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THE 


ANTIQUARY: 


A    MAGAZINE   DEVOTED    TO    THE   STUDY 
OF   THE   PAST. 


Instructed  by  the  Antiquary  times, 
He  must,  he  is,  he  cannot  but  be  wise. 

Troilus  and  Cressida,  Act  ii.  sc.  3. 


VOL.  XIV. 

J  U  L  Y— D  E  C  E  M  B  E  R. 


London  :  ELLIOT  STOCK,  62,  Paternoster  Row. 

New  York:    DAVID  G.  FRANCIS,   17,  Astor  Place. 

1886. 


THE  GETTY  CENTER 
LIBRARV 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Quaint  Conceits  in  Pottery 
Portion  of  Old  Castle,  Plymouth 
Specimens  of  Old  Plymouth  China 
Autograph  of  Sir  Francis  Drake 
Plymouth  Ducking  Chairs    . 
Plymouth  Borough  Arms 
Hoe  Gate,  Plymouth     .... 

Ancient  Tapestry 

Penelope's  Loom,  from  an  Antique  Vase  found 

Ancient  Tapestry  found  at  Bitten 

The  Arms  of  O'Meagher 

Ruins  of  Clonyne  Castle     . 

The  Fortune  Playhouse 

The  Red  Bull  Theatre 

The  First  Silk  Mill  in  England 


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SOME   VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  I. 


The   Antiquary. 


JULY,  1886. 


^ome  Oi0itot0  to  15atf)  During 
tfje  iaeirrn  of  3lame.s  31- 

By  Austin  J.  King  and  B.  H.  Watts. 

|HE  feature  which  must  be  borne  in 
mind  by  those  who  seek  to  under- 
stand the  history  of  Bath  during 
the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  is  that  the  city  was  in  a  state  of 
transition.  In  the  period  of  Roman  domina- 
tion the  Thermce  formed  the  city ;  but  when, 
after  for  several  centuries  lying  ruined  and 
deserted,  Bath  was  again  rebuilt,  the  hot 
mineral  waters  played  quite  a  secondary  part 
in  its  history.  We  find,  of  course,  occasional 
mention  of  their  existence  and  healing  quali- 
ties, but  the  baths  were  resorted  to  principally 
by  lepers  and  the  poor.  The  city,  however, 
became  of  some  importance  as  a  centre  of 
the  West-country  wool  trade,  and  the  seat  of 
a  community  of  Benedictine  monks. 

About  the  time  of  the  dissolution  of 
monasteries  the  baths  were  regarded  as  a 
mere  adjunct  to  a  tennis  court,  and  were  so 
little  frequented  that  doubts  were  entertained 
as  to  their  ownership.  This  question  was 
settled  only  as  one,  and  apparently  the  least 
important,  of  the  terms  of  a  general  adjust- 
ment of  rights  between  the  Municipality  and 
one  Humphrey  Cotton. 

At  the  same  time  the  wool  trade  decayed 
to  such  an  extent  that,  in  1587,  the  Earl  of 
Leicester  wrote  from  Bath  to  Walsingham, 
that  many  of  the  clothiers  were  keeping  on 
their  workmen  merely  out  of  charity.  The 
transition  was  from  the  state  of  a  manufac- 
turing and  ecclesiastical  town,  to  that  of  a 
hydropathic  establishment,  for  as  trade  de- 
cayed the  reputation  of  the  baths  increased. 

"  The  Bath,"  as  it  was  commonly  called, 
was  a  very  small  place.     There  were  but  five 

vol..  XIV, 


hundred  houses  within  the  walls,  and  only 
two  suburbs — one  a  straggling  street  leading 
from  the  South  gate  to  the  Avon,  the  other  a 
little  cluster  round  the  Church  of  St.  Michael 
extra  muros.  The  city  had  so  little  attained 
to  the  position  of  a  health-resort,  that,  in 
1622,  the  mayor  complains  that  there  is  but 
one  resident  sojourner,  whilst  a  few  years 
before  the  whole  municipality  petitioned  a 
judge  to  let  one  of  the  citizens  sign  his 
answer  in  an  action  without  going  to  London, 
because  he  was  a  baker,  and  his  absence 
would  be  most  inconvenient. 

The  city  was  small,  and  so  dirty  as  to 
excite  indignation,  even  in  those  dirty  times. 
Soil  and  carrion  were  thrown  into  the  streets 
and  routed  amongst  by  pigs,  and  butchers 
slaughtered  at  their  own  doors. 

The  baths  were  pandefnonia.  Men  and 
women  bathed  together  in  open  cisterns, 
which  were  never  cleaned  out,  and  the 
bathers  were  exposed  to  the  chaff  and  the 
pelting  of  lads  who  crowded  the  public  walk 
which  surrounded  them. 

Although  noblemen  and  gentlemen  were 
accustomed,  in  increasing  numbers,  to  fre- 
quent the  city,  they  did  so  purely  for  the 
benefit  of  the  waters,  their  stay  seldom  ex- 
ceeding ten  days.  There  were  certainly  few 
attractions  (for  beautiful  scenery  was  not 
then  appreciated)  to  detain  them. 

In  the  pages  which  follow  we  shall  en- 
deavour to  confine  ourselves  as  much  as 
possible  to  the  ipsissima  verba  of  contem- 
poraries, and,  whilst  avoiding  reference  to 
more  public  events,  to  mention  those  personal 
traits  which  seem  necessary  in  order  to  give 
an  idea  of  what  the  society  of  the  place  really 
was. 

Lord  Cobham  and  Sir  Walter  Raleigh. 
These  two  gallants,  in  their  earlier  life 
bosom  friends,  were  frequent  visitors.  Sir 
Walter  was  here  in  1587,  with  the  Earl  of 
Leicester,  and  again  in  1590  and  1600,  and 
on  each  occasion  received  a  complimentary 
present  from  the  mayor  (on  one  "  a  calf  and 
a  mutton ").  But  these  were  more  or  less 
formal  visits.  Raleigh's  letters  to  Cobham,  now 
extant,  show  how  they  were  accustomed  to 
run  down  here  for  a  little  change.     Thus  : 

1597,  August  I.  "I  am  yours  before  all 
that  live."    And  Lady  Raleigh  adds  a  post- 


2       SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  L 


script,  "  If  I  could  digest  that  last  word  of 
Sir  Walter's  letter  I  would  likewise  express 
my  love,  in  which  I  am  one  with  Sir  Walter. 
Pray  hasten  your  return,  that  we  may  see  the 
Bath  together."* 

1601,  August  27.  "I  hope  you  will  be 
here  to-morrow  or  Saturday,  else  my  wife 
says  her  oysters  will  be  all  spoilt  and  her 
partridge  stale.  Let  us  know  whether  you 
have  taken  the  house  at  Bath."t 

The  death  of  Elizabeth  brought  the  Court 
favour  of  the  two  friends  to  a  sudden  close. 
Lord  Cobham  went  indeed  to  Berwick  to 
meet  James,  but  was  repulsed.  Raleigh 
remained  at  Bath,  and,  on  the  very  day  fol- 
lowing Elizabeth's  funeral,  he  thence  wrote 
to  Cobham : 

"  29th  April,  1603.  My  worthy  lord, — 
Here  we  attend  you,  and  have  done  this  sen- 
night, and  mourn  your  absence  the  rather 
because  we  hear  that  [your  mind]  is  changed. 
I  pray  let  us  hear  from  you,  at  least ;  for  if 
you  come  not  we  will  go  heavily  home,  and 
make  but  short  tarrying  here.  My  wife  will 
despair  ever  again  to  see  you  in  these  parts  if 
you  come  not  now."  J 

How  these  two  involved  themselves  in  a 
conspiracy  with  the  view  of  placing  Arabella 
Stuart  on  the  throne — how  Cobham  turned 
king's  evidence  and  Raleigh  was  condemned 
to  death,  but  respited  on  the  scaffold,  are 
matters  of  history ;  but  we  may  imagine  how, 
during  the  trial,  the  words,  "  I  say  that  Cob- 
ham is  a  base  dishonourable  poor  soul,"  must 
have  been  wrung  from  Raleigh's  very  heart, 
when  Cobham's  letter  was  put  in  evidence 
against  him. 

Fifteen  years  elapse  before  we  hear  of 
Cobham  again  at  Bath.  Glad  to  hide  his  dis- 
honour in  the  Tower,  he  remained  there  a 
prisoner  until  16 18,  the  very  year  in  which 
Raleigh  was  brought  up  to  undergo  the 
sentence  pronounced  against  him  in  1603. 
Then  we  read  in  a  contemporary  letter  : 

"  Lord  Cobham  was  permitted  by  the  King 
to  go  to  Bath  with  his  keeper,  for  his  health  ; 
but  when  cured,  and  returning,  was  seized 

*  State  Papers,  Dom.,  Elizabeth,  vol.  cclxlv.,  No.  81. 

+  //'/(/.,  vol.  cclxxxi.,  No.  64. 

X  State  Papers,  Dom.,  Janus  /.,  vol.  i.,  No.  57. 


with  palsy,   and  conveyed  to  Sir    Edward 
More's  house  at  Odiham."* 

Raleigh,  meanwhile,  was  beheaded ;  but 
his  was  the  happier  fate.  Thus  writes 
Anthony  Weldon : 

"  So  as  myself  heard  William  Earl  of 
Pembroke  relate,  with  much  regret  towards 
him,  that  he  [Cobham]  died  in  a  room 
ascended  by  a  ladder,  at  a  poor  woman's 
house  in  the  Minories,  formerly  his  landeresse, 
rather  of  hunger  than  of  any  more  natural 
disease."  f 

One  more  sentence  fitly  concludes  the 
tale.  "  Lord  Cobham  is  dead,"  writes  one 
of  Dudley  Carleton's  correspondents,  "and 
lies  unburied  for  want  of  money." 

The  Burghley  Family. 

The  great  Lord  Burghley  was  a  patron 
of  the  city,  as  well  as  a  frequent  visitor. 
He  was  here  in  1592,  in  particular,  and 
wrote  hence  to  Elizabeth,  apologizing  for 
not  going  to  see  her  about  some  foreign 
letters,  on  the  ground  *'  that  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  cure."J 

He  was  a  friend  and  correspondent  of  Sir 
John  Harrington,  of  Kelston,  near  Bath,  who 
interested  him  in  the  work  of  the  restoration 
of  the  Abbey  Church. 

This  building  was  not  a  parish  church,  and 
was  in  course  of  rebuilding  at  the  dissolution. 
The  citizens  plundered  the  structure  and  the 
stores  collected  for  its  completion,  the  lead 
alone  being  worth  nearly  ^^5,000.  About 
the  year  1572  a  sense  of  shame  was  infused 
into  the  civic  mind  by  the  complaints  of 
visitors,  and  the  idea  was  started  of  demolish- 
ing the  city  parish  church  of  St.  Mary  de 
Stalles,  and  restoring  the  Abbey  Church  as  a 
substitute. 

A  remembrance  was  presented  to  Lord 
Burghley,  in  which  it  is  recited  "  that  there  is 
in  the  spring  time,  and  at  the  fall  of  the  leaf 
yearly,  great  repair  of  noblemen  and  men  of 
worth  and  others  for  relief  at  the  Bathes  there, 
and  no  convenient  church  or  other  place 
there  for  any  company  to  resort  together  to 
hear  the  Word  of  God  preached."  The  citizens 
pray  to  be  allowed  to  collect  money  for  the 
restoration  of  "a  fair  church  builded  by  the 

*  Carew  to  Roe,  State  Papers,  Dom,,  James  I. 
f  Secret  History,  James  I.,  vol.  i.,  p.  156. 
X  State  Papers,  Dom.,  Elizabeth. 


SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  I, 


late  Prior,  and  not  fully  finished  at  the  time 
of  the  suppression  of  the  said  Priory."* 

The  permission  was  given,  but  Sir  John 
Harrington  wrote  to  Lord  Burghley,  some 
years  later,  that  more  than  p^i 0,000  had 
been  collected,  and  but  ;!^i,ooo  spent  on 
church  work.  The  interest  of  Lord  Burghley 
did  not  slacken,  for  Sir  John,  in  answer  to  an 
inquiry,  wrote  to  him  in  1595  :  "Our  worke 
at  the  Bathe  dothe  go  on  haud passibus  cequis^ 
we  sometimes  gallop  with  good  presents  and 
then  as  soon  stand  still  for  lack  of  good 
spurring ;  but  it  seemeth  more  like  a  church 
than  it  has  aforetime,  when  a  man  could  not 
pray  without  danger  of  having  good  St. 
Stephen's  death,  as  the  stones  tumbling  about 
our  ears,  and  it  were  vain  to  pray  for  such 
enemies."! 

Lord  Burghley  was  a  personal  benefactor 
to  the  work,  and  entrusted  money  to  his 
steward,  Thomas  Bellott  (himself  a  bene- 
factor, and  founder  of  a  hospital  still  bearing 
his  name  in  the  city),  to  be  employed 
upon  it. 

Thomas  Cecil,  Burghley's  eldest  son,  was 
in  Bath  with  his  father  in  1592,  and  again  in 
1594;  and  in  1604,  after  his  father's  death, 
was  presented  by  the  mayor  with  *'  2  loaves  of 
refined  sugar  weighing  20^  lbs.  at  21  pence 
the  lb."  He  was  here  again  in  company 
with  Bellott  in  1606  (having  by  this  time  been 
raised  to  the  title  of  Earl  of  Exeter),  and  once 
more  in  1608.  On  each  visit  he  received 
a  "  gratification,"  consisting  on  the  last  occa- 
sion of  "  2  capons,  a  dozen  chickens,  half  a 
dozen  couple  of  rabbits,  and  a  sugar  loaf" 
It  is  a  little  curious  that  we  can  find  no  trace 
of  Robert  Cecil  (Lord  Treasurer,  afterwards 
Earl  of  Salisbury,  the  second  and  more 
famous  son  of  Lord  Burghley)  visiting  Bath 
until  161 2.  The  benefactions  of  his  father, 
his  own  bodily  infirmities,  and  the  desire  to 
frequent  a  place  so  favourable  for  the  prose- 
cution of  schemes  of  policy,  would  all  have 
seemed  calculated  to  draw  him  hither. 

In  1603  he  wrote  to  Harrington  :  "  I  wish  I 
waited  in  your  presence  chamber  with  ease  at 
my  foode  and  reste  in  my  bedde.  I  am  pushed 
from  the  shore  of  comfort  and  know  not 
where  the  wyndcs  &  waves  of  a  Court  will 
bear  me. "J     He  seems  to  have  meditated  a 

•  State  Papers,  Dom.,  Elizabeth^  vol.  ex.,  No.  24. 
f  ^^iigiE  AtttiqucT,  vol.  ii.,  p.  82. 
X  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  264. 


journey  this  year,  but  Charles  Topclifie  dis- 
suaded him,  writing  thus : 

"  Now  my  good  lord  hearing  of  your 
journey  to  the  Bathe  I  beseech  your  Lordship 
most  humbly  that  I  may  bring  to  your  Lord- 
ship a  professed  doctor  of  physic  very  learned 
and  most  skilful  in  surgery  called  D'.  Jacob 
Domingo  a  High  German  whom  I  dare  as- 
sure your  Lordship  if  he  speak  with  your 
honour  and  do  undertake  to  administer  unto 
your  Lordship  for  the  occasion  it  shall  move 
this  journey  to  the  Bathe  which  he  doth 
altogether  dislike."* 

In  1608  there  seems  to  have  been  a  special 
reason  for  a  visit,  for  Dudley  Carleton  is  asked 
to  go  thither  on  the  Treasurer's  behalf,  to  in- 
terfere between  Lord  Norris  and  "his  pretty 
daughter,"  whom  he  was  practising  "at  the 
Bathe  to  disinherit."! 

In  161 1  the  Treasurer's  health  broke  down, 
and  the  Bishop  of  Durham  wrote  to  him 
from  Bath  that  "rv'/a  non  est  viveresedvalere/' 
and  continues,  "  if  your  sickness  &  infirmity 
were  of  any  cold  cause  or  of  any  obstruction 
of  the  pores  of  your  body  I  dare  answer  to  your 
physician  that  some  10  days  rest  of  the  Cross 
Bath,  which  is  as  it  were  balnea  lactis,  would 
be  more  profitable  to  you  than  40  days  else- 
where."! 

In  March,  1612,  Cecil  purposed  visiting 
Bath  with  the  Queen ;  but  the  visit  of  the 
Queen  was  put  off,  and  that  of  Cecil  some- 
what delayed. 

He  started  for  Bath  at  the  end  of  April, 
16 1 2,  induced  thereto  not  only  by  considera- 
tions of  health,  but  because  the  Duke  of 
Bouillon  and  the  Coynt  of  Hanau,  who  had 
come  to  this  country  on  an  important  negotia- 
tion, were  there. 

We  have  two  narratives  of  the  journey,  one 
by  Mr.  Fynett,  Cecil's  servant,  the  other  by 
Mr.  Bowles,  his  chaplain  (afterwards  Dean  of 
Sarum  and  Bishop  of  Rochester). § 

"We  left  London,"  says  Fynett,  "the  27th 
April,  with  small  hopes  and  less  likelihood 
that  such  a  journey  could  profit,  otherwise 
than   in   his    lordships  willingness  (not  the 

•  State  Papers,  Dom.,  James  /.,  vol.  v.,  No.  36. 

t  Ibid.,  vol.  XXXV.,  No.  71. 

X  Ibid.,  vol.  Ixviii.,  No.  27. 

§  Fynett's  account  is  quoted  in  Winwood's  Memoirs, 
vol.  iii.,  p.  367  ;  that  of  Bowles,  in  Peck's  Desiderata 
Curiosa,  Lib,  vi..  No.  4. 

B— 2 


4       SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  I. 


least  part  of  a  cure  in  sickness)  to  undertake 
it.  By  the  way  of  our  6  nights  baytes  (at 
Ditton,  my  Lord  Chandois ;  Causam,  my 
Lord  Knowles ;  Newbury,  M'.  Dolemans ; 
Marbro,  M'.  Daniels  ',  and  Lacock,  my  Lady 
Stapleton)  his  lordship  made  many  stops  and 
shifts  from  his  coach  to  his  litter  and  to  his 
chair,  and  all  for  that  ease  that  lasted  no 
longer  than  his  imagination." 

Mr.  Bowles  supplements  this  by  telling  us, 
that  at  Ditton  Cecil  said,  "He  was  resolved 
to  be  buried  in  Bath,  knowing  that  from  any 
place  there  was  a  means  of  Resurrection  & 
a  way  to  Heaven  ;"  and  that  at  Lacock,  on 
Sunday  the  3rd  May,  "he  heard  a  sermon, 
dined  and  went  to  Bath." 

On  arrival  at  Bath,  Sir  Walter  Cope  called 
to  pay  his  respects,  and  the  patient  began  the 
course  of  bathing.  "  Upon  his  first  tryals 
(wherein  as  in  the  rest  he  spent  once  a  day  but 
an  hour  of  time  and  entered  no  further  than 
the  navel)  he  discovered  such  cheerfulness  of 
humour,  riddance  of  pains,  recovery  of  sleep, 
increase  of  appetite  and  decrease  of  swellings, 
as  made  our  comforts  grow  to  the  proportion 
of  our  affections."* 

Bowles  gives  us  the  following  interesting 
particulars :  "  Sir  John  Harrington,  who 
dwells  near  the  Bath  at  Kelston  &  who  is 
sick  of  a  dead  palsy,  came  to  my  lord  (i8th 
May).  To  whom  my  lord  said,  *  Now,  Sir 
John,  doth  one  cripple  come  to  visit  another.' 
This  day  my  Lord  removed  his  lodging  and 
was  desirous  to  see  the  great  church  at  Bath, 
where  old  master  Johnf  Bellott  (his  father's 
steward  and  one  of  his  executors)  had  be- 
stowed some  money  of  his  fathers  committed 
to  his  trust  &  a  great  part  likewise  of  his  own 
substance.  The  church  he  much  liked,  & 
the  liberalities  of  such  benefactors  as  had 
brought  it  to  so  good  a  perfection, — adding 
that  he  would  himself  bestow  some  good 
remembrance  to  the  finishing  thereof.  And 
because  old  Mr.  Bellott  had  spent  all  upon 
charitable  uses,  and  left  nothing  for  his  kins- 
man, my  lord  in  the  church  said,  '  I  give  to 
my  servant  Bellott  ;!^2o  a  year  during  his 
natural  life.'  My  lord  gave  at  the  present  J^/^ 
a  week  to  the  poor  during  his  abode  at  Bath, 
;j^3  to  the  hospitals,  J^io  to  the  guides,  poor 
men  in  Bath,  and  jQt,  to  the  Sergeants."| 

*  Fynett,  ubi  stipra. 

+  A  mistake  for  Thomas. 

X  The  guides  were  attendants  elected  by  the  Com- 


Fynett  then  tells  us  of  the  relapse  :  "  The 
disease  that  had  taken  truce  not  peace,  began 
again  to  discover  its  malignant  qualities, 
brought  new  melancholy  faintings  &  other 
dangerous  symptoms  so  frequent,  as  the  inter- 
missions which  happened  were  interpreted 
but  for  lucida  intervalla.  The  Bath  was  no 
more  used,  as  that  which  afforded  the  utmost 
virtue  in  it,  had,  in  making  a  kindly  issue  in 
his  leg  for  the  drain  of  the  humour,  but  was 
thenceforth  in  the  speculation  of  his  lordships 
then  attending  Physicians  D'  Atkins  and  D' 
Poe  held  hurtful  rather  than  profitable." 

The  following  somewhat  curious  entry 
appears  in  the  City  Chamberlain's  account  : 
"  The  Lord  Treasurer  in  provision  for  his 
kitchen,  j[^d^  17s.  lod." 

We  learn  from  Mr.  Bowles  that  "  Master 
Pennam,*  the  parson  of  the  city  of  Bath," 
called,  and  that  Mr.  Russell,  the  chaplain  of 
the  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  preached  before  the 
Lord  Treasurer. 

During  his  stay  in  Bath  Lord  Hay  arrived, 
bringing  from  the  King  "  a  diamond  set  or 
rather  hung  square  in  a  gold  ring  without  a 
foyle,  and  a  token  from  the  Queen;"  and  Sir 
John  HoUist  brought  "  a  message  and  a 
token  "  from  Prince  Henry.  The  Earl's  son 
Lord  Cranbourne,  against  his  father's  wish, 
also  came  to  visit  him. 

On  the  2ist  May,  161 2,  Cecil  left  Bath  in 
despair  of  effecting  a  cure,  and  was  accom- 
panied as  far  as  Lacock  by  Lord  Hay  and 
Sir  John  Hollis.  On  Sunday,  the  24th,  he 
died  at  Marlborough.  | 

mon  Council  to  assist  bathers.  The  sergeants  were 
the  mayor's  mace-bearers,  and  were  the  officials 
nominally  having  charge  of  the  baths. 

*  John  Felling,  instituted  1608. 

t  Sir  John  Hollis  was  an  attached  attendant  of 
Prince  Henry.  He  was  a  few  years  afterwards 
brought  to  trial  and  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  ;^i,5oo, 
and  to  undergo  a  year's  imprisonment,  for  "  traducing 
public  justice "  with  reference  to  the  proceedings 
taken  in  respect  of  the  murder  of  Sir  Thomas  Over- 
bury. 

X  It  is  an  illustration  of  "how  history  is  made" 
that  Sir  Anthony  Weldon,  a  contemporary  of  Cecil, 
and  presumably  with  good  means  of  knowledge,  thus 
inaccurately  describes  his  death:  "That  for  all  his 
great  honours  and  possessions  and  stately  houses  he 
found  no  place  but  the  top  of  a  molehill  near  Marl- 
bro',  so  that  it  may  be  best  said  of  him,  and  truly, 
he  died  of  a  most  loathsome  disease,  and  remarkable, 
without  a  house,  without  pity,  without  the  favour  of 
that  master  that  had  raised  him  to  so  high  an  estate." 
— Secret  History  fames  /.,  vol.  i.,  p.  326. 


SOME   VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  I 


Men's  tongues  soon  wagged.  "I  never 
knew,"  writes  John  Chamberlain  only  three 
days  later,  "so  great  a  man  so  soon  &  so 
generally  censured."* 

But  we  have  been  anticipating.  In  1603 
the  only  visitor  recorded  as  the  recipient  of 
civic  gifts  was  Sir  William  Paston,  a  knight  of 
Norfolk,  who  received  "  a  pottell  of  wine  &  a 
lb  of  sugar,  a  buttered  loaf  &  a  dozen  of  fine 
cakes  " — a  gift  which  perhaps  induced  him  to 
present  J^xoo  towards  the  rebuilding  of  the 
church. 

In  1604  we  have  besides  Lord  Burghley, 
already  mentioned,  a  somewhat  curious  cha- 
racter— Sir  Robert  Steward.  He  was  in  a 
constant  state  of  impecuniosity.  In  1606  he 
was  commanded  by  the  King  to  surrender 
his  patent  of  the  Royal  Park  at  Bewdley 
(which  he  had  assigned  over  to  certain  towns- 
men, who  neglected  it),t  and  yet  in  161 1  he 
applies  for  "  a  grant  of  2  trees  out  of  every 
100  of  decayed  or  fuel  trees  (not  timber)  in 
the  King's  manors,  his  former  grant  of  lops 
and  tops  not  sufficing  to  pay  his  creditors."! 
Probably  this  grant  was  refused,  as  a  few 
months  later  he  wrote  to  the  King  asking 
him  to  pay  his  debts,  and  mentioned  that  he 
had  taken  sanctuary  at  Greenwich  from  his 
creditors.§  The  very  next  month  James  be- 
came surety  in  ;i^8oo  for  payment  of  Steward's 
debts,li  and  in  the  December  following  he  is 
smuggled  out  of  the  country  as  Ambassador 
in  Sweden.H  He  received  from  the  mayor, 
on  his  visit  to  Bath,  "  a  gallon  of  wine  and  a 
lb  of  sugar." 

In  the  year  1605  there  is  one  of  a  class  of 
entries  which  puzzles  us.  "  The  Lady  Mar- 
ques," "  a  loaf  of  sugar."  The  same  person 
was  first  feted  in  Bath  in  1600,  again  in  1602; 
then,  as  we  have  said,  in  1605  ;  afterwards  in 
1609  (when  she  was  presented  with  "a  lamb, 
a  dozen  and  a  half  of  Chickens,  two  dozen 
pigeons,  half  a  dozen  couple  of  Rabbits,  and 
2  capons"),  16 1 2,  1 6 15,  and  1616. 

She  is  always  referred  to  simply  by  title, 
and  we  have  not  been  able  to  identify  her. 

In  the  same  year  (1605)  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury  made  a  visitation ;  but  Dr. 
Francis  James,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Diocese 

*  State  Papers,  Dom.,  y antes  I. 

t  Ilnd.y  vol.  xxxviii.,  No.  72. 

X  Ibid.,  vol.  Ixi.,  No.  106. 

§  Ibid.,  vol.  Ixiii.,  No.  83. 

II  Ibid.,  vol.  Ixiv.,  No.  18. 
II  State  Papers,  James  /.,  Dec,  161 1,  Docquct. 


of  Bath  and   Wells,  probably  acted  as   his 
deputy.     We  find  the  Chamberlain  paying — 

To  Hawkins,  for  procurations  at  the  Lord  of  Can- 
terbury's visitation,  3s.  6d. 

To  the  Comm",  for  a  copy  of  the  parlars  of  the 
arrerages  of  the  church  land,  and  for  bond  and 
acquittance,  3s. 

To  Dr.  James  and  his  Company  in  wine  and  sugar, 
3s.  8d. 

Dr.  John  Still  was  at  this  time  Bishop  of 
Bath  and  Wells.  He  had  been  in  Bath  in 
1594,  but  does  not  appear,  from  any  muni- 
cipal records,  to  have  been  here  between  that 
date  and  his  death,  in  1607. 

Another  visitor  was  Sir  Henry  Neville,  who 
was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  received  a 
present  of  wine  and  sugar.* 

The  next  year  saw  in  Bath,  in  addition  to 
Mr.  Bellott  and  the  Earl  of  Exeter  (who  have 
been  already  mentioned).  Sir  William  Parsons, 
Sir  Hugh  Smith,  of  Long  Ashton  (a  benefactor 
to  the  Abbey  Church,  and  who  was  here  also 
in  1606),  the  Dean  of  Westminster,  Sir  Law- 
rence Tanfield  (Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer), 
and  Lord  Zouch. 

The  last  nobleman  was  a  frequent  visitor 
and  great  patron  of  the  city.  His  position  in 
the  Privy  Council  gave  him  great  influence, 
and  we  shall  find  him  exercising  a  supervision 
over  the  affairs  of  the  city.  The  following 
entries  appear  : 

1606.  For  a  loaf  of  sugar  given  to  the  Lord  Zouch, 

IIS.  3d. 
1614.  To  the  Lord  Zouch,  a  sugar-loaf  of  9  lbs. 

and  a  gallon  of  wine,  i6s.  2d. 
1620.  To  the  Lord  Zouch,  a  salmon,  a  lamb,  2  fat 

capons,  and  3  young  turkeys,  22s.  4d. 

In  1607  we  find  presents  given  to  Sir 
Thomas  George,  Sir  Thomas  Horner,  Doctor 
Powell,  Archdeacon  of  Bath,  the  Dean  of 
Wells,  and  Sir  Roger  Aston.  This  last  was 
a  somewhat  noted  personage.  Originally  a 
menial  servant  of  James,  he  made  himself  so 
useful  that  he  was  raised  to  the  posts  of 
Gentleman  of  the  Bedchamber  and  Master  of 
the  Wardrobe.    He  had  been  a  frequent  mes- 

*  This  is  the  same  man  who,  in  1610,  so  pluckily 
answered  James.  The  King,  at  a  conference  at  White- 
hall, to  which  he  had  summoned  some  thirty  members, 
propounded  two  questions:  (i)  Do  you  think  I  am 
m  want  of  means  ?  (2)  WTiether  it  belongs  to  my 
subjects  to  relieve  me?  Sir  Henry  answered  in  the 
affirmative  the  first  question,  but  to  the  second  re- 
turned, "  I  must  answer  with  a  distinction.  Whereyour 
Majesty's  expense  groweth  by  the  Commonwealth,  we 
are  bound  to  maintain  it — otherwise  not." — IVinwood, 
iii.  235. 


6       SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  L 


senger  between  James  and  Elizabeth,  and  it 
was  the  custom  of  the  latter  to  have  him 
placed  in  the  lobby,  "  the  hangings  being 
turned  so  that  he  might  see  the  Queen 
dancing  to  a  little  fiddle,  which  was  to  no 
other  end  than  that  he  should  tell  his  master 
of  her  youthful  disposition,  and  how  likely 
he  was  to  come  to  the  throne  he  so  much 
thirsted  for."* 

The  year  1608  gives  us  the  names  of  no 
visitors  except  the  Earl  of  Exeter ;  and  in 
1609  ^^  l^^ve  only,  in  addition  to  the  Lady 
Marquis  and  Dr.  James,  the  Duke  of  Lennox, 
Sir  Roger  Wynborne,  and  Mr.  Poore. 

This  year  (1609)  is  assigned  as  the  date  of 
the  first  visitation  of  Dr.  James  Montagu,  the 
bishop ;  but  it  is  somewhat  curious  that  the 
records  of  the  municipality  bear  no  trace  of 
what  must  have  been  an  important  visit. 

The  Duke  of  Lennox  (Lynnocks,  as  the 
Chamberlain  styles  him)  received  "  a  calf,  a 
wether,  a  lamb,  and  four  capons."  He  was 
the  son  of  Esme  Stewart,  Duke  of  Lennox  at 
the  accession,  and  held  the  addtional  titles 
of  Earl  of  Newcastle  and  Duke  of  Rich- 
mond. 

{To  be  continued.^ 


IXuamt  Conceits  in  Pottery. 

By  the  late  Llewellynn  Jewitt,  F.S.A.,  etc 


VL — A  Word  or  tw^o  on  Cradles,  Caudle- 
Cups,  AND  Posset-Pots. 

AVING  in  my  last  contribution  to 
the  pages  of  the  Antiquary  called 
attention  to  some  mammiform 
vessels  and  to  ietincB,  it  may  not  be 
uninteresting  to  follow  that  up  by  a  few 
words  upon  cradles,  caudle-cups,  and  posset- 
pots — all  of  which,  among  an  infinitely  great 
variety  of  other  vessels,  formed  objects  on 
which  the  potters  of  our  grandmothers'  days 
expended  their  skill  and  exercised  their 
fancy. 

And  first  as  to  Cradles.     These,  of  course, 

*  Nichols, /Vo^^/mfj,  vol.  i.,  p.  34.  On  being  asked 
by  the  Council,  after  Elizalx;th's  death,  how  the  King 
did,  he  replied,  "Even,  my  Lords,  like  a  poor  man 
wandering  about  forty  years  in  a  wilderness  and  barren 
soil,  and  now  arrived  at  the  land  of  promise.  "—/<J?a'. 


were  not  usable,  but  merely  model  cradles, 
of  small  size,  and  were  intended  in  some 
instances,  I  am  afraid,  as  wedding  gifts  by  the 
sly  jokers  of  those  days.  In  other  instances 
there  is  every  probability  they  were  made, 
and  given  to,  the  fair  recipient  probably  as  a 
Christening  gift,  to  be  used  for  holding  various 
little  matters  requisite  for  the  toilet  of  the 
"welcome  little  stranger,"  whose  arrival 
tended  to  increase  the  happiness  and  joy  of 
the  household.  One  of  these  little  cradles  is 
here  carefully  engraved  from  a  drawing  made 
from  the  object,  many  years  ago,  by  myself. 
It  is  of  excellent  form,  and  elaborately  orna- 
mented ;  the  ground  being  of  the  ordinary  rich 
dark  reddish-brown  colour  so  characteristic 
of  the  Toft,  Brampton,  and  Nottingham  wares, 
and  the  ornaments  are  of  buff  and  black. 
Its  size  is  7I  inches  in  length,  and  4f  inches 
in  height.  It  bears  on  the  top  the  date  of 
its  manufacture,  "  1693."     (Fig.  i.) 

Another  example  with  which  I  am  ac- 
quainted is  of  seven  years  later  date,  and  of  some- 
what different  form.  It  has  over  the  head,  or 
canopy,  four  perforated  knobs,  and  two  others 
at  the  foot.  It  bears  the  date  "1700,"  and 
the  name  "  william  smith  "  on  one  side, 
and  "MARTHA  smith"  on  the  other;  and 
also  the  initials  of  the  couple.  On  the  back 
of  the  head  of  the  cradle  is  a  rude  representa- 
tion of  a  crowned  female  head.  Of  this 
cradle  M.  Solon,  in  whose  collection  it  is 
preserved,  says  :  "A  cradle  of  brown  clay  re- 
calls the  christening  festivities  in  families  of 
the  Midland  Counties  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  The  potter  has  always  taken  a 
pleasure    in    putting   his    best    work    upon 

presents  intended  for  his  friends In 

England,  on  the  occasion  of  the  birth  of  a 
first  child,  a  cradle  made  of  clay  or  precious 

material  was  presented  to  the  parents 

These  earthenware  cradles  were  worked  up 
in  the  plainest  fashion  ;  no  moulds  or  models 
were  required,  and  any  workman  could  make 
them.  Some  flattened  bats  joined  together 
sufficed  for  the  shape,  and  knobs,  rolled  in 
the  hands,  were  stuck  on  every  corner  by 
way  of  decoration.  Some  of  them  were 
afterwards  ornamented  with  an  inscription  or 
a  pattern  of  coloured  slip."  Another  example 
bears  the  name  of  "  william  simpson,"  and 
another  that  of  "  Joseph  glass." 

Others  (and  later  ones)  instead  of  being 


QUAINT  CONCEITS  IN  POTTERY. 


made  in  the  ordinary  brown  ware,  were 
formed  and  fashioned  in  a  far  more  finished 
and  workmanhke  manner,  in  Queen's  ware, 
or  other  descriptions  of  finer  pottery. 

Another  cradle,  whose  interest  is  greatly 
enhanced  by  the  fact  that  it  bears  the  name 
of  its  maker,  is  of  the  ordinary  common 
brown  clay,  covered  with  a  buff  slip,  and  the 
letters  and  ornaments  are  of  brown,  spotted 
with  white,  slip.  It  bears  on  one  side  the 
name  "  iohn  :  meir  3"  and  on  the  other,  in 
rudely  formed  letters,  "  made  this,"  while  at 
the  foot  is  the  date  "  1708."  The  head,  or 
canopy,  a  plain  arch,  is  reticulated,  and  at  the 
back  of  the  head  is  a  rudely  formed  female 


bands  of  semicircles,  in  slip,  as  are  the  letter- 
ing and  ornaments  of  the  upper  part.  It  has 
three  handles,  so  that,  as  a  "caudle-cup"  or 
"  gossips'  bowl,"  it  could,  "  like  the  tyg,"  be 
conveniently  handed  round. 

Caudle-cups  were  also  made  of  Delft 
ware,  more  or  less  richly  ornamented  with 
the  ordinary  blue  painting,  or  with  other 
colours.  An  example  in  my  own  collection 
has,  besides  its  two  handles,  a  spout  some- 
what like  that  of  a  teapot,  running  up  and 
attached  to  one  of  its  sides ;  thus  the 
"caudle"  could  be  poured  out  into  glasses 
or  other  little  vessels  for  imbibing. 

The  "  caudle  "  was  made  in  various  ways. 


FIG.    I. 


crowned  head.     The  footboard  is  curved  and 
serrated,  and  has  a  knob  at  each  end. 

Speaking  of  this  cradle  being  made  by 
John  Meir,  leads  me  to  the  next  part  of  my 
present  subject — that  of  the  "  Caudle-Cup," 
"  Wassail,"  or  "  Gossips'  Bowl,"  one  of  which 
(or  a  "  posset-pot ")  with  which  I  am  ac- 
quainted, bears  the  same  name,  "iohn  mier 
MADE  this  cup  1 72 1."  He  was  a  potter  in 
Derby,  and  other  named  examples  of  his 
make  are  in  existence,  as  also  others  of  the 
same  family,  notably  the  one  I  here  engrave, 
which  is  in  the  Liverpool  Museum.  (Fig.  2.) 
It  bears  the  name  "  richard  meir,"  the  letters 
being  divided  from  each  other  by  the  scrolled 
stems  of  the  conventional  flowers  composing 
the  upper  border.  The  belly,  or  bulged 
part,  is  richly  ornamented  in  lozenges  and 


but  in  each  case  must  have  been  marvellously 
good,  and  such  as  the  old  gossips  would 
thoroughly  enjoy.  Here  is  one  receipt  for 
its  making,  of  the  date  of  1664:  "Take 
muskedine  or  ale,  and  set  it  on  the  fire  to 
warm ;  then  boil  a  quart  of  cream  and  two 
or  three  whole  cloves ;  then  have  the  yolks 
of  three  or  four  eggs  dissolved  with  a  little 
cream ;  the  cream  being  well  boiled  with  the 
spices,  put  in  the  eggs  and  stir  them  well 
together;  then  have  sops  or  sippets  of  fine 
manchet  or  french  bread,  put  them  in  a 
bason,  and  pour  in  the  warm  wine,  with  some 
sugar  and  thick  cream  on  that ;  stick  it  with 
blanched  almonds  and  cast  on  cinnamon, 
ginger,  and  sugar,  or  wafers,  sugar  plate,  or 
comfits." 
The   "  Posset-pots "  of  early    days  were 


8 


QUAINT  CONCEITS  IN  POTTERY. 


somewhat    akin  to    the    Caudle-cups,   and,  and  is  of  remarkable  character,  having,  as 

indeed,  the  two  answered  the  same  purpose  I   have   stated    is    the  case  with   a   Delft- 

in  many  places.     An  example,  of  the  same  ware   caudle-cup,   a  spout   for   pouring   out 

period  as  the  caudle-cup  before   engraved,  the  posset,   at  its  side.      The  lower  part 


is  of  brown  ware,  elaborately  ornamented  in  or    *'  belly,"    is    somewhat    curious    in    its 

the  usual  way  with  slip,  and  bears  the  loyal  construction,    having    double    sides ;    it    is 

motto:  "god:  save:    the:  qveen  :  171 1."  ornamented   with   foliage   and    flowers,    the 

In  form  it,  and  others  of  this  earlier  period,  stems  being  simply  incised  and  the   leaves 


differ  a  little  from  those  of  later  date.  Of  these 
I  give,  as  examples,  two  engravings,  w^hich 
will  well  exhibit  these  forms.  One  of  these, 
(F"ig.  3)  dated   1700,  is  of  Nottingham  ware, 


and  flowers  perforated.  On  one  side  of  the 
upi^er  part  is  incised  the  Royal  Arms,  and  on 
the  other  is  the  name  of  the  worthy  for  whom 
it  was  made  : 


QUAINT  CONCEITS  IN  POTTERY. 


Samuel  Watkinson      Major  "\    y-»T..-  „t.„. 

^  Sarah  his  Wife      ^  MaJoressP  ^o^^'^i^'- 


Later  examples  of  "  posset-pots  "  —  and 
they  are  still  occasionally  made — retain,  with 
however  a  better  form  of  outline,  pretty  much 
the  old  shape,  and,  as  of  old,  generally  have 
the  names  of  the  parties  for  whom  they  were 
made  incised  or  impressed  into  the  clay. 
Here  is  a  late  Brampton  example  inscribedjand 


have  a  pottle  of  good  thick  sweet  cream,  boil 
it  with  good  store  of  whole  cinnamon,  and 
stir  it  continually  on  a  good  fire ;  then  strain 
the  eggs  with  a  little  raw  cream  ;  when  the 
cream  is  well  boiled  and  tasteth  of  the  spice, 
take  it  off  the  fire,  put  in  the  eggs,  and  stir 
them  well  in  the  cream,  being  pretty  thick, 
have  some  sack  in  a  posset-pot  or  deep  silver 
bason,  half  a  pound  of  double-refined  sugar, 
and  some  fine-grated  nutmeg,  warm  it  in  the 


r^i.-*' 


FIG.    4. 


bearing  the  date  i8ig.  (Fig.  4.)  These  will 
be  sufficient  to  show  their  general  form  and 
character.  Of  the  "Posset"  itself,  which 
they  were  intended  to  hold  and  dispense, 
I  give  the  following  receipt  of  the  date 
1664,  which  I  select  from  several  others 
which  I  possess.  It  will  serve  to  amuse  my 
readers,  and  show  them  in  what  good  things 
our  foremothers  and  forefathers  were  wont  to 
indulge.  It  is  as  follows :  "  To  make  a 
Posset.     Take  the  yolks  of  twenty  eggs,  then 


bason  and  pour  in  the  cream  and  eggs,  the 
cinnamon  being  taken  out,  pour  it  as  high  as 
you  can  hold  the  skillet,  let  it  spatter  in  the 
bason  to  make  it  froth ;  it  will  make  a  most 
excellent  posset ;  then  have  loaf-sugar  fine 
beaten,  and  strow  on  it  good  store.  To  the 
curd  you  may  add  some  fine-grated  manchet, 
some  claret  or  white  wine,  or  ale  only."  This 
rich  compound  I  commend  to  the  reader's 
attention. 


Cbe  jFolk^orc  of  a  H^ottfj 
lincolnsljire  tillage. 

By   Rev.    M.    G.   Watkins,    M.A. 

I  HOSTS,  witches,  and  warlocks  have 
reason  to  execrate  the  modern 
schoolmaster  more  than  even  the 
mediaeval  exorcist.  Thclatter  merely 
dispossessed  sundry  ill-disposed  ghosts  here 
and  there — ghosts  which  exceeded  the  bounds 


of  ordinary  forbearance  by  frightening  all 
who  went  down  a  certain  road,  or  roaring  so 
loud  that  the  whole  village  was  disturbed; 
but  the  public  elementary  school  and  the 
penny  newspaper  have  driven  all  ghostly 
visitants  bodily  out  of  Christendom.  Un- 
doubtedly village  life  has  thereby  lost  much 
of  its  picturesqueness.  In  many  parts  of  the 
country  where  not  even  a  haunted  house  re- 
mains, an  imaginative  person  may  well  specu- 
late whether  life  be  worth  living.     "  Tups  " 


lO 


THE  FOLK-LORE  OF  A  NORTH  LINCOLNSHIRE  VILLAGE. 


and  turnips  appear  to  possess  transcendent 
interest  to  farmers,  but  they  soon  become  as 
monotonous  to  ordinary  men  as  four-course 
husbandry.  It  is  another  sign  of  the  deca- 
dence of  country  hfe,  a  precursor  of  the  happy 
days  when  all  large  estates  shall  be  cut  up 
into  three-acre  holdings,  every  landlord  sum- 
marily dispossessed,  and  notice  to  quit  served 
even  on  the  fairies. 

Every  here  and  there  throughout  the 
country  it  fortunately  is  still  possible,  with  a 
little  research,  to  unearth  a  ghost  or  interview 
a  real  witch.  North  Lincolnshire  was  harried 
over  and  over  again  by  the  hordes  of  the 
North,  and  not  only  place  names  but  also 
patronymics,  personal  characteristics  and  tra- 
dition, show  that  they  made  settlements  in 
this  district.  It  might  have  been  expected, 
therefore,  that  much  of  their  grim  and  other- 
world  superstition  would  still  linger  in  this 
division  of  the  shire.  Nothing  of  the  sort 
really  occurs.  Puritan  earnestness,  eighteenth- 
century  lukewarmness,  and  modern  news- 
papers have  effectually  banished  it.  Not  a 
trace  of  sacredness  on  account  of  Lok's  de- 
vising the  death  of  Balder  by  means  of  the 
mistletoe  yet  lingers  round  that  plant.  It  is 
now  only  dear,  as  in  other  districts,  to  the 
amatory  customs  of  Christmas.  It  seems 
likely,  however,  that  the  taboo  pronounced 
upon  the  plant  in  northern  mythology  has 
kept  its  representation  out  of  our  churches. 
Five  miles  from  Great  Grimsby,  the  metropolis 
of  cod-fish,  lies  a  Wold  parish,  where  at  first 
sight  all  seems  very  dull  and  matter-of-fact, 
glamour  of  every  kind  having  long  faded 
into  the  light  of  common  day,  or  (still  more 
nauseously  modern)  of  paraffin.  But  a  little 
research  has  discovered  some  relics  of  Pa- 
ganism which  are  worth  putting  on  record. 
Even  at  Grimsby,  unlikely  as  it  would  seem 
among  its  multiform  varieties  of  dissent,  every 
Christmas  produces  a  genuine  survival  of 
pre-reformation  belief.  Children  parade  the 
streets  and  neighbouring  villages  bearing  a 
wax-doll,  laid  in  cotton-wool  inside  a  box,  and 
singing  carols.  This  is  nothing  else  than  the 
Bambino,  so  familiar  to  all  travellers  in  Italy, 
the  Child  who  was  "  wrapped  in  swaddling 
clothes  and  laid  in  a  manger ;"  and  they  who 
drop  pence  into  the  oyster-shell  held  out  by 
the  children,  unconsciously  act  over  again  the 
part  of  the  Wise  Men. 


The  utilitarian  character  of  the  district  will 
be  seen  from  a  remark  of  one  of  the  natives 
made  to  us :  "I  thinks  nowt  to  flowers ; 
there's  nowt  to  eat  in  'em."  How  truly  has 
the  Laureate  sketched  their  Philistinism  by 
putting  into  the  mouth  of  such  a  woman  in 
such  a  village ! 

"  'E  niver  knawd  nowt  but  boobks,  an'  boooks  as 
thou  knaws,  beant  nout !" 

And  how  expressive  in  its  inexpressiveness 
their  dialect  is,  may  be  gathered  from  a  single 
example:  "When  you're  coom  to  seventy, 
ye'll  think — what  now?"  Rustic  affairs  are 
ordered  better  at  present  than  in  the  last 
century,  when  Johnson  remarked  to  Boswell 
that  there  was  not  a  single  orchard  in  Lincoln- 
shire "  on  account  of  the  general  negligence 
of  the  county."  Let  us  hope  that  it  will  not 
sound  ill-omened  if  we  trust,  in  the  present 
season  of  depression,  that  there  will  be  no 
more  examples  of  the  sage's  "clergyman  of 
small  income,  who  brought  up  a  family  very 
respectably,  which  he  chiefly  fed  on  apple- 
dumplings." 

Turning  first  to  the  folk-lore  connected 
with  animals,  the  pig  bears  off  the  palm  in 
Lincolnshire  estimation.  Old  folk  in  our 
village  never  kill  a  pig  when  the  moon  is 
waning,  or  the  bacon  will  waste  when  put 
into  the  pot.  The  creature  should  always  be 
killed  as  the  moon  is  increasing,  then  the 
bacon  is  sure  to  swell.  It  is  but  neighbourly 
to  send  a  dish  of  pig's  fry  ("  pig-fare,"  as  the 
term  is)  to  a  friend;  but  the  dish  must  on  no 
account  be  washed  when  it  is  returned.  It 
must  be  left  soiled,  else  the  bacon  will  not 
cure.  So  with  "  beestlings  "  (the  milk  of  the 
first  three  milkings  after  a  cow  has  calved), 
the  pail  must  never  be  washed,  or  the  cow 
will  "go  dry."  Bees  of  course  are  fateful 
creatures ;  they  must  be  told  when  their 
master  dies,  or  they  will  soon  disappear.  As 
a  specimen  of  popular  natural  history,  we  may 
note  that  the  caterpillar  of  a  death's-head  moth 
was  brought  to  us  with  the  information  volun- 
teered that  it  would  turn  into  a  mole.  The 
mole  itself  is  firmly  believed  to  throw  up  its 
hills  every  three  hours.  The  badger  has  its 
legs  on  one  side  shorter  than  those  on  the 
other:  hence  it  runs  fastest  in  a  ploughed  field, 
where  it  can  have  one  set  of  legs  on  a  higher 
level  than  the  others  by  running  along  a 
furrow.     Shrews  and  hedgehogs  are  always  to 


THE  FOLK-LORE  OF  A  NORTH  LLNCOLNSHIRE  VILLAGE. 


II 


be  killed,  if  possible.  Vague,  unknown  powers 
of  mischief  are  theirs.  Toads,  frogs,  and  newts 
are  not  much  better ;  they  will  "  venom  "  a 
man  if  possible.  Cut  a  worm  in  half  with  a 
spade;  it  makes  no  difference  to  the  creature, 
after  a  few  days  the  bits  will  have  joined 
again.  Winter  thrushes  are  always  called 
"  Captain  Cook  thrushes ;"  why,  we  cannot 
divine.  It  is  very  unlucky  to  "  flit "  a  cat  (/>., 
take  it  with  you  when  you  move  in  the  general 
turn-out  of  Lincolnshire  on  old  May  Day, 
1 3th  May) ;  but  if  you  must  take  it  with  you, 
rub  its  paws  with  butter  in  the  new  house, 
and  it  will  surely  stay.  Better  still,  keep  it  a 
night  in  the  kitchen  oven  (cold,  of  course), 
and  then  it  will  never  think  of  quitting  its 
new  home.  If  bitten  by  a  fox,  you  will  cer- 
tainly die  within  seven  years. 

Watching  the  church  porch  on  the  Eve  of 
St.  Mark's  Day,  in  order  to  see  the  ghosts  of 
those  who  were  to  die  during  the  following 
year,  was  a  superstition  firmly  believed  in, 
though  few  dared  to  practise  it.  At  the 
neighbouring  church  of  Laceby,  it  is  upon 
record  that  a  curate  called  Vicars  and  a 
tailor  named  Hallywell,  after  "using  divers 
ceremonies,"  watched  on  the  mystic  eve. 
Vicars  fell  asleep,  when  his  companion  "  sees 
certain  shapes,  and  Vicars  amongst  them, 
who  died  in  y^  next  year.  This  sight  made 
Hallywell  so  aghast  that  he  looks  like  a 
Ghoast  ever  since.  The  number  of  those 
who  died,  whose  phantoms  Hallywell  saw, 
was,  I  take  it,  about  four-score."  An  old  lady 
used  to  talk  of  a  mysterious  phantom  like 
an  animal  of  deep  black  colour,  which  ap- 
l)eared  before  belated  travellers.  On  hearing 
that  we  had  been  attacked  at  midnight  by  a 
large  dog,  she  eagerly  inquired  :  "  Had  it  any 
white  about  it  ?"  and  when  we  assured  her  that 
it  had  a  white  chest,  she  exclaimed  in  thank- 
fulness :  "  Ah  !  then  it  was  not  the  shag-foal !" 
No  passing  bell  was  ever  rung  after  sunset. 
It  would  have  portended  the  direst  calamity. 
One  woman  in  a  fairly  respectable  position 
begged  seriously  for  a  piece  of  Communion 
money,  to  be  made  into  a  ring  to  keep  off" 
fits.  When  a  couple  was  being  married,  it 
was  firmly  believed  that  the  first  one  who 
knelt  when  being  blessed  would  die  first. 
Others  said,  the  first  who  should  eat  on 
reaching  home  would  assuredly  meet  this 
fate.     It  was  direfully  unlucky  to  keep  pea- 


cock feathers  in  a  house.  If  a  pigeon  flew 
to  the  window  of  the  room  where  a  sick 
person  lay,  it  was  a  certain  omen  of  death. 
Old  folks  remembered  getting  up  early  to  see 
the  sun  dance  on  Easter  morning.  The 
widow  of  a  man  who  was  killed  many  years 
ago  in  a  tavern  brawl,  told  us  that  before  she 
knew  of  his  death,  she  heard  his  ghost  come 
stamping  upstairs.  It  said,  **  I-.ie  still,  good 
bairn,"  to  her,  whereupon  she  covered  her 
head;  and  then  on  hearing  it  stamp  down- 
stairs again,  put  her  head  up  from  under  the 
bedclothes,  and  perceived  the  strongest  smell 
of  brimstone  she  ever  smelt. 

May  Day  was  the  village  saturnalia;  not 
May  I,  but  May  Day  by  Old  Style,  May  13. 
Within  the  last  twenty  years  we  have  heard 
in  the  village  public  shot  after  shot  being 
fired  behind  the  house  for  a  kettle  as  a 
prize,  while  peals  of  laughter  resounded 
through  the  still  spring  evening.  The  parish 
clerk  had  been  a  notable  shot  at  kettles  in 
his  day.  "  I  got  fifteen  kettles,"  he  told  us ; 
"  ten  years  running,  I  got  one.  There's  two  in 
North  America,  two  in  Australy,  and  one  at 
Legbourne.  We  kept  three  oursens,  and  sold 
the  rest.  I  won  a  couple  o'  Queen  metal 
teapots  too,  and  a  guinea  'at !"  Much  fight- 
ing, drinking,  and  dancing  went  on  at  these 
village  feasts  thirty  years  ago;  the  "lasses" 
ran  races  down  the  road  for  "gown-pieces," 
and  donkey-racing  was  popular.  The  regular 
prizes  for  a  donkey-race  were  :  ist,  a  bridle ; 
2nd,  a  pair  of  spurs ;  3rd,  a  jockey's  whip. 
A  powerful  farmer  of  the  parish  stopped  these 
varied  entertainments  because  in  a  wet  hay- 
time  the  men  would  not  work,  and  always 
stayed  off"  their  ordinary  labour  for  two  or 
three  days  drinking;  "and  a  gude  thing, 
too  !"  said  a  village  wife,  who  told  us  of  this 
suppression  of  the  gaieties.  Ten  years  before 
that  time  the  cock-pit  was  a  recognised  in- 
stitution in  the  village.  Worse  still,  the  pit 
was  dug  in  the  parson's  garden,  for  of  course 
in  those  days  he  was  non-resident !  "  Pan- 
cake Tuesday "  only  ranked  second  to  May 
Day  in  feasting  and  revelry.  A  "pancake 
bell"  sounded  from  some  churches.  Now 
all  these  jollities  have  disappeared,  and  life 
has  become  very  sombre.  Almost  the  only 
relaxation  now  comes  from  the  "lasses" 
going  home  to  see  their  mothers  for  a  fort- 
night in  May,  and  from  going  a-begging  on 


12 


THE  FOLK-LORE  OF  A  NORTH  LINCOLNSHIRE  VILLAGE. 


many  a 
portions, 
Yet  this 


St.  Thomas's  Day.  Then  all  the  old  (and 
many  of  the  young)  women  parade  through 
the  village,  and  call  at  all  the  substantial 
houses.  The  village  shop  perhaps  gives  them 
a  candle  apiece ;  one  farmer  gives  each  family 
a  stone  of  flour;  another  a  piece  of  meat; 
yet  a  third  brews  a  quantity  of  hot  elder- 
wine,  and  each  woman  has  a  glass  and  a 
piece  of  plum-cake.  All  well-to-do  people 
give  the  widows  a  shilling  each  ;  many  are 
badgered  into  sending  out  five  shillings,  or 
even  more,  for  the  troop  to  divide  as  they 
choose.  Then  ensues,  as  may  be  expected, 
quarrel.      The    masterful    obtain 

the  poor  and  the  weak  get  none. 

annual  "sportula"  of  Lincolnshire 
villages  is  much  looked  forward  to  and  en- 
joyed. 

Among  the  miscellaneous  superstitions  and 
folk-lore  of  our  village,  it  may  be  noted  that 
no  eggs  must  on  any  account  be  brought  into 
a  house  after  sunset.  An  old  lady,  lately 
dead,  would  "  call  her  boys  "  (forty  years  old) 
"finely,"  if  she  heard  them  sharpening  a 
knife  or  the  like  after  that  time  of  the  day. 
She  always  put  a  pinch  of  salt  into  the  churn 
to  keep  the  witches  out.  Whenever  a  baby 
made  its  first  visit,  it  was  necessary  to  give  it 
something  at  every  house  it  entered,  either  a 
penny,  an  egg,  a  piece  of  cake,  or  the  like. 
No  woman  at  a  wedding  ought  to  have  a  bit 
of  black  about  her.  Lasses  used  to  try  how 
many  years  it  would  be  before  they  were 
married,  thus :  at  the  first  new  moon  of  the 
year  their  eyes  were  bound  with  a  new  silk 
handkerchief,  which  had  never  been  washed. 
Then  they  were  led  out  into  the  garden,  and 
told  to  look  up  and  count  how  many  moons 
they  could  see.  If  they  saw  two,  three,  five, 
or  whatever  the  number  might  be,  so  many 
years  they  were  told  would  elapse  before 
marriage.  This  ceremony  always  gave  an 
occasion  for  lovers,  farm-servants,  and  the 
like,  it  may  be  noted,  to  swing  lanterns  and 
lamps  before  the  girls'  eyes,  and  could  not 
fail  to  create  much  fun.  In  a  thunderstorm 
it  was  needful  that  all  doors  should  be 
opened.  All  fires  were  not  caused  by  light- 
ning. It  was  well  known  that  a  stackyard 
was  consumed  some  forty  years  ago  by  two 
men  who  were  out  poaching.  The  one  was 
tipsy,  and  imperious  even  when  not  in  his 
cups.     So  that  when  he  pointed  the  gun  at 


his  comrade,  and  threatened  to  shoot  him 
unless  he  at  once  set  fire  to  a  farmer's  stacks, 
by  way  of  winding  up  their  evening's  amuse- 
ment with  a  bonfire,  the  man  thought  it  wiser 
to  comply.  The  "  first-foot "  belief  of  the 
Scotch  on  New  Year's  Day  does  not  come 
down  so  far  as  Lincolnshire,  but  we  knew  an 
old  farmer  and  his  niece  who  always  took 
care  on  that  day  to  be  the  first  to  leave  the 
house,  and  to  return  with  something  in  their 
hands — an  egg,  a  flower,  or  piece  of  holly.  A 
clergyman  on  the  Wolds,  who  possesses  a 
church  with  a  fine  echo,  has  created  his  own 
folk-lore  for  New  Year's  Day.  As  soon  as 
twelve  o'clock  has  brought  the  end  of  the  old 
year  he  leaves  his  study,  and  opening  the 
door  shouts  out  "  A  happy  New  Year  to  you  !" 
which  is  immediately  returned  by  the  echo ; 
it  being  what  Mark  Twain  calls,  in  his 
amusing  paper  on  the  subject,  a  seven- 
powered  echo. 

In  a  few  more  years  the  harmless  beliefs 
of  superstition  and  folk-lore  will  have  utterly 
died  out  in  North  Lincolnshire.  In  just  the 
same  manner  did  the  Orcades  and  Hama- 
dryades,  together  with  many  more  bright 
creatures  of  fancy,  disappear  from  Grecian 
mythology  as  the  study  of  wisdom  and  philo- 
sophy advanced.  Ere  long  there  will  be 
little  room  left  for  fancy  and  imagination  in 
England.  We  all  grow  more  matter-of-fact 
and  prosaic  year  by  year.  The  Golden  Year 
will  speedily  dawn  when  all  will  become 
virtuous  and  educated  on  compulsion,  a  con- 
tented race,  each  one  cultivating  his  own 
allotment,  and  milking  his  cow.  We  end 
abruptly,  overpowered  by  these  delights,  only 
asking  one  question.  Shall  we  all  then  be 
happy  ?  Does  spade-husbandry  and  reading 
good  books  seem  the  final  end  of  "  a  being 
breathing  thoughtful  breath  "  ?  Perhaps  some 
will  cherish  a  vague  longing,  amid  all  this 
social  progress,  for  the  dear  old  fairy-tales 
and  imaginative  beliefs  of  their  childhood. 


OLD  FULHAM  AND  PUTNEY  BRIDGE. 


»3 


flDlD  jFulfiam  anD  IPutnep  T5ritige. 

They  now  at  Putney  pass  the  wood-piled  bridge, 
On  either  side  an  ivied  church,  and  ridge 
Of  gentle  rising  hills,  bedecked  with  green, 
And  groves  apparent  made  for  beauty's  queen ; 
Here  Nature  lavished  all  her  stores  so  kind. 
To  please  the  fancy  or  to  charm  the  mind. 

EFORE  old  Fulham  Bridge,  or  as  it 
is  more  commonly  called,  Putney 
Bridge,  was  built  in  the  year  1728, 
the  ancient  ferry,  which  dated 
from  the  time  of  the  Conquest,  was  used  by 
all  persons  travelling  to  and  from  London  to 
the  west  of  England ;  consequently,  as  far 
back  as  the  sixteenth  century,  the  want  of  a 
bridge  at  this  part  of  the  Thames  was  greatly 
felt,  for  at  that  time  there  were  none  between 
those  of  London  and  Kingston. 

The  approach  to  the  ferry  at  Fulham  was 
on  the  site  of  the  draw-dock  on  the  east  side 
of  the  old  bridge,  and  that  of  Putney,  by  the 
opening  to  the  hythe,  still  existing,  in  the 
river  wall  at  the  lower  end  of  Brewhouse 
Lane,  which  lane  was  named  after  the 
brewery  hard  by,  where  traded,  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  fifteenth  and  early  part  of  the 
sixteenth  centuries,  the  ancestors  of  Oliver 
Cromwell.  Only  recently,  some  workmen, 
while  removing  some  waterpipes,  came  upon 
part  of  the  landing-stage  of  Fulham  Ferry,  the 
oak  planking  being  quite  black  and  perfectly 
sound. 

Fulham  was  originally  called  Foulhame, 
some  say  on  account  of  the  foul,  marshy 
nature  of  the  land,  others,  because  abundant 
water-fowl  found  a  home  in  the  marshes. 
The  name  given  by  the  Celts  to  Putney  was 
Pwtian  or  Putten,  and  by  the  Saxons  Putten- 
hythe,  after  the  hythe  above  mentioned.  And 
now,  in  a  few  short  months,  the  last  vestige 
of  the  old  timber  bridge  which  connected 
these  two  ancient  towns,  and  which,  since 
the  rebuilding  of  Kingston,  was  the  oldest 
spanning  of  the  Thames,  will  be  swept  away, 
giving  place  to  the  costly  granite  structure 
erected  by  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works. 

And  yet  the  old  bridge  is  not  the  first  that 
has  crossed  the  river  in  this  neighbourhood, 
for  Lord  Essex  constructed  one  of  boats 
early  in  November,  1642,  to  follow  King 
Charles  L,  who,  with  his  army,  was  quartered 
at  Kingston,  where  he  had  retreated  by 
crossing  Kingston  Bridge,  after  having  un- 


successfully stormed  some  earthworks  thrown 
up  by  the  Republican  forces  at  Parsons 
Green  in  Fulham. 

Memorable  Accidents,  of  Tuesday  the  15  th 
November,  1642,  thus  mentions  the  event : 

"  The  Lord-Generall  hath  caused  a  bridge 
to  be  built  upon  barges  and  lighters  over  the 
river  Thames,  between  Fulham  and  Putney, 
to  convey  his  army  and  artillery  over  into 
Surrey,  to  follow  the  King's  forces ;  and  he 
hath  ordered  that  forts  shall  be  erected  at 
each  end  thereof  to  guard  it;  but  for  the 
present,  the  seamen,  with  long  boats  and 
shallops,  full  of  ordinance  and  muskets,  lie 
there  upon  the  river  to  secure  it." 

This  bridge  crossed  from  Brewhouse 
Lane,  a  lane  leading  from  Parsons  Green, 
where  the  two  armies  met,  to  the  Thames,  to 
the  Putney  shore;  the  fort  there  remained 
intact  until  about  the  year  1845,  when  it  was 
removed,  and  was  situated  in  the  market- 
grounds  immediately  below  the  Cedars 
Estate. 

Putney  was  for  some  time  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Parliamentary  army,  councils 
being  held  in  the  parish  church,  the  mem- 
bers sitting  round  the  communion-table. 

Twenty-seven  years  later,  in  the  month  of 
April,  167 1,  a  Bill  for  building  a  bridge  over 
the  Thames  from  Fulham  to  Putney  was  in- 
troduced into  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
met  with  considerable  opposition.  {Vide 
Grey's  Debates^  vol.  i.,  pp.  4,  5.) 

Mr.  Jones,  the  member  for  London, 
argued  that  the  Bill  would  question  the  very 
being  of  London — that  next  to  pulling  down 
the  borough  of  Southwark  nothing  could  ruin 
it  more.  All  the  correspondence  westward 
for  fuel,  grain,  and  hay,  if  the  bridge  were 
built,  would  not  be  kept  up.  London  re- 
quired a  free  passage  at  all  times ;  and  if  a 
bridge,  why,  a  sculler  could  scarcely  pass  at 
low  water.  'Twould  alter  the  affairs  of  the 
watermen  to  the  King's  damage,  and  the 
nation's  cost. 

Sir  William  Thompson  said  it  would  make 
the  skirts  of  London  too  big  for  the  body. 
It  would  cause  sands  and  shelves,  affect  the 
navigation,  and  cause  ships  to  lie  as  low  as 
Greenwich. 

Mr.  Boscowan  remarked.  If  a  bridge  at 
Putney,  why  not  have  one  at  Lambeth? 
Neither  Middlesex  nor  London  required  it. 


14 


OLD  FULHAM  AND  PUTNEY  BRIDGE. 


Sir  John  Bennett  said  the  Corporation 
would  agree  to  it  if  thereby  they  were  secured 
from  another  bridge  at  Lambeth. 

The  Lord  Mayor  said  if  carts  went  over, 
the  City  must  be  destroyed.  He  heard  it 
was  to  be  of  timber,  which  would  hinder  the 
tide,  that  watermen  must  stay  till  it  rose. 
When  between  the  bridges  the  streams 
were  abated,  in  time  no  boat  would  pass, 
and  the  river  be  rendered  useless  for  naviga- 
tion. 

The  Bill  was  lost,  fifty-four  members  being 
for  and  sixty-seven  against  it. 

It  was  chiefly  through  the  exertions  of  Sir 
Robert  Walpole  that  the  bridge  was  ulti- 
mately built ;  indeed,  the  old  centre  lock, 
removed  in  1870  to  give  space  in  conse- 
quence of  increased  water  traffic,  was 
named  after  the  great  statesman. 

The  story  goes,  that  one  day  Sir  Robert, 
after  attending  the  King  at  Hampton  Court, 
was  returning  with  all  speed  to  Westminster, 
to  take  part  in  some  important  debate  in  the 
House — or  possibly  he  may  have  been  late 
for  dinner — when,  on  arriving  at  Putney,  he 
saw  the  ferry-barge  high  and  dry  on  the 
opposite  shore,  and  no  watermen  about.  It 
was  in  vain  he  and  his  servant  shouted  across 
the  river,  for  the  ferrymen  were  enjoying 
themselves  in  the  Swan  Tavern,  and  did  not 
care  to  leave  good  liquor  merely  to  ferry  over 
a  couple  of  horsemen.  So  there  and  then 
Sir  Robert  made  a  vow  that  a  bridge  should 
take  the  place  of  the  Fulham  and  Putney 
Ferr)'.  There  may  be  some  truth  in  the 
story ;  however,  it  was  almost  entirely  through 
Sir  Robert  Walpole's  influence  that  the  Act 
was  passed  in  the  12  Geo.  I.,  1726,  "for 
Building  a  Bridge  cross  the  River  Thames, 
from  the  Town  of  Fulham  in  the  County  of 
Middlesex  to  the  Town  of  Putney  in  the 
County  of  Surrey. ^^ 

When,  therefore,  the  broad-faced  and  very 
corpulent  cavalier,  with  legs  cased  in  jack- 
boots, as  Thackeray  in  his  lectures  on  "  The 
Four  Georges,"  describes  Sir  Robert, 
galloped  from  Arlington  Street  to  Richmond 
Lodge,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  14th  of  June, 
1727,  to  wake  a  little  red-faced  gentleman 
in  a  night-cap,  and  hail  him  as  His  Sacred 
Majesty  King  George  II.,  the  occupation  of 
the  ferryman  of  Fulham  and  Putney  was  as 
good  as  gone. 

In    his    paper    on   Old   Fulham   Bridge, 


read  before  the  London  and  Middlesex 
Archaeological  Society,  Mr.  J.  F.  Wadmore 
says  :  "  The  importance  in  which  the  matter 
was  thus  regarded  may  be  best  understood 
by  the  number  and  influence  of  the  illustrious 
list  of  noblemen  and  gentlemen  who  were 
appointed  Commissioners  to  carry  out  the 
Act.  Amongst  them  we  find  the  Lord  High 
Chancellor,  the  Lords  Privy  Seal,  Steward 
and  Chamberlain  for  the  time  being,  the 
Dukes  of  Somerset,  Richmond,  Bolton, 
Bedford,  and  Newcastle,  the  Earls  of 
Lincoln,  Peterborough,  Burlington,  Scar- 
borough, Grantham,  Godolphin,  and  Hert- 
ford, Lords  Viscount  Townshend,  St.  John, 
Falmouth,  Lord  Percy,  De  La  Warr,  Onslow, 
Walpole,  Lord  Viscount  Palmerston,  Lord 
Malpas,  Lords  William,  Henry,  and  Nassau 
Powlet,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer, 
Knights  of  the  Bath,  Baronets,  Knights, 
Judges,  officials,  and  a  large  number  of 
Honourables,  Right  Honourables,  and 
Esquires,  Members  of  Parliament,  and 
others,  to  the  number  of  not  less  than  no, 
including  the  Lord  Mayor  for  the  city  of 
London."* 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Commissioners 
was  held  at  the  old  Swan  Tavern,  before 
referred  to,  when  sixty-eight  noblemen  and 
gentlemen  attended.  This  tavern,  built  in 
the  reign  of  William  III.,  with  its  trim  tea- 
garden,  was  a  very  picturesque  specimen  of 
an  old  waterside  inn.  In  the  elaborate  iron- 
work which  supported  the  sign  was  wrought 
the  date  1698.  The  Fulham  Light  Infantry 
Volunteers,  raised  by  Captain  Meyrick  in 
1800,  used  to  parade  here,  and  mention  is 
made  of  the  Swan  by  Captain  Marryat  in 
Jacob  Faithful.  It  was  completely  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1871. 

Eight  designs  for  bridges  were  submitted 
to  the  Coanmissioners  "  appointed  for  the 
Building  of  the  Bridge,"  two  of  which,  one  of 
timber,  the  other  of  stone,  were  by  Mr. 
John  Price,  who  rebuilt  the  Church  of  St. 
Mary's,  Colchester,  and  the  Canons,  near 
Edgeware,  belonging  to  the  Duke  of 
Chandos.  The  other  competitors  were 
Captain  Perry;  Mr.  Thomas  Ripley,  who 
built   for  his   patron,    Sir   Robert   Walpole, 

*  See  Transactions  of  the  London  and  Middlesex 
Archceological  Society,  vol.  vi. 


OLD  FULHAM  AND  PUTNEY  BRIDGE. 


IS 


Houghton  Hall,  Norfolk,  the  Admiralty, 
Whitehall,  and  other  public  works ;  his 
name,  as  Mr.  Wadmore  reminds  us,  occurs 
more  than  once  in  Pope's  Essays : 

Who  builds  a  bridge  who  never  drove  a  pile, 
Should  Ripley  venture  all  the  world  would  smile. 

Again — 

Heaven  visits  with  a  taste  the  wealthy  fool, 
And  needs  no  rod,  but  Ripley  \vith  his  rule. 

There  were  also  Mr.  William  Halfpenny, 
the  author  of  Magnum  in  Parvo ;  or,  the 
Marrow  of  Architects ;  Mr.  Godson  ;  and  Sir 
Jacob  Ackworth,  the  designer  of  Old  King- 
ston, Chertsey,  Staines,  Datchet,  and  Windsor 
Bridges,  who  submitted  two  designs.  These 
were  all  to  be  of  timber.  The  whole  were 
referred  to  a  committee  for  consideration,  and 
by  the  advice  of  Sir  William  Osborne,  one  of 
Sir  Jacob  Ackworth's  was  selected.  ,The 
building  of  the  structure  was  entrusted  to  Mr. 
Thomas  Phillips,  carpenter  to  George  IH. 

It  was  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  interest 
taken  by  Mr.  Cheselden,  the  eminent 
surgeon  and  anatomist,  in  the  construction 
of  the  abutments  and  toll-houses,  which 
accounted  for  Faulkner,  in  his  History  of 
Fulham,  erroneously  stating  that  "the  plan 
of  the  bridge  was  drawn  by  Mr.  Cheselden, 
surgeon  of  Chelsea  Hospital,"  causing  a 
local  wit  of  the  time  to  remark  that  he  was 
the  right  man  to  construct  such  a  piece  of 
architecture,  as  it  had  so  many  wooden  legs. 

The  estimated  cost  for  building  the  bridge 
with  the  toll-houses  and  abutments  was 
;^ii,555  i6s.  8d. ;  but  the  total  cost,  in- 
cluding that  of  the  Bill,  approaches,  purchase 
of  the  ferry,  and  other  rights,  amounted  to 
;<^23,o84  14s.  id. 

For  their  interests  in  the  ferry  were  paid  : 

£    s.  d. 

To  the  most  noble  Sarah  Dutches 
dowager  of  Marlborough  Lady  of  ye 
Manor  of  Wimbledon — For  her  Graces 
Interest  in  y®  Ferry  from  Putney  to 
Fulham 0.364  10  6 

To  the  R'  Rev'',  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
London  Lord  of  y°  Manor  of  Fulham 
in  right  of  y"=  Church — For  his  Lord- 
ships Interests  in  y'=  Horse  Ferry  from 
Fulham  to  Putney     -        -        -         -    0.023    o  o 

The  right  that  the  Bishops  of  London  held 
under  the  ferry,  to  pass  free  of  toll  for  ever, 
was  reserved. 

The  celebrated    Sarah  was  for  eighteen 


years  Lady  of  the  Manor  of  Wimbledon  and 
Putney. 

According  to  Sir  Jacob  Ackworth's  plan, 
the  length  of  the  bridge  was  to  be  786  feet, 
and  the  width  24  feet,  with  a  clear  water-way 
of  700  feet,  with  twenty-six  openings  or  locks, 
and  there  were  to  be  "on  the  sides  of  the 
way  over  the  Bridge  Angular  Recesses  for 
the  Safeguard  and  Convenience  of  Foot- 
passengers  going  over  the  same." 

In  consequence  of  alterations  made  in 
1870  and  in  1872,  the  openings  were  reduced 
to  twenty-three,  but,  in  other  respects,  the 
structure  remained  to  the  last  according  to 
the  original  plan. 

The  bridge  was  eventually  opened  for  foot- 
passengers  on  the  14th  of  November,  1729, 
and  on  the  29th  for  all  traffic.  The  secretary, 
Mr.  Eden,  was  ordered,  at  a  meeting  at  the 
Lottery  Office  on  the  1 3th,  "  to  be  at  Fulham 
to-morrow  morning  at  9  of  the  Clock"  to 
put  the  tollmen  on  their  duty,  and  to  give 
notice  to  the  churchwardens  of  both  parishes 
to  warn  the  ferrymen  not  to  ply ;  "  and  that 
he  do  fix  a  Paper  at  each  end  of  the  Bridge 
giving  Public  Notice  of  the  Proceedings  of 
y^  Proprietors  this  Day  relating  to  this  Affair, 
and  that  he  do  Publish  in  y*  News-Papers  an 
Account  of  the  Toll  as  settled  by  Act  of 
Parliament." 

In  Fog's  Weekly  Journal  for  November  15, 
1729,  under  "Home  News,"  we  find  that 
"Several  Gentleman  have  allready  crossed 
over  the  Bridge  on  Horsback ;"  and  in  the 
same  journal  for  the  22nd  of  the  same 
month,  and  also  in  the  British  Gazetteer, 
"  Last  Friday  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince 
went  to  hunt  in  Richmond  Park,  and  on 
going  thither  and  returning  back  passed  over 
the  new  Bridge  between  Fulham  and  Putney, 
in  a  Coach  and  Six,  with  two  other  Coaches 
in  his  Retinue,  attended  by  his  guards,  which 
was  the  first  time  of  any  Coach  passing  over  the 
same.  And  His  Royal  Highness  was  pleased 
to  order  five  Guineas  for  the  workmen." 

Formerly  the  King  paid  ;^ioo  annually  for 
the  passage  of  himself  and  his  household 
over  the  bridge. 

Before  the  completion  of  the  toll-houses, 
the  proprietors  met  at  Will's  Coffee  House ; 
the  Lottery  Office,  Whitehall;  the  Devil 
Tavern,  Fleet  Street ;  the  White  Lyon,  and 
the  Bull  in  Putney — the  latter  is  still  standing  \ 


t6 


OLD  FULHAM  AND  PUTNEY  BRIDGE. 


and  in  Fulham,  at  the  Swan,  the  Queen's 
Head,  King's  Head,  and  King's  Arms. 

The  tollmen  were  provided  with  "hatts 
and  gowns,"  which  gowns  were  to  be  of  a 
"good  substantial  cloth  of  a  Deep  blue 
Colour,  and  lined  with  blue  Stuff  or  Sheloon." 
They  were  also  supplied  with  staves  with 
brass  or  copper  heads.  Bells,  too,  were 
ordered  to  be  hung  "  on  the  tops  of  the  toll- 
houses to  give  notice  of  any  disorder  that 
might  happen,  so  that  the  collectors  might 
go  to  the  assistance  of  each  other  as  there 
might  be  occasion."  Precautions  not  un- 
necessary, when  we  remember  that  over  the 
bridge  was  the  direct  road  to  Putney  Heath, 
(where  the  notorious  Jerry  Abershaw  was  gib- 
beted), and  Wimbledon  Common,  haunts  of 
the  highwayman  and  footpad. 

In  the  year  1751  the  old  custom  of  swear- 
ing the  clerks  and  tollmen  to  the  "  Fidelity 
of  their  Office  "  was  gone  through. 

One  or  two  items  taken  from  the  old 
account-books  may  prove  interesting : 

1733,  Jan.  5.  Subscribed  towards  y^  New      £    s.  d. 
Organ  that  has  been  lately  Erected  in 
Fulham  Church 10    o    o 

1749,  May.  Paid  at  3  times  Advertising 
the  Breakfast  at  Putney  Bowling-green 
House-        -        -        -        -        -        -060 

1749,  May.  Paid  at  Advertising  the  Prince's 

Plate  to  be  Row'd  for,  &c.    -         -         -023 
(This  appears  to  have  been  rowed  for 
annually). 

1749,  July  9.  Paid  for  taking  up  a  Buckett 
that  had  laid  2  years  in  y^  Thames,  and 

very  little  y^  wors         -         -         -         -006 

1750,  May  15.  Paid  towards  the  subscrip- 
tion of  Epsom  Races    -         -         -         -330 

1750,  May  15.  Paid  to  Toll  Men  to  Drink 
as  usual  in  the  Race  Week    -        -        -026 

1752,  April  13.    Gave  the   Toll    Men  to 

drink  being  the  First  £,\o  day       -         -010 

1752,  Aug.  9.  Paid  Expenses  at  Sending 
two  Irish  Fellows  to  Clerkenwell  New 
Jail  for  Assaulting  and  Beating  the  Toll 

Man  on  his  Duty  on  Sunday  the  9"'  July       0126 

1753,  April  23.  Paid  to  Advertising  a  Race 

on  Putney  Heath  -        -        -         -020 

1755,  Feb.  I.  Expenses  of  taking  2  Men 
before  Justice  Beaver,  &  Carrying  one  of 
them  to  Bridewell  that  knocked  James 
Merritt  down  &  otherwise  used  him 
very  ill 056 

1755,  Feb.  I.  Paid  the  Constable  for  his 
Trouble  in  y**  affair       ...  050 

I75S>  Feb.  8.  Paid  Justice  Beaver  at 
Swearing  self  and  Toll  Men,  and  his 
trouble  in  Comitting  one  of  the  Persons 
to  Bridewell  that  abused  the  toll  Men   -       050 

1755,    Dec.   31,     Gave    the  Two    Blind 

Fiddlers 010 


In  1735,  when  the  Bill  was  before  Parlia- 
ment for  the  proposed  new  bridge  at  West- 
minster, the  proprietors  became  much  alarmed 
that  it  would  seriously  interfere  with  their 
interests,  and  petitioned  the  House  to  that 
effect. 

At  a  meeting  on  the  3rd  of  March,  "  Mr. 
Conduit  comes  in  and  acquaints  the  Gen^ 
that  it  is  his  Opinion,  and  he  finds  it  also, 
upon  talking  with  Sir  Charles  Wager  and  Sir 
Robert  Walpole  and  other  gentlemen,  to  be 
their  Opinion,  that  wee  Should  on  occasion 
of  the  Bill  now  depending  in  Pari'"'  for  a 
Bridge  at  Westm'',  Petition  the  House  of 
Commons  for  their  regard  to  Our  property, 
and  for  easing  us  with  respect  to  the  rates 
and  Assem's  Imposed  by  the  Town  of  Putney 
and  Fulham,  and  thereupon  Mr.  Conduit 
read  a  draft  of  a  Petition  for  that  purpose, 
and  left  it  w^th  the  Gentlemen  to  consider 
and  alter  and  amend  as  they  should  think 
fit,  he  being  obliged  to  go  somewhere  else." 

Theodore  Hook  lived  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  at  Egmont  Villa,  near  the  bridge  at 
Fulham.  One  day  when  he  and  a  friend 
were  looking  at  the  bridge,  from  the  lawn 
which  ran  down  to  the  river,  the  latter  asked 
if  it  was  a  good  investment.  "  I  don't  know," 
said  Hook,  "  but  you  have  only  to  cross  it, 
and  you  are  sure  to  be  tolled^ 

In  days  gone  by,  the  bridge  was  a  favourite 
resort  of  the  lovers  of  the  gentle  craft,  and 
many  a  fishing  punt  has  been  made  fast  to 
the  old  oak  piles ;  but  of  late  years  the  rod 
and  line  have  not  been  seen,  except  when  old 
Honest  John  Phelps,  the  last  of  the  Fulham 
watermen,  has  occasionally  moored  his  boat  to 
one  of  the  locks,  and  now  and  again  hooked 
a  roach  or  dace.* 

Honest  John  will  tell  you  that  sometimes 
when  Hook  engaged  him  to  row  on  the  river, 
he,  Theodore,  would  provide  himself  with  a 
huge  horse-pistol,  and  suddenly  discharge  it 
when  passing  close  to  another  wherry,  parti- 
cularly if  it  carried  elderly  ladies. 

Hook  died  at  his  river-side  residence,  and 
was  buried  in  Fulham  churchyard. 

In  1877  the  doom  of  the  old  bridge  was 
sealed.  In  that  year  an  Act  was  passed, 
giving  power  to  the  Metropolitan  Board  of 
Works   to   purchase,    and   free   of  toll,    the 

*  The  Phelps  family  is  the  oldest  in  Fulham,  the 
name  first  appearing  in  the  parish  register  in  the  year 
1593- 


OLD  FULHAM  AND  PUTNEY  BRIDGE. 


17 


metropolitan  bridges,  and  to  rebuild  those  of 
Battersea,  Fulham,  and  Hammersmith.  On 
the  26th  of  June,  1880,  in  a  deluge  of  rain, 
his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales 
declared  the  old  bridge  free  of  toll  for  ever ; 
and  in  such  another  deluge  the  Prince,  on 
the  1 2th  of  July,  1884,  laid  the  stone  of  the 
new  one,  which  was  opened  by  his  Royal 
Highness  on  the  29th  of  May  of  this  year. 

When  Arthur  Onslow  took  the  chair  on 
the  26th  of  July,  1726,  at  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Commissioners,  two  resolutions  were 
passed  :  the  first  was  that  a  humble  petition 
to  his  Majesty  should  be  presented,  praying 
for  power  to  build  the  bridge ;  the  second 
was,  "That  such  a  bridge  be  built  as  may 
supply  the  present  exigency,  and  be  useful 
for  the  building  of  a  more  substantial  bridge, 
as  there  may  be  occasion."  And  now  in  the 
year  1886,  the  building  of  the  "substantial 
bridge  "  has  been  completed,  and  opened  to 
the  public,  and  the  tetnporary  old  wooden 
bridge  closed  for  all  time,  having  stood  for 
nearly  160  years  the  ravages  of  frosts,  time, 
and  tide,  remaining  a  sturdy  old  structure  to 
the  last. 

A.  Chasemore. 


a^unicipal  ©fiSces :  Carlisle- 

By  Richard  S.  Ferguson,  F.S.A. 


WO  things  should  be  kept  in  mind 
in  studying  the  municipal  history 
of  Carlisle.  First,  that  it  was  re- 
founded  by  the  Red  King,  when  it 
had  long  laid  waste,  as  a  military  post.  A 
military  post  it  always  remained  until  the 
union  of  the  two  kingdoms  under  one  crown  : 
it  then  fell  into  great  poverty ;  it  developed 
some  trade  at  the  end  of  the  last  century, 
and  finally  has  become  a  great  railway  centre. 
Second,  that  its  municipal  history  is  one  long 
and  most  interesting  struggle  for  supremacy 
between  the  democratic  trade  guilds,  eight  in 
number,  and  the  oligarchic  guild  mercatory 
or  corporation.  I  have  elsewhere  told  in 
print  some  of  its  most  exciting  episodes. 
Carlisle,  of  course,  had  its  struggle  with  the 
Crown  for  leave  to  manage  its  own  affairs. 
Carlisle  differs  from  Colchester,  whose  insti- 

VOL.    XIV. 


tutions,  Mr.  Round  hints,  may  have  a  con- 
tinuity with  Roman  ones.  Carlisle  is  cut  off 
by  a  waste  period  of  two  hundred  years  from 
any  continuity  with  Roman  institutions. 
Colchester's  name  is  Roman;  Carlisle's  is 
British. 

Equally  with  Mr.  Round  have  I  found  a 
difficulty  in  making  a  satisfactory  system  of 
arrangement  of  the  offices.  My  readers  must 
take  them  as  they  come  : 

(i)  Citizens. — In  the  Pipe  Roll  of  the  31 
Henry  I.  (5th  August,  1130,  to  4th  August, 
1 131)  is  the  following  entry  : 

Chaerleolium.  Hildredus  reddit  compotum  de 
XIIII  li.  &  XVI  s.  &  VI  d.  de  veteri  firma  de  Chaer- 
leolio  &  de  Maneriis  Regis.  Et  in  operibus  Civitatis 
de  Chaerleolio,  videlicet  in  Muro  circa  Civitatem 
faciendo  liberavit  XIIII  li.  &  XVI  s.  et  VI  d.  et 
quietus  est. 

In  the  Pipe  Roll  for  the  4  Henry  II. 
(19th  December,  1157,  to  i8th  December, 
1 158)  is  the  following  entry  : 

Et  idem  vicecomes  reddit  compotum  de  XX  li.  de 
dono  Ciuitatis  Cavleolii. 

And  in  the  Pipe  Roll  for  33  Henry  II.  (19th 
December,  1186,  to  i8th  December,  1187): 

Ciues  Carleolii  reddunt  compotum  de  LX  m  de 
Dono  suo. 

In  the  Chancery  Fine  Roll,  5  Henry  III. 
(28th  October,  1218,  to  27th  October,  12 19) 
is  the  writ  to  the  Sheriff  of  Cumberland,  in 
which  we  find  : 

Rex  &ct  Sciatis  quod  &ct  plenius  didicimus  quod  eo 
tempore  quo  Gives  nostri  Carleolii  habuerunt  Civi- 
tatem nostram  Carleolii  ad  firmam  &ct.* 

It  would  be  easy  to  multiply  instances  from 
the  Pipe  Rolls  of  Henry  II.,  Richard  I.,  and 
John,  and  from  other  documents  showing 
that  Carlisle  was  a  city  {civitas)  and  its  govern- 
ing body  citizens  {cives) :  all  the  charters  of 
Carlisle  from  the  lost  one  of  Henry  II. 
(recited  in  one  of  Henry  III.)  use  these 
terms,  and  in  all  of  them  up  to  the  Governing 
Charter  of  13  Charles  I.,  the  style  of  the 
Corporation  is  "  Mayor  and  Citizens  "  {Maior 
et  Cives).  That  charter  altered  it  to  "  Mayor, 
Aldermen,  Bailiffs  and  Citizens"  {Maior, 
Aldervianni,  Ballivi  et  Cives),  a  style  which 
we  even  now  much  prefer  to  that  imposed 

*  This  writ  gives  most  valuable  information  as  to 
the  early  municipal  history  of  Carlisle,  and  the  mills, 
fisheries,  and  tolls  which  the  citizens  held  of  the 

King. 


i8 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


upon    us    by    the   Municipal    Corporations 
Reform  Acts.* 
On  the  seal  of  Carlisle  is  the  legend  : 

S'   COMMVNIS  :   CIVIVM  :    KARLIOLENSIS.f 

Instances  of  this  exist  among  the  Corporation 
muniments  over  four  hundred  years  old.  It 
should  be  noticed  that  Carlisle  is  a  royal 
city  ;  Cives  nostri  and  civitatem  7iostram  in 
the  King's  writ  cited  above. 

(2)  Burgesses. — On  the  other  hand,  in  the 
same  Pipe  Rolls  of  Henry  II.,  Richard  I. 
and  John,  we  find  the  term  Burgum  and 
Burgcnses  applied  to  Carlisle,  thus,  5 
Henry  II.  (19th  December,  1158,  to  18th 
December,  1159) : 

Idem  vicecomes  reddit  compotum  de  LX  m  de 
dono  Burgi  de  Carleolii. 

And  in  the  6  Richard  I.,  1195,  we  find 
this  : 

In  Soltis,  per  breve  Regis  Ipsius  Vicecomiti  LII  li. 
pro  LII  li.  quas  Burgenses  de  Carleolio  comodaverant 
domino  Regi  ad  facienda  negocia  sua  de  firma  ejusdem 
Civitatis,  quam  ipsi  Burgenses  tenent  in  Capite  ad 
firmam  de  ipso  vicecomite. 

The  first  Bishop  of  Carlisle  was  appointed 
in  1 133  and  died  in  1155  :  from  that  date  to 
about  1220  the  see  was  either  vacant  or  held 
by  non-resident  foreign  ecclesiastics.  There 
thus  might  be  doubt  whether  Carlisle  was 
Burgiun  or  Civitas. 

(3)  Freemen, — The  terms  freemen  and 
citizens  seem  synonymous  :  the  latter  term 
being  used  in  the  charters,  which  were 
drafted  in  London;  the  former  in  documents, 
such  as  bye-laws,  both  of  city  and  guilds,  of 
home  manufacture.  The  right  to  the 
frelidge  has  been  the  subject  of  long  and 
exciting  contests,  culminating  in  the  famous 
Mushroom  Elections  at  Carlisle.  The  story, 
too  long  to  be  told  here,  is  given  in  my 
"M.P.'s  of  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland, 
1660-1867." 

(4)  OUTMEN. 

(5)  FORONERS. 

(6)  Scotchmen. — The  inhabitants  of  the 
British  islands,  who  were  not  freemen,  were 
divided  into  Outmen,  Foroners  and  Scotchmen, 

*  Section  6  of  the  Act  of  1835  seemed  to  reduce 
the  style  of  all  places,  cities  and  boroughs  alike,  to 
mayor,  aldermeti,  and  burgesses;  but  the  Act  of  1882 
allows  cities  to  use  mayor,  aldermen,  and  citizens. 

+  Among  the  placita  quo  warranto  20  Edward  I., 
is  one  of  great  local  importance,  versus  Majorem  et 
Cointmmitatem  Karleolii  (Mayor  and  Commonalty  of 
Carlisle). 


but  the  distinction  between  the  three  is  not 
clear.  Anyone  who  came  from  the  north 
side  of  the  Blackford,  which  is  only  four  miles 
north  of  Carlisle,  was  a  Scotchman,  and  as 
such  a  pariah  ;  he  was  not  allowed  to  tarry 
in  Carlisle  unknown  to  the  mayor,  to  walk 
about  at  night,  or  to  learn  or  practise  a  trade 
there.  Ouimefi  in  some  cases  meant  members 
of  the  guilds  who  resided  in  the  country  :  at 
other  times  it  seems  to  mean  persons  not  so 
connected  with  the  guilds,  but  residing  in 
the  vicinity.  Foroners  meant  all  other  people. 
The  dealings  of  Outmen  and  Foroners  in  the 
market  were  viewed  with  much  jealousy, 

(7)  Mayor. — The  first  mention  of  a 
mayor  of  Carlisle  is  in  a  Quo  Warranto  of 
20  Edward  I.,  1292,  which  is  directed  against 
the  mayor  and  commonalty  of  Carlisle.*  But 
a  subsequent  charter  of  Edward  II.,  in  1316, 
is  directed  to  the  citizens  without  any  mention 
of  the  mayor  at  all,  so  that  he  may  have  been 
a  mere  spontaneous  or  voluntary  creation  of 
the  citizens  which  the  Crown  did  not  recog- 
nise.! The  next  charter  which  mentions  a 
mayor  is  that  of  26  Edward  III.,  1353,  which 
recites,  among  other  things  (we  quote  from  a 
translation  made  for  the  purpose  of  a  trial 
about  the  fisheries  in  Eden)  that 

The  citizens  of  our  city  of  Carlisle  have  been 
accustomed  to  have  among  the  liberties  and  customs 
belonging  to  the  said  city  the  full  return  of  all  writs 
as  well  of  summons  of  the  Exchequer  as  of  all  other 
writs  whatsoever,  and  one  market  twice  in  every 
week,  that  is  to  say,  on  Wednesday  and  Saturday, 
and  a  fair  on  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption  of  the 
Blessed  Mary  in  every  year,  for  fifteen  days  next 
following  the  said  Feast.  And  a  free  guild  and  a 
free  election  of  their  mayor  and  bailiffs  within  the 
said  city,  and  two  coroners  amending  the  assize  of 
bread,  wine,  and  ale  broken  gallows  infangentheof ; 
and  also  to  hold  pleas  of  our  Crown,  and  to  do  and 
exercise  all  things  which  belong  to  the  office  of  sheriff 
and  coroner  in  the  city  aforesaid  ;  also  the  chattels 
of  felons  and  fugitives  condemned  in  the  aforesaid 
city,  and  to  be  quit  of  all  fines  and  amerciaments  of 
the  county  and  suits  of  the  county  and  wapentake. 

The  charter  goes  on  to  say  that  "the 
aforesaid  liberties  and  quittances  belonging 

*  Alan  de  Penington  is  said  to  have  been  Mayor  of 
Carlisle  in  1282  {Transactions  Cumberland  and  West- 
inoreland  ArchcEological  Society,  vol.  i.,  p.  94),  but  no 
authority  is  given  for  the  statement. 

t  The  earliest  charter  granted  to  Carlisle  was  by 
Henry  II.  It  was  burnt,  but  is  recited  in  a  charter 
of  Henry  III.,  which  confirms  to  the  citizens  of  Car- 
lisle the  liberties  and  customs  which  they  had  hitherto 
enjoyed,  and  it  grants  them  Gildam  mercatoriam 
liberam  ita  quod  nihil  inda  respondeant  aliquihus. 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


19 


to  the  said  city  they  have  had  from  time 
whereof  memory  is  not,"  i.e.^  by  prescription. 
Now,  legal  memory  begins  from  the  first  year 
of  King  Richard  I.,  or  1189,  and  we  may 
therefore  suppose  Carlisle  had  a  mayor, 
bailiffs,  and  coroners  at  that  time.  Probably 
they  had,  or  pretended  to  have;  but  they 
certainly  had  not  got  the  full  liberties  claimed 
in  this  charter  of  Edward  III.  (1353),  for  in 
1 195  they  are  negotiating  for  liberty,  ad 
facienda  sua  negotia,  to  do  their  own  busi- 
ness, as  told  before.  But  by  1353  they  had 
clearly  got,  and  had  had  for  some  time,  full 
liberty  to  "  do  their  own  business,"  and  that 
liberty  of  local  self-government  Carlisle  has 
retained  from  that  time  down  to  the  days  of 
the  Local  Government  Board. 

A  charter  of  the  9  Elizabeth  takes  the  form 
of  an  inspeximus  of  a  writing  with  schedule 
annexed,  made  by  the  commonalty  of  the 
city  of  Carlisle  under  the  common  seal. 
This  instrument  states  that  it  was  agreed  that 
the  government  of  the  city  should  be  by  the 
mayor,  with  eleven  worshipful  persons  of  the 
city.  That  the  mayor  should  not  do  any  act 
without  the  assent  of  the  majority  of  the 
eleven.  Also,  that  the  mayor  and  eleven 
should  choose  to  them  twenty-four  able  per- 
sons, and  that  the  thirty-six  should  choose 
the  mayor.  That  at  the  death  of  any  of  the 
thirty-six  they  should  fill  up  the  number. 
This  charter  contains  an  inspeximus  of  certain 
resolutions  of  the  corporation  in  the  nature 
of  bye-laws.  These  declare  that  the  officer 
shall  be  annual,  and  no  person  shall  be  re- 
elected to  the  same  office  for  the  space  of  three 
years  under  certain  penalties. 

The  governing  charter  13  Charles  I. 
vested  the  election  of  mayor  in  the  mayor, 
aldermen,  bailiffs,  and  twenty-four  capital 
citizens.  He  was  to  be  elected  from  the 
aldermen.  The  office  was  annual,  and  the 
election  was  to  be  on  the  Monday  next  after 
the  Feast  of  St.  Michael  the  Archangel 
(29th  September).  He  was  sworn  in,  and 
civic  rejoicings  took  place  on  the  day  of 
election.     The  mayor  got  a  yearly  fee. 

Item  that  the  Mayr  for  his  year  beynge  shall  have 
for  his  fee  viii.l  vi.s  viii.d  ;  for  wynne,  vi.l,  and  for 
apprentices  in  his  house  on  Saint  John  Evyn,  and 
Saint  Peter  Evyn  iii.l.* 


Dormont  Book  Constitutions  and  Rules,  1561. 


In  1573  the  law  was  altered,  and  he  was  to 
have  forty  marks  in  respect  of  all  charges. 
At   Martinmas   viii.l   vi.s   viii.d,   and  at  Lady   Day 
and  Pentecost  each  vi.l  xiii.s  iiii.d.* 

In  later  times  the  mayor's  fee  was  increased 
to  ;^2oo  a  year.  I  am  sorry  to  say  this  bye- 
law  is  now  obsolete.  The  distinguishing  mark 
of  the  Mayor  of  Carlisle  is  a  white  staff  or 
wand,  which  is  carried  to  this  day.  In  the 
journal  of  "  A  Captain,  Lieutenant,  and 
Ancient,  all  of  the  City  of  Norwich,"  in  the 
British  Museum,  the  following  quaint  passage 
relating  to  Carlisle  occurs  : 

It  makes  shifte  to  maintaine  a  Mayor  distinguished 
by  his  white  staffe  and  12  Aldermen  his  brethren, 
sans  cap  of  maintenance,  but  their  blew  bonnets 
which  they  are  as  proud  in  as  our  soutbome  citizens 
in  their  beavers. 

The  following  documents,  copies  of  which 
are  entered  in  one  of  the  corporation  muni- 
ment books  show  that  the  Crown  occa- 
sionally interfered  with  the  election  of  the 
chief  magistrate : 

28th  January  1564. 
A  submission  was  made  to  the  L  byshop  of  Carlisle, 

and Scrop  Deputie  warder  to  the  L.  Scrop,  by 

John  Sewell  John  Patenson  John  Robison  Roger 
Warwick  Robert  Key  Stephane  Dowglas  Thomas 
Dowdry  Edward  Sewell  with  others  for  a  rebellyon 
by  them  made  against  the  quene  ma'tie  commissioners 
and  the  mayr  and  counsell  of  the  citie  for  the  election 
of  the  mayor  for  the  which  rebellion  they  were  not 
only  committed  to  ward  by  the  comissioners  but 
also  submitted  them  selves  to  the  comyssioners  who 
tok  their  bound  to  appere  afore  the  quene's  ma'tie's 
counsale  at  York  where  upon  there  humble  submission 
there  to  them  maid  was  referred  over  to  mak  the  sub- 
mission abovesaid  in  the  cathedral  church  of  the  said 
citie  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people. 

It  is  a  very  odd  use  to  turn  the  cathedral  to. 
There  was  another  row  in  the  same  year,  or 
rebellion,  to  use  the  name  it  is  dignified 
with  : 

On  tuesday  after  Michelmas  anno  sexto  R.  Elira- 
bethe  a  submission  was  made  by  Robert  Dalton  and 
two  adhoerents  to  the  reverend  father  John  byshop  of 
Carlisle  George  Scrop  and  Richard  Lowther  Deputies 
to  the  L.  George  Scrop  for  the  rebellion  and  mys- 
deamours  of  the  said  Robert  Dalton  and  his  adhoe- 
rents against  the  said  reverend  father  and  others  above 
being  the  quenes  ma'ties  commissioners  for  the  election 
of  the  mairaltie  of  Carlell  whereas  the  s.iid  Robert 

Dalton  of  his  owne in  the  presents  aforesaid  and 

other  Injuries  of  the  quenes  ma'tie  peace and  did 

give  up  his  frelidge  of  the  said  citie. 

One  might  suppose  that  this  Mr.  Dalton 
would  be  done  for;  not  a  bit  of  it      He 


Ibid. 


c  2 


20 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


was  mayor  next  year,  and  the  next  part  of 
the  story  is  told  by  a  document  termed 
the  "  Charter  of  Disfranchisement,"  which  is 
thus  described  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Sheppard,  in  his 
report  to  the  Historical  MSS.  Commissioners: 

The  parchment  bearing  this  title  is  an  exemplifica- 
tion (or  authenticated  copy),  under  the  seal  of  the 
Exchequer,  of  a  petition  enrolled  in  the  8th  year  of 
Queen  Elizabeth.  In  it  the  Aldermen  and  some 
citizens  of  Carlisle  denounce  the  Mayor  of  that  city, 
Robert  Dalton.  They  assert  that  having  by  his  pro- 
digality dissipated  a  small  estate  left  him  by  his  father, 
and  having  never  learned  an  honest  profession,  he  has 
obtained  the  office  of  Mayor,  by  means  of  his  influ- 
ence with  the  most  debased  of  the  citizens,  and  that 
his  object  for  seeking  the  office  was  in  order  that  he 
might  get  possession  of  the  revenues,  amounting  to 
two  hundred  pounds  a  year. 

The  key  to  these  rows  would  be  an  attempt 
of  the  Queen  (through  the  Bishop  and  Lord 
Scroop)  to  nominate  the  mayor,  or  rather  to 
get  the  royal  nominee  elected  by  the  council. 
Once  a  party  had  got  the  majority  in  the 
council,  it  was  very  difficult  for  the  minority 
to  do  anything  else  but  kick  up  a  row  in  the 
street.  Then  the  Bishop  and  Lord  Warden 
arrested  the  rioters,  took  their  bail  to  present 
themselves  at  York;  from  thence  they  were  sent 
back  to  Carlisle  to  make  a  public  submission 
in  the  cathedral.  This  done,  the  chief  rebel 
or  rioter  becomes  the  new  mayor,  and  the 
new  minority  try  to  black  his  character  in  an 
election  petition,  for  the  "  Charter  of  Dis- 
franchisement "  is  nothing  more  or  less. 

The  report  of  the  Commissions  on  Muni- 
cipal Corporations,  1835,  writes  thus  of  the 
Mayor  of  Carlisle  : 

He  is  Chairman  of  the  City  Sessions.  He  pre- 
sides as  Judge  in  the  Court  of  Pleas.  He  presides  in 
the  Court  of  "  Pie  Poudre.''  He  is  returning  officer 
at  elections.  He  presides  at  the  council,  and  at  elec- 
tions of  officers.  He  is  Clerk  of  the  Market.  Pie  is, 
by  virtue  of  his  office,  a  Commissioner  under  the  two 
local  Acts,  the  Police  Act  and  the  Lighting  and  Pav- 
ing Act.  By  an  ancient  bye-law,  he  is  restricted  from 
selling  ale  and  beer.  His  salary  is  ;{^200  a  year. 
There  is  no  mansion-house  provided.  There  are  small 
fees  arising  to  him  from  the  City  Court,  amounting 
to  about  £/^  or  £^  annually.  He  is  expected  to  ex- 
ercise hospitality.  The  expenses  of  late  years  have 
been  within  the  income. 

Prior  to  the  union  of  the  two  kingdoms  of 
England  and  Scotland,  the  mayor  had  the 
duty  of  setting  the  watch  nightly.  One  of 
the  clauses  in  the  mayor's  oath  was  : 

Ye  shall  see  or  cause  to  be  sene  nyghtly  the 
watchyng  of  the  walles  of  this  citie  treuly  set,  serched 
and  kept  for  thonor  of  the  quenes  ma'tie,  the  savety  of 


her  subiects,  and  discharge  of  you  and  other  officers 
within  this  city.* 

(8)  Deputy  Mayor. — The  mayor  had  a 
deputy  who  is  mentioned  in  the  Constitutions 
and  Rules  of  1561,  but  not  in  the  Governing 
Charter  13  Charles  I.;  that  document,  indeed, 
expressly  requires  the  presence  of  the  mayor 
on  many  occasions  ;  but,  spite  of  this,  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  office  was  frequently 
held  by  a  non-resident  country  squire. 

(9)  The  Bailiffs  first  appear  in  the  writ 
of  Quo  Warranto  of  20  Edward  I.  It  is 
addressed  versus  Majorem  et  CommunUatem 
Karleolii,  and  the  defendants  answer  under 
that  style  Major  et  Communitas,  but  the  jury 
find  that  one  of  the  mills  in  question  in  the 
litigation, 

situm  est  infra   situm    castelli   Karleolii   ubi  Major 

&   Ballivi    Karleolii    nullum    officium f 

exercere  nee  solent  nisi  solum  modo  percipero 
theolonea. 

The  verdict  also  says,  that  one  of  the  mills 
which  had  been  destroyed  had  been  re- 
erected  by  the  Alaior  et  Convnunitas.  This 
distinction  seems  to  point  to  the  bailiffs  being 
mere  subordinate  executive  officials  to  the 
mayor  and  commonalty,  and  not  the  pre- 
decessors of  the  mayor,  as  at  Colchester. 

The  charter  of  26  Edward  III.  (cited  in 
the  translation  ante,  sub  voce  Mayor)  gives  to 
the  citizens 

liberam  Gildam  et  literam  eleccionem  majoris  et 
ballivorum  suorum  infra  dictam  civitatem  .... 
quodque  ballivi  ejusdem  civitatis  possunt  implacitare 
coram  se  breve  nostrum  de  recto  patens  et  breve  de 
recto  de  dote  secundum  consuetudinem  civitatis  prae- 
dictee. 

This  is  expressly  stated  to  be  an  ancient 
custom  and  privilege,  and  our  remarks  on 
the  antiquity  of  the  mayor  will  apply  to  the 
bailiffs ;  but  the  mayor  seems  at  Carlisle  to 
be  an  older  office  than  those  of  the  bailiffs. 

The  charter  of  Elizabeth  does  not  include 
the  bailiffs  in  the  governing  body,  and  they 
had  no  vote  in  the  election  of  mayor,  etc. ; 
but  the  governing  charter  of  13  Charles  I. 
first  incorporated  them  into  the  governing 
body.  Their  election  under  that  charter  was 
annual,  and  took  place  at  the  same  time  as 
the  election  of  mayor ;  they  were  to  be 
elected  from  the  citizens.  Though  they 
were  judges  of  the  civil  court  of  the  city, 
and  had  to  impanel  the  juries  in  criminal 

*  Dormont  Book  Constitutions  and  Rules,  1561. 

f  Obliterated. 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


cases,  they  came  to  be  persons  of  low  and 
inferior  station;  in  1835  o^^^  was  a  stable- 
keeper  of  inferior  description. 

They  ceased  to  be  appointed  after  the  Act 
of  1835,  but  have  recently  been  revived  for 
reasons  which  will  appear  under  the  next 
office. 

Their  duties  are  specified  in  their  oath, 
which  is  set  out  in  the  Elizabethan  bye-laws 
of  1561. 

THE  BALIFS  OTIIE. 
r.  Ye  slialbe  trew  officers    and   balifs  of   this  citie 
and    at    all   tymes  redye  to  serve   the   quenes 
ma''°   your    mayr    and    thare    lawfuU   comand- 
ments. 

2.  Ye  shall  impanell  in  your  enquests  betweene  partie 

and  partie  honeste  trew  and  indifferent  men  who 
wyll  discharge  thare  conchiance  of  all  such  things 
as  shalbe  coiiiitted  to  thare  charge  by  thadvice 
of  the  mayr  etc. 

3.  Ye  shall  suffer  noe  mayntenance  ne  embracerye  in 

the  court  nor  suffer  noe  officer  member  of  the 
court  to  use  any  partiallite  but  that  Justice  be 
trewly  and  indifferently  ministred  as  well  to  the 
pore  as  riche. 

4.  Ye  shall  se  or  cause  nyghtly  to  be  sene  set  and 

serchet  the  watchmen  upon  the  walles.^  And  if 
ye  fynd  ony  default  declare  it  to  the  maior. 

5.  Ye  shall  se  that  all  maner  of  vitelles  cumyngtothis 

market  be  gud  and  holesome  and  sold  at  a 
resonable  price. 

6.  Ye  shall  suffer  noe  forestallors  ne  regrators  to  be 

w"'  the  precinct  of  this  Citie  ne  the  liberties 
theref. 

7.  Ye  shall  to  thuttermost  of  your  power  mayntend 

and  defend  all  the  cities  inheritances  possessions 
rights  customes  and  dueties. 

8.  All  thes  poyntes  and  articles  &ct  as  in  thend  of  the 

mair  othe.* 

The  bailiffs  were  expected  to  wear  gowns, 
as  the  following  presentment  of  the  Court 
Leet  in  1649  shows  : 

We  order  that  the  present  bailiffs  of  this  Cittie 
shall  forthwith  provide  for  either  of  them  a  decent 
gown  for  the  Honnor  of  this  Cittie  sub  pena. 

What  with  war,  famine,  and  plague,  the 
years  from  1641  to  1648  were  terribly  dis- 
astrous to  Carlisle.     (See  sub  voce  Auditor.) 

(10)  The  Sheriff.— The  charter  of  26 
Edward  III.  (cited  from  the  translation  aiite) 
grants  to  the 

Mayor  and  within  the  said  city  ....  to  do  and 
exercise  all  thing  which  belong  to  the  office  of  sheriff 
.   .  in  the  city  aforesaid. 

This  charter  further  states  that  in  the 
23rd  year  of  Edward  III.  the  sheriff  of 
Cumberland,  Thomas  de  Lucy,  had  hindered 
the  citizens  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  liberties, 

*  Dormont  Book  Constitutions  and  Rules,  1561. 


and  it  therefore  confirms  and  grants  to  them 
all  their  liberties  as  of  old.  This  charter 
puts  the  rights  of  the  citizens  very  high. 
The  learned  town  clerk  of  Carlisle,  in  a 
report  to  the  corporation  made  in  1881, 
says  : 

It  appears  evident  that  under  the  above  charter  the 
city  was,  in  all  but  name,  a  county  of  itself,  being  per- 
fectly independent  of  the  county  and  all  county  juris- 
diction, having  its  own  bailiffs  to  execute  the  office  of 
sheriff,  and  its  own  coroners,  and  being  free  from  the 
payment  of  any  purvey  or  rate  to  the  county. 

Acting  upon  this  report  the  corporation,  in 
1882,  appointed  two  bailiffs,  and  asserted  that 
the  mayor  and  the  two  bailiffs  were  sheriffs 
of  Carlisle  ;  these  officials  proceeded  to  deal 
with  recognizances  forfeited  at  the  City 
Quarter  Sessions  and  claimed  by  the  High 
Sheriff  of  Cumberland,  and  succeeded  in 
making  good  their  claim  against  the  High 
Sheriff,  though  he  was  backed  up  by  the 
Home  Office. 

(11)  Coroners. — These  officers,  two  in 
number,  first  appear  in  the  charter  of  26 
Edward  III.  (the  passage  is  cited  before) ; 
they  were  then  ancient  officials. 

Under  the  governing  charter  they  were  to 
be  annually  elected  by  the  mayor,  aldermen, 
bailiffs,  and  twenty-four  capital  citizens  from 
the  citizens  on  the  same  day  as  the  mayor 
was  elected.  The  emoluments  were  small ; 
in  1835  these  offices  were  and  had  been 
held  by  artificers,  or  the  lower  class  of  free- 
men. 

The  coroners  ceased  to  be  appointed  in 
1835;  but  since  the  City  Quarter  Sessions 
were  revived  in  1874,  one  coroner  has  been 
appointed  for  the  city  under  the  Municipal 
Corporation  Reform  Acts. 

(12)  Aldermen. — These  do  not  appear 
in  the  charters  until  the  governing  charter 
of  13  Charles  I.,  nor  do  the  constitutions  and 
rules  of  1 56 1  contain  any  form  of  oath  for  an 
alderman  ;  but  the  mayor  and  eleven  worship- 
ful persons  of  the  city,  to  whom  the  charter 
of  9  Elizabeth  entrusts  the  government  of 
the  city,  seem  to  have  enjoyed  the  title,  as 
we  see  by  the  extract  from  the  journal  of 
the  captain,  lieutenant,  and  ancient  cited 
before. 

Under  the  governing  charter  the  aldermen 
held  office  until  death,  resignation,  or  re- 
moval. The  election  was  by  the  mayor  and 
a  majority  of  the  aldermen  from  the  citizens ; 


30 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:    CARLISLE. 


was  mayor  next  year,  and  the  next  part  of 
the  story  is  told  by  a  document  termed 
the  "  Charter  of  Disfranchisement,"  which  is 
thus  described  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Sheppard,  in  his 
report  to  the  Historical  MSS.  Commissioners : 

The  parchment  bearing  this  title  is  an  exemplifica- 
tion (or  authenticated  copy),  under  the  seal  of  the 
Exchequer,  of  a  petition  enrolled  in  the  8th  year  of 
Queen  Elizabeth.  In  it  the  Aldermen  and  some 
citizens  of  Carlisle  denounce  the  Mayor  of  that  city, 
Robert  Dalton.  They  assert  that  having  by  his  pro- 
digality dissipated  a  small  estate  left  him  by  his  father, 
and  having  never  learned  an  honest  profession,  he  has 
obtained  the  office  of  Mayor,  by  means  of  his  influ- 
ence with  the  most  debased  of  the  citizens,  and  that 
his  object  for  seeking  the  office  was  in  order  that  he 
might  get  possession  of  the  revenues,  amounting  to 
two  hundred  pounds  a  year. 

The  key  to  these  rows  would  be  an  attempt 
of  the  Queen  (through  the  Bishop  and  Lord 
Scroop)  to  nominate  the  mayor,  or  rather  to 
get  the  royal  nominee  elected  by  the  council. 
Once  a  party  had  got  the  majority  in  the 
council,  it  was  very  difficult  for  the  minority 
to  do  anything  else  but  kick  up  a  row  in  the 
street.  Then  the  Bishop  and  Lord  Warden 
arrested  the  rioters,  took  their  bail  to  present 
themselves  at  York;  from  thence  they  were  sent 
back  to  Carlisle  to  make  a  public  submission 
in  the  cathedral.  This  done,  the  chief  rebel 
or  rioter  becomes  the  new  mayor,  and  the 
new  minority  try  to  black  his  character  in  an 
election  petition,  for  the  "  Charter  of  Dis- 
franchisement "  is  nothing  more  or  less. 

The  report  of  the  Commissions  on  Muni- 
cipal Corporations,  1835,  writes  thus  of  the 
Mayor  of  Carlisle  : 

He  is  Chairman  of  the  City  Sessions.  He  pre- 
sides as  Judge  in  the  Court  of  Pleas.  He  presides  in 
the  Court  of  "  Pie  Poudre."  He  is  returning  officer 
at  elections.  He  presides  at  the  council,  and  at  elec- 
tions of  officers.  He  is  Clerk  of  the  Market.  He  is, 
by  virtue  of  his  office,  a  Commissioner  under  the  two 
local  Acts,  the  Police  Act  and  the  Lighting  and  Pav- 
ing Act.  By  an  ancient  bye-law,  he  is  restricted  from 
selling  ale  and  beer.  His  salary  is  ;[^200  a  year. 
There  is  no  mansion-house  provided.  There  are  small 
fees  arising  to  him  from  the  City  Court,  amounting 
to  about  £Sf  or  £i-^  annually.  He  is  expected  to  ex- 
ercise hospitality.  The  expenses  of  late  years  have 
been  within  the  income. 

Prior  to  the  union  of  the  two  kingdoms  of 
England  and  Scotland,  the  mayor  had  the 
duty  of  setting  the  watch  nightly.  One  of 
the  clauses  in  the  mayor's  oath  was  : 

Ye  shall  see  or  cause  to  be  sene  nyghtly  the 
watchyng  of  the  walles  of  this  citie  treuly  set,  serched 
and  kept  for  thonor  of  the  queues  ma'tie,  the  savety  of 


her  subiects,  and  discharge  of  you  and  other  ofiScers 
within  this  city,* 

(8)  Deputy  Mayor. — The  mayor  had  a 
deputy  who  is  mentioned  in  the  Constitutions 
and  Rules  of  1561,  but  not  in  the  Governing 
Charter  13  Charles  L;  that  document,  indeed, 
expressly  requires  the  presence  of  the  mayor 
on  many  occasions  ;  but,  spite  of  this,  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  office  was  frequently 
held  by  a  non-resident  country  squire. 

(9)  The  Bailiffs  first  appear  in  the  writ 
of  Quo  Warranto  of  20  Edward  L  It  is 
addressed  verstis  Majorem  et  CommunUatem 
Karleolii,  and  the  defendants  answer  under 
that  style  Major  et  Communitas,  but  the  jury 
find  that  one  of  the  mills  in  question  in  the 
litigation, 

situm  est  infra  situm  castelli  Karleolii  ubi  Major 
&  Ballivi  Karleolii  nullum  officium  .  .  .  .  .f 
exercere  nee  solent  nisi  solum  modo  percipero 
theolonea. 

The  verdict  also  says,  that  one  of  the  mills 
which  had  been  destroyed  had  been  re- 
erected  by  the  Maior  et  Communitas.  This 
distinction  seems  to  point  to  the  bailiffs  being 
mere  subordinate  executive  officials  to  the 
mayor  and  commonalty,  and  not  the  pre- 
decessors of  the  mayor,  as  at  Colchester. 

The  charter  of  26  Edward  IIL  (cited  in 
the  translation  ante,  sub  voce  Mayor)  gives  to 
the  citizens 

liberam  Gildam  et  literam  eleccionem  majoris  et 
ballivorum  suorum  infra  dictam  civitatem  •  .  •  • 
quodque  ballivi  ejusdem  civitatis  possunt  implacitare 
coram  se  breve  nostrum  de  recto  patens  et  breve  de 
recto  de  dote  secundum  consuetudinem  civitatis  prae- 
dictce. 

This  is  expressly  stated  to  be  an  ancient 
custom  and  privilege,  and  our  remarks  on 
the  antiquity  of  the  mayor  will  apply  to  the 
bailiffs ;  but  the  mayor  seems  at  Carlisle  to 
be  an  older  office  than  those  of  the  bailiffs. 

The  charter  of  Elizabeth  does  not  include 
the  bailiffs  in  the  governing  body,  and  they 
had  no  vote  in  the  election  of  mayor,  etc. ; 
but  the  governing  charter  of  13  Charles  I. 
first  incorporated  them  into  the  governing 
body.  Their  election  under  that  charter  was 
annual,  and  took  place  at  the  same  time  as 
the  election  of  mayor ;  they  were  to  be 
elected  from  the  citizens.  Though  they 
were  judges  of  the  civil  court  of  the  city, 
and  had  to  impanel  the  juries  in  criminal 

*  Dormont  Book  Constitutions  and  Rules,  1561. 

t  Obliterated. 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


21 


cases,  they  came  to  be  persons  of  low  and 
inferior  station ;  in  1835  o^^^  was  a  stable- 
keeper  of  inferior  description. 

They  ceased  to  be  appointed  after  the  Act 
of  1835,  but  have  recently  been  revived  for 
reasons  which  will  appear  under  the  next 
office. 

Their  duties  are  specified  in  their  oath, 
which  is  set  out  in  the  Elizabethan  bye-laws 
of  1561. 

THE  BALIFS  OTHE. 

1.  Ye  slialbe  trew  officers    and   balifs  of   this  citie 

and  at  all  tymes  redye  to  serve  the  quenes 
ma''°  your  mayr  and  thare  lawfull  comand- 
ments. 

2.  Ye  shall  impanell  in  your  enquests  betweene  partie 

and  partie  honeste  trew  and  indifferent  men  who 
wyll  discharge  thare  conchiance  of  all  such  things 
as  shalbe  comitted  to  thare  charge  by  thadvice 
of  the  mayr  etc. 

3.  Ye  shall  suffer  noe  mayntenance  ne  embracerye  in 

the  court  nor  suffer  noe  officer  member  of  the 
court  to  use  any  partiallite  but  that  Justice  be 
trewly  and  indifferently  ministred  as  well  to  the 
pore  as  riche. 

4.  Ye  shall  se  or  cause  nyghtly  to  be  sene  set  and 

serchet  the  watchmen  upon  the  walles.^  And  if 
ye  fynd  ony  default  declare  it  to  the  malor. 

5.  Ye  shall  se  that  all  maner  of  vitelles  cumyng  to  this 

market  be  gud  and  holesome  and  sold  at  a 
resonable  price. 

6.  Ye  shall  suffer  noe  forestallors  ne  regrators  to  be 

w"'  the  precinct  of  this  Citie  ne  the  liberties 
theref. 

7.  Ye  shall  to  thuttermost  of  your  power  mayntend 

and  defend  all  the  cities  inheritances  possessions 
rights  customes  and  dueties. 

8.  All  thes  poyntes  and  articles  &ct  as  in  thend  of  the 

mair  othe.* 

The  bailiffs  were  expected  to  wear  gowns, 
as  the  following  presentment  of  the  Court 
Leet  in  1649  shows  : 

We  order  that  the  present  bailiffs  of  this  Cittie 
shall  forthwith  provide  for  either  of  them  a  decent 
gown  for  the  Honnor  of  this  Cittie  sub  pena. 

What  with  war,  famine,  and  plague,  the 
years  from  1641  to  1648  were  terribly  dis- 
astrous to  Carlisle.     (See  sub  voce  Auditor.) 

(10)  The  Sheriff. — The  charter  of  26 
Edward  III.  (cited  from  the  translation  ajiie) 
grants  to  the 

Mayor  and  within  the  said  city  ....  to  do  and 
exercise  all  thing  which  belong  to  the  office  of  sheriff 
.  .  in  the  city  aforesaid. 

This  charter  further  states  that  in  the 
23rd  year  of  Edward  III.  the  sheriff  of 
Cumberland,  Thomas  de  Lucy,  had  hindered 
the  citizens  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  liberties, 

*  Dormont  Book  Constitutions  and  Rules,  1561. 


and  it  therefore  confirms  and  grants  to  them 
all  their  liberties  as  of  old.  This  charter 
puts  the  rights  of  the  citizens  very  high. 
The  learned  town  clerk  of  Carlisle,  in  a 
report  to  the  corporation  made  in  188 1, 
says  : 

It  appears  evident  that  under  the  above  charter  the 
city  was,  in  all  but  name,  a  county  of  itself,  being  per- 
fectly independent  of  the  county  and  all  county  juris- 
diction, having  its  own  bailiffs  to  execute  the  office  of 
sheriff,  and  its  own  coroners,  and  being  free  from  the 
payment  of  any  purvey  or  rate  to  the  county. 

Acting  upon  this  report  the  corporation,  in 
1882,  appointed  two  bailiffs,  and  asserted  that 
the  mayor  and  the  two  bailiffs  were  sheriffs 
of  Carlisle  ;  these  officials  proceeded  to  deal 
with  recognizances  forfeited  at  the  City 
Quarter  Sessions  and  claimed  by  the  High 
Sheriff  of  Cumberland,  and  succeeded  in 
making  good  their  claim  against  the  High 
Sheriff,  though  he  was  backed  up  by  the 
Home  Office. 

(11)  Coroners. — These  officers,  two  in 
number,  first  appear  in  the  charter  of  26 
Edward  III.  (the  passage  is  cited  before); 
they  were  then  ancient  officials. 

Under  the  governing  charter  they  were  to 
be  annually  elected  by  the  mayor,  aldermen, 
bailiffs,  and  twenty-four  capital  citizens  from 
the  citizens  on  the  same  day  as  the  mayor 
was  elected.  The  emoluments  were  small ; 
in  1835  these  offices  were  and  had  been 
held  by  artificers,  or  the  lower  class  of  free- 
men. 

The  coroners  ceased  to  be  appointed  in 
1835;  but  since  the  City  Quarter  Sessions 
were  revived  in  1874,  one  coroner  has  been 
appointed  for  the  city  under  the  Municipal 
Corporation  Reform  Acts. 

(12)  Aldermen. — These  do  not  appear 
in  the  charters  until  the  governing  charter 
of  13  Charles  I.,  nor  do  the  constitutions  and 
rules  of  1 56 1  contain  any  form  of  oath  for  an 
alderman  ;  but  the  mayor  and  eleven  worship- 
ful persons  of  the  city,  to  whom  the  charter 
of  9  Elizabeth  entrusts  the  government  of 
the  city,  seem  to  have  enjoyed  the  title,  as 
we  see  by  the  extract  from  the  journal  of 
the  captain,  lieutenant,  and  ancient  cited 
before. 

Under  the  governing  charter  the  aldermen 
held  office  until  death,  resignation,  or  re- 
moval. The  election  was  by  the  mayor  and 
a  majority  of  the  aldermen  from  the  citizens ; 


24 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


1596,  which  offered  considerable  difficulty  to 
the  student  before  the  discovery  of  the  fact 
that  on  this  spot  had  been  the  headquarters 
of  the  Revels  since  the  time  of  Henry  VIII. 

James  Burbage  opened  the  Theatre  in 
Shoreditch  in  1576,  the  neighbouring  Curtain 
in  the  following  year,  and  we  have  seen  in 
our  article  on  these  playhouses  how  the 
drama  flourished  when  it  was  no  longer  peri- 
patetic, but  had  a  local  habitation.  Doubtless 
it  was  the  dramatic  associations  of  Blackfriars 
in  the  first  place  which  led  Burbage  to  con- 
template erecting  another  playhouse  there. 
The  hostility  displayed  by  the  city  authori- 
ties towards  the  drama  was  doubtless  another 
consideration,  for  the  Blackfriars  was  in  the 
Liberties,  just  without  their  jurisdiction. 
There  is  a  personal  interest  in  the  possibility 
of  a  further  element  in  Burbage's  motive. 
That  rivalry  which  had  been  steadily  in- 
creasing between  the  Burbages  and  Alleyn 
may  have  led  them  to  the  spot  where  Alleyn 
held  considerable  property,  and  where  pro- 
bably he  might  himself  design  to  erect  a  play- 
house. As  afterwards  the  Burbages  trans- 
ferred the  Theatre  from  Shoreditch  to  the 
Bankside,  where  Alleyn  and  Henslowe  held 
profitable  interests,  so  the  desire  for  reprisal 
may  have  been  active  in  the  minds  of  the 
Burbages  in  1596. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  construction  of 
Blackfriars  Theatre  is  derived  from  the  Deed 
of  Feoffment,  dated  4th  February,  1596,  from 
Sir  William  More,  of  Loseley,  co.  Surrey,  con- 
veying the  premises  to  James  Burbage.* 
This  document  had  been  printed  by  Mr. 
Halliwell-Phillipps  before  the  Report  on 
the  Loseley  MSS.  was  pubUshed.  It  has 
been  quoted  as  if  only  a  part  of  the 
premises  was  converted  into  a  playhouse, 
viz.,  "  the  seaven  greate  upper  romes," 
whereas  mention  of  these  occurs  only  in  a 
long  and  tedious  enumeration  of  all  the  rooms 
in  the  building.  Apparently  a  yard  lay 
between  the  house  and  the  Pipe  Office,  for 
the  "payre  of  wyndinge  stayres  with  the 
stayre  case  thereunto  belonginge,"  leading  to 
the  upper  rooms  "  out  of  the  greate  yard  there 
which  doth  lye  nexte  unto  the  Pype  Office," 
are  conveyed  to  Burbage  by  the  deed.  The 
premises  are  described  as  "  beinge  within  the 
precincte  of  the  late  Blackfryers  Preachers 

*  Signed  "  James  Burbadge,"  but  we  have  followed 
the  usual  spelling,  "Burbage." 


nere  Ludgate,  in  London."  The  conveyance 
gives  "free  and  quiett  Ingres,  egress,  and 
regress  to  and  from  the  streete  or  way  leading 
from  Ludgate  unto  the  Thamys  over,  uppon, 
and  thoroughe  the  same  greate  yard  next  the 
said  Pipe  Office  by  the  wayes  nowe  thereunto 
used."  The  deed  also  recites  the  previous 
ownership  of  the  property,  from  the  time  of 
the  gift  and  grant  of  it  to  Sir  Thomas  Cawar- 
den,  which  was  made  4  Edward  VI.* 

There  is  probably  some  significance  in  the 
fact  that  several  nobles  resided  at  Blackfriars. 
Neighbouring  the  house  purchased  by  Bur- 
bage were  the  houses  of  the  Earl  of  Sussex, 
Lord  Hunsdon,  and  Lord  Cobham.  Bur- 
bage designed  his  new  theatre  as  a  "private" 
house,  and  the  audiences  at  Blackfriars  ap- 
pear to  have  been  more  aristocratic  than  at 
the  other  playhouses.  Various  allusions 
which  transpire  in  the  present  article  will 
indicate  this  fact.  Here,  at  Blackfriars,  the 
Revel  players  had  been  wont  to  prepare  en- 
tertainments for  the  festivities  of  the  Court 
and  of  the  noble  families ;  hence  the  appro- 
priateness of  establishing  a  private  theatre 
on  this  spot,  when  the  companies  of  players 
attained  independence  under  the  patronage 
of  the  public  at  large.  The  opening  of 
Burbadge's  theatre  indicates  the  hold  of  the 
Elizabethan  dramatists  upon  all  classes  of 
the  community.  The  perfection  attained  in 
dramatic  representation  caused  impatience 
with  the  more  or  less  improvised  conditions 
under  which  the  players  inevitably  worked 
when  producing  plays  in  the  mansions  of  the 
nobility,  and  when  Burbage  started  his  "pri- 
vate" house,  where  plays  could  be  adequately 
presented  without  the  noise  and  other  dis- 
agreeable associations  of  the  "  common  play- 
houses," he  inaugurated  what  proved  to  be  a 
great  success. 

Not  only  did  the  wealthy  and  the  powerful 
dwell  in  the  vicinity  of  Blackfriars,  but  here 
also  art  and  literature  had  their  abode.  Isaac 
Oliver,  the  miniature  painter ;  Ben  Jonson, 
who  dates  his  dedication  of  Volpone  "from 
my  house  in  the  Blackfriars  ;"  and,  later  on, 
Sir  Anthony  Van  Dyck,  from  his  settlement 
in  England  in  1632,  till  his  death  in  1641  ;t 

"'  J.  O.  Halliwell-Phillipps,  Outlines  of  the  Life  of 
Shakespeare  (18S3),  p.  511.  Cunningham  says 
3  Edward  VI,     See  ante, 

t  In  a  certificate  of  strangers  dwelling  in  the 
precinct  of  Blackfriars,  Dec.  23,  1635,  the  number  of 
French  is  stated  at  212  ;  that  of  the  Dutch  at  128. 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


25 


and  Cornelius  Jensen  the  painter — these  were 
among  the  inhabitants  of  the  precincts.  There 
were  also  many  Puritans,  and  they  regarded 
the  proposed  setting-up  of  a  playhouse  in 
their  midst  with  a  sort  of  wild  alarm.  They 
appear  generally  to  have  followed  the  trade 
of  feather-making,  and  naturally  their  best 
customers  were  among  the  ungodly  fre- 
quenters of  the  theatre.  This  inconsistency 
was  not  likely  to  escape  the  satire  of  the 
dramatists.  In  Randolph's  Musei  Looking- 
Glass  (4to.,  1638)  we  read  : 

"  Mrs.  Flowerdew. 
"  Indeed  it  sometimes  pricks  my  conscience, 
I  come  to  sell  'em  pins  and  looking-glasses. 

"Bird. 
"  I  have  their  custom,  too,  for  all  their  feathers  : 
*Tis  fit  that  we,  which  are  sincere  professors. 
Should  gain  by  infidels." 

And  in  Bartholomew  Fair  Rabbi  Busy  is 
taunted  with  the  feather-makers  in  the  Friars. 
While  noting  the  inhabitants  of  the  precinct, 
we  must  not  omit  mentioning  that  the  King's 
printing-house  stood  here.  Standing  to-day 
in  Playhouse  Yard,  in  view  of  the  Times 
printing  and  publishing  office,  one  recalls  this 
fact  with  a  sense  of  significance.  There  is  a 
reference  to  the  King's  printing-house  in  the 
State  Papers : — 

"[1635?]  Petition  of  Edward  Manestie,  M.  A. , 
Chaplain  to  the  late  Bishop  Lindsell,  of 
Hereford,  and  of  Thomas  Bird,  M.A.,  Clerk, 
lately  the  King's  servant  in  the  Isle  of  Rhe, 
and  then  corrector  of  the  King's  printing 
house  in  Blackfriars  to  the  King." — Caletidar, 

1635-6,  p.  75- 

Burbage's  enterprise  was  assailed  by  a 
petition  to  the  Privy  Council,  "  from  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Blackfriars,"  which  doubt- 
less arose  from  the  Puritan  element  among 
them.  This  valuable  document  is  given  in 
full  by  Mr.  Halliwell-Phillipps.*  We  extract 
the  following : 

"Whereas  one  Burbage  hath  lately  bought 
certaine  romes  .  .  .  neere  adjoyning  unto 
the  dwelling  houses  of  the  right  honorable 
the  Lord  Chambcrlaine  and  the  Lord  of 
Hunsdon,  which  rooms  the  said  Burbage  is 
now  altering   and   meaneth   very  shortly  to 

Among  the  latter  is  "  Sir  Anthony  Vandyke,  2  years, 
6  servants,  from  Linmer." — Calendar  0/  State  Papers, 
p.  592. 
*  Outlines,  p.  522. 


convert  and  turne  the  same  into  a  comon 
playhouse,  which  will  grow  to  be  a  very  great 
annoyance  and  trouble,  not  only  to  all  the 
noblemen  and  gentlemen  thereabout  inhabit- 
ing, but  allso  a  generall  inconvenience  to  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  same  precinct,  both  by 
reason  of  the  great  resort  and  gathering  to- 
geather  of  all  manner  of  vagrant  and  lewde 
persons,  that,  under  cuUor  of  resorting  to  the 
playes,  will  come  thither  and  worke  all  manner 
of  mischeefe,  and  also  to  the  greate  pestring 
and  filling  up  of  the  same  precinct,  yf  it 
should  please  God  to  send  any  visitation  of 
sicknesse  as  heretofore  hath  been;  for  that 
the  same  precinct  is  allready  growne  very 
populous,  and  besides  that  the  Playhouse  is 
so  neere  the  Church,  that  the  noyse  of  the 
drummes  and  trumpetts  will  greatly  disturbe 
and  hinder  both  the  minister  and  parishioners 
in  tyme  of  Devine  service  and  sermons  ;  in 
tender  consideracion  whereof,  as  allso  for 
that  there  hath  not  at  any  tyme  heretofore 
been  used  any  comon  playhouse  within  the 
same  precinct,  but  that  now  all  players  being 
banished  by  the  Lord  Mayor  from  playing 
within  the  Citie  by  reason  of  the  great  incon- 
veniences and  ill  rule  that  followeth  them, 
they  now  thinke  to  plant  themselves  in 
liberties,"  etc. 

Connected  with  this  petition  there  is  a 
curious  blunder  of  Collier's,  and  a  still  more 
curious  forgery  among  the  State  Papers. 
Collier,  by  some  strange  inadvertence,  prints 
the  document  under  date  1576,  and  all 
through  treats  of  the  Blackfriars  Theatre  as 
having  been  established  twenty  years  before 
its  actual  date,  1596.*  The  forgery  alluded 
to  is  an  alleged  counter-petition  from  the 
players  to  the  above  petition  of  the  Black- 
friars inhabitants.t  In  this  document,  which 
is  dated  1596,  the  players  are  made  to  say 
that  they  "  should  be  ruined  if  they  could 
not  use  Blackfriars  for  their  winter  perform- 
ances, as  they  can  only  use  their  new-built 
house  on  the  Bankside  called  the  Globe  in 
the  summer  season."  Now,  we  know  that 
the  Globe  was  not  constructed  till  the  close 
of  the  year  1598,  or  the  beginning  of  1599, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  document  is 
spurious.     Annexed  to  the  petition,  a  note 

*  History  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  i.  218-219. 
f  Caletidar  of  State  Papers,  Donustic  Series,  1595- 
1597.  P-  310. 


26 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


in  the  Calendar  X.^^^  us,  is  another  document, 
recording  the  unanimous  verdict  of  all  the 
best  official  and  skilled  opinion  of  the  year 
i860,  that  this  supposed  petition  from  the 
players  is  a  forgery.  The  cruelty  perpetrated 
by  such  forgeries  is  seen  in  Collier's  work. 
He  repeats  his  erroneous  statement,  that  the 
Blackfriars  Theatre  was  built  "about  1574-76,"* 
and  treats  the  petition  from  the  inhabitants 
to  the  Council  in  1596  as  if  it  referred  to 
a  reconstruction  of  the  theatre.  He  then 
introduces  the  spurious  counter-petition  from 
the  players,  with  the  highest  appreciation, 
dwells  lovingly  on  the  fact  that  Shakespeare 
is  among  the  petitioners,  and  speculates  upon 
the  significance  of  his  name  appearing  fifth 
in  the  enumeration.  It  is  now  very  generally 
known  in  how  many  cases  Collier  was  the 
victim  of  such  impudent  fabrications.  That 
low-minded  and  cynical  and  mercenary 
people,  incapable  of  understanding  the 
scholar's  lofty  devotion  and  noble  enthusiasm, 
should  have  thus  vitiated  his  work  and  marred 
the  results  of  his  lifelong  study,  is  no  other 
than  a  stigma  upon  human  nature,  painfully 
illustrating  the  inequality  of  human  endow- 
ments and  the  dread  power  of  the  weak  over 
the  strong. 

As  a  sequel  to  the  above  forgery,  there  is 
among  the  Dulwich  muniments  a  spurious 
order  of  the  Council  that  the  players'  petition 
be  granted.  This  precious  document  is  ad- 
dressed to  Henslowe,  who,  with  Alleyn, 
stood  in  a  position  of  rivalry  to  the  Burbages. 
It  is  as  follows  : 

"  Mr.  Hinslowe — This  is  to  informe  you 
that  my  Mr.  the  Maister  of  the  Revelles, 
hath  rec.  from  the  LI.  of  the  Counsell  order 
that  the  L.  Chamberlens  servauntes  shall  not 
be  distourbed  at  the  Blackefryars  according 
with  their  petition  in  that  behalfe  ;  but  leave 
shall  be  given  unto  theym  to  make  good  the 
decaye  of  the  said  House,  butt  not  to  make 
the  same  larger  then  in  former  tyme  hath 
bene.  From  the  office  of  the  Revelles  this 
3  of  Maie,  1596. 

"RiC.  VEALE."t 

Small  wonder  that  Collier  came  to  grief 
among  such  quicksands.  The  fact  that  be- 
fore   the    date    of   Burbage's    theatre    the 

*  History  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  i.  287. 
t  See  Duhvich  Catalogue,  where  this  document  is 
declared  to  be  a  forgery. 


Blackfriars  precinct  had  been  the  head- 
quarters of  the  drama  was  as  a  hot-bed  to 
such  forgeries,  all  the  various  allusions  to 
Blackfriars  plays  prior  to  1596  lending  veri- 
similitude to  the  imposture.  Later  in  his 
work.  Collier  writes  again  : 

"The  Blackfriars  Theatre  was  erected 
about  1576,  by  James  Burbage  and  others, 
who  had  obtained  the  patent  for  playing  in 
1574.  ..  .  It  is  not  mentioned  by  John 
Northbrooke,  either  because  it  was  not 
finished  when  he  wrote,  or  because  it  was  a 
private  house,  and  not  so  liable  to  objection 
as  the  two  theatres  he  names.  Stephen 
Gosson  speaks  of  the  Blackfriars  in  his 
Playes  confuted  in  five  Actions^  printed  about 
1581  ;  it  continued  in  its  original  state  until 
1596,  when  it  was  in  the  hands  of  Richard 
Burbage,  Shakespeare,  and  others,  and  when 
it  was  enlarged  and  repaired,  if  not  entirely 
rebuilt."* 

Thus  Collier  emphasizes  his  error  by 
repetition.  John  Northbrooke  did  not  men- 
tion the  playhouse,  because  it  did  not  then 
exist ;  and  Stephen  Gosson's  reference  in 
1 58 1  was  to  the  Revels  actors.  To  what 
extent  these  continued  to  play  at  Blackfriars 
after  the  Burbadges  came  there,  does  not 
appear  with  any  clearness.  It  is  supposed 
that  Burbage's  Company  acted  at  the  Globe 
in  the  summer  and  at  the  Blackfriars  in  the 
winter,  and  that  the  "  Children  of  the 
Queen's  Revels,"  as  they  were  styled,  acted 
at  Blackfriars  in  the  summer,  while  the  other 
company  were  playing  at  the  Globe.f  On 
the  title-page  of  Ben  Jonson's  Case  is  altered^ 
printed  in  1609,  these  Revels  actors  are 
called  "the  Children  of  the  Blackfriars," 
which  Collier  took  to  indicate  that  up  to 
that  time  they  still  had  the  use  of  the 
Blackfriars  playhouse.  J  But,  speaking  of  the 
year  1609,  Mr.  Halliwell-Phillipps  writes: 

"This  was  a  memorable  year  in  the 
theatrical  biography  of  the  great  dramatist, 
for  in  the  following  December  the  eyry  of 
children  quitted  Blackfriars  Theatre  to  be 
replaced  by  Shakespeare's  Company.  The 
latter  then  included  Heminge,  Condell, 
Burbage,  and  the  poet  himself." § 

*  History  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  i.  327. 
t  2bid.,  i.  342. 
X  Ibid.,  i.  342. 

§  Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Shakespeare  (ed.    1883), 
p.  198. 


REVIEWS. 


27 


Apparently  there  is  nothing  to  show 
definitely  to  what  extent  the  Revels  Company 
acted  at  this  theatre.  Collier  says  that  not 
long  afterwards  they  acted  at  the  Whitefriars 
Theatre.* 

{To  be  continued.) 


The  Bibliography  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  with  Notes. 
By  T.  N.  Brushfield,  M,D.  (Plymouth  and 
Exeter,  1886.)    4to.,  pp.  36. 

OST  students  know  that  Dr.  Brushfield  has 
been  long  at  work  upon  the  literary  and 
biographical  history  of  one  of  the  greatest 
of  Englishmen,  and  many  of  us  have  seen 
with  pleasure  that  a  portion  of  his  re- 
searches have  been  published  in  the  Western  Anti- 
quary, that  useful  ingatherer  of  western  notes.  It  is 
now  an  additional  satisfaction  to  have  a  complete 
reprint  of  these  articles  in  a  convenient  form,  and  when 
we  note  that  Dr.  Brushfield's  list  includes  no  less  than 
239  titles,  besides  notes  and  additions,  it  will  be  seen 
how  thorough  has  been  his  work.  Much  curious  lite- 
rary information  is  here  recorded,  and  we  must  con- 
gratulate Devonshire  upon  possessing  students  who 
can  record  so  thoroughly  facts  about  the  careers  of  her 
worthies.  Every  schoolboy  knows  Sir  Walter  Raleigh, 
but  very  few  students  know  enough  about  him,  and 
Dr.  Brushfield's  bibliographical  collection  will  help  us 
to  know  more,  until  in  due  course  we  have  before  us 
a  volume  of  more  mature  labours  from  the  same  pen. 


The  Manx  Note-Book,  a  Quarterly  Jotimal  of  Mattel- s 
Past  and  Present  connected  with  the  Isle  of  Man. 
January  and  April,  1886.  (Douglas :  G.  H. 
Johnson.)  8vo.,  pp.  96. 
The  Isle  of  Man  would,  if  dealt  with  comprehen- 
sively, be^'almost  unique  as  a  field  of  archaeological 
inquiry.  The  impetus  given  to  the  subject  by  the 
commission  granted  to  Professor  Boyd  Dawkins  is 
apparent,  and  the  "Note-Book"  gives  expression 
to  some  of  this.  Tastefully  printed  and  illustrated,  it 
shows,  at  all  events,  that  our  countrymen  in  the  island 
are  not  behindhand  in  their  cultivation  of  the  arts  of 
book-producing.  Many  articles  will  be  recognised  as 
of  special  value,  and  we  may  mention  particularly 
those  on  the  "Armorial  Bearings  of  the  Isle,' 
"  Manx  Surnames,"  "  Manx  Worthies,"  "Old  Manx 
Families,"  "Notes  from  the  Registers,"  and  sOme 
Manx  legends.  We  are  particularly  pleased  to  see 
that  Professor  Dawkins's  very  able  and  useful  "  Me- 
morandum on  the  Antiquities  of  the  Isle  of  Man"  is 
printed  in  extenso. 

The  Directory  of  Second-Hand  Booksellers.     Edited 
by  Arthur  Gyles.  (Nottingham,  1886.)  i2mo., 
pp.  viii,  48. 
It  is  certainly  an  advantage  to  have  in  a  handy  and 

pleasant  form  a  directory  of  booksellers,  and  we  cor- 

*  History  of  Dramatic  Poetry^  i.  342. 


dially  welcome  this  useful  little  work,  expressing  a 
hope  that  it  may  be  continued  and  improved  at  such 
times  as  may  be  considered  advisable. 

Transactions  of  the  Leicestershire  Architectural  and 
Archceological  Society.  Vol.  VI.,  Part  III. 
(Leicester,  1886.)  Clarke  and  Hodgson.  8vo. 
All  the  papers  in  this  part  are  of  some  consider- 
able interest.  Particularly  we  may  mention  those  on 
"  Dean  Swift's  Mother,"  "  Pedigree  of  Herick," 
"Danish  Place-names  in  Leicestershire,"  and  "Ex- 
tracts from  Parish  Registers."  The  Danish  settlement 
in  Leicestershire  has  before  this  received  attention 
from  the  student  of  early  English  history,  and  the  pre- 
sent contribution  is  one  of  considerable  importance. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  modern  research  is 
tending  to  establish  the  fact  that  large  influences  by 
the  Scandinavian  settlers  in  this  country  have  made 
themselves  felt  in  forming  the  later  history. 

A  Chronicle  History  of  the  Life  and  Work  of  William 
Shakespeare,  Player,  Poet,  and  Play-maker,  By 
Frederick  Gand  Fleay.  (London  :  John  C. 
Nimmo,  1886.)    8vo.,  pp.  viii,  364. 

Mr.  Fleay  has  devoted  so  much  attention  to  the 
Shakespearian  drama,  and  to  the  difficult  questions 
arising  out  of  the  constant  changes  in  the  various 
companies  of  actors,  that  he  has  a  good  claim  to  be 
heard  when  he  produces  a  new  work  on  the  theatrical 
side  of  the  career  of  our  great  dramatist.  At  the 
same  time,  we  must  acknowledge  that  his  book  has 
disappointed  us.  It  will  be  of  great  interest  to  those 
who  know  the  subject,  and  can  take  the  statements 
with  due  allowance,  but  it  would  be  a  dangerous 
book  to  place  in  the  hands  of  students,  because  a  large 
number  of  mere  guesses  are  set  down  as  undisputed 
facts.  The  knowledge  exhibited  by  the  author  respect- 
ing the  plays  of  the  period  is  very  considerable,  and 
the  appendices — containing  Tables  ( i )  of  the  Quarto 
Editions  of  Shakespeare's  Plays ;  (2)  of  the  Quarto 
Editions  of  other  Plays  performed  by  Shakespeare's 
Company ;  (3)  of  Number  of  Performances  at  Court, 
1584-1616;  (4)  of  Entries  of  Plays  in  the  Stationers' 
Registers,  1584-1640;  (5)  of  Transfers  of  Copyright 
in  Plays,  1 584- 1 640— will  be  found  valuable  by 
readers. 

In  dealing  with  the  Sonnets,  Mr.  Fleay  does  not 
allude  to  the  interesting  suggestion  made  by  Messrs. 
Tyler  and  Harrison  (on  the  supposition  that  "  Mr. 
W.  H."  was  William  Herbert,  Earl  of  Pembroke)  that 
the  dark  lady  was  Mary  Fitton,  maid  of  honour  to 
Queen  Elizabeth.  He  has,  however,  an  hypothesis 
of  his  own,  based  on  the  belief  that  the  Earl  of 
Southampton  was  the  friend  to  whom  the  Sonnets 
were  addressed.  He  believes  Mr.  W.  H.  to  have 
been  Sir  William  Hervey,  the  third  husband  of 
Southampton's  mother,  and  the  dark  lady  to  have 
been  one  Avice  A.,  the  subject  of  the  curious  old 
book,  Wyllohie  his  Avisa. 

The  book  is  full  of  what  may  be  called  contentious 
matter,  and  we  have  not  space  to  allude  to  the  many 
interesting  points  which  are  brought  forward.  We 
may,  however,  say  that  we  are  not  prepared  to  agree 
with  the  views  that  the  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor  was 
re-written  on  the  foundation  of  a  play  entitled  the 
Jealous  Comedy  (1592),  that  Edmund  Shakespeare 
wrote    The    Yorkshire   Tragedy  under  his  brother's 


28 


REVIEWS. 


superintendence,  or  that  not  only  is  there  no  proof 
that  Shakespeare  ever  acted  at  Blackfriars,  but  that 
there  is  strong  presumption  to  the  contrary.  No  one 
wishes  to  attribute  Titus  Andronicus  to  the  poet,  but 
the  statement  "that  this  play  is  not  by  Shakespeare 
is  pretty  certain  from  internal  evidence,"  is  too 
strongly  put,  for  there  are  several  passages  which  find 
echoes  in  the  undoubted  plays. 

This  book  has  been  beautifully  produced,  and 
contains  two  good  etchings,  one  of  Alleyn  the  actor, 
and  the  other  of  the  font  in  which  Shakespeare  was 
baptized. 


The  Heg-ister  of  Edmund  Stafford  {k.v>.  1395-1419); 

an  Index  and  Abstract  of  its  Contents.     By  the 

Rev.  F.  C.  Hixgeston-Randolph.     (London  : 

George  Bell  and  Sons  ;    Exeter  :  H.  S.  Eland, 

1886.)     8vo.,  pp.  xvi,  485. 

T7ie  Register  of  Bishop  Stafford  is  comprised  in  two 

folio   volumes,    written   on   vellum,    and    contains  a 

general  record  of  the  Acts  of  the  Bishop,  a  Register 

of  Ordinations,  a  Register  of  "  Institutions,"  and  a 

miscellaneous  collection  of  documents.     Mr.  Hinge- 

ston-Randolph   has   made   the  valuable   information 

contained  in  these  volumes  available  by  his  careful 

and  laborious  index,  which  will  be  found  to  be  a  most 

useful  book  of  reference.    Some  of  the  larger  headings 

refer  to  Exeter,  Institutions,  and  Oratories.     At  the 

end   of  the  general  alphabet  is   a  translation  of  the 

Wills  and  a  full  list  of  the  Ordinations.     This  index 

is  no  mere  list,  but  full  notes  are  added  to  many  of 

the  entries,  which  make  it  a  work  of  great  historical 

interest. 


Meetings  of  Antiquarian 
Societies;. 

Cambridge  Antiquarian  Society.  —  May  10.  — 
The  Rev.  G.  Y.  Browne,  B.D.,  President,  in  the  chair. 
— Mr.  Bidwell  exhibited  six  large  round  horseshoes 
of  an  early  pattern,  which  had  been  lately  found  in 
Stuntney  Fen  ;  of  these  he  presented  three  to  the 
Society. — Dr.  Bryan  Walker  continued  his  paper  on 
the  British  camps  in  Wilts,  Dorset,  Somerset,  and 
adjoining  counties. — The  President  made  some 
remarks  upon  sculptured  columns  at  Stapleford  (Not- 
tinghamshire) and  Rothley  (Leicestershire)  in  respect 
of  their  bearing  on  the  question  of  the  dedication  of 
places  as  apart  from  that  of  churches.  The  column 
at  Stapleford  is  a  pillar  nearly  cylindrical,  with  the 
upper  part  cut  into  four  plane  faces.  Unlike  other 
cylindrical  pillars  in  England,  except  those  at  Penrith, 
it  is  covered  with  ornament  throughout  its  whole 
length,  and  the  ornamentation  on  the  cylindrical  part 
is  elaborate  and  skilful,  consisting  of  various  patterns 
of  interlacing  bands,  some  of  them  very  intricate.  On 
two  of  the  four  faces  are  similar  interlacements  ;  the 
third  has  a  cornucopiae  scroll  !  the  fourth  has  what  is 
known  in  the  village  as  a  Danish  bird.  It  is  in  fact 
a  winged  creature,  with  the  feet  of  a  man  and  the 
head  of  an  animal  with  ears  and  horns.  This  points 
to  St.  Luke,  but  the  dedication  of  the  church  is  St. 


Helen.  The  village  feast  is  the  last  Sunday  in  Octo- 
ber, or,  if  that  be  the  last  day  of  the  month,  the  last 
Sunday  but  one.  This  rule  of  thumb  replaces  the 
original  rule,  of  which  an  old  inhabitant  dead  many 
years  ago  has  left  a  record,  that  the  village  wake  is 
governed  by  old  St.  Luke — "  we  mun  hae  him  i'  t' 
wake  week."  The  pillar  at  Rothley  is  a  rectangular 
shaft,  12  feet  high,  and  ornamented  on  the  whole  of 
its  four  faces  with  interlacing  bands,  and  foliage  scrolls 
of  unusual  character  and  much  beauty.  Three  of  the 
base  panels  present  the  very  uncommon  feature  of  a 
broad  border  of  interlacing  bands,  enclosing  an  inner 
panel  of  interlacements  and  scrolls.  Besides  these 
ornaments,  there  are  three  large  panels  of  a  different 
character,  one  of  which  contains  a  winged  dragon 
with  serpent-like  body  interlacing  in  an  intricate 
manner  with  its  legs,  and  the  other  has  a  winged 
figure,  evidently  a  bird,  greatly  resembling  the  figure 
at  Stapleford.  The  feet  are  bird's  claws,  and  the 
head  is  the  head  of  a  large  bird.  This  points  to  St. 
John.  The  dedication  of  the  church  is  St.  Mary ; 
but  the  village  feast  is  St.  John  Baptist,  the  wrong 
St.  John,  but  confusion  between  the  two  St.  Johns  is 
not  unknown. 

May  14.— The  Rev.  G.  F.  Browne,  B.D.,  President, 
in  the  chair, — The  President  exhibited  a  triangular 
pierced  brick  (kindly  presented  to  the  Society  by  Mr. 
Pickering  Phipps,  of  CoUingtree  Manor,  through  Sir 
H.  Dryden,  Bart. ),  of  the  same  character  as  the  brick 
presented  lately  to  the  Society  by  the  Rev.  W.  Foster 
Piggott.  The  brick  presented  by  Mr.  Phipps  was  found 
during  excavations  at  Hunsbury,  or  Danes'  Camp,  near 
Northampton  ;  and  those  concerned  in  the  excava- 
tions were  completely  unable  to  determine  what  the 
use  of  these  triangular  bricks  was. — Professor  E.  C. 
Clark  delivered  an  exhaustive  and  most  interesting 
lecture  upon  the  history  of  the  Law  School  from  1470 
A.D.  down  to  the  present  time  ;  and  exhibited  and 
discussed  several  drawings  illustrative  of  the  succes- 
sive changes  in  university  costume. — Baron  A.  von 
Hiigel  exhibited  some  antiquities  recently  found  with 
Saxon  skeletons  at  Girton.  The  collection  included 
a  pair  of  circular  and  five  cross-shaped  bronze  fibulae, 
strings  of  glass  and  amber  beads,  a  bangle  of  Kim- 
meridge  clay,  a  bronze  girdle-hanger  (?),  a  pair  of 
tweezers,  a  buckle  and  two  pairs  of  clasps.  A  large 
bone  comb,  two  spear-heads  and  several  iron  knives 
were  also  found.  With  the  skeletons  two  rough,  plain 
urns  were  exhumed,  but  it  was  impossible  to  get  them 
entire  out  of  the  earth,  and  their  contents  yielded 
nothing  worth  preserving. — Mr.  Walter  K.  Foster, 
who  in  conjunction  with  Baron  von  Hiigel  carried 
on  the  excavation,  has  most  generously  presented  the 
entire  "  find  "  to  the  Museum. 

Hampshire  Field  Club. — May  20. — The  first 
excursion  of  the  season  was  to  Silchester  and  "Old 
Basing."  Arriving  at  Silchester  shortly  after  eleven, 
the  club  first  mustered  in  the  amphitheatre,  and  Mr. 
Godwin  incidentally  mentioned  that  many  persons 
coming  there  were  curious  to  know  where  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Silchester  obtained  their  water,  but  there  was 
a  spring  close  by,  which  furnished  water,  near  which 
could  be  seen  a  Corinthian  pillar,  and  Mr.  Shore, 
supplementing  this,  said  there  was  a  second  source 
of  water-supply  to  the  south.  Mr.  Godwin  went  on 
to  remark  that  the  Roman  amphitheatre  in  which  they 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


29 


were  now  standing  was  the  second  largest  in  Great 
Britain.  The  largest  was  Dorchester,  which  had  a 
square  area  of  3,380  square  yards,  this  at  Silchester 
being  about  2,ocxj.  The  great  mounds  surmounted 
by  verdure  surrounding  it  were  20  yards  thick  at  the 
bottom,  and  only  4  yards  at  the  top,  and  these 
enclosed  an  area  of  150  feet  by  120  feet,  the  area  of 
the  amphitheatre  at  Cirencester  being  148  feet  by  134, 
and  that  at  Dorchester  219  by  138  feet.  He  believed 
the  seats  were  ranged  in  five  rows,  and  a  deep  hole  on 
the  south  side  is  said  to  have  been  the  place  where 
the  lions  and  such-like  animals  were  kept.  It  was 
interesting  to  know  that  below  the  green  sward  on 
which  they  were  standing  was  a  floor  of  flint,  gravel, 
and  concrete.  In  1760  the  five  rows  of  seats  were,  it 
was  stated,  distinctly  visible.  The  entrance  was 
towards  the  east  gate  of  the  town  for  the  convenience 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  small  bone  tablets  had  been 
found  there,  which  are  believed  to  have  been  tickets 
of  admission  to  the  performances.  The  party  then 
proceeded  to  the  church.  Mr.  Godwin  called  atten- 
tion to  some  fine  capitals  in  the  adjacent  farmyard, 
which  had  been  removed  from  the  Basilica.  Entering 
the  church  Mr.  Godwin  first  pointed  out  a  small 
column  built  into  the  vestry  wall  and  surmounted  by 
a  shelf  on  which  to  stand  "  holy  water."  Some,  how- 
ever, questioned  the  classic  origin  of  the  column,  and 
pronounced  it  undoubtedly  a  piece  of  Norman  work. — 
Mr.  Shore  pointed  out  that  Roman  material  was  used 
up  in  building  the  church,  and  he  suggested  the  pro- 
bability of  some  of  the  columns  being  altered  in 
Norman  times  from  original  Roman  work.  There  is 
a  decorated  tomb,  temp.  Edward  II.  or  III.,  worthy 
of  attention,  and  a  very  interesting  screen,  one  of  the 
best  in  Hampshire  of  the  date,  which  was  probably 
Jacobean.  Quitting  the  churchyard,  the  party  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Forum.  To  reach  the  Forum  (which 
was  flanked  with  stacks  of  Roman  bricks),  they  had, 
Mr.  Godwin  informed  them,  crossed  the  intersection 
of  the  four  great  streets  of  the  city.  The  Forum  was 
276  feet  by  313.  Shops  were  ranged  on  one  side,  and 
plenty  of  oyster  shells,  showing  that  the  shop  was  a 
fishmonger's,  had  been  found,  as  well  as  the  steel- 
yards of  the  butcher.  Gamecocks'  spurs  had  also 
been  discovered.  Coins  had  been  found  there  repre- 
senting almost  every  decade  of  the  Roman  occupation, 
and  one  of  these,  struck  by  Julian  the  Apostate,  was 
as  fresh  as  if  it  had  been  minted  only  yesterday. 
Proceeding  across  a  field  in  which  Roman  fragments 
were  kicked  at  every  step,  the  ploughed  field  being 
everywhere  strewn  with  them,  the  party  entered  the 
remains  of  a  circular  or  rather  polygonal  temple,  sixty 
feet  in  diameter,  the  foundations  of  the  inner  and  outer 
walls  being  visible,  though  no  traces  are  to  be  found 
of  the  columns  or  of  any  altar.  A  few  coins  had  been 
found  there — a  worn  one  of  Vespasian,  who  spent 
much  of  his  time  at  Silchester,  and  a  perfectly  fresh 
one  of  Septimus  Severus.  Hurrying  on  to  the  baths 
the  antiquaries  were  alike  surprised  and  grieved  to 
find  that  a  portion  of  the  excavations  so  lovingly  and 
carefully  made  by  the  late  Rev.  G.  P.  Joyce  and 
others  had  actually  been  filled  in  and  ploughed  over, 
and  it  was  understood  that  this  is  still  going  on.  Mr. 
Shore  thought  it  might  be  advisable  to  submit  to  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  as  owner  of  the  property,  a 
resolution  drawing  attention  to  the  necessity  of  some- 


thing being  done  to  preserve  the  foundations. — Morti- 
mer was  left  about  a  quarter  past  three,  and,  after  an 
interval  at  Basingstoke  for  lunch,  a  move  was  made  for 
Old  Basing,  permission  having  been  given  by  Mr.  H. 
Raynbird,  steward  to  Lord  Bolton,  to  visit  the  histori- 
cal ruins  of  Basing  House.  This  house,  Mr.  Godwin 
said,  was  built  upon  the  site  of  an  ancient  British 
stronghold  with  a  ditch  around  it,  still  to  be  seen  to 
the  depth  of  32  feet.  The  De  Porte  family  fortified 
it  in  the  time  of  Henry  II.,  and  the  first  Marquis  of 
Winchester  built  a  magnificent  mansion  there  in  the 
time  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  some  portions  of  which  were 
pulled  down  by  his  descendants  on  account  of  the 
great  expense  of  maintenance.  John,  the  fifth  mar- 
quis, a  devoted  Loyalist,  fortified  the  place  over  14J 
acres  of  ground.  The  party  first  of  all  inspected  a 
wall  opposite  the  north  gateway — the  latter  in  excel- 
lent preservation — still  loopholed  for  musketry,  and 
having  marks  of  cannon-shot  holes,  the  shots  having 
been  fired  by  the  soldiers  of  Colonel  Dalbier,  the  last 
besieger  of  the  place.  In  another  wall  forming  the 
gateway  of  the  Grange,  Mr.  Godwin  said  the  pointing 
was  identical  with  that  of  the  brickwork  at  Titchfield 
House.  There  was  an  extremely  fierce  fight  inside 
this  enclosure  in  November,  1643,  the  senior  lieutenant 
of  Waller's  regiment  being  killed  just  within  it.  The 
field  where  sheep  were  now  feeding  was  once  almost 
a  mass  of  masonry,  and  just  beyond  were  various 
swamps,  altered  by  the  railway  embankment,  which 
were  the  fish  ponds  ;  and  as  the  family  was  Roman 
Catholic,  this  was  a  rather  important  feature.  Passing 
then  through  the  riding  school,  a  magnificent  apart- 
ment now  used  as  a  barn,  a  fine  open-timbered  roof 
was  pointed  out,  and  marks  of  cannon-shot  fired  by 
Colonel  Dalbier  from  the  west  side.  The  enclosure 
of  Basing  House  was  entered  by  the  Garrison  Gate, 
through  which  once  rode,  Mr.  Godwin  said,  as  brave 
a  soldier  as  ever  served  his  King — Colonel  Gage.  The 
canal  over  which  the  party  had  passed  had  been 
guilty  of  altering  a  good  many  of  the  outworks  when 
it  was  made,  but  it  was  evidently  the  line  of  the  old 
moat.  The  fight  at  the  bridge  was  described  on  the 
spot  where  it  actually  occurred  ;  and  the  party  then 
assembled  within  the  ramparts,  where  Mr.  Godwin 
gave  a  most  interesting  account  of  the  memorable 
siege.  Of  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Basing  House, 
Queen  Elizabeth  once  said  that  if  only  he  was  a  young 
man  she  would  find  in  her  heart  to  love  him  before 
any  man  in  England.  Queen  Mary  spent  part  of  her 
honeymoon  there,  and  Henry  VI.  once  stayed  there 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  Near  one  of  the  garrison 
ovens  which  were  visible  in  the  basement  ruins,  a 
caricature  of  a  Roundhead  was  recently  found,  drawn 
probably  by  a  Cavalier  soldier  while  waiting  for  his 
rations.  Mr.  Shore  gave  some  interesting  details  con- 
cerning Celtic  fortification  of  old  Basing.  There  were, 
he  added,  two  places  in  Hampshire  called  Basing — 
where  they  now  were,  and  Basing  Park,  near  East 
Tisted.  The  origin  of  the  word  was  sometimes  attri- 
buted to  a  settlement  of  Anglo-Saxon  tribes  called 
Basingas.  Now  there  was  a  place  near  Southampton 
called  Basset,  and  there  were  traditions  of  Danish 
fighting  near  that  town.  "  Bassa  "  signified  conten- 
tion or  strife,  and  this,  he  thought,  might  throw  some 
light  on  the  term.  Mr.  Godwin  then  from  the  ram- 
parts described  the  exterior  aspects  of  the  siege,  saying 


3° 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


that  a  chalk -pit  in  the  distance  was  the  site  of  the 
headquarters  of  the  contingent  that  came  up  from 
Southampton  under  Colonel  Whitehead.  He  also 
showed  where  "Oliver"  destroyed  the  drawbridge, 
and  pointed  out  the  trenches,  now  grown  over  with 
hawthorn  trees,  made  by  the  besiegers,  which  were 
brought  so  close  as  to  be  within  pistol-shot. — The  last 
item  in  the  day  was  a  visit  to  Old  Basing  Church.  It 
was  used  as  a  Parliamentary  fortress,  and  was  de- 
fended and  taken  several  times  during  the  siege,  and 
all  the  houses  between  it  and  Basing  House  were 
burnt  down.  The  lead  of  the  roof  was  melted  down 
for  bullets.  The  west  porchway  was  said  to  have 
been  designed  by  Inigo  Jones,  who  also  came  to 
Basing  House,  and  after  the  siege  was  carried  away 
in  a  blanket,  some  one  having  borrowed  his  clothes. 

Derby  and  Derbyshire  Archaeological  and 
Natural  History  Society. — May  22.— The  above 
Society  went  on  their  first  expedition  of  the  season  to 
the  two  interesting  villages  of  Ratcliffe  and  Kingston, 
both  upon  the  river  Soar,  in  the  county  of  Notting- 
ham. Ratcliffe  is  situated  about  two  miles  from 
Kegworth,  and  was  reached  after  a  very  pleasant 
though  short  drive,  when  all  alighted  and  entered  the 
parish  church  of  Holy  Trinity.  The  Rev.  C.  S. 
Millard  (rector  of  Costock)  explained  the  various 
points  of  interest  in  this  venerable  edifice.  The 
structure  itself  appears  to  be  of  very  ancient  origin, 
dating  from  either  late  in  the  fourteenth  or  early  in 
the  fifteenth  century.  The  style  of  its  architecture  is 
early  English  ;  but  its  interior  has  suffered  much  from 
decay,  and  ill-treatment  at  the  hands  of  iconoclasts. 
Special  interest  was  taken  in  the  fine  series  of  ala- 
baster monuments,  consisting  of  effigies  and  tablets, 
some  of  which  are  erected  to  the  memory  of  members 
of  the  old  Derbyshire  families  of  Sacheveral  and  Bab- 
ington.  A  descendant  of  the  latter,  as  we  were 
reminded,  was  Anthony  Babington,  of  Dethick,  who 
first  lost  his  heart  and  then  his  head  in  the  cause  of 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots.  These  monuments  are  in  very 
good  preservation,  and  are,  most  likely,  composed  of 
the  gypsum  or  alabaster  which  is  found  in  such  large 
quantities  in  the  neighbourhood.  On  leaving  the 
church,  the  vehicles  were  again  occupied,  and  the 
drive  resumed  to  Kingston.  Bearing  away  to  the  left, 
the  red  brick  cottages  of  Kingston,  with  the  hall,  the 
seat  of  Lord  Belper,  nestling  among  the  trees,  soon 
hove  in  sight  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  conveyances 
stopped  at  the  gateway  of  the  picturesque  church  of 
the  village.  Here  the  party  was  joined  by  his  lord- 
ship. The  parish  church  of  St.  Winifrid's  is  chiefly  a 
modern  structure,  having  been  rebuilt  in  recent  times  ; 
but  it  has  still  attached  to  it  part  of  a  much  more 
ancient  church,  erected  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
main  object  of  antiquarian  interest  is  an  elaborate 
and  costly  monument  erected  by  one  of  the  Babing- 
tons  to  the  memory  of  one  or  more  members  of  the 
family.  It  stands  in  the  old  portion  of  the  church, 
and  is  composed  of  grey  stone,  and  is  upright  in 
shape,  having  north  and  south  ends,  the  whole  sur- 
mounted by  a  ponderous  and  most  elaborate  roof. 
Beneath  is  placed  the  church  font.  The  principal 
feature  of  the  ornamentation  is  the  Babington  Arms 
— the  upper  part  of  a  child's  body  protruding  out  of 
a  barrel  placed  horizontally — which  cover  the  whole 
monument.     The  supposed  interpretation  of  this  coat- 


of-arms — and,  indeed,  it  is  most  probable — is  that  it 
is  a  rebus  upon  the  name,  and  represents  a  babe  in  a 
tun — Bab-ing-ton.  The  monument  is  supposed  to 
have  been  erected  in  1538.  After  the  church  had 
been  well  examined  by  the  party,  and  its  various 
features  explained  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Millard  (assisted 
by  Lord  Belper  and  the  Hon.  Frederick  Strutt)  a 
start  was  made  on  foot  to  Kingston  Hall  adjoining. 
Kingston  Hall  was  built  by  the  first  Lord  Belper, 
father  of  the  present  noble  owner,  the  tablet  to  whose 
memory  was  noticed  in  the  church.  It  was  erected 
about  fifty  years  ago,  and  is  a  handsome  stone  structure 
in  the  Elizabethan  style  of  architecture. 

St.  Albans  Architectural  and  Archaeologfical 
Society. — June  i. — The  members  visited  St.  Neots. 
The  Rev.  H.  Fowler,  standing  on  St.  Neots  Old 
Bridge,  read  a  paper  concerning  its  history,  from 
which  it  appeared  that  in  early  times  there  was  a  ford 
here  ;  the  hamlet  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  is  called 
Eaton-ford,  i.e.,  the  ford  of  the  water  town.  A 
wooden  bridge  was  probably  built  by  the  priors  of  the 
Monastery  of  St.  Neot.  In  Edward  III.'s  reign  the 
convent  was  taxed  with  the  repairs  of  the  bridge.  In 
the  38th  of  Henry  HI.  (1254)  a  fatal  accident  oc- 
curred to  Wm.  de  P'errers,  Earl  of  Derby,  Lord  of 
the  Manor  of  Eynesbury.  His  driver  upset  his  chariot 
while  crossing  the  bridge,  throwing  him  over  into  the 
river.  He  was  rescued  from  drowning,  but  died  of 
the  injuries  shortly  afterwards.  In  Richard  II. 's  reign 
a  toll  was  granted  for  rebuilding  the  bridge.  This 
structure,  which  Leland  saw  in  1538,  was  of  timber, 
and  existed  till  near  the  end  of  Queen  Elizabeth's 
reign.  A  great  flood  occurred  in  1579.  In  an  inqui- 
sition which  was  taken  in  1588  about  the  dangerous 
state  of  the  bridge,  it  is  described  as  being  704  feet 
long,  with  its  causeways  ;  the  width  of  the  river  is 
about  150  feet,  so  the  causeway  must  have  extended 
550  feet  on  the  west  bank  over  the  marshy  ground. 
It  had  seventy-two  arches  ;  only  twenty-nine  of  these 
had  stone  abutments,  and  there  are  still  remains  of 
some  of  these.  It  appears  from  the  documents  that 
it  was  then  contemplated  to  rebuild  the  bridge  of 
wood,  for  the  men  of  Huntingdonshire  undertook  to 
carry  153  tons  of  timber.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
present  stone  bridge  was  constructed  soon  after  this 
inquisition,  and  the  tradition  is  that  it  was  built  out 
of  the  stones  of  the  monastery,  which  had  been  re- 
served to  the  Crown.  It  was,  perhaps,  finished  in 
James  I.'s  reign.  Atoll  was  projected  in  the  inquisi- 
tion of  Elizabeth.  The  centre  arch  of  this  very  sub- 
stantial structure  has  a  span  of  44  feet  at  the  ordinary 
water-level.  A  very  interesting  paper  on  the  history 
of  the  Priory  of  St.  Neot  was  read  to  the  members 
assembled  in  the  church  by  the  Rev.  PI.  Fowler. 
After  dealing  at  some  length  with  the  life  of  St.  Neot 
in  Cornwall,  Mr.  Fowler  went  on  to  speak  of  the 
priory  of  St.  Neot,  and  said  the  sources  of  information 
were  the  annals  of  Elizabeth,  of  Henry  IV.'s  reign, 
and  a  MS.  in  the  Bodleian  Library.  Towards  the  end 
of  the  reign  of  King  Edgar,  Earl  Alric  founded  a 
monastery  at  Eynesbury.  Relics  were  needed  to  give 
dignity  to  the  foundation,  so  a  scheme  was  devised  for 
carrying  off  the  Cornish  shrine.  Ethelwold,  Bishop 
of  Winchester,  lent  his  aid,  and  by  the  complicity  of 
the  shrine-keeper  the  plan  was  successfully  executed. 
The  King,  who  had  given  a  general  license  to  Ethel- 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


31 


wold  to  remove  relics  from  obscure  places,  sent  soldiers 
to  defend  the  relic  stealers  against  the  Cornish  men. 
The  treasure  was  first  lodged  in  the  mansion  of  Earl 
Alric.  Soon  a  chapel  was  built  and  the  mansion 
turned  into  a  monastery.  Monks  were  sent  to  occupy 
it  from  Ely  and  Thorney.  The  site  of  the  monastery 
was  on  the  north  side  of  the  present  town,  probably 
reaching  nearly  to  the  Market  Place,  and  to  the  river 
on  the  west.  About  thirty  years  after  its  erection  it 
was  threatened  by  the  Danes,  and  the  relics  were  re- 
moved to  the  house  of  a  lady  at  Whittlesea,  named 
Leowina,  who  requested  her  brother  Osketul,  Abbot 
of  Croyland,  to  take  them  in  his  charge.  They  were 
accordingly  removed  to  Croyland  with  the  chanting  of 
psalms.  Ingulph's  Chronicle  states  that  the  sacred 
deposit  was  never  returned,  but  the  monks  of  St. 
Neot  afterwards  claimed  to  have  the  relics,  and  when 
Anselm  visited  the  monastery  he  certified  to  the  Bishop 
of  Lincoln  that  the  relics  shown  him  were  those  of  St. 
Neot.  In  Anselm's  time  the  monastery  was  subject 
to  the  Abbey  of  Bee,  in  Normandy,  being  furnished 
with  Cistercian  monks.  The  priory  was  dedicated  to 
St.  Mary  the  Virgin  and  St.  Neot,  a  taper  being  con- 
stantly kept  burning  before  the  shrine  of  the  latter. 
At  a  later  period  the  monastery  covered  forty-nine 
acres,  but  there  were  only  fifteen  monks  in  it,  though 
probably  a  large  number  of  lay  brothers.  Its  con- 
nection with  the  Abbey  of  Bee  was  severed  in  the 
time  of  Henry  IV.,  and  the  monks  then  observed 
the  Benedictine  rule.  John  Raunds  surrendered  the 
priory  to  King  Henry  VIII.  in  1539  and  received  a 
pension,  but  he  died  the  next  year.  All  vestiges  of 
the  monastery  have  now  disappeared. — Mr.  Clarkson 
gave  a  description  of  the  parish  church.  In  the  course 
of  his  remarks,  he  said  a  parish  church  was  erected 
probably  on  this  site  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  twelfth 
century,  but  nothing  remained  of  it.  The  font  might 
have  stood  in  it,  for  it  was  hardly  notable  enough  to 
have  been  brought  from  elsewhere  at  a  later  date,  and 
was  probably  the  work  of  a  very  unskilled  person  of 
the  twelfth  century.  A  window  now  to  be  seen  in  the 
north  wall  of  the  vestry  might  indicate  that  the  earliest 
church  was  superseded  wholly  or  in  part  by  early 
lancet  work.  The  window  is  li  inches  wide,  tall 
in  proportion,  with  a  sharply  pointed  head.  The 
wall  of  the  chancel  may  be  wholly  of  the  same  date  as 
the  window,  that  is,  about  1200.  The  foundations  of 
the  nave  ])iers  are  to  be  seen,  and  they  are  a  little 
larger  than  the  bases  of  the  present  perpendicular 
piers.  A  slab  of  the  fourteenth  century,  now  forming 
part  of  the  floor  of  Jesus  Chapel,  is  another  relic  of 
the  earlier  church.  The  present  church  was  no  doubt 
carried  well  forward  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  com- 
pleted in  the  sixteenth.  The  tower  is  faced  with 
ashlar  throughout  ;  the  church  has  ashlar  quoins, 
dressings,  and  strings,  but  rubble  facing  for  the  wall 
spaces.  The  insertion  of  the  enigmatical  hood  moulds 
above  the  respond  piers  at  the  west  end  of  the  nave 
was  an  odd  freak,  and  the  equally  odd  arrangement 
of  the  detached  pier  at  the  south  end  of  the  nave 
arcarle  may  also  show  that  if  the  designer  of  the  tower 
habitually  forgot  the  church,  the  designer  of  the  church 
occaiionally  forgot  himself  The  nave  is  80  feet  long 
and  22  feet  wide,  and  has  an  arcade  of  five  bays,  with 
ball-moulded  piers  and  highly  pointed  arches.  A 
clerestory  window  of  three  lights  occurs  in  each  bay. 
The  roof  has  a  carved  cornice,  and  other  elaborations. 


On  the  roof,  over  the  narrow  bay  next  the  chancel 
arch,  the  ancient  colouring  has  been  reproduced.  The 
aisles  of  the  nave  have  large  fan-light  windows,  and 
all  of  them  are  said  to  have  been  filled  with  coloured 
glass  in  the  old  time.  Most  of  it  disappeared  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  aisle  roofs  are  also  ancient. 
The  chancel  is  49  feet  by  17  feet,  and  has  an  ancient 
roof.  Mr.  Clarkson  occupied  a  long  time  in  describing 
very  minutely  the  tower,  which  he  said  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  England.  It  is  at  the  west  end,  reached  from 
the  nave  by  an  arch  of  much  dignity.  Above  the  base 
it  is  about  28  feet  square,  and  the  walls  are  5  feet 
6  inches  thick.  The  height  from  ground  to  roof  is 
100  feet,  and  to  the  apex  of  the  pinnacles  128  feet. 
Afterwards  the  vicar,  Rev.  R.  C.  Meade,  B.D.,  gave 
a  short  history  of  the  church  since  the  sixteenth  century, 
at  which  point  Mr.  Clarkson  left  it.  On  arriving  at 
Peterborough  the  party  proceeded  to  inspect  the  parish 
church.  They  were  met  at  the  sacred  edifice  by  Canon 
Syers,  and  the  various  architectural  features  and  data 
were  pointed  out.  At  the  cathedral  and  palace  the 
Abbot  Benedict  doorway  was  pointed  out  by  Canon 
Davys.  The  Bishop  had  given  permission  to  the 
Canon  for  the  party  to  have  access  to  the  palace  and 
grounds,  and  the  members  accordingly  entered  under 
the  Knights'  Chamber,  which  was  used  for  the  last 
time  for  its  original  purposes  on  the  occasion  of  the 
funeral  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  when  the  attendants 
breakfasted  there  together.  The  ancient  part  of  the 
palace.  Canon  Davys  pointed  out  to  be  the  remains 
of  the  Abbot's  house  and  the  great  hall  of  the  abbey, 
the  present  entrance  hall  being  the  former  crypt. 

Society  of  Antiquaries. — May  4. — Anniversary 
Meeting. — Dr.  J.  Evans,  President,  in  the  chair. — 
The  members  of  the  Council  and  officers  of  the  Society 
were  unanimously  elected  for  the  ensuing  year. — The 
President  delivered  his  annual  address,  in  which  he 
drew  special  attention  to  the  great  losses  the  Society 
had  sustained  by  death  during  the  past  twelve  months. 
He  also  commented  on  the  various  changes  in  the 
constitution  and  management  of  the  Society,  and  of 
the  various  works  of  ancient  date  whose  threatened 
destruction  had  been  averted  by  the  Society's  inter- 
ference. 

May  13. — Dr.  J.  Evans,  President,  in  the  chair. — 
A  discussion  took  place  on  the  subject  of  the  reported 
danger  of  destruction  or  concealment  of  an  important 
portion  of  the  Roman  baths  at  Bath. —  Mr,  P.  O. 
Hutchinson  exhibited  a  full-sized  drawing  of  a  figure 
of  a  saint  in  stained  glass  from  Shute,  Devon. — Mr.  R. 
Day  exhibited  a  dagger,  a  spear -head,  and  two  celts 
(one  with  a  singular  rope  ornament  round  the  mouth), 
all  of  bronze,  dredged  up  from  the  bottom  of  Lough 
Erne. — Mr.  J.  T.  Micklethwaite,  by  permission  of  the 
Rev.  R.  II.  Cave,  exhibited  a  wooden  figure  of  the 
rood,  said  to  be  from  a  Lincolnshire  church. — Sir  E. 
MacCulloch  exhibited  a  magnificent  gold  signet -ring 
with  a  pelican  in  her  piety,  and  the  motto  "Sans 
mal  penser." — The  Rev.  H.  T.  Cheales  exhibited  a 
coloured  tracing  of  a  wall-pamting  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion, one  of  a  fine  series  of  subjects  painted  on  the 
walls  of  Friskney  Church,  Lincolnshire. — Mr.  G. 
Clinch  exhibited  and  gave  an  account  of  a  number  of 
palaeolithic  and  neolithic  implements  found  at  West 
Wickhain,  Kent,  a  new  locality  for  the  occurrence  of 
these  objects. 

May  20. — Dr.  J.  Evans,  President,  in  the  chair. — 


3« 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


Mr.  J.  E.  Nightingale  exhibited  a  seal  of  the  deanery 
of  Shaftesbury,  with  the  device  of  a  Saracen's  head, 
found  when  pulling  down  an  old  house  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Salisbury. — Rev.  J.  Beck  exhibited  a  fine 
set  of  large  fruit  trenchers  in  their  original  box,  also 
three  good  examples  of  palstaves,  and  a  number  of 
posy  rings. — Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope,  by  permission 
of  the  Mayor  and  Corporation,  exhibited  a  most  in- 
teresting mace  belonging  to  the  borough  of  Lyme 
Regis.  The  Vicar  and  churchwardens  of  All  Hallows', 
Goldsmith  Street,  Exeter,  exhibited  two  pieces  of 
their  communion  plate. — The  Rev.  G.  F.  Browne  read 
an  interesting  paper  on  basket-work  images  of  men 
on  sculptured  stones  at  Checkley  and  Ham,  and  on  an 
incised  stone  at  Skipworth,  Yorks,  illustrated  by  a 
series  of  rubbings. 

May  27. — Dr.  J.  Evans,  President,  in  the  chair. — 
Mr.  Westlake  exhibited  an  ancient  horseshoe  found  at 
Kilburn. — Archdeacon  Pownall  exhibited  a  large 
Limoges  enamel  representing  our  Lord  falling  under 
the  cross. — Mr.  W.  H.  St.  John  Hope  exhibited  a 
number  of  mediaeval  paving  tiles  found  by  him  during 
excavations  at  West  Langdon  Abbey,  Kent. — Mr. 
Joseph  Clarke  exhibited  a  singular  unfinished  alabaster 
panel  with  the  Crucifixion,  supposed  to  have  been 
found  under  the  flooring  at  Minster  in  Thanet. — Mr. 
E.  St.  F.  Moore  exhibited  a  loom  weight  from  some 
earthworks  near  Northampton,  and  a  small  bronze 
vessel  of  Roman  date  found  in  Suffolk. 

Anthropological  Institute.— May  11. — Mr.  F. 
Galton,  President,  in  the  chair. — Mr.  Gallon  read 
some  "  Notes  on  Permanent  Colour  Types  in  Mosaic." 
— Prof.  Thane  read  a  paper  by  Prof.  A.  Macalister  "On 
some  African  Skulls  and  on  a  New  Ireland  Skull  in 
the  Anatomical  Museum  of  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge."— Dr.  Garson  reported  that  the  correspondence 
as  to  an  international  agreement  on  the  cephalic  index 
had  been  brought  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion,  and 
that  the  scheme  advocated  by  him  before  the  Institute 
in  February  last  had  been  accepted  by  sixty  of  the 
leading  anthropologists  on  the  Continent.  Dr.  Garson 
read  a  paper  "  On  the  Skeleton  and  Cephalic  Index 
of  Japanese." 

May  25.— Mr.  F.  Galton,  President,  in  the  chair.— 
Mr.  R.  S.  Poole  read  a  paper  "On  the  Ancient 
Egyptian  Classification  of  the  Races  of  Man":  i. 
Egyptian,  red ;  2.  Shemite,  yellow ;  3.  Libyan, 
white  ;  4.  Negro,  black.— Mr.  C.  W.  Rosset  exhibited 
a  collection  of  photogra]:)hs  and  objects  of  ethno- 
logical interest  from  the  Maldivc  Islands  and  Ceylon. 

Archaeological  Institute.- May  6.— Earl  Percy, 
President,  in  the  chair. — Mr.  R.  S.  Poole  gave  an 
address  "  On  the  Value  of  Archeology  in  the  Study 
of  the  Bible." — Mr.  S.  Lucas  exhibited  a  great  sword 
of  state,  of  about  the  date  of  1440. — Mr.  J.  T.  Irvine 
exhibited  a  series  of  interesting  plans  showing  the 
foundations  of  the  early  buildings  at  the  east  end  of 
Lichfield  Cathedral,  which  were  made  manifest  during 
the  late  restorations. 

Philological  Society.— May  7.— Rev.  Prof.  Skeat, 
President,  in  the  chair. — Mr.  A.  J.  Ellis  read  a  report 
on  his  dialectal  work  since  May,  1885.  He  said  that 
he  had  completed  the  first  draft  of  his  account  of  the 
southern,  western,  and  eastern  divisions.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  explain  his  nineteen  districts,  to  show  how 
they  were  treated  and  illustrated,  and  to  give  details 
respecting  his  informants  and  their  qualifications. 


May  21. — Anniversary  Meeting. —  Prof.  Skeat, 
President,  in  the  chair. — The  President  read  his 
biennial  address.  He  then  read  his  remarks  on 
"  Ghost-words." 

Society  of  Biblical  Archaeologfy. — June  i. — Mr. 
W.  Morrison,  President,  in  the  chair. — Mr.  F.  G. 
Hilton  Price  read  a  paper  describing  a  number  of 
Egyptian  antiquities  in  his  collection. 

Hellenic— May  6.— Prof.  C.  T.  Newton  in  the 
chair. — Prof.  Jebb  read  a  paper  "  On  the  Homeric 
House  in  Relation  to  the  Remains  at  Tiryns."  The 
structure  of  the  house  at  Tiryns,  as  traced  by  Dr. 
Dorpfeld,  was  shown  by  a  plan.  Beside  it  was  placed 
another,  showing  the  arrangement  of  the  Homeric 
house  as  archreologists  have  hitherto  usually  deduced 
it  from  the  data  of  the  Homeric  poems,  the  sketch 
given  by  J.  Protodikos  {1877)  being  taken  as  a  basis. 

Asiatic. — May  17. — Anniversary  Meeting. — Col. 
Yule  in  the  chair. — Portions  of  the  past  year's  report 
having  been  read  by  the  Secretary,  the  Council  and 
officers  of  next  year  were  elected. — The  President  then 
delivered  an  address,  in  which  he  remarked  on  the 
heavy  loss  sustained  by  the  Society  in  the  death  of  so 
many  of  its  more  eminent  members. 

Society  for  the  Protection  of  Ancient  Buildings. 
— Annual  Meeting,  June  8. — The  Hon.  Richard 
Grosvenor  in  the  chair. — The  report  presented  to  the 
meeting  included  an  account  of  the  Society's  action 
with  regard  to  the  York  churches,  and  went  on  to 
say,  "  The  very  valuable  church  of  St.  Crux,  at  York, 
still  remains  roofless.  About  ;if  2000  had  been  raised 
for  its  restoration,  and  a  second  appeal  has  been  issued 
by  Canon  Raine  since  the  parish  of  St.  Crux  was 
united  to  All  Saints',  Pavement.  The  historical  asso- 
ciations of  the  church  are  of  surpassing  interest,  and 
its  structural  beauty  noteworthy.  The  Society  ventures 
to  hope,  therefore,  that  the  present  incumbent,  whose 
archaeological  learning  is  so  well  known,  will  make  a 
determined  effort  to  prevent  its  complete  destruction. 
The  disuse  or  destruction  of  St.  Mary  Bishophill 
junior  has  for  the  present  been  prevented  by  the  action 
of  the  parochial  authorities.  St.  Michael,  Spurrier- 
gate,  has  been  united  to  St.  Mary,  Castlegate.  The 
beautiful  little  church  of  Holy  Trinity,  Goodramgate, 
remains  desolate  and  uncared  for.  A  little  money 
spent  in  repairs  might  prevent  it  from  going  altogether 
to  ruin.  Nothing  has  been  heard  recently  of  the 
abandonment  of  St.  Martin,  Micklegate,  or  St.  John, 
Ouse  Bridge.  The  first  of  these  churches  is  beautiful 
and  interesting,  and  both  have  much  precious  glass. 
No  steps  have  been  taken  for  the  demolition  of  St. 
Cuthbert's,  a  church  which  has  been  much  mutilated 
but  possesses  features  of  considerable  interest.  With 
regard  to  Sedbergh  Church,  the  committee  report  that 
it  has  done  its  utmost  to  save  the  church  from  the 
destruction  of  '  restoration,'  and  nothing  now  remains 
for  it  but  to  record  a  complete  failure." 

Bath  Natural  History  and  Antiquarian  Field 
Club. — May  4. — The  first  excursion  of  the  season  was 
to  Sherborne. — The  members  were  met  at  the  station 
by  the  vicar,  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Lyon,  and  his  son,  and 
were  at  once  conducted  by  the  south  porch  of  the 
Abbey  to  the  King's  School.  All  the  various  portions 
of  the  buildings  were  visited  in  detail.  The  boys' 
studies — once  the  cells  of  the  Benedictine  monks, 
whose  monastery  formerly  stood  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Abbey,  and  has  now  been  appropriated  for  the 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


33 


use  of  the  school ;  the  crypt — with  its  Norman  piers  ; 
the  old  schoolroom — built  1670,  with  the  statue  of 
King  Edward  VI.  at  its  east  end,  transferred  from  a 
more  ancient  schoolroom  to  its  present  site,  well 
known  to  old  Sherborne  boys,  as  they  "capped  "  the 
image  of  royalty.  From  the  hall  up  to  the  sick 
chambers,  curiously  built  amid  the  stone  groining  of 
what  was  the  Lady  Chapel,  the  ancient  Guesten  Hall, 
and  through  the  chapel  to  the  museum  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  road.  This  room  contains  a  very  good 
collection  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, principally  from  the  Inferior  Oolite.  Mr.  Wood 
briefly  indicated  from  a  geological  section  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood the  formations  recently  traversed,  from  the 
Oxford  Clay  and  Corbrash  at  Templecombe  in  de- 
scending order  to  the  Forest  Marble,  Fuller's  Earth, 
Fuller's  Earth  Rock,  and  Inferior  Oolite,  on  which 
Sherborne  is  built,  the  only  peculiarity  being  that  the 
Great  Oolite  so  thick  at  Bath  had  thinned  out  in  this 
direction  altogether,  and  was  probably  represented  by 
the  Forest  Marble.  The  members  then  entered  the 
Abbey.  Before  doing  so  the  remains  of  an  old  door- 
way on  the  north  side  of  the  present  one  were  pointed 
out  as  containing  traces  of  Saxon  work,  and  attention 
was  called  to  the  picturesque  effect  of  the  painted 
window  at  the  east  end,  as  seen  through  the  open 
portal.  The  contrast  from  the  glare  outside  to  the 
subdued  light  of  the  interior  of  this  noble  Abbey  was 
most  restful  to  the  eye.  The  richness  of  the  carving 
in  panelled  pier  and  vaulted  tracery,  and  the  soft 
blending  of  the  whole  in  one  harmonious  warm  tint, 
due  to  the  quality  of  the  far  celebrated  Ham  Hill 
stone,  renders  this  interior  probably  unequalled  in 
beauty.  A  visit  was  paid  to  the  belfry,  containing  a 
peal  of  eight  bells.  The  tenor,  called  "  Great  Tom," 
the  gift  of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  and  the  smallest  of  the 
seven  brought  from  Tournay  and  presented  to  various 
cathedrals  in  England,  bears  the  inscription  : 
"  By  Wolsey's  gift  I  measure  time  for  all ; 
To  mirth,  to  grief,  to  church,  I  serve  to  call." 

The  bell  rung  on  the  alarm  of  fire,  and  from  its  shape 
giving  out  a  peculiar  sound,  has  the  following  inscrip- 
tion : 

"  Lord,  quench  this  furious  flame  ! 
Arise  !  run  !  help  !  put  out  the  same." 

Having  looked  at  the  outside  of  the  house  built  in  the 
shape  of  the  letter  H,  the  cross  part  of  which  is  said 
to  have  been  erected  by  Walter  Raleigh,  the  members 
wandered  on  to  Walter  Raleigh's  seat  and  tree  (an 
elm),  the  traditional  scene  of  the  pipe  and  flagon  of 
beer  anecdote,  and  to  the  precincts  of  the  old  castle, 
Bishop  Rogers'sonce  famous  fortress, now  apicturesque 
ruin,  with  here  and  there  traces  of  the  once  rich 
Norman  mouldings  in  column  and  window  tracery 
characteristic  of  his  period. 

Buxton  Philosophical  Society.  —  June  5.— 
Professor  Boyd  Dawkins  delivered  a  lecture  on 
"  Poole's  Cavern,  and  its  Place  in  History."  The 
Professor  said  he  was  there  to  put  before  them  the 
history  of  caves  and  ravines.  The  ravine  from  Buxton 
to  Miller's  Dale  was  clearly  marked,  and  these  ravines 
were  hollowed  out  of  the  rock,  like  Poole's  Cavern, 
were  traversed  by  water,  and  gave  unmistakable 
proofs  as  to  what  water  had  formerly  done.  In  the 
ravine  on  every  side,  and  at  various  altitudes,  there 
were  caverns  opening  out  similar  to  that  presented  by 
VOL.  XIV. 


Poole's  Cavern.  It  was  not  difficult  to  trace  the 
history  of  a  ravine,  and  they  would  observe  that,  by 
some  means  or  other,  the  drainage  of  the  country  had 
gradually  sunk,  so  that  these  water-channels  were  to 
be  looked  upon  as  deserted  water-courses,  the  water 
having  sunk  down  and  found  its  way  to  lower  levels. 
In  the  first  place  the  mere  mechanical  action  of  the 
water  ground  away  the  bottom  of  the  cavern.  That 
was  the  simple  agent  in  the  making  of  caverns,  but 
the  carbonic  acid  ever  present  in  the  air  was  more 
subtle,  and  every  drop  of  water  that  fell  carried  car- 
bonic acid  to  the  limestone,  and  the  water  that  found 
its  way  through  the  water-courses  attacked  the  rock, 
wearing  it  away  and  lowering  the  floor  of  the  cavern. 
Suppose  they  examined  the  surface  of  the  quarry  they 
would  find  that  there  had  been  a  line  fissure,  and  they 
would  note  that  the  rock  had  been  honey  combed  and 
worn  away  in  an  irregular  manner.  This  chemical 
action  was  exceedingly  potent.  Caverns  were  formed 
by  enlargement  of  the  water-courses,  they  being  so 
enlarged  by  carbonic  acid,  by  the  passage  of  the  rain 
through  the  atmosphere  and  decaying  vegetation  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground  or  roof.  Bit  by  bit  these 
blocks  of  rock  became  loosened  and  tumbled  down. 
The  frost  had  also  an  effect  in  the  same  manner.  At 
Poole's  Hole  the  ravine  was  not  very  clearly  marked, 
but  in  a  great  many  cases  it  was.  They  had  a  won- 
derful assortment  of  stalagmites,  stalactites,  and  crys- 
taline  in  Poole's  Cavern — some  of  the  stalagmites 
coloured  most  beautifully  with  salts  of  iron,  while 
others  stood  in  snowy  contrast.  The  rate  of  the 
deposit  of  the  material  was  altogether  uncertain.  They 
could  not  really  estimate  the  age  of  an  accumulation 
in  a  cavern  by  appealing  to  the  thickness  of  the  stalag- 
mite. It  might  take  a  thousand  years  to  have  a 
stalagmite  not  larger  than  a  shilling-piece,  as  in  the 
case  of  Kent's  Hole,  at  Torquay.  The  rate  was  vari- 
able, and  there  was  speculation.  At  Poole's  Cavern 
there  was  an  accumulation  of  mud,  with  which  most  of 
them  were  familiar.  That  was  an  outward  and  visible 
sign  of  an  amount  of  water  and  drainage  which  inevit- 
ably belonged  to  the  formation  of  the  cavern,  the 
accumulation  of  which  was  simply  due  to  the  fact  that 
there  was  not  sufficient  outlet  for  the  water  to  carry  it 
clear  away.  Here,  underneath  an  accumulation  and 
stalagmite,  there  were  the  most  wonderful  remains. 
They  would  take  the  remains  of  the  animals  first. 
There  were  those  of  the  horse,  the  hog — mostly  young 
— of  sheep  and  goats,  and  short-horned  ox.  This 
latter  would  be  familiar  to  most  of  them.  The  remains 
found  are  of  that  class  which  was  represented  by  the 
small  but  beautifully-shaped  Scotch  and  the  elegantly- 
shaped  Welsh  cattle.  The  bones  discovered  in  Poole's 
Cavern  were  to  be  looked  upon  merely  as  an  old 
refuse-heap,  as  they  were  used  for  food.  If  they 
examined  their  red-deer  they  would  find  that  most  of 
the  animals  tended  to  be  young  rather  than  old.  The 
horse  was  an  exceedingly  common  article  of  food  down 
to  the  close  of  the  eighth  century  after  Christ.  It  was 
the  rule  rather  than  the  exception  to  eat  horseflesh. 
The  reason  horseflesh  was  not  partaken  of  was  owing 
to  an  edict  of  one  of  the  Popes,  and  the  result  of  this 
prejudice  was  felt  to-day.  There  were  also  wild 
animals.  The  stag  had  not  been  extinct  in  this  part 
of  the  country  for  any  great  length  of  time,  and  if 
they  could  get  at  the  records  of  the  stag  they  would 


34 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


get  the  evidence  of  wild  red-deer  down  to  exceedingly 
late  times,  long  after  the  days  of  Elizabeth.  In  all 
the  refuse-heaps  of  the  present  day  they  had  broken 
articles  of  pottery.  Among  the  materials  in  the  refuse- 
heap  the  broken  pots  formed  a  very  imjxjrtant  ele- 
ment. These  pots  were  of  great  interest.  They 
found  thick  pieces  of  red  pottery  which  belonged  to 
the  ordinary  household,  pottery  undoubtedly  forming 
lafge  jars  in  which  stuff  or  made  wine  was  stored.  He 
must  also  call  attention  to  the  small  crucible,  which 
was  used  for  melting  purposes.  Samian  ware  was 
also  alluded  to,  and  it  was  found  at  Poole's  Cavern. 
They  had  evidence  of  the  presence  of  glass.  There 
was  a  Roman  glass  bottle.  It  was  in  this  damp  and 
uncomfortable  place  to  live  in  that  they  had  evidence 
of  the  accumulation  of  a  refuse-heap.  The  objects 
of  interest  lay  scattered  down  in  the  clay.  They 
inferred  that  it  took  some  years  for  the  formation  of 
this  refuse-heap,  and  it  was  perfectly  clear  that  the 
people  who  made  this  heap  were  people  in  by  no 
means  a  low  state  of  civilization.  Somehow  or  other 
they  became  the  possessors  of  Samian  ware.  They 
could  not  imagine  anything  more  out  of  place  than 
the  use  of  Samian  ware  in  such  a  place  as  that,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  believe  that  a  collector  of  Samian 
ware  lived  in  such  a  place  as  Poole's  Cavern.  He 
had  not  exhausted  all  the  things  found  in  the  cavern 
by  a  long  way,  but  he  had  given  them  evidence  to 
prove  that  it  was  a  refuse-heap.  Human  remains,  too, 
occurred  in  this  refuse-heap.  They  occurred,  too,  in 
conditions  to  imply  that  they  had  not  been  buried 
there.  It  seemed  to  him  that  there  had  been  a 
massacre  in  the  cavern.  There  was  definite  order  in 
Roman  interments.  The  Roman  provincials  burned 
the  dead  and  stored  the  remains  in  cinerary  urns. 
Here  in  Poole's  Cavern,  however,  they  had  remains 
under  the  stalagmite.  He  thought  there  was  some 
tragedy  to  note  in  that  association.  And  who  were 
these  people  ?  In  these  caverns  they  came  across  iron 
knives,  daggers,  and  choppers  of  a  type  he  was  per- 
fectly familiar  with,  specimens  of  which  they  could 
see  in  certain  museums.  They  found,  too,  the  sickle, 
and  various  ornaments  in  the  shape  of  bone  pins.  He 
might  also  note  the  green  and  blue  glass  bead  of 
Roman  workmanship.  He  asked  their  attention  more 
particularly  to  the  bronze  things.  The  contents  of 
Poole's  Cavern  depended  very  much  upon  the  bronze. 
Here  he  noted  two  things  made  of  bronze :  one  of 
them  was  the  bronze  cluster,  which  consisted  of 
tweezers  for  taking  hair  out,  another  for  cleaning  the 
nails,  and  a  third  for  cleaning  the  ear  out.  It  was  in 
the  nature  of  some  of  the  apparatus  belonging  to  the 
dandy  of  the  time.  These  things  he  had  met  with 
over  and  over  again,  not,  however,  united  together,  as 
he  was  delighted  to  find  them  at  Poole's  Cavern. 
They  found  finger-rings  of  various  kinds,  like  wedding- 
rings,  made  of  bronze,  though  thinner.  They  had 
pins  with  the  round  ring  and  delicate  tooling  around, 
and  there  were  also  brooches.  They  had  the  blue 
centre,  then  the  circle  of  red  enamel,  and  a  larger  one 
of  blue  enamel,  the  whole  forming  a  little  shield  in 
the  middle  of  the  brooch.  They  had  considerable 
evidence  of  the  enamelling  art,  which  was  certainly 
British.  He  also  drew  attention  to  another  brooch, 
with  silver  inlay  and  scrolls,  and  said  articles  of  the 
kind  he  had  named  had  been  met  with  in  the  Cress- 
brook  Caves  and  some  other  caverns  in  this  district. 


At  Poole's  Cavern  three  coins  of  Trajan  were  found, 
and  these  he  proceeded  to  dilate  upon,  adding  that 
these  refuse-heaps  implied  savage  life,  with  very  much 
luxury.  The  Roman  Britons  were  the  great  road- 
builders  in  this  country,  and  there  was  a  complete  net- 
work of  roads  leading  to  the  military  centres.  The 
hot  springs  at  Bath  were  known  to  have  been  used 
by  them,  and  the  hot  water  still,  in  fact,  was  running 
through  the  Roman  pipes  laid  down.  Roman  civiliza- 
tion, he  thought,  penetrated  into  this  region.  Up  to 
the  present  time  they  had  not  discovered  any  traces 
of  the  baths  being  used  by  the  Romans  at  Buxton,  but 
there  was  every  probability  that  in  the  course  of  time 
they  would  find  them.  It  was  undoubted  that  they 
made  great  use  of  the  hot  springs,  and  that  being  so, 
it  was  not  probable  they  would  have  missed  Buxton. 
He  thought  the  date  of  these  remains  in  Poole's 
Cavern  corresponded  to  the  destruction  of  Chester, 
and  he  maintained  that  it  was  to  these  caves  and 
holes  such  as  that  at  Buxton  that  the  unfortunate 
people  fled. — The  party  then  repaired  to  the  museum 
at  Poole's  Cavern,  where  Professor  Dawkins  proceeded 
to  explain  and  comment  upon  the  various  objects 
of  interest  found  in  the  cavern.  The  human  bones 
of  young  and  old  testified  to  a  massacre  at  some 
time.  The  articles  of  personal  adornment,  the  Roman 
coins,  the  bronze  cluster,  Samian  ware,  crucible,  and 
other  relics,  were  inspected  with  great  interest.  The 
human  teeth,  Professor  Dawkins  observed,  were  very 
much  better  than  those  belonging  to  the  race  of  the 
present  day,  and  he  feared  that  the  time  would  come 
when  they  would  have  no  teeth  at  all,  so  great  was 
the  degeneration.  He  also  called  attention  to  a 
splinter  Which  formed  part  of  a  Neolithic  axe,  wedge- 
shaped. 

Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society. 
— ^June  5. — The  place  chosen  for  the  excursion  was 
Knaresborough.  By  the  courtesy  of  the  Rev.  Canon 
Crosthwaite  the  party  first  visited  the  parish  church, 
dedicated  to  St.  John,  which  is  a  decorated  building 
of  the  fourteenth  century.  The  windows,  with  their 
geometrical  tracery,  and  the  lofty  pillars  of  the  nave, 
were  especially  noticed.  But  the  chief  object  of 
interest  was  the  Slingsby  Chapel,  where  are  seen  the 
recumbent  statues  of  Francis  and  Mary  Slingsby,  of 
1600,  and  the  beautiful  white  marble  monument  to  the 
late  Sir  Charles  Slingsby,  the  last  male  heir  of  his 
line,  who  was  drowned  in  crossing  the  Ure,  with  other 
members  of  the  York  and  Ainsty  Hunt,  in  February, 
1869.  Of  the  origin  of  the  church  little  is  known,  but 
after  being  attached  to  the  Priory  of  Nostel  it  became 
a  vicarage  in  1343.  Long  prior  to  that  period,  how- 
ever, the  original  fabric  suffered  partial  destruction  at 
the  hands  of  the  Scots,  and  of  its  restoration  no  record 
is  extant.  The  old  Court  House  was  next  visited, 
where,  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Frederick  Powell, 
the  records,  extending  back  to  the  thirteenth  century, 
were  exposed  to  view  and  explained  by  Mr.  T.  T. 
Empsall,  the  President  of  the  Society.  The  ruins  of 
the  ancient  castle  were  then  inspected.  The  guard- 
room, with  its  many  curiosities — a  man-trap,  cannon 
balls  found  in  the  neighbourhood,  a  model  of  the 
dropping  well,  a  box  said  to  have  been  used  by 
William  the  Conqueror,  and  the  black-hole  for  unruly 
soldiers — were  examined.  Then  the  gloomy  vault 
underneath,  with  its  tremendously  thick  walls,  where 
the  murderers  of  Thomas  a  Becket  found  refuge,  and 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


33 


iise  of  the  school ;  the  crypt — with  its  Norman  piers  ; 
the  old  schoolroom — built  1670,  with  the  statue  of 
King  Edward  VI.  at  its  east  end,  transferred  from  a 
more  ancient  schoolroom  to  its  present  site,  well 
known  to  old  Sherborne  boys,  as  they  '*  capped  "  the 
image  of  royalty.  From  the  hall  up  to  the  sick 
chambers,  curiously  built  amid  the  stone  groining  of 
what  was  the  Lady  Chapel,  the  ancient  Guesten  Hall, 
and  through  the  chapel  to  the  museum  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  road.  This  room  contains  a  very  good 
collection  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, principally  from  the  Inferior  Oolite.  Mr.  Wood 
briefly  indicated  from  a  geological  section  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood the  formations  recently  traversed,  from  the 
Oxford  Clay  and  Corbrash  at  Templecombe  in  de- 
scending order  to  the  Forest  Marble,  Fuller's  Earth, 
Fuller's  Earth  Rock,  and  Inferior  Oolite,  on  which 
Sherborne  is  built,  the  only  peculiarity  being  that  the 
Great  Oolite  so  thick  at  Bath  had  thinned  out  in  this 
direction  altogether,  and  was  probably  represented  by 
the  Forest  Marble.  The  members  then  entered  the 
Abbey.  Before  doing  so  the  remains  of  an  old  door- 
way on  the  north  side  of  the  present  one  were  pointed 
out  as  containing  traces  of  Saxon  work,  and  attention 
was  called  to  the  picturesque  effect  of  the  painted 
window  at  the  east  end,  as  seen  through  the  open 
portal.  The  contrast  from  the  glare  outside  to  the 
subdued  light  of  the  interior  of  this  noble  Abbey  was 
most  restful  to  the  eye.  The  richness  of  the  carving 
in  panelled  pier  and  vaulted  tracery,  and  the  soft 
blending  of  the  whole  in  one  harmonious  warm  tint, 
due  to  the  quality  of  the  far  celebrated  Ham  Hill 
stone,  renders  this  interior  probably  unequalled  in 
beauty.  A  visit  was  paid  to  the  belfry,  containing  a 
peal  of  eight  bells.  The  tenor,  called  "  Great  Tom," 
the  gift  of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  and  the  smallest  of  the 
seven  brought  from  Tournay  and  presented  to  various 
cathedrals  in  England,  bears  the  inscription  : 
"  By  Wolsey's  gift  I  measure  time  for  all ; 
To  mirth,  to  grief,  to  church,  I  serve  to  call." 

The  bell  rung  on  the  alarm  of  fire,  and  from  its  shape 
giving  out  a  peculiar  sound,  has  the  following  inscrip- 
tion : 

"  Lord,  quench  this  furious  flame  ! 
Arise  !  run  !  help  !  put  out  the  same." 

Having  looked  at  the  outside  of  the  house  built  in  the 
shape  of  the  letter  H,  the  cross  part  of  which  is  said 
to  have  l)een  erected  by  Walter  Raleigh,  the  members 
wandered  on  to  Walter  Raleigh's  seat  and  tree  (an 
elm),  the  traditional  scene  of  the  pipe  and  flagon  of 
beer  anecdote,  and  to  the  precincts  of  the  old  castle, 
Bishop  Rogers'sonce  famous  fortress, now  apicturesque 
ruin,  with  here  and  there  traces  of  the  once  rich 
Norman  mouldings  in  column  and  window  tracery 
characteristic  of  his  period. 

Buxton  Philosophical  Society.  —  June  5. — 
Professor  Boyd  Dawkins  delivered  a  lecture  on 
"Poole's  Cavern,  and  its  Place  in  History."  The 
Professor  said  he  was  there  to  put  before  them  the 
history  of  caves  and  ravines.  The  ravine  from  Buxton 
to  Miller's  Dale  was  clearly  marked,  and  these  ravines 
were  hollowed  out  of  the  rock,  like  Poole's  Cavern, 
were  traversed  by  water,  and  gave  unmistakable 
proofs  as  to  what  water  had  formerly  done.  In  the 
ravine  on  every  side,  and  at  various  altitudes,  there 
were  caverns  opening  out  similar  to  that  presented  by 
VOL.  XIV. 


Poole's  Cavern.  It  was  not  difficult  to  trace  the 
history  of  a  ravine,  and  they  would  observe  that,  by 
some  means  or  other,  the  drainage  of  the  country  had 
gradually  sunk,  so  that  these  water-channels  were  to 
be  looked  upon  as  deserted  water-courses,  the  water 
having  sunk  down  and  found  its  way  to  lower  levels. 
In  the  first  place  the  mere  mechanical  action  of  the 
water  ground  away  the  bottom  of  the  cavern.  That 
was  the  simple  agent  in  the  making  of  caverns,  but 
the  carbonic  acid  ever  present  in  the  air  was  more 
subtle,  and  every  drop  of  water  that  fell  carried  car- 
bonic acid  to  the  limestone,  and  the  water  that  found 
its  way  through  the  water-courses  attacked  the  rock, 
wearing  it  away  and  lowering  the  floor  of  the  cavern. 
Suppose  they  examined  the  surface  of  the  quarry  they 
would  find  that  there  had  been  a  line  fissure,  and  they 
would  note  that  the  rock  had  been  honey  combed  and 
worn  away  in  an  irregular  manner.  This  chemical 
action  was  exceedingly  potent.  Caverns  were  formed 
by  enlargement  of  the  water-courses,  they  being  so 
enlarged  by  carbonic  acid,  by  the  passage  of  the  rain 
through  the  atmosphere  and  decaying  vegetation  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground  or  roof.  Bit  by  bit  these 
blocks  of  rock  became  loosened  and  tumbled  down. 
The  frost  had  also  an  effect  in  the  same  manner.  At 
Poole's  Hole  the  ravine  was  not  very  clearly  marked, 
but  in  a  great  many  cases  it  was.  They  had  a  won- 
derful assortment  of  stalagmites,  stalactites,  and  crys- 
taline  in  Poole's  Cavern — some  of  the  stalagmites 
coloured  most  beautifully  with  salts  of  iron,  while 
others  stood  in  snowy  contrast.  The  rate  of  the 
deposit  of  the  material  was  altogether  uncertain.  They 
could  not  really  estimate  the  age  of  an  accumulation 
in  a  cavern  by  appealing  to  the  thickness  of  the  stalag- 
mite. It  might  take  a  thousand  years  to  have  a 
stalagmite  not  larger  than  a  shilling-piece,  as  in  the 
case  of  Kent's  Hole,  at  Torquay.  The  rate  was  vari- 
able, and  there  was  speculation.  At  Poole's  Cavern 
there  was  an  accumulation  of  mud,  with  which  most  of 
them  were  familiar.  That  was  an  outward  and  visible 
sign  of  an  amount  of  water  and  drainage  which  inevit- 
ably belonged  to  the  formation  of  the  cavern,  the 
accumulation  of  which  was  simply  due  to  the  fact  that 
there  was  not  sufficient  outlet  for  the  water  to  carry  it 
clear  away.  Here,  underneath  an  accumulation  and 
stalagmite,  there  were  the  most  wonderful  remains. 
They  would  take  the  remains  of  the  animals  first- 
There  were  those  of  the  horse,  the  hog — mostly  young 
— of  sheep  and  goats,  and  short-horned  ox.  This 
latter  would  be  familiar  to  most  of  them.  The  remains 
found  are  of  that  class  which  was  represented  by  the 
small  but  beautifully-shaped  Scotch  and  the  elegantly- 
shaped  Welsh  cattle.  The  bones  discovered  in  Poole's 
Cavern  were  to  be  looked  upon  merely  as  an  old 
refuse-heap,  as  they  were  used  for  food.  If  they 
examined  their  red-deer  they  would  find  that  most  of 
the  animals  tended  to  be  young  rather  than  old.  The 
horse  was  an  exceedingly  common  article  of  food  down 
to  the  close  of  the  eighth  century  after  Christ.  It  was 
the  rule  rather  than  the  exception  to  eat  horseflesh. 
The  reason  horseflesh  was  not  partaken  of  was  owing 
to  an  edict  of  one  of  the  Popes,  and  the  result  of  this 
prejudice  was  felt  to-day.  There  were  also  wild 
animals.  The  stag  had  not  been  extinct  in  this  part 
of  the  country  for  any  great  length  of  time,  and  if 
they  could  get  at  the  records  of  the  stag  they  would 


36 


ANTIQUARIAN  NEWS. 


Christie,  Manson,  and  Woods,  at  their  rooms  in  King 
Street,  St.  James's,  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest 
assemblages  of  porcelain  that  has  been  disposed  of  at 
public  auction  for  many  years.  The  collection  was 
exceptionally  rich  in  old  Sevres  vases,  jardinieres,  ser- 
vices, and  cabarets  ;  the  vases  being  of  the  highest  im- 
portance, and  including  examples  of  all  the  choicest 
designs  and  colours,  painted  ty  the  most  celebrated 
artists.  The  jardinieres  were  also  of  rare  form, 
and  enriched  with  the  most  beautiful  decorations. 
Amongst  the  collections  of  services  was  the  celebrated 
dessert  service  which  was  presented  by  Louis  XVI. 
to  Mr.  Hope,  of  Amsterdam,  and  which  is  painted 
with  the  arms  of  the  Hope  family.  It  was  purchased 
at  the  sale  of  the  effects  of  the  late  Mr.  W.  Williams 
Hope,  of  Paris.  There  was  also  a  cup  and  saucer, 
bearing  the  date  1778,  which  formed  part  of  the 
magnificent  service  made  at  Sevres  for  the  Czarine 
Catherine  of  Russia.  One  hundred  and  sixty  pieces 
were  subsequently  brought  to  England,  but  were  re- 
purchased, with  the  exception  of  a  few  smaller  pieces, 
by  the  Czar  Nicholas  a  short  time  before  the  Crimean 
War,  and  taken  back  to  Russia.  There  was  also  a 
matchless  collection  of  old  Chelsea  porcelain,  in- 
cluding four  of  the  largest  and  finest  vases  ever  pro- 
duced of  that  ware,  being  no  less  than  24  inches  in 
height.  One  of  these  vases  was  presented  by  the 
owners  of  the  Chelsea  manufactory  to  the  Foundling 
Hospital  on  its  foundation,  where  it  remained  until 
1868,  when  it  was  purchased  by  the  late  Earl  of 
Dudley. 

Mr.  Hubert  Hall  will  shortly  publish  with  Messrs. 
Swan  Sonnenschein  and  Co.  a  new  historical  work, 
with  the  title  Elizabethan  Society.  Ten  social  types 
have  been  selected  to  illustrate  the  interior  life  of  the 
country,  town,  and  court ;  and  nearly  all  of  these  will 
comprise  sketches  of  famous  personages  of  the  period. 
A  feature  of  the  work  will  be  the  extensive  use  of 
original  materials,  even  to  the  illustrations,  which 
are  derived  from  contemporary  MSS.  A  large  mass 
of  social  statistics  will  be  contained  in  an  appendix 
to  the  work,  together  with  some  curious  specimens  of 
family  correspondence. 

The  Council  of  the  Essex  Archaeological  Society 
have  decided  to  begin  printing  the  Register  of  the 
Colchester  Grammar  School,  which  is  a  valuable 
genealogical  record,  and  to  entrust  its  annotation  to 
Messrs.  J.  H.  Round  and  H.  W.  King.  They  are 
also  anxious  to  issue  their  Transactions  at  more  fre- 
quent intervals,  if  they  can  obtain  increased  support. 
Their  funds  have  hitherto  been  heavily  taxed  for  the 
support  of  their  museum  at  Colchester,  which  they 
claim  to  have  now  made  "one  of  the  finest  local 
museums  in  England,"  and  which  is  "  annually  visited 
by  scarcely  less  than  20,000  persons,"  of  whom  many 
come  from  long  parts  to  see  its  unsurpassed  collection 
of  objects  of  the  Roman  period.  Applications  for 
membership  will  be  gladly  received  by  the  hon.  sec, 
H.  W.  King,  Esq.,  Leigh  Hill,  Leigh,  Essex. 

