Old South-East Lancashire on the List of Recipients of His—Archaeological and Historical Favours

HECKMAN BINDERY, INC 015398 2 30 00

12/6/2005

(Jpnpalogiralf JHI^onf^Ig JUSagafinp, ESTABLISHED JANUARY, 1880, AS A LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE MEDIUM FOR ALL WHO, CONJOINTLY WITH ITS PHOMOTER AND EDITOR, ARE INTERESTED IN THE ADVANCEMENT Of LOCAL RESEARCH AND INQUIRY, OR ARE DESIROUS OF ILLUSTRATING AND DESCRIBING, IN ITS PAGES, THE RESULTS OF THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL LABOURS. Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2014

https://archive.org/details/oldsoutheastlancOOmath CONTENTS OF No. 1. JANUARY, 1880.

I. OuE Title : What's in a Xame ? 3 II. A Complete List of Members of Parliament fOe Lancashire and the several) Boroughs within the Counh :e year 1295 TO the present time. V 4 (Tobecont: III. A Relic OF Old Bolton, with two illustrations andfacsimiles of signature and seal)

of John Blacklmrne (the noted Lancashire botanist and natural historian) a former > 1

V. Boundaries (of Parishes and Townships): Ashton-undee-Lyne Parish VI. Our Monthly Conversazione VII. Obituary

VIII. Notices t^ IX. Our Missi

OUR TITLE:

\Y HAT'S IX A N A M E ?

I TN LaneasMre, a pel-son is often reluctantly obliged to acknowledge an alias j wlien his patronym, for some cogent reason, or probably for some very

' ! flimsy or unassignable reason, is denied bim by bis re-baptisers. In some

' - j sncb manner our county politicians re-cbristened tbe Hundred of Salford, and

\ although in legal circles the quondam title is still maintained, the territory is i 'now generally identified under its Parliamentary alias of " South-East Lanca- I shire," -which alias, with an antiquarian prefix, we have adopted as the title of

jour new magazine. "We confess tliat we should, if questioned, experience some

'difiiculty in assigning a reason for making a selection, which may seem pre-

'judicial to the dignity of the ancient hundred and its time-honoured name. We jmight, of course, urge that the Census Commissioners, for example, for their

puv -^ses ignore the himdreds as territorial distinctions, but we decline to

'"'endorse their policy. AVe might be expected to advance the plea that under a

! as Ivind of i linodern title we shall be privileged to treat " Salford Hundret " a fossil,

'|but we have no desire to dispose of it in that fashion. On the contrary, we j (seek to honour the ancient territory topographically and archfeologically, and i

'' ' ' shall not, by any means, treat its ancient title as an obsolete term, or the expression. "SVe have much to say of '; Jten-itory as an effete geograpliical and j it .; concerning Salford Ilimdred, as it was, and not as is—its Parishes, its I J -Townships, and its byegone worthies. If we do so -with an honest purpose, pnd succeed in securing the friendly counsel and co-operation of fellow I I quarrel ) abom-ers, we presiune our readers will not with us upon a point of j

' baptism, seeing that it is our prerogative to christen our hobby according to I

' ], imr own fancy. After aU, what's in a name ? Our new magazine, by any historical, mission ' )ther name, would fulfil its archteological, and genealogical I

\ iqually well. \ j

" Enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search I if their fathers."— viii. 8. ; 1 L!__L Z —

OI.l) SOrXII-KAST LANCASIIIIIK.

» 0 0 M r Iv E T i: L I S T OP MEMBERS OF I'AKLIAMJ^NT EOll LAXCASIIIllE AND THE SEVERAL BOllOUGIIS ^VITIIEs TIIE COUNTY, EROM 'J'llJ^ YEAR 1295 TO THE PRESENT TIME. Co>rriLED BY J. F. Matthe^vs. EXISTES'G Records show tliat cliiriug the half century which preceded the general compveheusiou of the regeneratory element—representatives from all the Cities and Boroughs in England—on the occasion of the meeting of the " First House of Commons," Writs had been occasionally issued requiring

the Sheriffs to send representatives from all or some Counties and Boroughs to certain Parliaments, or to Parliaments summoned for certain specified purposes. In the year 1213 (loth King John) Writs were addressed to aU the

Sheriffs, requiring them to send all the Knights of their Bailiwicks in arms, and also four Knights from their Coimties, '' ad loquendura nobiscum de

iiegotiis regni nostri," but as no Returns or names can be found relating to the Parliament thus summoned to meet at Oxford on the loth of November of that

year, it cannot now be ascertained whether Lancashire w^as then represented. It appears that no Writ was issued to the Sheriff of Lancasliire- in the year

1226 (10th Henry II.), when the mission of the Knights who assembled in the

Parliament summoned to meet at Lincoln on the 22nd September in that year,

as the elect of the "Milites et probi homines" of Gloucester, Dorset and Somerset,! Bedford and Bucksf, Westmoreland, Northampton, and Lincoln four from each County—was to set forth their disputes with the Sheriffs as to certain articles of their Charter of Liberty. Writs were issued in the year 1254

(3Sth Henry III.), requiiing every Sheriff to send two Knights, to be elected by each Coimty, " vice omnium et singidorum eonmdem ad providendum quale Auxilium| nobis in tanta necessitate impendere voluerint," to the Parliaii'?C-£ summoned to meet at Westminster on 26th April of the same year, but there

is no existing record to show that Lancasliire was then represented. With respect to the Parliament summoned to meet at Windsor on the 21st September,

12G1 § (45th Henry IH.), it may be mentioned that the Bishop of AVorcester, the Earl of Leicester, and other magnates, having ordered three Knights from

each County to attend an Assembly at St. jUbans on 21st September of that year, " secum tractaturi super communibus negotiis regni," and the same day having been appointed by the King for a meeting between himself and those

same magnates at Windsor, " ad tractandum de pace inter nos et ipsos," the

* Complete so far as the Writs and Returns preserved in the Public Eecord Office and Crown Office, and all other discovered public and private records, afford reliable data.

t One Writ seems to have then sufficed for Dorset and Somerset, and one for Bedford and Bucks.

I Aid required towards carrying on the war in Gascony against the King of Castile. § The « Mad ParUament " met at Oxford, in 1258. LIST OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMKNT.

King enjoined the Sheriffs to send the same Knights also to him at "Windsor, •' supra prtemissis colloquium habitiui/' but as the Returns and names for that

Parliament are missing it cannot be stated, otherwise than doubtfully, whether Lancashire was represented on the occasion. The Writs for the Parliament summoned to meet at London, on the 20th January, 1264-5 (49th Heniy III.), reqiured the Sheriffs of Counties and the Cities of York and Lincoln, and the other Boroughs of England, to send two Knights, Citizens, or Burgesses respectively, and the Barons, &c., of each of the Cinque Ports were required to send four men. Notwithstanding the previous issue of casual Writs, and the practical character of the Returns made thereto, the Parliamentary Assembly of the year 12G4-5 is historically reckoned as the " First House of Commons," or first Parliament, in "which elected Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses sat as the " Third Estate of the Realm." I'nfortimately, no official Returns to the Writs of that period remain to show the names of those members who represented Lancashire and its Boroughs in that august body. That Lancashire was represented thereat need scarcely be doubted, as it is on record that a "\^^rit was issued to the Sheriff of this County. For the Parliament siunmoned to meet at

Westminster on the 13th October, 1275 (.3rd Edward I.), a solitary Return

(without date) for the County of Kent is alone forthcoming. No Return whatever, or names, can be found of the members who constituted the Parliament summoned to meet on the 20th January, 1282-3 (11th Edward L), at Northampton for the Counties "South of Trent," and at York for those " North of Trent." Four Knights were reqiured to be sent to that Parliament from each County, and two men from each City, Borough, and Market Town,

but the Returns are all missing. The Writs for the Parliament summoned to

meet at Shrewsbury on 30th September, 1283 (11th Edward I.), required that two Knights be sent from each County, and two Citizens or Burgesses from London and twenty other Cities and Boroughs, but all the Returns are missing, except one for the County of Gloucester, which appears to relate to that Parliament. The Writs issued for the Parliament summoned to meet at

Westminster, on 15th July, 1290 (18th Edward I.), reqmred that " two or

three" Knights be sent from each County. The Return (which is without

date) is the first existing record of its kind which supplies details. It gives the names of members returned for 28 Counties of England, but no Returns can be found to the Writs issued to the Sheriffs of the other Counties, including

Lancashire. Two sets of Writs seem to have been issued in 1294, the first set requiring that two Knights be sent from each Coimty, and the second set that " two more " be sent from each Coimty, to the Parliament summoned to meet at Westminster on the 12th November of that year, but the Returns are not forthcoming, and names are wanting.

The first mention of names of elected members returned as representatives of the County of Lancaster and the Boroughs of Lancaster, Liverpool,

Preston, and AVigan, is made with respect to the Parliament of the year 1295

(23rd Edw. I.). Two Knights were returned from this Coimty, and two from each of those Boroughs, to serve in the Parliament smumoned to meet at West- minster on the 13th, and (by prorogation) on the 27th November, 1295* G or,D souTii-KAST i.Axc'Asnini:.

Altliougli the official Returns are missingf, wo are enabled, from a reliable source, to supply the names of the members -who sat in that Parliament for Lancasliiro, and for Lancaster, Liverpool, Preston, and Wigan. They are talcen from Transcripts * of Peturns from Originals formerly in the Old Office of tlie King's llemembranccr, but tlio date of the Eeturns cannot be ascertained.

It is, therefore, all but manifest that daring the period of about three-quarters of a century which preceded the year 1295 Writs were issued, and Returns made, for this County, if not for the four ancient Borough constituencies named, but in consequence of the absence of the official data, and the fruitless results of the search for otlier reliable autliorities, we are obliged to commence the following list of names from the year 129-j. f From the latter year until the Parliament of 1477-8 the names of County members have been obtained with tolerable satisfaction, but between the last-^iamed Parliament and that of 1529, or a period of about 52 years, all Eeturns (Lancashire and its Boroughs inclusive) are nussing. From 1529 up to the Long Parliament the intervals between elections -^sadened. During the Interregnum an assembly nominated by Oliver Cromwell and a Coimcil of Officers, and summoned by Letters under the hand of Lord General CromweU, met at Westminster 4th July, 1G53, and declared itself a Parliament on the Gth of the same month, but on the 12th of December of the same year it resigned its powers to their originator. For 1654 the Returns for Lancashire are missing. In IGoG four County members were returned. For the Parliaments of 1G58-9 and IGGO no Returns can be found for the County or any of its Boroughs, except tlu'ee relating to Liverpool,

Preston, and Wigan for the Parliament of 1 GGO. From the Restoration the representation of the County has been regularly maintained, and members' names preserved iminterruptedly until the present time. Previous to the passing of the Reform Act of 1832 the total number of members returned from Lancashire was fourteen, namely, two for the County, two for each of the ancient Boroughs of Lancaster, Liverpool, Preston, and "\Mgan, and two for each of the less ancient Boroughs of Clitheroe and Newton. Under the powers of that Act, and for parliamentary election purposes, the Coimty was territorially sectioned into " North Lancashire " and " South Lancashire," and the right of returning one member granted to each Division, maldng a total of four County

* See Palgrave's Calendar of Parliamentary Writs, Vol. I., p. i., &c.

t The question of early representation involves another, equally, if not supremely important, namely, the precise period when Saxon " Loncaster-scyre," which after the Conquest was by Doomsday Book territorially treated as a kind of " no man's land," partly in " Cestre-scire " [Cheshire] and partly in " Eiu-ic-scire " [Yorkshire] was re-constituted a distinct County. In solving the latter question—to which, it is to be hoped, attention will be directed by some wTiter in a separate article in a future number of this Magazine—the fact that on several occasions previous to the year 1295 two or three and sometimes fom- Knights were required to be sent to the English Parliament from certain specified Counties, and at other times from each County, should be kept steadily in view. In 1363 Lancashire was permanently raised anew to the dignity of a County Palatine, a previous temporary elevation to that honour having lapsed. ;

LIST OF MEMBEHS OF FARLIAMENT.

members. Pursuant to tlie provisions of tlie " Representation of tlio People Act, 1867," the County was re-sectioned into four Divisions, wliicli were named "North Lancashire" (embracing the Hundreds of Lonsdale, Amoimderness, " " and Leyland) ; North East Lancashire (embracing the Hundred of Black- " Lancashire " burn) ; South East (co-extensive with the Hundred of Salford) and " South West Lancashire " (comprising the Hundred of West Derby), and the right of returning two members conceded to each Divisionj in the same manner as to Counties.

LIncaster Bokough. [First chartered by King John.] As will be seen

on reference to subsequent monthly sections of this list, tlie privilege of

returning two members exercised by Lancaster in and probably previous to the year 1295 (23rd Edward I.), was suspended after the Parliament of the year 1331 (5th Edward III.), and from that time Lancaster remained uni-epresented up to the year 1529 (21st Henry VIII.), when the elective right was renewed. Thereafter, with the exception of some interruptions, and temporary suspensions which occurred between the years 1G03-4 and IGGl, and which wiU be foimd detailed in their order of date in the list, the renewed right of representation was continuously enjoyed until the passing of the Second Pteform Act of 1807, when the Borough was disfranchised for bribery.

Liverpool Borough, [First chartered by King John.] The rifht of representation in Parliament by two members dates from ~the year 1295, probably earlier. After the Parliament of 130G-7 the right was wholly suspended at Liverpool—then a mere fishing station—until the Parliament eiunmoned to meet at Westminster on the 4th November, 1547. With the exception of a few temporary suspensions (hereafter noticed) Liverpool continued to be represented by two members imtil the passing of " The Eepresenta- tion of the People Act, 1867," when the vastly-increased constituency was empowered to retiu'n three members, and that nvmiber is presently returnable. Preston- Borough. [First chartered by Henry II., and the recipient of

13 subsequent Royal charters.] From the year 1295, if not from an earlier date, until the year 1331 Preston returned two members, but for the space of nearly 200 years—from the latter year until the Parliament of 1529—this right was wholly suspended. In 1529 the constituency is described in the " Records as Preston-in-Alderness Borough," but five years later it is referred to as " Preston-in-Amounderness Borough." With the exception of some temporary suspensions between the beginning of the 17th century and the time of the Restoration, Preston continuously exercised the right of returnin"- two members to Parliament from the year 1529 to the present time. At Preston, from time immemorial, the right of voting on the occasions of parliamentary elections was, previous to the Act of 1832, vested in aU male inhabitants of the age of t^venty-one years and upwards who had resided six months within the Borough, and had not for twelve months immediately preceding an election been chargeable to any parish as paupers. The ri^-ht was left undistui-bed by the Reform Acts of 1832 and 1867 so far as pre-existent voters were concerned, and it is stiU exercisable by the few survivors who remain. —

OI.B SOUTir-KAST LAXCASIIinF.

WiGAN BoROUoir. [First chartGred by Henry III.] Writs were issued to aucl Returns made from Wigan in 1295, and probably before that date, but previous Returns and names are missing. After the I'arliament of 130G-7 the exercise of the right of representation ceased for 240 years. In 1547 the elective right was renewed, and, with the exception of temporaiy suspensions and interruptions similar to those which affected the otiier ancient Borour'-hs of the County, "VVigan continued to return two members to Pai'liament from that year until the present time.

Clitheeoe. [A Borough by prescription.] The Return to the first Writ for this Borough is dated 13th January, 1558-9 (1st Elizabeth). Under the authority of the mandate the Burgesses returned two members from Clitheroe to serve in the Parliament summoned to meet at Westminster on the 23rd of that month, and from that time the elective right continued to be exercised but not uninterruptedly—until the passing of the first Reform Act of 1832, when the Borough was deprived of one member. In the earlier records Clitheroe

took precedence of the other Lancashire Boroughs from the date of its

enfranchisement until the passing of that Act. It still retm-ns one member. Newton-le-Willows or Newton-in-Makerfield. [A Borough by prescription.] This constituency—never large—was anciently the head of a Barony. It received its elective franchise in the year lo->3. The Return to the

first Writ is dated 7th January, 1558-9 (1st Elizabeth), and according to it two members were returned to the Parliament summoned to meet at Westminster on the 23rd of the same month. Newton was at that time described as " The Borough of Sir Thomas Langton, Knt., Baron of Xewton within his Fee of Markerfylde." Forty-five years later it was referred to as "Newton-in- Makerfield Borough." The representatives who sat in the Parliament summoned to meet in 1620-1 are described as having b^en " elected with the

consent of Sir Richard Fleetwood, Lord of the B-Diough." Its elective franchise was occasionally disturbed or temporarily sTi^pended after the Long Parliament, but immediately after the Restoration the Borough resumed the exercise of its former right, and from that period it continued to return two members to each Parliament until the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, when it was disfranchised. Manchester. [Constituted a free Borough by charter, granted by Thomas Gresley, 14th May, 1301. Elevated to the dignity of a City in 1847.] The return to the (fii-st) Writ for " Manchester Borough," issued in 1654 by the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, Oliver Cromwell, to the High Sheriff, cannot be found, but it is on record that in obedience to the mandate the Burgesses of Manchester returned Charles Worsley to serve in the Parliament which met at Westminster on the 3rd September, 1654. "The House," proving refractory, was dismissed by Cromwell on the 22nd January, 1654-5.* In the year 1656 a fresh Cromwellian Writ was issued, requiring the Sheriff to return one representative for Manchester. The Return, which is dated 12th August, 1656, was torn when found, but enough remained to show that

* Until 1752 the English year was reckoned to end on the 24th of March. LIST OF MEMBERS OF PAELIAMEXT. 9

" * Radcliffe, Esq., of MaucLester," u-as the elect sent to the Parliament which met at Westminster on the 17th of September, 1656. This Parliament liaving, amongst other things, proposed some changes in the Government, was

itself dissolved 4th February, 1657-8. No Eeturns can be found for the Parliament of 1658-9. On the decline of the "Roundhead" power, the temporary right of representation thrust upon Manchester ceased, and was not renewed until sanctioned by the Reform Act of 1832, when the Borough

I was again enfranchised and privileged to return two members. Under the People Act, 1867," Manchester j- powers of the "Representation of the was invested with the right of returning three members to the Imperial Parliament, I

.. a privilege still exercised. j Salfohd. Enfranchised by tlie first Reform Act of 1832, and privileged to return one member. The Act of 1867 gave the Borough an additional member.

' ^ . Two are now returned. BoLTOX, Blackbubn, and OldhajiI were enfranchised by the Act of 1832,

I ' and privileged to return two members each. j Bury, Rochdale, and Warrington were eufran- I Ashtox-under-Lyne, chised by the same Act, which granted to each Borough the right of repre- j

• sentation by one member. 1 Stalybridge (partly in Cheshire) and Bcbnley were enfranchised j by

' " The Representation of the People Act, 1867," and received the privilege of j I

I returning one member each.

I By these changes the representative strength of the County and its Boroughs

i was increased to 33 members, the number presently returnable,

In the first column of the following list the name of the sovereign and j year

of reign ; third cohnnns the I are given in the second and place at which and the

I which each Parliament was smnmoned to meet ; in the fourtli ! date upon the

' date of the Return ;t and in the last column will be found the names of the to serve in Parliament for Lancashire I . members returned and the several

I ' Boroughs within the County. The ambiguity which characterises names given

in ancient records and documents is nowhere more provokingly illustrated than

the follo-s\-ing , . in some of the originals from which information was gleaned.

! ' / Many of the names appear to have been Gallicized or Latinized alternately,

!' I just as the scribe's fancy prompted or his pedantry urged. It wiU also be observed from the list that frequently the spelling "waxes wanton," and

betimes, regardless of orthographic bounds, romps about as um-estrainedly as in

the "good old times" of -Chaucer. No attempt has been made to spoil the antiqueness of the names, or their spelling, by modernizing them.

The preparation of the subjoined list was commenced several yea.vs ago, and

the work of collection of the materials has been assiduously prosecuted since, as opportunity offered, often under many disadvantages, at considerable outlay for searches and information, and all the while in ignorance of the sparsely-known

* Richard Radcliffe was the member elected,

t This column will be introduced at a later stage of the list, such dates not being given in eiirlier years. — _ ——

fact that the IIouso of Commons had, on 4tli May, 187C, ordered the preparation of an elaborate Return, so far as it could bo obtained, from the year IGOG to the present time, and by a further Order dated Otli March, 1877, directed that the Return should be extended back " from as remote a period

as it can be obtained up to the year 169G." Recently, since the issue of the voluminous Blue Book to the " House," an early copy came to the hands of the writer of these prefatory remarks. In it he found some materials which he had been lonj^ in search of, and which enabled liim to complete his labours satisfactorily and to present them in the following form to the reader.

KoTE.—Wiere the Original Returns are missing, the names given have been supplied from an independent authority. To names thus obtained an asterisk is attached throughout the list.

ich, and date upon - Members returned.

County :

(7th Nov., I Mattheus de Redman. 23 Edwd, I. "Westminster • Oo. \ Johannes de E-wyas. Lancaster BoiioroH :— Lambertus le Despeuser. Willielmus le Chaunter.

Liverpool boroigh : Adam fil' Richardi. liobertus PynMowe.

Preston borough : Willielmus fil' PauU. Adam Russel.

WlG.iJN BOROUGH : Willielmus le Teinterer. Henricus le Bocher.

-I'd Nov., 120G. (No returns found). \ 1 \ ' ] St. Edmunds ( County :— {a) London Gth Oct., 1297. Henricus de Kigheleye. Henricus de Botiler.' County:— 2.jth May, 1208. Henricus de Kigheley'. Johannes Denyas.

Lancaster borough : Rudidphus fil' Thome. AVilliebnus de Chauntour.

Preston borough : Adam fil' Radidfi. Adame de ]3iri.

County :

or Gth March, 1209- I *Gilbertus de Seugletou'. S tLondon i

"1 W^estmiuster ] 1000. j *Robertu3 de Haydok'.

(^) York 20th May, 1000 (No return for Lancashire or any of its boroughs found.)

(a) Two Knights to be sent from each County. Yorkshire. t IN'o ori^nal writs for this Parliament except " Mar/iia {b) Summoned concerning the observation of Carta et Carta de Forests." Three Knights or others to be sent from each county.

( To be continued,)

—

A liEI.IC OF OLD BOLTOX. 13

A llELIO OF OLD BOLTON.

[SkE iLLT'STnATIONS."]

CONCERNING the old relic, the subject of the pair of engravings on the preceding page, it was said recently by a local architectural utilitarian one who admitted, however, tliat he derives much pleasure while delineating many choice features in the antiquities of Bolton—that with the closest scrutiny, he could not find any feature of interest in it ; that there was not even a moidding, or bit of detail worth remembermg ; that simply nothing existed but its picturesque grouping of gables, and that these and the "queer old ruin, he, for one, should not miss." A^'hile admiring his candour, and admitting that a portion of his allegation was strictly true, we should, perhaps, be considered false to our mission did we not seek to discover better evidence, and with it the remainder of the truth. Allegorically we put " Antiquarian" in the witness box, and a further instalment of the truth was elicited in favour of Madame AYood and Plaster. This witness who was indignant at tlie previous ^vitness's lack of antiquarian enthusiasm, after rating him soundly for his sins of omission and commission, and quoting the sentiments of Livj^ and Macaulay with respect to the study of antiquity, warmly expressed Ms own opinion that many vivid associations surroimded the old fabric. A third witness expressed a belief that from an architectural point of view, this bit of old Bolton was worthless ; and after assigning really cogent reasons against

the groundless assumptions of others that it was once Bradshaw Hall, or that its erection dated from the year 1517, declared that it would, he thought, be a bit nearer the mark if we said the middle of the sixteenth century, and ended by pleading that necessity demanded its demolition. The evidence of a fourth witness went to prove the antiquarian value of this Bradshaw-gate relic, and the advisability of saving it as the focus of many associations connected vnth the liistory of Bolton. One sterling quality, in two separate aspects, he demon- strated, namely, the simplicity of the edifice on one hand, and on the other, the true nobility who, in turn, figured as its primitive ov,iievs, occupiers, or guests. The last witness alone approached the subject of associations earnestly, but he

fell short in his praisewortiiy research, and therefore failed to disclose a tithe of the underlying facts. "Who among these allegoried Mituesses (correspondents tlirough the local press), or who among their readers dreamt that intimately

connected with the old building were many who figure prominently in local histoiy? Closely connected with it are the names of Thomas Lever, Esq., of Chamber IlaU, governor-elect for Bolton in 1672, of Chetham Hospital, Manchester,

and benefactor to the poor and school of Bolton ; Mrs. Blackburne, of Orford,

his daughter, a benefactress to the church and poor of Bolton ; John Black- burne, of Orford, her son, and inheritor of the estates of his grandfather (the same Thomas Lever), afterwards lord of the manor of "Warrington by pur-

chase, and eminently known as the Evelyn of his day ; Oliver Heywood, the divine; liev. John Lever, the ejected curate of Cockey Chapel; his three ;

01. 1) SOUTir-KAST I.ANCARIintK.

daughtci'j, Misses Lydia, Martlia, and Elizabetli Lever, wlio, in their day, were " alike eminent for a grave and modest deportment, for personal charms and intellectual endowments, called by the swains of tliat age, the " flowers of Bolton,"* and by their poorer neighbours, " the fine ladies of Bradshaw-gate," or

the white-aproned ladies ;"t Peter Doming, " a man of respectable connections and character," who within those old walls wooed and won Miss Lydia Lever

Rev. Joseph IIeywood+ (son of Oliver), who in like manner won her sister. Miss Martha; Robert Dunn, whose prize was their sister. Miss Elizabeth; Rev. John Lever, "\'icar of Bolton, who lived on terms of amity with his namesake, " tlieir father, and used to walk up and down the town with him arm in arm -H John Doming of Famworth, chapman, son of Peter and Lydia, who in 174.3

Ijought the old homestead from John , Blackbumo for £87 ; Sarah Domini his sister Doming Rasbothani, ; cousin of John and Sarah Doming, a resident magisti-ate, who, amongst other MSS., preserved a list of the prices of provisions in Bolton in the year 174-5, and for forty-two years afterwards, and who probably wrote much of his manuscript within those old walls where he was always welcome, and of which he in his turn became the inheritor ; and " last, though not least, our mutual friend " Parson Folds, after whom the tributary street which bounded the old residence on the north side (formerly

called Lever-street), was named Fo ds-street.ft These are -facts which

utilitarians cannot dispose of with a fillip, nor evade when thrust home with a Icindly wish. At the risic of crushing out other important matter we proceed to submit our unavoidably lengthy, but we trust interesting, munimentary e\-idence as to former proprietorship of the venerable old premises. Title deeds now in the hands of Thomas Walmsley, Esq., J.P., Bolton and

Brooklyn, Great Lever, have enabled us to trace back the ownership of this

venerable old wood and plaster " messuage, burgage, or dweUing-house " to the

year 1G.50, or two hundred years ago. Mr. Walmsley having kindly gi-anted our written request for permission to inspect the documents, we promptly availed ourselves of the olfer, and on the 29th of November last journeyedTd

Relation of conversations with Mrs. Betty Cliapman, of Little Bolton, then aged 79, great great granddaughter of Oliver Heywood, and great granddaughter to Rev. Jolm Lever. Brozoii's History of Great and Little Bolton, an extremely rare work. t Appellatives denoting that in the reign of 'William III., or Queen Anne, a white linen apron was considered as a mark of dignity. 1 ordination came on a visit to the house of J After his he some friend in Bolton, and ) " being a handsome young man, his friend said to him, Do you want a good wife ? If ' do, I can introduce you where you may find one." His friend being }-ou a grave i kind of person, Parson Heywood took him at his word, and he introduced him to the I of the Rev. John Lever, who resided with an old housekeeper daughters of their 1 " in Bradshaw-gate, near where the deceased father, in a house public-house, the sign i of the ' Fleece,' then stood." Xlie father died in 1692, and according to our venerable informant, in very good circumstances, leaving each of his three daughters a good portion. Vide Brown's relation of Jlrs. Chapman's statements.

•| Jlrs. Chapman's relation to Brown the historian.

tt Diarj- of the father of Thomas Holden, Esq., Registrar of the Bolton County Court' A nELIC OF OLD BOLTOX. lo

his residence, wliere, besides finding tlie deeds and tlieir owner " at home," -we found ourselves honoured as the welcome recipients of his genial hospitality. Having, on turning over the deeds, ascertained that a lease and a release, dated

1st and 2nd June, 174o, were the earliest among them, -sVe turned the release

open, in expectation of finding recitals of older deeds, but we were disappointed. Near the end of the deed, however, embodied in a heterogeneous covenant against incumbrances, we alighted upon an out-of-the-way reference to a pre-existent lease, which to some extent compensated us for the disappointment experienced on opening the deed. From that covenant we learned that in 1G80 the premises—of wliich the old relic now forms a part—Avere owned by one " Thomas Lever," but the clause in which the name occurs afforded no description whatever of the individual so called, by which his identification

could be established. Our reflections at the moment were directed to tlie only propertied person of that name, connected with Bolton and that period, whose locale and position warranted the assumption that he was o-^ner in 1680 of the question. refer to in . premises in We Thomas Lever, Esq., who was elected, 1G72, governor for Bolton of Chetham Hospital, Manchester. His name

appeared as such in an old memorial list painted upon a board or tablet formerly within Bolton Old Church, headed " To the Memory of Humfrey

Chetham, Esqr., Founder of the Hospital and Library in Manchester,

A.D. 1G51," &c., and purporting to be a complete list of the governors for Bolton and Turton of that institution, up to and inclusive of the year 1737. We were

also aware that upon another old board or painted tablet, also formerly -sAd thin the same old church, headed " The names of the Benefactors to the Church, Poor, and School of Bolton," the name and address," Thomas Lever, Esq., of Bolton,'' appeared, opposite the date " 1704," in connection with two benefactions by him—£30 to the poor, and £30 to the schools. Subsequent research confirmed our conjecture that lessor, governor, and benefactor were one and the same individual. Thomas Lever, Esq., then of Chamber Hall, was the Bolton

worthy whose name figures in the covenant mentioned. He died in tlie 80th

year of his age, and was interred t within the Old Church on the 21st of August, 1704—a date which, it yviil be observed, corresponds with that of the above- mentioned benefactions. His son and namesake, also described as of Chamber Hall, Avho died in 1679, aged 25, could not, of course, have been the lessor named in a deed dated in 1680. The covenant referred to alludes briefly to a

lease dated 11th February, 1680, " granted by Thomas Le^-er " to John Lever, clerk," of the " messuage, burgage, or dwelling-house," &:c., in Bradshawgate

t His tombstone was one of those laid bare in 1866, upon tlie floor of the soutli aisle of Bolton Old Church, after removal of the high-backed pews which stood nearest to and in front of the old south aisle of the chancel or ancient chapel of the Levers, afterwards of the Bridgmans, and lastly of the Bradford family. It was the most southerly tombstone in the row in which it was found, and lay about ten feet from the old south wall. The following is a copy of the whole of the inscription:— " Thomas Leaver, of Chamber Hall, gentleman, aged 25 years, departed this life the 10th and was here interred the 13th Deer., Anno Doma 1679. Thomas Leaver, Esq., was here interred 21st day of .\ugust, 1704, being the 80th year of his age." ,

IG 01,1) s(jutii-]':ast j.a.nca.siiikjo.

[suljsequcntly granted by tlie deed wbicli contains such covenant], for the term

' of " the natiivall and sevorall life and lives of Lidia, Martha, and Elizabeth,

daughters of the said Jolin Lever, and of the survivor of them, under the

yearly rent of four shillings and eiglit pence," the same rent to grow " due and payable unto the said J ohn Doming " [the grantee or purchaser named in the

earliest existing title deed, next described], " his heirs and assigns, during tlie

continuance of the said lease " [of 1680]. Lydia, daughter of the Rev. John

Lever, one of the lives, became tlie wife of Peter Doming, and motlier of John Doming, who became the purchaser of the Bradshawgate property. She died 12th September, 1711.

The Rev. John Lever ("John Lever, clerli "), the lessee of 1630, must not be confounded with his clerical namesake and contemporary, the Rev. John Lever, vicar of the parish of Bolton froin the year 1673 to the year 1601. Few Boltouians of the present day are aware that the lessee of 1630 was none other than the Rev. John Lever, the ejected minister of Cockey Moor Chapel in the adjoining parish of Middleton, who subsequently succeeded the Rev. Richard Goodwin, the ejected vicar of Bolton, as minister of the congregation

which in those days of non-conformity worshipped at '•' The Meeting House," now part of the Old Wool Pack Inn, in Deansgate, Bolton, and who died 4th July

1692. He was born in Bolton, and it is believed that the event occurred

in the same " messuage, burgage, or dwelling-house " * of which in 1860 lie became the lessee—the relic of which we now write. His tomb3tone,t to be seen in Bolton parish churchyard, besides covering the remains of two of

* In 1672 he (Kev. John Lever) preached to a good number \a his own house."— Calami/.

t His tombstone may be seen in Bolton parish churchyard, on the south side of the new church. A few yards from it—in the thirteenth row from the Old Grammar School wall, ninth stone from the south side of the cliurch—is the tombstone of his namesake, the Rev. John Lever, vicar of Bolton, who died 14th October, 1691. The tombstone of the Rev. Jolin Lever (the lessee) may be easily identified. Besides liaing

fractured across the middle, its right corner at topis missing, and with it are gone the

ending letters of the first three lines of the first record. The following is a verbatim copy of the inscription, the words or parts of words witliin brackets being those

" Here Lyeth the body [of] lolin Leaver Borne in tli[is] Towne a Faithful Minister

of t[he] Gospel wlio was baptized the 11 day of September 1631 and departed this life 4 day of July 1692 Lidia his Daughter and 'Wife to Peter Doming was here interred the 12th day of September 1711

Also Elizabeth his Daughter and Wife to Robert Dunn who Departed tlds life tlie 10th day of February 1760 In the 82 Year of her Age Here resteth the Body of John Doming the Son of Peter and L\-dia Doming of Bolton who Died the 12th of April 1762 In the 63rd Year of his Age Here Also resteth the Body of Mary Dunn the Daughter of Elizabetli Dunn who " Departed this life >'ovr. 3d 1778 aged 76

The surname spelled " Leaver" in the inscription, is written "Lever" in the earliest title deed, and in the latter form it appears in the entry of deceased's burial, in Bolton parish church register. ) •

A helic of old bolton. 17

the three lives named in the lease of 1680, also covers the remains of some of the previous occupiers and subsequent o-s^Tiers of the old property.

The oldest title deed contains a covenant which shows that in and previous to the year 1743, Johu Blackburne, of Orford, Esq., "grandson of Thomas

Lever " (the before-named lessor of 1680), was absolutely seized of this Bradshawgate property, " as a good, perfect, and indefeasible estate of inheritance in fee simple " This information was the highly serviceable clue by which our subsequent searches were initiated and guided. The mother of John Blackburne (the vendor) was Anne,* daughter of Thomas Lever, relictf

of 0. Loclcwood, Esq., of Leeds, and heiress of Chamber Hall, who (as Tiia second wife) married Jonathan Blackburne, Esq. (born 1646), of Orford and

Newton, fourth son of Thomas Blackbiu'ne (died 16G-J, act suae 58), of Newton, and Margaret, daughter of Robert Norris, of Bolton. They had three sons—

Thomas the first, who died in India; John, the second (of whom more presently), and Jonathan, the third son, of whom we need not give account. John, the second son, became by marriage the owner of the old premises in Bradshawgate, the subject of this article, and also became lord of the manor of Warrington, by purchase. He married, at Winwick, Catharine, daughter of the Rev. WUliam Ashton, B.D., rector of Prestwich, and died 20th December,

1796,1: aet 96. He was the same venerable John Blackburne, Esq., ft whose

scientific pursuits, principally in botany and natural history, ^ made him justly famous, and whose daughter, Mary, inheriting her father's tastes, became celebrated for her devotion to botanical researches, and her stronger attachment

to the study of natural history.

* Anne, sister and co-heiress with Sir Darcey Lever's wife, and aunt to Sir Ashton Lever, knight. She died in 1740.

•|- Burke's Landed Gentry, p. 134.

Baines,vol. ii. 233-4 Gregson, Foster, and others give tlie date as ret X p. ; 1786, 93. \ \ The family of Blackburne is of ancient lineage. The origin of the surname is traceable to the name of the turgid burn or stream, which gave its name to the town of Blackburn. The Lancashire branch of the family commenced with William Blackburne, the elder brother of, and partner in trade with, Eichard. These two brothers came from Yorkshire, and settled as merchants in the Filde, in an extensive Russian trade, and resided at Thistleton. Kichard Blackburne (eldest son of M'illiam

first of Scorton Hall, near Garstang, afterwards of Thistleton, and lastly of ]S'e\\-ton' married Jane, daughter of John Aynesworth, of Newton. Their third son, Thomas Blackburne, of Orford and Newton (baptised 9th June, 1604), was esteemed a learned man in his time. He bad seven sons and nine daughters. The fourth son was Jonathan (named in the text), who became heir of liis brother Thomas. " Blackburn "-

street in Bolton was named after the Blackburne familj-, not after the town of that " name. The corporation of Bolton should correct their error by adding the final " e to the word. Crook-street, in the same neighbourhood, was named after the Crooks, a related family. ^ " It is recorded of this amiable man that he was the second gentleman of England who cultivated the pine apple, and he was probably the first to cultivate the cotton plant to any practical purpose, having raised in his garden at Orford a supply of British cotton, from four ounces of which was made a musUn dress for his lady, with C — —

OI.T) SOl'TII-KAST LANCASIHIU';.

"By indenturo, dated 2nd June, ]743, and made in tlie

Rixteentli year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord GEonoK the Second, of Great Britain, France, and L-eland, King, Defender of the Faith, Sec," the same John Blaclcbm-ne, in consideration of fS7, paid, &c., granted, &c., nnto John Dorning,§ of Faru-^vorth, chapman, the old premises under the description of "all that Messuage, Burgage, or Dwelling-house, Backside and Garden, with tlieir and

every of their appurtenances, situate and being in Bolton- in-the-Moores, in the said county, in a Place or Street

there called Bradshawgate, heretofore in the holding or occupation of John Lever, clerk, deceased, and late in the holding or occupation of Peter Doming, deceased, late father of the said John Doming, and now in the possession of the said John Doming, his subtenants or assigns," Szc, TO HOLD, &c., unto the said John Doming, his heirs and

assigns, &c., for ever. " To be holden of the Chief Lord

or Lords of the ffee or ffees of the said Premises (if any such there be), by the Rents and SeiTices therefore due

and of right accustomed," Sec. The handwriting of the

signature, "John Blackburne," is scholarly, bold, free,

and distinct, the Christian name and surname having a red wax seal between them, the latter bearing the combined arms of Blackburne and Lever. The following are

/nc similes of sigrature and seal :

The execution by the grantor attested by two

witnesses :

" Hugh Extwisle.

Heney Moeetox.''

the intention to appear at Court in it on the King's birthday in 1793 ; but a change

of dress, occasioned by the death of a near relative, prevented it. Miss Anna Blackburne's house, in the immediate vicinity of Warrington, was a perfect museum, and had to boast some of the finest transatlantic specimens in this kingdom. She

Nvas a correspondent of Linnasus ; and a genus of plants was named after her {Blacklurniana) by Eeinhold Forster, the celebrated naturalist, who accompanied Capf Cook in his second voyage, in testimony of her great acquirements in natural history, and her kindness to hun during his abode in Warrington. On her death her collection

was removed to Hale, where it is still preserved."—^aiV.ej, Vol. III. p. 677.

§ Son of Peter and Lydia Doming. —

A RELIC OF OLD BOLTON. 10

Ou the back of the deed is the following receipt :

" Received the day and year first within mentioned, of and from the within-named John Doming, the sum of Eighty-seven pounds, of lawful money of Great Britain, in full of the consideration within mentioned. As -witness my hand, " John Blackburne.

" Signed in the presence nf " Hugh Entwlsle.

Henhy jMoreton."

Within the large initial letter " C" of the engraved ornamental heading or beginning word, " This Indenture," are the royal arms. Outside of and encircling the royal motto, are a name and address, thus, "Sold by S. Gibbons, stationer, near the Temple Church," which to us served as a hint that in those days deed parchment and deed stamps needed by Bolton la-\\-}-ers required to be imported from the metropolis. The price of the parchment was indicated in the margin at foot by a crown and " S 12d.," witliin a half-inch circle—rather a large figure for a slrin of a small size, considering the value of twelve pence at that period.

It will be observed that in the description of the premises in the deed of

1740, no mention is made of any street other than Bradsliawgate as a boundary.

The inference is that the passage or thoroughfare now represented by Folds'- street did not then exist, or was not then named.

' By his will, dated 10th April, 1 Too, John Doming, the purchaser of 174-j, devised " All that my Messuage and Dwelling House, with the appurtenances, situate, standing; and being in Bolton-in-the-Moors, in the county of Lancaster, now or late in the teniu-e or occupation of Mr. Timothy Aspinw-all, his assigns or imdertenants, imto my sister, Sarah Doming, and her assigns, for and during the term of her natural life, she keeping the same in good repair, and from and after her decease unto my cousin, Doming Easbotham, his heirs and assigns, for ever," &c. Of said will testator nominated and appointed his cousin Peter Easbotham and his sons. Doming Easbotham and Nathan Easbotham, executors.

The orio'inal ^vill was A^dtuessed by Sarah Kay, John Kay, and "Will. Higginson. A codicil annexed, dated 27th March, 1762, which did not affect the disposition made by his will of the Bradshawgate property, is witnessed by one person only—" Eichard Mason." A second codicil, not dated, was also added, and signed by the testator, but was not witnessed. Two other sisters of the testator named in his will as legatees, were Hannah Bradshaw and Lydia

Ilindley. According to the Leaver-Dorning-Dimn tombstone, in Bolton chiuchyard, John Doming died in the 63rd year of his age, on the 12th of Apiil, 1762, or in about a fortnight after the date of the first codicil to his wiU. Upon his death the Bradshawgate premises passed to his sister Sarah (who survived him) for life.

Sarah Doming died on the day of 17 , whereupon the premises became legally vested in her (and testator's) cousin. Doming Easbotham, " of Birch House, in Farnworth, Esquire." ;

'20 OLD SOUTJI-JiAST LAXCASllIIii;.

Doming Kasbotliam,* hy his will, dated 19th Aiigiiit, 1791, amongst other things, gave and devised, " AiAj my messuages, dweUing-hoiises, farms, lauds, licreditanients, and real estates of inheritance -whatsoever, in Farnworth, Great Bolton, and Ashton-in-Mackersfield, with the appurtenances, inito my dearly ;"' beloved -wife, Sarah Rasbotham, for and during the term of her natural life and from and, after her decease, he gave and devised the same unto his brother- in-law, James Bayley, of "V^ithington, clerk, Thomas Butterwortli Bayley, of

Hope, Esq., and James Touchett, of Mauchester, merchant, their heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, for ever Upon Tbust, to sell the same iumie- diately after the decease of his wife, Sarah Rasbotham, and to apply the money arising from such sale in payment of certain bequests directed by his will. The testator died on the 7th November, 1791. His wife, who survived him, and enjoyed the property for over thirteen years', died on the 30th April, ISOo. Thomas Butterworth Bayley, one of his trustees, died on the 24th day of June,

1802, at Buxton, in the 68th year of his age.

Upon the death of Mrs. Sarah Rasbotham (testator's widow), Messr?. James Bayley and James Touchett, the sur\'iving trustees, in pursuance of the trusts in them vested under and by the will of Doming Rasbotham, advertised the deceased's estates for sale, at various dates and at various places, and sold same by aiiction. Among the properties advertised for sale, and sold on the 29th November, 1805, were the Bradshawgate premises. The advertisement occupied seven-eighths of an entire column of a Manchester newspaper of the period, called T/ic Rlanchester Mercury and Harrofs Gcnc-

* The Kasbotliams, who were of Scotch extraction, settled ia. Lancashire soon after the Battle of Flodden Field. The family name was then spelled Rosbotham. Doraing Kasbotham was born in Manchester in 1730. In 175^ he married Sarah, eldest daughter of James Bayley, Esq., of Withington and Manchester, and granddaughter of Bishop Peploe. Their six children were Anne, who died unmarried Dorothy, who died in infancy; Peter, who married Dorothy (born 1767), eldest daughter of John Lever, who, in 1778, succeeded to the Alkrington estates of his brother, Sir Ashton Lever Doming, who married Sarah, daughter of John Gray, ; Esq., of Finedon, in Northumberland; and Frances (born 25th August, 1774,

died 12th January, 1838), youngest daughter, who became the wife of \ViUiam

Gray (born 15th August, 1774, died 16th September, 1842), Esq., of Wieatfield, in Haulgh, Bolton. Doming Kasbotham, senior, retired in 1762 from Man- chester to Farnworth, and soon after became a presiding Justice of the Peace on the Bolton bench, meanwhile pursuing his literary studies. He died 7th November, 1791, in the 61st year of his age, and was buried in Deane church yard,

where also lie the remains of his widow, who survived him nearly 14 years, and died 30th April, 1805, aged 77. A mural tablet in Deane church, erected by their surviving children, bearing a long inscription, perpetuates the memory of ''Parents so revered and so dear." On the " Gray " altar monument in Bolton parish church yard

there is a touching allusion to the death of Mr. Kasbotham's youngest daughter Frances (Mrs. Gray) in these words :—" Her loss will be sincerely and deeply mourned, not only by her family, but also by her poorest neighbours and a numerous circle of friends and acquaintances, to whom she was endeared by many most amiable

qualities and her good life." —

A HELIC OF OLD BOLTON. 21 ral Advertiser, in -wliicli it ajjpeared four successive weeks, namely, on the 5tli, 12tli, 19tli, and 26th November, 1805. Other estatos of the deceased, situated elsewhere, were also advertised and sold about the same time. The sale was announced to take place " By order of the trustees imder the will of the late Dorning Rasbotham, Esq., at the house of Mrs. Tong, known by the sign of the 'Golden Lion,' at Moses Gate, in Farnworth, in the county of Lancaster, on Friday, the 29th day of November next, at three o'clock in the afternoon, subject to such conditions as wiU be then and there produced." Nine lots were advertised to be sold on that occasion, comprising Bight sets of premises situate in Farnworth (including Birch House, the testator's late residence), and Halshaw Moor, and one set of premises in Bolton.

AVith the latter property alone have we anything to do. Its description was : "Lot 9. All those two several Cottages or DweUing-Houses, situate in Bradshaw-gate, in Great Bolton, in the said Coimty of Lancaster, together with the vacant land and appurtenances thereto belonging, now in the occupation of James Baron and James Heaton, as tenants thereof respectively from year to year, and containing in the whole by admeasurement (including the site of the buildings), two hundred and eighty-seven superficial square yards of land or thereabouts, be the same more or less." The advertisement ends with :

" Plans of the estates are lodged at the oflice of Sharpe and Eccles, attornies, in Mancliester, where further particulars may be had, and a person is appointed to attend at Birch House to shew the premises. The purchasers of the larger lots (1, 5, and 8) may be accommodated Avith a part of the purchase money on the security of the premises." It is apparent from the description of the premises as advertised, that some time before the sale the old "messuage, burgage, or dwelling-house," had become converted into " two several cottages or dweUiug-houses," but it is evident from the description contained in the deed of 1810 and known facts that an outbuilding in the rere had - been converted into a cottage, not that the " messuage " fronting Bradshawgate had been so partitioned and built on. It will be seen from the same deed of 1816 that the carrier's warehouse was erected partly on vacant land and partly upon

'' " the scite of the said two cottages or dwelling-houses." The front " messuage (afterwards two shops) remained undisturbed by the carrier's modern erection raised westward of it and long ago partly demolished. Eeverting at this stage to the question of the street boundary of the north side of the premises, we tliink it right to mention that among Mr. Walmsley's documents we observed a carefully preserved plan headed " Premises in Bolton belonging to the late Dorning Easbotham, Esq., 1805," in which the sti'eet now called Folds'-street is distinctly marked " Lever-street "—doubtlessly so called after the Lever family, the original owners. According to that plan the " contents " of Mr. Dorning Easbotham's Bradshawgate premises were " 287 square yards," bounded on the south by " Premises belonging to Francis

; " " Wrigley " on the west by other premises of Francis "VVrigley ; on the east by " Bradshawgate," and on the north by " Lever-street, 8 yards wide." Mr.

Walmsley's plan is doubtless a correct copy of that exhibited to intending purchasers and others at the place of sale. The first mention of Folds'-sti-eet "

22 m.l) SOU'J'ir-KAST l-ANCAfilllJIK.

ill the title deeds occiU'3 ia tlie lielease of 10th Mai'chj 1839, all previous

references to sti\?et boundary and nomenclature having been made -with respect to Bradsliawgate only. Our earlier sketcli—that of 1810—enables us, with singular perspicuity, to narrow the transitional period when " Lever-street was changed to "' Folds'-street." Throughout the deeds the latter name is spelled variously. If the reader carefully examine the original of the sketch

of 1810, exhibited in, the Exchange Museum, Town Hall Square, Bolton, ho will find that ou the Folds'-street gable, on the side next Bradshawgate, tlie words " Folds-street " are written in diminutive, but distinct, characters, and that between those two words and the corner, the word " street " appears, but with traces of some erased letters over it, such erasure being, to om- mind, an unraistakeable indication of a change of street name. Our engraver, Mr, Robert Langton, of Manchester, having faithfully reproduced the written characters referred to, we submit them to our readers as corroborations of our several averments that the street was originally named Lever-street ; that it derived its present mis-spelt name, between 180-5 and 1810, from that local clerical celebrity, Parson Folds—not from any " fold " or close which thereabouts existed formerly— and that the posting of the name "Fold-street" on the opposite comer by the Bolton Corporation was another official error of judgment. Mr. " Thomas Smith, of Haulgh, farmer," had a representative present at the auction of the premises in Bradshawgate, who bid £"-350 for it, and he, being the highest bidder, was declared the purchaser at that sum, on Mr. Smith's behaK. Accordingly by Indenture of Feoffment dated 1st May, 1800, Messrs. James Bayley and James Touchett, the sui-viving trustees and executors of the will of Doming Easbotham, deceased, in consideration of £350 paid to them, " bargained, sold, aliened, enfeoffed, and confirmed " imto the said Thomas Smith,* his heirs and assigns, " All that, the aforesaid Messuage, Burgage, or Dwelling- house, with the land, hereditaments, and appurtenances to the same belonging, and some time ago converted into two cottages or Dwelling-houses, situate and being

on the west side of, and to the front of, a certain street within Bolton-le-Moors aforesaid, called and commonly known by the name of Bradshawgate,

Together -svith the vacant land and appurtenances thereunto belonging, and then in the tenure, holding, or occupation of James Baron, as tenant thereof, or of his sub-tenants, and containing in the whole by admeasurement, including the scite of the buildings, 287 superficial square yards of land, or thereabouts, be the same more or less," &c. " To hold," &c., " for ever," &c. By a subsequent clause of the Deed Mr. Thomas Rushton, of Bolton-le-Moors, gentleman, was

* Thomas Smith, of the parish of Bolton, labourer and Mary Yates, of tlie parish of Middleton, spinster, were married in Bolton parish church by licence on the 29th of

September, 1785, by Kev. E. Whitehead, vicar ; witnesses William Yates and John Bell. Secondly, Thomas Smith, of the parish of Bolton, widower, and Alice Smith, of the parish of Middleton, spinster, were married in Bolton parish church by licence on the

27th of January, 1791, by Kev. Jeremiah Gilpin, vicar ; wtnesses William Smith and Peter Smith.

