Antiquarian News & Notes.

Professor Sayceleft England in November to spend the winter in Egypt.

Themode of treatment of the west front of Westminster Hall is under the consideration of Parliament.

Themusical library of Mr. Julian Marshall was lately sold by auction at the rooms of Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge.

Thefour-light east window of Akely Church, near Buckingham, has been filled with stained glass by Messrs. Meyer & Co., of Munich.

Itis reported, on what we believe to be good authority, that Lord Carnarvon is about to resign the Presidency of the Society of Antiquaries.

TheBishop of Peterborough having disapproved of the action of the Committee for the restoration of the Cathedral, the work has been stopped.

A memorialpainted window to Richard Hooker, the “judicious” divine of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, has just been unveiled in his old church, Bishopsbourne, near Canterbury.

Thelibrary belonging to Sir John H. Thorold, at Syston, very rich in ancient and curious books, will be sold by Messrs. Sotheby & Wilkinson on the 12th of December and following days.

Theintended collection of Turner’s works at the Winter Exhibition of the Academy will not be made this season, owing to the dampness of the walls of the new rooms at Burlington House.

Theancient civic maces belonging to the borough of Tenby have been lately repaired and restored by Mr. G Lambert, F.S.A., and at his cost. This is one result of the recent Archæological Congress in South Wales.

Mr.W. Black’slast novel, “Judith Shakespeare,” is worthy of notice for the vast amount of antiquarian interest with which the author has contrived to invest not only Stratford-on-Avon, and Shakespeare’s house, but the interior of his home.

“Nossett’s Mythology,” Greek and Roman, has been now translated into English by Mrs. Angus W. Hall. The book, which is illustrated with drawings by the translator, will be published by Messrs. Kirby & Endean.

TheHardwicke historical manuscripts, which chiefly consist of correspondence with foreign Courts during the reigns of George I. and II., were lately sold to Mr. Astor, who has presented them to the Astor public library in New York.

Mr. R. Garnett, the kind and courteous Superintendent of the Reading Room of the British Museum, has given up his position, having accepted the post of Assistant Keeper. Mr. Fortescue, who is well known tohabituésof the Museum, succeeds Mr. Garnett.

TheEast Anglianis about to be revived under the title ofThe Suffolk Antiquary and East Anglian Archæological Notes and Queries. It will be edited by the Rev. C. H. E. White, of Ipswich, Hon. Secretary of the Suffolk Archæological Institute. We wish the newly revived venture all possible success.

TheHon. Lewis Wingfield has been engaged in mounting four new productions—“Cymbeline,” which will be played at the Lyceum in March next, for Miss Anderson; “The School for Scandal,” for Mrs. Langtry, to be produced at the Prince’s Theatre; “As You Like It,” for the St. James’s; and an important revival of “The Comedy of Errors,” for the American Dromios, Messrs. Robson & Crane.

Mr. Thackeray Turner, as Secretary of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, writes to theTimesfrom 9, Buckingham-street, Strand, very strongly remonstrating against a proposal which has been made, and which has been sanctioned by the architect, Mr. Pearson, gradually to re-face the exterior stonework of Westminster Abbey. He says that by so doing we shall only be forestalling the action of time.

Mr. Murray’slist of forthcoming works includes the following: “Bolingbroke, an historical study,” by J. Churton Collins. “London; its history, antiquarian and modern,” by James Thorne, F.S.A., and H. B. Wheatley, F.S.A. “Works of Alexander Pope,” with notes, &c., by W. J. Courthope. “History of the Roman Empire, from the establishment of the Empire to the accession of Commodus,A.D.180.”

Cataloguesof rare and curious books, most of which contain the names of works of antiquarian interest, have reached us from Messrs. Jarvis and Son, 28, King William-street, W.C. (comprising a copy of“Othello,” 4to. edition, 1655); Messrs. Fawn and Son, Queen’s-road, Bristol; Mr. Geo. Redway, York-street, Covent-garden; Mr. Henry Gray, Cathedral-yard, Manchester; Messrs. Robson and Kerslake, 23, Coventry-street, Haymarket, W.; Von Kühl, Jägerstrasse, Berlin; Von Albert Cohn, Mohrenstrasse, Berlin.

Thedescriptive and historical account of the Cathedral Churches of England and Wales, which has been for some time past in preparation, will be published forthwith by Messrs. Cassell & Co. The contributors will include Canon Tristram, Dean Kitchin, Rev. Dr. Jessopp, Canon Venables, Prebendary Havergal, Prebendary Gregory Smith, Rev. R. St. John Tyrwhitt, Canon Swainson, Dean Howson, Archdeacon Norris, Canon Creighton, Professor T. M‘Kenny Hughes, Rev. Professor Coolidge, and the Bishop of Sodor and Man. The work will contain an introduction by the Rev. Professor Bonney.

