveston,  for  the  roof  of  the  said 
chancel,  and  to  the  carter  carrying  brass  from 
Norwich,  13s.  4d."  In  the  next  year,  1385,  there 
were  charges  for  further  payments  to  Master  Michael 
"  for  making  the  chancel  of  Elmham,  in  gross 
£6  3s.  4d."  Also  for  "  200  planks  bought  for  the 
same  chancel,  40s.     For  23  cart-loads  with  ex- 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


313 


penses  of  the  carrier,  bringing  timber  from  Hyndol- 
veston  for  the  said  chancel,  12s.  8d.  For  the  wages 
and  board  of  one  plumber  and  his  servant  roofing 
the  said  chancel  with  a  hundred  faggots  bought  for 
melting  the  lead,  34s.  2d.  For  the  wages  of  a  mason 
and  his  servant  filling  in  the  feet  of  the  spars  bought 
for  the  wall,  with  lime  and  sand  bought,  i8s.  yd." 
The  account  for  1386  was  missing,  but  there  was  a 
further  reference  to  the  works  in  that  for  1387,  when 
a  payment  was  made  :  "  For  making  two  desks  in 
the  chancel  of  Elmham,  with  boards  bought,  and 
the  wages  of  one  mason  altering  the  walls  of  the 
chancel  there,  i6s.  8d." 

From  the  church  the  party  proceeded  to  North 
Elmham  Castle,  where  Mr.  Legge  was  again  the 
guide. 

Brisley  Church  was  then  visited.  The  nave  is 
separated  from  the  north  and  south  aisles  by  five 
bays,  and  there  are  north  porch,  western  steeple, 
and  chancel,  with  a  vestry  or  sacristy  partly  beneath 
the  latter,  which  was  the  object  of  much  curiosity. 
It  was  stated  that  this  small  chamber,  which  is  in 
an  admirable  state  of  repair,  was  designed  for  the 
reception  of  prisoners.  However  this  may  be,  it  is 
apparent  that  the  sacristy  is  the  oldest  portion  of 
the  church,  dating,  probably,  from  the  thirteenth 
century,  evidence  of  which  is  found  in  the  remains 
of  the  Early  English  aumbry,  and  many  old  glazed 
tiles.  This  underground  chamber  is  approached 
by  a  stone  doorway,  filled  in  with  an  oak  door  and 
foliated  iron  hinges,  all  of  the  same  date  as  the 
sacristy  itself.  Although  many  of  the  decorative 
features  have  been  removed  from  the  interior  of 
the  church,  it  is  fortunate  that  the  fifteenth-century 
coloured  and  gilded  oak-screen  is  intact,  but  the 
rood-loft  and  beam  have  been  removed.  On  the 
south  aisle  wall  are  remains  of  a  large  wall- 
painting  of  St.  Christopher,  and  in  various  parts  of 
the  church  there  are  some  meagre  remains  of 
carved  bench-ends.  One  of  these,  in  the  chancel, 
bears  the  representation  of  a  fox  running  away  with 
the  goose.  Perhaps  the  most  striking  features  of 
the  chancel,  however,  are  the  sedilia  and  piscina, 
which  are  beautiful  specimens,  very  rich  in  design 
and  delicate  workmanship,  and,  fortunately,  in 
excellent  preservation. 

Gressenhall  Church  was  next  examined,  and  was 
described  by  Dr.  Jessopp.  It  is  a  building  mainly 
of  the  Perpendicular  period,  but  retains  traces  of 
Norman  or  possibly  Saxon  work. 

The  members  then  proceeded  to  Scarning  Church, 
where  Dr.  Jessopp  explained  the  prominent  features 
of  the  building.  It  consists  of  nave,  chancel, 
south  porch,  and  square  tower.  In  1859  it  was 
restored,  and  partly  rebuilt.  The  preponderating 
style  is  Perpendicular,  but  the  south  porch  and 
doorway  and  some  other  parts  were  Decorated. 
The  ancient  and  beautifully  carved  rood-screen 
still  remains,  and  upon  it  hangs  the  ancient  sanctus 
bell.  Dr.  Jessopp  said  there  was  no  indication  of 
a  church  being  in  existence  before  the  thirteenth 
or  fourteenth  century.  There  were  a  few  fragments 
of  Norman  carving,  which  might  have  been  imported 
from  somewhere  else.  His  conjecture  was  that  the 
place  was  overshadowed  by  the  Premonstratensian 
Abbey  of  Wendling,  and  that  it  continued  to  be  a 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


mere  wooden  church  much  later  than  most  churches 
in  this  diocese.  There  were  in  it  no  mouldings,  or 
any  of  those  other  beautiful  things  which  one  looked 
upon  as  a  necessary  element  in  a  Norfolk  church. 
There  was  in  it  the  least  possible  ornament,  and  it 
might  truly  be  said  of  it  that  it  was  an  uninteresting 
place.  The  clergymen  connected  with  this  parish 
seemed  to  have  been  a  respectable  average  lot. 
There  was  no  record  of  a  Scarning  clergyman 
having  been  a  criminal,  and  there  was  no  story  of 
any  rows  till  the  seventeenth  century,  when  one 
clergyman  was  kicked  out,  and  another  put  in  his 
place ;  but  the  old  gentleman  came  back  afterwards, 
and  resumed  his  duties  for  a  little  time.  Dr.  Jessopp 
went  on  to  remark  that  the  church  afforded  two 
remarkable  instances  of  what  used  to  be  the  very 
common  habit  of  stealing  tombstones.  He  pointed 
out  a  slab  of  Purbeck  marble,  which  formerly  bore 
an  inscription,  probably  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
but  had  since,  as  a  more  legible  inscription  showed, 
been  converted  into  a  monument  to  the  memory 
of  someone  who  died  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
About  thirty  years  ago  the  screen  was  nearly  half 
an  inch  thick  with  white  paint  and  whitewash. 
An  old  man  set  to  work,  with  all  the  intelligent 
and  devout  old  women  in  the  parish,  and,  after  two 
or  three  weeks,  they  got  it  into  such  a  state  that,  if 
need  be,  the  ancient  colours  might  be  restored  with 
absolute  certainty.  He  did  not  say  that  he  would 
care  to  restore  the  colours,  but  the  gilding,  of  which 
there  are  obvious  remains,  might  be  restored  with 
advantage.  In  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  the  church 
was  absolutely  cleared.  Not  a  bell  was  left  in  it, 
all  the  vestments  and  plate  were  swept  away,  and 
nothing  remained  but  a  fragment  of  stained  glass. 
With  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  however,  there  came 
a  priest  who  was  accustomed  to  the  old  ritual,  but 
he  found  no  bell  to  ring  at  the  time  of  the  elevation 
of  the  host.  It  was  this  priest  who  provided  the 
bell  now  upon  the  screen. 

After  lunch  at  East  Dereham,  Mr.  L.  G.  Boling- 
broke  made  a  statement  regarding  the  property  of 
the  society  deposited  in  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich 
Library,  which  was  involved  in  the  recent  destructive 
fire.  The  afternoon  was  spent  in  a  further  excursion 
to  neighbouring  places  of  interest,  and  the  members 
were  driven  to  Elsing  Church  and  Hall,  where  they 
were  received  by  the  Rev.  J.  Valpy,  who  had  un- 
covered the  brass  to  the  memory  of  Sir  Hugh 
Hastings,  who  is  reported  to  have  built  the  church 
in  1340,  and  who  was  buried  there  in  1347. 

The  Members  of  the  Camborne  Students'  Associa- 
tion visited  Gwennap  on  August  20.  The  first 
place  of  call  was  Gwennap  Pit.  At  St.  Day  they 
were  met  by  Mr.  T.  H.  Letcher,  who  took  them  to 
the  site  of  the  ancient  church  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
where,  in  early  days,  the  Vicar  of  Gwennap  had 
to  say  two  Masses  weekly ;  and  when  the  church 
was  taken  down  at  the  suppression  of  chantries, 
the  north  aisle  was  added  to  Gwennap  Church. 
Mr.  Letcher  exhibited  a  map  of  St.  Day,  dated 
1770,  showing  the  town  as  it  then  existed,  and  the 
site  of  a  "  whipping-post,"  where  the  miners 
were  punished  for  candle  -  stealing  and  other 
offences.     In  those  days  a  fair  was  held  on  Good 

SS 


314 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


Friday.  A  plan  was  examined  which  showed  the 
county  adit  for  draining  the  mines,  an  underground 
river  which,  with  its  tributaries,  formed  a  tunnel  of 
thirty  miles,  emptying  itself  at  Bissoe.  There  were 
also  large  drawings,  showing  a  number  of  "  tin 
bounds,"  which  were  claims  or  sets  connected  with 
the  mines,  bringing  dues  to  the  owners.  These 
bounds  had  to  be  renewed  yearly  by  the  cutting 
of  three  sods  at  each  corner  of  the  set.  Gwennap 
Parish  Church  at  one  time  was  the  owner  of  a  "  tin 
bound  "  at  Poldice,  without  doubt  left  to  the  church 
by  some  charitable  donor.  These  "tin  bounds" 
do  not  exist  at  the  present  time.  The  party  then 
went  to  Gwennap  Parish  Church,  where  they  were 
received  by  the  Vicar  (Rev.  A.  H.  Ferris),  and 
examined  the  interesting  church,  with  its  tall  mono- 
lith pillars,  detached  tower,  rood  staircase,  etc. 
After  tea  in  the  schoolroom,  a  paper  on  "  Gwennap 
and  its  Memories  "was  read  by  Mr.  C.  James,  who 
gave  details  about  the  church  and  parish.  In  the 
year  1226  the  advowson  of  the  living  was  given  by 
the  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Pensignans,  which 
probably  comprised  then  a  large  part  of  the  parish, 
to  his  nephew,  the  Bishop  of  Exeter,  and  the  deed 
is  still  in  existence.  The  value  of  the  rectorial  and 
vicarial  tithes  in  1288  is  set  down  as  £Z  6s.  8d., 
falling  in  1340  to  ^^5  iis.  id.  In  the  year  1732  a 
parishioner,  who  was  fined  5s.  for  brawling  in  the 
churchyard,  refused  to  pay,  and  was  solemnly  ex- 
communicated by  order  of  the  Archdeacons'  Court. 
The  church  was  restored  during  the  incumbency  of 
the  Rev.  Canon  Rogers.  Reference  was  then  made 
to  the  mines  of  the  parish.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
century  it  was  the  chief  mining  parish  of  Cornwall, 
and  the  population  increased  until  it  became  next  but 
one  the  most  populous  parish  in  Cornwall.  It  was 
at  Tresavean  mine  that  Harvey's  shaft  was  sunk 
272  fathoms  in  two  years  and  one  month.  This 
mine  alone  gave  a  profit  of  ;^7oo,ooo,  and  several 
other  mines  a  profit  of  ;^5oo,ooo.  It  was  in  this 
parish  that  the  first  man-engine  was  erected  by 
Michael  Loam  for  raising  men  from  the  bottom  of 
the  mine  to  the  surface.  The  speaker  then  men- 
tioned some  old  'customs  which  existed :  the 
christening  of  dolls  in  the  stream  on  Good  Friday, 
which  still  goes  on,  the  crying  of  "The  Neck"  at 
harvest-time,  now  becoming  obsolete,  and  some 
quaint  carols  sung  at  Christmas.  An  ancient 
Cornish  granite  cross,  which  formerly  stood  in  the 
hedge  at  Chapel  Moor,  but  is  now  removed  for 
safety  to  the  Vicarage  grounds,  was  afterwards 
visited.  The  bead  which  surrounds  the  figure  of 
the  Saviour,  standing  out  in  strong  relief,  makes  it 
of  more  than  ordinary  interest, 
'♦c  *  * 
The  members  of  the  Cumberland  and  Westmor- 
land Antiquarian  and  ARCHiEOLOGiCAL  Society 
had  their  second  excursion  for  the  present  year  on 
August  24  and  25,  Wetheral,  Warwick,  and  Corby 
being  visited  on  the  former  day,  and  Housesteads, 
on  the  Roman  Wall,  on  the  latter.  The  weather, 
which  is  so  important  a  factor  in  the  success  of 
such  excursions,  was  everything  that  could  be 
wished. 

Amongst  those  who  joined  in  the  excursions  was 
the  President  (Chancellor  Ferguson,  Carlisle),  who 


received  many  congratulations  on  his  restoration  to 
health. 

The  members  and  their  friends  mustered  at  the 
Great  Central  Hotel,  Carlisle,  at  half-past  one  on 
the  2ist,  and  drove  thence  in  carriages  to  Warwick 
Church,  which  was  described  by  Mr.  C.  J. 
Ferguson,  F.S.A.,  in  an  instructive  paper.  He 
said:  "The  interesting  church  of  Warwick  is  re- 
markable for  more  characteristics  than  one.  It  is 
remarkable  in  England  to  find  a  church  of  so  com- 
pletely developed  a  type  of  primitive  plan  finished 
with  an  apse  or  circular  east  end  in  the  Italian 
manner.  It  is  as  remarkable  to  find  a  church  of 
its  simple  plan  laid  out  on  so  large  a  scale  as  it  is  to 
find  a  country  church  with  a  western  arch  of 
Norman  type  of  such  great  age  on  so  large  a  scale 
and  completely  encased  in  stone.  It  is  still  more 
remarkable  to  find  a  country  church  with  a 
battered  or  sloping  plinth  after  the  manner  of  a 
castle."  Mr.  Ferguson  remarked  that:  "It  is 
generally  accepted  that  the  plans  of  our  churches 
came  to  us  from  two  sources :  from  the  early  Celtic 
Church  in  Ireland,  where  they  built  in  stone  and 
wood,  and  naturally  adopted  rectangular  forms, 
and  from  the  influence  of  the  great  Roman  civili- 
zation, where  they  built  in  concrete  a  monolithic 
form  of  construction,  which  took  the  form  of  semi- 
circular vaults,  domes,  and  semi-domes,  so  that  in 
ancient  Rome,  after  the  time  of  the  republic,  wher- 
ever a  place  of  honour  was  to  be  found  beyond  the 
main  lines  of  the  building  it  took  the  form  of  a 
semicircular  projection  roofed  with  a  semi-dome 
or  half-saucer  of  concrete.  Many  of  the  primitive 
buildings  of  the  Celtic  Church  still  remain  in 
Ireland  and  Scotland  :  First,  a  rectangular  building 
of  one  chamber  only  ;  second,  a  similar  chamber, 
with  the  addition  of  a  sanctuary  to  it ;  third,  a 
similar  chamber,  with  the  addition  of  an  enclosed 
space  between  the  nave  and  the  sanctuary  for  a 
choir.  The  Celtic  manner  of  building  eventually 
prevailed  in  England.  After  the  close  of  the 
missionary  period  which  followed  the  mission  of 
St.  Augustine,  no  churches  were  built  on  the 
Italian  plan,  but  the  Italian  influence  still  showed 
itself  in  the  occasional  use  of  the  apse,  the  wider 
sanctuary,  the  wider  arch.  At  the  earlier  churches 
of  St.  Pancras,  Canterbury,  St.  Martin's,  Canter- 
bury, and  others,  the  apses  have  no  chancel  be- 
tween them  and  the  nave,  neither  had  the  greater 
apse  of  the  Monastic  Church  of  Carlisle.  As 
regards  the  great  scale  on  which  it  is  laid  out  and 
its  magnificent  western  arch,  I  have  here  a  couple 
of  dozen  plans  of  ancient  churches  of  the  diocese, 
small  churches  like  Over  Denton,  and  Cliburn,  and 
Crosby,  and  great  churches  like  Brough  in  West- 
morland, Arthuret,  and  Hawkshead.  Only  one, 
the  great  church  of  Hawkshead,  exceeds  this 
church  in  the  width  of  its  nave.  Warwick  Church 
is  21  feet  6  inches  wide;  the  Monastic  Church  of 
Carlisle  is  22  feet  6  inches ;  Hawkshead  in  23  feet ; 
whilst  of  the  smaller  ones,  Newton  Arlosh  is  12  feet 
wide ;  Westdale  is  13  feet  6  inches  wide ;  Over 
Denton  is  15  feet  wide.  We  all  know  the  process 
of  development,  how  first  the  chancel  was  length- 
ened ;  then  a  north  and  south  aisle,  a  clerestory,  a 
lengthening  of  the  nave,  a  western  tower,  and  so 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS, 


315 


forth,  but  none  of  these  things  happened  to 
Warwick  Church.  It  was  laid  out  on  what  you 
may  call  the  largest  scale  of  the  primitive  churches 
of  the  district,  but  after  the  twelfth  century  it  made 
no  increase.  I  take  it,  therefore,  that  Warwick  was 
an  important  place  in  the  twelfth  century  and 
earlier,  and  was  outrivalled  later  on.  We  find  at 
Warwick  a  chancel  arch  of  g  feet  in  width  and 
4  feet  thick  at  the  less  important  position  at  the 
west  end.  Its  existence  can,  I  think,  only  be 
accounted  for  by  the  supposition  that  it  was  in- 
tended to  convert  the  church  at  Warwick  into  a 
great  church,  with  a  great  west  tower,  and  aisles 
and  arcades  along  its  sides,  a  project  that  was 
never  accomplished,  but  that  later  on  they  found  it 
necessary  to  curtail  the  scheme,  and  to  rebuild  the 
nave  with  no  further  additions  to  it.  Not  only  so, 
but  that  they  found  it  necessary  to  make  those  walls 
defensible,  with  few  and  narrow  windows,  with  a 
battered  base,  and  with  parapets  on  the  top  of 
them.  The  church  is  dedicated  to  St.  Leonard, 
the  patron  saint  of  prisoners  and  slaves.  The  only 
other  churches  dedicated  to  this  saint  in  the 
diocese  are  the  churches  of  Cleator  and  Crosby 
Ravensworth,  the  latter  rather  doubtful.  The 
introduction  of  the  cultus  of  this  distinctly  Gaulish 
saint  must  be  ascribed  to  Norman  influence." 

The  party  then  drove  to  Wetheral  Church,  of 
which  the  Rector,  the  Rev.  W.  Blake,  gave  some 
account. — Mr.  C.  J.  Ferguson  also  read  a  short 
paper. — Canon  Bower  also  gave  a  description  of  the 
ancient  effigies  in  Wetheral  Church. 

The  party,  after  inspecting  the  beautiful  Howard 
monument  by  NoUekens,  went  to  Wetheral  Priory, 
where  the  old  gatehouse  was  examined. 

The  party  then  visited  Wetheral  caves,  which 
were  thus  described  by  Mr.  T.  H.  Hodgson: 
"  Little  is  known  of  the  construction  or  early 
history  of  these  caves.  They  are  not  mentioned  in 
the  register  of  Wetheral,  and  it  is  hardly  to  be 
expected  that  they  would  be.  They  are,  however, 
excavated  by  the  hand  of  man,  being  hewn  out  of 
the  rock,  and  are  clearly  not  natural  caves.  A 
letter  from  Mr.  Milbourne,  of  Armathwaite  Castle, 
then  Recorder  of  Carlisle,  which  is  printed  in 
ArchcBologia ,  vol.  i.,  and  in  Hutchinson's  Cumberland, 
vol.  i.,  pp.  160-162,  was  read  before  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  in  London  on  April  17,  1755,  in  which 
he  says  that  'Mr.  Camden  says  that  "here"  \i.e., 
near  Wetheral]  "  you  see  a  sort  of  houses  dug  out 
of  a  rock,  that  seem  to  have  been  designed  for  an 
absconding  place."  '  To  which  his  annotator  and 
editor,  Dr.  Gibson,  Bishop  of  London,  adds,  '  If  not 
for  some  hermif  to  lodge  in,  being  near  the  monas- 
tery.' It  is  clear,  however,  that  Camden  had  not 
seen  the  cells,  and  was  misinformed  about  them,  as 
he  writes  of  them  as  consisting  of  two  rooms,  one 
within  the  other,  whereas  there  are,  to  be  seen, 
three  rooms,  each  having  an  independent  entrance 
from  the  gallery  in  front.  Mr.  Milbourne  says  that 
they  were  generally  called  St.  Constantine's  Cells 
(Wetheral  Priory  being,  according  to  Denton,  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Constantine),  or,  by  the  country  people, 
Wetheral  Safeguard,  which  he  thinks  confirmatory 
of  Camden's  opinion.  Dr.  Prescott,  in  his  edition 
of  the  Register  0/  Wetheral,  also  thinks  that  their 


position  '  points  to  their  occupation  as  a  place  of 
concealment  and  safety.'  When  Milbourne  wrote, 
they  were,  he  says,  '  difficult  of  access,  the  only  way 
to  come  at  them  being  by  a  steep  descent  of  several 
yards  along  a  narrow  and  difficult  path.'  They  are 
approached  by  a  gallery  formed  by  a  wall  which  is 
built  before  the  cells,  which  Mr.  St.  John  Hope 
considers  to  be  probably  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
There  were  three  windows  and  a  chimney  in  it. 
probably  the  space  between  it  and  the  rock  was 
covered  by  a  roof,  which  would  render  the  cells  a 
tolerably  comfortable  dwelling.  It  is  likely  that 
these  cells  may  be  as  old  as  the  time  of  the  Romans, 
who  probably  quarried  the  rock  here,  and  that  they 
have  subsequently  been  improved  by  the  monks. 
There  are  marks  of  bolts,  which  show  that  the  cells 
had  doors.  A  Httle  to  the  south  of  the  caves,  and 
about  12  feet  above  the  river,  there  is  a  Latin 
inscription,  which  Dr.  Bruce  read  {Lapidarium 
Septentrionale,  p.  233,  No.  468),  as 

MAXIMVS     SCRl(p)SIT 

and 

LEG    XX    VV    CODICIVS     SIVS, 

which  he  interprets  in  part  as  '  Legio  Vicesima 
Valens  Victrix,'  but  he  gives  the  rest  up.  The 
Corpus  Inscriptionum  suggests  '  condravsivs.'  In 
Milbourne's  time  the  inscription  was  followed  by  a 
rude  figure  of  a  buck  or  stag.  Milbourne  thought 
that  the  first  line, '  maximvs  scri(p)sit,'  was  modern, 
and  observes  that  '  it  is  a  yard  distant  from  the  rest 
of  the  inscription."  In  July,  1868,  the  Carlisle 
Journal  published  an  interesting  collection  of  the 
names  and  dates  inscribed  on  the  rock  which  had 
been  made  by  a  gentleman  (Mr.  Wake,  of  Cocker- 
mouth)  then  residing  at  Wetheral.  They  begin  in 
1573,  and  are  continued  by  the  collector  to  1796. 
Among  them  occur  many  names  still  familiar — for 
instance,  Salkeld,  Skelton,  Sibson,  Brisco,  Maxwell, 
Dixon,  Railton,  Dobinson,  and  others  existing  yet 
in  the  neighbourhood." 

Corby  Castle  was  next  visited,  several  of  the 
party  crossing  by  the  ferry.  The  old  manorial 
pigeon-house,  which  was  fully  described  by  the 
President  in  a  paper  published  in  the  Transactions 
of  the  society  several  years  since,  was  inspected  by 
many  of  the  members. 

The  party  then  drove  back  to  the  Central  Hotel, 
Carlisle. 

In  the  evening  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society 
was  held.  The  President  occupied  the  chair. 
The  first  business  was  the  election  of  officials. — 
Mr.  T.  H.  Hodgson  proposed  the  re-election  of 
Chancellor  Ferguson  as  president.  They  all  knew 
so  well  what  his  services  had  been  for  so  many 
years,  that  it  was  unnecessary  to  speak  of  them. — 
The  motion  was  at  once  agreed  to,  and  the  presi- 
dent returned  thanks  for  the  honour  conferred  upon 
him. — The  vice-presidents  and  members  of  the 
council  were  re-elected  en  bloc. — Mr.  Wilson  was 
re-elected  secretary  for  the  thirty-first  time.— The 
president  stated  that  it  was  now  proposed  to  give 
him  an  assistant  secretary,  and  he  moved  that  the 
assistant  be  Mr.  J.  F.  Curwen,  Horncop  Hall, 
Kendal.  This  was  agreed  to. — The  statement  of 
receipts    and    expenditure    for    the    year    ending 

SS   2 


3i6 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


iune  30  was  submitted.  It  showed  that  the  receipts 
ad  been  /200,  and  the  expenditure  £1^^.  The 
balance  brought  forward  at  the  commencement  of 
the  year  was  £1},^,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  there 
was  in  hand  ;f  171. — The  president  remarked  that 
they  had  been  a  little  extravagant  during  the  year, 
but  he  thought  wisely  extravagant.  He  referred  to 
the  munificent  generosity  of  Archdeacon  Prescott 
in  bringing  out  the  chartulary  of  Wetheral  at  his 
own  expense,  declining  any  assistance  from  the 
society.  It  was  hoped  to  follow  up  that  publica- 
tion by  printing  other  chartularies,  and  £^0  had 
been  subscribed  from  the  society's  funds  to  a 
chartulary  publication  account.  — The  accounts 
were  adopted,  subject  to  audit. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  business  of  the  annual 
meeting,  Mr.  Wilson,  the  honorary  secretary,  was 
presented  with  a  silver  salver  as  a  recognition 
of   his  services   to  the    society.     In    making  the 

Eresentation,  the  president  said  it  devolved  upon 
im  to  perform  a  very  pleasant  duty,  that  was 
to  present  Mr.  Wilson  with  a  slight  memento 
of  their  gratitude  to  him  for  the  long  and  valuable 
services  he  had  rendered  to  them  during  thirty-one 
years.  In  1866  some  of  them  met  in  a  hotel  at 
Penrith,  and  established  that  society.  From  an 
early  period  in  the  history  of  the  society  Mr.  Wilson 
discharged  some  of  the  secretarial  duties,  and  in 
1871  he  was  appointed  secretary,  declining  any 
salary.  Since  that  time  he  had  always  been  re- 
elected ;  and  he  had  attended  all  the  meetings  and 
excursions  of  the  society  without  missing  a  single 
one,  which  was  a  record.  It  was  almost  superfluous 
in  a  meeting  like  that  to  dilate  upon  the  services 
Mr.  Wilson  had  rendered  the  society.  He  had 
also  been  a  careful  and  wise  guardian  of  their 
funds.  He  had  always  advocated  a  wise  and 
judicious  expenditure  upon  illustrations,  and  the 
results  had  proved  that  he  was  right.  The  salver 
bears  the  following  inscription :  "  Presented  to 
Titus  Wilson,  Esq.,  J. P.,  Mayor  of  Kendal,  1887-8, 
by  his  friends  of  the  Cumberland  and  Westmorland 
Antiquarian  and  Archaeological  Society,  in  grateful 
recognition  of  his  long  and  valuable  services  as 
honorary  secretary  and  collector  during  the  last 
thirty-one  years.  Carlisle,  1898." — Mr.  Wilson,  on 
rising  to  return  thanks  for  the  gift,  was  greeted  with 
renewed  applause.  He  first  of  all  had  to  congratu- 
late the  members  upon  the  fact  that  their  president 
had  recovered  from  an  illness,  and  that  he  was  again 
at  their  head  on  that  day  He  hoped  that  Chancellor 
Ferguson  would  be  long  spared  to  remain  amongst 
them.  Mr.  Wilson  proceeded  to  refer  to  the  work 
which  had  been  accomplished  by  the  society,  and 
concluded  by  assuring  the  subscribers  that  the  very 
handsome  piece  of  plate  which  had  been  presented 
to  him  would  be  treasured  by  him  as  long  as  he 
lived,  and  he  hoped  that  for  many  generations 
afterwards  it  would  be  treasured  by  his  children  and 
their  descendants  as  a  reminder  of  how  the  Anti- 
quarian Society  had  treated  one  of  their  ancestors. 
On  August  25  the  members  of  the  society  visited 
Borcovicus  (Housesteads)  on  the  Roman  Wall, 
where  it  had  been  arranged  that  they  were  to  meet 
the  members  of  the  Society  of  Antiquarians  of  New- 
castle-on-Tyne  and  of  the  Durham  and  Northumber- 


land Archaeological  Society,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
specting the  excavations  which  had  been  made  at 
that  place  by  the  Society  of  Antiquarians  of  New- 
castle. The  excavations  had  been  made  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  R.  C.  Bosanquet,  of  Rock, 
who  had  had  some  years'  experience  in  connection 
with  the  excavations,  chiefly  in  the  Greek  island 
of  Melos,  which  had  been  carried  on  under  the 
auspices  of  the  British  School  of  Archaeology.  The 
members  of  the  Cumberland  and  Westmorland 
Society  left  Carlisle  by  the  9.30  a.m.  train  for 
Greenhead,  and  thence  travelled  in  waggonettes 
to  Housesteads,  a  distance  of  about  nine  miles. 
There  they  met  about  a  hundred  members  of 
the  East  Coast  societies,  including  Dr.  Hodgkin, 
F.S.A.,  Canon  Greenwell,  Sir  H.  Howorth,  etc. 
The  camp  at  Housesteads  is  the  most  perfect  of  all 
the  camps  on  the  Wall.  It  is  about  205  yards  from 
the  east  to  west  by  120  yards  from  north  to  south. 
It  has  a  gate  on  each  side ;  the  line  joining  the  east 
and  west  gates  bisects  the  camp,  but  that  joining 
the  north  and  south  gates  does  not  do  so.  This 
line  is  the  Praetorian  street,  and  the  other  is  the 
Via  Principalis.  All  the  other  streets  are  parallel 
to  one  or  other  of  these,  and  thus  the  interior  of  the 
camp  is  cut  up  into  parallelograms.  Within  the 
camp  has  been  a  great  mass  of  buildings ;  the 
barracks  for  the  soldiers  would  be  sheds  against  the 
external  walls.  The  camp  possesses  extensive 
suburbs  towards  the  south.  A  well,  said  to  be 
Roman,  is  near  the  south  gate,  west  of  which  long 
terraced  lines  denote  the  site  of  gardens.  A  semi- 
subterranean  cave,  dedicated  to  the  worship  of 
Mithras,  was  discovered  here  in  1822.  As  the 
result  of  the  excavations  recently  carried  on  by 
Mr.  Bosanquet,  much  more  is  now  known  about 
Borcovicus  than  formerly.  Mr.  Bosanquet  de- 
scribed the  discoveries  which  have  been  made. 
In  one  chamber  about  eleven  hundred  arrow- 
heads were  found  lying  on  the  floor.  It  is  sur- 
mised that  when  the  camp  was  finally  attacked, 
someone  was  sent  to  make  arrows,  and  that  the 
building  was  overwhelmed  while  he  was  in  the  act 
of  making  them.  There  were  evidences  that  an 
arcade  had  been  built  up  and  converted  into  the 
rooms  of  a  dwelling-house  for  the  better  class 
residents.  Among  the  debris  were  the  remains  of 
oysters  and  chickens,  from  which  it  may  be  inferred 
that  the  residents  fared  well.  Immediately  adjacent 
there  was  a  doubly-strong  room,  evidently  used  as 
a  granary,  and  at  the  corner  of  the  granary  there 
was  a  baker's  fire  and  oven.  There  had  been 
stables  in  the  camp,  and  beside  them  there  was  a 
large  building  which,  in  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Bosan- 
quet, might  have  been  used  as  a  barn.  The  rest  of 
the  area  was  all  filled  with  closely  packed  quarters 
for  the  common  soldiers.  A  well  had  been  cleaired 
and  opened  out.  A  trench  was  cut  through  what 
was  called  the  amphitheatre  outside  the  camp  to 
the  north,  proving  it  to  have  been  a  quarry,  although 
it  might  have  been  afterwards  used  as  a  cockpit,  or 
something  of  that  kind.  The  cave  of  Mithras,  the 
Eastern  Sun  God,  whose  worship  was  introduced 
by  some  of  the  soldiers,  was  dug  out,  and  there 
were  found  some  small  Mithraic  statues,  which 
have  been  removed  to  the  farmhouse.      Amongst 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


317 


other  articles,  there  were  found  in  the  excavations  a 
bronze  disc  which  was  the  lid  of  a  jewel  case  and  a 
long  gold  pin,  probably  a  hat-pin.  A  few  coins 
and  other  small  objects  were  found.  It  is  claimed 
that  the  camp  has  now  been  more  thoroughly  ex- 
plored than  was  ever  the  case  with  any  camp 
previously.  The  members  of  the  Cumberland  and 
Westmorland  Society  then  drove  to  Greenhead, 
where  they  had  tea  at  the  hotel.  They  afterwards 
took  train  for  Carlisle.  The  weather  was  splendid, 
and  the  excursion  was  much  appreciated. 


EetJietos  anD  I15otice0 
of  Jl^ctD  15ooks» 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.^ 

Early  Fortifications  in  Scotland.  Motes, 
Camps  and  Forts.  By  David  Christison, 
M.D.,  F.R.C.P.E.,  Secretary  of  the  Society 
of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland.  [The  Rhind 
Lectures  in  Archaeology  for  1894.]  4to., 
pp.  407.  Edinburgh  cind  London :  William 
Blackwood  and  Sons.     Price  21s.  net. 


proceedings  of  the  Scottish  Antiquaries,  and  fur- 
nished matter  for  an  admirable  series  of  the  Rhind 
Lectures ;  they  now  constitute  a  substantial  volume, 
simply  but  well  and  fully  illustrated.  The  draw- 
ings, including  many  surface-sections,  are  mostly 
from  the  pens  of  Dr.  Christison  himself,  and  of 
Mr.  F.  R.  Coles,  a  younger  archaeologist,  who  has 
done  distinguished  service  by  his  examination  and 
sketches  of  old  fortifications  in  Galloway.  The  text 
summarizes  certain  descriptive  data  of  over 
140  motes,  1,000  circular  or  oval  forts,  and 
100  square,  oblong  or  rectilinear  camps — by  far 
the  greater  number  of  which  last  show  a  rather 
entertaining  disposition  to  be  suspected  of  Roman 
origin.  The  distribution  of  all  these  ancient  works 
is  lucidly  set  out.  How  informing  maps  may  be 
made  is  apparent  from  the  three  in  which  Dr. 
Christison  has  expressed  his  results.  To  them  he 
has  transferred,  in  appropriate  and  prominent  red- 
ink  markings,  the  various  structures  analyzed. 
One  is  for  the  motes,  one  for  the  camps,  and  one 
for  the  forts.  These  charts  are  peculiarly  instruc- 
tive on  the  distribution  of  the  early  fortresses, 
although  we  must  say  that  to  anybody  who  seeks 
to  work  after  Dr.  Christison,  the  absence  of  any 
list  of  the  forts  and  motes  in  the  text  makes  the 
task  of  ascertaining  his  exact  bearing  a  labour  of  a 
very  irritating  kind.  First  of  all  the  map  is,  of 
course,  not  on  a  large  enough  scale  to  enable  the 
red -ink  dots  to  explain  their  precise  location. 
Wherever    they    are    dense,   as    happens    in    the 


^^ 


10$ 


2f 

NORTHSHIELD    FORT. 


Antiquaries  may  well  be  glad  that  Dr.  Christi- 
son's  holiday  thoughts  and  wanderings  for  the  last 
dozen  years  have  been  amongst  motes  and  camps 
and  forts.  A  diligent  note-taker  on  the  spot,  his 
memoranda  have  appeared  by  instalments  in  the 


southern  districts,  it  is — in  spite  of  consultation  of 
ordnance  sheets,  and  turning  to  and  fro  four  or  five 
volumes  of  the  Antiquaries'  Proceedings,  and  waste- 
fully  expending  much  time,  temper,  energy,  and  eye- 
sight—utterly impossible  to  be  clear  as  to  the  places 


3i8 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


meant  in  particular  instances.  It  would  defy  a  car- 
tographer, to  say  nothing  of  a  mere  reviewer,  to 
identify  the  dots  sprinkled  over  the  province  of 
Galloway.  Of  course  particular  identifications  are 
greatly  necessary  for  study,  and  we  speak  here  so 
that  in  future  Dr.  Christison  may  be  more  merci- 
ful to  ensuing  archaeologists.  Space  was  spared 
for  some  rather  aimless  lists  of  place-names ;  it 
would  have  been  infinitely  better  bestowed  on  an 
articulate  catalogue  of  the  entrenchments,  mounds, 
and  vitrifactions.  It  would,  too,  have  enormously 
facilitated  study  had  such  a  list  contained  a  cross 
reference   to  the  Antiquaries'  Proceedings  for  the 


seen  by  types  from  Borgue,  Kirkcudbrightshire,  and 
Roberton,  in  Clydesdale  (for  which,  like  that  of 
the  Peeblesshire  fort,  we  have  to  thank  the  pub- 
lishers), the  resemblance  to  English  examples  is 
close.  The  massing  of  these  grass-grown  artificial 
hillocks  in  and  near  Galloway  forms  a  prominent 
geographical  feature.  There  are  puzzles  about  these 
things  themselves,  their  localities,  and  their  period, 
and  Dr.  Christison  is  not  of  the  order  given  to 
theorizing.  He  lays  down  no  leading  proposition 
of  his  own,  trusting  to  his  descriptions  as  his  best 
contribution,  and  leaving  us  free  to  fix  our  own 
dates.    The  fortress  of  the  Pict,  if  he  had  one, 


BORELAND  MOTE,  BORGUE. 


many  capital  accounts  contributed  by  Dr.  Christi- 
son and  Mr.  Coles,  the  essence  of  which  is  distilled, 
as  it  were,  and  run  off  into  the  present  book. 

Very  marked  is  the  profusion  of  forts  in  Argyle- 
shire  and  East  Galloway,  as  well  as  round  the 
great  fort-centres  of  Annandale,  in  Teviotdale,  and 
by  the  head  waters  of  Clyde  and  Tweed,  contrast- 
ing strangely  with  the  sparsity  elsewhere.  The 
moated  mounds  gather  thickest  in  the  stewartry  of 
Kirkcudbright.  Within  the  border  of  the  High- 
lands— except  for  the  fringe  of  the  Argyle  coast- 
there  are  practically  no  fortifications  of  any  sort. 
"  The  Irish  people,"  said  a  Welsh  picturesque 
tourist  seven  hundred  years  ago,  "use  their  woods 


remains  undistinguished  from  that  of  the  Scot  or  the 
Briton.  The  mote  may  be  early  Saxon,  late  Saxon, 
or  early  Norman :  our  learned  authority,  without 
passion  and  without  prejudice,  leaves  the  entire  ques- 
tion open.  It  has  been  discussed  greatly  in  England 
When  the  plea  began  to  be  heard,  old  opinion  started, 
with  a  strong  prepossession  for  the  almost  imme- 
morial age  of  the  moated  mound.  After  a  time  the 
ancient  British  origin  was  quite  put  out  of  court 
Then  came  in  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and  he  has  held  the 
verdict  for  awhile.  Perhaps  the  Norman,  who  has 
so  many  other  claims,  and  whose  interests  on  this 
head  are  by  no  means  negligible,  may  yet  find  in 
Scotland  ground  for  moving  in  arrest  of  judgment 


ROBERTON   MOTE. 


for  castles,  their  bogs  for  ditches."  Either  the 
ancient  inhabitants  of  the  mountainous  regions  of 
Scotland  were  of  like  mind,  or — as  is  more  likely — 
there  were  no  inhabitants  to  speak  of.  The  maps 
are  conclusive  of  the  importance  of  the  economic 
factor.  Those  conditions  which  made  the  supply 
of  food  easiest  must  at  all  times  have  regulated  the 
choice  of  position.  A  fort  marks  a  great  advance 
in  civilization,  since  it  shows  that  co-operation  for 
defence,  that  conjunction  of  energies,  to  which 
ultimately  all  things  are  possible,  although,  it  must 
be  owned,  an  irregularly  circular  and  triple-ram- 
parted fort,  like  that  of  Northshield,  Peeblesshire, 
does  not  seem  very  prophetic  of  a  city. 

Much  less  numerous  than  the  forts  and  camps, 
but  nearer  in  time,  and  so  of  closer  historical 
interest,  are  the  motes.     Generally,  as  may  be 


Be  that  as  it  may.  Dr.  Christison's  pains  have 
been  most  commendably  bestowed,  and  his  charac- 
terizations of  the  early  strongholds  of  his  country 
merit  high  and  enduring  recognition. 

*     *     * 
The  Finding  of  Saint  Augustine's  Chair.     By 

the  late  James  Johnston,  M.B.     Birmingham  : 

Cornish  Brothers. 
Fifty  years  ago  Mr.  Johnston  visited  the  church 
of  Stanford  Bishop.  It  is  a  co-portionary  church 
of  Bromyard,  a  fact  that  at  once  proves  the  great 
antiquity  of  its  foundation.  Within  the  tower  at 
that  time  stood  an  old  decrepit  oaken  seat  or  settle, 
which  the  old  sexton  declared  was  traditionally 
described  as  the  chair  of  Augustine  when  he  was 
missionary  in  those  parts.  It  formerly  stood  in 
the  chancel.     After  the  lapse  of  forty  years  Mr. 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


319 


Johnston  again  visited  Stanford  Bishop  Church, 
but  found  the  chair  had  been  ejected  during  a 
"  restoration."  It  was  cleared  out  of  the  church 
as  lumber,  auid  the  masons  were  just  going  to  break 
it  up  to  make  a  fire  to  warm  their  victuals,  when  the 
new  church  clerk  begged  it  as  a  garden  ornament. 
There,  in  the  clerk's  garden,  on  Wolforwood 
Common,  Mr.  Johnston  found  the  old  chair,  and 
eventually  became  its  possessor  by  purchase. 

Entirely  composed  of  oak,  without  a  nail  about 
it,  the  chair  is  undoubtedly  a  veritable  sample  of 
ancient  carpenter's  work.  Simple  in  style  and 
rude  in  construction,  but  of  considerable  size,  and 
originally  furnished  with  a  footboard,  it  exactly 
corresponds  with  a  Roman  solium,  or  chair  of 
authority.  At  the  synod  of  St.  Augustine  with  the 
British  bishops,  the  latter  charged  the  missionary 
with  pride,  and  upbraided  him  because  he  was 
seated  on  a  chair ;  that  is,  "  he  took  the  chair,"  the 
emblem  of  pre-eminence.  Mr.  Johnston  ingeniously 
and  learnedly  argues  that  the  Stanford  chair  is 
most  likely  the  very  chair  of  this  synod.  He 
describes  and  illustrates  Bede's  chair  at  Jarrow- 
on-Tyne,  which  is  very  similar.  His  arguments 
that  the  synod  of  the  British  bishops  with  St. 
Augustine  was  held  at  Stanford  Bishop  are  ably 
and  cleverly  put ;  it  would  spoil  them  to  attempt 
any  condensing  of  the  facts  so  clearly  marshalled 
in  these  pages.  That  woodwork  of  St.  Augustine's 
date  may  readily  be  preserved  can  be  abundantly 
proved,  even  more  conclusively  than  is  done  by 
Mr.  Johnston.  Great  wooden  barrels  or  casks, 
almost  as  perfect  as  when  made,  have  been  found 
at  Silchester  within  the  past  twelve  months,  which 
cannot  be  of  later  date  than  the  fourth  century  of 
the  Christian  era.  We  have  handled  at  Poitiers  the 
rudely  carved  wooden  book-desk  of  St.  Radegund, 
who  died  in  587 ;  it  is  in  excellent  condition,  and  is 
admitted  by  archaeologists  to  be  of  its  traditionary 
age. 

We  began  to  read  this  book  with  scarcely  dis- 
guised scepticism,  but  we  closed  it  with  the  firm 
conviction  that  Mr.  Johnston  has  made  out  a 
good  case.  At  all  events,  the  chair  is  of  great 
antiquity,  and  associated  with  a  church  of  very 
early  origin  in  the  district  where  the  Augustinian 
synod  was  held.  The  little  book  is  remarkably 
well  written,  and  cannot  fail  to  interest  either  the 
antiquary  or  the  general  reader. 

J.  Charles  Cox,  LL.D.,  F.S.A. 

*     *     * 
Weather     Lore.      A    Collection    of    Proverbs, 

Sayings,  and  Rules  concerning  the  Weather. 

Compiled  and  arranged  by  Richard  Inwards. 

Third    edition,   8vo.,   pp.   xii,   233.     London : 

Elliot  Stock. 
If  we  were  asked  for  a  book  which  would  show 
the  use  of  archaeological  study  in  everyday  prac- 
tical life,  this  is  one  volume  to  which  we  should 
point  as  exhibiting  in  its  scope  the  evidence  of  the 
value  of  weather  folk-lore.  That  it  has  reached  a 
third  edition  is  also  evidence  that  the  book  has 
been  appreciated  by  a  wider  circle  than  that  com- 
posed of  folk-lorists  or  dry-as-dust  antiquaries.  It 
is  quite  true,  as  the  author  observes,  that  many  of 


the  saws  regarding  the  weather  appear  to  contra- 
dict one  another.  This  is,  we  believe,  more  the 
case  in  appearance  than  in  reality,  for  in  many 
cases  local  influences  entirely  alter  the  conditions 
under  which  weather-changes  are  produced.  The 
amount  of  labour  which  must  have  been  originally 
undertaken  by  Mr.  Inwards  in  compiling  this  col- 
lection of  proverbs  and  wise  sayings  is  simply 
appalling.  He  has,  however,  given  practical  proof 
of  the  value  of  the  study  of  weather  folk-lore,  and 
the  book  is  one  which  it  is  really  hard  to  put  down 
when  once  it  has  been  taken  up,  and  any  of  its 
pages  consulted.  The  matter  is  well  arranged,  and 
is  fully  indexed.  The  third  edition  has  been  con- 
siderably augmented  by  the  additions  which  have 
been  made  to  it  in  many  respects.  Notable  among 
the  additions  is  a  new  list  of  the  average  times  of 
flowering  of  well-known  plants,  by  Mr.  Mawley, 
the  former  president  of  the  Royal  Meteorological 
Society.  This  list  includes  the  result  of  many 
thousands  of  observations  extending  over  many 
years  in  the  middle  of  England. 

The  aim  of  the  work  is,  we  are  told,  to  present  a 
complete  view  of  weather  science  from  its  tradi- 
tionary and  popular  aspects,  the  proverbs,  curious 
rhymes,  quaint  sayings,  archaic  wise  saws,  outdoor 
rules,  and  weather  wisdom  generally,  being  here 
brought  together  from  all  sources,  and  arranged  in 
order  for  easy  reference. 

We  think  we  need  say  no  more  than  that  the 
work  seems  admirably  done  in  every  respect.  Mr. 
Inwards  has  had  a  hobby,  and  he  has  worked  it 
with  excellent  effect.  To  the  new  edition  a  photo- 
graphic chart  of  clouds,  according  to  the  arrange- 
ments and  nomenclature  of  the  International  Cloud 
Conference,  has  been  added  from  photographs  from 
nature  taken  by  Colonel  H.  M.  Saunders  of 
Cheltenham. 

The  book  has  many  values  of  different  kinds  to 
the  archaeologist,  the  student  of  proverbs,  and  the 
observer  of  the  changes  in  the  weather.  It  is  a 
very  interesting  compilation,  for  which  the  grati- 
tude of  many  different  classes  of  students  is  due  to 
the  author. 

*     *     * 

The  Place-Names  of  the  Liverpool  District. 

By   Henry  Harrison.      Cloth,   8vo.,  pp.    104. 

London :  Elliot  Stock. 
Books  on  the  derivation  and  meaning  of  place- 
names  are  too  often  written  by  persons  who  are 
the  least  suited  for  the  task,  and  to  whom  the 
more  improbable  and  impossible  a  derivation,  the 
more  attractive  and  convincing  it  appears,  that  we 
always  open  a  book  on  the  subject  with  a  good 
deal  of  misgiving.  In  the  present  case  we  are  glad 
to  say  that  any  misgiving  was  at  once  removed 
when  the  pages  of  the  book  were  consulted.  Mr. 
Harrison  has  no  idea  of  indulging  in  fancy  guess- 
work, but  treats  his  subject  in  a  thoroughly  true 
and  scientific  manner,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  go 
through  the  pages  of  his  little  book,  and  to  note 
the  well-reasoned  arguments  which  lead  him  to  his 
conclusions.  We  once  heard  of  a  derivation  of  the 
name  of  the  Yorkshire  town  Dewsbury  compiled 
of  as  "  Deus  "  and  "  bury  " — "  God's  Town  " — the 


320 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


idea  being  of  some  connection  with  the  early 
preaching  of  St.  Paulinus  in  the  district,  and  the 
remains  at  Dewsbury  of  some  Saxon  crosses.  Mr. 
Harrison  tells  in  the  introduction  of  a  series  of 
equally  amusing  shots  at  the  derivation  and  mean- 
ing of  names,  which  is  too  good  to  be  lost,  so  we 
venture  to  quote  it  here.  He  alludes  to  "  the  kind 
of  jumping  at  conclusions  which  has,  for  example, 
induced  a  Welshman  to  claim  that  the  name 
Apollo  is  derived  from  the  Cymric  Ap-haul,  '  Son 
of  the  Son ' ;  an  Irishman  to  assert  that  the 
Egyptian  deity  Osiris  was  of  Hibernian  descent, 
and  that  the  name  should  consequently  be  written 
O'Siris ;  a  Cornishman,  saturated  with  the 
Phoenician  tradition,  to  declare  that  his  Honey- 
ball  is  a  corruption  of  Hannibal ;  a  Scotsman  to 
infer  an  affinity  between  the  Egyptian  Pharaoh 
and  the  Gaelic  Fergus ;  and  even  an  Englishman 
to  calmly  asseverate  that  Lambeth  (the  '  lamb 
hithe  '),  containing  the  palace  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  derived  its  name  from  the  Thibetan 
llama,  '  high-priest,'  and  the  Hebrew  beth,  '  house.'  " 
Turning  to  more  serious  matters,  we  at  once 
looked  to  see  what  Mr.  Harrison  made  of  the  name 
"  Liverpool,"  which  is  about  as  puzzling  a  place- 
name  as  any  that  can  be  cited.  After  discussing 
its  various  earlier  forms,  Mr.  Harrison  (and  in  this 
Professor  Skeat  agrees  with  him),  arrives  at  the 
conclusion  that  the  form  is  really  "  Litherpool." 
The  question  then  arises,  What  is  the  meaning 
Professor  Skeat  suggests.  Old  Eng.,  lither,  "bad," 
"dirty,"  or  "stagnant,"  and  that  Litherpool  is 
stagnant  or  sluggish  water,  but,  as  Mr.  Harrison 
points  out,  there  is  the  neighbouring  "  Litherland  " 
as  well,  to  which  there  is  no  reason  for  giving  a 
bad  prefix.  Mr.  Harrison  suggests  the  Norse 
hlith,  "slope,"  as  the  origin  of  the  first  syllable  of 
the  name.  We  certainly  think  that  he  has  made 
out  his  case.  These  remarks  as  to  the  name 
"  Liverpool "  give  the  reader  an  insight  into  the 
character  of  Mr.  Harrison's  work.  The  book  is  a 
thoroughly  satisfactory  one,  even  though  Mr. 
Harrison  may  not  always  be  correct  in  his  solu- 
tions. He  has  proceeded  on  well-reasoned  and 
orderly  lines,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  recognise  in  it 
a  thoroughly  painstaking  piece  of  work. 

*     *     * 

Eighteenth  Century  Letters.     Edited  by  R. 

Brimley  Johnson.      Vol.    L,    Swift,   Addison, 

Steele.     A .  D.  Innes  and  Co. 

The  aim  of  this  series,  of  which  this  is  the  first 

volume,  is  to  present  a  selection  of  the  voluminou 


and  interesting  correspondence  of  the  eighteenth 
century — when  letter-writing  was  indeed  an  art — 
in  groups,  "  each  sufficiently  large  to  create  an 
atmosphere."  There  is  certainly  room  for  such  a 
series,  for  such  letters  can  now  only  be  read  in 
elaborate  and  often  expensive  complete  editions. 
A  good  beginning  has  been  made  with  this  volume. 
An  excellent  introduction  has  been  written  by  Mr. 
Stanley  Lane-Poole.  Of  Swift's  letters  it  is  truly 
remarked  that  they  reveal  the  inner  nature  of  the 
man  far  more  sincerely  than  his  works.  It  is  a 
complete  mistake  to  consider  the  Dean  as  a  mere 
cold-hearted  cynic,  and  we  agree  with  Mr.  Lane- 
Poole  in  considering  him  one  of  the  most  cruelly 
misjudged  of  the  literary  giants  of  those  days. 
Addison,  who  knew  him  intimately,  described 
Jonathan  Swift  as  "  the  most  agreeable  companion, 
the  truest  friend,  and  the  greatest  genius  of  his  age." 
About  200  pages  are  given  to  Swift's  letters,  and 
the  concluding  60  to  Addison  and  Steele,  who  were 
his  contemporaries,  both  being  born  in  1672.  The 
nature  of  these  two  literary  colleagues  comes  to  the 
surface  in  striking  contrast  in  their  letters — Addison 
is  as  prim  and  self-conscious  as  in  his  formal  essays, 
whilst  Steele  is  simple,  honest,  and  frank. 


Note  to  Publishers. — We  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. — Unsolicited  AiSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS. 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 

letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  general  interest^  or  on  some  new 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately., or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  reach  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


321 


The   Antiquary. 


NOVEMBER,  1898. 


j^oteg  of  t!)e  a^ontb. 


The  Crannog,  on  the  foreshore  near  Dum- 
buck,  about  a  mile  east  of  Dumbarton  Rock, 
has  already  yielded  many  curious  and  remark- 
able articles.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
was  come  upon  the  other  day,  and  is  ap- 
parently a  sort  of  ladder  formed  of  oak, 
and  it  is  conjectured  that  it  may  perhaps 
throw  some  light  on  the  probable  height  of 
the  lake-dwellings  of  Crannog.  It  is  made 
of  a  solid  piece  of  oak  about  13  feet  long, 
14  inches  broad,  and  5  inches  thick,  and  the 
six  steps  are  cut  out  of  the  block.  The  lower 
portion,  which  is  the  thickest  part  of  the 
ladder,  shows  the  first  step  to  be  about  4  feet 
from  the  base. 

^  ^  ^ 
We  have  received  a  copy  of  a  circular 
letter  signed  by  Mr.  Hellier  Gosselin,  Mr. 
Lyttleton  (the  headmaster  of  Haileybury), 
and  several  other  local  gentlemen,  which  is 
being  distributed  in  East  Hertfordshire,  sug- 
gesting that  an  archaeological  society  should 
be  founded  in  that  part  of  the  county,  and 
summoning  a  meeting  at  the  Town  Hall, 
Hertford,  on  October  17,  to  consider  the 
matter.  We  are  afraid  that  we  shall  be 
unable  to  chronicle  in  this  number  the  result 
arrived  at,  but  we  very  sincerely  hope  that  as 
a  practical  outcome  of  the  proposal  a  strong 
and  capable  society  may  be  inaugurated. 
The  question  that  strikes  us  is  whether  it 
would  not  be  better  to  endeavour  to  form 
a  new  and  vigorous  society  for  the  whole 
county,  which  should  incorporate  the  smaller 
societies  at  present  existing  therein.     As  a 

VOL.  XXXI V. 


rule,  we  think  the  county  forms  the  most 
convenient  area  for  the  operation  of  local 
societies. 

«$»  «J»  «)1(» 
Our  readers  will,  we  are  sure,  regret  to 
learn  that  the  Exhibition  of  Shropshire 
Antiquities  held  last  May  has  resulted  in 
financial  loss  to  the  guarantors  of  ^^35 2, 
which  entailed  a  call  of  14s.  in  the  ^. 
The  total  receipts  amounted  to  ;^268  i6s., 
whilst  the  expenditure  was  ^620  i6s.  gd. 
The  exhibition  itself  was  most  successful,  a 
magnificent  collection  of  county  objects  of 
interest  being  gathered  together ;  but  the 
attendance  was  meagre  throughout.  This  is 
unfortunate,  as  it  was  the  first  county  exhibi- 
tion of  the  kind  that  has  been  held,  and  it 
may  have  the  effect  of  deterring  other 
archaeological  societies  from  trying  to  hold 
similar  county  exhibitions  elsewhere.  Every- 
thing that  was  possible  was  done  to  ensure 
its  success  :  all  the  municipal  corporations 
lent  their  maces  and  regalia,  the  incumbents 
and  churchwardens  their  church  plate  and 
parish  books,  the  county  gentry  their  family 
portraits  and  plate.  The  catalogue  filled 
140  pages.  Lectures  were  given  twice  each 
day,  not  only  by  local  antiquaries,  but  by 
such  prominent  outsiders  as  Lord  Dillon, 
Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope,  Mr.  J.  H.  Wylie, 
and  others;  but  still  the  public  did  not 
respond. 

