Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club.

MAY 30TH, 1890.

JOINT MEETING WITH THE CARADOC CLUB.

On Friday, May 30th, the first Field Meeting of the Club was held at Craven Arms, in union with the Caradoc Field Club, who, under the Presidency of the Rev. J. D. La Touche, were met at Craven Arms Railway Station. The interval between the arrival of the trains from Hereford and Shrewsbury was occupied in the transaction of some business of the Club, which included the election of nine new members and the proposal of seven others. Some further delay was occasioned by picking up reinforcements from various quarters, a delay which was the cause of sundry contretemps throughout the day, of a character however generally humorous rather than serious. Eventually the whole party, mustering about seventy in number, marshalled by their respective Honorary Secretaries, having taken their seats in seven carriages, drove to Clungunford House, distant about four miles, where they were received by Mrs. Rocke and her son, Mr. J. C. L. Rocke, who, without delay, proceeded to exhibit their magnificent collection of British birds, the result of some forty or fifty years' assiduous work by the late Mr. Rocke. The members, amongst whom were a few excellent ornithologists, were astonished at the display of almost every specimen of bird which has ever been acknowledged as having visited Britain, including, amongst many varieties, a fine specimen of the Great Auk, and embracing, in the collection of eggs, one of this now extinct bird. Mrs. Rocke, staff in hand, conducted the members over the Museum, case by case, pointing out especially the most rare birds, with a history of their capture or locality whence obtained, a reference to the manuscript list supplying further information.

Whilst the attention of the members was riveted upon Mrs. Rocke's descriptive details, they were interrupted by the unwelcome sound of the whistle, Mr. La Touche taking advantage of the opportunity to propose a vote of thanks, which was seconded by Mr. George H. Piper, who expressed the universal regret of the members that Mrs. Rocke's hospitable intentions must be so abruptly cut short.

Leaving to the ornithologists the task of drawing up a report of this, perhaps, matchless private collection, unequalled not only in point of varieties, but also as regards the magnificent specimens themselves, and the faultless life-like manner in which they, without exception, are set up, we must record our gratitude to Mrs. Rocke and her son for their very kind reception of the Club, for the entertainment for body as well as the ornithological treat, and for the valued

and much-appreciated privilege they so kindly extended to the members of viewing this unique collection at any future period when time should not be so limited as at present.

Resuming their seats in the brakes, the party proceeded towards Leintwardine, time not permitting an inspection of Clungunford Church, a stone building of Early Decorated style, whose register dates, according to Kelly's Directory, from 1559. A tumulus situated N. E. of the Church, circular in form, 15 feet high, 103 feet at the base, and 49 feet at the summit (of which an account may be found in Hartshorne's Salopia Antiqua, page 102), was carefully opened several years ago, and afforded an unmistakable evidence of cremation having been adopted in those earlier ages. On the right-hand of the road, about two miles distant, near Broadward Hall, upon the right bank of the river Clun, another tumulus was observed, where some ancient weapons have been discovered which are now in the British Museum. After a drive of about another three miles Leintwardine was entered, some members approaching by Watling Street which runs upon its eastern side, direct to the site of the old bridge, of which some traces of oak timbers, blackened with age and deposit, are said to be still found. The advance guard made for the camp. Mr. Fortey conducted it to the north-west angle, where the ancient vallum and fosse are clearly discernible, being more conspicuous here than elsewhere. The Rev. J. W. Colvin, the vicar, also attended, as also Mr. Hugh Thomas Evans, who has been resident thirty-six years, and who assisted the late Rev. W. D. Ingham by his observations and information in drawing out the plan of Leintwardine which accompanied Dr. Bull's excellent paper on Roman Stations and Towns in Herefordshire (see Woolhope Transactions, 1882, page 251). If any member ever had any doubts after reading that paper, that Leintwardine and the Roman town of Bravinium are identical, such doubts were assuredly at once set at rest by the evidence of his own senses, supplemented by Mr. Fortey's demonstration in situ to day. On the way to the Church Mr. H. T. Evans stopped to exhibit in his house specimens of ancient pottery, and, in the shed in the rear, portions of the antique screen from the Church. The Church was next visited where the Rev. J. W. Colvin showed excellently preserved parish registers dating from October 2nd, 1547, and not as erroneously stated in Kelly's Directory from 1530. The order for the establishment of parish registers was given by Henry VIII., temp. 1536, but as only eight registers are known to exist prior to 1538, it does not appear to have been at once generally acted upon. In the parish registers of Leintwardine there is the usual gap during the period of the civil wars; in this case the interval embraces from 1642 to 1656.

The Rev. T. AUDEN read to the members assembled in the Church the following

NOTES ON LEINTWARDINE.