Mary, his first wife, was buried in Bolton parish churchyard 8th August, 1787. A HKLTC OF OLD BOLTON. appointed as attoniey to deliver seizen of the premises to Thomas Smith, the purchaser. The signature of James Bayley, -which hetokens age, exceeding feeble- ness, or extreme neiTousness, is -witnessed by " Frances Bayley " and " WiUiam

Eccles." The fluent signature of James Touchett is -witnessed by the same "William Eccles and " James Moorhouse.'' The receipt for the purchase money

(£350) is signed and witnessed by the last t-v\^o. A memorandum is endorsed signed by " Thomas Rushton," to the effect that " on the date of this deed peaceable possession of the hereditaments Tvithia mentioned "was taken by Thomas Rushton, the attorney within named, -who, after such possession taken,

the like possession unto the -n-ithin named Thomas Smith did give and deliver,

To HOLD the same premises imto the said Thomas Smith, his heirs, and assigns, for ever, according to the true intent of the within -written indenture. As -WITNESS," Szc. — Witnesses : " John Smith, Sasiuel Vickees."

Soon after the date of the last mentioned deed of feoffment, a carrier's -n-arehouse -was erected, partly on the vacant land -west-wards of the present old building, and partly on the site of an outhouse belonging to the front messuage, by the feoffee Thomas Smith. " In ] 81G, Thomas Smith, the late purchaser, being seized in his demesne as of fee " of the '' messuage warehouse and hereditaments " in Bradsha-wgatc

and having occasion for the sum of £G00, agreed -with John Heywood, of Little

Bolton, cotton manufacturer, for the loan of that amount, upon the security of the -whole of the premises. Accordingly by Indenture of Demise, by way of mortgage, dated 31st August, 1816, Thomas Smith, " of Ilaulgh, farmer," and Alice, his -wife, in consideration of £G00 paid to Thomas Smith by John Heywood, " granted, bargained, sold and demised " imto John Heywood, the premises comprised in the deed of 1806, words being added to the effect that same was then in the occupation of " Widow Pearson," her assigns or under- tenants. " And ALSO all that large carriers warehouse or building with the hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging, now in the occupation

of, and lately erected by, the said Thomas Smith, upon the said vacant land or some part thereof, a ad the scite^ of one of the said two cottages or dwelling-houses. Together with the vacant land thereunto belonging, which

said land and hereditaments hereby demised, including the scite of the said dwelling-house and warehouse, contain in the whole by a late admeasurement 287 superficial square yards of land or ground, or thereabouts, be the same

more or less. And all houses, outhouses, edifices, buildings, ways," &c. " To HOLD, &c., for 1000 years, yielding and paying therefore yearly and every

year during the said term, unto the said Thomas Smith, his heirs and assigns,

the rent of one pepper corn on the 2oth day of December in every year, if lawfully demanded," and subject to the proviso for redemption therein contained. The deed is signed by Thomas Smith and Alice* Smith, and -witnessed by Robert Kay and James BoUing. A receipt for £600 is endorsed, signed by Thomas Smith, and attested by the same two witnesses. A bond for £1,200

* Second wife. See note on preceding page, 24 OLD SOUTH-EAST LANCASHIEl?. conditioned for payment of £G00 and interest, collateral -with that deed of mortgage, and of tlio same date, was executed by Thomas Smith, and attested by the same witnesses. Thomas Smith, the mortgagor, died in May, 1817, aged 50, and wa.= bm-ied 25th of same month in Bolton parish churchyard. He left his son John Smith,*

" of Ilaulgh, carrier," his lieir-at-law, surviving hinr. Alice, his. widow, died 4th February, 1825, aged 54. The sum of £900 appears to have accumulated due to John Heywood, at the time of the death of Thomas, on foot of the mortgage security and Bond last

described. John Smith, heir to the old premises and their incumbrances, being afterwards desirous of paying off that sum to John Ileywood, contracted with EUis Fletcher, of Clifton, a township adjoining Pendlebury, for a loan of £1,250, to enable him to do so, and " to answer his other occasions." Accord- ingly, by indenture dated 9th August, 1830, made between John Heywood of the first part, John Smith of the second part, and EUis Fletcher of the third part, John Heywood, in consideration of £000, paid to him by Ellis Fletcherj by the direction of John Smith, and also in consideration of £350 paid by Ellis Fletcher to John Smith, " bargained, sold, and assigned," and the said John Smith also "granted, bargained, sold, assigned, ratified, and confirmed imto the said EUis Fletcher, his executors, administrators and assigns," the premises comprised in the deed of 1806, words being added to show that they were then in the occupation of James Darbyshire. And also, &c. [the premises comprised in the mortgage of 1816.] " To have akd to hold, &c. unto the

said EUis Fletcher, his executors, administrators, and assigns, for aU the rest

residue, and remainder then to come and imexpired of the said term of 1,000

years, created by the said thereinbefore recited indenture of mortgage of the 31st day of August, 1816, without impeachment of waste, subject to the pronso or agreement thereinafter contained for redemption of the said " " premises," &c. The deed is signed by John Heywood" and John Smith," and witnessed by"R. A. Boardman." A receipt for £900 is signed by '-'John Heywood," and another for £350 is signed by "John Smith," both bemg witnessed by " E. A. Boardman." EUis Fletcher, by his wUl, dated 11th January, 1834, amongst other things, Fletcher, gave, devised, and bequeathed unto his brother, James Joseph Jones of Preston, gentleman, his of Oldham, cotton spinner. Barton Fletcher AUen his (testator's) wife, (the testator's) son John Fletcher Ramfeden, and Mary Fletcher (whom he appointed his trustees), aU the estates vested in him on power to dispose of by any trust, or by way of mortgage, and which he had trustees of that his wiU, that his wiU, with their appm-tenances, unto the said according to the nature and their heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, quality thereof respectively. Upon Tbust, &c. (as in such cases usual). EUis Fletcher died on the 26th of April, 1834. His -sN-iU was proved at Chester by

* John, son of Thomas Smith and Mary his (first) wife (dayghter of John and Elizabeth Yates), born 18th July, 1786, baptized at the Unitarian Chapel, Bank-street. Bolton, on the 13th of August, 1786, by the Kev. John Holland, pastor. A RKLTC OF OLD BULTOX.

•Mary Fletcliev and James Fletcher onh", on tlie llth December of that year. The same will was also proved at Canterbury on the 3rd February, 183-5. By a deed poU, dated llth November, 1834, Joseph Jones, one of the trustees, renounced and declined the executorship and trusteeship. .John Fletcher Eamsden (testator's son, who in his father's lifetime adopted the name of Eamsden in addition to his own), died 5th April, 1836. Mary Fletcher (testator's widow) died 13th April, 1836. By indenture dated 27th April, 1836, James Fletcher, the acting sm-vivrng

trustee, appointed John Moore of Boltou-le-Moors, surgeon, Jacob Fletcher Eamsden of Clifton, gentleman, Tliomas Mulliner of Bolton-le-Moors, accoimtant, and Joseph Eamsden of Clifton, gentleman, to bo new and co- trustees of the will of EUis Fletcher.

By indenture of lease and release and assignment, dated 27th and 2Sth April, 1836, the release and assignment bemg made between James Fletcher of the first part, James Fletcher, John Moore, Jacob Fletcher Eamsden, Thomas Mulliner, and Joseph Eamsden of the second part, and Matthew Dawes of Bolton-le-Moors, gentleman [attorney], of the third part, James Fletcher

" granted, bargained, sold, and released," &c., imto Matthew Dawes (in his actual possession then being, &c.), and to his heirs, '•' All the freehold manors,

messuages, lands, tithes, rents, hereditaments and premises " mentioned in the

• said will, or purchased since tlie death of the said EUis Fletcher in pursuance

of the'trusts of his will, and then vested in the said James Fletcher as tnistee.

And aU the estate, hereditaments, and premises, which were vested in the

testator in trust or by way of mortgage, and aU such as by virtue of his will, or by any subsequent conveyance, were then vested in James Fletcher by way of mortgage for securing any sum or sums of money belonging to the estate of the testator, and the reversion, &c. To hold the same imto Matthew Dawes and

liis heirs. To the use of the said James Fletcher, John Moore, Jacob Fletcher Eamsden, Thomas Mulliner, and Joseph Eamsden, then- heirs and assigns, for ever, upon the several trusts therein mentioned. And James Fletcher did

thereby also bargain, seU, assign, transfer, and set over unto Matthew Dawes, his executors and administrators. All and singular the manors, messuages, lands, tithes, rents, hereditaments, and premises, whatsoever and wheresoever,

then vested in James Fletcher as trustee and executor of the said wiH, for any term or terms of years, chattel interest and interests, as well those which were

vested in Ellis Fletcher as those which had since been assigned to or othei-wise

become vested in James Fletcher as such trustee and executor, including those whereof EUis Fletcher was trustee or mortgagee, and those to which James Fletcher was as such trustee of the saidwiU then mortgagee, &c. To hold, SiC, -unto M. Dawes, his executors, administrators and assigns, thenceforth for and during aU the term and terms of years, interest or interests, for which the same were respectively held, then to come and imexpired thereof. Upon thust that 3Iatthew Dawes should forthwitli assign and make over aU and singular the same premises, &c., imto James Fletcher, John Moore, Jacob Fletcher Eamsden, Thomas MuUiner, and Joseph Eamsden, their executors, administrators and

assigns, upon the several trusts therein mentioned, D 2G 01,1) joriu-KAST LA.N'CAsirinK.

By indenture, dated 2SLli April, ISoG, endorsed upon tlie last mentioned inden-

ture Matthew Dawes, " bargained, sold, assigned and set over," &c., unto James Fletcher, John Moore, Jacob Fletcher Ramsden, Thomas iMulliner, and Joseph Eamsden, their executors, adminiitrators, and assigns, the premises assigned by " the within written indenture." To hold, &c. (usual words).

James Fletcher died 19th September, 1836. On the 23rd of September, 1837,

letters of administration, with the will annexed, to the estate of Ellis Fletcher, imadmiuistered by his widow and James Fletcher, were granted to Messrs.

Moore, 3Iulliner, and Ramsden, the after appointed trustees. John Smith, " common carrier," died intestate and xmmarried on the 14th day of February, 1839, aged 52 years, and was buried on the 17th in Bolton

parish churchyard. Being at the time of his death seized in fee of the premises

in Bradihawgate, the same descended to, and became vested in fee in "William Smith,* his half-brother and heir at law, of Emnworth, yeoman. He also left

another half-brother, Whittaker Smith,t of Haulgh HaU, common carrier, and two half-sisters, Jane Smithtt and Hannah Smith,J him surviving. William being desirous that the whole of the debts owing by John (except such part as the deceased's personal estate would enable his personal representatives to dis-

charge) should be paid ofE out of the proceeds of the Bradshawgate premises, and being also desirous that his half-brother and half-sisters should each have an equal share along with himself therein, he agreed to convey and assure the same imto Whittaker Smith and Peter Smith ^ (bookkeeper), their heirs and assigns, to such uses, upon such trusts, and for such ends, intents, and pur-

poses as were declared by the next mentioned deed. Accordingly by indentures of lease and release, dated 15th and 16tli March, 1839,

William Smith, for the nominal consideration of 10s., and also in consideration of

the share thereinafter limited to him, and in further consideration of the natural

love and affection which he had towards liis brother and sisters, granted, &c., unto Whittaker and Peter Smith and their heirs, " Firstly, all that Messuage or Dwelling-house, shop or shops, carrier's warehouse, and the land upon which the same were erected and built, situate in Bradshawgate and Folds'-

street, within Boltou-le-Moors, in the said coimty, and also the vacant plot of land hing between the said messuage and dwelling-house, shop or shops, and

the said carrier's warehouse," and all other the hereditaments and premises

^ M'LUiam Smith, son of Thomas and Alice Smith, bom 28th February, and christened 27th Blarch, 1792, by Rev. John Holland, minister of Bank-street Unitarian Chapel, Bolton. t WMttaker Smitli was born 27th March, christened 1st May, 1808, at Bank^^treet Unitarian Chapel, Bolton, by Eev. Jolm Holland, pastor.

i t Jane Smith died 27th January, 1842, aged 48, and was buried in Bolton churchyard.

t In a declaration, dated 22nd February, 1850, Hannah Smith described herself as " Hannah Smith, of Haulgh HaU, in the township of Tonge-witl>Haulgh, in the county of Lancaster, ^\idow," and therein declares that " I am the daughter of Thomas Smith, late of Haulgh Hall aforesaid, common canier, and Alice, his wife. My mother was the second wife of the said Thomas Smith."

•F Born 1794. A HEl.rf OF OI,P r.OLTOX.

conveyed and assured by the Deed of Feoffment of 180G, &c., and then in the

several occupations of AVhittaker Smith (^as administrator of John Smitli,

deceased) and James Darbyshire and (.^ic), as under tenants tliereof. And, secondly, certain other property situate in

Preston (not the subject of this documentary history), &c., to hold, &c., for

ever upon TRirsT as therein mentioned, to demise, sell, or the same, , mortgage and out of the proceeds pay ofE such part of the debts of John Smith, deceased, as ^yere due and owing, and which his personal estate was insufficient

to discharge, and to divide the remainder equally between them. The deed is signed by WiUiam Smith, "W'hittaker Smitli, and Peter Smith, and witnessed by " Eichard Smith, farmer, Eumworth."

^^Tiittaker Smith died 4th May, 1842, aged 34, and was buried on the lltli of the same month in Bolton parish church yard. Peter Smith made a wiU dated 7th October, 1846, which contained the

following devise : —" I devise all real estates (if any) vested in me as trustee or mortgagee to my said wife Hannah, my said cousin Peter Smith, and my said friend John Harwood, their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for

ever, subject to the equities affecting the same respectively." Testator appointed his wife, cousin, and friend so named, executrix and executors, and died on the 2nd December of the same year at Haulgh Hall, Tonge-with- Haidgh, aged 51|. His will was proved on the 27th January of the following

year at Chester, by his widow and the two executors. It shoidd be here stated, in view of the conveyance of the entire premises by the devisees of Peter Smith and others, that on the 20th of September, 1843, Her Majesty's Eoyal Licence and authority were granted to Jacob Fletcher Ramsden, one of the trust mortgagees, to drop the surname of Ramsden and

to take and use the surname and arms of rietclier oidy, whereby his name became Jacob Fletcher Fletcher. Joseph Ramsden died 2oth July, 1848, leavuig John Moore, Jacob Fletcher Fletcher, and Thomas Mulliner his co-trustees and co-mortgagees surviving him. By Indenture dated 12th November, 1849, made between John Moore of Bolton, Esq., Jacob Fletcher Fletcher of Peel Hall, Esq., and Thomas Mulliner of Bolton, accountant, of the first part, Hannah Smith of Haulgh, widow, Peter Smith of Manchester, agent, and John Harwood of Bolton, corn dealer, of the second part, and Thomas Wahnsley, of Bolton, ironmonger, of the other part. It was witn:essed that in consideration of

.£1,000 to Messrs. Moore, Fletcher, and Mullmer, at the request and by the direction of Hannah Smith, Peter Smith, and John Harwood, in fuU satisfac-

tion of all money owing on the Indentin-e of Mortgage of 9th August, 1830, and also in consideration of £200 to Hannah Smith, Peter Smith, and John Harwood, making together the agreed purchase money of the premises paid by Thomas Walmsley, they, the said Messrs. Moore, Fletcher, and Mulliner thereby assigned, surrendered, and yielded up, and Hannah Smith, Peter

' Smith, and John Harwood granted, bargained, sold, aliened, and conveyed unto Thomas T^^almsley " All that messuage or dwelling-house, shop, and carrier's I OT.D SOUTII-KAST I.AXCASHinK. wavelioiise, situate in Bradslia-wgate and Fokls'-stveet, witliin Eolton-le-Moores aforesaid, And also the vacant plot of land lying bet-\veeii the said messuage or dwelling-liouie and the said carrier's w arehouse, the site of all "which preniises contains in the ^vhole 287 superficial square yards of land, or there-

abouts, he the same more or less, as the same premises were formerly in the possession of the said John Smith and of James Darbyshire, and are now in the occupation of [blank in original deed] as tenant thereof.

And all outhouses, dwellings, &c., &c.. To haa'E A2^d to hold, &c., for ever."

The deed is signed by " John Moore," " J. Pletcher Pletcher," " Thomas Mulliner," " Hannah Smith," " Peter Smith," and " John Harwood," and

attested as to the signatures of Hannah Smith and John Harwood, by " " " Christopher Briggs, solicitor, Bolton ; as to that of Peter Smith, by W. " R. Jackson, solicitor, Bolton ; as to the signatures of John Moore and Thomas Mulliner, by "John Sudren, clerk to Messrs. Bi-iggs & Jackson, solicitors, Bolton ;" and as to the signature of Jacob Fletcher Fletcher, by " Joseph Gerrard, clerk -with Mr. Dawes, solicitor, Bolton." A receipt for £200, the portion of the purchase money payable to Hannah Smith, Peter Smith, and

John Harwood, is didy signed by them. The course of leasing, re-leasing, inheriting, selling, mortgaging, and again

selling, having gone on somewhat tamely through the hands of successive con- veyancing lawyers, during the 170 years embraced by the foregoing portion o£

the title deeds, it could scarcely be expected that the venerable old wood and

plaster building could much longer escape the attention of the chancery prac-

titioners. Eventually the opportunity offered, and the little suit of "Alice Fletcher, an infant, and Ann Fletcher, an infant, by Peter Higson, their next

friend. Plaintiffs; John Moore, Thomas Mulliner, and Jacob Fletcher Fletcher, and Ellis Fletcher, Defendants," was commenced by petition on the

1.3th of December, 1849. So far as the venerable premises and Mr. Thomas Walmsley, the purchaser, were thereby affected, the suit was a mere brush,

inasmuch as, in simple obedience to an order of the vice-chancellor, he paid the involved portion of his purchase money—£1,000 and interest—to, and obtained a receipt from, the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, and left the litigious infants to attain their majority and the lodgment as best they might, and at same time relieved Madame Wood and Plaster and the adjoining premises of the incubus of a very sticky mortgage.

During the succeeding quarter of a century the property remained solely in the hands of Mr. Walmsley, the purchaser, who, meanwhile, built a large warehouse, over the site of the partly demolished carriers' warehouse, and partly

on a portion of the vacant gi-oimd westwards of the rear of the old relic. Tha

latter continued as before to be tenanted, sometimes as one shop, and at other times as two, according to the commercial calibres of those who ventured upon

its tenancy during that period. On the 5th April, 1873, Mr. Walmsley granted a lease of the old messauge and premises to Mr. Johnson Mills, of Bolton, auctioneer, for 999 years, from 12th May, 1873, at the annual rent of £45. 10s. The description of the pre-

mises in that document are : —" All that plot of land situate within the A RKUf OF OT.n BOLTON. 20

Borough of Bolton aforesaid, as the same is delineated and descrihed ^vith respect to the boundaries and admeasurement thereof, in the plan drawn in the margin of these presents and comprised within the space edged with pink in the same plan, and containing in area superficial square yards or thereabouts, be the same more or less ; and bounded on the north side thereof by

Folds-street, and containing on that side 43 feet 3 inches ; on the east side thereof by Bradshawgate, and containing on that side 25 feet 11 inches ; on part of the south side thereof by premises belonging to the trustees and executors of Thomas Chantler, deceased; and on the remaining part by the wall hereinafter mentioned (the same wall being coloured blue on the said plan), and containing on the part of that side adjoining the said premises of the said trustees and executors 33 feet 9 inches, and on the remaining part thereof 6 feet the west side thereof by other premises of the 10 inches ; and on said Thomas AValmsley, and containing on part cf that side 12 feet 5 inches, and then (after running 10 inches in a westerly du-ection) on the remaining part of that side

14 feet 4 inches, be the said several dimensions more or less. And also all THAT messuage or dwelling-house, and the shops now in the respective occupation of Moses Barron, as tenant thereof; and all other the erections and buildings erected and now standing thereon. And also aU the estate and interest, if any, of the said Thomas Walmsley (but according to such estate, and not by way of warranty), of and in aU that the said waU delineated and described on the aforesaid plan, and thereon coloured blue, the site whereof contains in area one-half of a square yard or thereabouts, togetlier with the appurtenances thereunto belonging." By Indenture of Assignment, dated 23rd July, 1870, Mr. Johnson MLUs assigned to coimciUor Thomas Bromley, of Folds'-street, Bolton, the premises so derived by him imder the Indentiu'e of oth April, 1873, for the remainder of the said term of 999 years. In this deed the tenants of the old building are described as " Mr. Duckworth and another." The premises have been for some time vacant, preparatory to demolition. The businesses carried on by the last two occupiers were those of a tobacconist on a smaU scale, and a tripe dealer. Sic transit gloria viundi! On the site, when cleared, Mr. Bromley will, early in the next spring, erect a magnificent Fine Art Gallery and Artists' Repository, to which he means to remove the business presently carried on by him at the opposite corner of Folds-street and Bradshawgate. Unwilling that this vestige of old Bolton should be quite lost to his towns-

men by its complete demolition, Mi-. BronJey, in August last, resolved to make a presentation of the materials to the town, provided some local gentlemen woidd come forward and make arrangements for the removal and reconstruction of the fabric in some convenient position in the borough park, or other suitable place in or in the neighbourhood of Bolton, as a memento of bygone street architectm-e. A dkect oJJer having been made to tlie Bolton Corporation by Mr. Bromley to place the materials at their disposal, the Park and Burial

Board Committee, at their meeting on Thiu-sday, 4th September last, duly considered the matter, but declined to accept the "white elephant." The

resolution arrived at was, " That the thanks of the Committee be tendered to !

510

3lr. Councillor Bromley for the offer made by liiin of the Iniilding at the corner of Folds-street and Bradshawgate, and they regret that they are unahlo to accept such offer," Early in the spring its demolition vnil be proceeded with. Through the courtesy of Mr. Bromley, we shall be permitted to arrange for a close antiquarian vigil over the site during the progress of tho work, and should any " finds " reward us for our pains, they will be duly chronicled and illustrated in a future number of this magazine. At all events,

we shall have something more to say concerning the " fossils " to be txirned over. Some rare relic of the siege of Bolton" may perchance be unearthed

(Sliort archHectiiral dcscriptio)i, and brief chronological review of successive tenants, in our next issue.) COLLECTANEA. 31

COLLECTANEA ; OK. WHAT THE EECORDS SAY.

'NDER this head we mean to reproduce, verbatim and in extenso, tlie text ^ of selected Records and ancient Documents LUustrative of local history, and especially of those which most concern the territory embraced by the title of our new magazine. It is known that many such documents and manuscripts exist in various repositories, public and private, but they remain as sealed books to nearly all, save their custodians. Favoured chroniclers have ever drawn historical • materials from these sources of information, but the privileged writers seem to have been more anxious to amalgamate selections from such gleanings with others collected elsewhere, than to disclose details which the general writer wisely enough imagined could only interest local readers. Our desire to disseminate the entire contents of such records or docimients through, the medium of this magazine Avill, we trust, be duly appreciated by our readers,

AVe do not by any means aim at a cheap method of filling its pages, as wa shall, on the contrary, be obliged to circumscribe the space to be occupied monthly with such matter, and besides, in nine cases out of ten, as is known by the initiated, the expense attendant upon transcripts of such docimients is, as a rule, excessive. We are, however, happy to say that our negotiations, with a view to gaining access to, or obtaining copies of miscellaneous historical manuscripts deposited in the various public offices, to be reproduced in these columns have been met in a fair spirit by a high official ; and on going to press we are happy to anuomice the conclusion of most satisfactory arrangements for accomplishing that end. The suggestions of subscribers and contributors with reference to the selection of futiu-e transcripts, will at all times meet with our best attention. —

32 OLD .SorTlI-KAST I.AM'ASUIliK.

]U) U N I) A ];, I E 8 .

tbo of the UNDER tlii.s head ^vc sliuU reproduce text of ancient descriptions " meres and bounds " of parishes and townships. In each succeeding issue vre shall describe the boundaries of one or other of the parishes or town- sliips wliich come within the range of the title of our magazine. By way of identification of the local topography of the period to which each such ancient description is assigned, and as a fitting contrast thereto, each reproduction wUl be followed, where practicable, by authentic details of the boundaries at tlic present time. Paiiish 01^ Ashtox-tjxder-Lyne.*—DescriiJtion of the boimdaries of the parisb in 1643, noted after a perambulation had taken place : " Whereas the boundary of the sayde parish of Ashton-under-Lyne begins at the boundary mark at Cross Bank, above Hey, near Austerlands, at the north extremity of the said parish ; and so descending to the west by Mylue Bottom, where it meets the little Medlock, and so following that little water down to Leese, dividing it from Ouldham, and turning south-westerly to Holt's, where it leaves the brook, goes west by Turfpits down another rill to Cheny Valley, where it ascends north-west to near a place called Glodwick Clough, where it turns west by Fitton Hill to Oopster Hill, by Oak, Lyme, and dovra by another

rill called Medlock, to a place by Cutler Hill, called Oat Alley, where it meets the main Medlock, and so ascending the maiu brook Medlock in the hamlet of

AYoodhouses, it goes south by Buckley HiU, to the edge of the Moss, and so on by or betwixt Asliton Moss and Droylsden Moss side, to below Audenshaw. near Corn HiU, abutting on Opensliagh, Goreton, Denton, and Haughton, and so on below Hooley Hill, to the river of Tame, and so ascending the river of Tame, by Shepley Demesne, to WiUows, Knotts at Brook, and so betweene Ashton Town to Dukinfield, all the way to Mab Holes, and following the divers windings of the said Tame, to the bridge of Staley dividing Lancashire and Cheshire, and ascending from the sayde bridge of Stayley by Stayley in Cheshire on the one hand, and Gleut, Herrod, Sour Acre, Scout 3IiU, and to Bottoms on the Ashton hand, where the devycons of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire meete, in Mossley Hamlett, in Ashton, in jNIickelhurst-under-

Tyntwisel, in Cheshire, and in Quick Mere, in the lordship of Saddelword ; and so ascending a brook of the said Tame to the north-west, betweene Mossley and Quick Hamletts, below Lyght Birches, and so on to Thornleigh and to Highe Knowls, where it meetes again with the little Medlock, and crossing it by Ashes, by Lees, to the abutment on Hey Chapel, and so ascending the lull to the boundary stone of Cross Banlv, the first boundary or meare."

* Until the year 1291 the territory which is now the extensive parish of Ashton- under-Lyne, was part of the ancient parish of Jlanchester. The latter was constituted soon after the founding of York Cathedral by Oswald, King of ^'orthumb^ia. OUR MONTHLY CONTERSAZIOXE.

OUR MONTHLY CONVEKSAZIONE.

UNDER this heading- we shall register such items of archseological, historical, and genealogical " intelligence," as may come within the lines or scope of our project. The matter wiE be divided into two sections—" Local," as applied to places within the territory embraced by our title, and " General," as referable to places beyond those limits, or to the country at large. LOCAL.

Manchester.—Mr. F. Madox Brown lately finished tlie ; second cartoon of the series of illustrations of the history of jManchester, which he has been commissioned to execute in the Town Hall of that city. The work is named,

" The Romans at Mancenion," and depicts the building of a fort or castrum near the present site of Manchester. In the centre of the design stands a Roman military engineer, displaying to the commander of the legion a plan of the fort Avhicli is being built. The large scroll is open in the hands of its designer. The officer, wearing a dragon-crested helmet and scarlet mantle, turns a little sideways to the front, thus shewing his face, while he studies the fortifications with the aid of the plan. The robe of the engineer is blov,-n out behind his figure by the breeze which rushes past the heights, the bleakness of which is suggested by the thick clothmg of the wife of the commander, who attends him, and wears thick furs and woollens. She holds by the hand her sturdy boy of eight years old, who, with a toy clarion in his hand, and with sportive energy of the Roman sort, kiclis out behind at the face of a burlj- ne"-ro, a legionaiy, who, standing on a lower platform than that occupied by the principal figures, barely escapes a blow, and turns to the brutal boy witli a diffident grin. British labourers are occupied on the walls, bringing materials, hewu stones, and mortar, wliich Roman soldiers, clad in armour because of the cold, are arranging on the rising %a alls. From this high point we survey the winding course of the river which is now called the Medlock, and to its banks beyond over the fosse of the camp. Ma^tchesxee. — Several schemes were lately under consideration with respect to the futiu'e of the Oldham-street ^^'esleyan Chapel site and premises in this city. One was that the present chapel, which is far larger than existing needs require, shoidd be taken down, a smaller one built, and suitable connexional premises erected at the rear. Another was that one-half the site wliich fronts Oldham-street should be sold, and the money thus raised employed in erecting chapel, conference haU, and offices on the other half of the site which faces Spear-street. A third scheme was that which proposes to sell the whole site at Oldham-street, on which chapel, vestries, chapel committee- rooms, &c., now stand, and to purchase a site elsewhere, on which a smaller and more suitable chapel should be erected, and also to find convenient premises for the officers of the chapel committee. It was finally resolved by the committee appointed for the purpose by the late Wesleyan Conference ;!4 oi.i) souTU-r.AST i.-WCASuiuk. that Conference be recommended to sell the whole of the >iU- on which tho Oldliam-street Chapel and premises now stand, and to Luild a cliapel for the Oldliam-street circuit at a convenient place. If this resolution be accepted by the Conference, tho best known Methodist centre in Manchester, and indeed in the north of England, will be known only to history.

Manchester.—At a meeting of the Coimcil of Owens College, held in the afternoon of Friday, 17th October last, an interesting present was received from the executors of the late Mr. Samuel Faulkner (a former partner of Mr. John Owens) in the shape of a characteristic kit-kat portrait of the founder's father, Mr. Owen Owens. The portrait, without any pretensions to high excellency, is soimdly pamted, and evidently faithfully presents the ruddy and cheerful features of a smaU-statured, stout old gentleman of Welsh origin. There is no date to the picture, but as we find that the artist, '^^'illiam Lovatt, flourished in Manchester as a "portrait and miniature painter," first at

5, Faulkner-street, afterwards at 7, Coupland-street, Greenheys, between the years 1832-8, it is natural to assrmie that the porh-ait was painted about that period, especially as Mr. Owen Owens resided in Xelson-street, Oxford Eoad, in close proximity to the artist's abode in Coupland- street. Mr. Owen Owens was 80 years old when he died, on the IGth January,

1844, so that he would be about 70 years of age when the porti-ait was taken, which will now adorn the Senate-room of his son's famous college. Touching the painter, there is a smack of romance hitherto imchronicled in the history of

Manchester artists. He came here from Ashover, in Derbyshire. His brother Charles was at that time a well-known tobacconist in Market-street. Ahout 1838-9 the artist suddenly disappeared, and his whereabouts was a perfect mysteiy, even to his brother, who, however, upon his death, in 18-50, left him a legacy, to be paid by his successor and executor, Mr. Bevirs. But from the day he left Manchester imtil the present no tidings of him have been received.

In connection with the father's portrait, it may be mentioned in passing that

there is no portrait in existence of the founder of the College, except a very beautifidly executed medaUion by Woolner, from a silhouette presented some time ago by Mrs. Faulkner, which has not been hitherto publicly noticed. It hangs in a conspicuous place over the fireplace of the Senate-house.

Manchestee.—The Manchester City News continues to maintain its prestige as chief amongst those Lancashii-e journals whose editors wisely reserve portions of their space weekly for contributed Notes, Answers, Comments, and Queries in the departments of local history, tradition, philology, and antiquity.

Nearly a whole page of the paper is now occupied weekly by interesting matter

of this class. The quarterly reprints of such contributions in book form, at a mere nominal price, are valuable additions to our county literature. The eighth part of these reprints wuU be due shortly.

Bolton.—At the inaugm'al dinner given on Saturday, 27th September last,

in the new warehouse of Messrs. Lever & Co. (erected on the south-west side of

the Town Hall Square, Bolton, on a site formerly known as Howell Croft),

Mr. Lever, referring to the history of the Manor-street (formerly cajled Bank- OUR MO.M'HLY COX VKIISAZIOXE. i]o

Street) establisliment, desenbed the latter as the o/cfesi w holesale grocery

house in the town." Wliat says " the oldest inhabitant " to this ?

BoLTOx—The " Green " memorial window in St. Matthew's Chm-ch, Bolton,

was completed early in November last, and inaugurated on the 9th of that

month, wlien the Bishop of the diocese preached in the morning. It is a modest though rich window, exquisitely sweet in harmony, delicate and ahnost ethereal

in colouring, whilst the drapery of the various figures is graceful in the highest

degree. The tracery is warm in its tone, various rich tints being beautifidly

blended. There is a circle imitative of the rose in the upper part, whose centre

is filled with the dove as the emblem of the Holy Spirit. Ai-ound are the

emblems of the four Evangelists. In the feuilles against the gi'and rose are

placed the " Alpha " and " Omega," the beginning and the end of all things, and

below four angels in a position of adoration. The five large lights of the

window are devoted to a representation of the Ascension of oiu- Lord to heaven.

This is arranged in two tableaux, the lower one representing the Apostles stead-

fastly gazing up into heaven, rapt and wondering, as if they would penetrate the

clouds which hide their Master from their sight ; the upper one pictorially describes the reception of Christ beyond the skies by the heavenly host. The

figure of tlie Saviour is exceptionally noble, and the attendant angels are grouped around Him, jnanifestly receiving Him with every mark of honour,

their tongues uttering joyfid alleluias. Altogether the window is a splendid

specimen of artistic work in stained glass, and reflects the greatest credit upon

the artist. Monsieur Jean Baptiste Capronnier, of the Kue Eogier, Brussels. On a plate band at the base of the window are inscribed the suggestive words,

"To the glory of God and tlie cherished memory of John Green, a great benefactor to this church and parish, who died March 4th, 1879." The cost was £240. Bolton.—During the past forty-six weeks each successive issue of the BoUoil Weekly Journal contained a serial instabnent of " Half-hours among the Tombs, or Bolton Records of the Past," by an anonymous author, being a reproduction of the tombstone literature of Bolton old parish church and churchyard. Judi- ciously interspersed among these are highly interesting and carefidly written comments upon the positions of the tombstones, and the pecidiarities of their

inscriptions, with occasional biographical notices of the deceased. Genealogically

viewed the work is replete witli materials for future biographers of Bolton worthies. Moreover, in this case, the importance of the author's labours becomes enhanced tenfold when it is understood that not a single inscription

among the 333 wliich have been reproduced verbatim in the Journal is now to be seen by visitors to the church or churchyard. At the time of the demolition of Bolton old church, after the pews had been removed, about 133 tomb-

stones were found overlying the vaidts below, and overspreading the fiooi-s of

the chancel, nave, and aisles. These were removed temporarily, and subsequently relaid on the eve of the completion of the new chui'ch, in or near their old sites. Other tombstones, numbering about two hundi-ed, which formerly bordered the south, east, and west walls of the old church, were embraced within the extended area of the new churcli, and became 30 01,1) SOXn'II-KA.ST I.ANCASIIIUK.

also lost to view. That section of tlic series -wliicli embraces these buried tombstones is also valuable from an antiquarian point of view, as until the present new parish church become a ruin they are hermetically scaled against

inspection, rmder the floor of the new church. AUusions having occasionally been made by the author, in the section published, to future portions of his work to be headed " Displaced Tombstones," " Monuments," " Tablets," "Brasses," "Memorial Windows," &c., we may expect further interesting

instalments of the series. Tlie whole of the thousands of tombstones which

cover the immense area of the parish churchyard will, it appears, be treated by

tlie author, but probably liis labours in this section will be confined to the more ancient among the nmuber, and such of the modern inscriptions as may be accounted important. We imderstand that the publication of the remainder of the manuscript in the columns of the Journal will extend over the greater part

of the year 1880, We refer with the gi-eatest satisfaction and pleasure to these

combined efforts of a spirited publisher and his imwearying contributor to rescue

the buried, or, as the author puts it, " interned " tombstones from the artificial oblivion which befeU tliem on the occasion of the destruction of the old

church. The entii'e series -^vill prove an invaluable fund of information, placed cut-and-dry at the finger ends of those who may require local materials for

biographical or historical purposes. The svu-prising intimacy with whicli the author alludes to and deals -ndth aU matters and things connected with the old

and new chiu'ches and churchyard, and the technical skill displayed in the descriptive matter, must convince readers of his preparedness to bring his

prodigious task to a successful terndnatiou. Bahtox-upox-Iewell.—Mr. liobert Langtoo, the eminent Manchester engraver, informs us that a discovery of some interest has just been made by a working man while pulHng down the old hall at Barton-upon-IrweU. " I can,"

he says, "get no definite information as to the extent of the 'find,' but an

earthen vessel was foimd containing silver coins, and having seen some twenty

of these coins I can describe them. Tliey consist of shillings, sixpences, and

groats of Elizabeth,' James the First, and Charles the First. The mint marks

' are a rose, an anchor, and the tun ' of Throckmorton, master of the mint.

From the latest coins being of the reign of Charles the First, the vessel was probably deposited where found about the middle of the seventeenth centuiy,

during the Civil Wars. The coins are much worn, and several of tlie sixpences ' crooked,' or purposely bent, telling plainly of some old love-maldng."

Leigh.—About two columns weekly of The Leigh Chronicle are set apart

for Antiquarian and Genealogical Notes, rmder the title of " The Chronicle Scrap Book." Buny.—Under the head of " Notes and Queries," interesting communications from contributors appear weekly in the Bury Times, chiefly on subjects con-

nected with local tradition, history, and foUi-lore.

TuETOx TowEE.—We imderstand that some caref idly-cidled notes on this

ancient mansion and its successive owners, commencing from the earliest period

and brought down to the present time, are on the eve of publication in book form, and may be expected to appear early in the new year. We have been OUR MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE, favom-ed witli a perusal of isoiue of the proof sheets, and we are tlierefore in a position to state that it relates facts, the collection of -which are the result of dihgent search and study, and eminently calcidated to render the work a desirable addition to works on local Lancashire history. The matter abounds with dates, names, and important data. On the more obsciu-e points several authorities are quoted, whUst certain contradictory assertions made by well- known historians are cleverly discussed, with the view of clearing away doubts. The ancient objects found in the interior of the tower being described in a. matter-of-fact, yet none the less interesting, way, this portion will prove a great treat for those who may never have been fortunate enough to obtain a personal inspection of the objects on the spot. The last chapter is devoted to the relation of several "ghost stories " associated with the tower and neighbourhood, which will, in the estimation of many, agreeably diversify the contents.

An important feature is an accompanying original illusti-ation of the tower, in the four corners of which the " arms," &c., of the principal owners of the old edifice are represented. A sketch is also given of the memorable iron-bound

" coffer," the diunb witness of an extraordinary disturbance between a lady of the Orrell famUy and her eldest son in the latter part of the sixteenth centnrj-.

The pubhcatiou, Avhich -will well merit the support of all who interest themselves in local antiquity, is entitled " Notes on Turton Tower and its Successive

Owners," and -rtII, we have no doubt, reflect credit upon its author and com- piler—Xr. James C. Scholes, of Bolton. GENERAL. Ln-ERPOOL.—The Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, which was established in 1848, and holds its meetings in Liverpool, has not for the last few years been in the flourishing condition that could be desu-ed for the only learned society in the county devoting itself exclusively to archfeological investigations. Indeed it was recently proposed to wind it up altogether. An effort is being made to reconstruct it, and there is every probability of success. The Society has pubhshed thirty-one volumes, and these contain many contributions of importance from Messrs. E. G. Latham, A. Hume, C. Hardwick, J. Harland, H. A. Bright, A. Craig Gibson, J. Mayer, T. T. Willdnson, and other well- known antiquaries. A considerable portion of the papers, however, are not of the character that might be [expected in the transactions of a purely historic society, but include disquisitions on poUtical economy and natiu-al science. In future it is proposed to concentrate the efforts of the Association upon strictly archEeological and historical lines, devoting especial attention to the memorials of the past history of the two counties. The impetus that has been given to historical study within the last few years warrants the hope that the society will be abundantly successful in following up this new department. For the present session papers have been promised by Mr. T. G. Eylands, F.S.A,

(the president), Father Gibson, Mr. J. P. Earwaker (editor of Local Gleanings), Mr. J. O. Eylands, and other local antiquaries. A certain melancholy interest attached to the paper announced for a late meeting, as it was a contribution by the late Eev. Daniel II. Ilaigh, whose death has been a notable loss to Anglo-Saxon scholarship. 38 OI.T) SOUTir-KAST LANCASHIIIK.

\h]m,is.—Sau)ide>'s' Daily Naus-Lcltcr, tlic oldest newspaper in Ireland, expired on jMonday, 24th November last.

Lkvlaxi).—Her Majesty's royal licence and authority were given in Sopteni- her last to " Thomas Townley Parker, of Cuerden Hall, in the parish of Leyland, of Astley, in the parisli of Chorley, of Eoyle and of Entwistle, both in the parish of Whalley, all in the coiurty palatine of Lancaster," to use hence- forth " the surname of Townley in addition to and before that of Parker, and to bear the arms of Townley quartered with those of Parker."

Lately a series of attractive articles, entitled "Stranp-e Stories, Scenes, Mysteries, and Characters in our National and Local History," was commenced in the coliunns of the Hull Miscellany, a very entertaining and well-arranged little work, exceedingly popular in the chief towns on the Humber, of which

AVilliam Andrews, Esq., F.R.H.S., is the editor. Each paper contains much curious, valuable, and out-of-the-Avay information—the result of laborious research and keen discrimination. The fidelity with which the writer clings to fact tends to heighten the interest so conspicuously manifested by readers, who eagerly await each instalment of his historic romance, and who ever increase in numbers. In other walks and works Mr. Andrews displays unalloyed antiquarian tastes of the highest order, and in the most ubiquitous manner. The works to which his prolific pen has contributed are legion. We are happy to announce that he ha.^kindly promised to place Old South-East Lancashire on the list of recipients of his—archaeological and historical favours. Respecting maces, Mr. Andrews says : "We have gleaned some curious notes. Dr. Clarke considers the use of the mace by corporations to be derived from the ceremonies attendant on the preservation of Agamemnon's sceptre by the Chteroneans^

B.C. 1201. Our readers will remember that when Cromwell was forcibly dissolving the Long Parliament, April 20, 16oo, he said, pointing to the symbol

! of the Speaker's authority, " Remove that fool's bauble " The mace was melted down and sold by order of the House of Commons. We find in the History of Leicester, by the late James Thompson, F.S.A., particulars of a singular Leicester custom. In 1766 we are told that a Mr. Fisher was elected mayor. According to !Mr. Thompson's able work, " Mr. Fisher was one of the few remaining Jacobites who were always ready to manifest their aversion to the reigning dynasty when occasion offered. It was the invariable custom of the newly-elected Mayor, previous to his election, to proceed (in accordance with the requirements of the charter of James the First) to the Castle, on the Monday after Martinmas Day, there to take an oath, before the Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster, to perform well and faithfully all and every ancient custom, and so forth, according to the best of his knowledge. When Mr. Mayor and his attendants arrived at a certain place within the precincts of the Castle, the bearer of the great mace lowered it from its upright position, in token of acknowledgment to the superior authority of the ancient feudal earls within their ovra stronghold. Tliis ceremony was purposely omitted when Mayor

Fisher attended at the Castle gateway, the town servant refusing to ' slope the mace,' as it was designated. The Constable of the Castle, or his deputy, there- OUR MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONT,. fore refused admission to tlie civic functionary. After tliat date tlie Mayor went in private to the Castle to comply with the terms of the ancient charter."

The last survivor of the eight who signed that notable document "The People's Charter, " was John Arthur Roebuck, M.P. for Shefiield, who died at his London residence early on the morning of Sunday, 30th November last-

He was born at Madras in 1802 ; was grandson of Dr. Jolm Roebuck, of

Sheffield ; and was maternally descended from the poet Tickell.

On the morning of Sunday, 7th inst. (December, 1879), John Wesley's celebrated chapel in the City Road, London, historically Icnown throughout the world as the Cathedral of Methodism, was almost entirely destroyed by fire, originating in the overheating of the warming apparatus. The historic building "Wesley's Morning Chapel" was gutted, and the main chapel, holding 2,000 persons, was greatly injured. The elaborate monuments—one to Dr. Waddy, father of the late M.P. for Barnstaple, and valued at £1,000— were also damaged, and the beautifid frescoed ceiling was irreparably injured, but Wesley's pidpit was saved.

We beg to acknowledge our indebtedness to the Editors of the Manches- ter Guardian, Manchester City News, Buxton Advertiser, High Peak News, and some other provincial papers which we have not seen, for their kindly references to the preliminary announcement of our intention to start tliis magazine. —

40 (>M) SOUTIT-KAST I.AXCASIIIItK,

OBITUAIJ Y.

lUvsox.—Mr. Ilonvy IJawsoii, J.l*., rrestwich Jjodge, died 2Gth November last. He was one of the original proprietors of the Matichester Examiner and Times, as he was also of the defunct London Morning Star, with which newspaper Mr. Jolin Bright was associated. IIo was born at Nottingham, and was in his sixty-first year. Oemt.eod.—Mr. Oliver Ormerod dieil at his residence in Roach Place, Eochdale, on 1st November last. He was amongst the first of tliose whose goods were seized and sold for refusing to pay the church-rate, when the Rev. W. E. Hay, of Peterborough notoriety, was vicar of the Rochdale Parish Church. He was one of the contributors to a magazine which was entitled

the Vicar's Lantern, and in 1844 edited the Spectator, a local periodical, in wliich he wi'ote a series of humorous articles, entitled " Yeomanry Papers." In 1851 he published another amusing production, written in the Lancashire dialect, entitled " Th' FeUey fro Eachda's Visit too the Greyte Eggshibishun." Bcwis.—The death of Mr. Robert Aitken Bowes, editor of the Bolton Guardian, took place on 7tli November last, at his residence, 21, Halliwell New Road, Bolton, in the 4-jrd year of his age. He was a son of the late Mr. John Bowes, an eminent religious controversialist, and evangelist of the society Imown as the Christian Brethren, who also occupied the position of editor of the Truth Promoter, a publication issued in the interests of the sect with which he was connected. The subject of our notice was born at Dundee, but passed his early days at Manchester, working as a printer. He afterwards proceeded to Diuidee, where, along with liis brother, he printed and published the Tridh Promoter, edited by his father. In 1863 Mr. Bowes came to Bolton and filled the position of reporter at the Guardian office. About ten years ago, he undertook the editorial management of the paper. As a joiirnalist lie was painstaking and energetic.

TO CORRESPONDENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS.

R. K. (Rochdale) and other Inquirers.—You may save yourselves the unnecessary trouble of recopying your sketches if of a size too large for our pages. Our engraver or object is in a position to photograph any size of sketch upon the wood, and by means of the lens effect any needful reduction of scale. The " Stan-dley Barn Charity " and the " Salfohd Chapei, Chaeity," commonly called "The Booth Chaeities."—This article is unavoidably held over until our next issue. Paeish Clerk.—Yes. You, and all other parish clerks -within the Hundred of Salford, will benefit yourselves and us by putting yourselves upon corresponding terms -nith the editor. YocNG Oldham.—The following old obituary notice gives the information you require :—" Lately, at Loeside, near Oldham, James Ogden, aged 81. It is worthy of died at the same place remark that he was bom, lived, and ; and was uncle, great uncle, and great-great uncle to 147 persons." Manchester Mercury and Harrop's Advertise); Tuesday, 22nd Jamary, 1S05. General , 015 ^oDtl'^Hs]^ Eanrflsl^iPF.

Vol, I. FEBRUAEY, 1880. coisrTE3srTS.

I. Akothee Step Tohward II. OuE Mission..., III. COLLECT.UJEA; OR, U lI.^T THE KECOEDS SAY.—L.INCASHIEE

IV. A K^ELic OF Old Bolton. Supplemektaey Notes, by .

V. A Complete List of Members of Paeliame>-t for Lancashire ani Boroughs within the County from the year 1295 to the i By J. F. Matthews. (Co,iti7ucedJ VI. IfoiES AND Queries VII. The Abch.eologv of Seals VIII. OuE Monthly CoNTEESAZioNE IX. Obituaky X. Notices to Ee.u)ees, Correspondents, Coxtbibuiors, and Adverti XI. Opinions of the Press (Wrafper).

To SUBSCRIBEES.

Annual Subscribers, who pay 7s. in advance, -svill be entitled to bave early copies of the magazine forwarded monthly to any address within the United Kingdom, post free. Post-office orders (or value in postage stamps) to be made payable to Mr. J. F. Matthews, S's^anton, near Manchester. Early orders for single copies of future numbers are requested, as a limited number only ^vill be printed monthly. Single copies supplied by post for 7 stamps. All communications to be addressed to Mr. J. F. Matthews, 106, Man- chester Eoad (near the Market Place), Swinton. Swinton, 31st January, 1880.

ANOTHEE STEP FOEWAED.

THE undoubted success which has attended our literary venture—especially in the Manchester and Bolton districts—induces us to make another move in a forward direction, namely, to reduce the price of our magazine to Sixpence. Some of our friends, we are weU aware, became seriously alarmed a few days ago, on learning the boldness of the step contemplated to be taken by us, in this the second month of its existence—a step which, in their estimation, was whoUy unnecessary and uncalled for, while others expressed grave fears as to tlie results. Our acquaintance with the growth of Lancashire intelligence inclines us, however, to hope that the footing of the second step wLU be quite as firm as that secured on the fii-st essay, and that the present reduction wiU be rightly interpreted as a corroborative proof of the sincerity of the assertion made by us in our first number, that " no wish to make capital out of the magazine has yet entered our minds." The announcement upon last month's wrapper, entitled " Our Mission," has been reproduced in the body of the present number, with the view of again informing a wideiiiug circle of readers that " our main object is tlio popularisation of the study of the records, past events, and traditions of Lancashire, and especially of that part of the county which gives the name to our magazine." With pardonable pride we point to the encomiums of the press of Lancashire and Cheshire—a portion only of which we are able to reproduce upon the wrapper of the present issue, and remind our readers that these were all bestowed upon our first number as a shilling publication.

In the estimation of those best competent to judge, thfe magazine at that figure was to all intents and purposes " a satisfactory and creditable production." "\\'itli such credentials we may, confidently appeal to the people of Lancashire and Cheshire for support of A SIXPENNY MEDIUJI, devoted to local archfeologj-, history, and genealogy. We need to explain, however, that the absence of illustrations in the present number is not incidental to the change in price. Oddly enough, it so happened that there was nothing in the nature of the contents of the present number which required cuts. In the ordinary course of business, engravings are being

prepared for future articles. Besides, in a publication of this character, author's

articles ought not to be made subordinate to engravings, nor shall we introduce

the latter unnecessarily for the mere sake of show and sale. L^nless accompanied with corresponding descriptive letterpress, illustrations woidd become mere pictures. When sketches accompany approved contributions tliey will be reproduced satisfactorily by our engraver in due coiu-se, as wiU be evidenced by the contents of our next issue. Original subscribers' terms of subscription have been proportionate!}' lengthened.

OUR MISSION.

