230 



#n dements of a jJaarott Cross <%aft, fonnb 

 at Jlinetg. anb j&apn jJttoer Ornament 

 from CncMak. 



By The Eev. E. H. Goddabd. 



TJST at the end of 1898 my attention was called by the 

 Eev. W. Butt, Vicar of Minety, near Malmesbury, to 

 certain carved stones which had lately been discovered 

 there, of which he sent me drawings. The curious circumstances 

 under which they came to light are described in Mr. Butt's letter 

 thus : — 



" The stones came out from the foundation of our chancel when it was under- 

 pinned by the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester two years ago. Scores of cartloads 

 of rough stones were taken out and broken up small for concrete. Though 

 constantly with the men who were getting the stones out, and looking on at the 

 breaking of them up, I saw no worked stone from first to last. But this is no 

 wonder, for the stones were covered with a most adhesive clay, which would not 

 come off till the stones were broken small and then washed. All the stones were 

 not used ; three or four cartloads remained, and these I had thrown up in a heap 

 near the Church, ready to use in or about the Church or churchyard, and by some 

 chance a dozen or so of them got brought up to my house. I was not aware of 

 this, and was about to put these stones to a secular purpose, when my eye suddenly 

 caught sight of the carving on one of the smaller pieces. Its value struck me in 



a moment, and when on turning the rest over — a couple of barrows full or so — I 

 found another small piece, I enquired where the stones had come from. On being 

 told that they were some which had come from the Church, I had the large heap, 

 before referred to, turned most carefully over, in fact I personally examined every 

 single stone. We only found, however, the large stone. Of course it is more 

 than probable that many similar carved stones were among those taken out from 

 the foundations and broken up — more is the pity of it." 



Mr. Butt afterwards most kindly sent me the three stones, so 

 that I am able to describe them here. Plaster casts of them have 

 also been taken and placed in the Society's Museum. 



