176 The Forty-Eighth General Meeting. 



HOUSE itself has a good many remains of 16th and 17th century 

 work about it, and the study retains the bookcases and fittings of 

 the days of Crabbe, whose mulberry tree still grows in the garden. 

 In a grotto here, and in various parts of the garden, are to be seen 

 a few fragments of 13 th century work, and a considerable quantity 

 of later work — mullions and so forth, which came from the Church 

 at the time of the very thorough " restoration." After tea the 

 CHURCH itself was visited, and its history and architecture 

 described by The Eector, Mr. Brakspear expressing the opinion 

 that the beautiful spire is really of 14th century date, and therefore 

 earlier than the existing casing of the tower beneath it. After 

 this most of the Members drove off to visit SOUTHWICK COUET, 

 an old moated manor-house, now a farm house, with the moat still 

 in evidence, and NOETH BEADLET CHUECH. 



Attention was also called to the collection of fragments of several 

 figures of 15th century date preserved at the rear of the new Town 

 Hall, with this inscription on a brass plate- adjoining : — 



" These fragments of Church Statuary were found in the moat of Trowbridge 

 Castle when tlae foundation of the Town Hall was prepared. They are thus 

 preserved as the remains of an ancient Parish Church whose foundations were 

 discovered near the Eectory House." 



The ANNIVEESAEY DINNEE, attended by thirty-eight Members, 

 was held at the George Hotel, and the Conversazione at the Town 

 Hall followed at 8.30, forty-two members being being present. 

 Mr. Henry Blake, as Chairman of the Urban Council, welcomed 

 the Society on behalf of the inhabitants of Trowbridge, and read a 

 paper giving an interesting sketch of the history of the town — 

 Mrs. Blake most kindly providing tea during the evening. 



The Rev. E. P. Knubley next read his paper on " The Rise and 

 Fall of Steeple Ashton as a Market Town," which will be 

 found printed in this number of the Magazine. 



He was followed by the Rev. J. Silvester Davies with a paper 

 on "The Tropenell Cartulary." This paper is also printed 

 later on. It gave an' account of the very remarkable manuscript 

 volume given to Mr. Davies by a lady descendant of the Harman 

 family, to whom it had descended from the Tropenells, some years 