LEINTWARDINE is an example of an unusual thing-the formation of a Saxon village within the very fortifications of a Roman camp. In general the remains of old Roman cities and stations were shunned by the Saxons as haunted ground, but the important position of Leintwardine near the two streams probably caused this superstitious dread to be overcome. Mr Hartshorne (Salopia Antiqua, p. 484) derives its name from the Celtic word for water, which is found in London and Lancaster. In Saxon times Leintwardine was the head of a hundred containing 49 manors, several of which are now in Herefordshire and Radnorshire. At the date of Domesday, Picot de Say, the founder of Clun Castle, held a small portion of the manor of Leintwardine proper, but the greater part was in the hands of Ralph de Mortimer. In Saxon times it had been held by King Edward, and was of considerable importance. In 1086 it possessed a Church, a priest, and a mill, which paid an annual rent of 6s. Sd. and six sticks (a stick consists of 20) of eels. There were several superior tenants, with a Provost, and a knight (unus miles), who possessed several tenants of his own. Later, it became a member of the Walcheria of the Mortimers, that is the independent jurisdiction, round their Castle of Wigmore. At the death of Edmund de Mortimer (II.) in 1332 it was stated that he had possessed there a dilapidated messuage, 80 acres of arable land, 6 of pasture, 15 of meadow, and the Bosc called Moktre, with the rents of various tenants.

The Church was, in Saxon times, the head of a large parish, only one other manor of Lenteurde Hundred (Wistanstow), being mentioned in Domesday as possessing a priest.

Hugh de Mortimer, between 1181 and 1185, gave the Church of Leintwardine and the mill there to Wigmore Abbey. Bishop Swinfield visited the Church, May 13, 1289, when the Abbot of Wigmore as Rector provided entertainment for him and his suite. The Bishop then gave alms of 12d. to the "Recluse of Leintwardine." In 1291, the Church of Leintwardine, with its chapels of Burrington and Downton, was stated to be in the deanery of Clun. In 1330, Roger de Mortimer, Earl of March, founded a Chantry in Leintwardine Church for ten chaplains to celebrate Mass daily for the souls of himself, his ancestors, and his successors. For this purpose the Earl intended to give the Advowson of Church Stretton, but this was not carried out. His design was, however, completed from other resources, as in the 14th century "nine chaplains chanted daily in Leintwardine Church prayers for the souls of Edward III., Isabella, his mother, Philippa, his queen, Henry, Bishop of Lincoln, the Earl of Lincoln, his Countess Joan, with all the faithful departed." In the Church was a "regular appointed choir, with stalls yet remaining; thither the Monks (Canons) of Wigmore repaired in processions, and the Abbot delivered an annual sermon on the festival of the Virgin, the patron

Saint." This must mean the chantry, as the Church is said to be dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, though the "King's Book" calls it St. Mary, and it has been attributed to St. Mary Magdalen. At the time of the dissolution of monasteries the Abbot of Wigmore received £36 15s. 5d. from Leintwardine. This living was at that time held by John Stiche, whose preferment was valued at £8 3s. 4d., less 7s. 8d. for synodals and procurations. Henry VIII.'s Commissioners accused John Smart, the last Abbot of Wigmore, of many evil deeds; among them that he had neglected Leintwardine Chantry, and had stripped £40 of silver plate from an image of the Virgin which adorned the Church, and appropriated the proceeds. The Advowson passed later into the hands of the Harleys, Earls of Oxford, one of whom, Sir Edward Harley, about 1659, presented to it a zealous Puritan, Richard Hawes, Vicar of Kentchurch. He was ejected after the Restoration, and afterwards lived with his son-in-law, the ejected Vicar of Weobley. He seems to have been a man who learnt much from his experience of life, for Calamy does not give him the highest character in his earlier ministry, though he died in humble faith, respected by all who knew him, Churchmen and Nonconformists alike.

Now to return to the proceedings of the day :

The movements of the members over the ground were so rapid that they would have delighted the heart of Cæsar. These strategical manoeuvres somewhat perturbed the peaceable inhabitants and "gentle fishermen" of this head centre for grayling. The suddenness of the occupation of their village was their first surprise, nor was their consternation lessened when the strangers, alighting hurriedly-the lost time not having yet been recovered-were discovered to be armed with hammers of various forms and proportions; one, especially, a most uninviting weapon, suggestive of a boarding pike of a Viking warrior, and wielded by a member of formidable stature, created quite a diversion, dispersion we mean, for it spread dismay far beyond the range of the muscular arms of its stalwart The minds of the villagers began to be appeased when they found that the strangers had entered the Church, the majority of them cherishing the hope that the mission was-if not of an ecclesiastical-at least of a peaceable character; whilst some few, having perceived that some of the strangers had scaled the Church tower, and were making observations therefrom, still maintained their fears; but when our field force, returning from the Church, issued from the village, following their patriarchal leader towards the Church Hill Quarry, distant about half a mile, the villagers peaceably resumed their usual occupations, the object of pursuit of the strangers having been explained to them by a promising young girl, who had probably passed the sixth standard, in the following terms-"There's a mine up that hill, there's gold in it!"

owner.

Upon assembling at the quarry on Church Hill, the rear-guard was again met with, who indiscreetly attempted to remonstrate against the celerity of our advance-guard; they were soon silenced, censured, and put to shame for preferring to linger over the pleasures of Mrs. Rocke's hospitable table, and severely reprimanded for their lack of promptitude in assembling at the first sound of the