The  demolitions  now  in  progress  at  the  north  end 
of  the  Broadway,  Blackfriars,  have,  for  the  first  time, 
laid  bare  another  portion  of  the  old  wall  of  London. 
It  is  a  continuation  eastward  of  the  fragment  which 
was  removed  a  year  or  two  ago,  and  is  not  many 
yards  distant   from   the  point  at  which  this  ancient 


defence  of  the  capital  turned  northward  across  Lud- 
gate  Hill  at  the  point  where  stood  the  ancient  Lud 
Gate.  The  portion  now  exposed  is  mainly  composed 
of  fragments  of  limestone  united  by  coarse  mortar. 
With  these  are  intermingled  tiles  and  bricks,  and 
oddly  enough  large  lumps  of  soft  white  chalk  (ap- 
parently the  upper  chalk  of  the  geologists).  The 
wall  is  about  fourteen  feet  high,  and  is  surmounted 
by  a  rather  deep  line  of  red  brick,  which,  though 
old,  seems  to  be  of  later  date  than  the  lower 
portion. 

An  interesting  archseological  discovery  has  been 
made  in  the  interior  of  the  city  of  Vienna.  A  dog 
fell  into  an  opening  at  the  half-demolished  Jesuit 
monastery.  While  efforts  were  being  made  to  rescue 
the  dog,  a  large  vault,  containing  ninety  coffins,  was 
discovered.  From  tablets  on  the  coffins  it  was  found 
that  the  Jesuit  brothers  and  the  nobles  supporting 
the  order  during  the  greater  part  of  Maria  Theresa's 
reign  were  buried  in  this  vault. 

Mr.  W.  Carew  Hazlitt  has  presented  the  MS.  of  a 
Third  and  Final  Series  of  Bibliographical  Collections 
and  Aotes  (1474-1700)  to  Mr.  Quaritch,  who  has 
arranged  to  print  a  very  limited  edition  of  it,  strictly 
uniform  with  the  two  former  series  of  1876  and  1882. 
The  new  volume  will  contain  between  3,000  and 
4,000  articles,  including  a  large  and  valuable  assem- 
blage of  books,  tracts,  and  broadsides,  illustrating 
English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  history  ;  the  contemporary 
English  translations  of  foreign  tracts  relating  to  the 
affairs  of  the  Low  Countries,  France,  Spain,  Ger- 
many, Russia,  etc.,  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries ;  rare  Americana,  and  important  additions 
to  the  departments  of  poetry,  the  drama,  and  folk- 
lore. Mr.  Hazlitt  has  had  a  recent  opportunity  of 
examining  the  celebrated  collection  of  tracts,  in  30 
folio  volumes,  formed  by  Lord  Chancellor  Somers, 
and  has  not  failed  to  profit  by  the  successive  dispersion 
of  many  private  libraries  during  the  last  five  or  six 
years,  particularly  those  of  Lord  Jersey,  Mr.  Hartley, 
and  Mr.  Addington. 

The  reports  of  the  Royal  Commission  on  Historical 
Manuscripts,  1870- 1886,  have  made  known  to  scholars 
the  existence  of  a  mass  of  valuable  documents  which 
lie,  scattered  and  inedited,  and  in  a  large  measure 
unexamined,  in  the  archives  of  public  institutions  and 
of  private  families  throughout  the  country.  Many 
of  these  valuable  and,  indeed,  unique  documents, 
especially  those  which  are  in  private  hands,  are  liable, 
it  may  be  said,  to  daily  risk  of  destruction  from  damp, 
fire,  and  a  thousand  accidents.  They  may,  more- 
over, at  any  moment  be  dispersed  and  lost  to  sight. 
The  importance  of  preserving  and  of  making  better 
known  these  best  monuments  of  a  nation's  history  is 
obvious.  It  was  under  considerations  such  as  these 
that  a  suggestion  was  made  in  a  communication  to 
the  Scotsman  newspaper,  in  February  last,  by  the 
Earl  of  Rosebery — viz.,  that  the  work  of  printing 
and  editing  the  manuscript  materials  of  the  popular 
character  above  indicated  should  be  undertaken  by  a 
society  formed  exclusively  for  that  purpose.  This 
suggestion  was  taken  into  consideration  at  a  private 
meeting  convened  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dowden,  with 
Professor  Masson  in  the  chair,  on  the  17th  of 
February.    The  gentlemen  present  appointed  a  com- 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


3S 


where  the  centre  shaft  has  more  arches  springing  from 
it  than  any  other  pillar  in  England,  was  shown.  A 
paper  on  the  history  and  antiquities  of  Knaresborough 
was  read  by  Mr.  Wm.  Cudworth,  honorary  editorial 
secretary  of  the  Society.  After  noticing  the  extent 
of  the  ancient  Forest  of  Knaresborough,  which  prior 
to  the  enclosure  of  1775  included  eleven  constabularies 
and  an  area  of  country  measuring  twenty  miles  in 
length  by  about  eight  miles  in  breadth,  the  several 
aspects  of  the  period  of  the  forest  laws  of  William  the 
Conqueror  were  presented,  showing  their  severity  and 
the  means  which  were  adopted  to  keep  up  the  pre- 
servation of  game  for  the  Royal  sportsmen  who  paid 
yearly  visits  to  the  Knaresborough  hunting-grounds. 
Most  frequent  of  these  was  King  John,  of  Magna 
Charta  fame.  The  castle,  however,  was  commenced 
before  his  time,  and  was  probably  completed  during 
his  reign,  facilitated  by  the  readiness  with  which  stone 
was  found  in  the  neighbourhood.  So  valuable  was 
this  material  that  in  the  year  1213-14,  30,000  blocks 
were  sent  from  Knaresborough  to  Portsmouth.  After 
withstanding  the  wide-spread  devastation  of  the 
Scottish  invasion  and  subsequent  onslaughts,  Knares- 
borough Castle  was  surrendered  to  the  Parliamentary 
forces  during  the  Civil  War.  Almost  directlyafterwards 
the  castle  and  several  others  were  ordered  to  be  made 
untenable,  and  have  gradually  succumbed  to  decay. 


£Dt)ituarp, 


LLEWELLYN  JEWITT,  F.S.A., 
Born  18 16;  died  June  ^i/i,  1886. 
Our  readers  will  share  with  us  in  the  deep  regret 
which  Mr.  Jewitt's  death  brings  to  his  many  friends. 
In  the  present  number  of  this  journal  is  probably  the 
last  article  he  ever  wrote,  and  before  the  ink  was  dry 
on  the  corrected  proof-sheet  the  hand  that  wielded  the 
pen  had  become  lifeless. 

Mr.  Jewitt  was  born  at  Kimberworth,  near  Rother- 
ham.  He  was  the  younger  son  of  the  late  Mr.  Arthur 
Jewitt  (a  well-known  topographical  writer  in  the  early 
part  of  this  present  century),  by  his  wife,  Martha, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Sheldon.  In  1818  the  family 
removed  to  DufTield,  in  Derbyshire ;  and  there  Mr. 
Jewitt  remained  until  the  autumn  of  1838,  when  he, 
then  in  his  twenty-second  year — the  family  at  that 
time  removing  to  Oxford — went  to  London,  and  on 
Christmas  Day  of  the  same  year  married,  in  Derby, 
Elizabeth,  eldest  sur\-iving  daughter  of  the  late  Mr. 
Isaac  Sage,  of  Derby  and  Bath.  Having  thus  settled 
in  London,  Mr.  Jewitt  there  remained  for  a  few  years, 
and  during  the  time  was  mainly  engaged  with  a  well- 
known  pioneer  of  illustrated  literature — Mr.  Stephen 
Sly — in  the  illustrations,  etc.,  of  Chirles  Knight's 
Fenny  Cyclofcrdia,  Fenny  Magazine,  Fictorial  England, 
Shakespeare,  Old  England,  etc. ,  and  of  many  other 
leading  works  of  that  day.  At  this  early  period,  too, 
Mr.  Jewitt  published  his  Handbook  of  British  Coins, 
which  has  since  then  passed  through  several  editions. 
He  also  made  nearly  the  whole  of  the  sketches,  and 
very  many  of  the  finished  drawings,  for  the  steel  plates 
of  London  Interiors,  for  which  he  had  special  means 
of  access  to  the  palaces,  Government  offices,  etc. 


Leaving  London  on  account  of  his  own  and  his 
wife's  health,  Mr.  Jewitt  removed  to  Headington  Hill, 
by  Oxford,  where  he  resided  some  time,  and  greatly 
assisted  by  his  pencil  in  the  admii  able  labours  of  his 
brother,  Mr.  Orlando  Jewitt,  the  eminent  architec- 
tural engraver  in  Parker's  Glossary  of  Architecture^ 
Domestic  Architecture,  and  in  many  other  works. 
Returning  after  a  few  years  to  London,  Mr.  Jewitt 
again  as  earnestly  as  ever  engaged  himself  in  literary 
and  artistic  work  ;  and  among  many  other  and  varied 
occupations,  he  had  for  a  short  time  the  management 
of  the  illustrations  of  Punch,  at  the  time  when  Douglas 
Jerrold  was  giving  his  Story  of  a  Feather. 

In  1853,  Mr.  Jewitt  removed  with  his  family  to 
Derby,  where  he  continued  to  reside  till  1867,  when 
he  took  up  his  residence  at  Winster  Hall.  After  re- 
siding there  for  about  thirteen  years,  Mr.  Jewitt,  in 
1880,  removed  to  DuflSeld.  In  i860  Mr.  Jewitt  pro- 
jected the  Reliquary,  Quarterly  Arc hcsological  yournal 
and  Kevieiv.  Of  Mr.  Jewitt's  literary  labours  we  need 
say  but  little. 

Among  them  are :  The  Ceramic  Art  of  Great 
Britai}t,from  Frehistoric  Times  down  to  the  Present 
Day;  Grave-mounds  and  theirContents ;  The  Life  and 
Works  of  Jacob  Thompson;  The  Stately  Homes  of 
England ;  The  Domesday  Booh  of  Derbyshire;  The 
Ballads  and  Songs  of  Derbyshire. 

In  1 85 1  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Society  of 
Antiquaries,  and  he  received  many  similar  marks  of 
distinction  from  other  learned  bodies — among  others 
being  created  an  honorary  and  actual  member  of  the 
Russian  Imperial  Archaeological  Commission  and  Sta- 
tistical Committee,  Pskov;  and  corresponding  mem- 
ber of  the  Numismatic  and  Antiquarian  Society  of 
Philadelphia. 


antiquarian  n^ete. 


A  singular  discovery  of  old  Roman  coins  has  been 
made  at  Milverton,  a  suburb  of  Leamington.  Some 
men  in  the  employment  of  a  local  builder  were 
digging  foundations  near  Milverton  Station,  when 
one  of  them  found  a  Roman  amphora,  containing 
between  200  and  300  coins,  in  silver  and  copper,  of 
the  very  earliest  date,  and  in  excellent  preservation. 
The  man,  not  knowing  the  value  of  the  amphora, 
smashed  it  across  the  wheel  of  a  railway  truck  to  see 
what  it  contained,  and  then  left  the  coins,  which  are 
undoubtedly  of  great  antiquarian  value,  where  they 
had  fallen.  They  were  subsequently  recovered  in 
consequence  of  a  statement  made  by  him  to  a  fellow- 
workman. 

An  extraordinary  discovery  was  made  in  Aber- 
deen recently.  A  number  of  labourers  were  digging 
the  foundation  of  a  building  in  Ross's  Court,  Upper 
Kirkgate,  an  old  thoroughfare,  and  when  about  three 
feet  below  the  surface  they  discovered  a  bronze  pot, 
containing  about  15,000  English  silver  coins,  of  the 
reign  of  Edward  I.  It  is  supposed  that  this  forms 
part  of  the  Ixjoty  secured  in  one  of  the  raids  into 
England  during  the  twelfth  century. 

The  late  Earl  of  Dudley's  splendid  collection  of 
old  porcelain,  which  was  sold  last  month  by  Messrs. 

D — 2 


38 


ANTIQ  U ART  AN  NE  WS. 


The  restoration  of  the  old  church  of  St.  Andrew, 
Heslerton,  Scarborough,  is  contemplated.  The  work 
proposed  to  be  done  is  the  complete  restoration  of 
the  Early  English  chancel,  and  the  renovating  of  the 
eighteenth  century  nave. 

The  ancient  church  of  Oswaldkirk  has  undergone 
a  much-needed  restoration.  The  church  has  been 
well  described  as  a  remarkable  building,  and  this 
description  is  borne  out  by  study  of  its  details  and 
perusal  of  its  history.  It  had  its  rise  in  a  very  in- 
teresting period,  and  is  said  to  be  the  only  church 
which  retains  the  name  so  prominently  applied  to  the 
whole  district  in  which  it  stands,  though  others 
dedicated  to  St.  Oswald  abound  in  various  parts  of 
the  country.  The  features  mainly  presented  in  the 
edifice  are  those  of  thirteenth-century  architecture, 
with  interesting  remains  of  late  Norman  work,  and  it 
appears  to  occupy  the  site  of  a  far  older  fabric  which 
not  improbably  stood  at  the  time  when  the  sainted 
King  Oswald  flourished.  The  nave  appears  to  have 
been  originally  built  at  the  close  of  the  Norman 
period,  its  north  wall  having  a  very  good  doorway  of 
that  style,  while  a  few  feet  to  the  west  of  it  is  a 
deeply  splayed  semicircular-headed  light.  The  south 
door — a  work  of  the  very  latest  Perpendicular — has 
two  transitional  caps  built  into  its  jambs.  In  the  end 
of  the  thirteenth  century  the  nave  was  brought  to  its 
present  size,  the  walls  being  partly  rebuilt,  with  two- 
light  windows,  in  place  of  the  narrow  Norman  lights. 
What  the  chancel  was  then  there  is  nothing  to  show, 
but  the  remains  of  the  south  windows,  as  well  as  the 
fragments  of  the  east  window  that  still  remained, 
pointed  to  its  being  a  work  of  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  old  pulpit  of  Jacobean  oak- 
work  has  been  carefully  cleaned  and  re-fixed.  Within 
the  altar  rail  has  been  laid  an  Early  English  incised 
slab,  bearing  a  pastoral  staff,  and  precisely  similar  to 
some  remaining  in  the  ruins  of  the  neighbouring 
Abbey  of  Byland,  and  probably  originally  over  the 
grave  of  one  of  its  abbots.  A  fragment  of  an  altar- 
slab  found  under  the  pulpit  has  also  been  laid  in  the 
pavement  under  the  present  altar. 

Mr.  Fortescue,  the  superintendent  of  the  reading- 
room  in  the  British  Museum,  has  completed  a  cata- 
logue which  will  be  of  special  value  to  all  readers  of 
the  library. 

An  interesting  discovery  was  recently  made  at  North 
Burton  by  Mr.  Stephen  Pudsey,  who,  while  digging 
his  garden  for  gravel,  unearthed  the  skeleton  of  a  man. 
The  day  after  the  skeleton  was  found.  Dr.  T.  Cassidy, 
Mr.  Dodd,  and  Mr.  A.  Brady  made  an  excavation 
near  the  same  place,  and  four  more  skeletons  were 
unearthed,  all  of  which  bore  unmistakable  evidence 
of  being  those  of  ancient  warriors  who  had  fallen  in 
battle.  This  assumption  was  more  fully  borne  out  by 
the  fact  that  the  skull  of  each  man  appeared  to  have 
been  cloven  by  a  battle-axe  of  stone  or  iron,  the  nature 
of  the  cut  denoting  most  probably  the  latter.  The 
skeletons  seem  to  have  been  buried  where  they  fell  in 
battle,  and  in  the  case  of  those  recently  discovered 
there  was  only  a  covering  of  three  or  four  inches  of 
gravel  and  about  eighteen  inches  of  soil.  The  skulls 
of  two  or  three  of  the  skeletons  now  in  the  possession 
of  Dr.  Cassidy,  of  Hunmanby,  are  particularly  inter- 
esting on  account  of  their  splendid  state  of  preserva- 


tion, the  set  of  teeth  in  one  being  almost  as  good  as 
when  the  owner  was  alive. 

A  prehistoric  cemetery,  it  is  declared,  has  been 
discovered  on  an  island  in  the  Potomac,  and  lying  in 
Hampshire  County,  Virginia,  where  a  recent  flood  un- 
covered the  bleached  skeletons  of  some  300  or  400 
aborigines.  Where  the  remains  had  been  undisturbed 
by  the  rush  of  waters,  the  skeletons  were  all  found 
lying  on  the  left  side,  and  with  rude  earthenware  pots 
or  bowls  in  front  of  them  filled  with  flint  knives, 
arrow-heads,  etc. 

In  the  Castle  of  Durham  is  a  kitchen  which,  until  a 
short  while  ago,  possessed  all  its  ancient  features,  in- 
cluding one  long  and  massive  oak  table,  with  stout 
and  characteristic  supports,  and  two  other  tables  not 
so  large,  but  of  the  same  date  and  make.  Doubtless 
joints  had  been  placed  on  them,  which  afterwards  were 
served  to  Bishop  Fox,  etc.,  in  the  adjoining  great  hall. 
They  were  as  strong  as  the  day  they  were  made,  and 
had  the  rich  colour  of  centuries  upon  them.  Quite 
recently,  however,  the  authorities  who  hold  the  Castle 
— those  of  the  University,  the  Dean  being  Warden, 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Plummer,  Master  of  University 
College — have  had  the  large  table  shortened,  the  huge 
oak  top  planed  over,  and  the  massive  and  serviceable 
supports  of  good  design  taken  away  and  replaced  by 
turned  legs  of  deal.  The  smaller  tables  have  under- 
gone the  same  process,  except  that  they  have  not  been 
shortened.  They  have  been  made  perfectly  hideous 
and  now  look  yellow  monstrosities,  and  the  absurdity 
is  that  tables  have  been  destroyed  which  would  have 
lasted  for  centuries  to  come  as  they  have  lasted  for 
centuries  past.  This  treatment  has  turned  them  into 
trumpery  things  which  are  already  warped,  and  will 
not  last  for  as  many  decades  as  the  old  ones  had  with- 
out deterioration  lasted  centuries.  This  is  the  act  of 
the  same  men  who,  but  for  the  interposition  of  the 
Durham  Archaeological  Society,  three  years  ago 
would  have  destroyed  Pudsey's  upper  hall  of  Transi- 
tional date  and  style,  which  is  quite  unique — a  work 
of  destruction  which  they  had  commenced. 

During  the  past  two  years  no  less  than  three  "finds" 
of  the  bones  of  the  great  extinct  animals  have  occurred 
in  Westmoreland  and  Cumberland.  Two  of  these 
have  been  in  limestone  caverns,  whilst  a  third  was 
made  during  a  series  of  excavations.  The  district 
embraced  would  originally  be  comprised  by  the  great 
Caledonian  forest,  which  was  one  of  the  strongholds 
as  well  as  one  of  the  last  retreats  of  the  larger  forms 
of  a  past  British  fauna.  The  bones  recently  found 
represent  the  following  species :  Wild  cattle  {^Bos 
pi-imigens  and  B.  longifrons) ;  grizzly  (?),  brown,  and 
cave  bears  ;  of  human  remains — tibia,  humerus,  and 
femur,  ribs,  and  part  of  a  cranium.  These  are  of  a 
child  and  an  adult.  Wolf,  wild  boar,  wild  cat,  badger, 
horse,  several  of  the  weasel  kind,  fox,  a  great  quantity 
of  the  bones  of  deer — red  and  fallow — together  with 
remains  of  animals  at  present  existing.  The  most  im- 
portant of  the  whole  of  the  finds,  however,  is  that  of 
a  beaver,  a  large  and  perfect  skull  having  been  dis- 
covered at  Sedbergh,  just  on  the  border-line  of  West- 
moreland and  Yorkshire.  In  some  of  the  limestone 
recesses  are  evident  traces  of  human  occupation,  such 
as  burnt  charcoal,  a  bone  needle,  an  awl,  and  an 
arrow-head.     Some  of  the  bones  exhumed  have  cer- 


ANTIQ  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


37 


mittee  to  take  the  requisite  steps  for  its  formation. 
The  Society  is  named  "  The  Scottish  History  Society," 
and  has  for  its  object  the  discovery  and  the  printing, 
under  selected  editorship,  of  unpubhshed  documents 
ilUistrative  of  the  civil,  religious,  and  social  history  of 
Scotland.  The  Earl  of  Rosebery  has  consented  to 
be  the  President.  Gentlemen  desiring  to  become 
members  should  apply  to  the  Hon.  Secretary,  Mr. 
T.  G.  Law,  Signet  Library,  Edinburgh. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  has,  through  his  secretary, 
thanked  the  Hampshire  Field-Club  for  their  com- 
munication resolved  on  at  Silchester,  on  May  20,  and 
has  informed  the  Club  that  it  is  his  wish  "  that  any- 
thing of  real  value  in  the  remains  should  be  preserved, 
and  that  in  addition  to  the  corrugated  iron  roof  now 
being  erected  over  the  principal  baths,  he  has  directed 
similar  precautions  to  be  taken  for  the  protection  of 
the  most  interesting  parts  of  the  excavations." 

An  official  letter  has  been  received  from  General 
Pitt  Rivers,  F.R.S.,  asking  the  Hampshire  Field-Club 
to  send  him  a  list  of  any  ancient  monuments  in  the 
county  worthy  of  protection,  together  with  the  names 
and  addresses  of  their  owners.  If  the  owners'  con- 
sent could  be  obtained  to  having  such  objects  of 
antiquity  placed  under  the  guardianship  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Works  it  would  greatly  facilitate  matters. 
The  Committee  of  the  Club  have  resolved  to  prepare 
such  a  list  at  the  end  of  the  present  season,  and  they 
invite  the  co-operation  of  the  members  in  endeavour- 
ing to  get  this  Act  applied  to  such  ancient  monuments 
in  Hampshire. 

Devizes  Castle  will  shortly  be  sold.  The  original 
structure  (of  which  very  considerable  portions  re- 
main) was  built  by  Roger,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  L,  and  was  reputed  to  be  the 
most  formidable  fortress  in  England.  It  was  for  some 
time  occupied  by  the  Empress  Matilda,  and  in  1 149 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Crown,  and  was  given 
as  dower  to  the  wives  of  various  kings.  In  the  reign 
of  Henry  II.  it  formed  one  of  the  most  important 
grants  in  the  monarch's  bestowal,  and  enjoyed  all 
the  immunities  of  a  royal  property.  The  remains  of 
the  ancient  castle  have  been  carefully  preserved  and 
restored  where  practicable  to  form  the  present  resi- 
dence. 

At  the  rear  of  the  Cross  Keys  Inn,  Peterborough, 
now  in  course  of  demolition  for  the  erection  of  new 
shops,  has  been  discovered  what  is  believed  to  be 
the  last  remnant  of  the  old  boundary  wall  of  the 
monastery.  On  the  adjoining  property  a  massive 
stone  buttress  was  found  ten  or  twelve  years  ago. 
The  wall  just  exposed  has  been  erected  with  rubble 
masonry,  3  feet  6  inches  thick,  with  mortar  that  has  for 
a  long  while  lost  its  adhesive  properties,  similar, 
indeed,  to  that  in  the  lantern  tower  and  other  por- 
tions of  the  cathedral.  The  hostelry  now  dismantled 
was  probably  the  oldest  domestic  building  in  the  city, 
evidently  dating  from  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century. 
The  old  faced  work  exposed  is  suggestive  of  an 
opening,  most  likely  as  a  doorway,  some  good  Bar- 
nack  quoins  warranting  this  conclusion.  In  the 
troublous  times  of  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  century 
several  of  these  domestic  buildings  were  erected, 
their  owners  seeking  the  protection  afforded  by  the 
monastery.     There  is,  or  was,  an  arched  doorway  to 


a  similar  building  in  Goodyer's  Yard,  and  another  in 
Brookes'  Yard,  Church  Street.  The  rooms  of  the 
Cross  Keys  are  very  low,  with  large  open  fire-places, 
the  floors  having  simple  moulded  beams.  The  ex- 
ternal windows  have  stone  mullions  and  labels.  The 
lower  portion  has  been  modernized. 

A  Shakespeare  memorial  window,  10  feet  by  6  feet, 
costing  £,\<Xi,  has  been  unveiled  in  St.  James's  Church, 
Curtain  Road,  Shoreditch.  The  window,  which  is 
the  gift  of  Mr.  Stanley  Cooper,  represents  the  poet 
seated  holding  a  scroll,  on  which  are  inscribed  the 
words,  "All  the  world's  a  stage."  St.  James's 
Church  was  selected  because  in  Curtain  Road,  near 
to,  or  on  the  same  site,  once  stood  the  Curtain 
Theatre,  and  there  is,  it  is  said,  a  probability  that 
Shakespeare  acted  oftener  here  than  anywhere  else. 
There  is  a  tradition  that  the  tragedy  of  Hamlet  was 
first  performed  at  this  quiet  little  theatre,  not  far  from 
which,  in  Gillum's  Fields,  Shakespeare  lived  ;  and  it 
is  also  pointed  out  that  many  of  the  original  actors 
were  interred  in  the  ground  behind  the  parish  church. 

Some  workmen,  while  excavating  at  Spittal  Gas 
Works,  came  across  over  one  hundred  old  silver  coins, 
which  were  found  in  sandy  soil  at  a  depth  of  about 
four  feet.  Some  of  the  coins  are  in  a  capital  state  of 
preservation,  although  most  of  them  have  become 
very  much  worn.  About  a  dozen  Spanish  coins,  re- 
sembling in  size  our  crown  and  half-crown,  are  in 
capital  condition.  They  bear  the  date  1795  '■>  ^'so 
the  words,  "  Carolus  IIII.,  Rex.  Hispan  et  Md." 
On  the  face  of  the  coin  is  a  large  imprint  of  that 
sovereign,  and  immediately  on  the  top,  and  near  the 
centre,  is  a  small  but  distinct  impression  of  one  of 
our  Georges,  probably  stamped  on  the  coins  in  order 
to  make  them  current  in  this  country  at  that  time. 

Mr.  Albert  Jackson,  the  well-known  bookseller, 
lately  purchased  a  parcel  of  books  for  four  shillings 
at  a  sale  at  Saffron  Walden.  Among  the  lot  he  dis- 
covered a  very  fine  uncut  copy,  in  its  original  boards, 
of  the  first  edition  of  Keats's  Endymion. 

The  work  of  copying  the  celebrated  frescoes  in  the 
Ajanta  Caves  in  Bombay,  which  was  begun,  says  the 
Athenaum,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Governments  of 
India  and  Bombay,  so  far  back  as  1872,  has  recently 
been  completed.  These  caves,  as  is  well  known,  are 
situated  about  fifty-five  miles  from  Aurungabad  and 
consist  of  twenty-four  monasteries  and  five  temples, 
hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  supported  by  lofty  pillars, 
and  richly  ornamented  with  sculpture  and  highly 
finished  paintings.  The  caves  derive  their  chief 
interest  from  these  last,  which  are  assigned  to  periods 
ranging  between  B.C.  200  and  a.d.  600,  thus  afford- 
ing a  continuous  display  of  Buddhist  art  during  800 
years.  Some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  work 
which  has  just  been  completed,  at  a  cost  of  a  little 
over  ;^5,ooo,  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  the 
copies  made  cover  166,888  square  yards  of  canvas. 
There  are  in  all  165  copies  of  paintings,  160  copies 
of  panels,  and  374  water-colour  drawings  of  the  orna- 
mental panels  of  the  walls  and  ceilings,  executed  on 
a  reduced  scale  with  a  view  to  their  publication. 
The  paintings  vary  in  size  from  25  feet  by  1 1  down- 
wards. The  whole  of  the  copies  are  to  be  finally 
deposited  in  London,  and  are  to  be  reproduced  by 
chromo-lithography  and  the  autotype  process  on  a 
reduced  scale,  and  published  in  book  form. 


40 


THE  ANTIQUARY  EXCHANGE. 


Wc^t  3ntiquatp  (ZBrcfjange. 

Enclose  \d.  for  the  First  12  Words,  and  id.  for  each 
Additional  Three  Words.  All  replies  to  a  number 
should  be  enclosed  in  a  blank  envelope,  with  a  loose 
Stamp,  and  sent  to  the  Manager. 

Note. — All  Advertisements  to  reach  the  office  by 
the  lt)th  of  the  month,  and  to  be  addressed — The 
Manager,  Exchange  Department,  The  Anti- 
quary Office,  62,  Paternoster  Row,  London, 
E.C. 


For  Sale. 

Quaint  Gleanings  from  Ancient  Poetry,  a  collection 
of  curious  poetical  compositions  of  the  l6th,  17th, 
and  1 8th  centuries;  large  paper,  only  75  copies 
printed,  1884,  6^.  Kempe's  Nine  Dales  Wonder 
performed  in  a  Journey  from  London  to  Norwich, 
1600  ;  large  paper,  only  75  printed,  1884,  6^.  Cottoni 
Posthuma,  divers  choice  pieces  of  that  renowned 
antiquary.  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  by  J.  H.,  Esq.,  1679; 
large  paper,  2  vols.,  75  copies  only  printed,  1884,  ihs. 
Ancient  Popular  Poetry  from  authentic  manuscripts 
and  old  printed  copies,  edited  by  John  Ritson ; 
adorned  with  cuts,  2  vols.,  1884 ;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  14^.  Hermippus  Redivivus; 
or,  the  Sage's  Triumph  over  Old  Age  and  the  Grave; 
London,  1744,  3  vols.;  large  paper  edition,  only  75 
copies  printed,  1885,  £l  \s.  Lucina  Sine  Concubitu, 
a  letter  humbly  addressed  to  the  Royal  Society,  1750 ; 
large  paper  edition,  only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  lOs, 
Narrative  of  the  Events  of  the  Siege  of  Lyons,  trans- 
lated from  the  French,  1794;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  6s.  :  or  offers  for  the  lot. 
— 301,  care  of  Manager. 

Copies  of  222  Marriage  Registers  from  the  parish 
book  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Whittlesey,  in  the  Isle 
of  Ely  and  County  of  Cambridge,  1662-72;  1880, 
10  pp.,  IS.  6d.  A  copy  of  the  Names  of  all  the 
Marriages,  Baptisms,  and  Burials  which  have  been 
solemnized  in  the  private  chapel  of  Somerset  House, 
Strand,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  extending  from 
1 7 14  to  1776,  with  an  index  and  copious  genealogical 
notes  ;  36  pp.  and  wrapper,  1862,  2s.  6d. — 1 19,  care  of 
Manager. 

To  Collectors. — Old  London  Views.  County  Views 
and  Maps.  Catalogue  of  Books,  etc.,  on  application. 
— R.  Ellington,  15,  Fitzroy  Street,  W. 

Old  Oak  Chests,  carved,  20^.  and  25^.  each.  Also 
Old  Oak  Table  and  Corner  Cupboard.  Sketches. — 
Dick  Carolgate,  Retford. 


Heroines  of  Shakspeare,  48  plates,  letterpress,  etc., 
published  at  31J.  6d.,  for  15-f.  (new).  Jewitt's  Stately 
Homes  of  England,  2  vols,  published  at  31J.  6d.,  for 
17s.  6d,  (new). — 119,  care  of  Manager. 

Monumental  Brass  Rubbings,  from  Is.  6d.  each. 
Haines'  Manual,  2  vols.,  i$s.  Boutell's  Brasses,  Ss. 
Map  Swanscombe,  Kent,  mounted,  1838,  £1  is. — 
Sparvel  Bayly,  Ilford,  Essex. 

Speed's  County  Maps — 83  English  and  Foreign 
Maps,  with  Views  of  Towns,  Costume,  Heraldry,  etc., 
boards  loose,  price  35^.,  date  16 10. — 307,  care  of 
Manager. 

Antiques — Cromwell  (eight-legged,  ornamented) 
Sutherland  Table,  £1  5^.  Oak  Stool  to  match,  10^.  6d. 
Fine  Old  Bureaus,  Oak  and  Mahogany,  £2  los.  to 
£4  each. — Shaw,  Writtle,  Essex. 

The  Manager  wishes  to  dra~v  attention  to  the  fact 
that  he  cannot  undertake  to  fo>-cvard  post  CARDS. 
or  letters,  unless  a  stamp  be  sent  to  cover  postage  oj 
same  to  advertiser. 

Wanted  to  Purchase. 

Dorsetshire  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens.  Also 
Topographical  Works,  Cuttings  or  Scraps  connected 
with  the  county. — ^J.  S.  Udal,  the  Manor  House, 
Symondsbury,  Bridport. 

Cobbett's  Political  Register,  vols.  25,  30,  66,  *]"}, 
79,  84,  85  ;  Beddoe's  Death's  Jest  Book  and  Im- 
provisatore  ;  Pike's  Ramble-Book,  1865  ;  Courthell's 
Ten  Years'  Experience  on  the  Mississippi ;  Hazlitt's 
History  of  Venice,  4  volumes  ;  Dr.  W.  Morris's  The 
Question  of  Ages. — M.,  care  of  Manager, 

Henry  Warren's  Lithographic  Illustrations  of  the 
River  Ravensbourne,  near  Lewisham,  Kent.  Folio, 
6  or  7  plates.  (No  date  is  believed  to  be  on  the  book.) 
Thorpe  (John)  A  Collection  of  Statutes  relating  to 
Rochester  Bridge.  Folio,  1733. — Thanet,  care  of 
Manager. 

Portraits  of  Eminent  Americans  Now  Living,  with 
Biographical  and  Historical  Memoirs  of  their  Lives 
and  Actions,  by  John  Livingston,  of  the  New  York 
Bar,  in  2  vols.  New  York,  Cornish,  Lamport  and 
Co. — P.,  care  of  Manager. 

Stoughton's  Shades  and  Echoes  of  Old  London, 
1864;  Cooper's  Rambles  on  Rivers,  Woods,  and 
Streams  ;  Lupot  on  the  Violin  (English  Translation). 
S. ,  care  of  Manager. 

Views,  Maps,  Pottery,  Coins,  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury Tokens  of  the  Town  and  County  of  Nottingham- 
shire.— ^J.  Toplis,  Arthur  Street,  Nottingham. 


ANTIQUARIAN  NE  WS. 


39 


tainly  been  worked  by  human  instruments,  and  in  one 
or  two  cases  the  chipping  by  hatchets  is  quite  appa- 
rent. Some  of  the  larger  bones,  too,  have  quite  the 
appearance  of  having  been  gnawed  to  obtain  the 
marrow  within,  and  are  split  lengthwise.  Professor 
Boyd  Dawkins,  of  Manchester,  has  already  examined 
three  batches  of  animal  remains  from  the  district  indi- 
cated, and  more  are  about  to  be  submitted  to  him. 
As  the  results  of  the  investigations  conducted  there 
can  be  no  question  as  to  the  importance  of  the  yields 
already  made.  The  Lake  district  abounds  in  lime- 
stone escarpments,  and  the  caverns  in  which  the  bones 
are  found  are  along  the  faces  of  these.  It  usually 
happens  that  the  floor  of  the  cave,  in  the  first  instance, 
is  covered  with  pieces  of  limestone,  from  a  pound  to 
several  hundredweight.  Beneath  this  is  a  band  of 
red  loam,  and  under  this  again  a  dense  deposit  of 
thick  red  clay.  It  is  in  this  last  that  the  bones  are 
embedded.  Often  the  blocks  of  stone  which  cover 
the  first  floor  are  covered  with  stalagmitic  matter, 
while  stalactites  depend  from  the  roof.  The  finding 
together  the  remains  of  animals  so  widely  diverse  in 
food,  mode  of  life,  habitat,  may  be  accounted  for  by 
the  fact  that  the  carnivorous  animals  dragged  their 
prey  into  these  rocky  recesses,  and  that  when  old  age 
or  accident  came  upon  them,  they  themselves  crawled 
there  to  die,  as  is  the  wont  with  most  wild  animals. 

In  the  London  Chancery  Division,  before  Mr.  Justice 
Chitty,  the  case  of  Elwes  and  others  v.  Brigg  Gas  Com- 
pany recently  came  on  for  hearing.  Mr.  Romer,  Q.C. 
(with  him  Mr.  S.  Dickinson),  applied  for  an  injunc- 
tion to  restrain  the  defendants  from  parting  with  a 
prehistoric  ship  or  boat,  stated  to  be  at  least  2,000 
years  old,  recently  discovered  at  Brigg,  near  the  bank 
of  the  River  Ancholme.  The  plaintiffs  were  the 
lessors  of  the  ground,  and  the  defendants,  who  were 
the  lessees,  were  exhibiting  the  boat.  The  learned 
counsel  stated  that  some  nice  questions  of  law  might 
arise  as  to  the  right  of  property  in  the  boat.  Mr. 
Nalder,  for  the  defendants,  stated  that  time  was  re- 
quired to  file  affidavits.  It  was  therefore  arranged 
that  the  motion  should  stand  over,  upon  an  undertaking 
by  the  defendants  in  the  meanwhile  not  to  sell  or  part 
with  the  boat,  and  to  keep  an  account. 


Corte^pontience, 


MAIDEN  LANE. 
{Ante,  vol.  xii.,  pp.  68,  134,  182,  231,  278 ;  xiii.,  pp. 
39.  86,  13s,  182.) 
I  have  read  with  much  interest  the  discussion  that 
has  taken  place  upon  this  subject  in  the  columns  of 
the  Antiquary,  and  cannot  help  thinking  that  Mr. 
J.  C.  L.  Stahlschmidt,  if  he  has  not  exactly  hit  the  nail 
on  the  head,  has  at  any  rate  made  a  pretty  close  aim 
at  it.  The  word  midden  has  doubtless  been  degraded 
in  modern  days  to  base  usages — in  Scotland  it  means 
a  dunghill;  and  a  "kitchen  midden"  is  a  heap  of 
kitchen  refuse  ;  but  was  it  originally  confined  to  this 
inferior  rank  ?  The  following  quotation  from  Miller's 
Fly  Leaves,  ist  Series,  p.  178 — a  serial  which  I  may 
state,  en  passant,  was  edited  by  the  late  Dr.  E.  F. 
Rimbault,  and  contains  a  large  amount  of  useful  as 


well  as  curious  information — seems  to  me  to  have 
some  bearing  on  the  subject : 

"  In  Agga's  and  Hogenburgh's  plans  of  about  1570 
and  1584,  Drury-lane  is  represented  at  the  north  end 
as  containing  a  cluster  of  farm  and  other  houses,  a 
cottage,  and  a  blacksmith's  shop,  and  the  lane  in  con- 
tinuity to  Drury-place  forms  a  separation  from  the 
fields  by  embankments  of  earth,  something  like  those 
of  Maiden-lane,  Battle  Bridge.  It  was,  in  fact,  a 
country  road  to  Drury-place,  and  the  Strand,  and  its 
vicinage." 

Now,  I  would  ask,  may  not  the  word  "  midden " 
have  originally  meant  an  embankment  or  mound,  and 
the  terms  Maiden  Lane,  Maiden  Street,  etc.,  been 
applied  to  thoroughfares  that  were  formed  by  excavat- 
ing the  soil  and  throwing  up  embankments  of  earth 
on  one  or  both  sides  of  the  roadway  ?  Most  of  the 
Maiden  Castles  and  Maiden  Bowers,  or  Burhs,  that 
have  been  referred  to  by  your  correspondents,  appear 
to  have  been  constructed  upon  natural  or  artificial 
mounds.  A  careful  topographical  examination  of  the 
places  whose  names  are  compounded  with  the  word 
maiden,  would  go  far  to  settle  the  question.  If  it 
occurred  in  the  case  of  a  place  where  the  idea  of  the 
heaping  up  of  soil  would  be  out  of  the  question,  the 
origin  of  the  name  must  in  that  special  case  be 
assigned  to  some  other  source.  I  am  far  from  wish- 
ing to  hang  my  theory  on  to  a  hard-and-fast  line. 

The  quotation  which  Mr.  J.  H.  Round  gives  (vol. 
xiii.,  p.  86)  from  the  records  of  Melcombe  Regis  is 
of  value  as  illustrating  the  assumed  secondary  sense 
of  "midden."  In  1397,  "  The  Bailiffs  further  present 
that  in  the  lane  called  '  Alaydestrete '  dung  is  placed 
to  the  nuisance  of  the  community."  This  seems  to 
point  to  an  ancient  practice  which  the  residents  in 
the  neighbourhood  were  bent  on  continuing  in  the 
teeth  of  sanitary  reformers.  Our  ancestors  were  as 
conservative  in  these  matters  as  the  natives  of  India 
are  at  the  present  day,  and  they  had  very  likely 
heaped  up  their  refuse  in  Maiden  Street  from  im- 
memorial times.  It  is  not  an  unfair  deduction  that 
the  street  received  its  name  from  the  practice  to 
which  the  more  enlightened  bailiffs  of  1397  ob- 
jected. 

A  further  inquiry  into  the  primary  use  of  the  word 
"midden"  seems  to  be  desirable.  Mr.  A.  HalPs 
derivation  of  Maiden  from  the  Celtic  viagh,  a  field  or 
plain,  and  dinas,  dune,  don,  a  hill  fort,  presents  a 
little  difficulty.  \\Tiat  has  a  hill  fort  to  do  with  a 
field  or  plain,  and  how  can  they  be  united  tc^ether  ? 
Has  Mr.  Hall  ever  actually  seen  the  words  in  com- 
bination, or  is  his  etymology  merely  one  of  the  guesses 
which  were  reprobated  lately  with  so  much  justice  by 
Mr.  H.  B.  Wheatley  {ante,  p.  39)  ? 

4,  Alipur  Lane,  Calcutta.  W.  F.  Prideaux. 

PARISH  UMBRELLAS. 
{Ante,  vol.  xiii.,  p.  231.) 

I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  charge  in  the  church- 
wardens' accounts  was  for  an  umbrella  for  the  use  of 
the  officiating  clergyman  at  funerals  in  bad  weather. 
At  Aylesbury  a  movable  lx)x  was  used  in  lieu  of  an 
umbrella  ;  it  was  something  after  the  fashion  of  the 
old  watchman's  street-box,  and  was  carried  about  as 
required  by  means  of  two  poles,  like  a  sedan-chair. 

Aylesbury,  May  28th,  1886.  ROBT.  Gibbs. 


40 


THE  ANTIQUARY  EXCHANGE. 


Wc^z  antiquary  (^Brcfiange. 

Enclose  s^.for  the  First  12  Words,  and  id.  for  each 
Additional  Three  Words.  All  replies  to  a  number 
should  he  enclosed  in  a  blank  envelope,  with  a  loose 
Stamp,  and  sent  to  the  Manager. 

Note. — All  Advertisements  to  reach  the  office  by 
the  l$th  of  the  month,  and  to  be  addressed — The 
Manager,  Exchange  Department,  The  Anti- 
quary Office,  62,  Paternoster  Row,  London, 
E.C. 


For  Sale. 

Quaint  Gleanings  from  Ancient  Poetry,  a  collection 
of  curious  poetical  compositions  of  the  16th,  I7tli, 
and  i8th  centuries;  large  paper,  only  75  copies 
printed,  1884,  ds.  Kempe's  Nine  Daies  Wonder 
performed  in  a  Journey  from  London  to  Norwich, 
1600  ;  large  paper,  only  75  printed,  1884,  ds.  Cottoni 
Posthuma,  divers  choice  pieces  of  that  renowned 
antiquary.  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  by  J.  H.,  Esq.,  1679; 
large  paper,  2  vols,,  75  copies  only  printed,  1884,  16^. 
Ancient  Popular  Poetry  from  authentic  manuscripts 
and  old  printed  copies,  edited  by  John  Ritson ; 
adorned  with  cuts,  2  vols.,  1884 ;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  14J.  Hermippus  Redivivus; 
or,  the  Sage's  Triumph  over  Old  Age  and  the  Grave ; 
London,  1744,  3  vols.;  large  paper  edition,  only  75 
copies  printed,  1885,  £\  \s.  Lucina  Sine  Concubitu, 
a  letter  humbly  addressed  to  the  Royal  Society,  1750 ; 
large  paper  edition,  only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  \os. 
Narrative  of  the  Events  of  the  Siege  of  Lyons,  trans- 
lated from  the  French,  1794;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  6x.  :  or  offers  for  the  lot. 
— 301,  care  of  Manager. 

Copies  of  222  Marriage  Registers  from  the  parish 
book  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Whittlesey,  in  the  Isle 
of  Ely  and  County  of  Cambridge,  1662-72;  1880, 
10  pp.,  \s.  6d.  A  copy  of  the  Names  of  all  the 
Marriages,  Baptisms,  and  Burials  which  have  been 
solemnized  in  the  private  chapel  of  Somerset  House, 
Strand,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  extending  from 
1 7 14  to  1776,  with  an  index  and  copious  genealogical 
notes ;  36  pp.  and  wrapper,  1862,  2s.  6d. — 119,  care  of 
Manager. 

To  Collectors. — Old  London  Views.  County  Views 
and  Maps.  Catalogue  of  Books,  etc.,  on  application. 
— R.  Ellington,  15,  Fitzroy  Street,  W. 

Old  Oak  Chests,  carved,  20s.  and  25^.  each.  Also 
Old  Oak  Table  and  Corner  Cupboard.  Sketches. — 
Dick  Carolgate,  Retford. 


Heroines  of  Shakspeare,  48  plates,  letterpress,  etc., 
published  at  3IJ.  6d.,  for  i^s.  (new).  Jewitt's  Stately 
Homes  of  England,  2  vols,  published  at  3IJ.  6d.y  for 
17^".  6d.  (new). — 119,  care  of  Manager. 

Monumental  Brass  Rubbings,  from  is.  6d.  each. 
Haines'  Manual,  2  vols.,  i$s.  Boutell's  Brasses,  Ss. 
Map  Swanscombe,  Kent,  mounted,  1838,  £1  is. — 
Sparvel  Bayly,  Ilford,  Essex. 

Speed's  County  Maps— 83  English  and  Foreign 
Maps,  with  Views  of  Towns,  Costume,  Heraldry,  etc., 
boards  loose,  price  35^.,  date  1610. — 307,  care  of 
Manager. 

Antiques — Cromwell  (eight-legged,  ornamented) 
Sutherland  Table,  £1  ^s.  Oak  Stool  to  match,  los.  6d. 
Fine  Old  Bureaus,  Oak  and  Mahogany,  £2  los.  to 
£4  each. — Shaw,  Writtle,  Essex. 

The  Mafiager  wishes  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact 
that  he  cannot  undertake  to  forward  post  cards, 
or  letters,  unless  a  stamp  be  sent  to  cover  postage  oj 
same  to  advertiser. 

Wanted  to  Purchase. 

Dorsetshire  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens.  Also 
Topographical  Works,  Cuttings  or  Scraps  connected 
with  the  county. — ^J.  S.  Udal,  the  Manor  House, 
Symondsbury,  Bridport. 

Cobbett's  Political  Register,  vols.  25,  30,  66,  77, 
79,  84,  85  ;  Beddoe's  Death's  Jest  Book  and  Im- 
provisatore  ;  Pike's  Ramble-Book,  1865  ;  Courthell's 
Ten  Years'  Experience  on  the  Mississippi ;  Hazlitt's 
History  of  Venice,  4  volumes  ;  Dr.  W.  Morris's  The 
Question  of  Ages. — M.,  care  of  Manager. 

Henry  Warren's  Lithographic  Illustrations  of  the 
River  Ravensbourne,  near  Lewisham,  Kent.  Folio, 
6  or  7  plates.  (No  date  is  believed  to  be  on  the  book. ) 
Thorpe  (John)  A  Collection  of  Statutes  relating  to 
Rochester  Bridge.  Folio,  1733. — Thanet,  care  of 
Manager. 

Portraits  of  Eminent  Americans  Now  Living,  with 
Biographical  and  Historical  Memoirs  of  their  Lives 
and  Actions,  by  John  Livingston,  of  the  New  York 
Bar,  in  2  vols.  New  York,  Cornish,  Lamport  and 
Co. — P.,  care  of  Manager. 

Stoughton's  Shades  and  Echoes  of  Old  London, 
1864;  Cooper's  Rambles  on  Rivers,  Woods,  and 
Streams  ;  Lupot  on  the  Violin  (English  Translation). 
S.,  care  of  Manager. 

Views,  Maps,  Pottery,  Coins,  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury Tokens  of  the  Town  and  County  of  Nottingham- 
shire.— ^J.  Toplis,  Arthur  Street,  Nottingham. 


HISTORIC  STREETS  OF  PLYMOUTH. 


4* 


wm^^m. 


The   Antiquary. 


AUGUST,  1886. 


historic  %treet0  of  pigmoutf): 
tbcir  n^ames  ann  aggociations. 

By  W.  H.  K.  Wright,  F.R.  Hist.  Soc,  F.S.Sc, 

ETC. 

Part  II. 
OCAL  names,"  says  Isaac  Taylor, 
in  Words  and  Places,  "  whether 
they  belong  to  provinces,  cities, 
or  villages,  or  are  the  designa- 
tions of  rivers  and  mountains,  are  never 
mere  arbitrary  sounds  devoid  of  meaning. 
They  may  always  be  regarded  as  records  of 
the  past,  inviting  and  rewarding  a  careful 
historical  interpretation.  In  many  instances 
the  original  import  of  such  names  has  faded 
away  or  has  become  disguised  in  the  lapse  of 
ages.  Nevertheless,  the  primeval  meaning 
may  be  recoverable,  and  wherever  it  is  re- 
covered, we  have  gained  a  symbol  that  may 
prove  itself  to  be  full-fraught  with  instruction, 
for  it  may  indicate  emigrations,  immigrations, 
the  commingling  of  races  by  war  and  con- 
quest, or  by  the  peaceful  processes  of  com- 
merce. The  names  of  a  district  or  of  a  town 
may  speak  to  us  of  events  which  written 
history  has  failed  to  communicate.  A  local 
name  may  often  be  adduced  as  evidence 
determinative  of  controversies  that  otherwise 
could  never  be  brought  to  a  conclusion." 

These  words  may  be  as  aptly  applied  to 
street-names  as  to  the  names  of  cities  and 
towns,  for,  as  we  shall  see,  we  have  in  our 
street-nomenclature,  particularly  in  the  case 
of  old  towns,  the  perpetuation  of  events  and 
persons  of  local  interest  and  importance. 
And  here  I  am  almost  tempted  to  refer  to 
the  marked  contrast  between  the  street-names 
in  towns  of  modern  growth  and  those  which 
may  be  rightly  termed  ancient  j  this  contrast 

VOL.    XIV. 


being  particularly  noticeable  in  the  towns  and 
cities  of  America,  as  compared  with  the  old- 
world  cities  and  towns  of  England  and  Con- 
tinental countries.  I  must  say  that  my  taste 
does  not  lie  in  the  direction  of  the  system 
of  street-naming  prevalent  in  America,  and 
more  particularly  practised  in  New  York,  how- 
ever convenient  such  a  system  may  be.  I 
prefer  that  system  which  tends  to  perpetuate 
historical,  traditional,  family,  and  local  names 
and  associations  in  our  street-nomenclature. 
Happily  Plymouth  has  retained  the  old  style, 
although  unhappily,  in  some  instances,  it  has 
entered  into  the  hearts  and  minds  of  our 
local  authorities  to  remove  some  of  the 
ancient  landmarks.  For  not  only  have  the 
streets  and  houses  become  modernized,  but 
the  very  names  they  once  bore,  which  re- 
tained old-time  associations  of  interest  and 
importance,  have  been  cast  into  the  limbo  of 
oblivion,  or  just  linger  as  traditions  of  our 
forefathers,  which  the  succeeding  generation 
may  never  know  or  utterly  reject.  This  has 
been  the  case  with  many  a  goodly  tradition 
in  our  own  day,  which  has  been  ruthlessly 
uprooted  from  its  old  position  in  the  minds 
of  the  people,  and  treated  as  utterly  unworthy 
of  credence  (because  unsupported  by  docu- 
meiitary  evidence),  and,  consequently,  of  per- 
petuation. 

My  object  in  the  present  portion  of  this 
paper  is  to  ensure,  if  possible,  the  remem- 
brance of  a  few  of  the  old  names  and  histo- 
rical landmarks,  and  to  cherish  their  asso- 
ciations. I  have  before  observed  that  the 
Plymouth  of  early  days  (previous  to  the 
I)resent  century,  in  fact)  was  very  limited  in 
its  extent,  the  streets  and  houses  being  mainly 
congregated  around  the  water-side.  Here 
then  we  shall  find  the  most  ancient  and  in- 
teresting names,  most  of  them  possessing 
significance  or  importance  from  their  connec- 
tion with  memorable  events  and  people  long 
past,  yet  bound  up  with  our  local  history  and 
tradition.  Plymouth,  although  a  fairly  old 
town,  cannot  claim  any  pretension  to  great 
antiquity  ;  there  are  no  traces  of  its  having 
been  a  Roman  settlement,  consequently  none 
of  the  street-names  are  derived  from  so  early 
a  source,  unless,  as  some  allege,  High  Street, 
Market  Street,  and  other  like  names  which 
are  found  in  almost  every  town  have  such  an 
origin. 

£ 


44 


HISTORIC  STREETS  OF  PLYMOUTH. 


In  the  same  locality  we  find  Lambhay, 
derived,  according  to  Mr.  Peel,  from  lamb — 
Gaelic  "  hand,"  in  reference  to  the  strength 
shown  by  Corinaeus  when  he  hurled  Gog- 
magog  thence.  Mr.  Worth  says,  "  Its  oldest 
form  is  Lammy.  Lamb/zrz^  would  be  merely 
*  the  lamb-field ' — a  mode  of  expression  very 
common  in  the  east  of  the  county.  We 
have  it  as  tbe  Lammy,  and  Lammy  Point, 
while  now  it  is  Lambhay  Hill.  Larn  may  = 
lan^  'an  enclosure;'  and  Lan-hayle  would 
be  *the  enclosure  on  the  river'  or  estuary- 


It  will  be  seen  that  I  am  dealing  with 
some  of  the  older  street  names  and  their 
derivations  first,  inasmuch  as  the  greatest 
interest  attaches  to  them.  I  shall  afterwards 
deal  with  others  singly,  or  in  groups,  as 
convenience  or  discretion  may  dictate. 

Briton  Side,  until  recently,  served  to  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  an  event  of  consider- 
able importance  —  viz.,  the  raids  of  the 
Bretons  on  our  shores  in  the  fourteenth  and 
fifteenth  centuries.  They  on  one  occasion 
burned  the  greater  part  of  the  town,  some 


FIGS.    5  AND  6. — PLYMOUTH   DUCKING  CHAIRS. 


But,"  says  Mr.  Worth,    "  it  is  impossible  to 
decide." 

Readers  of  these  notes  will  doubtless  re- 
member the  curious  legend  related  by 
Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  of  a  remarkable 
combat,  said  to  have  taken  place  on  or  near 
Plymouth  Hoe,  or  at  the  Lambhay,  where 
Corinaeus,  a  kinsman  of  Brutus,  and  one  of 
a  race  of  giants,  defeated  Goemagot,  or  Gog- 
magog,  in  mortal  combat,  hurling  him  into 
the  sea.  Drayton  recites  this  curious  legend 
in  his  "  Poly-olbion,"  but  as  it  relates  more 
particularly  to  Plymouth  Hoe  than  to  the 
streets  of  the  town,  I  refrain  from  quoting  it 
in  this  place. 


six  hundred  houses  having  succumbed  to 
their  fierce  attack.  Unfortunately  the  name 
which  has  handed  down  the  memory  of  this 
event  to  the  present  generation  has  now 
been  superseded  by  the  inclusion  of  Briton 
Side  in  the  long  line  of  houses  designated 
Exeter  Street.  This  is  an  unnecessary 
change,  which  has  been  strongly  deprecated, 
as  in  fact,  almost  all  changes  of  a  similar 
character  should  be. 

"  New  Street,  in  process  of  time,  has 
become  one  of  the  oldest  streets  in  the  town; 
but  it  was  new  when  Old  Town  Street  was 
ancient.  Yet  no  one  heard  of  Old  Town 
Street  sixty  years  ago.     For  centuries  it  had 


HISTORIC  STREETS  OF  PLYMOUTH, 


45 


handed  down,  under  the  name  of  'Old  Town,' 
simply  the  memory  of  the  parent  community, 
of  which  the  Sutton  of  the  Conquest  was  the 
offspring.  Westwell  and  Finewell  and  Buck- 
well  streets  help  us  to  realize  the  days  ere 
Drake  '  brought  the  water  into  Plymouth ;' 
Finewell  may  have  been  named  from  its 
quality,  Buckwell  was  clearly  the  spot  where 
the  good  housewives  used  to  '  buck '  or  wash 
their  clothes.  Blackfriars'  Lane  for  centuries 
preserved  the  memory  of  the  house  of  the 
Dominicans  in  the  absence  of  all  written 
record.  Whitefriars'  I^ne,  Friary  Court,  and 
Friary  Street,  in  like  manner,  kept  alive  the 
settlement  of  the  Carmelites.  Catherine 
Street  is  so  called  because  it  led  to  the 
Chapel  of  St.  Catherine  on  the  Hoe.  Catte 
Street,  which  we  may  presume  was  somehow 
connected  with  Cattewater,  has  now  given 
place  to  Stillman  Street,  which,  however,  like 
Bilbury  Street  and  Whimple  Street,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  names  in  the  town.  Frankfort 
Street  is  the  sole  memorial  relic  of  the  siege 
days,  and  indicates  the  site  of  Frankfort 
Gate.  Several  names  record  the  existence  of 
old  families.  The  Trevilles  were  notable 
merchants  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth.  Vintry 
Street  was  once  called  Foyne's  Lane,  after 
the  still  more  notable  Fowneses ;  Kinterbury 
Street  was  Colmcr's  Lane ;  Week  Street  and 
How's  Lane  are  names  of  the  same  class."* 

I  make  the  above  interesting  extract  in 
order  to  point  out  two  or  three  matters  con- 
cerning which,  in  the  view  of  later  informa- 
tion, a  little  modification  might  be  made. 
Mr.  Worth  is  uniformly  correct  in  his 
premises,  and  has  made  Local  Etymology 
his  especial  study ;  but  in  these  few  points  I 
may  be  allowed  to  suggest  another  reading. 
Old  Town  Street,  it  may  be  remarked, 
appears  with  the  affix  "street "  in  the  "  Picture 
of  Plymouth"  (1812);  but  it  was  evidently 
an  appellation  only  then  coming  into  use, 
inasmuch  as  several  entries  occur  in  the 
same  book  where  it  is  simply  styled  "  Old 
Town."  In  this  connection  it  may  also  be 
noted  that  York  Street,  where  it  runs  into 
Cobourg  Street,  was  until  recently  known  as 
New  Town  ;  and  at  one  time  there  is  good 
evidence  for  believing  that  York  Street  was 
termed  "  Richmond  Hill."  This  reference  to 
Old  Town  Street  reminds  the  writer  that  not 
*  R.  N.  Worth,  Notes  on  Local  Etymologies^  1878. 


long  since,  whilst  some  workmen  were  pre- 
paring to  replaster  the  front  of  a  house  on 
the  eastern  side,  they  uncovered  a  stone  in  the 
wall,  bearing  this  inscription 


The  wall  or  pier  was  of  limestone,  while 
the  inscribed  stone  was  of  a  softer  material. 
This  clearly  identifies  the  age  of  the  house, 
and  possibly  of  several  of  its  neighbours.  It 
may,  perhaps,  in  course  of  time,  furnish  a 
clue  to  the  family  or  person  whose  initials 
are  thus  restored  to  light,  for  it  may  be 
added  that  influence  was  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  persons  interested,  with  the  result 
that  this  interesting  link  with  bygone  days 
was  allowed  to  remain  uncovered,  and  may 
easily  be  read  from  the  roadway.  This  house 
was  one  of  a  row  on  the  oldest  side  of  the 
street  (the  other  side  has  been  entirely 
modernized  of  late  years),  and  from  its 
appearance  had  formerly  a  timbered  or  half- 
timbered  front.  Curious  old  buildings  may 
be  observed  in  the  courtyards  at  the  back  of 
these  houses,  and  near  by  are  two  of  the 
oldest  inns  in  the  town — viz.,  "The  Rose 
and  Crown"  and  "The  Old  Four  Castles," 
both  picturesque  structures,  the  latter  repre- 
senting the  Plymouth  Borough  Arms. 


FIG.    7.  — PLV.MOUTH   BOROUGH   ARMS. 

With  regard  to  Finewell,  I  would  simply 
suggest  that  the  name  may  be  a  corruption 
of  Foynes's  Well,  or  Fownes's  Well ;  for  in 
the  list  of  old  names  already  given  will  be  ob- 
served the  name  "Foundwell  Street,"  as  "the 
street  where  Mr.  Elford  lives ;"  and  the 
Fownes's  were  at  one  time  a  family  of 
considerable  repute  in  the  town. 

Again,  Mr.  Worth  refers  to  Colmer's  Lane, 
now  Kinterbury  Street,   as  perpetuating  the 


46 


HISTORIC  STREETS  OF  PLYMOUTH. 


memory  of  a  merchant  or  local  family ;  but, 
having  met  with  a  variation  of  this  name  in 
the  term  Combers,  and  having  been  informed 
that  wool-combing  was  formerly  carried  on  in 
the  vicinity,  it  may  be  reasonable  to  suggest 
that  the  name  took  its  rise  from  this  circum- 
stance, although  it  appears  evident  that 
Kinterbury  Street  was  an  older  name  still. 

Mr.  Worth  also  says  that  Catherine  Street 
took  its  name  because  it  led  to  the  chapel  of 
St.  Catherine  on  the  Hoc.  It  is  difficult  to 
trace  the  connection,  and  I  would  therefore 
hint  the  possibility  of  the  name  being  derived 
from  another  Catherine — viz.,  Catherine  of 
Aragon,  to  whom  allusion  has  already  been 
made.  With  ref;ard  to  the  much-disputed 
derivation  of  Cattewatcr,  as  applied  to  the 
eastern  harbour,  an  old  Plymouthian  has 
suggested  that,  as  it  was  at  one  time  pro- 
nounced or  spelt  Catt^water,  it  might  have 
meant  "  little  vs^ater."  But  this  I  leave  to 
etymologists,  some  of  whom  trace  it  to  the 
Scandinavian.  Some  of  the  local  designations 
are  of  very  doubtful  derivation ;  others,  as 
has  been  seen  by  the  above  instances,  are  of 
still  unsettled  origin,  but  the  greater  part  are 
readily  suggestive  of  the  source  from  whence 
they  spring. 

In  the  former  class  may  be  cited  Vinegar 
Hill,  as  applied  to  an  extensive  district  en- 
tirely covered  with  streets  during  the  last 
half-century,  which  Hes  north  of  Regent 
Street.  All  my  investigations  up  to  the 
present  have  failed  to  elicit  any  probable 
derivation  of  this  singular  appellation. 

Again,  No-Place  will  recur  to  the  mind  of 
an  old  townsman;  but  the  recollection  of  this 
name,  as  of  the  preceding  one,  is  rapidly 
passing  away.  I  may  therefore  be  excused 
for  here  calling  attention  to  it,  and  for 
repealing  the  homely  legend  which  still  ap- 
pears, or  did  not  long  since,  on  the  sign- 
board of  the  public-house  known  as  "  The 
No -Place  Inn."  A  thrifty  wife  has  a  tippling 
husband,  whom  she  lectures  on  his  return 
home  after  a  protracted  drinking  bout  :— 
"  Where  have  you  been  all  the  day  ?"  He 
answers  with  a  sort  of  evasion,  which  does 
not  satisfy  the  angry  dame,  "  No-Place." 
This  locality  appears  at  one  time  to  have 
been  an  isolated  group  of  houses  or  cottages — 
a  sort  of  no-man's  land,  contiguous  to  both 
Plymouth  and  Stonehouse,  but  belonging  to 


neither,  and,  as  such,  exempt  from  local  rating. 
Or,  at  least,  such  is  the  view  which  has  been 
put  forward  with  regard  to  it.  What  is  the 
meaning  of  Some-Place^  at  the  opposite  ex- 
tremity of  the  town,  and  which  is  found 
inscribed  on  an  old  plan,  we  cannot  even 
venture  to  suggest. 

Tliere  is  still  another  name  concerning 
which  a  recent  reference  on  a  map  of  the 
town  leads  the  writer  to  suggest  a  variation 
from  the  ordinarily  accepted  theory,  viz., 
Batter  Street.  Sometime  known  as  Pomeroy- 
Conduit  Street,  from  the  fact  of  one  of  the 
public  conduits  being  in  or  near  it,  the  older 
form  of  name  was  restored  early  in  the  present 
century.  But  the  map  to  which  reference  is 
now  made  gives  the  name  as  Batten  Street. 
May  it  not  therefore  be  rightly  so  styled  after 
Mount  Batten,  the  height  overlooking  the 
Cattewater  and  Sound  ?  But  this  is  mere 
speculation.  It  may  even  be  a  modification 
of  the  term  Battery. 

Again,  in  the  Harris  MS.,  v/ritten  by  an 
old  Plymouthian  early  in  the  present  century, 
occurs  the  name  Winchelsea  Street ;  but  no 
such  name  now  exists,  neither  can  I  find  any 
other  reference  to  it. 

Eldad,  a  name  almost  forgotten,  but  not 
long  since  applied  to  a  large  district  west  of 
the  railway,  now  entirely  covered  with  houses, 
does  not  present  so  much  difficulty  in  assign- 
ing its  derivation.  We  trace  the  origin  of  the 
term  Eldad  to  tlie  following  circumstance. 
In  1828  the  foundation-stone  of  Eldad 
Chapel  was  laid,  of  which  ceremony  some 
interesting  particulars  v.-ere  given  in  a  broad- 
sheet printed  by  E.  Keys,  No.  7,  James 
Street,  Devonport.  In  this  account  we  are 
informed  that  the  chapel  (v.-hich  v/as  to  t)e 
erected  by  the  friends  of  the  Rev.  John 
Hawker)  is  named  from  the  prophet  Eldad, 
which  signifies  "  favoured  of  God."  From 
this,  therefore,  it  a]^i)cars  that  the  term  was 
selected  at  first  for  the  chapel,  and,  as  recently 
as  1828,  that  it  was  afterwards  applied  to 
the  groups  of  houses  which  sprang  up  in 
proximity  to  the  chapel ;  and  that  when  the 
chapel  became  transformed  into  St.  Peter's 
Church,  the  name  Eldad  gradually  became 
disused,  and  is  now  perhaps  only  known  to 
middle-aged  Plymouthians. 

I  propose  now  to  devote  a  small  portion 
of   the   space   allotted    me    to   some    brief 


HISTORIC  STREETS  OF  PLYMOUTH. 


47 


remarks  upon  the  obsolete  or  disused  street- 
names.  Many  of  these  are  long  out  of  date, 
or  have  been  discarded ;  while  town  improve- 
ments, the  widening  of  thoroughfares,  and 
other  causes  of  a  like  nature,  have  of  course 
caused  some  names  to  be  abolished.  Some 
of  the  changes  are,  as  we  have  seen,  of  recent 
date.  Among  the  older  names,  there  are 
doubtless  a  few  which  will  be  noted  with 
surprise,  even  by  persons  well  versed  in  the 
ancient  lore  of  their  native  town;  but  the 
memory  of  many  of  these  names  still  survives 
in  local  traditions,  and  it  is  singular  how,  in 
a  few  cases,  aged  people  still  cling  to  the 
names  by  which  they  knew  the  places  in 
their  youth.  For  instance,  many  persons 
still  speak  of  Market  Street  and  Pike  Street, 
although  for  several  generations  those  tv/o 
thoroughfares  have  been  named  respectively 
High  and  Looe.  We  rarely  hear  the  term 
Pig  Market  now  applied  to  fashionable  Bed- 
ford Street,  but  the  appellation  is  well  known  ; 
and  though  Bilbury  Street  and  Briton  Side 
are  now  merged  into  Treville  Street  and 
Exeter  Street,  many  persons  still  call  these 
places  by  their  former  designations.  The 
following  names,  now  quite  disused,  are 
of  men  who  in  tlicir  day  and  generation 
were  of  some  degree  of  local  or  general 
notoriety,  viz.  :  Foynes,  Jory,  Scammell, 
Denham,  Searle,  Hawkc,  Fewis,  Jones, 
Moon,  May,  Hov/e.  With  the  change  of 
some  names  little  fault  can  be  found ;  for 
Little  Hoe  Lane  and  Broad  Hoe  Lane  have 
undergone  sundry  alterations,  which  have 
rendered  the  appellations  Hoe  Street  and 
Hoegate  Street  more  appropriate ;  thougli  by 
a  piece  of  gross  vandalism  the  Hoegate,  which 
gave  its  name  to  the  latter,  was  destroyed 
some  twenty  years  since. 

We  could  very  well  afford  to  dispense  with 
such  names  as  Mud  Lane,  Dirty  Alley,  Dung 
Quay,  Pig  Market,  Cock  and  Bottle  Lane, 
Horsepool  Lane,  Burying  Place  Lane,  Billet 
Lane,  Sausage  Lane,  Saffron  Row,  Castle 
Rag,  and  others  ;  designations  whose  associa- 
tions were  certainly  of  little  importance,  and, 
in  some  cases,  certainly  not  of  the  most 
savoury  kind.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  we 
could  have  excused  the  retention  of  such 
names  as  French  Lane,  Catch-Frenr''  ^  ^ne, 
and  a  few  others  which  suggest  old-time 
associations ;     whilst   those  which   bore   the 


names  of  the  various  town-gates  might  cer- 
tainly have  been  preserved.  With  these  and 
other  special  groups  we  propose  to  deal  here- 
after. 

With  the  multiplication  of  churches  and 
chapels  came  also  the  necessity  for  discon- 
tinuing the  use  of  such  special  designations 
as  Little  Church  Lane,  Chapel  Lane,  Meet- 
ing Lane,  New  Church  Lane,  and  others  of 
a  similar  character,  these  peculiar  terms  tend- 
ing somewhat  to  confusion  of  locality.     There 


I'U;.    b. — HOK  GATE,    PLVMOUTII. 

is  one  litde  group  to  which  I  shall  refer  with 
some  interest,  inasmuch  as  the  changes  have 
been  recent,  and  to  some  extent  brought 
about  by  remarks  made  upon  the  subject  by 
the  writer.  In  the  plan  of  the  town,  dated 
1756,  to  which  reference  has  already  been 
made,  are  shown  tlirec  openings  leading  from 
Higli  Street  to  St.  Andrew's  Street,  in  the 
very  heart  and  centre  of  Old  Plymouth. 
These  v.ere  named  respectively  Linam, 
Loders,  and  Patrick  Lanes  ;  but  they  have 
been  known  for  many  years  by  the  somewhat 
absurd  terms  Higher,  Middle,  and  Lov/er. 
Doubtless  the  older  names  had  their  signi- 


48 


HISTORIC  STREETS  OF  PLYMOUTH. 


ficance,  though  what  it  was  it  is  now  difficult 
to  judge.  It  may  be  that  at  one  time  the 
Irish  congregated  in  Patrick  Lane,  as  in  more 
recent  times  they  have  colonized  in  Stone- 
house  Lane  (now  King  Street  West),  earning 
for  the  locality  the  sobriquet  "Irish  Town." 
However  that  may  be,  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  the  old  form  was  far  more  euphonious 
than  the  latter.  But  another  change  has 
come  about,  and  one  not  to  be  condemned. 
A  marked  improvement  has  come  over  this 
locaUty  of  late.  Within  the  recollection  of 
many  now  living,  these  three  lanes  were 
amongst  the  lowest  and  most  disreputable 
haunts  of  vice  and  poverty  in  the  town. 
They  were  narrow,  over-populated,  the  lofty 
houses  each  giving  living-room  (one  cannot 
say  a  home)  to  scores  of  human  beings,  many 
of  them  the  veriest  outcasts,  and  all  of  them 
the  very  poor.  Here  poverty  and  vice  went 
hand  in  hand,  and  respectable  persons  were 
almost  afraid  to  venture  through  these  haunts, 
even  in  broad  daylight,  so  evil  a  fame  had 
these  lanes  attained.  But  now  all  this  has 
passed  away,  and  in  no  part  of  Plymouth  is 
the  change  for  the  better  more  marked  For 
the  old  rookeries  have  been  removed,  the 
thoroughfares  widened,  and,  in  one  case  at 
least,  a  good  street  is  being  made.  Public 
attention  having  been  brought  to  bear  upon 
this  matter,  it  has  been  decided  to  rename 
these  places,  which  will  from  henceforth 
rejoice  in  the  titles  Palace  Street  (from  the 
Palace  Court  which  stood  at  the  corner,  and 
previously  mentioned),  Kitto  Street  in  memory 
of  one  of  our  most  noted  sons;  and  Kelly 
Street  in  memory  of  a  worthy  and  respected 
^Layor,  whose  widow  has  recently  erected  a 
Mission  Chapel  in  the  locality.  The  Corpora- 
tion are  to  be  commended  for  these  important 
and  necessary  town  improvements. 

Westwell  Street  was  named  on  the  same 
map  (1756)  Love  Lane,  while  quaint  old 
Basket  Street  (now  the  site  of  the  Municipal 
Offices)  was  Love  Street.  Holy-Cross  Lane 
still  bears  its  old  title,  although  no  trace  of  a 
cross  remains ;  Barrack  Street  has  during  the 
last  sixty  years  been  transformed  into  Russell 
Street,  but  whether  in  honour  of  the  great 
statesman  of  that  ilk,  or  that  other  Russell 
whose  carrier-waggons  were  of  so  much  re- 
pute before  the  days  of  railways  and  Pickford, 
I  will  not  venture  to  affirm.     Prison  Lane, 


once  a  narrow,  dark,  and  unfrequented 
thoroughfare,  now  possesses  some  of  the 
finest  houses  in  the  locality,  and  is  now 
designated  Greenbank  Road.  Millbay 
Grove,  both  houses  and  name  disappeared 
with  the  erection  of  the  palatial  Duke  of 
Cornwall  Hotel ;  Mill  Prison  Lane  is  now 
Citadel  Road;  Gooseberry  Lane  has  vanished, 
so  has  Cherry  Gardens  (now  Zion  Street) ; 
Workhouse  Lane,  with  the  removal  of  the 
Workhouse,  regained  the  name  Catherine 
Street ;  Duck's  Lane  bears  its  older  title 
Week  Street;  Great  George  Street  is  now 
simply  George  Street,  and  Frankfort  Street 
has  swallowed  up  several  other  minor  appella- 
tions. I  have  thus  rapidly  glanced  at  the 
transitory  character  of  our  street-nomen- 
clature, and  have  given  a  few  instances  of 
the  changes  of  form  which  have  been  adopted. 
If  space  permits  I  propose  to  append  to  these 
articles  a  complete  list  of  all  modern  names, 
a  tabulated  list  of  the  older  forms  with  their 
changes,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  the  date  of  the 
said  changes. 

In  concluding  this  branch  of  my  subject,  I 
would  say  that  I  consider  many  of  the  name- 
changes  undesirable  and  uncalled  for,  whilst 
others  were  the  outcome  of  necessity.  Such 
changes  cause  complications,  and  perhaps 
difficulties  in  the  identification  of  property  or 
the  changes  of  ownership.  Suffice  it  to  say 
where  changes  are  inevitable,  an  effort  should 
be  made  to  keep  up  the  old  associations  of 
the  particular  locality. 

Mortimer  Collins  (a  Plymouthian,  by  the 
way),  in  one  of  his  pithy  papers,  says:  "It 
always  seems  a  pity  to  change  the  names  of 
places  without  good  reason ;  but  the  thing  is 
done  daily,  and  there  is  no  Londoner  of  any 
standing  who  has  not  to  regret  senseless 
alterations  in  the  names  of  streets  and  squares. 
Recently  an  ancient  rural  road  between 
Stamford  Hill  and  Hornsey  has  had  its  name 
altered  from  Hanger  Lane  to  St.  Anne's 
Road,  because  the  inhabitants  fancied  that 
people  used  to  be  hanged  there.  What  wise- 
acres !  Hanger  simply  means  a  wood  hang- 
ing on  the  side  of  a  hill.  Clearly  the 
fastidious  folk  who  dwell  in  Hanger  Lane 
have  abolished  a  pleasant  sylvan  reminiscence 
through  their  ignorance  of  English.  What  if 
others  follow  suit  ?  Dwellers  in  Fleet  Street 
may  complain  that  they  are  reminded  of  the 


MONUMENTAL  BRASSES  IN  HERTFORDSHIRE  CHURCHES.        49 


Fleet  Prison,  ignoring  the  swift  silver  stream 
that  in  the  old  days  ran  through  the  valley 
into  the  Thames,  a  stream  whose  fleetness 
well  deserved  its  name.  There  was  once  an 
attempt  to  turn  Holywell  Street  into  Book- 
seller's Row ;  but  in  that  dingy  precinct  there 
was  once  a  holy-well,  and  why  should  it  be 
forgotten  ?" 


Add. 


\For  the  loan  o/tke  luood-cuts  lohich  have  been  used  in  iliiis- 
trating  this  ami  tJie preceding  article  on  Plymouth  st)-eets,  the 
writer  is  iiide/'ted  to  the  courtesy  of  Mr  //".  //.  Luke,  pul'lislur, 
o/Z,  Bedford  Street,  Plyjiioutli.\ 


Monumental  IBrasses  in  ^m- 
fortJs&ire  Cfturcbesi* 

Additions,  etc.,  to  Haines'  List. 


Albiiry. 
DD.  III.  Man  in  armour  and  wife, 
c.  1475,  four  daughters  ;  sons  and 
inscription  gone.  Engraved  in 
Cussans'  Herts,  vol.  i. 
IV.  Inscription,  Anne,  daughter  of 
Henry  Barley,  wife  of  Philip  Gunter,  and 
two  shields. 

Add.  V.  Three  shields,  Leventhorp,  Bar- 
ley, &c.,  families. 

Aldbu?y. 
Add.  to  I.  Four  shields. 

Alde?iham. 
VII.  The  children  are  all  gone. 
Add.    XII.    Two   shields   with   indent   of 
man  in  armour  on  cover  of  altar-tomb. 

Ajnwell,  Great. 

Insert.  I.  Priest,  c.  1400. 

,,  II.  Civilian  (head  gone),  two  wives, 
four  sons,  three  daughters,  and  indent,  of 
one  child  of  second  wife. 

insert.    HI.    Inscription   and   shield,  An- 
thony Maukes,  1684. 

As/innil. 
Insert,  Inscription,  John  Sell,  1618. 


Baldock. 

Add.  VI.  Inscription,   Margaret   Bennett, 

1587. 

Bai'kway. 

Insert.  I.  Civilian,  Robert  Poynard,  two 
wives,  Joan  and  Bridget :  four  daughters  of 
second  wife — Martha,  Judith,  Rebekah,  and 
Frances,  1461. 

Insert.  II.  Inscription,  Ann  Rowley,  1613. 

Bayford, 

Add.  III.  One  shield,  Knighton  and 
Pigott. 

I.  and  III.  are  palimpsests;  I.  and  II.  are 
engraved  in  Cussans'  Herts,  vol.  iL 

Bennington. 
I.  and  II.  are  missing. 
Add.    III.    Inscription,    AVilliam    Clarke, 

1591. 
Add.  IV.  Inscription,  John  Clarke,  1604. 
„       V.  Upper  part  of  figure  of  a  priest. 

Berkhampstead. 
V.  is  lost. 

Add.  X.  Inscription,  John  and  Margaret 
Waterhouse,  1558. 

Add.  XI.  Inscription,  Margaret  Water- 
house,  1587. 

Add.  XII.  Shield  on  altar-tomb  with  arms 
of  Cornwallis. 

Bishop  Stortford. 

Insert.  I.  Inscription,  Thomas  Edgcomb, 
1 6 14, 

Insert.  II.  Inscription,  Charles  and  Mar- 
garet Denny,  1632. 

Bovingdon. 

Insert.     I.  HenryMayne,  1605, inscription. 
„         II.  John  Hall,  161 7,  „ 

„       III.  Andrew  Mayne,  162 1    „ 
„        IV.  Mary  Mayne,  1641        „ 

Broxbourne. 

III.,  IV.  and  VI.  are  lost. 

Add.  VII.  Civilian  with  scroll,  and  four 
Evangelists. 

Buckland. 

I.  The  inscription  is  to  be  seen. 

III.  The  brasses  of  John  Gyll  and  six  sons 
and  inscription  are  complete ;  the  daughters 
are  missing. 

Add.  IV.  Inscription,  Joanna  Gyll ;  dates 
omitted. 

Add.  V.  Inscription,  Joan  Bland,  1648. 


50        MONUMENTAL  BRASSES  IN  HERTFORDSHIRE  CHURCHES. 


Cheshunt. 
IV.  and  V.  arc  missing. 

Clothall. 
IV.,  V.  Inscriptions  are  only  to  be  seen, 
as  the  brasses  have  been  recently  covered  by 
the  choir  stalls. 

Cottend. 
Insert.    Inscription,  Lytton    Pulter,    Esq., 
1608. 

Datchworth. 
Insert.  Inscrii)tion,  William   Payne,  about 
1622. 

Digsiaell. 

Add.  VIII.  Inscription,  Margaret  Cane 
and  Martha  Champneys,  1537. 

Eastwick. 
One  shield  and  part  of  inscription  only 
remains  ;    the   figure   of  the  lady  is  loose, 
and  requires  fixing. 

Essendov. 
Add.  III.  Arms  and  crest  (Tooke),  1635  > 
inscription  missing. 

Flamstead. 
Add.  to  I.  Three  shields  ;  the  canopy  is  per- 
fect, with  the  exception  of  only  a  small  por- 
tion of  each  pinnacle,  which  is  missing. 

Great  Gaddesden. 
Add.  to  I.  Three  shields  ;  the  children  are 
all  lost. 

Hadhain  Muc/i. 

I.  These  figures  are  not  now  to  be  seen. 
Add.   VII.     Inscription,    Diana    Burton, 
1616. 

Add.  VIII.  Inscription,  Grace  Goodman, 
1631. 

Hatfield 
Insert.    I.    Arms   and    inscription,    Fulkc 
Onslowe,  1602,  and  Mary  his  wife,  1582. 

Insert.  II.  Three  shields  and  inscription, 
Fulke  Onslowe,  1602  ;  the  figure  and  one 
shield  lost. 

Heme!  Hempstead. 
Add.  Two  shields. 

Hc7-tford^  All  Saints. 
Add.  II.   Inscription,  John  Hunger,  1435. 

Hertford,  St.  A?idreu>s. 
Add.  Inscription,  Bridget  Whitgifte,  16 10. 


Hei  tingfordbitry. 

II.  Inscription  is  missing. 

Add.  Inscrij;tion  and  tv/o  shields,  Thomas 
Ellis,  1 60S,  and  Grace  his  wife,  161 2  ("man 
and  wife  forty-nine  years,  seven  months  and 
odd  days  "). 

Hinxworlk. 

Add.  II.  Man  and  wife  ;  inscription  gone  ; 
probably  Simon  Ward,  1453,  and  Ellen  his 
wife,  1.^81. 

III.  Inscription,  Andrew  Gray,  16 14. 

Hitchin. 
Add.  to  VIII.   A  "  bleeding  heart." 
„      XIV.  Civilian  and  three  wives. 

Htinsdon. 
I.  The  Holy  Trinity  is  missing,  but  a  por- 
tion of  a  scroll  remains. 

Add.  III.  Inscription,  William  Gray,  15 17. 

Klnipton. 
Insert.  A   lady ;  inscription  gone ;   about 
1450. 

Kings  Walden. 
Insert.  Inscription,  Sybil  Barber,  1614. 

Laagky,  Abbot's. 
I.  The  male  figure  is  gone. 
III.  and  IV.  are  missing. 

Langley,  King's. 
I.  is  now  lost. 

Add.  IV.  Inscription,  John  Cheney,  1597. 
,,       V.  „  Mary  Dixon,  1622. 

„     Nl.  „  J.  Marsworth,  1487, 

on  the  back  of  II. 

Minims,  North. 
IL,  VI.  and  VIII.  are  all  missing. 
Add.    IX.    Inscription,    Thomas    Hewes, 
1587,  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  1590. 

NewnJtani. 
Add.  to  II.  A  shield. 

RadvjcU. 
The  brass  noticed  as  lost,  p.  63,  is  in  this 
church,  and  represents  William  Whitakcr  and 
wife  and  son,  a  priest  who  died  1487. 

Sacornb. 

Insert.    Inscription,    Eleanor   Dodyngton, 

1537- 
Insert.  Inscription,  John  Dodyngton,  1544^ 


MONUMENTAL  BRASSES  IN  HERTFORDSHIRE  CHURCHES.        51 


St.  Albaii^s  Abbey. 
Add  to  III.  Inscription,  mutilated. 
„      to  XL  A  shield  (loose). 
„        XIX.  Inscription,    Richard    Ston- 
don,  15 —  (loose). 

Add.  XX.  Inscription,  Agnes  Skelton,  1 604 
(loose). 

Si.  Albans,  St.  MichaeVs. 
I.,  II.,  III.,  IV.  These  are  all  visible  on 
the  floor  in  various  parts  of  the  church. 

St.  Albans,  St.  Peter  s. 
The  brass  of  Elizabeth  Peniberton  is  not 
lost,  but  v/as  with  those  of  her  husband  and 
children  loose  in  the  vestry  in  1882. 

Sandon. 
Add.  11.  Inscription,    Simon    Pratt    and 
Joan  his  wife,  and  "childer"  (no  date). 

Sawbi'idgeworth . 
Add.  to  I.  Two  shields. 
„     IX.  Plates  of  twelve  boys  and  six  girls. 

Standon. 
I.  Inscription  now  only  remains. 
Add.  to  IV.  Three  shields  and  two  lines  of 
inscription. 
VI.  Is  missing. 

Walkern. 

Add.  to  I.  A  shield  and  hand  with  scroll 
existing  in  1850,  now  missing. 

III.  The  brass  of  the  man  is  gone. 

Add.  IV.  Inscription,  Richard  Humber- 
stone,  1581. 

Add.  V.  Inscription,  mutilated,  John  Hum- 
berstone,  1590. 

Add.  VI.  Inscription,  William  Bramfeilde 
and  two  wives,  1596. 

Add.  VII.  Inscription,  John  Lovekin,  1370, 
four  times  Mayor  of  London,  on  back  of 
No.  IV. 

The  five  portions  which  represent  No.  11. 
are  all  palimpsests,  and  are  cut  from  a  large 
I'lemish  brass,  elaborately  engraved,  and  on 
the  reverse  of  the  shield  is  the  date  1474. 

Watford. 
Add.  IV.    Inscription,     Henry    Baldwyn, 
1601. 
Add.  V.   Inscription,  James  Moss,  1758. 

Walton. 
III.  The  brass  of  the  wife  is  lost. 
Add.  to  IV.  A  shield. 


V.  The  head  of  the  male  figure  and  the 
brass  of  the  wife  are  gone.  Add,  two  in- 
scribed labels. 

Add.  to  VI.  An  achievement 

Add  to  VII.  Two  shields  and  inscription, 
Richard  Boteler,  1614,  and  wife,  16 19. 

Add.  VIII.  Lady  (lower  half  gone)  and 
matrix  of  husband,  and  inscription  mutilated, 
and  two  shields. 

Wheathampstead. 
Add.  to  I.  One  shield. 

„     to  II.  Four  shields. 
Add     III.  Civilian  and  wife  (small)  and 
six  children  (c.  1500). 

Add.  IV.  Man  in  armour,  c.  1500,  One 
leg  and  feet,  with  dog  only  remaining,  and 
v.'ife  with  the  top  of  her  head  gone. 

Willian. 
Insert.    Priest    and    inscription,    Richard 
Goldon,  1446. 

IVormley. 
I.  The  three  daughters  are  missing. 
Add.  to  II.  Ten  sons. 

Wyddiall. 

Add.  IV.  Five  shields  and  inscription, 
Richard  and  Jane  Gouleston. 

Add.  V.  Arms  and  inscription,  Helen 
Joscelyne,  1640. 

Add.  VL  Inscription,  John  and  Joan  Gyll, 
1600. 

Add.  VII.  Lower  portion  of  figure  of  a 
civilian,  probably  George  Canon,  1532. 

Hertfordshire  contains  about  140  churches, 
and  in  90  of  them  are  to  be  found  brasses  of 
various  sizes  and  condition.  I  now  possess 
a  collection  of  rubbings  of  the  whole  of  them, 
which  I  believe  is  unique,  mostly  taken 
during  the  last  three  years,  and  I  think  the 
above  list  of  additions,  etc.,  will  be  found  to 
be  useful  to  the  antiquary.  I  have  written 
a  description  of  each  brass  which  I  intend  to 
publish  in  the  course  of  a  few  months. 
Many  of  the  brasses  are  very  fine,  and  present 
several  interesting  features,  representing  the 
periods  when  they  were  fixed,  and  the  whole 
collection  forms  a  valuable  portion  of  history, 
relating  to  some  of  the  celebrities  and  worthies 
who  formerly  flourished  in  and  about  the 
county. 

William  F.  Andrews. 

Ilcrlfonl,  May  6,  lSS6. 


52 


UNDERGROUND  SOUTHAMPTON 


Onuergtounn  Southampton. 

By  Mrs,  Thiup  Champion  de  Crespigny. 


OUTHAMPTON  ranks  among  the 
oldest  of  our  English  towns,  and 
at  one  time  was,  perhaps,  the  most 
important  in  the  country,  excepting 
Winchester.  The  reigning  king  had  a  palace 
there  which  he  visited  occasionally,  bringing 
in  his  train  the  nobles,  clergy,  and  followers 
of  the  court,  who  formed  the  fashionable 
world  in  those  days,  thereby  stimulating  the 
trade  and  encouraging  the  industries  of  the 
inhabitants. 

Walking  down  the  principal  street  at  the 
present  time,  it  would  be  found  hard  to 
imagine  the  various  scenes  which  may  have 
taken  place  there  in  the  olden  days.  Instead 
of  the  **  ambling  palfreys "  decked  in  gold 
and  silver,  and  bearing  gorgeous  nobles 
through  a  crowd  gaping  in  stupid  awe  at  the 
king  they  feared,  the  modern  "  tram  "  is  the 
first  object  that  attracts  the  attention  ;  while 
hideous  water-carts  and  unromantic  cabs, 
with  the  chance  of  being  suddenly  asked  if 
you  want  your  boots  cleaned  by  a  very  dirty 
little  boy,  effectually  keep  your  mind  from 
wandering  into  the  picturesque  days  that  are 
gone.  Not  even  the  sight  of  the  old  "  Bar  " 
or  gateway,  inconveniently  placed  across  the 
main  street,  is  sufficient  to  conjure  up  the 
scenes  of  which  it  must  have  been  a  silent 
spectator.  Its  modern  surroundings  are  not 
calculated  to  enhance  its  sombre  dignity ; 
and  the  immediate  proximity  of  a  dirty  gin- 
palace  impresses  the  stranger  with  a  sense  of 
hideous  incongruity. 

Among  the  most  interesting  of  these  relics 
of  the  past  are  the  undergound  vaults,  which 
have  furnished  antiquaries  with  much  food 
for  argument.  There  are  a  great  number  of 
them,  and,  with  a  few  exceptions,  they  are 
generally  supposed  to  have  been  built  for  the 
storage  of  wine,  for  which  purpose  they  are 
still  used. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  these  cellars 
is  at  present  in  the  possession  of  Messrs. 
Hine  Brothers.  Authorities  on  the  subject 
have  pronounced  it  to  be  of  the  period  of 
Henry  III.,  and  even  a  casual  glance  is 
sufficient  to  discover  the  antiquity  of  the 
place. 


It  is  a  roomy  apartment,  capable  of  hold- 
ing fifty  or  sixty  people  with  ease,  and  was  in 
in  all  probability  built  for  the  use  of  the  King. 
During  the  fourteenth  century  Southampton 
traded  to  a  very  large  extent  with  foreign 
countries,  and  especially  in  wine  from  France. 
There  are  records  of  the  conveyance  of  wine 
from  these  vaults  to  the  palace,  and  many 
such  cellars  were  built  for  the  purpose.  But 
from  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  or  a  httle 
later,  trade  in  Southampton  began  to  decline 
owing  to  a  variety  of  causes,  and  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  one  of  the  effects  of  this 
would  be  the  discontinuance  of  the  building 
of  vaults ;  a  fact  which  greatly  helps  to  fix 
the  date  of  those  t6  be  found  there  at  the 
present  moment. 

A  very  curious  thing  to  be  remarked  in 
these  underground  chambers  is  the  rise  of  the 
streets. 

The  vault  we  have  mentioned  was  appa- 
rently built  upon  the  same  level  as  the  street 
on  which  it  opens.  This  is  shown  by  the 
windows,  which  are  now  useless  and  blocked 
up  by  the  soil  outside,  but  which,  it  is  to  be 
presumed,  must  have  been  originally  intended 
to  admit  light  and  air  into  the  place.  Now 
the  level  of  the  street  is  at  least  six  feet  above 
the  floor  of  the  vault,  into  which  visitors  are 
obliged  to  descend  by  a  flight  of  steep  stone 
steps. 

Mr.  Le  Feuvre  owns  a  vault  of  still  earlier 
date,  and  in  which  the  rise  of  the  street-level 
is  even  more  obvious.  There  is  a  descent  of 
a  dozen  steps  or  more  from  the  entrance,  but 
three  steps  from  the  bottom  is  one  very  much 
broader  than  the  rest,  which  must  evidently 
have  once  formed  the  threshold  of  the  door, 
while  those  above  have  apparently  been  added 
as  the  rise  in  the  ground  made  it  necessary 
to  do  so. 

This  difference  in  the  street-level  is  easily 
accounted  for  by  the  primitive  habits  of  our 
ancestors,  who  saved  themselves  a  world  of 
trouble  and  expense  by-  pitching  all  refuse 
of  every  description  into  the  middle  of  the 
streets. 

At  one  end  of  the  vault  there  is  a  large 
fireplace,  which  gives  rise  to  the  suggestion 
that  it  might  have  been  used  as  a  dwelling- 
room,  possibly  by  the  cellarman  in  charge; 
but  we  fear  conjecture  on  this  point  must 
be  of  the  vaguest. 


UNDERGROUND  SOUTHAMPTON 


S3 


Under  the  schools  belonging  to  St.  Michael's 
Church,  and  at  the  present  time  occupied  by 
Messrs.  Gayton,  is  perhaps  the  most  interest- 
ing of  all  these  underground  antiquities,  for 
here  we  have  no  common  cellar,  merely  used 
for  the  storage  of  wine,  or  at  most  tenanted 
by  a  menial  of  the  King.  Even  to  uninitiated 
eyes  this  vault  claims  a  more  dignified  posi- 
tion in  history,  indicated  by  the  handsome 
groined  roof  and  ornamental  stonework  on 
the  walls. 

In  all  probability  it  was  a  banqueting- 
hall,  and  had  witnessed  many  a  scene  of 
feasting  and  revelry.  Upon  the  vaulted  roof 
is  a  man's  head  carved  in  stone,  and  supposed 
to  represent  King  Edward  II.,  by  its  close 
resemblance  to  the  portraits  still  extant  of 
that  ill-fated  monarch.  In  one  corner  there  is 
the  head  of  a  woman  wearing  a  head-dress 
belonging  to  the  same  period,  and  also  that 
of  a  warrior  in  mail. 

The  stone  brackets  at  intervals  on  the 
walls  are  supported  by  "ball-flowers,"  a 
species  of  ornamentation  in  stone  introduced 
about  the  time  of  Edward  II.,  and  conse- 
quently fixing  the  date  of  the  vault  with 
comparative  accuracy. 

Here  again  the  rise  in  the  street-level  is 
curiously  apparent.  The  windows  are  entirely 
blocked  up,  and  the  floor  of  the  vault  six  feet 
or  more  lower  than  the  roadway  above. 

A  very  handsome  marble  mantelpiece  at 
one  end,  in  excellent  repair,  would  alone 
stamp  the  apartment  as  the  resort  of  the 
wealthy  classes.  This  vault  at  one  time  be- 
longed to  Mr.  Deal,  of  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
who  has  stated  that  when  he  first  became  its 
owner,  there  were  distinct  signs  of  fresco- 
painting  upon  the  walls,  the  outline  in  colour 
here  and  there  being  clearly  visible. 

Even  according  to  modern  ideas  of  size 
this  room  would  be  considered  of  respectable 
dimensions,  and  doubtless  in  those  old  days 
it  was  looked  upon  as  a  spacious  apartment. 
Many  a  jovial  entertainment  may  have  taken 
place  v.'ithin  its  walls.  Golden  goblets  and 
priceless  dishes  may  have  reflected  the  some- 
what limited  light  admitted  through  the 
mediaeval  windows,  while  popular  toasts  were 
proposed  by  the  highest  nobles  in  the  land, 
as  they  vied  with  each  other  in  contributing 
to  the  amusement  of  some  honoured  or  even 
royal  guest. 


Or,  there  is  another  theory  in  explanation 
of  its  past. 

The  old  Abbot  of  Beaulieu  is  known  to 
have  possessed  a  house  somewhere  in  South- 
ampton, and  "Pilgrim  Street"  the  original 
name  of  the  street  in  which  the  vault  is 
situated,  has  a  devotional  ring  about  it,  which 
might  naturally  lead  to  the  conjectures  con- 
necting the  abbot  with  the  pilgrims.  Pil- 
grims visited  Southampton  in  hundreds,  and 
were  most  probably  lodged  in  the  street 
which  bore  their  name.  It  is  not  unreason- 
able to  suppose  that  they  should  have  chosen 
their  quarters  in  close  proximity  to  the  house 
of  the  abbot,  to  whom  they  would  naturally 
go  for  a  blessing,  either  as  a  "  Godspeed " 
on  their  departure,  or  a  reward  on  their  return. 

If  this  is  the  part  that  the  old  vault  played 
in  history,  it  is  perhaps  better  left  to  the 
imagination  than  entered  into  in  detail.  For 
the  picture  of  a  dozen  or  two  of  unkempt 
pilgrims  sworn  to  go  unwashed  for  an  un- 
limited period,  receiving  benediction  from  a 
fat  abbot  whose  sole  idea  was  to  get  the 
ceremony  over  as  quickly  as  possible,  can 
hardly  be  a  pleasing  one,  even  though  lent 
the  proverbial  enchantment  of  distance. 

Overlooking  the  sea,  on  the  western  side  of 
the  town,  is  a  rugged,  ancient-looking  wall, 
suggesting  to  the  passer-by  hidden  delights 
in  the  shape  of  secret  staircases,  or  at  the 
very  least  a  haunted  chamber.  But  a  closer 
investigation  shows  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  building  must  have  disappeared,  for  now 
a  thoroughfare  runs  along  above  it,  and  the 
only  discovery  to  reward  the  explorer  is  a 
large  vaulted  chamber,  entered  through  an 
aperture  caused  by  the  removal  of  a  few 
stones  half  way  up  the  wall. 

This  vault  is  Norman  in  architecture,  and 
from  its  general  appearance  and  position, 
conjectures  again  arise  as  to  its  past  use  or 
uses. 

It  was  once  much  larger  than  it  is  at 
present,  being  bricked  up  at  both  ends.  The 
roof  is  arched,  and  was  originally  supported 
by  stone  ribs,  traces  of  which  still  remain 
with  the  ornamental  supports  intact.  The 
groining  has  been  unaccountably  removed 
from  the  roof  within  the  memory  of  man  ; 
unaccountably,  because  this  vault  rarely  sees 
the  light  of  day,  having  been  only  twice 
opened  during  the  last  fifty  years. 


54 


UNDERGROUND  SOUTHAMPTON. 


A  large  gateway,  now  closed  up,  and 
having  been  apparently  a  Watergate,  from  its 
position  on  the  side  nearest  the  sea,  leads 
archaeologists  to  suppose  that  the  place  may 
have  been  a  guard-room  in  connection  with 
the  old  castle,  the  remains  of  which  are  still 
standing  not  far  off,  and  which,  it  is  believed, 
was  the  palace  of  the  King  in  its  palmy  days. 

Although  not  coming,  properly  speaking, 
under  the  head  of  "  Underground  South- 
ampton," we  cannot  close  without  a  feAV 
words  about  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in 
the  kingdom,  and  of  which  Southampton  is 
justly  proud. 

St.  Michael's  is  a  fine  building,  and  claims 
the  attention  of  all  who  are  interested  in 
antiquities.  Modern  decoration  has  been 
somewhat  incongruously  added  to  the  solid 
masonry  and  archways  which  proclaim  the 
architecture  to  be  Norman. 

The  church  is  said  to  have  been  erected 
during  the  reign  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
or  AVilliam  II.  at  the  latest.  Its  original 
shape  was  cruciform  (Latin),  and  four  large 
Norman  arches  stand  at  right  angles  to  each 
other  in  the  body  of  the  church,  these,  and 
the  old  tower,  forming  the  chief  objects  of 
interest  from  an  antiquarian  point  of  view. 

Beside  a  little  window  in  the  north  wall, 
there  is  a  "  merchant's  mark "  cut  in  the 
stone.  These  marks  were  introduced  into 
England  by  the  merchants  who  came  to  us 
from  Flanders,  corresponding  to  the  **  trade- 
marks "  so  generally  used  now,  and  of  which 
they  were  probably  the  origin.  We  ov>-e 
many  of  our  industries  to  Flanders,  and 
trade  marks  apparently  are  among  the  other 
legacies  left  to  us  by  Flemish  merchants. 
Whether  this  mark  in  St.  Michael's  belonged 
to  a  single  individual,  or  to  a  merchant's 
guild,  is  not  known,  but  the  facsimile  of  it 
has  been  found  carved  upon  the  wooden 
binding  of  an  old  book. 

Among  the  most  interesting  features  of 
this  church  is  the  font,  which  has  given  rise 
to  much  archaeological  discussion.  It  is,  by 
some,  pronounced  to  be  Norman,  and  to 
have  been  placed  in  the  church  at  the  time 
of  its  erection.  There  are  similar  fonts  in 
Winchester  Cathedral,  at  East  Meon,  and  in 
Lincoln  ;  but  it  seems  far  more  likely  that  the 
theory  held  by  some  authorities  that  they 
are  of  Byzantine  origin  is  the  correct  one. 


Their  presence  in  English  churches  would 
be  easily  accounted  for  in  this  way. 

One  of  the  later  Crusades  was  undertaken 
by  the  bishops  and  nobles  in  England  and 
France,  and  conducted  by  them  entirely, 
without  the  leadership  of  a  crowned  head. 
These  champions  of  religion,  in  the  absence 
of  the  necessary  funds,  applied,  and  success- 
fully, to  the  Venetians  to  help  them  in  their 
efforts  to  carry  on  the  war.  The  ill-feeling 
between  the  Latin  and  Greek  Churches  at 
that  time  ran  very  high,  and  the  Crusaders, 
not  content  with  victory  alone,  sacked  the 
town  of  Constantinople,  among  others,  and 
despoiled  the  churches. 

A  family  closely  connected  with  South- 
ampton at  that  period  is  known  to  have 
taken  part  in  these  wars,  returning  to  the 
town  when  the  Crusade  was  over ;  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  the  font,  which  is  to  all 
appearance  Byzantine,  and  not  Norman, 
should  have  been  brought  home  by  one  of 
them  and  placed  in  St.  Michael's  Church. 
The  Abbe  of  Lille,  in  France,  also  fought  in 
this  Crusade,  and  there  is  a  similar  font  in 
Lille  Cathedral. 

It  is  roughly  shaped  in  a  solid  block  of 
either  black  basalt  or  marble — opinions 
differ  on  this  point — nearly  square,  and 
covered  with  rude  sculpture  in  the  forms  of 
dragons  and  other  heathenish  monsters. 
This,  in  itself,  would  seem  to  confirm  the 
Byzantine  theory,  and  also  to  give  an  idea  of 
the  age  of  the  font.  The  Emperor  Con- 
stantine  was  the  first  to  attempt  to  combine 
the  Christian  religion  with  heathenish  v.-or- 
ship,  and  it  would  seem  in  pursuance  of  this 
idea  that  a  font  to  be  used  in  Christian  ritual 
should  be  ornamented  with  the  creatures  of 
mythology. 

The  fact  that  the  pedestal  upon  which  it 
is  mounted  is  certainly  not  Norman,  but  very 
unmistakably  early  English,  would  seem  to 
point  in  the  same  direction  ;  but  this  vexed 
question  we  must  leave  to  more  able  authori- 
ties to  decide. 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


55 


iLontion  Cfteatres* 

By  T.  Fairman  Ordish. 

No.   III. — The  Blackfriars  Playhouse. 
{Continued.) 

iURBAGE'S  COxMPANY,  at  the 
time  of  the  opening  of  Blackfriars 
Theatre,  bore  the  title  of  the 
"Chamberlain's  Men;"  but  at  the 
accession  of  James  I.  in  1603,  they  became 
the  "  King's  "  players.  The  fears  of  those 
Blackfriars  inhabitants  who  had  opposed  the 
establishment  of  a  playhouse  were  more  than 
realized.  The  attraction  of  Shakespeare's 
plays  and  Richard  Burbage's  splendid  acting 
of  the  chief  characters  of  those  plays,  drew 
all  that  was  high,  intelligent,  noble,  and 
lovely  to  the  Blackfriars  playhouse ;  and 
with  the  coaches  of  the  great  and  wealthy 
thronged  London  citizens  and  visitors  from 
the  provinces,  representing  that  large  middle- 
class  element  in  English  life  which  has  hap- 
pily existed  from  so  early  a  period  of  our 
history.  All  classes  flocked  to  hear  the  gospel  of 
the  poet  of  humanity  :  the  aristocratic  tone 
which  has  been  remarked  in  his  plays 
harmonized  with  bourgeois  sympathies ;  even 
churls,  clowns,  and  buffoons  would  come 
and  laugh  at  themselves,  as  with  good- 
natured  satire  they  were  represented  on  this 
universal  stage.  But  while  the  intellectual 
life  of  England  was  being  thus  enriched, 
there  were  certain  details  of  history  occurring 
in  and  about  the  theatre  which  more  especi- 
ally concern  us  here.  We  can  scarcely  blame 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Blackfriars  precinct  if 
they  remained  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the 
most  wonderful  products  of  dramatic  and 
poetic  genius  were  then  and  there  being 
given  to  the  world.  Absorbed  in  their  daily 
cares,  they  saw  only  the  reverse  side  of  the 
picture ;  and,  judging  from  their  petitions 
against  the  playhouse,  after  making  due  de- 
ductions for  Puritan  prejudice  and  the 
exaggeration  which  they  probably  allowed 
themselves  in  emphasizing  their  complaints, 
the  Blackfriars  folk  had  a  good  deal  to  put 
up  with  : 

"  Petition  of  the  Constables  and  other 
officers  and  inhabitants  within  the  precinct  of 
the  Blackfriars  to  Sir  Sebastian  Harvey,  Knt., 
Lord  Mayor,  and  the  Court  of  Aldermen, 


stating  that  in  November,  1596,  the  in- 
habitants had  informed  the  Privy  Council  of 
the  inconveniences  likely  to  fall  upon  them 
by  a  common  playhouse  then  intended  to  be 
erected,  and  the  Council  had  thereupon  for- 
bad the  use  of  the  house  for  plays.  By 
Orders  of  the  Privy  Council,  dated  22nd  June, 
1600,  only  two  playhouses  were  to  be  tole- 
rated ;  one  on  the  Bankside,  and  the  other 
in  or  near  Golden  Lane,  exempting  thereby 
the  Blackfriars ;  and  a  letter  was  at  the  same 
time  sent  to  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Justices, 
requiring  them  to  see  the  Orders  strictly  put 
in  execution  and  continued.  The  owner  of 
the  said  playhouse,  under  the  name  of  a 
private  house,  converted  it  into  a  public 
playhouse,  to  which  there  was  daily  such  a 
resort  of  people  and  such  a  multitude  of 
coaches  (many  of  them  hackney  coaches 
bringing  people  of  all  sorts),  that  at  times  the 
streets  could  not  contain  them  ;  they  clogged 
up  Ludgate  Hill  also,  so  that  they  endangered 
one  another,  broke  down  stalls,  threw  down 
goods,  and  the  inhabitants  were  unable  to 
get  to  their  houses,  or  bring  in  their  pro- 
visions, the  tradesmen  to  utter  their  wares, 
or  passengers  to  get  to  the  common  water 
stairs  without  danger  of  life  and  limb ; 
quarrels  and  effusion  of  blood  had  followed, 
and  other  dangers  might  be  occasioned  by 
the  broils,  plots,  and  practices  of  such  an  un- 
ruly multitude.  These  inconveniences  hap- 
pening almost  daily  in  the  winter  time  (not 
excepting  Lent),  from  one  or  two  o'clock  till 
five  at  night  (the  usual  time  for  christenings 
burials,  and  afternoon  service),  the  inhabitants 
were  unable  to  get  to  the  church,  the  ordinary 
passage  for  a  great  part  of  the  precinct  being 
close  by  the  playhouse  door. 

"The  petitioners  therefore  prayed  that  order 
might  be  taken  in  the  matter,  and  the  owner 
of  the  playhouse  required  to  satisfy  the  Court 
of  Aldermen  for  his  presumption  in  breaking 
the  aforesaid  Orders,  and  to  put  in  sufficient 
surety  for  the  time  to  come.  If  the  in- 
habitants, by  turnpikes,  posts,  chains,  or 
otherwise,  kept  the  coaches  outside  their 
gates,  great  inconvenience  would  ensue  to 
Ludgate  and  the  streets  thereabout;  they 
therefore  craved  aid  and  direction  from  the 
Court  in  all  the  premises. 

"The  petition  is  signed  by  the  minister, 
churchwardens,    sidesmen,    constables,    col- 


S6 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


lectors,  and  scavengers  of  the  precinct." 
{Circa  1618-19.)* 

There  is  also  among  the  City  archives  a 
letter  "from  divers  honourable  persons,  in- 
habiting the  precinct  of  Blackfriars,  to  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  Court  of  Aldermen,"  sup- 
porting this  petition.  But  the  precinct  of 
Blackfrairs  was  without  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  civic  authorities,  and  they  had  no  power 
to  interfere.  Still  their  sympathies,  judging 
from  the  various  orders  made  by  the  Corpora- 
tion against  plays  and  players,  were  doubtless 
with  the  petition,  and  they  made  an  effort  to 
stretch  their  authority  over  the  Blackfriars. 
They  issued  an  order,  dated  January  21st, 
1 6 18-19,  ^or  the  suppression  of  the  theatre. 
This  order  has  been  printed  by  Mr.  Halli- 
well-Phillipps,  taken  from  the  original  entry 
recording  the  proceedings  of  that  day,  in 
the  City  archives. t  The  document  begins: 
"  Item,  this  day  was  exhibited  to  this  Court 
a  peticion  by  the  constables  and  other  ofificers 
and  inhabitants  within  the  precinct  of  Black- 
friars, London."  After  recapitulating  the 
petition  and  the  letter  of  the  Privy  Council 
to  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Justices,  limiting  the 
number  of  playhouses  to  two,  the  order 
proceeds : 

"  And  nowe  forasmuch  as  the  said  in- 
habitants of  the  Blackfryers  have  in  their  said 
peticion  complayned  to  this  Court  that,  con- 
trarie  to  the  said  Lorde's  Orders,  the  owner 
of  the  said  playhowse  within  the  Blackfryers 
under  the  name  of  a  private  howse  hath  con- 
verted the  same  into  a  publique  playhowse, 
unto  which  there  is  daily  so  great  resort  of 
people,  and  soe  great  multitudes  of  coaches, 
whereof  many  are  hackney  coaches  bringing 
people  of  all  sortes  that  sometimes  all  their 
streetes  cannot  conteyne  them,  that  they  en- 
danger one  the  other,  breake  downe  stalles, 
throw  downe  men's  goodes  from  their  shopps, 
hinder  the  passage  of  the  inhabitants  there 
to  and  from  their  howses,  lett  the  bringing  in 
of  their  necessary  provisions,  that  the  trades- 
men and  shopkeepers  cannot  utter  their 
wares,  nor  the  passengers  goe  to  the  common 
water  staires  without  danger  of  their  lives  and 
lyms,  whereby  many  times  quarrells  and  effu- 
sion of  blood  hath  followed,  and  the  minister 
and  people  disturbed  at  the  administracion 

*  JRemembrancia,  pp.  355,  356. 
t  Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Shakespeare  (ed.  1883), 
PP-  538-539- 


of  the  Sacrament  of  Baptisme  and  publique 
prayers  in  the  afternoones ;  whereupon,"  the 
Court  orders,  "the  said  playhowse  be  sup- 
pressed." 

This  order  was  of  course  of  no  effect  in 
the  liberty  of  Blackfriars.  The  patent,  27th 
March,  1619-20,*  in  which  the  King  licenses 
"  his  well-beloved  servants  to  act,  not  only  at 
the  Globe  on  the  Bankside,  but  at  their 
private  house  situated  in  the  precincts  of 
Blackfriars,"  probably  has  reference  to  this 
agitation,  and  was  intended  to  confirm  the 
right  of  the  company  to  their  two  playhouses. 
The  patent  is  a  revival  of  that  granted  to 
Fletcher,  Shakespeare,  and  others  on  19th 
May,  i6o3.t 

On  the  26th  October,  1623,  a  calamitous 
accident  occurred  in  a  house  adjoining  Black- 
friars Theatre  which  caused  a  great  sensation 
in  London.  "  Camden,  in  his  A?inals,  says 
that  the  theatre  itself  fell  down,  and  that 
eighty-one  persons  were  killed  ;  but  he  was 
misinformed  upon  this  point :  the  catastrophe 
occurred  in  a  large  upper  room  of  what  was 
formerly  the  residence  of  Lord  Hunsdon,  but 
then  occupied  by  the  French  Ambassador."  J 
It  would  appear  that  about  three  hundred 
persons  had  assembled  to  hear  a  Roman 
Catholic  preacher,  when  the  floor  gave  way, 
and  about  eighty  persons  were  killed  and  as 
many  injured.  Collier  gives  some  con- 
temporary descriptions  of  the  accident§  In 
the  State  Papers  there  are  various  documents 
referring  to  it.  On  October  27th,  1623, 
Henry  Banister  writes  to  Lord  Zouch  that  a 
house,  formerly  Lord  Hunsdon's  in  Black- 
friars, fell  on  Sunday  last,  when  a  number  of 
Papists  were  assembled  to  hear  Mass :  a 
priest,  formerly  a  Protestant,  who  preached, 
and  eighty  other  persons  were  killed.|| 
Another  account,  dated  November  ist,  gives 
the  preacher's  name,  Drury,  and  states  the 
number  of  Papists  killed  at  ninety  or  one 
hundred ;  they  were  buried  where  they  died, 
the  Bishop  of  London  refusing  them  burial 
in  churchyards.H  Two  subsequent  letters 
show  that  the  printers  were  busy  over  the 

*  Calendar  of  State  Papers,  Domestic  Series, 
1619-1623,  p.  28. 

f  See  article  on  the  Globe  Theatre,  Antiquary, 
xii.  46. 

X  Collier,  History  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  i.  419. 

§  Ibid.,  p.  420. 

li  Calendar  of  State  Papers,  1623-1625,  p.  104. 

If  Ibid.,  p.  106. 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


57 


affair.  On  November  15th  Chamberlain 
writes  to  Carleton  saying  that  he  sends  such 
books  and  ballads  as  he  could  collect  touch- 
ing the  accident  at  Blackfriars  ;*  and  again 
on  November  21st  he  writes  that  he  sends  a 
pamphlet  by  Dr.  Good  on  the  subject.! 

The  fate  of  the  drama  was  bound  up  in 
the  social  status  which  preceded  the  Great 
Rebellion,  and  we  may  see  evidence  of  the 
growing  Puritan  movement  in  further  efforts 
directed  against  the  stage.  In  1631  the 
churchwardens  and  constables  of  Blackfriars 
petitioned  Bishop  Laud  "  on  behalf  of  the 
whole  parish  "  for  redress  of  many  grievances 
which  they  suffered  "  by  reason  of  a  play- 
house exceedingly  frequented."  They  peti- 
tion for  the  revival  of  previous  orders  made 
for  the  removal  of  the  players ;  and  among 
the  "  reasons  and  inconveniences "  moving 
them  "  to  become  suitors  for  the  removal  of 
the  playhouse,"  they  name  : 

"  I.  Hindrance  to  the  shopkeepers  from 
the  great  recourse  to  the  plays,  especially  of 
coaches,  their  commodities  being  broken  and 
beaten  off  their  stalls.  II.  The  recourse  of 
coaches  is  so  great  that  the  inhabitants  cannot 
in  an  afternoon  take  in  provision  of  beer, 
coals,  etc.  III.  The  passage  through  Lud- 
gate  and  to  the  water  is  stopped  up.  IV.  If 
there  should  happen  any  fire,  no  order  could 
be  taken  for  quenching  it,  on  account  of  the 
disorder  and  number  of  coaches.  V.  Chris- 
tenings and  burials  are  many  times  disturbed. 
VI.  Persons  of  honour  and  quality  that  dwell 
in  the  parish  are  restrained  by  the  number  of 
coaches  from  going  out  or  coming  home."  % 

Whatever  deductions  we  make  on  account 
of  the  motive  and  inspiration  of  such  a  peti- 
tion, there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  points  to 
the  ever-increasing  popularity  of  the  drama. 
There  is  nothing  to  show  that  any  action 
against  the  theatre  followed  this  petition. 

Collier  remarks  that  it  is  a  matter  of  infer- 
ence only  that  the  complaint  was  renewed  in 
the  autumn  of  1633,  for  on  the  9th  of  October 
in  that  year,  we  find  the  Privy  Council  enter- 
taining the  project  of  removing  the  playhouse, 
and  of  making  compensation  to  the  parties 
interested.  The  Aldermen  of  the  Ward  and 
two  others  were  appointed  to  examine  into 

*  Calendar  of  State  Papers,  1623- 1 625,  p.  1 10. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  115. 

%  Ibid.,  Domestic  Series,  1631-1633,  pp.  219-221. 
VOL.  XIV. 


the  subject,  and  to  make  a  report  on  the 
value  of  the  property.*  In  a  note  Collier 
gives  the  order  extracted  from  the  Privy 
Council  Register :  we  have  a  precis  of  it  in 
the  Calendar  of  State  Papers -.^ 

"Abstract  of  businesses  left  unperfected 
by  the  Council  in  the  present  month : 
9th  Oct.  :  Sir  Henry  Spiller,  Sir  William 
Becher,  the  alderman  of  the  ward,  Mr. 
Whitaker,  and  Mr.  Child,  to  call  the  parties 
interested  in  the  Blackfriars  playhouse  be- 
fore them,  and  after  hearing  them  and  viewing 
the  place  to  make  an  estimate  and  value,  and 
agree  upon  such  recompense  for  the  same  as 
should  be  indifferent,  and  to  report  thereon 
by  the  26th  instant." 

Apparently  the  players  were  able  to  offer 
very  considerable  obstruction  to  the  inquiry, 
and  were  in  nowise  minded  to  be  wiped  out 
of  existence.  Collier  remarks  that  the  report 
of  the  Commissioners  does  not  appear  to  be 
extant,  and  we  observe  in  the  foregoing 
document  that  the  matter  was  an  item  of 
"  business  left  unperfected  by  the  Council." 
The  Commission  then  appears  to  have  been 
reconstructed  and  strengthened,  and  a  month 
later,  on  November  20th,  1633,  their  report 
was  presented  to  the  Council.  This  document 
is  signed  by  Sir  Henry  Spiller,  Humfry  Smith, 
Sir  AVilliam  Becher,  Laurence  Witaker,  and 
William  Childe,  and  endorsed  '*  Certificate 
from  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  the  County 
of  Middlesex  about  the  Blackfriars."  J  The 
players  demand  ^^21,000  compensation; 
while  the  Commissioners  valued  their  rights 
at  near  ;^3,ooo.  The  parishioners  offer 
towards  the  removing  of  them  ;^ioo  (seem- 
ingly but  a  small  sum,  which  rather  dis- 
counts their  vaunted  grievances).  The 
players  had  numerous  friends  of  power 
and  influence,  and  probably  by  this 
time  it  was  the  rapidly  spreading  Puritanism 
outside  the  Court  and  Government  which 
directed  this  renewed  effort  to  dislodge  them. 
The  Government  sought  to  meet  the  difficulty 
by  issuing  a  stringent  order  regulating  the 
traffic  to  and  from  the  Blackfriars  Theatre. 
The  order  is  dated  two  days  after  the  report  : 

"Order  of  the  Star  Chamber  upon  com- 

*  History  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  i.  476. 

t  Domestic  Series,  1633- 1 634,  p.  266. 

X  Calendar  of  State  Papers,  Domestic  Series,  1633- 
1634,  p.  293.  Report  given  in  extenso  by  Collier, 
History  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  i.  477. 


58 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


plaint  of  the  inconveniences  occasioned  by 
the  stoppage  of  the  streets  by  the  carriages  of 
persons  frequenting  the  Playhouse  of  the 
Blackfriars,  '  their  lordships  remembering 
that  there  is  an  easy  passage  by  water  unto 
that  playhouse  without  troubling  the  streets, 
and  that  it  is  much  more  fit  and  reasonable 
that  those  which  go  thither  should  go  by 
water  or  else  on  foot,'  therefore,  order  that 
all  coaches  shall  leave  as  soon  as  they  have 
set  down,  and  not  return  till  the  play  is  over, 
nor  return  further  than  the  west  end  of  Saint 
Paul's  Churchyard  or  Fleet  Conduit.  Coach- 
men disobeying  this  order  to  be  committed 
to  Newgate  or  Ludgate.  Copies  of  the  Order 
to  be  set  up  at  Paul's  Chain,  the  west  end  of 
St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  Ludgate,  the  Black- 
friars, and  Fleet  Conduit. — November  22, 
1633."* 

Collier  furnishes  some  particulars  from  the 
Privy  Council  Register  subsequent  to  this 
order. t  On  the  29th  November  the  Lord 
Mayor  was  specially  required  by  the  Privy 
Council  to  see  the  regulations  duly  and  strictly 
enforced.  This  order  may  have  been  pro- 
voked by  contumely  on  the  part  of  the  play- 
goers, or  it  may  refer  only  to  the  power  to 
exercise  civic  authority  without  the  City.  At 
a  meeting  of  the  Privy  Council  on  the  29th 
December  following,  the  subject  again  en- 
gaged attention.  It  is  particularly  noted  that 
the  King  was  himself  present  in  Council,  and 
an  order  was  made  "  to  explain  "  the  former 
decision,  on  account  of  "  the  prejudice  to  the 
players,  his  Majesty's  servants."  The  ex- 
planation was,  in  fact,  a  permission  "  that  as 
many  coaches  as  may  stand  within  the  Black- 
friars gate  may  enter  and  stay  there,  or  re- 
turn thither  at  the  end  of  the  play ;"  thus 
virtually  rescinding  the  regulations  made  on 
the  20th  November.  There  is  probably  truth 
in  Collier's  assumption  from  the  note  of  the 
presence  of  the  King  at  this  Council,  that 
representations  had  been  made  personally  to 
his  Majesty  in  favour  of  the  actors. 
{To  be  cofttinued.) 

*  Remembraiicia,  pp.  356,  357. 

+  History  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  i.  479. 


ancient  Cape^trp. 

— ♦■ — 

HE  cartoons  drawn  for  the  use  of 
the  tapestry-weaver  have  been  fre- 
quently of  the  very  highest  excel- 
lence, and  many  of  the  noblest 
conceptions  ever  carried  into  concrete  art 
are  still  to  be  found  in  warp  and  woof.  It 
may  be  observed  that  "  tapestry "  is  a  term 
commonly  used  both  for  carpets  and  hang- 
ings ;  and  M.  Muntz,  in  his  recent  book  on 
the  subject,*  confines  his  researches  almost 
entirely  to  hangings. 

That  tapestry  in  this  form  can  ever  again 
assume  the  position  it  once  held  is  an  open 
question  ;  certainly  it  will  not  do  so  for  some 
long  time  to  come.  The  prejudice  in  favour 
of  oil  painting  as  a  technical  method  of 
executing  designs  for  wall  decoration  is  not 
easily  to  be  modified,  much  less  destroyed  : 
so  strong  is  this  predilection  for  oil  painting 
and  the  execution  of  small  works  in  that 
vehicle,  to  be  hung  in  frames  for  domestic 
decorations,  that  most  of  the  establishments 
subsidized  by  the  Board  of  Trade  find  them- 
selves filled  with  students  who  do  not  intend 
to  design  for  fabrics  like  wall  tapestries  or 
carpets  in  any  grand  way,  but  to  enter  ulti- 
mately the  ateliers  of  the  Royal  Academy  as 
painters  oi  genre  or  landscape  pictures. 

A  solitary  effort,  ever  so  earnest — a  few 
patrons,  no  matter  how  influential,  will  never 
revive  the  art  of  tapestry-weaving.  Not  that 
the  appliances  for  such  work  are  expensive — 
anyone  can,  at  small  expense,  get  a  hand- 
loom;  but  that  the  tradition  of  big  design 
and  historical  composition,  such  as  can  be 
applied  to  this  work,  can  hardly  be  said  to 
exist  in  England. 

M.  Muntz,  in  the  work  already  alluded  to, 
questions  the  success  of  even  Raphael  in 
some  of  the  cartoons,  and  with  reason 
criticizes  the  feeble  effect  in  tapestry  of  the 
design  representing  the  calling  of  S.S.  Peter 
and  Andrew,  splendid  as  it  would  have 
been,  executed  in  fresco,  and  faultless  as  it 
may  be  on  cartoon-paper. 

On  the  other  hand,  that  great  auxiliary  in 
the  establishment  of  the  Mantuan   tapestry 

*  A  Short  History  of  Tapestry,  by  Eugene  Muntz. 
Translated  by  Tomson  J.  Davis.  We  are  indebted  to 
the  publisher  of  this  volume  for  the  use  of  the  blocks 
illustrating  this  article. 


ANCIENT  TAPESTRY. 


59 


school,  Mantegna,  was  eminently  successful 
in  making  his  genius  the  genius  of  such 
work. 

Many  of  us  have  often  stopped  to  admire 
the  cartoons  of  the  Triumph  of  Julius  Caesar 
at  Hampton  Court,  but  few  have  considered 
how  especially  suitable  and  excellent  they 
are  as  designs  for  tapestry. 

The  history  of  tapestry  is  of  the  greatest 
interest;  it  takes  us  back  with  certainty  to 
Egyptian  art  of  an    early  period,    and  its 


opinion  that  the  work  was  of  the  Greek 
or  Roman  period.  Although  in  the  British 
Museum  we  have  linen  fabrics  taken  from 
mummies  of  comparatively  early  periods, 
there  are  no  woven  designs  that  can  be 
positively  dated  earlier  than  the  second 
Ptolemaic  periods,  but  of  this  there  are 
many  excellent  specimens.  These  examples 
are  specially  referred  to  in  our  review,  as 
accessible  to  most  of  the  readers  of  M. 
Muntz's  work,  and  as  adding  to  the  informa- 


[Reproduced  from  A  Short  History  of  Tapestry,  by  permission  of  Cassell  and  Company.] 


invention  appears  coeval  with  civilization.  In 
Mr.  Birch's  edition  of  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson's 
Egyptians  there  are  many  references  to 
ancient  textiles. 

Notwithstanding  the  witness  of  ancient 
authors  concerning  the  art  of  weaving,  we 
are  still  much  in  the  dark  concerning  the 
exact  character  of  the  designs  used — of  the 
nature  of  the  work. 

Diodorus  informs  us  that  the  Egyptians 
had  carpets  which  were  spread  for  the 
sacred  animals.  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson 
describes  a  small  rug  brought  from  Thebes, 
in  the  centre  of  which  was  woven  a  boy  and 
a  goose.     Mr.    Birch  was,  however,  of  the 


tion  he  gives.  Indeed,  one  desiderates  in  this 
English  edition  more  references  to  work  in 
this  country.  M.  Muntz  quotes  the  opinion 
of  Semper,  who  considered  tapestry,  or  rather 
woven  hangings,  the  primary  object  in  ancient 
architectural  decoration  ;  and  the  quotations 
which  he  has  made  from  Homer  and  Pliny, 
which  are  too  numerous  to  mention,  give 
some  idea  of  the  characteristics  of  the  ancient 
work.  The  engraving  from  a  picture  in  the 
Nypogeum  of  Beni  Hassan,  circa  300  b.c, 
given  by  M.  Muntz,  shows  that  the 
Egyptians  knew  the  use  of  the  loom,  having 
all  the  essentials  of  the  high  warp-loom,  and 
is  much  the  same  as  that  now  used  at  the 

F  2 


6o 


ANCIENT  TAPESTRY. 


Gobelins.  Other  examples  of  Egyptian 
looms  are  given  by  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson.* 
Their  earliest  work  seems  to  have  been 
entirely  of  flax,  and  not  of  cotton  as  often 
thought  before  the  fibre  was  examined  under 
the  microscope.  The  introductions  of  wool 
and  silk  were  of  much  later  date,  although 
M.  Muntz  states  that  there  are  in  the  Louvre 
some  ornamental  bands  of  a  late  Phara- 
onic  era,  worked  in  wool.  We  are  certain, 
from  the  records  in  Holy  Scripture,  that  the 
Hebrews  in  the  time  of  Moses  used  tapestry 
hangings  to  decorate  and  separate  the  apart- 
ments of  the  Tabernacle.  M.  Muntz  (quot- 
ing M.  de  Saulcy)  thinks  some  of  these 
were  embroidered  by  hand  (needle  ?). 
Such  an  opinion  is,  however,  of  the  most 
speculative  nature;  the  work  of  the  loom 
preceded  that  of  the  needle,  which  is  said 
to  be  a  Phr)'gian  invention  of  later  date. 
The  most  expert  scholars  are  not  agreed  on 
this  point,  nor  even  on  the  exact  meaning  of 
the  words  translated  "  embroiderer."  Lady 
Marion  Holford  claims  for  the  needle  an  older 
and  more  illustrious  age  than  can  be  recorded 
for  the  brush,  but  of  proof  for  such  an 
assertion  there  is  little.  Of  course  the 
seams  of  the  woven  fabrics  may  have  been 
joined  by  needlework,  and  in  course  of  time 
such  seams  were  ornamented ;  but  we  are 
altogether  in  the  dark  as  to  date  of  either 
as  absolute  needlework.  Indeed,  Lady 
Holford  remarks  in  another  paragraph  of  the 
same  page  (6),  "  but  how  much  was  weaving 
and  how  much  done  with  the  needle,  may  be 
disputed."  In  her  ladyship's  most  interest- 
ing work  the  loomwork  and  needlework  of 
antiquity  are  not  separated.  Speaking  of 
"  Homer's  women,"  she  says  they  were  all 
"artists  with  the  needle;"  but  two  of  the 
passages  chosen  speak  only  of  the  "  loom " 
and  "web"  (p.  ii),  and  "  Gudrun,  like 
the  women  of  Homer,  embroidered  history  ;" 
whereas  in  the  passages  chosen  to  illustrate 
this  statement,  as  before  stated,  Homer 
speaks  of  loomwork,  and  Gudrun  worked 
with  an  embroidery  frame,  etc. 

The  needles  of  antiquity,  which  we  possess, 
do  not  seem  qualified  for  the  most  minute 
work.  Many  of  them  are  more  like  sacking- 
needles  for  joining,  or  darning ;  in  fact,  some 

»  Ancient  Egyptians,  vol.  i.,  p.  317;  vol.  ii., 
pp.  170,  171. 


of  the  earliest  needlework  embroidery  has  a 
resemblance  to  coarse  darning. 

Probably  the  vestures  of  the  priesthood 
were  woven  throughout,  without  seam.  The 
mixture  of  wool  and  flax  in  a  garment  was, 
however,  interdicted  amongst  the  Jews, 
(Leo,  xix.  19);  and  it  is  curious  to  this 
day  how  few  of  such  mixtures  exist  in 
Jerusalem,  although  common  in  Egypt.  It 
is  certain,  from  ancient  illustrations,  that  the 
ancients  knew  of  more  kinds  of  loom  than 
one.  Some  were  small,  but  others  must 
have  been  of  considerable  size.  We  read  in 
Scripture  of  the  weaver's  beam,  and  from 
the  spear  of  Goliath  being  likened  to  one, 
it  is  quite  evident  that  the  looms  of  that 
period  were  of  considerable  size.  In  another 
passage,  where  it  is  opposed  in  simile  to  the 
mote,  the  inference  is  that  the  beam  was  large. 

From  the  description  of  the  veils  of 
Solomon's  Temple,  with  the  cherubim  in 
blue  and  scarlet  on  purple  groundwork,  and 
the  profusion  of  gold,  it  may  be  fairly  inferred 
that  the  Jews  were  proficients  in  textile  art 
before  the  Babylonian  Captivity. 

A  circumstance  which  points  to  the  posi- 
tion of  the  weaver  was  that  he  was  not 
a  slave,  nor  was  his  handicraft  hereditary. 
Doubtless  the  great  workers  in  ancient 
tapestries  were  the  Assyrians.  To  this  day  all 
our  readers  know  the  carpets  of  that  region 
of  Asia  are  celebrated.  It  is  important  to 
note  in  passing  that  the  history  of  tapestry- 
making  introduces  us  to  a  phase  of  early 
economical  history  which  is  in  the  highest 
degree  interesting.  In  the  days  of  the  early 
civilization  so  much  labour  of  all  kinds, 
whether  purely  commercial  or  purely  manu- 
facturing, was  slave  labour,  that  it  betokens 
influences  of  a  remarkable  kind  which  should 
have  lifted  tapestry-making  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary groove.  What  these  influences  were  we 
can  but  guess  at,  but  it  seems  pretty  clear 
that  Art  performed  here  one  of  her  earliest 
victories  in  the  cause  of  man's  intellectual 
development  in  proclaiming  that  her  votaries 
must  be  free. 

The  dresses  of  the  Assyrians,  as  shown  in 
the  figures  in  the  British  Museum,  are 
covered  with  worked  patterns,  some  with 
elaborate  figure-work. 

The  Syrians  and  Babylonians  had,  it  is 
stated,  some  time  before  these  empires,  com- 


ANCIENT  TAPESTRY. 


6i 


menced  to  introduce  silk  and  gold  into  their 
work. 

There  cannot  be  a  doubt  but  that  the 
Assyrians  were  great  workers  in  ancient 
woollen  tapestries,  and  from  their  day  until 
ours  the  Asiatics  have  had  an  unbroken 
tapestry  tradition ;  and  some  of  the  patterns 
found  on  the  most  ancient  work,  having 
often  religious  significance,  are  still  used. 

M.  Muntz  gives  an  example  (plate  2,  page  7) 
of  an  ancient  tapestry  design,  circa  800  b.c, 
which  is  preserved,  having  been  copied  in 
sculpture.  There  are  in  the  Assyrian  base- 
ment room   of  the   British   Museum  three 


The  hangings  at  the  feast  of  Ahasuerus  are 
described  in  the  Book  of  Esther  (L  6.)  The 
Hebrews  seem  to  have  caught  the  taste  for 
sumptuous  woven  and  embroidered  dresses 
from  their  Babylonian  captors,  so  that  they 
brought  down  upon  themselves  the  rebukes 
of  the  Prophet  Ezekiel  (xvL  8,  xxvi.  7). 

The  veil  of  the  Temple,  made  after  the 
return  from  Babylon  (b.c  536),  was  of  linen 
and  scarlet,  and  became  the  prize  of  Anti- 
ochus  IV.  (B.C.  174-164). 

Herod  the  Great  (19  b.c.)  had  wrought  for 
the  temple  he  built  a  Babylonian  tapestry 
fifty  cubits  high  by  sixteen  wide;  of  scarlet 


KiG.  I.— Penelope's  loom,  from  an  antique  vase  found  at  chiusi,  about  b.c  2000. 

[Reproduced  from  A  Short  Histcry  of  Tapestry,  by  permission  of  Cassell  and  Company.] 


perfectly  preserved  specimens  of  such  copies ; 
they  are  called  pavements,  but  show  no  signs 
of  having  been  worn  by  feet,  and  even  bare 
feet  would  occasion  some  wear  or  softening 
of  the  outlines.  One  is  therefore  inclined  to 
ask,  is  it  not  possible  that  these  sculptures 
were  intended  as  mural  decorations,  and 
that  ihey  were  painted  to  resemble  hanging 
tapestries  ?  The  records  of  tapestries  hang- 
ing to  columns  amongst  the  Syrians  and 
Babylonians  are  numerous  ;  they  were  of  the 
most  gorgeous  description,  and  it  is  asserted 
that  the  weavers  had,  before  the  suppression 
of  these  empires,  already  commenced  to  intro- 
duce silk  and  gold  thread  into  their  work. 


(fire),  linen  (the  earth),  azure  (the  air),  and 
purple  (the  sea).  "The  whole  range  of 
heavens,  except  the  signs,  was  wrought  upon 
the  veil." 

In  another  part  of  Asia,  about  3000  B.C., 
long  before  the  Assyrians  and  Israelites 
worked  in  tapestry,  the  Chinese  were,  as 
some  affirm,  experts  in  the  weaving  of  silk. 
Some  day  the  influence  of  the  work  of  this 
ancient  nation  upon  Assyria,  Persia,  and 
other  nations  may  be  elucidated. 

It  would  occupy  more  space  than  could 
be  given  to  this  review  to  recapitulate  the 
different  kinds  of  Greek  workmanship.  Homer 
is  continually  referring  to  them,  whilst  the 


62 


ANCIENT  TAPESTRY. 


loom  of  Penelope  is  involved  in  the  most 
beautiful  of  ancient  stories. 

It  would  appear  from  a  passage  in  the 
Agamemnon  of  -^schylus  that  the  richest 
carpets  of  purple  were  used  in  his  time  for 
the  temples  only. 

The  peplos  of  Athena,  embroidered  by 
the  virgins  of  Errephorae,  was  renewed  every 
forty-seven  years  and  carried  in  procession : 
it  was  a  great  square  of  saffron-coloured 
cloth  ;  on  it  was  depicted  the  labours  of  the 
goddess.  An  illustration  of  Minerva  wearing 
such  a  peplos  occurs  on  a  hydra  in  the  British 
Museum. 

Plutarch  tells  us  that  tapestry-workers  were 
employed  by  Phidias,  and  M.  de  Rouchand 
is  of  opinion  that  they  worked  from  the 
great  master's  designs. 

The  extent  to  which  tapestry  was  used  as 
a  sumptuous  fabric  is  endorsed  by  the  circum- 
stance that  the  common  tent  of  Alexander, 
after  his  victories,  was  covered  with  tapestries 
worked  in  with  gold,  was  supported  by  fifty 
gold  pillars,  and  contained  one  hundred  beds  : 
from  this  time  until  the  decay  of  the  Empire 
the  use  of  gorgeous  and  expensive  tapestries 
increased ;  numerous  examples  of  their  mag- 
nificence are  quoted  by  M.  Muntz. 

The  Romans  in  their  early  days  were  too 
austere  for  such  magnificence  \  the  luxurious 
notions  of  the  Greeks  were  ignored,  and  they 
appear  to  have  used  tapestries  only  in  their 
temples. 

After  the  conquest  of  Greece,  Egypt,  and 
Asia,  the  spoils  of  civilization,  which  were 
brought  to  Rome,  engendered  a  taste  for 
luxuries,  and  amongst  these  luxuries  tapestry 
was  especially  prominent. 

Plautus  tells  us  of  many  tapestries  manu- 
factured at  Campania  in  the  second  cen- 
tury. 

M.  Muntz  quotes  Pseudolus  to  prove  that, 
in  the  earliest  years  of  the  Empire,  tapestry 
adorned  the  habitations  of  exalted  individuals. 
He  also  quotes  from  Virgil  {Georgics,  iii.  25) 
a  passage,  showing  how  our  conquered  an- 
cestors were  depicted  on  the  purple  curtain 
of  the  theatre. 

From  this  period  Roman  tapestry  com- 
menced to  attain  a  high  perfection;  it  is 
mentioned  by  most  of  the  Latin  poets  and 
historians  ;  and  from  Rome  the  manufacture 
undoubtedly  spread  to  less  civilized  regions. 


Upon  the  subjects  and  characters  of  Roman 
tapestry,  the  matter  in  this  small  volume  is 
most  interesting;  but  day  by  day  a  general 
tendency  of  Roman  art  to  substitute  richness 
for  beauty  asserted  itself,  and  painting  in 


FIG.    5.— ANCIENT  TAPESTRY   FOUND  AT   SITTEN. 
THE   RESTORATION   IS   BY  SEMPER. 

[Reproduced  from  A  Short  History  of  Ta/>cstry,  by  permission 
of  Cassell  and  Company.] 

textile  fabrics  soon  prevailed  over  other  forms 
of  art. 

Aurelian  (a.d.  270-275)  commenced  the 
wearing  of  sumptuous  garments  woven  with 
gorgeous  colours  and  gold,  and  in  a.d.  283-4 


ANCIENT  TAPESTRY. 


63 


Junius  Messala  lavished  on  imperial  come- 
dians the  most  costly  woven  dresses.  The 
introduction  of  silk  has  been,  by  some 
authors,  attributed  to  this  period. 

The  needle  now  dethroned  the  loom  with 
its  more  varied  and  more  delicate  delinea- 
tions, and  grand  design  in  tapestry  appears 
to  dwindle  into  decay  with  the  decadence  of 
the  Empire;  but  there  appears  to  be  little 
doubt  that,  as  M.  Muntz  asserts,  the  ancients 
possessed  "  all  the  knowledge  of  weaving 
and  dyeing  requisite  for  bringing  painting  in 
textile  fabrics  to  the  highest  degree  of  perfec- 
tion." So  far  we  have  reviewed  the  pre- 
Christian  history  of  tapestry  ;  but  M,  Muntz, 
like  other  authors,  leaves  much  to  be  desired. 
Semper,  Fishbach,  Auberville,  Lady  Marion 
Holford,  M.  du  Rouchand,  Jubinal,  are  all 
interesting  and  full  of  information ;  but  the 
history  of  ancient  textiles  and  needlework  has 
yet  to  be  written.  Perhaps  when  we  have 
more  examples  with  authenticated  dates,  like 
those  in  our  British  Museum,  from  the  tomb 
of  Ptolemy  11.,  the  textures,  materials,  and 
design  of  each  period,  with  its  origin  and 
influence,  may  be  carefully  examined  and 
described ;  and,  what  is  as  necessary,  how 
far  the  loomwork  was  carried  and  what  was 
actually,  in  our  modern  sense  of  the  word, 
needlework. 


letters  from  loru  Eomnep  to 
t[)e  "^xM  of  iLeeD0. 

Communicated  by  George  Clinxh,  of  the 
British  Museum. 


HE  following  letters,  written  by 
Robert  Marsham,  the  2nd  Baron 
Romney,  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  published  hitherto.  The 
chimpanzee  referred  to  in  the  second  letter 
was  probably  the  same  as  that  mentioned  in 
the  following  extract  from  Rees'  Cydopcedia  : 
"  In  the  year  1738,  one  of  those  chimpanzees 
was  brought  over  into  England  by  the  captain 
of  a  ship  in  the  Guinea  trade  ;  it  was  of  the 
female  sex,  and  was  two  feet  four  inches 
high  ;  it  naturally  walked  erect.      It  would 


eat  very  coarse  food,  and  was  fond  of  tea, 
which  it  drank  out  of  a  cup  with  milk  and 
sugar,  as  we  do." 

The  original  letters  are  in    the    British 
Museum. 

,,    X.        .  /«/y9, 1738- 

My  Dear  Lord, 

You  are  prehaps  so  good  as  to  imagine 
because  you  have  not  yet  heard  from  me, 
that  I  am  extreamly  busie ;  but  to  my  shame 
be  it  spoken,  I  have  no  particular  business  to 
plead  my  excuse ;  for  I  pass  my  time  as  I 
used  to  do  sometimes  in  my  Study,  some- 
times in  Company,  and  sometimes  musing  by 
my  self :  now  and  then  I  am  extreamly  angry 
with  the  Ministry  for  patiently  suffering  the 
Insolence  of  the  Spaniards,  and  think,  that  if 
I  was  consulted,  things  would  be  much 
better  :  but  then  when  I  look  into  my  own 
Conduct  I  find  so  many  faults,  that  I  leave 
off  musing  with  humbler  thoughts  of  myself 
than  when  I  began.  I  very  often  think  of 
Kiveton,  and  promise  my  self  great  pleasure 
there  in  September,  my  Horses  will  be  then 
in  good  order,  and  I  don't  doubt  but  that  we 
shall  have  very  fine  Sport.  I  am  sorry  to 
hear  you  have  such  bad  luck  in  breeding  of 
your  little  Hounds,  but  to  make  up  your  Loss 
1  have  three  couple  of  old  Dogs,  and  three 
or  four  couple  of  Puppies  ready  for  you, 
when  you'll  let  me  know  how  I  shall  send  them 
to  you.  You  have  certainly  heard  how  great 
a  Favorite  the  German  Lady  is.  When  she 
was  at  the  Review,  it  is  reported  here,  the 
People  were  so  importunate  to  see  her,  that 
orders  were  given  that  the  coach  should 
come  within  the  Line,  and  that  a  Party 
of  the  Blue  Guards  should  guard  it.  I  am  very 
sorry  he  is  so  fond,  because  I  am  afraid  it  will 
bring  that  sort  of  Gallantry  into  Vogue  which 
I  think  is  destructive  to  Society.  I  beg  my 
Compliments  to  Mr.  Trymmer  and  all  Friends, 
and  am. 

My  dear  Lord, 
Your  most  faithfull  Friend  and  Servant, 

Romney. 

My  Sisters  desire  their  Compliments 
to  your  Grace. 

Mote,  Nov.  17,  1738. 
My  Dear  Lord, 

After  having  returned  your  Grace  my 
sincere  thanks  for  your  Goodness  at  Kiveton, 


64       LETTERS  FROM  LORD  ROMNEY  TO  THE  DUKE  OF  LEEDS. 


I  must  let  you  know  that  I  arrived  safe  and 
sound  in  Town  on  friday  night,  but  that  it 
was  three  days  before  I  could  possibly  find 
time  to  see  the  Champanzie ;  and  before  I 
had  seen  her,  I  did  not  dare  write  to  you  for 
fear  of  disobliging  Mr.  Legrand.  I  had 
been  told  by  Mr.  Underbill  that  the 
Cha  ....  mpanzie  was  a  cu  .  .  .  .  rious  crea- 
ture, and  that  it  was  to  be  seen  by  the  Royal 
Excha ....  nge  :  so  on  Wednesday  morning 
I  walked  to  the  Exchange,  where  having  for 
some  time  stared  at  the  signs,  and  in  vain 
examined  all  the  advertisements  (that  are 
stuck  up  there  in  great  plenty)  to  find  out 
this  Creature  :  I  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  for 
I  did  not  dare  ask  after  her  by  name,  for 
fear  I  should  apply  my  self  to  one  who  was 
not  so  well  versed  in  news  papers  as  I  was ; 
and  so,  not  knowing  what  I  meant,  might 
perhaps  laugh  at  me.  In  this  perplexity  I 
proled  on  to  Whitechapel,  where  seeing  a  by- 
coffee  house,  sneaked  into  it,  and  having  con- 
sulted the  old  new  papers,  found  that  my 
Lady  lived  in  Lombard  street ;  pleased  with 
this  discovery  I  went  to  the  Bar  to  pay  for 
my  knowledge,  and  having  changed  six  pence 
gave  the  woman  two  pence,  for  I  did  not 
dare  give  her  more,  for  fear  she  should  either 
take  me  for  what  I  was,  or  else  think  that  a 
Fool  and  his  money  were  soon  parted.  At 
last  I  arrived  at  the  right  house,  where,  to  my 
great  surprise  I  saw  a  most  disagreeable 
creature,  very  like  a  Baboon  ;  my  friend  Jack 
outdoes  it  in  every  respect,  he  is  comly, 
young,  and  lively,  this  creature  is  stupid,  old 
and  ugly.  I  cannot  of  my  own  knowledge 
say  what  sex  it  is,  for  I  was  satisfied  with 
seeing  its  face;  but  I  am  told  it  is  of  the 
female  kind,  and  if  that  is  sufficient  to  please 

Mr.  ,  he  may  still  call  out  upon  his  dear 

Champanzie  ;  but  if  that  is  not  sufficient,  as 
I  believe  it  is  not,  he  will  certainly  forsake 
her.  My  Sisters  desire  their  compliments  to 
your  Grace,  and  I  beg  mine  to  Mr.  Trymmer, 
Legrand,  and  all  Friends. 

Yours  most  sincerely, 

ROMNEV. 

I  have  sent  the  enclosed 
receipt  for  Mrs.  Carter. 


^ome  Oisitots  to  15atF)  tiurmg 
tfje  iaeign  of  3lame0  31  ♦ 

By  Austin  J.  King  and  B.  H.  Watts. 

Part  IL 

HE  year  1610  must  have  been  in- 
deed a  gay  one  in  Bath.  Besides 
the  Deans  of  Canterbury  and  Wells 
and  Dr.  Powell,  we  have  several 
guests  who  call  for  more  than  nominal  men- 
tion. Lord  Fenton,  Sir  Thomas  Erskine, 
who  succeeded  Raleigh  on  the  accession  as 
Captain  of  the  Yeomen  of  the  Guard,  and 
was  created  Viscount  of  Fentoun  in  May, 
1606,  and  Earl  of  KeUie  in  March,  1619,  is 
the  same  gentleman  who  figures  in  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  diary  of  Lady  Ann 
Clifford  : 

"  We  all  went  to  Tibbals  [Theobald's]  to 
see  the  King  .  .  .  but  we  saw  a  great  change 
between  the  fashion  of  the  Court  as  it 
was  now  and  in  the  Queen's,  for  we  were 
all  made  louzy  by  sitting  in  Sir  Thomas 
Erskine's  Chamber."* 

Lady  Stapleton. — This  lady  was  daughter 
and  coheir  of  Sir  Henry  Sherrington,  of 
Lacock,  to  whose  family  the  abbey  of  that 
place  was  granted  on  the  dissolution.  Her 
first  husband  was  John  Talbot,  recommended 
to  her  by  Queen  Elizabeth.  Her  second 
husband  was  Sir  Robert  Stapleton.  She  is 
said  to  have  held  Lacock  at  this  time  as 
guardian  of  her  eldest  son,  Sherrington  Talbot, 
the  ancestor  of  the  Earls  Talbot. 

Lacock  Abbey  was  a  convenient  stage  from 
Bath  on  the  way  to  London  through  Marl- 
borough. 

Sir  Fulk  Greville  ("a  doz  :  pigeons,  a  couple 
of  capons,  «&  a  lamb"). — Sir  R.  Naunton,  in 
his  Fragmenta  Regalia,  thus  curtly  describes 
this  distinguished  person  :  "  He  was  a  brave 
gentleman."  One  of  the  members  of  the 
Society  of  Antiquaries  in  James's  reign,  one 
also  of  Fuller's  "  Worthies,"  a  writer  of  no 
mean  pretensions,  his  course  was  throughout 
one  of  honour  and  distinction.  He  was 
Under-Treasurer  and  afterwards  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer,  and  a  Gentleman  of  the 
Bedchamber,  and  in  1620  he  was  created 
Lord  Brook  of  Beauchamp  Court. 

*  Nichols,  Progresses,  vol.  i.,  p.  ill. 


SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  L      65 


It  is  a  curious  sign  of  the  times  that  a 
gentleman  of  such  character  and  position 
should  have  stooped  in  1614,  on  the  death 
of  the  Earl  of  Northampton,  to  give  ;!^4,ooo 
to  Lady  Suffolk  and  Lady  Somerset  to  obtain 
the  Chancellorship  of  the  Exchequer.* 

The  Earl  of  Hertford  ("  three  sugar 
loaves"). — This  nobleman  challenged  Cecil 
Earl  of  Salisbury,  and,  but  for  the  interposi- 
tion of  the  King,  would  have  "  gone  out " 
with  him  in  St.  James's  Park.  Though 
doubtless  a  man  of  spirit,  he  was  no  mere 
"fire-eater,"  as  the  following  anecdote  will 
show : 

Being  sent  on  "  an  embassy  to  the  Arch- 
duke, he  was  crossing  the  sea  to  Belgium  in 
a  ship  commanded  by  Sir  W.  Monson ;  in 
whose  passage  a  Dutch  man-of-war  coming 
by,  that  ship  would  not  vaile  as  the  manner 
was,  acknowledging  by  that  our  sovereignty 
over  the  seas.  Sir  W.  Monson  gave  him  a 
shot  to  instruct  him  in  manners ;  but  instead 
of  learning,  he  taught  him,  by  returning 
another,  he  acknowledged  no  such  sove- 
reignty. This  was  the  very  first  indignity 
and  affront  ever  offered  to  the  royal  ships  of 
England,  which  since  have  been  most  fre- 
quent. Sir  W.  Monson  desired  my  Lord  of 
Hertford  to  go  into  the  hold,  and  he  would 
instruct  him  by  stripes  that  refused  to  be 
taught  by  fair  means ;  but  the  Earl  charged 
him  on  his  allegiance  first  to  land  him  on 
whom  he  was  appointed  to  attend.  So  that 
to  his  great  regret  he  was  forced  to  endure 
that  indignity,  for  which  I  have  often  heard 
him  wish  he  had  been  hanged  rather  than 
live  that  unfortunate  commander  of  a  King's 
ship  to  be  chronicled  for  the  first  that  ever 
endured  that  affront,  although  it  was  not  in 
his  power  to  have  helped  it."t 

Sir  Henry  Montague  ("  chickens,  rabbits, 
and  pigeons  "). — This  gentleman  was  brother 
to  Dr.  James  Montague,  who  in  April,  1607, 
was  raised  to  the  See  of  Bath  and  Wells. 
He  was  a  benefactor  to  the  Abbey  restora- 
tion, and  he  caused  his  arms  to  be  embla- 
zoned on  the  West  doors  of  the  church,  which 
were  his  own  gift.  Sir  Henry  was  a  lawyer, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  visit  Recorder  of 
London  ;  but  aspired  especially  to  the  repu- 
tation of  a  man  of  fashion. 

*  Birch's  Negotiations,  p.  3S0. 

t  Weldon's  Court  of  James  /.,  p.  45. 


"  Having  put  on  the  gown,"  says  Lord 
Campbell,  "  he  was  desirous  of  obtaining 
practice ;  but  his  plan  was  to  get  it  by 
bustling  about  in  society,  by  making  himself 
known,  and  by  availing  himself  of  the  good 
offices  of  his  powerful  relatives,  rather  than 
by  shutting  himself  up  in  his  chambers,  and 
by  constantly  taking  notes  in  the  Courts  at 
Westminster."* 

He  complained  bitterly  of  "life  on  the 
Bench."  Sitting  all  the  morning  at  West- 
minster, he  was  expected  to  dine  at  Serjeants' 
Inn,  where,  in  their  compotations,  his  com- 
panions talked  of  nothing  but  the  points 
they  had  ruled  upon  their  circuits,  and  the 
cases  depending  before  them  in  their  several 
Courts. 

The  gaiety  he  had  was  "grand  day  in 
term  "  or  a  "  readers'  feast,"  when,  for  the 
amusement  of  the  judges,  the  barristers 
danced  with  each  other  in  the  halls  of  the 
Inns  of  Court.t 

He  was  made  King's  Serjeant  in  161 1, 
and  Chief  Justice  on  the  disgrace  of  Coke  in 
1616,  and  in  1620  Lord  Treasurer  and  Baron 
of  Kimbolton  and  Viscount  Mandevil. 

There  was  a  reason  for  this  congregation 
of  notables  at  Bath. 

In  March,  16 10,  Mr.  Beaulieu  writes  to 
Mr.  Trumbull : 

"  Here  is  expected  this  day  the  young 
Prince  of  Brunswick,  who  shall  be  lodged 
with  the  Prince  at  St.  James's.  The  speech 
is  that  he  comes  for  a  marriage  with  the 
Lady  Elizabeth." 

Prince  Frederick  Ulric,  of  Brunswick, 
came  to  England  as  stated,  and  went  a  tour 
through  the  country,  visiting  Oxford,  Glouces- 
ter, Bristol  and  Bath. 

He  arrived  in  Bristol  on  Good  Friday,  and 
was  noisily  received : 

"  He  was  brought  in  with  two  hundred 
horse,  and  twenty-five  great  pieces  of  ordnance 
were  discharged  on  the  marsh  [Queen  Square]. 
He  was  met  by  the  Mayor,  the  Aldermen 
and  Common  Council  at  the  Tolzey,  and 
there  was  an  oration  made  unto  him.  Which 
being  ended,  the  Mayor  etc.,  brought  him  to 
his  lodging  at  the  White  Lion,  in  Broad 
Street,  where  the  Mayor  and  many  of  the 
Council  supped  with  him,  and  at  supper  time 

•  Lives  of  the  Chief  Justices,  vol.  i.,  p.  249. 
t7W</.,  p.  358- 


66      SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  I. 


sundry  volleys  of  shot  were  performed  by  all 
ihe  trained  bands,  three  hundred  men  or 
thereabouts.  The  next  morning  he  walked 
round  the  marsh  with  the  Mayor  and 
Aldermen  where  the  great  ordnance  were 
twice  discharged.  Then  he  dined  at  the 
Mayor's,  and  in  the  afternoon,  being  Easter 
evening,  took  his  journey  for  Bath."* 

The  Prince  no  doubt  looked  forward  to 
spending  a  few  days  in  a  city  where  the 
amusements  were  more  varied  and  less  noisy 
than  walking  round  the  marsh  and  listening 
to  cannons  and  small  arms. 

The  Chamberlain  expended  twenty-six 
shillings  on  "  six  couple  of  rabbits,  a  dozen 
chickens,  a  lamb,  and  two  couple  of  capons ;" 
but  we  can  find  no  record  of  any  further 
entertainment — indeed  neither  the  wealth  nor 
the  position  of  the  citizens  would  have 
warranted  it. 

Whilst  at  Bath  he  heard  the  news  of  the 
assassination  of  Henry  IV.  of  France,  and 
left  hurriedly  for  the  Continent. 

In  1611  the  visitors  were  Lord  Knowells, 
Sir  Gilbert  Pryn,  Baron  Sotherton  (Chief 
Baron  of  the  Exchequer),  Sir  Thomas  Howard, 
the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  Lord  Hay,  Dr. 
Powell,  the  Recorder  of  Wells,  and  Baron 
Snigge. 

The  latter  had  a  more  intimate  connection 
with  the  city  than  a  mere  visitor.  He 
became  the  owner  of  the  Barton  Farm 
Estate  just  beyond  the  city  walls,  which  had 
been  a  part  of  the  possessions  of  the  Priory, 
and  over  which  the  citizens  had  exercised  a 
right  of  common.  Sir  George  denied  the 
right,  and  commenced  an  action  against  the 
citizens,  but  died  pending  the  litigation. 
His  son  William  succeeded  to  the  property, 
and  he  and  the  citizens  agreed  to  leave  the 
matter  to  the  decision  of  Nicholas  Hyde, 
then  Recorder  of  Bath,  and  afterwards  Chief 
Justice.  Hyde  awarded  that  the  citizens 
should  have  a  tract  of  about  ninty-six  acres  in 
absolute  ownership  in  lieu  of  the  common 
rights,  and  this  estate  is  still  the  property  of 
the  city. 

Sir  George  Snigge  was  a  Baron  of  the 
Exchequer,  having  the  circuit  of  Glamor- 
gan, Radnor  and  Brecknock  assigned  to 
him. 

Thus  Weldon  speaks  of  him  and  Tanfield, 
whom  we  have  already  noticed  as  a  visitor  : 
*  Nichols,  F}-og7-esses,  vol.  ii.,  p.  310. 


"  And  for  the  more  effectual  promotion  of 
this  the  Earl  of  Dunbar  [Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer]  did  sound  the  Barons  of  the 
Exchequer,  and  although  Altham  and  his 
brother  afforded  him  small  encouragement, 
Tanfield  and  Snig,  the  first  no  less  famed 
for  corruption  than  the  other  for  ignorance,  of 
their  compliance  in  judgment"* 

In  1612  the  attention  of  the  city  would 
have  been  much  absorbed  by  the  illness  of 
the  Lord  Treasurer,  and  no  presents  seem  to 
have  been  given  either  to  Lord  Hay  or  Sir 
John  Hollis,  who  were  clearly  here. 

The  visitors  of  whom  we  have  mention 
besides  the  Lady  Marquis  and  the  Earl  of 
Salisbury  were,  Mr.  Thurston,  an  Alderman 
of  Norwich ;  Sir  Maurice  Barkley,  who  not 
improbably  came  to  see  the  Earl  ;t  and  the 
Bishop.  The  Bishop  was  entertained  at 
supper    at    Mr.    Clift's,   at    an    expense    of 

£lT,  2S.   id. 

Visit  of  the  Queen. 

The  year  16 13  is  celebrated  in  the  city 
annals  for  a  royal  visit,  that  of  Queen  Ann 
of  Denmark. 

Our  first  reference  to  the  visit  is  in  a  letter 
from  Chamberlain  to  Carleton  in  February, 
161 1  :  "About  the  midst  of  March,  the 
Queen  meaneth  to  go  toward  the  Bath,  and 
the  Lord  Treasurer  and  Lord  Chamberlain 
are  said  to  have  the  same  purpose,  which  will 
be  a  great  hindrance  to  the  ordinary  customers 
of  that  place."  J 

This  visit  was  put  off,  perhaps  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Lord  Treasurer's  illness  to 
which  reference  has  been  made.  The  pre- 
parations for  the  marriage  of  the  Princess 
Elizabeth  with  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  no 
doubt  still  further  delayed  the  projected 
journey.  This  marriage  was  solemnized 
amidst  extraordinary  pageantry  in  February, 
1613.  The  expense  exceeded  ;;^73,ooo,  and, 
as  Chamberlain  tells  one  of  his  correspon- 
dents, there  was  talk  of  melting  down  "  the 
goodly  plate  of  the  house  of  Burgundy,  which 
had  been  pawned  to^Elizabeth  in  i578,§  to  de- 
fray it.  As  it  was,  Lord  Harrington  (cousin  of 
our  facetious  friend.  Sir  John)  could  only  get 
payment  of  the  ;^3o,ooo  which  he  expended 

*  Secret  History,  James  I,,  p.  248. 
t  He  was  a  friend  of  Cecil's,  and  in  July,  1611, 
moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  him  in  the  Commons. 
%  State  Papers,  Dom.,  James  I.,  vol.  Ixviii.,  No.  62. 
§  Winwood,  vol,  iii.,  p.  442. 


SOME   VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  L      67 


in  attending  the  bride  to  her  German  home 
by  obtaining  a  patent  for  the  issue  of  base 
farthings."  * 

It  may  seem  extraordinary  that  Ann  should 
have  chosen  such  a  time,  when  the  Treasury 
officials  were  often  mobbed  by  the  inferior 
officers  of  the  household  demanding  arrears 
of  their  salaries,  and  when  the  purveyors 
actually  refused  to  furnish  provisions  for  the 
royal  table,  for  making  a  "  progress."  She 
and  James  accompanied  the  bride  and 
bridegroom  as  far  as  Rochester,  and  then 
returned  together  to  Hampton  Court.  There 
James  remained  whilst  the  Queen  proceeded 
on  her  first  stage  to  AVindsor.  The  journey 
was  notified  to  the  Mayor  of  Bath,  and  we 
find  in  the  Council  Book  the  following  reso- 
lution : 

"March  28,  1613. — It  is  agreed  that  the 
entertainment  of  Her  Majesty  now  repairing 
to  this  City  is  to  be  borne  by  the  Subsidy-men 
and  such  able  persons  as  the  Mayor  and 
Aldermen  shall  find  out."t 

The  Queen  travelled  in  royal  state,  "  for 
besides  the  Lord  Chancellor  [Sir  John 
Egerton],  the  Countess  of  Derby  and  the 
Countess  of  Dorset,  she  hath  divers  other 
ladies  that  follow  her,  as  also  the  Earl  of 
Worcester,  the  Lord  Danvers  and  other 
noblemen.  Though  she  made  account  to 
stay  at  Bath  but  ten  days,  yet  it  is  said  this 
journey  will  stand  the  King  or  her  in 
;^30,ooo."+ 

From  Windsor  the  Queen's  first  stage  was 
Caversham,  Lord  Knolles'  house  near  Read- 
ing.    Here,  on  the  27th  April,  was  a  grand 

*  Aikin,  Court  of /antes  I.  ^  vol.  i.,  p.  249. 

t  This  aptly  illustrates  the  position  assumed  by  the 
Chamber  with  reference  to  taxation.  The"  Subsidy- 
men  "  were  those  citizens  whose  names  were  inscribed 
on  the  Subsidy  books  which  were  sent  down  to  the 
city  when  a  grant  of  a  "  tenth  "  or  a  "  fifteenth  "  was 
made  to  the  King.  Such  books  formed  a  convenient 
list  for  all  fiscal  purposes.  It  is  curious  to  notice  that 
receipts  from  general  taxation,  such  as  would  be 
involved  in  the  resolution  in  the  text,  were  not 
accounted  for  as  part  of  the  city  revenues.  The 
Chamberlain  did  not  concern  himself  with  any  other 
receipts  than  the  rents  and  fines  payable  to  the 
Chamber,  nor  with  any  payments  but  those  made  in 
administering  this  income.  When  further  money  was 
required,  collectors  were  named  for  different  districts, 
and  the  money  obtained  was  administered  by  the 
Mayor  and  Justices. 

+  Contemporary  letter,  Nichols'  Processes  of 
James  /.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  628. 


entertainment  to  her  Majesty,  consisting 
principally  of  a  masque. 

She  arrived  at  Bath  in  May,  and  was  here 
(amongst  other  days)  on  the  19th  of  that 
month. 

The  following  anecdote  we  give  purely  on 
the  authority  (no  great  one  on  such  subjects) 
of  the  architect  Wood  : 

"As  Ann  was  one  day  bathing  in  the 
King's  Bath,  there  arose  from  the  bottom  of 
the  Cistern,  just  by  the  side  of  Her  Majesty, 
a  flame  of  fire  like  a  candle,  which  had  no 
sooner  ascended  to  the  top  of  the  water  than 
it  spread  itself  upon  the  surface  into  a  large 
circle  of  light,  and  then  became  extinct. 
This  so  frightened  the  Queen  that,  notwith- 
standing the  Physicians  assured  her  the  light 
proceeded  from  a  natural  cause,  yet  she 
would  bathe  no  more  in  the  King's  Bath, 
but  betook  herself  to  the  new  Bath,  where 
there  were  no  springs  to  cause  the  like 
phenomena ;  and  from  thence  the  Cistern 
was  called  the  Queen's  Bath."* 

We  have  no  precise  record  of  the  Queen's 
stay  at  Bath.  On  the  loth  June,  161 3, 
Chamberlain  writes  to  Carleton  "  that  the 
Queen  was  well  entertained  at  Bristol  and 
elsewhere  ;"t  and  there  is  clear  evidence  that 
in  June  she  was  at  Greenwich,  and  in  July  at 
Somerset  House.  On  the  ist  August  she 
was  with  the  King  at  "Theobald's,"  and 
killed  there  by  accident  the  King's  favourite 
hound,  receiving  from  James,  after  a  slight 
quarrel,  "a  diamond  as  a  legacy  from  the 
dead  dog."  On  the  28th  September,  16 13, 
the  Queen  was  at  Hampton  Court. 

The  evidence  of  the  Queen's  visit  to  Bath 
in  the  spring  of  16 13  is  fairly  satisfactory, 
although  not  quite  conclusive  ;  but  it  is  abso- 
lutely certain  that  she  was  in  Bath  in  the 
autumn  of  that  year,  sometime  between  the 
ist  August  and  the  28th  September. 

This  is  proved  first  by  an  entry  in  the 
Chamberlain's  account  under  date  of  the 
15th  October,   1613 — "more   paid   to   Mr. 

*  Wood's  Essay  on  Bath,  2nd  edition,  p.  206.  The 
King's  bath  is  immediately  over  one  of  the  springs. 
The  "  new  bath  "  was  built  by  Thomas  Bellotf  for  the 
use  of  the  poor.  The  result  of  all  this  was,  of  course, 
to  deprive  them  of  it.  The  new  bath  was  fed  from  an 
overflow  of  the  King's  bath.  It  has  recently  been 
removed,  and  beneath  it  has  been  discovered  a  very 
interesting  circular  Roman  bath. 

t  State  Papers,  Dom.,  James  /.,  vol.  Ixxiv.,  No.  I. 


68      SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  I 


Mayor,  which  he  laid  out  to  the  King's 
Majesties  trumpeters  at  the  Queen's  being 
here  in  September,  40s. ;"  and  by  the  follow- 
ing resolution  of  the  Chamber,  passed  on  the 
1 6th  August,  1613  ;  "  Item  to  shew  ourselves 
joyful  of  her  Majestie's  coming  by  all  the 
means  we  can." 

^^'e  can  even  fix  the  exact  date. 

The  Court  Physician,  Theo  de  Mayerne, 
frequently  accompanied  the  Queen  on  her 
journeys,  and  was  in  Bath  in  August,  16 13. 
He  wrote  thence  two  letters  dated  the  31st 
of  that  month :  one  to  Rochester,  begging 
the  King  to  be  more  careful  in  his  diet ;  and 
the  other  to  the  King,  containing  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  Le  jourd  hay  S.  M.  est  entrie  dans  le 
baing  qu'elle  a  tres  bien  porte  et  au  sortir. 
C'est  trouve  en  toute  telle  disposition  que 
nous  erisons  bien  souhaiter."  * 

Either,  therefore,  the  Queen  did  not  visit 
Bath  in  her  progress,  as  she  evidently  in- 
tended, or  returned  again  later  in  the  year  to 
give  the  curative  waters  a  better  chance  of 
benefiting  her  constitution. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  expenses  of  the  visit 
or  visits  of  the  Queen  were  to  be  defrayed 
out  of  a  fund  independent  of  that  adminis- 
tered by  the  Chamberlain ;  but  we  find  a  few 
entries  on  the  account-roll  of  that  functionary, 
which  might,  of  course,  relate  to  any  visit  of 
the  Queen  during  the  year  : 

Given  to  the  Queen's  footmen,  40s. 

The  painter,  for  new  painting  the  King's  Arms  at 

the  Northgate,  6s. 
To  the  plomer,  for  new  casting  the  winepipe  upon 

the  bridge,  and  for  soder  used  about  it,  7s. 

The  last  entry  relates  to  the  custom  of 
making  a  little  fountain  on  the  bridge  "  run 
with  wine"  on  occasions  of  great  rejoicing. 

The  household  accounts  are  unfortunately 
missing  for  these  years ;  but  we  find  two 
warrants  dated  in  July,  16 13,  for  the  pay- 
ment of  a  part  of  the  Queen's  expenses  in 
Bath. 

One  is  for p£" 2 20,  the  other  for;^20o  ;  and 
the  first  contains  the  recital :  "  Whereas  John 
Tunstall,  Esqre.,  one  of  the  Gentlemen  Ushers 
to  our  dearest  wife  the  Queen,  hath  disbursed 
for  divers  necessary  charges  for  her  service  at 

*  State  Papers,  Dom.,  /antes  I.,  vol.  Ixxiv.,  Nos. 
54)  55-  The  first  letter  refers  to  the  illness  of  Sir 
Thomas  Ovcrbury,  which  fixes  the  date  of  the  year 
conclusively. 


Bath  the  sum  of  ;^2  2o,  as  by  the  particulars 
of  his  account,  subscribed  by  the  hand  of  the 
Earl  of  Worcester,  will  appear."* 

The  next  visit  of  the  Queen  to  Bath  was 
in  161 5.  In  February  of  that  year  the  Cham- 
berlain writes  to  Carleton  : 

"23rd  February,  1614-15.  In  the  meantime 
there  is  great  want  of  money,  and  the  Queen's 
journey  to  the  Bath,  which  should  have  been 
the  27th  of  next  month,  is  prolonged  until 
more  may  be  gotten ;  and  her  turn  is  to  be 
first  served  ;  and  withal  it  is  said  the  re- 
ceiver's half-year  accounts,  that  come  not  in 
till  our  lady-day,  are  already  assigned  over 
for  other  uses."t. 

The  money  was  found  after  a  time,  but 
the  journey  was  not  viewed  with  satisfaction 
by  the  counties  through  which  she  was  to 
pass. 

"  20th  July,  16 1 5.  The  Queen  is  likewise 
going  to  the  Bath,  which  comes  ill  to  pass 
for  those  counties  they  are  to  go  through, 
who  made  petition  to  be  spared  this  year  in 
respect  of  the  hard  winter  and  hitherto  ex- 
treme hot  and  dry  summer,  whereby  cattle 
are  exceeding  poor  and  like  to  perish  every- 
where."! 

There  are  no  Council  minutes  expressly 
referring  to  this  particular  visit.  The  follow- 
ing resolution,  passed  on  the  29th  August, 
1 6 15,  appears  to  relate  to  a  making  up  ot 
old  accounts  rather  than  to  a  preparation  for 
the  future  : 

"A  resolution  concerning  the  arrerages  for 
the  collection  towards  the  Cupp  and  other 
charges  given  to  the  Queen's  most  excellent 
majesty. 

"It  is  resolved  that  the  rate  as  it  is  sett 
heretofore  shall  be  collected  presently;  and 
if  any  person  do  refuse  to  pay  the  same, 
then  to  be  forthwith  committed  till  he  do 
pay  it."§ 

The  Chamberlain's  accounts  are,  however, 
eloquent.     The  Queen  was  to  stop  at  the 

*  Sign  Manuals,  [a/iies  I.,  vol.  iii.,  No.  12. 

+  State  Papers,  Dour.,  James  I.,  vol.  Ixxx.,  No.  39. 

X  Chamberlain  to  Carleton,  State  Papers,  Doin., 
James  I.,  vol.  Ixxxi.,  No.  17. 

§  In  an  account  of  Mr.  Sherston's  (one  of  the  alder- 
men) presented  in  1619,  but  running  as  far  back  as 
1604,  occurs  without  date  the  following  : 

"Paid  for  the  cup  that  was  given  to  the  Queen, 
;^5  14s.  od.  Whereof  I  have  received  of  Phillip 
Jones  for  the  cup,  £1  is.  4d." 


SOME  VISITORS  TO  BATH  DURING  THE  REIGN  OF  JAMES  L      69 


Hart  Lodgings,  adjoining  the  King's  Bath, 
then  kept  by  Mr.  Murford.  This  house  was 
suppUed  with  drinking-water  from  the  pipe 
from  Beechen  CUff,  which  had  been  reserved 
by  the  monks  when  they  sold  that  source  of 
supply  to  the  city. 

The  Chamberlain  pays — 

Towards  mending  the  Abbey  pipe  in  Murford's 
backside  for  the  Queen's  use,  5s. 

To  the  painter,  for  painting  the  Queen's  gallery 
window,  at  Mr.  Tunstall's  request,  lis. 

These  payments  were  before  her  Majesty's 
arrival.     They  are  followed  by — 

Given  to  Peter,  the  blindman,  for  playing  on  the 

organs  at  the  Queen's  being  here,  5s. 
To  the  King's  trumpeters,  22s. 
To  the  Queen's  wayne  men,  20s. 
To  the  Queen's  littermen,  20s. 
To  the  Queen's  footmen,  40s. 
To  the  Queen's  coachmen,  20s. 
To  the  Queen's  trumpeters,  40s. 
To  the  Queen's  porter,  20s. 
To  the  Queen's  guard,  20s. 
To  the  Queen's  drummers,  13s.  4d. 
To  the  Black  guard,  13s.  4d. 

On  the  15th  September,  16 15,  Chamber- 
lain writes  to  Carleton  :  "  The  Queen,  I  hear, 
is  returned  from  the  Bath  not  so  well  as 
when  she  went."* 

In  a  very  interesting  drawing  at  the  British 
Museum,  made  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II., 
the  Hart  Lodging  (where,  as  we  have  said, 
the  Queen  put  up)  is  shown,  with  this  legend 
carved  upon  it — "Annte  Reginse  Sacrum, 
16 1 8." 

It  is  clear,  however,  that  the  Queen  did 
not  visit  Bath  subsequently  to  1615.  She 
died  in  16 19,  and  we  learn  "  that  her  funeral 
is  deferred  because,  as  the  King's  and 
Prince's  servants  are  to  go  into  mourning, 
credit  for  so  much  black  is  not  to  be  had."t 


SDti^s.seus  ant)  W  dinger. 

By  Vv'.  Carew  IIazi.itt. 

p.N  the  sixth  volume  of  the  Century 
Magazine  Mr.  Stillman  has  given 
a  most  interesting  series  of  papers 
as  the  result  of  his  personal  re- 
searches into  the  topography  of  the  Odyssey. 
Now,  first  let  me,  by  way  of  preface,  say  a 

*  State  Papers,  Dom.,  Janus  /.,  vol.  Ixxxi.,  No.  99. 
t  Jhid. 


word  about  the  authorship  of  that  and  the 
companion  epic,  and  their  relationship  to 
their  putative  maker. 

If  the  Greeks  in  the  Homeric  epoch — the 
ninth  century  b.c. — were  a  people  ignorant 
of  geography  and  of  the  art  of  writing,  as  it 
is  generally  supposed  that  they  were,  the 
natural  question  arises  whether  Homer,  grant- 
ing him  to  have  been  an  individual,  could 
have  really  left  behind  him  in  any  shape  the 
works  with  which  his  name  is  commonly 
associated ;  and  it  becomes  an  allowable 
speculation  whether  the  poems  are  not  of 
later  date,  collected  by  men,  including  Homer, 
in  whose  time  the  old  oral  traditions  were  in 
full  vigour  and  completeness,  and  identified 
as  Homeric,  and  Homeric  only,  through  the 
mersion  of  all  the  ingatherers  of  the  scattered 
legends  in  a  person  and  a  name  to  some 
imperfect  extent  in  the  same  manner  as  so 
much  of  the  ancient  Gaelic  saga  is  designated 
Ossianic. 

It  is  at  once  obvious  that  the  Homeric 
narrative  plunges  in  medias  res,  and  that  we 
are  dependent  on  the  account  which  Odysseus 
gives  to  Alcinous,  almost  at  the  conclusion  of 
his  trials,  for  the  slight  knowledge  which 
we  possess  of  what  happened  to  him  after 
his  departure  from  Troy. 

The  duration  of  the  return  journey  is,  no 
doubt,  as  fabulous  as  that  of  the  siege  of  tlie 
city,  and  is  to  be  accepted  in  the  same  sense 
as  almost  all  other  ancient  chronological 
estimates ;  and  it  should  be  noted,  in  cor- 
roboration of  this  view,  that  the  periods 
occupied  in  the  transit  from  point  to  point, 
are,  on  the  contrary,  computed  by  days. 
The  ten  years'  subsequent  pilgrimage  was  a 
meet  complement  to  the  ten  years'  invest- 
ment of  Troy.  Such  measurements  of  time 
are  in  harmony  with  the  lax  and  vague  calcu- 
lations which  are  familiar  to  us  in  the  pages 
of  the  Old  Testament  and  throughout  the 
literature  of  the  East, 

The  Ithacan  chieftain,  whose  domain  was 
clearly  of  very  limited  extent,  and  who  pro- 
bably conducted  to  Troy  a  very  small  body 
of  followers,  lands  on  his  native  island  alone. 
All  of  those  who  had  been  his  companions 
in  the  earlier  stages  of  his  voyage  fell  victims 
to  shipwreck  or  other  casualties  ;  but  the 
number,  as  I  have  ventured  to  think,  was  at 
no  time  considerable ;  nor  am  I  a  partisan 


70 


ODYSSEUS  AND  HIS  SINGEH. 


of  the  old  idea  that  the  slaughter  of  the 
Greeks  by  the  mythical  Laestrygonians,  and 
the  destruction  of  their  vessels,  were  as 
extensive  as  Homer  avers. 

When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  of  the 
suitors  of  Penelope  as  many  as  four-and- 
twenty  were  contributed  by  Cephalonia,  and 
that  the  circumstances  connected  with  Odys- 
seus must  have  been  perfectly  well  known 
there,  it  seems  natural  to  wonder  why,  in  a 
place  so  close  at  hand  as  the  so-named 
Phajacia,  the  returned  warrior  was  not 
generally  recognised  until  a  local  bard  sus- 
pected his  identity,  and  led  him  to  unveil 
himself,  according  to  Homer,  by  narrating 
the  tale  of  Troy  in  heroic  strains.  Of  course 
this  may  be  taken  to  vindicate  the  ordinary 
opinion  as  to  the  great  lapse  of  years  since 
the  departure  from  Ithaca ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  want  of  ready  means  of  communi- 
cation was  apt  to  assist  forgetfulness.  Nor 
is  it  much,  if  anything,  to  the  purpose  that 
Telemachus  did  not  know  his  father,  since  he 
must  have  been  a  child  when  the  king  left 
home.  In  Homeric  days  the  minstrel's  ditty 
may  have  comprehended  past  as  well  as 
current  events ;  but  if  it  existed  at  all  in  the 
pre- Homeric  era,  in  so  highly  developed  a 
shape  as  to  embrace  a  large  piece  of  history, 
it  probably  confined  itself  to  what  had  more 
or  less  recently  taken  place ;  it  appears  still 
more  reasonable  to  conclude  that  in  this  case 
Homer  has  transferred  to  a  prior  age  the 
manners  of  his  own,  when  there  was  sufificient 
culture  to  lay  before  the  men  of  Greece, 
through  the  medium  of  song,  the  achieve- 
ments and  transactions  of  bygone  epochs. 
The  tale  of  Troy,  whereat  Odysseus  is  seen 
to  weep,  his  consequent  discovery,  and  the 
recital  by  him  of  his  exploits  and  mischances, 
have  the  air  of  a  tangled  thread  of  fact  and 
invention,  in  which  the  latter  appreciably 
preponderates.  If,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
absence  of  the  king  had  been  so  protracted 
as  to  be  matter  of  history,  the  elaborate 
account  which  he  furnished  to  a  neighbour 
could  have  barely  been  necessary ;  and  if,  on 
the  other,  the  chronology  is  incorrect  and 
exaggerated,  a  prince  whose  territory  was 
almost  adjacent  could  not  very  well  have 
failed  to  identify  a  contemporary  so  eminent 
and  famous  as  the  husband  of  Penelope. 
My  own  impression,  arguing  from  analogy 


and  the  ostensible  circumstances,  is  that  the 
time  covered  by  the  Trojan  War  and  the 
arrival  of  the  King  of  Ithaca  home  has  been 
greatly  overstated. 

I  begin  to  doubt  whether  the  participation 
of  the  lonians  in  the  movement  against  Troy 
was  at  all  general.  Even  Odysseus  required 
a  good  deal  of  persuasion  before  he  was  in- 
duced to  join  the  expedition.  But  if  Ionia 
did  not  supply  many  fighters,  it  supplied  one 
man  who  was  of  enormous  value  as  a  saga- 
cious and  intrepid  commander,  and  (long 
after)  a  second,  who  committed  to  imperish- 
able verse  the  whole  engaging  story.  The 
Ionian  origin  of  Homer  is  strikingly  and 
weightily  attested  by  his  palpable  conversance 
with  the  country  round  about  Ithaca  and 
with  the  little  island  itself  When  we  have 
crossed  with  him  by  the  homes  of  Calypso 
and  Circe,  of  the  Cyclopes  and  the  man-eat- 
ing Laestrygonians,  even  into  what  is  called 
Phseacia,  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  we 
have  passed  from  an  atmosphere  of  fable 
and  hearsay  into  one  of  actual  observation. 
You  must  remark  that  he  refrains  from  any- 
thing approaching  exact  geographical  detail 
or  local  colouring,  until  he  has  brought  his 
hero  to  ground  which  he  was  able  to  describe 
from  more  or  less  intimate  acquaintance. 
The  interview  with  Eumaeus,  the  meetings  of 
father  and  son  and  of  husband  and  wife, 
the  banqueting  scene,  the  episode  of  Irus 
(recalling  an  earlier  feat  by  Odysseus  of  a 
similar  kind),  with  the  way  of  life  of  Pene- 
lope and  her  female  attendants,  are  realistic 
enough,  and  contrast  rather  powerfully  with 
the  anecdotes  which  the  author  puts  into  the 
mouth  of  his  principal  figure,  where  the  latter 
sums  up  in  retrospect.  I  even  believe  that 
I  have  come  to  something  resembling  history 
when  the  Ithacan  reaches  Phaeacia,  and  the 
princess  is  introduced  to  us  with  her  maidens 
washing  their  clothes  in  the  stream.  It  is  a 
glimpse  of  primaeval  manners  and  of  patriar- 
chal government. 

Inasmuch  as  Homer  elected  to  devote  to 
Odysseus — a  single  dramatis  persona  in  the 
war,  and  by  no  means  the  most  conspicuous 
— an  entire  epic,  and,  again,  as  the  poet 
makes  the  exile,  weary,  one  might  imagine, 
of  delay,  recount  his  homeward-bound  ex- 
periences at  Phaeacia,  and  spend  some  time 
at  a  point  so  near  to  his  final  destination,  I 


ODYSSEUS  AND  HIS  SINGER. 


71 


ask  myself  whether  the  author  was  a 
Phseacian  familiar  with  Ithaca  or  vice  versd  ; 
and,  balancing  one  consideration  against 
another,  it  is  really  difficult  to  decide  which 
of  these  two  views,  if  either,  is  more  likely  to 
have  been  the  true  one. 

That  part  of  the  picture  which  represents 
the  phalanx  of  aspirants  to  the  queen's  hand 
revelling  indefinitely  at  her  cost  in  all  the 
plenitude  of  savage  hospitality,  exhibits  a  re- 
markable illustration  of  antique  palatial  life. 
A  large  proportion  of  the  candidates,  if  such 
a  place  as  Cephalonia  sent  four-and-twenty, 
must  have  been  men  with  whom  it  is  not 
strange  to  find  Penelope  temporizing.  All 
this  portion  of  the  narrative  is  singularly 
vivid  and  graphic. 

But  Homer  was  a  debtor  to  his  imagina- 
tion or  to  the  fertile  brains  of  his  informants, 
when  he  portrayed  the  one-eyed  anthropo- 
phagous Polyphemus  and  all  the  other  mar- 
vels which  fill  the  earlier  cantos  of  the  epic. 
Doubtless  his  illustrious  traveller  met  with 
many  romantic  incidents,  and  also  with  many 
a  fair  admirer  to  whom  his  homage  was 
something  more  than  platonic.  In  the  en- 
chanted abode  of  Circe  the  stratum  of  folk- 
lore superincumbent  on  fact  is  sufficiently 
transparent  to  permit  us  to  judge  for  ourselves 
with  what  kind  of  fiction  we  are  confronted 
in  the  reputed  transformation  of  men  into 
swine.  The  Greeks  could  scarcely  have 
encountered  on  their  route  from  Troy  any 
cannibals,  unless  it  was  when  they  were 
driven  far  from  their  course,  and  landed 
involuntarily  among  the  savages  on  the 
African  coast,  denominated  in  the  poem 
Lsestrygonians.  But  Homer  took  his  know- 
ledge of  Polyphemus  at  second-hand.  To 
me  he  appears  nothing  more  than  a  member, 
possibly  the  chief,  of  some  pastoral  cave- 
dwelling  tribe  on  the  Sicilian  seaboard. 

Mr.  Stillman,  I  perceive,  makes  a  little 
difficulty  about  the  form  Kephallenes,  of 
which  he  speaks  as  occurring  in  the  Odyssey 
instead  of  Kephalknia.  But  it  was  the 
ordinary  rule,  if  not  in  Homeric  days,  at  all 
events  in  those  which  succeeded,  to  merge 
the  locality,  as  it  were,  in  the  population ; 
and  hence,  by  way  of  example,  for  Bruttium 
and  leontium  we  get  Bruttii  and  leontini. 
The  same  gentleman  is  disposed  to  assign  to 
the  Odyssey  a  higher  antiquity  than  the  date 


which  has  been  usually  associated  with  it — 
about  1000  B.C.  Portions  of  the  subject- 
matter  of  this  metrical  romance  are  very 
probably  much  older  than  its  composition ; 
such  legends  as  it  presents  to  our  considera- 
tion were  doubtless  familiar  long  before 
Homer's  time ;  and  the  primitive  life  and 
thought  of  which  scenes  are  described,  seem 
to  belong  to  the  first  period  of  Hellenic 
development.  But  it  was  to  the  favourable 
reception  of  the  Iliad  that  the  appearance  of 
the  sequel  was  owing.  The  latter  was  a 
curious  mosaic  of  superstitions,  oral  tradition, 
and  broad  historical  reality,  a  tolerably 
faithful  picture  of  what  the  author  knew, 
pieced  to  a  sublime  embodiment  of  current 
Ionian  notions  under  a  popular  name. 

It  is  to  be  supposed  that  it  is,  in  the  case 
of  the  Odyssey^  the  immense  distance  of  time 
which  leads  us  to  overlook  at  first  the  com- 
parative nearness  of  place.  The  scene  of 
■  those  parts  of  the  great  poem,  which  are 
historically  and  humanly  the  most  important, 
lies  among  those  same  islands  which  were  not 
long  since  under  British  rule,  and  where, 
within  the  compass  of  a  summer  vacation, 
any  intelligent  explorer  may  still  discover 
numerous  vestiges  of  an  age  coeval  with 
Homer  and  not  very  far  removed  from 
Odysseus. 

I  have  made  these  remarks  at  the  hazard 
of  finding  myself  forestalled  by  Homeric 
specialists,  with  whose  views  and  discoveries 
I  may  be  unfortunate  enough  not  to  be 
acquainted ;  but  a  perusal  of  Mr.  Stillman's 
interesting  papers  suggested  the  few  para- 
graphs of  commentary  which  are  here  set 
down. 

I  shall,  however,  entertain  the  hope  that  I 
may  have  proved  as  congruous  and  pertinent 
as  a  distinguished  public  character,  who  has 
expended  much  vain  ingenuity  in  establishing 
a  link  between  the  Homeric  traditions  and 
the  Mosaic  ;  which  seem  to  me  a  .  more 
romantic  hypothesis  or  speculation  than  that 
of  the  descent  of  the  dead  language  of  Corn- 
wall from  the  speech  of  ancient  Judaea. 


72 


NOTES  ON  COMMON-FIELD  NAMES. 


n^otesionCommon^jFielt)  Jl3ame.s. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Atkinson. 

Class  I.  Section  II. 
Names  depending  for  one  of  their  Elements 
on  some  Arbitrary  or  Artificial  Object  or 
Feature. 

1.  -brig: 

Pulaynbrig.  Siainbrig,         Walhebrig. 

Pulayn  is,  almost  certainly  in  this  connec- 
tion, a  personal  name.  With  an  article  and 
preposition  preceding  it — ViS,e.g.,delpoulain  or 
de  pulayne — it  is  not  uncommon  as  an  appel- 
lative. The  meaning  is  "  of  the  poultry,"  or 
perhaps  "  of  the  poultry-house,"  and  it  takes 
rank  with  bercarius,  "  of  the  sheep-fold,"  le 
Spenser^  or  le  despe?iser,  dispensarius,  etc.,  etc. 
Stainbrig  hardly  means  an  arched  bridge  of 
stone,  but  rather  one,  like  many  a  one  still 
extant  in  the  district,  where  a  thick  slab,  or  a 
series  of  thick  slabs,  was  made  use  of  to  carry 
the  traffic  instead  of  planks  of  wood. 

2.  -die,  -dike: 

Kerdic.  Rotilanddic. 

Neiidic,  Ihorndike  {ox -die). 

Nether,  and  Uver.         Lange,  and  Scorthe. 

A  dike  in  these  old  times  was  almost  always, 
if  not  always,  an  earthen  bank,*  often  of  very 
considerable  dimensions,  and  sometimes  of 
great  antiquity.  This  is  true  of  Grenedic  or 
Grendik,  Theofesdikes  or  Theovesdiches,  named 
in  the  boundaries  of  Whitby  Liberty,  and 
found  in  very  early  deeds,  and  the  antiquity 
of  which  may  well  extend  far  beyond  the 
foundation  of  even  Anglian  Whitby.  It  is 
equally  true  of  the  "  double  dykes  "  on  the 
ridge  between  Danby  and  Little  Fryup,  which 
must  have  been  thrown  up  as  entrenchments, 
probably  in  the  early  part  of  the  bronze 
period.  But  many  were  formed  at  a  later 
date  for  boundary,  or  for  enclosure  purposes; 
and   notes  touching  either  are  of  perpetual 

*  As  a  matter  not  devoid  of  collateral  interest,  I 
may  mention  that  in  connection  with  allotments  and 
enclosures,  both  extensive  and  systematic,  which  were 
proceeding  in  the  North  Riding  in  1635  to  1638,  I 
have  recently  met  with,  in  divers  entries  in  the 
Minutes  of  the  North  Riding  Quarter  Sessions,  the 
word  ditcli  used  in  this  same  sense.  Different  persons 
are  "presented"  for  "casting  upp  ditches"  across 
the  line  of  old  highways,  which  were  so  called  simply 
because  they  were  tracks  across  the  country  that  had 
been  used  time  out  of  mind. 


occurrence  in  each  of  the  chartularies  named 
above,  usually  under  the  Latin  nzxsxtfossatutn. 
Kerdic  is  the  dyke  near,  or  perhaps  in  part 
enclosing  or  separating,  a  carr.  Neudic  ex- 
plains itself ;  but  the  words  used  to  describe 
the  two  banks  so  named  are  worth  notice — 
nether  and  uver.  The  latter  is  written  vuer, 
and  is  the  old  form  of  the  dialect  word  now 
sounded  and  spelt  uvver,  meaning  upper  or 
higher.  Roulanddike  (which  might  be  £ou- 
landdike,  perhaps)  takes  its  name  from  a 
person,  and  Thornedike  needs  no  comment. 
3.  -gate: 

Fishergate.  Melegate, 

Grettegate.  Richergate. 

Lcuidegate,  Riggingate. 

Le  vienegate.  Stretegate. 

Markergate,  Waincarlegate. 

Gate  is  a  street  in  a  town,  or  even  it  may 
be  a  small  village  or  hamlet ;  and  also  a  way 
or  road,  a  way  gone.  It  is  hardly  open  to 
supposition  that  in  any  of  the  above  names, 
and  numberless  others  of  the  same  character, 
the  word  gate  means  what  we  understand 
nowadays  by  a  gate.  Probably  there  was 
not  a  gate  of  that  kind  to  be  found  in  the 
entire  common-field.  But  roads  might,  and 
did,  run  through  the  said  campus  communis, 
and  others  must  needs  run  near  them  or  to 
them;  and  possibly,  or  more  than  possibly, 
perhaps,  Stretegate,  one  of  the  above-named, 
was  a  road  of  this  kind.  The  prefix  streie 
may  be  taken  with  tolerable  certainty  as 
indicating  that  this  road  was  a  high-road — 
"the  King's  high-street" — or  highway,  in 
later  terms.  Laddcgate  (once  met  with  in 
the  form  Lardegate)  and  Ladgates  occur  in 
two  or  three  instances.  The  inference  here 
is,  that  most  likely  this  particular  gate  was — 
what  many  of  them,  perhaps  most,  were  not 
— one  over  which  loads  could  be  led.  In  the 
Rectitudines  singularum  personarum,  of  about 
the  tenth  century,  quoted  by  Mr.  Seebohm 
(p.  129),  a  part  of  the  Geneats'  {villa ni, 
villeifis)  services  was  ridan  3  averian  •;]  lade 
Icedaji  (translated  "  to  ride  and  carry  and  lead 
loads "),  which  also  explains  a  part  of  the 
Co?isuetudi}ies  Cotarionwi  de  Hakenes  (  Whitby 
Chartulary,  S.S.,  vol.  ii.  279) — "  Cotarius  de 
Midelburg  dabit  lades  et  rades,  sicut  bondi 
faciunt,  preter  cariare  turbam  et  bladum," 
where  exactly  the  same  three  items  of  service 
are  specified.  In  further  illustration,  Halli- 
well's   lade-saddle,    a    pack-saddle,   and   the 


NOTES  ON  COMMON-FIELD  NAMES. 


73 


terms  laders  of  5  Elizabeth,  cap.  12,  meaning 
persons  who  carried  their  wares  by  aid  of  a 
horse  with  pack-saddle  and  panniers,  may 
both  be  quoted  and  considered.  Le  mene- 
gaie,  again,  is  not  without  its  interest.  High- 
gate,  Lowgate  (Hull),  High  Ousegate,  Low 
Ousegate  (York),  and  any  number  of  like 
names,  at  least  suggest  that  every  here  and 
there  there  may  have  been — not  to  say  must 
have  been — an  intermediate,  or  mean  gate. 
Markergate  is  possibly  of  equal  or  even 
greater  interest.  Markar  is  the  genitive  of 
O.N.  nwrk,  ^'■di.  forest  (properly  a  march-land, 
border-land) :  in  olden  times  vast  and  dense 
forests  often  formed  the  borderland  between 
two  countries "  (Vigfussen),  and  even  be- 
tween districts  or  subdivisions  of  the  same 
country;  and  Markergate  is  simply  the  way, 
path,  or  road  leading  through,  or  to,  the 
mark.  Compare  Grein's  mearc-pdd  with  the 
same  meaning,  marke-mot,  the  mark  place  of 
meeting  (an  early  thirteenth-century  name 
fromWykeham),  A.S.  mearc-mbt;  O.N.  marke- 
menn,  skogar-menn,  literally  mark-men, 
forest-men,  with  the  full  meaning  of  out- 
laws. As  for  Melegate  and  Riggingate  one 
has  nothing  certain  to  go  upon.  The  way  to 
the  mill  was  a  road  of  importance  in  these 
old  days,  and  some  traces  of  its  existence 
still  linger  in  such  districts  as  these.  Thus 
there  is  a  broken  road  called  the  Mill-way 
over  a  ridge  between  two  of  the  dales  which 
help  to  constitute  the  writer's  parish,  and  the 
mill-cadger  is  still  an  official  whose  business 
it  is  to  collect  the  sacks  of  corn  which  the 
various  farmers  want  to  have  ground,  and 
return  the  meal  at  his  next  journey ;  and 
Rigg-lane,  a  lane  or  narrow  way  along  a  rig 
(a  name  yet  existing  in  Easington),  may  supply 
an  idea  as  to  the  derivation  of  Riggingate. 
Waincarlegate,  the  way  or  road  taken  by  the 
ceorls  or  carles  in  charge  of  wains :  note 
Halliwell's  waifi-men,  and  compare  the  follow- 
ing entry  in  the  expenses  of  Whitby  Abbey 
{Chartidary,  ii.  614):  "Item,  i  suan  per 
xxiiii  dies  minanti  plaustra,"  for  one  swain 
(whether  lad  or  man,  a  carle),  for  twenty-four 
days'  work  driving  the  wains. 
4.  -pit,- pittes. 

Ketel-pittes,  Pete-pit. 

Mire-pittes.  Sand-pittes. 

That  some  of  these  pits  were  artificial  is, 
of  course,  true.     Both  pete-pit  and  sand-pit 

VOL.    XIV. 


would  be,  possibly  also  mire-pittes,  as  natural 
pits  in  a  mere,  or  marsh,  or  boggy  place 
would  scarcely  exist.  But  it  may  be  different 
with  ketel-pittes.  Kettle  is  a  frequent  help- 
word  in  forming  a  local  name,  as  in  Kettle- 
ness,  Ketelsthorp  or  Chetelestorp,  Hell-kettles, 
Kettle-holes,  and  several  others.  The  last- 
named  is  applied  in  the  case  of  a  curious 
chasm  some  half-mile  from  the  writer's  home, 
due  to  natural  subsidence.  A  road  crosses 
part  of  it,  and  this  crossing  part  was  watched 
by  him  through  a  gradual  sinking  of  twenty 
to  twenty-five  inches  some  four  or  five  years 
ago.  Ketelthorp  is  due  to  a  man's  name ;  but 
Kettle-pits  were  doubtless  some  hollows  or 
pits,  the  origin  of  which  was  mysterious  in 
the  days  in  which  these  names  were  given. 

Many  other  words  belong  to  this  section, 
but  the  names  they  contribute  to  form  stand 
singly  or  nearly  so,  and  few  of  them  call  for 
special  notice.  Such  are  -cros,  as  in  Percy- 
cross,  Mole-cros.  This  is  really  a  very 
numerous  as  well  as  a  very  ancient  class. 
Radulphi  Crux,  on  Danby  South  Moor,  is  a 
written  name  as  early  as  the  latter  part  of 
the  twelfth  century.  Percy  Cross  also  is 
ancient.  Both  these  were  boundary-marks, 
and  on  the  confines  of  grants  to  a  monastic 
house — that  of  Gisborough,  namely.  The 
same  remark  might  be  made  of  dozens  of 
others  :  -holes,  in  Fox-holes ;  -bank,  -bancke, 
meaning  the  slope  of  a  steep  hill,  or  perhaps 
only  a  steep  bank  of  a  stream,  furnishes 
Holebec-banc,  and  Hobancke ;  -rig,  the  ridge 
or  lengthened  summit  of  a  hill,  as  Wathel-  or 
Wal-rig,  in  Bernaldby ;  and  -sted,  -stedes,  in 
Scale-stedes,  in  Thocotes,  wherein  scale  may 
be  the  old  form  of  modern  shale,  or  more 
likely,  in  consideration  of  the  suffix,  of  O.N. 
skdli  {cf.  Scottish  shieling),  a  hut,  cabin, 
shanty.  It  is  a  word  which  in  one  or  other 
of  these  senses  forms  a  part  of  a  very 
numerous  class  of  local  names,  as  Scalefoot, 
Scaling,  Scalecross,  Scalebeck,  and  others,  all 
in  this  vicinity. 

Class  II. 

Names  depending  on  Agricultural  considera- 
tions. 


.  -acres,  -aker. 

Austculteraker. 
DcUacker,  Dalacres, 
Galleacre, 


Gulacre,  Scor  (Short). 
Udmanacre. 


74 


NOTES  ON  COMMON-FIELD  NAMES. 


The  word  acre,  or  aker,  or  acres  is  suffi- 
ciently attractive  and  interesting.  Everybody 
remembers  the  episode  of  our  Lord's  going 
through  the  cornfields  and  His  disciples 
plucking  the  ears  of  ripe  corn  as  they  fol- 
lowed Him.  St  Matthew's  expression  in  the 
AS.  Gospels  is,  "  He  for  ofyr  seceras ;"  St. 
Mark's,  "  He  purh  seceras  code ;"  and  St. 
Luke's,  "  He  ferde  purh  (5a  aeceras  " — He 
yode  (or  fared)  over  (or  through)  the  acres. 
Mr.  Seebohm's  comment  on  this  is  :  "  Obvi- 
ously the  translator's  notion  of  the  cornfields 
round  a  village  was  that  of  the  open  fields  of 
his  own  country.  They  w^ere  divided  into 
'acres,'  and  he  who  walked  over  them 
walked  over  the  'acres.'"  The  common- 
field  was  divided  into  longitudinal  slips  or 
strips  of  the  approximate  or  average  length 
of  forty  rods,  and  four  rods  or  perches 
in  width  ;  so  that  "  the  strips  are  in  fact 
roughly-cut  '  acres '  of  the  proper  shape  for 
ploughing  "  {Jb.,  p.  2).  There  is  no  need  to 
follow  the  writer  quoted  in  all  the  details  of 
proof  which  he  alleges  in  support  of  this 
position.  It  may  safely,  indeed,  be  regarded 
as  fully  established.  These  strips  or  slips, 
often  subdivided  into  halves  or  half-acres,  or 
even  quarters,  "  roods  "  or  "  quarter-acres," 
were  held,  often  intermingled  in  strange- 
looking  confusion,  by  the  cultivators  of  the 
soil,  villans  or  geburs,  cottarii,  bordarii, 
grassemen,  or  what  not.  And  some  of  them 
lay  in  one  direction  from  the  vill,  or  group  of 
homesteads  of  the  people,  some  in  another. 
Hence  AusUulttir-aker,  or  east  culture  acre, 
"cultura"  or  "culture"  being  a  name  of 
continual  occurrence  in  old  deeds  of  a  group 
of  such  acres ;  Daleacre,  a  strip  in  a  valley. 
Galleacre  is  probably  miscopied  for  GuUeacre, 
and  the  prefix  gul  has  already  been  dealt 
with.  Scor  or  short  gulacre  has  to  do  with 
an  "  acre  "  that  was  less  than  the  medium  or 
approximate  length  of  40  perches,  and  was 
consequently  broader  in  proportion.  Ud- 
manacre — that  is,  Woodmanacre  :  Seebohrn, 
p.  70,  et  alibi,  shows  that  the  faber  or  vil- 
lage blacksmith  held  his  ox-gang  (a  variable 
number  of  "acres,"  according  to  the  quality 
of  the  land,  whether  "  light "  or  "  heavy,"  or 
"strong"  or  "stiff")  free  from  ordinary  ser- 
vices, and  that  the  same  was  true  of  the  prce- 
positus,  the  punder  or  pinder  or  pound-keeper, 
the  carpenter,  and  the  priest.  Our  present 
word  enables  us  to  add  another  official  of 


the  vill    or    township — namely,   the  wood- 
man. 

2.  -bo them,  -boihome. 


Litel  hothem. 
JSIidel  hot  he  in. 
Midel  este  bothem. 


Nether  este  bothome. 
Scorte  (Short)  bothome. 
Uver,  Uver  este  bothome. 


All  these  names  are  from  Ormesby  alone ; 
but  fields,  or  a  series  of  fields  formed  out  of 
one  larger  tract  under  the  auspices  of  an 
Enclosure  Act,  in  various  parts  of  the  district, 
still  called  "  Bottoms,"  remain  to  attest  the 
frequency  of  the  name  in  the  days  of  the 
open-field  system,  as  Hawsher  Bottoms, 
Bothem,  Litel  Bothem,  all  in  one  township. 
The  meaning  is  low-lying,  fairly  level  lands ; 
not  marshy  or  wet  like  an  ing,  but  dry  and 
fertile,  with  good  depth  of  soil. 

3.  -butt,  -buttes. 

Scort-  or  scorte-  (short)  buttes,  in  Ormesby 
and  Bernaldby.  This,  again,  is  a  name  of 
very  frequent  occurrence.  Mr.  Seebohm's 
definition  is  :  "  Where  the  strips  "  (into  which 
the  common-field  is  divided)  "  meet  others, 
or  abut  upon  a  boundary  at  right  angles, 
they  are  sometimes  called  btits."  Mine,  given 
ten  years  ago  in  the  Supplementary  Cleveland 
Words  (Dialect  Society,  Series  C,  1876),  is  : 
"A  piece  of  land,  usually  small,  and  of 
irregular  shape.  This  word  is  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  local  names  and  the  names  of 
fields.  ...  In  Liverton,  according  to  a  map 
or  plan  of  the  parish  of  about  1730,  now  be- 
fore me,  one  small  enclosure  is  called  '  Long- 
lands,  and  the  adjoining  one  '  Longlands- 
butts,'  which  latter  is  separated  from  the  field 
called  Longlands  by  a  road.  This  severance 
of  the  short  end  (by  whatever  means)  leads, 
I  think,  to  the  use  or  application  of  the  word, 
as  in  the  term  '  butt-end.' "  My  still  con- 
tinuing impression  is  that  the  fields,  or  parts 
of  fields,  called  "butts"  are  not  so  called 
from  ^^ abutting  at  right  angles"  on  others, 
but  that  they  are  ends.  Professor  Skeat,  ex- 
plaining butt  as  an  end,  adds  :  "  In  butt-end, 
a  reduplicated  form,  the  E.  butt  is  from  O.F. 
bot  (F.  bout),  an  end." 

4.  -fiat,  flathe,  flattes,  (?)  plat. 


Barreflat. 
Berewald-,  Berezvar-, 

Benvald-flat. 
Efigplat. 
Fortiflat. 
Hameldunejlat . 
Hcrtejlath. 
IJolkerJlat. 


Hue-,  Huge-,  Huhe-, 

Hut  he-flat  (ptflath). 
Kirkeflat, 
Morflat. 
Northflat. 
Petteherflat. 
Spirtflat. 
Siuaytesflat. 


NOTES  ON  COMMON-FIELD  NAMES. 


75 


The  number  of  names  under  this  heading, 
remembering  the  Hmited  area  from  which  the 
hst  we  are  examining  is  derived,  is  a  plain 
attestation  of  the  frequency  of  the  application 
of  the  word  flat  in  common-field  names. 
Perhaps,  however,  the  following  extract  from 
the  Whitby  Chartulary  (i.  328),  touching 
lands  in  Skirpingbeck  belonging  to  the 
Abbey,  will  put  the  matter  in  a  stronger  light 
than  a  number  of  mere  words  of  descrip- 
tion :  "  In  campo  occidentali,  a  flatt  vocata 
Undyrstanhcnv  .  .  .  (iii  acras),  et  in  eodem 
a  flatt  vocata  Okflat  ...  (11  acras),  et  in 
eodem  a  flatt  vocata  Escheflat  .  .  ,  (viii  acras), 
et  in  eodem  a  flatt  vocata  Mykylcarflatt  .  .  . 
(vii  acras),  et  in  eodem  a  flatt  vocata  Korn- 
garth/lat,  quae  jacet  north  et  suyth  et  continet 
iii  acras  terrge  et  dimidiam,  et  juxta  illam 
buttying  upon  y^  ende  aliud  a  flatt  quod  con- 
tinet iii  acras,  quod  jacet  est  and  west." 
Halliwell's  definition  oi o.flat  is  "a  hollow  in 
a  field  {Gloiic).  Any  very  smooth,  level 
place.  Anciently  a  field,"  which,  to  say  the 
least,  is  not  very  descriptive  or  satisfactory, 
even  were  there  nothing  but  the  above  ex- 
tract to  infer  from.  All  ihe  flats  there  named 
are  in  one  campus  or  field.  Moreover,  in 
the  earlier  part  of  the  same  document,  it  is 
stated  that  there  are  in  all  in  Scirpingbeck 
14  bovates  of  land  of  the  fee  of  the  Abbot  of 
Whitby  ...  Of  these  eight  are  lying  in 
flatteo  in  the  Campus  of  the  said  vill.  Second 
among  these  is  a  flat  called  Audlohow  in 
y  botluun,  then  another  flat  in  the  same 
bot/iufit,  and  a  third  and  fourth  also  in  the 
same  bothum,  containing  in  all  13I  acres,  be- 
sides a  bit  called  Bylbrek  of  3^  acres ;  and 
there  are  mentioned  five  other  flats,  with  their 
contents,  in  the  Eastern  Campus  of  the  vill. 
Here,  then,  we  have  a  series  oi flats  not  only 
in  three  distinct  portions  of  the  Campus 
Communis,  but  of  several  y^'a/i'  in  one  bot/mvi, 
and  not  one  of  them  a  "  field  "  in  Halliwell's 
sense,  or,  in  other  words,  in  our  modern  sense. 
The  picture  presented  to  the  mind's  eye 
seems  to  be  of  an  extent  of  fairly  level  land 
below  the  general  elevation  of  the  district, 
mainly  deep  of  soil  and  fertile,  but  divisible 
into  separate  portions  by  such  boundary  lines 
as  stells,  or  drains  (in  the  Lincolnshire  sense), 
or  brooks,  or  minor  valleys — s/acks  in  Cleve- 
land— or  other  means  of  the  same  nature. 
Perhaps  even,  in  some  instances,  the  direc- 


tion of  the  acres,  or  separate  strips,  sections, 
furrows,  might  be  quite  sufficient  to  mark  off 
one  flat  from  another.  Finally,  the  word 
seems  to  be  evidently  not  English  but  Scan- 
dinavian, and  to  be  due  to  O.N.  fldt  (plural 
flatir),  a  plain,  a  word  described  by  Vigfusson 
as  "  frequent  in  modern  use." 

Some  of  the  names  constituting  the  fore- 
going list  seem  to  admit  of  easy  explanation, 
but  it  is  less  so  with  others.  Perhaps  the 
two  first  depend  on  the  same  element  as 
prefix,  viz,  O.  Engl,  bere,  O.N.  barr,  Sw. 
Dial,  bor,  N.  Fris.  berre,  bir,  bar,  Scottish 
bear  or  bere,  the  grain  called  bigg  in  Cleveland. 
The  taalde,  wald,  war  in  the  second  on  the 
list  may  easily  be  O.N.  raldr,  O.  Sw.  raider, 
N.  Toll,  Dan.  void,  Sw.  Dial,  vail,  an  origi- 
nally grass-grown  piece  of  land,  which  might 
be  converted  into  a  cornfield.  Engplat  ad- 
mits of  no  doubt  as  to  its  prefix,  while //a/ 
is  an  interesting  illustration  of  the  Cleveland 
verb  to  plate,  employed  in  describing  the 
process  called  clenching  a  nail — flattening  it 
down,  that  is.  Pr.  Pm.  gives  plat  or  pleyne, 
with  the  Latin  equivalent  oi  planus.  O.  E.  plat 
(  =flat)  occurs,  and  the  expression,  a  pat 
pleyn  is  met  with  in  Early  English  Allit. 
Poems.  Fonflat  is  probably  old  or  ancient 
flat.  Vigfusson  gives  forn,  old,  collating 
Ulfilas,  fair?iis  (the  adjective  used  in  the 
New  Testament  sentence,  "old  wine  is 
better"),  A.S.  fyrn,  Hel.  furn,  Sw.  forn, 
adding,  "  lost  in  English."  But  not  lost  in 
older  English,  as  Halliwell's  forn  from  Guy 
of  Warwick,  forne  from  Pr.  Pm. ,  prove,  while 
]am\eson's  fern-year,  fame-year,  with  the  in- 
stances and  illustrations  adduced,  are  equally 
pertinent  to  the  case  in  point.  Hameldune- 
flat,  in  Ormesby,  is  doubtful,  and  Herteflath 
most  likely  owes  its  prefix  to  like  considera- 
tions with  those  that  account  for  Hart-hill, 
Hart  slack.  Hart-hall  (all  near  this  parish), 
Hartlepool,  etc.  So  much  uncertainty  pre- 
vails about  the  orthography  of  Hugeflat, 
Huheflat,  Hutheflat,  as  to  increase  the  diffi- 
culty of  accounting  for  it.  It  may  be  obser\'ed 
that  there  is  a  township  of  Whorlton  parish 
called  Huthwait,  and  a  very  common  per- 
sonal name,  Hugill,  is  prevalent  throughout 
this  district,  and  has  been  so  for  some  three 
centuries  past  certainly ;  which  is  also  spelt 
Hughell,  Hugall,  Havgill,  etc.  The  prefix 
may  be  a  personal  name,  and  a  variety  of 

G — 2 


76 


REVIEWS. 


forms   of  such  name  is  cited  by  Ferguson 
{Teutonic  Name  System^  p.   357).      But  the 
matter  is  uncertain.     Holkerflat  and  Petteker- 
flat  both  contain  the  element  ker  or  car,  and 
perhaps  the  Pette  in   the  latter  is  open  to 
suspicion  as  incorrectly  copied.     Spirtflat,  or 
Spiretflat,  as  otherwise  written,  and  Swaites- 
flat  are  both  names  as  to  which  only  con- 
jecture can   be   offered ;    and  only  in   this 
connection   is   reference  made  to  N.  svifa, 
woodland   cleared    for    tillage    by   burning. 
The   modern   dialect  word   for  a   space  of 
moorland  cleared  by  burning  is  swidden. 
(To  be  contintied.) 


illet)ietu0» 


Morley :  Ancient  and  Modern.  By  William  Smith, 
F.S.A.S.  (London,  1886.  Longmans,  Green 
and  Co.)     8vo.,  pp.  viii.,  1-322. 

HIS  brilliantly-bound  book  is  practically  the 
note-book  of  a  local  antiquary  who  has 
known  how  to  collect  and  put  together 
information  that  is  of  the  greatest  interest 
to  antiquaries.  Such  books  are  not  often 
to  be  met  with,  and  we,  at  any  rate,  cordially  welcome 
them ;  because  if  they  are  faulty  in  some  respects,  if 
they  fail  to  convey  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the  history 
of  the  place,  if  they  fall  short  of  a  high  standard  of 
local  history,  they  at  all  events  supply  facts  of  the 
greatest  value,  which  no  one  but  a  good  local  antiquary 
can  supply.  Mr.  Smith  deals  with  the  most  out-of- 
the-way  facts  of  Morley  history,  and  among  the  sub- 
jects treated  of  we  must  particularly  mention  parish 
customs,  social  customs,  old  houses,  dress,  amuse- 
ments, past  political  life,  agriculture,  religion,  and 
trade.  There  is  also  an  amount  of  Morley  biblio- 
graphy. We  may  add  that  the  book  is  capitally 
illustrated,  and  there  is  a  fairly  good  index. 


Ittdex  to  the  Obituary  and  Biographical  Notices  in  the 
Gentleman's  Magazine,  1731-1780.     By  R.   H. 
Farrar.      Part  L   A  to  Gi.      (Index  Society. 
London,  1886.)    4to.,  pp.  1-240. 
This  important  index,  so  long  promised,  has  ap- 
peared at   last,    and   we   cordially   congratulate   the 
Society  upon  the  fact.     No  one  unacquainted  with  the 
incompleteness  and  incorrectness  of  the  Gentleman's 
Magazine  can  properly  estimate  the  difSculties  to  be 
overcome  in  the  compilation  of  such  a  work,  and  it 
must  be  admitted  th^t  the  instalment  before  us,  if  it 
is  not  absolutely  perfect,  is  as  nearly  so  as  possible ; 
and  it  can  be  made  absolutely  so  if  readers  or  users 
of  it  would  send  up  to  the  Society  any  corrections 
which  may  be  necessary.     These  corrections  could  be 
printed  and  forwarded  to  the  members  of  the  Society 
and  those  outside  purchasers  who  might  apply  for 
them.     As  an  instalment  of  a  long-needed  work  we 


welcome  it,  with  a  hope  that  it  may  be  completed  as 
rapidly  as  possible.  The  Index  Society  has  of  late 
years  rather  gone  to  sleep.  Let  us  hope  that  we  have 
now  good  signs  of  its  reawakening ;  there  is  plenty  of 
work  for  it  to  do. 


Old  Barnet.  By  H.  W.  P.  Stevens,  M.A.  (Barnet. 
G.  W.  Cowdng.)  8vo.,  pp.  48. 
This  little  pamphlet  is  beautifully  illustrated  by 
etchings  of  the  following  subjects  connected  with  the 
history  of  Old  Barnet:  High  Street,  in  1800;  the 
Old  Crown  Inn  ;  street  corner  of  the  last  century ; 
mineral  springs  ;  Market  House  and  Cage  ;  Barnet 
tokens.  These  glimpses  of  Old  Barnet  make  the 
pamphlet  of  some  considerable  interest  and  value,  and 
It  is  accompanied  by  some  useful  notes.  The  manor 
of  Chipping  Barnet  belonged  to  the  Abbey  of  St. 
Albans,  and  records  of  its  history  appear  therefore  in 
the  registers  of  the  abbey.  It  took  part  in  the  insur- 
rection of  Wat  Tyler,  and  is  famous  as  the  scene  of  one 
of  the  bloody  battles  of  the  Wars  of  the  Roses.  One 
particularly  interesting  portion  of  Mr.  Stevens's  notes 
is  that  dealing  with  the  old  roads  and  means  of  tra- 
velling, a  subject  always  interesting,  and  one  the 
investigation  of  which  tells  us  of  much  otherwise  not 
understandable  in  the  past  life  of  our  forefathers. 

Proceedings  of  the  Berwickshire  Naturalists    Club. 

(Alnwick:     H.H.Blair.     1886.)    pp.  425-616, 

i.-xxviii. 
This  part  of  the  proceedings  of  one  of  the  most 
indefatigable  societies  of  North  Britain  is,  as  usual, 
full  of  interest.  The  description  of  the  annual  meet- 
ing and  excursion  is  highly  instructive,  leading,  as  it 
does,  to  some  of  the  bye-paths  of  one  of  the  most 
interesting  districts  of  the  borderland  between  England 
and  Scotland.  The  papers  include  those  on  the  Early 
Literature  of  Flodden  Field  ;  Urns  and  Cists  found  at 
Amble  ;  British  Urn  found  at  Screnwood  ;  Antiquities 
of  Almham  ;  Bronze  Axe-head  found  near  Howford. 
We  are  glad  to  see  that  Mr.  James  Hardy  still  takes  a 
leading  part  in  the  doings  of  this  club. 


Yorkshire  Notes  and  Queries.     Edited  by  J.  HORS- 

fallTurner.  (Harrison,  Bingley.)  Parts  3  and  4. 

April  and  July,  1886.     8vo. 
Gloucestershire  Notes  and  Queries.     Edited  by  Rev. 

B.  H.  Blacker,  M.A.     (London  :  W.  Kent  and 

Co.)    8vo. 
Bygones  relating  to  Wales  and  the  Border  Counties. 

(Oswestry  and   Wrexham :    Woodall,    Minshall 

and  Co.)     October  to  December,  1885,  June  to 

March,  1886.  4to. 
These  three  local  note-books  are  doing  good  service 
in  the  cause  of  antiquarian  and  archaeological  re- 
search, and  the  parts  before  us  appear  to  be  more  than 
usually  interesting,  because  they  contain  the  contribu- 
tions of  more  thoroughly  local  observers  than  has 
sometimes  been  the  case.  The  Yorkshire  Notes  and 
Queries  has  for  subordinate  titles  the  "Yorkshire 
Bibliographer"  and  "Yorkshire  Folk-lore  Journal," 
and  thus  we  gain  a  classification  of  subjects  which  is 
the  means  of  saving  much  time.  Among  the  subjects 
dealt  with  in  the  two  parts  under  notice  are  fairs, 
city  charters,  pottery  and  potteries,  village  feasts,  com- 
mon lands,  and  family  history.     Gloucestershire  Notes 


REVIEWS, 


77 


and  Queries  is  an  old  friend.  Among  its  contents  may 
be  noted  Bristol  Pillory,  1752  ;  Corporation  Maces  of 
Chipping  Campden  and  Winchcombe,  and  Tobacco- 
growing.  The  last  subject  is  one  worth  a  little  atten- 
tion just  now.  Bygones  is  also  an  old  friend.  It  con- 
tains, inter  alia,  Harleian  MS.  relating  to  Oswestry  ; 
Church  Bells ;  A  peculiar  Court  in  Chester ;  works  by 
local  authors ;  Old  Houses  in  Oswestry ;  William  Penn ; 
Hanging  in  Chains ;  Payments  in  the  Church-porch,  and 
Manors  in  Wales.  The  writer  of  this  last  query  states 
that  gavelkind  existed  in  Wales,  a  statement  which  is 
controverted  by  Mr.  Elton  in  his  Tcmires  of  Kent.  It 
is  important  in  these  matters  that  our  terminology 
should  be  strictly  accurate,  as  so  much  is  sometimes 
conveyed  by  terms  which  are  used  loosely. 


