XXXIV. MARLBOROUGH. 



Devon. As for the almshouses, it was hard to conceive a better laid 

 out block of buildings. 



LiTTLECOTE HaLL. 



A short drive brought the party to Littlecote Hall, possessing the 

 distinction of being the finest 16th Century house in the whole land, 

 with the possible exception of Haddon Hall. It was by the courtesy 

 of the present occupant of this historic place, Mr. Leopold Hirsch, that 

 the club visited it. 



Mr. DoRAN Webb traced the history of Littlecote from the 13th 

 century, when the owner was Roger de Calston, whose son of the 

 same name succeeded to the property, and in 1341 applied to the Bishop 

 of Salisbury for a licence to hear mass in his oratory at Littlecote. 

 By the marriage of the granddaughter and heiress of John de Calston 

 with William Darell, younger son of Sir William Darell, of Yorkshire, 

 the property passed into the hands of that family, who held it until 

 1589, when, on the death of William Darell, it went to his cousin, John 

 Popham, afterwards, from 1592 to 1G07, Chief Justice of the Court of 

 Queen's Bench. The present house was built by the father of the last 

 William Darell, replacing an older structure. 



Mr. Webb then accompanied the party in their tour through the 

 rooms, pointing out the objects of interest and commenting on the 

 many traditions associated with the building. 



On quitting the house the club enjoyed a ramble through the 

 gardens. Before leaving, the President, in the name of the Club, 

 expressed their thanks to Mr. Hirsch for his kindness in receiving 

 them. 



Ramsbury. 



After luncheon at the Bell Inn, Ramsbury, the Club, under the guid- 

 ance of Mr. Doran Webb, visited the Church of the Holy Cross, built 

 practically on the site of the ancient cathedral of Ramsbury — the only 

 West Saxon cathedral, founded at the beginning of the tenth century. 

 There they saw a problem in architecture worked out, for the church 

 was originally cruciform, but later, probably in the 14th Century, 

 the walls of the aisles were taken down and re-erected flush with those 

 of the transepts, by which means the transepts were absorbed into the 

 aisles, and what the church lost in dignity it gained in size. The most 

 interesting thing in the church is a section of the upright shaft of a 

 jDreaehing cross with carving of Scandinavian type, erected probably 

 in 908, when the first Bishop of Salisbury was consecrated to minister 

 to the spiritual needs of the still half savage West Saxons. 



Mr. Doran Webb and Mr. St. George Gray were heartily thanked for 

 their valuable services as guides, and the party then drove back to 

 Marlborough and took train for Dorset. 



