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

The British Archaeological Institute,

WARWIcK, Tuesday.
The proceedings of the annual congress closed to-
day. The sscursionists to Maxatoke-castle did rot
return to Warwick until a late hour last night.
They were entertained at the castle by Mr. Feather-
stone, on bthalf 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 subsequmtly passed into
other hands until it was purchased from Sir Thomas
Egerton Knight by Mr Thomas Dilke, 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
transaction 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
the meeting for 1855 should not be held either in
London or Windsor. Lord Leigh and m&ny new
members were elected into the institute.

Lord Leaves subsequently presided at the read.
ing of papers. There were present also Lord Leigh
Sir R. Kirby, Mr Repton, M.P., Mr Greaves, M.P.,
Mr Beresford Hope, Mr Tucker, Mr Brecebridge,
the Rev Mr Hill, &c. Papers on the following sub.
jects were read :—On " The Discovery of a Roman
Villa at Chedwortb, Gloucestershire," by the Rev S,
Lyson. This villa was accidently discovered a short
time since by a gamekeeper, who, putting his hand
into a rabbit's-hole, drew out a handful of tessera.

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. T .A 3 0 Lhief feature on which Mr Lynn
dwelt on these remains was the discovery of two dis-
tinct instances of the Christian monogram. One of

:here 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 cf the builder, as shown by St Paul,
2 Tim. ii., 19,—" The foundation of God standeth
sure, bearing 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 common
specimens found in the catacombs of Rome.
This •is foil: inches long. Some years ago,
added Mr. Lyson, there was discovered in
the same parish, 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 Arviragus, the British king, said by oar
chroniclers to have been friendly to the Romans,
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 banes and a stratum of burnt animal matter
at Bixley, 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 Mediaeval Remains at Beaude-
sert, Ste.ffordFhire," by Mr Molineux. This was
rather a lengthy paper on some remains believed to
be those of en 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

anc: ditches, which have been ascribed by various
writers to the British, Saxon, and Danish races, 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 Motineux related the discos
varies he had made there, among which was a
bronze spear head, in an excellent state of preserva-
tion, deer bones, some flints, which must have been
brought there by human agency, a piece of rudely-
worked granite, and two querns in millstone grit.
Excavations were being made 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 War wick for throwing open his castle and
grounds, and affording the institute facilities for
their inspection. Ho could not refrain from re•
marking that the meeting had been most successful.
The 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. BERESFOED HOPE next moved:—" That the
cordial acknowledgments of the meeting be offered
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 at the command of the institute, and espe-
cially to the Corporation of Coventry for tiro highly
interesting museum organised by them in St. Mary's
Hall."

Mr. HOPE, in moving the resolution, remarked
that when a child he hild a sort of vague dread at