JUMPING ON SEEING THE FIRST SWALLOW.-This custom was recently brought under my notice as existing in the rural district near here; a gentleman, on noticing the first swallow for the season, was told by a rustic who happened to be near, that he must "jump." Is such a custom general in Cornwall, or only local? Is there an origin for doing it, or is it one of those follies in that long category consisting amongst others of "wishing" when you see the first lamb or observe a meteor, turning your money (if you have any) on seeing the new moon, and showing Swallows your displeasure at the sight of one magpie. appear to be decreasing: I do not anticipate the near approach of the time when we shall not have the opportunity of "jumping," but mention it merely as a circumstance I had not before heard of. Truro.

*

H. I.

ASSYRIAN TABLETS IN PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION MUSEUM. In a recent lecture at the Athenæum upon Assyriology, the lecturer descanted upon the contents of two tablets (? plaster casts) in the Museum, covered with cuneiform writing, and seemed to think that they were original tablets backed up with plaster. My object in writing is to ask if any of the older members of the Plymouth Institution can recollect by whom these tablets were given to the Museum. The late W. J. Spry, of Devonport, lectured on Cuneiform Inscriptions on the 16th March. 1865 is it probable that he gave them to the Institution on that occasion? Perhaps the Secretaries could find a record in the Minutes of the Committee? AN ASSOCIATE.

Rev. WILLIAM HOOKE.-Ir. Dr. Oliver's Ecclesiastical Antiquities, vol. 2, at page 82, under “ Axmouth," in a list of the Vicars of the old church of St. Pancras near Lyme (? Up-Lyme or Lyme Regis), are these names:John Prowse, admitted 10th Jan., 1621-2.

William Hook [no date], on whose deprivation for
Non-conformity,

William Mallacke succeeded 8th June, 1665.

At page 85 of the same volume, in the list of Vicars of Axmouth, are these names:

Richard Harvey, admitted 1590, succeeded by William Hooke, admitted 25th July, 1632, succeeded by

Nathaniel Dyke, 23rd July, 1639, on Hooke's resignation.

I believe these two William Hookes to be identical, but wish to know positively; my reasons are, (1) Ant. à Wood (Athen. Oxon.) by Bliss, vol. 3, p. 1151) says Wm. Hooke was first Vicar of Axmouth, Devon; forced to leave on account of his seditious sermons and Non-conformity; went to New England; returned to England; preached against the Church; but had the cure bestowed on him that had belonged to an orthodox divine; afterwards taking the covenant, had the mastership of the Savoy, Westminster, conferred on him; after the restoration of Charles II. was silenced. Calamy also says he was ejected from the Savoy. (2) Winthrop, in his History of New England, states that William Hooke landed in New England about 1633, and returned to England 1656. Dr. Oliver's date, therefore, very well coincides with these. There is, however, another obscure point-the present Vicar of Axmouth, the Rev. S. C. Davis, says that Harvey was succeeded by John Abbott, 4th Nov., 1633, and can find no record of Hooke; Dr. Oliver, on the other hand, does not mention Abbott, and gives the name of Nathaniel Dyke as Hooke's successor, in 1639. The probable explanation of this is, that although Hooke left England in 1633, he did not resign the living of Axmouth until 1639 (perhaps on the death of Abbot) but still continued to receive its emoluments; Abbott no doubt having been appointed in an irregular manner.

Any help in the elucidation of these points will be greatly valued. J. S. ATTWOOD.

Exeter.

GAVELKIND TENURE.-Among the private Acts of 23rd year of Elizabeth, is one (ch. 12) entitled, "An Act that Gavelkind lands within the city of Exeter may be inheritable as land at the common law." Is this a solitary instance of the occurrence in the West of England of this East County tenure, or is it a survival merely of a more extended prevalence of the custom in earlier times?

HIBYSKWE.

