Brachypodium pinnatum (Beauv.), Spiked Fescue Grass. Local; a large patch in a field near Fairway, Great Bedwyn, conspicuous from its yellow-green colour; it occurs in the Forest, in a small depression in the chalk near Braydon Oak.

Nardus stricta (Linn.). Mat Grass. Not common; a patch in a heathy field near Burridge Heath; also growing rather sparingly near Stype Wood.

FERNS.

Blechnum Spicant (With.). Hard Fern. Not uncommon in woods on the Tertiary outliers, but not on the chalk; particularly abundant in a small valley on the Reading sands in Chisbury Wood.

Asplenium Adiantum-nigrum (Linn.). Black Spleenwort.

Generally

very rare in the district but common in the brickwork of the bridges over the canal near Great Bedwyn.-A Trichomanes (Linn.). Maidenhair Spleenwort. A fern that grew in the churchyard wall at Great Bedwyn, where it appears to be extinct.

Athyrium Filix-fæmina (Roth.). Lady Fern. woods.

Rather common in the

Ceterach officinarum (Willd.). Scale Fern. Very rare; in fair quantity in the brickwork of a bridge over the canal between Great Bedwyn and Crofton; on the Somerset Hospital at Froxfield; it has occurred in the brickwork of a lock-pound on the canal.

Phyllitis Scolopendrium (Newm.). Hart's Tongue. Very rare; in a brick shaft at Dod's Down; on a bank by the Shalbourne Stream, near Shalbourne.

Polystichum aculeatum (Roth.). Prickly Shield Fern. In hedges and in the ramparts at Chisbury Camp, the only station near here.

Lastrea montana (T. Moore). Sweet Mountain Fern. In small quantity in two localities near London Ride in the Forest; this fern may possibly have given its name to Savernake Forest, for Mr. Maurice Adams writes in "Sylvan Savernake" :-" As to the origin of the name Savernake' opinions differ. Some, as Fuller, Camden, and others, considered it to have reference to an old Cornish word, 'savarn,' signifying 'savour,'" and that the name was given to the district from the fact that a sweetsmelling fern known as the Polypodium fragrans was occasionally found here. Aubrey's allusion to this is in the following terms :-" Dr. Fuller also makes mention of a sweet fern which growes in this forest, which the Vicar here tells me he hath seen and smelt; it is like other fern" ("other fern" probably refers to bracken and Lastrea Filix-mas) "but not so bigge. He knows not where about it grows but promised to make enquiry." To this statement he appends the memorandum "Send also to Mr. Bird of Stock for some." To the view that the name Savernake is thus derived it has been objected that the fern in question is not by any means confined to this locality, nor is it likely, under these circumstances, to have given the name to so large a tract of country. However this may be, in view of the above, its persistence in the Forest in two localities not far from Stock House, is interesting; it should be searched for and found in other parts of the Forest.

The Shield Ferns, Lastrea spinulosa (Presl.) and L. aristata (Ren. & Brit.) are common in the woods.

Polypodium vulgare (Linn.). Polypody. Forest.

Common on oaks in the

Ophioglossum vulgatum (Linn.). Adder's Tongue Fern. Not uncommon, very plentiful on London clay in a meadow near Shalbourne Newtown ; Chisbury Wood, etc.

Botrychium Lunaria (Sev.). Moonwort. In fair quantity in one place on the flat expanse known as West Leas, near Foxbury Wood; in May, 1922, I saw two plants on Column Ride, in Tottenham Park.

HORSETAILS.

Equisetum sylvaticum (Linn.). Wood Horsetail. A local species occurring plentifully; in a meadow on London clay near Newtown Shalbourne ; a very elegant plant; the rare var. capillare (Milde), emerald green and with many long slender branches of equal length grows in some quantity in one place in Wilton Brails. E. palustre (Linn.). Marsh Horsetail. The var. polystachyum (Weigel) in which the branches bear cones as well as the main axis, is found sparingly on London clay at Dod's Down; only two localities for this uncommon form are given in Dr. Druce's "Flora of Berkshire."

CHARAS.

