BRADFORD-ON-AVON AND BATH MEETING. Iv. 



detected the presence of certain minute shells, and sent 

 specimens to Professor Rimmer, the author of " Fresh Water 

 Molluscs," who pronounced the opinion that they were found 

 only in brackish water. This raised the interesting question 

 whether the bore ever came up the Avon. It had hitherto been 

 considered that it did not. Mr. Taylor led the way to the third 

 bath of the series, a circular margin quartered into arcs by flights 

 of steps leading down into the waters, and he then conducted 

 the party to the remains of the hot-air room. He pointed out 

 the hypocaust, the piles of flat brick tiles, cemented together, 

 which supported the floor. The furnaces were near. 



Before leaving the baths the PRESIDENT returned the thanks 

 of the Club to Alderman Moore and Mr. Taylor for their kind 

 offices. 



The party were then conducted to 



THE ABBEY CHURCH, 



where they were received by the Rector, Prebendary Boyd, who 

 related the well-known story of the religious foundations of 

 Bath. 



Religious sites, said Canon BOYD, show a tendency to be 

 permanent, and there was much to be said in favour of 

 the theory that the Abbey stood on the site occupied by the 

 Temple of Minerva in Roman times. In 676, their first great 

 date, Osric founded a nunnery in Bath. Secular canons replaced 

 the nuns in 775. In 970 Dunstan established a Benedictine 

 Priory here. Three years later King Edgar, who had been 

 reigning a few years, was hallowed as King by Dunstan in the 

 priory church. In 1088 John de Villula, or John of Tours, the 

 first Bishop of Bath, set to work to build a fine cathedral in Bath, 

 extending from the west wall, as they saw it now, to a consider- 

 able distance towards the Empire Hotel. Fifty years afterwards 

 there was a destructive fire, and they found Bishop Robert in 

 1137 rebuilding the church. It was doubtful whether we saw 

 to-day the remains of Bishop Robert's cathedral or of the 