ROBERT BURSCOUGH, M. A., VICAR OF TOTNES. This clergyman, who wrote "A Treatise of Church Government, 1692, and "A Discourse of Schism," 1699, is noticed in Wood's Athene Oxoniensis, iv. 533. He was born at Cartmel in Lancashire, about 1651; Servitor of Queen's College, Oxford, 1668; Vicar of Totnes, 1681; M.A., 1682. He is styled by Wood, "a learned man, zealous for the Church of England, and very exemplary in his life and conversation." Can any of your readers afford any further information about him? How long did he hold the vicarage of Totnes? Had he any other benefice? When did he die? CHARLES W. SUTTON.

121, Chorlton Road, Manchester.

[In a curious and interesting MSS. volume, the property of Mr. J. G. Commin of Exeter, now in the possession of the Editor of the Western Antiquary, appears the subscription of Robert Burscough, Vicar of Totnes, Diocese of Exeter, to the various Articles and Canons of the Church. This subscription bears the signature of "Robertus Burscough," and is dated March 2nd, 1681. This statement, although it throws no light on the above queries, is still of some value. It may be added that the volume referred to contains the subscriptions of the Clergy of the Diocese of Exeter from 1677 to 1682, and includes many notable names. A detailed account of the volume and a list of those included therein, with notes, will appear in an early number of the Western Antiquary. EDITOR.]

PAUL'S "SEPULCHRAL STATE OF SOMERSet” (?).— In a newspaper report of a day's scamper of a Clifton Antiquarian Club to some Somerset churches in the neighbourhood of Bristol, is this sentence:-"It was pointed out (in Chew Magna Church) that the handsome figure of Sir John Hautville has been coloured by modern, though very good, taste, as there were no indications of medieval colouring to follow, as Mr. Paul, in his 'Sepulchral State of Somerset,' implies." What is the full title of Mr. Paul's work? "Sepulchral State of Somerset " is an equivocal one, to say the least of it.

Bristol.

M. E.

["An Account of some of the Incised and Sepulchral Slabs of North-West Somerset, by R. W. Paul," London, 1882. "State" of Somerset, in the report, is evidently a misprint for "slabs" of Somerset. Mr. Paul's handsome folio volume contains thirty-four large engravings, illustrating more than sixty subjects. On Plate XI. is a spirited illustration of the life-size wooden painted effigy of a fully armed knight, in Chew Magna Church, which, Mr. Paul writes, is traditionally" said to commemorate Sir John Hautville, a Crusader of Prince Edward's host, A.D. 1269. "the costume of the statue," remarks the Athenæum, “is two hundred years later than the thirteenth century, and the work bears strong traces of Italian influence." This being the case, it is to be regretted, that in the report referred to, it is unreservedly asserted to be the effigy of the stalwart knight himself. EDITOR W.A.]

WITCHES IN CORNWALL.-Was any woman ever burnt as a witch in Cornwall? I know many have been accused of witchcraft, and judicial inquiries instituted; but was the capital sentence ever carried out to its cruel end? PENWITH.

*

FRY OF DEVON.-In Lyson's Environs of London, vol. I. p. 486, and also in IIanning and Bray's History of Surrey, vol. II. p. 392, I find under "Streatham":"In the north aisle pavement, on a black stone-Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Fry, wife of Mr. John Fry, of the county of Devon, who departed this life 8 July, 1770, aged 39. And Nicholas Lacy Fry, Esq., son of the above, who died 10 Mch, 1800, aged 43.' Can any of your readers tell me who this John Fry was, where he came from in Devonshire, and what his wife's maiden name was, or any other particulars? E. A. FRY. Birmingham.

*

..... in

FRY-BLOUNT.-Can any of your readers clear up the following for me? In Nicholl's Collectanea Topographica and Genealogica, vol. II., p. 212, under Knolles, Earl of Banbury, (being an addition to Dugdale's Baronage) it says :-. This Nicholas (who was the last Earl of Banbury) first married Isabel, daughter to Mountjoy Blount, Earl of Newport (Isle of Wight), by whom he had one daughter called Ann, married to Fry, of coun. Dorset. In Banks's Dormant and Extinct Baronage, vol. III., p. go, this same Anne is said to have married Sir John Briscal, Knt. Now in the Membury (Devon) parish register, I have come across the following entry:"1668. Mountjoy, the sonne of Charles Fry, gent, and the Lady Ann his wife, was baptized 10 Nov. and born 19 Oct. last past.' This Charles Fry was fourth son of William and Dorothy Fry of Yarty, near Membury, and was born 19th July, 1644. I should very much like to know where he and the Lady Ann were married, and what became of the son Mountjoy, as there is no record of his burial at Membury, and also where Charles and Ann were buried, and when? As to Sir John Briscal, Knt., can any one say who he was, and whether he married the Lady Ann before or after Charles Fry, if at all? "Dorset," in Dugdale's additions to his Baronage, is, I apprehend, a mistake for Devon, as the family of Fry to which this Charles Fry belonged, doubtless had property in Dorset too, Membury being just on the border of the two counties, though it is quite possible Charles Fry might have been resident in Dorset at the time. Birmingham.

