The fact which might have induced me to consider the work Roman rather than medieval was the hauling out of so many tesseræ from the bottom of the circular hole. I account, however, for their presence in two ways—either by being washed in from any neighbouring structure, or by being thrown in by the young, or by children of a larger growth. Such disrespect of Roman remains would be pari passu with the reckless undermining, in a frolic, of what was, in Leland's time, "the King of Fairies' Chair," which, in the early part of this century, occupied a position near the eastern gate of Magna Castra. (See Stukeley's Map in Transactions, 1882, facing page 241). When our local Museum can only exhibit to an interested public a quern, and three fragments of tesselated pavement out of the large amount of Roman remains, which in the time of the late Dean Merewether, less than half a century ago, strewed the camp of Magna Castra, we can no longer cease to be astonished at finding some hundreds of tesseræ at the bottom of a well. Notwithstanding the presence of these tessera; notwithstanding the close proximity of flanged tiles which I have extracted from the ancient abutments fifty yards higher up the river, which tiles, upon submission to experts, have been pronounced to be of Roman manufacture; notwithstanding all these characteristics of Roman occupation, I do not consider this structure to be Roman.

It is a subject for regret that no records can be found of the many dams, weirs, forges, fulling mills, corn mills, and other buildings on the banks of the Wye when it was a navigable river, beyond the "Papers relating to the History and Navigation of the Rivers Wye and Lug," by John Lloyd, junr., published in 1873, which afford no information about this particular locality.

With respect to the objects and uses of the well. Under any circumstances and at any time water could be drawn, for the spring apparently is perpetual: and as it seems quite possible that it was originally cemented, water might have been retained in it by plugging the exit pipe leading to the trough, and by other ingenious hydraulic aids and appliances.

Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club.

OCTOBER 8TH, 1891.

THE last Field Meeting of this year took place on Thursday, October 8th. Ever since the inauguration of the Fungus Forays in 1868 it has been customary to have an extra Field Day at this season of the year, with the object of familiarising the members of the Club with this branch of botany. The last few years have been very unpromising, and have added but few species to the list of nearly two thousand fungi of Herefordshire, which was elaborated by Dr. Cooke and Mr. William Phillips, and occupies twenty-two of the concluding pages of The Flora of Herefordshire. The exigencies of important duties, counter-attractions, amongst which must be mentioned a Fungus Foray at Rouen, and divers causes, contributed to deprive us this year of the services of our leading mycological authorities, who for the last twenty-three years have been attracted to visit us. The foray was consequently limited to an excursion of one day, the locality of exploration being the "Paradise Wood," in the neighbourhood of Pontrilas, and the result, as may have been expected in the absence of any authoritative referee, may be at once summed up that this science was not enlarged upon on this occasion, nor any new discovery made. It so happened, however, that as the members were exploring a spacious meadow on the summit of "Paradise," they found themselves close to Rowlstone Church, and, knowing that it was one of the earliest Churches of the county, were glad to embrace the opportunity of inspecting it. An inhabitant of the parish having been met with, was immediately dispatched for the key, the interval being occupied in admiring the exterior of the Church and the fine yew trees at the four angles of the Churchyard, one of which, that at the south-eastern angle, attracted special admiration from the great height and unusual uprightness of its bole. Not a single burial mound disturbed the evenness of the Churchyard upon the north side. Upon the south side were the vestiges of an ancient cross consisting of a square of four steps leading to the massive base, a stone three feet square and more than two feet high, which formerly supported the pedestal of the cross. This stone rested upon another more massive monolith which measured four feet six inches square, and at least one foot in depth, being the uppermost tier of the four steps alluded to. No one could look upon this ponderous mass without wondering how and whence the stone material came, and how it could have been transported to its position. The Vicar afterwards informed us that the dimensions of these stones are given in Duncumb's History of Herefordshire. Long stones, reaching up to three feet in length, have also been employed in the masonry of the Church, which is especially noticeable in the chancel as being much more rough in character, indicating an earlier construction than that of the nave and the tower.