Mr. Frederick Hawkins’s“Annals of the French Stage from its Origin to the Death of Racine,” have been published by Messrs. Chapman & Hall. Mr. Hawkins, says theTimes, is the first English writer who has undertaken to deal with this subject on a scale larger than that of a magazine article. It is understood that he has endeavoured to give his work some value as one of literary history and criticism, and has devoted much care to an elucidation of the relations between the Church and the stage in olden times. For his information as to the material situation of the Comédie Française he is indebted to the unpublished registers of that theatre.

Thefollowing articles, more or less of an antiquarian character, appear among the contents of the magazines for November:—Quarterly Review, “France under Richelieu.”Art Journal, “Collection of Casts at South Kensington;” “The Western Riviera, La Mortola, and Ventimiglia;” “Marble and Marble Mosaic.”English Illustrated Magazine, “Play, a Scene from the Life of the Last Century;” “Eton.”Edinburgh Review, “The Irish Massacres of 1641;” “Boulger’s History of China.”Temple Bar, “Recollections of Canning and Brougham;” “A Visit to Rothenburg.”Century Magazine, “The Old Sedan Chair;” “Sculptors of the Early Italian Renaissance.”Contemporary Review, “Wurzburg and Vienna;” “Goethe;” “Greek Cities under Roman Rule.”Monthly Packet, “Cameos from English History.”Journal of Education, “The Teaching of History.”

Thecivic procession to the Royal Courts of Justice on “Lord Mayor’s Day” (November 10) contained several picturesque and interesting pageants, representing different historic incidents and personages connected with the early history of the City of London. These included William the Conqueror, Richard Cœur de Lion, Henricus Fitz-Alwyne, the first Mayor of London, Richard II., and Queen Elizabeth. The immortal “Dick” Whittington was represented sitting by the Highgate mile-post, accompanied by his cat, and in the act of listening to the bells of Bow Church, a model of which, as it was inA.D.1400, came next in the procession; and this was followed by a counterfeit presentment of Sir Richard Whittington in all his civic dignity. The representative of Lord Mayor Walworth, standing over the slain Wat Tyler, was received with groans and hisses as the procession passed along.

TheProgrès de l’Aisnegives the following particulars with regard to some discoveries which have lately been made by M. Moreau, a wellknown antiquarian, at Chouy, near St. Quentin. The village, though situated upon a height, is well provided with water, and M. Moreau hasdiscovered traces of ancient Roman baths, though the small number of arms found induces the belief that it was never a military post during the Roman occupation. The cemetery was used as a place of interment from a period preceding the conquest of Gaul by Cæsar until the eighth century without interruption, and a large number of Gallic and Gallo-Roman graves have been discovered. Among other articles found were a Gallic boot sole, studded with nails, 27 buckles, clasps and plates in bronze and iron, 38 bracelets, rings, and other articles of personal adornment, mostly in bronze, though a few are silver-gilt, six bronze pieces of money of the time of Licinius, Crisus, Constantine II., Valens, and Valentianus I., two bronze dishes, 89 earthen dishes and 14 in glass, nine iron swords, 15 hatchets, daggers, and javelins, 108 flints of all shapes, thousands of coffin nails, and a signet ring with nine facets, upon which are engraved the greetingvivas, the dove and olive branch, the palm, the lamb, the stag, and the hare, symbols in use among the early Christians.

Amongthe various properties advertised for sale is Etall Castle, one of the Northumbrian “Peel Castles,” as they are styled. It is situated in the parish of Ford, about six miles from Coldstream, in the valley of the Till, a tributary of the Tweed. The present mansion is modern, of stone, with a heavy roof, and large square windows. It is approached by an avenue of finely-grown trees, the gardens are laid out in the Italian style, and the entire estate comprises about 3,440 acres. Near the mansion is the parish church, built by Butterfield in 1850, in memory of the late Lord Frederick Fitzclarence and his only daughter. On the west of the village, on the banks of the river, and about a quarter of a mile from the mansion, are the picturesque ruins of the ancient castle, once the abode of the noble family of Manners. This castle was taken by the army of James IV. of Scotland on his invasion of England in the year 1513, shortly before the battle of Flodden Field, and is mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in the Fifth canto of “Marmion,” as well as the other border fortresses in the neighbourhood—Wark, Ford, and Norham. Over the entrance of the castle are sculptured the arms of Manners, it having been embattled by Sir Robert de Manners, who was knighted on the field of battle by Edward III. In the grounds is a handsome chapel, built of stone in the style of the Edwardian period; and near the river are to be seen the foundations of St. Mary’s Chapel and Well.—Times.