One  noteworthy  feature  that  was  suggested 
by  H.M.  Inspector  for  the  district  was  the 
conducting  of  the  higher  standards  of  boys 
and  girls  from  the  elementary  schools  round 
the  exhibition  during  school  hours  in  the 
morning,  and  giving  them  explanatory  lectures 
on  the  objects  exhibited.  This  was  reckoned 
as  a  school  attendance  under  the  new  code. 

The  nobility  and  gentry  of  Shropshire 
responded  most  liberally  to  the  appeal,  and 
lent  their  treasures  for  exhibition,  and  the 
result  was  the  gathering  together  of  a  most 
beautiful  and  unique  collection  of  Shrop- 
shire antiquities.  But  it  is  a  misfortune  that 
it  was  so  badly  patronized  by  the  general 
public. 

^  cjj*  ^ 

One  of  the  papers  read  at  the  Shropshire 
exhibition  was  on  "  Uriconium,"  by  Mr. 
William  Phillips.  Steps  are  now  being 
taken  to  see  whether  a  fund  cannot  be  raised 

TT 


322 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


for  the  purpose  of  excavating  Uriconium, 
which  is  certain  to  yield  most  valuable  results. 
Little  is  known  at  present  of  the  condition  of 
affairs  in  a  civil  Roman  city  in  Britain,  and 
it  is  expected  that  much  new  light  would 
be  thrown  on  this  matter  were  Uriconium 
taken  in  hand.  Lord  Harwood,  the  owner 
of  the  site,  and  the  president  of  the  Shrop- 
shire Archceological  Society,  has  expressed 
his  willingness  to  help.  Mr.  George  Fox 
has  compiled  a  useful  little  "  Guide  to 
Uriconium,"  which  is  sold  only  at  the  spot, 
and  which  gives  visitors  a  succinct  account 
of  the  place.  It  is  very  much  to  be  hoped 
that  it  may  be  found  possible  to  raise  the 
necessary  funds  for  undertaking  the  suggested 
excavation. 

Ap  ^  ^ 
The  Rev.  Canon  Porter,  F.S.A.,  writes : 
"  Mr.  Bailey  invites  suggestions  as  to  the 
arms  at  Stratford.  I  cannot  explain  the 
curious  condition  in  which  they  are  at 
present,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  artist 
meant  them  to  represent — Quarterly.  First 
and  fourth  gu.,  a  fess  between  six  cross  cross- 
lets  or  ;  second  and  third  quarterly  ar.  and 
gu. ;  in  second  and  third  quarters  a  fret  or. 
Over  all  a  bend  azure,  i.e.,  the  cross  crosslets 
of  Beauchamp  quartered  with  the  fret  of 
Despenser.  Richard  Beauchamp,  Earl  of 
Warwick,  married  Isabella,  daughter  and 
co-heiress  of  Thomas  le  Despenser,  Earl  of 
Gloucester,  and  widow  of  another  Richard 
Beauchamp,  Earl  of  Worcester  about 
A.D.  1426.  Of  course,  the  marshalling  is  all 
wrong,  the  proper  arms  being :  Quarterly, 
Beauchamp  and  old  Warwick  with  a  shield 
in  pretence ;  quarterly,  Clare  and  Le  Des- 
penser. I  suspect  that  the  artist  did  not 
know  much  about  heraldry,  which  would 
also  account  for  the  incorrectness  of  the 
other  shield,  which  ought  to  have  France 
modern  in  the  first  and  fourth  quarters 
instead  of  in  the  second  and  third.  The 
painting  probably  dates  from  a.d.  1426  to 
A.D.  1439,  in  which  year  both  the  Earl  and 
his  Countess  died." 

^  ^  ^ 
Our  correspondent,  Mr.  John  Ward,  F.S.A., 
sends  the  following  particulars  of  a  curious 
underground  chamber  discovered  at  Penyfai, 
near  Bridgend,  Glamorgan,  last  June.  He 
says:   "This   chamber  was  found   in   some 


rising  ground  about  300  feet  behind  Tymawr, 
a  Jacobean  farmhouse  at  Penyfai.  It  was 
circular,  and  was  constructed  of  unworked 
stones,  and  plastered  internally,  the  measure- 
ments being  5  feet  in  height,  6  feet  6  inches 
across  the  floor,  and  8  feet  9  inches  across 
the  top.  It  was  entered  from  the  side,  or 
rather  foot,  of  the  hill  by  a  low  tunnel,  with 
sides  of  dry  walling,  and  roofed  with  slabs  of 
stone  2  feet  6  inches  by  2  feet  9  inches,  and 
about  13  feet  in  length.  The  chamber  had 
also  an  outlet  through  its  roof,  which  was 
reached  by  two  projecting  stones  or  steps  in 
its  side.  The  roof  had  been  of  wood,  but 
had  long  since  fallen  in,  and  as  a  consequence 
the  chamber  had  become  filled  with  soil  and 
rubbish.  The  floor  of  both  chamber  and 
passage  was  on  the  same  level,  and  was  not 
paved.  These  particulars  were  given  me  by 
Mr.  William  Riley,  of  Bridgend,  who  examined 
the  structure  before  the  labourers  demolished 
it,  and  who  preserved  all  objects  likely  to 
throw  light  upon  its  history  and  use.  These 
have  been  presented  to  the  Cardiff  Museum 
and  Art  Gallery  by  Mr.  R,  W.  Llewellyn,  of 
Court  Colman,  the  owner  of  the  property. 
They  consist  of  a  Tetbury  farthing  token  of 
1669,  broken  tobacco  pipes,  several  frag- 
ments of  delft  and  many  of  coarse  earthen- 
ware, a  portion  of  a  table-knife  and  sundry 
scraps  of  iron,  two  round  stones  of  the  size 
of  a  small  cannon-ball,  pipe-clay,  etc.  So 
far  as  their  ages  are  determinable,  they  may 
be  assigned  to  the  latter  part  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  and  earlier  part  of  the 
eighteenth,  and  thus  they  furnish  some  idea 
of  the  age  of  the  chamber.  Various  sugges- 
tions have  been  given  respecting  the  use  of 
•this  structure.  One  is  that  it  served  as  a 
hiding-place  for  highwaymen  and  other 
robbers,  and  it  is  urged  in  favour  of  this 
that  the  stone  balls,  if  suitably  mounted  on 
leather  thongs  or  twisted  in  the  feet  of 
stockings,  would  form  deadly  weapons.  But 
it  does  not  seem  likely  that  marauders  of 
this  type  would  go  to  the  trouble  of  erecting 
so  careful  and  laborious  a  retreat,  still  less 
that  they  would  erect  it  within  sight  and  ear- 
shot of  a  large  house.  Another  suggestion 
makes  it  a  '  priest's  hole.'  There  is  nothing 
unlikely  in  this,  but  there  is  no  evidence 
that  Tymawr  was  inhabited  by  a  recusant 
family.     Perhaps   the  most  feasible  sugges- 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


323 


si 


UNDERGROUND    CHAMBER    AT    PENYFAI. 


tion  is  that  it  was  an  illicit  distillery,  and  in 
favour  of  this  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
Mr.  Riley  found  traces  of  charcoal  on  the 
floor  of  the  chamber,  and  that  there  is 
evidence  that  Bridgend  was  notorious  for 
its  smuggling  propensities  150  years  ago. 
If  this  be  the  true  solution,  the  pipe-clay 
may  have  entered  into  the  composition  of  the 
still."  We  are,  ourselves,  disposed  to  believe 
that  the  chamber  was  an  old  charcoal  oven. 

•I?  #  ^ 
Elsewhere,  in  the  present  number  of  the 
Antiquary,  we  have  printed  a  report  (taken 
from  the  Times)  of  a  case  which,  at  the  time 
we  are  writing,  has  been  in  part  heard  before 
one  of  the  London  stipendiary  magistrates, 
in  which  a  man  who  is  called  "  a  private 
surgeon "  (whatever  that  may  mean),  and 
whose  age  is  stated  to  be  only  twenty-five,  is 
charged  with  rifling  tombs,  removing  monu- 
ments, tampering  with  parochial  registers, 
and  forging  wills  in  diocesan  registries,  in 
order  to  fabricate  a  pedigree  for  a  military 
officer,  whose  folly  seems  to  have  been  as 
lavish  as  was  his  expenditure  of  money.  As 
the  case  forms  a  criminal  charge  of  fraud  and 
forgery  against  the  accused,  it  would  be  highly 
improper  were  we  to  make  any  comment  on  it 
at  this  stage  which  might  seem  to  imply  that 
the  accused  is  in  any  way  guilty  of  the  charge 
laid  against  him,  and  to  which  he  may,  for  all 
we  know,  have  a  full  and  satisfactory  answer. 
This,  however,  does  not  apply  to  the  other 
persons  who  figure  in  the  case,  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Home  Secretary,  the  Vicar 
of  Mangotsfield,  and  other  persons.  Accord- 
ing to  the  admission  of  these  public  officers, 


a  young  man  who  was  a  perfect  stranger  to 
them,  and  furnished  with  no  credentials  of 
any  kind,  was  able  to  obtain  leave  to  open 
graves,  tamper  with  monuments,  carry  away 
parochial  and  other  records,  and  pretty  well 
turn  things  upside  down  as  he  liked.  Now, 
the  people  who  allowed  all  this  would  have 
been  thought  very  foolish,  and  no  more,  if 
they  had  permitted  a  stranger  to  play  the  fool 
in  this  fashion  with  things  belonging  to  them- 
selves. But  when  they  are  the  recognised 
custodians  of  public  property,  and  allow  such 
pranks  to  be  played  with  it,  as  they  them- 
selves assert  that  they  did,  their  conduct 
becomes  culpable  in  the  highest  degree ;  and 
however  disagreeable  it  may  be  to  do  so,  it 
becomes  a  duty  to  speak  very  plainly  in  the 
matter.  How  was  it,  the  public  will  want  to 
know,  that  permission  was  given  by  the  Home 
Office  to  open  the  graves  ?  How  was  it  that 
the  Vicar  and  churchwardens  of  Mangotsfield 
allowed  the  ancient  monuments  in  that 
church  to  be  shifted  about  and  tampered 
with?  and  how  was  it  that  the  parochial  records 
were  entrusted  to  a  perfect  stranger,  who 
broug-ht  no  credentials  with  him  ?  These 
are  serious  matters,  and  they  demand  serious 
attention,  and  call  for  a  serious  explanation, 
if  indeed  one  can  be  given  of  them. 

^  ^  ^ 
With  reference  to  this  matter,  the  secretary  of 
one  of  our  leading  antiquarian  societies  writes  : 
"  The  whole  thing  is  a  curious  commentary 
on  this  boasted  period,  when  we  have  a  man, 
a  stranger,  going  to  a  village  and,  without 
any  inquiry  as  to  his  credentials  is  permitted 
by  the  parson — we  may  take  it  an  educated 

TT   2 


324 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


man — to  dig  up  coffins,  remove  tombstones 
and  the  organ,  etc.,  take  away  registers,  and, 
worst  of  all,  have  the  parish  chest  presented 
to  him  by  the  vicar  and  churchwardens,  with- 
out faculty  or  anything !  But  the  oddest 
thing  of  all  is,  that  the  Home  Secretary 
should  grant  the  applicant  an  order  to  dig  up 
coffins  in  two  other  churchyards  on  his  state- 
ment merely  that  he  was  an  Oxford  man ! 

"  I  sincerely  hope  the  Afitiguary  will  pitch 
into  the  people  concerned,  and  point  out  the 
necessity  for  greater  care  in  granting  these 
authorities,  and  also  in  the  issue  of  faculties. 
Indeed  the  faculty  business  is  a  mere  farce  in 
my  opinion." 

^  ^  ^ 
We  mentioned  in  these  Notes  last  month 
that  the  Hertfordshire  and  Shropshire  County 
Councils  had  taken  in  hand  the  compilation 
of  a  list  of  the  parochial  records  extant  within 
the  areas  of  the  two  counties  named.  We 
have  received  from  Mr.  Peele,  Clerk  to  the 
Shropshire  County  Council,  a  copy  of  the 
Interim  Report  of  the  Clerk  and  Deputy  Clerk 
of  the  County  Council  of  Salop  upon  certain 
Parish  Documents,  etc.  {Ecclesiastical  and 
Secular),  inspected  by  them.  This  compact 
report  shows  at  a  glance  the  great  value  of 
such  work  being  taken  in  hand  generally. 
It  seems  to  us  that  the  Salop  Interim  Report 
would  form  a  very  good  model  for  other 
County  Councils.  In  sending  it,  Mr.  Peele 
states  that  he  believes  the  Salop  County 
Council  was  the  first  (not  Hertfordshire)  in 
the  field.  We  trust  that  all  the  other  County 
Councils  will  follow  suit  without  delay. 

^  #  ^ 
A  correspondent  of  a  local  paper  in  Devon- 
shire writes  to  complain  of  a  threatened  act 
of  Vandalism  at  Dartmouth.  He  says : 
"  Most  visitors  to  this  ancient  town  will 
remember  the  whitewashed  little  building 
facing  the  west  end  of  St.  Saviour's  Church, 
and  every  artistic  eye  has  been  arrested  by 
the  town  arms  carved  upon  its  southern  wall, 
a  work  of  true  heraldic  feeling.  Beneath 
this  is  a  heart-shaped  shield,  with  an  incised 
date,  1823,  referring,  doubtless,  to  some 
repairs  to  the  upper  part  of  the  structure. 
Internal  examination  would  probably  assign 
its  erection  to  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  Briefly,  it  is  the  old  town  gaol, 
now  no  longer  used.     A  wall  about  7  feet 


high  encloses  a  narrow  area  in  front,  which 
gives  access  to  two  cells.  Each  of  them 
measures  12  feet  deep  by  7^  feet  wide,  has 
a  plain  vaulted  ceiling,  and  is  lighted  by  a 
small,  heavily-barred  and  cross-barred  un- 
glazed  window.  Massive  oak  doors,  studded 
with  huge  nails  and  clamped  by  ornamental 
gothic  hinges,  such  as  are  on  churches, 
afford  entrance  to  these  gloomy  chambers. 
The  walls  are  3  feet  thick,  and  are  rendered 
additionally  secure  by  internal  battening  and 
stout  iron  bands  in  all  directions.  From  the 
lower  part  of  the  walls  depend  the  shackles 
used  300  years  ago  to  fasten  the  prisoners. 
Amongst  a  mass  of  long- neglected  lumber 
are  the  manacles  and  handcuffs  of  bygone 
days,  and  other  curiosities.  The  old  town 
stocks  are  placed  on  end  against  the  wall. 
The  whole  aspect  of  the  interior,  made  strong 
enough  to  cage  a  tiger,  seems  calculated  to 
strike  terror  into  a  prisoner,  whether  inno- 
cent or  guilty,  and  its  very  character,  illus- 
trating as  it  does  a  period  of  English  history 
when  treachery  and  cruelty  were  rampant 
both  in  Church  and  State,  and  when  expres- 
sing one's  opinions  was  requited  by  torture 
or  roasting  alive,  should  quicken  our  grati- 
tude that  we  live  in  happier  days,  and  at  the 
same  time  guarantee  the  preservation  of  so 
interesting  a  monument.  The  Town  Council 
of  Dartmouth  are,  however,  we  are  told,  in- 
viting tenders  to  have  the  place  cleared  out 
and  refitted  as  a  receptacle  for  the  muni- 
cipal archives,  which  simply  means  the  total 
obliteration  of  its  character  as  an  historical 
relic." 

^  ^  ^ 
Mr.  Penruddocke,  of  Compton  Park,  Wilts, 
kindly  writes  that  he  has  two  powder  testers 
or  iprouvettes,  more  or  less  similar  to  those 
already  described  and  figured  in  the  Anti- 
quary. Of  the  older  of  the  two  Mr.  Pen- 
ruddocke encloses  a  rough  sketch.  He  states 
that  both  the  eprouvettes  have  always  been 
in  his  family,  and  that  such  articles  "appear 
to  have  been  in  constant  use  by  persons  who 
used  gunpowder  either  for  military  or  sporting 
purposes." 

•){?         «il(»         ^ 
A  local  antiquary  writes  from  Lancashire : 

"Since  the  end  of  1895  excavations  on 
the  site  of  the  Roman  station  at  Wilderspool 
for  obtaining  sand,  and  thus  bodily  removing 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


325 


the  subsoil,  have  from  time  to  time  afforded 
sHght  but  very  suggestive  archaeological 
results.  As  usual,  the  fragments  of  pottery 
have  been  abundant,  including  all  the  ordinary 
kinds  of  ware — black  and  gray  Upchurch  ; 
coarse  red,  supposed  to  be  of  local  manu- 
facture ;  a  few  pieces  of  Castor  or  Duro- 
brevian,  ornamented  with  the  characteristic 
engobe  or  slip  ;  and  a  large  proportion  of 
Samian,  embossed  and  smooth.  Out  of  twenty 
potter's  stamps  found  upon  the .  latter,  the 
only  one  not  included  in  Wright's  List  is 
*EDA,'  or  'lEDA.'  Among  the  few  coins,  a 
denarius  of  Severus,  and  a  third  brass  of 
Constantine  I.  in  perfect  preservation,  bring 
down  the  date  of  the  station  a  century  and 
a  half  later  than  any  previously  discovered. 
A  rude  altar,  20  inches  in  height,  found  in 
September,  1896,  ornamented  with  round 
mouldings  along  the  front,  and  d^ prcefericulum 
on  one  side,  was  without  inscription.  Sections 
exposed  of  the  great  military  highway  running 
north  and  south  through  the  station  were 
fully  4  feet  in  thickness,  with  four  alternate 
layers  of  sandstone,  rubble,  and  gravel  coming 
close  to  the  surface,  and  forming  a  distinct 
agger.     Its  breadth  was  uniformly  8  yards. 

"  The  structural  remains  uncovered  were 
beneath  the  level  of  the  ordinary  Roman 
stratum.  They  included  (i)  a  draw- well, 
10  feet  deep  and  about  3  feet  across,  lined 
with  sandstone  blocks  roughly  voussoired 
with  a  pick,  and  set  in  a  backing  of  clay, 
3  feet  thick,  without  mortar ;  (2)  a  square 
cell,  of  about  the  same  depth  and  4  feet 
across,  with  walls  built  up  of  large  blocks  of 
sandstone  rudely  squared  with  a  hammer, 
and  a  few  boulders  set  in  clay  from  top  to 
bottom,  and  22  inches  thick. 

"At  the  beginning  of  April  last  a  small 
grant  from  the  Historic  Society  of  Lancashire 
and  Cheshire  enabled  systematic  exploration 
to  be  started  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  T. 
May,  who  has  been  assisted  from  time  to 
time  by  Mr.  PMward  W.  Cox,  of  Rock  Ferry, 
Birkenhead,  and  Mr.  R.  I).  Radcliffe,  secretary 
of  the  society.  The  subscriptions  of  a  few 
private  individuals,  including  the  owners  of 
the  land,  Messrs.  Greenall,  Whitley  and  Co., 
Wilderspool,  have  continued  the  work,  and 
a  small  grant  has  now  been  promised  for  the 
same  purpose  by  the  Museum  Committee  of 
the  Warrington  Corporation.     These  special 


excavations  have  already  been  successful. 
Clay  floors,  foundations  of  buildings  bedded 
in  clay,  stone  slabs  lining  a  fire-hole  and 
another  draw-well  similar  to  the  one  above 
described,  were  soon  uncovered  along  the 
east  side  of  the  'Via,'  about  100  yards  from 
its  termination  upon  the  bank  of  the  river 
Mersey.  Outside  these  foundations  were 
quantities  of  mineral  coal,  iron  slag,  lumps 
of  iron,  scorije,  and  iron  nails,  the  latter 
weighing  fully  a  quarter  of  a  hundredweight. 

"  More  recent  excavations  on  the  west  side 
of  the  '  Via '  close  to  the  river  have  brought 
to  light  the  footings  of  an  immense  wall, 
9  feet  thick,  the  bottom  course  of  its  inner 
face  being  set  close  to  the  edge  of  the  '  Via,' 
The  larger  blocks,  about  30  x  20  x  12  inches 
on  its  outer  face,  are  of  good  freestone 
brought  from  a  distance.  The  inside  has 
been  formed  of  a  bed  of  sandstone  rubble, 
8  or  9  inches  thick,  overlaid  with  a  layer 
of  puddled  clay,  and  filled  in  with  rubble. 
The  subsoil  is  a  deep  bed  of  pure  glacial 
sand,  forming  a  solid  foundation,  in  which 
any  artificial  disturbance  can  be  clearly 
traced.  The  sand  has  been  mixed  with 
loam  to  form  a  bedding  for  the  wall,  which 
does  not  descend,  as  a  rule,  more  than  2  feet 
below  the  original  surface.  The  abundant 
deposits  of  clay  all  over  the  station  have  been 
proved  by  analysis  to  be  derived  from  the 
Ackers  Pits,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
distant.  The  foundations  of  this  wall  have 
been  exposed  by  a  series  of  nine  trenches  for 
more  than  100  yards  of  its  length. 

"  Ten  feet  from  its  outside  or  west  face  a 
small  ditch,  7  feet  wide  and  5^  feet  deep, 
below  the  present  surface,  has  been  found 
running  parallel  to  the  wall  along  its  northern 
or  river  end.  Four  cuts  have  been  already 
made  across  it,  and  exploratory  trenches  are 
being  extended  in  the  same  direction. 

"These  structural  remains  have  led  to  the 
belief  that  the  Wilderspool  station  was  of 
much  greater  importance  than  previously 
supposed. 

"  Beneath  one  of  the  large  freestone  blocks 
above-mentioned,  a  mason's  foot-rule  (reguia) 
of  bronze,  mentioned  last  month,  and 
measuring  exactly  1 1  '5  inches  in  length  when 
opened  out,  was  discovered  by  Mr.  May  on 
the  9th  instant  while  observing  the  operations. 
It  is  in  almost  perfect  condition,  with  beauti- 


326 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


fully-formed  hinge  and  inch  markings,  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  stop  for  holding  it  open 
being  broken  off. 

'•  A  few  days  later  Mr.  May  was  successful 
in  recovering  a  portion  of  a  tile  bearing  a 
very  faint  impression  of  a  stamp.  Though 
incomplete,  it  is  highly  interesting,  as  being 
the  only  inscription  as  yet  found  on  the  site." 

^  ^  ^ 
A  correspondent  writes  from  Winchester : 
The  old  royal  city,  so  rich  in  glorious 
buildings — Cathedral,  St.  Cross,  St.  Mary's 
College,  Castle  Hall,  and  antique  churches — 
has  just  augmented  its  attractions  by  restor- 
ing and  throwing  open  the  sole  existing  City 
Gate  to  the  public  as  a  museum  and  an 
example  of  a  gate-house,  and  the  Corporation 
and  their  sub  committee  are  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  the  work  done,  the  triumvirate 
being  the  Mayor  (Mr.  A.  Bowker),  and  Coun- 
cillors Jacob  and  Goodbody.  From  the  time 
of  Philip  and  Mary,  down  to  the  middle  of 
the  last  century,  the  place  was  a  prison  for 
debtors  and  persons  unable  to  find  sureties 
for  good  behaviour,  and  part  of  the  existing 
inn  on  the  north  was  the  "  Porter's  Lodge." 
After  the  prison  the  large  space  above  the 
arch  spanning  the  road  into  High  Street  was 
devoted  to  entertainments  and  a  smoking- 
room.  In  this  century  the  Corporation 
utilized  it  as  a  muniment-room,  where,  to 
suit  it  for  such,  arches  were  blocked  up, 
walls  and  ceiling  plastered,  and  cupboards, 
shelves,  and  other  abominations  erected,  and 
the  placed  closed  against  all  citizens  and 
visitors.  With  the  above  trio  of  citizens  the 
whole  of  this  veneer  was  removed,  with  the 
result  that  the  post-Perpendicular  arch  and 
portcullis  grooves  and  irons  on  the  western 
side  were  uncovered,  also  two  oillets,  used 
by  the  ancient  archers  or  crossbow-men. 
These  were  all  of  possibly  William  of  Wyke- 
ham's  time,  as  are  the  machicoulis  and  the 
ornaments  on  the  string  courses  of  the 
western  front.  The  two  windows  towards  the 
High  Street  are  of  Henry  HI.'s  time.  The 
removal  of  the  plaster  from  the  walls  has 
revealed  scores  of  inscriptions  by  prisoners 
and  others,  also  carvings  of  arms,  rude  repre- 
sentations of  a  ship  and  a  face,  religious 
emblems,  the  earliest  date  being  1591,  the 
latest  about  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century.      In  a  blocked-up  window  (to   be 


reopened),  which  once  lighted  an  approach 
on  the  north,  is  a  carving  of  the  crucifixion. 
The  ceiling  and  oak  rafters  are  possibly  late 
Tudor,  covered  with  an  eighteenth-century 
flat  leaden  roof,  from  which  the  panorama  of 
town,  hills  and  valley  is  lovely.  A  feature 
of  the  interior  is  the  gift  of  Dr.  Stephens, 
the  Dean,  viz.,  two  massive  oaken  beams, 
from  the  Norman  timbers  of  the  Cathedral, 
used  to  support  a  weak  rafter  across  the 
western  wall.  One  of  the  chambers  is 
utilized  for  exhibiting  armour,  the  standard 
weigh's  of  England  {temp.  Henry  VII.  and 
Elizabeth),  old  seals  of  Edward  I.  and  later 
ones,  curious  arms,  fire-backs  and  andirons 
from  a  Manor  house  of  the  Tichbornes;  a 
Tudor  coffer,  the  old  volunteer  colours,  and 
the  great  bronze  warders'  horn  of  Winchester 
Castle,  a  fine  instrument  of  the  time  of  King 
Stephen  possibly.  Some  fragments  of  rich 
Norman  work  from  the  chapel  of  St.  Mary- 
on-the-Foss  are  built  into  the  walls  under  the 
floor.  An  entrance  from  the  pavement  is 
closed  by  a  massive  oak  and  nail-studded 
door  from  the  ancient  but  long  ago  destroyed 
City  Gaol,  which  stood  near  the  site  of  a 
chapel  and  camery,  founded  by  three  citizens 
of  Winchester,  named  Inkpen,  in  the  eleventh 
century.  This  door  was  given  by  Mr.  Coun- 
cillor Easther. 

•ijp  "ij?  "iS? 
Book-Prices  Current  is  so  well  known  and  so 
useful  a  publication  that  it  is  needless  to  say 
anything  in  commendation  of  it.  We  note, 
however,  that  a  second  volume  has  appeared 
in  1898.  The  explanation  of  this  is  that  the 
volume  just  issued  has  been  completed  up 
to  last  September,  instead  of  December  as 
formerly.  The  reasons  for  the  change  (which 
was  suggested  by  the  Athe7icBum  and  in  other 
quarters)  is  that  the  auction-year  ends  with 
September,  and  that  it  is,  therefore,  a  more 
convenient  arrangement  to  make  Book-Prices 
Current  correspond  with  the  yearly  book- 
auction  season.  The  volume  just  issued 
contains,  as  usual,  Mr.  Slater's  useful  pithy 
notes  where  needed,  and  includes  the  account 
of  the  sale  of  the  Ashburnham  Library.  The 
change  of  date  in  its  publication  will,  we  be- 
lieve, be  very  generally  commended,  and  it 
seems  desirable  to  draw  attention  to  it,  and 
to  the  fact  that  the  volume  covering  the  sales 
of  the  late  season  is  now  issued. 


THE  ENCROACHMENTS  OF  THE  SEA. 


327 


Mr.  John  Ward,  F.S.A.,  when  recently 
writing  to  us  from  Cardiff,  says  :  "  I  send 
you  notices  relating  to  the  Proclamation 
of  the  Eisteddfod,  which  is  to  be  held  in 
Cardiff  next  year.  A  permanent  circle  of 
huge  rough  quarried  stones  has  been  set  up 
in  the  Cathays  Park  here,  which  strangely 
contrasts  with  the  modernity  around.  It 
was  erected  under  Mr.  T.  H.  ^Ihomas's 
supervision.  The  brief  outline  of  Gorsedd 
lore  is  from  his  pen,  and  is  the  only  ele- 
mentary all-round  'primer'  I  have  seen 
upon  the  subject ;  but  Mr.  Thomas  tells  me 
that  many  of  its  statements  are  controverted. 
I  know  very  little  of  '  Druidism.'  I  think  it 
is  generally  allowed  that  in  its  present  form 
it  has  a  mediaeval  origin,  or,  rather,  it  is  of 
mediaeval  reconstruction.  At  any  rate,  the 
Proclamation  was  a  most  unusual,  pictur- 
esque, and  somewhat  weird  ceremony,  wit- 
nessed by  probably  20,000  people.  The 
only  fault  was  the  lack  of  dignity  and  order 
on  the  part  of  the  Druids  and  other  officials. 
A  private  rehearsal  or  two  would  have  been 
useful." 


Cf)e  OBncroacbments  of  tbe 

^ea,  anti  tfte  consequent  losses 

to  arcteologp. 

LTHOUGH  primarily  a  matter  of 
geology,  yet  the  constant  encroach- 
ment of  the  sea  on  various  portions 
of  the  coast  has  its  archaeological 
significance,  as  a  number  of  ancient  landmarks 
are  gradually  destroyed  and  submerged.  A 
year  or  two  ago  the  notable  landmark  of  Eccles 
Church  tower,  in  Norfolk,  was  swept  away 
by  the  waves,  the  church  having  perished 
previously,  and  more  lately  there  has  been 
a  landslip  near  Cromer.  This  has  led  the 
Globe  to  summarize  the  matter  in  a  short 
paragraph,  which  may  not  be  inappropriately 
transferred  to  our  pages,  for  it  contains  much 
that  is  very  startling,  and,  it  must  be  added, 
unpleasant  reading  to  the  antiquary. 

The  Globe  observes :  With  the  land- 
slip at  Cromer  the  other  day  another  bit 
of  old   England   disappeared ;  and  the   oc- 


currence serves  to  remind  us  of  a  fact  that 
is  not  usually  remembered — that  nearly  the 
entire  coastline  represented  by  the  counties 
of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  is  gradually  melting 
away  before  the  waves.  At  Cromer  the 
waves  break  over  heaps  of  debris  which 
once,  and  not  so  very  long  ago,  formed  the 
brick  wall  of  a  lighthouse.  The  Cromer  of 
old  Roman  times  cannot  be  located — it  is 
more  than  two  miles  out  at  sea.  When 
Domesday  Book  was  compiled,  we  are  re- 
minded, Cromer  was  a  mere  hamlet  of  Ship- 
den  and  an  inland  town.  For  a  century  and 
more  Shipden  has  had  no  existence.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  century  the  remains  of  its 
church  were  discernible  at  low  water.  The 
cliffs  at  Hunstanton  are  being  eaten  away 
yard  by  yard,  and  there  is  an  inn  at  Shering- 
ham  now  close  to  the  sea  which  was  built 
thirty  years  ago  at  what  was  then  regarded 
as  a  safe  distance  inland.  Eccles  is  now* 
represented  only  by  the  tower  of  the  ruined 
church  ;  all  else  has  gone,  together  with  what 
was  once  the  seaside  village  at  Wimpwell. 
Suffolk  is  disappearing  in  the  same  manner 
and  with  the  same  rapidity.  Dunwich  has 
been  travelling  inland  for  an  untold  number 
of  years — new  houses,  churches,  and  public 
buildings  have  been  erected  farther  back  as 
the  old  ones  were  washed  away.  Other 
places  which  have  exhibited  the  same  pheno- 
menon are  Bawdsey,  Corton,  Aldborough, 
and  Pakefield.  Kent  presents  us  with  other 
examples  of  the  encroachments  of  the  sea. 
All  that  is  left  of  Reculver,  for  instance,  is 
the  ruined  old  church,  washed  at  its  base  by 
the  sea.  Heme  Bay  is  no  longer  a  bay 
proper,  having  been  scraped  away  to  a 
straight  line ;  and  the  North  Foreland,  the 
cliffs  of  Dover,  Folkestone,  Hythe,  Hastings, 
Beachy  Head,  and  Lyme  Regis,  have  all  their 
tale  to  tell  of  the  robbing  of  the  land  by  the 
relentless  sea.  It  was  stated  at  a  recent 
meeting  of  the  Society  of  Engineers  that  the 
rate  of  the  encroachment  of  the  sea  upon  the 
land  was  2  feet  per  annum  between  Westgate 
and  Margate.  At  St.  Margaret's  Bay  it  was 
4  feet  6  inches ;  at  New  Romney  Level, 
8  feet;  at  Lancing  village,  Sussex,  18  feet; 
from  East  Wittering  to  the  mouth  of  Chiches- 
ter  harbour,    10   feet  to    15    feet;    at   East 

*  This  is  a  mistake  ;  the  tower  was  destroyed  by 
the  sea  about  three  years  ago. — Ed.  Ant. 


328 


THE  ENCROACHMENTS  OF  THE  SEA. 


Bavent,  north  of  Southwold,  2 1  feet  to  30  feet ; 
and  at  Westward  Ho  about  30  feet. 

"We  turn  north  again  to  Lincolnshire, 
where  the  land  is  extremely  flat,  and  subject 
as  a  consequence  to  inundations.  Here, 
however,  though  infinite  damage  has  been 
done,  man  has  sought  to  battle  against  the 
sea  by  raising  embankments  to  resist  its  pro- 
gress, and  with  a  fair  measure  of  success. 
Yorkshire  has  suffered,  like  Norfolk  and  the 
more  northern  counties,  by  the  undermining 
and  washing  away  of  its  cliffs.  Where  the 
cliffs  are  of  chalk,  as  at  Flamborough  Head, 
caves  have  been  scooped  out  of  the  waves, 
and  portions  of  cliff  isolated  into  fantastic 
needle  and  obelisk  forms.  Where  the  cliff 
or  beach  is  lower,  and  composed  of  a  mixture 
of  chalk,  rubble,  clay,  gravel,  and  sand,  the 
destruction  has  been  more  marked.  You 
might  look  in  vain  for  the  old  Yorkshire 
seaside  towns  or  villages  of  Auburn,  Hart- 
burn,  and  Hyde ;  they  are  gone,  buried 
beneath  the  waters.  Hornsea,  too,  with 
Owthwaite*  and  Kilnsea,  are  gradually  under- 
going the  same  pitiless  fate ;  old  men  shake 
their  heads  at  the  amount  of  destruction 
they  have  witnessed.  Tynemouth  Castle,  in 
Northumberland,  is  now  on  the  very  brink 
of  the  sea ;  but  time  was  when  there  was  a 
good  stretch  of  fertile  land  between  it  and 
the  salt  water.  Turn  to  the  east  coast  of 
Scotland,  and  the  same  gradual  swallowing- 
up  process  is  repeated.  The  old  town  of 
Findhorn  on  the  Moray  Firth  is  gone  half 
a  mile  into  the  sea.  There  is  a  town  of  the 
same  name  there  now,  but  it  is  not  the 
original  one.  The  sea  has  also  swallowed  up 
the  village  of  Mathers  in  Kincardineshire,  and 
a  little  farther  south  we  find  evidence  that,  near 
Arbroath,  gardens  and  houses  have  gradually 
been  submerged.  The  first  lighthouse  at 
the  mouth  of  Tay  was  built  on  a  portion  of 
coast  which  is  now  quite  under  water.  On 
the  opposite  coast  of  Fife,  at  St.  Andrews, 
the  sea  is  gradually  claiming  the  land ;  Car- 
dinal Beaton's  Castle  overhangs  the  cliff  in 
some  places,  and  must  in  time  succumb. 
Similar  marine  encroachments  are  evident 
all  the  way  along  to  Fifeness.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Tantallon  Castle,  on  the 
coast  of  Haddingtonshire,  whose  base  is 
being  gradually  undermined." 

♦  This  name  should  be  Outhorne. — Ed.  Ant. 


Cf)urc{)  J13ote0. 


By  the  late  Sir  Stephen  Glvnne,  Bart. 


V.  LINCOLNSHIRE  {concluded).— GKkm- 
THORPE,  SOMERSBY,  TATTERSHALL,  ETC. 

ETURNING  across  the  spacious 
and  dreary  fen,  we  arrived  at 
the  village  of  Yarborough.  The 
Church  is  a  small  fabric,  con- 
sisting of  a  nave  and  north  aisle,  and  a 
chancel.  The  nave  is  divided  from  the  north 
aisle  by  pointed  arches  rising  from  octagon 
pillars.  The  windows  are  Perpendicular. 
There  is  one  at  the  end  of  the  north  aisle 
painted  gaudily  in  the  modern  taste.  The 
Tower  has  an  elegant  western  doorway, 
which  is  the  only  beauty  in  the  Church. 
It  seems  Perpendicular,  and  is  formed  of  a 
pointed  arch  beneath  a  label,  elegantly 
moulded  and  ornamented  with  representa- 
tions of  fruit,  foliage,  etc.  The  Church  is 
built  of  the  bad  dark-coloured  stone,  and 
has  greatly  suffered  from  modern  innovation. 
The  interior  contains  not  a  single  object 
worth  attention. 


"April  26'"  [1825].— This  day  began  by 
being  very  hazy,  which  seemed  very  un- 
fortunate, as  we  were  to  pass  through  country 
not  at  all  devoid  of  rural  beauty.  Going 
down  the  Spilsby  road  for  some  way,  we 
came  to  the  village  of  Ormsby,  near  which 
is  a  very  pretty  park  with  fine  trees.  The 
village  has  a  rural  and  picturesque  appear- 
ance. The  church  is  prettily  situated  on  an 
eminence,  and  has  a  good  tower  crowned 
with  pinnacles.  It  consists  of  a  nave  and 
chancel,  and  seems  to  have  been  tastefully 
repaired  with  brick  in  many  parts.  The 
chancel  contains  some  good  Decorated 
windows,  and  has  a  south  chapel,  at  the 
western  end  of  which  is  a  Norman  doorway 
ornamented  with  a  double  billet  moulding. 
The  Church  has  a  gallery  and  Organ  at  the 
west  end.  We  did  not  examine  the  interior. 
From  thence  we  passed  over  some  country 
pleasingly  varied  by  hill  and  dale,  which 
must  in  the  summer  time  be  exceedingly 
pretty.  The  next  village  was  Tetford,  which 
is  very  prettily  situated  in  a  valley.  In  this 
parish   was    dug   up   some    years    back   an 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


329 


ancient  font  of  small  and  narrow  proportions, 
an  octagon  in  form,  and  of  early  {sic)  Early 
English  work,  having  the  rope  moulding  and 
the  nail  head.     It  is  said  to  have  belonged 
to    another   Church.     The    present    parish 
church  consists   of  a    [Clerestoried]*  nave, 
south  aisle  and  chancel,  with  a  Tower  at 
the  west  end,  which  has  a  cornice  of  quatre- 
foils   at  the  top.     There  is  a  long   narrow 
window  at  the  west  end  of  the  south  aisle, 
which  has  externally  an  ogee  canopy  cinque- 
foiled  and  adorned  with  finial  and  crockets. 
The  other  windows  are  Perpendicular,  that 
have   not  been   viHfied.     The  Church  had 
formerly  a   north    aisle,    now   blocked   up. 
The   nave   is   divided   from    each   aisle   by 
[three]*   pointed   arches   on  octagon   piers. 
Above  them  is  a  Perpendicular  Clerestory. 
The   Font   is   octagon,   and   moulded   with 
leaves  curled  up.      It  is  supported   on   an 
octagon  shaft.     In  a  chest   is   preserved  a 
helmet   and   some  ancient  armour   said   to 
belong  to  the  Dymoke  family.! 

["Tetford,  S.  Mary,  1867.— The  aisles 
and  clerestory  have  no  parapets.  The  north 
aisle  has  been  lately  added,  and  has  poor 
Gothic  windows,  and  there  was  once  an  aisle 
north  of  the  church  as  seen  by  an  arch  in 
the  wall.  The  Chancel  arch  has  no  Caps. 
The  Chancel  has  a  high,  slated  roof.  The 
Clerestory  windows  have  two  lights,  and  are 
of  ordinary  character.  There  is  one  Decorated 
window  at  the  east  of  the  south  aisle.  The 
windows  of  the  Chancel  have  new  coloured 
glass.  The  tower  is  rather  good  Perpen- 
dicular, has  strong  buttresses  and  bold 
gurgoyles,  and  an  incipient  parapet  of  pierced 
quatrefoils.  On  the  west  side  a  three-light 
window  and  doorway,  with  continued  mould- 
ing. The  belfry  windows  are  of  two  lights, 
with  more  of  a  Decorated  character.] 

"  From  Tetford  to  Somersby  the  country 
is  extremely  rural,  and  beautifully  varied  by 
hill,  dale,  and  luxuriant  wood.  Within  a 
wood  in  Somersby  parish  is  a  beautiful  dale, 
in  which  there  is  a  spring  issuing  from  a 
rock  called  the  Holy  Well.     Somersby  con- 

*  The  words  in  square  brackets  are  in  the  ink 
and  writing  of  1867. 

t  Murray's  ifaMrf&oo^  to  Lincolnshire  (1890),  p.  151, 
speaks  of  a  monument  in  Tetford  Church  to  a 
Captain  Dymoke,  1749,  "with  a  breastplate  and 
huge  helmet  over  it."  Perhaps  these  are  the 
objects  Sir  S.  Glynne  saw  in  the  parish  chest. 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


sists  of  only  twelve  houses.  The  Church  is 
a  homely  and  humble  structure,  consisting 
only  of  a  body  and  chancel,  with  a  low 
tower.  The  body  is  thatched,  which  gives 
it  a  very  rustic  air.  The  windows  are  Per- 
pendicular. On  the  floor  of  the  nave  are 
some  slabs  with  black-letter  inscriptions,  one 
of  which  bears  the  date  1500.  In  the  wall 
of  the  Chancel  is  a  brass  plate,  on  which 
is  sculptured  the  figure  of  a  person  robed 
kneeling  on  a  cushion  before  a  table. 
Beneath  is  this  inscription : 

" '  Here  lyeth  George  Littlebury  of 
Sonnersby  seventh  sonne  of  Thomas 
Littlebury  of  Stainsbie  Esq  :  who  died 
the  13  daye  of  Octob.  in  the  yeare  of 
our  Lord  1612  being  about  the  age  of 
73  years.' 

"  The  Font  is  plain  and  octagon. 

"  In  the  Churchyard  is  a  very  beautiful 
Cross  in  good  preservation,  having  a  base- 
ment from  which  rises  a  tall  octagonal  shaft 
which  has  a  capital,  above  which  is  a  cross, 
bearing  on  one  side  a  figure  of  our  Saviour, 
on  the  opposite  side  a  figure  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  The  cross  is  surmounted  by  an 
elegant  canopy  embattled.  The  whole  is 
in  good  preservation.  Near  Somersby  Church 
is  a  fine  ancient  Manor-House  of  brick. 

["  1867,  Somersby  S.  Margaret. — Somersby 
Church  is  no  longer  thatched.  The  walls 
are  of  mixed  sandstone  and  brick,  the 
windows  Perpendicular,  of  two  lights.  Within 
the  south  porch  is  a  pointed  doorway  with 
continuous  moulding.  In  the  porch  is  a 
stoup.]* 

*  Somersby,  as  the  birthplace  of  Tennyson,  has 
acquired  a  new  and  greater  element  of  interest  than 
before.  The  rectory  house  where  he  was  bom  is 
still  standing,  and  has  become  the  goal  of  pilgrimages 
from  far  and  near.  His  father  was  Rector  of 
Somersby  at  the  time  of  Sir  Stephen  Glynne's 
first  visit  to  the  parish.  The  accompanying  picture 
of  the  church  and  churchyard  cross  copied  from 
an  engraving  published  in  1811  in  the  Antiquarian 
and  Topographical  Cabinet  shows  very  much  what 
Sir  Stephen  Glynne  saw  and  noted  fourteen  years 
later.  Ancient  churches  with  thatched  roofs  have 
become  exceedingly  uncommon.  Perhaps  a  couple 
of  score  still  remain,  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  them  in 
Norfolk.  Their  number  is  constantly  diminishing. 
The  churchyard  cross  at  Somersby  is  practically 
unique,  not  another  of  its  kind  having  escaped 
destruction. 

UU 


330 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


"  From  Somersby  we  went  through  the 
village  of  Ashby  and  some  other  insignificant 
places  to  Horncastle,  where  we  stayed  not 
a  moment,  but  immediately  set  out  for 
Tattershall,  in  order  to  secure  the  fine 
evening  for  the  view  from  the  top  of  the 
Castle.  We  accordingly  went.  The  first 
village  is  Haltham,  the  Church  of  which  is 
small  but  yet  very  well  worth  visiting  from 
the  extreme  beauty  of  its  East  window,  which 
is  of  the  richest  and  most  elaborate  Decorated 
work.  The  south  doorway  is  also  worthy 
of  attention,  being  a  good  Norman  specimen. 
The  head  is  semicircular  and  moulded,  and 
the  space  under  the  moulding  and  imme- 
diately above  the  door  is  curiously  ornamented 


(whose  tower  had  long  been  visible  from  its 
great  height)  is  spacious,  but  has  been  sadly 
disfigured  by  modern  alterations,  especially 
by  the  rebuilding  of  the  Chancel  with  brick, 
and  the  debasement  of  many  of  the  windows. 
The  Church  is  spacious,  consisting  of  a  nave, 
side  aisles,  chancel,  and  tower.  The  tower 
is  built  of  the  best  Barnack  stone,  and  from 
elegance  of  proportion  its  general  graceful- 
ness, without  an  abundance  of  ornament,  is 
exceeded  by  few.  There  is  an  archway  in  the 
lower  part  of  it,  through  which  there  is  a 
common  path.  There  are  two  fine  circular 
windows  in  the  lower  part,  apparently  of 
Decorated  tracery.  The  nave  is  divided  from 
the  side  aisles  by  pointed  arches  springing 


SOMERSBY   CHURCH    IN    181I. 


with  variously-wrought  decorations  represent- 
ing knots,  twisted  ribbons,  etc.  The  Church 
has  a  nave,  north  aisle,  and  chancel.  The 
nave  is  separated  from  its  aisle  by  one 
pointed  and  two  semicircular  arches,  sup- 
ported on  octagon  pillars  with  beautiful 
foliage  on  the  capitals.  There  is  some 
beautiful  screen  work  around  a  pew.  The 
Font  is  octagon,  and  adorned  with  square 
flowers.  The  Chancel,  besides  its  magnifi- 
cent eastern  window,  has  a  square  window, 
with  Decorated  tracery.  The  western  door- 
way is  also  Norman,  but  exceedingly  plain. 

"  We  next  came  to  the  extensive  village  of 
Coningsby,  which  contains  several  good  houses 
and   has  a  neat  appearance.     The  Church 


from  octagon  piers,  which  have  fine  foliated 
capitals,  some  having  the  leaves  very  pro- 
minent and  curled  at  the  end,  and  so  having 
a  graceful  appearance,  as  in  Haltham  Church, 
and  the  Font  at  Tetford.  Some  of  the  pillars 
have  capitals  ornamented  with  small  delicate 
figures  of  trefoils  and  roses.  The  Clerestory 
seems  to  have  had  something  of  Decorated 
character,  from  the  form  of  the  windows  being 
narrow,  but  it  is  possible  they  might  have 
been  later.  They  are,  however,  now  sadly 
vilified,  and  deprived  of  their  tracery.  There 
are  two  windows  over  each  arch.  Some  of 
the  windows  have  Decorated,  others  Perpen- 
dicular tracery. 

"From  thence  we  walked  to  Tattershall, 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


33' 


which  is  not  a  mile  distant,  and  now  presents 
the  appearance  of  a  sad  wreck  of  a  town,  but 
the  ruins  of  the  Castle  and  Collegiate  Church 
are  very  magnificent.  Let  us  first  examine 
the  Church.  It  is  a  very  fine  cruciform 
structure  entirely  of  late  Perpendicular  work, 


The  exterior,  however,  is  still  almost  as  fine 
as  ever,  save  only  that  the  great  window  of 
the  North  Transept  is  bricked  up.  The 
whole  is  built  of  the  finest  Barnack  stone, 
and  retains  its  ornaments  in  a  very  perfect 
state.     The  Tower  is  at  the  west  end,  and 


THE    OREAT  TOWER,  TATTERSHAUj  CASTLE. 


of  which  it  is  a  most  perfect  and  beautiful 
specimen.  It  is,  however,  impossible  to  see 
this  fine  structure  without  feeling  much  regret 
at  the  sad  state  to  which  it  is  reduced,  both 
from  the  destruction  of  the  ornaments  of  the 
Choir  and  the  disorder  and  dirt  in  which  it 
is  kept  owing  to  the  neglect  of  the  parishioners. 


has  no  battlement,  but  is  surmounted  by  four 
crocketed  pinnacles.  It  has  a  fine  large 
window,  beneath  which  is  a  doorway  of  the 
richest  Perpendicular  work.  It  consists  of  a 
Tudor  arch  beneath  a  square  head,  with  the 
spandrels  filled  up  with  quatrefoils.  Above 
this  are  several  ranges  of  mouldings,  some 

uu  2 


332 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


richly  worked  On  either  side  of  the  door- 
way is  a  rich  ogee  arch  wrought  in  the  stone. 
The  upper  moulding  is  beautifully  panelled. 
There  are  also  other  fine  Perpendicular  door- 
ways, all  having  the  spandrels  filled  up  with 
quatrefoils.  The  windows  are  all  very  fine 
and  large.  The  Church  has  no  battlement 
throughout,  but  the  buttresses  terminate  in 
crocketed  pinnacles.  Over  the  east  window 
is  a  singularly  rich  niche  with  a  fine  canopy. 

"  The  effect  of  the  really  fine  nave  is  much 
impaired  by  the  shabby  and  ruinous  pews 
which  now  disgrace  it,  as  well  as  the  badness 
of  the  pavement,  and  the  general  neglect 
which  seems  to  pervade  the  whole.  The 
Nave  is  divided  from  the  side  aisles  by 
pointed  arches  supported  on  piers  of  a  lozenge 
form,  round  which  are  set  four  shafts  at  long 
intervals,  having  hollows  between  them. 
Above  the  arches  are  the  Clerestory  windows, 
which  are  Perpendicular,  of  three  lights,  and 
are  very  numerous,  being  arranged  in  pairs, 
two  over  each  arch.  The  arches  which  divide 
the  nave  from  the  Transepts  are  very  lofty. 
On  the  pavement  are  numerous  vestiges  of 
very  splendid  brasses.  The  front  of  the  old 
Organ  screen,  which  presents  itself  to  the 
nave,  is  of  wood,  and  has  three  fine  ogee 
arches  with  fine  finials.  The  ceiling  of  the 
nave  is  of  wood,  and  very  simple.  The 
Eastern  front  of  the  old  Organ  screen  is  richly 
worked  in  stone  of  the  finest  Perpendicular 
execution,  and  is  surpassed  by  few  in  rich- 
ness. The  ceiling  of  the  choir  is  much  richer 
than  that  of  the  nave,  the  brackets  which  sup- 
port it  being  elegantly  pierced.  It  is  much 
to  be  regretted  that  this  beautiful  Choir  should 
have  been  so  barbarously  despoiled  of  the 
splendid  painted  glass  which  formerly  adorned 
the  windows,  and  which  was  not  even  re- 
placed by  common  glass  for  many  years,  so 
that  the  fine  oak  stalls  were  completely  de- 
stroyed by  the  wet  coming  in  at  the  windows.* 

"The  Choir  is  now  used  for  Divine  ser- 


*  "All  the  windows  were  originally  filled  with 
fine  Perpendicular  glass,  much  of  which  survived 
the  Reformation,  but  was  actually  presented  in 
1757  by  Earl  Fortescue  to  the  Earl  of  Exeter  for 
St.  Martin's  at  Stamford,  where  some  of  it  may 
still  be  seen  mixed  with  glass  from  other  churches. 
What  remains  has  been  placed  in  the  East  window. 
The  parishioners  very  justifiably  raised  a  riot,  and 
endeavoured  to  prevent  this  scandalous  spoliation." 
— Murray's  Handbook  to  Lincolnshire  (1890),  p.  138. 


vice,  and  filled  with  numbers  of  benches  so 
crowded  together  that  there  is  scarcely  room 
to  walk,  and  placed  in  such  a  barbarous 
manner  as  to  obscure  some  of  the  noble 
brasses.  It  is  a  sad  pity  that  the  inhabitants 
will  not  be  satisfied  with  using  the  nave 
which  they  did  formerly,  and  which  still  is 
pewed,  though  in  a  very  untidy  manner.  On 
the  south  side  of  the  Altar  are  three  very  rich 
stone  stalls,  formed  of  rich  ogee  arches,  and 
divided  from  each  other  by  slender  shafts. 
Above  them  is  a  cornice  ornamented  with 
figures  of  various  animals,  rabbits,  monkeys, 
etc.  This  cornice  may  also  be  seen  round 
the  exterior  of  Mold  Church  in  North  Wales. 
There  are  a  great  many  rich  and  large  brasses 
in  the  Choir,  but  sadly  hidden  by  the  seats. 

"  The  dimensions  of  the  Church  are  as 
follow  : 

Length  from  East  to  West       -        -  173  feet. 

,,       of  the  nave,  including  tower  103  ,, 

,,       of  the  organ  screen      -        -  9  .1 

of  the  Choir         -        -        -  61  ,, 
,,       of  the  Transept  from  North 

to  South-        -        -        -  94  ,, 

Breadth  of  the  Nave  with  its  aisles  -  60  ,, 

"The  remains  of  the  Castle  stand  South- 
west of  the  Church,  and  consist  principally 
of  an  enormous  square  Tower  with  octagon 
turrets  at  the  angles.     The  whole  is  of  good 


-<i;,>fe^5 


TATTERSHALL   CASTLE.       A    FIREPLACE. 

Perpendicular  work,  and  built  entirely  of 
brick,  which  in  this  Castle  is  not  only  elegant, 
but  even  magnificent,  and  richly  worked.  It 
is  undoubtedly  the  finest  brickwork  in  Eng- 
land, and  has  a  very  fine  effect.  The  Tower 
consists  of  four  stories,  each  of  which  have 
magnificent  fireplaces  of  the  richest  Perpen- 


THE   WELSH  ETSTEDDFODAU. 


333 


dicular  work,  particularly  one  that  is  orna- 
mented with  a  fine  ogee  arch  and  finial. 
The  floors  are  all  down.  On  the  west  side 
there  are  four  tiers  of  windows,  some  of  which 
have  square  heads,  others  have  Tudor  arches, 
and  many  with  trefoiled  heads.  Above  them 
is  a  projecting  story  with  machicolations ; 
this  story  has  also  small  windows  with  trefoiled 
arches.  The  octagon  turrets  have  also  small 
machicolations.  The  passages  within  the 
thickness  of  the  walls  remain  in  a  very  per- 
fect state,  and  some  in  the  higher  stories  have 
ceilings  very  richly  groined  in  brickwork. 
The  recesses  within  which  the  windows  are 
set  have  also  most  richly-groined  ceilings  also 
in  brickwork,  which  seems  here  to  be  brought 
to  a  perfection  to  which  scarcely  any  other 
building  of  the  same  work  seems  to  have 
attained.  In  the  ceiHngs  of  the  passages  are 
several  shields,  all  charged  with  arms,  in  a 
very  perfect  state.  We  ascended  one  of  the 
turrets,  from  which  there  is  a  most  extensive 
prospect  over  the  country,  which  appeared  to 
particular  advantage  as  the  evening  happened 
to  be  so  extremely  fine  and  clear. 

"  Lincoln  Minster,  Boston  Church,  with 
numberless  other  spires  and  towers,  appeared 
across  the  wide  expanse  of  the  Fens.  There 
is  also  visible  a  curious  old  tower  (also  of 
brickwork),  called  from  its  situation  Tower  in 
the  Moor.  It  is  of  very  small  dimensions 
and  has  no  staircase  now  remaining.  It 
stands  in  the  middle  of  a  dreary  moor  about 
four  miles  from  Tattershall,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  an  appendage  to  Tattershall  Castle. 

