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HE Wiltshire Archaeological Society has lost many of its 

 oldest Members and most staunch supporters in the last 

 few years — but to none of them, not even to Canon Jackson — did 

 it owe the debt that it owed to Alfred Charles Smith. When the 

 Society was inaugurated in 1853 his name it is true only appears 

 as one of the Local Secretaries, whilst the Eev. W. C. Lukis and 

 the Rev. J. E. Jackson took the office of General Secretaries — but 

 in 1857 he became one of the General Secretaries, sharing that 

 post successively with Canon Jackson, Mr. W. Cunnington, Mr. 

 C. H. Talbot, and Mr. H. E. Medlicott, until his resignation in 

 1890. During all these years, it is no disparagement to his col- 

 leagues to say, that whether in the editing of the Magazine, in the 

 arrangement of the Annual Meetings, or in the general business 

 and correspondence of the Society, he did the lion's share of the 

 work. With him the office of Honorary Secretary was no sinecure, 

 and when in 1884 the then President, Mr. N. Story Maskelyne, 

 handed to him the album containing the address from Members of 

 the Society which accompanied the gift of plate presented to his 

 only daughter on her marriage with the Rev. J ohn Penrose, now 

 Vicar of West Ashton, it was no mere compliment that he expressed, 

 but the simple truth, when he said that he believed " that Mr. 

 Smith had done more than anyone else to bring the Society into 

 the world, and he did not think that since it had been born there 

 was anyone who had so fostered it, fed it, worked for it, clothed it, 

 and done everything for it that could be done to bring it to the 

 admirable position of vitality which it now enjoyed." The measure 

 of success to which the Society has attained, and the position which 

 it holds ( amongst the kindred societies of England, is due to the 

 combined work of many — some of whom have long passed away, 

 but first and foremost among them all stands Mr. Smith. For 