Ancient  Proverbs  and  Maxims  from  Burmese  Sources  ; 

or  the  Nite  Literature  of  Burma.     By  James 

Gray.      (London:    Triibner   and    Co.,     1886.) 

8vo.,  pp.  xii.,  179. 

This   welcome  addition  to  our  stock   of  proverb 

literature  is    an    English    translation   from    original 

sources,   and    Mr.   Gray  has  added   to   its  value   by 

giving  notes  explaining  and  illustrating  the  points  in 

the  text.     He  has  also  given  many  useful  parallels. 


Kaffir  Folk- Lore ;   a  Selection  from  the   Traditional 

Tales  current  amotig  the   People  living  on  the 

Eastern   Border  of  the  Cape  Colony.     By  Geo. 

McCall    Theal.      (London :    Swan    Sonnen- 

schein  and  Co.,  1886.)    8vo.,  pp.  x.,  226. 

We  are  glad  to  find  that  a  second  edition  of  Mr. 

Theal's  book  is  issued.     It  most  certainly  deserved  it, 

as  the  stories  told  by  those  "  savage  "  fellows  are  so 

remarkably    parallel    to     the    nursery    literature    of 

Europe,  that  the   origin   of  the   folk -tale  becomes  a 

question  interesting  to  others  besides  folklorists.     As 

a  means  of  popularizing  and  spreading  the  study  of 

folk-lore  we  can  recommend  no  better  book. 


The  Fables  of  Pilpay.  (London  :  Warne  and  Co.) 
8vo.,  pp.  xviii.,  274. 
We  are  glad  to  see  this  edition  of  one  of  the  most 
famous  books  in  Eastern  literature.  Perhaps  no  book 
except  the  Bible  has  been  more  frequently  printed  in  all 
languages  than  the  Fables  of  Pilpay  or  Bidpai ;  and 
just  now,  when  scholars  are  paying  so  much  more 
attention  to  traditional  and  popular  literature,  it  is 
useful  and  necessary  that  the  public  should  be  sup- 
plied with  a  copy  which  is  within  their  reach.  The 
book  is  tastefully  bound  and  printed,  and  is  well 
adapted  for  the  use  to  which  it  will  be  put. 


Book    Lovers'    Library :    Old    Cookery    Books    and 
Ancient    Cuisine.      By   W.    Carew    Hazlitt. 
(London:  Elliot  Stock,  1886.)     8vo.,  pp.  271. 
When  such  renowned  scholars  as  the  late  Mr.  II. 
C.    Coote,  and  such    learned   and    well-known  anti- 
quaries as  Mr.  R.  .S.  Ferguson,  condescend  to  inquire 
into  the  subject  of  cookery  in  the  past,  we  may  be 
excused  for  expressing  our  appreciation  of  the  volume 
prepared   with   so    much    labour  and    skill    by   Mr. 
Hazlitt.      One   would  hardly  imagine  that  so  much 
had   been    written    upon   a   subject    so   domestic   as 
cookery  ;  and  yet  when  we  examine  the  pages  of  this 
little  book,  we  easily  find  out  that   the  literature  of 
cookery  is  by  no  means  slight  or  uninteresting.     Mr. 


Hazlitt  deals  with  early  and  late  cookery,  and  con- 
sequently his  range  of  material  is  extensive.  A  chapter 
is  devoted  to  the  quaint  recipes  to  be  found  in  some  of 
the  older  books,  and  one  of  these  curiously  relates  to 
the  old  nursery  rhyme — 

"  Four-and-twenty  blackbirds  baked  in  a  pie." 
If  Mr.  Hazlitt  has  not  thought  worth  while  for  his 
immediate  purpose  to  supply  an  exhaustive  account  of 
all  the  editions  of  some  famous  cookery-  books,  he 
has  given  us  an  exceedingly  useful  and  entertaining 
work,  and  one  for  which  book-lovers  will  be  grateful. 

Essays  in  the  Study  of  Folk-Songs.  By  the 
Countess  Evelyn  Marti nengo-Cesaresco. 
(London:  George  Redway,  1886.).  8vo.,  pp.  xl., 

395- 
It  is  satisfactory  to  see  that  the  labours  of  the 
Folk-lore  Society  in  the  classification  of  folk-lore  have 
already  been  so  highly  appreciated  by  students  as  to 
induce  the  accomplished  author  of  this  work  to  pro- 
ceed upon  the  lines  laid  down  by  the  Society.  In 
this  particular  branch  of  folk-lore  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  author  of  this  book  has  laid  the  bases 
for  future  study,  the  introduction  being  a  masterly 
summary  of  the  aims  and  results  of  a  study  of 
folk-songs.  The  contents  of  the  volume  is  as 
follows :  the  inspiration  of  death  in  folk-poetry, 
nature  in  folk-songs,  Armenian  folk-songs,  Venetian 
folk-songs,  Sicilian  folk-songs,  Greek  folk-songs  of 
Calabria,  folk-songs  of  Provence,  the  WTiite  Pater- 
noster, the  diffusion  of  ballads,  songs  of  the  rite  of 
May,  the  idea  of  fate  in  southern  traditions,  folk- 
lullabies,  folk -dirges.  Each  section  deals  with  a 
separate  grouping  of  the  subjects  dealt  with  in  folk- 
song, and  contains  numerous  important  hints  and  con- 
clusions which  must  be  of  great  utility  in  future  study. 
We  would  draw  special  attention  to  the  essay  on  the 
diffusion  of  ballads,  which  has  received  the  attention  it 
deserves,  but  upon  which  the  last  word  has  not  yet  been 
said.  The  Countess  Martinengo-Cesaresco  has  much 
to  say  that  is  of  great  value,  and  when  we  note  that 
she  says  "  the  folk-song  probably  preceded  the  folk- 
tale," we  know  quite  well  how  important  a  study  of 
this  fascinating  subject  is  to  all  folklorists.  Our  readers 
will  recognise  that  two  of  the  chapters  of  this  book 
originally  appeared  in  this  journal  and  they  will 
cordially  welcome  them  and  their  fellows  in  the  hand- 
some volume  in  which  they  now  appear. 


a^eetings  of  antiquarian 
Societies. 


Bristol  and  Gloucestershire  Archaeological 
Society. — 17  June. — Deerhurst  and  its  neighbourhood 
w.is  explored.  The  recently  discovered  Saxon  chapel 
was  visited,  and  subsequently,  in  Deerhurst  Church, 
the  vicar,  the  Rev.  G.  Butterworth,  read  a  paper  on 
the  subject  of  the  discovery.  Previously  the  Abbot's 
Court  appeared  to  Ix:  only  a  rambling  picturesque 
farmhouse,  with  a  reputation  of  Ixjing  very  old.  In 
consequence  of  a  change  of  tenancy  the  Ecclesiastical 
Commissioners,  to  whom  the  property  belonged,  pro- 


78 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


posed  turning  the  farmhouse  into  a  cottage  or 
cottages.  He  visited  it,  as  other  people  might,  as  it 
was  open  to  all,  and  he  noticed  the  great  thickness  of 
the  walls  of  a  portion  of  the  building.  It  l)elonged 
evidently  to  three  distinct  dates,  the  central  portion 
being  the  oldest.  The  next  in  point  of  age  seemed  to 
be  of  the  Tudor  period,  and  had  a  slightly  ornamental 
appearance,  imparted  by  an  irregular  outline,  a  massive 
chimney-stack,  and  the  plentiful  display  of  timber- 
work.  One  feature  alone  of  indisputable  age  was 
visible  :  in  an  angle  of  a  square  room  called  "  the 
jiantry  "  there  was  fixed  a  first-pointed  capital,  with 
its  abacus.  At  the  back  of  the  house  was  brought  to 
light  an  ancient  circular-headed  window,  which  had 
been  bricked  up  and  plastered  over.  In  "  the  pantry," 
in  addition  to  the  Early  English  capital,  were  to  be 
seen  two  massive  stones,  whitewashed,  standing  out 
from  the  face  of  the  west  wall.  A  pilaster  of  brick, 
whitewashed,  ran  up  between  them,  doing  its  best  to 
conceal  their  mutual  relation.  Could  these  be  the 
impost  of  an  arch  springing  from  above  them,  covered 
with  coats  of  plaster  ?  This  was  found  to  be  the  case. 
The  key  of  the  mystery  of  the  structure  was  now 
gained.  The  arch  so  effectually  concealed  was  with- 
out doubt  a  chancel  arch,  and  "  the  pantry"  was  the 
chancel.  Other  rooms  occupied  the  area  of  the  nave. 
All  the  walls  of  the  chapel  were  seen  to  be  standing 
except  the  south  wall  of  the  chancel.  The  chancel 
was  of  a  reduced  width,  as  was  usual  with  ecclesiastical 
edifices.  The  direction  of  the  building  was  from  east 
to  west.  The  chapel  is  a  small  building,  consisting  of 
a  nave  and  chancel,  46  feet  in  exterior  length,  the 
width  of  the  nave  inside  is  16  feet,  and  the  chancel 
1 1  feet.  The  height  of  the  side  walls  of  the  nave  is 
17  feet,  and  their  thickness  nearly  2  feet  6  inches. 
The  two  portions  of  the  building  are  divided  by  a  very 
solid  chancel  arch.  The  walls  are  of  blue  lias  stone 
of  the  locality ;  all  the  angles,  arches,  imposts,  and 
jambs  are  worked  in  dressed  oolitic  stones,  procured 
no  doubt  from  the  neighbouring  hills.  The  most 
noteworthy  feature  is  the  chancel  arch.  The  height  of 
the  opening  from  the  ground  is  a  little  over  10  feet, 
the  width  from  jamb  to  jamb  6  feet  6  inches.  The 
massive  jambs,  2  feet  3  inches  in  thickness,  are  com- 
posed of  large  blocks  laid  in  irregular  long  and  short 
courses,  five  of  these  being  found  on  the  north  side  of 
the  arch,  seven  on  the  south.  The  imposts  are  10 
inches  in  thickness.  The  arch  springing  from  them, 
formed  of  a  ring  of  single  stones,  is  of  a  horse-shoe 
shape.  On  the  west  side  a  plain  square  label  runs 
round  the  arch,  dying  with  the  abacus.  On  the  chancel 
side  there  is  no  label.  The  chapel  has  two  entrances 
opposite  to  each  other  near  the  west  end  of  the  nave. 
On  the  north  side  about  half  of  the  arch  and  one 
entire  jamb  are  preserved.  That  on  the  south  side  is 
nearly  obliterated.  The  archway  is  8  feet  high,  but 
the  entrance  is  only  2  feet  8  inches  in  width.  No 
door  seems  to  have  been  attached  to  it.  Of  the 
windows  of  the  nave  one  remains  perfect.  Opposite 
to  it  on  the  north  are  traces  of  another  similar  to  it. 
The  sill  of  the  surviving  window  is  9  feet  from  the 
ground.  The  opening  is  4  feet  6  inches  in  height,  2 
feet  6  inches  in  width.  The  head  is  semicircular. 
I'art  of  the  inner  oak  framework,  taking  the  curved 
form  of  the  head,  remains,  and  shows  that  the  aperture 
admitting  the   light  was   very    narrow.      Over    the 


windows  is  an  arrangement  of  thin  slabs  placed  in 
converging  fashion,  of  which  traces  are  visible. 
Tossiljly  the  nave  was  originally  lighted  by  four 
similar  windows.  A  very  considerable  part  of  the 
west  wall  had  been  removed  for  the  insertion  of  a  vast 
fireplace  and  chimney.  The  height  of  the  gable  from 
the  ground  before  it  was  thus  interfered  with  is  26  feet. 
The  roof  is  modern.  Resting  upon  the  summit  of  the 
two  side  walls  and  morticed  with  the  wall-plates  runs 
a  series  of  oak  beams,  black  with  age.  These  help  to 
form  ,the  ceiling  of  the  nave,  and  must  be  of  great 
antiquity.  The  stones  of  the  walls  are  of  irregular 
size,  and  bedded  in  very  copiovis  mortar.  Inside  and 
out  the  W'alls  were  originally  plastered,  the  plaster 
being  carefully  thinned  off  where  at  angles  worked 
stone  was  met  with.  The  wall  dividing  nave  and 
chancel  has  been  cut  down  to  the  level  of  the  side 
walls  of  the  nave.  Of  course  this  was  not  its  original 
form.  The  chancel  has  an  interior  length  of  14  feet. 
The  south  wall  is  wanting.  The  north  and  east  wall 
have  been  cut  down  at  a  level  of  10  feet  from  the  pave- 
ment, and  upon  these  massive  truncated  walls, 
supplemented  by  a  new  south  wall,  run  out  in  the  line 
of  the  nave  south  wall,  was  constructed  in  the  Tudor 
period  an  upper  room  forming  a  portion  of  the  hand- 
some timbered  house  of  the  sixteenth  century,  which 
stands  at  the  east  end  of  the  chapel,  and  into  which 
both  chancel  and  nave  were  incorporated  as  domestic 
apartments.  How  daylight  was  admitted  into  this 
small  chapel  there  were  no  means  of  knowing.  There 
appears  to  have  been  no  east  window.  In  the  north- 
east angle  of  the  chancel  a  first  pointed  capital  and 
abacus  are  seen,  as  before  noted.  The  height  of  the 
side  walls  of  the  chancel  was  apparently  about  15  feet. 
Inserted  into  a  large  chimney-stack  of  the  Tudor 
erection  a  stone  may  be  noticed  possessing  great  value 
and  interest.  The  surface  was  of  a  nearly  square 
form,  but  a  great  part  has  been  cut  away  to  render  it 
apparently  the  headstone  of  a  lancet  window.  The 
portion  which  remains  is  inscribed  with  letters  of  an 
early  character,  proving  the  stone  to  have  been  origi- 
nally the  dedication  slab  of  an  altar.  The  letters  pre- 
served run  as  follows : 

I  HONO 

E    TRI 

HOC 

'RE    DE 

— CATV     E 

The  inscription  unmutilated  was  probably  to  this 
effect :    "  in    honore    sancte    trinitatis    hoc 

AI/PARE  DEDICATIV    E." 

Woolhope  Naturalists'  Field  Club.— 27  May. — 

The  first  field  meeting  of  the  season  took  place  at 
Newent.  Upon  the  hill  botanists  failed  to  find 
anything  worthy  of  notice,  but  a  few  geological  speci- 
mens were  gathered  from  the  neighbouring  quarries, 
where  may  be  found  atrypa,  pentamerus,  petraia,  etc., 
etc.  Returning  homewards  by  a  different  route 
Taynton  Church  was  visited,  its  registers  examined, 
dating  from  1536  ;  its  position  observed  to  have  been 
built  due  north  and  south  with  the  object  of  gratifying 
Puritan  tastes.  Its  remarkable  pulpit,  partly  four- 
teenth century,  has  a  panel  of  Henry  VI I. 's  time,  and 
the  front  and  cornice  Jacobean,  with  an  iron  cage,  in 
good  condition,  for  holding  the  preacher's  hour-glass. 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


79 


The  pulpit  is  at  the  south  end  of  the  building,  whilst 
the  altar-table  is  situated  upon  the  eastern  side ;  it 
used  to  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  church.  The 
President  here  read  a  paper  on  the  church  and  matters 
pertaining  to  it,  and  made  some  remarks  upon  the 
curious  and  interesting  register  ;  one  of  the  earliest  in 
the  kingdom.  The  next  object  of  interest  was  the 
battle-field  at  Barber's  Bridge,  in  commemoration  of 
whicha  stone  monument  was  erected  by  Mr.  Price,  of 
Tibberton  Court,  a  few  years  ago.  Near  this  spot 
during  the  excavation  of  the  Hereford  and  Gloucester 
canal  several  skeletons  were  found  buried,  and  many 
others  were  discovered  in  1868,  and  were  undoubtedly 
those  of  the  Welshmen  under  Lord  Herbert,  here 
severely  defeated  by  Waller  and  Massey  on  the  24th 
of  March,  1643.  The  President  stated  that,  by  the 
kindness  of  Mr.  Price,  he  should  be  enabled  to  read  a 
paper  very  carefully  written  by  the  late  Major  Price, 
which  contains  the  fullest  information  which  can  be 
gained  on  the  subject.  The  parish  church  of  Newent 
was  examined,  and  a  paper  read  upon  it  by  the  Presi- 
dent. After  dinner  the  President  gave  his  paper  on 
"Crockett's  Hole." 

Presbyterijin  Field  Club.— July  i.— The  members 
of  this  club  paid  a  visit  to  the  Chesters,  the  Cilumiim 
of  the  Romans,  the  grounds  and  antiquities  of  which, 
by  the  kindness  of  John  Clayton,  Esq.,  were  thrown 
open  for  their  inspection.  After  examining  the  ancient 
masonry  of  the  bridge,  the  party,  which  numbered 
upwards  of  thirty,  retraced  their  steps  and  sauntered 
on  to  the  Chesters,  visiting  alittle  rustic  museum  which 
contains  a  most  unique  collection  of  Roman  relics,  in- 
cluding a  small  stone  draught-board,  chips  of  pottery, 
statues  and  numerous  household  gods  with  battered 
noses  and  time-worn  faces,  besides  bones  of  extinct 
animals  and  other  curious  etceteras.  The  remains  of 
the  Roman  town  were  then  visited.  The  forum  stood 
clearly  defined,  its  boundaries  being  marked  by  the 
bases  of  the  pillars  which  supported  the  roof.  Portions 
of  the  Roman  streets,  paved  with  huge  blocks,  were 
exposed  to  view.  The  baths,  conduits,  and  heating 
arrangements  were  pointed  out  and  explained.  One 
particularly  noticeable  object  was  a  pretty  little  purple 
flower,  a  native  of  Italy,  which  grows  in  tufts  in  the 
crevices  of  the  masonry.  It  is  not  known  to  grow 
anywhere  else  in  this  country.  An  arched  cavern,  to 
which  a  few  steps  descend,  was  examined.  Mr. 
Wilson  stated  that  at  Pompeii  there  was  a  similar 
structure,  and  that  there  it  had  been  used  as  a  place 
of  detention  for  prisoners.  A  series  of  stone  recesses, 
like  dovecotes  in  appearance,  also  commanded  con- 
siderable attention.  Mr.  Wilson  mentioned  by  way  of 
suggestion  that  the  Appian  Way  at  Rome  is  full  of 
them.  They  are  known  as  coluuiharia.  Each  family 
in  ancient  Rome  had  one  of  them,  and  when  a  member 
of  the  family  died  the  body  was  burnt,  and  the  ashes 
were  put  into  a  small  urn  and  dejiosited  in  the  family 
burying-place.  It  was  interesting  to  note  that  in  some 
places  the  stone  steps  leading  into  the  various  apart- 
ments had  been  almost  worn  away  by  the  tread  of 
countless  feet  in  ages  long  since  dead. 

Malvern  Naturalists"  Field  Club.— Excursion  to 
Bosbury.— The  parly  were  driven  in  a  break  by  the 
Wyche  Road  to  Colwall,  where  the  church  was  open 
to  inspection.  The  entrance  door  shows  Norman 
date,    Imt   the   nave   divided  into  aisles  by  pointed 


ajches  extends  into  several  later  periods.  There  is 
little  of  interest  in  sepulchral  monuments,  but  in  the 
south  aisle  is  a  sculptured  coat  of  arms  inscribed 
"  Walweyn  Rudhale,"  and  a  flat  stone  beneath  covers 
his  remains.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  founder  of 
schools  in  London  connected  with  the  Grocers'  Com- 
pany, and  a  school  on  his  foundation  is  still  kept  up 
in  this  parish,  dated  from  1587.  On  the  arms  a 
motto  is  inscribed  :  "  Doe  well  and  fear  not."  On 
the  south  wall  of  the  church  is  a  memorial  to  Eliza- 
beth Harford,  1590,  inscribed  on  a  square  of  copper. 
Near  the  church  is  an  old  timbered  house,  which  in 
olden  times  is  stated  to  have  been  a  hunting  seat  of 
the  Bishops  of  Hereford,  and  it  has  some  curious 
rooms  within  it,  which  were  inspected  by  the  party, 
and  it  is  said  that  Bishop  Latimer  was  connected 
with  one  of  the  rooms,  and  there  was  a  tradition 
about  it.  Two  massive  oaks  many  centuries  old  are 
in  a  field  in  the  vicinity,  but  one  has  lately  been  blown 
down.  A  forward  move  was  next  made  to  Bosbury. 
The  church  is  a  large  and  noble  building  of  twelfth 
century  date,  the  style  being  transitional  Norman, 
both  in  the  pillars  supporting  the  arches  of  the  nave 
and  in  the  deep  splayed  recesses  of  the  windows, 
which  contain  lancets.  On  each  side  of  the  chancel 
are  two  very  large  sculptured  monuments  with  effigies 
of  the  Harford  family,  who  flourished  at  Bosbury  in 
the  sixteenth  century.  The  chantry  chapel  of  Sir 
Rowland  Morton  at  the  east  end  of  the  south  aisle, 
erected  about  1528,  in  memory  of  Sir  Rowland's  wife, 
has  a  very  elegant  roof  of  fanlight  groining.  There 
are  two  fonts,  and  the  older  one,  which  is  very  rude, 
was  discovered  under  the  pavement  during  restoration 
work  in  1844,  and  no  doubt  belonged  to  the  Saxon 
church  here  in  the  eighth  or  ninth  century.  The  tower 
is  one  of  those  almost  peculiar  to  Herefordshire, 
standing  separately  in  the  churchyard,  and  is  a  square 
massive  embattled  building,  looking  like  a  castle, 
having  an  almost  impenetrable  door.  Six  other 
separate  towers  exist  in  Herefordshire.  An  enormous 
mass  of  rock  lies  on  one  side  of  the  tower,  which  it 
has  been  suggested  may  have  belonged  to  a  ruined 
monument.  There  is  a  pillar  in  the  churchyard  sur- 
mounted by  a  St.  Cuthbert's  cross,  which  is  one  of  the 
very  few  perfect  crosses  that  were  not  upset  in 
Puritanical  times.  It  is  said  that  the  incumbent  of 
that  day  was  only  allowed  to  keep  it  standing  by 
placing  upon  it  this  inscription,  which  yet  remains  : 

Honour  not  the  X 

But  honour  God  for  Christ. 

Newcastle  Society  of  Antiquaries  and  Cumber- 
land and  Westmoreland  Archaeological  Society. 

— July  3. — The  members  commenced  their  pilgrimage 
along  the  Roman  wall,  by  visiting  the  site  of  the  old 
Rom.in  station  Segedunum,  and  tracing  the  course  of 
the  wall  and  the  fosse  as  far  as  Newcastle.  The  Earl  of 
Ravensworth,  president  of  the  society,  accompanied 
the  i)arty,  amongst  whom  was  the  venerable  local  anti- 
quary, Dr.  Bruce.— On  Monday  morning,  the  pilgrims 
along  the  line  of  the  Roman  wall  resumed  their 
journey.  They  met  at  the  Castle,  and  started  for  Ben- 
well — the  Condercum  of  the  Romans.  On  arriving 
here  they  entered  the  grounds  of  Colonel  Dyer,  and 
examined  the  foundations  of  a  Roman  temple  in  front 
of  his  house.  The  pilgrims  then  went  into  the  neigh- 
bouring grounds  of  Mr.  Mulchester,  where  a  number 


8o 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


of  sculptured  stones  of  Roman  workmanship  were 
exhibited,  and,  in  the  house,  considerable  numbers  of 
fragments  of  Roman  pottery.  The  company  then 
drove  to  Denton.  At  Denton  Hall  they  alighted,  and 
were  shown  a  British  boat,  taken  a  few  years  ago 
from  the  bed  of  the  Tyne,  and  several  centurial  stones. 
This  house  was  at  one  time  the  residence  of  Lady 
Mary  Wortley  Montagu,  and  here  she  was  visited  by 
Dr.  Samuel  Johnson.  The  pilgrims  were  shown  a 
room  said  to  have  been  occupied  by  the  great  lexico- 
grapher, and  a  shaded  garden  path  still  known  as 
"  Dr.  Johnson's  walk."  From  Denton  the  party  drove 
forward  to  Heddon-on-the-Wall,  and  here  left  the 
road  to  examine  an  interesting  portion  of  the  wall. 
The  pilgrims  drove  forward  to  Rudchester,  the  Vindo- 
bala  of  the  Romans.  Here  they  entered  the  house 
occupied  by  Mr.  James,  and  were  shown  a  fireplace 
into  which  an  inscribed  centurial  stone  and  two 
Roman  altars  had  been  walled.  The  outline  of  the 
station  was  traced  with  difficulty,  but  excavations 
carried  on  during  the  past  few  days  have  revealed  the 
foundations  of  what  were  no  doubt  barrack  buildings 
just  within  the  eastern  rampart.  After  a  short  stay  at 
Harlow  Hill,  where  an  interesting  portion  of  the  wall 
has  just  been  exposed  by  excavation,  the  company 
drove  forward  to  Halton  Castle.  Here  they  found 
many  objects  of  interest.  The  castle  is  a  fine  example 
of  the  fortified  peel-towers,  which  we  find  in  large 
numbers  throughout  the  county  of  Northumberland. 
The  house,  which  was  probably  built  about  the  close 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  was  formerly  a  residence  of 
the  Carnabies,  but  is  now  the  property  and  residence 
of  Lady  Blackett.  Walled  into  building  the  houses 
adjoining  are  several  sculptured  funeral  stones  of 
Roman  workmanship,  whilst  close  by  are  the  ramparts 
of  the  station  designated  by  the  Romans  Hunnum, 
and  now  known  as  Halton  Chesters.  After  leaving 
Halton,  the  pilgrims  descended  into  the  valley  of  the 
North  Tyne.  Here  they  entered  the  grounds  of 
Brunton,  the  residence  of  Major  Waddilove,  and 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  finest  portion  of  the 
wall  with  which  they  had  as  yet  come  into  contact. 
It  is  here  seven  feet  high,  and  presents  nine  courses 
of  facing  stones.  On  the  north  side  of  the  wall  is  a 
remarkable  Roman  altar  which  has  been  removed 
from  the  neighbouring  chapel  of  St.  Oswald.  The 
party  then  descended  the  hill  to  the  bank  of  the 
North  Tyne  in  order  to  examine  the  abutment  of  the 
Roman  bridge  which  here  crossed  the  stream.  This 
completed  the  day's  pilgrimage. — On  Tuesday,  they 
proceeded  to  the  neighbouring  station  of  Cilurnum, 
within  the  grounds  of  Mr.  John  Clayton.  Here  Dr. 
Bruce  drew  attention  to  the  open  court  or  market  in 
which  the  less  perishable  wares  were  offered  for  sale, 
and  to  the  covered  market  intended  for  wares  of  a 
more  perishable  character.  The  worn  threshold,  over 
which  the  carriers'  carts  had  often  passed,  was  also 
noticed.  Leaving  the  station,  the  party  moved  round 
to  the  front  of  Mr.  Clayton's  house,  in  the  portico  of 
which  a  large  number  of  altars  and  other  Roman 
stones  are  preserved.  The  pilgrims  then  left  the 
Chesters  and  returned  to  the  high  road.  Here  the 
road  runs  upon  the  wall,  and  the  stones  of  the 
latter  may  be  seen  at  frequent  intervals  embedded 
in  the  surface  of  the  former.  A  curious  cottage 
was  passed  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  road,  of  which 


the  northern  gable,  which  rises  considerably  above 
the  house,  is  battlemented.  It  is  known  as  the 
Tower  Taye.  Shortly  afterwards  the  party  reached 
Limestone  Bank.  Here  both  the  north  and  south 
ditches  are  cut  through  the  solid  basaltic  rock.  The 
next  point  of  interest  reached  by  the  pilgrims  was  the 
station  of  Carpawburgh  or  Procohtia.  Keeping  to 
the  line  of  the  wall,  the  party  reached  Housesteads  or 
Borcovicus.  The  wall  itself  comes  up  to  the  north-east 
corner  of  the  station.  With  the  exception  of  Chesters, 
this  is  the  most  interesting  station  along  the  whole 
line.  From  Housesteads  the  pilgrims  again  followed 
the  line  of  the  wall,  which  is  here  remarkably  well 
preserved,  till  they  reached  a  farmstead  known  as 
Hot  Bank,  where  they  left  the  wall  and  returned  to 
the  highway.  They  then  drove  to  Chesterholm,  the 
Vindolana  of  the  Romans,  a  station  situated  not  on 
the  line  of  the  wall,  but  about  a  mile  to  the  south  of 
it.  A  Roman  milestone,  the  inscription  on  which  is 
almost  obliterated,  still  stands  where  it  was  placed  by 
Roman  hands,  and  in  an  adjoining  house  a  large 
number  of  most  interesting  sculptured  stones  have 
been  built  into  the  walls.  The  pilgrims  then  drove  to 
the  station  at  Bardon  Mill. — On  Wednesday,  the 
pilgrims  returned  to  take  up  the  wall  at  the  point  left 
on  the  previous  day.  Winshields  Crag,  1,230  feet 
above  the  sea,  was  reached  at  2.15.  This  marks  the 
highest  point  of  the  wall.  Bogle  Hole  and  Cow  Gap 
follow  after  heavy  alternations  of  clambering  and 
descent.  Great  Chesters  ( Aesica)  was  reached  at  3.40 ; 
Walltown  was  reached  by  the  advanced  party  at  4.30. 
On  the  wall,  at  the  summit  of  one  of  the  peaks 
between  Walltown  and  the  station  of  Magna,  a  turret, 
just  excavated  under  the  instruction  of  Mr.  Lamb, 
was  examined.  A  great  quantity  of  bones,  iron  tools, 
pottery,  etc.,  were  exposed,  as  well  as  a  fine  bronze 
loop.  The  station  of  Carvoran  (Magna)  was  reached 
at  5.50.  Its  situation  out  of  the  line  of  the  wall,  and 
almost  obliterated  site,  were  noted.  This  station  has 
been  recently  purchased  by  Mr.  John  Clayton,  and 
excavations  on  the  northern  and  eastern  ramparts 
have  already  been  commenced.  The  proceedings 
concluded  at  Willow  Ford. 

Yorkshire  Naturalists*  Union. — Excursion  to 
Bridlington  and  District. — ^June  4th. — The  boulder 
clay  of  that  part  of  Yorkshire  known  as  Holderness 
has  long  been  minutely  studied  by  Mr.  Lamplugh. 
It  has  now  been  classified  in  four  divisions,  the  top 
being,  at  present,  correlated  with  the  Hessle  clay, 
succeeded  by  the  upper  and  lower  purple  clays,  these 
overlying  the  basement  clay.  In  the  last-named 
division  occur  those  transported  masses  of  sand  and 
clay  full  of  mollusca,  so  well  known  to  geologists  as 
the  "Bridlington  Crag."  There  are  also  beds  of 
gravel,  sand,  or  clay,  parting  the  four  divisions 
named,  which,  no  doubt,  represent  inter -glacial 
periods.  A  short  distance  along  the  beach  at  Brid- 
lington, Mr.  Lamplugh  pointed  out  in  the  cliffs  a  fine 
section  showing  the  upper  and  lower  purple  and  base- 
ment clays  ;  here  and  there,  in  the  latter,  occurred 
those  fossiliferous  patches  already  named.  Proceed- 
ing farther,  a  bed  of  inter-glacial  clay  on  the  beach 
was  noted.  Mr.  Lamplugh  also  directed  attention  to 
those  beds  of  sand  and  gravel  and  laminated  clay 
which  rest  upon  the  upper  purple  clay,  more  particu- 
larly in  the  cliffs  opposite  Sewerby,  and  known  as  the 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


»i 


"  Sewerby  Gravels."  Proceeding,  the  ancient  chalk 
cliff  which  runs  inland  was  seen,  evidence  that  pre- 
vious to  the  great  ice  age  the  sea  covered  Holderness, 
the  line  of  coast  being  in  the  direction  of  Burton 
Agnes,  Craike  Hill,  and  Hessle.  Some  pre-glacial 
beds  of  sand  and  chalk  debris  were  noted.  Then 
evidence  of  the  great  pre-glacial  valley  was  seen,  filled 
up  during  the  glacial  period,  and  since,  at  Dane's 
Dyke,  partially  re-excavated  by  denudation.  The 
fine  cliffs  of  the  upper  chalk  were  now  passed,  ex- 
hibiting in  some  places  fine  examples  of  contortion, 
the  result  of  lateral  pressure.  At  South  Landing  the 
cliffs  were  ascended,  and  the  way  taken  across  the 
fields  to  the  lighthouses  and  to  that  beautiful  bay 
known  as  Selwick's  Bay,  although  on  the  Ordnance 
map  it  is  erroneously  named  Silex  Bay.  Here  were 
some  special  matters  of  interest ;  in  the  centre  of  the 
bay  a  fault  occurs,  the  strata  being  much  bent  and 
broken,  and  from  this  cause  the  sea  has  been  enabled 
to  make  an  inroad  and  form  Selwick's  Bay.  The 
fissures  of  the  broken  chalk  have  since  been  beauti- 
fully filled  by  calc  spar.  On  nearing  the  extreme 
corner  of  Flamborough  Head  on  the  south  side,  flints, 
both  nodular  and  tabular,  begin  to  appear,  and  on  the 
south  side  of  Selwick's  Bay  they  were  seen  in  vast 
numbers.  Mr.  Lamplugh  proved  the  existence  of  this 
fault  by  showing  that  the  chalk  on  the  north  side  of 
the  slip  contains  no  flints  whatever,  and  they  do  not 
reappear  till  a  little  distance  to  the  north.  A  very 
curious  matter  was  pointed  out  here — a  mass  of  blue 
Speeton  clay,  stranded  on  the  top  of  the  chalk,  which 
contains  many  of  the  characteristic  Neocomian  fossils. 
Here,  too,  were  a  couple  of  isolated  pinnacles  of 
white  chalk  standing  out  like  sentinels.  Keeping  the 
edge  of  the  cliff,  were  arches,  caves,  and  miniature 
bays  in  abundance  ;  pillars  and  pinnacles  in  other 
places,  as  in  the  case  of  the  King  and  Queen  Rocks. 
The  latter  were  formerly  the  supports  of  gigantic  sea 
caves,  but  since  the  falling  in  of  the  roof  they  stand 
out  in  melancholy  isolation,  destined  in  their  turn, 
before  the  ceaseless  attacks  of  the  waves,  to  finally 
disappear.  At  Breil  Point  was  noticed  a  "  blow- 
hole," where  the  water  is  violently  ejected  from  the 
force  of  the  compressed  air,  and  flies  in  fine  spray  at 
right  angles  to  the  rock.  These  "blow-holes"  will 
eventually  become  caves — thus  the  work  of  denuda- 
tion actively  goes  on.  The  cliffs  are  here  capped  with 
boulder  clay,  which  weathers  most  curiously,  as  in 
Filey  Bay,  into  knife-shaped  edges.  The  party  next 
arrived  at  Thornwick  Bay,  where  the  way  was  taken 
along  the  cliffs,  arriving  at  length  at  the  wonderful 
earthwork  known  as  Dane's  Dike.  This  great  defen- 
sive work  runs  north  and  south,  a  distance  of  two  and 
a  half  miles  from  cliff  to  cliff,  and  is  of  nearly  uniform 
height  all  along,  being  about  i8  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  ground,  and  having  a  ditch  60  feet  wide  on  the 
outside.  Although  the  name  "  Dane's  Dyke "  is 
used  when  speaking  of  this  earthwork,  it  is  evidently 
a  misnomer,  as  excavations  carried  on  systematically 
by  competent  arch^ologists  have  discovered  weapons 
and  other  relics  of  a  higher  antiquity  than  the  Danish 
invasions  of  England.  Farther  on,  near  Scale  Nab, 
were  seen  some  extraordinary  contortions  in  the  chalk 
cliffs,  the  strata  being  bent  and  folded  most  remark- 
ably. The  explanation  for  this  must  be  the  same  as 
accounts  for  the  contorted  limestone  at  Draughton, 


that  is,  immense  lateral  pressure  long  after  the  strata 
were  deposited,  and  when  they  were  covered  by  an 
immense  thickness  of  overlying  rocks. 

Tyneside  Naturalists'  Field  Club.— June  4th. — 
The  first  meeting  of  the  Tyneside  Naturalists'  Field 
Club  was  held  at  Ebchester,  Newlands,  and  Shotley 
Bridge.  Proceeding  to  the  village  they  visited  the 
church  under  the  guidance  of  the  Rev.  H.  Linth- 
waite,  F'rom  the  church  they  proceeded  to  the  site 
of  an  old  Roman  camp,  which  was  the  station  between 
Binchester,  Bishop  Auckland,  and  Corbridge.  Sub- 
sequently they  witnessed  the  walls  of  fields  and 
houses :  and  on  the  walls  of  the  church  there  still 
remain  Roman  inscriptions,  which  are  more  or  less 
defaced,  some  of  which  are  described  in  Dr.  Bruce's 
Lapidarium  Septentrionale. 

Newcastle  Society  of  Antiquaries. — May  29. — 
The  monthly  meeting  of  this  Society  was  held  on 
Wednesday,  at  the  Castle.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Bruce  pre- 
sided. Among  the  publications  received  was  a  sup- 
plementary work  on  the  Roman  Wall,  in  German,  the 
author  of  which,  Dr.  Hodgkin  stated,  had  been  in- 
duced to  devote  his  life  to  the  subject  by  reading 
Dr.  Bruce's  book  on  the  Roman  Wall  many  years  ago. 
Dr.  Hodgkin  further  remarked  that,  before  the  Eng- 
lish left  Egypt,  they  might  perhaps  be  able  to  secure 
some  information  concerning  the  Roman  remains  in 
that  country. — Mr.  Sheriton  Holmes  read  a  paper  on 
"  The  Roman  Bridge  at  Chollerford." — A  communi- 
cation from  Mr.  G.  H.  Thompson,  of  Alnwick,  on 
the  incised  markings  on  rocks  at  Berwick,  was  read  by 
the  President,  the  writer  giving  the  assurance  that 
the  markings  were  quite  safe  in  the  hands  of  the  Duke 
of  Northumberland. 


Cfte  antiquarp's  ii3ote='J5oofe. 


Ancient   Egypt.— Remarkable    Discovery. — A 

very  curious  and  interesting  discovery  has  been  made 
in  the  loneliest  and  dreariest  corner  of  the  North- 
Eastern  Delta.  In  a  land  where  previous  explorers 
have  found  only  temples  and  tombs — the  monuments 
of  an  extinct  faith  and  the  graves  of  a  dead  nation — 
Mr.  Flinders  Petrie  has  lighted  upon  the  ruins  of  a 
royal  palace.  Not  a  palace  of  the  dubious  prehistoric 
Byzantine  sort,  but  a  genuine  and  highly  respectable 
structure,  with  an  unblemished  pedigree,  and  a  definite 
place  in  the  history  of  four  great  nations.  In  a  word, 
the  fortunate  finder  has  discovered  the  ruins  of  that 
very  palace  to  which,  as  recorded  in  the  Book  of  the 
Prophet  Jeremiah  (chapter  xliii.),  Johanan,  the  son  of 
Kareah,  followed  by  "  all  the  captains  of  the  forces," 
and  "  the  remnant  of  Judah,"  brought  the  fugitive 
daughters  of  Zedekiah,  then  a  dethroned  and  muti- 
lated captive  in  Babylon.  This  flight  of  the  Hebrew 
princesses  took  place  about  B.C.  585,  during  the  reign 
of  Ua-ab-Ra  (26th  Egyptian  dynasty),  whom  the 
Hebrews  called  Hophra,  and  the  Greeks  Apries, 
The  Pharaoh  received  them  with  hospitality.  To  the 
mass  of  Jewish  immigrants  he  granted  tracts  of  land 


82 


THE  ANTIQUARY S  NOTE-BOOK. 


extending  from  Tahpanhes  to  Bubastis,  while  to  the 
daughters  of  Zedekiah,  his  former  ally,  he  assigned 
this  royal  residence,  which  the  Bible  calls  "  Pharaoh's 
house  m  Tahpanhes."  At  the  time  when  these  events 
happened  the  whole  of  this  part  of  the  Delta,  to  the 
westward  as  far  as  Tanis  (San),  to  the  southward  as 
far  as  Wady  Tumilat,  was  a  rich  pastoral  district, 
fertilized  by  the  annual  overflow  of  the  Pelusiac  and 
Tanitic  arms  of  the  Nile.  It  is  now  a  wilderness, 
half  marsh,  half  desert.  Toward  the  eastern  extremity 
of  this  wilderness,  in  the  midst  of  an  arid  waste,  re- 
lieved by  only  a  few  sandhills  overgrown  with  stunted 
tamarisk  bushes,  lie  the  mounds  of  Defenneh.  Far 
from  the  roads,  villages,  or  cultivated  soil,  it  is  a 
place  which  no  traveller  goes  out  of  his  way  to  visit, 
and  which  no  explorer  has  hitherto  attempted  to 
excavate.  Sixteen  miles  of  marsh  separate  it  on  the 
one  side  from  Tanis,  while  on  the  other  the  horizon 
is  bounded  by  the  heron-haunted  lagunes  of  Lake 
Menzaleh  and  the  mud  swamps  of  the  plain  of  Pelu- 
sium.  The  mounds  consist  of  three  groups  situate 
from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  apart,  the  intermediate  flat 
being  covered  with  stone  chips,  potsherds,  and  the 
remains  of  brick  foundations.  These  chips,  potsherds, 
and  foundations  mark  the  site  of  an  important  city  in 
which  the  lines  of  the  streets  and  the  boundaries  of 
two  or  three  large  enclosures  are  yet  visible.  Two  of 
the  mounds  are  apparently  mere  rubbish-heaps  of  the 
ordinary  type  ;  the  third  is  entirely  composed  of  the 
burnt  and  blackened  ruins  of  a  huge  pile  of  brick 
buildings,  visible,  like  a  lesser  Birs  Nimroud,  for  a 
great  distance  across  the  plain.  Arriving  at  his  des- 
tination towards  evening,  footsore  and  weary,  Mr. 
Petrie  beheld  this  singular  object  standing  high 
against  a  lurid  sky  and  reddened  by  a  fiery  sunset. 
His  Arabs  hastened  to  tell  him  its  local  name ;  and 
he  may  be  envied  the  delightful  surprise  with  which 
he  learnt  that  it  is  known  far  and  near  as  "  El  Kasrel 
Bint  el  Yahudi " — "  the  Castle  of  the  Jew's  Daughter." 
The  building  was  first  a  stronghold,  quadrangular, 
lofty,  massive ;  in  appearance  very  like  the  keep  of 
Rochester  Castle.  This  stronghold  was  built  by 
Psammetichus  I.,  whose  foundation  deposits  (con- 
sisting of  libation-vessels,  corn-rubbers,  specimens  of 
ores,  model  bricks,  the  bones  of  a  sacrificial  ox  and 
of  a  small  bird,  and  a  series  of  little  tablets  in  gold, 
silver,  lapis-lazuli,  jasper,  cornelian,  and  porcelain, 
engraved  with  the  royal  name  and  titles)  have  been 
discovered  by  Mr.  Petrie  under  the  four  corners  of 
the  building.  The  name  of  the  founder  being  thus 
determined,  we  at  once  know  for  what  purpose  the 
castle  was  erected.  Plaving  fought  his  way  to  the 
throne  by  means  of  a  force  of  Carian  and  Ionian 
mercenaries,  Psammetichus  granted  them  a  perma- 
nent settlement  at  "  Daphnre  of  Pelusium,"  where, 
according  to  Herodotus,  they  occupied  two  large 
camps,  one  on  each  side  of  the  river.  Now,  this 
"  Kasr,"  built  by  Psammetichus,  probably  al;out 
B.C.  665  or  666,  stands  in  the  midst  of  what  was  once 
a  square  courtyard,  the  whole  being  again  enclosed 
with  an  immense  walled  area  measuring  2,000  feet  in 
length  by  1,000  feet  in  breadth.  Its  great  boundary 
wall  was  50  feet  in  thickness.  Some  three  or  four 
acres  of  the  enclosed  soil  have  been  turned  over  by 
Mr.  Petrie's  Arabs  to  a  depth  of  six  inches,  and  have 
yielded  an  extraordinary  number  of  arrow-heads,  in 


bronze  and  iron,  besides  horses'  bits,  iron  and  bronze 
tools,  fragments  of  iron  grating,  iron  chains,  etc. 
The  place  is  not  merely  a  ruin,  but  a  burnt  ruin,  the 
upper  portions  of  which  have  fallen  in  and  buried  the 
basements.  Furthermore,  it  was  plundered,  dis- 
mantled, and  literally  hacked  to  pieces  before  it  was 
set  on  fire.  The  state-rooms,  if  one  may  use  so 
modern  a  phrase,  were  lined  with  slabs  of  fine  lime- 
stone covered  with  hieroglyphic  inscriptions,  bas- 
relief  figures  of  captives,  and  the  like,  most  delicately 
sculptured  and  painted.  These  now  lie  in  heaps  of 
splintered  fragments,  from  among  which  Mr.  Petrie 
has  with  difficulty  selected  a  few  perfect  specimens. 
The  whole  place,  in  short,  tells  a  tale  of  rapine  and 
vengeance.  It  would  be  idle,  under  these  circum- 
stances, to  hope  for  the  discovery  of  objects  of  value 
among  the  ruins.  Moreover,  it  was  only  in  the  base- 
ment chambers,  where  things  might  have  fallen 
through  from  above,  or  have  been  left  in  situ,  that 
there  seemed  to  be  any  prospect  of  "finds"  for  the 
explorer.  There  is  certainly  nothing  very  romantic 
in  the  discovery  of  a  kitchen,  a  butler's  pantry,  and  a 
scullery.  Yet  even  these  domestic  arcana  become 
interesting  when  they  form  part  of  an  ancient  Egyptian 
palace  of  2,552  years  ago.  In  other  chambers  there 
have  been  found  large  quantities  of  early  Greek  vases, 
ranging  from  B.C.  550  to  B.C.  600,  some  finely  painted 
with  scenes  of  giganto-machia,  chimeras,  harpies, 
sphinxes,  processions  of  damsels,  dancers,  chariot- 
races,  and  the  like,  nearly  all  broken,  but  many  quite 
mendable  ;  also  several  big  amphorae  with  large  loop 
handles,  quite  perfect.  Some  small  tablets  inscribed 
with  the  name  of  Amasis  (Ahmes  II.)  and  a  large 
bronze  seal  of  Apries  (Hophra)  are  important,  inas- 
much as  they  complete  the  name-links  in  the  historic 
chain  of  the  26th  dynasty.  Apries  brings  us  to 
B.C.  591 — 570,  and  to  the  time  of  the  flight  of  the 
daughters  of  Zedekiah.  It  may  be  that  the  Egyptian 
monarch  added  on  some  of  the  later  external  chambers 
of  the  "  Kasr"  for  the  accommodation  of  their  suite; 
for  "all  the  captains  of  the  forces,"  all  the  nobles, 
and  priests,  and  merchants  of  Judea  were  among  the 
immigrant  multitude.  With  them,  also,  sorely  against 
his  will  and  judgment,  came  the  prophet  Jeremiah, 
whose  first  act  on  arriving  at  Tahpanhes  was  to  fore- 
tell the  pursuit  of  the  Babylonian  host : — "  Then 
came  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Jeremiah  in  Tah- 
panhes, saying,  Take  great  stones  in  thine  hand,  and 
hide  them  in  mortar  in  the  Ijrickwork  which  is  at  the 
entry  of  Pharaoh's  house  in  Tahpanhes,  in  the  sight 
of  the  men  of  Judah  ;  and  say  unto  them.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel :  Behold,  I  will 
send  and  take  Nebuchadrezzar  the  King  of  Babylon, 
My  servant,  and  will  set  his  throne  upon  these  stones 
that  I  have  hid  ;  and  he  shall  spread  his  royal  pavilion 
over  them.  And  he  shall  come,  and  shall  smite  the 
land  of  Egypt ;  such  as  are  for  death  shall  be  given 
to  death,  and  such  as  are  for  captivity  to  captivity, 
and  such  as  are  for  the  sword  to  the  sword  "  (Jere- 
miah xliii.  8-1 1).  To  identify  Jeremiah's  stones 
(unless  he  had  first  inscribed  them,  which  is  unlikely) 
would  of  course  be  impossible.  Yet  Mr.  Petrie  has 
looked  for  them  diligently,  and  turned  up  the  brick- 
work in  every  part.  Did  Nebuchadrezzar  really  come 
to  Tahpanhes  and  spread  his  royal  pavilion  on  that 
very  s^xjt,   and   was  Jeremiah's  prophecy  fulfilled  ? 


THE  ANTIQUARY'S  NOTE-BOOK. 


83 


Egyptian  inscriptions  say  that  he  came,  and  that 
Apries  defeated  him  ;  Babylonian  inscriptions  state 
that  he  conquered,  and  the  truth  is  hard  to  discover. 
At  all  events,  there  are  three  clay  cylinders  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar in  the  Museum  at  Boulak  inscribed  with 
the  great  king's  name,  titles,  parentage,  etc.,  which 
there  is  much  reason  to  believe  were  found  a  few 
years  ago  at  this  place,  and  not,  as  the  Arab  sellers 
stated,  at  Tussun,  in  the  isthmus.  Such  cylinders 
were  taken  with  him  by  Nebuchadnezzar  in  his 
campaigns  for  the  purpose  of  marking  the  place  where 
he  planted  his  standard  and  throne  of  victory.  The 
smashed,  shattered,  and  calcined  ruins  of  "  Pharaoh's 
house  in  Tahpanhes  "  tell  the  end  of  the  story. — 
Times, 

The  Office  of  "  Dog- Whipper."— Amongst  the 
officials  of  Exeter  Cathedral,  until  a  few  years  ago, 
was  the  Dog-Whipper,  whose  duty  was  to  keep  dogs 
out  of  the  building.  On  his  death  the  office,  having 
become  a  sinecure,  was  abolished.  His  widow  has 
since  been  employed  as  caretaker  at  the  prebendal 
house  in  the  cloisters,  but  was  a  few  days  ago  pro- 
vided with  one  of  the  Dingham  free  cottages,  of  which 
charity  the  Dean  is  a  leading  trustee.  The  office  of 
Dog-Whipper  formerly  existed  in  many  large  churches, 
but  the  late  functionary  at  Exeter  Cathedral  was  the 
last  survivor  of  his  order. 

Antiquities  of  Godolphin,  Cornwall.  —By  Rev. 
S.  RuNDLE,  Vicar  of  Godolphin. — The  following 
is  a  good  specimen  of  what  is  hoped  to  be  accomplished 
for  every  parish  in  Cornwall  : 

Ancient  Chapels. — I.  vSt.  Mary,  Godolphin  Hall. 
Destroyed.  Large  quantities  of  human  bones  found 
on  its  supposed  site. 

II.  Pengilley.  Destroyed,  Also  large  quantities 
of  bones  found.     (Not  mentioned  in  county  histories.) 

III.  Tregonning.     Destroyed. 

Crosses. — Newton  Cross  :  flat  stone,  standing  at 
the  head  of  Pengelly  Lane.  Cross  had  disappeared 
years  ago  ;  socket  still  remains.  Fires  used  to  be 
kindled  at  certain  times. 

I.  Cross  (supposed)  standing  near  a  pool,  as  a  gate- 
post, on  the  road  from  Carleen  to  Chytodon. 

II.  Cross — built  in  a  hedge.  Stump  and  two  arms 
only.  At  the  gap  near  the  cross-roads  from  Breage 
and  Helston  on  the  way  to  Spernon.  Used  to  stand 
close  to  its  present  position. 

III.  Cross.  Supposed  to  be  built  into  John  Adams's 
house  at  Ruth-dower,  Godolphin.  Mr.  James  Toll, 
Pengersick,  remembers  it  standing  near  the  entrance 
of  the  road  from  Godolphin  Cross  to  Pengilley.  Me 
is  now  87.  He  recollects  it  when  about  12. — [Date 
of  memo.,  ix.  :  3  :  '85.] 

Round  Earthworks, — I.  Tregonning  Hill.  One 
with  a  double  vallum  on  the  summit :  a  second  on 
the  eastern  slope. — [x.  :  3  :  '85.] 

II.  Carsluick,  in  the  farm-yanl.  The  farm  used  to 
l)e  known  as  Castle  Sluey  (SUiey-Carsluick.)  De- 
molished some  years  ago  by  Mr.  \V.  Edwards,  the 
tenant.— [x.  :  3  :  '85.] 

HI.  In  the  upper  part  of  a  field  near  Grammer 
Polly's  Lane,  just  below  Great  Work. — [x.  :  3  :  '85.] 

IV.  In  a  field  near  Carsluick  are  to  be  seen  the 
faint  traces  of  a  circular  earthwork.  It  was  demolished 
several  years  ago,  in  the  summer.  However,  its  site 
is  plainly  marked  by  the  deeper  hue  of  the  grass. 


V.  One  at  Penhale  :  position  still  remaining. 

VI.  One  at  Penjwedna  :  demolished. 

Jews'  Houses.— I,  Supposed  one  within  two  fields 
west  of  Godolphin  Hall.     Covered  over. 

Carved  iitones,  etc, — I.  Carved  stone,  used  as  a  gate- 
post for  the  house  of  John  Symons,  at  Gwednx 

II.  Replica  of  the  above,  forming  a  horizontal 
stepping-stone  in  a  stile  in  the  second  field  (path)  from 
Godolphin  to  Pengilley. 

III.  Upper  stone  of  a  quern,  or  handmill,  built 
into  a  stable  at  Tregonning,  on  the  left-hand  side  of 
the  road  going  up  the  hill,  immediately  after  leaving 
Tregonning  Farm. 

Old  Buildings,  etc, — I.  Spernon  Farm,  said  to  be 
the  oldest  house  in  the  parish  of  St.  Breage.  Its  walls 
are  also  said  to  be  the  thickest. 

II.  Old  house,  now  used  as  stables,  at  Tregonning 
Farm  :  remarkable  on  account  of  its  being  pierced 
with  loop-holes. 

III.  Old  pound  at  Godolphin  Hall. 

IV.  Two  or  three  carvetl  stones  (rude)  formerly  be- 
longing to  the  old  house  (traditionally  believed  to  be  a 
church),  at  Trescow,  lying  in  the  road. 

V.  Old  well  on  the  west  slope  of  Godolphin  Hill, 
called  "The  Giants'  Well."  There  are  traces  of 
masonry.  A  little  water  flows  into  the  hollow  in 
winter. 

VI.  Old  gate-posts  and  ornaments  at  Pengilley  ; 
portions  of  the  house  :  very  old. 

VII.  Old  granite  doorway  at  Dover. 

[At  Clob  Street,  St.  Crowan,  just  over  the  boun- 
daries of  the  parish,  there  is  an  ancient  doorway,  pro- 
bably removed  from  Godolphin  Hall,  where  there  was 
a  great  destruction  of  rooms  in  the  last  century.] 

VIII.  Near  Godolphin  Hall  is  a  field,  formerly  the 
deer  park,  and  still  known  by  that  name.  The  deer 
were  removed  within  living  memory.  Tradition 
relates  that  Mr.  Popham,  of  Trevarno,  was  nearly 
ruined  by  a  lawsuit  caused  by  his  hounds  chasing  one 
of  the  deer,  and  killing  it  at  St.  Day — a  run  of  about 
12  miles. 

IX.  Site  and  ruin  of  smelting-house  at  Wheal  Vor. 
Stone  Ciixks,  Burial-places,  etc. — I.  Stone  circle  on 

the  top  of  Godolphin  Hill. 

II.  Jews'  Lane  Hill,  in  the  lane  leading  from 
Godolphin  to  Gwedna.  A  tree  is  still  shown,  where  a 
Jew  hung  himself,  and  a  stone  in  the  road  just  below 
marks  his  grave— [ix.  :  3  :  '85].  His  ghost,  in  the 
form  of  a  fiery  chariot  and  a  bull,  still  haunts  the 
spot. 

HI.  The  truncated  Cross  at  Spernon  Cross  [vide 
ante.  Crosses,  No.  II.).  It  is  reported  to  have  marked 
the  burial-place  of  another  Jew. 

Remarkable  Rocks,  etc. — I.  The  giant's  chair  on  the 
west  slope  of  Godolphin  Hill,  where  he  used  to  rest 
after  flinging  the  granite  quoits,  which  formed  the 
quarries  at  Prospidnick. 

II.  Around  are  the  giant's  poker,  bed,  nightcap, 
the  giant's  hand  and  foot.  These  latter  are  slabs  of 
granite  with  deep  striic,  formed  a])jiarently  by  nature. 

Finds.  —  I.  Stone  utensil  :  a  small  stone  trough  with 
a  cover.  Found  by  Mr.  Sampson  on  the  top  of 
Tregonning  Hill,  33  years  ago  :  given  by  him  to  me, 
July,  1883. 

II.  Coins  found  at  Trescow,  in  taking  down  the 
old  house  in  1873-74.  They  were  all  coppers,  and  had 


84 


THE  ANTIQUARY'S  NOTE-BOOK. 


apparently  been  hidden  underneath  a  window-sill  by 
the  collector.  They  were  mostly  tokens.  There  was 
one  of  Louis  XVI,  of  France.  Also  the  Cornish  half- 
penny.    Some  in  my  possession. 

III.  Brass  coin  found  by  Mr.  John  Edwards  in 
Godolphin  garden.  Said  to  be  a  Muremburg  token. 
Penes  me, 

IV.  Carved  wood,  dug  up  by  Mr.  Palamountain : 
penes'M.x.  Bamfield  Vivian,  Townshend. 

V.  Pottery  at  Tregonning  Hill.  Some  in  posses- 
sion of  G.  B.  Millet,  Esq.,  Penzance. 

Celt  at  Godolphin  Mine.  Vide  Borlase's  Tin  Trade 
in  Comivall,  page  19,  n.  Haunted  Houses,  etc. — 
I.  Godolphin  Hall  :  the  king's  room. 

II.  Godolphin  Lane. 

III.  Penhale  Lane. 

IV.  Pengilley  Farmhouse. 

V.  Jew's  Lane  Hill  {vide  Stone  Circles,  II.). 

VI.  A  woman  thinks  herself  haunted  because  she 
was  the  means  of  another  woman's  destroying  her- 
self. 

VII.  Wheal  Vor  Mine.  Before  an  accident  it  was 
said  that  there  were  tokens  of  it  in  the  ominous  creak- 
ing of  the  pumping-rods,  etc. 

Natural  History. — I.  A  live  toad  in  the  midst  of 
a  trunk  of  a  tree,  sawn  in  sunder  at  Great  Work,  by 
F.  Richards. 

II.  Luminous  moss  at  Godolphin  Pound. 

III.  White  blackbird  shot  at  Trescow.  Penes  F.  V. 
Hill,  Esq.,  Helston. 

For  Man  and  Hoss  no  Loss. — The  situation  of  the 
publichouse  was  formerly  at  Trenear.  As  the  house 
lay  some  little  distance  from  the  road,  the  following 
notice  was  placed  to  attract  the  notice  of  the 
passer-by  : 

•'  Entertainment  for  man  and  hoss, 
That  the  traveller  shuddun't  be  at  no  loss. " 


antiquarian  513eto$» 


In  the  collieries  of  St.  Etienne,  France,  a  remark- 
able fossil  tree  has  been  discovered  near  the  Chateau 
of  Meons  in  a  working  quarry.  The  trunk  is  three 
metres  high,  the  diameter  about  half  a  metre,  spread- 
ing out  to  the  roots  to  a  metre  thick.  The  tree 
belongs  to  the  Syringodendron  alternans,  but  it  is 
chiefly  interesting  in  a  geological  sense  by  the  roots 
being  of  the  stigmaria  type  ;  whilst  the  sigillaria  type 
is  seen  in  the  upper  part.  The  stem,  which  has  been 
broken  off  short,  has  a  channelled  aspect,  and  was 
once  surmounted  by  a  great  bouquet  of  leaves.  One 
more  than  thirty  metres  long  has  been  found  in  the 
coal-fields  of  Esecorpelle  Nord.  Beside  the  trunk 
discovered  at  Meons  the  summit  of  a  similar  but 
separate  tree  has  also  been  found. 

Some  workmen,  while  engaged  in  demolishing  an 
old  house,  spoken  of  as  the  old  Oakwellgate  Farm,  in 
which  Cromwell  is  said  to  have  slept,  at  the  rear  of 


the  Black  Bull  Inn,  Gateshead,  discovered  two  seats 
of  jambs  and  mantels,  which  had  been  plastered  over. 
The  stones  were  very  artistically  chiselled,  and  ex- 
hibited signs  of  skilful  workmanship.  The  date  1669 
is  inscribed  on  one  of  the  mantels,  and  under  it  are 
the  words :  "By  Hamer  and  Hand,  all  arts  doe 
stand." 

An  interesting  literary  relic  has  lately  come  to  light 
in  New  South  Wales.  It  is  a  copy  of  "The  Whole 
Duty  of  Man,"  which  formerly  belonged  to  John 
Adams,  the  celebrated  mutineer  of  the  Bounty.  By 
him  it  was  given  to  his  son,  and  in  the  course  of  time 
passed  to  his  grandson,  from  whom  Mr.  Wilkinson, 
of  Sydney,  the  visiting  magistrate  of  Norfolk  Island, 
had  it.  In  the  last  century  the  book  was  issued  with 
the  Bible  to  seamen  in  the  Royal  Navy,  amongst 
others  to  the  men  of  the  Botmty,  and  a  copy  was 
amongst  the  mutineers'  effects  when  they  settled  on 
Pitcairn  Island,  and  was  long  the  only  means  of 
religious  instruction  which  they  had.  So  much  used 
was  it  that  the  covers  are  quite  worn,  and  the  binding 
has  given  way.  Adams  repaired  it  with  a  rude  string 
manufactured  from  the  bark  of  the  burdoa  tree,  which 
grows  on  Pitcairn.  The  part  of  the  book  which  shows 
most  use  is  the  collection  of  prayers  at  the  end,  which 
evidently  formed  the  ritual  of  the  community  in  its 
early  days.  Mr.  Jonathan  Adams,  the  grandson  of 
the  original  owner,  gave  up  the  book  that  it  might  be 
preserved  as  a  memorial  of  the  Mutiny  of  the  Bounty 
and  the  subsequent  incidents  in  the  strange  career  of 
the  mutineers. 

The  freehold  of  the  property  upon  which  the  re- 
mains of  Richborough  Camp,  near  Sandwich,  stand, 
is  likely  to  fall  into  the  market.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  this  Roman  antiquity  may  be  secured  from  injury 
by  the  change  of  ownership.  It  is  time  that  the  sites 
of  this  camp  and  the  Roman  villa  at  Bignor,  in  the 
neighbouring  county  of  Sussex,  were  secured  for  the 
nation. 

Intelligence  from  Huntingdon,  United  States,  dated 
June  16,  states :  Peter  Herdic,  once  known  as  the 
Williamsport  lumber  king,  received  the  contract  a 
year  ago  to  supply  Huntingdon  with  water.  Yester- 
day afternoon  his  men  were  excavating  at  the  new 
reservoir  at  the  head  of  Fifth  Street,  when  at  a  depth 
of  about  eight  feet  frorn  the  surface,  J.  D.  McClain 
discovered  an  earthen  pot  securely  sealed  which  was 
filled  to  the  brim  with  Mexican  and  American  gold 
and  silver  coins  of  ancient  date. 

The  church  at  Aymestrey  has  been  restored  and 
recently  re-opened  for  public  worship.  It  is  beauti- 
fully situated  as  to  position,  and  consists  of  a  nave, 
north  and  south  aisles,  chancel,  western  tower,  and 
south  porch,  with  a  clerestory  over  the  nave.  The 
proportions  of  the  fabric  are  good,  the  tower  being  of 
imposing  height  and  breadth,  the  nave  lofty,  and  the 
chancel  spacious  and  well-developed.  It  is  a  church 
of  much  architectural  interest,  possessing  evidences  of 
Norman  work,  and  traces  of  a  still  earlier  period.  It 
is  peculiarly  rich  in  oak  screens,  that  across  the 
chancel  being  remarkably  handsome,  being  canopied 
with  delicate  fan-tracery  intricately  carved.  Four 
other  screens  or  parcloses  enclose  the  easternmost 
bays  of  the  aisles  as  chapels  or  chantries ;  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  church,  as  it  now  exists,  is  of  the 


ANTIQUARIAN  NE  WS. 


85 


time  of  Edward  IV.  The  condition  of  the  building, 
previous  to  its  restoration  and  reparation,  was  very 
deplorable.  Upon  examination,  the  timlier  roofs  of 
the  naves  and  aisles  were  found  to  be  thoroughly 
rotten,  the  boarding  upon  them  decayed,  and  the  lead 
coverings  perished  and  worn  out.  The  roof  of  the 
chancel,  from  being  high  pitched,  was  in  a  better 
state,  but  all  the  roofs  were  concealed  by  plaster 
ceilings.  The  floors  were  everywhere  decayed,  and 
in  several  places  had  fallen  in,  and  were  resting  upon 
the  natural  ground  ;  and  the  whole  interior  of  the 
building,  from  being  below  the  surface  of  the  church- 
yard, and  in  the  entire  absence  of  drainage,  had 
suffered  severely  from  damp  and  mildew. 

It  is  proposed  to  publish  by  subscription  an  inven- 
tory of  the  church  plate  of  Leicestershire,  with  some 
account  of  the  donors  thereof,  by  the  Rev.  Andrew 
Trollope,  B.A.  The  book  will  be  illustrated  from 
drawings  made  specially  by  Mr.  Matthew  Pearson, 
Miss  F.  Morton,  and  others.  Of  the  more  interesting 
vessels,  a  certain  number  of  larger-sized  illustrations 
will  be  given  ;  in  all  more  than  200  pieces  of  plate, 
drawn  accurately  to  scale,  will  be  portrayed  by  either 
one  process  or  the  other.  In  this  work  the  com- 
munion plate  belonging  to  each  church  in  Leicester- 
shire will  be  accurately  described,  the  measurements, 
weight,  and  hall-marks  of  each  piece  will  be  given, 
and  every  coat  of  arms  and  inscription  correctly  re- 
corded. In  order  to  ensure  perfect  accuracy  the 
author  has  himself  examined  every  service  of  com- 
munion plate. 

The  Ayr  Town  Council  have  resolved  to  shut  up 
the  old  bridge,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  not  safe  for 
the  public.  Recently  several  stones  fell  out  of  one 
of  the  arches.  The  bridge  was  built  in  1252,  by 
two  maiden  ladies,  who  were  led  to  do  so  on  account, 
says  tradition,  of  some  near  friend  having  been  lost 
while  crossing  the  river  at  the  ford,  a  little  higher  up. 
This  was  one  of  the  Burns  "  Twa  Brigs,"  and  it  was 
the  old  one  he  represented  as  saying,  while  addressing 
the  new — "  I'll  be  a  brig  when  ye're  a  shapeless  cairn. ' 
This  came  true,  as  the  new  one  was  rebuilt  some  years 
ago. 

A  very  valuable  consignment  to  the  Louvre  Museum 
reached  Paris  recently.  It  consists  of  two  hundred 
and  fifteen  packing  cases,  containing  the  fragments  of 
the  decorations  of  the  Palaces  of  Artaxerxes  and  of 
Darius  at  Susa,  in  Persia,  and  the  objects  of  ancient 
art  discovered  by  the  Mission  sent  to  Susa,  under  the 
direction  of  M.  Diculafoy.  A  vast  salle,  situated  on 
the  first  floor  of  the  Louvre,  has  been  prepared  for 
the  reception  of  these  precious  relics  of  antiquity. 

A  remarkable  "  find "  is  reported  from  Bari,  in 
Apulia.  It  is  said  that  more  than  two  thousand 
Byzantine  diplomas  upon  a  blue  parchment  have  been 
discovered  in  the  cathedral,  where  they  were  walled 
up  in  a  niche,  apparently  for  their  safe  preservation. 
\Vhether  the  blue  colour  of  the  parchment  was  its 
original  hue  or  has  been  produced  by  chemical  action 
during  the  long  burial  is  not  yet  clear.  The  docu- 
ments belong  to  the  Chapter  of  Bari  Cathedral,  who 
have  declared  that  they  shall  not  hesitate  to  give  full 
access  to  them  for  purposes  of  examination  and  study. 

The  authorities  in  Japan  are  investigating  the  laws 
and  customs  relative  to  cattle  fairs  in  England  and 


America,  with  the  view  of  establishing  central  markets 
in  their  country. 

We  quote  the  following  passage  from  a  letter  of 
Mr.  J.  O.  Halliwell-Phillips,  in  the  New  York  Natiofi 
of  June  24th  :  "  By  one  of  the  most  singular  accidents 
of  the  kind  that  have  ever  occurred,  the  original  title- 
deeds  of  Shakespeare's  estate  at  New  Place  have  been 
discovered  in  the  archives  of  a  county  family  in 
Shropshire,  and  have  found  their  way  to  HoUingbury 
Copse.  One  of  them  is  torn,  but  the  other  five, 
dating  from  1532  to  1602,  are  as  perfect  as  when  they 
were  in  the  poet's  own  rooms.  They  are  inestimable 
personal  relics,  that  are  absolutely  free  from  the  doubts 
of  authenticity  that  must  inevitably  be  attached  to 
other  kinds  of  domestic  memorials." 

Much  interest  has  been  excited  in  the  Lake  district 
by  Professor  Knight's  statement  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Wordsworth  Society,  that  it  is  hoped  to  establish  a 
hall  or  public  building  in  the  Lake  country,  in  which 
memorials  of  Wordsworth  and  the  Lake  poets  can  be 
preserved  for  posterity.  There  would  be  no  lack  of 
co-operation  in  an  effort  of  this  kind,  and  many  inter- 
esting memorials  of  the  Lake  poets  exist. 

The  German  papers  record  the  death  of  a  niece  of 
Schiller,  Frau  Elert,  the  widow  of  the  late  parish 
clergyman  of  Nuretingen,  in  Wurtemberg.  She  was 
in  her  eighty-third  year.  Her  mother,  who  was  the 
second  sister  of  the  poet,  married  Pfarrer  Frankh,  of 
Cleversulzbach,  afterwards  Stadtpfarrer  of  Mockmuhl. 
Schiller's  mother  died  in  his  house. 

A  discovery  of  unusual  interest  in  its  bearing  on  the 
antiquity  of  man  in  Britain  has  recently  been  made 
by  Dr.  Hicks,  of  Hendon,  and  communicated  by  him 
to  Nature.  In  exploring  the  caves  of  Tremeirchion, 
in  the  Vale  of  Clwyd,  it  was  found  that  the  main 
entrance  to  the  Cae  Gwyn  Cave  had  been  blocked  up 
by  glacial  beds  deposited  subsequently  to  the  occu- 
pation of  the  cave  by  pleistocene  mammals.  A  shaft 
was  dug  through  these  beds  ;  and  a  small  well-worked 
flint  flake  was  discovered  in  the  bone  earth,  about 
eighteen  inches  beneath  the  lowest  bed  of  sand,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  entrance.  It  appears  that  the 
contents  of  the  cave  must  have  been  washed  out  by 
marine  action  during  the  great  submergence  in  mid- 
glacial  times,  and  then  covered  by  marine  sands  and 
an  upper  boulder  clay.  This  discovery,  therefore, 
proves  that  man  lived  in  the  North  Wales  area  before 
the  great  submergence  indicated  by  the  high-level 
sands  of  Moel  Tryfan. 


Corte0ponuence» 

FIRST-FOOT. 

{Ante^  vol.  xiv.,  p.  12.) 

Mr.  Watkins  is  in  error  when  he  says  that  "  the 
'  first-foot '  belief  of  the  Scotch  on  New  Year's  Day 
does  not  come  down  so  far  as  Lincolnshire."    An  old 


86 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


friend  of  mine  tells  me  that  she  would  not  on  any 
account  let  a  woman  or  girl  enter  her  house  before  a 
man  or  boy  had  crossed  the  threshold  on  that  day. 
"  I  alus  keap  do5r  lock'd  till  reight  soort  cums,  an' 
then  I  saay,  '  Hev'  yS  owt  to  bring  in  ?  If  yd  hcvn't 
goa  get  a  bit  o'  stick  or  sum'ats  !  Yd  sea  it's  straange 
an'  unlucky  to  tek  things  oot  afore  owt's  browt  in,  an' 
foiiks  is  careful.  I  mind  th'  time  when  lads  cum'd 
roond  reg'lar  wi'  bits  o'  stick  aboot  as  long  as  a 
knitlin'  needle." 

The  following  extract  from  the  writings  of  Clare  is 
interesting  as  an  illustration  of  one  of  the  superstitions 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Watkins  : 

On  our  road 
She  many  a  token  and  a  kiss  bestow'd. 
Once,  as  she  leaned  to  rest  upon  a  stile, 
The  pale  moon  hanging  o'er  her  looks  the  while, 
"  Richard,"  she  said,  and  laugh'd,  "  the  moon  is  new. 
And  I  will  try  if  that  old  tale  is  true, 
Which  gossips  tell,  who  say,  that  if  as  soon 
As  any  one  beholds  the  new  May-moon^ 
They  o'er  their  eyes  a  silken  kerchief  fling 
That  has  been  slided  through  a  wedding-ring, 
As  many  years  as  they  shall  single  be, 
As  many  moons  they  through  that  veil  shall  see  ; 
And  I  for  once  will  try  the  truth  I  vow  : 
For  this,  that  hangs  about  my  bosom  now, 
Was  drawn  through  one  upon  a  bridal  night, 
When  we  were  full  of  gossip  jmd  delight.' 

Then  instant  from  her  snowy  neck  she  threw 
It  first  o'er  me,  and  bade  me  tell  her  true  ; 
And  sure  as  I  stand  here,  while  that  was  o'er, 
I  saw  two  moons  as  plain  as  one  before  ; 
And  when  my  Mary  took  it  off  to  try, 
Herself  saw  two,  the  very  same  as  I. 

The  Rivals  :  John  Clake. 

The  Northamptonshire  belief  is  evidently  the  same 
as  our  Lincolnshire  superstition,  though  according  to 
the  poet  the  new  May-moon,  not  the  first  new  moon  of 
the  year,  is  the  luminary  by  whose  aid  the  divination  is 
worked. 

Mabel  Peacock. 

Bottesford. 


MAIDEN  PLACE  NAMES. 

In  your  March  number,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
Round,  I  sent  you  a  list  of  several  I  had  come  across. 
Since  then  I  have  met  with  other  two. 

The  name  of  a  farm  near  Dinsdale-on-Tees,  bounded 
by  Morton  Palmes — in  an  old  deed  in  my  possession — 
"  Maiden  Dale  "  {Ante,  vol.  xiii,,  212) : 

Charter,  1150. 

•'  I,  Robert  Peytefin,  gave  to  the  hospital  of  St. 
Peter's,  York,  that  right  and  advowson  which  I  held  in 
the  church  of  Saston  in  alms,  and  a  certain  parcel  of 
land  in  the  town,  and  besides  this  the  back  of  a 
certain  hill,  which  is  called  •  Maydencastell '  as  the  old 
ditch  descendeth  in  the  water  toward  Lede." 

Scott  Surtres. 
Dinsdale-on-Tees, 
July  I,  1886. 

P-S. — All  these  names  appear  to  me  to  be  given  to 
places  not  far  from  Roman  roads. 


SPANISH  DOLLARS  IN  ENGLAND. 
{Ante,  vol.  xiv.,  p.  37.) 

The  discovery  on  the  premises  of  the  Spittal  gas 
works  of  Spanish  dollars  stamped  for  circulation  in 
England  is  curious.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  what 
can  have  been  the  motive  for  their  concealment.  There 
are  three  types  of  these  pieces  : 

I.  The  dollar  of  Charles   IV.  of  Spain,    having 
in  the  neck  of  the  bust  the  head  of  George 
III.,  stamped  with  a  die  similar  to  that  used 
by   the  Goldsmiths'  Company   in   stamping 
silver  plate. 
II.  Dollar  of  Charles  IV.  of  Spain,  having  on  the 
neck  an  octagonal  stamp  containing  the  bust 
of  George  III.,  similar  to  the  heads  on  the 
Maundy  groat,  but  without  the  legend. 
III.  Dollar  of  Charles  IV.  of  Spain,  restamped,  but 
so  imperfectly  that  the  original  date  of  1797 
may  be  read.      Laureated   head  of  George 
III.  looking  to  the  right.      On  reverse  the 
royal  arms  within  a  garter,  dated  1804. 
Plates  of  all  these  pieces  may  be  seen  in  William 
Boyne's  Silver  Tokens  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
the  dependencies  and  colonies. 

Edward  Peacock. 
Bottesford  Manor,  Brigg. 


M.  GALLAND'S  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

I  have  written  in  vain  to  Notes  and  Qtieries  soliciting 
an  answer  to  very  simple  questions  :  Where,  and  when, 
did  the  first  English  translation  of  Galland's  Arabian 
Nights  appear  ?  Perhaps  one  of  your  learned  readers 
could  enlighten  me. 

R.  F.  Burton. 

Athenaeum  Club. 


THE  VILLAGE  COMMUNITY  IN  ENGLAND. 

In  his  invaluable  work  on  the  above  subject,  Mr. 
vSeebohm  insists,  as  is  well  known,  on  the  connection 
between  the  "virgate"  and  the  plough-team,  urging 
that  each  virgate  was  bound  to  contribute  two  beasts 
towards  the  normal  team  of  eight.  There  would 
seem  to  be  a  striking  confirmation  of  this  view  in  the 
court-rolls  of  the  Manor  of  Connock,  quoted  in  the 
Appendix  (I.,  631,  a)  to  the  8th  Report  on  Historical 
MSS.  It  is  there  ordered  (3  Mary)  that  "  every 
tenant  shall  keep  only  two  plough  beasts  for  a  virgate 
of  land,  and  only  one  for  half  a  virgate,  under 
penalty  of  6s.  8d."  I  am  not  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  court-rolls  to  say  if  such  an  entry  is  common, 
but  it  certainly  seems  a  suggestive  one. 

J.  H.  Round. 

Brighton. 


MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS. 

{Ante,  vol.  xiii.,  p.  279.) 

Mr.  Booker's   inquiry  is  a  very  natural  one.     As 
knowing  something  of  these  matters,  I  am  certainly 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


87 


inclined  to  suggest,  as  the  solution,  that  the  examiner 
asked  the  wrong  question,  and  that  the  question  he 
meant  to  set  was  this  :  "  Name  the  parents  of  James 
Vie  First'"  [not  "Mary  Queen  of  Scots"],  "and 
show  how  each  of  them  were  («V)  related  to  the  Royal 
Family  of  England."  In  such  form  the  question 
would  have  been  a  perfectly  proper  one  to  ask. 

J.  H.  Round. 
Brighton. 


BOX  LEY  ABBEY,  KENT. 
{Ante,  p.  279.) 

Mr.  Surtees  writes  that  "to  those,  of  course,  who 

are  at  all  acquainted  with  such  matters it 

would  be  superfluous  to  tell  them  that  there  never 
had  been  such  an  individual  as  '  the  Abbot  of  Box- 
ley.'  "  I  find,  however,  that  "  the  Abbot  of  Boxley  " 
is  duly  spoken  of  by  a  writer  in  the  Antiquary,  and 
that  that  writer  is  no  other  than  Mr.  Surtees  himself, 
the  article  being  one  to  which  he  now  refers  us  {Anti- 
quary, viii.,  p.  49).  My  object,  however,  in  writing, 
is  not  to  point  out  that  Mr.  Surtees's  hypercriticism 
is  of  somewhat  recent  growth,  but  to  raise  a  mild 
protest  against  the  novel  theory  started  by  Mr. 
Brownbill  and  himself  as  to  "  the  Rood  of  Grace." 

Though  one  cannot  but  sympathize  with  their 
laudable  endeavours  to  "  whitewash  "  the  Cistercian 
monks,  the  subject  is  too  important  in  its  bearing  on 
the  beliefs  and  lives  of  our  forefathers  to  be  treated 
as  a  matter  of  sentiment. 

Mr.  Brownbill,  in  his  fair  and  able  pleading  on 
behalf  of  "the  children  of  St.  Bernard,"  urges  that, 
at  the  worst,  there  was  but  "one  monastery  among 
hundreds  in  England  which  had  so  far  forgotten  its 
early  virtue  as  to  descend  to  such  a  fraud."  It  is  clear 
from  this  that  he  cannot  be  aware  of  the  statement 
of  Robert  Shrimpton,  four  times  Mayor  of  St.  Alban's, 
who  lived  on  into  the  seventeenth  century,  that  he 
"  remembered  the  hollow  image  erected  near  .St. 
Alban's  shrine,  wherein  one  being  placed  to  govern 
the  wires,  the  eyes  would  move,  and  head  nod,  ac- 
cording as  he  liked  or  disliked  the  offering,  and,  being 
young,  he  had  many  times  crept  into  the  hollow  part 
thereof.  In  the  grand  processions  through  the  town, 
when  the  image  of  St.  Alban  was  carried,  it  was 
usually  borne  by  two  monks,  and  after  it  had  been 
set  down  awhile  at  the  market-cross  and  the  monks 
essaying  to  take  it  up  again  they  pretended  they 
could  not  stir  it,  and  then  the  Abbot  coming  and 
laying  his  crosier  upon  the  image,  and  saying  these 
words  :  '  Arise,  arise,  St.  Alban,  and  get  thee  home 
to  thy  sanctuary,'  it  then  forthwith  yielded  to  be 
borne  by  the  monks"  {Ant.  Repertory  [1808],  iii., 
pp.  349-350).  This  suggests  that  the  wonder-working 
image  was  by  no  means  peculiar  to  Boxley  Abbey. 
The  Holy  Rood  of  Dovercourt  and  its  fate  is  surely 
familiar  enough. 

I  venture  to  think  that  the  expression  "  fraud " 
needlessly  complicates  the  case.  I  hope  that,  without 
giving  oflence,  I  may  point  out  that  there  were  frauds 
and  frauds,  and  that  "a  jnous  fraud"  is,  to  some 
minds,  scarcely  a  fraud  at  all.  It  is  impossible,  in  a 
few  lines,  to  go  into  questions  of  ethics,  but  the  same 
reasoning  which  is  held  to  justify  parents  in  harmlessly 


deceiving  their  children,  may  easily  have  been  applied 
to  themselves  by  monks  with  reference  to  their 
"spiritual  children." 

Again,  no  one  can  have  had  any  practical  experi- 
ence of  the  life  of  certain  nations  on  the  Continent 
without  learning  that  the  l^eliefs  and  superstitions  of 
"  the  vulgar"  form  a  corpus  by  themselves,  in  which 
the  higher  and  more  intelligent  classes  have  no  part 
or  share.  In  other  words,  the  question  shoulcf  be 
discussed  rather  subjectively  than  objectively. 

The  view,  therefore,  that  I  would  put  forward  is 
this.  The  monks  worked  the  image.  Of  that  there 
is  no  question.  The  point,  we  are  told,  in  dispute  is 
whether  they  worked  it  with  fraudulent  intent.  I, 
on  the  contrary,  would  rather  say  that  the  point  is — 
how  did  the  beholders  account  for  the  phenomena  ? 
The  more  intelligent  would  look  on  it  (much  as,  in 
these  days,  we  might  look  on  the  automaton  chess- 
player) as  a  triumph  of  constructive  skill.  On  the 
other  hand,  "the  vulgar,"  ever  prone  (and  then,  of 
course,  far  more  than  now)  to  account  for  the  unin- 
telligible by  supernatural  intervention  {omiu  ignotum 
pro  magnifico)  would  obstinately  cling  to  the  notion 
that  they  were  witnessing  supernatural  phenomena. 
"Were  the  monks  lx)und  to  disabuse  their  minds? 
That  is  the  question  they  would  certainly  have  asked 
us,  and  to  judge  from  modern  experience  abroad,  they 
would  as  certainly  have  anticipated  a  negative. 

This  theory,  I  claim,  explains  the  fate  of  these 
miraculous  roods  at  the  Reformation.  Those  who 
would  have  us  believe  that  there  was  nothing  in  them 
to  expose,  fail,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  to  give  any  ex- 
planation of  the  importance  attached  to  the  exposure 
of  the  Rood  at  Maidstone  and  at  St.  Paul's  Cross, 
or  of  such  an  outbreak  of  indignation  as  that  wit- 
nessed at  Dovercourt. 

It  should  be  noticed  that  the  impossibility  of  re- 
moving the  rood  forms  part  of  the  Boxley  story.  In 
the  case  of  the  miraculous  image  of  the  Virgin  at 
Cardigan  Triory,  the  legend  seems  to  glide  into  the 
well-known  "building  tradition"  class.  This  is 
worth  investigation. 

Lastly,  is  it  the  case  that  every  "  Holy  Rood  "  was 
necessarily  "a  crucifix,"  like  the  Boxley  Rood  of 
Grace  ?  Was  it  not  sometimes  a  fragment  of  "  the 
true  Cross"  itself?  I  do  not  feel  certain  on  this 
point. 

As  to  the  founder  of  Boxley  Abbey,  Mr.  Surtees 
(vol.  viii.,  p.  49)  takes  Mr.  Freeman  to  task  for  speak- 
ing of  his  earldom  as  "doubtful,"  and  appeals  to 
Burke's  Extinct  Peerage.  I  can  only  say  that  my 
researches  on  the  subject  have  entirely  confirmed  the 
opinion  of  Dr.  Stubbs  (for  it  is  originally  his),  that 
this  earldom  is,  to  say  the  least,  "  doubtful."  Nor 
can  the  popular  compilation  invoked  by  Mr.  Surtees 
be  accepted  as  of  any  authority  whatever. 

J.  H.  Rou.NU. 

Brighton. 


NOTICE. 

The  second  part  of  Mr.  R.  S.  Ferguson's  paper  on 
"  Municipal  Offices  at  Carlisle  "  will  appear  in  our 
September  issue. 


88 


THE  ANTIQUARY  EXCHANGE. 


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or  letters,  tinless  a  stamp  be  sent  to  cover  posta»e  of 
same  to  advertiser. 

Wanted  to  Purchase. 

Dorsetshire  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens.  Also 
Topographical  Works,  Cuttings  or  Scraps  connected 
with  the  county. — J.  S.  Udal,  the  Manor  House, 
Symondsbury,  Bridport. 

Cobbett's  Political  Register,  vols.  25,  30,  66,  77, 
79,  84,  85  ;  Beddoe's  Death's  Jest  Book  and  Im- 
provisatore  ;  Pike's  Ramble-Book,  1865  ;  Courthell's 
Ten  Years'  Experience  on  the  Mississippi ;  Hazlitt's 
History  of  Venice,  4  volumes  ;  Dr.  W.  Morris's  The 
Question  of  Ages. — M.,  care  of  Manager. 

Henry  Warren's  Lithographic  Illustrations  of  the 
River  Ravensbourne,  near  Lewisham,  Kent.  Folio, 
6  or  7  plates.  (Ne  date  is  believed  to  be  on  the  book. ) 
Thorpe  (John)  A  Collection  of  Statutes  relating  to 
Rochester  Bridge.  Folio,  1733. — Thanet,  care  of 
Manager. 

Portraits  of  Eminent  Americans  Now  Living,  with 
Biographical  and  Historical  Memoirs  of  their  Lives 
and  Actions,  by  John  Livingston,  of  the  New  York 
Bar,  in  2  vols.  New  York,  Cornish,  Lamport  and 
Co. — P.,  care  of  Manager. 

Cooper's  Rambles  on  Rivers,  Woods,  and  Streams ; 
Lupot  on  the  Violin  (English  Translation).  S.,  care 
of  Manager. 

Views,  Maps,  Pottery,  Coins,  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
t  ury  Tokens  of  the  Town  and  County  of  Nottingham- 
shire. — J.  Toplis,  Arthur  Street,  Nottingham. 


THE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES. 


89 


The  Antiquary. 


SEPTEMBER,  1886. 

Cbe  a^ulrtpUcatitin  of  ^urnameg. 

By  Arthur  Folkard. 


T  is  a  question  of  considerable  in- 
terest to  many  as  to  how  the 
largely  increased  number  of  families 
among  us  have  become  provided 
with  distinctive  surnames.  Leaving  out  of 
account  the  large  number  of  such  surnames 
as  are  manifestly  derived  from  occupation  or 
residence,  there  is  still  an  enormous  residue 
as  to  which  curiosity  must  exist.  It  is  certain 
that  the  number  of  those  family  designations 
which  sufficed  for  our  early  forefathers  could 
no  longer,  without  great  social  inconvenience 
arising,  do  so  for  our  present  population. 
Indeed,  had  not  surnames  in  some  way  or 
another  become  multiplied  since  their  adop- 
tion became  common,  our  directories  would 
teem  far  more  even  than  they  do  with  persons 
bearing  similar  names.  It  is  the  object  of 
this  paper  to  show  how  the  increase  of 
surnames  in  number  and  variety  has  contrived 
to  keep  pace  with  the  necessity  for  distinction 
of  nomenclature. 

The  writer  sees  good  reason  to  believe 
that  nearly  all  those  who  have  dealt  with  the 
subject  of  surnames  and  their  derivation  have 
exercised  a  needless  amount  of  ingenuity  in 
their  endeavour  to  assign  distinct  meanings 
to  an  immense  number  of  those  now  common 
among  us.  It  appears  to  him  that  a  vast 
proportion  of  these  are  corruptions  and  sub- 
corruptions  of  but  a  few  original  roots  that 
are  due  to  various  causes.  It  will  be  well, 
before  going  further  into  the  subject,  to 
consider  what  such  causes  may  have 
been. 

I.  Corruption  by  the  Use  of  the  Latin 
Tongue.  — The  origin  of  much  corruption  was 
undoub  tedly  the  rule  followed  by  our  earliest 

VOL.     XIV. 


scribes  to  write  everything  in  Latin,  even 
personal  names  being  arbitrarily  Latinized 
to  admit  of  the  use  of  the  cases  in  that 
tongue.  Folconis  for  Folco  has  thence 
become  Folcon,  Berthonis  for  Bertho,  Ber- 
thon,  and  so  on.  Again,  the  Latin  alphabet 
possesses  no  "w,"  and  it  became  necessary 
therefore  for  the  ancient  scribes  who  desired 
to  write  with  correctness  to  omit  that  letter  in 
the  cases  of  all  names  originally  containing  it. 
It  will  be  evident  to  the  reader  how  very 
numerous  such  cases  must  have  been,  and 
how  very  materially  names  so  dealt  with 
became  altered  in  sound  when  read. 

2.  Corruption  by  Abbreviation  in  IVriting, 
etc. — The  same  old  writers  are  doubtless 
responsible  for  another  most  fertile  cause  of 
alteration.  They  carried  their  system  of 
abbreviating  words  into  their  writing  of  proper 
names,  both  of  places  and  persons.  Thus 
Faulconbergis  constantly  met  with  abbreviated 
to  Fcbg.,  Fabro  to  Fab.,  Fader  to  Fad., 
Richard  to  Ricti.,  Folchard  to  Folcfi.,  Thomas 
to  Thorn.  Thousands  of  such  instances 
might  be  quoted,  but  it  is  needless  to  extend 
the  list.  Now  when  (apparently  about  the 
time  of  our  Henry  VII.)  the  use  of  personal 
signatures  began  to  extend,  those  persons 
who  desired  to  write  their  names  would  refer 
to  documents  in  their  possession  for  the 
required  guidance  for  doing  so.  They  saw 
but  the  abbreviated  form,  and  perforce, 
almost,  adopted  it.  Their  names  once  thus 
written  by  them  would  probably  guide  their 
after-pronunciation  of  it,  and  we  may  assign 
largely  to  this  cause  the  prevalence  of  such 
single-syllable  surnames  as  Thorn,  Folk, 
Rich,  etc.,  among  us.  Lingual  abbreviations 
have  also  similarly  contributed.  Thus  the 
town  of  Sevenoaks  received  first  the  same 
abbreviation  as  was  given  to  "  Sevennights," 
i.e.f  "  Se'ennight,"  and  became  Se'enoaks; 
and  secondly,  therefrom  to  the  common  and 
not  elegant  form  of  Snooks.  Thus,  ulti- 
mately, John  de  Sevenoaks  would  become 
John  Snooks.  Vis-de-Loup  has  similarly 
descended  to  us  through  Videler  to  Fidler. 

3.  Corruption  by  Changed  National  Pro- 
nunciation.— But  there  has  undoubtedly  been 
another  material  cause  operating  towards  the 
creation  of  single-syllable  surnames,  and 
of  a  much  later  date  than  that  above  dealt 
with.     It  is  certain  that  in  England,  even 

H 


90 


THE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES. 


as  recently  as  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
almost,  the  final  "  e  "  of  a  word  retained  the 
present  Teutonic  accentuation.  Mother, 
Father,  Sister  and  Brother,  were  therefore 
commonly  written  Mothe,  Fathe,  Siste  and 
Brothe,  the  final  "  r  "  being  dropped  as  an 
excrescence  useless  for  the  guidance  of  pro- 
nunciation. As  the  Teutonic  system  softened 
among  us,  and  the  "  e "  became  merged  in 
pronunciation  as  a  single  syllable,  names 
having  originally  two  syllables,  such  as 
Smither  (from  the  old  German  Smichter  or 
Smiter),  Folker,  Baxter,  Richer,  Fowler,  etc., 
very  frequently  became  Smithe  and  Smith, 
Folke  and  Folk,  Baxte  and  Bax,  Riche  and 
Rich,  Fowle  and  Fowl,  etc. 

4.  Corruption  bySynonyftious  Employment  of 
Letters. — There  is  yet  another  cause  for  such 
curtailments  to  be  dealt  with,  and  that  is  the 
similar  pronunciation  given  in  older  times  to 
the  ''  e  "  and  "  y."  Thus  "  niichte  "  for  the 
modern  "  mighty,"  Dorothe  for  Dorothy, 
Batterbe  for  Batterby,  Birde  for  Burdy, 
Namys  for  Names,  Corde  for  Cordy,  Carre 
for  Carey,  cum  multis  aliis.  When  the  use  of 
personal  signatures  before  alluded  toextended, 
and  prior  forms  of  writing  them  received 
adoption,  many  family  surnames  became 
changed  in  form,  and,  as  the  present  method 
of  pronunciation  crept  in,  such  names  in 
many  instances  became  altered  to  Bird,  Cord, 
Carr,  etc. 

5.  Corruption  by  the  Use  of  the  Plural 
Form. — To  the  foregoing  must  be  added 
another  form  of  corruption  by  the  addition  of 
a  final  "  s,"  making  single  names  assume  the 
plural  form.  The  reason  of  such  addition  is, 
the  writer  thinks,  not  far  to  seek.  A  man 
would  be  spoken  of  as  Smith's  son,  John's 
son,  Folk's  son  ;  and  as  that  form  of  appella- 
tion dropped  out  of  use  (although  in  many 
cases  becoming  merged  in  the  present 
Smithson,  Johnson,  etc.)  the  "  s "  sound 
would  be  in  many  cases  retained,  and,  refer- 
ring to  the  instances  above  quoted,  we  get  the 
common  forms  of  Smithers,  Folkes,  Riches, 
Fowles,  etc.  But  the  plural  and  singular  are 
often  met  with  applied  to  the  same  individual 
as  in  Pagett-Pagettes,  Folke-Folkes  and  other 
cases,  though  they  have  since  become  dis- 
tinctive names. 

6.  Corruption  due  to  want  of  Arbitrary 
Spelling. — Having  thus  briefly  dealt  with  the 


surnames  now  reduced  to  a  single  syllable 
only,  the  reader's  attention  may  be  directed 
to  causes  operating  towards  more  extended 
forms  of  corruption.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  even  up  to  a  late  period  there  was 
no  arbitrary  spelling  of  the  names  either  of 
places  or  persons.  The  instances  of  varia- 
tion contained  in  Shakespeare's  Will  are  often 
cited,  and  in  a  pedigree  of  the  Folkards  of 
Suffolk  in  the  Bodleian  Library  the  writer 
found  its  compiler — a  clergyman,  and  there- 
fore an  educated  man — spelling  as  late  as 
1670  the  name  in  five  different  ways  on  the 
same  sheet.  We  have  in  such  laxity  a  most 
fertile  cause  of  after- variation ;  and  if  it  existed 
as  late  as  the  date  given,  we  can  readily 
understand  how  much  more  fully  it  must 
have  operated  in  earlier  times. 

7.  Corruption  due  to  Local  Pronunciation. 
— Then,  again,  local  specialities  of  pronuncia- 
tion, as  well  as  individual  peculiarities  of 
speech,  must  have  contributed  greatly  to 
confusion  of  names.  As  regards  these  items 
of  the  subject,  the  fact  may  be  cited  that 
many  of  the  Norman  names  imported  into 
Cornwall  and  adjacent  counties  that  began 
with  the  letter  "f"  seem  to  have  had  their 
initial  changed  to  "t"  Indeed,  it  is  most 
rare  to  find  either  a  Cornish  locality  or  old 
Cornish  surname  that  now  possesses  the 
former  initial.  The  hard  pronunciation  of 
our  northern  counties  has  not  been  equal  to 
maintaining  the  soft  "  1 ;"  thus,  among  other 
instances.  Folk  has  long  been  changed  in 
Yorkshire  into  Fawke  and  Fock.  In  Ireland, 
from  the  earliest  dates,  the  hard  "  c  "  of  the 
Danish  invaders  yielded  to  the  softer 
Milesian  lisp  of  the  old  Spanish  Celts,  and 
became  almost  universally  "th,"  as  in  the 
Spanish  "  conthepthione "  for  the  written 
word  "  concepcione ;"  while,  similarly,  the 
"Folck"  of  the  Dane,  following  the  same 
Milesian  influence,  became  among  the  Irish 
people  "  For  "  and  "  Fur."  Apart  from  this 
national  habit,  the  peculiarity  of  a  personal 
lisp  would  probably  also  cause  the  substitution 
of  the  "  th "  for  the  "  c "  by  any  scribe 
writing  from  word  of  mouth.  The  "  c  "  in 
some  English  mouths  also  became  softened 
to  '*  s,"  producing  infinite  variety,  and  again 
hardened  to  a  soft  "g"  as  in  Fulcher, 
Fulsher,  Foulger.  These  and  a  thousand 
other  demonstrations  constantly  press  upon 


THE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES. 


91 


anyone  who  closely  studies  the  old  Subsidy 
Rolls.  It  is  often  scarcely  possible  to 
recognise  the  same  individual  under  the 
many  aliases  assigned  to  him  by  different 
scribes. 

8.  Corniptions  due  to  Use  of  Various 
Languages. — Passing  on  to  further  considera- 
tions, we  find  wide-spread  changes  arising 
out  of  the  use  of  various  tongues  in  our  early 
chronicles,  a  use  which  has  left  its  impress 
over  an  immense  range  of  our  subject.  The 
same  name  has  been  repeatedly  dealt  with  in 
Saxon,  Latin,  and  French,  and  while  retaining 
the  original  meaning  has  assumed  widely 
different  forms.  Thus  we  have  in  example, 
Fairfield,  Belfield,  Bonfield,  Beauchamp,  Bel- 
champ,  Bello  Campo,  Campbell  and  Belcamp, 
all  having  the  same  root.  Further  in  illustra- 
tion may  be  cited  Monte-Acuto,  Montacute 
and  Montague ;  De  Bosco,  Dubosc,  De  Bois, 
Bois,  Boyce,  Wood  and  Atwood ;  Ponte 
Fracto,  Pontefract,  Brackenbridge  and  Brace- 
bridge;  Novo  Mercato,  Newmarket  and 
Newmarch  ;  Novo  Burgo  and  Newburgh  : 
Puntward  has  been  Anglicised  to  Bridgeward, 
whence  Bridger,  Bridgett,  etc. — all  these 
instances  having  a  similar  derivation  and 
meaning. 

The  list  of  changes  arising  from  this  par- 
ticular cause  might  be  almost  indefinitely 
extended,  though  it  will  suffice  for  the  present 
object  only  to  notice,  in  extension  of  this 
heading  of  our  subject,  the  influence  of  the 
various  Northern  tongues  as  they  became 
transferred  to  British  soil.  Naturally,  among 
the  belligerent  invaders  of  this  country,  "  the 
swordsman "  was  a  common  appellation. 
Now  the  old  Norse  word  meaning  a  sword 
was  "  kordi,"  and  that  of  the  Danish  tongue 
"  kaarde  ;"  and  these  variations,  as  might  be 
expected,  form  the  root  of  a  great  variety  of 
our  modern  surnames.  We  find  the  Norse 
form  still  fully  preserved  in  the  family  of 
Cordy  of  Norfolk  and  Sufifolk ;  but  side  by 
side  with  it  are  to  be  found  the  variation  by 
the  use  of  the  Danish  form  of  Cardy,  Cady, 
Carde,  and  Cade.  In  the  western  and 
northern  counties  the  Norse  form  is  princi- 
pally met  with,  though  now  somewhat 
softened,  and  in  them  the  variety  of  growth 
has  given  rise  to  Cody,  Codde,  Code,  Coode, 
Crudde,  and  a  hundred  other  aliases.  The 
Norse  form  is  apparent  in  Cordwell,  while 


the  Danish  form  is  traceable  in  Cardwell. 
The  addition  of  the  syllable  "  man  "  as  the 
equivalent  for  "  swordsman,"  and  of  "  er  "  as 
the  equivalent  for  "sworder,"  as  in  Cady- 
man,  Cademan,  etc.,  and  in  Corder,  has 
produced  a  further  infinite  variety  of  English 
surnames ;  while  from  the  same  root  may 
probably  also  be  deduced  the  Irish  and 
Scotch  McCardy,  Macarthy,  McHardy,  etc. 
Continuing  this  branch  of  discussion,  it  may 
be  observed  that  "  Fylk "  in  Norse  is  the 
equivalent  of  "  Folk "  in  Danish,  while  the 
Lithuanian  form  of  the  word  is  "  Polk,"  a 
circumstance  accounting  for  much  variety. 
To  this  fact  should  be  reckoned  in  addition 
the  use  of  the  synonymous  word  "  flock  "  for 
"  folk,"  a  form  not  even  now  of  uncommon 
adoption  to  denote  any  assemblage.  We 
thus  obtain  from  the  same  root  as  the  names 
which  commence  with  "  Folk,"  the  abundant 
forms  of  Flockard,  Flockart,  Flocker,  Flocke, 
etc.,  as  also  the  similar  sub- corruptions  de- 
scending finally  to  Flacke. 

9.  Corruptiojis  due  to  Indiscriminate  Use 
of  all  the  Vowels  and  of  some  Consonants. — 
There  is  but  one  further  prominent  source 
of  corruption  which  it  occurs  to  the  writer  to 
mention.  It  must  be  apparent  to  all  students 
of  local  and  sur-nomenclature  that  the  vowels 
of  the  English  language  must  have  been  used 
by  our  forefathers  as  almost  synonymous. 
Nothing  but  such  a  custom  could  account 
for  the  indiscriminate  employment  we  find 
made  of  them.  They  cannot,  it  would  seem, 
have  had  the  broadly-marked  distinction  in 
sound  which  we  give  them  in  the  present 
day;  and  the  result  has  been  that  many 
thousands  of  names  originally  the  same  have 
come  down  to  us  in  forms  of  spelling  which 
render  them,  unless  this  allowance  be  made, 
quite  untraceable  as  to  their  origin.  Neither 
were  the  consonants  free  altogether  from 
such  liberal  dealing.  '*  P  "  and  "  B  "  were 
commonly  interchangeable,  as  in  Burchard 
and  Purchard  from  the  old  Burghward,  while 
"d"  was  almost  invariably  the  equivalent  of 
"  th,"  bringing  about  a  change  in  sequence 
(through  the  lisp  before  referred  to)  of  For- 
cred,  Forthred,  Fordred. 

Having  thus  sketched  out  as  fully  as  is 
possible  within  the  limits  of  a  magazine 
article  the  leading  circumstances  which  would 
appear  to  have  gradually  brought  about  the 

H— 2 


92 


7 HE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES. 


multiplication  of  surnames  among  us,  the 
writer  would  now  desire  to  revert  to  the  con- 
tention with  which  he  started,  that  much 
needless  ingenuity  has  been  shown  in  the 
endeavour  to  assign  particular  meanings  to 
names  which  are  really  only  corruptions. 
Mr.  Ferguson,  in  his  recent  useful  and  most 
instructive  work  upon  surnames,  has  fur- 
nished, as  it  seems  to  the  writer,  a  striking 
instance  of  such  misapplied  endeavour. 

Taking  for  the  purpose  of  illustration  that 
author's  method  of  dealing  with  the  ancient 
name  of  Folkward,  it  will  be  seen  that  he 
assigns  to  the  varied  forms  of  the  terminal 
syllable  discovered  distinct  meanings.  To 
Folcobert  or  Folcbrat  (which  is,  it  may  be 
believed,  to  be  rendered  as  "  Child  of 
Folco,"  as  witness  our  country  word  "brat") 
he  ascribes  the  interpretation  "  famed  of  the 
people."  To  the  German  Folchaid  and  its 
varied  French  forms  he  assigns  the  meaning 
of  "  state  or  condition  of  the  people,"  from 
the  old  German  word  "Haid."  For  Folkitt 
(Eng.),  Fouquet  and  Fouchet  (Fr.),  he  sug- 
gests/t^r/Zi' or  "hard."  To  Folkard  (Eng.), 
Volkhardt  (Ger.),  Foucart  (Fr.),  he  gives 
"  Hari "  or  warrior  as  the  equivalent,  while 
many  other  forms  of  the  terminal  syllable 
!Mr.  Ferguson  holds  to  claim  similarly  vary- 
ing derivatives.  The  writer  believes  that 
such  ingenuity  is,  as  he  has  said,  misapplied  : 
that  all  such  variations  are  but  corruptions 
of  the  original  "  Folkward,"  due  to  the  causes 
he  has  above  suggested.  In  order  to  prove 
such  to  be  the  case  he  has  compiled  the  table 
which  closes  this  article.  It  will  be  seen 
therefrom  how  allied  are  all  the  forms  of 
terminal  corruptions  in  names  which  origi- 
nally ended  with  "  ward,"  Now,  presuming 
that  we  accepted  Mr.  Ferguson's  interpreta- 
tion above  given  of  Folcobert  or  Folcbrat,  the 
same  meaning  could  hardly  apply  in  the 
case  of  Marcbart  or  Wolfbert.  A  man  could 
scarcely  be  "famed  of  the  Marc"  or  "boun- 
dary," nor  of  that  destructive  animal  the 
wolf,  and  yet  we  find  the  same  terminal 
applied  in  both  those  two  cases. 

It  is  needless  to  pursue  that  line  of  argu- 
ment further ;  but  it  wuU  be  found  applicable 
to  nearly  all  the  instances  cited  in  the  ap- 
pended list.  The  author  contends  that  the 
fact  that  the  same  forms  of  corruption  have 
been  found  to  attend  the  originals  of  all  the 


names  therein  dealt  with,  is  sufficient  proof 
that  such  instances  were  but  corruptions,  and 
were  not  possessed  of  the  different  significa- 
tions Mr.  Ferguson  has  given  to  them. 

In  the  compilation  of  the  list  given,  and 
with  the  object  of  sufficiently  bearing  out  his 
argument,  the  writer  has  selected  six  of  the 
oldest  names  ending  in  "  ward  "  that  he  has 
discovered.  But  with  reference  to  that 
assigned  the  most  prominent  place,  Folk- 
ward,  he  has  had  in  view  the  demonstration 
of  a  further  object  of  this  article.  The  varia- 
tions of  the  first  syllable  of  that  name  have 
been  as  wide  as  have  those  of  the  second. 
The  result  has  been  to  produce  from  the 
original  root  a  multiplication  of  surnames  so 
great  as  to  necessitate  almost  the  employment 
of  the  system  of  permutations  and  combina- 
tions to  calculate  their  possible  finality.  So 
numerous  have  been  the  instances  met  with, 
that  it  has  been  necessary  to  reduce  those 
quoted  to  about  one-fifth  in  order  to  bring 
the  list  within  practicable  limits  ;  but  those 
selected  will  suffice  to  illustrate  how  large  a 
number  of  modern  surnames  may  perhaps 
be  traced  to  this  old  term  of  office.  With 
the  other  cases  of  surnames  paralleled,  it  has 
been  the  writer's  object  merely  to  use  them 
to  show  how  the  terminal  syllable  has  con- 
sistently varied  with  all  of  them.  Had  his 
attention  been  directed  to  this  subject 
throughout  the  researches  made  by  him, 
doubtless  many  other  instances  of  parallelism 
could  have  been  noted  which  would  have 
filled  up  the  gaps  of  it  which  are  now  per- 
force left  unoccupied.  Still,  sufficient  evi- 
dence, it  is  believed,  has  been  adduced  to 
prove  the  case  stated. 

A  few  remarks  are  desirable  before  inviting 
the  reader  to  study  the  list  presented  to  him. 
It  will  be  readily  understood  that  the  hold- 
ing of  office  among  our  earliest  forefathers 
would  be  held  to  denote  an  honourable 
position  claiming  to  some  extent  perpetuation 
of  record.  We  therefore  find  many  surnames 
which  received  subsequent  adoption,  due 
perhaps  to  such  a  feeling.  The  first  name 
of  such  a  character  placed  on  the  list  is  that 
of  Folkward,  its  literal  meaning  being  the 
"keeper  or  guardian  of  the  people."  This 
term  appears  to  have  been  assigned  probably 
to  the  presidents  of  the  local  or  "  hundred  " 
folkmoots.     The  second  in  order  is,  there  is 


THE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES. 


93 


reason  to  think,  a  Cornish  sub-corruption  of 
the  shortening  due  to  the  omission  of  the 
"  w  "  in  Folkward  in  the  Latin  writing  before 
referred  to,  i.e.,  to  Folchard  or  Folkard  (the 
"  ch "  being  of  hard  pronunciation,  and 
equivalent  to  the  modern  "  k  ").  The  "  f," 
as  has  been  pointed  out,  became  changed  to 
'•  t,"  and  the  name  of  Tolchard,  while  still 
preserved  in  its  integrity,  has  followed  the 
almost  infinite  forms  of  corruption  observable 
of  its  original.  The  third  in  order  is  the 
name  Tanward  or  Tunward,  /.(?.,  the  person 
charged  with  the  keeping  in  order  of  the 
"Tun,"  or  quickset  hedge  surrounding  the 
village  of  our  forefathers,  whence  our  modern 
word  "  town."  The  fourth,  Marcward,  is  de- 
fined by  Bosworth  as  meaning  the  keeper  or 
watcher  of  boundaries,  i.e.,  guardian  of  the 
marc.  The  fifth,  Wolfward,  designated  the 
officer  to  whom  was  assigned  the  keeping 
down  of  the  number  of  the  wolves  by  which 
our  most  ancient  progenitors  were  troubled. 
The  sixth,  Puntward,  meant  literally  the 
ferry  or  bridge-keeper,  from  the  Saxon 
"  punt,"  of  which  the  Latin  "  pons  "  is  the 
equivalent ;  an  office  of  no  small  importance 
to  a  society  in  a  state  of  almost  constant 
internecine  quarrel,  it  being  within  this 
ofiicer's  discretion  to  permit  or  refuse  pas- 
sage over  any  guarding  stream.  The  seventh 
and  last  name  is  that  of  Wodeward,  or  the 
officer  charged  with  watching  over  the  legiti- 
mate use  of  the  forests,  in  which  the  mem- 
bers of  the  ancient  communities  possessed 
communal  rights. 

In  the  compilation  of  the  derivations  from 
those  names,  the  writer  has  endeavoured  so 
to  classify  them  as  to  show  how  the  corrup- 
tions— as  to  the  causes  of  which  he  has 
before  essayed  explanation — gradually  ex- 
tended. It  is  quite  impossible  to  assign 
dates  to  the  commencement  of  any  of  their 
forms,  for  some  appear  in  use  at  very  early 
periods ;  but  it  is  significant,  as  evidencing 
the  lateness  of  the  corruption  Tolchard,  that 
the  use  of  the  original  "  w  "  can  hardly  be 
traced,  nor  does  any  form  of  it  appear  in 
old  foreign  records  or  charters.  It  is  not 
professed  that  the  conclusions  assumed  are 
entirely  accurate ;  they  are  meant  at  best  to 
be  but  suggestive.  Still,  it  is  held  that  they 
will  be  found  to  dispose  of  many  of  the 
efforts  made  to  assign  meanings  to  a  great 


number  of  surnames  in  modern  use,  and  to 
account  for  their  present  almost  infinite 
variety.  A  distinction  has  been  made  in  the 
type  employed  in  the  printing  to  enable  the 
reader  to  follow  the  compiler's  idea  as  to 
which  names  were  primary,  secondary,  and 
third  corruptions,  with  the  sequences  to  the 
last. 

In  order  to  anticipate  as  far  as  possible 
objections  which  may  be  raised  to  the  con- 
clusions proposed  as  to  many  names  in  the 
list,  which  may  appear  at  first  sight  almost 
untenable  as  corruptions  of  the  original  root 
assigned  to  them,  it  is  desirable  to  give,  by 
way  of  forestallation,  some  confirmatory  evi- 
dence. Nothing  was  commoner  in  the  olden 
times  than  for  the  names  of  individuals  to  be 
given  to  and  to  remain  with  the  places  of 
their  habitation.  Once  such  names  were  so 
locally  established,  they  followed  to  a  large 
extent  in  their  corruptions  those  observable 
in  the  use  of  the  name  when  applied  to 
persons.  The  writer  has  therefore  selected 
a  few  out  of  the  many  instances  where  the 
name  of  Folkward  has  thus  received  adoption 
as  the  name  of  a  locality,  and  the  citation  of 
the  different  forms  met  with  in  ancient  docu- 
ments, and  so  applied,  will  form  strong 
warranty  for  his  assumption  of  similar  varia- 
tions in  its  use  as  a  personal  appellative. 

Out  of  144  instances  in  his  present  posses- 
sion wherein  the  personal  name  has  so  been 
the  foundation  of  those  of  towns  in  various 
countries,  four  are  quoted  for  the  fulfilment 
of  this  object,  though  the  two  last  have  been 
associated,  it  having  been  found  impossible 
to  distinguish  as  to  which  of  them  the  cor- 
ruptions apply.  The  modern  name  of  the 
town  is  that  first  given,  and  the  older  ones 
are  arranged  as  they  appear  to  vary  in  suc- 
cession from  the  earliest  to  the  latest  form, 
some  attempt  at  parallelism  also  being  main- 
tained : 


FoCKERIiY 

(Yorkshire). 

Folkwardby 

Folquardby 

Folkardby 

Folkcrdby 

Folkcrby 

P'okardby 

Fokcrdby 

Foqucrby 

Fookcrby 

Fokerby 


FOCGATHORP 

(Yorkshire). 

Fulkwarethorpe 

Folkarthorp 

Folkerlhorp 

Folkersthorp 

Fokkcrthorp 

Fowkersthorpe 


Fokcrthorp 


Fai'lqi'emont  and 

p'oucarmont 

(France). 

Folcardi-Monti 

Fulcaudus-Montensis 

Fokardimonte 

Fulcardemont 

Folcarimint 

Frocardi  Monte 

r'rancquemont 

Montes  Fouqucrannus 

Foukarmount 


94 


THE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES. 


FOCKERBY  FOGGATHORP 

(Yorkshire).  (Yorkshire). 

Fockerby  — 

Fawkeby  — 

Folkesby  Folkethorp 

Fulcherby  Fulcathorpe 

Felcardby  Follethorpe 

Falgardeby  Fulthorp 

Fougerby  Foggerthorpe 

Folgnarby  Fogathorp 

Folnarby  — 

Foceby  — 

The  above  given  corruptions  by  no  means 

exhaust  all  the  various  forms  found,  but  their 


Faulquemont  and 

foucarmont 

(France). 

Faukemont 

Falkemont 

Fulcharmunt 

Facarmund 

Falco-Monte 

Falconis  Mons 

Falcmount 

Falkenstein 

Fontardi  Monte 


number  will  suffice  for  the  present  purpose. 
As  regards  the  variations  of  the  name  when 
applied  to  persons,  it  may  be  remarked  that 
in  nearly  all  the  cases  hereafter  given,  the 
writer  has  been  able  to  identify  them  with 
the  original  name,  or  with  some  leading 
corruption  of  it,  by  their  co-use  to  designate 
the  same  individual. 

With  thus  much  by  way  of  introduction, 
the  list  may  now  be  given  for  examination, 
and  it  is  believed  the  reader  will  find  it  to 
strongly  support  the  arguments  advanced. 


FOLKVVARD 

(Corruption) 

Tanward 

Marcward 

Wolfward 

PUNTWARD 

WODEWARD 

Folquard 

.. 

Tanguart 

Marquard 

IVolward 

Penward 

Ferquhard 

Terquart 

Tankwart 

Ferqwar 
Folgtterd 

Folquer 

Tawarn 

Mar  wart 

Woifwar" " 

Pynceware 

.. 

Folque 

Marque 

Foulke 

Folcvard 

Marcvard 

Wulvard 

Folcuald 

Markwald 

Fawkczvard 

.. 

Folavin 

Tolwyn 

Tunkin 

Marvin 

Wol/win 

.  • 

Folkeworth 

Toneivorth 

Markeivorth 

Panneworth 

Fulwood 

Marwood 

FOLKARD 

Tankard 

Merkkard 

WOLFARD 

Punkard 

Woodard 

FoUhard 

Tokhard 

Tanchard 

Marchard 

Puntc/iard) 
Punchard   ) 

Folkhard 

* .         ■  ■ 

Tunherd 

Marholt      ) 
Merkhard  j 

Wolfhart 

Penhard 

Woodyherd 

Fokard 

Vufard 

Folkarbe 

Tiirkebi 

Markaby 

Forkard 

Torkard 

Fochard 

Tochard 

Fokard 

.  ■ 

Marcard 

Pontcard 

Folcart 

Tancwart 

Marcart 

Wulfart 

Folcatt 

Talcott 

.. 

Marcot 

Penicott 

Wodecot 

Folcett 

Tolcett 

.. 

Marget 

.. 

Penikett ) 
Punyett  f 

Woodgett 

Faukett 

Faucet 

Tiickett 

Marcet 

Poncett 

Folkod 

Tanihud 

Folcauz 

Torcaz 

Volfras 

Foley 

Marcy 

Wulphez 

Poncy 

FOLKERD 

Tankerd 

Vulferd 

Puncherd 

Woodwerd 

Folkered 

.. 

Tankered 

Puncered 

Folcred 

Tancred 

Volfred   ■■ 

Pendred 

Fulchred 

•  • 

Fulchret 

Wulfret  " 

Folkett 

Toket 

Tancret 

Pencet 

WoodgetV 

Foukett 

Tuckett 

Punchet 

Fouquet 

Touchett 

Folkelet 

•  • 

Folkelot 

Maracholt 

Woifkelt  ' 

Punchelote 

Fuhherd 

Fulcher 

Tulcher  '" 

Marcher 

Puncher 

Fulke 

Toulke 

Tunks 

Marche 

Punche 

Fiiker 

P"uke 

Tiike 

Folkaid 

via/aid" 

Folcheid 

Taiichlld' ' 

Folchild 

Thenchila 

Marchida 

Vulfild 

Folcheid 

Vuolheid 

Folcrid 

Tingrid  V 
Tancrid  ) 

Vuolfrid 

Folcrit 

Walfrit 

Penquit 

Folcric 

Marquick  \ 
Markwick  j" 

*  .                  •  • 

Folchrlh 

Tanchrih 

Marchrih 

Pencrich 

Folric 

Merrick 

Wiiifric  ■' 

Folkered 

.. 

WoLFERAD 

Pendered 

Flkoeray 

Tanqneray 

*  • 

Pnndelay  ) 
Penderay  j 

Folkeroy 

Tolderoy 

THE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES, 


95 


FOLKWARD 

(Corruption) 

Tanward 

Marcward 

WOLFWARD 

PUNTWARD 

WODEWARD 

Folderoy 

.. 

Penderay 

Folcroy 

Folkey 

.. 

Toney 

Wulfheye' 

Folkys 

Marcheyes 

Wolfchis 

Ponteys 

Folkes 

W^es 

(  Fookey 
(Foky 

Vourey  ) 

Woify  ; 

Woodey 

Markey 

Folcharad 

Tancharad 

Marcarad 

Wolverad 

Fulcherar 

Pontearchar 

Folchrad 

Taiicrad    > 
Tangcrad  j 

Marcrad 

Wulfrad 

Folcrada(fem.) 

•  • 

Tancrada 

.. 

Wulfrada 

Folerad 

Tulerad 

.  ■ 

.. 

Folraad 

VuYfrad  '" 

Folcharat 

Tancharat 

Marcharat 

.. 

Folcrat 

Tancrat 

Marcrat 

Wialfrat  " 

FOLCOARD 

Ulfoard 

Pancoard 

Folkoad 

Toicoat  " 

Marcourt 

V'lilf.xud 

Putuhaud 

(  (  Folcold 

Tolcholt 

Thancald 

Marcolt 

Vulfoald 

\  Folco 

Tolcho 

Tanco 

Marceau 

Vulfo 

(  Folcus 

Tancrus 

Marcus 

Vulfleus 

■     rFulcold 

{  Fulko 

•  • 

Marco 

.  tFulke 

Tulke 

Punche 

/  Folcon 

Tolcon 

.. 

Marchun 

Woifun   ■■ 

Poncione 

Folkyn 

Tolkyn 

Tunkin 

M.archinc 

Wulfen 

Ponteyn 

Woodin 

Fulkln 

Tolken 

•  • 

Pynchin 

•<  Folkelyn 

Tolkien 

Tanklin 

Marclin 

Folyn 

Tolyn 

Vu'lfin 

■■ 

Faukoun 

Tochen 

Wolfrun 

. . 

VFacon 

Tacon 

.. 

Frocode 

Folculf 

Tancul/ 

Marco!/ 

FOLKEARD 

•  • 

Marcuard 

WULFEARD 

Folkier 

Marchia 

Wuljier 

Puncia 

Woodier 

Foliard 

Tolihard 

Punnyard 

Woody ard 

Folard 

Tannard  ) 
Tunnard  | 

Wulard  '" 

FoUer 

(•Toiler 

.. 

WoUer  ) 
Waller/ 

•^Tull 

(Toll 

FOLKANDE 

.. 

.. 

Markand 

VULFAND 

PUNCHAND 

Folcrand 

IVol/gant 

Ponyant 

Folcran 

Marcian 

Vulfran 

Punchon 

Folkarn 

ToVkam 

Marcbern 

VVolfarn 

Pinchorn 

Folken 

Wolfen 

Puncyn 

W^en 

Folcnand 

Wolfnand 

Fokerande 

Vuifcheran 

Fukeram 

Tocham 

Marcham 

Wolfram 

Puncham 

Woderone 

Foukhend 

FOLGARD 

WULGARD 

PONGARD 

Folgar 

Tangye 

M  'ol/gar 

^. 

Folger 

Thancger 

Margger 

Wolfger 

Woodger 

Foulger 

.. 

Vuolfger   ) 
Woolgar   ) 

Folgot 

Margot 

Fargud 
Faljard 

To'lgud 

Tingrid 

Margund 

Penicud 

Faxard 
Fouzard 

FOLSARD 

Plnshard 

Folsar 

Folser 

Tolson 

Punshon 

Foulser 

Fouldier 

Folzer 

. .    ■ 

.  • 

■  • 

Fuhhtr 

.. 

Frusher 

Trusher 

FOLKAR 

Marschakr 

WOLFAR 

PONCHAR 

WOOIMR 

Folkcr 

Marcher 

Wol/t-r 

]\  'oodcr 

rFolcher 

ToVcher  '" 

Tancre 

Marcher 

Wolfker 

Puncher 

Folche 

Marc  he 

Punche 

-   Folke 

Tank 

Marc 

Punch 

Woodde 

Foker 

Toker 

.Foke 

Tokke 

Foker 

Toker 

.. 

Foaker 

Toaker 

Faker 

(  Taccha 
\  Taker 

Fuker 

Tuker 

.. 

(  Kucher 
\  Foche 

Tuchcr 

96 

THE  MULTIPLICATION  OF  SURNAMES. 

FOLKWARD 

(Corruption) 

Tanward       Marcward 

WOLFWARD 

PUNTWARD 

WODEWARD 

Focker 

Tocker 

..         .. 

Fugger 

(  Fouker 

/To'iiker 

1  Fouke 

(  Towke 

J  Fucker 

1  1  ucker 

j  Furcke 

\Turck 

j  Fokker 

Tocker 

t  Fokke 

Foky 

Toky 

Fcx:h 

Toche 

Foke 

Toke 

Faulker 

Faulke 

". 

Faulkes 

Falke 

Tarin 

Foaker 

Fawker 

'.'.         '.. 

• 

Fawke 

Tawke 

Fawkes 

FOLPARD 

Vol PAR D 

Folpald 

Vuolfpold 

Folcpret 

Tolputt  " 

Tancpret 

Wolfpret ) 
Vopred     ) 

FOLBARD 

.. 

Marbold 

Folbald 

Tolbald 

Thancbaid 

Merkbold 

Vuolfbald" 

Folcobert 

Folbert 

FoCARD 

Thancbert 

Marcbart 

Woifbert" 

Fokard 

.. 

Frothard 

Trotard  " 

Marthard 

Vuolftrud 

Foltrud 

Marcadrud 

Fotard 

.. 

•  • 

Vualthaid  \ 
Vualther   j 

Futher 

Tuther 

•  •         ■  • 

Wolther 

Punter 

Fordred 



Vulfedrud 

accounts  of  5)enrp  03[. 

By  Sir  J.  11.  Ramsay. 
Part  II. 

(See  a}ite,  vol.  x.,  p.  191.) 
N  dealing  with  the  financial  history 
of  the  latter  half  of  the  reign  of 
Henry  VI.,  I  have  to  express  my 
regret  at  not  being  able  to  give  the 
totals  of  the  Issue  Rolls  from  the  year  145 1 
onwards.  But  the  fact  is  that  from  that  time 
the  treasurers,  Lancastrians  and  Yorkists 
alike,  ceased  to  require  their  subordinates  to 
add  up  the  Rolls.  Every  continuous  series 
has  a  value ;  but  the  labour  of  adding  up 
nineteen  consecutive  Rolls  is  so  great  that  I 
have  been  obliged  to  postpone  it  for  the 
present ;  besides,  my  previous  articles  have 
already  shown  that  the  totals  of  the  Issue 
and  Receipt  Rolls  do  not  give  the  most 
trustworthy  statements  of  the  bona  fide 
revenue ;  that  knowledge  can  only  be 
obtained  by  analyzing  the  Receipt  Rolls,  and 
comparing  the  results  with  the  data  furnished 
by  the  enrolled  accounts  and  other  sources 
of  information.     It  may  be  well  to  glance  at 


the  finance  of  the  reign  as  a  whole,  touching 
lightly  on  the  points  which  have  already  been 
illustrated.  Financially  the  reign  should  be 
divided  into  three  periods,  distinguished  by 
the  direct  taxes  voted  by  the  representatives 
of  the  nation.  The  first  period  will  run  from 
the  accession  of  Henry  VI.  in  September, 
1422,  to  September,  1428,  when  the  Govern- 
ment received  practically  nothing  from  Parlia- 
ment, and  very  little  from  Convocation  :  that 
is  to  say,  the  only  direct  iiTipost  granted  by 
Parliament  was  a  levy  of  6s.  8d.  on  each 
lay  knight's  fee,  and  each  country  parish  in 
the  kingdom,  for  one  year  (March,  1428) ; 
v.'hile  the  Convocation  of  Canterbury  gave 
one  tenth,  and  that  of  York  one  half  tenth. 
The  second  period  will  extend  from  Septem- 
ber, T428,  to  September,  1454,  when  lay 
and  clerical  subsidies  were  voted  with  some 
degree  of  regularity.  The  remainder  of  the 
reign,  up  to  the  accession  of  Edward  IV. 
(4th  March,  1461),  will  form  the  third  period, 
when  direct  grants  wholly  ceased. 

I  will  first  endeavour  to  estimate  the  yield 
of  each  branch  of  the  revenue  under  the 
heads  with  which  the  readers  oi^o.  Antiquary 
have  been  made  acquainted ;  and  will  then 


ACCOUNTS  OF  HENRY  VL 


97 


compare  the  totals  with  those  of  the  Issue 
Rolls  so  far  as  they  have  been  printed. 

For  the  amount  of  the  old  Feudal  re- 
venues of  the  Crown  for  the  first  period  I 
miist  be  content  with  the  estimate  laid  by 
Lord  Cromwell,  the  Treasurer,  before  Parlia- 
ment in  1433  (see  Antiquary,  x.  195) ;  and  will 
assume  them  to  have  amounted  in  round 
numbers  to  ;^24,ooo  or  ;^25,ooo  a  year, 
including  the  Lancaster  estates.  The 
Customs  with  aulnage  of  cloths  we  may  put 
down  at  about  ;^3 1,000  from  the  yield  in  the 
eighth  year,  the  earliest  available  {Antiquary, 
supra).  The  vacant  sees  and  priories  alien 
may  be  taken  at  about  ;^3oo  a  year :  the 
gross  yield  of  the  Hanaper  I  can  give  with 
exactitude  from  the  Enrolled  Foreign  Ac- 
counts of  the  period,  and  the  amount  in  the 
six  years  was  ^^12,013,  or  ;,£"2,ooo  a  year. 
For  the  Mint  and  Exchange  at  the  Tower  I 
find  again  on  the  Enrolled  Foreign  Accounts 
an  average  yield  of  ;j^i, 632  a  year.  Lastly,  we 
may  put  in  a  sum  of  j[^2oo  a  year  for  sundries. 
For  the  direct  grants  we  have  one  tenth 
from  Canterbury,  amounting  to  ;!^i  3,000;  and 
one  half  tenth  from  York,  worth  about 
;^i,2oo.  For  the  6s.  8d.  of  the  twenty- 
eighth  year  I  must  make  a  guess.  Assuming 
as  an  outside  estimate  that  there  were  8,000 
country  parishes,  and  as  many  lay  knights' 
fees  in  England  at  the  time,  the  yield  of  the 
impost  would  amount  to  little  more  than 
;i^5,ooo.  Thus  the  total  for  the  period 
received  under  the  head  of  Direct  Grants 
would  come  to  ^^19,200  in  all,  or  ;,^6,4oo 
for  each  year.  The  entire  revenue,  tliere- 
fore,  would  make  up  ;;^65,ooo  or  ;2^66,ooo 
a  year.  The  totals  of  five  Receipt  Rolls 
of  the  period  which  I  found  added  up 
average  ^32,664  a  term,  or  ;^65,328  a  year. 
The  coincidence  may  strike  the  reader  as 
very  happy,  but  to  my  mind  it  proves  that 
our  estimates  are  too  high,  as  even  at  this 
period  of  the  reign  I  find  that  the  Rolls  are 
swelled  by  a  certain  amount  of  borrowed 
money,  to  say  nothing  of  interest,  if  interest 
was  paid,  a  point  to  which  I  will  revert. 
The  recorded  average  expenditure  on  the 
Issue  Rolls  comes  to  ^68,440  a  year. 

For  the  second  period  from  September 
1428,  to  September  1454,  the  indications 
mostly  point  to  declining  revenues.  For  the 
old  Crown  revenues   ^^20,000   will   suftice. 


For  the  Customs  the  average  of  the  ninth, 
tenth  and  eleventh  years,  as  given  by  Lord 
Cromwell  in  1433,  comes  to  much  the  same 
as  the  amount  we  took  before;  but  as  the 
tendency  is  downward,  the  last  year  only 
producing  something  over  p^2  7,000  (with 
aulnage  of  cloth),  while  the  twenty-seventh 
year  (1448-1449)  produced  rather  less  than 
that  sum,  I  shall  take  ;^2  7,000  as  my 
estimate.  The  vacant  sees  may  remain  at 
;;^3oo ;  and  the  Hanaper  at  ;;^2,ooo.  I 
have  no  data  for  the  period  under  considera- 
tion ;  but  in  the  last  years  of  the  reign  the 
amount  rises  from  ;^  1,800  a  year  to  ;^3,i72 
gross.  The  Mint  in  the  same  period 
dwindles  to  ;^3io.  ^^  1,000  therefore  ought 
to  be  ample  for  the  second  period.  Adding 
p^2oo  a  year  as  before  for  sundries,  we  shall 
get  ;^4o,5oo  irrespective  of  direct  grants. 
As  to  these  from  September,  1428,  to 
September,  1454,  the  Parliament  Rolls  record 
the  follov.-ing  votes,  which  I  must  ask  the 
reader  to  take  on  my  authority,  the  references 
lying  before  me  as  I  write.  Between  1428 
and  1432,  the  King  received  three  subsidies 
and  five-sixths  of  another  subsidy  without 
deduction.  A  statement  on  the  Parliament 
Roll  of  the  second  Edward  IV.  tells  us  that 
a  full  fifteenth  and  tenth  was  still  estimated 
at  ;!^3 7,000 ;  but  as  we  have  never  been 
able  to  make  more  than  ;!^36,ooo  out  of  the 
proceeds  of  any  one,  we  will  take  the 
amount  at  that  sum,  making  an  aggregate 
total  of  ;i^i38,ooo.  Between  1433  and  1445 
the  King  received  six  further  subsidies ;  but 
under  a  deduction  of  ^4,000  from  each  for 
the  benefit  of  impoverished  places,  these  will 
come  to  ;^ 1 92,000.  Between  1446  and 
1454,  again  the  King  received  four  and  a  half 
subsidies,  but  under  a  deduction  of  ;;^6,ooo 
from  each,  making  another  total  of  ^^i  35,000. 
The  King  also  received  in  1450  a  graduated 
income  tax.  Incomes  from  ^i  tO;^2o  per 
annum  were  required  to  pay  at  the  rate  of 
6d.  on  the  ;£\  ;  incomes  from  ^^20  to 
;;^2oo  a  year  paid  i2d.  on  the  ^\ ;  and 
above  ;^2oo  double  that.  Eventually  in- 
comes under  £2  and  ^{^3  a  year  from  real 
and  personal  ])roperty  respectively  were 
excused.  The  Commons  were  reluctant  to 
vote  the  tax,  which  was  unpopular;  it  was 
made  a  condition  that  persons  should  be 
assessed  on  their  own    simple    oath,    and 


98 


ACCOUNTS  OF  HENRY  VI. 


that  no  further  inquiry  as  to  their  means 
should  be  lawful.  When  the  next  Parlia- 
ment met  it  was  stated  that  not  a  step  had 
yet  been  taken  towards  raising  the  money. 
Fresh  orders  were  issued ;  I  was  prepared 
to  believe  that  the  whole  thing  would  fall  to 
the  ground.  But  I  was  mistaken  :  the  En- 
rolled Foreign  Accounts  (33rd  to  38th  years) 
tell  us  that  the  commissioners,  after  four 
years  of  diligent  work,  succeeded  in  getting 
in  a  sum  of  ;^i2,i54  as  the  entire  proceeds 
of  an  income  tax  of  6d.  to  2s.  on  the  J[\,\  of 
all  incomes  over  jQ2  and  jQt)  ^"^  ^'^^  whole  of 
England.  In  1440  a  poll-tax  on  foreigners 
was  instituted,  householders  being  condemned 
to  pay  IS.  4d.  yearly,  and  servants  6d.  This 
was  extended  in  1449  by  the  imposition  of 
6s.  8d.  on  each  resident  foreign  merchant, 
and  IS.  8d.  on  each  clerk  ;  but  this  need  not 
trouble  us,  as  the  total  seems  only  to  have 
reached  jQt-oo  a  year.  Adding  up  the 
amounts  of  the  other  Parliamentary  grants 
and  spreading  them  over  the  twenty-six 
years,  we  get  _;^2 6,000  a  year  to  be  added  to 
the  ordinary  revenues.  The  clerical  grants 
remain.  From  Wake's  State  of  the  Church, 
W' ilkin's  Concilia,  and  the  second  Appendix  to 
Deputy  Keeper's  Third  Report,  we  learn  that 
during  the  period  under  consideration  the 
King  received  from  the  southern  Convoca- 
tion 15^  tenths,  and  5^  from  the  clergy  of  the 
Northern  Province.  At  the  rates  above  given 
these  would  make  up  ;^204,55o,  or  ;!^7,867 
a  year  to  be  added.  The  whole  then  will 
stand  thus : 


Ordinary  Revenue 
Lay  Subsidies 
Clerical  Subsidies 


;^4O,50O 

26,000 

7,867 

^^74,367 


I  have  not  got  the  total  of  any  Receipt 
Roll  of  the  period  to  compare  with  this  ;  but 
the  Issue  Rolls  from  1428  to  1450  (all  that 
are  available)  show  an  average  expenditure 
of  j[^\o<^,\i^  a  year.  The  difference  repre- 
sents financial  embarrassment ;  but  it  does 
not  exactly  give  the  measure  of  the  King's 
indebtedness  If  the  totals  of  the  Receipt 
Rolls  were  before  us  we  should  probably  find 
them  giving  an  apparent  income  equal  to  the 
expenditure,  the  accounts  being  swelled  on 
the  one  side  by  loans  contracted  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  ordinary  sources  of  revenue,  on 


the  other  by  the  drafts  given  to  the  persons 
advancing  the  loans.  These  "  assignments  " 
were  often  drawn  within  a  few  days  of  the 
time  of  the  advance,  and  they  are  always 
treated  on  the  Rolls  as  actual  repayment ; 
but  in  fact  they  were  only  securities  for 
repayment,  of  which  Sir  John  Fortescue  tells 
us  that  a  poor  man  would  rather  have  had 
100  marks  {£,(i(i  13s.  4d.)  in  cash  than 
;^ioo  by  assignment,  "wich  peraventur  shall 
cost  hym  right  miche,  or  he  can  gete  his  pay- 
ment and  peraventur  be  never  paid  thereof" 
{Governance  of  England,  119,  ed.  Plummer). 
Again,  when  the  Treasury  could  only  pay 
part  of  a  debt,  the  practice  was  to  enter  the 
whole  as  paid,  the  unpaid  balance  being 
credited  to  the  payee  as  a  loan  to  the  King ; 
the  entry  of  payment  on  the  Issue  Roll  being 
balanced  on  the  Receipt  Roll  by  a  fictitious 
"assignment,"  which  is  marked  as  "cancelled" 
and  retained  in  the  Exchequer.  When  the 
unpaid  balance  comes  to  be  paid  to  the 
creditor  the  sum  is  entered  on  the  Issue 
Roll,  not  as  paid  on  account  of  the  original 
and  true  debt,  but  of  the  fictitious  "  advance  " 
by  "  restitution  of  a  tally." 

Thus  we  trace  three  kinds  of  payment  on 
the  Rolls  :  ist,  payment  in  cash,  "/«  dettariis 
solutis /^  2nd,  payment  by  assignment  de- 
livered to  the  creditor,  to  be  cashed  by  him 
as  and  when  he  may ;  and  3rdly,  payment 
by  cancelled  assignment,  which  is  not  even 
delivered  to  the  creditor,  but  retained  in  the 
Exchequer.  The  first  sort  of  assignment 
makes  money  to  appear  as  paid  into  and 
out  of  the  Exchequer,  which  perhaps  was  not 
paid  till  long  after,  perhaps  not  at  all ;  under 
the  second  sort  of  assignment  money  is 
entered  on  the  Issue  Rolls  as  paid  which  is 
not  paid  at  all,  and  which,  if  paid  at  some 
future  time,  must  figure  again  on  both  Rolls. 

I  will  give  two  instances  to  show  the  scale 
on  which  those  things  were  done.  On  the 
7th  December,  1443,  we  find  on  the  Re- 
ceipt Roll  (Mich.  22  H.  VI.)  an  entry  of 
;^i  1,666  13s.  4d.  advanced  to  the  King  by 
the  Duke  of  York;  the  money,  however,  is 
not  marked  on  the  margin  "sol"  {soluttim — 
paid),  as  it  ought  to  have  been  if  really  paid 
in.  On  the  21st  February,  1444,  we  find, 
on  the  Issue  Roll  of  the  same  term,  assign- 
ments made  to  the  Duke  in  payment  of  the 
above  amount ;  also,  on  the  same  day,  pay- 


ACCOUNTS  OF  HENRY  VI. 


99 


ment  in  cash  of  another  ;£ii,666  13s.  46.. 
due  for  the  wages  of  men  who  have  been 
serving  in  operations  against  Dieppe  in  Nor- 
mandy. The  assignments  for  the  "  advance  " 
of  ;^  1 1,666  13s.  4d.  were  only  cashed  by 
instalments  between  the  28th  and  32nd  years 
(1449-1454),  though  they  are  entered  as  pay- 
ments of  February,  1444.  The  cash  advance 
by  the  Duke,  and  the  cash  repayment  to 
him,  appear  to  be  both  fictitious  ;  the  wages 
being  nominally  paid  at  once  in  cash  by 
handing  back  to  the  Duke  his  own  money, 
but  really  only  by  instalments  between  1449 
and  1454.  Both  Rolls,  however,  are  at  once 
swelled  by  cross  entries  of  ;^i  1,666  13s.  4d. 
Again,  in  July  1446  (Easter,  24  H.  VI.),  we 
have  assignments  to  the  Duke  of  York  for 
;;^2 6,000  in  payment  of  his  salary  as  King's 
Lieutenant  of  Normandy;  the  Duke  is  obliged 
at  once  to  restore  tallies  for  ;,^6,62o,  which 
are  cancelled  and  re-entered  as  a  loan  from 
him.  At  what  dates  the  assignments  that  he 
took  away  with  him  were  paid  I  cannot  say ; 
but  the  fresh  assignments  eventually  given  to 
him  for  the  ;!^6,620  were  not  finally  liquidated 
till  the  2nd  Edward  IV.  (146 2- 1463).  The 
schedule  of  debts  drawn  up  by  Lord  Crom- 
well in  1433  showed  an  amount  of  ;^i66,96i 
as  owing;  one  drawn  up  in  Parliament  in 
1449  gave  p^" 3 7  2, 000  as  the  amount  of  debt. 
Our  third  period,  from  1454  to  1461,  was 
one  of  confusion,  the  Wars  of  the  Roses 
beginning  with  the  First  Battle  of  St.  Albans 
in  May,  1455  ;  and  the  revenue  went  down 
quickly.  I  will  not  attempt  an  estimate  for 
the  earlier  years  of  the  period ;  but  an 
analysis  of  the  receipts  of  the  37th  year 
(1458-1459)  shows  that,  exclusive  of  loans 
and  cancelled  tallies,  the  King's  entire  revenue 
was  just  over  ;i^2 2,000.  The  old  Crown 
revenues,  in  spite  of  repeated  acts  for  the 
resumption  of  Crown  lands,  have  fallen  to 
;^i3,i35,and  the  Customs  tO;^7,558.  But 
these  amounts  cannot  stand.  The  Lancaster 
estates  alone,  with  Wales,  Chester  and  Corn- 
wall, were  worth  ^^10,000  or  ;^ir,ooo  a 
year;  while  the  Enrolled  Foreign  Accounts 
show  Hanaper  Receipts  to  the  amount  of 
;^3,ooo  a  year  in  this  period.  It  is  clear 
that  in  this  year  the  Rcccij)!  Rolls  only 
record  the  cash  paid  into  the  Exchequer, 
without  noticing  the  payments  made  direct 
to  Crown    creditors    by     the     parties     ac- 


countable to  the  Crown.  Our  estimate 
for  the  third  period  must,  however,  in 
any  case  be  something  under  ^^40,000 
a  year,  as  that  was  the  amount  (without 
direct  grants)  in  the  previous  period.  The 
feudal  revenues  of  the  37  th  year,  small  as 
the  total  is,  are  eked  out  by  a  most  unusual 
amount  of  fines  on  sheriffs  for  insufficient 
returns  to  writs  and  escape  of  prisoners ; 
estreats  of  recognisances  for  good  behaviour 
and  the  like,  testifying  to  disorders  of  several 
years'  standing.  In  one  place  we  have 
117  consecutive  entries  of  "  forfeitures,"  the 
amounts  forfeited  varying  from  3s.  4d.  to  20s. 
The  persons  condemned  include  some  of  the 
highest  names  in  the  land  and  of  both  sides 
in  politics,  as  Northumberland,  Norfolk, 
Arundel. 

I  have  alluded  to  the  unsolved  question 
of  interest  on  the  royal  loans.  Sir  John 
Fortescue,  who  ought  to  know  what  he  was 
writing  about,  says  distinctly  that  the  King's 
creditors  took  "the  4th  or  5th  penny"  from 
him  for  all  that  they  advanced  {Governance 
of  Englaftd,  118).  All  I  can  say  is  that  not 
a  trace  of  this  appears  on  the  Rolls.  If  the 
King  repays  all  that  is  entered  as  advanced 
to  him,  that  is  as  much  as  he  does.  The 
only  suggestion  that  I  can  make  is  that 
perhaps  the  interest  was  discounted,  the 
creditor  receiving  an  acknowledgment  of  a 
larger  sum  than  he  had  actually  advanced  ; 
but  then  it  seems  strange  that  the  treasurer 
should  charge  himself  with  more  money  than 
he  had  received. 

The  rates  of  Customs'  duties  did  not  vary 
much  during  the  reign,  at  any  rate  so  far  as 
natives  were  concerned.  Tonnage  remained 
throughout  at  3s.  the  tun  of  wine,  and 
poundage  at  i2d.  on  the  ;£i  value  of 
general  merchandise,  including  native  cloth. 
The  wool  duties  payable  by  natives,  in  spite 
of  some  efforts  to  raise  them,  remained  at 
40s.  the  sack  throughout.  The  duty  from 
foreigners  varied  a  good  deal.  A  total  of 
63s.  4d.  the  sack  was  imposed  on  them  in 
1422,  to  be  reduced  shortly  to  53s.  4d. 
{Proceedings  P.  Council,  iii.  35).  In  1435 
the  amount  is  given  as  56s.  8d.,  and  in  1437 
as  63s.  4d. ;  while  in  1453,  when  the  customs 
were  voted  for  the  King's  life,  the  total  to  be 
paid  by  foreigners  on  the  sack  of  wool  is  laid 
down  as  loos.    This  duty,  if  enforced,  would 


lOO 


ACCOUNTS  OF  HENRY  VI. 


simply  exclude  them  from  dealing  in  their 
own  names  in  the  English  market. 

To  glance  at  the  expenditure  of  the  reign. 
The  Household,  down  to  the  time  of  the  re- 
ductions made  in  1454,  appears  to  have  been 
kept  with  singular  regularity  at  the  moderate 
amount  of  ^13,000 — _;^i5,ooo  a  year,  ex- 
clusive of  the  Great  Wardrobe,  which  came  to 
p^i,5oo — p^i,6oo  a  year  more.*  From  the 
4th  December,  1454,  to  the  nth  May,  1456, 
we  find  ;^i  7,684  spent. t 

Calais  was  always  a  terrible  drain ;  the 
expenditure  can  be  traced  fully  through  the 
Enrolled  Foreign  Accounts.  There  were 
two  accounts  for  Calais,  that  of  the  treasurer 
for  wages,  and  that  of  the  victualler  for  the 
rations  which  the  Government  had  to  supply. 
From  the  4th  February,  142 1,  to  the  same 
day  in  1424,  the  apparent  expenditure  for 
the  combined  accounts  was  ;!^43,444 ;  in  the 
next  two  years  we  have  ;!^43,2  76  recorded  as 
spent  in  the  same  way.  Again,  from  1426  to 
1428,  we  have;!^26,374  spent.  Then  passing 
on,  in  the  five  years  beginning  24th  June, 
145 1,  we  have  ;!^95,5oo  paid  for  wages,  with 
;^2 2,676  spent  for  victualling  in  five  other 
years  about  the  same  time,  but  not  quite  the 
same  years. 

Lastly,  between  145 1  and  1456,  we  have 
P^  16,484   spent   on   works,   making   thus   a 
grand   total   of  ;^  13 1,65  7    spent,  or   nearly 
^27,000  a  year.     Of  this  amount  we  note 
that  ;^49,58o  were  apparently  borrowed  from 
the  merchants  of  the  Calais  Staple,  of  which 
;jr4o,9oo  went  to  clear  off  the  account  of 
Edmund,    Duke    of    Somerset,   up    to    the 
20th   April,    1456 — nearly   a  year   after  his 
death — the  rest  going  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick. 
But  this  was  a  great  efiort  made  once  in  a 
way.     The   expenditure   was   really   beyond 
what  the  Government  could  defray,  and  the 
garrison  was  in  a  state  of  chronic  mutiny. 
One  word  as  to  the  large  sums  left  owing  by 
the  Government  for  wages  of  war,   as,  for 
instance,  to  Sir  John  Fastolf,  who  claimed 
*  So  for  the  Household,  a  summary  of  the  four 
first  years  in  the  Chapter  House  Miscellanea,  Lord 
Cromwell's   estimate  for  the    nth  year  and  sundry 
Q.  R.  Miscellanea  for  the  22nd,  25th,  26th,  29th,  and 
30th  years.     The  estimate,  therefore,  of  ;[{^24,ooo  for 
the  28th  year,  given  in  Rot.  Parlt.,  v.  183,  seems  un- 
reasonable.    For  the  Great  Wardrobe,  see  accounts 
also  in  the  Q.  R.  Miscell.  for  the  17th,   18th,  21st, 
22nd,  and  28th  years, 
t  Q.  R.  Miscell.  Wardrobe,  {\. 


£a,ooq  at  his  death.*  The  indenture  of  a 
man-at-arms,  engaging  to  serve  under  the 
Duke  of  York  in  1441,  throws  some  light  on 
this.t  The  captain  engages  to  pay  over  to 
the  recruit  the  full  amount  of  the  two  first 
quarters'  pay,  always  advanced  by  the  Govern- 
ment before  the  expedition  sailed ;  for  his 
pay  after  that  the  soldier  practically  agrees 
to  be  content  with  what  he  can  get  abroad  ; 
thus,  when  the  captains  charged  the  Govern- 
ment with  full  wages  for  the  whole  time,  it 
was  well  known  that  they  were  claiming  to 
be  reimbursed  for  what  they  had  not  spent. 

TABLE  I. 
Issues  21-29  Henry  VI.    From  Pell  and  Auditors'  Rolls. 


Mich. 

Easter 
Mich. 

Easter 

Mich. 

Easter 

Mich. 
Easter 

Mich. 

Easter 
Mich. 

Easter 

Mich. 

Easter 

Mich. 

Easter 

Mich, 


Thursday,  4  Oct.,  1442  (given  as 
3d  Oct.) — Sat.,  6  April,  1443        ...*;7o. 

Sat.,  4  May — Friday,  26  July,  1443.,. 

Thursd.,3  Oct.,  1443— Sat.,  22  Feby., 
1444       4I; 

Frid.,  24   April— Wed.,   26  August, 

1444       39; 

Wed.,  30  Sept.,  1444— Mond.,  1  Mar., 

1445       42 

Frid.,  9  April — Wed.,  21  July,  1445... '42 
Mond.,  II  Oct.,  1445 — Mond.,  7  Mar.,| 

1446  (shillings  and  pence  illegible)  *i3o, 
Thursd.,  5  May— Frid.,    19  August, 

1446       *  8s 

Thursd.,  6  Oct.,  1446— Frid.,  17  Feb., 

1447  (given  in  two  subtotals)        ...*  50, 
Sat.,  22  April — Tuesd.  25  July,  1447  a 
Tuesd.,  17  Oct.,   1447 — Tuesd.,  12th 

March,  1448  (Auditors)        

Frid.,     12    April — Tuesd.,    16    July, 


Wed.,  9  Oct.,  1448— Tuesd.,  8  April, 

^  1449       * 

Mond.,  5  May — Wed.,  24  Sept.,  1449 

(Pell  defective),  about  

Tuesd.,   30    Sept.,    1449 — Tuesd.,   31 

March,  1450  (Auditors)     * 

Thursday,  16  April — Sat.,  29  August, 

1450       

Tuesd.,  6  Oct.,  1450 — Sat.,   10  April 

(given  as  8  April),  1451  (Auditors)... 

a  "  Sum  omitted  by  accident." 


9i 
o 

ic  Si 


TABLE  II. 
From  Receipt  Rolls,  Mich,  and  Easter,  37  Hem.  VI. 
(Sept.,  1458-1459). 
N.B. — Without  loans  or  cancelled  entries. 

(i.)  Old  Crown  Revenues 13,135    i    9  ' 

i2.)  Customs 
3.)  Hanaper , 

(4.)  Alien  Tax  

(5.)  Lay  Subsidy  (arrears) 

(6.)  Clerical  Subsidy  (arrears)      

(7.)  Vacant  Sees        

(8.)  Sundries  (wool  sold  on  King's 
account,  ;£ioo ;  cash  returned, 
X;i79  13s.  4d.) 


7,558  II 

238  4 
94  8 

ID  15 
254  18 
450   0 

3 

8 

10 

I 
8 
9 

279  13 

4 

;C22i02I    14      4 


*  Paston,  L.  I,  358,  etc. 
+  AnhcFologia,  xvii.  214. 


THE  aMEAGHERS  OF  IKERRIN. 


lOI 


TABLE  III. 

Customs,  Henry  VI.     From  Receipt  Rolls. 

37TH  Year,  Sept.,  1448-1449. 

;£  S.      d. 

Mich i8)4oS    3  " 

•  Easter 71674    o    9 

;C26,o79    4  8 
N.B.— Without  cancelled  tallies.    These  are  : 

Mich 8,508  iS  2 

2,189  '9  '° 


Easter  ... 


(tXofirfi  18     O 


Cf)c  ©'^eagftetg  Df  31fe^i:nn. 


HE  family  of  O'Meagher,  which  held 
long  sway,  played  no  inglorious 
part  in  the  history  of  Ireland. 
The  Cinel  Meachair'^  are  de- 
scended from  Fionnchada,  son  of  Connla, 
son  ofCian,  second  sonof  Oiliol  Olum,  King 
of  Munster  in  the  third  century. 

In  1 6 1 7  it  was  conceived  so  important  to 
^  ascertain  who  were  the  heads  of  the  clanns, 
that  the  Earl  of  Thomond  compiled  a  "  Book 
of  Pedigrees  of  the  meere  Irish,"  in  which  he 
records  that  of  Meachair,  who  was  thirteenth 
in  descent  from  Cian.  Sir  George  Carew, 
President  of  Munster  about  this  time,  also 
collected  for  the  use  of  Lord  Burghley 
"  Descents  of  the  meere  Irish,"  in  which  he 
gives  five  generations  of  the  O'Meaghers. 
**  Pedigrees  of  the  Irish  Nobility,"  preserved 
in  the  British  Museum,!  also  record  five 
generations  of  the  O'Meaghers ;  and  beside 
these  there  are  nine  other  pedigrees  of  the 
O'Meaghers  in  the  libraries  of  Lord  Rodcn, 
of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy,  and  of  Trinity 
College.  That  in  possession  of  Lord  Roden, 
written  on  vellum  by  Duald  Mac  Ferbis, 
brings  the  pedigree  downtoTeige  orThaddeus 
O'Meagher,  who  was  thirty-eighth  in  descent 
from  Cian;  and  a  pedigree  in  the  Royal 
Irish  Academy,  which  was  compiled  in  1664 
by  Cucory  O'Clery,  one  of  the  Four  Masters, 
also  written  on  vellum,  brings  the  pedigree 
down  to  John  O'Meagher,  who  was  thirty- 
ninth  in  descent  from  Cian. 

At  the  foot  of  this  pedigree  was  inserted 
the  following  note :  "  The  steed  and  battle- 
dress  of  every  Lord  of  them  belong  to  the 

*  Cincl  Meachair,  descendants  of  Meachair. 
t  Harleian  MSS. 


Comarba  of  Cronan*  and  Inc/ianambeo^  and 
these  must  go  round  him  (the  chief  of  the 
Meachair)  when  proclaiming  him  Lord,  and 
the  Comarba  should  be  at  his  shoulder  {i.e., 
the  place  of  honour),  and  he  should  rise  before 
the  Comarba,  and  that  Meachair  was  King 
of  Ele."t 

The  territory  of  the  Cinel  Meachair  was 
called  Ui  Cairin,  modernized  Ikerrin,  a 
barony  in  the  north  of  the  County  Tipperary, 
situate  at  the  foot  of  Bearnan  Eile,  i.e.,  the 
gapped  mountain  of  Ely,  now  called  the 
Devil's  Bit  from  its  curious  outline.  The 
barony  contains  69,381  acres  of  arable  land 
and  land  and  water,  and  it  is  subdivided  into 
twelve  parishes,  rated  at  the  annual  value  of 
;^45,ooo.  The  rivers  Nore  and  Suir  rise 
in  the  parish  of  Borrisnafarny. 

We  find  the  earliest  notice  of  the  clann  in 
an  ancient  life  of  St.  Columba,J  which  in- 
forms us  that  one  of  his  disciples  named 
Machar  received  episcopal  ordination,  and 
undertook  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the 
northern  parts  of  the  Pictish  kingdom.  The 
legend  adds  that  Columba  admonished  him 
to  found  his  church,  when  he  should  arrive 
upon  the  bank  of  a  river  where  it  formed  by 
its  windings  the  figure  of  a  bishop's  crozier. 
Obeying  the  injunctions  of  his  master,  Machar 
advanced  northward  preaching  Christianity, 
until  he  found  at  the  mouth  of  the  Don  the 
situation  indicated  by  St.  Columba,  and 
finally  settled  there  with  his  Christian  colony, 
and  founded  the  church,  which  from  its 
situation  was  called  the  Church  of  Aberdon. 

In  O'Clery's  Calendar  of  the  Irish  Saints,^ 
the  feast  of  "  The  Daughter  of  Meachair  "  is 
fixed  on  7th  September,  and  that  of  Dermod 
(son  of  Meachair),  Bishop  ol  Airthear-Maiglic, 

*  St.  Cronan  was  patron  of  Roscrea,  the  principal 
town  in  Ikerrin,  and  his  successor  was  called  his 
Comarb.  Inchanambeo,  or  the  island  of  living,  also  in 
O'Meagher's  country,  has  been  described  by  Geraldus 
Cambrensis,  who  visited  it  in  1 185. 

f  A  gold  cap  or  morion,  which  may  have  ser%-ed  as 
a  crown,  and  been  used  at  the  inauguration  of  the 
O'Meagher,  was  found  in  a  lx)g  at  the  Devil's  Bit 
mountain  in  1692.  Its  ornamentation  was  undoubtedly 
Irish,  and  was  identical  with  some  earlier  golden 
articles — Itinuhc  and  /tlmlir — found  in  Ireland,  and 
consisted  of  embossed  circles,  some  parallel  and  others 
arranged  in  angles  of  the  chevron  pattern. 

X  Adamnan's  Life  of  St.  Columba,  edited  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Reeves,  and  Transactions  of  the  Spalding  Club. 

§  Edited  by  Rev.  Dr.  Totkl,  S.F.T.C.D.,and  Rev. 
Dr.  Reeves,  now  Bishop  of  Armagh. 


102 


THE  aMEAGHERS  OF  IKERRIN. 


Tuath-ratha  (Tooraah,  County  Fermanagh), 
on  the  6th  January, 

The  War  of  the  Gaedhill  with  Gaill*  and 
the  Chronicon  Scotoriini\  record  that  King 
Malachy,  Monarch  of  Erinn  in  the  year  1012, 
"  led  a  plundering  expedition  against  the 
Danes,  and  he  ravaged  as  far  as  Ben  Edair 
(Howth) ;  but  Macmordha,J  son  of  Murchad, 
and  Sitruic,§  son  of  Amhlaidh,  and  the  Danes 
of  Leinster,  overtook  them  and  killed  the 
whole  of  one  of  their  three  plundering  parties. 
There  fell  then  Flann,  son  of  Malachy,  and 
Lorean,  son  of  Echtigern  (King)  of  Cinel 
Meachair,  and  two  hundred  along  with  them. 
This  was  the  defeat  of  Drainen,  now  Drinan, 
County  Dublin." 

In  1280  Seaffriadh  Bacagh  MacGilla, 
Patraic  the  Lame,  married  Inghin,  daughter 
of  O'Meachair,  King  of  Ui  Cariin  [Ikerrin]. 

In  1 315  Edmund,  fifth  Chief  Butler  of 
Ireland,  received  a  grant  of  the  return  of  all 
writs  in  his  Cantrod  of  Ormon  Hyogurty  and 
Hyocarry  Ikerrin;  and  1328  James,  his  son 
and  successor,  was  created  Earl  of  Ormonde 
by  Edward  III.,  who  granted  to  this  noble- 
man's son,  James,  the  royalties,  fees,  and  all 
other  liberties  in  the  County  Tipperary,  and 
the  royal  liberty  thus  established  continued 
down  to  the  year  17 14,  when  by  an  Act  of 
the  Irish  Parliament,  2  George  I.,  it  was 
abolished. 

In  1 361  King  Edward  III.  sent  his  son, 
the  Duke  of  Clarence,  to  Ireland  to  fill  the 
office  of  Lord  Deputy.  In  1367  the 
memorable  Parliament  of  Kilkenny  was 
held,  in  which  was  passed  the  celebrated 
Statute  of  Kilkenny.  This  remarkable 
ordinance,  though  chiefly  directed  against 
the  Anglo-Normans  who  had  adopted  the 
laws  and  customs  of  the  natives,  contains 
some  enactments  full  of  the  jealous  and  penal 
spirit  which  continued  for  centuries  after  to 
pervade  and  infect  the  whole  course  of  English 
legislation  in  Ireland. 

By  this  statute  it  was  high-treason  for  any 
person  of  English  origin  to  contract  a  mar- 
riage with  an  Irish  family ;  the  infraction  of 
this  stern  law,  unless  dispensed  with  by  the 
King's  special  permission,  was  punished  with 
unrelenting  severity. 

*  Edited  by  Rev.  Dr.  Todd,  F.T.C.D. 

t  Edited  by  W.  M.  Hennessy,  M.R.I.A. 

X  King  of  Leinster.  §  King  of  the  Danes. 


On  the  23rd  December,  1385,  Richard  II. 
granted  a  license  to  Sir  Almaric  Grace,  styled 
Baron  Grace,  for  the  better  preservation  and 
improvement  of  the  peace  of  the  country,  to 
form  an  alliance  with  Tibinia,  daughter  of 
O'Meaghir,  dynast  of  Ikerrin,  all  the  laws  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

On  the  20th  March,  1372,  Stephen,  Bishop 
of  Meath,  had  an  order  for  ;!^32  6,  equivalent 
to  ;^i 3,000  sterling,  granted  him  for  having 
risked  his  life  in  various  parts  of  Munster 
with  men-at-arms,  fighting  and  reducing  to 
peace  O'Meaghir,  O'Brien  of  Thomond, 
McConmarre  (MacNamara),  and  other 
rebels. 

The  annals  of  Lough  Ce*  record  that  a 
great  slaughter  was  committed  by  Art,  King 
of  Leinster,  in  Lough  Garman  (Wexford), 
in  the  year  1401;  in  retaliation  for  this  the 
foreigners  of  Athdiath  (the  Danes  of  Dublin) 
attacked  the  Gaidhill  of  Leinster,  and  a  great 
many  of  the  retained  Kerns  of  Munster, 
under  Tadhg  O'Meachair,  were  slain  there. 

About  this  time  Gilla-na-naomb  O'Hindrin 
wrote  a  topographical  poem,  giving  an  ac- 
count of  the  principal  families  of  Leinster 
and  Munster,  and  the  districts  occupied  by 
them  at  that  period.t  He  thus  mentions  the 
O'Meaghers  : 

Mightily  have  they  filled  the  land, 
The  O'Meachairs,  the  territory  of  Ui  Cairin, 
A  tribe  at  the  foot  of  the  Bearnan  Eile ; 
It  is  no  shame  to  celebrate  their  triumph. 

In  the  annals  of  the  Four  Masters  the 
death  of  O'Meagher,  chief  of  Ikerrin,  is 
recorded  in  the  year  14 13. 

On  the  accession  of  Edward  IV.,  so  small 
was  the  portion  of  Ireland  which  acknow- 
ledged the  authority  of  English  law,  that  from 
four  small  shires  which  constituted  the  terri- 
tory of  the  Pale,  were  all  the  lords,  knights, 
and  burgesses  that  composed  its  Parliament 
summoned ;  and  the  fierce  clans  which  sur- 
rounded the  Pale  were  always  ready  to  take 
advantage  of  the  general  confusion  to  which  the 
contest  for  the  English  Crown  had  given  rise, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  districts  bordering 
upon  the  Irish  were  forced  to  purchase 
exemption  from  them  by  annual  pensions  to 
their  chiefs. 

*  Edited  by  Wm.  H.  Hennessy,  M.R.I.A. 
t  He  died  in  1420 ;  this  poem  has  been  edited  by 
John  O'Donovan,  LL.D. 


THE  aMEAGHERS  OF  I  KERR  IN. 


103 


In  1462  an  army  gathered  by  MacWilliam 
(Bourke),  of  Clanrickard,*  marched  into 
Icarin  (Ikerrin),  where  O'Meachayr,  i.e.., 
Thadg,  with  his  confederates  met  and  opposed 
them,  and  William  Bourke,  MacWilliam's 
son,  was  slain  by  wan  cast  of  a  dart  by 
O'Meachayr's  son,  by  which  wan  throw 
O'Meachayr  escaped  his  army.  Thady 
O'Meachayr,  King  of  Icarin,  died,  and  his 
son  supplied  his  place. 

The  next  notice  we  find  of  the  O'Meaghers 
is  in  an  Irish  MS.,  preserved  in  the  public 
library  of  Rennes  in  Brittany,t  being  a  trans- 
lation from  English,  from  Greek,  and  from 
Hebrew  into  Irish,  "  of  the  travels  of  Sir  John 
Mandevil,"  and  the  age  of  the  Lord  when 
John  made  this  journey  was  one  thousand 
years  and  three  hundred  and  thirty-two  years.  J 
The  age  when  Fingin,  son  of  Dermod,  son  of 
Donnel,  son  of  Fingin,  son  of  Dermod  mor 
O'Mahony,  put  it  ultimately  into  Irish,  was 
one  thousand  four  hundred  and  seventy-two 
years,  and  John  was  thirty-four  years  visiting 
the  world,  and  on  his  return  to  Rome  the 
Pope  confirmed  his  book,  "  These  are  the 
Lords  who  were  over  the  Gaedhill ;"  and  after 
naming  MacCarthy  mor,  O'Sullivan,  O'Brien, 
O'Neill,  O'Kelly,  O'Connor,  O'Donnell,  and 
others,  the  notice  continues,  "  and  Gilla-na- 
nacmh,  son  of  Tadhg,  son  of  Gilla-na-nacmh, 
was  over  the  Ui  Meachair,  et  alii  multi  in 
Erinn,  from  that  time  forth,  who  are  not 
reckoned  for  commemoration." 

With  the  view  to  the  better  defence  of  the 
English  territory  at  this  time,  it  was  enacted  in 
a  Parliament  held  at  Naas  that  every  merchant 
should  bring  twenty  shillings  sterling  worth  of 
bows  and  arrows  into  Ireland  for  every  twenty 
pounds  worth  of  goods  he  imi)orted  from 
England.§  Had  the  Irish  but  known  their 
strength,  or  rather  had  they  been  capable  of 
that  spirit  of  union  and  concert,  the  whole 
military  force  of  the  Pale  could  not  have 
withstood  them. 

Upon  the  resignation  in  1490  of  Wm. 
Roche,  Bishop  of  Cork  and  Cloync,  who  was 
concerned   in  the  rebellion  of  Perkin  War- 

*  Translated  from  the  Irish  by  Dudley  MacFIrbissc, 
for  Sir  James  Ware,  Arch.,  Mis.  Vol.  I.,  p.  246. 

t  Edited  by  Rev.  Dr.  Todd,  F.S.A.,  in  Prue,  R.I.A. 
(Irish  MSS.  Series). 

X  Columbus  did  not  start  on  his  first  expedition 
until  the  year  1492. 

§  Cox. 


beck,  Thaddeus  Meachair  was  appointed  to 
succeed  him  the  same  year.  The  temporali- 
ties of  the  see  were  in  a  great  part  the  gifts 
and  grants  of  the  Barrys,  Fitzmaurices,  and 
other  southern  chieftains,  and  on  being  seized 
by  them  Pope  Innocent  VIII.  issued  a  brief 
on  the  1 8th  July,  1492,  commanding  them 
to  desist  from  their  usurpation.  Bishop 
Meachair  in  the  meantime  set  out  for  Rome, 
on  his  way  took  mortally  sick,  and  died  at 
Ivrea  in  Piedmont. 


THE  ARMS  OF  O'mEAGHER. 

The  writer  was  favoured  last  May  with  a 
letter  from  Canon  Saroglia,  Chancellor  of  the 
Cathedral  of  Ivrea,  which  contained  the  fol- 
lowing narrative  translated  from  the  Italian  : 

"In  1492  passed  to  heaven  the  blessed 
Thaddeus,  an  Irish  bishop,  concerning  whom 
we  hear  the  following  details  :  He  was  of  the 
royal  stock  of  O'Meacher,  born  in  the  town 
of  Cloyne  (quere  Clonyne  in  Ikerrin),  in 
Ireland,  and  was  probably  Bishop  of  Cork.* 
In  the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth  century 
the  lay  powers  in  the  country  set  about  de- 
priving the  Church  of  its  immunities,  and 
compelled  some  of  its  bishops  to  seek  in 
foreign  lands  that  peace  that  they  could  not 
have  in  their  own  country.  Amongst  them  was 
the  blessed  Thaddeus,  who  set  out  for  Rome, 
and  passed  through  Ivrea,  and  on  the  night 
of  the  24th  October,  1492,  was  admitted  as 

•  He  was  Bishop  of  Cork  and  Cloyne  1490-92. 


104 


THE  aMEAGHERS  OF  IKERRIN. 


an  unrecognised  pilgrim  to  the  Hospice  of 
St.  Anthony;  he  was  broken  down  by  the 
long  journey  over  the  Great  St.  Bernard,  then 
covered  with  snow.  On  the  following  night 
the  officials  beheld  a  great  light  gleaming  on 
the  bed  where  the  stranger  lay.  Being  fright- 
ened they  ran  to  extinguish  it ;  but  to  their 
great  surprise  they  discovered  that  it  was  a 
light  that  did  not  burn,  and  that  the  pilgrim, 
breathing  an  air  of  paradise,  was  then  dead. 
Next  morning  the  Governors  of  the  Hospice 
were  prayed  to  relate  to  Monseigneur  Garr- 
gliatti  the  miraculous  occurrence,  and  on 
going  to  the  Hospice  and  examining  the 
papers  found  on  the  person  of  the  deceased 
pilgrim,  they  discovered  that  he  was  a  bishop ; 
they  then  thought  it  their  duty  to  provide 
him  with  a  befitting  interment.  The  bishop 
with  the  chapter  and  clergy,  accompanied  by 
all  orders  of  citizens,  went  processionally  to 
the  Hospice  and  removed  the  body  of  the 
pilgrim,  and  caused  it  to  be  clad  in  bishop's 
dress.  The  bells  of  the  city  were  set  tolling, 
and  the  bishop  translated  the  corpse  to  the 
cathedral,  where  solemn  obsequies  were  held. 
Remembering  the  extraordinary  light  at  the 
time  of  the  decease,  and  knowing  that  certain 
miraculous  cures  had  occurred  at  that  very 
time,  the  bishop  decided  that  the  corpse 
should  be  interred  in  the  cathedral,  and  at 
the  altar  of  St.  Andrew  where  reposed  the 
relics  of  St.  Eusebius,  Bishop  of  Ivrea.  On 
the  27th  August,  1742,  Monseigneur  Michele 
Vittorio  de  Villa  caused  the  sepulchre,  where 
were  the  bodies  of  St.  Eusebius  and  the 
blessed  Thaddeus,  to  be  opened,  and  the 
body  of  the  latter  was  found  whole,  and  not 
decayed,  clothed  in  a  violet  soutane  and 
rochet,  his  white  beard  falling  on  his  breast, 
and  a  ring  on  his  finger." 

Amongst  the  Lansdowne  MSS.J  there  is  a 
paper  dated  18  Henry  VIH.  (1526),  in  which 
the  King  is  recommended  to  appoint  as 
lieutenant  one  active  and  politic  nobleman, 
with  experience  of  the  land,  hke  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  and  to  give  him  a  sufficient  army, 
4,coo  light  horse,  gunners,  morris-pikes,  bows, 
bills,  all  quick  and  hardy  men,  that  McMur- 
rough's,  O'Byrne's,  and  O'Connor's  countries 
should  be  taken ;  that  they  were  the  key  of 
Ireland,  and  that  Melaughlan,  O'Molmoye, 
O'Doyne,  O'Dymsye,  O'More,  and  O'Mehayr 
X  2,405  Ireland,  15,983  British  Museum. 


will  be  dearly  won,  and  as  each  country  was 
won  the  land  should  be  let  in  freeholds  at 
fourpence  an  arable  acre ;  and  when  it  was 
once  brought  to  quiet  and  order  the  King 
might,  by  Act  of  Parliament,  enlarge  his 
realm  as  he  pleased. 

Eleven  years  later  (12th  August,  1537) 
Eord  Deputy  Grey  and  his  Council  report  to 
the  King  that  they  had  won  a  battle  in 
O'Magher's  country,  and  taken  the  gentleman 
owner  thereof  and  all  that  were  therein  pri- 
soners, and  forced  O'Magher  to  deliver 
hostages. 

In  the  month  ot  July,  1538,  Lord  Leonard 
Gray  proceeded  on  a  military  progress  through 
a  greater  part  of  the  kingdom,  receiving  sub- 
mission of  all  the  chiefs  through  whose 
countries  he  passed.  In  this  progress,  at- 
tended by  the  lords  of  the  Pale,  he  traversed 
Offaley,  Elyd,  O'Carroll,  Ormond,  and  Arra. 
It  is  not  mentioned  that  he  visited  the 
adjacent  barony  of  Ikerrin,  but  it  is  probable 
that  he  interviewed  its  chief,  for  in  the  follow- 
ing year  (7th  August,  1539)  an  indenture  was 
made  between  the  King  and  Gullernowe 
O'Maghyr,  captain  of  his  nation.  The  King 
accepted  O'Maghyr  as  his  faithful  subject, 
and  O'Maghyr  bound  himself,  his  heirs  and 
successors,  captains  of  the  said  countr}',  to 
pay  to  the  King  tvvelvepence,  lawful  money 
of  Ireland,  annually  for  every  carucate  of 
land  within  his  country  and  dominion  of 
Yny  Kyryne.  Whenever  a  general  hosting 
was  made  he  would  lead  to  the  Deputy  twenty 
horsemen  and  forty  galloglas  well  armed 
according  to  the  usage  of  the  country,  with 
victuals  for  forty  days  at  his  own  cost  and 
charges.  When  the  deputy  came  near  the 
borders  of  the  said  country,  O'Maghyr  would 
assist  him  with  his  whole  power  for  three 
days,  and  he  and  his  successors  would  make 
a  sufficient  open  road  through  their  country 
for  the  more  easy  passage  of  the  King's 
waggons  and  other  warlike  instruments,  and 
of  the  King's  men  as  often  as  they  should  be 
required  to  do  so  by  the  deputy. 

At  this  period  O'Meagher  held  the  Castle 
of  Roscrea,  which  belonged  to  the  Earl  of 
Ormond  by  inheritance. 

On  the  28th  June,  1549,  Captain  Walter 
ap  Poyll  reports  from  the  Nenagh  a  dis- 
sension between  the  Lord  Marshal  and 
O'Meagher  for  certain  prey.     Nine  years  later 


THE  OMEAGHERS  OF  IKERRIN. 


105 


a  commission  was  issued  to  Sir  Henry 
Radcliffe,  Knight,  Lieutenant  of  the  King's 
and  Queen's  Counties,  to  parle  with,  take 
pledges  from,  and  punish  with  fire  and  sword 
the  O'Maughers,  O'Dunnes,  O'Carrolls,  and 
others. 

In  1562  the  Earl  of  Sussex  reports  to  the 
Queen  (Elizabeth)  what  he  conceived  for  the 
reducing  of  her  English  subjects  in  Ireland, 
to  live  under  obedience  of  the  law  and  of  her 
Irish  subjects,  to  live  under  certain  constitu- 
tions more  agreeable  to   their  natures   and 


of  the  Shenon  lived  in  obedience  under  the 
rule  of  Sir  Henry  Radcliffe,  Captain  of 
Leise  and  Offaly,  and  for  the  most  part  de- 
sired to  give  over  Irish  tenures  to  hold  their 
lands  of  the  Queen  by  succession,  to  have 
their  country  made  shire-ground,  and  to  live 
under  the  obedience  of  the  laws.* 

In  1567  Sir  Henry  Sydney,  with  the  view 
of  informing  himself  of  the  actual  state  of 
Munster,  took  a  journey  into  that  province, 
and  the  account  he  has  left  presents  a  picture 
of  lawlessness  and  abused  power.      He  re- 


KUINS  OF  CLONYNE  CASTLE. 


customs,  and  suggests  when  Munster  shall  be 
settled  the  president  should  travail  to  procure 
the  Irishry  inhabiting  the  other  Munster 
(Upper  Munster),  to  give  over  all  the  Irish 
tenures  and  to  receive  states  tail,  and  that 
bonaught*  should  be  levied  upon  O'CarroU 
and  O'Mawhcr  to  the  extent  of  ^^360  ;  and 
later  on  that  year,  Lord  Sussex  reported  that 
O'Maughcr  and  other  Irish  lords  on  this  side 

*  Bottaitt^ht,  a  certain  allowance  unto  the  Queen's 
galloj;las  or  kerne  by  the  Irishry,  wlio  were  bound 
to  yield  a  yearly  proportion  of  both  money  and  victuals 
for  tlieir  finding. 
\0U  XIV, 


ported  to  the  Queen  that  Ikerrin,  called 
O'Meagher's  country,  was  uninhabited, 
having  been  wasted  by  the  younger  brothers 
of  the  Earl  of  Ormond.f 

On  the  nth  Januarj',  157 1,  Gillernewe 
O'Meagher,  alias  The  O'Meaghir,  received  a 
pardon,  subject  to  the  payment  of  a  fine  oi  j£$. 

In  1576  Sir  Henry  Sydney  reported  that 
the  Queen's  writ  had  not  currency  in  Tip- 
perar)'. 

*  CakiiJar  Carciv  MSS.,\>.  -i/^e. 
t  Journal  Kilkattiy  Archteological  Society,  vol.  i., 
1872,  p.  158. 

I 


io6 


THE  O'MEAGHERS  OF  IKERRIN. 


In  1579  James  Fitzmaurice,  "a  champion 
of  the  Irish  cause,"  set  sail  from  Lisbon  with 
three  ships  provided  with  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, a  small  supply  of  money,  and  a  force  of 
about  100  men,  and  with  this  means  did 
these  sanguine  adventurers  set  out  on  their 
mission  for  the  relief  and  enfranchisement  of 
Ireland,  and  landed  at  Smenvick  in  Kerry ; 
and  finding  that  the  natives  did  not  repair  to 
him,  the  small  band  began  to  express  dis- 
content, and  Fitzmaurice,  after  remaining  for 
a  month,  set  off  for  Holy  Cross  in  Tipperary 
to  seek  aid  for  the  desperate  adventure  he 
had  embarked,  and  Tipperary  being  then  the 
region  in  which,  as  the  chronicler  of  the  time 
tells  us,  the  fuel  of  rebellion  was  always  most 
ready  to  kindle. 

In  the  autumn  of  1582  the  Earl  of  Ormonde 
plundered  Ui  Cairn  Duharra  and  South  Ely  ; 
and  at  this  period  it  was  generally  remarked 
that  the  lowing  of  a  cow  or  the  song  of  a 
ploughman  could  scarcely  be  heard  from 
Dun  Caoin  to  Cashel. 

Dymoke,  in  his  treatise,  gives  a  particular 
of  the  rebel  forces  then  (April,  1599)  em- 
ployed in  the  rebellion,  and  that  Keidagh 
O'Meagher  had  60  foot  and  30  horse  under 
his  command,*  and  Fynes  Morrison  confirms 
that  statement. 

In  1599  Sir  George  Carew  was  appointed 
President  of  Munster,  and  the  following  year 
he  offered  large  rewards  for  the  heads  of  the 
leading  rebels.  In  the  month  of  September 
1600,  he  received  intelligence  in  Kil- 
kenny that  Spanish  forces  amounting  to 
5,000  had  landed,  and  taken  possession  of 
Kinsale.  Munster,  which  had  been  reduced 
to  a  tranquil  state  by  the  stern  and  vigilant 
rule  of  the  Lord  President,  remained  for 
some  time  undisturbed. 

Red  Hugh  O'Donnell,  marching  to  Kinsale 
to  the  assistance  of  the  Spaniards,  crossed 
the  shoulder  of  Slieve  Bloom  into  Ikerrin, 
and  remained  twenty-six  days  on  the  hill  of 
Druin  Saileeh  awaiting  Hugh  O'Neill,  who 
was  marching  slowly  after  him ;  and  O'Neill, 
in  his  march  through  Ikerrin,  encamped  at 
Roscrea  and  at  Templetuohy.  Sir  George 
Carew,  notwithstanding  all  his  skill  in 
coercion,  found  the  rebel  spirit  had  become 
too  powerful;  and  between  abettors  abroad 
and  their  ruthless  masters  at  home,  the 
*  Page  130. 


hapless  natives  were  at  once  lured  and 
goaded  into  rebellion.  He  reported  the 
arrival  in  Ikerrin  of  O'Donnell  and  O'Neill, 
and  that  one  called  Keidagh  O'Maghir  had 
gathered  300  rogues  together  and  did  many 
outrages,  and  that  the  third  son  of  Viscount 
Mountgarrett,  some  of  the  Graces,  and 
Thomas  Butler,  a  kinsman  of  Sir  Edward 
Butler,  with  200  men,  were  drawing  into 
Tipperary  to  assist  Keidagh  O'Meagher,  and 
suggested  to  the  Lord  Deputy  Mountjoy  the 
suppression  of  that  upstart  rebel. 

In  161 7  Angus  O'Daly,  a  Munster  bard, 
started,  at  the  instance  it  is  stated  of  Carew, 
on  an  excursion  through  the  four  provinces 
to  bespatter  with  ridicule  and  contempt  every 
chieftain  on  his  way,  and  on  such  of  the 
descendants  of  the  Anglo-Normans  as  had 
adopted  their  customs  and  formed  alliances 
with  them.  O'Daly  executed  his  task  by 
attempting  to  prove  in  detail,  by  force  of 
assertion,  that  the  Irish  chieftains  were  neither 
hospitable  nor  generous,  and  that  they  were 
too  poor  to  afford  being  so.  He  traversed 
Leinster,  Ulster,  and  Connaught,  but  his 
excursion  was  brought  to  an  end  in  Tipperary, 
where  he  received,  it  is  said,  that  kind  of 
reward  which  he  did  not  anticipate.  Whilst 
staying  at  Bawnmadrum  Castle  with  the 
O'Meagher,  he  composed  a  satire  on  his  host, 
which  the  servant  of  the  chieftain  resented 
by  stabbing  him  to  the  heart.  He  is  said  to 
have  composed — extempore — the  remarkable 
quatrain  respecting  his  having  so  recklessly 
lampooned  his  countrymen : 

All  the  false  judgments  that  I  have  passed 
Upon  the  chiefs  of  Munster  I  forgive  ; 
The  meagre  servant  of  the  grey  O'Meagher  has 
Passed  an  equivalent  judgment  upon  me. 

The  Inquisitions  taken  between  the  years 
1622  and  1637  by  the  Sovereign's  escheators 
give  some  interesting  particulars  of  the 
O'Meaghers  of  Barnane,  Boulylane,  Clona- 
kenny,  Clonyne,  Cromlyn,  Garrymore,  Lisna- 
losky,  Louraine,  etc.,  showing  what  lands 
they  were  seized  of,  their  value,  by  what 
services  they  were  held,  and  who,  and  of 
what  age,  were  the  heirs  to  same. 

Lord  Castlehaven*  in  1645,  on  his  march 
from  Limerick,  invested  O'Meagher's  Castle 
of  Clonakeny,  that  stood  in  his  way  possessed 

*  He  held  a  command  under  the  Irish  Con- 
federates. 


THE  aMEAGHERS  OF  IKERRIN. 


107 


of  by  the  enemy,  and  there  being  no  other 
passage  he  writes :  "  I  sent  to  the  adjacent 
villages  and  got  together  crows  of  iron,  pick- 
axes, and  whatever  else  could  be  found,  and 
fell  a-storming  of  the  castle,  and  in  three  or 
four  hours  took  it.  In  this  place  I  left  100 
men,  and  being  over  pretty  safe  I  lodged  that 
night  at  my  ease." 

This  castle  is  situated  at  foot  of  Boirisnoe 
mountain,  near  the  sources  of  the  Nore  and 
Suir. 

And  in  1649  the  Sheriff  of  Tipperary 
issued  a  commission  to  Teige  O'Meagher  of 
Keilewardy  and  others  to  "  ymmediately  raise 
a  body  of  horse  well  accommodated  with 
swerds  and  pistolls,  after  the  rate  of  one 
horse  and  means  out  of  every  five  colipes."* 

Civil  War  having  broken  out  in  1641, 
Tadgog  O'Meagher,  son  of  the  O'Meagher, 
raised  a  Regiment  of  Foot,  which  formed 
part  of  O'Dwyer's  Brigade.  This  Brigade 
surrendered  to  Sankey,  commander  of 
the  Parliamentary  forces  in  Munster,  on 
the  23  rd  March,  1652,  with  all  the 
honours  of  war,  the  Brigadier,  and  all  the 
commissioned  officers  having  the  right  to 
enjoy  their  horses  and  arms,  and  liberty  to 
transport  themselves  to  serve  in  any  foreign 
army  in  amity  with  England,  persons  guilty 
of  murther,  or  members  of  the  First  General 
Assembly,  or  First  Supreme  Council,  alone 
excepted.  Brigadier  O'Dwyer  availed  himself 
of  the  permission  to  go  abroad,  and  went, 
with  3,500  men,  to  serve  under  Conde  in  the 
Low  Countries ;  but  his  brother,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Donough  O'Dwyer,  Colonel  Toige 
Oge  O'Meagher,  Theobald  Butler,  Ulick 
Bourke,  and  others,  were  not  suffered  to  de- 
part, and  Miss  Hickson,  in  \\Qx  Ireland  in  the 
Seventeenth  Century\\  writes  that  they  were 
put  upon  their  trial  at  a  court  held  at  Clonmel, 
about  the  8th  November,  1652,  for  the 
murder  deposed  to  by  one  EUice  Jeane, 
convicted,  and  soon  after  executed.  The 
writer  could  not  find  any  notice  of  this 
trial  in  the  Records  of  the  High  Court  of 
Justice;  Miss  Hickson  informed  the  writer 
that  she  made  the  statement  on  the 
authority  of  Carte.  Local  tradition  bears 
out  her  statement,    and  adds  that   Colonel 

*  As  much  pasture  as  would  feed  a  bullock,  cow, 
or  colt  for  a  year, 
t  Longmans,  1SS2. 


O'Meagher  rode  to  the  scaffold  on  his  black 
charger,  which  escaped  after  its  master  was 
hanged,  and  galloped  back  to  Clonakenny, 
where  it  wandered  at  large  for  many  years. 
The  writer  also  found  a  confirmation  of 
Colonel  O'Meagher's  death  in  /V'^^^j  Originals* 
preserved  in  the  Bibliothbque  Nationale,  Paris : 
"  Teige  Oge  O'Mahar,  who  suffered  in  Crom- 
well's day,  married  a  Butler,  but  had  noe 
heirs." 

The  Irish  Confederates  were  finally  subdued 
in  the  summer  of  1652,  and  then  took  place 
a  scene  not  witnessed  in  Europe  since  the 
conquest  of  Spain  by  the  Vandals.  The 
captains  and  men  of  war  numbered  to  40,000, 
were  suffered  to  embark  for  the  Continent, 
and  forced  *'  to  feed  themselves  by  the  blades 
of  their  swords  in  the  service  of  foreign 
countries."  Those  who  stayed  behind  had 
families  that  prevented  them  from  following 
their  example.  They  returned  to  their  former 
neighbourhoods,  took  up  their  abode  in  the 
offices  attached  to  their  mansions,  or  shared 
the  dwellings  of  their  late  tenants — their 
mansions  being  occupied  by  some  English 
officer  or  soldier — and  employed  themselves 
in  tilling  the  lands  they  had  lately  owned  as 
lords,  until  the  nth  October,  1652,  when  they 
were  ordered  to  transplant  to  Connaught,  the 
news  being  proclaimed  by  beat  of  drum  and 
sound  of  trumpet  in  the  adjoining  town  j 
ploughmen,  labourers,  and  others  of  the  lower 
order  of  people  excepted,  because  they  would 
be  useful  to  the  English  as  earth-tillers  and 
herdsmen  ;  and  others  of  them,  with  a  crowd 
of  orphan  boys  and  girls,  were  transported  to 
serve  the  English  planters  in  the  West  Indies; 
and  thereupon  the  conquering  army  divided 
ancient  inheritances  amongst  them  by  lot. 

Every  person  ordered  to  transplant  was 
furnished  with  a  certificate  which  described 
his  family  and  friends  who  intended  to  bear 
him  company  to  Connaught,  and  his  stock 
and  crop  in  ground.  The  writer's  ancestor, 
John  O'Meagher,  being  then  a  minor,  the 
certificate  was  made  out  in  favour  of  his 
mother,  Anne  O'Meagher,  of  Cloyne  Castle, 
widow,  and  seventy-five  persons  agreed  to 
accomi)any  her  into  exile.  For  each  acre  of 
winter  corn  she  left  behind,  three  acres  of  land 
were  to  be  assigned,  summer  corn  and  fallow 
being  included ;  for  each  cow  or  bullock  (if  two 
*  Vol.  1909. 

I    2 


io8 


THE  OMEAGHERS  OF  IKERRIN. 


years  old  and  upwards),  three  acres ;  for  every 
three  sheep,  one  acre  ;  for  every  garron,  nag, 
or  mare  (if  three  years  old  and  upwards),  four 
acres ;  and  for  goats  and  swine  proportionally. 
These  assignments  were  only  conditional,  for 
at  a  future  day  other  Commissioners  were  to 
sit  at  Athlone  to  determine  the  extent  of 
lands  the  transplanters  had  left  behind  them, 
and  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  disaffection  to 
Parliament,  by  which  the  proportion  to  be 
confiscated  was  to  be  regulated.  Ikerrin  was 
then  parcelled  out  among  the  Anneslows, 
Armingers,  Bayleys,  Boats,  Bulkeleys,  Butlers, 
Chappels,  Creuzals,  Desbrows,  Drakes, 
Eakins,  Eames,  Foulkes,  Gossans,  Hales, 
Heaths,  Joneses,  Lenthalls,  Lobbs,  Mathers, 
Minchins,  Morrises,  Noels,  Pierceys,  Rad- 
cliffes,  Rundalls,  Runthorns,  Smiths,  Thorn- 
burys,  Sympsons,  Weekes  and  Woodcocks; 
the  Dukes  of  York  and  Ormonde  and  Sir 
Martin  Noel  getting  the  largest  share. 

Of  those  who  went  abroad,  Theodore 
dc  Meagher  served  in  1660  in  the  Spanish 
Netherlands  as  Marechal  de  Campo,  under 
the  Prince  of  Conde. 

Civil  war  having  broken  out  in  Ireland  in 
1689,  the  O'Meaghers  declared  for  King 
James,  and  joined  his  army.  We  find  John 
Meagher  serving  in  Sarsfield's  Horse ;  Cor- 
nelius, Brian  and  Edmund  O'Meagher  in 
Purcell's  Horse;  Daniel  O'Meagher  in  Butler's 
Foot;  John,  Edmund, and  Thomas  O'Meagher 
in  Bagenal's  Foot ;  Philij)  O'Meagher  in  Ox- 
burg's  Foot,  and  Thomas  O'Meagher  in 
Mountcashel's  Foot.  And  after  the  surrender 
of  Limerick  the  remains  of  the  Jacobite  army 
volunteered  for  France  and  Spain,  and  we  find 
O'Meaghers  serving  in  the  French  regiments 
of  Bulkeley,  Clare,  Galmoy,  and  Lee  ;  in  the 
Spanish  regiments  of  Hibernia,  Irlanda, 
Wauchop,  and  ^^^aterford ;  in  the  Prussian 
army  in  Von  Derfinger's  Dragoons,  and 
in  the  garrison  of  Ciistrin;  and  in  the 
Polish  Saxon  army,  Thadee  de  Meagher  be- 
came a  Lieutenant-General  and  Colonel 
Proprietor  of  the  Swiss  Guard,  and  Chamber- 
lain to  the  King :  he  was  commissioned  by  his 
sovereign  to  negotiate  with  Frederick  the 
Great  a  treaty  of  neutrality  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Seven  Years'  War.* 


JLonnon  Cfteattes* 

Bv  T.  Fairman  Ordish. 


No.    III. 


P-  55- 


Carlyle's  History  of  Frederick  the  Great,  vol.  iv., 


•The  Blackfriars  Playhouse. 
{Continued.) 

UT  the  fortunes  of  all  English  players 
were  running  low  in  the  hour-glass  : 
they  were  bound  up  with  those  of 
the  royal  house,  and  stood  out 
full  against  the  advancing  tide  of  Puritan 
fanaticism.  The  stage  was  one  of  the 
most  familiar  topics  of  pious  abuse  and 
fanatical  misrepresentation  in  the  pulpits  of 
the  zealots  ;  and  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War  all  playhouses  and  players  disappeared 
like  a  sinking  vessel  in  the  sea.  In  the  mean- 
time, two  years  after  the  proceedings  of  the 
Privy  Council  just  noted,  the  Blackfriars 
players  went  through  that  phase  of  internal 
dissension  which  inevitably  precedes  dissolu- 
tion in  all  associations  of  men,  from  nations 
to  limited  liability  companies.  Mr.  Halliwell- 
Phillipps  discovered  the  papers  relating  to  this 
dispute,  in  the  year  1870,  among  the  official 
MSS.  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain  of  the  House- 
hold, then  preserved  at  St.  James's  Palace,  but 
since  transferred  to  the  Record  Office.  They 
contain  some  exceedingly  interesting  par- 
ticulars concerning  the  constitution  of  the 
King's  company  of  players  which  acted  at  the 
Globe  and  the  Blackfriars  playhouses,  showing 
how  that  eternal  question  of  ways  and  means, 
and  loaves  and  fishes  was  managed.  Mr. 
Halliwell-Phillipps  has  printed  the  papers  in 
full,*  and  here  we  may  pass  them  in  review. 

The  first  document  is  a  petition  from  three 
of  the  players,  Robert  Benefield,  Heliard 
Swanston,  and  Thomas  Pollard,  addressed  to 
the  Earl  of  Pembroke  and  Montgomery,  Lord 
Chamberlain  of  the  Household.  They  petition 
to  be  admitted  sharers  in  the  Globe  and 
Blackfriars  playhouses.  The  grounds  of 
their  case  are,  that  the  few  members  of  the 
company  who  hold  the  shares  have  a  full 
moiety  of  the  whole  gains,  except  the  outer 
doors,  and  that  those  of  the  shareholders  who 
are  actors  also  share  the  proceeds  of  these 
outer  doors  in  addition  to  the  moiety  upon 
their  shares.     The  petitioners  complain  "that 

*  Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Shakespeare,  pp.  <^y)et  seq. 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


109 


out  of  the  actors'  moiety  there  is  notwith- 
standing defrayed  all  wages  to  hired  men, 
apparell,  poetes,  lightes,  and  other  charges  of 
the. house  whatsoever,  soe  that  betweene  the 
gaynes  of  the  actors  and  of  those  interessed 
as  housekeepers  there  is  an  unreasonable 
inequality."  Their  request  is  that  they  may 
be  admitted  to  purchase,  at  such  rates  as 
have  formerly  been  given,  a  single  share  each 
from  those  that  have  the  greatest  number  of 
shares,  and  can  best  spare  them  :  viz.,  in 
respect  of  the  Globe,  that  Burbage  and  his 
sister,  having  each  3^  shares,  may  sell  them 
two  parts,  retaining  each  2| ;  and  that 
Shankes,  having  3  parts,  may  sell  them 
I  part :  then  as  regards  Blackfriars,  that 
Shankes,  having  2  parts  while  the  other  share- 
holders only  have  i,  may  assign  them  i  share. 
The  shareholders  were  as  follow : 


Globe. 

Blackfriars. 

Burbage 

...  z\   ... 

...    I 

Robinson 

...   z\     ... 

...    I 

Condall 

,..    2 

...    I 

Shankes 

...   3 

...     2 

Taylor 

...   2 

...     I 

Lowen 

..   2 

...     I 

Underwood  . 

...  0 

...     I 

The  next  document  is  an  Order,  12th  July, 
1635,  granting  the  petition,  and  signed  by 
the  Chamberlain.*  But  there  was  some  im- 
pediment, because  the  players  again  petitioned 
the  Lord  Chamberlain.  Then  we  have  the 
answer  of  John  Shankes,  addressed  to  the 
Chamberlain.  He  generally  controverts  the 
petition,  but  the  point  of  the  matter  pro- 
bably comes  out  here  : 

"  That  when  your  suppliant  purchased  his 
partes,  hee  had  no  certainty  thereof  more 
then  for  one  yeere  in  the  Globe,  and  there 
was  a  chargeable  suit  then  depending  in  the 
Court  of  Requestcs  betwene  Sir  Mathcw 
Brend,  knight,  and  the  lessees  of  the  Globe 
and  their  assigncs,  for  the  adding  of  nine 
yceres  to  their  lease  in  consideration  that 
they  and  their  predecessors  had  formerly 
been  at  the  charge  of  1,400  //.  in  building  of 
the  sayd  house  upon  the  burning  downc  of 
the  former,  whcrin,  if  they  should  miscarry, 
for  as  yet  they  have  not  the  assurance  per- 
fected by  Sir  Mathew  Brend,  your  suppliant 
shall  lay  out  his  money  to  such  a  losse,  as  the 

*  Outline!  of  the  Life  of  Shakespeare y  p.  542. 


petitioners  will  never  bee  partners  with  him 
therein." 

Shankes  apparently  had  been  admitted  a 
shareholder  a  year  before  the  expiry  of  the 
actual  lease,  upon  terms  involving  the  further 
doubtful  nine  years.  Perhaps  the  issue  as  to 
those  nine  years  appeared  now  less  uncertain, 
and  these  other  players  wished  to  buy  shares 
at  the  same  figure  that  Shankes  had  bought 
them.  The  fervour  with  which  Shankes  prays 
to  be  allowed  to  continue  in  the  enjoyment 
of  his  shares,  may  indicate  he  did  not  much 
fear  the  issue  of  the  suit  regarding  the  lease, 
or  that  he  had  laid  out  his  money  "  to  such  a 
losse." 

The  next  document  is  addressed  by  the 
Burbages  to  the  Lord  Chamberlain,  defend- 
ing their  possession  of  shares.*  This  petition 
is  so  interesting,  both  absolutely  and  per- 
sonally as  regards  the  Burbage  family,  and 
also  for  the  information  it  contains  upon  the 
theatres  in  which  they  were  concerned,  that 
it  demands  more  space  and  consideration 
than  the  other  papers  : 

'*  Wee  your  humble  suppliantes,  Cuthbert 
Burbage  and  Winifrid  his  brother's  wife,  and 
William  his  sonne  ....  The  father  of  us, 
Cuthbert  and  Richard  Burbage,  was  the  first 
builder  of  playhowses,  and  was  himselfe  in  his 
younger  yeeres  a  player.  The  Theater  hee 
built  with  many  hundred  poundes  taken  up 
at  interest.  The  players  that  lived  in  those 
first  times  had  onely  the  profitts  arising  from 
the  dores,  but  now  the  players  receave  all  the 
commings  in  at  the  dores  to  themselves,  and 
halfe  the  galleries  from  the  houskepers.  Hee 
built  this  house  upon  leased  ground,  by  which 
meanes  the  landlord  and  hee  had  a  great 
suite  in  law,  and,  by  his  death,  the  like 
troubles  fell  on  us,  his  sonnes ;  wee  then  be- 
thought us  of  altering  from  thence,  and  at 
like  expence  built  the  Globe,  with  more 
summes  of  money  taken  up  at  interest,  which 
lay  heavy  on  us  many  yeeres;  and  to  our- 
selves wee  joyned  those  deserving  men, 
Shaksperc,  Hemings,  Condall,  Philips,  and 
others,  partners  in  the  profiittes  of  that  they 
call  the  House ;  but  makcing  the  leases  for 
twenty-one  yeeres  hath  beene  the  destruction 
of  ourselves  and  others,  for  they  dyeing  at 
the  expiration  of  three  or  four  yeeres  of  their 
lease,  the  subsequent  yeeres  became  dis- 
•  Ibid,,  p.  548. 


no 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


solved  to  strangers  as  by  marrying  with  their 
widdowes  and  the  like  by  their  children. 
Thus,  Right  Honourable,  as  concerning  the 
Globe,  where  wee  ourselves  are  but  lessees. 
Now  for  the  Blackfriers,  that  is  our  inherit- 
ance )  our  father  purchased  it  at  extreame 
rates,  and  made  it  into  a  playhouse  with  great 
charge  and  trouble  ;  which  after  was  leased 
out  to  one  Evans,  that  first  sett  up  the  boyes 
commonly  called  the  Queenes  Majesties 
Children  of  the  Chappell.  In  processe  of 
lime  the  boyes  growing  up  to  bee  men,  which 
were  Underwood,  Field,  Ostler,  and  were 
taken  to  strengthen  the  King's  service ;  and 
the  more  to  strengthen  the  service,  the  boyes 
dayly  wearing  out,  it  was  considered  that 
house  would  be  as  fit  for  ourselves,  and  soe 
purchased  the  lease  remaining  from  Evans 
with  our  money,  and  placed  men  players, 
which  were   Hemings,   Condall,  Shakspere, 

etc Then  to  shew  your  Honor,  against 

these  sayings,  that  wee  eat  the  fruit  of  their 
labours,  wee  referre  it  to  your  Honor's  judg- 
ment to  consider  their  profittes,  which  wee 
may  safely  maintaine,  for  it  appeareth  by 
their  own  accomptes  for  one  whole  yeere  last 
past,  beginning  from  Whitson  Munday,  1634, 
to  Whitson  Munday,  1635,  each  of  these 
complainantes  gained  severally  as  hee  was  a 
player  and  noe  howskeeper,  180  //.  Besides 
Mr.  Swanston  hath  receaved  from  the  Black- 
friers  this  yeere,  as  hee  is  there  a  houskeeper 
above  30  //,  all  which  being  accompted  to- 
gether may  very  well  keepe  him  from  starve- 
ing." 

There  is  a  further  petition  of  John  Shankes, 
Aug.  I,  1635,*  from  which  it  appears  an 
order  was  made  that  he  should  "  pass  two 
partes  unto  Benfield,  Swanston,  and  Pollard." 
One  is  glad  to  find  that  the  family  and 
descendants  of  James  Burbage,  "the  first 
builder  of  playhouses,"  remained  in  posses- 
sion of  their  shares. 

This  is  the  last  record  we  have  of  the 
history  of  Blackfriars  theatre.  It  will  prob- 
ably have  been  remarked  by  the  reader  that 
all  the  records  concern  movements  menacing 
the  existence  of  Burbage's  playhouse.  But 
external  attack  and  internal  dispute  were  as 
nothing  beside  the  great  Puritan  Triumph, 
under  which  this  and  all  the  theatres  dis- 
appeared. There  remain  a  few  interesting 
*  Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Shakespeare,  p.  551. 


matters  in  and  about  Blackfriars  theatre  to 
complete  our  account  of  it. 

One  of  the  objects  of  the  forgeries  by 
which  Collier  was  victimized  was  to  represent 
the  Blackfriars  playhouse  as  the  property  of 
Edward  Alleyn.  But  although  AUeyn  pos- 
sessed property  in  the  neighbourhood,  he  had 
no  interest  whatever  in  the  theatre.* 

Shakespeare  also  held  property  at  Black- 
friars. Mr.  Halliwell-Phillipps  gives  the 
**  Deed  of  Bargain  and  Sale  of  the  Black- 
friars Estate  from  Henry  Walker  to  Shake- 
speare and  Trustees,  loth  March,  1612-3."! 
The  property  consisted  of  a  house  and  yard. 
The  lower  part  of  the  house  had  long  been  a 
haberdasher's  shop.  Shakespeare  gave  ;^i40 
for  the  premises,  although  the  vendor,  one 
Henry  Walker,  a  London  musician,  had  paid 
only  ;^roo  for  them  in  the  year  1604.  It  is 
impossible  to  say  now  what  may  have  been 
Shakespeare's  intention  in  purchasing  this 
property.  The  house  was  situated  a  short 
distance  to  the  east  of  the  playhouse,  and  it 
is  possible  Shakespeare  may  have  intended 
to  convert  it  into  a  residence  for  himself. 
The  first  Globe  Theatre  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  the  following  June,  and  Shakespeare 
appears  then  to  have  retired  from  the  stage. 
Previously  to  his  death  he  granted  a  lease  of 
the  property  to  one  John  Robinson,  who,  it 
oddly  happened,  was  one  of  the  persons  who 
had  violently  opposed  the  establishment  of 
the  neighbouring  theatre.  Mr.  Halliwell- 
Phillipps  describes  the  property  and  its  posi- 
tion in  his  interesting  Oiitlines.X  In  the 
Athcnawn  oi  February  13,  1886,  Mr.  Richard 
Sims  wrote  concerning  two  Shakespearean 
documents  he  had  found  among  the  MSB. 
of  Mr.  J.  E.  Severne,  of  Wallop.  One  of 
these  gives  a  glimpse  of  the  subsequent  his- 
tory of  this  Blackfriars  property  which  once 
belonged  to  Shakespeare.  The  document  is 
the  original  exemplification,  dated  "  Westm., 
29th  Nov.,  anno  23,  Charles  I."  (1647),  of  ^ 
recovery  by  William  Hathway  and  Thomas 
Hathway,  against  Richard  Lane,  gent.,  and 
William  Smyth,  gent,  of  a  messuage  with 
appurtenances  in   the  parish   of  St.   Anne, 

*  See    Dulwich    Catalogue,    p.    115,    where    the 
forgeries  bearing  on  this  point  are  fully  exposed, 
f  Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Shakespeare  (3rd  ed.), 

p.  713- 

X  Ibld^  pp.   210,  211. 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


Blackfriars.  At  the  trial  Elizabeth  Nashe, 
widow,  was  called  by  the  defendants  as 
witness. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  first 
"private"  house  marks  an  advance  in 
dramatic  history.  The  "common"  theatres 
still  depended  upon  accessory  amusements 
which  partook  of  the  nature  of  sports  and 
pastimes.  At  the  Blackfriars  "private" 
house,  on  the  other  hand,  the  play  was 
the  thing,  without  admixture  or  borrowed 
aid  of  any  sort.  There  are  contemporary 
allusions  which  indicate  the  intellectual  and 
social  superiority  of  the  "  private  "  house.* 
Here  some  of  the  spectators  were  allowed  to 
sit  upon  the  stage.  These  favoured  persons 
seem  to  have  been  mostly  the  critics  and 
wits  of  the  time.  They  must  have  been  a 
nuisance  to  the  actors,  besides  detracting 
from  the  stage-illusion  they  laboured  to  pro- 
duce. In  Middleton's  A  Mad  World  my 
Masters^  we  read :  "  The  actors  have  been 
found  on  a  morning  in  less  compass  than 
their  stage,  though  it  were  ne'er  so  full  of 
gentlemen."!  Other  quotations  are  given  by 
Malone,  illustrating  this  interesting  point : 

To  fair  attire  the  stage 
Helps  much  ;  for  if  our  other  audience  see 
You  on  the  stage  depart ^  before  the  end, 
Our  wits  go  with  you  all,  and  we  are  fools. 

Prologue  to  All  Fools,  a  comedy,  acted 
at  Blackfriars,  1605. 

"  By  sitting  on  the  stage,  you  have  a  sign'd 
patent  to  engrosse  the  whole  commoditie  of 
censure;  may  .  .  .  stand  at  the  helm  to 
steer  the  passage  of  scenes." — Gttls  Horne- 
booke,  1609. 

In  their  preface  to  the  first  folio  edition  of 
Shakespeare,  Hemings  and  Condell  say  : 

"  And  though  you  be  a  magistrate  of  ivit^ 
and  sit  on  the  stage  at  Blackfriars  or  the 
Cockpit,  to  arraigne  plays  dailie,  know  these 
plays  have  had  their  trial  already,  and  stood 
out  all  appeales." 

Again,  in  Decker's  GuIs  Horncboohe,  1609  : 

"  Being  on  your  feet,  sncake  not  away  like 
a  coward,  but  salute  all  your  gentle  acquaint- 
ance that  arc  sprcd  either  on  the  rushes  or 
on  stoolcs  about  you  ;  and  draw  what  troop 
you  can  from  the  stage  after  you." 

*  Malone,  Shakespeare  by  Bosxvell,  iii.  69. 
f  Ibid.,  iii.  76. 


So  also  in  Fletcher's  Queen  of  Corinth  : 

I  would  not  yet  be  pointed  at  as  he  is, 
For  the  fine  courtier,  the  woman's  man, 
That  tells  my  lady  stories,  dissolves  riddles, 
Ushers  her  to  her  coach,  lies  at  her  feet 
At  solemn  inasqiies. 

Fom  a  passage  in  King  Henry  IV.,  Part  I., 
it  may  be  presumed  that  this  was  no  un- 
common practice  in  private  assemblies  also  : 

She  bids  you  on  the  wanton  rushes  lay  you  do\vn 
And  rest  your  gentle  head  upon  her  lap, 
And  she  will  sing  the  song  that  pleaseth  you. 

"By  sitting  on  the  stage  you  may  with 
small  cost  purchase  the  deere  acquaintance 
of  the  boyes,  have  a  good  stool  for  sixpence." 
— Guls  Hornebooke. 

Again,  ibidem  :  "  Present  not  your  selfe  on 
the  stage  (especially  at  a  new  play)  until  the 
quaking  prologue  is  ready  to  enter ;  for  then 
it  is  time,  as  though  you  were  one  of  the 
properties,  or  that  you  dropt  of  \i.e.  off]  the 
hangings,  to  creep  from  behind  the  arras, 
with  your  tripos,  or  three-legged  stoole,  in 
one  hand,  and  a  teston  mounted  between  a 
forefinger  and  thumbe  in  the  other." 

These  are  the  most  worae  and  most  in  fashion 
Amongst  the  bever  gallants,  the  stone-riders. 
The  private  stage's  audience,  the  twelvepenny-stoole 
gentlemen. 

The  Roaring  Girl,  a  comedy  by  Middleton 
and  Decker,  161 1. 

In  the  induction  to  Marston's  Malcontent , 
1 604,  acted  at  Blackfriars,  we  read  :  "  By 
God's  slid  if  you  had,  I  w^ould  have  given 
you  but  sixpence  for  your  stool."  Sixpence 
appears  to  have  been  the  lowest,  and  a  shilling 
the  highest  rate  for  the  stage  stools.  Again, 
in  this  induction,  we  read  : 

Ty reman:  Sir,  the  gentlemen  will  be  angry  if  you 
sit  here. 

Sly:  Why,  we  may  sit  upon  the  stage  at  the 
private  house.  Thou  dost  not  take  me  for  a  country 
gentleman,  dost  ?  Doest  thou  think  I  fear  hissing  ? 
Let  them  that  have  stale  suits,  sit  in  the  galleries,  hiss 
at  me 

Some  of  those  who  sat  on  the  stage  did  so 
from  a  desire  to  display  their  gaudy  plumage  : 

When  young  Rogero  goes  to  see  a  play, 
His  pleasure  is  you  place  him  on  the  stage, 
The  better  to  demonstrate  his  array. 
And  how  he  sits  attended  by  his  page, 
That  only  serves  to  fill  those  pipes  with  smoke 
P'or  which  he  pawned  hath  his  riding-cloak. 

Springes  for  WoodcocktSf  by  Henry 
Parrot,  161 3. 


112 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


In  the  "  private "  theatres,  plays  were 
usually  presented  by  candle-light :  "  All  the 
city  looked  like  a  private  playhouse  when  the 
windows  are  clapt  downe,  as  if  some  noc- 
turnal and  dismal  tragedy  were  presently  to 
be  acted." — Decker's  Sa^en  Deadly  Shines  of 
London^  1696.  See  also  Historia  His- 
trionica. 

We  have  described  how  female  characters 
were  usually  represented  by  boys  or  young 
men,  who  frequently  wore  vizards  to  help 
their  disguise.*  An  innovation,  which  we 
should  consider  an  improvement,  was  at- 
tempted in  this  direction;  but  the  Puritans  of 
that  age  were  scandalized  as  much  by  this  as 
by  males  wearing  female  attire. 

Prynne,  in  his  Histriomastix,  informs  us 
"  that  some  Frenchwomen,  or  monsters 
rather,  in  michaelmas  term,  1629,  attempted 
to  act  a  French  play  at  the  playhouse  in 
Blackfriers,"  which  he  represents  as  "  an  im- 
pudent, shameful,  unwomanish,  graceless,  if 
not  more  than  whorish  attempt." 

Soon  after  the  period  he  speaks  of,  a  regular 
French  theatre  was  established  in  London, 
where,  without  doubt,  women  acted.  They 
had  long  before  appeared  on  the  Italian  as 
well  as  the  French  stage.t 

Malone  gives  the  following  entry  from  Sir 
Henry  Herbert's  Office-book  : 

"  For  the  allowinge  of  a  French  company 
to  play  a  farse  at  Blackfryers  this  4  of  Novem- 
ber, 1639 — 2/.  oi".  odP 

A  critical  and  intellectual  audience  like 
that  at  the  Blackfriars  would  naturally  exact 
good  music  as  an  accompaniment  to  the  play. 
How  the  orchestra  was  constituted — whether 
paid  by  largess  from  the  audience,  or  by 
salary  from  the  proprietors  of  the  play- 
house, does  not  appear.  The  musicians 
paid  an  annual  fee  to  the  Master  of  the 
Revels  for  licence  to  play  in  the  theatre ;  % 
and  this  licence  may  indicate  that  the 
orchestra  were  entitled  to  receive  gratuities 
or  payments  from  the  public  direct.  The 
strophe  to  music  which  opens  the  play  of 
Twelfth  Night,  and  Lorenzo's  eloquent  de- 
scription of  the  music  of  the  spheres,  and  of 
the  power  of  music  over  all  animated  creation, 
in  the  last  Act  of  the  Afercha?it  of  Venice,  are 

*  Antiquary,  xii.  195. 

t  Malone,  Shakespeare  hy  Bosxuell,  iii.  119. 

t  Ibid.,  iii.  112. 


familiar  as  the  expression  of  Shakespeare's  j 
intense  appreciation  of  melody  j  but  such  I 
passages  also  indicate  that  the  music  in  the 
Blackfriars  playhouse  was  of  a  very  high 
quality.  After  Shakespeare's  retirement  from 
the  stage,  the  Blackfriars  orchestra  became 
more  numerous  and  famous.  There  is  evi- 
dence of  this  in  an  account,  in  Whitelocke's 
Memorials,  of  a  Masque  given  by  the  four  j 
Inns  of  Court  on  the  second  of  February,  I 
1633-4,  entitled  The  Triumph  of  Peace,  and 
intended  as  a  counterblast  to  Prynne's 
attack  on  the  stage  in  his  Histriomastix. 
Whitelocke  eulogizes  the  musicians,  and  gives 
some  interesting  particulars  as  to  the  manner 
of  paying  them  for  their  services  at  this 
masque.  This  payment  by  largess  or  reward 
may  have  been  only  because  their  services 
were  given  away  from  the  theatre ;  or  it  may 
indicate  that  by  their  licence  they  received 
their  hire  always  in  this  way. 

*'  For  the  Musicke,"  says  Whitelocke, 
"  which  was  particularly  committed  to  my 
charge,  I  gave  to  Mr.  Ives  and  to  Mr.  Laws 
;^ioo  a  piece  for  their  rewards  :  for  the  four 
French  gentlemen,  the  queen's  servants,  I 
thought  that  a  handsome  and  liberall  grati- 
fying of  them  would  be  made  known  to  the 
queen  their  mistris,  and  well  taken  by  her. 
I  therefore  invited  them  one  morning  to  a 
collation  att  St.  Dunstan's  taverne,  in  the 
great  room,  the  Oracle  of  Apollo,  where  each 
of  them  had  his  plate  lay'd  by  him,  covered, 
and  the  napkin  by  it,  and  when  they  had 
opened  their  plates  they  found  in  each  of 
them  forty  pieces  of  gould,  of  their  master's 
coyne,  for  the  first  dish,  and  they  had  cause 
to  be  much  pleased  with  this  surprisall. 

"The  rest  of  the  musitians  had  rewards 
answerable  to  their  parts  and  qualities ;  and 
the  whole  charge  of  the  musicke  came  to 
about  one  thousand  pounds.  The  clothes  of 
the  horsemen,  reckoned  one  with  another  at 
;^ioo  a  suit,  att  the  least,  amounted  to 
;^io,ooo.  The  charges  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
masque,  which  were  born  by  the  societies, 
were  accounted  to  be  above  twenty  thousand 
pounds. 

"  I  was  so  conversant  with  the  musitians, 
and  so  willing  to  gain  their  favour,  especially 
at  this  time,  that  I  composed  an  aier  my 
selfe,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Ives,  and 
called  it  Whitelock's  Coranto ;  which  being 


HERALDIC  GLASS  IN  ST.  MARTIN'S  CHURCH,  LISKEARD.         113 


cried  up  was  first  played  publiquely  by  the 
Blackefryars  Musicke,  who  were  then  es- 
teemed the  best  of  common  musitians  in 
London.  Whenever  I  came  to  that  house 
(as  I  did  sometimes  in  those  dayes,  though 
not  often)  to  see  a  play,  the  musitians  would 
presently  play  Whitelock's  Coranto  \  and  it 
was  so  often  called  for,  that  they  would  have 
it  played  twice  or  thrice  in  an  afternoone. 
The  queen  hearing  it  would  not  be  persuaded 
that  it  was  made  by  an  Englishman,  because 
she  said  it  was  fuller  of  life  and  spirit  than 
the  English  aiers  used  to  be;  but  she  honoured 
the  Coranto  and  the  maker  of  it  with  her 
majestyes  royall  commendation.  It  grew  to 
that  request,  that  all  the  common  musitians 
in  this  towne,  and  all  over  the  kingdome, 
gott  the  composition  of  itt,  and  played  it 
publiquely  in  all  places  for  above  thirtie 
years  after." 

Mr,  Halliwell-Phillipps  possesses  a  book 
which  contains  some  of  the  airs  which 
were  played  by  the  Blackfriars  orchestra  :* 
*'  The  First  Booke  of  Ayres  or  little  short 
Songs  to  sing  and  play  to  the  Lute,  with  the 
base  Viole.  Newly  published  by  Thomas 
Morley,  Bachiler  of  Musicke,  and  one  of  the 
gent,  of  her  Majesties  Royall  Chappel,  fol. 
Imprinted  at  London  in  Litle  S.  Helen's,  by 
William  Barley,  1600  —  Containing  the 
original  music  to  the  song,  '  It  was  a  lover 
and  his  lass,'  in  As  You  Like  It.'' 


IJ)craltiic  (Slass  formerly  in  ^t. 
^attm'0  Cbutcf),  Li§keact)» 

By  N.  Hare. 

HE  church  is  a  large  structure.  It 
is  said  by  C  S.  Gilbert  to  bo  one 
of  the  most  spacious  religious  edi- 
fices belonging  to  the  county  of 
Cornwall,  excepting  that  of  Bodmin. f  It 
has  seventeen  large  windows,  namely,  three 
on  the  east,  two  west,  seven  north,  and  five 
south,  besides  others  now  blocked. 

It  is  probal)le  that  in  the  early  history  of 
this  church,  many,  if  not  all,  of  its  windows 
were  of  stained  glass.     The  iron  fastenings 

*  Shakespeare  Rarities,  p.  i6. 

t  Historical  Survey  of  the  County  of  Cortnuall. 


which  secured  the  wirework  protecting  the 
glass  may  still  be  seen  on  the  mullions  of  the 
large  east  window.  What  the  subjects  de- 
lineated were,  have  long  since  perished  with 
the  glass,  nor  is  it  known  when  the  glass  was 
destroyed.  Probably  it  occurred  during  or 
shortly  after  the  Civil  War. 

A  Mr.  Richard  Symonds,  an  Essex  gentle- 
man, who  came  with  the  King's  army  into 
Cornwall  in  the  summer  of  1644,  kept  a 
diary.  Besides  noting  in  it  many  of  the 
stirring  events  of  the  campaign,  he  also  di- 
rected his  attention  to  the  heraldry  which  he 
found  in  the  parish  churches  and  the  manor- 
houses  of  the  Cornish  gentry,  where  his  pro- 
fession as  a  soldier  called  him  ;  and  we  are 
thankful  to  him  that,  amidst  stormy  and 
eventful  times,  he  found  leisure  to  write  a 
record,  imperfect  and  unsatisfactory  it  may  be 
in  many  respects,  yet  nevertheless  valuable 
to  the  families  he  mentions  as  well  as  to  the 
antiquary. 

