fact that a Baptist congregation met in a room over a winemerchant's office evoked the well-known lines: There's a spirit above and a spirit below; Ultimately the stores absorbed the chapel, and the spirit of wine prevails now above stairs as well as below.-Bristol Times and Mirror, Oct. 22, 1887. 1573. A TOUR WITHIN 66 THE BOROUGH OF STROUD."-To an eye accustomed to the sight of quiet English scenery of the ordinary type, the tract of country known as the Cotswold Hills offers an agreeable and striking novelty. Instead of a ceaseless succession of well-tilled plains, whose surface is broken only by a network of luxuriant hedgerows, we find abrupt and precipitous valleys, whose sides are often clothed with a dense growth of wood; in place of smooth and level roads, whose greatest inequality is marked by a slight undulation, we are confronted by ascents which compel the stoutest pedestrian to exert all his strength. A casual observer might well be induced to doubt whether he was still in the familiar country which he has known from childhood, for the features of this district strongly remind the traveller of certain rugged tracts on the continent of Europe, rather than of the lovely, if somewhat uniform, scenery of old England. The limit between this mountainous district and the more level tract of country on either side is rather sharply defined. Journeying from the direction of Oxfordshire or Wilts, the traveller gradually descends into a region of hill and dale, while approached from the vale of Severn or the rich plains of Worcestershire, there is a distinctly perceptible rise. The parishes into which the Cotswold range is divided, present an alternation of hill and dale, of high table land with deep and narrow valleys, which rival each other in their ever varying beauty. These winding dales, or "combes," as our early ancestors named them, may be compared to a graceful stem of coral, the main valley branching off into smaller vales, which become narrower by degrees till they are lost in the high country beyond. These dales, or "combes," are well watered by numerous rivulets, whose course is marked at intervals by the presence of many a busy mill or factory. Indeed, the great number of these mountain streams seem more than any other cause to have promoted the growth of the flourishing cloth trade, for which the west of England has been for centuries renowned. From very early times the fine Cotswold wool has been famous, and among these picturesque Gloucestershire valleys it is wrought into the smooth broad cloth, which is unrivalled in the markets of the world. The district, which until a very recent date has been known politically as the borough of Stroud, is a section of the Cotswold range, and is eminently distinguished no less by the prevailing beauty of its scenery than by the remarkable number of cloth mills, which bear witness to the staple industry of the neighbourhood. The west of England clothing district presents in many ways a strong contrast to most other manufacturing parts of England. Compared with Lancashire or the West Riding, we find an appearance of neatness and cleanliness, which is unhappily wanting in the "Black Country" of the north. The air of these smiling Gloucestershire valleys is in a much smaller degree obscured by the smoke arising from many chimneys, and the natural purity of the stone is scarcely tarnished by this necessary accompaniment of industrial toil. The solid and comfortable appearance of the houses is another privilege of the inhabitants, and for this advantage they are indebted in the first place to the geological character of the country; the smooth white oolite yields an unfailing material for building, so that among all the hamlets in the Cotswold range we may look in vain for an ancient building of brick or wood. To this natural cause of the prevalence of stone dwellings must be added the powerful stimulus of manufacturing wealth, the constant presence of prosperous traders having been a great help to architecture. In few parts of England can be seen such abundant and beautiful specimens of our traditional domestic architecture; and it is therefore true that the clothing district of Stroud may boast no less of its wealth in old gothic houses than of its unrivalled natural beauty. * The borough of Stroud, as created by the Reform Act of 1832, comprised several rural parishes, which were drawn together by the common interest of the cloth manufacture. It is to the southern portion of the district in particular that we purpose to introduce our readers. Starting therefore from its natural centre, the busy town of Stroud, we will direct our steps along the great road which leads to Bath. We shortly pass on the left the village of Rodborough, clustered along a hill side, whose summit is crowned by Rodborough Fort. This elevated height commands a far-reaching view