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A BisoDO.r,

B E R K S H IR E .

lig hted by plain square windows above the pan ellin g;
the north end is panelled up to the ceiling, and at the
south end is an elegant balustraded gallery, all this
work dating from the 18th century: a door on the east
side opens into the old dining hall, now serving as an
arm oury, and another at the north end leads to the
porch, over which is inscribed the in vitatio n ,4>Ingredere
u t p roficias; ” the other sides of the quadrangle are
occupied by the form er head m aster’s residence and
the houses in Bridge street.
The Corporation insignia include a great mace, three
sergeants’ maces, m ayor’s chain and badge, and borough
and m ayoral s e a ls; the great mace of silver gilt, 4ft.
5m. in height, made in the Commonwealth period, was
re-made, and converted into a regal mace in 1660, as
appears from an inscription on the foot kn o p ; the ser­
geants’ maces are of silver, and vary from 5J to 7
inches in length, with sem i-globular crested heads;
the earliest dates from the reign of Queen E liza b eth ;
the other two belong to the Stuart period. The arms
of the borough, confirmed at the heralds’ visitations of
1566 and 1623, appear on the ancient seal and are
blazoned: vert, a cross patonce, or, between four crosses
pattee, arg. ; the Mayor’s chain originated with the gift
in 1879 of an elaborately worked gold badge, bearing the
arms of the town, by j . C. Clarke esq. J.P ., M.P. for
A bingdon 1874-85, together with a link representing his
year of office; other ex-mayors have since made various
additions, and the chain now consists of a series of links
alternating with shields bearing the arms and names of
the donors, pendant from which is the badge, inclosing
th e Borough Arms in coloured enamel, surrounded by
m unicipal emblems in gold, and surmounted by the
shield of the donor; a full history and description of the
insignia is given in the “ Abingdonian ” for Christm as,
1894; the Corporation also possesses a magnificent gold
vase, presented, October 6th, 1870. by the late Sir
George Bowyer bart. D .L., J .P ., D .C .L. and a splendid
collection of silver plate.
The County Hall is a spacious and remarkable build­
ing, of ashlar and rough freestone, erected by the Cor­
poration on the site of an earlier structure, the founda­
tion stone being laid May 28, 1678, but the work was
not completed till 1684: the design has long been locally
attributed to the celebrated architect, Inigo Jones, who,
however, died in 1652: but it seems probable, from
existing m unicipal records, th at the designs were fur­
nished by Mr. Christopher Kem pster, who is believed
to have been one of Wren’s clerks at St. P a u l's : the
total cost of the building amounted to nearly ¿3.000 :
it was restored by subscription in 1853, and is a lofty
rectangular edifice of two storeys, the lower consisting
of an open arcaded market, above which is the Hall, a
fine apartment, lighted on three sid es: a series of
stilted pilasters of the Corinthian order surrounds the
building, supporting a boldly projecting roof, relieved
by dormers and crowned by a balustrading, from within
which rises a cupola, surmounted by a cross and a
vane ; on the north side is a' square pinnacled toweT,
containing a wide open staircase, opening into the m ar­
ket square below ; these notes are in part taken from
the recent article by the Rev. W. J. Loftie F .S .A . in
the 44 Architectural R ev iew ;” near the north side of
this building once stood the ancient and magnificent
Cross, erected probably in the reign of Henry V I. by
the fraternity of the Holy Cross 44as a monument of
their name,” and at which proclamations were made
and m unicipal orders prom ulgated; in 1605 the cross
was repaired, but was destroyed by the troops of
General W aller, May 31st, 1644, during the occupation
of the town by the Parliamentary army.
The Corn Exchange, erected in 1885-6 at a cost of
¿3,000, on a site at the north-west angle of the market
place, was .opened in May, 1886, and is a structure of
brick, with stone diessings in a modified Italian style,
from designs by Mr. Charles Bell, architect, of London;
u consists chiefly of a large hall, lighted from above,
with a gallery at one end ; the front, looking towards
the m arket place, is coved at the sides, and relieved by
pilasters, rising to the roof; betw een these is a large
sem i-circular headed window and below a double arched
en trance; the upper portion is pedimented and sur­
mounted by a large figure of Ceres, presented by the
late J. H. Clarke esq. J.P. ; the hall is also used for
public m eetings and will seat over 600 persons, and a
sample m arket is held here every Monday.
The Free Public Library, in High street, erected in
1896 from the designs of Mr. J. G. T. West, architect,
was opened by the Earl of Abingdon, and comprises
spacious reading and news rooms, and a reference and
lending library containing about 7,300 volumes.
The Church rooms, formerly the Beaconsfield Conserva­