Mr.  Symonds  tells  us*  that  his  Majesty 
King  Charles  I.  marched,  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  2nd  August,  1644, 
from  Trecarrel,  an  interesting  old  manor- 
house  in  the  parish  of  Lezant,  still  standing, 
and  came  that  night  to  Liskeard. 

"  Com :  Cornub :  a  mayor  towne,  large, 
the  buildings  of  stone  covered  with  slate, 
one  church.  He  lay  at  Mr.  Jeane's  hov/se.f 
The  people  speak  good  and  playne  English 
here  hitherto." 

Mr.  Symonds  then  proceeds  to  give  the 
heraldry  he  found  in  the  tracery  of  some  of 
the  windows  of  Liskeard  Church.  Unfor 
Innately  he  does  not  mention  if  the  windows 
contained  any  other  subjects  than  the  armo 
rial  bearings  he  describes.  It  is  very  likely 
they  did,  as  there  is  evidence,  as  before 
stated,  that  such  must  have  been  the  case ; 
but  he  seems  to  have  confined  his  attention 
solely  to  the  heraldic  ones. 

It  will  be  noticed,  as  we  proceed,  that  the 
descriptions  of  many  of  the  coats  of  arms,  as 
given  by  Mr.  Symonds,  do  not  strictly  agree 
with  those  assigned  to  the  families  by  our 
Cornish  historians.  This  discrepancy  may 
have   arisen   from   our   diarist  jotting  them 

*  Lake's  Parochial  History  of  the  County  of  Cont' 
'ci'all,  vol.  iv.,  p.  6.     S.  Tapers. 

f  This  house  is  in  Burrus  Street,  and  the  bedroom 
the  King  slept  in  is  still  called  King  Charles's  room. 


114        HERALDIC  GLASS  IN  ST.  MARTIN'S  CHURCH,  LISKEARD. 


down  hastily,  or  possibly  to  a  change  of 
Tinctures,  or  charges  in  the  shields  assumed 
by  younger  branches  of  the  family.  Carew,* 
writing  in  1603,  says:  "It  is  to  be  noted 
that  divers  Cornish  gentlemen  borne  younger 
brothers,  and  advanced  by  a  match,  have 
left  their  owne  coats,  and  borrowed  those  of 
their  wives,  with  the  first  quarter  of  their 
shields,  which  error  their  posteritie  likewise 
ensued,  as  also,  that  before  these  later  petty 
differences  grew  in  vogue  the  amies  of  one 
stocke  were  greatly  diversified  in  the  younger 
branches."  This  may  explain  the  differences 
noted. 

The  first  window  Symonds  describes  is 
that  in  the  south  aisle  of  the  chancel,  be- 
tween the  monuments  to  Major  Row  and 
Lieutenant  Hawkey.  It  is  a  four-lighted 
window,  with  three  tracery  heads,  which  held 
the  three  coats  of  arms  he  marks  as  old  glass. 
His  words  are  : 

South  window,  south  yle,  chancel  these,  old  : 
Ar.,  ■^fusils  conjoined  in  f ess  gti. 
Ar.,a  cock  gu.^  on  a  chief  t,  torteaux. 
Cheqtiy  or  and  az,,  a  bend  vert. 

The  first  coat  is  the  same  as  that  borne  by 
the  illustrious  House  of  Montacute,  or  Mon- 
tagu, and  is  figured  by  Boutell.f  The  Mon- 
tagues in  ancient  times  held  the  Manor  of 
Lantyan,  in  Golant,  near  Liskeard,  and  were 
large  landowners  in  the  neighbourhood,  as 
well  as  in  other  parts  of  Cornwall.  It  is 
probable,  therefore,  that  these  arms  belonged 
to  that  ancient  family,  and  that  they,  being 
donors  to  the  new  building,  had  their  arms 
inserted  in  the  tracery  of  one  of  its  win- 
dows. These  arms,  within  a  bordure,  are 
still  borne  by  the  Duke  of  Manchester,  the 
Earl  of  Sandwich,  the  Baron  Rokeby  (all 
Montagues),  and  are  quartered  by  Montagu- 
Douglas-Scott,  Duke  of  Buccleugh. 

I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  arms  agree- 
ing with  the  second  coat,  and  fear,  therefore, 
they  are  so  "  old "  that  all  trace  of  them  is 
lost.  Lake,  I  in  his  Parochial  History  of 
Cornwall,  gives  the  arms  as  of  the  Priory  of 
St.  Stephen's,  to  which  the  Vicarage  of  Lis- 
keard then  belonged ;  but  there  is  a  doubt 
about  this,  inasmuch  as  in  Lyson's§  Cornwall 

*  Sjirvey  of  Cormuall,  p.  65. 
t  English  Heraldry,  pp.  17,  70. 
+  Lake's  Corntvall,  vol.  iii.,  p.  92. 
§  Lyson's  Conrwall,  p.  35. 


a  woodcut  is  given  of  the  seal  used  by  the 
Prior  on  the  surrender  of  that  Priory,  26 
Henry  VIII.,  which  represents  a  rude  monas- 
tic building  with  a  central  tower,  and  the 
legend,  Sigilli  Eccle  Set  Stephani  de  Lan. ; 
but  Lake  says*  that  "  besides  the  seal  already 
given,  the  Priory  bore  for  its  arms,  Ar.  guttie 
de  sang  a  cock  gu.,  on  a  chief  of  the  last  3 
roses  or.^'  It  is  just  possible  that  these  arms 
may  have  belonged  to  one  of  the  Priors,  and 
not  to  the  Priory ;  or  Lake  may  be  correct, 
but  he  gives  no  authority. 

The  arms  of  Lord  Bottreaux  are  the  nearest 
I  can  find  to  the  third  coat.  He  bore,  Ch., 
or  andgu.,  07i  a  bend  az,  3  horseshoes.  William 
Bottreaux  sat  as  one  of  the  members  for 
Liskeard,  1420,  and  Sir  Ralph  Bottreaux  was 
one  of  the  witnesses  to  the  second  deed  for 
rebuilding  the  church  (1430).  Their  seat 
was  at  Bottreaux  Castle,  now  Boscastle,  a 
favourite  resort  of  tourists. 

Mr.  Symonds  in  going  round  the  church 
from  south  to  north  states  that  "  the  seats  of 
the  south  yle  of  the  church  have  escocheons 
with  severall  bearings  alluding  to  the  Passion, 
of  the  scourge,  whip,  lanthorne,  garment." 
These  devices  are  still  to  be  found  in  many 
Cornish  churches. 

All  the  bench-ends,  with  the  oaken  screen, 
were  unfortunately  destroyed  about  1793,  to 
make  way  for  large  pews,  which  were  then 
set  up  for  the  first  time.  These  again  in 
their  turn  have  been  lately  replaced  by  open 
benches. 

Mr.  Symonds  then  notices  one  of  the  other 
four  windows  in  the  south  aisle. 

South  yle,  window  below  : 

Or,  a  chev.  az.  betiveen  3  roses  argent  (Wad- 
ham). 

Instead  of  or,  all  our  county  historians 
give  gules ;  but  the  change  might  have  been 
a  mark  of  cadency,  supposing  Symonds  rightly 
describes  what  he  saw. 

Wadham  was  originally  a  Somersetshire 
family.  Nicholas  Wadham  was  the  founder 
of  Wadham  College,  Oxford.  George  Wad- 
ham was  Mayor  of  Liskeard  on  several  occa- 
sions. On  the  death  of  Joseph  Wadham,  in 
1707,  the  family  became  extinct.  His  monu- 
ment, which  is  in  the  church,  states  him  to 
be  the  last  of  the  Wadhams. 

*  Lake's  Cormuall,  vol.  iii.,  p.  92;  and  vol.  iv.,  p. 
144. 


HERALDIC  GLASS  IN  ST.  MARTIN'S  CHURCH,  LISKEARD.         115 


West  window,  south  yle,  this  : 

Ar. ,  3  nails  erect  in  pale,  sable. 

This  coat  probably  was  an  emblem  of  the 
Passion.  There  is  a  similar  one  in  a  window 
of  Laneast  Church. 

Symonds  then  goes  to  the 
North  yle  of  the  church,  these  : 

Quarterly  or,  a  chev.  gu.  hetiueen  in  chief  2 
roses,    and   in    base    a   fish   naiant   azure 
(Roscarrock). 
2ncl.  Imperfect. 

3rd.   Gules,  2  lions  passant  gtiardant  argent. 
4th.  Per  saltier  ar.  ami  sable  (Deviock). 
Quarterly.   1st  and  a^h  argent,  a  chev.  between 
3  {portcullises  ?)  sa.     2nd  and  yd  gules,  a 
chev.  erviine  between  3  dolphins  embo7ved,  or. 
The  four  preceding  coats  quarterly  impaling,  or 
3  wolves  passant  in  pale  azure. 

Only  two  coats  out  of  the  seven  are  identi- 
fied by  Symonds,  viz.,  Roscarrock  and 
Deviock. 

I  St.  The  Roscarrocks  of  Roscarrock,  in 
Endellion,  who  bore,  Argent,  a  chevron  gules 
behveen  2  roses  in  chief  of  the  second,  and  a  sea 
tench  naiant  azure,  are  traced  from  1300  to 
1602.  John  Roscarrock  was  Sheriff  of  Corn- 
wall in  149 1  ;  Richard  155 1,  and  again  in 
1562.  Thomas  was  M.P.  for  Liskeard  1553, 
as  also  was  Francis  later  in  the  same  year. 
The  Roscarrocks  quartered  with  their  arms 
those  of  Chenduit,  Bodulgate,  and  Deviock. 

The  second  coat,  marked  imperfect,  was 
probably  that  of  Chenduit,  or  Cheynduyt,  of 
Bodanan  in  EndeUion, 

3rd.  Bodulgate  was  of  Bodulgate,  in  Bocon- 
noc.  He  bore,  Gules,  2  lions  passant  guardant, 
argent. 

Thomas  de  Bodulgate  was  M.P.  for  the 
county  of  Cornwall,  26  Henry  VI.  Isabel, 
a  coheiress,  married  Thomas  Roscarrock. 

4th.  Deviock  of  Deviock,  in  St.  Germans, 
bore  for  his  arms,  Party  per  saltier  arg.  and 
sable.  John  Deviock  was  M.P.  for  Bodmin 
in  1466. 

The  first  and  fourth  quarterings  of  the 
second  tracery  are  evidently  those  of  Harvey 
of  Hale,  in  Linkinhorne.  The  family  are 
known  to  have  been  seated  in  that  ]xarish 
three  descents  before  1620.  That  church 
also  belonged  to  the  Prior  and  Convent  of 
St.  Stephen's.  Our  diarist,  it  will  be  noticed, 
has  queried  the  three  portcullises.  These 
were  the  three  harrows,  borne  by  Harvey, 
whose  arms  are  given  as,  Arg.,  a  chev.  bettvecn 


3  harrows  sable.  The  second  and  third 
quarterings  of  the  same  coat  are  those  of 
Kendall,  a  family  of  considerable  antiquity 
in  Cornwall,  and  who  are  said  by  C.  S. 
Gilbert  to  have  sent  more  representatives  to 
the  British  Senate  House  than  any  other  in 
the  United  Kingdom.  William  Kendall  repre- 
sented Liskeard  in  Parliament,  i  Richard  II. 
The  elder  branch  became  extinct  in  the  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Their  arms 
are  still  to  be  seen  in  a  window  of  St.  Keyne 
Church,  three  miles  from  Liskeard. 

In  the  third  coat  of  the  tracing  the  arms  of 
Harvey  and  Kendall  are  impaled  with  those 
of  Penpons  of  Penpons,  in  St.  Kew.  Jane, 
daughter  of  Richard  Penpons,  married 
Richard  Kendall.  They  bore,  Ar.,  3  wolves 
passant  in  pale  sable. 

North  window,  north  yle,  chancel : 

Quarterly  France    ami  England,   Courtenay 
with  a  label. 

William  Courtenay,  Earl  of  Devon,  mar- 
ried the  Princess  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Edward  IV.,  and  died  in  1511.  He  quar- 
tered the  Royal  Arms  with  his  own.  Catha- 
rine was  buried  at  Tiverton,  1527.  The 
Courtenays  were  seated  at  Boconnoc,  and 
bore  for  their  arms.  Or,  three  torteaux. 

Quarterly  France  and  England,  a  label  of  3 
points  ar. 

These  arms  would  seem  to  be  those  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  and  Duke  of  Cornwall,  son 
of  Edward  IV.,  and  are  figured  by  Boutell, 
who  says  that  "Edward  the  Black  Prince 
marked  the  Royal  shield  of  Edward  III.  with 
a  label  argent  of  3  points,  and  a  silver  label 
has  since  been  the  mark  of  cadency  of  every 
succeeding  Prince  of  Wales."* 

The  Duke's  manor -courts  were  held  at 
the  Castle  of  Liskeard. 

"  Divers  flat  stones  in  Chancel,  the  inscrip- 
tions round  about  cutt  in  text.  Most  of  them 
write  '  Gent ' — no  arms  on  the  stones." 

These  are  all  the  arms  in  the  church 
described  by  Symonds,  and  but  for  him  we 
should  have  been  ignorant  of  the  families 
who  in  old  times  were  benefactors  to  the 
church. 

C.  S.  Gilbert  says,  "  The  armorial  bearings 
of  Cornish  gentry  are  numerously  displayed 
in  most    of   the  parish   churches.      These 

•  English  Heraldry,  p.  182. 


ii6 


NOTES  ON  COMMON-FIELD  NAMES. 


perishing  memorials  of  ancient  heroic  gran- 
deur cannot  be  beheld  without  experiencing 
emotions  of  respect  and  veneration  mingled 
with  awe."* 

Sad  to  relate,  in  too  many  instances  this 
former  greatness  of  our  ancestors  as  displayed 
in  these  interesting  memorials  have  nearly  all 
perished,  not  by  the  rude  hand  of  Time,  which 
we  could  have  endured,  but  by  the  wanton 
outrage  of  Puritan  fanaticism  and  modern 
church  'restorers'  (?),  devoid  alike  of  sympathy 
or  reverence  for  the  beautiful  of  past  ages. 


if3ote0onCommon^jFtelD  Jl5ame0, 

By  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Atkinson. 


Class  I.  Section  II. 

Names  depending  for  one  of  their  Elements 
on  some  Arbitrary  or  Artificial  Object  or 
Feature. 

5.  -land,  -landes : 

Sub-class  (a)  Barlicland  (Ormesby). 
Bcndand  (Tollesby). 
Lineland,  Ltrielandes  (Thocotes). 

„  ,,  (Ormesby). 

„  „  (Marton). 

Peselandes  (Pinchingthorpe). 

„  „  (Marton). 

Ryeland  (Thocotes). 
Sub-class  (/')  Blalandes  (Ormesby). 
Blaland  (Normanby). 
Cokelandes  (Ormesby). 
Flit-,  Flinilandes  (Marton). 
Langlandes,  twice  (Gesbrough). 
Plouland  (Pinchingthorpe). 
Shvinelands  (Moorsom). 

Two  sub-classes  are  made  here,  and,  it 
may  be  seen,  not  altogether  without  reason, 
if  even  without  necessity.  A  further  sub- 
division still  suggests  itself,  because,  almost 
certainly,  the  termination  landes  bears  two 
distinct  meanings.  The  two  sub-classes  de- 
pend on  differences  in  agricultural  system, 
and  the  former  of  these  two  sub-classes  pro- 
bably reveals  a  fact  that  is  by  no  means 
without  sustained  interest ;  while  the  mean- 
ings of  the  suffix  laiides  depend  on  a  matter 
of  practical  detail  and  distinctive  nomen- 
clature accordingly.     To  deal  with  the  former 


Vol. 


1.,  p.  412. 


of  the  said  two  sub-classes  first : — It  will  be 
remarked  that  the  grain  or  produce  of 
barley,  beans,  linseed,  peas,  beans,  and,  I  may 
add,  wheat  also,  in  the  case  of  wheat-lands 
(anciently  hvedelandes,  or  some  like  form,  a 
name  attaching  in  ancient  times,  as  has 
already  been  remarked,  to  two  separate 
localities  in  Danby  parish  as  it  used  to  be, 
as  well  as  elsewhere),  furnish  the  prefix  in  the 
different  names  cited.  In  other  words,  cer- 
tain portions  of  the  arable  land,  in  divers 
parts  of  the  district  concerned,  have  obtained, 
and  still,  at  the  date  of  the  charters  pre- 
serving these  names,  retain  a  specific  or 
distinctive  appellation  from  certain  kinds  of 
grain  or  produce,  and  necessarily — for  no 
other  explanation  can  be  suggested — from 
their  growth  upon  them  ;  and  that,  it  must 
be  observed,  implies  the  continued  growth 
upon  them  of  the  several  kinds  of  grain 
supplying  the  distinctive  prefixes.  Certainly 
Mr.  Lawes'  experiments  on  the  growth  of 
wheat  show  that  wheat  may  be  grown  in 
many  successive  years  on  the  same  plot  of 
ground,  and  Colonial  experience  is  sufficiently 
explicit  on  the  same  head.  But  no  one  is 
under  any  uncertainty  as  to  what  is  implied 
under  the  phrase  "rotation  of  crops,"  and 
the  absolute  necessity  which  practically  under- 
lies that  system.  AH  these  names,  then,  in 
the  sub-class  under  our  notice  have  a  special 
historical  significance.  There  has  been  a 
time  in  our  early  agricultural  economy  when 
wheat,  barley,  peas,  rye,  line  or  flax,  etc., 
used  to  be  grown  for  years  in  succession  upon 
the  same  plot  of  ground,  and  the  explanation, 
in  such  a  country  and  such  a  climate  as  that 
of  North  Yorkshire,  can  hardly  depend  on 
the  accumulated  and  partly  inexhaustible 
fertility  of  the  virgin  soil,  as  in  more  than 
one  of  the  colonies.  And  if  not,  on  what 
system,  or  difference  of  system,  did  it  de- 
pend ?  And  in  order  to  try  and  answer  this 
question  I  must  quote  from  Mr.  Seebohm's 
book  at  greater  length  than  I  have  hitherto 
done.  After  adverting  to  certain  "  German 
systems  of  husbandry,  which  are  not  analo- 
gous to  the  Anglo-Saxon  three-field  system 
in  England,"  he  proceeds,  p.  372 — "Passing 
all  these  by,  we  come  to  a  peculiar  method 
of  husbandry  which  covers  a  large  tract  of 
country,  and  which  is  adopted  under  both 
the  single-farm   system  and  also  the  open- 


NOTES  ON  COMMON-FIELD  NAMES. 


117 


field  system  with  scattered  ownership,  but 
which  nevertheless  is  opposed  to  the  three- 
field  system.  It  is  especially  important  for 
our  purpose  because  of  its  geographical  posi- 
tion. AH  over  the  sand  and  bog  district  of 
the  north  of  Germany,  crops,  mostly  of  rye 
and  buckwheat,  have  for  centuries  been 
grown  year  after  year  on  the  same  land,  kept 
productive  by  marling  and  peat  manure,  on 
what  Hanssen  describes  as  the  '  one-field 
system.'  This  system  is  found  in  Westphalia, 
East  Friesland,  Oldenburg,  North  Hanover, 
Holland,  Belgium,  Denmark,  Saxony,  and 
East  Prussia.  Over  parts  of  the  district 
under  this  one-field  system  the  single-farm 
prevails,  in  others  the  fields  are  divided  into 
'  gewanne  '*  and  strips,  and  there  is  scattered 
ownership.  Now,  probably,  this  one-field 
system,  with  its  marling  and  peat  manure, 
may  have  been  the  system  described  by 
Pliny  as  prevalent  in  Belgic  Britain  and  Gaul 
before  the  Roman  conquest ;  but  certainly  it 
is  not  the  system  prevalent  in  England  under 
Saxon  rule.  And  yet  this  district,  where  the 
one- field  system  is  prevalent  in  Germany,  is 
precisely  the  district  from  which,  according 
to  the  common  theory,  the  Anglo-Saxon  in- 
vaders of  Britain  came."  The  facts,  then, 
that  such  names  as  those  under  comment 
have,  in  ancient  times,  prevailed,  and  pre- 
vailed largely,  in  originally  Anglian  Cleveland, 
and  that  they  clearly  attest  a  quondam  exist- 
ence there — possibly  not  prevalence — of  the 
one-field  system,  are,  it  is  at  once  seen,  of  no 
ordinary  interest. 

Next,  as  to  the  two  meanings  of  the  suffix 
-landes.  What  I  remember  in  Essex,  Suffolk 
and  Norfolk  under  the  name  of  stetc/i,  or  the 
breadth  of  land  ploughed  together,  or  between 
finished  furrow  and  furrow  (the  width  of 
which  was  always  carefully  measured  with 
the  feering-pole  of  half  a  rod  in  length  twice 
laid  on  the  ground),  and  is  elsewhere — in  the 
North  particularly — called  ridge  or  rig,  is  in 
this  district  still  called  a  land:  there  are  so 
many  lands  in  the  field,  and  the  field  is 
spoken  of  as  landed  in  such  or  such  a  way  or 
direction.     True,  the  headland  is  called  the 

*  "  The  usual  word  in  Middle  and  South  Germany 
is  gcivemie,  in  Lower  Germany  ',caihic  or  'a>a>iue,  or 
gdwantt—woxiXs  which  no  less  than  the  furlong  refer 
to  the  length  of  the  furrow  and  the  turning  of  the 
pU)ugh  at  tiie  end  of  iL"—Jl'id.,  p.  380.  Sec  IVenJiiig 
below. 


headrig,  and  in  the  case  of  a  field  ploughed 
in  uneven  breadths,  one  of  the  broadest  stand- 
ing up  higher  than  the  others,  I  have  heard 
the  said  higher  part  or  middle  part  spoken  of 
as  the  rig.  But  the  universal  term  for  the 
divisions  of  the  field  created  by  regular  plough- 
ing is  lands.  And  this,  I  am  disposed  to 
think,  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  in  all  such 
names  as  Langlands  and  Shortlands,  even  if 
not  in  other  cases  noted  by  the  names  in  the 
second  sub-class.  Blalands,  Blalandes — a 
name  of  not  unfrequent  occurrence  in  other 
districts  besides  that  of  Cleveland — is  not  with- 
out its  perplexity.  It  may  be,  as  suggested 
above  (vol.  xiii.,  p.  25  8),  indicative  of  the  colour 
of  the  soil,  or  it  may  depend  on  the  same 
word  as  does  the  Sw.  Dial,  word  bla-vally 
which  Rietz  defines  by  blad-vall,  a  meadow 
with  leafy  growth  or  herbage.  Cokelandes, 
the  lands  assigned  to  or  held  by  a  cook. 
Flit-  (in  one  copy,  Flic)  or  Flinilandes,  is 
obscure,  and  Siwinelandes  (in  Moorsom)  are 
lands  (whether  ridges  or  lands  in  our  modern 
standard  sense,  or  no)  which  had  once  been 
in  the  possession  of  a  person  named  Siwine 
(Sigwin),  who  appears  more  than  once  in  the 
Gisburgh  Chartulary,  and  in  relation  to  the 
same  places,  as  a  donor  or  recipient  of  land. 
Heved-  or  Hoved-landes  is  the  lieadland,  our 
headrig,  as  just  now  mentioned,  and  of  it  Mr. 
Seebohm  says,  "This  grouping  of  the  strips  in 
furlongs  or  *  shots ' .  .  .  involves  another  little 
feature  which  is  universally  met  with,  viz.,  the 
headland.  Mostly  a  common  field-way  gives 
access  to  the  strips  ;  i.e.,  it  runs  along  the 
side  of  the  furlong  and  the  ends  of  the  strips. 
But  this  is  not  always  the  case  ;  and  when  it 
is  not,  then  there  is  a  strip  running  along  the 
length  of  the  furlong  inside  its  boundaries, 
and  across  the  ends  of  the  strips  composing 
it.  This  is  the  headland.  Sometimes,  when 
the  strips  of  the  one  furlong  run  at  right 
angles  to  the  strips  of  its  neighbour,  the  first 
strip  in  the  one  furlong  does  duty  as  the 
headland  giving  access  to  the  strips  in  the 
other.  In  either  case  all  the  owners  of  the 
strips  in  a  furlong  have  the  right  to  turn  their 
plough  upon  the  headland,  and  thus  the 
owner  of  the  headland  must  wait  until  all  the 
other  strips  are  ploughed  before  he  can 
plough  his  own."  The  Latin  term  for  the 
headland  \s  forera  ;  the  Welsh,  pentir ;  the 
Scotch,  headrig;  and  the  German  (from  the 


ii8 


NOTES  ON  COMMON-FIELD  NAMES. 


turning  of  the  plough  upon  it),  amuende. 
6.  -rode,  -rodes. 


East  langrodes. 
Fcnirtene-rode. 


Seven-,  septem-rodes. 
Twenti-rodes. 


We  have  to  remember  that  the  strips  in 
the  open  fields  were  separated  from  each 
other  by  balks  or  narrow  lengths  of  un- 
ploughed  land,  and  that  they  varied  more  or 
less  in  size  even  in  the  same  fields  (Seebohm,  2), 
that  there  were  long  strips  and  short  strips, 
our  langlandes  and  shortlandes,  in  some  cases; 
but  that,  generally  speaking,  the  normal  strip 
is  roughly  identical  with  the  acre.  The  length 
of  the  acre  is  40  rods,  poles,  or  perches 
{pertica  being  the  word  always  used  for  this 
measure  in  the  charters,  etc.,  which  supply 
our  list  of  names),  and  it  is  4  perches  in 
width.  Now  40  perches  in  length  and 
I  perch  in  width  make  40  square  rods  or 
perches,  or  a  rood ;  and  thus  an  acre  is  made 
up  of  4  roods  lying  side  by  side,  which  would, 
by  the  manner  of  the  ploughing,  be  as  easily 
discernible  as  the  several  "acres"  themselves, 
divided  from  each  other,  as  they  were,  by  the 
balks.  Hence,  then,  the  names  now  specially 
under  notice,  in  three  of  which  we  have  the 
precise  number  of  rodes  in  specific  divisions 
of  land  quoted  as  the  foundation  of  the  name 
of  such  division,  and  in  the  other  the  cha- 
racter involved  in  the  dimensions  of  the  sub- 
divisions of  another  such  division.* 

*  It  has  been  remarked  above  (p.  117)  that  strips, 
not  only  of  an  average  acre  in  size,  but  half  acres,  and 
even  lesser  portions  still,  were  customarily  in  several 
or  separate  occupations.  As  forcible  an  illustration  of 
this  observation  as  can  be  desired  will  be  found  in  the 
following,  derived  from  f.  96  of  the  Furness  Cowchcr 
Book.  The  entire  grant  made  is  of  Q>\  acres  of  land 
in  the  vill  and  common-fields  (campi)  of  Orgrave, 
which  were  thus  made  up :  \  acre  on  Rotherissethe, 
next  the  land  of  the  monks ;  a  second  \  acre  there 
next  W.  de  Orgrave's  land  ;  i^  rood  above  Melbrek  ; 
\  rood  above  Hervyriding  ;  \  rood  next  the  way  to 
Steinton ;  \  rood  next  Ilelyas  do  Boilton's  land  ; 
\  acre  on  Leyrgile  ;  I  rood  above  Leyrgile  bank  ; 
I  rood  next  the  way  going  towards  Merton ;  I  rood 
on  Slegrene ;  \  acre  above  Ilorigerane ;  I  rood  in 
Litle-lange-slak  ;  i  rood  next  Kilnebanke  ;  \  acre  in 
the  croft  towards  Merton;  i  rood  above  Ileselknot ; 
\  rood  above  Langeheved ;  i  rood  which  reaches  to 
the  trench  where  the  iron-ore  is  raised  ;  I  rood  in 
Ilorigebank,  and  \  rood  in  the  same  campus;  i  rood 
on  Selesbank  ;  A  rood  next  the  way  to  Staynonesterne; 
and  \  acre  on  Mikelelangeslak  :  that  is  to  say,  the 
total  of  6^  acres  (for  \  rood  is  wanting  to  complete 
the  tale)  is  made  up  of  no  less  than  22  separate  strips. 
Another  rcatter  worth  noting  is  the  character  of  the 


7.  -wending,  -wenth. 

Wending  (Ormesby).     Midelwenth  (Normanby). 

No  further  comment  on  this  word,  in  ad- 
dition to  what  was  said  at  the  end  of  the 
extracts  from  Mr.  Seebohm's  book  just 
above  is  needed,  save,  perhaps,  the  remark 
that  the  occurrence  of  this  German  term 
affords  another,  and  a  remarkable  comment 
on  Mr.  Seebohm's  observations  as  to  the 
home  (if  not  origin)  of  the  one-field  system, 
and  my  own  observation  thereupon  as  to  the 
interest  of  the  names  attesting  the  former 
existence  in  Cleveland  of  the  aforesaid  one- 
field  system. 


Municipal  fiDfiSces :  Carlisle* 

By  Richard  S.  Ferguson,  F.S.A. 


(14)  Councillors. — In  a  copy  of  the  Con- 
stitutions and  Rules  of  1561,  made  from  the 
Dormont  Book  in  the  reign  of  Charles  L,  is 
a  form  of  oath  for  a  councillor,  not  in  the 
Dormont  Book.  It  seems  to  have  been  taken 
by  either  an  alderman  or  one  of  the  capital 
citizens  when  first  elected  to  the  council. 
The  Constitutions  and  Rules  in  prescribing 
the  order  of  business  at  a  council  meeting  call 
the  members  "  Counsalors,"  and  the  whole 
body  are  called  his  {the  mayor's)  coiinsale. 

(15)  Chamberlains. — Carlisle  enjoyed  the 
services  of  two  of  these  officers.  They  are 
not  mentioned  in  the  charters,  but  appear  in 
the  Constitutions  and  Rules  of  1561.  Their 
election  would  come  under  the  25th  rule  : 

Itm  that  the  mayr  and  counsale  w"'  iiij  of  the  elec- 
tion of  euere  occupacon  w"'in  the  citie  upon  gud  and 
lawful  matter  hard  and  proved  afore  them  shall  hereafter 
haue  auttoritie  to  displace  the  auditor  recorder  or  any 
other  officer  not  expressed  in  our  charter  and  in 
thayre  places  to  appoint  others  meater  for  the  same 
offices. 

In  the  Report  of  1835  it  is  stated  that  the 
corporation  has  a  chamberlain  and  assistant 
chamberlain,  the  former  elected  annually  by 

common-field  names  involved  in  the  above  list,  most 
of  them  repeating  just  the  various  elements  serving  to 
compose  our  present  list,  with  the  addition  of  two  or 
three,  not  unknown,  but  less  common  in  this  part  of 
Yorkshire — e.g.  set,  rane,  etc, 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


119 


the  mayor  from  the  freemen,  the  latter 
annually  by  the  mayor,  aldermen,  bailiffs, 
and  twenty-four  capital  citizens  from  the  free- 
men. The  four  of  the  election  of  every 
occupation  (guild)  had  at  some  time  or  other 
been  deprived  of  their  right  to  assist  in  the 
appointing  the  chamberlains,  thus  marking  a 
stage  in  the  long,  long  contest  between  the 
guild  mercatory  or  corporation  of  Carlisle  and 
the  eight  trade  guilds. 

The  chamberlains  discharged  the  duties 
now  appertaining  to  the  city  treasurer  :  they 
were  also  custodians  of  the  city's  small  goods, 
such  as  picks,  gavelocks,  etc.,  and  executed 
small  repairs.  Thus  the  Court  Leet  in  161 9 
ordered  : 

We  order  and  sett  downe  that  the  Chamberlains  of 
this  Cyttie  shall  build  up  and  repaire  the  Butts  under 
the  walles  before  the  ffirst  daye  of  Maye  next  upon 
paine  xK 

In  1603  their  fee,  as  appears  from  their 
accounts,  was  x'-  They  ceased  to  be  appointed 
in  1835,  and  their  duties  mainly  devolved 
upon  the  modern  officer  called  the  city 
treasurer. 

Their  accounts  are  in  existence  almost 
continuously  from  1603,  and  are  full  of  in- 
terest. 

(16)  Chamberlain's  Clerk. — This  official 
appears  in  the  accounts  for  1603  :  "  Itm  unto 
the  chamberlains  clarke  v'"'' 

(17)  City  Treasurer. — One  is  appointed 
under  the  Act  of  1835. 

(18)  Auditor. — "Thauditor  "  is  mentioned 
in  the  Elizabethan  bye-laws  of  165 1,  which 
provide  means  for  his  removal  from  office 
and  for  a  fresh  appointment  by  the 

niayr  and  counsale  w"^  iiij  of  tlie  election  of  euerie 
occupation. 

Several  of  the  audit-books  exist,  and  in  one 
is  the  following  melancholy  note,  which  ex- 
plains why  in  1649-50-51,  the  corporation 
were  purchasing  maces,  halbcrts,  gowns,  etc.  : 

The  yeare  1641  Mr.  Langhorne  being  maior  noe 
accounts  was  maid  ;  in  the  ycare  1642,  Mr.  Stanwix 
maior,  the  King  maid  warr  against  his  Parliament, 
soe  this  cittie  was  garrisoned  by  ye  King's  partie,  Sir 
Thomas  Glenham  being  governor,  unto  whom  was 
given,  as  ane  hclpe  to  maintaine  ye  citty  against  ye 
Scotch  who  lay  scigc  against  it  for  one  whole  yeare, 
all  ye  citties  jilaite  and  money.  Atul  in  the  yeare 
1644  tlie  necessity  of  ye  soldirie  and  inhabitants  was 
such,  yt  they  cate  horse  flesh  and  linesecd  bread 
frequently,  upon  which  ye  cittie  was  yielded  to  ye 


Scotch,  and  in  ye  yeare  1645  the  visitation  begun,  and 
continev/ed  one  whole  year.  In  ye  yeare  1646,  the 
Parliament  of  England  and  Scotland  agreed  soe  yt 
the  citty  should  no  more  be  garrisoned,  but  perfidi- 
ously the  Scotch  in  ye  yeare  1648,  did  enter  ye  nation, 
and  garrisoned  our  citty,  but  ye  same  yeare  was  beat 
fourth  with  disgrace,  and  this  citty  peaceably  sar- 
rendered  to  ye  Parliaments  forces  Mr.  Robert  Collyer 
beinge  placed  maior,  upon  his  entrie  the  citty  had  noe 
money  in  common  chist,  nor  any  plaite,  or  other 
things  necessarily  to  be  used  in  ye  citty,  his  account 
for  his  yeare  is  on  the  other  side,  taken  before  the 
maior,  and  capitalls  by  me. 

Tho.  Craister,  auditor. 

In  the  chamberlain's  accounts  for  1603  is  : 

Itm  Mr.  auditor  for  his  fee  and  passinge  the  chamber- 
laines  booke  xlv^. 

(19)  Recorder. — A  recorder  is  mentioned 
in  the  Elizabethan  bye-laws :  he  was  not  then 
a  chartered  officer,  and  was  appointed  and 
removed  in  the  same  way  as  the  auditor  by 
the  "  Mayr  and  counsale  w"'  iiij  of  the  election 
of  euerie  occapation."  But  by  the  govern- 
ing charter  13  Charles  I.,  the  mayor,  alder- 
men, bailiffs,  and  twenty-four  capital  citizens 
have  power  to  elect 

unum  discretum  virum  in  legibus  Angliae  peritum  qui 
erit  et  nominabitur  Recordator  Civitatis  praedictae. 

He  held  office  during  pleasure,  was  assessor 
to  the  mayor  and  bailiffs  in  the  city  court, 
and  legal  adviser  of  the  corporation.  He 
had  at  one  time  a  salary. 

A  minute  of  the  proceedings  of  the  coun- 
cil on  July  21,  1673,  shows  that  the  question 
was  put 

Whether  an  abatement  shall  be  made  of  the  Re- 
cord"^ Salary  considering  he  hath  been  very  negligent 
in  his  place,  and  hath  absented  himselfe  at  seu'all 
great  Court  dayes  and  other  times  w"  ye  affaires  and 
concernes  of  ye  Corporation  required  his  attendance, 
and  he  had  notice  given. 

An  abatement  to  be  made  20  votes. 

Noe  abate  till  he  be  discoursed  with  2  voted. 

Abated  5"  — neine  contradie,  except  2  voices  only. 

Subsequently  cases  for  opinion  were  sub- 
mitted to  the  recorder  with  a  fee,  and  the 
salary  ceased.  The  office  was  once  held  by 
the  famous  James  Boswell,  and  at  last  became 
a  sinecure,  and  was  held  for  thirty  years  by 
the  Earl  of  Lonsdale.  It  ceased  in  1835, 
but  the  present  Lord  Chancellor  was  appointed 
recorder  in  1874,  when  the  city  Quarter 
Sessions  were  revived. 

(20)  Recorder,  Deputy. — A  charter  of 
Charles  II.,  which  was  never  acted  upon, 
gave  power  to  appoint  this  officer. 


I20 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


(21)  Justices  of  the  Peace.  —  The 
mayor,  the  recorder,  and  the  two  senior 
aldermen  were  appointed  justices  of  the 
peace  by  the  governing  charter  13  Charles  I.; 
but  they  could  not  deal  with  felonies  or  other 
offences  whatever  touching  loss  of  life  or 
member  within  the  said  city,  the  limits, 
liberties,  and  precincts  thereof,  without  the 
assistance  and  association  of  the  justices  of 
the  peace  for  the  county  of  Cumberland. 

(22)  Attorneys. — Under  the  Elizabethan 
bye- laws  the  city  court  or  court  of  the 
mayor  and  bailiffs  had  two  attorneys ;  and  an 
oath  is  prescribed  for  them,  which  required 
them,  among  other  things,  not  to 

be  of  counsale  w*'>  plaintiff  and  defend', 

and  also  to 

be  upright  and  indifferent  to  all  mann.  of  psons  in  the 
execution  of  yo'  office. 

The  number  was  afterwards  increased,  and  in 
1835  ;  no  less  than  twenty,  all  attorneys  of  the 
superior  courts,  had  been  admitted. 

(23)  Sergeants-at-Mace. — Sergeants  are 
mentioned  in  the  Elizabethan  bye-laws  of 
1 56 1,  and  a  form  of  oath  is  given  ;  and  three 
old  maces  exist,  which,  by  the  heraldic  in- 
signia on  them,  may  be  of  that  date  or  older  ; 
but  the  captain,  lieutenant  and  ancient  cited 
before  do  not  seem  to  have  seen  them.  The 
petition  which  the  corporation  presented  to 
the  King  in  1637,  and  on  which  the  govern- 
ing charter  was  founded,  asks 

that  your  Mat'"  wilbe  pleased  that  there  may  be  a 
Sworde  and  Maces  borne  before  the  Maior  for  the 
greater  renowne  and  honour  of  the  Government. 

The  request  was  granted,  and  the  governing 
charter  provides : 

quod  sint  et  erunt  in  Civitate  prredicta  quatuor  alii 
officiarii  videhcet  unus  officiarius  qui  erit  et  vocabitur 
Portator  Gladii  nostii  coram  Maiore  Civitatis  pra3- 
dictre  et  tres  ahi  officiarii  qui  erunt  et  vocabuntur 
Servientes  ad  clavas  pro  execucione  process:  precept: 
mandat:  et  ncgotior  :  etc,  etc. 

The  sword-bearer  and  one  of  the  sergeants- 
at-mace  were  to  be  appointed  by  the  mayor 
on  the  day  of  his  election  ;  the  other  two  by 
the  mayor,  aldermen,  bailiffs,  and  twenty- 
four  capital  citizens  on  the  same  day.  The 
sergeants-at-mace  were  to  bear 

Clavas  deauratas  vel  argenteas  et  signo  armorum 
hujus  regni  Anglic  sculplas  et  ornatas  ubique  infra 
diclam  Civitatem, 


The  Court  Leet  of  Carlisle  on  Monday, 
22nd  October,  1649,  made  the  following  pre- 
sentment : 

Item.  We  order  that  the  three  Sergeants  of  the 
Cittie  shall  carry  their  halberts  upon  their  shoulders 
when  they  attend  Mr.  Maior  and  bailiffes  and  likewise 
on  the  market  dayes.  And  we  entreat  there  may  be 
three  new  halberts  bought  at  the  Cittie's  charge  for 
the  Sergeants  to  serve  them  successively.  And  we 
also  order  that  the  three  Sergeants  maces  be  made 
sufficient  as  is  sett  downe  in  the  7th  article  of  the 
abstract  of  the  Cittie's  Charter. 

The  corporation,  as  just  mentioned,  pos- 
sesses three  old  sergeants'  maces,  which  are 
much  earlier  than  the  date  of  the  governing 
charter,  and  were  evidently  in  a  bad  state  in 
1649  sfid  wanted  making  sufficient.  This  was 
never  done,  but  it  appears  that  in  1650  the 
three  silver  maces  now  in  use  were  bought  at  a 
cost  of  ;^i2,  and  at  the  same  time  three  new 
halberts  were  bought  "  for  the  3  sergeants." 
It  is  clear  therefore  that  the  three  sergeants-at- 
mace  should  carry  both  the  halberts  and  the 
maces.  No  one  seems  to  remember  their 
carrying  the  halberts,  but  in  the  old  sergeants' 
gowns  there  were  pockets  for  the  maces,  and 
except  when  carried  *  before  the  mayor  the 
pocket  is  the  proper  place  for  a  sergeant's 
mace. 

In  1660  £,2  was  spent  in  sending  the 
maces  to  Newcastle  to  have  the  royal  arms 
put  on  them. 

The  sergeants  received  cloaks  or  gowns  : 
Itm    unto   Mr.    Maior  for  sergeants  gowns    iiij''.— 
Chamberlain's  Accounts,  1604-5. 

(24)  The  Sword-bearer. — Vide  stih  voce 
Sergeant-at-Mace.  He  received  a  gown  and 
a  salary.  The  sword  was  purchased  in 
in  1635-6,  and  was  made  at  Milan  in  1509  : 

Item  for  a  sword  of  honour  for  ye  cittye  ;[f4  :  13  :  o. 

Stays  to  hold  it  were  provided  for  it  in 
church  and  in  the  low  chamber  in  the  moot 
hall,  as  shown  in  the  chamberlain's  accounts  : 
Itm  to  him  [Robert  Rigge]  for  makeing  a  stay  for 
y°  sword  in  Saint  Cuthbert's  church,  o :  I  :  6. — Cham- 
berlain's Accounts,  1638-9. 

In  1649  the  sword-bearer's  gown  cost 
04  :  09  :  02. 

(25)  The  Mace-bearer,  or  bearer  of  the 
great  silver  gilt  mace,  is  not  a  chartered 
officer.  The  mace  itself  was  presented  to 
Carlisle   in    1685    by   Col.   James   Graham, 

*  The  halberts  are  now  on  state  occasions  carried 
in  front  of  the  sergeants,  who  carry  their  minces, 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:    CARLISLE. 


121 


privy  purse  to  James  II.  and  M.P.  for  Car- 
lisle. 

(26)  Halberdiers  are  mentioned  once  or 
twice  as  paid  for  going  to  Kingmoor,  to  the 
races,  when  the  mayor  attended  in  state. 

To  the  halbyders  for  attending  there  (Kingnioor), 
o  :  2  :  o. — Chamberlain's  Accounts,  1634-5. 

To  given  to  them  that  carried  halberts  to  the  moore, 
0:5:  o. — Ibid.,  1635-6. 

(27)  Crier  of  the  Court.— One  of  the 
sergeants-at-mace  held  this  office.  See  Report 
of  1835. 

(28)  Town  (or  Common)  Clerk. — This 
official  appears  in  the  Elizabethan  bye-laws, 
as  the  clerk,  the  towne  clerk,  the  clerk  of 
the  city,  and  in  the  governing  charter  13 
Charles  I.  as  the  common  clerk,  who  was  to 
be  chosen  from  the  citizens  from  time  to 
time  by  the  mayor,  aldermen,  bailiffs,  and 
twenty-four  capital  citizens.  The  appoint- 
ment was  for  life. 

(29)  Clerk  of  the  Peace. 

(30)  Clerk  of  the  City  Court. 

(31)  Clerk  of  the  Council. 

(32)  Clerk  to  the  City  Magistrates. 
{■^'iti  Clerk  to  the  Coroners. 

(34)  Clerk  of  Recognizances. 

(35)  Attorney  and  Solicitor  to  the 
Corporation. 

These  offices  were  all  held  by  the  town 
clerk  in  1835.  See  Report  of  1835.  But  in 
1673,  a  period  of  great  litigation  over  the 
shire  tolls,  Mr.  Bird  was  appointed  Solicitor 
for  the  City  at  a  salary  of  6"  13'  4*'- 

(36)  Steward  of  the  Court  Leet. — Also 
held  by  the  Town  Clerk.  Vide  ibid.  The 
Court  Leet,  up  to  1835,  held  three  sittings 
annually,  known  as  the  Mayor's  turns.   Thus  : 

Turnus  maioris  sive  curia  leta  ciuitatis  Carlioli  tenta 
ibidem  die  Veneris,  viz.  :  vicesimo  secundo  die 
Aprilis  anno  regni  domine  nostre  Elizabethe  del 
gratia  Anglic  Francie  et  Hibernie  regine  fidei 
defensoris  &ct.  39  annoque  Domini  1597  coram 
Thoma  Blenerhassett  armigero  tunc  maiore  ciuitatis 
predicte  Eduardo  Monke  et  Willehno  Barniqke 
ballivis  ejusdem  ciuitatis  per  sacramenta 

(here  follow  the  names  of  twelve  citizens). 
The  jury  made  presentments  of  all  matters 
that  they  wished  attended  to  and  of  all  persons 
who  offended  against  the  bye-laws  of  the  city 
and  of  the  guilds.  Their  records  are  replete 
with  most  interesting  matter,  and  form  a  most 
instructive  gloss  upon  these  bye-laws,  and  on 
VOL.  xiv. 


the  customs  and  manners  of  the  citizens  of 
Carlisle.   No  court  has  been  held  since  1835. 

(37)  Steward  of  the  Court  Baron. — 
The  mayor  and  corporation,  as  lords  of  the 
manor  of  Carlisle,  had  also  a  Court  Baron, 
of  which  the  town  clerk  was  steward. 

(38)  Clerk  of  the  Market. — Under 
the  Constitutions  and  Rules,  1561,  two  clerks 
of  the  market  were  appointed  : 

Itm  that  the  Mayor  and  counsale  shall  yerely 
appoint  two  clerks  for  the  m'ket  to  tak  the  ovarsight 
of  all  kynds  of  vitells  cumyng  and  beyng  w'hyn  the 
citie  and  m'ket  on  the  m'ket  days  and  that  all  un- 
wholsome  vitells  takyn  either  by  the  mayor  balif 
or  clerk  of  the  m'ket  shall  either  be  burnt  or  otherwise 
Disposed  to  the  poor  people  by  the  Mayr  and  balyfs 
at  thare  Discretion.* 

In  their  petition  for  a  charter  to  Charles  I. 
the  mayor,  bailiffs,  and  citizens  asked 
"  That  they  may  haue  a  Clarke  of  the  Mar- 
kett  w""'"  themselues."  The  governing 
charter  13  Charles  I.  appointed  the  mayor 

Clicus  Mercat :  nostr  hered  :  et  success :  nron  infra 
Civitat :  praedict : 

he  might  execute  the  duties. 

per  se  et  per  sufficien :  deputat :  suu  :  sive  dcpulat : 
suos  sufficien. 

(39)  Superintendent  of  the  Market 
and  Cleaning  the  Streets. — Mentioned 
in  the  Report  of  1835.  Duties  now  divided 
between  the  chief  or  head  constable,  the 
city  surveyor,  and  the  toll  collector.  He 
had  ;^2o  a  year  in  1835. 

(40)  Collector  of  Shamble  Rents. — 
Mentioned  ibidem.  Prior  to  1790  the  sham- 
bles were  wooden  sheds  in  the  market-place, 
in  which  the  butchers  sold  their  meat.  They 
were  pulled  down  in  that  year  and  others 
built  between  Scotch  Street  and  Fisher  Street. 
He  had  ;:^io  a  year  in  1835. 

(41)  Billet  Master. — Mentioned  in  Re- 
port of  1835.  At  one  time  his  duties  must 
have  been  important,  as  prior  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  railways  troops  were  constantly  march- 
ing through.     He  had  ;^i5  a  year  in  1835. 

(42)  Constables  of  the  Townships. — 
A  constable  was  appointed  for  each  township, 
of  which  there  were  five,  by  the  Court  Leet. 
See  the  Report  of  1835.  I  find  Constables 
of  the  Streets  mentioned  in  the  proceedings  of 

•  This  would  have  the  further  advantage  of  dio- 
posing  of  the  poor  people,  and  so  saving  the  rates. 

K 


122 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


the  Court  Leet,  and  take  them  to  be  the 
same  as  the  Constables  of  the  Townships,  each 
township  formerly  being  practically  a  single 
street. 

(43)  Head  or  Chief  Constable. — Carlisle 
has  a  chief  constable  at  present,  but  I  have  not 
found  a  head  or  chief  Constable  in  the  older 
records.  "  Constables  and  catchpoules  "  are 
mentioned  in  the  ancient  ballad  of  "  Adam 
Bell": 

Ffirst  the  Justice  and  the  Sherifife 
And  the  Maior  of  Cailile  towne 

Of  all  the  Constables  and  catcpoules 
Alive  were  left  but  one 

The  Baliffes  and  the  Beadeles  both 
And  the  Sargeant  of  the  law. 

(44)  Appraisors. — The  Constitutions  and 
Rules,  1 56 1,  say  : 

Itm  that  the  mayor  and  balifs  for  the  tym  beynge 
shall  appoint  iiij  honest  men  to  be  appasers  who 
beyng  sworne  shall  appraise  all  such  guds  and  catells 
as  shalbe  brought  afore  them  which  guds  and  catells  so 
being  appraised  shalbe  ofTered  fyrst  to  the  def  putynge 
in  sureties  to  answer  the  Debt  w"'n  twelve  days  next 
after  ensewynge  Vf  the  def  refuse  to  take  the  guds  so 
apprised  then  the  guds  to  be  offered  to  the  plaintiff 
And  yf  the  plaintif  refuse  the  guds  &  Distresse  then 
the  same  to  remaine  in  the  apprisers  hands  and  thei 
thereof  to  answer  the  pine  w"'n  xx  Dayes. 

{45)  Watchmen. — The  Constitutions  and 
Rules  of  1 56 1  provide  as  follows  : 

Itm  that  the  watch  nyghlly  of  the  walls  shall  not  be 
sett  nor  appointed  tyll  half  an  houre  after  the  gaites 
be  locked  And  that  the  mayr  nor  his  deputie  shal  not 
give  the  watch  word  to  hym  that  shal  be  the  first 
watch  to  after  nine  of  the  clock  in  the  nyght 
nyghtly. 

Itm  that  the  watchmen  appointed  to  watch  of  the 
walles  nightly  shalbe  such  able  honest  and  discreet 
persons  both  in  bodie  and  guds  as  shalbe  able  to  dis- 
charge thare  duties  and  truste  wherein  thei  ar  put  as 
well  towards  tlie  devvties  of  theire  soveragne  as  the 
suretie  of  thinhabilances  both  in  body  and  guds 
w^^in  the  same  citie  and  the  precinckts  thereof  And 
tliat  noe  watchman  hereafter  to  be  appointed  but  only 
w'"^  thadvisc  of  the  mayr  and  counsale  or  the  moste 
parte  of  them  And  that  euere  man  so  appointed  shall 
watch  his  owne  watch  hymself  and  noe  deputie 
except  license  obtened  of  the  mayr  upon  payn  of 
forfitor  of  euere  defalt  iii^  iiij''- 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the 
mayor  and  bailiffs  took  oath  to  see  the  watch 
properly  set  every  night.  By  1626  watching 
the  walls  had  been  given  up  :  it  probably  was 
disused  when  James  I.  came  to  the  English 
throne. 

(46)  Porters  of  the  Gaittes. 

And  that  all  tlie  gates  of  the  citie  shall  nyghtly  be 
locked  immediately  the  cumon  bell  rounge  Andyf  the 


porters  doe  the  contrarie  to  either  to  pay  such  fyne  or 
else  such  order  as  the  mayr  and  counsale  agreeth  unto 
or  the  most  part  of  them. 

In  the  chamberlains'  accounts  for  1603, 
under  the  head  of  *'  Disbursements  in  fees 
and  annuities,"  is  : 

Item  unto  James  Syde  George  broun  and  heugh 
Scwell  porters  of  the  gaittes  xW 

Extra  men  were  put  on  on  special  occasions ; 
thus  in  the  same  accounts  are 
Disbursements  in  attending  the  gaittes  in  the  tyme 
of  the  seakness  being  at  newcastle  beginning  the  iii  of 
August  1603. 

The  city  had  three  gates  called  in  these 
accounts  bochardgaitt  (Botchergate),  Rychard- 
gaitt  (Rickergate),  and  Caldewgaitt,  better 
known  later  on  as  the  English,  Scotch,  and 
Irish  gates. 

{To  be  continued^ 


Jl3ote0  on  tbe  jFlorentine  ^ttatu 
jnnu.strp. 


I  HE  following  Notes  by  Consul- 
General  Colnaghi  appeared  in  a  re- 
cently published  Blue-Book,and  are 
well  worth  our  readers'  attention. 
The  straw-hat  industry  was  originally  con- 
fined to  the  "  Contado  "  of  Florence,  where  it 
existed  in  the  sixteenth  century.*  From  this 
it  gradually  spread  into  other  parts  of  Tuscany 
and  of  Italy.  The  industry  appears,  however, 
to  have  become  of  some  importance  only  in 
the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when 
Domenico  Michelacci  introduced  or  perfected 
the  culture  of  spring  wheat  ("grano  mar- 
zuolo  "),  sown  thickly,  from  which  an  excel- 
lent straw  is  obtained.  The  first  experiments 
were  made  on  the  hills  round  Signa,  and 
their  success  caused  this  culture  to  be 
quickly  extended  to  the  neighbouring  dis- 
tricts. Straw  hats  now  formed  the  object  of 
a  rising,  but  intermittent,  export  trade.  About 
1 8 10  Signor  Giuseppe  Carbonai,  of  Leghorn, 
having  established  himself  at  Signa  and 
improved  the  manufacture,  was  the  first  to 
open  out  a  trade  with  France  and  Germany. 

*  The  "  Corporation  of  Merchants  of  Straw  Hats  " 
is  mentioned  in  documents  of  the  year  1575. 


NOTES  ON  THE  FLORENTINE  STRAW  INDUSTRY. 


123 


In  consequence,  the  straw  industry,  which, 
till  then,  had  been  confined  to  the  Com- 
munes of  Signa  and  Brozzi,  spread  to  those 
of  Sesto,  Campi,  Carmignano,  and  Prato. 
Between  181 5  and  18 18  employment  was 
given  to  some  40,000  persons,  almost  all 
women  and  girls.  Further  orders  from 
England  brought  the  number  of  persons  en- 
gaged in  the  industry  between  18 19  and  1822 
to  60,000.  America  next  came  within  the 
radius  of  the  export  trade,  and  more  hands 
were  required,  so  that  not  only  the  female 
population  of  the  Communes  of  Empoli, 
Fucecchio,  Castelfranco-di-Sotto,  and  many 
others,  but  even  the  men  of  Signa,  Brozzi, 
and  Campi,  abandoned  their  ordinary  occupa- 
tions to  work  in  straw.  The  number  of 
persons  engaged  in  the  industry  was  at  that 
time  calculated  at  80,000.  During  these 
palmy  days  several  new  villages  rose  in  the 
country  district,  and  the  increase  of  prosperity 
among  the  peasantry  was  general.  The  staple 
article  of  export  was  the  "  fioretto,"  or  broad- 
brimmed  "  flop  "  hat,  known  originally  as  the 
Leghorn  hat,  a  name  which,  however,  is  now 
given  to  all  hats  of  the  same  material  and 
manufacture,  whatever  their  shape  or  dimen- 
sions may  be.  The  plait  of  which  this  hat 
was  made  was  of  thirteen  ends,  and  the  strips 
were  knitted  "  a  maglia,"  as  it  is  technically 
termed,  i.e.,  sewn  together  without  overlapping 
so  as  to  form  a  single  piece.  This  method  is 
peculiar  to  Tuscany. 

From  the  year  1826  the  demand  for  the 
"  fioretto  "  hat  began  gradually  to  fall  off,  and 
it  was  necessary  to  supply  its  place  with 
another  article.  This  was  found  in  the 
eleven-end  plait,  one  strip  of  which,  in  making 
up  the  hat,  was  sewn  so  as  to  overlap  the 
other.  The  merit  of  introducing  this  plait 
was  chiefly  due  to  Messrs.  Vyse,  an  English 
firm,  first  established  at  Florence  about  the 
year  1827.  After  some  temporary  changes 
the  factor)-  was  finally  removed  to  Prato, 
about  the  year  1844,  where  the  centre  of  the 
business  has  ever  since  remained. 

In  1840  a  large  cone-shaped  hat,  called 
"cornetto,"  or  "cappotto,"  was  introduced. 
It  was  received  with  great  favour  abroad,  as 
it  could  be  adapted  to  any  shape.  This  hat 
was  largely  made  of  rye  straw,  which  is  finer, 
more  easily  worked,  and  consequently  less 
expensive,  than  the  wheat  straw,  but  not  so 


flexible.  In  order  to  maintain  the  industry, 
however,  new  articles  had  to  be  found,  such 
as  plain  plaits  of  fifteen  and  nineteen  ends, 
pedal  plaits  of  seven  ends  ("maglina,"  or 
corded),  in  imitation  of  the  English  plaits, 
and  various  kinds  of  fancy  plaits.  Straw  stems 
were  also  woven  with  cotton,  horsehair,  and 
silk  into  braids  or  mibbons,  either  plain  or 
fancy,  according  to  the  changing  fashion. 

The  weaving  of  straw  materials  into  braids 
and  trimmings  had  existed  in  Switzerland 
from  a  remote  date.  The  application  of  the 
art  to  the  weaving  of  the  Tuscan  straw  into 
these  articles  was  first  adopted  in  England, 
where,  for  some  two  or  three  years,  it  received 
a  very  large  development.  The  rise,  of  this 
manufacture  produced  a  very  extraordinary 
effect  upon  the  raw  Tuscan  straw-market. 
The  kind  required  for  weaving  was  short,  fine 
straw,  technically  called  fine  "  spuntature," 
and  the  somewhat  larger  and  better  kinds, 
"  bava."  There  had  been  previously  very 
little  use  for  these  ends,  which,  considered 
almost  as  refuse,  had  but  little  value  ;  as  soon, 
however,  as  the  demand  for  weaving  began 
to  be  felt,  they  speedily  rose  to  a  very  high 
price,  and  the  country  was  scoured  by  the 
"  fattorini,"  or  middlemen,  to  procure  them. 
They  were  collected  in  small  parcels,  and 
carried  in  bags  to  the  exporters,  at  the  price 
of  from  2  to  3  lire  per  Italian  pound  of  twelve 
ounces  for  the  finer  and  better  qualities ; 
they  thus  became  more  valuable,  and  more 
sought  after,  than  the  best  usual  qualities  of 
regularly  exported  straw.  Large  quantities 
were  shipped  to  England.  Straw  plaits,  in 
general,  are  produced  in  all  the  country 
district  round  Florence,  Prato,  Signa,  Empoli, 
Pistoia,  etc.  Woven  straw  is  made  at  Fiesole, 
where,  of  late  years,  a  special  industry  of 
fancy  straw  baskets,  fans,  cigar-cases,  etc, 
has  arisen.  The  Leghorn  hats  are  made 
nearly  everywhere,  but  more  particularly  in 
the  towns  and  villages  lying  near  the  Arno,  to 
the  west  of  Florence,  such  as  Brozzi,  Signa, 
Empoli,  etc.  The  best  hats  are  said  to  be 
produced  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of  the  capital  city.  The  seed  used  for  the 
cultivation  of  straw  is  carefully  selected  with 
regard  to  the  nature  of  the  soil  in  which  it  is 
to  be  sown.  The  quality  employed  is  always 
a  variety  of  spring  wheat  {Triticum  astivuui). 
For  the  lighter  soils  seed  from  Mount  Amiata, 

K   2 


124 


NOTES  ON  THE  FLORENTINE  STRAW  INDUSTRY. 


near  Santa  Fiora,  or  from  the  mountains  of 
Radicofani,  in  the  Province  of  Siena,  is  pre- 
ferred ;  for  the  heavier  lands  the  '*  semone  " 
grown  on  the  Pisan  hills  near  Pontedera  is 
selected  Seed  is  also  said  to  be  brought 
from  Modena.  As  the  object  of  the  cultivator 
is  to  produce  a  fine  long  straw,  and  not  a  full 
crop  of  wheat,  all  the  usual  conditions  are 
reversed.  Straw  is  largely  grown  about  Campi, 
Sesto,  and  Prato  in  the  plain  between 
Florence  and  Pistoia,  diminishing  in  quantity 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  latter  city.  The 
cultivation  is  important  between  Florence 
and  Empoli,  principally  on  the  south-w^est 
side  of  the  Arno,  in  the  plain  and  on  the  hills 
commencing  in  the  vicinity  of  Signa.  It 
extends  into  the  country  round  within  a  radius 
reaching  to  and  beyond  Empoli,  of  about  an 
average  distance  of  fifteen  miles  from  the 
Arno,  including  within  its  range  San  Casciano 
and  Castelfiorentino.  The  culture  also  is 
carried  on  about  Volterra,  and  is  met  with  in 
some  parts  of  the  Mugello  and  elsewhere.  In 
the  principal  centres  of  cultivation  straw  is 
grown  on  nearly  every  farm.  Plots  of  land 
are  also  hired,  at  a  money  rent,  for  this 
culture.  The  average  quantity  sown  is  from 
five  to  twenty  sacks  of  seed,  each  sack 
weighing  about  fifty  kilog.  This  quantity, 
however,  varies  according  to  circumstances. 

The  seed  is  sown  very  thickly,  at  the  rate 
of  from  five  to  seven  hectolitres*  per  hectare, 
towards  the  end  of  November  or  the  begin- 
ning of  December.  The  ground  intended 
for  this  culture  is  dug  up  and  manured  in 
May,  and  generally  sown  with  spring  beans 
and  the  like,  which  are  often  dug  in.  About 
October  the  ground  is  ploughed  for  sowing. 
At  the  end  of  May  or  the  beginning  of  June 
following,  when  the  ear  is  beginning  to  swell, 
the  straw  is  pulled  up  by  hand,  a  sunny  day 
being  chosen  for  the  operation. 

The  straw  is  now  made  up  into  "  bundles  " 
(''manate"  or  "menate")  containing  as  much 
straw  as  can  be  easily  held  in  the  hand.  The 
bundles  are  tied  up  with  broom.  The  green 
straw  is  sold  in  this  condition  to  the  factors 
or  speculators  who  come  round  to  the  farmers 
to  make  their  purchases.  The  next  operation 
which  the  straw  undergoes  is  that  of  being 

*  Some  authorities  say  4*50  hectolitres  per  hectare, 
others  give  the  quantity  at  above  8  hectolitres  ;  but 
the  average  would  appear  to  be  as  noted  in  the  text. 


bleached,  which  is  effected  by  exposure  to  the 
sun  by  day  and  to  the  dews  by  night  The 
'*  manate  "  are  spread  in  a  fan-shape  on  a  bare 
river-bank  or  other  open  space,  which  must 
be  entirely  devoid  of  vegetation.  After  four 
or  five  days'  exposure  the  straw  will  have  ac- 
quired a  light  yellow  colour.  The  "  manate  " 
are  now  turned  over,  and  the  under  part 
exposed,  in  its  turn,  for  three  or  four  days 
more,  when  the  straw,  after  being  well  dried, 
can  be  gathered  in.  When  the  dews  are 
light  the  process  is  slower  but  more  perfect. 
In  case  of  rain,  the  straw,  must  be  at  once 
heaped  together  and  covered  over  to  prevent 
its  becoming  spotted. 

The  straw  is  now  ready  for  manufacture, 
the  first  operation  of  which  is  the  "  sfilatura," 
or  unsheathing  the  ends  of  the  straw,  leaving 
only  the  inner  portion  to  be  worked  up.  This 
is  generally  done  by  children.  The  ends  are 
sold  for  forage. 

When  unsheathed,  the  straw  is  carried  to 
the  factories.  After  having  been  slightly 
wetted,  it  is  first  exposed  to  the  fumes  of 
sulphur,  in  a  tightly-closed  room,  thus  ac- 
quiring that  light  sulphur  colour  which  is 
characteristic  of  Florentine  hats  and  plaits. 

The  straw  has  next  to  be  sorted  according 
to  its  different  thicknesses.  This  is  done  by 
means  of  an  apparatus,  which  consists  of  a 
series  of  vertical  metal  cones  placed  on  a 
stand  in  a  double  row  and  provided  with 
movable  copper  plates  ("  sistole  "),  perforated 
at  their  lower  ends. 


iRet)ietu0» 


RomanO'British  Mosaic  Pavements;  a  History  oj 
their  Discovery,  and  a  Record  and  Interpretation 
of  their  Designs.  With  plates,  plain  and  coloured, 
of  the  most  important  Mosaics.  By  Thomas 
Morgan,  F.S.A.  (London  :  Whiting  and  Co., 
1886.)     8vo.,  pp.  xxxiv,  323. 

ERV  gradually,  but  we  think  surely,  we  are 

gathering  up  the  records  of  our  past  in 

this  country.     The  labours  of  individual 

workers  and  local  societies  are  constantly 

going  on  without  any  of  that  aid  from  the 

Government  or  other  central  authorities  which  the 

English  nation  have  a  right  to  expect,  and  which 

other  countries — Italy,  France,  America  at  their  head 


REVIEWS. 


^25 


— already  obtain.  But  the  scattered  researches  of 
these  local  bodies  cannot  give  us  the  assistance  for 
historical  purposes  which  a  classification  of  their 
labours  would'  accomplish ;  and  hence  such  books  as 
Dr.  Evans's  Stone  Implenitttts  and  Flint  Implements, 
Mr.  Munro's  Lake  Dwellings  of  Scoilmtd,  Mr.  Wood- 
Martin's  Lake  Dwellings  of  Ireland  (a  valuable  work, 
which  we  have  on  our  table  for  review  in  these 
columns),  become  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the 
scientific  student  of  English  antiquities.  To  these 
works  we  have  now,  thanks  to  Mr.  Morgan,  to  add 
his  magnificent  volume  on  the  mosaics  of  Romano- 
British  times.  Let  us  say  at  once  that  Mr.  Morgan's 
labours  fully  entitle  his  book  to  rank  alongside  of 
those  others  we  have  mentioned  as  an  indispensable 
adjunct  to  every  antiquary's  library.  And  what  all 
students  will  endeavour  to  possess  for  its  own  special 
value,  many  more  will  no  doubt  obtain  for  its  general 
interest  on  a  subject  that  is  known  to  a  very  wide 
circle  of  intelligent  readers,  who,  when  they  travel 
in  the  country,  are  always  only  too  glad  to  turn 
aside,  if  there  are  any  objects  of  antiquity  to  be 
seen.  As  a  handsome  volume  of  general  interest, 
and  as  a  student's  volume  of  special  interest,  we 
cordially  bear  testimony  to  the  worth  of  Mr.  Morgan's 
labours. 

Mr.  Morgan  has  brought  to  his  aid  unwearied  in- 
dustry, practical  knowledge  of  an  extensive  kind,  a 
considerable  outlook  towards  the  many  subjects  which 
these  pavements  illustrate  and  by  which  they  are  in 
turn  illustrated,  and  lastly  the  unstinted  assistance  of 
some  of  the  best  scholars  of  the  day.  It  would  be 
strange  indeed  if,  with  these  advantages,  the  work 
were  not  in  every  way  worthy  of  its  subject.  After 
a  general  introduction  dealing  with  the  mythical  and 
other  illustrations  which  form  the  ornamentation  on 
the  pavements,  Mr.  Morgan  proceeds,  county  by 
county,  and  describes  minutely  all  the  mosaics  that 
have  been  found,  commencing  with  Woodchester, 
one  of  the  earliest  finds,  and  finishing  with  that 
wonderful  specimen  at  Brading,  which  so  interested 
the  English  world  not  long  since.  Following  this, 
Mr.  Morgan  most  usefully  adds  some  notes  on  the 
Itinerary  of  Antoninus,  and  the  text  of  the  portion  so 
far  as  it  concerns  Britain  ;  and  from  this  we  are  able 
to  see  how  the  Roman  road  lines  and  their  defences 
completely  dominated  the  country,  and  how,  when 

Eeaceful  times  came,  villas  and  their  accompanying 
uildings  arose  every  where  on  the  lines  of  communica- 
tion. Such  a  view  of  Roman  Britain  is  indeed  a 
story  to  have  told  !  It  stands  out  before  us  in  almost 
the  same  kind  of  vividness  as  these  mosaics  them- 
selves ;  and  if  we  could  once  more  get  a  master-hand 
and  master-mind — like  the  late  Mr.  Coote — to  place 
in  these  remains  of  ancient  buildings  the  correspond- 
ing picture  of  the  men  who  lived  there,  the  institu- 
tions by  which  they  were  governed,  the  domestic  and 
public  career  which  they  honoured  or  disgraced,  then, 
indeed,  we  should  have  a  history  of  Roman  Britain 
which  would  be  a  worthy  successor  to  the  two  books 
which  have  made  it  a  possibility,  namely,  Coote's 
Romans  in  Britain,  and  the  work  before  us — 
Morgan's  Romano-British  Mosaic  Pavements. 

We  cannot  unfortunately,  in  the  limited  space  at 
our  command,  do  much  more  than  specify  the  beauti- 
ful illustrations  which  accompany  this  work — namely, 


modern  mosaic,  interlaced  work  on  early  crosses, 
Woodchester  pavement,  plan  of  Roman  villa  at 
Chadworth,  pavement  at  Willow,  plan  of  villa  at 
North  Leigh,  mosaic  at  Horkstow,  pavements  at 
Lincoln,  at  Canterbury,  in  Leadenhall  Street,  plan  of 
Bignor,  pavement  at  Itchen  Abbas,  plan  of  Brading, 
hunting  scene  (British  Museum),  Meleager,  Atalanta, 
Dionysus,  head  of  Gla«cus,  fisherman  in  boat,  and 
Roman  imperial  coins  and  medals. 


On  d  Copy  of  Albertus  Magnus'  De  Secretis  Mulierum, 
Printed  by  Machlinia.  By  Professor  J. 
Ferguson.     4to.  {Archaologia). 

In  the  forty-ninth  volume  of  Archaologia,  Pro- 
fessor Ferguson,  of  Glasgow,  has  performed  a  very 
acceptable  service  to  early  English  literature  and 
typography  by  giving  a  copious  account  for  the  first  ' 
time  of  two  excessively  rare  and  hitherto  obscure  pro- 
ductions of  the  press  of  William  of  Malines,  or 
Mechelen  —  namely,  the  Liber  Aggregationis  and 
Secreta  Mulierum  of  Albertus  Magnus.  Of  the 
former,  the  professor  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  a 
copy  at  the  Syston  Park  sale  (December,  1884, 
No.  53),  formerly  belonging  to  Herbert,  and  described 
by  the  latter  at  page  1773  of  his  well-known  work. 
But  at  that  time  the  two  tracts,  which  have  since 
been  separated,  were  bound  up  together.  The 
question  as  to  whether  they  were  originally  intended 
to  make  one  book  is  difficult  to  settle,  or  which  was 
the  earlier  in  order,  unless  the  word  Necnon  in  the 
colophon  to  the  Liber  Aggregationis  is  to  be  received 
as  a  clue.  Perhaps  the  Secreta  Muliei-um  would  be 
the  likelier  subject  as  a  starting  venture  ;  and  the 
absence  of  an  imprint  is  also  favourable  to  the 
hypothesis  that  it  really  constituted  the  first  of  two 
pieces  in  a  volume,  the  second  alone  exhibiting  the 
name  of  the  printer. 


An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Jacob  Boehme's 
Writings,  By  A.  J.  Penny.  Reprinted  from 
Li^ht  and  iJfe.  (Glasgow  :  Dunn  and  Wright, 
1886.)  Pp.  31. 
Boehme  flourished  1575-1624,  and  his  name  appears 
in  English  literature  as  Beem,  Behmont,  and  most 
generally  Behmen.  A  shoemaker  and  unlearned,  he 
is,  nevertheless,  perhaps  the  chief  of  mystical  writers, 
and  his  influence  has  been  rather  with  the  learned  few 
than  the  unlettered  many.  Between  1644  and  1662 
his  voluminous  writings  were  translated  into  English 
by  John  Ellistone  and  John  Sparrow,  assisted  by 
Durand  Hotham  and  Humphrey  Blundcn,  who  paid 
for  the  undertaking.  At  that  time  regular  societies  of 
Behmenists  existed  in  England  and  Holland,  but  they 
became  merged  in  the  Society  of  Friends,  with  whose 
tenets  their  own  were  substantially  identical.  The 
early  portion  of  Mr.  Penny's  Introduction  cites  the 
testimony  of  some  of  Boehme's  most  distinguished 
students  as  to  the  worth  and  power  of  his  teaching. 
These  names  include  Edward  Taylor  (1678),  J.  G. 
Gichtel  (1698),  L.  Claud  de  St.  Martin  (1792); 
Schopenhauer,  who,  speaking  of  Schelling's  works, 
described  them  as  a  rechauffe  of  Boehme  ;  D.  Frehcr, 
and  in  recent  years  Mr.  E.  Paxton  Ilood,  who  de- 


126 


REVIEWS. 


scribed  Boehme  as  the  Evangelical  Hegel.  ^fr. 
Vaughan,  in  his  Hours  with  the  Mystics,  had  treated 
Boehme's  works  as  an  historical  curiosity  ;  but  it  is 
with  a  widely  different  aim  that  Mr.  Penny  has  pub- 
lished this  interesting  Introduction.  Boehme  is  pro- 
claimed as  a  medicine  for  the  mind  in  this  age  of 
scepticism,  and  we  cannot  peruse  the  extracts  here 
printed  without  recalling  Sartor  Jicsarttis,  and  those 
Essays  in  which  Carlyle  introduces  us  to   Novalis, 


Richter,  and  others.  The  magnificent  and  startling 
idea  of  God  in  man,  living,  and  speaking,  and  know- 
ing through  man,  was  the  contribution  of  Boehme  to 
European  thought,  and  if  for  no  other  reason  his 
writings  should  be  valued.  But  they  abound  in  mental 
and  spiritual  fahulum,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
proposed  reprint  of  the  old  English  translation,  of 
which  this  Introduction  appears  to  be  the  herald,  may 
find  numerous  subscribers. 


Cray's  Inn ;  its  History  and  Associations.  By  W. 
R.  DouTHWAiTE.  (London :  Reeves  and 
Turner.)    8vo.,  pp.  xxiii,  283. 

The  compilation  of  this  interesting  memoir  has 
been  evidently  a  labour  of  love  for  the  Librarian 
of  Gray's  Inn.  Every  source  of  information  has,  it 
would  seem,  been  ransacked  ;  and  though  the  Inns 
of  Court    are    by  no    means   so   rich    as    might    be 


foremost  among  the  Inns  of  Court,  yet  that  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  when  it  was  adorned  by  the 
illustrious  Bacon,  it  surpassed  them  both  in  numbers 
and  importance.  The  ancient  Constitution  and 
Orders,  the  "Readings"  and  "Moots"  (of  late  so 
successfully  revived),  are  carefully  explained  ;  and  the 
chapter  on  the  Hall  will  be  of  special  interest  to 
heraldic  readers  from  its  careful  and  elaborate  de- 
scription of  the  coats-of-arms  in  the  windows.     Book- 


riELI)   COURT. 

supposed  in  records,  Mr.  Douthwaite  has  been  able 
to  supplement  their  evidence  from  so  many  various 
quarters,  that  he  has  produced  a  very  attractive  and 
readable  volume.  The  History  of  the  Inn  is  here 
traced  from  the  days  when  it  was  the  head  of  the 
Manor  of  Portpool,  through  its  ownership  by  the 
great  family  of  Grey  (from  whom  it  derives  its  name), 
down  to  the  time  when  it  became  the  haunt  of  men 
of  the  law,  and  so  on  to  our  own  days.  The  fact  is 
rightly  insisted  on  that  though  Gray's  is  no  longer  the 


HOLBORN  GATE. 

lovers  also  will  appreciate  the  chapter  on  the  origin 
and  growth  of  the  Library,  while  that  devoted  to 
"Masques  and  Revels"  serves  to  remind  us  how 
closely  the  rise  of  the  drama  among  us  was  connected 
with  the  Inns  of  Court.  We  must  not  forget  to 
mention  that  a  copious  Index  is  given,  or  to  praise 
the  excellence  of  the  illustrations,  of  which  the  sober 
quietness  is  in  harmony  with  the  subject,  and  which 
are  worthy  of  the  admirable  typography  by  which  the 
volume  is  distinguished. 


REVIEWS. 


127 


Q0eeting0  of  antiquanan 


Banburyshire  Natural  History  Society  and 
Field  Club. — ^July  10. — This  society  had  their  first 
excursion  this  season  to  Rollright,  Long  Compton, 
and  Whichford.  The  route  lay  by  Lower  Tadmarton, 
through  the  remains  of  the  ancient  British  Camp  to 
Hook  Norton.  At  Great  Rollright  the  party  alighted 
to  inspect  the  church.  The  principal  feature  here  is 
the  Norman  arch  in  the  south  aisle.  It  is  protected 
by  an  ornamental  porch,  near  to  which  are  the 
remains  of  an  ancient  stone  cross.  Reaching  the  top 
of  the  Bright  hill  they  again  alighted  to  inspect  the 
Rollright  Stones,  and  then  descended  the  hill  to  Long 
Compton.  The  homeward  journey  was  commenced 
through  the  WTiichford  Woods,  which  formed  a  rich 
ground  for  the  botanist. 

Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society. 
— ^July  17. — The  fourth  excursion  for  the  season  was 
made  to  Bolton  Abbey.  On  arriving  at  the  Abbey, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Howse  led  the  party  first  through  the 
nave  of  the  ancient  edifice,  now  used  as  a  parochial 
chapel,  and  thence  to  the  ruined  portion,  describing 
on  the  way  the  most  interesting  portions,  and  also  the 
arrangement  and  uses  to  which  the  entire  series  of 
the  original  buildings  was  applied.  The  beautiful 
western  end  of  the  nave,  yet  entire,  was  shown  to  be 
greatly  concealed  by  the  partial  erection  of  a  hand- 
some tower  in  front  of  it,  about  twenty  years  before 
the  dissolution  of  the  monastery,  by  the  last  Abbot, 
Richard  ,Moone,  in  1520.  The  ancient  water-mill 
was  next  visited.  Frequenters  to  Bolton  will  have 
noticed  an  archway  spanning  the  road  near  the 
Lodge.  This  arch  was  devised  to  support  the 
aqueduct  which  led  the  stream  from  the  adjoining 
hillside  to  the  old  wheel  of  the  mill,  and  portions  of 
the  sluice  and  mill-race  are  yet  remaining.  From  the 
Abbey  the  party  proceeded  to  the  Lodge,  the  ancient 
gateway  to  the  Abbey.  After  the  dissolution,  by 
sundry  alterations  and  additions,  it  was  converted 
into  a  dwelling  ;  and  has  been  the  occasional  residence 
of  the  Cliffords  and  their  descendants  ever  since.  By 
the  kindness  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire  the  premises 
were  thrown  open  for  inspection  on  this  occasion,  and 
the  converted  ceilings  of  the  vaulted  gateway  were 
specially  admired.  These  are  constructed  in  panels 
all  through,  each  panel  being  decorated  by  subjects 
and  devices  taken  apparently  from  early  Latin 
legends.  Many  of  them  are  now,  however,  consider- 
ably faded,  the  colours  having  disappeared,  and  it  is 
very  likely  the  whole  will  vanish  in  a  brief  period,  if 
some  attempt  is  not  made  at  restoration.  Here  arc 
deposited  also  sundry  records  in  MSS.  relating  to  the 
history  of  the  Abbey  and  the  district  around.  Sub- 
sequently, a  portion  of  the  company  visited  the 
Beamsley  Almshouses,  situate  about  half  a  mile 
beyond  the  Red  Lion  on  the  Hazlewood  Road.  Fs- 
tablishments  of  this  kind  are  very  rare  now  in  this 
country  ;  and  this  particular  one  being  little  known, 
and  out  of  the  way,  is  very  seldom  visited.  These 
almshouses  were  founded  in  1593,  by  Margaret, 
Countess    of   Cumberland    (mother    of   Lady    Anne 


Clifford,  of  famous  memory)  for  a  matron  and  twelve 
poor  sisters,  and  an  endowment  each  of  7s.  6d.  a 
week  for  their  maintenance.  Mrs.  Anne  afterwards 
added  a  small  estate  at  Harewood,  so  that  altogether 
the  inmates  of  this  institution  should  be  very  com- 
fortable. The  original  edifice  is  approached  through 
a  rude  archway,  over  wHft:h,  on  a  slab  inserted  in  the 
wall,  is  the  following  inscription  : — *'  This  almshouse 
was  founded  by  that  excellent  lady  Margaret, 
Countess  of  Cumberland,  wife  of  George,  3rd  Earl  of 
Cumberland,  1593;  and  was  more  perfectly  finished 
by  her  only  child,  the  Lady  Anne  Clifford,  Countess 
Dowager  of  I'embroke,  Dorset,  and  Montgomery. 
God's  name  be  praised."  Beyond  this  gateway,  at  a 
distance  of  some  hundred  yards  or  so,  on  rising 
ground,  stands  the  ancient  edifice,  looking  for  all  the 
world  like  a  huge  cheese  with  a  dome  on  it.  It  is 
therefore  circular,  and  by  measure  15  yards  in 
diameter,  the  centre,  5  yards  across,  being  occupied 
by  a  small  octagon  chapel,  which  is  lighted  from  the 
roof.  About  this  chapel  radiate  six  dormitories  or 
dwellings  of  the  sisters,  and  only  through  it  can  they 
reach  them.  The  arrangement  is  certainly  very 
curious,  but  it  cannot  be  either  very  healthy  or  con- 
venient. At  first  sight  it  looks  uncommonly  like  a 
contrivance  to  provide  the  maximum  accommodation 
from  the  least  space.  The  visitors  greatly  admired 
this  antique  and  primitive  establishment. 

Herts  Natural  History  Society. — June  19. — 
The  members  held  a  field  meeting  in  conjunction 
with  the  members  of  the  St.  Albans  Architectural 
and  ArchjEological  Society  at  St.  Stephen's.  The 
party  crossed  the  fields  to  St.  Julian  s,  where,  by 
permission  of  Mr.  Cartwright,  they  assembled  on  the 
lawn  to  hear  a  paper  on  the  Leper  Hospital,  by  Mr. 
A.  E.  Gibbs,  F.L.S,  He  said  that  the  disease  of 
leprosy,  now  happily  so  rare  in  this  country,  was 
during  the  Middle  Ages  a  real  and  dreaded  scourge 
in  our  islands.  As  early  as  a.d.  928  Howel  the 
Good,  the  great  Welsh  King,  enacted  laws  with 
regard  to  lepers,  and  it  is  known  that  long  before 
that  leprosy  was  a  common  disease  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  while  at  a  later  period  the  inter- 
course with  Eastern  countries  during  the  time  of  the 
Crusades  resulted  in  a  great  increase  of  the  malady. 
To  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  afflicted,  and  to 
check  in  some  measure  its  ravages,  Lazar,  or  Leper 
Hospitals,  were  built  in  many  parts  of  the  country. 
These  foundations,  the  outcome  of  the  charity  of 
wealthy  persons,  or  great  religious  houses,  were  often 
richly  endowed,  and  were  generally  under  eccle- 
siastical rule.  A  leper  hospital  formerly  stood  near 
to  where  they  were  then  assembled.  It  was  founded 
early  in  the  twelfth  century  by  Geoffrey  De  Gorham, 
sixteenth  Abbot  (1119-1146),  a  learned  man,  who 
came  over  from  Normandy  to  become  master  of  a 
mediaeval  school  in  St.  Albans,  which  he  thought  they 
might  claim  to  be  lineal  ancestor  of  the  present 
Grammar  School.  Geoffrey,  however,  arrived  after 
the  appointment  had  been  filled  up,  and  retired  to 
Dunstable,  but  subsequently  entered  the  House  at  St. 
Albans  and  rose  to  be  Abbot.  He  built  a  church  and 
hospital  for  lejiers  near  the  way  which  leads  to 
I^ondon,  and  at  a  spot  called  Heved,  or  Eywood, 
dedicating  it  to  St.  Julian,  a  martyr,  who  died  with 
great  constancy  during  the  Decian  persecution.     For 


123 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


the  support  of  the  house  the  Abbot  set  apart  many 
portions  of  tithe,  among  them  being  the  tithe  of  60s. 
paid  by  the  town  of  St.  Albans,  all  the  corn  tithe  of 
the  lordship  of  Kingsbury,  parts  of  the  corn  tithe  of 
the  parishes  of  SS.  Michael  and  Stephen,  all  the 
corn  tithe  of  Hamstude,  and  many  others.  These 
gifts  were  bestowed  with  the  unanimous  consent  of 
the  chapter,  and  a  solemn  sentence  of  excommunica- 
tion was  pronounced  against  all  those  who  should  at 
any  time  interfere  with  the  hospital.  These  grants 
were  confirmed  by  Henry  I.,  who  himself  made  a 
grant  of  id.  per  day  out  of  his  own  treasury.  Popes 
Gregory  and  Innocent  also  confirmed  them.  In 
1235,  after  the  death  of  William,  twenty-second 
Abbot  of  St.  Albans,  and  before  the  election  of  his 
successor,  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  mastership  of 
St.  Julian's,  and  following  the  usual  rule  the  patronage 
reverted  to  the  King  (Henry  III.),  who  collated  one 
of  the  brethren  from  St.  Albans,  named  Nicholas. 
Roger,  the  twenty-fourth  Abbot,  confirmed  the  grants 
to  the  hospital,  and  also  undertook  a  lawsuit  against 
one  Randolph  Perot,  who  did  knight  service  for  the 
manor  of  Wyndrugg,  and  who  claimed  the  right  of 
placing  one  leper  in  the  hospital.  In  1329  Abbot 
Richard  Wallingford  confirmed  the  recovery  of  60s., 
which  had  been  withheld.  The  rule  of  the  house 
appears  to  have  got  very  lax,  and  the  lepers  became 
a  nuisance  and  scandal  to  the  neighbourhood.  So 
Michael  de  Mentmore,  the  twenty-ninth  Abbot 
{1335-49),  made  constitutions  for  the  regulation  of 
the  house  (which  will  be  found  printed  m  extenso  in 
the  appendix  to  the  second  volume  of  the  Gesta, 
Rolls  series).  They  are  very  interesting,  and  contain 
a  good  deal  of  information  as  to  the  dress,  diet, 
government,  and  life  in  a  charitable  institution  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  following  are  some  of  the 
most  curious  regulations : — On  St.  Martin's  Day  a 
pig  was  to  be  given  to  each  brother,  or  if  he  pre- 
ferred it,  its  value  in  money.  It  was  also  provided 
that  the  brethren  should  have  fourteen  gallons  of  beer 
every  seventh  month,  or  8d.  for  the  same,  from  which 
it  would  seem  that  beer  was  an  inexpensive  luxury  in 
the  fourteenth  century — fourteen  gallons  for  8d. ! 
The  dress  of  the  leprous  brethren  was  to  consist  of 
an  upper  and  lower  tunic  of  russet  and  a  hood  of  the 
same  material.  The  sleeves  of  the  tunic  were  to  be 
closed  to  the  hand  and  not  laced  with  cords  in  the 
secular  fashion,  and  the  upper  tunic  was  to  be  closed 
down  to  the  ankles.  A  close  black  cape  was  also 
worn  out  of  doors.  The  boots  were  made  with 
special  regard  to  the  malady  of  the  wearers.  They 
were  laced  high,  and  if  a  brother  dared  to  wear  a 
low-cut  shoe  he  was  compelled  to  go  barefooted 
during  the  pleasure  of  the  master  for  a  penance. 
Only  men  were  admitted  to  the  foundation,  and  with 
the  exception  of  blood  relations  no  women  but  the 
washerwomen  were  allowed  inside  the  house,  and 
these  only  at  stated  hours.  The  lepers  were  not  per- 
mitted to  go  beyond  a  mile  from  the  hospital,  and 
were  strictly  forbidden  to  enter  the  town  of  St. 
Albans  or  to  stay  out  all  night.  They  were  also  ex- 
cluded from  the  bakehouse,  brewhouse,  and  granary 
at  all  times,  except  the  brother  in  charge,  and  he  was 
not  to  dare  to  touch  the  bread  and  beer,  since  it  was 
"most  unfitting  that  persons  with  such  a  malady 
should  handle  things  appointed  for  the  common  use 


of  men."  Ablx)t  Michael  constituted  that  six  lepers 
should  be  maintained  here,  and  at  least  five  priests 
under  the  rule  of  the  master  ;  the  revenue  being  suf- 
ficient to  maintain  this  number.  In  the  time  of 
Abbot  Thomas,  successor  to  Michael  de  Mentmore, 
the  rectory  of  St.  Julian  was  applied  to  the  Abbot's 
private  purse,  and  was  greatly  improved  by  John 
Moote,  who  was  then  prior.  Abbot  Thomas  seems 
to  have  been  very  kind  to  the  inmates  of  St.  Julian's. 
On  the  death  of  Thomas,  Moote  was  elected  Abbot. 
The  rectory  of  St.  Julian  appears  to  have  been  leased 
to  William  Burcot,  and  during  Moote's  titne  reverted 
to  the  Abbot  by  gift,  and  the  income  was  applied  to 
the  use  of  the  prior  with  a  certain  annual  portion  for 
Burcot.  In  1473  we  find  one  Ralph  Ferrer  master 
of  the  hospital  of  St.  Julian.  At  the  dissolution  of 
the  monastery,  the  hospital  was  given  by  the  Crown 
to  Thomas  Lee,  and  at  the  present  time  the  site  is  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  C.  W,  Wilshere,  of  Welwyn. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  paper,  St.  Stephen's  Vicarage 
was  visited,  where  the  members  of  the  united  societies 
were  received  by  the  Rev.  W.  D.  W.  Dudley,  who 
exhibited  some  Roman  remains,  discovered  in  the 
churchyard,  and  then  conducted  the  party  over  the 
church.  Thence  a  walk  was  taken  along  Watling 
Street  to  Verulam  woods,  where  the  Rev.  Dr.  Grififith 
gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  old  city  of  Verulam. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  address  some  little  time  was 
spent  in  viewing  the  walls  and  earthworks,  after  which 
Westminster  Lodge  was  visited. 

Peterborough  Scientific  and  Archaeologfical 
Society. — ^July  17. — The  party  proceeded  to  Cam- 
bridge, and  the  Fitzwilliam  Museum  was  the  first 
point  made  for.  The  various  objects  of  interest, 
pictures,  rare  engravings,  valuable  collection  of  Greek 
coins  formed  by  Colonel  Leake,  casts  of  ancient 
statues,  etc.,  were  exhibited  and  explained.  The 
chapel  and  hall  of  Peterhouse,  the  former  having  its 
windows  filled  with  painted  glass  from  Munich,  and 
the  latter  with  portraits  of  its  distinguished  scholars, 
were  then  explored.  Both  were  lighted  with  the  elec- 
tric light.  The  library  of  Corpus  Christi  College  was 
next  visited,  and  was  seen  to  be  particularly  rich  in 
old  manuscripts  and  illuminations,  amongst  them  the 
original  copy  of  the  Thirty-Nine  Articles.  Many  of 
the  manuscripts  relate  to  the  Reformation  ;  a  letter  of 
Martin  Luther's  is  among  the  number.  Mr.  Lewis  con- 
ducted the  party  over  the  library  of  Trinity  College  ; 
this  contains  the  statue  of  Lord  Byron,  which  was 
refused  admission  into  Westminster  Abbey,  also  many 
rare  books  and  coins.  St.  John''s  library  and  chapel 
were  afterwards  visited.  Under  the  guidance  of  the 
Rev.  the  President  of  St.  John's  the  party  ascended 
to  the  top  of  the  tower — 163  feet  high — and  were 
rewarded  by  a  splendid  panoramic  view  of  Cambridge 
and  the  surrounding  country. 

Yorkshire  Archaeological  and  Topogfraphical 
Society. — July  31. — Visit  to  Kirkham  Abbey  and 
Malton.  At  Kirkham  the  party,  passing  across  the 
rustic  bridge  which  spans  the  now  swollen  and  turgid 
river,  took  up  their  stand  in  front  of  the  historical 
gateway  which  furnishes  the  entrance  to  the  Priory 
grounds.  Here  Mr.  J.  T.  Micklethwaite  entered 
upon  an  elaborate  description  of  the  entrance  gate 
and  other  portions  of  the  Abbey,  the  company  follow- 
ing him  through  the  luxuriantly  wooded  grounds,  and 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


129 


inspecting  with  keen  interest  the  numerous  historical 
records.  The  secretary  read  a  letter  which  he  had 
received  from  the  Rev.  C.  B.  Norcliffe,  of  Langton 
Hall,  Hulton,  the  well-known  authority  on  heraldry, 
in  which  he  called  the  attention  of  the  association  to 
several  interesting  characteristics  associated  with 
portions  of  the  Abbey.  The  company  then  resumed 
their  journey  by  special  train  to  Malton.  The  com- 
pany proceeded  to  inspect  St.  Michael's  Church,  and 
afterwards  drove  to  Old  Malton  Priory,  where  a 
lengthy  paper,  giving  an  historical  account  of  the 
structure,  was  read  by  the  Vicar,  the  Rev.  A.  B. 
Pitman.  Mr.  Micklethwaite  next  addressed  the 
members  of  the  association  present,  and  after  calling 
attention  to  several  matters  of  detail  in  connection 
with  the  building,  he  said  that  the  present  was  an 
appropriate  time  for  preaching  the  doctrine  of  restora- 
tion. They  had  in  the  church  a  most  interesting  old 
edifice,  but  one  which  was  in  a  perfectly  ruinous  con- 
dition. One  corner  of  the  building  was  positively 
dangerous.  There  were  stones  which  might  fall  at 
any  moment,  and  something  must  really  Ije  done  or 
the  church  would  fall  to  the  ground.  The  question 
was — What  had  best  be  done  ?  Some  people  would 
be  sure  to  say  that  it  ought  to  be  restored  according 
to  the  style  of  the  period  ;  but  that  was  what  ought 
not  to  be  done.  Let  them,  if  they  like,  put  on  a 
roof  that  was  constructed  in  accordance  with  modern 
ideas  ;  but  let  them  not  touch  anything  that  was  old 
— to  which  a  history  and  tradition  attached.  He 
confessed  he  would  sooner  see  the  church  tumble 
down  than  see  it  improved  like  the  church  in  the 
Market  Place,  where  nothing  of  the  old  edifice 
remained. 

British  Archaeological  Association — Congress 
at  Darlington, — A  preliminary  excursion  in  the 
morning  of  the  opening  day  was  made  to  the  Norman 
churches  of  Haughton  le  Skerne  and  Aycliffe,  at  which 
latter  place  some  interesting  stone  crosses  of  the  late 
Saxon  type  and  a  cross-legged  effigy  of  the  thirteenth 
century  were  the  objects  of  attraction.  The  official 
opening  took  place  at  the  Reference  Room  of  the 
Free  Library,  Darlington,  where  the  Association  was 
received  by  the  Mayor,  J.  K.  Wilkes,  Esq.,  and  the 
Corporation.  The  parish  church  of  St.  Cuthbert  was 
then  attended,  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Pritchett  read  a  paper 
descriptive  of  the  peculiar  char.icteristics  of  its  archi- 
tecture, which  were  further  supplemented  by  Mr. 
Dyer  LongstafTe.  The  church  is  believed  to  have 
been  built  in  the  closing  years  of  the  twelfth  century, 
and  some  of  the  work  at  the  east  end  and  transepts, 
which  are  very  fine,  is  of  this  date.  .Some  Saxon 
crosses  of  the  later  style,  sculptured  with  interlaced 
work  springing  from  a  central  boss,  are  preserved  in 
the  church.  The  first  excursion  took  ])lace  on  Tuesday 
morning.  The  day  was  entirely  devoted  to  Durham. 
At  the  Cathedral  Mr.  C.  Hodgson  Fowler  described 
the  points  of  interest.  Canon  Greenwell  exhibited 
the  manuscripts  of  Beda,  Cassiodorus,  and  others  of 
the  seventh  and  eighth  centuries ;  and  relics  of  St. 
Cuthbert's  grave  in  the  library  and  the  sculptured 
stones  and  Roman  inscriptions  were  inspected  by 
some  of  the  party.  In  the  museum,  which  was  after- 
wards visited,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hooppell  drew  attention 
to  the  extensive  collection  of  Roman  remains  found 
in  recent  excavations  at  Vinovia,  or  Binchester  Farm, 


conducted  by  him  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Proud. 
The  Norman  chapel  in  the  castle  and  the  numerous 
tapestries  in  the  deanery  and  castle  were  specially 
attractive  points  in  the  work  of  the  day.  Wednesday 
morning  was  devoted  to  visiting  Piercebridge,  the  site 
of  a  Roman  station,  ConiscTifife,  Gainford,  and  Stain- 
drop  Churches,  and  Raby  Castle.  In  the  afternoon, 
Barnard  Castle  and  Church  and  Egglestone  Abbey 
and  Rokeby  were  the  principal  sites  of  examination. 

Archaeological  Institute— Congress  at  Chester. 
— The  annual  meeting  was  held  in  the  Town  Hall, 
when  Earl  Percy,  whose  term  of  office  had  expired, 
was  re-elected  president  for  another  three  years, 
as  were  also  the  retiring  members  of  the  council. 
The  annual  report  was  adopted,  the  accounts  were 
passed,  and  it  was  agreed  to  leave  in  the  hands  of 
the  council  the  choice  of  some  means  of  increasing 
the  numbers  of  the  institute,  and  so  place  it  on  a  safer 
basis  financially.  It  was  announced  also  that  the 
next  annual  meeting  would  be  held  at  Salisbury,  to 
which  city  the  society  had  received  a  pressing  invita- 
tion from  the  local  authorities.  At  twelve  o'clock 
Mr.  Beresford-Hope,  M.P.,  opened  the  architectural 
section  of  the  meeting,  his  speech  being  devoted  to  a 
review  of  the  points  in  which  ajicient  architecture 
may  be  reconciled  with  modern  sanitary  arrangements. 
The  party  were  then  escorted  to  the  old  Norman  church 
of  St.  John,  just  outside  the  walls,  and  which  served 
as  the  cathedral  of  the  diocese  until  the  Reformation, 
when  Henry  VIII.  suppressed  St.  Werburgh's  Abbey 
and  established  the  bishop's  seat  within  the  walls  of 
the  latter.  The  interior  of  the  church  was  described 
by  Mr.  R.  P.  PuUan  and  Sir  James  Picton,  and  its 
fine  monumental  crosses,  etc.,  by  the  Rev.  George 
Browne.  After  luncheon  an  hour  was  spent  in  view- 
ing the  cathedral  under  the  guidance  of  the  Dean, 
Mr.  R.  P.  Pullan,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Venables,  Pre- 
centor of  Lincoln  Cathedral,  who  explained  the  lead- 
ing features  of  the  nave,  chancel,  chapter-house, 
library,  and  cloisters,  and  who  concluded  his  description 
by  an  appeal  to  "  some  wealthy  merchant  or  mil- 
lionnaire  "  to  complete  the  south-western  tower.  The 
inspection  of  the  cathedral  being  finished,  the  party 
were  conveyed  by  boat  up  the  river  to  Eaton  Hall, 
the  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Westminster,  who,  with  the 
Duchess  of  Westminster,  entertained  them  at  a  garden- 
party.  The  rain,  however,  which  fell  heavily,  com- 
pelled them  to  remain  on  the  covered  terrace  and  in 
the  library  and  other  apartments.  Here  they  were 
joined  by  a  large  number  of  the  Colonial  representa- 
tives, who  arrived  from  London  by  train  in  the  course 
of  the  afternoon,  and  who,  jointly  with  the  archreolo- 
gists,  were  welcomed  at  a  conversazione  in  the  Town 
Hall  by  the  Mayor  and  Corporation.  Next  day  the 
members  of  the  institute  left  Chester  soon  after  break- 
fast by  train  for  Malpas,  where  the  interesting  and 
beautiful  church  was  described  by  the  rector,  the  Hon. 
and  Rev.  William  Trevor  Kcnyon  and  Mr.  R.  P. 
Pullan.  At  noon  the  members  went  on  l)y  special 
train  to  Nantwich,  where  they  inspected  the  church, 
the  Rev.  F.  G.  Blackburne,  the  rector,  acting  as  their 
cicerone.  From  Nantwich,  a  drive  of  a  few  miles 
took  them  to  Acton,  where  they  inspected  the  church, 
Mr.  R.  P.  Pullan  oiTering  a  few  remarks  on  its  leading 
architectural  features.  The  parish  church  of  Bunbury, 
which  followed  next,  was  explained  by  the  Rev.  W. 


I30 


THE  ANTIQUARY S  NOTE-BOOK. 


Lowe.  From  Bunbury  the  party  drove  on  to  Breston 
Castle,  the  loftiest  spot  in  all  Cheshire  ;  and  here 
Precentor  Venables  favoured  the  company  with  some 
comments  on  its  leading  features  and  past  history. 
In  the  evening  meetings  of  the  three  sections  were  held 
at  the  Town  Hall. 


C&e  antiquatp'$  n^ote^lBook. 


Newspapers  in  England. — From  an  interesting 
"Jubilee  Retrospect,"  issued  by  Mr.  H.  Whorlow, 
the  secretary,  in  commemoration  of  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  the  Provincial  Newspaper  Society,  we  glean 
the  following  figures  exemplifying  the  progress  which 
has  since  been  achieved  : — 

1824.  1886. 
Total  number  of  newspapers  In 

the  United  Kingdom    .        .  266  2,093 

Dailies —  187 

London  papers          ...  31  409 

English  provinces    .        .        .  135  ijZ^S 

Wales —  83 

Scotland 58  193 

Ireland     .....  33  162 

British  Isles     ....  9  21 

Arts  in  Rome. — The  following  notes  from  a  newly- 
published  "Report  from  H.M.  Diplomatic  and  Con- 
sular Officers  "  are  worth  transcribing  in  these  columns : 
The  most  ancient  art  institution  in  Italy  is  probably 
the  Roman  Academy  of  .St.  Luke.  From  time  im- 
memorial, and  long  before  the  League  of  Florence, 
there  existed  in  the  Eternal  City  a  .Society  of  Painters, 
which  afterwards  took  the  name  of  "  The  University 
of  Arts,"  and  had  its  seat  in  a  small  church  dedicated 
to  .St.  Luke,  on  the  Esquiline,  conceded  to  it  by  Pojie 
Gregory  XL,  reigning  at  Avignon  in  137 1.  Sixtus  IV. 
extended  the  statute  of  the  College  in  1478  by  a  Code 
which  still  exists  in  the  archives  of  the  Academy.  I5y 
.Sixtus  V.  the  Institution  was  removed  to  the  Forum, 
where  it  now  is.  The  Academy  is  an  independent 
corporation.  It  admits,  as  Fellows,  artists  of  all 
nations,  creeds,  and  political  persuasions  ;  organizes 
prize  competitions,  gives  pensions  to  art  students,  and 
attends  to  the  care  and  progress  of  national  art,  and 
the  preservation  of  ancient  monuments.  Napoleon  I., 
with  the  assistance  of  Canova,  formed  its  present 
statutes  with  important  privileges  and  functions.  I5y 
them  the  numberof  resident  Fellows  is  fixed  at  twelve 
for  each  de])artment,  viz.,  painting,  sculpture,  and 
architecture,  and  twenty  non-residents  of  each  class. 
The  number  of  honorary  associates  is  not  limited. 
The  art  gallery  is  the  private  property  of  the  Academy ; 
it  cont.ains  the  collections  of  pictures  left  to  it  by 
Fabio  Rosa,  Carlo  Maratti,  D.  Pellegrini,  Gregory 
XVI.,  Wicar,  and  others.  Zuccari,  Poussin,  Pietro 
da  Cortona,  Maratti,  and  T.  Minardi  have  succes- 
sively re-arranged  the  works  of  art,  the  catalogue  of 
which  is  too  well  known  to  demand  repetition  here. 
There  are  over  200  pictures  in  the  gallery  and  a  rich 
collection  of  medals  given  by  Gustavus  III.  of  Sweden, 


including  also  Pistrucci's  Waterloo  medal ;  those  in 
gold,  collected  by  Professor  A.  Juvarra  ;  one  pre- 
sented by  King  Charles  Albert,  and  many  others.  The 
Library,  given  to  the  Municipality  of  Rome  by 
Antonio  .Sarti,  perpetual  Honorary  President  of  the 
Academy  and  a  distinguished  architect,  is  enriched 
with  from  10,000  to  15,000  historical,  archaeological, 
and  art  volumes.  The  donor  bequeathed  an  annual 
sum  of  £,a,Oi  together  with  this  collection,  one  of  the 
finest  ever  made  by  a  private  individual.  The  sculp- 
ture-rooms contain  works  by  Thorwaldsen,  Canova, 
Gibson,  and  other  masters.  In  the  archives  are  many 
fine  sketches  and  drawings,  engravings  and  rare 
editions,  as  well  as  a  certain  number  of  interesting 
documents  and  manuscripts.  There  are  256  portraits 
of  former  members  of  the  Academy  in  the  gallery. 
The  present  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  Dr.  Bacelli, 
is  very  zealous  in  furthering  excavations  and  restora- 
tions of  ancient  monuments.  Under  his  auspices  the 
Pantheon  has  been  isolated,  and  the  Forum  is  being 
restored  to  its  original  ground-plan.  Most  of  the 
monuments  in  the  kingdom  are  now  in  the  hands  of 
Government  officials,  by  whom  they  are  well  looked 
after  and  preserved.  Amongst  the  Government  art 
institutions  which  deserve  special  notice  is  that  de- 
voted to  engraving  celebrated  works  by  the  great 
masters.  This  establishment,  under  the  name  of  the 
"  Calcografia  Camerale  Romana,"  was  founded  in 
1738  by  Pope  Clement  XII.,  who,  learning  that  the 
heirs  of  Gian  de  Rossi  were  thinking  of  selling  the 
famous  collection  which  originated  the  art  of  en- 
graving in  Italy,  forbade  the  sale  without  licence, 
under  penalty  of  the  loss  of  the  plates  and  a  fine  of 
10,000  scudi.  The  same  Pontiff  afterwards  purchased 
the  whole  collection  for  the  sum  of  45,000  scudi,  and 
endowed  the  institution  thus  formed  with  an  annual 
income  of  5,000  scudi  for  the  purpose  of  augmenting 
and  completing  the  store  of  art  treasures.  The 
painter,  Domenico  Campiglia,  was  made  the  first 
director.  From  the  time  of  Benedict  XIV.  to  that  of 
Pius  VI.  the  art  of  engraving  languished  somewhat, 
but  it  revived  greatly  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  and  in  1836  the  establishment  was  moved  to 
its  present  site,  under  the  care  of  R.  Persichini,  a  noted 
connoisseur.  Since  that  time  the  sale  of  engravings 
has  inuch  increased.  Many  copper-plates  were  unfor- 
tunately taken  out  of  the  Stamperia  at  the  end  of  the 
past  and  commencement  of  the  present  century,  to  be 
coined  into  money.  Thus  were  lost  the  Cliroiiology 
of  the  Cardiiials  and  La  Fiaiita  di  Konia  del  Villa- 
iitena.  Another  severe  loss  was  suffered  under  Pope 
Leo  XII.,  who  ordered  the  destruction  of  all  plates 
reputed  of  an  obscene  nature,  including  the  priceless 
works  of  Dorigny,  engraved  from  the  pictures  in  the 
Farnesia,  and  many  others  ;  the  statues  of  Canova 
were  destroyed  as  indecent,  or  veiled  (and  thus  spoiled) 
on  account  of  their  nudity,  and  the  Venuses  engraved 
by  Folo  were  ruthlessly  clothed  !  Pius  IX.  gave  great 
stimulus  to  the  art  by  making  the  celebrated  artist, 
Paolo  Mercuri,  head  of  the  institution.  He,  with  the 
aid  of  the  best  engravers  he  could  find,  proceeded 
with  the  important  work  of  reproducing  the  master- 
pieces in  the  Stanze  of  Raphael.  Unhappily  for  the 
cause  of  art  he  was  stricken  with  apoplexy  after  ten 
years  of  eminent  labour  ;  but  the  work  commenced 
by  him  has  been,  and  is  still  being,  continued. 


ANTICS  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


131 


antiquatian  J13eto0» 


M.  Auguste  Lahontan,  of  Paris,  has  lately  executed 
for  an  English  bookseller  an  artistic  sample  of  scien- 
tific book  renovation,  the  work  under  treatment  being 
a  copy  of  Coverdales  Bible.  It  had  evidently  been 
used  by  some  Vandal  as  a  stand  for  a  butter-keg,  the 
latter  portion  having  been  completely  saturated  with 
fat,  while  the  title-page  had  greatly  suffered  from  the 
predatory  attacks  of  mice  assisted  by  damp.  He 
treated  each  leaf  to  a  judicious  course  of  chlorine  in 
solution  and  ammonia  as  the  occasion  warranted, 
while  the  dirt  was  removed  by  some  process  only  known 
to  himself,  and  he  then  supplied  the  defective  portions 
by  carefully  grafting  on  selected  portions  of  paper  of 
the  requisite  texture  and  shade  ;  the  missing  letter- 
press was  then  facsimiled  ;  the  whole  was  next  sized, 
and  afterwards  appropriately  bound  by  one  of  the 
best  Parisian  binders,  the  whole  cost  of  this  exhaustive 
treatment  being  £i,o. 

A  number  of  gentlemen  connected  with  the  city 
and  county  of  Aberdeen  have  taken  steps  for  the 
formation  of  a  club  having  for  its  object  the  publica- 
tion of  works  illustrative  of  the  archreology  of  the 
counties  of  Aberdeen,  Banff,  and  Kincardine.  The 
club  is  intended  to  carry  on  the  work  achieved  by  the 
Aberdeen  Spalding  Club,  which  became  defunct 
about  seventeen  years  ago,  after  thirty  years  of  a 
useful  existence.  A  list  of  works  has  been  indicated 
as  suitable  for  the  earlier  issues,  and,  in  addition,  it  is 
understood  that  many  private  charter  chests  in  the 
three  counties  are  still  unexplored,  and  may  be  ex- 
pected to  yield  a  rich  harvest.  The  promoters  propose 
for  the  club  a  scope  somewhat  wider  than  that  adopted 
by  the  Scottish  History  Society  recently  instituted  in 
Edinburgh,  whose  sole  aim  is  stated  to  be  "  the  print- 
ing of  unpublished  documents."  The  promoters  are 
already  assured  of  the  co-ojieration  of  a  number  of 
gentlemen  in  the  editing  of  works.  Should  the  pro- 
ject meet  with  approval,  the  club  will  shortly  be 
regularly  constituted. 

The  silver  coins  recently  disinterred  in  a  bronze  jar 
at  Aberdeen  have  been  handed  to  the  representatives 
of  the  Crown.  The  army  of  Edward  H.,  whose  image 
many  of  the  coins  bear,  was  once  encamped  on  the 
ground  where  the  treasure  was  found  ;  it  was  then 
waste  land  outside  the  town,  and  is  now  in  the  heart 
of  the  city. 

Queen  Eleanor's  Cross  at  Waltham  is  to  be  restored, 
amongst  the  donors  being  her  Majesty  the  Queen.  It 
is  the  intention  of  the  committee  who  have  been  ap- 
pointed to  carry  out  the  work  to  bring  the  cross  as 
near  as  possible  into  the  condition  in  which  it  was 
when  erected  nearly  six  centuries  ago. 

The  city  of  Paris  has  become  lately  the  possessor  of 
a  remarkable  collection  of  documents,  which  will  have 
great  interest  in  years  to  come  for  historical  investi- 
gators. This  was  the  scries  of  death-warrants  extend- 
ing from  the  7th  of  April,  1808,  to  the  8th  December, 
1832,  belonging  to  Sanson,  the  notorious  headsman 
of  the  Revolution.  The  collection  was  bound  up  in 
nineteen  volumes,  and  Sanson   has  prefixed  to  each 


volume  a  summary  of  the  contents.  It  appears  that 
during  twenty-five  years  he  executed  7,143  capital 
sentences,  being  an  average  of  217  executions  a  year 
— rather  a  busy  life.  During  the  twenty-five  years  he 
only  twice  ascended  the  sc^old  without  a  fatal  result 
— once  in  1815,  when  General  Count  Lavalette  was  to 
have  been  executed  for  complicity  in  the  return  of 
Napoleon,  but  escaped  the  night  before  his  intended 
execution  through  the  heroism  of  his  wife.  The 
second  time  was  in  18 17,  when  Philippe-Jean  Antoine, 
a  noted  coiner,  was  respited  at  the  last  moment  by 
Louis  XVI 1 1. 

The  parish  church  of  St.  Peter,  Dalby,  near  Ter- 
rington,  has  been  restored.  This  ancient  church  has 
suffered  from  damp  and  dilapidation  for  many  years. 
The  interior  of  the  chancel,  which  has  a  stone  vaulted 
roof,  was  restored  some  years  ago.  The  work  just 
completed  consists  of  stripping  off  the  old  pantiles 
from  the  roof,  replacing  the  rotten  timber  with  new, 
and  re-covering  with  Welsh  slates  and  stone  ridge  ; 
building  a  new  stone-edge  gable  at  the  west  end 
(where  there  were  traces  of  having  been  one  for- 
merly), and  re-hanging  the  two  old  bells ;  partly 
taking  down  the  old  porch  walls,  and  erecting  an  open 
timber  porch  of  oak,  with  seat  at  each  side  and  a  new 
door.  The  plastered  walls  have  been  repaired  and 
coloured.  During  this  operation  traces  of  colour 
decoration  were  discovered  on  the  north  wall.  The 
font,  which  is  an  early  one,  hemispherical,  and_  large 
enough  for  immersion,  was  considered  too  large,  and 
has  been  placed  outside  near  the  porch,  and  a  smaller 
one,  which  was  found  half  sunk  below  the  floor  as  a 
base  for  the  above  one,  cleansed  and  substituted  on  a 
new  stone  step. 

The  parish  church  of  Hampton,  near  Evesham,  was 
entered  in  the  course  of  the  night  of  the  loth  of  July, 
and  the  jiarish  registers,  dating  back  to  1538,  were 
stolen.  These  documents  were  "  kept  in  a  tin  box 
with  a  small  brass  padlock,"  and  their  disappearance 
may  perhaps  be  the  means  of  drawing  the  attention  of 
the  clergy  generally  to  the  question  of  the  safe  keeping 
of  church  registers. 

At  the  sale  of  the  library  of  a  well-known  collector, 
the  famous  sermon  preached  by  John  Knox,  at  Edin- 
burgh, in  August,  1565,  "  For  the  whiche  he  was 
inhibite  preaching  for  a  season,"  fetched  ;^4I5. 

Some  excavations  lately  carried  out  at  Flonheim, 
near  Worms,  have  brought  to  light  some  most  interest- 
ing specimens  of  Frankish  antiquity.  In  and  around 
the  old  Romano-Gothic  church,  Franconian  chiefs 
and  nobles  had  their  burial-places.  The  new  church 
does  not  stand  on  exactly  the  same  ground  as  the  old 
one,  and  so  it  was  possible  to  undertake  explorations 
that  would  otherwise  h.ave  been  difficult.  In  one 
grave  a  necklace  of  fine  pearls  was  found  around  the 
neck  of  a  female  skeleton,  with  small  gold  plates, 
adorned  with  filigree  work,  inserted  as  pendants  be- 
tween each  pair  of  pearls.  There  were  some  heavily 
gilt  silver  ornaments,  with  filigree  work,  lying  on  the 
breast ;  beside  the  skeleton  a  piece  of  yellow  topaz,  a 
silver  buckle,  and  a  comb  of  lx)ne.  In  another 
woman's  grave  there  were  similar  ornaments,  and 
also  some  pieces  of  glass  (unusual  in  Frankish  graves), 
and  keys  of  a  form  hitherto  unknown  in  Germany. 


132 


ANTIQUARIAN  NEWS. 


In  a  man's  grave  there  were  found  a  gold  ring  of  ex- 
quisite workmanship,  which  could  have  l^elonged  only 
to  a  woman,  a  pot  of  singular  shape,  arrows,  a  shield, 
a  hea\-y  javelin,  a  sword,  a  drinking-cup,  a  beautiful 
buckle  of  gilt  bronze,  and  a  piece  of  chain  of  twisted 
wire. 

M.  Maspero,  who  from  family  circumstances  has 
found  it  necessary  to  relinquish  the  superintendence  of 
the  important  archreological  excavations  now  in  pro- 
gress in  Eg>'pt,  has  just  given  at  the  French  Acaderny 
of  Inscriptions  an  interesting  account  of  his  latest  dis- 
coveries. With  regard  to  the  great  Sphinx,  M.  Maspero 
stated  that  the  works  of  this  year  had  lowered  the 
surface  of  the  ground  surrounding  the  monument  by 
sixteen  metres.  Little  more  had  now  to  be  done 
l)efore  it  could  be  ascertained  whether  the  Sphinx 
rested  on  a  pedestal.  From  the  appearance  of  the 
.Sphinx,  now  that  it  is  so  far  disclosed,  M.  Maspero  is 
inclined  to  reject  the  opinion  that  it  was  carved  on  a 
huge  rock  commanding  the  plain.  He  considers  that 
the  plateau  was  hollowed  out  into  an  immense  basin, 
at  the  centre  of  which  the  rock  intended  to  be  sculp- 
tured into  the  Sphinx  was  left  intact.  Among  the 
numerous  excavations  made  M.  Maspero  mentioned 
an  untouched  sepulchre  of  the  twentieth  dynasty,  even 
the  priests*  seals  on  the  doors  remaining  as  when 
placed  there. 

Some  extensive  subterraneous  caverns  have  just 
been  discovered  by  the  Rev.  H.  A.  Thorne  beneath  a 
garden  at  the  rear  of  the  house  occupied  by  him  at 
Westfield,  Birchington-on-Sea.  When  lowering  a 
bucket  down  a  well  in  the  garden  the  bucket,  which 
was  swinging,  mysteriously  disappeared  in  the  side  of 
the  well.  This  aroused  the  curiosity  of  Mr.  Thorne, 
who  himself  descended  the  well  and  discovered  ex- 
tensive excavations.  The  place  has  been  thoroughly 
examined,  and  subterraneous  passages  and  chambers 
representing  20,000  cubic  feet  of  space  found  to  exist. 
The  entrance  in  the  side  of  the  well  is  thirty-two  feet 
below  the  surface,  and  the  chambers  are  of  a  very 
roomy  description,  their  height  being  eight  feet  and 
upwards.  One  very  long  passage  leads  off  in  the 
direction  of  the  shore,  which  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  the  occupants  contemplated  opening  up  under- 
ground communication  with  the  sea,  which,  however, 
they  failed  to  accomplish.  Close  by  the  spot  there 
used  to  be  an  old  limekiln,  and  it  is  conjectured  that 
the  smugglers  contrived  to  keep  their  work  secret  by 
means  of  the  kiln.  Indications  are  not  wanting  that 
the  caverns  were  used  for  the  storage  of  contraband 
goods. 

Leighton  Buzzard  parish  church  has  just  been  re- 
opened after  restoration.  The  fabric  is  cruciform  in 
plan,  and  consists  of  a  nave,  chancel,  north  and  south 
transepts  (with  a  central  tower  and  spire),  north  and 
south  aisles,  north  and  south  porches,  with — north  of 
the  chancel — an  ancient  sacristy,  surmounted  by  a 
domtis  rechtsus,  or  domicile  of  a  priestly  recluse.  The 
tower  is  of  the  Early  English  period  (twelfth  and  thir- 
teenth century),  and  the  massive  spire,  193  feet  high, 
is  probably  of  only  a  little  later  date.  The  chancel  is 
also  in  great  part  of  Early  English  date;  the  transepts 
(fourteenth  century)  have  Perpendicular  windows. 
The  nave  is  surmounted  by  a  remarkably  fine  Perpen- 


dicular clerestory,  the  large  and  beautiful  three-light 
windows  of  which  are  arranged  in  couplets.  On  the 
walls  of  the  nave  stone  corbels  are  formed  by  means 
of  angels  holding  shields,  on  which  are  sculptured 
various  "  instruments  of  the  Passion,"  such  as  the 
cross,  the  lance,  the  pillar  to  which  Christ  was  bound, 
the  scourge,  the  robe  of  mockery,  and  the  crown  of 
thorns.  To  these  are  added  some  less  familiar  devices 
— for  instance,  a  representation  of  the  five  sacred 
wounds  of  Christ ;  three  little  squares  symbolizing  the 
dice  with  which  the  soldiers  cast  lots  ;  and  a  cock, 
recalling  the  denial  of  St.  Peter.  A  very  interesting 
device,  frequently  employed  in  mediaeval  times,  is  to 
be  found  in  the  south-west  angle  of  the  south  aisle. 
It  is  sculptured  on  a  stone  shield,  and  represents  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  in  Unity.  In  the  interior  the 
handsomely  and  elaborately  carved  Perpendicular  roof 
of  the  nave,  of  unusually  high  pitch  for  the  style,  is 
very  fine.  The  fine  ancient  carving  and  the  series  of 
stalls,  formerly  with  "  miserere"  seats,  in  the  chancel 
are  remarkable.  The  iron  scroll-work  which  decorates 
the  southern  door  is  now  restored  to  its  original  posi- 
tion in  the  west  doorway.  It  consists  of  two  hinges 
and  a  handle,  8  feet  by  4  feet  10  inches,  covering  the 
door.  The  church  is  said  to  have  been  built  by 
St.  Hugh,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  who  founded  a  Pre- 
bendary Stall,  or  Rectory,  the  first  incumbent  being 
Nicholas  Hyam.  The  church  was  finished  in  1288, 
and  in  that  year  was  consecrated  by  Oliver  Sutton, 
then  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and  a  legend  in  connection 
with  the  carved  eagle  and  the  consecrafion  is  that 
while  the  ceremony  was  proceeding  "  the  Bishop  was 
much  annoyed  by  an  arch  enemy  in  the  form  of  a 
large  bird  hovering  about  him  ;  he  cursed  it,  and  it 
fell  down,  a  broken,  battered  thing." 

The  opening  of  a  museum  of  natural  history  and 
archaeology,  with  schools  of  science  and  art,  took 
place  at  Chester  on  the  9th  of  August.  The  Duke 
of  W^estminster  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  pro- 
ceedings. The  museum  has  been  christened  the 
"  Grosvenor  Museum,"  in  recognition  of  his  Grace's 
generosity  in  heading  the  subscription  list  with 
^4,000,  and  giving  the  greater  part  of  the  land  for 
the  site. 

The  Archbishop  of  York  has  reopened  Hooton 
Pagnell  Church,  which  has  been  restored  at  a  cost  of 
^4,000.  Many  of  the  ancient  Saxon  features  of  the 
church  have  been  carefully  preserved. 

Pannal  Church,  Yorkshire,  has  been  restored. 
This  ancient  edifice  is  known  as  the  "Old  Mother 
Church,"  and  its  vicars  can  be  traced  back  to 
1271. 

The  Rhind  Lectures  at  Edinburgh  in  1S87  will  be 
delivered  by  Mr.  A.  S.  Murray,  Keeper  of  Greek  and 
Roman  Antiquities  in  the  British  Museum,  his  subject 
being  Greek  archeology. 

M.  Thorin  announces  the  publication  of  a  book 
describing  the  excavations  undertaken  at  Myrina, 
during  the  years  18S0  to  1882,  hy  MM.  Edouard 
Pottier,  Salomon  Reinach,  and  A.  Veyries,  on  behalf 
of  the  French  school  at  Athens.  It  will  be  in  two 
volumes,  one  containing  the  text  with  illustrations, 
the  other  fifty-two  plates  and  a  plan.  The  sub- 
scription price  for  the  entire  work  is  100  francs. 


ANTIQ  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


'33 


The  centenary  of  the  publication  of  the  first  edition 
of  the  poems  of  Burns  was  celebrated  on  August  7 
at  Kilmarnock.  The  demonstration  was  attended 
by  30,000  persons.  The  centennial  address  was 
delivered  by  Mr.  Jas.  H.  Stoddart,  LL.D.,  editor  of 
the  Glasgow  Herald.  Having  briefly  alluded  to  the 
importance  and  the  significance  in  our  national  life  of 
the  first  edition  of  Burns's  poems,  Dr.  Stoddart  pro- 
ceeded to  say  that  the  effect  of  the  publication  of 
Burns's  first  volume  of  poems  upon  his  countrymen 
was  that  Scotland  awoke  from  her  long  intellectual 
lethargy.  Burns  spoke  from  a  heart  glowing  with 
the  hottest  passion,  of  love,  of  patriotism,  of  detesta- 
tion of  meanness,  hypocrisy,  and  cant,  to  a  people 
prepared  to  thrill  at  every  word,  at  every  homely  but 
divme  line  of  his  verses.  They  had  a  strong  educative 
influence  upon  the  mind  of  the  peasantry  of  Scotland. 
They  allayed  fanaticism,  and  whatever  harm  some  of 
these  poems  may  have  done,  the  influence  was  in- 
tellectually and  morally  stimulative  and  essentially 
good.  Whatever  their  critics  may  say,  he  thought 
he  might  assert  this  much,  that  the  first  work,  the 
first  hostage  which  a  great  man  gives  to  his  country 
of  the  work  which  is  in  him,  was  as  worthy  of  com- 
memoration as  the  day  of  his  birth  or  the  day  of  his 
death. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  excitement  in  Italy  about 
the  discovery  of  the  site  of  the  ancient  Vetulonia, 
due  to  Dr.  I.  Falchi,  at  Colonna,  in  the  province  of 
Grosseto.  In  particular,  one  tomb  is  on  a  very  large 
scale.  In  it  over  twenty  large  bronze  vases  were 
discovered,  shields,  helmets,  sv.ords  and  lances,  and 
silver  vases,  one  of  them  chiselled.  The  quantity  of 
earthenware  is  immense,  and  altogether  the  amount 
of  remains  of  Etruscan  art  seems  to  be  extra- 
ordinary. 

The  little-known  cabinet  of  Oriental  coins  in  the 
library  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  has  just  been 
catalogued  by  Mr.  Stanley  Lane-Poole.  It  contains 
over  five  hundred  varieties  of  Mohammedan  coins, 
including  specimens  of  the  Eastern  Khalifs,  the  kings 
of  Cordova,  Ceuta,  Murcia,  Toledo,  and  Malaga, 
Almoravides,  Almohades,  and  Sheriffs  of  Morocco, 
Samani  dynasty  of  Samarkand,  Seljuks  of  Iconium, 
Atabegs,  Ayyubis,  and  Mamluks,  Ottoman  Turks, 
Shahs  of  Persia,  and  Moguls  of  India,  of  whom  there 
is  a  fine  set  of  Jehangir's  zodiacal  mohurs.  Mr. 
Lane-Poole's  Catalogue  of  the  Mohammedan  Coins  in 
the  Bodleian  Library  is  also  completed,  and  is  now 
being  printed  at  the  Clarendon  Press. 

The  council  of  the  Archaeological  Institute  of 
America,  to  whom  we  owe  the  archieological  explora- 
tion of  Assos,  in  Asia  Minor,  has  resolved  to  under- 
take a  similar  work  at  some  site  in  Magna  Graccia — 
probably  Tarcntum.  The  expedition  will  again  be  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Joseph  Thacker  Clarke.  Sul)scri])tions 
are  asked  for  to  the  amount  of  2,000  dollars  (^500)  ; 
and  it  is  hoped  to  commence  work  early  in  the 
coming  winter. 

Evidence  of  a  post-glacial  forest  have  been  dis- 
covered on  the  western  outskirts  of  Mull,  about  a  mile 
from  the  Humber  and  one  and  a  half  mile  from  the 
River  Hull.  Workmen  engaged  in  a  brickyard  in  the 
locality  named,  on  cutting  through  the  clean  warp- 
clay  about  twelve  feet,  have  come  across  a  forest-bed 


on  an  irregular  surface  of  the  drift,  on  the  top  of  which 
is  a  greenish  sandy  clay,  with  pebbles  and  stones. 
The  roots  of  the  trees  are  standing  where  they  grew, 
and  from  their  closeness  represent  the  remains  of  a 
dense  forest.  The  forest  bed  is  now  at  the  low  water 
level  of  the  sea.  A  stone  jpplement  has  been  found 
on  the  surface  of  the  drift.' 

The  Blenheim  picture  sale  came  to  a  close  on 
August  13,  when  ^  10,411  was  realized  for  sixty-nine 
pictures.  One  of  them,  a  "Madonna,"  by  Carlo 
Dolci,  brought  no  less  than  6,660  guineas,  this  sum 
having  been  given  by  Mr.  Agnew.  Altogether,  the 
Blenheim  art  treasures  have  realized  upwards  of 
;^35o,ooo. 

Whilst  the  York  Corporation  workmen  were  ex- 
cavating in  Colliergate,  in  connection  with  the  wood 
pavement  that  is  being  laid  down  in  that  thoroughfare, 
they  came  across  two  stone  coffins,  about  a  couple  of 
feet  from  the  surface.  The  particular  spot  where  they 
were  discovered  was  near  Christ  Church  burial  ground, 
which  at  one  time  undoubtedly  extended  across  the 
street.  Mr.  Platnauer,  of  the  Museum,  was  sent  for 
(in  the  absence  from  home  of  the  Rev.  Canon  Raine), 
and  it  was  decided  that  the  coffins  should  be  conveyed 
to  the  Museum.  They  appear  to  be  composed  of  a 
coarse  limestone.  Both  the  coffins  are  very  incom- 
plete, but  the  upper  part  of  one  is  well  preserved.  It 
had  been  hollowed  out  for  the  head  and  shoulders. 

The  Estates  Committee  of  the  York  Corporation 
have  been  considering  (or  some  time  the  desirability 
of  restoring  and  opening  to  the  public  that  portion  of 
the  City  Walls  which  lies  between  Monk  and  Bootham 
Bars  at  the  north-east  side  of  the  city.  Hitherto 
there  have  been  considerable  difficulties  in  the  way. 
But  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  conflicting  interests  will  dis- 
appear, and  all  join  heartily  in  promoting  so  desirable 
an  object  as  the  restoration  of  these  splendid  fortifica- 
tions. 

The  re-opening  of  the  parish  church  of  Wentnor  re- 
cently took  place  upon  the  completion  of  the  work  of 
restoration.  In  the  tower  are  four  very  sweet-toned 
bells,  the  weight  of  which  is  supported  by  four  old  oak 
beams  of  a  massive  size,  and  which  must  have  been  in 
the  building  for  several  centuries.  The  bells  have 
been  in  the  church  about  170  years.  In  the  tower  is 
a  clock  which  is  said  to  be  102  years  old,  constructed 
by  a  local  genius  hailing  from  the  village  of  Rushbury. 
On  the  north  side  we  come  upon  two  very  interesting 
relics  of  Norman  architecture  of  a  very  early  date. 
These  consist  of  an  archway  and  window,  which  have 
at  some  period  been  built  up,  and  on  being  discovered 
were  jealously  watched  by  the  rector,  not  a  coign 
being  allowed  to  be  removed.  The  roof  was  plastered, 
but  upon  being  stripped  of  its  covering  it  was  found 
that  it  was  of  richly-carved  oak,  and  this  has  been  re- 
stored, much  of  the  old  material  l^eing  utilised  in  the 
work.  The  scats  in  the  body  of  the  church  are  of 
oak,  and  the  choir-stalls  in  the  chancel  of  carved  oak. 
The  reredos  is  of  mosaic  work  in  a  frame  of  alabaster. 
The  pulpit,  a  very  handsome  one,  is  of  carved  oak, 
and  is  of  the  date  of  James  I.  The  font  is  a  very 
handsome  one,  carved  to  represent  flowing  water. 

The  work  of  restoring  the  ancient  and  very  interest- 
ing parish  church  of  Tansor  has  now  commenced,  and 


134 


ANTIQ  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


the  building,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  county 
and  diocese,  is  now  in  a  state  of  ruin,  being  roofless 
and  floorless.  Some  parts  of  the  old  church  are  con- 
temporaneous with  the  Norman  work  of  Peterborough 
Cathedral,  and  the  material  with  which  those  parts  are 
built  is  the  same,  viz.,  the  Barnack  Rag.  A  portion 
of  the  church  is  distinctly  Norman,  and  the  other  por- 
tions are  equally  distinctly  Early  English.  The  work 
of  restoration  has  not  been  commenced  an  hour  before 
it  was  urgently  needed.  The  building  has  for  some 
time  been  totally  unfit  for  Divine  service.  The  open 
oak  roof,  which  was  decayed  beyond  all  hope  of  mend- 
ing, was  first  taken  down.  The  uneven  flooring  was 
then  removed,  and  the  old  tombstones,  which  did  not, 
apparently,  cover  tombs,  have  been  taken  care  of  and 
will  be  re-laid  in  their  old  places  as  far  as  possible. 
Then  the  west  portion  of  the  north  aisle  wall  was 
taken  down  ;  and  that  is  how  the  church  stands  at 
present.  The  south  porch  will  also  have  to  come 
down,  as  well  as  the  roofs  of  both  aisles,  for  they  are 
hopelessly  beyond  repairing.  There  were  only  two 
mural  inscriptions  on  the  walls,  one  on  the  north  aisle 
and  the  other  on  the  west  end  wall  of  the  south  aisle. 
A  remarkable  peculiarity  in  the  church  is  that  the 
floor  is  not  horizontal,  but  rises  by  an  inclined  plane 
from  the  west  end  to  the  altar.  When  the  pavement 
is  re-laid  this  will  not  be  altered,  but  the  floor  of  the 
restored  church  will  also  have  the  same  peculiarity. 
There  is  also  a  stone  seat  running  for  almost  the  entire 
length  of  the  north  aisle  attached  to  the  wall.  This 
also  will  not  be  removed,  but  will  be  repaired  where 
it  is  necessary.  In  several  parts  of  the  church  there 
are  portions  of  modern  colouring,  which  possess  no 
artistic  merit  whatever.  But  under  several  coats  of 
whitewash  on  the  north  aisle  wall  there  are  evidences 
towards  the  east  end  of  better  and  apparently  older 
colouring,  but  it  is  too  indistinct  and  partial  for  any 
judgment  to  be  formed  upon  it.  On  the  first  column 
of  the  north  aisle  there  is  a  portion  of  an  apparently 
old  piece  of  pigment.  The  form  of  a  bishop  in 
canonical  robes  and  with  a  pastoral  staff  is  clearly  dis- 
cernible. In  the  chancel,  which  needs  restoration, 
the  floor  remains  in  the  uneven  state  which  cha- 
racterized the  rest  of  the  church.  Within  the  sanctuary 
there  is  a  very  dilapidated  oak  table,  which  has  done 
duty  for  a  communion  table,  and  an  old  and  interest- 
ing oak  seat,  which  is  more  dilapidated  than  the  table. 
A  piscina  and  credence  remain  in  the  south  wall,  and 
the  aumbry  cavity,  without  the  door,  in  the  north 
wall.  There  is  also  above  the  aumbry  an  interesting 
pre-reformation  brass  figure,  with  an  inscription,  in 
memory  of  a  former  rector,  the  legend  concluding 
with  the  words:  "  Cujus  animam  propicietur  Deus. 
Amen."  Above  it  is  a  brass  inscription  of  modern 
date,  1858.  The  pavement  both  of  the  sanctuary 
and  the  rest  of  the  chancel  consists  of  tombstones, 
one  of  which  bears  the  evidence  of  having  once  been 
ornamented  with  brasses.  The  dates  on  the  other 
inscriptions  are  1734,  1745,  1757,  1765,  1773,  1782, 
and  1791.  They  chiefly  record  the  deaths  of  rectors 
of  these  times  and  their  wives. 


Cotrespontience. 


.ST.  NICHOLAS  CHURCH,  IPSWICH. 

I  herewith  forward  three  photographs  of  some  old 
stones  in  St.  Nicholas  Church  in  this  town,  which  are 
now  attracting  a  considerable  amount  of  interest  and 
discussion,  attention  being  drawn  to  them  in  con- 
sequence of  some  restorations  going  on  there.  In 
order  to  protect  them,  they  were  built  into  the  inner 
side  of  the  north  wall.  The  vicar  tells  me  the  round 
stone  has  at  the  back  of  it  a  cross  and  two  words  in 
Latin  and  Greek,  and  this  he  thinks  fixes  the  date  of 
about  the  thirteenth  or  fourteenth  century.  It  is  said 
this  stone  was  over  a  doorway  in  an  ancient  church 
of  All  Saints,  which  stood  on  the  same  spot.  The 
stone  in  three  pieces  was  found  so  under  the  seat  in 
one  of  the  south  windows.  I  also  send  you  photo- 
graphs of  old  boots,  spurs,  helmet  or  hat,  and  stirrups 
belonging  to  Cromwell's  Ironsides.  These  were 
found  in  an  old  house  in  Clerkenwell  between  the 
ceiling  and  roof,  and  are  now  in  the  possession  of  C. 
Tollemache  Scott,  Esq.,  Boswell  Park.  The  old  gun 
is  about  the  same  date — I  believe  formed  part  of  the 
Ironsides  armour.  The  weight  of  the  gun  is,  I 
believe,  76  lb.  ;  that  of  the  boots,  etc.,  about  i  cwt. 
I  intended  sending  these  to  my  late  friend  Llewellynn 
Jewitt,  but  regret  to  say  I  was  too  late.  I  thought 
they  would  interest  you,  and  if  you  can  throw  any 
light  on  the  old  stones  especially,  I  shall  be  de- 
lighted. 

W.   ViCK. 
[We  are  greatly  indebted  to  our  kind  correspondent 

for  the  very  fine  photographs.] 


REVIVAL  OF  IRISH  SECESSION ;  OR, 
UNIONISM,  OLD  AND  NEW. 
Few  persons  who  interest  themselves  in  political 
questions  can  be  ignorant  that  the  demand  of  a  separate 
Constitution  for  Ireland  is  a  very  old  one  and  a  very 
oft-repeated  one.  We  are  just  now  on  the  very  lines 
of  a  controversy  which  was  proceeding  between  the 
advocates  and  opponents  of  separation  nearly  two 
centuries  since.  In  1695,  William  Molyneux  published 
Ireland's  Case  Briefly  Stated,  in  which  he  advances 
the  claim  of  the  Irish  to  an  independent  political 
system;  and  in  1698  appeared  an  octavo  volume  of 
171  pages,  without  any  author's  name,  to  refute 
Molyneux,  and  vindicate  the  necessity  for  preserving 
the  Empire  intact.  This,  with  what  is  going  on  now, 
forms  a  curious  little  piece  of  repeated  history.  The 
antagonist  of  Molyneux  enters  most  elaborately  and 
thoroughly  into  the  subject,  and  takes  the  position  of 
Ireland  in  its  relationship  to  Great  Britain  from  the 
earliest  period.  His  book  carries  a  title  which  has 
in  it  quite  a  contemporary  ring :  An  Answer  to  Mr. 
Molyneux,  His  Case  of  Ireland's  being  bound  by  Act 
of  Parliament  in  England,  Stated:  and  His 
Dangerous  Notion  of  Ireland's  being  under  no 
Subordination  to  the  Parliamentary  Authority  of 
England  Refuted.  If  for  Molyneux  we  read 
Gladstone,  the  pages  seem  almost  to  acquire  a 
current  application  and  significance. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


135 


To  students  of  this  crucial  question,  I  would  par- 
ticularly recommend  Bishop  French's  Narrative  of 
the  Rarl  of  Clarendon! s  Settlement  and  Sale  of 
Ireland,  1668,  Borlase's  History  of  the  Execrable 
Irish  Rebellion,  Trac'd  from  many  preceding  Acts  to 
the  Grand  Eruption,  the  2^rd  of  October,  1641,  folio, 
1680,  in  which  he  gives  the  total  cost  to  England 
of  the  War,  and  The  State  of  the  Papist ^  and 
Protestant  Proprietors  in  the  Kingdom  of  Ireland  in 
the  year  164 1,  ami  how  disposed  in  1653,  when  the 
War  ami  Rebellion  was  declared  at  an  end,  1689. 

W.  Carew  Hazlitt. 

Barnes  Common,  Surrey, 
July  30,  1886. 


WROTH  SILVER. 

At  Knightlow  Hill,  in  the  County  of  Warwick,  a 
quaint  ceremony  takes  place  annually  on  the  eve  of 
St.  Martin  (before  sun-rising,  nth  Noveml^er)  in  con- 
nection with  the  payment  of  "  Wroth  Money,"  or 
"Wroth  Silver,"  to  the  Du]|e  of  Buccleuch,  as  lord 
of  the  manor  of  the  Hundred  of  Knightlow.  This 
ceremony  can  be  traced  back  nearly  a  thousand  years. 
Can  any  readers  of  the  Antiquary  give  any  informa- 
tion on  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  IVroth  Silver,"  or 
about  the  origin  of  such  payments  ? 

R.  T.  Simpson. 

Rugby, 

August,  1886. 


UNDERGROUND  SOUTHAMPTON. 
[Ante,  p.  53.] 

The  writer  of  the  article  on  ^'  Underground  South- 
ampton "  is  in  error  in  stating  that  the  vault  in  the 
occupation  of  Messrs.  Gayton  is  under  St.  Michael's 
Schools.  The  exact  position  is  in  Simnel  Street, 
under  a  lodging-house.  Your  readers  will  find  a  very 
good  illustration  of  this  vault  in  a  small  pamphlet, 
published  by  Messrs.  Paul  Brothers,  High  Street — 
Description  of  Two  Remarkable  Ancient  Buildings  in 
Southampton. 

W.    LOVELL. 

Cambridge. 


GAVELKIND  IN  WALES. 
{Ante,  p.  76.) 

I  notice  in  your  review  of  Bygones  (August  number 
of  the  Antiquary)  that  you  refer  to  a  statement  made 
by  Mr.  Elton  in  his  Tenures  of  Kent  to  the  effect  that 
the  custom  of  gavelkind  did  not  exist  in  Wales.  I  do 
not  know  in  what  connection  this  statement  is  made, 
but  I  should  like  to  say  : — 

1st.  That  the  custom  of  equally  dividing  the  pro- 
perty of  the  deceased  among  the  sons  of  the  latter  was 
formerly  universal  in  Wales,  and  still  remained  so, 
local  customs  excepted,  until  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
or  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

2nd.  That  this  custom,  when  spoken  of  in  English, 
within  the  districts,  and  during  the  period  in  which  it 
prevailed,  was  called  the  custom  of  "Gavelkind." 
This  is  also  the  name  by  which  it  is  described  in  the 
Act  abolishing  it  in  this  district.  (See  the  Appendix 
to  my  Ancient  Tenures  of  Land  in  the  Marches  of 
North  Wales.) 

There  will  be  no  difficulty  in  j^roving  the  two  asser- 
tions just  made,  so  far  as  this  side  of  Wales,  at  any 
rate,  is  concerned. 

Ai.KREu  Neobard  Palmer. 

Wrexham. 

[We  are  always  glad  to  hear  from  our  learned  cor- 
respondent. Gavelkind  is  something  more  than 
ccjual  division  of  property  ;  that  is  only  one  of  its 
features,     d.  Elton's  Tenures  of  Kent, — Ed.] 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES :  CARLISLE. 
{Ante,  p.  20.) 

It  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  find  my  suggestion 
taken  up  by  so  high  an  authority  on  municipal 
antiquities  as  Mr.  Ferguson,  and  to  know  that  it  has 
led  to  his  instructive  paper  on  the  "  Municipal  Offices 
of  Carlisle."  It  is  specially  desirable  that  the  towns 
treated  of  should  represent,  as  far  as  possible,  distinct 
types,  and  this  is  eminently  the  case  with  Colchester 
and  Carlisle. 

An  office  on  which,  I  gather,  the  case  of  Carlisle  is 
specially  likely  to  throw  light  is  that  of  the  Bailiff  or 
Bailiffs.  I  would  urge  that  search  should  be  made 
for  some  further  evidence  on  the  origin,  at  Carlisle,  of 
this  office.  The  relation  in  which  it  stood  to  the 
Shrievalty  is  a  point  on  which,  in  my  opinion,  there 
is  much,  we  shall  find,  to  learn.  Mr.  Ferguson  seems 
inclined  to  hold  that  the  BaiUffs  were  "not"  (at 
Carlisle)  "  the  predecessors  of  the  Mayor,  as  at 
Colchester."  I  venture  to  think,  however,  that  the 
presumption  is  in  favour  of  their  having  been  so,  but 
this  is  a  point  which  can  only  be  decided  when,  and 
if,  some  definite  evidence  bearing  on  the  question  is 
discovered. 

P.S. — Since  the  above  was  in  type  I  have  noted  an 
important  piece  of  evidence,  which  appears  to  support 
my  conjecture,  and  which  Mr.  Ferguson  would  seem 
to  have  overlooked.  This  is  a  writ  {Breve  Ponetagii), 
directed  to  the  Ballivi  et  probi  homines  of  Carlisle, 
apparently  a  few  years  after  the  Writ  of  "Quo 
warranto,"  quoted  by  him,  which  was  directed  to  the 
Major  et  communitas.  I  hope  Mr.  Ferguson's  special 
local  knowledge  may  enable  him  to  produce  some 
further  evidence  on  this  interesting  and  important 
point. 

I  would  also  take  the  opportunity  of  correcting  an 
obvious  erratum  in  Mr.  Ferguson's  Paper,  as  the  slip 
is  .an  unfortuniite  one  (p.  2\a). 


FOR 
"The  charter  of  Ed- 
ward HI.  grants  to  the 
"  Mayor  and  within  the  said 
city  ...  to  do  and  exercise 
,^ll  things  which  belong  to  the 
office  of  sheriff  in  the  city  afore- 
said." 

Brighton. 


READ 

"The  charter  of   Ed- 
ward HI.  grants  to  the 
"Citizens      ('cives      civitatis 
nostre  Karliol '}  ...  to  do  and 
exercise,  etc.,  etc." 

J.    II.    ROU.ND. 


136 


THE  ANTIQUARY  EXCHANGE. 


Cfte  ^ntiquarp  Crcfiange* 

Enclose  ^d.for  the  First  12  Words,  and  id.  for  each 
Additional  Three  Words.  All  replies  to  a  number 
should  be  enclosed  in  a  blank  envelope,  with  a  loose 
Stamp,  and  sent  to  the  Manager. 

Note. — All  Advertisements  to  reach  the  office  by 
the  l$th  of  the  month,  and  to  be  addressed — The 
Manager,  Exciiangk  Department,  The  Anti- 
quary Office,  62,  Taternoster  Row,  Londox, 
E.C. 


For  Sale. 

Quaint  Gleanings  from  Ancient  Poetry,  a  collection 
of  curious  poetical  compositions  of  the  l6th,  17th, 
and  i8th  centuries;  large  paper,  only  75  copies 
printed,  1884,  6s.  Kempe's  Nine  Daies  Wonder 
performed  in  a  Journey  from  London  to  Norwich, 
1600  ;  large  paper,  only  75  printed,  1S84,  6s.  Cottoni 
Posthuma,  divers  choice  pieces  of  that  renowned 
antiquary.  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  by  J.  H.,  Esq.,  1679  ; 
large  paper,  2  vols.,  75  copies  only  printed,  1884,  16^. 
Ancient  Popular  Poetry  from  authentic  manuscripts 
and  old  printed  copies,  edited  by  John  Ritson ; 
adorned  with  cuts,  2  vols.,  1884;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  14J.  Hermippus  Redivivus; 
or,  the  Sage's  Triumph  over  Old  Age  and  the  Grave; 
London,  1744,  3  vols.;  large  paper  edition,  only  75 
copies  printed,  1885,  £1  is,  Lucina  Sine  Concubitu, 
a  letter  humbly  addressed  to  the  Royal  Society,  1750  ; 
large  paper  edition,  only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  lOj. 
Narrative  of  the  Events  of  the  Siege  of  Lyons,  trans- 
lated from  the  French,  1794;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  6^.  :  or  offers  for  the  lot. 
— 301,  care  of  Manager. 

Copies  of  222  Marriage  Registers  from  the  parish 
book  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Whittlesey,  in  the  Isle 
of  Ely  and  County  of  Cambridge,  1662-72;  1880, 
10  pp.,  IS.  6d.  A  copy  of  the  Names  of  all  the 
Marriages,  Baptisms,  and  Burials  which  have  been 
solemnized  in  the  private  chapel  of  Somerset  House, 
Strand,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  extending  from 
1714  to  1776,  with  an  index  and  copious  genealogical 
notes  ;  36  pp.  and  wrapper,  1862,  2s.  6d. — 119,  care  of 
Manager. 

Antiques — Cromwell  (eight-legged,  ornamented) 
Sutherland  Table,  £1  $s.  Oak  Stool  to  match,  los,  6d. 
Fine  Old  Bureaus,  Oak  and  Mahogany,  £2  los.  to 
£6,  each. — Shaw,  Writtle,  Essex. 

Heroines  of  Shakspeare,  48  plates,  letterpress,  etc., 
published  at  3IJ-.  6d.,  for  I5,<-.  (new).  Jewitt's Stately 
Homes  of  England,  2  vols.,  published  at  31^-.  6d.,  for 
I'js.  6d.  (new). — 119,  care  of  Manager. 

For  Sale,  separately  or  in  one  lot,  Rapiers,  Cross- 
bows, Spears,  Stirrups,  Mats,  etc.  (worked  by  natives 
of  New  Zealand),  Fishing  Lines,  Shells,  Assegais, 
Zulu  Shields,  and  other  articles  suitable  for  a  collector 
or  museum. — Particulars  from  O.  B.,  Carolgate, 
Retford. 

Old  Oak  for  Disposal :  Carved  Chest,  Carved 
Cupboard,  Chest  of  Drawers,  Small  Table,  Stool. 
Sketches. — Dick,  Carolgate,  Retford. 


Edmondson's  Heraldry,  1780.  Fine  copy,  £i  los. 
Nisbet's  Heraldry,  1722-42,  £2  los.  A  few  other 
heraldic  works.— C.  S.  Bell,  Chesterton  Road,  Cam- 
bridge. 

Albertanus  de  Doctrina  Loquendi  et  Tacendi. 
Printed  at  Antwerp  by  Leev,  1484.  Highest  cash 
offer. — Dick,  Carolgate,  Retford. 

A  Lot  of  Armorial  Book-plates  for  .Sale  or  Exchange. 
— Address,  Edward  Massey,  84,  Patrick  Street,  Cork. 

Ancient  London.  Unique  and  Rare  Collection  of 
600  Engravings,  Prints,  Charters,  Facsimiles,  etc. 
Lot  for  los.,  worth  £S-—Gxi&i\i,  15,  Dighton  Road, 
Wandsworth,  Surrey. 

Several  Old  Poesy,  Mourning  and  Curious  Rings 
for  .Sale. — 306,  Care  of  Manager. 

To  Collectors. — Large  Assortment  of  Old  London 
Views,  County  Views,  and  Maps.  Catalogue  of 
Books,  etc.,  on  application. — R.  Ellington,  15, 
Fitzroy  Street,  W. 

Topographical  Prints  of  Ancient  Buildings  in 
England,  Scotland,  and  Wales.  Collection  of  540. 
Scarce.  Lot  for  los. — Griffith,  15,  Dighton  Road, 
Wandsworth. 

Speed's  County  Maps— 83  English  and  Foreign 
Maps,  with  Views  of  Towns,  Costume,  Heraldry,  etc., 
boards  loose,  price  35^.,  date  1610. — 307,  care  of 
Manager. 

Monumental  Brass  Rubbings,  from  is.  6d. — List, 
apply  Sparvel  Bayly,  Ilford,  Essex. 

The  Manager  'wishes  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact 
that  he  cannot  undertake  to  fonvard  I'OST  CARPS. 
or  leltei's,  unless  a  stamp  be  sent  to  cover  postage  oj 
same  to  advertiser. 

Wanted  to  Purchase. 

Dorsetshire  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens,  Also 
Topographical  Works,  Cuttings  or  .Scraps  connected 
with  the  county.— J.  S.  Udal,  the  Manor  House, 
Symondsbury,  Bridport. 

Cobbett's  Political  Register,  vols.  25,  30,  66,  'j'j, 
79,  84,  85  ;  Beddoe's  Death's  Jest  Book  and  Im- 
provisatore  ;  Pike's  Ramble-Book,  1865  ;  Courthell's 
Ten  Years'  Experience  on  the  Mississippi ;  Hazlitt's 
History  of  Venice,  4  volumes  ;  Dr.  W.  Morris's  The 
Question  of  Ages. — M.,  care  of  Manager. 

Henry  Warren's  Lithographic  Illustrations  of  the 
River  Ravensbourne,  near  Lewisham,  Kent.  Folio, 
6  or  7  plates.  (No  date  is  believed  to  be  on  the  book.) 
Thorpe  (John)  A  Collection  of  Statutes  relating  to 
Rochester  Bridge.  Folio,  1733. — Thanet,  care  of 
Manager. 

Portraits  of  Eminent  Americans  Now  Living,  with 
Biographical  and  Historical  Memoirs  of  their  Lives 
and  Actions,  by  John  Livingston,  of  the  New  York 
Bar,  in  2  vols.  New  York,  Cornish,  Lamport  and 
Co. — P.,  care  of  Manager. 

Cooper's  Rambles  on  Rivers,  Woods,  and  Streams  ; 
Lupot  on  the  Violin  (English  Translation).  S.,  care 
of  Manager. 

Views,  Maps,  Pottery,  Coins,  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury Tokens  of  the  Town  and  County  of  Nottingham- 
shire.— J.  Toplis,  Arthur  Street,  Nottingham. 

Three-legged  Chair  (Antique). — W.  Phillimore, 
124,  Chancery  Lane,  W.C. 


ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE.  137 


The   Antiquary. 


OCTOBER,  1886. 


©n  t6e  ^cantimatiian  aBlements 
in  tj)e  €nglisb  Hace» 

Part  IV. 
HE  hall  of  a  Scandinavian  chieftain 
was  generally  built  of  wood,  stone 
being  very  rarely  employed.  It 
was  oblong  in  form,  and  was  fur- 
nished with  two  doors,  one  at  each  extremity. 
The  walls  were  of  rough  pieces  of  wood,  laid 
in  some  rare  instances  on  a  lower  course  of 
rough  unhewn  stone ;  but  more  generally  they 
were  built — as  the  log  cabin  of  the  Russian 
peasant  is  now  constructed — of  huge  trees, 
felled  and  fastened  together  at  the  four 
corners  by  a  kind  of  mortice-work,  the  inter- 
stices between  each  successive  log,  or  trunk 
of  the  tree,  being  filled  up  with  tow,  similar 
to  the  caulking  on  board  ship.  The  pent- 
house roof  was  invariably  of  wood,  covered 
with  thatch  or  shingles.  Windows  were  few 
or  none.  The  richer  sort  ornamented  the 
walls  with  finely-executed  tapestry,  to  weave 
and  embroider  which  seems  to  have  been  the 
great  accomplishment  of  all  Scandinavian 
ladies.  These  tapestries  represented  the 
deeds  of  the  gods  of  Walhalla,  and  were  often 
of  great  value.  In  the  centre  of  the  hall  was 
a  hearthstone,  on  which  an  immense  fire  was 
lighted ;  the  smoke  rose  up  and  escaped 
through  a  simple  aperture  left  for  that  pur- 
pose in  the  roof.  Of  course  the  rafters  and 
beams  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this  aperture 
were  dismally  black  with  soot,  hence  the 
saying  among  the  Vikings,  "Alt  drickar  under 
sotad  as,"  *'  To  drink  beneath  a  sooted  roof," 
equivalent  to  our  saying,  "To  sit  at  one's 
own  fireside." 

The  entrance  to  the  hall  at  one  end,  and 
the  exit  at  the  other,  were  generally  open  and 

VOL.    XIV, 


free  to  all-comers  at  the  period  of  mid-winter, 
when  Odin  was  worshipped  under  his  name 
of  J  oik,  or  Jolg  (pronounced  Yoolk,  or 
Yoolg),  which  has  descended  to  us  as  Yule ; 
while  the  Russians,  wl^  derive  many  of 
their  customs  from  their  Scandinavian  rulers, 
call  the  Christmas-tree  "elka,"  pronounced 
"yolka,"  from  the  same  name. 

Along  the  sides  of  the  hall  were  the  benches, 
or  "  mead-saettles,"  where  the  warriors  sat 
and  quaffed  foaming  mead  to  the  health  of 
the  gods  they  served  so  well,  and  of  whose 
exploits  the  tapestries  around  them  were 
vividly  illustrative.  Behind  the  seat  of  each 
were  his  arms  and  armour,  grouped  into  the 
most  ornamental  forms  by  the  taste  of  the 
damsels  whose  duty  it  was  to  fill  out  the 
mead  as  the  horns  were  emptied.  Such  an 
attendant,  suggested  by  the  Valkyria  of  Val- 
halla, has  been  described  when  seen  standing 
behind  the  stern,  war-beaten  Viking,  intent 
upon  his  fearful  supper  of  sweet  beer  and. 
pork,  as  "  a  spring  sun  behind  a  storm- 
cloud  ;"  a  simile  the  more  apt  when  we  re- 
member that  the  sun  is  feminine  in  all  the 
Scandinavian  dialects. 

In  the  centre  of  the  hall  two  cumbrous 
pillars,  called  "  roof-trees,"  supported  the 
roof,  and  were  carved  into  a  rude  sem- 
blance of  Thor  and  Odin  respectively.  In 
the  centre  of  one  of  the  longest  walls  was 
the  high-bank,  subsequently  called  in  England 
the  dais,  on  which  the  earl,  chief,  or  king  sate 
with  his  queeji  (from  Kona,  or  Quinna,  the 
most  respectful  term  for  woman)  and  the 
guests  he  delighted  to  honour.  Opposite 
were  the  inferior  warriors  and  servants, 
toning  down  in  fine  gradation  to  the  humble 
tiller  of  the  soil,  who  was  occasionally 
present,  though  being  held  in  contempt  he 
preferred  such  comfort  as  his  own  rude 
hut  afforded  to  the  boisterous  jollity  of  life 
at  the  hall.  Such  persons  had  their  stations 
close  to  the  door,  and  helped  to  keep 
out  the  cold.  From  these  customs  many  of 
those  of  the  feudal  ages  were  the  direct 
descendants,  and  remained,  in  fact,  as  un- 
changed by  time  and  Christianity  as  the  very 
mail  the  warriors  wore. 

The  central  fire  was  the  scene  of  constant 
activity.  A  huge  caldron,  supported  by  a 
chain,  suspended  from  a  stout  iron  bar  high 
above,  athwart  the  aperture  for  the  passage  of 

L 


13S  ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE, 


the  smoke,  contained  a  savoury  mess  of  boiled 
flesh  of  the  boar,  the  bear,  and  occasionally 
of  the  goat.  The  black-cock  and  other  game 
birds  were  roasted  on  spits  or  on  javelins, 
and  served  round  to  the  guests  to  partake  of. 
On  certain  grand  and  stately  occasions  the 
queen  would  admit  aspirants  to  the  honour 
of  joining  her  husband's  household  by  step- 
ping down  from  the  "  high-bank "  with  a 
horn  of  mead  or  wine,  according  to  the  rank 
of  the  recipient,  who  was  made  to  stand 
opposite  her,  the  roaring  fire  between  them. 
Then  she  called  him  by  name,  prompted  by 
the  elder  of  the  host — Heer-aldor  (herald) 
— and  solemnly  reached  him  the  mighty 
draught  over  the  flames  ;  and  he,  bending  for- 
ward to  spare  her  the  danger  and  inconve- 
nience attendant  on  the  ceremony,  received 
the  horn,  which  he  had  to  drain  to  the  gods 
sculptured  on  the  roof-trees,  to  her  and  to 
her  lord.  Then  he  passed  his  ring-hewer,  or 
battle-sword,  to  her ;  and  if  it  were  too  weighty 
for  her  gentle  fingers,  the  herald  assisted  her 
in  the  duty.  Then  the  newly-received  cham- 
pion sprang  through  the  flames  to  be  wel- 
comed by  her  as  one  of  the  band.  The 
sword  was  returned  to  him  with  a  new  mean- 
ing attached  to  it,  having  become  devoted  to 
the  service  of  the  chieftain,  jarl  (pronounced 
yarl),  or  king,  by  this  singular  solemnity.  A 
gold  ring  was  placed  on  his  arm  by  the  lord 
of  the  mansion,  and  bread  was  given  by  the 
dispenser  of  bread,  the  crown  of  the  home- 
stead, the  lady  (loaf-giver — hlaf  dige)  herself. 
After  thus  solemnly  partaking  of  bread  and 
wine  the  newly-appointed  raemberof  the  house- 
hold sat,  for  that  evening,  on  the  high-bank, 
until  his  own  place  could  be  arranged  by  the 
maidens,  to  whose  taste  in  decoration  the  task 
of  producing  a  pleasing  group  of  his  arms  and 
armour  was  entrusted,  though  the  Sagaman 
adds  that  weapons,  however  placed  together, 
always  form  lovely  groups  to  the  warrior's 
eye.  This  fact  of  the  capacity  of  arms  to 
form  artistic  groups  was  pointed  out  to  me 
by  one  of  H.M.  storekeepers  at  the  Tower 
many  years  ago,  when  assisting  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  some  armour  there.  I  may  add 
that  this  gentleman  had  never  heard  of  the 
Scandinavian  dictum,  nor,  at  that  time,  had  I. 
On  each  side  of  the  dais  were  doors,  con- 
cealed generally  by  the  arras,  leading  to  the 
chambers  of  the  women,  who,  at  a  certain 


period  in  the  feast,  withdrew,  leaving  the 
champions  to  circulate  the  horn  without  their 
aid.  The  scald  awoke  his  harp,  and  lays 
referring  to  the  deeds  of  the  gods,  or  to  those 
of  the  family  of  the  chief,  resounded.  The 
god  who  presided  over  historic  poetry  was 
"Erage;"  and  on  relating  his  own  brave  deeds, 
or  those  of  his  immediate  ancestors,  the 
Viking  invoked  this  deity — hence  the  expres- 
sion, '  to  brag^  of  one's  own  achievements. 
On  such  occasions,  when  two  powerful 
boasters  or  disciples  of  "  Brag "  differed  in 
opinion,  such  difference  was  frequently  settled 
by  an  appeal  to  the  sword.  Not  in  the  hall — 
that  was  impossible — but  on  some  neighbour- 
ing island,  chosen  on  account  of  the  sup- 
posed impossibility  of  magic  being  exercised 
on  a  spot  surrounded  by  water.  Such  a 
duel  was  called  the  Holmg^ng,  or  visit  to  the 
island.  Here  occasionally  the  shield-bearer, 
as  the  second  was  called,  would  take  up  the 
quarrel  after  the  death  of  the  principal,  and 
either  avenge  his  fall  or  share  his  fate. 

When  the  lord  of  the  domain  was  absent, 
as  was  generally  the  case  in  summer,  for 
then  he  was  either  hunting  the  orochs,  the 
elk,  the  bear,  chasing  various  birds  by  means 
of  his  well-trained  falcon,  or  making  war 
upon  his  fellow-man  —  the  lady,  with  her 
maidens,  would  be  engaged  in  embroidery. 
One  of  the  number  vrould  recount  the  deeds 
of  the  heroes  of  old ;  sometimes  an  ancient 
scald  was  admitted  to  this  sanctum ;  and 
again,  at  other  times,  the  lady  of  the  hall 
vrould  take  the  initiative,  and  either  "spin 
yarns  "  about  her  own  family  and  connections, 
or  give  her  maidens  practical  lessons  in  em- 
broidery, spinning,  leech-craft,  and  other  such 
ladylike  amusements.  The  "  higher  educa- 
tion of  women  "  had  taken  rapid  strides  in 
those  early  times,  before  the  English  came  to 
England,  and  woman  was  the  guide  and 
directress  of  much  that  has  fallen  out  of  her 
hands  in  these  degenerate  days.  There  can 
be  little  doubt  that  as  priestess,  prophetess, 
and  doctress,  woman  was  far  superior  to  her 
male  competitors,  while  the  homes  of  the 
great  lords  formed  regular  training  schools  in 
these  arts.  Constant  dwelling  on  the  poetical 
myths  of  Valhalla  produced  in  the  female 
mind  a  holy  faith  which,  being  peculiarly 
real  in  woman,  renders  her  a  most  efficient 
priest,  because  women  are  more  in  earnest  on 


ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE.  139 


these  points  than  men  are.  When  urged  by 
overstrung  conviction  into  enthusiasm,  woman 
became,  by  a  natural  transition,  the  inspired 
seeress,  and  obtained  a  power  over  the 
fierce  natures  around  her  only  to  be  under- 
stood by  those  who  have  seen  the  deference 
paid  by  a  brutal  rough  (who  would  laugh  at 
any  sufferings  inflicted  on  a  parson)  to  a 
Sister  of  Mercy. 

The  chaste  lives  of  the  Scandinavian 
women  is  proverbial,  and  yet  the  power  of 
divorce  lay  with  them.  A  woman  had  but  to 
tell  an  assembly  that  her  husband  was  a 
nithing,  or  a  nithering,  and  that  she  solemnly 
threw  him  off  from  that  day,  and  the  divorce 
was  complete,  the  unlucky  husband  having  to 
return  her  dower.  It  must  be  admitted  that 
this  right  on  the  part  of  the  lady  was  seldom 
exercised  ;  but  when  it  was,  it  appears  to  have 
been  worse  for  the  husband  than  for  her,  as 
he  could  rarely  find  a  second  mate,  while 
she  had  no  difficulty  in  replacing  the  rejected 
one. 

Although  early  marriages  were  strictly 
forbidden  by  the  Scandinavian  code,  when 
a  man  arrived  at  full  maturity,  when 
the  eagle-wings  on  his  helmet  showed 
him  to  be  no  longer  a  boy,  then  it  seems 
as  though  he  were  permitted  to  indemnify 
himself,  as  it  were,  for  waiting  so  long,  by 
adding  to  the  legitimate  lady  of  the  house  a 
recognised  concubine,  who  was  perfectly  well 
received  by  the  actual  wife.  Some  of  the 
richer  nobles  were  allowed  even  to  have  two 
lawfully  married  wives  ;. though  this  was  done, 
as  Tacitus  says,  rather  for  the  eclat  of  the 
thing  than  from  any  very  special  desire  to 
possess  a  plurality  of  wives.  He  tells  us  that 
the  Germans  (including,  of  course,  the  Scan- 
dinavians) were  for  the  most  part  content 
with  one  wife,  Exceptis  admodum  panels,  qici 
non  llbldlne,  sed  ob  nobllltatem  plurlinis  nuptlis 
ambluntur.  Christianity  had  great  difficulty 
in  contending  with  this  custom,  which  pre- 
vailed in  the  north  as  late  as  the  tenth  cen- 
tury. Bearing  this  in  mind,  we  shall  not  be 
so  struck  in  reading  the  general  anecdotal 
histories  of  England,  when  we  find  that  kings 
and  great  men,  especially  of  the  Norman 
slock,  were  prone  to  the  custom  of  concu- 
binage. 

The  marriage  festival  was  a  very  grand 
occasion.     The  consent  of  the  bride  being 


obtained,  that  of  the  parents  or  guardians  had 
to  be  sought,  and  this  in  the  most  public 
way.  Refusal  was  considered  as  an  insult,  to 
be  wiped  out  with  bloq^i  alone;  but  when 
consent  was  given,  and  the  day  appointed, 
the  bridegroom  assembled  his  friends  and 
relations,  of  whom  a  party  was  told  off  to 
fetch  the  bride  and  her  portion  from  her 
father.  The  friends  were  answerable  for 
their  trust,  and  if  they  abused  it  they  were 
compelled  to  pay  three  times  the  amount  of 
the  sum  they  would  have  had  to  pay  for 
murder.  The  father  and  guardians  of  the 
bride  attended  her  to  her  husband's  house, 
and  solemnly  gave  her  over  to  his  care.  After 
this  the  newly-married  pair  sat  down  to  table 
with  their  guests,  who  drank  their  healths 
together  with  those  of  the  gods  and  heroes. 
The  friends  of  the  bride  then  took  her  up  on 
their  shoulders  and  carried  her  round  the 
house — to  be  borne  on  men's  shoulders  being 
a  great  mark  of  respect  among  the  Scandi- 
navians. Her  father  then  bore  her  to  the 
nuptial  couch,  the  whole  scene  being  illu- 
minated by  innumerable  lights.  On  the 
following  day  the  husband  made  the  wife 
certain  mystic  presents,  among  which  were  a 
pair  of  oxen  for  a  plough,  a  horse  fully  capari- 
soned for  war,  a  shield,  a  lance,  and  a  sword. 
These  gifts  typified  that  she  was  not  to  be  an 
idle  incumbrance  to  him,  but  that  she  was  to 
share  his  toil  and  danger,  and  be  his  com- 
panion in  peace  and  war.  Then  the  woman 
presented  him  with  a  gift  of  arms,  and  this 
was  their  mystic  union.  Frigga,  the  goddess 
of  wedded  happiness,  was  invoked,  and  the 
gods  of  peace  and  war  were  besought  to  lend 
their  aid  to  promote  the  happiness  of  the 
now  wedded  pair. 

Although  notice  has  been  taken  of  con- 
cubinage it  was  never  general ;  it  was  only 
permitted  to  certain  wealthy  earls,  who  prac- 
tised it  rather  for  display  than  any  other 
reason  ;  but  any  breach  of  chastity  on  the 
part  of  a  woman  was  cruelly  punished.  The 
husband  cut  ofT  her  hair,  and  she  was  driven 
naked  from  the  house,  scourged  through  the 
village  with  whips  by  the  indignant  matrons, 
upon  whose  caste  she  had  brought  shame. 
No  repentance  was  of  avail,  such  a  fault  could 
never  be  forgiven  ;  and  if  the  husband  chose 
to  kill  her  on  the  spot  he  was  perfectly  justi- 
fied in  so  doing.     But  these  penalties  were 

L — 2 


I40  ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE, 


rarely  enforced,  for  the  sense  of  female 
honour  among  Scandinavian  women  was  so 
great  as  to  prevent  the  necessity  of  such 
cruelty,  while  the  ferbcity  of  the  enactments 
speaks  volumes  for  the  disgust  with  which 
our  forefathers  regarded  the  breach  of  the 
first  law  of  all  social  happiness. 

When  the  people  of  the  north  began  to 
migrate  southward,  the  southern  nations  of 
Europe  were  struck  with  their  delicacy  and 
refinement  in  these  important  matters,  and  a 
Roman  priest  of  Marseilles,  writing  in  the 
fifth  century,  exclaims :  "  Let  us  blush  and 
be  covered  with  confusion,  which  ought  to 
produce  salutary  effects.  Wherever  the 
Goths  become  masters,  we  see  no  longer  any 
disorders  except  among  the  old  inhabitants. 
Our  manners  are  reformed  under  the  do- 
minion of  the  Vandals.  Behold  an  incredible 
event  !  an  unheard-of  prodigy  !  Barbarians 
have,  by  the  severity  of  their  manners,  rendered 
chaste  the  Romans  themselves  !" 

Before  the  introduction  of  Christianity — • 
before,  in  fact,  anything  was  known  about 
that  system  in  Scandinavia — it  had  been  the 
custom  for  fathers  to  baptize  their  children, 
especially  the  boys,  with  water.  The  sys- 
tem of  their  faith  was  highly  emblematical 
and  symbolical.  Their  rites  were  repre- 
sentative of  some  higher  teaching,  and 
their  symbols  had  an  inner  meaning  which 
is  astonishing  to  us  at  this  time  to  con- 
template. Thus  the  pure  water  of  a  stream 
typified  truth  of  a  certain  kind  ;  by  washing 
a  child  solemnly  in  tvater,  they  professed 
to  indicate  the  cleansing  of  the  soul  from 
the  infirmities  of  the  flesh,  through  the 
activity  of  cleansing  or  active  truth.  This 
was  the  remnant  of  a  very  ancient  teaching 
that  had  been  made  known  to  man  in  very 
distantly  remote  ages  in  a  system  whose  life 
had  become  extinct,  leaving  merely  the  forms 
of  its  observances,  like  dead  husks,  to  be 
rejected  or  abused  at  will.  That  such  a 
system  really  existed  is  shown  by  many  works 
on  mythology,  and  its  existence  is  only  a 
corroboration  of  Christianity,  inasmuch  as 
many  of  its  most  striking  doctrines  are  evi- 
dently only  prophetical  of  the  crowning  act 
of  Divine  mercy  manifested  in  the  Christian 
avatar.  Startling  as  the  fact  may  appear  to 
be,  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  historical 
accuracy  of  the  statement  by  Snorri  Sturluson, 


that,  long  before  the  dawning  of  Christianity, 
children  were  named  by  their  fathers 
solemnly  pouring  water  upon  them.  Harald 
H^rfagra  was  named  in  this  manner  ;  so  was 
King  Olaf  Tryggvason,  so  was  Earl  Hakon, 
and  so  were  many  others. 

If  the  pure  life  of  the  Scandinavian  women 
may  be  regarded  as  the  source  of  that  refine- 
ment and  that  purity  of  thought  "and  word,  as 
well  as  outward  acts,  which  so  eminently  dis- 
tinguish the  women  of  our  happy  island,  we 
need  not  be  ashamed  of  our  Scandinavian 
blood.  But  the  features  already  pointed  out, 
however  strikingly  akin  to  English  thought 
and  agreeable  to  English  manners,  are  not 
more  essentially  and  emphatically  English 
than  the  love  of  personal  freedom  which  dis- 
tinguished the  Scandinavians.  A  freeman 
was  to  the  Scandinavian  what  a  gentleman  is 
to  us;  the  noble  was  of  higher  rank  and 
standing,  it  is  true,  but,  after  all,  his  greatest 
privilege  was  his  freedom.  And  tho.  fribonde, 
or  yeoman,  had  his  right  to  express  his  own 
opinion  in  public,  as  well  as  the  high-born 
jarl.  Thought  was  free  in  Scandinavia. 
Speech  was  equally  unfettered,  and  as  far 
back  as  two  thousand  years  ago,  the  bar- 
barous (?)  Goths  were  farther  advanced  in 
this  important  matter  than  the  Russians  of 
our  own  time.  Public  opinion  was  free ; 
great  questions  of  state  were  ventilated  at  the 
All-ti?ig^  or  general  assembly  of  the  nation, 
while  smaller  problems  agitating  one  of  the 
petty  kingdoms  or  states  into  which  Scan- 
dinavia was  divided  were  discussed  in  the 
ordinary  "  Ting."  When  such  a  meeting  was 
to  be  held,  the  Heeralder  (herald)  was  de- 
spatched with  a  staff  of  beech,  or  box,  on 
which  runic  letters  were  engraved,  empower- 
ing him  to  convoke  the  states  to  a  solemn 
meeting.  He  himself  proceeded  to  the 
dwellings  of  the  more  important  jarls  to  do 
his  errand  in  person,  while  to  the  yeomen 
and  free  peasants  inferior  messengers  were 
despatched,  over  hill  and  dale,  to  call  all 
good  subjects  to  the  Ting. 

This  was  a  grand  event,  for  the  warriors 
of  the  north  attended  in  full  armour,  with  war- 
sword,  byrnie,  helm,  and  shield;  so  before  the 
time  of  actual  meeting  there  was  a  grand 
polishing  of  arms  and  armour  throughout  the 
region  round.  The  bosses  of  the  shields  were 
burnished,  the  war-net  freed  from  rust,  the 


ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACI^.  141 


gilding  of  the  leathern  helmet  was  repaired, 
and  the  steel  cap  or  iron  helmet  polished  till 
the  sun  was  pleased  with  his  mirror.  But  the 
battleaxe  was  banished  from  the  Ting,  nor 
was  the  spear  admitted.  The  place  of  as- 
sembly was  frequently  the  grave-mound  of 
some  departed  chief,  who  slept  below,  perhaps 
in  hisj  dragon-ship  with  his  drawn  sword  in 
his  hand.  On  the  apex  of  the  hill  was  fixed 
the  Ting-stone,  formed  of  three  vast  granite 
blocks,  immovable  save  by  these  giants  of  the 
north,  who  had  rolled  them  by  main  strength, 
as  their  posterity  "  fisted  "  the  guns  at  Alma. 
On  one  of  these  the  king  took  his  proud 
stand.  He  was  arrayed  for  the  occasion. 
Bright  shone  the  byrnie,  "well-singing  shirt 
of  Hilda  on  his  breast !"  On  his  head 
gleamed  the  gilded  helmet  with  the  eagle- 
wings  of  Odin,  and  the  golden  crown  of  state. 
In  his  hand  beamed  the  ring-cleaver,  the 
mighty  battle-sword.  On  his  legs  were  the 
bruki  or  trousers  (whence  our  breeches,  the 
Russian  bruki,  and  the  Norwegian  brok), 
well  ornamented  with  cross  garterings  of  red 
and  blue  leather.  Behind  him  on  a  tree  the 
royal  shield  was  hung.  Over  his  shoulders 
the  blue  mantle  with  the  golden  brooch  was 
flung,  and  he  stood  a  man  of  iron  bound  with 
gold  !  At  his  right  hand  stood  the  priest 
with  the  victim  on  the  broad  flat  stone,  ready 
to  be  offered  either  in  propitiation  of  the 
gods  or  in  the  way  of  augury.  On  the  other 
side  stood  the  elder  of  the  host  with  his  wand 
of  ofiice  carved  full  of  mystic  runes.  Then 
in  close  circle,  shield  against  shield,  and 
swords  flashing  in  the  sun,  in  mantles  of  red 
or  blue,  stood  the  jarls  (  =  yarl,  earl)  in 
circle  round  their  king.  In  the  space  of 
a  spear's  length  lower  down  came  a  ring 
of  wealthy  independent  landowners,  not  of 
the  noble  class,  with  no  gold  circlet  round 
the  helmet,  but  with  many  heavy  rings  of 
gold  on  their  brawny  arms.  In  a  third 
ring  were  the  poorer  retainers,  yet  free- 
men, who  all  and  each  had  a  voice  in  that 
assembly.  Outside  were  the  slaves,  who  were 
only  there  to  do  their  master's  bidding,  not 
to  vote. 

The  assembly  being  full,  the  proceedings 
were  opened  by  a  religious  ceremony.  The 
high  priest,  the  lord-chancellor  of  his  day, 
chaunted  a  glowing  address  to  AUfather,  and 
to  the  deity  in  whose  special  province  the 


subject  of  the  meeting  lay.  Then  the  victim 
was  sacrificed,  the  augury  explained,  and 
"business"  commenced.  The  king  himself 
announced  the  subject  of  the  meeting,  and 
invited  discussion.  Then  spoke  up  some 
noble  jarl,  giving  his  opinion.  If  his  ideas 
met  with  a  good  reception  applause  was 
thundered  upon  the  metal-bound  shields  with 
the  clanging  swords,  so  that  it  might  almost 
be  supposed  that  the  dead  warrior  in  the 
grave-mound  would  awaken  and  join  in  the 
debate !  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  speech 
of  the  "  noble  earl  "  were  not  well  received, 
an  ominous  silence  was  the  result;  no  remark 
was  made,  and  the  next  speaker  in  turn  ad- 
dressed the  assembly.  When  the  nobles  had 
had  their  innings  the  turn  came  to  the  yeomen, 
or  freeholders ;  after  them  to  the  free  peasants, 
each  of  whom  was  listened  to  with  patience 
and  respect  until  all  had  spoken,  when  the 
king  summed  up,  and  decreed  what  the  result 
of  the  meeting  had  been.  After  which,  the 
resolution  being  taken,  the  Heeralder,  or 
herald,  took  note  thereof,  and  the  measure 
was  adopted. 

This  short  sketch  of  the  Ting  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  show  that  such  Scandinavian  gather- 
ing was  the  prototype  of  the  modern  English 
Parliament.  The  Ting  described  is  the  or- 
dinary meeting,  and  not  the  All-ting,  or  grand 
national  assembly,  which  was  held  in  a  large 
plain,  where  mighty  stones  had  been  set  up, 
partly  in  honour  of  the  gods,  who  were  sup- 
posed to  be  present  in  force  on  such  occa- 
sions, partly  to  act  as  Ting-stones  for  the  great 
kings  and  jarls  who  attended,  and  partly  as 
altars  for  the  immolation  of  the  victims  de- 
voted to  the  purposes  of  augury  or  propitia- 
tion. 

An  assemblage  of  huge  rocks  of  this  kind, 
brought  to  the  spot  by  the  sheer  strength  of 
our  own  immediate  ancestors,  may  be  seen 
in  England,  where  it  is  known  as  Stone- 
henge,  /.<?.,  the  house  of  punishment  and 
doom.  The  smaller  structures,  such  as  that 
called  Kit's  Cotty  House,  in  Kent,  are  fair 
specimens  of  the  doomstead,  or  place  of 
meeting  for  judgment,  debate,  or  sacrifice, 
with  the  doom -stone  in  the  centre.  In 
Scandinavia  such  groups  of  stones  are  fre- 
quently met  with,  and  the  allusions  made  to 
them  in  chronicle,  saga,  and  lay,  abundantly 
prove  their  Scandinavian  origin.      Here,  in 


142  ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE. 


England,  we  have  been  taught  to  ignore  the 
giant  pioneers  of  freedom  who  rescued  the 
world  from  the  tyranny  of  Rome,  and  to 
ascribe  whatever  ancient  remains  we  find  in 
England,  when  evidently  and  emphatically 
not  Roman,  to  a  Keltic  origin. 

There  is,  however,  absolutely  no  founda- 
tion for  the  hypothesis  that  these  enormous 
piles  were  raised  by  the  Kelts,  while  the 
kindred  Domsten  and  Tingsten  of  Scan- 
dinavia clearly  point  to  their  true  origin  and 
object 

That  such  immense  blocks  of  stone  should 
be  fetched  from  great  distances  and  set  up  as 
temples,  or  portions  of  temples,  rather  than 
that  ordinary  mason-work  should  be  resorted 
to,  is  not  surprising  when  we  consider  the 
tempers  of  the  men  who  had  to  work.  Their 
houses  generally  were  mere  log-huts,  as  has 
already  been  pointed  out ;  and  in  the  rare 
instance  of  stone  being  employed  in  such  a 
hall  as  has  been  described  above,  it  was 
only  used  for  the  side  walls  at  most,  the 
ends  and  roof  being  invariably  of  wood. 
The  large  halls  were  usually  wooden  struc- 
tures only,  consequently  they  were  extremely 
liable  to  destruction  by  fire.  That  a  place 
hallowed  to  the  service  of  the  gods  and 
the  nation  should  be  beyond  reach  of  this 
destructive  element  was  a  natural  desire ; 
but  the  patient  labour  required  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  regular  stone  edifice  was  too 
much  to  be  expected  of  the  impatient  fiery 
warriors  who  were  chiefly  concerned  in  the 
work.  Any  amount  of  violent  exertion  could 
be  had  from  them,  and  being  acquainted  with 
the  use  of  powerful  levers  in  attacking  hostile 
fortresses,  they,  with  their  gigantic  strength, 
already  in  youth  exercised  in  rolling  enormous 
masses  of  stone  uphill,  combined  with  such 
mechanical  skill  as  they  possessed,  would 
devote  all  their  enormous  strength  and  energy 
to  the  construction  of  edifices  which  neither 
time  nor  the  elements  could  destroy. 

The  idea  is  eminently  characteristic  of  the 
rough  but  thorough  nature  of  the  Viking, 
and  the  violent  exertion  required  to  carry  it 
out  would  be  precisely  the  kind  of  coin  in 
which  he  would  be  inclined  to  pay  tribute  to 
his  gods  and  to  his  nation. 

Like  all  sea-faring  people,  the  Scandinavians 
had  a  great  dread  of  fire.  To  this  special 
feeling  may  be  traced  their  dislike  of  towns 


and  fortified  places.  Generally  they  lived  in 
log-huts,  scattered  about  at  considerable 
distances  from  each  other.  A  great  chief 
or  king  had  a  large  hall,  as  has  just  been 
shown ;  but  his  retainers  lived  with  him 
in  the  hall,  and  not  in  a  collection  of 
dwellings  of  which  that  hall  formed  the 
nucleus.  Unlike  the  Romans,  they  had 
no  conception  of  the  value  of  citizenship, 
though  glorying  in  freedom.  The  right  of 
free  speech  at  Ting  v.-as  accorded  to  each 
m.ember  in  a  most  republican  way,  and  yet 
their  social  system  was  the  feudal  system  in 
its  early  phase,  and  looks  extremely  mon- 
archical at  the  first  glance.  On  closer  ex- 
amination it  will  be  seen  that  the  konung  or 
king  had  little  real  power  save  as  a  military 
leader,  and  what  is  extraordinary,  although 
he  might  be  the  son,  nephew,  or  near  relative 
of  the  king  who  had  preceded  him,  he  could 
not  actually  commence  his  reign  until  he  had 
been  duly  elected  by  the  *' Estates  of  the 
Realm"  in  full  Ting.  Again,  it  does  not 
appear  that  jarls  and  others  were  often  raised 
to  the  royal  dignity ;  on  the  contrary,  great  as 
Jarl*  Godwin's  influence  was  in  England  in 
the  eleventh  century,  his  son  was  only  partially 
received  as  king  on  account  of  his  not  being 
of  royal  birth.  It  was  the  custom  with  these 
kings  of  the  north  to  trace  their  pedigree 
up  to  Odin,  the  supreme  god  of  their 
creed.  Perhaps  this  may  account  for  the 
many  attempts  that  have  been  made  to 
establish  the  existence  of  an  historical  Odin, 
who,  however,  seems  to  be  far  more  shadowy 
than  the  mythological  personage  of  the  Edda. 
It  may  be  that,  seeing  how  improbable  some 
of  the  genealogical  trees  were  springing  from 
various  myths,  it  was  thought  that  greater 
value  would  be  given  them  if  a  human  Odin 
were  supposed ;  consequently  he  was  sup- 
posed, and  a  very  unsatisfactory  and  misly 
supposition  he  turns  out 

Free  discussion  took  place  invariably 
*  In  the  course  of  these  articles  the  Scandinavian 
orthography  "Jarl"  has  been  preserved,  but  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Scandinavian  "J"  has  the 
sound  of  the  Enghsh  "  y  "  in  yard.  The  word  "  Jarl  " 
is  our  "  Earl,"  an  orthography  which,  in  Anglo-Saxon 
times,  represented  a  sound  which  we  now  should  write 
"  Varl,"  a  Swede,  Dane  or  German  would  write 
"Jarl."  Edward  was  pronounced  "  Yedward "  ; 
"eorth"  (earth),  "Yeorth,"  which  is  written  "jord" 
in  all  Scandinavian  writings.  A  trace  of  this  remains 
in  our  pronunciation  of  "  Ewe" — the  female  sheep. 


ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN-  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLiSTl  RACIt.  14.I 


"  under  free  heaven,"  no  roof  being  suffered 
save  the  "blue  vault  above."  Hence  such  great 
places  of  meeting  as  Stonehenge,  though  evi- 
dently structures  ably  contrived  and  wonder- 
fully executed,  present  no  traces  of  being 
roofed  in.  Love  for  the  blue  sky  seems 
inherent  in  the  Scandinavian  disposition,  and 
though  a  long  course  of  fog  and  gloom  have 
deprived  the  English  descendants  from  that 
stock  of  the  advantage  of  practical  acquaint- 
ance with  blue  skies,  the  innate  feeling  bursts 
forth  when  the  English  visit  less  foggy  climes. 
The  Northman  thought  of  his  "  klarahimmel'' 
with  rapture,  and  was  wont  to  regard  the  orbs 
of  heaven  as  particularly  his  own  property. 
From  sailing  to  the  south  he  knew  that  other 
lands  had  not  the  privilege  of  seeing  the  sun 
at  midnight,  and  as  this  happens  in  the 
extreme  north,  it  was  a  natural  deduction 
that  the  sun  had  a  greater  affection  for  the 
Scandinavian  than  for  any  other  inhabitant 
of  the  globe.  The  stars  were  his  friends  and 
guides,  companions  of  his  long  sea-voyages, 
and  guides  over  the  trackless  paths  of  the 
ocean.  Deriving  no  knowledge  of  astronomy 
from  Greece  or  Rome,  he  constructed  his 
own  system,  which  answered  the  same  end, 
for,  like  the  nations  of  so-called  classical 
antiquity,  the  Scandinavians  recognised  great 
clusters  and  groups  of  stars  and  named  them, 
although  by  very  different  appellations.  Ursa 
Major  they  called  the  Dog  ;  the  Lesser  Bear 
was  Charles's  Wain  or  Charlevagn  =  Man's 
chariot,  probably  Thor's  war-chariot.  The 
three  stars  forming  the  Belt  of  Orion  were 
called  the  Distaff  of  Frigga.  The  Milky 
Way  was  named  "the  path  or  street  of 
Winter."  The  North  Star,  of  course,  they 
considered  as  their  own  special  property, 
keeping  watch  over  them  unchangingly.  It 
assumed  a  sort  of  divinity  in  their  eyes,  which 
is  not  by  any  means  surprising. 

We  see  that  before  our  ancestors  left 
the  north  they  were  imbued  with  that  love  of 
open  discussion  of  questions  under  the  free 
vault  of  heaven  which  animates  us  at  the 
present  day.  The  monarchical  system  was 
at  the  same  time  elective,  for  though,  in 
general,  the  son  or  near  relative  of  a  deceased 
king  naturally  succeeded  to  the  Doom-stone, 
he  could  not  formally  assume  the  regal  func- 
tion until  he  had  been  duly  elected  by  the 
voice  of  his  subjects  in  full  Ting.     The  power 


existed  of  electing  another  ruler,  but  the 
choice  yas  limited  to  the  royal  race.  Some 
of  the  more  important  kings  were  not 
renowned  as  warriors,  in  which  case  other 
leaders  were  chosen  to  direct  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  army  in  war  and  the  military 
affairs  of  the  nation  in  general.  Such  a  per- 
son was  called  the  Here-toga  (Her-tog — 
German,  Herzog)  leader  of  the  host,  dux, 
or  general.  This  functionary  was  elected 
rather  for  brave  conduct  in  battle  than  skill 
as  a  strategist.  His  duty  was  to  show  an 
example  to  the  warriors,  and  he  counted  it 
shame  to  be  excelled  in  daring  by  any  of  his 
band,  while  his  brave  men  vied  with  each 
other  to  show  that  they  were  not  a  whit 
behind  him  in  valour,  declaring  that  if  not 
surpassing  they  were,  each  of  them,  at  least 
the  equal  of  their  "  Hertog."  Thus  the  king 
rather  presided  than  ruled  over  the  assembly, 
and  the  general  rather  led  than  commanded 
the  host.  Indeed,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
the  attempt  to  govern  such  free-souled,  high- 
spirited  natures  never  entered  the  mind  of 
the  king ;  if  it  had,  he  would  soon  have  lost 
either  his  life  or  people,  which  latter  alterna- 
tive really  occurred  to  Harald  Hkrfagra,  who, 
attempting  to  oppress  the  chiefs  under  his 
nominal  sway  by  acts  of  tyranny  for  which 
the  language  of  the  north  had  not  even  a 
name,  they  decided  on  leaving  him  and 
emigrating  to  the  uninhabited  island  of  Ice- 
land, where  the  ancient  language  of  their 
time  has  been  preserved  in  consequence. 
The  subjects  of  this  king,  the  first  who  desired 
absolute  rule,  revolted  from  him  and  left  him 
only  such  as  chose  to  be  enslaved. 

The  public  tribunal  called  the  Ting  or 
Thing  was  also  the  supreme  court  for  the 
adjudication  of  criminal  cases  and  the  per- 
formance of  solemn  sacrifices  to  Odin.  The 
crowning-stone,  such  as  in  Kit's  Cotty  House 
might  be  called  the  roof,  was  the  slab  on 
which  the  victim  was  immolated.  Whether 
human  or  not,  the  officiating  priest  exclaimed, 
"  I  devote  thee  to  Odin  " — or  "  I  send  thee 
to  Odin."  Occasionally  these  early  English 
thought  to  please  the  god  they  worshii)ped 
by  burning  the  victim  alive,  almost  in  the 
same  way  as  they  did  in  the  later  time  of 
Queen  Mary.  Nor  was  the  difference  be- 
tween the  two  modes  of  immolation  very 
perceptible,  save  that  the  Scandinavian  Eng- 


144  Oy  THE  SCANDINAVIA^;  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE. 


lish  sent  the  human  sacrifice  to  the  god  they 
adored,  while  the  Christian  sacrificers  be- 
lieved that  they  destroyed  body  and  soul 
together,  and  thereby  delighted  the  Deity  ! 
Again,  the  victims  of  the  Scandinavians  were 
slaves,  prisoners  taken  in  war,  and  rarely  free 
men  of  their  own  race ;  though  when  the 
priests  required  it,  they  did  not  scruple  to 
sacrifice  the  noblest  of  their  race,  the  very 
kings  and  kings'  sons  being  occasionally 
offered  up  in  propitiation.  The  descendants 
of  these  warriors,  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
performed  similar  rites,  though  under  another 
name. 

In  Denmark  there  are  three  great  places 
where,  as  at  Stonehenge,  the  All-thing  or 
general  assembly  met.  One  is  at  Lunden, 
in  Scania ;  another  at  Leyra  or  Lethra,  in 
Zealand,  and  the  third  is  near  Viburg,  in 
Jutland.  These  monuments,  the  vast  size  of 
which  has  preserved  them,  like  Kit's  Cotty 
House,  Stonehenge,  and  other  remains  in 
England,  from  the  ravages  of  time  and 
weather,  are  nothing  else  than  great  massy 
stones,  set  up  unhewn  in  a  circle.  In  the 
middle  is  one  much  larger  than  the  rest,  in 
which  the  royal  dignity  was  supposed  to  re- 
side. The  other  stones  were  for  the  twelve 
peers,  the  jarls  who  attended  the  king  in 
peace  and  in  war,  while  without  the  circle 
were  the  freemen  and  yeomen  who  took  part 
in  the  grand  debates,  just  as  has  been 
described  as  performed  on  a  smaller  scale  on 
the  grave-mound  of  a  departed  hero.  Should 
the  king  be  slain  in  battle,  or  be  deprived  of 
life  in  some  place  at  a  distance  from  that  of 
his  election,  a  model  of  the  Thing-stead  was 
made  impromptu  by  the  warriors  about  him, 
who  rolled  the  biggest  stones  they  could  find 
in  the  neighbourhood,  and,  placing  them  in 
the  same  positions  as  the  stones  of  the  Danish 
Thing-stead,  proceeded  with  the  election  of 
the  new  king  secundum  artem.  The  chiefs 
mounted  the  stones,  and  the  warriors,  stand- 
ing round  in  rings,  clashed  their  applause  on 
their  shields  or  expressed  disapprobation  by 
silence.  The  custom  of  electing  kings  in  the 
open  air  was  common  to  all  the  German 
nations,  and  the  Emperors  of  Germany  were 
for  many  ages  elected  in  this  manner. 

Dalin,  in  his  History  of  Swede?i,  relates 
that  in  addition  to  the  custom  of  electing  in 
thi  Ting-stead,  an  oath  was  taken   by  the 


king  to  do  his  duty  by  his  people,  and  on  the 
other  hand  the  people  swore  to  do  theirs  by 
him.  When  the  opinion  of  the  meeting  had 
been  taken,  and  all  present  had  agreed  to 
accept  the  new  candidate  as  their  king,  he 
was  taken  up  on  the  shoulders  of  certain 
jarls,  and  borne  round  the  circle  that  all 
men  might  behold  and  recognise  him.  Then 
he  swore  by  Odin  that  he  would  observe 
their  laws,  defend  their  country,  extend  their 
boundaries,  avenge  all  insults,  whether  done 
to  his  predecessors,  himself,  or  his  people ;  he 
would  strike  down  their  enemies  and  do 
some  daring  deed  of  prowess  to  make  his 
name  and  that  of  his  people  famous  through- 
out the  world.  This  oath  he  repeated  on 
the  occasion  of  the  funeral  of  his  predecessor, 
and  in  all  the  provinces  of  the  kingdom 
through  which  he  was  obliged  to  make 
solemn  progress. 

Here  we  have  the  picture  of  an  elected 
monarch  subject  to  the  laws  of  the  land, 
which  he  himself  must  swear  to  uphold  and 
protect  before  formally  entering  upon  the 
royal  office.  And,  as  much  of  the  spirit  of 
the  nation  is  exhibited  in  its  legal  enact- 
ments, it  will  be  well  to  glance  at  some  of  the 
leading  features  of  early  Scandinavian  legisla- 
tion, and  trace  their  influence,  through  succes- 
sive generations,  upon  the  modern  English. 

In  the  first  place,  we  have  to  consider 
under  what  circumstances  laws  had  to  be 
enacted.  Murder  could  hardly  be  forbidden 
among  men  who  considered  it  a  solemn  duty 
to  avenge  the  death  of  a  friend  or  relative  by 
killing  any  person  or  persons  who  might  have 
been  implicated  in  the  crime  or  accident, 
without  having  recourse  to  law.  But  the 
methodical  nature  of  the  Scandinavian  mind 
became  apparent  in  the  distinctions  made  in 
the  various  degrees  of  injury  that  were  con- 
sidered possible.  Sometimes  it  would  become 
a  matter  of  nice  discrimination  whether  the 
revenge  taken  for  an  injury  had  not  exceeded 
the  bounds  of  due  vengeance,  in  which  case 
there  would  be  a  balance  of  blood  on  the 
other  side  to  make  up.  If,  for  example,  A 
waylays  B,  and  wounds  him  so  as  to  render 
him  lame  for  life,  then,  to  avenge  his  father, 
B's  son  cuts  A  in  two  parts,  it  is  clear  that  A's 
"heirs,  executors,  and  assigns"  would  have  a 
claim  against  B's  son  for  the  value  of  A's 
life,   viinus  B's  leg.     Such   a  case  as  this 


ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE.  145 


would  require  some  considerable  amount  of 
forensic  talent  to  arrange.  A  plan  was  at  last 
hit  upon  by  which  all  possible  injuries,  from 
taking  life  down  to  the  employment  of  threats, 
were  measured  by  cattle  or  some  other  equi- 
valent, subsequently  of  course  by  money. 
So  that  a  man  in  attacking  another  would  be 
able  to  calculate  the  amount  of  damage 
which  his  pocket  would  allow  him  to  inflict. 
This  system  was  introduced  into  England 
with  the  English,  and  to  a  certain  extent  re- 
mains in  force,  though  it  would  be  a  con- 
venience to  the  magistrate  of  the  Victorian 
age  as  well  as  to  the  parties  between  whom 
he  has  to  adjudicate,  if  the  scale  of  charges 
for  the  injuries  inflicted  upon  the  various 
parts  of  the  body  were  as  clearly  defined  and 
laid  down  now  as  they  were  in  the  good  old 
times  under  notice.  Offences  against  chastity 
were  most  severely  handled,  and  although  a 
husband  had  power  of  life  and  death  over 
an  unfaithful  wife,  he  had  also  the  means,  by 
law,  of  ruining  a  co-respondent  to  the  full  as 
much  as  now.  Laws  regulating  purchase, 
security,  or  borrowage,  were  simple  but  strict ; 
and  what  is  remarkable,  these  laws  were 
made  by  the  people  and  not  by  the  king. 
The  laws  relating  to  religious  observances 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  priests,  who,  as  may 
well  be  supposed,  were  not  behind  their  de- 
scendants in  their  claims  on  the  loaves  and 
fishes  ;  they  were  perhaps  a  little  more  exact- 
ing, and  defalcation  was  severely  punished. 
A  good  result  was  thus  obtained  by  the  sub- 
stitution of  fines  by  a  legal  authority  for  the 
violence  of  personal  revenge.  By  law  a 
man's  honour  was  satisfied,  his  respect  for 
law  in  the  abstract  raised,  and  the  countless 
feuds  that  existed  were  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
It  was  better,  however  grotesque  it  sounds, 
for  a  man  to  have  to  pay  five  or  six  shillings 
for  another's  leg  than  that  he  should  be 
allowed  to  kill  that  other  or  be  killed  by  him. 
It  was  better  that  he  should  recognise  the 
power  of  the  law  to  inflict  a  pecuniary  fine, 
than  that  he  should  recognise  no  law  but  that 
of  his  red  right  hand.  And  it  must  be  admitted 
that  in  their  willingness  to  submit  to  the  de- 
cision of  a  judge,  these  fierce  warriors  showed  a 
degree  of  forbearance  hardly  to  be  expected 
of  them. 

The  price  of  a  limb   or  the  expense  of 
damage"  to  the  body   difiered  according  to 


the  rank  of  the  person  injured,  a  jarl's  leg 
being  worth  more  than  a  free-yeoman's,  a 
free-yeoman's  more  than  a  slave's,  and  so  on 
in  very  nice  gradations.  Injury  done  to  a 
maiden  was  valued  at  three  times  the  amount 
of  the  same  injury  done  to  a  man  in  her  own 
sphere  of  life  ;  and  violations  of  the  laws  of 
modesty  and  decorum  were  estimated  with  a 
nicety  of  shading  that  would  scarcely  be 
thought  possible  under  the  circumstances. 

With  regard  to  theft,  where  men  were 
accustomed  to  guard  their  own,  strong  police 
regulations  were  out  of  the  question.  Some 
of  the  Teutons  punished  theft  with  death. 
The  Scandinavians  deemed  life  given  to  be 
lost  on  the  battle-field  only,  so  that  a  thief 
was  punished  by  paying  three  times  the  value 
of  what  he  had  stolen  plus  a  fine  to  the 
judge. 

The  oddest  part  of  the  legal  system  of  the 
Scandinavians  seems  to  be  the  course  adopted 
in  the  investigation  of  a  crime  by  witnesses. 
The  accused  had  to  produce  a  number  of 
persons  who  became  answerable  for  his  in- 
nocence, inasmuch  as  they  would  swear  that 
they  believed  him  innocent.  Not  that  they 
could  prove  an  alibi,  or  anything  else  about 
him  ;  they  merely  expressed  an  opinion,  and 
became  sureties  for  his  veracity  in  denying 
the  charge.  When  proof  failed  the  judiciary 
combat  was  appealed  to,  a  custom  which 
was  only  abolished  by  statute  within  the  last 
century.  The  ordeals  of  water,  hot  as  well 
as  cold,  of  hot  iron  and  of  fire,  were  all 
employed.  These  ordeals  outlived  paganism, 
and  the  Scandinavian  Englishman  has  had 
recourse  to  similar  modes  of  torture  long 
after  the  introduction  of  Christianity.  The 
ordeal  of  the  red-hot  ploughshares  was  in 
use  in  Christian-Saxon  times  in  England. 
The  trial  by  water  was  employed  in  examina- 
tions in  cases  of  witchcraft  in  this  island,  in 
the  time  when  the  present  translation  of  the 
Bible  had  placed  the  doctrines  of  gentleness 
and  mercy  within  the  reach  of  all. 

Much  has  been  said  in  various  learned 
works  of  the  distinctness  of  certain  periods 
marked  as  the  stone,  the  bronze,  and  the 
iron  ages  respectively,  and  this  has  been 
done  with  a  distinctness  and  decision  rather 
more  dogmatical  than  is  consistent  with  the 
ordinary  delicacy  which  marks  the  caution 
observed  by  men  of  letters  in  expressing 


146  ON  THE  SCANDINAVIAN  ELEMENTS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  RACE. 


their  opinions  on  matters  of  this  kind.  The 
theory  of  the  existence  of  periods  when  men 
used  stone  implements  and  no  metal  tools  or 
weapons,  then  bronze  weapons  and  ornaments 
to  the  exclusion  of  stone  and  iron,  and  finally 
iron  without  either  bronze  or  stone,  seems 
based,  for  the  most  part,  on  the  discoveries 
of  remains  in  the  grave-mounds  or  barrows 
in  Scandinavia.  At  first  it  was  stated  that  in 
some  of  these  mounds  of  a  very  early  date 
stone  implements  alone  w^ere  found,  then 
ornaments  and  weapons  wrought  exclusively 
in  bronze,  and  lastly,  in  more  recent  burial- 
hills,  iron  weapons  and  armour  have  been 
discovered.  As  far  as  history,  or  that  still 
more  reliable  guide,  fiction,  can  carry  us 
back,  there  seems  no  trace  in  Scandinavia  at 
least  of  a  purely  stone  age.  There  is  no 
mention  in  saga  or  lay  of  stone  weapons 
belonging  to  a  subjugated  race,  or  to  a 
bygone  age.  Bronze,  gold,  and  iron  are  all 
mentioned  ;  stone  never,  save  as  flung  from 
slings,  or  as  being  from  its  hardness  a  type 
of  perpetual  duration.  Hence  the  stand  of 
the  king — the  Doom-stone  and  the  Ting- 
stone — were  of  imperishable  materials,  not  of 
timber  with  which  houses  and  halls  were 
built.  The  peculiar  faith  of  the  Scandi- 
navian rendered  him  highly  susceptible  to 
poetic  images,  to  periphrastic  and  emble- 
matical language.  He  saw  that  the  hard 
ring-cutting  sword  was  perishable ;  he  knew 
that  the  iron  heads  of  axe,  javelin,  and  arrow 
would  crumble  into  dust  and  leave  not  a 
trace  behind.  But  it  was  necessary  that 
some  portion  of  the  offensive  equipment  of 
the  dead  warrior  should  be  indestructible  as 
a  type  of  his  future  hope.  Consequently  the 
smaller  articles,  such  as  arrow-heads  and  a 
smaller  battleaxe,  were  copied  in  stone,  for  the 
stone  arrow-heads  found  are  precisely  similar 
in  form  to  the  iron-heads  of  arrows  of  a  later 
time.  These  were  copied  from  the  more 
perishable  originals,  and  not  vice  versa. 
They  were  placed  in  the  grave-mound  as  a 
lasting  type  of  the  more  perishable  weapons 
used  by  the  dead  man  when  alive.  If  he  had 
been  a  distinguished  hunter  he  was  supplied 
with  a  store  of  arrow-heads  cut  in  imperishable 
flint.  And  these  were  chipped  into  shape 
by  iron  or  steel  instruments.  To  combat 
the  swart  Alfvar  that  might  haunt  his  tomb, 
a  battle-axe  was  formed  of  flint  which   no 


magic  could  resist,  for  we  know  from  Beowulf 
and  other  sources,  that  steel  was  powerless 
against  certain  classes  of  supernatural  crea- 
tures. Similar  to  this  belief  is  that  long 
prevalent  in  these  islands  of  men  being 
rendered  bullet-proof  by  a  compact  with  the 
Evil  One.  Such  persons  had  to  be  shot  with 
pieces  of  silver,  or  despatched  with  the  cold 
steel.  So  with  the  weird  and  wonderful  in- 
habitants of  earth  and  air  that  assailed  the 
Scandinavian-English  champion  in  his  tomb. 
Thorlek,  in  his  Thor  og  hans  Hammer,  takes 
this  view,  and  states  further  that  "  The 
arms  found  in  barrows  were  merely  simu- 
lacra armorwn  meant  to  typify  the  power 
of  Thor  over  the  Elves  and  spirits  of  dark- 
ness, and  to  protect  the  dead  from  their 
machinations.  Thor  killed  his  demoniacal 
adversaries  by  launching  his  mallet  at  them  ; 
that  is  to  say,  an  evil  principle,  typified 
under  the  form  of  a  giant,  was  destroyed 
by  the  lightning  of  heaven."  Now,  accord- 
ing to  Thorlek,  "  the  cuneiform  stone  axe 
was  emblematic  of  the  splitting,  the  arrow- 
head of  the  piercing,  and  the  malleiform- 
axe  the  shattering  force  of  the  thunder- 
bolt hurled  by  the  renowned  Scandinavian 
deity,  and  these  are  the  stone  weapons 
generally  found  in  barrows.  Whether  this 
hypothesis  of  the  learned  Dane  be  well 
founded  or  not,  we  will  not  pretend  to 
decide  ;  it  is,  at  all  events,  sufficiently  in- 
genious to  make  us  hesitate  in  assuming  that 
a  barrow  in  which  only  stone  weapons  are 
found  must  necessarily  have  been  raised  at  a 
period  when  bronze  and  iron  were  unknown, 
or  not  in  general  usage."* 

When  we  reflect  on  the  costly  nature  of 
these  mound-burials,  it  seems  by  no  means 
improbable  that  some  such  emblematical 
purpose  was  intended  by  the  use  of  these 
stone  implements,  and  the  extremely  Scan- 
dinavian "  cut "  of  those  which  have  been 
found  elsewhere  would  tend  to  show  how 
wide-spread  the  influence  of  Scandinavian 
art  must  have  been. 

In  our  festivals,  the  very  names  of  our 
days,  in  our  Parliament,  laws,  language, 
thought,  and  mode  of  life,  we  have  preserved 
more  of  this  influence  than  almost  any  other 
nation.     Although  we  have  been  exposed  to 

*  Mallet's  Northern  AntiquitUs,  Bohn's  edition, 
1847,  pp.  211,  212. 


GOKEWELL  NUNNERY. 


147 


influences  of  every  possible  kind  from  every 
possible  foreign  source,  we  have  pushed 
through  them,  outgrown  them,  flung  them 
off,  and  in  every  way  got  rid  of  them,  and 
have  come  out  as  English  now  as  we  were 
a  thousand  years  ago.  The  very  culte  of 
Christianity,  coming  in  a  Roman  dress,  had 
to  be  modified  in  its  externals  to  suit  our 
needs ;  and  the  Church  of  England,  in  the 
broad  sense,  is  as  far  from  the  Church  of 
Rome  as  ever  it  was.  Even  the  language  of 
Rome,  which  we  pretend  to  love  so  much, 
when  pronounced  by  English  lips  is  totally 
unintelligible  to  dwellers  on  the  Continent  of 
Europe  !  So  that  our  enmity  to  Rome  lives 
on  in  spite  of  schools  and  schoolmen. 

This  very  slight  attempt  is  made  in  the 
hope  that  some  more  able  pen  may  be 
directed  to  the  task  of  showing  how  the 
Scandinavian  element  within  us  should  be 
recognised  in  legislating  for  and  educating 
Englishmen. 

This  important  point  has  been  lost  sight  of 
by  historians  altogether,  and  the  history  of 
the  English  has  yet  to  be  written. 

J.    F.    HODGETTS. 


(^oketBell  n^unnetp. 


HE  northern  parts  of  Lincolnshire 
are  but  seldom  visited  by  tourists. 
A  few  churches  therein  have  at- 
tained sufficient  celebrity  to  attract 
more  than  a  solitary  pilgrim,  but  the  greater 
part  of  it  is  almost  an  unknown  world,  except 
to  those  who  are  interested  in  agriculture, 
iron  smelting,  or  field-sports.  Lincolnshire 
suffers  much  from  having  no  county  history 
worthy  of  the  name.  It  has  thus  come  to 
pass  that  there  are  several  of  the  monastic 
houses  of  Lincolnshire  whose  sites  have  not 
been  identified. 

The  editors  of  the  last  edition  of  the 
Monasticon*  were  evidently  unaware  in  what 
part  of  the  shire  the  nuns  of  Gokewell  had 
their  abode.  They  in  fact  knew  very  little 
about  it,   although   if  diligent  search  were 


Vol.  v.,  p.  721. 


made,  it  is  almost  certain  that  much  of  its 
history  is  capable  of  recovery.  The  current 
opinion  used  to  be  that  Gokewell  nunnery 
was  situated  somev/here  in  the  parish  of  Gox- 
hill,  near  Barton-upon-Humber.  We  believe 
that  the  late  Mr.  William  Smith  Heselden 
was  the  person  who  demonstrated  that  Goke- 
well, a  farm  ir)  the  parish  of  Broughton,  was 
the  spot  where  this  religious  foundation 
stood. 

If  a  traveller  follows  the  old  Roman  way — 
the  Ermine  Street — for  about  four-and-twenty 
miles  in  a  northerly  direction,  he  will  reach 
the  little  village  of  Broughton,  with  its  curious 
Norman  church  tower ;  if  he  follows  an  un- 
stoned  cart-track  which  goes  in  a  westerly 
direction,  he  will  soon  find  himself  on  the 
ridge  of  the  oolite  range  of  hills,  with  an  ex- 
tensive view  before  him  of  a  good  portion 
of  north-western  Lincolnshire,  the  Isle  of 
Axholme  in  the  far  distance,  and  the  tall 
chimneys  of  the  Frodingham  Iron-field  very 
near  at  hand.  Below  him,  almost  at  his  feet, 
he  will  see  a  farmhouse  still  known  as  Goke- 
well, though  almost  every  relic  of  the  eccle- 
siastical structures  which  once  ornamented 
the  spot  has  been  swept  away.  A  few  frag- 
ments of  shafts,  presumably  of  Early  English 
date,  and  a  rude  holy-water  stoup,  are  all  that 
has  been  left,  in  modern  days,  of  the  little 
secluded  nunnery  where  at  least  twelve 
generations  of  holy  women  spent  their  lives. 
Unlike  the  great  majority  of  Lincolnshire 
place-names,  there  cannot  be  any  reasonable 
doubt  as  to  its  derivation  ;  though  the  mode 
of  spelling  has  changed  from  time  to  time 
(Gokell,  Gaukevel,  Goykewell,  and  Gowkes- 
well  are  variants  that  occur  to  us),  every  form 
points  clearly  to  the  fact  that  the  place  took 
its  name  from  the  old  word  "  Gowk,"  a 
cuckoo.  No  name  could  be  more  appropriate. 
When  we  last  visited  the  spot  it  was  spring- 
time, and  the  call  of  the  cuckoo  was  almost 
continuous. 

The  foundation  charter  of  the  house  has 
not  been  discovered,  but  it  seems  clear  that 
it  was  in  existence  before  1185,  and  it  is  at 
least  probable,  though  not  as  far  as  we  can 
make  out  by  any  means  certain,  that  its 
founder  was  William  de  Alta  Ripa.  In  1853 
the  late  Rev.  F.  Pyndar  Lowe  communicated 
to  the  Lincolnshire  Architectural  Society  four 
charters  which  had  been  discovered  by  Mr. 


148 


GOKEVVELL  NUJ^NERY. 


Heselden.  They  are  of  so  much  interest  that 
we  shall  describe  their  contents. 

By  the  first  of  these  William  Paganellus 
gives  and  confirms  to  the  nuns  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Mannebi  in  frank-almoigne  the  place 
where  they  live,  and  all  the  lands  which 
William  de  Alta  Ripa  and  his  son  Anthony 
had  given  "sicut  carta  eorum  testatur."  He 
also  gives  certain  lands  "de  territorio  de 
Bertonie  usque  at  Scalehau,"  with  common 
pasture  for  sheep,  and  a  mill  which  had 
belonged  to  Rodbert,  the  son  of  the  presbyter. 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  name  Gokewell 
does  not  occur  in  this  early  record ;  though 
as  the  nunnery  is  spoken  of  as  "  de  territorio 
de  Mannebi,"  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  is 
a  Gokewell  charter,  for  Manby  is  a  hamlet  in 
Broughton  parish  in  which  Gokewell  is  situate. 
Mr.  Lowe  thought  that  the  "  Bertonie "  of 
this  charter  meant  Broughton ;  in  this  he 
was  probably  right.  Scalehau,  however, 
cannot  mean  Scawby.  We  have  no  doubt 
that  it  was  the  name  of  one  of  the  numerous 
barrow-Uke  sand-hills  which  occur  near  the 
village  of  Broughton. 

In  the  second  charter  the  donor  is  called 
William  Painel.  It  relates  to  the  same  pro- 
perty, but  is  somewhat  more  elaborate.  Among 
the  boundaries  are  mentioned  Langhausne 
and  Santun.  Santon  yet  exists  as  the  name 
of  two  farms — High  Santon  and  Low  Santon. 
We  are  unable  to  identify  Langhausne.  The 
right  to  "focaha  et  opertorea,"  which  William 
Painel  gave  on  the  petition  and  concession 
of  Fredesent  his  wife,  signifies  the  "  graving" 
of  turves  and  cutting  brushwood ;  perhaps, 
also,  it  may  include  digging  bog-timber  in  the 
moors.  Though  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
this  charter  relates  to  Gokewell,  the  name  is 
not  given  ;  but  the  recluses  are  called  the 
nuns  of  Eskadal,  which  means,  we  believe, 
the  dale  among  the  ash-trees. 

The  third  document  is  a  confirmation 
charter  of  Henry  II. ;  the  nuns  are  spoken 
of  as  dwelling  "in  territorio  de  Mannebi."  It 
is,  of  course,  undated  ;  but  the  names  of  the 
witnesses,  several  of  whom  were  bishops, 
makes  it  certain  that  it  was  executed  about 
1 1 74. 

The  fourth  charter  is  a  confirmation  by 
Adam,  the  son  of  Adam  Painel,  of  the  pos- 
sessions which  had  been  given  to  them  by 
William  Painel,  whom  Adam  calls  "  avunculus 


meus."  The  seals  are  of  more  than  ordinary 
interest.  Adam  is  represented  on  horseback 
with  a  sword-^n  his  hand,  his  shield  charged 
with  a  bend.  The  Dean  of  Lincoln,  the 
Prior  of  Drax,  and  the  Prior  of  Thornholm 
also  seal  as  witnesses. 

Among  the  witnesses  who  did  not  append 
their  seals  was  a  certain  Richard  Wacelin. 
This  is,  as  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain, the  first  mention  of  this  old  Lincolnshire 
family.  He  was,  there  can  be  little  doubt,  a 
member — probably  the  head  of  a  race  which 
lived  for  many  generations  in  the  neighbour- 
ing township  of  Brumby,  at  a  secluded  place 
called  "  The  Hall  in  the  Wood."  The  male 
line  ended  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  An  heiress  carried  the  estate  and 
the  representation  of  the  family  to  the  Bel- 
linghams. 

The  pedigrees  of  De  Alta  Ripa  and  Paynel 
have  not  had  the  attention  given  to  them 
which  they  deserve ;  that  they  were  among 
the  more  influential  of  the  great  Lincolnshire 
landowners  of  the  twelfth  century  might  be 
proved  in  various  ways.  The  families  were, 
it  is  believed,  more  than  once  connected  by 
the  ties  of  marriage. 

From  the  time  of  the  last  of  these  charters 
until  the  dissolution  of  the  religious  houses, 
nothing  whatever  is  at  present  known  as  to 
Gokewell.  There  were  but  six  nuns  living 
there  when  the  religious  houses  fell. 

To  lament  the  destruction  of  quiet  retreats 
like  Gokewell  would  be  perhaps  quite  out  of 
place,  now  that  more  than  three  hundred 
years  have  passed  away  since  the  last  of  the 
sisters  was  laid  "beneath  the  churchyard 
mould."  The  times  were  indeed  terrible 
when  all  England  heard 

Vox  Domini  confringentis  cedros. 

It  is  probable  there  were  none  save  a  few 
neighbours,  the  poor  of  Broughton,  Santon, 
and  Brumby,  to  sorrow  for  those  who  had 
been  turned  out  into  the  cold  hard  world 
which  they  had  forsaken.  One  person  at 
least  was  made  glad  thereby.  In  the  thirtieth 
year  of  Henry  VIII.  the  domain  of  Gokewell 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Sir  William  Tyrwhitt, 
a  member  of  a  family  which  was  enormously 
enriched  by  the  spohation  of  the  monasteries. 
No  Lincolnshire  family,  if  we  except  that  of 
Heneage,   gained  so  much   by  the  fall  of 


GOKEWELL  NUNNERY. 


149 


mediaeval  Christianity  as  did  the  Tyrwhitts. 
This  particular  estate  did  not  remain  long  in 
their  hands.  Whether  there  were  intervening 
purchasers  we  have  not  ascertained.  In  the 
beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and 
perhaps  earlier,  Gokewell  had  become  part 
of  the  possession  of  the  Andersons,  of  Manby. 
It  has  not  changed  hands  since,  but  is  now  a 
portion  of  the  estate  of  the  Earl  of  Yar- 
borough,  the  representative  of  the  line. 

In  this,  as  in  so  many  other  cases,  the  work 
of  destruction  seems  to  have  been  very 
gradual.  In  1696  a  neighbouring  clergyman 
of  antiquarian  tastes  visited  Gokewell.  He 
says  that  "  It  seems  to  have  been  a  most 
stately  place,"  and  goes  on  to  tell  that  the 
walls  enclosed  between  twenty  and  thirty 
acres.  "  They  shew'd  me  a  little  well,"  he 
continues,  "which  by  tradition  was  once 
very  great  and  famous;  this  they  called 
Nun's  Well.  It  has  run  straight  through  the 
midst  of  this  ground,  being  a  great  spring, 
and  it  fedd  all  the  house  with  water,  and 
several  statues  or  water-fountains  in  the 
courts  and  gardens.  The  part  of  the  old 
building  that  stands  is  but  very  small,  one 
room  at  most.  Here  was  a  church  within 
this  nunnery,  as  the  constant  tradition  says, 
part  of  which  being  ready  to  fall,  was  puU'd 
down  about  ten  years  ago.  .  .  .  Part  of  the 
orchard  walls  of  this  nunnery  is  yet  standing, 
and  there]  has  spread  upon  it  and  knit  into 
it  an  ivy  that  has  mightily  preserved  it,  and 
will  keep  it  firm  and  strong  many  years."* 

Though  nothingnowremains  above  ground, 
it  is  at  least  probable  that  by  judiciously  con- 
ducted excavations  the  foundations  of  the 
church  might  be  laid  bare,  and  that  we  might 
thus  be  enabled  to  judge  of  the  date  of  the 
edifice.  It  is  not  improbable  that  more  than 
one  of  the  De  Alta  Ripas  and  the  Painels 
sleep  within  what  was  once  a  sacred  enclo- 
sure, and  that  their  grave-slabs  might  be  dis- 
covered. 

