here Jack used to
sit and receive his friends. Some carvings also have been discovered
in an old house showing what is thought to be a carved portrait of the
clothier. It bears the initials J.W., and another panel has a raised
shield suspended by strap and buckle with a monogram I.S., presumably
John Smallwoode. He was married twice, and the portrait busts on each
side are supposed to represent his two wives. Another carving
represents the Blessed Trinity under the figure of a single head with
three faces within a wreath of oak-leaves with floriated
spandrels.[44] We should like to pursue the subject of these Newbury
clothiers and see Thomas Dolman's house, which is so fine and large
and cost so much money that his workpeople used to sing a doggerel
ditty:--

Lord have mercy upon us miserable sinners,
Thomas Dolman has built a new house and turned away all his spinners.

[44] _History of Newbury_, by Walter Money, F.S.A.

The old Cloth Hall which has led to this digression has been recently
restored, and is now a museum.

The ancient town of Wallingford, famous for its castle, had a guild
hall with selds under it, the earliest mention of which dates back to
the reign of Edward II, and occurs constantly as the place wherein the
burghmotes were held. The present town hall was erected in 1670--a
picturesque building on stone pillars. This open space beneath the
town hall was formerly used as a corn-market, and so continued until
the present corn-exchange was erected half a century ago. The slated
roof is gracefully curved, is crowned by a good vane, and a neat
dormer window juts out on the side facing the market-place. Below this
is a large Renaissance window opening on to a balcony whence orators
can address the crowds assembled in the market-place at election
times. The walls of the hall are hung with portraits of the worthies
and benefactors of the town, including one of Archbishop Laud. A
mayor's feast was, before the passing of the Municipal Corporations
Act, a great occasion in most of our boroughs, the expenses of which
were defrayed by the rates. The upper chamber in the Wallingford town
hall was formerly a kitchen, with a huge fire-place, where mighty
joints and fat capons were roasted for the banquet. Outside you can
see a ring of light-coloured stones, called the bull-ring, where
bulls, provided at the cost of the Corporation, were baited. Until
1840 our Berkshire town of Wokingham was famous for its