488 Recent Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets, Articles, &c. 



Uuke, who died 1692, is given, including "one sea coale grate," a de- 

 scription of the fire in 1834, which broke out in the dining room and 

 burnt some of the panelling, and a letter on the genealogy of the Duke 

 family and the descent of the manor by R. E. H. Duke, reprinted from 

 the Salisbury Journal. A final note tells us that Mr. Lovibond has 

 again put the restoration of the house in the hands of the former restorer 

 — Mr. Detmar Blow. There are many illustrations from photographs, 

 which, however, are hardly as clear as they might be : — " Front, South- 

 West View," " Lake House, 180*7, from a water colour Drawing," 

 " Drawing of Lake House " (? 18th century), " Corner of Dining Room," 

 Dining Room, showing Oak Panelling and Armour," " Coat of Arms," 

 "Taxpaper of 1836," "Attic," "Drawing Room, showing Fireplace," 

 "Justice Room Door," "Yew Hedges surrounding Bowling Green," 

 " Staircase and Portraits of James I. and Anne Hyde," " Corner of 

 Drawing Room," "S. W. Prospect" (from pen-and-ink drawing of 1752), 

 " 6.30 a.m. April 5 th, 1912 " (two views of the fire). 



The old Wiltshire Sheep. A valuable article appeared in the 

 Wiltshire News, March 22nd, 1912, entitled " The Hampshire Down 

 Sheep. The Evolution of the Breed." This breed is traced to the 

 crossing of the old Wiltshire Horned Sheep and the Berkshire Knot 

 with the Southdown. This old Wiltshire breed, now entirely extinct, 

 was thus described : " The sheep that used to be kept on the Wiltshire 

 Downs were the Wiltshire horned ones, with large head and eyes, Roman 

 nosed, long faced, wide nostrils, horns falling back behind the ears, 

 chest tolerably wide and deep, back straight, legs somewhat awkwardly 

 long, and the bones too large. The wool was at that time (the beginning 

 of the nineteenth century) much prized ; it was of a medium length 

 and fine, and the fleece weighed from 2lbs. to 2|lbs, The ewe had not 

 any wool beneath the belly. These sheep were rather greedy feeders 

 and somewhat slow in fattening, but when fattened they occasionally 

 attained very great weight. Mr. Herbert says that in the winter im- 

 mediately preceding the Christmas of 1788 he saw hanging in a butcher's 

 shop in London three Wiltshire Crocks (crooked) — so called from the 

 shape of the horn turning back behind the ear and bending over the 

 cheeks— the bare carcases of which averaged 33 stones lib. each." In 

 this connection it may be noted that there has been for many years in 

 the Museum at Devizes a very large sheep's head, which, although it is 

 unfortunately not labelled, is believed to be that of a ram of this extinct 

 breed. It has recently been placed in a case for more careful preser- 

 vation. 



Malniesbury Market Cross. A long account of the ceremony 

 of unveiling the cross on April 19th, 1912, after its restoration by Mr. 

 Brakspear at a cost of about £550, collected chiefly by Mr. Joe Moore, 

 appears in the Wiltshire Gazette, April 25th, with a photo of the opening 

 ceremony. A photo of the restored cross is also given in the Wiltshire 

 Times, April 27th, 1912. 



