WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, 1894.

ALLAN WYON, Esq., F.S.A., HON. TREAS., IN THE CHAIR.

Thanks were ordered by the Council to be returned to the respective donors of the following presents :--

To the Society, for "Annales de la Société d'Archéologie de Bruxelles." Tome VIII. 1 Jan. 1894.

"Bulletin Historique." Tome IX, livr. 165-7; and "Les Chartes de St. Bertin." Tome III. Par M. le Chanoine Haigneré. (Société des Antiquaires de la Morinie.)

Mr. A. Oliver sent an outline drawing of the "Riding of the Stang", from the Walsoken Brass, à propos of the promised paper by Mr. Barrett.

Mr. Brock read a note from Mr. Frank Williams of Chester:

During the past week, workmen have been engaged in removing, to about half its depth, the bank of earth beneath that part of the city walls immediately behind the 'Grand Stand' at the Racecourse. The excavation has exposed masonry of the same massive character as that (with which you are familiar) existing still further to the south; and so of no little value with regard to the vexed question of the existence of a wall along this side of the city in Roman times.

"I understand that Mr. Jones, the City Surveyor, has informed you of the finding of a small Roman archway, in lowering the ground beneath the Watergate Flags' and the city walls; and evidently a vestige of the villa discovered in erecting the houses at the end of the last century. The opening looks like a præfurnium, but I cannot. say for sure that it is so.

"With regard to the wall disclosed at the Rood-eye, I hope that when more cleared of earth a photograph will be taken of it; for as the excavation is being made in view of a building there to be erected, the wall will be so hidden.

'Finding an excavation in progress for the purpose of forming a cellar, behind the premises of Messrs. Quellyn, Roberts and Co., on the south side of Watergate Street, I thought it well to watch the progress in view of antiquarian finds. At first it did not appear particularly promising, much of the earth removed being that of made ground; omitting the occurrence of a few pieces of mediæval pottery. The first of the more important finds were a piece flaked away from a sandstone pillar, and the base of a small halfshaft, or pilaster (the accompanying rough indications from memory); but what made me imagine that better remains might be found, was the finding of three half-pillars of the usual Chester type,

and evidently from some hypocaust! The work of excavation up to to-day has been to generally lower the ground to about half the intended depth, and the cutting of trenches for the walls on the north and east sides. At the end of the last named, and the position of the S.E. angle of the proposed cellar, I noticed a lighter stratum of what appeared to be merely filling-in rubbish. On a second visit to-day I have narrowly inspected it, and find it to be the line of a Roman concrete floor, intercepted by a cross wall of the same period—both of which the cutting exhibits in section. I at once acquainted the architect, Mr. Lockwood, jun., and another friend and antiquary, Mr. John Hewitt (who is in the office of Mr. Lockwood), and they accompanied me to view the remains.

"I have asked Mr. Hewitt, in the interests of the Association, to make a plan of the spot and watch for further developments. This he has promised to do and, if possible, send in some account for a future meeting."

Mr. Matthews Jones, City Surveyor of Chester, communicated a note showing that in January, "in cutting through the outer wall of the modern (1779) house, for cellar-ventilation, I came into contact with stonework. On clearing away the soil and filling-in stuff, I exposed an arched opening going through a 4 ft. thick wall, or mass of masonry. This was covered on the inner side with, or acted as support for, three layers of tiles with the usual pounded tile-concrete on top. Four ft. in depth, below the tiles, a floor of 8 in. similar concrete can be traced for a distance of 12 ft., and say 6 ft. wide. At a short distance from this perfect arched opening is another arch, internally about the same span, but remains of the springing only.

I have left the whole intact, and made it easy of inspection by an architect, but not for ladies or geologist antiquaries. Strange how Mr. Thompson Watkin missed his aim. His dotted lines, showing his supposed west wall, come directly on the arched opening, as it does with the Roman remains at Black Friars, found in 1886. If he was right we must assume that the builders of that day either put up the two villas to be removed for the wall, or built the villas in a breach of the wall, or built the villas as part of the wall, or outside the wall, which is absurd."

Mr. J. W. Bodger, of Peterborough, sent a further exhibition of recent Northamptonshire finds :

"1, female face; 2, female head; found by Artis in excavating Roman buildings at Castor, near Peterborough, in 1821-23. One mount. containing twelve coins found at Castor in 1892, viz.,

"1.-Hadrian. Obv., bust of Hadrian to right; rev., female bust to left. "2.-Antoninus Pius. Obv., his bust to right; rev., an elephant, with cos. III. in exergue.

