The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-08-29 00:00:00

They then return..d to
_Weymouth, for tea and the
Lr,ring r .M. rilyeott again preekled,
.ed the tust ra•ur w.is read by Mr. G. Et.ioron

THE ANTIQUITIIUS OF raIITLAND.

The a'neost coin; lete isilstion of Portlat.el 1 as pre-
vented it teking any great part in the hiator cal evett
that have so crowded noon other parts of hngland,
while the great drama of the hist°r, of this ri nutty
Lao been plsytd on:, Portland, like 1,01[1,: hack eddy, or
quiet pool by the side of a rushing torrent, has
i„ei only its own simple domestic hist,ry of its own
simple and somewhat ptimitivo inhabitants. Hero we
shall find to loolly mansions dating lack to the times
a feudal barons, no churches exhibiting the tale, the
grandeur, and the piety of oar arcestors hundreds of
years No, no Druidical circles or It. man aniphit heat..
Put this same isolation gives Portland a peculiar
interest In the eyes of the arehmeologiste, for arid:, ho
fl o its perhaps but • few things to come within the. range
of he peculiar study he fiuds thole few, iii may so
term it, in • remorksble state of preservation in fact
uutd within tic last al years the advancing step of
modern improvement Las done little to disturb the
quaintness of primitive Portland or to alter its native
customs; but now (shall I .y alas Ii the ferry at the
entrance to the Island hss been bridged, • railroad
station lathe fir t objet that greets you, the telegraph
wire spans the island, its atone is sawn by steam and
worked by machinery, plate glass wiLelows appear in
many of the shops, • government convict prison stands
in its midst, and I need hardly say that in the face of
these innovations, every year, it becomes more diftioult
to preserve the rapidly disappearing antiquiti s social
and physical which have hitherto existed in the I.land.
A. an evidence of the complete isolation of l'ortlaud,
until as I have before mentioned the last 30 or 40
years, I will motion one or two facts. Until within
this period marriage with a mainlander was almost
unheard of in Portland, consequently we find a few sta.
panics predominant in the ialatiel. Some years sgo in
a directory of Dorset, it was found that of 196 persons
laving • trade or culling in the island, 21 or nearly
oaf-ninth bore the name of Pearce, 15 were Combens,
h sere White, 10 were Stone 7 Flew, and 5 Scrivens,
and, if as it has been suggested, Pearce iv s corruption
of Pierre, of conies the 21 Peonies and 10 Stones were
Identical names. There is also a curious term need for
& mainlander, he is celled in Portland a Kinieser/itso
it ,s, I believe a term unknown elsewhere, and my
friii.d Mr. Barnes has made • suggestion which I at.
sure he will not mind my repeating—it is that the
terms comes from Cymru-ling or Briton. If such be
true derivation the tars is an Interesting relict of the
pait. Pieces of evident Roman pottery, part of a
tor...elated pavement, and some peremal ornsmente
bere from time to time been found in different parts of
purtland. lam sorry to be able to do little more than
mention this,es although these is g sod evideuem of those
o legal:laving been found, through want of appreeitOion
they have gradually been lost. I have, however, sue.
coded in rescuing a few li, oes of pottery. One found.
an old well which was discovered a little to the left
.1 the parish church. I ain asaured that • good deal
mire was found there, but it has been lost. This well
was discovered accidentally in a field by • shepherd,
who, when driving • stake ono day for his sheepfold,
was surprised by its suddenly diappearine. It was
owned by Mr. Pearce, • stone mason of Reforms in
IsCal was found to bes filled up to within 4ft of the
surface, it was found about 23 fin in diameter; and
the walls of the well were compoiel of neatly laid
stones abaut tin. thick, such as are now found near the
surface, rummest the rubble in opening quarrien, it
was 11; foot deep, the button, of the well was concave,
and both the bottom and the sides to the heieht of
some fwiltrhoreafiy7
wheats fthromt. tteldbototytowmatewrertehaVuggmiglldt
be there. At the bottom a great quantity of Roman
pottery was found. It is muoli to be regretted that
through an accident all these piec-s hare been with
very few exceptions lost. Some of the smaller yams
were very very verfeet, and of the other such large
segments were found as to show very clearly the size
and chaps of the original. Further south still, near the
village of Bouthwell, great quantities of pottery have
Ixon found, as well as some iron implements, and all
within some lines of embattlement which are pereep.
tibia to this day. These lines *hen I saw them and
mortified them some time lineal were clearly
parts of a circle, and at the time I was there
the foundations of a field wall were being exca-
vated, and the loose earth which was being thrown
op was full of shreds of evidently Roman pottery.
Mr. Eliot weut on to say that various remains had
be en Lund on the Verne work. and he showed a bronsi
coin of Autooinus Pius, • smell circulaxiteman fibula,
and • gold rein, approaching some of the coins of the
British " charioteer' typo ; alao • piece of iron
20 inches long and 14 lbs. in weight, which ho
thought • " hand jumper" to prepare the stone for
being split front the (awned block in tho quarry ; also
a very perf, et urn and basin found in • grave io the
Witkiscroft quarry, the urn was full of fragments of
lame. Mr. Eliot thin explained the customs of Port-
land, speaking of its eourt-buiron, rove, reve-pole. the
1563 revepole, "
If any he exhibited, church gift, and gavel-
iii. Ile maid
advocate for the abolition of
ic
the law of primageniture wants an argument to
strengthen his cause, I can safely recommend him to
pay • visit te Portland, for we find there, as • conse-
quence of this wholesome law (erouring the distribu-
tion of property among the Jiff rent members of •
family) an amount of independent thrift and honest
competency rarely to be noX with so generally amongst
a population so nunpirous." "Tho lawn of Portland
are also favourable to the rights of weenoo. A woman
may daring her coverturo dispose of any property
be longiog to herself in her right by will and testament
to whom she please, as if 0140 IWO unmarried."
Mr. BLACK spoke of the very interesting customs
dwelt on in Mr. Bliot's pallor, au I of the Bill or Port.
land, as • point very often referred to in the ancient
s ave.ye, end, from which, as a poiat about the cmatre
of the south coast, the ancients drew tines ot greet
accuracy, founded upon thous= le of celestial observe.

