Welsh Journals

older than themselves. At any rate it is true of Hawarden that although none of the district churches are older than 1824, Broughton and Pentrobin can boast of ancient Altar plate. I shall not prolong this paper by describing the more modern chalice and paten supplied in 1885 by the firm of Platt, for it is with the more ancient plate that we are now concerned. I.-THE SILVER-GILT PATEN. There is no history attached to this unique example. It may have been a piece of mediæval plate belonging to the Parish Church, allotted to the new Church of St. John, Pentrobin, because the Parish Church was so rich in patens that it could easily spare one without incon- venience. Or it is possible that Rector Neville-Grenville who (as I have already said in my paper on Broughton Church Plate) was a connoisseur of antiques, may have en- riched the new Church from his valuable private collection. At the same time we must remember that although Rector Neville Grenville lived until 1854, he had resigned the living of Hawarden in 1838. This paten seems to have attracted some attention, for Shotton possesses a paten which is evidently a poor imitation of it; but its age and value were unknown by the present generation until a few years ago when it was sent to the Society of Antiquaries, and was pronounced by Sir Wm. H. St. John Hope to be silver gilt, unique, probably foreign, and of a date between 1520 and 1530. The usual hall marks being absent it had been taken for granted that the plate was of inferior metal, and ot little value, so that when the other pieces of plate were exhibited, this was shewn to me as a curiosity prooably of brass, and possibly the work of an amateur. Mr Bell-Jones' excellent photograph makes it un- necessary for me to give a detailed description of the paten