The arch of the Early Norman window in the south wall of the chancel, with three stones on each side forming its jambs, is surmounted by one large stone, upon which is exhibited what appears to be one of the earliest attempts of rude carving in the form of two arcs over the arch: this stone extends over the arch of the window, resting upon the two side jambs.

The arrival upon the scene of the Rev. J. W. Kennedy, the Vicar, was very gratifying. He lost no time in explaining the interesting features of this Church, which owes its restoration, in 1865, to his energies shortly after his institution, in 1864. The building, dedicated to St. Peter, consists of a nave with a south porch, a chancel, and a tower with three bells of the seventeenth century. The lights in the north wall of the nave are Norman; a fourteenth century window has been inserted in the south wall. In the chancel the east window is 14th century work, with traces of fresco colouring work of the same period, and Norman lights in both north and south walls. The string course of the chancel arch was admired for its more refined character of ornamentation. The parish registers date from 1758. There is a black letter Welsh Bible, dated 1588, belonging to the Church. The font is Norman, with a bowl about two feet six inches in diameter. The Vicar directed particular attention to the peculiar construction of the series of three arches over the tympanum of the entrance doorway, in that the inner ring of arches was a prolongation of the moulded jambs, thus presenting the appearance of their square capitals being penetrated by the moulded jambs. The remarkable character of the sculptured archway has one or two points in resemblance to that at Shobdon, which was built in 1141 by Oliver de Merlemond. We are reminded at the same time of Kilpeck, which benefice was given about the year 1134, by Hugh, the son of William Fitz-Norman, lord of Kilpeck Castle, to the Abbey of St. Peter at Gloucester, though there is no proof of the existence at that time of the present fabric; and our thoughts are carried also to the tympana and sculptured doorways which we saw last August at Bred wardine and Moccas, which latter Church was probably built before 1100.

Mr. W. H. Jones, of Cherbourg, Malvern, having examined the bells, as he does on every possible opportunity, found one bell with the following reading: Personet hec celis dulcissima vox Gabrielis, which he considers a re-cast, the old inscription being retained. Another bell reads:-Christus via veritas et vita, distinctly a post-reformation inscription. A third-God save the King Richard, C. W., 1685, or possibly 1658-as well as Mr. Jones can now state from memory, as he had not with him materials for taking a rubbing of the bells.

Mr. Thomas Blashill has furnished us with the paper which he read before the British Association at the Hereford Congress in 1870, from which excellent authority we give the following extracts, with our expressions of gratitude to the Vicar for pointing out the practical details of this ancient Church.

THE main portions of the Church at Rowlstone appear to belong to the Its twelfth century work, although possessing some period of 1130 and 1150. peculiarities which I shall have to point out, is generally consistent with the Yet there is a piece of Norman type and free from ornament of the Celtic class. The foliage on the south doorway similar to some that I have pointed out at Kilpeck, and exactly like that which is used in a similar position at Shobdon. sculpture in the tympanum of this door, which represents our Lord in an aureole supported by four angels, is also like that at Shobdon, except as to the position of This carving has been said to have reference to the text, two of the four angels. But it is really and solely that most favourite subject with all "I am the door." mediæval artists which is known in England, France, and Italy alike as a "Majesty." We find it as early as the 4th century in the catacombs of Rome, where Christ is represented blessing, with His right hand open, and having a roll in His left. It was used profusely, and with many varieties-in sculpture, painting, stained glass, and MSS., and of course over doorways also. Sometimes, There is in large churches, an attempt was made to represent, in some measure, the striking scene described in the 4th and 5th chapters of the Revelation. the Lord sitting on the throne surrounded by the rainbow like unto an emerald. At the four angles of the subject are the four beasts, which in process of time were considered to be symbolical of the four Evangelists, and on the arch above and the Here we have simply lintel below, encircling all, are the four-and-twenty elders. The sculptor, for the sake of the Lord in an aureole supported by four angels. increasing the size of the tympanum, has brought it down below the upper line of the capitals, and has also adopted the heavy roll-moulding of the arch, of the same These were local peculiarities, of which other thickness as the column below. instances may be given, as that of Bredwardine; and they were also adopted in Ireland and in Wales in the 12th century. Two remarkable pieces of sculpture exist at the sides of the chancel-arch. In each of them is the figure of a saint with an attendant angel, in the traditional flowing costume used in early sculpture, and Those on the with bare head and feet, and the flat nimbus behind the head. The practice of placing the attributes north side carry each a cross and book. of the Apostles in their hands, as the keys in that of St. Peter, was of recent introduction at the time these figures were cut; and it would not be easy to identify them if those on the south side were not placed with their heads downwards-a plan indicating that the figure on this side, if not on the other also, intended for St. Peter, to whom the Church is dedicated. favourite subject with the medieval artists, Peter having supposed to be crucified in that position by his own desire. who was authorized to go through Suffolk in 1643, breaking all the pictures and figures which he could find, makes this entry in his journal with reference to the

