indebted to the artistic and gratuitous pen of Mr. Joseph Goddard, architect; and to Mr. James Thompson and Mr. Bellairs you are also under obligation for further aid in that important department. It is strongly recommended that the publication be continued during the coming year, should the funds of the Society permit, as the only means of preserving Papers read before the members, and of keeping a register of the many extremely valuable and suggestive antiquities exhibited at the bimonthly meetings.

These bi-monthly meetings, during the year just closed, have been of considerable interest, and the exhibition of antiquities well worthy the notice of the members: indeed, many of the articles shown were extremely valuable as real and tangible exponents of the past history of the county. The Roman remains exhibited, as might be expected in a locality where that powerful race were firmly established for so many years, have been numerous and noteworthy. We have seen silver and bronze coins found in Leicester-articles of domestic use and personal ornaments, and various specimens of pottery. The Anglo-Saxon race has been represented by articles found in Leicester, and by a discovery of great value and interest made at Melton Mowbray. [The Report proceeds to describe the discovery of these relics, as given at pp. 94-96 in this volume.]

The articles illustrative of the medieval and later periods exhibited at our various bi-monthly meetings have, as usual, been of a varied and interesting character. We have been shown enamels from China, and from France, including an exquisite specimen of the Limoges school. Carvings in ivory and wood. The mediæval illuminator has been introduced to us in a French book of "Hours" of the fourteenth century: and the modern typographer has been presented in several specimens of various dates. The skill and fidelity of the pencil and the brush of several of our members have been evidenced by the exhibition at our meetings of drawings of Skeffington and Billesdon churches before restoration, of Latimer's house, and the ancient bridge at Thurcaston, and of a portion of the ancient stained glass at Stockerston Church, in this county. Mr. Lea, of Lutterworth, has shown specimens of his mural decorations, which have since, in the International Exhibition, added much to his reputation. To these might be added a long list of curiosities all more or less valuable, among which would figure a dyptych from the Eastern Church, and a skeleton from the Bow Bridge, Leicester, which did not once carry the mortal flesh of Richard III.

It was resolved early in the year that the annual excursion should be made to Bosworth Field; when it became known that the British Archæological Association intended holding their congress last year in this town, it was determined that the excursion should take place during the visit of that Association, in order that its members might be invited to join in the day's proceedings, and that it should commence from Leicester, so that Kirby Muxloe Castle and other places of interest on the way might be visited. The members of the Lincolnshire, and of the Northamptonshire Architectural Societies, and of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society were also invited to attend. [The Report proceeds to give a detailed account of the excursion, as reported, pp. 112-167 of this volume.]

The work of church building and restoration has been carried on in this county as elsewhere, during the past year with great vigour. The principal works completed in Leicester, are those in connection with the central church of the town-ST. MARTIN'S. The ancient tower and spire resting internally upon Norman piers and arches have been removed, and in their place Mr. Brandon has erected a fine Early English tower of very considerable magnitude and height; indeed, so much so as almost to appear out of proportion to the main building; it is, however, hoped at no distant period to complete the architect's plan by raising the pitch of the nave roof, and by the addition of a broach spire, which will not only add much to the beauty of the edifice, but will give symmetry to the proportions of the tower, which at present is naturally wanting. The tower rests internally upon four Early English arches of considerable altitude, with carved capitals, by which means the fine Perpendicular chancel and the north and south transepts are more distinctly seen from the nave. The north transept, which has been entirely rebuilt, and slightly lengthened, is a compound of various periods of architecture. In consequence of the increased height of the new tower arches, it was necessary to raise a portion of the roof of the south transept: this has been done by making a pitched roof finished by a gable, pierced by a cinquefoil window, and terminated externally by a cross at the limit of the first or small south aisle. Probably, a greater degree of boldness on the part

of the architect in this arrangement would have produced a better résult; if the roof had been raised and the transeptal arrangements could have been carried out to the extreme south wall, so as to have included under it the first south window, which, from its size-being much larger than those in the same line of wall-almost points to this as its former position, the result would perhaps both externally and internally have been bolder, more graceful, and in every way more satisfactory. The optical illusion produced by the impinging of a portion of the mouldings of the western tower arch upon the stilt of the arch is extremely unfortunate,

Messrs. Skidmore and Co. have, in their usual effective manner, introduced standards and semi-standards for gas under the western tower arch, and within the chancel; and a carved eagle lectern in oak, executed by Mr. Barfield of Leicester, reflects great credit upon his taste and skill.

The fine church of ST. MARGARET's is also being gradually restored under the care of Mr. G. G. Scott. During the year 1862, the north side has been new cased, the jambs and arches of the windows restored, and new tracery inserted.

