dation for the Priory of St. Denis de Poix. He admits that these charters are not authentic in their present form, but accepts their contents as genuine. Now the endowment of St. Denis, according to them, included two marcs out of the tithes "de Lavingaham en Angleterre." Here, though these writers knew it not, we have again our Essex Langham, the "Lawingeham" of the Pipe Roll. Is this the reason why Walter required the consent of his wife "Adeline" and son Hugh to the grant? Neither of these writers knew of the English evidence, nor did they solve the mystery of Walter Tirel's wife, whom they, like Lappenberg, imagined to be the daughter of a Richard Giffard. This tends to diminish our trust in the pedigree they give. They took a Walter Tirel to England at the Conquest, but only because Wace mentions the "Pohiers," or men of Poix, and because the name of Tirel is found in the Battle Roll. In their view, Hugh Tirel, Lord of Poix, the crusader of 1147, was grandson of the famous Walter. Now Orderic, whose evidence on the point they ignore, says, as we have seen, he was the son; and as the chronicler was contemporary both with father and son, we cannot think him mistaken. Moreover, the Pipe Roll of 1130 cannot be harmonised with their pedigree. Adeliz, wife (? widow) of Walter Tirel, then answered for Langham, and could not be "Adeline dame de Ribecourt," who was dead, according to both writers, before 1128 (or 1127), and who could not, in any case, have aught to do with Langham. But there is other evidence, unknown to these French writers, which proves that the version they give must be utterly wrong. Among the archives at Evreux there is a charter of Hugh Tirel to the Abbey of Bec, granting "decem marcas argenti in manerio quod dicitur Lavigaham" to its daughter-house of Conflans, where, he says, his mother had taken the religious "habit," and retired to die. The Priors of Conflans, and [St. Denis of] Poix are among the witnesses; and we read of the charter's date: Langham and Conflans 479 Hoc concessum est apud piceium castrum anno M.cxxxviii. ab incarnatione dominica viii. idus martii. Even if we make this date to be 1139, we here find Hugh in posssesion of Poix and Langham at that date, whereas the French writers tell us that he only succeeded in 1145, and that his father died in that year" The above charter, moreover, points to his mother having survived his father, and died at Conflans as a widow. Until, therefore, evidence is produced in support of the French version, we must reject it in toto. I close this study with an extract from that interesting charter by which Richard I. empowered Henry de Cornhill to enclose and impark his woods at Langham, the same day (6th Dec., 1189) on which he empowered his neighbours the burgesses of Colchester to hunt the fox, the hare and the "cat" within their borders. The words are :— Sciatis nos dedisse et concessisse Henrico de Cornhell' licentiam includendi boscum suum in Lahingeham et faciendi sibi ibidem parcum, et ut liceat illi habere omnes bestias quos poterit ibi includere.18 Thus did the wealthy Londoner become a country squire seven centuries ago. Nor is it irrelevant to observe that the "Langham Lodge coverts" are familiar to this day to those who hunt with the Essex and Suffolk. " M. l'Abbé Delgove produces (p. 369) a precisely similar case, in which a deed of 1315 proves John Tirel to have been already in possession of Poix, although, according to the family history, he did not die till 1315. This throws doubts, he admits, on M. Cuvillier-Morel-d'Acy's chronology. 18 Duchy of Lancaster, Royal Charter, No. 42. Supra, p. 471 WALDRIC, WARRIOR AND CHANCELLOR THE HE importance of fixing the sequence of chancellors, for chronological purposes and especially the dating of charters, is very great. Waldric, who preceded Ranulf as chancellor to Henry I., was, as a warrior and then a bishop, a man of mark. It has hitherto been supposed, as by Mr. Archer (who wrote his life for the Dictionary of National Biography), that his latest appearance as chancellor was early in 1106, before the king's departure for Normandy. His feat in taking Duke Robert prisoner at Tinchebrai (28th Sept., 1106) is well known, but was believed to be the only evidence of his presence in Normandy with the King. There is, however, in Gallia Christiana (vol. xi.) a valuable charter recording a "causa seu placitum," decided before King Henry at Rouen, 7th Nov., 1106, among those present being "Waldricus qui tunc temporis erat regis cancellarius." We can trace, therefore, his tenure of the office up to that date. There is some doubt and difficulty as to another charter. Foss believed that Waldric was the "Walterus Cancellarius who is found in a charter to Tewkesbury of "1106."1 This charter is printed in the Monasticon (ii. 66) from an Inspeximus temp. Henry IV. There is, however, a better Inspeximus on the Charter Roll of 28 Edward I.' (No. 16), in which the name is clearly Waldric. But the difficuly is that the same Inspeximus contains another version of this charter (No. 2), with a fuller list of witnesses.' I have Waldric Succeeded by Ranulf 481 examined the roll for myself, and there is no doubt as to the date, for the clause runs :— Facta est hec carta Anno. M° centesimo vii° apud Wintoniam. ab incarnacione domini The other version, in the body of the charter, contains the words, "Anno Dominicæ Incarnationis millesimo centesimo sexto apud Wintoniam." I have always looked with some suspicion on these Tewkesbury charters, and that suspicion is not lessened by the double version of this, or by the name of the last witness in that of 1107, namely, "Roger de Pistres." The only known bearer of that name was dead before Domesday, though this witness may just possibly be identical with Roger de Gloucester (son, I hold, of Durand de Pistres) who was killed in 1106. On the whole, it is safer to deem that Waldric's last appearance as chancellor, at present known, is in the Rouen charter of November, 1106. Ranulf, his successor, first appears, as Foss pointed out, in a charter to St. Andrew's Priory, Northampton." Its date is determined by the appearance among the witnesses of Maurice, Bishop of London (d. 26th Sept., 1107) and of Ranulf himself as Chancellor, combined with the statement appended to the charter that it was granted in the King's 8th year ("octavo imperii sui anno"). One must not attach too great importance to these clauses, which did not, as a rule, form part of the original charter, but in this case the names of the witnesses point to Easter-Sept., 1107; and it is just possible to assign to the 8th year the close of the Westminster gathering, at the beginning of August, when this charter to St. Andrew's may well have been granted. Miss Norgate holds that Bishop Roger "probably resumed" the chancellorship in 1106, on Waldric's elevation to the Bishopric of Laon, but I do not know of any evidence to that effect. 8 5 See p. 313. See Geoffrey de Mandeville, 421, 431-2. 6 Judges of England, i. 79. 7 Monasticon, v. 191. England under the Angevin Kings, i. 22. B.H. I I A A CHARTER OF HENRY I. (1123) GOOD illustration of the value of charters for chronological and biographical purposes is afforded by one which Henry I. granted to the church of Exeter. It is printed in the Monasticon under Plimpton, to the foundation of which priory it is asserted to have been preliminary. That foundation is assigned to 1121. The charter, however, is also found among those confirmed by Henry VIII. (Confirmation Roll, 1 Hen. VIII., p. 5, No. 13), with a list of witnesses arranged in correct order; whereas the Monasticon version is taken from the pleadings under Ric. II. (Coram Rege, Hil. 2 Ric. II., Rot. 20, Devon), and records the witnesses in grievous disorder. The explanation of such disorder is that the clerk in the latter case was not familiar with the system on which the attestations to these charters were arranged. the names of the leading witnesses being placed in a line above the others. This will be made evident from the two lists of witnesses : Right Order. King Henry Queen Adeliza Wrong Order. Queen Adeliza William, archbishop of Canter- William, archbishop of Canter bury Thurstan, archbishop of York bury Robert, earl of Gloucester Thurstan, archbishop of York |