639th ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING, 



Held in Committee Eoom B, 



THE CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINSTER, S.W., on Monday, 

 February 20th, 1922, at 4.30 p.m. 



Lieut. -Colonel G. Mackinlay tn the Chair. 



The Minutes of the previous Meeting were read, confirmed and signed 

 and the HON. SECRETARY announced the following elections : — A. G. Wil- 

 kinson, Esq., as a Member, and Captain Ralph Carr-Gregg as an Associate. 



The Chairman then mtroduced Mr. W. Dale, F.G.S., F.S.A., who read 

 his paper on " Christianity in Roman Britain," illustrated by lantern slides 

 of great interest. 



CHEISTLANITY IN ROMAN BRITAIN. 

 By William Dale, Esq., F.G.S., F.S.A. 



The subject of the introduction of Christianity into our land 

 during its occupation by the Romans is one of the deepest 

 interest. The evidence available is, unfortunately, of the most 

 meagre description, so that there have not been wanting those, 

 including no less an authority than Thomas Wright, who have 

 denied altogether that Christianity was known in Roman Britain, 

 and was not introduced until the coming of Augustine. Our 

 knowledge in this direction has, however, of late years been 

 reinforced, and it is satisfactory to find that one of the greatest 

 and best authorities on early Christian Art, Mr. O. M. Dalton, 

 F.S.A., has, in a recently published guide book of the British 

 Museum, placed the matter beyond controversy. 



I purpose to lay before you a few of the actual facts we 

 possess, and to mention some of the traditions and legends which 

 have come down to us, upon which many have built their faith. 

 One might also adduce as an argument the reasonableness of the 

 supposition that with the Roman invasion the Gospel came. The 

 roads which still stretch across our Country, made by the army, 

 were the first thing to occupy the attention of the invaders. By 

 the side of one there was found in the last century in Hampshire 

 an ingot of lead from the mines in the Mendip Hills bearing on it 

 the stamp of the Emperor Nero, with his titles so fully set out 

 that Roman students can date it with certainty at a.d. 60. At 

 that time the great Apostle of the Gentiles was living in the 

 Capital in daily contact with soldiers of the army, and penned the 



