Skegness after the late severe storms; they are now in the possession of the Rev. E. Elmhirst, of Shawell.) The bricks indicate a progressive manufacture, those far inland being, as I said before, much smaller than those on the coast. I think all the bricks show that they were made with small fingers, probably women and young persons. The bricks lie in thin layers, and stretch in something like lines from Orby down to the sea, and are found in an extent of about five or six miles by one, two, or three miles. In searching for the bricks along a marsh dyke, I could feel them at the bottom of it, traversing the dyke, at a distance of about thirty yards apart. The layer of the bricks appeared to be about eighteen or twenty inches in width. A friend told me in digging (inland) he found a bone of an animal, a flat piece of brick bearing marks of hay or straw on both sides, but not presenting any appearance of being part of a vase. In my diggings I met with nothing but small pieces of Roman pottery at the old surface of the marsh, where the leaves of the water lily, grasses of all descriptions, pieces of the thorn, &c., were almost as perfect as when the first alluvial deposit was laid upon them which happened centuries back. I hope at some early period to make a further investigation of these curious remains of the olden time.

27th January, 1862.

The REV. ROBERT BURNABY in the chair.

THIS being the Annual Meeting of the Society, MR. NORTH, the Honorary Secretary, presented and read the following REPORT of its proceedings for the year 1861:

THE Committee of the Leicestershire Architectural and Archæological Society have much pleasure in tendering for your adoption the Report of the proceedings and position of the Society for the year 1881-the seventh since its formation.

The Volume of the Associated Societies placed in your hands last year will, your Committee venture to hope, so far as the Leicestershire portion is concerned, bear a favourable comparison with the contributions of former years. Mr. John Gough Nichols' paper upon the Heyricke Letters, so valuable in itself, as illustrating Leicester, Leicester customs, and Leicester men in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I., has called from the pen of Mr. James Thompson the interesting memoir of the two Heyricke Portraits, in the Guildhall, Leicester, lately read before you: and has further induced your Committee to apply to Mr. Perry-Herrick-the present representative of the ancient Leicester family of Heyricke-for his permission for the publication, under the editorship of Mr. Nichols, of the whole series of letters written by members of his family during the reigns indicated. To this request Mr. Perry-Herrick at once gave a most courteous and ready consent. The only obstruction to the immediate publication of this valuable series of local letters and papers is the cost of printing a volume which, from its nature, would only command a local sale, and that again among the more strictly literary portion of the community only. It is, however, earnestly to be desired that a publication of documents so extremely interesting, as illustrating local history, local customs, and local progress, and that, too, under the editorship, and elucidated by the notes of so accomplished a scholar

as Mr. John Gough Nichols, the grandson of the historian of this county, should not be lost, or even procrastinated. It is cause of regret that the funds of this Society will not permit you at once to undertake the responsibility of the publication, or even subscribe a large amount towards the cost. The Committee will be glad to receive any suggestions, or meet any proposals members of this Society may communicate to them in reference to the work.

The other Leicestershire Paper placed before you in the last volume is valuable as expressing not only the sentiments of this Society, but-your Committee believethe feelings of the country generally, upon the appropriation by the Government of Treasure Trove. It is hoped that any further expression of public opinion upon that subject will be unnecessary, as the Government has wisely and judiciously withdrawn the circular enforcing its claim, and has, at any rate for the present, placed it in abeyance, trusting the preservation of such Treasures-metallic leaves from the book of history-to the care of the local antiquary, collector, or museum; a confidence which it behoves all members of Archæological Societies to see is not abused. It is not the intention of your Committee to lay before you now, as they did in their last Annual Report, anything like a full statement of architectural progress in the town and county during the past year. There are, however, one or two works to which they must very briefly call your attention. The work of restoration at S. Mary's Church, Leicester-brought under your notice last year-has been further aided by the rebuilding-it can scarcely be said restoration, as there was little or nothing of the ancient work left to guide the architect in his designs-of S. Ann's chapel, through the liberality of the Misses Noble. This venerable church is now an epitome of Gothic architecture, claiming and receiving the attention and the admiration of all who view the chasteness and extreme beauty of all its parts.

The excavations at S. Martin's, Leicester, have brought to light many antiquities of great interest. Several considerable portions of the foundations of ancient walls have been discovered: and, upon removing the earth-in July last-on the north side of the church close to the palisading dividing the church ground from the Townhall Lane, the workmen came to a rubble wall of considerable thickness, surmounted by a wrought stone platform, upon which stood the bases of two massive Doric columns, each about two feet in diameter. These columns, in all probability, formed a portion of a colonnade, which, judging from their size and the space intervening between-about ten feet-would be one of considerable length. The earth in the interior also contained numerous fragments of Roman pottery, and the bones of animals and birds. Two coins-the one of Nero, the other of Constantine-were likewise turned up; the truth of the tradition that a Roman temple stood upon the site of the present church being thus, it is presumed, unequivocably proved. Upon taking down the tower several fragments of medieval coffins, corbels, and other pieces of carved stone were met with in the later portions of it, the builders having, apparently-without much respect for the remains of an earlier age-used all the available stone within their reach. Owing to an unfortunate dispute between the contractors and the London workmen, the works at this church have progressed but slowly, now, however, a more rapid progression is visible.

S. Andrew's Church, Leicester, is near to completion, and as an experiment testing the adaptation (in the hands of Mr. Scott) of brick in the erection of an ecclesiastical edifice without internal piers, is worthy of the closest inspection and scrutiny. The very beautiful schools and school-house at Belgrave, from the designs of Mr. Gillett, architect, Leicester, were opened early this year: as examples of Gothic buildings admirably adapted for the purposes for which they were created, and as being at the same time a graceful ornament to the locality, your Committee can draw attention to them with great satisfaction and pleasure. The Rev. Canon James (no mean authority upon such subjects) publicly, at a late meeting of the National Society in Leicester, recommended their style and plan most strongly to all the clergy and others interested in schools and school-building.

Many other works of church restoration in the county have been begun, or completed during the year, among which may be named-Stoughton church, the tower of which has been taken down and rebuilt with great caret through the liberality of

*The accompanying plan (a copy of the original plan drawn by Mr. W. Lindley, clerk of the works, and now suspended in the Leicester Museum) will explain the position of the Roman

masonry.

The manner in which the works were carried on at Stoughton is strongly urged upon the attention of all engaged in church restoration. The restoration was a most literal one, the work of

S. MARTIN'S CHURCH, LEICESTER.

Plan of Roman Antiquities, discovered, in excavating for Foundations of New Tower, etc., July, 1861.