gadock Church, with its once intended collegiate adjuncts, terminated the morning's proceedings. Llandeilo was reached by five o'clock, where an evening meeting was opened by a paper on Offa's and Wat's Dyke by the Rev. H. Longueville Jones. The former great earthwork extends from the estuary of the Dee to some place situated near the junction of the Severn and Wye; the other is of much less extent. Mr. Jones considers these dykes not as military defences, but merely as civil demarcations. They are not clearly made out towards their terminations, and until the publication of the Ordnance maps it was hardly possible to pursue them; but now local antiquaries, by the aid of those maps, may without difficulty, fill up the lacune in their several districts, and thus complete the whole track of the dykes.

Archdeacon Williams afterwards read a paper on Carngoch, being the second part of his treatise on that extensive town and fortress, the former having already appeared in the Journal of the Association. -The Archæologia Cambrensis.

On Saturday the Association was conducted by Earl Cawdor over Kidwelly Castle and Church, papers on which by Mr. Moggridge and Mr. T. Scott were read on the spot to large audiences. The members then finally separated. Next year's meeting will be held at Welshpool.

SOMERSETSHIRE ARCHEOLOGICAL AND

NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of this Society commenced at Dunster on Friday, the 21st August, under the presidency of Sir Walter C. Trevelyan, Bart.; who in his introductory address remarked on the recent important discovery at Taunton, at a depth of many feet, of the remains of a rhinoceros and other extinct animals, in connection with the trees of a forest in which they lived, these trees being of existing species, viz. oak, alder, hazell, &c. thus showing that the climate of the country when inhabited by the rhinoceros, bear, tiger, elephant, hyena, &c. was much the same as it is now. The honourable baronet expressed his pleasure to find that the committee had before them a scheme for collecting a series of Somersetshire rocks, and likewise the formation of a catalogue of books relating to the county. Much was to be done in both these departments that would considerably add to the historical interest associated with various localities; and, as regarded the rock specimens, much that would ultimately be of service in the advancement of agriculture. A discovery has been made in the Brendon Hills of a vast quantity of carbonate of iron. This metal has heretofore been ob

tained chiefly from Silesia, and is used for the manufacture of steel. The size of the vein in these hills is said to far exceed that in the continental mines, and the discovery promises to be of great value, the amount annually expended in the purchase of this description of iron being about three quarters of a million sterling.

The first paper read was a long architectural description by E. A. Freeman, esq. of Dunster church, which was one of those structures which formerly combined, in one building, distinct churches both for the friars and the parishioners. In this case both churches are preserved, but that formerly appropriated by the monastery is now only occupied by monuments. It was a Norman building, materially altered at the beginning of the 16th century, in consequence of a great dispute between the monastic and parochial clergy, which was settled in the year 1499.

The Rev. W. A. Jones, M.A. one of the secretaries, read a paper on the Remains of Ancient British Hut Circles on Croydon Hill, above Withycombe, described in Savage's Carhampton as two Druidic circles. The outline of several of the cabincircles is perfect; that of others is more or less obliterated; a great quantity of the stones having been used to drain the adjoining fields. The aspect and position of this village corresponds most fully with those in which the ancient British villages are found on the Dartmoor. It stands on a gentle slope, looking towards the southwest and sheltered by the hill behind from the cold winds of the north and north-east. Close by there is a spring of runningwater, and a little lower, in a deep ravine, flows the crystal stream which works the mills at Withycombe.

Although many hut circles are made exclusively of earth, yet it is found that stone was used in their construction wherever it was abundant. But while the lower part of the cabins was built of stone, the upper parts were constructed of more perishable materials, of wood, or wattling, covered with turf, or thatch. Judging from the allusions to British huts in Diodorus Siculus, and likewise from the illustrations of them given on the Antonine Column, the circular forms, which now alone remain, would seem to have been the base or foundations of dwellings of the description already referred to, with tapering roofs, and a hole at the top for the escape of smoke. In accordance with the plan on which these settlements appear to have been generally constructed, the huts, in this case, were built side by side in the circumference of a large circle. The huts themselves would seem to have been about 21 feet in diameter, and the

large circle including the whole settlement about 160 feet, which would give a circumference of about 480 feet.

The Rev. T. Hugo read a valuable paper "On the Charters and other Archives of Clive Abbey," which was one of the principal foundations belonging to the Cistercian order.

