president's address. 115 



The Sixth and Last Field Meeting was held at Morpeth 

 and Mitford on Friday, October 5th. The first contingent of 

 the party left Newcastle by the 9.30 a.m. train, and arrived at 

 Morpeth a few minutes before 10 o'clock. We visited the 

 ruins of the Castle, a 14th century building on a hill to the 

 south of the town, of which only some parts of the outer wall 

 and the gateway are left standing. Then a short walk brought 

 us to the old parish church on Kirk Hill ; this, though a plain 

 building, contains several objects of interest to the antiquary, 

 not least among them being the ancient glass of the east 

 window illustrating the Tree of Jesse, and the squints. There 

 is also that subject of endless controversy, a low side window. 

 The path from the churchyard gate to the porch is bordered 

 on each side with a row of yew trees, and we noticed, too, a 

 willow tree of unusually large size outside. 



After meeting the rest of t;:e party at the station, we com- 

 menced the real object of the excursion, namely, a ramble up 

 the Wansbeck Valley to Mitford. The woods with which it is 

 clothed were looking gorgeous in their autumn dress, and the 

 supply of berries and other seeds was plentiful. Flowers of 

 the wall pellitory were gathered, and the November-blooming 

 ivy was well forward. A harvest mouse (the smallest of 

 British quadrupeds) was captured. Bird life was not much in 

 evidence. 



Just below Mitford the Font Burn joins the Wansbeck from 

 the North. 



On reaching Mitford the church first claimed our attention. 

 It was built partly in the 12th and partly in the 13th centuries 

 showing traces in its changing architecture of the differen 

 dates ; it formerly belonged to Lannercost Priory. It has 

 lately been restored, and, when we saw it, was decorated foi 

 the harvest festival. The Vicar kindly pointed out the various 

 interesting objects. 



Passing through the Manor House grounds we next visited 

 the ruins of Mitford Castle, which occupy a splendid position 

 on a hill, a little way to the south of the church. There is 

 now little but the outside walls left, the castle having been 



