308 



and Gules charged with 10 martlets sable, 4, 3, 2, and 1 ; and another shield, 

 Gules 3 lions passant or, and over all a bend blue for Henry Plantagenet, Lord 

 and Baron of Monmouth, who, after his eldest brother's decease, was Earl of 

 Lancaster and Derby, and who married Maud, the sole daughter and heiress of 

 Patrick de Caducis, of Charlworth, Kent. They had a daughter Isaliel, whom 

 many writers called Abbess Almesbury. 



The last restoration of the church was made by Sir Gilbert Scott, in 1863, at 

 an expense of £7oG, chiefly at the cost of the Governors of Guy's Hospital. Mr. 

 Thos. Turner, their then treasurer, provided the shingle belt turret himself ; and 

 the late incumbent of Birch and Aconbury, the Rev. Stephen Thackwell, gave £125. 



This paper was illustrated by some very careful rubbings of the memorial 

 stones by Mr. Robert Clarke. 



The Rev. F. T. Havergal said he had listened with very great pleasure to the 

 excellent paper Dr. Bull had read to them. It contained an amount of informa- 

 tion that could not have been gained without much research. Dr. Bull had asked 

 him to write it, and he should have been glad to have done so if he could, but 

 he could not have done it so well. He had been interested in this church for a 

 great many years. He was here when the vault was opened, and he was hei-e 

 again with the late !Mr. Bloxam, who was the very highest and best authority 

 on memorial stones. Together they examined the Clifford stone, which Mr. Clarke 

 had rubbed so carefully for them to-day, and with reference to the inscription, 

 which was and still is so difficult to interpret, they came to the conclusion which 

 Dr. Bull had read to them. The practice of cutting inscriptions on monumental 

 stones was at that time in its infancy. There are very few earlier stones than this one 

 in the county ; only that of Bishop Swinfield's father at Bosbury, so that although the 

 masons at that period could cut magnificent incised stones, they could not manage 

 inscriptions with the same excellence. The difficulty in reading is caused, as has 

 been stated above, by the fact of the paper copy from which the mason worked being 

 placed upside down. With this idea, and looked at through the paper, it becomes 

 clear. So little had been done in Herefordshire with reference to memorial stones, 

 that there was scarcely a notice of any Herefordshire slabs in any authentic work 

 on the subject. He was convinced, however, from his own experience, that many 

 most interesting memorial stones existed in this county, and if not of the very 

 highest character of work, they were still so good as to make it most desirable that 

 they should be thoroughly repaired and reported upon. Herefordshire had been 

 much neglected. It was an out of the way county, but it had much greater trea- 

 sures than people were aware of, and the meeting of the Woolhope Club here 

 to-day would be very useful in calling attention to these stones. Mr. Havergal 

 again expressed the pleasure it had given him to be able to come and see them 

 once again, and to listen to the very interesting paper that had been read to them. 



Some further discussion took place, and the carriages were then regained for 

 the return to Hereford. 