"  We  then  returned  to  Horncastle  for  the 
night,  going  back  by  the  road  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river  to  that  by  which  we  came. 
We  slept  at  the  Bull  Inn,  Horncastle — a  very 
comfortable  inn.* 


j;R.  WARD'S  letter  referred  to  in  the 
Notes  of  the  Month  contained, 
among  other  papers,  a  copy  of 
The  Proclamation  of  the  Royal 
National  Eisteddfod  of  1899,  to  be  held  in 
the    Cathay s   Park,    Cardiff,  July   4,    1898. 

*  Still  recommended  in   Murray's   Handbook   to 
Lincolnshire  (1890). 


This,  which  as  Mr.  Ward  states  has  been 
compiled  by  Mr.  T.  H.  Thomas  (or,  to  call 
him  by  his  Bardic  name,  Arlunydd  Penygarn), 
is  full  of  so  much  curious  information  on  the 
subject  generally,  that  we  think  it  will  not 
be  out  of  place  if  it  is  printed  iti  extenso. 
It  is  as  follows  : 

"  The  Welsh  word  '  Eisteddfod  '  means  a 
session  or  sitting  of  the  Bards  of  Wales. 

"The  word  'Bardd'  in  Welsh  means,  in 
the  first  place,  a  poet,  because  in  ancient 
times  almost  all  knowledge  was  imparted  in 
poetic,  or,  rather,  metrical  form,  just  as  at 
present  some  subjects  are  learned  in  verse 
form.  But  a  '  Bard '  is  not  necessarily  a 
poet ;  the  term  includes  also  persons  who 
are  religious  teachers,  and  others  who  are 
interested  in  sciences  and  arts.  At  an 
Eisteddfod  prizes  are  offered  for  composi- 
tions in  poetry,  literature,  and  art,  and  the 
list  of  subjects  in  which  prizes  are  given  are, 
according  to  an  old  custom,  proclaimed 
publicly  at  least  '  one  year  and  a  day '  before 
the  Eisteddfod  is  held.  This  Proclamation 
must  be  made  in  a  meeting  of  the  bards, 
which  is  called  the  '  Gorsedd,'  a  word  which 
means  chief  seat  or  throne.  It  is  known 
historically  that  the  Eisteddfod  was  held  in 
Wales  before  the  Norman  conquest  of  Eng- 
land, and  it  has  been  held  from  time  to  time 
ever  since. 

"The  Gorsedd  is  described  in  writings  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  appears  to  be 
referred  to  in  writings  by  bards  of  two  or 
three  centuries  earlier.  Tradition  ascribes 
to  it  a  far  earlier  origin.  It  is  customary 
to  hold  a  Gorsedd  in  some  open  and  con- 
spicuous spot  covered  by  green  turf.  A 
circle  of  stone  is  made,  consisting  of  twelve, 
which  represent  the  compass  points,  outside 
of  which  three  other  stones  are  erected,  over 
which,  from  the  centre  of  the  circle,  the 
rising  sun  could  be  seen  on  the  solstices  and 
the  equinoxes.  Thus  the  circle  represents 
the  astronomical  knowledge  of  the  Britons. 
The  meetings  must  be  held  in  the  open  air, 
'  Yn  Ngwyneb  Haul  Llygad  Goleuni '  ('  In 
face  of  the  Sun,  the  Eye  of  Light '),  as  a 
proverb  expresses  it.  In  the  centre  of  the 
circle  a  large  stone  is  placed,  from  which  the 
Proclamation  is  made. 

"The  Bards,  accompanied  by  the  chief 
persons  of  the  town  or  district  in  which  they 


334 


THE   WELSH  EISTEDDFODAU. 


meet,  form  a  procession  to  the  circle.  They 
are  divided  into  three  orders,  Bards,  Druid 
Bards,  and  Ovate  Bards.  The  first  order 
are  poets,  the  second  religious  teachers,  the 
third,  persons  interested  in  literature,  science, 
and  art.  According  to  their  order  they  are 
robed  in  different  colours.  The  Bards  wear 
light  blue,  the  colour  of  the  sky,  as  an 
emblem  of  the  celestial  origin  of  poetry  ;  the 
Druids  white,  an  emblem  of  the  purity  of 
religious  teaching ;  the  Ovates  green,  an 
emblem  of  growth  and  progress,  they  being 
persons  interested  in  the  increase  of  general 
knowledge.  Upon  the  large  stone  in  the 
centre  of  the  circle  the  President,  or  '  Arch- 
Druid,'  stands,  surrounded  by  the  chief 
officers  of  the  Gorsedd.  At  each  of  the 
twelve  stones  of  the  circle  stand  one  or  more 
of  the  Bards,  each  in  the  colour  of  his  order. 
The  Arch-Druid  wears,  together  with  his 
white  robes,  a  crown  of  oak-leaves  and 
acorns,  and  a  great  necklet  or  *  torque '  of 
gold.  These  insignia  of  his  position  were 
designed  and  presented  by  Professor  Hubert 
Herkomer,  R.A.,  and  Mr.  Mansel  Lewis,  of 
Stradey  Castle.  There  are  other  insignia 
used  in  the  proceedings,  as  the  banner  of 
the  Gorsedd,  bearing  an  emblematic  design 
worked  from  drawings  by  Arlunnydd  Peny- 
garn,  by  Miss  L.  M.  G.  Evans. 

"At  the  Eisteddfod  next  year  will  be 
presented  a  magnificent  *  Corn  Hirlas,'  or 
Ceremonial  Drinking  Horn,  being  a  sort  of 
'  Loving  Cup'  to  symbolize  the  welcome  given 
to  the  Gorsedd  by  the  towns  to  which  it  is 
invited.  This  is  a  magnificent  work  in 
silver-gilt  by  the  Welsh  sculptor,  Mr.  Gos- 
combe  John,  which  was  commissioned  by  the 
Right  Hon.  Lord  Tredegar.  (It  was  in  the 
Exhibition  of  the  Royal  Academy  in  London 
this  year.) 

"There  are  also  in  the  circle  harpers, 
singers,  and  others  connected  with  the  pro- 
ceedings officially  and  as  visitors.  The  circle 
of  stones  is  decorated  with  various  plants, 
chiefly  oak,  ash,  and  birch  foliage,  and  corn, 
trefoil,  vervain,  and  mistletoe,  these  plants 
being  traditionally  associated  with  the  Gor- 
sedd. An  Arch-Druid,  on  arrival  at  the 
circle,  is  presented  with  a  bouquet  of  these 
plants,  and  other  gifts  symbolizing  the  wel- 
come the  town  gives  to  the  Gorsedd  are 
offered.     He  and  the  other  members  of  the 


Gorsedd  will  also  be  welcomed  by  the  sing- 
ing of  a  chorus  specially  composed  by  Dr. 
Parry  to  words  by  the  poet  Dyfed. 

"In  ancient  times  the  bardic  circle  was 
not  to  be  broken  into  by  armed  men,  and  a 
ceremony  symbolizing  a  truce  is  carried  out. 
The  Arch-Druid  holds  a  sword  half  sheathed 
in  his  hands ;  the  attendant  Bards  touch 
the  same  on  the  hilt  and  the  scabbard.  The 
Arch-Druid  cries  aloud  three  times,  '  A  oes 
Heddwch?'  ('Is  it  peace?')  and  is  three 
times  answered,  '  Heddwch'  ('It  is  peace'). 
The  sword  is  then  sheathed.  The  Arch- 
Druid  then  offers  a  prayer  for  protection, 
strength,  and  love.  Various  addresses  are 
given,  poems  are  recited,  and  music  played. 
The  National  Eisteddfod  for  next  year  is 
proclaimed,  together  with  the  list  of  subjects 
for  which  prizes  are  offered.  The  ceremony 
closes  with  music.  The  harp  to  be  used  in 
Cardiff  is  one  of  the  type  used  in  Wales,  and 
known  as  the  triple-strung  harp  (Telyn 
deires).  It  is  the  finest  instrument  of  its 
kind  in  existence,  and  was  made  by  the  late 
Bassett  Jones,  of  Cardiff". 

"  Many  opinions  are  held  as  to  the  age 
and  origin  of  the  Gorsedd  and  its  ceremonies, 
some  considering  its  institution  to  be  ex- 
tremely ancient,  while  others  consider  it  to 
have  been  given  its  present  form  during  the 
time  of  the  Tudor  dynasty.  It  may  be  looked 
upon  as  a  survival  of  the  traditional  round 
table  of  King  Arthur,  which  in  its  turn 
embodied  some  similar  institution  previously 
existing  among  the  Britons  of  ancient  times. 
Whatever  be  its  origin  or  its  age,  it  is  an 
institution  around  which  the  natives  of 
Wales  of  all  sorts  and  conditions,  from  the 
highest  aristocracy  to  the  working  classes, 
rally,  and  which  plays  a  most  important  part 
in  the  encouragement  of  learning  and  culture 
in  our  country. 

"  It  is  primarily  to  the  influence  of  the 
ancient  Bards  that  the  endurance  of  the 
Welsh  language  is  to  be  attributed.  The 
exactitude  of  expression  and  the  elaboration 
of  the  prosody  required  by  the  rules  of  the 
Eisteddfod  and  Gorsedd  compelled  a  de- 
velopment of  the  language  and  a  precision 
of  diction  which  ensured  its  preservation. 
This  function  the  Eisteddfod  still  continues, 
together  with  other  incentive  to  intellectual 
effort. 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


335 


"  As  an  ancient  institution  having  a  quaint 
and  expressive  ceremony,  as  a  means  of 
culture  in  literature,  science,  and  art,  open 
to  all,  and  as  a  rallying  point  for  the 
patriotism  of  all  classes  in  Wales,  the  Gorsedd 
is  worthy  of  every  support  by  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  Cymru." 


©ccurrences  at  ^aintes— 1781  to 
170L 

From  the  Diary  of  the  Abb6  Legrix. 

Translated  (with  Notes)  by  T.  M.  Fallow, 
M.A.,  F.S.A. 

(Continued from  j>.  305.) 


PON  the  resignation  of  his  post  of 
Colonel  of  the  Milice  Bourgeoise, 
which  M.  Garnier  made  on  being 
elected  Mayor,  M.  de  Turpin, 
Knight  of  the  Royal  and  Military  Order  of 
St.  Louis,  was  chosen  Colonel  by  the  Milice 
Bourgeoise.  M.  de  Thezac,  Knight  of  St. 
Louis,  was  chosen  Major. 

March  2,  1790.— MM.  de  Turpin  and  de 
Thezac  gave  a  dinner  en  maigre  of  seventy- 
two  covers  to  the  officers  of  the  regiments  : 
the  Agenais,  the  National,  the  Milice  Bour- 
geoise, and  the  Gendarmerie. 

May  4,  1790. — The  Primary  meeting  (or 
that  of  the  Canton)  was  held  in  this  town  for 
choosing  electors  who,  conjointly  with  those 
of  the  other  cantons  and  districts,  were  to 
decide  on  the  selection  of  the  thirty-six  mem- 
bers and  the  Deputy  Clerk  General  who  were 
to  constitute  the  administration  of  the  depart- 
ment of  Charente  Inferieure. 

June  5,  1790. — The  Cathedral  church 
having  been  chosen  by  decree  of  the  muni- 
cipality of  this  town  for  the  meetings  of  the 
electoral  assembly,  the  Chapter  was  con- 
strained to  leave  it,  and  to  repair  to  the 
church  of  the  Jacobins  for  the  celebration  of 
Divine  service. 

June  12,  1790. — At  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  Electoral  Assembly  was  opened, 
composed  of  about  seven  hundred  and  twenty 
members,  in  order  to  proceed  with  the  elec- 


tion of  the  thirty-six  members  and  the  Deputy 
Clerk  General  who  were  to  compose  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  department  of  Charente 
Life'rieure.  The  meetings  on  this  and  the  two 
following  days  were  passed  in  debates,  dis- 
agreements, and  tumult.  Finally,  at  the 
meeting  of  Monday  evening,  it  was  decided 
that  the  Assembly  should  divide  into  six 
bureaux  or  sections  for  the  appointment  of  a 
President  and  a  Secretary. 

Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  15tli  and  16tli. 
— Each  bureau  or  section  (composed  of  about 
a  hundred  and  twenty  members)  proceeded 
by  ballot  to  elect  a  President.  At  the  second 
ballot  M.  Briaud,  advocate  and  municipal 
officer  of  this  town,  and  M.  de  la  Coste, 
advocate  and  deputy  clerk  of  the  municipality 
of  La  Rochelle,  obtained  most  votes,  but 
neither  of  them  having  secured  an  absolute 
majority,  it  was  at  a  third  ballot  on  Wednes- 
day evening  that  M.  Briaud  obtained  an 
absolute  majority,  and  was  proclaimed  and 
installed  President  of  the  Electoral  Assembly. 

Thursday  morning,  the  17th. — The  electors 
retired  in  their  respective  bureaux  or  sections, 
and  proceeded  with  the  election  of  a  Secre- 
tary of  the  Assembly.  M.  de  la  Coste,  having 
obtained  an  absolute  majority  at  the  second 
ballot,  was  appointed  Secretary,  and  declared 
such  at  the  evening  meeting.  These  two 
elections  held,  the  Assembly  was  forthwith 
declared  constituted.  Then  one  and  all  of 
the  electors  took  the  civic  oath,  after  which 
deputations  of  the  military  (the  Agenais,  the 
Milice  Bourgeoise,  the  Regiment  National,  and 
the  Gefidarmerie)  presented  themselves,  and 
were  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  saluting 
and  complimenting  the  Assembly. 

Note. — Between  this  day  and  the  closure 
of  the  Assembly  the  ecclesiastical  bodies 
(both  secular  and  regular),  the  magistracy,  the 
electoral  body,  the  consular  jurisdiction,  and 
others  of  the  town,  presented  themselves  to 
salute  and  compliment  the  Assembly.  Nearly 
all  the  other  military  bodies  of  the  towns  of 
St.  Jean  d'Angely,  of  Pons,  of  Rochefort,  and 
of  various  districts  of  the  department,  also 
came  as  deputations,  or  wrote  to  present  their 
homage  to  the  Assembly. 

At  the  evening  meeting  it  was  decided,  in 
order  to  organize  the  administration  of  the 
department,  that  five  members  should  be 
selected  at  first  from  each  district ;  that  the 


336 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


thirty-sixth  and  the  Deputy  Clerk  should  be 
selected  indiscriminately  from  the  whole  seven 
districts ;  and  that  for  the  examination  and 
verification  of  the  ballots  the  election  of  fresh 
scrutators  should  be  proceeded  with. 

Friday  morning,  the  18th. — The  Assembly 
retired  eti  bureaux  to  proceed  with  the  elec- 
tion of  the  new  scrutators.  Six  members  were 
appointed  to  draw  up  an  address  to  the  King, 
and  another  to  the  National  Assembly,  ad- 
hering to  all  its  decrees. 

At  the  evening  meeting  the  two  addresses 
were  read  and  adopted.  The  municipality 
of  the  town  came  to  salute  and  compliment 
the  Assembly. 

Saturday,  the  19tli. — At  the  two  meetings, 
morning  and  evening,  the  question  of  the 
alternat  was  discussed.  The  speakers  dis- 
played all  their  eloquence,  and  improved  the 
occasion  according  to  their  views.  M.  de  la 
Coste,  chief  of  all,  made  a  speech  for  the 
department  alternat  between  Saintes  and 
La  Rochelle.  The  speech  was  loudly  ap- 
plauded. However,  after  the  question  had 
been  discussed  as  animatedly  as  eloquently 
by  the  orators  for  and  against,  it  appeared 
that  there  was  a  majority  of  about  sixty  mem- 
bers who  were  opposed  to  the  alternating  of 
the  department  at  all.  The  minutes  as  to 
this  were  drawn  up  and  sent  to  the  National 
Assembly  to  show  what  the  wish  of  the  Elec- 
toral Assembly  was. 

Sunday,  the  20th  — At  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  a  Low  Mass  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
celebrated  by  Monseigneur  the  Bishop  of 
La  Rochelle,  one  of  the  electors.  For  this 
purpose  an  altar  had  been  prepared  before 
the  grille  of  the  great  door  of  the  choir.  The 
Chapter  of  the  Cathedral  and  all  the  bodies, 
secular  and  regular,  civil  and  military,  were 
invited  to  and  assisted  at  the  service.  The 
Assembly  had  appointed  at  the  beginning  of 
its  meetings  six  or  eight  masters  of  ceremony 
to  receive  bodies  which  should  present  them- 
selves to  salute  the  Assembly  at  the  entrance 
of  the  precincts,  and  to  conduct  them ;  and 
to  return  invitations  which  had  been  made  to 
it  After  Mass  Monseigneur  precented  the 
Te  Deum,  which  was  continued  by  the  musi- 
cians of  the  Cathedral  as  an  act  of  thanks- 
giving for  the  union  and  fraternity  which  each 
and  all  the  members  of  the  Assembly  had 
sworn  to  one  another. 


At  the  evening  meeting  the  electors  began 
to  withdraw  en  bureaux  for  proceeding  with 
double  lists  for  the  election  of  five  mem- 
bers of  the  district  of  Saintes,  who  should 
be  administrators  of  the  Department.  This 
election  lasted  two  days.  It  was  not  till  the 
meeting  on  Tuesday  evening  that  M.  de  la 
Coste,  the  Secretary,  ascended  the  tribune 
and  declared  the  five  members  who  had 
secured  the  majority  of  votes.  These  are 
MM.  Granier,  doctor  at  Saujon,  Boybleau, 
doctor  at  Cozes,  Briaud,  Bernard  des  Jeusines, 
and  Chainier  du  Chaine,  advocate  of  Saintes. 
After  this  declaration  and  certain  discussions 
on  several  matters,  the  Assembly  withdrew 
e7i  bureaux  in  order  to  proceed  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  above  with  the  election  of  the 
five  members  of  the  district  of  La  Rochelle. 
Before  retiring  en  bureaux,  a  deputation  of 
four  members  of  the  municipality  was  in- 
troduced to  invite,  in  the  name  of  the 
municipality,  the  Electoral  Assembly  to 
take  part  in  the  ceremony  of  the  St.  John's* 
bonfire  of  the  town,  which  the  Assembly 
accepted.  In  consequence  of  this  invitation 
the  municipality  also  invited  to  the  same 
ceremony  the  regiment  of  the  Agenais,  the 
Milice  Bourgeoise,  the  Regiment  National, 
the  Gendarmerie,  and  the  Marechauss'ee,  who 
responded  to  the  invitation. 

Wednesday,  2  3rd. — The  Secretary  ascended 
the  tribune,  and  declared  MM.  Leconte, 
de  la  Coste,  and  de  Chassiron,  who  are 
the  three  electors  who  had  obtained  a 
plurality  of  votes  at  the  first  ballot.  The 
electors  then  retired  en  bureaux,  and  pro- 
ceeded with  the  election  of  the  two  other 
members.  In  the  evening  MM.  Boutet  and 
Jouneau  of  the  He  de  Re  were  declared  the 
fourth  and  fifth  members  of  the  district  of 
La  Rochelle  for  the  administration  of  the 
Department.  A  deputation  of  four  members 
of  the  municipality  was  then  presented  and 
introduced,  who  offered  to  accompany  the 
Electoral  Assembly  to  the  ceremony  of  the 
bonfire,  which  the  Assembly  accepted.  At 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Assembly 

•  [The  midsummer  bonfire  on  the  eve  of  the 
Nativity  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  (June  23).  These 
bonfires  were  once  very  common  in  connection  with 
the  summer  solstice,  and  are  fairly  so  even  yet  in 
Norway.  The  custom  is  still  observed  at  Whalton, 
in  Northumberland.  See  Antiquary,  October,  1896, 
p.  291.] 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


337 


and  the  municipality  left  to  present  them- 
selves at  the  place  called  La  Gaillarde,  where 
the  maypole  had  been  prepared.  Having 
reached  the  place,  they  found  the  companies 
of  the  military  bodies  invited  above  placed 
each  according  to  its  rank.  M.  the  President 
of  the  Assembly  lighted  the  bonfire. 

Thursday  morning,  the  24th.  —  The 
Assembly  separated  in  sections  to  proceed 
with  the  election  of  the  five  members  of  the 
district  of  St.  Jean  d'Angely,  Messieurs 
Destouches,  Merveilleux-Mortafon,  La  Prade, 
Leriget  and  Duret,*  who,  as  having  obtained 
most  voles,  were  declared  elected. 

At  the  evening  meeting  there  were  intro- 
duced to  the  Assembly  a  soldier  of  the 
regiment  of  the  Agefiais,  and  a  young  lad 
of  about  twelve  years  whom  the  soldier  had 
taken  from  the  water  at  the  point  of  drown- 
ing. The  Assembly  bestowed  much  praise 
on  the  courage  of  the  soldier,  and  he  received 
from  several  members  of  the  Assembly,  and 
of  the  municipality,  and  from  other  persons 
of  the  town,  assistance  in  money  as  a  mark 
of  acknowledgment  and  gratitude. 

Friday  morning, the  25th.  — The  Assembly, 
having  separated  en  bureaux,  proceeded  with 
the  election  of  five  members  of  the  district 
of  Rochefort.  Messieurs  Hebre  of  St. 
Clement,  mayor  of  that  town,  Druamps, 
Dalidouze,  Rondeau,  and  Bellefontaine,  who 
obtained  a  majority  of  votes,  were  declared 
members  of  the  administration. 

The  twenty-fifth,  in  the  evening,  Messieurs 
Guillotin  de  Fougere  of  Oleron,  Garreau, 
Garesche,  Brehas,  and  Guibert  were  declared 
members  of  the  administration  for  the  district 
of  Marennes. 

Saturday  morning,  the  26th. — Messieurs 
Laurenceaux  Raboteau,  Dupuis  of  Cravan, 
Charle  Lys,  Monnerot  and  Messie,  were 
proclaimed  members  of  the  administration 
for  the  district  of  Pons. 

Intheevening  of  the  twenty-sixth.  Messieurs 
Olanier,  Dumousseau,  Riqoe,  Beaupoil  de  St. 
Aulaire,  and  Mesiaud  were  the  five  members 
of  the  district  of  Montguyon  who  obtained 
a  majority  of  votes.! 

*  [M.  Duret  eventually  became  mayor  of  Saintes 
in  1830.] 

t  [There  are  certain  slight  mistakes  made  by  the 
diarist  in  this  list,  which  are  noted  in  the  French 
edition.  They  appear  to  be  of  no  general  im- 
portance.] 

VOL.    XXXIV. 


Sundaymoming,  the  27th.— The  Assembly, 

having  separated  en  bureaux,  proceeded  with 
the  election  of  the  thirty-sixth  member,  who 
was  to  be  selected  from  the  whole  of  the 
districts,  M.  Dupuis,  above  named  for  the 
district  of  Pons,  obtained  the  majority 
of  votes.  After  the  election  of  the  thirty-six 
members,  the  Assembly  separated  en  bureaux 
for  the  election  of  the  Deputy  Clerk  General 
of  the  administration  of  the  Department. 
The  same  day,  in  the  evening,  the  verification 
and  examination  of  the  second  ballot  took 
place.  Nobody  having  obtained  an  absolute 
majority,  M.  Rome  ascended  the  tribune 
and  simply  declared  that  M.  Delacoste, 
Secretary,  and  M.  Gamier,  Mayor  of  Saintes, 
had  obtained  most  votes,  but  that,  as  none 
of  the  members  had  obtained  an  absolute 
majority,  it  would  be  necessary  to  proceed 
with  a  third  ballot,  and  to  select  one  of 
those  two  members.  Then  the  President 
announced  that  at  six  o'clock  the  next 
morning  the  Assembly  would  separate  en 
bureaux  to  proceed  with  the  third  ballot, 
and  that  at  eight  o'clock  there  would  be  a 
general  [meeting  of  the]  Assembly  for  the 
examining  and  verifying  of  the  third  ballot, 
and  the  declaration  of  the  one  of  the  two 
members  aforesaid  who  had  received  an 
absolute  majority.  This  was  agreed  upon 
by  the  Assembly,  after  which  M.  Delacoste, 
Secretary,  ascended  the  tribune  to  present 
and  offer  to  the  Assembly  a  map  of  the 
Department  of  Charente  Inferieure  on  behalf 
and  in  the  name  of  M.  Le  Baleur  of  the 
house  of  the  Oratory  of  La  Rochelle,  the 
author  of  the  said  map.  The  Assembly 
received  with  pleasure  and  acknowledgment 
the  offer  and  dedication  of  this  map,  and 
directed  the  President  to  write  to  the  author 
to  assure  him  that  it  accepted  the  dedica- 
tion, and  to  thank  him  for  it. 

Monday  morning,  the  28th. — After  the 
verification  of  the  third  ballot  a  member  of 
the  Assembly  ascended  the  tribune,  and 
declared  M.  Gamier,  Mayor  of  Saintes, 
Deputy  Clerk  General  of  the. administration 
of  the  Department  of  Charente  Inferieure,  as 
having  obtained  300  votes  against  M.  Dela- 
coste, who  had  not  had  more  than  240. 

After  the  said  declaration,  a  deputation 
from  the  parish  of  St.  Vivien-les-Saintes  was 
introduced,    which   presented   a   request   or 

XX 


338 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


memorial  to  the  Assembly,  showing  that 
death  having  removed  the  Sieur  Cormeau, 
their  last  cure,  they  desired  that  the  Sieur 
Defoix,  their  vicaire  during  the  last  five  or 
six  years,  might  be  nominated  to  the  charge, 
and  that  seeing  this  hope  frustrated  by  the 
nomination  of  the  Sieur  Doucin,  vicaire  of 
the  parish  of  Arvert,  to  the  said  charge,  they 
besought  the  Assembly  to  interfere,  and  to 
cause  the  Sieur  Doucin  to  abandon  his  right 
in  favour  of  the  Sieur  Defoix.  The  Assembly, 
having  had  the  memorial  read,  decided  that 
it  had  no  voice  in  the  matter. 

A  member  of  the  Assembly,  M,  Herard  of 
La  Rochelle,  thereupon  ascended  the  tribune 
for  the  purpose  of  demanding,  that  in  con- 
formity with  the  decision  arrived  at  almost 
unanimously  in  the  meeting  of  the  26th  in  the 
evening  (by  which  it  was  decided  that  all 
members  nominated  to  enter  the  administra- 
tive body,  and  who  held  any  offices  in  the 
yeomanry  or  national  troops,  should  make 
their  choice  between  them),  M.  Bernard  des 
Jeusines,  Colonel  of  the  national  troop  of 
Saintes,  and  appointed  a  member  of  the 
administration,  ought  immediately  to  declare 
himself,  and  chojse  between  the  rank  of 
Colonel  and  the  post  of  administrator. 
M.  Bernard  des  Jeusines,  having  then  ascended 
the  tribune,  offered  to  suspend  and  renounce 
entirely  all  military  functions  during  the 
whole  of  the  time  that  he  might  belong  to 
the  Administrative  Body.  The  Assembly, 
persisting  in  its  decision  of  the  evening  of 
the  26th,  demanded  and  required  from 
M.  Bernard  a  resignation,  pure  and  simple, 
of  one  or  other  of  the  two  posts.  Upon 
the  refusal  which  M.  Bernard  made,  the 
Assembly  decided  that  M.  Eschesseriaud, 
elector  of  the  district  of  Saintes  who  had 
obtained  most  votes  after  the  five  members 
of  the  same  district,  should  replace  M. 
Bernard  des  Jeusines  in  the  Administrative 
Body.  This  was  at  once  announced  by  the 
Secretary  to  the  Assembly. 

M.  Raoult  of  La  Rochelle,  a  member  of 
the  Assembly,  ascended  the  tribune,  and  pro- 
posed for  discussion  the  payment  due  to  the 
electors  for  the  time  the  Electoral  Assembly 
had  lasted.  This  motion  having  been  sup- 
ported and  backed  by  several  other  members, 
it  was  decided  that  each  of  the  electors  should 
be  allowed  3  livres  a  day,  and  6  sols  a  league 
for  the  journey. 


Thereupon,  M.  Bernard  des  Jeusines  ap- 
plied to  the  Assembly  for  a  copy  of  the 
decision  which  had  been  taken  in  regard 
to  him.  The  Assembly  replied  that  the 
minutes  of  the  meetings  would  be  printed, 
and  a  copy  delivered  to  each  of  the  members, 
and  refused  his  application. 

M.  Gamier  ascended  the  tribune  to  thank 
the  Assembly  for  his  election  to  the  position 
of  Deputy  Clerk  General,  and  to  assure  it 
that  he  would  give  in  his  resignation  of  the 
post  of  Mayor  which  he  held. 

At  the  evening  meeting  the  Assembly 
decided  that  it  would  take  part  as  a  body  at 
the  funeral  procession  and  burial  of  M.  Dugas, 
a  member  and  elector  who  died  that  day  in 
the  parish  of  St.  Maur  during  the  session  of 
the  Assemblies  ;  that  it  would  wear  mourning 
for  M.  Dugas  for  three  days  by  a  riband  or 
piece  of  black  crepe  attached  to  the  arm, 
and  it  at  once  deputed  six  of  its  members 
to  assure  Madame  Dugas  of  the  share  and 
sympathy  which  it  took  in  her  sorrow. 

During  the  earlier  sessions  the  Assembly 
had  also  decided  that  it  would  wear  mourning 
in  memory  of  M.  Franklin*  by  a  riband  or 
piece  of  black  crepe  attached  to  the  arm,  to 
which  every  one  of  the  members  conformed. 

M.  the  Secretary  read  a  letter  from 
M.  Gullotin,  of  the  district  of  Mareine,  who 
thanked  the  Assembly  for  his  election  to  the 
Administrative  Body,  and  stated  that  he  would 
accept  the  post. 

M.  Croiszelibre  of  Rochefort  proposed  to 
the  Assembly  that  it  should  ask  the  Bishops 
of  Saintes  and  La  Rochelle  to  have  a 
Te  Deum  chanted  in  the  parishes  of  their 
dioceses  as  an  act  of  thanksgiving  for  the 
work  of  the  Electoral  Assembly,  and  for  the 
unity  which  had  reigned  in  it. 

It  was  decided  that  the  minutes  of  the 
meetings  of  the  Assembly  should  be  signed 
by  all  the  members  of  the  Assembly  who 
were  still  in  the  town.  M.  Delacoste  an- 
nounced that  the  minutes  would  be  com- 
pleted by  noon  the  next  day,  Tuesday, 
the  29th. 

The  next  day,  Tuesday,  the  29th. — A 
general    meeting    was    held,    at    which    the 

*  [No  man  was  held  in  higher  regard  in  France 
than  Benjamin  FrankUn,  who,  during  his  eight 
years'  residence  in  that  country,  held  a  position  in 
pubUc  esteem  second  to  no  one.  Franklin  left 
France  in  1785,  and  died  in  April,  1790.] 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


339 


minutes  of  all  the  meetings  of  the  Assembly 
were  read,  after  which  all  the  members  (to 
the  number  of  about  350)  signed  the  minutes. 
In  the  evening  there  was  a  general  meeting 
of  all  the  electors  remaining  in  this  town,  at 
which  the  President  delivered  an  address 
concluding  the  Assembly,  after  which  there 
was  sung  a  Te  Deum  with  full  accompaniment 
as  an  act  of  thanksgiving.*  It  was  begun  by 
Mgr.  the  Bishop  of  La  Rochelle,  one  of  the 
electors,  at  which  the  municipality  and  all 
the  bodies,  ecclesiastic,  civil,  and  military, 
took  part,  in  accordance  with  the  invitation 
given  to  them,  after  which  there  were  a 
number  of  acclamations  :  "  Vive  I'Assemblee 
Nationale!"  "ViveleRoi!"  "Vive I'Assemblee 
Electorale !"  etc. 

By  decree  of  the  municipality,  all  the  bells 
of  the  Cathedral,  and  of  the  parishes  of  the 
town  and  suburbs,  were  rung  from  half-past 
six  o'clock  to  seven.  In  the  evening  there 
was  a  general  illumination. 

July  1,  1790.— The  electors  of  the  district 
of  Saintes  (to  the  number  of  about  120)  met 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  the  Synod 
Hall  of  the  Eveche,  for  the  election  of  twelve 
members  and  of  the  Deputy  Clerk,  who  were 
to  form  the  Board  of  Administraticn  of  the 
district  of  Saintes.  M.  de  la  Rigaudifere, 
Knight  of  the  Royal  and  Military  Order  of 
St.  Louis,  was  elected  President  of  the  said 
Assembly ;  and  in  the  first  instance  the 
electors  decided  that  they  would  choose  an 

•  [The  meetings  had  been  held,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, since  June  5,  in  the  Cathedral.  The  Bishop 
of  La  Rochelle  (Monseigneur  Jean  Charles  De 
Coucy)  was  a  man  of  some  mark  and  independence 
of  character,  as  well  as  the  scion  of  a  very  ancient 
family,  the  proud  boast  of  one  of  whose  ancestors 
was : 

"  Roy  je  ne  suys, 
_Ne  prince,  ne  due,  ne  comte  aussy ; 
Je  suys  le  sire  de  Coucy." 

iean  Charles  de  Coucy  was  born  in  1746.  In  1789 
e  was  nominated  to  the  See  of  La  Rochelle,  and, 
refusing  the  oath  to  the  Constitution  Civile  of  the 
Republic,  he  went  into  exile.  In  1801  he  also  re- 
fused the  demand  of  the  Pope  that  he  should  resign 
his  see,  and  was  by  the  terms  of  the  Concordat 
superseded  in  it  by  the  Papal  confirmation  of  Jean 
Fran9ois  Demandolx  as  Bishop  of  La  Rochelle. 
Monseigneur  De  Coucy  continued,  however,  to 
assert  his  canonical  right  as  Bishop  of  La  Rochelle, 
in  spite  of  the  Pope,  Napoleon,  and  the  Concordat, 
until  1817,  when  he  was  appointed  Archbishop  of 
Rheims.  He  died  in  1824.  The  Chateau  of  Coucy 
is  in  the  North  of  France,  not  far  from  Beauvais.] 


administrator  in  each  of  the  nine  cantons 
which  form  the  district. 

Canton  of  Saintes. 
M.  Jean  Baptiste  Joseph  Dupinier,  attorney 
at    Saintes,    having    been    at   once    elected 
Deputy  Clerk,  was  replaced  by  M.  Elie  Daniel 
Marechal,  farmer  at  Chermignac. 

Canton  of  Dompierre. 
M.  Daniel  Ardouin,  farmer  at  Chirac. 

Canton  of  Ecoyeux. 
M.  Andr^  Godet,  senior,  licentiate  in  law 
at  Ecoyeux. 

Canton  of  Cozes. 
M.  Nicolas  Guillaume  of  Cerc^,  farmer  of 
Montpellier.* 

Canton  of  Saujon. 
M.   Rene  Eschasseriau,  doctor  at  Corme 
Royal. 

Canton  of  Pont  TAbbL 
M.  Jacques  Philippe  Fraigneau,  councillor 
in  the  Chancery  of  Bordeaux,  of  the  parish 
of  Beurlay,  who,  having  refused,  was  replaced 
by  Gabriel  Frangois  Repere,  farmer  of 
Soulignonne. 

Canton  of  Mortagne. 
M.  Jean  Gaury,  advocate  at  Mortagne. 

Canton  of  Pont-d' Envaux. 

M.  Louis  Levegnot,  merchant  at  Pont- 
d'Envaux. 

Canton  of  Gemozac. 

M.  Antoine  Roulet,  Notary  Royal  at 
Cravans. 

The  three  other  administrators  were 
selected  out  of  the  entire  district.  These 
are  MM.  Mathieu  Dugu^  du  Chaillot,  of 
Saintes ;  Pierre  Moreau,  Notary  Royal  at 
Mechers,  Canton  of  Saujon ;  and  Joseph 
Dubois  the  elder,  advocate  at  Saujon.  The 
election  of  Deputy  Clerk  was  at  once  pro- 
ceeded with ;  this  was  Jean  Baptiste  Joseph 
Dupinier,  attorney  at  Saintes. 

July  4,  1790.— The  Chapter  re-entered 
the  Cathedral  church  for  the  celebration  of 
Divine  service. 

July  11. — Upon  the  resignation  which 
M.  Gamier  made  of  the  post  of  Mayor,  the 
burgesses    of    the    town    and    suburbs    of 

*  [A  local  place  of  that  name.  Not,  of  course, 
the  town  in  the  south  of  France.] 

XX    2 


340 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES 


Saintes  assembled  in  that  town  (to  the  number 
of  about  300),  and  dividing  into  three  bureaux 
— one  at  the  6veche,  another  at  the  Palace, 
and  the  third  in  the  Hall  of  Exercises  at  the 
College — proceeded,  in  the  same  form  as 
before  (February  7  of  the  present  year),  with 
the  election  of  a  Mayor.  M.  de  Rochecouste, 
formerly  Assessor  at  the  Court  of  Justice, 
obtained  an  absolute  majority  of  votes  at  the 
first  ballot,  and  was  in  consequence  declared 
Mayor.  Immediately  after  his  election,  the 
municipal  officers  went  to  his  house  to  inform 
him,  and  to  offer  their  congratulations. 

July  14. — At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, at  the  invitation  of  the  municipality, 
there  was  a  general  gathering,  at  the  open 
space  called  La  Pallu,  of  all  the  bodies, 
ecclesiastical,  civil,  and  military,  and  of  almost 
all  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  and  suburbs, 
for  the  ceremony  of  the  General  Federation, 
which  was  also  to  take  place  on  the  same 
day  in  all  the  towns  and  boroughs  of  the 
realm.  For  this  end  an  altar  was  prepared  at 
the  aforesaid  place,  before  which  M.  Claude, 
Superior  of  the  Seminary,  delivered  an  address 
appropriate  to  the  ceremony,  exhorting  all 
the  different  classes  of  the  citizens  to  bear 
themselves  in  peace  and  unity,  and  in  fidelity 
towards  the  nation,  the  law,  and  the  King, 
and  to  uphold  the  constitution  of  the  realm. 
Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  address,  the  holy 
sacrifice  of  the  Mass  was  at  once  celebrated, 
after  which  M.  de  Rochecouste,  Mayor,  also 
made  a  short  speech  to  the  like  effect,  and  read 
the  formula  of  the  civil  oath,  which  each  and 
all  of  the  assistants  had  sworn  to  observe. 
The  oath  taken,  shouts  of  joy  arose  for  the 
object  of  the  ceremony.  Then  all  the  dif- 
ferent bodies  of  troops  filed  before  the  gentle- 
men of  the  municipality,  after  which  each 
departed. 

July  25,  1790. — The  thirty-six  members 
of  the  department  of  Charente  Inf^rieure 
met  in  a  hall  at  the  I^vechd  to  proceed  with 
the  election  of  a  President  and  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Diredoire.  M.  Delacoste, 
advocate  at  the  Court  of  La  Rochelle,  was 
elected  President  of  the  Department. 
MM.  Rondeau,  Eschasseriau,  Raboteau, 
Jouneaud,  Chainier-Duchaine,  Brdard  .  .  .* 
were  elected  members  of  the  Dircctoire. 
M.  Rondeau  was  elected  Vice-President ; 
*   [Some  omission  here.] 


M.  Billotte,  of  Rochefort,  was  appointed 
Chief  Secretary.  The  gentlemen  drew  up 
provisionally  the  scheme  of  their  remunera- 
tion, subject  to  the  approval  of  the  National 
Assembly.  The  President,  3,000  francs ; 
the  Deputy  Clerk  General,  4,000  francs  ;  the 
Chief  Secretary,  3,000  francs  ;  each  of  the 
members  composing  the  Diredoire,  2,500  ; 
the  other  members,  1,000  francs. 

The  same  day  the  twelve  members  of  the 
district  of  Saintes  met  to  elect  a  President 
and  four  members,  and  the  Secretary  of  the 
Diredoire.  M.  du  Cercd,  farmer,  of  Mont- 
pellier,  in  this  diocese,  was  elected  President; 
M.  Godet,  Secretary ;  Messieurs  .   .  .* 

July  31,  1790.— The  banner  of  the 
Department  was  received  in  this  town.  The 
different  bodies  of  troops  of  line,  the  National, 
the  Milice  Bourgeoise,  and  the  Gendarmerie, 
both  of  the  town  and  of  the  suburbs, 
went  about  a  league  to  meet  it.  As  it  ap- 
proached, the  administrators  of  the  directories 
of  the  Department  and  of  the  district,  ac- 
companied by  the  Mayor  and  municipal 
officers,  went  to  the  extremity  of  the  faubourg 
of  the  Abbey  to  receive  it.  M.  Duvergier, 
to  whom  it  had  been  entrusted  at  Paris  to 
be  conveyed  to  Saintes,  presented  it  to 
them,  but  continued  all  the  same  to  carry  it 
as  far  as  the  Cathedral  church,  where  all  the 
ecclesiastical  bodies,  both  seculars  and 
regulars,  were  met,  as  well  as  the  Magistracy 
and  Consular  Jurisdiction,  in  response  to  the 
invitation  made  by  the  municipality.  The 
banner  and  the  entire  cortege  having  reached 
the  Cathedral,  the  choir  of  that  church 
chanted  a  motet,  Ecce  quavi  bonum,  etc. 
The  motet  finished,  Mr.  Dean  said  the 
^xdiyexs  pro  pace  et  pro  rege.  Thereupon  the 
banner  was  carried  into  a  hall  of  the  Evech^, 
where  the  Diredoire  of  the  Department 
provisionally  held  its  meetings.  The  same 
evening  there  was  a  general  illumination. 

The  National  Assembly  having  previously 
decreed  the  incorporation  of  the  Milices 
Bourgeoises  with  the  national  troops,  and 
the  placing  of  the  colours  in  the  principal 
churches  of  different  places,  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  of  August  18,  1790,  the  two 
companies  of  grenadiers,  and  those  of  the 
Milice  Bourgeoise  infantry  of  this  town, 
having  M.  de  Turpin,  Colonel,  Robert, 
•   [A  defect  here  in  the  manuscript.] 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


341 


Lieutenant-Colonel,  De  Thezac,  Major,  and 
other  officers,  at  their  head,  deposited  the 
colours  in  the  Cathedral  church. 

October  1,  1790.  —  The  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  Regiment  National  cele- 
brated in  the  open  space  [before  named] 
a  solemn  service  for  the  repose  of  the  souls 
of  their  fellows  inarms  who  were  killed  in 
the  action  at  Nancy.  For  this  purpose  an 
altar  was  prepared.  Pere  Charrier,  Prior  of 
the  Jacobins,  celebrated  High  Mass.  Only 
the  gentlemen  of  the  directories  of  the  depart- 
ment and  district  assisted  at  it  in  a  body. 

A  few  days  before,  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Milice  Bourgeoise  and  of  the  Gendarmerie 
had  caused  a  similar  service  to  be  celebrated 
in  the  Cathedral  church,  at  which  M.  .  .  .* 
officiated,  assisted  by  .   .  . 

October  17,  1790. — There  was  held  in 
this  town  a  meeting  or  convocation  of  the 
several  cantons,  which  composed  the  district 
of  Saintes,  for  the  appointment  of  the  five 
judges  who  were  to  constitute  the  tribunal  of 
justice  of  the  said  district.  As  a  result  of  the 
voting,  MM.  Bernard,  advocate  and  Colonel  of 
the  national  soldiery;  Dangibaud  du  Pouyaud, 
councillor  at  the  magistracy;  Briaud,  advo- 
cate ;  Duchene  Martinaud,  and  Landreau, 
councillors  at  the  magistracy,  all  of  them  of 
this  town,  were  elected  judges.  The  substi- 
tutes were  MM.  Renaud,  Marillet,  Fourestier, 
la  Pointe,  and  Geoffrey,  advocates.  M.  de 
la  Martiniere,  formerly  King's  advocate,  was 
appointed  by  the  said  sovereign  lord  the 
King,  his  commissary  at  the  said  tribunal. 

Sunday,  November  14,  1790.  —  The 
burgesses  of  this  town  and  the  suburbs  met 
in  three  bureaux  or  districts,  and  proceeded 
with  the  appointment  or  election  of  six 
municipal  officers,  a  deputy  clerk,  and  twelve 
notables  to  take  the  place  of  the  former  ones, 
who  had  retired  by  way  of  lot. 

November  3,  1790. — A  meeting  was 
held  of  the  thirty-six  members  composing 
the  Administrative  Council  of  the  depart- 
ment of  Charente  Inferieure  to  arrange  as  to 
several  matters  of  administration  of  the 
department.  M.  de  la  Coste,  advocate,  of 
La  Rochelle,  and  previously  appointed 
President  of  the  said  Council,  having  been 
elected  First  Judge  of  the  Tribunal  of  Justice 
of  the  district  of  La  Rochelle,  was  replaced  in 
*   [Omissions  here  in  the  manuscript] 


the  post  of  President  by  M.  Rondeau,  of 
Rochefort,  and  the  said'  Sieur  Rondeau, 
Vice  President,  was  replaced  by  M.  Brdard. 

November  ...,  1790.— The  citizens  of  this 
town,  of  the  suburbs,  and  of  the  country 
composing  the  Canton  of  Saintes,  met 
together  for  the  election  of  two  justices  of  the 
peace,  and  of  iheprud^  hommes.  M.  Riquet, 
attorney,  was  appointed  justice  for  the  town 
and  suburbs,  and  the  Prior  Granville  Bour- 
geois was  appointed  justice  for  the  parishes 
and  the  country. 

Friday,  19  November,  1790. — After 
matins,  M.  Marchal,  clerk,  read  at  a 
Chapter  meeting  a  letter  which  the  adminis- 
trators of  the  Directoire  of  the  district  of 
Saintes  had  addressed  to  him  on  the  previous 
evening,  by  which  he  was  to  summon  the 
Chapter  at  eleven  o'clock  on  the  following 
morning,  in  order  that  the  commissioners 
named  by  the  Directoire  might  repair  thither 
to  notify  the  decrees  of  the  Assembly  during 
the  months  of  July  and  August  of  the  present 
year.  The  Chapter,  foreseeing  from  this 
moment  its  immediate  dissolution,  appointed 
or  confirmed  six  commissaries,  who  were 
MM.  Dudon,  Bourdeille,  Grelet,  St.  Legier, 
Paroche,  and  Marchal,  to  deal  with  and 
settle  (even  after  the  dispersion  of  the 
Chapter  among  themselves),  and  in  the  name 
of  the  company,  those  different  matters  which 
up  to  this  day  there  had  not  been  an  oppor- 
tunity of  definitely  settling.  A  declaration  was 
also  drawn  up,  which  the  company  thought 
it  right  to  make  relative  to  the  decreed 
suppression,  to  be  read  and  presented  to 
the  gentlemen  of  the  administration  of  the 
Department  and  district.  It  had  been  agreed 
by  a  majority  of  votes  that  this  declara- 
tion should  be  signed  by  all  the  members, 
deposited  in  the  hands  of  a  notary,  printed 
to  the  number  of  400  copies,  and  addressed 
to  the  Bishops  and  Chapters  of  the  realm. 
The  company  also  decided  that  the  commis- 
saries of  the  district  should  be  received  with 
much  respect  and  distinction,  and  appointed 
two  of  the  gentlemen  to  receive  them  at  the 
foot  of  the  staircase,  and  to  introduce  them 
when  they  presented  themselves,  and  that 
four  armchairs  should  be  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  hall. 

{To  be  continued. ) 


342 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


arcba^ological  Jf3eto0. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.  ] 

COLONEL  SHIPWAYS  "PEDIGREE." 
As  Stated  elsewhere,  in  the  Notes  of  the 
Month,  we  have  thought  it  well  to  place  on 
permanent  record  in  the  pages  of  the  Anti- 
quary an  account  of  the  astounding  charge 
of  forging  a  pedigree  which  is  in  course  of 
investigation  in  one  of  the  London  police 
courts.  Originally  it  had  been  in  contempla- 
tion to  give  only  an  abbreviated  report  of  the 
case  in  the  Antiquary,  but  as  an  incomplete 
report  might,  perhaps,  seem  to  prejudice  the 
accused,  we  have  decided  to  give  the  report 
of  the  case  just  as  it  appeared  in  the  daily 
papers,  and  for  that  purpose  we  have  ventured 
to  borrow  the  Times'  report  of  the  case,  which, 
at  the  time  of  our  going  to  press,  has  been 
again  remanded  after  a  fourth  hearing. 

To  the  proprietors  of  the  Graphic  we  are 
indebted  for  permission  to  reproduce,  on  a 
somewhat  reduced  scale,  certain  of  the  illus- 
trations which  appeared  in  the  Daily  Graphic 
of  September  30. 

The  case,  quite  independently  of  its  ro- 
mantic element,  contains  so  much  that  is 
worthy  of  very  serious  consideration  by 
those  interested  in  the  due  and  careful 
preservation  of  our  ancient  records  and 
monuments,  that  it  is  very  necessary  that  it 
should  be  brought  under  the  notice  of 
antiquaries  throughout  the  country.  On  that 
account  we  give  it  the  prominence  in  our 
pages  which,  amusing  though  it  is,  it  would 
not  otherwise  merit. 
EXTRAORDINARY  CHARGE  OF  FRAUD. 

At  Bow  Street  yesterday  Herbert  Davies,  25, 
described  as  a  surgeon,  of  Castlenau  Gardens, 
Barnes,  was  charged,  on  remand,  with  fraud. 
Mr.  Bodkin,  instructed  by  Mr.  Brown,  of  the 
Treasury,  prosecuted  ;  Mr.  H.  T.  Waddy  defended  ; 
and  the  Director  of  Public  Prosecutions  occupied  a 
seat  on  the  bench  ;  Detective-Inspector  Brockwell 
represented  the  police. 

Mr.  Bodkin  said  that  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ship- 
way's  family  had  formerly  lived  in  the  western 
counties  of  England,  and  a  few  years  ago  Colonel 


Shipway  was  desirous  of  tracing  his  right  to  bear 
arms  and  to  investigate  the  pedigree  of  his  family. 
He  was  introduced  to  the  defendant,  who  passed  as 
a  B.A,,  saying  that  he  had  studied  at  Lincoln 
College,  Oxford  ;  but  inquiries  now  showed  that 
the  only  B.A,  of  that  college  of  the  name  of  Davies 
of  about  the  prisoner's  age  was  a  gentleman  who 
became  a  member  of  the  Bar,  and  all  trace  of  whom 
was  lost.  It  appeared,  therefore,  that  the  prisoner 
had  taken  upon  himself  this  gentleman's  qualifica- 
tions. The  defendant,  in  November,  1895,  wa« 
engaged  by  Colonel  Shipway  to  make  these 
inquiries  at  a  salary  of  6s.  a  day,  his  expenses 
being  paid.  By  "  cooking  "  his  accounts,  however, 
the  defendant  succeeded  in  defrauding  Colonel 
Shipway  of  considerable  sums.  A  total  amount 
of  ;^683  was  paid  him,  of  which  only  /266  repre- 
sented his  salary,  the  remainder  being,  as  he  repre- 
sented, for  expenses.  It  seemed  that  quite  early  in 
his  employment  he  came  across  a  book  called  "A 
History  of  Dursley,"  in  which  mention  was  made 
of  the  Shipway  family,  and  it  would  seem  that  then 
the  idea  struck  him  that  it  would  be  considerably 
more  remunerative  if  he  deceived  Colonel  Shipway 
as  to  the  real  history  of  his  family.  Accordingly, 
he  wrote  Colonel  Shipway  at  considerable  length  as 
to  the  important  position  held  by  the  old  Shipway 
family  in  the  neighbourhood.  In  January,  1896, 
he  wrote  to  Colonel  Shipway  that  he  had  discovered 
the  Shipway  crest,  which  was  engraved  upon  a  seal 
which  he  had  received  from  an  old  villager  at 
Mangotsfield,  in  Gloucestershire,  who  was  ninety- 
five  years  of  age.  In  connection  with  this  seal  he 
made  a  statutory  declaration  before  a  solicitor 
named  Crook.  The  seal  represented  a  lion  rampant 
holding  a  weapon  in  its  paw.  In  March,  1896,  the 
defendant  had  so  far  ingratiated  himself  with  Mr. 
Alford,  the  Rector  at  Mangotsfield,  as  to  get  full 
permission  to  inspect  the  old  sixteenth-century 
registers  of  the  parish,  which  were  kept  at  the 
Rectory.  After  he  had  received  this  permission 
for  some  time,  six  very  peculiar  entries  were  found, 
all  relating  to  the  Shipway  family,  one,  for 
instance,  dated  August  11,  1625,  recording  the 
death  of  "John  Shipway,  late  of  this  parish.  Sigil- 
lum — heo  telo  manu."  It  was  certainly  an  extra- 
ordinary thing  that  the  clerk  should  have  recorded 
in  the  registers  the  fact  that  the  deceased  had  at 
crest  a  lion  bearing  a  weapon  in  his  "  hand,"  but  it 
was  certainly  a  fact  very  interesting  to  Colonel 
Shipway,  as  it  at  once  authenticated  the  seal.  The 
entry  went  on  to  pray  that  John  Shipway  might  be 
blessed  for  the  good  he  had  done  in  that  parish, 
showing  him  to  be  a  person  of  some  importance. 
The  whole  of  this  entry  was  forged,  as  were  the 
five  others  mentioned,  and  it  was  noticeable  that 
they  were  crowded  either  at  the  top  or  the  bottom 
of  a  page,  or  in  a  small  blank  space  between  two 
other  entries.  A  former  rector  of  the  parish  about 
1720  made  a  copy  of  these  registers,  which  was  an 
exact  duplicate,  word  for  word,  page  for  page,  with 
the  exception  that  none  of  these  six  entries  was 
contained  in  it.  Defendant  also  arranged  that  an 
old  oak  chest  should  be  given  to  Colonel  Shipway. 
It  was,  in  fact,  sent  to  him,  but  not  before  the 
defendant  had  removed  one  of  the  hinges  and  sent 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


343 


it  to  Bristol  to  a  man  named  Sidley,  with  instruc- 
tions to  engrave  upon  it  the  words  "Ye  giffte  of 
I.  S."  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  look  old. 
This  was  done,  and  when  a  few  days  later  a  photo- 
graph of  the  chest  was  taken  these  words  were 
clearly  seen  upon  the  hinge.  Meantime,  the 
defendant  one  day  borrowed  a  hammer  and  chisel 
from  Preddy,  and  afterwards  some  hammering  was 
heard  in  the  belfry.  Two  or  three  days  later,  when 
Preddy  was  up  in  the  belfry  with  the  bellringers, 
one  of  the  men  discovered  carved  on  one  of  the 
beams,  "John  Shipway,  1541."  In  November, 
1896,  the  defendant  obtained  permission  from  the 
Home  Office  to  open  certain  graves,  on  condition 
that  any  remains  there  might  be  were  not  disturbed. 
At  this  time  he  began  searching  for  a  lead  coffin, 
and  after  opening  one  freestone  grave  in  vain,  he 
found  one  in  a  grave  on  the  other  side  of  the  church 
which  bore  the  name  of  Hicks.  In  the  grave  was  a 
lead  coffin,  with  a  metal  name-plate  bearing  the 
name  of  Hicks,  which  had  been  attached  to  an 
outer  wooden  coffin,  now  entirely  rotted  away. 
The  lead  coffin  was  carried  into  the  vestry,  and  the 
defendant  left  alone  with  it.  Afterwards  an  acid 
smell  was  noticed,  and  when  the  coffin-lid  was 
inspected,  the  words  "  Leo  telo  mann,"  with  under- 
neath "John  Shipway,  1628,"  were  found  on  it. 
The  coffin  was  replaced,  and  then  the  defendant 
actually  had  the  freestone  gravestone,  which  bore 
the  Shipway  name,  placed  over  this  coffin,  and  the 
gravestone  bearing  the  name  of  Hicks  removed  to 
the  other  side  of  the  church.  In  doing  so,  by  some 
accident  a  stone  fell  upon  the  foot  of  a  labourer 
named  Webster.  The  foot  was  crushed,  and  a  few 
days  after  the  man  died  from  the  shock.  The 
defendant  promised  to  compensate  the  widow,  and 
actually  received  /lo  from  Colonel  Shipway  for 
that  purpose.  All  that  Mrs.  Webster  received 
from  him,  however,  was  £i\,  so  that  he  appro- 
priated £b  of  this  widow's  money  for  himself. 
Behind  the  church  organ  was  a  niche  with  a  sort 
of  stone  canopy  over  it.  In  this  niche  was  a  female 
figure  carved  in  stone,  and  old  inhabitants  of  Man- 
gotsfield  stated  that  there  had  formerly  been  the 
figure  of  a  man  in  armour  besides  the  woman,  but 
that  for  some  reason  it  had  been  buried  under  the 
organ.  This  memorial  really  belonged  to  the 
Blount  family,  but  the  defendant  had  the  organ 
removed,  the  figure  dug  up,  and  eventually  an 
elaborate  screen  was  placed  in  front  at  Colonel 
Shipway 's  expense,  bearing  the  words,  "  Johannis 
Shipway.  The  enclosed  two  monuments  were 
placed  in  this  chantry  to  perpetuate  the  memories 
of  John  Shipway,  Man  of  Arms,  of  Beverstone  and 
Mangotsfield,  and  Margaret,  his  wife.  During 
troublous  times  the  figure  of  John  Shipway  was 
buried  near  by.  It  was  recovered  and  replaced  by 
his  direct  lineal  descendant,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Robert  William  Shipway,  of  Grove  House,  Chis- 
wick,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  November,  1896. 
Upon  the  original  plaster  of  this  wall  can  be  seen 
traces  of  the  family  arms  specified  in  the  parochial 
registers  and  district  probate  registry,  also  portions 
of  the  original  inscriptions.  The  name  of  Johannis 
Shipway  can  still  be  deciphered  on  the  face  of  the 
coverstone.     The   Shipway  vault  is  south  of  the 


church.  The  name  and  arms  also  appear  with  the 
date  1541  cut  into  a  beam  in  the  belfry."  The 
defendant  next  turned  his  attention  to  the  Andrews 
monument  in  the  church.  This  bore  a  shield  at 
the  top,  completely  black,  but  after,  as  the  defen- 
dant himself  said,  removing  eight  coats  of  paint, 
the  words  "  John  Shipway,  1620,"  were  discovered. 
Of  course,  all  these  discoveries  were  communicated 
to  the  College  of  Arms,  but  Colonel  Shipway  was 
informed  by  the  College  that,  though  their  records 
had  been  searched  for  400  years,  they  could  find  no 
trace  of  any  arms  borne  by  the  Shipway  family, 
and  they  could  not  accept  an  entry  in  a  parish 
register  as  sufficient  proof.  He  suggested  therefore 
that  the  diocesan  registries  should  be  searched  to 
see  whether  any  wills  of  the  Shipway  family  could 
be  found.  Accordingly,  in  June,  1896,  the  defen- 
dant went  to  Gloucester,  and  again  in  August,  with 
the  result  that  there  he  discovered  the  will  of  John 
Shipway.  This  will  was  a  most  interesting  one  for 
Colonel  Shipway,  for  in  it  the  testator,  "  of  Bevis- 
ton  in  Maingotsfield,"  though  apparently  in  articulo 
mortis,  found  time  to  recite  the  details  of  his  arms 
received  by  an  ancestor  from  Richard  I.  in  1191, 
through  "  William  de  Marchant,  Chancellor  and 
justiciary."  This  was  obviously  incorrect,  for  in 
1 191  Richard  was  in  Palestine,  and  William  de 
Marchant  had  been  dismissed  from  office  some 
years  before.  All  these  wills  were  numbered  in 
order,  this  will  being  numbered  seventy-five.  In 
1890  a  Mr.  Phillimore,  who,  as  the  defendant  wrote 
to  Colonel  Shipway,  was  "a  most  skilled  anti- 
quarian," made  a  list  of  these  wills,  and  number 
seventy-five  on  his  list  was  that  of  "  John  Nelme,  of 
Came."  The  will  of  John  Nelme  was  now  missing, 
so  it  was  evident  that  the  defendant  had  stolen  this 
will  and  substituted  a  forgery  for  it,  or,  as  appeared 
probable,  that  he  had  erased  the  writing  from  the 
original  parchment,  and  forged  this  will  upon  it. 
Traces  of  earlier  writing  could  still  be  seen  in 
photographs  of  the  will,  and  it  was  a  remarkable 
fact  that  at  the  top  the  word  "  Came  "  appeared. 
In  these  old  wills  it  was  customary  to  find  the  name 
of  the  testator's  parish  at  the  top,  and  so  ignorant 
was  the  copyist  that  here  he  had  actually  retained 
the  name  of  John  Nelme's  parish  on  a  will  purport- 
ing to  come  from  Mangotsfield.  In  February,  1897, 
the  defendant  went  to  Worcester,  and  shortly  after 
wrote  to  Colonel  Shipway  to  say  that  he  had  dis- 
covered the  will  of  John  James  Shipway,  who  was 
the  father  of  John  Shipway,  and  who  died  in  1493. 
This  will  stated  that  the  testator  was  a  ' '  man  of 
arms  " — an  erroneous  description,  for  apparently  a 
man  entitled  to  bear  arms  was  meant — and  after 
reciting  the  grant  of  the  arms  by  Richard  I.,  the 
testator  went  on  to  bequeath  to  his  son  the  papers 
by  which  this  grant  was  made  300  years  before. 
The  register  of  wills  contained  no  mention  of  this 
document,  and  it  looked  as  if  the  parchment  had 
been  torn  off  from  another  will,  several  of  them 
having  a  blank  half-sheet  attached,  and  the  comer 
through  which  the  leather  lace  which  held  the  wills 
together  should  have  gone  being  missing.  Here, 
too,  the  defendant  found  the  will  of  Grace  Shipway, 
dated  1537,  which  was  also  loose,  and  in  the  same 
bundle.     This  will  bore  the  number  133.     In  the 


344 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


register  133  was  the  number  of  the  will  of  one 
"Nicholas  Walbey,"  a  will  which  could  not  now 
be  found.  Here,  again,  the  defendant  seemed  to 
have  destroyed  a  will  and  then  forged  another  on  the 
same  parchment.  Each  of  these  three  wills  was 
full  of  modern  peculiarities ;  they  were  written  in 
the  same  handwriting ;  and  there  was  overwhelm- 
ing circumstantial  evidence  to  show  that  they  were 
forged,  and  forged  by  no  other  than  the  defendant. 
Mr.  Bodkin  concluded  by  explaining  that  it  was 
not  Colonel  Shipway,  but  the  Public  Prosecutor, 
who  prosecuted  in  this  case  ;  but  it  was  hoped  that 
Colonel  Shipway,  though  he  had  suffered  severely 
through  the  defendant  in  the  way  in  which  he  had 
been  duped,  would  yet  do  his  duty  as  an  officer  and 
a  gentleman,  and  aid  the  prosecution  as  far  as  he 
could  to  place  the  facts  of  this  case  before  the  Court. 

