Mr. Gill was for a long period one of the magistrates for the borough; and for seven years he served as churchwarden of the then undivided parish. He was a member of the Burial Board for many years; and he was on the committee of the Tiverton Infirmary from its commencement. He was also a prominent Freemason, taking high office in the craft.

He

Mr. Gill's interest in scientific matters was very keen. He made careful and accurate observations of the rainfall in his district, and published returns for many years regularly in the Tiverton Gazette. He was interested in astronomy, possessing some fine telescopes, with which he delighted to watch any passing phenomena. He was a diligent student of archæology and ecclesiastical architecture, and often said he had visited every cathedral in England; and having a very good memory, he liked to talk over their details with anyone similarly interested. Wherever he was temporarily located he made it a rule to visit the old churches, &c., near. was also fond of botany; he enjoyed long walks in search of wild flowers, and knew all the localities for botanical rarities in the neighbourhood, and most of those in the county. He kept his eightieth birthday by taking a five miles walk in search of a rare wild flower. But his great hobby was the subject of numismatics, on which he possessed a wide and profound knowledge. His interest in old coins never flagged; after he was seventy-five years of age he taught himself enough Swedish to enable him to read a numismatic book in that language that was given to him. He wrote several papers for the Numismatic Chronicle. He began to collect coins while only a boy, and he had a very large and valuable collection of Greek, Roman, and English coins, and 17th century tokens and medals.

Mr. Gill became a member of the Association in 1865, and from that time forward was most active in promoting its well-being. He attended the annual meetings with great regularity, and was rarely absent from any of the meetings of the Council, of which he was also a member. On several occasions he contributed papers. In 1872 he read a paper entitled "A few Remarks on an Ancient British Coin found on Northernhay, Exeter," and also "Devonshire Tokens. issued in the Seventeenth Century "; in 1873, 1876, and 1878 the latter subject was again treated of by him under Parts ., iii., and iv.; in 1878 he also read a paper "On Silver Regal Monies Coined in Devonshire Mints.'

Despite his great age, Mr. Gill maintained his vigour of

mind and body almost unimpaired, and until within a short period of his death was to be seen, accompanied by his daughter or niece, taking short walks in the town. His interest in charitable and philanthropic work never flagged, as may be judged from the fact that Canon Eyre, preaching in St. Peter's Church on the morning of the day on which Mr. Gill died, had to announce a special donation of £5 to the Church Missionary Society "from one who lived almost under the shadow of the church"-Mr. H. S. Gill. His gifts to the town were many and valuable, including a costly barometer for the Town-hall; more than one handsome painted window for the church; clock and chimes for St. Peter's Church, erected at an expense of more than £200; and a house in Bampton Street, purchased by him for £550, and presented free of encumbrance for the enlargement of the Tiverton Infirmary, &c., &c.

He died at his residence, St. Peter Street, on the afternoon of Sunday, May 29th, 1892, at the age of 87. He was twice married, and leaves an only daughter.

III.

ISAIAH CANN RADFORD was for many years resident at Devonport. He joined the Association in 1869 as a Life Member, and took a very active part, as a Vice-President, in arranging for the visit of the Association to that town in 1870. He died on 27th March, 1892, at 10, Park Avenue, Montreal, Canada, at the age of 77 years.

IV.

WILLIAM CAREW RAYER was the eldest son of the late Rev. W. Rayer, for more than fifty years rector of Tidcomb Portion, Tiverton, and of Jane, the daughter of the late Sir Thomas Carew, Bart. He was born on September 26th, 1820, at Tidcombe Rectory, Tiverton. He received his early education at Blundell's School, whence he removed in 1834 to Eton, and subsequently to Christ Church, Oxford. At Eton he took advantage of the facilities for athletic exercises, and in 1839 he became captain of the boats, and on going to Christ Church he presently rowed stroke to the Eight.

In 1866, soon after the death of his father, Mr. Rayer took up his residence at Holcombe Court, which was purchased by his father of Mr. Peter F. Bluett. He was patron of the living of Holcombe Rogers, and about a dozen years ago he thoroughly restored the parish church at his own expense.

Beside being owner of the Holcombe Estate, he was in possession of considerable property in Cornwall and in Glamorganshire. He was a justice of the peace for the county, and frequently sat on the Cullompton Bench. He was also a governor of Blundell's School and a subscriber to many of the Tiverton charities.

He became a member of this Association in 1877, and although he never attended any of the annual meetings, yet he took a lively interest in the proceedings, and more than once has told the writer that he had spent many pleasant and instructive half-hours perusing the volumes of the Transactions.

Mr. Rayer will probably be best remembered as a Master of Foxhounds. The pack he owned was originally known as Tiverton Foxhounds, supported by subscriptions, and he was one of the leading supporters. In 1866 Mr. Rayer took charge of the pack and supported them at his sole expense, and for twenty-five years hunted the picturesque, .if somewhat wild district known as the Tiverton country. On Monday preceding his death he contracted a chill while hunting; influenza supervened, and this subsequently turned into bronchitis, which proved fatal. He died on the 11th January, 1892, at the age of 71 years.

