328 Broughton Gifford. 
of Humphrey cum barbd, who was a kinsman of the Conqueror, 
founded 1125 the priory of Farleigh, on the eastern slope of Kings- 
down, within easy distance and sight of Broughton, whose brook 
flows down the hill side from its source in the Monks well at Far- 
leigh. 
In modern times a rabbit warren came to be formed over the 
site of the ancient priory of Farleigh. In 1744 Lord Webb Sey- 
mour, the then lessee of the property, under the Bishop of Salis- 
bury, making some excavations for building purposes, laid open 
the pavement of the Chancel of the priory Church, where several 
grave stones and skeletons were disclosed. Of the former, the 
most remarkable was an altar tomb which was transferred to the 
refectory of Lacock Abbey, where it may now be seen and the 
following inscription read: ‘“ Hic jacet Iibertus de Chat bonitate re- 
Jertus, qui cum Brotond dedit hic perplurima dona.” ‘“ Here lies 
Ilbert de Chat, a man of great goodness, who bestowed on us 
Broughton and very many other gifts.” The form of the inscrip- 
tion is so singular, that it has been represented in fac-simile. A 
practice prevalent in the decline of the Roman empire is here 
rudely and clumsily imitated. Within such letters as afford com- 
partments fitted for the purpose, other letters immediately following 
are inclosed in small. Thus, in the top and bottom compartments of 
the capital H, are small i and c, making up the word hic. The en- 
graver does not seem to have pre-calculated his distances well, or to 
have worked after a pattern. The five first words having been given 
pretty fully, he seems to have become aware that his space was con- 
tracting alarmingly faster than his words. He had arrived at nearly 
the middle of his stone, having disposed of no more than 22 letters 
out of 73. Accordingly the four following words, bonitate refertus, qué 
eum, are marvels of cramming. Brotond is fuller, as well it might 
be, seeing it was the seat of the benefaction and the origin of the 
monument. What follows to the end is very concise. The length 
of the inscription is 4ft. 9in. The heights of the letters gradually 
decrease from left to right, running parallel to the coffin like the 
shape of the stone ; so that the firstestroke of the H is six inches 
high, but the last D is only three and a half inches. In time this 
