Friday, August 15th. 451 



has again- this year undertaken the onerous task of acting as Local 

 Secretary for the more extended combined meeting of the Cambrian 

 Society with our own, and there is every indication that under his 

 experienced management the combined meeting of the two Societies 

 in 1913 will be equally successful. 



FEIDAY, AUGUST 15th. 



The morning was spent in seeing Devizes. At ST. JOHN'S and 

 ST. MAEY'S Churches Mr. H. Brakspear, F.S.A., acted as guide, 

 as also at BEOWNSTON HOUSE. GEEYSTONE HOUSE was 

 thrown open by the Mayor and Mayoress, and THE CASTLE, by 

 kind permission of Lady Eich, was shown by Mr. W. H. Butcher, 

 whilst a considerable number of the visitors availed themselves of 

 the opportunity of spending some time at the Museum. 



At ST. JOHN'S Mr. Brakspear dismissed the belief that the 

 Church was built by Bishop Eoger, the builder of the Castle, as a 

 mere legend, on the ground that the transept arches of the tower 

 are pointed, and called attention to the fact that at some time or 

 other the south-east pier of the tower had collapsed and brought 

 down nearly the whole of the south and most of the west side of 

 the tower. The evidence of this is chiefly to be seen on the inside, 

 on the outside it had been rebuilt with very great care. He sug- 

 gested that this took place in the 17th century. 



BEOWNSTON HOUSE, visited by kind permission of the 

 Misses Milman, has the date 1720 on the rain water heads. The 

 house itself is traditionally ascribed to Sir Christopher "Wren. 



GEEYSTONE HOUSE has a fine staircase and plaster ceiling 

 over it, as well as good panelling. Eichard Flower occupied a 

 house on this site in 1603. His granddaughter married a Locke 

 of Eowdeford, and their descendants sold the house in 1714 to 

 James Sutton, of Devizes, clothier, for £350. Apparently James 

 Sutton pulled the existing building down and built the present 

 house in 1731. His son, Prince Sutton, was High Sheriff of Wilts 

 in 1762, and was one of the leaders in the violent attack by the 

 mob on the house next door, when Charles Wesley stayed there in 



