329 



Primo Anglis rege crtioizante crucizator, huiusce Domus fundator, primus 

 exstitit A.D. 1187," and may be translated as follows : — John de Knill, soldier, 

 son of William de Braose, Warder of the Marches of Wales, a minor in age, the 

 same also a crusader under the crusading of Richard I., King of England, was the 

 first founder of this house, a.d. 1187. This inscription has been cut in modern 

 times in Bath Stone over a new doorway of the 15th Century style. 



From the pretty village of Knill, the route to Presteign was taken by the 

 high road. Time did not permit the ascent of Burva HiU, on the summit of 

 which are the tracings of a large ancient camp. Some active botanists ascended 

 Nash Scar, and were rewarded by the finds which have been previously recorded. 



As regards the Geology of the Woolhope limestone of Nash Scar and of 

 Gorton quarries occurring in a subcrystalline and partially metamorphosed state, 

 resting against highly fossiliferous Llandovery sandstone, there is nothing new 

 to be added to what has already appeared in the Transactions, on page 11 

 of the address of the Rev. Thomas Lewis, on January 24th, 1854, on page 7 of 

 the address of Mr. R. W. Banks, on February 7th, 1861, and to Mr. Curley's 

 remarks on page 172 of Transactions, 1866. The same locality has been described 

 also by the Rev. Wm. S. Symonds in Records of the Rocks, pages 139 and 160, and 

 again in Old Stones, page 57, of edition 1880. A geological section through Nash 

 Scar and another through Gorton are delineated in Murchison's "Siluria." See 

 Chapter vi 



At Gorton, "the King's Turning," leading to Broad Heath, where King 

 Charles I. stayed a night on his way from Brecon to Ludlow in August, 1645, was 

 pointed out, and some members embraced the opportunity of visiting The Rodd 

 an extremely picturesque brick building of date 1629, exhibiting some graceful 

 oak carving above the porch and windows, and an elaborately carved mantel piece 

 in the ancient dining-hall. 



The following introduction to Presteign, extracted from Camden's 

 " Britannia," is interesting, and will bear repetition. After writing of Radnor, 

 he says — "Scarce three mUes eastward from hence you see Prestaigne, in British 

 Llan Andre, that is, St. Andrew's Church, which of a very little village within 

 the memory of our grandfathers, is, by the means of Richard Martin, Bishop of 

 St. David's, grown now to be so great a mercate Town and Faire withall, that at 

 this day it dammereth and dimmeth the light in some sort of Radnor. From 

 whence also scarce four miles off stands Knighton, a Town able to match with 

 Prestaine, called in British, as I have heard say Trebucle, instead of Trefyclaudh 

 of a famous ditch lying under it which Ofifa, King of the Mercians, caused to be 

 cast from Dee-mouth into Wy-mouth by this towne for the space of fourskore 

 and ten miles, to separate the Britons from his Englishmen, whereupon in Britain 

 it is called Claudh Offa, that is, Offa's ditch, concerning which John of Salisbury 

 in his Polycration writeth thus :— ' Harold ordained a law that what Welshmen 

 soever should be found with a weajxin on this side the limit which he had set 

 them, that is to say, Ofi^a's Dike, he should have his right hand cut off by the 

 King's oflfioers.'" 