The  following  notes  as  to  prioresses  of 
Gokewell,  from  the  Lincoln  registers,  have 
been  given  to  the  writer  by  the  Rev.  J.  T. 
Fowler,  F.S.A. : 

1278-9.  Ysabell. 

1300.      Matild.  de  Saplon,  a  nun  of  the  house. 

1348.      Matilda  de  Newode,  late  prioress. 

*  Diary  of  Abraham  de  la  Pryvie  (Surtees  Soc),  p.  79. 


1 348.      Elizabeth  Sawtry,  nun  of  the  bouse,  chosen 

in  her  room. 
1365.      Alicia  de  Lafeld,  resigned. 

Alicia  de    Egminton,   chosen,   installed    by 
Thomas  Vaus,  rector  of  Breghton. 
1395.      Alice  Egmanton,  resigned. 

Johanna  Pygot,  a  nun  of  the  house  chosen  in 
her  room.  Presented  to  the  Bishop  of 
Lincoln  and  confirmed  at  Stow  Park. 

Edward  Peacock. 


Q^anr  Customs. 

Bv  Rev.  R.  Corlett  Cowell. 

''EVERAL  ancient  customs  which 
are  lingering  in  out-of-the-way 
places  on  the  verge  of  extinction 
are  worth  noting. 
One  of  these  is  the  yearly  festival  which 
inaugurates  the  turf-cutting  season.  In  the 
early  summer,  after  the  corn  is  sown,  and 
"idle  lies  the  plough,"  the  peasantry  are 
occupied  in  providing  their  stock  of  fuel  for 
the  winter.  Formerly,  groups  of  men  and 
women  from  all  parts  of  the  island  set  off  to 
the  curraghs  and  mountain-sides  to  cut  peat. 
But  since  the  importation  of  coal  from 
England  in  large  quantities,  turf,  as  an  article 
of  fuel,  has  been  well-nigh  superseded,  except 
in  the  district  adjacent  to  the  mountains, 
where  the  old  customs,  spiced  with  romance, 
connected  with  the  preparation  of  this  useful 
fuel  still  linger. 

The  enterprise  is  commenced  annually 
with  a  rustic  picnic,  which  is  of  immemorial 
antiquity.  On  the  day  preceding  the  event, 
the  good  housewives  are  busy  catering  for  the 
feast.  Just  enter  one  of  those  stone-built 
thatch-roofed,  spotlessly  lime-washed  houses 
that  here  and  there  dot  the  lower  reaches  of 
the  mountain  glens,  say  on  the  Maughold 
side  of  North  13arule.  In  the  spacious  fire- 
place, the  open  ingle-nook  which  never  knew 
any  semblance  of  a  fire-grate,  the  flames 
sputter  on  the  hearth,  beneath  a  quaint  three- 
legged  pot  that  stands  jauntily  on  the  iron 
tripod.  In  the  said  pot  boils  steadily  a  sub 
stantial  hunch  of  hung  beef,  which  had 

Graced  the  chimney-cheek 
The  winter  through  amongst  the  reek, 


150 


MANX  CUSTOMS. 


and  which  on  the  morrow  will  test  the  quality 
of  the  teeth  of  strong-jawed,  sun-bronzed 
Manxmen.  Dishes  of  "cowry" — a  jelly 
manufactured  by  some  mysterious  process 
from  the  inner  husk  of  oats — are  got  ready. 
This  is  regarded  as  a  prime  dainty,  the  chief 
of  all  the  luxuries  of  the  mountain  banquet. 
Oaten  or  barley  bannocks  are  baked  in  the 
earthenware  oven,  which  turns  out  savoury- 
smelling,  irregularly-shaped  cubes,  the  like  of 
which  no  Brummagem  stove  could  produce  ; 
though  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  stove, 
with  its  shining  steel  appurtenances,  is  fast 
ousting  the  time-honoured  arrangement,  to 
the  sorrow  of  the  sturdy  mountaineer,  who 
complains  that,  \vith  the  new-fangled  wheaten 
bread,  baked  in  this  new  fashion,  there  is 
nothing  for  his  teeth  to  do,  and  that  they  are 
in  danger  of  decaying  from  sheer  idleness. 
While  the  cooking  is  proceeding,  new-laid 
eggs  are  packed  away  in  dry  bracken,  and 
sweet  fresh-churned  butter  in  well-moulded 
segments  is  laid  aside  in  some  very  cool  spot 
to  solidify — real  butter,  not  the  slimy  decoc- 
tions of  commerce.  These  are  almost  the 
only  articles  of  homely  cheer  provided.  If 
there  is  not  great  variety,  there  is  that  which 
will  appeal  to  the  appetite  of  honest  labour 
and  good-conscienced  mirth,  sharpened  by 
the  bracing  cordial  of  mingled  sea  and  up- 
land breezes. 

The  morrow  having  arrived,  men  and 
women,  lithe  lads  and  sprightly  lasses,  no 
longer  in  home-spun  "  lai(ghta?i "  —  cloth 
made  from  wool  of  the  natural  colour  of  a 
sheep  peculiar  to  Mona — but  in  modern  cos- 
tume, more  or  less  fashionable,  set  out  from 
neighbouring  farmsteads,  from  Balla-Jorey, 
and  BallaCubbin,  and  Balla-Joughin,  and  a 
dozen  other  Ballas,  to  join  the  mountain- 
bound  band.  On  reaching  some  upland 
plateau  on  Snaafield  or  Barule,  the  men  set 
to  work  to  find  a  fitting  place  to  commence 
operations,  whilst  the  women  display  their 
plates  and  bowls  on  the  grassy  lawn,  and 
spread  their  homely  feast.  Shortly  the  feast 
begins,  and,  to  quote  Mona's  only  poet : 

While  each  rustic  plays  an  eager  part, 
The  sire  repeats,  "  There's  plenty  in  the  cart 
To  satisfy  us  all,  I'm  sure,  to-day; 
So,  lads,  eat  on,  and  spare  it  not,  I  pray." 
Each  bashful  maid,  so  modest  and  reserved, 
Takes  care  her  own  beloved  best  is  served  ; 
While  many  looks  of  artless  love  pass  round, 
Pure  joyful  mirth  and  innocent  abound  ; 


The  stai  1  in  years  no  longer  can  refrain 
From  joining  chorus  with  the  youthful  train, 
Calling  to  mind  those  happy  days  gone  by, 
Ere  cares  of  life  drew  forth  the  heartfelt  sigh.* 

When  appetite  is  well  blunted,  and  the 
accustomed  grace  is  said  at  the  close  of  the 
feast — for  the  Manx  are  a  pious  people — 
labour  begins  in  right  good  earnest.  Some 
cut  the  turf  in  square  blocks  of  about  ten 
inches  by  six  ;  others  spread  them  out  to  dry 
on  the  green  sward — 

Until  the  sun  sinks  far  into  the  west, 
li^-hind  the  summit  of  vast  Snaafield's  crest, 
Throwing  its  shadow  o'er  the  lowland  plain, 
Tlie  well-known  gnomon  of  the  lab'ring  swain. 

And  now,  while  the  shades  of  night  are 
gathering,  to  quote  the  faithful  picture  of  the 
Manx  bard — 

They  homeward  wend  their  course  along  the  moor, 
Their  wives  and  children  wait  them  at  the  door, 
And  many  a  neighb'ring  cottage  lass  was  there 
To  meet  the  swain  the  courting  kiss  to  share. 
As  careless  they  to  hide  their  artless  love 
As  the  wood-pigeons  cooing  in  the  grove  ; 
For  there  no  etiquette  or  worldly  pride 
Had  taught  the  heart  to  stray  from  virtue's  side. 

After  the  turf  has  been  well  dried  it  is  con- 
veyed home  in  primitive  fashion.  Packed 
in  straw-made  panniers,  called  cree/s,  on  the 
shaggy  backs  of  mountain  ponies,  it  finds  its 
way  down  the  shelving  sides  of  Barule  to  the 
farmyard,  where  it  is  carefully  stacked  for 
winter  use.  But  it  must  be  confessed  that 
since  the  formation  of  the  new  roads  across 
the  mountain,  the  commonplace  cart  is  fast 
superseding  the  ancient  and  picturesque  mode 
of  transit. 


3i.$  ^r.  jFreeman  Accurate  f 

Part  II. 

That  Mr.  Freeman  is  an  accurate  historian  no  one 
who  has  carefully  studied  his  works  can  doubt ;  that 
his  writings  should  be  free  from  error  is  impossible. — 
Acoi/emj',  June  5,  1SS6. 

And  I  seiJe  nay,  and  proved  hit  b)'  Domesday. — 
Letter  of  John  Shillingford,  1447. 

HE     above     quotation     from     the 
columns  of  the  Academy  is  taken 
from  a  critical  notice  on  the  first 
portion  of  this  paper.     To  me  it  is 
most  welcome,  as  vindicating  my  position, 

*  Monas  Isle,  and  other  Poems,  by  W.  Kennish, 
R.A.     Simpkins  and  Marshall,  1844. 


IS  MR.  FREEMAN  ACCURATE 'I 


151 


and  as  showing  how  much  has  yet  to  be  done 
before  the  work  of  the  Regius  Professor  can 
be  set  in  its  true  Ught,  before  a  correct 
estimate  can  be  formed  of  its  authority  and 
its  worth.  Let  me  then  repeat  that  it  would 
be  mere  affectation  to  decry  the  merits  of 
that  work.  All  that  I  urge  here  is  that  an 
exaggerated  estimate  has  been  formed  of  its 
•'  accuracy,"  and  that  until  that  estimate  has 
been  reconsidered  in  the  light  of  such  evi- 
dence as  the  facts  afford,  its  effect  may  be 
gravely  misleading. 

This  exaggerated  estimate  would  naturally 
arise  from  Mr.  Freeman's  peculiar  insistence 
on  "accuracy,"  and,  still  more,  from  his 
severe  handling  of  inaccuracies  in  the  writings 
of  others.  Of  the  former,  we  have  an  instance 
in  such  a  passage  as  this  : 

I  would  say  as  the  first  precept — dare  to  be  accurate. 
You  will  be  called  a  pedant  for  doing  so,  but  dare  to 
be  accurate  all  the  same.* 

Of  the  latter,  I  need  hardly  observe,  no  one 
can  well  be  ignorant.  I  need,  therefore,  only 
refer  to  a  favourable  and  most  friendly  re- 
view of  the  Professor's  latest  volume,  in 
which  he  is  described  as  best  known  to  the 
public  as  an  "  historian  who  is  moved  to 
an  indignation  usually  reserved  for  moral 
offences  by  misstatements  of  the  facts  of 
history,  even  in  matters  which  appear  trivial 
to  other  people,"  and  as  specially  distin- 
guished for  "the  Berserker  fury  with  which 
he  sometimes  assails  blunders  which  appear 
innocent  enough  to  ordinary  people."!  Nor, 
I  may  add,  is  this  extract  taken  from  what 
Mr.  Freeman  is  so  fond  of  terming  "  the 
Mahometan  press  of  England." 

The  Academy  critic  is  perfectly  right  in 
separating  "inaccuracy"  from  "error."  The 
distinction  is  most  important.  From  "  error," 
it  may  fairly  be  said,  no  historian  can  be  free. 
The  two  chief  sources  of  "error"  are  (r) 
insufficient  evidence ;  (2)  erroneous  infer- 
ence. "Inaccuracy,"  on  the  other  hand, 
might  be  described  as  the  zymotic  disease  of 
history ;  that  is  to  say,  it  is  strictly  pre- 
ventible.  A  writer  may  be  deficient  in  that 
peculiar  faculty  which  can  alone  enable  the 
historian  to  draw  ihe  right  inference  from  his 
facts.  For  that,  of  course,  he  is  not  to 
blame.     But  he  is  to  bhme  if  he  states  the 

*  "On  the  Study  of  History"    {Forinightly  AV- 
vie7u,  N.S.,  xxix.,  325). 
t  S/>.-iia!or,  July  31,  1886. 


facts  themselves  incorrectly,  and  the  more 
so  if  he  makes  himself  conspicuous  by  chas- 
tising this  fault  in  others. 

Let  us  now  see  whether  Mr.  Freeman  is 
merely  liable  to  error,  or  is  at  times  not  even 
accurate. 

With  his  treatment  of  Domesday  I  have 
already  dealt,  and  I  shall  return  to  it  again 
anew.  Let  us  now  therefore  glance  at  some 
other  points. 

There  are  few  subjects  to  which  Mr.  Free- 
man has  given  more  special  attention  than  to 
the  ecclesiastical  settlement  of  England  under 
the  Conqueror.  He  devotes  to  it  an  entire 
chapter  (cap.  xix.)  of  his  work  on  the  Norman 
Conquest.  Yet,  having  twice  informed  us  in 
that  work  (IV.,  xxii.  419  [ed.  1876])  that 
Remigius  translated  his  see  to  Lincoln  in 
1085,  he  informs  us,  as  distinctly,  in  another 
work  that  Remigius  "  moved  his  throne  .  .  . 
in  1070"!*  And  what  renders  the  dis- 
crepancy infinitely  stranger  is  that,  in  the 
later,  as  in  the  earlier  work,t  the  translation 
of  this  see  affords  the  same  opportunity  of 
introducing  a  phrase,  which  must  by  this 
time  be  familiar  to  Mr.  Freeman's  readers, 
about  "  the  home  of  Birinus,  by  the  winding 
Thames,  looking  up  at  the  mighty  hill-fort  of 
Sinodun  ;"J  a  feat  which,  I  believe  (it  is  but 
jast  to  add),  it  does  not  perform  more  than 
thrice  in  the  later  of  the  two  volumes. 

The  exact  date  of  this  translation  is  noto- 
riously an  open  question.  But  this  obviously 
is  no  excuse  for  assigning,  and  with  equal 
confidence,  the  two  contradictory  dates  of 
1070  and  1085.  Nor  is  it  a  question  of 
dates  only.  We  would  learn  not  merely  the 
date,  but  also  the  cause  of  the  transference. 
Was  it,  or  was  it  not,  one  of  those  conse- 
quent on  the  Council  of  London  (1075)? 
Mr.  Freeman,  in  his  Norman  Conquest^  dis- 
tinctly implies  that  it  was,  though  it  is  not 
one  of  the  three  sees  mentioned  by  name  as 
affected  §  If  it  was,  how  could  it  have  taken 
place  five  years  before  that  Council  (/>.,  in 

*  Enqlish  Towns  and  Districts,  p.  208. 

t  Norman  Conquest  (vol.  iv. ),  1871  and  1876; 
Ens^lish  Towns  and  Districts. 

X  Norman  Conquest,  vol.  iv.  (421),  419. 

§  Three  Hishopricks  were  at  once  removed  by  virtue 
of  this  decree.  .  .  .  15ut  these  three  changes,  made  by 
the  immediate  orders  of  the  Council  of  London,  were 
not  the  only  chanjjes  of  the  kind  which  were  made 
during  this  reign  and  the  following  one.  First  of  all, 
Remigius,  etc.,  etc. — Norman  Conquest^  iv.  (418,  421), 
415,419. 


152 


IS  MR.  FREEMAN  ACCURATE! 


1070)?  The  two  versions  are  mutually  in- 
compatible. I  have  not  here  the  space  for  a 
dissertation  on  the  point,  so  I  will  merely 
observe  that  it  seems  to  me  probable  that 
not  only  one  but  both  of  Mr.  Freeman's  dates 
(1070  and  1085)  are  wrong. 

But  this  would  take  us  out  of  the  sphere  of 
"  inaccuracy "  into  the  other  and  distinct 
sphere  of  "error."  So  also  would  the  case 
of  another  transference,  that  of  the  See  of 
East  Anglia,  which  follows  immediately,  in 
Mr.  Freeman's  narrative,  on  that  which  we 
have  just  considered,  and  should  be  classed 
for  investigation  with  it.  Here  again  I  find 
evidence  irreconcilable  with  Mr.  Freeman's 
data. 

Keeping,  however,  to  the  question  of 
"accuracy,"  we  have  seen  above  that  Mr. 
Freeman  is  not  even  consistent  with  himself, 
that  he  flatly  contradicts  in  one  work  a  date 
which  he  has  given  in  another.  We  shall 
now  see,  more  than  this,  that  even  in  one 
and  the  same  work  he  is  found  to  contradict 
himself  flatly.  Take,  for  instance,  the  fol- 
lowing passages  from  his  most  recent  magnum 
opus,  both  of  them  referring  to  the  same 
man,  Gilbert  "  de  Tunbridge  "  or  "  de  Clare." 

A.D.  1088.  A.D.  1090. 

This  ancient  fortress  Streatham,  the  gift  of 
[Tunbridge]  had  grown  Richard  of  Clare  or  of 
into  the  Castle  of  Gilbert  Tunbridge,  of  whom  we 
the  son  of  Richard,  called  have  so  often  heard  .... 
of  Clare  and  of  Tunbridge,  the  priory  of  Clare  .... 
the  son  of  the  famous  was  the  gift  of  Gilbert  of 
Count  Gilbert  of  the  early  Clare,  brother  of  Richard, 
days  of  the  Conqueror. —  the  other  benefactor  of  the 
William  Rufus,  i.  68.  house,  a  house  which  seems 

to  have  had  special  attrac- 
tions for  the  whole  family 
of  Count  Gilbert.— ^z7- 
liam  Rtiftis,  i.  376. 

Or  again  let  us  take  this  similar  instance  : 

His  [Robert  of  Meulan's]        He  was  the  father  of  two 

sons  were  well  taught,  and  sons,  both  of  whom  were 

they  could  win  the  admira-  brought  up  with  such  care 

tion  of  popes  and  cardinals  that  they  could,  while  still 

by  their  skill  in  disputa-  young,    hold   logical    dis- 

tion.   The  eldest,  IValeran,  putations   with   cardinals. 

his  Norman  heir,  plays  an  Of  these  brothers,  Rohert, 

unlucky  part  in  the  reign  the  elder,  became  a  pros- 

of    Henry;    his     English  perous    Earl  of  Leicester 

heir,     Robert,     continued  in     England,    while     his 

the   line  of  the    Earls  of  brother  Waleran   became 

Leicester. —  William   Ru-  an     unlucky     Count     of 

fus,  i.  187.  Meulan   beyond  the    sea. 
—  William  RtifHS,\\.  419. 

In  this  case,  though,  or  rather  because,  these 
statements  are  so  directly   contradictory,    it 


would  seem  impossible  that  they  could  both 
be  wrong.  And  yet  Mr.  Freeman  may  be  held 
to  have  accomplished  even  this.  For,  as  his 
"  master  "  is  well  aware,  the  sons  in  question 
were — twins.* 

I  am  tempted  to  select  from  the  same 
work  yet  one  instance  more,  as  illustrative 
not  only  of  Mr.  Freeman's  practice  of  care- 
fully referring,  in  support  of  his  statements,  to 
passages  in  which  he  has  himself  exposed 
them,  but  also  of  the  singular  process  by 
which  his  errors  are  frequently  evolved.  We 
start  from  the  brief  and  unimpeachable  state- 
ment contained  in  a  note  on  Tunbridge 
Castle,  that — 

A  singular  story  is  told  in  the  Continuation  of 
William  of  Jumii'ges  (viii.  15)  how  Tunbridge  was 
granted  in  exchange  for  Brionne,  and  measured  by 
the  rope.     See  Appendix  S.  —  William  Rufus,  1.  68. 

We  turn,  as  directed,  to  "  Appendix  S," 
but  find  that  we  do  so  in  vain.  In  "  Note 
U,"  however  (p.  564),  we  find  the  passage 
we  are  referred  to.  This  passage  runs  as 
follows : 

Of  this  way  of  measuring  by  the  rope  .  .  .  whence 
the  Rapes  in  Sussex.  .  .  .  several  examples  are  col- 
lected by  Maurer.  ...  In  Sussex  itself  we  have  (see 
above,  p.  68)  the  story  of  the  measuring  of  the  lowy 
{sic)  of  Lewes  {sic)  by  the  rope,  which  is  at  least  more 
likely  than  the  story  told  by  the  same  writer  ( W.  Gem., 
viii.  15)  that  the  earldom  of  Hereford  passed  in  this 
way. 

Thus  on  p.  68  we  are  referred,  for  further 
information  on  the  lowy  of  Tu7ih'idge,  to  this 
passage,  in  which  it  is  dealt  with  as  the  lowy 
of  Lewes,  while  in  this  passage  we  are  re- 
ferred back  to  that  in  which  it  is  (rightly) 
described  as  the  lewy  of  Tunbridge  !  Verily, 
we  are  reminded  of  Mr.  Vincent's  words  deal- 
ing with  another  of  the  Professor's  works  : 

The  author  of  this  book,  I  should  infer  from  number- 
less passages,  cannot  revise  what  he  writes.  He  must 
accustomably  rely  upon  a  memory  which  is  conspi- 
cuously defective.! 

"  Of  course,"  in  Mr.  Freeman's  words,  "  I 
shall  be  told  that  these  things  do  not  matter, 
that  it  is  quite  unimportant  whether  "  Tun- 
bridge or  Lewes  was  the  scene  of  the  legend. 
But  "  real  students  of  history  think  other- 
wise."    They  do. 

Or  again,  if  my  criticism  be  thought  too 
harsh,  take  this  passage,  from  the  Professor 

*  Stubbs'  Const. Hist.,  i.  309. 

t  Genealogist  (New  Series),  ii.  179. 


JS  MR.  FREEMAN  ACCURATE! 


153 


himself,  on  the  letters  of  special  correspon- 
dents : 

If  a  man  sails  down  the  Hadriatic,  he  must  write 
the  history  of  every  island  he  comes  to  ;  if  he  jumbles 
together  Curzola  and  Corfu,  it  does  not  greatly  matter ; 
who  will  know  the  difference  ?  So  if  he  goes  to  a 
Church  Congress  at  Leicester  he  must  needs  write  the 
early  history  of  Leicester  ;  if,  instead  of  this,  he  gives 
his  readers  the  early  history  of  Chester,  what  does  it 
matter?  Who  will  know  the  difference?  .  .  .  Some- 
thing, of  course,  must  be  said  about  Curzola,  something 
about  Leicester.  But  if  any  man  hint  that  it  makes 
some  little  difference  .  .  .  whether  the  victory  of 
i^thelfrith  and  the  slaughter  of  the  Bangor  monks  took 
place  at  Leicester  or  at  Chester,  he  must  bear  the 
penalty  of  his  rashness.  .  .  .  He  who  shall  venture  to 
distinguish  between  two  English  boroughs  .  .  . 
when  the  authorised  caterer  for  the  public  information 
thinks  good  to  confound  them  must  be  content  to 
bear  the  terrible  name  of  pedant,  even  if  no  worse  fate 
still  is  in  store  for  him.* 

As  I  have  here  ventured,  under  these  very 
circumstances,  "to  distinguish  between  two 
English  boroughs,"  that  fate  must,  I  fear,  be 
mine. 

Can  confusion  further  go  ?  Apparently  it 
can.  In  the  passage  from  William  Rufus, 
quoted  above,  Mr.  Freeman  asserts  that  the 
Lewes  story  is  "  more  likely  "  than  that  told 
of  Hereford.  How  a  story  which  was  never 
told,  and  which  would  have  been  impossible 
if  it  had  (there  having  been  no  such  lowy), 
could  be  "  more  likely  "  than  another  one,  is 
a  problem  I  will  not  attempt  to  solve  ;  I  will 
only  observe  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
unfortunate  "writer"  did  not  even  tell  that 
other  story  which  Mr.  Freeman  so  strangely 
here  assigns  to  him.  What  the  continuator 
really  says  is  that  William  Fitz  Osbcrn  left 
two  sons  : 

Willelmum  de  Britolio,  qui  post  decessum  eius  ter- 
ram  quam  hal^ebat  in  Normannia  habuit;  et  Rogerium 
cuiComitatus  ll<zxQ^oxd\/iiniculo distributiottis  ez'enti.\ 

Surely,  if  Mr.  Freeman,  to  use  a  phrase  of 
his  own,  had  read  this  passage  with  "com- 
mon care,":}:  he  would  not  have  overlooked 
"  distributionis,"  and  must  have  seen  that  the 
writer's  expression  could  have  nothing  to  do 
with  "measuring  by  the  rope,"§  but  was  an 

*  Fortnightly  Review  (N.S.),  xxix.  329. 

f  Cont.  Will.  Juin.,  viii.  15  (ed.  Duchesne, 
p.  299). 

X  We  simply  see  that  he  [Mr.  Pearson]  has  not  read 
his  Chronicles  or  his  life  of  Eadward  with  common 
care. — Fortni'^htly  RevicM  (N.S.),  iii.  403. 

§  His  expression  in  the  Tunbridge  case  is   quite 
different: — "leugam.  ...  cum  funiculo  mcnsuratam 
fuisse  "  (ed.  Duchesne,  p.  300). 
VOL.    XIV. 


obvious  paraphrase  for  that  division  between 
the  brothers  which  took  place  on  their  father's 
death.*  Nor  can  any  other  interpretation 
make  sense  of  the  passage. 

But  now  observe  how  one  error  leads  on 
to  another.  The  erroneous  shifting  of  the 
scene  of  this  tradition  from  Tunbridge  in 
Kent  to  Lewes  in  Sussex,  led  Mr.  Freeman 
to  appeal  to  it,  as  we  have  seen,  as  con- 
firming the  origin  assumed  by  him  for  the 
term  "Rape"  in  Sussex.  Accordingly  he 
thus  recurred  to  the  subject  in  his  inaugural 
address  at  the  Lewes  meeting,  1883  : 

In  Sussex  we  have  the  hundred  and  we  have  the  gd 
under  another  name.  At  some  stage,  which  must 
have  been  an  early  one,  the  land  was,  according  to  a 
common  ancient  usage,  dealt  out  by  the  rope,  and 
the  rope  has  left  its  name  to  the  groupings  of  the 
SouthSaxon  hundreds.  Rape,  a  name  unlcnown  in 
England  out  of  Sussex,  is,  I  need  not  say,  simply  the 
old  measuring  rope,  keeping  nearer  both  to  the  ancient 
sound  and  the  ancient  spelling  than  the  other  form  of 
the  word. 

Appended,  however,  to  this  passage,  in  a 
report  published  subsequently,  we  find  this 
significant  note : 

So  I  wrote,  following  the  explanation  which,  I  be- 
lieve, has  been  commonly  received  ;  but  on  turning  to 
Mr.  Skeat's  Dictionary,  I  find  that  he  does  not  seem 
to  acknowledge  any  connection  between  the  rope  (see 
Williain  Rufus,  i.  68 ;  ii.  564)  and  the  Rapes  of 
Sussex.* 

Here,  then,  the  cat  emerges  from  the  bag. 
When  in  his  William  Rufus,  and  again  in 
his  address  at  Lewes,  the  Professor  wrote 
thus  confidently  of  the  derivation  of  the 
"  Rape "  from  the  rope  with  which  it  had 
been  measured  (as  when  he  pronounced  that 
Colchester  keep  was  "clearly"  the  work  of 
Eudo),  he  was  merely,  we  learn,  following 
"  the  explanation  "  which,  he  believed,  had 
"  been  commonly  received  " — the  explanation 
of  guide-books  and  similar  compilations — 
without  thinking  for  a  moment  of  its  in- 
herent, and  indeed  obvious,  improbability. 
What  a  confession  from  that  "accurate" 
historian,  who  has  insisted  so  loudly  and  so 
long  on  the  necessity  of  original  research  ! 

Even  now  the  Professor,  it  would  seem,  is 
only  half  convinced  by  Mr.  Skeat,  and  refers 

*  The  policy  of  William  divided  his  inheritance.  .  .  . 
The  Norman  estates  .  .  .  passed  to  his  eldest  son 
William  ;  the  Earldom  of  Hereford  and  all  that  he  had 
in  England  was  granted  to  his  second  son  Roger. — 
Norman  Conquest,  vol.  iv. 

t  Arch./ouni.f  xl.  346. 

M 


154 


IS  MI?.  FREEMAN  A  CCVRA  TE 1 


us  to  those  passages  in  his  William  Eufus, 
which  so  strangely  contradict  one  another, 
presumably  under  the  blissful  impression  that 
there  is  no  contradiction  between  them. 

After  this,  it  may  be  instructive  to  refer  to 
a  review  of  Mr.  Freeman's  chief  topographical 
work — English  Towns  and  Districts — in  which 
we  read  as  follows  : 

The  favour  with  which  Mr.  Freeman  is  received  as 
Chairman  of  the  Historical  Section  of  the  Archceo- 
logical  Institute  is  explained  when  it  is  seen  how  much 
concerning  a  town  he  Is  able  to  tell  which  the  best 
instructed  inhabitant  cannot  have  received  from  tradi- 
tion, and  wliich  the  acutest  local  antiquary  is  not  likely 
to  have  divined.* 

This  was  certainly  the  case  at  Lewes, 
where  no  inhabitant  can  "  have  received 
from  tradition,"  nor  could  any  local  anti- 
quary "  have  divined "  that  they  were  sur- 
rounded by  such  a  district  as  "  the  lowy  of 
Lewes,"  for  the  really  excellent  reason  that 
no  such  district  ever  existed. 

Passing  from  the  land  of  the  South-  to  that 
of  the  East-Saxons,  we  may  glance  at  one 
more  case  in  point,  taken  from  the  paper  on 
Colchester.  There  is  at  Colchester  a  relic 
of  Roman  domination  known  as  the  Balkan 
(or  Balkerne)  Gate.  The  existing  structure, 
well-known  to  archaeologists  for  its  remark- 
able state  of  preservation,  consists  of  a  com- 
plete archway  in  combination  with  a  bastioned 
guard-chamber.  Dr.  Duncan,  in  his  mono- 
graph on  The  Walls  of  Colchester  {i2>$i,\  thus 
describes  the  gateway  : 

The  magnificence  of  the  tile-work  of  this  great 
Roman  arch  cannot  be  described  by  my  feeble  pen.  .  .  . 
The  two  bastion-like  ends  and  the  arched  ways  of  this 
grand  gate  must  have  contributed  in  the  olden  time  to 
its  strength  as  a  military  position,  and  to  its  elegance 
as  a  piece  of  architecture.  .  .  .  The  whole  building, 
standing,  as  it  does,  in  front  of  the  line  of  the  wall,  is 
•unequalled  by  any  remains  in  England. f 

Now  Mr.  Freeman  admitted,  when  speak- 
ing at  Colchester,  that  he  had  gone  round 
the  walls  the  previous  year  (1875),  ^^^  it  is 
difficult  to  understand  how  he  can  have  done 
so  without  being  confronted  by  this  suggestive 
symbol  of  the  arts  and  the  dominion  of 
Imperial  Rome. 

But  what  has  Mr.  Freeman  to  say  of  this 
gate  after  his  perambulation  of  the  walls  ? 

As  almost  everywhere  in  Britain,  the  gates   have 

Kerished.     There  is  nothing  to  be  set  even  against  the 
'ew  Port  of  Lincoln  (!) ;  far  less  is  there  anything  to 

*  Notes  and  Queries  (Sixth  Series),  viii.  219. 
t  Essex  Arch,  Journal^  i.  48,  51. 


set  against  the  mighty  gateways  of  Trier,  Aosta,  and 
even  Ntmes.  Can  we  deem  that  at  Camulodunum, 
as  at  Rome  itself,  there  were  ever  gateways  of  really 
good  architectural  design,  built  of  the  favourite 
material?  As  it  is,  we  must  content  ourselves  with 
the  walls.* 

Doubtless  Mr.  Freema^n  would  be  better 
pleased  if  this  gateway  had  perished ;  but 
there  is  really  a  gleam  of  unconscious  irony 
in  the  inquiry  whether,  if  there  had  been  a 
gateway,  it  were  likely  to  have  been  "  built 
of  the  favourite  material,"  when  a  gateway  so 
built  is  actually  standing,  and  when  no  less 
an  authority  than  Mr.  Roach  Smith  described 
and  depicted  it  years  ago  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Archceological  Association  (ii.  31-33),  ob- 
serving that — 

In  no  buildings  that  I  have  seen  do  the  Roman 
tiles  abound  so  much  as  the  red  tiles  in  those  of  Col- 
chester. .  .  .  The  upper  part  of  the  arch  is  entirely 

composed  of  tiles. 

Truly,  in  announcing  that  no  such  gateway 
existed,  Mr.  Freeman  revealed  to  the  good 
people  of  Colchester  a  "  fact  " — "  which  the 
acutest  local  antiquary  is  not  likely  to  have 
divined."  But  even  supposing  that,  at  the  time 
when  he  delivered  his  address,  he  was  actually 
ignorant  of  this  famous  relic,  we  find  it  re- 
corded in  the  Archceological  Journal  (xxxiii. 
420)  that  Mr.  Freeman,  only  two  days  later, 
accompanied  the  members  of  the  Institute  on 
the  occasion  when 

A  thorough  examination  was  made  of  the  remains 
of  the  old  Roman  wall  in  Balkerne  Lane  .  .  .  and 
the  admirably  preserved  Decuman  gate  at  tlie  top  of 
Balkerne  Hill,  the  only  existing  Roman  gateivay  and 
g  liar dho  use.  — Ibid. 

And  yet  in  his  English  Towns  and  Districts, 
published  some  years  after  this  visit,  the 
Regius  Professor,  as  we  have  seen,  ignores 
the  very  existence  of  such  a  gate  ! 

J.  H.  Round. 


a^unicipal  £DfiSce$ :  Catllole. 

By  RiCHAiiD  S.  Ferguson,  F.S.A. 

Part  III. 

(47)  Town  Guard.  —  Even  within  the 
present  century  certain  decrepit  veterans  in 
brown,  turned  up  with  red  (the  livery  of  the 
old  corporation),  sat  at  the  city  gates  and 
*  English  Towns,  p.  394. 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


155 


dozed  all  day.     They  practically  represented 
the  porters  of  the  gates. 

(48)  moultergrave. 

(49)  Farmers  of  the  Mills. 

(50)  Common  Leaders  to  the  Mills. 

(51)  Millers. — The  following  are  from 
the  Constitutions  and  Rules,  1561  : 

Itm  that  there  shelbe  noe  comone  leders  of  noe 
freman  or  woman's  corn  inhabitynge  XY'i'In  the  cities 
or  liberties  of  the  same  to  any  myhie  But  only  to  thre 
niyliies  of  the  citie  whereunto  all  citiscns  are  bound 
And  that  the  moultergraues  and  fermers  \v''>  thare 
servants  shall  grind  and  use  those  duties  to  all 
thinhabitantes  of  the  same  citie  in  such  nianer  and 
forme  as  thei  ar  bound  by  thare  lease  graunlcd  by  the 
citie  And  yf  any  mylner  hereafter  offende  any  citisen 
in  grinding  thare  corne  or  takyne  moulter  that  then 
the  partie  grieved  first  to  coraplean  to  the  moulter- 
graue  who  shall  reforme  the  thinge  to  the  person 
plaintif  And  yf  the  moultergraue  will  not  reforme  the 
thinge  then  the  plaintif  to  complean  to  the  mayr  who 
shall  reforme  the  wrong  according  to  justice. 

Ilm  that  there  shalbe  noe  moe  remaininge  at  any  of 
the  townes  mylne  but  the  mylner  and  the  leder  only 
upon  payne  of  forfitor  of  iii^  iiij^  for  eure  tym  which 
som  shalbe  levied  of  the  guds  of  the  moultergraues  so 
often  as  thei  suffer  the  same. 

The  corporation  of  Carlisle  had  under 
their  charters  three  mills,  the  Borough  Mill, 
the  Castle  Mill,  and  the  Bridge  End,  and  a 
large  portion  of  the  revenues  of  the  city  rose 
from  these  three  mills.  To  these  mills  all 
citizens,  all  inhabitants,  were  bound  to  send 
their  corn,  and  to  no  other.  This  right  the 
corporation  long  possessed,  and  from  it  they 
derived  a  large  income,  but  litigation  arose ; 
a  trial  took  place  at  York,  in  the  middle  of 
the  last  century.  It  was  proved  that  the 
corporation  had  not  fulfilled  their  part  of 
the  obligation,  namely,  to  keep  a  stallion 
horse,  a  bull,  and  a  boar  for  the  use  of  the 
people  of  Carlisle,  and  so  they  lost  their 
right  of  compulsory  mulcturc,  or  toll  on 
grinding.  But  this  was  not  until  the  middle 
of  the  last  century.  In  1723  and  1724,  and 
doubtless  in  other  years,  the  chamberlains' 
accounts  show  that  the  corporation  had  two 
bulls,  but  I  find  no  trace  of  horse  or  boar. 

I  know  little  about  the  moultcrgrave 
{inoultergerifa)^  but  the  Court  Lect  in  1628 
presented  as  follows  : 

We  present  these  persons  for  keeping  leading 
horses  to  the  hindrance  of  the  moultergraues  of  this 
cittie  viz'  Robert  Cooke  and  James  Dunne  for  keap- 
ing  a  leading  horse  to  Denton  Millne  Alexander 
Lowickc  for  aleading  horse  to  Ilarrabyc  Millne  Robert 


Eales    for  leading  horse   to   Harrabye   Millne    and 
Thomas  Taylor  for  a  horse  to  the  Abbey  Millne. 

The  Court  Leet  in  1619  amercyed 

Archiles  Armstrong  for  keping  his  wife  to  play  the 
milner  contrary  the  orders  of  this  cyttie. 

In  1617-8  the  chamberlains  account  for 
x"  xiii'  4''  received  from  the  moultergraves. 
Various  sums  are  received  in  subsequent 
years. 

(52)  Fermors  of  the  Citie. 

Itm  yf  any  fermor  of  the  citie  pay  deliver  or  dis- 
burse any  part  or  parcell  of  his  yerely  rent  to  the 
hands  of  the  mayr  for  hys  tym  beyng  onles  it  be 
agreed  by  the  consent  of  the  counsale  or  the  most 
parte  of  them  that  then  the  said  fermer  shall  pay  the 
same  rent  againe  at  the  next  audit  or  ells  to  remaine 
in  ward  to  yt  be  payd. — Constitutions  and  Rules, 
1561. 

Farmers  of  the  city  seems  to  include  the 
farmers  of  the  mills,  the  two  next  to  be  men- 
tioned, and  probably  all  other  tenants. 

(53)  Farmers  of  the  Tolls. — Also  called 
The  Cities  Toolers. 

Itm  that  the  fermors  of  the  toulles  shall  tak  of  all 
maner  of  vitells  and  graine  cumynge  to  the  market  in 
lyk  manner  and  form  as  heretofore  liaith  been 
.accustomed  and  that  thei  shall  tak  no  toulles  of  no 
kynd  of  vitalls  cumynge  to  the  market  beyng  onder 
the  value  and  price  of  v'  ob  upon  paine  of  euere  tym 
using  the  contrarie  to  forfet  liij''- — Constitutions  and 
Rules,  1 561. 

These  persons  also  appear  as  "  Farmers 
of  the  Shire  Tolls"  "  Farmers  of  the  Scotland 
Toll."  The  tolls  held  by  the  city  of  Carlisle 
under  its  charter  are  to  this  day  and  always 
have  been  a  most  valuable  property,  and 
have  frequently  been  the  subject  of  prolonged 
and  expensive  litigation.  They  consist  of 
three  kinds:  i.  Market  tolls;  2.  Passage 
or  through  tolls  on  all  goods  not  belonging 
to  freemen ;  3.  The  shire  toll  on  all 
cattle  and  goods  entering  or  leaving  the 
county.  Double  tolls  were  imposed  upon 
Scotchmen  entering  the  city  and  county,  and 
the  corporation  formerly  possessed  atoll  called 
the  Scotch  or  Scotland  toll,  but  this  was 
abolished  by  the  sixth  article  of  the  Act  of 
Union;  the  corporation  received  ;!^2,64i  by 
way  of  recompense ;  this  was  judiciously 
invested  in  land,  which  has  risen  enormously 
in  value. 

(54)  Farmers  of  the  Fisheries. 

Itm  that  the  fermers  and  there  assignees  of  the 
Kinggarth  and  frenct  after  the  years  expired  that  the 
fermers  now  haith  shall  yerely  present  the  market 

M    2 


15^ 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


w*  the  half  part  of  all  such  fyshe  as  thei  shall  gyt  at 
the  same  for  the  better  furnishment  and  releef  of  all 
the  inhabitances  of  the  same  citie  upon  paine  and 
forfitor  for  euere  default  vi=  viii''  which  default  shalbe 
found  and  presented  by  inquest  and  the  forfitor  to  be 
levied  and  taken  of  the  fermors. — Constitutions  and 
Rules,  1 561. 

The  citizens  enjoyed  the  Kinggarth  fishery 
and  the  free  net  under  their  charters ;  they 
have  frequently  been  the  subject  of  Htigation, 
and  the  corporation  have  virtually  lost  the 
Kinggarth  fishery,  owing  to  the  river  having 
changed  its  course ;  but  it  once  produced 
;,^8oo  a  year. 

(55)  Farmers  ofCullerie  or  Coulterie. 

Item  for  wyne  and  sup;ar  in  Mr.  barwickes  when  the 
farmers  of  coulterie  were  called  iii'*  4'^- — Chamberlains' 
Accounts,  1605. 

An  account  of  the  singular  local  tenure 
known  as  "  cullery,"  by  Mr.  W.  Nanson, 
F.S.A.,  will  be  found  in  the  Transactions 
Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  Aiitiquarian 
and  Archaeological  Society,  vol.  vi.,  p.  305. 
Certain  persons  held  and  still  hold  tenements 
from  the  corporation  on  terms  something  re- 
sembling those  by  which  in  other  places 
copyhold  tenants  are  bound  ;  these  in  Car- 
lisle are  named  Ctillery  tena?its.  The  quit- 
rents  which  these  tenants  pay  are  small,  and 
the  collection  of  them  was  let  out  for  a  fixed 
payment  to  persons  who  were  known  as  Far- 
mers of  cullery. 

(56)  Farmers  of  the  Wealock. 

We  order  that  the  farmers  of  the  wealock  shall 
cahse  the  markett  place  to  be  swept  and  made  cleane 
every  Satterday  at  night  upon  pain  of  xii^  every  de- 
fault.— Presentments  Court  Leet,  1655. 

A  similar  entry  in  1658  : 

September  21,  1669. 
Whether  there  shal  be  an  abatem'  to  Dr.  Tallentire 
of  part  of  y"=  wealey  rent  for  last  year  and  how  much 
— abated  50/s — Town  Council  Minutes,  1669. 

The  farmers  of  the  wealock  or  wealey 
were  the  lessees  of  the  corporation  public 
weighing-machine  in  the  market-place,  and 
they  also  leased  the  stallage  there.  I  think 
they  succeeded  the  keeper  of  the  pillory 
(next  to  be  mentioned)  as  collectors  of  the 
market  tolls.  The  corporation  has  and  still 
has  the  exclusive  right  to  set  up  a  public 
weighing-machine,  and  at  the  present  day 
maintains  two  or  three. 

(57)  Keeper  of  the  Pillory. 

Wee  present  the  kepers  of  the  Pillorye  for  takeing 
more  towle  than  theyr  due  iii^  iiii''  And  we  order  that 


if  hereafter  they  doe  use  or  offer  the  like  triccorye 
that  they  shall  lose  theyr  place. — Presentments  of 
Court  Leet,  1628. 

We  present  Willm  Stoddart  the  keper  of  the  Pil- 
lorye for  taking  of  more  than  ordinarye  Towle  iii*  iiii** 
— Ibid.,  1629. 

From  a  plan  of  Carlisle,  tempore  Henry 
VIIL,  in  the  British  Museum,  and  reproduced 
in  Lyson's  Cumberland,  the  pillory  appears  to 
be  an  hexagonal  or  octagonal  wooden  build- 
ing, on  the  top  of  which  was  the  actual 
pillory.  In  this  building  measures  were  kept, 
called  the  pillory  bushels,  pillory  pecks,  etc., 
for  each  kind  of  grain,  and  the  keepers  of 
the  pillory  appeared  to  have  collected  the 
market  tolls. 

The  modern  pillory,  now  in  the  Carlisle 
museum,  consisted  of  an  upright  pole,  which 
went  through  one  end  of  the  plank,  which 
had  the  holes  for  the  neck  and  hands.  The 
plank  turned  on  the  upright  pole,  and  the 
victim  thus  could  run  round  and  round  it. 

(58)  Sworne  Men. 

We  desire  Mr.  Maior  that  the  sworne  men  both  for 
flesh  and  fisli  that  every  markett  they  may  take  a 
strict  view  of  both  flesh  and  fish  that  it  be  good  and 
wholesome  for  the  sustenance  of  man  hereafter  there 
be  noe  cause  of  complaint. — Presentments  of  Court 
Leet,  1658. 

(59)  Sealers  of  Leather. 

Itm  y^  9  of  October  to  henrye  Sewell  for  a  new 
seale  for  lether  stampinge  xii^i — Chamberlains 
Accounts,  1618-9. 

The  sealer's  office  was  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  moot  hall,  next  to  the  delectable  place 
known  as  the  doghole,  in  which  the  drunken 
citizens  were  consigned  to  durance  vile. 

(60)  Beadles. — "  Itm  unto  Anthonie 
clarke  for  beaddells  place  xiii^  iiij"^" — Cham- 
berlains' Accounts  for  1603. 

Werequestyo"'  worship  and  the  rest  ofyo'  bretheren, 
that  whereas  John  Robinson,  and  Edward  Dalton, 
being  beadlles,  and  have  no  regard  of  their  office,  that 
yf  they  do  not  hereafter  looke  better  to  their  office  than 
they  have  lieretofor  done  in  keeping  further  vagabonds, 
and  valient  beggers,  that  they  shalbe  expulsed  frome 
the  sayd  office,  and  their  Coits  taken  frome  them,  and 
others  appointed  to  execute  the  same. — Presentments 
of  Court  Leet,  1597. 

We  order  and  sett  downe  that  the  Bedles  shall 
avoyd  all  beggers  oute  of  this  cyttie  except  ffre  cyti- 
zens,  or  els  to  be  avoyded  thern  selves  or  to  stand  in 
the  pillorye  ffower  market  dayes  every  day  an  hour  at 
least. — Presentments  of  Court  Leet,  1619. 

There    are    many    similar    presentments. 
These  officials  received  coats, 
Itm  for  iiii  yeards  halfe  of  tawney  brodcloth  to  the 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


157 


bedells  and  belman  xxxviii' — Chamberlains' Accounts, 
1604-5. 

Itm  to  the  beadles  for  their  coals  xxxvi= — Ibid., 
i6io-ii. 

(61)  Bellman. 

Itm  unto  the  bellman  Willing  Stodderte  x'-  — Cham- 
berlains' Accounts,  1603. 

For  his  coat,  see  under  the  heading  of  the 
Beadles,  ante. 

The  bellman  also  cleaned  the  conduits, 
for  which  he  got  x^-  Sometimes  he  did  not 
clean  them,  for  the  Court  Leet  in  1597  pre- 
sented, "  We  crave  your  wo"'  to  command  the 
bellman  to  mayke  the  conduits  cleane  and 
the  wales  for  they  are  nott  well  look  unto." 
But  in  1649  he  earned  commendation. 

We  desire  that  Mr.  Maior  Aldermen  and  capital 
Cittizens  doe  take  into  consideracon  the  great  paines 
the  Bellman  tooke  in  the  sickness  time  and  that  he 
may  have  allowance  out  of  the  Cityes  meanes  :  and 
that  Mr.  Maior  be  pleased  that  his  wages  may  be 
augmented.  We  likewise  desire  that  the  Beadles  and 
Bellman  may  be  remembered  for  their  paines  takeing  in 
clensing  the  conduits  and  dressing  the  streats.—  Pre- 
sentments of  Court  Leet,  1649. 

We  desire  Mr.  Maior  that  the  markett  Bell  may  be 
rung  winter  and  summer  at  twelve  of  the  clock  by  the 
maiors  servant. — Presentments  of  Court  Leet,  1658. 

(62)  Bell-ringers. — Salaries  were  paid 
for  ringing  the  following  bells  :  Curfew  (first 
mentioned  in  1603  in  the  earliest  remaining 
Chamberlains'  Accounts)  :  it  was  rung  at  8  at 
night,  and  afterwards  at  9  ;  4  o'clock  a.m., 
which  in  lazier  times  became  5,  and  6  o'clock; 
and  was  called  the  scholars'  bell,  the  market 
bell,  the  watch  bell,  the  common  bell,  etc. 
The  ringers  of  the  Cathedral  bells  received 
donations  for  ringing  on  festive  occasions. 

Itm  geven  to  Ringers  upon  y*^  gunpowder  daye 
ii''  vi''. — Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1618-9. 

See  also  the  Sexton. 

(63)  Jailer  of  Richergate  Prison. 

Fees  and  Anewties  yearlye. 

Itm  unto  Alexander  dalton  for  rychardgaitte  prison 
xiii*^  iiij''.  -Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1609. 

To  Alexander  Ualton  the  Jaylor  of  Richardgait 
xiii''  iiij''.  — Chamberlains'  Accounts. 

(64)  Attendants  on  the  Mayor. — At 
the  Assizes,  when  the  Commissioners  for  the 
North  meet  at  Carlisle,  during  the  fairs,  and 
on  other  high  occasions,  during  the  seven- 
teenth century,  six  or  eight  men,  in  addition 
to  the  sergeants,  were  paid  for  attending  on 
the  mayor.     For  instance  : 

Itm  unto  vi  attend*-'  upon  Mr.  Maior  in  the  assises 
tyme  xxi"*. 


8  Aprill  1605  Itm  .  .  attending  Mr.  Maior  in  the 
comission  tyme  xxi^ — Chamberlains'  Accounts, 
1604-5. 

Itm  to  waters  of  Mr.  Maior  being  ffower  at  ye 
ffirste  fifayer  xii*. 

Itm  to  waters  of  Mr.  Maior  being  7  for  ye  creditt 
of  ye  citie  at  ye  assyses  xxix'. — Chamberlains' 
Accounts,  16 1 8-9. 

(65)  Torch-bearers. 

Item  to  those  which  carried  the  torches  before  Mr. 
Maior  &  his  brethren  from  the  castle  xviii''. — Cham- 
berlain's Accounts,  1608-9. 

The  mayor  had  been  dining  there  with  the 
sheriff.  Torches  and  links  for  the  Mayor's 
use  are  frequently  charged  for.  The  remains 
of  a  great  gilt  civic  lanthorn,  to  be  carried 
dangling  from  a  pole,  survive  in  the  museum. 

(66)  Waits. 

Itm  for  a  coatt  unto  the  Waitte  xx^. — Chamber- 
lains' Accounts,  1603. 

We  request  Mr.  Maior  that  the  three  wates  who 
now  are  allowed  may  continue  and  be  commanded  to 
play  beginninge  presently  and  soe  continue  until! 
Candlemas  and  to  play  both  at  Christmas  and  at  all 
other  times  according  to  former  custome  except  onely 
the  Sabbaoth  dayes  and  to  have  such  allowance  as 
formerly  they  have  had. — Presentments  of  Court 
Leet,  1633. 

Numerous  entries  of  payments  to  the  city's 
waits  are  in  the  Chamberlains'  Accounts ; 
the  waits  of  many  other  towns,  such  as  Ken- 
dal, Lancaster,  Lincoln,  etc.,  visited  Carlisle, 
and  were  handsomely  rewarded  from  the 
city  funds,  as  were  all  strolling  players, 
musicians,  jugglers,  bear-wards,  etc.,  '■'■  by 
Mr.  Maior  comand. " 

(67)  Annuitants. 

Itm  unto  Thomas  braucheson  his  annewtie  x'.  Itm 
unto  Doritie  Vaille  for  her  annewtie  v'. — Chamber- 
lains' Accounts,  1603. 

These  persons  were  paupers,  and  similar 
items  frequently  occur. 

We  order  and  sett  doune  that  all  such  poore  people 
as  have  eyther  pension  or  allowance  of  this  citie  shall 
content  themselves  therewith  and  not  be  clamorous  or 
troblesome  to  strangers  as  heretofore  they  have  used 
to  the  great  scandill  cf  this  cytie  upon  paine  that 
everye  such  clamorous  Begger  shall  forfytt  theyr 
pension  &  allowance.  —  Presentments  of  Court  Leet, 
1625. 

(68)  Beadsman. — The  following  note 
occurs  in  the  Dormont  Book,  1561,  and 
elsewhere  among  the  city  manuscripts  : 

That  in  the  spitall  of  Sainte  Nicolas  ar  thre  Bedmen 
allowed,  one  for  the  Abbey  or  CoUedge,  one  for  the 
castell  and  one  for  the  citie. 

At  S.  Nicholas,  outside  the  city,  was  a  hos- 
pital for  lepers,  whose  revenues  the  Dean  and 


iSS 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


Chapter  of  Carlisle  now  enjoy,  charged,  I 
believe,  with  some  pensions  for  poor  men. 
By  the  Constitutions  and  Rules  of  1561  : 

Vagabonds  and  valiant  beggars  were  not  to  be 
suffered  to  go  openly  about  the  city  "  Onles  such  pore 
and  impotent  persons  as  shalbe  allowed  by  the  mayr  and 
counsale  according  to  the  statute  mayd  in  that  behalf 
which  pore  persons  to  have  tokens  and  badges 
Declaring  that  thei  be  allowed  by  the  mayr  and 
counsell." 

It  would  be  very  interesting  to  find  one  of 
these  "  tokens  or  badges."  The  holder  would 
be  a  sort  of  privileged  mendicant,  or  Carlisle 
Edie  Ochilltree. 

(69)  Fool. 

Itm  unto  one  that  was  fool  on  hallou  thursdaie 
xii''. — Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1604-5. 

Itm  the  20  daie  January  upon  one  that  was  joke- 
maker  at  Mr.  Maior  com  vi"*. — Chamberlains'  Ac- 
counts, 1608-9. 

Itm  the  xxvi"^  day  December,  for  a  coat  to  my  lord 
Abbott  at  Mr.  Maior  command  xvii'. 

Itm  for  a  hat  unto  the  said  lord  bread  (braid)  in 
the  makinge  of  his  coat  &  hat  &  for  candles  viii*  vi**. — 
Chamberlains' Accounts,  1610-11. 

The  ffooles  cote  and  other  charges  for  him 
xxvii^  xi<i. — Ibid.,  1618-9. 

Itm  for  a  soote  to  y<=  naturall  foole  Miller,  tow 
payer  of  showes  &  tow  payer  of  hosse  xxviii^ — Ibid., 
1614-5. 

Itm  bestoued  upon  Sir  Wilfred  lauson's  foole  at  Mr. 
Maior  command  xij**. 

The  cheapest  way  of  providing  for  a 
'■'■  7iaiuraV^  was  to  attach  him  to  some  great 
house  to  do  what  work  he  could  for  his  food ; 
thus  the  Bishop  kept  a  "  softy "  at  Rose 
Castle,  and  the  Carlisle  fool  was  kept  off  the 
rates  by  being  made  an  oflficial.  His  livery 
or  coat  was  red  and  white. 

(70)  Cook. 

Fees  and  annewties. 

Itm  unto  Eduard  Barnes  for  cookes  place  xiii^  iiij'*. 
— Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1603. 
The  cooks  fee  xl*. — Ibid.,  1618-9. 

The  cook  and  several  other  officers  dis- 
appeared in  the  troubles  of  the  Civil  Wars. 

(71)  Drummer. 

Itm  vi  yeards  flanell  brodclothe  unto  the  drummer 
XX'. — Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1604-5. 

Fees  &  anewties  yearlye. 

Itm  unto  Nicholas  hindson  drummer  xx'. — Ibid. 

Itm  to  Mr.  John  Cape  w*^''  he  had  laid  forth  for  re- 
pairing the  old  drum  0:7:  6. — Chamberlains'  Ac- 
counts, 1638-9.* 

He  received  a  livery,  like  the  sergeants, 
bellman,  etc. 

*  This  was  when  the  citizens  in  anticipation  of 
troubles  furbished  up  their  old  muskets  and  began  to 
drill.  ^ 


(72)  Piper. 

In  cloth  for  the  sergeants  pipers  beadles  &  drum- 
mer 13  :  I  :  c— Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1638-9. 

We  desire  that  V»'illiam  Heslop  piper  may  be  per- 
mitted to  goe  his  accustomed  course  playing  evening 
and  morning  through  the  streetes  and  that  he  may 
have  his  livery  formerly  had  with  the  charitable 
benevolence  of  those  who  ....  the  course  and  love 
musick. — Presentments  of  Court  Lret,  1649. 

For  ye  seri^cnts  and  pipers  cloakes  09  :  19  :  02.— 
Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1649. 

Pd  for  serg*'  beadles  piper  &  bird  coates  12  :  05  :o8. 
— Ibid.,  1650. 

I  cannot  find  a  Piper's  Close,  but  I  extract 
the  following  from  the  Carlisle  Patrict,  of 
April  16,  1886.  Botcherby  is  a  township 
immediately  contiguous  to  Carlisle. 

GRAZING  LAND  AT  BOTCHERBY  TO  LET. 

TO  be  LET,  by  AUCTION,  on  Monday,  19th 
April  inst.,  the  following  CLOSKS  of 
GRAZING  LAND,  situate  at  Botciikkby,  near 
Carlisle,  viz. : 

A.    R.  p. 
Park  43     2  27 


Near  Old  Carr 


236 


14     2  13 
10    o  20 


Near  Piper  Mire     ... 
P'ar  Piper  Mire 

(73)  Trumpeter. 

Itm  unto  John  Trumpeter  ii^ — Chamberlains'  Ac- 
counts, 1602-3. 

Itm  to  John  Burton  trumpeter  upon  the  Election 
day  at  Mr.  Maior  com'^  ii^  vi<J. 

Several  similar  entries  occur,  but  rather  by 
way  of  occasional  "  tips  "  than  of  a  salary, 
and  I  do  not  find  that  the  trumpeter  ever 
had  a  livery,  as  the  drummer  and  piper 
had. 

(74)  Paver  of  the  City. — In  the  records 
of  the  Court  Leet,  1597,  is  the  following: 

In  most  humble  maner  dissiring  your  worship  to 
consider  of  me  Archeles  Dalton  concerning  the  Paver- 
ship  of  the  citie  That  I  may  have  your  worshipes 
good  will  and  fouvthence  in  it  for  I  think  that  I  am 
as  sufl'ecent  and  fet  for  it  as  anie  within  this  citie  And 
so  in  it  showing  me  that  goodwill  I  am  kept  bound  to 
pray  for  your  worship 

Your  pour  neighbour 
To  comand  Archiles  Dalton 
We  thinke  good  you"^  wo''  shold  consider  well  of  this 
bill. 

We  set  doune  and  order  that  Archilles  Dalton 
shalbe  allowed  to  be  the  paver  to  this  citie  and  that 
he  shall  have  the  wages  as  others  have  had  before 
and  we  crave  yo"^  worship  that  he  may  be  bound  to 
do  all  such  like  works  as  others  have  done  before. 

(75)  Herd  of  Kingmoor. 

We  crave  your  woorship  to  provid  the  cittycenes  a 
sufficient   herd   for   this   citye   and    to   allow   him  a 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:   CARLISLE. 


159 


sufficient  stypend  for  doinge  &  keapinge  of  the  cittyes 
neatt  and  swine  as  your  wo  :  and  brelheren  thinkith 
good  for  the  cittie  is  greatly  decayeth  therby. 

We  request  y°'^  worship  that  we  maye  have  a 
sufficient  man  to  be  C  hird  and  that  his  wadge  may 
be  amended  at  the  sight  and  discrecone  of  y°'  worship 
and  the  rest  of  y°'  bretheren  because  this  year  is  very 
harde,  and  that  he  be  had  furth  of  hande  for  we  have 
great  neede  of  him  for  o'  cattell. — Presentments  of 
Court  Leet,  1597. 

We  order  that  Eduard  Moorhouse  shalbe  the 
Cittyes  hird  and  keepe  the  cattell  upon  the  King's 
moore  as  formerly  haitt  beene  used  and  to  have  such 
allowance  as  formerly  haitt  bene  given  And  we  order 
that  he  shall  swcepe  and  make  cleane  all  the  fremens 
chymneyes  4  tymes  a  yeare  upon  demand  or  att  any 
tyme  payinge  to  him  for  every  dressing  i''. 

Under  their  charters  the  citizens  from  very 
early  times  up  to  1700  were  seised  of  a  large 
tract  of  land,  about  two  miles  to  the  north  of 
Carlisle,  known  as  Kingmoor ;  here  they 
pastured  their  cattle  and  swine,  and  held 
their  annual  races.  Between  1700  and  1750 
the  corporation  improvidently  leased  large 
portions  of  this  land  to  members  of  their 
own  body  for  three  lives  at  a  nominal  con- 
sideration, with  covenants  for  perpetual  re- 
newal, at  a  fine  of  ;^i  for  each  life.  Several 
renewals  took  place,  but  about  1780  the  cor- 
poration attempted  to  refuse  the  renewals  : 
litigation  ensued,  and  they  found  they  could 
not  do  so  ;  in  18 15  they  enfranchised  the  pro- 
perty. In  1835  it  was  estimated  that  the  value 
of  the  land  thus  lost  was  ^1,000  per  annum. 

(76)  Swineherd. 

Item  for  cloake  given  to  the  Swine  herd 
000  :  16  :  o5. 

Item  for  a  swine  crooke,  a  locke  &  a  key 
ooo  :02  :o6. — Audit  Books,  1649-50. 
He  occasionally  appears  elsewhere  ;  both  the 
herd  and  swine-herd  appear  in  the  same 
accounts  showing  they  were  sometimes  distinct 
offices  held  by  distinct  persons. 

In  the  records  of  the  Court  Leet  for  1619 
is  this  : 

We  order  and  sett  doune  that  all  that  have  any 
swine  within  this  Cyttie  shall  eyther  send  them  to 
the  Kinges  more  or  kepe  theiu  close  in  theyr  Back- 
side that  they  come  not  in  open  streat  upon  paine  of 
amcrcyment  to  everye  one  offending  therein  vi''. 

And  the  hird  to  have  a  penny  in  the  month  of  the 
owners  for  his  paines  for  every  swine. 

Mr.  Round  has  already  called  attention  to 
the  following  passage  from  the  ancient 
ballad  of  Adam  Bell.* 

The  lille  boy  was  towne  swinhearde 
And  kept  ffaire  Allice  swine  : 

Antiquary,  vol.  x.  83. 


(77)  Keeper  of  the  Bull. 

We  set  downe  that  as  concerninge  the  cyties  bull, 
yf  a  poor  man  had  the  bull  in  his  keapinge  he  myght 
have  answered  for  hym,  wch  we  thinke  is  a  great 
deceaye  to  the  Citie,  wherefore  we  desyere  yo"'  wor- 
shipe  and  yo'  bretheren  to  call  of  hym  that  had  hym, 
and  goot  the  cytyzens  one  as  sone  as  maybe. — Pre- 
sentments of  Court  Leet,  1597.. 

See  also  under  the  heading  of  the  Moulter- 
grave,  atite. 

ffor  y°  kepinge  of  y®  Bulls  xx=. — Chamberlains'  Ac- 
counts, 1618-9. 

In  1 6 14-5  there  was  only  one  bull,  and  the 
charge  was  xiii^  iiij"". 

We  order  that  a  sufficient  Bull  be  kept  in  winter 
&  two  in  summer  at  the  citties  cost. — Presentments 
Court  Leet,  1651. 

Bulls  continued  to  be  kept  until  early  in 
the  eighteenth  century. 

(78)  Lecturer. 

We  order  and  sett  doune  that  the  Lecturer  of 
Set  Maryesand  SctCuthberts  shall  have  allowed  unto 
him  yearely  the  summe  of  six  pounds  thirteene  shil- 
lings 4d.  to  be  payed  as  foUoweth  3"  vi^  S**  to  be 
taken  out  of  the  Maior  his  allowance  for  wine 
whosoever  shall  supply  that  place  :  And  the  other 
3''  vi^  viii'i  to  be  taken  out  of  the  Cittyes  milne  rents. 
And  we  order  that  the  lecturer  shall  preach  4  Sermons  at 
Set  Cuthberts  yearely  that  is  to  say  every  quarter  a 
Sermon  upon  Sunday  in  the  forenoon  and  likewise 
shall  exercise  and  preach  afternoon  sermons  upon  the 
Sabbaoth  dayes  as  now  is  used. — Presentments  of 
Court  Leet,  1633. 

An  account  of  the  lecturer,  or  lecturers, 
for  there  were  sometimes  two,  by  the  present 
author,  will  be  found  in  the  Transactions 
Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  Antiquarian 
and  Archaeological  Society,  vol.  vii.,  p.  312. 

During  the  Commonwealth  the  Corpora- 
tion appointed  two  ministers  for  Carlisle, 
electing  them  by  a  great  competitive  preach- 
ing :  they  also  paid  their  stipends,  but  to  do 
this  they  had  annexed  chapter  property,  in 
the  shape  of  tithes. 

(79)  Chaplain. — This  ofiicial  appears  in 
the  accounts  of  the  last  century-,  but  he  disap- 
peared in  1835.  He  had  a  salary  of  ;^io  : 
his  duties  consisted  chiefly  in  saying  grace  at 
the  corporation  dinners.  He  was  a  distinct 
official  from  the  lecturer. 

(80)  Usher  of  the  Grammar  School. 
In    1597    the    Court   Leet   presented    as 

follows  : 

Good  Mr.  Maior  whereas  we  finde  in  this  cittye 
great  defect  for  want  of  a  sufficient  mane  to  instruct 
the  yonge  childrcne  of  this  cittye  therfor  we  crave 
your  wo''  to  be  so  good  as  to  paie  one  for  the  same 
purpose  and  to  allow  them  sufficient  wagies  and  to 


i6o 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:    CARLISLE. 


withdraw  the  wagies  both  from  the  ushour  of  the  hye 
Scheie  and  from  Mungo  Maysonr\e  and  to  give  iht  to 
some  that  will  instruct  them. 

We  request  yC  worship  and  the  rest  of  ye  bretheren 
that  the  xxvi'-  viii''  wcnc  the  usher  of  the  heighe 
scolle  had  may  be  called  backe  and  retained  to  the 
use  of  the  cittie  until  such  tyme  as  we  shall  think  him 
worthy  of  the  same.  And  likewise  we  request  yo' 
worship  to  prefaure  unto  my  Lorde  bushopp  of 
Durham*  a  petitione  for  to  request  his  Lordshipp 
that  we  maye  have  a  sufficient  man  appointed  to  teach 
o'  children  according  to  the  ancient  custom  heretofore 
used. — Presentments  of  Court  Leet,  1597- 

Itm  allowed  unto  the  usher  of  the  Grammar 
Schoole  everie  yeare  3"  6^  8''. — Chamberlains' 
Accounts,  1603. 

We  desire  the  Maior  Aldermen  and  Common 
Counsell  will  continue  the  stipend  unto  Thomas 
Craf;hill  usher  of  the  Grammer  Schoole  wch  hath 
beene  ahvaies  heretofore  paid  qrterly  by  the  Cittie 
in  regard  both  of  his  dilligence  &  abillity  wch  wil 
be  an  encouragement  to  Rim  for  the  continuance  of 
his  paines  in  the  s'*  place. — Presentments  of  Court 
Leet,  1651. 

March  4,  1667. 

What  sume  of  money  shall  be  given  towards  the 
maintenance  of  the  M''  of  Carlile  free  Schoole  during 
the  pleasure  of  this  Corporacon  if  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  provide  a  sufficient  Schoolm''.  18  voted 
6"  13*^  4''- — Minutes  of  Town  Council. 

The  Grammar  School  was  part  of  the 
Cathedral  establishment ;  and  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  appointed  the  Infortiiator  Fuer- 
orum  or  Headmaster ;  but  the  citizens  took 
most  interest  in  the  usher,  or  Liidi  Magister, 
who  taught  the  elements,  and  appear  to  have 
contributed  to  his  salary  in  order  to  get  a 
good  man.  During  the  Commonwealth  the 
corporation  appointed  the  headmaster. 

(81)  Verger  of  the  Cathedral. 

(82)  Clerk  of  S.  Cuthbert. — These 
officials  have  had  annual  fees  of  a  few  shillings 
paid  them  from  the  earliest  date  of  the 
Chamberlains'  Accounts,  up  to  now,  "for 
setting  the  cushions  for  Mr.  Mayor  and  his 
brethren." 

(83)  Sexton. 

We  desire  M""  Maior  that  the  sexton  of  the  church 
shall  ring  six  a  clock  bell  called  scholler  bell  every 
morning  at  six  a  clock  winter  and  summer  and  alsoe 
nine  a  clock  bell  at  night  heretofore  haith  bene  accus- 
tomed and  that  he  may  have  allowed  him  for  his 
paynes  and  award  the  charge  of  candle  light  of  the 
revenues  of  this  cittie  40^  yearely. — Presentments  of 
Court  Leet,  1649. 

Item  for  rodds  given  to  the  Saxton  000  :  01  :  02. — 
Audit  Book,  1649. 

*  The  See  of  Carlisle  was  vacant  in  1597  by  the 
dcatli  of  Meye. 


(84)  Hangman. — The  Hangman's  Close, 
now  built  over,  is  shown  on  the  map  given 
with  Hutchinson's  History  of  Cumberland, 
published  1794,  and  in  Wood's  map  of 
Carlisle  in  182 1.  It  is  situated  next  to  the 
city  ditch,  on  the  north  side  of  the  city.  I 
have  found  no  mention  of  the  hangman  in  the 
city  muniments,  but  on  one  or  two  occasions 
payments  for  the  repairs  of  the  gibbet  occur. 
Executions  took  place  not  far  from  this 
close,  on  an  island,  known  as  the  Sands, 
between  two  channels  of  the  river  Eden,  the 
main  channel  and  the  Priestbeck.  Here 
Hatfield,  the  betrayer  of  the  Beauty  of 
Buttermere,  was  hung.  The  moss-troopers 
and  those  who  suffered  in  1745  were  hung 
on  Harriby  Hill. 

The  name  "  Hangman's  Close "  is  of 
great  antiquity  :  as  the  Close  is  situate  in 
the  City  Ditch,  one  would  imagine  the 
hangman  to  have  been  an  officer  of  the 
municipality,  which,  by  its  early  charters, 
had  the  right  oifiircce. 

(85)  Witchfinder. 

Itm  for  ye  witchfynder  006:  10:  00. — Audit 
Books,  1649-50. 

I  do  not  know  that  the  entry  again  occurs  : 
he  may  have  been  engaged  for  the  job,  but 
the  fee  is  large. 

(86)  Chimney-Sweep. — See  the  Herd  of 
Kingmoor. 

(87)  Scavenger.* — See  the  Bellman. 

OFFICIALS  OF  THE  GUILDS. 

(88)  Fours. 

(89)  Ancients. 

(90)  Wardens. 

(91)  Masters. 

(92)  Governors. — The  rulers  of  theguilds 
bore  these  names ;  fours,  wardens,  and 
masters  being  synonymous.  In  one  or  two 
the  rulers  were  increased  for  a  time  to  twelve, 
and  were  then  called  Governors  :  the  dignity 
was  generally  attained  by  seniority. 

(93)  Undermasters. — These  were  the  exe- 
cutive officers,  who  summoned  the  brethren  to 
meetings,  provided  the  materials,  beer,  wine, 
brandy,  bread,  biscuits,  paper,  tobacco,  etc., 
for  the  feasts ;  they  held  office  for  a  year,  and 
were  elected  from  the  youngest   members ; 

*  At  Cockermouth  the  scavenger  is  called  the 
"  sheldraker,"  a  name  traceable  back  to  Elizabethan 
times. 


MUNICIPAL  OFFICES:    CARLISLE. 


i6i 


they  were  re-elected  if  their  accounts  were 
not  satisfactory,  and  kept  in  office  until  they 
could  show  a  clean  sheet. 

(94)  Clerk. — Each  guild  had  a  clerk,  who 
kept  the  minute  books,  etc. 

(95)  Four  of  every  Occupation. — The 
great  object  of  the  trade  guilds  or  occupa- 
tions, was  to  impose  "  four  of  every  occupa- 
tion "  upon  the  guild  mercatory  or  corpora- 
tion, as  a  check  upon  its  doings ;  and  the 
Dormont  Book  shows  these  words  "and  four 
of  every  occupation "  interpolated  in  a 
different  handwriting  into  the  Constitutions 
and  Rules  of  156 1  in  several  places,  par- 
ticularly into  the  one  relating  to  the  making 
of  freemen.  Out  of  the  words  interpolated 
into  this  clause  arose  the  Mushroom  elections 
of  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  GARRISON. 

I  give  a  list  of  these,  though  they  can 
hardly  be  called  municipal  officers  ;  yet  many 
of  the  subordinate  posts  were  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  for  political  reasons, 
bestowed  upon  freemen  of  the  city,  and 
generally  on  members  of  the  corporation ; 
and  the  mayor  was  not  unfrequently  a 
quarter-gunner. 

(96)  Governor,  or  Captain  of  Carlisle. 

(97)  Deputy  Governor. 

(98)  Town  Major. 

(99)  Engineer. 

(100)  Barrack-Master. 
(loi)  Store-Keeper. 

(102)  Head-Gunner. 

(103)  Quarter-Gunners. — All  these 
officials  are  mentioned  in  Hutchinson's 
Cumberland.  The  "  Gunner's  Close "  ap- 
pears on  the  maps  of  the  Socage  of  Carlisle 
Castle,  made  in  the  seventeenth  century  ;  and 
the  Governor's  house  is  shown  in  old  plans 
of  Carlisle  Castle  :  it  afterwards  was  given  to 
the  master-gunner,  and  ultimately  became 
and  now  is  the  hospital.  In  the  last  cen- 
tury the  appointments  of  master-gunner  and 
quarter-gunners  were  frequently  given  to 
political  partisans  among  the  freemen.  The 
ancient  office  of  Governor  of  Carlisle  ceased 
in  1837,  on  the  death  of  Licutenant-General 
Ramsay  ;  it  had  long  been  a  non-resident 
sinecure.  The  Governor  in  1545  appears 
under  the  title  of  Captains  of  his  Maties 
Castle  of  Carlisle,   in   which  capacity   Lord 


Wharton  signs  a  receipt  by  indenture  for  the 
armament  of  the  Castle  of  Carlisle,  handed 
over  to  him  by  the  Mayor  and  citizens. 

(104)  The  Porters  of  the  Castle. 

"  Itm  to  the  porters  of  the  castle  when  Mr  Maior 
and  his  brethren  supped  with  the  Sheriffe,  xii<i " — 
Chamberlains'  Accounts,  1608-9. 

(105)  The  Garrison  Drummer  occa- 
sionally appears  as  being  "  tipped  "  by  Mr. 
Mayor. 

(106)  Captain  of  the  Watch  at  y° 
Main-Guard. — In  1678  the  Town  Council 
order  the  inhabitants  to  furnish  to  this 
officer,  before  nine  at  night,  the  names  of 
any  strangers  coming  to  lodge  with  them. 

MODERN  OFFICIALS. 
It  may  be  useful  to  give  here  the  autho- 
rized list  of  the    present    officials    of   the 
corporation  of  Carlisle  : 
Recorder. 
Town    Clerk,    Clerk   of   the  Peace, 

AND  Clerk  to  the  Urban  Sanitary 

Authority. 
Medical  Officer  of  Health. 
Coroner. 

Clerk  to  the  Magistrates. 
Police  Surgeon. 

Treasurer  and  Committee  Clerk. 
Assistant  to  do. 
Surveyor. 

Clerk  to  Surveyor. 
Chief    Constable    and    Inspector   of 

Weights  and  Measures. 
Manager    of    the    Gas    and     Water 

Works. 
Inspector  of  Nuisances. 
Inspector  of  Gas  Meters. 
Rate  Collectors  {2). 
Toll  Collector. 
City  Analyst. 
Bailiffs  of  the  City  (2). 
Sword-Bearer. 
Mace-Bearer. 

Sergeants-at-Mace  (3),  one  of  whom  is 
ISIayor's  Sergeant. 

Auditors  (2). 

Mayor's  Auditor. 

My  authorities  for  this  paper  are  the  City 
Muniments,  particularly  the  Charters,  some 
of  which  were  printed  privately  for  use  in 
litigation  a  few  years  ago  ;  the  Constitutions 


l62 


EPITAPHS. 


and  Rules  of  156 1,  contained  in  the  "  Register 
Governor  Or  Dormont  Book  of  the  Comon- 
welth  of  Thinhabitance  w'^^in  in  the  Citie  of 
Carliell,  renewed  the  year  of  our  Lord  God 
1 56 1  ;"  the  bye-laws  of  the  eight  guilds — ■ 
these  and  the  Constitution  and  Rules  I  have 
transcribed,  and  am  now  printing;  the 
Chamberlains'  Accounts,  through  some  fifty 
years  of  which  I  have  carefully  waded ;  the 
Auditors'  Books,  and  the  Records  of  the 
Court  Leet — from  these  I  had  copious  ex- 
tracts made  by  Mr.  W.  Nanson,  F.S.A.,  late 
deputy  Town  Clerk  of  Carlisle ;  the  minutes 
of  the  Town  Council,  and  many  other  muni- 
ments— also  the  Report  of  the  Historical 
Manuscript  Commissioners  on  the  same ; 
the  Report  of  the  Parliamentary  Commis- 
sioners, 1835  ;  the  usual  County  and  City 
Histories  \  my  own  Cumberland  mid  IVest- 
fiioreland  M.P.^s  from  the  Restoration  to  the 
Reform  Bill,  1660  to  1867.* 


(ZBpitapfjs* 

By  Rev.  F,  R.  Mills. 

BELIEVE  it  will  be  frequently  ad- 
mitted by  competent  critics  that 
there  is  scarcely  any  kind  of  com- 
position, whether  in  prose  or  verse, 
more  difficult  to  execute  satisfactorily  than 
an  epitaph.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is, 
perhaps,  no  sort  of  writing  that  has  met  with 
a  larger  number  of  aspirants  to  authorship, 
and  the  result  has  been  some  very  amazing  as 
well  as  amusing  inscriptions. 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  that  entertaining  story. 
Old  Mortality,  has  given  a  very  interesting 
and  pathetic  record  of  the  labours  of  an 
ancient  individual  in  the  Scottish  Moorlands, 
who  made  it  his  duty  and,  I  may  add,  his 
pleasure  to  attend  to  the  tombstones  of 
certain  kirkyards  which  covered  the  graves 
of  the  Cameronian  dead.  Many  of  these 
devoted  and  zealous  religionists  had  fallen 
victims  to  their  resolute  attachment  to  their 
peculiar  views ;  and,  as  in  process  of  time, 
which  with  its  rapacious  tooth  spares  neither 
brass  nor  marble,  the   pious   memorials   of 

*  I  have  to  thank  Mr.  Round,  ante,  p.   135,  for 
correcting  a  slip  on  p.  21. 


these  good  people  were  in  danger  of  oblitera- 
tion, this  aged  Scotsman  journeyed  about 
with  hammer  and  chisel  in  his  pouch,  and 
leaving  his  mountain  pony  to  graze  upon  the 
herbage,  would  be  found  busily  renewing  the 
letters,  and  removing  the  lichen  from  the 
stones  which  recorded,  in  brief  fashion,  the 
names  and  adventurous  exploits  of  his 
doughty  fellow-countrymen.  Such  a  labour 
of  love  might  well  be  exercised  in  many 
another  cemetery  besides  those  which  were 
frequented  by  Old  Mortality ;  but  although 
the  field  is  ample,  our  old  acquaintance  has 
not,  so  far  as  my  experience  of  churchyards 
goes,  had  many  copyists.  For  my  own  part, 
without  his  practical  skill,  I  confess  to  a 
sympathy  with  him,  so  far  as  regards  a 
frequenting  the  precincts  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  meditating  amongst  the  memorials  of 
mortality,  and  deciphering  or  attempting  to 
decipher  the  inscriptions  upon  tombstones. 
In  this  study  one  may  observe  a  sort  of 
fashion  to  regulate  even  these  grim  memorials  : 
I  mean  to  say,  that  regarding  the  inscriptions 
of  a  particular  date  or  series  of  years,  it  will 
be  found  that  there  is  a  style  peculiar  to  each 
period.  At  one  time  the  almost  invariable 
commencement  of  an  inscription  was — 
"  Sacred  to  the  memory  "  of  the  deceased ; 
at  another  the  regular  form  seems  to  be, 
"  Here  Ueth  the  body,"  the  literal  translation 
of  the  old  monkish  legend,  "Hie  jacet," 
wnilst  a  more  refined  turn  is  occasionally 
given  to  it  in  the  phrase,  "  Here  resteth  "  or 
"  reposeth  "  the  body  of  the  departed,  whilst 
some  reference  is  generally  made  to  the  soul 
of  the  defunct.  However,  lest  I  should  grow 
tedious  by  extending  these  remarks,  I  pur- 
pose to  give  my  readers  a  few  specimens, 
which  I  have  gleaned  here  and  there,  of  the 
most  curious  epitaphs,  and  I  shall  commence 
with  some  of  those  which  I  may  entitle  the 
"grotesque." 

In  Harrow  churchyard  (so  well  known 
to  lovers  of  the  picturesque)  there  are 
some  quaint  examples,  from  which  I  will 
give  first  of  all  the  meinorial  to  Isaac 
Greentree.  This  worthy  man  appears  to 
have  been  the  planter  of  the  row  of  magni- 
ficent lime-trees  which  adorn  the  east  side 
of  the  churchyard,  and  are  a  striking  and 
beautiful  feature  of  that  picturesque  spot 
The   following  are  the  lines  referred  to,  in 


EPITAPHS. 


163 


which  it  will  be  seen  that  the  author*  of 
them  has  availed  himself  of  the  remarkable 
coincidence  between  the  name  of  the  planter 
and  the  arboretum  of  his  affection,  whose 
goodly  growth  he  cherished  in  his  lifetime, 
and  which  overshadowed  his  burial-place  at 
his  decease. 

"  Beneath  these  green  trees  rising  to  the  skies, 
The  planter  of  them,  Isaac  Greentree,  lies. 
A  time  sliall  come,  when  all  green  trees  shall  fall, 
And  Isaac  Greentree  rise  above  them  all." 

Farther  on,  and  not  remote  from  the  southern 
or  main  entrance  to  the  church,  there  used 
to  be  a  wooden  rail  inscribed  to  the  memory 
of  one  "  Richard  Dodsworth,"  who,  as  the 
gossips  were  wont  to  say,  had  treated  his  spouse 
very  roughly  during  their  wedded  life.  Death 
had  for  a  while  left  the  widow  a  few  years  of 
solace  for  the  loss  ;  but  burial  had  again 
united  them  or  nearly  so,  for  it  is  recorded 
by  the  epitaph,  "  Here  lies  Richard  Dods- 
worth," and  subsequently  "  at  his  feet  Sarah 
his  wife."  Some  one,  more  satirically  than 
seriously  minded,  has  added  in  rude  letters, 
"Kickhimagain,  Mrs.  Dodsworth."  Although 
the  churchyard  was  by  strict  enactment  made 
"out  of  bounds,"  the  Harrow  boys  were 
rather  fond  of  lounging  there,  and  such  com- 
ments as  these  upon  the  epitaphs  were  the 
result.  Such  opportunities  for  waggery  were 
not  infrequent  when  the  spelling  was  defec- 
tive. This  mixture  of  the  solemn  with  the 
ludicrous  is  to  be  found  where  the  epitaph 
records  of  that  inhabitant  of  the  tomb,  and 
"  sudding  was  his  death  ;"  whereas  the  critic 
youth  has  left  his  emendation  of  this  corrupt 
sj^elling  by  altering  the  "s"  to  "p,"and  so 
the  deceased  is  recorded  as  a  man  of  undue 
appetite,  or  it  may  be  of  a  hasty  spirit,  for 
"  pudding  was  his  death." 

Enough,  however,  of  extracts  from  this 
Harrow  visitation.  In  the  course  of  my  pil- 
grimage I  have  found  myself  at  Kington  in 
Herefordshire,  at  that  time  a  flourishing  little 
town  with  an  ancient  church,  pleasantly 
situated  in  a  churchyard  overlooking  the 
border-land  between  England  and  South 
Wales.  Hither  wandering,  and  spending 
half  an  hour  in  "  meditation  lost "  and 
"  fancy-free,"  I  chanced  upon  the  following 
inscription,  which  I  thought  striking,  for  it 

*  Generally,  and  on  pretty  good  authority,  said  to 
be  Lord  Byron. 


has  a  flavour  of  antiquity,  a  quaintness  of 
expression,  and  a  sincerity  of  parental  adora- 
tion all  combined  (and  that,  too,  within  the 
compass  of  four  lines),  which  it  might  be 
difficult  to  match  elsewhere  : 

"  Beneath  this  stone,  both  amiable  and  milde, 
John's*  sister  Anne,  an  expert  knowing  childe, 
In  height  of  witte,  at  6  f  her  House  of  claye 
Gave  up  the  Ghost,  upon  St.  Stephen's  daye." 

In  the  churchyard  at  Areley- Kings,  in 
Worcestershire,  I  was  shown  a  huge  heap  of 
rough  stones,  and  on  the  adjacent  wall  of 
unhewn  stones  was  inscribed  in  rude  but  very 
large  letters,  Greek  and  English  characters 
being  interspersed,  this  curious  epitaph  : 

"  Ai0o\oyi;//a  Quare  (quarry) 
Hie  reponitur  Sir  Harry. 

The  local  legend  affirming  that  this  eccentric 
knight  had  so  willed  that  his  remains  should 
be  interred  beneath  a  pile  of  loose  stones, 
like  the  debris  of  a  quarry ;  and  his  epitaph, 
as  above  given,  is  as  remarkable  as  his  place 
of  sepulture. 

The  following  extract  from  a  History  of 
Bewdley,  by  Rev.  J.  R.  Burton,  1883,  p.  83, 
throws  some  light  on  the  subject : 

"The  chief  object  of  interest  in  Areley 
churchyard  is  a  wall  about  18  or  20  feet  in 
length,  built  up  of  eight  large  sandstone 
blocks,  each  stone  being  more  than  4  feet 
long  and  i|  feet  square.  On  this  wall  is  the 
inscription  : 

"AI0HOLOGEMA  QUARE, 
REPONITUR  SIR  HARRY." 
For  a  long  time  there  was  great  speculation 
as  to  who  Sir  Harry  might  be.  The  registers 
were  lost,  and  no  other  record  was  there. 
Rut  (as  showing  the  value  of  internal  evi- 
dence) in  Astley  Church  there  is  a  monument 
to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Bowater,  Rector  of 
Astley,  inscribed — 

His  soul  Heaven  has. 

Dirt  dirt  does  cover, 
Our  Saviour  saw  one  such, 
We  one  other  ; 
Of  his  successors  shall  be  said  hereafter, 
As  good,  or  bad,  as  like,  unlike  Howater. 
(Signed)     Ilenricus  Coningsby, 

P.ques.  Duratus,  1696. 

"  It  was  argued  (and  it  turned  out  justly 
argued)  that  in  an  illiterate  age,  and  in  the 

*  This  refers  to  another  child  of  the  same  family, 
previously  decea'^ed  and  buried  near, 
t  Six  years  old,  not  six  o'clock,  on  the  day  named. 


164 


BO  WLING-GREENS. 


same  neighbourhood,  there  could  hardly  be 
two  rhyming  '  Sir  Harrys,'  and  hence  the 
Atk'koyrnjja  was  conjectured  to  be  the  tomb  of 
Sir  H.  Coningsby.  This  proved  to  be  cor- 
rect, for  in  1842  a  perfect  copy  of  the 
Areley-Kings  Burial  Registers  was  found  in 
a  lumber-room  at  Tewkesbury,  and  in  it 
occurs  the  entry,  *  The  8th  day  of  December, 
1 701,  Sir  Harry  Consby,  Knight,  was  buried 
in  Wollin,  according  to  y°  late  Act  of  Pari'.' 

"  This  knight  was  ancestor  of  the  Earls  of 
Essex,  and  lived  at  Hampton  Court,  Here- 
fordshire, where  he  by  accident  dropped  his 
(only)  son  into  the  moat,  and  was  so  afflicted 
by  the  loss  that  he  retired  as  a  recluse  to  the 
Sturt  at  Areley,  a  small  property,  whence  he 
superintended  the  erection  of  his  curious 
monument,  as  a  permanent  pane  or  portion 
of  the  churchyard  fence,  while  the  other 
panes  being  formed  of  wood  have  long  since . 
disappeared.  Sir  H.  Coningsby  also  planted 
three  walnut-trees  near  the  slab,  covering  his 
remains  at  the  foot  of  the  above-mentioned 
dwarf-wall ;  and  made  a  bequest  in  his  will 
that  the  boys  of  the  parish  were  to  crack  the 
nuts  on  the  said  slab  on  a  certain  day  in  each 
year.  But  in  the  long  war  of  1790-18 15, 
walnut-wood  became  valuable  for  gunstocks, 
so  the  trees  were  cut  down,  and  the  boys 
deprived  of  their  sports.  The  wall  of  stone 
blocks  is  now  much  distorted,  and  the  stone 
so  friable  that  ere  many  years  are  past  only 
a  heap  of  sandy  dust  will  be  left  of  Sir 
Harry's  curious  monument." 


a5otDling:'(^reen0» 


ROM  the  days  of  Homer  downwards 
we  find  there  always  have  been 
people  who  have  mourned  the 
"  good  old  times,"  extolled  the 
prowess  of  ancestors,  and  spoken  of  their 
own  contemporaries  as  "  a  degenerate  race." 
Even  the  heroes  of  Troy  could  not  wield  a 
sapling  as  a  spear-shaft  or  cast  a  weighty 
stone  like  their  progenitors  : 

Then  fierce  Tydides  stoops  and  from  the  fields, 
Heaved  with  vast  force,  a  rocky  fragment  wields, 
Not  two  strong  men  the  enormous  weight  could  raise, 
Such  men  as  live  in  these  degenerate  days. 


In  our  days  stop-watches,  the  accurate 
measurement  of  weights,  heights,  and  dis- 
tances, and  the  knowledge  of  what  subter- 
fuges men  will  resort  to,  to  win  a  bet,  have 
made  us  somewhat  sceptical  about  the  feats 
of  men  recorded  by  admiring  biographers. 
The  cold  and  unsympathizing  eye  with  which 
critical  scholars  sift  the  data  that  have  been 
available  for  writers  has  in  itself  tended  to 
shake  faith  in  many  cherished  traditions. 
The  achievements  even  of  Black  Bess,  that 
idol  of  our  school-days,  have  been  ques- 
tioned. The  ballad  of  Chevy  Chase,  which 
records  how  the  doughty  knight  "  when  his 
legs  were  smitten  off  he  fought  upon  his 
stumps,"  is  regarded  as  a  poetic  fancy  medical 
evidence  could  hardly  support,  unless  the 
valorous  man  unwittingly  plugged  up  his 
veins  from  his  weight  resting  on  soft  ground. 
There  is  one  consolation  the  modern  athlete 
has,  that  the  records  of  what  he  does  are 
authentic.  He  is  timed  to  the  tenth  of  a 
second  and  measured  to  the  sixteenth  of  an 
inch.  But  the  athletes  who  train  for  glory, 
little  more  lasting  than  the  freshness  of  the 
parsley  crown  of  old,  are  but  few  in  compari- 
son with  those  who  keep  up  athletic  exercise 
in  some  gentle  form  for  the  sake  of  the  good 
they  find  it  does  them.  There  are  thousands 
who  play  lawn  tennis  who  never  look  forward 
to  a  tournament,  thousands  who  row  who 
never  dream  of  Henley,  thousands  who 
cricket  who  never  aspire  to  their  county 
eleven,  thousands  who  bicycle  who  would 
shrink  from  a  race  in  the  presence  of  shout- 
ing spectators.  They  exercise  for  their  own 
good.  They  may  belong  to  "a  degenerate 
race,"  but  they  are  content  to  be.  They  do 
not  give  their  whole  energies  to  muscular 
development,  and  rare  indeed  is  an  Admirable 
Crichton  who  can  excel  in  the  schools,  and 
disputations  in  feats  of  strength.  In  spite  of 
croakers  on  one  hand,  and  those  who  prate 
only  of  the  past  on  the  other,  it  is  abund- 
antly evident  that,  taking  the  nation  all 
throughout,  there  never  was  a  period  when 
so  much  attention  was  paid  in  England  to 
athleticism  as  at  present.  We  have  done 
away  with  wigs,  powder,  patches,  lace  cuffs, 
and  jewelled  shoe-buckles  ;  and  a  man  in 
flannels  and  indiarubber  shoes  is  not  ashamed 
to  salute  ladies  of  his  acquaintance.  The 
portly   snuff-taking   forms   of  the   Georgian 


BO  WLING-GREENS. 


1^5 


period  are  now  rare  exceptions.  Even  our 
bishops  and  aldermen  are  of  a  different 
build. 

But  amid  all  our  recent  revival  and  de- 
velopment of  athleticism,  gymnastics,  and 
open-air  games,  there  is  one  game  gradually 
falling  more  and  more  into  disuse — that 
jileasant  and  somewhat  dignified  game  of 
bowls.  It  cannot  claim  to  be  an  athletic 
game,  and  in  the  patience  and  deliberation  it 
requires  there  is  little  in  it  to  commend  it  to 
the  fiery  impetuosity  of  youth.  It  is  essentially 
an  open-air  pastime  for  later  life,  when  the 
high  jump  can  no  longer  be  taken,  when  the 
mile  can  no  longer  be  covered  in  the  old 
time,  when  a  "  spurt "  can  no  longer  be 
maintained  on  the  river,  nor  smartness  be 
shown  in  fielding.  It  does  not  even  require 
so  much  exertion  as  quoits,  the  one  game 
almost  identical  with  that  for  which  Greek 
youths  of  old  trained  so  carefully,  and  which 
from  bringing  so  many  muscles  into  active 
play  even  suggested  a  motif  to  Myron,  and 
resulted  in  his  famed  Discobolus,  which  in 
turn  gave  origin  to  the  Towneley  and  Vatican 
figures.  But  though  bowls  is  a  game  for 
mature  life,  and  has  furnished  subject  for 
the  brush  of  the  genre  artist  and  caricaturist 
rather  than  the  chisel  of  the  sculptor,  it  has 
not  a  mere  ignoble  history  connected  with 
the  actions  of  lives  passing  to  senility. 

The  actual  antiquity  of  howling-greens  has 
not  been  ascertained  with  any  great  certainty, 
the  difficulty  lying  in  forming  a  decision  as  to 
what  certain  games  were  which  are  referred 
to  in  old  records  and  old  Acts  of  Parliament. 
It  is  very  probable  that  bowls  was  played  on 
a  green  before  it  was  called  bowls,  and 
possibly  when  we  meet  with  the  word  bowls, 
especially  in  connection  with  bowling-alleys, 
some  other  game  was  intended  from  what  we 
now  understand  when  we  speak  of  "  bowls." 
The  essential  requirements  for  the  game  as 
now  played  are  a  well-kept  green,  and  balls 
with  a  "  bias  "  in  them.  They  are  generally 
of  lignum  vita;,  and  whether  the  bias  is  given 
by  weighing  the  bowls  on  one  side,  or  by 
turning  them  not  a  true  sphere  comes  rather 
under  the  consideration  of  the  refinements  of 
playing.  The  first  player  rolling  the  "  jack  " 
to  the  farther  end  of  the  green,  the  succeed- 
ing players  bowl  their  bowls  as  near  to  it  as 
their  skill  allows  \  and  whether  the  green  be 


half  an  acre  or  smaller  the  principle  of  the 
game  remains  the  same.  A  bowling-^//<y  is 
something  very  different.  The  motion  of  a 
skilfully  delivered  delicately  biased  bowl  as 
it  creeps  silently  along  the  turf,  gradually 
curving  in  towards  the  jack,  is  very  different 
from  the  noisy  rumble  of  a  ball  straight 
along  the  hard  floor  of  an  alley.  The  game 
is  practically  a  different  one  in  every  respect. 
The  object  is  to  bowl  at  something  and 
knock  it  down. 

It  has  been  assumed  that  bowls  is  referred 
to  in  the  Libellum  de  situ  et  nobilitate  Londitii, 
written  by  William  Fitzstephen  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  II.  The  passage  in  which  the 
reference  is  supposed  to  be  made,  is  in  the 
section  "  de  ludis  :"  "  In  festis  tota  aestate 
juvenes  ludentes  exercentur  in  saliendo,  in 
arcu,  in  lucta,  Jactu  lapidum,  amentatis  mis- 
silibus  ultra  metam  expsediendis."  This  "jactu 
lapidum  "  has  been  supposed  to  mean  bowls, 
because  in  later  times  "jetter  le  peer"  is 
believed  to  be  equivalent  to  "  bowls." 

Before  discussing  that,  it  is  worth  notice 
that  the  word  "  bowls  "  occurs  in  the  text  of 
an  Act  3  Hen.  VIII.,  c.  3,  "an  act  concern- 
ing shooting  in  long  bowes."  Requiring  the 
statutes  for  enforcing  the  practice  of  archery, 
and  "  against  them  that  use  unlawful  games," 
to  be  put  in  execution,  there  occurs  the 
passage,  "usaige  of  Tennis  Play  Bowls  Classhe 
and  other  unlawful  games." 

The  word  "bowling"  also  occurs  as  an  alter- 
native reading  in  an  earlier  Act,  1 1  Hen.  IV., 
c.  4,  "  and  utterly  leave  i)laying  at  the  balls 
as  well  hand  ball  as  foot  ball  and  other  games 
called  quoits  dice  [Bowling]  kails  and  other 
such  unthrifty  games,"  where  another  reading 
has  "  casting  of  the  stone  ;"  in  the  P>ench, 
"jetter  le  peer." 

Then  in  12  Ric.  II.,  c.  6,  there  occurs, 
"all  playing  at  Tennis  or  football,  and  other 
games  called  coits.  Dice,  casting  of  the  stone 
[kailes]  or  [skittles]  and  other  such  im- 
portune games." 

In  the  edition  of  the  statutes  published 
by  authority  in  18 16,  where  different  MSS. 
are  collated,  the  French  wording  of  the 
Acts  is  given  in  parallel  columns  very  con- 
venient for  reference. 

In  connection  with  these  passages,  the 
three  illustrations  from  early  MS.,  repro- 
duced in  Strutt's  Sports  and  Pastimes^  should 


i66 


BO  IVLING-  GREEAS. 


be  referred  to.  The  representations  there 
are  undoubtedly  of  what  we  now  know  as 
bowls.  The  balls  are  being  boiulcd,  not 
thrmvn.  Although  admitting  it  is  an  open 
question,  the  writer  is  inclined  to  retain  the 
belief  that  in  "  jactu  lapidum  "  we  have  refer- 
ence to  putting  the  weight. 

If  the  Acts  quoted  above  are  not  all  in 
which  "  jetter  le  peer "  occurs  (and  there 
may  perhaps  be  others),  these  suffice  to  show 
that  the  term  was  at  any  rate  sometimes 
rendered  by  "  casting  the  stone,"  though  the 
alternative  reading  "bowling"  in  ii  Hen., 
c.  4,  gives  weight  to  the  opinions  of  those 
who  think  "  bowling  "  and  "  casting  the  stone  " 
are  one  and  the  same  game.  This  should 
not  escape  notice,  that  while  Thoms  in  his 
translation  of  Fitzstephen  gives  "  stone  throw- 
ing "  for  "  jactu  lapidum,"  Stow  gives  "  cast- 
ing the  stone,"  which  is  the  expression  used 
in  the  statutes.  This,  however,  shows  only 
that  Stow  assumed  that  the  "jactus  lapidum" 
of  Henry  H.'s  time  was  the  same  game  as 
one  known  in  his  time  (Elizabeth).  In  the 
drawings  reproduced  by  Strutt  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  tell  whether  stone  or  wooden  bowls 
are  being  used.  The  game,  however,  is  on 
a  green  or  a  field,  not  in  an  alley. 

The  etymology  of  bowl  that  is  commonly 
given  is  from  French  boide.  If  this  be 
correct,  then  comes  the  question  whether  the 
game  was  originally  French,  or  whether 
simply  the  Norman-French  name  was  given 
to  the  round  stone  (if  stone  it  were  and  not 
wood)  used  in  the  game.  Strutt  (published 
in  1 80 1 ),  says  "  Bowhng-greens  are  said  to 
have  originated  in  England ;"  but  the 
authority  he  quotes  in  a  footnote  is  not 
earlier  than  an  encyclopedia.  Bowling- 
alleys  are  frequently  mentioned  in  Acts  of 
Parliament  and  by  old  writers  as  taking  men 
and  youths  away  from  a  due  practice  of 
archery  and  as  encouraging  gambling.  That, 
however,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  game 
itself.  There  are  also  many  references  to  the 
construction  of  bowling-alleys,  such  as  by 
Henry  VIII.  at  Whitehall,  and  there  are  also 
accounts  of  "  fashionable  "  brawls  and  rough 
assaults  and  even  murders  taking  place  in 
such  alleys.  A  Iwwle-alley  is  particularly 
characterised  by  Earle  in  his  Microcosfuo- 
graphia,  and  he  winds  up  thus :  "  To  give 
you  the  moral  of  it :  it  is  the  emblem  of  the 


world  or  the  world's  ambition;  where  most 
are  short  or  over,  or  wide,  or  wrong-biassed, 
and  some  few  justle  to  the  mistress,  fortune." 
But  bowling-greens  seem  to  have  been  free 
from  such  unpleasant  associations.  They 
were  at  one  time  interdicted  even  in  private, 
unless  the  owner  had  a  license.  During  last 
century  they  seem  to  have  been  as  common 
an  appendage  to  a  country-house  as  a  tennis 
lawn  is  now. 

Many  of  the  associations  of  the  game  are 
decidedly  dignified.  If  history  tells  us  truly, 
Drake  and  his  manly  companions  were 
engaged  in  the  game  on  the  Hoe  at  Ply- 
mouth when  the  first  news  of  the  coming  of 
the  Spanish  Armada  was  brought  in.  Their 
day's  work  was  over,  they  relaxed  their 
thoughts  and  sauntered  around  the  bowls  in 
the  evening  air. 

It  was  towards  the  close  of  a  warm  summer's  day, 
There  came  a  gallant  merchantman  full  sail  to  Ply- 
mouth Bay. 

Fashion  has  much  to  do  with  our  pastimes, 
but  these  men  thought  bowls  no  unsuited 
recreation  even  in  their  responsible  and  dis- 
tinguished position.  It  had  on  this  occasion 
not  enervated  them  like  a  gambling-table, 
and  they  were  prompt  in  counsel  and  in 
action. 

Many  an  estate  has  been  lost,  it  is  said,  at 
the  bowling-green,  and  Canon  Jackson,  in 
one  of  his  numerous  articles  in  the  Wilis 
Magazine,  preserves  for  us  a  note  that  Sir 
Edward  Hungerford  lost  his  estate  in  1648 
by  gambling  at  a  bowling  match  at  which  he 
staked  his  property,  calling  out  as  he  threw 
his  last  chance,  "  Here  goes  Rowdon." 

King  Charles,  when  captive  at  Carisbrooke, 
was,  through  the  thoughtful  consideration  of 
Colonel  Hammond,  able  to  enjoy  the  game 
for  which  he  appears  to  have  had  such  a  par- 
tiality, and  he  was  at  another  time  a  frequent 
visitor  to  the  greens  of  Lord  Vane  at  Har- 
rowden,  and  Lord  Spencer  at  Althorpe. 
Those  who  have  not  dived  for  themselves 
into  monastic  records,  know  at  least  from 
canvass,  how  many  a  good  scholar,  possibly 
in  company  with  the  sensualist  who  has 
masked  himself  under  the  lay  cloak  of  the 
order,  has  refreshed  his  eyes  and  his  vigour 
on  the  well-kept  bowling-green  of  the  monas- 
tery gardens.  Our  two  universities  have 
maintained  the  monastic  traditions,  and  with 


BO  WLING-GREENS. 


167 


perhaps  a  claret-cup  on  a  rustic  table,  and 
a  cloudy  perfume  (not  known  in  these 
islands  before  the  time  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh), 
grave  editors  of  classic  plays,  wearied  mathe- 
maticians, cautious  physical  experimenters, 
and  authoritative  college  tutors,  possibly 
even  proctors,  have  thrown  aside  their  cares 
for  awhile  and  joined  or  watched  a  game  of 
bowls,  alike  in  enjoying  the  quiet  and  still- 
ness beneath  ancient  trees  and  that  inde- 
finable pleasure  of  treading  on  an  elastic 
well-kept  lawn. 

The  game  has  been  by  no  means  an 
exclusive  one  for  people  of  fame  or  wealth  or 
comfortable  ease.  It  has  been  a  decidedly 
popular  one.  Village  inns  have  had  their 
bowling-green,  and  even  old-fashioned  taverns 
in  grounds  gradually  surrounded  by  towns 
maintained  them.  And  it  is  to  the  destruction 
of  these  old  greens  that  the  faUing  off  in  the 
game  is  chiefly  to  be  traced.  Whether  the 
present  generation  can  play  bowls  as  adroitly 
as  their  forefathers,  whether  they  are  in  this 
respect  "  a  degenerate  race "  or  [not,  is  as 
nothing  compared  with  the  fact  that  the 
bowling-greens  themselves  are  disappearing 
one  after  another.  Strutt,  at  the  beginning 
of  this  century,  speaks  of  their  being  more 
numerous  in  his  youth  than  at  the  time  he 
wrote,  and  that  is  the  experience  of  middle- 
aged  people  now.  As  a  mere  game  of  skill, 
that  smaller  form  of  bowling-green,  the 
billiard-table,  offers  possibly  higher  ad- 
vantages for  greater  refinement  of  play. 
The  cloth  is  even.  The  best-kept  green  is 
always  somewhat  uneven,  and  the  chances 
are  in  favour  of  those  who  know  its  pecu- 
liarities. 

\Ve  cannot  afford,  without  some  substitute 
not  yet  suggested,  to  lose  a  single  bowling- 
green  nor  garden  ground  to  an  inn.  Coffee 
palaces  nowhere  think  of  securing  an  inch  of 
green.  They  are  everywhere  spreading,  but 
nowhere  offer  a  chance  of  an  open-air  game. 
There  has  lately  been  a  great  impetus  given 
in  all  our  large  towns  to  the  laying  out  of 
parks,  the  formation  of  recreation-grounds, 
and  the  conversion  of  churchyards  into  gar- 
dens. Our  parks  are  beautiful  with  their 
well-trimmed  lawns  and  brilliant  with  their 
parterres  of  "carpet  bedding,"  but  wherever 
the  grass  is  kept  trimmed  it  is  railed  in,  and 
a  notice  board    requests  the  public   not  to 


walk  on  it.  The  churchyard  seats  are 
mostly  occupied  with  dirty  idlers.  The  re- 
creation-grounds are  mostly  laid  out  with 
plenty  of  gravel  or  asphalt,  affording  good 
play-room  for  children.  All  this  is  very 
admirable,  and  the  open  spaces  of  any  town — 
London,  for  example — are  so  diflTerent  from 
what  they  were  twenty  years  ago,  it  would  be 
almost  impossible  to  describe  the  improve- 
ment in  adequate  terms,  since  each  change 
has  influenced  its  neighbourhood.  But 
grown-up  people  are  the  better  for  play- 
grounds as  much  as  children  are.  They 
may  be  too  occupied  to  actually  feel  the  want 
of  an  open-air  pastime,  but  they  are  the 
better  for  having  it.  Yet  what  is  happening  ? 
They  are  everywhere  losing  their  play- 
grounds. Bowling-greens  appear  to  be  rapidly 
verging  to  being  matters  of  mere  antiquarian 
interest.  The  gardens  attached  to  inns  or 
taverns,  now  styling  themselves  hotels,  are 
encroached  on  for  additional  bar  space,  for 
billiard- rooms  or  stabling.  This  is  occurring 
in  all  our  large  towns,  and  especially  in 
London.  Long  ago  this  was  effected  in  all 
the  central  part  of  the  agglomeration  of 
parishes  that  now  are  brought  under  the 
name  of  London.  And  in  our  present  time 
the  change  is  rapidly  affecting  the  suburbs. 
We  still  have  bowling-greens  near  Barnes, 
Hammersmith,  Dulwich,  Heme  Hill,  Lord- 
ship Lane,  and  Hampstead  stations,  and 
possibly  there  are  some  in  the  north  east 
districts.  Some  few  exist  even  in  West- 
minster. A  street  adjoining  to  Dean's  Yard 
still  retains  the  name  of  the  Boiulmg  Alley, 
But  the  taste  for  mahogany  and  cotton-velvet, 
imitation  stained-glass,  plated  tankards,  and 
"  the  best  twopenny  cigar  in  the  neighbour- 
hood," is  gradually  doing  away  with  all  the 
old-fashioned  places.  Abundance  of  gas- 
lights and  barmaids  with  rivilres  of  flowers 
are  found  to  "  pay,"  and  so  the  new  lessees 
of  the  old  inns  make  changes,  for  which 
no  one  can  blame  them  from  their  point 
of  view,  while  the  fact  remains  that  the 
open  ground  becomes  partly  or  wholly  occu- 
l)icd  by  a  saloon.  That  the  love  for  the 
quiet  game  has  not  died  out  is  shown  by  the 
clubs  that  exist  wherever  there  is  room  for 
them  to  exist.  But  they  cannot  exist  where 
there  is  no  room  to  play.  Hitherto  bowling- 
greens  have  been  almost  invariably  attached 


i68 


BRASSES. 


to  inns.  Are  they  to  continue  to  be  de- 
pendent on  inns  ?  An  acre  of  ground  sufifices 
not  only  for  the  rolled  and  mown  green,  but 
for  the  surrounding  "arbours."  If  inns  give 
up  all  their  grounds  for  additional  saloons 
and  bars  for  the  sake  of  gain  to  lessees,  is  the 
game  to  perish  in  towns  ?  Must  the  quiet  of 
a  summer  evening  in  a  bowling-green,  as  our 
ancestors  enjoyed  it,  be  blotted  out  by  over- 
crowding of  noisy  youths  ?  Cannot  private 
clubs  secure  an  acre  here  and  there  in 
suburbs  before  prices  become  too  high,  and 
so  maintain  the  old  game  ?  It  has  been 
always  said  it  is  one  thing  to  ask  a  question, 
and  quite  another  to  answer  it.  Looking  at 
the  registrar-general's  returns,  the  best  wish  to 
express  to  the  w-inner  of  an  "event"  in 
athletic  sports  is,  "  May  you  live]  to  enjoy  a 
game  of  bowls."  Perhaps  those  now  young 
may  think  the  question  worthy  of  their  youth- 
ful consideration.  They  have  energy  for 
effecting  changes. 

Stephanotis. 


inscr.  to  Thos.  de  la  Hart,  1464,  and  Bartram 
Herbottel,  1474.  IV.  A  lady,  kng.  sm.  with 
2  sh.  15th  cent.  S.  Tr.  V.  Lat.  inscr.  to 
Jas.  Clayton,  S.  T.  P.,  rector,  1705.  C.  Nos. 
I.  and  III.  are  loose  in  vestry  chest. 

Yorkshire. 

Catterick. — All  except  inscr.  to  John  de 
Burgh,  141 2,  under  organ  and  seats.  Add, 
Lat.  inscr.  to  Grace  Lowther,  1594.     C. 

Easby. — Arms  and  Eng.  inscr.  to  Eleanor 
Bowes,  1623.     Mur.     S.A. 

Fonet. — Mrs.  Anne  Underbill,  1637,  qd. 
pi.  mur.     N. 

Richmond. — I.  Lat.  inscr.  to  Thos.  Cawing, 
1506.  II.  Eng.  inscr.  to  Chr.  Pepper,  esq., 
1635.     Both  now  mur.  under  tower. 

Westmoreland. 
Musgrave,    Great. — [Thos.    Ouds]   priest, 
15  th    cent,    inscr.    and    2    Ev.    symb.    lost. 
II  Eng.  inscr.  to  Rev.  Edw.  Knowsley,  1775. 

A.  R.  E. 


(Not  in  Mr.  Haines'  Manual.) 


Durham. 

JUCKLAND,   S.    ANDREW.— Add 
II.   A  priest  in  canon's  habit,  large, 
broken  in  two  pieces  and  loose,  in 
room  over  porch.     III.  Lat.  inscr. 
to  Lane.  Claxton,  1506.     N. 

Barnardcastle. — I.  Lat.  inscrs.  and  8  Eng. 
w.  to  Jonathan,  1650,  and  John,  1652,  inft. 
sons  of  John  Rogers.  Now  mur.  under 
tower.  II.  Eng.  inscr.  to  Thos.  Atkinson, 
1709.     Ch.-yard. 

Billingham. — Add  II.  Lat.  inscr.  to  John 
Necchim,  vicar,  1461.  C.  III.  A  worn  Lat. 
inscr.     N. 

Durham  Cathedral. — Lat.  inscr.  and  arms 
to  Anne,  w.  of  Thos.  Burwell,  LL.D.,  1639.  N. 

Hartlepool. — Jane,  w.  of  Parsavell  Bell, 
"  maire,"  1593,  rel.     C 

Middleton-in-  Teesdale. 
inscr.  to  Simon  Comyn, 

Sedgejield.— Add  II. 
to  Wm.    Hoton,   1445. 


Lat. 


—  Arms    and 
1620. 

Crest  and  Lat.  inscr. 
N.  Tr.     III.    Lat. 


Eet)ieto0» 


Retrospections,  Social  and  Archceological.  By  Charles 
Roach  Smith,  F.S.A.  Vol.  II.  (London : 
George  Bell  and  Sons,  1886).     Pp.  vi,  312. 

E  are  glad  to  welcome  the  second  volume 
of  Mr.  Roach  Smith's  interesting  Retro- 
spections, which  has  been  somewhat 
delayed,  as  it  is  nearly  four  years  since  we 
noticed  the  first  volume.  Mr.  Smith  gives 
some  further  information  respecting  his  London  life, 
and  some  pleasant  notices  of  those  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  He  tells  us  how  they  helped  him, 
and  in  some  cases  how  they  thwarted  him  in  his 
endeavours  to  advance  the  knowledge  of  the  early 
history  of  London.  The  account  of  the  purchase  of 
his  invaluable  Museum  of  London  Antiquities  is  of 
considerable  interest,  and  the  petitions  to  the  House 
of  Commons  and  to  the  Lords  of  the  Treasury  for  the 
purchase  of  the  collection,  which  were  signed  by  a 
large  number  of  distinguished  antiquarians,  are  here 
reprinted.  The  museum  was  bought,  but  Mr.  Smith 
did  not  receive  nearly  so  much  as  so  magnificent  a 
collection  was  really  worth.  This  volume  is  well 
illustrated,  and  that  portion  relating  to  visits  to 
France  is  particularly  valuable.  Mr.  Smith  brings  his 
knowledge  of  existing  Roman  remains  to  bear  on  the 
consideration  of  the  remains  of  Roman  London  with 
great  skill. 

When  the  third  volume  (which  is  to  complete  the 
work  and  to  contain  an  account  of  Mr.  Smith's  life  at 
Strood)  appears  we  shall  have  a  valuable  addition  to 


REVIEWS. 


169 


that  class  of  books  which  always  finds  a  favoured 
position  on  the  shelves  of  the  book-lover,  viz.,  the 
books  that  tell  of  the  habits  of  the  men  we  know 
chiefly  by  their  works. 


The  Lake  Dwellings  of  Ireland ;  or  Ancient  Lacus' 
trine  Habitations  of  Erin,  commonly  called  Cran- 
nogs.      By  W.    G.    Wood-Martin.     (Dublin : 
Hodges,  Figgis  and  Co.  ;  London  :  Longmans, 
1886.)     8vo.,  pp.  xxii,  268. 
In  every  way  this  is  a  most  valuable  book.     Anti- 
quaries are  following  the  guide  of  other  scientists,  and 
are  beginning  to  group  their  subjects  into  the  various 
sections  which  tell  of  man's  past  history ;  and  along 
with  Mr.  MoigdiVi's  Komano-British  Mosaics  {Tt\\tyftA 
last  month),  and  Dr.  Evans's  well-known  works,  we 
can  now  class  the  two  books  on  Lake  Dwellings, 
Munro's  Lake  Divellings  of  Scotland,  and  the  one  now 
under  consideration,     ^^"ben  we  say  that  Mr.  Wood- 
Martin's   care  and  skill   have  succeeded   in   placing 
his  work  alongside  of   those  just   mentioned,    there 
does  not  seem  much  left  by  way  of  recommendation 
to  our  readers.     But  we  must  add  that  the  engravings 
are  all  excellent  in  themselves,  very  well  chosen,  and 
quite  sufficient  in  point  of  number  to  illustrate  pro- 
perly the  important  descriptions  given  in  the  text. 

Mr.  Wood-Martin  divides  his  book  into  two  parts. 
The  first  deals  with  the  origin,  construction,  and 
civilization  of  the  ancient  lacustrine  habitations  of 
Ireland,  as  illustrated  by  their  remains,  and  the  anti- 
quities found  in  or  around  them  ;  the  second  contains 
a  description  of  the  lake-dwellings,  and  particulars  of 
their  geographical  distribution  in  the  provinces  of 
Ulster,  Leinster,  Munster,  and  Connaught. 

We  are  in  the  midst  of  a  remote  past  when  we 
come  upon  the  remains  of  the  water-towns  of  Ireland  ; 
but,  remote  as  it  is,  it  has  left  much  to  tell  us  of 
many  of  the  inner  aspects  of  the  human  life  with 
which  it  was  associated.  The  construction  of  the 
crannogs  themselves,  the  means  of  access  to  them, 
show  an  ingenuity  which  in  many  ways  is  surprising. 
Marshes,  small  loughs  surrounded  by  woods,  and 
large  sheets  of  water,  were  the  favourite  sites  in 
Ireland  for  crannogs.  First  stakes  were  driven  into 
the  bottom  of  the  lake  in  a  circle  of  from  sixty  to 
eighty  feet  in  diameter,  a  considerable  length  of  the 
stake  sometimes  projecting  above  the  water.  Often 
an  inner  row  of  idling  was  placed  about  five  feet 
distant  from  the  outer,  and  piles  were  driven  in  various 
parts  of  the  centre.  Next  were  placed  one  or  two 
layers  of  round  logs  mortised  into  the  upright  piles, 
kept  in  position  by  layers  of  stone,  clay,  and  gravel. 
On  this  foundation,  when  raised  sufficiently  above  the 
water,  the  dwelling  was  erected,  and  there  dwelt  the 
primitive  tribes  who  thus  crept  along  the  banks  of 
rivers  and  the  sides  of  lakes. 

Their  domestic  economy  is  evidenced  by  the  re- 
mains discovered,  consisting  of  grain-rubbers,  querns, 
pottery,  wooden  vessels,  drinking-cups,  wooden  mal- 
lets, whorls,  etc.  One  of  the  drinking-cups  resembled 
the  mether-cup  found  in  county  Derry.  They 
were  acquainted  with  music,  the  remains  of  harps 
and  harp-pins,  trumpets,  etc.,  being  found,  and 
among  the  witnesses  of  their  amusements  are  some 
stone  chessmen  ! 
VOL.  XIV. 


But  perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting  group 
of  remains  is  that  of  ornaments.  Of  these  the 
bronze  ornaments  are  exceedingly  handsome,  and 
few  can  equal  in  design  and  workmanship  the 
hinge  brooch  from  Ardakillen.  The  decoration 
on  the  inlaid  ends  partakes  of  the  Celtic  trumpet 
pattern  ;  while  the  central  connecting  curved  strap, 
with  a  raised  intertwinement,  like  that  seen  on  some 
sculptured  crosses,  would  appear  to  have  been  cast. 
The  thin  ornamented  plate  in  front  is  fastened  by 
eight  rivets  to  a  stout  flat  plate,  behind  which  also 
overlap  the  edges  of  the  strap ;  its  flat  pin  is  hinged 
at  the  back.  A  bronze  fibula  from  Lough  Ravel  is 
also  figured  as  a  beautiful  specimen  of  these  orna- 
ments. This  brooch  is  distinguished  by  its  peculiar 
bird-head  ornamentation  on  the  superior  extremity. 
Other  ornaments  are  equally  interesting,  and  they  are 
of  silver,  iron,  bone,  and  stone.  A  silver  brooch  from 
the  crannog  of  Lough  Ravel  is  a  beautiful  and  almost 
unique  specimen  of  early  Irish  art,  dating  from  about 
the  tenth  century. 

Weapons  of  war,  and  of  the  chase,  are  also  found, 
and  two  curious  examples  are  engraved.  The 
one  is  an  axe-head  of  bone,  which  was  found  seven 
feet  below  the  then  surface  of  the  bog,  and  altogether 
is  a  remarkable  object ;  and  the  other  is  a  flint  arrow- 
head in  a  briar-root  shaft,  the  thong  which  tied  it  still 
adhering. 

Altogether  in  these  extraordinary  memorials  of  the 
past  we  get  a  long  record  of  man's  life,  from  perhaps 
the  remotest  past  to  within  historical  times.  This 
work  is  one  that  will  be  highly  appreciated  by  all 
students  of  archaic  history,  and  Mr.  Wood-Martin  is 
to  be  congratulated  upon  the  successful  issue  of  his 
most  laborious  undertaking.  He  gives  something  like 
an  apology  in  his  preface  for  recording  thus  the 
labours  of  others  ;  but  we  can  assure  him  that  such  a 
record  needs  no  apology. 


Proceedings  of  the  Huguettot  Society  of  London. 
1886.  8vo. 
Besides  information  as  to  the  formation  and  con- 
stitution of  the  Huguenot  Society,  these  Proceedings 
include  some  interesting  and  valuable  matter.  The 
"  Report  of  the  Bi -centenary  of  the  Revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes "  is  especially  notable.  This 
celebration  included  a  sermon,  addresses,  and  reading 
of  papers.  A  paper  by  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Canon 
Fremantle  describes  the  effect  of  the  Revocation  on 
the  English  Revolution  of  1688.  This  is  clearly 
done,  and  in  such  a  way  that  we  behold  the  royal 
houses  of  France  and  England  committed  to  the 
hands  of  Roman  Catholic  ecclesiastics,  with  the  cause 
of  Protestantism,  on  the  other  hand,  safe  in  the 
keeping  of  Englishmen,  conscious  of  political  freedom. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  important  part  borne 
by  the  Huguenots  in  the  transaction  of  1688.  Mr. 
Stride,  in  a  paper  on  the  flight  of  the  Huguenots,  is 
able  to  gather  some  fresh  facts  on  a  familiar  theme. 
The  display  of  Huguenot  relics  and  treasures  got  to- 
gether for  the  commemoration  must  have  been  of  great 
interest  to  the  members.  A  paper  by  the  President  de  la 
Socidte  de  I'Histoire  du  Protestantisme  Francais,  on 
•*  The  French  Churches  of  London  after  the  Revoca- 
tion," is  the  most  important  paper  from  an  antiquarian 

N 


1 7© 


REVIEWS. 


point  of  view.  A  list  of  these  churches  with  dates 
and  other  particulars  is  given  at  the  end  of  the  paper. 
At  the  second  meeting  of  the  Society,  Mr.  William 
Westall  read  a  paper  on  "Geneva,  the  Protestant 
City  of  Refuge  ;"  and  Mr.  Kershaw  gave  a  paper  on 
the  "Refugee  Inscriptions  in  the  Cathedral  and 
Churches  of  Canterbury,"  which,  it  is  needless  to 
say,  is  of  permanent  value.  Mr.  Stride  contributed 
also  a  Huguenot  Bibliography,  which  will  be  useful 
for  references,  although  the  books  themselves  are 
mostly  to  he  seen  in  the  library  of  the  French 
Protestant  Hospital,  Victoria  Park. 


The  capital  and  well-written  account  of  this  gate 
serves  to  complete  a  very  admirably  conceived  publi- 
cation. 


Studies  in  Ancient  Hisfoty,  comprising  a  Reprint  of 
Primitive  Marriage,  an  Inquiry  into  the  Origin 
of  the  Form  of  Capture  in  Marriage  Ceretnonies. 
By  the  late  John  Ferguson  McLennan. 
(London  :  1886.       Macmillan.)     8vo.,  pp.  xxxi, 

387. 
We  are  glad  to  see  a  new  edition  of  this  famous 
work.  Perhaps  no  book  has  received  so  much  atten- 
tion from  students  of  archaic  society,  and  few  books 
have  had  such  influences  towards  directing  the  course 
of  study.  Mr.  McLennan  was  the  first  to  bring  into 
prominent  notice  the  practice  of  bride-capture,  and 
his  well-known  theory  connecting  this  with  exogamy 
is  still  a  matter  of  contention.  Mr.  Donald  McLennan 
is  now  bringing  out  his  brother's  literary  remains,  and 
it  will  be  most  serviceable  to  those  who  are  engaged 
in  this  branch  of  scientific  research  to  have  this  valuable 
work,  enriched  with  additional  notes,  and  published 
uniform  with  the  others. 


The  Manx  Note-Book.  Edited  by  A,  W^  Moore. 
July,  1886.  (Douglas  :  Johnson.)  8vo. 
This  part  contains  a  most  valuable  paper  on  "  The 
Manx  Runes,"  by  the  learned  author  of  Words  and 
Places.  Dr.  Taylor  suggests  that  these  runes  may  be 
ascribed  to  the  two  centuries  of  Scandinavian 
Christianity  and  Norwegian  power,  from  about  1050 
to  1250.  First,  proceeding  on  historical  grounds,  the 
author  traces  in  the  earlier  crosses  some  Celtic  names 
and  pure  Irish  ornament,  and  these  he  ascribes  to  the 
earlier  part  of  the  period.  He  then  deals  with  the  in- 
ternal evidence  furnished  by  the  monuments  them- 
selves, and  alike  from  the  artistic  quality  of  the  orna- 
ment, and  by  the  contents,  the  dialect  and  the 
palaeography  of  the  inscriptions,  confirms  the  historical 
evidence.  As  these  results  differ  from  the  received 
opinions,  our  readers  will  be  glad  to  be  referred  to  the 
researches  of  this  distinguished  scholar. 

Illustrations  of  Old  Ipswich,  luith  Architectural  De- 
scription of  each    Subject,  and  such    Historical 
Notices  as  illustrate  the  Manners  and  Customs  of 
Previous  Ages  in  the  Old  Borough,  and  help  to 
forvi     unpublished     Chapters     of    its     History. 
(Ipswich  :  John  Clyde.)     Fol. 
This  is  an  excellent  beginning  to  what  we  hope  will 
be  a  very  successful  series.     The  well-executed  plate 
illustrates  the  west  gate  of  the  town.      This  pictur- 
esque object  was  the  work  of  three  widely  separated 
periods.     The  lower  part  is  of  the  period  of  Edward 
III.,  the  upper  stages  belong  to  the  fifteenth  century, 
while  the  bell  turret  is  probably  seventeenth  century. 


Records  of  the  Borough  of  Nottingham,  being  a  Series 
of  Extracts  from  the  Archives  of  the  Corporation 
of  Nottingham.  Vol.  III.,  1485-1547.  Pub- 
lished under  the  authority  of  the  Corporation 
of  Nottingham.  (London  and  Nottingham : 
Quaritch,  1885.)  8vo.,  pp.  xix,  538. 
It  is  not  our  fault  that  this  important  work  has  not 
been  noticed  before.  Following  the  other  two  volumes 
(already  reviewed  in  these  columns)  we  come  upon  a 
later,  but  by  no  means  less  interesting,  period  of 
municipal  history.  Anyone  who  has  listened  to  the 
foolish  talk  of  unread  politicians,  would  think  that 
local  self-government  had  never  existed  in  England, 
and  was  about  to  be  granted  as  a  boon.  But  let  those 
who  care  anything  at  all  about  the  matter  study  these 
pages,  and  they  will  very  soon  understand  that  local 
institutions  have  been  allowed  to  dwindle  down  or 
have  been  destroyed,  until  we  of  this  age  scarcely 
understand  what  they  truly  mean.  To  our  ancestors 
they  meant  everything  that  was  worth  having  in 
political  life.  At  Nottingham,  the  municipality 
possessed  authority  over  individual  citizens  that  at 
once  covered  all  that  is  now  suggested  should  be 
placed  under  local  control,  and  much  more  Ijeyond. 
The  lands  of  the  borough,  the  tenements  of  private 
owners,  criminal,  moral,  economical,  and  sanitary 
matters,  were  all  under  the  regulation  of  the  muni- 
cipal authorities,  and  they  dealt  with  those  subjects 
in  a  manner  which,  if  not  agreeing  with  modern  con- 
ceptions, shows  at  least  their  practical  sense  and  their 
general  uprightness  of  purpose.  It  is  simply  monstrous 
that  such  records  as  these,  except  in  the  honourable 
instances  of  Nottingham,  London,  Chesterfield,  and 
a  few  others,  should  lie  unpublished  and  neglected, 
when  they  tell  us  so  much  of  the  past,  and  that,  too, 
upon  points  which  are  of  considerable  value  to  the 
world  of  politics  at  the  present  time.  The  Notting- 
ham records  shows  how  local  institutions  were  gradually 
usurped  by  the  few,  until  they  became  totally  unfit  for 
their  purpose  and  almost  devoid  of  any  capacity  for 
development  ;  but  they  also  tell  us  what  they  once 
were,  and  they  suggest  what  they  might  again 
become. 

It  is  right  that  the  Antiquary  should  pay  attention 
to  such  subjects  as  here  indicated,  and  we  sincerely 
trust  that  the  publication  of  these  Nottingham  borough 
records  will  not  only  lead  to  the  example  being  ex- 
tensively followed,  but  that  the  scientific  study  of 
local  institutions,  too  much  neglected,  will  obtain  some 
hold  upon  the  public  mind. 

We  should  much  like  to  dwell  upon  some  of  the 
interesting  antiquarian  features  of  this  volume,  but 
space  forbids  this  to  any  adequate  extent.  The  editor 
of  the  volume  has  done  everything  to  make  it  worthy 
of  its  subject.  Good  and  useful  notes,  a  glossary  of 
English  and  Latin,  a  list  of  names  of  streets,  fields, 
and  other  localities,  and  an  admirable  general  index, 
sufficiently  attest  the  excellent  editorial  labours  which 
have  been  bestowed  upon  the  volume,  and  we  wish  in 
this  notice,  as  in  that  of  the  second  volume,  to 
especially  draw  attention  to  the  value  of  having  these 
lists  of  local  names.  Could  they  but  have  been 
marked  on  a  map  prepared  for  this  purpose,  their 


REVIEWS. 


171 


value  would  have  been  unequalled  in  almost  any  other 
municipal  records.  But  it  is  unfair  to  suggest,  by  the 
expression  of  such  a  want,  that  there  is  one  word  of 
fault-finding  with  the  editors.  It  is  not  so.  The 
editors  point  out  how  interesting  to  students  of  dialect 
are  the  records  penned  by  the  town  clerk,  William 
Easingwold,  from  about  1478  to  1506.  They  show 
the  loss  of  many  words  now  peculiar  to  the  northern 
dialect  of  England,  and  suggest  how  the  north  mid- 
land dialects  have  gradually  assimilated  to  the 
standard  English.  If  Easingwold  was  Nottingham 
born  and  bred,  this  is  no  doubt  true  ;  but  if  he  came 
from  a  northern  town  himself,  the  argument  is  far 
from  conclusive.  But  of  the  value  of  these  English- 
written  documents  there  can  be  no  doubt.  One  of 
the  most  numerous  class  of  entries  in  the  Chamber- 
lain's Accounts,  all  written  in  English,  relate  to  pay- 
ments for  travelling,  and  these  afford  us  interesting 
details  of  life  and  its  troubles :  '  Item  paid  for  the 
costes  of  the  seid  William  Esyngwold  ridyng  to 
Lincoln  agayn  for  discharge  of  suche  Lenten  stuff  as 
was  taken  there  for  toll,  and  also  of  suche  money  as 
was  leyd  there  for  pledges,  John  Baker,  wolman,  ye 
same  tyme  ridyng  with  him  by  ye  space  of  iij  dayes, 
and  for  ye  hors  hier  of  the  same  William,  etc,  iijs  xd.' 
Such  entries  afford  a  curious  picture  of  economies 
and  of  society,  and  they  deserve  studying  carefully. 
It  would  be  impossible  in  a  short  notice  to  do  full 
justice  to  all  the  material  here  collected  for  enabling 
the  student  to  understand  the  England  of  former  days  ; 
but  we  have  probably  said  enough  to  show  how  great 
is  the  debt  antiquaries  owe  to  the  enlightened 
authorities  of  Nottingham,  who  can  turn  aside  from 
the  hardening  influences  of  everyday  life  to  accom- 
plish a  work  which  is  an  honour  alike  to  their  present 
and  their  past. 

Our  Forefathers  in  the  Dark  A^es,  and  what  tve  (ru)e 
them.  A  Sketch  mainly  intended  for  the  Young. 
By  R.  G.  Blunt.  London  :  Elliot  Stock,  1886. 
Many  are  incredulous,  and  we  would  gladly  be  in- 
credulous too,  but  the  fact  remains  that  there  still  exists 
a  mass  of  ignorant  prejudice  as  to  the  value  of  archceo- 
logical  study.  This  little  book  makes  a  lusty  tilt 
against  this  combination  of  indifference  and  perversity.  • 
It  indicates  how  we  may  read  the  past  in  the  present, 
and  shows  how  the  phrase  "the  Dark  Ages"  may 
become  a  mischievous  misnomer  like  unto  that  of  the 
Greeks,  whose  term  of  "  barbarian"  was  synonymous 
with  foreigner.  Mr.  Stock  has  earned  such  a  high 
reputation  in  the  matter  of  typography  and  binding 
that  it  seems  a  pity  to  have  put  this  little  book  into 
the  admirable  "get-up"  of  the  Book-Lover's  Library. 
That  scries  loses  in  distinctiveness,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  see  that  this  little  pamphlet  gains  by  the  loss. 


0@eetmg0  of  autiquanan 
^ocietie0. 

Yorkshire  Geological  and  Polytechnic  Society. 
— Aug,  II-12. — The  quaint  little  town  of  Hawcs 
formed  a  convenient  rendezvous  from  which  to  com- 


mence the  exploration  of  Wensley  dale,  the  first  point 
to  which  the  members'  steps  were  directed  being  Cotter 
Force,  a  small  cascade  of  singular  beauty,  at  a  point 
something  over  two  miles  from  Hawes,  and  a  short 
distance  above  the  spot  where  that  mountain  stream 
the  Cotter  joins  the  river  Ure.  A  movement  was 
made  for  Hardrow  Scar,  a  gem  of  the  dale  too  well 
known  to  need  any  detailed  description  so  far  as  its 
natural  attraction  is  concerned,  Dr,  Lees'  explora- 
tions in  the  neighbourhood  had  brought  to  light 
several  geological  curiosities  on  the  road  traversed 
from  Cotter  Force  to  Hardrow  Scar.  At  Aysgarth 
the  party  at  once  proceeded  to  the  lower  fall,  where 
some  time  was  spent  in  examining  the  rocky  bed  of 
the  river.  On  the  return  journey  along  the  winding 
path  to  the  high-road,  a  glimpse  was  obtained  of  the 
middle  fall,  with  the  ancient  and  picturesque  church 
of  Aysgarth  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  and 
subsequently  the  upper  fall  was  visited.  Leaving 
the  Aysgarth,  the  visitors  proceeded  to  Leyburn.  A 
start  was  made  on  Thursday  to  that  grand  natural 
limestone  terrace  which,  under  the  name  of  Leyburn 
Shawl,  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  dale.  As  the 
party  proceeded  from  point  to  point  of  this  rocky 
ridge  several  halts  were  made,  while  objects  of  intereit 
far  and  near  were  indicated.  At  the  entrance  to  the 
Shawl  proper,  where,  the  visitor  is  informed,  local 
tradition  has  it  that  the  ill-fated  Mary  Queen  of  Scots 
was  recaptured  in  an  attempt  to  escape  from  Bolton 
Castle,  three  or  four  miles  higher  up  the  dale,  the 
party  turned  aside  down  a  by-path,  which  brought  them 
to  a  kind  of  lower  terrace  which  Mr.  Home — who  has 
spent  much  time  and  labour,  not  by  any  means  unre- 
quited, in  the  exploration  of  the  neighbourhood — is  of 
opinion,  from  discoveries  made  upon  it,  must  have 
been  used  as  a  camping-ground  in  very  early  times. 
At  one  spot  researches  carried  on  with  more  or  less 
vigour  during  a  period  of  ten  years  resulted  in  bring- 
ing to  light  the  skeleton  of  a  human  being.  These 
remains  were  found  eighteen  inches  below  the  surface 
in  the  shale.  The  remains  were  lying  north  and 
soulh,  the  feet  being  in  the  latter  direction,  and  the 
attitude  in  which  they  were  resting  indicated  that  the 
skeleton  had  lain  on  one  side,  a  little  doubled  up. 
The  bones  of  the  body  were  so  soft  that  they  could 
not  be  preserved  ;  but  the  skull,  which  was  broken 
into  several  pieces,  and  the  teeth,  some  of  which  were 
decayed  and  others  worn  down,  admitted  of  more 
successful  treatment.  Alongside  this  skeleton  were 
found  a  number  of  bones,  which  Professor  Dawkins 
and  others  describe  as  those  of  the  reindeer,  a  circum- 
stance which  would  take  the  burial  back  to  a  very 
early  date.  Upon  or  near  to  the  breast  of  the  skeleton 
was  unearthed  a  curiously-cut  reindeer  bone,  which 
was  probably  one  of  the  devices  by  which  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  island,  at  a  remote  period,  secured  at  the 
breast  the  skins  then  doing  duty  for  clothes.  Traces 
of  another  burial  were  discovered  close  by,  together 
with  several  bones  of  the  red  deer,  burnt  stones,  and 
bits  of  charcoal.  A  little  farther  along  the  ridge  the 
party  were  conducted  to  what  is  believed  to  be  a 
tumulus,  though  as  yet  only  a  few  small  bones  have 
been  found.  The  disposition  of  the  large  stones, 
visible  as  far  as  the  excavation  has  proceeded,  is  evi- 
dently the  v.ork  of  man.  After  the  examination  of 
this  *•  find,"  Mr.  Davis  made  a  few  remarks  upon  the 

N    2 


172 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


geology  of  the  district,  observing  that  the  Voredale 
series,  so  named  by  Professor  Phillips,  consists  of  an 
alternating  series  of  limestones,  gritstones,  and  shales, 
with  veins  of  lead  of  eruptive  origin  forced  into  them. 
He  pointed  out  that  the  Craven  mountain  limestone 
did  not  maintain  its  thick  and  massive  character  pro- 
ceeding northwards,  but  became  split  up  into  smaller 
beds,  with  intermediate  beds  of  sandstone,  shale,  and 
so  on.  Mr.  Davis  then  gave  some  information  of  the 
nine  beds  of  limestone  which  were  to  be  found  in  the 
geological  formation  of  the  locality,  and  their  rapid 
dip  to  the  eastward  until  they  disappeared  under  the 
valley.  In  the  course  of  the  journey,  which  was 
shortly  afterwards  resumed,  a  visit  was  paid  to  a  small 
cave,  discovered  by  Mr.  Plorne,  in  the  limestone  es- 
carpment of  the  Shawl, 

British  Archaeological  Association.— Congress 
at  Darlington.  —  Continued  frotn  p.  129. — The  first 
place  to  be  inspected  on  Thursday  was  St.  Andrew's,  or 
South  Church,  Auckland.  This  is  a  collegiate  church,  so 
established  by  Bishop  Anthony  de  Bek  in  a.d.  1292, 
and  contains  an  effigy  of  a  cross-legged  knight  in 
chain  mail,  with  a  surcoat  and  greaves,  about  a.d. 
1290,  carved  in  oak.  On  the  south  side  of  the 
chancel  is  a  piscina  with  two  stone  basins,  the  one 
carved  with  a  cinquefoil  pattern,  the  other  with  a  six- 
foil. The  church  is  cruciform,  and  is  believed  to  be 
the  largest  parish  church  in  the  diocese  of  Durham, 
It  was  erected  apparently  about  a,d,  1200,  The 
next  place  of  inspection  was  one  of  the  grandest 
features  of  the  Congress,  and  worthy  alone  of  a 
pilgrimage  to  see.  The  recently  discovered  perfect 
Saxon  church  at  Escombe  demands  a  prominent 
notice  in  every  future  manual  of  English  church 
architecture,  and  no  description  of  Saxon  architecture 
can  ever  be  complete  without  copious  reference  to  the 
details  of  its  composition.  The  system  of  its  con- 
struction is  that  known  as  pyramidal  or  battering — a 
strong  proof  of  antiquity  in  such  a  building,  and  one 
for  which  we  must  go  to  Celtic  edifices  for  parallel 
examples.  All  the  doors,  windows,  and  arches  are 
wider  at  the  base  than  at  the  top.  The  material  is 
Roman  squared  stone,  derived  in  abundance  from  the 
adjacent  station  of  Vinovia,  two  miles  off.  Many  of  the 
stones  bear  Roman  hatching  or  ornamentation,  some 
retain  fragmentary  inscriptions.  The  veteran  anti- 
quary, Mr.  C,  Roach  Smith,  stated  that  in  his  opinion 
the  church  indicated  not  only  Roman  material,  but 
even  Roman  influence,  as  the  earlier  Saxons  were 
barely  competent  to  construct  so  solid  an  edifice. 
Curiously  enough,  a  lancet  window  of  the  original 
work  here — as  perhaps  also  at  Staindrop — demon- 
strates that  that  form  demands  a  far  older  date  than 
is  commonly  conceded  to  it.  At  Auckland  Castle  the 
president,  the  Bishop  of  Durham,  received  the  party 
hospitably,  and  described  all  the  principal  details  of 
the  building,  notably  the  chapel,  dedicated  by  Bishop 
Cosin  in  a.d.  1660,  and  originally  the  hall  of  the 
castle.  A  few  of  the  members  then  proceeded  to  the 
recently  discovered  Roman  station  of  Vinovia  or 
Binchester.  In  the  evening  three  papers  were  read  : 
"  St.  Wilfrid,"  by  Mr.  James  I'Anson  ;  "  The  Conyers 
Family  of  Sockburn,"  by  Mr.  F,  R,  Surtees  ;  and 
•'  The  Works  of  the  Neville  Family,"  by  Mr.  J.  P. 
Pritchett.  On  Friday,  the  30th,  the  members  pro- 
ceeded to  survey  ihe  antiquities  of  Richmond.    After 


a  short  visit  to  the  over-restored  Church  of  St, 
Mary's,  a  building  which  now  has  a  very  modern 
appearance,  the  curious  free  chapel  of  Holy  Trinity 
was  visited.  The  grand  old  castle  of  Richmond 
was  then  inspected,  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Lofius 
Brock,  Catterick  Church  was  next  examined,  where 
the  most  interesting  feature  was  the  contract  for  the 
erection  of  the  present  building,  entered  into  by 
Richard  of  Cracall,  mason,  and  Dame  Katharine  of 
Brough,  and  William  her  son.  The  indenture  is 
dated  1412.  The  contract  for  erecting  the  bridge  at 
Catterick  was  also  inspected.  These  were  sent  to  the 
church  for  exhibition  by  Sir  Wm.  Lawson,  of  Brough, 
together  with  a  curious  MS.  life^of  St.*  Cuthbert,  of 
the  twelfth  century,  the  small  volume  having  many 
quaint  full-page  illuminations.  At  the  evening  meet- 
ing papers  were  read  "  On  Sockburn,  Dinsdale,  and 
the  Roman  Roads,"  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Eastwood,  and 
"  On  the  Palatinate  of  Durham,"  by  Mr,  Edward 
Hutchinson,  The  party  on  Saturday,  the  31st,  pro- 
ceeded over  much  of  the  ground  described  in  one 
of  the  papers  of  the  preceding  evening.  Thus  the 
ancient  bridge  of  Croft  was  passed  over,  on  which  the 
ceremony  referred  to,  of  presenting  the  falchion  to  the 
bishop,  took  place,  Hurworth  Church,  at  no  great 
distance,  was  next  visited.  The  ruins  of  Sockburn 
Church  were  then  inspected,  and  the  members  had 
the  unpleasant  task  of  expressing  regret  at  the  sight. 
The  party  then  inspected  the  ancient  fish  wear  on  the 
Tees  on  the  old  Dinsdale  estate  of  the  Surtees  family. 
The  fall  is  high,  but  the  river  being  full  of  salmon, 
the  leaping  of  the  fish  to  ascend  the  stream  presents  a 
scene  of  great  animation,  the  banks  of  the  Tees  being 
here  of  great  beauty.  The  members  then  proceeded 
to  the  old  manor-house  to  inspectjthe  base  of  a  large 
castle-like  building  which  Mr.  Surtees  has  excavated. 
This  was  pronounced  to  be  of  early  thirteenth  century 
work.  There  are,  however,  a  great  number  of  still 
more  ancient  banks  enclosing  the  low-lying  site,  and 
some  fragments  of  split  bone  discovered  in  the  exca- 
vations appeared  to  be  ancient  British,  The  new- 
looking  church  at  Dinsdale  was  next  inspected,  and 
a  great  number  of  Saxon  incised  stones  were  again 
found  here.  At  the  evening  meeting  the  following 
papers  were  read  :  "  The  Peculiarities  of  the  Durham 
Churches,"  by  Mr.  E.  P,  Loftus  Brock  ;  and  •'  On  the 
Sockburn  Worm  and  other  such  Legendary  Creatures," 
by  Mr,  Geo.  R.  Wright. 

Hampshire  Field  Club.— Aug.  19.— An  ex- 
cursion of  this  club  from  Southampton  to  the  villages 
of  Upper  and  Lower  Clatford,  and  the  town  of 
Andover,  took  place.  On  reaching  Lower  Clatford  a 
move  was  made  for  the  church,  where  the  Rev.  R,  H, 
Clutterbuck  discoursed  on  the  Transitional  Norman 
capitals  in  clunch  stone  and  the  other  principal  archi- 
tectural features.  Canon  Collier  remarked  that  there 
was  a  tradition  that  on  the  destruction  of  the  priory 
of  AVherwell  (locally  known  as  Horrell),  the  old 
materials  from  that  place  were  brought  to  Clatford, 
which  would  account  for  the  many  carved  stones 
worked  into  the  interior  of  the  tower.  The  party  next 
proceeded  to  Upper  Clatford,  where  Canon  Collier 
and  the  Rev.  R,  H,  Clutterbuck  spoke  on  the  archi- 
tectural features  of  the  building,  the  principal  of  which 
are  a  small  Norman  doorway  and  the  curious  double 
chancel  arch,  which  latter,  however,  rather  bears  evi- 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


173 


dences  of  the  "churchwarden's  taste"  of  the  last 
century.  In  the  churchyard  Mr.  Shore  propounded  a 
theory  of  the  immortality  of  the  yew  tree,  pointing 
out  that  the  present  old  tree  is  really  but  thirteen 
saplings  growing  within  the  circumference  of  an  old 
stump  of  still  greater  antiquity.  From  Upper  Clat- 
ford  the  party  proceeded  to  Bury  Hill,  where  Canon 
Collier  initiated  a  discussion  on  British  hill  towns  and 
forts,  and  Roman  oppida  and  camps,  for  which  pur- 
poses the  earthwork  was  successively  used.  One  or 
two  worked  flints  and  flakes  were  found  by  members 
of  the  club,  and  the  meeting  then  proceeded  to  the 
discussion  of  the  denudation  of  the  valley  of  the 
Anton,  which  is  well  seen  from  the  eminence  of  Bury 
Hill.  The  Roman  earthwork  of  Balksbury,  or  Rooks- 
bury,  was  visited  on  the  way  to  Andover,  where  the 
company  again  assembled  in  the  Guildhall  to  hear 
a  paper  by  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Clutterbuck  on  the 
general  features  of  the  valley  of  the  Anton,  and  for 
an  examination  of  the  royal  charters  of  King  John, 
Richard  H.,  and  Philip  and  Mary,  and  otlier  of 
the  muniments  in  which  the  corporation  of  Andover 
is  rich. 

Royal  Institution  of  Cornwall. — The  annual 
excursion  of  the  Institution  was  held  on  7th  Sep- 
tember. The  first  place  to  be  visited  was  Ladock. 
At  Ladock  Rectory  were  inspected  some  beautiful 
oil  paintings  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  marble  busts, 
including  one  of  the  First  Napoleon,  as  Consul,  and 
other  treasures,  some  interesting  particulars  concerning 
which  were  given  by  Rev.  S.  Raffles  Flint.  Ladock 
Church  was  visited,  and  various  features  of  interest 
were  pointed  out  by  the  rector.  The  church  is  a 
plain  old  edifice  of  the  fifteenth  century,  a  remarkable 
feature  regarding  the  tower  being  the  fact  that  the 
ashlar  work  is  carried  right  through,  a  peculiarity  not 
observable  in  many  church  towers  in  Cornwall.  The 
font  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation.  Special 
attention  was  drawn  to  an  ancient  memorial  tablet  of 
slate.  This  was  recently  found  in  the  ground  covered 
with  dirt  and  moss.  It  was  cleaned,  and  now  occu- 
pies a  position  on  one  of  the  walls  inside  the  church. 
The  date  of  the  tablet  is  1665,  and  the  carved  in- 
scription refers  to  William  Randell  and  John  Randell, 
who  were  evidently  clock-makers  of  the  village.  The 
holy  well  near  the  church  was  also  inspected.  The 
party  then  were  driven  to  Roche,  a  distance  of  ten  or 
eleven  miles.  Prior  to  reaching  Roche  a  halt  was 
made  to  inspect  some  primitive  tin  streaming,  an  anti- 
quated but  ingenious  pump  receiving  a  fair  share  of 
attention.  At  Roche  the  old  church  was  first  visited. 
Its  style  was  described  as  debased  Perpendicular. 
The  principal  attraction  in  the  church  is  a  Roman 
font,  and  one  or  two  tablets  to  the  memory  of  former 
rectors  were  read.  In  the  churchyard  are  some  very 
old  crosses,  including  a  "four-holed  cross."  Roche 
Hermitage,  the  history  of  which  is  enveloped  in 
obscurity,  was  visited,  as  were  also  the  Rocks,  which 
are  680  feet  above  the  sea.  The  party  made  for 
Castle-au-Dinas  to  inspect  the  remains  of  an  ancient 
entrenchment.  At  about  half-past  two  the  fine  old  town 
of  St.  Columb  Majdr  was  reached.  By  mutual  con- 
sent the  church,  dedicated  to  St.  Columb,  was  first 
inspected.  The  older  portions  of  the  church  date 
from  the  twelfth  century,  and  the  general  style  is 
Early  English.  The  font,  south  window,  chancel, 
aisles,  and  brasses  were  worthy  of  notice,  and  much 


attention  was  bestowed  by  many  of  the  party  upon 
the  old  and  curiously  carved  bench  ends.  Before 
leaving  the  churchyard,  some  ancient  crosses  and  in- 
scribed stones  were  pointed  out. 

Essex  Archaeological  Society.— Aug.  12.— 
Annual  meeting  and  excursion.  The  locality  chosen 
was  Ingatestone  and  neighbourhood.  Major  Chan- 
cellor exhibited  a  very  curious  painted  tile,  which  was 
recently  found  in  the  walls  of  St.  Mary's  Church, 
Maldon.  It  contained  the  arms  of  the  Duke  of 
Braganza.  It  was  thought  that  as  a  considerable 
trade  was  formerly  carried  on  between  Maldon  and 
Flanders,  it  was  brought  over  and  deposited  in  the 
church.  A  similar  one  was  found  at  Witham  a  few 
years  ago.  He  also  mentioned  that  last  week  a  very 
curious  tile  was  discovered  in  the  works  going  on  at 
Messing  Church.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting,  the 
party  made  their  way  to  the  parish  church  of  Ingate- 
stone, which,  with  the  churches  of  Margaretting  and 
Fryerning,  Mr.  Chancellor  had  very  kindly  under- 
taken to  give  a  brief  description  of.  Arrived  at  the 
fine  tower,  Mr.  Chancellor  said  the  churches  they 
were  about  to  visit  were  types  of  churches  which  were, 
he  would  not  say  peculiar  to  this  county,  but  were 
certainly  more  identified  with  Essex  than  with  any 
other  county,  two  churches  (Ingatestone  and  Fryern- 
ing) with  brick  towers,  and  two  (Margaretting  and 
Blackmore)  with  oak  towers.  Scattered  about  the 
county,  there  are  some  few  examples  of  more  ancient 
brickwork,  but  late  in  the  fifteenth  century  an  impetus 
seemed  to  have  been  given  to  the  manufacture  of 
brick,  and  the  execution  of  works  in  brick,  which 
amounted  to  a  rage  almost  equalling  in  intensity  the 
Queen  Anne  rage  of  the  present  day.  In  some  of  our 
churches  we  find  brick  clerestories,  in  others  brick 
porches,  and  in  several  brick  towers,  and  the  fashion 
went  so  far  that  not  many  miles  from  where  we  were 
now  standing,  is  a  church  altogether  built  of  brick,  even 
to  the  front — it  is  called  "  Chignal  Smealey,"  but  by 
the  working  people  the  appropriate  name  is  "Brick 
Chignal."  Ingatestone  Church  has,  perhaps,  one  of 
the  finest  specimens  of  a  brick  tower  in  the  county, 
and  notwithstanding  some  older  and  interesting 
features,  the  tower  from  its  large  size,  its  grand  out- 
line, and  its  massive  and  solid  construction,  cannot 
remain  unnoticed  even  by  the  most  careless  observer. 
It  is  80  feet  high,  it  is  divided  into  four  stories,  and 
surmounted  by  a  corbelled  and  embattled  parapet. 
The  walls  and  buttresses  diminish  in  thickness  at  each 
story,  the  walls  receding  from  the  face.  The  west 
front  is  a  fine  composition,  starting  with  a  four-centred 
doorway  on  the  ground-story  with  square  head,  which 
receives  the  sill  of  a  noble  three-light  window  with 
four  reveals,  and  brick  tracery  breaking  into  the 
second  story.  The  third  story  is  occupied  by  a  two- 
light  window  with  three  reveals,  lighting  the  ringing- 
chamber  ;  whilst  the  bell-chamber,  which  occupies  the 
fourth  story,  is  lighted  also  by  a  series  of  two-light 
windows,  except  on  the  south,  where  there  is  only  a 
one-light  window.  The  parapet  is  boldly  corbelled 
over,  and  the  battlements  are  most  effective  in  their 
stepping.  Each  angle  is  surmounted  by  a  pinnacle, 
but,  Mr.  Chancellor  suspected,  the  terminations  have 
been  altered  and  reduced  in  height.  The  staircase 
turret  is  outside  at  the  south-east  angle,  and  has  a 
plain  and  splayed  top  terminating  just  below  the 
battlements.     The  stairs  themselves  are  of  somewhat 


174 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


peculiar  construction.  Altogether  it  is  a  remarkable 
specimen,  the  proportion  of  the  whole  is  very  fine, 
and  the  detail  designed  with  care  and  boldness.  It  is 
said  that  half  a  million  of  bricks  were  consumed  in  its 
erection.  On  the  east  side  of  the  tower  inside  is  a 
grand  arch  of  three  reveals  connecting  the  tower 
with  the  nave.  In  the  tower  are  hung  five  bells. 
According  to  Buckler  the  earliest  bell  is  inscribed  in 
Old  English,  "  Peter  Hawkes  made  me  in  1610  ;" 
another,  "  Miles  Graye  made  me  in  1660  :"  one  1701  ; 
two  1758,  one  of  which  has  the  following  rhyme  : — 

The  Founder  he  has  played  his  part, 
Which  shows  him  master  of  his  art ; 
So  hang  me  well  and  ring  me  true, 
And  I  will  sound  your  praises  due. 

A  move  was  next  made  to  Ingatestone  Hall,  about  a 
mile  distant,  where,  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Cover- 
dale,  jun.,  the  most  interesting  parts  of  the  building 
and  premises  were  visited.  The  mansion,  it  was  ex- 
plained, was  one  of  about  Henry  YII.'s  reign,  and 
when  Sir  William  Petre  came  into  possession  he  con- 
siderably enlarged  it  and  made  it  the  seat  of  the 
family  until  they  removed  to  Thorndon  Hall,  near 
Brentwood,  in  1768.  Margaretting  Church  is  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Margaret.  Essex.  Mr.  Chancellor  said, 
is  entirely  devoid  of  any  building  material,  such  as 
stone,  and  therefore  the  early  inhabitants  of  the 
county  were  unable,  except  at  a  cost  far  beyond  their 
means,  to  construct  those  magnificent  towers  and 
edifices  which  we  find  in  stone  counties.  They  seem 
to  have  seized  with  avidity  upon  any  local  material 
which  they  found  at  hand.  The  Romans  very  soon 
discovered  the  value  of  our  brick -earth,  and  manu- 
factured bricks  which  are  superior  for  durability  even 
to  the  bricks  of  the  present  day.  They  also  dredged 
up  at  Harwich  and  elsewhere  off  the  coast  the 
cement-stone  which  they  called  Septaria,  and  used 
alternately  with  the  bricks.  But  of  all  building 
materials  the  most  plentiful  was  the  oak,  and  pretty 
freely  the  mediasval  architects  used  it.  Margaretting 
Church  affords  in  its  tower  a  grand  example  of  ancient 
carpentry,  and  is  a  very  good  type  of  the  oak  towers 
to  be  found  scattered  throughout  the  county,  including 
Blackmore,  Laindon,  Shenfield,  and  Stock,  all  within 
a  few  miles  of  Margaretting.  These  old  oak  towers 
are  really  very  fine  specimens  of  construction,  Mar- 
garetting being  the  finest,  and  if  properly  protected 
from  wet,  it  will  last  for  centuries.  Journeying  next 
to  Fryerning,  the  church  was  visited,  and  described 
by  Mr.  Chancellor.  After  another  pleasant  drive, 
the  interesting  old  church  at  Blackmore  was  reached. 
Mr.  C.  F.  Hayward  related  a  history  of  the  church, 
describing  it  as  of  Norman  origin,  and  altered  at 
several  subsequent  periods.  At  the  east  end  there 
are  two  Norman  arches  and  a  doorway,  which  used 
to  form  the  entry  to  the  cloisters.  In  other  respects 
the  church  is  similar  to  that  of  Margaretting.  After 
examining  the  monuments  in  the  church,  an  adjourn- 
ment was  made  to  the  adjoining  grounds  attached  to 
"Jericho,"  the  residence  of  Colonel  Disney.  An 
inspection  was  made  of  the  house,  and  it  was  ex- 
plained that  "Jericho"  was  formerly  a  country-house 
of  Henry  VIII. 's,  whose  courtiers,  when  the  king  had 
retired  to  this  place  for  his  pleasure,  used  to  say, 
"  He  has  gone  to  Jericho,"  and  the  Cam  rivulet  which 
(lows  through  the  village  is  called  the  "Jordan." 


Scottish  History  Society.— July  15.— Professor 
Masson  in  the  chair.  It  was  resolved  that  the  first 
publication  of  the  society  should  be  Bishop  Pococke's 
Tat4r  in  Scotlattd,  1760.  It  will  be  edited  from  the 
original  manuscript  in  the  British  Museum  by  Mr.  D. 
\V.  Kemp,  who  will  illustrate  the  volume  with  a 
reproduction  of  the  sketches  drawn  by  the  traveller 
himself.  This  work  will  probably  be  followed  by  the 
Diary  or  Account  Book  of  IVilliam  Cunningham,  of 
Craigend,  the  representative  of  Renfrewshire  in  the 
Convention  of  Estates  in  1689.  The  Diary  covers 
the  years  1674- 1726,  and  gives  a  minute  account  of 
the  personal  expenditure  of  a  Renfrewshire  land- 
owner, throwing  some  interesting  side-lights  on  the 
social  and  political  history  of  the  period.  It  will  be 
edited  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dodds,  of  Corstorphine.  It 
was  also  resolved  by  the  council  to  edit,  by  the  hand 
of  Canon  Murdoch,  The  Gramiad,  a  Latin  epic,  with 
Dundee  for  its  hero.  The  poem  was  written  in  1 691 
by  James  Philip,  of  Amryclose,  who  joined  Dundee 
as  he  started  on  his  expedition,  and  who  writes  as  an 
eye-witness  minute  and  graphic  descriptions  of  the 
whole  campaign.  It  is  proposed  to  print  the  original 
Latin,  but  to  add  in  English  a  running  abstract  of  the 
contents  along  the  margin,  and  copious  foot-notes. 
Mr.  Hew  Morrison  will  edit  the  Diary  of  the  Rev. 
Murdoch  Macdonald,  minister  of  Durness  (1726-1763), 
fragments  of  which  have  recently  been  printed  in  the 
Northern  Ensign  ;  and  Mr.  Russell  is  at  work  upon 
the  late  Robert  Chambers's  collection  of  unedited  cor- 
respondence of  the  contemporaries  of  Burns,  in  illus- 
tration of  the  lives  of  the  poet  and  his  companions. 

Bury  Natural  History  Society. — ^July  10. — 
The  members  and  friends  of  this  society  had  a  most 
enjoyable  ramble  to  Carr  Wood.  The  party  were 
conveyed  to  Hooley  Bridge,  from  whence  they  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  up  the  valley,  noting  the  topography 
of  the  district  and  collecting  specimens  of  plants, 
insects,  etc.  Carr  Wood  is  situated  on  the  Rochdale 
side  of  Ashworth  Valley,  and  is  very  picturesque,  the 
trees,  more  especially  the  oak,  being  in  good  leaf. 

Leeds  and  Yorkshire  Architectural  Society. — 
July  10. — In  response  to  an  invitation  from  the  Mayor 
of  Ripon  (Aid.  Baynes),  a  number  of  the  members 
and  friends  of  this  society  visited  Ripon  and  Foun- 
tains Abbey.  At  12.30  the  cathedral  was  visited,  the 
chief  architectural  points  being  described  by  Mr.  G. 
Benson.  The  Dean  of  Ripon  invited  the  party  to 
the  Deanery  and  grounds.  Afterwards  the  city  was 
left  for  Markenfield  Hall,  about  three  miles  distant. 
Markenfield,  tliough  now  occupied  as  a  farmhouse,  is 
a  good  specimen  of  a  castellated  manor-house  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  deep  moat. 
The  drive  was  afterwards  continued  through  Macker- 
shaw  Woods,  on  the  estate  of  the  Marquis  of  Ripon, 
and  through  Studley  Park  to  the  grounds  of  Fountains 
Abbey,  where,  by  his  lordship's  kind  permission,  the 
party  had  free  access. 


THE  ANTIQUARY'S  NOTE-BOOK. 


175 


C6e  antiquarj^'is  n^ote^'JBoofe* 


Antiquities  in  Corea. — The  following  notes  are 
from  a  Report  by  Vice-Consul  Carles  of  a  Journey 
from  Soul  to  the  Phyong  Kang  Gold-washings,  in 
Corea : 

The  regular  road  from  Soul  to  Gensan  makes  a 
considerable  bend  to  the  east  and  crosses  numerous 
chains  of  mountains,  the  highest  of  which  is  on  the 
border  of  the  Kang-won  and  Ham  Kyong  Provinces. 
When  returning  from  Gensan  last  winter  to  Soul  I 
heard,  however,  of  a  shorter  route,  saving  50  out  of 
550  li,  which  I  gave  instructions  to  follow,  but  my 
pony-drivers  and  Corean  servants,  who  were  greatly 
scared  by  rumours  of  armed  brigands  infesting  the 
shorter  route,  which  they  described  to  me  as  a  mere 
hill  track,  purposely  took  a  wrong  turn  at  Kosan, 
30  miles  out  from  Gensan,  and  I  did  not  discover  that 
they  had  outwitted  me  until  it  was  too  late  to  retrace 
my  steps.  Towards  the  end  of  last  month  I  found 
that  I  had  a  few  days  at  my  disposal,  of  which  I 
thought  that  I  could  not  make  better  use  than  by  test- 
ing the  accuracy  of  the  answers  which  had  been  given 
to  my  inquiries,  and  which,  though  the  existence  of 
gold  in  the  Phyong  Kang  district  was  always  denied 
in  the  first  instance,  all  agreed  on  fuller  inquiry  in 
placing  the  number  of  gold-seekers  at  3,000  men. 

I  accordingly  left  Soul  on  the  20th  April  with  Mr. 
E.  L.  B.  Allen,  of  Her  Majesty's  Consular  Service. 
The  chain  of  granite  mountains  which  encloses  Soul 
came  to  an  end  on  the  evening  of  our  first  day's 
march  and  brought  us  into  a  more  picturesque  though 
less  open  country.  Away  to  the  east  lay  the  Amsan 
hills,  where  the  King  is  said  to  have  his  hunting  par- 
ties, and  in  which  are  many  fir-v<'Oods  of  considerable 
extent.  In  one  of  these  was  a  colony  of  egrets,  to- 
wards which  hundreds  of  birds  were  finding  their  way, 
whose  white  plumage  made  their  home  conspicuous 
at  over  two  miles'  distance.  Pheasants  were  chal- 
lenging their  rivals  or  calling  to  their  mates  on  the 
hillside  ;  in  the  paddy  fields,  which  lined  the  narrow 
valley,  a  few  herons  were  standing  on  one  leg,  and  a 
pair  of  pink  ibis,  whose  plumage  had  greatly  deepened 
in  tint  since  autumn,  were  flushed  by  the  road- 
side. 

On  the  farther  side  of  the  tributary  of  the  Han 
River  was  a  bank,  not  very  abrupt,  thickly  strewn 
with  blocks  of  lava,  which  led  up  to  a  level  plain  about 
120  feet  above  the  river,  extending  as  far  as  So-rai-yol, 
a  distance  of  about  ten  miles,  and  apparently  about 
three  to  four  miles  in  width.  Near  the  north-east 
border  of  the  plain  Mr.  Allen  discovered  a  dolmen  of 
slabs  of  lava,  the  upper  stone,  six  to  nine  feet  long  by 
six  feet  wide  and  fifteen  inches  deep,  resting  on  three 
stones  about  three  feet  high,  which  left  an  opening 
facing  almost  due  north. 

A  circumstance  which  surprised  me  at  Ka-neug-kai 
was  that,  according  to  the  men's  own  account  and 
appearances,  the  valley  had  never  been  worked  pre- 
viously for  gold.  In  other  places  that  I  have  seen, 
and  especially  at  Yong-heung  and  Mansi-lari,  gold 
has  been  sought  for  ages,  and  always  found  after  the 
summer  floods  had  brought  down  fresh  detritus.     But 


at  Ka-neug-kai  the  shingle  seemed  never  to  have  been 
disturbed,  or  rather  arranged  in  walls,  before.  The 
rock  there  is  of  a  far  harder  nature  than  that  at  the 
other  places  which  I  have  mentioned,  and  though  a 
considerable  quantity  of  shale  lies  on  some  of  the  hill- 
sides, it  is  not  likely  that  there  is  a  sufficient  displace- 
ment each  year  to  lay  bare  fresh  treasures  to  the  gold- 
washer.  About  ten  miles  north  of  the  town  of 
Chhol-won  are  the  mines  of  an  old  capital  of  the 
Sinra  time.  My  curiosity  had  been  excited  regarding 
it  by  the  local  traditions  connected  with  some  earth- 
works near  Poun-tjen  in  the  Chhol-won  district,  which 
I  passed  last  year.  Authorities  differ  as  to  the  site  of 
the  Sinra  capital,  some  placing  it  near  Keum-sbng, 
and  others  on  the  east  coast  of  Kyong-sang  Do.  I 
learn,  however,  from  Mr.  Kondo,  his  Imperial 
Japanese  Majesty's  Charge  d'Affaires,  that  at  the  close 
of  the  Sinra  dynasty  in  the  tenth  century  several  little 
princelets  ruled  over  portions  of  the  kingdom,  and  it 
is  probable  that  it  was  one  of  these  who  had  his  capital 
in  the  plain  of  Chhol-won  at  Tai-kul-to. 

The  ruins  consist  of  the  eastern  walls  of  a  fortress 
about  350  yards  square,  the  interior  of  which  is  inter- 
sected by  low  walls  of  lava,  apparently  indicating  the 
position  of  the  streets,  and  of  the  foundations  of  the 
palace,  which,  with  a  small  pagoda,  lie  outside  and  to 
the  south  of  the  fort.  The  plan  of  the  palace,  though 
small,  is  large  in  proportion  to  that  of  the  town.  The 
foundations,  if  I  recollect  aright,  are  of  brick.  The 
pagoda,  about  fourteen  feet  high,  is  of  stone,  and  is  in 
five  pieces,  of  which  all  but  the  centre  are  octagonal. 
The  cap  and  second  stone  from  the  base  project  over 
the  sides,  and  have  small  figures  standing  on  the 
angles  of  the  eaves.  The  centre  stone  has  its  sides 
rounded,  and  displays  rough  work  in  relief  represent- 
ing the  lotus  of  the  Buddhists.  The  second  stone 
from  the  top  has  been  .pierced  on  four  sides  for  wings, 
which  are  no  longer  in  position. 

There  seems  to  be  a  vague  tradition  that  it  was  in 
the  Sinra  times  that  the  plain  was  "turned  into" 
lava.  The  depth  cut  even  by  the  smaller  streams 
renders  this  improbable,  but  if  the  overflow  of  lava 
occurred  then,  the  ruins  of  course  cannot  be  of  the  age 
assigned  to  them.  That  they  belonged  in  any  case  to 
a  very  different  people  from  the  present  rulers  of  the 
country  is  evident  from  the  position  of  the  town  in  an 
open  plain,  unprotected  against  attack  by  a  wall  of 
hills.  Such  another  site  I  have  not  seen  in  Corea, 
except  for  the  earthworks,  which  I  have  mentioned  as 
near  Poun-tjen. 

A  mountain  in  this  neighbourhood,  called  P'om- 
bok-san,  owes  its  name  "  Dough  Hill,"  according  to 
tradition,  to  an  incident  in  the  life  of  one  of  the  kings 
of  Kao-kuri,  in  an  early  century  of  the  Christian  era, 
resembling  the  well-known  story  of  King  Alfred  and 
the  cakes. 

Early  List  of  Books  (1327-8). — "  Un  lyre  ke  parb 
de  quatre  principal  gestes  and  de  Charles;  Le 
Romaunce  littis  and  Vespasian ;  Le  Romaunce  de 
Aygi-es  ;  Le  Romaunce  de  Afarc/iauns  ;  Le  Romaunce 
do  Eamtmd  and  Agoland ;  Le  Romaunce  Girard  de 
Vyeine ;  Le  Romaunce  IVilieamc  de  Otcuges  and 
TabauJe  dc  Arable ;  Lyvrc  de  vii  ;  Le  Romaunce  de 
1  roye ;  Matins  et  salutations  de  la  Dame ;  Le 
cnseygnement    de    Aristotle.  —  Mado.\'s    Formulare 


176 


ANTIQ  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


Anglicanum,     p.     12.     (Communicated    by   J.    H. 
Round). 

Harvest  Custom. — "At  the  Haivkie,  as  it  is 
called,  or  Harvest-home,  I  have  seen  a  clown  dressed 
in  woman's  clothes,  having  his  face  painted,  his  head 
decorated  with  ears  of  corn,  and  bearing  about  with 
him  other  emblems  of  Ceres,  carried  in  a  waggon, 
with  great  pomp  and  loud  shouts,  through  the  streets 
[of  Cambridge],  the  horses  being  covered  with  white 
sheets  ;  and  when  I  inquired  the  meaning  of  the 
ceremony,  was  answered  by  the  people  that  '  they 
were  drawing  the  Harvest  Queen."''  —  Clarke's 
Travels  (1812),  ii.  229,  (Communicated  by  J.  H. 
Round.) 


antiquarian  H^etos. 


The  ancient  well  in  the  Norman  Crypt  of  Win- 
chester cathedral,  now  dry  consequent  on  the  Dean's 
remarkable  excavations,  has  been  cleaned  out,  but 
its  debris  yielded  no  objects  of  interest.  The  well  is 
steined  with  wrought  stone.  It  is  8  feet  deep,  and 
its  diameter  is  29  inches  at  the  mouth,  and  32  at  the 
base,  which  is  covered  with  a  hard  concrete  bed.  It 
was  never  supplied  by  a  spring,  but  by  soakage  from 
the  soil  and  the  water-courses  of  .St.  Ethel  wald  hard 
by  ;  indeed,  it  is  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  well 
is  not  central  to  the  base  of  the  column,  which  is 
northern  to  it,  that  it  is  anterior  to  the  Norman  work 
of  Walkelin. 

The  Home  Office  has  issued  a  notification  to  the 
effect  that,  in  order  to  more  effectually  assist  the 
efforts  of  Antiquarian  Societies  for  the  preservation  of 
objects  of  general  interest  (by  asserting  the  claims  of 
the  Crown  to  coins  and  antiquities  coming  under  the 
description  of  treasure  trove),  the  Lords  Com- 
missioners of  the  Treasury  are  willing,  as  an  induce- 
ment to  finders  of  such  articles  to  promptly  report 
their  discoveries  to  the  Government,  to  so  modify 
existing  regulations  as  to  hand  over  to  such  finders 
articles  not  actually  required  for  national  institutions, 
and  the  sum  received  from  such  institutions  as  the 
antiquarian  value  of  the  articles  retained,  subject  to  a 
deduction  of  20  per  cent,  from  the  antiquarian  value 
of  such  coins  and  objects  as  are  retained,  and  of  a 
sum  of  10  per  cent,  from  the  value  of  all  objects  dis- 
covered as  may  be  hereafter  determined.  This 
arrangement  is  a  tentative  one,  and  the  complete 
right  of  the  Crown  as  established  by  law  to  all  articles 
of  treasure  trove  is  preserved. 

Some  excavators  in  the  bed  of  the  Cher  have  dis- 
covered what  is  described  as  an  enormous  Gaulish 
boat  formed  of  a  single  oak  trunk.  After  many  days 
of  labour  the  mass  of  timber  was  disengaged  from  the 
gravel  in  which  it  was  enclosed,  and,  by  means  of 
special  apparatus,  hauled  to  the  Hotel  Cujas,  Bourges, 
where  it  will  form  one  of  the  leading  elements  of  the 
collection  of  the  antiquities  of  the  province  of  Berry. 
The  wood  of  which  it  is  composed  is  in  excellent 
preservation. 


A  stone  coffin  or  cist  has  been  unearthed  at  Barn- 
hill,  near  Broughty  Ferry.  All  theTslabs  forming  the 
sides,  ends,  and  tops  of  the  cist  were  complete,  and 
of  the  usual  dimensions.  When  opened,  a  small 
quantity  of  dust  and  a  number  of  fragments  of  what 
appeared  to  be  human  bones  were  found,  as  well  as 
two  coins  or  medals  about  the  size  of  a  penny — the 
metal  of  which  they  are  formed  being  of  a  bright 
yellow  colour,  and  supposed  to  be  gold.  There  is  no 
lettering  or  engraving  on  the  coins,  both  sides  being 
quite  plain,  but  the  margin  is  raised  round  the  edge 
like  a  penny.  A  few  years  ago  a  number  of  other 
cists  were  found  at  the  same  place. 

Bothenhampton  Church,  near  Bridport,  built  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  and  described  in  a  circular  issued  by 
the  vicar  and  churchwardens  as  "in  every  respect  one 
of  the  very  worst  in  the  diocese  of  Salisbury,"  is  about 
to  be  partially  destroyed.  The  nave  will  be  taken 
down,  and  the  chancel  and  tower  retained  as  a 
mortuary  chapel. 

Sir  John  Savile  Lumley  has  given  to  the  British 
Museum  the  fine  head  and  fore-part  of  a  horse  from 
a  chariot  group  which  was  dug  up  lately  at  Civita 
Lavinia  (Lanuvium).  It  is  evident  that  this  fragment 
is  all  there  ever  was  of  the  horse  ;  the  sculptor,  taking 
a  painter's  view  of  his  art  (in  its  original  position 
nothing  more  could  be  seen  of  the  figure),  entirely 
omitted  the  rest.  In  fact,  mindful  of  his  own  labour 
and  the  shortness  of  human  life,  he  carved  nothing 
more  than  half  a  horse,  issuant,  as  the  heralds  say, 
apparently  from  a  chariot.  This  pictorial  method  of 
treatment  marks  the  comparatively  late  date  of  the 
sculptor,  which,  nevertheless,  is  of  high  value  and 
great  merit. 

During  the  construction  of  a  sewer  in  Northwich, 
Cheshire,  an  interesting  discovery  has  been  made. 
Underneath  the  surface,  at  depths  varying  from  two  to 
three  feet,  the  workmen  came  upon  what  appears  to 
be  the  remains  of  the  wattled  thorn  walls  used  by  the 
early  English  in  the  manufacture  of  salt.  Stakes 
were  driven  into  the  ground,  and  twigs 'were  inter- 
woven with  them  until  a  high  wall  had  been  erected. 
Over  the  wall  V-shaped  troughs  were  placed,  and  the 
brine,  after  flowing  through  the  perforated  troughs, 
trickled  over  the  thorn  wall,  and  was  evaporated  by 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  leaving  salt  crystals  on  the  wall. 
This  process  is  carried  on  in  some  parts  of  Germany 
to  the  present  day.  Imbedded  in  the  vegetable 
mould  were  found  a  number  of  upright  stakes,  as  well 
as  quantities  of  hazel  boughs  and  nuts.  There  were 
also  found  an  oak  raker-head,  six  inches  by  three 
inches,  with  a  cleanly-cut  hole  in  the  middle  an  inch 
in  diameter,  an  excellently  preserved  wooden  hand- 
shovel,  and  fragments  of  early  English  pottery.  A 
long  piece  of  wooden  pipe,  belonging  to  the  period 
when  the  manufacture  of  salt  was  controlled  by  the 
Court  Leet,  was  also  discovered. 

Some  time  ago  we  reported  that  a  workman  in  the 
employ  of  Messrs.  Boff  Brothers,  of  Park  Street, 
near  Luton,  while  cutting  up  some  old  oak  beams 
which  had  formed  part  of  a  farmhouse,  came  upon  a 
large  number  of  Old  English  gold  coins  in  a  cavity, 
which  had  evidently  been  carefully  prepared  for  their 
reception.     There  being  some  question  whether  the 


ANTIQ  UARIAN  NE  TVS. 


177 


find  could  be  regarded  in  the  light  of  "  treasure 
trove,"  the  Treasury  office  was  communicated  with, 
and  the  authorities  decided  that  the  coins  should  be 
forwarded  to  them.  This  was  accordingly  done.  An 
intimation  has  now  been  received  stating  that  a  con- 
siderable number  of  them  have  been  retained  to  add 
to  the  national  collections,  the  finders  receiving  pay- 
ment for  them  at  about  the  rate  of  their  value  as  old 
gold.  The  remainder  of  the  coins  have  been  re- 
turned. 

Excitement  is  running  high  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Akrom,  in  America,  owing  to  a  most  curious 
discovery  made,  quite  accidentally,  by  a  person 
residing  in  the  locality.  He  was  setting  up  some 
posts  when  he  was  greatly  surprised  to  see  one  of 
them  break  through  the  ground  and  disappear.  His 
natural  impulse  was  to  see  what  had  become  of  the 
post,  and  following  it  he  dug  into  the  earth,  which 
after  a  few  minutes  gave  way,  exposing  to  view  a 
cave  about  twenty  feet  square  and  nine  feet  deep. 
This  discovery  added  to  the  curiosity  of  the  digger, 
who  lost  no  time  in  procuring  a  ladder  and  a  lantern  to 
enable  him  to  pursue  his  investigations.  He  descended 
into  the  cave,  where  a  wonderful  and  unaccountable 
sight  met  his  eyes.  Stretched  on  the  ground  were 
the  forms  of  twelve  full-grown  men,  whilst  the 
thirteenth  leaned  against  the  side  of  the  cavern,  one 
hand  outstretched  as  if  in  the  act  of  earnestly  address- 
ing his  companions.  All  the  bodies,  when  more 
closely  examined,  were  found  to  be  petrified ;  and 
residents  in  the  neighbourhood,  who  have  visited  the 
singular  scene  by  thousands,  are  lost  in  speculation  as 
to  how  they  got  there,  what  they  were  doing  in  the 
cavern,  and  how  long  they  had  been  hidden.  The 
person  who  discovered  it,  like  a  true  American,  find- 
ing the  public  curiosity  growing  daily,  had  determined 
to  make  the  cave  a  profitable  concern  by  demanding 
payment  for  admission. 

The  Rev.  F.  W.  Kingsford  calls  attention,  says 
the  Building Navs^  to  the  negligence  displayed  iiy  the 
custodians  of  Caslleacre  Priory,  near  Swafiham,  one 
of  the  finest  specimens  of  Transitional  Norman  ruins 
in  England.  The  western  fa9ade  is,  as  Mr.  Kingsford 
remarks,  simply  magnificent,  and  in  some  ])oints 
unique.  In  one  of  the  chambers — the  Abbot's  dining- 
hall — the  centre  of  the  old  mantelshelf  has  been  ruth- 
lessly cut  out  and  carried  away  within  the  last  twelve 
months  ;  some  of  the  mouldings  in  one  of  the  beautiful 
side  windows,  where  the  dog-tooth  is  as  sharp  and 
well  defined  as  if  it  had  been  carved  out  yesterday, 
have  been  torn  down  by  mischievous  boys  out  of 
sheer  wantonness.  The  village  has  for  years  a|)pa- 
rently  regarded  the  Abbey  as  a  quarry,  for  stones  from 
the  fane  are  to  be  found  everywhere.  He  suggests 
that  surely  pressure  ought  to  be  put  upon  the  parish, 
or  the  owner,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  cause  some  steps 
to  be  taken  to  preserve  this  relic  of  the  piety  of  a 
former  age  from  further  devastation. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  cave  known  as  St. 
Ninian's,  on  the  coast  of  Wigtownshire,  was  explored 
about  two  years  since  by  the  Ayr  and  Galloway 
Archaeological  Association,  when  abundant  confirma- 
tion of  the  tradition  of  its  occupation  in  the  fourth 
century  of  our  era  was  afforded  by  the  discovery  of  a 
stone  pavement,   eighteen   carved    crosses,   a   Latin 


inscription,  and  one  in  Runes.  After  the  exploration 
the  proprietor,  Mr.  Johnston  Stewart,  caused  an  iron 
grating  with  a  locked  door  to  be  placed  across  the 
entrance  of  the  cavern,  the  key  of  which  was 
deposited  at  a  neighbouring  farmhouse.  The  inscrip- 
tions and  carved  crosses  were  ranged  along  the 
interior  of  the  cave,  and  secured  with  cement.  These 
precautions  have  proved  useless,  for  some  unknown 
persons  have  bombarded  the  interior  with  large 
stones  thrown  over  the  railings.  The  tablet  with  the 
Latin  inscription  has  been  smashed  into  several 
pieces,  some  of  the  letters  being  obliterated  ;  the 
cross  with  Runes  has  been  badly  damaged,  the  larger 
crosses  overturned  and  chipped,  and  the  paved  floor 
strewn  with  missiles.  Fortunately,  all  the  objects 
had  been  carefully  engraved  by  lithography,  and  an 
accurate  record  made  by  the  Provincial  Archaeological 
Association,  so  that,  although  irreparably  damaged, 
the  story  told  by  these  monuments  of  early  Christi- 
anity is  preserved. 

Several  discoveries,  tending  to  illustrate  the  art  and 
topography  of  classic  Athens,  have  been  made  during 
the  past  week  in  the  course  of  the  excavations  on  the 
Acropolis.  Near  the  Propylnea,  a  staircase  has  been 
brought  to  light,  which  is  cut  in  the  solid  rock, 
leading  from  a  gate  opposite  the  Areopagus.  It 
was  by  these  steps  that  the  two  noble  maidens, 
who  carried  the  Peplos  and  other  paraphernalia  of 
the  goddess  Pallas  Athena,  used  to  descend  to  the 
city.  Probably  it  was  by  these  stairs,  too,  that  the 
Persians  effected  their  entrance  into  the  Acropolis  at 
the  time  of  the  invasion  of  Xerxes.  Near  these  steps 
the  bearded  head  of  a  bronze  statue,  belonging  to  an 
ancient  bronze  foundry  situate  at  that  spot,  has  been 
foiind.  To  the  east  of  the  Parthenon  a  variety  of 
objects  have  been  discovered  in  terra-cotta,  tufa,  and 
bronze,  including  fragments  of  vases  and  reliefs,  all 
excellent  specimens  of  art,  and  retaining  their 
original  colours  as  bright  and  vivid  as  when  new. 

With  the  surplus  wood  from  Burns's  bedroom  at 
Dumfries,  after  binding  the  fascimile  edition  of  the 
poems,  Mr.  Elliot  Stock  will  make  paper-knives  in 
commemoration  of  the  Burns  centenary. 

About  two  hundred  members  of  the  British  Phar- 
maceutical Conference,  whose  annual  meeting  takes 
place  at  Birmingham  this  year,  visited  Stratford-on- 
Avon,  on  Sept.  1st,  by  special  train,  on  a  Shake- 
spearean  pilgrimage.  The  party  visited  the  parish 
church,  where  they  viewed  the  poet's  grave  and 
monument,  and  the  entries  in  the  parish  register  of 
his  baptism  and  burial.  They  afterwards  visited 
Shakespeare's  birthplace  and  the  memorial  buildings 
and  other  objects  of  interest. 

The  museum  at  Northampton  has  just  received 
several  important  and  valuable  additions,  which  have 
been  identified  and  arranged  by  Sir  Henry  Dryden, 
assisted  by  Mr.  T.  J.  George,  the  curator.  The 
chief  of  these  is  a  collection,  lent  by  Mr.  Pickering 
Phipps,  of  historic  remains  from  Hunsbury  Hill,  or 
Danes'  Camp. 

A  movement  is  on  foot  for  the  restoration  of 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  interesting  churches 
in  Wales,  viz.,  that  of  Llantwit  Major,  near  Cow- 
bridge,  in  Glamorganshire,  a  village  which  is  almost 
unique    for    its    ancient    associations    and    existing 


78 


ANTIQUARIAN  NE  WS. 


remains.  Llantwit  was  not  only  a  monastery,  but  a 
very  famous  university  or  school  of  divinity,  founded 
by  St.  Iltyd  in  the  fifth  century,  and  said  to  have  in- 
cluded among  its  alumni  Gildas,  the  historian,  St. 
David,  and  even  Taliesin,  the  oldest  of  the  Welsh 
bards  ;  while  the  number  of  less  eminent  students  was 
so  great  as  to  have  necessitated  four  hundred  houses 
and  seven  lecture-halls.  The  church  is  of  different 
dates  :  what  is  called  the  new  church,  which  is  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  being,  curiously  enough,  older  than 
the  other  part,  which  is  a  couple  of  hundred  years 
later.  At  the  west  end  of  the  latter  are  the  ruins  of  a 
Lady  Chapel,  40  feet  in  length  ;  but  the  chief  interest 
lies  in  its  toiiibs,  one  of  which  has  a  row  of  lozenge- 
shaped  compartments,  with  an  arabesque  ornament 
on  one  side,  and  a  series  of  interlaced  rings  on  the 
other.  In  the  churchyard  is  an  upright  stone, 
believed  to  be  Runic,  and  the  shaft  of  a  cross  to  the 
memory  of  St.  Iltutus,  or  Iltyd.  The  antiquities  of 
this  quaint  village  are  not  confined  to  the  church,  for 
close  by  is  a  very  singular  town  hall  of  Norman  date, 
with  a  flight  of  steps  by  the  side,  and  an  inscribed 
bell  in  the  gable,  while  for  some  distance  around  there 
are  traces  of  ruined  buildings,  probably  those  of  the 
University. 

An  interesting  memento  of  Mozart  has  been  found 
in  the  shape  of  a  theatre  bill  dated,  "  To-day,  Sunday, 
February  28th,  1796,"  announcing  the  performance 
in  the  Royal  Theatre,  at  Berlin,  by  Mozart's  widow 
and  a  company  of  singers  of  "the  last  work  of  her 
deceased  husband,  '  La  Clemenza  di  Tito.'  " 

A  gallery  at  the  British  Museum,  to  be  known 
henceforth  as  the  Central  Nimroud  Saloon,  has  just 
been  rearranged  for  the  better  exhibition  of  the 
Assyrian  antiquities  discovered  by  Sir  A.  H.  Layard 
at  Nimroud ;  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Calah, 
during  the  years  1847-51  ;  the  collections  obtained  by 
the  late  George  Smith  and  Mr.  Rassam ;  and  the 
objects  presented  by  the  proprietors  of  the  Daily 
Telegraph.  There  are  also  arranged  in  this  saloon  a 
selected  series  of  inscribed  terra-cotta  tablets,  repre- 
sentative of  Babylonian  literature,  embracing  a  period 
of  two  thousand  years.  In  the  two  large  cases  in  this 
room  are  inscribed  clay  tablets,  representing  almost 
every  branch  of  popular  vernacular  literature,  afford- 
ing us  a  vivid  insight  into  the  life,  manners,  and 
customs  of  ancient  Chaldea. 

An  interesting  account  is  given  in  some  Vienna 
and  German  papers  of  excavations  made  by  the 
French  Dominican  monks  at  Jerusalem  on  some  land 
which  they  have  lately  acquired,  about  a  furlong  and 
a  half  outside  the  gate  of  Damascus.  Six  metres 
below  the  present  level  of  the  ground  the  workmen 
came  on  some  arches  of  considerable  extent,  the  walls 
of  which  had  been  very  carefully  built.  At  a  short 
distance  they  found  the  basement  of  a  chapel,  before 
the  entrance  of  which  there  was  a  tombstone  covered 
with  a  long  inscription.  Unfortunately,  this  stone 
was  stolen  before  anyone  thought  of  copying  the 
inscription,  and  no  trace  of  it  could  be  obtained. 
About  the  middle  of  their  property  they  found  a  large 
well-preserved  mosaic,  and  upon  the  space  all  around 
being  cleared,  the  bases  and  other  remains  of  great 
pillars  were  discovered.  It  is  presumed  that  this  is 
the  site  of  the  great  basilica,  built  in  the  fifth  century 


in  honour  of  St.  Stephen  by  Eudoxia,  the  wife  of 
Arcadius,  the  first  of  the  long  line  of  Eastern 
emperors.  Still  more  remarkable  is  the  discovery 
made  just  on  the  boundary  of  the  estate.  While 
digging  the  trench  for  the  foundations  of  the  boundary- 
wall  which  the  Dominicans  wished  to  build,  the 
ground  gave  way,  and  one  of  the  workmen  disap- 
peared. On  clearing  out  the  place  they  came  on  a 
large  and  beautiful  hall  which  had  been  cut  out  of  the 
rock ;  where  the  rock  failed  the  gap  was  filled  by 
admirable  masonry.  From  two  of  the  sides  two 
large  doorways  led  into  two  vaulted  tombs,  of  equal 
size.  On  each  side  of  the  vault  there  was  a  resting- 
place  for  one  coffin,  and  at  the  end  opposite  the 
entrance-places  for  two.  At  the  farthest  end  of  the 
great  hall  a  passage  led  to  another  excavated  vault,  in 
which  stood  three  great  covered  sarcophagi.  It  is 
suggested  that  these  sarcophagi  contain  the  remains 
of  Helena,  Queen  of  Abiadenos,  and  her  sons.  The 
quantity  of  bones  found  in  these  chambers  was  very 
great.  In  the  middle  of  the  great  hall,  in  a  hollov/ 
especially  prepared,  a  sort  of  long  metal  box  was 
found.  It  was  adorned  with  representations  of 
children  holding  garlands  up  on  high.  Unfortunately 
there  was  no  inscription,  nor  anything  which  could 
furnish  a  clue  to  the  period  or  the  purpose  of  these 
sepulchral  chambers. 

Mr.  W.  Beach,  M.P.,  the  Provincial  Grand  Master 
of  Hampshire  and  the  Isle  of  Wight,  on  the  9th 
September  opened  an  exhibition  of  Masonic  anti- 
quities at  Shanklin.  The  exhibition,  which  consists 
of  upwards  of  1,400  jewels,  medals,  rare  and  curious 
documents,  books,  and  other  things,  has  been  pro- 
moted by  Mr.  Alfred  Greenham,  the  Master  of  the 
Chine  Lodge,  1884,  in  aid  of  the  Masonic  Building 
Fund.  Among  the  exhibits  were  a  large  number  of 
Masonic  jewels  and  medals  ;  a  pack  of  Masonic  cards ; 
collar  and  apron  found  on  the  field  of  Waterloo,  and 
said  to  belong  to  one  of  the  Bonapartes ;  miniature 
silver  gridiron  jewel  ;  an  old  engraving  with  pro- 
cession of  the  "  Scald  Miserable  Masons  ;"  playbill  of 
the  Theatre  Royal,  Leicester,  of  Masonic  Bespeak, 
November,  1856  ;  Masonic  table  found  in  Pompeii; 
Masonic  salad  bowl  elaborately  decorated  ;  and  many 
other  rare  and  curious  relics  and  antiquities. 

The  parish  church  of  Llanganten,  a  small  village  in 
Breconshire,  about  two  miles  from  Builth  Wells,i  has 
been  reopened  after  having  undergone  a  thorough  re- 
storation. Exceeding  old  age  had  reduced  the  original 
structure  to  a  state  of  dilapidation  which  rendered  it 
altogether  unsuited  to  public  worship.  The  old 
church  consisted  of  a  nave  and  a  chancel,  and,  con- 
formably with  what  appears  to  be  customary  in  the 
case  of  ancient  Welsh  churches,  the  walls  were  ex- 
teriorly whitewashed.  These  walls  have  been  re- 
tained in  the  restored  edifice,  thoroughly  repaired, 
and  the  whitewash  removed.  A  totally  new  roof  was 
found  to  be  necessary,  and  new  windows,  filled  with 
cathedral  glass,  relieved  by  a  red  bordering,  have 
been  inserted.  A  belfry  has  been  erected  on  the 
western  gable,  and  a  porch  placed  at  the  western 
extremity  of  the  south  wall.  The  interior  of  the 
church  has  been  greatly  transformed. 

A  singular  quest  has  resulted  in  a  singular  find. 
For  some  time  past  M.  Yriarte  has  been  seeking  for 


ANTIQUARIAN  NEWS. 


179 


the  tomb  of  Cresar  Borgia.  There  were  traditions  to 
assist,  but  they  seemed  on  the  whole  not  very  trust- 
worthy. It  was  known  that  Borgia  had  been  buried 
somewhere  in  Navarre.  His  last  years  had  been 
spent  as  a  volunteer  in  the  army  of  his  brother-in-law, 
who  was  king  of  the  country.  But  beyond  the  fact 
that  he  served  in  the  army  and  was  killed  by  a  musket- 
shot  at  the  siege  of  the  small  town  of  Viana,  near  the 
Ebro,  nothing  definite  was  known.  It  seems  strange 
that  a  prince  who  found  a  chronicler  in  Machiavelli 
and  who  was  once  the  terror  of  all  central  Italy,  from 
the  Adriatic  to  the  Mediterranean,  should  have  passed 
away  with  no  definite  note  of  where  his  ashes  were 
interred.  Had  he  been  an  ordinary  exile  the  circum- 
stance might  have  been  explained.  M.  Yriarte  has, 
however,  had  strange  success.  Naturally  the  place 
where  investigations  should  commence  was  the  town 
where  Borgia  lost  his  life.  But  the  search  was  fruit- 
less. Then  the  whole  of  Navarre  was  made  the 
subject  of  inquiry.  The  records  of  churches  and 
the  archives  of  towns  were  investigated  with  results 
that  only  misled.  At  last  M.  Yriarte  came  on  a  clue. 
In  the  presence  of  the  judge  of  the  district  the 
street  in  front  of  the  church  of  Viana  was  ripped  up, 
and  there  the  coffin  and  the  body  were  found.  It  is 
supposed  that  in  some  early  restoration  of  the  church 
a  bygone  bishop  of  the  diocese,  outraged  at  finding  so 
bad  a  man  buried  in  consecrated  ground,  had  ordered 
the  coffin  to  be  removed  ;  but  it  seems  strange  that 
no  tradition  of  the  circumstance  should  have  lingered 
at  Viana. 

The  keeper  of  the  archives  for  the  Hungarian 
county  of  Marmaros  found  lately,  stowed  away  with 
some  ancient  registers,  a  packet  bearing  this  inscrip- 
tion: — Qualitas  funis  Marmcitici  in  penuria,  A.D. 
1786  (quality  of  the  Marmaros  bread  in  the  year  of 
want,  1786).  The  bread  is  partly  composed  of  oat- 
meal, but  the  greater  proportion  of  it  is  the  bark  of 
trees.  The  county  authorities  have  directed  the 
specimen  to  be  preserved  in  the  local  museum. 

The  Earl  of  Chichester  has  presented  to  the  Museum 
of  the  Sussex  Archceological  Society  several  articles 
of  historical  interest.  They  include  the  ducal  crown 
of  Thomas  Pelhain,  Duke  of  Newcastle  ;  a  very 
elaborate  Royal  coat  of  arms,  worked  in  gold  and 
silver  wire,  supposed  to  be  part  of  the  Garter  robes, 
and  the  degree  granted  to  his  Grace  of  Newcastle  by 
Gottingen  University. 

A  curious  entry  was  found  in  Romsey  Church 
register  by  a  gentleman  who  was  visiting  the  neigh- 
bourhood. Under  the  date  March  13,  1643,  it  was 
recorded: — "William  Morris,  a  soldier,  hanged  on 
the  Swan  sign-post."  The  statement  has  often  been 
made  thac  such  an  occurrence  took  place,  but  it  was 
rarely  believed.  The  iron  support  is  still  on  the 
house  formerly  known  as  the  SWan,  but  the  sign-board 
has  been  removed. 

Remains  of  the  greatest  possible  interest  to  anti- 
quaries have  just  been  brought  to  light  at  Duffield. 
It  was  well  known  that  the  Ferrers  family  possessed  a 
castle  there  in  Norman  times,  and  the  supposed  site 
was  indicated  by  local  archccologists.  The  castle  was 
demolished  in  either  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century. 
It  appears  that  a  son  of  the  owner  of  the  site,  Mr. 


William  Harvey,  lately  turned  up  some  of  the  turf, 
with  the  result  that  stonework  was  discovered,  and 
when  the  surface  was  cleared  the  ground-plan  was 
disclosed  of  a  castle  which  competent  authorities 
declare  must  have  been,  next  to  the  Tower  of  London, 
the  finest  in  England  while  it  was  standing.  The 
Rev.  J.  C.  Cox  has  since  investigated  the  remains, 
conferring  also  with  other  antiquaries,  and  this  is 
what  he  told  a  number  of  guests  respecting  the  find : 
The  Roman  road  from  the  Wirksworth  lead  mines 
joined  Ryknield  Street  near  thisspot,  and  probably  there 
would  be  a  Roman  fort  there.  At  all  events  he  had 
very  little  doubt  that  on  this  site  there  was  an 
earthwork  in  Anglo-Saxon  times,  for  defensive 
purposes,  and  also  for  all  the  domestic  and  adminis- 
trative purposes.  The  Danes  came  thickly  in 
Derbyshire,  and  probably  there  would  be  many  con 
flicts  in  this  neighbourhood  before  they  were  finally 
expelled,  and  this  earthwork  would  be  an  important 
centre  of  attack  and  defence.  There  was  little  doubt 
that  this  had  been  the  place  where  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  lord  of  the  district  held  his  court,  and 
where  many  of  the  tenantry  would  come  for  refuge 
in  times  of  war  or  excitement.  At  the  time  of  the 
Conquest  Henry  de  Ferrers  decided  to  establish  upon 
this  site  the  castle,  which  would  be  one  of  the  con- 
ditions of  his  holding  the  great  barony  which 
William  conferred  upon  him  in  Derbyshire.  Henry 
de  Ferrers  had  114  manors  in  Derbyshire  alone 
besides  others  elsewhere.  It  had  been  thought  that 
Duffield  Castle  was  only  of  secondary  importance — 
that  Ferrers  would  make  his  chief  place  at  Tutbury 
or  elsewhere ;  but  these  investigations,  so  interest- 
ingly made,  told  us  that  a  very  strong  Norman 
castle  was  built  here,  very  likely  by  the  first 
Ferrers,  or  if  not,  very  soon  after  his  time.  There 
could  be  no  doubt  about  it  being  a  place  of  first  itn 
portance  in  the  kingdom.  lu  fact  it  was  almost 
second  to  none.  The  Tower  of  London  was  the  only 
one  of  all  the  English  castles  known  to  exist  at  the 
time  of  the  Conqueror  that  had  a  ground  plan  of  such 
large  dimensions.  Norwich  was  the  only  one  which 
exceeded  it,  and  that  was  erected  at  a  considerably 
later  period.  We  heard  a  great  deal  about  Rochester 
Castle,  and  it  really  was  a  magnificent  pile,  but  this 
castle  at  Duffield  was  much  larger.  Rochester  was 
70  feet  square,  but  this  was  98  feet,  or  only  2  feet 
smaller  than  the  Tower  of  London.  The  height  of 
Duffield  Castle,  of  course,  could  l)e  only  a  matter  of 
conjecture,  but  when  we  looked  at  the  massiveness  of 
its  walls,  which  were  several  feet  thicker  than  those 
of  Rochester,  he  had  not  the  least  doubt  that  it  stood 
at  least  100  or  no  feet  high.  They  would  thus 
see  that  it  was  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  extra- 
ordinary interest  of  this  discovery.  The  partition 
wall  inside  the  keep  was  not  in  the  centre.  One  of 
the  apartments  would  be  63  feet  by  41  feet,  and  the 
other  63  feet  by  18  feet,  and  the  walls  were  15  feet 
thick  generally  all  round.  The  apartments  at  Rochester 
were  only  40  feet  by  20  feet.  He  had  done  his  best 
in  the  Public  Record  Office,  to  discover  some  particu- 
lars about  the  castle,  and  when  it  was  destroyed.  He 
had  not  found  much,  but  doubtless  there  was  more  to 
be  learnt.  Some  stated  that  it  was  destroyed  by 
Henry  II.,  in  consequence  of  the  disaffection  of  the 
Ferrers,  and  certainly  they  were  in  trouble  at  that 


i8o 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


time;  but  they  were  in  rebellion  again  under  Henry  III., 
and  his  belief  was  that  it  was  destroyed  by  that  king, 
about  the  year  1260.  There  was  no  visible  trace  of  it 
when  Reynolds  wrote  in  1769.  It  looked  very  simple 
to  see  that  Henry  III.  "ordered"  the  castle  to  be 
destroyed,  but  it  must  have  been  exceedingly  difficult 
to  carry  out  the  order.  It  had  been  found  in  modern 
times  almost  impossible  to  destroy  the  mass  of  con- 
crete of  which  the  walls  of  these  great  castles  were 
formed.  There  were  indications  at  Duffield  Castle 
to  show  that  fire  was  used.  A  good  deal  of  timber 
would  be  used  for  the  roofs,  which  were  not  arched, 
and  pieces  of  charred  oak  had  been  found  in  the 
ruins.  The  gritstone  would  be  crumbled  by  the  fire, 
and  there  was  a  red  colouring  on  some  of  the  stones, 
which  would  be  produced  by  the  action  of  fire. 

On  removal  of  plaster  from  the  north  wall  of  the 
chancel  of  Morwenstow  parish  church,  now  being  re- 
stored, an  interesting  polychrome  wall-painting  was 
revealed.  The  forms  are  much  obliterated  by  the  dis- 
colouration and  flaking  off  of  the  plaster,  but  the  con- 
tours of  two  figures  can  be  distinctly  traced — apparently 
a  female  saint,  with  her  left  hand  clasping  a  scroll  or 
volume  to  her  breast,  and  with  her  right  arm  raised  in 
blessing  or  exhortation  over  a  monk  kneeling  with 
hands  devoutly  clasped.  The  figures  are  outlined  in 
dark  red  lines,  and  indications  of  bright  green  and 
yellow  can  be  seen  on  the  drapery  and  head-dress  of 
the  female  figure.  Behind  her  are  ornamental  forms 
suggesting  a  throne  and  pendant  drapery.  Nothing 
remains  to  determine  whether  these  figures  are  or  are 
not  part  of  a  larger  composition  ;  but  it  cannot  be 
doubted  that  we  have  here  the  central  and  most 
important  figures.  A  water-colour  drawing  of  the 
figures  has  been  made,  and  is  now  in  the  vicar's 
possession.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  that  every 
effort  will  be  made  to  preserve  this  relic. 

One  of  the  finest  fragments  of  tesselated  pavement 
ever  found  in  Colchester  has  been  discovered  in  Culver 
Street,  about  five  feet  beneath  the  surface.  It  is  Com- 
posed principally  of  white  and  black  tesselhe,  but  there 
are  also  red,  yellow,  and  pale  blue  colours  in  the 
central  design.  The  pavement  is  remarkable  for  its 
perfect  preservation  and  for  the  chaste  elegance  of  its 
geometrical  pattern,  which  probably  points  to  an  early 
period.  By  the  energy  of  the  Mayor  (Henry  Laver, 
Esq. ),  an  ardent  archaeologist,  arrangements  were  suc- 
cessfully carried  out  for  raising  the  whole  of  the  frag- 
ment and  transferring  it  to  the  local  museum.  Portions 
of  the  plaster  from  the  walls  of  the  room  were  found 
on  the  surface  of  the  pavement,  together  with  the 
usual  debris  of  bones,  oyster-shells,  etc.,  etc. 


Corresponnence. 


upon  me  was  that  the  words— there  pronounced 
"bout,"  "bouts" — referred  to  the  ends  left  un- 
ploughed  in  the  first  instance  owing  to  the  plough 
going  "about,"  or  missed  by  the  plough,  which  re- 
quire to  be  ploughed  separately  afterwards.  I  was 
not  satisfied  with  Seebohm's  suggestion,  and  Mr. 
Atkinson's,  on  the  face  of  it,  seems  much  preferable. 
He  might  have  quoted  the  word  "shooting-butts." 

H.  W,  Just. 


"BUTTS"  OF  FIELDS. 

iAnte,  p.  74.] 

With  regard  to  Mr.  Atkinson's  explanation  of 
"  but  "  and  "  buts  "  for  the  "  ends  "  of  a  field,  when 
in  Northamptonshire  last  year  the  impression  made 


THE  "  BABINGTON  ARMS." 

\_Ante,  p.  30.] 

With  reference  to  the  in  teresting  account  of  the  visit 
of  the  Derbyshire  Archaeological  Society  to  Kingston,  I 
venture  to  remark  that  the  so-called  "Babington  Arms" 
can  by  no  means  be  classed  as  coat-armour.  The 
rebus  was,  I  believe,  quite  an  unauthorized  bearing, 
and  entirely  distinct  in  that  respect  from  the  bearings 
known  as  amies  parlantes.  The  arms  of  Babington 
are  argent,  ten  torteaux,  four,  three,  two  and  one  :  in 
chief  a  label  of  three  points,  azure,  and  the  child  and 
tun  is  evidently  one  example  of  many  in  this  country 
of  punning  allusions  to  surnames,  by  no  means  to  be 
confused  with  duly  certified  heraldic  charges. 

S.  G. 


MOOTHOUSE— MANOR. 

The  noteworthy  term  "  moothouse "  ("gemot 
huy  ")  occurs  among  the  landmarks  in  a  grant  of  lands 
by  Edward  the  Elder  in  901,  of  which  "  the  original " 
is  said  to  be  still  preserved  at  Winchester  {Ltber  de 
Hydd,  p.  86).  Interesting  as  is  the  occurrence  of  this 
word  in  itself,  it  becomes  more  so  from  the  fact  that 
the  compiler  of  the  Liber  equated  it  in  his  Middle- 
English  version  {Ibid.,  p.  87)  by  "  the  manere,"  and 
in  his  Latin  one  (p.  88)  by  "manerium."  This  sug- 
gests two  inferences:  first,  that  "manere"  and 
"  manerium"  must  have  represented  to  such  compiler 
a  vazXiOi-house  (for  a  "manor  "  could  not  be  a  land- 
mark) ;  second,  that,  according  to  him,  this  manor- 
house  must  have  been  the  direct  successor  and  repre- 
sentative of  the  "  moot-house  "  of  901. 

These  considerations  are  not  affected  by  the  editor's 
verdict  that  "  both  the  text  and  the  translations  of 
Anglo-Saxon  documents  (in  the  Liber)  sometimes 
evince  an  exceedingly  imperfect  knowledge  of  that 
language  (p.  xxii.).  Moreover,  as  to  this,  one  may  be 
permitted  to  doubt  whether  such  a  rendering  (p.  339) 
as  "  the  old  men's  allotments  "  (!)  for  "  J^arae  eal'Sena 
^ala  "  (p.  103)  proves  the  editor's  own  superiority  in 
that  respect,  or  whether  he  is  correct  in  rendering 
"  pynsigestune "  (p.  88)  as  "  Wynsige's  farmhouse" 
(p.  334)  in  902. 

It  is  curious  to  trace  how  our  term  "  land-mark  " 
has  gradually  changed  its  significance,  when  we  see  it, 
in  these  old  grants  of  land,  regularly  used  as  "land- 
gemaera  "  ("  lond-markys  " — "  terrarum  termini  ")  in 
its  original  use  of  a  bound  or  limit  of  an  estate, 
together  with  that  interesting  compound,  "  the  mark 
weys  "  ("  mearc  )>eges  "). 

J.  H.  Round. 

Brighton. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


i8i 


"  MAIDEN  LANE." 

\_Ante,  vol.  xii.,  pp.  68,  134,  182,  231,  278  ;  vol.  xiii., 

pp.  39,  86,  135,  182  ;  vol.  xiv.,  pp.  39,  86. 

I  have  read  with  interest  the  correspondence  lately 
published  in  your  columns  on  Maiden  Place  Names. 
We  have  a  single  instance  of  its  occurrence  in  this 
town  (Nottingham),  of  which,  thanks  to  our  recently 
published  local  records,  we  are  able  to  give  the  origin. 
The  Nottingham  Maiden  Lane  is  situated  between 
Barker  Gate  and  Woolpack  Lane,  and  was  formerly 
known  by  a  different  appellation.  The  earliest  notice 
of  this  lane  now  preserved  occurs  in  1376,  when  we 
hear  of  "  the  Horelane."  We  also  read  of  it  with  the 
same  spelling  in  the  years  1391,  1401,  and  twice  in 
1410.  In  1412  it  is  spelt  or  mis-spelt  "  Horylane." 
In  1460  we  hear  of  "  Feyremayden  Lane,"  and  in 
1500  of  "  Fairemayden  Lane,"  which  forms  un- 
doubtedly refer  to  the  same  lane,  for  in  1539  we  hear 
of  a  garden  and  stable  in  a  lane  called  "  Fayremayden 
Lane  or  Horelane,"  which  puts  it  beyond  question. 
This  proves  that  ' '  Hore '  —  whore,  from  the  old 
Norse  "  hora  "  (see  Skeat).  There  is  little  doubt  that 
"fair-maiden"  is  a  playful  euphemism  for  a  harlot  ; 
and  this  name  only  after  a  long  struggle  supplanted 
the  blunt  "Hore  Lane"  of  earlier  days.  More  re- 
cently the  name  was  curtailed  to  Maiden  Lane,  the 
present  appellation.  As  lanes  bearing  this  name  are 
often  found  to  be  situated  in  the  lowest  and  most  dis- 
reputable parts  of  the  town,  it  may  be  inferred  that 
they  were  often  so-called  on  account  of  their  being  the 
haunts  of  "  fair -maidens." 

A.  Stapleton. 

Nottingham,  August  26. 


Equally  with  other  correspondents,  I  have  been 
much  interested  in  this  subject,  as  it  has  been  dealt 
with  from  time  to  time  in  the  Antiquary. 

In  accordance  with  Mr.  Round's  excellent  suggestion 
I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  furnish  the  following : 

From  time  immemorial  there  has  existed  a  narrow 
thoroughfare  called  Maiden  Lane  leading  to  Barnes 
Cray,  from  that  portion  of  the  Roman  Road  (the 
main-road  to  Dover  from  London)  or  Watling  Street, 
which  runs  between  Crayford  and  Dartford. 

This  Maiden  Lane  is  from  200  to  300  yards  in 
length,  a  few  houses  standing  on  one  side,  its  eastern 
side. 

If,  as  Mr.  Taylor  says,  "  Maydenhythe "  means 
"  the  wharf  midway  between  Marlowe  and  Windsor," 
in  this  case  Maiden  Lane  might  well  be  the  lane  mid- 
way between  (portions  of)  the  parishes  of  Crayford 
and  Dartford.  The  eastern  side  of  the  lane  is  in 
Dartford  parish  and  the  western  side  in  Crayford 
parish. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  lane  are  marshes,  through 
which  the  small  river  Cray  runs,  together  with  many 
ditches,  all  emptying  themselves  into  the  Thames,  or 
rather,  that  part  of  the  Darent  which  runs  through  the 
Dartford  marshes.  Many  human  bones  and  bones  of 
horses  have  been  found  in  cleaning  out  some  of  these 
ditches. 

Before  the  building  of  the  Thames  Wall  or  embank- 
ment, the  ancient  River  Thames  (especially  at  high- 
water)  must  have  flowed  right  up  to  the  foot  of  Maiden 
Lane. 


But  here,  this  then  unconfined  arm  of  the  Thames, 
or  call  it  the  ancient  River  Cray  if  you  will,  flowed  be- 
tween a  considerably  narrowed  channel,  compared 
with  the  shore-lines  above  and  below  this  spot ;  this 
narrower  channel  being  caused  by  the  spur  of  gravel 
and  chalk  on  which  Maiden  Lane  stands,  and  a  cor- 
responding spur  on  the  opposite  shore. 

The  distance  across  would  not  exceed  150  yards. 
Above  and  below  this  point  the  shore-lines  widen  out 
considerably. 

Centuries  ago  the  channel  may  have  been  much 
narrower  and  the  distance  across  much  less  than 
now. 

On  the  higher  lands,  about  half  a  mile  north-west 
from  this  spot,  is  a  considerable  hill,  steep  and  abrupt. 
This  hill  seems  to  have  been  called  "Mount  Nod" 
during  many  past  generations,  why  so-called  I  have 
never  been  able  to  discover.  I  will  not  say  that  there 
is  any  connection  between  this  "  Mount  Nod  "  and 
Maiden  Lane  ;  but  I  cannot  help  venturing  to  suggest 
that  the  latter  may  have  been  an  ancient  trackway 
leading  as  a  nearer  way  (to  anyone  coming  from  the 
eastward)  to  this  very  "  Mount  Nod,"  which  from  its 
elevated  position  might  well  have  been  the  site  of 
earthworks. 

I  use  the  term  "nearer  way,"  etc.,  assuming  that 
the  position  generally  assigned  as  the  spot  where 
the  ford  crossed  the  Cray  is  the  right  one. 

"  Mount  Nod  "  is  about  equi-distant  with  Maiden 
Lane  from  the  spot  assigned  to  the  ford — the  Crecan- 
ford  (Crayford),  where  in  A.D.  457  Hengist,  the  first 
Saxon  King  of  Kent,  defeated  the  Britons. 

No  traces  of  earthworks  on  or  near  "  Mount  Nod  " 
or  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  can  now  be  found. 
The  use  of  the  spade  and  the  plough  for  centuries 
has  obliterated  all  such  traces,  if  any  once  existed. 

One  thing,  however,  is  certain,  that  in  the  fields  at 
the  foot  of  and  near  to  "  Mount  Nod,"  human  bones 
have  been  ploughed  up  from  time  to  time. 

I  have  in  my  possession  many  bronze  rings,  buckles, 
brooches,  etc.  ;  a  British  stone-bead,  and  a  small  piece 
of  pottery  (probably  Saxon),  about  2\  inches  high  and 
quite  perfect. 

The  mark  of  the  skin  of  the  thumb  or  fingers  of  the 
potter  is  very  visible  on  the  bottom. 

These  and  many  other  objects  of  antiquitv  have 
been  found  immediately  near  to  "  Mount  Nod. ' 

I  trust  that  the  foregoing  may  be  acceptable  as  a 
contribution  by  those  interested  in  the  subject  of 
"  Maiden  Place  Names." 

H.  W.  Smith. 

Belvedere,  Kent. 

BOXLEY  ABBEY,  KENT. 
{^Attte,  p.  87] 

An  account  of  Boxley  Abbey  by  mc,  in  the  Anti- 
quary, has  elicited  the  gratuitous  animadversion  of 
Mr.  J.  H.  Round. 

I  stated  that  Boxley  Abbey  was  founded  by  William 
dc  Ypres,  Earl  of  Kent,  in  1 141  or  1 146.  He  is  re- 
puted to  have  led  one  of  the  divisions  of  King 
Stephen's  army  at  the  battle  of  Lincoln  in  1141, 
where,  though  the  king  was  defeated,  De  Ypres 
effected  his  retreat  and  reinforced  his  army,  which 
subsequently  overthrew  the  Empress  Maud  at  W^in- 


l82 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Chester,  for  which  signal  service  in  1 141  he  was  made 
Earl  of  Kent,  He  was  not  so  renowned  an  Earl  of 
Kent  as  Earl  Godwin,  and  few,  perhaps  of  genealo- 
gists even,  would  care  in  the  present  day  to  investigate 
early  authorities  as  to  whether  some  700  years  ago  he 
was  actually  created  Earl  of  Kent,  on  which  fact 
doubts  have  been  cast,  consequently  I  referred  the 
reader  generally  to  Sir  Bernard  Burke's  Extinct  and 
Dormant  Peerages  as  an  authority  for  the  creation  ; 
and  when  I  state  my  reasons  I  feel  convinced  that 
candid  readers  will  agree  with  me  that  I  could  not 
have  given  a  better  reference,  notwithstanding  Mr. 
Round's  assertion  to  the  contrary. 

Sir  Bernard  Burke — a  barrister,  I  believe,  and  there- 
fore it  may  be  supposed  possessed  of  a  knowledge  of, 
at  any  rate,  the  rudiments  of  evidence — is  a  genealogist 
by  profession,  and  what  is  more,  by  repute.  His  work 
on  Extinct  and  Dormant  Peerages  would  have  no 
merit  and  no  sale  if  it  was  inaccurate.  They  who 
have  at  any  time  tested  any  part  of  it  by  personal  re- 
search, know  how  carefully  and  cautiously  it  has  been 
compiled.  Sir  Bernard  Burke  has  been  more  than 
forty  years  before  the  world  as  a  genealogist  citi  libct 
in  arte  sud  credendiim  est.  An  old  friend  of  his  and 
mine,  an  Oxford  classman,  describes  him  to  me  in  a 
letter  before  me  as  "an  unusually  clever  man."  Why 
should  he  not  then  be  as  good  an  authority  on  a 
peerage  creation  as  Mr.  J.  H.  Round,  who  tells  us,  ex 
cathedra,  "  I  can  only  say  that  my  opinion"  etc.,  etc., 
etc.  ?  I  reply,  Mr.  Round's  opinion  is  worthless  on 
the  point  compared  with  that  of  Sir  Bernard  Burke, 
who  has  probably  forgotten  more  of  genealogies  than 
the  former  ever  knew.  Mr.  Round  states  that  Sir  B. 
Burke  "  is  no  authority  whatever."  I  inquire  to 
whom  he  refers,  and  for  whom  does  he  consider  him- 
self entitled  to  speak  ?  Ulster  King  of  Arms  (Sir  B.  B. ) 
is  known  professionally  and  recognised  as  a  sound 
authority,  whereas  Mr.  Round  is  altogether  unknown 
to  the  literary  world,  and  necessarily  of  no  authority  to 
anyone  but  himself ;  but  he  possesses  the  unfortunate 
habit  of  snarling  at  the  heels  of  men  by  whose  feet  he 
might  well  sit  and  learn.  Not  long  ago  he  wrote  of 
Mr.  Freeman  (whose  work  on  the  Norman  Conquest 
is  one  of  the  grandest  of  the  present  century)  that 
"the  Professor  does  not  understand  his  own  authorities." 
Now  he  in  effect  pronounces  of  one  of  the  first  genealo- 
gists of  the  day  what  Lord  Chesterfield  said  of  the 
Herald,  that  "the  foolish  man  doesn't  even  under- 
stand his  own  foolish  business." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Brownbill  and  I  raised  the  question 
whether  the  monks  of  Boxley  Abbey  previous  to  its 
dissolution  were  guilty  of  the  traditional  fraud  attri- 
buted to  them  with  respect  to  the  Boxley  Abbey 
Rood,  and  we  ventured  to  express  doubts  whether 
their  memory  has  not  been  dealt  with  too  harshly  ;  on 
which  Mr.  Round  remarks,  in  the  Elijah  Pogram 
style,  or  that  of  the  Artful  Dodger  asking  for  his 
"  priwiledges,"  that  the  subject  is  "  too  important  in  its 
bearing  on  the  lives  and  beliefs  of  our  forefathers  to 
be  treated  as  a  matter  of  sentiment."  My  desire  was 
to  treat  it  as  one  of  justice,  not  of  sentiment  ;  I  hold 
it  to  be  as  nefarious  to  traduce  the  dead  as  the  living, 
if  not  worse. 