across the Severn, and the Fort itself is a landmark to the country for miles around. Another mile brings us to a secluded spot known as the old churchyard of Woodchester. In the midst of a disused burial ground stand the remains of an ancient building, which for many ages was the parish church of Woodchester. In the year 1862 it was almost entirely taken down on account of its insufficient size and its distance from the chief number of the parishioners. Enough, however, of the old church has been left to form a picturesque ruin, which is almost overgrown with ivy. This interesting fragment consists of a semicircular arch, which formed the entrance to the chancel, a square By the Redistribution Act of 1885 what was the borough of Stroud now forms part of the Stroud Division of Gloucestershire. headed doorway towards the north, and a gracefully pointed window. Of the south aisle and western tower nothing has been left. Over the interior of the north door might until lately have been read the words: "GOD IS THE WELL OF LYFE." The churchyard, thickly studded with large moss-grown tombs, is no longer used for general interment; but an exception is allowed in favour of the old family vaults, which, protected by substantial railings, are yet opened from time to time. A perhaps unique feature in this old churchyard is the fine tessellated pavement, which lies below the ground at a depth of about three feet, and has evidently formed part of an extensive Roman villa, the limits of which can be traced through the adjoining fields. It must apparently be a matter of conjecture for how many ages the existence of this beautiful relic of antiquity had been hidden in obscurity. The earliest printed notice of its existence appears in Bishop Gibson's addition to Camden's Britannia (published in 1772), where he describes it as "a tesseraical work of painted beasts and flowers, which appear in the churchyard, two or three feet deep, in making the graves." It seems, however, to have been very imperfectly examined, and at long intervals, for the first really serious attempt to explain it, and to define its limits, was made by the antiquary Lysons towards the end of the last century. In the opinion of this eminent authority the pavement was the "cavædium tetrastylon" of an important Roman villa, which in all probability had been the palace of the governor of this part of Britain, and possibly an occasional residence of the emperor himself. For many years it has been in an extremely mutilated condition, and even so far back as the time of Lysons large portions of the mosaic had perished; still we are able from earlier descriptions to form an idea of its plan and dimensions. The pavement when complete measured about fifty feet square, and consisted of an elaborate border of scroll and fret-work, varied and interlaced in the most intricate manner: within this border was a circle, which still contains seven out of an original number of twelve animals; and inside this there is another circle, which includes the fragments of a human figure. From a drawing made about 1722 they seem to have represented a man holding a lyre, which, according to different authorities, has been explained as indicating either Orpheus or Apollo. Although the pavement is buried for security beneath the surface of the churchyard, it has from time to time been uncovered and shown to the public; the last occasion of its exhibition was in the summer of 1880, when during several weeks it was visited with curiosity by thousands of persons. About half a mile from the old churchyard we pass the present parish church, which was erected in 1864. Standing on a rising ground midway between the two divisions of the village, Woodchester Church is a spacious and not ungraceful specimen of modern pointed architecture, and its handsome spire, backed by distant hills, forms a prominent feature in the landscape. The interior contains little that is noteworthy, if we except the monuments and memorial tablets which were removed from the former building. The most worthy of attention is a monument with fine recumbent effigies of an armed knight and his lady, which was placed under a canopy in the chancel of the old church. Although without name or date, it is traditionally assigned to Sir George Huntley, who was lord of the manor of Woodchester, and died in 1622. His wife was a daughter of Sir William Wintour, of Lydney; and the sculptured figures of their nine children are grouped around the tomb. The very early records of Woodchester are associated with a story of Saxon times. It is said that Earl Godwin having obtained possession by fraud and treachery of the convent at Berkeley, his wife Gueda, deploring the impiety, refused to partake of any food obtained from so ill-gotten an estate her husband thereupon assigned the manor of Woodchester for her maintenance, and tradition