Chara fragilis (Desv.). In a shallow pond near Burridge Heath; with nice fruit in a pool on Conyger Hill. C. vulgaris (Linn.). Canal at Great Bedwyn; Var. papillata (Wallr.). In large quantity paving a drinking pool for cattle on the east side of Bedwyn Brails in Aug., 1921, but this year (1922) it had entirely disappeared, as often happens with the Charas ; Mr. James Groves, F.L.S., writes: "Your plant is C. vulgaris var. papillata; extreme forms of the variety are well-marked but like most Chara there are many intermediates. I am afraid the continued drought (in 1921) has been prejudicial to water as well as to land plants."

vars.,

NOTES ON WILTSHIRE CHURCHES.

By SIR STEPHEN GLYNNE.1

Amesbury. [Sept. 28th, 1824.] The Church of Ambresbury is a large and ancient edifice, standing in a Church yard adjoining the park of the Manor House. It is in the form of a cross, consisting of a nave with south aisle, a transept, a chancel with a large tower in the centre. The general character of the Church is Early English with some later portions. The south aisle is a Perpendicular addition, and is divided from the nave by two pointed arches with a good Perpendicular pier having detached shafts with flowered capitals. The windows in this aisle are tolerably good Perpendicular. The west window of the nave is Perpendicular. The nave has a wood roof with pierced beams, wrought with the square flower and other ornaments. In the south wall of the aisle is a good Perpendicular trefoiled niche. The appearance of the nave is much disfigured by a clumsy projecting gallery for singers, which is placed within one of the arches on the south side. The roof of the south aisle and of the transept is plain but has corbels formed by grotesque heads. The tower is large and massive; its character is Early English. It has on each side three long lancet windows, and is finished by a perfectly plain parapet. The arches which support it are particularly bold and lofty; they open to the nave, chancel, and transept, and spring from piers formed of clustered Early English shafts. The northern transept has at its north end three Early English lancet windows, and more of the same sort on its west side, with string course running beneath them. The chancel displays some very good work. It has some lancet windows and two very elegant Decorated ones, each of four lights, and one on each side of the chancel; their tracery is very different, that on the south side appears to be early in the style. The east window is Perpendicular. A string course runs round the interior of the chancel. On the north side is a small Early English doorway with a dripstone. On the north side of the altar table is what

is said to have been a confessional. It is a beautiful Decorated

1 1 In St. Deiniol's Library, at Hawarden, are preserved a large number of MS. notes on the architectural features of Churches in many parts of England made by Sir Stephen Glynne chiefly during the second and third quarters of the 19th century. The Wiltshire portion of these notes was transcribed for our Society in 1909 by the kindness of the then warden, the Rev. G. C. Joyce. It is proposed with the generous permission of Mr. H. Gladstone, to follow the example of some other societies which have already printed the portions concerning their counties, and to print these Wiltshire notes as they stand without comment, except that where a word in the MS. is illegible or doubtful it will be noted by a query. VOL. XLII-NO. CXXXVIII.

N

specimen, somewhat early in the style. It is a niche with deep architrave mouldings, simply feathered, and with shafts having plain round moulded capitals; this is surmounted by a triangular canopy with an extremely fine rich finial and crockets, and having on each side of it a buttress terminating in a rich crocketed pinnacle. The space between the canopy and the head of the niche is filled up with a pierced trefoil. The whole is of exquisitely beautiful workmanship. In the chancel is a brass inscription of 1470. The font is square and plain, but at the base on each side is a range of trefoiled niches. Ashton Keynes. Holy Cross. [June 24th, 1870] An interesting Church, consisting of a lofty clerestoried nave with north and south aisle, chancel with north aisle, a west tower, and north and south porch. There is some variety of architecture and some curious features. The arcades of the nave are not quite alike, each has four arches. On the north the two western are Early English and pointed, upon a central circular column which has some odd sculpture in the capital, resembling volutes, and the west respond has a kind of fluting. Then follows a (?) and a square pier, and the two eastern arches are later upon an octagonal pillar with some foliage in the capital and with somewhat similar responds. The southern arcade is wholly Early English, the columns circular with circular moulded capitals and similar responds. The clerestory windows are poor and modern. In the south aisle are two Edwardian windows of two lights and one Perpendicular of three. In the north aisle they are all good Edwardian of two lights. The nave has a (triple?) roof with ribs and tie beams. The tower arch is an open one pointed, on octagonal shafts with capitals. On the north side of the tower is a trefoil headed doorway.

