the character and stability of old. Mr. Jackson is also the architect of the picturesque and commodious cottages now erecting for the Militia Staff on two sides of the parade ground in the Newarke. Whatever opinions may be formed as to the taste displayed in these erections, it is evident that one of the first things contended for by this and kindred Societies has been gained: stucco and similar shams are now the exception, brick, with stone dressings, is the prevailing material honestly shown in the fronts of our factories, warehouses, and public offices. It is not, however, the use of uncovered brick only as a wall material which has been urged more than once at the public meetings of this Society; but the use of moulded bricks for the jambs and arches of windows and doors, for ornamental string courses, chimneys, and other details in buildings, where the use of stone from any cause is not practicable, has also been strongly recommended. There are several buildings in Leicester where such moulded bricks have been used with various degrees of success. It should, nevertheless, be remembered that stone, especially when it is the natural production of the neighbourhood, is always the noblest and best for all buildings, especially for their dressings; and it is only in cases where non-production, cost. inapplicability, or other good reasons intervene, that brick should be substituted in its place: when, however, it is so substituted, let it be brick to the eye, of the best quality as to make, bake, and colour, that can be procured.

The probability of a new Town Hall being erected in Leicester, in which to transact the business of the Borough, has necessarily been brought before the notice of all members of this Society, by the publicity given in the local papers to the discussions upon the subject, in the Council Chamber and elsewhere. Without venturing to give an opinion as to the proper time for the erection of so desirable a building, the necessity for which is evident, the Committee would strongly urge upon the Corporation of Leicester the desirability and importance of raising an edifice worthy of the many historical associations of their ancient town, and of its present importance and commercial wealth: an edifice that will do credit to the increasingly correct architectural taste of the times in which it will be erected; for it should be remembered that a building, partaking as that will of a "Monumental" character, will be either a lasting testimony to the good taste and liberality of the generation erecting it, or a standing blot which cannot, at least, for very, very many years, be obliterated. There is one detail in the arrangement of the future Town Hall of Leicester, which it may not be out of place thus early to suggest. The interest and importance of the public archives of the Borough are well known, and their value fully appreciated by all local antiquaries. At present, notwithstanding the efforts made some years ago by Messrs. Kelly and Thompson, these documents are much scattered; and even those collected in the so-called Muniment Room at the Guildhall are in great jeopardy from the effects of damp, which it is next to impossible to drive from the room in which they are placed. There are still many documents which have not yet been examined and arranged, and which would probably throw additional light upon the history of the Borough. The Committee therefore trust that in the future Town Hall of Leicester a room properly arranged and ventilated will be set aside for their reception; and the appointment of an honorary keeper of the Town Records would, in their opinion, tend much to their proper arrangement and preservation.

RESOLVED, that the Statement of Accounts and the Annual Report of the Committee be adopted and printed, as usual, with the best thanks of the Society to Mr. North for the compilation of the latter.

The Right Honourable the Earl of Lanesborough was elected a President of the Society. The Members of the Committee for the past year, the Rev. C. W. Belgrave, Rector of North Kilworth, and the Rev. W. D. Moore, Vicar of Evington, were elected to form the Committee for the current year. The Officers for the past year were re-elected.

Several appropriate votes of thanks were passed.

The following gentlemen were elected MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY: The Rev. John Bacon, M.A., Rector of Wymondham; the Rev. T. C. Peake, M.A., Rector of Hallaton; Mr Wm. Smith, Architect, London; Mr. Wm. Millican, Architect, Leicester; Mr. Wm. Sheild, Uppingham; Mr. Henry Heycock, Norton Grange.

MR. JAMES THOMPSON reported the progress making in the protection of the Jewry Wall, Leicester; and the Secretary announced several donations towards the expenses incurred.

