SHAFTESBURY MEETING. Ivii. 



to enquiries, was built mostly of Chilmark stone and local 

 Greensand. 



The party were conducted from the Abbey to St. John's 

 House to inspect an interesting Cross standing in the grounds. 

 The cross has a lofty shapely shaft in which are set two panels 

 carved in alabaster, now covered with glass for their better 

 protection ; the lower panel represents the Holy Trinity ; in the 

 upper one our Lord is represented in a vesica piscis supported 

 by two angels. On returning townwards the members visited 

 I\Ir. Grove's house, as it is styled in the map of 1615, in Bimport 

 Street. It has happily escaped much alteration and is an 

 excellent specimen of a town house of the early part of the 1 6th 

 century, and contains some good carved chimney pieces probably 

 of late 1 6th century date. They then entered Holy Trinity 

 Churchyard to see the shaft of an old cross (now surmounted 

 by a modern head). The church itself is modern, erected on 

 the site of the ancient church from designs by Sir Gilbert Scott. 

 From thence' the party were conducted to 



The Town Hall. 



In the Town Hall, built in 1827, are preserved in an oak 

 chest, the borough muniments, a report upon which, with 

 abstracts from many of the more important deeds, has been 

 published by the Rev. C. Mayo. In the Council Chamber is a 

 good specimen of the Winchester standard bushel, measuring 

 eighteen inches and five-eighths in diameter by eight and a- 

 half inches in depth. It bears in bold raised letters the 

 following inscription:— "LEWIS EVANS MAYOR OF THE 

 BURROWGH OF SHASTON 1670." The Corporation of 

 Shaftesbury are the fortunate owners of two of the oldest maces 

 in the County of Dorset. These maces, which measure seven- 

 teen and a-half inches in length, terminate at the butt end in an 

 iron grip with flanges, the grip being three inches in length. 

 Both of the shafts have a moulded boss in the middle with plain 

 moulded bands above and below. The head of each mace is 



