a member of your Society. Other portions of the church will, as need requires and circumstances permit, also receive careful attention. Considerable works have been carried on in the churches at Husbands Bosworth, Hathern, Osgathorpe, &c., &c., whilst at S. Margaret's, Leicester-a paper upon some architectural features in which will be laid before you in your next volume-the works of repair and restoration have not been lost sight of.

The bi-monthly Meetings of the Society have been held as usual during the past year: the attendance at the meetings is not so large as your Committee could wish, and they venture to urge upon the members the importance of a more frequent attendance as a means of interchanging ideas, and communicating information, and so strengthening a taste for those particular studies, for the encouragement of which this Society was formed.

The General Meetings and Excursion of the Society were held last year at Lutterworth, when its church and that of Misterton were inspected. The Museum-which was rich in antiquarian objects and works of art, liberally sent from both rich and poor in the neighbourhood, was most numerously attended. It was open two days: on the second day upwards of six hundred persons inspected its varied contents. At the public Meeting, on the evening of the 26th of September, Mr. M. H. Bloxam read a paper upon "Lutterworth Church and the Wycliffe Relics;" and the Rev. Canon James one upon "Naseby Field." An excursion was made on the following day, under the guidance of those two gentlemen, from Lutterworth to Theddingworth viá Cave's Inn (the Roman Tripontium), Lilbourne, Stanford, Sibbertoft, and Naseby, a full report of which was supplied to, and published in the local newspapers.

In conclusion, your Committee would congratulate the Society upon the addition of many new names to its list of subscribers during the past year: no fewer than forty-five gentlemen having enrolled their names as members. They have at the same time to regret the loss of a few by death and withdrawal. This addition to the members, and consequently to the resources of the Society, has determined the Committee in carrying out a project which has many times been brought before them, namely, the publication of the past Transactions of the Society. It is hoped that the first yearly part will be in the hands of members in the spring of 1862.

MR. BELLAIRS presented a statement of accounts for the past year, shewing a balance in favour of the Society: after which it was RESOLVED, the Report now read, and the statement of accounts, be adopted and printed in the annual volume.

The following noblemen and gentlemen were elected PRESIDENTS: The Right Hon. the Earl of Denbigh, Sir William de Capel Brooke, Bart., Major the Hon. H. L. Powys-Keck, and Major Wollaston.

The following NEW MEMBERS were elected:-The Rev. James Noble Bennie, Leicester; the Rev. C. E. Waller, Humberstone; Mr. Arthur Boyer, Mr. C. R. Crossley, Mr. Cornwell, Mr. Samuel Clarke, and Mr. J. F. Sarson.

Among the articles exhibited were:

By MR. JOHN HUNT, a Roman Coin found in the Belgrave gravel-pit, the inscription upon which was almost obliterated; it was apparently a first bronze of Constantine. Several other Roman Coins, among which was one of Carausius, who reigned in Britain towards the close of the third century. A Fibula, flint arrow head, curiously formed flints, apparently worked into shape. for sling-stones all found between Great Dalby and Burrow-on

the mason being simply to take down the tower (which was in a dangerous state,) and so to rebuild it as to place every old stone in its original position, only inserting new stone where the decayed state of the old rendered such a course necessary.

the-Hill. A hilted sword found in a drain near Bosworth, Leicestershire, bearing the date near the hilt, " Anno 1670."

MR. G. C. NEALE exhibited a beautifully-illuminated manuscript volume of Prayers, &c., preceded by a Calendar, upon which he favoured the meeting with the following remarks:

"To the student of Palæography, or ancient writing, the illuminated MS. I now exhibit must be deeply interesting. It is a French work, and is headed'Heures de la croix a matines.' It dates as far back, we believe, as the end of the fourteenth, or commencement of the fifteenth century. The volume was one for private use, and contains Horæ, or prayers, psalms, and religious exercises for hours of devotion. It is embellished with twelve beautifully executed miniature paintings; the subjects principally pertaining to the history of our Saviour, such as the Adoration of the Magi-Jesus sitting in the Temple with the Doctors-the Flight into Egypt-and the Crucifixion. Each painting is descriptive of the subject which it precedes. The margins or frames are stellated with stars of gold, and are richly ornamented in a kind of Arabesque style with various specimens of mediæval botany. If they be fair specimens of the floral beauty of that age, certainly cultivation has triumphed, and made rapid progress down to the present day. The wild geranium forms a scroll-work pattern in these margins, and in its graceful bendings are introduced the pink, daisy, columbine, and other flowers. The pansy is the small oldfashioned purple and yellow flower found growing in our poor uncultivated lands. The grape and the strawberry also find a place among these marginal illustrations. In ancient illuminated, as in modern writings, the initial letter was the most important feature, and was carefully drawn and richly ornamented. The gold and colouring here used were evidently put in in a kind of paste or body colour, for in passing the finger over it will be observed that they rise above the surface of the parchment. In the present volume several of the capital letters are historiated, contain groups of figures, ecclesiastics in procession, &c. Before the introduction of typography, the writers of the age engrossed their MSS. with great care and skill. The man of letters then condescended to write a clear and legible hand. The affectation of bad writing had no existence."

