103 



reference to the sculpture on the altar stone lately found at the 

 Cross Bath {vide page 79). The ingenious but somewhat rash 

 views enunciated in a letter to The Bath Herald, of September, 

 12th, 1885, with regard to this stone, followed by the equally 

 erroneous suggestions in a letter to the same Journal dated 

 September 14th, 1885, were refuted and the true interpretation 

 of the sculpture given. Instead of the figures thereon being of a 

 Christian character they are essentially Heathen, and depicted 

 scenes of heathen mythology well known to classical students. 



In the discussion that followed on Mr. Green's paper, Mr 

 Austin J. King bore testimony to the great value of the paper 

 with which Mr. Green had favoured the Club. It was undoubtedly 

 the case that Wood's misstatement concerning the early map of 

 the city, which he wrongly attributed to Jones, had been 

 generally accepted as true, and had given rise to many misconcep- 

 tions and misunderstandings, and they should be very grateful to 

 Mr. Green for removing this false history, and for reproducing 

 the original plan of Smith. The plan itself was full of interest. 

 The church shown at the bottom of HoUoway certainly could 

 not be the chapel of S. Lawrence, for that stood on the bridge, 

 and was a mere oratory. It could not either be the church of 

 S. Mary, extra muros, for although the exact site of this was not 

 known it appeared clear that it was on the city side of the Avon. 

 If, however, the plan was made rather from views than measure- 

 ment, the exact position might be misstated. When this church 

 was destroyed was not known, but it was certain that it was not 

 used for ecclesiastical purposes during the reign of Elizabeth. 

 There seems no doubt that until the commencement of the 18th 

 century the houses outside the walls remained substantially as 

 shown on Smith's plan — a straggling street between the South 

 gate and the bridge, and a little cluster of houses near S. Michael's 

 Church. These houses belonged for the most part to the parish 

 of S. Michael before the Reformation. They then passed to the 

 Crown, as part of the nominal possessions of the Priory, and 



