THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
119
he not too much to say that if such a disaster were allowed, it would be nothing but
a lasting disgrace to the flourishing town of Colchester; the inhabitants have here
already provided for them a solid nucleus of a museum, and it only needs a little
energy generosity, and perseverance to expand it into one of the finest accumu-
lations of local antiquities extant in the country. 5
But little time remained before luncheon to view other parts of the town,
but Dr. Laver managed to conduct members of the party to the principal build-
ings mentioned in the programme. Some portions of the wall were visited,
particularly the main or Praetorian Gate, known as the "Balkern" Gate, a
word of unknown derivation; according to Mr. Cutts the gate was sometimes
called in mediaeval documents Colkyng's (King Coel's) Castle. The central arch
eleven feet wide, and the two smaller side entrances, protected by a boldly pro-
jecting semicircular bastion, within which are two guard-rooms, were pointed out
and explained by the conductor, while the botanists of the party amused
themselves by gathering specimens of the Evergreen Alkanet (Anchusa semper-
virens) growing there, which, if the plants are truly wild, is a station not recorded
by Gibson. Other places visited by some members were St. Botolph's Priory,
built before 1107, and after the dissolution of the monasteries used as a Parish
Church until it was destroyed by the Parliamentarians during the memorable siege
of Colchester in 1648. The west front of this building, with its early interlaced
arches, has a very pleasing effect. The only portion of St. John's Abbey
remaining is the gateway. Previous to its restoration by the Government (whose
property it is), there were numerous marks of the cannon shots fired against it by
Fairfax's soldiers, and it is much to be regretted that these interesting stigmata
have now disappeared in the process of "restoration." In a vault under the north
aisle of St. Giles's Church, hard by, lie the bodies of Sir Charles Lucas and
Sir George Lisle, the defenders of Colchester in the King's cause during the
siege; and the admirers of faithfulness and chivalry will read with some
emotion, how, on the 28th of August, 1648, for their "eminent loyalty to
their sovereign," these two "valiant captains" were, by command of Sir Thomas
Fairfax (in defiance of all the usages of warfare), "in cold blood barbarously
murdered." 6 They were shot in a green spot by the north wall of the castle, and
for long afterwards, as De Foe ("Tour through Great Britain," 1724) and others
wrote, "the inhabitants had a tradition that no grass would grow upon the spot
where the blood of these two gallant gentlemen was spilled, and they showed
the place bare of grass for many years."
The Saxon Tower of Holy Trinity Church is of especial interest to anti-
quarians, and attention may be drawn to the curious but characteristic western
doorway. The "decent basin" used to collect alms in this church is an ancient
wooden "Mazer" (Dutch maeser, maple) with silver-gilt rim, etc., which was
figured and described by Dr. Laver in the Essex Arch. Trans. (n.s., vol. iii., 76).
5 So far as we know only one catalogue of the Castle Museum has been published, that issued
in 1863, which is very meagre and imperfect (a second edition with two additional pages, and six
plates of objects in the museum from the skilful pencil of the late Mr. Parish, appeared in 1869).
An elaborate catalogue has since been compiled by Mr. J. E. Price, F.S.A., which is illustrated
with comparative notes, drawings and engravings, but from want of funds this important work
still remains in MS.
6 It is traditionally said that the Duke of Buckingham, who had married Fairfax's daughter,
finding that this epitaph reflected upon his father-in-law's memory, applied to Charles II, to have
it erased. Whereupon the king mentioned it to Lord Lucas, who replied that he would readily
obey the king's command provided his majesty would be pleased to permit him to replace it by a
statement that "Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle were barbarously murdered for their
loyalty to King Charles I, and that his son King Charles II. had ordered this memorial of their
loyalty to be erased," In answer, the king ordered the inscription to be cut as deep as possible.