Thedispersion of collections of art work is being apparently followed up by the sale of properties remarkable for historic or antiquarian features. The sales of the Island of Herm and of Boscastle, in Cornwall (both of which were abortive), have been, or are to be, succeeded by two others of a still more remarkable character. The one is the extensive ruins of Middleham Castle, in Yorkshire, celebrated for its splendid Norman keep, built by Robert Fitz Ranulph, and famous as the stronghold of Warwick, the king-maker, and as the favourite residence of his son-in-law, Richard III. The fine appearance of the keep has, however, been considerably interfered with by the Decorated buildings which surround it, and which were erected in the fifteenth century by Robert Neville, “the peacock of the North.” In later times, many of the scenes in “The Last of the Barons” were laid at Middleham. The second sale is that of Goodrich Court and Castle, which, for picturesque effect, is one of the most beautiful and attractive localities in the scenery of the Wye. Goodrich Court was, in Sir Samuel Meyrick’s time, noted for its unrivalled collection of mediæval armoury. The mansion itself is a restoration bythe late Mr. Blore. The castle, of which the principal remaining features are the gateway, a three-storied Norman keep, and an Edwardian banquetting-hall, was successively the residences of the Earls of Pembroke and the Talbots, and, later on, stood a gallant siege under Sir Henry Lingen, who held it for the King against the Parliamentary army.

Duringthe visit of a party of local archæologists to Wirksworth, in Derbyshire, a paper was read by Dr. Webb, proving that lead mining had been carried on there from time immemorial. The following circumstances suggest that the Wirksworth mines were known to the Saxons: 1. A mine near to Castleton was called Odin, after one of their gods. 2. Eadburga, Abbess of Repton (to which monastic institution the lead mines at Wirksworth appear to have belonged at this time), sent from Wirksworth,A.D.714, a leaden coffin, in which to bury St. Guthlac, Prior of Crowland Abbey, and formerly a monk at Repton. 3. Kenewara, also Abbess of Repton, gave the estate at Wirksworth,A.D.835, to Humbert, the Alderman, on the condition that he gave lead to the value of three hundred shillings to Archbishop Colenoth, for the use of Christ’s Church, Canterbury. That the mines were worked after the Norman Conquest is proved by a survey, in the possession of the Duchy of Lancaster, of Peveril Castle, made in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who greatly encouraged mining operations by inviting skilled workmen from abroad; and this survey describes the castle as being covered with lead. As it was built in the reign of the Conqueror, the lead used in its construction was probably obtained from Derbyshire mines; in fact, Domesday Book mentions the working of three lead mines at Wirksworth, one at Crich, one at Ashford, one at Bakewell, and one at Metesford, a manor in the neighbourhood of Matlock.—Weekly Register.

Amongthe most interesting properties which of late have come into the market is that of Boxley Abbey, near Maidstone, which was sold by auction in October last by Messrs. Walton & Lee, of Mount-street, Grosvenor-square. It is described as situated about two miles from Maidstone, and as consisting of about 900 acres of first-class meadow, hop and fruit plantations, arable and woodlands. It comprises the remains of the old Cistercian Abbey of Boxley, with its more modern Elizabethan residence, gardener’s cottage, stabling and offices, gardens, lawns, fish-stews, and terraced walks, surrounded by the abbey-gate or home farm lands, partly enclosed within the abbey walls. The estate, we are told, “lies within a ring fence, is well watered by an abundance of springs, is intersected by good roads, and abounds in historical traditions.” The Pilgrim’s-road, trodden by the feet of so many persons on their way to and from the shrine of St. Thomas at Canterbury, and the walls of the Abbey, which is said to have been the first abode of Cistercian monks in England, dating from the beginning of the eleventh century, a splendid specimen of an old tithe barn in excellent preservation, and a monastic chapel, now converted into a dwelling-house, are objects of especial interest to the antiquary and archæologist. The abbey itself was founded about the middle of the twelfth century by William d’Ipres, Earl of Kent. In the reign of Edward I. the Abbot was summoned to Parliament on several occasions; and Edward II. took up his residence at this abbey during the siege of Leeds Castle in October, 1221, from the refusal of its governor to provide lodgings for Queen Isabella and her suite when going on pilgrimage to Canterbury. It is said there was here a curious crucifix upon the rood-screen, which came to be called the “Rood of Grace,” and of which the mechanismwould seem to have been extremely ingenious. To this rood or crucifix the abbey was indebted for many offerings, its curious movements being reported as miraculous, and, under that impression, great numbers of people were continually resorting thither. At the time of the Reformation, the rood was publicly exposed at St. Paul’s-cross, in London, by the Bishop of Rochester, and soon afterwards broken to pieces and burnt.—Times.