E. A. FRY.

Replics. *

CORNISH MIRACLE PLAYS. As Mr. I. S. A. Herford asks for particulars respecting the Cornish Miracle Plays, I may just state briefly what I know of them. First, as to the plays themselves. They have, I believe, all (with the exception of one fragment) been published and translated for philological purposes, in modern times:-

I. The drama Origo Mundi, or Creation of the World, containing the story of the early part of Genesis in a dramatic form, with the legend of the Holy Rood carried down to the period of Solomon.

II. The Passio Christi, the Passion Play of old Cornwall.

VII. The Legend of St. Sylvester, or the Story of Constantine the Great.

VIII. The Interlude of "The Woman and her Son." IX. Jordan's "Creaçon," a Post-Reformation play of the period of James I.

Secondly, as to the stage directions, they had better be studied in the published editions; e.g., Mr. Norris's "Cornish Drama," and Mr. Whitley Stokes's "Life of St. Meriasek:" they are mostly in Latin.

Thirdly, as to the places for their performance. There were, I believe, several "Plan-an-guares," or theatres, in Cornwall. Several have been destroyed and are now only recorded in tradition. Two are in good state--the PerranRound at Perran, and the Plan-an-Guare at St. Just, recently restored. They were amphitheatres, I should say, probably imitations of the Roman amphitheatres. Newlyn. W. S. LACH-SZYRMA.

THE BEUNANS MERIASEK.-In answer to queries about the publication of the interesting Cornish, drama discovered in 1869, among the Hengwrt MSS. of Mr. W. W. E. Wynne of Peniarth, I may say that it was edited with a translation and notes by Mr. Whitley Stokes in 1872, and the publishers were Messrs. Trübner & Co. of Paternoster Row; I made an attempt at an English acting version, partly in verse, which was printed in the Royal Cornwall Gazette, at Truro, last year. The drama with all its quaintness and medieval conceits has more literary merit than is commonly supposed, and deals with the dark and obscure Romano-British epoch of Cornish history about which so little is known. Although there are not a few legends about the struggles between the heathen Saxons and the Christian Britons in Arthurian and other traditions, and also of the conversion afterwards of the Saxons themselves, yet there is little record of the battle between the Christian Church and Celtic Paganism. It is in this point that the "Beunans Meriasek" has an historical as well as a mere literary and philological interest.

Newlyn.