Dunster castle was partially opened to the inspection of the Society, and they dined at the Luttrell Arms. In the evening some other papers were read, chiefly bearing on the natural history of the county; of which the most important was one on the geological formations in the neighbourhood of Dunster, by the Rev. W. A. Jones. During the evening the President introduced three interesting manuscripts relative to the Luttrell family, which form part of the Trevelyan Papers, about to be published by the Camden Society.

The next day the party proceeded on an excursion to the following places:Carhampton, Old Cleeve church, Williton chapel, Cleeve Abbey, and Withycombe camp; and on Thursday they visited Minehead, Bracton Court, Lynch, Porlock, &c.

WILTSHIRE ARCHEOLOGICAL AND
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.

This society has held its third annual meeting at Chippenham : where the proceedings commenced on Tuesday Sept. 11, in the Town-hall, G. Poulet Scrope, esq., the President, being in the chair, supported by the Marquess of Lansdowne, the Patron of the Society. The Report stated the progress in number of members -there having been 137 at the Society's foundation at Devizes in 1853, 281 at Salisbury last year, and subsequent additions raising the admissions to 438. Deducting losses the existing number was 412, of whom 20 were life members.

The Rev. J. E. Jackson then read a paper on the history of Chippenham, a place which has hitherto been without an historian. After reviewing the primitive state of the forest country of Wiltshire, and noticing the traces of Roman occupation that have occurred at the neighbour ing parishes of Studeley, Box, and Colerne, he remarked that nothing Roman had ever been found at Chippenham. Its name was purely Saxon, signifying the market-village, and its first mention in history is as the site of a royal vill or hunting-lodge belonging to the Kings of Wessex. Here king Alfred lived, and here his sister was married; and hence the Danes drove him to the isle of Athelney. In 901 that monarch bequeathed the manor of Chippenham to his youngest

daughter for her life. At the Domesday survey its inhabitants were 600 or 700, and there were no less than twelve mills. The arable land was divided about 113 tenants, and there were 23 swineherds, occupying six square miles of wood in feeding their hogs. The royal manor was subsequently parcelled out into several portions, both to lay and ecclesiastical lords, the history of which Mr. Jackson traced in succession down to modern times. The town was first incorporated by Queen Mary in 1553, to be governed by a bailiff and twelve burgesses; but the officer bearing the title of bailiff, and who administered the manor under the Crown, occurs at a much earlier period. A mayor, aldermen, and councillors were first appointed under the recent Act for Municipal Reform. One of the first provisions of the charter of Mary was to maintain the causeway which still exists on the high road towards London. Mr. Jackson next described the church: and concluded with biographical notices of two remarkable natives of the town, Dr. Thomas Scott, an eminent divine, and Roderick Muggleton, the founder of the sect of Muggletonians.

The Rev. J. Wilkinson, of Broughton Giffard, then read an essay on Parochial Histories. His object was rather a statistical report of the present state of the country, than historical research; and he recommended such a task especially to the resident clergy, stating that such a scheme had the warm approval of the Bishop of the diocese, who had already secured the co-operation of all the Archdeacons and Rural Deans. He detailed, by way of example, the history of the Statistical Survey of Scotland, first performed at the commencement of the present century, under the superintendence of the General Assembly, and reviewed after the lapse of thirty years, and republished, in fifteen imperial octavo volumes, 1831-54.

The dinner was held at the Angel inn, where H. A. Merewether, esq. Q.C. Recorder of Devizes, was in the chair, and 150 persons were present.

The Rev. Arthur Fane read a paper on the fine church of Edington, which stands about four miles from Westbury, at the foot of Salisbury Plain. Some account of it was given in our Magazine for Sept. 1846. It was rebuilt by bishop Edington, the predecessor of William of Wykeham at Winchester, in the rich and massive style of that transitional period of architecture. He founded here a college of Bonhommes,--one of only two houses of that rule in England, the other being at Ashridge in Buckinghamshire. The architectural features of the church were minutely described by Mr. Fane: as were

the most remarkable sepulchral monu. ments, viz. that of an unnamed ecclesiastic; that of Sir Edward Lewys and his lady, presenting two beautiful effigies, of the reign of Charles I.; and a fine work by Chantrey, representing the late Sir Simon Taylor, Bart.

