76 



THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 



Field Meeting at Broomfielu and 13TH Annual General Meeting, 

 AND Special Meeting at Chelmsfor]). 



Saturda}-, April 15th, 1893. 



In order to fill up the time previous to the Annual ^^leeting in the Museum in 

 the evening, a ramble in the neighbourhood of Chelmsford was projected, and 

 on the receipt of Mr. Christy's kind invitation to the Club to visit him at 

 " Pryors," our steps naturally turned in the direction of Broomfield. 



The members assembled at the railway station about three o'clock, under the 

 guidance of Mr. Durrant. Mr. David Houston was botanist, and Mr. Chancellor 

 archDsologist to the party. The route led by the alluvial meadows bordering the 

 Chelmer, where the marsh-marigold QCa/t/m pahisiris') was very abundant, many 

 plants showing their first blooms. "Our Lady's Smock " {Curdajnine), was fully 

 out, and in the river the yellow water lilies were throwing up their foliage leaves, 

 while the alder trees on the banks were covered with male and female cones, 

 intermixed with the old black fruit cones of last year. The early sedge was just 

 exposing its brown spikes of unisexual flowers. Mr. Walter Crouch, Mr. Fitch, 

 and Mr. Reginald Christy managed to do a little shell-hunting in the river near 

 Bishopshall Mill. The species noted were : — Linincea pn-egi-a and Z. aurku- 

 laria ; Planorbis carinatiis, P. vortex, and P. albits ; Bvthinia tentaculata ; Succinea 

 putris ; Spluvrium corneimi, and Pisidium amniciun. 



[On the following day Messrs. Miller Christy and Crouch obtained (besides 

 some of the above) other species from the river, near Gutters Farm, Broomfield, 

 including a large Unio pic/oj-iun, Anodonta cvgncea, a number of Limncra palustris, 

 Planorbis corneus, and Neritina fluviatilis. ] 



The party regretfully left the pleasant meadows for the road leading to 

 Broomfield, but on the hedge banks the botanists found consolation in examining 

 the quantities of the " Crow Garlic " [Allhim vineale). The flowers in this plant 

 are either partially or entirely replaced by small greenish or purplish bulbs, 

 about one-fourth inch in size, and, as it is a frequent weed in some Essex corn- 

 fields, Mr. Houston remarked that the plants were often harvested with the corn, 

 and the strong-flavoured bulbils get ground up with the grain, so that tons of 

 flour are frequently spoiled in this way. 



Every one was pleased with the picturesque little village of Broomfield (so- 

 called, perhaps, because Broom may have grown there, the gravell}' soil being 

 well adapted for the plant). Mr. Chancellor fully explained the structure of 

 the church (St. Mary). It is one of the round-towered churches of Essex, and is 

 fully described in Buckler's " Twenty-two Churches of Essex." It is probably 

 Norman, or earlier, and much Roman tile has been used in its construction. Mr. 

 Chancellor said that, as a diocesan architect, he had had a good deal to do with 

 the church, and when examining it some years ago, he came to the conclusion 

 that the original church was built by the Romans, or that a Roman building 

 stood where the nave now stands. Portions of the walls he considered as 

 decidedly of Roman work. The churi h is also interesting as being the burial- 

 place of certain relatives of Sir John Manwood, the historian of the ancient 