Susan  Webster,  wife  of  the  labourer  who  lost  his 
life  in  the  defendant's  service,  having  given  evi- 
dence as  to  the  receipt  of  £^  as  compensation  for 
him,  the  hearing  was  adjourned. 

Bail  was  increased  to  two  sureties  in  /300  each. 
— Times,  September  24. 


At  the  hearing  on  September  29  : 

John  Preddy,  a  smith,  living  at  Mangotsfield, 
said  that  he  was  seventy-two  years  of  age,  and  had 
lived  there  all  his  life.  Fourteen  or  fifteen  years 
ago  an  organ  was  placed  in  Mangotsfield  Church 
in  front  of  a  niche  in  which  was  a  female  effigy  in 
stone.  Witness  remembered  his  mother,  who  died 
thirty  years  ago,  saying  that  there  used  to  be  a 
second  figure  in  this  niche.  He  did  not  remember 
seeing  any  writing  in  this  niche,  nor  had  he  seen 
the  name  of  Shipway  there  or  anywhere  else  in  the 
church,  or  even  heard  the  name  prior  to  the 
prisoner's  arrival  in  1896.  On  the  south  side  of 
the  church  was  a  monument  to  the  Andrews  family, 
with  a  stone  shield  above  it.  In  the  autumn  of 
1896  Dr.  Davies  came  to  Mangotsfield.  Witness 
met  him  in  the  church,  and  the  prisoner  questioned 
him  as  to  the  vaults,  asking  whether  there  were 
any  near  the  altar.  Witness  told  him  of  all  the 
vaults  he  knew,  but  said  he  knew  of  none  near  the 
altar.  Then,  at  the  prisoner's  request,  he  took 
down  the  shield  from  the  Andrews  monument,  and 
placed  it  on  a  stool  in  the  aisle.  The  prisoner 
scraped  it  with  his  pocket-knife,  remarking  that 
there  ought  to  be  something  on  it.  Nothing  was 
found,  and  the  shield  was  packed  up  and  sent  to 
Mangotsfield  Station,  together  with  two  little 
figures  taken  from  the  west  porch  outside  the  door. 
In  a  few  days  they  were  returned  and  replaced. 
The  figures  were  unaltered,  but  the  shield  bore  the 
name  of  "  John  Shipway,"  and  part  of  a  date  could 
be  seen  upon  it.  Next,  the  altar  was  moved,  and 
the  floor  of  the  chantry  taken  up,  with  the  result 
that  the  stone  figure  of  a  man  was  found.  The 
prisoner  said  that  he  had  expected  to  find  a  grave 
or  a  vault  there.  The  flooring  was  replaced,  and 
the  figure  placed  with  the  other  in  the  niche,  the 
organ  being  moved  so  as  not  to  hide  it.  The  niche 
was  next  repaired,  and  a  wooden  frame  placed  in 
front  of  it  containing  two  memorial  brasses.  Soon 
after  the  figure  was  dug  up  the  name  "  Johannis 


Shipway  "  appeared  above  the  niche.  The  letters 
were  quite  clear,  and  witness  thought  they  had 
been  done  with  blacklead  pencil,  as  on  touching 
them  with  a  knife  the  black  came  off,  leaving  the 
bare  stone.  One  day  Davies  borrowed  two  chisels 
and  a  hammer  from  him.  He  did  not  say  what  he 
wanted  them  for,  but  went  up  into  the  church 
tower.  Witness  followed  him,  but  found  the  belfry 
door  locked,  and  heard  a  sound  of  hammering 
inside.  The  same  afternoon  witness  went  up  into 
the  belfry,  and  saw  that  on  the  central  beam  the 
words  "  John  Shipway,  1541  "  were  carved.  Forty 
or  fifty  years  ago  the  level  of  the  churchyard  was 
lowered,  as  witness  remembered.  In  the  church- 
yard was  a  pennant-stone  tomb  bearing  the  name 
"  Samuel  Hicks,  Esq.,"  and  also  a  freestone  tomb, 
on  which  was  a  coat  of  arms,  but  no  name.  Davies 
had  the  freestone  tomb  opened,  but  no  coffin  was 
found  in  it ;  and  then  he  asked  witness  if  he  knew 
where  there  was  a  lead  coffin.  Witness  remem- 
bered seeing  a  lead  coffin  in  the  pennant-stone 
tomb,  and  told  him  so.  Accordingly  Davies  had 
that  tomb  opened,  and  a  lead  coffin  was  found 
there  with,  lying  on  the  top  of  it,  the  brass  name- 
plate  which  had  been  fastened  to  the  decayed  outer 
wooden  coffin.  On  this  plate  the  name  "Samuel 
Hicks,  Esq.,"  was  quite  plain,  but  on  the  coffin 
itself  nothing  was  visible.  The  coffin  was  carried 
into  the  vestry,  and  the  next  day  Dr.  Davies  called 
witness  to  see  it.  On  the  lid  the  name  "John 
Shipway "  could  now  be  seen,  and  underneath 
a  lion  rampant  holding  up  some  weapon.  Witness 
noticed  that  there  was  a  smell  of  acid,  but  the 
prisoner  said  it  was  disinfectant,  and  he  thought 
the  marks  on  the  coffin  were  of  recent  date. 
When  the  coffin  was  returned  to  the  vault  the  free- 
stone tomb  was  placed  over  it,  and  the  pennant- 
stone  tomb  was  moved  to  the  place  from  which  the 
other  tomb  was  taken.  Davies  said  that  he  held 
an  authority  from  the  Home  Secretary  to  open  any 
grave  or  vault  in  the  churchyard.  Some  twenty 
years  ago  witness  was  employed  by  the  church- 
wardens to  open  an  old  chest  which  was  kept  in 
the  vestry,  and  of  which  the  key  had  been  lost, 
The  chest  was  taken  to  the  rectory,  and  witness 
opened  it  in  the  presence  of  the  Vicar  and  church- 
wardens, having  to  take  off  the  hinges  to  do  so. 
There  was  then  no  lettering  on  the  ironwork,  but 
one  day  Davies  called  him  to  the  rectory,  and 
showed  him  that  inside  the  hasp  of  the  chest  were 
the  words,  "  Ye  giffte  of  I.  S." 

In  reply  to  Mr.  Waddy,  the  witness  said  that 
when  the  churchyard  was  lowered  the  tombstones 
were  moved,  and  some  were  not  replaced  in  their 
proper  places.  The  freestone  tomb  was  one  of 
these,  but  he  thought  the  pennant-stone  tomb  was 
correctly  replaced,  as  it  was  over  a  vault.  Witness 
told  Dr.  Davies  that  there  was  some  confusion  in 
replacing  the  tombs. 

Two  of  the  bell-ringers  at  Mangotsfield  Church 
having  given  evidence  that  the  name  "John  Ship- 
way  ' '  was  not  visible  on  the  beam  in  the  belfry 
before  Davies  came  there, 

Albert  Edward  Sidley,  an  engraver  in  the  em- 
ployment of  Messers.  Willett  and  Sons,  of  Bristol, 
said  that  in  October,  1896,  the  prisoner  brought  the 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


1.  THE    ANDREWS    MONUMENT. 

2.  THE    BEAM    IN    THE    BELFRY. 


3.  THE    PARISH    CHEST,  WITH    HASP    LIFTED    UP. 

4.  THE    LEAD    COFFIN    INSCRIPTION. 


(Copied  by  permission  from  the  Daily  Graphic. 


iron  hasp  produced  to  him,  and  told  him  to  engrave 
the  words  "  Ye  giffte  of  I.  S."  upon  it  in  very  old- 
style  characters,  and  to  make  the  engraving  look  as 
if  it  had  been  done  for  some  time.  Witness  did  so, 
and  rubbed  over  the  letters  with  emery  paper  and 
printer's  ink  to  give  them  a  dull  appearance,  charg- 
VOL.  XXXIV. 


ing  3s.  for  the  job.  Afterwards  the  prisoner 
ordered  some  memorial  brasses  to  be  placed  in 
Mangotsfield  Church  at  a  price  of  /12,  and,  in 
consideration  of  this  order,  the  charge  for  the  hasp 
and  for  the  engraving  of  some  forks  and  spoons  for 
his  private  use  was  foregone.     About  the  time  he 

YY 


34^ 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


brought  the  hasp  the  prisoner  also  brought  a  stone 
scutcheon  (the  shield  for  the  Andrews  monument), 
and  asked  witness  to  paint  some  words  upon  it. 
Upon  the  shield  now  appeared  the  words  "  John 
Shipway,  162—,  Mi. — ,"  but  when  witness  re- 
turned the  shield  to  the  prisoner  both  the  full  date 
and  the  age  were  plainly  visible. 

James  Hamilton,  a  photographer,  of  Broad  Street, 
Staple  Hill,  Bristol,  said  that  he  took  a  number  of 
photographs  for  the  defendant  in  November,  1896, 
including  an  enlargement  of  a  small  photograph  of 
a  will,  and  photographs  of  the  beam  in  the  belfry, 
the  stone  effigies,  the  stone  shield,  the  tomb,  and 
the  coffin-lid.  The  prisoner  was  not  satisfied  with 
the  photograph  of  the  coffin-lid,  as  the  seal  on  it 
did  not  show  well,  and  so  it  was  twice  enlarged, 
and  then,  the  prisoner  having  touched  up  the  en- 
largement, a  reduced  photograph  was  made  in 
which  the  seal  showed  plainly.  Witness  also  did 
some  private  work  for  the  prisoner,  and  his  bill  for 
all  the  work  done  came  to  £\o  os.  6d.,  of  which 
/y  I2S.  6d.  represented  the  amount  due  from 
Colonel  Shipway.  The  prisoner  was  not  satisfied 
with  this,  and  got  him  to  make  out  a  bill  at  his 
dictation,  in  which  the  private  work  was  not  in- 
cluded, but  the  total  was  increased  to  /'la  3s.  6d. 
This  bill  the  witness  receipted  in  exchange  for  the 
prisoner's  I.O.U.  for  /S,  payable  at  fourteen  days. 
He  did  not,  however,  get  the  £%  at  once — that  was 
in  December,  1896,  and  the  account  was  not  cleared 
off  until  March,  1897.  The  prisoner  did  not  then 
settle  his  private  account  with  witness,  and  it  was 
not  until  witness  had  obtained  judgment  in  the 
County  Court  against  him  that  he  received  pay- 
ment, in  February  this  year. 

At    this    point    the    hearing    was    adjourned. — 
Times,  September  30. 


On  October  6  : 

Mr.  Charles  Angell  Bradford,  second  assistant 
secretary  of  the  in-registry  at  the  Home  Office,  said 
that  the  prisoner  had  applied  for  permission  to 
open  the  grave  of  Colonel  Shipway's  grandfather 
in  aWesleyan  burying-ground  at  Minchinhampton, 
and  also  the  grave  of  another  of  his  relatives  in 
Whitbourne  churchyard,  in  order  to  obtain  some 
details  for  the  erection  of  a  monument.  Permission 
was  granted  in  the  first  case,  and  the  prisoner  was 
referred  to  the  incumbent  in  the  second.  These 
were  the  only  two  instances  in  which  the  prisoner 
had  applied  for  permission  to  open  graves. 

John  Stidard,  sexton  at  Mangotsfield  Church, 
gave  evidence  confirming  that  of  the  smith  Preddy 
at  the  last  hearing,  as  also  did  George  Cross,  a 
platelayer,  who  assisted  in  opening  the  tomb. 

Arthur  Edward  Lonnen  said  that  in  June  and 
July,  1896,  he  was  clerk  to  the  late  Mr.  Crook, 
solicitor,  of  Bristol.  In  July,  1896,  a  person  who 
gave  the  name  of  James  Bucknell,  but  whom 
witness  now  identified  as  the  prisoner,  came  to 
Mr.  Crook  to  make  a  statutory  declaration  to 
the  effect  that  a  seal  which  he  produced  was  an 
heirloom  in  the  Shipway  family.  He  brought  a 
declaration  already  engrossed  on  parchment,  but, 
owing  to  an  error  in  it,  witness  engrossed  another, 
and  was  present  when  the  prisoner  swore  it.     The 


prisoner  told  him  that  the  motto  on  the  seal  was 
"  Dum  vivo  "  (Whilst  I  live.) 

Mrs.  Mary  John,  whose  husband  is  a  restaurant- 
keeper  at  Bristol,  identified  the  prisoner  as  a  man 
who  used  to  call  in  the  name  of  Bucknell  at  a  tem- 
perance hotel  kept  by  her  in  July,  1896,  in  Victoria 
Street,  Bristol,  and  said  that  he  asked  her  to  take 
in  letters  for  a  friend  of  his  named  Davies.  A  letter 
came  addressed  to  Davies,  and  she  gave  it  to  him, 
and  to  her  surprise  he  opened  it. 

Mr.  Frank  Penlock,  one  of  the  churchwardens  at 
Mangotsfield  Church,  said  that  the  prisoner  applied 
to  the  Vicar  and  churchwardens  to  have  the  organ 
moved  so  that  it  should  not  hide  the  niche  which 
was  then  behind  it.  They  consented  on  his  paying 
;^2o  for  the  removal.  There  was  a  figure  in  the 
niche  which  the  prisoner  said  was  that  of  a  knight 
with  his  armour  removed.  Witness  thought  it  was 
that  of  a  woman,  and  when  the  figure  of  a  knight  in 
armour  was  found  underneath  the  chantry  floor  the 
prisoner  agreed  that  it  was  so. 

Mr.  Bodkin  :  Did  he  say  anything  as  to  whom  the 
monument  was  erected  to  ? — Oh  yes ;  of  course  he 
appropriated  it  to  the  Shipway  family,  and  put  their 
name  on  it. 

The  Rev.  George  Alford,  Vicar  of  Mangotsfield, 
said  that  he  had  held  that  office  since  1881.  At 
that  time  the  parish  registers  were  kept  in  an  old 
oak  chest  in  the  vestry.  This  chest  was  afterwards 
removed  to  the  Vicarage  and  opened  by  Preddy, 
the  smith,  the  key  having  been  lost.  Witness  did 
not  then  see  any  inscription  on  the  hasp  of  the  chest, 
nor  at  any  subsequent  time  till  after  Dr.  Davies's 
arrival  in  1896.  When  the  prisoner  first  called 
upon  him,  saying  that  he  came  from  Colonel  Ship- 
way,  witness  took  hira  round  the  church  and  showed 
him  the  niche  behind  the  organ,  saying  that  he 
believed  that  the  memorial  belonged  to  the  Berkeley 
family.  Witness  grew  to  be  on  very  friendly  terms 
with  the  prisoner  and  reposed  great  trust  in  him. 
He  used  to  come  to  the  Vicarage  and  inspect  the 
old  registers — which  went  back  nearly  to  1500 — in 
the  library.  Witness  was  not  always  present  at 
these  times.  After  some  time  the  prisoner  called 
his  attention  to  a  slip  of  parchment  which  he  said 
he  found  in  the  book,  and  he  asked  permission  to 
take  it  away  to  have  it  examined  by  experts. 

Mr.  Bodkin  said  that  this  slip  appeared  to  be  a 
portion  from  some  sort  of  passport  granted  to  some- 
one described  as  Shipway  filius,  while  of  the  sig- 
nature the  word  "  Rex  "  remained.  The  fragment 
was  sent  to  Colonel  Shipway,  who  had  it  photo- 
graphed in  facsimile  by  the  Autotype  Company. 

Witness  could  not  say  whether  the  word  Ship- 
way  was  on  the  slip  when  it  left  him,  but  it  was 
there  when  it  came  back.  The  prisoner  next  asked 
witness  to  lend  the  parish  register  for  inspection 
by  the  College  of  Heralds,  but  witness  demurred, 
and  it  was  not  until  ample  guarantees  had  been 
given  that  he  handed  the  register  to  Davies.  Up 
to  that  time  he  had  heard  nothing  of  any  Shipway 
entries  in  the  book,  but  when  about  a  week  later  it 
was  returned  to  him  he  was  asked  to  certify  the 
correctness  of  six  photographs  of  pages  in  which 
the  name  of  Shipway  appeared.  There  was  a  last- 
century  copy  of  this  register,  and  this  copy  had 
never  been  out  of  witness's  possession. 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


347 


Mr.  Bodkin  called  attention  to  the  curious  fact 
that  the  paper  used  in  this  copy  bore  as  watermark 
a  lion  rampant  with  a  weapon  in  its  paw  (the 
alleged  Shipway  crest),  but  in  this  case  there  were 
the  letters  C.R.,  apparently  referring  to  Charles  I. 
or  II. 

The  witness  continued  that  in  the  niche  behind 
the  organ  the  prisoner  pointed  out  to  him  some 
markings  which  he  said  were  like  a  lion,  and  said 
that  he  thought  the  shield  on  the  Andrews  monu- 
ment must  have  been  placed  there  by  mistake  after 
the  church  was  restored  some  fifty  years  ago,  but 
witness  could  not  say  where  in  this  case  it  could 
have  come  from.  Witness  consented  to  allow  the 
shield  to  be  sent  to  Bristol  to  be  cleaned,  and  it 
came  back  with  the  name  of  John  Shipway  upon  it. 
Witness  had  known  Mangotsfield  parish  for  between 
thirty  and  forty  years,  but  until  Davies  came  there 
he  had  never  heard  of  the  Shipway  family  as  con- 
nected with  it. 

Mr.  Bodkin  questioned  the  witness  as  to  the  cer- 
tificates which  he  had  given  of  the  genuineness  of 
certain  photographs  of  the  "Shipway"  relics,  and 
asked  him  how  it  was  that  he  came  to  describe  these 
as  "  the  Shipway  tomb,"  "  the  Shipway  vault," 
"  the  Shipway  memorial,"  and  even  in  the  case  of 
the  old  chest  as  "  the  gift  of  John  Shipway." 

Witness  ;  I  am  afraid  that  I  relied  upon  the  word 
of  Dr.  Davies  ;  I  had  implicit  confidence  in  him. 

The  Rev.  George  Percy  A 1  ford,  the  son  of  the 
last  witness,  said  that  he  acted  as  curate  to  his 
father.  The  witness  stated  that  he  saw  Davies 
write  out  facsimiles  of  several  of  the  entries  in  the 
old  register,  imitating  the  old  writing  with  surprising 
success.  Witness  pointed  out  one  or  two  errors, 
and  on  these  being  corrected,  certified  the  copies  as 
exact  facsimiles  of  the  entries.  The  prisoner  did 
not  say  to  what  the  entries  referred.  Witness  did 
not  see  the  prisoner  after  he  left  Mangotsfield,  but 
in  January,  1897,  he  received  a  letter  from  him 
stating  that  he  had  found  the  will  of  John  Shipway, 
"an  enormously  rich  man,"  and  asking  for  infor- 
mation as  to  a  house  mentioned  in  the  will.  As  to 
the  certificates  on  the  photographs,  the  vdtness  said 
that  the  prisoner  dictated  the  wording.  Witness 
wrote  it  down  and  his  father  signed  it,  for  they  both 
had  implicit  faith  in  the  prisoner. 

The  hearing  was  again  adjourned. — Times,  Octo- 
ber 7. 


Again,  at  the  hearing  on  October  13, 

Mr.  Charles  Sawyer,  a  partner  in  the  Autotype 
Company,  New  Oxford  Street,  having  identified 
some  photographs  of  extracts  from  Mangotsfield 
parish  register  as  made  by  his  firm  to  Colonel  Ship- 
way's  order, 

Mr.  Bodkin  called  Richard  Edward  Kirk,  record 
agent,  of  Chancery  Lane,  who  said  that  he  had  had 
considerable  experience  in  the  examination  of  ancient 
writings.  He  had  examined  the  parchment  book 
before  him,  which  was  entitled.  The  Antient  Register 
Booke  belonging  to  Mangotsfield,  and,  according  to  a 
statement  on  the  fly-leaf,  was  purchased  in  1620. 
The  earliest  entry  in  the  book  related  to  the  baptism 
of  one  Eleanor  Coole,  in  1579,  and  the  most  recent 
entry  was  under  date  1667.     The  witness  assumed 


that  the  entries  dated  earlier  than  1620  had  been 
copied  into  this  book  from  loose  sheets  or  another 
book,  as  was  very  frequently  done  about  that  time. 
The  whole  book  was  crowded  with  writing,  with 
the  exception  of  the  fly-leaves.  The  entries  were 
generally  classified  under  the  date  of  the  year,  but 
the  date  1579  had,  it  appeared,  been  tampered  with, 
for  the  tail  of  the  9  had  been  erased,  so  as  to  make 
the  date  look  like  1570.  As  the  next  date  was  1580, 
this  would  leave  a  gap  in  the  register  of  ten  years. 
Under  the  date  1570  (1579)  the  witness  found  the 
following  entry:  "Johies  Shipway,  the  sonne  of 
Johies  Shipway,  Man  of  Arras,  was  christened  the 
6  day  of  Julie."  "  Johies  "  was  obviously  intended 
for  an  abbreviation  of  the  Latin  Johannes  ;  but  the 
accepted  abbreviation  would  be  m  the  first  instance 
Johnes,  and  in  the  second  Johis.  The  writing  of 
the  entry  was  an  imitation,  and  not  a  good  imita- 
tion, of  ancient  handwriting. 

Mr.  Lushington  pointed  out  that  the  name  in  this 
entry  might  be  John,  what  was  taken  for  a  final 
"  s  "  in  each  case  being  part  of  the  flourish  in  the 
initial  "  S  "  in  Shipway.  On  referring  to  the  book 
again,  the  witness  agreed  that  this  was  probably  so, 
but  said  that  the  entry  was  very  badly  written,  so 
that  it  was  difficult  to  decipher  these  words.  The 
witness  continued  that  he  had  also  examined  an 
ancient  copy  of  this  register,  which  was  made,  he 
should  think,  about  1700.  In  it  was  a  copy  of  this 
page  of  the  register,  headed  with  the  date  1579,  and 
it  contained  duplicates  of  all  entries  in  this  page 
with  the  exception  of  the  Shipway  christening. 
Under  the  date  1591,  at  the  top  of  the  page,  there 
was  in  the  register  this  entry :  "  Matrimoniu 
solemnisat.  est  inter  Johannis  {sic)  Shipway  et 
Margaret.  Sandows  quarto  die  Octobris."  This 
entry  was  not  merely  in  bad  Latin,  but  a  palpable 
imitation  of  ancient  handwriting.  The  next  mar- 
riage entry  had  the  date  1593  in  the  margin,  and 
the  following  one  1597. 

Mr.  Bodkin  :  So  it  would  appear  that  for  four 
years  there  was  no  marriage  in  Mangotsfield  ;  cer- 
tainly a  very  extraordinary  thing. 

The  witness  continued  that  in  the  copy  of  the 
register  the  first  marriage  was  dated  1596,  not  1593 ; 
the  Shipway  marriage  did  not  appear,  but  there 
were  twenty-seven  marriages  of  dates  between  1591 
and  1597  in  the  copy  of  which  no  record  appeared 
in  the  register.  From  the  appearance  of  the  register 
witness  j  udged  that  the  page  containing  these  twenty- 
seven  entries  had  been  cut  out  with  some  sharp 
instrument,  and  it  appeared  that  the  Shipway  entry, 
dated  October,  1591,  had  been  inserted  between 
two  entries  both  dated  January,  1596.  Under  the 
date  1593  witness  found  the  following  entry  in  the 
register:  "Johannes  filius  Johnis  Shipway  [de] 
Beuerstone  baptizat.  est  vicesimo  primo  de  (sic) 
Novembris."  The  colour  of  the  ink  of  this  entry 
was  darker  than  that  of  the  other  entries,  and  it  did 
not  appear  at  all  in  the  copy.  Witness  also  found, 
under  the  date  1618,  March,  the  entry :  "  John 
Shipway,  Esquiere  of  ye  Beuerstone  was  buried 
ye  9  of  March  in  (?)  Fryotstone  &  his  bodie  requscit 
{sic)  ad  the  altare."  Witness  did  not  know  what 
"  Fryotstone  "  meant.  This  entry  contained  modem 
letters,  and  was  not  found  in  the  copy-register. 
The  same  remark  applied  to  the  entry  under  the 

YV    2 


348 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


heading  1623,  September :  "  Margaret  Shipway 
was  buryed  the  30th  day,"  and  it  appeared  from 
the  copy  as  if  the  date  1623  on  this  page  had  been 
ahered  from  1621.  Under  date  1625,  August,  was 
the  entry:  "John  Shipway  the  elder  was  buryed 
the  17  day.  Sig  :  Leotelomanu.  Memento  illorum 
Deus  noster  in  bonum  secundum  omnia  quae  fece- 
runt  domui  tu3D."  Witness  had  never  before  met 
with  an  entry  of  this  nature.  The  entry  was 
squeezed  in  at  the  bottom  of  a  page  and  did  not 
appear  at  all  in  the  copy.  The  writer  was  ob- 
viously not  well  acquainted  with  Latin,  but  witness 
imagined  the  purport  of  the  inscription  to  be — 
"  Seal :  A  lion  with  a  dart  in  hand.  Remember 
them  our  God  in  goodness  according  to  all  that  they 
have  done  for  Thy  house."  Under  the  date  1628 
was  an  entry  :  "  September.  Margaret  the  daughter 
of  John  Ship  (  )  buried  the  24  day."  Thewitness 
believed  this  to  be  a  genuine  entry,  but  the  latter 
syllable  of  the  surname  appeared  to  have  been 
tampered  with,  so  as  to  make  it  appear  to  be 
"  Shipway."  There  were  many  entries  in  the 
register  in  the  name  of  Shipley,  and  in  the  copy  the 
name  of  this  entry  appeared  as  John  Shipley. 
Witness  said  he  had  examined  the  slip  of  parchment 
put  in  last  week.  It  appeared  to  be  a  portion  of 
some  old  deed,  but  the  words  "  Shipway  filius  "  at 
the  top  seemed  to  be  a  modern  addition.  Respecting 
the  carving  on  the  belfry  beam  in  Mangotsfield 
Church,  the  witness  said  that  the  4  in  the  inscrip- 
tion "John  Shipway,  1541,"  was  distinctly  a  nine- 
teenth-century figure.  The  letters  on  "  John  Ship- 
way's  "  coffin-lid  were  made  by  the  same  hand  that 
carved  the  beam,  although  the  date  on  the  coffin 
was  March  9,  1628,  leaving  eighty-seven  years 
between  the  two.  In  the  register  John  Shipway 
was  stated  to  have  died  in  August,  1625. 

Francis  Edward  Wallis,  chief  clerk  of  the  district 
registry  at  Gloucester,  said  that  there  were  a  large 
number  of  ancient  wills  dating  back  from  1541. 
These  were  either  bound  up  or  fastened  in  bundles, 
and  they  were  open  for  inspection  for  legal  or  literary 
purposes.  Witness  remembered  the  prisoner  visit- 
ing the  office  to  look  at  these  wills.  Afterwards  a 
Mr.  Phillimore  showed  witness  a  photo  of  what 
purported  to  be  the  will  of  John  Shipway,  1547. 
To  copy  or  photograph  wills  without  special  per- 
mission was  not  allowed,  and  so  when  the  prisoner 
called  again  witness  spoke  to  him  and  asked  him 
by  what  authority,  and  where,  he  got  his  photograph. 
The  prisoner  replied  that  he  took  a  snapshot  in  the 
ofiice,  and  that  he  had  been  allowed  to  take  photo- 
graphs at  Birmingham  and  other  important  regis- 
tries. Witness  remarked  that  he  should  be  seeing 
the  registrar  at  Birmingham  that  day,  and  upon 
that  the  prisoner  tried  to  back  out  of  his  former 
statement.  There  was  an  official  index  of  these 
wills,  and  the  sixty-fourth  will  in  the  year  1547  was 
that  of  John  Nelme.  The  name  of  Shipway  did  not 
appear  on  the  list.  The  will  of  John  Nelme,  which 
should  have  appeared  on  the  seventy-fifth  page  of 
that  volume,  had  disappeared,  and  in  its  place  was 
the  Shipway  will.  Witness  now  produced  a  volume 
containing  the  wills  of  1690.  In  it  was  the  will  of 
one  John  Shipway,  of  Beverstone,  and,  according  to 
his  own  description  of  himself,  the  testator  was  a 
yeoman. 


In  reply  to  Mr.  Waddy,  the  witness  said  that  he 
could  not  say  that  the  prisoner  ever  saw  this  latter 
will. 

Mr.  William  Phillimore  Watts  Phillimore,  soli- 
citor, of  Chancery  Lane,  said  that  he  was  very 
greatly  interested  in  ancient  documents,  and  had 
specially  directed  his  attention  to  Gloucestershire. 
Sir  Thomas  Phillips  published  an  index  to  the 
Gloucestershire  wills  some  forty  years  ago,  and  a 
copy  of  his  book  was  preserved  in  the  Bodleian 
Library.  In  1892  witness  checked  and  corrected 
this  index,  and  subsequently  printed  an  index  to  all 
the  Gloucestershire  wills  from  1508  to  1650,  a  copy 
of  which  he  produced.  Witness  was  acquainted  with 
Colonel  Shipway,  and  in  February,  1897,  that  gentle- 
man showed  him  a  photo  of  the  will  of  John  Shipway. 
Witness  was  so  much  puzzled  to  account  for  its 
being  in  the  Gloucester  registry  that  he  went  down 
to  Gloucester  to  investigate,  and  checked  the  1547 
wills  twice  over  with  Mr.  Wallis.  He  found  that 
the  will  of  John  Nelme,  of  Carme,  which  he  remem- 
bered very  well,  was  missing,  and  that  in  its  place 
was  this  Shipway  will.  Witness  formed  a  very 
strong  opinion  about  this  document,  and,  after  in- 
specting two  other  alleged  Shipway  wills,  he  men- 
tioned the  matter  to  Sir  Francis  Jeune,  who  requested 
him  to  communicate  with  the  Treasury,  and  he  did 
so  in  June,  1897. 

At  this  point  the  hearing  was  adjourned. — Times, 
October  14. 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  ARCH^OLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES. 

The  second  part  of  Shropshire  Archceological  Trans- 
actions for  the  current  year,  just  issued  to  members, 
contains  the  "  Municipal  Records  of  Shrewsbury," 
by  the  Rev.  W.  G.  D.  Fletcher,  F.S.A.  ;  "  Shrews- 
bury During  the  Civil  War,"  by  William  Phillips, 
F.L.S. ;  "  Some  Characteristics  of  Old  Watling 
Street,"  by  John  G.  Dyke;  "Grants  and  Charters 
to  Wombndge  Priory";  "Contributions  from 
Penslow  and  Clun  Hundreds  towards  the  Repair 
of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  in  September,  1634 "  '• 
"Early  Deeds  relating  to  Chirbury  "  ;  "On  the 
Briefs  Mentioned  in  the  Parish  Registers  of  Wem," 
by  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  G.  H.  F.  Vane;  "Some 
Documents  Relating  to  the  Battle  of  Shrewsbury," 
by  the  Rev.  W.  G.  D.  Fletcher,  F.S.A.  ;  "  History 
of  the  Shrewsbury  Mint,"  by  Rev.  Lloyd  Kenyon  ; 
"  Humphrey  Kynaston's  Pardon,  1516,  and  Will, 
1534,"  by  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Drink  water.  The  Part 
is  an  exceedingly  good  one,  much  above  the 
average,  and  is  well  illustrated.  Mr.  Kenyon's 
paper  is  very  valuable,  and  contains  a  complete 
list  of  all  the  coins  known  to  have  been  minted  at 
Shrewsbury,  beginning  with  yEthelstan  and  ending 
with  Henry  III.  ;  also  Charles  I.'s  coins  minted 
there  during  1642.  A  roll  of  the  assays  made  by 
the  keepers  of  the  dies  between  1248  and  1250  is 
also  given  in  full  from  the  original  preserved 
amongst  the  Corporation  records.  The  sum  of  the 
pence  coined  during  twelve  months  was  £'j,\t']. 
The  paper  is  illustrated  with  siji  plates  of  local 
coins.  Towards  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  repair,  in 
1634,  /39  3s   9^-  was  collected  in  two  Shropshire 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


349 


Hundreds.  The  paper  on  the  Battle  of  Shrews- 
bury contains  abstracts  of  upwards  of  sixty  hitherto 
unpublished  documents,  chiefly  from  the  Patent 
Rolls,  and  throws  much  new  light  on  events  con- 
nected with  the  battle.  Owen  and  Blakeways  sug- 
gested that  the  headless  corpse  lying  in  the  Ley- 
borne  tomb  in  St.  Mary's  Church,  Shrewsbury,  is 
that  of  Thomas  Percy,  Earl  of  Worcester,  who  was 
beheaded  immediately  after  the  battle,  is  disproved 
by  the  fact  that  on  December  i8,  1403,  the  King 
ordered  the  Sheriffs  of  London  to  take  down  the 
head  of  the  Earl  from  London  Bridge,  and  the 
Abbot  of  Salop  to  bury  it  with  the  body  in  the 
Abbey  Church  of  St.  Peter  at  Shrewsbury. 


<^ 


^  ^ 


The  Transactions  of  the  Leicestershire  Architectural  and 
Arckaological  Society,  just  issued  to  members,  con- 
tains a  continuation  of  the  "  Calendar  of  Early 
Leicestershire  Wills,  1614  to  1635";  "  InMemoriam 
Colonel  Sir  Henry  St.  John  Halford,  Bart.,  C.B., 
V.C.,"  by  Major  Freer  ;  "  Waterworks  in  Leicester 
in  the  Seventeenth  Century,"  by  Colonel  Bellairs  ; 
and  "  On  the  Efforts  made  to  Convert  Arable  Land 
into  Pasture  in  Leicestershire  in  the  Fifteenth  and 
Sixteenth  Centuries,"  by  the  Rev.  W.  G.  D.  Fletcher, 
F.S.A.  The  Report  gives  a  list  of  restoration  work 
or  repairs  effected  at  sixty-three  Leicestershire 
churches  during  the  year.  The  Society  also  gives 
its  members  the  yearly  volume  of  the  Associated 
Architectural  Societies'  Reports  and  Papers,  which 
contains  a  useful  series  of  original  documents  re- 
lating to  Leicestershire,  from  the  Public  Record 
Ofl&ce  and  British  Museum. 


EeuieUig  anD  Notices 
of  Ji3eto  TBoofes. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.] 

Bow,  Chelsea,  and  Derby  Porcelain.  By 
William  Bemrose,  4to.,  pp.  xv,  174.  London: 
Bemrose and  Sons,  Limited. 
This  beautiful  volume  is  a  very  welcome  addition 
to  existing  literature  on  the  fascinating  subject  of 
English  ceramics,  and  the  author  is  to  be  very 
warmly  congratulated  on  the  result  of  his  labours. 
The  most  important  matter  in  connection  with  the 
history  of  the  subject  which  this  work  brings  to 
light  is  the  question  of  the  date  of  the  founding  of 
the  porcelain  works  at  Derby  and  William  Dues- 
bury's  connection  with  them.  A  working  account- 
book  of  Duesbury's  has  lately  come  as  a  gift  into 
Messrs.  Bemrose's  possession,  several  pages  of 
which  are  reproduced  in  facsimile,  and  certain 
obvious  conclusions  drawn  from  them  by  Mr. 
William  Bemrose,  which  will  make  it  necessary  to 
revise  several  hitherto  accepted  dates.     Unfortu- 


nately, nothing  has  as  yet  come  to  light  to  indicate 
definitely  in  what  year  it  was  that  the  Derby 
porcelain  works  were  started,  but  it  is  quite  clear 
that  this  must  have  been  several  years  earlier  than 
has  generally  been  supposed,  and  all  antiquaries 
who  are  interested  in  the  subject  will  feel  grateful 
to  Mr.  William  Bemrose  for  bringing  this  and  other 
matters  forward  in  the  work  before  us. 

Mr.  Bemrose's  beautiful  book  is,  however,  by  no 
means  confined  to  this,  but  he  gives  much  wider 
information  on  other  points  regarding  the  classes 
of  ceramics,  their  manufacture,  painting,  etc.,  which 
come  within  the  scope  of  his  survey,  and  many 
admirable  illustrations  are  added  to  enhance  the 
charm  and  utility  of  the  volume,  for  which  we  have 
nothing  but  the  highest  commendation. 

♦  *     * 

The  Lord  Mayors  aMd  Sheriffs  of  London, 
1601 — 1625.  By  G.  E.  Cockayne.  Cloth  8vo., 
pp.  viii,  112.  London:  Phillimore  and  Co. 
A  notice  of  this  book  has  unfortunately  been  held 
over  for  want  of  space  for  several  months,  and  we 
are  compelled  to  mention  it  now,  for  the  same 
reason,  very  briefly.  There  is,  however,  the  less 
need  to  say  much,  for  we  have  practically  nothing 
but  praise  to  bestow  upon  it.  The  book  is  as 
careful  a  piece  of  painstaking  work  as  we  have  met 
with,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  more.  Mr.  Cockayne 
has  limited  himself  to  a  short  period  of  twenty-four 
years,  but  that  has  enabled  him  to  deal  in  an 
exceptionally  careful  and  thorough  manner  with 
his  subject.  It  would  be  as  well  if  other  genealo- 
gists would  take  Mr.  Cockayne's  volume  as  their 
model.  The  printing  and  get-up  of  the  book  are 
also  to  be  commended. 

*  *     * 

The  Book  of  Glasgow  Cathedral.  Edited  by 
George  Eyre-Todd.  Large  4to,  with  118  illus- 
trations, etc  ,  pp.  xii.  454.  Glasgow:  Morison 
Brothers.     Price  42s. 

It  may  be  said  at  once  that  this  fine  volume  is 
a  production  worthy  of  the  noble  and  interesting 
church  with  which  it  deals.  It  suffers,  however, 
somewhat  from  the  defects  inseparable  from  all 
books  of  the  kind  in  which  different  portions  have 
been  entrusted  to  different  writers.  It  also  suffers 
in  some  measure  from  the  fact  that  the  study  of 
ecclesiology  is  not  quite  in  the  same  forward  state 
in  Scotland  as  it  is  in  other  countries.  Yet,  taking 
full  account  of  these  drawbacks,  the  book,  as  a 
whole,  must  be  pronounced  to  be  a  very  satisfactory 
one. 

Glasgow  Cathedral  used  to  be  spoken  of  as  the 
one  Scottish  cathedral  church  which  had  been 
preserved  intact  since  the  Reformation.  This,  how- 
ever, is  not  strictly  the  case,  as  Kirkwall,  in  the 
Orkneys,  is  as  well  preserved  as  Glasgow,  and  Dun- 
blane (although  the  nave  was  uncovered)  had 
received  little  other  injury.  From  the  idea  that 
Glasgow  was  the  only  Scotch  cathedral  which  had 
not  been  destroyed  arose  the  notion,  some  fifty 
years  ago,  of  "  restoring  "  it.  The  result  was  what 
might  have  been  expected.  By  way  of  "  restora- 
tion," the  two  interesting  and  picturesque  western 
towers  were  pulled  down,  a  new  and  meagre  west 


35© 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


front  was  invented,  and  the  interior  of  the  church 
was  renewed,  and  coloured  Munich  transparencies 
were  placed  in  its  windows.  With  this  drastic 
treatment'  Glasgow  Cathedral  lost  the  greater  part 
of  its  interest .  Nor  can  it  be  said  that  some  later 
alterations,  under  Sir  Gilbert  Scott's  guidance,  were 
more  fortunate.  Still,  with  all  this-  mischief  and 
destruction,  Glasgow  Cathedral  yet  remains  a 
notable  example  of  Scottish  medieval  church 
architecture.      Of    the    various  1  contents    of    the 


the  Ancient  Altars,  and  the  Episcopal  Seals,  re- 
spectively. To  Mr.  John  Honeyman  an  important 
cnapter  (8)  on  the  Architecture  of  the  Cathedral  is 
due.  Mr.  H.  A.  Millar  writes  a  chapter  (12)  on 
the  Bishop's  Castle.  Mr.  Stephen  Adam,  in 
chapter  15,  gibbets  the  coloured  windows,  while 
in  the  last  chapter  (16)  the  Kev.  Dr.  Muir  describes 
the  monuments. 

A  work  on  an  ancient  church  and   its  history, 
compiled  of  chapters  written  by  Roman  Catholics, 


GLASGOW   CATHEDRAL  :    THE    CHOIR,    LOOKING    EAST,    l822. 


volume,  the  following  chapters  are  by  the  editor: 
(i^  The  Beginnings  of  Glasgow  ;  (2)  St.  Kentigern  ; 
(3)  the  Dark  Ages;  (4)  the  Catholic  Bishopric. 
Mr.  James  Paton  contributes  the  next  chapter  (5), 
on  the  Cathedral  and  the  Municipality.  The  Rev 
Dr.  Gordon  that  (6)  comprising  the  Catalogue  of 
the  Bishops,  Archbishops,  and  Ministers  ;  as  well 
as  (14)  on  the  Prebends  and  Prebendal  Manses  of 
Glasgow.  Archbishop  Eyre  contributes  chapters 
7,  9,  10,  II,  and  13,  on  the  Ancient  Chapter,  the 
Western  Towers,  the  Hall  of  the  Vicars  Choral, 


Episcopalians,  and  Presbyterians,  cannot  but  con- 
tain a  certain  amount  of  overlapping  and  lack 
of  unity  of  design.  Yet  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that 
this  is  reduced  to  a  minimum  in  the  present  instance. 
The  book  is  well  illustrated,  and  contains  several 
excellent  plates,  some  of  which  are,  we  understand, 
issued  separately  for  framing.  No  ancient  Scotch 
church  at  the  present  day  escapes  the  Anglicanizing 
process  which  has  been  going  on  for  the  last  few 
years  in  the  Kirk,  and  of  course  Glasgow  Cathedral 
must  have  an  eagle  lectern.     It  is  amusing  to  learn 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


351 


that  on  one  occasion  somebody  (was  it  a  descendant 
of  the  renowned  Jennie  Geddes  or  a  northern 
Kensit  ?)  overturned  the  idol  during  the  night  and 
smashed  it !  The  accompanying  illustration  of  the 
choir  (looking  eastwards)  before  the  "  restorer  "  had 
been  let  loose,  or  the  Anglican  furore  had  seized 
its  hold  of  the  poor  "  auld  kirk,"  gives  a  reposeful 
picture  of  the  interior  of  that  portion  of  the 
cathedral  as  it  once  was.  For  the  loan  of  this 
block  we  are  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  the 
publishers.  The  volume  is,  as  we  have  said,  one 
that  is  worthy  of  the  church  with  which  it  deals. 
More  need  not  be  said. 

*  *     * 

Gossip  from  a  Muniment-Room.  Being  passages 
in  the  lives  of  Anne  and  Mary  Fytton.  Tran- 
scribed and  edited  by  Lady  Newdigate-Newde- 
gate.  4to.,  pp.  xii,  i6o.  London  :  David  Nutt. 
This  elegant  little  book  shows  what  good  use  may 
be  made  of  the  contents  of  many  a  muniment-room 
of  a  country  house.  It  introduces  us  to  the  story  of 
two  ladies  of  the  Elizabethan  era,  one  of  them 
Mary  Fytton,  who  became  a  maid  of  honour  to  the 
Queen,  and  the  other  her  elder  sister  Anne,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Sir  John  Newdegate,  Knight,  of 
Harefield.  Lady  Newdigate-Newdegate  has  shown 
much  judgment  and  discretion  in  the  manner  in 
which  she  has  prepared  this  contemporary  corre- 
spondence of,  and  relating  to,  these  two  ancestresses 
of  her  husband  for  publication.  The  result  is  that 
the  reader  is  skilfully  introduced  to  a  very  interest- 
ing story  of  the  lives  of  two  ladies  of  gentle  birth  in 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  The  book  is  tastefully  got 
up  and  printed,  and  contains  three  admirable  plates 
of  portraits  of  the  two  sisters.  It  is  altogether  a 
very  charming  and  attractive  book,  and  of  no  little 
value  as  affording  a  peep  behind  the  scenes  in  an 
important  period  of  the  Court  life  of  the  country. 

*  *     * 

The  Bishops  of  Lindisfarne,  Hexham,  Chester- 

le-Street,    and    Durham,    a.d.    635 — 1020. 
<  '     Being  an  introduction  to  the  "Ecclesiastical 

History  of  Northumbria."     By  George  Miles. 

Cloth  8vo.,  pp.  310.     London  :   Wells  Gardner, 

Darton  and  Co. 
Mr.  Miles  conceived  a  very  good  idea  in  the 
preparation  of  this  book,  which,  in  the  lives  of  the 
early  bishops  of  the  modern  districts  of  Northum- 
berland and  Durham,  brings  into  focus  the  early 
ecclesiastical  history  of  those  parts.  The  book 
contains  a  great  deal  of  useful  information  in  a 
handy  form ;  but  we  are  afraid  that  Mr.  Miles 
hardly  possesses  the  critical  spirit  of  the  true 
historian  to  a  sufficient  degree  to  make  his  work 
of  that  value  to  the  student  which  it  otherwise 
might  have  been.  There  are,  too,  minor  slips  of 
inaccuracy  which  are  tiresome,  and  likely  to  con- 
fuse, as,  for  instance,  on  p.  125,  where  it  is  said  that 
"  a  blue  marble  line  and  cross  on  the  west  side  "  of 
the  doors  of  the  nave  of  Durham  Cathedral  mark 
off  the  portion  where  women  were  allowed.  The 
east  side  of  the  west  door  is  apparently  meant. 
Again  on  p.  287  we  are  told  that  Ceolnoth,  elected 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  a.d.  833,  was  the  first 
Dean  of  Canterbury.     This  is  quite  misleading,  as 


the  first  Dean  of  Canterbury  was  appointed  on  the 
suppression  of  the  monastery  of  Christ  Church  by 
Henry  VIII.  The  index  refers  us  to  St.  Alkeld  on 
p.  126.  We  were  anxious  to  see  what  was  made  of 
a  saint  whose  very  existence  has  been  doubted,  but 
on  turning  to  the  page  indicated  nothing  is  to  be 
seen  relating  thereto. 

Still,  taking  all  such  matters  into  account, 
Mr.  Miles  has  compiled  a  useful  volume,  if  only 
those  who  use  it  will  "  verify  their  references,"  and 
bring  a  little  intelligent  criticism  to  bear  when 
reading  it.  It  forms  at  least  the  ground-work  of  a 
very  useful  book. 

*  *     * 

Knossington.     Cloth  8vo.,  pp.  133. 

This  book,  which  contains  no  title-page  or  pub- 
lisher's name,  appears  to  be  written  by  the  widow 
or  some  relative  of  the  late  incumbent  of  the  parish. 

"  Where  is  Knossington  ?"  was  our  first  inquiry 
on  opening  the  book,  and  it  was  only  by  turning  to 
a  gazetteer  that  we  found  that  it  is  a  village  in 
Leicestershire.  It  is,  however,  true  that  this  fact 
is  revealed  as  the  reader  turns  over  the  pages  of  the 
book,  but  it  is  not  until  pretty  far  on  in  it  that  this  is 
the  case.  Truly,  the  author  or  authoress  must  have 
had  an  exalted  idea  of  the  fame  of  the  village  ! 

The  book  seems  carefully  written  by  one  having 
a  real  interest  in,  and  affection  for,  the  place  and 
its  history.  If  we  cannot  assign  it  an  exceptionally 
high  place  among  books  on  local  topography, 
neither  have  we,  on  the  other  hand,  any  serious 
fault  to  find  with  it.  Its  chief  fault  is  that  it  seems 
in  places  to  be  rather  superficial.  The  statement 
that  low  side  windows  were  for  lepers  was,  we 
thought,  long  ago  abandoned  by  all  who  have 
studied  the  matter.  The  photograph  of  the  church 
(which  is  given  as  a  frontispiece)  hardly  suggests 
the  idea  that  the  ' '  restoration ' '  of  that  building  is 
to  be  commended,  except  by  those  who  are  of  Lord 
Grimthorpe's  way  of  thinking  in  these  matters,  but 
perhaps  a  picture  of  the  inside  might  tell  a  better 
tale. 

*  *     * 

The  Leadenhall  Press  and  Mr.  A.  W.  Tuer 
between  them  contrive  to  produce  a  constant  sup- 
ply of  quaint  old-world  publications.  The  latest 
that  has  appeared  is  a  highly-attractive  book  en- 
titled. Forgotten  Children's  Books.  It  contains  a 
number  of  beautifully  clear  facsimiles  of  titles  and 
pages  from  old  children's  books  published  at  the 
beginning  and  early  part  of  the  century.  There  is 
a  wonderful  charm  in  many  of  the  illustrations,  and 
a  great  deal  of  character  as  well.  It  is  evidently 
quite  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  our  grandfathers 
and  grandmothers  had  no  nice  books  to  look  at  in 
their  childhood.  Wherein  the  change  lies  is  that 
attractive  children's  books  can  be  produced  at  a 
very  small  cost  at  the  present  day,  and  so  are  within 
the  reach  of  all.  We  are  not  sure,  however,  that 
in  making  them  brighter  and  prettier  we  have  not 
sacrificed  art  for  prettiness.  Mr.  Tuer's  book,  which 
is  published  at  the  moderate  sum  of  6s.,  seems  to 
show  this,  and  is  well  worth  the  money  asked  for  it. 


35» 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOKS. 


Another  publication  recalling  the  earlier  part  of 
the  century  has  reached  us  from  the  Advertiser 
office  at  Llangollen,  where  it  is  published  for  gd., 
which  it,  too,  is  well  worth.  It  is  by  Mr.  Charles 
Penruddocke,  and  is  entitled  The  Ladies  of  Llangollen. 
It  deals  with  the  romantic  story  of  the  lives  of 
Lady  Eleanor  Butler  and  Miss  Ponsonby  at  I'las 
Newydd,  which  had  so  great  an  attraction  for  a 
former  generation.  The  little  book  is  well  written 
and  is  nicely  illustrated. 

