vered. That in such cases it is highly desirable that some change in the law should be made, so as to avert this destruction of valuable archæological evidences, without infringing on the sacred rights of property.

That your Petitioners humbly pray that these matters may be submitted to a committee especially appointed for that purpose, or that they may be granted such relief as to your honourable houses may seem meet.

He was glad to observe that the subject of Treasure Trove had been discussed in an intelligent manner in Mr. Fenwick's able paper on the subject, and in a valuable and sensible paper in the Gateshead Obscrver.*

The various resolutions of thanks were then passed, and it was agreed that the next annual meeting should be held in the city of Chichester.

The Temporary Museum formed at this meeting excited the admiration of those who had not seen those of previous years, alike for its beauty, interest, and extent; though in the latter respect it has been exceeded in the number of articles. The arranged collection of weapons and other antiquities of the various primeval periods was very complete and among the more striking objects were, the fine collection of Limoges enamels belonging to Mr. Hailstone and Mr. Hawkins; many interesting examples of fictile ware contributed by Mr. Franks; the Roman lanx of silver found at Corbridge, belonging to the Duke of Northumberland; the nautilus cup; the Becket grace-cap; and pastoral staff of carved ivory, (all engraved in Scott's Antiquarian Gleanings,) exhibited by Mr. Howard of Corby. Besides these there were some remarkable tapestry hangings, ecclesiastical vestments, and other specimens of embroidery.

BRITISH ARCHEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION.

This Association assembled for their annual meeting at Newark on Monday the 16th August. The presidency was undertaken by the Duke of Newcastle, who took the chair in the Town-hall at 8 p.m. The proceedings commenced by the Mayor reading a congratulatory address, welcoming the Association to the town, to which the Duke of Newcastle replied, and then delivered an introductory discourse, on the objects of the Association, and the peculiar antiquarian claims of the locality.

The first paper read was by J. M. Gutch, esq. F.S.A. on Robin Hood and the Ballads. This consisted chiefly of a

* We may also refer to the letter signed J. R. in our Magazine for May last, p. 480. It appears evident that, in most cases where the claim has been asserted, it could not be legally sustained, if manfully resisted.

recapitulation of the arguments contained in the recent essay by Mr. Hunter, the principal of which were given in our August number, p. 160.

Mr. Pettigrew next read some observations on the same subject written by J. O. Halliwell, esq. F.R.S. who acknowledges that he is not convinced by the discoveries made by Mr. Hunter in the Exchequer records, and considers his quotations of parallel incidents in the ballads as "coincidences forced and unlikely." Mr. Halliwell gives it as his opinion that "the very utmost that can be credited is the possibility of there having existed towards the close of the thirteenth century an outlaw of the name of Robin Hood, and that by some accidental circumstances his name became involved in numerous romantic stories of archery and the forest, and a subject which the ballad-writers of the succeeding centuries adopted and appropriated at their pleasure . . In all probability he was a mythic personage, and the conjecture that the name was merely a corruption of Robin of the Wood is by no means an improbable one.”

Sir Fortunatus Dwarris, F.R.S. read an essay on the forest laws, courts of customs, and chief justices in eyre, North and South of Trent; which terminated the proceedings of the evening.

The next day was occupied by an excursion to Thurgarton Priory, and Nottingham, where the party was received in the Exchange Hall by the Mayor and Corporation. J. R. Planché, esq. F.S.A. read a paper on the Peverels lords of Nottingham, and their successors of the family of Ferrers. It is impossible to form a summary of its contents, more particularly as it consisted rather of objections to the statements of former writers than of ascertained facts; but Mr. Planché stated that Dugdale and other genealogists have made four Earls of Ferrers out of two, and three Earls of Nottingham instead of one.

Visits were afterwards made to the subterranean caves of Nottingham, to St. Mary's church, the Castle, and Newstead Abbey, where T. J. Pettigrew, esq. F.R.S. read a paper on the history of that religious foundation, and of the mansion which bas taken its place.

