had most generously invited the Members to lunch, the party numbered seventy-eight. Here the house was thrown open, and Members wandered over it as they would, luncheon was laid on the lawn, and the roses on the terrace, just at their best, gave an added charm to the wonderful old house. Two hours had been allowed for the stay here, and the time proved none too long, for the charm of the place was on all the party, and no more enjoyable hours than those have been spent by the Society on any of its excursions. In thanking MR. RICHARDSON COX for his kindness and hospitality, MR. W. HEWARD BELL took occasion to express the opinion that a house of this kind gained enormously in interest from the fact that it was again inhabited as a residence and filled with beautiful and fitting furniture, and that Mr. Richardson Cox, who had spent so much upon the place in recent years, had made as few alterations in the ancient structure as it was possible for anyone to make, in view of the necessities of a modern dwelling house. Certain of the modern alterations, such as the bow window beside the gatehouse, which had been much criticised, were not due to Mr. Richardson Cox at all. Mr. Richardson Cox, in reply, said he had been accused of ruining the house; he left it to the judgment of the Society whether he had done so or not. The well-known antiquary, the Rev. J. C. Cox, LL.D., F.S.A., was to have addressed the party on the architecture of the house; he was, however, prevented by domestic bereavement from being present, and MR. A. W. N. BURDER, F.S.A., gave a short account of the building in his place.

JAGGARDS HOUSE was the next place on the programme, and here, in the absence of MR. J. M. F. FULLER, M.P., his brother, MR. R. F. FULLER, again received the Members, and MR. BURDER said a few words on the history of the house, the chief attraction of the interior being a panelled room with a stone mantelpiece, and the initials R. K. supposed to be those of Richard Kington, and the date 1657. In the grounds is a large square dovecot, with the pigeon holes, 700 or 800 in number, still extending down to the ground in the interior. The name "Jaggards" is said to be a corruption of the family name "Jacquard."

At DITTERIDGE CHURCH,1 the next stopping place, THE REV. E. H. GODDARD pointed out the principal points of interest. Mr. E. W. Godwin, who described the building in 1857, regarded the south door as being Early Norman work of the end of the 11th century, perhaps cir. 1197, but it was stated that the Bishop of Bristol, during a recent visit to the Church, had inclined to the belief that it might be work of the days immediately preceding the Conquest, and that the heads on the side of the imposts might be those of Edward Confessor and Edith, his Queen.

From this point the party walked to the neighbouring CHENEY COURT, where tea had been most kindly provided for them by MR. AND MRS. GEORGE NORTHEY, the former of whom spoke shortly on the history of the house. The house, which commands a lovely view over the valley, is believed to have been built by the Speke family, who settled at Haselbury House in 1613, and were lords of the manor of Box. The Speke arms are on a chimney piece on the ground floor, and those of Speke impaling Luttrell in a room above. The house until recently was divided between a residence and a farmhouse. It has now been again thrown into one. The old staircase has a "dog gate," and there is a good late 17th century chimneypiece in a room upstairs.

On the way back to Bradford the journey was broken at WOOLLEY GRANGE, where, by the kindness of MR. AND MRS. P. K. STOTHERT, the picturesque front of the house and charming gardens filled with lovely roses and many other choice things to rouse a gardener's envy and admiration, were inspected and enjoyed. So ended one of the most delightful days ever spent on the Society's excursions.

At the Evening Meeting when there was again a good attendance, some sixty-two being present, THE REV. E. H. GODDARD spoke shortly on "THE BRONZE IMPLEMENTS OF WILTSHIRE," and was followed by H. ST. GEORGE GRAY, who read a paper on “THE AVEBURY EXCAVATIONS, 1908-9," illustrated by a large series of excellent lantern slides, showing every stage of the work

66

For full account see Wilts Arch. Mag., iv., 146.

The President having

carried out there during the last two years. thanked Mr. Gray for his paper, THE REV. E. P. KNUBLEY proposed a vote of thanks to the Local Committee, and more especially to the Local Secretaries, MR. A. W. N. BURDER, F.S.A., and MR. TREVOR WHEELER, to whom the Society was very greatly indebted for the enormous amount of labour they had spent over the arrangements. Things throughout the Meeting had gone absolutely without a hitch of any kind, a result which could only be obtained by exceeding care and attention to detail on the part of those who made the arrangements. THE REV. H. H. MOGG having seconded, the vote of thanks was heartily accorded.

