Chapter XIII: Part 13

It is evident that the Society was now in a most flourishing condition, and had obtained a position seldom, if ever, equalled by any Society in a provincial town. Extraneous assistance was, however, needed to sustain the interests of its members and maintain its prosperity. Papers were contributed, valuable books given, and interesting letters written by many who were not resident in the neighbourhood. These donations are still preserved with religious care. Some of the communications, _e.g._ from such men as Roger and Samuel Gale, Stukeley, the Earl of Oxford, Sir John Clarke, and others are of considerable interest. Four portfolios of drawings and engravings, several ancient manuscripts as well as books of reference, and many books printed in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries are still in the library. A commencement was also made towards forming a museum.

The Society annually added to its list of members the names of some of the most learned men of the day. Amongst these we find Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Hans Sloane, Edward Harley (Earl of Oxford), Roger and Samuel Gale, Dr. Stukeley, Beaupré Bell, Dr. Jurin, Dr. Mortimer (Sec. R.S.), Dr. Massey, Archdeacon Neve, Joseph Banks (father of Sir Joseph Banks), Samuel Wesley, Rev. Dr. Desaguliers (mathematician, a noted Freemason), Dr. Richard Bentley (at that time Master of Spalding Grammar School, but soon afterwards preferred to the Mastership of Trinity College, Cambridge), William Bogdani, George Vertue, R. Collins and Samuel Buck (the engravers), Lord Coleraine (Pres. Soc. Ant.), Dr. Dodd, Emanuel Mendez da Costa, Charles Jennings (Solyman the Magnificent), Dosithæus (Archimandrite, Abbot of the Monastery of Pantocrateras on Mount Athos), Martin Folkes (the numismatist), Captain John Perry (engineer to the Czar, Peter the Great, but about that time engaged in the drainage of Deeping Fen), Archdeacon Sharp, Rev. Richard Southgate, Thomas Sympson (of Lincoln), Chancellor Taylor, Browne Willis, John Grundy (engineer), and many others of eminence, who are too numerous to mention separately.

The attention of the Society was not confined to antiquities, but was also given to discoveries in natural history, to literature, to chemistry, to paintings, sculpture, mathematics, music, and, in fact, anything worthy the attention of cultured men of that period. It had a valuable collection of electrical apparatus. It possessed a physic garden. “We deal,” says Johnson to Archdeacon Neve in 1745-46, “in all the arts and sciences, and exclude nothing from our conversation but politics, which would throw us all into confusion and disorder.”

Antiquarian pursuits, however, are shown by the minute books to have been the favourite study. Scarcely a single meeting was held at which some antique specimen was not exhibited, or an address given on some antiquarian subject. Not only were papers concerning the monastic remains of the district and the architecture of its churches eminently interesting, but the secretary had inherited from his ancestor, Sir Richard Ogle, several manuscripts which had formerly belonged to the mitred Priory of Spalding. He had access also to many other documents in public and private collections. From these and other sources he was able to produce a history of the Priory, with an account of each Lord Prior in succession. This account was entered _in extenso_ in the minute books. It is also recorded that he wrote an account of his native town. He exhibited charters of the Priory and various documents belonging to other places. He had an ample collection of ancient coins, some of which, judging by the illustrations in the minute books, were of considerable value. These were at times shown to the members, and his remarks thereon must have been of great interest. He wrote an essay on the Mint at Lincoln, which was published. He also wrote a lengthy account of the coins of Carausius and Allectus, which is in MS. in the keeping of the Society, as are also many other of his dissertations.

Encouraged by Mr. Secretary Addison, and Captain (afterwards Sir Richard Steele), Maurice Johnson prepared “a true, succinct, historical account of the Royal Society, as also of the restoration of our Antiquarian Society of London. These documents were obtained from him by Dr. Mortimer, under the assured promise of publishing them, and so introducing the better and fuller knowledge of us to the learned world, in a dedication, preface, or preamble to some volume of the Philosophical Transactions, wherein he proposed to give an account of all the Societies of Great Britain and Ireland, restored, re-established, or founded since the Royal Society.” It appears that the Society of Antiquaries was pleased with this account (and desired a copy of it), as was also the Royal Society. Dr. Mortimer, however, never published the account, and Maurice Johnson was unable to obtain the paper back again, though he several times applied for its return both personally and through his friends.

Another member who contributed much towards the success of the Society was Dr. William Stukeley. A native of Holbeach, he became a member of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, graduated M.B. in 1709, commenced to practice medicine at Boston in 1710, was admitted F.R.S. in 1717, graduated M.D., Cantab., in 1719, and became F.R.C.P., London, in 1720. Dr. Stukeley removed to Grantham in 1725; he then forsook the medical profession, and was ordained in 1729. He became vicar of All Saints’, Stamford, with St. Peter’s attached, in 1730. We find his name as one of the founders of the Egyptian Society in 1741, and in 1747 he accepted the rectory of St. George’s, Queen’s Square, London, on the presentation of the Duke of Montagu. The Society still possesses some forty of his communications, nearly all being illustrated. In this collection are a set of drawings of the figures on the west front of Croyland Abbey, and of the triangular bridge. These are now of value as showing the state of those structures in the year 1746. When in London in 1740 to 1750, he used to go to the meetings of the Royal Society, and on his return in the evening he wrote down what he could remember of the debates. In this manner he filled five small volumes, which were sent down to Spalding. These volumes were bound in vellum, and are still carefully preserved.

Stukeley’s publications were very numerous, and they contain many references to this Society. His _Itinerarium Curiosum_ is dedicated to Maurice Johnson, to whom he was much indebted for assistance in composing his _Medallic History of Marcus Aurelius Valerius Carausius_.

Browne Willis, Roger Gale, and Beaupré Bell wrote many letters and essays which were read at the weekly meetings. George Vertue, among many other benefactions, presented to the Society a copy of “_Justes at Westmʳ_, the 12th of Febʳ., by the KING, my Lord of DEVON, Sir Tho. Knyvet, and Edw. Nevill, Aᵒ 1ᵒ H. viij.” It was long unknown who was the engraver, but the S.G.S. minute books prove that it was the work of Vertue himself. John Grundy, jun., engineer for the Deeping Fen drainage, drew the map of Spalding, surrounded by views of twelve ancient buildings in the neighbourhood of the town, which still adorns the Society’s room. This map has been since engraved, and even reproduced, by a firm at Chicago, to illustrate a volume on the family of Spalding in America. Dr. Bolton, of Boston, gave some engravings of Albrecht Dürer, Heinrich Aldegreve, and Callot, which were purchased by him in Holland.

Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, other societies were formed upon the same model at Stamford, Boston, Peterborough, Oundle, and Wisbech. At Lincoln, Worcester, Doncaster, and Dublin similar institutions also arose. Most of these soon became extinct. The Peterborough Society, established by Archdeacon Neve, lived sufficiently long to enable it to complete two or more volumes of minutes, becoming known as the Peterborough Book Society in 1810. It has now ceased to exist. The Brazenose Society at Stamford, established by Dr. Stukeley, did not long prosper, and an effort to revive it some time afterwards appears to have completely failed. Of the other societies little, if anything, is known. The Gentlemen’s Society at Spalding is probably the only survivor.

The esteem in which this Society was held is proved, not only by a number of letters written by leading men of the day, notably by Kortholt (Epist. ad Kappium de Soc. Ant. Lond. Lips. 1730, p. 6), but also by the action of the Royal Society who, by order of the president, showed its approval by sending their Transactions. The Society of Antiquaries also ordered all their works, “as published,” to be sent by their Directors. They also exchanged their papers, after having been read in London, for those read at Spalding. On the minutes of the Society of Antiquaries are recorded several of these communications, but the minute books of the Gentlemen’s Society show that a still larger number were sent up.

To the end of his life (obiit Feb. 7ᵒ, sepult. Feb. 11ᵒ, 1755, as recorded in the Register at Spalding Parish Church) Maurice Johnson continued to be the mainstay of this Society. As long as he lived the Society flourished. The greater part of the communications were made by him, or obtained through his activity. The minute books were chiefly his penmanship, and the beautiful illustrations therein mainly his handiwork. To the library he gave many of its most valuable books, and the museum owed much to his liberality. Even to the very last he showed his love for the Society, by providing in his will an endowment for the chaplain of Wykeham, who was, previous to his appointment, to undertake the duties of librarian and take charge of its _supellex literaria_.

Before his death Johnson, with reference to the state of this Society, observed in a letter to his friend Gale, “realms and all communities have their periods.” Nevertheless, as Gale in return assured him, “the _supellex literaria_ of the Society still remains a glorious monument of the public spirit and learning of its founder, and the record of a noble attempt, which otherwise would scarcely be credited by posterity.”

After Johnson’s decease a change comes over the scene; the Society continued to meet every week, and the accounts were duly kept, but the minute book ceased to be used, little was added to the library or museum, and the Physic Garden was given up. It is not, however, to be supposed that the objects for which the Society was established were entirely neglected. The “Books of Accompts” contain several instances of money having been spent for the purchase of books, &c., but its activity decidedly slackened.

A further evidence that the Society was not defunct is shown by the following extract from the will of Mr. Michael Cox, an apothecary and the “Operator” to the Society:—

“I do hereby order that neither my said wife nor the said John
Motson, or his heirs, nor the person or persons to whom they
shall sell the same estates, shall have power to discharge or
eject the Gentlemen of the Literary Society in Spalding from
the occupation of the room they now hold of me, with whatever
Liberty’s they now enjoy ... they continuing well, duly and
faithfully to pay the Annual Rent of Five pounds and to occupy
the same as and for a Literary Society room only.”

This room remained in the occupation of the Society until, in the year 1878, the Improvement Commissioners, being anxious to widen the street near the High Bridge, made an offer of £100 for its interest therein. This sum was accepted, and the contents of the library and museum were removed to a room in Double Street until the trustees of the Johnson Hospital, which had recently been erected, offered the use of the Board-room and other accommodation at a small rental.

The “Books of Accompts” above referred to are three in number. Each volume is bound in parchment and is 16 inches high by 6½ inches wide. They are ruled by hand, and have on each page a debit and credit account side by side. The entries therein are very conclusive as to the continuity of the Society, as they contain the weekly expenditures and annual contributions of the members. The election of new members and of the officers of the Society are recorded, although omissions are evidently numerous. In order to show that the original objects of the Society were not overlooked, the following items, taken at different periods, will suffice:—

On August 21, 1760, a payment is made to Mr. E. Kingston for experiments in electricity. On June 11, 1761, a reflecting telescope is paid for. On December 24, 1767, seven guineas are given for an electrical machine. On December 27, 1789, there is an entry of payment for repairs to the telescope. On January 1, 1805, an order is made to have the books, manuscripts, prints, &c., catalogued. This order was carried out, and several copies of “A Catalogue of the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society, by T. Albin, 1808,” still exist. On January 1, 1811, is the last entry in the account books. This is a revised set of “Rules and Regulations,” wherein the following items are noticeable:—

“All books, maps, prints, papers, medals, curiosities,
furniture, &c., already in the possession of the Society, or
which may hereafter be purchased by or be bequeathed to them,
shall be considered the joint property of all the existing
members, and no person shall claim a separate right to them.”

(Needless to say, this rule remains unrepealed.) At the same meeting a sub-librarian was appointed and his duties defined; regulations were made as to the issue of books to the members; ladies were to be admitted to the Society, but were not to have votes; and minutes were to be entered in a book to be provided for that purpose. These minutes were signed by the Rev. Maurice Johnson as president, and by fifteen other members. Possibly this new book was never procured, as from this time neither minutes nor accounts are anywhere to be found, until 1828, when the entry of minutes was resumed in the old book (vol. vi.), and this book continued in use up to the 15th July 1889, when another volume was commenced.

On the 18th of February 1828, Dr. Maurice Johnson resigned the office of president, and the Rev. Dr. William Moore was elected to succeed him. The Rev. J. H. Marsden, then an assistant curate of Spalding, was appointed librarian and secretary. At that time the number of members was only fifteen, but seven others were admitted at the same meeting.

At the next meeting, on February 25, the secretary was requested “to examine the Society’s records in order to ascertain the terms upon which certain books were deposited in the church and school.” He gave in his report on March 3, and the members present were unanimously of opinion “that the books appear to have been a free gift.” At this meeting a committee was appointed for the purpose of examining and arranging the museum.

