304 ON THE HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE OF 



the broken branches falling aronnd it. This symbolized the ap- 

 proaching downfall of the ancient family of the Herons of Chip- 

 chase, and the last owner of that name is said to have caused it 

 to be sculptured before he parted with the last ancestral acres ; 

 in accordance with the local prophecy that when a heron should 

 be seen dashing through a fence, instead of flying over it, it 

 would prove a bad omen to the Heron family, whose extinction 

 would then be close at hand. The tradition of the district adds 

 that the last Heron of Chipchase sold the portion of his estate 

 by the margin of the beautiful river, long after he had 

 disposed of all the rest. It is assigned as a reason for his 

 clinging to the river bank that he was an accomplished disciple 

 of " Izaac Walton," exceedingly fond of the noble sport of salmon 

 fishing, and therefore kept his piscatorial rights to the last. 

 "When, he perceived that the fatal crisis and the evil day could no 

 longer be postponed, he had the heron re-sculptured on the left 

 panel of the entrance porch to represent the bird dashing through 

 fence after fence, even as he had parted with field after field, to 

 the total alienation of his estate. 



Looking at this more recent sculpture itself, perhaps, as it 

 has been suggested, it requires strong faith to believe the bird 

 there figured to be a heron at all. It seems, indeed, to be dis- 

 porting itself above an heraldic wreath among reeds or some 

 aquatic plants. Possibly, if ^such be the case, there is, Mr. 

 Longstaffe supposes, some allusion to the transfer of the estate 

 from the last of the Heron family, after a brief interval, to 

 the Reed family. If the heron is really meant, it may be 

 regarded as abandoning its perch to the reeds. It must be 

 remembered, however, that an Allgood intervened as the owner 

 of Chipchase, but the Allgoods intermarried with the family of 

 Reed, as the monuments in the chapel still bear witness. There 

 is a local prophecy that the Heron family will return to their 

 ancient seat when the herons shall again resort to their old homes. 

 If the right hand panel represented the Herons in their "up lifted" 

 condition of prosperity, it has been asked, might not the other panel 

 represent that they have descended to their feeding-places to 