It  appears  by  no  means  clear  that  the  Boxley  Abbey 
Rood  and  others  similar  were  much  more  than  versions 
of  the  modem  OberAnivietgau  exhibition  with  mechani- 


cal differences,  the  design  being  in  all  such  cases  more 
or  less  to  stimulate  religion  by  an  appeal  to  the  senses, 
as  is  all  church  music  and  church  decoration. 

In  service  high  and  anthem  clenr, 

As  may  with  sweetness  through  mine  ear 

Dissolve  me  into  ecstasies, 

And  bring  all  heaven  before  mine  eyes. 

The  "beliefs  and  lives  of  our  forefathers"  at  the 
time  of  the  dissolution  of  monasteries,  so  pathetically 
appealed  to,  can  be  accurately  demonstrated  by  fact. 
Half  the  nation  then,  if  not  a  greater  portion,  adhered 
to  what  Melanchthon  termed  the  old  faith  ;  moreover, 
not  twenty  years  after,  the  whole  English  nation  was 
openly  reconciled  to  Rome  through  the  only  real 
national  voice — Parliament,  which  shamefully  bar- 
gained away  to  Cardinal  Pole  the  brightest  gem  of  the 
English  Crown,  the  royal  supremacy  in  things  ecclesias 
tical  (for  which  Henry VHI.  had  so  bravely  contested), 
in  exchange  for  the  selfish  engagement  that  the  lands 
of  confiscated  monasteries  which  had  been  granted  to 
laymen  should  not  be  taken  from  them,  while  Queen 
Mary  righteously  relinquished  her  own  share,  of  which 
her  father  had  robbed  the  monasteries,  worth  some 
;i^6o,ooo  a  year.  The  lives  and  faiths  of  our  fore- 
fathers in  those  matters  is  one  of  the  last  episodes  in 
English  history  to  cant  about  with  an  air  of  triumph. 

Mr.  Round  tells  us  that  the  question  of  alleged 
fraud  by  the  Boxley  Abbey  monks  with  their  P.ood  is 
not  a  point  for  inquiry  at  all,  but  we  are  to  find  out  how 
the  beholders  accounted  for  the  phenomenon.  Truly 
for  myself,  as  there  is  no  reliable  record  that  I  am  aware 
of  handed  down  on  that  point,  and  all  the  beholders 
have  long  passed  away  from  this  world,  I  must  leave 
it  to  Mr.  Round's  ingenuity  to  speculate  about,  since 
there  are  no  possible  means  of  solving  so  absurd  a 
conundrum,  my  own,  and  I  believe  Mr.  Brownbill's, 
question  being  merely  confined  to  the  very  simple 
fact,  "  Has  sufficient  evidence  been  handed  down  to 
posterity  to  convince  us  that  the  Boxley  Abbey  monks 
in  the  exhibition  of  their  Rood  of  Grace  were  guilty 
of  fraud  ? — '  Yes  '  or  '  No.'  " 

Mr.  Round  asks  with  innocent  simplicity  for  some 
explanation  as  to  the  importance  attached  to  the 
exposure  of  the  Boxley  Abbey  Rood  at  Maidstone  and 
at  St.  Paul's  Cross.  I  venture  to  suggest  that  had  he 
studied  the  history  of  that  period  carefully,  he  would 
have  been  at  no  loss  to  answer  his  own  question. 
The  "exposure"  and  as  many  other  kindred  "ex- 
posures "  as  could  be  got  up  were  of  the  utmost  con- 
sequence to  Henry  VIII.,  who,  according  to  Southey's 
History  of  the  Church,  "failed  not  to  take  advantage 
of  the  temper  which  such  disclosures  excited."  He 
had  plundered  and  confiscated  the  lesser  monasteries 
throughout  England,  and  by  so  doing  had  roused  the 
religious  feeling  of  the  country,  as  manifested  in  the 
insurrection  termed  the  "Pilgrimage  of  Grace,"  which 
was  caused  almost  entirely  by  the  suppression  of  the 
religious  houses,  and  was  the  revolt  of  the  poor  even 
more  probably  than  of  the  rich.  It  was  a  toss-up 
whether  or  not  it  could  be  suppressed,  when  two  or 
three  strokes  of  good-luck  enabled  Henry  to  do  so. 
"  This  unsuccessful  struggle,"  continues  Southey, 
"  hastened  the  dissolution  of  those  monasteries  which 
had  been  spared  hitherto ;  it  was  pretended  that  by 
this  measure  the  king  and  his  successors  would  be 
greatly  enriched,  and  that    the  people  never  again 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


183 


would  be  charged  with  taxes  "—so  that  if  there  was 
misrepresentation  on  one  side,  there  was  as  much  on 
the  other.  Subsequently  he  writes  of  "cupidity 
excited  as  it  was,  etc.  ...  by  the  juggling  tricks 
which  were  now  exposed."  This  he  illustrates,  inter 
alia,  by  "  the  Boxley  Abbey  Rood  of  Grace,  which 
moved  its  head,  hands,  and  feet,  rolled  its  eyes  and 
made  many  other  gestures,  which  were  represented  as 
viiraculous,  and  believed  to  be  so.  ,  .  .  Shrines  and 
treasures  which  it  might  otherwise  have  been  dangerous 
to  have  invaded  were  now  thought  rightfully  to  be 
seized,  where  they  had  been  procured  by  such  gross 
and  palpable  impositions.  From  Beckett's  shrine 
alone  the  gold  filled  two  chests,  which  were  a  load 
for  eight  strong  men  !" 

We  have  here  then  a  complete  answer  to  Mr.  Round's 
inquiry  as  to  the  utility  to  the  king  of  those  so  termed 
*'  exposures ;"  while  the  assertion  of  good  honest 
Southey  as  to  the  manipulation  of  the  Boxley  Abbey 
Rood  by  its  monks  having  been  fraudulently  repre- 
sented as  miraculous,  begs  the  entire  question,  and  was 
denied  by  the  accused.  Mr.  Brownbill  and  I  have 
asked  for  evidence.  I  require  facts,  not  assumptions. 
"  Half  the  mistakes  in  the  world,"  wrote  Swift, 
"  arise  from  taking  things  for  granted." 

The  Cistercian  was  a  good  order,  with  excellent 
rules,  so  long  as  its  monks  adhered  to  them ;  apart 
from  their  religious  lives,  they  were  useful.  They 
promoted  horticulture  and  the  wool  industry ;  but  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  in  the  sixteenth  century  several 
English  religious  houses  of  various  orders  had  become 
the  reverse  of  models  of  purity  and  sanctity  of  life  : 
still  they  were  not  all  thus  corruptio  optitnorum  est 
pessima.  Some  of  the  official  reports  concerning  them 
are  clearly  over-coloured,  and  even  Bishop  Latimer 
pleaded  generally  in  their  behalf.  Each  charge  against 
any  particular  house  should  be  judged  on  its  own 
merits,  not  carried  along  the  stream  in  a  general 
flood  of  indignation  against  unproved  deception. 

"Is  it  the  case,"  asks  Mr.  Round,  "that  every 
Holy  Rood  was  necessarily  a  crucifix  like  the 
Boxley  Abbey  Rood  of  Grace?"  The  word  Rood 
(Rode,  Saxon)  means  crucifix,  and  this,  in  pre- 
Reformation  days,  was  almost  necessarily  one  of  the 
adornments  of  each  Christian  church ;  nor  did 
Protestant  Queen  Elizabeth  think  it  otherwise  in  the 
Reformed  Church  of  England.  When  Dr.  Nowel, 
Dean  of  Westminster,  preaching  before  her,  let  fall 
some  words  against  crucifixes,  she  cried  out,  in  what 
has  been  described  as  "an  awfuU  voice" — "Stop 
that  ungodly  digression,  Mr.  Dean,  and  return  to 
your  text  !"  a  rebuff  that  is  stated  almost  to  have 
killed  him.* 

I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  Mr.  Round's  remark, 
that  the  impossibility  of  removing  the  Boxley  Abbey 
Rood  "formed  part  of  the  story."  It  was  un- 
questionably removable.  John  Hoper,  a  Maidstone 
man,  described  it  as  found  in  the  monk's  chamber, 
bound  round  with  wax  cloths;  and  after  its  "  ex- 
positrt"  at  Maidstone,  it  was  removed  to  London 
for  that  "ferocious  brute,"  as  my  friend  the  late  Mr. 
Waterton  termed  King  Henry  VIII.,  to  jeer  at,  and 
Bishop  Hilscy  to  have  destroyed  at  St. Paul's  Cross. 

*  A  Rood  might  or  miglit  not  be  mamifacturcd  from  the  re- 
puted wood  of  the  true  cross  (the  aspen),  but  whatever  was 
termed  a  Rood  was  ex  natunX  reruni,  if  properly  so  called,  a 
cross  or  crucifix. 


The  writer  of  an  interesting  notice  in  ih&  Antiquary 
in  January,  on  "  Allington  Castle,"  incidentally 
mentioned  the  "  Rood  of  Boxley,"  and  "the  Abbot 
of  Boxley  "  (not  Boxley  Abbey),  on  which  I  intimated 
that  unless  it  was  told  in  some  way  when  this  Rood 
was  referred  to  that  it  was  formerly  at  Boxley  Abbey, 
a  mistake  was  perpetuated  by  visitors  occasionally 
asking  at  Boxley  Church  whereabouts  the  Rood  used 
to  be,  and  I  stated  in  effect,  that  though  to  write  of  the 
Abbot  of  Boxley  to  those  informed  on  such  matters 
naturally  implied  an  Abbey,  in  point  of  fact  there 
had  been  no  Abbot  of  Boxley.  Mr.  Round  com- 
plains of  this,  and  informs  me  that  I  myself  wrote  of 
the  Abbot  of  Boxley.  Undoubtedly  I  did  ;  but  the 
two  cases  are  totally  different,  as  any  fair  reader 
would  at  once  perceive.  In  an  article  on  Boxley 
Abbey  and  its  Hood  of  Grcue,  by  way  of  abbreviation, 
I  named  the  Abbot  of  Boxley  ;  whereas  the  writer  on 
Allington  Castle  in  no  way,  through  his  entire  article, 
named  the  Abbey  as  the  place  where  the  Rood  of 
Grace  had  been,  which,  by  a  reader  of  that  article, 
might  well  be  taken  to  have  been  in  Boxley  Church. 

The  incident  really  is  too  trivial  to  refer  to.  I 
refer  to  it,  to  point  out  simply  the  straws  and  trifles 
on  which  some  minds  will  quibble.  "  You  cannot 
lay  an  egg,"  said  Judge  Jeffries  to  a  junior  counsel, 
"but  you  must  cackle  over  it."  Mr.  Round  cannot 
detect  an  imagined  mistake,  but  he  must  proclaim 
it  as  an  instance  of  his  detective  intelligence.  So 
miserable  a  cavil  is  unworthy  of  any  writer  desirous 
to  instruct  or  amuse  the  public. 

Frederic  R.  Surtees. 

Boxley  Abbey,  Sandling,  near  Maidstone, 
August  31,  1886. 


"LIBERAL  TITHES"  AND  "THE  FOUR 
CHIEF  OFFERING  DAYS." 

I  shall  be  glad  if  some  of  your  correspondents  are 
able  to  tell  me  what  "  liberal  tithes  "  are.  In  an  old 
list  of  the  parochial  revenues  of  this  district,  after  the 
tithes  of  corn,  hay,  flax,  wool,  kids,  geese,  etc.,  are 
often  enumerated  "liberal  tithes,"  or  "liberal  and 
personal  tithes."  I  also  want  to  know  which  are  "  the 
four  chief  offering  days"  mentioned  in  the  same  list. 
Am  I  right  in  guessing  Lady  Day,  Midsummer  Day 
(Nativity  of  St.  John  Baptist),  Michaelmas,  and 
Christmas  to  be  the  four  ?  Easter  Day  was  not  one  of 
them,  since  the  "Easter  offerings'  are  separately 
mentioned. 

A.  N.  Palmer. 

Wrexham. 

DE  SECRETIS  MULIERUM. 
{Ante,  p.  125.) 
In  reference  to  your  notice  of  Professor  Ferguson's 
account  of  the  two  tracts,  "  Sccreta  Mulierum"  and 
"Liber  Aggregationis,"  on  page  125  of  your  last 
number,  I  will  mention  that  I  have  them  bound  in  one 
volume,  and  that  the  former  is  placed  first  ;  in  fact  the 
latter  has  no  separate  title-page.  The  work  was 
printed  at  Lyons  by  John  Martin  in  the  year  1584. 

The  same  volume  contains  also  a  rather  long  tract, 
entitled  "  De  Secretis  Naturae,"  by  Michael  Scott. 

C.  L.  Prince. 


1 84 


THE  ANTIQUARY  EXCHANGE. 


C6e  antiquary  €jcc6ange. 

Enclose  4^.  for  the  First  12  Words,  and  id.  for  each 
Additional  Three  Words.  All  replies  to  a  number 
should  be  enclosed  in  a  blank  envelope,  with  a  loose 
Stamp,  and  sent  to  the  Manager. 

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Manager,  Exchange  Department,  The  Anti- 
quary Office,  62,  Paternoster  Row,  London, 
E.C. 


For  Sale. 

Quaint  Gleanings  from  Ancient  Poetry,  a  collec- 
tion of  curious  poetical  compositions  of  the  l6th, 
17th,  and  l8th  centuries;  large  paper,  only  75  copies 
printed,  1884,  6j.  Kempe's  Nine  Dales  Wonder 
performed  in  a  Journey  from  London  to  Norwich, 
1600  ;  large  paper,  only  75  printed,  1884,  bs.  Cottoni 
Posthuma,  divers  choice  pieces  of  that  renowned 
antiquary.  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  by  J.  H.,  Esq.,  1679; 
large  paper,  2  vols.,  75  copies  only  printed,  1884,  i6j. 
Ancient  Popular  Poetry  from  authentic  manuscripts 
and  old  printed  copies,  edited  by  John  Ritson ; 
adorned  with  cuts,  2  vols.,  1884  ;  large  paper  edition, 
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or,  the  Sage's  Triumph  over  Old  Age  and  the  Grave  ; 
London,  1744,  3  vols.  ;  large  paper  edition,  only  75 
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large  paper  edition,  only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  lo.r. 
Narrative  of  the  Events  of  the  Siege  of  Lyons,  trans- 
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only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  ds.  :  or  offers  for  the  lot. 
— 301,  care  of  Manager. 

Copies  of  222  Marriage  Registers  from  the  parish 
book  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  Whittlesey,  in  the  Isle 
of  Ely  and  County  of  Cambridge,  1662-72;  1880, 
10  pp.,  \s.  6d.  A  copy  of  the  Names  of  all  the 
Marriages,  Baptisms,  and  Burials  which  have  been 
solemnized  in  the  private  chapel  of  Somerset  House, 
Strand,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  extending  from 
1 7 14  to  1776,  with  an  index  and  copious  genealogical 
notes;  36  pp.  and  wrapper,  1862,  2s,  6d. — 119,  care 
of  Manager. 

Antiques — Cromwell  (eight-legged,  ornamented) 
Sutherland  Table,  jCi  $s.  Oak  Stool  to  match,  los.  6d. 
Fine  Old  Bureaus,  Oak  and  Mahogany,  ;^2  loj.  to 
£4  each. — Shaw,  Writtle,  Essex. 

Heroines  of  Shakspeare,  48  plates,  letterpress,  etc., 
published  at  3U.  6d.,  for  i^s.  (new).  Jewitt's  Stately 
Homes  of  England,  2  vols.,  published  at  3IJ.  6d.,  for 
ijs.  6d.  (new). — 119,  care  of  Manager. 


Monumental  Brass  Rubbings,  is.  6d.  each. — Apply 
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London,  W. 

19  Hogarth's  Steel  Engravings,  size  27  inches  by  20 
(1764),  £4  los.;  "The  Road  to  Ruin,"  by  Frith, 
2$s. :  Oil  Painting  on  Oak,  "  Melrose  Abbey,  by 
Moonlight,"  15^.;  8  French  Engravings  by  Maurin 
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Several  Old  Poesy,  Mourning  and  Curious  Rings 
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or  letters,  unless  a  stamp  be  sent  to\cover  postage  of 
same  to  advertiser. 

Wanted  to  Purchase. 

Dorsetshire  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens.  Also 
Topographical  Works,  Cuttings  or  Scraps  connected 
with  the  county. — ^J.  S.  Udal,  the  Manor  House, 
Symondsbury,  Bridport. 

Cobbett's  Political  Register,  vols.  25,  30,  66,  77, 
79,  84,  85  ;  Beddoe's  Death's  Jest  Book  and  Im- 
provisatore  ;  Pike's  Ramble-Book,  1865  ;  Courthell's 
Ten  Years'  Experience  on  the  Mississippi ;  Hazlitt's 
History  of  Venice,  4  volumes  ;  Dr.  W.  Morris's  The 
Question  of  Ages. — M.,  care  of  Manager. 

Henry  Warren's  Lithographic  Illustrations  of  the 
River  Ravensbourne,  near  Lewisham,  Kent.  Folio, 
6  or  7  plates.  (No  date  is  beUeved  to  be  on  the  book.) 
Thorpe  (John)  A  Collection  of  Statutes  relating  to 
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Portraits  of  Eminent  Americans  Now  Living,  with 
Biographical  and  Historical  Memoirs  of  their  Lives 
and  Actions,  by  John  Livingston,  of  the  New  York 
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Cooper's  Rambles  on  Rivers,  Woods,  and  Streams  ; 
Lupot  on  the  Violin  (English  Translation).  S.,  care 
of  Manager. 

Views,  Maps,  Pottery,  Coins,  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
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Cuthbert  Bradley's  "  Sporting  Cantab"  (coloured 
engraving) ;  Chesnan's  English  School  Painting ; 
Bibliographer's  Manual,  by  Lowndes,  II  volumes. — 
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Old  Stone  Busts,  Figures,  Animals, "^or]^  Terra 
Cotti  Casts. — Price,  etc.,  by  post  to  "Carver,"  St. 
Donat's,  Bridgend. 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


I8S 


The   Antiquary. 


NOVEMBER,  1886. 


Cfte  ancient  IPamt)  of  2X[3ofeing. 


Part  I. 
LTHOUGH  the  name  of  Woking 
may  be  unfamiliar  to  the  "  masses," 
to  philanthropists,  and  those  who 
have  hobbies,  it  is  sufficiently  well 
known.  Persons  studious  of  criminal  statistics 
are  aware  that  the  parish  of  Woking  contains 
two  enormous  prisons,  currently  believed  to 
be  greatly  in  favour  with  the  criminal  popula- 
tion, who  are  supposed  to  prefer  the  balmy 
breezes  of  the  Surrey  hills  to  the  "  cool  shades 
of  Pentonville,"  or  the  morasses  of  bleak 
Dartmoor.  Those  interested  in  lunacy  know 
of  the  parish  as  containing  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  asylums  in  the  kingdom  ;  while  to 
persons  troubled  about  the  bestowal  of  their 
dead,  the  name  of  Woking  Necropolis  is  as  a 
sweet  morsel.  Those  who  hanker  after  things 
histrionic  can  relate  dismal  stories  of  the  ill- 
fated  Dramatic  College,  which  began  with 
many  flourishes  of  trumpets  and  ended,  quite 
deservedly,  in  profound  obloquy.  The 
thoughtfulness  of  those  who  provided  a 
palatial  building,  full  of  sunless  rooms,  planted 
in  the  midst  of  a  dreary  waste,  with  no 
prospect  save  a  railway  embankment,  for  the 
people  who  are  of  all  others  the  most 
gregarious,  demands  a  poet  to  sing.  When 
funds  for  the  support  of  this  delectable 
institution  failed,  the  college  was  closed,  and 
the  poor  old  actors,  duly  pensioned,  were 
permitted  to  again  reside  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  footlights,  while  the  building  itself  lay 
empty  and  desolate  many  a  year.  Latterly 
it  has  been  turned  into  a  home  for  Hindoo 
students  and  bids  fair  to  be  as  unsuccessful 
as  before.  Those  charitable  souls,  and 
happily  their  name  is  legion,  who  care  for  the 

VOL.  XIV. 


sick  poor,  know  that  Mr.  Pearson  has  designed 
a  beautiful  home  where  such  can  regain  health 
and  strength  in  the  pine-laden  air  which  has 
long  made  Woking  a  resort  for  the  weak  of 
chest,  and  those  who  love  floriculture  know 
that  here  are  some  of  the  largest  nurseries  in 
the  world  for  acacias  and  rhododendrons; 
but,  adding  all  these  interested  persons 
together,  probably  more  know  of  the  existence 
of  the  parish  from  the  simple  fact  that  the 
only  crematorium  in  England  has  been  built 
within  its  boundaries,  and  passengers  by  the 
London  and  South-Western  railway  may 
sometimes  see  smoke  ascending  from  a  tall 
chimney  half  hidden  amidst  trees,  which  tells 
that  some  corpse  is  being  reduced  to  a 
handful  of  ashes.  For  the  first  time  in 
history,  perchance,  this  building  brought  the 
name  of  Woking  prominently  under  the  notice 
of  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  when  a  certain 
high  functionary  gave  the  lucid  opinion  that 
cremation  was  not  legal,  yet  not  unlawful. 
A  pretty  little  squabble  whether  a  certain 
representative  should  be  described  as  the 
member  for  Woking  or  the  member  for 
Chertsey  has  recently  brought  the  name  of 
the  place  once  more  into  notice. 

For  the  purposes  of  these  articles,  Dramatic 
College,  prisons  and  crematorium  are  alike 
non-existent ;  they  will  deal  with  the  past  and 
not  the  present,  and  their  aim  is  to  show  that 
within  an  hour's  ride  of  Waterloo  Station  there 
lies  an  old  parish  which  is  a  perfect  mine  of 
antiquarian  interest. 

Large  as  is  the  present  parish — and  I  well 
remember  the  tired  sigh  which  a  certain  vicar 
gave  when  he  informed  me  it  was  the  largest 
but  one  in  the  diocese — the  ancient  parish 
was  still  more  extensive,  embracing  as  it  did 
the  now  separate  parishes  of  Horsell,  Pirbright 
and  Pirford  ;  and  to  make  my  articles  intel- 
ligible it  will  be  necessary  to  divide  my 
subject,  and  to  treat  first  of  the  history  of 
the  parish,  then  of  the  customs  of  the  manors, 
and  finally  of  the  buildings. 

Before  the  notices  in  the  Domesday  Book, 
all  that  is  definitely  known  of  the  parish  is 
that  in  796  Offa  made  a  grant  of  certain  lands 
to  the  church  of  Uoccingas.  This  charter, 
which  is  in  Latin,  is  printed  in  the  Codex 
Diplomaticus.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable 
that  while  Roman  remains  have  been  found 
at  Send  on  the  one  side  and  Chobham  on 

o 


1 86 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WO  KING. 


the  other,  none  which  have  been  authenti- 
cated have  been  discovered  within  its 
borders. 

On  a  piece  of  wild  land,  since  enclosed, 
there  were  certain  ridges  and  hollows  which 
tradition  states  to  have  been  the  remains  of 
Roman  ironworks,  but,  though  as  ironstone 
and  wood  were  once  plentiful  this  is  not 
improbable,  no  sufficient  proof  is  forthcoming. 
At  Newark  Priory,  on  the  very  borders  of  the 
parish,  masses  of  tiles  exactly  similar  to  those 
at  Richborough  are  built  into  Early  English 
work,  but  how  they  came  there  it  is  impossible 
to  conjecture.  Nor  are  there  any  Saxon 
remains,  though  some  of  the  local  names  are 
clearly  of  Saxon  origin,  as  for  example  Knap- 
hill.  I  have  been  informed  by  a  local 
antiquary  that  the  name  Woking  was  derived 
from  a  Saxon  chief  Oker,  who  held  the  land 
from  Woking  to  Wokingham,  but  for  this  I 
have  been  unable  to  get  any  satisfactory 
evidence.  The  manor  and  lordship  of 
Woking,  or  Wochinges,  was  part  of  the 
demesne  of  Edward  the  Confessor,  and  con- 
sequently appropriated  to  the  support  of  the 
royal  household;  it  was  rated  at  i5|-  hides,* 
although,  being  in  the  possession  of  the  Crown, 
it,  according  to  custom,  was  exempt  from 
taxation.  It  has  long  lost  this  privilege,  but 
the  inhabitants  still  regret  it. 

After  the  Conquest  the  manor  continued  in 
possession  of  the  Crown,  but  the  inhabitants 
probably  felt  the  change  keenly,  for  whereas 
the  manor  had  previously  been  rated  at  ;^i5 
ad  numeramy  it  was  now  changed  to  the 
same  sum  ad  pensum  ;  which,  in  those  days 
of  emphatically  light  money,  must  have  made 
a  terrible  difference.  Three  virgates  of  land 
are  recorded  as  being  held  by  Walter  Fitz- 
Other,t  and  previously  by  a  forester.  As 
Fitz-Other  was  a  man  of  some  note,  and  held 
other  manors  in  the  county,  Manning  is  of 
opinion  that  this  land  was  situate  in  the 
hamlet  of  Mayford,  which  was  afterwards  held 
by  grand  sergeantry. 

Among  other  particulars  in  the  Domesday 
Book,  mention  is  made  of  a  mill  worth  iis. 
4d.,  and  of  a  church  of  which  Osbern,  who 

*  Exclusive  of  the  Manors  of  Pirford  and  Sutton, 
which  had  been  detached  from  it  by  earlier  grants. 

t  His  principal  lordship  was  Stanwell,  in  Middle- 
sex. He  was  a  Norman  who  resided  in  England 
during  the  reign  of  the  Confessor,  and  was  at  one 
time  Governor  of  Windsor  Castle. 


was  made  Bishop  of  Exeter  in  1074,  was 
possessed,  and  that  the  Sheriff  received  25s.  a 
year.*  According  to  the  same  authority 
there  were  6  carucates  of  arable  land,  as  well 
as  one  in  the  demesne;  33  villans  and  9 
bordars,  who  held  20  carucates  more;  32 
acres  of  meadow  and  woods  which  fed 
133  swine.  As  the  133  swine  were  only 
the  lord's  portion,  usually  a  tenth,  the 
woods  must  have  been  very  extensive  and 
consisted  principally  of  oak  and  beech.  Both 
these  trees  are  still  common,  and  there  is 
evidence  that  at  one  time  a  considerable  part 
of  the  parish  must  have  been  thickly  wooded ; 
but  as  unfortunately  these  woods,  as  was 
usual  in  the  survey  of  Surrey,  were  only 
appraised  by  the  number  of  swine  they 
carried,  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  their 
exact  extent.  From  the  nature  of  the  land, 
however,  the  greater  part  must  then,  as  now, 
have  consisted  of  wastes  covered  with  broom 
and  heather. 

As  the  bordars  seldom  seem  to  have  held 
more  than  an  acre  of  ground  each,  the  villans' 
shares  must  have  amounted  to  about  60  acres 
apiece.  In  Woking  these  villans  were  pure, 
i.e.  regardant,  or  literally  tenants  at  will ;  but 
besides  these  there  were  in  all  probability  a 
number  who  held  in  free  socage,  and  certainly 
some  few  who  had  special  privileges,  as  such 
were  always  to  be  found  on  royal  manors. 

The  manor  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
Crown  until  the  reign  of  Henry  II.,  who  soon 
after  his  accession  afforested  it,  as  he  did  the 
rest  of  his  land  in  the  county.  In  the  second 
year  of  this  King's  reign  Pagan,  the  Sheriff,  in 
the  annual  return  of  the  firm  of  the  county, 
discharged  himself  at  the  exchequer  of  the 
sum  of  jQ\o  in  consideration  of  lands  to  that 
value  held  within  the  parish  by  the  Earl  of 
Warren.  This  land  was  probably  what  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  manor  of  Sutton, 
which  was  the  property  of  Stephen  while  he 
was  Earl  of  Monteigne,  and  which  he  had 
given  to  his  son,  the  Earl  of  Warren.  In  the 
fourteenth  year  of  this  king's  reign  Woking  had 
to  pay  56s.  8d.  towards  the  aid  for  marrying 
the  King's  daughter. 

Richard  I.  was  the  first  monarch  to  alienate 
the  manor,  which  he  gave  with  its  advowson 
and  all  other  appurtenances   to   Alan  Lord 

*  Probably  for  his  trouble  in  collecting  the  rents  of 
the  manor. 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


187 


Basset,  to  be  holden  of  the  King  in  chief  by 
the  service  of  half  a  knight's  fee  ;  and  John 
during  the  first  year  of  his  reign  confirmed 
the  grant.  (See  Cart  i  John,  p.  2,  n.  45,  etc.) 
On  the  death  of  Alan,  his  eldest  son  Gilbert 
inherited  the  manor,  probably  not  unen- 
cumbered, for  in  the  same  year  a  writ  was 
directed  to  the  Sheriff  commanding  him  to 
sell  the  corn  which  was  growing  on  the  land, 
presumably  to  pay  outstanding  dues.  The 
first  tragedy  connected  with  the  land  occurred 
in  the  25th  year  of  the  reign  of  Henry  III., 
when  Gilbert  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse 
while  hunting.  His  only  son,  an  infant,  dying 
immediately  after,  his  brother  Fulc,  Dean  of 
York,  was  declared  his  heir,  and  did  homage 
for  the  land.  During  the  same  year  Fulc 
became  Bishop  of  London.  Four  years  later 
he  is  recorded  as  having  paid  20s.  towards  an 
aid  for  marrying  the  King's  eldest  daughter, 
and  nine  years  after  this  twice  the  sum  towards 
another  aid  for  knighting  the  King's  son. 
Fulc  died  in  1259,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  younger  brother  Philip,  who  in  the  same 
year  stands  charged  with  iocs,  due  for  his 
relief  of  one  knight's  fee.  This  lord  must 
needs  take  part  in  the  Barons'  war,  and  was 
made  prisoner  by  the  King  at  the  battle  of 
Lewes,  he  being,  however,  sufficiently 
fortunate  not  to  lose  his  land.     He  died  in 

I27|. 

Philip's  only  surviving  child  was  a 
daughter,  Aliva.  This  lady  must  have 
married  very  young,  for  her  first  husband  is 
said  to  have  been  the  Chief  Justice  le  De- 
spencer  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Evesham  in  1265  ;  yet  at  the  time  of  her 
father's  death  she  was  only  twenty-six,  and  had 
married  for  her  second  husband  the  turbulent 
Roger  Bigod,  Earl  of  Norfolk.  According 
to  a  survey  made  at  this  time  the  manor  of 
Woking  was  worth  j[^2()  9s.  id.  per  annum, 
and  was  held  of  the  King  in  chief  by  the 
service  of  half  a  knight's  fee  and  a  pair  of 
gloves  lined  with  minever  or  ermine.  The 
lady  Aliva  died  about  1281,  when  Roger 
Bigod,  not  relishing  lands  so  broad  and 
fertile  slipping  from  his  grasp,  endeavoured 
tomakehimself  tenant  for  life  by  pleading  issue 
by  her.  Whatever  his  general  character  for 
truth,  in  this  instance  he  was  not  believed,  and 
a  jury  was  impanelled  to  inquire  concerning 
the  birth  of  the  alleged  issue,  whether  it  was 


born  alive,  whether  it  was  male  or  female, 
when  and  in  what  house  it  was  born,  by  whom 
and  in  what  church  it  was  baptized,  etc. 
This  was  more  than  the  Earl  could  stand,  so 
he  withdrew  his  plea,  and  surrendered  the 
lands  to  Hugh  Despencer,  son  and  heir  of 
Aliva  by  her  first  husband. 

Woking  manor  has  been  particularly  un- 
fortunate in  its  lords  ;  so  many  have  been  at- 
tainted or  have  been  scamps  that  an  entertain- 
ing book  might  be  made  of  mere  sketches  of 
their  careers,  and  it  would  be  one  dealing 
with  no  small  part  of  the  history  of  the 
country.  Strong  though  the  temptation  may 
be,  this  article,  however,  is  no  place  to 
enlarge  on  the  tragedy  or  comedy  of  their 
lives  except  as  far  as  it  concerns  the  devolu- 
tion of  the  manor  of  Woking,  which,  after  the 
execution  of  Hugh  le  Despencer  at  Bristol  in 
1326,  of  course  reverted  to  the  Crown.  From 
the  survey  then  taken  it  appears  that  there 
was  a  handsome  manor-house,  or  rather  palace, 
for  it  contained  rooms  set  apart  for  knights, 
treasurers,  and  great  officers,  and  had  a 
water-wheel  for  filling  the  moat.  Among  the 
profits  were  now  reckoned  certain  customary 
rents,  as  for  example  one  of  io\  quarters  of 
oats,  worth  los.  6d.  and  another  of  35  cocks 
and  a  hke  number  of  hens,  the  cocks  being 
valued  at  a  penny  each  and  the  hens  at  three 
half  pence.  Sixteen  of  the  customary  tenants 
were  bound  to  carry  out  the  lord's  manure, 
and  certain  of  the  quarandelli  to  fill  carts 
with  the  same ;  but  as  the  people  refused 
either  to  do  the  work  or  compound  for  the 
same,  this  service  is  not  valued,  any  more 
than  was  that  of  weeding  the  lord's  corn, 
which  was  the  duty  of  24  tenants,  who 
declined  either  to  work  or  to  pay,  a  refusal 
which  says  a  good  deal  for  Surrey  indepen- 
dence. Sixteen  tenants  who  held  half  a 
virgate  apiece  ploughed  half  an  acre  of  the 
lord's  land  each  at  seed-time  and  another 
half  acre  during  the  winter.  This  was  valued 
at  6id.  an  acre.  The  tenants,  including  the 
quardelli,  were  also  required  to  mow  20^ 
acres  of  the  lord's  land  and  to  carry  the  hay 
into  his  grange. 

Edward  IH.  soon  after  his  accession  gave 
the  manor  to  his  half-uncle  Edmund  of 
Woodstock,  Earl  of  Kent,  who  was  seized 
thereof  in  1329,  when  he  fell  a  victim  to  the 
ambition  of  Roger  Mortimer,  and  his  estates 

O   2 


i88 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


were  forfeited  to  the  Crown.  The  survey 
shows  that  the  value  of  the  manor  had  greatly 
increased;  among  the  fresh  items  are 
pannage  worth  5s.,  a  fishery  worth  10s.,  salt 
silver  (a  composition  payable  at  Michaelmas 
for  the  privilege  of  carrying  salt)  4s.  6d.,  and 
a  render  of  a  pound  of  pepper  valued  at 
a  shilling. 

Mortimer  is  suspected  of  having  used  his 
influence  over  the  Queen  to  get  a  grant  of  the 
manortohis  younger  son  Geofferyand  hisheirs, 
with  remainder  to  himself;  if  so,  he  had  his 
trouble  for  little,  for  after  his  execution,  which 
took  place  in  the  following  year,  Edmund  the 
son  of  Edmund  of  Woodstock,  whose  blood 
had  been  restoredby  Parliament,  hadrestitution 
of  the  estates.  This  lord  died  while  a  minor, 
when  the  estates  devolved  on  his  younger 
brother  John,  Earl  of  Kent,  who  died  in 
1355,  when  this  manor  was  assigned  to  his 
widow  as  part  of  her  dower.  The  only  item 
of  interest  in  the  survey  taken  at  his  death 
is  that  the  value  of  the  mowing  and  harvesting 
performed  by  the  customary  tenants  had 
fallen  from  40s.  to  los.,  which  is  partly 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  tenants 
were  fewer  in  number  owing  to  so  much  of 
the  land  being  in  the  lord's  hands,  and 
partly  by  the  steadfast  way  in  which  the 
tenants,  doubtless  demoralized  by  the 
frequent  changes  of  lords,  declined  either  to 
perform  the  work  or  compound  for  it. 

The  next  owner  was  the  sister  of  the  late 
lord,  Joan,  commonly  known  as  the  Fair  Maid 
of  Kent.  On  the  death  of  her  brother,  her 
husband.  Sir  Thomas  Holland,  who  had 
issue  by  her,  did  homage  and  received  livery 
of  all  the  lands  of  her  inheritance,  the  widow's 
right  of  dower  of  course  being  reserved. 
Joan's  son  Thomas,  who  was  created  Earl  of 
Kent  in  5  Richard  II.,  came  into  possession 
on  the  death  of  his  mother,  and  was  duly 
succeeded  by  his  son  Thomas,  afterwards 
Duke  of  Surrey,  about  1397.  This  proprietor 
was  one  of  the  barons  who  entered  into  the 
miserable  conspiracy  to  seize  the  person  of 
Henry  IV.  in  1400,  was  captured  at 
Cirencester,  and  promptly  beheaded.  At- 
tainder and  forfeiture  followed,  but  the  King 
was  magnanimous  enough  to  restore  the 
manor  to  his  mother  and  her  issue  by  the 
body  of  her  late  husband,  who  enjoyed  it  till 
her   death   in    1418,    when   the  direct  heir. 


Edmund,  Earl  of  Kent,  having  died  without 
issue,  a  partition  of  the  estates  among  the 
family  took  place,  and  this  manor  fell  to  the 
share  of  Margaret,  wife  of  John  Beaufort,  Earl 
of  Somerset.  On  her  death  it  descended  in 
due  course  to  her  eldest  surviving  son  John, 
Earl  and  afterwards  Duke  of  Somerset,  who 
settled  it  on  his  younger  brother  David  and 
Eleanor  his  wife  for  their  joint  lives.  He  died 
in  1443.  His  successor  signalized  himself  by 
obtaining  for  the  parish  a  charter  for  a  fair 
to  be  held  annually  on  the  Tuesday  next  after 
Pentecost.    (See  Cart.  27  Henry  VI.,  m.  25.) 

Edmund  fell  in  the  battle  of  St.  Albans,  but 
his  wife  continued  in  possession  by  right  of 
survivorship  till  her  death,  when,  her  son 
being  dead,  the  manor  by  virtue  of  settlement 
fell  in  1467  to  Margaret,  Countess  of 
Richmond,  the  daughter  of  John,  Duke  of 
Somerset.  On  the  attainder  of  Henry,  Duke  of 
Somerset,  in  the  fifth  year  of  Edward  IV.,  it  was 
escheated  as  part  of  his  estate  in  reversion  to 
the  Crown,  which  kept  possession  of  it  during 
the  reigns  of  the  house  of  York.  Edward  IV. 
seems  to  have  occasionally  resided  at  Woking, 
and  in  1480  kept  part  of  his  Christmas 
holidays  at  the  palace. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Henry  VII.  after 
obtaining  the  crown  was  to  repair  the  palace 
and  put  his  mother  in  possession ;  and 
Margaret  made  it  her  chief  place  of  residence 
till  her  death,  the  King  dutifully  coming  to 
see  her  from  time  to  time.  In  September, 
1490,  eight  of  his  acts  were  signed  here.  (See 
Rymer,  Foed.  xii.  417,  xiii.  397,  etc.) 

Of  all  the  many  owners  of  the  manor, 
Woking  has  most  cause  to  be  proud  of  the 
Countess  of  Richmond.  Her  charity,  as 
Oxford,  Cambridge  and  Wimborne  can  testify, 
wasas  discriminating  as  it  was  unbounded  ;  and 
Grafton  seems  hardly  to  have  been  too  ecstatic 
when  he  says  she  was  "  a  woman  of  singular 
wisdome  and  pollicie,  and  also  of  most 
vertuous  life,  perseiving  that  the  King,  by 
reason  of  his  youthfull  and  lustie  yeres, 
could  not  execute  and  minister  his  office  and 
function,  did  from  the  beginnyng  so  provide 
and  studie  at  all  tymes,  that  she  brought  to 
pass  that  such  men  as  were  worthiest  and  of 
most  integritie  and  godliness  were  advanced 
to  highest  authortie  and  bare  the  chiefest 
sway  in  the  ministration  of  the  courses  of  the 
publique  weale." 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


189 


After  her  death  in  1509  Henry  VIII. 
became  the  lord  of  Woking,  and  frequently 
used  it  as  a  summer  retreat.  "  In  the  middle 
of  September,  15 15,"  says  Grafton,  "  he  came 
to  his  manor  of  Okying,  an  thether  came  to 
him  the  Archbishop  of  Yorke,  whom  he 
hartily  welcommed,  and  shewed  him  great 
pleasures. "  During  this  visit  a  letter  was  brought 
to  Wolsey  from  Rome,  certifying  his  election 
as  cardinal.  A  patent  is  dated  from  Woking, 
on  loth  September  in  this  year,  granting  the 
advowson  of  Stoke  to  Robert  Laverde.  Aubrey 
accounts  for  the  King's  fondness  for  Woking 
by  his  having  been  nursed  at  Dorney  House, 
near  Newark. 

Edward  VI.,  Mary,  and  Elizabeth  all  held 
the  manor.  The  first  records  in  his  journal 
that  he  visited  Woking  in  August,  1550.  Of 
Mary  nothing  is  known,  but  tradition  states 
that  Elizabeth  spent  much  of  her  childhood 
at  Woking  Palace ;  and  after  her  accession, 
her  frequent  visits  to  Sir  John  Woolley,  her 
Latin  secretary,  who  resided  at  Pirford,  within 
the  parish,  make  it  probable  that  she  some- 
times stayed  at  her  manor-house.  Kennington 
states  that  she  did  at  one  time  reside  here. 

James  I.  does  not  seem  to  have  used  the 
place.  In  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  reign  he 
granted  the  manor  with  all  its  rights,  members, 
and  appurtenances  to  Sir  Edward  Zouch,* 
the  marshal  of  his  household,  with  remainder 
to  others  of  his  family,  together  with  the 
adjoining  manors  of  Bisley  and  Chobham,  on 
condition  that  on  the  feast  of  St.  James  next 
ensuing  he  should  carry  the  first  dish  to  the 
King's  table,  and  that  at  the  same  time  he 
should  pay  £,\oo  of  coined  gold  in  lieu  and 
satisfaction  of  all  wardship  and  other  services 
whatever.  This  service  was  to  be  repeated 
after  every  fresh  accession  either  to  the  manor 
or  the  throne ;  and  the  King  for  his  part 
covenanted  that  neither  he  nor  his  successors 
should  take  fines  for  wardship,  marriage  or 
peiner  seisin,  and  that  an  incoming  heir 
should  enter  on  the  manors  without  fine, 
livery  or  relief.  (Full  particulars  of  the  manor 
at  this  time  are  given  in  Manning  and  Bray's 
Surre}\  vol.  i.,  p.  123.) 

This  Sir  Edward  Zouchf  seems  to  have 

*  Sir  Edward  seems  to  have  been  an  only  son  ;  the 
remainders  were  to  uncles. 

t  See  Weldon,  Cotirt  and  Characler  of  King 
James  I. 


held  the  undignified  ofl!ice  of  retailer  of 
indecent  stories  and  singer  of  lewd  songs  to 
the  King ;  but  it  is  satisfactory  to  know  that 
when  he  died  in  1634  it  was  in  the  belief 
"  that  his  sins  were  forgiven,  and  with  the 
prayer  that  he  might  be  buried  in  Woking 
Church  by  night."  The  inquisition  taken 
after  his  death  sets  forth  that  "  he  died  seized 
also  of  the  office  of  Forester  of  Woking,  alias 
Brerewood  [Brookwood],  alias  AVindlesham 
Walk,  and  Frimley  Walk  in  the  [purlieus  of  the] 
forest  of  Windsor,  and  likewise  of  an  annual 
sum  of  40s.  holden  of  the  King  by  the  service 
of  calling  the  deer  to  the  King's  window  at 
the  castle  of  Windsor,  on  the  first  morning 
after  his  Majesty  shall  come  hither  after  the 
feast  of  St.  James  next  following  the  decease 
of  any  Lord  of  this  manor,  and  of  winding  a 
call  on  the  day  of  the  King's  coronation 
yearly  in  the  walks  in  lieu  of  wards  and  all 
other  services." 

The  next  holder  was  James,  the  eldest  son 
of  the  foregoing,  who  died  in  1643  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  who  dying 
without  issue  in  1658,  the  manor  descended 
to  his  brother  James.  This  lord  in  1661 
obtained  a  charter  from  Charles  II.  permitting 
an  annual  fair  to  be  held  at  Woking  on  the 
1 2th  of  September  (o.  s.),  and  a  weekly  market 
on  Tuesday.  In  1665  he  erected  a  market- 
house  at  his  own  expense,  which  has 
unfortunately  been  destroyed. 

As  the  Zouches'  grant  was  only  to  heirs 
male,  and  the  foregoing  owner  having  died 
without  male  issue,  the  manor  reverted  to  the 
Crown  for  the  last  time,  when  (in  167 1) 
Charles  granted  it  for  a  term  of  1,000  years 
to  George  Villiers,  Viscount  Grandison,  Henry 
Howard  of  little  Walden  in  Essex,  and 
Edward  Villiers,  to  hold  in  trust  for  Barbara 
Duchess  of  Cleveland  and  her  children  by 
the  King.  After  the  Duchess's  death  in  1710 
her  assignees  held  the  estate,  until  it  was 
purchased  by  John  Walter  of  Godalming  in 
1 7 15,  whose  son  obtained,  under  a  private  act 
(21  George  II.,  c.  9),  the  grant  in  fee  simple, 
when  he  sold  it  to  Richard,  Lord  Onslow, 
whose  descendant  is  the  present  lord. 

Besides  this  the  ancient  parish  contains  a 
number  of  less  important  manors,  which  will 
be  briefly  noticed  in  the  next  article. 

A.  C.  BiCKLEY. 


190 


LUCILIO  VANINI:  HIS  LIFE  AND  PHILOSOPHY. 


lucilio  Oanini :  W  Life  anD 


By  C.  E.  Plumptre. 


T  has  been  well  said  that  "all  the 
thoughts  of  men  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world  until  now  are 
linked  together  into  one  great 
chain,"  but  the  links  are  of  different  sizes  and 
of  unequal  brilliancy ;  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  in  the  natural  and,  in  many  ways,  laud- 
able desire  to  do  honour  to  those  thirty  or 
forty  greatest  names  in  religion,  philosophy, 
and  science  that  outdazzle  all  the  others  by 
their  surpassing  splendour,  we  are  prone  to 
treat  with  too  little  consideration  those 
obscurer  names  which  yet  are  as  necessary  to 
the  stability,  perhaps  even  to  the  existence, 
of  the  chain  as  the  most  brilliant  ones 
amongst  them. 

At  least,  let  me  acknowledge  for  myself 
that  I  have  a  peculiar  sympathy  with  those 
humbler  seekers  after  truth — too  great  to  be 
content  with  the  ephemeral  pleasures  of  the 
hour,  not  great  enough  to  be  the  founders  of 
a  system  that  would  bear  their  name 
through  the  ages  that  were  to  come ;  too 
great  to  escape  the  obloquy  that  is  sure  to 
be  the  immediate  penalty  of  honesty  and 
originality,  not  great  enough,  or  perhaps  not 
fortunate  enough,  to  be  able  to  live  the 
obloquy  down  ;  the  martyrs  of  their  cause 
rather  than  the  apostles  of  it;  the  sowers, 
not  the  reapers ;  many  of  them  indeed  put- 
ting forward  their  views  so  tentatively,  grop- 
ing as  it  were  in  the  dark,  that  we  feel  they 
were  deprived  of  the  highest  consolation  of 
all  :  not  only  does  posterity  refuse  to 
acknowledge  that  they  found  the  light;  for 
the  most  part  they  died  unblessed  by  the 
certainty,  even  to  themselves,  that  after  all 
their  search  had  not  been  in  vain. 

Europe  has  been  busy  of  late  celebrating 
the  third  and  fifth  centenaries  of  Luther  and 
Wickliffe.  Before  f  this  year  passes  away,  I 
am  anxious  to  draw  attention  to  the  ter- 
centenary of  a  man  who,  if  but  little  known 
now,  was  yet  of  sufficient  importance  in  his 
*  Being  the  substance  of  a  paper  read  before  the 
Aristotelian  Society  last  year  in  commemoration  of 
the  tercentenary  of  Vanini. 
t  This  refers  to  1885. 


own  day  to  pay  the  penalty  for  his  opinions 
by  being  burnt  alive  for  them. 

In  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries  the 
Catholic  Church  had  in  reality  to  protect 
herself  against  three  different  schools  of 
opponents : 

1.  The  Reformation  :  numerically  and 
othenvise  by  far  the  most  openly  antagonistic, 
though  whether  the  most  really  dangerous 
future  centuries  must  decide;  numbering 
amongst  its  numbers  men  of  indomitable 
courage,  of  intense  conviction,  anxious  to 
substitute  one  form  of  authority  for  another  ; 
fervent ;  honest ;  reckless  of  humanity  in  per- 
secuting their  opponents,  yet  in  their  turn 
not  flinching  from  persecution  themselves ; 
nay,  at  times  seeming  to  court  it,  coveting  as 
their  greatest  glory  the  martyr's  crown. 

2.  The  Renaissance,  or  learning  and 
culture  in  general ;  numbering  amongst  its 
members  men  devoted  to  the  more  refined 
pleasures  of  this  world;  scholarly,  artistic, 
bright,  good-humoured,  though  perhaps  not 
entirely  free  from  cynicism ;  unfeignedly 
attached  to  learning,  yet,  speaking  generally, 
not  sufficiently  so  to  run  any  great  risk  in 
prosecuting  it ;  complying  with  the  religious 
customs  of  whatever  country  they  might  be 
in ;  not  openly  antagonistic  to  any  form  of 
religion,  because  viewing  all  alike  with  a 
certain  contempt ;  and  regarding  with  amaze- 
ment, unmixed  with  admiration,  those 
enthusiastic  reformers  who  seemed  to  enjoy 
persecuting  others  and  being  persecuted 
themselves  with  equal  ardour. 

3.  The  Philosophers,  or  seekers  after 
truth — men  who  though  differing  greatly 
from  each  other  in  their  conclusions,  were  yet 
alike  in  their  rejection  of  authority  as  autho- 
rity ;  in  their  earnest  longing  to  be  able  to 
give  some  reason  for  the  faith  that  was  in 
them ;  in  their  intolerance  only  of  intolerance ; 
in  their  abstention  from  persecution  them- 
selves; and  (speaking  generally,  though  not 
without  exception)  in  their  noble  refusal  to 
shelter  themselves  from  the  most  atrocious 
persecution  by  the  faintest  approach  to.  a  lie. 
The  better  known  among  these  are  Servetus, 
Galileo,  Descartes,  Spinoza ;  the  less  known 
are  Giordano  Bruno,  Ochino,  Telesio, 
Campanella,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
least  known  of  all,  it  may  be,  to  readers  of 
this  generation.     Yet  in  his  time  Vanini  was 


LUCILIO  VANINI:  HIS  LIFE  AND  PHILOSOPHY. 


191 


celebrated  throughout  Europe  for  his  philo- 
sophical opinions,  which  were  not  only  new 
and  uncommon,  but  peculiarly  adapted  to 
the  taste  of  the  age.  They  were  written  in  a 
very  pure  Latin,  and  altogether  displayed  so 
much  ability  and  industry  as  fully  to  warrant 
the  following  eulogium  from  an  anonymous 
author  of  about  a  century  afterwards,  who, 
notwithstanding  his  praise,  yet  held  Vanini's 
philosophical  and  religious  opinions  in  the 
utmost  detestation : 

"You  will  find  him  a  man  of  learning, 
very  ambitious,  subtle,  of  an  easy  address, 
jovial  in  conversation,  and  full  of  spirit  and 
activity,  which  the  various  and  surprising 
adventures  of  his  life  sufficiently  testify,  and 
endowed  with  such  bright  natural  faculties 
that  history  can  scarce  produce  his  equal ; 
but  as  he  misapplied  his  talent  Providence 
made  him  as  notorious  in  his  punishment,  his 
execution  being  so  terrible  that  one  cannot 
read  it  without  being  shocked." 

Lucilio  Vanini  was  born  at  Taurasano,  a 
market-town  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  in  the 
year  1585  ;  the  exact  month  of  his  birth 
seems  to  be  uncertain.  His  father's  name 
was  John  Baptista  Vanini,  steward  to  Don 
Francis  de  Castro,  Duke  of  Taurasano, 
Viceroy  of  Naples,  and  afterwards  ambas- 
sador of  Spain  to  the  Court  of  Rome.  His 
mother  was  called  Beatrix  Lopes  de  Noguera, 
and  came  of  a  Spanish  family  of  distinction. 
As  he  grew  up  to  youth,  his  father  sent  him 
to  Rome  for  the  completion  of  his  education, 
and  he  studied  there  principally  philosophy 
and  divinity.  His  tutor  was  a  Carmelite 
friar  called  Barthelemi  Argotti,  a  man  famous 
for  his  great  and  varied  learning.  Vanini 
became  greatly  attached  to  him  ;  he  men- 
tions him  frequently  in  his  works,  and  calls 
him  "  a  phoenix  of  the  preachers  of  his  time." 
With  nearly  equal  praise  he  mentions  another 
Carmelite  called  John  Bacon,  "  an  ornament 
to  the  Averroists,  formerly  my  preceptor,  and 
from  whom  I  have  learnt  to  swear  by  none 
but  Averroes."  From  Rome  Vanini  returned 
to  Naples,  where  he  continued  his  philo- 
sophical studies.  As  soon  as  his  education 
was  completed  he  became  a  priest,  and 
speedily  attracted  considerable  attention  by 
his  gift  of  preaching.  Subsequently  he 
became  a  student  of  law,  and  on  the  title- 
page  of  his  Dialogues  describes  himself  as 


"  Doctor  in  utroque  jure."  From  Naples  he 
went  to  Padua,  where  the  purity  of  the  air, 
the  softness  of  the  climate,  and  especially 
the  companionship  of  men  of  letters,  detained 
him  for  some  years.  He  had  little  or  no 
private  fortune,  and  often  found  it  a  hard 
struggle  to  continue  his  studies.  "  But  all 
is  warm,"  he  says,  "  to  those  that  love  ;  have 
I  not  sustained  at  Padua  the  greatest  frost  in 
winter  with  a  poor  and  thin  dress,  animated 
only  with  a  desire  of  learning  ?" 

At  last  his  labours  were  rewarded  by  the 
consciousness  that  he  was  really  in  possession 
of  knowledge  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  go 
through  all  Europe  to  visit  the  universities 
and  assist  at  the  conferences  of  the  learned. 
His  favourite  authors  were  Aristotle,  Averroes, 
and  Pomponatius.  The  system  of  Averroes, 
in  particular,  was  so  highly  esteemed  by  him 
that  he  made  it  a  text-book  with  his  disciples. 

From  his  own  works  I  am  led  to  believe 
that  at  the  beginning  of  his  career  Vanini  was  a 
conscientious  Catholic.  He  did  not  shut  his 
eyes  to  the  fact  that  faith  and  reason  seemed 
at  times  to  be  strangely  opposed  to  each 
other.  But  in  common  with  many  of  his 
day,  he  seemed  to  have  held  that  there  was 
some  intrinsic  merit  in  accepting  statements 
as  true  that  were  utterly  beyond  the  capa- 
bility of  verification.  Indeed,  in  all  ages,  is 
it  not  a  somewhat  notable  fact  that  belief 
without  any  grounds  for  belief  has  been  held 
by  the  devout  to  be  an  act  of  peculiar  merit  ? 

The  works  of  Vanini  are  numerous ;  but, 
so  far  as  I  am  aware,  two  only,  his  Amphi- 
theatre and  Dialogues,  have  come  down  to 
us,  of  which  I  will  now  give  a  brief  descrip- 
tion. The  first  is  entitled  Amphitheatrum 
yEternce  Providentice  Divino-Magicum,  Chris- 
tiano-Physicum,  nee  non  Astrologo-Catholicum^ 
adversus  veteres  Philosophos,  Atheos,  Epicureos, 
Peripateticos,  Stoicos,  etc.  It  was  printed  at 
Lyons,  1615,  and  dedicated  to  the  Count  of 
Castro,  protector  of  his  family  and  his  bene- 
factor ;  and  it  was  approved  by  four  doctors, 
who  acknowledge  to  have  found  nothing  in 
it  against  the  Catholic  faith. 

A  few  months  after  the  publication  of  the 
Amphitheatre  Vanini  renounced  his  name  of 
Lucilio  for  that  of  Julius  Caesar,  for  what 
reason  is  not  quite  apparent.  His  enemies 
assert  that  it  was  through  vainglory,  imagining 
himself  to  be  as  great  a  conqueror  in  the 


192 


LUCILIO  VANINI:  HIS  LIFE  AND  PHILOSOPHY. 


realms  of  philosophy  as  Caesar  in  military 
tactics  and  generalship.  But  it  seems  to  me 
far  more  probable  that  Vanini  made  the 
change  through  motives  of  prudence  ;  for  in 
his  short  life  we  find  him  assuming  three  or 
four  different  names.  At  one  time,  in  Gas- 
cony,  he  called  himself  Pompeio ;  in  Holland 
he  was  known  as  Julius  Caesar ;  in  Paris  as 
Jolio  Cesare  Vanini ;  at  Lyons  he  added  to 
this  the  name  of  Taurasano  ;  and  at  Toulouse 
he  was  known  as  Sieur  Lucilio. 

In  the  year  1 6 1 6  was  published  his  Dialogues, 
the  title  of  which  ran  as  follows  :  Jidii  CcBsaris 
Vanini  Neapolitani  Theoligi,  Philosophi,  Juris 
utriusgue  Doctoris  de  Admirandis  Natnrcz 
RegincR  Deceqtie  Mortaliutn  Arcanis.  Libri 
quahcor.  Lutetian,  apud  Adrianum  Perier. 
An?io  i6i6.  Cum  privilegio  Regis.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  title-page  was  written  the  fol- 
lowing approbation  :  "  We,  the  underwritten 
Doctors  of  Divinity  of  Paris,  certify  to  have 
read  these  Dialogues  of  Julius  Caesar  Vanini, 
a  famous  philosopher,  and  we  have  found 
nothing  repugnant  to  the  Catholic,  Apostolic 
and  Roman  religion  in  them ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  think  them  well  worth  being  printed. 
The  2oth  May,  i6i6.  Signed,  F.  Edmond 
Corradin,  Guardian  of  the  Convent  of  Mini- 
mes,  at  Paris  ;  F.  Claudius  le  Petit,  Doctor 
Regent."  These  Dialogues  are  dedicated  to 
Marshal  Basompierre,  and  the  dedication 
is  an  amusing  illustration  of  the  flowery,  com- 
plimentary style  so  much  in  vogue  on  the 
Continent  at  that  day. 

"What  shall  I  say,"  says  Vanini  to  Basom- 
pierre in  this  dedication,  "  of  the  charms  of 
your  beauty  ?  It  is  by  that  means  you  have 
deserved  the  tenderness  of  an  infinite  number 
of  ladies,  more  charming  than  the  Helens  of 
old.  It  is  also  that  same  beauty  which 
triumphs  over  the  conceitedness  of  atheists, 
and  imposes  on  them  silence,  and  suppresses 
their  impiety.  For  when  they  but  contem- 
plate the  majesty  and  stateliness  of  your 
visage,  they  must  readily  own  that  even 
among  mankind  there  are  found  some  traces 
of  Divinity." 

Towards  the  conclusion  of  the  dedication 
he  becomes  even  more  highflown  in  his  ex- 
pressions. "  If  I  were,"  he  says,  "  a  disciple 
of  Plato,  I  should  kiss  and  adore  you  as  the 
soul  of  the  world." 

The  Amphitheatre  is  less  open  to  condem- 


nation than  the  Dialogues,  though  it  is  not  so 
guarded  as  to  render  it  easy  to  understand 
how  it  should  have  received  formal  approval 
from  four  doctors.  Its  tendency  is  certainly 
not  atheistic,  but  it  is  rationalistic.  He  de- 
scribes the  design  of  the  work  in  the  preface. 

"  I  propose,"  he  says,  "  in  this  work  to 
unfold  and  make  plain  all  the  mysteries  of 
Providence ;  but  do  not  expect  that  I  should 
take  them  from  the  declamations  used  by 
Cicero,  nor  from  those  dreams,  or  rather 
plausible  ravings,  of  the  divine  philosopher, 
and  yet  much  less  from  the  absurd  imperti- 
nences of  our  scholastics ;  but  I  shall  draw 
them  from  the  source  of  the  most  hidden 
philosophy,  as  being  best  able  to  quench  the 
thirst  of  curious  minds." 

The  Amphitheatre  consists  of  fifty  chapters, 
or  exercises,  as  Vanini  prefers  to  call  them ; 
and  I  will  now,  as  far  as  my  limited  space 
permits,  give  an  abstract  of  the  most  salient 
portion  of  it. 

The  first  two  chapters  deal  with  the  exist- 
ence and  nature  of  God,  in  the  second  of 
which  occurs  a  very  fine  passage  too  long  to 
quote  here.  The  next  twenty  chapters  deal 
generally  with  the  subject  of  moral  providence. 
Vanini  treats  this  question  in  a  more  equi- 
vocal way  than  the  existence  of  God,  in 
which,  at  all  events  in  his  earlier  work,  he 
seems  to  have  had  unhesitating  belief.  Os- 
tensibly his  purpose  is  to  refute  the  objections 
of  various  philosophers  against  the  doctrine 
of  Moral  Providence ;  but  these  objections 
are  stated  with  a  certain  quiet  force  and 
clearness,  and  the  answers  with  almost  equal 
weakness,  as  it  appears  to  me;  whether 
because  the  facts  of  nature  are  really  against 
special  interposition ;  or  whether  Vanini  is 
here  beginning  tentatively  to  feel  his  way  to 
disclosing  his  own  doubts  is  not  easy  to 
decide.  The  latter  portion  of  the  Atnphi- 
theatre  is  occupied  with  the  consideration  of 
the  monstrosities  that  occur  in  nature,  such 
as  the  existence  of  the  idiot,  the  deformed, 
etc.  Vanini  here  again  is  very  guarded,  never- 
theless I  think  that  his  tendency  is  to  give  a 
distinctly  materialistic  interpretation  of  these 
occurrences.  Then  after  submitting  his  work 
to  the  judgment  and  authority  of  the  Most 
Holy  Father  Pope  Paul  V.,  Vanini  concludes 
the  Amphitheatre  with  the  following  fine 
passage : 


LUCILIO   VANINI:  HIS  LIFE  AND  PHILOSOPHY. 


193 


"La  volont^  supreme,  anim^e  du  souffle 
divin,  emporte  mon  ame,  qui  va  tenter  une 
voie  nouvelle  sur  les  ailes  de  D^dale. 

''  Qui  osera  mesurer  la  Divinity  ineffable, 
qui  n'a  pas  commence,  et  la  d^crire  dans  les 
bornes  dtroites  d'un  esprit  poetique  ? 

"  Origine  et  fin  de  toutes  choses,  la  source 
et  le  principe,  le  but  et  le  terme  de  son  etre  ; 

"  Dans  son  repos,  Dieu  est  tout,  en  tous 
lieux  et  en  tout  temps,  distribud  dans  toutes 
les  parties,  il  est  tout  entier  dans  chaque 
endroit. 

"Aucun  lieu,  aucunes  regions  ne  le  ren- 
ferment  dans  leur  limites ;  ils  le  possbdent ; 
mais,  tout  entier  "k  tout,  il  se  dissdmine 
librement  dans  I'espace. 

"Sa  puissance  supreme  est  de  vouloir; 
son  oeuvre  est  une  volont^  invariable ;  il  est 
grand  sans  quantite  et  bons  sans  qualite. 

"  Ce  qu'il  dit  est  produit  aussitot,  I'oeuvre 
suit  la  parole ;  il  a  parld,  et  \  sa  voix  tout  \ 

"  II  voit  tout ;  seul  il  est  dans  toutes  ses 
oeuvres ;  le  pass^,  le  present  et  I'avenir,  il 
prevoit  tout  eternellement. 

"  Toujours  le  meme,  il  remplit  tout  de  son 
etre  et  soutient  toute  chose ;  il  soutient 
I'univers,  le  meut  et  I'embrasse ;  il  le  gouverne 
d'un  signe  de  son  sourcil. 

"  O  Dieu  bon,  je  t'en  supplie,  jette  sur 
moi  un  regard,  joins-moi  k  toi  par  un  nceud 
de  diamant,  ton  seul  et  unique  but  est  de 
faire  des  heureux. 

"  Quiconque  se  reunit  \  toi,  s'dleve  ;  uni  a 
toi  seul  il  embrasse  tout,  \  toi  qui  t'epanches 
sur  tout  et  h,  qui  rien  ne  manque. 

"Jamais  tu  n'abandonnes  un  etre  qui  a 
besoin  de  toi,  de  ton  propre  mouvement  tu 
donnes  tout  k  toutes  choses ;  5,  I'univers  tu 
subordonnes  tout  et  toi-meme. 

"  Tu  est  la  force  de  ceux  qui  travaillent, 
le  port  ouvert  aux  naufrag^s,  la  source  ^ter- 
nelle  qui  repand  la  fraicheur  dans  les  eaux. 

"  Repos  supreme,  paix  et  calme  de  nos 
coeurs,  tu  es  la  mesure  et  le  mode  des  choses, 
I'espece  et  la  forme  que  nous  aimons. 

"  C'est  toi  qui  es  la  regie,  le  poids,  le  nom- 
bre,  la  beaute ;  toi  qui  es  I'ordre,  I'honneur  et 
I'amour  en  toute  chose  ;  le  salut  et  la  vie,  le 
nectar  et  la  volupt^  divine. 

"Source  de  la  sagesse  profonde,  lumibre 
veritable,  loi  vdne'rable,  tu  es  I'esperance  in- 
faillible,  reternelle  raison,  la  voie  et  la  vdritd 


"Gloire,  splendeur,  lumibre  diJsirable, 
lumiere  inviolable  et  supreme  ;  tu  es  la  per- 
fection des  perfections  ;  quoi  encore  ?  le  plus 
grand,  le  meilleur,  le  meme."* 

The  "Dialogues"  are  supposed  to  take  place 
between  two  persons,  Alexander  and  Julius 
Caesar,  the  latter  being  presumably  Vanini 
himself  Occasionally,  but  very  rarely,  a 
third  speaker  is  introduced,  called  Tarsius. 

The  dialogues  are  sixty  in  number,  and 
many  of  them  of  considerable  length.  I  can 
therefore  only  draw  the  reader's  attention  to 
such  among  them  as  seem  to  me  the  most 
curious  or  important.  The  earlier  deal 
chiefly  with  subjects  connected  with  natural 
philosophy  or  natural  history  :  the  sun,  moon, 
earth,  the  movement  of  the  stars,  the  genera- 
tion of  fishes,  the  generation  and  habits  of 
bees,  etc.  The  thirty-seventh  dialogue,  en- 
titled "De  I'Origine  de  I'Homme,"  deals 
with  a  subject  that  has  occupied  the  atten- 
tion of  our  greatest  thinkers  during  the 
latter  portion  of  this  century,  and  is  therefore 
of  singular  interest,  because  it  shows  that, 
crude  as  are  many  of  Vanini's  conjectures 
concerning  the  origin  of  man,  through- 
out them  all  there  is  a  certain  adum- 
bration of  that  theory  of  evolution  accepted 
now  by  all  the  best  scientific  intellects  of  our 
day.  To  readers  of  Vanini's  own  generation, 
and  especially  to  such  as  were  his  enemies, 
this  chapter  was  also  one  of  the  most  preg- 
nant in  the  book,  for  notwithstanding  that 
Vanini  had  sought  to  shelter  his  opinions 
under  the  form  of  a  dialogue,  in  which  the 
opposite  sides  of  the  subject  are  equally 
stated,  he  could  not  conceal  the  fact — per- 
haps, indeed,  he  did  not  wish  to  conceal  it — 
that  in  his  belief  the  doctrine  that  man  had 
a  natural,  rather  than  a  supernatural,  origin, 
was  not  easy  to  refute. 

The  fifty-fifth  dialogue  is  on  Auguries,  and 
Vanini,  after  discussing  the  strangely  wide- 
spread belief  in  auguries  amongst  the  ancients, 
incidentally  touches  upon  a  subject  that  I 
imagine  must  have  perplexed  many  of  the 
more  thoughtful  believers  in  revelation  of  his 
day,  viz..  How  comes  it,  that  if  God  is  omni- 

*  Pages  206,  207.  I  quote  by  the  French  edition 
of  M.  X.  Rousselot,  as  being  more  comprehensible  to 
the  general  reader  than  the  original  edition  in  Latin, 
which,  however,  I  have  by  me  for  purposes  of  com- 
parison. 


194 


LUCILIO  VANINI:  HIS  LIFE  AND  PHILOSOPHY. 


potent,  and  if  He  is  willing  that  all  should  be 
saved,  so  many — according  to  the  Christian 
scheme  of  salvation — will  perish  ?  Must  not 
the  power  of  the  devil  be  greater  than  that  of 
God  ?  It  was  against  the  will  of  God  that 
Adam  and  Eve  fell,  and  lost  all  mankind. 
The  devil  wills  that  all  should  be  damned, 
and  there  are  an  innumerable  many.  Amongst 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  the  Roman 
Catholics  alone  can  be  saved.  If  from  these 
are  subtracted  hidden  heretics  and  Jews, 
atheists,  blasphemers,  adulterers,  none  of 
whom  shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God, 
scarce  shall  one  be  saved  in  a  million.  In 
like  manner,  under  the  law  of  Moses,  all  the 
universe  was  under  the  power  of  the  devil — 
the  Hebrews  only  excepted,  that  adored  the 
true  God,  and  who  were  the  inhabitants  of 
a  small  tract,  not  exceeding  the  extent  of  the 
island  of  Great  Britain ;  yet  these  also  often 
forsook  His  worship,  and  became  victims  to 
the  power  of  the  devil. 

The  conclusion  of  the  Dialogues  is  prin- 
cipally occupied  with  a  somewhat  melancholy 
description  of  the  uncertainty  of  human  life, 
and  the  transitory  nature  of  earthly  fame  and 
glory;  Alexander  endeavouring  to  comfort 
Julius  Caesar  by  reminding  him  of  the  very 
great  reputation  he  had  already  attained  at 
his  still  early  age,  and  by  insisting  that  inves- 
tigation into  the  secrets  of  Nature  must  be  a 
supreme  delight  in  itself. 

Notwithstanding  Vanini's  submission  of  his 
works  to  the  authority  of  the  Church,  and 
that  he  had  been  wary  enough  to  couch  his 
Dialogues  in  the  necessarily  ambiguous  form 
of  question  and  answer,  they  no  sooner  be- 
came generally  known  than  they  began  to 
draw  upon  their  author  the  gravest  suspicion 
of  heresy.  Vanini  fled  from  Paris  and  took 
refuge  in  Toulouse,  where  he  lived  for  a  few 
months  in  comparative  retirement,  under  the 
name  of  Sieur  Lucilio,  surrounded,  however, 
by  a  band  of  enthusiastic  young  disciples. 

He  could  not  have  chosen  a  more  unfortu- 
nate place  of  refuge  than  the  city  of  Tou- 
louse. Neither  Paris  nor  any  city  in  Italy 
was  so  rampant  against  heresy  as  Toulouse. 
The  mere  fact  that  there  was  a  young  teacher 
of  philosophy  living  very  quietly  was  enough 
to  excite  the  suspicion  of  the  bigoted  inhabi- 
tants ;  and  when  it  was  found  that  he  was 
none  other  than  the  author  of  the  now  too 


notorious  Amphitheatre  and  Dialogues  upon 
the  Secrets  of  Nature,  the  agitation  became 
extreme.  Yet  upon  investigation  nothing 
could  be  brought  home  to  him.  Had  not  the 
whole  of  his  works  been  submitted  to  the 
Sorbonne?  and  were  not  the  Amphitheatre 
and  Dialogues  marked  with  the  especial  ap- 
proval of  that  body  ? 

At  last  a  man  of  wealth  and  social  stand- 
ing, called  Franconi,  and  who  had  probably 
introduced  himself  to  Vanini  ostensibly  as 
desirous  of  becoming  his  pupil,  while  in 
reality  anxious  to  entrap  him  in  his  words, 
came  forward  and  affirmed  that  the  writings 
of  Vanini  were  innocent  compared  with  his 
conversation. 

Such  an  affirmation  was  more  than  suffi- 
cient to  justify  an  arrest  in  Toulouse !  A 
trial  was  therefore  prepared,  the  Court  sitting 
in  solemn  conclave,  the  accuser  awaiting 
gloomily  the  appearance  of  the  accused. 

At  length  he  enters ;  a  young  man  in 
years  —  having  barely  attained  his  thirty- 
fourth  year,  though  somewhat  older  in  ap- 
pearance— of  benignant  aspect  and  thought- 
ful appearance.  He  makes  his  way  to  the 
place  of  accusation,  bows  respectfully  to 
those  assembled,  and  accepts  a  seat  pointed 
out  to  him.  Then  the  all-important  question 
is  asked  :  What  are  your  opinions  concerning 
the  nature  of  a  God?  He  answers  calmly 
and  earnestly  :  "  Nature  evidently  demon- 
strates to  me  the  existence  of  a  God ;  nay, 
with  our  Holy  Church  I  adore  a  God  in 
Three  Persons." 

There  is  silence  for  a  few  moments ;  then 
Vanini,  perceiving  a  straw  lying  at  his  feet, 
stoops  to  pick  it  up  ;  and,  after  a  slight  pause, 
stretches  forth  his  hand  with  the  straw  in  it, 
and  says  : 

"  This  straw  obliges  me  to  confess  that 
there  is  a  God.  The  grain  being  cast  into 
the  earth  appears  at  first  to  be  destroyed  and 
whitens ;  then  it  becomes  green,  and  shoots 
forth  out  of  the  earth,  insensibly  growing. 
The  dew  assists  its  springing  up,  and  the  rain 
gives  it  yet  a  greater  strength.  It  is  furnished 
with  ears,  of  which  the  points  keep  off  the 
birds.  The  stalk  rises  and  is  covered  with 
leaves;  it  becomes  yellow,  and  rises  higher. 
A  little  later  it  withers  until  it  dies.  It  is 
thrashed  ;  and  the  straw  being  separated  from 
the  corn,  this  latter  serves  for  the  nourish- 


LUCILIO   VANINI:  HIS  LIFE  AND  PHILOSOPHY. 


195 


ment  of  men,  and  the  former  is  given  to 
animals  created  for  man's  use." 

Vanini  pauses  for  a  brief  space  as  he  lays 
down  the  straw,  and  then  continues  : 

"  From  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  this 
straw,  I  conclude  it  must  have  had  an  author; 
and  if  God  be  the  author  of  the  straw,  so 
likewise  do  I  infer  that  He  must  be  the  author 
of  all  things." 

Then  some  one  present — probably Franconi 
— seeking  to  entrap  him  into  some  unsafe 
answer,  suggests:  "Why  should  the  existence 
of  a  straw  lead  you  to  infer  that  its  author 
must  be  God  ?  Is  not  Nature  herself  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  the  production  of  all 
natural  objects  ?" 

Vanini  again  stoops  to  pick  up  the  straw, 
and  answers  : 

"  If  Nature  hath  produced  this  grain,  who 
hath  produced  that  grain  which  preceded 
this  ?  If  that  also  be  produced  by  Nature, 
let  us  consider  its  foregoer,  and  thus  go  to 
the  very  first,  which  must  necessarily  have 
been  created,  since  there  can  be  imagined  no 
other  cause  for  its  production." 

Few  other  questions  are  asked  him.  But 
it  matters  little  that  his  accusers  have  been 
unable  to  entrap  him  into  any  self-condemna- 
tory answers.  His  death  had  been  predeter- 
mined by  them,  and  they  declare  that  his 
confession  of  a  God  had  been  wrung  from 
him  through  fear  and  caution,  not  from  con- 
viction. He  is  commanded  to  kneel,  and 
then  his  sentence  is  pronounced  :  "  In  thy 
shirt,  with  a  torch  in  thy  hand,  shalt  thou 
make  honorary  atonement  for  thy  sins ;  after 
which  thou  shalt  be  drawn  upon  a  hurdle  to 
the  place  of  execution,  where,  thy  tongue 
being  cut  out,  thou  shalt  be  burnt  alive." 

Vanini  listens  quietly  while  his  sentence  is 
pronounced,  and  at  its  conclusion  bows  his 
head,  murmuring  half  to  himself,  "  I  die  as  a 
philosopher." 

Two  slightly  differing  accounts  of  Vanini's 
execution  have  come  down  to  us.  They  are 
both  by  contemporaries  ;  but  as  they  are  both 
written  by  men  who  hated  him,  and  who  fully 
acquiesced  in  the  justice  of  his  sentence,  their 
descriptions  must  be  taken  only  for  what  they 
are  worth. 

The  first  and  most  bitter  is  by  Gramond, 
who,  after  fully  relating  the  details  of  his 
trial,  proceeds  thus  :* 

*  Hisforiarum  Callia,  Book  III.,  pp.  209,  210. 


"  Notwithstanding,  as  the  proofs  against 
him  were  convincing,  he  was,  by  arrest  of 
Parliament,  condemned  to  die,  after  they  had 
passed  a  whole  six  months  in  preparing 
things  for  a  hearing.  I  saw  him  in  the  dung- 
cart  when  he  was  carried  to  execution,  making 
sport  of  a  friar,  who  was  allowed  him,  in 
order  to  comfort  and  reclaim  him  from  his 
obstinacy.  Such  momentary  assistance  is  of 
little  use  to  a  desperate  man.  It  would  be 
better  to  allow  these  criminals,  condemned 
to  die,  a  sufficient  interval  to  the  end  that 
they  might  have  time  to  know  themselves 
and  repent,  after  having  thrown  forth  all  their 
rage  and  indignation.  In  France,  they  at 
once  declare  sentence  of  death  to  a  criminal, 
and  amidst  the  horror  which  the  dread  of  the 
execution  causes  they  carry  him  to  it.  In 
Spain,  and  all  the  rest  of  Europe,  their  method 
is  much  preferable.  They  allow  criminals 
time  sufficient  to  appease  the  horrors  of  death 
and  expiate  their  crimes  by  penitence  and 
confession.  Vanini,  wild  and  obstinate,  re- 
fused the  consolation  of  the  friar  accom- 
panying him,  and  insulted  even  our  Saviour 
in  these  words  :  *  He  sweated  with  weakness 
and  fear  in  going  to  suffer  deaths  and  I  die 
undaunted.^  This  villain  had  no  reason  to 
say  he  died  fearless.  I  beheld  him  entirely 
dejected,  and  making  a  very  ill  use  of  that 
philosophy  he  so  much  boasted  of  Being 
ready  to  be  executed,  he  had  a  horrible  and 
most  wild  aspect.  His  mind  uneasy,  and 
testifying  in  all  his  words  great  anxiety, 
although  from  time  to  time  he  cried  out  he 
died  a  philosopher.  But  that  he  departed 
rather  like  a  brute  cannot  be  denied.  Before 
they  set  fire  to  the  wood-pile,  he  was  ordered 
to  put  his  tongue  out  to  be  cut  off,  which  he 
refused  to  do ;  nor  could  the  hangman  take 
hold  of  it  but  with  pincers  in  order  to  per- 
form the  execution.  There  was  never  heard 
a  more  dreadful  screech  than  he  gave  then. 
You  would  have  taken  it  for  the  bellowing  of 
an  ox.  The  rest  of  his  body  was  consumed 
by  fire,  and  his  ashes  thrown  into  the  air. 

"  Such  was  the  end  of  Lucilio  Vanini. 
That  beastly  scream  (cri  de  bete)  he  gave 
before  his  death,  is  a  proof  of  his  small  share 
of  constancy.  I  saw  him  in  prison,  I  saw 
him  at  the  gallows,  and  likewise  knew  him 
before  he  was  arrested.  Given  up  to  his 
passions,  he  wallowed  in  voluptuousness  ;  in 
prison  he  was  a  Catholic.   He  went  to  execu- 


196 


LUCILIO  VANINI:  HIS  LIFE  AND  PHILOSOPHY. 


tion  destitute  of  philosophy,  and  at  last  ended 
his  life  raving  mad.  When  living,  he  searched 
very  much  into  the  secrets  of  Nature,  and 
rather  professed  physic  than  divinity,  though 
he  loved  the  title  of  Divine.  When  they 
seized  his  goods,  there  was  found  a  great 
toad,  alive,  shut  up  in  a  large  crystal  bottle 
full  of  water;  upon  which  he  was  accused  of 
witchcraft ;  but  he  answered  that  that  animal 
being  consumed  by  fire,  was  a  sure  antidote 
against  all  pestilential  diseases.  He  often 
went  to  the  Sacraments  during  his  imprison- 
ment, and  cunningly  dissembled  his  inward 
sentiments.  But  when  he  found  there  was 
no  hope  of  escaping  he  disclosed  them,  and 
died  as  he  had  lived." 

The  French  Mercury  differs  somewhat  in 
its  account  of  the  scene,  especially  as  regards 
the  behaviour  of  Vanini  :* 

"  He  died  as  freely  and  with  as  much  con- 
stancy and  patience  as  ever  man  did.  For 
coming  out  of  the  prison  he  joyfully  and 
briskly  uttered  these  words  in  Italian  :  '  Let 
me  go  and  die  cheerfully  as  a  philosopher.' 
But,  moreover,  to  show  his  undauntedness  in 
dying  and  the  despair  of  his  soul,  when  he 
was  told  to  call  out  to  God  for  mercy,  he 
spake  these  words  in  the  presence  of  a  thou- 
sand spectators  :  '  There  is  neither  God  nor 
Devil ;  for  were  there  a  God  I  would  entreat 
him  to  consume  this  Parliament  with  his 
thunder  as  being  altogether  unjust  and 
wicked ;  and  were  there  a  Devil  I  would  also 
pray  him  to  swallow  it  up  in  some  subter- 
ranean place.  But  since  there  is  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other  I  cannot  do  it' "  f 

So  died  Lucilio  Vanini ;  leaving  behind 
him  but  a  very  few  disciples,  not  one  of 
them,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  having  done 
anything  to  make  himself  remembered.  And 
the  cause  is  not  far  to  seek.  Vanini  was  the 
founder  of  no  system.  He  was  a  seeker 
after  truth ;  no  one  could  justly  call  him  a 
discoverer. 

What  part  then  does  Vanini  represent  in 

*  Le  Mercure  Francois,  pp.  63,  64,  anno  1619. 

t  This  account  of  Vanini's  life  and  death  is  neces- 
sarily somewhat  similar  to  that  I  have  given  in  the 
chapter  devoted  to  Vanini  in  the  first  volume  of  my 
History  cj Panthcisvi  (Triibner  and  Co.)  ;  and  is  from 
a  French  work  entitled  La  Vie  ct  Ic?  Seiitimenis  de 
Lucilio  Vanini,  A  Rotterdam.  Aiui:  Depensde  Caspar 
Frit  sell.  1717.  But  I  have  also  consulted  the  Latin 
work  of  Gramond. 


that  great  chain  of  thought  to  which  I  alluded 
in  the  beginning  of  this  paper  ?  He  was  a 
martyr  to  that  spirit  of  Rationalism  which  is 
the  presiding  genius  of  true  philosophy,  as  it 
is  the  unflinching  antagonist  of  superstition. 
He  was  a  martyr  to  that  spirit  which  insists 
upon  knowing  the  why  and  wherefore  of  a 
doctrine  before  accepting  it ;  which  will  take 
nothing  for  granted ;  which  looks  upon  doubt 
as  an  imperious  duty,  and  credulity  as  a  fatal 
sin.  True,  his  reasons  are  for  the  most  part 
merely  crude  guesses.  But  in  the  century  in 
which  he  lived  it  was  an  immense  step 
gained  to  have  the  courage  to  make  a  guess 
at  all. 

We,  the  heirs  and  reapers  of  the  fruits  of 
that  rationalizing  spirit  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  martyrs,  can  hardly  realize  what  we  owe 
to  it  until  we  compare  the  civilized  world  as 
it  is  now,  when  it  is  partly  governed  by 
reason,  with  what  it  was  then,  when  it  was 
wholly  governed  by  superstition.  Look  at 
the  subject  of  medicine  alone.  Before  the 
age  of  reason  men  were  taught  that  cures 
must  be  effected  by  relics  of  martyrs  and 
bones  of  saints,  by  prayers  and  intercessions, 
and  that  each  region  of  the  body  was  under 
some  spiritual  charge — the  first  joint  of  the 
right  thumb  being  in  the  care  of  God  the 
Father,  the  second  under  the  blessed  Virgin. 
For  each  disease  there  was  a  saint.  A  man 
with  sore  eyes  must  invoke  St.  Clara,  but  if 
he  had  an  inflammation  elsewhere  he  must 
turn  to  St.  Anthony.  An  ague  would  demand 
the  assistance  of  St.  Pernel.*  Think,  too,  of 
the  number  of  innocent  women  who  were 
burnt  alive  as  witches  because  they  suffered 
from  hysteria  or  excitability  of  nerve.  Again, 
how  could  the  science  of  astronomy  be  cul- 
tivated when  the  appearance  of  a  comet  was 
looked  upon  as  a  sign  of  God's  wrath,  to  be 
dealt  with  by  prayers  and  penitential  psalms? 
Well,  Vanini  was  a  martyr  to  that  iconoclastic 
spirit  which  refuses  any  participation  in|the 
sanctification  of  ignorance.  Rather  than  bow 
down  before  her  shrine  he  will  risk  his  life. 
Take  up  any  of  his  dialogues — where  you 
will— on  bees,  on  fishes,  on  the  origin  of 
man,  on  the  monstrosities  that  occur  in 
nature,  and  you  will  find  that  crude  and  in 
many  ways  erroneous  as  are  his  speculations, 

*  Draper's  Intellectual   Development    of  Europe, 
vol.  ii.,  p.  122. 


GARTER  BRASSES. 


197 


each  of  them  testifies  to  his  belief  that  all 
these  objects  have  a  natural  rather  than  a 
supernatural  interpretation.  He  cleared  the 
ground,  so  to  speak,  of  dust  and  rubbish, 
leaving  abler  men  than  himself  to  erect  a 
lasting  edifice. 

This  is  the  office  that  Vanini  fills  in  the 
history  of  thought — an  office  so  useful  and 
necessary  that  on  this  the  tercentenary  of  his 
birth  I  trust  the  time  devoted  to  him  here 
will  be  considered  not  wholly  wasted. 


(barter  'Brasses. 


By  John  Alt  Porter. 


Iks  rbcrtxr  t. ! 

(From  the  tomb  of  Henry  Bourchier,  K.G.,  Earl  of 

Essex,  1483.) 

[HE  number  of  brasses  in  England 
bearing  the  insignia  of  the  Order 
of  the  Garter  appears  to  be  some- 
what uncertain.  It  has  been  stated, 
on  the  authority  of  Haines,  that  there  are 
only  five.  A  correspondent  in  Notes  afid 
Queries  for  January  23rd  last,  gives  but  four. 
He  has  made  a  mistake,  however,  for  one  of 
these  (Lady  Harcourt,  a.d.  147 i,  Stanton 
Harcourt,  Oxfordshire)  is  a  recumbent  figure 
of  stone.     The  five  brasses  are  as  follows  : 

1.  Sir  Peter  Courtenay,  1409,  Exeter 
Cathedral. 

2.  Sir  Simon  Felbrigge,  14 16,  Felbrigg, 
Norfolk. 

3.  Sir  Thomas  Camoys,  1424,  Trotlon, 
Sussex. 

4.  Henry  Bourchier,  Earl  of  Essex,  1483, 
Little  Easton,  Essex. 

5.  Sir  Thomas  BuUen,  1538,  "Erie  of 
Wilscher  and  Erie  of  Ormunde,"  Hever, 
Kent. 

An  endeavour  shall  now  be  made  to 
describe  each  of  these  in  order. 

The  first  is  that  of  Sir  Peter  Courtenav 
(a.d.  1 409),  much  defaced,  in  Exeter  Cathedral. 
Of  this  knight,  Mr.  George  Frederick  Beltz, 
K.H.,  has  written  very  fully  in  his  Memorials  of 
the  Garter.  Courtenay's/A/Zr,  in  St.  George's 
Chapel,  at  Windsor,  is  one  of  the  most  ancient 


relics  connected  with  the  Order.  It  is  square, 
without  any  inscription,  and  bears  the  arms 
of  Courtenay,  affixed  to  the  fifth  stall  on  the 
Prince's  side.  Sir  Peter  was  the  fifth  son  of 
Hugh,  the  second  Earl  of  Devon,  by  Mar- 
garet Bohun ;  and  a  younger  brother  of  Sir 
Hugh  Courtenay,  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Garter.  He  received  knighthood  from  the 
Black  Prince,  at  Vittoria,  in  1367,  and 
appears  to  have  added  to  the  lustre  of  his 
birth  ardent  and  romantic  devotion  to  chival- 
rous exercises,  martial  skill,  and  undaunted 
valour.  He  died  unmarried  2nd  February, 
1404-5,  leaving  his  nephew,  Edward,  third 
Earl  of  Devon,  his  heir.  His  coat  of  arms 
were  gules,  three  torteaux ;  over  all  a  label  of 
three  points  azure,  each  charged  with  three 
annulets. 

Courtenay  was  interred  in  Exeter  Cathe- 
dral near  the  tomb  of  his  father,  the  Earl  of 
Devonshire.  His  gravestone,  according  to 
Cleaveland,  was  richly  inlaid  with  gilded 
brass,  containing  his  portraiture.  There  can 
still  be  traced  the  bascinet,  helm,  camail, 
epaulieres,  coudi^res,  taces,  haubergeon, 
sword,  sword-belt,  misericorde,  garter,  spur- 
straps,  and  soUerets  of  plate.  A  canopy 
rises  from  the  base  of  the  border  legend, 
between  two  shields,  one  bearing  the  arms  of 
Courtenay,  the  other  Courtenay  impaling 
Bohun.  Round  all  is  the  inscription,  with 
eight  beautiful  foils  at  the  corners  and  sides. 
Those  at  the  corners  were  the  largest.  The 
two  which  yet  remain  show  an  eagle,  or 
a  hawk,  preying  on  some  smaller  bird.  The 
others  contained  shields,  one  of  which  is  pre- 
served :  Courtenay  impaling  Bohun. 

The  epitaph,  as  much  as  remained  of  it  in 
the  year  1735,  ran  thus  : 

►J-  Devonie  natus  comes  petrusq'  vocatus 
Regis  cognatus  camerarius  intitulatus 
Calesie  gratus  capitaneus  ense  probatus 
Vite  privatus  fuit  hinc  super  astra  relatus, 
Et  qua  sublatus  de  mundo  transit  amatus 
Celo  firmatus  maneat  sine  fine  beatus. 

The  Earl  of  Devonshire's  son,  Peter  by  name, 
Kin  to  the  King,  Lord  Chamberlain  of  fame, 
Captain  of  Calais,  for  arms  well  approved, 
who  dying  was  above  the  stars  removed  ; 
And  well  beloved  went  from  the  world  away 
To  lead  a  blessed  Life  in  Heaven  for  Aye. 

In  Felbrigg  Church,  Norfolk,  is  the  famous 
brass  of  Sir  Simon  Felbrigge,  which  was 
placed  by  his  own  order,  and  in  his  life- 
time, upon  the  death  of  Margaret,  his  first 


198 


GARTER  BRASSES. 


wife.  He  intended  to  be  buried  by  her  side, 
but  afterwards  changed  his  mind,  and 
directed  to  be  interred  in  the  church  of  the 
Friars'  Preachers,  at  Norwich,  in  1442.  The 
Felbrigge  brass  displays  the  knight  in  com- 
plete plate-armour.  The  helmet  is  rather 
round  at  the  top,  and  the  emerases,  or  gon- 
fannons,  are  charged  with  a  plain  cross  of 
St.  George.  The  elbow  pieces  are  in  escallop 
form,  a  long  sword  is  at  Sir  Simon's  left,  and 
at  his  right  is  a  short  dagger,  embossed  and 
gilt,  as  are  his  spurs.  A  skirt,  or  fringe  of 
mail,  appears  beneath  the  lowermost  of  the 
traces.  Round  his  left  leg  is  the  Garter,  with 
motto,  the  first  example  of  it  in  Norfolk. 
The  right  arm  supports  a  banner,  or  pennon, 
having  thereon  the  arms  borne  by  Richard 
II.  in  the  latter  part  of  his  reign — the  cross 
patonce  between  five  martlets  impaling  quar- 
terly semi-de-lis,  and  three  lions  passant 
guardant  France  and  England.  In  a  shield 
above  the  canopy  on  the  knight's  side  the 
same  arms  are  repeated,  as  they  are  on  the 
opposite  side  also,  but  impaling  quarterly 
I  and  4  the  arms  of  the  empire,  a  spread 
eagle  with  two  heads  crowned,  2  and  3  the 
kingdom  of  Bohemia,  a  lion  rampant  queue 
fourch^e,  being  the  arms  of  Anne,  Richard's 
queen.  The  second  and  third  quarters  are 
now  blank  in  the  plate,  but  are  thus  given  by 
Anstis  and  Blomefield.  Suspended  from  the 
middle  quarter  is  Felbrig,  or,  a  lion  salient 
gules.  Hugh  Bigot,  Earl  of  Norfolk,  who 
married  Maud  Mareschall,  bore  on  one  side 
of  his  seal  himself  in  complete  armour  on 
horseback,  and  on  the  other  side  a  lion 
saliant ;  the  field  was  parti  per  pale,  or  and 
vert,  and  the  lion  gules:  so  that  the  Felbriggs, 
as  descended  from  him,  varied  only  (as  was 
customary)  the  field,  but  retained  the  lion. 
This  lion  saliant  impales  a  spread  eagle,  the 
arms  of  his  lady :  below  on  each  side  is  a 
fetterlock,  Blomefield  says  "garters."  This 
badge  was  used  also  by  Edward  IV.  and  the 
house  of  York.  His  supporters  are  not  here, 
but  are  said  to  have  been  two  lions,  and  his 
crest  a  plume  of  ostrich  feathers  ermined.  On 
the  corbel  between  the  arches  of  the  canopy 
is  a  white  hart  lodged,  which  should  have 
been  gorged  with  a  coronet  and  chain  or, 
the  device,  or  badge,  and  also  the  supporter 
of  Richard  II.  To  this  King  in  1395  Sir 
Simon  Felbrigg  was  appointed  standard- 
bearer  (an  office  formerly  granted  to  persons 


of  none  but  tried  courage  and  known 
military  talents,  and  endowed  with  great  per- 
sonal strength),  in  memory  of  which  the 
royal  standard  is  represented  on  the  monu- 
ment. In  the  first  year  of  Henry  V.  he  re- 
ceived the  robes  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter, 
and  in  the  register  of  the  Garter,  1423,  he  is 
styled  senior,  and  the  year  following  ordinis 
maxime  senex.  He  died  1443.  His  first 
wife  was  Margaret,  daughter  of  Primislaus, 
Duke  of  Teschen,  nephew  to  Wenceslaus  V., 
King  of  Bohemia,  and  consequently  a  near 
kinswoman  of  Anne,  Queen  of  Richard  II., 
to  whom  she  was  maid  of  honour.  She  died 
in  141 6  (Blomefield),  and  her  figure  is  repre- 
sented on  the  stone  with  her  husband's  at 
Felbrigg.  His  second  was  Katherine, 
daughter  of  Ansketill  Malory,  Esq.,  of  Win- 
wick,  and  relict  of  Ralph  Grene,  of  Draiton. 
She  died  in  1459  (1444,  Blomefield),  and 
was  buried  by  her  husband  at  Norwich. 

The  inscription  at  the  foot  of  the  Felbrigg 
brass  runs  thus : 

"Hie  jacentSymonFelbrygge miles  quonda 
vexillari'  illustrissimi  dm  [regis  Ricardi  sediqui 
obiit  ]  die  mensis  Anno  dni  mcccc[  ] 
et  d'n'a  margareta  quonda  consors  sua  nocione 
[et  generosa  sanguine  boemaj  ac  olim  domi- 
cella  nobillissime  dni  d'n'e  Anne  quondam 
Anglie  regine  que  obiit  xxvii  die  Junii  A'd'ni 
Mcccc  [xiii  Quor  aiabs  ppiciet  deus.  Amen]." 

We  come  next  to  the  Camoys  monument 
at  Trotton,  Sussex.  This  is  in  a  good  state 
of  preservation.  About  the  year  1400  Eord 
Camoys  rebuilt,  and  probably  much  en- 
larged, Trotton  Church.  His  large  table 
tomb  stands  about  three  feet  from  the  floor, 
and  measures  nine  feet  six  inches  by  four 
feet  six.  It  is  of  one  entire  slab  of  Petworth 
marble.  The  whole  surface  is  inlaid  with 
portraits,  inscriptions,  and  arcades,  profusely 
decorated  and  composed  of  brass  plate, 
having  the  outlines  engraved.  The  baron  is 
in  a  suit  of  plate  armour,  cap-ct-pie,  with  collar 
of  SS.,  and  the  Garter  buckled  on  the  left 
knee.  This  brass  exhibits  a  fan-shaped  con- 
di^re ;  and  another  peculiarity  is  that,  at 
the  right-hand  base  of  the  canopy,  is  the 
letter  N  reversed,  for  the  artist's  mark.  His 
lady,  who  is  on  his  right  side,  he  holds  by 
the  hand.  She  also  wears  the  SS.  collar. 
Her  attire  is  that  of  the  "  sideless  cote 
hardi"  of  the  time.  The  cincture  of  an 
under  tunic  may  be  distinguished,  with  a 


GARTER  BRASSES. 


199 


flowing  robe,  and  an  elaborate  reticulated 
headdress.  She  was  living  in  141 8,  so  that 
she  may  probably  have  survived  her  second 
husband  also.  The  arms  on  the  tomb  are  : 
I.  Camois  within  the  Garter;  2.  Camois  im- 
paling Mortimer,  and  the  inscription  : 

"  Orate  pro  animabus  Thomse  Camoys,  et 
Elizabethae,  ejus  consortis ;  qui  quondam  erat 
Dominus  de  Camoys,  Baro,  et  prudens  consul 
Regis  et  Regni  Angliae;  ac  strenuus  Miles 
de  Garterio ;  suum  finem  commendavit  in 
Christo,  xxviii  die  mensis  Marcii  A.  D'ni 
M.  cccc.  xix  quorum  animabus  propicietur 
Deus.     Amen," 

Henry  Bourchier,  created  first  Earl  of 
Essex  at  the  coronation  of  Edward  IV.  in 
1 46 1,  is  buried  with  Isabel  Plantagenet,  his 
wife,  aunt  of  Edward  IV.,  in  the  Bourchier 
chapel  of  the  church  of  Little  Easton,  Essex. 
The  Earl  was  born  in  1404.  He  received 
the  Garter  31  Henry  VI.,  1452,  after  along 
royal  service.  In  38  Henry  VI.  he  was  with 
the  Earls  of  March  and  Warwick  at  the  battle 
of  Northampton,  wherein  Henry  VI.  was  de- 
feated. For  this  attachment  to  his  interests 
Edward  IV.  constituted  him  Lord  Treasurer. 
He  took  part  in  the  Barnet  fight  on  the 
morning  of  Easter  Day,  147 1,  when  his  second 
son,  Humphrey,  Lord  Cromwell,  was  slain. 
The  Earl's  monument  at  Little  Easton  is  of 
ornamented  Gothic.  There  are  three  arches 
on  each  side,  and  one  at  each  end.  These 
are  supported  by  clustered  columns,  with  ring 
capitals  resting  on  the  altar-tomb  below,  and 
sided  by  a  longer  arch  at  the  head  and  feet, 
the  whole  surmounted  by  a  cornice  of  oak 
leaves.  In  the  spandrils  of  the  three  centre 
arches  on  one  side  are  the  words,  "  ths 
cberto  b,"  and  on  the  other,  "  ihs  aie  |Jite." 
The  fetterlock  of  the  house  of  York  is 
sprinkled  over  other  parts,  as  also  on  the 
slab  of  the  tomb,  where  the  brassless  cavities 
retain  its  form,  and  that  of  the  Bourchier 
knot,  and  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter. 

The  Earl's  figure  is  habited  in  the  Garter 
and  mantle  of  the  Order,  with  the  device  and 
motto  on  his  left  shoulder.  His  head,  bare, 
reclines  on  a  helmet  surmounted  by  the 
Bourchier  crest,  a  blackmoor's  head  with  a 
cap  antique  gules.  Under  his  mantle  he 
wears  a  complete  suit  of  armour,  with  collar 
of  suns  and  roses,  the  Edwardian  badge ;  a 
gorget  of  mail  and  a  long  sword  is  thrown 
across   his   left   thigh.      At   his    feet   is   an 


eagle,  a  family  cognizance  from  the  time  of 
Richard  II.  The  figures  of  himself  and  wife 
are  richly  enamelled.  It  is  stated  that  in 
21  Edward  IV.  this  Earl  obtained  leave  to 
found  a  guild  in  the  Lady  Chapel  of  Ulting 
Church,  CO.  Essex.  He  died  4  April,  1483. 
Dugdale  and  Morant  say  that  he  was  buried 
in  the  chapel  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  at  Bilegh, 
near  Maiden,  but  this  is  an  error.  He  was 
interred  at  Little  Easton,  of  which  he  owned 
the  manor.  His  wife  survived  him  two  years, 
and  died  October  2nd,  2  Rich.  III.  The  in- 
scription on  the  ledges  of  the  tomb  has  been 
torn  away,  as  have  also  the  shields,  in  quatre- 
foils  at  the  sides,  and  from  the  wall  of  the 
arches  at  each  end. 

In  the  north  chancel  of  Hever  Church,  in 
Kent,  on  an  altar-tomb  of  black  marble,  is  the 
Garter  brass  of  Sir  Thomas  Boleyn  : 

"  Here  lieth  Sir  Thomas  Bullen,  knight  of 
the  Order  of  the  Garter,  erle  of  VVilscher,  and 
erle  of  Ormunde,  wiche  decessed  the  1 2  dai 
of  Marche,  in  the  jere  of  our  Lord  1538."^ 

The  peculiar  orthography  of  this  inscrip- 
tion betokens  the  hand  of  a  workman  igno- 
rant of  the  language.  It  is  in  Roman  capitals, 
which  took  the  place  of  the  old  letters  towards 
the  end  of  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.  The 
brass  is  thought  to  have  been  executed  abroad, 
probably  in  Belgium.  The  knight  whom  it 
commemorates  was  the  father  of  Henry 
VIII. 's  ill-fated  Queen,  Anne  Boleyn.  He 
is  dressed  in  the  full  insignia  of  the  Order  of 
the  Garter.  At  his  feet  is  a  griffin;  a  jewelled 
coronet  is  on  his  head,  which  rests  upon  a 
helmet  having  for  crest  a  demi-eagle  dis- 
played, issuing  from  a  plume  of  feathers. 


£Dn  0ome  Miniature  Painters 
ann  aBnamellists  to6o  6at)e 
floutisben  \xi  OBnglanD, 

By  J.  J.  Foster. 

Part  II. 

EFORE  leaving  Nicholas  HiUiard, 
I  may  reiterate  Walpole's  salutary 
caution  that  not  every  old  picture 
is  by  Holbein,  nor  every  old  minia- 
ture by  Hilliard  or  Oliver.  In  the  Anecdotes 
of  Painting  a   passage   is   quoted  from  the 


200 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


second  part  of  Meres'  Wifs  Commonwealth 
(published  1598)  to  show  that  there  were 
many  artists  of  reputation  in  their  own  time, 
some  of  whom  are  hardly  known  now  even 
by  name.  Amongst  these  are  the  two  Bettes, 
Thomas  and  John.  Both  were  pupils  of  Mil- 
liard, but  very  little  of  their  work  has  been 
identified :  so  that  in  the  large  collection 
shown  at  South  Kensington  in  1865  not  a 
single  example  is  ascribed  to  them.  But  in 
the  Winter  Exhibition  of  the  Royal  Academy 
in  1879,  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  sent  portraits 
of  Catherine  de  Balzac,  Duchess  of  Lennox, 
of  a  Queen  Elizabeth,  by  John  Bettes; 
also  one  of  Thos.  Egerton,  Lord  Ellesmere 
(Lord  Chancellor,  1603),  by  Thomas  Bettes. 
And  Dr.  Propert  is  the  fortunate  possessor  of 
a  miniature  of  John  Digby,  Earl  of  Bristol, 
signed  T.B., — Thomas  Bettes. 

To  a  foreigner,  Clouet  or  Janet,  who 
worked  at  this  period,  we  owe  many  good 
miniatures,  for  the  most  part  painted  in  oils, 
among  them  one  of  surpassing  interest,  which 
in  thus  described  in  Vander  Doort's  Cata- 
logue of  Charles  the  Firsfs  Cabinet. 

"No.  23  item.  Done  upon  the  right 
light,  the  second  picture  of  Queen  Mary  of 
Scotland,  upon  a  blue-grounded  square  card, 
dressed  in  her  hair,  in  a  carnation  habit  laced 
with  small  gold  lace,  and  a  string  of  pearls 
about  her  neck  in  a  Httle  plain  falling  band, 
she  pulling  on  her  second  finger  her  wedding- 
ring.  Supposed  to  be  done  by  Jennet,  a 
French  Umner." 

The  present  keeper  of  the  Royal  Library 
claims  for  this  portrait  *'  an  authenticity 
without  a  shadow  of  doubt,"  and  accepts  it  as 
•'  a  standard  authority  on  the  vexed  ques- 
tion of  the  true  features  of  the  beautiful 
Queen."  Janet  also  painted  Francis  II., 
Mary's  first  husband.  Both  these  were  lent 
to  the  Academy  in  1879. 

Another  miniature  painter  who  must  not 
be  overlooked  is  John  Shute,  or  Shoote,  as 
Llilliard  calls  him.  He  was  born  at  Col- 
lumpton,  Devon,  and  is  reputed  to  have 
practised  the  art  before  Hilliard.  In  1550 
he  was  sent  into  Italy  by  the  Duke  of  North- 
umberland, studied  architecture  at  Rome, 
and  left  one  or  two  works  on  the  subject ; 
but  of  his  paintings  I  am  unable  to  trace  a 
single  example — probably  they  have  all  been 
ascribed  to  Hilliard. 


We  now  come  to  a  distinguished  name  in 
the  history  of  miniature  painting  in  England, 
viz.,  that  of  Oliver  or  Olivier,  as  the  elder 
artist  signed  his  drawings.  Witness  the 
superb  full  length  of  Richard  Sackville,  Earl 
of  Dorset,  clad  in  Damascened  armour,  and 
now  in  the  Jones  collection.  This  fine 
example  from  the  Bale  collection,  which  was 
sold  at  Christies'  in  1880  for  jQts^^  ^"^^  for 
which  the  owner  refused  ;^i,ooo,  is  signed 
Isaac  OUivierus,  fecit,  dated  161 6. 

There  were  two  Olivers,  Isaac,  the  father, 
and  Peter,  his  eldest  son  and  pupil.  Lord 
Orford  says,  apropos  of  Isaac,  he  could  find 
no  account  of  the  origin  of  the  family,  which 
is  often  supposed  to  have  been  of  French 
extraction  ;  he  adds  :  "  This  is  of  no  import- 
ance :  he  was  a  genius,  and  they  {sic)  transmit 
more  honour  by  blood  than  they  can  receive." 
Nichols,  in  his  History  of  Leicestershire^ 
quotes  an  authority  which  relates  that  the 
family  held  lands  at  East  Norton  in  that 
county. 

The  careers  of  these  two  distinguished 
artists  extend  over  more  than  a  century. 
Isaac  was  born  in  those  dark  days  when 
Latimer  and  Ridley  "lit  the  candle  which,  by 
God's  grace,  in  England,  shall  never  be  put 
out :"  to  be  precise,  in  the  very  year  (1556) 
Cranmer  was  brought  to  the  stake. 

He  died  in  16 17,  the  date  of  Raleigh's 
execution,  at  his  house  in  Blackfriars,  a  year 
after  Shakespeare.  What  would  we  not  give 
for  a  portrait  of  the  latter  by  the  hand  of 
Isaac  Oliver  ! 

Isaac's  eldest  son  Peter  first  saw  the  light 
in  1 601,  the  year  in  which  Essex  fell  on  the 
scaffold,  and  lived  long  enough  to  see  Monk 
enter  London  and  "  the  King  enjoy  his  own 
again." 

How  great  were  the  events  of  the  years 
covered  by  the  lives  of  these  two  artists  !  For- 
tunately, whilst  the  number  of  their  priceless 
works  which  have  come  down  to  us  is  by  no 
means  numerous,  their  faithful  and  exquisite 
art  has  preserved  for  us,  and,  let  us  hope,  for 
many  succeeding  generations,  the  features  of 
several  of  the  most  distinguished  actors  in  the 
stirring  dramas  of  their  times.  By  the  elder 
handthe  Queen  possesses  a  profile  of  Anne  of 
Denmark,  mother  of  Charles  I.  (long  regarded 
as  a  portrait  of  Elizabeth),  James  I.,  a  superb 
portrait  of  Henry,  Prince  of  Wales  ("the 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


20I 


finest  extant,"  says  Mr.  Holmes),  and  the 
celebrated  full  length  of  Sir  Philip  Sydney, 
seated  under  a  tree.  Lady  Burdett  Coutts 
owns  several  of  the  famous  Digby  collection, 
of  which  Walpole  was  so  proud,  notably  Sir 
Kenelm  Digby  and  Venetia  his  wife,  and 
the  group  of  the  same  with  their  children 
after  Vandyck's  noble  picture  at  Sherborne. 
These  hung  in  "  the  blue  breakfast-room  "  at 
Strawberry  Hill,  and  fetched  at  the  well- 
known  sale  sums  ranging  from  a  few  guineas 
to  ;^i78  (the  costliest  of  all  being  the  first- 
named),  a  price  which  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say  is  such  as  to  make  a  modern  collector 
die  of  envy.  Lord  Derby's  collection  con- 
tains an  unfinished  miniature  on  card  of 
Robert,  Earl  of  Essex,  and  another  of  Eliza- 
beth, Queen  of  Bohemia,  both  bought  at 
Walpole's  sale,  the  latter  for  thirteen  guineas, 
whilst  the  former  most  interesting  portrait, 
which  has  an  undoubted  pedigree,  having 
belonged  to  Lady  Wolseley,  a  descendant  of 
Elizabeth's  ill-fated  favourite,  went  for  seven 
guineas  only.  Talking  of  Essex,  the  Duke 
of  Buccleugh  boasts  of  a  portrait  of  the 
Countess  of  Nottingham,  besides  Ben 
Jonson ;  Lord  Herbert,  of  Cherbury ;  Lord 
Strafford  ;  Sir  William  Drummond,  of  Haw- 
thornden  ;  Elizabeth ;  a  crayon  drawing, 
washed  with  colour,  of  "  the  hope  of  the 
Puritans,"  Henry,  Prince  of  Wales ;  Henrietta 
Maria  (doubtful,  seeing  the  painter  died  in 
1617);  Sir  Philip  Sydney  (engraved  by 
Vertue)  ;  a  portrait  of  the  painter  himself; 
Lady  Shirley,  the  reputed  Persian  Princess  ; 
Richard  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester ;  the 
second  Earl  of  Essex,  and  others. 

The  most  celebrated  work  of  Isaac  Oliver 
is  the  group  of  the  three  brothers  Montague. 
This  remarkable  miniature,  which  measures 
ten  inches  by  nine  inches,  now  finds  a  fitting 
home  in  a  noble  Elizabethan  house — viz., 
Burghley.  It  came  from  Lord  Montacute's, 
at  Cowdray,  and  represents  three  brothers  of 
that  lord's  family,  whole  lengths,  in  black 
dresses  relieved  by  lace  collars  and  gold  belts. 
Anotheryoungman,  presumably  a  page,  painted 
in  a  silver-lace  doublet,  is  coming  into  the 
room.  It  is  signed  "I.  O.,"  dated  1598,  and 
is  most  exquisitely  finished  throughout. 

Apart  from  the  superlative  quality  and  im- 
portant scale  of  this  piece,  fully  justifying  the 
term  "  invaluable  "  which  Walpole  applies  to 

VOL.    XIV. 


it  in  his  Anecdotes  of  Paintings  and  making 
it  perhaps  the  finest  portrait  miniature  in 
existence,  there  are  circumstances  connected 
with  it  which  make  it  of  unusual  interest. 
Thus,  two  of  the  brothers  died  quite  young  : 
one,  John,  just  as  he  came  of  age  ;  the  other, 
William,  when  only  eighteen.  All  three  re- 
sembled each  other  in  a  remarkable  way,  a 
peculiarity  referred  to  in  the  inscription 
which  it  bears  :  '*  Figurse  conformis  afiectus." 
Again,  the  picture  escaped  the  fire  at  Cow- 
dray, there  being  only  three  others  which 
were  rescued  on  that  fatal  day  in  September, 
1793.  It  came  into  the  present  Lord  Exeter's 
possession  through  his  mother,  daughter  of 
Stephen  Poyntz,  of  Cowdray,  who  married 
the  only  sister  of  the  eighth  and  last  Lord 
Montague.  It  still  exists  in  perfect  preserva- 
tion to  remind  us  of  the  strange  fatality  that 
marked  the  end  of  the  race  of  Montague,  when 
its  last  scion  perished  over  the  Falls  of 
Schaffhausen,  just  as  the  old  family  mansion, 
at  which  Johnson  wished  "  to  stay  four-and- 
twenty  hours  to  see  how  our  ancestors  lived," 
was  destroyed  by  the  flames. 

It  is  related  that  the  messengers,  one  bear- 
ing tidings  of  the  death  of  the  last  Montague 
by  water,  the  other  of  the  destruction  of  the 
home  of  his  race  by  fire,  met  each  other  on 
the  Continent. 

It  is  commonly  said  that  Peter  Oliver  was 
the  pupil  of  his  father,  but  if  the  date  of 
Isaac  Oliver's  burial  in  the  church  of  St. 
Anne,  Blackfriars  (where,  by  the  way,  the  son 
erected  a  monument  and  placed  a  bust  to  his 
father),  be  correct,  viz.,  1617,  there  was  not 
much  time  for  tuition,  as  Peter  was  not  born 
till  1 60 1.  At  any  rate  the  young  painter 
made  the  most  of  his  opportunities,  and 
turned  out  a  miniaturist  even  excelling  his 
father.  Moreover,  he  did  not  confine  him- 
self to  portraiture,  but  copied,  in  water- 
colours,  several  capital  pictures  with  signal 
success,  says  Walpole,  who  mentions  several 
important  works  other  than  portraits.  Of 
the  historic  miniatures,  the  same  authority 
states  there  were  thirteen  in  the  cabinets  of 
Charles  I.  and  James  II.,  and  speaks  of  the 
dispersal  of  the  former  monarch's  collection 
during  "  the  troubles."  He  speaks  also  of 
the  efforts  made  by  Charles  II.  to  bring  them 
together  again,  and  tells  an  interesting  story 
of  a  visit  paid  incognito  by  that  monarch  to 

p 


202 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMEI^LISTS. 


Peter's  widow  at  Isleworth  after  the  Restora- 
tion, and  what  that  lady,  who  seems  to  have 
called  a  spade  a  spade,  said  of  the  persons 
on  whom  the  King  bestowed  them  when  he 
acquired  them.  But  want  of  space  will  not 
allow  of  its  quotation.  Nor  can  I  do  more 
than  refer,  in  passing,  to  the  painter's  habit  of 
making  duplicates  of  his  pictures,  reserving 
one  of  each  for  himself.  The  find  of  a 
"  wainscott-box  "  in  Wales  containing  many 
"  replicas  "  by  Oliver  of  the  Digby  family  I 
have  already  mentioned.  Walpole  appears 
to  be  in  doubt  as  to  the  date  of  Peter  Oliver's 
death  ;  Redgrave  fixes  it  by  the  probate  of 
his  will  as  1660,  the  painter  being  then  aged 
59.  He  was  buried  near  his  father.  The 
church  and  its  monuments  perished  in  the 
Great  Fire.  There  were  two  other  Olivers 
living  at  this  period — John,  a  glass-painter, 
and  Isaac,  his  son,  an  engraver,  not  to  be 
confused  with  the  miniaturists.  In  dis- 
tinguishing the  works  of  the  latter  it  is  im- 
portant to  observe  that  the  elder  signed 
his  productions  with  the  monogram  *,  the 
younger  with  the  initials  "P.O."  connected. 

To  this  period,  but  somewhat  later,  belong 
the  two  Hoskins,  also  father  and  son,  both 
named  John,  And  here  I  may  ask  pardon 
for  a  digression  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
amateur  and  collector  to  the  frequent  dupli- 
cation of  names — often,  as  in  the  case  before 
us,  having  the  same  initials.  Thus,  to  mention 
only  some  of  the  best  known  miniature 
painters,  there  were  : 

Two  Bettes,  John  and  Thomas,  brothers. 

Two  Bones,  enamellists,  Plenry  the  father, 
and  Henry  Pierce,  the  son. 

Two  Collins,  Samuel  and  Richard. 

Two  Coopers,  Alexander  and  Samuel, 
brothers. 

Two  Cosways,  husband  and  wife. 

Two  Crosses,  Richard  and  Lewis. 

Two  Dixons,  John  and  Nathaniel  (the 
latter,  by  the  way,  is  not  mentioned  by  Red- 
grave). 

Two  Englehearts,  George  and  J,  D. 

Two  enamellists  named  Essex,  viz.,  Wil- 
liam and  William  B.,  his  son. 

Richard  Gibson,  the  dwarf,  Susan  his 
daughter,  and  William  his  nephew. 

Charles  Hayter  and  his  more  distinguished 
son,  Sir  George. 

Two  Hilliards,  Nicholas  and  Lawrence, 
father  and  son. 


Two  out  of  the  three  Hones  were  miniature 
painters. 

Two  Hoskins,  both  John,  also  father  and  son. 

Two  Bernard  Lens,  besides  A.  B.  Lens  and 
P.  P.  Lens. 

G.  M.  Moser,  R.A.,  Mary  Moser,  R.A.,  his 
daughter,  and  Joseph  Moser,  an  enamellist. 

Another  Newton  (viz.,  Richard)  besides  Sir 
William. 

Two  Olivers,  Isaac  and  Oliver,  father  and  son. 

As  is  well  known,  there  were  two  Pelitots, 
father  and  son,  and  both  Johns. 

Two  Plimers,  Andrew  and  Nathaniel, 
brothers. 

Andrew  Robertson,  the  finest  miniature 
painter  Scotland  has  produced,  had  a  less 
eminent  brother  with  the  same  initial, 
Alexander  to  wit. 

Two  other  Robertsons,  brothers,  viz., 
Walter  and  Charles,  practised  in  Dublin, 
and  there  was  besides  a  Mrs.  Robertson. 

Sir  William  Ross  was  the  son  of  a  miniature 
painter. 

There  were  three  Saunders  of  the  same 
profession,  and  three  Smarts,  of  whom  two 
were  named  John,  and  were  father  and  son, 
besides  Anthony  Smart  and  his  two  daughters; 
and  many  other  instances  of  this  puzzUng 
repetition  of  names  could  be  given. 

To  return  to  the  painters  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Both  the  Hoskins  hold  an  honour- 
able place.  Of  the  father.  Sir  Kenelm 
Digby,  in  his  Discourses,  says  that  "  by  his 
paintings  in  little  he  pleased  the  public  more 
than  Vandycke."  This  is  high  praise  indeed. 
Probably  most  modern  critics  would  be  dis- 
posed to  take  exception  to  a  certain  hotness 
in  his  flesh  tints,  and  certainly  would  not 
dream  of  ranking  him  above  Vandyck. 

It  is  known  that  Charles  I.  and  his  consort 
sat  to  the  elder  Hoskins,  The  Queen  ex- 
hibited a  miniature  by  him  of  the  first  Charles 
in  the  Winter  R.A.,  1879,  signed  "  L  H.  fc. ;" 
and  another  of  Lucius  Cary,  Lord  Falkland, 
signed  "  I.  H. "  connected.  I  note  this, 
because  his  work  is  frequently  signed  with  a 
monogram,  the  I  within  the  H ;  whilst  his 
son  John  generally  signed  the  initials  "  I.  H. " 
separately.  James  II.  was  a  patron  of  the 
younger  man.  The  Duke  of  Buccleugh's 
collection  is  rich  in  his  justly-prized  works. 

The  fame  of  the  elder^  Hoskins  has  been 
eclipsed  by  that  of  his  nephew  and  pupil, 
Samuel  Cooper,  in  whom  it  has  been  said 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


203 


miniature  art  culminated.  Besides  his  pre- 
eminence in  his  profession,  Cooper  was  a 
linguist  and  an  excellent  musician.  The 
latter  accomplishment  it  doubtless  was  that 
endeared  him  to  Samuel  Pepys,  who  fre- 
quently mentions  him  in  his  JDiary — thus : 
"  1668.  March  29. — Harris  ....  hath  per- 
suaded me  to  have  Cooper  draw  my  wife's 
(portrait),  which  tho'  it  cost  ;^3o  yet  I  will 
have  done."  The  next  day  he  goes  to 
"Common. Garden  Coffee  House,"  where  he 
meets  "  Mr.  Cooper,  the  great  artist ;"  thence 
presently  to  his  house  to  see  some  of  his 
work,  '*  which  is  all  in  little,  but  so  excellent 
as,  though  I  must  confess  I  do  think  the 
colouring  of  the  flesh  to  be  a  little  forced, 
yet  the  painting  is  so  extraordinary  as  I  do 
never  expect  to  see  the  like  again."  Then 
follows  a  description  of  several  portraits  he 
saw  in  progress.  "  Mrs.  Stewart's  when  a 
young  maid,"  before  she  was  disfigured  by 
the  small-pox ;  "  my  Lord  Generall's  picture" 
(there  was  a  score  of  miniatures  of  Crom- 
well at  South  Kensington  in  1867,  nearly 
all  ascribed  to  Cooper),  and  several  others. 
He  appears  most  struck  by  a  miniature 
of  "  one  Swinfen,  Secretary  to  my  Lord 
Manchester.  .  .  .  This  fellow  died  in  debt, 
and  never  paid  Cooper  for  his  picture.  .  .  . 
Cooper,"  says  he,  "  himself  did  buy  it  (from 
the  creditors)  and  give  ;^25  out  of  his  purse 
for  it,  for  what  he  was  to  have  had  but 
;,^3o."  Elsewhere  Pepys  speaks  of  the  artist 
being  "  a  most  admirable  workman,  and  good 
company."  Evelyn,  too,  refers  to  him,  and 
relates  (Jan.  10,  1662)  being  called  into  his 
Majesty's  closet  when  "  Mr.  Cooper,  y''  rare 
limner,  was  crayoning  of  the  King's  face  and 
head  to  make  the  stamps  by  for  the  new 
mill'd  money  now  contriving.  I  had  the 
honour  to  hold  the  candle  whilst  it  was  doing; 
he  choosing  the  night  and  candlelight  for 
y*"  better  finding  out  the  shadows." 

The  Queen  hasasuperb  head  of  Charles  IL  \ 
also  others  of  Geo.  Monk,  Duke  of  Albe- 
marle, and  the  youthful  Monmouth.  These 
form  a  trio  of  portraits  which  for  character 
and  expression,  grace  and  truthful  simplicity 
of  manner,  it  would  be  impossible  to  excel. 
The  two  latter  were  to  be  seen  at  Burlington 
House,  in  1879.  Cooper's  works  are  generally 
signed  "  S.  C."  connected,  and  nearly  always 
painted  on   card,  ivory  not   being   used  till 


later.  They  are  so  well  known,  both  at  home 
and  on  the  Continent,  as  to  make  it  almost 
superfluous  to  say  more  about  them. 

Thomas  Flatman — b.  1633,  d.  1688 — is 
generally  considered  to  have  painted  in 
Cooper's  style,  and  I  have  somewhere  seen  it 
asserted  that  the  interesting  pocket-book  full 
of  unfinished  miniatures  at  South  Kensington, 
ascribed  to  Cooper,  is  really  by  Flatman.  He 
used  more  body  colour  than  his  eminent  con- 
temporary, and  is  certainly  inferior  to  him. 
He  seems  to  have  been  ambitious  of  literary 
renown  ;  but  Granger  says  one  of  his  heads 
is  worth  a  ream  of  his  **  Pindarics."  Lord 
Rochester  was  severe  on  him,  and  calls  him 
"  that  slow  drudge," 

Flatman,  who  Cowley  imitates  with  pains, 
And  rides  a  jaded  muse,  whipt,  with  loose  reins. 

Vertue  pronounces  him  equal  to  Hoskins, 
and  next  to  Cooper. 

But  we  must  hasten  on  to  say  something 
about  a  far  greater  man,  whose  works  merit 
a  volume  being  devoted  to  them  alone — viz., 
Petitot.  What  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  did  to 
illustrate  for  us  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
to  hand  down  to  posterity  the  living  present- 
ments of  the  men  and  women  of  his  time, 
that  did  Cooper  and  Petitot  for  the  seven- 
teenth century. 

The  former  we  naturally  claim  as  all  our 
own.  The  latter  was  born  in  Geneva,  but 
practised  in  this  country  for  some  years, 
and  one  of  his  children  (he  had  seventeen) 
became  a  Major-General  in  the  English  ser- 
vice. Hence  English  collections  are  particu- 
larly rich  in  his  works,  and  the  munificent 
bequest  of  Mr.  Jones  to  the  nation  enables 
everyone  who  is  interested  to  study  them 
thoroughly — no  less  than  fifty-eight  examples 
at  South  Kensington  being  ascribed  to  the 
elder  Petitot.  Of  these,  eight  are  portraits  of 
Louis  XIV.,  and  a  considerable  proportion 
of  the  remainder  consist  of  the  favourites  and 
children  of  "  la  Grand  Monarque,"  who  fol- 
lowed the  example  set  by  Charles  I.,  and 
when  the  painter,  alarmed  by  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War,  left  the  English  Court,  gave 
him  a  residence  at  the  Louvre  with  a  pension. 
As  in  the  case  of  Cooper,  so  with  Petitot ; 
his  life-story  is  well-known,  and  the  unsur- 
passed beauty  of  his  work  is  universally 
allowed.  To  Petitot,  however,  belongs  this 
distinction,  not  merely  has  he  left  us  minia- 

p  2 


204 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS 


tures  of  exquisite  beauty  and  refinement, 
perfect  in  drawing,  and  sweet  in  colour,  but 
he  was  the  first  to  bring  to  perfection  the  art 
of  enamelling  as  applied  to  portraiture.  His 
early  trade  of  jeweller  taught  him  the  use  of 
enamel ;  then  going  to  Italy  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Bordier,  he  improved  his  art  by  the 
aid  of  the  best  chemists ;  and  when  he  came 
to  England  his  experiments  in  vitrification 
and  the  choice  of  colours  which  will  stand 
firing — in  which  he  was  assisted  by  Sir  Theo- 
dore Mayerne,  the  King's  chief  physician — 
brought  it  to  perfection.  Some  of  Petitot's 
portraits  are  scarcely  larger  than  sixpence, 
yet  the  clearness  of  definition  of  feature, 
and  beautiful  execution,  leave  scarcely  any 
room  for  criticism.  They  are  nearly  always 
enamelled  upon  gold. 

Exigencies  of  space  will  not  allow  of  my 
saying  more  of  the  exquisite  art  which  Jean 
Toutin  discovered,  and  Petitot  practised  with 
such  marvellous  success,  than  that  it  adds  to 
the  difficulties  of  miniature  painting,  the 
risks  of  exposure  to  the  heat  of  the  furnace, 
and  requires  unlimited  patience,  care,  and 
skill,  the  same  plate  being  often  "  fired  "  as 
many  as  twenty  times. 

After  Petitot,  there  were  several  enamellers 
of  eminence  who  deserve  more  than  a  passing 
notice,  such  as  Charles  Boit,  of  French  ex- 
traction, but  born  in  Stockholm.  He  came 
early  to  this  country,  and  worked  as  a 
jeweller.  Failing  in  that  line,  he  tried  teach- 
ing drawing,  and  VValpole  tells  a  story  of  an 
intrigue  with  the  daughter  of  a  general  officer, 
that  led  to  his  being  thrown  into  prison  for 
two  years,  which  he  seems  to  have  turned  to 
account  by  practising  enamel-painting  (though 
how  this  was  managed  I  confess  I  am  not 
quite  able  to  understand).  What  is  certain 
is  that  he  afterwards  obtained  very  high 
prices  for  his  work.  In  one  case  he  is  said 
to  have  had  ;^i,ooo  advanced  on  a  large 
plate  intended  for  the  Queen  (i\nne).  But 
as  he  wasted  ^C^oo  or  ;;^8oo  in  trying  to  fire 
it,  one  is  not  surprised  to  find  that  he  got 
into  difficulties,  to  escape  which  he  fled  to 
France,  where  he  died  about  1726. 

C.  F.  Zincke  was  his  pupil.  This  admirable 
artist  was  the  son  of  a  goldsmith  at  Dresden. 
He  came  to  this  country  when  about  thirty 
years  old  ;  was  patronised  by  George  II., 
and  for  forty  years   had  large  employment. 


His  eye-sight  failed  some  twenty  years 
before  his  death,  at  South  Lambeth,  in  1767. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  his  numerous 
and  beautiful  portraits,  distinguished  by  rare 
delicacy  of  finish  and  refinement,  secured  for 
him  ample  means. 

James  Deacon,  a  young  man  of  promise, 
who  died  of  gaol-fever,  caught  when  serving 
as  a  witness  at  the  Old  Bailey ;  Jarvis  Spencer, 
a  gentleman's  servant,  who  became  a  fashion- 
able miniaturist ;  Michael  Moser,  son  of  a 
sculptor  at  St.  Gall,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
active  founders  of  our  Royal  Academy,  of 
which  he  was  the  first  keeper;  Nathaniel 
Hone,  R.A.,  well-known  by  his  quarrel  with 
the  Academy;  Jeremiah  Meyer,  R.A.,  who 
came  from  Wurtemberg — were  all  enamellists 
whose  works  are  highly  and  justly  esteemed. 
Cotes,  Collins,  Shelley,  Ozias  Humphrey, 
Richard  Cosway,  Sir  H.  Raeburn,  the 
Plimers,  Edridge,  the  Bones,  Andrew  Robert- 
son, Chalon,  Sir  William  Ross,  and  Thor- 
burn,  bring  this  sketch  down  to  our  own 
times — to  what  I  have  termed  the  eclipse  of 
the  art,  and  must  be  reserved  for  a  third  and 
concluding  article. 


ancient  Cross  at  (^osfortf), 
CumljetlantJ, 

By  Charles  A.  Parker,  F.S.A.,  Scot, 

N  an  article  in  the  Antiquary  of 
August,  1884,  entitled  "  Deposit  of 
Slag  Iron,  Nether-Wasdale,  Cum- 
berland," by  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Barber,  I  notice  an  allusion  to  this  re- 
markable monument  which  runs  as  follows  : 
— "Gosforth,  where  the  noted  Runic  Cross 
stands  in  the  churchyard  (having  long  laid 
underground),  is  four  miles  away."  And  in 
the  last  issue  of  the  West  Cumberland  Times 
is  another  article,  apparently  quoting  from 
the  current  volume  of  the  Church  Quarterly 
Review,  which  states,  "  This  cross  must 
surely  have  been  buried,  or  how  could  it  have 
escaped  destruction  in  the  ninth  century  ?" 

I  submit  that  there  is  no  evidence  to  show 
that  this  cross  has  even  been  moved,  still  less 
buried.  It  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the 
church,  opposite  the  centre  of  the  building 


ANCIENT  CROSS  AT  GOSFGRTH,  CUMBERLAND. 


205 


and  about  midway  between  it  and  the 
churchyard  wall,  which  is  the  position  of  all 
churchyard  crosses  in  this  neighbourhood, 
with  the  exception  of  St.  Bees,  where  there 
is  no  burial  ground  on  the  south  side.  It  is 
in  its  original  socket,  of  three  steps  composed 
of  red  sandstone,  having  the  same  twisted 
grain  as  the  cross  itself,  and  much  worn  away 
by  generations  of  heedless  feet.  This  is 
supported  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil  by 
massive  pieces  of  sandstone  set  obliquely. 
Local  masons  say  that  it  is  exceedingly  good 
stone,  and  has  been  brought  from  a  distance, 
and  not  taken  out  of  the  Gosforth  Quarry. 
Local  tradition  maintains  that  it  has  always 
stood  where  it  does  now. 

Gosforth -Cross  is  14^  feet  high,  exclusive 
of  the  socket,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  tallest 
ancient  cross  in  Britain.  The  base  of  the 
shaft  is  circular,  having  a  diameter  of  about 
14  inches;  the  upper  part  is  square,  and 
tapers  as  it  ascends  until,  just  below  the  head, 
it  measures  only  5  inches  across.  To  lift  and 
remove  this  slender  pillar  unharmed  would 
be  a  work  of  great  difficulty  and  trouble ;  had 
it  ever  fallen  it  must  inevitably  have  broken. 

Fragments  of  three  other  crosses,  which 
formerly  stood  in  the  churchyard,  are  carefully 
preserved  in  the  church.  One  of  these 
monuments  stood  "  at  about  7  feet  distance  " 
from  the  present  one,  and  was  in  situ  up  to 
1789,  in  which  barbarous  age  it  was  ruth- 
lessly cut  down  and  converted  into  a  sundial. 
The  others  had  disappeared  long  before.  In 
digging  round  the  base  of  the  sundial  in  1882, 
I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  discover  a  fragment 
of  one  of  them,  nearly  3  feet  long,  with 
carving  upon  it  in  high  relief,  illustrating 
most  clearly  the  myth  of  Thor's  fishing  for 
the  great  Midgard  serpent.  This  fragment 
had  lain  there  since  1789,  and  Mr.  Barber 
has  probably  confused  it  with  the  present 
cross  when  he  states  that  the  latter  "  has  long 
laid  underground."  Regarding  the  conten- 
tion that  it  must  have  been  buried  to  escape 
the  Danes  in  the  ninth  century,  are  we  to  apply 
the  same  argument  to  the  Irton  cross  only 
2 1  miles  away,  which  is  also  perfect  and  in 
its  original  position  ?  Is  it  not  likely  that  on 
the  invasion  by  the  dreaded  Half-dene  and 
his  crew,  who  destroyed  Carlisle  so  utterly 
"  that  for  200  years  the  city  ceased  to  be  a 
city,"  the  natives  would  have  enough  to  do 
to  look  after  their  own  lives,  those  of  their 


wives  and  children  and  what  belongings  they 
possessed,  to  have  time  for  so  elaborate  an 
undertaking  as  the  taking  down  and  burying 
of  the  cross  ?  A  more  probable  theory  to 
account  for  its  survival  is,  that  it  escaped 
destruction  by  the  Danes  because  they 
recognised  upon  it  the  symbols  of  their  own 
heathen  religion.  The  whole  cross  is,  in  the 
words  of  Professor  Stephens,  "redolent  of 
heathenism."  The  invaders  could  not  fail  to 
recognise  Lokd  and  Sigun,  the  fiend 
struggling  with  his  bonds,  and  his  unhappy 
wife  stretching  forth  the  newly  emptied  cup 
to  catch  the  poison  which  drops  from  the 
serpent  above.  If  this  attracted  their  atten- 
tion they  might  also  recognise  Heimdall, 
Odin,  Balder,  the  wolf  and  the  great  serpent, 
and  turn  away  from  a  monument  graven 
with  figures  of  these  supposititious  beings, 
whose  anger  and  power  they  dreaded.  Low 
down  on  the  cross  stem  is  a  large  indentation, 
which  has  apparently  been  produced  by 
several  heavy  blows.  May  this  not  be  the 
work  of  a  destroyer  whose  hand  has  been 
checked  by  some  means — and  not  too  soon  ? 
I  venture  to  lay  these  remarks  before  the 
readers  of  the  Antiquary  as  those  of  one 
who  has  lived  all  his  life  in  the  parish,  and 
has  devoted  his  leisure-time  for  some  years 
towards  elucidating  the  history  and  meaning 
of  this  remarkable  monolith. 


lontion  Cbeatres. 

By  T.  Fairman  Oroish. 


IV. — The  Fortune  Playhouse. 

IN  dealing  with  the  Globe  and 
Blackfriars  playhouses  we  have 
rendered  an  account  of  the  thea- 
trical enterprise  of  the  Burbage 
family,  which  commenced  with  the  building 
of  the  Theatre,  the  first  playhouse  erected  in 
this  country.  The  prosperous  career  of 
Edward  Alleyn,  who,  as  a  player,  was  the 
great  rival  of  Richard  Burbage,  \vas  partially 
described  in  our  articles  on  the  Rose,  the 
Hope,  and  the  Swan  playhouses  ;  and  now 
we  have  to  continue  the  story  of  Alleyn's 
prosperity  in  the  history  of  the  Fortune 
theatre,  which  he  built,  and   in  which  his 


2o6 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


fame  and  fortune  alike  grew  apace.  There 
is  perhaps  something  commonplace  in  the 
prudence  and  resulting  prosperity  of  AUeyn  ; 
there  are  no  vicissitudes  or  calamities  to 
enlist  our  sympathy.  His  single  misfortune, 
the  burning  down  of  his  playhouse,  he  notes 
with  the  laconic  brevity  of  one  who  could 
love  Dame  Fortune  in  all  her  aspects, 
although  for  him  she  almost  invariably  wore 
a  smile.  In  all  the  records  of  him,  and  they 
are  happily  very  numerous  and  complete,  he 
appears  a  man  self-possessed,  clear-headed 
and  methodical ;  in  no  doubt  at  all  as  to  his 
way  and  relative  position  among  his  con- 
temporaries. With  the  wealth  that  was  the 
fruit  of  his  sagacity  and  industry  he  founded 
Dulwich  College,  which  exists  to  this  day,  to 
illustrate  the  possibilities  of  an  actor's  career 
three  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  This  fact 
might  well  be  recommended  to  the  attention 
of  those  who  in  our  time  profess  to  think 
that  the  successful  actor  is  made  too  much  of, 
and  has  become  out  of  focus  in  the  social 
economy. 

Alleyn  was  born  on  September  ist,  1566, 
two  years  later  than  Shakespeare.  His 
birthplace  was  in  Bishopsgate,  "  near  Devon- 
shire House,  where  now  is  the  sign  of  the 
Pie,"  as  Fuller  stated.  In  connection  with 
his  father's  property  in  Shoreditch,  we  find 
mention  of  Pye  Alley  and  Fisher's  Folly,  by 
which  name  Devonshire  House  was  formerly 
known.  Alleyn  was  baptized  at  St.  Botolph's, 
-Bishopsgate,  and  named  after  his  father, 
Edward.  The  earliest  mention  of  the  elder 
Alleyn  in  the  Dulwich  records  is  in  a  bond, 
dated  1555.  In  this  document  he  is  styled 
"of  London,  yeoman,"  as  again  in  1557. 
In  subsequent  deeds,  including  his  will, 
dated  loth  September,  1570,  he  uniformly 
appears  as  an  "  innholder ;"  and  in  the  entry 
of  his  burial  at  St.  Botolph's,  13th  September, 
1570,  he  is  described  as  "porter  to  the 
Queene,"  a  title  previously  given  him  in  one 
of  the  Dulwich  documents  in  1567.  These 
circumstances  of  the  father,  a  substantial 
innholder,  with  some  kind  of  Court  service, 
prepared  the  way  for  the  son's  career.  The 
old  English  inns  figure  very  honourably  in 
the  early  chapters  of  our  dramatic  history, 
and  we  can  imagine  how  the  mind  of  Alleyn 
received  its  bent  in  quite  tender  years.  He 
was  ten  years  old  when  James  Burbage  came 


and  built  the  Theatre  not  far  from  his  father's 
house  in  Bishopsgate,  and  we  may  assume 
that  he  was  a  spectator  at  the  presentation  of 
plays  there  and  at  the  Curtain.  How  soon 
he  turned  actor  we  know  not,  although  it  is 
presumptively  probable  that  he  acted  as  a 
boy.  The  first  record  we  have  of  him  as  a 
player  is  in  1586,  when  his  name  appears  in 
a  list  of  the  Earl  of  Worcester's  players. 
When  quite  a  young  man,  namely,  in  1592, 
or  when  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age,  he 
was  already  famous.  In  Nash's  Pierce  Penny- 
lesse,  published  in  that  year,  we  read  :  "  Not 
Roscius  or  ^sope,  those  tragedians  admyred 
before  Christ  was  borne,  could  ever  perform 
more  in  action  than  famous  Ned  Allen ;"  a 
similar  comparison  is  made  by  Ben  Jonson ; 
and  Heywood  says  of  him  that  he  won 

The  attribute  of  peerless,  being  a  man 
Whom  we  may  rank  with  (doing  no  wrong) 
Proteus  for  shapes,  and  Roscius  for  a  tongue. 

In  1592  AUeyn  married  Joan,  Henslowe's 
step-daughter,  and  from  that  time  he  became 
closely  associated  with  Henslowe  in  theatrical 
enterprise.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
Alleyn  was  a  member  of  the  Lord  Admiral's 
company  of  players,  and  performed  at  the 
theatres  in  which  Henslowe  was  interested. 
In  1593  the  plague  was  raging  in  London, 
and  he  joined  Lord  Strange's  company  in 
a  provincial  tour.  In  1594  his  duties  in 
connection  with  the  Baiting  began,  and  it 
appears  from  his  diary,  that  he  resumed 
performing  in  London  this  year,  and  so  con- 
tinued till  the  close  of  1597.  It  was  probably 
at  this  time  that  Alleyn  contemplated  building 
a  playhouse,  which  design  soon  took  shape 
as  the  Fortune  playhouse,  with  which  we  are 
here  concerned.  James  Burbage  had  died 
in  1597,  in  the  midst  of  litigation  with  Giles 
Allen,  the  ground-landlord  of  the  Theatre; 
and  his  successors  found  it  very  difficult  to 
carry  on  the  business  of  that  playhouse. 
There  is  probably  some  connection  between 
the  embarrassment  of  the  Burbages,  and 
Edward  AUeyn's  project  for  the  building  of  a 
new  playhouse.  The  Theatre  was  removed  to 
the  Bankside  in  December,  1598,  or  January, 
1599.  Alleyn  acquired  a  lease  of  the  site  of 
the  Fortune  on  December  22,  1599,  and  this 
site  was  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  that 
of  the  Theatre. 

On   the   8th  January,    1600,   one    Peter 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


207 


Streete,  a  London  carpenter,  entered  into  a 
contract  with  Henslowe  and  AUeyn  to  build 
the  new  playhouse.  He  engaged  to  erect  for 
the  sum  of  ;i^44o  "  a  newe  house  and  stadge 
for  a  Plaiehowse  .  .  .  nere  Goldinge  Lane, 
in  the  parish  of  Ste.  Giles  withoute  Cripple- 
gate  of  London."  The  new  house  was  to  be 
"  sett  square,"  80  feet  each  way  without, 
and  55  feet  each  way  within;  it  was  to  be 
three  storeys  in  height,  and  in  its  arrange- 
ments like  "  the  late  erected  Plaiehowse  .  .  . 
called  the  Globe." 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  AUeyn  be- 
longed to  the  Lord  Admiral's  company  of 
players,  and  it  is  evident  that  the  Admiral, 
who  at  this  period  was  Charles  Howard, 
Earl  of  Nottingham,  thoroughly  approved 
of  the  new  project  and  supported  AUeyn  in  it. 
This  appears  from  the  Warrant  which  he 
issued  on  the  12th  January,  1600,  to  the 
Justices  and  other  officers  of  Middlesex,  re- 
quiring them  to  permit  his  servant,  Edward 
AUeyn,  "  in  respect  of  the  dangerous  decaye 
of  that  House,  which  he  and  his  Companye 
have  nowe  on  the  Banck  [/.^.,  the  Rose]  and 
for  that  the  same  standeth  verie  noysome  for 
resorte  of  people  in  the  wynter  tyme,"  to 
build  a  new  theatre  "neare  Redcrosse  Street, 
London,"  the  place  being  "  very  convenient 
for  the  ease  of  the  people,"  and  the  Queen 
having  "  a  speciaU  regarde  of  fauor  in  their 
proceedings."  At  about  the  same  time  the 
*'  Inhabitants  of  ye  Lordshipp  of  Fynsburye  " 
addressed  the  Privy  Council,  certifying  their 
willingness  that  the  buUding  of  a  new  play- 
house by  the  Earl  of  Nottingham's  servants 
within  the  lordship  "  might  proceede  and  be 
toUerated." 

In  spite  of  the  influence  at  his  back, 
AUeyn  encountered  the  usual  opposition 
which  the  authorities  invariably  gave  to  play- 
houses and  all  connected  therewith.  To 
overcome  this,  a  Warrant  from  the  Privy 
Council,  signed  by  the  Earl  of  Nottingham, 
Lord  Hunsdon,  and  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  was 
issued  on  the  8th  April  following,  to  the 
Justices  of  Middlesex,  "especially  of  St.  Gyles 
without  Creplegate,"  requiring  them,  by  order 
of  the  Queen,  to  permit  Edward  AUeyn  to 
*'  proceede  in  theffectinge  and  finishinge  "  of 
a  new  playhouse,  "in  a  verie  remote  and 
exempt  place  neare  Gouldinge  Lane." 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  correspondence  in 


the  Dulwich  papers  as  to  the  acquisition  of 
the  site  by  AUeyn.  The  net  result  of  the 
transactions  are  thus  noted  by  AUeyn  in  a 
memorandum  book,  which  was  printed,  with 
other  of  his  papers,  by  the  Shakespeare 
Society  in  1843  : 


What  the  Fortune  cost  me,  Novemb.,  1599  [1600]. 

First  for  the  leas  to  Brew,  240;,^. 

Then  for  the  building  the  playhouse,  S2Q^. 

For  other  privat  buildings  of  myn  owne,  l'2.o£,. 

So  in  all  it  has  cost  me  for  the  leasse,  %2>o£,. 

Bought  the  inheritance  of  the  land  of  the  Gills  of 
the  He  of  Man,  which  is  the  Fortune,  and  all  the 
howses  in  Whight  crosstrett  and  Gowlding  lane  in 
June  1610  for  the  some  of  340;^. 

Bought  in  John  Garretts  lease  in  revertion  from  the 
Gills,  for  21  yeares,  for  loO;^. 

So  in  all  itt  cost  me  I32C>^. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  everlasting. 

Although,  as  appears  from  the  contract, 
the  Fortune  was  built  for  both  Henslowe  and 
AUeyn,  yet  all  the  documents  and  correspond- 
ence as  to  the  acquisition  of  the  site,  and  of 
the  freehold,  are  in  AUeyn's  name  alone. 
We  shall  see  that  ultimately  he  became 
absolute  holder  of  the  whole  property,  and 
that  it  formed  part  of  the  endowment  of 
Dulwich  College. 

In  1603,  on  the  accession  of  James  I.,  the 
style  of  the  company  acting  at  the  Fortune 
became  changed  from  that  of  the  Lord 
Admiral's  to  that  of  the  Prince  of  Wales's 
company  of  players.  About  this  time  there 
was  a  visitation  of  the  Plague,  and  the 
theatres  were  accordingly  closed.  On  the 
9th  April,  1604,  a  letter  was  issued  from  the 
Privy  Council  to  the  Lord  Mayor  and  the 
Justices  of  Middlesex  and  Surrey,  requiring 
them  to  permit  "  the  three  Companies  of 
Players  to  the  King,  Queene,  and  Prince 
publicklie  to  exercise  ther  plaies  in  their 
severall  and  usuall  howses  for  that  purpose 
and  noe  other,  viz.,  the  Globe,  situate  in 
Maiden  Lane  on  the  Banckside  in  the 
Cowntie  of  Surrey,  the  Fortune  in  Goldinge 
Lane,  and  the  Curtaine  in  HoUywelle  in  the 
Cowntie  of  Middlesex  .  .  .  except  ther  shall 
happen  weeklie  to  die  of  the  Plague  above 
the  number  of  thirtie." 

In  the  Dulwich  papers  there  is  a  statement 
in  the  hand  of  Edw.  AUeyn  of  his  expendi- 
ture on  the  Bear-Garden  and  the  Fortune, 
1602-1608,  as  foUov.'s  : 


208 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


Bear-Garden. 

C    s.     d. 

1602 

-     121   II     6 

1603 

-     118  07     0 

1604 

-     153  14    0 

1605 

-     092  12     4 

Play  Howse. 
I  s.  d. 
089  05  o 
004  02  o 
232  01  8 
108  14    3 


486  04  10 

1606  pd  for  ye  building    - 

1607  of  ye  howse  w'^*'  may 

1608  be  counted  to  360^^ 

434  02  II 

-  127  00  00 

-  163  00  00 

-  121  06  00 

Some  totall    -    846  04  10 

411  06  00 

845  08  II 

There  is  also  a  statement  of  receipts,  but  it 
is  difficult  to  perceive  the  significance  of  the 
entry.  The  amount  received  from  the  Bear- 
Garden  so  much  exceeds  that  received  from 
the  Fortune  playhouse,  that  the  object  may 
have  been  merely  to  note  the  contrast.  The 
days  in  question  may  have  been  days  of 
special  attraction  at  the  Bear-Garden.  The 
statement  is  as  follows  : 

Rd  at  the  Bergerden  this  yeare  i6o8,  begining  at 

Chrystmas  holedayes,  as  fol(nveth, 
Rd  one  Mondaye,  St.  Stevenes  daye  iiij"- 
Rd  one  Tewesdaye,  St.  Johns  daye  vj"- 
Rd  one   Wensdaye,    being  Shilldermas   daye   iij'"- 

xiij^- 

Rd  at  the  Forte'dme  this  yeare  1608,  hegenynge  at 

CrystT?ias  ho  lad  ayes. 

Rd  one  St.  Stevenes  daye  xxv''- 
Rd  one  St.  Johnes  daye  xxxxv^- 
Rd  one  Chelldeimas  daye  xxxxiiij^  ix''- 

This  same  year  it  was  proposed  to  grant  a 
lease  to  a  player  named  Thomas  Downton, 
of  one-eighth  of  a  fourth  part  of  all  "  clere 
gaines  in  monye"  arising  from  "any  stage 
playinge  or  other  exercise,  commoditye  or 
use  .  .  .  within  the  playhouse  .  .  .  com- 
monly called  the  Fortune,"  to  hold  the  same 
for  thirteen  years,  for  a  yearly  rent  of  los. 
and  ^£2^  IDS.  in  hand,  the  said  Thomas 
Downton  covenanting  to  pay  a  proportionate 
part  of  all  "  necessarye  and  needful  charges," 
and  to  play  "  to  the  best  and  most  benefitt 
he  can  within  the  playhouse  aforesaid,"  and 
in  no  other  "common  playhouse  nowe 
erected  or  hereafter  to  be  erected  within  the 
said  cittye  of  London  or  two  myles  com- 
passe."  The  deed  was  not  executed,  but  the 
fact  of  the  proposal  is  nevertheless  interesting. 

It  was  in  these  years,  and  at  the  Fortune 
theatre,    that    Alleyn's    fame    as    an    actor 


reached  its  height.  His  most  popular 
assumption  of  character  was  that  of  Barabbas 
in  the  Jew  of  Malta.  This  play  had 
been  one  of  the  attractions  at  the  Rose 
theatre,  and  now  that  Burbage  was  mono- 
polising public  attention  on  the  Bankside, 
Alleyn  continued  to  earn  applause  and  sup- 
port on  the  northern  side  of  London. 
There  was,  as  we  have  seen  in  treating  of 
other  theatres  in  which  they  were  respectively 
interested,  a  rivalry  between  the  Burbages 
and  Alleyn,  a  rivalry  between  their  respective 
companies,  which  became  a  personal  one 
with  the  leaders  of  each.  There  are  allusions 
to  this  in  the  Uterature  of  the  period ;  we 
find  Ned  Alleyn  contrasted  with  Richard 
Burbage,  and  notices  of  wagers  offered  on 
their  several  achievements.  There  appears 
to  be  no  record  to  show  that  Alleyn  came  in 
contact  with  the  great  luminary  of  Burbage's 
company,  William  Shakespeare.  Yet  the 
probability  is  greatly  against  their  having 
been  unacquainted.  It  is  interesting  to  find 
in  the  Dulwich  papers  that  in  the  year  1609 
Alleyn  records  on  the  back  of  a  letter  the 
purchase  of  Shakespeare's  Sonnets,  which  had 
recently  been  published.  He  gave  sd.  for 
his  copy. 

As  we  see  from  his  memorandum  above, 
Alleyn  purchased  the  freehold  of  the  For- 
tune and  the  adjoining  tenements  on  30th 
May,  1 610.  Another  important  transaction 
at  this  period  was  the  sale  to  Henslowe  of 
his  interest  in  the  Bear-Garden.  The  date 
of  this  sale  was  February,  1610-11  ;  the 
likelihood  being  that  it  was  the  February 
preceding  the  purchase  of  the  Fortune  free- 
hold. These  steps  would  appear  to  have  been 
preparatory  to  Alleyn's  retirement  from  the 
stage.  Quoting  Mr.  Warner's  Introduction 
to  the  Dulwich  Catalogue: 

"In  161 2  Alleyn  had  probably  left  the 
stage,  although  still  pecuniarily  interested  in 
it ;  and  while  Henslowe  was  bargaining  with 
Daborne  for  plays,  he  was  living  as  a  landed 
proprietor  on  his  own  estate,  busy  with  the 
foundation  of  his  College,  which,  more  than 
his  fame  as  an  actor,  has  preser^-ed  his 
memory." 

Having  acquired  the  freehold  of  the  pro- 
perty and  retired  from  the  stage,  Alleyn 
granted  a  lease  of  his  playhouse,  dated 
31  October,  i6i8,  to  Edward  Jubye,  William 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


209 


Bird,  and  others.  By  this  instrument  he 
leased  "  all  that  his  great  building  now  vsed 
for  a  playhouse  and  comonly  called  by  the 
name  of  the  Fortune  ....  betweene  White- 
crosse  Street  and  Golding  Lane,"  in  the  par. 
of  St.  Giles  without  Cripplegate,  London, 
with  a  taphouse,  in  the  occupation  of  Mark 
Brighani,  and  piece  of  ground  adjoining,  to 
hold  the  same  for  31  years  at  a  rent  of  200/., 
and  "  two  rundlettes  of  wyne,  the  one  sack 
and  the  other  clarett,  of  ten  shillinges  a  peece 


Edward  Alleyn  for  the  foundation  of  Dulwich 
College. 

We  obtain  an  insight  into  the  management 
of  the  theatre  by  a  curious  letter  among  the 
Alleyn  papers.  William  Bird,  one  of  the 
lessees,  wrote  to  Alleyn,  to  the  effect  that, 
"  one  Jhon  Russell,"  whom  he  appointed  a 
*'  gatherer,"  has  proved  so  false  that  the 
Company  have  "  many  tymes  warnd  him  from 
taking  the  box,"  and  have  now  "  resolud  he 
shall  never  more  come  to  the  doore ;"  but  for 


THE    FORTUNE   I'LAYIIOUSE. 


price  ;"  with  provisions  that,  if  the  said  Edw. 
Alleyn  die  within  the  term,  the  rent  be  re- 
duced to  120/.  for  the  residue,  and  that  the 
lessees  shall  not  "  convert  the  said  playhowse 
to  any  other  vse  or  vses  then  as  the  same  is 
now  vsed,"  and  that  they  shall  receive  a  rent 
of  24J.,  to  be  reduced  to  4^.  at  Alleyn's  death, 
due  from  John  Russell  on  a  lease  for  99 
years,  of  a  tenement  of  two  rooms  adjoining 
the  playhouse. 

In  the  following  year,  16 19,  Alleyn  settled 
the  property  on  his  College.  The  settlement 
was  made  by  Letters  Patent  from  James  L  to 


his  [Alleyn's]  sake,  he  "  shall  have  his  wages 
to  be  a  necessary  atendaunt  on  the  stage," 
and  if  he  will  mend  their  garments  they  will 
pay  him  for  that  also. 

It  may  be  taken  generally  that  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  internal  arrangements  which  we 
gave  of  the  Globe  applies  to  the  Fortune. 
An  interesting  description  of  the  interior  of 
Venetian  theatres  as  contrasted  with  London 
theatres,  occurs  in  Coryafs  Crudities,  161  t, 
p.  247  :* 

*  Harrison's  Description  ;  New  Shakspere  Society, 
Ed.  Y.  J.  Furnivall :  Forewords  to  Part  II.,  p.  63. 


2IO 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


"  I  was  at  one  of  their  Playhouses,  where  I 
saw  a  Comedie  acted.  The  house  is  very 
beggarly  and  base  in  comparison  of  our 
stately  Playhouses  in  England  :  neyther  can 
their  actors  compare  with  vs  for  apparell, 
shewes  and  musicke.  Here  I  observed  cer- 
tain things  that  I  never  saw  before.  For  I 
saw  women  acte,  a  thing  that  I  neuer  saw 
before,  though  I  haue  heard  that  it  hath  been 
sometimes  vsed  in  London ;  and  they  per- 
formed it  with  as  good  a  grace,  action,  gesture, 
and  whatsoeuer  conuenient  for  a  Player  as 
euer  I  saw  any  masculine  Actor.  Also  their 
noble  and  fauorite  Cortezans  came  to  this 
Comedy,  but  so  disguised,  that  a  man  cannot 
perceiue  them.  For  they  wore  double  maskes 
vpon  their  faces,  to  the  end  they  might  not 
be  scene ;  one  reaching  from  the  toppe  of 
their  forehead  to  their  chinne,  and  vnder 
their  necke,  another  with  twiskes  of  downy  or 
woolly  stuffe  couering  their  noses.  And  as 
for  their  neckes  round  about  they  were  so 
couered  and  wrapped  with  cobweb  lawne  and 
other  things,  that  no  part  of  their  skin  could 
be  discerned  ....  they  sit  not  here  in  gal- 
leries as  we  do  in  London :  for  there  is  but 
one  or  two  little  galleries  in  the  house, 
wherein  the  Courtezans  only  sit." 

The  French  company  of  actors,  with  women 
players,  which  performed  at  Blackfriars  7  th 
November,  1629,  and  at  the  Red  Bull  on 
22nd  November,  acted  at  the  Fortune  on  the 
14th  December  following.  Collier  gives  the 
following  entry  from  the  office-book  of  the 
Master  of  the  Revels  : 

"  For  allowinge  of  a  French  companie  att 
the  Fortune  to  play  one  afternoone  this  14  day 
of  December,  1629 — ^^i. 

"Sir  Henry  Herbert  bears  positive  testi- 
mony to  the  little  success  they  met  with  on 
this  occasion,  in  a  memorandum  subjoined 
to  the  preceeding  entry  :  '  I  should  have  had 
another  piece,  but  in  respect  of  their  ill- 
fortune  I  was  content  to  bestow  a  piece  back;' 
so  that  he  returned  half  his  fee  on  a  subse- 
quent representation  of  the  unprofitableness 
of  the  speculation." 

On  December  9th,  1621,  the  playhouse 
was  burnt  down.  Under  this  date  Alleyn 
thus  records  the  catastrophe  :  "  this  night  att 
12  of  ye  clock  ye  Fortune  was  burnt."  In  a 
letter  from  John  Chamberlain  to  Sir  Dudley 
Carleton,  on  the  15th  of  the  month,  the 
event  is  thus  noticed  : 


"  On  Sunday  night,  here'was  a  great  fire  at 
the  Fortune,  in  Golding  Lane,  the  first  play- 
house in  this  town.  It  was  quite  burnt  down 
in  two  hours,  and  all  their  apparell  and  play- 
books  lost,  whereby  these  poor  companions 
are  quite  undone." 

Alleyn  was  soon  busy  with  the  work  of  re- 
construction. The  following  are  entries  in 
his  diary  bearing  thereon  : 

1621.  Dec.     9.  Md.    this   night   att   12  of  y''  clock 

y^  Fortune  was  burnt. 

;^S.d. 

1622.  April  16.  dinner  at  y«  Hart  in  Smith- 

feeldw'  builders  offy^  For- 
tune -        -        -         -030 

,,         ,,     26.  water  to  London  d^-  wine  w' 

y^  Fortune  workmen  \2^-  •    016 

,,  ,,  29.  I  went  to  Westminster  to 
metey^  workmenoffy''  For- 
tune :  spent       -        -        -    o  I  o 

„  May  3.  I  rec.  23;^  of  Jacob  of  y^  exe- 
cution, and  spent  att  diner 
w'  hym  and  y^  Fortune 
builders    -         -         -         -070 

,,  ,,  6.  I  dind  w' y^  Fortune  work- 
men att  Angells  and  spent     016 

>»  >i  ^3-  pd  y^  first  payment  for  y'=  For- 
tune building  2^1,  :  spent  -     016 

,,  June  12.  I  went  to  y'' Lord  off  Arundle : 
showed  y^  Fortune  plott. 

,,       ,,       17.  I    dind    at    y'=  Fortune   att 

Smiths  house  :  spent  -     O  I  3 

,,  July  19.  I  seald  y^  Leases  of  y^  For- 
tune. 

,,  Aug.  15.  I  went  to  y«  Fortune  to  meet  w*  Mr. 
Tliicknis  and  others.  I  wase  served 
w'  a  writt  att  Dorington's  shut 
ye  clarck  off  y®  Counter. 

On  20th  May,  1662,  Alleyn  granted  a  lease 
to  one  Charles  Massey,  of  one  twenty-fourth 
part,  of  a  "  parcell  of  ground  vpon  part 
whereof  lately  stood  a  Playhouse  or  building 
called  the  Fortune  with  a  taphouse  belonging 
to  the  same,"  and  other  tenements,  etc.,  for 
51  years,  Massey  paying  ;!^4i.  13s.  4d.  towards 
the  erection  of  a  new  playhouse.  Similar 
leases  were  made  to  Price,  Gwalter,  Jarman, 
Margaret  Grey  and  Bosgrave. 

The  misfortune  which  the  Fortune  com- 
pany experienced  through  the  fire  is  thus 
noticed  in  Vox  GracuH,  or  the  Jack  Daw's 
Prognostications,  etc.,  for  this  year,  1623  : 
"  The  dugs  of  this  delicate  bed-fellow  to  the 
sun  will  so  flow  with  the  milk  of  profit  and 
plenty,  that  (of  all  other)  some  players  (if 
Fortune,  turned  Phcenix,  fail  not  of  her  pro- 
mise) will  lie  sucking  at  them,  with  their 
fulsome  forecastings  for  pence  and  two-pences, 
like  young  pigs  at  a  sow  newly  farrowed,  for 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


2IT 


that  they  are  in  danger  to  meet  with  a  hard 
winter,  and  be  forced  to  travel  softly  on  the 
hoof." 

By  the  suppression  of  the  theatres  the 
lessees  were  not  able  to  pay  their  rents,  and 
considerable  loss  accrued  to  Dulwich  College. 
There  are  numerous  documents  in  the  Col- 
lege records  to  illustrate  this,  but  the  subject 
would  not  be  generally  interesting. 

The  end  of  the  Fortune  was  one  of  decay. 
We  find,  on  the  i8th  July,  1656,  a  report  by 
Edward  Jerman  and  John  Tanner,  who  had 
been  desired  by  the  authorities  of  Dulwich 
College,  "  to  vew  y^  ground  and  building  of 
the  late  playhouse  called  y^  Fortune."  The 
Report  states  that  "  by  reason  y^  lead  hath 
bin  taken  from  y^  sayd  building,  y«  tyling  not 
secured  and  y^  foundation  of  y^  sayd  play- 
house not  kept  in  good  repaire,  great  part  of 
y^  said  playhouse  is  fallen  to  y^  ground,  the 
tymber  therof  much  decayed  and  rotten,  and 
the  brickwalls  soe  rent  and  torne  y'  y^  whole 
structure  is  in  noe  condition  capable  of  re- 
paire, but  in  greate  danger  of  falling,  to  y^ 
hazzard  of  passengers  hues;"  and  it  is  recom- 
mended that  a  street  be  cut  from  Whitecrosse 
Street  to  Golden  Lane,  and  twenty-three 
tenements  be  built  on  the  ground. 

On  5th  March,  1660,  the  Court  of  Assis- 
tants of  Dulwich  College,  made  an  "  order  " 
for  the  lease  of  "  the  Fortune  playhouse  and 
ground  thereunto  belonging,"  the  same  having 
"  for  diuers  yeares  last  past  laine  void  and 
yielded  no  rent  but  bene  a  great  losse  to  y^ 
Colledge,"  and  being  "  at  present  soe  ruinous 
y'  parte  thereof  is  already  fallen  downe,  and 
y*"  rest  will  suddainly  follow." 

In  consequence  of  inability  to  find  a  tenant, 
notwithstanding  "  vtmost  endeauours  .... 
by  posting  bills  in  the  Citie  of  London  and 
putting  it  into  the  newesbookes,"  etc.,  an 
order  was  made  for  the  sale  of  the  materials 
of  the  playhouse.  Hence  the  following  ad- 
vertisement which  a])peared  in  the  Alcr- 
curius  Politicus  from  February  14th  to  21st, 
1661  : 

"  The  Fortune  play-house,  situate  between 
Whitecrosse  Street  and  Gelding  Lane,  in  the 
Parish  of  St.  Giles,  Cripplegate,  with  the 
ground  thereto  belonging,  is  to  be  let  to  be 
built  upon ;  where  twenty-three  tenements 
may  be  erected  with  gardens,  and  a  street 
may  be  cut  through  for  the  better  accommo- 
dation of  the  buildings." 


The  materials  were  sold  to  William  Beaven, 
who  erected  houses  on  the  site.  In  the 
order  made  by  the  Court  of  Assistants  for  the 
lease  to  Beaven,  the  playhouse  is  spoken  of 
as  "  now  totally  demolished."  However,  in 
the  year  1819,  when  Wilkinson's  Londina, 
from  which  our  illustration  is  taken,  was 
published,  there  appears  to  have  been  a 
vestige  of  the  old  building  left.  Wilkinson 
writes  : 

"The  front  of  the  Fortune  Theatre  dis- 
played in  the  annexed  print,  on  which  the 
royal  arms  and  other  mutilated  figures  and 
ornaments  executed  in  stucco  are  still  to  be 
seen,  is  the  whole  of  its  exterior  now  apparent; 
its  back  court,  part  of  which  was  covered  by 
the  stage,  dressing-rooms,  etc.,  is  now  laid  out 
in  mean  tenements  ;  its  garden  and  surround- 
ing walks  and  avenues,  one  of  which,  it  ap- 
pears, was  once  called  Armitage  Alley,  have 
been  long  since  formed  into  a  street,  which 
still  retains  the  commemorative  name  of 
Playhouse  Yard,  though  Jeivs  Row  or  Rag 
Fair  would  now  be  far  more  proper  appella- 
tions. With  respect  to  the  interior  of  the 
front  of  this  theatre,  which  having  stood  near 
two  centuries,  is  rapidly  hastening  to  oblivion, 
it  was  probably  built  in  a  more  substantial 
manner  (as  it  was  consigned  to  the  audience) 
than  the  back,  in  which  we  have  just  observed 
the  stage,  etc.,  were  placed.  It  is  a  curious 
circumstance,  still  to  be  observed,  that  in  the 
upper  story  the  floor  of  the  gallery  yet  remains; 
nay,  the  marks  where  the  seats  were  fixed  are 
to  be  discovered  :  this  floor  consequently 
descends  in  the  same  manner,  though  not 
perhaps  so  regular  in  its  declination,  as  that 
of  the  gallery  of  a  modern  playhouse " 


IDi0totical  Documents  connecteu 
toitf)  tbe  l^istorp  of  tfie  COest 
3Intiie,s  at  tfje  JnDian  anD 
Colonial  OBr&itJition. 

Bv  Richard  Davev. 


T  was  fortunate  for  the  West  Indian 
Islands  that  they  have  been  repre- 
sented at  the  Indian  and  Colonial 
Exhibition  by  a  gentleman  of  cul- 
taste,    Sir    Augustus   Adderley,    who 
only  done  the  commercial  exhibits 


tured 
has  not 


212    HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES. 


of  the  Colonies  under  his  direction  the  fullest 
justice,  but  has  by  no  means  neglected  their 
artistic  and,  above  all,  their  antiquarian  and 
historical  interests.  He  has  created  in  the 
centre  of  the  court  a  gallery  which  certainly 
would  do  credit  to  any  museum,  and  which 
it  is  indeed  a  pity  should  ever  be  dispersed. 
Early  this  year  he  did  me  the  honour  of 
entrusting  me  with  the  mission  of  obtaining 
from  the  Eternal  City  whatever  records  of 
Columbus  and  his  companions  might  be 
there.  Furnished  with  letters  from  Car- 
dinal Manning,  I  was  not  long  in  obtaining 
an  interview  with  Cardinal  Simeone,  Director 
of  the  Sacred  Congregation  of  the  Propaganda, 
who  introduced  me  to  the  Secretary,  Arch- 
bishop Jacobini.  A  minute  search  of  the 
archives  of  this  famous  institution  was  imme- 
diately made  ;  but,  unfortunately,  it  was  soon 
discovered  that  nothing  of  any  importance 
connected  with  my  subject  existed.  Mon- 
signore  Jacobini  informed  me  he  had  heard  tell 
by  a  contemporary  that  at  the  time  of  Napo- 
leon I.  the  archives  of  the  Propaganda  were 
carelessly  packed  in  carts  and  conveyed  to 
Civita  Vecchia,  whence  they  were  embarked 
for  France  and  Paris.  Whilst  passing  through 
the  streets  of  Rome,  several  bundles  of  most 
valuable  papers  were  jolted  out,  and  subse- 
quently picked  up,  and  some  restored  to  the 
Congregation.  The  rest,  it  can  easily  be 
imagined  by  this  incident,  were  never  fully 
returned,  whilst  almost  all  the  earlier  papers 
were  retained  in  Paris.  As  a  result,  the 
present  archives  scarcely  date  further  back 
than  the  commencement  of  this  century.  At 
the  Vatican  I  was  introduced  to  the  learned 
and  liberal-minded  archivist,  Monsignore 
Palmieri,  through  the  kindness  of  Rev. 
Abbot  Smith,  of  the  Benedictines  of  San 
Calisto.  He  gave  me  every  facility,  and  I 
discovered  that  vast  quantities  of  unedited 
matter  concerning  the  earlier  history  of 
America  and  the  West  Indies  exists  among 
the  tremendous  and  rather  confused  ac- 
cumulation of  papers  of  great  value  which 
are  now  hoarded  in  the  famous  library, 
but  which  are,  thanks  to  the  energy  of  his 
Holiness  Pope  Leo  XHL,  being  put  into 
proper  order.  These  papers,  however,  are 
of  a  character  which  in  an  exhibition  I  felt 
sure  would  not  be  of  any  great  interest ; 
moreover,  there  was,  of  course,  no  chance  of 


their  being  removed.  I  returned  to  Mon- 
signore Jacobini  again,  and  with  his  permis- 
sion overhauled  the  small  but  most  interesting 
Borgian  Museum.  Of  course,  that  inestimable 
treasure,  the  first  Borgian  Map,  at  once 
riveted  my  attention,  and  I  greatly  wished — 
and  used  all  my  powers  of  persuasion — that 
it  should  figure  at  the  Exhibition  as  possibly 
the  earliest  geographical  record  of  the  West 
Indies  and  of  Central  America  extant.  It  is 
down  the  centre  of  this  map  that  passes  the 
original  line  traced  by  Pope  Alexander  VI. 
Notwithstanding  his  evident  wish  to  oblige 
the  Commissioner  and  the  Committee,  his 
Holiness  the  Pope  reluctantly  decided  that 
he  could  not  allow  so  extraordinary  a  relic  of 
antiquity  to  leave  its  place ;  but  his  Holiness 
courteously  granted  permission  for  the  re- 
moval to  London  of  the  second  Borgian 
Map,  or  "Diego  Ribero,"  a  document  of  much 
archaeological  value,  which  has  proved  one 
of  the  greatest  attractions  at  South  Kensing- 
ton. It  has  been  quite  extraordinary  to 
notice  the  groups  of  persons  to  be  seen  at 
almost  any  hour  of  the  day  studying  with 
amused  curiosity  its  strange  delineation  of 
the  newly  discovered  world.  The  drawing 
is  very  perfect  and  beautiful,  and  was  executed 
by  Diego  Ribero,  geographer  to  Charles  V. 
from  1494  to  1529.  Down  the  centre  passes 
a  slight  line  dividing  the  newly  found  lands 
between  Spain  and  Portugal,  which  is  a 
repetition  of  the  famous  divisional  line  traced 
on  the  first  Borgian  Map.  Although  the 
map  is  full  of  absurd  inaccuracies,  it  is 
nevertheless  singularly  clear  for  the  early 
period  in  which  it  was  produced.  The  West 
Indies  are  shown  with  precision,  their  names 
being  given  with  considerable  elaboration. 
America,  on  the  other  hand,  is  barely  indi- 
cated, the  coast  alone  being  defined ;  and 
Africa  is  introduced  with  the  Nile  wandering 
down  to  three  lakes,  situated  just  above 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Cape  Colony.  A 
number  of  very  well-drawn  ships  are  intro- 
duced, which,  taken  in  comparison  with  the 
land,  are  of  colossal  dimensions,  with  inscrip- 
tions to  the  effect  that  they  are  either  bound  for 
or  coming  from  the  "  Maluccas,"  by  which  it 
would  appear  that  these  were  then  considered 
the  principal  maritime  port  of  the  world. 
The  arms  of  Pope  Julius  11. — an  oak-tree 
with  twisted  branches — are  introduced  on  a 


HISTORICAL  D  0  CUMENTS  CONNE  C  TED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES.    2 1 3 


shield  at  the  foot,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  map  is  dated  under  Clement  VII. 
As  a  specimen  of  Italian,  or  better  Spanish, 
caligraphy  of  the  sixteenth  century,  it  is 
superb  and  in  most  perfect  preservation. 
The  Congregation  of  the  Propaganda  also  lent 
a  small  but  valuable  atlas,  showing  the  exact 
extent  of  the  various  Roman  Catholic  Mis- 
sions throughout  the  world ;  and  an  engraved 
reproduction  of  the  famous  Marco  Polo  Map, 
a  curious  specimen  of  German  geographical 
lore  at  the  commencement  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  the  original  of  which  is  engraved  in 
brass,  but  which  was  found  far  too  heavy  to 
send.  In  this  map  the  world  is  represented 
surrounded  by  water,  and  the  general  appear- 
ance of  things  is  like  that  of  a  drop  of  Thames 
water  as  seen  through  a  powerful  microscope, 
so  confused  is  the  earth  and  water,  and  mixed 
up  with  extraordinary-looking  living  things. 

Throughout  the  West  Indies  and  British 
Honduras,  and  indeed  all  over  both  Americas, 
stone  weapons  and  instruments  have  been 
discovered  in  abundance.  A  great  number 
of  them  have  been  found  in  British  Hon- 
duras, a  country  which  still  offers  marvellous 
ruins  and  remains  of  a  profound  and  myste- 
rious interest  to  the  archaeological  student. 
Some  of  those  which  have  been  kindly  lent 
to  the  Exhibition  seem,  judging  from  their 
size,  to  have  been  used  as  sacrificial  knives, 
whilst  others  made  of  blue  flint  are  formed 
with  shanks  for  their  attachment  to  the  stem 
or  handle  from  2  to  3  inches  long.  Several 
are  so  small  and  delicately  shaped  as  to  lead 
one  to  believe  that  they  were  originally 
employed  as  arrow-heads.  The  evidences 
concerning  the  early  civilization  of  the  West 
Indies  and  Central  America  are  so  conflicting, 
that  it  is  almost  an  impossibility  to  arrive  at 
the  exact  date  at  which  these  implements  were 
made. 

The  splendid  collection  of  ancient  gold 
ornaments  of  Mr.  Copeland  Borlase  throws 
much  light  upon  the  aboriginal  civilization  of 
the  countries  discovered  by  Columbus,  in 
whose  letters  frequent  mention  is  made  of 
the  existence  of  gold  and  silver  ornaments. 
On  one  occasion  he  states  that  he  was  visited 
by  a  chieftain  whose  head-dress  resembled  a 
sun,  and  was  made  of  pure  gold.  Although 
the  objects  lent  by  Mr.  Borlase  were  dis- 
covered   in    British    Honduras,    still    they 


are  Carib,  and  doubtless  more  or  less  like 
those  worn  by  the  natives  of  Jamaica,  and 
of  the  other  islands,  which  were  inhabited 
by  a  comparatively  civilized  population. 
Many  of  these  strange  little  flat  gold  idols 
bear  a  marked  resemblance  to  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  with  his  cocked-hat  on.  They 
are  infinitely  varied,  and  some  designs  re- 
call those  ornaments  which  have  been  found 
in  the  Etruscan  tombs,  whilst  others  again 
are  significantly  Egyptian.  The  pottery 
found  in  British  Honduras,  and  which  is 
exhibited  by  the  Commission,  had  it  been 
discovered  in  Greece,  would  have  caused 
little  or  no  surprise  in  the  antiquarian  world, 
so  close  is  its  resemblance  to  what  is  dug  up 
almost  every  day  in  Magna  Graecia.  The 
"God  of  Silence,"  however,  a  large  figure 
under  a  glass  case,  is  an  imposing  deity 
made  of  clay,  and  having  an  ornament  which 
fastens  its  lips  together. 

Passing  from  the  prehistorical  to  the  his- 
torical period  of  West  Indian  history,  Sir 
Augustus  Adderley's  gallery  gives  ample 
proofs  of  the  completeness  with  which  his 
idea  has  been  carried  out.  A  large  collec- 
tion of  ancient  engravings,  formed  by  Mr. 
Algernon  Graves  and  myself,  illustrate 
pictorially  the  life  of  Columbus.  There  are 
many  portraits  of  the  discoverer,  but  it  is 
certain  that  they  cannot  all  be  authentic, 
since  each  one  diff"ers  from  the  other.  That, 
however,  most  to  be  relied  upon  is  a  photo- 
graph sent  by  the  Mus(^e  Cluny,  since  the 
original  is  known  to  have  been  possessed  by 
Francis  I.  The  view  of  Genoa  as  it  was 
in  the  childhood  of  Columbus,  lent  by 
Madame  Beati,  is  very  curious,  as  are  also  a 
rare  collection  of  old  prints  representing  his 
most  famous  contemporaries.  Amongst  these, 
perhaps  the  most  strange  is  that  of  the  Arch- 
duchess Helena  Antonia  of  Austria,  a  lady 
who  had  the  misfortune  to  have  a  very  long 
thick  beard.  Naturally,  she  led  a  very 
secluded  life,  and  when  she  did  appear  in 
public,  was  covered  by  a  veil  thrown  over 
her  head.  This  Princess  devoted  much  of 
her  income  towards  maintaining  missions  in 
the  West  Indies.  The  copy  of  De  Bry, 
with  some  passages  burnt  and  mutilated  by 
the  Inquisition  of  Havannah,  is  a  rare  and 
curious  relic.  Before  leaving  the  subject  of 
pictorial  illustration,   I    must  not  omit  to 


214    HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES. 


mention  the  portrait  in  oil  of  Columbus,  lent  by 
Mr.  Graves  of  Pall  Mall,  a  work  of  consider- 
able importance,  having  been  painted  by  Sir 
Antonio  Mora  for  the  Archduchess  Margaret, 
Governor  of  the  Netherlands.  It  was  taken 
by  the  English  towards  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century  from  a  Spanish  galleon, 
and,  after  changing  hands  several  times, 
eventually  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Cribbs,  the  well-known  picture-dealer,  and  at 
his  death  it  was  purchased  by  its  present 
owner.  Washington  Irving  considered  it  one 
of  the  best  portraits  of  the  discoverer,  and 
caused  it  to  be  engraved  for  the  second 
edition  of  his  Life  of  Columbus. 

Whilst  interested  crowds  daily  throng  this 
gallery,  and  spend  only  too  much  of  their 
time  over  Mr.  Tinworth's  tricky  fountain 
with  its  Biblical  designs,  the  magnificent 
collection  of  old  books  relating  to  the  West 
Indies  is  apt  to  be  neglected.  That  these 
should  be  overlooked  is,  however,  very 
natural,  for  certainly  little  amusement  can  be 
obtained  by  the  perusal  of  their  title-pages 
as  seen  through  glass,  and  of  course  they  can 
only  be  examined  by  special  permission  of 
the  Commissioner.  Those  who,  however,  have 
been  allowed  to  turn  over  the  pages  of  these 
books  will  be  amused  as  well  as  instructed  on 
account  of  the  vivid  insight  they  afford  of 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  past.  The 
greater  part  of  the  collection  belongs  to  Sir 
Graham  Briggs,  Mr.  Audley  C.  Miles,  and 
Mr.  Henry  Stevens.  I  purpose  now  to  enter- 
tain the  readers  of  the  Antiquary  by  giving 
some  extracts  from  these  old  volumes,  kindly 
placed  at  my  disposal  through  the  courtesy 
of  the  Commission,  and  I  think  that  by  their 
aid  I  shall  be  able  to  present  a  very  fair  idea 
of  what  life  was  in  our  West  Indian  colonies 
at  a  time  when  they  were  the  veritable  "  gold- 
mines of  fortune "  of  British  commerce. 
Towards  the  middle  of  the  last  century  their 
prosperity  was  at  its  height,  and  there  was 
unbounded  luxury  and  magnificence  of  living 
in  the  capitals  of  each  of  our  settlements. 
In  1 741,  we  find  the  Island  of  Montserrat 
considerably  occupied  {The  Laws  of  Mont- 
serrat from  1 741  to  1788)  with  the  many 
"  Breaches  of  the  Sabbath,"  and  a  general 
neglect  of  "  Public  W^orship,"  to  the  scandal- 
izing of  the  Protestant  religion,  and  by  the 
encroachments  of  the  "Scarlet  Woman  of 


Rome."  In  order  to  put  an  end  to  this  sad 
state  of  affairs,  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Church  are  to  be  immediately  placed  on 
the  footing  of  those  of  England,  and  "an 
able  preaching  minister  is  to  be  main- 
tained at  a  cost  to  the  public  exchequer  of 
14,000  lb.  of  sugar  per'annum,  or  the  value 
thereof  in  tobacco,  cotton,  wool,  or  indigo. 
"  Moreover,  the  said  minister  can  demand  not 
exceeding  100  lbs.  of  sugar,  or  the  value 
thereof  as  above,  for  the  joining  together 
any  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  island  in  the 
holy  and  lawful  estate  of  matrimony."  Mean- 
time, Trinidad  is  on  the  other  hand  gravely 
occupied  over  the  encroachments  of  the 
Protestants.  The  island  is  still  Spanish,  and 
a  mild  form  of  Inquisition  is  in  full  swing, 
occasionally  roasting  a  negro  or  so  suspected 
of  heresy  or  idolatry. 

We  obtain  a  singular  insight  into  the 
manner  in  which  the  negroes  were  treated  in 
some  of  the  islands,  notably  in  Montserrat, 
from  the  work  above  mentioned.  Thus  in 
1670  an  Act  was  passed  forbidding  the 
negroes  to  enter  any  plantation  other  than 
his  master's  after  nightfall;  and  should  any 
be  found,  the  owner  or  overseer  of  such 
plantation  has  full  power  to  punish  them  as 
he  thinks  fit.  "  And  should  any  negroes 
harbour  or  conceal  any  such  loiterers  in  their 
cabins,  they  shall  be  taken  before  the  next 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  there  his  or  her 
owner  shall,  in  the  presence  of  the  said 
Justice,  exercise  the  punishment  of  40 
lashes." 

Slaves  are  not  permitted  to  enter  a  field  of 
cane  with  any  lights  or  fire  whatsoever, 
as,  "  by  their  insufferable  boldness  in  doing 
so,  much  damage  has  been  done,  and  more 
like  to  ensue ;  and  this  is  enacted  to  prevent 
future  inconvenience  which  may  happen  by 
such  insufferable  boldness." 

In  transgressing  this  law,  should  a  slave 
happen  to  set  fire  to  the  canes,  he  or  she 
"  shall  not  only  be  whipped,  but,  if  it  pleases 
their  master,  be  put  to  death  in  any  fashion 
that  he  shall  devise."  If  a  negro  steals  a 
cow  or  any  other  head  of  cattle,  he  shall  be 
brought  before  the  next  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  publicly  whipped.  This  punishment 
did  not  appear  to  have  been  sufficiently 
severe;  for  in  1693  thefts  had  become  so 
com.mon,  that  an  Act  was  passed  ordaining 


HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES.    215 


that  "  henceforth  any  negro  that  shall  be 
taken  stealing  or  carrying  away  stock,  cattle, 
or  provisions  amounting  to  the  value  of 
twelve  pence,  shall  suffer  such  death  as  his 
master  shall  think  fit  to  award."  Should  a 
theft  be  proved  against  a  negro,  the  value  of 
which  does  not  amount  to  twelve  pence 
current  money  of  the  island,  **  he  shall  only 
suffer  a  severe  whipping  and  have  both  his 
ears  cut  off  for  the  first  offence,  but  for  the 
second  offence  shall  suffer  death  in  the  form 
aforesaid  ....  and  it  shall  be  lawful  to 
shoot  at,  and  if  possible  kill,  any  negro  he 
shall  find  stealing  his  provision,  provided 
such  provision  be  not  within  forty  foot  of 
the  common  path,  and  that  the  party  so 
killing  hath  not  in  the  hearing  of  others  ex- 
pressed hatred  or  malice  against  the  owner 
of  such  negro."  The  white  servants  may,  it 
appears,  *'  be  kicked,  but  not  whipped ;" 
otherwise,  they  are  treated  very  little  better 
than  the  slaves.  Negroes  caught  without 
their  tickets,  authorizing  them  being  absent 
from  their  plantation,  are  to  be  whipped  with 
thirty-nine  lashes  by  the  constable  who  takes 
them,  for  which  service  "  in  each  case  he 
receives  six  shillings."  Should  a  slave  absent 
himself  for  the  space  of  three  months  from 
his  master's  service,  he  shall  suffer  death  as 
a  felon,  the  owner  in  compensation  to  be 
allowed  out  of  the  public  stock  3,500  lb.  of 
sugar.  Should  an  owner  have  a  slave  killed 
or  maimed  by  another  man's  slave,  he  shall 
have  his  choice  of  the  manner  of  the  of- 
fender's death  for  the  first-named  offence, 
and  for  the  second  whether  he  shall  be 
whipped,  or  the  offence  atoned  for  by  com- 
pensation. In  the  Acts  and  Statutes  of 
Barbadoes  (1652),  we  learn  that  whosoever 
shall  make  a  fraudulent  and  deceitful  sale  on 
that  island  of  any  "  servants,  cattel,  negroes, 
or  other  flock  or  commodities,  shall  suffer  6 
months'  imprisonment,  and  stand  in  the 
Pillory  two  hours  with  his  ears  nailed  there- 
unto, with  a  paper  in  his  hat,  signifying  the 
cause  of  his  punishment  ....  and  whoso- 
ever shall  be  convicted  of  carrying  away  any 
goods  whatsoever  after  the  same  have  been 
legally  attached,  shall  be  sent  to  prison 
during  14  days  ;  and  if  before  the  14th  day 
he  have  not  made  satisfaction  to  his  Creditor, 
he  shall  be  put  in  the  Pillory  and  lose  both 
his  ears." 


To  turn  to  pleasanter  things,  we  learn 
(from  A  Short  History  of  Barbadoes^  pub- 
lished in  1742)  that  nothing  can  exceed  the 
magnificent  manner  of  living  of  the  planters. 
They  have  as  fine  houses  as  any  in  England, 
and  are  attended  upon  by  regiments  of 
negroes  and  white  servants  in  gorgeous 
liveries.  "  Their  plate  and  their  china,  their 
fine  gowns  and  their  genteel  manners,  eclipse 
anything  that  the  writer  has  ever  seen  on 
his  travels,  and  their  hospitality  cannot  be 
imagined — an  hospitality  for  which  Great 
Britain  was  once  so  deservedly  famed."  At 
the  time  when  England  was  divided  into  two 
factions,  Cavaliers  and  Roundheads,  although 
the  planters  naturally  favoured  one  side  or 
the  other,  they  made  a  law  amongst  them- 
selves, forbidding  the  use  of  either  of  the 
two  words,  on  penalty  of  giving  a  dinner  to 
their  neighbours.  Many  purposely  made 
themselves  liable  to  the  penalty  as  a  pretext 
for  entertaining  their  friends.  The  Governors 
lived  in  these  good  old  times  in  great  state, 
notably  those  of  Jamaica  and  Barbadoes. 
When  they  went  to  church,  they  were  pre- 
ceded by  pages  in  silver  and  golden  liveries, 
by  officers  of  state — in  fact,  their  procession 
recalled  in  its  magnificence  that  of  the  King 
himself  in  London  going  in  State  to  St. 
Paul's.  A  good  deal  of  jealousy  is  evinced 
at  times  amongst  the  citizens  as  to  who  is 
entitled  to  attend  the  Governor's  entertain- 
ments; but  when  a  great  ball  is  given,  the 
scene  round  Government  House  in  James 
Town  or  Spanish  Town  must  have  presented 
a  most  picturesque  sight.  The  ladies  pro- 
ceeded thither  in  their  Sedan-chairs,  ac- 
companied by  a  veritable  army  of  slaves 
carrying  torches.  There  are  some  great 
beauties  amongst  them,  for  we  discover  (in 
Letters  from  Barbadoes)  that  the  author  is  so 
impressed  with  "the  majestic  beauty  of 
Miss  Dolton,"  "with  the  divine  Miss 
Gordon,"  •*  the  celestial  Miss  Alleyne,"  and 
with  the 

Sisters  Carter,  as  two  meteors  bright, 
Shine  glorious  round,  and  diffuse  light. 

Balls  and  parties,  routs  and  dinners,  suppers 
and  theatres,  occupied  the  attention  of  West 
Indian  ladies  to  an  extent  which  would 
amaze  their  descendants. 

It  is  strange  to  read  the  advertisements  in 
the  old  colonial  papers  of  the  last  century  of 


2i6    HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES. 


"  brockaded  silk  and  satins,  beaver  hats, 
gold-headed  canes,  snuff-boxes,  costly  china, 
plate,  and  patch-boxes,"  which  every  vessel 
brings  out,  finding  a  ready  sale  among  the 
luxurious  inhabitants.  No  wonder  that  oc- 
casionally, as  we  learn  from  the  Groans  of 
the  Plantation,  the  islands  sometimes  get 
embarrassed,  and  that  money  is  so  scarce, 
that  large  cargoes  of  negroes  have  to  be 
exported  for  sale  at  Charlestown  and  New 
Orleans. 

The  streets  of  a  West  Indian  city  must  at 
this  period  have  presented  a  very  picturesque 
spectacle.  Here  groups  of  great  ladies — in 
hoops  and  sarcenets,  and  with  powdered  hair 
and  "  patches,"  escorted  by  their  no  less 
gay  cavaliers  in  the  daintiest  satin  garments 
with  which  the  tailors  of  London  or  Paris 
could  supply  them ;  with  their  white-clad 
servants  at  a  respectful  distance  carrying 
their  parasols  and  fans,  or  lagging  behind 
with  the  heavily  gilt  Sedan-chairs — pass  up 
and  down  under  the  shadow  of  the  tropical 
vegetation,  perhaps  barely  pausing  to  notice 
the  public  flogging  of  a  couple  of  runaway 
slaves,  or  the  edifying  sight  of  a  white 
servant,  caught  in  the  act  of  stealing,  seated 
with  his  legs  and  arms  in  the  pillory,  and  his 
nose  and  ears  but  freshly  cut  off.  But  here 
comes  Dr.  Hans  Sloane,  the  famous  naturalist, 
or  Dr.  Burton,  a  noted  preacher,  who  oc- 
casionally goes  the  rounds  of  the  various 
islands  to  exercise  his  eloquence,  and  obtain 
a  series  of  good  dinners  in  return  for  his 
pious  endeavours  to  save  souls.  The  con- 
versation is  not  exactly  elevated,  for  there  is 
little  or  no  literature  to  be  found,  save  such 
as  comes  out  in  packages  from  England — the 
Gentleman^ s  Magazine,  The  Lady,  The  Tatler, 
Miss  Frances  Burney's  last  novel,  or  Oliver 
Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Wakefield.  Through 
the  open  windows  of  the  picturesque  houses 
with  large  verandas  one  catches  the  tink- 
ling of  the  sempiternal  spinette,  and  occa- 
sionally we  learn  that  "  a  grand  pinaforte  " 
makes  its  appearance  (from  the  Grenada 
Gazette,  of  which  a  complete  file  for  the 
years  1792-3  is  exhibited  by  Mr.  J.  G. 
Wells),  and  is  considered  a  great  novelty, 
being  offered  for  sale  at  a  very  high  price. 
The  History  of  Barbadoes  states  that  in  1733 
Lord  Howe  became  Governor,  but  fortunately 
for  the  colony  did  not  hold  this  office  long  ; 


"  for  if  he  had  remained  a  few  years  longer, 
he  would  have  ruined  Barbadoes  by  his  in- 
troduction of  luxury."  In  short,  **  the 
masters,  and,  in  fact,  all  gentlemen,  live  like 
little  sovereigns,  ruling  their  numerous  slaves 
with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  with  their  tables 
spread  each  day  with  the  most  luxurious  fare 
imaginable." 

In  every  island  there  was  perpetual  war 
being  waged  between  the  Governors  and  the 
people  ;  and  no  wonder  that  the  people  had 
cause  to  protest,  for  we  learn  that  almost 
without  exception  the  various  Governors  sent 
over  were  most  tyrannical  and  cruel.  This 
we  see  by  the  continual  protests  that  were 
forwarded  to  England,  and  by  the  "  Articles 
of  Complaint "  made  out  against  certain  of 
these  gentlemen,  to  be  submitted  to  the  King. 
It  appears  to  have  been  the  opinion  of  many 
of  these  rulers  that  all  that  was  required  of 
them  was  to  extort  money  from  the  people 
by  every  means  in  their  power,  legal  or 
illegal,  for  their  own  private  pocket.  To  rule 
the  country  fairly,  and  to  keep  it  in  a  settled 
condition,  a  by  no  means  easy  thing  in  those 
times,  appears  to  have  been  quite  a  secondary 
consideration  to  their  one  great  aim  of 
making  money.  A  notable  instance  of  this  is  a 
Mr.  Lowther,  who  carried  on  the  usual 
routine  of  extortion ;  but  in  justice  to  the 
memories  of  the  others,  it  must  be  said  that 
for  right-down  badness  he  far  outstripped 
them.  He  was  sent  out  to  Barbadoes  in  171 1. 
He  "  swallowed  up  the  taxes  as  fast  as  they 
were  raised ;  ships  forced  to  the  island  by 
stress  of  weather  are  compelled  to  give  him 
one  half  of  their  cargo,  to  save  the  other ;  he 
seized  without  cause  rich  ships ;  and  he  sus- 
pended Mr.  Skeen,  the  Secretary,  because  he 
refused  to  allow  him  a  pension  of  ;!£^4oo  per 
annum  out  of  the  fees  in  office.  He  kept  a 
cause  of  Haggot  v.  King  hanging  up  in 
Chancery  all  the  time  he  was  Governor,  only 
because  Mr.  Haggot  would  not  consent  to 
the  marriage  of  a  young  lady  under  his  guar- 
dianship, to  a  person  to  whom  Mr.  Lowther 
010 ned  he  had  sold  her  for  ;^i5oo.  And  in 
order  to  accomplish  his  bargain,  he  was 
about  taking  her  from  Mr.  Haggot  when  she 
was  married  ;  and  he  did  actually  despoil  him 
of  the  guardianship  of  her  sister,  declaring 
that  no  parent  had  a  right  to  appoint  a  guar- 
dian to  his  child."     When  officially  remon- 


HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES.    217 


strated  with  for  some  of  his  iniquities,  Mr. 

Lowther  simply  replied — '*  D your  laws ; 

don't  tell  me  of  the  laws.  I  will  do  it,  and 
let  me  see  who  dares  dispute  it."  Again, 
the  Governor  of  the  Bahamas,  Mr.  Elias 
Haskett,  in  1 701-2,  we  are  informed,  was 
such  an  iniquitous  personage  that  "  he  seizes 
all  the  claret  and  brandy  imported  into  our 
port  for  his  own  use,  and  most  unmercifully 
doth  whip  the  Parish  beadle "  (surely  this 
is  enough  to  make  the  late  Mr.  Bumble  turn 
in  his  grave)  "  and  the  tax  collector."  This 
gentleman's  evil  doings  are  related  in  a 
curious  document  of  over  twelve  closely- 
printed  pages  by  one  Captain  Cole,  who  it 
appears  was  deputed  by  the  people  of  New 
Providence  on  his  return  to  England  to 
make  an  official  complaint  to  the  King  of 
the  goings-on  of  their  Governor. 

The  Grenada  Gazette,  the  curious  old 
newspaper  above  referred  to,  throws  consider- 
able light  on  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  period  (1792-3).  The  details  of  the 
French  Revolution  are  recorded  with  great 
minuteness,  and  it  is  evidently  a  subject  of 
deep  interest  to  the  Gazettes  numerous 
readers.  The  editor  can  scarcely  contain  his 
indignation  as  he  records  the  sufferings  of 
the  French  King  and  Queen,  and  he  feels 
sure  that  God  will  punish  the  French  people 
"for  their  barbarity  and  utter  godlessness." 
He  is  certain  that  a  judgment  will  fall  upon 
them  "for  their  iniquitous  conduct,  their 
cruelty,  and  their  general  viciousness.  Oh," 
he  exclaims,  "  I  have  scarce  the  power  to 
tell  the  terrible  news  of  this  day — the  French 
King  and  Queen  are  in  prison  !  The  French, 
by  their  own  madness  and  folly,  have  thereby 
prepared  themselves  and  their  heirs  for  the 
bitterest  punishment  of  God  !"  The  dreadful 
series  of  advertisements  which  disgrace  every 
number  of  the  Chronicle  are  curious.  Thus  is 
advertised  for  sale  the  cargo  of  the  ship  Elkn, 
consisting  of  203  Gold  Coast  negroes ;  and 
that  of  another  ship,  comprising  343  young 
slaves.  "  Both  cargoes  are  in  high  health, 
and  the  terms  of  sale  will  be  made  as  agree- 
able as  possible  to  the  purchaser."  An  estate 
in  St.  Lucia,  comprising  amongst  the  stock, 
"  250  negroes  large  and  small,  and  six  horses 
and  five  mules.  There  are  among  the  negroes 
twenty  tradesmen  of  great  value."  Also, 
wanted  "  a  complete  washerwoman.    Anyone 

VOL.    XIV. 


having  one  to  dispose  of  may  hear  of  a  pur- 
chaser." Then  we  see  advertisements  for 
the  recovery  of  runaway  slaves,  "  for  whom  a 
genteel  reward  will  be  offered,"  whose  backs 
are  still  sore  from  recent  whippings,  whose 
ears  are  cropped  and  noses  split.  These 
make  no  impression  on  the  editor — the 
humane  man  who  so  deeply  deplores  the 
imprisonment  of  the  French  Royal  couple. 
He  is  not  ashamed  to  advertise  "a  pretty 
boy,  nearly  white,  for  sale,  price  ;^2o ;"  or  to 
call  attention  to  Madame  Marchand's  an- 
nouncement that  she  is  about  to  leave  the 
colony  and  wishes  to  dispose  of  her  stock-in- 
trade,  consisting  of  "  hardware,  haberdashery, 
dry  goods,  a  complete  collection  of  the  works 
of  the  best  French  authors,  an  excellent 
washerwoman,  and  two  bedsteads."  How- 
ever, to  all  according  to  their  proper  lights, 
it  must  be  said  that  in  1792,  throughout  the 
West  Indies,  slavery  was  a  thing  by  right 
divine,  and  continually  in  the  paper  above 
alluded  to  were  appeals  made  to  the  owners 
to  treat  their  slaves  kindly.  And  perhaps, 
after  all,  the  bulk  of  the  negroes  were  a  good 
deal  happier  than  many  free  men  are  to-day ; 
for  there  was  plenty  of  kindness  shown  to 
them.  They  were  allowed  three  wives 
(perhaps  many  will  think  this  was  no  very 
kind  concession  to  them),  and  we  read  of 
small  parties  given  to  the  negroes,  at  which 
servants  dressed  up  in  their  mistresses'  finery, 
and  danced  to  a  most  unreasonable  hour  of 
the  night,  to  the  sound  of  the  sacbut  and 
the  tabor.  There  is  a  pretty  series  of  en- 
gravings in  the  St  Vincent  Court,  represent- 
ing negro  festivities  in  the  olden  times.  They 
had  all  Sunday  to  themselves,  and  made 
pandemonium  of  the  principal  streets  of 
Spanish  Town  and  Nassau,  until  their  doings 
had  to  be  put  a  stop  to.  They  used  to  sing, 
dance,  and  wrestle  to  their  hearts'  content,  at 
which  it  is  said  "they  were  marvellously 
expert."  When  their  goings  on  in  the  streets 
became  unbearable,  they  were  prohibited 
from  singing  or  dancing  in  the  vicinity  of 
churches  or  genteel  folks'  dwellings.  Their 
food  is  good,  and  their  huts  are  at  least 
weather-proof,  for  it  is  of  course  to  the  in- 
terest of  the  owners  to  keep  their  slaves  in 
perfect  health,  they  being  of  value.  Never- 
theless, the  negroes  always  felt  themselves 
an    oppressed    race,   and    many    were    the 

Q 


2i8   HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES. 


struggles  they  made  to  get  free.  They 
concocted  plans  whereby  they  hoped,  by 
a  general  rising,  to  reverse  matters,  they 
becoming  the  masters,  and  the  Christians 
their  slaves.  The  plots  were  always  dis- 
covered, however,  and  the  ringleaders  tor- 
tured, and  afterwards  put  to  death  as  an 
example  to  the  others.  One  great  difficulty 
that  owners  at  one  time  had  to  contend  with 
was  to  prevent  the  slaves  hanging  themselves, 
either  from  fear  of  a  future  punishment  for  a 
small  fault,  or  if  they  are  in  any  way  threat- 
ened, which  gave  them  an  excuse  for  their 
act.  Consequently  owners  never  delayed  a 
punishment.  Whatever  their  religion  was, 
they  believed  in  a  resurrection,  and  that  after 
death  they  should  go  into  their  own  country 
again,  and  have  their  life  renewed.  It  is  in 
consequence  of  such  a  belief  that  they  en- 
deavoured to  expedite  such  a  state  of  affairs. 
An  owner  having  lost  several  useful  slaves  in 
this  way,  "  caused  one  of  their  heads  to  be 
cut  off  and  fixed  on  a  pole  1 2  feet  high,  and 
having  done  so,  caused  all  his  negroes  to 
come  forth  and  march  round  about  this  head, 
to  show  to  the  poor  creatures  that  they  were 
in  error  in  thinking  the  dead  returned  to 
their  own  country ;  for  this  man's  head  was 
here,  as  they  all  plainly  saw,  and  how  was  it 
possible  the  body  could  go  without  the  head  ?" 
This  simple  theory  was  quite  sufficient  to 
convince  them,  and  from  that  day  the  owner 
never  lost  another  slave  in  this  way. 

Sometimes  there  is  a  play  in  one  or  other 
of  the  capitals  of  the  various  islands.  Com- 
panies from  England  or  France  pay  the 
principal  cities  a  visit,  and  occasionally 
amateurs  undertake  to  assist  the  professionals 
or  to  supplement  them.  The  French  theatre 
at  St.  George's,  Grenada,  has  a  great  reputa- 
tion in  the  colonies.  It  is  opened  about  six 
times  a  year,  sometimes  by  an  English  and 
sometimes  by  a  French  troupe.  We  read  in 
the  Grenada  Gazette  that  "  On  Saturday,  the 
31st  August,  1792,  Douglas  was  performed, 
Lady  Randolph  by  a  lady — her  first  appear- 
ance on  any  stage — and  Old  Norval  by  a 
gentleman.  No  admittance  on  any  account 
behind  the  scenes.  The  gentility  is  invited 
to  send  their  negroes  early  (to  retain  the 
seats),  who  are  to  sit  in  their  places  until  five 
minutes  before  the  curtain  rises,  when  they 
are   to  give   up  their  places  to  the  proper 


owners.  The  Manager  reminds  the  audience 
to  bring  their  own  candles."  The  negroes 
filled  the  gallery,  and  were  renowned  through- 
out the  colonies  for  their  judicious  criticism, 
the  warmth  of  their  applause,  and  the  noise 
of  their  disapproval.  Ladies  of  very  great 
quality  were  accommodated  with  seats  upon 
the  stage.  We  see  on  one  occasion  the 
French  company  gives  Nina  Folk  par 
Amour.  This  must  be  either  CopoUa's  or 
Paisiello's  opera,  composed  about  that  time. 

Cock-fighting,  we  learn  also  from  the  same 
journal,  was  a  fashionable  sport  of  the  gentry. 
"On  Saturday,  the  31st  Septr.,  1792,  at 
10  o'clock,  a  match  of  20  cocks  will  be 
fought,  by  10  gentlemen.  N.B. — A  genteel 
dinner  will  be  provided."  In  the  same  day's 
issue,  we  see  announced  the  appearance  in 
England  of  a  new  sect,  called  the  Anti- 
Chartists,  whom  it  describes  as  another 
branch  of  those  iniquitous  wretches  who  are 
opposed  to  the  slave-trade. 

Jamaica,  then  said  to  be  the  "  wickedest 
place  on  earth,"  is  spoken  of  in  great  detail 
in  The  British  Empire  in  America,  or  the 
History  of  the  Discovery,  etc.,  of  the  British 
Colonies  (published  in  London,  1708).  It 
well  deserved  its  name,  for,  in  point  of  fact, 
the  inhabitants  at  that  time  mainly  gained 
their  livelihood  by  trading  with  pirates,  of 
which  an  enormous  number  infested  these 
seas,  making  raids  upon  neighbouring  Spanish 
islands,  and  carrying  off  immense  treasure  to 
Jamaica,  there  to  spend  it  in  debauchery.  A 
certain  pirate,  Henry  Morgan,  was  perhaps 
the  most  enterprising  and  daring  man  of  his 
day.  He  was  no  petty  thief,  but  did  his 
work  after  a  royal  fashion.  He  commanded 
at  one  time  2,000  men,  who  manned  a  fleet 
of  thirty-five  vessels.  One  of  his  best  cap- 
tures was  the  city  of  Puerto  Velo,  in  Panama, 
where  the  treasure  he  seized  amounted  to 
250,000  "  pieces  of  eight,"  besides  much 
rich  stuff,  etc.  Innumerable  were  his  suc- 
cesses, and  incalculable  the  riches  which  he 
and  his  companions  were  thereby  enabled  to 
spend  in  Jamaica,  rendering  the  island  most 
prosperous.  His  exploits  were,  as  before 
said,  mainly  confined  to  raids  on  the 
Spaniards,  England's  old  enemies ;  therefore 
his  doings  were  winked  at,  until  the  Spanish 
Government  made  such  representations  to 
the  English  that  they  thought  it    right  to 


HISTORICAL  DOCUMENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  WEST  INDIES.    219 


interfere,  and  put  a  stop  to  Captain  Morgan's 
proceedings.  This  gentleman  terminated 
his  career  as  a  pirate  by  a  coup  de  main, 
which  brought  into  his  exchequer  400,000 
**  pieces  of  eight." 

The  same  book  gives  some  strange  details 
of  the  earthquake  in  Jamaica  on  June  7th, 
1692.  In  many  of  the  streets  of  Port  Royal 
there  were  several  fathoms  of  water  ;  a  great 
mountain  split,  and  fell  into  the  level  land, 
covered  several  settlements  and  destroyed 
many  people.  One  settler  had  his  plantation 
removed  half  a  mile  from  the  place  where  it 
formerly  stood.  Part  of  a  mountain,  after 
having  made  several  leaps,  overwhelmed  a 
whole  family  and  great  part  of  a  plantation 
lying  a  mile  off;  and  "  a  large,  high  mountain 
is  quite  swallowed  up,  and  in  the  place  where 
it  stood  there  is  now  a  vast  lake,  four  or  five 
leagues  over."  In  all  about  2,000  people 
perished  by  this  catastrophe. 

Owners  will  never  consent  to  allow  their 
slaves  to  become  Christians,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  following  : 

"  I  took  a  great  interest  in  a  certain  slave, 
Sambo,  who  wanted  much  to  become  a 
Christian,  and  spoke  to  the  master  of  the 
plantation  on  his  behalf.  His  answer  was 
that  were  Sambo  once  a  Christian,  he  could 
no  longer  be  accounted  a  slave,  and  thus 
owners  would  lose  hold  on  their  slaves. 
Were  he  in  this  case  to  do  so,  such  a  gap 
would  be  opened,  that  all  the  planters  in  the 
isle  would  curse  him." 

Still,  from  the  same  book  we  read  that  in 
Dominica  "  there  are  several  high  mountains 
in  the  midst,  which  encompass  an  inaccessible 
bottom  ;  where  from  the  tops  of  certain  rocks 
may  be  seen  an  infinite  variety  of  reptiles  of 
dreadful  bulk  and  length.  The  natives  were 
wont  to  tell  of  a  vast  monstrous  serpent  that 
had  its  abode  in  the  said  bottom.  They 
affirmed  that  there  was  in  the  head  of  it  a 
very  sparkling  stone,  like  a  carbuncle,  of  in- 
estimable price — that  the  monster  commonly 
veiled  that  rich  jewel  with  a  thin  moving 
skin,  like  that  of  a  man's  eyelid ;  and  when 
it  went  to  drink,  and  sported  itself  in  the 
deep  bottom,  it  fully  discovered  it,  and  the 
rocks  all  about  received  a  wonderful  lustre 
from  the  fire  issuing  out  of  that  precious 
gem." 

In  the    Nevis    Court  will    be  seen  the 


register-entry  of  the  marriage  of  Lord  Nelson 
in  the  parish  church  of  that  island. 

Very  singular  also  is  the  sales  paper  of  the 
Byam  estate  in  Antigua,  from  which  we  find 
the  prices  of  slaves  to  have  varied  from  jQio 
to  ^150,  "  warranted  sound."  Some  elderly 
ladies  and  gentlemen  of  colour  are  "  thrown 
in  gratis."  Several  copies  of  the  slave  Bible 
are  also  shown,  in  which  all  verses  calculated 
to  uproot  the  idea  that  slavery  is  not  an 
institution  by  Divine  right  are  carefully 
eliminated. 


iaetiieto. 


Kinship  and  Marriage  in  Early  Arabia.  By  W. 
Robertson  Smith.  (Cambridge  :  University 
Press,  1885.)    8vo.,  pp.  xiv,  322. 

HE  well-known  theories  of  Mr.  McLennan 
have  in  this  book  been  applied  to  a  par- 
ticular race.  If  the  theories  are  worth 
anything  at  all  as  an  explanation  of  the 
origin  of  society,  they  will  be  found  to  unlock  some 
of  the  unexplainable  phenomena,  and  to  account  for 
the  observable  phases  of  development  in  any  given 
race.  No  one  had  attempted  thus  to  utilize  Mr. 
McLennan's  researches  until  Professor  Robertson 
Smith  investigated  the  system  of  kinship  and  marriage 
in  early  Arabia.  For  his  purpose  the  material  avail- 
able was  fairly  accessible,  and  by  what  must  have 
been  a  most  exhaustive  research.  Professor  Smith  has 
succeeded  in  obtaining  good  and  sufficient  evidence 
for  all  the  points  which  he  undertakes  to  prove.  The 
result  thus  obtained  shows  that  the  application  of 
Mr.  McLennan's  theory  to  Arabian  society  success- 
fully accounts  for  facts  not  otherwise  explainable,  and 
successfully  groups  these  facts  in  such  a  way  as  to  set 
forth  the  lines  of  progress  along  which  Ar.ibian  society 
must  have  progressed.  Could  any  other  theory  of  the 
origin  of  society  obtain  the  same  results  ?  Mr.  Spencer 
affirms  that  society  began  in  monogamous  groups,  the 
family  increasing  and  keeping  together  until  it  grew 
into  the  tribe.  There  is  no  evidence  of  this  in  Arabian 
society.  What  we  see  there  is  first  a  group  of  men 
and  women  bearing  the  relationship  of  brothers  and 
sisters.  The  men  seek  their  brides  in  other  tribes, 
but  always  live  with  and  defend  their  own  tribes. 
The  women  have  their  husbands  from  other  tribes, 
and  the  children  born  of  these  temporary  marriages 
are  the  property  of  the  mother's  tribe  —  the  male 
children  to  be  food-winners  and  protectors,  and  the 
female  children  to  be  the  mothers  of  future  members 
of  the  tribe.  As  Professor  Smith  says,  it  is  hard  to 
conceive  how  such  a  state  of  society  could  have  grown 
outjof  a  once  monogamous  group ;  whereas  the  evidence, 
if  taken  further  on,  shows  how  the  family  gradually 
developed  from  the  promiscuous  group  just  described. 
First  would  come  marriage  by  capture,  then  by 
purchase,  and  then  would  arise  the  desire  on  mans 

Q— 2 


REVIEWS. 


part  to  have  children  of  his  own,  and  not  to  hand 
them  over  to  his  wife's  kin.  The  argument  when 
stated  at  full,  and  having  facts  to  support  each  stage, 
seems  to  us  to  be  conclusive,  but  it  would  have  been 
well  if  Professor  Smith  had  noticed  the  forcible  argu- 
ment put  forth  by  Sir  Henry  Maine  against  this 
theory.  Recognising  the  facts,  as  all  must  do,  repre- 
sented by  Mr.  McLennan's  researches,  Sir  Henry 
Maine  says  these  were  transitional  in  character  and 
subsequent  in  development  to  monogamous  social 
groups.  There  seems  so  much  force  in  this  when  we 
recollect  the  curious  example  of  the  Cyclopes  and 
other  similar  types  of  savage  society,  that  it  is  a  pity 
Professor  Smith  did  not  apply  it  to  the  observable 
phenomena  of  Arabian  society.  It  is  true  that  he 
suggests  how  hard  it  is  to  conceive  that  promiscuous 
marriage  arose  out  of  monogamous  groups,  but  diffi- 
culties of  this  sort  are  not  to  be  accounted  for  by  what 
scientists  of  the  modern  days  can  or  cannot  conceive. 
But  whether  there  is  much  or  little  in  Sir  Henry 
Maine's  objection  to  the  theory.  Professor  Smith  has 
written  a  remarkable  book,  and  one  that  must  have 
considerable  weight  in  all  future  researches  into  this 
fascinating  subject. 


Unique  Traditions  chiefly  of  the  West  and  South 
of  Scotland.  By  John  Gordon  Barbour. 
(London:  Hamilton  Adams,  l886.)  8vo.,pp.  255. 
The  author  of  this  book  "hath  "  a  "  unique"  way 
of  expressing  commonplace  remarks,  and  thinks  it 
necessary  to  inform  the  world  of  his  impressions  of 
some  antiquities  in  Caledonia.  Some  people  may 
perhaps  fall  into  his  humour,  but  we  must  confess  that 
for  ourselves  it  is  difficult  to  do  so,  and  though  the 
traditions  of  Scotland  are  ever  fascinating,  we  prefer 
them  in  less  questionable  guise.  Mr.  Barbour  has 
doubtless  some  good  things  to  tell  us,  for  he  loves 
Scotland,  and  he  loves  traditions.  Let  him  ask  a 
member  of  the  Folk-lore  Society  to  instruct  him  in  the 
method  of  his  craft. 


Cheshire    Notes  and   Qtieries,   a   Quarterly  Journal 
of  Matters  Past  and  Present  connected  with  the 
County  Palatine  of  Chester.     Edited  by  E.   W. 
BuLKELEY.  (Stockport:  Swain  and  Bearby.)  4to. 
Cheshire   Notes   and  Queries  is   not   so    "chatty, 
learned,  and  useful "  as  its  compeers  in  other  counties, 
though  we  are  far  from  saying  it  does  not  possess  any 
of  these  qualities.     Perhaps  it  is  because  in  Cheshire 
one  looks  for  so  much  that  is  interesting  and  valuable, 
that  this  particular  part  for  June  quarter  has  disap- 
pointed us.     If  this  is  the  reason  we  shall  be  quite 
ready  to  acknowledge  it  in  the  future.     In  the  present 
part  "  The  Parish  Registry  of  Stockport  "  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  most  interesting  communications. 


The  Church  and  the  Stage.    By  William  Henry 

Hudson.     (London:  Triibner  and  Co.,  1886.) 

8vo. 

This   pamphlet   describes  the    origin    of  English 

drama  within  the  bosom  of  the  Church ;  its   rapid 

growth  in  popularity  ;  the  severance  of  its  connection 

with  the  Church  ;  the  rise  of  the  Puritan  movement 

and  the   onslaught   it  made   upon   the   drama ;  the 

degradation  of  the    drama   in    the  post-Restoration 

period;    its  emergence  from  the  slough  when  the 


vicious  fashions  of  that  age  had  passed  away.  The 
author  very  severely  blames  the  Church  for  not  having 
taken  the  stage  in  hand  when  it  showed  a  better 
disposition.  He  truly  enough  urges  that  one  actor, 
David  Garrick,  did  more  to  elevate  the  drama  than 
all  the  priests  and  Puritans  who  have  ever  lived. 
Under  the  heading  of  "  The  Present  Position  of  the 
Controversy,"  the  author  presents  a  forcible  bill  of 
complaint  against  the  clergy  of  to-day,  who,  as  a  body, 
"  ignore  the  stage  as  much  as  possible."  They  feel 
that  opposition  would  be  useless,  not  to  say  ridiculous, 
and  so  satisfy  themselves  with  a  policy  of  silence.  If 
this  be  so,  the  policy  is  safe,  but  the  disposition  it 
implies  is  not  generous.  The  author  concludes  with 
a  plea  for  peace,  unity,  and  goodwill  between  Church 
and  stage.  This  book  is  well-considered  and  well- 
written  ;  but  to  us  it  appears  to  suffer  from  over- 
elaboration,  both  of  argument  and  of  rhetoric. 

London  and  Elsewhere.      By    Thomas    Purnell. 
(London:  T.  Fisher  Unwin,  1886.) 

This  book  is  exceedingly  pleasant  to  read.  The 
style  is  easy  and  polished,  and  the  aim  of  the  book 
deserves  commendation.  London  and  London  life, 
past  and  present,  is  the  chief  theme  of  the  book ; 
the  "Elsewhere"  of  its  title  being  Holland,  two 
trips  to  which  country  the  author  very  pleasantly 
describes. 

The  book  is  on  all  the  bookstalls,  and  anything 
more  than  a  short  notice  here  would  be  superfluous. 

The  publication  of  such  a  book  at  a  shilling  is  a 
practical  protest  against  the  "  shilling  dreadful ;"  that 
the  public  will  not  be  slow  to  take  advantage  of  the 
change,  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  and  the  book  merits 
success.  The  description  of  Swinburne's  reading  is 
of  distinct  literary  value.  Theatrical  concerns  are  ex- 
posed to  sharp  criticism,  in  the  chapters  entitled 
"  Keeping  a  Theatre,"  and  "  Actresses'  Husbands  ;" 
and  the  author  shows  considerable  powers  of  satire  in 
his  treatment  of  these  subjects.  The  book  follows  in 
the  wake  of  Mr.  Hutton's  Litej-ary  Landmarks  of 
London,  and  lovers  of  London  subjects  will  find  it 
fresh  and  pleasant  reading. 

The   Catalogue  of  the  most  Memorable  Persons  who 
had  visible   Tombs,  plated  Gravestones,  Escutch- 
eons,   or  Hatchments,   in   the   City  of  London, 
before  the   last   Dreadful  Fire.     1666.     By   P. 
Fisher.     Revised   and   continued   to    1700  by 
G.  Blacker  Morgan.     Privately  printed,  1886. 
(Hazell,   Watson,   and    Viney,    London.)    4to., 
pp.  vii,  95. 
This  forms  the  second  volume  which  has  been  re- 
printed  of  Major   Fisher's   works,    who    was    Poet 
Laureate  during  the  Commonwealth.     The  quondam 
Laureate  seems  to  have  displayed  much  enterprise  in 
antiquarian  matters,  and  to  have  availed  himself  of 
any  public  calamity  or  excitement  to  bring  his  correla- 
tive works  before  the  notice  of  the  world.     Hence, 
when  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1666,    Major   Fisher   published    a   book    containing 
copies  of  the  whole  of  the  monumental  inscriptions, 
with  a  genealogical  account  of  the  families,  some  of 
whose    remains   entombed   therein   were    eventually 
calcined  by  the  fire.     In  this  work  he  gives  copies  of 
inscriptions  found  even  upon  coffins  exhumed  after  the 


REVIEWS. 


221 


fire — a  course  as  interesting  and  valuable  as  it  is 
unusual.  This  volume,  also  edited  by  M,  Blacker 
.  Morgan,  we  reviewed  at  length  some  months  ago. 

When  the  fire  of  1666  had  reduced  the  city  to 
ashes,  Major  Fisher,  always  on  the  qui  vive,  immedi- 
ately published  a  book  with  the  above  title,  thus 
taking  advantage  of  the  moment — by  giving  a 
synopsis  of  the  inscriptions  existing  before  the  fire — 
to  flatter  the  vanity  of  the  then  representatives  of  the 
families  commemorated. 

This  work  was  complete  so  far  as  it  went ;  but  in- 
asmuch as  the  names  of  the  churches,  where  the  in- 
scriptions were  visible,  are  entirely  omitted  in  Fisher's 
edition,  these  notices  could  not  have  been  of  much 
value  or  utility  at  the  present  day,  had  not  this 
omission  been  to  a  great  extent  remedied  by  M. 
Blacker  Morgan  in  his  present  issue.  Considerable 
additions  have  been  made  to  the  entries  in  this 
catalogue,  which  are  distinguished  from  Fisher's 
original  entries,  which  indeed  seem  to  form  a  very 
small  portion  of  the  work  before  us. 

This  work  will  be  found  to  be  of  great  utility  to 
the  genealogist  ;  while  it  commends  itself  to  the 
bibliophile  by  the  thick  paper  with  rough  edges  and 
parchment  covers  in  which  it  appears.  The  typo- 
grapical  portion  of  the  work  is  most  tastefully 
executed,  and  much  praise  is  alike  due  to  the  editor 
and  to  the  printer. 