"3.-Marcus Aurelius, coined A.D. 161. Obv., his bust, crowned, to the right, IME. CAES. M. AVREL. ANTONIVS. AVG . P. M.; rev., Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus standing and shaking hands, one of whom is holding a roll of a book, CONCORD. AVGVSTOR TR P. XV. COS. III.

S.G.

"4.-Lucilla (Annia), daughter of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina, and wife of Lucius Verus. Obv., her bust to the right, LVCILLE. AVG. ANTONIN. AVG. F.; rev., Concord seated, to the left, holding a patera and a double cornucopia, CONCORDIA.S. G.

"5.-Alexander Severus. Obv, his bust draped, to the right, IMP. CAES. M. AVR.SEV. ALEXANDER. AVG.; rev., Abundance standing, to the left, holding some ears of corn and a cornucopia, at her feet a vessel filled with corn; ANNONA. AVGVSTI .S.G.

"6.-Gallien. Obv., his bust laureated and cuirassed, to the right, IMP. C. P. LIG. GALLIENS. AVG.; rev., Liberality standing to the left, holding a plate and cornucopia; LIBERALITAS. AVGG. S. G.

"7.-Gallien. Obv., his head crowned, to the right, GALLIENVS. AVG.; rev., Liberty standing, to the left, holding a bonnet and a sceptre; in the field, XI. LIBERTAS. AVG.

"8.-Tacitus. Obv., his bust laureated and draped, to the right; legend indistinct; rev., an eagle looking to the right, ETOVC. A. Coined at Alexandria.

"9.-Probus. Obv, his bust radiated and cuirassed, to the right IMP. PROBVS. P. F. AVG.; rev., Peace standing, to the left, holding an olive-branch and a sceptre, PAX . AVGVSTI.

"10.-Probus. Obv., his bust cuirassed, with the casque, and crowned, to the left, holding a spear and shield, IMP. PROBVS. AVG.: rev., Health standing, to the right, feeding a serpent which he is holding in his arms, SALVS. AVG.

"11.-Probus. Obr., his bust radiated, to the left, with the imperial mantle, and holding a sceptre surmounted with an eagle, IMP. C. M. AVR. PROBVS. P. F. AVG.; rev., the Sun crowned, half naked, in a carriage and four, galloping, to the left, and holding a globe and whip, SOLI. IN

VICTO.

"12.-Probus. Obv., his bust, draped and laureated, to the right; legend imperfectly visible; rev., an eagle looking to the right, A. Coined at Alexandria.”

Miss Collier exhibited some old illustrated books, among them being good copies of Milton's Works, 1711, and History of the New Testament, by S. Wesley, 1717.

The Chairman then exhibited the chalice of the Church of St. Stythian's, in Cornwall, which he was permitted to show by his brother,

the Rev. W. J. Wyon, M.A., who has charge of that parish, which is situate in the south-west corner of Cornwall. The cup, from foot to lip, is 8 in. high, or to top of cover about 10 in., and about 4 in. diameter in its widest part. It is engraved round the foot, the base of the cup itself, and below the lip. The cover also is engraved. The whole of the engraving is of a uniform type, of floriated design,

REX·FIDEI·DEFENS• CAROLVS∙11·DEI·G

MONTAI

carried out in a somewhat archaic manner.

There are no Hall-marks by which its date can be proved; but upon the top of the cover are the figures 1576 in the style of engraving which prevailed in Queen Elizabeth's time. There is no reason to doubt that the cup came into the use of the church in the year shown by the date. The knob on the stem suggests that the cup was made for ecclesiastical use. The following was then read:

NOTES ON SOME NEW SEALS OF THE KING'S GREAT SESSIONS

OF WALES.

BY ALLAN WYON, ESQ., F.S.A., HON. TREASURER,

During the meetings of our Congress at Cardiff I had the honour of submitting a paper upon the Judicial Seals of Wales, which was pub

T∙RADNOR·1661✈ SIGILLVM·IVDICI

Seal of Charles II. Rer,

lished in our Journal of last year (pp. 1-14). In my paper I stated that there were many gaps in the series of seals which I then brought under the notice of the Association, and I ventured to ask that these might be filled should any further impressions of this series of seals bo met with. Our Hon. Secretary, Mr. Birch, has been kind enough to fill two of these gaps.

Whilst down in South Wales in the month of August last year, examining some old charters, he came upon an impression of a seal of Charles II, and another of a seal of George I, both of the Glamorgan group of counties. Mr. Birch was unable to bring away these