Page:The Preservation of Places of Interest or Beauty, 1907.djvu/18

 illustrated by plans, reproductions of old maps, and photographs, is prepared. For all this valuable and scholarly work, the public are largely indebted to the present Clerk of the Council, Mr. Laurence Gomme, an antiquary of high repute.

Amongst other County Councils honourable mention should be made of that of Northampton, which has taken charge of the Queen Eleanor Cross, just outside the town, and has appointed an Ancient Monument and County Records Committee. By this Committee a circular has been issued to all Urban and District Councils in the county calling attention to the Act of 1900, and commending to their care the historic monuments of their districts. The towns of Chester and Edinburgh have taken independent action—Chester to preserve its ancient walls from the too near presence of new structures; and Edinburgh to prevent the disfigurement of its most striking features by advertisements. Of course there are other cases in which towns have acquired and preserved suitable evidences of their history. Hastings Castle and Guildford Castle, are two instances that occur to me; there must be many more.

Nevertheless, it must be admitted that neither in point of legislation nor in that of actual accomplishment, have England and Scotland a satisfactory record in relation to monuments of historic or pre-historic interest. The legislation is halting and inadequate, and the action scanty, occasional and unsystematic.

In Ireland, oddly enough, much more has been done officially than in Great Britain, and that largely owing to an accident. When the Church of England was