Tuesday, July 4th. 



295 



of Mr. Simpson in proposing to re-publish Hoare's Modern Wilts. 



Mk. W. He ward Bell, in responding, dwelt on the serious loss 

 of Members during the past year, and threw out as a suggestion 

 the desirability of raising the annual subscription from 10s. 6d. to 

 £1 Is., expressing the opinion that the work now being done by 

 the Society was well worth the larger subscription, and that — unless 

 means could be found to increase the number of members to their 

 old numbers — some such expedient must be resorted to, if the work 

 of the Society was not to suffer in quality and quantity. 



Mr. Talbot next proposed that the Bishop of Bristol be invited 

 to act as President of the Society for the next three years, and the 

 Eev. E. H. Goddard, in seconding this proposition, referred to 

 the great advantage the Society had derived during the last three 

 years from the architectural knowledge of their present President. 

 The Officers of the Society and the Members of Committee were 

 then re-appointed, on the proposition of the Rev. J. H. Hill, D.D., 

 seconded by Mr. C. Simpson. 



Permission was also given to the Committee to dispose of certain 

 cases of foreign birds and other miscellaneous curios which have no 

 connection with the county, and which it is undesirable should be 

 retained at the Museum. 



This concluded the formal business of the Meeting, and the 

 Members adjourned to the CHURCH, which was grievously swept 

 and garnished in 1852-53 by Mr. Butterfield — both the east and 

 west ends of the building being entirely new work of his design. 

 Here considerable discussion took place on the point which was to 

 be be fought out in the evening — as to whether the existing 

 Church was or was not the Abbey Church — Mr, Talbot maintaining 

 that the balance of evidence is against its being so, whilst Messrs. 

 Doran Webb and Brakspear believed on the contrary that it was 

 the Abbey Church. 



After this preliminary skirmish a move was made to the garden 

 of the Red House, where a most sumptuous tea had been prepared 

 by Mrs. Blake. This having been done justice to, the party 

 proceeded, under the guidance of The Vicar (the Rev. A. W. 

 Phelps), to inspect the very curious Lodges at the entranoe to the 



