170 Congress of British Archaeological Association at Devizes. 



a conventual ring that was dug up at Potterne some years back, 

 and had been placed in his hand by Mr. Musselwhite. In was an 

 elongated oval, and bore a symbol representing the Trinity in Unity. 

 There was the First Person in all dignity holding in uplifted hands 

 the Second Person on the Cross; at His right hand was a figure of 

 a dove, and on His left hand, filling up the corner of the ring, was a 

 circle, and a point within the circle, which they all knew meant 

 Eternity. There were two fishes, or what he took to be fishes, and 

 that they knew was a Christian symbol — Icthus. The ring was 

 one of great antiquity, and was in the finest preservation, and Mr. 

 Musselwhite might be very happy in being its possessor. It might 

 be, he should say, of the fifteenth century or earlier. 



The President was sure they were all greatly indebted to Mr. 

 Lambert for the interesting account he had given them of the 

 regalia. As to the ring, he ventured to say that he believed it was 

 a Saxon symbol of the Trinity — God the Father holding the crucifix, 

 with the dove representing the Holy Spirit. He had, in a chapel 

 of his own, amongst the stones of the chapel built into the wall, 

 one bearing a rough representation of this emblem, which was 

 pronounced to be Saxon work, only the right hand was knocked off 

 and therefore there was no Dove. 



Mr. Lambert, " Not Saxon ! My Lord ! not Saxon ! ! thirteenth 

 century, or very early fourteenth. Pray pardon my interruption. " 



The ancient corporate deeds and borough charters were then ex- 

 amined by Mr. Walter De Gray Birch, F.R.S.L., who congratulated 

 the authorities of the town on the careful way in which they had 

 preserved those treasures, and he hoped they would continue to do so 

 for many years to come. He proposed to make a few remarks on 

 the earliest charter only, but first he would recommend the custodian 

 to put it into a glass frame, because there were evident signs of 

 decay where the damp was gradually destroying it. The charter 

 was a ratification of the charter of Matilda, the celebrated Empress, 

 as she was called. They all knew that Matilda was the daughter of 

 Henry the First ; and she was Empress, because she married the 

 Emperor of Germany, and she afterwards retained the title because 

 it was one of great value to her cause in England. Her charters a 