The most important work completed in the county, during the past year, was undoubtedly the restoration, under Mr. G. G. Scott, of the parish church (All Saints') of LOUGHBOROUGH. This fine Church, which for more than two years past has been undergoing complete renovation, now, with the exception of the tower, which is being restored by the munificence of Mr. W. Perry-Herrick, reappears in almost its pristine beauty. The galleries are swept away, and the high pews replaced by very good open oak seating. The foundations of the church have been underpinned and considerably strengthened; the masonry inside and out, including the pinnacles and battlements, the buttresses and parapets, thoroughly restored; the brick mullions in the windows replaced by stone tracery in character with the style of the jambs. The doorways have been rebuilt, care being taken to follow the details of the original entrance; the porch at the southern one is almost, if not entirely, new. The fittings of the chancel are restored, and a new east window inserted; in fact, the whole edifice has been thoroughly restored, or where abso lutely necessary, rebuilt, and that in no niggardly spirit, for the contract amounted to £7,200. The entire work will, your Committee think, give great satisfaction to those members of this Society especially who attended the general meeting held at Loughborough in the year 1852, and saw the church in its then unsightly condition; and it must be a pleasure to the members generally to find that the advice then given to the inhabitants by the spokesman of the Society-the Rev. Canon Jamesin his Paper upon the church, was so well received, and has eventually been so thoroughly acted upon with such extremely satisfactory results.

The restoration of the small church of WELBY, which for some time past has been in the hands of Mr. R. W. Johnson, of Melton Mowbray, was completed last year. The later works consisted of new fittings for church and chancel, the insertion of a new east window, the lowering of the ground round the building, and the thorough draining of the foundations.

Great improvements have been effected in KIBWORTH church by the erection of a new roof to the nave, and by forming a tower arch from the nave, and thus showing the western window, which has been somewhat lengthened to meet the requirements of the change.

The tower of NORTH KILWORTH church has been restored to the belfry windows; above the windows, the tower and spire were taken down and rebuilt, the latter being raised about ten feet higher than its predecessor. The work has been carefully done by Mr. Firn, of Leicester, under the architectural guidance of Mr. Jos. Clarke, of London. Mr. Firm has also been engaged in pointing and otherwise restoring the external walls of NARBOROUGH church. This has led to the restoration of an exceedingly interesting Early English priest's door on the south side of the chancel of that church. The whole of the original stone work of this doorway is now on Mr. Firn's premises, where it is placed in position, and is well worth a visit from those members specially interested in Gothic architecture.

The restoration of STOUGHTON church referred to in the last Report, is still progressing. During the past year the north aisle with its fine range of Decorated windows, has been taken down and literally restored, every bit of old stone being again placed in its old position, excepting in cases where new was a necessity. A Perpendicular clerestory is being added to the nave, a new south porch is to take the place of the present debased one, and probably by the end of the present year the whole church will-through the liberality of Major the Hon. Powys-Keck-be

thoroughly and, by Mr. Firn, carefully restored. The neighbouring church of OADBY presents a sad contrast to this. The churchwardens there have had the bad taste and will learn the eventual bad economy of daubing a portion of the external walls with stucco.

The chancel of HINCKLEY church is now being restored under the guidance of Mr. Gillett, and in other parts of the county works of restoration of various degrees of importance are being carried on. In addition to these, your Committee would recommend to your notice the extremely elegant Gothic school house now being erected from the designs of Messrs. Goddard and Son, near WESTCOTES, in this town; and they cannot but express a hope that our National architecture, having again gained its supremacy in ecclesiastical buildings, being now engaged in a most successful competition with the exotic styles in scholastic and kindred edifices, will, ere long, claim its long lost inheritance as the most fitting style for our dwelling houses and domestic erections.

The rapidity with which the work of church restoration progresses is almost equalled by the rapidity with which the glazing of the past three centuries is giving way to the introduction of stained glass into the windows of our churches. Whilst speaking well for the liberality of our age, and demonstrating the earnest desire now so happily prevalent to render the Houses of God in some degree worthy of the holy purposes for which they were built, it must be confessed with regret that the art of glass staining does not appear to progress towards that excellence which the present great demand for the article ought to command. There have been very many windows in our Leicester and County churches filled with stained glass during the past year; and, without speaking of any one of these with special praise or dispraise, your Committee think a reference to them (with but few exceptions) will show that the art of glass staining is still very far from the zenith of its perfection in England. There is, however, one instance to which your Committee can refer with unmixed satisfaction, not so much with regard to the work itself—though that will bear a comparison without injury, with most modern productions of a similar character-as to the cause of its insertion, and the munificence and noble heartedness it commemorates. It is needless to remind you how much the town of Leicester, and especially the parishioners of St. Mary's, are indebted to Mr. Thomas Nevinson, in the restoration of their now most beautiful church; and it has been a sincere pleasure to very many members of this Society to contribute, through your Secretary, towards the cost of filling the eastern chancel windows of that church with the best stained glass Mr. Wailes could produce, to be a lasting memorial of the gratitude of his contemporaries to Mr. Nevinson, not alone for the pecuniary sacrifice he has made, but more than that,-for the untiring attention and correct architectural taste brought to bear upon the work, which has rendered it not only beautiful to the eye of the uninitiated, but a lesson to the architectural student.

RESOLVED, that the statement of Accounts and the Report be adopted.

The Committee and officers for the ensuing year were elected, and other business transacted.