CHARLES HOLTe BracebridgE, Esq, Atherstone Hall, attended the meeting as the representative of the Local Committee formed at Stratford-on-Avon, for the purpose of celebrating the tercentenary of the birth of Shakespeare. Mr. Bracebridge said it was proposed to celebrate the three hundredth birthday of Shakespeare, in that town-the town in which he was born, and in which he died-in April next, under the presidency of the Right Hon. the Earl of Carlisle, K.G., Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; and it was proposed that the result of the celebration should be threefold: first, the purchase of a large garden connected with Shakespeare's house; secondly, the establishment of one or more Scholarships to the English Universities, open to the competition of those who may receive their education at the same school at which Shakespeare received his, viz., the Free Grammar School founded by Edward VI.; and thirdly, the erection of a monumental memorial, of some kind at present not decided upon, at Stratford-on-Avon. The proceedings during the celebration will be of a varied character: excursions to places in the neighbourhood of Stratford, illustrative of incidents in Shakespeare's life; grand oratorio and concert; the performance of one of Shakespeare's comedies and of one of his tragedies; a Shakespearean fancy ball, &c. To obtain the desired ends, money is necessary, and Mr. Bracebridge's object in coming to Leicester was to lay these circumstances before this and other Institutions, in the hope that a fund would be raised in Leicester, in small sums, and to enlist the sympathy of people of all classes in the movement.

After remarks from various members, the following resolution was passed:

"That, in the opinion of the Committee, the Tercentenary Celebration of Shakespeare's birth-day should be held at his birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon; and that this Committee recommends the proposal of the Local Committee to the favourable consideration of the Members of this Society, the Honorary Secretaries undertaking to receive any subscriptions to promote the object." The following antiquities, &c., were exhibited:

By the REV. J. H. HILL, several Roman coins, including a small silver one of Arcadius, lately found in digging on the Roman road, near Medbourne.

By MR. JOHN HUNT, a small pierced silver spoon; Hall mark not decipherable.

By MAJOR COSTOBADIE, through Captain Whitby, a finely carved circular horn tobacco box, once the property of General Mountcalm, and taken out of his pocket by an English seaman when the General was shot on the plains of Abraham, 13th September, 1759; a Newark siege piece of Charles I. in beautiful preservation, lozenge-shaped, on the obverse a crown, with the letters "C. R." one on each side, and underneath "xii." to denote its value, on the reverse the letters "OBS." (obsidium) "NEWARKE, 1645;" a mother-of-pearl snuff box, silver mounted, in the lid of which is inserted a silver medal commemorative of the battle of Blenheim, bearing on the obverse the profile of Queen Ann, and on the reverse a group representing Britannia, bearing a small victory" on her hand, and at her feet a captive, with trophies of war; a remarkably fine Genoese gold coin, and a sapphire gold ring of considerable value. These two family relics were brought over to England in the year 1686, by John Costobadie. He was a minister of the Protestant religion at Argentat, en Auvergne, in France; but soon after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, by Louis XIV., in 1685, he (in common with a vast number of his Protestant fellow subjects) fled from his country, and reached England, bringing with him the title-deeds to his patrimonial estates, and the coin and ring mentioned above. These two relics he enjoined should never be parted with but under great necessity; they should serve as memorials of the goodness of Providence, in protecting his posterity and blessing them with a competency. They are now preserved with great care by Major Costobadie, his lineal descendant. The coin or medal has the following inscriptions:

Ob.: "DVX ET GVBERNATORES. REIP. GEN."
Re.: "ET. REGE. EOS. 1641. G. SES."

By MR. JOHN PHILLIPS, of Kibworth, a satirical print of the time of the Civil Wars; a pectoral cross, about two inches long, double transomed, usually called a Cross Patriarchal: on one side was a figure of our Saviour extended on the cross, with the words "SALVATOR MUNDI," on the other a figure of the Blessed Virgin, with arms elevated, and the inscription "MATER DEI ORA PRO" [nobis]; a medal struck in honour of Clementina, daughter of Prince James Sobieski, and wife of the Pretender. It was dated 1719, the year of their marriage.

By Wм. SMITH, ESQ., Architect, London: The ground plan, working drawings, and details of Gilmorton Church, in this county. This church is entirely new, with the exception of the tower and spire. The old church consisted of nave, north aisle, chancel, and tower, and was in a most wretched condition, with scarcely any

architectural feature left. The arcade between aisle and nave was the only part containing anything of interest, and the architect has preserved its proportions in the new church. The cost of re-erection was about £2000, raised by subscriptions, chiefly through the exertions of the Rector, the Rev. J. M. Lakin, a member of this Society.