SOME editors of. the weekly newspaper press of Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire—few in number, we regret to say—have in their own way done, and continue to do, much good service, as a sort of volunteer commissariat force, acting in the interest of the small but increasing band of antiquaries, archaeologists, genealogists, and philologists, who, here and there, in and around those counties, are found linked together in confraternities, whose aims, objects, and interests are identical with those which " Old South-East Lancashire" has been established to promote. Through no better sort of drill could disciples in these departments pass than the probationary exercises which these friendly editors frankly permit in columns devoted specially to the purpose. Nor are space and opportimities denied to veterans who, for the common good, exhibit in the same columns the lengthy residts of their individual labour's. On such occasions, however, the ephemeral character of the newspaper sheet becomes apparent, especially when the utility of the scrap-book is suggested. Almost unannounced, and comparatively unlmown, we have ventured to produce and submit a literary medium wliich ^^e trustingly OUR MISSION. 43

Lope sluiU accomplisli the twofold purpose of promoting local research and inquiry, and of pemianently preserving, along with our own, the contributions of those kindred spirits whom we, induced by an indefinable fellow-feehng,

denominate "Our friends." Our main object is the popularisation of the study of the records, past events, and traditions of Lancashire, and especially of that section of the county which gives the name to our magazine. By a

departure from the main track, in which the general writer ever was and is compelled to move, we hope to localise our publication, while by entering into

those details which past and contemporaneous writers of the general class were

and are obliged to reject, we hope to arrive at a clearer comprehension of the

myriads of local facts, circumstances, and traditions, the general tenor of

which is seldom more than superficially, or it may be imperfectly, understood by those beyond their immediate locale. To enable us to investigate local

subjects successfully, we desire the co-operation of at least one zealous

correspondent in each township within our titidar district. The names of such townships appear upon the border of the front page of our wrapper. Through the instrumentality of an organisation of this sympathetic character, hidden materials may be brought to light, scanty facts augmented, discoveries investigated, inspected, inquiries prosecuted, documents and veracities tested ; while the weaving together of facts thus elicited may be performed broadly,

under the full assiu-ance that tlie value and utility of the web were mainly

regulated by the proportion of truth used in the texture of its warp, and the

discrimination exercised in the manipulation of its weft. The first step of the ablest historians—general or local—is one of investigation. Humbly following this standard example, we announce publicly that eqiutable acknowledgments ^ill be given for approved literary contributions. Original pencil or ink sketches or photographs illustrative of accompanying manuscripts

wiU be similarl)' recognised ; if rejected they wiU be returned. Those of the

" Notes and Queries " class, readers' " Suggestions," " Answers," and " Glean- ings," if of local character, wiU be specially welcomed. Information as to "finds" or discoveries should be cc-mmunicated to the editor, in order that prompt examination and investigation may,follow. We have made arrangements for the occasional reproduction of pedigrees of noted Lancashire families, brought down to the present time. It wiU, however be observed that the genealogical department of the magazine will not be confined to special articles or detailed pedigrees. Every opportunity afforded by the mere mention in any article of the name of any local worthy or family wiU, as a rule, be embraced for the pm-pose of adding a brief genealogical comment or footnote with respect to such individual or family. An attempt having been made to render the permanent illustrations on the wrapper and title-page self-explanatory of the present and future contents of the magazine, and of the general aim of the promoter, we cannot do better than permit them to fulfil their purpose, without further comment. No wish to make capital out of the magazine has yet entered our minds. On the contrary, we shall be highly pleased indeed should it become self-supporting, and instrumental in reducing our largely accumulated store of historical 44 OLD HOUTU-KAST I.AXCASlUItK.

materials and gleanings, and increasing—in a corresponding degree—the historical knowledge of tlic readers of South-East Lancashire. Any profit

derived from tlio publication of the magazine will be devoted to the increase in

number of its pages and illustrations, and improvement of the general contents.

COLLEOTAXEA; Oil AVHAT THE RECORDS SAY.

LAXCASIIIRE NOTES. By Miss Emily S. Holt.

I. Frojx the Issue Rolls.

1327. William de Tatham, custodian of Clitheroe Castle. (Michs. 1 Ed. III.)

141o. John Sotheruu de Mitton, co. Lane, sent as secret agent into Wales for the King's business paid £20. 3 Hen. V.) [Probably to ; (Michs. capture Lord Cobham.]

1439. Dec. 5. Thomas Banastre, clerk, Treasurer of Household to

[Humphrey] Duke of Gloucester. (Mich?. 18 Hen. VI.)

II. Fbom the Patent Rolls.

1292. Sep. 28. Letter Patent dat. at Skipton in Crauen. [This is not quite

certainly, but very nearly so, equivalent to a statement that the King

was at that place on that day.] (20 Ed. I.) 1295. Oct. 10. Letter Patent dat. Chetham. (23 Ed. L)

1340. Feb. 10. Order to disforest certain forests of our Lord the Iving in

CO. Lane, namely, Vluesweyt, Hulaesty, and Preston, at the request

of our weU-beloved Katherine de Lathum. (14 Ed. III., Part 1.) „ Aug. 25. John de Gristwayt, Vicar of Blakebm-n; Geoffrey le Hay ward de Rachedale; John and Adam de Radeclif. (14 Ed. III.,

Part 3.)

1343. John de Gristhwait, Vicar of Blackburn; Tliomas Bolton, Vicar of

Rochdale ; . . the town of Spotland. (17 Ed. III., Part 1.)

1345. '^ John de Hok and Roger his son, of co. Lane. Lands in Houereffeld.

(19 Ed. III., Part 1.) 1346. Sept. lo. J ohn de Radeclyf, Robt. Oilstones, Robt. de Henclif, forester,

Robt. de Catlowe, forester, Alan, son of Adam Greyeieson of Stayt-

burn, and others, perturbators of the Abbot of Whalley, at Castleton,

Blakebourn, and Brendewod in Rosseudale.—Oct. 3. John de Giist-

wliay t. Vicar of Blakeburn ; John de Toppeclif, Vicar of Whallaye.

(20 Ed. III., Part 3.) 1352. At the request of [Elizabeth] Countess of Ulster, our dearest daughter [wife of the King's son Lionel], we pardon WiUiam, son of Thomas de

Thornton, of Burton in Lonsdale, the death of William Bateson, Hugh

oui" de Holme, and Richard Perseyson ; also for breaking prison from Castle of Cliderhou, and from our prison of the Marshalsea, before

ourself, in our great liaU at Westminster, where he stands indicted

and outlawed. (26 Ed. III., Part 1.) —;

COLLECTANEA. 45

1361. July G. [Assigunieut and partition of lands of deceased Duke of Lan- caster between his daughters and co-heirs, Maud, wife of Duke William

of Holland, and Blanche, wife of John of Gaunt.] Maud's share :

Hertelegh, Langestok, "Weston, Berewjk, Staunden, f ufnii' in villa de

Leycest'r ; BedeUariam de Sombourn ; manor of Herdewyk, Wales ;

Ebbeth, Ilungerford Mill ; manor of Eye. Blanche's share:—Manors

of Coggeshull, Cridelyng, Barley, Kilbourn, Toreshobn, Marcliesden,

Swauyngton, Passenham, Vggelee ; lands in Dauentre and Hinkele

Lylleborn Mill. [Each sister gives her consent to the share of the

other.] 1363. Dec. 12. We have been supplicated by our 'dearest children John [of

Gaunt], Didte of Lancaster and Blanche liis wife that Henry, late

Earl of Lancaster, at the suit of the Abbot of Whalley, who claimed a

right to the chapel of St. Michael in the Castle of Clyderhowe . . .

[yielded the chapel to the Abbot] . . . the advowson whereof is

parcel of the lordship of Blakeburnshire, which is of the heritage of the said Blanche ... the said John and Blanche shall hold the

said advowson, as if it had not been alienated by the said Earl. (37

Ed. III., Part 2.)

1364. Jidy o. Eor 24 ships, sti'ong and suflicient, of 60 tons and more, com-

ing from Southampton . . and divers places either in Severn

Water or in Wales, to Fourneux [Furness] . , and bringing ships the voyage of Lionel Duke of Ireland] to Liuerpoll [for Clarence to ;

80 ships sent to Ireland. (38 Ed. III., Part 1.)

1365. Oct. 30. Pardon gi'anted to John Iloland and Godfrey de Foliaumbe

for felonies and transgi'essions in co. Lane. (39 Ed. HI., Part 2.)

1421. Aug. 8. Letter Patent of Eegent, John [Duke of Bedford, dated Man-

chester—13. Ii>., dated Skipton. (9 Hen. V., Part 2.) 1426, May 20. Eichard de Twyftfeld, Vicar of Eachedale. (4 Hen. Yl.,

Part 2.) Blakburn Henry de Merlond, 1429-30. Geofirey Banastre, Vicar of ; Yicav of

Eachedale. (8 Hen. VI., Part 3.)

• Letter Patent of Heni-y Duke of Lancaster, dat. Preston, Sept. 10, anno

Ducat' nr' 17. [13-52 r] Confirmed. (36 Ed. IIL, Part 1.) Indenture between John of Gaunt and Henry de Hoghton, dat. Win-

chester, Feb. 6, 1383. (22 Eic. II., Part 3.)

III. FeOM the PiEGISTER OF JoHN OF GAUXT. Charter of Edmimd Duke of Lancaster, dated Tinkhale, Nov. 4, 1285. Charters of Ilenij Duke of Lancaster, dated :— Savoie, April 28, 1353.

Leicester, Apiil 3, 1358. Tuttebury, June 24, 1358. Liuerpole Castle, July 20, 1358.

London, Feb. 1, 13-59. Cowyk, AVednesday after St. LawTence [Aug. 12]. 1360. 1368. Sept. 14. Grant of £10 per annum to John de Beuyngton, late con- 46

feasor of our dearest and best beloved coinpunion, lilanclie, wliom

God assoil. (I., fol. 91, b.) 1;569. May 0. Savoy. Tliomas de Ampotes, our Treasurer for Wav, and

Treasurer of our Hostel. (L, fol. GO, b.)

1370. Feb. 12. Grant to our bsloved damosel, Alyne, wife of Edward Gerberge, for service to our dearest daughter Philippa, and sometime to our weU-beloved companion [Blanche] sometinne Duchess of Lan- caster, whom God assoil. (I., fol. 78, b.) 1372. Feb. 28. John Cheyne, clerk of the wardrobe to my lady [the Duchess

Constance.] (I,, fol. 143.)

„ March 20. Herts. Grant to Blanche Xotton for service done, and to

be done to our dearest and well-belovcd companion the Queen. (I.,

fol. 170.)

, . [The Duchess Constance was daugliter and co-heir of Pedro I., King of

Castile. After March 1, 1372, %Yith the consent of her sister Isabel,

the other co-heir, she and her husband assumed the titles of Iving and

Queen of Castile.] . . - „ June 14. Savoy. Warrant to Eichard de Radclif, our chief forester in Blakebournshire, to deliver to Robert Dyngeley, Esq., two harts

of grease, in the chace of Rossindale, and two does in tlie cliace of

PenhuU. (L, fol. 153.) -

„ July 4. Friar William de Baddeby, our confessor. (I., fol. 73.) „ „ 6. Our damsel Amee Fauconer. (I., fol. 74.) „ „ 12. To Matthew de^ Assheton, Treasurer of our Houstel, 1,000 marks, borrowed from the Earl of Arundel, for the expenses of our

said houstel. (I., fol. 154, b.)

„ Aug. 30. Sandwacz. Our well-beloved servant Alison Lauender. (I., fol. 79.) „ 16. To our well-beloved damsel, Philippa Cliaucer, for good service done and to be done to our deai'est wife the Queen, £10 per annum.

(I., fol. 159, b.) [This was the ^vife of the poet.]

„ Sept. 20. Savoy. John Bray, our physician. (I., fol. 84.) „ Nov. 16. Order to deliver six oaks, convenient for fuel, to our dearest and weU-beloved Dame Dionesse de SotehiU, of our gift. (I.,

fol. 160, b.)

„ Dec. 17. Herts. To Alice Tymeslowe, lis, 2d. ; to MabiUe Marreys,

lis. 7d., for wages. (I., foL IGS.)

„ Dec. 24. Herts. Johanne Martin. [Juaua Martinez.] {3.) [These were damsels of the Duchess.]

1373. Jan. 19. Savoy. Godfrey, our barber. (L, fol. 70, b.) „ Jan. 31. Herts. We have ordered five of our damsels of Spain to dwell for a time with our beloved in God, the Prioress of Noun eton

[Nuneaton], in the Priory. (I., fol. 73.) [These S pani sh damsels are frequently named in the Register: the}- had doubtless come from Spain Avith the Duchess. Tliey were—Mayor -

COLLECTANEA. 47-

EodvigueS; J nana Martinez, Ines Alfonso, Sanclia Garcia (wLo married before 1378, Walter Blount), and Maria Diaz, -who yv&s of the Household. other Mistress No names are given ; but it is very possible that Dame Blanche de Trumpington was also one of these Spanish damsels.]

1373. March (3, John de Holand, son of Eobert de Iloland. (I., fol. 2G.)

„ July lo. Eobert de Swilyngton, our Chamberlain; William Oroyser, Seneschal of our Houstel. (I., fol. 62, b.) 1374. June 13. Grant of £10 per annum to our -weU-beloved Geoffrey Chaucer and our TveU-beloved Philippa, his wife, for service to the Queen [Philippa], and to our well-beloved companion, the Queen; to

be received yearly at the Savoy from our Eeceiver General, (I.,

fol. 90.)

[^1374.] July 20, no year. Ilegham Ferrers. T. Banastr' appointed forester of

our Chaces of Penhill, Trowedon, and Eossyndal. {16.) :- „ Aug. 20. Savoy. "Wages paid at following rates To Garcia Fernandez, Knight of Spain, 20d. per diem. „ Juan Gutierrez, lod. per diem.

„ Ray Gonsalez, 7d. per diem. „ Gonsalo Fernandez, Gd. per diem.

., Alvaro Rodriguez, 26. (I., fol. 224, b.)

„ Xov. 18. Richard de Tounley appointed Sheriff of Lancashire. (I.,

fol. 60.)

„ Dec. 10. Herts Castle. John Botiller, Knight, appointed Constable of the Castle of Liuerpole, and of the parks of Tokstat, Crokestat,

and Symondeswode. (I., fol. Go, b.)

„ To our beloved servant, Emanuel of Spain, 2d. per diem, so lono- as

it shaU please us. (I., fol. 218.)

1375. J.au. 12. Herts. Friar Walter Disse, our Confessor. (I., fol. 9G.) [This Friar has left a mark upon his time as a prominent LoUard.]

„ Jan. 19. Savoy. Our dearest damsel Amye de Melburne, for service

done to our children. (I., fol. 97, b.)

„ Feb. 3. To oiu- damsels of Spain, by year, for shoes, five marks each to

three ; 40s. each to the other two. (I., fol. 233, b.)

1379. Xov. 20. Naude [? Raude] Tynneslowe, our varlet. (H., fol. 20.)

1380. Jan. 10. Sir AViUiara de Bughbrigg, Receiver General. (II., fol. 24, b.)

„ April 15. For a thousand masses chanted for the souls of Mons. Guychard Dangle and Mons. Tho. Banastre, our companions of the Garter, whom God assojl, £4. 3s. 4d. (XL, fol, 30.)

„ Agnes, widow of the said Thomas Banastre, {3.) „ Edward, son and heii- of ditto, {3.) „ May 11. To Ernmote Symound, and Agnes Sallowe, eacli 33s. 4d. (H., fol. 31.)

[Agnes Sallowe was damsel of the Duke's second daughter, Elizabeth.]

„ June 24. Our offering at St. Paul's, the day of the obits of Mons. Tlio. 48 OT.I) SOUTir-KAST LAXCASIIIIIJ.-;.

Banastre, Mons. John 3)ai'undello [of AvuikIgI], and otlier bachelors

commanded to God by tcmpost in .the sea, tlio month of December,

tlio year H [of Eichard II., 1379], which obits were kept in the month

of January then next following, 28s. 8d. (II., fol. 42, b.)

1381. March G. Sir John de Grantham, Dean of our Cliapel. (II., fol. 40.) „ March 20. Henry de Lacy, sometime Earl of Nicole [Lincoln] and

Lord of Racbedale, whom God assoil. (II., fol. 43, b.)

„ June 17. Raude de Tynneslowe, usher of our houstel. (II., fol. 48.) 1382. Feb. 20. Sir Jolm de Norfolk, Treasurer of our hostel. William

Overbury, our butler. (II., fol. S8, b.)

„ May C. Jennet Wygmore, damsel of our daughter of Pembroke [Ehzabeth.] (II., fol. 61.)

„ Sept. 11. Elys de Sutton, our almoner. (II., fol. 124.) IV. From Household Accounts. 1376, Oct. 16. Adam Pope, clerk of the stable to the King of Castile. (Compotus Witti de Bughbrigg, 1376-7.)

1377. Feb. 10. William Croyser, Seneschal of hostel. (Id.) „ July 17. Hugh Herle, Chaplain of Henry, Earl of Derby [afterwards

Henry n^] (/^.)

„ April 30. Emma, damsel of Pliilippa de Lancaster [eldest dauglitcr of John of Gaunt]. (Id.) [Probably the same before called Emmota Symound.] „ Feb. 24. Richard Holt, Clerk of the Council of the King of Castile.

(Id.)

„ William Montendre, master [private tutor] of my Lord's son. (3.) 1392. Nov. William de Assheton, my Lord's Chancellor. (Compotus Robert! de Whitteby, 1392-3.)

1393. Feb. Sir Philip de Tyhieye, my Lord's chief Seneschal in the parts

north of the Trent. {Id.) „ John Curteys, my Lord's butler. (3.)

„ John Eluet, Treasurer of the Duchess. {Il>.) [On the marriage of their daughter Katherine to the son of the rival

claimant to the throne of Castile, the Duke and Duchess of Lancaster

relinquished the royal title.]

Household of Henry, Earl of Derby. Wages paid, 1381-2 :—

Arnald and Wynsel, scutifers, 50s. each. John Dyndon, of the Wardrobe, 53s. 4d. — -• Thomas Totty, varlet of the chamber, 203. 8d.

John Waterton, clerk, for one quarter, 7s. 6d.

Ralph, clerk, for two quarters, 15s. Thomas Page, of the chamber, for one year, 6s. Bd.

Heniy Page, of the wardrobe, id. 6s. Bd.

A^^illiam Provisor, 403.

John Gyseley, keeper of the palfreys, 13s. 4d.

Richard Sumpterman, 6s. 8d. - _

John Sumpterman, 6s. Bd. ' ; . ;

COLLKCTjVNKA. 49

William Loueney, clerk [of the wardrobe], for the last quarter.

7s. 6d.

John Blakedoii, server in kitchen, for one year, Gs. 8d. (Conipotus

Hugonis de Waterton, 1-381-2, fol. 6.) 1391. Joan "Waryn, nurse of Henry, my Lord's eldest son [after-n-ards

Henry V.], 40s. per annum granted for life. (Conipotus Johannis de

Leuenthorp, 1.391.)

Similar grant to Joan Dounesmore, nurse of Thomas and John, my

Lord's sons [afterwards Dukes of Clarence and Bedford] ; dated

Walsingham, Pentecost, anno 14 [1.391]. {lb.) Agnes Burgojme, Alice TynnesloAve, and Mary Hervy, damsels of

Mary, Countess of Derby [first wife of Henry IV.] (Wardrobe

Account of Mary, Countess of Derby, 1-387-8, fol. 2.) Three yards of mixed cloth [cloth of various colours] dehvered to each of following:—Joan [Waryn], nurse of the Lord Henry ; Joan [Dounesmore], nurse of the Lord Thomas; Amye

Melbourne ; Katherine, chamberer ; Jidian, rockster. (Jb., fol.

2, b.) [A chamberer corresponds to the modern lady's maid. The rockster

had charge of tlie cradle.] V. Miscellaneous. Inquisition of Robert Haworth, of Haworth Hall, gent., son of Edmund,

gent., and Elizabeth. He died 28th March, 15 Caroli [16-39]. Ehzabeth, his wife. Heir, Robert his son, aged 3 years, March 21, 1639. He held of John Byron lands in Haworth and Himdersfield, Birchinhead, Rachdale, HoUcroft,

Bivchay, and ClegghaU. (Cole's Extracts, Harl. MS. 410, fol. 28.) Inquisition of Francis, James, and Theophilus Holte, of Grisselhurst. (A)

Taken Oct. 19, 1617, and Aiig. 25, 1618. Francis Holte died Sept., 1617 his heir, aged 17, and three younger sons. Katherine his wife ; issue, James

Theophilus is his next brother James aforesaid died issueless Feb. 20, 1622 ;

and heir-, aged 14. Theophilus aforesaid died Sept., 1628, leaving issue by Alice his wife, daughter of John Greenhalgh of Brandlesham, Esq. (she subsequently married Peter Heywood), a son and heir, posthumous, the King's ward. {lb.,

fol. 321.) a (B) . . . . Holte of Grisselhurst had issue,— 'Thomas. ^\nna, lived mayd. Thomas had issue,—'EUen, married Josh. Nuttall, 'Francis, ^ Thomas, •Edwd. Francis had issue, Theophilus. Theophilus had issue, Thomas posthumous, the King's ward, aged about 7 in 1633. {lb., fol. 480.) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

Lived in a little house a bit aboon Bacup Abra'm delved, and Isaac span, And Jacob ran about with a little kitty-can. [I have heard this rhyme as long ago as I can remember, but I never saw it in print.] —

OLD SOUTH-EAST LANCASHIIIK.

A EEFJC OF OLT) BOLTON.

WE trust we shall not be unduly disappointing- our many Bolton readers by postponing, until our next issue, our promised " Short Architectural Description and Brief Chronological Review of the Successive Tenants of the Old Bradshawgate Eelic," in order to give place to the following opportune, and in several respects correctional, notes on the same subject, from an esteemed and obliging correspondent, whose efa(a and opinions are known to be alike reliable and sound : Bolton, January, 1880.

To iJie Editor of Old Souih-Easf Lancashire. Dear Sir,—Since reading youi- very interesting article, " A Eelic of Old Bolton," in the January number of Old Sozith-East Lancasliire, I have referred to my father's memoranda of local events during the period referred to. The Road, afterwards called Folds-street, seems to have been opened out about the latter end of the last century, or the beginniug of the present, because

I find an entry that it was " paved in May and June, 1801," and it is described " as the new road coming into back side of New Acres ; it faces James Norris's, landlord of BuU, in Bradshawgate." In June, 1802, the house adjoining Eobert Leaver's (the Bull's Head, in Brad- shawgate) was pulled down, to make room for erecting a new warehouse for

Hilton Lever ; and in November, 1804, Hilton Lever cellared for new warehouses at the end of his, in the new road to Back New Acres. The new warehouse, adjoining the Bull's Head, above mentioned, built by Hilton Lever, extended from the Bull's Head to the north-east corner of Folds-street, having a frontage both into that street and Bradshawgate, and comprises Mr. Bromley's shop and premises, and the small shop next adjacent to his in Bradshawgate ; and the Folds-sti'eet frontage as far as the gateway. The front entrance to the warehouse was in Folds-street, and there Mr. Lever had his " counting house," or business office. The new warehouses, the building of which commenced in November, 1804, extended along the northerly side of the street, up to the building now used as the offices of Mr. Lomax, architect and surveyor. It is within a comparatively recent period that those " new warehouses" were converted mto shops. It thus appears that Mr. Hilton Lever was the owner of rather more than two-thirds of the buildings forming the northerly side of the new street ; and I believe it is a fact that only about one-third of the southerly side, and at the easterly end of the road, was then buUt upon, the other two-thirds, extending westward, being open ground. The reason is, therefore, tolerably apparent why the new street should at first be called or known as " Lever-street." Mr. Thomas Smith, who lived at the Haulgh Hall Farm, in Hauigh, and was a common carrier, having become the purchaser of the old messuage (the GkNSALQSiGAL SOCIETY —• —

A IlELIC OF OLD BOLTON. 51

subject of your article) with the vacant hand and appurtenances thereunto belonging (such purchase being conapleted and possession given to him on the 1st day of May, 1806), commenced to build a -warehouse for the purposes of his carrying business in the following month of June. This warehouse was

erected at the extreme westerly boundary of the vacant land ; and it was also about this period that the change in the designation of the street took place. The entry in my father's diary, as applicable to the biulding of Smith's

warehouse, is :

"In the month of June, 180G, Mr. Thomas Smith, carrier, began to build a new wareliouse (opposite Hilton Lever's new warehousing) for laud carriage from Manchester to Bolton."

And in reference to the change in the name of the street is the following

entry : —

About the 2ud day of July, 1806, boards were put up, saying that that

street that is caU'd Lever-street is Folds-street, caU'd after old Parson Folds, he being the steward to that land."

In reference to your remarks as to the words '•' Street," and " Folds' Street,''

V written in pencil on the Folds-street gable of Mr. Bm-y's drawing, in the Bolton Public Library, they may or may not be in the handwriting of Mr. Bury, but they were not originally on the drawing. I -was a pupil of Mr,

. Bm-y's for some years, and in the year 1823 (I believe) I copied that drawing

under his supervision, and I have it stUl in my possession. There is no trace of any such words, nor of any words on the gable in my copy, and I am sure I

shoidd have copied them if they had been on the original ; but this is less

material as an incidental corroboration of the supposed change of name, after the evidence I have adduced to you, which -was contemporaneous with

the event. Wishing Old South-East Lancasliire a long and successful career.—I am, yom-s faithfidly, Tiios. Holden.

[The sketch referred to by Mr. Holden was reproduced by us in our January number, with the date " 181G," and an accompanying line of letterpress, in " which the name of the artist of that period was erroneously given as " James Bury. The Christian name should have been given as George Bury. The

date " 1860," given at the end of a line on page 16 of the same number, should have been " 1680." Readers wUl please correct their January

copies. Ed.] —— — —-

52 01,1) .sox-t][-k.v=;t i.AxrAsiniti:. COMPLETE LIST* Oh- ufmbvlls of parliamext for lancashire and the s]':vj';ral boroughs withlx the county, from 'jhe year 1295 to the tresent time. Compiled by J. F. Matthews. (Continuedfrom page lo.) Note.—Where the Original Returns are missing, the names given have been supplied from an independent authority. To names thus obtained an asterisk is attached throughout the list.

Plac :e upon m moned Member, arned.

29Edwcl. L Lincoln 20tli Jan., 1300-1 (0- County : Henricus de Kygheley. Thomas Travers. Lancaster borough:— ' Willielmus le Chantour. Johannes Lawrence.

Peeston borough : —

Williehnus fil' Paulini.

County : WiHielmus de Clifton'. Gilbertus de Singleton'.

(e) Westminster 16th Feb., 1304-5. County : W^illiebnus de Clifton, miles'. Willielmus Banastr, miles'. Lancaster borough:— Johannes de Lane'. Robertus de Berwyk'.

Preston borough : Robertus fil' Williebni de Preston.

Flenricus fil' Willielmi del Townhende. Westminster SOth May, 130( (No return for coimty or its boroughs to be fovmd.) County:— 35 „ (/)CarUsle 20tla Jan., 1306-7 Gilbertus de Singylton'. Johannes Travers. Lancaster borough : Willielmus de Slene. Johannes de Lancastr'.

Liverpool borough : — Ricardus de Mora. Johannes de Mora.

Preston borough : Robertus fil Rogeri. Ricardus Banastr', WiGAN borough:— Simon Payn. Johannes le Merser.

* Complete so far as the Writs and Betums preserved in the Public Record Office and Crown Office, and all other discovered public and private records, afford reliable data. (c) Although in Scotland the year began to be reckoned from 1st January in 1600, in England and Ireland the year was reckoned from 25th March until 1752. (d) Summoned to meet at London on £9th September, and prorogued to Westminster, 14th October. \ (e) Summoned to meet 16th, prorogued till 28th February. (/) Kg original returns for this" Parliament have been discovered. The above names are taken from a document vrith the heading, " Ad hue de Parliamento apud Karliolum in Octabis Sancti Hilarii Anno xxxv. Certificacio viceconiitum Anglie de Multibus Civibus et Biugensibus electis ad veniendum ad dictum Parliamentum." —— — —•

LIST OF MEMBEItS Or I'AELIAMEXT.

(JorvTY : 1 Edwd. II. Northampton 13th Oct., 1-307. Mattheus de Reddeman. Willielmiis de Gentil.

JjA>"caster borough : — WiUielmus de Slene. Ricardus Pernaimt'.

Pbestox borough : Henricus del Kyrkestyle. Eicardus Banastr'. Westminster 3rd March, 1307-S. (No retm-ns found, and only the original Writs de Ex- pensis for the County of Wilts.) 27th April, 1309. (No returns for Lancashire or any of its boroughs found.) Cou^-TY :— {£) London 8th Aug., 1311. Thomas de Bethum. Wilhelmus le Gentylle. (k) Westminster 12th Nov., 1311. (N 0 retiu-ns for Lancashire or its boroughs found.) Westminster 13th Feb., 1311-12 (Summoned, but revoked before the return.) CorxTY :— i 23rd Jidy, 1312. Hemicus de Trafforde. Eicardus de Molineaux de Crosseby, CorxTY : — Westminster 18th March, 1312-18. WiUielmus de Bradeschagh. Edmundus de Dacre. Coux-TY : 8th Jidy, 1313. Eudulphus de Bykerstath'. Wilhehnus de Slene. CorxiY : „ 23rd Sept., 1313. Henricus de Fighirby. Thomas de Thornton. 21st AprU, 1314. (No retm-ns found except a writ and retiu'n for Corn- wall.) CorN-TY : York 9th Sept., 1314. *Thoma3 Banastr'. *Wilhelmus de Slene.

Lancaster borough : *Willielmus Dallyng. *Johaimes de Wyresdale. CouxTY : Westminster 20th Jan., 1314-15. WiUielmus de Bradeshagh, mUes. Adam de Halghton', miles. CorxTY : Lincoln 27th Jan., 1315-16. Johannes de Lancastr'. WiUielmus de Walton. (y) Westminster 1316. (No retmiis for Lancashire or its boroughs foimd.)

12th Kovember. See next Parliament. (ff) Prorogued, and re-summoned (h) After prorogation, re-summoned.

(t) Summoned to meet at Lincoln, and (by prorogation) at Westminster, on 20tli August.,

(J) Two Knights were summoned from each county to attend this Parliament, on certain days between 25th April and 24th May, 1316, concerning the Perambulations of tbe Forests. — — —•

f)I,l) SOUTII-KAST LANCASIIIHK.

10 Ethvd. II. (/•) lA 2!Jtli July, l;i]0. n „ (/) Lincc l:i]S. (l.''iMiii l-:r Devon and

W ill - only r..) llicoming.)

York 20lli Oct., VMS. Ivlmundus do Nevill. Johannes de llorneby. (Jou.N'TY 0th May, 1319. * Willichnus de Walton'. • Williclmus do Shone'. CouxTv Westminster Gth Oct., 1320. *CTilbertiis de Haydok'. *Thomas de Thornton'.

County : 15th July, 1321. *Johannes de llorneby, junior. *Gilbertus de Ilaydok',

County : York 2nd May, 1322. *Edmundu3 de NeviU'. *Johannes de Lancastr', Summoned J to meet at County :— | . Ripon, after- >.14th Nov., 1322. liicardus de Hoghton'. wards altered Gilbertus de Singilton'. j L to York J Summoned r ^ I to meet at County : W^estminster I J -, o.-)o t Edmundus NeviU'. 20th Jan., H--'-^^- ] Gilbertus de Ilaidok'. prorogued to I | L 23rd Feb. J ( (;/^)Sali5biu-v County : | I altered to' [ 20th Oct., 1324. "S'S^iUielmus de Slene.

( London ) Nicholaus le Norrays.

County : Westminster 18th Nov., 1325. WiUielmus de Bradshaghe. Johannes de Horneby.

Lancasteb. borough : AViUielmus Laurence. Johannes de Brokholes.

14th I : ( («) Westminster, Dec, 1326, County prorogation 7 Jan., 1326-7. *Edmundus de Nevyll'. ) and by j *Iiicardus de Hoghton'.

Lancaster borough : — *Johannes Cort de Lancastr'.

- *Adam de Walton.

Preston borough : *Lawi'encius Travers. *Willielmus de Graistok'.

the

(I) Summoned to meet at Lincoln 27th January, prorogued to 12th March, and again to 19th June, 1318, and revoked on account of the invasion of the Scots, before the Ketum.

C)n) For this Parliament writs were issued for two Knights or others (" aut alii ") from each county. (n) At this period the right of representation appears to have been first conferred on Welsh constituencies. The Justiciary of North Wales was, by writ issued from Kenilworth, and dated 8th January, 1326-7, ordered to send twenty-fom- men from those parts, as well EngUsh as Welsh, to the English Parliament. Twenty-three were —— ——. ——

I,IST OF MF.MP.EBS OF I'AELIA^^E^'T.

County : 1 Edwd. in. Lincoln lotli Sept., 1327. Michael de Haveryngton Willielmus Lawrence. LANCASTER BonouGH : Jotannes le Ken. Laurencius de Bnlke.

Peeston borough : Joliannes Starky. Henricus Banastr'.

County : 2 „ York 7tli Feb., 1327-S. Willielmus de Bradesliagli'. Edmundus de Ne^dll'.

Lancaster borough : Nicliolaiis de Lancastr', Henricus Burgeis.

County : „ „ Nortliampton 24tli April, 1323. Thomas de Thornton, miles. Johannes de Hornehy, miles. Lancaster borough:— Adam fil Simonis, Johannes le Ken.

County : ulst July, 1328. Laurence. , „ York *Willielmus *Thomas de Thornton. County :— 2 & 3 „ (o) Salisbury IGth Oct., 1328. Nicholaus le Norreis. Henricus de Haydok.

Lancaster borough : Johannes le Ken. Eobertus de Bolroun'.

Preston borough : "Willielmus fili Paulini. Nicholaus de Preston'.

County : 4 „ Winchester llthMarch,1329-30. Wilhelmus de Sapirton'. Henricus de Haydock'.

Lancaster borough : — Willielmus de BoUeroun'. Johannes de BiiUie.

County : „ „ Westminster 26th Nov., 1330 Willielmus de Bradeshagh' (or de Bradeshawe). Johannes de Lancastr'. Lancaster borough:— Eobertus de BoUeroun. Johannes le Ken. Preston borough : Willielmus fil Paulini. Henricus de Haydok.' -, „ W^estminster loth April, 1331. (Revoked by Writ dated 23rd March, 1331.)

County : „ 30th Sept., 1331. WiUiehnus de Bradeshagh', or de Bradeshawe. Oliverus de Stanesfeld'. Lancaster borough :

, Henricus de Haydok'. Gilbertus de Cliderhou. Preston borough :

Johannes fil' Galfridi.

Willielmus fil' Johannis.

(o) Adjourned to Westminster, 9th February, 1328-9. ( To be continued.) — —

/jO OI.I) SOirj'H-IOAST I,AXC'AS(ttI(K,

NOTES AND QUEIUES. GENliAJ-OGICAL.

•' It is asserted after nuieli reflection, thai there is scarcely an important fact in Iho annals of this country but citlier liad its origin, or became intimately involved in a point of genealogy." Kicolas. General Sir John Low, K.C.B., expired on the 10th of January of bronchitis, aged 91 years. The will (dated February 10, 1872) with three codicils (dated May 10, 1875,

January 13, 1878, and October 24, 1878) of Sir WiUiam Henry Fielden, Bart., late of Feniscowles, Lancashire, and of Scarborough, who died on January 12, 1879, was proved on the 15th December last by Sir William Leyland Fieldon, the son, the acting executor, the personal estate being sworn under £5,000. The second Commission of Cardinals, to whom was referred Lady Mary Hamilton's demand for tlie annidling of her marriage with the Crown Prince of Monaco, on the ground of moral coercion by her mother and by

Napoleon III., has declared the marriage null. The commission, however,

affirms the legitimacy of the child born in 1870, and the father's right to take charge of him. Wilton.—The Earl, bom at MiUbanlc House, Westminster, on December 30, 1799, completed his eightietii year on 30th December last. His lordship

is the second son of Eobert Grosvenor, first Marquis of Westminster'

by his marriage with Lady Eleanor, daughter of Thomas, first Earl of Wilton. The Earl of Wilton's son and heir is the Viscount Grey de Wilton, who sits in the House of Lords as Lord Grey de Eadcliffe, whicli title was created in 1875. ToNGE.—I have been engaged for some little time past in collecting what information T coidd respecting the Lancashire families of the above name, which have been rather numerous. I am wanting some information respecting a " Matthew Tonge," who was married at the CoUegiate Chiu'ch, Manchester, on the 27th August, 1592, to Alice Allor. I desire to know whether he belonged

to the Prestwich, Bolton, or Eccles Tonges, and this is difficult to ascertain,

as few parish registers go back earlier. T. T, The Preston Guardiaji, of 31st January, notices a remarkable mortality of old people. AVithin a period of sixteen days there have died, within a radius

of a quarter of a mile from Bamber Bridge, four old persons whose united ages reach 355 years, or an average of 88 years and three months. They are James Livesey, School Lane, born in Brindle in 1798, died at School Lane on

the 9th inst., aged 82 ; Annie (Nanny) Garforth, Withy Trees, Bamber Bridge,

aged 94 and seven months, born at Bamber Bridge in 1785 ; Elizabeth (Betty) Parkinson, born at Hutton, near Lancaster, in 1789, and wife of Thomas Parkinson, gardener, died at Brownedge on the 24tli, aged 90 years and eight Bamber Bridge, months ; and John Greenwood, grocer, born at Bolton in 1790, died on the 25th, aged 89 years. In examples of curious Christian names there is probably no district richer

than the AVest Eiding of Yorkshire. Every out-of-the-way Scripture name is

to be found. Levi and Moses are great favourites. Marquis, Diike, Earl, :

XOTKS AND QUKRIES. 57

Lord, and Squire are common, and children are actually baptised Little Tenter, Little Scribbler, Szc, from the branch of the woollen manufacture carried on by their parents. I have met ^vith a boy named Washington christened General

George, a girl named Togotubuline, and, still more extraordinary, a boy called

Wonderful Counsellor (from Isaiah ix., 6). Nicknames are quite common, Tom, Ben, Bill, Jerry being conferred at baptism instead of the full name. In

some of the rougher villages I shoidd add that surnames are still dispensed with

or unknown. Tom's BiU means Tom's son Bill, Tom o' BiUs is the same, while

Tom's Bill o' Jack's means that BiU is the son of Tom, the sou of Jack. The Cromptons.—In March, 1866, shortly before the closing and demolition of the old parish church of Bolton, the following advertisement appeared in the Bolto7i Chronicle — " £100 EEWAED will be paid to anyone satisfying the Herald's College, within 10 years, of the

descent of Ralph Crompton, of Breightmet, whose tombstone* dated 1658 is in Bolton churchyard, from Simon de la Legh of Crompton, near Oldham, in the reign of Henry IILf The rebuilding of Bolton Church will disclose many ancient Crompton monuments. Apply to John Presland, 117, Sussex Road; Upper Holloway, London N."

The editor of tliis magazine will be gkd to compare notes with any descendant of the above-named Ralph Crompton, who may possess a manuscript

or printed pedigree, complete or incomplete ; or to conmrunicate with Mr.

Presland, if still alive. IIISTOHICAL. Chajubeb Hall.—I am told that there was, until recently, a " Chamber Hall " in Bolton, built by Thomas Eidgway, Esq., and afterwards the property

and residence of the late Peter Ormrod, Esq. ; then occupied by Joseph Crooks,

Esq., late M.P. ; that it has been pulled down lately, and that the estate was

or is in the market for building land. I find that its former owners or residents have been coirfounded with the former owners or residents of a Chamber HaU near Bury, seat of the first and birthplace of the second Sir Robert Peel. Perhaps some of the readers of your magazine wiH give me, through your medium, the names of the successive owners of each HaU.—W.

* The tombstone to which the above-quoted advertisement referred lies in Bolton parish churchyard, in the third row from (and parallel with) the west wall of the old Grammar School inclosure, and is the fifteenth stone from the Church Brow end of the row. The style of the lettering of the first and second records inscribed upon the stone, is identical with that of the historical Okey stone hard by. Both of those Crompton records were palpably engraven by the same hand at one and the same time—a circumstance which tends to prove that the stone was laid there in or subsequent to the year 1688 (the date in the later record), not 1658 (the date in the first record). The following is a copy of its inscription (punctuated) :— " Raphe Crompton of Breightmet was Buried in the Year 1658. ' .John Crompton of Breightmet, Son of Eaphe Crompton, Tadsman, dyed the 11th of May in the yaer of Our Lord God 1688. '•' Lived Contented and died Lemented. " Margery his wife departed this life April the 5th 1723. " Here lie the Remains of the Revd. James \\"ylde, A.M., of this Town, who departed this life April 12th, 1766, in the 76th Year of his Age. " John Crompton Son of Otwell and Phebe Wylde wlio Departed this Life the 8th Day of September 1770 in the 2d year of his age." t 1216-72. 58 OI.I) SOUTII-KAST LANCA.SlIinK.

ANTIQUAllIAN.

Seeing in your last luiniljoi' «oiuo reference to Asliton-nndnr-Lyno, it lias occurred to me that possibly some of your correspondents can throw some light upon a stone, which is situated in the lane leading from llartshead to Alt, and

which has cut in it the words " Tytlio Stone." It lias a bolt in the centre,

evidently to fasten it down. I should like to know something of its origin and history, G. H. A.

THE ARCH/EOLOGY OF SEALS.

A LAEGE and important archjeological work (illustrated), by M. G. Demay Keeper of the National Archives of France, entitled "Le Costume au

Moyen Age d'apres les Sceaux," made its appearance in Paris at the commencement of the present year. The Times (London) reviewer, attaching due importance to the Frenchman's learned and comprehensive account of his

researches, has not only dipped deeply into it, but has framed his erudite review of the book with exceptional care, and in such a manner as to embody a well-connected series of freely translated extracts, some of which refer to

English seals, or to incidents associated with their early use. AVe zealously reproduce this twofold aclmowledgment of the ability displayed by a continental

author in the treatment of his antique subject, believing that, by doing so, we

shall render good ser%'ice to all concerned.

" The use of seals as the mark of authenticity and authoritj', it is scarcely necessary to say, originated in pre-historic times. Long before writing was invented some such rude sign as the impression in clay or wax of some

peculiarly marked stone, the Joint mark of a bamboo cane, or even a piece of worm-eaten wood, served the purpose of the primitive seal. The graven hard

stone cylinders of the Assyrian and the gold signet rings of the Pharaohs, which

are still to be seen in our museums, brought the seal to perfection, and some impressions of these remain stamped upon the ancient papyri. But

it is remarkable that the double significance of the seal and the signature combined grew out of the familiar use of writing spread by the Greeks and Romans, and though the two continued together in the Carlo- vingian period, the seal alone was generally employed in the Middle Ages and attested the validity of a document. This was so, simply because the practice of wi-iting had been lost. WiUiam the Conqueror probably could not write his own name, or his clever son Henry would not have ventured to repeat the—same old saying to him as is said to have been first applied to Louis IV. ' Un roi sans lettres est nil due coicronnP. If a King had then attempted to scrawl his name upon the parchment, it would have been such an empty sign manual as the clumsiest forger might imitate, but his seal he kept in the ring upon his fixiger, safe from the possibility of being falsely affixed.

Thus M. Demay informs us that the most ancient name for a seal was anmilus, and that it was afterwards called successively bulla, signuin, sigilliim, seel, seel, seiel, saiau, sceatc. The bulla is the term applied solely to the metal '

THE AUCHJEOLOGY OF SEALS. 59

seals and gives the familiar name to the Papal edicts, tliough it was a very- ancient word for a similar kind of seal of honour and affection which Eoman parents hung round the necks of their children. Gold, silver, and lead were ,the metals employed for these bullce or huhbles of metal, the use of the leaden

seal being still, we "believe, Icept up in the Vatican. But the seals of gold are now exceedingly rare, there being only ten in the national collection at Paris

of wHch four belonged to the Emperor Frederick II., ' Roi des Remains 1219, two to Charles W. of Bohemia, one to Baudouin II., Emperor of Con- stantinople, one to the Doge Gradenigo, one to the Emperor Ferdinand, and the tenth is that of Heniy VIII. of England ratifying the Treaty of Bouloo-ne. These rare seals of gold, M. Demay tells us, are not of such magnificence

as might be imagined. They are formed of fine gold in two very thin circular plates, about 2^-inch diameter, stamped in very low relief with the effigy and a legend round it as a border, and soldered at the edges, forming a sort of shallow box fiUed with wax to give it support and protect the seal from injury. The seal of Henry VIII., however, is of massive gold and quite different, being cast and chased, not stamped. It is a pity such a very painstaking author as M. Demay proves himseK to be throughout his elaborate work has not given a better description of this interesting seal than to say it is rather a work of

its fancy than a veritable seal ; that primitive form has been altered ; while as a

seal made for a special occasion, and having nothing of what M. Demay calls

* permanence,' it ha3 none of the constitutive qualities of a seal. Still it

exists, and it miist have certain characteristic designs upon it which would have great interest, although as a seal the object may be almost contemptible

to a sphragistician of such enthusiasm as our author. Of silver seals there appears to be only one example known, and that is the one of Rodrigo Diaz de Los Canberos, 13th century. It is a barbaric type, formed of two thin plates soldered at the edges, having on the obverse a rude efBgy of Rodrigo on

horseback in a suit of mail and the legend ' sigillym bobdigo diaz,' and on the revei-se a shield with trifoliated cross and the legend 'be LOS CANBEHOS.' M. Demay does not teU us where this unique

seal is to be seen, but he says it is attached to a document of curious interest

attesting that Rodrigo had heard Alphonso VIII., King of Castile, declare on

his deathbed that if his son Henry died without issue Castile should belong to the King of France, and he therefore invited Louis VHI. to send his son to take possession, promising the aid of his sword and the assistance of other

' seigneurs.' Gold and silver seals were exceptional, leaden seals being chosen on accoxmt of the cheapness and softness of the metal, as well as its perfect dm-ability, in preference to any mixture of wax and resin, especiaDy in the South, where the temperature would be certain to melt and obliterate the impression. AU the Popes, from Deusdedit in 614, used lead seals, and so also the Emperors of the East, the Kings of Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, Sicily, the Doges, the Princes of Orange, the Counts of Toulouse, and the HospitaUei-s, and a lead seal was affixed to all charters of seigneurs, bishops, and abbes of Italy and Provence. Bronze, though said to have been used, has never been found affixed to any deed, and M. Demajr considers the existence of such seals —

Oi;i) SOUTII-KAST LANCASHIJIK.

very problematical. Virgin wax was used for the seals of the first two branches of the French Monarchy, though some were reddened, and the seal of

OfEa, King of the Mercians, is one of this kind. The wax was made opaque white bv some substance, the earliest example of which is in that of King Eobsrt, in 1030. Wax coloured red began to be used by Louis le Gros at the foimdation of the Abbey of St. Victor in 1113, with Etienne de Senlis, bishop of Paris. Green wax seals are on the charters of Galeran II., about 1165. The was: used in the Chancellerie de France in the 13th century varied from

Avhite, red, green, yellow, brown, rose, to black, but very rarely blue.

Documents d effet perpetuel were sealed in green upon laces of green and red

silk, but those ci effet transitoire were in white upon a strip of parchment. The colour, however, of the seals of the feudal lords has no meaning. Ver- milion-coloured wax came into use in the 14th and following centuries, but

black seals are extremely rare, and only ijiet with in the seals of the religious mili tary orders. Of blue wax, M. Demay says that, notAvithstanding many

sigillographers speak of it upon the faith of others, they have not seen it, and

there is but one example in the national archives—that of the seal of Enrique Perez de Parana, 1276. The wax used in those days, however, was very different in its solidity from our modern sealing-wax ; it contained, according to an old receipt, about a fourth part of white pitch (Burgundy pitch) to give it hardness—a quality which was afterwards more sui-ely obtained by employing the gum resin known as shellac without any beeswax. But even this material requires, as the old seals did, various means to be adopted for

protecting the seal. The simplest practice was that of taking care to have a thick border of superfluous wax; in addition to this precaution a strong

varnish was applied in some of the seals of the fh-st Capets after 1060, and other old seals are thickly covered with paint, or, in a stiU more substantial way, hairs or threads were pressed into the wax while

soft, serving to retain the pieces together in case of cracking by any accident. The enclosing of seals en chemises—little bags of cloth or

woven silk, some of which are made very ornamental sachets en etoffe deprixj painted or woven in heraldic devices, sometimes in the Oriental style of the

Levant—is noticed by M. Demay. The volimie before us has some very perfect coloured illustrations from these bojirses cPetoffes precieuses of the 13th and 14th

centuries. The method of protecting by sewing seals up in parchment and paper has almost invariably resulted in their destruction. Towards the loth century certain Cardinals, Abbes, and Universities thought to preserve their seals by

enclosing them in tin boxes, but M. Demay says the residt has been disastrous

in having destroyed many ' types,' and not perfectly preserving a single one. Those of the Abbey of Cateau, for example, are nothing but ruins; yet the

method is still adopted. The wooden boxes used in Germany have proved much more successful. Ivory, silver, and silver-gilt boxes have safely enclosed

other seals ; that of Maximilian, Elector of Bavaria, giving his adhesion to the

Treaty of WestphaUa, is in ivory. " The form of seals was first round or ogival, afterwards they were varied

into shield-shape, polygonal, lozenge, star-shaped, scalloped, square, oblong, and pear-shaped. The seal^ of the English Sovereigns have sui'passed most ;

THE AHCHYj-:0r.OGY OF SEALS.

Itoyal seals intlieir dimensions, that of Edward IV. being 115 millimetres, that

of Queen Elizabeth 145, and that of Queen Anne 170, but the seal of Henri Deux was large, being 116 millimetres. The Papal biilla since the 12th century

has maintained the same size, though M. Demay does not say what that i s Pendant seals in France were first used in 1118, under Louis le Gros, but the

lioyai seals of England were in the pendant form much earlier than this. The strips of parchment or leather used for this purpose were sometimes curiously taken advantage of to repeat the ratings or charges, or the sum specified to

be paid in a deed of sale. A ride of precedence was observed in the relative position of seals to a deed or charter, the place of honour being either the extreme left or in the centre, the signatures following towards the right hand

but when the chief personage took the centre, the next in ranli took place to

his left, and the next to him to the right of the chief, the order returning to the

left, and proceeding from left to right. As to the matrices of seals, M. Uemay has much to say in reference to the safe keeping or making of new ones, when any were lost or injured, and the severe punishment for forging these. The Chancellor of England, we are told, never trusts the Great Seal out of his

possession, and M. Demay gives the curious instance of this in very earl}^

times—that when 'Maitre Eoger,' Vice-ChanceUor of Richard I., was drowned in a shipwreck near the island of Rhodes, the Royal seal w-as found round his neck. The collection of ancient matrices of seals has long been a familiar branch of antiquarianism, and many excellent examples of artistic die-sinking are preserved, but M. Demay cautions us against the numerous forgeries that exist. He considers that it is not difficult to detect these,

as they have necessarily been fabricated from the impression aird not engraved or cut, and they generally show on the surface the roughness produced from the sand of the mould. They are also less sharp and clean in than aU, they are always a little smaller than the true the work ; but, more seal in consequence of the shrinking of the metal in cooling. M. Demay, however, overlooks the fact that such is the passion now for collecting that the most skilful artists can be employed and amply remunerated for making a mati-ix de novo from a true one put before them by some dishonest person who has obtained it. Not only matrices, but some of the finest medals and coins are constantly being imitated to a degree of perfection that occasionally deceives even an expert in these objects. The art of the seal engraver of old times required a very strict adherence to costume and attributes, and the greater part of this large book is occupied in illustrating this, which is an interesting collateral

))ranch of the study of costiune, but only a branch, as the subject can be more completely followed out in the exhaustive works upon the general subject. Perhaps, in the various forms of armour, casques, weapons, and horse-trappings, there is something to be gained in the very perfect examples found in seals. It is interesting to find, also, that the Carlovingian Kings adopted the antique engraved stones bearing the efiigies of the Olympic gods, and even those of the Roman Emperors, as their seals. Charlemagne chose the bust of Marcus Aurelius, and after his coronation he adopted the Jupiter Serapis, while King

P<5pLu took the head of Augustus, and Louis le Debonnaire the bust of Comraodus, Lothaire I. assuming the efiigy of Alexander Severus." 62 oi.n souTir-KAST i,A\('Asiiiiii;.