On Wednesday, Aug. 18, an excursion was made to Worksop priory church and Clumber House, and at an evening meeting in the Townhall at Newark were read three papers: 1. On early Burial-places in Nottinghamshire, by Mr. Thomas Bateman, being chiefly a resumé of discoveries made in past times. 2. On some Sepulchral Urns found at Newark; by the Rev. George Milner. This discovery had also been previously published; and the urns

On the ancient Customs and Sports of Nottinghamshire, by Mr. Llewelyn Jewitt. These did not appear, from the writer's account, to differ materially from those in other parts of the country. 4. On paintings found in the church of St. John at Winchester (already noticed in p. 295.)

On the 19th August an excursion was made to Lincoln; where Mr. M. O'Con. nor read a paper on the Painted Glass in the cathedral. In the evening a meeting was held at Newark, at which Mr. Haggard read a paper on the Siege Pieces struck at Newark; Mr. C. Wilkes a paper On the Churches of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire; and Mr. Heywood a paper written by the Rev. J. F. Dimock, On the Collegiate. Church of Southwell.

Friday was spent chiefly in visits to the churches and castle of Newark, and to Southwell, when Mr. Ashpitel explained the architectural peculiarities of the minster. In the evening about 100 dined together at the Town-hall of Newark.

On Saturday the mayor and corporation gave a breakfast to the members and visitors at the Town-hall, after which votes of thanks were passed, and the ninth congress of the Association closed with the reading of a paper by Mr. Saull, F.S.A. on the Roman road leading from Winchester to Old Sarum, and on some earth-works contiguous to it.

CAMBRIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL

ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of this institution took place at Ludlow in the week commencing on Monday the 23rd of August, The Hon. R. H. Clive, M.P. took the chair as President, and commenced the proceedings by an able review of the most interesting antiquities in the vicinity.

On Tuesday an excursion was made to the interesting ruins of Stokesay Castle, constructed in 1291, and a very early example of the union of domestic with castellated architecture; to the British camp of Bury Ditches; to the castle and church of Clun; and to Hopton Castle. At an evening meeting a communication was read from Mr. Joseph Morris, of Shrewsbury, detailing the genealogy of the ancient Salopian house of FitzGuarine or Warren; and it was followed by an important paper on the Permanence of Races, chiefly in reference to Great Britain, by Jelinger C. Symons, esq. Government Inspector of Workhouse Schools. The latter, and the discussion to which it gave rise, would

occupy more space than we have now at our disposal; and we shall therefore notice them more fully another month.

Mr. Wynne gave an account of excavations which he had caused to be made at Bere Castle, commonly called Berllan. It was built by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, was from 500 to 600 feet long, and nearly 150 wide. Among the remains found were arrow-heads; a spear with a hook at the back, as if to pull a rider off his horse; a great number of pieces of green glazed pottery; and a silver coin of the reign of Edward I. since the close of whose reign the castle has been unoccupied. The walls were plastered, the colour being pink, as at Stokesay Castle. Probably that colour was fashionable in the reign of Edward I. as was green with golden stars in the reign of Edward III. They had found in the excavations a great number of animal bones, some of which had been pronounced to be those of the red deer, and others of wild oxen. Some of the bones had been sawn across as though for cooking; but he believed that many of them had been accumulated in consequence of the ruins having become a lair for wild animals.

On Wednesday, Aug. 25, an excursion was made to the church of Stanton Lacy, portions of which display the pilaster strips characteristic of Saxon work: the priory church of Bromfield; and the "Druidical oaks" of Oakley Park, some of which measure 18, 20, and 23 feet in girth at four or five feet from the ground. They are of the species known as Quercus pedunculata. The party were there entertained to luncheon by Mr. and Lady Harriet Clive at their mansion.

In the afternoon a meeting was held at Ludlow, at which E. Rogers, esq. of Stanage Park, read a paper on Deposits of Gold and Silver Coin in Wales. He introduced the subject by affirming that no battle seems ever to have taken place in Wales properly so called, that is, Wales within the Marches. It was the constant practice of the Welsh to retreat as their foes advanced, and to content themselves with annoying their adversaries from the hills and fastnesses in which they secreted themselves. The deposits of gold and silver coin found in Wales are not of early date; and Mr. Rogers suggested that they were not made by the Welsh themselves, but by persons who were driven, or escaped, across the marches, during the civil commotions of the adjoining counties of England: and he considered that historical light would be thrown on those commotions, if the deposits, as discovered, were accurately examined and the dates of the coins compared with such events. For instance, two gold angels of Henry VI.