TheMarquis of Bute has given £500 to the fund for establishing a British School of Archæology at Athens. The executive committee contemplate building a suitable house on Mount Lycabettus, in the immediate vicinity of Athens, where a site has been placed at their disposal by the Greek Government. It is intended that the house should afford a residence for the director, and should contain a library of reference. The aim of the school will be to promote the study of Greek art and architecture in their remains of every period; the study of inscriptions; the exploration of ancient sites; and especially all branches of research which can illustrate Hellenic life and literature, from the earliest age. Membership of the school will be open to all students accredited by any university or college of Great Britain, by the authorities of the British Museum, or of the Royal Academy, or by any other institution qualified to give credentials. The director will guide the studies of the members, and exercise a general supervision over the researches undertaken by them; report on the work of the school, and on any discoveries which may come to his knowledge; and also afford information and advice to properly accredited British travellers in Greece. It is believed that, through the agency of the school, valuable notes might be collected from visitors to the Hellenic countries, who, without being specialists, are competent scholars and observers; and such notes might conveniently be registered in the annual report of the school. The increasing interest in archæological studies which is being manifested in the universities and schools of the country warrants the hope that, when the school has been established at Athens, facilities will be afforded to students desirous of proceeding thither for the purpose of supplementing the knowledge derived from books by a direct acquaintance with the scenes and monuments of Greek life. A general feeling exists that England ought not to remain behind France, Germany, and the United States in possessing a centre in Greece for the furtherance of intellectual studies. The general committee, of which the Prince of Wales is president, already includes representatives of the Universities and public schools, of the Royal Academy, of the British Museum, of the Society of Antiquaries, of the Society of Dilettanti, and of the London Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. While it is believed that the funds already subscribed will probably be adequate for the provision of a house and library, further contributions are still needed for the purpose of endowing the office of director with a proper salary, and of creating a printing fund for the publications of the school. Any subscriptions towards these objects will be gratefully received and acknowledged by the treasurer, Mr. Walter Leaf, Old Change, E.C.; by the bankers, Messrs. Grindlay & Co., 55, Parliament-street, S.W.; or by the secretaries, Mr. T. H. S. Escott, 38, Brompton-crescent, S.W.; Mr. James Gow, 13, Old-square, Lincoln’s-inn; and Professor Jebb, the University, Glasgow.

Sin scire labores,Quære, age: quærenti pagina nostra patet.

All communications must be accompanied by the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for publication.

“SWORD-SLIPPER.”

Sir,—In the registers of St. Nicholas’ Church (now the Cathedral) at Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1576, I find mention made of “William Browne, Sword-Slipper;” as also of “Robert Peacock, Sword-Slipper;” and again in March, 1586, of “Robert Heslop, Sword-Slipper.” Brand, in his “History of Newcastle,” places the “sword-slippers” among the ancient but extinct Companies of that town. As I can find no other record of such a fraternity, may I venture to ask whether any of your readers can throw light upon its object and history.

Mus.

SOMERSET FOLK LORE.

Sir,—I cut the following paragraph the other day out of a local Calendar for 1882:—

“On the eve of Twelfth Day, in Somersetshire, at evening, the farmers, their friends, servants, &c., all assemble, and near six o’clock all walk together to a field where wheat is growing. Twelve small fires and one large one are lighted. The attendants, headed by the master of the family, pledge the company in old cider. A circle is formed round the large fire, when a general shout and hallooing takes place, which you hear answered from all the villages and fields near. This being finished, the company all return to the house, where the good wife and her maids are preparing supper. A large cake is always provided, with a hole in the middle. After supper the company all attend the head herdsman to the wainhouse. The man, at the head of his friends, fills a cup with ale, and stands opposite the first or finest oxen; he then pledges him in a curious toast, and the company follow his example with all the other oxen, addressing each by his name. This being over, the large cake is produced with much ceremony, and put on the horn of the first ox, through the hole in the cake; he is then tickled, to make him toss his head. If he throws the cake behind, it is the mistress’s perquisite; if before, the herdsman claims it. They then all return to the house, and spend the rest of the day in festivity.”

May I ask whether this custom is really still kept up, or whether it is among the old customs that have passed away?

Curiosus.

