THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE LIBRARY: BEING A CLASSIFIED COLLECTION OF THE CHIEF CONTENTS OF THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE FROM 1731 TO 1868. EDITED BY GEORGE LAURENCE GOMME, F.S.A. ENGLISH TOPOGRAPHY, PART XI. (STAFFORDSHIRE-SUFFOLK.) EDITED BY F. A. MILNE, M.A. LONDON: ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. 1899. O NLY two counties are included in this volume-Staffordshire and Suffolk. This means that both are more fully represented than usual. The two counties are very different in character and in position. Staffordshire is a mining county and inland; Suffolk is agricultural and bordering on the sea. Their antiquities and people, too, differ widely, and the records from the Gentleman's Magazine appear to indicate this dissimilarity very well. Besides the usual store of information to be gathered from the communications, for the most part locally contributed, there are a few special things worth noting. Of customs there is the distribution of one penny to every resident in Walsall (p. 19), which takes place on the eve of Epiphany, and the origin of which is entirely lost. The popular tradition at Beresford as to the flaying of a straggler from the Scottish army, and the tanning of his skin (p. 32), is a variant of a rather widespread tradition generally referred to the Danish invasion, and I do not think the subject has been investigated with any care, though it is well worthy of attention. The well superstition at Rockcliffe (p. 67) is one of the many ancient rites connected with water worship to be found all over the country. St. Chad's well is described very fully on p. III. Perhaps the interesting note on burial customs (p. 124) at Norton-le-Moors takes us back to early times when night burial was the ordinary method. The marriage ceremony of the Commonwealth period, as explained on pp. 161-162, will be welcome to many inquirers who have not yet come across entries on this subject. |