re

were found, with many other coins, in Kinnersley Wood, near Knighton, which may have been secreted by some timid or cautious Lancastrian. In 1830, in the wood of Coed Ditton, near Stow hill, on removing a shattered piece of bark from the stump of a tree, several silver coins fell out the only three which were secured for the lord of the manor were a Dublin penny of Edward I. and two of Alexander of Scotland. From this circumstance Mr. Rogers inferred that the deposit must have been made by a soldier of Edward's who had been to Ireland and Scotland.-Mr. Wright remarked that the burying of money was a common way of hoarding it during the middle ages. It was the custom for bankers to do so with their hoards; and the histories of the middle ages are full of anecdotes illustrative of the practice. He thought that it was very seldom that those hoards were deposited by any one except those who resided on the spot. The finding of English and Scotch coins together proved nothing, as the coins passed in both countries. Viscount Dungannon marked that he could readily understand that private individuals, during troubled times, might bury money or valuables. In his own time, an iron chest, containing his family plate, was dug up from beneath a pigeon-house, where it had been buried by an ancestor of his during the Parliamentary war. But that was a very different thing from merchants and bankers doing so. On the other hand, it is very reasonable that persons who had become possessed of property by plunder, finding their tenure uncertain, should bury it, and, from their not returning to the spot, nor intrusting the secret to any one, the deposit should remain until accidentally discovered.-Rev. John Webb observed that, as the progresses of Henry II. through Wales would be much like the raids of Murad Bey in Algeria, it could not be expected that there would be many memorials of his triumphs erected by the inhabitants. He had, however, heard that a stone had been found set up with the inscription "Hic fuit victor Heraldus." Now a victory could scarcely be claimed without a battle. Probably some gentleman might be able to furnish some information on the subject of King Henry's victory.--Viscount Dungannon replied that there had been a very serious battle fought near Chirk castle. The Welsh, who lay in ambush, attacked the army of Henry while they were in the vale, and something nearly approaching a pitched battle was fought. The Welsh usually made sudden attacks from ambush. The result of this encounter convinced Henry that he must

adopt different measures. He seemed to have thought it an easy matter to subdue wild mountaineers, but he found his mistake. Mr. Moggridge, in addressing himself to the remarks as to the hiding of money and valuables, quoted the habits of the people of Gower. So frequently were they plundered by the Welsh chiefs, (who usually finished their expeditions by ravaging Gower,) and by pirates, that upon the first alarm people were in the habit of hiding not only valuables but also the utensils of their kitchens. He had met with a man who stated that this was done by his grandfather. One particular article, a brass pan, which he had seen, had been buried in that way five or six times. He had never heard of the higher classes doing so; whether it was that they were more enlightened, or that they were better able to defend themselves, he did not know. Another fact, which he was bound to mention, went rather against the view which he took of the hoards of which they had heard. A considerable quantity of gold in the shape of ingots was found buried in a deserted chapel. That would seem to have been deposited by some person in trade. Gold would probably not have come into the possession of people living in that district in the shape of ingots.

R. K. Penson, esq. then read a paper descriptive of the architecture of Ludlow Church, and the remainder of the afternoon was spent in examining the church itself, and the ruins of the Castle.

At an evening meeting Mr. Moggridge described a cruciform mound at Margam in Glamorganshire; and Viscount Dungannon read an account of excavations which he has recently caused to be made at Valle Crucis abbey, Denbighshire. Several objects of interest were discovered, and among them a tomb, the inscription of which bore the very early date of 1292. His Lordship, before concluding his paper, expressed a hope that the noble owner of Ludlow Castle (Earl Powis) would permit excavations to be made therein; and the President said he should convey the suggestion to the proper quarter, and there was no doubt that such excavations would be permitted.

The Rev. John Webb then read an account of the Roll of the Household Expenses of Richard Swinfield, bishop of Hereford in 13 Edw. I. which he is now editing for the Camden Society.

The next day was occupied by an excursion to Brampton Brian, Coxwall Knoll, the Gaer Ditches (sites connected with the defeat of Caractacus as hereafter noticed), and to Stanage Park, where the company were entertained by Mr. Rogers. At an

evening meeting E. A. Freeman, esq. read an architectural memoir on Leominster Priory Church.