*     *     * 

We  have  received  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thompson, 
Rector  of  St.  Saviour's,  Southwark,  and  "  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Collegiate  Church,"  a  guide-book  en- 
titled The  History  and  Antiquities  of  the  Collegiate 
Church  of  St.  Saviour  (St.  Marie  Overie),  Southwark. 
When  of  eld  pious  folk  were  disposed  to  found 
religious  houses,  hospitals,  or  collegiate  churches, 
they  applied  for  the  Royal  license  to  do  so,  which 
was  granted  by  Letters  Patent  from  the  Crown,  and 
without  which  license  no  collegiate  chapter  could 
or  can  be  established.  Any  Rector  of  St.  Saviour's 
can  turn  out  the  soi-disant  "  chapter  "  of  his  church 
to-morrow  were  he  so  disposed,  for  the  "dean," 
"sub-dean,"  and  "canons"  of  St.  Saviour's  have 
no  real  existence  whatever.  We  say,  of  course, 
nothing  against  St.  Saviour's  Church  being  made 
the  centre  of  the  religious  agencies  of  the  Church^ 
of  England  in  South  London,  only  it  ought  to  be 
clearly  understood  that  the  church  is  an  ordinary 
parish  church,  and  that  its  so-called  collegiate 
character  is  but  a  "  fond  thing  vainly  invented," 
and  exists  in  imagination  only.  The  chairman  and 
members  of  a  parish  council  have  just  the  same 
right  to  dub  themselves  mayor  and  aldermen  of 
their  parish  as  Dr.  Thompson  and  others  have  to 
constitute  themselves  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  St. 
Saviour's.  This  assumption  of  the  right  to  found  a 
collegiate  church  is  a  distinct  infringement  of  the 
prerogative  of  the  Sovereign,  a  prerogative  which 
has  been  recognised  throughout  Western  Europe 
from  very  early  Christian  times. 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  Pugin's  Contrasts 
will  remember  the  picture  he  gives  of  the  nave 


which  was  built  in  the  reign  of  William  IV.,  and 
they  will  rejoice  that  that  sorry  erection  is  now  no 
more,  and  that  happier  days  have  dawned  upon 
the  church,  which,  if  it  only  contained  the  dust  of 
Gower,  Bishop  Andrewes,  and  many  notable  per- 
sons, would  for  ever  be  sacred  to  Englishmen. 

Dr.  Thompson's  guide  is  well  illustrated,  and  will 
be  found  generally  useful,  although  he  ought  not  to 
have  repeated  the  long-exploded  idea  that  a  cross- 
legged  effigy  indicates  a  Crusader. 

*     *     * 

The  plate  on  p.  317,  in  the  October  number  of  the 
Antiquary,  erroneously  titled  Northshield  Fort,  is  a 
plan  and  cross  section  of  the  Boreland  Mote  shown 
on  p.  318.  It  was  intended  to  give  a  plate  of  the 
Northshield  Fort,  but  the  intention  was  frustrated 
by  an  accidental  confounding  of  the  blocks. 


Note  to  Publishers. — IVe  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. — Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  submit  MSS, 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatment. 

Letters  containing  queries  can  only  be  inserted  in  the 
"  Antiquary  "  if  of  general  interest^  or  on  some  new 
subject.  The  Editor  cannot  undertake  to  reply  pri- 
vately, or  through  the  "  Antiquary,"  to  questions  of 
the  ordinary  nature  that  sometimes  reach  him.  No 
attention  is  paid  to  anonymous  communications  or 
would-be  contributions. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


353 


The   Antiquary. 


DECEMBER,  1898. 


Il3ote0  of  tfte  a^ontt).    - 

The  session  1898-1899  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  is  arranged  to  begin  on  Novem- 
ber 24.  There  will  be  the  usual  weekly  meet- 
ings, at  8.30  p.m.,  on  December  i,  8,  and 
15,  1898;  and  on  January  12,  19,  and  26; 
February  2,  9,  16,  and  23  ;  March  2,  9,  16, 
and  23;  April  13  and  20;  May  4  and  18; 
June  1,8,  15,  and  22,  after  which  the  society 
adjourns  till  November  23.  The  meetings 
on  January  12,  March  2,  and  June  i  are  for 
ballots  for  the  election  of  fellows,  and  no 
papers  will  be  read  at  them. 

The  Anniversary  Meeting  of  the  Society 
will  be  held  (as  St.  George's  Day  falls  on  a 
Sunday  next  year)  on  Monday,  April  24, 
at  2  p.m. 

^  4?  ^ 
The  following  communications  are  already 
among  those  that  are  promised  for  the 
Session  :  "  The  Foundation  of  the  Priories 
of  St.  John  and  of  St.  Mary,  Clerkenwell," 
by  Mr.  J.  H.  Round  ;  "  On  Wall- Paintings 
lately  discovered  in  Stowell  Church,  Glouces- 
tershire," by  Mr.  C.  E.  Keyser ;  "  Report  as 
Local  Secretary  for  Gloucestershire,"  by  Mr. 
A.  T.  Martin;  "The  Earliest  Extant  Charter 
granted  by  the  Temple  in  England,"  by  Mr. 
W.  G.  Thorpe ;  "  Recent  Cup-Markings  in 
Brittany,"  by  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Lee ;  "  Medieval 
Embroidery  in  Sutton  Benger  Church,  Wilts," 
by  Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope  ;  "  On  some 
Carved  Panels  with  Portraits  of  the  Percy 
Family,"  by  the  Rev.  A,  S.  Porter;  "On 
Further  Rock-Pictures  in  the  Val  Fontanalba 
District,"  by  Mr.  C.  Bicknell ;  "  Lathe-Made 

VOL.  XXXIV. 


Stone  Objects  from  the  Riffal  Alp,"  by  Mr. 
Edward  Whymper ;  "The  'Chair  of  St. 
Augustine,'  from  Bishop's  Stanford,  Here- 
fordshire," by  the  Rev.  J.  Charles  Cox,  LL.D. 
(December  i). 

^  ^  ^ 
It  may  be  well  to  record  in  these  Notes  that 
just  before  daybreak  on  the  morning  of 
November  10  the  ancient  and  well-known 
custom  of  paying  "wroth  silver"  to  the 
Duke  of  Buccleuch  was  observed  at  Knight- 
low  Cross,  near  Coventry.  Twenty  -  six 
parishes  paid  tribute  by  placing  the  amount 
of  their  contributions  in  a  hoUowed-out  stone. 
There  was  no  defaulter,  and  the  penalty  of 
;£i  for  every  penny  not  forthcoming,  or  a 
white  bull  with  a  red  nose  and  ears,  had  not 
to  be  paid.  The  amount  of  tithes  varied 
from  a  penny  to  2s.  3|d.  The  visitors 
afterwards  adjourned  to  the  Dun  Cow,  at 
Stretton,  for  breakfast,  at  which  the  health  of 
the  Duke  was  drunk. 

1%  CJb  m 

Mr.  A.  Hall,  of  13,  Paternoster  Row,  writes: 
"  In  treating  of  '  the  Welsh  Eisteddfodau,'  at 
page  333,  mention  is  made  of  the  Ovate 
Bards,  elsewhere  called  the  '  Ovates ';  I  can- 
not trace  this  word  in  the  modern  Welsh 
vocabulary ;  indeed,  it  seems  a  pure  Latinism. 
Of  course  we  know  all  about  an  cnmitoft  such 
as  Lord  Kitchener  has  just  received,  or  the 
unwelcome  attentions  paid  to  an  unpopular 
candidate  at  elections ;  here  the  Latin  ovis 
suggests  that  these  Welsh  'ovates'  were 
slaughterers  of  the  innocent  sacrificial  sheep. 
But  what  is  the  native  Welsh  equivalent  for 
the  Latin  word?" 

^  ^  ^ 
We  submitted  this  letter  to  Mr.  Thomas, 
who  replies  :  "  I  cannot  give  Mr.  Hall  much 
information  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  The 
word  for  Ovate  in  Welsh  is  '  Ofydd,'  or  (older 
spelling)  'Ovydd.'  The  origin  of  the  word 
does  not  seem,  perhaps,  Welsh.  There  is 
a  whole  series  of  words  in  Welsh — '  Offer,' 
'Oiferu,'  'Offrwm,'  'Offeiriad,'  etc.,  having 
transitional  meanings  from  implement  to 
minister  or  priest,  but  they  all  look  like 
Latin.  I  don't  know  what  dictionary  Mr.  Hall 
used,  but  many  give  'Ofydd,'  pi.  'Ofyddion,' 
as  '  philosopher  '  or  the  like,  but  within  limits 
of  time  I  cannot  look  up  authorities.  Prob- 
ably the  word   is  only  a  form  of  Strabo's 

zz 


354 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


Ovareis  =  vates,  and,  so  far  as  Welsh  is  con- 
cerned, may  have  nothing  to  do  with  '  Offer,' 
'Offrwm,'  etc.,  and  then  again  it  may.  I 
may  mention  that  the  Gorsedd,  although 
presided  over  (for  convenience'  sake)  by  the 
Arch-Druid,  has  probably  no  Druidism  in  it, 
but  only  Bardism,  a  quite  different  thing, 
though  including  a  nominal  Druidism." 

•)!(»  'in?  "^ 
During  September  a  band  of  workers,  acting 
under  Mr.  VV.  H.  St  John  Hope's  direction, 
concluded  the  excavations  which  have  been 
in  progress  during  the  last  few  seasons  at 
Furness  Abbey.  The  results  will  be  embodied 
in  an  exhaustive  account  and  description  of 


the  north  and  south  of  the  altar.  A  sort  of 
chimney-like  buttress  on  the  outside  behind 
the  sedilia  is  also  an  odd-looking  feature  of 
the  little  building. 

The  accompanying  illustration  of  the 
"  North  entrance  to  Furness  Abbey,  Lanca- 
shire," is  copied  from  a  small  water-colour 
sketch  of  the  same  size  pasted  into  a  copy 
of  West's  Antiquities  of  Furness  in  the 
possession  of  the  Editor  of  the  Antiquary. 
It  appears  to  be  of  the  end  of  the  last 
century,  and  though  it  unfortunately  shows 
but  little,  yet  it  probably  depicts,  in  some 
sort  of  fashion,  the  buildings  connected  with 
the  Gateway,  which  were  demolished  to  make 


NORTH  ENTRANCE   TO  FURNESS  ABBEY,   LANCASHIRE. 


the  abbey  and  its  plan,  which  will  form  a 
paper  by  Mr.  Hope,  to  be  published  by  the 
Cumberland  and  Westmorland  Archaeological 
Society,  of  which  Chancellor  Ferguson  is 
president.  The  work  undertaken  this  summer 
was  mainly  with  the  object  of  clearing  up 
certain  points,  which  the  previous  excavations 
had  partially  revealed,  as  to  the  ground-plan 
and  arrangements  of  some  of  the  abbey 
buildings.  The  little  chapel  extra  portas, 
which  was  a  feature  in  all  Cistercian  houses, 
but  of  which  the  only  remaining  example  is 
that  at  Furness,  afforded  some  curious  points 
of  interest  and  speculation  in  the  foundations 
(which  were  cleared  out)  of  two  erections  on 


way  for  the  extension  of  the  manor-house  as 
a  hotel,  and  for  what  it  is  worth  it  is  placed 
on  record  here. 

•^  ^  ^ 
We  have  received  the  following  further  Notes 
on  Recent  Excavations  on  the  Site  of  the 
Roman  Station  at  Wilderspool :  "In  1896 
the  Manchester  Ship  Canal  became  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  borough  of  War- 
rington, and  division  between  the  counties 
of  Lancashire  and  Cheshire.  The  site  in 
question  is,  therefore,  legally  included  in  the 
former  county,  though  situated  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Mersey,  and  hitherto  described 
as  being  in  Cheshire. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


355 


"  Prior  to  the  excavations  in  progress,  the 
lines  of  the  fortification  were  totally  invisible 
and  undefined.  Fortunately,  the  whole  of 
the  camp  now  lies  within  the  area  of  a  single 
grass  field,  owned  by  a  public-spirited  pro- 
prietor who  has  allowed  the  remains  to  be 
uncovered  in  every  part. 

"  By  numerous  cross  sections  the  character 
and  dimensions  of  the  wall  and  ditch  for 
more  than  loo  yards  of  their  length  on  three 
sides,  north,  west,  and  east,  have  been  deter- 
mined. The  position  of  the  ditch  on  the 
fourth  side  is  also  shown  by  several  recorded 
sections. 

"  The  northern  rampart  runs  close  along 
the  bank  of  the  river,  pointing  nearly  due 
east  and  west,  and,  by  a  singular  arrange- 
ment, the  Roman  via  enters  at  the  south- 
west corner,  passes  along  the  west  wall,  turns 
at  the  north-west  corner  (which  is  rounded) 
at  an  angle  of  about  103°,  and,  after  passing 
along  the  north  wall,  leaves  at  the  north-east 
corner,  pointing  to  an  old  lane  which  leads  in 
the  direction  of  an  ancient  ford  at  Latchford, 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  away. 

"The  ditch,  measured  at  the  surface  of 
the  virgin  sand,  is  about  6  feet  wide  and  2^ 
to  3  feet  deep.  Though  insignificant,  it  is 
the  most  uniform  and  persistent  feature,  and 
serves  for  determining  the  external  dimen- 
sions of  the  enclosure.  When  the  lines  ot 
the  ditch,  which  have  been  traced,  are  ex- 
tended until  they  meet,  a  trapezium  is  formed 
having  four  sides  measuring  366  x  400  x  420 
X455  feet  respectively. 

"The  berme  is  uniformly  about  10  feet 
wide,  and  uncovered,  except  where  it  is 
crossed  by  a  narrow  causeway  flagged  with 
rude  sandstone  blocks.  Here  the  ditch 
narrows  to  about  2  feet  wide  and  deep,  and 
horizontal  timbers  appear  to  have  carried  the 
flags  across. 

"  The  lower  courses  of  the  wall  have  been 
uncovered  in  a  number  of  places  (over 
twenty),  and  found  to  be  of  uniform  con- 
struction on  the  three  remaining  sides — east, 
west,  and  north.  A  bedding  or  gremtum  has 
first  been  prepared,  apparently  by  mixing  the 
surface  sand  with  alluvial  clay,  from  the 
adjoining  banks  of  the  river.  Sandstone 
blocks  1 8  inches  to  24  inches  across,  roughly 
squared  with  a  hammer  or  scabbled  with  a 
pick  on  the  upper  and  under  surfaces,  were 


then  laid  in  two  rows  10  to  13  feet  apart,  and 
the  interval  filled  with  sandstone  rubble  and 
boulders  cemented  with  boulder  clay. 

"The  superstructure  of  the  wall,  where 
any  portion  remains,  is  about  9  feet  wide, 
except  at  the  rounded  corner,  where  it 
diminishes  to  6  feet.  Near  to  the  latter,  or 
north-west  corner,  large  stones  of  a  hard 
description  of  sandstone  were  used,  as  stated 
in  last  month's  Notes.  In  other  places  the 
facing  stones  usually  met  with  at  i  to  2  feet 
from  the  surface  are  small,  and  of  the  soft 
local  red  sandstone.  They  are  rudely  squared 
with  the  hammer  or  pick,  though  stones  here 
and  there  are  found  to  have  been  smoothed 
with  a  chisel  on  the  outer  face,  which  presents 
the  appearance  of  an  ordinary  brick. 

"No  sculptured  or  inscribed  stones  have 
been  got  inside  the  camp,  the  altar  previously 
referred  to  being  met  with  10  yards  outside 
the  south-west  entrance. 

"  That  the  superstructure  of  the  wall  was 
of  stone  set  in  clay,  instead  of  mortar  or 
cement,  may  be  inferred  from  the  entire 
absence  of  the  latter,  the  abundance  of  clay 
in  lumps,  and  artificial  beds  where  no  clay 
exists  as  a  natural  deposit,  and  from  the 
hardness  and  tenacity  of  the  superincumbent 
soil,  which  necessitates  the  constant  use  of  a 
pick.  Elsewhere  round  about  the  sandy  soil 
can  be  easily  worked  with  a  spade.  The 
walls  of  the  Roman  town  at  Wroxeter  ( Viro- 
conium),  3  miles  in  circuit,  are  of  similar 
material  (though  the  ditch  is  much  more 
spacious),  and  recently  the  walls  of  the  camp 
at  Ribchester  [Bremeto/iacum)  were  found  to 
be  'loose  stones,  without  mortar,  or  the 
cement  grouting  common  to  such  founda- 
tions.' 

"Numerous  fragments  of  checkered  paving- 
tiles,  flue-tiles,  and  flanged  roofing-tiles  are 
being  found  among  the  foundations  of  build- 
ings inside  the  enclosure.  One  of  these 
bears  the  faint  impression  of  the  latter  por- 
tion of  a  stamp,  which  includes  half  of  one 
and  rather  more  than  half  of  another  letter 
X,  followed  by  D,  the  expansion  of  which 
may  be  'The  Twentieth  Legion,  Devensis,' 
or  possibly  the  whole  stamp  may  be  that  of 
a  cohort  of  the  famous  legion,  the  usual 
letters  V.V.  being  omitted.  No  other  ex- 
ample is  known  of  this  particular  stamp. 

"The  discovery  of  a  regula,  or  foot-rule, 

zz  2 


356 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


is  believed  to  be  unique  in  Britain.  Owing 
to  the  softness  of  the  metal  (bronze),  it  has 
been  deemed  inadvisable  to  open  it  out ;  but, 
measured  separately,  the  two  limbs  give  a 
total  length  of  eleven  inches,  and  fifty-four 
hundredths  of  an  inch,  which  is  about  one- 
tenth  of  an  inch  shorter  than  the  orthodox 
Roman  foot. 

"Pieces  of  cannel  coal  and  ordinary  mineral 
coal  in  square  lumps  (Wigan  nuts),  with 
scoriae,  lumps  of  iron,  and  vitrified  clay  from 
the  inside  of  a  furnace,  found  in  a  very  black 
Roman  stratum,  lead  to  the  belief  that  ahand- 
bloomery,  or  forge,  has  been  in  operation 
within  the  fortified  area. 

*'  Fibulae  in  enamel,  and  fragments  of  glass 
bottles,  a  dish,  plate-glass  and  thin  window- 
glass,  several  glass  beads  of  the  usual  type, 
numerous  iron  nails,  a  socket -stone,  and 
portions  of  iron  ferrules  from  the  pivots  on 
which  the  great  gates  of  the  camp  have 
turned,  suggest  the  possibility  of  interesting 
discoveries  as  to  the  character  and  occupa- 
tions of  the  industrial  population  of  the 
station. 

"  A  horse-shoe,  and  numerous  decayed 
fragments  of  horses'  teeth,  indicate  that  the 
Roman  garrison  was  a  wing  of  cavalry  for 
patrolling  the  river  banks,  and  guarding  the 
ford  or  bridge,  as  at  Lancaster,  Ribchester, 
Maryport,  and  other  places  along  the  West 
coast." 

^  ^  '^ 
The  study  of  heraldry  has,  we  are  glad  to 
think,  received  an  accession  of  strength,  in 
the  fact  that  it  has  been  selected  as  the 
subject  for  the  Rhind  Lectures  this  autumn. 
Not  many  years  ago  heraldry  was  looked 
upon  by  many  antiquaries  of  the  sterner 
school  as  a  mere  pastime,  scarcely  worthy 
of  serious  consideration,  except  in  so  far  as 
it  might  occasionally  assist  in  identifying 
some  object,  or  fixing  its  date.  The  Heraldic 
Exhibition  in  London  a  year  or  two  ago, 
and  the  subsequent  publication  of  the 
Illustrated  Catalogue  of  the  objects  ex- 
hibited therein,  served  to  emphasize  what  a 
very  important  place  heraldry  really  occupies 
in  the  field  of  archaeology,  and  how  artistically 
beautiful  many  ancient  heraldic  devices  are. 
Now  we  have  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of 
Scotland  boldly  selecting  the  subject  for  its 
Rhind  Lectures.     The  subject  of  the  course 


of  lectures,  which  are  being  delivered  at  the 
time  we  write  by  Mr.  J.  Balfour  Paul,  Lyon 
King  of  Arms,  is  "  Heraldry  in  Relation  to 
Scottish  History  and  Art." 

^  ^  ^ 
We  have  received  from  the  Birmingham  and 
Midland  Institute  vols.  xxii.  and  xxiii.  of  the 
Transactions  of  the  archaeological  section, 
together  with  the  accounts  of  excursions  and 
reports  for  1896  and  1897.  Volume  xxii. 
contains,  inter  alia,  the  following  papers, 
which  are  fully  and  well  illustrated  :  (i)  "A 
Study  of  Church  Towers,  with  special  refer- 
ence to  those  of  Somerset,"  by  Professor 
F.  J.  Allen  ;  (2)  '*  Old  Warwickshire  Coins, 
Tokens,  and  Medals,"  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Davis  ; 
(3)  "  The  History  of  the  Manor  of  Northfield 
and  Weoley,"  by  Mr.  F.  S.  Pearson  ;  (4)  "  The 
Heraldry  of  Warwickshire,"  by  the  Rev.  W. 
K.  R.  Bedford;  (5)  "The  Sundials  of  War- 
wickshire," by  Mr.  E.  C.  Middleton.  All 
the  papers  are  excellent,  especially  the  last, 
which  is  very  thorough,  and  is  full  of  illus- 
trations of  every  old  Warwickshire  sundial 
worthy  of  being  sketched.  Volume  xxiii. 
contains,  inter  alia,  the  following:  (i) 
"William  Hamper,  F.S.A.  (1776-1831),"  by 
Samuel  Timmins ;  (2)  "Some  Prehistoric 
Implements  of  Warwickshire  and  Worcester- 
shire," by  Dr.  B.  S.  Windle ;  (3)  "Max- 
stoke,"  by  Mr.  Wright  Wilson;  (4)  "  Per- 
shore  Abbey,"  by  Mr.  F.  B.  Andrews  ;  (5) 
"Some  Old  Birmingham  Books,"  by  Mr. 
H.  S.  Pearson.  We  are  glad  to  see  the 
"  Birmingham  Archaeological  Society,"  which 
is  the  name  now  adopted  by  this  section  of 
the  local  institute,  doing  such  useful  work. 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Hertfordshire  Mercury  of  October  22 
contains  an  account  of  the  meeting  summoned 
at  Hertford  on  October  17  with  regard  to 
the  proposal  to  found  an  "  East  Herts  Archae- 
ological Society,"  from  which  we  take  the 
following :  The  Mayor,  Mr.  Hellier  Gosselin 
(whom  many  remember  as  the  genial  secre- 
tary of  the  Royal  Archaeological  Institute  for 
some  years)  in  opening  the  proceedings,  said 
he  felt  extremely  flattered  at  being  asked  to 
take  the  chair  upon  that  occasion,  but  he 
ought  not  to  have  the  credit  of  starting  the 
society.  That  was  due  to  Mr.  R.  T.  Andrews 
and  Mr.  J.  L.  Glasscock.  Some  fifteen  years 
ago   he  had  a  long  conversation  with    Mr. 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


357 


Glasscock  upon  this  very  subject,  and  they 
drafted  out  a  programme  and  some  rules,  but 
unfortunately  the  proposal  never  progressed 
any  further.  He  was  sorry  that  it  did  not, 
because  if  it  had  the  East  Herts  Archaeological 
Society  would  very  likely  have  been  in  full 
swing  by  this  time.  It  was  not  necessary  to 
enter  into  any  discussion  upon  that  occasion 
as  to  the  desirability  of  forming  such  a  society, 
because  their  presence  that  afternoon  showed 
the  interest  they  took  in  it ;  but  perhaps  he 
might  say  a  few  words  upon  the  work  which 
such  a  society  could  do.  No  doubt  it  would 
make  excursions  to  see  various  places  and 
objects  of  archaeological  and  antiquarian 
interest  upon  this  side  of  the  county ;  and  if 
those  objects  were  properly  explained  by 
competent  persons,  those  outings  would  be 
very  enjoyable  to  all  who  took  part  in  them. 
Then  there  was  the  question  of  restorations. 
Such  a  society  as  this  could  often  prevent 
works  of  vandalism  being  carried  out  to 
churches  and  other  ancient  buildings  in  the 
neighbourhood — at  all  events,  it  could  advise 
in  such  matters  as  those,  and  he  hoped  would 
be  able  to  prevent  such  acts  being  com- 
mitted. In  a  neighbouring  city  they  knew 
what  had  been  done  in  this  respect  to  one 
of  its  ancient  churches — how  nearly  all  that 
was  of  antiquity  had  been  wiped  out  of  it. 
Then  there  was  another  work  that  the  society 
could  take  up,  and  that  was  with  respect  to 
parish  registers.  These  registers  contained 
an  immense  amount  of  interesting  facts 
relating  to  the  county  and  bygone  times,  but 
unfortunately  they  were  oftentimes  not  pro- 
perly looked  after.  Many  of  them  were  kept 
in  boxes,  and  in  the  case  of  fire  they  ran 
great  risk  of  being  lost  Nearly  all  the 
registers,  he  believed,  were  destroyed  by  the 
fire  at  Northaw  Church,  and  those  of  All 
Saints  at  Hertford  were  certainly  damaged 
when  the  church  was  burned  down.  If  the 
society  did  nothing  else  than  make  grants 
to  enable  clergymen  to  purchase  safes  for  the 
proper  custody  of  these  registers,  or  if  it  was 
the  means  of  getting  up  a  subscription  in  the 
county  for  that  object,  a  very  great  work 
would  be  done.  Then,  extracts  from  these 
registers  might  be  printed  from  time  to  time 
in  the  transactions  of  the  society.  There 
was  another  very  useful  work,  too,  which  the 
society  might   take  up,   and    that  was  with 


regard  to  old  wills  relating  to  the  county. 
He  had  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  searching 
into  old  wills  at  Somerset  House,  and  he 
was  quite  sure  that  if  some  of  the  old  wills 
relating  to  the  county  were  examined,  their 
contents  would  be  found  to  be  of  very  great 
interest.  They  would  reveal  many  interest- 
ing particulars  as  to  the  habits  of  the  people 
and  how  they  disposed  of  their  property,  as 
well  as  bring  to  light  an  enormous  number 
of  interesting  old  words  which  had  now 
altogether  ceased  to  be  used,  and  which 
often  gave  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  those 
who  were  commencing  to  read  up  old  wills. 
With  these  few  remarks  he  would  ask  for  the 
opinions  of  those  present  as  to  the  desir- 
ability of  forming  the  proposed  society. 

^  ^         *^ 

Mr.  R.  T.  Andrews  said  he  had  felt  for  many 
years  that  such  a  society  as  the  one  proposed 
had  been  wanted  in  East  Herts.  He  was  an 
old  member  of  the  St.  Albans  Society,  but  it 
was  felt  that  although  that  society  had  done 
some  good  work  at  various  times,  it  had  left 
their  side  of  the  county  very  much  out  in  the 
cold.  They  did  not  want  to  start  a  society 
in  opposition  to  the  one  at  St.  Albans.  He 
was  very  glad  that  society  had  done  such 
good  work  as  it  had,  but  he  thought  it  might 
have  done  very  much  better  work  if  it  had 
stretched  out  its  hand  to  those  in  their  part  of 
the  county.  There  were  many  subjects,  as 
the  chairman  had  said,  which  might  be 
brought  to  the  notice  of  such  a  society  as 
this.  For  instance,  there  were  matters  in 
relation  to  primaeval  history,  the  occupation 
and  history  of  the  Romans  in  East  Herts, 
the  architecture  not  only  of  churches  but  of 
other  buildings,  monumental  brasses,  gene- 
alogy, the  fonts  in  churches,  field -names, 
folk-lore,  and  other  matters.  If  such  a 
society  were  formed  for  East  Herts,  he 
thought  they  would  in  time  find  a  large 
number  of  persons  who  would  take  an 
interest  in  it.  A  question  had  been  asked 
as  to  the  boundaries  of  the  society,  and  it 
had  been  suggested  that  at  first  they  should 
take  the  Great  Northern  main  line  as  the 
boundary  dividing  the  county  into  two  parts, 
the  east  and  the  west. 

^         ^        ^ 
The  Rev.  H.  A.  Lipscomb  said  there  was  no 
reason  why  East  Herts  should  not  possess  an 


358 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH, 


Archaeological  Society.  He  believed  there 
would  be  a  great  many  persons  who  would 
be  glad  to  join  it,  and  he  had  therefore  much 
pleasure  in  proposing  the  following  resolu- 
tion :  "That  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  it 
is  desirable  to  establish  an  Archaeological 
Society  in  East  Herts,  to  be  called  the  East 
Herts  Archaeological  Society,  which  shall  have 
for  its  object  the  collection  of  information  on 
all  archaeological  matters,  and  the  promotion 
of  antiquarian  and  historical  research."  It 
had  been  suggested  that  very  likely  in  course 
of  time  this  society  and  the  one  on  the  other 
side  of  the  county  would  amalgamate,  and  he 
thought  it  most  desirable  that  such  a  state  of 
affairs  should  come  about, 

Mr.  'Andrews,  in  seconding  the  motion, 
said  the  idea  of  amalgamation  with  the 
St.  Albans  Society  had  been  in  the  minds  of 
the  promoters  of  this  society  all  along,  and 
he  had  no  doubt  it  would  come  about  in 
time. 

The  motion  having  been  agreed  to,  Mr. 
H.  G.  Fordham  proposed  the  next  resolu- 
tion :  "  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to 
prepare  a  draft  of  rules  and  constitution  for 
the  proposed  society,  to  obtain  a  list  of  persons 
willing  to  become  subscribing  members,  and 
to  report  to  a  future  meeting  :  and  that  Mr. 
W.  B.  Gerish  be  requested  to  act  as  secre- 
tary and  convener  of  the  committee." 

The  Rev.  W.  J.  Harvey  having  seconded 
the  motion,  it  was  carried,  and  the  following 
gentlemen  were  elected  on  the  committee : 
Mr.  Hellier  R.  H.  Gosselin,  Mr.  R.  T. 
Andrews,  Mr.  J.  L.  Glasscock,  Mr.  H.  G. 
Fordham,  Mr.  W.  Brigg,  Canon  I.yttellton, 
Rev.  H.  A.  Lipscomb,  and  Dr.  Rentzsch. 

^     4p     ^ 

We  had  intended,  in  the  Reviews  this  month, 
to  have  dealt  with  certain  points  as  to  South- 
well Minster.  Unfortunately  the  notice  of 
Messrs.  Bell's  guide-book  to  that  church  has 
to  be  held  over  for  want  of  space.  It  con- 
tains a  block  of  the  exterior  of  the  church  as 
it  was  in  1850,  and  before  it  was  disfigured 
and  spoilt  by  the  **  restorations  "  effected  by 
the  Ecclesiastical  Commissioners,  especially 
by  the  erection  of  the  abominations  in  the  way 
of  spires  which  have  been  stuck  on  the  two 
western  towers. 

The  accompanying  illustration  shows  the 
appearance  of  the  choir  as  seen  from  the 
altar-steps  before  that  portion  of  the  building 


was  "restored."  It  is  copied  from  an  old 
carte  de-visite  photograph,  taken  in  1865, 
and  is  not  so  distinct  in  detail  as  might  be 
wished,  but  it  gives  a  general  idea  of  the 
choir  of  the  collegiate  church  with  its  fur- 
nishings, and  may  be  usefully  compared  with 
one  given  on  page  107,  and  some  others  in 
Messrs.  Bell's  book,  by  those  who  wish  to 
learn  a  lesson  as  to  what  "  restoration  "  can 
do  in  the  way  of  emasculating  a  church  of  all 
its  life  and  interest. 


CHOIR   OF   SOUTHWELL   MINSTER    (1865)    LOOKING 
WEST. 

^  ^  ^ 

The  Guardian  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that 
a  treasure  of  the  very  highest,  and  indeed  of 
unique  antiquarian  interest,  is  being  prepared 
for  exhibition  at  Durham,  It  has  for  long 
been  known  to  a  very  few  persons  that  frag- 
ments of  the  coffin  of  St.  Cuthbert  were 
safely  put  away  in  the  Chapter  Library. 
Under  the  very  careful  manipulation  of  Dr. 
Greenwell  and  Canon  Fowler,  these  are  now 
being  pieced  together,  and  the  results  already 
attained  are  very  surprising.  The  whole 
design  of  lid,  sides,  and  ends  can  be  made 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


359 


out.  On  the  lid  is  a  figure  of  our  Lord,  with 
the  emblems  of  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark 
above,  and  those  of  St.  Luke  and  St.  John 
below.  On  one  side  are  angels ;  on  the 
other  Apostles.  On  one  end  is  the  Virgin 
and  Child;  on  the  other  St.  Michael  and 
St.  Gabriel.  The  figures,  which  have  a  good 
deal  of  character,  are  in  some  cases  incised 
with  a  knife;  in  others  scooped  with  a 
gouge.  A  still  more  remarkable  difference 
is  that  the  names  of  the  figures  are  in  some 
cases  in  Roman  letters ;  in  others  in  runes. 
The  cofifin  was  made  for  St.  Cuthbert  eleven 
years  after  his  death,  and  these  very  con- 
siderable remnants  may  be  safely  regarded  as 
a  veritable  work  of  the  seventh  century.  The 
form  of  the  capital  letters  corresponds  with 
those  of  manuscripts  of  that  date — e.g.,  the 
Lindisfarne  Gospels — and  the  figures  agree 
with  the  description  of  the  coffin  at  the  time 
of  the  translation  of  the  body  in  August, 
1 104.  The  work  is  therefore  just  1,200  years 
old. 

^  ^  ^ 
A  deputation  from  the  Town  Council  of 
Stirling,  consisting  of  Provost  Forrest,  Dean 
of  Guild  Millar,  and  Councillor  Buchanan, 
recently  waited  on  the  Galleries  Committee 
of  the  Glasgow  Town  Council  in  support  of 
an  application  for  the  ancient  Stirling  Tron 
Weight,  at  present  in  Kelvingrove  Museum 
at  Glasgow,  for  the  purpose  of  placing  it 
either  in  the  Stirling  Guild  Hall  or  in  the 
Smith  Institute.  Mr.  W.  B.  Cook,  a  member 
of  the  council  of  the  Stirling  Natural  History 
and  Archaeological  Society,  who  accompanied 
the  deputation,  made  a  brief  statement  of 
the  known  facts  with  regard  to  the  weight, 
which  bears  an  inscription  to  the  effect  that 
it  was  made  when  John  Cragingelt  of  that  ilk 
was  Provost  of  Stirling  in  1553.  The  weight, 
which  is  bell-shaped,  came  into  possession 
of  the  Glasgow  Corporation  by  purchase  at 
a  pubHc  sale  in  1887,  and  it  was  urged  that 
its  value  and  interest  would  be  better  appre- 
ciated at  Stirling,  and  that  while  its  trans- 
ference would  not  take  away  anything  from 
the  wealth  of  Glasgow,  it  would  add  con- 
siderably to  the  antiquarian  wealth  of  Stir- 
ling. It  was  also  mentioned  that  Stirling 
had  always  been  willing  to  lend  its  historical 
relics  for  exhibition  in  Glasgow,  and  it  was 
hoped  the  Council  would  see  their  way  to 


grant  the  request  now  made  on  behalf  of  the 
City  of  the  Rock.  The  chairman  intimated 
that  the  matter  would  receive  the  committee's 
best  consideration,  and  the  Dean  of  Guild 
Millar  expressed  the  thanks  of  the  deputa- 
tion for  the  courtesy  and  kindness  with  which 
they  had  been  received. 

We  hope  that  the  Glasgow  Town  Council 
will  accede  to  the  wishes  of  the  Stirling 
people.  These  objects  lose  half  their  interest 
when  severed  from  their  local  origin. 

^  ^  ^ 
From  Messrs.  Frost  and  Reed  we  have 
received  two  more  of  the  excellent  etchings 
of  the  Temple  by  Mr.  Percy  Thomas,  with 
letterpress  description  by  the  Master  (Canon 
Ainger).  The  two  etchings  are  of  the 
Master's  house  and  the  choir  of  the  church, 
and  are  exceedingly  well  done. 

'w  ^  ^ 
Volume  XXXI.  of  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  1896-97, 
has  been  accidentally  overlooked.  It  con- 
tains a  number  of  important  communications, 
and  though  rather  a  thinner  volume  than 
some  of  its  more  immediate  predecessors,  is 
fully  equal  to  them  in  other  respects.  Its 
contents  are  as  follow :  "  Notes  on  the 
Biblical  Text  of  the  Book  of  Mulling  (Dr. 
Lawlor) ;  "  Notice  of  some  Fragments  of 
Human  Remains  (specified)  preserved  in 
Yorkshire,  and  said  to  be  those  of  James, 
First  Marquis  of  Montrose  "  (Mr.  Morkill) ; 
"Sculptured  Cross  at  Lamlash "  (Rev.  D. 
Landsborough) ;  "  Group  of  Carved  Grave- 
slabs  at  Dalmally  "  (Mr.  Brydall) ;  "  Anti- 
quities in  Loch  Alsh  and  Kintail "  (Mr.  T. 
Wallace)  ;  "  A  Stone  Circle  in  Wigtownshire  " 
(Mr.  F.  R.  Coles) ;  "  A  Heraldic  Monument 
at  Kilmany  "  (Mr.  R.  C.  Walker) ;  "  Dogs  in 
Church  "  (Mr.  J.  M.  Mackinlay) ;  "  A  Cup 
and  Ring -marked  Boulder  on  the  Braid 
Hills"  (Mr.  John  Bruce);  "Amulets  from 
Morocco"  (Mr.  Macadam);  "Scottish  Burials 
and  Skulls  of  the  Bronze  Age "  (Sir  A. 
Mitchell) ;  "  Scottish  Cruses  "  (Sir  A. 
Mitchell) ;  "  Report  on  the  Photography  of 
certain  Scottish  Stones  earlier  than  11 00" 
(Mr.  Romilly  Allen) ;  "On  a  Sixteenth 
Century  Calendar,  with  Notes  on  Scottish 
History  "  (Mr.  J.  Balfour  Paul) ;  "  Notices  of 
the  Discovery  of  a  Cist,  etc.,  at  Letham 
Quarry,  Perth,  and  of  the  Standing  Stones  at 


360 


NOTES  OF  THE  MONTH. 


Anworth  "  (Mr.  F.  R.  Coles) ;  "  A  Burial- 
mound  at  Cavers  "  (Dr.  Christison) ;  "  Dis- 
covery of  some  Urns  at  Chesters,  Roxburgh- 
shire "  (Prof.  Duns) ;  "  Old  Scottish  Measures, 
etc.  "(Mr.  J.  Balfour  Paul);  "The  Tumuli 
in  Cullen  District "  (Dr.  W.  Cramond) ; 
"Some  Road  Bills,  etc."  (Dr.  Cramond); 
"A  Stone  shaped  like  a  Roman  Altar,  etc., 
on  the  Moor  near  Dullatur,  and  called  the 
'  Carrick  Stone '  "  (Mr.  W.  A.  Donelly) ; 
*'  A  Kitchen-midden  at  Den  of  Dun,  Forfar- 
shire "  (Lieut.-Col.  Lumsden) ;  "  A  Cinerary 
Urn  of  unusual  type  in  Scotland "  (Dr. 
Macdonald) ;  "  The  Gaels  in  Iceland  "  (Mr. 
Craigie) ;  *'  Notices  of  a  Canoe  found  in  the 
Tay  near  Errol,  and  other  objects  found 
elsewhere  "  (Mr.  A.  Hutchinson) ;  "  '  The 
Girdlestanes,'  and  a  Neighbouring  Circle  in 
Dumfriesshire"  (Dr.  Christison);  "A  Cup- 
marked  Stone  at  Cargill"  (Rev.  G.  C. 
Baxter) ;  "  Notices  of  some  Recently  dis- 
covered Inscribed  and  Sculptured  Stones" 
(Dr.  Joseph  Anderson) ;  and  "  Some  Points 
of  Resemblance  between  the  Art  of  the 
Early  Sculptured  Stones  of  Scotland  and 
Ireland  "  (Mr.  Romilly  Allen). 

^  ^  ^ 
The  Athenautn  announces,  on  the  authority 
of  the  Danziger  Zeitung,  that  a  fine  specimen 
of  a  Viking  boat  has  been  discovered  on 
the  southern  border  of  the  Lebasee.  It  is 
13I  metres  in  length,  with  eleven  ribs,  the 
middle  rib  having  formerly  held  the  "  mast- 
tree."  The  ship  was  removed  without  any 
damage,  and  has  been  transported  to  the 
museum  at  Stettin.  The  planks  are  clinkered 
after  the  Viking  manner.  The  nails  and 
bungs  are  cut  with  excessive  care.  A 
Wendish  vessel  was  found  in  the  stern  end. 
The  boat  was  arranged  both  for  rowing  and 
sailing. 

^  ^  '^ 
The  library  of  the  late  Rev.  W.  Mackellar, 
of  Edinburgh,  was  sold  by  Messrs,  Sotheby, 
Wilkinson  and  Hodge  during  November.  It 
contained  several  Bibles,  and  was  mainly 
noteworthy  from  the  fact  that  among  them 
was  a  slightly  imperfect  copy  of  the  Guten- 
berg Bible.  This  sold  for  ^2,950.  The 
total  amount  realized  by  the  sale,  which  was 
begun  on  November  7,  and  concluded  on 
the  19th,  was  ;^ii,ii8  19s. 


With  this  issue  of  the  Antiquary  the  present 
Editor  is  resigning  his  post.  He  takes  the 
opportunity  in  making  this  announcement, 
of  very  cordially  thanking  all  the  writers  and 
correspondents  who  have  helped  him  during 
the  four  years  in  which  he  has  had  charge 
of  the  magazine.  As  many  correspondents 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  writing  direct  to 
his  private  address  instead  of  to  the  office 
(62,  Paternoster  Row,  E.C.),  he  asks  that 
they  will  be  so  good  as  to  make  a  note  of  the 
fact  that  he  is  no  longer  Editor  of  the 
Antiquary.  By  so  doing,  both  the  labour 
and  delay  of  forwarding  letters  and  com- 
munications to  his  successor  will  be  avoided. 


SDccurtences  at  ^ainte0— 1781  to 
1791, 

From  the  Diary  of  the  Abb6  Legrix. 

Translated  (with  Notes)  by  T.  M.  Fallow, 
M.A.,  F.S.A. 

{Continued from  p.  341.) 


Friday,  19  November,  1790  {continued), — 
The  same  day,  after  the  Mass,  nearly  all  the 
gentlemen  and  also  the  semi -prebendaries 
attended  at  the  Chapter-room;  a  moment 
afterwards  the  Suisse  came  to  announce  that 
the  gentlemen  of  the  district  demanded  an 
entrance.  MM.  Paroche  and  Marchal  ad- 
vanced in  order  to  receive  and  introduce 
them.  The  commissaries  of  the  district 
were  MM.  Dubois,  Eschesseriau,  M.  Dupinier, 
Deputy  Clerk,  and  the  Sieur  Godet,  Secretary. 
Then  M.  Dubois,  having  explained  the  object 
of  his  mission,  read  and  notified  the  articles 
of  the  decree  relating  to  the  extinction  and 
suppression  of  the  Chapters,  and  delivered 
a  copy  to  M.  Delaage  the  Dean,  who  gave 
him  a  receipt.  Thereupon  M.  Dubois 
announced  to  the  company  that  by  virtue 
of  the  signification  of  the  said  decree  the 
Chapter  was  by  the  same  extinct  and  sup- 
pressed, that  it  could  no  longer  meet  as  a 
body,  nor  assemble  capitularily,  etc.,  etc.,  to 
which  the  Dean  replied  that  the  Chapter 
of  Saintes  could  not  be  regarded  as  lawfully 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


36  r 


extinct  and  suppressed,  except  by  the  con- 
currence of  the  two  powers,  the  spiritual 
and  the  temporal ;  that  being  instituted  and 
established  by  these  two  powers  to  discharge 
the  august  function  of  public  prayer,  its 
intention  and  desire  was  to  discharge  this 
duty  so  long  as  it  was  possible  to  do 
so,  as  the  Chapter  did  not  acknowledge 
the  decrees  which  called  upon  it  to  sur- 
cease from  public  office  before  the  legal 
and  canonical  organization  of  the  clergy 
which  was  to  replace  it.  Having  then  ques- 
tioned the  commissaries  whether  they  were 
opposed  to  the  Chapter  continuing  in  public 
office,  they  replied  that  they  could  not  take 
upon  themselves  either  to  permit  or  forbid 
the  continuance,  that  they  would  go  to  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Administration  Superieure 
and  learn  their  intentions,  and  that  they 
would  return  in  half  an  hour  to  inform  the 
company.  The  commissaries  having  retired, 
the  Chapter  occupied  itself  during  their 
absence  with  the  episcopal  jurisdiction  which 
from  time  immemorial  it  had  been  used  to 
exercise  over  several  parishes  of  this  town 
and  diocese,  being  only  able  to  exercise  this 
jurisdiction  in  Chapter,  and  foreseeing  the 
impossibility,  or  at  least  the  extreme  difficulty, 
that  there  would  be  of  meeting  together,  de- 
cided to  confer  and  remit  the  exercise  of  this 
jurisdiction  provisionally  into  the  hands  of  the 
Bishop,  with  the  express  reservation  of  re- 
entering into  all  its  rights  in  case  more  happy 
circumstances  should  permit  it  once  more  to 
re-enter  therein.  The  Vicars-General  of  the 
diocese,  members  of  the  Chapter,  and  pre- 
sent at  the  discussion,  accepted  the  said 
commission  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Bishop. 

After  about  half  an  hour  the  aforesaid 
commissaries  entered.  M.  Dubois,  the 
chief  of  the  Commission,  stated  that  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Administration  Superieure 
did  not  oppose  the  continuance  of  Divine 
service  until  the  new  order,  on  condition 
that  the  Chapter  wore  no  canons'  habits  or 
costume,  and  further,  that  it  would  give  and 
sign  a  clear  and  precise  declaration  of  its 
extinction  and  suppression.  Mr.  Dean,  in 
the  name  of  the  company,  replied  that  the 
Chapter,  having  nothing  at  heart  more  than 
to  continue  the  functions  of  public  prayer 
with  which  it  was  charged,  would  abandon 
the  use  of  the  camail,  choir  cope,  and  almuce, 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


if  such  were  absolutely  demanded,  but  that 
it  could  not  and  ought  not  to  sign  anything 
from  which  it  could  be  concluded  that  it 
accepted  and  recognised  its  extinction  and 
suppression.  Then  the  aforesaid  commis- 
saries having  declared  that  they  could  not 
depart  from  the  line  which  the  gentlemen  of 
the  Administration  Superieure  had  marked 
out  for  them,  they  again  withdrew  to  them  to 
render  an  account  of  the  resolution  and  de- 
termination of  the  Chapter,  in  order  that 
they  might  return  after  vespers  to  the  same 
hall,  and  give  the  reply  of  the  Council  of  the 
department.     The  meeting  then  concluded. 

The  same  day  at  the  end  of  compline 
nearly  all  the  gentlemen  as  well  as  the  semi- 
prebendaries  attended  at  the  Chapter-room. 
A  minute  later  the  commissaries  entered. 
M.  Dubois,  one  of  them,  stated  that  he  had 
repaired  with  his  colleagues  to  the  Council 
of  the  department ;  that  he  had  transmitted 
the  reply  which  the  company  made  to  him 
in  the  morning  ;  that  the  gentlemen  of  the 
department  had  instructed  them  to  say  that 
they  consented  to  the  continuation  of 
public  office  without  exacting  of  the  Chapter 
that  it  recognised  by  writing  its  extinction 
and  suppression,  but  without  the  [wearing 
of  the]  habit  or  canonical  costume,  but 
simply  the  use  of  a  surplice  with  square 
cap.  To  which  the  Chapter  was  obliged  to 
agree,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  cele- 
bration of  Divine  and  public  service.  The 
commissaries  set  to  work  to  draw  up  the 
minutes,  and  having  requested  again  what 
the  Chapter  had  to  reply,  that  it  might  be 
inserted  therein,  the  Dean  stated  that  the 
company  had  no  other  reply  to  rnake  at  that 
time  than  that  which  it  had  made  in  the 
morning,  that  the  Chapter  of  Saintes  could  ?iot 
regard  itself  as  either  extinct  or  suppressed, 
etc.,  etc.  The  commissaries  replied  that 
they  could  not  insert  this  answer  in  the 
minutes,  and  that  they  were  forbidden  to 
enter  anything  which  recorded  a  protest  or 
refusal  against  the  execution  and  import  of 
the  said  decrees ;  that  they  would  be  willing 
to  enter  it  that  the  Chapter  had  made  no 
reply.  The  Chapter  unanimously  rejected 
such  temporizing  as  contrary  to  the  truth, 
and  to  their  meaning,  having  really  replied  as 
above.  Then  one  of  the  commissaries  re- 
quested that  Mr.  Dean  should  himself  write 

3  -^ 


362 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


his  reply  in  the  minutes  and  sign  it.  This 
Mr.  Dean  did.  The  commissaries  at  once 
ended  their  minutes  by  concluding  from  this 
reply  of  Mr.  Dean  a  formal  refusal  of  the 
Chapter  to  admit  or  recognise  its  extinction 
and  suppression,  and  they  immediately  left. 

All  the  gentlemen  (three  only  excepted) 
before  leaving,  and  in  conformity  with  the 
decision  taken  at  the  morning  meeting  after 
matins,  signed  the  said  declaration,  which  was 
read  there.  Those  absent  from  the  meeting 
on  account  of  illness  immediately  afterwards 
signed  and  adhered  to  it. 

06061111)61  6,  1790. — Installation  of  the 
five  judges  of  the  tribunal  of  justice  of  the 
district  of  Saintes. 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  municipality  of  this  town,  the 
troops  of  line,  the  Marechaussee,  the  Gen- 
darmerie, the  Milice  Bourgeoise,  and  the 
National  soldiers  placed  themselves  under 
arms.  One  portion  formed  two  lines  from 
the  Hotel  de  Ville  as  far  as  the  Cathedral 
church.  At  half-past  nine  the  judges,  the 
municipality,  and  the  notables,  preceded  by 
the  Gendarmerie,  and  escorted  by  the  Bour- 
geoise  and  National  soldiers,  and  followed  by 
the  Marechaussee,  the  gentlemen  of  the  depart- 
ment and  of  the  district,  repaired  an  instant 
afterwards  to  the  Cathedral  church,  and  seated 
themselves  between  the  sanctuary  and  the 
stalls  in  armchairs  which  they  had  caused  to 
be  brought.  The  judges  were  also  placed  in 
armchairs  before  and  below  the  sanctuary. 
M.  Delaage,  the  Dean  (according  to  an  invita- 
tion which  had  been  made  to  him  the  evening 
before  by  two  members  of  the  municipality), 
precented  the  Veni  Creator,  and  said  a  Low 
Mass  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  at  which  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Consular  Jurisdiction 
were  alone  invited,  and  were  present 
together  with  many  other  inhabitants  whom 
piety  or  curiosity  attracted.  The  gentle- 
men of  the  municipality  were  seated  in 
the  upper  stalls  on  the  right  hand.  After 
the  Mass  the  judges,  municipal  officers, 
and  notables  left  in  the  same  order  and  cere- 
mony to  repair  to  the  Palace,  where  the 
installation  took  place  according  to  the  form 
prescribed  by  the  decrees  of  the  National 
Assembly.  MM.  Bernard  and  Briaud,  judges, 
M.  de  la  Martiniere,  commissary  of  the  King, 
Gout,  municipal  officer,  and  Bernard,  deputy 


clerk  of  the  commune,  delivered  addresses 
appropriate  to  the  occasion,  after  which  the 
judges,  municipal  officers,  and  notables 
returned  to  the  Cathedral  church  in  the  same 
order  as  before.  Mr.  Dean  precented  the 
Te  Deiim,  which  was  continued  by  the 
musicians.  This  and  the  prayers  finished, 
all  retired  in  the  same  order  as  before  to  the 
Hotel  de  Ville. 

Decembsr  9,  1790. — The  gentlemen  of 
the  municipality  gave  a  dinner,  of  about  fifty 
covers,  on  the  occasion  of  the  installation  of 
the  judges,  to  which  were  invited  two  or 
three  members  of  the  Department,  the 
district,  the  troops  of  line,  of  the  Mare- 
chaussee, of  the  Gendarmerie,  and  oi  the  Milice 
Bourgeoise  and  the  National  bands. 

The  same  day  it  was  proposed,  and  there 
was  founded  in  this  town,  a  Club  under  the 
name  of  The  Society  of  the  Friends  of  the  Con- 
stitution. The  administrators  of  the  Depart- 
ment, of  the  district  and  of  the  municipality 
were  the  principal  members  of  it,  and  a  great 
many  other  citizens  of  different  classes. 

January  30,  1791. — Conformably  with  the 
decree  of  the  National  Assembly  of  the  27  th  of 
November  compelling,  under  loss  of  their 
posts,  all  public  ecclesiastical  functionaries 
to  take  the  civic  oath  to  maintain  the  Con- 
stitution decreed  by  the  National  Assembly, 
and  accepted  by  the  King,  and  especially 
the  Constitution  Civile  du  Clerge,  the  Sieur 
I'Etourneau,  professor  of  philosophy  in  the 
College  of  Saintes,  and  the  Sieur  Marsais, 
Cure  of  Barzan  in  this  diocese,  and  residing 
at  Saintes  for  the  past  three  or  four  years, 
took  in  the  presence  of  the  commissaries 
of  the  municipality  each  in  his  respective 
parish  the  said  oath.  Thanks  be  to  God 
they  were  the  only  ones.  The  Sunday  follow- 
ing, February  6,  nobody  requested  of  the 
municipality,  nor  presented  himself  to  take, 
the  aforesaid  oath. 

February  3. — The  first  and  second  peal 
for  the  High  Mass  at  the  Cathedral  having 
sounded,  three  municipal  officers  with  the 
Secretary,  preceded  by  two  guards  from  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  visited  M.  Delaage,  the  Dean, 
and  announced  to  him  that  in  conformity 
with  the  orders  which  the  municipality  had 
received  the  evening  before  from  the  Direc- 
toire  of  the  Department,  they  had  come  to 
inform  and  notify  him  and  all  the  company 


OCCtiRItENCES  At  SAlNTMS. 


3^3 


to  surcease,  from  that  moment,  from  every 
office  whatsoever,  and  not  to  preach  any  more 
in  the  Cathedral  church,  and  they  thereupon 
repaired  to  the  sacristy  of  the  said  church, 
where  they  read  to  Mr.  Dean  and  the  other 
Canons  who  were  there,  the  letter  and  orders 
which  they  had  received  from  the  Diredoire 
of  the  Department,  the  contents  of  which 
were  conformable  to  the  decrees  of  the 
National  Assembly  relative  to  the  suppression 
and  extinction  of  cathedral  and  collegiate 
churches,  and  they  instructed  us  collectively 
as  well  as  individually  to  surcease  from  that 
moment  from  every  public  office  whatsoever 
in  this  church,  and  not  to  preach  there  at  all. 
It  was,  however,  permitted  to  us  that  we  might 
celebrate  Low  Masses  in  the  little  chapels  of  the 
nave,  and  they  continued  the  Sieur  Berthomc 
in  his  charge  as  sacristan,  in  order  to  furnish 
us  with  the  ornaments  and  other  things 
requisite  in  consequence,  and  the  Sieur  Josse, 
Master  of  the  Song  School,  was  authorized  and 
charged  to  keep  and  instruct  as  heretofore  the 
children  of  the  choir  until  the  new  order,  etc., 
etc.  After  which  they  went  into  the  church 
to  affix  their  seals  on  the  three  doors  of  the 
choir,  and  on  that  of  the  pulpit,  and  from 
that  moment  the  public  office  celebrated  in 
this  church  without  interruption  for  nearly  a 
thousand  years  entirely  ceased. 

February  13,  1791.— The  Sieurs  Bonni- 
fleau  and  Martineau,  cure  and  vicaire  of  St. 
Eutrope,  and  the  twentieth  of  the  same  month 
the  Sieurs  Chasseriaud,  cure  of  St.  Michael, 
Doucin,  cure  of  St.  Vivien,  Texandier,  regent 
of  the  second,  and  Forget,  regent  of  the  sixth, 
took  in  their  respective  parishes  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  commissaries  of  the  municipality 
summoned  for  the  purpose,  the  civic  oath  pure 
and  simple  prescribed  by  the  decrees  of  the 
National  Assembly  of  November  27,  1790. 