Also by Wm. Smith, Esq., a similar set of drawings, shewing the work lately done under his care, at Misterton Church, as mentioned in the Annual Report. Mr. Smith also contributed the following notes upon

MISTERTON, LEICESTERSHIRE.

Misterton (anciently called Minsterton, or Minestone), is situated about a mile on the south-east of the town of Lutterworth. The parish includes the lordships of Poultney and Walcote, the greater number of the inhabitants residing at the latter place, a short distance from the parish church.

An ancient roll, called the Matriculus of 1220, mentions a chapel both in the precincts of Poultney and Walcote. I find also that Adam Neale de Clipston, of Poultney (1308), is said to have had, in right of his wife, (Maud, daughter of John de Napton, county of Warwick,) the advowson of the two chapels of Walcote and Poultney, belonging to the mother church at Misterton. There is now, however, I believe, not a vestige of either of these chapels remaining. The original mother church too has disappeared.

The present church at Misterton (dedicated to St. Leonard), consists of a nave, with arcades of four arches, north and south aisles, chancel, a western tower with a good broached spire, and a south parvise porch.

The principal part (viz. the nave, and aisles, and tower,) appears to have been erected about the year 1335. The chancel and south porch are of a much later date.

The windows of the south aisle and the west window of the north aisle are good specimens of the second pointed work. An altar was undoubtedly placed at the east end of the south aisle when the church was rebuilt. The piscina still remains, and the internal cil of the south window was carried down to form a seat.

The east window of the north aisle is considerably larger than any other in the church, and is of a little later date than the work just described. Probably very soon after the church was completed it was determined to form another chapel in this north aisle, and to give it more importance the original window was removed, and the present large one substituted. Evidently there was an altar here, as the cill of the window is carried down with a sort of panel

to form a simple reredos, and the internal cill of the side window is made into a seat, as on the south side.

I have been unable to find out the dedication of these altars.

The next change was to remove the high pitched roof from the nave and add the clerestory, the south porch probably being built at the same time. Later still the chancel was rebuilt, probably

about the date 1500.

Prior to the restoration just completed (at a cost of more than £2000. principally provided by the munificence of the Rector), the state of the church was this:-Internally, the seats were a mixture of high pews and old open benches; the latter were of the most solid description, with carved ends, very rude in workmanship, but rich in character. Between the first and second arches in the south side were fragments of a good parclose screen, and also on the north side; in one arch was a portion of another screen totally different in design. There was also a portion of the lower part of the old rood screen remaining, and a few other tracery panels scattered in different parts of the church.

I regret that a great part of these old fragments were found to be in such a decayed and dilapidated state that it was impossible to refix them. I have, however, retained a portion of the old rood screen, and refixed it against the side wall of the tower, where it can still be examined, and as many of the old seat ends and tracery panels as were at all fit to be reused have been refixed in the church.

The whole of the new seating is executed in oak in the same solid manner as the original, with carved ends and panelled fronts of a variety of patterns.

The whole of the roofs were of the poorest description, and, with the exception of that on the chancel, were also in a very decayed state. They have all been taken off and replaced by new ones of a more consistent character with the rest of the work.

On the removal of the plastering, the internal part of the wall of the south aisle was found to be in a most defective state, whilst the external facing, being built of ashlar stone, was quite sound. The experiment of taking down and rebuilding the inner half of the wall without disturbing the outer, was attempted and successfully effected. The chancel arch, too, and part of the wall of the north aisle, had to be taken down and rebuilt.

The paving was a wretched mixture of nine-inch tiles, bricks, and stone. This has been replaced by a pavement of Minton's best tiles, and Wingerworth stone laid in patterns. Encaustic tiles being used freely in the chancel, and alabaster within the altar rails.

A high screen has been fixed in the tower arch, and the new south door in porch has carving and tracery panels in the head, with drapery panels beneath.