Sir Roderick Murchison then delivered an interesting address on "The Geological Structure of the District." Having 21 years ago directed his attention to some very important facts, with which the Ludlow rocks were intimately connected, he had experienced some difficulty in choosing a suitable name for the formation, but at length he had chosen that of "Silurian." He considered that, from the bravery of Caractacus and the Silures in this district, the rocks would be appropriately named after that people. The name of one part of the system, "Caradoc sandstone," too, he considered an improvement upon its former name of mudstone. In the Silurian rocks there exists the most remarkable feature in the world-a bed of the bones of small fishes, some of the oldest fishes ever discovered in the crusts of the world. In his further researches upon this subject, when in Russia, Bohemia, and Scandinavia, he had discovered no traces of animals below those rocks. There were sedimentary series, of thousands of feet in thickness, not at all crystalised. He next adverted to the period of the first formation of oxydised crusts found upon shells of shell-fish-the first-created types of life. He must not be understood to be of the same opinion as the author of "Vestiges of the Natural History of the Creation." In the Woolhope section, geologically, there were grand phenomena connected with those old rocks. It had pleased Omniscience to break up the older rocks and interstrew them with metals. Gold was found in crystalised rocks, and that description of rocks was found in Merionethshire and Carmarthenshire. At one period, had anybody said there were good building stones in the Caradoc rocks, he would have been deemed a maniac. At Acton Burnell, in one of the oldest rocks in the globe, was the best building stone found. This was the Caradoc rock. The qualities of the old red sandstone, of which the keep of Ludlow Castle was built, as a building-stone, were next noticed, and various sections of these rocks were shown by a diagram which had been prepared for the occasion. The next part of Sir Roderick's remarks referred to "The Last Battle of Caractacus." Sir Roderick, in approaching this question, said that he had served as a soldier, and from his own experience he was led to differ in opinion with those who thought that Coxwall Knoll was the place where the great battle was fought. It was improbable that so wily a warrior as Caractacus should have staked, upon such an insulated spot, a

battle which would decide the fate of Britain. Caractacus had no doubt led his men along the Teme about three miles from Knighton, and probably the point where the battle seriously began was upon those magnificent terraces over Stowe-hill. He believed that Gaer Ditches was the place where Caractacus's wife and children were detained, and where they were taken captive. He had formed this opinion from a consideration of the ground: it was the best battle-ground that could be found in the whole of the Silurian range. He thought the front and flank attack were made from some hills around Bucknell and Stowe-hill. In all Celtic countries, where a man had done something on a hill, the transaction was marked in some manner; and hence, looking at that fact, the name Caradoc given to those hills was an illustration of the event happening thereon.-Mr. James Davies, of Hereford, observed that several places had been named by authors as the scene of these battles. Mr. Duncumb, in his Herefordshire History, names Coxwall Knoll; Humphrey Llwyd fixes upon Caer Ddynod, an opinion in which the late Rev. Jonathan Williams coincided; whilst Mr. Ffoulkes, at the Dolgelly Meeting of the Association, endeavoured to prove that the Breiddyn were the hills which were connected with this inglorious conquest. As regarded Coxwall Knoll, it appeared to him that, as the Romans were stationed in Brandon Camp, that encampment was attacked, and a retreat was probably made to the Gaer Dykes, which lies a little to the north, where the final defeat took place; so that both places are intimately connected with the warfare, and more in correspondence with the words of Tacitus than any of the other vicinities which have attracted the notice of the antiquary.— Thomas Allen, esq. said that a friend of his, Mr. Pidgeon, of Shrewsbury, had forwarded him a paper to read to the meeting, in which he endeavoured to prove that Cefn-y-Castell or Middletown Hill, on the borders of Shropshire and Montgomeryshire, was the site, but at that late period of the evening he should refrain from reading it, but he would observe that the words of Tacitus were applicable to other places besides Coxwall.