OUR MONTHLY C0NVEU8AZI0XE.

LOCAL.

Mr. Ford Maclox Brown, having completed the cartoons for the first and second panels of the mural decorations of the Manchester Town Hall, is now engaged upon the design for the third. The subject is the " Expulsion of the Danes from Manchester." Mr. Brown is expected to begin the process of transferring his design to the panel of the great hall early in tlie coming spring. Local Gleanings has reached its seventh number. The sixth contains, amongst other matter, a paper by Mr. N. Heywood on Lancashire Tradesmen's Tokens in the seventeenth century. Mr. J. E. Bailey concludes the Manchester portion of Dee's Diary, to which he has imparted fresh interest and value. The late Mr. Thomas Jones, " Bibliothecarius Chethameusis," made extensive collections " for a life of the " magician warden of Manchester. Although additions to the interesting collection of our antiquarian acquaintance and townsman, George Chas. Yates, Esq., F.S.A., of Dean Villas, Moorside, Swinton, have been noticed repeatedly by the local press, we believe we are correct in asserting that in consequence of the unostentatious style of the owner, few outsiders are aware of the extent to which this collection has grown, or of its wealth, more especially in the numismatic section. The addition which we now seek to record has, however, not been made to Mr.

Y'ates' museum, but to the numerous evidences of the high esteem in which he is held by his confreres. In consideration of Mr. Yates' long and valued connection with the Manchester Scientific Students' Association as its honorary secretary, it was lately deemed desu-able to acknowledge his services by presenting him some substantial mark of esteem. Accordingly a few of the -300 members which compose that flourishing society, were constituted a committee to carry out that object, and solicit contributions. The response was, in a word, unanimous, and we understand, that with the exception of two outsiders, who " begged to be allowed the pleasure of contributing to the wherewithal," the testimonial fund was quickly raised amongst the members of the society alone. The form which the testimonial assumed is that of an Alexander tea and coffee service and salver, manufactured expressly to order by Messrs. Thos. Armstrong & Brother, of 88 and 90, Deansgate, Manchester. The material is electro-plate on nickel, each article being branded '"'A,'' indicative of " Best quality." The articles are—salver, hot water jug, coffee pot, tea pot, sugar bowl, cream ewer, cruet stand, toast rack, butter cooler, dozen and half table forks, dozen and half dessert forks, dozen and half dessert spoons, dozen and half tea spoons, dozen egg spoons, half dozen table spoons, two gravy spoons, soup ladle, four sauce ladles, four salt spoons, mustard spoon, sugar tongs, butter knife, and pair of fish carvers. Each of the laro-er articles bears an engraved reproduction of the subject upon the salver,

and all bear the monogram of the recipient. The subject is the triumphal entry of Alexander the Great into Babylon, from Thoi-wald=en's great work. OUR MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONK. 63

The parts selected are just so miicli as will tell tlie story intelligibly. The

work is divided into two central points of interest, instead of one, as in the original work. In one is the hero himself in his war chariot, drawn by four horses, driven by Victory, and followed by two of his mounted officers, one of whom is giving orders to those who may be following in the rear, and also hy two representatives of his light troops, one armed with shield and spear, the

otlier with bow and arrows. Facing Alexander is the winged figure of Peace,

with the olive branch, and horn of Plenty. She is followed by a group of Persians of Babylon, who are welcoming the hero, and are represented as about

to offer sacrifices to the gods in his honour. The first mounted figure on the other side of the salver is one of Alexander's young favourite generals iu charge of the spoil and prisoners, and the others, on foot and horse, are the appointed guard. They are met by a group of females in their path, while another group

of men, under the direction of Persians of rank, are about to offer up incense on an altar. The last group represents three Chaldeans, or soothsayers, discussing together on the remarkable man who has so suddenly broken in upon the great

Persian empire of Darius. Upon the salver is inscribed : —" This salver, together with a service of plate, presented by the Members of the Manchester Scientific Students' Association, to George Charles Yates, F.S.A., in recognition of his valuable services as Honorary Secretary. December, 1879." The

service is fitted into a carefully-partitioned and suitably-lined solid polished oak

box, iron-bound, with " G. C. Yates " on a brass plate viponthe lid. A gold key,

in morocco-covered pocket-case, lined with velvet and sillc, and bearing Mr.

Yates' initials, completes this handsome tribute. Accompanying the box and

contents is the folloAving testimonial, mounted in a magnificent frame, specially manufactured at the establishment of Mr. F. A. Whaite, Bridge-street, Man-

chester, where the clever penmanship was also executed : — To Geoege Chables Yates, F.S.A. Tliis Testimonial, together with a Service of Plate,

is presented by the Members of the Manchester Scientific Students' Association, in recognition of the valuable services rendered by him as Honorary Secretary,

during the last seven years. The Members, in presenting it, wish to express their high appreciation of the kindness and assiduity with which he has conducted their affairs, and trust that he may for many years be permitted to

labour for the advancement of science, and the welfare of this Association. Mark Stirrup, F.G.S., Chairman; Thomas Armstrong, F.E.M.S., Vice- Chairman; Charles Bailey, CP. Bahin, M.A., Ph.D., N. Bradley, F.C.S., William Carr, Peter G. Cunliffe, Alfred Dacomb, James Duckers, William

Gee, F.E.H.S., Alfred Griffith, Thomas Harrison, F.C.S., WiUiam Horsfall,

William Johnson, Joseph F. Lawton, S. Massey, Charles Millward, John

Warburton, Committee ; Frederick Adolphus Whaite, Treasurer ; Jos. B. Eobinson, C. M. Coulthard, Hon. Sees." The extent of the respect in which

Mr. Yates is held may be partly inferred from the intrinsic value of the service—one himdred guineas, and that of the illuminated testimonial and frame—eight guineas. The Committee of the Testimonial Fund made their presentation to Mr. Yates at a social meeting, held at the Clarence Hotel, Piccadilly, on Satiu-day afternoon, the olst January, 1880. 64

CIKXKEAL. /

The congress of tlic AvcliaHiloyical Instiluto of Croat T'.ritain and Irolanrl

will be held this ycavin Lincoln_. and not in Jjondon.

A work entitled " The Lenox of Aiild," by the late Sheriff Mark Napier, is in

the press. It is likely to excite considerable interest among Scottish antiquaries. I'rofessor J. Thorold Eogers says that the latest example he has come

across of English vineyards is in a terrier of the rents of Barldng Abbey in 1640. The excavations which are being carried out at Olympia, under the auspices of the Prussian Government, have recommenced, and important discoveries are being made.

At Catti, near Freiburg, Svritzerland, a tradesman named Wicky- lately died

at the age of 90, leaving 16S descendants, viz., 16 children, 94 grandchildren; and 58 great-grandchildren.

The upper portion of the Sforza Palace, at Imola, one of the finest Romagna buildings of the fifteenth century, has been destroyed through the overheating

of a stove. It had been used as a club.

Sir F. Leighton is giving the finishing touches to the large and elaborate mural picture which occupies one of the large lunettes at the north end of the South Court of the Soutli Kensington Museum. In accordance with the will of the late Mr. John SteeU, of Edinburgh, a

monument to Sir William Wallace, the Scottish patriot, is to be erected in

Aberdeen. The siun now available from Mr. Steell's bequest is £3,400. The Liverpool Theatre at which the late Mr. G. V. Brooke last played before he embarked on his ill-fated voyage in the " London " for Australia was the " Theatre Eoyal ; and his last appearance there was in Love's Sacrifice." The front of the left wing of Florence Cathedral was uncovered during the commencing week of the new year. This completes about one-fiftb of the restoration entrusted to the architect, De Fabris, the outlay thus far being

300,000 lire. A memorial to H.R.H. the late Princess Alice has been commissioned by the Grand Duke of Hesse, similar to the recumbent figure intended for erection at tlie mausoleum at Windsor for the Queen. It is intended for the tomb at Darmstadt. The obelisk at Alexandria, the subject of recent remonstrances against the plan for removing it to the United States, has been lowered from its place—the place it has occupied for nearly two thousand years—in order that it may be taken across tbe Atlantic.

It is stated that the young Maharaja of Udaipur, the acknowledged head of the princes of Rajputaua, has ordered all official business in his principality to be conducted in Sanskrit, which has hitherto been as mucb a dead language in India as Latin in Italy. The delegates of the Clarendon Press at Oxford have undertaken to publisli the Leofric Missal, one of the MS. treasures iu the Bodleian Library, and one of the few surviving specimens of the Litiu-gy of the Anglo-Saxon Church. The volume will be under the editorship of the Rev. F. E. Warren, B.D., Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford. Orii. MONTHLY COXVERSAZIONF..

It is proposed to place a windovr in tlie centre of the new apsidal chancel of Christ Church, Eastbourne (lately consecrated by the Bishop of Chichester), in memory of Princess Alice, who dm-inp; her last visit to England interested herself much in the poor of the parish.

Professor Minaieff, of the University of St. Petersburg, has again set out for

India with the ostensible purpose of studying Buddhism and its antiijuities. This scholar bas already written many essays on the same subject in the joiu-nal of the Ministry of Public Instruction.

A commission bas been formed in Paris for the purpose of organising a

museum of casts from the antique. This project has long been tallied of, but it seems now as if it would be definitely carried out. The right wing of the

Trocadero building is to be used for this purpose.

The trustees of the British Museum have just added to their classical treasures

a cast of the Venus of Milo, now in the Museum of the Louvre. It will form a valuable addition to the models available for art students, who in ever- increasing numbers throng the classical galleries of the museum. A correspondent of the Birmingham Post wrote that a member of the Jewish community of the name of Louis AVorms died dui-ing the last week of the past year in Sherlock-street, Birmingham, at the age of 105 years, having retained bis faculties to the last. He pursued the calling of a dealer in watches and jewellery, and travelled in various parts of the county up to five years ago. " An English gentleman who was lately in Florence writes : They are scraping the whole surface of the Duomo in Florence, and washing it, bas-reliefs and aU,

with sulphuric acid, to make it look new ; and I hear they are going to do the same with Giotto's Campanile. In the front of the Duomo they are tearing down the ornamentation round the doors, and replacing it with florid modern Renaissance EcroU work."

The people of Rhyl do not appear to appreciate literature. It is expected that in a few days the strange spectacle -uill be witnessed of the closing of the Reading-room and Literary Institute in that town, the local commissioners having decided to close the building, as it is " neither appreciated, used, nor supported by the class for whom it was particularly intended." This deplorable state of literary affairs at Rhyl fuUy accounts for the non-receipt of orders for our magazine from that unclassic neighbourhood. An important discovery bas just been made in the neighbourhood of Elboeuf Seine-Inferieure, by M. Noury. He has found a multitude of pre-historic implements in the silicious sands which form the sub-soil of the Seine Valley, between Elboeuf and Rouen. In a single locality he collected more than 400 among bones of large quaternary mammals. These implements are said to they consist of cut flints forming axes, cores, belong to the paljeolitbic age ; punches, and hammers of various dimensions. The old house, formerly the Bunch of Grapes Inn, in White Lion Court, Wych-sb-eet, London, bas been pulled down, and the budding, with all its strange memories, has utterly disappeared. They were not very pious or moral memories, it is true, connected, as they were, chiefly with burglars, highwaymenj and " fences," and among them the notorious Jack Sheppard, who made this or, f)l,l> SOUTII-KAST LAM'ASIIIUI-..

his head-quarters in Loiidon, and who planned most of liis evil deed.^ there. It was in this place that he was captured after escaping from Newgate for the fourth time, and, as it turned out, tlie last.

The "Index to the First Seven Volumes of the Dodsworth MSS.," in the

Bodleian Library, is now at the disposal of the readers of that libraiy (not

to the public at large, since only 60 copies have been printed of it). The British Museum has acquired about a thousand more tablets and fragments of inscribed terra-cotta documents from Babylon. Amongst them is a tablet of Samsu-Irba, a Babylonian monarch hitherto unknown, who probably lived about the time of Bardes, and was one of the intermediate riders between

Cambyses and Darius, B.C. 618. Another fragment has a representation of one of the gates of Babylon. Haworth Church, in Bradford parish, West Riding of Yorkshire, where Charlotte Bronte, the novelist, and her family worshipped, has been utterly demolished, the square western tower only having been allowed to remain, in order to erect a new edifice " in the Perpendicular style." The cost of the new work is to be about £10,000. In aid of the cost of the destruction of the old church and erection of a new one, Mr. M. MerraU contributed £6,000. Pope Leo XIIL contemplates publishing the varioits catalogues of the Vatican Library, and has named a commission composed of the librarian, Cardinal

Pitra, the under librarian, the two first custodians, and the eminent archaeologist the Commendatore Giovanni Battista de Eossi, to consider the best means for carrying his intention into effect. The Pope has also given orders that one of the rooms of the Vatican archives shall be set apart for the convenience of those who, provided with the requisite commission, desire to consult the documents it contains.

The Eev. Canon W. Greenwell, F.R.S., has presented to the British Museum the large and important collection of ancient cinerary urns and other antiquities

formed by him during his researches in no less than 234 British barrows or

tumuli. This gift will be of great value to the national collection, and its

importance is much enhanced by Canon GreenweU's well-known care and experience in conducting such excavations. Mr. A. W. Franks has been recently engaged in arranging the collection. We may remind home readers that these relics will be found illustrated in Canon GreenweU's " British Barrows." A highly interesting discovery has recently been made on the Piussian peninsula of Kertch. The director of tlie Kertch Museum discovered a tomb

dating from the third century B.C., and from the reign of Persidas 11., King of the Bosphorus. The tomb is situated on the road from Temruk and near the

Sennaja Station. In it were foimd (1) a thick gold necklace, with a lion's head a gold at each end ; (2) crown of about 1 inch in breadth, the exterior part

being found of intert-svisted rings, and ornamented with fine stones several ; (3) gold earrings pairs of ; (4) two gold chains, of which one is ornamented with figui-es; (6) two gold bracelets; (6) a round gold brooch, and a gold pin representing Venus and Cupid four gold leaves ; (7) ; (8) a pearl necklace,

some amulets, and three small gold rings; (0) a phial, an lu-n, a vase, a spoon, &c.—all these of silver. : ;

OUU >rONTni,Y coxversazioxk.

Leibnitz's long-lost calculating machine has been recovered. Leibnitz invented and constructed this machine in 1672, during his stay in Paris. It can add, subtract, divide, and multiply, and was the wonder of the time. This machine hecame the property of the Hanover Public Library, but long ago disappeared

from among its treasures. All that was known about its disappearance was

that it had once been sent to an instrument maker at Gottingen to be repaired.

It has now turned up again in the Gottingen Library, and through the efforts of Dr. Bodemann, the librarian of the Hanover Public Library, has again como

into the possession of the latter institution.

In the first week in January the Rev. W. II. Langhorne wrote to the Times —"An old woman named Weaver died recently at Maidstone, having nearly completed her 105th year. The curate of Marden finds that she was baptised on September 19, 1775. She leaves a daughter over 70, and 80 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her husband died 10 years ago, aged 100

her father died aged 103 ; and her grandfather 105. I have these statements from a parishioner—one of the granddaughters of Mrs. Weaver—and they do not appear to be disputed at Maidstone." The granddaughter may be found

at 9, Robert's Place, Commercial Road East, Mr. Ruskin, in his notes on Prout's Venetian drawings, stated his intention of expressing his views with regard to the proposed renovation of St. Mark's,

Venice. This promise is being fulfilled by the exhibition in the rooms of the

Society of Painters in Water-colours of a set of photographs completely illustrative of the question in debate, and accompanied by Mr. Ruskin's notes. These photographs show the restored as well as the uhrestored parts of St. Mark's, and one of them, representing a portion of the church of S. Giacomo di Rialto, dating from the ninth century, wUl be specially interesting as evidence of the durability of early Venetian masonry. An interesting archaeological discovery is reported from Palestine. An Arab, who was quarrying stone the other day at a place about four and a half miles from Gaza, vmearthed a marble figure, supposed to be a colossal god of the

Philistines. The dimensions of the figiu'e are as foUow : 3 feet from the top of its head to the end of its beard ; 64 inches from shoidder to shoulder ; total height, 15 feet. There is no inscription. The pedestal is a huge block carved in one piece with the figure. The statue was found in a recumbent position, buried in the sand upon the top of a hiU, near the sea. It had apparently been removed from its original site, which is unknown. The Rev. T. E. Gibson has been making researches among the papers of the BlundeUs of Crosby, an old Roman Catholic family of Lancashire, who endured much persecution and many losses in consequence of their adherence to the "old faith." One result of these inquiries will be the publication by Messrs. Long- man & Co. of a selection from a commonplace book of WiUiam Blimdell, a cavalier, and one of the refugees who returned from Breda with Charles II. Blundell appears to have been a man of an inquiring turn, fond of examining anything new and strange, and taking pleasure in exactness and measurement^ and in consequence many of the entries in his commonplace book have a special value. 01,1) HOUTII-KAST I^ANCASHIUK.

At Salisberg, between Ilanau and Kesselstadt, the foundations of a lioinan house have been discovered, the walls of which were a yard thick and about 31 feet and 37 feet long; respectively. In the middle of the enclosed space a vaulted room was found, and in the neighbourhood several earthenware vessels very perfectly tiuishcd. About 35 paces away a considerable portion of the walls of another Eoman house was previously discovered, and also at various times

Roman coins, tombs, and a legionary stone. Dr. Albert Duncker concludes from all these data that the place is the site of a considerable Roman settlement, and that a careful exploration would bring many interesting objects to light. M. Boyer de Ste. Sazanue states that during the excavations for a gasholder at Monaco a valuable treasure of antique goldsmiths' work, has been found.

The relics consist of three large golden bracelets of the form called porle- bonlmtr: three gold bracelets, engraved with figures in relief ; two more bracelets of gold ; a bracelet of an oval form (« charnieres (for); a diadem of

figures in relief ; an inedited medal of Gallienus gold, estampe, with ; eight very

rare Roman medals of gold ; a bust of Gallienus in gold repotisse, five centimetres high. The writer believes that all these objects are Roman, of the third century, and that they were probably the decorations and honorary distinctions of a tribune of a legion of the time of Probus. Under the instructions of the Queen, a mural monument to the memory of her beloved daughter. Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, has been recently placed in Her Majesty's pew in "VVhippingham church. This work, executed by Mr. Frank Theed, in white marble, consists of a medallion of Her Royal High- ness, surroimded by a chaplet of flowers, supported by two angels, with the following inscription : —" To the Dear Memory of Alice Maud Mary, Princess of

Great Britain and Ireland, Grand Duchess of Hesse, who departed this life in her 36th year, on the anniversary of her beloved father's death, December 14, 1878. ' Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.'—St. Matthew,

V. 8. This monument is placed by her sorrowing mother. Queen Victoria, 1879." Recently, during the removal of an old building adjoining Mr. Jackson's premises ia Pepper-street, Nantwich, Cheshire, the workmen found a cannon baU embedded in the soil at a depth of six feet from the present surface of the ground. The site was formerly occupied by the Old Blue Cap School, of which Mr. John Thompson, more generally known as " Toby Thompson," was master

for half a century. There can be no doubt that the cannon ball, which weighs between five and sbc pounds, is a relic of the siege of Nantwich in 1643, although the foundation of the school dates nearly 100 years afterwards. In a part of the old building, now razed to the groxmd, there was also found an earthenware inkstand with a central well and three holes roimd the marn-in for the reception of pens, which, it is conjectured, the old schoolmaster and his

pupils—many of whom are living—were accustomed to use. Both relics are being carefully preserved by Mr. Jackson. It may be further mentioned that

the remains of a boidder pavement were found at the same place at a slightly higher level than whei-e the cannon ball was found. Some 18 months ago,

when Mr. Jackson's shop was being built adjoining the site, the remains of an

old coffin, with a plate upon it, were disinterred. OTJK MONTHIA' CONVEllSAZIOXE.

A work on " Church Folk-Lore " is in preparation wliich ought to prove interesting and valuable. Its object is to collect and preserve usages connected with the Oh\irch and its services differing from those, ordinarily accepted as customary. \ Some of these are venerable relics of heathenism, others are results of the ecclesiastical struggles of successive centuries. All of them are -worthy of preservation) and in them often lies hid some reference to a fact or a figment which deserves to be carefully examined and turned to accoimt. Communica- tions on the subject from all who can render assistance are solicited by the editors, the Rev. J. E. Vaux, M.A., of Crondall, near Farnham, Smrey, and

J, T. Micklethwaite, Esq., F.S.A., of G, Delahay-street, Great Geoi-ge-sti-eet, Westminster, S.W,

Recently some native burglars broke into the famous Egyptian museum at

Boulak, Cairo, which is crammed with priceless curios dating fi'om the reigns of the Pharaohs, and possessing, among many other invaluable ti-easm-es,

the oldest statue in the world, a wooden effigy popularly believed to represent

Adam, and to have been carved by a prse-diluvian artist. The inestimable collection of antiquities was plundered of many rare articles. The daring

robbers who performed this coup did not, it appears, meddle with the statue of their reputed progenitor, or with any of the monumental relics lining the walls

of the principal rooms in the museum, but they emptied the glass cases of their valuable and venerated contents—golden and jewelled scarabees, or amulets, and ornaments in the precious metals, chiefly of the first dynasty—and got clear off with their booty.

One of the greatest treasures of the British Museum is the Codex Alexan- drhiiis, containing the Septuagiut version of the Old Testament, the Greek New Testament, and the Clementine Epistles, dating probably from the commencement of the fifth century. The Codex Vaticaniis is generally considered to belong to the close of the fourth century, and TiscliendorfE placed his Codex Siniaiticus somewhat earlier. The trustees of the British Museum have resolved to publish an autotypic reproduction of the Codex Alexandrinus, and have commenced by issuing the portions relating to the New Testament and the Clementine Epistles. The great value of the present facsimile is of com-se

its absolute freedom from the chance of typographical error. This is not the

first time that the British Museum has published this text, for it defrayed the cost of the facsimile edition of the Old Testament brought out imder the care of the Eev. H. H. Baber between 1816 and 1828. The late discovery of an ancient British cemetery at Wavertree, which was afterwards investigated^ and embodied in a most interesting paper by Mr. H. Ecroyd Smith, and read before the Historic Society of Lancashire and

Cheshire, is now published in their transactions. The funereal urns containing the cremated bones were found in excavating the foimdations for two villas in performing Victoria Park ; and subsequently, when similar operations in an adjoining part of the park, a road of considerable width, 27 inches below the

sod, immediately beneath the soil, was found, composed of large red sandstones placed regularly and symmetrically diagonally across the lot of land, and in the immediate direction of the ancient British cemetery. This discovery wiU 7(1 OI.l) SOUTII-KAST I.AXCASirillK.

of sonic interest to local autiquaries, and form a sequul to liie finding of the f Liuci'cal urns, and help lo prove the antiquity of tlic fasliionaUc siiburlj of Waurtr (.Vaurtrcea), now vulgarly called Wavertree.

Tlio threatened opposition to the grant of a faculty to Sir ]<:dmiuid Beckett for the restoration of the west front of St. Albans Cathedral is likely to collapse. The committee, who now have unlimited power by faculty to restore St. Albans Cathedral, have passed a vote of thanks to him unanimously for taking up the work, which is, however, only a portion of what is required to bo done to make the building safe. Sir Gilbert Scott, in 1871, estimated the cost of repairs at £28,000, independent of the high roof. The design has been approved by the bishop. The rector and churchwardens and a few parishioners who had put in an opposition have withdrawn it. The only remaining oppo- nents are Earl Cowper, on the faith of a promised donation of £500 ; Mr. J.

Evans, of Nash Mills, Hemel Hempstead, who, with Earl Cowper, is objected

to as not being a parishioner ; and the archdeacon of St. Albans, wlio has recently become qualified by having taken the old rectory house vacated by his son-in-law.

The opening of the librarv" of the British Museum till seven p.m., which the introduction of the electric hght has rendered practicable for some weeks, has brought thither a great crowd of persons anxious to profit by their new privileges, and the return to Parliament of the readers for the cun-ent year will no doubt show a large increase in their number over those who have attended during previous years. To supply the additional accommodation rendered necessary by these fresh readers, nearly 100 extra seats were provided by the trustees after Christmas. At the ends of the lines of seats which front the centre of the room have been erected some further shelves, on which will soon be placed the more recent books of reference. Although further iniprovements must be introduced into the management of the British Museum before it can be pronounced satisfactory to the reading world in every detail, all literary students will recognise with pleastu-e the desire of the trustees to bring home to the public the advantages of the great institution under their charge.

On Tuesday, the 6th ult., a number of gentlemen of Blackburn and the district gave a dinner in honour of an old man named William Ilayhurst, who celebrated his 104th birthday on the occasion. Hayhtu-st resides at Copster Green, near Ribchester, and is best known as " Old Balshaw." He was born on Januaiy 6th, 1776, in Yorkshire. His father was a farmer, but he was placed at an early age under the guardianship of another farmer named

Balshaw ; hence his cognomen. On leaving Yorkshire he came to Dinckley, and was married when about 26 years of age at Langhoe Church, the issue being four sons and six daughters. All the sons are dead, but five of the daughters remain, the eldest being a widow of 78 years. His grandchildren number from 30 to 32, and his great-grandchildren 70. Old Balshaw was present at the dinner in company with a grandson, 49 years of age. The old man is very active, his hearing is good, but he complains of failing eyesight.

He has resided at bis present dwelling over three score years, and has lived to see three kings and a queen on the English throne. OUll MONTHLY CON VKHSAZIOXP;.

At a meeting of literary men, held on October 14tli at Tilsit, it was resolved to found a Lithuanian Folk-Lore Society, for the preservation of the ancient language and popular tr-aditions of Lithuania. The ancient language of the Lithuanians, the most archaic among the living languages of the Aryan

family, is fast dying out, as Gennan, Polish, and Russians are daily gaining

ground upon it on all sides ; and the popular songs, tales, and myths of the

Lithuanians are threatened -^th the same fate. It is high time, therefore, that

the existing remains of theii- primitive civilisation, which have long since attracted the notice of scholars, should be collected and preserved from unmerited oblivion. Though a gi-eat deal has been accomplished in that way by the researches of Schleicher and others, the stock of ancient legends, traditions, and

words is so considerable that the imited efforts of many scholars are required

in order to collect and sift it. Among the members of the committee which has been formed we find the names of Miklosich, Nesselmann, Pott, and others prominent in the field of Slav philology. Intending members are requested to send their contributions to the treasurer of the Lithuanian Folk-Lore Society, Dr. F. Siemering, Tilsit, Prussia. The puljlications of the Society will be sent gratis to members. The trustees of John Wesley's historic chapel in City Road, London, partly destroyed by fire on the 7th December last, have, after consultation with eminent architectural authorities, definitely resolved to restore the main bidlding, and to

rebuild the Morning Chapel, which, it will be remembered, was completely

destroyed by the fire, and to put the work in hand without delay. The features of the original structure are to be adhered to with strict fidelity, but certain improvements, chiefly in the acoustic arrangements, are to be effected in the Morning Chapel. The moniunents of the Wesleys and other celebrities are to be replaced in their- original positions. The roof timbers are found to be

almost entirely untouched by the fire ; where the flames have reached them tliey are not burnt so as to affect stability, and practically the quality of the

timber is as sound and good as on the day it was erected. Being chiefly of

pitch pine it has retained its nature unimpaired. One of the piers of the north

.wall adjoining the Morning Chapel wiU have to be carefully under-pinned, as

it was exposed to the gi-eatest violence from the fire, and several of the arches

to the upper windows on that side -\vill have to be taken down, vdth aU the band timbers of the wall cut out and replaced by brick in cement. The other walls are apparently in a perfectly sound condition. It is confidently expected

tliat the venerable chapel, improved in its lighting and ventilation, but subtantiaUy the same, will be ready in ample time for the assembling of tlie Conference in July. The whole of the renovations of tliis great centre of all the great movements that for a hundred years past have taken place in connection with the Wesleyan body, are entrusted to tlie architectural supervision of Mr. C. BeU. A collection of books and manuscripts, until recently in the possession of James Swinncrton, Esq., of Macclesfield (late proprietor of tlie Macclesfield Courier and Herald^, was brought under tlic hammer of Messrs. Capes, Dunn, & Pilcher, auctioneers, on the 16th, 17tli, and 18th of December la-t, 72 OLD SOUTU-KACT LAxrASUlliJC.

at their gallery, Clarence-street, Albert Square, Manchester. The collection

included part of the libraries of tlie late Rev. John Watson, formerly rector of Stockport, author of Memoirs of the Ancieiii Earls of Warren and Surrey,

&c. ; the late .T. W. .lodrell, late of Ilenbury Hall, Cheshire ; and of the late .John Ryle, banker, of Macclesfield and Henhury Hall, Cheshire. Among the more important items were Leigh's Lancashire and ChesJiirej Blome's Britannia J Leycester's Historical Antiquities of Great Britain; Watson's

History of the Earls of Warren and Surrey ; a very curious and scarce contemporary folio tract, hy Titus Gates, on Tlie Popish Plot ; Sir Thomas More's Utopia, third edition, 1518; Pickerings fine edition of the Book of Common Prayer; 7 vols., half vellum, and a few manuscripts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, principally local. Lot G83, being Memoirs of the Ancient Earls of Warren and Surrey, and their descendants (the present Lord Yernon),to the present time, by Rev. .John Watson, M. A.,F.A.S.,

and Rector of Stockport, 2 vols., 4to, bound in 1, uncut, 1783, was purchased

by Mr. Gundry, of Macclesfield, for five guineas. His purchase, which is

one of the finest copies issued, belonged to the late Sheffield Grace, Esq., the eminent antiquarian, whose portrait and book-plate, with the many quarterings

of his arms (aU coloured), are affixed to the work. The scarce plates in it are

all perfect, and many extra ones inserted. All the arms throughout are heraldi- cally coloured. Lot 684, being a copy of the original edition, unbound, of the

same work, fell to the bid of James Crossley, Esq., President of the Chetham Society, Manchester, at the sum of five pounds. This was the Rev. John W^atson's own copj-, with numerous MS., notes, and emendations, by John

Elliot. Of this, the original edition, be it remembered, only six copies were printed, for the purpose of circulating them for corrections and additions. Lot 803 embraced sheets or portions of another origmal copy of the same work,

with heraldic and topographical additions in the form of notes ; a bundle of most interesting letters signed " "\^'. Bui-reU," to Sir George Warren, of Poynton and Stockport, containing much information of an antiquarian character, including translations from the Harleian MSS., &c.; also letters from John Elliott James Temple to the author, full of archaeological memoranda ; some from J. 0. Brooke, Somerset Herald in 1778, &c., and from the Rev. S. Pegge and other antiquaries relative to the work. This miscellaneous and valuable lot was

purchased under a commission by Mr. Ford for eleven poimds for a lucky local antiquary whose name did not transpire. A few volumes of Watson's MS. collections, chiefly of local interest, were also sold, and realised good prices. [jS'ote.—The editor of this magazine will be glad if auctioneers who may have collections of this class, or libraries, for future sale will favour him with a copy of catalogue, soon as issued.] OEIIUAIIY.

OBITUARY.

Cooke.—Mr. Edward "William Cooke, tlie Royal Academician, died on the

4th lilt., at Groombridge, near Tuuhridge Wells, in the 67th year of his age. Mr. Cooke's first pictures were coast and Dutch subjects, and afterwards painted

a number of pictures of the Italian coast, of Venice, and of scenes in Spain and

Morocco. He was elected A.R.A. in lS-50, and R.A. in 1863. He was in the same year elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Mr. Cooke was also a Fellow of the Linnrean, Zoological, Geographical, and Geological Societies, the Alpine Club, and the Architectural Museum. Dixon.—Mr. William Hepworth Dixon, of whose memory Lancashire has

some reason to be proud, died on Satimlay, 27th Dec. last, at his residence, 6, St. James's-terrace, Regenfs-parlc, London, at the comparatively early age of

5S. On waking on that morning, he was seize! with an apoplectic fit, and died soon afterwards without haying recovered consciousness. The event was quite

unexpected, although it was well known that his health had been affected by an

accident which he met with in Cyprus last year, and by the death of his eldest

son, Mr. Jerrold Dixon, in October last. The Dixons were of Yorkshire ex-

traction, but the subject of om- notice was a Manchester man by birth. It is

known, however, that his youthful career is slightly associated with the Black-

burn district, and it is memoired that his early years were passed in the hill- country of Over Darwen, under the tuition of his grand-uncle, Mr. Michael Beswick," from whom he received a somewhat plain education. He was the son of Mr. Abner Dixon, of Hobufiith and Kirkburton, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and was born at Manchester on the 30th of June, 1821. His family

had left the neighbourhood of Holmfirth, where they had lived for centuries,

chiefly at Heaton Royds, in Bradford parish. Deceased was proud of his birth-

place, and claimed an older title to a Lancashire connection through his ancestor William Dixon, of Fiu'ness FeU, who held the great abbey of that name as

tenant imder the Crown after the sequestration. His grandfather, Job Dixon, was for some time a resident in St. Mary's Gate, Manchester. In a letter

written a few years ago to a correspondent in Manchester, deceased stated that he was born in Kewton-street, Ancoats, Manchester. When 3Ir. Dixon and his

son, the late Jerrold DLxon, who was then a student at Oxford, visited the place,

they found the site occupied by a chm-ch. It has been recently pointed out that Dixon in his boyhood was employed in a factory in Newton-street, Ancoats. Long before he had arrived at man's estate he was placed in the warehouse of Messrs. Joseph Thompson & Sons, of Pinmill, Ardwick, as a clerk in their office. From boyhood, however, he had manifested an inclination to literatui-e. He began to write for the Press before 1840, and a number of his earliest articles were conhibuted to Bradshan/s Journal, a Manchester magazine of the period. Whilst Mr. Dixon was still in Manchester the new form of short-

liand invented by Mr. Pitman began to attract . enthusiastic disciples, and in E 74 OLD SOUTII-KA.ST LAN-CASIIIKK.

1844 lie was the leading spirit of a phonetic festival lielcl in the old Town Hall. Ho always retained his enthusiasm on this subject, and made good use of phono- graphy in his literary work. The " Azamoglan " was the chief literary production of Mr. Dixon in his native town. It is now a very rare book, but the cui'ious in such matters will find a specimen of its quality given in Mr. Ti. W.

Procter's recent " jMemorials of Bygone Manchester." In spite of its crudity and youthful exaggeration, there are some fine lines and powerfid situations in this early tragedy. Some of our readers wiU recollect that he was believed to have sat unconsciously for the satirical sketch of " Hayporth Dibbs " in one of the crude but sometimes brilliant novels of another Lancashire author. When in his 23rd year, he entered the ranks of journalism as the literary editor of a Chelten- ham newspaper. While occupying this post he contributed several poems under liis name or initials to Douglas Jerrold's Illuminated Magazme. He also

Avrote a tragedy in five acts, but printed it only for private circulation. He

might, perhaps, have said, with Burke, that if he had had the folly to spend

valuable time over such a thing he had the wit to keep it from the public. In

1846 lie came to London, and entered as a student at the Inner Temple. In

1849, the year of his call to the Bar, he brought out his " Memoir of Howard," the materials for which he had gathered in the course of some investigations into prison systems, and in which he sought to place the work of

the philanthropist in its relation to the history and literature of his time. This biography was for some time in want of a publisher, although the author, in his anxiety to see his name in print, offered to give away the copyright in return for publication. The book went through no fewer than

three editicns within a year of its appearance, and since then has often been reprinted in England and America. Mr. Dixon soon after received the appointment of Deputy Commissioner to the Exhibition Commission. He justified his selection for this post by organising 100 out of the 300 committees that were

got together. These labours over, he retm-ned with redoubled zest to literature, as may be inferred from the fact that in less than 18 months after the closing of the Exliibition he brought out his biographies of Penn and Blake. The former work was of a controversial character, Mr. Dixon having set himself to refute the charges brought against the founder of Pennsylvania by Macaiilay.

By his arguments in this, his first considerable work, he thought he had con-

vinced even the historian, but Macaulay never admitted it, and there is no

evidence in proof of it. At about the same time Mr. Dixon published

anonymously a pamphlet called " The French in England," to the effect that if

Napoleon I. found it impossible to invade England we had notliing to apprehend on that score from Napoleon HI. In 18o3, after a tour in the south of Em-ope and Germany, Mr. Dixon became the chief editor of the Athoiceicni. He had fought his way upwards with determined persistency, and with true Lancashire

belief in self-help, elbowed his way from a Manchester factory to the editorial chair of the leading critical journal of London. From this time he published

book after book illustrative of exceptional forms of life or new phases of society.

If seldom very profound, his works, whether biographical, seJni-historical,

or semi-descriptive of particidar coimti-ies and peoples, combined ^,in a high '

OBITUAUy. degree the ditlci with the ittile. They were wi-itten in a bright and A-igoroiis style, and with a keen eye for effective arrangement of materials. He acted as literaiT executor to Lady Morgan, one of his firmest friends, and took part in editing her agreeable memoirs. lie travelled a good deal on the Continent, partly on account of his health, which at times failed him, but chiefly to observe places associated with events in English history. Himself a diligent reader of State papers, which down to this time had been jealously guarded by Secretaries of State, he prevailed upon Lord Stanley and Sir E. B. Lytton in

1859 to make such treasures accessible to historical students, and unostentatiously assisted the Master of the Rolls in preparing the " Calendar of State Papers" and the " English Chronicle." In 1860, again coming before the public as an author, he drew attention to Lord Campbell's statement of the case against Lord Bacon—a subject upon which he subsequently proved a high authority He next published papers designed to prove the value of the archives at Eden Lodge and Kimbolton, the result being the publication of Lord Auckland's

" Joxumal " and the Duke of Manchester's " Court and Society from Elizabeth to Anne." To the latter work Mr. Dixon contributed a memoir of Queen

Katharine. The most important period of his literary life began in 1864, when he travelled through Palestine and adjoining countries. Soon after his retiu-n appeared the " Holy Land," which met with so much success that he determined to produce other works of a similar kind. In 1866, accordingly, he went to the L^nited States—where, by the way, lie discovered the long-lost Irish State Papers, the story of which was related by Lord Eomilly in a letter to The Times— zxA in 1869 to the north of Europe. The literary results of these tours were three remarkable work?—" New America," " Spiritual Wives," and " Free Russia." In the second of these, which was the most sensational of his works, he described graphically, and sometimes perhaps with too much of suggestion, the various heresies on sexual questions which have sprung up in America and in England. " His least satisfactoiy work was Free Russia,'' which was hastily conceived and hastily written. His stjle -was pecidiar. It was formed on that of

without being forcible ; and had Macaulays ; was too often forced betimes a brilliant sort of meretricious glare about it. Yet as a essayist, a versatile highest respect in British and critic and reviewer, he was held in the foreign picturesque literary circles. He produced an animated and history of the " next wi-ote " The Tower of London, Her Majesty's Tower." He Svritzers,"

embodied, and " 'j in which the results of early travel were Two Queens (Katharine of Arragon and Anne Boleyn), most of which was wi-itten in Spain year he went to the Great in the summer of 1873, In the following West to which appeared in coUect materials for his "White Conquest," 1876. Then, of literature, he gave striking into a to him entii-ely new walk us two novels— " " are of " Diana, Lady Lyle and Ruby Grey." They more than average with his best work. He next wrote " merit, but wiU hardly take rank Old " Windsor," which was announced to come out, like Her Majesty's Tower," by volumes had appeared Cyprus instalments. "^Tien the fii'st two became his researches into the history English property, and Mr. Dixon broke off and 7G Or,l) SOUTII-KAST LANCASIIIRK.

traditions of "Windsor to i)ay a visit to that island. During his stay there ho

hrolce his shoulder bone through falling from his horse ; but in a veiy short

time his volume on Cyprus appeared. He then proceeded "svith the concluding

volumes of " Old AVindsor," which are no^Y in the press. Mr. Dixon, who in 18G9 became a Middlesex magistrate, and in 1872 was created by the Emperor "William a Knight of the Order of the Royal Crown, was mainly instnmaental

in the establishment of drill in rate-paid schools, in the opening of the Tower of London to the public on particular days without payment, and in

the formation of improved dwellings for the labouring classes. The news

of Mr. Hepworth Dixon's death was received with general regret in

Birmingham. He had accepted the office of President of the Moseley and

Balsall Pleath Institute, and had engaged to deliver his inaugiu-al address in

October last, when the melancholy death of his son caused the address to be

postponed. Its delivery was again fixed for January, the subject being " Palestine." The AtheticEU7n has a long notice of the man who once directed

its fortunes, and lays special stress upon the " manliness " of his character, and

says that " if he was deficient in tact, he was faiiltless in temper." He protested

against injustice to others, but endured his own misfortimes without complaint.

The loss of his savings invested in Turkish stock, the damage of his house by

the Regent's Park explosion, the death of his best beloved daughter, were all

met with fortitude ; but the last stroke that overwhelmed him was the death of his son " "Willie," whose talents and amiability made him a great favourite

in literary circles. The writer in the Athenceitm says:—" It is a mere figure

of speech to say that a man dies of a broken heart, but it is a stem fact that men of strong affections do sometimes die of sorrow. The apoplexy that killed Hepworth Dixon was the way in which his powers failed suddenly, and for ever ended the effort of nerving himseM to endure another day of wretchedness.';

The last proof sheets of the concluding volumes of "Old "V^'indsor" wgre revised by him on the Friday night previous to his death, when he seemed to be as well as usual. His remains were interred on 2nd JanuaiT in Highgate Cemetery. The body was followed by the widow, son, two daughters, and a brother of deceased, and many literary friends, among whom were Mr. Blanchard Jerrold, Mr. Tom Taylor, Mr. J. C. Jefferson, Mr. E. Levy Lawson,

Mr. G. Elirsch, Mr. G. Grossmith, Mr. Justin McCarthy, M.P., and 3Ir. Jidian Hawthorne. The grave was chosen by its revered occupant when on a visit

to Highgate Cemetery some years ago with Douglas Jerrold, and in it is

already buried Mr. Dixon's eldest daughter, who died about seven years ago.

Recently, on the occasion of distribution of prizes at the St. Paul's Sunday School, Bennett-street, Mr. George Milner gave a brief address, in which he

referred to the recent death of Mr. Hepworth Dixon, who was a pupil there in

his youth and always maintained a warm interest in its welfare. Some twenty years ago Mr, Dixon began to send an annual contribution of four guineas to be devoted as prizes for the most deserving. This had been

appropriated so as to give yearly books valued at one guinea to each male

and female teacher who had been most distinguished for length of service in

the work of the school. The remainder furnished two prizes for boys ard two OBITUAItY. for girls, which were adjudged to the most proficient iu a definite course of study on some scriptural or ecclesiastical subject. The topic was announced beforehand, and the object was to reward continuous and serious study. Mr.

Milner, after paying a tribute to the literary merit and position of Mr. Dixon, said that it was sometimes stated that after achieving his position in the world

of letters he became ashamed of his birthplace, and tried to hide the humble commencement of his career. This Mr. Milner believed to be quite an erroneous

estimate, for Mr. Dixon in his occasional visits to Manchester used to revisit the school where he had been taught as a child, and displayed the greatest interest in its continued prosperity. On one occasion he was accompanied by his son Jerrold Dixon, the pang of whose fate had doubtless accelerated the death of the father. Mr. Dixon was also a good and affectionate son, and displayed the teuderest kindness to his aged mother, who continued to live at Newton Heath after her brilliant son had made his mark in Loudon. Elvy.—Among the deaths at highly advanced ages announced mthin the last two or three days is that of Mr. Francis Barham Elvy, of Bowhill, Kent, father of the Eev. J. M. Elvy, of the Manchester Cathedral, in the 91st year of his age. Gaetside.—On the morning of the 8th ult. (January), Mr. Ilemy Gartside, of Wharmton Towers, Saddleworth, J.P., and Tovm Clerk of Ashibn-under- Lyne, died suddenly at the residence of Dr. Hughes, Stamford-street, in that borough. The deceased attended a public meeting on the previous evening. After the meeting he was seized with severe pains, and had to be removed to Dr. Hughes's, where he recovered sonaewhat, and passed the night comfortably. Next morning, directly after breakfast, he complained again of the pain, and almost instantly expired. The immediate cause of death was spasms of the

lieart, the result of fatty degeneration, from which he had suffered for some time. Deceased took an active part in the movement which resulted in the acquisition by Ashton of a charter of incorporation, in September, 1847. He was the first town clerk of the borough, and held the office for a period of sixteei) years. On the 9th February, 1875, Mr. Gartside was a second time appointed to the office of town clerk, which he continued to fill imtil his death, in his G6th year. He was born at Saddleworth, and of late years his residence was there. He commenced practice in Ashton as a solicitor in 1838. He married his cousin. Miss Elizabeth Sarah Gartside, daughter of Captain Gartside, who survives him without issue. One of the acts by whicli he and his widow will be remembered in the district of his birth was the building and endowment by them of Christ Church, Denshaw, at a cost of £0,000 or £7,000. Deceased's remains were interred on the 14th idt. in the family vault at that thus " church. A brass plate on the coffin was inscribed : Henry Gartside, J.P.,born October 19, 1815, died January 8, 1880."' Jacksox.-—The Rev. Edward Dudley Jackson, B.C.L., formerly a scholar of Trinity Hall, and rector of St. Thomas's Church, Heaton Norris, died at Brighton on the 27 th December last, in his seventy-seventh year. He had been incapacitated for work for some months, and was staying with his daughter. The funeral took place at Cheltenham on New Year's Day. Mr. Jackson, who '

01, 1) SOTITK-KAST I.ANMJA.SIIIKK. was a prizeman as well as scholar of Trinity Hal), Cambridge, where ho graduated LL.B. in the First Class LaAv Tripos in 1827, was admitted to deacon's orders in that year, and ordained a priest in 1828, and was then successively curate of Cottenham, Stonehouse, and St. Andrew, Liverpool; head master of the English department of Manchester Grammar School, and

perpetual curate of St. Michael, Manchester. In 1847 he was appointed to the rectory of St. Thomas, Ileaton Norris, in the diocese of Manchester, the

patronage of which rests in the hands of the Dean and Chapter of 3Ianchester,

and which is of the gross annual value of £500, with a parsonage house. JMr. Jackson was known as an author, having produced " The Crucifixion," and " other poems, in 1833, The Devotional Year ; or Companion to the Liturgy of the Church of England," " Scripture History," " Lays of Palestine," and

" Nugse Lyrics," in 1870. At a meeting of the parishioners held in the school- room of St. Thomas's Church, Heaton Chapel, on Tuesday evening, 30th Dec,

the Eev. J. G. Denison, curate, in the chair, it was resolved to present an

address of condolence to Mrs. Jackson, widow of the late rector, and to erect a

tablet or other suitable moniunent to his memory, either inside or outside the church The address of condolence stated that " by the death of Mr. Jackson the whole district has lost a most devoted friend, for besides promoting the general welfare of the place, it was mainly through his influence the several

parishes of Christ Church, Heaton Nonis ; St. John's, Heaton Mersey ; St.

Peter's, Levenshulme; St. Mary's, Reddish (with the district of St. Elizabeth's, St. Paul's, Keddish Green) ; and Heaton IMoor, were formed." A committee was formed, consisting of the Eev. J. G. Denison, the wardens and sidesmen of St. Thomas's, Messrs. Eoyle, Peterson, Crush, Cooke, Gardner, Hook, Eumney, Hardon, Mitchell, Dr. Bird, Jephson, and Candlin, to carry out the second resolution. About £20 was subscribed in the room. Mr. Hope, Tatton Eoad, Heaton Chapel, was appointed treasurer. It was understood that the subscrip-

tion list would remain open a short time only-.

LoMAx.—George Edward Lomax, of Manchester, died on the 20th ult., in his 72nd year. For tliirty years he has travelled through England and Scot- land as a teetotal and political lecturer. He delivered two lectures in Accriug- ton a week ago, and took cold at the close of the last meeting, and was unable to deliver a third. Next to Mr. Livesey, of Preston, he was the oldest of the old teetotal veterans. Maxchestee.—Mr. Joseph Manchester, of HoUy Bank, Sale, who was widely known in local literary and artistic circles, died on the 22nd December, 1879. He was one of the promoters of the Brazennose Club, Manchester, and a member of the board of directors of the Manchester Mechanics' Institution. On the 27th his remains were interred at the cemetery at Brooklands. Pay:ne.—Mr. E. A. Payne, solicitor, Liverpool, one of the oldest members of the profession, and widely kno-^^Ti and respected for his scientific and literary attainments, died on the 26th ult. suddenly, in a cab, in which he was going home from his office. Egberts.—On Monday, the 29th December, Mr. Peter Eoberts, retired farmer, who has for some years lived with Mr, John Hart, Eed Lion Inn, Dover Bridge, Abram, near Tyldesley, passed away to his long home at the ripe old age of 99 years. Had he lived to the 21st March next he would have been a veritable centenarian. To the last he retained his faculties, and up to within a few weeks of his death used occasionally to do a little work in the fields which in his earher j-ears he was wont to cultivate, fie was a sensible, intelligent old man. and when in good health lieartUy enjoyed to talk of the "olden

times."' The recent severe weather proved too much for him, and he at length succumbed to pure exhaustion consequent upon his great age. Thom.—Mr. Alexander Thorn, for forty years the Queen's printer for Ireland, died recently, in his seventy-nintli year. He was the founder of that well-

known book, "Thorn's Directory," one of tlie most carefully-compiled manuals

of the sort in the country. ToEE.—After hugering for a week, in a condition for the most part unconscious, Mr. John Torr, senior M.P. for Liverpool, died on January 16th, 18S0, from paralysis, at his residence, Carlett Park, Eastham, Cheshire. Mr. Torr was the son of a Lincolnshire squire, and was born on the 10th October, 1813. He received his education at the school of the Eev. Richard Pain, at Aspley Guise, near Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire. Migi-ating to Liverpool in 1835, he took a junior position in one of the leading mercantile offices there. He speedily developed great business capacity, and became a partner in the firm, and since that time he has been to the fore in Livei-pool in all movements

for the social amelioration of the town. His most active work of late years was devoted to the scheme for the establishment of a bishopric for Liverpool, to which he contributed the sum of £10,000, and of which he was the moving

spirit. He was a member of the Dock Board, the chairman of the Liverpool of a great number of public imdertakings. , Exchange Company, and a director Up to his death, 3Ir. Torr retained an intimate connection with his native countv, where he held a farm, and, as a gentleman amatem-, carried on cattle- breeding. He became duly recognised as one of the leading citizens of Liverpool, and was always foremost in phUantlu'opic work. It was only

of late years he entered on parliamentary life, having been returned

for Liverpool in 1873, upon the deatli of Mr. S. R. Graves. The remains

of the deceased were removed on the morning of the 20th from Carlett

I'ark, Eastham, Cheshire, to the Liverpool landing stage. A procession was then formed, and walked to the Centi-al Station, where the remains were

placed in a train for conveyance to Lincolnshire. At the landing stage a large

number of the leading citizens of the town assembled, including members of the Dock Board, Town Coimcil, Chamber of Commerce, and other local bodies. Several private caniages, including the Mayor's state equipage, followed the procession from the stage to the station. The funeral took place at noon on the 21st, at Riby, Lincobshire. The Rev. David Stewart, of London, and the Rev. J. M. Holt read the service. The chief mourners were the Rev. "W. Ton-, the son of the

deceased, Mrs. Torr, Mr. and Mrs. Bushell, of Benbow ; Mr. and Mrs. Knight,

of Bruce, Cornwall ; and Mr. Herbert Torr. "Waed.—Thomas "VViUiam Ward, a well known and deseiTedly popular city

official, died at his apartments, at the new Town Hall, Manchester, on the —

80 OLD .SOirni-KAST LAMCA.SllUiK. iiiiirniii;/ i>f tlir '.ttli iilt., aged 51 years. Ilo was formerly for fifteen years porUi- :it till- cilil Tcjwii ilall, in Kinif-street, and afterwards, upon the appointment of a house steward, became the Mayor's attendant. Having been ailing for some time, he repaired to Torquay, but returned home on tlie day preceding that on which he died. Mr. AVard's death is much regretted, not only by officials in superior positions, but by the members of the City Corporation generally. His remains were interred on tlie 14tli ult. in the Salford Borough Cemetery.

