The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-05 00:00:00

IMPORTANT DISCOVERY OF A
ROMAN BASILICA UNDER BRIXWORTH
CHURCH.

Most of our readers are probably aware of what is
now the theme of discourse amongst the lovers of eccle-
siastical architectural antiquities—that the parish church
of Brixworth, in this county, exhibited the finest speci-
rnen of the Roman or Anglo-Roman building in the
whole kingdom. Its antiquity was first suspected by
our townsman, Mr. George Baker, and was subse-
quently ascertained and carried higher in the scale of
centuries by:the discoveries of his friends Rickman and
Britten, the latter of whose dicta have been acquiesced
in by numerous antiquaries who successively visited and
inspected the building, and compared it with other
authentic remains of the Roman era. Nearly all the
nave and square tower still subsist in their original state,
displaying the strong massive masonry of the Roman
people, who seemed to design all their works for an
" eternal empire." The composition is of unhewn
stones, cemented with mortar harder than themselves,
and containing the characteristic deep brick or tiled-
arch for the doorways, cloister windows, and approach
to the aisles. The original aisles hare long been re-
moved, but their ancient foundations have been dis-
covered, at least on the north side of the church,
though not yet followed out to any extent. But
though the most competent antiquaries were agreed in
assigning to the church a very high antiquity on these
ostensible data, it was, nevertheless, justly considered
possible that the church might have been built some
time after the Romans left the country, with the mate-
rials of a more ancient Roman building, notwithstand-
ing the brick tiles have no appearance of having been
used before. It was therefore desirable to ascertain
whether or not the ancient foundation was of the same
age with the present superstructure, and the existing
chancel being of later date than the nave and tower, it
was still uncertain whether there had ever existed in its
place the semicircular structure of the Roman basilica
(viz., the east end of the building, where the praetor held
his court.) Happily, this :is no longer a matter of
doubt or uncertainty, for on Thursday last the Rev.
C. F. Watkins, the vicar, having gone into the chancel
to inspect the making of a new grave, perceived a
portion of ancient masonry at one corner of the excava-
tion, which seemed to verge in a gentle curve towards
the east. Immediately conjecturing that it was part of
the original basilica, he laid it open for four or five feet,
with every appearance of ultimate success, and there-
upon sent a message to the Rev. W. Hume, rector of
Scaldwell, who has an interest in the chancel, with
whom, and his brother the Rev. Charles Huine, rec-
tor of Stoke Moor, Hants, Mr. Watkins pursued the
iavestigati,n on Monday till they had the satisfacticn
or discovering and laying open the whole circuit of the
original wall, wt,ich descends from the floor of the pre-
sent chancel to a depth of about tour feet, where it
encloses en ancient floor of handsome cement, the sur-
faoe of which has somewhat the appearance
of stalagmite, probably occasioned by a slight deposit
of calcareous matter carried down through the super-
incumbent rubbish of lime and earth. This newly-
discovered wall descends still lower ; how much deeper it
goes is not yet, but soon will be, ascertained. What is
most important is, that it is of the same thickness, com-
position, and age as the nave and Auare tower, which
leaves the antiquity of the whole with scarcely the sha-
dow of a doubt. It i. Mr. Watkins's intention to ap-
peal to the country at large and to all who take an in-
terest in these antiquarian researches, which throw so
much light upon the history of the Church of this king-
dom, to enable him to rebuild the chancel upon this the
original substructure, the grouted cement of which is
even now harder than the stones which it binds to-
gether ; and, by clearing away the encompascing
mould, to exhibit the most entire and best-pre-
served architecture of such high antiquity which
this kingdom is known to contain. When
it is understood that the present chancel is a
ptior weak structure—that the lessee of the great tithes,
who has to keep it is rep;;-, has just been enlarging
and re-budding a part o! his own parish church, at
g;-nat expense to himseli—that 200/. would suffice for
tarrying the plan into execution—it is hoped that this
moiler rte sum will not be withheld from en object
which is of real importance, of great interest, and will
be open to the in,pection of every one who chooses to
Visit it from near and far, as many have already come
trout the rust distant parts of the kingdom. The
bankers at Northampton, and elsewhere, will be re-
quested to roce:v,! subscriptions, and several of the
neighbouring el.-rgy and gentry be solicited to form a
Committee of Management anti Superintendence.-
2:70 Wiwi/pion Retold.