Mr. Wright argued, that there were no facts before them for fixing the precise spot of this battle, and was of opinion that the preceding speakers might be right or might be wrong. He then proceeded at some length to offer suggestions towards a more careful and rational classification of ancient earthworks, pointing out how dangerous it is to pronounce capriciously this a British and that a Roman camp with

out any evidence.-The President thought there was no question of the battle being fought in this country. He had been disposed to consider that Coxwall Knoll was the place; but, from what had been brought before them, he must confess his opinion had undergone a change. When he looked at the situation it was impossible to think that so small a surface as Coxwall Knoll could have withstood the enemy, whereas Caer Caradoc provided the means of defence and retreat.

On Friday, the 29th Aug. an ecclesiological excursion was made to Leominster Church, Shobdon, Mortimer's Cross, Wigmore Church, Castle, and Grange, Aston, and Ludlow. At Leominster Mr. Freeman explained the various points of that fine Norman structure to which he had alluded in his lecture.

In the evening, J. O. Morgan, esq. of Aberystwith, read a paper on "The History of the Parish of Carno, Montgomeryshire."

Mr. Wright next addressed the meeting on "The Municipal Records of Ludlow." He stated that these records, which were carried to London in consequence of a Chancery suit some years ago, were among the most interesting and valuable documents of the kind he had ever seen. He had been told that some of the parties concerned in the suit had a lien upon them, and refused to let them go until the payment of a debt; and that the corporation of Ludlow did not consider them worth the expense of buying. This he did not believe, and he could hardly think that any one had the power to detain public records of this character from their right repository. If the town recovered its records, he would himself, at his own expense, visit Ludlow for a week or fortnight, and arrange and catalogue them, so as to make them worthy of the town which possessed them. -The Rev. J. Phillips, Rector of Ludlow, thanked Mr. Wright, on the part of the townsmen, for the manner in which he had brought this matter forward, and for the generous offer with which he had concluded his observations.-The President said he was a member of the old corporation, and he believed the records were imperfect, having been partly destroyed by fire; and, though he knew their importance, he feared they might fall short of what was expected.-Mr. Wright said that he spoke of the records as they now existed in chests, in the cellars of the court of the Master in Chancery. He considered them, as a collection, more perfect than usual. The destruction by fire mentioned by the President, he thought must have occurred to some other docu

ments. He had caused some inquiries to be made in London, in the quarter where the greatest opposition to their return was said to have arisen, and he was inclined to think that those who made the opposition might easily be induced to withdraw it. Some members of the corporation, who were present, having promised that that body would take up the matter and enter into communication with Mr. Wright on the subject, it was allowed to drop.

The

M. Moggridge, esq. made some remarks upon a singular custom which formerly existed in Wales in connection with deceased persons, and which he had recently discovered was noticed in an old work as being prevalent in the neighbourhood of Ross, in Herefordshire. custom was this: When a person died, a man known by the name of "the SinEater was called in, who placed upon the corpse a platter containing a loaf of bread and some salt; the sin-eater afterwards ate the bread, and in doing so was supposed to take upon himself the sins of the deceased person. -The Rev. J. B. James reminded the meeting of the origin of this custom - the scape-goat.-Mr. Symons wished to understand distinctly whether this custom still prevailed, and if so, to what extent. It was to be hoped that, for the credit of religion in this country, the custom was extinct.

On Saturday the meeting was closed with an excursion to Caynham Camp, Titterstone Clee Hall, and Whitton Court. It is arranged that next year's meeting shall be held at Brecon.

DISCOVERY OF ROMAN COFFINS AT BATH.

In

On the 10th Sept, while workmen were excavating the road at the top of Russellstreet, Bath, for the purpose of enlarging the sewer, they discovered four stone coffins, with the heads lying to the northeast. One, the smallest, had no lid; the others were covered. They were disposed in pairs; the upper ones nearly parallel, side by side, about two feet apart; the lower pair about a yard distant: lying immediately above these was a skeleton. the first coffin was found a skeleton of large size; in the next two skulls, with various bones; the small coffin contained no skull, but loose bones. One of the coffins was preserved untouched, and afterwards examined by Dr. Falconer, Messrs. Gore, Bagshawe, and E. Hunt. It was covered with a regularly adjusted lid, not with a plain slab as was the case with the others, being bevelled off at the foot to allow the cover to fit more closely; the upper end of the lid seemed to have been slightly lifted up. The coffin was full of a soft clayey earth, with two human ver