W. S. LACH-SZYRMA.

715-RICHARD BAKER AND DORCHESTER, MASS.In the "History of the Town of Dorchester, Massachusetts," by a Committee of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society, (Boston; 1859, 8vo) is the following (pp. 105-6) which I transcribe, as there may be no copy of the book in England :—“Richard Baker joined the Church in 1639; made freeman May 18th, 1642; was one of the early grantees of lands; one of the raters (¿.c., assessors) in 1647, 50 and '60; a Selectman in 1653; constable in 1663; was once chosen a ruling elder, but it does not appear that he accepted; was a member of the Artillery Company in 1658. He married Faith, the daughter of Elder Henry Withington (probably after his arrival in this country). He died Oct. 25th, 1589. His wife died Feb. 3rd, 1689. He lived in the part of the town known as Savin Hill, and was owner of a large real estate in Dorchester, a piece of which is now in possession of his descendants near his homestead at the place mentioned. His son John married Preserved Trott, 11 (5) 1667. James died a bachelor, March 30th, 1721, aged 69. Mary born 27 (2) 1643, marr ed Samuel Robinson. Thankful married William Griggs. Hannah, born 9 (11) 1662, married John Wiswell. May 6th, 1685. Sarah, born 12 (5) 1668, married James White. Eliza beth married -- Pratt of Weymouth." A fac-simile of the signature of Richard Baker to a town document dated 7 (12), 1641, is given in Annals of the Town of Dorchester, (Boston, 1846, Svo), being No. 2 of the Collections of the Dorchester Antiquarian and Historical Society. In the Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston, which was printed in 1880, and is devoted to the Town Records of Dorchester, are numerous references to Richard Baker, but I will only notice two. In 1674, he lent the Selectmen for the use of the town, three pounds ten shillings, repayment of which is acknowledged in 1691 by James Baker. In 1680, the Elders and Deacons and the rest of the Selectmen, and Richard Baker, were appointed a Committee to look out for the supply of the Ministry until a man could be found to take the office of Minister. The will of Richard Baker, dated October 7th, 1689, was proved February 19th, 1689-90, and is recorded in Book XI., p. 122, of the Suffolk Probate Registry at Boston. Baker seems to have been possessed of considerable property, but as no record remains of his inventory, the amount cannot be stated. He was interested in certain ironworks at Taunton, Mass, and gave his right in them to his grandchild John Baker. No mention is made of his wife, so that probably she pre-deceased him, and the date of her death should read February 3rd, 1688-9. In the old burying-ground of Dorchester are the memorials of various members of the Baker family, the earliest which I noticed bearing the date of 1745. One, inscribed with the name of John Baker, who died October 9th, 1746, in his seventy-fifth year, may possibly commemorate the grand-child, already mentioned, of the emigrant. Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

B.

PARR FAMILY OF DEVONSHIRE, AND WILLIAM PARRE OF ASHCOMBE-The following Will or copy of a Will is to be found in the Book of Collated Wills in the Court of the Archdeacon of Exon, from 1546 to 1550. There is likewise a Will of another member of the family proved about the same time, to be found in the same book. I believe he lived in the parish of Chudleigh :-

"In the name of God, Amen! I Willm Parre of the pyshe of Ashcu' be pfyte of mynde and remembrance make my tesmnt yn thys man' fyrst I beq teathe my sowle to Almightie God and my body to be buryed within the

churcheyarde of Saynte Georgy's at Ashcu' be I also geve vnto Saynte Georgy's store there xijd to or Ladys store xijd. It' to Sent Nicholas store xijd.

It' to Seynte John's there xijd.

It' to the Churche of Chudlighe xija."

Residue to 'Alice my wyfe,' whom he appointed sole executrix.

"These be witnesses William Alford, Stephen Drake, John Hydon, with others." If my memory serves me, this Will was both made and proved in the year 1546.

I have likewise references to Frys of Bukerell down to the year 1698; Hancocks of Combe Martin 1693 (will) and of Ilfracombe (afterwards of Knowstone and Molland) as recent as 1706; and a few Tillys, which I shall be pleased to publish, if desired, in the Western Antiquary. Taunton. A. J. MONDAY.

716—COLONIZING NEW ENGLAND.-In Winthrop's "History of New England," vol. I., pp. 121-2, of the edition by Savage, is the following, under date of May, 1633-The Mary and Jane arrived, Mr. Rose, master. She came from London in seven weeks, and brought one hundred and ninety-six passengers. In her return

she was cast away upon Isle Sable, but [blank] men were saved." There was a Mary and John, of 400 tons, Squeb, master, which sailed from Plymouth, March 20th, 1629-30, and brought a number of persons from Devonshire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, and elsewhere, who arrived May, 30th. The first colonists of New England came in 1620, and not in 1630 or 1632. Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

B.