THE ROADS AND COACHES.—The roads and
pathways in and near the metropolis have become extremely
dangerous for travelling from the recent fall of snow, which,
Csum the low temperature at which it fell, has presented a
.Nick and firm surface of congealed ice". Travelling in
the outskirts was on 'Wednesday very dangerous, arid many
etwere accidents occurred. On Tuesday the driver of one
.f Hawkins's Hornerton omnibuses was, on account of the
Mailing of his horses, the breaking of the reins, and the
siipperinesg of the foot- board, thrown off the noaeh-bex in
the Hackney-road, near Shoreditch Church, and received
a severe cuntu, on. The ILickney, Lea Bridge, and
Walthamstow roads were also very bad and dangerous for
travelling. At and neer Edmonton many of the roads
are in a very bad state ; the effect of the recent thaw have
been increased by the late snows. All the Edmonton
caeches have come to town with additional horses, but
greater obstacles are presented on the high road between
Ponder's End and Waltham Cross. The greater part of
the long stages have hence had to turn off the high road
by Edmonton Cnerein, and pass through Enfield Town
and Theobaln's Park. The Cambridge mail and the Star
have during the last seek run through this Park with eight
horses, and tiie roads are in a worse condition than has
been known for many years. All the mails arrived in time
for the first delivery at the Poet-office ; those from Bristol,
Lincoln, and Ipswich being the latest. The guard of the
Devonport mail announced that the snow had accumulated
to some depth in parts at Salisbury-plain, and all the
westerns coaches were too late for arrival by the usual
trains. In Essex the snow appears to have fallen compa-
ratively light, but in some parts of Kent there has been a
considerable fall. At Wyc, in East Kent, a distance of
twelve miles from Faversham, and at Sittingbourne the
snow was above the middle of the horses. Near Rainham,
a short distance on this side of Canterbury, on the road to
London, a machine was on Wednesday in constant employ
in clearing the roads for carriages On Brixton-hill, and
the road from Kennington to Vauxhall-gate, the inconve-
nience is severely felt by the omnibuses and carriers. The
Regent's Canal r ernains open for navigation.
WALSALL ELECTION.—The Tories brought
down Mr. Charles Wilkins, who delivered two or three
orations to small numbers, in a room at the George Inn
(the head-quarts es of Mr. Gladstone's. committee), to
which no one was admitted without a ticket ; and of course
the audiences were tolerably well packed; notwithstand-
ing this, one operative, at the conclusion, told Mr. Wil-
kins ha had told 11 tem nothing that they had come to hear,
and asked him toe xplain certain facts connected with the
dimished trade of he country and its causes. All Mr.
Wilkins vouchsafe, i in reply was, " Fear God, be indus-
trious, and there's; plenty in the country." We under-
stand that the step lo of this itinerant orator's harangue was
personal abuse of Me. J. B. Smith—of which one speci-
men, we are sure, will suffice to give our readers a taste of
its quality. Tak 'mg the initials of Mr. Smith's name,
" John Benjamin; ." the learned gentleman laboured to
tickle his hearer. ; by coarsely designating him " jaw
Bone Smith." I Us mission seems to have been a failure,
and it is said that some of Mr. Gladstone's friends arc not
a little ashamed of the style of the barrister's vituperative
eloquence...as:Wan( itester Paper.
A. NVIDow \ VANTED.—An extraordinary and
ludicrous scene t eaok place on Wednesday in Tower-
Street, at the house of Mr. E. M. Stroud, stationer and
patent ledger mak. a', at the corner of Mark-lane. Mr.
Stroud, having oc, atsion for a housekeeper to superintend
Lie domestic arrant ;mments, advertised for a " widow, or a
widow and her dau 1;-hter, to take charge of the upper part
of a tradesman's 1 souse, and to cook for hint. " The
wages were stated t o be 301. per annum, with coals, candles,
Sze., and applicatiot was directed to be made between II
and 3 o'clock yesto rday, at No. 68, Tower-street. Be-
fore the clock struck I I the widows begets to arrive, and
soon the street was r endered impassable by the number of
fair ones crowding towards the house, and, in a few mi-
sates Mr. Stroud's sh up and parlour were, filled with women
struggling to gain t she attention of tne advertiser, and
st.larnorously settingl forth their qualifications, for the situa-
etioss. report ete i got wind that Mr. Stroud had ad-
reetised for a wife, a nd people from all quarters flocked to
eye the ladies in ire. a ch of a husbani. The widows, young,
middle-aged, and old, the thin and stout, the dark and
the fair, some in their weeds, others gaily attired, and
many poorly but d ecently clad, continued to arrive, and
were greeted with laughter and shouts by the mob, who
gave free vont to their jokes and ribaldry as the widows
arrived and depart, ad. At length the confusion and noise
became so great, t: sat a posse of the City police were sent
for, who preserved a little better crder, and afforded tree
ingress and egress fur the applicants.
WOOD PAVE. lENT. —The opinion is almost
universal that the w. is le of London will ultimately be paved
ith wood, the tin al execution of that immense under-
liking being merely a question of time. Should this
turn out to be the feet •it is of the last importance that
rscognised princirsles t hould become the guide of those
seem are called i%pan. to act in the business; and solely
with the view nil. onto !e :no tee cmsiderati„ of this ims
put tent point I:pori g ,feral attention have we taken up
the subject. The- t irk nority of wood over Stone as a
material for paving- .:art iageways, seems, indeed, to be
finally acknowledged • ad it is now no longer asked
whether wood shall be' st. bstituted for stone, but which
plan is rukist deserritte• it.tiblic favour.—eolytechniea

AN ANTIQUE G.? IRIOSITY.—A very curious
rnass.ke ring, of Dun, .....;o! 6, wet fo..,nd a few days ago w,
the borders of Re.,:l',:iha al Forat, in the parish of Cot-
tinghain, near liockit:o4 an It 13 doubtless of eNtretne
a"""l' and Pr•aar.t:s„ to o inscriptions in Saxon charge_
tors, in a r,rnarkal•2o , tAti of prose; vation. The cuter one
1
'as "la.'s '—'' GI; tal Gotta: Madros : .Uross :" and
the inner_.. I:di-0u : 1 Jdros : Theb:4l." Th.: ring,
which is in the posse gtlot iof Mr. Dexter, Woolpack Inn,
Aiiddleten, is suppos ?Al tc ,be what is called an " Abraxis,"
or magical ring, ~, i too have been :Tern as at; amulet or
pc( veative charm, : s was' common in early periods of su-
perstition and ignor
ince. :We shAl feel obligor' to any of
Stir readers to G-xpl: in the m.,,-..4ning of these mysterious
ocutenees, which, : ithough the', do not scan to belong to
an): k1"1,,,"n litr'L'''2: e.l;;;ve d.otaitless some cceult signifl-
-1"3--1"hain/ tore Herald.