H. A. Merewether, esq. Q.C. then gave a popular review of the history of the abbeys of Lacock and Stanley, and of the priory of Lockswell,- subjects which occupied the pen of the late Rev. Wm. Lisle Bowles in his Histories of Bremhill and Lacock.

On the following day excursions were made to Lacock abbey, Bromham church (where there is a very curious chantry chapel of the Beauchamps lords St. Amand, subsequently occupied by the Bayntons), and to the mansion of Bowood, where the Marquess of Lansdowne in person entertained a very large company in a tent pitched on his lawn. The picturegallery at Corsham-house was also opened to the excursionists by Lord Methuen: and a different party visited Draycote church, and were entertained at Draycote house, the mansion of Viscount Wellesley.

In the evening the Mayor of Chippenham, Mr. Broome Penniger, gave a conversazione in the Town-hall, and two lectures were read. The first was by the Rev. W. Bingham, of St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, on Sculpture in connexion with Religion; and the second by John Lambert, esq. of Salisbury, "On the Music of the Middle Ages, especially in relation to its Rythm and Mode of Execution." The latter, after referring to various publications on Ancient Music recently issued from the continental press, shewing the interest taken by foreign archæologists in this subject, which had hitherto been neglected in England, proceeded to give a short sketch of the early introduction of music into the Christian Church, and of its successive developments until it assumed a regular sytematic form, being the same in principle throughout the whole of the Medieval period, but more or less varied in detail at different times. He next described the source from which its scales were taken, and the peculiarities of each; and then alluded to the various kinds of notation which had been used-1. By letters of the alphabet. 2. By neumes, or signs resembling somewhat the characters of short-hand. And 3. By the stave of four lines, invented by Guido. But the main feature of the paper was the explanation of the principles upon which the lecturer conceived the Rythm of the Mediæval music to be founded. After quoting a catena of authorities during the last three centuries, who affirmed that it consisted of notes of equal length, he pro

ceeded to shew, by referring to the prevalence of the rhythmical sentiment through out nature, the high place music held in the University courses of the time, by the testimony of the early Greek and Latin authors, and by a series of quotations from Guido's Micrologus, written in the 11th century, and from other medieval writers, that it must have been essentially rhythmical in all its divisions. Having established this point, he went on to explain the rules upon which the various musical phrases were constructed, illustrating what he said by the performance of a number of beautiful melodies selected from the Directorium Chori, a MS. of the 13th century, in the library of Salisbury Cathedral; the Antiphonarium, an illuminated MS. of the 14th century, bequeathed by the late Bishop of Salisbury to the Dean and Chapter; and the Sarum Hymnal, printed at Cologne

in 1525.

The next day another excursion was made to Castle Combe, where the Society

was

entertained by its President, Mr. Poulet Scrope. The opportunity was taken to open two ancient earthworks. One was Hubba's low, at Allington, which, by a tradition at least as old as Leland's time, was ascribed to the burial of a Danish leader, killed in the reign of king Alfred. It was found to have been much disturbed at some former time, but to have consisted originally of several cells; and was supposed by Dr. Thurnham, of Devizes, to have been a British tumulus, formed long before the Danish invasion. The other site of exploration was Lugbury, near the Foss road. This tumulus was found to contain a cairn, remarkable for the great number of chambers of which it had consisted. Beside the arrangement of a central line, and branches at the eastern end, there were others to the right and left, and each chamber contained three, four or five skeletons. There was also a remarkable trilithon, which it is thought may have been employed for sacrificial purposes. From the absence of any traces of the metallurgic arts, Dr. Thurnham pronounced this monument to be of very great antiquity,-probably four or five centuries before Christ.

THE LEICESTERSHIRE ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

The first general annual meeting of this Society was held at Leicester on the 10th September, E. B. Hartopp, esq. of Old Dalby Hall, presiding. The Report announced that the Society consisted of ninety-six members.

The first paper read was by the Rev. J. M. Gresley, of Overseal, on Crowland abbey. It was formed of materials chiefly

selected from the unpublished papers of Dr. Stukeley. Mr. James Thompson remarked that it was generally supposed that one of the hundreds of Leicestershire, Guthlaxton, was named after Guthlac, the patron saint of Crowland: and that it would be an interesting object to ascertain whether that was the case, and generally the origin of the names of the several hundreds.

