THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
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announced individually by the Town Sergeant. Mr. Benham, in
welcoming the visitors, expressed his regret at the absence of the Honorary
Secretary, an old friend of his, who was laid up with sciatica, and unable
to be with them. He also voiced his appreciation of the work done
by the Club, which he considered was of enormous service to the County
of Essex. He apologised for the absence of the Mayoress, who had the
duty of presenting a bouquet of Colchester roses to a Royal princess who
was passing through Colchester by train that morning.
Headed by the Mayor, the party then visited the beautiful remains
of St. Botolph's Priory, a remarkable instance of Norman architecture
in which pre-existing Roman materials had been re-used with striking
effect. From here, St. John's Abbey gateway, "Tymperleys," the
home of Dr. Gilberd, and Holy Trinity Church were in turn visited,
each place of interest being described either by the Mayor himself or by Dr.
Philip Laver, F.S.A. : at the church, the Vicar exhibited the well-known
mazer bowl, which is one of the cherished treasures of Holy Trinity and
which has been in use from time immemorial as an alms dish. Referring
to Dr. Gilberd's memorial, Mr. Benham commented that this and
"Tymperleys" seemed to be of far greater interest to American scientists,
who came to Colchester specially to see them, than to Gilberd's own
countrymen ! Truly "a prophet is not without honour save in his
own country."
Lunch was taken at Wright's Restaurant, with the Mayor as guest
of the Club, following which his Worship invited the party to visit his
offices at 24, High Street, where he showed some recently discovered
wall paintings dating from about 1595. A beam in the inner office bears
the date 1597 and a merchant's mark, as yet unidentified, both in
excellent preservation.
At this point, his Worship handed over the party temporarily to the
care of Mr. M. R. Hull, M.A., the Curator of the Castle Museum, and his
staff, who proved to be most enthusiastic exponents of the buildings and
other treasures under their charge. The Castle, the Roman Temple
foundations beneath, the Museum, with its unique collection of Romano-
British relics of local provenance, were in turn inspected with eager
curiosity. One exhibit of outstanding interest is the collection of moulds
for decorated "Samian" ware, lately discovered with kilns at Sheepen
Farm near the town, which affords incontestable proof that this
characteristic Roman ware was actually made in this country. In the
Castle Park the foundations of the presumed Mithraic Temple were
inspected, and a somewhat hurried visit paid to the Holly Trees Mansion,
now used as a supplementary museum for medieval specimens and
"bygones."
Returning to the Town Hall, the visitors were kindly entertained to
tea by the Mayor and Mayoress and by their daughter.
After tea, his Worship exhibited the borough plate and regalia, and
described them to the party : he also conducted the company on a tour
of inspection of the Town Hall, which included a climb to the top of the
lofty tower to enjoy the extensive view of the estuary of the Colne and
surrounding country.
Before taking leave, our President expressed his warm thanks to our