February  27,  1791. — In  consequence  of 
the  refusal  of  Monseigneur  de  la  Rochefou- 
cauld, Bishop  of  Saintes,  to  take  the  oath 
appointed  and  exacted  by  a  decree  of  the 
National  Assembly  of  November  27,  1790,  of 
all  public  ecclesiastical  functionaries  of  the 
realm,  the  Electoral  Assembly  of  the  depart- 
ment summoned  by  the  Deputy  Clerk  General 
of  the  Department  proceeded  to  replace 
Monseigneur  the  Bishop  in  the  said  see, 
accounted  void  (according  to  the  terms  of 
the  decree)  as  if  by  resignation. 


The  commencement  of  this  assembly,  an- 
nounced in  the  evening  by  the  sound  of  the 
bells  of  the  Cathedral,  was  made  by  a  Low 
Mass  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  was  said  by 
the  Sieur  Chasseriaud,  curt  of  St.  Michael  of 
this  town,  in  which  the  electors  assembled  (to 
the  number  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty) 
took  part.  The  rest  of  the  meeting,  and  that 
in  the  evening,  was  occupied  in  electing  a 
president,  secretary  and  three  scrutineers. 
The  next  day,  the  28th,  the  meeting  divided 
into  three  or  four  bureaux,  and  proceeded  by 
ballot  with  the  election  of  a  Bishop.  It  was 
not  until  the  evening  that  at  the  third  ballot 
the  Sieur  Robinet,  cure  of  St.  Savinien  in  this 
diocese,  of  the  age  of  about  sixty  years,  was 
elected  Bishop  of  the  Department  of  Char- 
ente  Inferieure  by  an  absolute  majority  of 
votes. 

His  competitor  at  the  third  ballot  was  the 
Sieur  le  Roi,  priest  of  the  Oratory,  and  cure 
of  St.  Sauveur  at  La  Rochelle.  This  elec- 
tion was  immediately  announced  by  salvoes 
of  artillery,  and  by  the  sound  of  the  bells  of 
the  Cathedral  and  other  churches  of  the  town 
and  suburbs,  in  consequence  of  orders  given 
by  the  municipality.  The  same  evening  the 
meeting  sent  to  announce  his  election  to  the 
said  Sieur  Robinet,  and  to  request  him  to 
repair  [thither]  next  day  and  assist  at  the 
Mass  which  would  be  celebrated  in  the  Cathe- 
dral, and  at  the  proclamation  of  his  election. 
The  said  Sieur  having  accepted  and  adhered 
to  his  election,  was  not  able,  however,  to 
accede  the  next  day  to  the  wishes  and  eager- 
ness of  his  electors.  The  Mass,  nevertheless, 
was  celebrated  with  music  by  the  Sieur  Laye, 
cure  of  Courcouri  in  this  diocese,  at  which  a 
portion  of  the  electors  of  the  municipality, 
and  of  the  bands  of  line  and  national  soldiers, 
were  present. 

March  4,  1791.— The  Sieur  Robinet, 
elected  Bishop  of  the  Department  of  Charente 
Inferieure  on  the  previous  Monday,  arrived 
in  this  town  escorted  by  some  of  the  muni- 
cipal officers  and  Garde  Nationak  of  the 
parish  of  St.  Savinien.  By  order  of  the 
municipality  of  this  town  the  bells  of  the 
Cathedral  and  of  the  other  towns  and  suburbs 
were  pealed,  and  two  companies  of  the  Garde 
Naiionale  shouldered  arms.  There  were  no 
other  ceremonies.  He  stopped  three  or  four 
days,  and  stayed  with  the  Sieur  Tardi,  Con- 

3  A  2 


364 


OCCURRENCES  AT  SAINTES. 


troUer  of  the  Registers,  his  relative.     During 
his  sojourn  he  received  very  few  visits. 

Monday,  March  14,  1791. — The  adminis- 
tration of  the  Department,  the  municipality, 
and  the  Board  of  Administration  of  the 
College  of  Saintes  assembled  in  the  Great 
Hall  of  Exercises  of  the  said  college  to 
proceed  with  the  replacing  of  the  Principal, 
Vice-Principal,  Professors  and  Regents  who 
had  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  November  27, 
1790.  Pfere  Dalidet,  a  RecoUet,  was  ap- 
pointed Principal,  the  Sieur  Jupin,  a  layman, 
Vice-Principal,  and  the  Sieurs  I'Etorurneau 
and  Texandier,  priests,  Professors  of  Philoso- 
phy, the  Sieur  Bourgignon,  Professor  of 
Rhetoric,  etc. 

Next  day,  the  15th,  the  municipality  noti- 
fied to  MM.  de  Rupt,  the  Principal,  Saboreau, 
Vice-Principal,  and  the  others,  their  super- 
ce^^sion. 

The  1 6th,  after  the  Mass  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  said  in  the  chapel  of  the  college,  the 
Board  of  Administration  installed  the  newly- 
elected  in  their  respective  posts. 

Sunday,  March  20,  1791. — At  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  parish  Mass,  and  in  the  parochial 
church  of  St.  Peter,  the  Principal,  the  Vice- 
Principal,  the  Professors  and  Regents  of  the 
college  of  this  town,  elected  during  the  pre- 
ceding week,  took  the  oath  prescribed  by  the 
decree  of  November  27,  1790,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  administration  of  the  Depart- 
ment and  that  of  the  district,  and  the 
municipality.  This  oath  taken,  the  Principal, 
Vice-Principal,  the  Professors  and  Regents, 
accompanied  by  MM.  of  the  department, 
district,  and  of  the  municipality,  repaired 
with  much  ceremony  to  the  church  of  the 
college,  where  the  Principal  said  a  Low  Mass 
with  deacon  and  sub  deacon,  during  which 
music  was  performed. 

***** 

Here  the  Diary  ends,  and  one  cannot  but 
regret  that  the  good  Abbe  was  forced  to  fly 
for  his  own  security,  and  leave  unrecorded 
the  progress  of  events  in  the  town  and  Cathe- 
dral of  Saintes.  The  intrusive  bishop,  Isaac 
Etienne  Robinet,  seems  to  have  been  more 
or  less  a  nonentity,  and  in  a  short  time  he 
grew  weary  of  his  position  and  retired  into 
private  life,  and  not  long  after  died. 

One  amusing  incident  of  his  episcopate  is 
recorded.     Finding  that  the  first  of  his  two 


Christian  names  savoured  too  much  of  Juda- 
ism for  some  of  his  flock,  and  was  taken  hold 
of  by  his  opponents,  he  assumed  in  its  place, 
without  more  ado,  the  name  of  "  Jean,"  and 
signed  himself  "  Jean  Etienne,  Eveque  du 
departement  du  Charente  Inferieure."  This 
is  not  the  place  to  do  so,  or  more  might  be 
added  as  to  him  and  some  of  those  who  sur- 
rounded him.  Among  a  few  who  were  no 
doubt  sincere  though  mistaken,  not  a  few  of 
the  clergy  who  accepted  the  Constitution 
Citile  speedily  disgraced  their  cloth,  besides 
committing  other  extraordinary  excesses,  such 
as  that  of  one  of  Bishop  Robinet's  clergy, 
who  set  a  bust  of  Mirabeau  on  the  altar  and 
censed  it  together  with  the  image  of  the 
Redeemer ! 

At  the  reorganization  of  the  French  Church 
in  1 80 1,  the  see  of  Saintes  was  not  resus- 
citated, that  of  La  Rochelle  being  made  co- 
terminous with  the  Department  of  Charente 
Inferieure.  At  a  later  period  the  title  was 
formally  added  to  that  of  La  Rochelle. 


CfiurcS  J13ote0. 

By   THE    LATE    SiR    STEPHEN    GlYNNE,    BaRT. 


VI.  TAMWORTH.  ASHBY  DE  LA  ZOUCHE, 
NOTTINGHAM,  ETC. 

N  March  9""  [1825],  in  returning 
from  Billingbear,  passed  through 
Tamworth,  the  church  of  which 
place  I  visited.  It  is  a  very  spacious 
and  handsome  structure,  consisting  of  a  nave, 
side  aisles,  and  chancel,  with  a  large  tower  of 
Perpendicular  work  at  the  west  end,  crowned 
by  four  pyramidical  pinnacles.  This  church 
within  has  lately  undergone  a  thorough  re- 
pair, and  as  far  as  neatness  and  order  go  is 
unrivalled  ;  but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
windows  should  have  been  entirely  newly 
done  up,  and  re-formed  in  a  style  certainly 
unauthorized  by  any  antique  precedent. 
The  clerestory  of  the  nave  above  is  un- 
altered, and  is  of  good  work,  probably  early 
Decorated.  There  are  some  Decorated 
windows  in  the  Chancel,  now  closed  up. 
The  nave  and  aisles  are  very  noble  and  of 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


3^5 


very  great  breadth.  They  are  separated  by 
two  rows  of  pointed  arches  springing  from 
clustered  columns.  The  roof  is  of  wood 
and  elegantly  panelled.  At  the  west  end 
is  a  handsome  gallery  and  organ.  On  each 
side  of  the  chancel  is  a  semicircular  arch 
with  zigzag  moulding  communicating  with 
the  aisles.  There  are  several  antient  tombs 
and  monuments,  which  I  had  unluckily  no 
time  to  examine  minutely.  Some  of  them 
are  evidently  of  very  rich  and  good  work. 

"From  Tamworth  we  proceeded  towards 
Ashby  de  la  Zouche.  The  country  is  very 
flat  and  uninteresting,  but  varied  by  numerous 
spires  of  churches.  Ashby  de  la  Zouche  is 
a  large  town,  and  contains  ruins  of  a  castle 
[apparently  bearing  many  traces  of  Elizabethan 
work].*  The  church  is  not  remarkable  for 
any  architectural  beauty  either  within  or 
without.  It  consists  of  a  nave,  with  side 
aisles  terminating  in  chapels,  a  chancel,  and 
a  square  embattled  tower  with  Perpendicular 
windows,  at  the  west  end.  The  north  door- 
way is  under  an  ogee  arch  adorned  with  the 
square  flower.  The  nave  is  divided  from 
each  aisle  by  a  row  of  octagon  pillars  sup- 
porting pointed  arches,  above  which  is  a 
clerestory  of  small  square  windows.  The 
other  windows  are  all  Perpendicular.  In 
the  north  wall,  under  a  cinquefoil  arch,  is 
a  recumbent  figure  with  a  staff,  said  to  be 
a  pilgrim.  The  chancel  is  very  much 
darkened  by  a  huge  Corinthian  altar-piece, 
which  greatly  obscures  the  East  window. 
At  the  end  of  the  south  aisle  is  a  chapel 
used  as  the  burial  place  of  Lord  Hastings' 
family,  which  contains  some  very  costly  and 
handsome  monuments  to  that  family,  but 
none  of  very  remote  antiquity.  At  the  west 
end  of  the  Church,  under  the  organ  gallery, 
is  placed  an  instrument  of  torture,  a  finger 
pillory  to  punish  those  who  behaved  ill  in 
church. 

"[Ashby  de  la  Zouch,  March  2,  1872. — 
The  Church  has  clerestoried  nave  with 
aisles,  chancel  with  north  chapel  reaching 
to  the  east  end,  and  Transeptal  chapels  on 
the  south,  and  a  western  Tower.  The  whole 
seems  to  be  Perpendicular. 

*  The  sentence  within  brackets  has  been  altered 
in  the  ink  and  writing  of  1872,  to  ...  "  wholly  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  with  sumptuous  work  of  that 
period." 


"The  nave  is  of  good  proportions,  and  is 
divided  from  each  aisle  by  an  arcade  of  four 
pointed  arches  on  octagonal  piers  with 
capitals,  and  somewhat  unusually  charged 
with  panelling ;  a  similar  arch  opens  from 
the  chancel  to  the  south  chapel.  The  roof 
is  a  fair  original  one,  and  open  both  in  nave 
and  aisles.  The  windows  of  the  aisles  are 
quite  uniform.  Perpendicular,  of  three  lights, 
but  some  have  been  mutilated.  There  is 
an  embattled  parapet  to  every  part  of  the 
church ;  that  of  the  aisles  has  good  panel- 
ling, but  the  stone  is  rather  decayed.  There 
are  no  porches,  but  both  North  and  South 
are  doorways  with  ogee  heads,  having  good 
continuous  mouldings,  one  of  which  is 
flowered. 

"  The  Clerestory  windows  are  square- 
headed,  of  two  lights.  The  nave  has  pews 
and  galleries  on  three  sides — a  good  organ  at 
the  west  end. 

"There  is  a  rich  screen  of  dark  carved 
wood  of  Renaissance  type,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  chancel,  rising  high,  and  though  in- 
congruous, of  some  beauty.  The  Chancel 
has  much  wainscoting  and  modern  fittings. 
The  East  window  is  Perpendicular  of  five 
lights.  The  South  chapel  is  set  Transept- 
wise,  and  not  carried  to  the  east  of  the 
chancel,  and  belongs  to  the  Hastings  family. 
"  The  Hastings  chapel  has  on  the  west  a 
window  like  those  of  the  aisles  at  the  South 
end,  one  of  three  lights  unfoliated.  At  the 
East  a  large  late  five-light  window.  It  con- 
tains a  sumptuous  alabaster  tomb  with 
efiigies  of  Francis,  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  and 
his  Countess ;  he  died  1561,  she  1576. 
There  are  traces  of  colour,  and  on  the  sides 
are  figures  of  the  sons  and  daughters,  and 
armorial  shields.  In  the  South  aisle  is  an 
incised  slab  set  upright  with  well  preserved 
figures  of  a  man  between  two  wives,  with 
canopies  over  their  heads. 

"  Near  it  is  a  very  plain  niche  for  piscina. 
The  Font  is  a  plain  Perpendicular  one. 
The  North  aisle  of  the  chancel  is  wider  than 
that  of  the  nave,  and  extends  quite  to  the 
East  end.  It  is  now  used  as  a  vestry,  and 
partitioned  off",  and  is  remarkable  for  having 
an  upper  floor  approached  by  a  staircase  in 
a  turret.  It  is  of  later  Perpendicular  than 
the  rest,  and  its  east  window  is  rather  de- 
based of  five  lights  with  transom. 


366 


CHURCH  NOTES, 


"  The  Tower  is  rather  plain,  and  the  stone- 
work somewhat  decayed.  It  has  corner  but- 
tresses, battlement,  and  four  pinnacles,  belfry 
windows  of  two  lights  mutilated.  On  the 
west  side  a  four-light  window  and  a  doorway. 
The  western  buttresses  are  canopied  in  the 
lower  part. 

"The  Castle  of  Ashby  de  la  Zouch  was 
built  by  Lord,  Hastings  temp.  Edward  IV. 
There  are  two  good  towers  containing  highly 
ornamental  windows  and  projections.  One 
has  a  noble  fireplace  in  the  upper  story. 
The  Chapel  remains,  unused  and  ruined.  It 
had  three-light  windows  of  ecclesiastical  type, 
north  and  south,  and  a  larger  one  at  the 
East.     There  is  a  plain  piscina(?)  remaining.] 

[1825.]  "  From  Ashby  went  through  a  flat 
country,  passing  through  numerous  villages, 
whose  churches  mostly  were  ornamented  with 
spires,  as  far  as  WoUaton.  Wollaton  house  is 
a  noble  edifice  of  the  age  of  Elizabeth,  and  of 
very  enriched  architecture.  The  Hall  particu- 
larly lofty  and  magnificent,  but  the  whole  of 
it  is  too  well  known  to  need  minute  descrip- 
tion. It  stands  in  an  extensive  park  full  of 
very  fine  trees.  The  pleasure-grounds  abound 
with  numerous  and  very  fine  evergreens.  The 
lodge  lately  erected  on  the  Nottingham  side 
is  a  very  fine  building,  and  much  in  character 
with  the  house.  The  village  and  church  are 
about  a  mile  distant;  the  latter  is  a  neat 
structure,  with  an  elegant  spire,  containing 
some  good  ancient  monuments  of  the  Wil- 
loughbys.  The  windows  are  mostly  with 
square  heads. 

"  Nottingham  is  only  three  miles  distant, 
and  its  numerous  and  increasing  buildings 
extend  nearly  to  Wollaton  Park.  The  Town 
is  of  very  large  size  and  population,  and 
contains  but  few  handsome  streets.  The 
Market  Place  is,  however,  a  very  fine  open 
square,  and  contains  many  good  shops  of 
respectable  appearance.  The  Town  has  three 
parish  churches.  St.  Mary's,  the  most 
spacious,  is  an  exceedingly  large  structure 
in  the  form  of  a  cross,  with  a  large  and  lofty 
tower  in  the  centre  adorned  with  pinnacles. 
The  whole  of  it  displays  particularly  rich 
Perpendicular  work,  especially  the  south 
porch,  which  is  remarkably  elegant,  and  is 
now  undergoing  a  careful  restoration.  The 
windows  are  very  numerous,  and  many  of 
large  dimensions,  so  as  to  render  the  church 


within  unusually  light.  The  west  front  of 
this  church  has  unfortunately  been  beautified 
in  the  very  worst  Italian  taste,  surmounted 
with  vases  and  such-like  horrors.  The  nave 
is  divided  from  the  aisles  by  four  pointed 
arches  springing  from  piers  of  genuine 
Perpendicular  period.  The  windows  at  the 
extremities  of  the  Transept  are  of  noble 
proportions.  In  the  chancel  are  several  oak 
stalls.  A  large  space  at  the  west  end  is  left 
unpewed,  and  at  about  the  third  arch  from 
the  west  entrance  is  the  gallery  supporting 
the  organ.  This  gallery  in  its  style  somewhat 
resembles  the  odious  west  front.  Beneath 
the  great  window  of  each  transept  is  a  noble 
Perpendicular  tomb  of  very  rich  work  orna- 
mented with  the  finest  foliage,  and  deserving 
of  the  most  minute  description.  Unfortu- 
nately, neither  of  them  has  an  inscription 
extant.  This  noble  church  is  somewhat  dis- 
figured by  the  numerous  pews  and  galleries 
with  which  it  is  filled,  which  are,  however, 
absolutely  indispensable  from  the  great  popu- 
lation of  the  parish. 

[On  the  opposite  page,  but  undated.  Sir 
Stephen  Glynne  has  written  the  following  : 

"The  battlement  is  adorned  with  panel- 
ling, and  the  whole  church  has  a  clerestory, 
not  excepting  the  Transepts.  The  Clerestory 
windows  at  the  west  end  are  of  a  very 
wretched  modern  design,  entirely  at  variance 
with  the  style  of  the  building. 

**  The  south  porch  is  beautifully  panelled, 
and  has  a  fine  niche  on  either  side  of  the 
inner  doorway.  The  outer  doorway  has  a 
magnificent  crocketed  ogee  canopy  and  hang- 
ing (.?)  feathering.  Under  the  Tower  within 
is  a  fine  groined  ceiling.  The  Font  is  oc- 
tagonal, and  elegantly  panelled.  The  tracery 
of  the  windows  is  singular.  The  Tomb  at  the 
south  end  of  the  South  Transept  has  a  superb 
crocketed  ogee  canopy,  with  rich  finial  and 
rich  double  feathering.  That  in  the  North 
Transept  is  an  Altar  Tomb  finely  panelled, 
beneath  a  very  rich  ogee  canopy  with  crockets 
and  finials.  The  canopy  is  also  enriched 
with  figures  of  angels,  and  canopied  niches. 
The  figure  is  much  mutilated.  These  two 
exquisite  tombs  vie  with  each  other  in  rich- 
ness and  beauty.  In  the  North  Transept, 
on  a  flat  stone,  is  the  figuring  of  a  Cross.] 

[Also  undated,  but  probably  in  the  writing 
of  1872  :  S.  Mary,  Nottingham.     The  whole 


CHURCH  NOTES. 


367 


of  the  outer  walls  is  glazed  —  at  least,  the 
spaces  between  the  windows  are  so  narrow 
as  to  give  almost  the  appearance  of  a  green- 
house. The  church  is  all  of  late  and  peculiar 
Perpendicular,  well  finished  and  rich,  though 
the  details  are  not  always  elegant.  There  is 
much  uniformity,  but  the  tracery  of  the 
North  and  South  aisle  windows  does  not 
correspond.] 

['*  1845.  The  galleries  have  been  removed, 
and  the  nave  new  pewed.  There  has  been 
considerable  work  to  strengthen  the  piers  of 
the  Tower,  which  were  in  danger  of  falling 
in.  1872.  The  nave  and  Transepts  are  now 
fitted  with  chairs.  The  chancel  has  stalls 
for  clergy  and  choir.  The  old  organ  removed 
to  the  new  church  of  S.  Andrew,  and  a  new 
one  of  stupendous  size,  with  elaborate  case, 
put  into  the  chancel.  All  the  incongruous 
architecture  near  the  west  end  is  replaced  by 
some  of  the  proper  character.] 

[1825.]  "The  two  other  churches  I  could 
not  visit  That  of  St.  Peter  has  an  elegant 
spire.  St,  Nicholas  is  a  brick  structure  of  no 
very  tempting  appearance. 

"  Besides  these  three  parish  churches, 
Nottingham  contains  two  new  chapels  or 
churches :  St.  James,  miserable  Gothic, 
erected  1808  ;  St.  Paul,  Italian,  built  of  late 
years  for  the  accommodation  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. One  of  them  is  a  poor,  wretched 
attempt  at  an  imitation  of  Gothic. 

"The  Castle  of  Nottingham,  from  its 
elevated  situation,  forms  a  conspicuous 
object  in  the  surrounding  country.  It  stands 
on  a  steep  and  abrupt  rock  near  the  entrance 
to  the  town  from  Derby.  It  can  scarcely  be 
called  a  castle  with  propriety,  as  it  only 
occupies  the  situation  of  an  ancient  castle, 
being  itself  of  the  age  of  Charles  2nd,  168  r. 
It  is  a  large,  square  building,  containing 
some  magnificent  suites  of  apartments  richly 
adorned  with  tapestry.  Some  of  the  apart- 
ments are  let  out  as  lodgings,  but  many  are 
suffered  to  remain  in  a  state  of  very  bad 
repair,  and  are  gradually  going  to  decay  and 
ruin  from  not  being  inhabited.  It  is  the 
property  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle.  From 
the  top  is  an  enchanting  view  over  the 
surrounding  flat  but  rich  country;  the  vale 
of  Belvoir,  and,  on  a  clear  day,  Belvoir 
Castle  itself,  are  prominent  features.  From 
Nottingham   we   proceeded    to    Mansfield, 


thence  to  Worksop,  passing  the  parks  of 
Welbeck  and  Worksop,  the  beauties  of  which 
were  considerably  marred  by  the  wetness  of 
the  weather.  Between  Worksop  and  Don- 
caster  the  country  is  uninteresting.  The 
road  passes  through  Tickhill  about  nine  miles 
from  Worksop,  a  small  town  with  an  ex- 
tremely handsome  church,  apparently  mostly 
Perpendicular.  Through  Doncaster,  Ferry- 
bridge, and  Sherburn,  we  proceeded  to 
Cawood,  and  thence  over  the  ferry  to 
Escrick." 

***** 
At  the  opposite  end,  on  the  flyleaf  of  the 
Note-book,  Sir  Stephen  Glynne  has  written 
the  following  solitary  note  relating  to  an  Essex 
church  : 

"  AsHDON  Church,  Essex. 

"  (Freshwell  Hundred.) 

"  Dedicated  to  All  Saints.  Consists  of  a 
Nave,  side  aisles,  chancel,  and  a  chapel  to 
the  north  called  the  Old  Chancel.  At  the 
west  end  is  an  embattled  tower,  surmounted 
by  a  small  spire.  Within  the  tower  are  five 
bells. 

"In  the  chancel,  north  of  the  Communion 
Table,  is  an  ancient  Altar  Tomb,  now  defaced 
by  whitewash.  The  sides  are  ornamented 
with  escutcheons,  and  over  it  are  arms  now 
defaced  with  whitewash,  with  the  date  1565. 
To  whose  memory  this  is  erected  is  unknown. 
To  the  south  of  the  Communion  Table  is  a 
monument  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Salter,  Rector  of 
the  Parish,  who,  with  his  wife  Letitia,  lies 
buried  underneath.  The  Chancel  was  re- 
paired at  the  expense  of  this  Rector 
1790. 

"The  Rev.  Mr.  Barron,  who  died  in  1728, 
and  the  Rev.  Mr.  North,  who  died  in  1818, 
both  Rectors  of  Ashdon,  are  buried,  the 
former  in  the  Chancel,  the  latter  in  the 
Nave. 

"  The  whole  Church  is  whitewashed,  and 
at  the  west  end  has  a  small  Organ.  In  a 
window  in  the  south  aisle  are  remains  of 
painted  glass." 

(Concluded.) 


368 


THE  REBUS. 


West  iRetJU0» 

By  Arthur  Watson. 


"That  which  is  sensible  more  forcibly  strikes 
the  memory  than  that  which  is  intellectual." — 
Bacon. 


HE  rebus  is  a  representation  by 
means  of  pictures,  letters,  or 
figures,  of  some  word,  phrase,  or 
sentence.  In  its  origin  it  dates 
back  to  the  beginning  of  written  language, 
for  the  Chinese  and  Egyptian  writings  are 
composed  of  images,  and  the  records  of 
ancient  tombs  may  be  looked  upon  as  a 
series  of  rebuses.  Just  as  primitive  efforts 
in  speech  needed  a  great  deal  of  accompany- 
ing gesture,  so  early  writings  required  images 
for  adequate  definite  expressions  of  ideas. 
There  is  this  difference,  however,  between 
Chinese  and  Egyptian  picture-writing  and 
the  medieval  and  modern  rebus,  viz.,  that 
whereas  in  the  former  the  intention  is  simpli- 
fication, in  the  latter  it  is  mostly  mystification. 
The  ancient  Greeks  made  frequent  use  of 
the  rebus  on  the  coins  of  their  cities  and 
islands.  Thus  the  Greek  colony  of  Selinus, 
in  Sicily,  which  derived  its  name  from  the 
wild  parsley  growing  there  in  profusion,  was 
represented  on  its  coins  by  an  image  of  this 
plant.  In  the  same  way  the  coins  of  Rhodes 
bore  a  rose,  those  of  Melos  a  pomegranate, 


those   of  Phocoea  a  seal,    and   the   city   of 
Ancona  was  represented  by  a  bent  arm,  the 


word  ay/cwv  meaning  a  bend.  These  have 
been  termed  types  parlatits,  or  canting-devices. 
Two    Greek    architects  are    said    to    have 


carved  on  their  buildings  the  images  of  a 
frog  and  a  lizard,  these  two  words  in  Greek 
being  respectively  identical  with  their  names, 
which  they  were  forbidden  to  inscribe  in 
written  language. 

Julius  Cresar,  according  to  Addison,  used 
the  image  of  an  elephant  on  his  coins 
because  his  name  happened  in  the  Punic 
language  to  stand  for  that  animal.  This  is, 
however,  doubtful,  as  the  elephant  was 
commonly  used  as  an  emblem  on  coins. 
There  are,  nevertheless,  undoubted  examples 
of  the  use  of  the  rebus  on  Roman  coins,  as, 
e.g.,  those  of  Quintus  Voconius  Vitulus,  on 
which  a  calf  is  represented,  and  those  of 
L.  Aquillius  Fiorus,  of  which  the  following 
is  an  example : 


It  is  in  Picardy  that  the  rebus  more 
especially  has  flourished  in  the  past.  Sieur 
des  Accords  says  that  the  rebus  was  a  special 
product  of  that  district,  just  as  bayonets 
were  associated  with  Bayonne,  and  mustard 
with  Dijon.  The  people  of  Picardy  were  so 
much  pleased  with  this  kind  of  wit  that 
their  use  of  it  became  almost  a  madness,  and 
if  all  their  work  of  this  kind  could  have  been 
collected  it  would  have  been  enough,  in  the 
language  of  Des  Accords,  "to  load  ten 
mules."  He  was  judged  of  no  account  who 
did  not  take  part  in  this  kind  of  exercise. 
In  the  time  of  Edward  III.  the  English 
began  to  admire  these  "foreign  fooleries  in 
painted  Poesie,"  as  Camden  says,  and  "  they 
which  lacked  wit  to  express  their  conceit  in 
speech,  did  use  to  depaint  it  out  (as  it  were) 
in  pictures,  which  they  call  jRebus  by  a 
Latine  name  well  fitting  their  device.  These 
were  so  liked  by  our  English  there,  and  sent 
over  the  streight  of  Calice,  with  full  sail, 
were  so  entertained  here  (although  they  were 
most  ridiculous)  by  all  degrees,  by  the 
learned  and  unlearned,  that  he  was  no  body 
that  could  not  hammer  out  of  his  name  an 
invention  by  this  wit-craft,  and  picture  it 
accordingly :  whereupon  who  did  not  busie 


THE  REBUS. 


369 


his  brain  to  hammer  his  device  out  of  this 
forge  ?" 

Some  French  authorities  have  supposed 
that  the  word  "rebus"  originated  from  the 
custom  followed  by  the  clerks  of  the  Basoche 
of  making  every  year  in  the  time  of  the 
Carnival  a  number  of  lampoons,  which  were 
entitled  De  rebus  quce  geruntur,  or  "Con- 
cerning things  which  are  happening."  These 
were  read  by  the  clerks,  who  were  drawn 
through  the  streets  in  a  cart.  According  to 
Menage,  this  custom  lasted  at  Boulogne  till 
about  1630,  when  it  was  stopped  by  the 
police.  The  word  "  rebus  "  is  accounted 
for  as  being  a  survival  of  this  title,  De  rebus 
qu(B  geruntur,  the  popular  mind  being  able 
only  to  remember  a  portion  of  the  expression. 
But  it  is  simpler  and  probably  more  correct 
to  understand  the  word  as  indicating  the 
representation  of  ideas  *'  by  things." 

Certain  coins  found  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Amiens  reveal  rebuses  very  complicated 
and  impossible  to  translate  with  any  cer- 
tainty. These  coins,  made  of  lead,  were 
distributed  at  the  burlesque  Feasts  of  Fools 
and  Feasts  of  Innocents.  The  enormous 
number  of  them  is  evidence  of  the  popularity 
of  the  rebus  in  this  district.  Where  possible, 
French  towns,  like  those  of  ancient  Greece, 
have  adopted  some  punning  representation. 
Thus  Arras  is  imaged  by  rats,  three  of  which 
animals  may  be  seen  running  round  the 
coins  of  the  city.  It  was  said  in  a  kind  of 
proverb  that  the  French  would  take  Arras 
when  the  rats  ate  the  cats.  Lyons  would 
obviously  be  represented  by  a  lion.  The 
treatment  of  Dijon  is  less  obvious,  its  rebus 
being  "  dix  joncs,"  and  the  name  could  be 
arrived  at  in  a  playful  way  by  counting 
"un  jonc,  deux  joncs,"  etc.,  until  "dix 
joncs,"  or  Dijon,  was  reached,  just  as  the 
French  amused  themselves  by  counting 
"  para  un,"  "  para  deux,"  until  they  came  to 
"para  dix,"  or  "paradis."  A  Chalonnois 
was  depicted  as  a  "  chat  long  et  noir,"  and 
"  Poictiers  "  might  be  shown  by  "  ppp."  P 
was  pronounced  "poi,"  and  it  occurs  three 
times.     That  makes  "  Poi-tiers." 

So  great  was  the  delight  in  the  rebus  that 
short  poems  were  written  by  means  of  it. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  is  that  of 
J.  G.  Alione,  a  "  Rondeau  d'amours  com- 
pose par  signification."     It  was  published  at 

VOL.  xxxiv. 


Asti,  in  1521,  in  a  volume_^entitled  Opera 
Jocunda.  The  poem  consists  of  fifteen 
lines,  all  of  which  are  represented  in  a 
manner  similar  to  that  of  the  following, 
which  will  serve  as  illustrations  : 


LA  CKOY  POINT  TELLE 


RE  MAIN  JE  DIX  PYE 


^UiiHi^ 


A  book  written  by  Giovanibattista  Pala- 
tino,  and  published  in  1545,  deals  with 
the  alphabets  of  different  nations,  and  the 
various  modes  of  expression.  The  rebus  is 
represented  by  a  poem  of  about  the  same 
length  as  the  above  rondeau.  The  execu- 
tion is  different,  and  there  is  a  confession  of 
weakness  in  the  frequent  use  of  letters.  Still, 
it  is  curious,  and  it  must  have  been  a  work 

3B 


370 


THE  REBUS. 


of  considerable  labour.  How  far  that  labour  the  Church  encouraged,  or  at  any  rate 
was  misapplied  the  reader  may  be  able  to  tolerated,  the  secularization  of  what  was 
judge  from  a  couple  of  specimens.  associated  with  religious  functions.     An  arch- 


>DEL 


«^A^S!^ 


DOV  E       DEL     FERMO     PIE      QUEL       LA     SANT   ORMA. 


>J>U 


VN 


In  the  National  Library,  Paris,  are  two 
manuscripts,  dating  from  about  the  end  of 
the  fifteenth  century.  The  first  is  entitled 
Rebus  de  Picardie  enlumines.  In  the  six- 
teenth century  two  readers  succeeded  in 
solving  about  half  of  the  examples.  Fortu- 
nately there  is  a  second  manuscript  contain- 
ing 152  rebuses,  which  are,  with  only  a  few 
exceptions,  copies  of  those  in  the  first.  In 
the  second  manuscript  the  solutions  are 
given,  from  which  it  appears  that  the  manu- 
script was  rightly  entitled  R'ebtis  de  Picardie, 
since  in  the  solutions  frequent  use  is  made 
of  words  peculiar  to  Picardy.  The  following 
represents  a  foolish  woman  with  a  bauble, 
ufie  viere  folk,  a  syringe  which  in  Picardy 
was  called  esquisse  or  equiche,  and  a  marigold, 
souci.  The  three  words  taken  together — 
folk,  esquisse,  souci — stand  for  the  sentence  : 

Fol  est  qui  se  soucie. 

In  the  two  fifteenth-century  manuscripts 
taken  together  some  170  different  rebuses 
occur. 

Among  the  many  secular  and  mundane 
interests  associated  with  the  Church  the  rebus 
was  one  of  those  which  found  especial  favour. 
When  grotesque  carvings  in  stone  and  on 
the  misericord  seats  were  permitted  with  such 
lavishness  and  fertility  in  subjects  of  a  secular 
character,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  rebus 
should  have  been  cultivated  by  ecclesiastics. 
It  is  a  matter  of  ever-increasing  wonder  to 
the  modern  student  of  the  Middle  Ages  how 


bishop  was  prepared  to  play  a  childish  game 
in  the  church  to  the  music  of  the  organ. 
Novices  were  set  to  secrete  themselves  in 
the  triangular  space  above  the  flat  wooden 
roof  and  shoot  down  on  to  the  roof  a  load 
of  stones,  so  that  the  worshippers  might  be 
terror-struck  at  the  solemn  portion   of  the 


service.  The  musical  monks  delighted  in 
puzzle  canons,  which  they  wrote  even  in  the 
form  of  a  circle,  so  that  it  might  be  the  more 
difficult  to  discover  where  the  music  was 
intended  to  begin. 

So  the  rebus  held  sway,  and  its  punning 
devices   adorn   even  the  pages  of    Prayer- 


THE  REBUS. 


371 


Books.  In  a  Book  of  Hours,  printed  about 
1500,  occurs  a  prayer  to  the  Virgin,  of  which 
the  following  is  the  first  line  : 


The  first  image  is  a  gold  coin  named 
salut,  the  second  a  bone,  os,  which  is  followed 
by  N.S.  Then  comes  Mary  praying  before 
a  crucifix,  Marie  priant  Jesus  en  croix.  The 
whole  line  represents,  therefore,  the  follow- 
ing: 

Saluons  Maxie  priant  Jesus  en  croix. 

Such  devices  in  church  and  out  served,  no 
doubt,  to  attract  the  attention  of  those  to 
whom  reading  was  a  difficult  matter.  It 
may  have  been  partly  out  of  consideration 
for  the  illiterate  that  some  of  the  rebuses 
were  invented.  The  illiterate  man,  it  is  true, 
would  hardly  be  likely  to  find  out  a  rebus 
unaided,  but  when  once  the  imagery  had 
been  explained  to  him,  it  would  afford  him 
a  ready  and  convenient  means  of  recalling 
a  name.  Rebuses  were,  however,  invented 
mainly  because  the  invention  was  a  pleasant 
exercise.  In  the  Church  of  St  Bartholomew 
the  Great,  Smithfield,  under  the  window  of 
Prior  Bolton,  is  carved  a  bolt  or  arrow 
through  a  tun.  This  ending  "  ton "  was 
frequently  made  use  of  in  devising  a  rebus, 
as  in  Beckyngton  (beacon  in  tun),  Grafton 
(a  tree  rising  out  of  a  tun),  and  Singleton, 
to  represent  which  name  it  was  considered 
sufficient  to  draw  a  single  tun.  Abbot  Islip's 
rebus  in  Westminster  Abbey  is  a  more 
ambitious  invention,  as  his  name  may  be 
read  through  it  in  three  ways. 

First,  there  is  an  image  of  an  eye  and  slip 
of  the  tree,  then  the  figure  in  the  tree  may  be 
supposed  to  say  "  I  slip,"  and  lastly  the 
hand  grasping  a  branch  of  the  tree  may  be 
regarded  as  belonging  to  a  person  who  is 
slipping. 

A  piece  of  sculpture  on  the  parish  church 
at  Ewerby,  in  Lincolnshire,  representing  a 
woman  who  is  probably  shaving  a  pig,  has 
been  taken  to  stand  for  Swineshead,  swine 
shaved. 


In  France  even  the  burying-places  afford 
numerous  examples  of  the  rebus.  In  the 
cemetery  of  the  Franciscan  friars  at  Dole 
was  the  following  problem,  which  means 
w,  en  de,  quat  en  dd,  that  is  : 

Amendez  vous,  qu'attendez  vous,  la  mort. 


J^VD%|^«3V; 


At  Langres  in  Champagne,  in  the  monas- 
tery of  Saint-Mammes,  was  once  to  be  seen 
an  epitaph  of  a  chorister,  on  which  were  the 
notes  la,  mi  la  placed  between  two  death's- 
heads,  the  translation  of  the  rebus  being  : 

"  La  mort  I'a  mis  la  mort." 
Death  has  placed  him  there,  dead. 


In  heraldry  the  rebus  was  common. 
Prior  Bolton,  as  previously  stated,  repre- 
sented his  name  by  a  bolt  through  a  tun. 

The  arms  of  the  Laurence  Oliphant  family 
show  two  elephants  employed  as  supporters. 

The  name  of  Solly  is  represented  in  a 
crest  by  a  fish,  the  motto,  "Deo  soli,"  also 
containing  a  pun. 

Corbet  is  indicated  by  a  raven ;  Anguish 
by  a  snake,  with  the  motto,  Latet  anguis  in 
herba  ;  Beckford  by  a  heron  with  a  fish  in  its 
beak;  Tremayne  by  three  hands;  Papillon 
by  butterflies ;  Martin  by  three  martlets  on 
the  arms,  and  on  the  crest  a  martin  cat; 
Roche  by  three  roaches;  Shuttleworth  by 
three  shuttles  ;  and  Manley  by  two  rebuses, 
a  man's  head  on  the  crest  and  a  hand  on 
the  arms.  Camden  quaintly  tells  us  of 
William  Chaundler,  Warden  of  New  College 
in  Oxford,  who,  "  playing  with  his  own  name, 
so  filled  the  Hall-windows  with  candles  and 
these  words.  Fiat  lux,  that  he  darkned  the 
Hall :  whereupon  the  Vidam  of  Chartres 
when  he  was  there,  said.  It  should  have  been 
Fiant  tenebrce." 

Sir  Thomas  Cavall,  too,  "whereas  Cavall 

3B  2 


372 


THE  REBUS. 


signifieth  an  Horse,  engraved  a  gallopping 
horse  in  his  seal,  with  this  Hmping  verse  ; 
Thomae  credite,  cum  cernitis  ejus  equum." 

It  will  be  observed  in  these  examples,  and 
in  some  of  those  which  follow,  that  the 
utmost  licence  was  permitted  in  the  matter 
of  language.  If  it  was  difficult  to  make  a 
rebus  in  one  language,  recourse  might  be 
had  to  another.  Anguish  suggested  the 
Latin  an^uisy  Manley  the  French  wa/«, 
Cavall  the  French  cheval^  or,  perhaps,  the 
Latin  caballus.  There  were  French  rebuses 
the  solution  of  which  revealed  Latin  words. 
Two  mountains,  mons  deux ;  four  bones, 
quatre  as ;  and  some  monks,  des  moines  ; 
meant 

Mundus,  caro,  daemonia. 

The  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil, 

Schoolboys  still  make  merry  over  the  play 
of  sounds  in  the  passage  beginning 

Is  ab  ille  heres  ago. 

The  interpretation  being,  of  course, 

I  say,  Billy,  here's  a  go. 

The  story  is  told  of  a  knight  who  invented 
a  device  to  represent  a  temporary  misfortune, 
viz.,  a  fall  from  his  horse  in  a  contest.  To 
express  the  bitterness  of  his  humiliation,  when 
he  reappeared  he  wore  a  burlesque  costume, 
and  carried  on  his  head,  instead  of  his  usual 
device,  a  hard  cheese,  Caso  duro,  these 
Italian  words  also  bearing  the  interpretation, 
"  Cruel  misfortune." 

I'rinters  and  artists  have  frequently  made 
use  of  the  rebus.  The  German  artist  Hans 
Schauffelin  is  represented  by  a  spade. 

The  printer  John  Day  took  as  his  sign 
an  image  of  the  sun  rising,  with  one  boy 
rousing  another  from  his  slumber,  and  point- 
ing to  the  sun  mounting  above  the  horizon. 
The  mark  bears  the  appropriate  motto 
"  Arise,  for  it  is  Day."  A  hare  in  a  sheaf 
of  rye,  with  the  sun  shining  in  the  heavens, 
stands  for  Harrison — Hare,  rye,  sun. 

A  rose  inserted  in  a  heart  was  the  mark  of 
Gilles  Corrozet. 

Claude  Chevallon  was  represented  by  longs 
chevaux,  Pierre  de  Brodeux  by  deux  brocs, 
De  la  Porte  by  a  gate,  and  Jaques  Maillet 
by  a  mallet. 

The  rebus  may  be  formed  not  only  by 
images,  but  also  by  letters,  figures,  notes  of 


music,  and  by  the  placing  of  letters,  syllables, 
and  words,  in  such  positions  that  the  state- 
ment of  relative  position  will  supply  a  word 
or  syllable  necessary  for  the  solution  : 

XL  is  written  for  excel, 
EEEE  for  ease, 
And 

I  O  U  for  I  owe  you. 

The  well-known  adventures  of  Captain 
BBBB  need  not  be  repeated,  and  it  can 
hardly  be  necessary  to  give  a  translation  of 
the  following  familiar  injunction  : 

If  the  B  mt  put :  if  it  be  .  putting  : 

Not  so  obvious  is  the  series  of  letters 
G.A.C. O.B.I. A.L.  in  a  French  rebus,  which 
means  "  J'ai  assez  obdi  a  elle." 

A  French  schoolmistress  is  supposed  to 
have  sent  the  following  report  to  the  mother 
of  one  of  her  pupils  : 

Vostre  fillette  en  ses  escrits 
Recherche  trop  ses  aa  ; 
L  met  trop  d'encre  en  son  I 
L  S  trop  ses  UU  ou verts.  .  .  . 

Which  is  in  full : 

Vostre  fillette  en  ses  escrits 
Recherche  trop  ses  appetits  ; 
Elle  met  trop  d'encre  en  son  nid 
Et  laisse  trop  ses  huits  ouverts. 

An  abbe,  on  being  asked  to  resign,  replied 
that  it  had  taken  him  thirty  years  to  learn 
the  first  two  letters  of  the  alphabet,  A  B 
(abbe),  and  that  he  wanted  thirty  years  more 
to  learn  the  next  two,  C  D  (ceder). 

K.P.C.Q.p..  bears  the  interpretation  in 
Latin,  "  Cape  securum." 

Some  of  the  rebuses  formed  by  position 
are  curious  and  ingenious.  The  most 
familiar  are  : 

Stand        take  to  taking 

I  you         throw  my 

I  understand  you  undertake  to  overthrow  my 
undertaking. 

And  the  telegraphic  communication  : 

Eight  come  nine 

Come  between  eight  and  nine. 

In  French  are  similar  devices,  as 

Pir        vent        venir 

un        vient        d'un 

Un  soupire  vient  souvent  d'un  souvenir. 

Trop        vent        bien 

tils  sont        pris 

Trop  subtils  sont  souvent  bien  surpris. 


THE  REBUS. 


But  the  most  recherchi  of  these  is 


373 


Si 
Vent 
J'ai 


pire 
vent 
dont 


J'ai  souvent  souci,  dont  souvent  soupire. 

In  Latin, 

Deus        gratiam        denegat 
nus  nam  bis 

means 


Deus  supemws  gratiam  supem&m  denegat  su- 
ferbis. 

An  amusing  example  is  where  the  repeti- 
tion of  Jupi  three  times  justifies  the  addition 
of  "ter" — Jupiter. 

Missos 
Jupi,  Jupi,  Jupi,  as  locabit  tra 
]wpiter  sub  missos  inter  astra  locabit. 

The  following  rondeau  contains  examples 
of  words  to  be  understood  by  means  of  letters, 
numbers,  and  by  position  : 

la 
BB.DD.  qui  est  SX 

las 
Vueille  muer  dueil  en 
A  xvi.  M.I.  bieau  sire  di  X 

BB.DD 
Pour  le  servir  de  mi  X.M.X. 
M.OO.  devots  sans  nul  relas 
BB.DD. 

Of  this  the  explanation  is  : 

Jesus  qui  est  \k  sus  es  cieux 
Vueille  muer  en  soulas 
A  ses  amis,  biau  sire  dieux 

Jesus. 
Pour  le  servir  de  mieux  en  mieux 
En  mots  devots  sans  nul  relas 

Jesus. 

A  modern  example  of  the  rebus  in  musical 
notation  turns  on  the  notes  B  flat,  B  sharp, 
and  B  natural.  In  a  book  entitled  Frauen- 
zimmer  Gesprechspiele^  published  in  1644, 
there  is  a  somewhat  extended  rebus,  in 
which  use  is  made  of  notes,  which  are  to  be 
named  after  the  manner  invented  by  Guido 
d'Arezzo  : 

-^- 


tt- 

dlich   t  du  hren   t       r        cht  g  s       wider      h  n  dir 

Redlich  solt  du  fahren  mit  mir, 
Recht  guts  sol  widerfabren  dir. 


An  ingenious  rebus  puzzle  has  been 
invented  in  which  use  is  made  of  the  repre- 
sentation of  the  squares  of  a  chess-board. 
In  each  square  is  written  a  syllable,  and  the 
solution  is  to  be  sought  by  beginning  in  one 
of  the  corners,  and  finding  the  syllables  one 
after  another  by  means  of  the  knight's  move. 

Enough  examples  have  been  given  to 
show  how  largely  the  practice  of  rebus- 
making  has  been  followed  in  the  past.  As 
it  is  said  that  the  worst  puns  are  the  best,  so 
the  rebus  which  is  most  excogitated  is  the 
most  likely  to  produce  a  smile.  The  rebus 
is  a  light  form  of  amusement  in  which  the 
enjoyment  consists  in  whimsical  association 
and  play  on  equivoques,  where  logic  is  thrown 
to  the  winds,  and  irresponsible  thought  aims 
at  concrete  imagery,  which  in  many  instances 
is  curious  and  mystifying. 


3rcba^ological  Betos. 

[  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  information  from  our  readers 
for  insertion  under  this  heading.^ 

THE  RHIND  LECTURES. 
As  briefly  mentioned  in  the  Notes  of  the 
Month,  the  Rhind  Lectures  this  year  have 
been  delivered  by  the  Lyon  King  of  Arms. 
We  borrow  (in  an  abbreviated  form)  the 
following  account  of  the  lectures  from  the 
reports  which  have  appeared  in  the  Scotsman. 
We  are  glad  to  learn  that  each  of  the  lectures 
was  well  attended. 

The  first  of  the  series  of  these  lectures  for  this 
year  was  delivered,  on  November  7,  in  the  Lecture 
Hall  of  the  National  Portrait  Gallery,  Edinburgh, 
by  Mr.  Balfour  Paul,  Lyon  King  of  Arms,  whose 
subject  for  the  course  is  "  Heraldry  in  Relation  to 
Scottish  History  and  Art."  The  Hon.  John  Aber- 
cromby  presided,  and  there  was  a  good  attendance. 
The  opening  lecture  was  mainly  devoted  to  the 
Grammar  of  Heraldry.  It  was  pointed  out  by  Mr. 
Balfour  Paul  that  heraldry  is  both  a  science  capable 
of  being  treated  on  scientific  principles,  and  also  an 
art  of  great  beauty  and  of  practical  use.  Heraldry 
as  we  now  know  it  was  a  product  of  Eurof)ean 
civilization  which  could  not  be  traced  back  further 
than  the  eleventh  century,  if  so  far ;  that  is  to  say, 
while  individual  badges  or  cognisances  were  in 
use  from  very  early  times,  in  no  instance  has  there 
been  the  least  indication  that  these  figures  were 
borne  hereditarily.  The  origin  of  the  custom  of 
bearing  coats  of  arms  no  doubt  arose  from  the 


374 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


necessity  of  the  identity  of  knights,  whose  form  and 
features  were  totally  concealed  by  their  armour, 
being  shown  on  the  field  of  battle.  These  cognisances, 
as  they  were  called,  consisted  partly  in  painting  a 
device  on  their  shields,  the  strengthening  bars  of 
which  were  considered  by  many  authorities  to  be 
the  origin  of  the  heraldic  ordinaries,  and  partly  in 
affixing  the  figure  of  an  animal  or  other  object  on 
the  top  of  their  helmet,  by  which  they  might  be 
recognised  amid  the  stress  and  tumult  of  battle. 
Generally  speaking,  it  was  not  till  the  period  of  the 
third  Crusade,  that  was  towards  the  end  of  the 
twelfth  century,  that  arms  as  hereditary  distinctions 
of  a  family  came  into  notice.  By  the  following 
century  they  had  become  firmly  established  as  a 
feature  of  the  chivalry  of  Europe,  the  first  Scottish 
King  who  bore  arms  being  Alexander  II.  Certain 
things  were  completely  out  of  place  on  a  shield, 
such  as  groups  of  objects  forming  a  landscape  or 

Eicture,  or  anything  which  depended  on  its  form 
eing  drawn  in  perspective ;  while  the  worst  and 
ugliest  form  of  heraldic  shield  ever  employed  was 
undoubtedly  that  in  vogue  in  the  early  Victorian 
period,  and  still  largely  used  by  stationers  and  die- 
sinkers.  It  was  pointed  out,  too,  that  the  ordinary 
modern  idea  of  a  "family  crest"  was  fallacious; 
the  family  coat  never  changed  except  under  certain 
prescribed  rules,  but  it  was  quite  usual  for  many 
cadets  of  the  same  family  to  bear  entirely  different 
crests.  The  crest  was  fastened  on  to  the  helmet  by 
the  wreath,  which  should  be  composed  of  twists  of 
silk  of  the  principal  metal  and  colour  on  the  shield. 
These  should  constitute  the  "  livery  colours  "  of  the 
owner  of  the  arms.  The  most  appropriate  helmet 
for  armorial  display  was  undoubtedly  the  large 
tilting-helm,  which  was  put  right  over  the  head, 
which  moved  freely  about  inside  it ;  and  the  worst 
was  the  armet  or  close  helmet,  with  the  movable 
\'izor,  much  beloved  by  heraldic  artists  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  century,  and  by  no  means  obsolete  even 
now.  The  lecturer  alluded  to  the  supporters  of  the 
shield,  and  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  their  probable 
origin  was  from  the  necessity  of  filling  up  the  un- 
occupied spaces  on  each  side  of  a  shield  placed  in 
a  circular  seal.  The  compartment  or  stand  for  the 
supporters  was  next  mentioned,  and  it  was  pointed 
out  that  this  should  be  always  of  a  solid  character, 
and  not  the  floriated  scrolls,  like  gas-brackets,  which 
are  usually  employed. 

The  second  lecture  was  delivered  on 
November  9 : 

The  lecturer  pointed  out  that,  though  Scottish 
and  English  heraldry  had  much  in  common,  the 
evolution  of  the  science  proceeded  on  somewhat 
different  lines  in  Scotland  to  that  which  it  followed 
in  England,  and  gave  Scotch  family  arms  a  char- 
acter of  their  own.  At  the  period  when  heraldry 
was  introduced  into  Scotland  the  feudal  system 
was  firmly  established  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
kingdom,  but  in  the  more  northern  the  clan  was 
still  more  or  less  powerful.  Under  that  the  chief 
was  the  father  of  his  race,  and  the  clan  stood  to 
him  in  the  position  of  children.  In  the  feudal 
system,  on  the  other  hand,  the  proprietor  of  the 
lands  received  his   title  from  the  Sovereign,  and 


stood  in  relation  to  him,  not  as  a  child,  but  as  a 
servant,  and  got  a  title  to  the  land  in  consideration 
of  performing  certain  stipulated  duties.  Owing  to 
this  theory  of  blood  relationship  in  a  clan,  it  often 
happened  that  on  account  of  conquest  or  other 
cause  a  weak  clan  would  amalgamate  with  a  strong 
one,  and  would  adopt  or  become  known  by  its 
name.  Even  in  the  feudal  Lowlands  it  was  rather 
the  policy  of  the  baron  to  encourage  the  adoption 
of  his  name  by  his  vassals  and  dependents.  The 
main  difference  between  the  Highland  and  the 
Lowland  fashion  was  that  the  Celtic  names  were 
chiefly  patronymics,  while  those  in  the  Lowlands 
were  either  importations  from  abroad  or  taken 
from  the  names  of  lands.  In  England,  on  the 
contrary,  names  formed  no  such  bond  of  union, 
but  were  assigned  or  adopted  from  many  accidental 
circumstances.  All  this  had  an  important  influence 
on  the  manner  in  which  heraldry  developed  itself 
in  Scotland.  The  principle  which  limited  the 
number  of  paternal  coats  led  to  a  careful  differentia- 
ting of  these  coats  as  borne  by  the  junior  branches 
of  families.  Scottish  coats  are,  as  a  rule,  very 
simple  and  direct,  comparatively  few  in  number 
when  compared  to  the  population,  but  freely 
differentiated.  The  history  of  the  royal  arms  of 
Scotland  was  discussed,  and  some  curious  foreign 
versions  described.  In  the  armorial  compiled  at 
Zurich  about  1340,  the  arms  of  the  King  of  Scotland 
are  given  as  a  monk  with  his  robe  and  cowl,  hold- 
ing a  pastoral  stafl"  in  one  hand,  and  an  alms  dish 
in  the  other.  In  the  Gronenburg  armorial,  more 
than  a  hundred  years  later,  the  allusion  to  Scotland 
is  even  less  flattering,  as,  though  the  lion  within 
the  flowery  tressure  is  duly  given,  there  is  another 
shield  also  called  the  King  of  Scotland's,  repre- 
senting an  ape-like  creature  holding  an  alms  dish 
in  one  hand,  and  scratching  himself  with  the  other, 
suggesting  that  the  so-called  national  cutaneous 
disorder  was  a  joke  even  at  that  period,  for  it  cannot 
be  looked  upon  in  any  other  light  than  as  a  heraldic 
joke.  The  origin  of  Scotch  family  arms  was  then 
touched  upon,  the  majority  of  coats  being  alleged 
to  belong  to  what  are  termed  by  heralds  arms  of 
patronage,  and  "  armes  parlentes,"  or  canting 
arms.  In  the  former  class  are  included  all  the 
coats  which  have  been  taken  by  vassals  from  the 
armorial  bearings  of  their  superiors.  Wauchope 
and  Myles,  being  both  originally  vassals  of  the 
great  house  of  Douglas,  carry  stars  on  their  shields, 
while  the  Johnstons,  Kirkpatricks,  Jardines,  Grier- 
sons,  and  others,  carry  the  saltire  and  chief  of  the 
Earls  of  Annandale,  to  which  district  they  all 
belong;  and  the  Macfarlanes,  Colquhouns,  and 
Napiers  all  carry  the  saltire  of  the  Lennox.  But 
the  most  general  origin  of  arms  is  no  doubt  derived 
from  some  play,  more  or  less  far-fetched,  on  the 
name.  The  first  use  of  surnames  and  arms  being 
nearly  contemporaneous,  if  a  man  had  a  name 
which  could  be  directly  represented  in  a  concrete 
form,  this  was  the  most  obvious  and  best  way  of 
identifying  him.  Lyon,  for  instance,  bore  the 
quadruped  of  that  name,  Horn  bore  hunting-horns, 
and  so  on.  Many  historical  coats  commemorate 
incidents  said  to  have  occurred  in  the  history  of 
the  family.     Some  of  these  may  be  true ;  many  of 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


375 


them  are  merely  fables,  and  in  many  instances  the 
circumstance  which  is  said  to  have  given  rise  to 
the  coat  happened  at  a  time  long  before  armorial 
distinctions  were  known  in  Scotland.  The  three 
shields  of  the  Hays,  the  bears'  heads  of  the  Forbeses, 
and  the  pallets  gules  of  the  Keiths,  though  all 
doubtless  old  coats,  did  not  in  all  probability  take 
their  rise  from  the  causes  usually  assigned  by 
popular  tradition.  But  others,  such  as  the  heart 
of  the  Douglases,  and  the  sword,  sceptre,  and  crown 
of  the  Earls  of  Kintore,  do  commemorate  and  set 
forth  historical  facts.  While  a  coat  with  many 
quarterings  is  naturally  looked  upon  as  a  proof  of 
distinguished  descent,  it  is  possible  from  a  practical 
point  of  view  to  have  too  many,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  achievement  of  the  family  of  Knightley  of 
Fawley,  in  Northamptonshire,  which  contains  no 
less  than  339  quarters,  while  the  Lloyds  of  Stockton 
have  established  their  right  to  between  350  and 
360. 