THE ISLAND OF THE SCOTS.

Quis Cladem illius Noctis, quis funera fando | Explicet.—Virg. Æneid. Lib. 2. |

| Series longissima Rerum | Per tot ducta Viros.—Ibid. Lib. I. |

London: Printed for Jonas Brown, at the Black Swan, 1714.

The tract itself is somewhat rare, but a reprint will be found in vol. iii. of the “Miscellanea Scotica:” Glasgow, 1818. Sufficiently copious extracts from it have been given by Professor Aytoun in the introductory remarks to his Lay. Here is Lord Macaulay’s opinion on the matter. In a note to the 13th chapter of his History he observes: “I have seldom made use of the ‘Memoirs of Dundee,’ printed in 1714, and never without some misgiving. The writer was certainly not, as he pretends, one of Dundee’s officers, but a stupid and ignorant Grub-street garreteer. He is utterly wrong both as to the place and as to the time of the most important of all the events which he relates, the battle of Killiecrankie. He says that it was fought on the banks of the Tummell, and on the 13th of June. It was fought on the banks of the Garry, and on the 27th of July. After giving such a specimen of inaccuracy as this, it would be idle to point out minor blunders.”

It is by no means unlikely, therefore, that the Island of the Scots is situated in one of the rivers of Utopia.

W. Wilson.

Berwick-on-Tweed, September 5.

PORTREEVE.

Sir,—“You may put up the shutters, Thomas, it’s all over now!” exclaimed the famous bootmaker to his shop-boy, on being solemnly informed by a youthful customer, in words of awful admonition, that he was under the painful necessity of withdrawing his custom. With similar solemnity Dr. Pring has informed us that “the character of Mr. Round’s papers is otherwise such as would deter me from giving any further time to their discussion,” and “must for the future preclude my bestowing any further notice on anything emanating from Mr. Round” (ante, p. 254-5). Fortunately, this awful blow has not proved so crushing as might have been feared. Indeed, though it is not for me to suggest that Dr. Pring may possibly be well advised in shrinking from further criticism of my papers, I may express my regret that he should have found no better plea for his withdrawal than that of “misrepresentation”—a serious charge, which I emphatically deny. It will be seen, on referring to Dr. Pring’s original paper (ante, iv. 264), that his argument runs thus:—

“That the distinction thus insisted upon is correct, and at once settles the true significance of the wordportin Port-reeve, is placed beyond all question by passages still extant in the laws of Athelstan, which ordain that no man shall buy any property outsidethe port or gate” (the italics are his own), &c. &c.

It would indeed place the identity ofportandgate“beyond all question” if such an expression as “the port or gate” occurred “in the laws of Athelstan.”But it does not.The expression is simply “that no man buy any propertyout of port” (Stubbs’ “Select Charters,” p. 65). Here it will be seen there isnothing whateverto prove the identity of “port” and “gate.” The words “or gate” are a deliberate addition, and as it is on them alone that Dr. Pring’s argument, as will be seen, is based, without them it falls to the ground. No reference to the views of Camden, Sharon Turner, or any other writer can justify the insertion into “the laws of Athelstan” of wordswhich are not in them. In saying this much, I am guilty of no “misrepresentation.” I am simply stating facts and exposing misquotation.

May I, in addition, express my hope that Dr. Pring will devote the time saved from discussing my papers to the task, as I suggested, of convertingMr. Hall to his ownportaderivation? And may I also assure him that the time which his solemn decision will save me shall be devoted on my part to the further prosecution of those researches which, however undeservedly, have attracted, strange as it may appear to him, the welcome appreciation of scholars?

J. H. Round.

Brighton.

WITCHCRAFT IN ROSS-SHIRE.

Sir,—No doubt most of your readers are familiar with the curious details concerning witch doctors and their doings in Mauritius, which were published inThe Timesin August last. The following interesting account of similar superstitions in the Highlands, by a correspondent of theGlasgow Herald, caused considerable sensation on its appearance, which would be about a week or two before the article in the former paper. Unquestionably, the belief in witchcraft is still deplorably widespread, the boasted “resources of civilisation” notwithstanding:—