This was a very been, by tradition, Samuel Downing,

Church of Allington: "In the chancel was Peter pictured, and crucified with his heels upwards; and there was John the Baptist and ten more superstitious pictures." The best known instance of this subject is the remarkable altar-piece painted by Rubens for the Church of St. Peter at Cologne. In the reversed figure at Rowlstone the saint carries in one hand a long label, in allusion to the tradition which attributed to each of the Apostles one sentence of the Creed. The cocks, which are finely sculptured on the adjacent capitals, doubtless refer to Peter's denial of our Lord. The birds carved on the string courses are of the same kind as those already seen at Kilpeck. They are set amongst tufts of herbage, and are excellent specimens of 12th century carving. The two iron brackets fixed to the walls of the chancel seem to be of the 14th or 15th century, and they are hinged so as to fold against the wall, and have each five prickets for holding the ends of long candles which would go through the rings above. Alternate ornaments of cocks and fleur-de-lis, cut out of thin iron, are fixed on both sides. The two brackets differ both in size and in design, and were probably not the work of the same hand. They are the only examples of this kind in England.* The chancel is ceiled with an oak-ribbed and panelled ceiling of the ordinary type, though there are not many specimens in Herefordshire Churches. The old porch of this Church had a similar one much decayed. The other day, when the Congress visited Leominster, I had the opportunity of showing that carvings of almost precisely the same pattern, and certainly of the same workmanship, as those on the doorway at Rowlstone, exist on the side of the west window of Leominster Church. Now beneath this window is the large west doorway, which has a pointed arch. The existence of this feature, which indicates late Norman work, in conjunction with work similar in all respects to that which forms the subject of this paper, tells strongly against the views which some hold as to its extraordinary antiquity. To the archæologist this district possesses unique attractions. In the Church of Kilpeck we have the very last struggle of the decaying style of Celtic ornament. In Rowlstone we see the Norman work of the 12th century, with perhaps Byzantine influences. In the neighbouring Church of Garway, built by order of the Knights Templar, the sub-arch of the chancel opening is of a pattern which, if not Saracenic, is at least quite foreign to the native Norman style. Besides these, few village Churches are without substantial remains of the later or transitional Norman; and in the remains of Abbey Dore we see how the native English architects, although greatly under the influence of foreign orders of monks, knew how to throw aside the influences which then prevailed in France, and to work out for themselves a beautiful style of architecture, which, as the Early English, in its own way rivals the choicest specimens of Continental art.

The inspection of the Church having been completed, it became necessary for the members, who had been thus led astray from the science of mycology, to resume their search for funguses on their return to Pontrilas Court, where their hostess, Mrs. St. John Attwood-Mathews, the wife of one of our members, High Sheriff of the county this year, had prepared for them a banquet upon a table

*For a pen and ink sketch of these iron brackets, see page 108 Nooks and Corners of Herefordshire, by H. T. Timmins, published in 1892, since our visit to the Church.