from father to son, and the name of Wiburgh a connection of the Lancashire branch of the Tailbois family was held by Wiburgh Tayleby of Slawston, who died 1690. The name of Tailbois has been spelt in almost innumerable ways: Tailbois, Taillebois, Tayllebois, Taillebosc, Tailegebosch, Tailebosch, Talebois, Taylebois, Tallebosch, Talybois, Talboys, Taleboys, Tailbye, Tailbei, Talbye.-(Duchesne, Stowe, Camden, Ingulphus, Domesday Book, Cockersand Register, Dugdale, Harleian MS., etc.).

May 25th, 1863.

THE REV. J. H. HILL in the chair.

The following NEW MEMBERS were elected: Frederick Palmer, Esq., Withcote Hall; the Rev. T. Butler, D.D., Allexton Rectory; the Rev. Thomas Norris, Tugby Vicarage; Edward Studd, Esq., Hallaton Hall; William Hay, Esq., Bowden Hall; Frederick Roberts Hill, Esq., Cranoe; Mr. Thos. Bunney, Leicester.

Among the antiquities exhibited were the following:

By MR. NORTH (by permission of the Curator of the Town Museum) a brass signet ring, recently found on the site of Danett's Hall, Leicester, accompanied by the following memoir :-This signet ring of brass was found on the site of Danett's Hall, Leicester, in February last, at about six feet below the then surface of the soil. It is rude in construction and ornament, and is the work of, probably, the fourteenth century. The signet shows a merchant's mark of an ordinary character, comprising within it the letters I. O., being probably the initials of its original owner. These arbitrary signs were much used by merchants and others not entitled to bear arms, and they not unfrequently had them engraved upon their seals and rings, as has been shown at previous meetings of this Society. The present ring, like many others of its class, is of a large size, and was worn upon the forefinger or thumb. Shakspere refers to these rings when he makes Falstaff say to the Prince (Henry IV., scene the fourth),

"When I was about thy years, Hal, I was not an eagle's talon in the waist; I could have crept through any alderman's thumb ring.”

Mr. North also exhibited a Nuremberg token, much worn, recently found in excavating upon the property of A. Turner, Esq., Bow Bridge, Leicester. Several other specimens of these same coins or counters were exhibited. They are constantly being found, and have almost ceased to be looked upon as curiosities.

By MR. THOMAS NEVINSON, an encaustic tile, dug up recently in Sycamore Lane, Leicester; size, five inches and a quarter square. The pattern is arranged in circles, the corners of the tile being filled up by trefoils, the centre by a kind of star of eight leaves. Between the two outer circles the word "Glaunvile" occurs in Lombardic characters. The colour of the tile is, as usual, brown, the devices yellow. Also, a tile six inches and a half square, found built into the foundations of a house lately pulled down in the Newarke, Leicester. The device of this tile is raised in embossed work, and shows the sacred monogram I.H.C., surrounded by a foliated border. The whole of this tile is covered by a green glaze. Also some coins, among which were a shilling of Charles II., a groat of one of the Edwards, minted at Canterbury, and a Nuremburg token, found in the garden of the same house.

By MR. JOHN HUNT, a silver spoon, found at Bushby, in this county, three feet and a half below the surface, bearing the assay mark of the year 1600; also two coins (one a groat of Edward I. [?] minted at Canterbury, the other an abbey piece), found at Leicester Abbey, a crown of Charles I., and other coins.

By MR. HENRY GODDARD, two Roman cinerary urns, found near S. Margaret's Church, Leicester, one of the unusual pattern known among antiquaries as the "hooped pattern," eight inches in height, by five inches in diameter, and marked by three "hoops," the other, in perfect preservation, of the ordinary type, eight inches and a half in height by seven inches in diameter across its widest part; also a coin of Trajan (A.D. 98 to 117), large brass, found in the Cherry Orchard, Leicester, where so many remains of Roman civilization have been discovered. On the obverse, round the head of the Emperor, is the inscription IMP (eratori) CAES (ari) NERVAETRAIANO-AVG (usto) GER (manico) DAC (ico) P (ontifici M (aximo) TR (ibunitia); the reverse is entirely illegible; and some Roman coins lately found upon the Danett's Hall estate during the excavations there, comprising a Nero, and a small brass of one of the Constantines.

By the REV. J. H. HILL, copy of the works of Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis (afterwards called Constantia), in the original binding, quite perfect with the exception of a corner torn off the title page, printed in 1545, and purchased at Holt sale in 1848.

WIGSTON'S HOSPITAL.

MR. THOMAS NEVINSON called the attention of the Society to the changes which will shortly be effected in Wigston's Hospital, Leicester. The new scheme, he was informed, compels the trustees to adopt one of two courses; either to adapt the present building to the purpose of a school, or to destroy it and erect new school

buildings on the site. Mr. Nevinson expressed himself strongly in favour of making an effort to induce the trustees of the hospital to preserve the present buildings; and thought as one of the primary objects of this Society was to aid in preserving-when such preservation did not interfere with modern requirements-all ancient buildings of local or national interest, it would view the demolition of this ancient and interesting building with regret. Mr. Nevinson proceeded to show, from a carefully prepared drawing by Messrs. Goddard and Son, Architects, that the present building, merely by the removal of the inmates' rooms, which are constructed within the main building, and are entirely independent of the roof, would form at once a fine hall, well adapted for school purposes. This hall, not including the chapels or the kitchens now separated from the former by a partition,-would be sixty-eight feet four inches in length, by twenty-two feet in width, and would accommodate two hundred and fifty children; but an additional twenty-two feet in length could be obtained by the removal of the partition just alluded to, and the hall would then accommodate three hundred and thirty-two children. The present roof is an open timber one, entirely constructed of oak, in very fair preservation, and is architecturally of good design and execution. This arrangement would not interfere with the chapel, which Mr. Nevinson suggested might be preserved, and separated from the school hall by the restoration of the screen which formerly existed, but which has been destroyed, only a few traces being now in existence. The re-erection of this screen and the restoration of the end window, with the opening of the side windows, would complete all the work necessary in the chapel. The exterior walls of the whole building would require to be cleared of the plaster and to be pointed. Mr. Nevinson further suggested that the highly picturesque timber and plaster building running at right angles with the main edifice, now used as larders and store rooms, should be converted into play rooms for the scholars in wet weather, which could be readily effected by the removal of the partitions which now divide the building into separate apartments. The house adjoining the hospital, built for the residence of the master, and now let, might be used as the abode for the master of the school. These alterations in the present building, and the erection of two class rooms, Mr. Nevinson conceived would provide school buildings perfectly well adapted to the purposes contemplated by the scheme.

Two water colour drawings by Mr. Dudgeon, representing the back of the buildings and one of the porches, were exhibited.

A discussion followed the remarks made by Mr. Nevinson, who then moved,

"That this Society present a memorial to the trustees of Wigston's Hospital, praying that the old hospital be preserved for the new school to be formed; and that tracings of the drawing now

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VOL. II.