“The belief in witchcraft, which has never become quite extinct in the more remote parts of the Highlands, has recently been revived in a certain parish on the west coast of Ross-shire. Considering the strong disposition that exists in the Highlands to set down to supernatural agency every trifling little incident that cannot be otherwise readily accounted for, it is not surprising that cases of supposed witchcraft should crop up from time to time. These cases have generally only a local interest, form the subject of conversation for a few days, and are then quite forgotten. Apart from the serious loss sustained by the parties concerned, the circumstances attending the present revival of the belief in occult powers of darkness are of such a nature as to have confirmed not a few in the belief in witchcraft who formerly were sceptical on the subject. Some time ago a party of gipsies, who had been encamped in the locality in question, took the liberty of grazing their horses on pasture belonging to a township of small tenants in the immediate neighbourhood of their camp. This unwarranted encroachment on their rights the tenants resented, and drove away the obnoxious intruders, bag and baggage, from the place. On taking their departure, some of the gipsies were heard to remark that the tenants might not be quite so conservative of their pasture, which, ere long, they would have no cattle to consume. At the time no notice was taken of this implied threat. Soon after, however, three valuable cows belonging to one of the tenants died one after the other in quick succession, suddenly, and under mysterious circumstances, while two of the other tenants lost a cow each under similar circumstances. The illness of which these animals died was of very short duration, and was unknown to the nosology of the local veterinarians, who were completely baffled, and such of the carcases as were examined presented no morbid appearance whatever, the various organs and tissues being, apparently, in a healthy condition. A respectable farmer, noted in the district for uprightness and integrity of character, and who is considered an authority in veterinary matters, had been called to see one of the animals shortly before it died, and, having carefully examined the beast, at once pronounced it to have been “witched,” as the symptoms were those of no known disease. On the strength of this statement on the part of one who is looked on as an authority in such matters, coupled with the ominous language made use of by the gipsies, a considerable section of the community unhesitatingly attribute the death of the cattle to the agency of witchcraft. As a charm against the evil influences at work, one of the tenants, acting on the advice of the initiated, had the door of his byre changed from one side of the house to the other, but with what result remains to be seen. Pending the efficacy of this charm, a young man has proceeded to the Western Isles, with the view of consulting a famous witch doctor, said to be in practice there. As an indication of the prevalence of the belief in witchcraft it may be stated that in the district in question there are two witch doctors residing within a distance of twenty miles of each other. One of these, who has been discredited for some time, on account of professional bungling, is generallyregarded as an impostor, and has suffered in his practice accordingly. The other, who evidently has played his cards better, still retains the unbounded confidence of the credulous in these matters, and his services are much sought after in cases of suspected witchcraft. Sometimes the services of the witch doctor are anticipated by timorous people, who propitiate reputed witches by means of presents. While many believe that witchcraft is still as prevalent as ever, there are others who believe that, though it did undoubtedly exist at one time, there is no such thing now, and that witches are extinct. Others there are who believe that, though not nearly so prevalent as formerly, a veritable witch is still occasionally to be met with in the flesh. Probably this diversity of opinion on the subject may be taken as an indication that even in the Highlands belief in witchcraft is in process of dying out, though slowly.”

P. J. Mullin.

THE DE VERE MONUMENTS AT EARLS COLNE.

The following correspondence occurs in theStandard, Oct. 3:—

I.—Sir,—In the interests of archæology, and as a protest against the alienation of our Historic Monuments, I ask to be allowed to place before the public a statement in the hope that publicity may prove the means of causing to be restored to their proper resting-place in the Parish Church of Earls Colne, Essex, four effigies of that once all-powerful family—the De Veres, Earls of Oxford. I add a description of the monuments, taken from Murray’s Handbook of the Eastern Counties: “Three of the effigies are carved in alabaster and one in stone. They are supposed to commemorate Robert, the fifth Earl, who died in 1295; Thomas, the eighth earl, died 1371; Robert, the ninth earl, Marquess of Dublin and Duke of Ireland, died 1392; and his second wife, Lancerona Serjeaulx the joiner’s daughter (she wears the piked horn, or high head-dress, introduced by Anne of Bohemia, Queen of Richard the Second, to whom she had been Maid of Honour). This great Duke died at Louvain, and Richard the Second, by whom he had been banished, caused his body to be brought over, insisted that the coffin should be opened, so that he might once more see his favourite, and attended it himself in high procession to Earls Colne. John, the fourteenth earl, died 1426. At the dissolution of the Priory these effigies were removed to the Parish Church, where they remained undisturbed until a few years back, when for some reason (for which good cause should be shown) they were transferred to, and now help to decorate, the grounds of an adjacent landowner. Meetings of the Essex Archæological Society have been held in this parish. It would be interesting to learn whether any member was bold enough to enter a protest against this spoliation; it would be doubly so to know whether this transfer was done by power of a Faculty, the only legal mode of transfer.”R. H. H.

R. H. H.

2.—Sir,—With reference to a letter in theStandardof October 3, signed by R. H. H., I venture to think that the writer is not altogether correct in his facts, or, consequently, in his conclusions, concerning the effigies of the De Veres.