The tower seems Perpendicular, is divided into three stages, and has corner buttresses and a good embattled parapet and well finished gargoyles. The west window is large, of five lights, but rather plain— each light simply cinquefoiled.

The belfry windows, each of two lights—in the (?) stage is a single trefoiled light. On the north is a shallow projection for staircase. The nave contains some open ancient benches of plain character. The chancel arch is Norman of three orders, upon two shafts on each side, which have cushion capitals. One order is of double chevron, one of single; the soffit is plain. The font is attached to a south pier and is early a circular block with herring bone and foliage round the rim. There is a square-headed door with the rood stairs at the east of the north aisle of the nave and an upper door pointed. Between the north aisle of the nave and that of the chancel is an Early English arch upon square imposts-over which is a curious piece of sculpture which seems of Early Decorated character. It looks like a reredos, but its situation so high up makes that improbable. It is in three compartments and forms rather a flat arch, the centre piece having a cusped vesica; the lateral compartments have ogee canopies with crockets and finialsand bounded by Perpendicular mouldings filled with ball flowers.

The chancel is divided from its north aisle by two small pointed

arches of Early English character on square impost mouldings, set upon the central square pier; each of these arches opens into a separate chapel. The two chapels are very curious. Each has separate tiled roofs, and each contains a piscina; that in the western has a canopied arch, surmounted by a trefoil, with shelf and basin. The other piscina is simply with trefoil headed arch and also with stone shelf. The windows of these chapels are transitional from Decorated to Perpendicular. The chancel has on the south one Perpendicular window of two lights, two square-headed, another next the east, is a single-light cinquefoiled. The east window is Perpendicular, of three lights and transomed. The north porch has some flowered mouldings and corner buttresses. Lateral windows square headed and Perpendicular. The outer door with continuous mouldings; the inner door has round arch and very plain hood. The south porch has coved ribbed roofs. The outer door continuous; the inner has Tudor arch and foliage spandrels.

Avebury. S. James. [29th April, 1850.] This Church has a nave with with aisles, chancel, west tower, and south porch. There are some Norman features. The nave is short and lofty; the chancel rather long. The walls are mostly of flint and stone mixed. Within the porch is a good Norman doorway, late in the style, having two orders of mouldings and shafts. Of the former one is nail-headed, one cylindrical, the hood nail-headed. The shafts are keeled and have capitals of First Pointed appearance with moulded abaci. The porch itself is late. The effect of the interior is poor from the disproportionate size of chancel and nave, and more especially from the debased alterations in the latter. The short arcades are each only of two bays, having pointed arches, with circular columns, which have debased square capitals. The south clerestory is also of a debased character. In the angle of each extreme pier on the south appears a short Norman shaft, a remnant of the original work. The windows are mostly Third Pointed in the aisles, except one on the south, which has two trefoiled headed lights under a segmental arch, and a lancet at the end of the north aisle.

The chancel arch is a very low pointed one, springing from half octagonal shafts. Over this arch against the bare wall is seen now the front of the roodloft, having a series of niche paneling, painted and gilt, a flowered cornice above and a vine below, under which again is some fringe work with spandrels. On each side is a hagioscope into the chancel from the aisle, both which are large and passage like. That on the north opens by a flat arch abutting on the east window of the north aisle, and into it opens the rood door. To the west of it is a small (?). On the south the hagioscope is in a sort of flattened trefoil form. The nave is full of wretched pews and has a western gallery.

The chancel is early Middle Pointed. On the north are two windows of two lights and also on the south, the westernmost of which has been curiously altered, but the alteration not completed. A third light, also three-foiled, but wider than the others, is added to the west, and there