THURSDAY, JULY 1ST.

Advantage was taken of the fact that the Society was meeting on the borders of the county and of the convenient railway accommodation, to spend a day in seeing some of the less well known sights of BRISTOL. The Society was extremely fortunate in finding in MR. J. E. PRITCHARD, F.S. A., one who not only has the antiquities of Bristol at his fingers' ends but was willing to give a large amount of time and trouble to the organising of an excursion for a Society which had no sort of claim upon him. Indeed it is safe to say that the Society has never been treated better in its own county than it was treated by Mr. Pritchard and those whose help he bespoke for it, when it invaded the foreign territory of Bristol. Three breaks met the train at Bristol at 10.4, and in them, between that hour and 5.28, when they brought the party back to the station again, owing to the very careful and exact way in which the route had been mapped out and timed, as much of the City of Bristol was seen as it was possible to see in one day. It was seen too, in comfort, without hurry or delay, and exactly according to the time table of the programme. Beginning with the Church of ST. MARY REDCLYFFE, which was described by DR. HARDY, and passing on by the curious old HERMITAGE, in the Friend's Burial Ground, and CANYNGES HOUSE, the Council House was reached, where the magnificent

series of state swords, maces, chains, badges, and the silver oar belonging to the City Corporation was most courteously exhibited and explained by the City Treasurer. Then followed lunch at the Royal Hotel, at which thirty Members were present. MR. BURDER took this opportunity of expressing the hearty thanks of the Society to MR. PRITCHARD for all he had done for it, and the REV. E. P. KNUBLEY said kind things about the work done during the year by THE REV. E. H. GODDARD, as Hou. Secretary and Editor of the Magazine. The party then resumed its journeyings through the city, to RED LODGE, with its singularly unpromising exterior and its magnificent 16th century woodwork, and panelling, and chimneypieces, and ceilings within; to the 13th century archway, which forms the sole remnant of ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL; to ST. JOHN'S CHURCH and its crypt and fine Church plate; to ST. PETER'S HOSPITAL, with its grand half-timbered front and splendid court room within, where MR. AND MRS. SIMPSON most kindly entertained the party at tea; to the scanty 13th century remains of THE CASTLE, past the curious Norman front of ST. JAMES'S CHURCH, and several of the best remaining specimens of 17th century houses, once so numerous in the streets, but now yearly becoming scarcer; and lastly to the TEMPLE CHURCH, with its fine leaning tower, its 17th century woodwork, its fine iron screens of 1726, its 14th century brass candelabrum, and its fine Church plate.

Altogether the Meeting has been a notable one, the weather on the two days of the Excursions was perfect, the arrangements on. both days were perfect too, and everybody said good-bye, pleased with themselves and with things in general, and hoping that next year's Meeting may be as successful as that of Bradford-on-Avon in 1909 has certainly been.

"JAVELINS" AND "JAVELIN MEN."

By B. HOWARD CUNNINGTON, F.S.A. SCOT.

IN the Museum of the Wilts Archæological and Natural History Society at Devizes is to be seen a collection of javelins-sixteen in number-the use of which in the early part and middle of the nineteenth century is almost forgotten. These javelins vary in length from four feet four inches to six feet ten inches in length, and comprise an iron leaf-shaped lance head about eight and a half inches long mounted on an ovoid knob of wood four and a half inches in length into which wooden staves or handles are inserted. The ovoid knobs are surrounded at their base with a heavy twisted fringe of red tassels. The staves or handles are painted light green and blue.

These javelins were carried by "javelin men" who were dressed in uniform and paid by the High Sheriff to act as a body guard or escort to the judges of assizes as they passed through the streets of the town.

I have not been able to find out when javelin men were first instituted or their origin, but in Charles II.'s reign an act was passed relieving the High Sheriff of the necessity of supplying more than forty, and Mr. Darby Griffith, a former member of Parliament for Devizes, made many attempts to get a Bill passed to do away with them altogether. It was not however until the passing of the Police Acts, about 1859, that he saw his chance of getting this done, when he got a clause inserted, authorising the High Sheriffs to have the services of the constables to act as escort and so relieve them of the heavy expense of having to equip and furnish javelin men at their own cost. This meant a great saving, as the High Sheriff had not only to clothe them in uniform and pay them at the rate of five