35 



wrought iron, ornamented with fleur-de-lys, and fixed upon a 

 single iron upright, or stem ; the workmanship is rather rude, 

 but bold and effective. The frame of the Glass is of wood 

 rather roughly cut, and the Glass is of a greenish hue. The 

 whole height of Stem, Stand, and Glass is near about two feet, 

 that of the Glass and its frame about 10 inches. Traces of 

 colour, still remaining, show that it was originally decorated ; 

 but this has mostly worn off. 



About eight or nine years ago, while the chancel of the church 

 was under restoration, the old Parish Clerk, concerned for the 

 safety of the Hour-Glass, placed it in a chest in which the 

 Church Bible and Prayer Book were kept. Afterwards, for- 

 getting that the Glass was there, he one evening replaced the 

 Bible (weighing about 22lbs.) rather heavily upon it, and with 

 an unfortunate result ; the Glass being broken in two at the 

 narrow part. A glass-blower was called in and re-united the 

 parts, but in so doing obliterated the passage for the sand, 

 which has now consequently ceased to run. 



A duplicate of the Glass, handed down from Parish Clerk to 

 Parish Clerk from time immemorial is now in my possession. 

 In Hook's Church Dictionary, 7th ed., p. 375, it is mentioned 



that "in some churches the Stand for the Hour-glass, if not the 



instrument itself, still remains." 

 Believing, therefore, that the Stand and Glass now under con. 



sideration are unique, I have thought it might be not wholly 



without interest to some of the members of our Society, to bring 



it to their notice. 



Since the report of the above was published in the local journals, I have 

 received communications from several persoas informing me of the existence 

 either of the Hour-Glass, or the Stand in the following Churches, viz., 

 Inkpen, Co. Berks ; the Stand alone. Cockerham, near Lancaster; "the 

 G-lass without the Stand, now used to time the Ringers in the Belfry." 

 [Revd. T. Archer Turner]. St. John Baptist's Church, Bristol ; St. Allan's, 

 Wood-street, London; and Brooke Church, Norfolk, "contain Hour -Glasses." 

 [R. B. Prosser, 31, St. Paul's Road, London, on authority of " A Handbook 

 of English Ecclesiology " Cambridge Camden Society (Masters, 1847), 

 where many places are mentioned as still preserving the Stand alonej. At 

 Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, "a very curious Stand." [R. B. Prosser]. Hurst 

 Church, Co. Berks, " the Stand alone, circular, and elaborately painted." 

 [T. Archer Turner]. Ellingham Church, near Ring wood t also retains the 

 Stand. [Frederic Fane.] 



