Anniversary Address. 183 



Douglas, Robert Wilson, D. C. McVail ; Revs. J. C. Bruce, 

 L.L.D., G. S. Thomson, W. L. J. Cooley, Wm. Proctor, P. 

 G. McDouall, John F. Bigge, J. R. Simpson, J. Wilkinson ; 

 Capt. Simpson; Messrs F. J. W. Collingwood, Arch. Jerdon, 

 J. C. Langlands, Henry Hunter, James Heatley, Edward 

 Allen, Robert Middlemas. Visitors — Messrs John Philip- 

 son, William Brown, Thos. Arkle, Rev. M. Roach Jones and 

 Miss Jones. 



By the invitation of the Rev. J. Elphinstone Elliot the 

 members were kindly entertained to breakfast at the Rectory. 

 Notes of this meeting were kindly supplied by Mr Elliot and 

 Mr Middlemas. 



After breakfast, the Rector read an elaborate paper entitled 

 " An Archaeological sketch of Whalton and its vicinity." He 

 also exhibited some local antiquities and objects of natural 

 history, which were viewed and discussed with some earnest- 

 ness. The party next inspected the Rectory, part of which, 

 formerly constituting the Pele Tower, and consisting of two 

 vaulted apartments with strong arched stone roofs, still re- 

 mains in its original state ; from the inner one the remains 

 of a spiral staircase may still be seen, which had originally 

 led to the upper rooms and battlements. They next visited 

 the grounds of Mr Moore, opposite to the Rectory, where the 

 tombstone of a former member of the family who, in conse- 

 quence of his having adopted the opinions of the Covenanters, 

 was excommunicated, and refused burial in consecrated 

 ground in 1684, still testifies to the religious difficulties of 

 those times. The Club was next conducted to the old Parish 

 Church, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, a fine specimen of 

 the transition period, from the Saxon to the Norman style of 

 architecture. Of the former, a semicircular-headed tower 

 arch is still standing ; but the date of the original Saxon 

 church is not known. It is, however, certain that the build- 

 ing was entirely remodelled in the 13th century ; which has 

 had the effect of marring and destroying much of the beauty 

 of the earlier work. Out of this Rectory there was a pay- 

 ment to the Tynemouth monks of one mark yearly ; they 