Mr. James Thompson then read some remarks on the Early Heraldry of Leicestershire. The first bearing, or badge, of the Norman Earls of Leicester was a cinquefoil, and from that the feudal heraldry of their retainers was chiefly formed. It was found (among others) in the coats of Astley, Martivall, Moton (from whom it descended to Vincent), the original coat of Villiers, and Hamilton,-a family which, originating from the small manor of Hambleton, lying between Barkby and Humberstone, in Leicestershire, had attained to the rank of the second family in Scotland, and to ducal honours both in that country and in France. Sir Gilbert de Hamilton, the progenitor of all the Scotish Hamiltons, fled thither on having slain a member of the Despenser family in the reign of Edward II. Other feudal coats, as the chevrons of Orreby, Kerriel, and Charnel, were derived from the house of Albini, lord of Belvoir. The Bellers copied the lion of Mowbray, and the Flamvilles the maunche of Hastings. Mr. Thompson afterwards noticed the allusive, or canting, coats of the county; the historical coat of Manners: and others of more or less interest.

The Rev. John Denton read an architectural description of Howden church, Yorkshire; and T. R. Potter, esq. of Wimeswold, read a paper on Ulvescroft Priory.

On the following day an excursion was made to Kirby Muxloe castle, the Roman encampment at Ratby, Groby castle, the ruins of Bradgate, Ulvescroft, and Rothley Temple.

ESSEX ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Aug. 30. The annual general meeting of this Society was held at Colchester Castle, John Disney, esq. D.C.L. F.S.A. President, in the chair. The Report announced the discovery of Roman remains at Colchester, White Notley, Copford, Aldham, Brainend, Coggeshall, and in making the Southend railway; and stated that the first volume of the Society's Proceedings is now passing through the press. The President, who had held that office for four years, from the institution of the Society, intimated his desire to withdraw from that office; whereupon the Hon. R. C. Neville, eldest son of Lord Braybrooke, was unanimously elected. The GENT. MAG. VOL. XLIV.

first paper read was by the Rev. Henry Jenkins, of Stanway, on the traditions and history of Colchester Castle. It was followed by a paper written by the Rev. Mr. King, on the armorial bearings of the town of Colchester. Dr. Duncan read a paper upon St. John's Abbey, Colchester, and explained a variety of Roman remains and other archæological curiosities exhibited on the table. The Rev. E. L. Cutts then accompanied the visitors over the castle; after which they proceeded on a tour through the town to inspect St. Botolph's Priory, St. John's abbey gate, the Saxon tower of Holy Trinity, the Balkerne Gate and City Wall, &c. At the Holy Trinity a paper by G. E. Laing, esq. (already published in the Journal of the British Archæological Association) was read, in which it is remarked that this building is the sole relic of Saxon construction in the ancient kingdom of Essex. Mr. Rickman was misled by the outward appearance of the tower as to the extent of its antiquity; the whole is of one date, to within a few feet of the cornice, but had been concealed by roughcast. Since Mr. Laing's paper was published this plaster covering has been removed, and the Saxon workmanship fully brought to light.

YORKSHIRE ARCHITECTURAL SOCIETY.

Aug. 28. A general meeting of this society was held at Pontefract. The members assembled at the ruined church of All Saints, and thence proceeded to the Castle, where the various subterranean passages were explored, and the other remains duly examined. They next visited the parish church; and then an underground chapel, which was discovered during the course of last year beneath Southgate. It is entirely hewn out of the solid rock, and still retains its stone altar. At its side is a fireplace, and in communication with it is a well, approached by a winding stair of great depth, cut into the rock. It is supposed that this was in former days the dwelling-place of a recluse or anchorite.

At one o'clock a meeting was held in the large room of the Elephant Hotel, and the chair was taken by Major Waud, of Manston Hall, near Leeds. The Rev. R. E. Batty, incumbent of Wragby, read a paper upon the priory of St. Oswald, at Nostel. This was followed by one from the Rev. A. Gatty, Vicar of Ecclesfield, on the "Ecclesiastical Bell." Immediately after the meeting, an excursion was made to Birkin Church, a small apsidal church of Norman character, and of great magnificence: on their route the party inspected the site of St. John's Priory, the ruins of New Hall, and the Stump Cross. 3 H

At seven o'clock the members dined together.

