The Antiquarian Magazine & Bibliographer; Vol. 4, July-Dec 1884

by Various

Meetings of Learned Societies.

METROPOLITAN.

The British Archæological Association.

The forty-first annual congress of this Association commenced at Tenby, on Tuesday, September 2, the Bishop of St. David’s presiding. The reception of the members, by the Mayor and Corporation of Tenby, took place at the Town-hall, where the maces and regalia of Tenby, Pembroke, and Haverfordwest, which were exhibited, were made the subject of some observations by Mr. George Lambert, F.S.A., who said that the last two were of the reign of Charles I., while those of Tenby were later. All three, he said, were in poor condition. The Bishop then delivered his inaugural address, in the course of which he expressed his belief that since he took part in a meeting of the Cambrian Archæological Society at Tenby some twenty years ago antiquarian research had begun to take rank as a science, having ceased to content itself with collecting dry facts and having begun to systematise them in an orderly manner. He drew attention to the character of the county which they were about to visit, which, though it might be somewhat poor in its churches, was so rich in castles that it might almost be styled their paradise. These castles were well worthy of attention, for even in their ruins they served to illustrate history, showing, as they did, that the feudal nobles who inhabited them were almost princes in their independence, like those of the northern borderland, and for the same reason—namely, their great distance from the central seat of royal authority. He ended his address by some excellent remarks on the five leading eras to which the antiquities of Pembrokeshire might be referred—the pre-historic, the Roman, the Anglo-Saxon, the mediæval, and the post-Reformation periods respectively; adding, at the same time, some remarks upon his own cathedral of St. David and its surroundings, its peculiar grandeur and charm of grace, instancing it and Bishop Gower’s Palace close by as the finest specimens of mediæval architecture, ecclesiastical and domestic, to be seen in the Principality.

The rest of the afternoon was spent by the members of the congress in the inspection of the various objects of antiquarian interest in which the town abounds, notably its ancient walls, which, if they are not so strong or so ancient as those of York, are of a good and original type. They are fairly perfect on the western and northern sides of the town, and probably were never built on the east and south sides, where the cliffs, rising abruptly out of the sea, were a sufficient protection. The leading features of these fortifications were explained by Mr. Edward Laws, a local antiquary, who has acted as local secretary to the present congress, and has the antiquities of Tenby at his fingers’ ends. The company also inspected several arched vaults, Gothic windows, ornamental chimneys, and other architectural details in various houses in the town. They also visited the local museum, where the civic charters of Tenby and other curious specimens of antiquarian lore were on view. These found an expounder in Mr. Walter De Gray Birch, of the British Museum, who pronounced them far above the average in interest, though not in good preservation. At the church the party were met by the rector, the Rev. G. Huntington, who pointed out to them a number of fine effigies and other monuments, especially the curiously sculptured alabaster memorial to John and Thomas White, enterprising and opulent merchants of the town, one of whom was of great service to Henry VII., when he was only Earl of Richmond, in enabling him to make his escape by sea to France—a service for which he was afterwards rewarded by a Royal grant of land. Amongst the other tombs that were inspected was that of William Risam (A.D. 1633), in the attitude of prayer; that of Walter Vaughan, of Dunraven, a noted wrecker; and, perhaps the most interesting of all, a marble effigy of a skeleton in a recess in the wall near the north door—probably erected by a priest as a memento mori. The curious figures supporting the roof of the chancel, the ogee arch over the western doorway, the old aumbries, the fine wooden roof, and entrance to the rood-screen, were all much admired, as were also the remains of a Carmelite priory adjacent to the west end of the fabric. These were commented on by the Rector and by Mr. Loftus Brock, who gave good reasons for believing that the church was erected in detail at various dates, as the necessity for enlargement arose, and stated that St. Mary’s, Tenby, was not only one of the finest of Pembrokeshire churches, but also a very excellent example of what a town church ought to be. Before leaving the church the Bishop moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Brock for his valuable and most suggestive paper. The day’s proceedings were brought to a close by a dinner at the Temperance Hall, at which nearly a hundred sat down.