Twenty years ago I made measured drawings of these valuable memorials, and they were then adequately protected and properly cared for by the late Mr. Carwardine at Earls Colne Priory, a modern house occupying the site, or, at least, taking the place, of the ancient Priory. I believe I am right in saying that the Parish Church was not, and never has been, the resting-place of the De Vere Monuments, but that they originally stood in the Priory Church, where the De Veres were buried, and that they remained there after the Dissolution, and until they were removed for protection from the weather to the spot they now occupy by a former owner of the modern Priory. Had it not been for such timely care the Monuments would probably not have been in existence at all at the presentday, for it is well known that, early in this century, the Church was not careful to extend any special protection to objects of this kind within or without its walls; they took their chance—usually a very rough one.

It is notorious, and a melancholy fact, that in our own day the recklessness and ignorance of church “restoration”—with its illegal, not to say wicked, destruction of monuments of all kinds—have not brought about much feeling of security with regard to those that remain within the walls of churches; and while it has been a question of protection rather than of “spoliation” at Earls Colne Priory, I for one am Philistine enough to be grateful to the Carwardine family for the respect they paid to the De Vere Monuments in their hour of need, and when we may assume the Church held out no helping hand.

It is no peculiar thing that monumental effigies should be in private hands—witness the examples in Furness Abbey, in the ruins of numerous Yorkshire abbeys, and elsewhere—and I would ask, Are there many instances of the care that has preserved for us, almost intact, effigies and “weepers” like those at Earls Colne?

A. H.

October 4.

ANCIENT AND MODERN BRITONS: A QUESTION FOR ANTIQUARIES.

Sir,—In theSt. James’s Gazetteof July 10, there is a review of a recently published book named “Ancient and Modern Britons.” Not having even seen the book, I can only say of it that,on the showing of its critic, the author’s opinions seem little to accord with mine. But let that pass; my present object is to ask you whether the reviewer has done well in writing the following sentences: “In Aberdeenshire there is a stone—the ‘Newton Stone’—on which there are two inscriptions; one in Ogham digits and another (according to the best authorities) in debased Roman minuscular letters. Lord Southesk has lately propounded a theory to the effect that these inscriptions ‘form a compound of Oriental and Western ideas, beliefs, and languages.’ This explanation probably amused the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, to whom it was originally submitted; but to the author of ‘Ancient and Modern Britons’ it seems a brilliant suggestion.”

Had the reviewer read the paper (extending over some twenty-five pages) which the society referred to has done me the honour to publish in its last volume of “Proceedings,” he could hardly have spoken of it so discourteously; he would have recognised in it, I venture to think, a result of careful study, far enough removed from wild and hasty theorising. Allow me the favour of sufficient space in your columns to explain and vindicate my position in this matter. First, as regards the Ogham Inscription. The attempts to read this have been few and unsatisfactory. My own reading—independently gained, and different from previous versions—being known to Professor Rhys, he has authorised me to say that he agrees with it as to every digit, except the three marked doubtful in my own diagram. This concurrence only applies to the literal arrangement (a matter of some difficulty), the question of interpretation being reserved; but it is nevertheless an important and much valued aid. Secondly: as regards the main inscription, it is going rather far to say that the “best authorities” pronounce it to be in “debased Roman minuscular letters,” considering the great differences of opinion as to its nature that continue to exist; some fifteen attempts at decipherment having been made, many of them by distinguished scholars still (or lately)living. The Latin version by Dr. Whitley Stokes is probably that referred to by the reviewer, being one of the latest. But there is nothing to show that it is, or ought to be, accepted as final. Besides other possible defects, it confessedly assigns no recognisable meaning to five of the letters. Moreover, it differs from any conceivable rendering of the Ogham legend. This is not fatal to it, but it gives the advantage to a rival version which reconciles the two inscriptions. It should also be noted that no perfectly accurate copy of either inscription has been hitherto published.