Wrigley.—Mr. Thomas Wrigley, of Timberhurst, head of tlie firm of James Wrigley and Sons, paper manufacturers. Bridge HaU Paper Mills, near Bury, died on the 26th ult. Mr. Wrigley, who was about 7 2 years of age, liad been ill for some months. He was a magistrate of the Bury division, and a deputy- lieutenant, and was high sheriff of Lancashire in 1872. He leaves three sons and a daughter. His wife, the daughter of the late Edmund Grundy, of Park- liills, and sister to Messrs. Grundy, solicitors. Bury, died many years ago. On the 30th, deceased's remains were interred in the burial ground connected with the Unitarian Chapel, Burj'. On the coffin was tlie following inscription : "Thomas "Wrigley, born 27th June, 1808: died 2Gth January, 1880." The Unitarian burial ground has been closed for some years, and in order to inter Mr. Wrigley an order had to be obtained from the Home Secretary.

TO EEADERS, CORRESPONDENTS, AND CONTRIBUTORS.

'• J. u. i'our Hall o' th' Wood," with both ihustrations, will appear in our next. The " Staxdley Babx CiL^iiiTy " and the " Salford Chapel Charity," commonly called " The Booth Charities."—This article is again unavoidably held over, owing to its great length. We shall give an instalment of it in our next. P. A. L.—Your esteemed favour was not prepaid.

TO ADVERTISERS.

Advertisers who may wish to avail themselves of the opportunity of sending their announcements into fresh channels of publicity are respectfully informed that advertisement pages will be added to our March number and following issues, between the wrapper and the body of the magazine. Applications for space should be made at once to Mr. J. F. iMatthews, 106, Manchester Eoad, Swinton. The insertion of cuts will be permitted.

' ' A respectable energetic canvasser minted. , .

TO TPIE TR.-^LDE.

Booksellers throughout Lancashire and Chesliire can be supplied with this Magazine on the usual trade terms, by Messrs. Abel Heywood & Son, Oldham-street, and Mr John Heywood, Ridgefield, Manchester. ^out|'€ifist IkanrHsl^iPF.

Vol. I. MARCH, 1880.

I. The Old Halls of Salfoed Hundked.— 1. Hall i' th'

'""^ CouMi FioM am f(>°^»W)^"'"^ III. Old Eakthen Vessel, cont.uning Coins, fou EoBT. Langton, Manchester (with Illustrat, IV. Notices of New Pudlicatioxs V. Notes akd Queries

VIT. Our Monthly Conversazione VIII. Marriages IX. Obituary X. Notice to Readers XI. Opinions of the Press, contiktted [,Wrapfer).

To SUBSCRIBEBS.

Annual Subscribers, who pay 7s. in advance, -will be entitled to hare earlr copies of the magazine forwarded monthly to any address within the United Kingdom, post free. Post-oiEce orders (or value in postage stamps) to be made payable to Mr, J. F. Matthews, Swinton, near Manchester. Early orders for single copies of future numbers are requested, as a limited number only will be printed monthly. Single copies supplied by post for 7 stamps. All communications to be addressed to Mr. J. F. Matthews, lOG, Man- chester Eoad (near the Market Place), Sainton. Swinton, 28th February, 1860.

THE OLD HALLS OF SALFORD HUNDKED.

TIMBER houses were very general througliout this country during the latter part of the sixteenth and the succeedmg century, and were often very splendid. The town halls of Hereford and Leominster, and a house in Ludlow are very perfect examples of street buildings. The towns of Chester, Shrewsbury, Leicester, Warwick, and Ipswich furnish others more or less perfect. The coimties of Chester and Salop are noted for country mansion.? of

this class. In the former, Moreton Hall—1559—wholly composed of wood

and plaster, is a particularly fine example of the arrangement of timber buildings

considerable difference in its featm-es, is of this period ; as also, and possessing Park Hall, near OsA\-estry, Shropshire. In the timber houses of earlier date there was not such a free use of glass, windows being less united and repetitive, —;

S-2 01. II SOITU-KAST LA>X'A.SinriK.

M-liile tlio detiiil was of a purer cliaractcr. OckwcUs, JJerks, is an interesting specimen of this date (H^ni^ VI. and Edward IV.). Bramhall Hall, Cheshire, another of those remarkable buildings, retains the peculiaiity of a front presenting one continuous window on each floor—the glazing very varied in pattern, and enriched by circles of stained glass. Eimmer, in his Ancient Streets and Homesteads of England, speaks somewhat disparagingly

of the antiquities of Lancashire in comparison vrith its neighbour Cheshire

nor in his " Halls of Lancashii'e '' is he anything but cursory in his historical notices of them, quoting Malniesbiiry Hall as the most ancient (date Edward in., probably not later than Henry V.), and OrdsaU and Salmesbury, near Preston, as specimens of brick and timber work combined. In the latter built of brick, ornamented with blue diamonds (according to "Whitaker the most ancient brick front in the country)—the cornice, deep and boldly projecting, is executed in wood and plaster. Speke Hall, which is without doubt the finest half-timbered house in the county, was built by Ed. Norreys in 1598 (according to inscription over door). Black and white or timber and plaster houses are general in Lancashire, where oak and clay abounded, whUe stone was comparatively scarce. As these materials admitted of fewer varieties in construction

(the exteriors of Lancashire are less beautiful than those in localities where stone abounded. OrdsaU, close to Manchester, at present occupied as a farm date about 1500), is an exception ; as also Salmesbury (date fourteenth century), near Preston, before mentioned. The harsh contrast of the black timber and plaster has been quietened, in some instances—as Choiiey and HaU-i'th'- Wood—by mixing yeUow ochre -u-ith the plaster, and the effect was good. The latter erection has lost much, if not the whole, of the latter distinguishing feature. Timber roofs of the fifteenth and sixteenth century may be divided into two classes, the trefoil or hammer beam (see Morris's Examples of Hoofs), and the flat-arched, of which Eufford Hall is a fine example. Smithells HaU, near Bolton, in a room now or lately used as a brewhouse, is a fourteenth century roof, formed of two wind braces in the form of quatrefoils. The principals are not placed at regular intervals, but in pairs, and the -^-idth of each pair is little more than half tlie distance between them. The original

Nvindows stiU remain in this room—" Decorated period." It was the ancient banqueting haU.

In commencing a series of engravings of the Old Halls of the Himdred

of Salford, we have, as a slight tribute to the memory of its quondam-

resident, selected, for the post of honour, one which yriil be readily recognised

as the homeliest memorial of the poor, but intelligently endowed weaver, who,

within its antiquated walls, planned and carried to perfection that peacefully

revolutionising invention, the spinning " mide," by means of which, and an

untold wealth of coal, his native Lancashire has been placed in the fore front

of the world as a cotton manufacturing district. Our visit to HaU-i'th'-Wood during the past month reminded us once more of the sad fact, that the old struc-

ture is gradually but surely falling into a ruinous condition. Shall it be said of Lancashire, that the memorj' of Crompton merely suggests the boiTOwed

protection of a generous Lubbock ? THE OLD HALLS OF SALFOBD HLTNBBKD. 83

HALL-I'Tfr-^^'OOD, NEAR BOLTON.

"TIXALL-I'TH-WOOD is a tliree-story structure of considerable antiquity, standing upon an elevated piece of rocky ground at the extremity of the township of Tonga, in the parish of Bolton, and within two miles of the new Tovra Hall Square of the town of Bolton. At the foot of the acclivity flows the

Eagley Brook, which divides Sharpies and Tonge to-^nships. Owing to the dis- foresting process which has been gi-adually carried on in this and neighbouring

districts diu'ing the past century, the title of the old hall has become singularly inappropriate. Indubitable evidences of its former applicability are, however, readily found, not only in local histoiy- and topography, but in the reliquary remains and gigantic roots of the excellent timber which once flom-ished around the

old homestead. The style of the biiildirg is evidently two-fold. The many-gabled body, with bewildering staircases and niunerous rooms, and which dates from the last quarter of the fifteenth century, is superior half-timbered work of the

period, while the later, or front portion, which is principally of cut stone, with mullioned windows, dates from the middle of the seventeenth century—the two different periods marldng the beginning and the end of the line of the Tudors. The year 1483 has, with some historic support, been fixed as the date of the founding of the wood and plaster portion. Alexander Norris, son and heir of

Christopher Norris, of Tonge, is credited with the addition of the stone front and square porch made some time about the year 1648. The

date and initials '^^^'^ "

cut upon a recessed stone over the porch door, clearly point to him and his wife. Their daughter Alice brought the old Hall into the possession of the Starkies through her marriage with John StarMe, of Huntroyde, — ;

01,1) SOUTir-KAST LANCASIIIKH. wlioso doscentlants still remiiin its inheritors, l)iit not its occupiers. A respectable tenant farmer named James Jiromilcy with his faiiiDy now occupies the stono front portion. The older portion is sectioned Lito live

cottages with separate doorways, four of which are occupied by a.? many

families of the working class. The fifth is vacant. Collectively these cottages- forming the older part—show no indications of restoration or so-called improvements of any land, and in an antiquarian sense are in a fair state of preserva-

tion. There are no innovations in the shape of square sash windows, as lights and, with the exception of modern substitutes for leaded ; a few modern stacks of chimneys, each consisting of three square shafts placed lozengeways with moidded tops, the old hall presents all its ancient but heavily time-marked features. The inroads of decay are here and there painfully visible -s\-ithm and without. From the vacant cottage window some of the leaded squares have disappeared. The date " 1591 " is stiU to be seen in an enrichment witliin the

older portion of the building, associated with which are the initials "g''g," '

relics of the Brownley family, owners or residents about 1591. The same date (1591) and initials are known to have existed in a carving upon an antique oak bedstead, which, many years ago, the Starkie's removed to Huntroyde. Owing to the friable nature of the inscription stone over the porch the figures " 1648 " have become very indistinct, but the initials are in

a fair state of preservation. Samuel Crompton, the inventor, was born on the 3rd of December, 1753

one hundred and twenty-seven years ago. Soon after Iiis birth his parents went

to reside at a cottage near Lower Wood, in Tonga, but when their son was five

j'ears old they removed to a portion of the mansion which forms the subject of our illustration. Soon afterwards the father—a small farmer in his day—died there. The pitiable struggles of the widow, and the all-work-and-no-play life of her diligent weaver son, have—thanks to the friendly agitation of French- become an interesting chapter of world-known history. We mark the spot where the manly and enterprising supporter of his widowed mother—in and out of leisure—brooded over his embryo plans and crude models; where, through weary nights succeeding weary days, he trembled and fretted, but hoped on, over a secret which impecuniousness within and besieging interlopers

without rendered aU but intolerable. Above is the garret where, in 1779, he

concealed his invention from threatening machine-breaking riotei-s. Through that wide window with the twenty-four lights, represented in our engra-sing,

passed the dawn which eventually lighted the irrepressible Crompton to success.

Within is the room which Lancashire folks, of all others, ought ever to regard vrith profound interest. Therein stood his rude bench with his prunitive tools and there, and Avith these, aided by indomitable perseverance, ims^'erving

hope, and matchless patience, Crompton triumphed. The tools are silent, the

. genius has passed to his rest, but the echoes of the mighty movements of his

creation still resoimd throughout every factory in the world of cotton. THE 0L1> HALLS OF SALFOIll) HUNDIIED.

NEW HALL, PENDLETON (demolished). By Johx Plant, E.G.S. IN these clays of raijid changes, when the streets are being daily pu^lied out in all the environs, when the quiet rural villages are transformed with snug rows of cottage property, and the old timbered mansions and ivy-covered haUs are modoruised into trim villas, it is well to make a record of the whereabouts of any well-known and interesting relic, so that the antiquary of the future may not be altogether without a landmark, even when all that was once a fine local feature has been swept away, the ground relevelled and laid out iu paved streets and cottages. In the neighbourhood of Manchester and Salford already many such interestingly local buildings have vanished, and every year the hand of the speculator is grasping at more. We may anticipate that all are doomed to destruction or conversion to modern ideas of respectabilitj-.

One that the hammer of tbe auctioneer literally knocked down in June, 1872, stood on Brindle Heath, Pendleton, for more than two centuries, under the name of New Hall. It was an irregular, Ioav range of brick building, with many rooms, dimly lighted by green lozenge-shaped panes, and oak stair flio-hts to nearly every room. It was not a mansion of much grandeiu- at any time, but the founder of it was of good family, and had his escutcheon carved and placed on the front in tlie spacious courtyard, so that all friends and guests could learn bis ancestral dignity. Time wrought changes, and brought about than the necessities for more elbow-room old place could afford ; and about the end of the last century a larger and more imposing mansion was added to the old one, and the escutcheon was removed to a mucli humbler position over the fireplace of one of tlie old rooms, where it remained until the buildino- was swept away.

This New Hall was probably rebuilt about 1640, which is the date on the

escutcheon ; when Brindle Heath was part of a manor in the possession of

James Holland. In a MS. heraldic scroll of the date 1775, he is described as " James Holland, of New Hall so called, originally in Pendleton, in the parish of Eccles, in the county of Lancaster, esquire, no doubt but allowed, approved, and confirmed by the King-at-Arms to him and liis posterity." The family name of Holland extends a long way back in association with old manors and

historical events in Lancashire : and as the arms of the Hollands in this, as well as many counties at the present day, appear to have been derived from an

ancestral Eobertus de Holand, of HoUand, near Wigan (iemp. John, 1216),

of whom there can be no doubt this James HoUand was a descendant also. It

is mentioned in Baines's "History of Lancashire," that Thomas Earl of

Lancaster {iemp. Edward H., 1319) granted lands and tenements in le Hope- juxta-Manchester, together with the bailiwick of Salfordshire, to Sir Robert de Holland and Matilda his wife. In 1595 Othes or Otho HoUand, gent.,* occupied a housej probably the Old HaU (another buUding yet standing near to the

one demolished), in Pendleton ; and amongst the vestry orders of the Parish

* See Register Coll. Church, Manchester, 1619-20, " Buried Otes Holland of HaU, gent., Jan. 26th."—Ed. OLD SOUTII-KAST I.AXCASHIKK.

Church of Eccles, dated August '27, 1590, the churchwardens are empowered to appoint places in tho church for' the gentlemen in the parish, and amongst others, "one to Otho Holland of Pendleton." George, son and heir of Otho,

was found to ho aged twenty years and seven months, 18 James I., at the deatli of his father. In 1632 a house on the site of New Hall was the residence of his son Thomas Holland, a brother of George, who married, at the Eccles Parish Church, on 7th Feb., 1622, Joan Irlam. This Thomas Holland no doubt

lived on the site of New HaU; and James Holland, son of Otho, who had lands in Pendleton conveyed to him in 1627 by his brother George, rebuilt and

occupied it in 1640, as described in the MS. scroll. In the heraldic visitations of the King-at-Arms to Lancashire in 1-j67, the

name of Plolland of Denton occurs ; and in that of 1664 the name occurs as

Holland of Heaton and Denton. At Sir "\V. Diigdale's visitation in 1677, he warned divers persons residing within the Hundred of SaLford, to make their respective appearances before him at the King's Head in Salford, to justify

their titles of esquire and gentleman, as to their right to coats-of-arms and

crests. In this list appear the names of James Holland of Pendleton, Thomas Holland of Prestwich, and Thomas Holland of Clifton—all of whom were challenged as bearing unregistered arms and crests. No doubt, as the MS. scroll suggests, tlie due authorisation of the King-at-Arms was obtained at this

visitation. The emblazoned arms in the MS. scroU agi'ee vd'-h those in the carved shield foiuid in the old mansion at Brindle Heath. They are : —Per pale : Dexter, azure semee de lis a lion rampant gardant argent, oppressed with

bend, gules. Sinister : Per pale, or, a fesse indented vert, bend gules. a ; a Crest, an esquire's helmet bearing the -ni-eath, and a wolf passant, argent. The

'dexter half of the shield is that of the Holland family, the sinister half is probably derived from the wife's family—Irlam. Underneath the carved shield at the mansion the letters " J. M. H." occur, and the same initials are drawn under the emblazoned arms on the MS. scroU. Although not directly connected with the Pendleton branch of the Hollands, it is worth mentioning that two gentlemen of that name—Richard, of the Denton, and William, of the Clifton, lines—are recorded amongst the gentlemen of the best calling in the SaKord Hundred who, in Jan., 15SS, were willing to find money for Queen Elizabeth to help to defray the expenses connected with the resistance offered to the invasion of the Spanish Armada, as was likewise George Holland, doubtless of Pendleton. A James Holland was boroughreeve of Salford in 1782. The son of James Holland, of New HaU, Otho, married Alice, daughter of Edward and Joan Stanley, of Broughton HaU, near Manchester, of the ancient and honourable house of Stanley, Earls of Derby ; and their eldest daughter, AUce HoUand, married Eobert Cooke, of Worsley, 1699, and the New HaU passed into the family of the Cookes. Their son, Otho Cooke, of Half-street, Old Church, Manchester, married, in 1743, Elizabeth Kay, daughter of John Kay, of Salford, gentleman, died 1748, and whose son John was treasurer to the Manchester Infirmary in 1772, and resided in Front Salford, now the Crescent. Through the famUy of the Cookes and the Kays the descendants of Otho Cooke can claim alliance with Humphrey Chetham, the LIST or MEMBF.nS OF rARLIAMEXT.

founder of Clietluuu College, as his brother, James Chetham, born I060, married

for his first wife Isabel Holland, of Crumpsall ; and their daughter Jane, born 1603, married John Kay, of Thornham, near Middleton, the grandfather of John Kay, of Salford, born 1G76, father of Elizabeth, born 1712.

James, the son of Otho Cooke, is described in the MS. scroU as residing in Norfolk-street, Manchester, gentleman, 1775, having married Ann Alderson, of Lynn, Norfolk, the ancestors of Baron Alderson. The house in Norfolk-street

is yet standing, and is occupied by the banking firm of James Sewell and 'Nephew. There were several cliildren born to James Cooke—one, Thomas Alderson Cooke, married Judith Image, of an ancient family in Cornwall, and

their son Otho, the present owner of the estate, born 1802, married Frances Ann Enys, of Enys, Cornwall, from whom of several children two sons are now

living. The New HaU was vacated by the Cooke family in 1781, when Mr. Daniel

Whittaker occupied it till 1788, when it was let to Mr. WiUiam Barrow ; and

he and his relatives continued to occupy it untU 1841, when the Misses Barrow

were succeeded by Mr. Aldcroft Phillips, who held it till 1858, and it passed into the hands of Thomas Harrison, a cattle dealer and grazier.

There is an incident related of a fright the Misses Barrow received upon one

occasion, when Captain Fitzgerald, whose father held a lease of the coalmines under the New Hall estate, was paying a visit to the benevolent maiden ladies,

in 1831. He was asked to inspect the old cellars for some purpose or other. He jokingly said, '•' Why, I have been right under the old house and gardens a hundred yards below, and seen the cellars through the cracks in the mines." The ladies became so alarmed, as there had been a crack in the stone staircase a short time before, that they left the house until a strong support rwas placed

under the stau's, which were a cause of anxiety for years afterwards, and yet remained intact to the last day of the old mansion.

: The arms of the Cooke family are —Per pale : Dexter, the HoUaud arms. gules, between three bales of cotton argent crest, an Sinister : Sable, a che\Ton ;

ostrich holding a horseshoe in the mouth, argent.

COMPLETE LIST OF MEMBEES OF PARLIAMENT FOR LANCASHIRE AND THE SEVER-\L BOROUGHS AVITHIN THE COUNTY, FROM THE YEAR 1295 TO THE PRESENT TIME. (Cohtimiedfrom page 55.) missing, the names given have been N0TB.--\\Tiere the Original Returns are

; thus obtained a supplied from an independent authority. attached throughout the list. Members

County :— 13ol-2.tAdam Banastr'. 6 Edwd. in. Westminster 16th March, Robertus de Dalton', —

OLD SOl'TII-KA.S

; I'Mwd. 111. AVc.slinin.stcr

luiiior. (Joi'NTV : York(/.) .Itli Dec, Ki.".2. *EdimuKUis do Nevill. *Joliaunos de Horn ehy,

iJouNTV : Yorlv 21st Feb., 1333-4. *Edmimdus de NeviU'. *Eobertus de Dalton'.

County : Westmiixitei- 10th Sept., 1334. *Eobertiis de Radeclyf. *IIeni'icus de Ilaydok'.

County : Yorlc 26tli May, 133o. *Robertus de SHrburn. *Edmundus de Nevill'.

County : Westminster 11th March, 133o-6.tJohannes de Shirburn'. Heui'icus de Haydok".

County : Nottingham 23rd Sept., 133G.t Johannes de riorneby, junior. Ilenricus de Ilaydok. London (^) 3rd Jan., 1336-7. (Lancashire and its borouglis not represented.)

County : York (r) 13th Jan., 133G-7.t *Robertus de L'elande. *IIenriciis de Ilaydok.

County : Westmin3ter(j)26th Sept., 1337t RicardusdeHoghtou', miles. Edmimdus de NeviU', miles.

County : Westminster 3rd Feb., 1337-St liobertiis de BiUisthorp'. Robertus de Radeclif.

County : Northampton(/)26th July, 1338t Johannes de Horneby. Johannes de Clyderliowe.

County : Westminster(?014th Jan., 1338-9t Robertus de Cliderhou. Henricus de Bykerstath'.

t No date of Eeturn given.

(p) Summoned to meet at York 4th December, 1332, and by Prorogation 20th January, 1332-3.

(g) Summoned to meet by tlie Archbishop of Canterbury and four other Com- missioners in 'the absence of the King. Them.ayors and baihffs of certain towns were directed to send three or four men. Seventeen southern towns responded.

(r) Summoned to meet at York 13th January, and by Prorogation 9th February, and by further Prorogation at Westminster 3rd March, 1336-7.

(s) By Writs dated at Westminster 18th August, 11 Edwd. III., Johannes de Haryngton', Edmundus de Kevill', and Ricardus de Houghton' were summoned to attend this Parliament. (See Rot. Claus. 11 Edro. III., p. 2 m, 38 d.)

(t) By Writs of Summons, dated at Ipswich 16th July, 12 Edwd. III., the Sheriffs of twenty-three counties were directed to send four merchants to this Parliament from their baiUwicks, but the Sheriff of Lancashire was not of the number.

(?() Summoned to meet 14tli January, and by Prorogation 3rd February, 1338-9. —

LIST OF MEMBKHS of rARLIAMENT.

CorNTY : Edwd. III. Westminster 13tli October, 1330t*Nicliolau3 de Hullm. *Robertus de Prestecote. CouxxY : „ A\'estminstei- 20tliJan.,1339-40('Z/)* Johannes de Eadeclif. *Ilobertiis de Radechf.

County :

I: „ "\^"estminstel• 29th March, 1.340(w)tEobertus de Dalton'. Johannes de Daltou'. „ Westminster 12th July, 1340 {x) (No returns found for Lancashire.)

) „ Westminster 23rd April, 1341. (No returns found.)

-) „ AN'estminster loth Oct., 1342. (No returns found.) GouxTY :

' „ AVestminster 28th April, 1343. *Johannes de Haverington. *Johannes Ungoun. County :—

5 ,, Westminster 7th June, 1344.t Nicholaus le BotiUer. WiUielmus fil Koberti de Eadeclif.

County : Westminster 11th Sept., 1346. Johannes de Cliderhowe. Adam de Bredekirk. (Both elected 9th Sept.)

County : Westminster 14th Jan., 1347-8.t Adam de Hoghtou'. Johannes Cokayn.' County : — Westminster 31st March, 1348.t Eobertus de Plesyngton*. Eobertus de Prestecote.

Westminster 19th Jan., 1348-9. (}/) This Parliament -v\ a3 summoned to meet at West- minster 19th January,

1348-9 ; Prorogued to 26th April; and again Prorogued sine die on accoimt of the Plague. (SeeEot.Claus. 22 Edwd. III., p. 2, m. 7 d. and m. 3 d., and 23 Edwd. III., p. 1, m. 10 d.) County 25 „ AVestminster 9th Feb., 1350-lt *Otto de Halsale. *AA'illielmus de Eadeclif. „ „ AVestminster 13th Jan., 1351-2 (No returns found.) County : 26 „ AVestminster IGth Aug., 13521 Johannes deIIaveryiigton,(s) chivaler.

t No date of Return given. (r) The Slierifis were directed to send one Knight from each County, the Mayor of London, two Citizens, the "\^"arden of the Cinque Ports, two Barons, and the Mayors and Bailiffs of certain other places, one Citizen or one Burgess. (See Rot. Claus. 26 Edwd. III., m. 14 d.) (d) 154 merchants were summoned to attend a Council to be held at Westminster 27th March, 1340. Rot. Claus. 14 Edwd. III., p. 1, m. 40 d. 154 merchants were summoned to attend a Council to be held at London or Westminster on 26th May, 1340. See Rot. Claus. 14 Edwd. III., p. 1, m. 30. (x) By Writs dated at Kensington 27th July, 1340, the Sheriffs of thirty counties, inclusive of Lancashire, were directed to send a specified number of jllerchants from their counties and certain specified towns to a Council of Merchants to be held at London or AVestminster 21st August, 1340, but the Return for Lancashire cannot be found. (v) Seventv-six Merchants were summoned to attend a Council at Westminster 20th April, 1349. — —

GouNTV :

17 Edwil. 111. Westminster I'-Jid .-^qit., l.-l"j:Jt Willielmus Cavelc?. (Writ for one Knight only.) Oor.NTV :

28 „ AVestiniiister :.*.-^tli April, ]:i-jl. • WiUielimis Careles. *lticarclu3 Nowel. Cou.\T^' :

20 ,, AVestminster (<;) Nov., L')->J.t*Eogoru3 de Farndon'. *Kobertus de Ilorneby.

County : 31 „ AN'estniinster ITtli April, Vo'ft. '.Toliannes de Ilaveryngtoii'. 'Robertas de Singleton'.

County : 32 „ Westuiiuster .jtli Feb., F.!57-8.t Rogerus de Faryngton'. Robertas de Hoi-neby.

County : 34 „ Westminster loth May, lOOO.f Willielmus de Ileskyth, miles. Rogerus de Faryngton'.

County : „ „ AVestminster 24th Jan., l-j60-l.t AVillielmus de Radeclif. Ricavdus de Tounlay. ( Jo b-: continued.)

OLD EARTHEN VESSEL CONTAINING COINS FOUND AT BARTON-UPON-IRWELL. THE accompanying engraving accurately represents the crock, or earthen vessel, found recently by a labourer while taking down the Old IlaU at Barton-upon-Ir well _

It was when found fuU of English silver coins, consisting of groats, sixpences, shillings, haK-crowns, and crowns, of all the reigns from Elizabeth to Charles the Second, both inclusive. The vessel is of fine, thin red clay, and has three ears or handles, is glazed inside and out, and is of a fine dark purple colour, approaching to black. Size of vessel—seven inches across the mouth, and four and a-half inches high. The dotted lines show the fractures made by the workman's pick. R. Langton.

[The coins were noticed in our fii-st (January) number at page 36. Ed.]

t ^'o date of Return given. (a) Summoned to meet 12th, and by Prorogation 23rd ^'ovember, 1355 NOTICES OF NEW PUr.LICATIOXS. 91

NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. Notes oil Turtoii Tower and its Successive Owners. By 3Ie. James C. Scholes, of Boltox. These Notes have made their appearance in the form of a shilling pamphlet; containing sixty-six closely-filled pages, and an appropriate illustration from a clever sketch made by Mr. AViUiam Moss, of Bolton, subsequent to the recent beautification of the more modern portion of the buildings attached to the old

Tower. Near the conclusion of the introduction, the reader is informed that although a " complete " history of the Tower has not been accomplished, the author " ventures to affirm that few, if any, noteworthy facts other than those set forth in liis work, are come-at-able." In truth, a deal of the contents of this Mstorical brochure is decidedly new. The portion which relates to the earliest recorded owners developes the writer's opinion that this bistoric Tower, was not reckoned among the possessions of the Orrell family until the

beginning of the fifteenth century, when William Orrell (son and heir of

WiUiam OrreU, and grandson of Nicholas Orrell, of Orrell) became first Lord

of Turton, after its cession by the descendants of Henry, the Duke of Lan-

caster, and that the Tower could not have been built, as is generally supposed, by the Orrells. The notice of the purchase of the Tower and estates by the celebrated Humphrey Chetham is accompanied by documentary proofs, and an

interesting reference is made 'to the sitting of an old "Court Leet" at

Tixrton, so early as 1737, under Samuel Chetham, Esq., one of the last

of the township lords of his name. The conflicting statements of several

local and other historians relative to the Blands and Greenes are cleverly dealt with, in a manner which leads us to hope that a complete and

reliable list of the proprietors, &c., of Turton Tower, from the last

of the Ohetham's to the venerable founder of the Kay family—its present owners—has at length been made out. It is also shown that Turton Tower and estates were possessed by the first Mr. Kay at least ten years before the date given by other historians. The wealth of antique furniture with which the apartments of the Tower are furnished, and the relics and curiosities associated with its traditions and history, receive due attention. In this section we observed, with no little surprise, the astounding " " assertion that an old beU, bearing the inscriptions w°n," R o i287." and the

OiTell arms exists at Turton Tower, In his sketch, the author gives an illustration of the " arms " on the bell, and reproduces the two sets of initials a simile, and the date. The latter not being represented by ' fac but by the ordinaiy figures used throughout the pamphlet, and no explanation being given as to the class of numerals—Arabic or Roman—used upon the beU itself, our

. our perusal of ' tliis otherwise highly-interesting addition to county history ended somewhat unsatisfactorily, notwithstanding the author's epistolatory for itself. assiu:ance that the bell was quite old enough to speak That a beU, Claughton, near Lancaster—which older by nine years than that at St. Chad's, is believed to the oldest dated bears in Roman numerals the date 1206, and be the observation of the antiquaries bell in Great Britain—should have escaped 01,1) SOUTH-IOAST I.ANCA.SHIltK.

of Ihe nineteenth century, seemed to u.s altogetl)or incredible. On miikin"- a " " search through our Bells data we alighted upon the following remarks in a " Note contributed by Mr. liobert Ijangton, of Fennell-street, Manchester to the Manchesier City News, of 8th November last, supplementary to Mr. VV. H.Bailey's "Note" No. 1357 (in the previous week's issue), upon " Bells in :"— Lancasliire and Cheshire " Mistakes in inverted letters, or reversed letters, are exceedingly common on bells, so much so that later on, farther away from the times of 'the ignorant old monks,' mistakes became more and mora frequent, till in the seventeenth century the gross mistakes of spelling and transposing letters were so common that I have noticed it is difficult to find a

bell without some mistake of this sort upon it. There may be bells in this county as old or older than this at Claughton, and I dare say there are, but they TS-ill be without dates I should think it likely there may be a good sprinkling of lettered pre-Eeformation bells stiU in Lancashire, and perhaps a few alphabet beUs—that is, bells bearing the letters of the alphabet

round them. They are very common in some parts of the country. There is a bell at Tiu'ton Tower, near Bolton, bearing date 1-587. The 6 being reversed,

has given rise to discussion, some people asserting that the 5 was really a badly-

made 2, thus making the date 1287 ; but this is nonsense ; the Arabic numerals

were not then in use in England." Having thus learned that the same bell was meant, and that the numerals used upon the Turton bell were Arabic, and being already aware that the latter class of numerals were only introduced into this country in the fourteenth century, and had not come into common use imtil late in the fifteenth, we became anxious to see the erratic figure which had caused so much fuss. The kind permission of Mr. Kay, the present worthy owner, having been obtained, we planned a special visit to the Tower, which was promptly made, accompanied by Mr. Robert Langton, our artist and engraver, who will, in our next issue, record the result of our inspection of the bell. Mr. Langton's report will be accompanied by a drawing of the bell, and full-size fac similes of the two sets of initials, the shield, and the date. Mr. Scholes need scarcely blush because of his antiquarian mishap. He does not stand alone in this respect by any means ; nor need he feel stultified. His work, taken as a whole, proves that he is painstaking, veracious, and modestly sensible of the importance of his researches. His clever pamphlet fuUy merits the hearty reception which it has met with at the hands of his townsmen, and we have good reason to believe that an extended sale will follow its appearance elsewhere throughout the county.

Special Collections of Books in Lancashire and Cheshire.

This is a reproduction of a paper read before the Library Association of the United Kingdom at the Manchester meeting in September, 1879, and subsequently to the Manchester Literary Club, November 24th, 1879, by Mr.

J. H. Nodal, and is now reprinted from the Papers of the Manchester Literarj'' Club, Vol. VI., and published at the nominal price of threepence. To students and scholars this painstaking analysis of the contents of thirteen public libraries and institutions, and the libraries of twenty-five private collectors in Lancashire —

NOTES AND QUERIES, and Cheshire, is simply invaluable. Book-hunters are now, by means of lliis hiphly useful medium, f idly posted up in a knowledge of the extent and value of the preserves of their literary neighbour?. The appearance of the little vade-mecum will, we trust, put an end to the reticence of those collectors in special departments of literature, who have hitherto permitted Mr. Nodal's circular to remain unanswered and unacknowledged.

NOTES AND QUERIES.

" If stationary men would pay some attention to the districts in which they reside, and would publish their thoughts respecting the objects that surround them, from such materials might be drawn the most complete county histories, which are still wanting in several parts of the kingdom."—White, in his Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne.

[4.] I am desirous to know the origin of " Eagley," as applied to the thriving village situated to the north of Bolton, in Little Bolton chapelry or township, within the Hundred of Salford. Many suppositions on this somewhat obscure

yet interesting question have been set forth, from which it is difficult to form

more than a fanciful idea. The most credible story runs thus : —" In days gone by eagles abounded in that wild and romantic neighbourhood, whicli had been only moderately inhabited until so recently as the close of the eighteentli century. About the latter period the district so named began to assume the appearance of a lively hive of industry, and the king of birds finally decamped, and has not been since seen in the locality." If any of your weU-informed readers wiU give his Imowledge on the subject through your pages, it will simidtaneously interest and edify many of your numerous subscribers, and add something noteworthy to the early history of South-East Lancashire.—J. C. S.

[5.] If any of your readers will refer me to where a correct printed or MS. copy of the pedigree of the OrreUs of Orrell, in Lancashire, may be inspected, or give the names, &c., of five or six successive lineal descendants of the first Orrell of Orrell, I shall esteem it a favour.—T. T.

[6.] SwiNTOX AND BARTON-trpcN-lRWELL.—In a faded and well nigh worn out copy of lite Manchester Mercury and Harrop's General Advertiser of Tuesday, November 2oth, 1777, recently dug out of the dust, as it were, I

find the following advertisement, which, in some measure, identifies itself with Swinton and its neighbourhood. Its reproduction in Old South-East Lanca-

shire, if alone on account of the 103 years which have elapsed since its :— publication, may prove interesting to many readers " To be let to the best Bidder on Tuesday the 2d day of Dep., 1777, at two o'clock in the

afternoon, at the house of Mr. John Boardman, the ' Bull's Head,' in Swinton Together or separate, and entered upon at Christmas next—A Meadow, called The Sticklingsl foiu- Acres and a J of Land—7 Yards to the Rod or Perch- Also three Acres Pasture Land, Cheshire measure, called ' Wilcocks; with premises a Barn and Shippon thereto belonging.—The above are situate m Barton upon IrweU.—For particulars apply to Mr. John Seddon, at Acres Barn in Pendleton." J. D. G. — — ;

[7.] TiiK JlATHEn Family—To tlio Editor of Old South-east Lancashire,

Swintoii, Jjancashiro, England. Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A., 2, 9, 1880. My dear Sir,—I thank you for your first number of a magazine which, it seems to me, -will bo of great ser\ ico in the field in which it proposes to work.

If I were in your locality, I should prize such a work. At this great distance from the home of my ancestry in the far distant past, I may not be able to give the aid which such a work demands. Rev. Richard Mather, who was born in Lowton, in Leigh district, Lancashire, in L596, was the son of Thomas and

Margaret Mather, and grandson of John Mather, all of Lowton, where it is said the name had been localised for a long period. Xow that is all I know of the ancestry of Rev. Richard. If anything could be foimd out about the Mathers before the birth of Richard, it would be a source of great satisfaction to me and to hundreds of others in this new country. I will write a short article in reference to Richard if you think it worthy of a place in your columns.* Richard's parents had met with vicissitudes which greatly reduced their

worldly estate ; nevertheless they gave Richard a hberal education. They sent him to school at "Winwick, where they boarded him in winter, but in summer so great was his desire for learning^ that he went every day there from his

father's house, which was four miles distant. AYhiUt he was thus at school, he experienced much of the Orbilian harshness and fierceness of the pedagogue, whose severity of discipline came not much behind the master of Junius. He tormented young Mather eight times a day—whether he was in fault or not yet he bred many fine scholars. Discouraged by such treatment the pupil requently and earnestly importuned his father to take him from the school and put him to some secular calling, bat he was kept at his studies at Winwick. About this time (Richard was then fifteen years of age) the people of Toxteth Park, near Liverpool, wishing to get a teacher, the schoolmaster of Winwick recommended young Mather, who was appointed. After teaching there three years, he went to Brazenose College, Oxford. Here he became intimately acquainted with the famous Dr. Woral. After this he was invited

to preach at Toxteth, and preached his first sermon there November 13, 1G18, with great acceptance to a vast assembly of people. He was afterwards ordained with many others by Dr. Morton, the Bishop of Chester. After his settlement in Toxteth, he married Katherine Hoult, daughter of Edmund Hoult, Esq., of Bury, in Lancashire, on the 29th of September, 1624. God made

this virtuous gentlewoman a blessing to him for thirty years. She became the mother of his six sons, most of whom afterwards proved famous in their generation. Samuel, Timothy, Nathaniel, and Joseph were born in England, and Eleazar and Increase in New England. The latter became the President of Harvard CoUege, and the father of the famous Colton Mather, D.D., E.R.S. Hosts of others of his descendants were graduates of colleges, and have filled many places of trust and influence. Richard Mather came to New England in at Dorchester, Mass. preached there from 1636 1635 ; settled ; to 1669, and died there after an eventful life. The following lines formed a portion of his

epitaph :

* "We hope to publish such article in our next number. Ed. — : —

NOXES AND QUERIES. 95

" Here lies great Mather who so nobly wore Keligious honours, and its burdens bore.

- i WTiile in the Synod, stayed by God alone,

Its councils led, and made its acts his own ; And elsewhere aided—great among the great V The Church's welfare and the Civil State - I His solid judgment, bearing, reason, skill. He made subservient to his Master's will. Prudent, efficient, bent on human weal.

For all good works he kept a ready zeal, . .

Resolving, through the power of faith and prayer, .

In Christ all things to do, all things to dare : la thoughts like these my spirit seeks relief, This tribute rendering of its love and grief."

Hoping some individuals Avitli " Mather blood in their veins " will take an interest in my researches and assist me in my -work, I am yours very truly,

I IonACE E. Mather.—[The reader's attention is directed to the "circular to the Mather family," -which appears in our advertisement pares. It is probable that the ancestry of llichard Mather may be traced to Germany, where the name still exists. Editor.]

[8.] Folds-street and Chancery Lane, Bolton.—I hive been much interested in reading the interesting details in your last issue relative to Folds-street, contributed by Thomas Holdeu, Esq. I may state that all my early days were passed in this street, my father's house being the one now occupied as offices by Mr. Lomax, architect and surveyor, and he afterwards removed to the next house, formerly the residence of Mr. Joseph Rushton, solicitor, the uncle of our present worthy townsman, so that I may claim some knowledge of the locality. And first, in reference to the Timbered BuUdin^. a relic of Old Bolton. As to the drawing hy Mr. George Bury, which I had the pleasure of presenting to the Bolton Public Library, together with an equally interesting drawing of Clnirchgate, with the Old Church and Vicarage in the distance, also by this excellent native artist, I can confirm the statement by Mr. Holden that the drawing had not originally the name of the street at the gable end of the building, and it was not written by my old friend Mr. Bury. I suspect it was added by my father, the drawing aaving been presented to him by the artist, and he being a sign-writer must needs put one up at the comer of the street in which he lived, so that the account of date and change of the name of the street by Mr. Holdeu is no doubt correct. I think this drawing would be taken about the year 1822. I was a pupU of Mr. Bury's at the same time with Mr. Holden, and I have now before me the first pencil drawing! was allowed to make upon cardboard bearing this date, my father having written my name upon the back, adding—" aged 7 years." I cannot recoUect any occupier of the

' Old House earlier than a weU-known 'vendor of fish and vegetables, commonly called " Fish Jim," whose name was Darbyshire, a lean character, with an extravagantly-proportioned wife and one bouncing daughter, lived here for many years, whilst just a' strip of a shop at the end in Folds-street was occupied by West, the watch and clock maker. The opposite building, now occupied by Mr. Bromley, and built by Hilton Lever, yrzs at that time the warehouse of Messrs. Ormrod, Taylor, & Swan, and quite an important looking ,

place of bufiuess, with an entrance lobby, and tlie door at the end having a very highly polished brass plate, with the name of the firm—altogether a respectable bank appearance. There are some of the old townsmen remaining who will remember each of tliese partners in business, long since removed to

theii- rest. With respect to the other buildings in this street, I can see them

all as they were. Smith's carrier's warehouse, with its busy lading and unlading of wagons, which at night was very effective and picturesque, being

lit up with- large oil lamps, high up in the roof, whilst open galleries for the storage of goods went round the building. The next house past Chantler's Coiu-t, now converted into a shop, was a school, where many of the youth of the period were instructed, and where I learned my letters. This was kept by a namesake, but no relative. The ground above and in front of Bowker's llow

was all unoccupied, and the land adjoining those houses was used as a stone- yard, a long signboard bearing the name of King, stonemason. This land was shortly afterwards taken by the father of Sir Thomas Bazley, and the present

. warehouse built ; it was considered a large building at the time, and certainly

was a great improvement on the one occupied by the firm in the narrowest part of Mealhouse Lane, leading into Deansgate. At the other end of Bowker's Row, on the laud now occupied by Mr. Plall, warehouse, and the chapel, stood a large old barn and stabling. I may mention with respect to the christening

. of another street in close neighbourhood, the house in which I was born was at the comer of Hotel-street, opposite the old Queen Anne public-house. This

was at one time the Assembly Eoom, and here still the sessions room existed,

where the cki'ef magisterial business of the town was transacted. ]My father having to appear as a witness on one occasion, when his name was called he answered, and upon inquiry as to his place of residence by the presiding magistrate, Col. Fletcher, whom he knew very well, replied " Chancery Lane."

. Where is that ? he was asked. Well, I mean the street we are in now. But

why do you call it Chancery Lane ? was again the inquiry. Because, replied

my father, there are such a number of lawyers in it, there being there at the time and in the adjoining sweet neighbourhood of Ship Gates, some of the

leading town, lawyers of the many others having offices in Hotel-street and Mealhouse Lane. The result was that instructions were given for a sign-

board Chancery Lane," but it had previously been considered a part of Mealhou53 Lane. Pray excuse me troubling you with this commimication

which is prompted by my love for the old town.—I am, yours obediently, SeLDI EOTHWBLl.

[9.] BoLTOx AND District.—Materials for genealogical additions to the interesting churchyard notes now appearing weekly in the Bolton Journal

under the title of " Half-hours among the Tombs," are being collected jointly by the author of those notes and th% editor of this magazine. Lineal and collateral representatives of old Bolton (and district) families, who buried then- dead in Bjlton Old Church, Deane Church, or the attached chiu-chyards, or other churches or churchyards within those parishes, or the adjoining parishes,

should forward pedigrees or copies, addressed to Mr. John Ferguson Matthews,

lOG, Manchester Road, Swinton, near Manchester ; or state where copies may ANSWERS. 97

be inspected ; or supply whatever data or information they may possess, calculated to enable the author and editor to compile or complete pedigrees. The inspection of family records, manuscripts, books and documents, and the making of necessary extracts, will be undertaken by them at any distance, on an appointment being made with Mr. Matthews. Any originals or copies lent, wiU be carefully returned.

[10.] The Hollands.—Lineal and collateral representatives (not communi- cated with by letter) are invited to furnish similar information. Genealogical sketches of the various branches of tliis family are in course of preparation.

See " New Hall " article in the present number, under the heading, Old Halls of the Hundred of Salford."

ANSWEES.

[2.] " Chamber Hall."

In reply to the queries of your correspondent " W." in February number, I

ben- to direct his attention to the following notes. At the outset, let mo state, however, that I do not pretend to answer fully all he asks concerning Chamber Hall, in Bolton, much less Chamber Hall, near Bury, but I venture

to do so, in part. Chamber Hall, in Bolton, was not built by Thomas Eidgway, but by John Blackburne, Esq., known as Colonel Blackburne, from whom the thoroughfare leading from Dean Chm-ch, at the hind part of Chamber Hall, now called Blackburne-street, derived its name. By way of testimony of above assertion, the following contents of an old Manchester newspaper cutting* shall be brought

into service. " To be sold by auction, at the house of Mr. John Moss, sign of The Swan, in Bolton-in-the-Moors,—in the county of Lancaster, on Friday, the 28th day of April, 1876," &c., &c. " Lot 1. The fee simple and inheritance of

and in all that Capital Messuage or Dwelling-house, in Bolton aforesaid, with the gardens and croft adjoining thereto, and the several closes, closures, or

parcels of land commonly called or known by the several names of the Eound

Croft, Long Meadow, Broad Croft, Widow Croft, and Thornley Croft, containing by common estimation seven acres two roods and twenty perches of

land," &c., &c. The above Estate is in the possession of Titus Wood, and is about half a mile distant from Bolton. The tenant, or John Eobinson, of

Piltes Lane, near the premises, will show the estate.—For further particulars

apply to Mr. Phipp, steward to John Blackburne, Esq. ; or to Mr. Maire, attorney, in Warrington. John (not Thomas) Eidgewayf became owner of

* See The Manchester Jferairt/ and Harrop's General Advertiser, of Tuesday, 25th April, 1786, third page, last column, for advertisement of sale of fourteen lots, including Chamber Hall (first lot).—Editor. t John Ridgeuay was in his day an active person in the pubhc affairs of Bolton. He was a trustee of Bolton Grammar School, "Ridgeway Gates," Deansgate, derives cotton merchant, cotton its name from him. He was a spinner, &c. ; jointly in the latter brancli with James Keai-sley, as indicated in above sale advertisement. Tlie — — — —

01,1) SOl'Tir-KAST LAN'CASIUnK.

Cliamber Hall, Bolton, about 1780, and occupied it until his death on November 2nd, 1800, at the age of G7, following -which e\ent in 1804 Hall again advertised.]: for public auction, on the IZtli of May in Cliamber was — that year, as per another old newspapsr cutting : " Chamber Hall Estate.—

To be Sold by Auction (by order of tlie assignees of John Ividgeway & James Kearsley, bankrupts), at the Nag's Head Inn, in Bolton, in the county of

Lancaster, on Thursday the 17th day of May, 1804, &c., &c. Lot 1. The Fee

Simple and Inheritance of aU that Large and Commodious Mansion, fit for the immediate reception of a genteel family, together with "Warehouses, Stable, Shippon, Carthouse, Coach-house, and Three Cottages let at £20 per annum,

with about fifteen statute acres of meadow-pasture and pleasure grounds, as

hereafter described," &c., &c. Also Lot 3. " Pew, situate in the south side ; A " ! of Bolton Chnrch." And Lot 4. A Pew, situate in the north gallery of Bolton Church." For viewing the estate apply at the house. Other particulars may I

\j be had of Mr. Howorth, attorney-at-law, Turton; or Mr. R. Boahdmax, attorney-at-law, Bolton.

Touching Chamber Hall, near Bury, in whose o^v^ler3 or residents your " correspondent W." is also interested, I cannot say as much—little though it be—as I have done respecting its namesake in Bolton. When Mr. Thomas Wrigley (recently deceased), of Timberhurst, near Bury, was chosen high

sheriff of this coimty in 1872, it was rumoured that he was not the first of liis

name, in or near Bury, who had been raised to that dignified position, and it

was even asserted that one of his name so raised in times gone by had for his dweUing-place " Cliamber Hall, near Bury." Witli a \ievr of clearing awav

doubts, I wrote to the late Canon Eaines, who promptly replied, as follows : " Milnrow Vicarage, Rochdale, August 28th, 1872. Mr. Hem'y Wrigley, the

premises in which cotton spinning was carried on under the style of "Ridgeway and

Kearsley" was also advertised for sale in 1805 (as per old newspaper cutting) : [See The Manchester Mercury and Harrop's General Advertiser, of Tuesday, 7th May, 1805, page three, bottom of fourth column. Ed.] Sale by Auction, by Mr. W. Lomax, by order of the assignees of Ridgeway and Kearsley, bankrupts, at the house of Mr. Robert Rushton, the Isag's Head Inn, Bolton-le-Moors, on the 30th day of May, 1805, a Commodious and Substantial Cotton Factory, worked by steam, lately erected by Messrs. Ridgeway & Kearsley, situated in Taylor Field, close to the town of Bolton. Tbe building is forty yards in length and about eleven yards in width, is well lighted on both sides, and is four stories high, and one part of the building has an attic, for batting or other purposes. The building

is only part filled with machinery, mostly new, and consists of 6,728 spindles, with preparation for the whole that the factory will contain, viz., 10,000 spindles. The steam engine is 20-horse power, with two pans, allowed to be a very excellent one, was bmlt by the Low Moor Companj% &c., &c. Subject to the yearly ground rent of £21. 15s., &c. &c.—J. D. G. The following obituary notice appeared in The Manchester Mercury and Harrop's Advertiser, of Tuesday, 11th November, 1800 :—" On Sunday se'nnight, John Ridgwa}-, Esq., of Chamber Hall, near Bolton: a man universally respected by all ranks of people." Ed. The Manchester Mercury and Harrop's General Advertiser, 8th J See of Tuesday, May, 1804, fourth page, bottom of first column, for advertisement of sale of four lots.—Ed OUn MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE. 99

higli sheriff of Lancashire during the Commonwealth, was of Chamher Hall near Oldham, and had no connection with Bury. A house of that name in Bury parish, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, belonged to the Holts who were never high sheriffs of the county."—J. D. G. " [It will be observed that our original correspondent W." has now got three Chamber HaUs upon his hands—one at Bolton, another at Bury, and a third at Oldham. Other correspondents acquainted with the residences so named " will perhaps oblige AV." with additional light. See original query on page •57, of No. 2.—Ed.}

OUR MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE.

