Page:The Preservation of Places of Interest or Beauty, 1907.djvu/15

 Works and County Councils may purchase monuments by agreement with the owners, and owners may give monuments to these bodies by deed or will. There is a power to appoint Inspectors of Ancient Monuments; and there is a provision making it an offence, punishable summarily, in any one but the owner, to injure or deface any monument which is under public guardianship, and in the case of certain monuments, whether they are under such care or not.

The Act of 1882 applied only to ancient earth-works and megalithic remains, dolmens, stone-circles (of which Stonehenge is the best known example), stone avenues, tumuli and similar works. But by the Acts of 1892 and 1900 the machinery of the older Act is extended to any structure, erection or monument of historic or architectural interest or any remains thereof. In order that the Commissioners of Works may assume the care of any monument, other than one scheduled in the Act of 1882 or an Order in Council made thereunder, they must be of opinion that its preservation is a matter of public interest by reason of the historic, traditional or artistic interest attaching thereto; and they are not empowered to become the guardians of any structure occupied as a dwelling place by any person other than a caretaker or his family. Thus the Commissioners could not take charge of Warwick Castle but could become guardians of Raglan Castle or Furness Abbey. These limitations, however, do not attach to the powers conferred upon County Councils.

The action taken under the Ancient Monument Acts has, I am sorry to say, been comparatively slight. Sixty-eight megalithic monuments were scheduled to the Act of 1882, and eighteen were added by Orders in Council. Out of the 86 monuments of this particular class thus distinguished, 42 have been placed under the care of the Commissioners of Works. An Inspector of Ancient Monuments was