DEVONSHIRE AUTHORS - THE BLACKMORE FAMILY.--In reply to J. B.D., I would observe that there are great difficulties in finding information about persons who, although ordained ministers, have not been beneficed. The Rev. John Blackmore, I believe, never held any benefice; he became Curate of Culmstock before the year 1840, when the Rev. William Karslake was Vicar of that parish, and was continued in the Curacy under the succeeding Vicar, the Rev. John Wollaston Karslake. In the year 1847, Mr. Blackmore removed and became Curate of Ashford, near Barnstaple, of which parish the Rev. John Kendall Fletcher, D.D., had been the Rector since 1833. Mr. Blackmore was never Rector of Ashford, but he may have been the Curate in sole charge, as Mr. Fletcher also held other benefices, and might not have resided at Ashford. He was holding this Curacy at the time of his decease in 1858, at which period Mr. Fletcher still remained the Rector. To the list of Mr. R. D. Blackmore's works should be added "Mary Anerley," 1880, "Christowell, a Dartmoor Tale," 1882, "The Remarkable History of Sir Thomas Upmore, Bart., M.P." 1884.

15, Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster.

He was

"Francis Drake, clerk A.M. S. John's, Cambridge, 1678, occurs 4th November and 2nd December, 1681. He was Vicar of Pontefract from 1678 to 1719; Prebendary of Warthiel in the Church of York, 25th January 1688-9; and father of the author of 'Eboracum.' His son John, afterward Vicar of Pontefract, was baptized 9th January, 1677-8, at S. Mary, Bishophill Junior, in York, (Boothroyd's Pontefract, p. 158, note, Watson's Halifax, p. 250.)" "Nathan Drake, A.M. S. John's Cambridge, 1684, Priest, 21st December, 1683, occurs 1684-5. Vicar of Sheffield from 1st October, 1695 to 1713, Prebendary of Bilton in the Church of York, 2nd September, 1703, and Rector of Kirkby Overblows, 9th April, 1713. He died April, 1729. That he was the same who was 'Master of the free schools in Snaith, 10th August, 1681, 12th June, 1683, and 24th October, 1689, is established by the baptismal entry at Snaith of his son Robert, on the day last mentioned. For, Robert, son of Nathan Drake, Vicar of Sheffield, died 17th June, 1723, at 33, leaving one daughter, who passed much of her time at Winchester, with her maternal uncle, Archdeacon Balguy." (Hallamshire, p. 146, 155).

Mr. Drake was instituted 10th December, 1689, to the vicarage of Market Weighton, where his daughter Mary was baptized, 27th January, 1690-1, and was living in 1727 as wife of Dodson; his daughter Elizabeth, 25th May, 1693, and buried 14th November, 1694; and his son Nathan was baptized 6th June, 1695; but had died before his father. He was admitted master of the grammar school at Pontefract, 22nd February, 1685-6. By his will, dated 15th December, 1727, proved 11th June, 1730; he makes his wife Elizabeth executor, gives his daughter Betty £250, and his son Joseph his library.

** * ་

BARDRICK, THE KING OF THE TEIGN.-In reply to Mr. Parfitt's enquiry published in the Western Antiquary, April 5th, I have obtained the following information from a person who was present when the skeleton was found:"In the year 1841, when the excavation was being made for the Canal (now known as the Hackney Canal), a skeleton was discovered at a place within a few feet of the present road, leading to Newton Abbot; it was buried about 4 feet deep, apparently in a stooping or sitting position, and covered with water-stones. There was a gold ring or armlet on the left arm, which was presented to Lord Clifford (the Lord of the Manor), but my informant has no recollection of a spear-head being found. skeleton was examined and placed in position by the late Dr. Radley of Newton Abbot, and removed to the Belfry of Kingsteignton Church. An inquest was held, and finally the bones were buried in the Churchyard." King's Teignton. HENRY PARTRIDGE,

The

757-LOSTWITHIEL IN QUEEN ELIZABETH'S REIGN.--Mr. H. Sharrock is anxious to know the meaning of the word 'statutes' in an Act of 13 Eliz. the title of which runs as follows:-"An Act that all statutes and recognizances acknowledged before the Mayor of Lostwithiel in Cornwall shall be of force and effectual in law." The reference is not difficult of explanation. In former times there were two particular methods by which a debtor could bind himself to his creditor. One was by the Statute merchant' which was a bond of record, signed and sealed by

the debtor. This was held to be of so high a nature that the creditor could, in failure to pay on the day assigned, at once obtain execution without any mesne process, or being put to his proof of the debt. The other, also a bond of record, and used for much the same purpose, was called a "Statute-staple" and was acknowledged before the mayor of the staple and the constables, or one of the constables of the staple. Both these modes of securing debts have long become obsolete, having been superseded by processes cheaper, less technical, and quite as effectual. Lostwithiel probably wished to transact its own share of this part of legal business, leaving the Assizes-if they had them-to the Bodmin people. J. P. LATIMER. Temple, London.