From this time the election of members and the gifts of books to the library are duly recorded. The meetings, however, do not appear to have been held regularly, but all the entries refer to the work of the Society—_e.g._ on 25th July 1838, “examined Mr. Grundy’s plan of the town of Spalding, the same being in a state of dilapidation, and resolved that it will be advisable to obtain a lithographic fac-simile.” This order was duly carried out, and copies were sold at fifteen shillings each. It was then arranged that the meetings should be held quarterly.

On 14th June 1848, Sir Charles Anderson wrote asking permission to have the minute books sent to Lincoln for inspection at the meeting of the Archæological Institute which was then being arranged. This request was complied with, and accompanied by a paper entitled “The Gentlemen’s Society at Spalding: Its Origin and Progress.” This paper was subsequently printed by the Institute, and afterwards reprinted as a pamphlet by Pickering in 1851. After the meeting, Mr. Albert Way wrote as follows:—

“WONHAM, REIGATE, _August 19, 1848_.

“DEAR SIR,—I have the honor to convey to you, and to request
you to communicate to the Gentlemen composing the Spalding
Society, the hearty thanks of the Central Committee of the
Institute for the kindness with which you have been pleased
to transmit the memorials of the Society to Lincoln for the
gratification of our members during the late meeting. I hope
that these precious documents have safely reached you: they
were committed to the custody of Mr. Swan’s clerk in the
absence of that gentleman.

“The Committee request me also to express their acknowledgment
and thanks for your interesting and valuable notice of the
Society of Spalding, and the character of its early labors
in the field of Archæology. The Committee would hail with
the utmost satisfaction the re-establishment in full vigor
of such a Society in your County for the examination and
preservation of historical memorials and ancient monuments or
antiquities. They would hope that the names of Maurice Johnson
and his contemporaries might yet form the watchword to rally
round the Gentlemen of Spalding all those who cherish the
memory of ancient times in your County, so rich in historical
recollections and examples illustrative of ancient usages or
arts. The Committee would most thankfully have esteemed your
kindness had it been compatible with the safe custody of the
valuable memorials of the Spalding Society sent to Lincoln, to
permit any more detail’d examination of them than was feasible
at that time, or had it been practicable to select any portion
of their curious contents which might have been given in the
Lincoln volume about to be published. The memoir, however,
which we owe to your kindness and hope you will permit me to
publish in that volume, will excite curiosity regarding the
labors of the Antiquaries of Spalding, which we would hope
you may feel disposed, on some future occasion, to gratify by
further notices and extracts.—I have the honor to be, Dear Sir,
your obliged and obedient Servant,

ALBERT WAY, _Hon. Sec._

“The Rev. Dr. MOORE.”

The minute book contains reference to, or has copies of correspondence with, several other antiquaries of note. Amongst them occur the names of Pishey Thompson, the author of the “History of Boston”; Admiral Smyth, author of “A Descriptive Catalogue of a Cabinet of Roman Coins, belonging to His Grace the Duke of Northumberland”; William Hopkinson of Stamford; John Yonge Akerman, Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries; Rev. A. Poole, &c.

Several valuable books were given to the Society, and papers on local antiquities and other subjects read by the members of the Society, and entered _in extenso_ by Canon Moore, who also wrote memoirs of some of the members, viz.: John Richard Carter, Maurice Johnson of Blundeston (the fifth in lineal descent from the founder), Dr. W. Moore, and Dr. Cammack.

A vacancy having occurred in the presidency by the death of Dr. Moore in 1867, Thomas Cammack, F.R.C.P., was appointed to that office, which he retained until his death. On November 22, 1872, Canon Edward Moore, F.S.A., was chosen president. He was eminent as an architect, the restorer of the fine Parish Churches of Spalding, and of Weston St. Mary, and the preserver of the west front of Crowland Abbey. The three Churches of St. John Baptist, St. Paul, and St. Peter, Spalding, were built under his auspices, as was also the new Grammar School and the Johnson Hospital. Canon Moore was well versed in archæology, and added much to the minute books of S.G.S. He died on 13th May 1889.

Between the years 1828 and 1889, although the meetings were held at infrequent and varying intervals, much interest must have been taken in the Society. The valuable papers read by Canon Moore, Dr. Cammack, Rev. R. Hollis, and others, and the communications from such men as Bishop Trollope, Matthew Bloxham, and Professor Marsden show that the Society still retained a considerable amount of energy. In addition to those whose names appear above, the list of members of this period gives those of Joseph Banks of Revesby (father of Sir Joseph Banks); Bertie, Lord Brownlow; Yarrard, the miniature painter; Count Montalembert, Lord Boston, Sir Gilbert Scott, T. J. Pettigrew, F.R.S.; J. J. Howard, Joseph Toynbee, F.R.S.; J. Russell Jackson, &c.

On July 15, 1889, the few remaining members met in the library, then situate in Double Street, and decided that an earnest effort should be made to revivify the Society. A president was elected, and a committee appointed to consider the rules and report thereon. A paper, _In Memoriam_ Canon Edward Moore, was read. Several articles were exhibited and some donations made.

The next meeting was held on September 30 following, when the rules drawn up by the committee were adopted. A treasurer, a librarian, and a secretary were elected. A paper on “Numismatics” was read and some books were presented for the library.

Thus, again, working order was re-established; and from that date quarterly meetings have been held without a single intermission. At these meetings one or more papers have been read, gifts and purchases of books and specimens announced, and articles of interest exhibited.

For some years past the quarterly meetings have been supplemented by monthly ones, and at these also useful work has been accomplished. Summer excursions to places of antiquarian interest have also been organised.

Since 1889 many hundreds of volumes have been added to the library and the donations to the museum have been of considerable value.

The Society of Antiquaries of London continues to show its interest in the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society, by presenting annually its _Proceedings_ and _Archæologia_.

