XXXVI. THE SECOND WINTER MEETING. 



The chief interest in the deeds exhibited lies perhaps in the series dating from 

 Charles II. to Victoria, containing portraits of the reigning Sovereigns. I have 

 only here one specimen of each King and Queen (except George II., of which 

 there are two), but there exist other varieties of most of them. I believe that 

 Charles II. was the first Sovereign who was so pourtrayed, but I do not know 

 whether our present King's likeness has yet been used in this way. It will be 

 noticed that the ornamental part of the deed is printed from more than one 

 copper plate. The portrait is separate from its border containing the initial 

 letter, and the other portions of the elaborate bordering to the deed are 

 separate, so that varieties of bordering would probably occur with the same 

 portrait. The two portraits of William III. the one withJVTary and the other 

 alone are the same, but the background present in the first print has been 

 erased in the second. I also exhibit a series of highly ornamental deeds from 

 James I. to Richard Cromwell, one of each reign, which are not printed, but 

 are wonderful specimens of penmanship. They are mostly also ornamented with 

 what looks like lead pencil, or perhaps chalk, softened off with a stump. They 

 show the gradual development of ornamentation, and probably the pen was not 

 much used for this purpose after the reign of Charles II., when the whole was 

 printed, though the thick letters seem to be still filled in with a brush. It will 

 be noticed that of the two deeds in Charles II. 's reign, both with painted 

 ornaments, the earlier one (14 Charles II.) is the latest deed which has some of 

 the stump ornamentation added. It also contains the Royal Arms in the place 

 occupied in the later one (23 Charles II.) by the portrait. The printed side 

 borders occur first in the reign of Geerge I. Of deeds earlier than James I. 

 I have but few that are of interest from an ornamental point of view. I have 

 brought one of Richard II. (1399), one of Edward IV. (1430), in English, not 

 Latin, as usual, both with ornamental initials, and one of Henry VI. (1423), with 

 several of the letters of the first line, including both small and capital, curiously 

 elongated and ornamented. The later deeds are mostly difficult to read until we 

 come to George II., when they are in English and in ordinary writing, and, as I 

 have merely exhibited them on account of their ornamental borders and portraits, 

 I will say nothing about their contents, which are not, I think, of any special 

 interest, mostly corresponding to our present conveyances of land. All my deeds 

 between Charles I. and Charles II. are in English, but I do not know if this 

 was the invariable custom during this short period. 



BY MBS. DEAN: 



Some deeds of about the date of the restoration, relating to property at East 

 Stour, chiefly known as the residence of Henry Fielding, and she also showed a 

 seal pertaining to Shaftesbury. 



Mr. ALFRED POPE said it was always the custom when deeds 

 were attested in the past to utter the formula " In witness whereof 

 I have hereunto set my hand and seal, and within the seal I have 



