THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 33 



of the mound upon whicli once stood the keep of the Castle, built soon after the 

 concjuest by Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, and Hi^di Constable of 

 En<,dand. is more doubtful. Conjecture on these matters is useless in the absence 

 of systematic exploration. Mr. Chalkley Gould demonstrated the most interesting 

 features of the earthworks, and distributed the plan of them pre]:)aved for his 

 cha})ter on Ancient Eanh\vori<s in the llctoria Histoi v of Essex ; but, unfortu- 

 nately, a heavy tall of rain forbade a thorough inspection, and a retreat was made 

 to the inn for lunch. Here Mr. Gould gave a capital resuiiw of the later histoi y 

 of Pleshey. The Castle i)assed from the Mandevilles to the De Bohuns, and later 

 came into the hands of Thomas of Woodstock, uncle to Richard II., and it is 

 in Shakespeare's " Richard II." that Pleshey is mentioned. 



The reader is referred to Mr. Horace Round's article in Trans. Essex Arch. 

 Soc, vol. v, X. S. pp. 84-86, and to Mr. Gould's notes in the Victoria History 

 of Essex, vol. i., pp. 297-9) '"i"d ^^l^o, for much information on the general subject 

 of earthworks resembling Pleshey, to Mr. T. V. Holmes' article in the EssKX 

 Naturalist, vol. x., pp. 145-158, entitled "Notes on Ancient Defensive- 

 Earthworks in connection with those of Rayleigh ' Castle,' Essex." 



Mr. Gould pointed out an old stone, with an incised inscription " Ricardus 

 Rex ij," let into a wall near the Castle Keep. 



Dr. Laver has, we understand, some Bronze Celts stated to have been found 

 at Pleshev, and in Murray's Handbook to the Eastern Counties it is stated that 

 uins and other antiquities have been found there. But how curious it is 

 that antiquaries should spend their lives in endeavouring to extract some 

 meagre information respecting such earthworks from old records, when a week or 

 two's work ^vith the sj^ade and the expenditure of a score of pounds would 

 probably afford data of the greatest interest in the consideration of the period of 

 such entrenchments. 



Leaving this old-world village, the drive was continued by How Street and 

 through charming lanes, by verdure-clad hedgerows and waving corn-fields, 

 through Great Leighs, and so skirting the valley of the Ter River, to the little 

 village of Terling, cijlebrated the world over as the residence of one of the 

 greatest experimental physicists of his age. 



Here we were met by the President and Mrs. Meldola, and b)- our Vice- 

 President, Mr! J. C. Shenstone, mIio had cycled over from Colchester. At 

 the Church of All Saints, the party was welcomed by the Vicar, the Rev, C. 

 Boutflower, M.A., M'ho very kindly explained the most interesting features of 

 the building. The nave is apparently 14th century decorative \\ork, and there 

 are some good brasses. 



The park adjoins the Church, and at Terling Place a very kindly welcome was 

 given by Lord and Lady Ra}leigh, who personally conducted the visitors over 

 the beautiful grounds. The Park is famous for its fine trees, and the garden- 

 wild abundantly testified to Lady Rayleigh's skill as a horticulturist. The 

 association of wild and cultivated Englisli plants with foreign shrubs and flowers 

 was greatly admired, producing often some charming combinations of colour and form. 



On the terrace Lord Rayleigh gave a demonstration of his neM' signal 

 trumpet, which he had constructed in connection with his work as a scientific 

 adviser to the Trinity House. 



Time would not jiermit of a long ramble in the garden, and the party was 

 summoned to tea in the house. The dining-room in which it was served contains 

 some notable portraits of members of the family and others. 