The REV. R. BURNABY exhibited two miniature portraits, fitted side by side in a small pocket case, subjects unknown.

MR. G. H. NEVINSON placed upon the table a Roman needle and bronze pin found in Leicester, and on behalf of Mr. Pindar, exhibited a curious pack of playing cards, upon which were depicted the leading incidents connected with the murder of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, in 1678; the famous plot said on the card to be "hatched at Rome!" The execution of the Jesuits, &c., &c., were most graphically depicted. The denomination of each card

appeared at the corner not coloured, but heraldically lined. The Pope's head with triple crown supplied the knave.

MR. H. GODDARD produced two Forms of Prayer set forth respectively in 1694 and 1745, for success to our arms by sea and land; a Roman bone spoon found in Causeway Lane, Leicester, together with a vase which is now in the Leicester Museum; also two enamels on copper by Laudin, the one with the legend "S. Ignatius de Loiola," the other "Franciscus Xaverius," being the work of the early part of the seventeenth century.

The REV. J. H. HILL exhibited reprints of Bishop Gibson on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and Family Prayer. These volumes were reprinted under the superintendence and at the expense of the Duke of Grafton.

It was resolved that the General Meeting in the summer of 1862, be held at Bosworth.

31st March, 1862.

The REV. G. E. GILLETT, R.D., in the chair.

THE following NEW MEMBERS were elected:-The Hon. R. Moreton, Lindridge; T. Combe, Esq., M.A., F.R.G.S., Oxford; Mr. Wm. Musson, Leicester; Mr. Fredk. Goodyer, Leicester; and Mr. W. Ingram, Belvoir.

MR. C. J. LEA, of Lutterworth, exhibited, through Mr. North, one of his outline drawings of a series of mural decorations he is now at work upon for a new church at Rochdale, dedicated to S. Alban, the protomartyr of England. Mr. Lea has sent to the International Exhibition now in progress in London, a screen showing the whole of the decorations from the floor to the cornice of one space between the windows on the north side of the chancel. The portion sent to the Exhibition is about twenty feet high, by four feet wide, and shows the proposed scheme for the whole of the decorations, which consist of drawings depicting the principal events in the life of S. Alban. The whole of the subjects will fill up all the available space on the chancel walls between the windows, the figures not going higher than the springing of the window arches. The wall space below will be line diapered, with emblems, &c., occasionally introduced. That part of the wall above the windows and figures will be filled with conventional foliage, diapering, &c., and the roof will be richly coloured and gilded. The richly carved stone canopy to sedilia, as well as the carving to the chancel arch and organ screen, will also be richly gilded. The whole of the drawing and colouring of the designs is the work of Mr. C. L. Lea and his assistants.

MR. NORTH remarked that Mr. Lea had lately secured the extra colour prize offered by the Ecclesiological Society. The exhibition of designs took place in the Kensington Museum, and there were twenty-two competitors.

The REV. J. H. HILL exhibited a small coin of Constantinus, found at Medbourne, and a shilling of Charles I., found between Cranoe and Glooston.

MR. FETCH, of Melton Mowbray, exhibited, through Mr. Jacques, some Anglo-Saxon antiquities, found about two years ago, with a number of skeletons, upon high ground on the north side of that town. They consisted of a number of beads, of different sizes and materials, and the remains of a knife; pottery was also found, but, unfortunately, the workmen being ignorant of its value, did not attempt to preserve any vessels, or remains of vessels, which came in their way. Since then other operations have been carried on upon the land, and although every care has been taken to examine the earth, and to search for relics, nothing beyond several skeletons has been found. These, however, and the peculiar geological formation of the ground, are not without considerable interest, as will be seen from the following extract from a valuable communication, addressed to the Secretary by Mr. Ingram, of Belvoir, who was at Melton to watch the working of the ground a fortnight ago:

"I may tell you that I was first told of the discovery of some interesting Anglo-Saxon remains at Melton, by the late Mr. Bateman, of Derbyshire, who came up to Belvoir two years ago to assist me in opening some tumuli at Saltby, and in conversation on the antiquities of the locality, mentioned the circumstance, and begged me to carefully watch any further excavations, as discoveries of great interest were more than probable. A few weeks ago, Mr. W. Adcock, whose co-operation I had secured, very kindly wrote to tell me that the brickyard workmen, in moving the surface soil to reach the substratum of gravel and clay, had reached some human remains, and I took the first opportunity of going to Melton. I found, on my arrival at the brickyard, which is situated on the hill which rises to the north of the town, that the men had removed about eighteen inches or two feet of the upper soil of the meadow, and had partially unbared seven skeletons. Mr. Fetch, the owner of the place, very kindly placed his men at my disposal, and directed them to use the utmost care in disinterring the remains. Although employing the greatest care, I found it impossible to secure a perfect skeleton; the bones were far advanced in decay, and crumbled or broke when handled. The porosity of the soil, and the nearness of the remains to the surface, which, exposing them to the varying influence of the weather, would help to account for their destruction. When the soil was scraped from the bones, a fair idea was gained of the stature of these ancient denizens of our country. One frame indicated a man fully six feet in height,