Uots.
Mr. aorta thought the word sometiumspronuuncod
Bed, and Apvit so m In aueiout map, referred to •
beacon ; but
Mr. BLACK said the i.ltrid WAY of tile iiliapo of • bird's
bead, and Ibis wet the bill.
.1. DRIIT, Esq., F.M.A.S., F( LS., then rod his
papC, On
ART TRIABURE4 LSD THBIII TRISIRVATION.

His object being to o ill attention to the deoldence
shich luta become apparent in many of the higher
d,partinenta of our present schools of Art, for where
the art itself is still to the z• nith of ita power and
freshness, the thunents and materials employed to giro
fare and colour to the creations of tho mind, are
fuquently in themselves of a more fragile and perish•
able character thou were formerly used, and this we
Lute to that spirit of rivalry ant eimpetitien run ingot
our tuaoufaeturers which Icelu them to produce, irres-
p:ct.ro of durability, Inferior attiolu. st to, eheapust
rate. The lueitatestoe is uopectslly uppercut in
to absence of durability amongst the painting pro.
diced within the [sat century.
Key. W. BARNES said the archwologist, next to the
etistliiinself, had done more than any other man for
as he brought up from the earth the 111404 works
of art In the world. Ho referred to the E:ruarian
wake, the &gee marbles, &a, au 1 with re,;ar 1 t the
decadence of art, lie said that artists, to do real good
hi art, must work for glory rather than gain.
Mr. GuDWIIII also spoke, and at the rsenelusion of
an lainft,iing speech, hoped their was in the town a
bch...l of design, which though it might nut produces
great psinters, would proluois au appreciative puha,*
Mr. LY.VIIII then read the paper of 11. S. COMM).
Ea 1., 11.3.41., Seat., au