By Rev. Ghr. Wordsworth. 11 



The royal arms, which we recollect in several churches half a 

 century ago, painted on large mural panels in frames, were usually 

 productions of the Georgian era. The arms in St. Peter's, Marl- 

 borough (as well as those in the Council Chamber, at the Town 

 Hall there), are those of K. George 111. 



At St. Cuthbert's Church, Wells, in Somersetshire, there are two 

 examples of the royal arms. And in Chiseldon Church, Wilts, 

 are two sets of the ten commandments, now in the body of the 

 Church. In former times one was erected in the chancel; the 

 second, over the chancel arch. 



At Stanford-in-the-Vale, Berkshire, in 1651-2, 10,s. 6d was paid 

 " for Ijlotting out the Kinges Arms and for setting up the States 

 Amies " ; and, in 1660-61, "to Mr. Hunt, for setting upp the Kinges 

 Arms, £16 16s. 8(Z.," at the Restoration of Church and King. The 

 same parish had bought in 1561, for 16d., "a paper of the Tenne 

 Commandments and a calender boke to say servis by in ye churche." 

 Again, in 1572, 12d. was paid at Stanford for " wafor bredde for 

 the communion " ; for a paper of the Ten Commanndementtis, 18(7. ; 

 " to a joyner for a frame for the same commanndmentis, 2s. %d. 



In his report for the restoration of Alton Barnes (partly Saxon) 

 Parish Church, Mr. C. E. Pouting mentions that the two bells 

 (dated 1626 and 1728) were enclosed by boarding having black- 

 letter inscriptions. They appear to have been painted over some 

 media^.val subject or subjects — possibly the Annunciation (this 

 being a Mary-Church), or the Final Doom, which (as at St. Thomas 

 the Martyr's, Salisbury,) was often depicted above the chancel 

 arch ; for an angel's wing has been traced where the Jacobean 

 painting has scaled away. Such mediaeval pictures were commonly 

 obliterated in Eeformation times, and texts of scripture, &c., were 

 painted over them, as formerly at St. Peter's, Marlborough, and 

 elsewhere. 



The Eector of Alton Barnes, the Eev. C. A. Sladen, kindly in- 

 vited me to look at these boards when they were taken down, and 

 to help him in trying to decipher the inscriptions. He has now 

 been able to piece them all together, and make out with considerable 

 ingenuity how many fragments have been lost in the lapse of three 