My own conclusions, after months passed in the comparison of alphabets and other study, were as follows: (1) That the characters are Greek, resembling those in the Irish-Latin MSS. of the fifth to the seventh centuryA.D., described by Mr. Westwood as “singular formed Irish-Greek letters, in which capitals and minuscules are strangely mingled together” (Pal. Sac. Pict.; see there Greek Pater Noster in Book of Armagh); also, in some cases, resembling the letters of the alphabet on the Kilmalkedar stone, in Ireland—characters described by Dr. Petrie as “Græco-Roman or Byzantine characters of the fourth or fifth centuryA.D.” (Ec. Arc. of Ir., p. 134). This assignment of the letters may be accepted without necessarily adopting my version of the inscription, as some of the characters severally resemble more than one letter. (2) That the first half of the inscription is Celtic, sepulchral, and nearly identical with the Ogham legend on the same stone. (3) That the second half (and therein lies the ridicule, if ridicule there be) is religious or mythological, and embodies sacred names belonging to the Mithraic worship. Mithraism, as developed under the Roman emperors, was eminently a compound creed—one which undoubtedly sought to unite “Oriental and Western ideas and beliefs” (to cite your reviewer’s quotation from “Ancient and Modern Britons”—ostensibly from me, but not so), though not, of course, aiming to unite “languages.” It is only as regards certain mythological names or titles that the Newton inscriptions are not (on my view of them) entirely Celtic. Mithraic remains have been largely found in England, especially in the north; there are apparent references to its mysteries in the poems of the Welsh bards; and in Scotland some of the, as yet unexplained, symbols on the sculptured stones appear to belong to the same system.

I claim no right to dogmatise on these subjects; but I do claim to have bestowed real work on them, and it is unseemly that the results of my labour should be ridiculed by one who has not taken the trouble to find out in what they consist. Is it more improbable that remains of Mithraism should exist in Scotland than in other parts of Britain accessible to Roman influences? The improbability lies the contrary way. Why should there be more folly in seeking for traces of Paganism than in seeking for traces of Christianity among the earlier antiquities of Britain? The reproach surely rests with those who in such cases formulate extreme opinions as to the universal presence or absence of one of these religious elements, and refuse to see anything that antagonises their enthusiasms or prejudices. In conclusion, allow me add that, even if they disapproved of my paper on the Newton Stone (which I have no reason to suppose), the Scottish Society of Antiquaries have not only printed it in full, with my own illustrative diagrams, but are now printing another paper of mine, of at least equal length, on the whole of the Ogham inscriptions of Scotland—one which I sincerely hope may prove not altogether unworthy of the honour thus conferred on it.

Southesk.

Kinnaird Castle, Brechin, N.B.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

TheEditor declines to pledge himself for the safety or return of MSS. voluntarily tendered to him by strangers.

1. Old and New London. Vol. ii. By E. Walford, M.A. Cassells. 1884.

2. Transactions of the Essex Field Club. Vol. iii. 1884.

3. Transactions of Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society. Vol. i.

4. First Middle English Primer. By Henry Sweet, M.A., Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1884.

5. Johnsoniana. Arranged and collected by R. W. Montagu. A. Boot & Son. 1884.

6. Registers of the Parish of Thorington. Edited by T. H. Hill, B.C.L. Mitchell & Hughes. 1884.

7. Journal of British Archæological Association. Vol. xl. Part 3. Trübner & Co. September, 1884.

8. Northamptonshire Notes and Queries. Part iv. Northampton: Taylor & Son. October, 1884.

9. English Etchings. Parts xli. and xlii. D. Bogue, 27, King William-street, W.C.

10. The Assignment of Arms to Shakespeare and Arden. By Stephen Tucker,Somerset Herald. Mitchell & Hughes. 1884.

11. Hull Quarterly. No. 4. Hull: Brown & Sons. October, 1884.

12. The Genealogist. N. S. Vol. i. No. 4. October, 1884.

13. Johns Hopkins University Studies. X. Baltimore. October, 1884.

14. History of Aylesbury. Part xi. By R. Gibbs. Aylesbury. 1884.

15. The Essex Notebook and Suffolk Gleaner. No. 1. Colchester: Benham & Co. October, 1884.

16. A Smaller Biblia Pauperum. A Reprint of the Text of John Wicliff, with Preface by the late Dean Stanley. Unwin Brothers. 1884.

17. Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica. Vol. i. Nos. i. and ii. Mitchell & Hughes. 1884.

18. Irish Landed Gentry when Cromwell came to Ireland. By John O’Hart. Dublin: Gill & Son. 1884.

19. The Record Society for the Publication of Original Documents relating to Lancashire and Cheshire. Vol. x. 1884.

20. Ye Earlie Englyshe Almanack. 1885. Pettitt & Co., Frith-street, Soho.

21. The Algonquin Legends of New England. By C. G. Leland, Sampson Low & Co. 1884.

22. The Chartulary of the Monastery of Lyminge. By the Rev. R. C. Jenkins, M.A. Folkestone: R. Goulden. 1884.

23. Life, Times, and Writings of Thomas Fuller, D.D. Two vols. By the Rev. M. Fuller, M.A. John Hodges. 1884.

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