Documents,    chiefly    unpublished,     relating     to    the 

Huguenot  Emigration   to    Virginia  and  to   the 

Settlement  at  Manakin  Town,  with  an  Appendix 

of  Genealogies.      Edited   and   compiled   for   the 

Virginia    Historical    Society  by    R.   A.  Brock. 

(Richmond,   Virginia,     1886.)      8vo.,    pp.    xxi, 

247. 

Here  is  another  evidence  of  the  attention  now  being 

paid  to  the  history  of  Huguenot  families,  in  America 

as  well  as  in  England.     This  volume  cannot  fail  to  be 

of  great  interest  to  those  investigating  the  subject, 

but  it  will  also  be  of  great  value  to  all  genealogists  on 

account  of  the  thoroughness  with  which  it  has  been 

compiled.     The  volume  consists  of   a  collection   of 

important  documents  concerning   the   lefugees,   and 

these  are  annotated  with  particulars  respecting  the 

various  persons  mentioned.     The  documents  are  dated 

from  1693  to  1744.     There  is  an  appendix  containing 

an  account  of  the  descendants  of  John  de  la  Fontaine, 

of  Bartholomew  Dupuy,  of  Rev.  James  Marey,  and 

of  James  Powell  Cocke  and  Mary  Magdalene  Cocke, 

and  a  full   index   adds  greatly  to  the  value  of   the 

book. 


Meetings  of  antiquarian 
Societies* 


Cambrian  Archaeological  Association.  — Aug. 
23. — The  sixth  annual  meeting  of  llic  Cambrian 
Archajological  Association  opened  at  Swansea  with 
an  official  reception  from  the  Mayor  (Mr.  Rees)  at  the 
Royal  Institution.  The  retiring  president,  Lord 
Tredegar,   occupied   the    chair.     A   vote  of  thanks 


havmg  been  passed  to  the  retiring  president,  Mr. 
Dillwyn  Llewellyn,  the  president  elect,  took  the 
chair,  and  delivered  an  inaugural  address.  He  urged 
the  members  of  the  association,  while  unable  to  avoid 
the  radical  obliteration  of  the  remains  of  past  genera- 
tions by  the  ravages  of  time  and  weather,  to  constantly 
watch  against  their  spoliation  by  careless  and  destruc- 
tive men,  to,  in  fact,  consider  themselves  a  vigilance 
society,  and  be  always  ready  to  prevent  vandalism. 
Excursions  were  made  on  Tuesday  to  Margam  and 
Neath  Abbeys.  About  fifty  members,  including  Mr. 
Dillwyn  Llewellyn,  the  president,  and  Lord  Tredegar, 
drove  to  Margam,  where  the  remains  of  the  abbey, 
which  are  situated  in  the  centre  of  Mr.  Talbot's 
grounds,  were  explored.  Mr.  Gamwell  read  an 
historical  paper  on  the  ruins.  A  move  being  made  to 
Neath  Abbey,  a  paper  describing  the  remains  was 
read  by  Mr.  T.  S.  Sutton. 

Sussex  Archaeological  Society.— Aug.  19.— This 
society  held  its  annual  general  meeting  at  BexhilJ, 
Winfield,  and  Penhurst.  They  inspected  the  old 
churches  of  the  three  villages  and  several  old  resi- 
dences of  historical  interest.  At  Bexhill  Church  they 
were  shown  a  fine  sepulchral  slab,  which  had  been 
pronounced  to  be  the  finest  monument  of  its  kind  in 
the  South  of  England. 

Cotteswold  Naturalists'  Field  Club.— Aug. 
17. — The  fourth  and  last  meeting  of  this  club  for  the 
present  season  was  held  at  Aust.  An  interesting 
object  in  the  walk  by  the  Severn  side  to  Aust,  a 
distance  of  about  two  miles,  is  Chessel  Pill,  now 
crossed  by  a  bridge,  carried  over  the  weir  and  flood- 
gates. Here  it  was  that  Charles  L  landed  when 
flying  from  the  Republican  soldiers,  after  being  ferried 
over  from  the  Black  Rock,  on  the  Monmouthshire 
side.  Some  sixty  of  the  Republican  troopers,  who 
were  pursuing  the  king,  came  to  the  Black  Rock,  and, 
finding  he  had  gone  over,  drew  their  swords  on  the 
boatmen  belonging  to  the  passage,  and  compelled 
them  to  take  them  over.  But  the  boatmen  were 
Loyalists,  and  landed  the  troopers  on  the  "  English 
stones,"  some  little  distance  from  the  Gloucestershire 
shore,  which  can  only  be  reached  from  them  at  low 
water  by  fording  a  pool,  and  left  them  there  ;  but  the 
tide  was  at  the  time  rapidly  rising,  and  the  soldiers 
were  all  drowned.  This  event  so  angered  Cromwell 
that  he  suppressed  the  passage,  and  it  remained  closed 
till  about  1718.  Arrived  at  Aust,  the  members  at 
once  proceeded  to  examine  the  grand  section  which 
the  cliff  presents  of  the  deposits  termed  "  Rhsetic," 
the  beds  of  which  at  Patchway,  Westbury,  Coombe 
Hill,  and  Wainlode,  have  become  classical  in  the 
annals  of  geological  investigation,  and  with  the  grand 
sections  of  Penarth  and  Watchett,  Up  Hill  and 
Purton,  are  unequalled  in  Great  Britain  and  else- 
where, except  only  on  the  flank  of  the  Rhaetian  Alps 
and  parts  of  Lombartly.  The  base  of  the  Aust  ClitT, 
like  the  bed  of  the  river  in  front  of  it,  is  composed  of 
the  lower  beds  of  the  mountain  liiEcstones,  and  these 
at  low  water  are  exposed,  and  are  covered  with  sea- 
weed. Resting  upon  them  arc  the  gypseous  marls  of 
new  red,  but  it  is  a  feature  of  the  district  that  the  entire 
series  of  the  new  red  sandstone  are  absent,  and  indeed 
were  never  deposited,  while  the  bands  of  gypsum  give 
a  bright  and  striking  appearance  to  the  cliff,  though 
they  are  not  pure  enough  to  be  used   as  plaster  of 


222 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


Paris.  The  special  character  of  this  section,  and  that 
which  chiefly  attracted  the  attention  of  the  geologists 
of  the  party,  is  the  great  development  of  the  bone- 
bed,  or  fish-bed,  chiefly  consisting  of  dark-grey 
crystalline  siliceous  limestone,  or  grit,  and  abounding 
in  saurian  and  fish  remains.  Some  hundreds  of 
different  forms  of  teeth  and  palates,  belonging  to  the 
singular  genus  Ceratodus,  have  been  found  in  this 
bone-bed,  whereas  at  Westbury,  not  far  off,  there  is  a 
total  absence  of  these  remains  of  Ceratodi,  though 
what  peculiar  condition  could  have  existed  in  so  short 
a  distance  to  prevent  the  migratory  habit  of  a  genus 
of  fishes  must  ever  remain  a  singular  and  inscrutable 
problem.  The  members  were  fortunate  in  obtaining 
good  specimens  from  the  various  beds,  including  a 
goodly  number  of  teeth  from  the  bone-bed. 

Birmingham  and  Midland  Institute,  Archaeo- 
logical Section. — Aug.  13. — The  members  paid  a 
visit  to  the  Metropolis  for  the  inspection  of  some  of 
its  antiquities.  On  arrival  the  party  were  conducted  to 
the  Guildhall,  where  they  were  received  by  Mr.  C. 
Welch,  assistant  librarian,  whoconducted  them  through 
the  great  hall,  built  in  141 1,  and  furnished  with  its 
present  appropriate  open  roof  in  1864 ;  the  library 
containing  a  large  collection  of  books  and  MSS., 
most  of  the  latter  being  modern  purchases.  In  the 
museum  in  the  crypt  Mr.  C.  Roach  Smith,  F.S.A., 
who  had  come  from  Rochester  expressly  to  meet  the 
members,  delivered  an  address.  He  said  that  to  form 
some  faint  idea  of  what  Roman  London  was — its 
extent  and  character— they  must  try  to  imagine  the 
absence  of  all  they  had  that  morning  seen,  the  long 
piles  of  splendid  buildings,  churches,  St.  Paul's,  the 
Guildhall,  and  the  Exchange ;  and,  upon  a  totally 
difTerent  plan,  to  construct,  in  their  mind's  eye,  ex- 
tensive villas,  chiefly  of  one  story,  with  wide,  open 
spaces,  crowded  streets  of  low  houses,  interspersed 
with  imposing  public  buildings  and  temples,  not  to  be 
located  by  the  streets  as  they  now  are,  but  with  roads 
leading  to  and  from  the  gates,  the  position  of  which 
are  indicated  by  the  modern  names.  Although 
written  history  is  silent  on  the  population  of  this  large 
and  important  city  during  the  400  years  of  Roman 
occupation,  yet  the  antiquary  from  existing  remains 
has  been  able  to  reconstruct  something,  and  from 
comparison  of  what  has  been  found  here  and  else- 
where to  believe  that  in  no  year  of  that  long,  silent 
period  could  there  have  been  wanting  municipal  regu- 
lations upon  which  were  founded,  in  part,  those  of  the 
j^resent  day.  There  were  guilds  or  fraternities  much 
like  those  now  existing,  a  proctor — answering  to  the 
mayor — laws,  and  magistrates.  The  remains  of  bronze 
equestrian  statues  showed  the  exalted  public  taste  ; 
while  the  exquisitely  finished  bronze  statuettes,  the 
rich  tesselated  pavements  and  wall-paintings  recalled 
private  luxury.  Recurring  to  the  extent  of  the  city, 
they  could  understand  that  by  the  well-known  line  of 
the  Roman  wall,  extending  along  the  Thames  by 
Whitefriars,  Ludgate  Hill,  by  Moorgate  Street  and 
Tower  Hill,  where  yet  remains  a  fine  fragment,  but 
probably  built  in  so  as  not  to  be  easily  seen.  This 
wall  was  an  extension  of  the  original  circumvallation, 
made  probably  not  earlier  than  the  time  of  Severus, 
and  not  later  than  that  of  Constantine.  In  the  recent 
destruction  of  some  of  its  foundations  were  revealed 
remarkable  evidence,  examples  of  which  were  now 


placed  before  them,  claiming  their  special  attention. 
Many  were  obviously  monumental — as  that  of  the 
Roman  soldiers — and  formed  parts  of  elevated  and 
decorated  erections.  Why  such  monuments  were 
broken  up  and  used  as  building  materials  was  palpable. 
Before  the  extension  of  the  circumvallation  they  were 
on  the  outside  of  the  walls,  but  when  enclosed  they 
came  under  the  law  which  forbade  sepulchral  monu- 
ments and  interments  within  a  town,  and  reverence 
for  ancestors  then  (as  now)  did  not  lead  to  their  care- 
ful removal  and  preservation. 

Dorset  Field  Club.— July  28. — The  members  of 
this  club  held  their  first  meeting  for  the  present 
session  at  Corfe  Castle.  On  their  arrival  at  Corfe  the 
members  proceeded  to  visit  the  Blashenwell  Beds  of 
the  Post  Tertiary  Age,  which  were  explained  to  them 
by  Mr.  Mansel-Pleydell.  Returning  to  the  town, 
most  of  the  members  visited  the  Museum,  which  has 
been  in  existence  for  many  years,  and  is  the  principal 
depository  of  geological  specimens  of  the  Purbeck 
formation.  The  Rev.  O.  P.  Cambridge  produced  a 
magnificent  celt  found  by  the  Rev.  H.  H.  House  at 
Winterborne  Thompson.  Mr.  T.  Bond  then,  as  a 
preface  to  the  club's  visit  to  Corfe  Castle,  made  some 
general  remarks  respecting  the  stronghold.  He  said  : 
"The  real  history  of  Corfe  Castle,  or  rather  of  its  use, 
commences  with  the  Anglo-Saxon  period,  previous  to 
which  we  know  nothing  whatever  about  it,  and  we 
can  only  proceed  on  conjecture.  I  make  no  doubt, 
however,  that  so  remarkable  a  hill  as  that  on  which 
the  Castle  stands  was  used  as  a  stronghold  from  the 
earliest  period.  I  have  no  doubt  it  was  originally 
fortified  with  earthworks,  and  I  believe  the  two 
ditches  are  very  ancient,  though  not  quite  in  their 
present  form.  They  have  no  doubt  been  greatly 
modified  to  meet  the  requirements  of  more  recent  for- 
tifications. There  is  some  evidence  of  this  as  regards 
the  inner  ditch,  which  has  manifestly  been  carried 
down  the  western  face  of  the  Castle  hill  before  any 
bridges  were  erected  across  it.  The  middle  and 
eastern  portion  of  the  ditch  have  been  since  modified 
more  than  once.  The  documentary  history  of  Corfe 
commences  with  a  grant  of  what  was  afterwards  the 
manor  of  Kingston  by  King  Edred,  great-uncle  of 
Edward  the  Martyr,  in  948  to  the  Abbey  of  Shaftes- 
bury ;  but  William  the  Conqueror  found  it  necessary 
to  erect  many  fortresses  to  establish  the  possession  of 
his  new  kingdom,  and  he  was  too  keen  an  observer 
and  too  good  a  general  to  permit  such  a  site,  so  im- 
portant for  the  defence  of  this  coast,  to  remain  in  the 
hands  of  the  nuns.  He  therefore  persuaded  or  com- 
pelled the  Abbess  of  Shaftesbury  for  the  time  to  give 
it  to  him  in  exchange  for  the  advowson  of  the  Church 
of  Gillingham.  With  the  exception  of  the  three  great 
events,  the  murder  of  Edward  the  Martyr,  the  im- 
prisonment of  Edward  II.,  and  the  siege  sustained  by 
the  gallant  Lady  Bankes,  together  with  the  final  siege 
and  ultimate  betrayal  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
Corfe  has  played  no  conspicuous  part  in  history.  It 
was  for  the  most  part  used  as  a  State  prison.  At 
length  it  was  sold  by  Queen  Elizabeth  to  Sir  Christo- 
pher Hatton,  who  became  her  Lord  Chancellor.  A 
successor  of  his  sold  it  to  Lord  Chief  Justice  Bankes, 
whose  gallant  lady  figures  as  the  heroine  of  the  spot,  and 
to  her  descendants  it  now  belongs.  With  regard  to  the 
structural  history  of  the  Castle,  no  doubt  the  herring- 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES, 


223 


bone  wall  is  by  far  the  most  ancient  fragment,  and 
this,  there  is  strong  evidence  to  show,  was  built  in  the 
last  decade  of  the  seventh  century.  The  keep  follows 
in  point  of  date,  and  this  was  built  by  the  Conqueror 
before  the  year  1085.  After  this  comes  the  great 
hall  and  adjacent  buildings,  including  the  north-east 
tower  of  the  outer  ward,  which  was  built  by  King 
Henry  III.  Lastly,  the  rest  of  the  outer  ward  was 
enclosed  by  King  Edward  I.,  the  entrance  gateway 
having  been  finished  in  1280.  Since  that  period 
no  material  alterations  have  been  made,  though 
no  doubt  alterations  have  been  from  time  to  time 
effected  in  the  internal  arrangement.  The  herring- 
bone wall  is  very  curious  and  interesting.  It  evi- 
dently is  of  great  antiquity,  and  it  could  not,  as  has 
been  conjectured  by  a  great  authority  who  did  not 
give  it  much  attention,  have  formed  part  of  the  mural 
fortifications  of  the  Castle.  It  appears  to  me,  after 
having  exhumed  and  traced  the  foundations,  that  the 
evidence  is  strongly  in  favour  of  its  having  formed  one 
side  of  a  church  built  by  St.  Aldhelm  a  little  previous 
to  the  year  700.  Where  to  find  '  the  Chapel  of  St. 
Mary  in  the  Tower  of  Corfe,'  as  it  is  frequently 
described  in  the  old  accounts,  was  long  a  great  puzzle, 
as  no  appearance  of  it  could  be  seen  in  the  fragments 
of  the  ruins  of  the  keep.  By  climbing  up,  however, 
to  the  chamber  over  the  stone  vaulting  of  the 
gallery,  was  discovered  architectural  features  which 
leave  no  doubt  that  here  was  the  chapel  in  ques- 
tion. Chapels  in  keeps  were  commonly  in  some  fore- 
buildings  attached  to  the  keep,  and  not  within  the 
four  walls  of  the  main  building.  There  was  another 
and  a  very  small  chapel  situated  at  the  north  end  of 
the  great  hall."  He  said  the  isolated  precipitous  hill 
severed  from  the  chalk  range  on  either  side  by  the 
work  of  Nature,  upon  which  the  Castle  now  stands, 
received  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  the  appropriate  name 
of  "  Corvensgeat "  or  "  Corvesgate,"  derived  from  a 
combination  of  the  words  "  ceorfan "  to  cut,  and 
•'  geat,"  a  gate.  The  foss  which  separates  the  Castle 
from  the  town  of  Corfe  is  spanned  by  a  lofty  and 
substantial  stone  bridge  of  four  arches  ;  but  there  are 
no  traces  remaining  of  the  drawbridge,  which  no 
doubt  originally  stood  between  the  north  end  of  the 
bridge  and  the  Castle.  The  plan  of  the  Castle  is 
adapted  to  the  shape  of  the  hill  on  which  it  stands,  its 
outer  walls  following  and  crowning  the  crest  of  the 
hill.  The  interest  of  the  visitors  was  centred  for 
some  time  in  the  curious  fragment  of  herring-bone 
wall  which  stands  near  the  Rutavant  Tower.  This, 
as  Mr.  Bond  pointed  out,  is  covered  with  lichen,  and 
its  antiquity  is  thus  proved.  The  wall  was  orginally 
71  feet  in  length  by  li  feet  in  height,  and  Mr.  Bond 
is  of  opinion  that  the  long,  narrow,  isolated  room 
which  it  enclosed  was  part  of  the  church  built  by 
St.  Aldhelm  in  the  last  decade  of  the  seventh  century, 
Mr.  Bond  accounted  for  the  fragment  having  been 
preserved  from  the  fact  that  there  was  a  tradition  no 
rain  fell  within  the  walls  after  the  root  was  off,  and 
that  it  was  kept  owing  to  this  superstition.  Other 
places  point  out  the  entrance  to  the  Chapel  of 
St.  Mary,  the  Queen's  Tower,  the  Hall,  the  Chapel 
and  Tower  of  the  Gloriet,  the  Well,  and  the  Cokayne 
Tower.  With  respect  to  th?  well,  Mr.  Bond  said 
there  was  a  tradition  that  Lady  Bankes,  the  heroine 
of  the  Castle,  threw  her  plate  and  jewels  into  it,  and 


that  the  property  had  not  been  recovered.     It  was 
said  that  anyone  who  could  run  round  the  well  seven 
times  with  one  breath  might  find  the  jewels. 
Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society. 

—August  21.— The  members  of  the  society  were  met 
at  Otley  by  Mr.  C.  J.  Newstead,  who  conducted  them 
over  the  church.  He  said  that  it  had  been  stated  that 
a  church  existed  in  Otley  in  the  time  of  Paulinus,  and 
that  it  was  burnt  by  the  Danes  during  his  tenure  of 
the  Archbishopric.  Whether  that  be  so  or  not,  a 
church  certainly  existed  at  Otley  in  the  early  days  of 
Christianity  in  Britain.  Whitaker  remarks  that  Otley 
was  "  one  of  the  great  Saxon  parishes,  and  the  parent 
of  several  others  which  were  separated  after  the  Con- 
quest," and  at  the  time  of  the  Domesday  survey  there 
was  a  church  and  a  priest  at  Otley.  Athelstan,  about 
the  year  938,  after  his  subjugation  of  Northumbria, 
presented  the  Manor  of  Otley  to  the  Archbishops  of 
York,  who  have  remained  its  lords  till  very  recent 
times,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the  Ecclesiastical 
Commissioners.  The  earliest  structure  was  probably 
mainly  of  wood,  and  was  burnt  down  in  the  troubled 
period  of  the  Conqueror.  Otley  also  suffered  from 
raids  of  the  Scots,  and  there  are  many  marks  of  fire 
on  stones  of  the  present  building ;  for  instance,  the 
Norman  piscina  within  the  altar  rails,  the  stonework 
of  the  ambrey  (or  box  for  holy  oil),  now  unfortu- 
nately hidden  by  the  oak  lining  and  door,  and 
also  the  fragments  of  crosses  in  the  baptistery,  show 
marks  of  fire.  The  oldest  parts  of  the  present  building 
are  the  chancel  and  north  door,  which  are  Saxon,  or 
more  probably  Norman.  In  the  chancel  are  the  Nor- 
man piscina  and  a  round-headed  window  on  the  north 
side.  For  many  years  the  latter  was  blocked  up,  but 
was  re-opened  at  the  restoration  of  the  church.  The 
round-headed  window  on  the  south  side  was  inserted 
at  the  same  time,  and  is  in  the  position  of  a  window  of 
the  same  period,  as  has  been  proved  by  traces  of  the 
old  stonework  in  the  wall.  Remains  of  similar  win- 
dows were  also  found  in  the  east  wall,  in  the  north 
wall  where  the  arch  into  the  organ  chamber  now  is, 
and  also  in  the  south  wall  near  the  present  window. 
The  present  east  window  was  probably  inserted  in 
the  time  of  Henry  VII.,  when  the  north  aisle  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  added.  The  old  Norman  church 
probably  extended  to  the  west  side  of  the  transept 
arches,  the  remains  of  a  wall  having  been  found 
under  a  portion  of  the  present  floor,  and  apparently 
extending  across  the  nave  at  that  point.  Remains 
of  a  plain  doorway  were  also  found  m  the  north  wall 
in  the  corner  adjoining  the  chancel  arch.  The  church 
was  subsequently  extended  to  the  tower,  and  the  chan- 
cel arch  and  the  transepts  were  probably  built  at  that 
time.  The  only  remaining  original  window  in  the  tower 
is  of  the  Decorated  or  geometrical  period,  the  window 
in  the  west  wall  of  the  north  aisle  and  the  window  im- 
mediately adjoining  it  in  the  north  wall  l)eing  of  the 
same  period,  and  most  probably  removed  from  their 
original  positions  when  the  side  aisle  was  added.  At 
this  time  the  building  had  assumed  the  form  of  a  Latin 
cross.  At  the  restoration  in  1870  the  foundation  of  a 
wall  across  the  c.-ist  end  of  the  north  aisle  was  found. 
Thoresby  in  his  diary  mentions  that  he  saw  the  cross  of 
Sir  Simon  Ward  on  the  capital  of  one  of  the  pillars  of 
Otley  Church,  but  Mr.  Newstead  conjectured  that  the 
learned  antiquary  had  confused  Guisclcy  with  Ollcy. 


224 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES, 


Mr.  Newstead  then  referred  to  the  placing  of  a  string- 
course above  the  nave  arches  in  1869,  to  the  finding 
of  a  "witch-bottle"  in  the  churchyard.    The  monu- 
ments in  Otley  Church  related  to  the  following  : — (l) 
Sir  Thomas  Fairfax  (died   1640)   and  his  wife  (this 
Lord  Fairfax  was  brother  of  the  poet,  Edward  Fairfax, 
the  translator  of  Tasso,  and  was  grandfather  of  the 
illustrious  Parliamentary  General,  born   at   Denton, 
January  17th,  1612,  and  christened  in  Otley  Church, 
January  26th,   1612);  (2)  Charles  Fairfax,   uncle  of 
the  "  General,"  and  author  of  the   "  Analecta  Fair- 
faxiana ; "  (3)  the   Palmes  and    Lindleys,  concerning 
whom  a  mural  brass,  dated   1593,  shows  the  descent 
of  the  Palmes  of  Naburn  and  the  Lyndleys  of  Lyndley 
from    the   twelfth   century ;    (4)    the   Vavasours   and 
Fawkeses.     The  Longfellows  (ancestors  of  the  poet) 
also  belonged  to  Otley  parish.     The  registers  dated 
from  1562,  and  contain,  under  date  May   7th,  1788, 
John  Wesley's  signature  to  a  marriage.     In  the  bap- 
tistery were  fragments  ot  crosses,  which  have   been 
declared  on  high  authority  to  be  Roman,     Leaving 
Otley  the  party  proceeded  along  the   banks   of  the 
Wharfe  and  the  Washburne  to  Leathley,  where  they 
were  met  by  the  Rector,  the  Rev.  H.  Canham,  LL.B. 
The  church  was  visited,  where  Mr.  Canham  observed 
that  very  little  could  be  said  or  gleaned  of  the  past 
history  of  Leathley.    Hard  by  was  Leathley  Hall,  the 
ancient  house  of  the  Lindley  family,  which  about  the 
time  of  the  Restoration  came  into  the  hands   of  the 
Hitches,  and  from  them  descended  by  marriage  to  the 
Maudes,  the  last  of  whom  sold  the  estates  to  Walter 
Fawkes,  and  they  still  remain  a  portion  of  the  Farnley 
properties.      The  village  of  Leathley  is  very  small, 
scattered,  and  rustic,  and  the  old  stocks  are  still  close 
to  the  churchyard  gates.      The  church  is  an  ancient 
edifice,  but  its  original  features  are  almost  concealed 
by  alterations  and  repairs  made  at  sundry  times.    The 
tower,  however,  is  in  its  primitive  state,  the  simplicity 
of  its  rude  rubble  walls  being  relieved  in  only  a  few 
places  by  very  small  round-headed  openings.     Origi- 
nally it  appears  to  have  been  little  higher  than  the 
roof  of  the  nave,  and  to  improve  its  stunted  appear- 
ance it  has  been  raised  a  little  at  a  more  recent  date. 
Equally  primitive  is  the  interior  of  the  church,   the 
low,    massive,    round-headed    chancel    and    western 
arches  being  apparently  of  Saxon  or  very  early  origin. 
An  oak  door,  with  massive  iron  fastenings,   at   the 
west  end  of  the  church  was  also  of  early  date.     Few 
memorials  are  observable  anywhere  within,  but  the 
fabric  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation.     The 
Rev.  Ayscough  Fawkes  was  for  a  long  time  rector 
here,  before  his  succession  to  the  Farnley  inheritance. 
The  registers,  or  what  remains  of  them,  commence 
about  1674,  and  the  earliest  are  almost  illegible.    What 
is  left,  however,  Mr.  Canham  has  carefully  mounted  in 
a  portfolio,  and  copied  also  as  far  as  practicable  and 
necessary.     In  the  burial-ground   stone  coffins  have 
frequently  been  found,  and  these  alone  prove  the  anti- 
quity of  the  church.     In  the  churchyard  is  also  the 
base  of  an  old  cross,  and  the  very  threshold  of  the 
church  is  an  ancient  coffin  slab. 

Buxton  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society. — 
Aug.  II. — The  members  of  the  above  society  proceeded 
to  Bakewell.  At  the  church  the  members  were  received 
by  the  Venerable  Archdeacon  Balston,  D.D.,  Vicar 
of  Bakewell,  who  gave  a  brief  but  interesting  history 


and  description  of  this  fine  old  church.  This  had 
been  a  church  for  several  centuries  before  the  Norman 
conquest.  The  church  was  re-built  at  a  very  early 
period,  and  it  was  thought  in  King  John's  time.  Mr. 
Cox  thought  it  was  before  that.  It  was  a  sort  of 
collegiate  place,  and  they  probably  knew  that  it  was 
a  very  large  parish.  It  was  worked  by  means  of 
chapelries,  and  by  law  any  person  in  those  chapelries 
which  were  new  parishes,  could  come  and  claim 
certain  things  of  him  as  Vicar  of  Bakewell.  The 
Venerable  Archdeacon  then  called  attention  to  the 
architecture,  and  the  arches  in  the  south  transept. 
Each  of  the  aisles  was  said  to  have  been  apsed. 
The  chancel  was  extended  about  the  thirteenth 
century.  The  old  spire  was  perforated.  It  was  what 
they  called  a  light  spire,  wholly  different  to  the  one 
now  in  existence.  He  specially  drew  their  atten- 
tion to  the  chantry  of  the  Foljambes,  and  to  the 
beautiful  stained  glass  window  at  the  side,  which  was 
made  by  an  old  pupil  of  his,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  family.  Some  years  ago,  prior  to  the  restoration, 
the  tower  piers  showed  signs  of  giving  way.  The  south 
transept  was  in  a  dangerous  state,  and  in  1 841,  when 
it  was  taken  down,  they  found  most  interesting 
monuments,  many  of  which  could  be  inspected  in  the 
entrance  porch.  Some  were  to  be  seen  in  Mr.  Bate- 
man's  museum.  Not  one  of  them  was  of  later  date 
than  1260,  and  there  were  many  which  belonged  to 
the  period  before  the  rebuilding  of  the  church.  The 
Vernon  Chapel  was  full  of  monuments.  The  head  of 
Sir  John  Manners,  as  they  would  observe  in  the 
monumental  figure,  was  the  most  remarkable  he  ever 
saw.  In  the  course  of  restoration  of  this  chapel  there 
was  found  a  skull  immediately  beneath  the  tomb  in 
question,  and,  strange  to  say,  it  corresponded  exactly 
with  the  shape  of  this  remarkable  head.  The  Vener- 
able Archdeacon  then  proceeded  to  call  the  attention 
of  the  party  to  the  windows  and  the  arches  over 
them.  The  windows  were  what  was  called  double 
lancet.  There  were  two  curious  arches  at  the  west 
end,  while  the  western  door,  which  was  now  made 
up,  he  thought  belonged  to  the  very  oldest  church, 
and  would  repay  examination  from  the  outside.  The 
journey  was  resumed  to  Haddon  Hall.  Here  Mr.  A. 
E.  Cockayne  gave  an  introductory  address  in  the 
courtyard.  He  reminded  the  company  that^.William 
the  Conqueror  gave  this  place  to  William  Peveril,  the 
celebrated  Peveril  of  the  Peak.  It  remained  in  that 
family  for  some  time,  and  then  passed  on  to  the 
Vernons.  The  building  had  never  been  a  castle,  but 
the  walls  were  strong,  and  it  was  understood,  when 
Richard  Vernon  got  the  place  from  King  John  at  the 
close  of  the  twelfth  century,  that  there  should  be  no 
embrasures  to  shoot  arrows  through.  It  w.is  strictly 
for  defence  only.  Mr.  Cockayne  then  proceeded  to 
point  out  the  features  of  interest  in  the  architecture, 
the  oldest  parts  being  the  north-east  tower  and  the 
lower  part  of  the  chapel.  About  the  year  1200  there 
would  be  a  small  house  within  the  present  area.  The 
old  bell  in  the  turret  belonging  to  the  chapel  was  now 
at  Rowsley  Church.  The  turret  of  course  was  'of 
later  date.  The  great  hall  at  Haddon  was  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  kingdom.  Mr.  Cockayne  then 
alluded  in  passing  to  the  Dorothy  Vernon  episode, 
the  truth  of  which  there  was  no  jeason  to  doubt. 
The  company  then  passed   into   the   chapel,    round 


THE  ANTIQUARY'S  NOTE-BOOK. 


225 


which  clusters  so  much  interest.  The  glass  in  the 
east  window,  said  Mr.  Cockayne,  was  very  tine 
indeed,  but  it  was  stolen,  and  probably  taken  over  to 
the  Continent  and  sold  for  a  price.  However,  it  had 
never  been  traced,  and  there  was  only  a  mere  frag- 
ment remaining.  The  chapel  itself  originally  must 
have  been  very  handsome.  The  walls,  now  dis- 
figured with  whitewash,  were  beautifully  painted  with 
scriptural  figures.  The  arches  were  fine,  but  the 
points  where  they  sprung  from  had  been  unfortunately 
defaced.  Then  there  was  a  very  handsome  rood 
screen,  and  in  the  north  side  wall  they  would  observe 
a  door,  from  which  emerged  the  sacristan.  On  the 
opposite  side  he  drew  attention  to  a  squint  in  the 
wall,  which  was  untouched,  and  then  to  the  site  of  an 
altar  in  the  side-chapel.  Indeed,  the  altar  slab  of 
stone  lay  on  the  floor,  and  on  it  was  cut  the  five 
crosses.  To  the  right  or  south  side  of  this  altar  was 
a  corbal,  or  bracket  in  stone,  which  probably  did 
duty  for  a  statue  or  lamp  to  stand  upon.  Within  the 
present  plain  screen,  which  would  occupy  the  site  of 
the  original  rood,  Mr.  Cockayne  pointed  out  a  portion 
of  the  carving  of  the  latter.  He  called  attention  to 
the  vestment  chest,  the  font,  and  the  holy  water 
stoup  just  within  the  doorway.  The  chest  and  the 
stoup  took  them  back  400  years. 


C6e  antiQuarp'0  il3ote^T5oolt. 

Burning  at  the  Stake  at  Lincoln.— In   1722 

Elizabeth  Elsom  was  burnt  at  the  stake  for  the 
murder  of  her  husband,  at  the  public  place  of  execu- 
tion in  the  castle  ditch  at  Lincoln.  She  was  brought 
out  of  the  prison  bare-foot,  covered  with  a  tarred 
shift,  a  tarred  bonnet  on  her  head,  and  her  legs,  feet, 
and  arms  coated  with  tar.  She  was  drawn  on  a 
hurdle  to  the  place  of  execution,  and  placed  by  the 
executioner  on  a  tar  barrel  about  3  feet  high.  A  rope 
which  ran  on  a  pulley  through  the  stake  was  fixed 
about  her  neck,  and  after  being  drawn  tight  with  the 
pulley  the  tar-barrel  was  pushed  away,  her  body 
being  fastened  by  three  irons  round  it  to  the  stake, 
that  it  might  not  drop  when  the  rope  was  burnt.  The 
fixing  of  the  irons  took  about  five  minutes,  the  execu- 
tioner mercifully  taking  the  opportunity  of  pulling  the 
body  downwards  to  ensure  strangulation,  which,  how- 
ever, was  strictly  illegal.  Wood  was  then  piled 
round  her,  and  set  fire  to.  The  fuel  being  very  dry, 
and  the  quantity  of  tar  great,  the  fire  burnt  with 
great  fury  ;  but  it  was  fully  half  an  hour  before 
the  wretched  woman's  body  was  completely  con- 
sumed. Five  and  twenty  years  later,  April,  1747, 
there  is  a  record  of  a  certain  Mary  Johnson  having 
been  burnt  at  the  stake  at  Lincoln,  at  the  same  place, 
for  the  same  offence,  the  murder  of  her  husband  by 
poison  ;  but  no  jiarticulars  are  given  of  the  execution. 
—  Times,  Sept.  10,  18S6. 

Winchester  Cathedral.— An  ancient  subscription 
list  for  the  repair  of  the  cathedral  iias  been  discovered 
by  the  Dean  of  Winchester  in  his  careful  and  scholarly 
search  amongst  the  valuable  records  and  MSS.  of  the 
library  and  wreck  of  St.  Swithin's  Priory.     It  carries 


one  back  to  the  year  1654,  the  Cromwellian  era,  an  d 
amongst  the  subscribers  are  several  old  Hampshire 
and  Wykhamical  names  and  authors.  The  Dean's  in- 
vestigations are  likely  to  add  to  local  antiquarian 
history.  The  Cromwellian  subscription  list  is  verbatim 
et  lileratim  as  under  : 

Dated  the  20M  of  May,  1654. 
Itt  being  generally  known  that  Trinity  Churche,  neere 
Winton,  though  it  be  a  very  emenent  and  useful!  place  for 
preaching  and  learning  gods  word,  yett  itt  doth  dayly  decay  for 
want  of  Reparacion  Wee  whose  names  are  subscribed  to  pre- 
vent the  mischeife  that  may  happen  by  delay  doe  willingly 
contribute  by  way  of  advance  mony  for  the  present!  towards 
the  reparacion  of  the  said  Churche  such  summes  as  are  sub- 
scribed and  hereunder  mentioned  to  our  severall  names. 


It.  s.  d. 

SirTho.  Jervoyce,  Knt  03  00  00 
Robte.  Wallopp,  Esq.  05  oo  oo 

Nich.  Love,  Esq 04  00  00 

Tho.    Bettesworth, 

Esq 05  00  oc 

Richard  Cobb,  Esq. . .  04  00  00 
Tho.  Gierke,  Esq 02  00  00 


U.  s.  d. 

John  Hook,  Esq 03  00  00 

John  Trott,  Esq 03  00  00 

"Robrt.  Reynold,  Esq.  03  00  00 
Doctor  John  Harris  . .  05  00  00 
Mr.  Richard  Brexton  01  00  00 
Mr.  William  Betts  . .  00  10  00 
Mr.  Edmund  Riggs  . .  01  00  00 


{Endorsed)  Trinity  Church 

Catluderall 
repaires  before  ye  retume  of  ye  Ch.  wth  I 
had  of  Major  Bctsworth. 

Trinitie  Church  Debitor  7°  ibr  1654. 
it.  //.  s.  d.  It.  s.  d. 

pd.  John  Heylinge,  pt.  his  Bill  39  04  09    . .     36  05  08 

pd.  Tho.  Hidler,  pr.  Wm.  Steevens 10  00  00 

pd.  Wm.  Lardner,  goeing  for  ye  monye  ....     00  05  00 
pd.  Barefoote,  cleansing  Gutteres 00  07  00 

Summa 46  17  08 

pd 41  1008 

Rest  due  to  Edm.  Riggs 5  07  00 

Reed.  Edm.  Riggs loooo 

Rest  due    4  07  00 

it.  pd.  Wm.  Steevens  cr.  more  full 10  00  00 

—  00 
Received  p.  Tho.  Betsworth,  Esq. 

//.   s.  d. 

it.  Rec.  Rob.  Reighnolds  03  00  00 

Rec.  John  Trott,  Esq 03  00  00 

Rec.  Mr.  Brexton  01  00  00 

Rec.  Tho.  Betsworth,  Esq.,  full  of  sli 01  00  00 

08  00  00 


Trinitie  Church  Creditor. 


Rec.  24.  Sbr.  54.  Sir  Tho.  Jervoyce 

Rec.  Rob.  Wallopp,  Esq 

Rec.  John  Hooke,  Esq 

Rec.  7c.  Jan.,  1655,  T.  Betsworth,  Esq. 


Rec.  Nich  Low,  Esq.,  pr.  Joh.  Tedylinge  .. 
Rec.  Tho.  Betsworth,  Esq 


Rec.  Rich.  Cobb,  Esq. 

Rec.  Doctor  Harris    , 

Rec.  Tho.  Clarke,  Esq 

Rec.  Joh.  Haylinge,  pr.  timber , 

Rec.    Joh.    Haylinge,    pd.    over  wt. 
lojcct.  I    


lead 


li.  s.  d. 
03  00  00 

05  00  00 

03  00  00 

02  00  00 

04  00  00 

02  00  00 
04  00  00 

03  00  00 
02  00  00 

06  00  00 

07  10  08 


Summa . 


•....  41  10  oS 

A  Tavern  Club.— In  Ned  Ward's  Secret  History 
of  the  Calf's  Head  Club,  or  Republican  Unniasq^d 
(1703),  we  read  of  the  Golden  Fleece  Club,  a  rattle- 
brained society,  which  was  originally  held  at  a  tavern 
in  Cornhili,  so  entitled.  Its  members  seem  to  have 
been  a  merry  company  of  citizens  ;  each  of  them  had, 
on  admission,  a  characteristic  name  attached  to  him, 
as  Sir  Timothy  Addlepate,  Sir  Niminy  Sneer,  Sir 
Talkative  Do-little,   Sir  Rumbus  Rattle,  Sir  Boory 


226 


ANTIQ  U ART  AN  NE  WS. 


Prate-all,  Sir  Nicholas  Ninny  Sip-all,  Sir  Gregory 
Growler,  and  so  on.  The  club  flourished  for  a  time, 
but  when  its  members  began  to  experience  the  un- 
welcome bows  and  compliments  of  the  Corn  Hill  and 
other  City  "  'prentices,'  who  used  to  salute  the  puta- 
tive pseudo-knights  by  their  titles  as  they  passed  to 
and  fro,  the  society  migrated  from  the  Golden  Fleece 
in  the  City  to  the  Three  Tuns  in  Southwark,  that 
they  might  be  the  more  retired  from  the  mock 
homage. — Cornh  ill. 

A  Vanishing  Village. — Mr.  W.  Lovell  writes  to 
the  Daily  News : — Referring  to  your  notice  of  Mrs. 
Girling,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  note  that  the  old 
graveyard,  where  stood  the  old  cruciform  church  of 
Hordle — once  in  the  middle  of  the  village — is  now 
only  a  hundred  yards  from  the  sea.  Nothing  of  it 
remains  except  some  blocks  of  grey  withers  used  for 
its  foundation,  and  too  large  to  be  removed.  Very 
interesting  are  these  stones  brought  up  from  the  shore, 
where  now  and  then  one  or  two  may  be  seen  at  low 
tide  tumbled  from  the  drift  above — the  same  stones  as 
those  at  Stonehenge,  left  on  the  top  of  the  chalk. 
Gone,  too,  are  its  mill  and  its  six  salterns,  mentioned 
in  Domesday,  and  the  village  itself  removed  inland. 
The  sailors,  however,  dredging  for  cement  stone  or 
for  fish,  sometimes  draw  up  great  logs  of  wood, 
locally  known  as  "  mooles,"  which  may  perhaps  tell 
of  the  salterns  or  the  time  when  the  forest  stretched 
to  the  sea.  The  salterns  of  the  Normans  and  the  old 
English  have  suffered  very  different  fates.  In 
Normandy  the  sea  no  longer  reaches  to  their  sites, 
whilst  here  it  has  long  since  rolled  over  them. 


Antiquarian  l^ete. 

-» — 

MM.  Marcel  de  Puydt  and  Maximilian  Lohest,  of 
Liege,  announce  the  following  discovery  :  In  a  cave  at 
Spy,  a  few  miles  from  Namur,  they  have  found  in  the 
sandstone  two  human  skulls  of  extraordinary  thick- 
ness, resembling  the  celebrated  Neanderthal  skull. 
They  have  the  same  projecting  eyebrows,  and  the 
same  low  sloping  forehead  of  a  decidedly  simian 
character.  It  is  suggested  that  these  are  types  of 
skulls  of  the  primitive  race  who  dwelt  on  the  Sambre. 
Among  other  objects  discovered  in  the  cave  were 
thousands  of  flints  carefully  dressed  on  one  side  ;  also 
specimens  of  jasper  and  agate,  minerals  not  found 
anywhere  in  the  neighbourhood,  ivory  breast-pins, 
red  ear-pendants,  and  necklets  of  curious  design. 
There  were  no  representations  of  animals.  All  were 
found  in  the  sandstone,  three  layers  of  which  were 
plainly  discernible.  The  remains  of  flints,  etc., 
deposited  in  each  layer  indicated  different  stages  of 
skill  in  workmanship.  The  lowest  stratum  was  by 
far  the  poorest  in  the  number  of  objects  found,  and  in 
the  quality  of  their  workmanship  ;  but  it  was  here 
that  the  skulls  were  found.  A  careful  drawing  has 
been  made  of  the  geological  section  of  the  cave,  so  as 
to  mark  precisely  the  point  where  the  skulls  were 
found. 

Workmen  have  been  busy  very  recently  in  demolish- 
ing the  old-established  Fox  and  Goose-yard,  London 


Wall,  for  many  years  occupied  by  Mr.  R.  Johnson, 
carman  and  contractor.  The  adjoining  tavern  with 
the  sign  of  the  Two  Brewers  has  also  been  pulled 
down,  except  the  lower  part,  where  business  is  still 
being  carried  on.  It  was  one  of  the  oldest  houses  of 
the  kind  in  the  City,  and  the  ancient  woodwork  alxjut 
it  showed  much  solidity  and  strength.  This  part  of 
London  Wall  has  undergone  many  changes  of  recon- 
struction of  late  years,  the  old  buildings  being 
succeeded  by  spacious,  well-lighted  warehouses,  with 
all  modern  improvements. 

The  original  MS.  of  the  missing  Liber  IV.  of  the 
Codex  Calixtinus  has  just  been  discovered  at  Com- 
postella  by  Don  Antonio  Lopez  Ferreiro.  The  book 
has  for  title,  Qualiter  Karolus  Magtms  doniuerit  et 
subjugaverit  jugo  Christi  Hispanias.  The  loss  of  it 
gave  rise  to  a  sharp  discussion  between  the  late  M. 
Dozy,  in  his  last  edition  of  Recherches  sur  f  Histoire 
et  la  Litterature  d'Espagne  peiidant  le  Aloyen  Age, 
and  Father  F.  Fita.  The  chapter  contains  one  of  the 
earliest  versions  of  the  Carolingian  Legend,  and  its 
rediscovery  will  enable  the  Spanish  Academy  of 
History  to  proceed  with  the  publication  of  a  critical 
edition  of  the  entire  codex. 

A  Munich  paper  says  that  Professor  Forel,  of 
Morges,  has  discovered  a  splendid  ice  gallery  in  the 
Arolla  glacier,  where  two  branches  of  the  glacier 
meet  at  the  back  of  the  Heren  Valley.  There  Pro- 
fessor Forel  found  the  gallery,  which  is  about  9  feet 
high,  from  18  to  36  feet  wide,  and  390  feet  long, 
leading  upwards.  In  one  place  it  is  crossed  by  a 
brook,  and  further  up  divides  into  two  branches,  one 
of  which  is  at  present  impassable,  as  the  brook  runs 
through  it,  and  the  other  turns  to  one  side,  and  is 
quite  dry  and  passable  for  another  300  feet.  The 
ice  in  the  whole  gallery  is  beautifully  clear,  with 
alternating  white  and  blue  strata,  causing  a  wonderful 
play  of  colour  and  light.  In  the  upper  part  are  very 
interesting  icicles. 

The  townsmen  of  Banbury,  desiring  to  renew  the 
honours  of  their  once  famous  cross,  have  obtained 
tenders  for  the  "  restoration  "  of  the  edifice,  including 
the  enclosure  of  the  base  by  a  flower-garden  with 
shrubs,  and  the  utilization  of  the  stem,  which  we 
suppose  is  to  be  new,  as  a  gas-standard  !  The  Town 
Council  is  about  to  consider  the  execution  of  the 
project. 

A  survey  of  H.M.S.  Victory,  Nelson's  flag -ship, 
has  disclosed  the  fact  that  many  of  her  timbers  are  so 
rotten,  that  to  repair  the  vessel  with  new  planks  is 
impracticable.  Orders  have  accordingly  been  given 
for  the  more  decayed  sections  of  the  ship's  sides  to  be 
removed,  and  the  spaces  to  be  filled  in  with  cement, 
which  is  to  be  covered  with  canvas  on  the  inside. 

The  Honourable  Society  of  the  Inner  Temple  has 
just  had  presented  to  it  an  old  relic  of  Clement's  Inn, 
in  the  shape  of  the  figure  of  the  black  boy  which  for 
so  many  years  past  occupied  such  a  prominent  posi- 
tion in  the  gardens  of  this  now  defunct  inn.  This 
figure,  which  is  represented  as  kneeling,  and  with 
uplifted  arms  supporting  a  sun-dial  upon  its  head, 
is  considered  to  possess  great  merit  as  a  work  of 
art.  It  is  stated  to  have  been  brought  over  from 
Italy  about  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century 


ANTIQ  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


227 


by  the  then  Lord  Clare,  and  was  presented  by  him  to 
the  Society  of  Clement's  Inn.  The  figure  of  the 
black  boy  has  been  placed  in  the  Inner  Temple 
Gardens  on  the  terrace  facing  the  Thames  Embank- 
ment, and  a  few  yards  only  from  the  structure  where 
the  annual  show  of  chrysanthemums  is  held.  The  sun- 
dial, which  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation, 
and  bears  the  date  1731,  is  being  cleaned  and  re- 
stored, and  will  shortly  be  placed  in  position  on  the 
figure. 

Our  readers  will  hear  with  concern  that  the 
Croydon  Corporation  have  decreed  the  immediate 
demolition  of  the  ancient  archway  which  spans  that 
which  was  once  the  principal  entrance  to  the  archi- 
episcopal  palace  in  that  town.  That  battered  arch- 
way, under  which  must  have  passed,  in  bygone  days, 
statesmen  and  ecclesiastics  on  their  way  to  attend 
councils  at  which  some  of  the  most  momentous 
questions  in  our  history  have  been  decided,  and  later 
on  witnessed  the  magnificence  with  which  more  than 
once  Elizabeth  kept  her  court  there,  will  disappear 
unless  steps  are  at  once  taken  to  prevent  such  a  use- 
less piece  of  vandalism.  Croydon  now  possesses  but 
few  external  relics  of  her  ancient  days,  and  can  ill 
spare  one  more  brick  or  stone  which  can  in  any  way 
illustrate  to  the  casual  observer  the  great  antiquity  of 
the  town.  The  Surrey  Archaeological  Society,  and 
archaeologists  in  general,  should  use  any  influence  they 
may  possess  to  prevent  this  piece  of  "  Corporate 
vandalism." 

An  interesting  archaeological  discovery  has  been 
made  in  Kertch.  During  some  street  excavations  in 
the  Woronzafskaia  the  marble  basement  and  pedestal 
once  supporting  a  statue  were  laid  bare.  The  inscrip- 
tion on  one  face  of  the  pedestal,  still  in  perfect  pre- 
servation, records  that  the  missing  statue  was  raised 
by  Marcus  Aurelius  in  honour  of  Tiberius  Caesar.  A 
search  is  being  made  for  the  statue  Pantikapaion,  or 
Panticapaium  of  the  Romans.  The  modern  Kertch 
first  came  under  the  Roman  domination  on  the 
tragic  death  of  the  poiscn-proof  King  of  Pontus, 
Mithridates  the  Great  or  Sixth,  whose  son  and 
successor,  Pharnaces,  became  a  Roman  vassal. 

The  historical  estate  of  Pyrgo  Park,  near  Havering- 
atte-Bower,  in  Essex,  has  been  privately  sold  by 
Messrs.  Walton  and  Lee.  It  is  not  quite  700  acres  in 
extent,  but  the  princijjal  feature  of  the  estate  is  the 
magnificent  mansion,  built  in  1852,  by  Cubitt.  There 
are  upon  the  property  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  palace 
existing  in  1226,  and  at  that  time  in  the  custody  of 
Philippe  Forester.  It  seems  to  have  been  originally 
the  house  for  the  Queen  Consort  and  her  jointure — 
Eleanor,  Queen  of  Edward  I.,  and  Anne,  Queen  of 
Richard  II.,  held  it  in  dower.  Joan,  widow  of 
Henry  IV.,  died  there  in  1437,  while  in  1559  it 
passed  to  Sir  John  Grey,  and  afterwards  to  Sir  John 
Chake,  in  whose  family  it  remained  until,  by  marriage, 
it  became  the  properly  of  Baron  Archer,  of  Umbers- 
dale,  whose  lady  also  died  there  in  1774,  since  which 
time,  through  a  series  of  changes  of  ownership,  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  late  vendor.  General 
Fytche. 

The  foundations  of  a  Roman  villa  of  fine  propor- 
tions have  been  brought  to  light  at  Folly  Hill, 
Maidenhead,  Berks.     During  the  excavations  (which 


are  still  in  progress)  a  Roman  knife,  a  bronze  pin, 
several  coins,  some  fragments  of  Samian  ware,  and 
a  hypocaust  in  capital  preservation  were  discovered. 

Since  the  annexation  of  Nice  to  France  in  1870, 
the  former  Dominican  church  has  been  used  as  a 
military  bakery.  A  short  time  ago  it  became  neces- 
sary to  examine  the  roof,  and  the  architect  was 
horrified  to  find  in  the  garret  about  600  skeletons, 
flung  pele-7nile.  Medical  experts  declared  that  they 
must  have  been  buried  at  least  three  or  four  centuries 
ago.  It  appears  that  when  Nice  was  occupied  by 
the  French  troops  in  1792,  the  monks  were  expelled 
from  the  building,  and  the  church  of  St.  Dominick 
was  converted  into  a  national  bakery  ;  and  it  is  sup- 
posed that  in  carrying  out  the  transformation  the 
graves  in  the  floor  of  the  church  were  emptied  of 
their  contents,  which  were  transferred  to  the  garret, 
and  flung  there  in  heaps.  Most  of  the  persons  in- 
terred in  that  church  must  have  been  members  of 
noble  families  of  Provence  or  the  neighbouring 
districts. 

The  sale  by  auction  of  the  "  Barley  Mow  "  Tavern, 
in  Salisbury  Court,  London,  better  known  as  Cogers' 
Hall,  has  caused  considerable  discussion  in  the  Daily 
Neivs.  The  "  Cogers'  Society  "  has  been  in  exist- 
ence considerably  more  than  a  century,  as  is  attested 
by  portraits  still  extant  of  its  earlier  presidents  or 
"  Grands "  in  the  costume  of  their  time.  John 
Wilkes,  Daniel  O'Connell,  and  Curran  figure  in  the 
list  of  its  former  members  ;  and  many  an  eminent 
lawyer  and  aspirant  to  Parliamentary  honours  has  in 
his  student  days  sought  practice  in  public  speaking 
under  its  roof. 

The  decipherers  of  the  papyri  which  have  been 
brought  to  Vienna  from  El  Fayoum  have  learned 
from  one  of  them  the  existence  of  a  town  in  Lower 
Egypt,  all  traces  of  which  seem  to  have  disappeared 
for  the  last  twelve  hundred  years  or  more.  The 
document  is  a  papyrus,  a  little  over  4  feet  long  by 
I  foot  wide,  containing  a  marriage  contract  in  Greek, 
and  is  well  preserved.  The  date  is  not  given,  but  it 
is  believed  to  belong  to  the  early  part  of  the  sixth 
century.  The  bridegroom  was  named  Theon,  the 
bride  Maria.  She  had  a  fortune  of  her  own  amount- 
ing to  one  hundred  gold  pieces,  and  the  future  husband 
engages  to  find  for  her  food  and  clothing,  and  every- 
thing suitable  for  an  "  ordinary  legitimate  wife." 

It  is  reported  from  Rome  that  an  oval  picture  of 
the  Holy  Family  has  disappeared  from  the  Church  of 
Sant'  Andrea,  at  Urbino,  Raphael's  native  town.  It 
was  a  beautiful  painting,  greatly  prized,  generally 
attributed  to  Raphael ;  but  the  critics  were  inclined  to 
assign  it  to  Timoteo  Viti,  one  of  his  masters.  The 
Government  have  ordered  a  strict  inquiry  into  the 
occurrence  ;  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  picture  is  in 
some  place  of  concealment  in  Romagna. 

While  a  number  of  men  were  engaged  in  excavat- 
ing in  connection  with  the  construction  of  a  new 
railway  at  Westhoughton,  near  Bolton,  they  found 
what  appeared  to  be  human  remains,  which,  when 
touched,  crumbled  into  dust.  Beside  the  remains 
were  a  bayonet  and  dagger. 

The  ancient  civic  custom  of  marking  the  Corpora- 
tion   swans    was    observed    on    Friday    afternoon, 


228 


ANTIQ  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


Sept.  17th,  at  Stratford-on-Avont  Among  those 
present  were  the  Mayor,  members  of  the  Town 
Council,  the  Borough  Chamberlain,  and  other 
Corporate  officials.  The  swans,  after  a  diligent 
search,  were  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Charle- 
cote,  three  miles  distant,  and  having  been  driven 
within  a  mile  of  the  town,  they  were  captured  by 
means  of  ropes  and  crooks,  and  subjected  to  the 
marking  process.  This  consisted  of  puncturing  a 
small  hole  in  the  web  of  the  foot  in  the  shape  of  a 
heart,  the  usual  accompaniment  of  cutting  the  birds' 
pinions  to  prevent  their  flying  any  distance  being  on 
this  occasion  dispensed  with. 

With  great  solemnity  the  statue  of  Hugo  de  Groot 
(or  Grotius)  was  unveiled  on  24th  September,  in  his 
native  town.  On  the  third  centenary  of  his  birth,  in 
1883,  a  committee  was  formed  under  the  patronage  of 
the  late  Prince  of  Orange,  and  by  a  public  subscrip- 
tion, to  which  men  of  science  all  over  the  world  con- 
tributed, a  fund  was  raised  for  the  erection  of  a  statue 
to  the  jurist  who,  in  his  day,  was  the  most  eminent  in 
Holland.  Grotius  was  born  at  Delft  on  April  10, 
1583.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  obtained  the 
degree  of  doctor  juris,  and  one  year  later  he  accom- 
panied the  famous  statesman.  Olden  Carneveld,  as  an 
Envoy  to  France,  where  Henry  IV.  presented  him  to 
the  Court  as  the  "  Oracle  of  Delft  and  the  wonder  of 
the  century."  After  having  rendered  great  services 
to  his  country  in  several  positions,  he  was  condemned 
in  1619  to  imprisonment  for  life,  on  the  ground  that 
he  had  taken  part  in  a  conspiracy  against  the  Prince 
of  Orange.  He  was  interned  at  the  Castle  of  Loe 
Westein,  whence,  however,  he  escaped  by  the  help  of 
his  wife,  Mary  van  Reighersbergen,  and  his  servant, 
Elsje  van  Honweningen.  The  wife  entered  the 
prison  in  a  trunk  with  books,  changed  clothes  with 
her  husband,  and  took  his  place,  whilst  he  left  the 
castle  by  the  way  she  came.  Subsequently  he 
entered  the  Swedish  service,  and  from  1635  to  1675 
he  represented  Sweden  at  the  French  Court.  When 
on  his  way,  in  the  latter  year,  from  Paris  to  Sweden, 
he  came  to  Amsterdam,  and  met  there  with  such  a 
kind  reception  that  he  decided  to  return  to  his 
mother  country  ;  but  on  this  journey  he  fell  ill  at 
Rostock,  and  died  on  August  28,  1675.  His  body 
was  removed  to  Delft,  and  buried  in  the  new  church, 
just  opposite  the  spot  where  his  statue  was  unveiled. 
After  three  centuries  the  Dutch  people  have  paid 
their  illustrious  fellow-countryman  the  honour  he  de- 
served. The  solemnity  was  very  imposing.  At  half- 
past  one  o'clock  the  authorities  and  the  guests  of  the 
committee  were  received  in  the  Town  Hall  on  the 
market-place,  which  was  splendidly  decorated.  At 
two  o'clock  the  ceremonies  commenced  with  the 
national  hymn.  Mr.  W.  H.  de  Beaufort,  Member 
of  the  Second  Chamber,  delivered  an  eloquent  speech, 
in  which  he  recounted  what  Grotius  was  as  a  scien- 
tific man,  after  which  the  statue  was  unveiled.  It  re- 
presents Grotius  standing,  with  a  mantle  on  his 
shoulders,  a  book  in  one  hand,  and  a  pen  in  the 
other.  The  statue  is  of  bronze,  modelled  by  Mr. 
Stracke,  of  Haarlem,  the  pedestal  being  of  Swedish 
granite.  When  the  statue  was  unveiled,  a  chorus  of 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  children  sang  a  cantata,  com- 
posed by  Mr.  Nicolai,  Director  of  the  Hague  Conser- 
vatoire. Mr.  Cremers,  President  of  the  Second 
Chamber  and  of  the  Committee,  in  an  appropriate 


speech  presented  the  statue  to  the  Corporation  of 
Delft.  The  Burgomaster  accepted  it  on  behalf  of  the 
City,  and  expressed  the  gratitude  of  the  citizens  for 
the  gift.  The  Burgomaster  laid  a  wreath  of  laurels 
on  the  pedestal,  and  a  deputation  of  students  from  the 
University  of  Leyden  placed  several  wreaths  at  the 
feet  of  the  statue.  The  municipal  authorities  subse- 
quently held  a  reception  in  the  Town  Hall,  where  a 
narrative  of  the  proceedings  was  drawn  up,  to  be  laid 
among  the  city  archives. 

Mr.  Tattersall  Wilkinson,  of  the  Burnley  Literary 
and  Scientific  Club,  has  just  made  a  discovery  of 
some  interest  in  the  upper  end  of  the  Swindon  Valley, 
Burnley,  whose  heights  are  thickly  strewn  with 
vestiges  of  Roman  and  aboriginal  occupation—  earth- 
works, tumuli,  etc.  He  commenced  his  excavations 
near  a  point  where  a  farmer  had  been  at  work  before 
him,  digging  for  a  chest  of  gold  which,  according  to 
a  tradition  of  the  locality  handed  down  for  genera- 
tions, lies  buried  somewhere  on  these  upland  wastes. 
Mr.  Wilkinson  digged  lower  than  the  farmer,  and 
found  charcoal  among  the  clay  subsoil.  Imbedded  in 
this  deposit  of  wood-ash  were  found  some  calcined 
bones,  apparently  human,  the  relics  of  a  body  after 
cremation.  He  then  commenced  digging  in  the 
centre  of  a  ring  of  seven  stones  that  cropped  up  from 
the  surface.  For  three  feet  there  was  clay,  then  at 
one  point  traces  of  a  black  mould.  The  loose  com- 
post was  taken  off,  and  there  was  then  laid  bare  a 
chamber  18  inches  square.  At  the  top  was  a  layer  of 
charcoal  and  white  bones.  On  a  stone  being  raised 
there  was  exposed  an  urn  containing  human  remains. 
This  was  safely  got  out  and  conveyed  to  Burnley, 
where  it  was  opened  in  the  presence  of  a  number  of 
antiquaries  from  different  parts  of  Lancashire.  The 
urn  has  a  deep  rim  or  collar,  but  is  destitute  of  orna- 
mentation. In  it  were  found  calcined  remains  and  a 
bronze  pin.  The  remains  were  apparently  those  of  a 
mother  and  her  child.  The  type  of  urn  is  said  to 
belong  to  the  Romano-British  period. 

Mr.  Beecham  is  still  continuing  his  exertions  in  the 
Ilelsfell  bone  cave,  near  Kendal,  and  fresh  remains 
are  being  brought  to  light.  The  latest  discovery  is  of 
much  interest,  consisting  of  bones  of  Cuvier's  Choero- 
potamus,  an  animal  described  as  being  between  the 
hog  and  the  hippopotamus,  and  belonging  to  the  first 
(eocene)  period  of  animals.  The  parts  discovered  are 
in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation.  The  only  pre- 
vious discovery  of  remains  of  such  an  animal  took 
place  at  Brinstead,  Isle  of  Wight. 

A  man,  while  digging  potatoes  in  the  garden  of  an 
inn  within  the  limits  of  the  ancient  Roman  city  of 
Caerwent  (a  few  miles  from  the  famous  western 
Roman  town,  Caerleon),  struck  upon  a  beautiful 
mosaic  floor  about  14  feet  square,  with  a  passage  lead- 
ing thereto.  The  pavement  has  since  been  com- 
pletely exposed  to  view,  and  shows  a  design,  without 
figures  either  human  or  animal,  of  convoluted 
character.  The  tesserae  are  red,  blue,  and  three 
shades  of  stone  colour.  The  pattern  has  been  some- 
what shattered  towards  the  centre,  as  if  by  the  roots 
of  a  tree  which  had  grown  above  it.  About  a  score 
of  Roman  coins  were  also  found  in  good  preservation. 

The  Sultan  has  given  orders  for  the  repair,  at  the 
expense  of  ;i^4,ooo  from  his  privy  purse,  of  the  ancient 
mosque  and  tomb  of  the  Sultan  Ilderim  BayazidatBrusa. 


ANTIQUARIAN  NE  WS. 


229 


A  Naples  correspondent  reports  an  important  dis- 
covery at  Pompeii.  Near  the  eastern  gate  leading  to 
Noccera,  a  street  of  tombs,  similar  to  the  famous  one 
outside  the  western  gate,  has  been  found,  which,  it  is 
believed,  contains  sepulchres  of  the  highest  interest. 
Unfortunately  the  excavation  funds  are  just  now  very 
low,  so  that  the  scientific  world  will  probably  for 
some  time  to  come  be  kept  in  suspense  as  to  the  pre- 
cise value  and  further  details  of  these  interesting 
relics  of  antiquity. 

A  long  and  very  valuable  report  has  been  prepared 
for  the  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland  Architectural 
Society  by  Mr.  R.  S.  Ferguson,  M.A.,  of  Carlisle,  on 
the  results  of  the  recent  excavations  of  the  Roman 
Wall  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Carlisle.  A  Committee 
vras  appointed  to  carry  out  the  work,  and  a  month  or 
two  ago  a  pilgrimage,  extending  over  a  week,  was 
made  along  the  wall.  The  Committee  considered  it 
would  be  desirable  to  ascertain  how  the  wall  crossed 
the  various  rivers  of  Cumberland,  and,  if  possible,  to 
find  the  piers  of  the  bridges.  It  was  also  hoped  to 
throw  some  light  on  the  very  vexed  question  whether 
the  Roman  Wall  went  over  or  round  Burgh  Marsh, 
but  that  problem  still  awaits  solution.  A  number  of 
trenches  were  dug  and  the  wall  found.  One  point 
selected  for  an  opening  was  a  clay  pit  in  an  angle 
between  the  Caledonian  and  North  British  Railways, 
where  it  was  asserted  the  wall  had  been  found  when 
the  latter  railway  was  made.  The  explorers  found 
the  foundations  of  the  wall  at  a  depth  of  about  8  feet 
from  the  surface,  raised  upon  the  gravel  below  the 
alluvial  soil.  The  stones  of  the  wall  had  been  taken 
away  down  to  the  very  foundation,  probably  for 
building  purposes,  but  one  or  two  beds  of  ashlar,  still 
in  position,  enabled  the  archaeologists  to  get  the  width 
of  the  wall,  which  is  7  feet  9  inches.  On  the  west  of 
the  Caledonian  Railway  the  wall  was  again  found. 
Mr.  Ferguson  expresses  the  opinion  that  the  Romans 
must  either  have  embanked  the  riven  Eden  in  a 
narrow  and  deep  channel  by  heavy  earthworks,  of 
which  there  is  no  evidence  at  present  to  be  seen,  or 
they  must  have  constructed  a  bridge  of  no  less  than 
fifty  openings.  It  is  intended  to  place  stones  to  mark 
the  spots  where  the  explorations  have  been  made.  A 
number  of  other  interesting  discoveries  have  recently 
been  made  in  Cumberland  and  Westmoreland,  and 
reported  to  the  Archxological  Society  of  those 
counties  by  Mr.  P'erguson.  A  labourer  at  work  in  a 
field  at  Stainemore  Common,  near  Brough,  West- 
moreland, found  a  small  plainly-inscribed  image  of  the 
Roman  period.  It  is  only  a  few  inches  in  length, 
but  it  is  in  a  state  of  excellent  preservation.  At 
CliburnXChurch,  Westmoreland,^  an  interesting  in- 
scribed stone  has  been  brought  to  light.  Even  more 
interesting  is  a  beautifully  floriated  grave  cover  of  a 
priest  found  in  the  Church  of  Castlecarrock,  Cumber- 
land. The  inscription  reveals  a  rather  remarkable 
fact — namely,  an  early  and  purely  British  name  of  the 
parish  and  church.  "  Beth  of  Cric  "  (a  portion  of  the 
inscription)  is  pure  Welsh,  even  in  the  present  day, 
for  "Crick  (or  Carrock's)  grave,"  and  undoubtedly 
points  to  the  origin  of  the  name  of  the  church  and 
place,  and  preserves  the  name  by  which  the  church 
was  known  to  the  earlier  generations.  A  John  de 
Bergh  (probably  the  lohes  de  Beth  of  the  inscription) 
was  presented  to  the  living  of  Castlecarrock  by  the 
Prior  and  Convent  of  Carlisle  in  1346. 


Corte^ponnence, 


DEMOLITION    OF    A  NORMAN    BUILDING 
AT  COLCHESTER. 

Antiquaries  will  deeply  regret  to  hear  that  the  very 
remarkable  and  perfect  remains  of  a  structure  of  the 
early  Norman  period  are  being  deliberately  destroyed 
in  this  ancient  town,  which  has  already  had  to  deplore, 
some  forty  years  ago,  the  similar  demolition  of  its 
"  Moot-hall,"  of  which  the  lower  portion  was,  it  is 
believed,  of  the  same  early  date  as  the  building  now 
being  destroyed. 

This  building,  which  lies  to  the  north  of  the  High 
Street,  has  walls  nearly  5  feet  thick.  It  consists  of 
two  stages,  of  which  the  lower  is  vaulted  and  has 
been  little  altered,  it  would  seem,  since  its  erection. 
The  entrance  and  windows  are  boldly  arched  with 
tiles,  according  to  the  local  manner  of  building,  as 
are  also  some  curious  recesses  in  the  wall,  which  can 
only  be  compared  to  piscinae  in  size  and  position,  and 
of  which  the  meaning  has  not  been  explained.  The 
walls  are  of  the  rudest  rubble  masonry,  though  the 
face  is  still  fairly  even.  The  roof  of  the  ground-floor 
is  a  plain  barrel  vault,  the  effect  of  rudimentary 
groining  being  produced  (as  in  the  Castle)  by  the 
intersection  of  the  vaults  springing  from  the  windows. 
Faint  traces  of  painting  have  been  discovered  in  the 
walls  of  the  upper  stage,  as  also  some  fragments  of 
early  woodwork  in  one  of  the  windows. 

The  strikingly  close  resemblance  between  the  con- 
struction of  this  building  and  that  of  the  famous 
Castle,  make  it  difficult  to  believe  that  it  can  be  of 
later  date  than  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century. 
Running  as  it  does  north  and  south,  it  cannot  have 
been  an  ecclesiastical  structure  ;  but  beyond  the  fact 
that,  in  comparatively  modern  times,  it  was  used,  it 
is  said,  by  "  the  Dutch  Congregation"  as  their  chapel, 
there  is  no  evidence  whatever,  it  would  seem,  as  to 
its  origin  or  its  history.  I  have,  however,  elsewhere 
given  my  reasons  for  believing  it  to  have  been  a 
fortified  structure  belonging  to  the  borough,  and,  as 
such,  of  peculiar  interest. 

It  may  be  added  that,  thanks  to  the  Mayor  of 
Colchester  (Henry  Laver,  Esq.),  who  is  ever  zealous 
in  the  cause  of  local  antiquities,  a  ground-plan  of  the 
vault  has  been  drawn  to  scale,  and  that  photographs 
of  the  building  have  been  taken  by  Messrs.  Angle, 
one  of  which  shows  the  masonry  of  the  vault  with 
two  of  the  arched  recesses.  I  have  secured  further 
photographs  of  the  details  in  the  course  of  the  demo- 
lition. A  water-colour  drawing  of  the  interior  was 
also  executed  before  its  destruction. 

It  should  be  explained  that  the  "  crypt  "  was  un- 
fortunately filled  with  stores  of  iron  when  Colchester 
was  visited  by  the  Archaeological  Institute  in  1876, 
so  that  its  existence  and  character  are  not  so  well 
known  as  would  otherwise  have  been  the  case. 

J.  II.  Round. 

Colchester. 

MAIDEN  LANE. 

\_Ante,  p.   181,  et  a/.] 

I  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Prideaux  {ante^  p.  39),  that 
if  we  can  get  the  sense  of  "embankment"  (ground 


230 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


heaped  up)  out  of  "  maiden,"  it  will  be  what  we 
want ;  but  the  question  is — can  we  ?  As  he  rightly 
says,  "  a  careful  topographical  examination"  is  our 
only  resource,  and  may  prove  that  such  was,  in 
practice,  its  meaning.  This  is,  of  course,  independent 
of  its  etymology.  Mr.  Prideaux,  on  this  point, 
observes  with  truth  of  the  favourite  magh-dun  deriva- 
tion, adopted  by  Mr.  Hall : 

What  has  a  hill-fort  to  do  with  afield  or  plain,  and  how 
can  they  be  united  together  ?  Has  Mr.  Hall  ever  actually  seen 
the  words  in  combination,  or  is  his  etymology  merely  one  of  the 

fuesses  which  were  reprobated  lately  with  so  much  justice  by 
Ir.  Wheatley  ? 

This  etymology  certainly  appears  to  be  one  of  those 
"  made  to  order." 

As  to  "  Maydestrete  "  at  Melcombe  Regis,  the  co- 
incidence pointed  out  by  Mr.  Prideaux  is  obvious 
enough.  I  did  not,  however,  call  attention  to  it, 
because  it  was  the  practice  at  the  time  to  create 
similar  nuisances  on  every  side,  and  the  coincidence 
was  therefore,  in  this  case,  probably  fortuitous. 

J.  H.  Round. 

Colchester. 

Since  the  above  was  written  I  have  read  Mr.  H. 
W.  Smith's  instructive  communication,  and  Mr.  A. 
Stapleton's  very  interesting  explanation  of  the 
Nottingham  case.  This  latter  would  seem  to  be  of 
considerable  value,  as  positive  evidence  of  an  origin 
which  may  have  applied  elsewhere  in  town  instances, 
and  have  been  quite  distinct  from  the  "maiden" 
place-names  in  the  country. 

In  Tomlins'  Perambulation  of  Islington  (see  index) 
a  full  account  is  given  of  a  local  "  Maiden  {or  Made, 
or  Madan)  Lane."  Probably  the  name  would  be 
found,  if  we  could  collect  a  complete  list,  to  be  far 
more  frequent  than  might  be  supposed. 


BOXLEY  ABBEY,  KENT. 
\_Ante,  pp.  87,  181.] 

I  should  not  have  thought  it  necessary  to  reply  to 
Mr.  Frederic  Surtees'  letter  {ante,  pp.  181-183),  but 
that  it  involves  a  point  of  some  public  interest,  and 
affords  an  apt  illustration  of  the  dangers  which  beset 
those  who  write  confidently  on  subjects  of  which  they 
have  not  acquired  the  mastery. 

The  passage  in  my  letter  which  Mr.  Frederic 
Surtees  assails  with  such  singular  vehemence  is  this  : 

"  As  to  the  founder  of  Boxley  Abbey,  Mr.  Surtees  (vol.  viii., 
p.  49)  takes  Mr.  Freeman  to  task  for  speaking  of  his  earldom  as 
doubtful,'  and  appeals  to  Burke's  Extinct  Peerage.  I  can 
only  say  that  my  researches  on  the  subject  have  entirely  con- 
firmed the  opinion  of  Dr.  Stubbs  (for  it  is  originally  his),  that 
this  earldom  is,  to  say  the  least,  'doubtful.'  Nor  can  the 
popular  compilation  invoked  by  Mr.  Surtees  be  accepted  as  of 
any  authority  whatever." — Ante,  p.  87. 

I  need  hardly  say  that,  to  those  who  have  any 
acquaintance  with  these  subjects,  the  idea  of  quoting 
Burke's  Extinct  Peerage  as  against  the  verdict  of  Dr. 
Stubbs  (repeated  by  Mr.  Freeman),  is  droll  beyond 
expression. 
Mr.  F.  Surtees,  however,  writes  : 

"When  I  state  my  reasons  I  feel  convinced  that  candid 
readers  will  agree  with  me  that  I  could  not  have  given  a  better 
reference,  notwithstanding  Mr.  Round's  assertion  to  the 
contrary." 


I  have  read  these  "  reasons  "  very  carefully,  and  the 
only  scrap  of  definite  reason  that  I  can  find  is  that 
Mr.  Surtees  was  once  told  by  a  friend  of  his  that  Sir 
Bernard  Burke  was  "an  unusually  clever  man." 

But  not  content  with  vindicating  Sir  Bernard,  Mr. 
Surtees  proceeds  to  throw  his  aegis  over  Mr.  Free- 
man as  well.  Now  this  is  passing  strange  when  we 
consider  that  I  myself  began'  (ut  supra)  by  defending 
Mr.  Freeman's  statement  against  Mr.  Surtees'  criti- 
cism !  Moreover,  in  his  eagerness  to  champion  Mr. 
Freeman,  Mr.  Surtees  must  clearly  have  forgotten 
(or,  more  probably,  never  read)  that  writer's  famous 
article  on  "Pedigrees  and  Pedigree-Makers  "  {Contem- 
porary Review),  in  which  he  attacks  Sir  Bernard 
Burke  in  language  I  would  not  emulate,  denouncing 
his  pedigrees  "  sheer  invention,"  "  manifest  false- 
hood," and  "monstrous  fictions" — nay,  even  as 
"  hideous  nonsense ;"  and  asking  what  could  be 
"the  state  of  his  mind"  when  he  issued  such  pro- 
ductions to  the  world  !  After  these  comments  of  the 
Regius  Professor  on  "  one  of  the  first  genealogists  of 
the  day,"  Mr.  Surtees  will  doubtless  bitterly  repent 
that  he  went  so  rashly  out  of  his  way  to  uphold  Mr. 
Freeman's  authority. 

And  now  as  to  the  point  in  question.  Mr.  Surtees 
asks  why  Sir  Bernard  Burke  should  not  be 

"  as  good  an  authority  on  a  peerage  creation  as  Mr.  J.  H. 
Round,  who  tells  us,  ex  cathedrA,  '  /  can  only  say  that  my 
ojiinion,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  I  reply,  Mr.  Round's  opinion  {sic)  is 
worthless  on  the  point  compared  with  that  of  Sir  Bernard  Burke, 
who  has  probably  forgotten  more  of  genealogies  than  the  former 
ever  knew." 

The  Sting  of  this  elegant  sentence  lies,  I  regret  to  say, 
in  a  very  gross  tuisquotation  of  the  words  in  my  letter. 
These  were  {ut  supra) : 

"I  can  only  say  that  my  researches  on  the  subject  have 
entirely  confirmed  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Stubbs." 

To  quote  an  expression  of  Mr.  Surtees,  "  I  feel  con- 
vinced that  candid  readers  will  agree  with  me  "  that 
he  owes  me  an  apology  for  having  substituted  (doubt- 
less by  inadvertence)  the  word  "opinion"  for 
"  researches." 

For  when  I  wrote  as  I  did,  it  was  on  the  strength, 
not  of  "  opinion,"  but  of  exhaustive  "  researches." 
Mr.  Surtees  observes  that  "  few,  perhaps  of  genea- 
logists even,  would  care  in  the  present  day  to  investi- 
gate early  authorities  as  to  whether  some  700  years 
ago  he  [William  of  Ypres]  was  actually  created  Earl  of 
Kent."  It  may  surprise  him  to  learn  that  I  am  one 
of  those  "  few,"  and  that  before  I  wrote  on  the  point 
I  had  ascertained  by  special  research  among  Charters, 
Pipe  Rolls,  Chronicles,  etc.,  etc.,  that  in  no  single 
instance  before,  in,  or  after  1141,  is  William  of  Ypres 
styled  Earl  of  Kent.  The  sole  ground  for  assigning 
him  that  title  (as  is  correctly  .given  in  Dugdale, 
Stubbs,  and  Doyle)  is  the  foreign  writer  Meyer,  who 
may  well  have  misunderstood  his  exact  status  in 
England. 

But,  Mr.  Surtees  proclaims,  Ulster  is  "a  sound 
authority  ;"  nay,  indeed, 

"His  work  on  Extinct  and  Dormant  Peerages  would  have 
no  merit  and  no  sale  if  it  was  inaccurate.  They  who  have  at 
any  time  tested  any  part  of  it  by  personal  research,  know  how 
carefully  and  cautiously  it  has  been  compiled." 

Doubtless,  they  who  peruse  its  preface  may  be  awe- 
struck by  the  list  of  authorities  appealed  to  and 
deeply  impressed   by   such   phrases  as    "the    most 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


231 


labprious  revision — the  most  anxious  and  unremitting 
attention.  .  .  .  No  available  source  of  information 
has  been  neglected.  .  .  .  No  trouble  or  research  has 
been  spared,"  etc.,  etc.  But  now  let  the  veil  be 
drawn  aside,  and  to  those  who  may  honestly  wish  to 
know  how  "  it  has  been  compiled,"  the  following 
extracts  (which  are  those  bearing  on  Boxley  Abbey) 
will  speak  eloquently  for  themselves  : 


Burke. 
_ "  In  the  heat  of  these  feuds 
his  lordship  is  accused  of  burn- 
ing the  Abbey  of  Wherwel!, 
CO.  Southampton,  because  the 
Nuns  had  harboured  some  of 
the  partisans  of  the  Empress  ; 
but  after  peace  was  restored, 
he  made  restitution  by  found- 
ing the  Cistertian  Abbey,  at 
Borley  (jic),  in  Kent,  anno 
1144." 


DOGDALE. 

"  It  is  reported  of  this  Earl 
that  in  those  times  of  hostility 
between  Maud  the  Empress 
and  King  Stephen,  he  burnt 
the  Abby  of  Wherwelle  in 
com.  Suthampt.  in  regard  the 
Nuns  of  that  House  harboured 
some  of  the  Empresses 
Followers.  But,  when  the 
Times  grew  more  calm  and 
quiet,  he  founded  an  Abby  at 
Boxley,  in  Kent,  for  Cistercian 
Monks  in  anno  1144  (a 
Step.)."i 

I  wonder  how  many  of  those  who  read  such 
passages  as  that  which  I  have  quoted  from  the 
Extinct  Peerage  have  any  conception  that  what  they 
are  reading  is  simply  "  watered  Dugdale,"  and  that 
when  they  quote  from  "  one  of  the  first  genealogists 
of  the  day,"  they  are  simply  quoting  a  rkhauffe  of 
that  great  antiquary's  words  which  any  one  of  them,  I 
need  hardly  say,  would  be  capable  of  constructing  for 
himself.  Thus  when  the  "authority"  of  the  writer  is 
appealed  to,  it  is  not  his  authority  at  all !  And  the 
really  funny  part  of  it  is  this.  In  Dugdale,  *'  Boxley  " 
(like  his  other  place-names)  is  printed  in  black-letter, 
and  by  those  who  have  so  little  antiquarian  knowledge 
as  to  be  unfamiliar  with  black-letter,  and  to  have 
never  heard  of  Boxley  Abbey,  the  "  x  "  would  easily 
be  mistaken  for  "  r."  Thus  it  is  that  in  the  Extinct 
Peerage,  "Boxley"  becomes  "Borley,"  and  this, 
with  the  exception  of  the  ludicrous  anachronism  of 
speaking  of  William  of  Ypres  as  "  his  lordship  "  (!), 
is  the  solitary  alteration  in  Dugdale's  account,  for 
which  we  are  indebted  to  the  genealogical  skill  of 
that  "  unusually  clever  man,"  the  compiler  of  the 
Extinct  Peerage  ! 

Whether  my  opponent  has  done  Ulster  a  service  in 
extorting  from  me  these  revelations,  I  must  leave  it  to 
others  to  judge.  I  have  said  enough  (pace  Mr.  Surtees) 
to  justify  my  description  of  the  work  in  question  as 
a  "popular  compilation"  which  cannot  be  "accepted 
as  of  any  authority  whatever."  Let  us  hope  that,  in 
future,  when  an  authority  is  appealed  to,  it  may  be 
either  the  great  Dugdale  himself,  or  Mr.  Doyle,  whose 
Official  Baronage  is  destined  to  supplant  all  others. 

Lastly,  as  to  the  Rood  of  Grace.  On  this  Mr. 
Surtees  writes  : 

"  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  Mr.  Round's  remark  that  the 
impossibility  of  removing  the  Boxley  Abbey  Rood  '  formed  part 
of  the  story.'     It  was  unquestionably  removable." 

Here  I  need  merely  quote  the  passage  in  Mr.  Brown- 
bill's  Paper  to  which  I  was  referring  : 

"  Now  comes  the  consummation  of  the  miracle  ;  the  horse  re- 
fused to  stir  an  inch  ;  and  when  the  man  took  the  image  off  its 
back,  he  could  not  carry  it  away  "  (ante,  vii.  165). 

But  I  have  already,  it  may  be  thought,  devoted  too 
much  time  to  the  criticisms  of  Mr.  F.  Surtees.     To 


those,  however,  who  are  anxious,  like  myself,  to 
airive  at  the  right  and  just  conclusion  on  the  delicate 
question  connected  with  the  Rood,  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  learn  that  my  suggestions  have  elicited 
from  the  clergyman  of  an  East  Anglian  parish  the 
instructive  fact  that  his  own  parishioners  (not  only 
the  lower  orders)  had  similarly  expressed  their  con- 
viction to  him,  after  witnessing  the  performance  of 
a  conjurer  (which  had  been  explained  to  them  to  be 
mere  sleight-of-hand),  that  there  was  a  supernatural 
"  something  in  it  "  (i.e.  miraculous  wonder-working). 
I  may  also,  in  support  of  my  theory,  call  attention 
to  a  dictum  of  Mr.  Freeman  (as  Mr.  Surtees  thinks 
so  highly  of  his  authority) : 

"An  age  which  expects  miracles  is  sure  to  find  miracles,  as  an 
age  which  believes  in  witches  is  sure  to  find  witches.  That  is 
to  say,  there  will  in  most  cases  be  a  certain  number  of  instances 
of  real  imposture ;  but  there  will  also  be  a  number,  most  likely  a 
much  greater  number,  of  instances  in  which  men  predisposed  to 
expect  miracles  will  in  perfect  good  faith  see  miraculous  agency 
in  cases  where  a  less  credulous  age  will  see  only  natural  causes  " 
(Preface  to  Giraldus  Cambrensis,  vol.  7,  p.  Ixviii). 

A  point  of  ethics  such  as  that  which  I  have  raised 
is  not  to  be  dismissed  by  angrily  sneering  at  it  as  an 
"  absurd  conundrum,"  nor  even  by  jaunty  and 
flippant  allusions  to  ' '  Elijah  Pogram  or  "  the 
Artful  Dodger."  As  to  the  personalities  of  Mr.  F. 
Surtees,  I  may  remind  him  that  abuse  is  not  argu- 
ment, and  I  will  ask  to  be  allowed  to  dismiss  him 
with  these  words  taken  from  a  notice  in  the  Academy 
(Aug.  14) : 

"  Mr.  Round  has  made  some  sensible  remarks  on  the  '  Rood 
of  Grace  '  and  other  so-called  miraculous  images.  We  have 
no  doubt  that  what  he  suggests  is  the  true  solution  of  many  of 
the  permanent  miracles  which  have  enraged  Protestants  and 
driven  cultured  Romanists  to  strange  shifts  of  explanation  or 
apology." 

J.  H.  Round. 
Brighton,  Oct.  I,  1886. 


TUN-GEREFA. 

May  we  not  find  a  trace  of  this  early  township 
officer  in  the  field-name  "  Tunesgrafteghe"  (alias 
"  Toumsgraftegh "),  which  occurs  in  a  deed  of 
24  June,  1308,  relating  to  the  Manor  of  Wye,  among 
the  "Battle  Abbey  Evidences"  printed  by  Sir  G. 
Duckett  (Sussex  Arch.  Coll.,  xxxi.  163-4)?  If  so, 
the  form  may  be  of  some  importance,  judging  from 
Dr.  Stubbs'  note  on  gerefa:  "It  has  been  regarded 
generally  as  the  same  word  with  the  German  graf, 
....  but  many  other  explanations  have  found 
favour.  .  .  .  M.  Miiller  would  not  '  be  at  all  sur- 
prised if  the  Anglo-Saxon  gerefa  turned  out  to  be 
etymologically  unconnected  with  the  German  graf 
(Lectures,  ii.  284) ;  and  this  is  so  far  probable,  that 
whereas  the  fundamental,  universal,  and  permanent 
idea  of  the  gerefa  is  stewardship,  the  graf\%  not,  so  far 
as  appears,  a  steward  at  all,  but  primarily  and  uni- 
versally a  magistrate.  If,  then,  they  are  the  same 
word,    the    English    application  seems  to   be   most 

Erimitive,    and    there  is  at   least   one  link  missing 
etween  it  and  ihegraf"  (Const.  Hist.,  i.  82-3). 

J.  H.  Round. 
Brighton. 


232 


THE  ANTIQUARY  EXCHANGE. 


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For  Sale. 

Quaint  Gleanings  from  Ancient  Poetry,  a  collec- 
tion of  curious  poetical  compositions  of  the  l6th, 
17th,  and  1 8th  centuries;  large  paper,  only  75  copies 
printed,  1884,  6^.  Kempe's  Nine  Dales  Wonder 
performed  in  a  Journey  from  London  to  Norwich, 
1600  ;  large  paper,  only  75  printed,  1884,  6^.  Gottoni 
Posthuma,  divers  choice  pieces  of  that  renowned 
antiquary.  Sir  Robert  Gotton,  by  J.  H.,  Esq.,  1679; 
large  paper,  2  vols.,  75  copies  only  printed,  1884,  i6j'. 
Ancient  Popular  Poetry  from  authentic  manuscripts 
and  old  printed  copies,  edited  by  John  Ritson ; 
adorned  with  cuts,  2  vols.,  1884  ;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  14?.  Hermippus  Redivivus ; 
or,  the  Sage's  Triumph  over  Old  Age  and  the  Grave  ; 
London,  1744,  3  vols.  ;  large  paper  edition,  only  75 
copies  printed,  1885,  £l  is,  Lucina  Sine  Concubitu, 
a  letter  humbly  addressed  to  the  Royal  Society,  1750  ; 
large  paper  edition,  only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  lOi'. 
Narrative  of  the  Events  of  the  Siege  of  Lyons,  trans- 
lated from  the  French,  1704  ;  large  paper  edition, 
only  75  copies  printed,  1885,  6s.  :  or  offers  for  the  lot. 
— 301,  care  of  Manager. 

Copies  of  222  Marriage  Registers  from  the  parish 
book  of  St.  Mary's  Ghurch  in  Whittlesey,  in  the  Isle 
of  Ely  and  Gounty  of  Gambridge,  1662-72 ;  1880, 
10  pp.,  IS.  6d.  A  copy  of  the  Names  of  all  the 
Marriages,  Baptisms,  and  Burials  which  have  been 
solemnized  in  the  private  chapel  of  Somerset  House, 
Strand,  in  the  Gounty  of  Middlesex,  extending  from 
1 7 14  to  1776,  with  an  index  and  copious  genealogical 
notes;  36  pp.  and  wrapper,  1862,  2s.  6d. — 119,  care 
of  Manager. 

Antiques — Cromwell  (eight-legged,  ornamented) 
Sutherland  Table,  £1  ^s.  Oak  Stool  to  match,  los.  6d. 
Fine  Old  Bureaus,  Oak  and  Mahogany,  £2  los.  to 
£4.  each. — Shaw,  Writtle,  Essex. 

Heroines  of  Shakspeare,  48  plates,  letterpress,  etc., 
published  at  31J.  6d.,  for  ISj-.  (new). — 119,  care  of 
Manager. 

19  Hogarth's  Steel  Engravings,  size  27  inches  by  20 
(1764),  ^4  lOs.;  "The  Road  to  Ruin,"  by  Frith, 
25^. ;  Oil  Painting  on  Oak,  "  Melrose  Abbey,  by 
Moonlight,"  155.  ;  8  French  Engravings  by  Maurin 
and  Deveria,  12s.  (list  sent). — 307,  care  of  Manager. 

Gentleman's  Magazine;  III  vols.:  1742  to  1837. 
Clean  set. — Particulars  apply  14,  Old  Market, 
Halifax, 

Several  Old  Poesy,  Mourning  and  Curious  Rings 
for  Sale. — 306,  Care  of  Manager. 

Carved  oak  chest,  carved  drawers,  corner  cupboard, 
small  stool,  small  carved  box,  and  several  other  pieces 
of  old  oak  to  dispose  of. — Sketches  and  prices  from 
O.  B.,  Carolgate,  Retford. 


Roman  Amphora  for  sale,  discovered  in  ^ast 
London ;  19  inches  high,  44  inches  circumference. 
No  finer  specimen  in  British  Museum.  Viewed  by 
appointment. — E.,  Trent  Road,  Brixton  Hill,  S.W. 

The  following  antiquarian  works  must  be  sold  ; 
offers  requested.  Eleven  volumes  of  Antiquary ; 
lx)und  (Roxburgh)  ;  remainder  unbound.  Detailed 
List  of  Parochial  Registers,  Scotland.  Return  of 
Parish  Registers,  England  and  Wales,  1831  ;  3  vols., 
folio  (a  valuable  work).  Burn's  History  of  Parish 
Registers.  Bridger's  Index  of  Printed  Pedigrees. 
Army  List,  Roundhead  and  Cavaliers,  1642.  Index 
Society's  Index  of  Royalists.  Miscellanea  Genea- 
logica  et  Heraldica  ;  unbound.  Notes  and  Queries  ; 
1884  to  present  time  (one  volume  bound).  Genea- 
logist, 1884-5. — Address  309,  care  of  Manager. 

Catalogue  of  Sunderland  Book  Sale,  with  prices  of 
each  lot,  los.  Ruskin's  Lord  Lindsay  and  Eastlake, 
10s.  Two  Paths,  1st  edition,  £1.  St.  Mark's  Rest, 
in  parts,  4J.  Dickens'  Cricket  on  the  Hearth  and 
Haunted  Man,  ist  editions,  los.  6d.  each. — J.  Lucas, 
Glaremont  House,  Gawley  Road,  South  Hackney,  E. 

The  Manager  ivishes  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact 
that  he  cannot  undertake  to  fonuard  POST  CARDS, 
or  letters,  unless  a  stamp  be  sent  to  cover  postage  op 
same  to  advertiser. 

Wanted  to  Purchase. 

Dorsetshire  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens.  Also 
Topographical  Works,  Cuttings  or  Scraps  connected 
■with  the  county. — ^J.  S.  Udal,  the  Manor  House, 
Symondsbury,  Bridport. 

Gobbett's  Political  Register,  vols.  25,  30,  66,  77, 
79,  84,  85  ;  Beddoe's  Death's  Jest  Book  and  Im- 
provisatore  ;  Pike's  Ramble-Book,  1865  ;  Courthell's 
Ten  Years'  Experience  on  the  Mississippi ;  Hazlitt's 
History  of  Venice,  4  volumes  ;  Dr.  W.  Morris's  The 
Question  of  Ages. —  M.,  care  of  Manager. 

Henry  Warren's  Lithographic  Illustrations  of  the 
River  Ravensbourne,  near  Lewisham,  Kent.  Folio, 
6  or  7  plates.  (No  date  is  believed  to  be  on  the  book.) 
Thorpe  (John)  A  Collection  of  Statutes  relating  to 
Rochester  Bridge.  Folio,  1733. — Thanet,  care  of 
Manager. 

Portraits  of  Eminent  Americans  Now  Living,  with 
Biographical  and  Historical  Memoirs  of  their  Lives 
and  Actions,  by  John  Livingston,  of  the  New  York 
Bar,  in  2  vols.  New  York,  Cornish  Lamport  and 
Go. — P.,  care  of  Manager. 

Cooper's  Rambles  on  Rivers,  Woods,  and  Streams  ; 
Lupot  on  the  Violin  (English  Translation).  S.,  care 
of  Manager. 

Views,  Maps,  Pottery,  Coins,  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury Tokens  of  the  Town  and  County  of  Nottingham- 
shire.— J.  Toplis,  Arthur  Street,  Nottingham. 

Guthbert  Bradley's  "  Sporting  Cantab"  (coloured 
engraving) ;  Ghesnan's  English  School  Painting ; 
Bibliographer's  Manual,  by  Lowndes,  11  volumes. — 
308,  care  of  Manager, 

Old  Stone  Busts,  Figures,  Animals,  or  Terra 
Gotta  Casts. — Price,  etc.,  by  post  to  "Carver,"  St, 
Donat's,  Bridgend. 

Maria  de  Clifford,  novel,  by  Sir  Egerton  Brydges, 
about  1812-18. — Address  310,  care  of  Manager. 

Three-legged  chair  ;  must  be  antique. — W.  Philli- 
more,  124,  Chancery  Lane. 


THE  BRASSES  AND  GLASS  OF  MORLEY  CHURCH. 


233 


The  Antiquary. 


DECEMBER,  1886. 


C{)e  I5ras0es  ant)  aia^s  of 

By  F.  Rought  WiLsox. 


HE  retired  village  of  Morley,  to 
whose  antiquated  church  we  re- 
spectfully invite  the  readers  of  the 
Antiquary  to  accompany  us  for  a 
little  while,  is  situated  about  five  miles  (north- 
east) from  the  town  of  Derby.  To  reach  it 
we  must  either  avail  ourselves  of  the  railway 
as  far  as  Breadsall  (two  miles  from  Morley) 
or  we  may  walk  or  drive  all  the  distance. 
The  latter,  if  the  weather  be  propitious,  is 
the  preferable  mode  of  locomotion,  as  the 
route  is  not  only  picturesque  but  full  of  in- 
terest. Leaving  the  town  at  the  north  end, 
we  pass  down  Bridge  Gate,  and  over  the 
River  Derwent  by  the  old  bridge  of  St  Mary, 
from  which  structure  this,  the  oldest  thorough- 
fare in  the  town,  derives  its  appellation.  To 
our  right  hand  as  we  stand  upon  the  bridge, 
we  see,  situated  on  an  island,  the  first  silk- 
mill  erected  in  England,  being  the  original 
fabric  built  by  John  Lombe,  the  pioneer  of 
the  English  silk  trade,  in  17 16.  The  old 
decaying  chapel  of  St.  Mary-of-the-brigge  may 
also  be  noticed  standing  on  a  fragment  of  an 
old  pack-saddle  bridge,  the  predecessor  of 
the  existing  one,  ui)on  which  we  are  staying 
for  a  moment.  To  our  left  hand,  right  away, 
up  the  river,  nestling  amongst  a  luxuriance  of 
verdure,  is  the  village  of  Darley  Abbey,  cele- 
brated in  the  printing  world  as  the  locale  of 
a  well-known  paper-factory;  but  historically 
interesting  as  the  site  of  a  once  extensive 
abbey  of  St.  Augustine  monks. 

Leaving  Bridge  Gate,  we  ne.xt  proceed 
along  the  Mansfield  Road,  finding  ourselves, 
in  a  short  space  of  time,  in  the  village  of 

VOL.    XIV. 


Little  Chester — a  now  rapidly  increasing 
suburb  of  the  borough.  Passing  through,  we 
are  reminded  that  here  stood  the  Roman 
Station  of  Derventio,  and  that  the  Ryknield 
Street  may  be  distinctly  traced  in  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood.  Tradition  says  that 
the  foundations  of  a  Roman  bridge  also 
may  be  seen  here  when  the  water  of  the 
Derwent  is  low.  Turning  to  our  right,  we 
now  find  ourselves  on  the  direct  way  for 
Morley,  with  scenes  of  nature  on  either  hand 
calculated  to  make  the  walk  extremely 
pleasant.  On  reaching  an  elevated  point  in 
the  road  we  see  below  us  in  the  valley  the 
picturesque  village  of  Breadsall,  the  sub- 
stantial spire  of  whose  church  (in  which  the 
remains  of  that  famous  sava?it,  Dr.  Erasmus 
Darwin,  lie  interred)  rises  up  prominently 
from  amidst  the  lowly  cottages.  While  we 
pursue  the  rest  of  our  journey,  we  may  just  as 
well  recount  briefly  one  or  two  facts  in  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  the  small  church 
about  to  be  visited,  and  from  which  we  are 
now  but  a  very  short  distance. 

The  edifice  of  St.  Matthew's  is  the  parish 
church  of  a  village  which  claims  considerable 
antiquity.  Certain  it  is  that  Morley  was 
associated  with  the  days  of  the  Roman  occu- 
pation, as  coins  and  other  relics  of  that 
period  have  been  found  from  time  to  time 
here  ;  and  the  Roman  road  previously  alluded 
to  doubtless  passed  through  the  village.  In 
Domesday  Book  it  is  mentioned  as  Morhi, 
when  it  "  was  held  by  Siward,  under  Henry 
do  Ferrars."  It  afterwards  became  the  pos- 
session of  a  family  who  took  the  name  of 
Morley,  one  of  whose  descendants  married, 
at  the  latter  end  of  the  fourteenth  century,  a 
Ralph  Stathum,  and  with  which  gentleman 
the  history  of  Morley  Church  commences. 
At  what  date  it  was  first  erected  is  not 
known,  but  during  this  Ralph  Stathum's 
residence  in  the  village,  he  appears  to  have 
made  extensive  alterations  in  the  church — 
adding  to  an  original  Norman  design  several 
features  of  the  Decorated  period.  Further 
particulars  of  these  alterations  we  shall  learn 
from  the  very  fine  series  of  brass  monuments, 
which  form  such  an  attractive  feature  of  the 
church,  and  which,  together  with  its  curious 
and  valuable  stained-glass  windows,  having 
arrived  at  the  little  edifice,  we  will  proceed  to 
examine.    The  church  stands  in  an  elevated 

R 


234 


THE  BRASSES  AND  GLASS  OF  MORLEY  CHURCH. 


position,  and  has  a  spire  and  bells.  As  we 
enter  in  at  the  gate  we  notice  in  the  church- 
yard the  shaft  of  an  old  market-cross,  which 
has  evidently  been  removed  from  some  village- 
green  or  market-place  to  its  present  position. 
The  interior  of  the  church  consists  of  nave 
and  chancel,  each  with  side  aisles. 

The  first  brass  to  which  our  attention  is 
called  is  one  from  which  it  would  appear  that 
Ralph  Stathum  commenced  his  additions  to 
the  church  by  erecting  a  chapel,  in  which,  as 
the  late  Rev.  Samuel  Fox  says  in  his  History 
of  the  Church*  he  was  probably  buried ;  "  but 
which  chapel  it  was  cannot  with  any  degree 
of  certainty  be  decided,  as  all  the  brasses 
have  at  different  times  been,  unfortunately, 
removed  from  their  original  situations." 
The  brass  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

Orate  p  aja  Radulphi  de  Stathum,  quonda  dni  de 
Morley  qui  istam  capellam  fieri  fecit,  &  obiit  XIII° 
die  Junii  A°  dni  Mill"  ccc°  Ixxx"  et  p  aja  Godythe  vxis 
sue  nup  dne  de  Morley  pdict  que  psentetn  Eccliam 
cum  campanili  de  novo  construxit  que  obiit  XVP  die 
Maii  Anno  dni  millo  CCCC"  XVIIP  quar  ajar  & 
Peisdem  exorantibs  ppiciet  deus  ame. 

*'  This  inscription  gives  a  satisfactory  clue 
to  the  date  when  the  Stathum  alterations 
commenced ;  and  it  is  confirmed  by  another 
inscription  which  was  originally  over  the 
south  door,  as  a  matrix,  corresponding  with 
it,  still  remains.  This  brass  has  a  portion 
broken  off,  and  reads  as  follows."  The 
letters  are  in  relief : 

Orate  p  ajabus  Godithe  de  Stathum  dne  d'  Morley 
Ricardi  filii  sui  qui  capanile  istud  &  eccliam  fieri  fecert 
quibus  tenent  Anno°  dni  Millmo  CCCC°  tercio. 

"  A  chapel  was  added  to  the  East  End  of 
the  original  South  Aisle  about  the  time  of 
Ralph  Stathum,  as  appears  from  a  canopy  of 
a  piscina  which  still  remains  in  the  South 
Wall ;  and  although  there  is  no  certainty  with 
regard  to  it,  it  seems  probable  it  was  the 
chapel  alluded  to  on  the  brass  as  having 
been  built  by  Ralph  Stathum.  The  building 
commenced  by  him  was  evidently  continued 
by  his  widow  Godith  in  her  own  name  and 
that  of  her  son  Richard,  although  he  had 

*  The  History  and  Atiiiqnities  of  the  Parish  Chtirch 
of  S,  Alattheu',  Morley,  ittthe  County  of  Derby,  by  the 
late  Rev.  Samuel  Fox,  M.A.,  Rector.  Edited  by 
Robert  Bigsby,  LL.D.  (Bemrose  and  Sons,  1872.) 
To  this  work,  now  out  of  print,  the  writer  has  been 
much  indebted,  especially  for  the  rendering  of  the 
inscriptions,  some  of  which  are  almost  undecipherable 
through  age. 


been  dead  some  years.  She  built  the  tower 
and  chancel,  and  gave  the  character  to  the 
church,  which  it  continued  to  possess  until  a 
successor,  who  was  probably  John  Stathum, 
from  what  is  related  of  him  on  his  brass,  pro- 
longed the  South  Aisle  to  its  present  length, 
and  erected  a  chapel  at  its  termination."  The 
inscription  on  the  brass  alluded  to  is  as  follows ; 

Orate  p  aja  Johis  Stathum  Armigeri,  qu°  dm  dni 
isti'  ville  qui  bene  &  notabilit'  hanc  eccle  egit  qui  obiit 
VIP  die  Nouembris  Anno.  dni.  Millmo.  CCCC° 
liiio.  Et  p  aja  Cecilie  vxoris  eius  que  obiit  XX  Vo. 
die.  Aprilis.  A°.  dni.  M.C.C.C.C.°  XLIIII°  qr°  ajabs 
ppiciet  de'. 

In  connection  with  this  John  Stathum, 
there  is  another  brass  which  bears  the  por- 
traiture of  himself  and  Cicely,  his  wife,  and 
was  probably  placed  over  their  grave.  The 
husband  is  represented  as  wearing  a  suit  of 
armour,  his  wife  being  attired  in  the  usual 
female  dress  of  the  century.  Proceeding  out 
of  each  of  their  mouths  is  a  scroll  which 
bears  the  inscription  : 

Set.  Christofore  ora  pro  novis. 
Above  is  engraved  the  figureof  St.  Christopher 
bearing  our  Lord  upon  his  shoulders  through 
water.     The  inscription  beneath  is  in  English, 
and  runs  as  follows  : 

Here  lieth  John  Stathum  Squyer  sometyme  lorde  of 
this  towne,  and  Cecily  his  wife ;  Which  yat  to  yis 
Churche  III  belles,  &  ordyned  iii^  iiii'' yerely  for 
brede,  to  be  done  in  almes  among  pore  folk  of  y^  prssh 
i  y"  day  of  y®  obit  of  dame  Godith,  sometyme  Lady  of 
y^  towne,  the  said  John  dyed  the  VI  day  of  Novembre, 
ye  yere  of  our  Lord  W-  C.C.C.C  LIIIP,  and  the  sayd 
Cecily  died  the  XXV  day  of  April,  the  yere  of  our 
Lord  Mt  C.C.C.C  Ixiiii'  of  Whos  Sowles  God  have 
mercy.     Amen. 

In  the  South  Wall  of  the  chancel  there  is 
yet  another  brass  having  reference  to  Ralph, 
Godith,  and  the  Stathum  family  in  general. 
It  has  no  date,  and  reads  as  follows  : 

ffor  tho  sowles  of  Rafe  Godyth  Thymis  Elizabeth 
Cecill  and  John  &  of  theyr  suxcessores  &  for  all 
cristen  Sowles  depfundis  &c  :  pater  noster  «&c  :  Ave 
Maria  :  et  ne  nos  :  rege  etnam  &c  :  Dne  exaudi  ora- 
coem  :  W  yis  oriso  Inclina  dne  &c  :  John  Stathm 
ordynd  yis  to  be  said  &  more  Writen  in  other  divers 
bokis. 

John  Stathum  left  two  sons,  Thomas  and 
Henry;  the  former  died  a.d.  1470;  the 
latter,  who  succeeded  him,  died  a.d.  1481. 
Upon  an  altar  tomb  of  marble,  standing  on 
the  North  side  of  the  South  aisle,  near  the 
Chancel  door,  is  the  following  inscription  in 
brass  in  memory  of  the  former  : 


THE  BRASSES  AND  GLASS  OF  MORLEY  CHURCH. 


235 


Orate  p'  aiabs  Thome  Stathum  milit  nupd  ni  huius 
ville  q'  obiit  xxvii  die  Julii  A°.  dni.  M°  CCCC°  Ixx" 
Et  dne  Elisabeth  vxis  er  filie  Robti  langley  Armigeri 
ac  Thomasine  alterius  uxoris  et  ffilie  Johis  Curson 
Armigeri  quor  aiabs  ppiciet  deus.  Amen. 

Upon  the  brass  are  portraitures  of  Sir 
Thomas  Stathum  and  his  wives,  and  above 
them  are  figures  of  St.  Christopher,  St.  Mary, 
and  St.  Anne.  Scrolls  proceed  from  the 
mouths  of  Sir  Thomas  and  his  wives,  con- 
taining invocations  to  the  Saints  above  them. 
The  knight's  invocation  is  "  See  Christofere 
ora  p  novis ;"  that  of  one  of  the  ladies  is, 
"  Sea.  Maria  ora  pro  novis ;"  and  of  the  other, 
"  Sea.  Anna  ora  p  novis." 

The  estate  of  Morley,  upon  the  death  of 
Sir  Thomas  Stathum  (who  had  no  children) 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  brother  Henry, 
who  died  in  1481,  leaving  an  only  daughter. 
His  tomb  is  situated  in  the  south  aisle  under 
a  canopy.  His  memorial  brasses  consist  of 
the  portraitures  of  a  warrior  and  three  females 
inserted  in  a  marble  slab,  with  the  following 
inscription  : 

Orate  pro  animabus  Henrici  Stathum,  nup  dni 
huius  ville  qui  obiit  XXX°  Aprilis  Anno  dni 
M°  CCCC°  lxxx°  Et  domine  Anne  filie  Thome  Bothe 
domini  de  Barton  Elizabeth  filie  Egidii  Seyndolk  Et 
Margarete  filie  Johis  Stanhop  vxor  ej'  qr  aiabs  ppiciet 
de'  amen. 

Above  all  is  the  following  curious  distich  : 
Thow  art  my  brothur  or  my  Sester 
pray  for  us  A  pater  Noster. 

The  Stathum  family,  through  the  heiress  of 
Henry,  afterwards  formed  an  alliance  with 
the  Sacheverells,  in  whose  possession  the 
estate  remained  for  many  years.  The  last 
brass  we  shall  notice  is  one  which  contains 
the  portraitures  of  Sir  Henry  Sacheverell,  in 
his  knight's  costume,  and  Dame  Isabella,  his 
wife.     The  inscription  says  : 

Hie  jacent  corpora  Henrici  Sachevrell  de  Morley 
in  comitatu  Derbe  Milit  &  Isabella;  vxoris  eius :  qui 
guide  Henric'  obiit  xxi''  die  Julii  A°  dni  MCCCC 
LVIII. 

Of  this  memorial  Mr.  Fox  says  :  "  The 
stone  which  contains  this  brass  is  very  far 
from  being  in  its  original  situation.  The 
brass  is  small,  and  inferior  to  the  earlier  ones ; 
and  the  stone  in  which  it  is  placed  is  ex- 
tremely rough  and  unfinished.  This  led  to 
an  examination  of  the  under  part  of  the 
stone,  which  was  found  to  have  once  con- 
tained a  very  fine  brass  of  an  ecclesiastic,  and 
had  been  surrounded  by  a  border  fillet,  con- 


taining an  inscription.  Those  parts  of  the 
stone  which  were  not  cut  away  to  receive  the 
brass  and  fillet  were  highly  polished  The 
rivets  were  still  quite  perfect,  and  the  pitch 
with  which  the  brass  had  been  embedded 
was  quite  fresh  !  It  is  not  unlikely  that  after 
this  stone  had  been  deprived  of  its  original 
treasure,  it  formed  part  of  the  spoil  which 
was  brought  from  Dale  Abbey." 

The  mention  of  this  latter  edifice  brings  us 
to  the  subject  of  the  windows  of  Morley 
Church,  which  are  of  great  interest.  Before 
describing  them,  let  us  say  that  at  the  time  of 
the  dissolution  of  the  monasteries  the  Abbey 
of  Dale  (situated  not  very  far  from  Morley) 
was  thoroughly  dismantled  ;  and  a  great  deal 
of  its  costly  material  was  purchased  and  pre- 
sented by  one  of  the  Pole  family  to  Morley 
Church.  It  thus  received  considerable  ad- 
ditions— in  fact,  what  is  the  north  aisle  of  the 
church  was  originally  the  refectory  of  the 
Abbey;  and  the  stained  windows  are  the 
same  which  once  adorned  that  famous 
monastic  pile.  These  windows,  however, 
during  the  early  part  of  their  existence  at 
Morley,  were  not  properly  taken  care  of  and 
valued;  and  consequently,  in  recent  times, 
after  a  great  part  of  them  had  disappeared, 
they  had  to  be  restored.  This  was  efficiently 
done  in  1847  by  a  London  firm,  through  the 
liberality  of  T.  O.  Bateman,  Esq.  One  of  the 
two  most  perfect  ones  represents  the  legend 
of  St.  Robert  of  Knaresborough.  This  legend, 
however,  during  the  restoring  of  the  window 
was  misinterpreted,  being  taken  as  representa- 
tive of  a  story  in  connection  with  the  Abbey. 
The  first  compartment  represents  some  monks 
shooting  deer,  with  the  inscription,  *'  St. 
Robert  shooteth  the  deer  eating  his  corn." 
The  next  is  an  interview  of  the  King  and 
some  keepers  ;  the  inscription  is,  "  Here  the 
keepers  complayn  to  the  King."  The  next 
compartment  reveals  a  monk  on  his  knees 
before  the  King,  with  the  inscription, 
"  Whereof  he  complayneth  hym  to  the  King." 
The  King  is  represented  saying,  '*  Go  ye 
whome  and  pinn  them."  Accordingly,  the 
next  compartment  represents  a  monk  in  the 
act  of  catching  the  deer,  which  are  amongst 
his  corn.  The  inscription  is,  "  Here  St. 
Robert  catcheth  the  deer."  The  next  com- 
partment shows,  "  Here  the  Keepers  inform 
the    King."    The    King    commands,   "  Bid 


236 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


hym  come  to  me."  In  the  next  compart- 
ment the  King  is  represented  on  his  knees, 
and  saying  to  a  monk,  "Go  ye  whome  and 
yoke  them,  and  take  ye  ground  with  ye 
plough ;"  and  the  inscription  runs,  •'  The 
Kyng  giveth  him  ye  ground."  In  the  seventh 
and  last  compartment  connected  with  the 
legend,  St.  Robert  is  represented  holding  a 
plough  drawn  by  deer ;  and  the  inscription 
is,  "Here  Saint  Robert  plougheth  wyth  ye 
deer."  The  eighth  compartment,  which  has 
no  connection  with  the  above,  shows  a  monk 
reading  a  lecture  to  an  erring  brother,  and 
saying,  *'  Take  heed  to  thy  ways,  brother." 

The  subject  which  occupies  one  of  the  other 
windows,  and  which  is  very  complete,  is  the 
"  Legendary  History  of  the  Holy  Cross." 

To  describe  it  in  detail  would  occupy  more 
space  than  we  have  at  our  disposal.  Suffice 
it  to  say  these  windows  are  beautifully 
coloured,  and  add  quite  a  glory  to  the  church 
which  has  the  good  fortune  to  possess  them. 
Many  other  very  interesting  features  might 
be  mentioned  in  connection  with  this  little 
edifice ;  but  before  concluding  we  may 
point  out  that  the  encaustic  tiles  which 
pave  the  floor  at  the  east  end  of  the  north 
aisle  arc  also  from  Dale  Abbey,  and  that 
some  remains  of  Morley  Hall  exist  in  the 
west  side  of  the  churchyard. 


iLonnon  Cbeatre.o; 

By  T.  Fairman  Ordisu. 


No.  v.— Thk  Red  Bull. 
^E  have  Cunningham's  authority  for 
stating  that  the  Red  Bull  Theatre 
stood  "at  the  upper  end  of  St. 
John  Street,  on  what  is  now  [1850] 
called  St.  John's  Street  Road."  In  what  ap- 
pears to  be  a  very  carefully  prepared  article, 
the  editor  of  Wilkinson's  Londina  (1819) 
gives  the  spot  more  particularly.  He  says  : 
"  It  stood  on  a  plot  of  ground  situated  be- 
tween the  upper  end  of  St.  John  Street  and 
Clerkenwell  Green,  the  site  of  which  is  dis- 
tinguished in  the  plan  of  Clerkenwell  parish, 
inserted  in  the  first  edition  of  Strype's  Stow, 
1720,  and  in  that  of  London,  published  by 


Rocque,  in  the  year  1738,  by  the  name  of 
*  Red  Bull  Yard.'  This  name  it  retained 
for  many  years  afterwards,  when  it  received 
its  present  one  of  '  Woodbridge  Street,'  in 
compliment  to  the  college  at  Woodbridge  in 
Suffolk,  of  which  the  ground  forms  one  of 
the  estates."  The  writer  further  states  that 
he  had  failed  to  discover  any  trace  of  the  old 
playhouse,  and  the  fact  of  its  disuse  soon 
after  the  Restoration  renders  it  probable  that 
every  vestige  of  it  had  long  since  disappeared. 
He  also  indicates  a  field  of  search  by  hinting 
that  probably  its  exact  position  may  be  set 
forth  in  existing  leases.  The  parish  books 
of  Clerkenwell  were  searched  for  him,  but 
without  result,  as  they  contain  accounts  of 
recent  date  only. 

The  origin  of  the  Red  Bull  is  enveloped 
in  mystery.  Collier  very  reasonably  sup- 
poses that  it  was  originally  an  inn  yard,  and 
that  it  was  converted  into  a  regular  theatre 
late  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  He  cites  the 
following  lines  from  a  MS.  ballad  of  the  time 
of  James  I.  : 

The  Red  Bull 

Is  mostly  full 
Of  drovers,  carriers,  carters ; 

But  honest  wenches 

Will  shun  the  benches, 
And  not  there  shew  their  garters. 

The  performances  at  this  theatre  throughout 
its  career  appear  to  have  been  very  popular, 
perhaps  for  the  reason  that  they  were  far 
from  being  refined.  It  was  probably  used 
for  other  amusements  than  the  regular  drama. 
In  a  letter  from  John  Chamberlain  to  Dudley 
Carleton,  dated  London,  August  23,  1599, 
we  read :  "  Last  week,  at  a  puppet  play,  in 
St.  John  Street,  the  house  fell,  six  persons 
were  killed,  and  thirty  or  forty  hurt.""^^ 

The  Red  Bull  players  in  the  reign  of 
James  I.  were  designated  the  Queen's  com- 
pany. Collier  mentions  documentary  evi- 
dence in  the  Audit  Office,  nth  James  I.,  in 
the  case  of  "  John  Woodward  "  against  Aaron 
Holland,  showing  that  the  receipts  of  the 
theatre  were  very  minutely  divided,  f  Re- 
cently Mr.  James  Greenstreet  has  communi- 
cated to  the  AthencBum  a  valuable  note  on 
this  case.  |  From  this  note  it  appears  that  the 
complainant's  name  was  not  "John  Wood- 

*  Calendar  State  Papers,  p,  306. 

t  Hist.  Dramatic  Poetry ,  i.  374. 

X  AtJienautn,  November  28,  1885,  p.  709. 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


237 


ward,"  as  given  by  Collier,  but  Thomas 
Woodford.  The  records  of  the  Court  of 
Requests  which  Mr.  Greenstreet  communi- 
cates would  seem  to  be  the  same  that  Collier 
mentions  as  having  been  in  the  Audit  Ofifice. 
One  of  the  documents  is  an  order  of  the 
Court  made  in  the  suit,  and  bearing  date 
May  15th,  nth  James  I.  (1613) ;  the  other 
a  final  decree  in  the  same  cause,  dated 
June  23rd  following.  As  Mr.  Greenstreet 
observes,  if  we  could  see  the  bill  of  complaint 
which  was  the  foundation  of  this  suit,  pro- 
bably we  should  find  considerable  material 
for  illustrating  the  early  history  of  the  Red 
Bull  Theatre,  which  at  present  is  so  obscure; 
but  the  condition  of  this  class  of  records 
renders  it  very  unlikely  that  the  document 
will  be  available  for  many  years  to  come. 

From  the  first  of  these  records  we  learn 
there  was  a  suit  depending  before  the  King 
and  Council,  between  "  Thomas  Woodford, 
gent.  compl[ainant]  against  Aaron  Holland, 
deft.  Being,  amongst  other  things,  for  and 
concerning  the  compl[ainant's]  demaund  of 
the  eighteenth  penny  and  eighteenth  part  of 
such  moneys  and  other  comodities  as  should 
bee  collected  or  receaued  for  certen  yeares, 
yet  enduring,  for  the  profittes  of  the  Galleries, 
or  other  places  in,  or  belonging  to  the  Play 
howse  called  the  Red  Bull  at  the  vpper  end 
of  St.  John's  streete,  London,  As  in  and  by 
the  said  compl[ainant's]  bill  of  complaint  is 
declared ;  Vnto  w*^*"  Bill  the  said  deft,  hath 
made  answere."  The  Court  made  order 
that  two  "  Counsaillours  at  lawe,"  being  the 
counsel  of  the  parties,  should  examine  them, 
and  if  possible  decide  the  matter  before  the 
ensuing  Trinity  Term.  Mr.  Greenstreet 
states  that  the  other  document  is  much 
damaged  by  damp,  but  we  can  gather  that 
Holland  had  leased  his  share  to  one  Philip 
Stone,  gent.,  for  fifty  shillings  per  annum, 
with  a  clause  of  forfeiture  for  non-payment ; 
which  lease  Stone  had  since  assigned  to 
AVoodford,  who,  having  failed  to  pay  a 
quarters  rent,  12s.  6d.,  Holland  claimed  to 
lake  advantage  of  the  forfeiture.  It  appears 
that  Holland  had  expressed  himself  in  his 
answer  willing,  if  the  complainant  would 
satisfy  his  just  demands,  to  make  a  new  lease 
of  the  said  share  to  Woodford  in  his  own 
name,  which  arrangement  tlie  Court  deemed 
equitable,    and    ordered    the    defendant    to 


execute  such  new  deed  or  suffer  a  penalty  of 

Collier  writes:*  " George  Wither  in  16 13 
published  his  Abuses  Stript  and  Whipt,  and 
he  several  times  speaks  of  the  Red  Bull,  and 
of  the  performances  there,  in  terms  of  no 
great  respect,  coupling  it  with  the  Curtain, 
which  seems  to  have  been  in  no  better 
reputation;  in  his  first  satire,  for  instance, 
he  introduces  a  ruffling  lover  courting  his 
mistress,  and  of  him  remarks  : 
His  poetry  is  such  as  he  can  cull 
From  plays  he  heard  at  Curtain  or  at  Bull. 

Collier  adds  that  in  Albtwiazar,  1615,  Trin- 
culo  couples  it  with  the  Fortune — "  Oh,  tis 
Armellina  !  now,  if  she  have  the  wit  to  begin, 
as  I  mean  she  should,  then  will  I  confound 
her  with  compliments  drawn  from  the  plays 
I  see  at  the  Fortune  and  Red  Bull,  where  I 
learn  all  the  words  I  speak  and  understand 
not." 

We  have  now  to  chronicle  another  obh- 
gation  to  Mr.  Greenstreet.  Prompted  by 
Mr.  Halliwell-Phillipps,  this  gentleman  con- 
sulted a  MS.  index  in  the  Record  Office, 
with  the  result  that  he  discovered  some 
documents  which  throw  much  fresh  light 
upon  the  history  of  the  Red  Bull  and  Cock- 
pit playhouses,  t  The  documents  consist  of 
a  bill  of  complaint  filed  in  the  Court  0I 
Chancery,  May  23rd,  1623,  and  the  sworn 
answer  thereto.  The  complaint  has  reference 
to  circumstances  which  arose  in  the  year 
161 2.  In  that  year  Thomas  Greene,  the 
principal  actor  of  the  Red  Bull  company, 
died,  leaving  a  widow  his  sole  executrix,  who 
duly  proved  his  will.  Mr.  Greenstreet  after- 
wards discovered  this  will,  which  is  dated 
July  25,  161 2. 1  It  appears  that  Greene 
advanced  certain  sums  of  money  to  the  Red 
Bull  company,  and  was  himself  the  owner  of 
one  full  share  of  the  profits,  the  value  of 
which  was  estimated  by  his  widow  at  ;^8o. 
In  making  his  will  he  did  not  forget  his 
comrades,  for  in  that  document  we  read  : 
"  Item^  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  fellowes 
of  the  house  of  the  redd  Bull  forty  shillings, 
to  buy  gloves  for  them."    One  of  the  wit- 

•  Hist.  Dravialic  Poetry,  iii.  132. 

+  Communicated  to  the  Athenantn,  February  21, 
1885  ;  subsequently  the  subject  of  a  paper  read  before 
the  New  Shakspere  Society,  April  10,  1885. 

+  Communicated  to  the  At/iaucui/i,  August  29, 
1885. 


238 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


nesses  to  the  Will  was  Christopher  Beeston, 
who,  we  learn  from  the  bill  of  complaint,  was 
trustee  for  the  Red  Bull  company,  of  which 
he  was  a  member.  After  Greene's  death  his 
widow  came  upon  Beeston  (alias  Hutchinson) 
for  a  settlement  of  her  claim  against  the 
company.  Ultimately  it  was  arranged  that 
the  company  should  pay  her  during  her  life, 
and  her  son's,  and  that  of  the  survivor,  two 
amounts,  viz.,  two  shillings,  and  one  shilling 
and  eightpence,  on  each  of  the  six  days  of 
the  week  that  they  acted.  The  amounts 
were  paid  for  five  years,  when  the  son  died 
and  complications  ensued.  The  widow  had 
married  one  James  Baskervile,  and  when  her 
son,  Francis  Baskervile  (apparently  a  step- 
son), died,  Mrs.  Baskervile  tried  to  continue 
the  reversion  to  her  other  son,  'William 
Browne.'  In  her  anxiety  to  secure  the 
annuity  she  had  a  deed  executed  settling  it 
upon  one  William  Jordon,  in  trust  for  herself 
and  William  Browne.  In  the  meantime  some 
of  the  actors  were  leaving  the  company  and 
other  actors  were  joining  it,  and  the  question 
arose  as  to  how  far  a  company  which  was  so 
unfixed  a  quantity  could  be  bound  by  such  a 
liability.  The  documents  do  not  tell  us  how 
the  matter  was  settled,  but  various  valuable 
and  interesting  facts  are  recorded.  As 
touching  the  social  status  of  players  in  that 
age,  it  is  notable  that  they  are  severally 
styled  'gentlemen.'  The  records  also  con- 
firm the  practice  of  sharers  hiring  other  actors 
to  play  for  them  at  wages,  with  no  share  of 
profits.  The  Red  Bull  players  are  distinctly 
styled  the  Queen's  Company,  and  we  learn 
that  they  were  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Right  Hon.  the  "  now  Earl  of  Leicester, 
then  Lord  Chamberlain  of  the  Household  of 
the  said  late  Queen  Anne  (of  Denmark)." 
The  proceedings  of  this  dispute  are  dated  in 
1623,  and  the  players  are  referred  to  as  "  now 
come,  or  shortly  to  come  from  the  said 
Play-house  called  the  Red  Bull  to  the  Play- 
house in  Drury  Lane  called  the  Cockpit." 

In  the  diary  and  account-book  of  Edward 
AUeyn,  29th  September,  1617,  to  ist  October, 
1622,  we  find  the  following  entries  :* 

161 7.  I  Oct.  I  came  to  London  in  ye  Coach 

and  went  to  ye  Red  Bull        -     002 
,,      3  Oct.  I  went  to  ye  Red  Bull  and  rec. 
for   ye   younger   brother  but 
3:6:4:  water   -        -         -004 

*  Duhvich  Catalogue. 


Collier  says  that  in  1622,  according  to  Sir 
Henry  Herbert's  oflSce-book,  "  the  players  of 
the  Revels  "  had  possession  of  the  Red  Bull. 
The  company  which  replaced  the  Queen 
Anne's  at  the  Red  Bull  in  1623  was  styled, 
after  Prince  Charles,  the  Prince's.  These 
players,  who  appear  to  have  acted  at  the 
Curtain  since  1615,  tried  their  luck  at  the 
Fortune  in  1624,  and  when  their  Patron  came 
to  the  throne  in  the  following  year,  they 
continued  their  career  at  the  Red  Bull 
under  the  style  of  the  Red  Bull  players.* 
The  women-actors  who  acted  at  the  Black- 
friars  and  the  Fortune  appeared  likewise 
at  the  Red  Bull  on  November  22,  1629. 
In  1630,  in  some  lines  prefixed  to  Davenant's 
Just  Jtalia?i,  acted  at  Blackfriars,  Carew  thus 
criticizes  the  players  at  the  Red  Bull  and  the 
Cock-pit  :t 

Now  noyse  prevailes,  and  he  is  tax'd  for  drowth 

Of  wit,  that  with  the  cry,  spends  not  his  mouth. — 

When  they  admire,  nod,  shake  the  head,  't  must  be 

A  scene  of  myrth,  a  double  comedy. 

But  thy  strong  fancies  (raptures  of  the  braine, 

Drest  in  poetick  flam.es)  they  entertaine 

As  a  bold  impious  reach  ;  for  they'I  still  slight 

All  that  exceeds  Ked  Bull  and  Cockpit  flight  : — 

These  are  the  men  in  crowded  heape  that  throng 

To  that  adulterate  stage,  where  not  a  tongue 

Of  th'  untun'd  kennell  can  a  line  repeat 

Of  serious  sense  : — 

Whilst  the  true  brood  of  actors,  that  alone 

Keep  naturall  unstrain'd  Action  in  her  throne 

Behold  their  benches  bare,  though  they  rehearse 

The  lesser  Beaumont's  or  great  Jonson's  verse. 

In  the  year  1639  the  Red  Bull  players  got 
into  trouble.  On  September  29th,  1639,  a 
complaint  was  made  to  the  King  sitting  in 
Council  at  Whitehall,  "  that  the  stage-players 
of  the  Red  Bull  have  lately,  for  many  days 
together,  acted  a  scandalous  and  Hbellous 
play,  wherein  they  have  audaciously  re- 
proached, and  in  a  libellous  manner  traduced 
and  personated,  not  only  some  of  the  Alder- 
men of  the  City  of  London  and  other  persons 
of  quality,  but  also  scandalized  and  defamed 
the  whole  profession  of  Proctors  belonging  to 
the  Court  of  Civil  Law,  and  reflected  upon 
the  Government."  The  Council  ordered  that 
the  Attorney-General  should  call  before  him 
"  not  only  the  poet  who  made  the  said  play, 
and  the  actors  that  played  the  same,  but  also 
the  person  who  licensed  it ;"  and,  having 
ascertained  the   truth   of  the  complaint,  to 

*  Mr.  Fleay's  Paper,  R.  Hist.  Soc.  Trans.,  x.  117. 
t  Poems  by    Thomas   Careza,   2nd   edition,    1642, 
p.  162. 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


239 


proceed  "  roundly"  and  expeditiously  against 
the  offenders,  "  that  their  exemplary  punish- 
ment may  prevent  such  insolences  betimes."* 
Perhaps  it  was  this  offence  given  by  the 
Red  Bull  actors  which  led  to  a  change  which 
occurred  in  the  following  year,  1640.'  Collier 
states,  on  the  authority  of  Sir  Henry  Herbert, 
that  the  company   which,  prior   to   Easter, 


Here,  gentlemen,  our  anchor's  fixed  j  and  we, 

Disdaining  Fortune's  mutability, 

Expect  your  kind  acceptance  :  then  we'll  sing 

(Protected  by  your  smiles,  our  ever  Spring) 

As  pleasant  as  if  we  had  still  possesst 

Our  lawful  portion  out  of  Fortune's  breast. 

Only,  we  would  request  you  to  forbear 

Your  wonted  custom,  banding  tile  and  pear 

Against  our  curtains  to  allure  us  forth. 

I  pray  take  notice,  these  are  of  more  worth — 


TITE   RED   nULL  THEATRE. 


1640,  held  the  Fortune  Theatre,  changed  to 
the  Red  BuU.t  There  is  a  prologue  in 
Tatham's  Fancies  Theatre,  1640,  "upon  the 
removing  of  the  late  Fortune  players  to  the 
Bull,"  as  follows  : 

*  CaJ.  State  Papers,  Doin.,  1639,  p.  529 ;  see  also 
Collier,  Hist.  Dramatic  Poet.,  ii.  25. 
f  Hist,  Dramatic  Poet.,  ii.  25  ;  iii.  124. 


Pure  Naples  silk,  not  worsted.     We  have  ne'er 
An  actor  here  has  mouth  enough  to  tear 
Language  by  the  ears.     This  forlorn  hope  shall  be 
By  us  refm'd  from  such  gross  injury ; 
And  then  let  your  judicious  loves  advance 
Us  to  our  merits,  them  to  their  ignorance. 

Collier  takes  the  reference  to  the  *'  pure 
Naples  silk "  curtains  to  indicate  that  the 
Red  Bull  playhouse  was  at  this  time  superior 


240 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


to  the  Fortune.  But  other  references  in  the 
lines  militate  against  this  inference.  The  new 
players  ask  the  audience  to  forbear  their 
custom  of  "banding  tile  and  pear  against 
our  curtains  to  allure  us  forth."  It  is  pretty 
clear  that  the  players  had  brought  their  cur- 
tains with  them  •  and  there  is  something  of 
condescension  in  the  deprecation,  "We 
have  ne'er  an  actor  here  has  mouth  enough 
to  tear  language  by  the  ears." 

The  Red  Bull  was  the  only  theatre  which 
survived  the  Roundhead  domination.  By 
stealth,  and  in  constant  fear  of  intrusion  from 
the  Puritan  soldiery,  dramatic  performances 
of  a  crippled  and  debased  description  were 
continued;  and  at  the  Restoration  this 
theatre  was  the  first  home  of  the  drama  on 
its  return  from  exile. 

Whitelocke  records  that  on  December  20, 
1649,  the  stage-players  at  the  Red  Bull  were 
apprehended  by  troopers,  their  clothes  taken 
away,  and  themselves  carried  to  prison.*  On 
September  16,  1655,  Jer.  Bankes  writes  to 
Williamson  :  "At  the  playhouse  this  week 
many  were  put  to  the  rout  by  the  soldiers, 
and  had  broken  crowns  ;  the  corporal  would 
have  been  entrapped  had  he  not  been  vigi- 
lant, "t 

In  a  record  of  the  Council  proceedings  of 
January  8th,  1655-6,  we  read  among  instruc- 
tions issued  to  Major-General  Desborow,  that 
he  is  to  suppress  all  horse-races,  cock-fighting, 
bear-baiting,  stage-plays,  or  other  unlawful 
assemblies,  by  seizing  the  persons  met  on 
such  occasions.  J 

The  plays  acted  during  this  period  were 
called  drolls  or  farces.  After  the  Restoration 
these  were  collected  and  published  by  Francis 
Kirkman.  The  first  edition  was  published 
1672 — "London  :  Printed  by  E.  C.  for 
Fras.  Kirkman,  next  door  to  the  Sign  of  the 
Princes  Arms,  in  St.  Paul's  Church-yard, 
1672."  There  were  two  parts,  and  in  the 
following  year  these  were  published  in  one 
volume.  Our  illustration  of  the  interior  of 
the  Red  Bull  is  taken  from  the  frontispiece 
to  this  curious  book.  The  title  is.  The 
Wits,  or  Sport  upon  Sport,  being  a  Curious 
Collection    of    several    Drols    and    Farces. 

*  Memorials,    ed,    1732,    p.    435 ;    quoted,    Hist. 
Dramatic  Poet.,  ii,  47. 
t  Cat.  State  Papers,  Dom.,  1655,  p.  336, 
X  Ibid.,  p.  103, 


The  two  chief  drolls  are  "The  Bouncing 
Knight,  or  the  Robber  Robbed,"  taken  from 
Shakespeare's  Henry  IV,,  Part  I.,  which 
comes  first  in  the  series,  and  "  The  Merry 
Conceited  Humours  of  Bottom  the  Weaver," 
from  the  Midsummer's  Nighfs  Dream. 

In  his    preface,   Kirkman   says — "When 
the  publique  theatres  were  shut  up,  and  the 
actors  forbidden  to  present  us  with  any  of 
their  Tragedies,  because  we  had  enough  of 
that  in  earnest,  and  Comedies,  because  the 
Vices  of  the  Age  were  too  lively  and  smartly 
represented;  then  all  that  we  could  divert 
ourselves    with    were    these    humours    and 
pieces    of    plays,"  which   were  acted    "by 
stealth,  and  under  pretence  of  rope-dancing 
or  the  like;   and  these  being  all  that  was 
permitted  us,  great  was  the  confluence  of  the 
Auditors ;  and  these  small  things  were  as 
profitable,  and  as  great  get-pennies  to  the 
Actors  as  any  of  our  late-famed  Plays.      I 
have  seen  the   Red   Bull  playhouse,"  says 
Kirkman,  "which  was  a  large  one,  so  full 
that  as  many  went  back  for  want  of  room  as 
had  entered ;   and  as   meanly  as   you  may 
now  think  of  these  Drols,  they  were  then 
acted    by    the    best   Comedians   then    and 
nov/   in  being ;   and    I    may  say,  by    some 
that  then  exceeded  all  now  living,  by  name, 
the  incomparable  Robert  Cox,  who  was  not 
only  the  principal  Actor,  but  also  the  Con- 
triver and  Author  of  most  of  these  Farces. 
How  have  I  heard  him  cryed  up  for  his  John 
Swabber   and   Simpleton    the    Smith  !      In 
which  he  being  to  appear  with  a  large  piece 
of    Bread   and    Butter,    I    have    frequently 
known  several  of  the  Female  Spectators  and 
Auditors  to  long  for  some  of  it :  And  once 
that    well-known   Natural,   Jack   Adams    of 
Clerkenwell,    seeing    him   with    Bread    and 
Butter  on  the  Stage,  and  knowing  him,  cryed 
out,  '  Uz,  uz,  give  me  some,  give  me  some,' 
to  the  great  pleasure  of  the  audience."     We 
learn  that  Cox  and  his  fellows  went  about 
the  country  acting  their  drolls,  and  Kirkman 
says   they  were  exceedingly  populan      He 
goes  on  to  remark  upon  the  advantage  that 
the  drolls  entailed  little  expense  in  clothes, 
"which   often  were  in  great   danger  to   be 
seized  by  the  then  Souldiers,  who,  as  the  Poet 
sayes.  Enter  the  Red  Coat,  Exit  Hat  and 
Cloak,  was  very  true,  not  only  in  the  Audience 
but  the  Actors  too,  were  commonly,  not  only 


LONDON  THEATRES. 


241 


strip'd,  but  many  times  imprisoned,  till  they 
paid  such  ransom  as  the  Souldiers  should 
impose  upon  them,  so  that  it  was  hazardous 
to  Act  anything  that  required  any  good 
Cloaths,  instead  of  which  painted  Cloath 
many  times  served  the  turn  to  represent  rich 
Habits." 

It  is  curious  to  find  that  immediately  after 
the  Restoration  the  players  were  threatened 
with  a  continuation  of  persecution.     In  an 
order,  dated  at  Whitehall,  August  20,  1660, 
made  by  the   King,  and   addressed   to   Sir 
William   Wylde,    Recorder   of  London,   Sir 
Rich.  Browne,  Alderman,  and  other  Justices 
of  the  Peace,  his  Majesty  says  that  he  is  in- 
formed that  companies  assemble  at  the  Red 
Bull   Playhouse,    St.    John's   Street,   at    the 
Cockpit,    Drury   Lane,   and   at    another   in 
Salisbury   Court,  and   perform  profane  and 
obscene    plays,   etc.      The    King   therefore 
orders  their  rigorous  suppression  under  penal- 
ties.*    This  order  was  probably  a  concession 
to  the  City  authorities  ;  it  did  not  hurt  the 
players  much,  who  now  lifted  up  their  heads 
and   entered   upon  a   prosperous  time.     In 
the  following  year,  1661,  we  find  that  Pepys 
visited  the  Red  Bull.    On  March  23rd,  there 
is  the  following  entry  in  his  diary  :  "  To  the 
Red  Bull  (where  I  had  not  been  since  plays 
come  up  again)  up  to  the  tireing  room,  where 
strange  the  confusion  and  disorder  that  there 
is  among  them  in  fitting  themselves,  especially 
here,  where  the  clothes  are  very  poore,  and 
the  actors  but  common  fellovvs.     At  last  into 
the  pitt,  where  I  think  there  was  not  above 
ten  more  than  myself,  and  not  one  hundred 
in  the  whole  house.     And  the  play,  which  is 
called  Alls  Lost  by   Lust  [by    W.    Rowley] 
poorly  done ;   and  with  so  much   disorder, 
among  others,  in  the  musiciue-room  the  boy 
that  was  to  sing  a  song,  not  singing  it  right, 
his  master  fell  about  his  cares  and  beat  him 
so,  that  it  put  the  whole  house  in  an  uproare." 
In  a  letter  dated  Queen's  College,  July  4, 
we  read :   "  The  manner  of  the  King's  re- 
ception is  referred  to  the  Dean  of  Salisbury 
and  five  others.     The  play  is  made  by  Dr. 
Llewellyn,  but  they  are  so  in  want  of  actors, 
that  they  fear  being  obliged  to  make  use  of 
the    Red   Bull   players,    now   at    Oxford. "t 
Kirkman  refers  to  this  visit  of  the  players  to 
the  University  in  the  preface  quoted  above. 

*  CaU  State  Papers,  Doi/i.,  1660- 1,  p.  1 96. 
t  H'iil.,  1661-2,  p.  32. 


On  October  30,  1662,  Pepys  records  an 
anecdote  of  Killigrew's  early  connection  with 
theatrical  concerns  at  the  Red  Bull.  The 
story  was  of  "  Thos.  Killigrew's  way  of  getting 
to  see  plays  when  he  was  a  boy.  He  would 
go  to  the  Red  Bull,  and  when  the  man  cried 
to  the  boys,  *  Who  will  go  and  be  the  devil, 
and  he  shall  see  the  play  for  nothing  ?'  then 
would  he  go  in,  and  be  a  devil  upon  the 
stage,  and  so  get  to  see  plays." 

Other  theatres,  superior  to  the  Red  Bull, 
were  soon  started  by  Killigrew  and  Davenant, 
and  the  Red  Bull  dropped  into  desuetude. 
When  Davenant  produced  his  Playhouse  to 
be  Let,  in  1663,  it  was  entirely  abandoned. 
"The  Red  Bull,"  he  says,  "stands  empty  for 
fencers  :  there  are  no-  tenants  in  it  but 
spiders." 


Cbe  ancient  Parisfj  of  COoking. 


By  a.  C.  Bicklev. 
Part  II. 
HE  remaining  manors  within  the 
parish  may  be  dealt  with  with  great 
brevity,  not  so  much  because  they 
are  uninteresting  or  unimportant,  as 
that  they  are  much  so  bound  up  with  the  one 
whose  history  was  sketched  in  the  last  article. 
Woking  Church  Manor  atid  Advo7Vson. — 
The  land  belonging  to  the  church  formed  a 
separate  manor  of  vast  size,  and  was  no 
doubt  the  land  referred  to  in  the  grant  of 
Offa  in  796.  At  the  time  of  the  survey,'  as 
well  as  in  that  of  Edward  the  Confessor,  this 
manor  was  held  by  Osbern,  who  was  made 
Bishop   of    Exeter    in    1072,   and    died  in 

'■  The  following  is  the  entry  in  the  Domesday 
Book: — "Osbern  the  Bishop  holdcth  Wockinges. 
He  held  it  in  the  lime  of  Edward  the  Confessor.  It 
was  then  rated  for  eight  hides ;  at  present,  for  three 
hides  and  a  half.  The  arable  land  is  nine  carucates 
and  a  half.  There  is  in  demense  one  carucate  and 
an  half  and  twenty  villans  and  six  bordars  with  eight 
carucates  and  an  half.  There  are  three  slaves  :  one 
mill  of  3od.  ;  fourteen  acres  of  meadow  and  wood- 
land yielding  twenty-eight  swine.  This  manor  hath  and 
hath  !iad  a  custom  in  the  King's  woods  at  Wockinges, 
i.e.  the  lord  may  liave  in  these  woods  120  swine 
without  pasnage.  Two  men,  Ansgot  and  Ciodefrid, 
hold  the  manor  of  the  Bishop,  each  of  them  four 
hides.  And  the  value  of  the  whole  in  (he  time  of 
King  Edward  and  afterwards  was  ;^io.  At  present 
/^^  «os." 


242 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


1 103.  During  the  reign  of  Henry  I. 
the  tythes  of  Sutton  {q.v.)  were  detached 
from  it  and  given  to  the  Priory  of  Lewes. 
Richard  I.  gave  the  advowson  to  Alan,  Lord 
Basset  of  Wycomb,  one  of  whose  family 
transferred  it  to  the  Convent  of  Newark,  at 
the  dissolution  of  which  convent  the  Rectory 
with  its  members  became  vested  in  the 
Crown,  by  whom  it  was  retained  till  in  1609 
James  L  granted  it,  with  all  its  chapels  and 
appurtenances,  to  "  Francis  Morrice  and 
Francis  Phelips,  gent,  of  London  ...  to  be 
holden  of  the  King,  his  heirs  and  successors, 
as  of  the  manor  of  East  Greenwich,  by  fealty 
only,  in  free  and  common  socage,  and  not  in 
chief,  nor  by  knight's  service ;  rendering 
annually  to  the  King,  his  heirs  and  successors, 
the  sum  of  ;^i9  6s."*  This  grant  Manning 
considers  to  have  been  made  in  trust  for  Sir 
Francis  Aungier,  whose  descendant,  the  Earl 
of  Longford,  in  1682,  conveyed  it  to  Maxi- 
milian Emily. 

The  register  of  presentations  is  singularly 
complete  from  1291,  but  presents  no  names 
of  interest.  One  John  Shaw  by  name  was 
ejected  for  nonconformity  in  1596,  the 
justice  of  which  he  did  not  allow,  as,  accord- 
ing to  an  inscription  in  the  church  now  de- 
stroyed, he  considered  himself  vicar  thirty-five 
years  after  his  institution  in  1588.  The  in- 
scription was  "  Praefuit  hie  annos  ter  denos 
quinque  Johannes  Shaw,  Pastor,  quando 
fabrica  facta  fuit."  The  date  seems  to  have 
been  1623  (Aubrey,  vol.  iil,  p.  218).  He 
died  in  1625  (see  Wood.  Ath.  Ox.). 

Sutton  was  a  large  subsidiary  manor  of 
Woking.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  Domesday 
Book  as  being  held  by  Robert  Malet,  the 
son  of  the  Norman  knight  who  was  entrusted 
with  the  removal  of  Harold's  body  from 
Senlac  to  Waltham  (Dugdale,  ^«r.,  i.  in). 
This  lord  was  at  one  time  Grand  Chamberlain 
of  England,  but  his  attachment  to  the  fortunes 
of  Robert  of  Normandy  caused  his  banish- 
ment in  1 102  and  the  escheature  of  his  large 
estates  to  the  Crown.  At  the  time  of  the 
survey  the  manor  was  rated  at  300  acres, 
although  under  the  Confessor  it  had  been 
rated  at  500  acres :  the  woodland  carried 
250  swine,  and  there  was  a  small  mill. 

After    this   forfeiture   the    King  gave  the 
manor  and  several  others  of  the  Malets'  estates 
*  Manning,  vol.  i.,  p.  142. 


to  his  nephew,  Stephen,  Earl  of  Monteigne, 
who  presented  the  tythes  to  the  Prior  and 
Convent  of  Lewes ;  and  on  his  accession  to 
the  throne  gave  the  manor  to  his  natural  son 
William,  Earl  of  Warren,  to  whom  they  were 
confirmed  by  Henry  IL  This  lord,  however, 
dying  without  issue,  the  manor  returned  to 
the  Crown,  and  Henry  after  a  short  time 
conferred  it  on  the  famous  Urrice  Ingenitor. 
This  owner  also  dying  childless,  John  gave 
it  to  Gilbert,  Lord  Basset,  the  then  lord  of 
Woking,  with  which  manor  it  descended  till 
152 1,  when  Henry  VHL  conferred  it  on  Sir 
Richard  Weston  to  hold  by  fealty,  licensing 
him  at  the  same  time  to  impark  600  acres  of 
meadow  and  pasture,  fifty  acres  of  wood  and 
400  acres  of  waste  land.  Weston  was  a 
gentleman  of  the  Privy  Chamber,  and  after- 
wards Master  of  the  Court  of  Wards,  besides 
holding  several  other  important  offices.  His 
only  son  Thomas,  who  was  also  a  gentleman 
of  the  Privy  Chamber,  was  beheaded  on 
Tower  Hill  in  1536  on  account  of  his  alleged 
criminal  intercourse  with  Anne  Boleyn. 
The  land  was  disparked  at  some  time  prior 
to  1 64 1,  when  Richard  Weston,  great-grand- 
son of  this  unlucky  lord,  sold  a  part  of  it — 
that  situate  in  Clandon  parish — to  Sir  Richard 
Onslow.  To  this  lord,  the  trusted  statesman 
and  soldier  of  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  it  is 
generally  believed  the  introduction  of  canals 
into  England  is  due ;  and  it  was  under  his 
direction  that  a  plan  for  rendering  the  river 
Wey  navigable  from  the  Thames  to  Guildford 
was  carried  out,  a  Bill  to  enable  this  being 
passed  in  165 1.  He  is  also  said  to  have 
been  the  first  person  who  introduced  clover 
into  this  country  {Alagna  Brit,  vol.  v.),  and 
altogether  he  seems  to  have  been  a  general 
benefactor.  The  manor  continued  in  the 
possession  of  his  family  till  1782,  when  the 
owner,  Miss  Mary  Weston,  dying  unmarried, 
bequeathed  it  to  John  Webbe  of  Sainsfield, 
Herefordshire,  who  thereupon  assumed  the 
name  and  arms  of  his  benefactress. 

The  manor-house  which  was  built  by  Sir 
Richard  Weston  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VHL, 
even  in  its  mutilated  condition — for  a  great 
part  was  burnt  down  during  a  visit  of  Queen 
Elizabeth — is  one  of  the  finest  and  oldest 
brick  mansions  in  the  kingdom.  A  descrip- 
tion, together  with  an  account  of  the  history 
of  its  owners,  is  given   by   Mr.   Frederick 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


243 


Harrison  in  vol.  vii.  of  the  Transactions  of  the 
Surrey  Archceological  Society,  to  which  I 
refer  my  readers,  for  to  give  a  cursory,  much 
less  a  satisfactory,  notice  of  so  curious  a 
building  would  be  without  the  limits  of  this 
article. 

"  That  part  of  the  Tythes  of  Woking  which 
accrued  to  the  Manor  of  Sutton,"  says  Man- 
ning, "was  detached  from  the  body  of  the 
rectory  and  given  to  the  Priory  of  Lewes  in 
the  time  of  King  Henry  I.,  when  this  manor 
was  a  member  of  the  Honour  of  Eye  (see 
Mon.  AngL,  ii.  908)  and  in  possession  of 
Stephen,  Earl  of  Montaigne,  and  is  the  same 
that  is  called  in  our  Taxation  Books  the 
portion  of  the  Monks  of  Stoke,  i.e.  that  is  of 
the  Monks  of  Lewes  who  were  possessed  of 
the  advowson  of  Stoke."  These  tythes  at 
some  unascertained  time  reverted  to  Woking, 
and  in  1382  were  appropriated  to  the  Priory  of 
Newark  ("De  novo  loco  juxta  Guildford").  At 
the  dissolution  they  went  with  the  tythes  of 
Woking,  when  they  were  sold  to  Mr.  John 
Vincent,  of  Beach  Hill,  in  Mayford. 

There  was  anciently  a  chapel  at  Sutton, 
the  vicar  of  Woking  providing  a  chaplain  to 
officiate  thereat  three  days  a  week.  Com- 
plaint was  made  to  Bishop  Wickham  in  1381 
by  the  inhabitants  that  the  vicar  neglected  to 
do  this,  and  the  Bishop  had  to  threaten  to 
excommunicate  him  unless  he  did.  The 
chapel  has  now  long  since  disappeared,  and 
there  is  no  evidence  of  the  time  when  service 
ceased  to  be  performed  therein. 

Mayford  was  anciently  held  of  the  King  by 
grand  sergeantry,  the  service  being  the 
common  one  of  attending  or  providing  a 
person  to  attend  the  King  in  any  of  his  wars 
within  the  realm  for  forty  days,  armed  with  a 
lance  and  a  coat  of  mail.  This  was  com- 
pounded for  by  a  payment  of  20s.  a  year. 
As  mentioned  in  the  account  of  Woking, 
Walter  Fitz-Other  was  the  first  lord  of  whom 
we  hear.  In  the  reign  of  John,  Geoffrey  de 
Pourton  held  it  {Testa  de  Nevil)  and  he  was 
succeeded  by  Robert  de  Pourton,  who  died 
during  the  following  reign,  when  Henry  de 
Kinton  and  Walter  de  Langeford,  his  heirs, 
received  service.  Towards  the  latter  end 
of  the  reign  of  Henry  HL  the  sergeantry 
was  purchased  by  Fulc,  Lord  Basset  (see 
Woking),  as  appears  from  a  survey  taken  in 
9  Edward  L,  where  it  is  stated  to  be  annexed 


to  Woking  and  to  have  yielded  54s.  rent. 
In  7  Edward  I.  the  sheriff  distrained  on  the 
land  for  the  recovery  of  four  years'  fine,  due 
from  Aliva,  wife  of  Roger  Bigod,  Earl  of 
Norfolk,  to  whom  it  then  belonged,  and  as 
on  the  attainder  of  Hugh,  Earl  of  Winchester, 
in  20  Edward  II.,  it  was  forfeited  to  the 
Crown,  it  was  granted  with  Woking  to 
Edmund,  Earl  of  Kent,  since  which  time  it 
has  descended  with  that  manor. 

Crastock  or  Bridley  was  a  small  manor,  the 
ICO  acres  comprising  which  Fulc,  Lord 
Basset,  Bishop  of  London,  lord  of  the  manor 
of  Woking,  purchased  of  the  fee  of  Pirbright 
and  annexed  to  his  manor  of  Woking.  It 
was  occupied  by  sixteen  villans,  who  paid 
1 6s.  a  year  in  lieu  of  all  services.  As  late  as 
1 8 14  it  was  still  subordinate  to  the  lord  of 
the  manor  of  Pirbright,  to  whom  it  paid  2s. 
and  a  pound  of  pepper,  the  first  notice  of 
which  payment  is  in  the  tenth  year  of  Edward 
III.  A  tythe  of  2od.  was  also  paid  to  the 
rector  of  Pirbright,  and  it  had  a  Court  Baron 
which  was  held  at  Bridley  Farm.  The  devo- 
lution of  the  manor  is  clearly  traceable,  but 
presents  no  points  of  interest. 

Cowshete  is  another  small  manor  in  what 
is  now  Pirbright  parish ;  it  extends  into  the 
adjoining  parish  of  Bisley — to  the  rectory  of 
which  it  is  annexed — and  is  held  of  the 
manor  of  Pirbright  by  the  payment  of  a 
peppercorn.  It  got  its  name  from  a  Thomas 
Couschete,  who  lived  here  in  the  reign  of 
Richard  II.  The  little  that  is  known  of  its 
history  is  without  interest. 

Twitching,  Aubrey  in  his  History  of  Surrey 
says,  was  a  small  manor  which  lay  *'  towards 
Chertsey ; "  but  as  no  other  writer  notices  it, 
and  no  records  remain  which  throw  any  light 
on  either  its  situation  or  history,  Aubrey  is 
probably  mistaken  as  to  its  existence. 

Brookwood,  or  Brocwud,  was  held  in  de- 
mesne by  the  Norman  Kings  of  England  with 
the  rest  of  the  manors  of  VVoking,  and  under 
the  name  of  the  Honour  of  Brucwod,  was 
afforested  by  Henry  I.  immediately  after  his 
accession  to  the  Crown.  Richard  I.  gave  it 
with  Woking  to  Alan,  Lord  Basset,  and  since 
then  the  two  manors  have  descended  together. 
In  the  survey  of  9  Edward  I.  it  is  called  a 
forinsec  wood,  and  the  pasture  is  said  to  be 
common,  from  which  Manning  deduces  that 
it  was  not  in  the  manor  of  Woking  \  and  in 


244 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


that  of  20  Edward  II.  it  is  described  as  con- 
taining some  400  acres,  and  consisting  of 
wood,  waste  and  heath.  In  the  Inquisition 
taken  after  the  death  of  John,  Earl  of  Kent, 
mention  is  made  of  a  free  chapel  worth  40s. 
a  year ;  of  this  all  trace  has  disappeared.  It 
contains  a  modern  house  called  the  Her- 
mitage, which  has  replaced  one  of  wood  and 
stone,  which  Aubrey  says  was  standing  in 
his  day,  and  which  once  belonged  to  the 
convent  of  Grey  PYiars  at  Guildford.  This 
earlier  house  is  mentioned  under  the  name 
of  the  Hermitage  of  Brooke,  or  Brokewood, 
in  the  grant  to  Sir  Edward  Zouch  of  Woking, 
and  is  described  as  hating  a  garden  and 
several  pastures,  as  well  as  eight  acres  of 
enclosed  heath-ground,  all  charged  with  an 
annual  rent  or  fee-firm  which  had  been  granted 
to  Justinian  Povey  and  Robert  Morgan  by 
letters  patent  in  6  James  I. 

Firbright,  anciently  Pirifrith,  was,  at  the 
time  of  the  general  survey,  a  part  of  the 
manor  and  parish  of  Woking.  Piri,  Manning 
thinks,  was  possibly  the  name  of  some  ancient 
proprietor,  as  it  is  the  prefix  of  several  names 
in  the  neighbourhood,  as  Piriford  (Pirford) 
and  Pirihill  (a  tything  in  Worplesdon,  an 
adjoining  parish). 

The  first  mention  of  it  as  a  separate  manor 
occurs  in  the  Testa  de  Nevil,  where  it  is  stated 
that  Peter  de  Pirifrith  held  it  by  the  service 
of  half  a  knight's  fee  of  the  Honour  of  Clare. 
Fulc  Basset,  Bishop  of  London,  it  will  be 
remembered,  purchased  a  hide  of  land  from 
this  fee  to  annex  to  Woking  (see  Crastock). 
In  30  Edward  I.,  John  Trenchard  died  seized 
of  this  manor,  which  is  stated  to  have  been 
then  held  by  the  service  of  one  knight's  fee, 
and  the  survey  then  taken  shows  it  to  have 
been  of  the  yearly  value  of  ^^^  us.  lold.; 
another  survey  made  in  the  same  year,  how- 
ever, returns  it  as  being  worth  £6  14s.  i  i^d., 
which  shows  that  valuation  was  then  as  much 
a  matter  of  guess-work  as  it  is  now.  John 
Trenchard  left  an  heir  a  minor,  and  the 
wardship  seems  to  have  been  given  to  John 
de  Drokenesford,  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells, 
for  by  Esch.  8  Edw.  II.,  n.  38,  he  appears 
as  the  holder,  and  six  years  later  is  granted 
leave  to  enclose  as  much  of  the  waste  ground 
as  he  thinks  proper.  The  manor  seems  to 
have  been  chiefly  held  by  the  lords  of 
Woking,  and  in  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.  it 


became  vested  in  the  Crown,  which  held  it 
till  Henry  VIII.  granted  it,  in  1520,  to  Sir 
William  Fitzwilliams  —  afterwards  Earl  of 
Southampton — for  life. 

Its  subsequent  history  can  be  clearly 
traced,  but  although  it  passed  through  many 
hands  the  record  would  have  little  in- 
terest. 

Firford  Manor  was  given  by  the  Conqueror 
to  the  Abbey  of  Westminster.  The  grant 
runs :  "  William  I.  Rex  Anglorum,  Vice- 
comiti  et  omnibus  ministris  suis  in  Suthreia, 
salutem.  Sciatis  quia  pro  salute  anime  mee 
concedo  Deo  et  S.  Petro  Westmonasterii,  et 
Abbati  G.  viii.  hides  de  manerio  Piriford, 
que  in  dominio  meo  sunt  infra  forestan  de 
Windlesores,  quietas  a  modb  semper  et 
liberas  a  scoto,  et  ab  omni  mea  consuetudine, 
et  censu  pecunie  que  Geld  vocatur  Anglice. 
Testibus  W,  Ep'o  Dunelm,  et  I.  Tailbosc, 
post  descriptionem  totius  Anglie,"  (Manning's 
Surrey,  vol.  i.,  p.  153).  The  grant  was 
merely  a  confirmation  of  an  older  one,  for  in 
Domesday  xi  is  mentioned  that  "the  Abbey 
itself  holds  Peliforde." 

In  the  7  Edward  I.  the  abbey  claimed  the 
following,  among  other  privileges,  as  belong- 
ing to  their  estates  at  Pirford  and  Horsell : — 
"  That  they  and  their  tenants  should  be 
exempted  from  all  amerciaments,  scot  and 
geld,  and  all  aids  payable  to  the  King  and 
his  Sheriff;  from  all  contribution  to  works  or 
bridges  and  royal  residences  ;  that  they  should 
be  at  liberty  to  take  at  pleasure  out  of  the 
woods,  without  let  or  hindrance  of  the 
foresters  or  any  other  person  whatsoever ; 
that  the  lands,  purprestures,  and  assarts,  of 
them  and  their  tenants,  should  be  quit  of  all 
waste,  regard  and  view  of  forests,  and  of  all 
things  to  them  pertaining.  Moreover  that 
they  should  be  exempted  from  tolls  in  all 
markets  and  fairs,  have  a  prison  on  their 
demense,  attachment,  execution  of  judgment, 
return  of  writs,  and  free  warren  throughout 
the  same."* 

On  the  surrender  of  the  estates  of  the 
abbey  in  1540,  the  manor  became  vested  in 
the  Crown,  which  held  it  till  Mary  granted  it 
in  1558  to  the  refounded  monastery  at  Shene: 
on  the  dissolution  of  this  religious  house, 
which  happened  within  twelve  months  from 
the  grant,  it  of  course  reverted  to  the  Crown. 
*  Quoted  by  Manning,  vol.  i.,  p.  iS-3- 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


245 


Elizabeth  granted  it  to  Edward,  Earl  of  Lin- 
coln, the  Lord  High  Admiral,  for  life,  but 
the  exact  year  is  uncertain. '^"  After  his 
decease  it  came  into  the  hands  of  John 
Wolley,  who  is  recorded  as  having  held  his 
first  court  here  in  1590.  John  Wolley,  who 
was  afterwards  knighted,  was,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, Latin  Secretary  to  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. Although  he  was,  Manning  says,  a 
layman,  he  was  made  prebend  of  Compton- 
Dundon  in  1569,  and  Dean  of  Carlisle  in 
1578.  He  died  in  1595,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  onlyson,  Francis,  who  was  born  in  1583, 
and  died  when  twenty-seven,  without  issue. 
The  manor,  by  virtue  of  a  feoffment,  now 
descended  to  Sir  Arthur  Mainwaring,  of  Ight- 
field,  Salop,  who  sold  it  in  1590  to  Rupert 
Parkhurst,  citizen  and  alderman  of  London, 
and  in  1635  Lord  Mayor.  This  owner's 
family  retained  it  till  1676-7,  when  they  sold  it 
to  Denzil  Onslow,  member  for  Guildford  in 
the  first  Parliament  of  George  I.,  in  whose 
family  it  still  remains. 

The  manor  has  both  a  Court  Leet  and  a 
Court  Baron  :  at  the  former  was  appointed  a 
constable  and  ale-taster  for  each  of  the  four 
tythings  of  Pirford,  Horsell,  Sythwood,  and 
Woodham. 

Customs  of  the  Manors  of  Woking, 

PiRBRIGHT,    AND    PiRFORD. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  more  ancient  cus- 
toms of  the  manor  of  Woking  is  chiefly 
derived  from  the  different  surveys  which  took 
place  upon  the  manor  changing  hands,  and 
the  fullest  list  we  could  make  would  be  very 
incomplete.  The  survey  in  9  Edward  L 
merely  records  the  services  to  have  been 
worth  ^2  OS.  4d.  annually,  after  the  cost  of 
board  had  been  deducted,  and  the  survey  of 
20  Edward  H.  is  hardly  more  explicit.  It 
states  that  sixteen  were  bound  to  carry  out 
the  lord's  manure,  sixteen  had  to  plough  half 
an  acre  of  land  both  at  spring-time  and  in  the 
winter,  and  twenty-four  had  to  weed  the  lord's 
corn  ;  and  that  all  the  customary  tenants  had 
to  mow  20, J  acres  of  the  lord's  meadow,  and 
to  make  and  carry  the  hay  into  his  grange. 
Only  the  second  of  these  services  is  valued, 
the  rest  the  tenants  neither  compounding  for 
nor  performing.     In  1331  the  value  of  the 

*  Camden  says  he  built  a  mansion-house  here  ;  this 
is  now  destroyed. 


services  was  £7,  2s.  7|d  per  annum ;  after 
the  death  of  John,  Earl  of  Kent,  at  ten  only, 
on  account  of  there  being  fewer  tenants,  and 
at  the  time  of  the  grant  to  Sir  Edward  Zouch 
at;^9  13s-  lod. 

Sir  Edward  had  a  number  of  disputes  with 
his  tenants  respecting  the  customs  of  the 
manor,  which  in  the  end  had  to  be  decided 
in  the  Exchequer  in  1633.  The  decision  of 
the  Court  was  : 

1.  The  fines  are  declared  to  be  uncertain 
and  arbitrary. 

2.  The  copyholders  may  take  timber  of 
oak,  ash,  and  elm  growing  on  their  copy- 
holds, for  repairing  and  amending  the  same, 
and  all  necessary  bootes  to  be  spent  and  used 
on  their  copyhold  tenements  by  view  of  the 
lord,  or  his  bailiff,  according  to  the  assize  of 
the  forest  and  not  otherwise ;  but  not  to  take 
timber  on  one  copyhold  to  be  used  on 
another. 

3.  If  several  copyholds  be  passed  by  one 
surrender,  several  fines  or  heriots  (being 
heriotable)  shall  be  paid,  and  several  copies 
thereof  made. 

4.  If  a  copyholder  surrender  part  of  his 
copyhold  which  is  heriotable,  heriots  shall  be 
paid  for  such  parcels  so  surrendered. 

5.  As  to  digging  and  taking  turfs,  heath, 
fern,  loam,  gravel,  clay,  and  ragstones  on  the 
waste,  the  lord  is  entreated  by  the  court  to 
let  the  tenants  have  the  same  in  reasonable 
manner,  and  in  places  convenient  by  assign- 
ment, as  aforesaid,  and  according  to  the 
assize  of  the  forest,  without  entering  into  the 
coverts  and  layers  of  his  Majesty's  deer 
there. 

6.  If  any  copyholder  die,  his  heir  being 
within  age,  the  custody  of  the  body  and  land 
of  such  heir  shall  be  committed  by  the  lord 
to  the  next  of  kindred  to  the  heir,  to  whom 
the  land  cannot  descend,  he  being  a  fit  per- 
son, at  a  reasonable  fine,  and  upon  reason- 
able security,  the  lord  not  to  exceed  the  rates 
formerly  used. 

7.  As  to  the  rest  of  the  customs  and 
usages  pretended  by  the  tenants,  the  bill  is 
dismissed. 

Within  the  manor  of  Pirbright  the  custom- 
works,  according  to  a  survey  taken  in  1574, 
were : 

I.  They  must  mow,  make,  and  carry  for 
the  lord  two  acres  and  an  half  of  grass  in 


246 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


Law  Mead,  the  bounds  whereof  do  appear  in 
the  same  meadow. 

2.  They  must  have,  for  mowing  the  same 
grass,  i5d.  only;  for  making  the  hay,  i2d. ; 
lor  carrying  it  into  the  barn,  i2d. ;  and  must 
be  paid  as  soon  as  they  have  done  their 
work. 

3.  The  lord  must  find  them  a  man  to 
mow  before  them,  as  well  in  corn  as  grass. 

4.  They  must  reap  the  lord's  wheat  and 
rye  for  meat  and  drink  only  till  it  be  done  : 
and  when  they  have  reaped  two  drifts  they 
must  have  their  breakfasts  in  the  field.  And 
if  they  want  either  meat  or  drink,  they  must 
go  to  the  lord's  fold,  and  take  the  best  wether 
he  hath,  saving  his  bell-wether. 

5.  They  must  carry  the  same  corn  into  the 
barn,  and  mow  it  (lay  it  in  the  mow) :  and, 
if  the  carriage  find  them  but  till  noon,  they 
shall  have  6d.  only;  if  until  the  afternoon, 
1 2d.,  and  nothing  else. 

6.  The  same  tenants  must  also  mow,  make, 
and  carry  all  the  lord's  somertilth,  viz.,  barley 
and  oats,  having  for  their  hire  i2d.  only,  if 
they  work  in  the  afternoon ;  if  but  the  fore- 
noon, 6d.,  and  so  for  every  sort  of  grain. 

7.  They  nmst  work  but  one  kind  of  grain 
in  a  day  ;  and  that  day  that  they  mow  or  reap 
they  neither  bind  nor  carry.  Mowing  or 
reaping  is  a  day's  work ;  binding,  another ; 
and  carrying,  the  third. 

8.  Upon  warning  being  given  them  to 
come,  they  shall  come  to  work  within  an 
hour  after  sun-rising,  and  so  continue  all  the 
day  or  till  that  day's  work  be  done. 

9.  They  do  not  work  with  the  lord  two 
days  together,  but  one  day  with  the  lord  and 
the  second  day  for  themselves.  And  if  the 
lord  like  not  the  first  day  because  he  pre- 
supposeth  it  will  be  no  harvest-day,  they 
shall  go  home,  and  not  come  again  before 
the  third  day ;  and  so  they  do  with  all  their 
works. 

10.  The  same  tenents  must  likewise  carry 
the  lord's  stable-dung  and  stable-dung  that  is 
spitter  (sic)  deep,  or  more.  If  they  work  till 
afternoon  they  shall  have  i2d.  If  they  make 
an  end  before  noon,  but  6d. 

1 1.  They  must  have  a  dinner  with  the  lord 
at  Christmas. 

The  curious  permission  given  to  take  the 
best  wether,  was  a  provision  against  the  lord 
being  niggardly  in  the  matter  of  meat  and 


drink.  The  work  performed  varied  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  holdings,  the  smallest 
only  finding  a  reaper,  the  larger  a  mower, 
two  reapers,  a  cart  and  a  loader,  or  a  mower, 
two  reapers,  and  two  pitchers. 

The  customs  within  the  manor  were  : 

1.  The  owner  must  drive  the  cart,  and  he 
must  have  a  pitcher  from  above. 

2.  In  carrying  of  dung  every  tenent 
charged  therewith  must  bring  his  own  dung- 
pot  (sic). 

3.  There  are  kept  in  this  manor,  Court 
Leet  and  Court  Baron. 

4.  Every  tenent  and  copyholder  shall  pay 
unto  the  lord,  upon  every  alienation  or  death 
of  the  tenent,  his  best  beast  for  an  heriott, 
and  shall  fine  at  the  lord's  will. 

5.  All  and  every  tenent  may  compound 
with  his  cattle,  in  the  commons  of  his  manor 
and  in  the  woods,  sans  nombre. 

6.  If  any  tenent  fell  any  timber  tree  upon 
his  copyhold  without  assignment,  he  shall 
forfeit  his  estate. 

7.  The  tenents  must  have  timber,  for  the 
amending  of  their  houses  by  assignment. 

8.  The  eldest  son  shall  inherit  his  father's 
copyhold  lands  ;  but  the  father  may  surrender 
the  use  of  to  which  child  he  listeth. 

9.  If  a  surrender  be  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  any  tenents,  and  they  present  it  not 
within  one  year  and  a  day,  or  at  the  next 
Court  of  the  Lords,  the  surrender  is  void. 

10.  The  widow  of  any  tenent  dying  seized 
of  any  copyhold  land,  shall  have  no  widow's 
bench  (free-bench),  nor  any  part  of  the  hus- 
band's copyhold,  unless  she  be  fined  in  with 
her  husband  in  his  copy. 

11.  If  there  be  no  son  the  eldest  daughter 
shall  have  the  copyhold. 

The  customs  of  Pirford  according  to  the 
rental  and  customary  of  the  Abbot  of  West- 
minster in  1 3  Edward  IV.  were  as  follows  : 

1.  That  all  the  customary  tenants  of  the 
same  are  bound  to  rebuild  and  sustain  by 
their  labour,  from  material  furnished  by  the 
lord,  47  feet  of  his  stabling,  50  feet  of 
Oxstall,  and  two  heads  of  the  grange,  being 
a  moiety  of  the  whole  grange  in  length  on  the 
north  side.  And  this  work  is  valued  at  2s.  a 
year  each. 

2.  That  every  acre  of  arable  land  in  the 
same  is  worth  4d.  a  year,  and  every  acre  of 
meadow  3s.,  and  every  acre  of  pasture  3d. 


THE  ANCIENT  PARISH  OF  WOKING. 


247 


3.  Every  customary  tenant,  holding  a 
quarter  of  a  virgate  of  land,  or  more,  shall 
serve  the  office  of  Bailiff,  if  the  lord  appoint 
him  :  and,  in  that  case,  shall  be  quit  of  his 
rent  stallage  and  other  works  and  customs 
incident  to  customary  lands;  and  shall  re- 
ceive of  the  lord  one  quarter  of  white  wheat 
in  autumn,  and  shall  have  one  horse  at  the 
keeping  of  the  lord  in  winter,  while  he  shall 
be  in  the  lord's  business,  and  pasture  in  the 
meadow  of  Wachelesham  for  the  same  in 
summer. 

4.  That  the  customary  tenants  there  shall 
mow  the  lord's  meadow,  and  shall  receive  of 
the  lord  7s.  8d.  and  five  cart-loads  of  fire- 
wood. 

5.  That  every  customary  tenant,  who  owes 
any  arrears  of  work,  shall  perform  one 
arrearage  at  Guldeford  or  Stanes,  or  Hamme, 
or  Kingeston,  with  his  horse.  The  value  of 
his  work  is  one  halfpenny  farthing.  But  if 
he  perform  the  arrearage,  he  shall  receive  of 
the  lord  one  halfpenny. 

Times  of  Payment. 
Rents    and    impositions     for     customary 
services,   at   St.   Thomas,  Whitsuntide,  and 
Michaelmas  : 

Tallage  at  Michaelmas. 
Peter-pence  at  Lammas. 
Rents  in  white  wheat  at  Martinmas. 
Pannage  at  Martinmas. 

The  services  are  valued  as  follows : 

d. 
Damming  the  water,    to    overflow    the    lord's 

meadows,  once  in  the  year      .         .         .         .     o^ 
Mowing  the  meadows  for  three  half-days    .         .     3 
Spreading  the  hay  for  the  same  number  of  days  .      i^- 
Cocking  the  hay  for  two  half-days       .         .         .1 
Stacking  the  hay  one  half-day     .         .         .         .0^ 
Stacking  the  corn  one  half-day  .         .         .         .     i 
Arrearage  of  work      ...,,,     o\ 

These  services  might  be  performed  or  com- 
pounded for  at  the  above  rate  : 

d. 
Thrashing  the  corn  for  half  a  day        .         .         .      I 
Thrashing  and  winnowing  white  wheat,  for  every 
two  hurdles    .         .         .         .         .         .         .     o^ 

Reaping  and  binding  white  wheat,  for  every  half- 
acre        ........     2 

Reaping  and  l)inding  oats,  for  every  rood    .         .      i 
Filling  of  dung-carf,  for  every  two  days       .         .     2 
Carrying  and  spreading  of  dung,  for  every  two 
days       ........     6 

Ploughing    and     harrowing,    at    sowing    white 

wheat  and  oats,  each  half-acre         .         .         -2^ 
For  making  every  hurdle   .         .         .         .         .     o^ 

Cutting  of  wood,  for  every  half-day    .         .         .1 


These  last-mentioned  services  are  com- 
pounded for  by  the  tenants  at  40s.  a  year,  to 
be  paid  by  all  the  tenants  which  are  liable  : 

Carriage  of  hay  for  every  single  day   .         .         .3 
Carriage  of  grain  for  every  single  day          .         .     2 
Mending  the  inclosure  of  the  lord's  park,  every 
26  feet ij 

These  might  be  perfonned  or  compounded 
for. 

I  have  been  unable  to  discover  anything 
about  the  customs  of  the  other  manors  with- 
in the  parish,  except  that  the  tenants  of 
Crastock  compounded  for  all  ser\-ices  by  the 
annual  payment  of  a  shilling  each. 


%%  9@r»  jFteeman  accurate  f 


Part  III. 
Cur  in  amicorum  vitiis  tam  cernis  acutum 
Quam  aut  aquila,  aut  serpens   Epidaurus  ?    At   tibi 

contra 
Evenit,  inquirant  vitia  ut  tua  rursus  et  illi. 

Horace  {Satires,  i.  3,  26-9). 
Strike  deep,  Goth,  Vandal,  Frank,  and  Hun, 
Your  hour  at  last  is  come  ! 
Mr.  E.  a.  Freeman  {Miscellaneous  Poems). 

T  is  wonderful,"  says  Mr.  Freeman, 
in  a  memorable  essay,*  "  how 
many  of  the  absurd  tales  which 
fill  the  pages  of  Sir  Bernard 
Burke  may  be  at  once  cast  to  the  winds  by  the 
simple  process  of  turning  to  Domesday."  Let 
us  apply  this  same  "  simple  process  "  to  the 
work  of  the  Professor  himself,  selecting  for 
that  purpose  a  passage  in  the  heart  of  the 
Norman  Conquest,  relating  to  that  period 
which  he  has  made  his  own,  that  '*  period  in 
which"  he  himself  reminds  us,  he  is,  of 
course,  "most  at  home."t 

We  are  told  by  Mr.  Freeman  that  it  was, 
"no  doubt,"  when  William  marched  on 
Exeter  (1068),  that 

Dorchester,  Bridport,  Wareham,  and  Shaftesbury 
underwent  that  fearful  harrying,  the  result  of  which 
is  recorded  in  Domesday.  Bridport  was  utteriy 
ruined  ;  not  a  house  seems  to  have  been  able  to  pay 
taxes  at  the  time  of  the  survey.  At  Dorchester,  the 
old  Roman  settlement,  the  chief  town  of  the  shire, 


*    "Pedigrees    and    Pedigree-makers"    {Contem- 
porary Review,  June,  1S77). 
t  Ibid.,  p.  14- 


24S 


IS  MR.  FREEMAN  ACCURATE? 


only  a  small  remnant  of  the  houses  escaped  destruc- 
tion. (On  the  details  see  Appendix  K.)  These  facts 
{sic)  are  signs,  etc.,  etc.* 

Alas !  the  Domesday  which  records  such 
"  facts  "  is  a  Domesday  Survey  known  to  the 
Regius  Professor  alone.  Indeed,  one  might 
be  tempted  to  apply  to  this  passage  Mr. 
Freeman's  graceful  description  of  the  state- 
ments of  a  brother  historian,!  "the  whole 
business  is  pure  moonshine,"  if  it  were  not 
that,  almost  in  the  same  breath,  he  com- 
plained of  his  victim's  language  as  being 
"  familiar  almost  to  slang." 

To  refute  Mr.  Freeman's  "  facts "  on 
Bridport,  "  there  is  nothing  to  be  done,"  in 
his  own  words,  "but  to  turn  to  the  proper 
place  in  the  great  Survey."!  Domesday 
knows  nothing  of  this  "fearful  harrying." 
Domesday  knows  nothing  of  this  "utter  ruin." 
Dojuesday  never  tells  us  that  not  a  single 
house  could  pay  taxes  at  the  time  of  the 
Survey.  On  the  contrary,  it  tells  us  that 
five-sixths  of  the  houses  in  the  town  could 
and  did  "  pay  taxes,"  and  of  the  remaining 
sixth  it  tells  us  neither  that  they  were  de- 
stroyed, nor  even  that  they  were  uninhabited, 
but  merely  that  those  who  dwelt  in  them 
were  too  poor  to  contribute  their  share 
towards  the  geld  !  Can  he  who  appeals  "  to 
the  law  and  to  the  testimony,"§  he  who  is 
ever  sending  us  to  "  that  great  record  from 
which  there  is  no  appeal,"  |!  have  here  trusted 
to  a  faulty  memory  or  to  a  too  vivid  and 
fertile  imagination  ?  Nay,  it  is  only,  as  he 
has  observed  of  another,  that  he  is  "  unable 
to  construe  his  Latin," ^  or,  to  quote  his  criti- 
cism of  yet  another  historian,  that  he  has  not 
read  his  Doinesday  ^'' \i\\h.  common  care."** 
For  what  does  the  Survey  tell  us  ?  In 
Bridport  "T.R.E.  erant  cxx  domus  .... 
Modo  sunt  ibi  c  domus  et  xx  sunt  ita  desti- 
tute quod  qui  in  eis  mancnt  geldum  solvere 
non  valent"  (75).      It  needs  no  expert  to 

*  Nonn.  Co7iq.,  iv.  151  ("Second  Edition, 
Revised").  N.B.  The  only  difference  in  the  "re- 
vised" edition  is  that  ^'  Domesdr.y,  ICX5,"  is  given  as 
the  authority  instead  of  "Appendix  K." 

t  Mr.  Rule. 

X  Cont.  Rev.,  p.  17. 

§  Office  of  the  Historical  Professor. 

11   Cont.  Rev.  {ui  supra). 

^  "The  editor  [of  the  Atinales  Cavibrice]  seems  in 
many  places  unable  either  to  read  his  manuscript,  or 
to  construe  his  Latin." — IV.  Ritfus,  ii.  i. 

""  Of  Professor  Pearson  {iit  infra). 


interpret  this  entry.  "  Everyone  who  knows 
his  Domesday  "*  can  interpret  it  for  himself. 
Its  construction  is  simple :  its  meaning  is 
clear.  Only  by  ignoring  the  second  "  sunt," 
and  by  hurriedly  taking  "c  domus  et  xx" 
for  "  cxx  domus  "  (such  a  rendering  in  tke 
case  of  Wareham  would  leave  not  a  house 
standing)  could  the  plain  sense  of  this  passage 
be  so  flagrantly  misrepresented.  Mr.  Freeman 
"  cannot  help  noticing  the  strange  perversion 
of  the  story  of  Swegen,"  which  is  found  in 
the  pages  of  Lingard-f  No  ''perversion" 
could  be  stranger  than  that  which  represents 
Bridport,  on  the  authority  of  Domesday,  as 
the  greatest  sufferer  among  the  Dorset  towns, 
when  it  is  distinctly  proved  by  Domesday 
itself  to  have  suffered  incomparably  the  least, 
and  indeed  to  have  relatively  escaped  scathe- 
less, not  a  house  being  there  recorded  as 
destroyed,  while  the  destruction  of  houses  in 
the  other  three  towns  was  from  thirty  to  sixty 
per  cent.  ! 

But  we  have  still  the  "  fact  "  about  Dor- 
chester : 

At  Dorchester,  the  old  Roman  settlement,  the 
chief  town  of  the  shire,  only  a  small  remnant  of  the 
houses  escaped  destruction.  (On  the  details  see 
Appendix  K.) 

Now  Dorchester,  in  the  first  place,  was  at 
this  period  not  "  the  chief  town  of  the  shire." 
For  size,  it  was  much  exceeded  both  by 
Shaftesbury  and  Wareham ;  in  status,  it  was 
certainly  not  the  shire-town,  for  that  dignity 
was  enjoyed  by  Wareham,  not  only  the  most 
populous  of  the  four,  but  a  royal  residence, 
the  seat  of  the  sheriff,  and  the  urban  abode 
of  the  Thegns  of  the  shire.  But  turning  to 
the  "small  remnant"  of  the  houses,  we  learn 
with  surprise,  on  an  inspection  of  the  Survey, 
that  there  were  eighty-eight  houses  standing, 
as  against  the  hundred  and  seventy-two  of 
King  Edward's  day.  As  there  would  seem 
to  be  some  discrepancy  between  these  figures 
and  the  above  "  small  remnant,"  we  seek, 
with  no  little  curiosity,  for  "the  details"  in 
Appendix  K.  From  Appendix  K  we  are 
referred  to  the  succeeding  volume,  where  we 
at  length  glean,  from  another  Appendix, 
that 

At  Dorchester,  out  of  a  hundred  and  seventy-two 
houses,  no  less  than  a  hundred  and  twenty-eight  were 

""'  English  Tovj7is  and  Districts,  194. 
t  Norm.  Covq.  (2nd  ed.),  ii.  630. 


IS  MR.  FREEMAN  ACCURATE  1 


249 


"  penitus  destnictae  a  tempore  Hugonis  vicecomitis 
usque  nunc," 

Alas  !  Mr.  Freeman  is  here,  indeed,  caught 
in  flagrante  delicto.  The  entry  in  the  Survey 
for  Dorchester  is  as  clear  as  that  for  Brid- 
port :  "In  Dorcestra  T.R.E.  erant  clxxii 
domus  ....  Modo  sunt  ibi  quater  xx  et 
viii  domus  et  c  penitus  destructae."  If  Mr. 
Freeman's  rendering  of  the  Bridport  entry 
implied  almost  incredible  haste  and  careless- 
ness, what  shall  be  said  of  such  a  case  as 
this  ?  Only  by  utterly  ignoring  the  "quater," 
could  "  quater  xx  et  viii "  {i.e.  88)  be  read  as 
"twenty-eight,"  and,  even  then,  in  order  to 
evolve  Mr.  Freeman's  "  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight,"  further  violence  must  be  done  to  the 
text,  by  supposing  that  the  methodic  scribe 
wrote  "twenty  and  eight  and  a  hundred"! 
Yet  all  this  Mr.  Freeman  has  done,  and  that 
Survey  to  which  he  appeals  so  loudly  is  itself 
the  evidence  of  the  fact.  And  the  strange 
thing  is  that  not  only  has  Mr.  Eyton  proved 
scrupulously  correct,  as  we  might  expect,  in 
each  instance,  but  even  Ellis,  whose  work 
Mr.  Freeman  had  before  him,  might  have 
saved  him  from  his  errors  by  the  perfect 
accuracy,  both  at  Bridport  and  at  Dorchester, 
of  his  own  figures.*  After  this,  it  is  difficult 
to  repress  a  smile  at  the  lofty  tone  assumed 
by  Mr,  Freeman,  as  he  thus  dismisses  the 
work  : 

The  well-known  Introduction'  by  Sir  Henry  Ellis 
has  its  use  till  something  better  appears,  but  it  is  far 
from  being  up  to  the  present  standard  of  historical 
scholarship.'^ 

I  might  point  to  another  striking  instance 
in  which  Mr.  Freeman,  theie  also,  has  come 
to  grief  over  his  Domesday ;  and  when  we 
learn  that,  there  also,  he  might  have  been 
saved  from  error  had  he  but  allowed  himself 
to  be  guided  by  Ellis,  it  may  occur  to  us 
that  he  must  here  have  unconsciously  iden- 
tified "  the  present  standard  of  historical 
scholarship  " — with  his  own. 

Thus  do  we  test  Mr.  Freeman's  work  by 
what  he  describes  as   "  the    truest  of  tests 
.  .  .  the  infallible  touchstone  of  Doi7iesday.^^\ 
For,  as  he  himself  so  truly  observes  : 

The  test  is  sure ;  the  test  is  easy ;  the  certain 
evidence  which  in  earlier  or  later  times  can  some- 
times not  be  had  .  .  .  can  be  had  in  the  days  of  King 

*  Introduction  to  Domesday  (1833-46),  ii.  439. 
+  Norm.  Conq.,  v.  733. 
+  Cont.  Rev.  (u(  supra). 
VOL.  XIV. 


William  by  a  process  almost  as  easy  as  looking  out  a 
word  in  a  dictionary.* 

I  only  wish  that  considerations  of  space 
would  allow  me  to  show  that  these  are  no 
isolated  instances,  and  that  I  have  not  acted 
unfairly  in  making  the  use  of  them  that  I 
have.  Others,  if  wanted,  are  forthcoming. 
Meanwhile,  to  the  query  which  heads  this 
paper  I  reply  as  before,  in  the  words  of 
Shillingford  :  "  I  seide  nay,  and  proved  hit 
by  Domesday." 

To  the  Regius  Professor  "the  truest  of 
tests "  has  proved  as  fatal  as  the  pebble 
from  the  brook  to  the  Goliath  of  an  older 
Philistia. 

It  is  but  a  step  from  Domesday  to  Dane- 
geld  ;  for,  as  Mr.  Freeman  himself  observes, 
"  the  payment  and  nonpayment  of  the  geld 
are  matters  which  appear  on  every  page  of 
the  Survey ;  and  it  is  perhaps  not  too  much 
to  say  that  the  formal,  immediate  cause  of 
taking  the  Survey  was  to  secure  its  full  and 
fair  assessment."t  Remembering,  then,  this 
close  connection  of  the  Danegeld  with  that 
Survey  which,  Mr.  Freeman  tells  us,  "  is  one 
of  the  main  sources  of  my  history,"  |  we 
might  expect  that  at  least  on  the  Danegeld  his 
statements  would  bear  investigation. 

But  what  do  we  find  ?     We  first  read  : 

It  is  commonly  assumed,  with  great  probability, 
but  without  direct  proof,  that  the  Danegeld  of  Domes- 
day is  the  same  as  the  "  mycel  gyld  "  recorded  in  the 
Peterborough  Chronicle  to  have  been  laid  on  by  Wil- 
liam in  the  winter  Gemot  of  io83-io84.§ 

We  next  read  of  this  "  mycel  gyld  "  that  it 
was  "  a  tax  of  seventy-two  pennies  on  every 
hide  of  land  in  the  kingdom  "||— a  statement 
strictly  accurate,  for  which  the  references  are 
given.lT     Lastly,  we  read  as  follows  : 

I  am  now  fully  convinced  that  both  the  great  tax  of 
two  {sic)  shillings  on  the  hide  laid  on  by  the  Con- 
queror in  1083-4  (see  vol,  iv.,  p.  685),  and  also  that 
which  followed  the  Survey  (see  vol.  iv.,  p.  696),  was 
strictly  a  Danegeld.     Bishop  Richard  (Dialogtis  d» 

*  Cont.  Rro.,^.  17. 

t  Norm.  Conq.,  v.  4. 

Xlbid.,  V.  734. 

§  Vol.  ii.  ("second  edition,  revised"),  p.  599.  In 
the  "third  edition,  revised  (1877),"  this  passage 
reads  :  "  The  Danegeld  of  1083-4  is  commonly  looked 
on  as  the  revival  of  the  tax  now  taken  off  by  Edward  " 
(p.  616).  The  change  is  unimportant  for  my  purpose, 
as  I  assail  neither  passage. 

1:  //'/(/.,  vol.  iv.  685. 

H  "Twa  and  hundseofcnti  pcancga  "  ( C//r<7«/V/<r) ; 
"se.x  solidi"  {Florame). 


25© 


IS  MR.  FREEMAN  A  C  CUR  ATE  1 


Scaccario,  195)  reckons  the  Danegeld  at  the  same  sum 
of  two  {sic)  shillings  on  each  hide.* 
That  is  to  say  that  Mr.  Freeman,  after  having 
himself  stated  the  tax  at  six  shillings  on  the 
hide,  with  his  authorities  for  that  statement, 
deliberately  gives  it  at  two  shillings,  referring 
for  that  figure  to  the  passage  in  which  he  had 
shown  it  to  be  six !  And  observe,  that  we 
have  here  to  do  with  no  "  printer's  error ;"  for 
Mr.  Freeman  goes  on  to  compare  this  rate 
with  "  the  same  sum  of  iivo  shillings  on  each 
hide  "  in  the  Bialogas.  Such  amazing  care- 
lessness, such  reckless  contradiction,  might 
well  seem  incredible.! 

Nor  is  this  all.  Mr.  Freeman  is  also  "  fully 
convinced  "  that  the  tax  "  which  followed  the 
Survey"  (see  vol.  iv.,  p.  696)  "  was  strictly  a 
Danegeld."  For  this  conviction,  however,  he 
gives  us  no  reasons.  For  it  there  is,  indeed, 
no  evidence.  Against  it  there  is  surely  con- 
vincing evidence.  In  the  first  place,  the 
money  then  raised  is  spoken  of  as  "  sceatt," 
not  as  "  geld,"  which  latter  is  the  term  used 
for  the  tax  of  1083-4,  and  also,  as  Mr.  Free- 
man himself  observes,  in  the  Survey  itself, 
for  Danegeld.  J  In  the  second  place,  this 
same  "  sceatt "  is  distinctly  described  as  no 
tax,  but  as  the  proceeds  of  fines  and  for- 
feitures which,  in  Mr.  Freeman's  own  words, 
were  wrung  "from  men  by  false  accusations. "§ 
And  in  the  third,  a  year  or  two  later,  we  find 
this  same  word,  "  scotum,"  similarly  used,  to 
denote  extortion.  Among  the  concessions  of 
William  Rufus  (we  are  told)  on  his  accession, 
he  "  omnem  injustum  scotum  interdixit."|| 

And,  further,  the  above  identification 
becomes  stranger  still  when  we  find  that 
though  Mr.  Freeman  pronounces  this 
"sceatt"  to  have  been  as  "strictly  a  Dane- 
geld" as  the  "mycel  gyld  "  of  1083-4,  yet 
he  ignores  and  wholly  overlooks  the  "  micel 
gyld  "  of  1067,  though  the  expression  "  sette," 

*  Norm.  Conq.,  v.  8S3  (1876). 
t  For  the  sake  of  clearness,  I  here  append  the  two 
l)assages  side  by  side  : 

The  King  [midwinter,  1083-4]        I    am    now  fully  convinced 

laid     a    tax    of  seventy-two    that  tlie  great  tax  0/ tiuo  shil- 

fennies  on  every  hide  of  land     lings  on  the  hide  laid  on  by 

in  the  kingdom. — iv.  685.  the  Conqueror  in    1083-4  (see 

vol.  iv.,  p.  685). — V.  883. 

X  Vol.  v.,  p.  884. 

§  Vol.  iv.,  p.  696.  The  Chronicle  runs,  in  Mr. 
Freeman's  version,  "  where  he  might  have  any  charge 
to  bring  against  them,  whether  with  right  or  other- 
wise." 

i!  Symeon  of  Durham, 


then  used  ("  se  kyng  sette  micel  gyld  "),  is, 
if  anything,  even  more  expressive  of  a  re- 
gular tax  than  the  "let  beodan"of  1083-4, 
and  that  he  similarly  ignores  the  most  im- 
portant imposition  of  that  '*  geld  exceeding 
stiff"  which  the  Conqueror  "laid  on  men" 
immediately  on  obtaining  the  Crown  (1066).* 
And  yet  he  has  himself  quoted  and  com- 
mented on  the  passages  in  question  in  their 
placet  We  must,  therefore,  I  think,  attri- 
bute to  Mr.  Freeman  the  fact  that  even 
Dr.  Stubbs  himself  has  overlooked  the 
"gelds"  in  question,  for  he  assigns  to  1084 
the  first  imposition  of  a  tax  by  the  Con- 
queror, and  quotes  Mr.  Freeman's  Norman 
Conquest  among  his  authorities  for  that 
statement.  I 

I  brought  forward,  at  the  Domesday  Con- 
gress, my  views  on  this  question,  pointing 
out  that  they  were  directly  opposed  to  Mr. 
Freeman's  (and,  consequently,  to  that  of  Dr. 
Stubbs),  and  giving  record  evidence  in  sup- 
port of  my  assertion  that  on  this  very  im- 
portant historical  fact  his  statements  were 
fundamentally  wrong. 

But  we  cannot  stop  even  here.  For  we 
read,  lastly,  as  follows  : 

Six  shillings  on  every  hide  of  land  was  the  regular 
amount  as  fixed  by  the  last  taxation  of  the  Conqueror  ; 
the  taxation  which  the  great  Survey  had  enabled  the 
Conqueror  to  levy  with  a  regularity  and  certainty 
unknown  before.  (See  vol.  iv.,  pp.  685,  696,  and 
App.  QQ.)§ 

Here  we  have  (i)  the  amount  given  as  six 
shillings,  with  a  reference  to  "Appendix 
QQ,"  in  this  same  volume,  where  it  is  care- 
fully given  at  two ;  (2)  the  " sceatt"  of  1086 
(extorted  "  by  false  accusations  ")  described 
as  "the  last  taxation  of  the  Conqueror," 
whereas,  as  we  have  seen,  it  was  not  "  taxa- 
tion "  at  all,  "  last "  or  otherwise ;    (3)  this 

*  See  Norman  Conquest,  ii.  599,  where  Mr.  Free- 
man implies  that  the  Danegeld  is  not  mentioned,  under 
the  Conqueror,  till  1083.  See  also  the  above  quotation 
(v.  883),  omitting  all  mention  of  these  "gelds"  of 
1066  and  1067. 

t  Ihid.,  iv.  128. 

X  Const.  Hist.,  i.  278-9.  The  view  held  by  this 
eminent  historian  is  that  the  only  "  extraordinary  re- 
venue "  of  the  English  Crown  at  the  time  was  the 
Danegeld.  This,  he  holds,  was  first  "  imposed  "  by 
the  Conqueror  in  1084.  Now,  by  his  own  definition 
of  the  "  ordinary  revenue,"  the  "  gyld  "  of  1067  must 
be  excluded  from  it.  Therefore,  on  his  own  showing, 
it  must  have  been  Danegeld.     Q.  E.  D. 

§  Norm.  Conq.,  v.,  pp.  439-440. 


IS  MR.  FREEMAN  ACCURATE 'i 


251 


same  "  sceatt "  described  as  levied  "  with  a 
regularity  and  certainty  unknown  before " 
the  Survey,  whereas  it  was  exactly  on  the 
contrary,  essentially  an  ;Wegular  and  uncer- 
tain exaction  (see  the  Chronicle),  differing 
wholly  from  the  Danegeld,  which  had,  as  we 
know,  been  levied  at  the  regular  and  cer- 
tain rate  of  so  many  shillings  on  the  hide.* 
(4)  The  amount  of  six  shillings  on  the  hide, 
described  as  *'  fixed  by  the  last  taxation  of 
the  Conqueror  "  {i.e.,  this  "  sceatt  "  of  1086  f), 
whereas  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  Dane- 
geld was  ever  "  fixed "  at  six  shillings  at  all 
(still  less  that  it  was  fixed  by  this  irregular 
"  sceatt  "),  or  even  that  so  heavy  ("  hefelic  ") 
a  rate  was  ever  exacted,  save  in  the  levy  of 
1083-4.  Again,  as  Mr.  Freeman  has  himself 
shown,  when  the  Danegeld  next  appears,  it 
is  ttvo  shillings  on  the  hide.:}: 

Finally,  Mr.  Freeman  may  be  fairly  asked 
on  what  possible  ground  he  transformed  the 
irregular  exactions  of  1086  into  a  uniform 
tax,  and  how  he  further  knows  that  tax  to 
have  been  "fixed"  at  six  shillings  on  the 
hide  ?  For  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  this 
statement  is  based  on  an  incredible  muddle 
of  his  own.§  I  will  not  say  of  him,  as  he  has 
said  of  Professor  Pearson,  that 

We  simply  see  that  he  has  not  read  his  Chronicles 
....  wilhcommoncare.il 

But  I  must  ask  him  to  refer  to  the  passage 
he    has  quoted  from  the   Chronicle  (1086), 

*  See  the  "  Gheld  Rolls"  of  1083-4. 

t  '*  William's  last  tax,"  as  it  is  styled  in  the  head- 
line of  iv.  697. 

+  In  the  "  Dialogus  de  Scaccario,"  ut  supra. 
But  we  have  more  direct  evidence  in  the  earliest  re- 
maining Pipe-Rolls  (31  Hen.  I.  and  2  Hen.  H.),  in 
which  it  duly  figures  at  that  amount,  evidence, 
I  may  add,  which  admirably  confirms  the  specific 
statement  of  Henry  of  Huntingdon, 

§  Here  again,  for  the  sake  of  clearness,  I  append 
the  passages  side  by  side  : 

He  had  yet  to  mark  his  last  That  [tax]  which  followed 
days  in  England  by  one  more     the  Survey  (see  vol.  iv.,  p.  696) 

act  of  fiscal  oppression.     He     was  strictly  a  Danegeld 

did  after  his  wont,  the  chroni-  Six  shillings  on  every  hide  of 
tier  tells  us ;  he  gathered  land  was  the  regular  amount 
"  mickle  scot  of  his  men  where  as  fixed  by  the  last  taxation  of 
he  might  have  any  charge  to  the  Conqueror,  the  taxation 
bring  against  them,  whether  which  the  great  Survey  h.ad 
with  right  or  otherwise."  Here  enabled  the  Conqueror  to  levy 
is  another  step  in  the  down-  with  a  regularity  and  certainty 
ward  course.  William  had  unknown  before  (see  vol.  iv. , 
now  sunk  to  wring  money  from  pp.  685,  696,  and  App.  QQ). — 
men  by  false  accusations. —  v.  439-440,  883. 
iv,  696. 

'*  Look  here,  upon  this  picture,  and  on  this  !" 
li  Fortnightly  Review  (New  Series),  iii.  403, 


and  to  see  how  absolutely  inconsistent  it  is 
with  that  construction  which  he  would  place 
upon  it. 

In  fact,  the  Professor's  dealings  with  the 
Danegeld,  under  the  Conqueror,  might  be 
thus  concisely  described.  He  has  recorded 
unhesitatingly  a  geld  where  gelds  are  not 
mentioned,  and  where  gelds  are  distinctly 
mentioned  he  has  failed  to  perceive  the  fact. 
In  one  case,  and  in  one  only,  he  has,  indeed, 
detected  a  Danegeld,  but  only  (by  sheer 
inaccuracy)  to  record  it  at  the  wrong  figure, 
after  the  authorities  themselves  had  carefully 
given  him  the  right  one. 

The  thought  that  will  probably  occur  to 
my  readers,  after  thus  tracing  the  dealings 
of  the  Regius  Professor  with  the  Danegeld, 
is  that  which  occurred  to  Mr.  Freeman  him- 
self, when  treating  of  his  own  predecessor  : 

The  wanderings  of  smaller  writers  will  not  seem 
wonderful  when  we  read  the  strange  and  contradictory 
statements  made  by  Sir  Francis  Palgrave.* 

Lastly,  there  is  no  such  authority  on  the 
subject  as  that  to  which  Mr.  Freeman  refers 
{"  Regge's  Short  Account  of  Danegeld  :  Lon- 
don, 1756  "),t  the  treatise  in  question  being 
written  by  Philip  Carteret  IVeM.  I  hope  that 
this  correction  may  save  others  from  the 
trouble  which  the  error  cost  to  me. 

It  will  now  have  been  seen  that  even  those 
corrections  for  which  I  have  had  space  in 
this  paper  will  render  it  needful  that  Mr. 
Freeman  should  re-write  a  portion  of  his 
work.  Whether,  and  how,  I  shall  continue 
to  enlighten  him  on  the  period  which  he  has 
made  his  own,  whether  I  shall  show  him 
where  he  has  been  inaccurate,  or  where  he 
has  failed  to  understand  his  authorities,  must 
depend  on  the  treatment  these  corrections 
receive.  Willtheybe  dulyacknowledged  in  the 
«"*  edition  of  his  work,  or  will  the  errors  be 
tacitly  dropped,  "  without  note  or  comment," 
and  the  curious  inquirer  be  informed  by 
some  youthful  and  ardent  henchman  that 
the  Professor  has,  of  course,  detected  his 
errors  since  the  appearance  of  that  "  second 
edition,"  which  had  merely  been  "  revised  " 
at  his  hands? 

J.  H.  Round. 

•  Norm.  Cotiq.,  iii.  672. 
t  Ibid.,  ii.  599. 


njSaf 


S    2 


252     THE  DOGES  ESTABLISHMENT  AND  MEDIAEVAL  TAXATION. 


C6e  Doge's  OBstalJlisljment  anu 
alenia^tjal  Caration  at  Oentce. 

By  W.  Carew  Hazlitt. 

CCORDING  to  the  so-often-quoted 
coronation  oath  of  1229,  the  Doge 
was  then  entitled  to  2,800  lire  di 
pucoli=^7,o  ducats  of  gold  a  year 
during  his  tenure  of  office,  payable  quarterly, 
in  addition  to  certain  tributes  from  depen- 
dencies in  money  or  kind  of  not  incon- 
siderable value.  Among  other  items,  the 
first  magistrate  was  entitled  to  the  proceeds 
of  the  tax  on  crawfish,  and  to  two-thirds  of 
the  duty  charged  on  apples  imported  from 
Lombardy  and  cherries  from  Treviso,  The 
amount,  however,  was  found  insufficient ;  it 
was  successively  raised  to  3,000,  4,000,  and 
5,200  lire  di  piccoli,  at  which  last  figure  it 
stood  in  1328.  This  money,  designed  to 
meet  the  ordinary  current  expenses  of  the 
Crown,  was  deposited  in  the  coffers  of  the 
Procurators  of  St.  Mark  to  the  credit  of  the 
Doge  and  his  Council,  who  drew  upon  it  as 
occasion  might  require.  5,200  lire  were 
equivalent  to  about  1,730  ducats  or  ^1^865. 
But  in  calculating  the  enhanced  grant  the 
gradual  decline  in  the  buying  power  is  of 
course  not  to  be  forgotten. 

But  while  there  was  a  disposition  to  place 
the  expenditure  of  the  Doge  on  a  liberal 
footing,  the  Republic  took  early  measures  to 
guard  the  revenue  against  encroachment  and 
abuse.  With  certain  distinct  reservations, 
all  taxes,  fines,  dues,  indemnities  for  homi- 
cide and  battery,  eightieths,  fortieths,  the  pro- 
ceeds from  the  fish-market  and  the  shambles, 
save  the  fish  for  the  palace  on  Thursdays, 
from  the  cart  or  carriage-tax  (caraticum)  of 
Verona,*  the  duty  on  firewoodf  (arbora- 
ticum)  from  the  Anconese,  and  the  income 

*  The  duty  levied  on  carts  and  carriages  imported 
from  the  Veronese  into  the  Dogado.  The  carriage 
was  an  evolution  from  the  cart,  and  the  gradual 
transition  is  readily  traced  by  a  comparison  of  old 
engravings.  Even  the  splendid  early  hunting-equipage 
appointed  for  a  great  French  lady,  which  we  see  in 
Lacroix,  has  not  parted  with  all  the  indications  of  its 
humble  origin  ;  and  there  is  a  curious  anecdote  of  the 
rough  old  lawyer  who,  desirous  of  speaking  with 
Queen  Elizabeth  as  she  was  riding  on  a  journey, 
shouted  out  to  the  coachman,  "  Stop  thy  cart,  good 
fellow  ;  stop  thy  cart." 

y  Corresponding  to  the  modern  coal-dues. 


of  the  Salt  Office,  were  to  be  exempt  from 
the  interference  of  the  Executive.* 

A  further  point,  in  which  the  Constitution 
showed  itself  precociously  strict,  with  at  the 
same  time  a  certain  proneness  to  Oriental 
influence,  was  the  reception  of  presents. 
Not  only  the  Doge  himself,  but  the  Dogaressa 
and  their  children  on  arrival  at  full  age, 
were  required  to  make  oath  that  they  would 
decline,  or  surrender  within  three  days  to  the 
common  chamberlain,  any  gifts  from  subjects 
of  the  Republic  or  others,  save  flowers,  plants, 
rose-water,  balsam,  and  sweet  herbs,  or,  where 
they  were  for  the  service  of  the  household, 
cooked  viands  and  wine,  poultry  and  game. 
This  prohibition  was  withdrawn  or  suspended, 
however,  when  a  wedding  was  celebrated  at 
the  palace  of  any  member  of  the  reigning 
family. 

A  carefully  organized  scheme  of  fiscal 
economy  became,  as  Venice  developed  itself, 
a  first  need.  We  have  seen  on  all  sides,  as 
we  have  looked  back,  the  same  long-abiding 
failure  to  make  commensurate  provision  for 
political  and  social  requirements.  The 
earlier  centuries  saw  contentedly  and  pas- 
sively the  mechanism  of  the  Government 
conducted  by  feudal  tribute  or  benevolences, 
forced  labour  and  private  munificence  ;  these 
were  in  the  room,  as  they  were  of  the  nature, 
of  direct  taxation.  The  only  ancient  system 
of  excise,  before  the  Salt  Office  came  into 
existence,  and  those  other  lately  indicated  ex- 
pedients, seems  to  have  been  the  ad  valorem 
tax  levied  on  imposts ;  and  this  was  of  two 
kinds,  the  ripatico  and  the  teloneo.  The 
former  dealt  with  all  products  and  goods 
which  came  from  abroad ;  the  teloneo,  as  its 
name  signifies,  was  a  sort  of  octroi  levied  on 
the  merchandise  which  found  its  way  to 
Venice  from  various  parts  of  Lombardy 
down  the  rivers  debouching  into  the  Gulf. 

These  twin  sources  of  revenue  were  at  the 
outset  insignificant  in  value,  doubtless ;  but 
the  wants  of  the  State  were  correspondingly 
modest ;  even  the  Trinoda  necessitas  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  and  Anglo-Danish  Britain  scarcely 
existed  here  ;  everywhere  in  the  Middle  Ages 
private  enterprise  and  speculation  undertook 
many  burdens  which,  under  the  broader  and 
more  mixed  constitutions  of  other  countries 

*  Coronation    oaths    of   A.    Dandolo,   1192,  and 
G.  Tiepolo,  1229. 


THE  DOGES  ESTABLISHMENT  AND  MEDIEVAL  TAXATION     253 


and  of  later  epochs,  were  sustained  by  the 
general  body  of  the  community;  and  the  pro- 
bability seems  to  be  that  the  receipts  from  the 
customs  were  long  perfectly  adequate  to  the 
ordinary  current  expenditure  of  the  admini- 
stration, until  the  charges  on  the  exchequer, 
partly  due  to  the  gradual  release  from  feu- 
dalism, necessitated  a  more  elaborate  and 
efficient  system  of  finance. 

Unlike  their  mediaeval  analogues  elsewhere, 
of  whom  there  is  no  occasion  to  speak  at 
large  here,  the  Venetian  Excusait  del  Ducato, 
or  Uoge's  Household  and  Body  Guard,  do 
not  appear  at  any  time  to  have  exercised  an 
abnormal  and  pernicious  influence  on  the 
Constitution.  Their  number  was  limited. 
Their  organization  was  not  exclusively  mili- 
tary. Their  attendance  on  the  Doge,  and 
the  services  which  they  were  to  perform,  were 
regulated  by  prescription.  They  were  the 
feudal  gendarmerie,  which  constituted,  with 
the  Watch,  the  only  guardians  of  public 
order ;  and  out  of  them  evolved  that  admir- 
able Militia  of  the  six  Wards,  which,  in  the 
absence  of  regular  troops,  proved  itself  on 
many  occasions  of  the  highest  value  and 
efficiency,  and  which,  in  its  occasional  selec- 
tion, at  a  later  epoch,  for  employment  beyond 
the  precincts  of  the  palace  and  Dogado, 
acquired  a  nearer  resemblance  to  the  Hus- 
carls  instituted  in  Britain  by  Canute. 

Even  in  the  case  of  a  country  so  peculiarly 
constituted  as  Venice,  the  evidences  of  feu- 
dalism grow,  as  it  were,  under  the  collector's 
hand.  A  few  examples  have  been  given  by 
me  already  elsewhere.  In  all  hunting  excur- 
sions, the  provision  of  a  suitable  entertainment 
for  the  ducal  party,  whether  the  Doge  him- 
self accompanied  it  or  not,  devolved  on  the 
Chioggians  by  custom,  possibly  at  a  time 
when  Malamocco  was  the  capital ;  and  the 
chase  was  followed  at  intermediate  points, 
either  within  the  Dogado  or  on  the  opposite 
line  of  coast.  But  the  usage  was  different 
when  public  progresses  were  made  through 
the  islands;  for  the  coronation  oath  of  1229 
explicitly  declares  that  the  cost  of  these  ex- 
cursions was  to  be  defrayed  by  the  Doge 
himself 

Another  factor  in  the  mediaeval  system  of 
taxation  is  to  be  found  in  the  wind  and  water 
mills,  which  supply,  besides,  a  prominent 
illustration  of  the  pervading  and  irrepressible 


feudal  instinct  and  spirit  among  a  people  so 
largely  independent  of  their  influence. 

Throughout  the  Dogado,  from  at  least  the 
ninth  century,  mills  abounded,  both  within 
the  alluvial  dominion  and  on  its  outskirts, 
more  especially  at  or  near  the  mouths  of  the 
rivers  which  discharged  their  waters  into  the 
Gulf  Temanza  was  under  the  impression 
that  floating  mills,  such  as  were  employed  on 
some  of  the  Italian  rivers,  were  formerly  in 
use  at  Venice,  and  mentions  a  communica- 
tion which  he  had  one  morning  with  the 
Doge  Marco  Foscarini,  who  expressed  a  be- 
lief that  such  a  contrivance  would  answer  in 
the  Republic.  But  the  most  material  point 
here  is  the  quasi-financial  relationship  be- 
tween the  millowners  and  the  Government. 
So  far  back  as  819,  the  latter  conceded  to 
the  Abbot  of  San  Servolo  complete  exemp- 
tion from  control  or  interference  on  the  part 
of  the  ducal  millers,  the  adjacent  fisheries, 
and  the  residents  in  the  neighbourhood ;  and 
till  982  there  stood  near,  and  partly  on,  the 
site  of  the  Monastery  of  San  Giorgio  Mag- 
giore  a  pond  or  lake,  a  vineyard,  and  a  wind- 
mill, of  which  the  latter  was  exclusively 
devoted  to  the  wants  of  the  palace  opposite ; 
and  moreover,  when  the  donation  of  the  fee 
or  freehold  of  San  Giorgio  was  made,  the 
Doge  reserved  the  familiar  service  of  castle- 
guard — the  feudal  obligation  of  the  owners 
of  the  land  or  estate  to  provide  warders  to 
take  their  turn  by  rotation  at  the  palace. 

The  documents  cited  by  Temanza  appear 
to  be  somewhat  incorrectly  printed  or  origin- 
ally corrupt ;  but  it  is  easy  to  see  from  them 
that,  besides  these  windmills,  there  were 
others  worked  with  water  by  procuring  an 
artificial  fall.  The  Monastery  of  San  Giorgio 
itself  possessed  three,  of  which  two  stood 
on  that  part  of  the  Grand  Canal  formerly 
known  as  Basinaco  or  Businaco.  In  1282  an 
engineer  commenced  the  erection  of  a  com- 
mon mill  on  a  piece  of  marshy  ground  apper- 
taining to  San  Giorgio,  probably  where  the 
Capuchin  House  of  the  Grazia  subsequently 
was  ;  but  he  was  stopped  as  an  illegal  in- 
truder. 

In  the  treaty  between  the  Republic  and 
Pola  in  998,  the  latter  covenanted  to  send  to 
the  Doge  annually  2,000  lb.  of  oil,  and  to 
the  Dogaressa  for  the  time  being  a  free  gift  of 
cotton.     The  oblation  to  the  Dogaressa  was 


254     THE  DOGES  ESTABLISHMENT  AND  MEDIEVAL  TAXATION. 


tantamount  to  a  payment  in  kind  of  what  is 
known  to  the  Enghsh  law  as  "  queen  gold," 
and  which  is  sometimes  described  as  a  con- 
tribution to  the  queen's  girdle.  The  mono- 
graph by  Prynne  on  this  curious  subject 
deals  at  large  with  all  the  details,  and  in  the 
last  edition  of  Blount's  Tenures  of  Lafid  there 
are  several  illustrations  of  a  usage  which  is 
not  obsolete  indeed,  but  lives  among  us  at 
this  moment  in  a  shape  compliant  with 
modern  demands.  But  the  tribute  from  the 
Polans  is,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  a  solitary 
example  of  the  kind. 

What  was  originally  the  style  by  which  the 
Doge  was  addressed,  we  do  not  seem  to 
possess  the  means  of  knowing.  Perhaps 
nothing  definite  was  understood  either  at  the 
time  or  long  after.  But  the  phrases  Most 
Serene  Prince,  Serene  Doge,  Serenity,  Highness, 
crept  into  use.  Much  was  left  to  choice  or 
to  chance.  There  was  no  prescribed  rule. 
In  the  old  days  of  Russia,  the  Duke  of 
Moscow  was  called  His  Serenity.  Both 
Russia  and  Venice  may  have  borrowed  the 
appellation  from  Germany.  The  Doge  was 
Dux  Venetiarum,  not  Dux  VeneticB ;  for  he 
was  the  supreme  chief  of  all  the  federated 
townships  and  clans  which  combined  to  form 
Venice.  But  his  title  was  territorial.  His 
jurisdiction  extended  over  possessions  which 
(so  far  as  the  original  Dogado  was  concerned) 
showed  no  tendency  to  fluctuate  or  vary. 

The  head  of  the  government  declares  him- 
self to  be  there  by  the  grace  of  God  in  a 
document  of  the  eleventh  century.  How 
much  before  that  date  such  a  thoughtful  and 
once  significant  formula  was  employed  we 
have  seen  stated  nowhere.  But  to  ascribe  a 
divine  origin  to  the  power  of  men  and  women 
with  organic  wants  and  passions  like  our  own 
was  an  early  and  a  natural  artifice.  The 
reader  of  Plutarch  will  remember  the  passage 
in  the  life  of  Numa  where  that  sagacious  per- 
sonage declines  to  accept  the  crown  till  a 
favourable  omen  has  been  received  from  the 
gods. 

Whenever  he  appeared  in  public  or  in 
state,  the  middle-age  Serenissimo  was  pre- 
ceded by  trumpets  to  herald  his  approach, 
that  all  ways  might  be  clear;  at  his  side 
noble  youths,  sumptuously  clad,  walked  with 
waxen  tapers  in  their  hands,  indicative,  per- 
haps, of  his  illuminating  influence  on  the 
councils  of  the  Government  \  and  above  his 


head  officers  of  the  Household  supported  a 
silken  canopy.  The  symbolical  virtue  of  the 
taper  is  rather  curiously  illustrated  by  the 
procession  of  the  Plebeians — who,  in  1381, 
were  ennobled  for  their  patriotic  services 
during  the  war  of  Chioggi — to  the  Basilica, 
each  with  a  lighted  one  in  his  hand.  It  was 
like  some  act  of  penitential  purification  from 
the  taint  of  birth.  From  time  immemorial,  as 
it  still  is  among  ourselves,  the  bray  of  the 
trumpet  has  been  thought  somehow  to 
enhance  the  dignity  and  importance  of  royal 
persons  and  great  officials.  The  President 
of  the  French  Chamber  marches  behind  two 
in  full  voice  to  his  chair ;  it  is  the  crier's 
"Oyez,"  varied  for  the  nonce;  and  the 
whole  conceit  demonstrates  palpably  enough 
the  rottenness  of  the  masquerade,  with  which 
our  feeble  and  corrupt  nature  seems  to  shrink 
from  dispensing. 

Some  one  at  all  times,  but  from  a  period 
when  ceremony  entered  into  the  political 
system  as  an  unavoidable  ingredient,  and 
Venice  became  the  scene  of  a  court,  all 
arrangements  for  receptions,  entertainments, 
and  household  control  appear  to  have 
devolved  on  a  Common  Chamberlain  and 
his  staff".  The  Camerarius  Nostri  Communis 
makes  a  figure  in  that  momentously  impor- 
tant record,  the  coronation  oath  of  1229,  the 
most  ancient  which  we  possess  in  an  un- 
mutilated  condition ;  but  he  unfortunately 
nowhere  presents  himself  to  us  in  a  palpable 
shape.  We  merely  discern  him  dimly  behind 
the  pageants,  progresses,  masquerades,  water- 
fetes,  and  jubilees,  which  the  long  line  of 
middle-age  Doges  were  expected  to  have  in 
honour  of  something  or  somebody ;  we  see 
him  and  his  subordinates  setting  about  the 
coronation  or  burial  of  my  lord  the  Doge 
with  the  same  unbiassed  zeal ;  arranging  the 
details  of  a  levee  or  drawing-room  at  St. 
Mark's  with  affectionate  assiduity  and  minute- 
ness ;  taking  orders  with  becoming  obeisances 
from  his  or  her  Serenity  for  a  new  set  of 
arras  or  a  wedding-supper.  But  the  relations 
of  the  Doge  to  his  Chamberlain  were  neces- 
sarily modified  as  the  real  authority  of  the 
Crown  waned,  and  an  intricate  official 
machinery  interposed  itself  between  the  Most 
Serene  and  those  with  whom  his  communi- 
cations were  formerly  unimpeded,  and  his 
desires  final. 


A  MANX  "  BOGANE: 


255 


tain 


By  Rev.  R.  Corlett  Covvell. 

HE  bogane*  or  buggane  of  ^''  gob  ny 
skort''\  had  his  home  on  the 
north-east  corner  of  North  Barule. 
North  Barule  is  a  rugged  moun- 
rising  i,8oo  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
From  a  wide  base  it  springs  aloft  for  the  last 
1,000  feet  almost  perpendicularly  on  the 
eastern  side,  a  precipitous  pile  of  bare,  grey 
rock,  sullen  and  weird;  Its  summit  is  often 
wrapped  in  cloud,  and  some  of  its  glens  are, 
in  their  higher  reaches,  craggy,  gloom-haunted 
ravines.  It  was  in  a  subterranean  cavern  in 
a  rocky  neb  of  the  mountain  that  the  bogane 
usually  dwelt.  He  was  known  by  his  awful 
voice,  deep  and  sepulchral,  and  almost  as 
loud  as  thunder — a  voice  that  rose  high,  and 
shook  the  very  sky,  and  was  heard  for  miles 
around  above  the  blast  of  the  wildest  winds, 
alarming  the  whole  district. 