The Society has purchased several valuable books at auction and other sales, _e.g._ from the late Joseph Philips, Esq., Colonel Moore, T. H. Brogden, Esq., and especially from Mrs. M. Johnson, widow of Maurice Johnson, Esq., of Ayscoughfee Hall and Blundeston, Suffolk. Most of these last-named works formerly belonged to our founder and have his book-plate inside the cover. The following extract from a Spalding newspaper will show their value:—

“LIBRARY OF MAURICE JOHNSON, Esq., F.S.A.—As the sale of this library by public auction has been a subject of considerable interest in the town, on account of the intimate connection of its original owner with Ayscoughfee Hall, we are pleased to learn from Dr. Perry that the Spalding Gentlemen’s Society, which was instituted by Maurice Johnson in the year 1710, has been able to secure the following books and manuscripts which formerly belonged to their venerated founder, in addition to the large number of similar works which have been in the possession of the Society from the beginning of the last century. Most of the books are in a very satisfactory state, and the officers of the Society will have pleasure in showing them to any one interested in book lore. The works are:—

Sir Lawrence Myntling’s Court Book, containing calendars of
the bond tenants, constitutions, orders, customs, &c., of the
Priory of Spalding. MS., _circ._ 1455. This book was also
formerly in possession of Sir Richard Ogle.

Registrum Brevium, Statuta Vetera, Summaria legis. MS., _circ._
A.D. 1300.

Middlecot’s Exchequer Records of Lincoln Holland, &c. MS.

Rental in Comitate Lincoln, by various writers. MS.

Catalogus Librorum Societatis Generos; Spalding, by Maurice
Johnson. MS.

Of Sewers in Lincoln—Johnson’s collection.

Statute of Sewers, principally MS., collected by Maurice
Johnson. This contains Callis’ original manuscript, signed by
himself.

Pleas of the Crown, together with a large treatise of the
Clergy, by M. Johnson. MS.

Rerum Anglicarum Scriptorum Veterum. Quorum Ingulphus nunc
primum integer, ceteri nunc primum prodeunt. Oxoniæ (1684).

A Survey of the Cathedrals of Lincoln, Ely, Oxford, and
Peterborough, by Browne Willis. S.G.S.S. (1730).

Harrington’s History of Croyland, translated by Sir Thomas
Lambert. MS.

Roberti de Avesbury Historia de Mirabilis Gestis Edwardi III.
Oxonii (1720).

Mariani Scoti Chronica; cum Martini Poloni Historia (1559).

Aristotelis de Reip bene administrandæ Ratione Libri Octo. cum
commentariis domini Richardi Ogle Equitis Aurati (1567).

Antiquitates Rutupinæ, auctore Joanne Battely. Oxoniæ (1711).

Chronicon Saxonicum et MSS. Codicibus nunc primum integrum ac
Latinum fecit Edmundus Gibson, Episc. Lincoln. Interleaved and
containing many MS. observations by M. Johnson, F.S.A. (Oxon.
1692).

Fines inter Abbes de Burgo et de Croyland, VII. Regis Johannis
(A.D. 1205); Ibid. inter Croyland et Burgo XXXI. Henrici
Filii Johannis (A.D. 1247); et conventio inter iidem Abbes.
Manuscript on vellum (13th century).

Tracts, viz.: Lewis’ Antiquity and use of Seals (1740); Sale
Catalogue of the collection of Statues, &c., of Edward (Harley)
Earl of Oxford, S.G.S.S.; Sale Catalogue of Coins of the same
(1741-42); Marmor Sandvicense cum Commentario et Notis Tayleri,
folding plates (1743); Sannazerius, The Oziers, translated by
Beaupré Bell, S.G.S.S. (1724); The First and Second Satires
of the Second Book of Horace, by Alexander Pope (1st Edition)
(this was given by Pope, who was a member of the S.G.S., to his
friend Maurice Johnson, 1734); Solomon, de Mundi Vanitate, by
Matthew Prior (1735).

Another book of Tracts, containing Croyland’s Chronicle,
compiled from the Charters, &c., by Sir John Harrington,
Knight, in Latin, and translated into English by Sir Thomas
Lambard, Knight, with additions by Maurice Johnson, Steward of
the Manor of Crowland; Speeches by King Charles I. and others
(1640); The Bedford Level Act (1662); Deeping Fenn Act (1664);
The Allotment made out of the Fenns, by John Johnson and
Timothy Tubbs, 1ᵒ July 1669.

Madox Thomas—History and Antiquities of the Exchequer of the
Kings of England (1711).”

Gifts of books have been made by the Rev. A. W. G. Moore, Rev. E. Adrian Woodruffe-Peacock, Rev. R. Hollis, Rev. J. Conway Walter, Rev. Dr. Astley, Rev. Canon Hemmans, Rev. James Penny, Rev. H. Larken, Rev. H. Kenelm Smith, Canon Atkinson, W. E. Foster, Esq., W. H. Wheeler, Esq., H. Peet, Esq., A. K. Maples, Esq., G. L. Nussey, Esq., The President, S. H. Perry, Esq., and others. The donation of “Sir Laurence Myntling’s Court Book of the Priory of Spalding” (MS., _circ._ 1455) by Alexander Peckover, Esq. (now Lord Peckover of Wisbech.), deserves special mention. His Majesty’s Stationery Office has given a large number of the Master of Rolls Series.

The books in the Grammar School library have been returned to S.G.S., as the Headmaster found they were becoming more and more dilapidated. Those books which were given to the Church library by S.G.S. have also been sent back for greater security. The other books in the Church library were removed to the Parsonage.

To the museum have been added various specimens, including coins, tokens, seals, casts, pottery, glass, ironwork, &c., of dates from the Roman period downwards.

The number of members has considerably increased, and their interest in the work and well-being of the Society is manifest.

The names of the present officers of the Society, and dates of their election, are as under:—

_President_—MARTEN PERRY, M.D., F.R. Numismatic
Society, M.R. Archæological Inst., &c. _elected_ 1889
_Treasurer_—HAROLD STANLEY MAPLES, Esq. ” 1889
_Librarian_—Rev. E. M. TWEED, M.A. ” 1895
_Hon. Sec._—ASHLEY K. MAPLES, Esq. ” 1899
_Hon. Operator_—E. M. M. SMITH, Esq. ” 1907

In consequence of the additions made to the library and the museum, and with a special view of celebrating its bicentenary, it was resolved that an effort be made to secure a permanent home for the Society, and with that object in view an urgent appeal was issued to the members in 1908. As a result a sum of £1150 was received. An appeal to non-members was made in the spring of 1909, with the result of a further addition being made to the funds.