The following gentlemen were elected PRESIDENTS of the Society: Sir A. B. C. Dixie, Bart., Geoffrey Palmer, Esq., and W. U. Heygate, Esq., M.P.

Mr. NORTH reported that he had received letters acknowledging honorary membership from the Rev. Prebendary Trollope, F.S.A., and Mr. E. Levien, F.S.A.

The following gentlemen were elected MEMBERS:-Mr. W. T. Fry, Exeter College, Oxford; the Rev. A. Holmes, Melton Mowbray; Mr. John Groocock, and Mr. Firn, both of Leicester.

Mr. R. W. JOHNSON, Architect, Melton, exhibited a drawing of the proposed restoration of the village cross at Frisby-on-theWreake, which was highly commended; but certain alterations in

the height of the shaft, and in the form of the cross upon the apex were suggested. Mr. Johnson also by way of explanation of his drawing contributed the following Paper upon

TOWN CROSSES,

which was, in his absence, read by Mr. North :

THE subject of "Town Crosses" is open to much enquiry. Without going very closely into the matter, I have found much to interest any one who takes pleasure in rambling amongst the relics of the past-not, however, so much from the erections themselves, as from the associations which are connected with them. They seem to divide themselves into three distinct heads or classes: Market Crosses, Memorial Crosses, and Town or Village Crosses. Of the antiquity of the first-named we have plenty of proof as far back as the thirteenth century, and I need only quote that in existence at Higham Ferrers, the capitals and mouldings of which are decidedly the work of that period. The form of the Market Cross is generally polygonal, with an open archway niche on two of its sides. The really good specimens to be found are few. More frequently, structures of a debased character, some surmounted by a kind of dome, seem to have replaced the original ones. Evidently, the centre or the principal part of the town was used as the site of these erections, and some of the principal historical events are connected with them. The illustrated descriptions to be met with give but little idea of the style (there were no Le Keux or Jewitts in those early days) but the remains are curious, and from many of the occurrences which are depicted in manuscripts and other ancient works, being found in connection with the Town Crosses, it is clear that they were looked upon with a degree of importance, if not of veneration.

In an engraving of "Cheapside," with the procession of Maryde-Medicis on her visit to Charles I., the most prominent object is the cross which formerly existed there, and in a curious print in the Pennant collection in the British Museum, is seen the same cross very similar in detail undergoing destruction at the hands of the Puritans. A cross also existed in front of St. Paul's, which in addition to other purposes was used for preaching from. A drawing in the Pepysian Library shows this to have been a heavy low building, which it states was erected in 1450, and remodelled in 1595. A Market Cross existed in Edinburgh in Argyle's time, and his execution is shown in a drawing of the period as taking place close to the Cross. One more example near home. The High Cross which formerly existed in Leicester was erected in what must then have been the principal part of the town, for we find that during the Siege of Leicester in 1645, "Gallowtree Gate and several other entrances having been carried, by half-past one

the defenders were driven from every part of the fortifications except the Newarke; but the garrison and townspeople having retired to the Market Place, High Cross Street continued the struggle for nearly an hour longer." I believe a Cross in the pavement still marks the site of the ancient High Cross, one of the reputed pillars of which, in its debased form, is preserved in front of the Crescent in King Street.

Of Memorial Crosses I need say but little,-another member of this Society having formerly read a paper on the subject. I will only quote those beautiful structures built to commemorate the lamented Queen Eleanor at each of the places where her body rested in its journey back to London; the last of which was, I believe, built at the then village of Charing. The finest of them is at Waltham, and an attempt at its renovation rather than restoration caused much discussion,-the plea being that however faithfully the old work might be copied, it does at best but show how well we can imitate the original, and affords very equivocal evidence of the state of the arts in the reign of Edward I., and this argument will bear out in all matters of restoration. In the present day we are too apt to lose sight of the remains of the ancient work, and by the introduction of novelties to entirely destroy the character of the original. There is a charm about the moss-covered stone which is not appreciated by all architects; but the object should be, not to renew them by putting a fresh stone in the place of every old one that is in any degree mutilated, but to preserve them from further dilapidation, and to save every ancient feature that can possibly be preserved; restoring such parts only where it is indispensably necessary to ensure the safety and durability of the structure.

I think we may include the wayside Crosses amongst those intended to memoralise individuals, although time, that leveller of all distinctions, has effaced every trace which will identify them with those whom they were intended to commemorate. On the continent these Crosses are of constant occurrence, more frequently pointing out the place of some dark deed, and the resting place of those who have met a violent death, coupled with the inscription, "Pray for the soul of A.B."

Lastly of Village Crosses, the remains of which are so often to be met with, forming as they do, even in their ruin, pleasing objects. They generally consist of a few steps, by some called a Calvary, and a tall shaft with sometimes a few mouldings to form a base, and no doubt all had originally a Cross on the top. In some instances they had small niches and sculptured foliage. With but very few exceptions they shared the fate of almost everything else in the shape of a Cross during the Puritanic dispensation. In the journal of one U. Dowsing, January 6th, 1643, he writes, "We broke down about an hundred superstitious pictures, and 200 had been broke down before I came, we took away two Popish In