xl. 



a few inches thick, point to the agency of earthworms in its burial and 

 preservation. In addition to the pottery, several coins, a bronze weapon 

 and buckle, together with some stone coffins, have been discovered ; the 

 latter all crumbled to pieces on their first exposure to the air. The 

 remains of what appeared to be a road were displayed in the section near 

 the spot where the pottery had been discovered, at a depth of about 18in. 

 beneath the surface. 



THE THIRD MEETING took place at Cranborne on Tuesday, August 26th, 

 in lovely weather, and a large attendance was the result. The President 

 was absent in Scotland, but the chair was most suitably occupied by Lord 

 Eustace Cecil, a representative of the family so long connected with the 

 place. Cranborne House was first visited, for which permission had been 

 given by the owner, the Marquess of Salisbury. Here Lord E. Cecil acted 

 as cicerone, conducting the party through the various rooms, assisted by 

 Mr. Cocks, the present tenant, and Mr. Burton, the estate steward. The 

 conversation which ensued elicited the following general description : 

 The architecture of the north frontage was a mixture of Gothic and various 

 other styles. The house had been visited and used as a hunting lodge by 

 King John and all the Plantagenet kings, by Elizabeth, James I., and 

 Charles I. The former had stayed there eleven times, the latter had come 

 there to hunt during the peaceful days of his reign, and during his later 

 troubles had slept there with his army camped in the neighbourhood. 

 Court leets and court barons were held there. The hall was used as a 

 place of judicature, especially with reference to poaching, which was 

 largely carried on in the adjoining chase whilst deer were preserved there. 

 Beneath the house was a dungeon where prisoners were confined. In the 

 hall were hanging two of the caps which were used in the old days of 

 Cranborne Chase by the keepers to protect themselves in the poaching 

 raids which were then so frequent. An engraving of a keeper of 

 Cranborne Chase, in cap and jack, was included in the second edition of 

 " Hutchins' History of Dorset," taken from the original picture, formerly 

 in the possession of the Rev. H. Good, of Wimborne. The parish church 

 of Cranborne was next visited. The following brief account is drawn from 

 the description furnished by Mr. J. Fletcher, of Wimborne : The church, 

 dedicated to St. Mary and St. Bartholomew, is interesting as being one of 

 the oldest and largest in the county, being 140ft. in length. The different 

 styles of architecture indicate different periods when restoration or 

 enlargement were effected. The inner arch of the north porch is all that 

 remains of the Norman Church, the details of which are fine. Thomas 

 Parker, abbot of Tewkesbury from 1.398 to 1421, did much towards 