During the present year (1910) the members have made additional contributions. The Society has purchased a site, and commenced the erection of a structure to serve as a library, museum, caretaker’s residence, &c. The foundation stones were laid on July 9, 1910, by Everard Green, Esq., F.S.A., Rouge Dragon; Major Wingfield; Alderman F. Howard, High Sheriff of Lincolnshire; M. Perry, M.D.; E. M. E. Welby, Esq.; H. S. Maples, Esq.; Edward Gentle, Esq.; W. S. Royce, Esq.; E. E. E. Welby-Everard, Esq.; A. K. Maples, Esq.; G. L. Nussey, Esq.; Rev. S. Yates; Dr. S. H. Perry; and Rev. P. L. Hooson. The building is dedicated to the memory of the worthy founder of the Society.

POSTSCRIPT

The following quotation from the _Publications of the Surtees Society_, vol. lxxvi. p. 321, gives Dr. Stukeley’s opinion of the value of the work done by Maurice Johnson:—

“20th February 1755.—At the Antiquarian Society I gave them
Samuel Gale’s MS. of Cornu Ulphi, with the Latin translation by
himself, and the copper plate of a Runic inscription relating
to it, which they might print if they thought fit. I gave them
an account of Maurice Johnson’s death, and the eulogium I wrote
of him that morning, in the following terms: On Saturday,
8th February 1755, dyed Maurice Johnson, Esq., of Spalding,
Lincolnshire, Councellor at Law, a fluent orator, and of
eminence in that profession, but to an extravagant acquisition
of riches which he ever had in his power, he preferred the
serene sweets of a country life, learned leisure, study, and
contemplation. He is one of the last of the founders of the
Antiquarian Society, London, begun in the year 1717, the
only survivors being Brown Willis, Esq., and Dr. Stukeley.
What is singular in Mr. Johnson’s praise is that he is the
founder of the Literary Society in Spalding, which memorable
transaction happened on 3rd November 1712. This Society,
through his unwearied endeavors, interest, and applications
of every kind, by his infinite labors in writing, collecting,
methodizing indexes, and the like, has now subsisted in great
reputation for these 40 years, and excited such a spirit of
learning and curiosity in that level part of Lincolnshire,
called South Holland, as probably will never be extinguished.
By this means they have got an excellent library, and all
conveniences for their weekly meeting, have established a most
extensive correspondence even to both Indies; are very exact
in answering all communications; have made vast collections
of MSS. letters, written historys, coins, medals, antiquities
of every denomination; fossils, all kinds of natural and
artificial curiosities, drawings, surveys, prints and the like.
They keep exact minutes of everything that appears before
them, have members in every branch of knowledge, try useful
experiments and improvements tending to the common benefit or
entertainment of mankind. Mr. Johnson was a great lover of
gardening and planting, had an admirable collection of flowers,
flowering shrubs, fruit-trees, exotics, an excellent cabinet
of medals, in which he had great knowledge and judgment. Many
years ago, particularly, he made large collections of memoirs
of the history of Carausius, which he sent to me last summer,
and is still in my custody, as a generous assistance in my work
on that head, together with all his coins of that emperor, and
one coin especially, which he always took to be Carausius’
son, of which I give a sketch. The face is like that of the
young Tetricus, but singular in this, that the legend begins
with Cæsar, the name Silvanvs, or whatever else, obliterated,
which is the more to be regretted. Mr. Beaupré Bell, a young
gentleman of most excellent learning and knowledge in medals,
now dead, to the great loss of science, was confident that the
coin belongs to Carausius’ son. In general, the antiquities
of the great mitred Priory of Spalding, and of this part of
Lincolnshire, are for ever obliged to Mr. Johnson’s care and
diligence, being rescued and preserved from oblivion thereby.
Thus much I thought proper to commemorate concerning the just
eulogium of my friend and countryman.”

FOOTNOTES

[1] _Scenery of England_, p. 85.

[2] Professor Boyd Dawkins, _Early Man in Britain_, p. 224 and ff.

[3] March 1909, by Rev. E. H. Mullins.

[4] Since the above was written, a fine specimen of River Drift Man’s handiwork has been found by the author in the River Trent Gravels, June 21, 1910.

[5] _Early Man in Britain_, p. 315.

[6] _Nature_ for December 1907, p. 103.

[7] _Early Man in Britain_, by Boyd Dawkins, p. 434.

[8] Kemble’s _Horæ Ferales_, pl. 17.

[9] _Celtic Art_, by Bowdly Allen, p. 77.

[10] Introduction to _The History of Lincolnshire_, “Pike’s Series.”

[11] _Celtic Britain_, pp. 30, 288.

[12] _Vit. Agric._ c. 20.

[13] “Richard of Cirencester” says that there were nine colonies in Britain, including Chester and Caerleon; and the statement is still often repeated, though no confidence can be placed in it.

[14] The date is unknown, but the original must be older than the eighteenth century, as neither T. Sympson nor Stukeley speaks of a double gate.

[15] Another milestone of his reign has been discovered in Wales, and his coins are not uncommon; so we have here fresh proof that the Gallic usurpers in the time of Gallienus were acknowledged in Britain.

[16] His see is given as Colonia “Londinensium,” and the reading “Lindensium” is the best hitherto suggested for a word that is evidently corrupt.

[17] _Roman Roads in Britain_, p. 384.

[18] It is once called in the _Itinerary_ “Isubrigantum.”

[19] Herodian, iii. c. 14.

[20] _The Fenland, Past and Present._ By S. H. Miller and S. B. J. Skertchly, p. 181.

[21] Skertchly, _op. cit._, p. 142, and Miller, p. 28 and pp. 43-54.

[22] W. H. Wheeler, _Fens of South Lincolnshire_, p. 7.

[23] Miller, _op. cit._, p. 47.

[24] Of the name of “Cold Harbour,” which is generally associated with ruined buildings near Roman roads, there are at least ten instances in the county, and probably more. Five of these are in or near the Wolds of East Lindsey.

[25] The statue, altar, and milliary can still be seen at Ancaster Vicarage.

[26] This view has survived the discredit now attaching to the forged _Itinerary_ of “Richard of Cirencester,” in which alone is found the positive statement that this province was beyond the Humber.