On Wednesday, at Brownslade, their first halting-place, through the kindness of the Hon. Colonel Lambton, a raised tumulus, which had long been suspected to be a barrow, was opened, and at a distance of little more than 2 ft. below the turf a variety of human bones were brought to light, and, amongst others, the skeleton of a very tall man, which was laid bare before the eyes of the assembled congress, the rough stones which had covered the bones being carefully removed. As the body lay exactly east and west, it was surmised that it must be that of a Christian; and, if so, then it clearly must be of post-Roman date. This supposition was confirmed by the discovery of some crosses and other emblems of Christianity being found among the bones in the neighbouring graves, which were grouped thickly around. In some of these the bones were thrown in apparently at random, and others were found in a crawling posture, so that in all probability the cemetery had been used for heathen interments before the Christians made use of it. At a short distance to the north were seen the débris of what was thought, from its orientation, to have been a chapel or church, though the masonry showed marks of Roman mortar and handiwork. Between the church and the above-mentioned tumulus the surface of the ground is very uneven, rising every here and there into hillocks, and it was thought probable that further excavations, if carried out, would probably reveal here the existence of an early British village. At Brownslade Mr. E. Laws and Mr. Loftus Brock and the Dean of St. David’s acted as interpreters and guides. The dean also accompanied the party to the next halting-place, the church of Castle Martin, a miniature reproduction in some respects of St. David’s Cathedral. Here the dean drew the attention of the congress to the south porch, in which were the remains of what certainly looks like a rood-loft, though why a rood-loft should be introduced into a porch it is not easy to determine. The Norman font, the tall slim tower, and other features of the church were much admired. The visitors also inspected the old vicarage, adjoining the church, now inhabited as a cottage. In it they saw a pillar of apparently Norman date, and having on its capital grotesque sculptures.

Afterwards the party drove on, under the guidance of Mr. E. Scott, to Angle, or Nangle, a village prettily situated on an arm of Milford Haven, and famous as having been once the home of Giraldus Cambrensis. Here they were shown the remains of a curiously fortified rectory-house (not unlike one of the smaller “Peel” castles of the northern border counties), consisting of a tower with Gothic windows, and elegantly adorned with carvings. Close by it is a round dovecote, probably coeval with the rectory, and dating from the Edwardian era. They also inspected a little detached mortuary chapel, with a crypt below, which stands in the churchyard a little to the north of the sacred edifice. On their way thence to Ross-Crowther the party visited a curious cromlech on Newton Burrows. At Ross-Crowther itself they were received by the rector, the Rev. Mr. Scott, who entertained the whole party at tea in his garden. He also showed them a curiously engraved stone (possibly of Roman origin) which is worked into the wall at the entrance of the churchyard, and a fine stone cross in the churchyard, remarkable as still having a perfect cavity in which money was dropped as offerings to the preacher. The altar slab, the low-browed arches, the font, and other portions of the church were much admired, as also was the “sanctus” bell, which still hangs outside the roof at the eastern end of the nave.

The party walked across the fields from the rectory in order to visit the fortified manor-house of Jestington, or Eastington, one of the most singular structures in this part of Wales. It is remarkable for its external staircase of stone, and for the curious patterns in which its stone floor is laid down. From Eastington the drive was made on the return journey to Pembroke, whence the members of the Congress were conveyed by train to Tenby. Owing to the late hour of their return only one paper was read at the evening meeting—namely, by Mr. Arthur Cope, upon the subject of “Little England beyond Wales.” The reading of this paper was followed by an animated discussion, in which Mr. G. Lambert, Mr. E. Loftus Brock, and other gentlemen took part.