Women  wrung  their  hands,  children 
cowered  in  abject  terror,  strong  men  turned 
pallid.  Even  the  cattle  fled  for  shelter,  and 
the  birds  were  arrested  in  their  flight.  The 
fishermen  said  it  was  of  no  use  to  go  to  sea 
when  the  bogane  was  active,  for  the  fish  hid 
themselves  in  the  sea-weed  in  the  bottom  of 
the  ocean.  No  man  dared  travel  the  road 
from  Corna  to  Ramsey  by  night  if  ^^ gob  ny 
skort"  was  out.  (The  name  of  the  cave 
came  to  be  applied  to  the  ghost.)  "  Gob  vy 
skori"  was  not  exclusively  a  nocturnal  ghost,, 
though  he  preferred  the  stillness  of  the  night 
for  his  excursions.  Sometimes  he  stalked 
abroad  by  day,  but  in  the  light  of  the  sun 
was  always  invisible  as  the  wind.  It  was  only 
in  the  darkness  that  he  was  seen  ;  and  those 
whose  misfortune  it  had  been  to  meet  him 
declared  that  he  was  a  gigantic  man,  with  his 
face  and  hands  besmeared  with  blood,  and 
his  garments  dripping  with  the  same;  and 
that  the  expression  of  his  countenance  was 
terrible  to  behold.  He  had  horns  like  a 
mountain-bullock ;  his  eyes  flamed  out  of 
deep  pits  of  sockets  ;  and  his  mouth  revealed 
broken  and  shattered  teeth  of  immense 
dimensions,  and  looked  like  the  craggy  sides 
of  some  granite  cave  ;  while  his  tongue  was 
*  Bogane  =  a  ghost, 
■j-  Gob  7ty  j/(w/=peak,  or  headland  of  the  chasm. 


long  and  sharp  as  an  ox-goad.     But  he  was 
never  known  to  hurt. 

The  story  went,  that  long,  long  ago,  in  the 
dark  times  when  Elian  Vannin*  was  the 
abode  of  sea-pirates  and  smugglers,  a  brutal 
murder  was  committed  on  the  lonely  moun- 
tain-side. An  innocent  traveller  had  been 
way-laid,  and,  while  his  cries  for  help  were 
drowned  in  the  mingled  roar  of  the  wind  and 
sea,  had  been  foully  strangled  ;  and  the  mur- 
derer vanished,  and  was  never  again  seen. 
He  was  spirited  away  by  the  fairies  to  the 
regions  infernal.  But,  it  was  said,  that  being 
too  wicked  for  that  doleful  place,  his  ghost 
was  banished  to  the  scene  of  his  crime,  to 
inhabit  the  rayless  depths  of  the  cavern 
named  "gob  ny  skort ;"  and  here  he  vented 
in  awful  untranslatable  imprecations  the  agony 
of  his  remorse. 

Now  this  bogane  none  could  silence  or 
drive  away.  The  magic  art,  for  which  the 
island  was  famous,  had  been  tried  in  vain. 
The  Manx  wizards  could  do  wonders.  They 
could  charm  away  the  most  frightful  forms  of 
disease ;  they  could,  by  a  word,  staunch  the 
flow  of  blood  from  the  deepest  gash  ;  they 
could  hold  converse  with  the  inhabitants  of 
the  under-world;  they  could  detect  the 
criminal ;  they  had  power  over  the  forces  of 
Nature,  could  stop  the  winged-songsters  in 
their  flight,  could  command  the  shoals  of 
herring  to  enter  the  net— all  this  could  they 
do,  but  they  could  not  influence,  in  the 
slightest  degree,  the  bogane  of  "gob  ny 
skort."  The  two  most  famous  wizards — 
Balla-yockey  and  Balla-whane— had  tried 
their  united  art,  again  and  again,  but  without 
avail. 

But  at  last,  an  honest  mountaineer,  well 
fired  with  the  fierce  blood  of  barleycorn,  on 
the  occasion  of  Ramsey  fair,  determined  to 
dislodge  the  ghastly,  gore-stained  spectre. 
Gripping  his  stout  cudgel  in  his  labour- 
hardened  fist,  and  betting  a  shilling  and  a 
quart  to  boot,  he  swore  he  would  put  the 
bogane  to  flight.  It  was  a  dark  night.  The 
sky  was  like  ink,  and  a  bitter  north-east  wind 
swept  across  the  unsheltered  mountain-side, 
as  he  set  out  to  climb  the  steep  and  lonely 
road.  Not  a  tree,  not  a  hedge  could  he  see, 
as  he  groped  his  upward  way.  As  he  left 
the  old  cart-road  and  trod  the  edge  of  the 
*  The  Isle  of  Man. 


2S6 


A  MANX  "  BOGANE." 


moorland,  there  broke  on  his  ear  a  loud 
bellow  of  so  frightful  a  sort  that  his  hair 
stood  on  end,  and  his  teeth  chattered.  His 
heart  almost  failed  him,  and  he  halted  in  a 
reverie  of  terror.  But  soon  recovering,  he 
tightened  his  grip  of  the  cudgel  and  pro- 
ceeded through  the  deafening  roar  that  beat 
on  his  ear-drum  with  bewildering  force. 
Nearer  and  nearer  the  grotto  he  approached. 
The  path  became  increasingly  rocky,  and  the 
difficulty  of  finding  his  way  in  the  darkness 
very  great  The  effects,  too,  of  the  strong 
ale  were  passing  off,  and  his  Dutch  courage 
needed  fortifying  with  real  mettle.  But  Jem 
Kermeen  was  not  the  man  to  turn  back. 
No  ;  onward  he  went.  In  half  an  hour  he 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  outer  cave  ;  he 
plunged  into  the  unrelieved  gloom,  stumbling 
over  loose  boulders,  and  slipping  into  shallow 
fissures,  and  sorely  bruising  his  ankles  and 
shins ;  the  dismal  voice  of  the  bogane  all 
the  time  articulating  itself  in  a  deep 
"  Halloo !"  of  surprise  that  anyone  should 
dare  to  invade  his  haunt.  At  last  Jem 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  an  inner  cave,  the 
dreaded  abode  of  the  goblin,  whose  rage 
now  seemed  beyond  all  bounds,  and  whose 
voice  alternately  hissed  like  the  foam  of  an 
angry  sea,  and  roared  like  a  forest  of  lions ; 
while  from  a  deeper  chamber  there  came  the 
sound  of  an  awful  tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  as  if 
the  giant  were  approaching  slowly  but  cer- 
tainly to  execute  vengeance  on  the  daring 
invader  of  his  privacy.  All  this  was  enough 
to  fill  with  alarm  the  bravest  of  men.  But 
Jem,  taking  still  firmer  hold  of  his  cudgel 
with  both  hands,  and  lifting  his  gruff  voice 
to  its  highest  pitch,  demanded  silence. 
"  Silence,"  said  he,  "  silence,  ^<?^  ny  skorl /" 
Suddenly,  as  if  by  magic,  there  was  awful 
silence,  more  trying  to  Jem's  nerves  than  the 
hurly-burly  that  had  ceased.  He  could  hear 
his  heart  beat,  and  the  ticking  of  his  watch 
seemed  preternaturally  loud.  But  now  was 
the  time  for  action — for  words  first — "  Who 
art  thou,  thou  big  bogane?  I'll  tell  thee 
who  I  am.*  I  am  Jem  Kermeen,  son  of 
Jemmy-Jem,  Jem-beg,  Jem-Moar  of  Leighy- 
ird-Ballure;  a  man  of  a  brave  race.  Our 
*  Kennish  in  his  poems  has  the  following  note  : 
"  The  ancient  custom  of  the  Manx  was  to  call  their 
children  after  the  Christian  name  of  the  father  ;  and 
here  my  hero  was  the  son  of  Jemmy,  the  son  of  Jem, 
the  son  of  little  Jem,  the  son  of  big  Jem.  Bej^  is  the 
Manx  for  little,  and  Moar  for  big." 


pitch-forks  and  scythes  are  the  sharpest,  as 
Cromwell's  soldiers  found  out  to  their  sorrow 
when  they  landed  to  take  our  tight  little 
island.  Dost  thou  think  by  thy  senseless 
howl  to  scare  a  man  of  such  heroic  sires  ? 
Come  forth,  I  challenge  thee,  and  show  thy 
fiendish  face  afire  with  malice.  Ah  !  thou 
art  a  coward.  Thou  didst  frighten  a  poor, 
old,  helpless  body  like  Alice  Kerruish,  poking 
thy  crooked  horns  through  her  window,  and 
growling  in  her  cottage-porch  like  a  mad 
dog."  .  .  .  Here  the  rising  roar  of  the 
bogane  drowned  Jem's  voice.  Filled  with 
fury,  he  rushed  with  uplifted  cudgel  to  the 
spot  where  his  ghostly  enemy  apparently 
stood.  But  lo  !  the  cave  seemed  to  rock 
from  end  to  end,  and  the  ground  on  which 
Jem  stood  slipped  from  beneath  his  feet,  and, 
amid  a  horrid  reverberating  crash,  he  fell, 
stunned,  into  an  unsuspected  cave  that  lay 
under  the  floor  on  which  he  had  stood  and 
held  controversy  with  "gob  ny  skort."  How 
long  he  remained  in  this  condition  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  say ;  but  when  he  recovered  conscious- 
ness, and  collected  his  scattered  wits,  the 
first  thing  of  which  he  was  sensible  was  that 
the  bogane  was  silent.  Was  "gob  ny  skort" 
dead — killed  in  the  earthquake  ?  Jem  held 
his  breath,  and  strained  his  ears  and  eyes ; 
but  no  sound  broke  the  stillness,  save  the  cry 
of  the  night-hawk  as  it  blended  with  the 
soughing  of  the  breeze  amongst  the  heather 
— a  melancholy  discord  that  came  and  went 
like  some  ghostly  incantation  ;  and  no  object 
met  his  gaze  but  the  sparks  that  seemed  to 
start  from  his  own  disordered  brain.  His 
courage  well-nigh  oozed  away,  as  he  lay  wait- 
ing in  pain  for  the  dawn  of  the  morning 
light.  AVhen  at  length  the  daybreak  crept 
dimly  in,  and  reached  him  in  his  woeful 
plight,  he  mustered  strength  enough  to  crawl 
up  the  sides  of  the  lower  cave,  and  through 
an  aperture  which  led  him  to  the  cave  imme- 
diately above.  And  what  did  he  find  ?  The 
prostrate  bogane  ?  Yes  :  Jem  had  finished 
the  giant  ghost.  Never  more  would  he  scare, 
on  wild- nights,  the  inhabitants  of  the  parish 
of  Saint  Manghold.  His  voice  was  silenced 
for  evermore. 

When  Jem  trod  heavily,  in  the  darkness 
of  the  previous  night,  on  the  rock  which 
formed  the  floor  of  the  upper  cave,  as  he  flew 
to  attack  the  monster,  a  piece  of  the  rock 
which  had   been   long  Metached  from    the 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


257 


mass,  and  which  had  been  gingerly  held  in  its 
place,  was  dislodged,  and  rolled  into  a 
trumpet-like  neck  in  the  lower  cave,  which 
was  now  for  the  first  time  discovered. 
Through  this  neck  the  north-east  wind  had 
rushed  with  pent-up  force,  and  made  its  un- 
earthly music  of  terror.  The  bogane  of  ^^ gob 
ny  skort"  was  the  north-east  wind.  His 
trumpet  was  an  unsuspected  cave,  whose 
mouth  was  a  narrow  orifice  in  the  rock,  and 
whose  keys  were  cracks  and  fissures  in  the 
disturbed  strata. 

And   the  Manx  poet,  who  embalms  this 
legend  in  his  rhymes,  sings  : 

*  Jem  saw  that  all  was  but  a  farce  and  vain — 

'Twas  but  the  wind — this  phantom  of  the  night. 
And  for  dislodging  thus  the  haunting  ghost 

From  out  his  awful  subterraneous  cave, 
He  often  got  the  peasants'  hearty  toast — 
"Here's  'Long    may  live   Jem-beg- Kermeen  the 
brave.'  " 


£Dn  some  a^iniature  IPaintets 
anD  oBnameUists  tofto  {jatie 
floutisbeli  in  OBnglanD, 

By  J.  J.  Foster. 


Part  III. 


EW  figures  could  have  been  more 
familiar  to  the  dilettanti  world  of 
London,  when  George  the  Third 
was  King,  than  that  of  Richard 
Cosway.  Diminutive  in  person,  but  full  of 
great  airs,  and  always  gorgeously  attired ; 
notorious  for  his  extravagant  manner  of  life, 
and,  let  us  add,  equally  well  known  for  his 
hospitality  and  open-handed  generosity; 
above  all  famous  for  his  genius,  he  was  for 
many  years  the  object  of  caricature  by 
envious  rivals,  and  of  bitter  satire  from 
that  numerous  class  (perhaps  not  yet 
quite  extinct)  which,  under  pretence  of  lash- 
ing the  follies  of  the  age,  gives  vent  to  its 
jealousy  of  others  more  successful  than 
itself 

Some  idea  of  Cosway's  rapid  rise  to  the 
front  rank  of  his  profession  may  be  gathered 
from  the  fact  that  he  first  exhibited  minia- 

*  Afoua's  Isle  and  other  Poems.  By  William  Ken- 
nish,  R.A.     Simpkin,  Marshall  and  Co.     1844. 


tures  at  the  Royal  Academy  in  1767,  when 
he  sent  three ;  he  was  elected  Associate  in 
1770,  and  R.A.  in  1772 — short  intervals, 
even  in  those  days  of  speedy  Academic 
advancement. 

Cosway  figures  in  the  well-known  picture, 
by  Zoffany,  of  the  Life  School  of  the 
Academy,  at  Somerset  House ;  and  it  may 
be  noted  that  he  is  the  only  person  present 
who  wears  a  sword,  besides  Sir  Joshua,  the 
President.  ' 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  "  Macaroni " 
Cosway  was  a  fair  target  for  ridicule  ;  indeed, 
he  seemed  to  court  the  criticism  so  freely 
bestowed  upon  him. 

He  was,  above  all  things,  ostentatious — 
loved  to  adorn  himself  with  gold  lace,  and  to 
appear  in  sale-rooms  in  a  mulberry  silk  coat 
profusely  embroidered  with  scarlet  straw- 
berries. (Fancy  the  effect  which  the  appear- 
ance at  Christy's  of  any  well-known  R.A., 
attired  in  such  a  manner,  would  have  upon 
the  aesthetes  of  our  day  !) 

This  resplendent  being,  who  boasted  of 
friendship  with  the  Prince  of  Wales ;  who 
filled  his  house  and  studio  with  costly  works 
of  art,  jewels,  china,  silks,  and  gems;  who 
entertained  all  the  idle  rank  and  fashion  of 
those  wild  days,  was  believed  to  have  begun 
his  London  career  by  waiting  on  the  students 
and  carrying  in  the  tea  and  coffee  at  a 
drawing-school  in  the  Strand. 

Thus  Smith,  in  his  Life  of  Nollekens^  de- 
clares that  Cosway  rose,  from  being  "  one  of 
the  dirtiest  of  boys,  to  be  one  of  the  smartest 
of  men."  This  is  probably  merely  ill-natured 
exaggeration,  of  which  there  is  a  good  deal 
in  that  entertaining  work ;  for  Cosway's 
parents  were  well-to-do  people  (of  Flemish 
extraction,  by  the  way),  living  at  Tiverton, 
and  unlikely  to  allow  the  young  Richard  to 
have  filled  any  such  menial  post. 

The  painter  was  not  content  with  making 
himself  the  talk  of  the  town  by  his  social 
follies  and  extravagance.  He  professed  belief 
in  Swedenborgianism  and  animal  magnetism; 
he  had  conversed,  says  Hazlitt,  with  more 
than  one  person  of  the  Trinity.  He  could 
talk  with  his  lady  at  Mantua,  etc.,  etc. ;  but 
it  is  with  his  graceful  and  delightful  art  that 
we  are  most  concerned,  and  in  its  own  way 
this  has  never  been  excelled. 

Allan  Cunningham  has  devoted  a  chapter 
of  his  Lives  of  Eminent  British  Painters  to 


2S8 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


Cosway,  and  concludes  a  lengthy  and  not 
ungenerous  notice  by  saying,  "  his  works  are 
less  widely  known  than  they  deserve,  and  his 
fame  is  fading." 

It  is  true  Cosway's  portraits  do  not  seem 
to  have  won  such  Continental  fame  as  those 
of  the  Olivers  and  Cooper ;  and  in  the 
Louvre  I  have  been  able  to  discover  but  one 
single  example,  and  that  in  the  La  Cazas 
collection  ;  but  I  very  much  doubt  if  his 
fame  is  fading — indeed,  if  pecuniary  value 
be  any  criterion,  his  reputation  is  steadily 
growing. 

Probably  there  is  no  one  whose  works  are 
more  keenly  sought  after  by  collectors ;  and 
certainly  there  is  no  one  whose  miniatures 
are  more  often  copied. 

Imitators  he  had  in  his  own  day,  we  know; 
but  it  is  a  marvel  whence  come  all  the 
wretched,  palpable,  and  flagrant  forgeries 
which  abound  now. 

In  spite  of  the  decay  of  miniature-painting 
which  I  have  already  lamented,  there  would 
seem  to  be  a  never-failing  supply  of  copyists 
still  at  work,  whose  productions  find  their  way 
into  the  market  year  by  year,  trash  which  sale- 
catalogues  constantly  label  as  by  Richard  Cos- 
way,  R.A.  And  here  it  will  not,  I  trust,  be 
thought  out  of  place  to  quote  a  warning 
which  Mr.  Tuer,  in  his  book  on  Bartolozzi, 
has  given  collectors  of  miniatures  : 

"  The  almost  priceless  miniatures  on  ivory 
by  Cosway  and  other  painters  of  his  school, 
of  bygone  celebrities  and  beauties,  are  being 
skilfully,  though  somewhat  sketchily,  copied 
and  vended  as  originals ;  and,  judging  from 
the  number  about,  there  must  be  a  manufac- 
tory somewhere  for  their  production.  The 
spurious  miniatures  are  usually  in  old  papier 
mache  frames,  from  which  the  once  so  com- 
mon silhouette  or  other  valueless  portraits 
have  been  removed  ;  but  notwithstanding 
careful  repairs  with  black  paper,  the  indica- 
tions of  change  of  tenancy  are  traceable  ;  the 
settings  of  old-fashioned  lockets  are  turned 
to  similar  account.  While,  if  genuine,  one 
hundred  guineas  apiece  would  be  cheap 
enough  for  some  of  them,  five  and  ten 
guineas  are  unblushingly  asked  for  examples 
worth — if  they  have  any  value  at  all — as 
many  shillings.  Amongst  others  the  writer 
has  seen,  thus  treated,  portraits  of  Mrs.  Cos- 
way,  Mrs.   Siddons,   Mrs.   Robinson,  Lady 


Waldegrave,  Lady  Northwick  (mother  of  the 
celebrated  trio  of  beauties  known  as  '  The 
Three  Graces '),  Miss  Farren  (Countess  of 
Derby),  H.R.H.  Caroline,  Princess  of  Wales, 
and  Mrs.  Dawson  Damer." 

Having  thus  ventured  upon  a  word  of 
caution  to  would-be  acquirers  of  miniatures, 
I  shall  presume  to  say  a  word  more  to  those 
who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  them ;  and 
it  is  this,  Take  care  of  thenu  These  valuables 
are  exposed  to  more  dangers  than  thought- 
less custodians  ever  seem  to  realize.  In  old 
days,  when  miniatures  were  universally  and 
ostentatiously  worn  about  the  person,  they 
were  put  in  costly  settings  of  jewels  and 
precious  stones.  This  has  led,  literally,  to 
their  undoing  by  the  hands  of  pilfering  ser- 
vants and  others  whose  cupidity  has  been 
excited.  It  is  sad  to  think  how  many  price- 
less portraits  are  lost,  some  of  them  perhaps 
the  sole  representations  of  distinguished  men. 
In  large  houses  they  have  been  often  hung 
upon  the  wall  here  and  there  and  every- 
where. One  or  two  would  not  be  missed, 
and  so,  little  by  little,  the  collection 
diminishes. 

Apropos  of  the  perils  to  which  they  are 
exposed,  the  writer  well  remembers  the  first 
miniature  he  ever  possessed.  Needless  to 
say,  it  was  of  some  one  "  young  and  divinely 
fair." 

Being,  in  his  eyes,  a  thing  of  beauty,  he 
fondly  hoped  it  would  be  a  joy  for  ever  ;  but 
the  Fates  willed  otherwise,  for  on  returning 
home  one  evening  he  found  that  a  small  boy 
with  a  taste  for  art,  who  was  allowed  to  roam 
over  the  house  at  will,  had  removed  the 
treasured  portrait  from  its  frame,  and  care- 
fully licked  the  ivory  clea?i,  under  the  delusion, 
one  must  suppose,  that  it  was  good  to  eat. 

But  there  are  other  dangers  besides  hungry 
boys.  For  instance,  there  is  the  devouring 
tooth  of  Time  ever  working  destruction  in 
two  different  ways,  to  which  special  atten- 
tion should  be  called.  One  fertile  source 
of  harm  is  damp,  resulting  in  spots  of 
mildew,  which  leave  a  red  or  yellow  stain 
upon  the  ivory  and  sadly  disfigure  it.  These, 
if  detected  in  time,  can  be  removed  by  com- 
petent hands — that  is  to  say,  by  those  of  a 
miniature-painter,  who  should  scrape  away 
the  stain  and  carefully  fill  in  the  colour 
again,  matching  the  work  as  skilfully  as  he 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


259 


may.  This  is  more  practicable  on  ivory  than 
on  the  thin  cardboard  or  vellum  used  by  the 
earlier  painters,  because  the  latter  substances 
do  not  possess  so  hard  a  grain,  and  are  more 
apt  to  show  erasures. 

Culpable  neglect  is  the  origin  of  another 
great  foe  to  miniatures,  viz.,  exposure  to  sun- 
light 

I  remember  being  shown,  in  a  certain  ducal 
mansion,  containing  art  treasures  of  various 
kinds  reaching  back  to  Tudor  days,  a  case  of 
miniatures,  several  of  which,  ruined  though 
they  were,  had  every  appearance  of  being 
Hilliard's  work.  The  carnations  had  flown — 
indeed,  the  flesh  tints  were  so  bleached  that 
the  faces  looked  mere  white  masks,  the 
features  quite  past  recognition ;  and  no  won- 
der, for  these  portraits  had  long  been  hung 
on  the  open  shutter  of  the  morning-room 
window — and  a  morning-room,  we  all  know, 
is  generally  the  brightest  and  sunniest  in  the 
house. 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed  upon 
owners  that  miniatures  proper  should  be 
kept  in  closed  cases.  If  hung  upon  a  wall 
(and  surely  unless  placed  close  to  the  eye 
their  chief  excellence  of  minute  finish  and 
delicacy  must  be  lost)  they  should  be  kept 
under  glass,  and  shielded  as  much  as  pos- 
sible from  their  enemies,  light  and  dust,  by 
means  of  curtains,  which,  if  placed  on  small 
rods,  can  be  moved  aside  at  pleasure,  and 
allow  of  ready  examination  of  the  beauty  of 
the  work. 

Naturally  in  the  case  of  Enamels  such 
dangers  as  I  have  alluded  to  above  do  not 
arise,  and  if  they  escape  the  risks  of  firing 
and  are  not  chipped  or  cracked  by  unfair 
usage,  they  may  be  said  to  be  practically 
indestructible. 

I  did  not  intend  to  enter  upon  the  techni- 
calities of  the  art,  but  in  answer  to  some 
correspondents  I  may  remark  that  the 
methods  by  which  enamels  and  miniatures 
(as  the  terms  are  generally  understood)  are 
produced  are  widely  different,  and  a  few 
particulars  about  them  may  perhaps  be  not 
unwelcome. 

The  earliest  miniatures,  as  we  have  seen, 
were  painted  on  vellum,  and  formed  part  of 
illuminated  missals,  and  so  forth.  Holbein, 
and  men  who  succeeded  him  down  to  the 
time  of  Cooper  (when  ivory  seems  to  have 


been  introduced),  generally  used  thin  card, 
often  a  piece  of  a  playing-card.  Thin  card 
is  naturally  very  easily  bent  and  broken,  and 
the  use  of  ivory  was  a  distinct  improvement, 
not  only  as  being  a  more  durable  material, 
but  as  giving  a  better  texture  {tooth,  as  artists 
call  it)  to  work  on,  and  allowing  of  greater 
purity  of  tone. 

Thorburn  and  the  later  professors  used 
very  large  pieces  of  ivory,  obtained  by  taking, 
by  means  of  a  lathe,  a  thin  slice  from  the 
circumference  of  a  tusk,  rendering  it  flat  by 
means  of  heat  and  great  pressure,  and  then 
laying  it  down  on  a  thick  slab  of  indiarubber, 
which  again  was  often  placed  upon  a  maho- 
gany panel.  Sometimes  two  or  three  pieces 
were  joined  to  make  one  subject  The  draw- 
back is  that  not  only  are  such  large  pieces 
liable  to  crack,  but  the  joins  very  frequently 
show  in  an  unsightly  manner. 

So  much  for  the  material  on  which  Minia- 
tures are  painted. 

The  colours  used  are  the  ordinary  trans- 
parent water-colours,  with  occasionally  a 
little  opaque  colour  for  the  high  lights. 

With  Enamels  the  method  is  very  different, 
and  is  a  complicated  process,  difficult  to 
describe  in  few  words,  for  there  are  many 
kinds,  and  they  have  been  used  in  one  form 
or  another  from  very  early  times.  Passing 
by  caskets,  crozier-heads,  diptychs,  reliquaries, 
and  other  church  ornaments  of  the  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  centuries,  and  the  exquisite  and 
well-known  Limoge  enamels  (of  which  the 
best  appear  to  have  been  produced  between 
1530  and  1560),  we  come  to  a  new  method 
of  applying  enamel,  discovered  by  a  French 
goldsmith  named  Jean  Toutin,  about  1630. 
His  process  was  improved  upon  by  his  pupils, 
and  carried  by  Petitot  to  matchless  perfec- 
tion. 

In  applying  the  art  of  enamelling  to  por- 
traiture, it  will  readily  be  understood  that 
the  difficulties  are  enhanced  greatly.  The 
design  must  be  traced  and  cannot  be  altered 
or  amended,  and  although  the  palette  of  an 
enamel  painter  is  very  rich  in  colours,  since 
metallic  oxides  readily  lend  themselves  to 
endless  combinations  with  glass,  unfortunately 
all  kinds  of  colours  are  not  equally  fusible. 
The  artist  must,  therefore,  be  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  precise  degree  of  tem- 
perature, and  the  length  of  time  that  each 


26o 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS 


colour  will  stand  without  melting  too  much, 
and  running  into  another. 

Accordingly  he  places,  usually  on  a  gold 
plate,  first  a  thin  ground  of  enamel ;  then  the 
very  hardest  vitrifiable  colour,  then  the  less 
hard,  and  so  on,  under  risk  of  failure  at  every 
step  of  the  process. 

The  Limoge  enamellers  executed  portraits 
of  the  families  of  Guise  and  Navarre  on  large 
plaques,  some  of  which  are  to  be  seen  at  the 
South  Kensington  Museum.  They  are  ex- 
ceedingly valuable  and  interesting,  but  lack 
modelling  and  finesse,  and  are  very  different 
from  the  minute  and  exquisite  enamels  of 
Petitot. 

The  more  immediate  successors  of  this 
wonderful  artist  have  been  mentioned,  but 
there  remain  to  be  noticed  two  or  three 
others  who  have  successfully  practised  this 
difficult  art  nearer  our  own  time.  Of 
these,  unquestionably  Henry  Bone,  R.A., 
occupies  the  first  place.  Like  so  many 
other  portrait  painters,  he,  too,  came  from 
the  West,  having  been  born  at  Truro, 
in  1755.  He  was  apprenticed  to  a  china 
manufacturer  at  Plymouth,  and  began  by 
painting  flowers  and  landscapes  on  china ; 
then,  coming  to  London  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three,  he  found  employment  as  an  enameller 
of  watches  and  trinkets.  In  1780  we  find 
him  exhibiting  at  the  Royal  Academy,  and 
attracting  such  attention  as  led  to  his  being 
employed  by  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  after- 
wards being  appointed  enamel-painter  to 
royalty.  He  copied  many  of  the  works  of 
Raphael,  Titian,  Murillo,  and  Reynolds,  and 
his  "  Bacchus  and  Ariadne "  was  sold  for 
2,200  guineas.  He  also  executed  some 
eighty-five  portraits  of  the  great  men  of 
Elizabeth's  reign ;  these  have  been  dispersed 
at  prices  probably  below  their  value,  copies 
though  they  are. 

His  son,  Henry  Pierce  Bone,  after  painting 
in  oil  for  many  years,  took  up  enamel  paint- 
ing when  his  father's  powers  failed,  and  from 
1833  to  1855,  when  he  died,  exhibited  many 
portraits  after  contemporary  painters  and  the 
old  masters,  with  a  few  subject  pictures. 

William  Essex,  and  William  B.  Essex,  his 
son — the  latter  died  at  Birmingham  in  1852; 
the  former  exhibited  as  late  as  1862 — were, 
with  the  Bones,  among  the  last  enamellists 
who  attained  eminence  during  the  present 
century  in  this  country. 


Returning  to  miniature  painters  proper,  I 
ought  to  mention  Samuel  Cotes  (not  to  be 
confounded  with  his  brother  Francis  Cotes, 
R.A.). 

Other  men  of  some  note  are  Shelley, 
who,  though  born  in  Whitechapel,  rose  to 
eminence  in  his  profession ;  and  the  two 
Collins,  of  whom  Richard  was  the  pupil  of 
Meyer,  and  was  appointed  principal  minia- 
ture painter  to  George  HI. ;  and  Samuel, 
who,  when  practising  at  Bath,  was  Ozias 
Humphrey's  master. 

Humphrey  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
notice.  Like  Cosway,  he  was  born  in  Devon- 
shire, viz.,  at  Honiton.  When,  in  1764,  he 
settled  in  London,  he  had  the  encourage- 
ment of  Reynolds,  and  two  years  later 
a  miniature,  which  he  exhibited  in  the 
Spring  Gardens  Rooms,  gained  for  him  royal 
patronage.  In  the  company  of  Romney  he 
went  to  Italy,  and  on  his  return  some  four 
years  later,  essayed  large  canvases,  exhibiting 
whole  lengths  at  the  Academy,  tjut  without 
success ;  the  probable  reason  of  his  going  to 
India,  where  he  made  money.  Returning  to 
England  he  found  full  employment,  and  was 
made  R.A. ;  but  his  sight  suddenly  failing  he 
retired  in  1797,  and  died  in  1810.  His 
lovely  miniatures  were  signed  in  Roman 
capitals,  the  H  within  the  O.  Mr.  Redgrave 
observes  of  his  work  that  "without  loss  of 
originality,  it  possesses  more  of  the  character 
of  Reynolds  than  any  other  painter." 

There  were  two  brothers  whose  portraits, 
being  contemporaneous  with  Cosway  and 
painted  somewhat  in  his  manner,  have,  from 
similarity  of  subject  and  costume,  and  resem- 
blance of  style,  been  frequently  taken  for 
Cosway's.  I  allude  to  the  Plimers  :  Andrew, 
who  exhibited  up  to  within  a  year  of  the 
date  of  Cosway's  death ;  and  Nathaniel,  his 
younger  brother,  who  died  in  1822.  The 
finish  of  each  was  good,  but  the  colour  of  the 
latter  decidedly  inferior,  and  both  seldom  or 
never  attained  to  the  nameless  grace  of 
Cosway. 

Jeremiah  Meyer,  R.A.,  I  have  already 
spoken  of  in  connection  with  enamellers. 

His  work  was  founded,  it  is  said,  upon  a 
study  of  Reynolds,  and  is  remarkable  for  life- 
like truth,  and  invariably  refined  and  quiet, 
yet  powerful  colour. 

The  elder  Bone  was  the  son  of  a  cabinet- 
maker, and  so  was  Andrew  Robertson,  who. 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


261 


walking  from  his  native  town,  Aberdeen,  to 
London  in  i8oo  to  seek  his  fortune,  was 
lucky  in  attracting  the  notice  of  Benjamin 
West,  then  President  of  the  Academy.  Like 
Cooper,  Robertson  was  a  musician,  and  it  is 
thought  might  have  been  a  greater  painter 
had  his  love  of  art  been  undivided,  though 
he  never  would  have  rivalled  the  friend  of 
Mr.  Pepys.  He  found  fame  and  sufficient 
fortune  to  retire  in  1844,  and  died  one  year 
after  at  Hampstead. 

Another  miniaturist  who  owed  much  of 
his  advancement  to  the  friendly  notice  of  a 
President  of  the  Royal  Academy  was  Henry 
Edridge,  who  was  permitted  by  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds  to  make  copies  of  his  portraits  in 
miniature.  His  earliest  works  were  on  ivory, 
but  his  spirited  drawings  on  paper,  in  which 
the  figure  is  slightly  touched  in,  with  the  head 
carefully  finished,  are  better  known. 

He  was  a  genuine  artist,  and  was  made  an 
Associate  in  1820;  but  grief  may  be  said  to 
have  killed  him,  for  losing  a  daughter  in  her 
seventeenth  year,  and  soon  after  his  only 
remaining  child,  a  son,  he  never  recovered 
the  blow,  and  was  buried  in  Bushey  Church- 
yard by  his  friend  Dr.  Munro,  the  patron  of 
Turner  and  Girtin. 

Alfred  Edward  Chalon,  R.A.,  may  appro- 
priately be  grouped  with  Edridge,  whom, 
however,  he  survived  many  years. 

Scotland  has  not  produced  many  miniature 
painters  of  the  first  rank ;  there  are,  how- 
ever, two  or  three  exceptions.  Andrew 
Robertson  is  one;  Sir  H.  Raeburn,  R.A., 
another;  and  Robert  Thorburn,  R.A.,  is  a 
third.  Sir  William  Ross,  though  of  Scotch 
extraction,  was  born  in  London,  and  can 
hardly  be  claimed  as  a  Scotchman. 

Robertson's  career  we  have  already  traced. 

Fortune  smiled  upon  Raeburn  in  early 
years.  He  was  an  orphan,  who  at  fifteen 
was  apprenticed  to  a  goldsmith  in  Edinburgh. 
His  master  encouraged  his  attempts  at  minia- 
ture painting,  which  soon  gained  for  him 
admiration,  and,  what  was  more,  numerous 
sitters.  On  completing  his  time  he  set  up  as 
a  portrait  painter,  having  already  practised  in 
the  larger  medium  of  oil-painting.  At  twenty- 
two  he  gained  the  affections  of  a  lady  whom 
it  is  said  he  first  met  with  on  a  sketching 
excursion,  and  just  as  Gainsborough  did  with 
"sweet   Margaret  Burr,"  introduced   her  in 


his  picture.  One  day  she  presented  herself 
at  his  studio  to  have  her  portrait  painted. 
The  acquaintance  led  to  happy  marriage; 
the  lady,  a  widow  by-the-bye,  bringing  him, 
besides  a  fair  face  and  an  amiable  nature,  a 
nice  property  as  dower. 

Coming  to  London,  he  was  kindly  re- 
ceived by  Reynolds,  studied  for  two  years  in 
Italy,  and  pursued  a  most  prosperous  career 
in  Edinburgh,  where  he  died  in  1823,  having 
been  knighted  the  year  before  on  the  occasion 
of  George  IV. 's  visit  to  that  city. 

Robert  Thorburn  is  another  instance  of 
rapid  rise.  Born  at  Dumfries  in  181 8,  by 
the  time  he  was  thirty  years  of  age  he  had 
painted  the  Queen,  the  Prince  Consort,  and 
two  of  their  children.  As  before  mentioned, 
photography  brought  his  earlier  style  of  art 
to  an  abrupt  termination.  He  therefore  set 
himself  to  paint  portraits  in  oil,  and  when 
his  death  recently  occurred,  the  present 
generation  had  almost  forgotten  that  he  first 
made  his  name  as  a  miniature  painter. 

Did  space  permit,  much  might  be  said  of 
the  struggles  and  difficulties  which  have  at- 
tended the  lives  of  miniature  painters.  Take, 
for  instance.  Miss  Sarah  Biffin,  who  was  born 
without  hands  or  feet,  yet  she  learnt  drawing, 
and  in  1821  was  awarded  a  medal  by  the 
Society  of  Arts.  And  I  have  seen  facsimiles 
of  exquisite  work  by  W.  Carter,  an  artist 
who,  having  neither  hands  nor  feet,  learned 
to  draw  with  his  mouth.  Then  there  was 
Charles  Brocky,  Hungarian  born,  who  began 
life  as  servant  in  a  cook's  shop,  rose  to 
the  dignity  of  barber's  assistant,  and  after 
sad  privations  found  his  way  to  Paris,  and  be- 
came a  student  in  the  Louvre.  In  1839  he  ap- 
peared as  an  exhibitor  at  the  Royal  Academy, 
and  ultimately  had  the  Queen  as  a  sitter. 

Probably  few  who  lament  the  early  close 
of  a  promising  career,  when  a  little  more 
than  one  hundred  years  ago  young  Major 
Andre  was  shot  as  a  spy  in  the  American 
lines,  are  aware  that  he  was  a  talented 
amateur  and  miniature  painter. 

But  I  must  bring  these  notes  to  a  con- 
clusion. In  handling  such  a  topic  as  the 
history  of  miniature  painting — a  subject  ex- 
tending over  several  centuries — the  writer  is 
painfully  aware  that  he  has  been  able  to  treat 
it  in  a  very  imperfect  and  fragmentary 
manner.      Encouraged,  however,  by  tiie  in- 


262 


ON  SOME  MINIATURE  PAINTERS  AND  ENAMELLISTS. 


terest  excited,  and  the  correspondence  with 
which  he  has  been  favoured,  he  has  been 
induced  to  prepare  something  of  a  more 
comprehensive  nature,  in  which  he  hopes  to 
deal  with  the  lives  and  works  of  the  three 
hundred  and  fifty  odd  painters  and  enamellers 
who  have  flourished  in  England,  and  any 
contributions  which  may  further  such  a  work 
and  render  it  more  complete  will  be  gratefully 
received. 

In  conclusion,  he  may  be  allowed  to  say 
that  it  is  a  reproach  to  this  age,  which  has 
seen  what  might  almost  be  termed  a  renais- 
sance in  art  in  various  directions,  which  so 
boasts  itself  of  enlightened  progress,  that  it 
should  suffer  such  a  delightful  and  profoundly 
interesting  art  to  perish  of  inanition. 

Why  should  the  series  of  beautiful  por- 
traits, many  of  priceless  and  perennial  value, 
which  many  families  possess,  be  interrupted  ? 
Why  should  the  present  generation,  how- 
ever modest  it  may  be,  suppose  that  it  will 
be  less  interesting  to  its  successors  than  pre- 
ceding ones  have  proved  to  it  ?  Are  there 
none  whose  memories  we  desire  to  per- 
petuate ?  Are  there  no  brave  and  good  men 
and  beautiful  women  amongst  us  now  ? 

Photography  does  not  even  claim  to 
perpetuate,  and,  besides,  how  far  from  de- 
sirable portraiture  is  too  often  the  stiff  and 
unnatural  result  of  the  photographer's  lens, 
either  so  flattered  by  the  "retoucher's"  pencil 
as  to  be  almost  unrecognisable,  or  so  cruelly 
faithful  as  to  be  like  Vice — 

"A  monster  of  so  frightful  mien, 
As,  to  be  hated,  needs  but  to  be  seen." 

My  object,  however,  is  not  to  disparage 
photography,  but  to  urge  that  something 
better  and  of  more  abiding  value  should  be 
sought;  and  remember,  a  demand  soon  creates 
a  supply.  "Non  licet  omnibus  adire  Cor- 
inthum  : "  it  is  not  everybody  whose  purse 
permits  of  good  oil-paintings  of  those  near 
and  dear  to  him ;  but  a  miniature  is  a  more 
modest  matter,  and  probably  within  the 
reach  of  most  readers  of  the  Antiquary. 
Surely  there  can  be  no  hesitation,  when  fitness 
for  the  contemplation  and  delight  of  suc- 
ceeding generations  is  in  question,  between  a 
photograph  and  a  miniature.  Let  us  then  do 
what  we  can  to  promote  a  revival  of  this 
beautiful  art,  and  see  that  it  shall  not  at  any 
rate  die  of  absolute  neglect.  This  is  a  duty 
we  owe  to  posterity. 


antiquarian  3iottmg0  at  auDington 
Cfjurcf),  ^utrep. 


By  George  Clinch. 


HE  situation  of  Addington  upon  the 
margin  of  Surrey  is  as  pleasant  as 
one  could  possibly  desire.  It  is 
placed  in  a  fertile  valley  among 
hay-fields  and  green  hedgerows,  and  is  over- 
looked by  the  Shirley  Hills  and  the  park 
belonging  to  the  country  residence  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  The  parish 
church,  dedicated  to  St.  Mary  the  Virgin, 
contains  some  features  of  considerable  anti- 
quarian interest.  The  chancel  is  especially 
interesting.  In  its  east  wall,  just  above  the 
communion-table,  we  may  notice  the  curious 
feature  of  three  Norman  semicircular-headed 
windows  of  small  size.  Two  other  similar 
windows,  from  some  indications  in  the  exter- 
nal masonry,  appear  to  have  existed  higher 
in  the  same  wall,  but  they  are  now  filled  in. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  these  five  small 
windows  were  intended  to  typify  the  five 
wounds  in  our  Saviour's  body.  Such  an 
explanation  of  this  unusual  feature  is  not 
inconsistent  with  the  symbolism  which  formed 
so  important  a  part  in  the  spirit  of  Norman 
ecclesiastical  architecture.  Considerable  por- 
tions of  three  walls  of  the  chancel  (viz.,  the 
north,  east,  and  south  walls)  are  of  Norman 
work,  and  show  that  a  church  existed  here  at 
or  soon  after  the  Conquest,  although  Domes- 
day Book  does  not  mention  the  fact.  The 
lower  part  of  the  tower  at  the  west  end  of 
the  nave  also  contained  indications  of  Norman 
work.  The  large  pillars  on  the  south  side  of 
the  nave  point  to  a  later  period,  probably  the 
middle  or  latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury. About  the  year  1773  the  exterior  walls 
of  the  body  of  the  church  were  rebuilt  with 
brick  by  Mr.  Alderman  Trecothick ;  but  that 
work  was  replaced  or  covered  by  flint-work 
in  1843,  when  the  church  was  restored  at  the 
expense  of  Archbishop  Howley.  The  church 
was  again  restored  in  1876  at  a  cost  of 
^5,000,  when  the  north  aisle  and  vestry 
were  added  and  much  of  the  tower  rebuilt 
The  corbel-heads  removed  from  the  north 
wall  at  that  time,  and  now  in  the  churchyard, 
are  interesting,  and  worth  a  passing  glance. 
They  are  ornamented  with  grotesque  figures, 
etc.,  and  are  said  to  have  been  taken  from 


ANTIQUARIAN  JOTTINGS  AT  ADDINGTON  CHURCH, 


263 


either  side  of  a  north  door  to  the  church, 
where  they  may  perhaps  have  served  as  drip- 
stone terminations. 

The  monuments  are  somewhat  more  nume- 
rous than  is  usual  in  a  small  country  church, 
and  are  very  interesting.  There  are  two 
brasses  upon  the  chancel  floor.  That  on 
the  north  side  near  the  Leigh  Monument 
commemorates  John  Leigh,*  Esq.,  and 
Isabel  his  wife,  in  a  marginal  inscription,  and 
there  are  effigies  to  themselves  and  their  five 
children  in  brass.  At  each  corner  is  the 
emblem  of  an  evangelist,  reminding  one  of 
the  curious  old  prayer  said  to  be  still  used 
by  children  in  country  districts, 

Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  John, 
Bless  the  bed  that  I  lie  on,  etc. 

The  inscription  engraved  on  a  verge  of 
brass  which  extends  all  round  the  slab  of 
Sussex  marble  in  which  it  is  inserted,  is  as 
follows  :  "  ^  Here  liethe  John  Leigh 
Esquyer,  and  Isabel  hys  Wyfe,  Dowghter  of 
John  Harvy  of  Thurley  in  Bedfordshyre, 
Esquyer,  and  sole  sister  of  Sr.  George 
Harvye  Knight,  which  John  decesseased  the 
xxiiii  daye  of  Aprill,  In  the  yere  of  oure 
lorde  God  M'  ccccc  ix.t  And  the  sayd 
Isabell  desseased  the  viii  th  daye  of  January, 
In  the  yere  of  Chrystes  Incarnacion  M.  ccccc 
xliiii  on  whos  soules  I  pray  God  have  Mercy." 
The  figure  of  John  Leigh,  25^  inches  in 
length,  represents  a  full-length  figure  of  that 
gentleman,  with  a  long  gown  reaching  to  the 
feet.  A  collar  of  ermine  reaches  in  front 
down  to  the  bottom  of  the  gown,  and  the 
sleeves,  which  are  full,  are  bordered  with  the 
same  material.  The  hair  reaches  a  little 
below  the  chin,  and  appears  nearly  straight. 
The  figure  of  Isabel,  the  wife  of  John  Leigh, 
is  also  represented  in  full,  and  is  24I  inches 
in  length.  Her  costume  is  interesting.  A 
gown,  close-fitting  in  the  body  and  sleeves, 
falls  down  in  graceful  folds  ;  the  feet,  how- 
ever, are  not  hidden,  as  was  usual  in  brasses 
of  that  period,  but  are  shown  partially.  The 
shoes  are  broad  and  clumsy.  The  sleeves 
are  trimmed  with  ermine.  A  girdle  hangs 
loosely  from  the  waist,  and  has  a  pretty 
fastening  of  three  four-foiled  flowers ;  from 
them  a  long  chatelaine  reaches  below  the 
knees.  The  hood  is  of  the  angular  type,  which 

"'  lie  was  a  justice  of  the  quorum  and  Shcriflf  of 
.Surrey  in  i486. 

t  This  is  an  error  :  he  died  in  1502. 


was  quite  in  the  fashion  at  that  time,  and  has 
long  lappets  prettily  ornamented  From  the 
mouth  of  John  Leigh  issues  the  following: 
"  Deus  misereatur  raihi  et  benedicat  nobis  ;" 
and  from  the  mouth  of  Isabel  his  wife 
issue  the  words :  "  Illuminet  vultum  suum 
super  nos  et  misereatur  mihL"  In  the  same 
stone  are  three  shields  in  brass  bearing  the 
arms  of  Leigh,  Payne,  Harvey,  and  Nernuit. 
Between  the  effigies  of  John  I^igh  and  his 
wife  is  a  small  brass-plate,  upon  which  are 
engraved  the  effigies  of  their  five  children. 
One  of  these  children  became  afterwards  the 
wife  of  Walter  Waleys,  of  the  parish  of 
Cudham  in  Kent.  In  the  church  at  that 
place  there  is  a  brass  to  her  memory.  It 
should  be  noted  that,  although  now  level 
with  the  chancel  floor,  this  tomb  was  origi- 
nally an  altar-tomb,  and  as  such  it  is  de- 
scribed by  the  antiquary  Aubrey.  Speaking 
of  the  side  stones,  he  says  they  were  "as 
plain  as  possible,  having  no  other  Ornament 
except  two  Shields  and  a  Lozenge,  heretofore 
enrich'd  with  Arms,  but  now  defac'd."  This 
was  written  in  1673,*  ^"^  the  side  stones 
have  now  disappeared. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  chancel  is  a  brass 
to  Thomas  Hatteclyff",  Esquyer.  By  Aubrey's 
account  it  would  appear  to  have  been  formerly 
much  nearer  the  altar  than  it  now  is.  The 
effigy,  25^  inches  in  length,  is  a  full-length 
representation  of  Thomas  Hatteclyff"  in  com- 
plete armour,  partly  plate  and  partly  chain, 
as  was  the  fashion  at  that  time.  The  high 
ridges  upon  the  shoulder-pieces,  and  the 
two  short-pointed  tuilles  are  noteworthy.  The 
effigy  is  represented  with  a  long  sword  on  the 
left-hand  side,  and  a  short  sword  or  dagger 
on  the  right-hand  side.  The  hands  are 
folded  in  the  attitude  of  devotion.  The  head 
is  uncovered,  showing  the  hair,  which  reaches 
down  nearly  to  the  shoulders.  The  Hon.  H. 
A.  Dillon's  new  edition  of  Fairholt's  Costunu 
in  England  contains  an  engraving  of  a  brass 
to  Richard  Gyll,  who  died  in  151 1,  which  is 
much  Hke  the  Hatteclyff"  brass  at  Addington 
(see  vol.  i.,  fig.  223).  Hatteclyff",  however, 
died  in  1540,  twenty-nine  years  later  than 
Gyll ;  so  it  is  very  possible  that  this  brass  was 
engraved  during  Hatteclyff"'s  lifetime,  when 

*  Aubrey  collected  the  materials  for  his  book  in 
1673,  although  it  did  not  ajipear  until  the  year  1719. 
Sec  Mr.  Richard  Garnett's  article  in  the  Dictionary  of 
National  Biography. 


264 


ANTIQUARIAN  JOTTINGS  AT  ADDINGTON  CHURCH. 


the  armour  in  which  he  is  represented  was 
fashionable.  Above  the  effigy  is  a  shield  in 
brass,  bearing  the  arms  of  Hatteclyff  impaling 
those  of  Leigh  and  Pain  quarterly.  The  in- 
scription, which  has  been  carelessly  placed 
upside  down,  is  as  follows  : 

"  Of  yo'  charite  pray  for  y''  soule  of 
Thomas  Hatteclyff  Esquyer  sutyme  one  of 
y^  fowre  masters  of  y^  howsholde  to  our 
souaigne  lord  king  henry  y^  viii.  &  Anne  his 
wyfe,  wiche  Thomas  deptyd  y'  xxx  day  of 
August  A°  M'  ¥=  and  xl." 

The  large  monument  in  black  marble  and 
alabaster  on  the  chancel's  north  wall,  although 
not  remarkable  for  beauty,  is  an  object  of 
very  considerable  antiquarian  interest  and 
importance.  It  commemorates  several  mem- 
bers of  the  family  of  Leigh,  an  ancient  and  in- 
fluential Surrey  family.  The  upper  part  of 
the  monument  has  two  semicircular  arched 
recesses  in  which  are  effigies  in  stone  of 
Nicholas  Leigh  (died  1565),  and  Anne,  his 
wife  ;  also  John  Leigh  (died  1576),  and  Joane, 
his  wife.     All  are  kneeling, 

As  though  they  did  intend 
For  past  omissions  to  atone, 
By  saying  endless  prayers  in  stone. 

The  gentlemen  are  in  their  armour,  and  the 
ladies  in  loose  gowns  with  ruffles  and  hoods. 
Under  the  left-hand  recess,  is  this  inscription  : 

Nicholas  Leigh  of  Addington  Esquier  married 
Anne  sister  of  Sr  Nicholas  Carew  of  Bedding- 
ton  Knight  by  whom  he  had  issue  John  Leigh. 
Malin.  Elizabeth.  Mari.  Anne, 

Under  the  opposite  recess  is  the  following  : 

John  Leigh  of  Addington  Esquier  Sonne  of  Ni- 
cholas Leigh  of  Addington  Maried  Joane  daugh- 
ter and  heire  of  S'  John  Olliph  Knight,  by  whom 
he  had  issue  S''  Oliph  Leigh  Knight,  John,  Charles,  Aiie, 
Joanne,  Elizabeth  and  William.     He  ended  this 
lyfe  the  31st  of  Alarche  1576. 

Aubrey  mourns  the  sad  condition  in  which 
he  found  the  monument  in  his  day.  He 
says,  "  Above  the  Cornish  was  several  En- 
richments, as  Angels  blowing  of  Trumpets,  etc.; 
but  those,  with  whatever  else  was  there  plac'd, 
are  now  quite  demolish'd  and  gone,  notwith- 
standing the  whole  Monument  is  encompass'd 
with  a  substantial  Pallisado  of  Iron."  It  is 
probable  that  the  three  black  marble  shafts  or 
obelisks  which  still  remain  at  the  upper  part 
of  the  monument  may  have  borne  the 
"  Angels  blowing  of  Trumpets."  The  lower 
portion  of  the  tomb  has  two  compartments, 
wherein   in   full   life-size    lie   figures  of  Sir 


Olliph  Leigh  and  his  lady,  Jane.  Their  cos- 
tumes are  interesting,  but  I  refrain  from  de- 
scribing them,  as  there  is  an  excellent  plate 
of  the  monument  in  the  seventh  volume  of 
the  Surrey  Archceological  Collections,  accom- 
panying Mr.  Granville  Leveson  -  Gower's 
"  Notices  of  the  Family  of  Leigh  of  Adding- 
ton." At  the  bottom  of  the  tomb  is  the 
following  inscription  (now  almost  obliterated, 
but  this  transcript  is  made  by  the  aid  of 
Aubrey's  account) : 

"  Here  resteth  in  Peace  Sr.  OUiphe  Leigh  of  Ad- 
dington Knight  who  maried  Jane  daughter  of  Sr. 
Thomas  Browne,  of  Bechworth  Knight  by  whom  he 
had  Francis  his  onely  sonne  and  Heire.  He  died 
the  14th  day  of  Marche  mdcxii,  and  in  memorie  of 
John  Leigh  his  Father,  and  Nicholas  his  Grandfather, 
caused  this  Monument  to  be  erected." 

A  short  sword  and  helmet  hang  above  the 
tomb.  Nicholas  Leigh,  whose  effigy  is  in 
the  left-hand  upper  compartment  of  the 
monument,  was  the  builder,  in  1541,  of  a 
large  house  called  Addington  Place,  the 
cellars  and  piers  of  the  entrance-gates  to 
which  remain  in  Addington  Park,  near  the 
bottom  of  "Spout  Hill."  Addington  Place 
was  demolished  in  1780. 

Many  monuments  mentioned  by  Aubrey 
as  existing  in  Addington  Church  are  missing ; 
among  them  are  two  brasses,  one  to  "  Emma 
filia  Johannis  Legh  (1481),"  and  another  to 
"  Johannes  Legh,  et  Matilda "  his  wife. 
John  died  in  1479,  ^^d  Matilda  in  1464. 

The  last  representative  of  the  family  of 
Leigh  who  held  Addington  Manor  was  Sir 
John  Leigh,  who  died  in  1737,  leaving  no 
surviving  issue.  The  Genilemati's  Magazine 
for  May,  1733,  contains  the  following  curious 
notice  of  his  marriage :  "  Sir  John  Leigh  of 
Addington,  Surry  Bar.  of  3000/.  a  year, 
aged  near  70  :  to  Miss  Wade,  about  18, 
Daughter  of  Mr.  Wade,  Apothecary  at  Brom- 
ley in  Kent,  who  lately  cured  Sir  John  of  a 
Mortification  in  his  toe." 

In  the  belfry  are  four  bells,  and  the  follow- 
ing inscriptions  relating  to  benefactions  : 

Benefactor 
Within  this  Belfry  lieth  the  Body 
of  Thomas  Purdy  whose  Annu- 
ity of  twenty  Shillings  a  Year 
for  ever  toward  the  Repairs 
of  this  Steeple  occasions 
this  Grateful  Remembrance 
of  his  Ueatli  which  happen'd 
on  February  y°  19 
1646. 


REVIEWS. 


265 


Benefactor 
Mr.  Henry  Smith  Citizen  and 
Alderman  of  London  who  Died 
and  was  Buried  at  Wandsworth  in 
the  Year  1627  left  amidst  and  [sic)  Exten- 
sive Charity  twenty  Shillings  a 
Year  for  ever  towards  the  Main- 
tenance of  such  poor  of  this 
Parish  as  receive  no 
Alms. 


amusing,  and  we  close  the  book  with  an  idea  that  the 
reading  of  it  has  been  a  couple  of  hours  pleasantly 
spent. 


laetJiete. 


The  Follies  and  Fashions  of  our  Grandfathers.  By 
Andrew  W.  Tuer.  (London  :  Field  and  Tuer, 
1886.)     8vo.,  pp.  vi,  366. 

Without  any  of  the  arts  that  combine  to  make  a 
literary  undertaking  a  success — that  is,  with  scarcely 
any  skilful  workmanship  in  writing,  with  very  ques- 
tionable taste  as  to  printing  and  binding — we  are 
bound  to  acknowledge  that  this  quaint  and  amusing 
book  has  a  character  and  fascination  of  its  own,  which 
makes  one  take  it  up  at  any  odd  moment  of  laziness 
or  illness,  and  find  something  in  it  to  attract  attention. 
This  is  giving  it  high  praise,  but  the  facts  being  so,  it 
is  only  fair  to  state  them. 

Mr.  Tuer  has  hunted  up  for  this  book  some  of  the 
old  plates,  giving  specimens  of  the  costume  of  the 
early  years  of  this  century,  and  charming  they  all  are. 
Each  month  of  the  year  1807,  just  eighty  years  ago, 
has  devoted  to  it  three  plates.  Besides  a  plate  of 
fashions  for  each  month,  January  includes  an  illustra- 
tion of  Hogarth  for  Iristram  Shandy  ;  February  has 
a  print  of  David  Teniers'  "the  Toper;"  March, 
April,  May,  June  have  portraits  of  Lady  Hamilton  in 
different  characters ;  July  has  Hogarth's  "  Quack 
Doctors  ;"  August,  a  view  of  a  park,  by  Wouver- 
manns ;  September,  Hogarth's  musical  group ;  October, 
Hogarth's  "Lecture;"  November,  a  coaching  scene, 
"Ten  Minutes  to  Spare;"  and  December,  "Ten 
Minutes  Behind."  Besides  these  there  are  other 
plates,  a  portrait  of  Lord  Byron  and  a  portrait  of 
Wordsworth  being  specially  notable. 

Mr.  Tuer's  plan  has  been  to  reproduce  from  old 
magazines,  under  his  own  invented  title,  some  of  the 
choicest  j^aragraphs  suitable  to  his  design.  They 
consist  of  items  on  society,  chit-chat,  eating,  natural 
history  curiosities,  wit,  Irish  bulls,  sporting  intelli- 
gence, art  sales,  book  sales  extraordinary,  Bath  plea- 
sures, curious  advertisements,  coaching  stories,  theatre 
notes,  celebrated  duels,  election  humours,  gleanings 
in  London,  Vauxhall  Gardens,  a  week  of  London  life, 
Camberwell  fair,  Bartholomew  fair,  signs,  etc.  One 
paragraph  on  a  cricket  match,  at  Pennenden  Heath 
in  Kent,  is  highly  interesting ;  Kent  winning,  as  it  is 
said,  "by  27  notches."  Reviews  of  books  introduce 
us  to  Mr.  Walter  Scott  and  Lord  Byron  when  a 
minor.  Of  the  latter,  it  is  said  that  although  his  lord- 
ship "  may  be  a  gentleman,  an  orator,  or  a  statesman, 
unless  he  improves  wonderfully  he  can  never  be  a 
poet."  On  every  page  there  is  something  curious  or 
VOL.    XIV. 


Christian  Iconography  ;  or,  The  History  of  Christian 
Art  in  the  Middle  Ages.     By  the  late  Adolphe 
Napoleon  Didron.  Translated  from  the  French 
by  E.  J.  MiLLiNGTON,  and  completed  with  addi- 
tions and  appendices  by  Margaret  Stokes. 
(London  :  George  Bell  and  Sons,  1886.)    2  vols. 
Didron  has  so   long  been  regarded   as  the  great 
authority  upon   the   important   subject   of  Christian 
iconography,  that  it  would  be  quite  out  of  place  now 
to  give  any  particular  review  of  his  original  work. 
Unfortunately  this  has  been  for  years  incomplete,  but 
until  the  author's  death  hopes  were  entertained  that 
he  would  complete  it.     Although  M.  Didron  did  not 
compile  a  second  volume,  he  energetically  continued 
the  study  of  the  subject,  and  contributed  papers  to  the 
Annates  Archhlogiques  (of  which  he  was  editor)  and 
to  the  Rroue  Franfaise,  and  he  also  prepared  a  large 
number  of  drawings  in  illustration  of  his  researches. 

Messrs.  Bell  and  Sons  have  with  much  public  spirit 
determined  that  the  first  volume  shall  no  longer  stand 
alone,  and  they  entrusted  the  completion  of  the  work, 
from  the  remains  left  by  Didron,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Stokes,  who  has  performed  the  difficult  task  under- 
taken by  her  with  great  skill.  The  second  volume, 
which  now  appears  for  the  first  time,  contains  an 
account  of  the  representations  of  the  Trinity  as  left 
by  Didron,  and  an  iconography  of  angels,  devils, 
death,  the  soul,  and  the  Christian  scheme  of  salvation, 
concluded  and  edited  by  Miss  Stokes.  In  this  are 
used  all  the  illustrations  prepared  by  the  author.  The 
devil  is  shown  in  many  and  various  forms,  one  of 
which  shows  him  disguised  as  a  woman  attempting 
to  seduce  St.  Paphnutius,  the  anchorite  of  the  Thebaid. 
Most  of  the  devil's  other  forms  are  horrible  in  their 
ugliness.  The  influence  of  the  early  drama  upon 
iconography  is  a  subject  of  great  importance,  which 
is  here  dealt  with.  We  are  loo  apt  to  forget  that  in 
many  instances  the  treatment  by  the  old  artists  of 
their  subjects  was  not  due  so  much  to  imagination  as 
to  a  realistic  copying  of  the  religious  plays  that  were 
familiar  to  the  people. 

The  appendix  contains  a  translation  of  the  text  of 
the  Biblia  Paupertwi,  and  a  translation  of  the  curious 
Byzantine  Guide  to  Fainting,  in  which  the  artist  is 
instructed  how  to  represent  the  wonders  of  the  ancient 
law,  and  of  the  gospel,  and  how  to  represent  the 
parables  and  the  miracles  of  the  saints.  This  im- 
portant work  is  now  worthily  completed,  and  the 
news  of  its  appearance  in  its  present  form  will  be 
welcomed  by  all  interested  in  art. 

Robert  Burns:    An  Inquiry  into  certain  Aspects  oj 

his  life  and  Characta-  and  the  Moral  Influence 

of  his  Poetry.     By  a  Scotchwoman.     (London  : 

Elliot  Stock,  1886.) 

In  a  lecture  delivered  on  May  19th,  1S40,  Carlylc 

said  that  had  Burns  lived  to  write  even  what  he  did 

write,  in  the  general  language  of  England,  there  was 

no  doubt  that  the  poet  would  already  have  been  recc^- 

nised  as  one  of  our  greatest  men.     The  fame  and 

influence  of  Burns  do  not  decay,  but  grow  and  widen, 

and  the  interest  felt  in  his  personality  and  career  does 

r 


266 


REVIEWS. 


not  diminish.  Lovers  of  Burns  will  do  well  to  get  this 
little  book,  which  furnishes  some  good  marginalia  for 
the  various  biographies  of  Burns. 

Principal  Shairp's  recent  Life^  contributed  to  the 
"English  Men  of  Letters"  series,  receives  correction 
on  some  points,  notably  his  account  of  Burns's  con- 
cern with  the  theological  dispute  between  the  Auld 
Lights  and  the  New  Lights.  The  author  and  her 
readers  are  to  be  congratulated  upon  the  admirable 
get-up  of  this  little  volume ;  it  has  been  put  into  the 
dress  of  the  Book-Lovers'  Library,  which  seems  to  hang 
about  it  like  a  giant's  robe. 

The  Ncio  Ens^laml  Historical  and  Genealogical 
Register.  No.  clvii.,  vol.  xl.  (Boston:  1886.) 
A  number  of  this  interesting  miscellany  has  reached 
us.  It  contains  a  memoir  of  William  A.  Whitehead, 
late  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  New  Jersey 
Historical  Society,  with  a  good  portrait.  A  biblio- 
graphy of  his  writings  concludes  the  memoir,  and  gives 
an  impression  of  industry,  which  is  enhanced  by  the  fact 
that  to  each  of  his  numerous  books  he  prepared  a  com- 
plete index.  A  letter,  dated  1776,  is  printed  in  illus- 
tration of  the  history  of  the  Pole  family,  and  there  is 
also  a  genealogy  of  the  Andrews  family.  Some 
Notes  and  Documents  concerning  Hugh  Peters  are 
more  generally  interesting.  An  instalment  is  printed 
of  the  Church  Records  of  Farmington,  Conn.,  and  in 
"  Genealogical  Gleanings  in  England,"  Mr.  Henry  F. 
Waters  claims  the  discovery  of  the  ancestry  and 
parentage  of  John  Harvard,  as  against  Mr.  Rendle, 
the  South wark  antiquary.  Some  "Notes  on  the 
Ancestry  of  Colonel  William  Willoughby  "  come  next, 
followed  by  "Records  ofWinchester,N.H., "and  "The 
Wiswall  Family  of  America."  Under  the  title  of  "New 
England  Gleanings,"  some  clues  are  given  to  the  Eng- 
lish residences  of  the  settlers  of  New  England.  A 
valuable  communication  is  given  by  Mr.  Waters  from 
the  Sloane  MSS.  at  the  British  Museum,  being  "A 
true  relation  concernynge  the  Estate  of  New  England," 
ab.  1634  ;  "  Soldiers  in  King  Philip's  War,"  an  im- 
portant subject,  is  continued,  and  there  is  a  valuable 
article  on  the  "  Indian  Names  of  Boston  and  their 
Meaning,"  with  maps. 


two  Papers  on  Book-binding:  Mr.  Hoe's  on  Book- 
binding as  an  Art,  and  Mr.  Matthews'  on  Book-bind- 
ing practically  considered.  There  is  also  an  account 
of  a  valuable  Exhibition  of  Original  Designs  for  Book 
Illustration. 


Transactions  of  the  Grolier  Club,  from  its  Fonndation 
in  January,  \Z%i„  to  July,  \%%<y.  Parti.  (New- 
York  :  The  Grolier  Club,  64,  Madison  Avenue. 
1885.) 
The  members  of  the  Grolier  Club  have  much  cause 
to  be  gratified  with  the  sumptuous  and  yet  chaste 
printing  of  the  First  Part  of  their  Transactions.  The 
part  is  issued  unbound,  and  when  the  volume  is  com- 
plete, we  shall  look  with  great  interest  at  a  binding 
which  shall  satisfy  a  society  of  specialists  in  the  art  of 
book-binding.  A  very  concise  and  discriminating 
notice  of  the  life  and  work  of  Jean  Grolier  opens  these 
Transactions.  The  Organization  of  the  Club  and  its 
Plans  ;  an  Exhibition  of  Etchings  ;  an  Exhibition  of 
Illuminated  MSS.,  and  its  first  Publication,  are 
severally  described,  and  show  the  admirable  organiza- 
tion and  activity  of  this  new  Club.  A  report  of  an 
address  by  Theodore  L.  De  Venire,  on  Historic 
Printing  Types,  is  an  admirable  example  of  a  subject 
which  a  society  like  this  is  capable  of  developing. 
The  First  Annual  Meeting  is  duly  reported,  and  also 


Leicestershire  Pedigrees  and  Royal  Descents.  By  the 
Rev.  W.  G.  DiMOcic  Fletcher,  M.A.  Part  I. 
(Leicester  :  Clarke  and  Hodgson,  1886.) 
The  Vicar  of  St.  Michael's,  Shrewsbury,  has  un- 
dertaken a  work  in  which  he  ought  not  to  lack  sup- 
port so  far  as  his  subscription  list  is  concerned.  The 
}ircsent  issue  has  a  plate  showing  the  arms  of  Leicester- 
shire families,  and  the  principal  contents  receive  illus- 
tration in  a  large  folding  sheet  showing  the  descent 
of  Leicestershire  peers  from  Henry  VII. — the  victory 
of  Bosworth  Field  having  an  interesting  connection 
with  this  subject — the  arms,  seals,  etc.  of  Bellers  ; 
ancient  arms  of  Beler  ;  Falkener  arms,  etc.  The 
arrangement  of  the  work  entails  the  use  of  various- 
sized  type,  and  the  printing  appears  to  be  very  satisfac- 
tory. The  same  commendation  is  due  to  the  illus- 
trations. 


Our  Lady  of  IValsingham.  By  the  Rev.  MORRIS 
Fuller,  M.A.  (London  :  Kelly  and  Co.,  n.  d.) 
The  account  given  by  Mr.  W^alter  Rye,  in  his 
Popular  History  of  Norfolk,  of  "  The  Image  of  our 
Lady  of  Walsingham,"  is  succinct,  and  covers  the 
ground  ;  but  those  feeling  a  special  or  local  interest  in 
the  celebrated  shrine  at  Walsingham,  will  find  a  more 
detailed  account  in  the  above  booklet  by  the  Rector 
of  Ryburgh.  There  are  some  illustrations,  too, 
which  are  certainly  desirable  as  records  of  an  inter- 
esting spot.  These  are  three  in  number,  being  (l) 
Great  Eastern  Window  of  the  Conventual  Church ; 
(2)  Refectory  West  Window ;  (3)  W^estern  Piers, 
showing  the  foundations  recently  excavated.  This 
old  priory  was  the  centre  of  much  religious  life  and 
superstition  in  the  era  which  Mr.  Rye  styles  that  of 
"  the  monks  and  friars."  Anybody  desiring  initiation 
into  that  period  could  not  do  better  than  begin  with 
Carlyle's  rendering  of  the  life  of  Abbot  Sampson,  of 
Bury,  in  Past  and  Present,  which  throws  much  light 
upon  records  like  this  of  the  old  Walsingham  shrine. 


Meetings  of  antiquarian 
Societies, 


Domesday  Commemoration  Conference.— Oct. 

25-30. —  The  celebration  of  the  eight  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  completion  of  the  Domesday  Book 
w-as  first  mooted  by  the  Athena:uin.  The  Royal 
Historical  Society  during  last  summer  took  the  matter 
up,  and  a  series  of  meetings  for  the  inspection  of 
MSS.  and  literary  productions,  and  for  the  reading  of 
papers  more  or  less  connected  with  matters  affecting 
the  contents  of  the  Domesday  Book  was  arranged. 
The  exhibition  of  the  Domesday  Book,  or  rather  books, 
first  took  place.  The  finest  volume  is  a  large  folio, 
the  second  a  large-sized  octavo,  not  altogether  uniform 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


267 


in  its  scope  with  the  first,  and  containing  only  the 
three  counties  of  Essex,  Norfolk,  and  Suffolk.  For 
the  chance  of  seeing  these  volumes,  as  well  as  the  two 
abbreviated  copies,  known  respectively  as  the  Abbre- 
viatio  and  the  Breviaie,  the  public  are  indebted  to  the 
kindness  of  the  authorities  at  the  Record  Office.  The 
copy  made  in  the  fourteenth  century  of  Boldon  Book, 
or  Survey  of  the  Palatinate  of  Durham,  taken  in  a.d. 
1 183,  was  also  shown,  and  a  great  number  of  later 
records,  principally  monastic  chartularies.  Exchequer 
books,  CartK  Antiquoe,  and  so  forth.  The  visit  of  the 
party  to  the  British  Museum  on  Tuesday  indicated  still 
more  clearly  how  large  a  number  of  manuscripts  are  ex- 
tant by  which  the  many  aspects  of  the  Domesday  Book 
may  have  light  brought  to  bear  upon  them.  Perhaps  the 
most  instructive,  and  certainly  the  most  ancient  docu- 
ment here  shown  was  the  brief  notice  of  the  "  Number 
of  Hides  "  in  different  districts  and  territoricsof  England 
south  of  the  Humber  during  the  separate  existence  of 
the  kingdoms  of  Mercia,  Wessex,  and  Kent.  This 
venerable  document,  written  at  first  probably  in  the 
eighth  century- -at  any  rate,  recording  a  survey,  in 
round  numbers  of  hides,  taken  about  that  time — was 
copied  by  a  scribe  (who  by  wrongly  dividing  some 
words  and  joining  others  improperly  together  indicates 
that  he  did  not  know  the  language  which  he  was 
copying),  about  the  year  1000,  on  a  blank  leaf  in  a 
copy  of  JEMnc's  Grammar.  The  contemporary  copy 
of  the  Kent  Survey,  originally  in  the  form  of  a  roll, 
now  inlaid  in  leaves,  demonstrates  the  mediaeval  prac- 
tice of  carrying  MS.  rolls  about  the  person  until  the 
outer  parts  are  worn  away  by  constant  friction.  The 
original  Cambridge  Survey,  from  which  the  Domesday 
Commissioners  compiled  their  county  return  ;  the 
Worcester  Chartulary,  containing  a  record  of  Domes- 
day and  pre-Domesday  suits  relating  to  the  lands  of 
that  see  ;  an  unpublished  record  (in  the  form  of  a 
charter)  of  the  great  lawsuit  heard  at  Penenden  Heath. 
An  important  exhibition  at  the  British  Museum  was 
that  of  three  Anglo-Saxon  M.SS.  of  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury, wherein  was  shown  the  method  of  ploughing. 
The  first  of  these  was  the  Harley  Psalter,  with  a 
drawing  in  colour,  with  a  (inc  pencil  or  brush,  of  a 
man  ploughing  with  a  primitive  plough,  drawn  by  two 
oxen  directed  simply  by  the  goad,  and  with  no  head- 
gear nor  driver.  The  other  MSS.  were  Anglo-Saxon 
Calendars,  and  give  a  drawing  and  a  picture  of  a 
plough  drawn  by  four  oxen  led  by  a  driver  with  a  long 
goad,  but  with  no  headgear.  Another  feature  in  the 
exhibition  was  that  of  selected  specimens  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  charters  with  boundaries,  and  the  most  cursory 
examination  of  the  boundaries,  which  enclose  con- 
siderable tracts  of  land,  manifestly  polygonal  and  fol- 
lowing natural  as  well  as  artificial  features,  militates 
against  the  dictum  that  agriculture  in  the  Domesday 
period  was  confined  to  rectangular  plots,  preserving 
for  the  most  part  strictly  defined  proportions  as  to 
their  contiguous  sides.  Mr.  H.  Hall  read  a  paper  at 
the  Record  Office,  treating  principally  on  the  history 
and  fortunes  of  the  Domesday  Book  as  a  volume,  and 
gave  instances  of  its  importance  as  a  record  admitted 
in  all  the  courts,  and  examples  of  its  employment  by 
way  of  undisjiuted  evidence  in  mediaeval  lawsuits.  In 
the  evening  Canon  Taylor  delivered  a  popular  lecture. 
Mr.  Stuart  Moore  read  a  paper  which  dwelt  more  in 
detail  with  the  statistical  contents  of  the  Domesday 
Book.     He  pointed  out  that  the  Survey  was  framed, 


designed,  and  carried  out  in  the  spirit  of  perfect  equity, 
and  he  laboured  to  redeem  King  William's  character 
from  the  adverse  criticism  in  which  contemporary  and 
later  chroniclers  have  almost  unanimously  indulged. 
Mr.  Moore  considers  that  the  preparation  of  a  full 
bibliography  of  Domesday  Book,  including  not  only 
printed  portions  of  the  text  and  separate  papers  and 
essays,  but  notices  of  matters  referred  to  by  the  record, 
would  be  the  first  step  towards  the  simplification  of 
the  critical  study  of  the  Survey.  Mr.  J.  H.  Round 
read  a  short  paper  principally  devoted  to  the  exposure 
of  a  remarkable  misconception  by  Prof.  Freeman  in 
relation  to  the  Worcester  lawsuit  between  Bishop 
Wlstan  and  the  Abbot  of  Evesham.  Canon  Taylor 
read  a  paper,  or  rather  two  papers,  partly  read,  partly 
extemporary,  on  Domesday  wapentakes  and  land- 
measures.  The  Canon  claimed  the  credit  of  a  new 
discovery  with  regard  to  the  constitution  of  the  hun- 
dred and  the  wapentake,  seeking  to  prove  that  the 
Anglo-Saxon  hundred  or  military  unit  was  gradually 
being  converted  into  the  Danish  wapentake  or  naval 
unit  of  assessment,  which  represented  three  hundreds. 
Mr.  J.  H.  Round  then  stated  the  heads  of  his  paper 
on  the  Domesday  hide.  A  paper  by  Mr.  Jas.  Parker 
on  "The  Church  in  Domesday,"  was  in  the  main  a 
review  of  the  circumstances  attending  the  transfer  of 
the  seats  of  the  bishoprics  from  towns  to  cities  about 
1075,  and  a  formidable  array  of  statistics  concerning 
the  number  of  manors  held  by  bishops  in  various  coun- 
ties as  indicated  by  the  Doinesday  record.  Mr.  W. 
de  Gray  Birch  next  read  a  paper  on  the  "  Materials 
for  the  Re-editing  of  the  Domesday  Book."  Mr.  Birch 
advocates  the  preparation  and  publication  of  a  uniform 
series  of  Domesday  volumes,  with  collations  of  the 
text  of  the  lx>ok  itself,  with  the  Codex  Exonietisis,  the 
hujuisitio  Elievsis,  the  British  Museum  Domesday  in 
the  Arundel  collection,  the  Abbreviatio  and  Breviaie 
at  the  Record  Office,  the  Kent  Domesday  in  the  Cot- 
tonian  Library,  the  Worcester  extract,  and  other 
similar  texts,  as  well  as  with  contemporary  charters 
and  pre-Domesday  boundaries,  which  may  be  neces- 
sary for  the  critical  examination  of  the  statements  in 
the  vSurvey.  A  short  paper  by  Sir  Honry  Barkly 
criticized  an  incorrect  entry  in  the  cliartulary  of  St. 
Peter's,  Gloucester,  and  demonstrated  the  accuracy 
of  the  Domesday  entry  relating  to  the  tenure  of  the 
manor  of  Nympsfield  or  Nymphsfield,  therein  styled 
Terra  Regis.  The  Domesday  surveys  of  Surrey  and 
Sussex  were  the  themes  of  two  highly  interesting 
papers,  the  first  by  Mr.  H.  E.  Maiden,  the  latter  by 
Mr.  Y.  E.  Sawyer,  F.S.A.  Mr.  Maiden  had  accu- 
mulated for  Surrey  a  considerable  amount  of  tabular 
information  which  was  greatly  appreciated.  He 
exhibited  a  map  which  showed  that  there  was  no 
southern  boundary  of  the  county,  except  the  undefined 
track  of  virgin  forest  of  the  Andreds-weald.  In  the 
same  way  Sussex  had  but  a  doubtful  boundary  on  the 
north.  This  led  to  some  curious  results  in  the  work 
of  the  commissioners,  who  rated  onchide  in  Compton, 
CO.  Sussex,  as  being  in  Surrey  ;  while  Worth,  now 
reckoned  in  Sussex,  at  the  time  of  the  Domesday  was 
taken  in  Surrey.  Lodsworth,  now  in  Sussex,  but  then 
in  Surrey,  is  another  example.  Geological  strata  and 
conditions  here,  as  in  other  counties,  appear  to  have 
considerably  affected  the  cultivation  of  certain  parts, 
the  unproductive  Wealden  clay  being  as  a  rule  unin- 
habited, while  the  fertile  grecnsand  is  almost   con- 

T    2 


268 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


terniinous  with  the  Domesday  homes  and  populations. 
The  calculation  made  by  Mr.  Maiden  of  one  Surrey 
church  to  every  350  of  the  population  is  an  independent 
indication  of  the  probable  area  of  Anglo-Saxon 
churches,  the  extant  specimens  of  which  in  many  cases 
would  have  difficulty  in  finding  room  for  that  number. 
The  English  tenants  in  chief  were  few  and  not  wealthy ; 
only  the  useful  members  of  society  appear  to  have 
been  able  to  retain  their  holdings,  such  as  the  inter- 
preter, the  huntsman,  and  the  goldsmith.  Mr.  Maiden 
also  pointed  out  the  unexplained  fact  that  in  some 
hundreds  the  bordarii  predominate  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  cotarii,  while  in  others,  not  contiguous, 
the  reverse  takes  place.  Mr.  Sawyer  treated  the 
neighbouring  county  of  Sussex  pretty  much  in  the  same 
way  as  Mr.  Maiden  had  Surrey.  He  suggested  also 
the  formation  of  copious  indexes,  not  only  of  the  best 
known  names  of  places,  but  of  all  orthographical 
variations,  and  of  the  names  of  fields  and  small  locali- 
ties. The  instances  of  phonetic  spelling  which  he 
adduced  were  remarkable,  and  he  thought  dialect  gave 
the  key  to  the  identification  of  obscure  Domesday 
places.  The  closing  day  was  chiefly  devoted  to 
another  paper  from  Mr.  Round,  on  the  "  Finance  of 
Domesday."  In  it  he  criticized  Mr.  Freeman's  state- 
ments relating  to  the  condition  of  the  town  of 
Colchester  in  the  Domesday  period.  As  for  Bridport, 
Mr.  Freeman  had  written  that  not  a  single  house- 
holder could  pay  the  King's  taxes,  whereas  about 
five-sixths  of  the  whole  number  had  paid,  the  re- 
mainder being  too  poor.  The  subject  of  Danegeld 
has  never  been  properly  studied,  although  it  has  an 
important  bearing  on  the  land-measures,  the  geldable 
hide  and  geldable  carucate  being  different  from  the 
"  carucata  ad  arandum."  The  final  paper  was  by  Mr. 
H.J.  Reid,  F.S.A.,  on  the  Domesday  Church.  His 
object  appeared  to  be  to  show  that  the  number  of 
churches  was  large,  and  could  not  be  computed  out  of 
Domesday,  because  many  churches  known  to  have 
been  in  existence  have  no  mention  in  its  pages. 
Altogether,  the  conference  may  be  considered  as  a 
success,  if  it  only  awakens  an  interest  in  a  subject  so 
many-sided  as  our  great  national  record ;  and  we 
hope  that  the  volume  to  be  published  will  stimulate 
the  research  which  it  cannot  exhaust. 

Buxton  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society. 
Excursion  to  Arbor  Low  and  Youlgreave.— 
Sept.  15th. — Arrived  at  Arbor  Low,  the  party  was 
met  by  the  Rev.  R.  C.  Roy,  Vicar  of  Youlgreave,  who 
pointed  out  the  features  of  interest.  In  the  centre  of 
the  group  of  stones  is  fixed  a  notice  board,  which 
states  that  the  spot  is  placed  under  the  Ancient 
Monuments'  Act,  1882,  and,  therefore,  is  under 
Government  protection.  Mr.  Roy  gave  a  most 
interesting  description  of  the  place.  He  began  by 
stating  that  Arbelows,  or  Arbor  Low,  is  next  in  extent 
and  importance  to  Stonehenge,  and  was  justly  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  interesting  monuments  of 
antiquity  in  Derbyshire.  This  curious  memorial  of 
an  ancient  population  was  situated,  as  they  observed, 
on  a  piece  of  gently  rising  ground,  commanding  an  ex- 
tensive prospect  towards  the  north  east.  It  consisted 
of  a  circular  area  150  feet  in  diameter,  surrounded  by 
a  series  of  rough  unhewn  blocks  of  native  limestone, 
of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  ranging  from  six  to  seven 
feet  in  length,  and   from  three  to  four  feet  in  width. 


The  stones  forming  the  circle,  instead  of  standing  in 
an  upright  position  like  the  Nine  Ladies  on  Stanton 
Moor  and  other  so-called  Druidical  remains  of  the 
same  class,  lay  horizontally  upon  the  ground,  and 
inclined  towards  the  centre,  where  there  were  two  or 
three  larger  stones  supposed  to  have  been  originally  a 
cromlech.  There  were  in  all  from  30  to  35  stones  in 
the  group,  but  as  some  of  them  had  evidently  been 
broken  it  was  hard  to  determine  the  exact  number. 
The  opinion  prevailed  amongst  the  neighbouring 
peasantry — and  the  belief  was  not  yet,  he  was  led  to 
understand,  quite  obsolete — that  it  was  impossible  for 
anyone  to  count  these  stones  correctly,  and  also  that 
treasures  was  buried  beneath  one  of  them.  The  area 
on  which  the  circle  stood  was  surrounded  by  a  deep 
entrenchment  about  18  feet  across  and  circumscribed 
by  a  vallum  ;  in  other  words,  a  rampart,  or  embank- 
ment, of  some  20  feet  in  height.  The  earthworks 
remained  in  a  very  perfect  state  of  preservation. 
The  entrances  on  the  north  and  south  sides  of  the 
enclosure  were  distinctly  traceable.  Near  the  south 
entrance,  like  the  north  30  feet  wide,  to  the  circle 
were  the  remains  of  a  barrow  or  burial  mound.  This 
was  opened  in  the  year  1782  by  a  Mr.  Hayman 
Rooke,  when  the  fragments  of  an  urn,  some  half- 
burned  bones,  and  the  horns  of  a  stag  were  dis- 
covered. This  barrow  was  also  opened  by  a  great 
local  searcher  after  antiquities,  namely  Mr.  \V.  Bate- 
man,  father  of  the  present  Squire  of  Middleton  Hall, 
who  made  some  interesting  discoveries.  There  was 
a  tradition  that  a  great  battle  was  fought  between 
the  Britons  and  Romans  on  Hartington  Moor,  and  it 
was  just  possible  that  this  so-called  Druidical  circle 
might  be  the  burying  ground  of  the  heroes  who  fought 
and  fell  in  this  encounter,  or  in  another  which  was 
said  to  have  taken  place  somewhere  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. The  journey  was  then  made  to  the  pretty  and 
interesting  village  of  Youlgreave,  when  the  party  pro- 
ceeded to  inspect  the  fine  old  parish  church  dedicated 
to  All  Saints.  The  massive  grey  tower  of  this  well 
restored  edifice  is  seen  at  a  distance  to  great  advantage 
in  the  landscape.  It  is  of  perpendicular  design,  well 
buttressed,  and  crested  with  eight  crocketted  pinnacles, 
each  of  them  containing  niches  for  statues,  which 
latter  have  long  ceased  to  exist.  By  the  way  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  the  parapet  is  embattled,  and  large 
gargoyles  project  from  it  on  every  side.  The  belfry 
stage  possesses  two  effective  windows  on  each  face, 
whilst  over  the  west  door  is  a  three  light  with  flatly 
pointed  head,  the  head  moulds  terminating  with  the 
Tudor  rose.  Under  the  tower  against  the  north  wall 
the  eye  is  immediately  arrested  by  a  quaint  inscription 
on  a  stone,  which  reads  thus  : — "  Hie  jacet  Raphaelis 
Bradbury  de  Youlgrave,  qui  obiit  vicesimo  primo,  die 
Aprilis,  Anno  Dni  1685."  Immediately  above  the 
inscription  are  the  arms  of  Bradbury.  The  Vicar  gave 
a  lucid  description  of  the  church  and  the  work  of 
restoration,  which  it  will  be  remembered  was  carried 
on  during  the  vicariate  of  the  Rev.  William  Malam, 
M.A.,  now  Vicar  of  Buxton,  a  clergyman  who  was 
then,  and  is  now,  deservedly  beloved  by  Youlgreave 
parishioners.  The  chancel  was,  no  doubt,  much  later 
than  the  earlier  part,  which  was  Norman.  The 
chancel,  as  they  observed,  was  long,  and  had  been 
well  restored,  the  stall  work  and  the  roof  being 
in    oak.      The    monuments      had     migrated.      The 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


269 


monument  of  a  knight,  cross-legged,  and  with  his 
heart  clasped  in  his  hands,  was  believed  to  be  the 
effigy  of  Sir  John  de  Rossington.  It  had  been  placed 
within  the  altar  rails,  where  he  hoped  it  would  be  free 
from  interference.  It  was  of  the  latter  end  of  the  twelfth 
century.  The  next  monument  in  point  of  age  was  that 
of  the  Cokaynes.  This  elaborate  altar  tomb  was  placed 
in  the  centre  of  the  chancel,  and  was  that  of  Thomas 
Cokayne,  of  Harthill,  who  died  in  1488.  It  was 
known  as  a  miniature  tomb.  The  family  resided  at 
Harthill  Hall,  and  they  had  land  as  far  as  Ashbourne, 
in  the  parish  church  of  which  they  were  the  possesssrs 
of  several  monuments.  The  head  of  the  effigy  on 
this  tomb  rested  on  a  helmet  with  his  crest  of  a  cock's 
head  and  a  wreath.  The  sides  were  panelled  with 
angels  carrying  shields,  which  were  emblazoned  with 
the  family  coat  of  arms.  This  Cokayne  was  said  to 
have  fought  with  a  cousin  in  a  duel  and  thus  met  with 
his  death.  He  would  draw  their  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  upper  part  of  the  tomb,  which  was  the  older,  was  in 
a  beautiful  state  of  preservation.  The  lower  part  was 
modern.  One  of  the  descendants  of  the  family  having 
asked  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  restore  the  portion 
that  had  ceased  to  exist,  consent  was  given,  and  thus 
they  witnessed  the  peculiarity  of  ancient  and  modern 
work  conjointly.  The  next  monument  he  would  call 
attention  to  was  of  the  date  1492 — it  was  the  Gylbert 
memorial.  In  the  east  wall  of  the  north  aisle  they 
saw  this  alabaster  bas-relievo.  In  the  centre  of  the 
group  was  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  with  our  Lord 
being  central  ;  on  the  left  of  this  was  the  father  of  the 
family  and  his  six  sons,  while  on  the  right  was 
depicted  the  mother  with  her  ten  daughters.  The 
inscription  in  Latin  stated  that  "  Here  lies  under  this 
stone  the  bodies  of  Robert  Gylbert,  gentleman, 
of  Yolgref,  and  Joan  [or  Joanna],  his  wife,  which 
John  died  2nd  day  of  November,  A.D.  1492,  which 
Robere  indeed  caused  the  screen  of  this  chapel  to  be 
made  in  the  aforesaid  year,  and  the  same  Robert 
died."  Below  the  figures  were  three  shields.  In  the 
corner  near  to  this  curious  monument  was  a  mural  slab 
which  the  Vicar  said  used  to  be  in  the  floor  of  the 
south  aisle.  It  was  a  valuable  brass,  and  he  had 
it  put  in  the  wall  on  purpose  to  preserve  it.  It  too 
was  a  Gylbert.  The  habit  worn  by  the  figure  depicted 
was  Elizabethan  and  the  date  of  interment  was  1620. 
In  the  south  wall  of  the  aisle  was  another  alabaster 
monument,  which  had  been  richly  coloured.  Beneath 
an  arched  recess  were  the  figures  of  the  husband  and 
wife,  kneeling  in  prayer,  and  below  them  the  effigies 
of  their  eight  children.  An  inscription  related  that 
"  Hero  lies  Roger  Rooe,  of  Alport,  knight,  who  died 
30th  April,  A.D.  1613."  Mr.  Rowe,  one  of  the 
present  members  for  Derby,  was  a  descendant  of  this 
family,  who  were  connecteil  with  the  Vernons,  as  the 
coat  of  arms  showed.  Next  the  Vicar  drew  attention 
to  a  fine  old  brass,  representing  a  female  figure,  and 
bearing  the  following  curious  inscription  : — 

Fridswide  Gilbert  to  the  grave 
Hath  resigned  her  earthly  part. 
Her  soule  to  God  that  first  it  gave, 
On  angel's  wings  went  with  her  heart. 
A  vertuous  maide  she  liv'd  and  died  ; 
Hurtful  to  none,  but  good  to  all, 
Religious,  modest,  hating  pride  ; 
These  vertues  crowne  her  funerall. 
John  Gilbert,  marchaiit  taylor,  of  Lond6,  brother  to  her. 


In  the  wall  in  the  north-west  side  is  a  bit  of  old 
carving,  which  has  been  preserved.  It  is  the  effigy  of 
a  pilgrim  with  staff  in  hand  and  wallet.  The  font, 
said  the  Vicar,  is  indeed  curious.  It  is  very  ancient, 
and  possesses  a  stoup  for  holy  water,  or,  to  be  more 
correct,  a  chrismatory.  This  is  attached  to  it.  There 
are  only  three  of  such  kind  known  in  this  country. 
The  font  is  pre-Reformation,  but  the  present  architects 
lost  all  trace  as  to  the  rude  figures  which  it  bears  on 
the  bowl.  The  windows  in  the  Church  are  fine,  and 
the  altar  is  properly  raised.  The  reredos  is  of  marble, 
and  the  spaces  on  either  side  the  marble  altar  cross 
are  filled  m  with  gold  mosaic,  Salviatis  work.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  inspection  a  portion  of  the  party 
walked  to  Robin  Hood's  Stride,  and  there  inspected 
the  hermit's  cave,  the  Vicar  accompanying,  and 
pointing  out  at  this  latter  place  a  carving  of  the 
Crucifixion  in  the  rock  in  excellent  preservation. 

Berwickshire  Naturalists'  Club.— Aug.  25th. — 
The  fourth  meeting  of  this  club  was  held  at  Peebles. 
The  party  went  up  the  valley  of  the  Tweed,  Professor 
Veitch  acting  as  guide.  The  first  object  to  arrest  the 
attention  was  the  new  Parish  Church  in  process  of 
erection  at  the  end  of  High  Street.  Passing  through 
the  Old  Town,  the  party  saw  the  tower  of  St  Andrew's 
Church,  which,  though  the  rest  of  the  edifice  has 
well-nigh  disappeared,  looks  as  if  it  would  stand  for  a 
long  time.  A  drive  of  about  a  mile  brought  the 
visitors  to  Neidpath  Castle,  where  the  first  halt  was 
made.  This  ancient  fortress  belonged  originally  to 
the  Frasers,  who  are  represented  in  the  north  of 
Scotland  by  the  Lovat  and  Saltoun  families.  By 
marriage  with  a  daughter  of  Sir  Simon  Fraser,  it  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  Hays  of  Yester,  one  of  whom 
built  the  portion  of  the  castle  which  is  now  standing. 
The  family  were,  some  two  hundred  years  ago,  obliged 
to  sell  the  castle  and  estates  to  the  Duke  of  Queensbury, 
whose  descendants,  the  Earls  of  March,  held  them  for 
some  generations.  They  now  belong  to  the  Earls  of 
Wemyss,  the  March  family  having  become  extinct 
on  the  death  of  the  last  Duke  of  Queensbury.  The 
tower  is  of  great  strength,  the  walls  being  eleven  feet 
in  thickness.  A  fine  staircase  leads  upwards  for  a 
considerable  distance,  but  the  upper  part  of  the  ascent 
has  to  be  performed  by  means  of  a  narrow  spiral  stair 
of  considerable  steepness,  with  many  of  the  steps 
much  worn.  Once  reached,  however,  the  summit 
presents  a  magnificent  view  to  the  eye  of  the  visitor. 
The  banks  and  rocks  which  confine  the  winding 
Tweed,  the  river  itself,  as  it  flows  over  its  gravelly  bed, 
forming  now  and  then  sullen  pools,  which  again  break 
into  glittering  streams,  the  fair  (save  for  the  church 
already  mentioned)  town  of  Peebles  lying  close  at 
hand,  the  valleys  covered  with  crops  and  woods,  and 
the  heath-clad  hills  rearing  their  purple  summits  to 
the  sky,  combine  to  form  a  picture  of  smgular  beauty. 
The  Club  then  took  their  way  up  the  valley  of  the 
Tweed.  On  the  left  was  passed  the  Manor  Water,  up 
which,  on  the  road  to  Megget  Water  and  St.  Mary  s 
Loch,  is  to  be  found  the  cottage  once  occupied  by  the 
original  of  the  Black  Dwarf,  who  figures  in  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  novel  of  that  name  ;  while  a  little  further  on 
the  Lyne  Water  joined  the  Tweed  from  a  different 
direction.  The  next  stoppage  was  made  at  Stobo 
Church.  Part  of  this  building  is  very  ancient, 
belonging  to  a  period  anterior  to  that  to  which  any 


270 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


other  ecclesiastical  structure  in  the  valley  of  the  Tweed 
can  be  ascribed.  The  tower — the  oldest  part — is, 
from  its  architectural  features,  believed  to  be  Saxon, 
the  nave  and  chancel  being  Norman.  The  tower 
(and,  indeed,  the  whole  edirice)  has  a  striking  and 
picturesque  appearance  from  the  outside,  and  admit- 
tance is  gained  by  a  curious  old  porch — later,  however, 
than  the  building  to  which  it  is  attached.  To  the 
archway  is  fastened  a  complete  set  of  the  "jougs," 
with  chain,  collar,  and  padlock  ;  and  the  hewn  stone 
at  the  sides  is  deeply  furrowed  from  some  cause  or 
other,  some  thinking  that  the  marks  were  caused  by 
women  sharpening  the  ends  of  their  spindles  as  they  sat 
in  the  church  porch,  while  others  supposed  that  they 
were  made  by  the  men  sharpening  their  arrows  as  they 
entered  and  left  the  church.  At  the  first  view  on 
entering,  the  inside  presents  a  staggering  contrast  to 
the  exterior.  The  eye  wanders  in  succession  to  plaster, 
whitewash,  stained  wood,  open  seats,  windows  of 
coloured  glass,  illuminated  texts,  a  smart  Anglican 
pulpit  perched  on  a  salient  angle  of  the  wall,  and  a 
harmonium — in  short,  the  newest  ecclesiastical  fashions 
of  the  day.  In  the  interior  was  found  a  monumental 
tomb  with  a  shield  at  the  top.  This  shield,  the  wafer 
box,  and  the  holy  water  dish  are  preserved  in  the 
church.  Against  the  north  wall  of  the  nave  are  the 
remains  of  what  may  have  been  a  crypt.  A  short  drive 
then  brought  the  party  to  the  extensive  gardens  of 
Stobo  Castle.  On  reaching  the  mansion  they  were 
received  by  Sir  Graham  Montgomery,  and  conducted 
through  the  mansion  by  him.  In  the  rooms  are  some 
fine  paintings  by  Raeburn.  The  route  then  lay  up  by 
the  side  of  the  Tweed,  by  way  of  Drevah,  and  across 
the  Biggar  Water  to  Drummelzier  Castle,  the  farthest 
point  of  the  day's  excursion.  This  ruin  and  the 
property  adjacent,  it  is  said,  originally  belonged  to  the 
Veitches,  who  were  "harried"  by  the  Tweedies, 
a  turbulent  race,  who  have  not  survived  the  quietness 
that  followed  the  union  of  England  and  Scotland. 
From  their  hands  it  passed,  early  in  the  17th  century, 
into  those  of  the  Hays,  the  Duns  Castle  branch  of  that 
family  possessing  it  till  1 83 1,  when  Sir  James 
Montgomery  purchased  it,  but  relinquished  it  in 
favour  of  a  Mr.  White,  whose  descendants  now  own  it. 
It  appears  to  have  been  a  very  strong  place  ;  there  are 
shot-holes  below  the  windows,  and  there  was  a  means 
of  surrounding  it  with  water  from  the  Tweed.  The 
state  in  which  it  is  allowed  to  remain  deserves  the 
severest  reprobation,  as  it  is  utterly  uncared  for,  and 
appears  to  be  falling  into  a  state  of  decay,  from  which 
it  might  easily  be  preserved.  A  little  to  the  east 
was  seen  the  old  peel-tower  of  Wrae,  once,  like 
Drummelzier,  the  property  of  the  Tweedies ;  and  to 
the  south  appeared  the  hills  of  Stanhope  and  Moss- 
fennan.  On  the  journey  homewards  along  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  Drummelzier  Church  was  reached, 
and  the  reputed  grave  of  Merlin  the  Wild,  the  Scottish 
seer,  who  flourished  in  the  sixth  century.  Some  place 
his  grave  at  a  thorn-tree,  and  others  in  a  gravel  mound 
not  far  off.  Either  spot  is  close  to  the  Powsail  Burn,  a 
little  above  its  junction  with  the  Tweed,  and  was  the 
subject  of  a  prophecy  which  ran  as  follows  : — 
When  Tweed  and  Powsail  meet  at  Merlin's  grave, 
Scotland  and  England  shall  one  monarch  have. 
This  event  is  said  to  have  happened  on  the  day  when 
James  VI.  of  Scotland  was  crowned  King  of  England. 


Tinnis,  or  Thanes  Castle,  the  ruins  of  a  strongholdi 
were  passed  on  an  eminence  to  the  right  of  the  road, 
and  a  short  drive  brought  the  party  to  Dawyck,  or 
Dalwick.  The  lands  of  Dawyck  belonged  from  time 
immemorial  to  the  Veitches.  This  family  spent  a 
great  deal  of  money  in  the  public  service,  were  never 
repaid,  fell  into  a  state  of  indebtedness,  and  had  to  see 
these  lands  pass  from  them  in  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  The  property  was  acquired  by 
the  Naesmyths,  also  an  old  Peeblesshire  family, 
represented  at  present  by  Sir  James  Naesmyth,  Bart., 
whose  great-grandfather,  the  second  baronet,  was  a 
distinguished  botanist,  and  a  pupil  of  Linnreus. 

Bradford  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society. 
— Sept.  1 8th. — The  members  of  the  society  were  met 
at  Halifax  by  Mr.  John  Lister,  M.A.,  and  Mr.  Leyland, 
who  kindly  brought  plans  of  Halifax  Church  both  in 
its  ancient  and  modern  form.  Mr.  Lister  read  a  paper 
in  the  crypt  on  "The  Church  and  its  Associations." 
The  parish  church  is  a  fine  structure,  193  feet  long  by 
65  feet  broad,  and  is  divided  into  chancel,  nave,  side 
aisles,  and  two  chapels.  The  oldest  portion  is  that  to 
the  north,  as  to  the  age  of  which  authorities  differ. 
Mr.  Leyland  was  of  opinion  that  it  is  part  of  the 
Saxon  Chapel,  and  Mr.  Lister  expressed  the  belief 
that  it  is  Early  Decorated  of  the  thirteenth  century. 
The  rest  of  the  church  is  Perpendicular  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  Subsequent  to  the  preparation  of  Domesday 
Book,  Halifax  Church  is  known  to  have  been  a 
Rectory,  the  last  Rector  being  a  Frenchman,  William 
dc  Chaumence.  Camden  says  that  "  his  flock  was  in 
danger  to  be  starved  for  want  of  food,  in  regard  the 
present  Incumbent  did  not  understand  the  English 
tongue."  Chaumence  was  promoted  to  the  Bishopric 
of  Loson  in  1273,  and  the  Rectory  was  presented  to 
the  Priory  of  Lewes  by  Earl  Warren.  The  church 
was  then  made  into  a  perpetual  Vicarage,  and  Ingolard 
de  Turbard  was  inducted  first  Vicar  in  the  following 
year,  1274.  The  building  of  the  church  remained 
without  modification  until  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  when  Dr.  Wilkinson,  who  was  the  seventh 
Vicar,  made  considerable  alterations  and  additions. 
The  east  end  of  the  church  was  extended,  and  the 
great  east  window  of  seven  lights  put  in.  The  screen 
and  roodloft  separating  the  nave  from  the  choir  were, 
however,  not  disturbed.  The  whole  of  the  windows 
on  the  south  and  west  were  replaced  with  others  in 
the  Perpendicular  style.  The  tower  at  the  south-east 
corner,  being  either  unsafe  or  small  in  proportion  to 
the  extended  building,  was  pulled  down  to  the  slope 
of  the  roof,  and  a  new  square  tower,  118  feet  high,  was 
erected  at  the  west  end.  Either  at  this  time  or 
previously  the  walls  were  ornamented  with  extensive 
fresco  paintings,  representing  scriptural  subjects. 
Remains  of  these  paintings  were  discovered  during  the 
alterations  recently  made  by  Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  when 
all  the  plaster  was  removed  from  the  walls.  The 
Willoughby  chapel,  1494,  the  chapel  of  Archbishop 
Rokeby,  1525,  on  the  north  side,  and  the  Holdsworth 
chapel,  1554,  were  subsequently  added.  This  last  has 
been  reopened,  and  is  now  used  for  early  celebration 
and  prayers.  There  are  ten  bells  in  the  tower,  and  a 
library  of  ancient  books  in  the  crypt,  where  are  also  a 
cross  of  gold  and  the  registers  from  1539.  A  visit 
was  next  paid  to  the  ancient  Manor  House  close  by, 
and  also  to  the  mound  or  stand  of  the  gibbet  of  old 


MEETINGS  OF  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETIES. 


271 


Halifax,  on  which,  between  1541  and  1650,  fifty-three 
persons  were  beheaded.  The  party  then  proceeded 
to  Elland  Church,  where  the  Rev.  Francis  Musson, 
the  Vicar,  met  them.  One  feature  of  this  edifice  is 
the  east  window  of  five  lights,  without  tracery, 
designed  to  illustrate  incidents  in  the  life  of  the  Virgin 
(the  church  being  dedicated  to  St.  Mary),  and  is 
principally  of  old  glass.  In  the  north-west  window 
of  two  lights  are  the  arms  of  John  of  Gaunt,  Duke  of 
Lancaster.  The  church,  like  that  at  Ilalifax,  is 
principally  Perpendicular,  contains  two  chapels, 
chancel  and  nave,  and  square  tower  at  the  west  end 
with  four  bells.  After  partaking  of  tea  at  the  Savile 
Arms,  the  company  paid  a  visit  to  the  New  Hall,  an 
interesting  domestic  building  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
In  what  was  once  the  dining-room  there  is  a  large 
window  of  nine  lights,  a  spacious  gallery  round  three 
sides,  the  Royal  arms  over  the  fireplace,  and 
elaborately-carved  wainscoting  and  large  settle.  The 
porch  has  an  oriel  chamber  with  a  round  window,  and 
carved  tracery  over  the  handsome  entrance.  The 
house  is  now  occupied  by  Mr.  David  Gledhill. 

Archaeological  and  Architectural  Society  of 
Durham  and  Northumberland. — Sept.  22nd. — The 
sixth  meeting  of  the  present  year  of  the  Society  was 
held,  when  visits  were  paid  to  Ponteland,  Belsay, 
Bolam,  and  Whalton.  The  party  drove  from  Newcastle 
to  Ponteland,  where  the  church  and  the  inn  were 
examined,  and  descriptions  were  given  by  Mr. 
Charles  C.  Hodges.  Belsay  was  next  visited,  and  by 
the  courtesy  of  Sir  Arthur  Middleton  the  castle,  with 
its  fine  pele  tower  of  the  14th  century,  was  inspected. 
The  grotto  was  also  seen.  On  reaching  Bolam  the 
church  was  viewed  ;  and  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Boyle  read  a 
pa]:)er,  "The  History  and  Architecture  of  Bolam 
Church."  At  Whalton,  the  Rev.  John  Walker  acted 
as  guide  at  the  church,  and  then  showed  the  pele 
ower  at  the  Vicarage. 

Derby  Archaeological  and  Natural  History 
Society. — Sept.  22. — It  was  with  no  small  degree  of 
general  surprise  that  a  few  months  ago  the  intelligence 
was  received  that  some  archoeological  remains  had 
been  discovered  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Castle 
orchard  "  at  Duffield.  The  appellation  of  the  locality 
of  the  discovery  and  other  traditional  facts  had 
always  suggested  historical  associations  ;  but  that  any 
solid  remains  of  that  once  important  edifice  were  in 
existence  was  never  dreamed  of  even  by  so  sanguine 
an  antiquary  as  Dr.  Cox,  Some  excavations  for 
building  purposes  made  by  the  owner  of  the  pro- 
perty (Mr.  Harvey),  with  the  result  of  finding  a  frag- 
ment of  stone-wall,  followed  by  a  careful  examination 
of  the  ground  by  a  party  of  interested  gentlemen,  who 
formed  themselves  into  a  committee,  have  resulted  in 
the  discovery  of  something  more  than  a  mere  stone  or 
two  of  this  Derbyshire  stronghold.  Indeed,  so 
successful  have  the  excavators  been  that  a  complete 
ground-plan  of  the  remains,  which  has  been  litho- 
graphed and  circulated,  was  prcjjared  without  much 
difficulty.  Naturally  interested  by  the  discovery  of 
such  important  relics  of  the  past  history  of  their 
county,  the  study  of  whose  antiquities  forms  the 
motif  o{  their  existence  as  a  body,  the  members  of  the 
Archaeological  Society  paid  a  visit  to  Duffield,  to  ex- 
plore the  much-t.ilked-of  "find."  On  reaching 
Duftield  the  site  of  the  castle  was  at  once  made  for. 


It  is  situated  upon  a  piece  of  high  ground  just  out- 
side the  village,  to  the  left  of  the  turnpike-road  lead- 
ing to  Belper.  WTien  arrived  at  the  spot,  most  of  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  were  astonished  to  see  the  ex- 
tent of  the  disclosures  made  through  the  process  of 
excavation.  The  appearance  was  of  a  large  building 
recently  demolished.  There  was  not  merely  a  shape- 
less mass  of  masonry,  but  the  substantial  foundations 
of  a  fortress  of  considerable  strength,  rising  up  in  some 
places  to  a  height  of  one  or  two  feet.  There  were 
also  large  pieces  of  black-looking  timber,  and  some 
trays  for  exhibition  containing  most  extensive 
collections  of  ancient  pottery  and  other  relics  found 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  site.  Mounting  an  elevated 
position  amidst  the  ruins,  and  with  the  members  of 
the  expedition  gathered  around  him.  Dr.  Cox  (who 
kirtlly  acted  as  cicerone)  proceeded  to  descant  upon 
tl.j  history  of  the  building  whose  remains  were  now 
under  inspection.  He  said  it  was  a  custom  of  our 
castle-building  progenitors,  in  choosing  a  site  upon 
which  to  erect  their  strongholds,  to  select  the  site  of 
some  older  residence  ;  and  thus,  on  account  of  the 
splendid  locale  of  Duffield  Castle,  he  had  conjectured 
at  the  time  of  the  discovery  that  relics  of  earlier 
periods  than  that  of  the  Normans  would  most  likely 
be  found  among  the  dc'bris.  That  surmise  had  proved 
to  be  correct,  as  traces  of  times  even  so  far  back  as 
the  Celtic  period  had  been  decidedly  brought  to  light ; 
also  many  proofs  of  association  with  the  Roman  occu- 
pation. With  reference  to  the  latter  period,  Dr. 
Cox  stated  that  a  Roman  cross-road,  leading  from  the 
lead  mines  at  Wirkworth  to  the  great  Rykneild  Street 
(crossing  the  Derwent  by  a  ford),  could  be  traced  ; 
and  between  the  flags  of  a  paved  footway  leading 
to  the  ford  he  had  found  several  pieces  of  Roman 
pottery  which  might  be  seen  in  the  collection  now  on 
view.  The  interesting  remains  of  the  castle,  he  pro- 
ceeded, which  had  been  so  successfully  disclosed, 
were  those  of  a  Norman  keep  of  exceptional  magni- 
tude and  strength.  It  must  have  been,  indeed, 
larger  than  that  of  the  well-known  example  at 
Rochester,  and,  therefore,  only  excelled  in  size  and 
strength  by  the  Tower  of  London.  Amongst  other 
interesting  archxological  features.  Dr.  Cox  drew 
attention  to  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  and  to  a 
Norman  well  of  great  depth,  which  had  been  dis- 
covered by  one  of  the  workmen.  This  latter  "  find  " 
was  made  increasingly  interesting  by  the  fact  that  the 
staves  of  the  Norman  bucket  and  the  corroded  handle 
had  also  been  unearthed.  Much  surprise,  said  Dr. 
Cox,  had  been  expressed  that  more  was  not  known  of 
the  past  historical  associations  of  the  castle.  That, 
he  remarked,  is  explained  when  we  remember  that 
very  little  is  known  at  all  of  the  Norman  period  of 
English  history.  The  only  public  records  we  have  of 
places  during  that  age  refer  to  those  belonging  to 
Royalty.  Then  the  affairs  of  the  Crown  alone  formed 
the  theme  of  the  chronicler's  pen.  Duffield  Castle 
and  its  extensive  domains  was  the  private  residence 
of  the  Ferrerses,  from  whose  family  the  first  Earls  of 
Derby  sprang.  "  During  the  rebellion  of  Prince 
Henry  against  his  father  Henry  II.,  Robert,  Earl 
Ferrers,  held  Duffield  Castle  .igainst  the  King.  On 
his  submitting  to  the  King  in  1 1 74,  his  castles  at 
Duffield  and  Tutbury  were  handed  over  to  the  Crown 
and  ordered  to  be  demolished."     Duffield  Castle  w.os 


272 


THE  ANTIQUARY'S  NOTE-BOOK. 


afterwards  rebuilt,  but  finally  razed  to  the  ground  in 
Henry  III.'s  reign.  The  pieces  of  charred  timber  that 
have  been  disclosed  appear  to  indicate  that  the  de- 
struction was  chiefly  wrought  by  fire. 

Cambridge  Antiquarian  Society.— Oct.  25. — 
The  Rev.  G.  F.  Browne,  B.D.,  president,  in  the 
chair.  Thanks  were  voted  to  the  Rev.  G.  W. 
Searle,  M.A.,  for  the  present  of  a  Roman  tile  from 
the  south  transept  of  St.  Alban's  Abbey  ;  and  to  Mr. 
J.  H.  Bloom,  for  five  panes  of  stained  glass,  excavated 
in  1854,  at  Castle  Acre  Priory.  A  communication 
from  the  Rev.  C.  W.  King,  M.A.,  was  read,  upon  a 
tablet  lately  presented  to  Trinity  College  Library, 
bearing  the  following  inscription  : 

M    •    VERRIO 

T    •    F    •    FAL    •    FLACCO 

CELSVS    FRATER 

"To  Marcus  Verrius,  son  of  Titus,  of  the  Falerina 
Tribe,  his  brother  Celsus  "  [erected  this  monument]. 
The  words  are  cut  in  the  round  bold  characters  used 
in  the  later  years  of  the  Republic,  but  which  did  not 
outlast  the  first  century  of  the  Empire ;  the  material  is 
a  well-preserved  slab,  28  inches  long  by  18  inches  wide, 
of  Parian  marble,  for  the  quarries  of  Carrara  were  but 
recently  worked  when  Pliny  wrote.  The  Verria  was 
a  plebeian  family,  and  the  Falerina  in  which  it  was 
registered  a  rustic  tribe  :  Flaccus  was  the  actual  name 
of  the  deceased,  for  the  Nomen  and  Tribtis  of  the 
Verria  gens  had  been  (as  was  the  rule)  assumed  by  his 
father,  originally  a  slave,  upon  becoming  a  freed-man 
of  that  family.  That  Flaccus  was  a  word  of  some 
Italian  dialect  (probably  Oscan,  from  the  analogy  cf 
Maccus)  cannot  be  doubted  ;  nor  that  with  Bassus 
Varus  and  the  like,  it  denoted  some  personal  pecu- 
liarity of  the  man  who  bore  it — perhaps  lop-eared,  for 
its  Latin  derivative, yfaraVZ/w,  is  applied  to  anything 
that  droops.  From  Suetonius  we  learn  that  Verrius 
Flaccus  was  the  son  of  a  freed-man,  as  was  the  father 
of  his  contemporary  and  namesake,  the  poet  Horace. 
Induced  by  his  high  reputation  as  a  school-master, 
Augustus  appointed  him  tutor  to  his  grandsons,  Caius 
and  Lucius,  with  a  salary  of  one  hundred  sestertia 
(;^l,ooo)  a-year:  he  also  lodged  Verrius  together  with 
his  whole  school  of  twenty  boys  in  the  Palace,  stipu- 
lating, however,  that  he  was  not  to  increase  the  num- 
ber. One  novel  point  in  his  system  seems  to  have 
been  to  set  his  pupils  themes  for  declamations  in 
which  they  should  compete  for  a  prize,  which  was  a 
book  valuable  for  its  antiquity  or  its  beauty.  He 
added  to  his  reputation  by  drawing  up  a  set  of  Fasti 
(kalendar  of  the  months),  of  which  fragments,  contain- 
ing January,  March,  April,  and  September  entire, 
were  found  in  1770,  among  the  ruins  of  the  forum  of 
Prseneste.  The  seven  quotations  that  Pliny  makes 
from  Verrius  prove  him  to  have  been  a  high  authority 
in  matters  of  archeology. — Professor  E.  C.  Clark 
suggested  that  the  inscription  reads  M.  F.  Alarei 
Ftlio,  and  remarked  on  the  position  of  the  name  of 
the  tribe  before  the  cognomen  Flacco,  referring  to  a 
similar  instance  in  the  case  of  an  inscription  now  in 
the  possession  of  the  Earl  of  Povvis.  He  also  men- 
tioned the  existence  of  a  probably  forged  inscription 
relating  to  the  same  person,  in  which  he  was  repre- 
sented as  belonging  to  the  trilnis  Falatina,  instead  of 
Falerina.     The  error  of  the  forger  he  considered  to 


arise  from  the  story  of  Flaccus's  migration  to  the 
Palatine,  as  reported  by  Suetonius.  He  added  that 
Flaccus  was  the  author  of  the  book  De  Verborum 
Signijicatione  attributed  to  Festus. 

[We  regret  being  obliged  to  defer'our  report  of  the 
Chester  Archaeological  Society  meeting.  It  will 
appear  in  our  next  issue.] 


Cfje  antiquatp's  il3ote=T5oolt» 


Chained  Books.  —  Hereford  offers  the  finest 
specimens  of  chained  libraries  now  to  be  found 
anywhere  in  the  world.  In  17 15,  Dr.  William 
Brewster  left  a  chained  collection  of  books  to  All 
Saints'  Church,  of  Hereford,  and  it  may  still  be  seen 
there.  More  remarkable,  however,  is  the  library  of 
Hereford  Cathedral,  which  remains  to-day  the  very 
image  of  an  ancient  monastic  library.  Its  books  are 
in  cases  of  open  shelves.  Each  book  is  attached  to  a 
chain,  which  ends  in  a  ring  sliding  on  a  horizontal 
iron  rod  running  the  whole  length  of  the  shelf.  The 
rods  are  fastened  by  locks  at  the  end  of  each  case. 
The  chains  are  long  enough  to  allow  the  reader  to 
place  the  book  upon  a  desk  before  the  shelves.  Even 
the  library  catalogue  is  riveted  to  its  desk,  and  all 
accessions  to  the  books  are  chained  now  just  as  in  old 
times.  The  method  of  fastening  the  chains  to  the 
volumes  makes  it  necessary  for  most  of  the  books  to 
have  their  fore  edges  turned  outward,  and  this,  too,  is 
a  very  antique  fashion.  This  quaint  old  chained 
library  of  Hereford  Cathedral  includes  some  such 
rarities  as  a  manuscript  Wycliffe  Bible,  Caxton's 
Golden  Legend,  and  Higden's  Polychroniion,  printed 
by  Wynkyn  de  Worde.  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  in 
London  has  a  relic  of  the  ancient  monastic  library  ;  it 
is  a  vellum  folio  in  Latin,  with  its  old  chain  attached. 
The  library  of  Wells  Cathedral  was  chained  in  former 
days,  and  some  of  its  volumes  still  retain  the  rings  to 
which  the  chains  were  linked.  In  1481  Sir  Thomas 
Lyttleton  bequeathed  to  the  convent  of  Hales-Owen 
a  book  ' '  which  I  wuU  be  laid  and  bounded  with  an 
yron  Chayne  in  some  convenient  parte  within  the 
said  church,  at  my  costs,  so  that  all  preests  and 
others  may  ?6  and  rede  it  whenne  it  pleaseth  them." 
Fox's  Book  of  Martyrs  was  often  chained  in  the 
churches.  Many  of  the  rare  tomes  of  the  Oxford 
Bodleian  Libraryused  to  be  chained,  and  when  James  I. 
visited  it  he  declared  that  were  he  not  a  king,  he 
would  desire  no  other  prison  than  to  be  chained  with 
so  many  good  authors.  When  John  Selden's  books 
were  given  to  the  Bodleian  in  1659,  over  £2'^  were 
spent  in  providing  them  with  fetters.  Not  until  the 
latter  half  of  the  last  century  did  the  Bodleian  Library 
shake  off  all  its  shackles. 

The  First  Silk-mill  in  England. — Mr.  F.  Rought 
Wilson  writes  in  the  Christian  Miscellany,  that  not 
long  ago  learned  antiquaries  were  shocked  to  hear 
that  a  scheme  was  afloat  to  demolish  the  first  silk- 
mill  ever  erected  in   England.     Happily,  however, 


THE  ANTIQUARY'S  NOTE-BOOK. 


«73 


the  efforts  of  a  righteous  indignation  saved  the  vener- 
able structure,  and  to-day  it  stands  on  its  island-bed 
in  the  River  Derwent,  at  Derby,  the  pride  not  only 
of  the  inhabitants  of  that  town,  but  of  England  gener- 
ally. Here  it  was  that  John  Lombe,  the  pioneer  of 
the  English  silk-trade,  manufactured  the  first  silk  pro- 
duced in  this  country.  This  was  in  the  year  1718. 
Prior  to  that  period,  the  Italians  enjoyed  a  practical 
monopoly  of  the  art  of  silk -throwing.  But  in  the 
year  17 15  Lombe,  who  is  described  as  an  intelligent 
young  English  mechanic  of  good  family  connections, 
set  out  for  Italy  with  the  intention  of  wresting  the 
prize  from  its  foreign  possessors.  Engaging  himself 
as  a  helper  at  one  of  the  Italian  factories,  he  studi- 


thirteen  stone  arches,  which  support  the  thick  walls. 
The  length  of  the  building  is  1 10  feet,  and  the  height 
55  feet  6  inches.  It  is  five  stories  high,  and  there 
are  eight  rooms,  lighted  by  468  windows.  It  is  ap- 
proached through  iron  gates  of  superb  design,  with 
Lombe's  monogram  interwoven.  Lombe's  success 
from  the  first  was  extraordinary.  But  treachery  was 
at  work.  The  Italians,  seriously  offended  at  the 
trick  that  had  been  played  them,  employed  a  woman 
to  come  over  to  England  and  devise  a  plan  for  putting, 
the  object  of  their  malice  to  death  by  slow  poison. 
How  the  deadly  draught  was  administered  has  never 
been  known ;  but  Lombe  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and 
after  lingering  in  agony  for  three  days,  died.     Such 


THE  FIRST  SILK  MILL  IN   ENGLAND. 


ously  watched  his  opportunities  for  noting  down  the 
various  parts  of  machinery  used  in  the  formation 
of  the  silk  ;  but  the  strict  vigilance  of  his  employers 
almost  baffled  him.  Failing  to  ol)tain  his  object  by 
fair  means,  he  at  last  had  recourse  to  bribery.  Some 
fellow-workmen  were  corrupted  ;  and,  with  their 
assistance,  Lombe  managed  to  take  drawings  of  the 
coveted  invention.  After  their  arrival  the  first  step 
taken  was  to  look  round  for  a  place  in  which  to  com- 
mence operations,  and  the  town  of  Derby  was 
selected.  Here  a  lease  was  obtained  from  the  Cor- 
poration of  the  island  in  the  river,  and  a  factory  of 
huge  dimensions  was  designed.  Meanwhile  rooms 
were  hired  at  the  Town  Hall,  where,  after  obtaining 
a  patent  from  the  Crown,  Lombe  erected  his 
machinery  and  spun  his  first  specimens.  At  last,  at  a 
cost  of  £^,0,000,  the  present  mill  was  erected.  It 
stands  upon  a  foundation  of  immense  oaken  piles, 
covered    with    stone-work,    on    which     are     turned 


was  the  sad  death,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-nine,  of 
the  father  of  the  English  silk  trade. 

Fairy  Builders  of  the  Cromlechs. —The  crom- 
lechs or  stone  holes  are  constructed  with  three  flat 
stones  or  slates  placed  edgeways  in  the  ground,  en- 
closing three  sides  ofa  square  or  parallelogram  as  sup- 
ports or  walls,  with  one  at  the  top  as  a  cover,  usually 
larger  than  the  others  ;  and  having  one  side  open, 
usually  the  north  or  north-west.  There  is  usually 
also  a  flooring  of  slabs.  These  comlechs  are  not  .as 
numerous  at  Rajan  Koloor  and  Ilajinitji  as  the 
kistvaens,  or  closed  cromlechs,  hut  there  are  still  many, 
and  all  exactly  correspond  with  the  cromlech  called 
Kitt's  Co'.y  House,  near  Aylesford,  in  Kent,  with 
those  at  Plas  Newydd,  in  Anglesea,  and  those  in 
Brittany  and  the  Nilgherries.  The  measurements  of 
the  one  at  Rajan  Koloor  are  as  follows  :  upper  sl.ab 
is  12  feet  3  inches  long  by  10  feet  6  inches  broad  ; 
side  slabs,  12  feet  long  by  7  feet  broad,  including 


274 


OBITUARY. 


2  feet  in  the  ground  ;  there  were  others  differing  very 
little  indeed  in  measurement,  and  all  forming  noble 
groups.  The  belief  is  prevalent  at  Jiwasji  that  the 
Mora  people,  supposed  dwarfs  of  three  spans  high, 
constructed  the  remains  at  Rajan  Koloor,  Yemmee 
Good,  Hajinitji,  etc.  These  remains  are  also  attri- 
buted to  the  fairies  and  dwarfs  by  the  superstitions  of 
Wales,  Dorsetshire,  Cornwall,  and  Brittany,  etc. — 
Bombay  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  iii.,  pt.  2,  pp.  180-182. 
'  Books. — In  Barnaby  Rich's  A'New  Description  of 
Ireland,  1610,  occurs  the  following  curious  passage, 
as  applicable  to  the  present  day  as  to  that  on  which 
it  was  written,  especially  having  in  view  the  article 
on  Mr.  Gosse,  in  the  Quarterly  Review,  and  Mr. 
Ralston's  noble  letter  in  the  Athenaum  of  Nov.  6. 
We  recommend  this  letter  to  all  our  readers.  The 
passage  from  Rich  is,  "  One  of  the  diseases  of  this  age 

is  the  multitude  of  books It  is  but  a  thriftlesse 

and  a  thanklesse  occupation  this  writing  of  bookes ; 
a  man  were  better  to  sing  in  a  cobbler's  shop,  for 
his  pay  is  a  penny  a  patch  ;  but  a  booke-writer,  if  hee 
get  sometimes  a  few  commendations  of  the  judicious 
he  shall  be  sure  to  reepe  a  thousand  reproaches  of  the 
malicious." 

Expressions  Used  for  Drunkenness. — In  the 
Gentleman' s  Magazine  for  1770  (pp.  559-560)  is  an 
amusing  list  of  words  and  expressions  commonly  used 
to  denote  a  drunken  person.  It  is  reprinted  in  the 
Dialect  volume  of  Mr.  Gomme's  Gentleman'' s  Magazine 
Library  (pp.  142-146).  A  much  earlier'  list  of  such 
words  and  expressions,  and  one  containing  many  not 
to  be  found  in  the  later  list,  is  given  in  Thomas 
Hey  wood's  Philocothonista,  1631;,  as  follows:  "To 
title  a  drunkard  by,  we  (as  loath  to  give  him  such  a 
name  so  gross  and  harsh)  strive  to  character  him  in 
a  more  mincing  and  modest  phrase  as  thus — He  is  a 
good  fellow,  A  boon  Companion,  A  mad  Greek,  A 
true  Trojan,  A  stiff  Blade,  One  that  is  steel  to  the 
back,  A  low-Country  Soldier,  One  that  will  take  his 
sowse,  One  that  will  drink  deep  though  it  be  a  mile 
to  the  bottom.  One  that  knows  how  the  cards  are 
dealt,  One  that  will  be  flush  of  all  four,  One  that  bears 
up  stiff.  One  whom  the  Brewer's  horse  hath  bit,  One 
that  knows  of  which  side  his  bread  is  buttered,  One 
that  drinks  upse-freeze.  One  that  lays  down  his  ears 
and  drinks,  One  that  drinks  supernaculum,  One  that 
can  sup  off  his  cider." 


©tJituarp, 


THE  LATE  REV.  WILLIAM  BARNES,  B.D. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  foremost  amongst 
Dorset  worthies  will  always  be  placed  the  name  of 
William  Barnes. 

The  familiar  figure,  clad  in  knee-breeches,  silk 
stockings,  and  buckle-shoes,  of  the  gentle  scholar  and 
poet  who  has  just  passed  away  will  no  more  be  seen 
amongst  the  scenes  he  loved  so  well  and  described  so 
faithfully ;  but  his  many  friends  and  neighbours,  to 
whom  he  was  endeared  by  the  simple  sweetness  of  his 
nature,  and  who  are  proud  of  their  Dorset  Burns,  as 
they  call  him,  will  not  readily  let  his  memory  fade  as 
a  man,  whilst  as  a  writer  he  had  long  made  a  fame  for 


himself  which  has  travelled  far  beyond  his  native 
county. 

He  was  born  at  Rushay,  just  as  the  present  centur}' 
dawned,  in  an  old  farmhouse  near  Sturminster, 
Newton,  in  the  vale  of  Blackmore,  since  burnt  down, 
and  came  of  yeoman  stock,  which  held  lands  in 
Gillingham  parish  as  long  ago  as  the  time  of 
Henry  VIII.  From  his  mother,  Grace  Scott,  he 
inherited  intellectual  tastes,  and  as  a  boy  he  was 
placed  in  the  office  of  a  Mr.  Dashwood  at  Stur- 
minster. In  1823  he  took  a  school  at  Mere  ;  leaving 
this  in  1835,  he  opened  another  at  Dorchester,  where 
in  later  years,  by  the  way,  he  had  Thomas  Hardy,  the 
novelist,  as  a  pupil.  In  1838  he  entered  St.  John's 
College,  Camliridge.  In  1844  he  published  his  first 
collection  of  Dorset  poems  ;  in  1862  was  presented 
to  the  living  of  Carne,  close  to  Dorchester,  and  at 
its  peaceful  little  rectory  he  died  on  the  7th  of  October, 
1886,  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-six.  Quite  lately  he 
published  a  "  Glossary  of  the  Dorset  Dialect " — indeed, 
his  mental  faculties  remained  clear  to  the  last,  and  the 
writer  cherishes  the  recollection  of  an  afternoon  not 
many  months  ago,  spent  in  his  society,  when,  as  the 
sun  sank  into  the  west,  the  old  man  eloquently  dis- 
coursed with  unabated  interest  on  Celtic  and  Anglo- 
Saxon  antiquities,  on  speech  -  craft,  fast  •  fading 
customs  of  country  life,  and  other  kindred  topics, 
in  which  he  was  so  deeply  versed.  Philologist,  student, 
and  clergyman  though  he  was,  Barnes  was  above  all 
a  son  of  the  soil.  Rural  life  he  knew  the  lights  and 
shades  of  as  only  a  poet,  born  and  bred  amongst  it, 
can  know  them,  and  this  it  is  which  gives  his  "  native 
wood-notes  wild  "  their  beauty  and  their  value,  so 
that  in  all  lands  where  English  speech  is  known  men 
will  read  with  delight  the  poems  of  William  Barnes. 


antiquarian  f^^'m. 


In  the  making  of  some  repairs  lately  at  the  Acro- 
polis, the  workmen  found  near  the  stairway  at  the 
northern  wall  some  old  pillars  in  a  state  of  perfect 
l^reservation.  The  Athenian  archreologists  are  of 
opinion  that  they  belong  to  the  period  before  the 
Persian  war. 

Some  excavators  in  the  bed  of  the  Cher  have  dis- 
covered, near  the  city  of  Bourges,  an  enormous 
Gaulish  boat,  formed  of  a  single  oak  trunk.  It  is  in 
excellent  preservation.  It  has  been  hauled  to  the 
Hotel  Cujas,  Bourges,  where  it  will  form  one  of  the 
leading  elements  of  the  collection  of  the  antiquities  of 
the  province  of  Berry. 

Sir  John  Savile  Lumley,  British  Ambassador  at 
Rome,  has  offered  to  present  to  the  Nottingham 
Castle  Art  Museum  a  collection  of  specimens  of  clas- 
sical antiquity,  which  he  has  made  on  the  site  of  the 
Temple  of  Diana,  near  Rome.  The  collection  com- 
prises a  large  number  of  objects  and  fragments  in 
terra  cotta,  bronze,  and  marble,  as  well  as  specimens 
of  money  inscriptions.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Notting- 
ham Town  Council  lately,  it  was  decided  to  accept 
the  offer,  for  which  a  cordial  vote  of  thanks  was 
accorded. 


ANTJQ  UARIAN  NE  WS. 


275 


Recent  excavations  have  laid  bare  the  ruins  of  the 
Cathedral  at  Vladimir  Volynsk,  which  was  erected  in 
the  twelfth  century,  and  was  dedicated  to  the  Assump- 
tion. The  builder,  Mstislav  Iziaslovich,  evidently  in- 
tended to  make  his  work  one  of  the  finest  of  Russian 
churches  of  the  twelfth  century.  It  occupied  an  area 
but  little  less  than  that  of  .St.  Sophia,  at  Kief,  and 
exceeded  it  in  length.  In  the  sanctuary  portions  of  a 
fine  mosaic  pavement  have  been  found.  The  remain- 
ing interior  space  contained  a  large  number  of  tombs 
of  the  archdukes  and  bishops.  A  mound,  distant  two 
versts  from  the  town,  has  also  been  excavated,  and 
the  walls  of  a  very  ancient  church,  probably  the  earlier 
cathedral,  have  been  discovered.  Portions  of  frescoes 
and  inscriptions  are  now  being  investigated. 

The  Dean  has  lately  taken  advantage  of  some  dry 
weather  to  examine  the  ancient  well  in  the  crypt  of 
Winchester  Cathedral.  It  is  thought  that  as  this  well 
is  not  centrally  placed  to  the  columns  of  the  crypt 
it  very  probably  is  of  earlier  date,  and  may  be 
Saxon  or  even  Roman  in  origin.  The  well  is  steined 
throughout  its  depth  (8  feet  4  inches)  with  fine  wrought 
stone.  It  widens  somewhat  at  the  base,  where  its 
diameter  is  32  inches,  decreasing  to  29  inches  at  the 
surface,  which  is  not  far  above  the  water-level  of  the 
stream,  and  the  contiguous  water-courses  of  St.  Ethel- 
wold,  the  great  Saxon  bishop.  The  base  of  the  well 
is  closed  with  a  hard  bed  of  fine  concrete.  There  is 
no  evidence  of  any  spring,  and  the  water  supply,  such 
as  it  was,  must  have  come  from  the  natural  percola- 
tion of  the  surrounding  moisture. 

The  Vossische  Zeitung  reports  that  at  Hagiri  Deke, 
the  site  of  the  ancient  Gortyna,  a  colossal  statue  of 
Pentelican  marble  has  been  lately  disinterred.  Un- 
fortunately the  head  is  wanting,  and  one  arm.  The 
other  arm  is  broken  off,  but  was  found  with  the  statue. 
The  statue  represents  a  richly-attired  woman,  with 
one  foot  forward  as  if  in  the  act  of  setting  out  to  walk. 
On  the  base  there  are  traces  of  an  inscription,  which 
would  make  it  the  work  of  Eisidotus  of  Athens.  The 
statue  has  been  placed  in  the  museum  lately  estab- 
lished at  Heraclea.  Grotyna  has  lately  been  pro- 
minently mentioned  as  a  place  where  abundant 
rciuains  ought  to  be  found  ;  it  was  there  that  Halb- 
herr  and  Fabricius  found  the  ancient  legal  inscription. 
The  Berlin  paper  says  that  Dr.  Schliemann  is  at  Con- 
stantinople, endeavouring  to  obtain  a  firman  authoris- 
ing him  to  undertake  explorations  at  Gortyna  and 
Cnossus,  on  the  same  conditions  under  which  the 
Germans  have  been  allowed  by  the  Greek  Govern- 
ment to  carry  out  their  excavations  at  Olympia. 

The  Ancona  paper  L'Ordine  announces  that  Count 
Politi-Flamini,  a  well-known  collector  of  autographs, 
has  in  his  possession  at  Recanati  a  number  of  auto- 
graph letters  and  other  documents  of  Michael  Angelo, 
and  other  letters  and  papers  hitherto  unknown,  relat- 
ing to  him  and  his  affairs.  The  Florentine  archivist, 
Milanesi,  published  in  1855  almost  all  the  letters  of 
the  great  artist,  and  what  autograph  documents  were 
to  be  found  in  the  British  Museum  and  the  Museo 
Buonarolti  at  Florence.  Among  them  was  the  con- 
tract for  the  facade  of  San  Lorenzo,  signed  by  Leo  X. 
and  Michelangelo.  A  duplicate  of  this  contract, 
signed  by  both,  is  in  Count  Flamini's  collection. 
There  arc  also  letters  from  Pope  Clement  \TI.,  from 
ses'eral  cardinals,  from  Cosimo  Medici,  and  Vasari, 


and  especially  several  from  his  nephew,  Leonardo 
Buonarotti.  There  are  several  from  Michael  Angelo's 
father,  Ludovico,  which  prove  how  highly  the  father 
esteemed  his  son,  and  how  warmly  his  affection  was 
reciprocated. 

Hundreds  of  people  were  attracted  to  Ox  Hill, 
Leatherhead,  by  the  discovery  of  a  quantity  of  human 
remains  in  a  field  adjoining  the  high  road.  The 
grounds  for  a  new  mansion  are  being  laid  out,  and 
about  two  feet  under  the  surface,  in  a  chalk  bed,  were 
found,  several  feet  apart,  two  well-preser\'ed  skeletons. 
The  root  of  a  tree  had  grown  through  from  the  top  of 
the  skull  of  one  and  out  at  the  ear,  and  the  roots  of 
trees  were  twined  about  the  other  skeleton,  the  head 
of  which  had  been  forced  off  by  one  of  them.  Alto- 
gether portions  of  six  or  seven  skeletons  were  dis- 
covered, and  it  is  thought  that  further  discoveries  of  a 
similar  character  may  be  made.  The  Surrey  Archae- 
ological Society  has  been  invited  to  visit  the  spot. 

Visitors  to  the  Louvre  will  now  see  among  the 
ancient  sculptures  a  handsome  statue  of  one  of  the 
Dioscuri,  where  previously  there  was  but  a  nameless 
torso.  The  change,  says  the  AthetKrum,  has  come 
about  in  this  manner.  During  the  French  excava- 
tions at  Carthage  in  1884,  which  were  conducted  by 
M.  S.  Reinach,  the  torso  came  to  light  ;  the  most 
vigilant  search  could  not  discover  the  head  and  right 
leg,  which  were  wanting  to  complete  the  statue. 
Some  months  ago  at  a  sale-room  in  Bond  Street  there 
appeared  a  head  and  right  leg  in  marble,  which  were 
said  to  have  been  found  at  Carthage.  They  were 
purchased  at  the  desire  of  Mr.  Murray,  of  the  British 
Museum,  and  were  sent  thither  to  await  an  oppor- 
tunity of  acquiring  them  for  the  national  collection. 
But  M.  Reinach,  to  whom  they  were  shown,  suc- 
ceeded in  proving  that  they  belonged  to  the  torso 
which  had  been  found  by  him.  Mr.  Murray  there- 
upon waived  his  right  to  buy  them,  and  the  Louvre  is 
now  the  richer  by  a  statue  which,  if  a  little  rude  in 
execution,  is  nevertheless  a  bold  and  striking  study 
from  an  earlier  original  of  a  fine  style. 

The  townspeople  of  Kirkwall  have  celebrated  the 
four  hundredth  anniversary  of  its  incorporation  as  a 
Royal  borough,  the  first  charter  having  been  granteil 
by  King  James  III.  in  i486. 

Mr.  Alexander  G.  Murdoch  is  preparing  a  series  of 
articles  on  "  The  Violin  in  Scotland  ;  or.  The  Story  of 
Scotch  Fiddles  and  Fiddle-makers."  He  is  hopeful 
of  being  thus  able  to  rescue  from  oblivion  not  a  few 
of  those  obscure  but  clever  geniuses  who  have  in  their 
day  and  generation  made  or  played  on  that  delightful 
instrument.  Every  Scotch  town,  village,  and  hamlet 
has  had,  or  at  present  has,  its  born  fiddler  or  fiddle- 
maker,  or  both. 

The  Italian  Ministry  have  directed  that  the  great 
collection  of  musical  works,  which  formed  part  of  the 
Musical  Library  in  Rome,  shall  be  transferred  to  the 
Accademia  di  Santa  Cecilia.  This  collection  has 
been  described  as  the  richest  of  its  kind  in  the  world, 
and  the  catalogue  of  musical  works  which  it  contains 
as  the  most  complete  in  existence. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Burns,  of  Lady  Glenorchy's 
Parish,  Edinburgh,  is  preparing  for  the  press  a  His- 
tory of  Old  Scottish  Communion  Cups,  Baptismal 
Plate,  and  Tokens.     The  work  will  be  illustrated  with 


276 


ANTIQUARIAN  NE  JVS. 


upwards  of  fifty  plates,  which  will  show  the  different 
types  of  communion  vessels  at  present  in  use  in  the 
Church  of  Scotland.  A  collection  of  communion 
plate  is  being  exhibited  at  the  Edinburgh  Interna- 
tional Exhibition,  which  contains  contributions  from 
upwards  of  one  hundred  parishes  in  Scotland. 

The  village  of  Eyam,  in  Derbyshire,  besides  being 
painfully  memorable  on  account  of  a  visitation  of  the 
great  plague,  is  rich  in  historical  associations.  The 
chief  road  to  the  village  is  now  called  the  Ligget,  a 
name  derived  from  the  Saxon  word  Lyd,  or  Lid,  sig- 
nifying cover  or  protect.  From  an  early  period  in 
English  annals  down  to  about  a  century  ago  a  strong 
gate  was  closed  at  nightfall,  and  here  "  watch  and 
ward"  was  kept.  "Every  effective  man,"  says 
Wood,  the  local  historian,  "  who  was  a  householder 
in  the  village,  was  bound  to  stand  in  succession  at 
this  gate  from  nine  o'clock  at  night  till  six  in  the 
morning,  to  (question  any  person  who  might  appear 
at  the  gate  wishing  for  entrance  into  the  village,  and 
to  give  alarm  if  danger  were  apprehended."  The 
watchman  had  a  large  wooden  halbert,  or  "watch 
bell,"  for  protection,  and  when  he  came  off  watch  in 
the  morning  he  took  the  "  watch  bell"  and  reared  it 
against  the  door  of  the  person  whose  turn  to  watch 
succeeded  his,  and  so  on  in  succession."  It  is  believed 
that  Eyam  was  one  of  the  last  villages  in  England  to 
give  up  this  custom. 

The  site  of  the  ancient  Olbia,  in  the  government  of 
Kherson,  is  now  being  explored  by  the  Russian  archse- 
ologist,  M.  Sourouzan,  who  has  discovered  indica- 
tions which  will  probably  enable  him  to  trace  the 
course  of  the  city  walls,  and  determine  the  position  of 
the  agora,  the  public  cemetery,  and  the  main  quay. 
The  kourgani  or  tumuli  of  the  locality  are  also  being 
excavated  under  the  direction  of  the  same  archae- 
ologist. 

The  Archaeological  Society  of  St.  Petersburg  pro- 
poses to  form  a  museum  of  Christian  antiquities,  of 
which  it  is  believed  a  plentiful  supply  can  be  obtained 
from  the  numerous  churches  and  monasteries  of  the 
Russian  empire. 

During  some  excavations  lately  undertaken  by  Mr. 
Eowles,  builder,  in  a  plot  of  ground  at  the  back  of 
and  adjoining  the  Salvation  Army  Barracks,  Col- 
chester, a  number  of  skulls  and  other  human  bones 
have  been  turned  up.  Eight  or  nine  skeletons  were 
unearthed,  some  of  the  skulls  being  in  an  excellent  state 
of  preservation,  whilst  others  were  considerably  the 
worse  for  age.  A  quantity  of  Roman  pottery  was 
also  discovered,  several  more  skulls  have  been  found, 
and  as  only  a  small  portion  of  the  land  has  been  ex- 
cavated, there  is  reason  to  suppose  that  there  are 
many  more  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  soil  is  gravelly, 
and  is  just  outside  the  old  town  wall.  The  bones  in 
many  cases  were  only  about  two  and  a  half  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  bodies  appear 
to  have  been  buried  in  various  directions,  some  being 
found  lying  in  a  north-west  direction.  This  appears 
to  indicate  that  the  spot  was  not  a  Christian  burial- 
place.  It  has  been  surmised  that  the  bodies  may 
have  been  those  of  soldiers  killed  during  the  siege  and 
hastily  interred,  but  no  accoutrements  have  been 
found,  and.the  theory  is  negatived  by  the  fact  that 
some  of  the  remains  seem  to  be  those  of  women.  It 
is  traditionally  reported  that  at  the  time  of  a  certain 


plague  in  Colchester  bodies  were  buried  in  the  ground 
adjoining  St.  John's  Abbey,  where  human  bones 
have  frequently  been  found.  There  were  several 
epidemics  of  "plague"  in  Colchester — one  in  1348, 
when  several  thousands  are  said  to  have  died,  one  in 
1578,  one  in  1603  and  1604,  one  in  1631,  and  one 
from  August,  1665,  to  December,  1666,  during  which 
time  no  less  than  4,731  are  said  to  have  died.  In  the 
week  June  15  to  22,  1666,  the  deaths  from  plague  in 
Colchester  were  195.  It  is  not  likely  that  all  the 
dead  were  buried  in  one  part  of  the  town  during  this 
great  pestilence.  It  is  known  that  there  was  one 
pesthouse  at  this  time  at  Mile  End.  There  is  nothing 
to  prove  that  these  bones  are  not  Roman,  but  it  sterns 
not  improbable  from  the  way  they  were  interred  that 
they  may  have  been  the  bones  of  the  victims  of  the 
great  pestilence  of  1665-6. 

At  Cherchell,  in  Algeria,  a  fine  statue  of  Hercules 
has  been  discovered  ;  and  at  Rome,  in  the  ground 
belonging  to  the  National  Bank  and  the  Villa  Spitho- 
ever,  discoveries  have  been  made,  of  which  a  muti- 
lated statue  of  Diana,  and  another  of  a  young  Spartan 
woman,  are  reported  as  most  important. 

George  Wallace,  tailor  and  clothier.  High  Street, 
Fisher  Row,  Edinburgh,  was  charged  at  the  Mid- 
Lothian  Justice  of  Peace  Court  with  using  in  trade  a 
wooden  yard-measure  which  was  unstamped.  Wallace 
said  that  the  measure  was  an  heirloom  in  the  family. 
It  was  about  100  years  old,  and  had  been  in  his  pos- 
session for  fifteen  years.  During  the  twenty-nine 
years  he  had  been  in  business  no  officer  had  ever 
questioned  him  on  the  subject  of  measures,  and  he 
was  unaware  that  stamping  was  required.  "The  heir- 
loom, a  substantial-looking  rod  of  hard  wood,  was 
produced  in  court. 

The  old  Glasgow  College,  High  Street,  is  just  now 
in  process  of  demolition,  to  make  room  for  the  new 
College  Street  Railway  Station.  A  few  months  since, 
Mr.  John  A.  Mann,  of  Millar  Street,  Glasgow — the 
Scottish  Vuillaume  of  fiddle-making,  and  a  dealer  of 
acknowledged  probity—  secured  some  choice  pieces  of 
fine  old  pine  from  the  interior  College  buildings, 
which  were  found  to  be  as  dry  as  a  bone,  and  full  of  a 
porous  ta7ig  and  sonority  which  promised  the  highest 
results.  The  actual  masonry  of  the  College  was  begun 
in  the  year  1632,  and  was  completed  in  1656. 

The  buildings  of  the  Eanca  Nazionale  in  Rome  are 
being  added  to,  and,  in  clearing  the  ground  for  the 
new  foundations,  the  workmen  came  some  days  ago 
on  the  remains  of  a  Roman  house  in  good  preserva- 
tion, which  the  experts  declare  to  belong  to  the  third 
century.  The  walls  have  paintings,  as  it  seems,  of 
Biblical  subjects,  mixed  with  some  mythological 
figures — e.g.,  Pegasus  on  Helicon,  /I'sculapius  with 
his  serpent,  and  some  Muses.  'There  was  also  a 
grave  containing  a  skeleton,  which  was  all  the  more 
remarkable  because  interments  within  the  city  were 
not  allowed. 

The  Bund  announces  that  Professor  Forel,  of 
Morges,  in  the  Canton  of  Vaud,  has  discovered  a 
natural  gallery  which  goes  right  across  the  lower 
portion  of  the  glacier  of  AroUa,  in  the  Eringerthal,  in 
the  Valais.  It  constitutes  a  natural  grotto  in  the 
heart  of  the  glacier,  and  was  explored  to  a  distance  of 
250  metres  (273  yards)  by  the  professor  and  some 
fellow  members  of  the  Swiss  Alpine  Club  from  Geneva, 


ANTIQUARIAN  NE  WS. 


277 


Neuchatel,  and  the  Canton  of  Vaud.  The  average 
width  was  from  6  to  10  metres,  broadening  out  here 
and  there  to  fully  25  metres ;  the  height  varied  from 
2  to  3  metres.  At  the  spot  where  the  party  stopped, 
the  cavern  divided  into  two  galleries,  the  exploration 
of  which  they  reserved  for  another  time.  The  glacier 
was  found  to  rest  direct  on  the  ground. 

A  lucky  find  was  made  the  other  day  by  a  book- 
lover  as  he  was  prowling  about  in  the  ever-delightful 
and  fruitful  Booksellers'  Row.  This  was  no  less  than 
the  original  "  one -farthing  "  edition  of  R.  H.  Home's 
Orion.  The  poem,  it  will  doubtless  be  recollected, 
was  published  in  1843  ^'  '^he  ridiculously  low  price  of 
one  farthing,  as  a  sarcasm  upon  the  low  estimation 
into  which  epic  poetry  had  fallen.  The  fortunate 
possessor  of  the  copy  in  question  gave  but  twopence 
for  a  book  which,  on  the  rare  occasions  that  it  makes 
its  appearance  in  a  second-hand  bookseller's  list,  is 
usually  priced  at  from  thirty  shillings  to  two  guineas. 

Nearly  four  hundred  objects  of  interest  to  lovers  of 
ecclesiastical  art  have  been  this  year  brought  together 
for  the  Loan  Department  of  the  Art  Exhibition  held 
annually  during  the  Church  Congress.  The  list  was 
headed  by  Mr.  Athelstan  Riley,  who  sent  a  Syriac 
New  Testament  of  the  year  1222,  containing  all  the 
books  of  the  New  Testament  except  the  Apocalypse, 
and  some  choice  specimens  of  ivory  and  wood  carving 
from  Russia.  Silversmith's  work  is  well  represented 
both  by  ancient  and  modern  examples.  Biblio- 
graphers find  a  great  deal  to  interest  them  in  book 
rarities,  which  include  a  missal  of  the  fourteenth 
century  (13),  sent  by  Major  Taylor  :  The  Booke  of  the 
Common  Fraier  (Edward  VI. 's  first  Prayer  Book), 
printed  in  1549;  The  New  Testainent,  illustrated, 
printed  in  1552(168);  Aurelii  Augustini  Upuscula 
Plurima  (S.  Augustine),  printed  in  Strasburg  in  1489, 
a  beautiful  specimen  of  early  printing  (169),  these  last 
three  being  some  of  the  loans  of  the  Rev.  L.  R.  Ayre. 
Many  interesting  autographs  are  shown,  those  of 
Archbishops  Laud  and  Cranmerand  "  O.  Cromwell" 
being  among  the  number. 

The  parish  church  of  St.  Columb  Minor  was  re- 
opened recently  after  restoration.  The  church  con- 
sists of  chancel,  nave,  and  aisles  to  both,  and  a  very 
fine  tower.  The  greater  part  of  the  present  edifice 
was  built  at  the  latter  end  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
to  which  period  belong  the  arcades,  which  are  remark- 
ably fine.  They  were  in  a  bail  state  and  threatened 
to  fall.  The  ancient  roof  of  the  chancel  was  found 
gone  beyond  repair,  but  the  earlier  and  still  more 
interesting  roof  of  the  nave  and  aisles  has  been  care- 
fully renewed,  such  timber  as  was  necessary  for  its 
restoration  being  taken  from  the  old  roof  of  the 
chancel. 

In  demolishing  a  house  in  Arlington  Street,  London, 
for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  the  Bath  Hotel,  a  fine 
painting  of  Hercules  and  Omphale  was  discovered  at 
the  back  of  an  ornamental  screen  on  the  drawing-room 
floor.  It  is  in  excellent  preservation,  but  received  some 
slight  injuries  from  the  picks  of  the  workmen  before 
its  presence  became  known.  The  house  had  once 
belonged  to  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  and  was  the  birth- 
place of  his  son  Horace. 

Early  in  November  an  interesting  inspection  was 
permitted  by  the  Dean  of  Winchester  of  the  bones  of 


Cynegils,  641,  first  Christian  King  of  Wessex,  fifth  in 
descent  from  Ccrdic,  and  founder  of  the  Cathedral ;  of 
Ethel wulph,  857,  son  of  Egbert,  and  father  of  Alfred 
the  Great ;  of  Ed  red,  brother  of  Athelstan  and  grand- 
son of  Alfred.  The  occasion  of  this  rare  view  w.-is  a 
permission  given  to  an  enthusiastic  antiquarian  artist, 
Miss  Corrie,  to  sketch  two  of  the  original  coffers  or 
shrines  of  Henry  de  Blois,  the  Conqueror's  grandson. 
This  great  prince  and  prelate  enshrined  the  bones  of 
some  of  the  Saxon  monarchs  (inclusive  of  Queen 
Emma  and  three  prelates),  and  Bishop  Fox  in  his 
architectural  alterations  "  re-chested "  them  in  the 
Renaissance  receptacles,  which  are,  we  believe,  a 
unique  group  of  historic  memorials.  In  the  two 
chests,  on  the  north  and  south  arch  wall  nearest  the 
high  altar,  are  enclosed  two  of  the  supposed  chests 
of  De  Blois,  and  to  sketch  these  was  the  occasion  of 
the  "view."  The  chest  on  the  north  contains  the 
bones  of  the  Founder  Cynegils  and  of  Ethelwulph 
himself,  a  benefactor  of  the  Minster  ;  and  the  chest 
on  the  south  the  bones  of  Edred,  the  son  of  Edward 
the  elder.  Carefully  removed  from  Fox's  chests,  and 
placed  on  the  wall  of  the  parclose,  a  fair  view  was 
had  from  a  scaffold,  in  use  at  the  reredos,  of  the 
bones  and  their  receptacles.  Taking  them  in  their 
historic  order,  that  of  Cynegils  and  Ethelwulph  was 
a  ridged  box,  much  as  pictures  of  early  shrines  have 
handed  down  those  receptacles  of  "canonized  bones" 
to  us,  painted  red  ;  its  roof  was  decorated  with  a 
freely  painted  design  of  cone-shaped  flowers,  and  a 
running  edge  of  elegant  design — the  whole  wonderfully 
vivid  and  fresh,  although  700  years  have  passed  since 
its  artist  had  used  his  brush.  Upon  elegant  intertwined 
and  single  labels  or  scrolls  were  painted,  in  letters 
similar  to  those  cut  on  the  adjacent  coffins  of  Edmund 
the  son  of  Alfred,  and  Richard  the  son  of  the  Con- 
queror, said  to  be  of  De  Blois's  episcopate,  these  in- 
scriptions : 

"  Hie  Kynegilli  tumuli  ossa  jacent  et  Adulphi ;" 

and,  in  allusion  to  Cynegils'  munificent  endowment  of 
lands  at  Chilcombe  still  owned  by  the  Cathedral : 
"  Hie  fundator  de  Chittecombe  datorum." 

The  skulls  in  the  chest  were  well  preserved,  and  one 
remarkably  handsome  ;  the  other  had  a  smaller  fore- 
head, and  a  ridge  right  across  the  region  over  the  eye- 
brows. Edred's  (955)  chest  was  much  larger  ;  in  fact, 
a  massive  oaken  box  with  a  flat  top.  The  bones  of 
the  grandson  of  Alfred  were  there,  and  the  exterior  of 
the  chest  was  decorated  in  a  most  singular  manner. 
Covered  with  a  bold  lozenge-shaped  design,  which  re- 
mained very  fresh,  and  seemed  even  older  than  Cyne- 
gils' chest,  the  spaces  within  the  lozenges  on  either 
side  had  bearded  heads  (three),  and  as  many  female 
heads  vigorously  painted,  and  at  the  upper  part  of 
each  side  were  depicted  crowns.  There  were  remains 
of  inscriptions,  but  these  had  perished  almost,  but 
may  yet  be  conjecturally  arrived  at.  That  those 
privileged  to  look  on  these  relics  saw  the  bones  of 
the  first  Christian  king  and  convert  to  Christianity, 
and  of  Edred,  the  brother  of  Athelstan,  cannot  be 
doubted.  The  bones  and  their  original  chests  were 
again  replaced  in  Fox's  cists.  In  the  other  chests 
rest  the  bones  of  Egbert,  837  ;  of  Canute,  of  Emma, 
of  Kenulph,  714;  of  Edmund,  and  of  VVinai,  Aiwin 
and  Stigand,  bishops.     It  should  be  noted  that  some 


278 


ANTIQUARIAN  NEWS. 


doubt  exists  as  to  whether  the  rightful  bones  occupy 
their  respective  chests.  The  historic  Minster  of 
Wessex  is  fortunate  in  having  such  a  tnie  antiquary 
and  scholar  as  Dr.  Kitchen  as  its  Dean. 

A  street  similar  to  the  Old  London  street  in  the 
Exhibition  grounds,  which  was  erected  in  1884,  is 
being  erected  in  New  York  city  on  Broadway,  near 
Eighth  Street.  It  is  intended  that  the  shops  shall  he 
occupied,  as  at  the  "Healiheries,"  by  workmen,  with 
the  object  of  providing,  as  far  as  practicable,  useful 
comparisons  between  ancient  and  modern  handicrafts. 
It  is  also  intended  that  some  of  the  shops,  especially 
on  the  first-floor,  shall  contain  selections  or  exhibits 
kin<lred  to  the  subject.  The  plan  is  somewhat  differ- 
ent from  that  at  Kensington,  as  it  includes  two  street?, 
parallel  to  each  other,  with  cross  street,  alley,  and 
open  square  at  the  end  ;  and  many  beautiful  old 
houses  will  be  erected,  of  great  historical  interest, 
which  did  not  appear  at  Kensington,  including  the 
Tabard  (Chaucer  s  inn),  the  Falcon,  Bankside  (Shake- 
speare's daily  haunt),  the  house  of  Elias  Ashmole, 
Sir  Paul  Pindar's  house,  not  the  existing  portion  ; 
Sweedon's  Passage,  Grub  Street,  close  to  Milton's 
house  ;  Sir  John  Lawrence's  house  in  Great  St. 
Helen's,  a  portion  of  the  Charterhouse,  Butchers' 
Row,  the  Old  Queen's  Head,  identified  v^ith  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh,  a  bit  of  Old  Hungerfcrd  Market,  a 
portion  of  the  Old  Savoy  Palace,  Nell  Gwynnc's 
house,  the  cellar  of  the  old  Devil  Tavern  (Ben 
Jonson's)  under  Childs'  Bar>k,  where  Simon  Wadloe 
officiated,  the  original  of  "Old  Sir  Simon  the  King," 
and  other  old  houses  not  yet  decided  upon. 

On  Thursday,  October  21,  the  North  Staffordshire 
Field  Club  and  Archaeological  Society  celebrated  the 
attainment  of  its  majority  by  a  conversazione  and 
loan  exhibition  in  the  Town  Hall,  Stoke-upon-Trent. 
Prof.  Bonney,  P'.R.S.,  delivered  an  address  "  On  the 
New  Red  Sandstone  of  Staffordshire."  The  exhibi- 
tion included  a  facsimile  reproduction  of  the  Bayeux 
tapestry. 

Mr.  R.  S.  Ferguson  and  Mr.  W.  Nanson,  late 
Deputy  Town  Clerk  of  Carlisle,  are  going  to  edit  a 
volume  entitled  Some  Municipal  Records  of  the  City 
of  Carlisle.  It  contains  a  brief  history  of  the  Cor- 
poration of  Carlisle,  or  Guild  Mercatory,  and  its  re- 
lation to  the  eight  trading  guilds.  The  curious  by- 
laws of  the  Corporation  and  of  the  guilds  are  printed 
from  the  originals,  and  are  copiously  illustrated  by 
extracts  from  the  Court  Leet  Rolls  and  from  the 
minute  books  of  the  Corporation  and  of  the  guilds. 
The  work  gives  also  a  complete  history  of  the  long 
fight  between  the  Guild  Mercatory  of  Carlisle  (the 
Corporation)  and  the  trading  guilds. 

On  the  19th  of  March  last,  the  six  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  the  death  of  King  Alexander  III.  of  Scot- 
land, a  meeting  was  held  at  Kinghom,  Fifeshire,  at 
which  it  was  resolved  to  erect  a  memorial  to  mark 
the  spot  where  he  was  killed.  A  large  committee 
was  appointed,  and  of  the  sum  required  upwards  of 
;if  200  has  already  been  subscribed.  Among  the  con- 
tributors last  month  is  the  Queen,  who  has  promised 
a  donation  oi £,\^. 

Dr.  Barratt,  of  London,  has  offered  to  present  to 
the  Museum  of  General  and  Local  Archeology  at 


Cambridge  two  large  cases  containing  a  collection  of 
Roman  antiquities,  chiefly  objects  in  bronze  and  glass, 
altars,  etc.  The  collection  is  not  only  valuable  in 
itself,  but  it  will  form  the  nucleus  of  a  department 
not  as  yet  represented  in  the  museum. 

The  Earl  of  Carnarvon,  says  the  Athenceum,  has 
recently  come  into  possession  of  the  autograph  MSS. 
of  the  famous  Lord  Chesterfield's  Letters  to  his  Son. 

The  Corporation  of  the  City  of  London  will  shortly 
publish,  for  private  circulation,  a  history  of  the 
Guildhall. 

The  terrace  of  the  palace  of  Saint-Germain  has 
been  selected  as  a  site  for  the  cast  of  Trajan's  Column, 
w'hich  was  long  lying  in  sections  in  the  cellars  of  the 
Louvre.  In  the  chateau  two  chambers  have  been 
arranged  in  the  styles  of  Henry  IV.  and  Louis  XIV. 
The  former  king  had  little  regard  for  that  building, 
and  erected  another  chateau  ;  but  Louis  XIV.,  before 
he  was  attracted  by  Versailles,  was  an  admirer  of 
Saint-Germain,  and  is  supposed  to  have  expended 
about  ;if  300,000  on  the  place.  The  king  afterwards 
placed  the  chateau  at  the  disposal  of  James  II.  At  a 
later  time  it  was  used  as  a  prison. 

The  renowned  old  Abbey  of  Coggeshall  and  the 
Abbey  Farm  adjoining  were  put  up  for  sale  at  Cog- 
geshall, on  November  nth.  In  addition  to  the 
lands  (containing  about  X28  acres)  there  still  remain 
some  of  the  original  monastic  buildings.  According 
to  the  Cottonian  MS.  (Nero  D  2),  in  the  British 
Museum,  the  Abbey  was  founded  in  1 142,  by  King 
Stephen  and  Matilda  his  Queen,  by  a  grant  by  them 
to  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Coggeshall.  The 
monks  were  of  the  Cistercian  Order,  and  probably 
came  from  Savigny,  in  France,  In  the  latter  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  the  Abbey  belonged  to  Sir 
Mark  Guyon,  whose  daughter  Elizabeth  married 
Edward  Bullock,  Esq.,  of  Faulkbourne  Hall,  Essex, 
and  the  property  about  this  time  became  vested  in 
the  Bullock  family,  with  whom  it  remained  till  the 
sale  thereof  to  the  present  owner  in  1880.  It  is 
hoped  that  these  interesting  relics  of  the  past,  pos- 
sessing, as  they  do,  great  interest  to  the  antiquary 
and  archoeologist,  will  fall  into  proper  hands,  and  not 
meet  the  fate  now  overtaking  many  of  our  historic 
piles  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Honourable  Artillery 
Company,  held  at  the  Armoury  House,  Finsbury,  it 
was  resolved,  on  the  motion  of  Captain  Woolmer- 
Williams,  "That  the  Court  at  its  next  meeting  do 
take  into  consideration  the  best  means  of  celebrating 
the  three  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
incorporation  of  the  regiment,  occurring  on  August 
25,  1887."  It  is  understood  that  the  event  will  be 
made  the  occasion  for  great  festivities,  which  will  be 
attended  by  a  representative  number  of  <he  members 
of  the  Ancient  and  Honourable  Artillery  Company  of 
Boston,  U.S.,  an  "offshoot"  of  the  regiment  which 
was  founded  by  a  member  of  the  Honourable  Artil- 
lery Company  of  London,  who  emigrated  to  Boston 
in  1638 — a  hundred  and  one  years  after  the  incor- 
poration of  the  parent  stem  by  Royal  Charter  of 
Henry  VIII. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


279 


Corregpontience. 


THE  AUTHORITY  OF  PEERAGES. 
lAnte,  p.  230.] 
A  correspondent  is  very  severe  on  Burke's  Heraldry, 
but  what  is  to  be  said  against  Nicolas  ?  I  quote  the 
following:  "William  de  Ipre,  created  Earl  of  Kent 
in  1 141,  ob.  1162  s.p.,  when  his  honours  became  ex- 
tinct." This  is  from  "A  Synopsis  of  the  Peerage  of 
England  ...  by  Sir  N.  H.  Nicolas."  Surely  Mr. 
Surtees  and  others  may  believe  this,  and  how  can  it 
be  disproved  ?  Others  may  doubt  it  and  say  evidence 
is  wanting  ;  given  an  opinion  against  an  opinion, 
cannot  we  agree  to  differ? 

A.  H. 
Oct.  28,  1886. 


THE  LONGEVITY  OF  VANDALISM. 

On  the  side  of  the  high-road  to  High  Rochester 
{Bremenitim)  stood  a  series  of  foundations  or  bases  of 
Roman  tomi)s.  They  attracted  the  notice  of  Mr. 
Roach  Smith  in  one  of  his  pedestrian  excursions. 
He  sketched,  and  Mr.  W.  IL  Brooke  etched  them. 
Plate  30,  opposite  page  153  of  vol.  iii.  of  the 
Collectanea  Antiqua,  accurately  represents  the  de- 
scription given  by  Dr.  Bruce  in  1851,  on  page  327  of 
the  first  edition  of  his  Roman  I  Fall.  He  says  they 
arc  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  the  station,  close 
by  the  road  on  its  south  side.  "Three  of  them  are 
square  ;  the  fourth,  which  is  the  largest,  is  circular. 
The  masonry  of  all  of  them  is  remarkably  fresh. 
The  circular  tomb  has  two  courses  of  stones  standing, 
besides  the  flat  stones  which  form  the  foundation. 
On  clearing  out  the  interior,  a  jar  of  unburnt  clay 
was  found  ;  it  had  no  bones  in  it.  The  natural  soil 
was  found  to  have  been  acted  upon  by  fire  to  the 
depth  of  more  than  a  foot."  Within  the  area  a  coin 
of  Alexander  .Severus  was  found.  On  page  163  of 
vol.  iii.  of  the  Collectanea  Antiqita,  Mr.  Roach  Smith 
states  that  "upon  one  of  the  lower  stones  of  the 
circular  base  is  carved  the  head  of  an  animal  re- 
sembling that  of  a  fox.  These  tombs  must  have 
belonged  to  persons  of  some  consequence  in  the  more 
flourishing  days  of  Bremenium." 

"  With  a  powerful  antiquarian  society  at  Newcastle, 
and  on  the  very  heels  of  the  Congress  of  the  Ikitish 
ArchKological  Association,  it  is  painful  to  hear  that 
these  interesting  remains  are  being  dislocated  and 
carted  away  by  the  demand  for  building  or  draining 
purposes. 

"  In  such  cases,  how  easy  it  would  have  been  for  the 
landlord  to  have  inserted  a  clause  in  the  tenant's  lease 
to  ])rotect  important  objects  of  antiquity  !" 

Sir  John  Lubbock's  Act  for  the  Preservation  of 
Ancient  and  Historical  Monuments  is  surely  applicable 
in  a  case  of  this  kind,  and  only  requires  the  interference 
of  a  local  authority  to  put  it  into  force.  But  before 
these  lines  are  read  I  fear  not  a  vestige  of  these 
remains  will  be  left. 

Charles  Moon  Jessop. 

98,  Sutherland  Gardens, 

November  10,  1886. 


ANCIENT  CROSS  AT  GOSFORTH,  CUMBER- 
LAND. 

[Ante,  p.  204.] 

It  is  probably  true  that  "  there  is  no  evidence  to 
show  that  this  cross  has  ever  been  removed,  still  less 
buried  ;"  but  there  is,  I  think,  some  evidence  in  the 
cross  itself  that  it  never  was  exposed  to  any  danger 
from  heathen  invaders  in  the  ninth  century,  for  this 
simple  reason — that  it  was  not  then  in  existence.  I 
should  not  like  to  dogmatize  on  such  a  subject ;  but  I 
shall  venture  to  say  that  an  examination  of  this  most 
interesting  monument  convinced  me  that  it  could  not 
be  older  than  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  or  perhaps 
the  end  of  the  tenth  century.  History  seems  to  con- 
firm this  view.  The  cross  evidently  belongs  not  to 
the  Celtic  period,  but  to  what  may  be  called  the 
Celto-Scandinavian  period — the  period  which  followed 
the  re-introduction  of  Christianity  into  the  country — 
or  rather,  more  correctly,  into  certain  parts  of  the 
country  which  had  been  overrun  by  various  tribes  of 
unbelievers,  and  practically  restored  to  heathendom. 
This  relapse,  and  the  absorption  of  a  new  element  of 
race,  had  a  permanent  influence  on  the  art  as  well  as 
on  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  natives.  The 
process  of  re-conversion  was  a  slow  one  ;  and  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  throughout  Cumbria  alien 
religious  ideas  retained  their  hold  for  centuries.  It  is 
quite  easy  to  understand  how,  in  such  circumstances, 
a  Christian  monument  should  have  been  reared  still 
"  redolent  of  heathenism."  Indeed,  this  and  all  other 
difficulties  suggested  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  Parker  dis- 
appear if  we  suppose  that  the  cross  was  erected  about 
the  period  I  have  named.  Apart  altogether  from  in- 
herent evidences  of  age,  we  seem  to  have  here  a  most 
interesting  indication  of  the  state  of  matters  in  the 
locality  about  the  end  of  the  tenth  century.  In  these 
rude  sculptures  we  can  read  of  mixed  races  and  mixed 
faiths,  of  civilization  once  more  emerging  from  anarchy, 
and  of  the  gradual  crushing  of  one  species  of  super- 
stition in  the  wide  but  ever-tightening  folds  of  another  ; 
and  thus,  too,  we  readily  recognise  the  significance  of 
the  Christian  emblem  over-shadowing  those  symbols 
of  an  effete  heathenism,  subordinate  but  not  yet 
utterly  supplanted  in  popular  esteem.  Mr.  Parker 
refers  to  distinctively  Scandinavian  features  in  the 
sculpture — is  it  not  more  likely  that  these  appeared 
for  the  first  time  in  Cumberland  after  the  ninth  century 
than  before  it  ? 

JOH.N   HONEYMAN. 


Co  €on:e0ponlient0. 


F.  W.  (Gateshead).  —Thanks  for  your  very  generous 

offer.     We  accept  with  thanks. 
S.  E.  M. — Our  space  is  too  valuable  for  what  after  all 

is  a  profitless  task.     See  Mr.  Ralston's  letter  referred 

to,  an/e,  p.  274. 
F.  T.  O. — Sec  Marshall's   Genealogy's/' s    Cuu/e,  sub 


THE  ANTIQUARY  EXCHANGE. 


Cfte  antiquary  €rct)ange» 

Enclose  ^.  for  the  First  I2  Words,  and  id.  for  each 
Additional  Three  Words.  All  replies  to  a  number 
should  be  enclosed  in  a  blank  envelope,  with  a  loose 
Stamp,  and  sent  to  the  Manager. 

Note. — All  Advertisements  to  reach  the  office  by  the 
i^th  of  the  month,  and  to  be  addressed— The  Manager, 
Exchange  Department,  The  Antiquary  Office, 
62,  Paternoster  Row,  London,  E.G. 


For  Sale. 

Small  collection  of  English  and  Roman  coins  ;  also 
a  few  rare  eighteenth  century-tokens.  State  wants. — 
W.  H.  Taylor,  Erdington. 

Grand  cross-hilted,  two-edged  Grusader  sword. 
Date,  twelfth  century.  Very  rare.  Price  ;i^i5- — 
Can  be  seen  on  application  to  S.  J.  B.,  29,  Druid 
Street,  Hinckley,  Leicestershire. 

Monumental  Brass  rubbings,  is.  2>d.  each.  "  Feuilles 
des  Bois,"  Poesies  par  Le  Comte  de  Fleury  ;  Paris, 
1873 ;  presentation  copies,  3  vols.,  los.  6d.  A. 
Reminiscence  of  the  Great  Exhibition,  1851  ;  pre- 
sentation copy,  <)S.  Three  Legends  of  the  Early 
Church  ;  Reithmuller,  i868,  4^.  6d.  Roman  coins, 
45.  per  dozen.  Princess  Ida,  illustrated  by  Major 
Seccombe,  5^. — Sparvel-Bayly,  Ilford,  Essex. 

Heroines  of  Shakspeare,  48  plates,  letterpress,  etc., 
published  at  31J.  6d.,  for  15^-.  (new). — 119,  care  of 
Manager. 

Several  Old  Poesy,  Mourning  and  Curious  Rings 
for  Sale. — 306,  Care  of  Manager. 

In  one  lot,  or  separately,  about  200  quaint,  curious, 
and  rare  books,  including  Ogilby's  America,  1671  ; 
Vinegar  Bible,  large-paper  copy  ;  old  plays,  tracts, 
chapbooks,  manuscripts,  etc. — D.  G.  G.,  Buildwas, 
Ironbridge,  Salop. 

Bibliotheca  Britannica  ;  or,  a  General  Index  to  the 
Literature  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  Ancient  and 
Modern,  including  such  foreign  works  as  have  been 
translated  into  English  or  printed  in  the  British 
Dominions ;  as  also  a  copious  selection  from  the 
writings  of  the  most  distinguished  authors  of  all  ages 
and  nations.  Two  Divisions — first,  authors  arranged 
alphabetically ;  second,  subjects  arranged  alpha- 
betically. By  Robert  Watt,  M.D.  Glasgow,  1820. 
Eleven  parts,  paper  boards,  4to.  ;  price  ^4. — W.  E. 
Morden,  Tooting  Graveney,  S.W. 

Dictionnaire  de  la  Langue  Fran9aise,  contenant 
l"-  Pour  la  Nomenclature  ;  2°-  Pour  la  Grammaire ; 
3°-  Pour  la  Signification  des  Mots  ;  4°-  Pour  la  Partie 
Historique  ;  5"-  Pour  I'Etymologie.  Par  E.  Littre, 
de  I'Academie  Fran9aise.  5  vols.,  1878.  Half-calf; 
strongly  bound. — Offers  to  119,  care  of  Manager. 

Antiquary,  vols.  i.  to  iv.  (vol.  i.  in  Roxburgh,  the 
rest  in  parts),  for  sale.  What  offers  ? — Address  D. 
C.  Ireland,  7,  Stone  Buildings,  Lincoln's  Inn. 

Pickering's  Diamond  Greek  Testament.  Good 
copy  ;  newly  bound  in  polished  morocco  (by  Ramage). 
Gilt  on  the  rough. — Offers  to  100,  care  of  ^lanager. 


Several  good  brass  rubbings. — Apply  by  letter,  L., 
109,  Peckham  Park  Road,  London. 

Lord  Braboume's  Letters  of  Jane  Austen  ;  2  vols, 
in  one  ;  newly  half-bound  in  red  morocco  ;  fully 
lettered  ;  interesting  to  a  Kentish  collector. — Offers 
to  loi,  care  of  the  Manager. 

The  New  Directory  of  Second-hand  Booksellers ; 
large  paper  copy  ;  interleaved  ;  bound  in  Roxburgh  ; 
4J.  6d. — 102,  care  of  Manager. 

Sub-Mundanes ;  or,  the  Elementaries  of  the 
Cabala,  being  the  History  of  Spirits,  reprinted  from 
the  Text  of  the  Abbot  de  Villars,  Physio-Astro-Mystic, 
wherein  is  asserted  that  there  are  in  existence  on 
earth  natural  creatures  besides  man.  With  an 
appendix  from  the  work  "  Demoniality,"  or  "  Incubi 
and  Succubi."  By  the  Rev.  Father  Sinistrari,  of 
Ameno.  Paper  covers  ;  136  pp.  ;  privately  printed, 
1886  ;  10s.  6d. — 103,  care  of  Manager. 

The  Hermetic  Works  ;  vol.  2.  The  Virgin  of  the 
World ;  or,  Hermes  Mercurius  Trismegistus,  now 
first  rendered  into  English  by  Dr.  Anna  Kingsford 
and  Edward  Maitland,  1885  ;  134  pp.  ;  cloth  boards ; 
los.  6d. — 104,  care  of  Manager. 

A  marvellously  fine  old  oak  elbow-chair,  carved 
mask  head,  flowers,  foliage,  and  date,  1662.  Price 
and  sketch  on  application. — Akers,  19,  East  Raby 
Street,  Darlington. 

Speed's  County  Maps,  1610;  almost  any  county; 
35.  each. — William  Newton,  20,  Weltje  Road, 
Hammersmith. 

Pair  leglets ;  also  helmet,  chain  armour,  several 
swords,  pistols,  and  other  articles  for  disposal. — 311, 
care  of  Manager. 

Following  old  oak  for  disposal :  Carved  oak  chest, 
eight-legged  table,  four-legged  table  ;  also  few  other 
pieces  of  old  oak.  Will  send  sketches. — Dick,  Carol 
gate,  Retford. 

The  Manager  7uishes  to  draiv  attention  to  the  fact 
that  he  cannot  undertake  to  fonvard  post  carps. 
or  letters,  unless  a  stamp  be  sent  to  cover  postage  0/ 
same  to  advertiser. 


Wanted  to  Purchase. 

Dorsetshire  Seventeenth  Century  Tokens.  Also 
Topographical  Works,  Cuttings  or  Scraps  connected 
with  the  county. — ^J.  S.  Udal,  the  Manor  House, 
Symondsbury,  Bridport. 

Cooper's  Rambles  on  Rivers,  Woods,  and  Streams  ; 
Lupot  on  the  Violin  (English  Translation).  S.,  care 
of  Manager. 

Views,  Maps,  Pottery,  Coins,  and  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury Tokens  of  the  Town  and  County  of  Nottingham- 
shire.— J.  Toplis,  Arthur  Street,  Nottingham. 

Old  Stone  Busts,  Figures,  Animals,  or  Terra 
Cotta  Casts. — Price,  etc.,  by  post  to  "Carver,"  St. 
Donat's,  Bridgend. 

Maria  de  Clifford,  novel,  by  Sir  Egerton  Brydges, 
about  1812-18. — Address  310,  care  of  Manager. 

Blanche  on  Costume,  Duke  of  Newcastle  Horse- 
manship, Gambado  on  Horsemanship,  Sporting 
Magazines,  Jack  Mytton,  Histories  of  Nottingham- 
shire ;  also  lists  curious  books. — S.,  Carolgate,  Retford. 


INDEX. 


Aberdeen,  Formation  of  Archaeological 
Club  in,  131. 

Silver  Coins  discovered  in,  35, 

131- 

Accounts  of  Henry  VI.,  06-101. 

Acropolis,  Discovery  of  Pillars  at,  274. 

Addington  Church,  Surrey,  Antiquarian 
Jottings  at,  262-263. 

Akrom,  America,  Sepulchral  Cave  dis- 
covered at,  177. 

Albertus  Magnus,  De  Secretis  Mulienim 
of,  183. 

Alexander  III.  of  Scotland,  Anniversary 
of  Death  of,  278. 

Algeria,  Discovery  of  Statue  at  Cherchell, 
276. 

AUeyn,  Edward,  and  the  Fortune  Theatre, 
205,  211. 

American  Gold  Coins  found  in  United 
States,  84. 

Andrews  (W.  F.)  on  Monumental  Brasses 
in  Hertfordshire  Churches,  49-51. 

Angelo,  Michael,  Collection  of  his  Auto- 
graph Letters,  etc.,  275. 

Animal,  Extinct,  Bones  of,  found,  3B-39. 

Remains    discovered    at    Helsfell 

Bone  Cave,  228. 

Anne  of  Denmark,  Visit  of,  to  Bath,  66- 
69.  _ 

Anthropological  Institute  Meetings,  32. 

Antiquaries,  Society  of,  Meetings,  31. 

Antiquities  in  Corea,  175. 

Archa;ological  Association,  British,  Meet- 
ings, 129,  172. 

Institute  Meetings,  32,  129- 

130- 

Archway  at  Croydon,  Demolition  of,  22;;. 
Areley-King's   Churchyard,    Epitaphs   in, 

163. 
Arlington  Street,  Demolition  of  Walpole's 

House  in,  277. 
Arms  on   Glass   in  St.    Martin's   Church, 

Liskeard,  114-116. 
Arolla,  Glacier  of,  276. 
.'\rt  Exhibition,  277. 
Artillery     Company,     The     Honourable, 

Fiftieth  .\nniversary  of,  278. 
Arts  in  Rome,  130. 
Asiatic  Society  Meetings,  32. 
Athens,    Discoveries    during   E.xcavations 

at,  177. 
Atkinson  (Rev.  J.  C.)  on  Common  Field- 

Names,  72-76,  116-118. 
Authors,  Discouragement  of,  274. 
Aymestrey  Church,  Restoration  of,  84. 
Ayr  Old  Bridge,  Closing  of,  85, 

Babington  Arms,  Note  on,  180. 
Babylonian  Literature,  Tablets  Illustrative 

of,  at  British  Museum,  178. 
Banburyshire  Nat.  Hist.  Society  and  Field 

Club  Meetings,  127. 
Barbour  (J.  G  ),    Iradiiions  of  West  and 

South  of  Scotland,  Reviewed,  220. 
Bari  (Apulia),  Byzantine  Diplomas  found 

at,  u5. 
Barnes    (William),    Obituary    Notice    of, 

274. 
B.irratt  (Dr.),  Presentation  of  his  Collection 

of  .Vntiquities   to   Cambridge   Museum, 

278. 
Basiliii  of  St.  Stephen  discovered  at  Jeru- 
salem, 178. 
Basing  House,  29. 
Bath,  Visitors  to,  teiiif.  James  I.,  1-6,  64- 

69. 
Nat.    Hist,  and    Antiquarian    Field 

Club  Meetings,  32-33. 
Bathing  in  Open  baths,  te»tj>.  James  I.,  i. 


Bells  in  Wentnor  Parish  Church,  133. 

Berwickshire  Naturalists'  Club,  Proceed- 
ings cf,  Reviewed,  ^6. 

Berwickshire  Naturalists'  Club,  Meetings, 
269. 

Biblical  Archaeology,  Society  of.  Meet- 
ings, 32. 

Bickley  (A.  C.)  on  the  Ancient  Parish  of 
Woking,  185-189,  241-247. 

Birchington,  Subterranean  Caverns  at,  132. 

Birmingham  and  Midland  Institute  Meet- 
ings, 222. 

Blackfriars,  Old  London  Wall  discovered 
at,  36. 

■  —  Theatre  at,  22-27,   55*58,   108- 

"3-  . 

Blenheim  Picture  Sale,  133. 

Blunt  (R.  G.),  Our  Forefathers  in  the 
Dark  Ages,  Reviewed,  168,  171. 

Boat,  Prehistoric,  found  at  Brigg,  39. 

Ancient  Gaulish,  found,  176,  274. 

"Bogane,"  A  Manx,  255-257. 

Bombay,  Frescoes  in  the  Ajanta  Caves  at, 

37- 
Bones,  Extinct  Animal,  found,  38-39. 
Human,  discovered  in  Stone  CofHn, 

176. 
Books,  Early  List  of  (1327-8),  175-176. 

Chained,  272. 

Discouragement  of  Authors  of,  274. 

on  Irish  Secession  in  1695,  134. 

Old,  Relating  to  the  West  Indies 

at  the  Colonial  Exhibition,  214. 

Renovation  of,  in  Paris,  131. 

Borgia  (Ca;sar),  Tomb  of,  discovered,  179. 
Borgian    Map   of    West     Indies    at    the 

Colonial  Exhibition,  212. 
Bourges,  Discovery  of  Boat  near,  274. 
Bowling  Greens,  Account  of,  164-168. 
Boxley  Abbey,  Kent,  87,  181-183,  230,231. 
Bradford      Historical      and     Antiquarian 

Society  Meetings,  34,  127,  223,  270. 
Brasses,  168. 

Monumental,     in     Hertfordshire 

Churches,  49-51. 

Bearing  the  Insignia  of  the  Garter, 

197-199. 

of  Morley  Church,  233. 


Bread  a   Hundred   Years  Old,   found   at 

Marmaros,  179. 
Bremenium,    Demolition  of  Remains   at. 

Brick  Architecture  in  Essex,  173. 
Bridges  over  the  Thames  at  lulham,  13- 

Bristol  and  Gloucestershire  Archaeological 
Society  Meetings,  77. 

British  Sluseum,  Assyrian  Antiquities  at, 
178. 

Brock  (R.  A.),  Documents  Relating  to  the 
Huguenot  Emigration  to  Virginia  and 
Settlement  at  Manakin  Town,  Re- 
viewed, 221. 

Bronze  Pin,  Roman,  found  in  Cinerary 
Urn,  228. 

Broughty  Fcrrj',  Stone  Coffin  discovered 
near,  176. 

Brushfield  (T.  N.),  Bibliogiafhy  cf  Sir 
W.  Kaleigh,  Reviewed,  27. 

Buildings,  Ancient,  Society  for  Protection 
of,  32. 

Burghley,  Lord,  at  Bath,  2. 

Burning  at  the  Stake  in  1722,  225. 

Burns  (Robert),  An  Inquiry  into  certain 
Aspects  o/his  Life  and  Character,  etc.. 
Reviewed,  265. 

Centennial  Demonstration  of,  133. 

(Rev.  Thos.)  on  Old  Scottish  Com- 
munion Cups,  etc.,  275. 


Burton   (R.   F.)   on    Galland's   Arabian 

Nights  Translation,  86.  _ 
Bury    Nat.    History    Society     Meetings, 

'74- 
Buxton,  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society 

Meetings,  224-225. 
Buxton  Philosophical    Society   Meetings, 

33-34,  268. 
Bygones    relating   to    Wales,    Reviewed, 

76- 
Byzantine  Diplomas  discovered,  85. 

Caerwen',  Roman  Pavement  discovered, 
at,  228. 

Cambrian  Archaeological  Association  Meet- 
ings, 221. 

Cambridge  Antiquarian  Society  Meetings, 
28,  272. 

Museum  of  Archseology,  Pre- 
sentation of -Antiquities  to,  278. 

■    ■ Harvest  Custom,  176. 

Carlisle,  Municipal  Offices  of,  17-aa,  ii8- 
122,  135,  154-162. 

Edition  of  some  Municipal  Re- 
cords of,  278. 

Carthage,  Statue  found  at,  275. 

Carving  at  Leighton  Buzzard  Parish 
Church,  132. 

Castleacre  Priory,  near  Swaffham,  Negli* 
gence  at,  177. 

Caudle<ups  in  Pottery,  6,  7. 

Cave,  Sepulchral,  discovered   at  Akrom, 

'77' 
Caverns,     Subterranean,     discovered      at 

Birchington-on-Sea,  132. 
Cemetery  (Prehistoric),  Discovered  in  the 

Potomac,  38. 
Chapel  discovered  at  Jerusalem,  178. 
Chasemore     (.\.)    on    Old    Fulham    and 

Putney  Bridge,  13-17. 
Cher,  Gaulish  Boat  found  in  the,  176,  274. 
Cherchell,  .Algeria,  Discovery  of  Statue  of 

Hercules  in,  276. 
Cheshire  Notes   ami  Queries,   Reviewed, 

220. 
Chester,  Opening  of  Museum  at,  132 

St.  John's  Church  at,  129. 

Chesterfield's  (Lord)  Letters  to  his  Son, 

MSS.  of,  278. 
Christian  Custom  at  Grimsby,  10. 
Clement's  Inn,  Relic  of,  226. 
Clinch  (G.),  Unpublished  Letters  to  Lord 

Romney  comuiunicated  by,  63-64. 
Clock,   Old,  in  Wentnor   Parish   Church, 

'33- 
Clubs,  Golden  Fleece,  225-226. 
Coffins,  Stone,  discovered  at  York,  ij3 


176. 


.    J3 

Discovered  near  Broughty   ferry 

■  Discovered  at  Vienna,  36. 
"  Cogers'  Hall,"  London,  Sale  of,  217. 
Coggeshall  Abbey,  Sale  of,  278. 
Coins,  English,  discovered    in  Aberdeen, 
35. 

of    Edward     II.     discovered    at 

Aberdeen,  131. 

Gold,  discovered  in  Stone  Coffm, 

176. 

Gold,  found  near  Luton,  176. 

Roman,  discovered  at  Milverton,  35. 

— — —  Roman,  found  at  Caerwent,  228. 

Silver,  found  at  Spittal  Gai  Works, 

37. 

— ^ Mexican,  found  in  United  State*, 

84. 

Colchester  Grammar  Schools,  Register  of, 
36. 

Demolition  of  Norman  Build- 
ing at,  229. 


28: 


INDEX. 


Colchester,  Discovery  of  Bones  at,  276. 
Tesselated  Pavement  discovered 

at,  180. 
Colonial  Exhibition,  Historical  Documents 

relating  to  the  West  Indies  in  the,  211- 

2ig. 
Columbus,  Engravings  of,  at  the  Colonial 

Exhibition,  213. 
Compostella,    MS.    of    Codex    Calixtinus 

discovered  at,  226. 
Cooper  (S.);  Miniature  Painter,  202-203. 
Corea,  Antiquities  in,  175. 
Corfe  Castle,  222-223. 
Cornwall,  Antiquities  of  Godolphin,  83-84. 

Royal  Institution  Meetings,  173. 

Correspondence,  39,    85-87,    180-183,   229. 

231,  279. 
Cot  tcb wold  Naturalists'  Field  Club  Meet- 
ings, 221. 
Coverdale's  Bible,  Renovation  of  Copy  of, 

131. 
Cowell  (Rev.   R.  C.)  on  Manx  Customs, 

149-150.      _ 
Cradles,  Designs  in  Pottery,  6-7. 
Crespigny  (Mrs.   P.  C.)  on  Underground 

Southampton,  52-5^. 
Cromlechs,  Fairy  Builders  of,  273. 
Cross  (Stone)  at   Gosforth,    Cumberland, 

204. 
Croydon,  Demolition  of  Archway  at,  327. 
Cumberland,   Bones  of    Extinct  Animals 

found,  38. 
Ancient  Cross  at  Gosforth, 

204-205,  279. 
and  Westmoreland  Archaeo- 
logical Society  Meetings,  79. 
Customs,  Scandinavian,  Surviving  among 

the  English,  137-147  ;  Manx,  149-150. 
Davey  (R.)  on  Historical  Documents  re- 
lating to  the  West  Indies  at  the  Colonial 

Exhibition,  211-219. 
Deerhurst,  Saxon  Chapel  at,  77. 
Dtlft,  Unveiling  of  Statue  of  Grotius  at, 

228. 
Derby,  First  English  Silk-Mill  at,  272. 
Derbyshire    Archaeological    and    Natural 

History  Society  Meetings,  30,  271. 
Devizes  Castle,  Sale  of,  37. 
Diana,  Temple  of,  near  Rome,  Antiquities 

from,  presented  to  Nottingham  Museum, 

274. 
Didron  (A.  N.),   Christian  Iconography, 

Translation  of,  Reviewed,  265. 
Dioscuri,  Statue,  found  at  Carthage,  275. 
Documents,    Historical,    relating    to    the 

West  Indies  at  the  Colonial  Exhibition, 

211-219. 
Dog-whipper,  Office  of,  83. 
Doge's  Establishment  and  Mediaeval  Taxa- 
tion at  Venice,  252-254. 
Domesday    Commemoration    Conference, 

266. 
Dorset  Field  Club  Meetings,  222. 
Douthwaite    (W.    R.),    Gray's    Inn  :    its 

Hi::tory  and   Associations,   Reviewed, 

126. 
Drunkenness,  Expressions  used  for,  274. 
Dudley  Collection  of  Porcelain,  Sale  of, 

35-36. 
Duiilield,  Remains  of  Castle  discovered  at, 

179. 
Duhvich   College,  Documents  relating  to 

the  Fortune  Theatre  at,  207-211. 
Durham  Brasses,  168. 

Castle,  Old  Oak  Tables  in,  38. 

1 — and  Northumberland  Archaeo- 
logical, etc..  Society  Meeting,  271. 

Earthenware  discovered  in  Tomb  in  Italy, 
'33-. 

Ecclesiastical  Art  Objects,  Exhibition  of, 
277. 

Edward  I.  Coins  temp.,  discovered,  35. 

II.,  Coins  of,  discovered  at  Aber- 
deen, 131. 

Egypt,  Archaeological  Excavations  in,  132. 

Ruins   of  Palace  discovered  in,  Si- 


Egypt,  Existence  of  Town  discovered,  227. 

Eleanor,  Queen,  Cross  at  Waltham,  Re- 
storation of,  131. 

Enamellists  and  Miniature  Painters  in 
England,  199-204,  257-262. 

England,  Newspapers  in,  in  1824,  130. 

English  Race,  Scandinavian  Elements  in 
the,  137,  147. 

Silver  Coins  discovered  in  Aber- 
deen, 35. 

Engraving,  Art  of,  in  Rome,  130. 

Epitaphs,  Curious,  162-164. 

Essex  Archaeological  Society  Meetings, 
173-174. 

Etruscan  Art,  Remains  of,  discovered  in 
Italy,  133. 

Exchange,  Antiquary,  40,  88,  136,  184, 
232,  280. 

Exeter  Cathedral,  Office  of  Dog-whipper 
at,  83. 

Eyam,  Derbyshire,  Ancient  Customs  at, 
276. 

Family  History,  Irish,  101-108. 
Farrar(R.  H.),  Index  to  tlu  Obituary  and 

Biographical  Notices  in  the  Gentleman  s 

Magazine,  Reviewed,  76. 
Ferguson  (Prof.  J.)  On  a  Copy  of  Albertus 

Magnus'  De  Secretis  Muiierujn,  printed 

by  Macklinia,  Reviewed,  125. 
Ferguson  (R.  S.)  on  Municipal  Offices  of 

Carlisle,  17-22,  118-122,  154-162. 
Field-names,  Common,   Notes  on,  72-76, 

116-118,  180. 
"  First-Foot"  Custom,  8586. 
Fisher  (J.),  Catalogtie  of  the  Most  Memor- 
able Persons  who  had  Visible  Tombs  .  .  , 

in  the  City  0/  London  be/ore  the  last 

Dreadful  Fife,  i666,  Reviewed,  220-221. 
Flatman  (J.),  Miniature  Painter,  203. 
Fletcher  (Rev.  W.  G.  Dimock),  Leicester- 

shi7-e  Pedigrees,  etc.,  Reviewed,  266. 
Fleay  (F.  G.),  Chronicle  History  of  Life 

and  l-Fori  of  Shakespeare,  Reviewed, 

27-28. 
Flints  discovered  near  Namur,  226. 
Flonheim,  near  Worms,   Excavations  at, 

131. 
Florentine  Straw  Industry,  Notes  on,  122- 

Folkard  (A.)on  Multiplication  of  Surnames, 

89,  96.  _ 

Folk-lore  of  Lincolnshire  Village,  9-12. 
Forest,  Post-glacial,  discovered  near  Hull, 
^  133- 

Fortune  Theatre,  205-211. 
Fossil-tree  discovered  at  St.  Etienne,  84. 
Foster  (J.  J.)  on  some  Miniature  Painters 

and  Enamellists  who  have  flourished  in 

England,  199-204,  257-262. 
Freeman    (E.    A.),    Accuracy    of,  as    an 

Historian,  150-154,  247-251. 
Frescoes  copied  from  Ajanta  Caves,  37. 
Fulham  and  Putney,  Old,  Bridge,  13-17. 
Fuller  (Rev.  Morris),  Our  Lady  of  Wal- 

singliam,  Reviewed,  266. 

Galland  (M.),  Translation  of  Arabian 
Nights,  86. 

Games,  Old  English.  See  "  Bowling 
Greens." 

Garter  Brasses,  197-199. 

Gateshead,  Discovery  of  Old  Seats  at,  84. 

Gavelkind  in  Wales,  Note  on,  135. 

Gibbs  (R.)  on  Parish  Umbrellas,  39. 

Glacier  of  AroUa,  Discovery  of  Natural 
Gallery  in,  276. 

Glamorganshire,  Restoration  of  Llantwit 
Major  Church,  177-178. 

Glasgow  College,  Demolition  of,  276. 

Glass,  Heraldic,  formerly  in  St.  Martin's 
Church,  Liskeard,  113-116. 

of  Morley  Church,  233. 

Gloucestershire  Notes  and  Queries,  Re- 
viewed, 76. 

Godolphin,  Cornwall,  Antiquities  of,  83-84. 

Gokewell  Nunnery,  147-149. 

Gold-wasbi^js  in  Coica,  175. 


Gortyna,  Statue  disinterred  at,  275. 
Gosforth,  Cumberland,  Ancient  Cross   at, 

204-205,  279. 
Gray  (James),  Proverbs  and  Maxims  from 

Burmese  Sources,  Reviewed,  77. 
Grolier   Club     Transactions,    Reviewed, 

266. 
Grotius,  Unveiling  of  Statue  of,  at  Delft, 

228. 
Guildhall,  History  of,  278. 
Gyles   (A.),    Directory    of  Second-hand 

Booksellers,  Reviewed,  27. 

Hagiri  Deke,  Statue  disinterred  at,  275. 

Hampshire  Field  Club  Meetings,  28-30,  37, 
172. 

Hampton,  Parish  Registers  stolen  from 
Church  at,  131. 

Hanging  on  a  Sign-post  at  Romsey,  179.  _ 

Hare  (N.)  on  Heraldic  Glass  formerly  in 
St.  Martin's  Church,  Liskeard,  113-116. 

Harrow  Churchyard,  Epitaphs  in,  162. 

Harvest  Custom,  176. 

Hats.     See  "  Florentine  Straw  Industry." 

Hazlitt  (W.  Carew)  on  Odysseus  and  his 
Singer,  69-71. 

on    Revival  of   Irish 

Secession,  134. 

on  the  Doge's  Estab- 
lishment   and    Mediaeval    Taxation    at 


Venice,  252-254. 


Old   Cookery   Books, 


Reviewed,  77. 
Hellenic  Society  Meetings,  32. 
Helsfell  Bone  Cave,  Discoveries  at,  228. 
Henry  VI.,  Accounts  of,  96-101. 
Heraldic   Glass  formerly  in   St.  Martin's 

Church,  Liskeard,  11VI16. 
Hereford,  Chained  Books  at,  272. 
Heren  Valley,  Ice  Gallery  discovered,  226. 
Hertfordshire  Churches,  Brasses  in,  49-51. 
Herts  Natural  History  Society  Meetings, 

127-128. 
Heywood's     "  Philocothonista,"     quoted, 

^74. 

Hilliard  (Nicholas),  Miniature  Painter, 
200. 

Hills  (Rev.  F.  R.)  on  Epitaphs,  162-164. 

Hingeston-Randolph(Rev.  F.  C),  Register 
of  Edmund  Stafford,  Reviewed,  28. 

Hodgetts  (J[.  F.)  on  the  Scandinavian 
Elements  in  the  English  Race,  137-147. 

Honeyman  (J.)  on  Ancient  Cross  at  Gos- 
forth, Cumberland,  279. 

Hooton  Pagnell   Church,  Restoration  of, 

132. 

Hordle  Village,  Gradual  Disappearance  of, 
226. 

Home's  (R.  H.)  "  Orion,"  Copy  bought 
for  Twopence,  277. 

Hudson  (W.  H .),  Church  and  Stage,  Re- 
viewed, 220. 

Huguenot  Society  of  London,  Proceedings 
of.  Reviewed,  169. 

Etnigration  to  Virginia,  Docu- 

■ments  relating  to,  Reviewed,  170. 

Hull,  Post-glacial  Forest  discovered  near, 
133- 

Human  Skeletons  found  at  Nice,  227;  Re- 
mains found  at  Westhoughton,  227 ;  in 
Swindon  Valley,  228. 

Huntingdon  (U.S.A.),  Coins  discovered  at, 


Ice  Gallery  discovered,  226. 

Ikerrin,   the    Family  of   O'Meaghers  of, 

101-108. 
Implements,    Flint,   found  in    Prehistoric 

Cemetery,  38. 
Stone,  found  in  Post-glacial 

Forest  near  Hull,  133. 
Ingatestone  Church,  Esse.x,  173. 
Ipswich,     Restoration    of     St.     Nicholas 

Church  at,  134. 
Old,  Illustrations  of.  Reviewed, 

170. 
Irish  Family  History.   See  "O'Meaghers." 
Secession,  Revival  of,  134. 


INDEX. 


283 


Italy,  Art  Institutions  in,  130. 

Discovery  of  Site  of  Vetulonia,  133. 

James  I.,  Visitors  to  Bath  tem^.,  i-6,  64- 

69. 
Jerusalem,  Discoveries  during  Excavations 

at,  178. 
Jessopp  (C.  M.)  on  Demolition  of  Roman 

Remains  at  Bremenium,  279. 
Jewitt  (Llewellyn)  on  Quaint  Conceits  in 

Pottery,  6-9. 

Obituary  of,  35. 

Just  (H.  W.)  on  "  Field  Names,"  180. 

Keats'  Endymion,  Copy  of,  discovered,  37. 

Kertch,  Pedestal  of  Roman  Statue  dis- 
covered, 227. 

Keys  discovered  in  Graves  at  Flonheim, 
131- 

king  (A.  J.)  and  Watts  (B.  H.)  on  Visitors 
to  Bath  temp.  James  I.,  1-6,  64-69.1 

Kirkwall,  Celebration  of  Anniversary  of 
Incorporation  at,  275. 

Knightlow  Hill,  Payment  of  Wroth  Silver 
on,  135. 

Knox  Oohn),  Sale  of  Sermon  of,  131. 

Lazar  or  Leper  Hospitals,  127-128. 

Leatherhead,  Find  of  Skeletons  at  Ox 
Hill,  275. 

Leighton  Buzzard  Parish  Church,  Restora- 
tion of,  132. 

Leicestershire  A  rchitectural  and  A  rcfueo- 
logical  Society  Transactions,  Reviewed, 

=7- 
Letters,   Original,   Unpublished,  of  Lord 

Romney,  63-64. 
Lincoln,  Burning  at  the  Stake  at,  225. 
Lincolnshire,  "  First-Foot"  Custom  in,  8s. 

Folk-lore  of,  9-12, 

Liskeard,  Heraldic  Glass  in  St.  Martin's 

Church  at,  113-116. 
Llangarten  Parish  Church,  Restoration  of, 

178. 
Llantwit   Major   Church,   Restoration  of, 

177-178. 
London,  Relic  of  Clement's  Inn,  226. 

Sale  of  "  Cogers'  Hall,"  227 

(Old)  Street,  at  New  York,  278. 

Theatres,  Blackfriars,  I22-27,   55- 

58,  103-113. 

The  Fortune,  205-211. 

The  Red  Bull,  236-241. 

Wall,  Portion  of,  discovered,  36. 

Demolition    of    Fox    and 


Goose  Yard,  226. 
Louvre  Museum,  Objectsof  Ancient  Art  at, 

85. 
Lovell  (W.)on  Underground  Southampton, 

'35- 

Lumlcy  (Sir  J.  S.),  Presentation  of  Anti- 
quities to  Nottingham  Museum  by,  274. 

Luton,  Gold  Coins  found  in  Farmhouse 
near,  176. 

Maiden  Lane,  Place  Name,  39,  86,  181, 
229. 

Maidenhead,  Roman  Villa  discovered  at, 
227. 

Malvern,  Naturalists'  Field  Club,  79. 

Man,  Antiquity  of,  in  North  Wales,  85. 

Manor  of  Woking,  Holders  of,  185-189. 

MS.  of  Codex  Calixtinus  discovered,  226. 

Manx  "  Bogane,"  255-257. 

Customs,  149-150. 

Note  Hook,  Reviewed,  27,  170. 

Maps,  Earliest,  of  West  Indies  at  Colonial 
P^xhibition,  212-213. 

Marco  Polo  Map  at  the  Colonial  Exhibi- 
tion, 213. 

Marriage  Laws,  Early  Irish,  102. 

— — Laws  among  the  Scandinavians, 

139- 

Customs,  Lincolnshire,  11,  u. 

Marmaros  Bread,  temfi.  1786,  Specimen  of, 

found,  179. 
Martinengo-Cesaresco,    Countess,    Essays 

in  the  Study  of  Folk  Songs,  Reviewed, 

77- 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  Parents  of,  86. 


Masonic   Antiquities,    Exhibition    of,     at 

Shanklin,  178. 
Mayday  Customs,  Lincolnshire,  11. 
Mexican  Coins  discovered  in  United  States, 

84. 
Milverton,  Roman  Coins  discovered  at,  3^. 
Miniature  Painters  who  have  Flourished  in 

England,  199-204,  257-262. 
Moothouse,  Occurrence  of,    in  Grants  of 

Lands,  180. 
Morgan  (J.),  Romano-British  Pavements : 

a  Jlistoryo/i/teir  Discovery,  Reviewed, 

124-125. 
Morley  Church,  Brasses  and  Glass  of,  223. 
Morwenstow   Parish  Church,  Restoration 

of,  180. 
Mosaic  Floor,  Roman,  discovered  at  Caer- 

went,  228. 
Mozart,  Memento  of,  found,  178. 
Municipal  Offices,  Carlisle,  17-22,  118-122, 

135.  i54-i62- 
Murdoch  (Alex.  G)  on    "  The  Violin   in 

Scotland,"  275. 
Music  at  the  Blackfriars  Playhouse,  112. 
Musical  Library  at  Rome,  275. 

Names,  Field,  72-76,  116-118,  180. 
Namur,  Human  Skulls   discovered   near, 

226. 
Necklace  (Pearl),   discovered  in  Grave  at 

Flonheim,  131. 
Needlework,  Ancient  Tapestry,  58-63. 
New    England  Historical    and   Genea- 
logical Register,  Reviewed,  266. 
New  Year's  Day  Customs,   Lincolnshire, 

12,  85. 
New  York,  Old  London  Street  at,  278.  _ 
Newcastle  Society  of  Antiquaries  Meeting, 

79.  81. 
Newspapers  in  England,  Number  of,  130. 
Nice,    Human    Skeletons    discovered    in 

Church  at,  227. 
Norman  Architecture  in  Wentnor  Church, 

133;  in  Tansor  Church,  134. 
Building,  Colchester,  Demolition 

of,  220. 

North   Burton,    Skeletons  discovered  at, 

38. 
Northampton  Museum,  Additions  to,  177. 
Northumberland,  _  Archjeological,      etc., 

Society  of,  Meeting,  271. 
Northwich,  Cheshire,    Early    Salt  Works 

discovered  at,  176. 
Note  Book,  81-84,  175-176,  225-226,^  272. 
Nottingham    Museum,    Presentations    of 

Antiquities  to,  274. 
Nottingliam    Borough  Records,  vol.  iii., 

Reviewed,  170-171. 

Oak  G.iulish  Boat  discovered,  176. 

Furniture,   Old,   in  Durham  Castle, 

38. 

in  Tansor  Church,  134. 

Obituary  Notices,  35,  274. 

Odysseus  and  his  Singer,  69-71. 

Offices,  Municipal,  of  Carlisle,  17-22,  iiS- 

122,  135,  154-162. 
Olbia,    Ancient,  Exploration    of  Site   of, 

276. 
Oliver,     Isaac      and     Peter,     Miniature 

Painters,  200-202. 
O'Meaghers  of  Ikerrin,  Family  of,  101-108. 
Ordish(T.  F.)  on  London  Theatres,  BKick- 

friars,  22-27,  55-58,  108-113,  205-211,  236- 

241. 
Ornaments,  Ancient  Gold,  at  the  Colonial 

Exhibition,  213. 
Personal,  discovered  in  Graves 

at  Flonheim,  131. 
Oswald  Kirk,  Restoration  of  Church  at, 

38. 
Ox  Hill,  Leatherhead,  Find  of  Skeletons 

at,  275. 

Painters  and  Enamellists  (Miniature)    in 

England,  199-204,  257-262. 
Painting    of  Raphael,   Disappearance   of, 


Palace  (Pharaoh's),  Discovered  in  Egypt, 

81-83. 
Palmer  (A.  N.)  on  Gavelkind  in  Wales, 

135- 

Pannal  Church,  Yorks,  Restoration  of, 
132. 

Pans,  Collection  of  Death-Warrants, 
temp.  1808,  at,  131. 

Parish  Umbrellas,  39. 

Pavement,  Tessellated,  discovered  at  Col- 
chester, 180. 

Peacock  (E.)  on  Spanish  Dollars  in  Eng- 
land, 86. 

■  on  Gokewell  Nunnery,   147- 

149. 

Peacock  (M.)  on  "  First-Foot "  Custom, 
85-86. 

Peerages,  Authority  of,  279. 

Penny  (A.  J.),  An  Introduction  to  t'le 
Study  0/ Jacob  Boehme's  Writings,  Re- 
viewed, 125-126. 

Peterborough,  Discoveries  at,  37. 

Scientific      and      Archao- 

logical  Society  Meetings,  128. 

Philological  Society  Meetings,  32. 

Philosophy  of  Lucilio  Vanini,  190-197. 

Pig,  Customs  connected  with  the,  10. 

Pigment,  Old,  discovered  at  Tansor  Parish 
Church,  134. 

Pilpay,  Fables  of.  Reviewed,  77. 

Place-names,  72-76. 

Maiden,  86. 

"  Maiden  Lane,"  229-230. 

Plumptre  (Prof.)  on  Lucilio  Vanini,  hLs 
Life  and  Philosophy,  190-197. 

Plymouth,  Historic  Streets  of,  41-49- 

Politi-Flamini,  Count,  his  Collection  of 
Michael  Angelo's  Autograph  Letters, 
etc.,  275. 

Pompeii,  Discovery  at,  228. 

Poole's  Cavern,  Discoveries  in,  33-34- 

Porcelain,  Sale  of  Dudley  Collection  of, 
35-36. 

Porter(J.  A.)  on  Garter  Brasses,  197-199. 

Posset-pots,  Designs  in  Potterj',  7^. 

Potomac,  Prehistoric  Cemetery  discovered 
in  the,  38. 

Potterj',  Quaint  Conceits  in,  6-9. 

found  at   B.  Honduras,  at   the 

Colonial  Exhibition,  213. 

Presbyterian  Field  Club  ISleetings,  79. 

Prideaux  (W.  F.)  on  Name  of  Maiden 
Lane,  39. 

Prince  (C.  L.)  on  the  De  Secretis  Muhcrum 
of  Albertus  Magnus,  183. 

Punishments  in  1722,  IBurning  at  the  Stake 
for  Murder,  225. 

Pumell  (Thomas),  London  and  Elsewhert 
Reviewed,  220, 

Putney,  Old,  Bridge,  13-17. 

Pyrgo  Park  Estate,  Sale  of,  227. 

Raleigh  (Sir  W.),  Letters  of,  i-a. 
Ramsay  (Sir  J.   H.),  Accounts  of  Henr>' 

VI.  by,  96,  101. 
Raphael,    Disappearance  of  Painting  by, 

227. 
Red  Bull  Playhouse,  236-241. 
Revenue  of  the  Croy/n,  temp.  Henry  VI., 

96-101. 
Reviews  qf  New  Books,  27,  77,  168,  124, 

319,  3^5. 
Rich  (Barnaby),  "  A  New  Description  of 

Ireland,"  1610,  quoted,  274 
Richborough  Camp,  Sale  of,  84. 
Ring,  Gold,  discovered  in  Grave  at  Flon- 
heim, 132. 
Rochester,   High,  Demolition  of   Roman 

Remains  at,  279. 
Rome,  Art  Institutions  in,  130. 

Musical  Library  in,  275. 

Discovery-  of  Statues  in,  276. 

Discover!'  of   Ancient    House    in, 

276. 
Antiquities,   Proposed  Museum  of 

276. 
Roman  Coins  found  at  Caerwent,  »a8. 
discovered  at  Milverton,  3. 


284 


INDEX. 


Roman  Remains  found  in  Swindon  Valley, 
228  ;  at  Caerwent,  228. 

■  Statue,    Remains    of,     found    at 
Kertch,  227. 

Villa   discovered   at  Maidenhead, 

■  Wall,  Report  on,  229. 


Romney,  Lord,  Letters  of,  to  the  Duke  of 
Leeds,  63-64. 

Rorasey,  Hanging  on  Sign-Post  at,  179.  _ 

Round  0.  H.)  on  Village  Community  in 
England,  86  ;  on  Mary  Queen  of  Scots, 
86  ;  on  Boxley  Abbey,  87. 

on  Municipal  Offices,  Car- 
lisle, 135. 

Is  Mr.  Freeman  Accurate? 

by,  150-154,  247-251. 

— on     Moothouse,    180. 

on    Norman   Building    at 


Colchester,  229 
229-230 


231- 


"  Maiden  "   Place  •  name, 

■  Boxley  Abbey,  Kent,  230- 

— Tun-Gerefa,  231. 

Rundle  (Rev.  J.  S.),  Antiquities  of  Godol- 

phin,  by,  83-8^. 
Ru&iian  Antiquities,  Proposed  Museum  of, 

276. 

St.    Alban's    Architectural    and    Archaeo- 
logical Society  Meetings,  30-31. 
St.  Columb  Minor,  Church  of,  277. 
St.  Etienne,  France,  Fossil-tree  discovered 

in,  84. 
Saint-Germain,  Palace  of,  278. 
St.  Mark's  Day  Eve,  Custom  on,  11. 
St.  Michael's  Church,  Southampton,  54. 
St.  Neot's  Old  Bridge  and  Priory,  30-31. 
St.  Ninian's  Cave,  Damage  done  to  Crosses 

in,  177. 
St.    Petersburg,    Museum    of   Antiquities 

projected  by  Archaeological  Society  of, 

276. 
St.  Thomas's  Day  Customs,  Lincolnshire, 

12. 
Salt   Works,   Early    English,   discovered, 

176. 
Sandwich,  Richborough  Camp  near,  84. 
Sanson,    Collection    of    Death  ■  Warrants 

formerlj'  belonging  to,  131. 
Sarcophagi  discovered  at  Jerusalem,  178. 
Scandinavian    Elements    in    the    English 

Race,  137-147. 
Scarborough,  Restoration  of  St.  Andrew's 

Church  near,  38. 
Scotland,  Old  Communion  Cups,  etc.,  in, 

^75.  .    .     . 

The  Violin  m,  275. 

Scottish  History   Society,    Formation   of, 

37- 

Meetings,  174. 

Sculpture  of  Horse  presented  to  British 
Museum,  176. 

Seats,  Old  Chiselled,  discovered  at  Gates- 
head, 84. 

Sh.-ikespeare's  Estate  at  New  Place,  Title- 
deeds  of,  discovered,  85. 

Memorial  Window,  37. 

Shored  itch,  Shakespeare  Memorial  Window 
at  St.  James's  Church,  37. 

Silchester,  Account  of,  28-29,  37- 

Silk-mill,  First  English,  272. 

Simpson  (R.  T.)  on  Payment  of  Wroth 
Silver,  135. 

Skeletons  discovered  at  North  Burton,  38 ; 
in  the  Potomac,  38. 

discovered  in  Church  at   Nice, 

227. 

Skulls,  Human,  discovered  near  Namur, 


Smith  (C.  Roach),  Retrosffctlons:  Social 
and  Arckitolcgical,  Reviewed,  168-169. 

Smith  (H.  W.)  on  "  Maiden  Lane  "  Place- 
names,  181. 

Smith  (W),  Morley:  Ancient  and  Modem, 
Reviewed,  76. 

Smith  (Prof.  W.  Robertson),  Kinship  and 
Marriage  in  Early  Arabia,  Reviewed, 

210. 

Southampton,  Underground  Relics  in,  52- 

o  54.  135-    . 

Spanish  Coins  discovered,  37. 

Dollars  in  England,  86. 

Spittal  Gas  Works,  Coins  discovered  at, 

37- 
Staffordshire,    North,    Field    Club,    etc., 

278. 
Stapleton  (A.)  on    Maiden    Place-names, 

181. 
Statue,  Bronze,  discovered  at  Athens,  177. 
Pedestal  of,  discovered  at  Kertch, 

227. 

Discovery  of,  275,  276. 

Stevens  (H.    W.   P.),   Old   Barnet,   Re- 
viewed, 76. 
Stone    Coffin    discovered  near    Broughty 

Ferry,  176. 
Stone  Implements  discovered   near  Hull, 

133  ;  Coffins  discovered  at  York,  133. 

Seat  at  Tansor  Parish  Church,  134. 

Stones,    Old,    in    St.    Nicholas    Church, 

Ipswich,  134. 
Stratford-on-Avon,  Swan-upping  at,  227. 
Straw  Industry,  Florentine,  Notes  on,  122- 

124. 
Streets,  Historic,  of  Plymouth,  41-49. 
Surnames,  Multiplication  of,  89-96. 
Surtees  (F.  R.)  on  Boxley  Abbey,  Kent, 

181-183. 
Surtees  (S.)  on  Maiden  Place-names,  86. 
Sussex  Archaeological   Society   Meetings, 

22. 
— ; Archaeological  Museum,  Presenta- 
tions to,  179. 
Swan-upping  at  Stratford-on-Avon,  227. 
Swindon  Valley,  Burnley,  Roman  Remains 

found  in,  228. 

Tansor    Parish    Church,    Restoration    of, 

133- 

Tapestry,  Ancient,  58-63. 

Tavern  Club,  1703,  225-226. 

Taxation,  Mediaeval,  at  Venice,  252-254. 

Terra-cotta  Objects  discovered  at  Athens, 
177. 

Terrington,  Restoration  of  St.  Peter's 
Church  near,  131. 

Theal  (G.  McCall),  Kaffir  Folk-Lore,  Re- 
viewed, 77. 

Theatres,  London,  22-27,  SS"S8,  108-113, 
205-211,  236-241. 

Ting  Stones  among  the  Scandinavians, 
141.      _ 

Tomb  discovered  on  Site  of  Vetulonia, 
133- 

Tombs,  Street  of,  discovered  at  Pompeii, 
229. 

Tradition  in  Corea,  175. 

Trajan's  Column,  to  be  set  up  at  Saint- 
Germain,  278. 

Treasure,  Buried,  Tradition  of,  at  Burnley, 
228. 

Treasure-trove,  Regulations  as  to,  176. 

Tuer  (Andrew  W.),  'I'he  Follies  and 
Fashions  of  our  Grandfathers,  Re- 
viewed, 265. 

Tun-Gerefa,  Township  Officer,  231. 

Turf-cutting,  Customs  connected  with 
(Manx),  149-150. 

Tyneside  Naturalists'  Field  Club  Meetings, 


Umbrellas,  Parish,  39, 
Urn,  Roman  Cinerary,  found  in  Swindon 
Valley,  228. 

Vanini  (Lucilio),  his  Life  and  Philosophy, 

190-197. 
Vases,  Fragments  of,  discovered  at  Athens, 

177. 
Vaults,  Ancient,  at  Southampton,  52-53. 
Venice,    the    Doge's    Establishment    and 

MediiEval  Taxation  at,  252-254. 
Vetulonia,  Discovery  of  Site  of,  133. 
Viana,  Tomb  of  Ca;sar  Borgia  discovered 

at,  179. 
Vick  (W.)  on  St.  Nicholas  Church,  Ipswich, 

.134- 
Vienna,  Coffins  discovered  at,  36. 
Villa,  Roman,  discovered  at  Maidenhead, 

227. 
Village  Community  in  England,  86. 

Gradual  Disappearance  of,  226. 

Violins,  Scottish,  275. 

made  of  wood  from  Old  Glasgow 

College,  276. 
Vladimir  Voljmsk,  Excavations  of  Cathedral 

at,  275. 

Wales,  North,  Discoveries  proving  Anti- 
quity of  Man  in,  85. 

Wales,  Custom  of  Gavelkind  in,  135. 

Walkins  (Rev.  M.  G.)  on  Lincolnshire 
Folk-Lore,  9-12. 

Wall-painting  discovered  at  Morwenstow 
Church,  180. 

Walpole's  House  in  Arlington  Street  de- 
molished, 277. 

Waltham,  Queen  Eleanor's  Cross  at,  131. 

Warrants,  Death,  formerly  belonging  to 
Sanson,  131. 

Wentnor  Parish   Church,  Restoration  of, 

,   133- 

West  Indies,  Documents  relating  to,  at  the 
Colonial  Exhibition,  211-219. 

Westhoughton,  Bolton,  Human  Remains 
found  at,  227. 

Westmoreland,  Bones  of  Extinct  Animals 
found  in,  38. 

Brasses,  168. 

Wigtownshire,   Damage    to    St.   Ninian's 

Cave  in,  177. 
Wilson  (F.  Rought)  on  Brasses  and  Glass 

of  Morley  Church,  233. 
Winchester    Cathedral,    Bones    of   Saxon 

Kings,  etc.,  at,  277. 

Well  in,  176,  275. 

Subscription  -  list 

for  Repair  of,  225. 
Wine  Vaults,  Ancient,  at  Southampton,  52 
Woking,  The  Ancient  Parish  of,  185-189, 

241-247. 
Vvood-Martin  (\V.  G.),  Lake  Dwellings  of 

Ireland,  Reviewed,  169. 
Woolhope  Naturalists'  Field  Club  Meet- 
ings, 78. 
Worms,  Excavations  at,  131. 
Wright  (W.  H.  K.)  on  Plymouth  Streets, 

41-49. 
Wroth  Silver,  Payment  of,  133. 

Yard-measure,  Unstamped,  an  Heirloom, 

Prosecution  for  Use  of,  276. 
York,  Stone   Coffins  discovered  at,   133 ; 

Restoration  of  Walls  at,  133. 
Yorkshire  Brasses,  168. 

Archaeological  and  Topographi- 
cal Society  Meetings,  128-129. 

; Geological      and      Polytechnic 

Society  Meetings,  171. 

Naturalists'  Union  Meetings,  80. 

Notes  and  Queries,  Reviewed, 


76, 


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