[27] So it is termed by Mr. Codrington in his _Roman Roads in Britain_, p. 225.

[28] Mr. R. Brown, jun., F.S.A., in his _Earlier History of Barton-on-Humber_, vol. i. p. 12, supposes that this road kept to the heights, leaving Yarborough to the east, and ended at South Ferriby. But if the Barton earthwork be really Roman, as Yarborough unquestionably is, a road connecting both with Caistor seems not unlikely.

[29] Geoffrey gives its British name as “Caer Corrie”—strangely corrupted by Camden into “Caer Egarry.” The name suggests a connection with the Coritani; but it occurs only in this mass of fantastic legend.

[30] E. A. Freeman, _English Towns and Districts_, 1883, pp. 210, 211.

[31] The Church of St. Peter “ad Fontem,” which Picot, son of Coleswegen, gave to St. Mary’s Abbey at York (see notice of grant _ap._ Dugdale, _Mon. Angl._, ed. Caley, &c., 1846, vol. iii. p. 549), was in the eastern suburb of the city. Here, then, we must place that “wasta terra” which King William gave to Coleswegen, and the two churches which Coleswegen endowed there (_Domesday Book_, Lincolnshire _fac-simile_, f. 2_b_).

[32] See plan of Barton-on-Humber and conjectural elevation of the original building, _ap._ Baldwin Brown, _Arts in Early England_, 1903, vol. ii. p. 210. An account of Broughton, with views of the tower arch, follows, pp. 211 _sqq._

[33] The wooden stair at Brigstock has been replaced by a ladder, but the holes for the stair-logs remain in the inner wall of the turret. The stone stair at Broughton has been supposed to be an afterthought of the builders, but the present writer is very doubtful about this.

[34] An illustration and description of this tower will be found in _Assoc. Archit. Societies’ Reports_, vol. xxix., 1907, p. 70, at the end of an article in which the present writer has collected the results of his observation of towers in the neighbourhood of Grimsby and Caistor.

[35] The present belfry stage of the tower is of the fifteenth century, and is built on piers and arches placed against the inner face of the older tower walls. For plan of the older tower, see Baldwin Brown, _op. cit._, ii. 240.

[36] Twenty-six is the exact number of towers which may be said to be unquestionable members of the group. But the number may be raised by the inclusion of a few more possible examples.

[37] The roof-line, visible on the eastern wall of the tower, is that of the mediæval church before the addition of the clerestory.

[38] Hough-on-the-Hill, as noted later, is the only example in which the details of the quoining really approximate to those at Barton; but at Hough there is no strip-work.

[39] A kindred example of strip-framing finished off in this way is the north doorway at Laughton-en-le-Morthen, near Rotherham. At Skipwith, near Selby, the tower arch has strip-framing. Both these churches lie within the area to which the Lincolnshire group may be said to belong. The present writer has dealt briefly with the Yorkshire churches in this area in an article on “The Village Churches of Yorkshire,” in _Memorials of Old Yorkshire_.

[40] Historical evidence which points to this conclusion has been summarised by Dr. Mansel Sympson (“Where was Sidnaceaster?”—_Assoc. Archit. Soc. Reports_, vol. xxviii., 1905, pp. 87 _sqq._). A charter of Edward the Confessor, preserved at Peterborough, which contains the grant of the church, &c., at Fiskerton to the Abbey of Peterborough, is witnessed by several bishops and nobles, including Wulfwig, Bishop of Lindsey, who signs himself “Lincolie episcopus.” The charter, however, appears to be a copy of the original, in which “Lincolie” may have been written by error for “Lindisse.” But, if “Lincolie” is right, the use of the title by a bishop whose see was at Dorchester-on-Thames points to the fact that he looked on Lincoln as his true episcopal city. And the conviction of the present writer, on other grounds, is that “Sidnaceaster,” whose site was unknown even to writers of the Norman period, is simply a careless MS. corruption of “Lindaceaster,” or some allied Saxon form of “Lindum Colonia.”

[41] The old archdeaconry of Stow comprised the deaneries (now subdivided to some degree) of Aslackhoe, Corringham, Lawres, and Manlake—in fact, the original district of Lindsey, east of Trent and west of Ancholme.

[42] The dedicatory inscription on the tower of St. Mary-le-Wigford, while clearly pointing to its English origin, must not be taken as indicative of any positive date.

[43] Baldwin Brown, _op. cit._, vol. ii. chap. ii.

[44] See the article on this subject by Dr. J. H. Round, _Feudal England_, pp. 317 _sqq._ How far the influence of Normans in England before the Conquest may have affected work in masonry is a point which may be left to the judgment of the individual reader. The foreigners who threw up their own characteristic earthworks at the “Pentecost’s Castle” and “Richard’s Castle” of the Chronicle cannot be certainly credited with any influence outside their own branch of work; and the appearance of “Norman” technique at Westminster does not imply its general acceptance in the provinces.

[45] There is a concise account of the lords of Grantham in the Rev. B. Street’s _Historical Notes on Grantham and on Grantham Church_. To this book the writer is indebted for much of the historical matter of the present chapter, but has carefully checked it by his own research, adding where necessary references not noticed or imperfectly given by Street and his eighteenth-century predecessor, Edmund Turnor, author of the _History of Grantham_. Much research into the mediæval history of the town is still necessary.

[46] _Rotuli Hundredorum_ (Record Commission), vol. ii. pp. 259, 288. The jurors, who suffered from bad memories, called the original grantee Ralph instead of William.

[47] See Street, _Notes on Grantham_, pp. 30, 31. The facts and dates given there are not wholly consonant with history, and the names and relationships of the owners of the manor are entirely wrong, Ranulf de Blundeville, Earl of Chester, being confused with Ranulf de Glanville, and the descendants of his sister Mabel with those of his sister Maud.

[48] Patent Rolls, 37-8 Henry III., pt. i., m. 8 (1253-4, 14 February, Bazas): grant to Edward of Stamford and Graham [Grantham] with its honour (cf. ibid., m. 3, 1254, 14 April, Meilhan); ibid., pt. ii., m. 8 (1254, 26 August, Bordeaux): notification supplementary to assignment in dower to Eleanor. They had been assigned to her 1254, 20 July, at St. Macaire (ibid., m. 10).