LOCAL.

At a meeting of the Museum, Libraries, and Parks Committee, of the Salford Town Council, held on the 9th December last, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Alderman Dewhurst, for his present to the Peel Park Museum, of a bust of Cromwell, by Swinnerton. The bust has been placed in the Newsroom. The two stone posts of the old Stocks at Horwich, between which, in days gone by, many a local mortal sat atoning for sins committed, and which have for many j'ears reposed against the copse on the Highway, not far from the Chm'ch on the way to Bolton, neglected and forgotten, have by the authority of the Local Board been re-erected, not to resume their original functions as instruments of lawful punishment, but to offer rest to the weary traveller. A substantial oak seat, with rest for the back, has been fitted between the posts, which it is hoped wiU preserve the pillars as a reminiscence of the past and provide a welcome accommodation to wayfarers. AVith no little pleasure we reckon the Hor-nich Local Board amongst our antiquarian friends.

During the first week in February a beautiful stained-glass window—the cost of which has been defrayed by the Hampson family, of Breightmet Hall—has been placed in the Baptistry of St. James's Church, in that township, in memory of the late Miss Mary and Miss Margaret Hampson, who during their lifetime took a deep interest in the schools, and indeed aU the affairs of the parish. The window, which is in two divisions, is emblematical of the Baptism . of our Saviour by St. John in the River Jordan, the Holy Spirit being represented as descending on our Saviour in the form of a dove. At the foot of the window is the following inscription in gold letters:—-"In loving memory of Mary Hampson, of Breightmet Hall, died March 16th, 1878. Margaret Hampson, of Breightmet Hall, died February 14th, 1879." The various colours blend together most harmoniously, and the work reflects great credit on Mr. AVailes,

of Newcastle, by whom it has been designed and executed. The win (dated October 8th, 1875), with three codicils (dated September 19th and October 13th, 1879) of Mr. Thomas Cross, formerly of Mortfield-within- HaUiweU, Lancashire, but late of Ruddington HaU, Notts, who died on October

31st last, was proved at the district registry, Nottingham, on the 4th ult. by James Ormrod and James Percival Cross, Herbert Ci'oss, and Alfred Cross, the sons of the deceased, the executors, the personal estate, including leaseholds. 100 or.T) SOUTII-KAST LANCASIIIIti;. boiiig' swovii undor .e.'ir>0,000. Tho testator bequoatlis to lii.s wife, Wis. Anne

Cross, such furniture, plate, pictures, wine, and effects as she may select to the value of £2,000, and £2,.'j00 per annum for life, but subject to reduction in the

marrying again upon trust for his wife's sister, Mrs. Louiie event of her ; Hall,

and her children, £3,000 ; and legacies to his male and female servants The residue of his real and personal estate is to be divided between his said three

sons in ec[ual shares. Special provision is made as to the admission of one of

his sons as a partner into the firm of Messrs. Ilardcastle, Cross, Co., Banliers, Bolton, Lancashire, of which deceased was a member. A new survey of the township of Pendleton has just been completed by Mr. J. S. Clijton, of Manchester, ably assisted by Mr. Coakley, under the supervision of Mr. A. Jacol), the borough engineer of Salford. The work was begun on 1st April, 1878. A re-survey of Eroughton is nearly completed, and a similar work in reference to the township of Salford has been in hand for

some time past, and will be concluded towards the end of the present year.

The Pendleton survey is on a scale of li^, or ten feet to the mile. Since the Ordnance Survey of Lancashire in 1845, no re-survey of the township has

been effected until the present time, and it was found that the enormous change in the features of the district during the last tlairty-three years, coupled with the fact that the Ordnance maps of most of the districts were on the same scale of six uches to the mile, absolutely necessitated a re-survey in order to have a reliable map of the district for sanitary and other pm-posts. The township, including Pendlebury detached (embraced in this sui-vey) has an areaof about 2,560 statute acres. The draught plans embrace eighty-nine sheets

of double elephant paper, each sheet having 3 feet by 2 feet of drawn work

upon it. Some interesting relics of Robert Southey have recently been added to Chetham's Library, Manchester. The most important are the MS. materials for that medley of humour and learning " The Doctor." The opening of that book, oddly described as " Chapter VII., A.I.," was, we have Miss Caroline

Bowles' testimony, " from the life, and the book grew out of that night's

conversation, exactly as there narrated." Southey played with the pages of " The Doctor," to iise Warter's simile, " as he did vdth his ldtten=—as a relaxation from his bread-earning and every-day pursiuts." Southey did not live to complete the book, and in the distribution of his literary property

"The Doctor," and the > MS. materials for its- completion fell to the share of his daughter Edith, whose husband, the Rev. John Wood Warter, edited the

concluding portion. In the selection of tlie material which Southey had left he was assisted by the poet's widow. "The Doctor " partakes vei-ymuchof

the character of a common-place book, for into it Southey poured quotations, serious and jocose, from his wide reading in various European languages. In

consequence there is the widest possible range alike of subject and illustration. The bulky MSS. acquired by Chetham's Library are the original materials accumulated by Southey, written in his exceedingly neat autograph. Many of the extracts are on tiny pieces of paper wafered to their assigned position in the

narrative. Mr. Warter's prefatory note to the sixth volume of the original OUR MONTHLY CONVEHSAZIONE. 10] edition and other explanatory annotations show how carefully he had done his work. There are also the proofsheets of the fourth and tifth volumes, with corrections in Southey's writing. Another volume contains a MS. catalogue of the extensive library of the Poet Laureate. Lastly, we have to notice the " Letters of Espriella," in Southey's autograph. In this work he gave the

supposed impression of English scenery, life, and customs upon a supposititious

Spaniard-Don Manuel Alvarez Espriella. Espriella gives a curious account of

Manchester, which he found " destitute of all interesting objects." It was even then reckoned as the second city in the kingdom. " The most remarkable

thing I have seen here is the skin of a snake fourteen English feet in length,

which was killed in the neighboiu'hood, and is preserved in the libraiy of the

CoUegiate Church.'" This designation is a mistake for Chetham's College, where a number of "curiosities" of this kind were formerly exhibited to

visitors. The cicerone was a bluecoat boy, and his chanted " catalogue " of

them was irresistibly droll.

COUNTY. Whilst a mason was excavating for a foundation for a large dog kennel behind the stables at Clitheroe Castle, on the 18th of February, he turned up a

' small silver coin of the time of Charles II., date 1671. Charles II. was the monarch who gave the Castle and other property of the Honour of CHtheroe to General Monk, the present representative being the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The coin is in excellent preservation, and bears on one side,

" Carolus II., Dei Gratia," and on the reverse were his crown, a large capital " C," the date, 1671, and " Mag. Br. Fr et Hib. Eex," the translation being " King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland."

GENERAL. The Queen has made a grant of aU her Indian trophies, pictures, &c., to the Indian Museum. The registers of the parish of St. Columb Major, Cornwall, from lo-SD to 1780 are being issued in monthly pavts, under the editorship of Mr. Ai-thur J, Jewers, F.S.A. A new museum will shortly be opened to the pubhc at Eome, and will contain the various objects of art and archteology which are found from time of the river. to time in the bed of the Tiber and on the banks Mr. D. W, Stevenson, A.R.S.A., Edinburgh, has just completed a statue of niche in front of the inititute John Knox, which is intended to occupy a recently erected in Haddington as a memorial of the reformer. A new catalogue of the contents of the Louvre, which will comprise several important improvements in respect to details, calculated to render it more convenient for reference and study, is being printed imder ofRcial direction. The mutilated cuneiform tablet from Babylon shown at the recent meeting contains notice of the defeat of of the Biblical ArchEeological Society a Cyrus Astyages, king of Media, and of the captui-e of his city of Ecbatana by the Great. 102 01,1) .souTir-KAST i,ANCAsirntr-;.

Lord Byron's writing desk, witli several aiitograpli inscriptions and his

lordship's name inside, was sold by Messrs. Sotheby, in London, on tlie 1.3th of February, for £70. Tlie purchaser was Mr. T. Sabin, of Ilart-strcet, Bloomsbury.

A Protestant minister, 100 years old, hopes during the current month to

celebrate the seventieth anniversary of his ministry in the little village of

Accum, East Friesland. The centenarian, Ilerr Miicke, is the only Protestant pastor in the Duchy of Oldenburg.

The letters addressed by Grimm to Catharine II. are being edited for publi-

cation by Professor J. C. Grote, and, although not so numerous, will serve as tlie complement of the letters from the Empress to the Encyclopddisie, published by the same editor in 1878.

Mr. Howard Paid has placed a monument on the grave of his wife iu Brompton Cemetery, designed by Kaemaekers, and with this epitaph from

: — Spenser " Sleepe after toyle ; port after stormie seas ; ease after warre ;

death after life ; doth greatly please."

An Italian priest and philologist, Bernardino Peyron, has discovered in the binding of a Greek manuscript from the ancient library of St. Ambrose, on Mount Ahtos, two fragments of St. Paul's Epistles in the Greek text. Similar fragments at Paris have long been highly valued.

An interesting discovery has just been made at WeUs, of upwards of a thousand original documents, some of wliich date back to the thirteenth century. Many of the seals are in a beautiful state of preservation. They were found in an old oaken press in the Almshouses. The leaf of an ante-Hieronymian version of the Gospels written on purple veUum, which had been missing from its proper place in the library of Trinity CoUege, Dublin, has been found. It is believed to be a fragment of the Codex Palatinus, but how it became detached from it is a mysterj'. A good deal of interest attaches to Professor Max Midler's attempt to recover Sanskrit texts from Chinese and Japanese sources, and the finding in Japan of

an early Buddhist sutra is, it may be hoped, the first of a series. The Japanese Minister has promised to give all the help he can in the search.

M. de Lies\Tllehas bequeathed to the State (France) a magnificent collection of works of art, weapons, instruments, furniture, pottery, &c., and of autographs and historical documents of the revolutionary epoch. It will probably form the nucleus of the Museum of the Revolution which is to be established at Versailles. An ancient canoe was discovered in January, in the Clyde, opposite Nelson's monument in Glasgow Green, on what, in consequence of the recent lowering of the water level, becomes at certain states of the tide a small islet. The canoe is of oak, 24 feet long, and similar to others which have been found in the Clyde basin.

An interesting correspondence is going on in the .<4t"rt:

OUR MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE.

The Council of the Index Society have resolved to bring before their members at tlie annual meeting, to be held soon, a proposal for opening an office furnished with as many indexes as they can procure for the use of their members, with a clerk in attendance to assist inquirers in their researches and to answer queries sent by post. The following hint may be useful to enthusiastic collectors. We have good authority for saying that about fifty forged terra-cotta Babylonian inscribed tablets, many duplicates cast and baked in terra-cotta, having dates from Nebuchadnezzar to Darius, have been sent to London and offered for sale_ They appear to have been made at Baghdad.

Mr. Douglas, of Edinburgh, is preparing to publish Dr. Arthur MitcheU's Ehind Lectures in Ai-chjeology, delivered in Edinburgh in 1876, 1877, and

1878. The first series is entitled "The Past in the Present, and "What is

Civilization ? " It wiU be followed immediately by the second series, " The " Present in the Past, and What is Savagery ? Dr. Schroeder will publish shortly " Eicardi Bentleii Opuscula Philologica."

The first part, containing the notes extracted from his copies of Greek and Latin

authors now in the British Museum, is in the press, and is to appear immediately. The second part, containing all that Dr. Schroeder could find in

Cambridge, is to appear during the present month or in April. Discovery op the Tombs of Princes.—An archaeologist has discovered in a mortuary chamber attached to the Capuchin Church at Modena the tombs

of eight Princes of the House of Est6—among them, Francis I., who died 1658 ; Almeric, his son, 1660; Alfonso IV., 1662; Cardinal Pdnaldo, of Este;

Benedict Philip Armand, 1750 ; and a son of Hercules Rinaldo, 1753. Mr. Thomas Stevenson, the Edinburgh antiquarian bookseller, contemplates the publication of a folio volume, to be entitled " Edinburgh in the Olden Time," containing copies of the collection of drawings, illustrative of the con-

dition of the Scottish metropolis from 1795 to 1828, made by the late Eev. James Sime, and bequeathed by his widow to GiUespie's Hospital in that city. The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland propose to issue shortly a supplementary volume to the " Archaiologia Scotica," consisting of drawings of the sculptured stones and crosses of Ion a and the Western Highlands. These drawings, 100 in number, were executed by Mr. James Drummond, and were

recently pi-esented to the Society, the impression will be limited to 350 copies. A small book of somewhat complicated nationality has recently appeared at Chemnitz. It contains the original text, in Roman characters, of the Assalayauasutam, a Buddhist treatise against Caste, of considerable antiquity,

though it cannot have been wi-itten down before the tliird century B.C. Mr.

I'ischel has added a commentary and translation in English, a compliment to our language becoming increasingly frequent. The Hamburg daily paper, Der Correspondent, now in existence a century and a half, has issued its jubilee number. It has appended to this two fac- similes of the paper as it appeared on the last day of 1731 and the first day of

1740. The shape of the old newspaper is smaU quarto, the paper grey and hand-made, the type Gothic. The management promise to issue some further

curiosities from their carefully kept archives, 104 OLD SOUTir-KA^T I,A\CASJIiriK.

Gaelic literature has sustained a serious loss by the death, at Dublin, on the 11th February, of Mr. Joseph O'Longan. The lithographic copies of old Gaelic volumes reproduced by the Koyal Irish Academy, at the suggestion of their librarian, Mr. J. T. Gilbert, were the work of Mr. O'J.ongan. With a rare knowledge of the older Gaelic he combined great dexterity and elegance as a fac-similist of a special class of manuscripts.

A new edition of " Lancashire Follc-Lore," by Messrs. John Harland, F.S. A., and T. T. AVilldnson, F.R.A.S., will shortly be issued. The first edition, which has long been out of print and scarce, was published by Messrs. F. AVarne & Co_ in 1877. They disposed of the copjiight to Mr. Wilkinson, who before his death sold it to a London publisher. A limited number of lai-ge paper copies, small quarto, of the new edition will be printed.

Some relics of a privateer fitted out at gaint Malo in 1747, which sank in the roadstead of Morlaix (Finisterre), have lately been recovered by Captain Guerin of the Plojigeur. He has brought to land three anchors, twelve cannon, a bell, some cannon balls, a number of boarding pikes, sabres, pistols, &c. He was obliged to suspend his operations on account of bad weather, but purposes resuming them on the first opportimity.

Mr. J. J. Stevenson, F.E.I.B.A., has recently made at the request of the

Society for tlie Protection of Ancient Buildings, a caref id report on the present

state of St. Mark's at A^enice, and sees no need for anything more than slight

repairs. He was told that it was intended to spend £100,000, at the rate of £5,000 per annum, on the west front works. This points to the reconstruction of the Jaqade and to tlie renewal of the mosaics in the vaulting of the portico.

The Papal arcliives have been recently enriched by some inestimable

treasures. Among other matters, these newly acquired documents consist of autograph letters from Cardinals Famese, Sfondrati, Polo, Carlo Borromeo, Pope Pius v., and several dignitaries present at the Council of Trent. The papers throw much light upon ecclesiastical history during the last three

centuries. Their acquisition is due to the research and industry of Cardinal Hergenrother.

An interesting " find " of ancient silver coins has taken place at Fortrose (Chanonrie), in the Black Isle. They are over a thousand in number, and are

all of the time of King Eobert HI. of Scotland, who reigned from 1390 to " 1406. The majority bear the stamp of Edinburgh," several that of Perth," and one at least that of " Aberdeen.'' The hoard was enclosed in a flagon of tarnished copper of the shape in use in Scottish families in the fourteenth and

fifteenth centuries.

A discovery of much archffiological interest has been made at Clifton Hall Farm, near Penrith. Near the river Lowther, two perfect examples of the

stone kist, or coffin, which prevailed amongst the ancient Britons have been " " found. Each contained a skeleton, together with the usual food vessels or that clay urns. It is supposed that these kists are nearly 2,000 years old, and they belong to the stone age—a period, of course, anterior to the Roman occupation of Britain. OUR MOXTIIT.Y C0N"ST,RSAZIONT5.

Mr. Cosmo Monkhouse, describing the collection of pottery, &c., bequeathed to the British Museum by the late Mr. Henderson, speaks in enthusiastic terms

of its beauty and value. " If it were only as a lesson in lustre this collection

would be singularly interesting, for here it can be traced in its progress and decay through many centuries, from its birth in Persia, through the Arabs and Moors to Spain, Sicily, the Belearic Islands, and Italy." We learn from the same source that Mr. Augustus Franks has presented Oriental pottery to the British Museum.

The colossal Lion of Belfort, designed by M. Bartholdi as a symbol of the courageous resistance made at Belfort at the time when Paris was besieged, I has at last been relieved of all the scaffoldings and hoardings that have hitherto

hidden it from view. It now stands out with very fine effect against the front

of the rock on which the chdteatt, or forti-ess, that overlooks the town is built.

It is hewn out of immense blocks of stone of a reddish colour, and produces an

overpowering impression of gigantic size and strength. Nearly eight years

have been spent in its execution.

The greatest treas\u'e destroyed in the bombardment of Strasburg was the famous " Hortus Deliciarum," a manuscript of the twelfth century, in which Herrade de Landsperg had condensed the sum of the knowledge and opinions of the age from the creation to the millennium. This MS. was, on account of

' its miniatures and other decorations, one of the most precious relics of medieval

art. Fortunately it has been found possible to bring together copies of the

I ' illustrations of about two-thirds of the work, and these are to be published at Strasburg by Triibner, with a description by Canon A. Straub. The Record Society for the pubhcation of original documents relating to

Lancashire and Cheshire is about to print the first volume of the " Registers of the Parish of Prestbury, in Cheshire," the largest parish in the county, the

registers of which are full of valuable information. The volume of •'' Lancashire

which is being edited for the Society Mr. J. Paul I Inquisitions Post Mortem," by completed, but wiU not be issued tiU the Society's other ! Rylands, is nearly volumes are ready in July next. It abounds in valuable genealogical and topographical information relating to Lancashire, aU of which is quite new.

I Chapel, in the City Road, London, nearly I The trustees of John Wesley's

destroyed by fire last December, having accepted from the Phoenix Insurance to cover the cost of damage, have I Company a sum of money sufficient themselves undertaken the restoration of the building, and the work is now i examination that : vigorously proceeding. It has been found on one of the fine

granite pillars erected by Mr. S. D. Waddy, M.P., to the memory of his father j has been so defaced by the heat that a new one wiU have to be erected, at an outlay of £300. The other monuments and tablets wiU be cleaned and restored. j The movement for the establishment of a society for the protection of ancient j progresses. The Clironique I buildings in France decidedly des Arts has a

letter from Mr. Boyce. Two admirable articles that have lately appeared, the one in the XIX' Siecle, the other in the Silcle, taking for text the advertisement in the Ti/nes of the sale of the CarmeHte cloisters at Pont 1' Abb^, show I t 01,1) SOnxil-l'.AST I.AN'C'ASHinr.. the urgent need of awakening public opinion on this question. From flio tone of tlie article in the Silcle, it is clear that the writer exactly appreciates the danger the French historic monuments now lie under from the Comit6 des Monuments Ilistoriqucs. Mr. James Gairdner has in the press for the Camden Society a volume mainly relating to the reign of Henry VI. In addition to the two hrief chronicles from the Lambeth Library, the issue of which was authorised by the Society some years ago, there will be a similar chronicle from the College of Arms, containing very interesting matter, and also a number of notes by Stowe, the antiquary, extending from the reign of Henry VI. to that of Elizabeth, written in his hand upon the blank leaves and spaces of one of the Lambeth

MSS. The information contained in these notes is in many cases more full than that printed by Stowe in his chronicle.

Last year Dr. A. B. Grosart, of Blackburn, reprinted for private circulation Sir John Eliot's " Monarchie of Man," and now proposes to follow with some other unpublished MSS. which have been placed at his disposal by the

Earl of St. Germans, the lineal descendant of the patriot. The first is a

treatise on the " Eights of Majesty," the second an account of the first Parlia-

ment of Charles I., the third deals with the question of the lightness of Socrates in not replying to his accusers. "The design," says Forster, in speaking of this work, "was to ask from a later age, when the writer should no longer be accessible to praise or blame, the justice desired in his own."

In the case of the Vicar of Folkestone, who lately sought, as part of some internal decorations in the parish church, to introduce a stained glass window exhibiting a priest of the fourteenth century giving the chalice to a communi- cant, the priest being attired in a chasuble. Dr. Tristram, the Comiliissary- General of Canterbury, recently decided against the design, holding that

where it was desired to introduce into a church by way of decoration the

celebration of a religious rite, it would be a wise exercise of its discretion to

say that it should be a rite sanctioned at the present time. The vestments

were illegal, and the faculty would be granted on all the other matters ; but the proposed glass window would not be allowed. The very important and valuable library of the late Sir George Cockburn> G.C.B., Shanganagh Castle, Bray, Co. Dublin, comprising an extensive

collection of English and foreign literature ; rare works on Art, including

grand galleries, Roman antiquities, books of engravings, etchings, portfolios of

prints, and framed prints ; with scarce works relating to Ireland and Irish

affairs ; curious native antiquities, &c., was brought under the . hammer of

Messrs. Bennett & Son, auctioneers, at their rooms, 6, Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin, on Wednesday, 25th February, and following days. Several fandliar faces from the English side were observed within the inner circle of cognoscenti, and among them some hailing from Manchester^district.

Colonel Villiers, who brought home the uniform and other personal effects of

the late Prince Imperial, was unable, after a most careful search, to discover his

watch. The watch was in all respects historical. It had been worn by

Napoleon I. in many of his later campaigns. On the dependent seab, &c., OLD SOUTH-EAST LA^sCASHIRE, 107

possibly Napoleon II. cut his teeth. It was purchased by Napoleon III., if I mistake not, from that ardent Napoleonic relic-hunter, Mr, Sainsbury, and

uorn by his late Imperial Majesty as a sort of talisman. He had it in his

pocket during the last campaign, and it is related of it that at a critical moment

in the battle of Sedan it suddenly stopped. The late prince attached great

value to the relic, which it is feared, is now irretrievably lost, or, perhaps, destroyed. A flower painter, M. Tremblay, who at one time was in great request and in flourishing circumstances in Paris, recently died there of heart disease, after passing his later years in the greatest wretchedness. As he had not been seen for several days, his landlord caused his room in the Rue la Beotie to be entered by force, when the inmate was found dead in bed. The police officer on search- ing through the deceased's papers, with a view to find a clue to his relatives, discovered a chest fiUed to the top w-ith gold coins, most of them belonging to the time of Napoleon I. and Louis XVIII. The old painter had acquired a

passion for numismatics, and his collection is rich in rare descriptions of coins. Rather than part with any of them, he had for years undergone the greatest

privation.

A monument to General Wool and his wife, erected at Troy, New York, is said to have been made from the largest stone quarried within the last 3,000

years. The obelisk selected was submitted by the New England Granite Works, Hartford, Conn., which proposed to erect a shaft 48 feet 10 inches in height, but the proposition was afterwards amended so as to make the shaft

measure 58 feet. A block 64 feet long was quarried for the monument, but it contained a blemish, and after two similar failures, a foui-th block was quarried, which proved entirely satisfactory. The obeKsk, as erected, is 60 feet high. It weighs 100 tons, and is erected upon a pedestal weighing 150 tons. The entire

monument is 75 feet high. The shaft itself was transported from the quarry,

in Maine, to Troy, N.Y., a distance of 400 miles, on barges, and was then moved on rollers to the cemetery. The Excavations at OLYiipTA.—The intelligence received in Berlin respecting the new series of excavations now being proceeded with in Olympia speaks of continued success rewarding the labom-s of the German Commission, although in the third week in January the work was much interrupted by frequent and heavy downpours of rain. Among other objects discovered are nximerous fragments hitherto missing in the metope reliefs, a deeply-carved stone representing a very antique picture of a lion, the first specimen of the of the younger Faustina which exactly kind hitherto found ; further, a head

fits a torso unearthed some time ago. Among the foundations of the Temple

of Hera there have been dug up a large number of very ancient votive offerings in bronze and terra cotta. On the western side of the Altis a gateway leading

to the north has been brought to light, and numerous new discoveries of remains of buildings have been laid bare near the Byzantine Church. Mr.HormuzdRassam's accoimt of his recent explorations in Nineveh and Baby- on 9th printed lon was read at a meeting of the Victoria Institute February. The :— copy contains the foUowing remarkable expression of the explorer's opinions 108

" TliG discovery of this obelislc [of Assiir-nazir-pal] and tbo larger Sardanapalus cylinder makes me very often wonder how an explorer might miss a most valuable record of the past by merely digging a foot or even a few inches from

either side of it ; and this fact leads me to hope that, before England abandons the researches in Assyria and Babylonia altogether, where she has been so mar- vellously successful in her explorations, she will have the mounds of Koyunjik and Nimroud laid bare—that is to say, have them thoroughly examined, by beginning at one end and finishing at the other. I feel confident that if the

work was continued for the next hundred years in the same style in which we have been carrying it on for the past thirty-five years, still, at the end, we miglit perhaps miss a relic which would be most invaluable to both religious

and scentific research," DiscoTBEY OF TREASURE AT MoNTE ViDEO.—The Monte Video Harbour Improvement Company have made a curious discovery. In the course of their

opsrations in dredging the harbour they have raised two ingots, which at first

were believed to be of iron, but one of the sailors, in cleaning ofiE the shells

which covered them, discovered that they were two bars of silver, each of

70 lbs. weight. On one of them inscriptions were found which were much " " " effaced, but the marks o c and y n," and the date, 1772, were still legible. It is supposed that these ingots formed part of the treasure which the Spanish galleon Aurora took from Chili in 1772, and which, according to the historian Lozan, was lost in that port, opposite the powder magazine, during the storm

of the 19th August in that year. As it is probable tliat in this spot there would be other remains of these treasures, which have been hidden during a

century, the Dredging Company has arranged with divers, who will make further search under the superintendence of the Procurateur Fiscal on the part of the Monte Videan Government, who are entitled to half the proceeds. The

spot where the discovery has been made is 300 yards to the south-east of the rocks in the bay called Piedras de St. Pedros.

It will be remembered that two needles or obelisks have until lately existed

at Alexandria, close to the seashore of the easternmost port or harbour. One

of these was in a perpendicular position ; the other had been lying buried in

the sand iintil removed by Mr. Dixon and conveyed to the Thames Embank- ment. The second and more perfect obelisk was given by the late Khedive Ismail Pasha to the American Government, who lost no time in sending to take possession of the monument. Ijieutenant-commander Gerringo, of the United States Navy, has been charged with the task of lowering and removing this splendid monolith. During the execution of the first portion of his work, he

made, or believes he made, a discovery which is of interest to the Masonic

craft. Our institution, in the opinion of many, dates only from the eighth

century of our era ; whilst in the opinion of the initiated the birth of our order corresponds with the building of the temple of Jerusalem under Solomon. The discoveries of Commander Gerringo, which consist of certain emblems and an

iron trowel, indicate in his opinion that nearly twenty centuries ago Pontius, the

architect, was a Freemason. The matter has already attracted some attention, and doubtless will be f uUy investigated by our craft. ;

OUB MONTHLY COXVERSAZIONE. 109

At the corner of tlie new and yet incomplete part of the Via Nazionale and

tlie Via di S. Eufemia the foundations of a very large palatial mansion about to be built for the Manchese Grillon, the husband of Madame Eistori, had been laid without even an inscribed brick being foimd. Only one trench had to be cut, and, as it happens sometimes, just as the last spadefid was being thrown up, in January, a valuable treasure was discovered. It consists of marbles and bronzes. The marbles are—five fountains of difiEerent shape and workmanship; a lovely statue of a faun; two headless female draped

divinities ; the plinth of a missing statue of Serapis, with a Greek inscription stating that a certain C. Avidius Trophimianus had dedicated the piece MEFALo) OEo), YHEP CwTHPIAO of M. Aui-elius Antoninus CaracaUa ; small columns of precious marbles, &c. The bronzes rank amongst the finest

productions of Greek-Roman art, if they are not Greek altogether. There are

a sitting statuette of Cybele, with the rare symbol of a millstone in the left

liand ; the head of a lion, which formed the ornamentation of a foimtain ; and a superb liead of a youth—a most perfect bronze. The memorial to be placed at the grave of Sir F, Grant in Melton Mowbray churchyard, designed by Mr. Woolner, has received the final element of colours

so that the whole is most elegant and effective. The combined cross and sun, emblems of obvious meaning, have been gilt on a deep blue ground, and they

distinguish the work in a striking manner ; the badges of bilberry boughs,

proper to the family of the deceased, which occur at the sides of the emblems, have been exquisitely carved in very low relief, and coloured after nature. The inscription has been cut in Gothic letters on the slab of hard grey Sicilian marble, and, by forcible hammering, the indents filled with lead in that manner " which is of immemorial use, as described in the Book of Job, xix. 23 : Oh

that my words were now written ! oh that they were printed in a book ! That " they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever ! " We understand that the sixth volume of Mr. Foley's Records of the : of Jesus" wiU soon be in the binder's English Province of the Society hands. .;

It is principally based on the transcripts of original and unpublished documents recently procured from the English College at Rome, by the Royal Historical Manuscripts Commission. These documents comprise the annals of the college, the personal statements of students in answer to the interrogatories put to them on entering the college, and the Pilgrim-book of the ancient English hospice at Rome. Both college and hospice were handed over in 1680 by Gregory XIIIv to the English Jesuists, in whose hands they remained for nearly 200 years. During that time some 1,500 students passed through the college, including members of most of the leading Catholic families in England, and their narratives, as well as the account of the visitors to the hospice, furnish valuable matter both to 'the historian and the genealogist. Among the interesting documents contained in these volumes is the report of Cardinal Sega, who was appointed in 1596 by the Holy See to visit the college and inquire into the complaints of the students—complaints said to have been fomented and encouraged by Elizabeth and her ministers—as well as a number of papers from the Public Record Office, containing lists of priests and the families that 110 KOUTll-KAHT LANCAHIIIItK. eiiterUiincd iliom, and some curious accounts of scarclic^ after Catholics concealed in London.

The -will of Mr. John Torr, late M.P. for Liverpool, of Carlett Park, ]<;astham Cheshire, dated the 12th October, 1878, was proved at Chester on the 5th Feb. by the Rev. William IC. Torr, his eldest son, and his son-in-law, Mr. Charles John Bushell, the trustees and executors, and guardians of the property of

Herbert James Toit, the youngest son of the testator ; the pei-sonalty being sworn under £250,000. The principal bequest of a public character is one of £10,000—in case he should not in his lifetime have given the sum of £10,000, or any larger or smaller sum— as a contribution for the endowment of a new bishopric, on condition that such new bishopric should be legally founded in his lifetime, or before the expiration of seven years from his decease or, ; in case he should in his lifetime have given for the endowment of the bishopric any moneys not amounting to £10,000, he bequeathed a sum of money equal to- the difference between the £10,000 and the moneys he should have so given. To the trustees of the Church school at Eastham he bequeaths £"100, the annual

income arising from which is to be applied to the benfit of the school ; and he directs that three sums of nineteen guineas each shall be distributed on the Christmas immediately following his death to the poor of the parish of Eastham, and of the parishes of Riby and Aylesby, in Lincolnshire. There are several bequests to relatives and to servants. Among the former are legacies of £10,000 to each of his daughters, Catherine Ann BusheU and Louisa

Knight-Bruce, and one of £5,000 to his eldest son. Licluded in the latter are a bequest of £500 to the testator's farm manager, Charles "William TindaU,

and one of £100 to Samuel Edwards, a clerk in the office of Messrs. Littledale, Liverpool, a firm in which Mr. Torr was for many years a partner. His

Cheshire estates he leaves to his eldest son, and his Lincc'lnshire estates ill trust for his second son.

C. Gerold's Sohn will shortly publish, in Vienna, a splendid archaeological

work, with numerous illustrations, containing the scientific results of the second

Austrian expedition to Samothrace. This expedition, undertaken in 1875, and confided by the Austrian Government to the distinguished archseologists, Drs. A. Conze and Benndorff, was intended to continue and complete the labours of the expedition conducted in 1873 by Conze, Hauser, and Niemann. The new workj containing seventy-six folio plates, and more than fifty illustrations in

the text, is accordingly the sequel of the publication of 1875 (see Academy,

]March 18, 1876, p. 269). It contains (1) communications relating to the principal sanctuary of the famous Samothracian Mysteries, which had long

been sought for, and which was at last rediscovered in 1875 ; (2) the restoration of an Ionian Propylaeum, erected by Ptolemy H., which bridged over the valley investigation in which the mysteries were celebrated ; (3) an of gi-eat interest

for art>-history concerning an anathema to which belonged the beautiful torso of "Nike," foimd in 1863 by the French Consul, M. Champoiseau, and presented by him to the Louvre. M. Champoiseau had failed to notice some gigantic blocks of marble, curiously formed, an examination of which suggested

to Professor Hauser the idea that they formed, as a whole, the prow of a ship, OVV. 5I0XTHT,Y COXVERSAZIONK. Ill on tlie deck of wliicli stood the statue of " Nike." Witli the help of fragments preserved in the Louvre, Professor Zumbxisch, of Vienna, has completed the statue of " Nike," and the restoration, as -well as the discovery of the pedestal, proves that tlie whole monument corresponds exactly with the design on a medal which Demetrius Poliorcetes caused to be struck in remembrance of the naval battle of the year 306 B.C. This research derives peculiar interest and a very welcome confirmation from the circumstance that M. Champoiseau, at the personal suggestion of Professor Conze, has lately disinterred the blocks of marble of the pedestal in Samothrace, has taken them to Paris, put them together in the Louvre, and has restored them to their primitive form, that of the colossal prow of a ship.

Two years ago Professor Edward S. Morse was called from the United States to occupy, for a limited time, the chair of zoology in the Imperial University at ToMo, Japan. On his arrival in that country he occupied his leisure time in seeldng for evidences of artificial shell-heaps, which occiu- so numerously in Denmark and other parts of Europe, Australia, and the United States. His efforts were soon rewarded by the discovery of an extensive shell-mound on the line of the railway, within a few miles of the city of ToMo, and others subsequently at Otaru, on the western coast of Yezo, Hakodadi, Toldo, and one of enormous extent and depth in the province of Higo, island of Kiushiu. An exploration of these deposits revealed the existence of large quantities of entire clay vessels, fragments of pottery and bone, and stone implements. Much importance attaches to these discoveries, for such subjects of art undoubtedly antedate the historic records of Japan, which run back 1,.500 or 2,000 years. Professor Morse has embodied the results of his investigations in a report, which has been published both in Japanese and English, and which foi-ms an important and interesting addition to our recent anthropological literature. Much

credit is due to the Japanese for the care and talent exercised in issuing the English edition, as the drawing and lithographing were accomplished entirely by

native artists, and the composition and presswork done by compositors who coidd not speak a word of English. Even the paper on which the book has

been printed is of Japanese manufacture, so that from composition to binding the mechanical production, which, with the exception of a few unimportant typographical errors, would reflect credit on any publishing house in England,

is entirely Japanese. The report, which is the first part of the first volume of

a prospective series of memoirs on the shell-heaps of Japan, is embellished with eighteen fine Hthographic plates, representing entire earthen vessels and fragments, and a few implements of deers' horn, bone, and stone. The pottery

is highly ornamental, and, being hand-made, is of peculiar interest to the

student of Eastern ceramics, as it presents specimens much older than the

earliest porcelain. The principal peculiarity of this earthenware is the presence

of knobs and loops of an infinity of form projecting from the rims of the

vessels. The ornamentation consists principally of the "cord mark" and

incised lines. The majority of the vessels discovered possess flat bases to rest upon, while others are curved beneath. In some the decoration has been produced by the impression of mats and other textile fabrics. A very curious —

OI,T) KOt'Tir-KAST I.ANTAfiirilir..

class of objects ave tlie clay tablets, which may bo considered unique anion"

the fictile productions of pre-historic peoples. These are flat quadrilateral objects, with rounded corners, ornamented on both sides, and also on the ed"-e3.

There are no holes or projections for suspension, and their use is uulcnown. In size they vary from two inches and a half in length and one and a half in width to three or four inches square. The thickness a^-erai^es eighteen millimetres. The designs on their surfaces have been carved out of the dry clay,

like the ornamentation on some of the vessels. One of the most interesting dis-

coveries connected with the mound found at Omori is the evidence of cannibalism which it affords, this being the first indication of a race of anthropophagi in Japan. The human bones, associated with the bones of the

monkey, deer, wild boar, wolf, and dog, bore evidences of artificial fracture,

and were mixed iip indiscriminatelj% ' Some of them were distinctly marked with scratches and cuts, and had been broken and split for the purpose of extracting the marrow. Professor ]Morse contemplates publishing a memoir on the mound and its contents discovered and examined bv him in the province of Higo.

MARRIAGES OF MEMBERS OF COUNTY FAMILIES.

MARRIAGES. Garnktt—Aemtage. — At Eccles Parish Church, on oth Feb., 1880, Mr. Stewart Garnett (born *), son of ^Ir. Henry Garnett, J.P., "VVyreside, Lancaster, and a member of the firm of Nasmyth, Wilson, & Co., The Bridge-

water Foundry, Patricroft, led to the altar Miss Caroline Sugden (born ' *),

only daughter of Mr. Elkanah Armitage, J. P., manufacturer, The Rookery, Pendleton. The ceremony was performed by the bridegroom's brother, the Rev. Lionel Garnett, B.A., Vicar of Christleton, Cheshii-e, assisted by the Rev. Canon Pitcairn, Vicar of Eccles, and the Rev. Henry Savers, M.A., Incumbent of Hope. The bridegroom's brother, Captain Charles Henry Garnett of "SVyre-

side, Lancaster, acted as best man ; and Miss EUen Garnett (a sister of the bridegroom), Miss Armitage, and Misses Edith and Ethel Armitage, as bridesmaids. The bride's father was one of the attesting witnessses who

signed the register. Topp Andrew.—The marriage of Mr. Augustus Worthington Topp, C.E.

(born *), sou of Mr. Robert Topp, of Farnworth, near Bolton, to Miss Marion Andrew (born *), only daughter of Mr. George

Andrew, J. P., cotton spinner, Apsley House, Mossley, near Ashton-under- Lyne, was solemnised on Thursday morning, oth Feb., at Ashton-under-Lyne Parish Church. The Rector of Ashton-under-Lyne (the Rev. T. Eager) read the first portion of the service, the concluding prayers and benediction being pronoimced by the Rev. J. T. Read, curate. Mr. Andrew '•' gave away " the bride, his daughter. The groomsmen were—Mr. Alfred Topp, Farnworth Mr. ;

Harry Bolton, Newchurch ; and Mr. Harold Alfred Barnes, Farnworth. The bridesmaids were — Miss M. A. Andrew, Miss S, L. Andrew, and Miss OBITUARY. 113

Georgina Topp. The witnesses who signed the register were— *. The guests at the wedding breakfast were—Miss Topp; Mr. Nathaniel

and Mrs. Topp ; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Topp ; Mr. and Mrs. Batenian ; Dr. T. and Mrs. Cooke ; Mr. and Mrs.- E. S. Buckley ; Miss J. and Miss E.

Jndson; Mr. J. F. Andrew; Mr. A. Andrew; Mr. G. F. Law ton ; Miss

Lawton ; Mr. and Mrs. John Mayall ; Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Buckley ; Mr. and

Mrs. James Buckley ; the Rev. T. and Mrs. Eager ; the Eev. W. L. and Mrs.

Porter ; Mr. and Mrs. Robinson ; Miss Lees ; Mv. Joseph Lawton ; Mr. J. T.

Murray ; Mr. S. Roberts ; and Mr. W. Roberts. Haut—Renshaw.—On 18th Feb., the marriage of Miss Sarah Ann Renshaw, daughter of the Rev. J. Renshaw, of the United Methodist Free Church, Hanover-street, Bolton, to Mr.- Henry John Hart, eldest son of Councillor Hart, of Birmingham, was solemnised at the chapel, of which the bride's father

13 minister. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. J. Kirsop, of Manches- ter. The bridesmaids were—Miss Hart, sister of the bridegroom ; Miss L.

Renshaw, sister of the bride ; and the groomsmen were—Mr. Herbert G. Hart, brother of the bridegroom, and Mr. 0. L. Renshaw, brother of the bride.

Amonn-st the recent deaths we may name those of Dr. Alfred Woltmann, art Prosper Derivis, one of the celebrities of the old Opera, historian a^ed 39 ; von Holtei, dramatist, aged 83. aged 71 ; and of Karl

OBIT U ART.

LOCAL. deaths This section will open monthly with short notices of of old persons attained at least the connected with the Hundred of Salford only, who had seventieth year of their age. Aldcroft.—On the 7th February, at Irlams-o'th'-Height, township of Salford, Isaac Aldcroft, aged 73 years. Allen.—On the 26th January, suddenly, at Cheadle, Richard Fosbrook years. Allen, formerly of Manchester, aged 73 Allen.—On the 8th February, Margaret AUen, Worsley Road, Little Hulton, aged 75 years. AsHWOBTH.—On the 9th February, at the residence of her daughter, 30, of the late Mr. James Ashworth, aged Chorley Old Road, Bolton, Mary, relict 87 years. Thomas Barber, in Hs 77th Barber.-On the 18th February, at Longsight, year. Bury, Thomas Bott, BoTT.—On the 3rd Februaiy, at Silver-street, surgeon,

in his 72nd year,

addressed on 7th and 12th February to the * Editorial requests for particulars, unanswered up to the moment of going to parents, remained unacknowledged and sense, is trust, ; our object, in a genealogical now, we press. We are not Paul-Pry-ish obvious to all. E 114 01. II SOUTII-KAST r.ANCASIIIItK.

Cairnie.—On the l-'5th February, at No. 179, Lloyd-street, Moss Side, Manchester, John Cairnie, late of Edinburgh, aged 77 years. Catxand.—On the l^jth February, Alice CaUand, Rothwell-street, Bolton, aged 84 years.

Cheetham.—On the 31 st January, at her residence, Bowdon Terrace, Broughton Lane, Manchester, in the 87th year of her age, Mrs. Sarah Wood Cheetham, mother of Mr. C. D. Cheetham, printer, Manchester. Crawford.—On the 29th January, Mary Crawford, Mooney-street, Bolton, aged 71 years. Deabden.—On the 2Gth January, Mary Dearden, Noble-street, Bolton, aged 7 5 years.

EcEEESLEY.— On the 2oth January, Mr, Eli Eckersley, Market-street, Heywood, aged 72 years. Edm'ARDS.—On the 2oth January, at her residence. Spring Bank, Crumpsall, Elizabeth, relict of the late Edward Edwards, of Blacldey House, in her 79th

year.

Evans.—On the 8th February, at his residence, 4G, Park Road, Shai-ples,

near Bolton, after a short illness, John Evans, aged 75 years. Deceased's remains were inten-ed in SaKord Cemetery on the 12th. Farnworth.—On the 16th February, Catherine Farnworth, Kay-street, Bolton, aged 74 years. Fairweathee.—On the 1st Februaiy, at London Road, Manchester, J ohn Faii'weather, in his 77th year. Fields.—On the 14th Febniary, at Howden, Yorkshire, Robert Fields, late of Manchester, aged 70 years. Gaskill. — On the 3rd February, Ann, widow of John Gaskill, farm laboiu'er. Watts Place, Rochdale, aged 78 years. Greenhalgh.—On the 1st February, Sarah, relict of James Greenhalgh, Black Lane, Radcliffe, aged 75 years. Greenhalgh.—On the 12th February, Ann, widow of Samuel Greenhalgh, Wesley Place, Heywood, aged 74 years. GooDWix.—On the 1st February, at his residence, 22, Errington-street, Lower Broughton, Manchester, Mr. Abraham Goodwin, aged 75 years. Hall.—On the 4th February, Fanny HaU, Green Fold, Deane, aged 91 years. Haedisty.—On the 1st February, Cornelius Flardisty, at his residence, 19, Great Cheetham-street, Broughton, aged 70 years. Haeqrea-\^s.—On the 28th January, Mr. Samuel Hargreaves, Railway-

street, Heywood, aged 74 years. ' Heath.—On the 26th January, at his residence, Glebelands Road, Ashton- on-Mersey, George Heath, smallware manufacturer, of Manchester, aged 79

years. Henson.—On the 26th January, at her residence. Moss Side, Manchester, Elizabeth Sophia Henson, daughter of the late Lieutenant-General Grey, of Ruddington, Notts, in the 71st year of her age. OBITUARY. 115

IIiBBERT.—On the 7tli February, at the residence of her son, Brill View, Failsworth, Sarah, relict of the late Samuel Ilibbert, of Blackburn, in her 78th year. IIOLT.—On the 4th February, CTeorf^o licit, taker-in of woollen warps, Ending, Rochdale, aged 74 years. Hood.—On the 23rd January, Nanny Hood, New Springs, HaUiweU, Bolton, aged 82 years. Hurst.—On the 3rd February, at Chorley New Road, Horwicli, Betty Hurst, aged 70 years. Johnson.-—On the 11th Februarj^, at her residence, 30, Chapman-street, Oldham Road, Manchester, Catherine, widow of Roger Johnson, of Manchester, aged 76 years. Jones.—On the 13th February, at the residence of her son, 110, OrdsaU Lane, Salford, Elizabeth, vrife of tlie late Samuel Jones, paper maker, aged 74 years. KiSBY.—On the 7th February, Elizabeth, dearly-loved wife of George Kisby, of Tatton Grove, Palatine Road, Withington, aged 74 years. Lever.—On the 9th February, Ellen Lever, Queen-street, Farnworth, near Bolton, aged 7 2 years. relict of , Lock.—On the 1st February, Sarah, Ed^vard Lock, Bradbury-

street, RadclifEe, aged 74 years. Lowe.—On the 16th February, Peter Lowe, Prescott-street, Daubhill, Bolton, aged 70 years. Martin.—On the 5th February, at his residence. Guide Bridge, HamUtou Martin, aged 72 years. MoFFATT.—On the 10th February, Robert Moffatt, Fearnliead-street, Rum- worth, aged 73 years. Moffatt.—On the 14th February, at Longsight, William Moffatt, aged 75 years. Morris.—On the 10th February, Alice Morris, "VVlUows Lane, Bolton, aged 71 years. Newton.—On the 31st January, at her residence, 23, Waterloo-street, Oldham, Mrs. Elizabeth Newton, in her 80th year. PAEKiNSON.^On the 12th February, at 1, Swiss Villas, Chorlton Road,

Stretford, Amelia Ann ParkinsoB, aged 87 years. , Parkinson.—On the loth February, PrisciUa Parkinson, Morris Green Lane, Middle Hulton, aged 75 years. Platt.—On the 4th February, at Chorley-street, Bolton, Ralph Piatt, aged 82 years. RiDTABD.—On the 27th January, Sarah Ann Ridyard, Manchester Road East, Little Hulton, aged 72 years. Ridyard.—On the 6th February, Thomas Ridyard, Piggot-street, Farn- worth, near Bolton, aged 74 years. Roberts.—On the 9th February, at 1, Brook Terrace, Old Trafiford, Jane, wife of Jonah Roberts, late of the Wellington Hotel, Stretford Road, aged 71

years. 110 OLD .SOUTH-EAST I.ANCA.SltlltK.

RoTUWKLL.—On tliG 8th February, at Back Chapel-street, Bolton, Nancy Rotliwell, aged 71 years. Salkeld.—On the 2nd February, Betsy SaUceld, Bury Old lioad, liury,

aged 7G. Shabples.—On the 27th January, Kachel Sharpies, Bowker's Row, Bolton, aged 72 years. Spears.—On the 4th February, at the Workhouse, Fishpool, Bolton, John Spears, aged 75 years. Stephens.—On the Srd February, EUza, wife of William Stephens, of Salford, in her 70th year. Thomson.—On the 20th January, Alice, -v^idow of the late Rev. Patrick Thomson, M.A., formerly of Manchester, aged 72 years. Thornley.—On the 2nd February, Sarah, widow of James Thornley, Stand Lane, Pilltington, aged 86. Walsh.—On the 2oth January, at the Workhouse, Fishpool, Bolton, Roger Walsh, aged 89 years. Whalley.—On the 7th February, at St. Helens, Elizabeth, relict of James WhaUey, of Manchester, and the beloved mother of Ann Taylor, of the Fleece

Hotel, St. Helens, aged 78 years. Whittle.—On the 27tli January, at the Workhouse, Fishpool, Bolton, Edward Whittle, aged 84 years. Whitworth.—On the 14th February, at the residence of her daughter, 24, Rodney-street, Liverpool, in her 84th year, Judith, relict of John Whitworth, late of Drake-street, Rochdale, and mother of Mr. Henry Whitworth, clerk to the Guardians of the Barton-upon-Irwell Union. Wilmott.—On the 4th February, at his residence. South Grove, Sale, John Wilraott, aged 70 years. He was for a long period a Wesleyan local preacher

in the Manchester district. Deceased's remains were interred at Brooklands Cemetery on the 9th. Woodcock.—On the 10th January, at Paterson, New Jersey, U.S., James Woodcock, formerly of SaUord, first landlord of the New Road Lin, Salford, aged 77 years.—Yorkshire papers please copy. WooDHBAD.—On the 11th Februarj-, at his residence. High Flats, near Huddersfield, Godfrey Woodhead, late of Manchester, in bis 72nd year. Wrigley.—On the loth February, at Southport, Isabella, reKct of the late James Wrigley, of Old Trafford, in her 77th year. NoRRis.—A "vvell-knowTi and much respected public ofScer, Mr. James Norris, of Barlow M'oor, TDidsbui'y, passed away on 13th February, at the age

of 61 years. Mr. Norris was the assistant-overseer for the to\\'Bship, the

registrar of births and deaths for the district, and for more than thirty years was prominently connected with the Wesleyan body, and with the Melon Lodge of the United Order of Free Gardeners, Barlow Moor. The interment

took place on the 17th, at the new cemetery, Barlow Moor. !Mr. Norris leaves a widow and numerous family, Seddon.—On 31st January the remains of an old Boltonian named John

Seddon, of China Lane, aged 73 years, were interred at the Tonge Cemetery, ' obituahy. 117 his widow having attained the age of 71. The living descendants of the couple number forty-nine—three sons, five daughters, twenty grandsons, fourteen granddaughters, four great-grandsons, and two great-granddaughters. The united ages of the forty-nine persons represent three generations, amounting to 770 years. Add to this the ages of the deceased and his widow, and we have the remarkable total of 914 years.