[K E LLY ’ S

tive Club, are in Ock s tre e t; the interior comprises two
commodious rooms, used for various parochial meetings.
The London County and W estm inster Bank L im ited ,
on the west side of the market place, and rebuilt in
1885-6, is an edifice of white brick and Bath stone in
the Italian s ty le ; it consists of three storeys, the ground
floor having a projecting pedimented porch, supported
on two columns.
Messrs. G illett and Co. bankers, of Oxford, and
Messrs. Barclay and Company Lim ited have also brancheshere in the square.
The County Gaol, a plain stone building, in B rid g e
street, was sold 011 the transference of the assizes toReading to the late J. C. Clarke esq. J.P. and some­
time M.P. for the borough, and was afterwards pur­
chased by Mr. Charles Woodbridge, who converted it
into corn stores ; it is now used by Messrs. Harris and
Matthews.
In commemoration of the Jubilee of Her late M ajesty
Queen Victoria, 1887, a statue of the Queen in white
marble, on a suitable pedestal, was erected in the centre
of the market place at the sole cost of the late E. J.
Trendell esq. J.P. and was unveiled June 18th, 1887.
The Borough Police Station, erected in 1865, on thesouth-east side of the Abbey gateway, is a building of
local ston? with Bath stone dressings, in the G othic
style, but is now (1911) used as a reserve station, thetransaction of police business having been transferred tothe county station in Bridge street.
The Volunteer Fire Brigade, established in 1871, and1
supported by the Corporation and voluntary subscrip­
tions, consists of about tw enty members, with head
quarteTs at the engine house, Borough bu ild in gs; thereis a steam engine, one m anual engine and a fire escape,
with the usual appliances: all the members of the
brigade can be d irectly communicated with by means o f
an electric call at the engine house.
The F Company of the 4th Territorial Battalion Prin­
cess Charlotte of W ales’s (Royal Berkshire Regim ent)’
have their head quarters at the Old Gram m ar school.
John Lcland, whose itinerary was published in 1549,.
speaks of Abingdon as distinguished for its manufacture
of cloth ; indeed, says he, it 44stondeth by clothing,’r
and this reputation, in a modified form, is still fullymaintained, the clothing m anufactory of Messrs. Clarke,
Sons and Co. employing hundreds of workpeople both in
the town and surrounding neighbourhood; a consider­
able trade was also formerly carried on in sail cloth and?
sacking, still to some extent m aintained, and there is
also a carpet manufactory, breweries, engineering works,,
flour m ills and maltings.
A corn and cattle m arket is held here every Monday,
which is well attended; under the Corn Returns Act,.
1882 (45 and 46 Viet. c. 37), returns of purchases are
made ; horse fairs are held on t-he first Monday in Lent,
May 6th, June 20th, September 19th, December n t h 4
and Monday before Old Michaelmas day, for hiring ser­
vants and pleasure; they are held in the principal
streets of the town.
The principal hotels are the Crown and T histle,
Queen's, and Lion.
Christ’s Hospital, on the west side of St. Helen’»
churchyard, dates its present foundation from a charter
granted by Edward VI. May 18th, 1553, to Sir John
Mason, of Abingdon, and others, bestowing upon the
founders the lands belonging to the dissolved fraternity
of the Holy Cross, established in or before the tim e of
Richard II. together with other property, then of the
total value in ancient rents of ¿6 5 u s . iod. by the
year, on condition that the body thus incorporated
should m aintain the four bridges over the Ock and
Thames, with their causeways, furnish a home and
food for 13 poor persons and devote their surplus funds
to oiher works of c h a rity ; the statutes framed by Sir
John Mason, the first m aster, remained in force
exactly 300 years. In 1859 a new scheme was approved
by the Court of Chancery, but this has been superseded
by a more recent scheme dated Nov. 17th, 1899, by
which the constitution of the governing body is con­
siderably modified. The number of the almspeople is
: now (1911) 30, with two nurses; the buildings consist
of a long range of dwellings with an open timber
cloister extending along the whole fro n t; and in the
centre a panelled hall, used for daily prayers, above
which rises a quaint domed lantern, surmounted by a
large v a n e ; the hall contains a picture of Geoffrey
Barbour giving John Stonehouse money for the build­
ing of Abingdon bridge, presented by Francis L ittle,
one of the governors, in 1607 ; portraits of Edward V I.
Sir John Mason, John Roysse, founder of Abingdon
School, Geoffrey Barbour, S ir Peter Besils, Lionel
Bostock, Thomas Tesdale, co-founder of Pembroke