[49] See Close Rolls, 18 Edw. II., m. 12 (1324-5, 18 March, Westminster): order to deliver goods of Aymer de Valence to his executors, towns of Stamford and Graham [Grantham], &c., excepted; ibid., 19 Edw. II., m. 31 (1325, 28 July): escheat of manor.

[50] Patent Rolls, 19 Edw. II., pt. ii., m. 8 (1326, 17 May): grant; Close Rolls, 19 Edw. II., m. 4 (1326, 29 May): order to deliver; ibid., m. 3_d_ (1326, 7 May): enrolment of release on quit-claim.

[51] Patent Rolls, 12 Edw. III., pt. ii., m. 22 (1338, 20 June).

[52] The date is given on the strength of Street’s notes; but Street adds that the grant was made on the marriage of Edmund with Isabel of Castile, which did not take place till 1372. Possibly the grant was made in 1373.

[53] In 1402 Edmund, Duke of York, was said to hold Grantham immediately of the King, warrant unknown (Subs. Rolls, box 106, No. 105, &c., ap. _Inquisitions and Assessments relating to Feudal Aids_, vol. iii., 1904, p. 252).

[54] Patent Rolls, 1 Edw. IV., pt. iv., m. 1 (1461, 1 June).

[55] It may be noted that the authority for the existence of this cross is no earlier than Weever’s _Ancient Funerall Monuments_ (1631). There is some reason for supposing that the funeral procession travelled by way of Newark and the old road, known as Sewstern Lane, and did not touch Grantham. The cross destroyed at Grantham in the seventeenth century, and known as the Queen’s Cross, was not necessarily an “Eleanor” cross.

[56] Charter Rolls, 11 Henry III., pt. i., m. 20 (1226-7, 17 March, Westminster): grant to abbey and convent of lands which they hold in the town of Graham, and manses and land which Colegrim granted. For privileges claimed by the abbey see _Placita de Quo Warranto_ (Record Commission), p. 394, col. 2.

[57] This was a chapel to the parish church of St. Wulfran, mentioned in the interesting _inspeximus_ and confirmation of the agreement between the Abbot and Convent of Vaudey and Roger de Wolsthorp and Richard de Saltby (1349, 16 October; Pat. Rolls, 23 Edw. III., pt. iii., m. 22) as the Chapel of St. Peter in the south street (_in australi vico_) of the town.

[58] There is a document relating to the Friars Minors of Grantham, Close Rolls, 19 Edw. II., m. 11 (1325-6, 6 March, Leicester).

[59] Grantham lay on the way to Boston, the great port for the export of wool. Allusions to the connection with Boston are common: see, _e.g._, Patent Rolls, 42 Henry III., m. 9_d_, where the mayor and bailiffs of various Lincolnshire towns, including (the bailiff of) “Graham,” are ordered to provide carts at the King’s cost to carry the King’s wines from Boston Fair to Chester. It will be remembered how at a later date local merchants, members of the Staple of Calais, built their houses in villages near the town.

[60] This was Mr. Street’s idea, and it seems fairly probable.

[61] It is mentioned in the grant to Prince Edward from Bazas (see note 1, p. 134), and is said to be mentioned in the grant to Edmund of Langley.

[62] _e.g._ on 30th and 31st August 1291 (Pat. Rolls, 19 Edw. I., mm. 7, 6).

[63] Street, _Notes_, pp. 121, 122, quotes the earliest minutes of this ceremony from the Corporation Records (21 October 1634).

[64] The Abbot and Convent of St. Mary at York presented to Belton; the Abbot and Convent of Croyland to Sapperton.

[65] _Rot. Hund._, Edw. I., vol. i. p. 290, col. 2.

[66] The institution of Bononius, on the presentation of William de Yngoldesby, canon of Salisbury, to the vicarage of the prebend of [North] Grantham, occurs in Bishop Hugh of Wells’ roll for Lincoln Archdeaconry, m. 3. The last entry but one on the same membrane is the institution of Richard de Newerc, chaplain, on the presentation of Geoffrey de Boclond, canon of the south prebend of Grantham, to the vicarage of that prebend. Brief definitions of the vicarages follow each entry: the vicarage of South Grantham is said to consist in a moiety of the altarage of Grantham and Gonerby, and in all the fruits of the altars of Horton (Houghton) and Bresteby (Braceby). Each vicar had to pay a pension of 100 shillings yearly to his prebendary.

[67] A very full account of Grantham Church, by the late Bishop (then Archdeacon) Trollope, compiled for the Lincoln Diocesan Architectural Society’s meeting at Grantham in 1867, is printed in _Assoc. Arch. Soc. Reports_, vol. xi. pp. 1-12. Sir Gilbert Scott’s brief summary of its architectural history will be found in the same publication, vol. xiii. pp. 28-35. Turnor’s _History of Grantham_ and Street’s _Notes_ contain accounts of the building; and a small pamphlet by the Rev. D. Woodroffe, called _Half-an-Hour in Grantham Church_, may also be mentioned. The present writer, while mentioning these, has been led in some instances by his own study of the building to somewhat different conclusions.

[68] The carving is allied to that of the capitals in the Castle Hall at Oakham and in Twyford Church, Leicestershire, but is somewhat smaller in scale and less bold in outline. The foliage of some of the capitals was much mutilated by the introduction of galleries in the eighteenth century.

[69] No doubt the builders intended to rebuild the nave arcades in conformity with this new spacing. The design, however, was abandoned.

[70] The study of Newark Church is a necessary complement to the study of Grantham. From what happened there in and after 1313, probably as a result of the great extension at Grantham, we may gather that, as an initial part of such an extension, the lower courses of the new walls were first built, and that then the masons, beginning at the east end of one aisle, worked westwards, and left the other aisle, in which they worked eastwards, to the last. This would account for some differences in the masonry of the upper and lower parts of the walls of the south aisle.

[71] The top stage of the tower was probably added as an afterthought, and not designed until the stage below had been completed.

[72] A mill-stone was placed on the top, and the new vane mortised into it.