Whalley.—Mr. Thomas Whalley, of Park Eoad, Southport, and of Adlington HaU, Ulverston, for many years a partner in the firm of Prickett and Co., iron merchants, Mancliester, was taken ill and died suddenly on the morning of 3rd February, in tlie office of Messrs. NeiU & Sons, builders, Strangeways, Manchester. Mr. "Whalley was accompanied by his wife, and had just arrived from Southport. had called to 3Ir. He inform NeUl, a very ^ old friend, that he had bought an estate near Ulverston, and was going to live there next month. He was 71 years of age. Hameb.—^We have to announce the death of Mr. Henry Hamer, of the Volunteer Inn, near .Bromley Cross, wliich took place on 12th February. Deceased, who was 62 years of age, was well known in Turton and Bolton districts as a genial and worthy host, and as an example of what patience, perseverance, and thrift had done in raising a working collier to a comparatively wealthy position. He was one of a party of townsmen who in March, 1871, went from Bolton to Paris immediately after the siege, and were in that city when the commimist revolution, which culminated in the May following in the destruction of the Tuileries, the Hotel de Ville, the Palace of Justice, and other public buildmgs, broke out. His remains were interred at St. Ann's Church, Turton, on the 17th. ScowcROFT.—Mr. Baxter Scowcroft, second sou of the late Samuel Scow- croft, and a member of the firm of Messrs. S. Scowcroft & Sons, proprietors of the RosehiU (Burnden) and Kersley Collieries, expired 9th February, 1880, at his residence, Ainsworth Lodge, Ainsworth, near Bolton. The deceased gentleman, who was of the comparatively early age of 30 years, was the second son of the late Mr. Samuel Scowcroft. He leaves a widow and two children. He was attending to his business so recently as the Monday previous to his death, but on the Saturday following brain fever set in, and resulted in his death. He was attended by his brother-in-law. Dr. Scowcroft. His remains were interred on Saturday, the 14th, in St. Michael's Churchyard, Great Lever, Bolton. The members and connections of the Scowcroft family present at the grave side were—Messrs. William, Walter, Henry, Samuel, and Lawrence Scowcroft (brothers of the deceased), and Dr. Scowcroft and Mr, Lyon (brothers-in-law). On the coffin was a plate on which was engraved, " Baxter Scowcroft, died 9th February, 1880, aged 30 years." Gallaugher.—The death of Mr. Hugh GaUaugher took place on the 6th

February, 1880, at his residence. No. 3, Craddock-street, Little Bolton, after a prolonged illness. The deceased was well known and much respected both in Bolton and Horwich. He was in the service of Messrs. Eidgway, Wallsuches Bleachworks, Horwich, for twenty-seven years. During many years he was an earnest teacher and indefatigable worker in the Boys' Sunday School 118 f)I,I) SOUTII-F.AST I.ANCASiriltl',.

connected with Iloiwicli Oliiirch ; and ho acted for fifteen years as secretarj- to the No. 178 Branch of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows. About twelve years ago he ai:d his family came to reside in Bolton. He formerly ofHciated as a sidesman of All Saints' Church, and was vice-president of the Sunday School Sick Society. He experienced an unusual amount of domestic bereavement, through the death of his wife, five sons, and a daughter, during

a period of about sixteen years ; one son survives him. The interment of Mr. Gallaugher's remains took place at Horwich Church on the 11th, the Rev. H.

S. Pigot, M.A., vicar of Horwich, reading the burial service most impressively. A deputation representing All Saints' Sunday School, and comprising Mr.

Thomas Shorrock and Mr. John Thompson, superintendents ; Mr. Thomas A.

Jackson, secretary ; and Mr. John Seddon, one of the teachers in the boys'

school, joined the mournful procession at Horwich Church, Knowles.—^Mr. John Knowles, for many years proprietor of the Theati-e Eoyal, Manchester, formerly of TrafEord Bank House, Old Trafford, and lately

of The Lawn, near Rugby, passed " behind the scenes " of this life on the

19th of February, in the seventieth year of his age. He was born in IMan-

chester in 1811. His father, Mr. John Knowles, a native, we beUeve, of Derbyshire, was, more than fifty years ago, an extensive coal and stone merchant, and manufacturer of British and Italian marble chimneypieces, at

Manchester, having his place of business there at 1, Ducie-street, London Road,

and his residence at 49, Piccadilly. Mr. John Knowles, sen., was at the same time a large coach proprietor, having his office at " The Peacock," 105, Market-

street, Manchester, and running the then celebrated "fast " coach, the " Peveril

of the Peak," from " The Peacock " and " Mosley Arms " to London, through Derbyshire, Leicester, and Northampton. The deceased succeeded to the coaching business at an early age, with considerable success. To trace adequately his theatrical life from his coming to " the front " would be to give an interesting and lengthy history of the drama in that city for some thirty-

five years. Deceased's two elder sons have distinguished themselves in Her Majesty's service, Charles B in the army, and James, a lieutenant in the navy. The former, as an ensign, attained much distinction in the Crimea, and

is now Lieut.-Col. Knowles, in command of the 67th (South Hampshire) Foot

in Afghanistan. His two yoimger sons, John and James, are at present managers of the extensive corn and flour mills at Nuneaton, of which their father was for some years proprietor. Forty years ago deceased became connected with the old Theatre Royal, Fountain-street, Manchester, erected in

180(3, and destroyed by fire in May, 1844. He afterwards built the present Theatre Eoyal, which was opened in September in the following year, and in March, 1875, handed the building over to a limited liability company. Gbason.—We regret to announce the death of Mr. Joseph Grason, which occuiTed on 6th February, at his residence, the Firs, Clayton, after a short

illness. Although his name is perhaps known to only a limited number of our

readers, it was a household word in the neighbouring township of Bradford where he has carried on business for the last thirty years, and fiUed several

public offices. He was one of the fii'st members of the Bradford Local Board) OBITUARY. has never been out of office since the board was formed about twenty-four years ago, and -what is still more remarkable he has only been absent from three board meetings during the whole of that time, and one of those was held on Thursday evening, when he lay on his deathbed. He was consequently looked upon as the father of the board, and though not occupying the post of chairman at the time of his death, he has held that position at two different periods of his connection with the board. His business being that of, a builder, his practical knowledge in that respect was imdoubtedly often of great service to his colleagues. When the board was some years ago notorious for disorderly scenes, the part played by Mr. Grayson was generally that of trying to throw oil upon the troubled waters, and in doing this he almost invariably put the disputants to confusion and shame by some wise saying of Solomon, or an appropriate quotation from David, with both of whose writings he seemed to be exceedingly famihar. About two years since he was presented with a portrait of himself, tlie cost of which was defrayed by public subscription, in recognition of his services to the township. Some years ago he filled the office of poor-law guardian for the to-^-nship of Clayton, and for many years he has been a trustee of the turnpike road. He served his apprenticeship as a Joiner in Barnsley, and came to work in Manchester about the year 1846, beginning business for himself in Bradford as a Joiner and builder about thirty years ago. The cause of death was heart disease and spasms, which necessitated his confinement to his house for about a fortnight. His age was 56 years. FosTEE.—Mr. Edward Poster, cotton spinner and yarn agent, died on 6th February, 1880, at his residence. High View, Daubhill, Bolton. The deceased gentleman had been in failing health for the past twelve months, and for some time previous to his decease had been confined to his residence. Up to the latter end of the past year he was in partnership with Mr. Howard, the firm carrying on business as cotton spinners, under the title of Messrs. Howard and Foster, at Albert Mills, Horwich; but on the partnership being dissolved recently the mill was sold. The deceased served as an overseer for Great Bolton for several years, only retiring from the position last year. He was best known by his connection with Fletcher-street chapel, Bolton, with which place of worship he has been connected all his life, and has filled with credit and success some of the highest offices open to a Wesleyan layman. With the Sunday schools, of which he had been elected the superintendent repeatedly, he was connected as a teacher up to his death, and he has rendered signal service to the society. For over twenty years he conducted the choir of the chapel, besides filling other spheres of usefuhiess. He was appointed leader of a society class in 1859, which office he held up to his death, and for a number of years was society steward, being first elected in 1862, and remaining in office continuously for six years. In 1869 he was selected as one of the Bridge-street (Bolton) circuit stewards, and served the usual term of three years. He was a trustee of Fletcher-street chapel, and for several of the other chapels in the

circuit. Indeed, his services were always at the disposal of the church to which he was ardently attached, and which he liberally supported. The deceased, who was 50 years of age, leaves a widow and four cliildren. The interment OI.l) SOlITir-KAST LANC'AKinilK. took place on tlio lltli, at tho Tonge Cemetery. In the procession weve

Mr. Jamos Foster (son), Mr. John Hindley, of Farnworth (fatlier-in-law),

Messrs. Joseph Ilindley, James A. Ilindley, W. Ij. Hindley, and P. Ilindley (brothers-in-law of the deceased), and Mr. — Kershaw (cousin). Fi.EjriNO.—Dr. Wm. Fleming died at his residence, Rowton Grange, near Chester, on 19th February, in the 81st year of his age. He was a gentleman who formed a prominent connecting link with the Manchester of the past, having been born in Manchester in 1799. He was the only son of Mr. Thomas

Fleming, who for a considerable period of his life rendered notable public services to Manchester and its inhabitants, as a commissioner of police, surveyor of highways, especially in connection with the Market-street Improvement Act of 1820, and the promoter of several other important local undertakings before Manchester became a municipal borough. Althoiigh Dr. Fleming did not take such an active part in public afEairs as his father, he has been to the front in his sympatliies with and practical support of many of our most valuable public institutions. With Sir Benjamin Pleywood, Mr. Robert Hyde Greg, 3Ir. S. D- Darbishire, and other gentlemen, he was one of the original trustees of the Botanical Gardens. Following in the footsteps of his father, who was among

the earliest promoters of the institution. Dr. neming always manifested deep interest in the welfare of the Deaf and Dumb Schools at Old Trafford, of which he was for several years a vice-president. He was likewise a life governor of Henshaw's Blind Asylum, and a wann supporter of the Natm-al History Society. Upon the formation of the Chetham Society, in ISM, he was, in conjimction with Dr. Edward Holme as president, and Canon Parkinson as vice-president, appointed the first honorary secretary, a position which he occupied for some years. As Mr. Crossley has said, it was to his indefatigable exertions that "much of the success the society has experienced is attributable." was the author of " Four Days at Niagara Falls," 1S40 Report Dr. Fleming ; on Schools for the Poor in Manchester," 184-5; "Translations from the German," and "Nucleus of the Works of Faithorne," 1870. For many years Dr. Fleming resided at the house in which his father died, Broughton Yiew,

Leaf Square, Pendleton, but in quest of change of scene and air he gave up his Manchester residence, and some time ago went to reside at Rowton Grange.

TO READERS.

A Relic of Old Bolton.—Some interesting information, for which we had been lately seeking, having turned up just as we were about to go to press, we postpone the conclusion of this article until our April number, in order that all available materials may be embodied in it. See Mr. Selim Kothwell's note [No. 8] under " Notes and Queries" in present issue. 0lb ^ontl'^flst Eanffislirp.

Vol. I. APEIL, 1880.

I. The Oi.d Belt, at Tueton Tower. By RoBEitT Laxc 1>-CHESTER (withy

" !omplete lilst of members of parliament foe lancashire and the several ) Boroughs withijt the Coukty feom the year 1295 to the present time. > 125

V. Collectanea ; or TVha-j VI. BOUNDABIES VIT. Notes and Queries.—Dangerous Coener.—Oi VIII. Answers.—BicHABD Mather.—Chamber Hall IX. Our Monthly Conversazione X. Marriages xr. Obituary Xtl. Notice to Reamrs and Contributors XIII. Opinions of the Press, continued (JKra/A-r).

To SUBSCRIBEES. Annual Subscribers, who pay 7s. in advance, TviU be entitled to have early copies of the magazine forwarded monthly to any address within the United Kingdom, posf free. Post-office orders (or value in postage stamps) to be made payable to Mr. J. F. Matthews, Swinton, near Manchester. Single copies supplied by post for 7 stamps. Delivered in any part of Manchester or Salford, Gs. per quarter. All communications (advertisements excepted) to be addressed to Mr. J. F. Matthews, lOG, Manchester Road (near the Market Place), Swinton. Advertisements to be sent to or left at J. F. Matthews & Co.'s General Advertising Agency, 26, Brazennose Street, Manchester. THE OLD BELL AT TURTON TOWER. By Robert Langton, Maxchesteh. THE date of the Alarm Bell at Turton Tower, near Bolton, a correct sketch of which [No. 1] is given on another page, has for many years been a bone of contention. The following letter on the subject is among the sketches and papers of Thomas Barritt, still known to many as " The Manchester

Antiquary," and is to be seen at the Ghetham GoUege Library. There is no date to the note, but as Barritt died in October, 1820, it serves to show conclusively that the date of this " celebrated bell " has been in dispute for at

least sixty years !

" Dear Sir, ' " I send you a sketch of the celebrated bell at Turton Tower, and a copy of the initials and the date which are upon it. ... I think you will be inclined to agree with me that the date is not older than 1587. " J. T. Allfn." John Taylor AUen, M.A., who wrote the letter, was Librarian at the Ghetham College from Easter, 1812, to October, 1821, when he resigned, and was succeeded by Peter Hordern, A.B. -His sketch of the initials and bell, showing the latter fastened to the wooden stock, is on the same paper with the

letter. 132

It has been asserted over and over again, by luany people, that the dab; on

tliis bell is twelve hundred and eighty-seven. That it is not so, but that it ia as Mr. Allen says—1537—is easy of demonstration.

In the first place, tlien, in the year 1237, the Arabic numerals were not in

use, nor for fully two centuries later were they in anything like common use. It was not, indeed, until the first decade of the sixteenth century was out that Arabic numerals began to appear on monuments, brasses, and buildings, and on the title-pages of books, as substitutes for Roman numerals.

In the second place, had the bell in question been of the age claimed for it, it would have been quite different in fonii. The diagram annexed [No. 7] shows the accm-ate shape of a bell of the thirteenth century. This is not mere assertion, but a well-ascertained and widely-acknowledged fact. Were the date 1287, and recorded at all, it w.ould have appeared in tlie old Eonian characters, as sho'mi on our suppositious bell.

Finally, the shape of the shield con-

taining the Orrell coat is even stronger

evidence of the real date of the bell. All antiquarians are agreed that the shape of the shield in heraldry followed that of the arch in medieval architecture;

consequently, a thirteenth century bell

would, if it bore a shield at aU, show just such a long, pointed shield as that shown in diagram No. 7. The shape of the Turton

shield is late Tudor, and answers—if looked at in an inverted position—to the debased THE SHIELD UPON" THE TUETON Gothic arch of the Elizabethan period. Tlie •lO^sm bell. q From a special rubbing. initials AV N [see diagram No. 3] are, I ° believe, those of William Newcome, the Leicester beUfounder. The W probably stands for the ablative case of the Latin form of William, and, with the N, simply means " by WiUiam Newcombe."

The accompanying engravings of the shield [No. 5], letters and date [Nos. 2,

3, and 4] are from special rubbings taken in February, 1880, and are of the fuU size of those upon the bell at Turton Tower. The second figure in the date is merely rever-ed —a very common bellfounder's blunder.

No. 4. - 7 Fac-Simile of Date on Tuhton Toweb Bell. From a recent rubbing. OLD BELL AT XUETON TUWER, —

124 OLD «OUTJ[-]CAST LANCASKIJtE.

[If tlie above diagram [No. G] be inverted, the disputed figure is seen to be^

I undoubtedly, a " 5 " of the period. The diameter of the bell at the lip (which

i is unusually sharp) is 'llf inches height from the lip to the top of the dome, ;

9 inches, to the top of the crown, 1.3 inches 40 pounds. The ; weight about

sound bow (which is about an inch in thickness) is only slightly worn by the

I clapper, which is presently detached. The bell had been from time immemorial

suspended from iron fastenings embedded in the outside stonework of the back j of the upper or restored storey of the old tower. It was removed from that

I elevated position in the month of November last, and honoured—-notwithstanding its crack—with a place in the entrance hall, under an ancient table, which stands near the outer door. Editor.]

The Lancashire Association of Change Ringers, Established 187G,

Re-constituted 1879.—We have received from Mr. W. .7. Chatterton, of G, Bent Terrace, Croft Bank, Urmston, honorary secretary of this steadily progressive Association, their recently-issued annual report, from which we learn that their numbers now include eleven honorary members (principally clergy) and eighty-eight performing members. The latter represent Aughton

(5), Bolton (9), Eccles (7), Garston (8), HalliweU (1), Leigh (.3), Leyland (1),

Liverpool (9), Manchester (9), Newchurch, Rossendale (3), Ormskirk (2),

Pendlebury (4), Preston (2), Rusholme (2), Southport (4), Stockport (9),

Swinton (1), "Waterfoot (2), Westhoughton (4), Whitefield (1), Widnes (1),

and AVorsley (1). The objects of the Association are the cidtivation of the art of change ringing and belfry reform. During the past year the committee have, amongst other things, endeavoured to gain particulars of every peal in Lanca- shire. So far 118 peals are known to them, consisting of two rings of twelve

bells, five rings of ten bells, fifty-three rings of eight bells, and fifty-eight rings

of six bells, which, if all be in ringing condition, represent 118 churches and

84G ringers, of which twenty-five churches or towers are already represented in

the membership. Efforts are being made, however, to extend the knowledge of the existence and objects of the Association, and the consent of the Lord Bishop

of Manchester to become its patron has been secured. The honorary secretary

has kindly promised to assist us in our task of collection of copies and, where

practicable, rubbings of the inscriptions, dates, initials, &c., upon all the church

bells in the county, for early reproduction in the pages of this magazine. We

shall be glad if the other officers and members will supply copies of such records

as they may have access to, and communicate such historical information relative to the bells in their locality as they may possess or be able to glean. — .

LIST OF JIE.MBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

COMPLETE L I S T (rt) OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FOR L.INOASHIRE -\:;D THE SEVERAL BOROUGHS AVITHIN THE COUNTY, FROM THE YEAR 1295 TO THE PRESENT TDIE. ( Continuedfrontpage go.) ?s'0TE.—Where the Original Eeturns are missing, tlie names given have been supplied from an independent authority. To names thus obtained an asterisk is attached throughout tlie list.

year ot reign.

County : 36 Edvrd. IH. Westminster 13tli Oct., 1362.- Edmundus Laurence. Mattheiis de Rixton".

County : 37 „ Westminster Gtli Oct., 13G3. *Adam de Hoghton". *Rogerus de Pilkrngton'.

County :

38 „ Westminster 20th Jan., 13(M- .f Adam de Hoghton', chivaler Rogerus de Pvlkrcgton, chivaler.

County' : 40 „ Westminster 4tli May, 136G.t .Johannes le BotiUer, miles. AVillielmus fil' Roberti de Radclyf.

' County : Westminster 1st May, ISOe.t Rogerus Pylkyiigton,chivaler

ib) Ricardus de Radeclif , senior. County :— Westminster 3rd June, 1 369.1 Johannes deDalton',chivaler. .Tohannes de Ipre, chivaler.

County : Westminster 24th Feb., 1370-1 *.Johannes de Ipres. * Ricardus de Tounley.

County : Winchester Sth June, 1371. *Johannes de Ipres (^r).

County :

Westminster 13th Oct. {d), 137: •t Johannes Botiller, miles. Nicholaus de Haveryngton'.

County : Westminster 21st Nov., 1373.t AV'illielmus de Atherton'. Johannes de Holcroft.

County : AVestminster 12th Feh., 1375-6 (^) "Johannes BotiUer, chivaler. * Rogerus de Brokhols.

t No date of Return given. (a) Complete so far as the Writs andReturns presei-ved ir the Books of Parliamentary Returns preserved at the Crow; covered public and private records, afford reliable data. (J) The enrolment of the Writ de Expensis gives "Rogerus" de Radeclif. (c) The sheriffs were directed to return to this Parliament certain specified Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses who attended the last Parliament. The writ for Lancashire required the return of Johannes de Ipres. (d) And by Prorogation 3rd November, 1372. \e) And by Prorogation 28th April, 1376. Rot. Claus., 49 Edward III., m. 4 and 6 d. Ko original Returns. ———

1 Kiclul. 11. \\\,vstmin;tcr I'-ith Oct., 1:;77. Mohanne.s do Boteler. "Nicholaus de Ilavei-yngton'. County :— - „ Ctloucestor 20th Oct., 1378.t .Tohanne.s ButiUer, chivaler. Radulphus de Ipre, County:—

,, .., Westminster 24tli April, l-JJ'J. *Nicliolaus de Haryngton'. *Kobertus de Urcewyk'. CotJNTY : o „ Westminster IGtli Jan., 1079-80.t -Toliannes Botiller, chivaler. Thomas de Sotheworth', chivaler. County :— 4 Northampton -jth Nov., loSO. Joliannes Botiller. Thomas de Suth worth'.

County : o „ Westminster (/) 16th Sept., l;181.t Willielmus de Athertou', chivaler. Eobertus de Urcev.-T, k'.

County : „ Westminster 7th Ma}^, l;i82. *Kogerus de Pilkyngton". *l\.obertus de Clifton'.

County : 0 Westminster Gth Oct., 1.jS2. *.Tohannes Assheton'. "llobertus Ursewj-k'.

County :

„ ,, Westminster 2.3rd Feb., lGS2-.j.t Eicardus de Hoghton". Eobertus de Clifton'.

County : 7 „ Westmiu^ter 26th Oct., ISSo.f Walterus Urswyk, chivaler. Johannes Ilolcroft.

County : Sahsbury 29th April, loSl.f Eogeriis de Pilkyngton", „ ,, chivaler. Thomas^erard.

County :

8 ., Westminster 12th Nov., 1084. *Eobertus de Urcewyk'. *Willie]mus Tiinstall.

County : 9 „ Westminster 20th Oct., l.j8o.t Eobertus Urswyk.' Thomas de Eadclif.

County :

10 ,, Westminster 1st Oct., 13S6.t Nicholaus de Haveryngton'. Eobertus de V^'orkesIey,

County- :

11 ,, Westminster lird Feb., 1387-8.t Johannes le ]3otiUer de Weiyngton'. Thomas Gerard'.

County : 12 „ Cambridge 9th Sept., 1-388.1 Johannes de Assheton'. Johannes de Croft'.

County : 1.3 „ Westmmster 17th Jan., 1.389-90.t Eadiilph us de Ipre. Johannes de Assheton'.

I- No date of Return given. (/) And by Prorogation 3rd November, 1381. ——

I,TST OF MEMr.F.nS OF I'AIU.l AMF.XT.

County : 14 Richd. IT. Westminster 12th Nov., 1390.t Robertas de Ursewyk. Jolianues de Croft.

County : Westminster 3rd Nov., 1391.1 Robertus de Urswyk'. Robertus de Workesley.

County : York (^) 14tli Oct., 1392. *Robertus de Ursewyk'. *Radulphus de Ipre.

County : Westminster 27th Jan., 1393-4. * Robertus de Urcewyk'. *Thomas Gerard'.

County : Westminster 27th Jan., 1394-.j.t Ibobertus de Urswyk.' Thomas de Radeclyf.

County : Westminster 22nd Jan., l-39G-7.t Robertus de Urswyk'. Ricardus Molyneux,

County : Westminster (//) 17th Sept., 1.397.t Johannes Botiller, cluvaler,' de Weryngton'. Radulphus de Radclyf, cliivaler. AVestminster 30th Sept., 1399. [The King liaving abdicated on 29th Sept., the Par- liament did not meet.] County :—

1 Henry IV. Westminster Gth Oct., 1399.t Robertus de Urswyk'. Henricus de Hoghton'. County :— 27th Oct., Urswyk', ^2 „ York(/) 1400. *Robertus de chivaler. *Xicholaus de Athirton', chivaler. 3 „ Westminster 30th Jan., 1401-2. (;) No returns found. County : 1.5th Sept., 1402. (Z-) *Ricardus de Hoghton', „ „ Westminster chivaler. *Nicholaus dellaveryugton', chivaler.

County : 5 „ Coventry 3rd Dec, 1403. (/) *Radulphu3 de Radclyft", chivaler. *Robertus Laurence.

County : C „ Coventry Gth Oct., 1404. *Jacobus Haryngton', chivaler. *Radulphus Staveley, chivaler. .

(h) Continued by Adjournment at Shrewsbury, 27th January, 1397-8. 1400-1. (i) And by Prorogation at Westminster, 20th January, No original Returns for this Parliament. 17 d. (j) Eot. Claus. 3 Henry IV., p. 1, m. (k) Prorogued to 30th. (£) And by Prorogation, 14th January, 1403-4, at Westminster.

(To be continued.) 01,1) SOUTII-KAS

SALFOKD HUNDRED COURT OF RECORD.

l^Y John Mountain, Deputy-Registrar. THE Salford Hundred Court is, without doubt, one of tiro most ancient institutions in the country. It was first founded in the Anglo-Saxon

times, and in all probability long before the time of King Alfred, i.e., more

than 1,000 years ago. As is well known, the Saxons more than 1,200 years

ago divided the countiy into hundreds, and of these hundreds that of Salford is one of the most ancient in the kingdom, In each hundred the Saxons founded a court, which they called the " Wapentac," " Wapentake," or " Weapontake"

Court—the reason why it was so called being because the judge and suitors attended the court armed with their weapons.

The hundreds gradually came to be called after their courts, and so tlie

Salford Hundred was called after its ancient court by the name of the " Wapentake of Salfordshire," and the court continued to be so held, and tried

matters to any amount till the sixth year of the reign of Edward I., A.D. 1278. In that year the Statute of Gloucester was passed, which limited the jurisdiction to 40s.—a sum, in those days, equal to about £40 or £50 of our present money—and this continued to be the limit of its jurisdiction untd the year 1846, when the jurisdiction of the Court was extended to £-30 over all the hundred, excepting the City of Manchester, and its powers enlarged by an Act passed in the session of Parliament, holden in the 9 th and 10th year of the reign of her

present Majesty, Queen Victoria, chapter 126, and it was thereby established and constituted a Court of Record for the Hundred or AVapentake of Salford,

in the County of Lancaster ; and her present Majesty, Queen Victoria, by her Royal Charter of Incorporation, expressed in certain Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearmg date the 28th day of October, 1838, granted that the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses

of the Borough of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, and their successors

from thenceforth for ever might have, and hold, witliin the borough aforesaid, a Court of Record for the trial of civil actions before the Mayor of the Borough for the time being, on the days and with the authorities in the said Letters Patent mentioned, and her said Majesty, by certain

other Letters Patent under the Great Seal, bearing . date the 29th day

of March, 18.53, ordered, constituted, and appointed that the said Borough of Manchester should thenceforth be a City, to be called and styled " The City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster," and that the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the said Borough of Manchester should thenceforth be one body politic and corporate by the name and style of " Tlie Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster." And by divers Acts of Parliament, and particidarly by an Act made and passed in the Session of Parliament holden in the 17th and 18th years of the reign of

her present Majesty, chapter 84, the powers and jurisdiction of the last- —

COLLECTANEA. 129

mentioned Court of Record were extended, and its practice and procedure was simplified and otherwise improved, and as the said Court of Eecord for the

Hundred of Salford, and the said Court of Eecord for the trial of civU actions within the City of Manchester, as constituted and regulated by the said recited Acts having been found of great public utility, and that such utility would be gi-eadv increased by the amalgamation of the said Courts, and by an extension of the powers theretofore possessed by either of such Courts, they were by statute 31st and 32nd Victoria, chap. 130 (the " Salford Hundred Court of Eecord Act, 1868") amalgamated, and such amalgamated Com-t was constituted by the said last-mentioned Act, " The Court of Eecord for the Himdred of

SaKord, in the County of Lancaster," and it was enacted by the last-mentioned Act, that the Eight Hon. William Philip, Earl of Sefton, and his ancestors,*

ha^-irg long held, enjoyed, and exercised the dignity and office of her Majesty's

Steward for the Himdred or Wapentake of Salford, in the County Palatine of

Lane-aster, that the said Earl shoidd be the High Steward of the Court, as conrdtiited by the said last-mentioned Act.

COLLECTANEA ; OE WHAT THE EECOEDS SAY.

[Extracted from Duchy of Lancaster dociunents in the Public Eecord Office, London.] Depositioxs and Examinations, ^tli, Vol 10 R 7.-15 Heti. Qth [1523] To THE Et. Honble. Sib Thos. jMore, knight, &c.— Certificate of Thomas Boteler, Esq., the King's Comr., in Lancaster : The Wapentake of Saleobdshiee. Manchestee.—George West, Clerke, parson and warden, & Celeye and Georse Collar, Deputy, been incumbent 10 years. Lord De la Ware patron. WorJi £200 yearly. Henry Ryle, priest, hath a chantry within the Church of Manchester by the nomination of Edmd. Trafford, Esq Hath occupied same for 20 years. Worth

£4. 13s. 4d., yearly. Hn»h Marler, priest^ hath a chantry in the Church of Manchester, made by feoffment of one Eobert Chetham, and hath occupied the same 3 years. Worth £4 yearly. Hn^h Credok, priest, hath a chantry there by the nomination of Sir Alexr, Eadcleff, Knt. Worth by year £4. Occupied the same 3 years. John Sexwyk, priest, occupieth a chantry in the same Church by the nomination of Ealf Hulme. Hath been incumbent 20 years. AVorth £4 yearly. Deyxe.—The Churche of Deyne, a chapel to Eccles Chui-ch, belonging to WhaDey Monastery. (No other information.) Bolton Super Moras.—Dr. Ejiyght is parson of Church of Bolton. Jame Bolton, priest, been incumbent 10 years by the nomination of the Prior of Merestia. Worth per annum £10.

present Earl of * In the reim of Henry V- Sir Kichard Molyneaux, ancestor of the , of Court, then constituted. Sefton, was, it is believed, High Steward the as V?,0 oi.i. sf)irrn-i;AST i.ANfASimtK.

riiigli Ilvibne hath a chantry in JUakcroclo Ohurth in ]{olton, ))y nomination of heirs of James Havyngton. AVorth per annun) (> marks. Ilath been incumbent 36 years. Pbestwyche.—Wm. Langley, Clerk parson, of Church by nomination of Robt. Langley, Esq. Wortli yearly 40 marlis. Ilath been incumbent 6 years.

The Church of Oldham is a Cliapel to same Church. Bury.—Richd. Smyth, Clerk parson, of Bury by nomination of the Earl of Derby, worth yearly 40 marks. Hath been incumbent 20 years. Myddelton.—John Clayden, Clerk, parson, by nomination of Riclul. Asheton, Esq. Been incumbent 5 years. Worth 40 marks yearly.

^ Thomas Mawdesley, occupieth a chantry in the Churcli by nomination of John Hopwood. Hath been incumbent 2 years. Worth £4 yearly. EccLES.—^Belonging to Whalley Mqnastry (no amount per annum) Thos.

Holgate is vicar, by nomination of the Abbot of Whalley. Thos. is now incumbent. Occupied same for 20 years. Worth per annum £10. ISs. 4d. Thos. Bowker hath a chantry in Eccles Church, by nomination of Sir John Byi'on & Geo. Bothe, Esq. Incumbent 0 years. Worth per annum 10 marks. Thurston Cokker, priest, occupieth a chantry in Eccles Church, by nomination of Sir John. Occupied same for 3 years. Worth per annum 10 marks. Thomas Swan, priest, occupieth a chantry in Eccles Church, by nomination

of Sir Geffrey Masty, Imt. Occupied same for 20 years. Worth £4 p. an. TuBTOJ^.—There is a free chapel in Turton in Bolton, in gift of Ralph Orell, Esq. James Anderton is incumbent. Worth 7 marks per annum. Rachedale.—The church belongs to Whalley Monastery. Worth per

annum £200. Gilbert Haydok is A'icar, by nomination of the Abbot.

Occupied same for 1 year. Worth 20 marks yearly.

Asshetox.—Gervas Assheton is parson, by nomination of heirs of Sir Thomas Assheton. Occupied the same 20 years. Worth per annum 20 marks. ' Sabylworth.—Bslonging to same Monastery. AVovth per annum 20 marks. Radclytf.—George ByUyngton, Clerk, parson by nomination of Ld. Montegle. Occupied same 14 years. Worth 20 marks per annum.

//(-//ry 8(/i. Vol. 29. L. 2. Bolton. To THE Rt. Honble. the Earl of Southampton.

31 Hen. Bf/i. One Elizabeth Lever, widow, late wife of Alexander Lever,

deceased, and Wm. Bolton, Executors of Alexrs. wiU, states : —That during the time the said Alexr. held the prebend of Bolton, vizt. for CO years, the same Alexr., about 8 years past, made suit unto one Wm. Kjiyght, Clerk, and yet Archdeacon of Chester and prebendary of Bolton, to have a lease of the prebendary of Bolton for' GO years, paying the accustomed rent. He agreed to pay Knyght £40 for the lease. lie paid £20 on account, and Knight faithfidly promised he should have the prebendary for 60 years. Alexr holding the said COLLECTANEA. 131

luase, by will, made pits. Executors, & died May 2nd last. Tlie Executors agreed to pay the other £20, but Knight leased the prebendary to one Thurston Tyldysley, Esq., for 60 years. The said Thurstou being a man of groat power, ejected pits, who are poor, &c. [Deft. Knyght answers, saying he had an offer of £'oO for the same, and intended to pay tlie deposit back, but Alexr. died. There are Replications, Rejoinders, Interrogatories, & Depositions attached of no less than 10 sldns.]

Pleadings, n.d. \_A^o date.*'] Vol. 5. H. 24. Deane. To the Rt. AVorshipful Sm Eichd. Wingfield, Knt.

This bill is not dated, but from it can be gleaned that Eichard Hetou of

Ileton, Lancaster, Gent., " is of good mind and deuotion had to God and to our blessed Lady within the pislte [parish] Church of Dene in the said County caused an lie to be made & builded within the same Church and the great part of the charges thereof att the costs of your said besecher." And also w*in the said Ee he oonly att his further costs and chargs edifyed a ChappeU of tymbre

and the same Cliapell so by yo"" said Orator edified & buylded oon Edmund Grenlialgh, Hugh Grenehalgh, Olyuer Grenehalgh, Jamys Grenehalgh, Oliver Lokwood, Gilbert Grenehalgh, Edmund Turner & Thos & Robert Grenehalgh & others of evil purpose to the number of 2G " arrayed after the maner of warr,

that is to say with swords, Buklers, bills, bowes and arrowes and other wepons, came in the night time about 3 o'clock in the morning of the 24 Augt. in the 14 Hen 8"' in riotous warHke maner entered into the said Chmch and pulled

& cut down the tymber work of the same Chapel by pit edified as also the altar & posts whereupon the images of the Holy Trinity & St Anne stood within the said Chapel & upon which Altar were two nfasses celebrate & said to the honor of Almighty God the day next before the said Eyott. After they had done this they threw the same into the Churchyard to the dangerous & periUous behaviour of persons in time to come."

[Prays a writ of Privy Seal to compel Answers. There are no answers

attached. The biU is in excellent preservation, though small.—A reference is

given to another volume (Vol. 4, n.d., c. 14).] Vol. 16G, W. 18.—This bill was filed 24th Octr., 1598, before Sir Eobert

CeciU, knt., by James Worthington, of Snydle, Lancaster, gent., and Anne, his wife, that whereas Adam Eccleston, of Eccleston, Lancaster, Esq., by good conveyance, conveyed the same moiety of the manor of Eccleston, for the use

of himself for life, without impeachment of waste, remainder to his ferst son, and then to his heirs, and so successively for 8 sons, and for want of such issue

to 0 daughters of Adam, lawfully begotten. Eemainder to said Anne Worth- ington, and her heirs, lawfully begotten, being his cosin jermin, with divers

remainder. ' The said Anne being an infant, that is, imder 21, [aged 18] and the said Adam being sick in body and inconstant, Eobert Dewhurst, Lawi-ence^ Bannester, and others got him, the said Adam, to make another conveyance of the said moiety, to dishinherit himselfe of aU his lands, &c., to the value of £10,000, contraiy to all law and equity.' Plaintiff was obhged to enter into a

* In or soon after the year 1522.—Ed. (Jl.I) SOUTII-KyVST I,ANCASJIIUP;. bond of ,L-]00 to Jloii-hlon, Esq., that Anno should ovy a fine of the promises to the 5;ud llougliton and his heirs. The said defendant and one

Thomas Heaton, hanuj practised with James Pendlebury, cleric, and minister of Dean Church, where Anne was baptised to falsify the register. Whereas

Anne was christened on Easter Day, 1580, Pendlebury made it 1578, making

Anne two years older, so as to give colour to the passing of the said fine, and the utter undoing of the plaintiffs. [Praying process of Privy Seal.] Deane and Eccles.

R. 12, Vol. 13.—This bill was filed 3G Hen., 8th (1544:), by William

RothwcU, clerk, vicar of Deane, and stating that where one Tliomas Graven, vicar of Eccles, and all his predecessors tyme oxit of man's rem'brance, by reason of one composition and ordinance by, Roger, then Bishop of Chester, in 1277, have paid £4 for serving of a priest to administer to the wants of Dene. But lately, on the 21st of Novr., in the 33rd Hen. 8th, (1641), it pleased the King to grant that the said chapel should be a church from hence- forth, and he should administer to the wants of the people of the district, and

in the said grant is the proviso : " Provided alwaves that the seid vycar of the seid churche of Deane for the tyme beyng shall nott have or receive of the Kyng's Magestye, or of his heeres any more or greater stvpend or wages than the late chaplein or curate of the seid late chapel of Deane for the tyme beyng laste, hade and received before the makyng of the seid Lves Patents." Plaintiff says he hath always served the cure according to his bouuden dutee in that behalf, and hath no manner of salary or donation for serving of the cure belonging to the vicarage of Deane, but only £4 aforesaid which the means of Eccles of long time have usually paid. The Vicar of Eccles appears to have refused to pay the £4, and hence the suit.

This is the answer of one Thomas Craven, vicar of Eccles, to the bill of

Wm. Eotbewell, vicar of the Deyne. Defendant says and first accuses him

(plaintiff) of being of a covetous mind, and that he exhibits his bill to put defendant to costs in law and to vex him. Plaintiff prosecuted defendant in two courts, and in each case (for tithes) it was dismissed. Defendant further

says : About three years past the church of Deyne, where plaintiff was vicar, was then a chapel and belonging to the church of Eccles, and long time before plaintiff was vicar defendant had the cure of souls of the Deyne, and ad- ministered sacraments, and plaintiff was nominated, and at the pleasure of

defendant was priest of the same chapel, and had yearly of defendant such

reward or stipend as it pleased defendant to give him, that is to say some years

£4 and some years a less sum, and then controversy happened between the parishioners of Eccles and those of the Deyne in and about the building of Eccles Church, whereimto the parishioners of the Deyne had always been contributors. And for the intent that, amongst other things, the parishioners of the Deyne might be exempted from any such contribution of building Eccles

Church, they of their own suit have obtained the King's letters patents,

whereby it appeareth the said Deyne is a church, and hath a pei-petual vicar, and who hath cure of the souls hut is not nominated by this defendant, and

defendant is discharged of the cui'e of souls there. COLLECTANEA. 133

Blackbod.

Ediu. G, Vol. 4.—To tlie Eight Honourable Sir Wm. Paget, Kt., &c.— A bill was filed in Miliary Term, 3-4 Edw. Gth [lo50-l] by Thomas Gerrard, Esq., son and heir apparent of Sir Thos. Gerrard, Knt., stating that the King being seized in his demesne as of fee of and in the late Chantry of Blakerode (St. Katherine's) and lands and possessions belonging thereto. Being so seized by his writing sealed ^vith the convent seal demised to pit [plaintiff] ; the said chantry with appments for a terra of years. Yielding yearly a certain yearly rent mentioned in the same indenture. So it is good Lord, one Ealph ffoster, clerke, late the chantry priest of the said chantiy, and his brother Sed ffoster, have entered the same premises and have caused to be cut down 14 great trees called Okes, and a great quantity of other woods called white wood '• Amoimting to the nomb of Ix wayne loods," and they have caused to be taken and carried away the same. Being of " a covetous minde," the defendants also entered the chanti-y house, parcel of the premises in Blakerode, and took the doors, windows, flooring boards, rafters, clampstaves, and joists of the same, and conveyed the same away, leaving the chantry house in ruins, that it cannot be sufficiently repaired for twenty marks. By reason of the lease plaintiff had he was bound to repair the same premises, and in that case had only redress from this Court. Ealph Forster answers that the premises were granted by Hen. 8th to Seth Forster, and in a riotous manner plaintiffs ejected Mm from the same, being

the chanti-y priest. He denies the other charges, but says what wood was cut down was for repairs of the premises. BOLTOX.

N.D., Vol. 5. Phil and Mary, B 29.—In this bill Eobert Barton, of the Smytheles, complains against Eoger Leyvor and many others, and says that by a writing dated June 10th, 31 of Hen. 8th [1539], a grant was made to Andrew Barton, father to plaintiff, of a moiety or half part of the prebend of Bolton,

with the haK of the Parish Church of Bolton, and the half of all tithes,

oblations, &c., to the same church, from May 1st in that year for 60 years, as by the indenture of the said Tyldesley will be proved. Andrew Barton was duly possessed of the said moiety. The same came to plaintiff and he hath

enjoyed the same till of late, -viz., on August 11th last past the defendants by

force of arms in " moost ryottous and warre lyke manner neyther havyng the

fere of God, nor yet rememberyng theyr dutye of obbedyence to our late sovereigns the Lord and Lady, King and Queen, assembled themselves

together at Bolton, with swords, daggers, pikes, &c., and hearing previously

that plaintiff's servants were about to cut and carry the corn from the premises,

plaintiff with servants repaired to the Crosse, near Bolton, where the defendant

and his servants lyed in waite for plaintiffs servants to beat them if they

carried the said corn away, plaintiff's servants being ignorant of it " in God's peace." When the plaintiff's servants arrived at the 'Cross the defendants

attacked them, swearing and making a gi-eat tumid t, some with weapons ready

drawn threatened them if they did not give up the corn. [The defendants ignored the power of the justices of peace. The bill it winds up by praying a writ compelling answer.] 13-1

BOUNDARIES.

XJIK Ul'l'Kll BAII.IWICK OF MA^X'^KST^;R.*

" rriHE possessions of Robert Giislet in that part of tlie Salforcl Hundred

-whicli afterwards constituted the upper baUiwick of the barony^

appear to liave comprised a larf^e tract about ten niiles from north to south,

and of varying from six to eight miles inchiding Anlezark, Shai-ples, a breadth ; Longworth, Rivington, Turton, Smithells, Halliwell, Harwood, Little Lever, Bradshaw, Horwich, Pleton, Lostock, Eumworth, Pilkington, Dean, AspuU, West Houghton, Hulton, and Farnworth. These possessions subsequently constituted the upper bailimck of JNIanchester."*

^ THE LOWER BAILIWICK.* "The lower bailiwick, as possessed by this baron, seems to have been

bounded by the Irwell, from the point where the Medlock falls into it, to Strangeways; thence extending eastward in an irregular course towards Blacldey and Alkrington, whence the boundary continued in a south-easterly

direction to Ashton-under-Lyne. Here the river Tame became its boundary,

as far as to where it falls into the Mersey near Heaton Norris. Then the

Mersey became the boundary westward, along its course, by Didsbmy and

Urmston, tUl its confluence with the Irwell near Cadishead ; and thence the Irwell was the boundary north-east to the starting point at Aldport." At page 279 of Dr. Kuerden's MS.—the accuracy of which has been repeatedly impugned—preserved in the Chetham College Library at Man- chester, there is the following description,! which, according to Baines, differs sHghtly from the version in the Harleiau MSS.,— with which he alleges his copy was collated. Harland says, howeverj : " Dr. Kuerden, under the head

'Baronia de Mamecestre' in his folio MS. in Chetham's Library (pp. 274

seq^, has given an account collected from uncited authorities, and which is full

of eri-ors. It h^s been printed by Baines (edition of 1830, vol. ii., pp. 172-175) with various omissions and some further errors. The errors were mainlv

attributable to the eight Greslets having only three Christian names, viz.,

three Alberts, three Roberts, and two Thomases. Thus Kuerden, after noticing the first Albert, goes on to name the possessions of a Robert who lived in the 13th John, and who consequently, instead of being the second baron,

must have been the fifth. Then he confounds Albert Senex with .\lbert Juvenis, and altogether his compilation is quite untrustworthy." "We leave the reader to examine and contrast Kuerden's minute boundary details—as translated by Baines—which follow, with those of Harlande author.

« Chet. Soc. Pub. Vol. liii. Mamecestre, being chapters from the early recorded hisfmy of the barony, the Ivdship, or manor; the vill, borough, or town of Manchester, edited by John Harland, F.S.A., vol. i., pp. 38-9. t Period referred to, according to Baines, being circa 1322. note X lb. p. 35, (27). — ;

" At Manchester ; toward the peace and liberty of the Lord of the Manor which, besides the hamlets and exterior places, begins at the Breudorchnrd, which is called AVallegren?, between Aldport and the Eectory of Manchester, and so descending by the river Irwil to Bosseleclou near Strangeways, along the IrweU, at the middle is the boundary between SaKord & Manchester; and following the said Bosselclou between Cheetham and Manchester up to le Musies, and thus going between the Musics and Blacldach up to the end of the

Causeway—And so beyond the Causeway, going between le Glerruding and into the Masterfeld by a hedge up to the middle of the Irlc, and then following tlie Irk, by the same middle, up to le Cordirodes, and following that up to Cold- wallerclou, and following that according to the guiding of an ancient hedge, np to le Eedbrokey and following that into the ditch or pit at Curmeshale, called le Mossdich, and following that to the head or top of Oxewall between Man- chester and Chetham, and from that head following the royal road (or highway)

betwixt Manchester and Burghton, up to the Lowecasters ; and from thence following le Grindlach into Mershamton into the middle of the river Irk aforesaid, and so following the Irk by the middle of the stream up to Alkeren- ton, and from thence following the Grisebroke into Little Moss,* and from thence following the pales of Blakel park into Brugdsham, and from thence going between Xotehurst and Rinthurstf Moss up to Wriggeleheued, and from thence by a ditch up to BradleybrickeJ between Clayton and Oldham, and from thence following the bounds of Clay tone between Oldham and Claytone np to the bounds of Ashton-under-line, and so following the bounds of Ashtou between the county of York and Ashton, to the middle of the river Tam, and from thence following the river aforesaid to the mear between the County of

Chester and Ashton iip to Moreclou, at Eedish up to Saltersyate, and from thence following the ditch of Eedish up to Mulchelditch, and following that up

to Peytonyngate, and following that up to the Torfpitts between Heton Norres

and Eedish. And from thence following tlie Merebroke up to the conjunction of the rivers Tani and Mersey, and then follo-wing the Mersey up to Stretford- broke, and from thence following the boimds between Stretford and ChoUerton,

which is a member of "Wythington, up to Menshellach, and following that up

to Whittentouclou, and from thence going between "VVithington clou and Trafford up to the bounds of Chorlton, and following that between Chorlton & Trafford up to the Combroke. And following that between the manor of Hulm near Alport and Trafford up to the middle of the river Irwel, and following that over Aldport up to the Brendorehard between Manchester and Salford; which are the boundaries of Manchester, and shall be kept by themselves."

* The copy in the Harl. MS. has " Bryndstone."—^-Jine.--. t Notehurst. lb. j Gradleybroke.—/i. 130 OM) SOUTH-EAST I.ANCASIIUIK.

NOTES AND QUERIES.

" If stationary men would pay some attention to tlie districts in whicli they reside and would publisli their tlioughts respecting the objects that surround tliem, from such materials might bo drawn the most complete county histories, which are still wanting in several parts of tho kingdom."—White, in his Natural History and Antiquities of Selbwne.

[11.] Dangehous CoENEn.—There was in existence until lately, and/;? si/n,

a relic of old Bolton, -which on looking for to-day I was sorry not to find.

When a hoy, and in the habit of daily passing through Bradshawgate to school,

I was often attracted by an old stone, or flag, about 2 feet by 1 foot, let or built in the angle of an old building which any passer-by could easily see on looking diown Haslam's Entry, as through a telescope, and situate on the south side of the present Wesley chapel. The special attraction which used to set me a-thinking

and a-weaving stories, in which Old NoU on his way to pass a night at Burnden Fold was the favourite hero, was the suggestive legend

DANGEROUS CORNER

I am not sure about the date, but the figures and lettering were of the time. Two hundred years ago, unless buildings equally old were pulled down, the old

building with its wall of big stones, unhewn and uncouth, stood alone. And

out of the silent past, of memory in addition to fact, comes the old query-

why dangerous ? Chas. Rothwell, M.R.C.S.

[12.] In the very interesting account of the Pendleton " New Hall," by Mr. Plant, he mentions that the Pendleton " Old Hall " was probably occupied in

the year 1595, by Otho Holland. I have been informed that during its last renovation a date was discovered, though vei-y indistinct, believed to be 1565,

consequently Mr. Plant's surmise may be correct ; if so, I should imagine it to

be the oldest haU, still inhabited, in this district. As I understand that it may be demolished very shortly, could some of your antiquarians afford any information as to its history ? 1, and probably many other old Pendletoniaus, have often in my youth been regaled with stories of the ghost of "Old

Douglas," a proprietor at the beginning of this century, and whose body lies in the churchyard of St. Anne, Brindle Heath, Pendleton. I used also to be " told of a Barrack " which existed close to the Old Hall ; was there any conuec+ion between the two ?—T. E. — —

A^;s^yERS.

ANSWERS.

[7.] The Matheb Fajiily.—Mr. Beamont, in his " Winwick, its History and Antiquities," enumerates and gives very interesting particulars, so far as known, of no less than twenty of the successive masters of the Winwick Grammar School. In particular, he dwells upon the local origin and history of Eichard Mather, who, in 1611, though only fifteen years of age, was appointed master of the school. In the following year, however, he imdertook the mastership of a pubhc school in Toxteth Park, where he had as one of his pupils the celebrated astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks, a native of Toxteth. In

1635 Richard Mather left Toxteth, and emigrated to New England, and joined the " Pilgrim Fathers." He was subsequently the father of Increase Mather, and grandfather of the stUl more celebrated Cotton Matlier. He died in America in 1669, and some years after his death the following absurd epitaph

was placed on his grave : '• Under this stone lies Richard Mather, Wlio had a son greater than his father, And eke a grandson greater than either."

In the 6th vol. (p. 15) of the Transactions of the Historic Society of Lan- cashire and Cheshire our late venerable colleague. Dr. Thom, tells us that

there is in the possession of the Unitarian congregation worshipping in Eenshaw- street, Liverpool, a MS. volume giving an accotmt of Richard Mather (chiefly on the authority' of the celebrated Samuel Clarke), so rich in local information, that he hoped it would be publislied. The following memoir is given by Mr.