Thursday was devoted to a long drive by carriages to Manorbeer Castle and Lamphey Palace. On their way to the former they paid a visit to Lydsted, a quaint little place on the coast, where their attention was attracted by some curious ancient specimens of domestic architecture. At Manorbeer Mr. E. Loftus Brock explained all the details of this most interesting structure, more remarkable for its picturesque position at the head of an inland bay than for its strength, as it is commanded on almost every side by hills which would place it at the mercy of heavy cannon. The castle is approached by a drawbridge, which spans a moat now dry. Crossing this and passing through the fortified entrance gateway, the visitor finds himself in the outer bailey, with the windows of the chapel, the hall, the kitchen, and the other domestic offices facing him. His attention cannot fail to be arrested by the external stone staircases which lead up to these rooms. Between the hall and the chapel is a large apartment, which probably was used as a drawing-room. Here, as in the chapel, the vaulting of the roof remains, as also do the chimneys in the hall; the dais also can be traced, and the stairs leading up from the kitchen are nearly perfect. Much has been done of late years to show the proportions of the chapel by removing the bricks and plaster with which its chancel windows were blocked up. The walls are almost entire, and so are the ramparts which run round them internally, thus placing both ends of the castle in immediate communication with each other, and both with the centre—an arrangement very useful in the time of constant wars and forays. Mr. Brock was able to show that the walls were of different date, the original Norman walls having been raised, apparently twice, in order to secure additional defence. Some controversy arose at the end of Mr. Brock’s remarks as to the meaning of the latter portion of the word “manorbeer,” and Sir James Picton, suggested that as the castle was under the Edwards the property of the family of Barry, or Berry, of which Giraldus Cambrensis was a member, it might mean the manor house of the Berrys; but this was negatived by the Vicar, the Rev. A. H. Wratislaw, who stated that in old college documents there was no reference to the Barry family, and that there is still in the parish a farm termed Beer, to which possibly the lands now covered by the castle belonged. On leaving the castle the party proceeded to the church, which stands on a lofty eminence looking down upon the castle and the sea. The many singular points in its structure, its utter irregularity of plan, the strange, heavy arches on either side of its nave, the large rood-loft in the north aisle, and the equally large “hagioscope” in the south aisle, and the knightly figure in armour on the north side of the communion rails, were all in turn commented upon by the Rev. Mr. Wratislaw in an address which he delivered in the nave. The party next hastily inspected the ruins of the old priory and the old rectory house adjoining the church on the south, and then proceeded on foot along the edge of the cliffs to see a cromlech, which is famous throughout the neighbourhood. It much resembles those seen in Cornwall, consisting of two short upright stones, supporting another flat stone of larger size. This was probably used for the purposes of sepulture in prehistoric times. Returning to the village the party took their luncheon in the schoolroom, which was placed at their disposal by the Vicar. After this they drove on in their brakes and waggonettes to Hodgeston, where they inspected the church, and duly admired the richly-carved sedilia, piscina, and decorated chancel, for which it is famous among Pembrokeshire churches. From Hodgeston their route led them to Lamphey, one of several palaces once belonging to the see of St. David’s, though separated from it by Henry VIII. at the Reformation, and since allowed to go to ruin by the Devereuxes, to whom it was first granted, and by subsequent owners down to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, to whom it now belongs. The old hall, with its long and fine arcade of windows—an emulation, or rather a reproduction on a smaller scale, of Bishop Gower’s Palace of St. David’s—and the chapel, with its elegant east window, were both much admired, and great regret was expressed at the ruin caused by courtiers to sacred buildings which the ancient Church did its best to preserve. From Lamphey the return journey was made along the ridgway to Tenby, but in their way back the archæologists paid a short and hasty visit to Penally Abbey, only a small portion of which—namely, St. David’s Chapel—now remains. It stands in private grounds, and the chapel is now a fernery, of which the gardener is very proud. The church, which is small, and has lately been renovated and adorned with painted windows, was much admired, and so were the crosses in the churchyard. The party reached Tenby between seven and eight o’clock, and at the evening meeting papers were read by Sir James Picton on “Place Names and their Teachings, especially with reference to Pembrokeshire,” and by Mr. Edward Laws on “The Local Ethnology of the District.” The former paper gave rise to a long and interesting discussion.