On the following day the party left Pontefract, and first proceeded to Wragby Church, which has lately been enriched with a considerable quantity of stained glass of foreign workmanship, by Charles Winn, esq. of Nostel Priory. Here they were met by Mr. Winn, who first kindly conducted them to examine the few remaining fragments of the ruins of Nostel, and then invited them to see the famous picture, by Holbein, of the family of Sir Thomas More, and the other beautiful examples of art which are preserved in the present mansion. Leaving Nostel, the party then went to Ackworth, where the church has lately been almost entirely re-built in a most satisfactory manner by the rector, the Rev. J. Kenworthy; who read a paper on its past and present state, by J. N. Hugall, esq. architect. The churches of Badsworth, Kirk Smeaton, Womersley, and Darrington were afterwards visited.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ARCHITECTURAL

AND ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

In August this Society had a pleasant meeting at Buckingham, when an excursion was made to Maid's Moreton Church, and a conversazione was held in the town hall of Buckingham, under the direction of Sir Harry Verney, Bart. where a paper was read by the Rev. W. J. Burgess, entitled, "Notes of Roman Interments in Britain, as introductory to the description of the sepulchral remains found near Weston Turville." On the following morning an excursion party visited Hillesden Church, about four miles from Buckingham; and in the evening Mr. H. Hearn read the second part of a paper on "The Modern History of Church Bells," written by the Rev. R. E. Batty; and the first part of a paper on "The Ancient History of Church Bells." Captain Burgess then made sundry explanations as to the manner in which a certain sum of money had been expended in opening mounds at Hampden. They had not as yet been successful in finding any articles of interest. At Little Kemble, Bucks, some tessellated tiles had been found, and it was thought that others would also be discovered were diligent search made.

THE TEMPLE OF THE GREAT SPHINX.

In the papers of Caviglia (preserved at Florence) it was found by Mr. Cotterell, in 1833, that the former investigator, in making excavations behind the Great Sphinx, had discovered two chambers, which contained hieroglyphic inscriptions. On the suggestion of Mr. Birch of the British Museum, and M. de Rouge, the

Duc de Luynes instructed M. Auguste Mariette to pursue this interesting object of research, at the expense of the French Government. M. Mariette has accomplished the laying bare of the Sphinx. It proved to be a natural rock, out of which the art of the ancient Egyptians, perfecting perhaps some rude natural resemblance, had formed a statue of the god Horus ; and the temple in which the colossal image was worshipped has been discovered at the south-east of the statue. This temple was an enormous quarried inclosure, comprehending various chambers or galleries formed of gigantic blocks of alabaster and granite. It is completely destitute of hieroglyphic inscriptions, like the majority of the monuments of the more ancient Pharaohs, and dates back, to all appearance, to the fourth dynasty. The workmen who sculptured the head of the Sphinx blocked up the large natural cavities, and modelled the forms with masonry. The Colossus stood at the bottom of a kind of fosse, whose walls were at a distance of twenty metres from its sides. M. Mariette supposes that the water of the Nile was admitted into this fosse. In order to descend into the fosse, the Greeks at a later period constructed some steps, which were discovered by Caviglia. On the right side of the Sphinx, M. Mariette has found a colossal statue of Osiris, formed of twentyeight pieces, according with the number of portions into which, according to the Egyptian mythology, the body of Osiris was divided. The full dimensions of the Sphinx have been obtained; its height is nearly twenty metres. In the back and towards the tail of the statue M. Mariette has recognised the vertical pits, already noted by Vansleb and Pococke, who thought that it might be possible to penetrate by them into apartments supposed to exist in the interior of the statue. These pits, on being carefully explored, present a chamber, rudely chiselled, which in reality is only a natural fissure artificially enlarged. In this chamber were some fragments of wood, which, on being burnt, exhaled a strong odour of resin-a fact which leads to the belief that the wood formed part of a sarcophagus.

It had been supposed that, anciently, the whole statue was painted red ; but there was nothing found to indicate that this was really the case. The face of the figure alone was covered with this colour at a period subsequent to Rameses the Great ; for on the beard was painted an act of worship of the date of this Pharaoh, over which the red had been applied. Greek inscriptions found near the steps inform us that the colossus bore the name of Harmachis, the meaning of which is supposed to be the God Horus or Sun on the Horizon.