Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/166

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lU PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF The armour which the Dapifer wears, is nearly the same in form as that in use in England from about 1410 to 1440. Its chief peculiarities seem to be the collar or gorget of mail worn over the cuirass, the additional piece at the shoulder joint besides the roundel,^ the great width of each portion of the taces, and their being worked to a ridge in front. The first is sometimes seen in English effigies, as in the brass of Sir William de Tendring, d. 1408, in Stoke-by-Nayland Church, Suflfolk, engraved in Boutell's Monumental Brasses. The small slab represented in the accompanying woodcut, lies in the nave of the very interesting little Temple Church, at Laon, in the north of France. It measures 19 in. by 16^ in. The person commemorated is believed to have been a Knight of the Order of St. John, and one of the name, Pierre Spifamo, appears in the list (printed in De Vertot's history of the Order) of the knights present at Rhodes, in 1522. This may very probably be the individual to whose memory the slab in question was dedicated. The F probably stands for Frere, a usual prefix to the JTT/NC SC name of a knight of the order. At first sight a disposition might perhaps be felt to refer this memorial to an earlier date, but the unconventional manner in which the clouds are drawn seems to support the later one. The pleasing symbol of the hands crossed over a cross, occurs on several slabs in the catliedral of Laon, chiefly of late date. Mr. Wyxxe Ffoulkes gave a short notice of an ancient shoe, found in North Wales, and sent for inspection by W. W. E. Wynne, Esq. This curious relic was discovered by some men cutting turf in a turbary, north- east of Bwlch Carrcg-y-Fran, and about 200 yards from Rhiwbach slate- quarry, in the neighbourhood of Festiniog, Carnarvonshire. It was found together with the remains of another and a thimble, in a grave, Tho armour at the riu;ht shoulder is pieces, but this is probably owing to a BO drawn as to look as if there were three slight error of the stone-cutter.