The  third  lecture  was  delivered  on  Novem- 
ber II  : 

The  subject  of  the  lecture  was  "  The  Herald 
Executive."  After  alluding  to  the  duties  and  dif- 
ferent grades  of  officers  of  arms,  the  lecturer  went 
on  to  state  that  the  earliest  authentic  mention  of 
Heralds  in  Scotland  was  in  1364,  and  the  first  men- 
tion of  a  Herald,  under  his  official  designation,  was 
in  the  following  year,  when  John  Triepour  is  called 
Carrick  Herald.  Lyon  is  mentioned  in  1377,  but 
he  is  not  styled  "  King"  till  1388,  which,  however, 
is  a  good  many  years  earlier  than  the  institution  of 
Garter  as  an  English  King-of-Arms,  which  did  not 
take  place  till  1417.  Sir  David  Lindsay  was  the 
most  celebrated  of  all  the  holders  of  the  office  of 
Lyon,  but  his  immediate  successor,  Sir  Robert 
Norman  of  Luthrie,  was  also  a  distinguished  Herald. 
His  successor  had  the  most  tragic  career  of  any  of 
the  Lyons.  He  was  that  Sir  William  Stewart  who 
was  burned  to  death  at  St.  Andrews  in  1659  for 
sorcery  and  necromancy,  though  his  real  offence  was 
probably  that  of  opposition  to  the  Regent  and 
loyalty  to  the  Queen.  Three  members  of  the  Lind- 
say family  then  occupied  in  succession  the  heraldic 
throne,  followed  by  Sir  James  Balfour  of  Denmyln, 
perhaps,  with  the  exception  of  Sir  David  Lindsay, 
the  best  known  of  all  the  Lyons.  While  Cromwell 
abolished  the  imperial  crown  he  did  not  extend  the 
same  fate  to  the  crown  heraldic,  as  two  Lyons  were 
appointed  in  his  day.  After  him  Sir  Charles 
Erskine  of  Cambo,  and  his  son  Sir  Alexander,  filled 
the  office,  and  were  succeeded  by  an  undistinguished 
line  of  successors  till,  on  the  reorganization  of  the 
court  of  the  Lord  Lyon  in  1867,  matters  were  put 
on  a  more  efficient  footing,  and  since  then  it  has 
gone  on  steadily  increasing  its  influence  and  work. 
While  it  is  unfortunate  that  in  Scotland  visitations 
by  the  Heralds  were  never  held  in  the  systematic 
manner  in  which  they  were  in  England,  much  was 
done  by  private  effort  to  get  together  more  or  less 
accurate  lists  of  arms,  but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that 
the  actual  official  register  now  in  use  only  dates 
from  1672.  The  various  duties  of  the  Lyon  King-. 
of-Arms  were  described,  and  an  account  given  of 
the  different  officers  of  arms  met  with  from  time  to 


time  in  the  records.  Of  Heralds  in  the  royal  es- 
tablishment we  find  the  following  names  :  Rothesay, 
Marchmont,  Snowdon,  Albany,  Ross,  Islay,  and 
Orkney  ;  of  Pursuivants,  Carrick,  Bute,  Dingwall, 
Kintyre,  Ormonde,  Unicorn.  In  addition  to  these, 
many  of  the  great  nobles  had  Heralds  attached  to 
their  households.  The  Pursuivant  was  a  lower 
grade  of  Herald,  and  instead  of  wearing  his  tabard 
in  the  ordinary  manner,  he  was  supposed  to  wear 
it  with  the  sleeves  or  short  wings  over  his  breast 
and  back,  and  the  main  part  of  his  costume  hanging 
down  on  each  side.  This  no  doubt  graphically 
portrayed  his  unfledged  condition.  Fate  was  not 
always  kind  to  the  Heralds,  sometimes  through 
their  own  fault,  as  in  1596,  when  two  of  them  quar- 
relled in  their  cups,  and  one  John  Gledstaines, 
nephew  and  heir  to  the  Laird  of  Quothquhan,  in 
Lanarkshire,  "  stickit  "  John  Purdie,  Ross  Herald, 
for  which  he  was  ultimately  beheaded.  Sometimes 
their  official  duties  were  hard  enough,  and  were 
productive  of  much  personal  inconvenience,  for  it 
must  be  remembered  that  not  only  had  they  to 
attend  the  King  on  all  state  occasions,  but  they  had 
to  superintend  funerals  and  serve  summonses  of 
treason — duties  which  led  them  all  over  the  country. 
The  ordering  of  a  funeral  procession  was  then  de- 
scribed and  a  fine  roll  belonging  to  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  containing  a  representa- 
tion of  the  funeral  of  a  Scottish  nobleman,  was 
exhibited.  The  other  great  occasions  when  the 
Heralds  took  part  in  any  processional  display  were 
at  the  opening  of  Parliament  and  the  publication  of 
Royal  Proclamations.  The  former  function  disap- 
peared at  the  Union  ;  the  latter  we  have  still  with 
us.  The  lecture  concluded  by  a  reference  to  the 
Scottish  writers  on  heraldry,  who  are  but  few  in 
number.  Alexander  Nisbet,  however,  was  one  of 
the  most  industrious  and  intelligent  authors  on  the 
subject  that  have  ever  appeared,  and  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  we  only  possess  the  latter  part  of  his 
great  work  in  a  mutilated  form. 

The  fourth  of  the  lectures  was  delivered 
on  November  14 : 

The  subject  of  the  lecture  was  "  The  Art  of 
Heraldry."  It  was  shown  how  heraldry,  besides 
being  the  science  of  blazoning  the  cognisances  of 
different  families,  might  be  considered  as  an  art 
which  displayed  itself  profusely  in  the  surroundings 
of  our  ancestors.  The  period  of  the  fourteenth  and 
fifteenth  centuries,  with  its  strong  Gothic  tendencies, 
was  favourable  to  the  development  of  artistic 
heraldry.  The  men  who  worked  at  it  were  deeply 
imbued  with  its  spirit,  and  were  not  tied  down  by 
the  pedantic  rules  which  were  introduced  in  later 
times.  They  rather  looked  to  the  general  effect  of 
an  achievement  than  tried  to  get  every  detail  into 
conformity  with  some  rigid  type.  In  depicting  the 
charges  on  a  shield,  they  did  not  slavishly  copy 
the  actual  shape  of  the  objects  represented,  but 
used  a  conventional  form.  Their  lions,  for  instance, 
were  not  copied  from  the  life,  but  were  forms  which 
typified  the  characteristics  of  the  animal.  Their 
main  purpose  was  to  be  distinct,  spirited,  and  easily 
read,  therefore  all  forms  were  clearly  silhouetted 
on  the  shield,  and  drawn  with  an  entire  absence  of 


376 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


perspective.  To  the  imperative  end  of  intelligibility 
all  minor  resemblance  to  nature  was  sacrificed,  and 
the  consequence  was  that  their  designs  had  a  spirit 
and  vitality  which  succeeding  ages  laboured  after 
in  vain.  In  order  to  comply  with  this  requirement 
of  distinctiveness,  all  charges  had,  as  a  general 
rule,  to  be  shown  in  profile,  and  additional  strength 
was  imparted  to  the  design  by  the  field  of  the  shield 
always  being  well  filled  up  by  the  objects  depicted 
on  it,  as  little  space  as  possible  being  left  unoccupied. 
Heraldry,  as  an  art,  went  on  the  downward  course, 
and  though  the  rococo  treatment  of  the  eighteenth 
century  designers  saved  it  for  a  time  from  absolute 
ugliness,  that  depth  was  reached  before  the  century 
closed,  and  continued  up  to  our  own  day,  though 
now  there  is  a  breath  of  revival  in  the  air.  One  of 
the  earliest  of  the  objects  to  which  heraldry  as  an 
art  was  applied  was  that  of  seals,  and  it  is  to  them 
that  we  owe  the  preservation  of  many  of  our  most 
ancient  coats.  A  man's  seal  was  a  very  important 
object  in  the  days  before  writing  became  universal, 
and  the  art  of  seal-cutting  rose  to  very  high  ex- 
cellence, higher,  indeed,  than  it  can  pretend  to 
now.  After  alluding  to  the  different  kinds  of  flags 
used  for  the  display  of  armorial  bearings,  and  giving 
examples  of  various  historical  flags  which  were  still 
in  existence,  attention  was  directed  to  the  exhibi- 
tion of  arms  on  places  of  sepulture.  Of  all  such 
specimens  the  memorial  brass  was  undoubtedly  the 
most  artistic  from  a  heraldic  point  of  view.  Although 
the  brasses  in  England  are  numerous,  and  often  of 
a  high  order  of  excellence,  very  few  remain  in  Scot- 
land ;  and  of  the  small  number  Scotland  ever  had, 
few  escaped  the  violent  handling  to  which  all  art 
work  in  connection  with  churches  there  has  been 
subjected.  Indeed,  not  half  a  dozen  remain, 
and  none  of  these  approach  in  antiquity  such  a 
fine  memorial,  for  instance,  as  the  brass  to  Sir 
John  d'Abernon,  in  Stoke  d'Abernon  Church, 
Surrey,  which  belongs  to  the  later  part  of  the 
thirteenth  century.  The  earliest  existing  Scotch 
brass  is  that  in  St.  Nicholas'  Church,  Aberdeen,  to 
the  memory  of  Alexander  de  Irwyn,  Lord  of  Drum, 
and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  de  Heth,  a  daughter  of  the 
Marshal.  This  must  date  from  about  1460,  but, 
oddly  enough,  the  dates  of  the  death  of  both  the 
parties  are  left  blank.  St.  Giles,  Edinburgh,  ought 
to  have  two  brasses :  one  to  William  Preston  of 
Gorton,  whose  arms  may  still  be  seen  on  the  pillars 
of  the  aisle  which  bears  his  name,  and  another  to 
the  Regent  Moray ;  but  only  the  last  now  remains 
to  us.  There  is  another  fine  armorial  brass  also  in 
St.  Nicolas',  Aberdeen,  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Duncan 
Liddell,  who  died  in  1613.  It  also  contains  a  por- 
trait of  Liddell,  the  draught  of  which  is  supposed 
to  have  been  executed  by  George  Jamieson,  the 
father  of  Scottish  portrait-painting. 

The  fifth  lecture  was  delivered  on  Novem- 
ber 16  : 

The  subject  of  the  lecture  was  "  The  Artistic 
Application  of  Heraldry."  One  of  the  favourite 
objects  for  the  display  of  heraldic  art  was  the 
decoration  of  tombs.  In  Scotland  the  recessed 
tomb  was  the  favourite  pattern,  and  no  free  table 
tomb  standing  by  itself  under  a  pillared  canopy,  as 


is  often   the  case  in  England,  is  known  in  Scot- 
land.    Most  ancient  Scotch  tombs  were  made  of 
stone,  few  of  marble,  and  there  are  no  specimens 
of  enamel  work  on   them  ;    but   they  were  often 
coloured  and  gilded.     After  alluding  to  the  tombs 
of  Sir  Alan  Swinton  in  Swinton  Church,  those  of 
the  Douglases  in  St.  Bride's,  and  the  Foresters  in 
Corstorphine,  it  was   pointed  out   that   the   mar- 
shalling of  the  arms  in  sepulchral  shields  was  often 
incorrect,  possibly  from  the  carver  having  got  the 
matrix  of  a  seal  to  copy  from,  and  omitting  to  take 
into  consideration  the  fact   that   the  positions  of 
charges  should  be  reversed  in   his  cutting.     The 
finest  tomb  in  Scotland,  though  it  is  so  late  in  date 
as   not   to  be   so  distinctively  armorial  as  some 
others,  is  that  erected  by  Sir  Robert  Montgomerie, 
of  Skelmorlie,  in  the  church  at  Largs  in  1636.    Not 
only  members  of  knightly  families,  but  ecclesiastics, 
displayed  their  arms   on   their  tombs,  or  on   the 
walls  of  the  churches ;  but  after  the  Reformation, 
from   various    causes,   the    custom    of   displaying 
armorial  bearings  in  churches  became  less  common  ; 
it  was,  in  fact,  looked  upon  with  marked  disfavour 
by  the  Church,  and  an  Act  of  Assembly  was  passed 
in  1643,  prohibiting  honours  or  arms,  or  any  such- 
like monuments,  being  affixed  to  the  wall  of  any 
kirk   in   honour  or   remembrance   of  any   person 
deceased.     But  tombs,  after  all,  formed  but  a  slight 
medium  for  heraldic  display ;  it  was  rather  to  be 
looked  for  in   the  surroundings  of  everyday  life. 
The  introduction  of  systematic  heraldry  into  Scot- 
land was  almost  simultaneous  with   a  great  im- 
provement in  castle-building,  in  consequence  of  the 
prosperous  state  in  which  the  country  was  during 
the  thirteenth  century,  and  of  the  large  number  of 
knights   from   England   who  came   to  seek   their 
fortunes  in  the  North.     The  probability  is  that  arms 
would  be  carved  on  the  buildings   then  erected, 
though  it  is  not  possible  to  point  to  any  examples 
with    certainty.      One    of    the    earliest    existing 
examples  of  a  coat-of-arms  carved  in  a  building  is 
that  of  Sir  Simon  above  the  entrance  doorway  of 
the  keep  of  Craigmillar — but  this  does  not  date 
before  1374 — and  there  are  some  interesting  coats, 
though  some  of  them  are  nearly  illegible,  built  into 
the  wall  of  Dundonald  Castle  in  Ayrshire ;  these 
date  from   about  1390.     In   the  fifteenth  century 
there  was  a  distinct  advance  in  architectural  art, 
and  in  consequence  greater  luxury  prevailed  in  the 
inside  of  the  house,  and  some  fine  armorial  fire- 
places date  from  this  period.     In  the  succeeding 
century  a   still   further  advance   was  made,   and 
finely-carved  panels  of  arms  are  not  infrequently 
found   over    the    doorways    of   castles.      Painted 
heraldic  work   began   to  be   used  as   a  means  of 
decoration ;    the    pine    ceiling    in    St.    Machar's 
Cathedral  Church   at  Aberdeen  was   put   up  be- 
tween 1518  and  1531,  containing  the  arms  of  the 
principal  European  potentates,  some  of  the  Scottish 
nobility,  the  I'ope,  and  Scottish  Bishops,  and  some 
others.     The  number  of  armorial  carvings  on  wood 
which    survive    to    this    day    is    not    large,    but 
among  them  mention  was  made  of  a  large  panel 
or  screen  now  in  the  parish  church  at  Grantown, 
which  contains  well-executed  shields  of  eight  of  the 
leading  families  of  the  district.    The  finest  specimen 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


377 


of  armorial  woodwork  to  be  found  in  any  church 
in  Scotland  is  the  gallery  in  Kilbirnie  Church, 
erected  by  John,  first  Viscount  Garnock,  but  it  is 
of  comparatively  late  date.  Of  armorial  wood- 
carving  not  in  churches  the  best  specimens  are  to 
be  found  in  the  custody  of  the  Incorporated  Trades 
of  Aberdeen,  and  also  in  the  University  there.  But 
if  armorial  wood  is  scarce,  armorial  glass  is  still 
scarcer.  The  oldest  in  existence  in  Scotland  is  that 
in  the  Magdalen  Chapel,  Cowgate,  put  up  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  containing  the  arms  of 
Michael  Macqueen,  the  founder  of  the  chapel,  his 
wife,  Janet  Rynd,  the  Queen -Regent  Mary  of 
Lorraine,  and  the  Royal  Arms  of  Scotland.  Ex- 
cellent full-size  drawings  of  these  windows,  executed 
by  Mr.  Boss,  glass  -  stainer,  Union  Street,  were 
exhibited.  An  interesting  account  was  then  given 
of  the  various  ways  in  which  heraldry  had  been 
passed  into  the  service  of  decorating  comparatively 
subordinate  articles.  Fine  armorial  door-knockers 
appear  at  Muness  Castle,  Shetland,  and  Fyvie 
Castle.  At  Mountstuart  House,  Bute,  there  is  an 
ingenious  application  of  armorial  bearings  to  the 
decoration  of  the  metal  straps  in  the  rain-pipes 
which  extend  down  the  sides  of  the  building,  a 
kind  of  ornament  which  is  also  to  be  found  at  St. 
John's  College,  Cambridge.  Armorial  weather- 
cocks, though  frequently  met  with  on  the  Continent, 
never  seem  to  have  become  popular  in  Scotland. 
A  curious  adaptation  of  heraldry  to  uncarved 
masonry  occurs  in  the  case  of  the  garden  wall  at 
Edzell,  which  is  divided  into  compartments,  show- 
ing by  means  of  three  rows  of  small  recesses  the 
fess  chequy  of  the  Lindsays,  while  the  shot-holes 
above  are  arranged  so  as  to  represent  the  three 
stars  on  the  same  coat.  The  lecturer  concluded  by 
references  to  book  -  stamps  (super  libros) ,  book- 
plates {ex  libris),  of  which  there  is  no  Scottish 
example  which  can  be  definitely  referred  to  a  date 
earlier  than  1639,  and  heraldic  playing-cards.  The 
latter  were  common  all  over  Europe  ;  but  it  is  in- 
teresting to  note  that  a  pack  was  published  at 
Edinburgh  in  1691,  containing  the  arms  of  most  of 
the  Scottish  nobility  and  their  order  of  precedence. 
And  this  is  not  the  only  pack  known  to  exist. 

The  concluding  lecture  was  delivered  on 
November  18  : 

In  treating  of  the  armorial  manuscripts  of  Scot- 
land, the  lecturer  said  that  there  is  in  Scotland  no 
manuscript  so  old  as  that  which  goes  by  the  name 
of  Glover's  Roll,  which  was  compiled  about  1240. 
The  earliest  and  most  important  of  the  Scottish 
Rolls  of  Arms  is  that  by  Sir  David  Lindsay,  which 
was  executed  in  1542.  While  in  artistic  excel- 
lence it  cannot  compare  with  some  of  the  English 
armorials,  or  even  with  some  of  the  Scottish  ones 
of  later  date,  it  is  still  an  interesting  manuscript. 
The  drawing  is  carefully  finished,  though  rather 
lacking  in  spirit,  and  the  colours  employed  are 
good,  but  often  somewhat  thick  and  heavy.  The 
display  of  the  arms  of  the  Queens,  with  correspond- 
ing tablets  containing  inscriptions,  is  the  most 
vigorous  work  in  it,  and  is  excellent.  The  writing, 
both  in  those  tablets  and  in  others,  and  in  the 
inscriptions  above  the  different   shields,   is  good 

VOL.    XXXIV. 


throughout,  there  being  at  least  three  different 
hands  in  the  original  part  of  the  work,  the  first 
writer  being  quite  a  skilled  caligraphist.  As  the 
work  received  the  imprimatur  of  the  Privy  Council 
in  1630,  it  may  be  looked  upon  as  an  official  record. 
The  next  armorial  in  point  of  date  is  one  which 
seems  to  have  been  executed  for  James  Lord 
Hamilton,  second  Earl  of  Arran,  about  1562.  It  is 
now  in  the  Heralds'  College,  London,  and  is  prob- 
ably English  work.  The  drawing  is  particularly 
free  and  vigorous,  a  slight  pencil  outline  with  washes 
of  colour  being  employed.  A  noteworthy  feature  in 
the  armorial  is  the  almost  equal  footing  on  which 
the  house  of  Hamilton  is  placed  with  the  royal 
house.  There  are  two  copies  of  this  manuscript — 
one  in  the  Lyon  Office,  and  the  other  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  Scott  Plummer,  of  Sunderland  Hall. 
Several  facsimiles  of  English  grants  were  exhibited, 
the  earliest  being  the  well-known  one  to  the  Com- 
pany of  Tallow  -  Chandlers  in  1456.  The  earliest 
Scottish  one  in  existence  is  supposed  to  be  that  by 
Sir  Robert  Forman  to  Sir  James  Balfour,  of  Pitten- 
dreich,  in  1566  ;  but  it  does  not  compare  favourably 
in  point  of  artistic  expression  with  the  English  ones 
of  earlier  date.  But  while  the  Scottish  grants  are 
not  of  very  high  quality,  some  pedigree  charts  which 
have  been  produced  are  very  fine.  That  of  the 
Campbells  of  Glenurquhy,  now  at  Taymouth,  is 
splendid,  and  is  especially  interesting  from  having 
been  the  work  of  George  Jamieson,  the  portrait- 
painter.  There  is  a  very  large  and  imposing  Douglas 
tree  at  Bothwell  Castle ;  but  perhaps  the  most 
beautifully  executed  of  all  is  that  belonging  to  Sir 
Alexander  Seton  Steuart,  which,  though  compara- 
tively small,  is  quite  a  work  of  art,  many  of  the 
portraits  with  which  it  is  adorned  having  all  the 
finish  of  fine  miniatures.  The  lecturer  concluded 
by  adverting  to  the  importance  of  heraldry  as  a 
handmaid  to  historical  research,  and  as  a  thing 
which  ought  to  be  looked  upon,  not  as  a  fantastic 
anachronism,  but  as  something  to  be  made  part  of 
our  daily  lives.  Not  only  did  it  throw  side-lights  on 
history ;  it  could  be  made  practically  useful  in  the 
adornment  of  our  homes.  Our  ancestors  treated  it 
in  this  way,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should 
not  do  the  same. 


COLONEL  SHIPWAY'S  "PEDIGREE." 

After  three  more  hearings  of  this  case  the 
accused  was  committed  for  trial  on  Novem- 
ber 10  by  Mr.  Lushington.  On  Novem- 
ber 22  the  prisoner  pleaded  "Guilty,"  and 
was  sentenced  to  three  years'  penal  servitude. 
The  following  reports  of  the  police  court 
proceedings  are  again  borrowed  from  the 
Times.     On  October  18  : 

Mr.  Robert  William  Shipway,  of  Grove  House, 
Chiswick,  late  a  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the  Queen's 
Westminster  Volunteers,  stated  that  he  knew  that 
his  family  came  from  the  West  Country,  and  some 
years  ago  he  determined  to  have  some  investiga- 
tions made  in  Gloucestershire  with  a  view  of  tracing 
his  family. 

3c 


378 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


Mr.  Bodkin:  Before  you  met  the  defendant, 
Colonel  Shipway,  had  you  any  thought  of  claiming 
the  right  to  bear  arms?— Not  the  slightest.  I  only 
wished  to  make  some  inquiries  into  the  family 
history.  The  witness  continued  that  about  Decem- 
ber, 1895,  the  prisoner  was  introduced  to  him  by  a 
Mr.  Jones,  and  the  witness  engaged  him  to  make 
these  inquiries,  the  prisoner  asking  for  payment  at 
the  rate  of  6s.  a  day,  Sundays  excepted,  with  6s.  a 
day  hotel  expenses  and  all  other  expenses  extra. 
Nothing  was  then  said  as  to  the  length  of  the 
inquiry,  but  witness  thought  that  it  would  take 
about  three  weeks,  or  possibly  a  month.  The 
prisoner  went  to  Gloucester  and  in  a  few  weeks' 
time  announced  that  he  had  found  a  seal  bearing 
the  ancestral  crest  of  the  Shipway  family  in  the 
possession  of  an  old  man  named  Bucknell.  It  was 
then  that  the  idea  first  occurred  to  the  witness  to 
revive  these  arms,  and  he  instructed  his  solicitors 
to  inform  the  College  of  Arms  of  any  discoveries 
which  would  assist  his  claim,  at  the  same  time 
writing  to  Davies,  asking  him  to  be  most  careful  in 
his  investigations,  as  everything  would  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  college.  Witness  produced  a  large 
manuscript  book,  in  which,  at  his  request,  the 
prisoner  had  kept  a  record  of  all  his  "  discoveries." 
With  reference  to  the  scrap  of  parchment  found  in 
the  old  register,  the  prisoner  sent  the  rather  vague 
explanation  that  he  thought  it  had  formed  part  of 
a  passport  or  some  such  document  granted  to  a 
Shipway  by  a  King  Charles  or  James,  and  said 
that  the  slip  bore  the  name  of  the  Earl  of  Suffolk. 
As  the  date  1571  appeared  en  the  parchment,  this 
explanation  was  "  rather  vague."  The  prisoner  also 
sent  some  manuscript  facsimiles  of  entries  in  the 
Mangotsfield  parish  register;  and  afterwards  wit- 
ness obtained  the  loan  of  the  register  from  the 
Vicar,  and  had  some  photographic  reproductions 
made  of  the  Shipway  entries.  All  these  details 
were  communicated  to  the  College  of  Arms,  but 
Mr.  Scott-Gatty,  one  of  the  officials,  sent  a  letter, 
which  was  sent  on  to  the  prisoner,  and  very  soon 
after  thelatterannounced  thediscovery  at  Gloucester 
of  the  will  of  John  Shipway,  dated  1547,  and  sent 
a  photograph  which  he  said  he  had  taken  as  a 
"snapshot."  Witness  had  some  enlargements 
made  from  this  "  snapshot,"  and  showed  one  to 
Mr.  Phillimore,  who  expressed  an  opinion  which 
led  witness  to  write  to  Davies,  saying  that  this 
gentleman  doubted  the  genuineness  of  the  will. 
The  prisoner  replied  that  it  was  a  great  pity  that 
he  had  shown  it  to  Mr.  Phillimore  while  the  search 
was  going  on.  The  prisoner  was  also  writing  to 
inform  witness  of  his  "  discoveries  "  in  the  church, 
and  incidentally  mentioned  that  he  had  mislaid  his 
memoranda.  This,  said  Mr.  Bodkin,  no  doubt 
accounted  for  the  fact  that  in  the  register  John 
Shipway  was  said  to  have  died  in  1545,  while  on 
the  coffin  the  date  was  given  as  1548.  When 
witness  heard  that  a  grave  had  been  opened  and  a 
coffin  exhumed,  he  was  horrified.  He  had  never 
authorized  such  an  action,  and  at  once  communi- 
cated with  his  solicitors  and  told  the  prisoner  that 
such  practices  could  not  be  tolerated,  and  he  hoped 
there  would  be  no  more  of  it.  The  prisoner  excused 
himself  on  the  ground  of  his  zeal  in  the  search.     A 


man  had  died  as  a  result  of  an  accident  in  opening 
the  grave,  but  the  prisoner,  sending  a  report  of  the 
inquest  cut  from  a  local  paper,  said  that  it  had 
attracted  little  attention,  as  "  the  whole  countryside 
has  been  roused  to  an  unprecedented  height  of 
enthusiasm  over  my  discoveries,"  and  that  he  had 
had  applications  from  Bristol  shopkeepers  for  per- 
mission to  exhibit  photos  of  his  "discoveries"  in 
their  windows.  Witness  wished  to  compensate  the 
widow  of  the  man  who  had  died  from  the  accident, 
and  gave  the  prisoner  £10  for  that  purpose.  (The 
widow  has  stated  in  evidence  that  she  received  only 
£a,  as  compensation  from  the  prisoner.)  Shortly 
afterwards  witness  wrote  to  the  prisoner  expressing 
some  surprise  at  the  length  of  the  inquiry.  The 
prisoner  replied  from  Worcester,  where  he  was 
examining  wills,  that  the  Colonel  could  have  no 
idea  of  the  labour  involved  in  examining  "  these 
musty  and  often  mouse-eaten  documents,"  but  he 
could  appreciate  the  Colonel's  anxiety  to  obtain  full 
particulars  of  his  "eminently  honourable  and  dis- 
tinguished ancestry "  (laughter,  in  which  the 
prisoner  joined) — and  he  could  assure  him  that  he 
would  lose  no  time  in  completing  his  search.  A 
few  days  later  the  prisoner  announced  the  "dis- 
covery "  of  the  will  of  John  James  Shipway,  "  man 
of  arms,"  the  father  of  the  John  Shipway  men- 
tioned above.  This  document,  said  the  prisoner, 
was  "a  very  explanatory  will,"  as  it  contained  a 
full  description  of  the  Shipway  arms.  The  prisoner 
also  stated  that  he  had  found  portions  of  the  will  of 
one  Thomas  Shipway  sticking  to  the  back  of  another 
will,  from  which  it  had  to  be  separated  with  a  pen- 
knife. This  was  about  the  last  report,  for  after 
July,  1897,  witness  held  no  further  communication 
with  the  prisoner.  In  all  witness  thought  that  he 
had  parted  with  about  ;^75o  to  the  prisoner. 

Detective-Inspector  Brockwell,  recalled,  said  that 
on  searching  the  prisoner  on  his  arrest  he  found  on 
him  a  card  and  letter  from  Colonel  Shipway,  a  card 
entitling  him  to  attend  lectures  at  the  West  London 
Hospital  as  a  post-graduate,  and  a  letter  from  the 
Dean  of  the  West  London  Hospital  inquiring  what 
medical  qualification  the  prisoner  possessed,  as  his 
name  was  not  in  the  medical  directory.  At  the 
prisoner's  house  at  Barnes  the  witness  found  a  five- 
chambered  revolver  and  a  steel  address  die  with  as 
crest  a  lion  rampant  and  a  mailed  head.  Witness 
also  found,  framed  and  glazed,  what  purported  to 
be  a  diploma  from  Heidelberg  University,  creating 
Herberto  Davies  a  doctor  of  medicine,  dated  May, 
1896  There  were  five  paper  and  one  parchment 
copies  of  this  document  (unstamped),  and  also  a 
diploma  in  another  name,  which  had  apparently 
borne  four  seals,  but  the  seal  relating  to  the  faculty 
of  medicine  had  been  cut  out.  Witness  next  pro- 
duced what  purported  to  be  a  testimonial  written 
on  the  paper  of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford,  by  the 
late  Mark  Pattison,  and  furnished  to  "  Mr.  Hanbury 
Davies,  B.A.,"  on  his  leaving  the  college.  There 
was  also  a  letter  in  a  black-edged  envelope,  ad- 
dressed from  Bristol  and  signed  "  A.  Bucknell," 
announcing  the  death  of  Mr.  James  Bucknell.  (It 
was  from  a  man  of  this  name  that  the  prisoner 
stated  he  had  obtained  the  Shipway  seal.)  The 
witness  stated  that  he  had  searched  the  registers, 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


379 


but  the  only  person  he  could  find  of  the  name  of 
Bucknell  who  had  died  about  this  time  Wcis  a  youth 
of  nineteen.  Mr.  James  Bucknell  was  supposed  to 
be  ninety-one.  There  was  also  a  copy  in  the 
prisonsr's  handwriting  of  a  testimonial  from  the 
Sub-Rector  at  Lincoln  College  to  Mr.  Hanbury 
Davies,  dated  1880.  Witness  had  obtained  from 
Somerset  House  a  copy  of  the  prisoner's  birth 
certificate,  which  showed  that  he  was  born  in 
February,  1873,  and  that  his  full  name  was  Major 
Herbert  Albert  Davies,  and  a  copy  of  his  marriage 
certificate  dated  December,  1897,  in  which  the 
prisoner  described  himself  as  Herbert  Davies, 
doctor  of  medicine,  aged  twenty-five. 

Colonel  Shipway,  recalled,  said  that  when  he 
first  engaged  the  prisoner  he  did  not  think  the 
engagement  would  last  at  most  longer  than  a  month, 
but  one  "discovery"  followed  another,  and  the 
engagement  lasted  from  December,  1895,  to  July, 
1897.  Some  time  before  the  latter  date  Mr.  Philli- 
more  had  cast  doubt  on  the  authenticity  of  some  of 
these  discoveries,  and  while  witness  at  first  thought 
it  merely  a  difference  of  opinion,  at  last  he  was 
induced  by  his  solicitors  to  engage  a  Mr.  Bickley, 
of  the  British  Museum,  to  check  the  prisoner's 
statements.  Mr.  Bickley's  first  report  was  favour- 
able ;  but  his  second  was  the  reverse.  Davies  was 
told  that  the  wills  were  said  to  be  forgeries,  but  he 
still  maintained  them  to  be  genuine.  In  addition 
to  Mr.  Bickley,  a  Mr.  Challoner  Smith  examined 
and  reported  upon  the  wills,  the  register,  etc. 
Meanwhile,  as  doubt  had  been  cast  upon  the 
alleged  discoveries,  witness  instructed  his  solicitors 
to  withdraw  his  application  to  the  College  of  Ai-ms, 
as  he  would  not  press  it  upon  doubtful  documents. 
The  witness  asked  leave  to  add  that  at  the  time  he 
consulted  his  advisers  as  to  whether  he  should 
prosecute  the  prisoner,  and  that  he  was  advised 
that  vdth  the  evidence  they  then  possessed  the 
issue  would  be  doubtful. 

As  Mr.  Bodkin  intimated  that  he  should  have  to 
recall  Colonel  Shipway  on  the  next  occasion,  the 
cross-examination  was  deferred. 

Mr.  Francis  Bickley,  a  first-class  assistant  in  the 
manuscript  department  of  the  British  Museum, 
said  that  in  January,  1897,  the  prisoner  brought  a 
photograph  of  the  John  Shipway  will  with  a  letter 
to  him,  and  afterwards  brought  photographs  of  the 
John  James  Shipway  and  Grace  Shipway  wills, 
asking  that  these  wills  should  be  deciphered  and 
copied  for  Colonel  Shipway.  Witness  agreed  to 
undertake  this  as  a  private  order  to  be  done  in  his 
own  time.  About  the  end  of  March  he  went  with 
Davies  to  Mangotsfield  and  inspected  the  parish 
register.  He  pointed  out  to  the  prisoner  that  one 
of  the  Shipway  entries  had  been  written  over  the 
following  entry,  and  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the 
entry  had  been  written  in  the  present  century. 
Davies  replied  that  they  did  not  rely  on  the  register 
so  much  as  on  the  wills.  They  next  went  into  the 
belfry,  and  witness  was  shown  the  carving  on  the 
beam.  He  did  not  remember  saying  anything,  but 
he  thought  it  rather  stupid  for  him  to  be  taken  to 
see  such  a  palpably  modern  production.  They 
afterwards  inspected  the  wills  at  Gloucester  and 
Worcester,      Witness's   first  impression  was  that 


the  wills  were  genuine,  as  they  were  so  carefully 
watched  as  to  make  fraud  apparently  impossible. 
After  inspecting  registers  at  Beverstone  and  other 
places  where  the  Shipway  family  were  mentioned, 
he  returned  to  town  and  made  out  a  brief  report, 
which  he  forwarded  to  the  prisoner  as  requested, 
making  one  or  two  alterations  at  his  suggestion. 
He  then  started  on  a  more  extended  report,  going 
thoroughly  into  the  wills  for  that  purpose.  He 
noticed  that  the  arms,  "Leo  telo  manu,"  were 
stated  to  have  been  granted  by  Richard  L,  1191, 
"  Wm.  de  Longchamps  chancellor."  Witness  had 
never  heard  of  a  grant  of  arms  earlier  than  the 
reign  of  Edward  IL,  while  in  1191  Richard  L  was 
in  Palestine  and  William  de  Longchamps  was  in 
England  plotting  with  John.  From  this  and  other 
internal  evidence  witness  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  wills  were  not  genuine.  At  this  point  the 
hearing  was  again  adjourned. — Times,  October  19, 
1898. 

On  October  21  : 

Colonel  Shipway,  recalled,  said  that  about 
February,  1896,  he  received  from  the  prisoner  a 
silver  watch  bearing  the  inscription  "  William 
Shipway,  1763,  Dum  Vivo."  Witness  made  some 
inquiry  about  the  maker  of  the  watch  and  the  hall- 
mark, and  found  the  latter  to  be  that  of  the  years 
1782-83.  He  wrote  to  Davies  asking  him  to  account 
for  the  discrepancy  in  dates,  and  the  prisoner 
replied  that  the  watch  had  been  sold  to  him  by  a 
man  who  said  he  had  bought  it  at  an  auction. 
Witness  told  him  to  question  this  man,  and  also 
to  communicate  with  Messrs.  Witchell,  solicitors, 
of  Stroud,  who  had  been  acting  for  him  in  other 
matters.  Witness  received  a  letter  from  Messrs. 
Witchell,  and  then  Davies  gave  him  a  letter 
addressed  from  17,  Westgate  Street,  Gloucester, 
signed  "  A.  Blakewell,"  in  which  the  writer 
stated  that  he  had  bought  this  watch,  with  nine- 
teen others,  at  an  auction  in  Birmingham,  in 
1888,  for  £2  5s.,  intending  to  melt  them  down  for 
the  sake  of  the  silver.  He  did  not  notice  the 
inscription  at  the  time,  but  when  Davies  offered 
to  buy  the  watch  his  son  cut  it  deeper.  Witness 
paid  30s.  to  the  prisoner  for  this  watch. 

In  cross-examination  by  Mr.  Waddy,  the  witness 
said  that  he  never  knew  that  Davies  held  a  degree 
or  was  a  doctor,  so  that  this  did  not  influence  his 
payments.  He  had  no  doubt  that  the  prisoner  had 
done  a  great  deal  of  research  for  him,  and  he  did 
not  complain  of  the  payments  for  this  work.  Wit- 
ness never  promised  the  prisoner  any  sum  in  the 
way  of  bonus  if  he  succeeded  in  establishing  his 
coat  of  arms. 

Mr.  Percy  Witchell,  solicitor,  of  Landsdown, 
Stroud,  said  that  he  acted  for  Colonel  Shipway  in 
the  purchase  of  the  piece  of  land  at  Littleworth, 
in  January,  1896.  In  February  the  prisoner  came 
to  him  and  said  that  he  was  negotiating  for  the 
purchase  of  a  watch  for  Colonel  Shipway,  and  that 
the  Colonel  wished  that  the  owner  should  bring  the 
watch  to  witness's  office,  that  he  might  make  some 
inquiries  into  its  history.  A  day  or  two  later  the 
prisoner  came  with  a  young  man,  who  said  his 
name  was  Blakewell,  and  that  he  was  the  son  of 

3c    2 


3So 


ARCHAEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


the  owner  of  the  watch.  Witness  showed  him  an 
inscription  on  the  watch,  which  appeared  to  have 
been  recently  cut,  but  he  said  that  the  inscription 
was  ancient,  but  so  faint  that  his  father  had  had 
it  recut.  Witness  identified  a  young  man  named 
George  Cleverly,  who  was  present  in  court,  as  the 
one  who  came  to  him  in  the  name  of  Blakewell, 
and  said  that,  after  writing  to  Colonel  Shipway,  at 
the  prisoner's  request  he  wrote  to  "  Mr.  Blakewell," 
asking  him  to  give  Davies  the  history  of  the  watch. 

George  Cleverly,  boots  at  the  Constance  Tem- 
perance Hotel,  Station  Road,  Gloucester,  said  that 
m  1896  Davies  was  staying  at  the  hotel,  and  one 
day  sent  him  on  a  message  to  Mr.  Hooper,  a  watch- 
maker, of  Westgate  Street,  Gloucester,  asking  him 
to  call.  Another  day  Davies  sent  him  to  Mr. 
Witchell's  office,  at  Stroud,  to  fetch  a  watch. 
Witness  went  by  train,  and  at  the  station  Davies 
met  him  and  told  him  to  go  to  Mr.  Witchell's 
office  and  say  that  he  was  Mr.  Blakewell's  son,  and 
had  come  to  fetch  the  watch.  Witness  went  to 
the  office,  and  while  he  was  there  Davies  came  in. 
Witness  did  not  remember  what  Mr.  Witchell  said 
to  him.  One  day  Davies  brought  three  swords  to 
the  hotel,  and  asked  witness  to  put  them  in  a  damp 
cellar,  so  that  they  should  get  rusty.  Witness  did 
so,  and  in  three  or  four  days  they  were  very  rusty, 
and  someone  took  them  away.  Davies  gave  him 
5s.  for  the  journey  to  Stroud,  besides  his  fare. 

William  Hooper,  watchmaker,  of  Westgate 
Street,  Gloucester,  said  that  in  consequence  of  the 
message  brought  him  by  the  lad  Cleverly,  he  went 
to  see  Davies.  The  prisoner  handed  him  a  card 
bearing  the  name,  "  Dr.  H.  Davies,  B.A.  (Oxon)," 
and  an  address,  and  told  him  that  he  was  a  detec- 
tive of  Scotland  Yard,  and  was  tracing  out  some 
property  at  present  in  the  hands  of  a  certain  Earl, 
and  had  obtained  a  watch  with  an  inscription  upon 
it  which,  if  it  had  remained  in  its  original  state, 
would  have  been  proof  positive  of  the  ownership 
of  the  property,  but  it  had  been  re-engraved.  The 
prisoner  also  said  that  a  Mr.  Blakewell  had  bought 
the  watch  at  an  auction  in  Birmingham,  and  he, 
seeing  the  watch  hanging  up  in  his  shop  window, 
had  bought  it  from  him,  but  he  left  it  to  be  put  in 
working  order,  and  Mr.  Blakewell's  son  had  recut 
the  inscription  upon  it  without  authority.  He 
further  said  that  Blakewell  was  a  traveller  in 
watches,  but  that  he  (Davies)  wished  it  to  be  under- 
stood that  he  was  in  business  at  Gloucester  at 
witness's  address,  and  asked  him  to  take  in  letters 
addressed  to  Blakewell  and  forward  them  to  him 
at  the  address  appearing  on  his  card.  On  the  back 
of  the  card  the  prisoner  wrote,  "  A.  Blakewell,  care 

of  ."     Witness  consented,  and   the   prisoner 

gave  him  a  sovereign.  A  letter  came  for  A.  Blake- 
well, and  witness  forwarded  it.  A  few  days  later 
witness  saw  the  prisoner  again,  and  he  said  that 
he  was  very  glad  the  letter  had  been  forwarded,  as 
it  was  of  great  importance.  Witness,  on  being 
shown  "  A.  Blakewell's  "  letter,  with  the  printed 
heading,  "  17,  Westgate  Street,  Gloucester,"  said 
that  it  was  not  written  on  his  note-paper,  and  from 
the  date  it  was  written  the  day  before  he  first  saw 
Davies. 

By  Mr.  Waddy  :  Did  you  believe  this  man  was 


a  detective  from  Scotland  Yard  ?— Well,  I  doubted 
it  very  much,  sir. 

I  should  think  so.  When  did  you  begin  to  doubt 
it  ? — At  night,  when  I  got  home. 

You  say  he  gave  you  his  card  with  the  name 
"  Dr.  Davies  "  on  it.  In  face  of  that,  how  could 
you  believe  that  he  was  a  detective  ? — Well,  I  asked 
him  about  the  card,  and  he  said  that  detectives  had 
to  be  up  to  certain  ruses  to  meet  the  ends  of  justice. 
(Laughter.) 

What  was  his  object,  then,  in  giving  you  this 
card  ? — Well,  to  put  me  on  my  guard  if  any  persons 
should  come  after  him. 

Mr.  Lushington  :  Did  he  say  that  ?— Yes,  sir. 

Mr.  Waddy  ;  I  understand  that  at  night  you 
suspected  the  story  to  be  untrue.  Did  you  write 
to  Scotland  Yard  ? — No,  I  did  not. 

And  although  your  suspicion  was  aroused  you 
forwarded  the  letter  ? — Yes. 

By  Mr.  Bodkin :  Was  there  a  young  man  with 
him  at  the  time  ? — Yes ;  the  prisoner  said  he  was  a 
fellow-detective.     (Laughter.) 

Mr.  Waddy :  Who  was  this  young  man — not 
Cleverly  ? 

Mr.  Bodkin. — Oh  dear  no  !  It  was  a  young  man 
named  Souster,  at  present  in  Wales. 

Mr.  Bickley,  of  the  British  Museum,  recalled, 
said  that  in  the  Grace  Shipway  will,  1537,  the 
word  "  Mangotsfield "  appeared  in  the  modern 
spelling.  At  that  date  "field"  would  have  been 
spelt  "  feld  "  or  "  feild." 

Mr.  Bodkin. — Look  at  the  probate  of  that  will, 
and  that  of  the  John  James  Shipway  will.  Is  there 
any  similarity  ? — Well,  the  great  similarity  between 
them  is  that  they  are  so  unlike  other  probates. 
(Laughter.)  The  witness  explained  that  the  pro- 
bate being  an  official  entry,  it  would  be  made  in  a 
very  legible  hand,  known  as  "  Court  hand,"  while 
these  probates  were  quite  illegible.  The  name  of 
the  Bishop  of  Worcester  was  given  as  "J.  Horton." 
At  that  date  Robert  Morton  was  Bishop,  and  his 
surname  would  never  be  used  in  an  official  entry. 
In  these  wills  the  Shipway  arms  were  stated  to 
have  been  granted  in  1191,  by  Richard  I.,  to 
William  Shipway,  "  of  the  Castle  of  Beverstone." 
Beverstone  Castle  was  well  known  to  have  been 
a  seat  of  the  Berkeley  family,  and  to  have  been 
granted  to  Robert  Fitz-Hardinge,  of  that  family,  by 
Henry  II.,  in  1189.  In  the  John  James  Shipway 
will,  1490,  the  testator  described  himself  as  living 
in  Beverstone  Castle  "  as  his  forefathers."  This 
seemed  to  imply  that  the  Shipways  had  held  the 
castle  for  the  300  years  elapsed  since  1191,  but 
witness  had  been  unable  to  trace  any  connection 
between  the  Shipway  family  and  that  castle.  In 
his  opinion,  none  of  the  three  Shipway  wills  was 
genuine. 

Detective  AUwright,  Y  Division,  produced  plans 
of  the  district  registries  at  Gloucester  and  Worces- 
ter, which  he  had  prepared.  The  witness  said  that 
he  had  been  an  amateur  photographer  for  seven 
years,  and  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  would  have 
been  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  the  prisoner 
to  have  taken,  as  he  said  he  had,  a  snapshot  photo 
of  a  will  in  the  Gloucester  registry. 

Joseph  Edward  Dutton,  third  clerk  in  the  Glou- 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


381 


cester  registry,  produced  a  record  of  fees  paid  for 
searching  in  1896,  showing  the  prisoner's  visits  in 
July  and  August.  The  witness  also  produced 
copies  of  the  wills  of  John  Shipway,  1615,  Francis 
Sheepway,  1617,  and  John  Shipway,  1664.  The 
copy  of  the  Sheepway  will  was  in  the  old  character, 
and  made,  witness  thought,  by  the  prisoner  himself. 
He  borrowed  a  quill  pen  and  made  the  copy  with 
surprising  quickness.  The  1615  will  could  not  now 
be  found. 

Mr.  John  Challoner  Smith,  formerly  superin- 
tendent in  the  literary  department  in  the  Probate 
Registry  at  Somerset  House,  said  that  practically 
the  whole  of  his  ofHcial  work  was  devoted  to  anti- 
quarian researches.  In  1897,  ^.t  Colonel  Shipway's 
request,  he  went  down  to  Mangotsfield  and  in- 
spected the  church  and  the  supposed  Shipway 
remains.  The  six  Shipway  entries  in  the  parish 
register  were,  in  his  opinion,  each  and  all  modern 
interpolations.  Witness  afterwards  went  to  Glou- 
cester, and  examined  the  wills  in  the  registry  there, 
with  the  following  result :  Will  of  John  Shipway, 
1547 — certainly  not  genuine  ;  will  of  Francis  Sheep- 
way, 1617 — genuine ;  will  of  John  Shipway,  1664 
—  a  fabrication;  will  of  John  Shipway,  1690 — 
genuine ;  will  of  John  Shipway,  1615 — this  will 
could  not  be  found.  Sheepway,  the  witness  said, 
would  be  a  natural  variation  of  Shipway.  Witness 
went  to  Worcester  and  examined  the  wills  of  John 
James  Shipway,  1490,  and  Grace  Shipway,  1537, 
both  of  which  he  considered  fabrications. 

Mr.  Phillimore  and  Mr.  Kirk,  recalled,  both  con- 
firmed this  evidence. 

Detective-Inspector  Brockwell,  recalled,  said  that 
in  the  prisoner's  house  he  found  some  notepaper 
with  the  printed  heading,  "  17,  Westgate  Street, 
Gloucester."  This  paper  was  identical  with  that 
on  which  the  letter  signed  "  A.  Blakewell "  was 
written. 

The  hearing  was  again  adjourned. — Times,  Octo- 
ber 22. 

On  November  10  : 

Mr.  Lushington  sat  specially  in  the  Extradition 
Court  for  the  final  hearing  of  the  charges  of  forgery 
and  fraud  against  Herbert  Davies,  25,  "private 
surgeon,"  of  Castelnau  Gardens,  Barnes,  under  cir- 
cumstances which  have  been  already  reported.  Mr. 
Bodkin,  instructed  by  Mr.  Brown,  of  the  Treasury, 
prosecuted;  Mr.  H.  T.  Waddy  defended;  and 
Detective  -  Inspector  Brockwell  represented  the 
police. 

Mr.  Charles  Underwood,  of  the  firm  of  Under- 
wood, Son,  and  Piper,  of  Holies  Street,  Cavendish 
Square,  said  that  his  firm  were  Colonel  Shipway's 
solicitors,  and  he  produced  some  correspondence 
which  had  passed  between  them  and  the  prisoner. 
Davies  was  informed  that  the  Heralds'  College 
would  require  some  Shipway  wills  before  they  could 
make  a  grant  of  arms,  and  in  reply  the  prisoner 
announced  the  "discovery"  of  the  will  of  John 
Shipway  at  Gloucester. 

Colonel  Shipway,  again  recalled,  produced  four 
facsimile  extracts  from  the  old  register  at  Mangots- 
field, certified  correct  by  the  Vicar  and  curate. 

Mr.    Bodkin   said   that   these  were    the    copies 


which  the  Rev.  Percy  Alford  said  that  he  had  seen 
the  prisoner  make. 

The  Rev.  Godfrey  Fryer  Russell,  curate-in-charge 
of  the  parish  of  Stonehouse,  Gloucester,  produced 
an  old  parchment  register,  containing  a  record  of 
baptisms,  marriages,  and  deaths  from  1558-1650, 
and  another  similar  register  for  the  years  1751- 
1810. 

Miss  Edith  Mary  White,  of  Stonehouse,  Church- 
field  Road,  Ealing,  said  that  her  father,  the  Rev. 
William  Earring  White,  was  Vicar  of  Stonehouse, 
in  Gloucester,  for  some  thirty-six  years,  and  re- 
signed in  October  last.  In  April,  1896,  the  prisoner 
called  upon  her  father  at  the  Vicarage,  and  asked 
to  see  the  parish  registers  that  he  might  search  for 
the  name  of  Shipway.  The  registers  were  brought 
from  the  vestry  to  the  Vicarage,  and  he  examined 
them  for  about  three  hours.  She  and  her  father 
were  in  and  out  of  the  room  where  he  was,  but  he 
might  have  been  left  alone  for  half  an  hour  at  a 
time.  Afterwards  he  asked  her  father  to  copy  out 
for  him  an  entry  dated  1578,  relating  to  the  baptism 
of  John  Shipway,  son  of  John  Shipway,  of  Beverstone 
Castle.  Her  father  replied  that  the  writing  was  so 
faint  that  he  could  scarcely  decipher  it,  but  the 
prisoner  asked  him  to  do  the  best  he  could.  Her 
father  consented  to  do  this,  and  to  post  the  copy 
when  it  was  made.  The  register  was  left  in  the 
dining-room,  lying  near  the  window,  and  open  at 
the  page  on  which  this  very  faint  entry  was.  The 
next  day  the  sun  shone  brilliantly,  and  its  rays  for 
some  portion  of  the  day  reached  the  open  register. 
It  was  then  noticed  that  the  ink  of  this  entry  had 
become  very  much  darker  and  of  a  brownish-red 
colour,  making  that  entry  more  distinct  than  any 
other  on  the  page.  Witness  had  noticed  on  the 
previous  day  that  there  was  a  faint  reddish  "  blush  " 
round  the  entry,  and  after  the  sun  had  shone  on  it 
the  redness  became  more  pronounced,  and  faint 
traces  of  writing  underneath  became  visible.  These 
facts  were  remarked  upon,  and  her  father  wrote  to 
the  prisoner.  About  a  month  later  Davies  called 
at  the  Vicarage  again,  but  witness  only  saw  him 
for  a  few  minutes. 

Mr.  Richard  Kirk,  again  recalled,  said  that  in 
the  course  of  his  investigations  in  this  case  he 
visited  Stonehouse,  and  was  there  shown  this  entry 
in  the  register.  The  handwriting  was  an  imitation 
of  the  other  writing  on  that  page,  but  it  was  not 
the  same,  and  it  was  very  similar  to  that  of  the 
Shipway  entries  in  the  Mangotsfield  register.  The 
entry  was  squeezed  in  between  two  others,  and 
some  of  the  letters  were  written  over  the  entries 
both  above  and  below  it.  There  was  no  other 
entry  in  the  book  resembling  it  in  colour  or  that 
had  this  reddish  "halo"  round  it.  Under  the 
"halo"  were  traces  of  writing,  and  in  it  were 
marks  resembling  those  left  by  a  finger-tip.  The 
figures  of  the  date,  1578,  were  obviously  modern, 
and  it  appeared  to  have  been  written  in  pencil  first 
as  1758,  then  corrected  and  traced  over  in  ink. 
The  date  1578  appeared  higher  up  on  the  page  in 
genuinely  antique  figures,  so  that  this  date  was  a 
needless  repetition.  Witness  considered  the  whole 
entry  quite  a  modern  insertion .  I  n  the  later  register 
witness  found   under  the  burials  an  entry  dated 


382 


ARCflyEOLOGICAL  NEWS. 


1809  as  follows :  "  May  16.  Samuel,  son  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  Shipway."  There  were  two  erasures 
in  that  entry,  the  words  "William  and"  being 
written  over  the  one,  and  the  word  "  Shipway  " 
over  the  other.  These  corrections  were  in  an 
imitation  of  the  handwriting  of  the  entry,  but  not 
by  the  same  hand.  The  entry  in  the  earlier  book 
read  as  follows:  "  1578.  John  Shipway,  the  sonne 
of  John  Shipway,  Man  of  Arms,  of  Beurston,  the 
26  of  March." 

Mr.  Thomas  Wilson,  chief  clerk  in  the  District 
Probate  Registry  at  Worcester,  said  that  he  re- 
membered the  prisoner  calling  there  to  examine 
the  old  wills  in  the  early  part  of  1897.  Their 
indexes  to  the  wills  went  back  as  far  as  the  year 
1493.  One  of  the  bundles  of  wills  that  Davies 
examined  was  dated  1538.  There  was  no  entry  in 
the  index  of  the  date  of  the  will  of  John  James 
Shipway,  1490. 