Of Mr. Rayer's personal character volumes might be written. At home and abroad, in the hunting field or on the magisterial bench, he was a true type of the "fine old English gentleman." From the time of his and Mrs. Rayer's introduction to the parish as the new owners of Holcombe Court, general instructions were given to the heads of the domestic arrangements to "supply whatever may be wanted" in the shape of food, and frequently in raiment. To his tenantry on the Holcombe and Glamorgan and Cornish estates he was most liberal. There was scarcely a resident of the parish of Holcombe Rogers, or of the adjoining parishes, with whom the courteous occupier of Holcombe Court was not on friendliest terms; and he was as condescending as kind to all, even to the humblest of the boys of the school of his own maintenance. For everybody, whom he usually addressed familiarly by Christian name, he had a kindly word and happy expression of an always pleasant

countenance.

In 1868 Mr. Rayer married Charlotte, daughter of the late Admiral Dashwood, of Lyndhurst, Hants, but leaves no issue.

FOURTEENTH REPORT OF THE BARROW
COMMITTEE.

FOURTEENTH REPORT of the Barrow Committee, consisting of Mr. P. F. S. Amery, Dr. Brushfield, Mr. P. O. Hutchinson, Mr. E. Parfitt, Mr. J. Brooking Rowe, and Mr. R. N. Worth (Secretary), to collect and record facts relating to Barrows in Devonshire, and to take steps, where possible, for their investigation.

Edited by R. N. WORTH, F.G.S., Hon. Secretary.

(Read at Plymouth, July, 1892.)

THE Committee are indebted to Mr. R. Hansford Worth, C.E., for the following notes on kistvaens, &c., observed by him in the valleys of the Meavy, Yealm, Torry, and Erme:

"Within the past few years a kistvaen has been uncovered at Nuns Cross Farm and totally destroyed. No relics were found. William Hooper told me that the cover stone of the kist had long been exposed on the surface of the field, and that one day when the necessity for just such a stone arose he took this up, and to his surprise uncovered the kistvaen. Some effort seems to have been made to examine the spot and unearth any relics, but without success.

"Numerous cairns are scattered over the slope of Shell Top, and one crowns the summit of Pen Beacon. The last has been much disturbed, having been interfered with by the Ordnance Surveyors among others. It has a diameter at

the base of about 69 feet, and at the summit of about 32 feet. Immediately to the west is a square hut, evidently built from stone appropriated from the cairn. It measures 32 feet by 13 feet outside, and is of most uncertain date.

"Near Yadsworthy, in the Erme Valley, there is a stone circle of about 33 feet in diameter, surrounding a barrow which has at some time been opened. Connected with this

is a stone row. Exactly in a line between the circle at the end of the row and the mass of rocks crowning the tor to the eastward, and 280 feet nearer the tor, is a smaller but more perfect circle of 18 feet diameter, with nine stones still standing and apparently one side of the kistvaen in place.

"There is another circle with stone row attached near Hook Lake.

"On Stalldon Moor is a circle of large diameter, from which a stone row extends for over two miles. There are the remains of a barrow in the circle, and at about a third of a mile the row passes to the east of a large stone cairn. The row extends to a tumulus on Green Hill, which most likely contains the remains of a kistvaen. There is a broken stone on the surface, which has either been a small menhir or a kist cover.

Kistvaens are not so numerous in the Erme as in the Plym Valley. There is a fine example on the left bank about a mile and a half above Harford, which has a circle of stones round it, one exceptionally broad. The circle is 14 feet in diameter, and consists of seven stones, still standing, the largest 4 feet 3 inches wide by 3 feet 3 inches high. The kist is 3 feet 11 inches long and 3 feet deep, the breadth varying from 2 feet at the south-eastern end to 1 foot 4 inches at the north-western. 100 feet up the hill in the direction of the length of the kist is a single large stone, and 100 feet down the hill in the exact line of the last mentioned, and the largest stone in the circle, is the centre of a barrow of 20 feet diameter.

"There is another kist near Erme Pound; and another on the hill above Hortonsford Bottom-this last on a mound with a circle of stones surrounding it.

"On the left bank of the Wallabrook in the Plym Valley is a hitherto unrecorded kistvaen which stands on a mound 8 feet 6 inches in diameter, and its length lies north-west by west. The north-east and two end stones are in place, but the south-west has fallen aside a little, and the cover stone, which is unbroken, lies on the edge of the mound to the north-west. The original dimensions of the kist were 2 feet 3 inches in length by 1 foot 5 inches in width and 2 feet deep. The greatest length of the cover stone is 5 feet and the greatest width 2 feet 4 inches."

Near Down Tor, connected with a stone row, is a large circle averaging 35 feet in diameter, enclosing a barrow. The row points towards a stone cairn, between 50 and 60 feet in diameter.