Friday's Excursion. 



249 



palmy days, which was hung" behind the President's chair. He 

 expressed an opinion that the biographical section of the county 

 history had been somewhat neglected in the Society's publications, 

 and hoped that more attention would be paid to this in the future. 

 This brought the evening's proceedings to a close. 



FRIDAY, AUGUST 1st. 



Forty-three Members started on the second day's excursion, which 

 left Devizes at 9.20. The weather looked gloomy but happily only 

 a few showers fell, and the heaviest of these was timed most con- 

 veniently, as on the previous day, to come down whilst the archae- 

 ologists were safely under cover at lunch, whilst towards evening 

 things brightened and the sun came out. Indeed, on the whole, 

 the weather could not have been better for both days' excursions. 

 Dust — which is often so trying on such occasions — was entirely 

 absent, and the temperature was cool and pleasant. 



The first stoppage was at Potterne Church, where Archdeacon 

 Buchanan read a short account of the building', pointing out 

 especially the ancient Saxon font, the thirteenth century north door, 

 and a rubbing of the undecipherable inscription on one of the bells 

 (see vol. xvi., p. 281) . After having duly admired this fine thirteenth 

 century Church, the Porch House was next visited, the history of 

 which was shortly described by Me. Walter Buchanan (see vol. 

 xvi. p. 287). After wandering over the delightful old house so 

 lavishly restored by Mr. Richmond, and admiring the many bits 

 of ancient glass collected from various sources in its windows, the 

 party drove on to Market Lavington, where the Church was carefully 

 described by Mr. Ponting. 



The next stopping-place was Erchfont, where the archaeologists 

 found a Church in some respects the most interesting of any visited 

 this year, and which, never having been visited by the Society 

 before, was new, as, indeed, were also the four Churches next visited, 

 to most of the Members. The interest here centred in the beautiful 

 and very unusual early fourteenth century chancel, which — with its 

 vaulted roof, its ridge stones and singular fleur-de-lys, showing that 

 the roof was originally covered with stone slabs, as the south porch 



