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THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
Mr. W. Cole, as Curator, gave some account of the structure and history
of the building, and of the efforts of the Essex Field Club to establish a
museum there. He explained the plan of the Museum, which at present
was but very partially carried out, owing to want of funds, and more par-
ticularly of an annual income to obtain the help of an assistant to the
Curator. On every hand the visitors expressed their warm approval of
the objects and design of the Museum, and their desire that the plans
could be fully carried out.
The party subsequently made a tour of the Forest, and after tea at
High Beach proceeded to Abridge and Chigwell, where they visited the
Grammar School and the Church and the "King's Head" Inn, famous
for its memories of Charles Dickens and "Barnaby Rudge."
The Union members returned to Hampstead by road ; the others went
homewards from Loughton Station.
VISIT TO LEEZ PRIORY AND CHIGNAL AT JAMES
(425th MEETING) AND TO MR. CHRISTY'S MUSEUM
OF ANCIENT DOMESTIC APPLIANCES.
Saturday, 21st June 1913.
The assembly was called at Chelmsford railway station, about half-
past ten, and brakes being in attendance, the party was conveyed by
Broomfield, Little Waltham and Little Leez, to Leez Priory, a distance of
about eight miles, through extremely pretty country. Several small pits
in Glacial Gravel and Sand were seen : ths shallow pit near Chatham
Green (at about 193 feet O.D.) shows very coarse gravel and ferruginous
sand, with Bunter sandstone and quartzite pebbles.
A halt was called at Little Leighs Church, small but very interesting ;
it was probably, in Mr. Chancellor's opinion, one of the earliest churches
erected by the Normans after the Conquest. The most interesting monu-
ment is a beautifully designed canopy over a niche in the north
wall of the chancel, in which lies the effigy of a priest, in Eucharistic
vestments, cut out of a single block of oak. The architecture and vest-
ments point to a period about the middle of the 14 th Century. The figure
is probably that of a much-loved rector of the parish, who added the
chancel to the old Norman nave, and whom his parishioners wished to
honour by this somewhat unusual form. There are other examples of a
similar kind at Clifford, in Herefordshire, etc. A minute description of
the monument is in the Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society,
Vol. ii., by the Rev. F. Spurrell, M.A. Another very interesting object in
the church is the font, which is Early English.
The company were then driven to Leez Priory, the home of our member
Mr. M. E. Hughes-Hughes. The Priory is an extremely interesting and
beautiful Tudor mansion, on the right bank of the little river Ter, nestling
in a green hollow.
The existing buildings consist chiefly of the two Gatehouse Towers
and domestic buildings, forming a portion of the greater courtyard of
the immense Tudor mansion, built by Baron Rich in the early Kith century,
and the present owner has spent much loving care and money in restoring