82 



The Forty-first General Meeting. 



first opposite the now farm-house of KNOWLE, which stands on an 

 eminence to the right of the road, to inspect the little CHAPEL of 

 late thirteenth century date, the shell of which still remains in a 

 fairly perfect state, though it is unmarked on the Ordnance Map 

 and almost unknown. It is now used as a fowl-house, and the hens 

 strongly disapproved of the visit of the Society. 



Proceeding on to FROX FIELD, the CHURCH was first inspected, 

 under Mr. Ponting's guidance. This had recently undergone 

 restoration at the hands of Mr. Christian, and, with the exception 

 of one or two small points, the work seems to have been conducted 

 with a due regard to the ancient features of the fabric. The Vicar 

 here exhibited the singularly beautiful communion cup of German 

 work of the early seventeenth century, which stands alone of its 

 kind in the County of Wilts. The picturesque quadrangle of the 

 SOMERSET HOSPITAL, almshouses founded by Sarah, Duchess of 

 Somerset, in 1 694, for twenty clergy widows and thirty lay widows 

 ■ — spoiled as it is by the hideous chapel of 1812 in its centre — was 

 next visited. The Somerset hospital at present is a notable instance 

 of the way in which the income of charities is affected by the 

 agricultural depression — for more than half the houses cannot be 

 filled up for want of funds. 



LITTLE BEDWYN CHURCH, with its fine Norman capitals and 

 other features grievously tooled up in the process of " restoration," 

 many years ago, was next visited, Mr. Ponting reading notes on 

 the architectural features, and then the hill, the top of which is 

 fortified by the earthworks of CH IS BURY, was climbed, and the 

 desecrated CHAPEL, built apparently on the vallum of the camp, 

 was inspected. Although this building has apparently been used 

 as a barn ever since the Reformation (it might, perhaps, be more 

 exact to say became it has been so used), it retains its architectural 

 features of late thirteenth century date for the most part complete. 

 The details are singularly good, and the whole building a very 

 interesting one. After seeing the chapel the party walked round 

 as much of the circuit of the EARTHWORKS as the modern fortifi- 

 cations of barbed wire would admit of, and proceeded down the hill 

 to Great Bedwyn by the road which seems actually at this point to 



