174 Swindon and its Neighbourhood—No. 2. 
connected with his family who had been steward to the Clarendon 
estates. So things disappear. They had, I believe, a sword of 
state, which used to be carried before the mayor on special occasions. 
‘I do not know another instance of this in a provincial town. The 
sword of state, called “ Curtana,” is borne before a Sovereign at the 
coronation as one of those 
“ attributes of majesty, 
} Wherein doth sit the fear and dread of kings.” 
It signifies the power of life and death, the power exercised by 
judges under commission from the Crown. This would seem rather 
beyond the reach of the Mayor of Wootton Basset. The sword was, 
however, not a Royal gift with the charter, but a present from one of 
the Members of Parliament, who, I suppose, thought fit to please his 
own fancy, without attaching any meaning to his gift, and not 
‘knowing anything about “ Curtana.”! They have also other in- 
signia: two small silver maces, of James the First’s time. These 
are loaded with lead at the top, and are very much battered. IIl- 
natured wags say that this battered appearance is owing to their having 
‘been sometimes very freely applied to the pates of Her Majesty’s 
liege—but sometimes very unruly—subjects, the pot-walloppers. 
You will see the Church at Wootton Basset, restored in 1871, at 
‘the expense of Sir Henry Meux. I do not understand that there 
was much that was interesting about the old one, except a curious 
wall-painting. In the act of cleaning a wall, a piece of plaster had 
fallen off, and discovered underneath the armed foot of a man with 
a spur. Gradually removing the plaster all round, the workmen 
found a painting in water-colours of the murder of Archbishop 
Thomas a Becket. The four knights were nearly perfect, the two 
foremost pressing on him with their swords drawn, the others in 
the act of drawing. The Archbishop was kneeling before the altar; 
between his hands, in a pious attitude, was the wafer—the cup and 
book on the table before him—the crosier and mitre by his side— 
the cardinal’s red robe and golden band, distinct. His features 
were a good deal obliterated, but there was sufficient left to dis- 
tinguish that his head was turned round in surprise. This painting 
1On the scabbard are the arms of Kibblewhite, Attersoll, and Hyde. 
a a 
a 