[73] The chantry returns of Edward VI.’s commissioners (Roll 33, Nos. 91-96) enumerate the chantries of the Holy Trinity, founded by John de Orston; Corpus Christi, by the same John and others; St. Mary, by William Gunthorp and others; St. John Baptist, by Richard Saltbie and others; St. Peter, by Robert Stonesbie; and Curteys’ Chantry, by the executors of Richard Curteis for two priests. No. 97 is a return relating to the endowment known as the “Deacon’s Land”; and No. 113 is the certificate of the Guild of the Name of Jesus, which held its services in Grantham Church. These chantries, with the exception of “Curteys Chantry,” were all of fourteenth century origin; and their foundation took place between 1346 and 1362. The early history of the Guild is obscure, until the endowment of a chaplain by the will of Robert Pacie of Barkston in 1494. Seven returns of Grantham guilds, in pursuance of the Act of 12 Richard II. (1388) appear among the Chancery Guild Certificates (Nos. 109-115).

[74] For the reference, see note 1, p. 136. The document deals with the endowment and appointment of three chaplains, one at the altar in the rood-loft; another in St. Peter’s Chapel in the South Street; and a third in the chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr in the churchyard. Their duties are carefully detailed; and the Abbot and Convent of Vaudey, in return for benefits conferred on them by the founders of the chantries (Roger de Wolsthorp and Richard de Saltby), charge themselves with the maintenance of the chaplains. St. Peter’s Chapel, mentioned here, was, as already noted, distinct from the parish church; and the chantry of St. Peter (see note 1, p. 149) may have been endowed in this building, and not in St. Wulfran’s. It is possible that the Haryngtons, whose tomb is in the south aisle, west of the doorway, may have been founders or co-founders of a chantry there, the position of the chapel of which may be indicated by the bell-cot at the west end of the aisle. The licence for the foundation of the chantries at the Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi altars bears date 18 August 1392; and on the same date William Gunthorp and others had licence to alienate land, &c., in augmentation of the chantries of St. John Baptist and St. Mary (Patent Rolls, 16 Rich. II., part i., mm. 13, 12).

[75] Evidence of the existence of relics of St. Wulfran here is given by a churchwarden’s minute in 1565: “Item, a sylver and copper shryne called seint Wulfrane shryne was sold, and bought with the pryce thereof a silver pott full gilt and an ewer of sylver for the mystification of the holye and most sacred supper of owre lorde Jhesus Christ, called the holy comunyon” (Peacock, _Monuments of Superstition_, p. 88, quoted in Bishop Trollope’s account, _u.s._).

[76] Colonel Welby suggests that the niches, of which traces remain in the east wall of the outer part of the north porch, were intended for a holy-water stoup and almsbox at the foot of the stair. They have also been supposed to indicate the presence of an altar in this part of the porch; but this is less probable.

[77] The foundation-wall of the screen was discovered in the nineteenth century across the entrance to the chancel. No similar walls existed across the aisles. This points to the probability that the screen was built after the cessation of work in the south aisle of the nave, and before the building of the south chapel of the chancel (_i.e._ between 1320 and 1360). No screen could thus be continued across the south aisle, as the wall came in the way; and a light wooden screen would be sufficient for the single bay of the north aisle east of the nave. At the same time the evidence of the wide eastern bay of the nave points to some enlargement or rebuilding of the screen, or at any rate to a desire to free the rood and its beam of the eastern wall of the nave, against which they had not improbably been placed up to this time. The dislike of chancel arches in districts where elaborate screens are common will be remembered.

[78] A paper by Precentor Venables (_Assoc. Arch. Soc. Reports_, vol. xiii. pp. 46 _sqq._) summarises the history of the controversy, and explains the part which Bishop Williams took in it more satisfactorily than other accounts within the writer’s knowledge.

[79] This, in 1662, was filled with armorial glass, as we learn from Gervase Holles’ notes on the heraldry of Grantham Church, in the Harleian MSS.

[80] A memorandum relating to the erection of the organ and position of the altar in 1640, containing a copy of a petition to Parliament from the Corporation against Puritan objections, is printed from the Corporation Records at the end of Precentor Venables’ article (see note 1, above).

[81] There is an interesting account of the history and contents of the library, by the late Canon Hector Nelson, in the _Lincoln Diocesan Magazine_ for December 1893 and March and April 1894. Canon Nelson is responsible for the catalogue of the library.

[82] Particularly to the Rev. S. C. Tickell, author of a _Guide to Old Stamford_ (1907), and Henry Walker, author of _Stamford with its Surroundings_ (Homeland Handbooks), 1908.

[83] Having been granted as a _barony_ to the Abbot of Peterborough.

[84] The conjectural identification, which appears in several accounts, of Causennæ or Gausennæ with Great Casterton (a village two miles north of Stamford and the site of a Roman camp) will not bear the test of comparison with the distances given in the Fifth Antonine Itinerary.

[85] Mackenzie Walcot, _Memorials of Stamford_, p. 2.

[86] There is some little uncertainty whether the “Stanforth” mentioned by Wessington can be positively identified with the Lincolnshire Stamford. Cf. _Vict. Cty. Hist. of Lincs._, vol. ii.

[87] Cf. _Vict. Hist. Northants_, vol. i. p. 256.

[88] Peck.

[89] E. W. Lovegrove, M.A., in the chapter on “The Churches of Stamford,” in the “Homeland” _Handbook to Stamford_, by H. Walker (1908), from whose admirable notes on the architecture of Stamford much of the present account has been taken.

[90] For this information the writer is indebted to the Rev. E. A. Irons, rector of North Luffenham, who has long made a special study of the records of the diocese and district.

[91] An interesting account of this fight, and the circumstances which led up to and followed it, is to be found in an article entitled “An Unnoticed Battle” in _Rutland Magazine_, vol. i. p. 186 _et seq._

[92] Lincolnshire Topographical Society, 1843.

[93] Chequée _or_ and _gu._, over all a bend _erm._

[94] _Sa._ semée with cinquefoils _arg._, a lion rampant _arg._

[95] _Lincoln Cathedral Statutes_, vol. ii. p. 447.

[96] According to Gough (Camden’s _Britannia_) the stained glass of the church was taken out in 1737 to save the vicar wearing spectacles!

[97] _Chancel Screens_, A. Welby Pugin, p. 14.

[98] Pugin, p. 22.

[99] See plan and view in Gally Knight.