Beamont : Richard Mather, the next master who was appointed by Sir Peter Legh, Knight, a successor to his ancestor of the same name, probably succeeded a William Horrocke, and of him and his history we are able to give some particulars. He was born iu 1596, in a quaint house wliich may still be seen in Mather Lane, Lowton, which has the letters R. M. marked upon it in projecting brickwork. His parents, Thomas and Jlargaret Mather, very worthy people in a humble rank of life, sent him early to the within an easy school at Winwick, which was walk of his home ; and in 1611, when he was yet but fifteen years of age, he became master of the school, which he left in the following year to undertake a public school in Toxteth Park, which was then a small rural village, very different from the populous suburb of Liverpool which it has since become. In May, 1618, he entered himself at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he seems not to have remained long enough to obtain a degree, for in 1620 he returned to his school in Toxteth, and in the same year took holy orders, and was ordained by Morton, Bishop of Chester. Morton, tliough well known to be opposed to the Puritans, to which party Mather belonged, was very kind to him, spoke to him after his ordination, and desired to be remembered by him in his prayers. Mr. Mither married Katherine, the daughter of Edmund Hoult, of Much-Woolton, by whom he had four goodly sons, Samuel, jXathaniel, Eleazer, and Increase Mather, of whom any parents might have been proud. While he was teaching at Toxteth Park he is believed to have had for his pupil Jeremiah Horrox, to whose singular merits as an astronomer who was the first tD observe the Transit of Venus, men of scieace until modern times have been slow to acknowledge their obligations. Horrox must have quitted Liverpool and gone to Cambridge a short time before Mr. Mather emigrated to New England. Only the first two of Mr. Mather's sons were born in Engknd, for in 1633 there being an outcry raised against the Puritans, Mr. Mather, « the minister —

138 and sclioolmaster" of Toxtctli Park, who had boon onco suspended fov nonconformity find been restored and was afterwards again suspended, determined to join tho

rilgrim Fathers in their transatlantic homo, and in 1635 lie carried his purpose into effect. On the 15th of April in that year he left Liverpool, the next day he reached Warrington, and on the 23rd he arrived at liristol. Why, wo may inquire, could lie not have found a sliip at Liverpool to convoy him to Kew England? But evidently ships then passed to and fro across tho Atlantic oftenor from Bristol than Liverpool. In his journal he says that he had " a healthy, safe, and prosperous journey all tho way (blessed be the name of the Lord for the same !) taking but easy journeys because of the women and footmen, and despatching 119 or 120 miles in seven days !" An observation by his grandson Cotton Mather throws a doubt upon the pleasantness of the journey, where he says that his ancestor used to change his apparel every day, to avoid the pursuivants who were looking for him. When the vessel sailed from Bristol wc do not know, but unless she was detained there some time the voyage to New England must have been unusually long, for the party did not land at Boston until the 17th of August, four months after their departure from Liverpool. After being welcomed on his arrival in the new world, Mr. Mather was soon settled as a preacher at Dorchester, where tho once master of Winwick School brought up those sons who made his and their names famous on both sides of tho Atlantic. He was able to find time from his ministerial vocation to prepare several religious and controversial works, which he sent over to be printed in England ; but in 1640 he joined John Eliot, the apostle of the North American Indians, and two other friends in preparing a translation of the Book of Psakns, from which we may infer that he had some skill in Hebrew, which, from the inscription in that tongue formerly on the Winwick School, we might suppose was a favourite study. This work, which was called " The Psalms in metre, faithfully translated for the use, edification, and comfort of the saints, in public and private, especially in New England," the translators in tho year 1640 put into the hands of Daye, a printer, who printed it in America, where it is said to have been the first book ever printed on that side of the Atlantic. Mr. Mather, who stood high in the estimation of his religious party in America, was appointed by them in 1648 to draw up an outline of church discipline for New England, agreeable to Holy If Scripture. ( Waddinrjton's Congregational History, 511.) he can be truly said to have died, whose name lived after him in so many descendants on both sides of the Atlantic, he died at Windsor, in Connecticut, on the 22nd April, 1669. His son Samuel returned to England, and became minister of Burtonwood; and Nathaniel, another son, is honoured with a beautiful Latin epitaph by Dr. Watts. On the arrival of William and Miry, Mr. Mither's son. Increase Mather, came to England as a commissioner from Massachusetts, and succeeded in obtaining a renewal of their charter, on which occasion he had an interesting interview with Queen Mary. Many other, particulars of the Mather family may be seen in Brooks' Puritans and in Silley's Biographical Sketches of Harvard Lnivei'sity.

It is a curious circumstance that about the year 1820 Horatio Mather was the name of one of my schoolfellow.^. He came from Newton-in-Maker- field. James Kexdrick, M.D. Warrington, 11th March, ISSO.

[Dr. Kendrick also contributes a sket9h (S.E. and N.W. views) of " The house of Richard Mather " (one of the Pilgrim Fathers), at Lowton, Lancashire, which we hope to reproduce in our next issue. Ed.]

[2.] CHAiiEER Hall (Bttry).—Perhaps the following extract from " The

Pictorial History of the County of Lancaster" (pp. 250-1), puhlished by George Routledge, of London, in 1844, may interest " W." if he has not seen

it already:—"Chamber Hall, in the vicinity of Bury, was formerly the

residence of Sir Robert Peel, father of the present Premier. It is a —

OVR MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE. 139 square, red buildiug, witli sash windows. The remains of the old ball are at the back part of it, and are partiallj- covered with ivy. The windows are large, with bold midlions. The house is at present in the occupation of Mr.

Hardman, who was formerly foreman to the first Baronet It is usually stated that Chamber HaU was the bli'th-place of the present Baronet.

This is incorrect. At the time of his birth, his father's residence was under- going repairs, and the family had in consequence removed into a neighbouring

accordingly, under the humble roof, he first saw the light who is cottage ; and, now the Prime Minister of the British Empire ; a ruler of nobles, and to no small extent, master of the lives and fortunes of myriads of human beings.

This wonderful elevation is the achievement of the cotton trade ! The cottage, is built of brick, very limited in size, and at present in a dilapidated state." Ubique.

OUK MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE.

At the meeting of the Numismatic Society, held on the 19th of February, Mr. Nathan Heywood, of Manchester, was, with others, elected a member. Mr. Hayes, of Cross-street, Manchester, has disposed of his valuable stock of old and scarce books to Messrs. Sotheran & Co., of London, who wiH conduct

the business in Manchester in connection with their metropolitan establishments. The draft charter of the Victoria University has been approved by the Queen in Coimcil. The completion of the charter and the due constitution of the University—of which Owens CoUege is the nucleus—wiU follow without much further delay. The Rev. T. E. Gibson, of Birkdale, Lancashire, is engaged in the editorship of "A Cavalier's Note-Book," which wUl be published shortly by Messrs. Longmans & Co. Mr. Gibson rendered valuable assistance to the editor in the concluding volume of the recently published edition of Baines's " Lancashire." The concluding parts, 10 and 11, of the "CoUectanea Anglo-Poetica," by

the late Rev. Thomas Corser, wiU shortly be issued by the Chetham Society. They wiU complete the work, and the last part will contain a biogi'aphical memoir of the author. " The Correspondence of Nathan Walworth and Peter Seddon of Outwood, and other Documents, chiefly relating to the Building of Ringley Chapel, co. Lancaster," edited by J. S. Fletcher, Esq., wiU form the third volume of the Chetham Society publications for the year 1879-80. The Mayor of Bolton, replying to a vote of thanks tendered to him for presiding at an entertainment given lately, in St. James's Schools, referred to some observations which had been made by the Rev. T. T. Berger as to some

curiosities. He said the Mayoress was a great collector of curiosities, and had received several curious articles sent direct to her from Cetewayo, or rather from the surgeon under whose charge the Zidu king was, and who was a particular friend of tlieirs. The greatest curiosity at Seedley would be his fat majesty himself ahoidd he interriew the mayor on his arrival. OLD .SOUTH-EAST LAXC'ASII I HK.

Ill !L deep hollow near Mr. Mayall's coUiery, I'xlge Lane Koad; Oldliam, excavators liave laid bare portions of the upright stems of three or four fossil trees, obviously in the position in wliich they grew, previously to one of the many subsidences to which the coal area has been subjected during tlie past history of tlie earth's crust. The portions of the trees unearthed were eight or ten feet in length, twelve to eighteen inches in diameter, and were in places hidden by intervening strata of rock. The longitudinal flutings, and leaf-scars upon the trees show that they are sigillarife, and as similar trunks are continually being exposed and broken up by the workmen, it may be fairly concluded that they stand in the midst of what had once been a luxuriant semi-tropical forest. Each trunk is a mass of mud in tree-like form, what was once bark being represented in places by a thin layer of coal. The remains of one of these trees, which was about three feet in diameter, could not have been less than fifty or sixty feet in height when growing. In the hollow may be picked up fragments of rock containing stigmaria. an assemblage of root- stems of sigillaria and impressions of ferns. Others are being exposed nearly every week. Mr. F. Madox Bro-^vn has completed the cartoon for the third picture of the important series destined for the Town Hall, Manchester, the former two of which we have already described. Tlie new work represents, on the same

scale as the others, the "Expulsion of the Danes from Manchester" hy the

army of Edward the Elder. The scene is the street of the ancient to-^n, near

a portal in the external wall, which is opened to permit the escape of the

fugitives, and reveals the country landscape, a church, and trees. Under the

is of in hand, who arch a group Danes ; among them a young soldier, falchion

is turning to tlireaten his adversaries, and a wounded lad, who levels his little bow and sends an arrow vengefull}-. Three of the marauders have tripped in

their flight and fallen in a group near the gate ; one menaces his pursuers with a double-headed axe. They are followed hj a body of men who are endeavour-

ing to carry off a wounded chief on an improvised litter, and, " running the

gauntlet " of missiles from the houses, cover him and themselves with their

shields. Their leader carries the Raven standard, which is broken, and about to

fall. The town dogs bark at them, and King Edward's troops appear in hot

pursuit in the distance. It is a design fiiU of movement and passion, not without a spice of humour, and wlien the characteristic black dresses of the Danes

supply the dominant element to tlie chiaroscuro in combination -with the bright

light and strong shadows of the effect, tlie picture cannot but be telling in the highest degree. COUNTY.

The Rev. T. E. Gibson, of Lydiate, is engaged in editing a curious kind of diary kept by AVilUam Blundell, Esq., of Crosby, Lancashire, during his service

in the Royalist army of King Charles I., imder Major-General Tildesley. It will form a small quarto volume, entitled A Cavaliers Note-book, the contents

of which are described as consisting of " notes, anecdotes, and observations." They relate entirely to the first civil war, the period of the writer's service being 1642. —

OUR MONTHLY COXVERSAZIONK.

John Miller died in the last week of Fehniary, at Liverpool, at the reputed age of 105 years. His father, a Scotclmian, is said to have lived to 103 years.

Dr. A. B. Grosart has had printed an edition, limited to 106 copies, of the poems of Eichard James, B.D., whose " Iter Lancastrense," which connects him with the county palatine of Lancaster, has already been issued by tlie Chetham Society.

The Wigan Free Library has recently acquired a complete set of the Oxford sheet Almanacs from 1695 to 1880 inclusive. These have been mounted and bound in two volumes of atlas folio size. So long- a series is xevy rare. Tlie early numbers contain allegorical pictures in the pseudo-classical stjde then in vogue, but these gave place to views of colleges, and halls, for some of which

Turner himself made dra^vings. These views are now valuable as historical and architectural memoranda.

A very beautiful memorial window has been placed in the Parish Churcli,

Lancaster, by the Storey family. It is in tlie Perpendicular style, and the subject represented is the Good Samaritan, who occupies the central panel, with the priest and Levite on either side of the man who fell thieves. — among Across the lower part of the window is this inscription : " To the glory of God and in memory of William Storey, this window was erected by his Widow and four Daughters, 1880." The work has been executed by Messrs. Shrigley & Hunt, of Lancaster.

It is proposed to hold at Liverpool a Loan Exhibition of Prehistoric Anti- quities and Ethnography, for the purpose of illustrating the natural history of primitive and imcivilised man, and the various developments of culture pecidiar to the different races of mankind. The exhibition will be held in the lower rooms of the "Walker Art Gallery, the use of which has been granted by the kind permission of the Library and Museum Committee. Every care will be taken of the objects lent, and an Executive Committee of the gentlemen of the General Committee will personally superintend the reception and arrangement of the objects. The exliibition -svill be open about three months, free to the public.

Two ancient documents relating to the history of Lancashire and Chesliire the most ancient extant, in fact—are in a forward state of preparation or reproduction, and are about to be published by the Chetham Society. These documents consist of the CotnpoH, or accoimts of the lands of Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and their value and interest will be at once e\-ident to anyone who has looked into Whitaker's " History of Whalley," and knows how much of Dr. Whitaker's account of that large district rests on the great inquisition taken on the death of Henry de Lacy in 1311. The Coinpoti are earlier, fidler, and far more exact than the inquisition, which, as is usual ^\ith those documents, give not the actual but the usual values. They are being prepared for publication by the Rev. Ponsonby A. Lyons, editor of the recent issue of "\Miitaker's " History of "Whalley," w'hose familiaiity with the ancient Lancashire records and with the period, places, and persons to which the Coinpoti relate constitutes a singular qualification for the difEcult task which has been committed to him. A couple, of kists were discovered a few days ago at Clifton, Westmoreland. Mr. J. II. lUitlierfurd, of Kelso, is preparing a history of that ancient town.

A new liistory of Boltou-le-Moors is in course of preparation Ijy a local author.

A new Italian periodical, // Bibliofilo, has been commenced. It is devoted to bibliography and allied subjects.

Prince Ouroussoff, Russian Secretary of State, is engaged on a scheme for introducing the Gregorian Calendar into Eussia.

The Russian Government is maldng arrangements for the examination of all the archives and State papers througliout the Empire.

Amongst recent publications may be specially named Mr. J. 0. Westwood's " Lapidarium WaUise " and Mr. M'George's " Old Glasgow." It is probable that, owing to tbe meeting of the new Parliament, the opening of the India Museum will be postponed until the middle of May.

The monument to the memory of Schumann, the composer, is already- erected in the cemetery at Bonn, and will be imveiled on the 2nd of May next. Some unpublished letters and documents relating to Cromwell's Irish

campaigns will appear in tlie forthcoming volume of ]Mr. Gilbert's " History of Ireland."

Professor Boyd Dawkins's work on Early Man in Britain, and his Place in

the Tertiary Period," which has been expected for some time, is on the eve of publication. Mr. AV. F. Prideaux in Noies and Queries refers to the Arabic legend of Zarqua, which includes an incident curiously anticipating that of Birnam Wood and Dimsinane in " Macbeth." A new magazine, especially designed to represent " South Kensington," will very shortly appear, and deal with matters of science and art. The editor is an archteologist and quondam collector.

Mr. J. Russell Lowell, the newly-appointed American Minister in London, is, it appears, a lineal descendant of one Percival Lowell, an English merchant, who emigrated from Bristol in 1639. An equestrian statue to the memoiw of Lord Gough—cast from cannon taken by troops under the coraonand of the great soldier—erected in tlie Phoenix Park, Dublin, was imveiled on the 21st of February. The important collection of the Alessandiina, one of the Roman libraries, has been closed on account of the unsatisfactory state of the building. This has caused much inconvenience to the University of Rome. A lyrical poem by the pessimist Leopardi, entitled " The Approach of Death," -wi-itten at Naples shortly before his decease in 1837, and hitherto vainly sought for, has been discovered in a private library at Como.

There seems to be a possibility of some impublished letters of Burns being given to the public in New Zealand. Recenty there died at Dunedin Mr. Robert GilMson, the grandson of Richard Brown, who was a crony of the poet in

Irvine, Ayi-shire. For a number of years he had the custody of all the letters addressed to his grandfather by Burns. Ol'U MOXTHLY CON'VKnSAZIONK. 14:5

Wlien, in ISG'), tlie Dutcli celebrated tlie fiftietli anniversary of tlie battle of Waterloo tliere were no more tlian four Waterloo men in the military procession. The last surviving of these, Willem Ketterman, died recentty, aged 84. The great sacrificial altar, together with the tomb of Pelops and the adjacent colonnade, having been discovered by the German excavating expedition at Olympia, the entire ground plan of the enclosure can now be laid down with absolute certaiut}'.

Dr. Shuldham's collection of old blue and white Chinese porcelain was sold recently in London, and the prices to which the much-sought-after hawtliorn

^ars were run up were beyond all precedent, scarce as these old jars may be one being Icnocked do^vn at £620, and another at £650.

Admiral Philip Westphal, the oldest commissioned officer in Her Majesty's Navy, died at Kyde on the 16th March, in his 99th year. He was at the battle of Copenhagen, and fought xmder Nelson in 1801. He obtained his first step to the rank of Lieutenant at the close of the battle of Copenhagen. A reprint has been issued of Samuel Daniel's " Vision of the Twelve God- desses," a " royall masque," which was presented upon Sunday night, 8th January, 1G04, in the great hall at Hampton Court, and personated by the Queen and eleven ladies of hououi-. The editor, Mr. Ernest Law, has given an account of the grand Christmas festivities of 1G03.

A bronze statue, the head of which is surroimded by a solar aureola, has been fomid in an Indian burial ground at Trujillo in Peru. The inscription on it is undoubtedly Chinese, but of an archaic character, and may signify " He wlio governs the kingdom." If this find be authentic, it would point to intercourse between China and the ancient Peruvian empire. Leo XIII. (Joachim Pecchi), Sovereign Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, completed his seventieth year on the 2nd of March. The following day was the anniversary of his coronation. He was elected to the papacy

•n succession to Pope Pius IX., on February 20th, 1878, and crowned on

March 3rd following. Leo XHI. is the 238th pontiff of the Church of Eome. Efforts are being made in Athens to prevail on the Government to remove to that city the sculptures found at Olympia in recent years in the course of the German excavations. The people of the district naturally wish to retain them

as a matter of pride, and perhaps also to attract visitors ; but the chief difficidty

is the law ordering antiquities to be preserved in the centres where they are found, so far as possible. About half of the modern village built on the nuns of the temple at Eleusis has been purcliased by the Archaeological Society of Athens with a view to the

excavation of the site. New houses will be built lower down by the edge

of the bay, and, when the present population has been withdrawn to these

new quarters, the workmen of the society will begin operations—probably in the course of the present year.

Mr. H. H. Howorth has printed for private circidation a paper on the Irish monks and the Norsemen, in which, after a sketch of the monasteries, he describes the ravages and slaughter caused by the pii-atical onslaughts of the ;

I'J I OI,|. ,SOl Tir-KAST l.A.N-CAHIllIU:.

Noi'semen, beginning' with the attacic in the year 7'Jo and continuing during tlie succeeding century, in which the culture and civilisation of ancient Iieland was laid low by these marauders.

Professor Curtius argues in tlie Hermes against the received opinion that the ancient statues of Hormodios and Aristogeiton in Athens are to be recognised in the sketches of two advancing combatants on a vase in the British Museum, on a marble chair at Athens, and in the two well-known marble statues at Naples. Professor Curtius thinks they represent Miltiades and Kallimachos at the battle of Marathon. At a recent sale of autographs in Paris the following interesting examples proved the increasing value of such memorials : Cinq-Mars to Chavigny, 420 f .

Frangois I. to Charles V , 1S2 f Joseph Lebon to Robespierre, on the celibacy . ; " of priests, 92 f. ; Madame de Maintenon upon the Esther" of Eacine, 670 f.

Mary Stuart, relating to the battle of St. Quentin, 700 f ; Maria Theresa of .

AiLstria, ISo f. ; Maria Leczinska, 102 f. A Cufic Koran, of the eighth century, has been lately added to the collection of Arabic manuscripts at the British Museum. This venerable volume, written in a large and beautiful hand, is, for its palasography, perhaps one of the most valuable and interesting of the recent acquisitions of the Oriental Library. Wo understand that Dr. Wright wiU give a specimen plate from tlie IMS. in the next issue of the Palfeographical Society. Bitter complaints reach us from Oxford concerning an obnoxious University statute restricting the privileges of the Bodleian Library. iS[o one is to be allowed to copy a manuscript without the permission of the librarian. That might pass, though it is futile. But after he has copied it he is not to be allowed to publish his collations without the permission of the librarian. That is ridiculous, and does not even exist at the Vatican.

As a proof of the numbers of Scotchmen of good family who took service in foreign countries in early times, it may be mentioned that the " Armorial de

Sabre " at Brussels was recently found by Lord Crawford to contain forty-five

Scottish coats of arms. This collection is heraldicaUy of the more importance in that thirty of these coats have also the crests. An armorial found at Paris contains 124 Scotch shields, but without the crests.

The Rev. W. D. Macray, F.S.A., is issuing a series of Anecdota Bodleiana.

The first number contained a short view of the state of Ireland, written in

160-5, by Sir John Harrington. The second, just issued, is George Wither's Vox Vulgi, the poem in censure of the Parliament of 1661, for which the author was imprisoned in the Tower, although he had not intended to publish it until it had been submitted to the Earl of Clarendon. By command of the Queen a stone cross has been erected on the spot where the Prince Imperial of France lost his life. The cross bears the following " inscription : This cross is erected by Queen Victoria in affectionate remembrance of Prince Napoleon Eugene Louis Joseph. Prince Imperial, to mark the spot where, while assisting in a reconnoissance with the British troops, on the

1st of Jirae, 1879, lie was attacked by a party of Zulus, and fell with his face to the foe." OUR MONTHLY COXVERSAZIONE. 145

The Greiiock Advertiser, which had been in existence for seventy-eight years, and for the last three years had been published as a halfj^enny evening paper, expired on Saturday, 21st February. One of the most notable incidents in its history was its rejection of Campbell's poem of " Hohenlinden," which the young author had sent to the sapient Greenock editor, who declined tlie piece on the groimd that it was " not up to the mark" for publication. During the fortnight ending 20th March, there were recorded in the obituary

of the Times the deaths of twenty-five ladies at ages ranging from 85 to 99 years, their imited ages amounting to 2,205 years, giving an average of 83 years and over two months to each. Of the opposite sex there were twent3--one whose ages ranged from 85 to 98 years, their united ages amounting to 1,846 years, giving an average of 87 years and nearly 11 months to each. "A Descendant of Marlborough," in a letter of some length to \hQ Athenatun, shows cause against the statement of Dr. Burton, in his " Reign of Queen Anne," that the French lost the battle of Blenheim because Tallard imagined himself to be protected by a morass when it was nearly dry. The testimony of eye -witnesses and contemporaries is marshalled to show that no plea of this kind was advanced at the time. Dr. Burton appears to have relied on a somewhat vague expression of Maffei, who was at the battle, but in another part of it. in the " Mr. John Hodges has press ChronologicaU Notes ; containing the Rise, Growth, and Present State of the English Congregation of the Order of Saint Benedict, drawn from the Archives of the Houses of ye said Congregation at Douay in Flanders, Dieirlwart in Lorrain, Paris in France, and Lambspiing in Germany." The Notes were compiled in 1709 by Dom Bennet Welden, O.S.B., a monk of St. Edmxmd's, Paris. The work has been edited from a MS. in the library of St. Gregory's Priory, Downside, by a monk of the same Congregation. At the meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London, held on the 19th of February, Major C. Cooper commimicated an accoimt of the discovery of 177 Roman coins (third brass of Tetricus the younger), 2 feet 6 inches below the surface, in a round heavy lump, on Priestley Moor, in the parish of Flitwick, Bedfordshire, They were found in digging a drain, and the excavation beneath the surface of which they were lying was itself 8 feet deep. This part of the land was most probably a huge swamp sixteen centuries back, and Major Cooper conjectui-ed they may have been lost by and along with some person who failed to make his way across, and perished in the attempt. Amongst numismatic rarities must be placed the coins struck by the Com- mimists during their possession of Paris. There was not a workman left in the Hotel de la Monnaie, and they had therefore to operate on coins which already bore the effigy of Napoleon IH. Camelinat, then dii-ector, managed to replace by a trident the bee on the five franc pieces, but the striking of them to the value of 1,200,000 francs had hardly been accomplished when the regular troops regained possession, and the communistic coins were melted down, with the exception of a few kept as objects of curiosity. A few hundreds were^ however, previously in circxilation. 01,1) .SOI-TH-K.V'.T I.A.NfASlllHK.

The scries of translalioiis of tlie sacred books of the JCast, under tlie editorial care of Professor F. jNIax Miiller, is proceedin^^ as expeditiously as could be expected. Three volumes hare been issued, and three more will make their appearance this month. These will include the Vendidad, translated by Mr.

James Darmesteter ; the Bundahis, Babnian Yast, and the Shayastla-Shayast, translated by Mr. E. W. "West; and the "Institutes of Vishnu," translated by

Professor J. Jolly. Tlicrc are five more volumes in the press, dealing -witli Mohometan, Buddhist, and Brahmamcal books. These have been translated by Professor E. II. Palmer, Kashinath Trimback Telang, Professor FausboU, and Mr. T. W. Rhys Davids. A short time since, while some men were digging in a hog on the west coast of Mayo, they came upon two Keltic tiaras (? mi/ids or gorgets) of pure gold. One was broken and otherwise injured, probably in the act of digging; the other was secured quite perfect and in fine preservation. Both were sold to a dealer in a neighbouring town ; the broken one was sent to London as old gold. The perfect one, however, was rescued in time, and is now in the possession of

Mr. Dugan, of Parsonstown, local secretarj- to the Archseological Society. The shape is crescentic, hence the term " lunula applied by arcliasologists to ornaments of this kind. The surface is covered with fine ornamentation of the chevron and dog-tooth pattern, and symmetrically crimpled or folded. The diameter is eight inches, and the weight about two ounces. HeiT Lissauer, in exploring the so-called " Keihengrixber," near Culm, on the Weser, has found about seventy graves, not previously opened. In these the bodies were found lying in rows on the bare ground, and besides bronze and iron knives, amber, agate, and other heads, rings of an oval form, varying in diameter from 30 to 80 millim., were discovered on either side of each skull. These singidar objects, to which the name of " Hackenriuge " has been given from tlieir hooked form, have never before been found at any but a purely Slav station. In Poland there is e^-idence that their use was continued till the middle of the eleventh century, but hitherto no light has been thrown on the purpose for which they were intended. The crania found in these graves differed from the brachiocephalic type of the Slavs, and approached more closely to that of the mesaticephalic ancient inhabitants of Western Prussia. The wholesale " restoration " of the fratiy of Carlisle Cathedral, now in progress of demolition is, it is said, to extend to the very foundation. The walls outside are to be refaced, the crypt rebuilt, the floor relaid, windows reopened, the square-shaped windows, which were probably inserted by the great antiquary Machell, removed (because they are of an obviously later date than the old building !) the screen containing the fireplace removed, and the whole reroofed. If all this be carried out, as is at present in the accepted programme of a well-known restoring architect, it wiU be difiicult to say what of the old fratry (where, as some say, King Edward I. held his Parliament), -wiU be left to ordinary mortal vision which cannot pierce through new facings and blocked- up windows. At the meeting of the British Archfeological Association, held on the 18th February, a resolution deprecating these undesirable principles was carried. ;

OUR MONTHLY CONVERSAZIONE. 147

The third volume of " Henrici de Bracton de Legibus et Consuetudinibus Anglise Libri Qiiiuque," edited by Sir Travers Twiss, O.C., as part of the Rolls Series, has passed through the press, and will shortly appear. It will contain Bracton's treatise, " De Assisa Novo3 Disseysinae," and the editor's introduction will treat of the origin of the Great Assize and the important amendments made in the administration of justice during the reigns of Henry II. and Henry ni. It win ako call attention to the disappearance of the " Magnus Rotidus " of the statutes, which Sir Robert Cotton describes in the early part of the seventeenth centuiy as preserved in the archives of the Tower of London, but s\-ith which no roll of the statutes at present preserved in the I'ubhc Record

Office is found to correspond.

After the lull which ensued upon the Laing sale, book collectors had their attention again aroused during the second week of March, by two important events—the disposal by the London firm of Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, of an assemblage of rare editions of " Reynard the Fox," in various languages ; and by the same firm, of Mr. Lake Price's collection of books containing wood- " cuts, including " Little Masters of the French and German schools, such as Le Petit Bernard, Jean Cousin, Geoifroy Tory, Jost Amman, Tobias Stimmer, and

'\'irgLl Solis, as well as some beautiful " Livres d'Heures," and the first edition

of the famous "Poliphilo." The competition was fierce, and was not confined

to English bidders, French houses being lilcewise represented. Mr. Quaritch

seems to have been the largest buyer on these as on several recent occasions. The Louvre has acquired two large vases of high archjeological interest, brought from Cervetri by M. F. Lenormant. They are archaic in style and of very ancient origin. On one of them is represented a lion attacking a chariot, suggesting Assyrian associations, and a combat between two ships of remark-

able construction. The other displays two lions facing each other in the

Asiatic manner, and two Greek myths, the birth of Pallas and the hunting of

the Calydonian boar. With these decorations is an Etruscan inscription of the most archaic character. The relics are attributed to the seventh century B.C. With the above, and from the same soiu'ce, the Louvre has obtained various Greek terra-cottas, remains from Tarentum of a fine style. Herr Albin Kohn has examined various tumuli near Czekanow, in Poland,

in which well-presei-ved skeletons have been found, exliibiting in point of occipital, •'•reater hei'^lit, convexity of the frontal and the straightness of the Caucasian rather than facial line and other cranial characteristics, a a Slav type. Near the Cetynia, an affluent of the Bug, prehistoric graves of similar form to those of Czekonow have been opened, but owing to the want of care of the whether, as in the latter, the workmen it was impossible to determine bodies were ranged on the back, side by side. The PoUsh chroniclers speak of a unknown, and nomadic race called Jadjvinges, whose origin was who, after wholly subdued in the thirteenth century a^es of aco-ressive warfare were only tumuli of the Cetynia, Herr Kohn and his and it is not improbable that in the the representatives of this people. coadjutor, Herr Eichler, may have come upon The London correspondent of the Bolton Guardian says:—"My chief the streets of London lies in the temptation when I take my walks abroad in oi.i) .souTir-KAST j,ANf;Asnmr..

way of the old booksliops. This morning; I picked up, for tlio small siini of twopence, a single volume of a splendidly-printed Terence, dated 1751, and owned by a Cambridge undergraduate in 1755. But that was not my reason for investing in the odd volume. On the blank pages at the beginning some industrious student who attended the Westminster play at Christmas, 1811, had taken the trouble to write in fidl the epilogue which was then delivered.

I find that the prominent subject dming 1810 must have been vaccination ; for

Davus is running to fetch a doctor in order that he may vaccinate the little baby. The pros and cons of vaccination are most amusingly debated between

Davus, Mysis, and Crito, and the whole thing is an interesting relic of the past.'' Mr. Coventry Patmore has presented to the library of the British Museum a copy printed on vellum of the entire works of St. Thomas Aquinas, published at Rome, " apud heredes Ant. Bladi," 17 volumes fol. 1870-71. This work is, according to Brunet, probably the most extensive work, so far as regards the number of volumes, ever printed on veUum. The copy presented by Mr. Pat- more formerly belonged to Pope Pius V., who is said to have presented it to

King Philip II. of Spain, by whom it was lodged in the Escurial, and there kept until the invasion of Spain imder Xapoleon, when it disappeared. It afterwards came into the possession of Sir Marmaduke M. Sykes, from whom it was purchased by the late Rev. Theodore Williams, vicar of Henden, who had it bound in twenty-one volumes, in a magnificent pui-ple morocco. No other copy of this magnificent work printed on vellum is kno\vn except that in the National Library at Paris. At a meeting of the Numismatic Society, held on the 18th of March, the Rev. Canon PownaU exhibited and commimicated some notes on the following coins : —1. A base shilling of James I., countermarked as a siege-piece of

Killlienny ; 2. A sixpence of Queen Elizabeth, 1564, countermarked with the

arms of Zealand ; 3. A testoon of Edward VI., countermarked in the reign of Elizabeth with a portcullis before the face of the king, and ordered to pass for fourpence-halfpenny ; 4. A penny of Stephen, from the collection of Mr. Young, of Leicester, struck at the Nottingham mint, and countermarked with a cross sufficiently large to deface the king's image, and thus to convert it into money of the Empress Matilda.—Dr. Pauli exhibited a paper coin, 1574, struck from Church Bibles duiing the siege of Leyden ; also a large silver medal, struck to commemorate the sitting of the Synod of Dordrecht in 1619, and other coins. At a recent meeting of the Academy des Inscriptions, M. Delaimaj' read a

note on the origin and signification of the emblem of the fish in Christian

symbolisni. The fish was regarded as a symbol of Christ long before the — famous acrostic, IX9Y2 'Iijo-ous Xpiaros Oeov Ytos ^tar-qp, was thought

of. M. Delaunay suggests that the origin of this symbolism is to be sought

for in the religious traditions of the eastern Semitic peoples. Berosus speaks

of the Chaldean myth of the fish-god Cannes; he probably recirrs in the

cuneiform texts under the name of Hea. He is represented on a considerable

number of Assyrian monuments. Wis function in the religion of the Chaldeans

is that of a heavenly mediator, an intermediary between gods and men. He "

Orn MONTHLY CONVEnSAZlONK. 149

thereby resembles the Logos, the great mediator of the Judeo-Alexanclrian philosophy, which is itself so similar to the Christian " Word." M. Delaunay considers that this explains why the emblem of the fish was regarded as peculiarly fitted to symbolise the Logos or Christ.

The question of who was the inventor of printing was, it seems, by no means settled by Dr. van der Linde's " Life of Gutenberg " and his claim for that German worthy as the long-sought inventor. The well-known incimabulist

Mr. J. II. Hessels, has been patiently examining Dr. van der Linde's supposed proofs of Gutenburg's claim, and finds them almost as ill-supported, almost as much founded on forgeries and documents with faulty pedigrees, as Dr. van der Linde foimd that Costers claim and the " Haarlem Legend " were. Mr. Hessels's series of articles on Gutenberg and what may be called the " Metz Legend will appear in monthly instalments in our excellent contemporary, the Printing Times, published by Messrs. Wyman, of Great Queen-street. Every document of importance in the controversy will be translated and commented on, the forgeries exposed, and the copies of the copieg of supposed originals that have never been produced, and whose whereabouts has never been ascertained; will be shown to be as valueless as they really are ; at least, so we are infonned. At the meeting of the British Archaeological Association, held on the 18th of February, Mr. Pinches read an elaborate paper " On the TeiTa-Cotta

Tablets of Babylonia and Assyria," and illustrated Ms remarks by several specimens of the various classes which he deciphered to the meeting. After indicating that stone and bark of trees formed the first writing materials of most nations, he referred to the very early use of clay, at first baked and afterwards unbaked. Some instances of the use of silver records, which 800 years afterwards were transferred to clay, were named, and others in stone, wliich had been recovered with much later inscriptions. The earliest clay tablets are those known as "compacts," while others have clay cases, with the inscriptions repeated on the outside. Some were in forms of cones, and placed in cavities of foundations, of buildings. At a later period in Assyria the tablets were large, and kept like books on shelves. The " correspondent " tablets are of great interest. The " contract " tablets were filled with figures, and cannot be readily deciphered. A Lituanian Literary Society has been founded in Germany under powerful and influential auspices. Its object is to collect everything that has reference

to the language and history of Lituania, to establish a library for that purpose and to publish a journal. It is well known that tlie Lituanian language, hemmed in as it is on every side by German, Polish, Russian, and Lettish, is rapidly dying out, and that, unless everything that is within reach is now

collected, it wiU soon be lost for ever. Lituanian, as was shown by Bopp, is in

some of its grammatical forms nearer to Sanskrit than any other European language; and though, by leaving out the qualification in some of its grammatical forms, a wrong impression has been created that Lituanian was

really a kind of European Sanskrit, the true scientific interest of that ancient language has always been recognised by all students of the science of language.

The founders of the new society for saving what can still be saved from the \')() 01.11 SOri'll-KAST I.A.NCAMIIIIK.

approaching wreck of Lituanian deserve the griitilnde and active support of all

scholars.

Toiichini,' proliistoric archeology iu France, we observe with pleasure that

the last number of M. Emilo Cartailhac's '•'Materiaux pour I'llistoire de

rHoiiime " is embellished with five admirably-executed plates in illustration of a valuable paper on the tumuli of Avezac, in the Ilautes-Pyr^ndes, by MM. Piette and Sacaze. The group of barrows \mder description included fifty

mounds, varying from three to thirty meti-es iu diameter, and ranging in height

from twelve centimetres to two metres. Each mound is surrounded by a

stone circle, or cromlech. All the tumuli which have been opened belong to the early part of the iron age, or to Prof, de Mortillet's " Hallstatian " period,

though the famous cemetery at Hallstadt is referred to the transition period

between the bronze and the iron-using ages. There is a complete absence of bronze weapons, all the arms being of iron, but the ornamental objects are either of bronze, or of bronze associated -n-ith iron. Some of the iron bronze

Jibidcc are extremely elegant. The inteiments have been by cremation, and a great variety of cinerary urns have been disinterred. One of the most curious

of these vases is surrounded by the weapons of the deceased, the blade of the sword having been roUed up so as to resemble the coil of a crozier. All the evidence derived from the exploration of the timnili tends to show that they

belong to a time soon after the use of ii'on had been introduced into Gaul.

Nevertheless, it appears that no Gallo-Roman urns have been foimd, and hence

it may be inferred that these burial places were not used after Acpitania had been conquered by the Eomans. While engaged in clearing from vegetation the bank or slope of earth which supports the modern road in front of the arch of Septimus Severus a workman noticed some letters engraved on the comer of a block of marble almost

entirely buried under the slope. As even single letters may be important when belonging to the history of the Foi-um, orders were given to have the marble excavated at once. Thus accident led to the discovery of an historical

monument, still standing on its pedestal, and relating to the mighty struggle between the Eomans and the Goths at the beginning of the fifth century.

The inscription numbers fifteen lines : it commemorates the fidelity and valour

shown b)'- the army of Arcadius, Honorius, and Theodosius in the Gothic war, which ended with the destruction of the host of Radagaisus in 405. To " Stilicbo, the Eoman leader, is attributed the merit of the victory : confectum

Gothicum bellum consUiis et fortitudine inlustris viri comitis et magistri

iitriusque militiae Elavil Stilichonis," iSrc. The monument was set up by decree of the S. P. Q. R., under the care of Pisidius Romulus, the prefect of Rome

of the year. The monument, which is the meanest, shabbiest thing imaginable, shows how low Roman taste, pride, and finances had fallen at the beginning of

the fifth centurj-. It is made of two blocks only, one of travertine, which

forms the base ; one of marble, which stands above it, and on which the

inscription is engi-aved. This last had been used before as pedestal to an

equestrian statue—very likely of bronze ; the statue was knocked off, the

pedestal set upright on one of the shorter ends, its cracks roughly mended with oris MONTHLY CON'VERSAZIONE. lol

iron bvaclrets, and the new inscription -mitten across the pre-existing one, obliterated with care. The Cambridge Antiqnarian Society has been increasing rapidly in mimber of members and in general importance lately, imder Professor Hughes's

presidency. It is likely to have a museum furnished for it ultimately by the University. At the last meeting Professor Hughes and Mr. Jenkinson gave a preliminary report on some recent explorations at Great Chesterford, a well- known Eoman station. An old kiln had been found, which, after considerable

use, had been turned into a refuse pit for bones, broken pottery, and used-up household material during the Roman period. The Eoman occupation having lasted for several centuries, investigations should always be made to discover what changes of fashion took place. In this rubbish pit were found four Magnentius, a.d. .j03-3o3 of coins, (1) the second brass of ; (2) the third brass

364-37-j Victorinus, a.d. ; first Valentinianus, a.d. ; (3) 265 and a brass with a Roman head, legend worn out. Among the bones were some of Bos longi- frons, small horses, horned slieep, pigs, dogs of two breeds, fairly represented on some Roman ware in relief, cats aud fowls. As to the pottery, there was a coarse ware, including amphoras, uuornamented, and smaller vessels, and a

thick-rimmed, vessel ornamented \\'ith five lines large, open-mouthed ; rough red vessels, also black or grey ware, and specimens of Durobrivian pottery -with

floral devices and hunting scenes in relief ; Samian ware, with ^ine leaf, and

line yellow ware with coloured bands lines. occiu-red and hoop band ; and There also the remnants of Roman bricks and flanged tiles built into the walls of the kilns. It was the custom to cover the layers of bones and refuse witli earth

and sand. The debris of destroyed houses was lying about ; a human Jaw was found also, thrown in with one of the layers of earth. Among other things were found a bone comb, a bronze bracelet, perforated discs of lead and of pottery, bone pins, hones, a spindle-whorl, nails, charred wood, &c.

The objects in England which Sir John Lubboclv proposed to include in his

]3ill for the preservation of ancient national monuments were : —In -'\j)glesea, the tumulus and dolmen, Plas Newydd, Llandedwen. In Berksliire, the tumulus, Wayland Smith's Forge, at Ashbury and Uffington Castle. In Cumberland,

the stone circle, Long Meg and her Daughters, near Penrith ; the stone circle

on Castle Rigg, near Keswick ; and the stone circles on Burn Moor, in St. Bees. In Derbyshire, the stone circle, The Nine Ladies, on Stanton Moor; the tumidus, Arborlow, in Bakewell paiish; Hob Hursfs House and Hut, on

Baslow Moor ; and Minning Low, in Brassington Parish. In Glamorganshire, Arthur's Quoit, Gower, in Llanridian. In Gloucestershire, the tumidus at Uley. In Kent, Kit's Cotyhouse, in Aylesford parish. In Xorthamptonshire,

the Danes Camp at Hardingstone ; aud Castle Dykes, at Farthiugston. In Oxfordshire, the RoUrich Stones, at Little RoUi-ight. In Pembrokesliire, the Pentre Evan Cromlech, at Nevern. In Somersetshire, the ancient stones at

Stanton Drew ; the chambered tumulus at Stonej^ Littleton, in AVellow parish, aud Cadbury Castle. In Surrey, Cffisar's Camp, at Wimbledon. In West- moreland, Mayborough, near Penrith; and Arthur's Round Table, Pemith,

In Wiltshire, Stonchengc ; Old Sarum; the vallum at Abury, the Sarceu OI.I) SOUTII-KAST I,A\CASJIIUK. stoiio.s within the same, tliose along the Kcnnett road, and the group between Abury and Becldiampton ; the long barrow, at AVest Kennett, near Marl))oroiigh Silbiiry Hill; the Dolmen (" Devil's Den"), near Marlborough ; ; and Bavbiny Castle. Sir John Lubbock explains that this list is representative, and comprises those monuments to which the Bill is in the first instance to be applied, but power is asked to extend the operation of the measure to other monuments, if it is deemed desirable. " We have always," he says, " resisted suggestions to confine the Bill to any given list, on the ground that the number of monuments included must in that case be very large, and that future discoveries might at any moment give to a monument an interest and importance which at present it does not possess." On the 2nd and 3rd February Mr. Sparkes's small cabinet of coins was dispersed under the hammer of Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, London, at unusually higli prices. Palasologus, a Cinquecento medal by Pisanello realized 36/. Marquis d'Effiat, Minister of Finance, by Dupre, 5-5/. Maxi- milian I., Emperor of Germany, 11/. Tossignano, Bishop of Ferrara, 12/. 12j.

Etriiscus Alexander, with Pegasus on reverse, 19/. 10s. Vicentino Valerio I

Belli, 15/. of Beatrix Portugal, 12/. os. Maria Cardona, 10/. 10s. Medal of i

' the Augsburg school by Sewartz, 40/. Scheuerlein, rev. his wife, 1532, 91/. Herman, dated 1529, 36/. Cristofi Furer, rev. 1526, 61/. Unknown bearded

| bust, 63/. Melehior Prinzin, 20/. IOj. Ladeuse, in boxwood, representing j two German noblemen, 81/. Pertinax, with bearded bust, 13/. Hadrian,' a

' medallion with fine bust, 63/. Antoninus Pius, with head to the right, 38/. ;

another specimen of different type, 33/. Numerian, with bust to the right, i Brutus, 20/, Marcus Jiuiius with cap of Liberty between daggers, 16/. IGs. \

Medallion of Augustus, 11/. Tranquillina, with bust on crescent, 28/. •

Postumus, a denarius in biUon, 13/. Groat of Perkin Warbeck, 12/. 12i-. i

Pattern Crown of Charles I., by Briot, 26/. The Eeddite Crown of Charles H., 110/. Yisconti, Duke of ]Milan, with bust in armour, 61/. Gouzago

Hypolita, daughter of Ferdinand I. of Mantua, 18/. Louis XIII., with bust, i

22/. 10s. Pfiutziug Pan, Secretary to Charles V., 19/. 19s. John Christian, ' ^ of Wertemburg, bust in armour, 19/. Louis XVI., proof ^cu, 16/. IOj. j

Crotona, with crowned head of Juno, 16/. Terina, 10/. IOj. Rhegium, head i

of a lion, 11/. lis. Leontini, head of Apollo, 18/. Tetradrachm of Naxos,

10/.; another specimen of different type, 16/. 5s. Syracuse medallion, 44/.

Tetradrachm of Syi-acuse, 22/. IOj. Agathocles, King Syracuse, 13/. 5s.

Panoramus of Carthage Vetus, 26/. Abdera Tln-acife, 12/. Antigonus Asise

Rex, 10/. 5s. Philippus V., 14/. 10s. Chalcis Macedoniae, a tetradrachm,

18/. 10s. Pyrrhus Epiri Rex, 19/. Tyra, Aiitonoforus, 20/. Acarnania, a 1 didrachm, 13/. 13s. Argos Argolidis, 25/. 10s. Mithridates VI., 26/. IOj. loniae, Ptolemfeus, busts draped to Magnesia 34/. Antiochus VI., 22/. 10s. (

right, 30/. lOi-. Oliver Cromwell, gold medalet on the battle of Dunbar, 23/. Tarentum in Calabria, youthfid head of Hercules, 29/. Syracuse, in gold, with |

female head, 41/. Pp-rus Epiri Rex, 71/. Pyrrus, with head of Artemis, 27/. :

gold, 19/. lOi-. Plotina, in gold, 16/. an aiu-eus, 15/. 15j. Domitia, in Hadrian, ! right, 16/. Sabina, in gold, with veiled head, 23/. yElius, in gold, head to the }

) ,

Ot:n MONTITLV COXraRSAZIOXK. lr,f>

Crispiiia, with Empress seated, IOj. 17/. Septimius Severus, a fine aureus, 20/. Macrinus, female to left, 50/. Postumus, in gold, 31/. Gold medallion of Aurelianus, 33/. The coins in general were very choice, and had heen selected with much care and judgment. Tlie 448 lots brought 3,37.y. ISs. 6d. Important archaeological discoveries have been made within the last few weeks in United the States among the moimds of the Little Miami Valley, in the State of Ohio. Near the town of MadisonviUe an extensive aborif^inal

cemetery has been explored, which has disclosed many interesting facts in relation to the pre-historic mound-building race of that section. Thus far the excavations have extended only over a limited portion of the burial-o-round.

Two liundred skeletons have been taken from the graves already opened, of which nimiber, liowever, not more than forty or fifty crania could be preserved sufficiently well for measurement. There appeared to be no constant orienta-

tion of the bodies, though many of them were laid in a horizontal position with the heads directed towards the east or south-east. Some of the skeletons

were found lying at right angles to these, but it is worthy of note that all of the remains which were associated witli the fijier vases, pipes, and other choice objects had their heads placed towards the east with slight variations. An examination of the human bones revealed traces of rachitis and syphilis. One bone had embedded in it a small triangular stone arrow-head, which had evidently occasioned death. Accompanying many of the remains of children, various toys or ornaments of perforated bone and shell and diminutive earthen vessels w^ere found. A large number of the latter were exhumed, varying in

capacity from a gUl to over a gallon. This ware is, in some instances,

elaborately ornamented with scroU-work, handles in the forms of lizards, human heads, &c., and is almost invariably provided with four handles, placed

at equal distances aroimd the circumference. One interesting specimen is

furnished with eight handles arrayed in two horizontal rows, tlie vessel being two-storeyed, or formed of two separate pots placed one above the other, -with the bottom of the upper one removed. The number of these vessels thus far

discovered is upwards of ninety, the majority of them being found W'ith valves

of the nm'o, or fresh-water mussel, in them, w^hich had evidently served as spoons. The vases were usually placed around or near the heads of the bodies. Over the surface of the gi-ound vast quantities of broken pottery occurred indicating the immense amount of earthenware which had been originally buried with the occupants of the graves. In addition to these objects large numbers of stone discs, axes, chisels, flint knives, arrow-lieads, ornaments, and implements of bone, twelve stone tobacco pipes, and two tubes of rolled copper were exhumed. One of the most interesting and imique features brought

to light by these excavations is the existence of large numbers of deposits which may be designated ashpits. Of these more than fifty have been opened, averaging 3 feet to 4 feet in diameter and 4 feet to 6 feet in depth. They are composed of layers of leaf-mould and sandy clay, burnt earth and charcoal,

white ashes, sand, and toiio shells. Throughout the deposits were scattered fragments of pottery, stone implements, ornaments of shell and stone, and bones of wild animals. That these graves date back to a remote antiquity '

may be proved by the fact that no objects of European introduction have boon found in them. In some instances the skeletons were found directly beneath large trees and occasionally imbedded in a net-work of roots. One oaic-tree whose roots had penetrated the slcuU of one of the skeleton;, measured 6 feet 2 inches in diameter, and other giants which belong to the original forest that still covers the site of the cemetery measure J^ feet and 12 feet in circumference. It will be difFicidt to determine to what particular race or time the people of these graves belonged until further investigation? shall have been prosecuted. Excavations are still being made, and not more than a quarter of the cemetery has as yet been examined.

MARRIAGES.

Skemp-Clewis.—On the morning of 17th March, the marriage of Mr. Thomas Roland Skemp, of Patricroft, to Miss Ann Jane 01e\vis, also of Patricroft, took place at the Congregational Chapel, Wellington Road, Eccles. The bridesmaids were Miss MiUigan, Miss Dickens, Miss Arnold, and Miss Teggin. The marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. G. H. Brown, resident pastor. The bride was given away by Mr. W. W. Skemp, brother of the bridegroom. After the ceremony the parties retired to the vestry to sign the register, which was also attested by Mr. George Whittingham Spencer Copner and Miss Dickens. Seddon-Boardm.^.—A marriage, which excited very vriie interest in Westhoughton, took place on 23rd February, at the Parish Church of that town-

ship. The contracting parties were Mr. John Seddon, the Cottage, Church-street,

Westhoughton (fornierlj- of the Mortons, in that township), and Miss Ann Boardman, of the War Cock HiU Farm, also of AVesthoughton. Mr. Seddon, who has attained the venerable age of 84, is well kno^vn in the township, being

one of its wealthiest landowners, and having generousl}^ erected the Parisli Church, in addition to benefactions to the Wesleyau body of the place. The marriage had, therefore, been looked forward to with considerable interest, but true to his simple habits and taste, the bridegroom arranged that the event should occur without any parade or ostentatious ceremony. The marriage was by special licence, the Rev. Kinton Jacques, M.A., vicar of Westhoughton,

officiating. In order to keep the celebration of the nuptials as private as

possible, the vicar's wife, Mrs. Jacques, by request, acted in the capacity of

bridesmaid. The bride, though of mature age, is considerably the junior

of Mr. Seddon. Gee-Gowanlock.—On 26th February, Mr. John Gee, Moss Rose Villa, Kersley, of the firm of Messrs. Giles Gee & Sons, cotton spinners, of that township, was married at the Congi-egational Church, St. George's Road, Bolton, to Miss Esther Gowanlock, youngest daughter of Mr. Councillor Robert Gowanlock, of 94, Chorley New Road, Bolton. The bridesmaids were Miss Gowanlock and Miss Maria Gee, whilst the groomsmen were Mr. Ernest Gee, brother of the bridegroom, and Mr. T. H. Briercliffe, of Moses Gate.