etc., living at 27 Kenmure Street. After a conversation with him, in which he promised to get me all the information he could procure, he wrote me on 14th March, 1890, as follows:

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"In reference to my promise to obtain some information regarding the "north-west tower, I beg to state that I have twice seen the party I spoke 'of-William Begg-who worked as a mason at the restoration of the "Cathedral, fully forty years ago. On my first visit to W. Begg, he could not give me much information, as he said he and the other masons had "been mainly employed in rebuilding and piecing-up, and, so far as he "remembered, the towers were taken down by labourers; and, besides, he "had not paid any particular attention to the construction of the towers, though the general impression among the masons was that they were more "modern that the other parts of the Cathedral, He told me, however, that "he was working at the Cathedral at the time of the Queen's visit (14th 'August, 1849), and that the towers were cleared away before that time.

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"Again, to-day, I visited W. Begg, taking with me Collie's Engravings, and "extracts from M'Lellan's Essay on Glasgow Cathedral, and Fairbairn's "Relics of Ancient Architecture, etc., in Glasgow, in the hope that they might "refresh his memory a little. He could not remember anything about the "groining spoken of by M'Lellan. He remembered quite well going into "the tower by a small door in the west end of the north triforium, and he is "almost certain that there was a similar doorway below, at the west end of "the north aisle, into the ground floor of the tower. He thinks that the upper part was reached by ladders, but he has no recollection of having to go up "through the circular opening in the groined roofing, spoken of by M'Lellan, "and shown by Collie. He thinks the tower had been taken down, when he I went to the Cathedral, to about the string course below the upper window. "And I think it is very likely that the groining would be taken down before "commencing with the walls.

"From what W. Begg said—from the extract from Fairbairn's book, which was published in 1849-and from what Pagan says, speaking in 1851, of "the west tower and consistory house, having 'been removed within the "'last four years,' p. 77, I think there is no doubt it was removed between "1847 and 1849.

"There is nothing to indicate the position of the groining in the north-west tower, except what M'Lellan says about its being at about a third of the "height of the tower; but I think that the fact that the buttresses, on the "three open sides of the tower, terminated at a little above the third of the "height, corroborates M'Lellan's statement to some extent. They would be "carried up sufficiently high to assist in resisting the thrust of the groins, and "then stopped, as shown. Probably there was a floor at the level of the "triforium, and the groining formed the ceiling to this room. The circular "opening in the centre must have been large enough to allow of the bell, "which was nearly three feet in diameter, being hoisted through it.

"I am inclined to think that most of the dressed stone, at least, would be "used in building up the buttresses, etc.

"W. Begg did not know whether any of the old stones now in the chapter"house were from the old tower. I have examined them, and I believe there "is a possibility of one or two of them at least having belonged to it. I refer "to a stone which has a figure, with a scroll in front, sculptured on it. "M'Lellan speaks of the ribs of groining being on 'corbels carved into the "semblance of human figures.' This stone has been built into an inner "angle-square below-and the rough outline of a rib can be traced yet by "the lime marks on the top. There is another stone exactly similar to this, "except in the head-dress of the figure. These two stones have evidently "been worked by the same mason; the same mark is on each, on the "circular plinth above the heads of the figures. The stone of which they are "made appears to be the same as that with which the buttresses, against which "the tower stood, are faced up; and I have no doubt the stone from the tower "would be used for this purpose. It is finer in the grain than most of the "stone that was used in restoring the other parts of the Cathedral. These "two stones are just what I would expect—I mean in shape-under the ribs "of such a groining as M'Lellan speaks of."

A few days later, i.e. on 18th March, Mr. Kennedy wrote me :-"I have "got in the chapter-house another corbel similar to the other two, except that "the carving represents foliage. This stone is of the same shape as the other "two, and has been used for the same purpose evidently. It has the same

แ moulding above the carvings, and has the same mason's mark on the "plinth."

The destruction of these towers has always been a subject of regret to antiquarians, and to persons of taste. Mr. Billings condemned the removal as an act of barbarism. The architects of Glasgow petitioned against the destruction, and Dr. Wilson, after referring to "the rich groining springing "from large half-figures of angels, bearing shields and scrolls, of the west "tower," observes, truly, that its removal "for the purpose of restoring the "west front to a uniformity, but poorly repays the idea of size and elevation "formerly conveyed by the contrast between the central and west towers." Pre-hist. Annals, ii., p. 428.

Mr. Billings adds-"In the year 1833, public attention was called to the "Cathedral by Archibald M'Lellan, Esq., who, at his own cost, produced an "extended essay, urging the necessity of restoration. His work was the pre

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cursor of a committee, having the then Lord Provost at the head, with Dr. "Clelland as secretary, and the author of the preceding movement appearing "modestly at the tail. This movement produced a second work, in which 'appeared restored elevations, with two elaborately ornamented western 66 towers. A large fund was raised, a Government grant secured for these "restored designs by Mr. Graham, and—what followed all the enthusiasm of "the committee? A change of architects, and the utter disappearance of the "feature it was their main object to preserve" (Billings, p. 9).

The only comforting reflection upon the whole proceeding is that the alterations and towers of Mr. Graham were never gone on with. His proposed alterations of the transepts would have spoilt the outline and the proportions of the whole Cathedral, as may be seen in the ground plan of Plans and Elevations, pl. iii. His western towers were thin and ugly, of a kind peculiar to the age before pointed architecture was fully understood.

The lesson of the well-known parable is reversed in the case before us. "Which of you, having a mind to build a tower, doth not first sit down and "reckon the charges that are necessary: lest after he hath laid the foundation, "and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mock him, saying: 'This "man began to build, and was not able to finish.'"-Luke xiv., 28-30. In this instance, the men who formed the committee, and who urged the removal

of the towers, did not first sit down and reckon the charges that would hereafter be brought against them for an ill-advised step, injurious to the Cathedral, and offensive to all persons of good taste; and all who now see the grand old building, shorn of its Cathedral feature and made like a large parish church, mock and laugh at the action of the local committee, saying: "These men had two towers, and they went and pulled them both down!"

[Read at a Meeting of the Society, held on 21st December, 1893.]

THE parish of Ufton lies in the county of Warwick, some four miles from Leamington, on the way to Southam. Its extent is 1784 acres, and its population about 200 souls. With the exception of little over a hundred acres, the whole land is held by Balliol College, Oxford. The church and village stand on a hill commanding a wide view of a richly wooded country with associations as interesting as any in the land. Edge-hill and Warwick, Coventry and Kenilworth, Stratford-on-Avon and Rugby are all within a radius of twelve miles. The Roman Fosse Way from Cornwall to Lincoln passes within half a mile to the west of the western boundary. The old church dedicated to St. Michael contains two of those low side windows which have given rise to so much controversy among archeologists, being sometimes called leper windows, and sometimes windows for utter confession, according to the opinion entertained of their use. There is also a monumental brass with the following inscription:

"Here lyeth the boddyes of Richard Woddomes Parsson & Pattron and "Vossioner of the churche and parishe of Oufton in the countie of Warrike "who died one Mydsomer daye 1587 And Margerye his wiffe wth her seven "childryn as namelye Richard John & John Anne Jone Elizabeth Ayles his iiii daughters Whose soule restethe with God."

The latter view, which was that of the late Mr. M. H. Bloxam, is set forth in his Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture, vol. ii. pp. 127-131. (Ed. 1882.) For a more recent opinion that these windows were used to ring the sanctus bell out of, see The Antiquary, New Series, vol. i. pp. 122, 217.

2

Probably owner of the advowson. See New English Dictionary, vo. Advowson.