president's addeess. 261 



of the very few ancient Oriel windows, dating it is said from 

 circa, 1300. Over the chapel was formerly a chamber, the sup- 

 posed residence of the officiating priest. 



For the history of this once important post, which is supposed 

 to have been successively occupied by the Britons, Romans, 

 Saxons, and IN'ormans, I must refer the Club to the County 

 Histories and Handbooks. 



From Prudhoe Castle the Naturalists, crossing the Tyne by the 

 ferry boat (a bridge there being a great desideratum), visited the 

 village and the church of Ovingham. The tower of this church, 

 like those of Corbridge, Bywell, Billingham, and "Whittingham, 

 is of Saxon architecture, and is said to be probably that of the 

 church of Uulfeswell, where a Bishop of Hexham was conse- 

 crated in 731 (see Church Reports in the Trans. Archit. and 

 Archseol. Soc. of Durh. and Northumb., No. III.) The church 

 (restored) is of Early English, with beautiful lancet widows. 



Our first President, Ralph Carr-Ellison, Esq., believes that the 

 Saxon name of the village ''would be Offinga-ham," literally, "of 

 the Offings the home." See Yol. I. of our Club's Transactions. 



The first meeting of our Club, on the 20th of May, 1846, was 

 at Ovingham, and then, as now, we visited, at the west end of 

 the church, the burial place of Thomas Bewick, who died Nov. 8, 

 1825 ; his wife also is buried there, and his brother John, who 

 died in 1795. On the south side of the church there is a tablet 

 to the memory of Robert Johnson, an artist, and a pupil of 

 Bewick's. Mabel Carr, the mother of George Stephenson, the 

 Railway Engineer, and her family lived and died at Ovingham, 

 and there is a family tombstone of theirs against the east end of 

 the chancel. 



The members, by the kind permission of the Rev. J. Smithard 

 Hind, passed from Ovingham to Whittle Dene. On arriving at 

 the Mill they were agreeably surprised at the hospitable and 

 plentiful preparations that had been made for theii* refection by 

 Mr. Hind. Under umbrageous oaks and by the well of fine water, 

 a specimen of which is said to have been sent up to the House of 

 Commons as "Whittle Dene water before the Company got their 

 Act, the repast was thoroughly enjoyed and thanks rendered to 