reports that she founded a religious house in expiation of her husband's injustice and sacrilege. In the reign of Edward I. we find the manor in the hands of Sir John Maltravers, who earned an unenviable name as the keeper and reputed murderer of Edward II. in Berkeley Castle. From the Maltravers family it passed by marriage to the Fitzalans, Earls of Arundel (now represented by the Duke of Norfolk). William, the 17th earl, was compelled by Henry VIII., in pursuance of a policy recommended by Thomas Cromwell, to exchange his manor. of Woodchester for lands hitherto belonging to the suppressed monasteries. Woodchester then remained in the hands of the crown, till in the 6th year of Elizabeth it was presented to George and John Huntley,* members of an old Gloucestershire family now seated at Boxwell, in the same county. In the grant to the Huntleys the manor is spoken of as having been "lately the Earl of Arundel's." Early in the seventeenth century it was sold to Sir Robert Ducie, a famous merchant and banker, who was in 1631 lord mayor of London, and is said to have lost £80,000 in a loan to Charles I. From Sir Robert the estate devolved upon his descendants, the Lords Ducie, one of whom built in a wild and picturesque valley the fine mansion known as Spring Park. This beautiful but secluded spot had ceased for many years to be the residence of the Ducie family, and in 1845 the estate was purchased by the late William Leigh, Esq. Finding on his new estate no church for the members of his own communion, Mr. Leigh made it one of his earliest cares to supply this want; and being himself an enthusiastic student of Early English architecture, he erected a beautiful and costly church, the graceful spire of which is a conspicuous object. Built of the The grandfather and father of Sir George Huntley, the subject of the monument in Woodchester church. fine white stone of the country, the church and priory of the Annunciation stand out prominently from the green hill-side, and viewed from the opposite slope of the valley, present a commanding appearance. The long line of building, terminated by the noble window of the choir, and flanked by a venerable and spreading elm, forms a group of unusual beauty. At the junction of the nave with the choir, on the north side, rises a graceful belfry, which is quadrangular in its lower stage, but is weathered off towards the summit into an octagonal form, and is crowned by a short but well-proportioned spire. The interior is striking from the chaste simplicity of its construction. The nave is lofty in proportion to the width, while the choir is remarkable for its size and decorations. A beautiful rood screen separates the choir from the nave, and the altar is surmounted by a fine east window filled with stained glass. A side chapel, dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, terminates the south aisle, and this is specially devoted to the memory of the founder and his family, the deceased members being buried in the vault beneath. A richly carved monument of alabaster represents the late Mr. Leigh in his robes as a knight of St. Gregory, supporting on his breast a model of the church. The following inscription runs round the monument: "Of your charity pray for the souls of William Leigh and family, founders of this church." Another handsome tomb commemorates the Most Rev. Dr. Nicholson, an exiled archbishop of Corfu, who died under the shelter of Woodchester Park, and was buried in the crypt below the altar. On the sides of the tomb may be read the following words: "Deus misereatur animæ illustrissimi et reverendissimi Francisci Josephi Nicholson, Archiepiscopi Corcyrensis, qui in pace quievit xxx die Aprilis, anno Domini millesimo octingesimo quinquagesimo quinto." The church was consecrated October 10, 1849, and was at first served by priests of the congregation of the Passion, who were then only recently established in England. On the retirement of the Passionists a few years later, Mr. Leigh invited the Dominicans to undertake the charge of the mission. They complied with his invitation, and lost no time in building a convent, which closely adjoins the church, and which was completed about the year 1853. The priory of the Annunciation at Woodchester then became the head-quarters in England of the Dominican order, which had long led a wandering and chequered career. Leaving behind us the quiet churchyard attached to the priory, we are confronted by an abrupt ascent, its steep and precipitous height, crowned by the small village of Littleworth, towering over the valley like a fortress. At the summit of the hill is an extensive plain, which presents a great contrast to the rugged path over which we have just climbed. This level tract, known as Minchinhampton Common, will be familiar to the readers of John Halifax as the "Enderley Flat" of that tale, the author |