married a sister of Philip, Duke of Burgundy. Sir John also commanded a body of English under the Duke of Burgundy himself, and assisted at the siege of Conipiégne, when the Maid of Orleans was taken prisoner by the Burgundians. It may appear probable that these decorations of Witham Church were laid down by Sir John, in compliment to the Duke, or placed after the knight's decease (supposing him to have been there buried), as a memorial of his having been engaged in the service of that distinguished prince. It is almost needless to remark how frequent are the evidences of the use of pavement tiles imported from Flanders, and they would be most commonly used in churches in the eastern counties, through facilities of communication with the Low Countries.
By Mr. Ashurst Majendie.—An ancient plan of Hedingham Castle, and the adjacent town, taken probably in the reign of Elizabeth, but distinct from the plan communicated to the Society by Mr. Majendie, at a previous meeting. That now exhibited indicated various details of which no vestiges are to be traced; and he pointed out certain obscure features, which this ancient ichnography had materially tended to elucidate, during a recent examination of the remains of this fortress,
By Miss Julia Bockett.—Two silver medallions or badges, of oval form, one of them bearing the portraitures of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria; the other presenting the bust and heraldic insignia of Essex, the parliamentary general. Several badges, of oval and circular form, exist, representing the Earl of Essex, with various reverses. They are attributed to Simon, and are represented in Vertue's Catalogue of his Works. That now exhibited presents a full-face portrait, in armour; on the reverse, the arms of Devereux, under a coronet. It is a type of rare occurrence: both these medallions have been subsequently presented by Miss Bockett to the British Museum.[1]
By Mr. W. J. Bernhard Smith.—A Franconian wheel-lock rifle, fitted with a hair trigger, an early and interesting example of this kind of firearm.
By Mr. Charles Landseer, R.A.—A bronze hunting-horn and a German hunting dagger, bearing the date 1684, the sheath curiously ornamented.
April 2, 1852.
Edward Hawkins, Esq., Treasurer, in the Chair.
A communication was read, from Dr. Wilson, Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, requesting the good offices and interest of English archæologists in behalf of the ancient cathedral of St. Magnus, Kirkwall. Considerable sums had been judiciously expended by government, within recent years, in repairing this fabric, but, unhappily, when the work had nearly reached completion, variance had arisen amongst the local authorities, and the further restorations and future appropriation of the cathedral had been resigned into the hands of the corporation. The project had now been entertained by the Presbytery to refit the choir with pews, disfiguring
- ↑ The various badges of Charles I. have been described by Mr. Hawkins, Numismatic Chron., vols, xiii., p. 191; xiv., p. 30.