On Friday the archæologists had a long and pleasant day. Reaching Pembroke by special train soon after ten o’clock, they found their carriages ready to convey them to the Stack Rocks and to Stackpole Court, Lord Cawdor’s noble seat, near the southern coast of Pembrokeshire. They reached the cliffs in good time, and saw them in their entire stretch from Linney Head to St. Govan’s Head, and were shown in turn the Caldrons, Bullslaughter Bay, the Hunter’s Leap, and the other points which are so familiar to tourists in these parts. The sea was quite calm, and the sky was bright, so that the party were specially favoured in point of weather. They were most pleased, however, with St. Govan’s Chapel, which is situated about half-way down the cliffs in a narrow gorge, which it almost entirely blocked up. Here it is said that St. Govan was miraculously brought, and still more miraculously preserved from his enemies, and here he spent many years in fasting and prayer. The rooms which served as his dwelling and his oratory are partly hewn out of the solid rock, and partly built into it and on it. The window is primitive in its simplicity, and the roof with its little bell turret above is all that shows us now that it was a chapel once. Close by it and almost forming part of it is a rock, in which there is a hollow cavity just large enough for a person to stand in it; and there is a firm and fixed belief in the neighbourhood that whoever, whilst inside of it, makes a wish, turning himself or herself, as the case may be, round three times, will see that wish gratified within the next twelvemonth. From St. Govan’s Head the party passed along the cliff, inspecting very briefly a Danish encampment which occupies one of the bold headlands close by. In their way from St. Govan’s to Stackpole the archæologists paid a visit to Bosherston Church, where the tall tapering tower and the interior monuments, including two recumbent figures, a knight and a lady in stone, under noble canopies, were much admired. The church in other respects scarcely differs from the ordinary type so common all over the southern portion of Pembrokeshire. From Bosherston they drove on to Stackpole Court, the seat of Lord Cawdor, where they were not sorry to find luncheon awaiting them. Some of the party were content to inspect the state rooms of this lordly mansion, and to admire the family portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Romney, and Sir Thomas Lawrence, and the stands of arms which were used by the late Lord Cawdor’s regiment of militia in repelling the descent of the French troops at Fishguard, or taken from their prisoners. Meantime the more adventurous portion of the party walked across the park, under the guidance of Colonel and Lady Victoria Lambton, to inspect the site of a supposed pre-historic British village on the high ground about half-way between the Court and the sea cliffs. The remains are very irregular in plan, and from what is seen above ground it is difficult to make out their use, for they are scarcely strong enough to support roofs, and so could hardly serve for the purpose of domestic life. It was thought by some of those present that they were intended as places of safety for their oxen and flocks, and that the sites of their dwellings were a little further towards the sea. The subject, however, is reserved for future discussion, as soon as some further excavations can be made by Lord Cawdor, Colonel Lambton, and Mr. E. Laws. The large quantities of bones, burnt and calcined, of flints cut for arrow-heads, &c., found just under the turf led the archæologists to believe that further excavations would probably be found productive of satisfactory results; and one thing was regarded as certain—namely, that in very distant ages these bleak and barren sea-cliffs bristled with a native population. In returning through the park the party were shown some specimens of a breed of white cattle which are said to have been here from the Danish and British times, not unlike those at Chillingham Castle, in Northumberland, but smaller and not so fierce. The return drive was accomplished in good time to Pembroke, the party being able en route just to take a hasty glance at Cheriton Church, which has been lately restored by Lord Cawdor, and is remarkable for the noble monuments, under sculptured canopies, which it contains. They much admired the monument of Sir Elias de Stackpole, who took the cross and went off to Palestine, being led thereto by the preaching of Archbishop Baldwin; and also an ivy-crowned stone cross, which stands in the churchyard, apparently unmutilated. The papers read at the evening meeting in the Town-hall, Tenby, were two—the first by Mr. Thomas Morgan on “The Plantagenets,” and the other on “The Flemings in England and their Architecture,” by the Rev. Osborn Allen. The latter was followed by a long and interesting discussion.