the hall of the guild or company of the joiners of the city of New
Sarum.

Such are some of the old municipal buildings of England. There are
many others which might have been mentioned. It is a sad pity that so
many have disappeared and been replaced by modern and uninteresting
structures. If a new town hall be required in order to keep pace with
the increasing dignity of an important borough, the Corporation can at
least preserve their ancient municipal hall which has so long watched
over the fortunes of the town and shared in its joys and sorrows, and
seek a fresh site for their new home without destroying the old.




CHAPTER XII

CROSSES


A careful study of the ordnance maps of certain counties of England
reveals the extraordinary number of ancient crosses which are
scattered over the length and breadth of the district. Local names
often suggest the existence of an ancient cross, such as Blackrod, or
Black-rood, Oakenrod, Crosby, Cross Hall, Cross Hillock. But if the
student sally forth to seek this sacred symbol of the Christian faith,
he will often be disappointed. The cross has vanished, and even the
recollection of its existence has completely passed away. Happily not
all have disappeared, and in our travels we shall be able to discover
many of these interesting specimens of ancient art, but not a tithe of