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Pucklechurch and Sistou was the object of another excursion on 

 March 22nd. Taking the train to Maugotsfield, the members 

 walked thence to Pucklechurch, past the fine old Elizabethan farm 

 house, called Dod's or Baber's farm, with the armorial bearings of 

 the Dennis family over the porch. Two recumbent figures of 

 members of this family are in the N. aisle of the church, which 

 contains some Early English remains in the capitals of the 

 windows on the S. side. From the church a walk of a mile led 

 to the Parkfield Colliery (Mr. Handel Cossham's pit), formerly the 

 scene of William Smith's researches. After lunch at Pucklechurch, 

 the walk was continued past the fine Elizabethan Court House 

 of Siston, formerly belonging to the Dennis and Trotman family, 

 now in possession of the Dickensons. The church of Siston, which 

 is small, has a very fine Norman arch, with a foliated stem 

 (probably a lily) in the tympanum. The font is lead, with rude 

 figures round it, and rests on a Norman base. Two old books 

 remain chained under a window on the N. side ; one of them 

 is Diodati's Annotations of the Bible, translated into English, 1651, 

 fol. Bitton station was finally reached by way of Siston Common. 



On Tuesday, August 16th, there was an excursion to Heytesbury. 

 Mr. Snelgrove, one of the Churchwardens, met the members at the 

 church, and pointed out to them its chief features. Restored in 

 1867 by Mr. Butterfield, it consists of a nave with two side aisles, 

 centi-al tower with six bells, N. and S. transepts and chancel, 

 with two side aisles; the tower and chancel being the oldest 

 part of the church. The original Norman piers which were foimd 

 built into the chancel walls are now thrown into the church. Some 

 of them have been altered into Early English piers. The N. 

 transept, originally a chapel dedicated to St. Michael, and now 

 called the Hungerford chapel, has remains of a Pui'beck marble 

 tomb, with the crest (three sickles intertwined) of the Hungerford 

 family insei-ted in the E. wall. The A'Court family, the principal 

 representative of which is Lord Heytesbury, are buried here. The 

 Hungerford screen has been restored, and separates this chancel 

 from the tower, and a red chalk line drawn across the N. face of the 

 N. transept outside, indicates where fives was formerly played 

 in the churchyard. Under the guidance of Mr. Grantham, the 



