The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-18
Dissolve RlES
AT OXFORD


teresting alike TO members of tn
foundation, archaeologists, and tbs
general public have been made a
Queens College, Oxford During tn
long vacation important works hav,
been in progress, including the install
Iation of the electric light throughou
the college and the overhauIing of {
part of the drainage. In introducine
the electric light it was convenient t.
pass a cable through the crypt under
meath the apse of the chapel which was
| erected in the northeast corner of the
| great. quadrangle in 1714. On opening
the crypt it was found to contain on 8
stone rest a leaden easket, with the re-
mains of the founder, Robert EglesfieId
| chaplain and confessor to PhiIlipa.
! Queen of Edward Ill, from whom the
! college derives it's name. Eglesheld
! died in 1349, aged 40. and was buried in
| the college chapel. Cut deep in the lead
on the top of the casket are the words.
''Relinquiae fundatoris," popularity
| being that the letter ID is turned
backwards. No date accompanies the
| inscription. In front were laid collins
of Provosts Brown, Fothergill. Collin
son, and in a recess to the right on
entering was the coffin of Provost
Smith and the remains of Provost Hal
tom. The latter was buried under the
old chapel in 1904, but his coffin was re-
moved when a new chapel was built a
few years later.
There We're also in the crypt some
curious memorials which had formerly
IL H.,
it's demolition We're probably for safe
ty, transferred to this spot. One was
a broken stone, to which was attached
a small brass representing a tun or
barrel, with a small musical note
known as a long upon it, with the
capital letter "R.'' This is rebus Of
the name 'Langton," Robert Langton
having been a Doctor of Laws, and
nephew of Bishop Langton, who at one
time was provost of the college. Rob
ert built the large ante-chapel to the
old chapel in the year 1913. The stone
had also upon it depression, in which
the head of the figure of Langton had
rested. In the muniment-r of the
college was a brass. which in the last
century was believed to be that of Rob-
ert EglesfieId, the founder of the col
lege, but archaeologists described it as
of later date, and no doubt correctly so.
The head of this brass fits into the
depression in the stone, on which is
the rebus, and it is certainly that OF
Robert Langton.
Another interesting discovery was Il
brass representing the figure of ma
with an inscription below; the features
and the details of the inscription are all
rubbed quit-flat. This has been fdenti-
fed as the memorial of Nicholas Hyen-
son. Fellow of the college in 1477.
In addition. there was found a stone
with an inscription on brass of ''Radul-
plus Hamisterley Master of University
College" Above the inscription in the
depression of the stone there was evil
IDENTIFY originally a figure, but this has
disappeared.
In the crypt also there We're three |
the floor of the old chapel of Provost
Array (provost 1599-1616), Provost
Christopher Potter, and Provost Lang
baine. Arrays stone has brass plate |
with an inscription upon it, and the
other stones are engraved with the |
arms of the provosts. In the Identified
ton of these memorials an engraving |
by Burghers. representing the ground |
plan of the old chapel, was found use |
full. This plan also facilitated the de- |
termination of the position of the west |
front of the ante-chapel, which was dis |
closed in the excavations made foc
drainage purposes in the line of the |
path leading from the great gate of the |
college to the chapel passage.
The drainage works also disclosed !
some feet below the surface, two pas |
sages, one in the front quadrangle and |
the other in the back, the object of |
which at first seemed doubtful. 1t was |
that they might have be- |
longed to an older building occupying |
the site of the present college. Mr.. |
James Parker president of the Oxford |
Architectural and Historical Society, |
who was consulted, satisfied himself |
that the tooling of some of the stones |
corresponded with the tooling of some |
of the stones which were laid when the |
college was rebuilt. 1t is now looked |
upon as certain that the passages were
leading to large blind wells in
tended to receive the surface water
from the college roofs and quadrangIes, |
and that the conduits We're made so
large to hold the flood water in case Of
an exceptional rainfall.
The crypt has been closed, the 1eaden
caskets and collins being left as they /
were found. The remains of Provost
Haltom, from which the coffin had
fallen, have been deposited in an oak
casket, and the grave-stones have been
placed in the ante-chapeI. The brasses
found in the crypt, with the stones. to
which they are attached, are fixed in
the wall of the apse, together with two
other brasses that have long been pre-
served in the muniment-roOm They !
will form an additional feature of in
terest in the chapel, the foundation
stone of which was laid on February |
6, TIA, the dedication taking place on
All Saints Day five years later. The |
windows in the chapel by |
Van Ling Q635) are in good preserva-
ton, and were removed from the first |
chapel. They depict scenes in the life !;
of Christ.
The westernmost windows are earlier,
and two of them bear the date (151S) |