igi 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



COTTESWOLD NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB 



AT THE 



ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

 20th JANUARY, 1914. 



The Minutes of the last Annual Meeting were read, confirmed, and signed 

 by the President, the Rev. Walter Butt. 



Mr Butt exhibited two long clay pipes which he had brought from 

 Tidenham Chase for inspection, and, if possible, to obtain information as to 

 their probable age. The required information was not forthcoming, but as 

 the pipes are to be placed in Gloucester Museum, it is hoped that when Mem- 

 bers of the County Archaeological Society have inspected them a more satis- 

 factory result will be obtained. Mr Butt explained that the pipes were 

 discovered and taken up when a water-supply to Madgetts Farm, near Chep- 

 stow was being carried out. Iron pipes of a more recent date were also 

 discovered, and in a letter to Mr Butt, Mr A. W. George, the Estate Agent 

 at Sedbury Park, states that about a century ago Madgetts, Beech Farm, 

 and Sheepscott Farms were occupied by a first-class farmer, and it was 

 then probably that a water-supply was laid on. The small iron pipes 

 were laid at a later date. When Mr George made an inspection in 1892 the 

 existence of a water-main was unknown to the tenants. Canon Bazeley was 

 as"ked to state whether he considered the red pipes on view to be of Roman 

 make, and he said he thought they were probably medieval. The President 

 drew attention to the peculiar shape of the pipes, particularly near the joints, 

 and Canon Bazeley suggested that the plan on which they had been made 

 might have been copied from Roman pipes. 



Mr J. H. Jones, the Hon. Treasurer, presented his Financial Statement, 

 which was approved. 



The President then delivered his 



ANNUAL ADDRESS. 



He reminded the Members that this was the sixth occasion 

 on which he had been called to address them when retiring 

 from the Chair. He compared himself to a hardy perennial, 

 but claimed that it was only under a strong sense of duty 

 that he had so often accepted office. He felt that he had 

 stepped into the gap when others had stood aside, and therein 



