president's address. 295 



to the religious houses for that purpose, shewing the recent pre- 

 valence of this noxious disease. 



It is with regret that I have to record the fall of the best 

 remaining portion of the old Priory Church of Lindisfarne, on the 

 first of this month, the beautiful west end ; the north w^all 

 having tumbled into ruin in November last. It is to be feared 

 that the building is shattered beyond repair ; whatever was most 

 interesting has disappeared, and the material glory of Lindisfarne 

 is lost to us for ever. 



The Fifth and last place of resort this year was, Otterburn, 

 where the Club met on the hospitable invitation of Mr. Coward, 

 the 2nd and 3rd September, six members being present on these 

 days. 



The places visited were Elsdon Castle, once a Peel tower, 

 frowning defiance on the Scotch marauder, the property to a late 

 period of the Umfrevilles, but now a peaceful parsonage ; the 

 famed Mote Hills ; the Silver-nut Well, which throws up from 

 time to time nuts, preserved, impregnated, and silvered by the 

 gaseous strata through which its waters flow ; Otterhurn, known 

 to northern story, and celebrated in song musical to our ears ; 

 no longer the field of war and blood and violence, but the seat 

 of peace and friendship and social happiness ; and the station of 

 High Rochester, Bremenium, for a description of which, and the 

 w^orks in progress there, under the Duke of Northumberland, as 

 no new discoveries were made this day, I refer you to our anti- 

 quarian annals, to the paper of Mr. Kell, and to the report 

 tendered last year to the Archaeological Institute, then sitting in 

 Newcastle. 



I pass these subjects of discussion, not as foreign to our Society, 

 for they are strictly ours ; but because the time will not allow me 

 to dwell upon them. 



Yet you will agree with me that few objects of your enquiry 

 are more interesting and important than those connected with the 

 archceology of the North, especially of Durham and Northumber- 

 land. They illustrate the manners and situation of the people, 

 mark the progress of civilization, with the development of arts 

 and science, and tell of events of which no tongue speaks to us, 



VOL. II. PT. III. 2 p 