CARBONA OR CARBONAS.-There is another way of explaining these perplexing words, both of which are used in Cornwall. I incline to the opinion that carbona is the singular, and carbonas the plural form. The miner, as is well-known, calls an accumulation of ore in a lode, a carbona. In carbona, car would seem to be the same as carn, a rock, a rocky place, a high rock, a shelf in the sea, a heap of stones. It is very doubtful whether bona has any connection with the Latin, bonus, good. There is another word used by miners, viz. :-bunny, and it may be that bona is only a form of bunny. In mining, bunny means an enlargement, or "bunch" of ore in a lode, and carbona, if spelt carAs to the bunny, would be phonetically nearly the same. derivation of bona, or of bunny, I take it to be from the Celtic Cornish word ben, a butt end. According to this view, carbona would be of purely Celtic Cornish origin, viz. :-from carn, a rock, and ben, a butt end, or enlargement; as, for instance, of ore in a lode. Perhaps the right word was, originally, carn ben, but now, by use and time, corrupted, and changed to carbona. F. W. P. JAGO.

Plymouth. P.S.-Williams, in his Lexicon Cornu-Britannicum, gives the following variations of bēn, a butt end Welsh, bôn, Armoric, bonn, bun, Irish, bon, bun, Gaelic, bonn, Manx, boyn, bun, Sanscrit, budhna. To each and all of these, bona, and bunny, an accumulation of ore, are closely allied.

JANE SHORE.-I scarcely see the connection of this query with Devonshire, except as suggesting a 'slip" by one of Devon's finest, though little known poets, W. M. Praed. Is it a slip? The lines in Drayton are:-"Methinks thy husband takes his mark awry To set his plots to sale when thou art by, When they which do thy angel locks behold, As the base dross, do but respect his gold, And wish one hair before that massy heap And but one lock, before the wealth of Cheop, And for no cause else hold we gold so dear, But that it is so like unty thy hair. Drayton's descriptive sonnet was written more than a century and a half after Jane Shore's time-probably a fancy portrait-and it is equally probable he used his own poetic humour as to 'golden hair,' as Praed in ‘raven hair."

There is no suggestion that the portrait in question was an original likeness of the lady, other than its accordance with Drayton's description. J. R. CHANTER.

Barnstaple.

LYE, EDWARD, M.A.-Is Mr. E. Windeatt accurate in assigning the birth of this scholar to the year 1694, and his death to the 19th of August, 1763? A biography in the Penny Cyclopædia, referring to Nichol's " Literary Anecdotes," gives his birth as in 1704, and his death in 1767, with this a MS. note in my possession agrees. J. B. D. London.

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DARTMOOR CROSSES.-The Editor says that Mr. Rowe speaks of Huntingdon Cross, and not Buntingdon Cross. No one can have more respect than I have for Mr. Rowe, and his services to the knowledge of Dartmoor. But no man can be always accurate, and it is difficult to understand why the name Buntingdon should have arisen, with Huntingdon Warren close by, unless there were some reason for it. W. F. C. * * DOLCOATH.-I should say that Dol-pit and Coathold-old-pit, is the most probable derivation. Newlyn. W. S. LACH-SZYRMA.

GEMOS (W. A. 3rd S. 102). This word doubtless

means hinges, as Hibyskwe, supposes. In the Book of Accounts of the Guild of the Holy Ghost at Barnstaple, 1557-1664, is the following entry under date 1565:

Item more pd to the above sayd Willm for the mendynge of the gemcousse of the skool howsse doore vjd." In Notes and Queries (6th S. vi. 314) the word is stated to be a corrupt form of gemels (O.F. gemeans) a pair of hinges. J. S. ATTWOOD. Exeter.