Thursday, August \st. 281 



" Suppression of the Monastic Houses of Wiltshire," full of valuable 

 material, which will be found at a later page of the Magazine. The 

 company — which numbered thirty-one — then dispersed. 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 1st. 



The central attraction of this day's excursion was CASTLE COMBE, 

 where the number of Members was larger than at any other point 

 of the route, between fifty and sixty sitting down to the luncheon, 

 so generously given by Mr. Lowndes in a tent pitched in his 

 beautiful grounds. But, though Castle Combe was the central 

 point, the whole route was full of objects of interest, to a great 

 extent quite unknown to dwellers in other parts of Wiltshire. 

 Starting from the Town HaU at 9.30, the first stoppage was at 

 SHELDON, now and probably for two centuries past a farm-house, 

 but once one of the manors of Chippenham and the seat of the 

 Grascelyne family. The very remarkable porch of the original 

 house, of late thirteenth century date, with its vaulted roof and 

 parvise over it, stiU remains intact, though it shows dangerous 

 signs of decay in the upper part of the walls. It is greatly to be 

 hoped that this singularly interesting example of domestic Gothic 

 — in its kind almost unrivalled in the County of WUts, may receive 

 the attention and care that it certainly merits before its condition 

 becomes worse than it is at present. The little private Chapel of 

 the fifteenth centuiy — now degraded to a stable — is also an unusual 

 feature in Wiltshire. 



From this the carriages proceeded past the remains of Sir Gilbert 

 Prynne's house at ALLINGTON, now converted into a bam, and the 

 very picturesque front of BULIDGE HOUSE, to YATTON KEYNELL. 

 Here the CHURCH was first visited, the most notable features of 

 which are the tower with its paneUed upper story, the west porch, 

 and the fine stone chancel screen. The party afterwards strolled 

 through the rectory garden with its quaint little eighteenth century 

 summer-house of brick, similar to others at Bulidge and elsewhere 

 in this neighbourhood, and then walked down to the MANOR HOUSE, 

 the front of which — dated 1659, is singularly pleasing in design. 

 Prom this point the carriages drove to CASTLE COMBE, where they 