Mr.  Lushington :  But  how  could  it  appear  in 
the  index  of  1538  ? 

Mr.  Bodkin  :  It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  about 
this  will  that  it  was  found  amongst  the  wills  of 
1538,  as  was  also  that  of  Grace  Shipway,  1537. 

The  witness  continued  that  he  had  searched  the 
index  from  the  beginning  right  down  to  the  year 
1538,  and  he  could  not  find  the  name  of  Shipway 
at  all.  An  index  compiled  by  Sir  Thomas  Phillips 
was  kept  in  the  registry,  and  that,  too,  contained 
no  mention  of  this  will.  The  prisoner  never  at 
any  time  pointed  out  to  witness  that  this  will  was 
in  the  1538  bundle,  and  was  not  indexed.  In  1897, 
after  the  prisoner's  visits,  Dr.  Marshall,  of  the 
Heralds'  College,  came  to  the  registry,  and  witness 
searched  for  this  will.  He  did  not  find  it  till  some 
time  after,  and  then  it  was  discovered  lying  loose 
in  this  bundle.  All  the  other  wills  were  fastened 
together  by  a  parchment  tag,  but  this  will  was 
torn  as  if  it  had  been  pulled  from  the  tag.  In 
another  bundle  of  wills  of  the  same  year,  1538,  the 
will  of  Grace  Shipway,  1537,  was  discovered  loose. 
This  will  did  not  appear  in  either  of  the  indexes, 
and  it  occupied  the  place  of  the  will  of  one  Nicholas 
Walwind,  which  now  could  not  be  found.  Davies 
obtained  office  copies  of  these  two  Shipway  wills, 
and  was  allowed  to  photograph  wills  in  the  registry. 

Mr.  Challoner  Smith,  again  recalled,  said  that 
he  considered  the  John  James  Shipway  will  had 
been  torn  that  it  might  be  placed  round  the  tag. 
The  tear  was  not  such  as  would  be  made  by  pulling 
it  away  from  its  fastenings.  Where  the  Grace 
Shipway  will  was  found,  a  crumpled  piece  of  paper 
remained  against  the  tag,  as  if  a  will  had  been  torn 
out,  but  this  piece  of  paper  obviously  could  never 
have  belonged  to  the  Grace  Shipway  will. 

This  concluded  the  case  for  the  prosecution,  and 
the  prisoner,  who  pleaded  "Not  Guilty"  and 
reserved  his  defence,  was  committed  for  trial  on 
all  the  various  counts  detailed  by  Mr.  Bodkin  in 
his  opening  statement. — Times,  November  11. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  ARCHAEOLOGICAL 

SOCIETIES. 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Bradford  Historical 
AND  Antiquarian  Society  was  held  on  October  21. 


Mr.  J.  A.  Clapham  presided,  and  there  was  a  good 
attendance.  The  meeting  was  preceded  by  the 
usual  dinner.  Afterwards  the  hon.  secretary  (Mr. 
Thomas  Howard)  presented  the  annual  report  of 
the  committee.  The  number  of  members  on  the 
rolls  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  was  241.  During 
the  year  eight  had  been  lost  by  resignation  or  death, 
and  after  a  careful  revision  of  the  list  twenty-four 
names  of  those  who  had  not  paid  their  subscriptions 
for  some  time  had  been  struck  off.  Eight  new 
members  had  been  elected,  leaving  the  present 
number  217.  After  a  reference  to  the  last  part  of 
the  Bradford  Antiquary  which  had  been  published, 
and  an  expression  of  thanks  to  the  contributors  and 
editor,  the  report  observed  that  the  council  felt 
strongly  that  that  publication  justified  the  existence 
of  the  society,  and  redeemed  it  from  the  strictures 
which  some  critical  persons  were  disposed  to  pass 
upon  it,  that  it  was  composed  of  mere  pleasure- 
lovers  and  dilettante  antiquaries. — The  treasurer 
(Mr.  W.  Glossop)  presented  the  balance-sheet, 
which  showed  that  the  year  began  with  a  balance 
in  the  bank  of /iii  19s.,  and  the  subscriptions  had 
amounted  to  £56.  After  all  expenditure,  which 
included  ;^22  for  the  preparation  of  the  Antiquary, 
and  ;^io  spent  in  photographs  of  disappearing 
buildings  in  Bradford  and  neighbourhood,  there  was 
a  balance  in  the  bankof;^io3  14s.  4d. — The  election 
of  officers  was  announced  as  follows :  President, 
Mr.  John  Arthur  Clapham ;  vice-presidents,  Mr. 
John  James  Stead,  Mr.  John  Lister,  Mr.  Thomas 
Lord,  Mr.  J.  N.  Dickons,  and  the  Rev.  Bryan  Dale  ; 
treasurer,  Mr.  W.  Glossop ;  editorial  secretary, 
Mr.  C.  A.  Federer;  corresponding  secretary,  Mr. 
Thomas  Howard  ;  librarian,  Mr.  J.  B.  Scorah.— 
The  chairman  delivered  an  address,  in  the  course 
of  which  he  thanked  the  members  for  the  honour 
done  him  in  his  election.  He  said  he  did  not  think 
the  council  was  ever  stronger  and  better  able  to  do 
more  work  for  the  city  than  at  the  present  time. 
The  lectures  for  the  season  were  very  interesting, 
and  were  held  the  second  Friday  in  every  month. 
The  Antiquary  had  spoken  very  highly  indeed  of  the 
papers  in  the  Bradford  Antiquary,  and  Dr.  Cox  had 
also  testified  to  the  good  work  being  done  by  the 
Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society. 
Several  interesting  excursions  had  been  arranged, 
and  Mr.  Thomas  Mitcheson  announced  that  he  was 
prepared  to  take  a  party  to  Blackstone  Edge,  and 
conduct  them  over  one  of  the  finest  Roman  roads 
in  Britain.  After  reviewing  the  work  of  the  last 
year  and  the  proposed  excursions  for  next  season, 
Mr.  Clapham  eulogized  the  history  of  Bingley, 
which  had  been  recently  published  by  Mr.  Harry 
Speight,  a  member  of  the  council,  and  remarked 
that  a  very  interesting  picture  in  that  book  repre- 
sented the  Runic  stone  which  existed  in  Bingley 
Church.  It  had  been  suggested  that  the  society 
should,  at  a  small  cost,  place  the  stone  on  a  pedestal, 
where  it  should  be  preserved  from  further  damage. 
He  hoped  that,  having  more  than  /'loo  in  hand, 
the  society  would  help  to  preserve  one  of  the  most 
ancient  objects  in  the  neighbourhood.  —  On  the 
motion  of  the  Rev.  Bryan  Dale,  the  retiring  presi- 
dent of  the  society,  seconded  by  Mr.  T,  A.  William- 
son, the  report  was  adopted.    A  vote  of  thanks  was 


ARCH^OLOGICAL  NEWS. 


383 


passed,  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  J.  J.  Whittaker, 
seconded  by  Mr.  J.  L.  Williams,  to  the  retiring 
president  and  council,  and  to  those  who  had  read 
papers  or  had  assisted  the  society  in  other  ways. 

-0<J  ^  ^ 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Arch^ological 
Institute,  on  November  2,  Professor  T.  McKenny 
Hughes  read  a  paper  on  "  Amber,"  and,  in  illustra- 
tion of  his  remarks,  exhibited  a  collection  of  amber 
which  he  had  made  chiefly  in  the  Mediterranean 
and  North  Sea.  After  pointing  out  that  strings  of 
beads  were  commonly  carried  about  by  men  in 
Southern  Europe,  who  found  that  the  mechanical 
task  of  telling  beads  relieved  the  feeling  of  unrest,  and 
suggesting  that  a  Roman  lady  in  the  hot  Southern 
summer  might  have  received  more  pleasure  from 
holding  a  piece  of  cold  quartz  in  her  hands,  he 
referred  to  some  early  notices  of  amber,  described 
its  composition  and  mode  of  occurrence,  and  pointed 
out  that  it  could  be  made  plastic  or  worked  into 
new  compounds  which  would  pass  for  amber, 
suggesting  in  this  way  a -possible  explanation  of 
some  of  the  exceptionally  large  vessels  said  to  have 
been  made  of  amber,  and  some  of  the  unexpected 
inclusions,  said  to  have  been  found  in  it.  He  then 
gave  a  short  sketch  of  the  history  of  its  discovery, 
described  the  differences  of  colour,  and  discussed 
the  distribution  of  the  several  varieties,  and  the 
question  whether  the  darker,  and  especially  the 
ruby,  colour  was  due  to  original  difference  of  origin 
and  composition,  or  was  a  superinduced  character 
due  to  the  mode  of  preservation.  If  due  to  the 
various  species  of  tree,  which  yielded  the  resin, 
then  it  might  depend  upon  climate  and  other 
geographical  conditions,  and  thus  be  a  more  or  less 
reliable  indication  of  trade  routes ;  but  if  it  was  due 
to  difference  in  the  mode  of  preservation,  then  the 
colour  and  the  differences  of  composition  which 
accompanied  the  colour  could  not  be  depended 
upon  as  evidence  of  the  district  in  which  it  was 
produced.  Among  the  specimens  which  he  exhibited 
were  some  of  dark  ruby  red,  both  from  Sicily  and 
from  the  North  Sea;  also  from  both  districts 
specimens  of  honey  and  dark  sherry  -  coloured 
amber.  He  explained  that  the  proportion  of  ruby 
red  to  the  yellow  amber  was  very  small  in  the 
North  Sea,  and  very  large  in  Sicily,  but  pointed 
out  that  most  of  that  found  in  Catania  was  carried 
down  the  river  Simeto  from  beds  on  the  flanks  of 
Etna,  whereas  that  found  in  the  Baltic  and  North 
Saa  was  washed  out  of  marine  silt,  and  had  there- 
fore been  long  subjected  to  very  different  conditions. 
He  then  adduced  evidence  to  prove  that  the  red 
colour  was  produced  by  the  mode  of  preservation, 
exhibiting  specimens  in  which  the  different  colours 
were  seen  on  one  fragment ;  also  beads  from  a 
Saxon  grave,  which  were  presumably  from  the 
northern  area,  in  which  the  yellow  had  been  more 
or  less  changed  to  a  dark  red  ;  and  a  series  of  amber 
ornaments  from  an  Etruscan  tomb,  where  all  that 
were  sufficiently  well  preserved  to  be  examined 
were  of  a  ruby  red.  He  thought  that  there  was 
a  considerable  original  difference  in  the  colour  of 
amber,  in  some  cases  depending  upon  the  varieties 
of  tree  and  climate ;  that  there  is  commonly  a 
change  of  colour  due  to  the  mode  of  preservation, 


but  that  colour  and  accompanying  difference  of 
composition  can  not  be  relied  upon  to  determine 
the  region  from  which  isolated  specimens  have  been 
derived.— Mr.  Edward  Peacock,  F.S.A.,  contributed 
a  paper  on  "  The  Superstition  that  when  a  Murderer 
touches  the  Body  of  his  Victim  the  Wounds  will 
bleed  again,"  and  dealt  with  the  subject  chrono- 
logically, giving  instances  recorded  in  the  old 
ballad  of  "  Earl  Richard,"  preserved  in  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  "  Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border,"  as  well 
as  that  of  "  Young  Huntin."  Shakespeare's  allusion 
to  this  belief  was  illustrated  in  Lady  Anne's  address 
in  Richard  III.;  and  Webster,  in  his  "  Appius  and 
Virginia,"  also  refers  to  it  in  the  passage : 

"  Pity  see 
Her  wounds  still  bleeding  at  the  horrid  presence 
Of  yon  stern  murderer,  till  she  find  revenge." 

Mr.  Peacock  quoted  a  few  interesting  instances  of 
depositions  of  an  early  date,  taken  by  justices  of 
the  peace,  and  possibly  regarded  as  legal  evidence  : 
one  respecting  a  murder  committed  in  1G13  near 
Taunton,  and  another  in  1624  "ear  Blackwell,  the 
latter  being  preserved  at  Durham.  Coming  to  more 
modern  times,  the  superstition  seems  to  be  preserved 
as  late  as  the  beginning  of  this  century,  and  even  to 
this  day  it  appears  to  be  a  popular  belief  that  if  a 
person  goes  to  see  a  corpse  he  should  not  on  any 
account  leave  the  room  of  death  without  touching 
the  body.  Here  we  have  only  the  shadowy  memory 
of  times  when  deaths  from  violence  were  more  diffi- 
cult to  detect  than  now,  and  when  it  might  be  very 
desirable  to  have  the  testimony  of  the  dead  that 
those  who  visited  the  corpse  were  innocent  of  its 
murder. 

^C  ^  ^ 

At  the  meeting  of  the  British  Arch^ological 
Association,  on  November  2,  many  objects  of 
medieval  religious  art  were  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Andrew  Oliver,  consisting  of  several  crucifixes  and 
one  processional  cross  with  reliquary,  also  four 
paxes,  an  ivory  figure  of  St.  Michael  and  the 
Dragon  of  Spanish  workmanship,  and  a  figure  of 
our  Lord  with  movable  head  of  ivory ;  this  also  is 
Spanish  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  hands  and 
feet  are  lost ;  they  were  doubtless  also  of  ivory. 
The  most  interesting  exhibit  was  a  hanging  lamp 
of  rough  terra-cotta  in  the  form  of  a  fish  of  early 
Christian  date. — Mr.  Patrick,  hon.  secretary,  re- 
ported the  discovery  early  last  month,  at  Paul's 
Wharf,  Upper  Thames  Street,  of  a  portion  of  an 
ancient  wall,  4  or  5  feet  in  height,  composed  of 
massive  random-built  Kentish  ragstone  resting  on 
a  grille  of  squared  timber.  The  wall,  apparently, 
had  no  squared  face.  It  was  found  at  a  depth  of 
12  or  13  feet  below  the  present  ground-line  in  the 
work  of  excavation  for  new  buildings. — The  Rev. 
H.  J.  D.  Astley  reported  further  discoveries  at 
Dumbarton,  where  the  crannog  was  recently  found, 
as  described  in  the  AthentBum  and  the  Journal  of 
the  Association,  from  which  it  appears  that  the 
place  where  the  canoe  was  unearthed  was  actually 
a  dock.  A  curious  ladder  was  here  found,  the 
rungs  of  which  were  cut  out  of  the  solid  wood. 
All  the  relics  have  been  placed  in  the  museum  at 
Glasgow,    They  appear  to  belong  to  the  neolithic 


384 


REVIEWS  AND  NOTICES  OF  NEW  BOOK'S. 


age,  no  metal  of  any  kind  being  discovered,  the 
objects  being  of  bone,  stag  horn,  jet,  chert,  and 
cannel  coal.  Some  querns  were  also  found. — The 
first  paper  of  the  evening  was  by  the  Rev.  Caesar 
Caine,  the  subject  being  "  Our  Cities  sketched  Five 
Hundred  Years  Ago,"  and  was  read  by  Mr.  Astley 
in  the  absence  of  the  author.  The  subject  of  the 
paper  was  a  description  of  a  most  interesting 
fourteenth-century  transcript  by  an  unknown  scribe 
of  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth's  History  of  the  Britons, 
now  in  the  British  Museum,  and  numbered  Bib. 
Reg.  13  A  iii.  A  characteristic  feature  of  this 
manuscript  is  the  addition  to  the  text  of  many 
drawings  of  persons  and  places.  The  scribe  would 
seem  to  have  .travelled  much,  and  to  have  been  well 
acquainted  with  the  places  of  importance  on  the 
road  from  London  to  Edinburgh,  and  has  em- 
bellished the  margins  of  the  vellum  pages  with 
sketches  of  the  chief  buildings.  Thus  we  have  the 
Tower  of  London,  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  the 
walled  Border  town  of  Carlisle,  and  York  Minster, 
all  delineated  with  skill,  and  clearly  recognisable. 
The  abbey  churches  of  Bath,  Gloucester,  Win- 
chester, with  many  others,  and  innumerable  coats 
of  arms  and  banners,  add  very  great  interest  to 
this  little  old-world  volume,  which  may  have  served 
the  draughtsman  as  a  guide-book  or  traveller's 
companion.  The  paper  was  illustrated  by  photo- 
graphs.— Mr.  Patrick  exhibited,  on  behalf  of  Mr, 
J.  T.  Irvine,  some  very  carefully-measured  draw- 
mgs  of  the  beautiful  seventeenth-century  oak  pulpit 
which  until  recently  adorned  the  church  of  Yaxley, 
Hunts.  Yaxley  Church  was  visited  by  the  associa- 
tion during  the  recent  congress,  and  many  of  the 
members  were  sorry  to  see  the  several  parts  of  this 
fine  piece  of  wood-carving,  which  was  scarcely 
injured,  thrown  down,  and  lying  on  the  floor  at  the 
west  end  of  the  nave,  in  order  to  give  place  to  a 
brand-new  pulpit  in  commemoration  of  the  Queen's 
Jubilee.     The  date  of  the  pulpit  is  1631. 


lRet)ieU)0  and  il3otices 
of  jeeto  IBoofes. 

[Publishers  are  requested  to  be  so  good  as  always  to 
mark  clearly  the  prices  of  books  sent  for  review,  as 
these  notices  are  intended  to  be  a  practical  aid  to 
book-buying  readers.\ 

Cromwell's  Scotch  Campaigns,  in  the  light  of 
new  information  gleaned  from  many  authorities 
hitherto  neglected  (1650-1651).     By  William 
S.  Douglas.     Cloth,  demy   8vo.,   pp.   x,   308. 
London  :  Elliot  Stock. 
This  is   without  doubt   a  very   important   and 
valuable  work,  throwing  much  new  light  on  Crom- 
well in  Scotland,  and   bringing  many  fresh   inci- 
dents forward.     It  is  not  every  day  that  a  writer 
who  proves  himself  so  competent  as  Mr.  Douglas 
does  in   this  work   comes  forward  to  add  to  our 
knowledge.     To  say  that  Mr.  Douglas  knows  his 
subject  thoroughly  would  be   to   understate  very 
materially  the  real  state  of  his  exceptional  equijj- 
rnent  for  the  task  he  has  undertaken.   The  thorough- 


ness of  his  knowledge  of  his  subject  is  manifest  on 
every  page,  both  in  the  letterpress  itself  and  in 
the  very  full  and  elaborate  footnotes.  There  is, 
however,  unfortunately  a  fly  in  the  ointment,  and 
that  is  the  stilted  and  unnatural  style  which  Mr. 
Douglas  has  adopted,  and  which  makes  his  book 
rather  tiresome  to  read.  This  is  a  real  misfortune, 
for  as  far  as  its  contents  are  themselves  concerned, 
the  book  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  valuable 
historical  works  which  have  appeared  of  late. 

Students  of  the  Cromwellian  period  will  find 
that  Mr.  Douglas  has  much  to  tell  them  which  is 
really  quite  new,  and  many  facts  to  present  in  a 
fresh  light. 

*  *     * 

Three  books  of  fairy  and  folk  tales  lately  issued 
by  Mr.  D.  Nutt  call  for  notice,  although  the  space 
at  our  disposal  on  this  occasion  precludes  our 
entering  into  detail  in  regard  to  them.  In  More 
Australian  Legendary  Tales  (cloth,  pp.  loi,  price 
3s.  6d.)  Mrs.  K.  Landon  Parker  introduces  the 
reader  to  several  tales  additional  and  similar  in 
character  to  those  printed  in  her  former  book,  and 
which  were  favourably  commented  on  by  us  on  a 
previous  occasion.  Mr.  Jacob  Jacob's  English 
Fairy  Tales  (illustrated  by  Mr.  J.  D.  Batten)  is  well 
known,  and  has  now  reached  a  third  edition.  In 
Sir  Gawain  and  the  Green  Knight,  which  forms  the 
first  of  a  series  of  "Arthurian  Romances"  un- 
represented in  Malory's  Morte  d' Arthur,  Miss 
Weston  has  very  successfully  retold  the  romance  in 
modern  English.  All  three  works  testify  to  the 
increasing  and  careful  study  of  folk-tales,  which  is 
a  feature  of  the  present  day,  and  which  is  likewise 
becoming  more  and  more  a  pleasing  feature  or 
speciality  of  Mr.  Nutt's  house. 

*  *     * 

Local  guide-books  have  an  interest  and  value  of 
their  own,  and  some  of  the  older  ones  are  of  con- 
siderable value  for  the  local  information  which  they 
contain.  It  is  with  a  feeling  of  regret  that  one  sees 
them  in  gradual  course  of  extinction.  In  Maldon 
and  the  River  Blackivater,  Mr.  E.  A.  Fitch,  the  author, 
has  produced  an  excellent  book  of  the  kind,  which 
is  freely  supplied  with  sketches  and  other  illustra- 
tions, besides  three  maps,  etc.  It  is  published  by 
Mes-srs.  Gowers,  at  Maldon,  at  the  modest  price  of 
gd.  in  paper,  or  is.  6d.  in  limp  cloth.  The  one 
objection  is  the  shape,  which  is  quarto,  and  unfitted 
for  the  pocket,  but  the  amount  of  information  which 
the  book  contains  is  well  worth  the  price  asked  for 
it.  Whenever  a  fresh  edition  is  issued,  we  hope 
that  the  size  and  shape  will  be  changed. 

[A  considerable  number  of  Reviews  are  held  over 
for  want  of  space.) 

Note  to  Publishers. —  We  shall  be  particularly 
obliged  to  publishers  if  they  will  always  state  the  price 
of  books  sent  for  review. 

To  INTENDING  CONTRIBUTORS. —  Unsolicited MSS. 
will  always  receive  careful  attention,  but  the  Editor 
cannot  return  them  if  not  accepted  unless  a  fully 
stamped  and  directed  envelope  is  enclosed.  To  this 
rule  no  exception  will  be  made. 

It  would  be  well  if  those  proposing  to  subtnit  MSS, 
would  first  write  to  the  Editor  stating  the  subject  and 
manner  of  treatmet\t. 


INDEX. 


Aberdeen  Ecclesiological  Society,  Trans- 
actions of,  25. 
Accounts  of  Derbyshire  Constable,  29. 
Airlie,  The  Cave  at,  205. 
Alloa  Archaeological  Society,  Proceedings 

of,  38. 
Altar,  Roman,  3<f. 
Andr^,   J.    Lewis,    F.S.A.,    Old    Sussex 

Farmhouses  and   their  Furniture,    106, 

135.  172- 
Antiquary  among  the  Pictures,  The,  168. 
Antiquary's  Note-Book,  The,  148. 
Antiquities,  Manufacture  of  Sham,  198. 

Sale  of,  119. 
Appleshaw,  Vessels  at,  4. 
ArchcFolo^ia,  Review  of,  33. 
Archteological Journal,  Tlu,  87,  216,  250. 
Archaeological  News,  21,  50,  85,  118,  150, 

186,  216,  249,  279,  312,  342,  373. 
Architect,  Review  of,  63. 
Ardoch,  Roman  Camp  at,  55. 
Arms  0/  the  Royal  and  Parliamentary 

Burghs  of  Scotland,  Review  of,  63. 
Art  Sales,  85,  118,  151. 
Ashburnham   Library,   The,  Sale  of,  24, 

187. 
Ashby  de  la  Zouche,  Church  Notes  on, 

364. 
Aubrey  s  Brief  Lives,  Review  of,  223. 
Austerifield  Church,  Note  on,  200. 

Bailey,  George,  Ramblings  of  an  Anti- 
quary, 72,  tor,  145,  210,  234,  263,  293. 

Banstead,  Barrow  at,  i. 

Barton-on-Humber,  Church  Notes  on,  201. 

Bath,  Roman  Baths  at,  68. 

Beaconsfield,  Rectory  House  at,  230. 

Bedyll's  Letter  to  Cromwell,  Note  on, 
167. 

Berks  Archaeological  Society,  Proceedings 
of,  221. 

Berks,  Bucks,  and  Oxon  Archceological 
Journal,  88. 

Biddenden  Maids,  Note  on  the,  133. 

Birmingham  and  Midland  Institute,  Trans- 
actions of,  356. 

Birmingham  Archaeological  Society,  Pro- 
ceedings of,  123. 

Bishops'  Gloves,  242. 

Bishops  of  Lindisfarne,  Hexhatii,  Chester- 
le-Street,  and  Dur/iam,  Review  of, 
351-      . 

Black  Friars  at  Cardiff,  50. 

Boat,  Irish,  69. 

Bogee  Downs,  Remains  at,  98. 

Book  and  Other  Sales,  24,  86,  150. 

Book-Prices  Current,  Review  of,  63,  326. 

Bo^v,  Chelsea,  and  Derby  Porcelain, 
Review  of,  349. 

Bradford  Antiquary,  Note  on,  293. 

Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian 
Society,  Proceedings  of,  38,  59,  261,  382. 

Brasses,  Notes  on,  227. 

Brechin  Cathedral,  Note  on,  165. 

British  Archaeological  Association,  Pro- 
ceedings of,  31,  89,  121,  190,  257,  383. 

British  Record  Society,  Report  of,  166. 
Proceedings  of,  190. 

Buddha,  Birthplace  of,  132. 

Burton-Latimer,  Wall-Paintings  at,  210, 
234- 


Camborne  Students'  Association,  Proceed- 
ings of,  313. 
Cambridge    Anthropological    Expedition, 

^31-  . 

Cambridge  Antiquarian  Society,  Proceed- 
ings of,  216. 

Cambridgeshire,  History  of,   Review   of, 

159- 
Cardiff,  Excavations  at,  50. 
Museum,  Note  on,  260. 
Cave  at  Airlie,  The,  by  David  MacRitchie, 

205. 
Ceramics  of  Swansea    and   Nantganv, 

Review  of,  158. 
Chapter  Act  Book  of  Beverley  Minster, 

Note  on,  2po. 
China,  Iron  in,  199. 

Church  Notes,  by  the  late  Sir  S.  Glynne, 
Bart.  : 

Darlington,  5. 

Durham,  75,  139. 

Lincolnshire,  Barton-on-Humber, 

201. 
Thornton,  278. 
Grimsby,  Clea,  T.outh,  and  Grais- 

thorpe,  305. 
Grainthorpe,     Somersby,    Tatter- 
shall,  etc.,  328. 
Tamworth,  Aihby  de  la  Zouche, 
Nottingham,  etc.,  364. 
Clark,  Mr.  G.  T.,  Death  of,  67. 
Clea,  Church  Notes  on,  307. 
Clifton  Antiquarian  Club,  Proceedings  of, 

60. 
Cock,  Mr.  A.,  Q.C.,  Death  of,  i6r. 

Sale  of  Collection  of,  249. 
Coins,  Sale  of,  25  ;  discovery  of,  66. 
Coldingham  Priory,  Note  on,  134. 
Collection  Boxes,  4. 
Congress  of  Archaeological  Societies,  The, 

19.  237. 
Coningsby  Church.  330. 
Constables,  Accounts  of,  28. 
Corpoartion  of  London  Records,  Notes  on, 

231. 
Correspondence : 

Date  of  Waltham  Church,  6j. 
Printers  of  Basle,  160. 
County  Kildare    Archaeological    Society, 

Journal  of,  88. 
Cox,  J.   C,  LL.D.,   F.S.A.,  Review    of 
Finding  of  St.  Augustine's  Chair,  318. 
Crannog,  Dumbarton,  289,  321. 
Crormvelfs  Scotch  Campaigns,  Review  of, 

384- 
Crucifixion,  Graffito  of  the,  65,  148. 
Cuellar's  Book,  Captain,  Note  on,  37. 
Cumberland  and  Westmorland  Antiquarian 

and  Archaeological  Society,  Proceedings 

of,  i2g,  225,  314. 
Curiosities,  Sale  of,  119. 
Customs,  Old  Herefordshire,  35. 

Dante's  Pilgrim's  Progress,   Review  of, 

224. 
Darlington,  Church  Notes  on,  5. 
Dartmouth,  Vandalism  at,  324. 
Davies,  H.,  Case  of,  323,  342,  377. 
Decorative  Work  in  Iron,  78. 
Derbyshire    Archseological    and  J  Natural 

History  Society,  Journal  oi,  217. 


Derbyshire  Constable's  Account?,  29. 
Devonshire  Association,  Note  on,  292. 
Dialect  and  Place-Names  of  Shetland^ 

Review  of,  61. 
Domyille,  Sir  C,  Sale  of  Collection  of,  118, 
Dublin  Well,  Note  on,  199. 
Duke  of  Bedford,  Regent  of  France,  Re 

ception  of,  as  a  Canon  of  Rouen,  1430, 

47-    .        . 

Dumfriesshire  and  Galloway  Natural  His 
tory  and  Antiquarian  Society,  Proceed 
ings  of,  5. 

Durham  and  Northumberland  Archaeolo- 
gical Society,  Proceedings  of,  161,  219. 

Durham  Castle,  139. 

Durham  Cathedral,  Notes  on,  75. 

Durham  Parish  Churche.s.  139. 

East  Anglia  and  the  Great  Civil  War, 

Review  of,  192. 
East  Herts  Archaeological  Society,  Meet- 
ing of,  356. 
East  Riding  Antiquarian  Society,  Proceed- 
ings of,  28,  114. 
Transactions  of,  87. 
Eastbourne,  Saxon,  99. 
Eighteenth  Century  Letters,  Review  of 

320. 
Eisteddfodau,  The  Welsh,  333,  353. 
"  El  Transito,"  The,  13. 
Enchanted  Mesa,  40. 

Encroachments  of  the  Sea,  and  the  Con- 
sequent Losses  to  Archeology,  327. 
England's  Oldest  Handicrafts,  by  Isabel 
S.  Robson  : 

Workers  in  Wool  and  Flax,  8,  43. 
Decorative  Work  in  Iron,  78. 
Hand-made  Lace,  213,  240. 
Tapestry,  310. 
English  Fairy  Tales,  Review  of,  384. 
English  Masques,  Review  of,  224. 
]^ngravings,  Sale  of,  85. 
Eprouvettes,  Note  on,  324. 
Essex  Archaeological  Society,  Publications 
of,  87,  250. 
Proceedings  of,  220. 
Excavation  of  Silchester,  246. 

Fair  Rosamond's  Bower,  37. 

Fallow,  T.  M.,  M.A.,  F.S.A.,  Occur- 
rences at  Saintes,  1781  to  1791,  267,  298, 
335,  360. 

Farmhouses,  Old  Sussex,  106,  135,  172. 

Feasey,  Henry  J. :  Sarcasm  and  Humour 
in  the  Sanctuarj',  181. 

Bishops'  Gloves,  242. 

Flax,  Workers  in,  8. 

Font  at  St.  Helens,  229. 

Football  at  Sedgefield,  Shrovetide,  n8. 

Foreign  Conservators,  131. 

Forgotten  Children's  Books,  Review  of,  351. 

Fortifications  in  Scotland,  Early,  Re- 
view of,  317.  .     _     ,      ,  . 

French  Glass-Makers  in  England  in  1567, 
by  E.  W.  Hulme,  142. 

Furness  Abbey,  Notes  on,  289,  354. 

GenilemaHS  Magazine  Library,  Review 
Gladstone,  Mr.  W.  E.,  Death  of,  193. 


386 


INDEX. 


Glasgow  Archaeological  Society,  Transac- 
tions of,  25. 
Proceedings  of,  156,  220. 

Glasgow  Cathedral,  Book  of.  Review  of, 
349- 

Glass-Makers,  French,  in  England  in  1567, 
142. 

Glasses,  Old  English,  112. 

Gloves,  Bishops',  242. 

Glynne,  Sir  S.,  The  late.  Church  Notes, 
5>  75i  1.19,  20'.  278,  305.  328,  364. 

Gossip  from  a  Muninient-Rootn,  Review 
of,  351. 

GrafBto  of  the  Crucifixion,  65,  148. 

Grainthorpe,  Church  Notes  on,  328. 

Graisthorpe,  Church  Note  on,  310. 

Gray  Friars  at  Cardiff,  51. 

Grimsby,  Church  Notes  on,  305. 

Gurney  Collection,  Sale  of,  119. 

Haddon  Hall,  Note  on,  201. 

Haltham  Church,  330. 

Hampshire  Field  Club,  Proceedings  of, 
165. 

Hampstead  Antiquarian  Society,  Proceed- 
ings of,  156,  221,  253. 

Handicrafts,  Old  English,  8,  43,  78,  213, 
240,  310. 

Harrison,  J.  Park,  Letter  on  Date  of 
Waltham  Church,  63,  140. 

Haverfield,  F.,  M.A.,  F.S.A.,  Quarterly 
Notes  on  Roman  Britain,  70,  332. 

Hawick  Archaeological  Society,  Proceed- 
ings of,  124. 

Heckethorn,  Mr.  C.  W.,  Letter  on 
Printers  of  Basle,  160. 

Heckscher  Collection,  Sale  of,  187. 

Hcpworth  Church,  Note  on,  135. 

Hereford,  ttie  Cathedral  and  See,  Re- 
view of,  253. 

Hill  of  the  Graces,  Review  of,  256. 

Hipkin  Collection,  Sale  of,  25. 

Historic  Society  of  Lancashire  and  Che- 
shire, Proceedings  of,  58,  157. 

Holy  Sefrulchre,  History  of  the  Church  of 
the,  Northampton,  Review  of,  62. 

Hulme,     E.    Wyndham,     Old      English 
Glasses,  112. 

French  Glass-Makers  in  England 
in  1567,  142. 

Human  Remains  at  Windsor,  Note  on,  130. 

Humour  and  Sarcasm  in  the  Sanctuary, 
181. 

Hutton,  William,  Note  on,  62. 

Illustrated  Topographical  Record  oj 
London,  Note  on,  258. 

Index  of  Archxological  Papers,  36. 

Inscribed  Stone,  Windisch,  132. 

Irchester,  Wall-Painting  at,  263. 

Iron  Work,  Decorative,  78. 

Isle  of  Man  Natural  History  and  Antiqua- 
rian Society,  Proceedings  of,  165. 

Johnson,  Mr.  J.  H.,  Sale  of  Library  of, 
119. 

Johnston,  Mr.  P.  M.,  on  Sussex  Church 
Windows,  167. 

Journal  of  the  Royal  Institution  of  Corn- 
wall, 280. 

Journal  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries of  Ireland,  Review  of,  32,  88, 
216,  280. 

Kattem's  Hill,  Note  on,  195. 

Keiss,  Mounds  at,  166. 

Kirk  Lonan,  Isle  of  Man,  15. 

Kissing-Day  at  Hungerford,  186. 

Kfiossington,  Review  of,  351. 

Knox,  A.,  Old  Kirk  Lonan,  Isle  of  Man, 

15- 
Kreuzer,  Note  on,  229. 

La  Puerta  de  ValmardCJn,  40. 
del  Sol,  Toledo,  84. 


Lace,  Hand-made,  213,  240. 

Lancashire     and     Cheshire     Antiquarian 

Society,    Proceedings  of,   69,    121,    124, 

■33- 
Lancashire  Parish  Register  Society,  Pros- 
pectus of,  38. 
I^ncaster,  With  the  Institute  at,  27s. 
Landguard  Fort  in  Suffolk,  Historv  of, 

Review  of,  284. 
Last  Judgment,  Painting  of,  232. 
I.ay  Deacons,  133. 

Legend  of  Sir  Gmuaiu,  Review  of,  224. 
Leicestershire  Architectural  and  ArchaiO- 

logical  Society,  Proceedings  of,  66,  92. 

Transactions  of,  349. 
Lichfield  Cathedral  and  See,  Review  of, 

95  ;  Note  on,  166. 
Lincoln!>hire,  Church  Notes  on,  201,  278, 

305.  328. 
London  Topographical  Society,  196. 
Lord  Mayor   and  Sheriffs   of  London, 

Review  of,  349. 
Louth,  Church  Notes  on,  309. 
Lumsdaine,      Surgeon-General,     Sale     of 

Plate  and  Porcelaine,  53. 

Mackellar,  Rev.  W.,  Library  of,  360. 

MacRitchie,  David,  The  Cave  at  Airlie, 
205. 

Maldon  and  the  River  Blackwaier,  Re- 
view of,  384. 

Malmesbury  Abbey,  Note  on,  258. 

Man,  Isle  of.  Lecture  on,  37. 

Marriott,  H.  P.  Fitz-Gerald,  on  Graffito  of 
Crucifixion,  148. 

Mears-Ashby,  Wall  Paintings  at,  263.   [97. 

Micklethwaite,  Mr.  J.  T.,  Appointment  of. 

Monumental  Brass  Society,  Transactions 
of,  217. 

Mortar,  A,  Note  on,  2. 

iHore  Australian  Legendarv  Tales,  Re- 
view of,  384. 

Blount  Grace  Priory,  195. 

Mummies,  Sale  of,  86. 

Natural  History  and  Antiquarian  Society 
of  the  Isle  of  Man,  Proceedings  of,  6o. 

Navy  Records  Society,  Proceedings  of, 
250. 

Neilson,  Mr.  G.,  on  the  Shield-Wall  and 
the  Schiltrum,  180,  245. 

Ness,  Remains  at,  3. 

Newcastle,  Remains  at,  164. 

Newcastle  Society  of  Antiquaries,  Pro- 
ceedings of,  28,  58,  90,  IS7, 191,  251,  280. 

Norfolk  and  Norwich  Archa;ological 
Society,  Proceedings  of,  219,  312. 

Norfolk  Library,  Note  on,  291. 

Norgate,  Kate,  The  Shield-Wall  and  the 
Schiltrum,  177,  209. 

Northampton,  Records  of  the  Borough  of. 
Review  of,  221  ;  Note  on,  288. 

Notes  of  the  Month,  i,  33,  65,  97,  129,  161, 
193,  225,  257,  268,  321,  353. 

Nottingham,  Church  Notes  on,  364. 

Numismatic  Society,  Proceedings  of,  126, 
190,  251. 

Oak,  Fossil,  39. 

Oban,  Note  on  Cave  at,  162. 

Occurrences  at  Saintes,  1781  to  1791,  from 
the  Diary  of  the  Abb6  Legrix,  trans- 
lated byT.  M.  Fallow,  M.A.,  F.S.A., 
267,  298,  335,  360. 

Old  English  Glasses,  by  E.  Wyndham 
Hulme,  112. 

Old  Kirk  Lonan,  Isle  of  Man,  by  A.  Knox, 

Ormsby  Church,  328. 

Ornaments  of  the  Rubric,  Review  of,  127. 

Paintings  in  Cornish  Churches,  134. 

Palace  of  Peter  the  Cruel,  42. 

Palestine  Exploration  Fund,  Proceedings 

of,  251. 


Paris,  Discoveries  at,  199. 
Parish  Registers,  Notes  on,  38,  101. 
Payne,   George,  F.S.A.,  on  the  Preserva- 
tion of  Antiquities,  104. 
Pearce  Mr.  S.  S.,  Sale  of  Collection  of, 

119. 
Pearson,  Mr.  J.  L.,  R.A.,  Death  of,  2. 
Penyfai,  Note  on  the  Chamber  at,  322.  _ 
Penzance  Natural  History  and  Antiqua:ian 

Society,  Proceedings  of,  134,  156. 
Pepper  Staveley  Collection,  Sale  of,  25. 
Phila;,  Note  on,  161. 

Pictures,  The  Antiquary  among  the,  168. 
Pistol  with  Dial,  227, 
Ptace-Names  of  the  Liverpool  District, 

Review  of,  319. 
Portfolio  of  Monumental  Brass  Society, 

Review  of,  32.  [100. 

Portraits,  Catalogue  of  National,  Note  on, 
Powell,     Joseph     L.,    Spanish      Historic 

Monuments,  13,  40,  84. 
Preservation   of  Antiquities,  On   the,   by 

George  Payne,  F.S.A.,  104. 
Printers  of  Basle  in  the  Fifteenth  and 

Sixteenth   Centuries,    Review  of    128 ; 

Letter  on,  160. 
Prison  Labour  in  Egypt,  67. 
Proceedings  and   Publications  of  Archa;- 

ological   Societies,  25,  53,  87,  120,  151, 

188,  217,  250,  279,  312,  348,  382. 

Quarterly  Notes'  on  Roman  Britain,  by 
F.  Haverfield,  M.A.,  F.S.A.,  70,  232. 

Raeburnfoot,  Discoveries  at,  5,  52. 

Raglan  Castle,  Note  on,  226. 

Ramblings  of  an  Antiquary,  by  G.  Bailey  : 
Some     Ancient    Wall   Paintings 

Raunds,  72,  loi,  145. 
Burton-Latimer,  210,  234. 
Irchester  and  Mears-Ashby,  263. 
Trinity  Church    and    the    Guild 
Chapel,  Stratford -on- A  von,  293. 

Raunds,  Wall-Paintings  at,  72,  loi,  145. 

Rebus,  The,  by  Arthur  Watson,  368. 

Reception  ot  Duke  of  Bedford  as  a  Canon 
of  Rouen,  1130,  47. 

Registers  of  Norfolk  and  Yorkshire,  Notes 
on,  loi. 

Register  of  the  Priory  of  Wetlural,  Re- 
view of,  31. 

Reviews  and  Notices  of  New  Books,  31, 
61,  95,  127,  157,  192,  221,  253,  284,  317, 
349.  384- 

R hind  Lectures,  The,  21,  356,  373. 

Ring,  Royal,  34. 

Ring  Circle,  Todmorden,  230. 

Robson,  Isabel  S.,  England's  Oldest 
Handicrafts,  8,  43,  78,  213,  240,  310. 

Road,  Roman,  39. 

Roman   Britain,  Quarterly  Notes  on,  70, 

„  ^32- 

Rome,  Discoveries  at,  231. 

Royal  Academy,  The,  168. 

Royal  Academy  of  San  Fernando,  65. 

Royal  Archaeological  Institute,  Proceed- 
ings of,  30,  121,  151,  189,  217,  253,  275, 
280,  383. 

Royal  Cornwall  Polytechnic  Society, 
Note  on,  293. 

Royal  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Ireland, 
Proceedings  of,  122,  154. 
Publications  of,  32,  88. 

Rucker,  Mr.  H.,  Sale  of  Collection  of,  85. 

Saga-Book  of  the  Viking  Club,  The,  25. 

St.  Albans  Architectural  and  Archaeolo- 
gical Society,  Proceedings  of,  125. 

St.  Augustine's  Chair,  Finding  of.  Re- 
view of,  318. 

St.  Botolph,  Aldgate,  Review  of,  224. 

St.  Cuthbert's  Coffin,  Note  on,  358. 

St.  David's  Cathedral,  Note  on,  230. 

St.  Paul's  Ecclesiological  Society,  Pro- 
ceedings of,  27. 


INDEX. 


387 


St.   Peter  at  Raunds,   Northamptonshire, 

Wall-Paintings  at,  72,  loi,  145. 
St.  Saviour's  Church,  History  and  Anti- 
quities of,  Review  of,  352. 
Saintes,  Occurrences  at,  1781  to  1791,  267 

298,  335.  360. 
Sales,  24,  S3,  85,  118,  150,  187,  249,  360. 
Sarcasm  and  Humour  in  the  Sanctuary, 

by  H.  J.  Feasey,  181. 
Sarum  Alissal,  Theft  of,  229. 
Schieffelin  Coins,  Sale  of,  150. 
Schiltrum,  The,  and  the  Shield- Wall,  177 

209,  245. 
Scottish  Text  Society,  Proceedings  of,  57. 
Sea,  Encroachments  of  the,  327. 
Sclattyn,  History  of  the  Parish  of.  Re 

view  of  157. 
Sham  Antiquities,  Note  on,  198. 
Sheffield,  Rcconis  of  the  Bwgery  of,  Re 

view  of,  159. 
Shield-Wall,  The,   and  the   Schiltrum,  by 

Kate  Norgate,  177,  209,  245. 
Shipway's  Pedigree,  Col.,  323,  342,  377. 
Shipwrights'  Company,  Charter  of,  66, 
Shropshire  Archa;ological  Society,   Trans- 
actions of,  88,  348. 
Shropshire     Exhibition     of     Antiquities 

Notes  on,  i,  321. 
Shropshire  Parish  Register  Society,  Pro 

ceedings  of,  38. 
Shrovetide  Football  at  Sedgefield,  118. 
Silchester,  Excavation  of,  246. 

Note  on,  194. 
S^r  Gawiiin  and  the  Green  Knight,  Re 

view  of,  384. 
Society  of  Antiquaries,   54,  88,  120,   151 

188,  353- 
Proceedings  of,  26,  53. 
Election  of,  33,  97,  129,  193. 
Journal  o^,  250. 
Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,   Pro 

ceedings  of,  27,  54,  55,  127,  152,  190,  262, 
Publications  of,  359. 
Society  of  Biblical  Archieology,  Proceed 

ings  of,  30. 
Somersby  Church,  329.  [217 

Somerset  Mediceval  Librar'es,  Review  of, 
Somerset  Record  Society,  Note  on,  292. 
South  Kensington  Museum,  Old  English 

Room  at,  51. 


Southwell  Minster,  Note  on,  358. 
Spanish  Historic   Monuments,  by  Joseph 
L.  Powell  : 

The  Synagogue   known  as   "  El 

Transito,"  13. 
La   Puerta  de   Valmarddn ;    The 
Tower  of  Santo  Tom6,  and  The 
Palace  of  Peter  the  Cruel,  40. 
La  Puerta  del  Sol,  Toledo,  84. 
Staple  tons  of  Yorkshire,  Review  of,  61. 
State    Papers,    Domestic,    Eliz.,   quoted 

o  ?•♦?• 

Stirling  Natural  History  and  Archaeolo- 
gical Society,  Proceedings  of,  58. 

Stirling  Tron  Weight,  Note  on,  359. 

Strange  Catch,  A,  197. 

Strata  Floriiia  Abbey,  Note  on,  99. 

Stratford-on-Avon,  Wall-Paintings  at,  293. 

Suffolk  Institute  of  Archaeology  and 
Natural  History,  Proceedings  of,  220. 

"  Surgeon,  Private,"  Note  on  Ca.se  of, 
323,  342.  377- 

Surrey  Archaeological    Society,   Proceed- 
ings of,  3,  67. 
Collections  of,  87. 

Sussex  Archsological  Collections,  279. 

Sussex  Archaeological  Society,  Proceed- 
ings of,  98,  99,  155. 

Sussex  Farmhouses  and  their  Furniture, 
by  J.  Lewis  Andri,  F.S.A.,  106,  135, 
172. 

Sutherland,  Mr.  A.  R.,  Sale  of  Plate  of, 
8s.  .      „    [13- 

Synagogue  known  as  "  El  Transito,    The, 

Tamworth,  Church  Notes  on,  364. 
Tapestry,  163,  310. 
Tasburgh,  Camp  at,  39. 
Tattershall,  330. 
Temple,  Etchings  of,  231,  359. 
Tetford  Church,  329. 
Thornton,  Church  Notes  on.  278. 
Tintern  Abbey,  Note  on,  226. 
Tombs  in  Egypt,  Note  on,  197. 
Tower  of  Santo  Tom6,  42. 
To^un  Clerks  of  Glasgow,  Abstracts  of  the 
Protocols  of.  Review  of,  223. 

Uriconium,  Note  on,  321. 
Urn,  Sepulchral,  39. 


Viking  Boat,  360. 
Violins,  Sale  of,  25. 


Wakefield  Church,  Note  on,  261. 

Walford,  Mr.  E.,  Death  of,  i. 

Wall-Paintings,   Some    Ancient,   72,    101, 
14s,  2;o,  234,  263,  293. 
Date  of.  Letter  on,  63. 

Waltham  Church,  149. 

Watson,  Arthur,  The  Rebus,  368. 

Weather  Lore,  Review  of,  319. 

Welsh  Eisteddfodau,  The,  333,  353. 

IVestem  Manuscripts  in  the  Bodleiun 
Library  at  Oxford,  Summary  Cata- 
logjte  of.  Review  of,  128. 

Whitehead,  Mr.  T.  M.,  Sale  of  Collec- 
tion of,  187. 

Wilderspool,   Notes  on    Excavations    at, 

?24>  354- 
Wilts  Record  Society,  Note  on,  291. 
Wiltshire     Archxological     and     Natural 

History  Society,  Proceedings  of,  283. 
Winchester,  Note  on,  326. 
Winchester  West  Gate,  Note  on,  100. 
IViftchester :    the    Cathedral    and   See, 

Review  of,  9s. 
Windows  of  Sussex  Churches,  Note  on, 

167. 
Windsor,  Human  Remains  at,  130. 
With  the  Institute  at  Lancaster,  275. 
Wool,  Workers  in,  8. 
Woolwich    District  Antiquarian  Society, 

Report  of,  40. 
Worcester    Diocesan    Architectural    and 

Archaeological  Society,  Proceedings  of, 

58,  125. 
Worcestershire    Historical    Society,    Pro- 
ceedings of,  126. 
Workers  in  Wool  and  Flax,  8,  43. 
"  Wroth  Silver,"  Note  on,  353. 
Wrottesley  Hall,  Destruction  of,  36. 


Yarborough  Church,  328. 

Yorkshire  Archaeological  Society,  Journal 

of,  88. 

Proceedings  of,'i23. 
Young's  Literal  translation  of  the  Bible 
Review  of,  158. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


MORTAR    (1629)    BELONGING    TO    MR.    R.    REY- 
NOLDS    2 

COLLECTION-BOXES,    NEWCHURCH    -           -           -  4 

DARLINGTON   COLLEGIATE  CHURCH,  S.W.           -  6 

EL  TRANSITO  :     INTERIOR  WALL       -           -           -  I4 

KIRK  LONAN  :  THE  CHURCH   FROM  THE  NORTH  16 

„           ,,           N.E.    CORNER   OF  CHURCH             -  16 

,,           ,,           GROUND-PLAN   OF   CHURCH          -  1? 

,,           ,,           THE   ROAD  CROSS         -           -           •  18 

,,           ,,           THE  GLENROY   CROSS            -           -  18 

ROMAN   ALTAR 34 


PAGB 

GLOBE  OF  THORNS 35 

LA   PUERTA   DEL  SOL 4° 

TOWER  OF   SANTO  TOMfi  -  -  -  -        4I 

PALACE  OF   PETER   THE   CRUEL  -  -  -        42 

RECEPTION   OF  JOHN,    DUKE  OF    BEDFORD,   AS 

A  CANON   OF   ROUEN,    I43O  -  -  -  48,  49 

GRAFFITO  OF   THE   CRUCIFIXION      -  -  -        65 

ANCIENT  CLOCK   DIAL 7^ 

INSCRIPTION  ON   DIAL 7* 

REMAINS  OF  THE   ROOD 73 

ST.    GEORGE   AND  THE   DRAGON         -  -  -        74 


388 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAfiB 

ST.    CHRISTOPHER 75 

WROUGHT   IRON   TONGS 78 

IRON   WORK,  TOMB  OF  QUEEN   ELEANOR           -  79 

IRON   KEY   FROM    NETI.EY   ABBEY      -           -           -  79 

HENRY   VI. 'S   CRADLE 80 

THE  FIRST  IRON  BRIDGE  ERECTED  -  -  83 
CHOIR    OF    LICHFIELD  CATHEDRAL   [before   the 

Restoration) 94 

"queen        MARY's       CHAIR,"       WINCHESTER 

CATHEDRAL 95 

BRONZE  BALL 98 

WALL-1'AINTING  IN   RAUNDS  CHURCH      -           -  102 
ENTOMBMENT    OF    ST.    CATHARINE    OF    ALEX- 
ANDRIA            103 

hooker's   FARM,    WARNHAM    -           -           -           -  I08 

noah's  ark  inn,  lurgashall      -        -        -  109 

COB    irons no 

wooden  door-bolt ho 

flesh-fork -  1 10 

RACK Ill 

TOASTER-           - Ill 

WARMING-PANS 1 36 

CANDLESTICK 137 

RUSH-HOLDERS 137 

HANGING   CANDLESTICK 137 

KNIFE-BOXES 139 

"PRIDE   AND   THE   SEVEN   DEADLY   SINS  "         -  I46 

"THE  KINGS  OF  HADES "  ....  147 
INCISED  GRAVE-SLAB  OF  MARBLE,  CHURCH  OF 

ST.    FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI            ...           -  163 

PIECE  OF   TAPESTRY   OF   THE   PRODIGAL   SON  -  164 

BIBLE-BOX   AND   A   DESK              ....  173 

A   CABINET   AND   A   LOOKING-GLASS            -           -  I74 

THE   CHARMING    FLORIST            -           -           -           -  175 

BENCH-ENDS  AT  THORNHAM,  NORFOLK  -  x82 
GARGOYLE     FROM     THE     RUINED     TOWER     OF 

NORTH   WALSHAM   CHURCH,   NORFOLK            -  183 

STONE   FROM    LEWES   PRIORY   ....  183 

BOSS   FROM   ST.    MARY'S   OVERY           -           -           -  183 

GARGOYLE   AT   YATTON,   SOMERSET  -           -           -  1 84 

SAINT  BENEDICT  ABBAS  -  -  -  -  -  185 
SAXON      TOWER,      ST.      PETER's,      BARTON-ON- 

HUMBER 202 

PLAN   OF  THE   CAVE  AT   AIRLIE        -           -           -  2o6 

SECTIONS  OF  THE  CAVE  AT  AIRLIE  -  -  207 
FRAGMENTS      OF      LONG      PICTURE,      BURTON- 

LATIWER 211,  212 


PAGE 

PISTOL  WITH   DIAL 227 

LEVI -  235 

JUDAH 23s 

ZABULON 236 

A    MRDI.i;VAL   PONTIFICAL   GLOVE    -      '     -           -  243 
HEREFORD    CATHEDRAL    CHURCH  :     THE    OLD 

WEST   FRONT   AND   TOWER    -           -           -           -  254 
HEREFORD    CATHEDRAL    CHURCH:    THE    EAST 
END   OF   THE    CHOIR,   WITH    BISHOP    BISSE'S 

ALTAR-PIECE 255 

POWDER-TESTER    PISIOL    IN    THE    POSSESSION 

OF   MR.    W,    B.    REDFERN        ....  259 
THE   DAY  OF   DOOM  :    IRCHESTER      -           -           -  263 
,,                ,,              MEARS-ASHBY            -           -  265 
,,                ,,              ALL  saints',  HASTINGS-  266 
SAINTES   CATHEDRAL  :    THE  TOWER            -           -  268 
PLAN   OF   LANDGUARD   IN    1 534         ■           -           -  285 
THE   FORT   OF    I716             ....'.  286 
DUTCH  SCALING-LADDER  CAPTURED  AT   LAND- 
GUARD  JULY   2,    1667 287 

ST.    AUGUSTINE'S   CHAIR 29O 

DEDICATION   OF   A   CHURCH      ....  294 
FRAGMENTS   OF    A    PAINTING,    STRATFORD-ON- 
AVON    294 

THE   CRUCIFIXION,    STRATFORD-ON-AVON           •  295 

COATS  OF-ARMS,                     ,,                     ,,                      -  296 

PLAN  AND  CROSS-SECTION   OF  BORELAND  FORT  517 

BORELAND    MOTE,    BORGUE        -           -           -           -  318 

ROBERTON    MOTE 318 

UNDERGROUND   CHAMBER   AT   PENYFAI                -  323 

SOMERSBY   CHURCH    IN    181I    -           -           -           -  33O 

THE   GREAT   TOWER,    TATTERSHALL   CASTLE     -  33 1 

TATTERSHALL  CASTLE  :    A   FIREPLACE      -           -  332 
THE   SHIPWAY   CASE  : 

THE   ANDREWS   MONUMENT        .           -           -  345 

THE   BEAM   IN   THE   BELFRY       -           -           -  345 
THE    PARISH    CHEST,    WITH    HASP    LIFTED 

I'P 345 

THE   LEAD   COFFIN    INSCRIPTION         .           -  345 
GLASGOW   CATHEDRAL  :    THE  CHOIR,  LOOKING 

EAST 350 

NORTH    ENTRANCE    TO    FURNRSS   ABBEY,    LAN- 
CASHIRE           354 

CHOIR  OF  SOUTHWELL  MINSTER  (1865),  LOOK- 
ING WEST 358 

SEALS 368 

iHE   KEBUS   ILLUSTRATED         -           -        369,  370,  37I 


>:, 


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