The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-03 00:00:00

The British Arehmological Institute,

WARWICK, Tuesday,
The proceedings of the annual congress closed to-
day. The excursionists to Maxstoke-castle did not

return to Warwick until a late hour last night,

They were entertained at the castle by Mr. Feather-
stone, on behalf of his brother, Mr Fetherstone Dilke,
and Mr Fetherstone read a paper giving a history
of the castle, which was built by Sir William de
Clinton in the reign of Edward 111., and remained
in the possession of his family until Henry VI„

when it passed by exchange into the hands of Hum.

phrey, Earl of Stafford. It subsequently passed into

other hands until it was purchased from Sir Thomas
Egerton Knight by Mr Thomas Mike, which family

now retains possession of it,

This morning the annual meeting of the members
of the institute was held at the Court-house for the
traneaction of business. It was resolved after a good

deal of discussion that the country meeting next
year should be held at Dorchester, and it was re-
ferred to the central committee to consider whether

,he meeting for 1855 ehouldnotbe held either in

London or Windsor. Lord Leigh and many new

members were elected into the institute.

Lord Neave subsequently presided at the read.
ing of papers. There were present also Lord Lsigh
Sir R. Kirby, Mr Bepton, M,P., Mr Greaves, M.P.,
Mr Beresford Hope, Mr Tucker, Mr Brecobridge,
the Rev Mr Hill, &c. Papers on the following sub.
jects were read :—On "The Discovery of a Roman

Villa at Chedworth, Gloucestershire," by the Rev S,

Lyson. This 7illa was accidently discovered a short
time since by a gamekeeper, who, putting his hand

.uto a rabbit's-bole, drew oat a handful of terserw

This led to research being made, and the discovery

of the remains of a Roman villa was the result. This
villa is at the foot of Chedworth woods, on the

property of Lord Eldon, whose uncle and trustee,
Mr. Farrer, M.P., is conducting the researches with

great zeal. The chief feature on which Mr :peon
dwelt on these remains was the discovery of two dis-
tinct instances of the Christian monogram. One of
these was found on the under part of the steps lead-
ing out of the corridor into the villa itself, showing
that the builder of the villa was a Christian, and
singularly confirming the tradition of a custom
common in ancient days of placing beneath the
foundation-stones of buildings some token of the

religious faith of the builder, as shorn by St Paul,
2 Tim. ii., 19,—" The foundation of God standeth
sure, paring this seal." One of the two specimens
is two inches in diameter ; the other is not so deeply
incised, and is in form more like the commo❑

specimens found is the catacombs of Rome.

This is four inches long. Some years ago
added Mr. Lyson, there was discovered in
the same parien, about a mile distant, and appar
ently an appendage to the villa, a bath, the greater
part of the bricks with which it was constructed
being marked with the letters A R V I R I, which
was precisely the legend given on the coins attri-
buted to Arviragns, the British king, said by our
chroniclers to have been friendly to the B.emans,
and to whom Claudius is said to have married his
daughter. Mr Lyson described the extent of the
villa, and promised a more elaborate report when
the explorations were finished. In conclusion, he
stated that he had just received a communication
from Pyddocke describing the discovery of some
human bones and a stratum of burnt animal matter
at Bisley, in Gloucestershire—a parish teeming
with ancient remains. In reference to these he
should have much to say in his forthcoming work,
" Oar British Ancestors ; Who and What They
Were." "On some kediseval Remains at Beaude-
sert, Staffordshire," by Mr Molineux. This was
rather a lengthy paper on some remains believed to
be those of an encampment on the tops of the hills
of Cannock Chase. The encampment described in
the paper is on the highest point of these hills, 900
feet above the level of the sea, and known in the
locality as Castle Ring. It contains a series of banks
and ditches, which have been ascribed by various
writers to the British, Saxon, and Danish race, but
Mr Molineux had reason to conclude that they were
part of a chain of posts which, as at Bury Ring,
near Stamford Bury Bank, near Stone, and pro-
bably other places, occupied the highest point of the
range of the hills running parallel to the valleys of
the river Trent. Mr Molineux related the dim).
veries he had made there, among which was a
bronze spear head, in an excellent state of preaarvae
tion, deer bones, some flints, which must have been
brought there by human agency, a pica of rudely.
worked granite, and two querns in millstone grit.
Excavations were being madg at the expense of the
Earl of Anglesea.
This concluding the sectional business, Lord
Neaves resigned the chair to Lord Leigh, who pre-
sided over the concluding meeting.
Lord LEIGH said they had now brought to a close
the business of the congress, and he was sure they
would all agree with him that their best thanks
were due to the mayor and magistrates of Warwick
for the facilities they had afforded to the members
of the institute and their visitors during the past
week. He therefore moved, with the greatest plea-
sure, a vote of thanks to the Mayor and Corpora•
tion, not only for their gratifying address of wel-
come, but also for their hearty co-operation in all
the proceedings of the week.
This vote, having been carried by acclamation,
was acknowledged by the Mayor in a brief speech.
Lord NEATES next moved a vote of thanks to the
Earl of Warwick for throwing open his castle and
grounds, and affording the institute facilities for
their inspection. He could not refrain from re-
marking that the meeting had been most successful.
Tbe museum was a most excellent one, and their
reception on every hand had been most kind and
gratifying. Lord Leigh had especially entitled
himself to their thanks, and they had derived the
greatest gratification from their visits to Warwick
Castle, Coventry, Lichfield, and Stratford-on-
Avon. He congratulated them on the success which
had attended their meeting, and moved the vote,
which was carried unanimously.
Mr. BZRESFOILD HOPE next moved:—" That the
cordial acknowledgments of the meeting be effered
to the Corporations of Lichfield, Coventry, and
Stratford-on-Avon for the liberality with which
they have placed the public buildings of their muni-
cipalities atet'ae command of the institute, and espe-
cially to the Corporation of Coventry for the highly
interesting museum organised by them in St. Mary's
silo'

Mr. HOPE, in moving the resolution, remarked
that when a child be had a sort of Tagua dread at