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carved an object difficult to determine, apparently, griffins vainly 

 endeavouring to swallow the fruits of the tree of knowledge, or, 

 as supposed by a writer in the Som. Arch, and Nat. Hist- 

 Soc. Proceedings for the year 1851, a cross with two animals 

 either supporting or fighting for it, or, as others have thought, 

 a " Lamb holding a cross and combating with the power of 

 eviL" The Manor and advowson were conferred on the Priory 

 of Longleat. At the dissolution of that Priory they were granted 

 to John Prior, of the Carthusian Monastery at H inton, and iu the 

 next year ceded to the King, who in 1541 conferred them on the 

 Earl of Hertford, by whom, in 1542, they were sold to Sir John 

 Thynne, from whom they descended to the Marquis of Bath, and 

 eventually to Wm. Duckworth, Esq. This pleasant interruption 

 in the drive having terminated, leave was obtained through the 

 kind intervention of the Vicar, to pass through Orchardleigh Park, 

 and many a pretty peep of wood and water was obtained through 

 the stems of its finely grown oak trees. A walk of three miles, 

 after arriving at Frome, along a dirty and uninteresting road, 

 brought the members to the village of Nunney with its fine ivy- 

 mantled castle just peering above the trees. The Secretaiy having 

 taken for his rostrum one of the deeply splayed recesses of the 

 elegant narrow windows, gave some notes on the castle, its 

 situation, construction, date, rise and fall, and afterwards pointed 

 out in the north chapel of the adjoining church the tombs of the 

 noble family of the De la Meres, the founders and builders of the 

 castle. As there was no one present connected with the church 

 who could give any information respecting the five figures of 

 knights and ladies represented there, the only information 

 obtainable was from the coats of arms, which showed the lions 

 passant gardant of the De la Meres, and the three daggers in pile 

 base of the Powlett's, together with some other crests, which, owing 

 to the hideously high-backed pews, it was almost impossible to 

 read off Before leaving Nunney the Secretary expressed a wish 

 that he could obtain some more accurate information respecting 

 the family of the De la Meres, who must have played a very 

 important part in the local history of the tinies, than that 

 contained in CoUinson, and hoped some one would kindly help him 

 to the sources whence it might be drawn. He also alluded to the 



