The Annual Dinner, 



3 



King* s ton House, 1 where tea had been most kindly prepared in 

 the garden by Mrs. Moulton. The beautiful place, with its terraces 

 and flower borders, was looking its best, and after tea Mr. Moulton 

 gave a short account of the history of the building and of the 

 reasons which had induced him to change the name from " Kingston 

 House" to " The Hall." Built probably in the reign of James 

 I., possibly by John Thorpe, for one of the Hall family, who 

 seem to have been seated here long before this date, it passed when 

 the last of that family died in 1711 to Miss Baynton, who married 

 the heir presumptive to the Dukedom of Kingston, their son be- 

 coming the second Duke, who married Miss Chudleigh, the notorious 

 Duchess. From the end of the last century until it was bought by 

 the father of the present owner in 1848 the house fell on evil times 

 and practically ceased to be used as a residence, part of it being 

 utilised for manufacturing purposes. After its purchase by Mr. 

 Stephen Moulton the building, especially the front, was extensively 

 restored. In the interior, in addition to the fine fireplaces and 

 plaster ceilings, attention was especially called to the curious 

 minstrels' gallery over the porch, which has no visible means of 

 access to it ; to the three pieces of tapestry hanging in the hall, 

 which belong to the house ; and to a beautiful rapier (cir. 1600 ?) 

 also found in the house during the progress of the restoration. 



The Annual Dinner, to which twenty-eight sat down, was 

 held at the New Bear Hotel, the company afterwards adjourning 

 to the Town Hall, where they were serenaded on their arrival by 

 the Town Band — the effect in the irregular little square, with the 

 many narrow streets opening into it, crowded with people looking 

 on, suggesting an evening scene in some town on the Continent 

 rather than in our own County of Wilts. 



The Conversazione, though only attended by some thirty- 

 four persons, proved an interesting one, Mr. Talbot leading off 

 with his inaugural address on Restoration and the 

 Preservation of Ancient Buildings, followed by the 

 Rev. W. Gr. Clark- Maxwell, on "The Suppression of 

 Alien Priories and Friar's Houses in Wilts." Both these 



1 See Wilts Arch, Mag., vol. i., p. 265. 



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