thieves, and Peter Horlak hath withdrawn himself for robberies and other thefts, and all are suspected. Therefore let them be demanded and outlawed, and let the aforesaid Agnes be demanded and waived. [A woman not being held within the law could not be outlawed, she was waived which amounts to much the same thing.] The chattels of the aforesaid Adam are worth iiiid, for which the tything of Carswell must account, and he was in the same tything. Therefore it is amerced. The chattels of the aforesaid Walter Putmere are worth iis, for which the tything of Hurley must answer. And he was in the tything of Hurley. Therefore it is amerced. And Adam and the others have no chattels, but the aforesaid Adam Moppe was of the manupast of the Prior of Hurle. Therefore he is amerced, and Walter Leman and the others were of the tything of Hurley. Therefore it is amerced.

Of defaults: they say that Peter de Montfort, John ffaron de White Waltham, Hugh de la Dene of Hurle have not come on the first day. Therefore they are amerced.

Of youths: they say that John de Sotesbrok holds a whole knight's fee and is of full age and not yet a knight. Therefore he is amerced.

Of the vill of Wautham, the chattels of Hamors Wykyng who was hung are worth iiis, and that the Abbot of Chertsey took those chattels without warrant.

The jurors present that a certain Robert Waldyng was taken with an ox [which he had] stolen at the suit of John Wyood, and in full hundred [court] of the seven hundreds, was convicted at the suit of the aforesaid John, sentenced to be hung and by William de la Ho then bailiff of the seven hundreds was delivered to the Abbot of Wautham, who caused judgment to be done on him in his manor of Heywode upon a certain oak, they know not by what warrant. And the abbot by his attorney comes and says that he claims to have infangenteef in his lands, because he says that the aforesaid Robert was taken within his manor, and by his bailiff brought into full hundred and convicted as is aforesaid and afterwards he was delivered to him for judgment to be done on him by reason of his liberty of infangenthef, and afterwards they caused him to be hung upon a certain oak, because the abbot and his predecessors lately had gallows in that manor, and upon this comes William de Gyselham who follows for the lord king and says that the lord king is in seisin and always has been of such liberties until the same abbot and his bailiffs unjustly seized such liberty from the lord king, and he asks that inquiry may be made, and the jurors being knights

elected for this purpose [say] that the aforesaid abbott and his predecessors have used the aforesaid liberties from the time that they first held the manor of Heywode, moreover that the lord king or his successrs [never] had seizin thereof within the tenure of the same abbot. Therefore the aforesaid prior, as far as this matter goes is without a day saving the right of the lord king.

Of feuds they say that John de Sotesbrok holds one knight's fee in Sotesbrok in chief of the lord king.

Of withdrawals: they say that the prior of Hurley holds certain land in Hurley which is called Chedenhanger from which the lord king was wont to have a certain suit at the seven hundreds every three weeks until some thirty years since that that suit was taken away to the damage of the lord king of iis per annum, and likewise the Prior of Hurley together with the whole vill were accustomed to sue at the aforesaid hundreds every three weeks and to give to the lord king per annum xxs for view of frank pledge and vs for hidage until Richard le Gras, sometime Prior of Hurley, withdrew the said suits, now thirty years since, to the damage of the lord king per ann XXXS. And the prior comes and says that it is a fact that the aforesaid suits were due from the tenants aforesaid as is aforesaid, but he says that the lord H. King father of the lord king that now is remised to the Prior of Hurley and his successors the aforesaid suits and likewise the lord king that now is confirmed the same to them and produces a charter of the aforesaid kings which bears witness to this. And William de Gyselham says that the lord king was in seizin of them after the making of the aforesaid charters and asks for the lord king that inquiry may be made. And the knights chosen for this purpose say upon their oath that the lord king never was in seizin of them after the making of the aforesaid charters, therefore the aforesaid prior as far as this matter goes is without a day saving the right of the lord king, &c.

The same John de la More, bailiff.

Names of the Jurors-
jurors on last
membrane of

Robert de Cruchesfield, juror; Hugh de la Hulle, Roll. juror; Ralph Smewyne, juror; Gooffrey de la Strode, juror; Gilbert de Pinkeng, juror; Richard Morevill, juror; Gilbert Saddok, juror; Robert de Camera, juror; Robert de Waltham, juror; Hugh de Sullebrok, juror; John de Boston, juror; William Turry, juror.

Notes and Queries"

RELATING TO BERKSHIRE.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Communications are invited upon all subjects of Antiquarian or Architectural interest relating to the County. All Literary Communications should be sent ot the EDITOR, Barkham Rectory, near Wokingham, written on one side only of the Paper.

It is requested that all MSS intended for printing should be written on foolscap paper, in an orderly manner, with REPLIES, QUERIES, and NOTES on SEPARATE SHEETS, and the name or initials of the writer appended to each communicatian.

Notes.

A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF S. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS, CHIPPING LAMBOURN, BY JOHN FOOTMAN, M.A., will shortly be published. The book has been compiled from the original sources, and the author has endeavoured to render it as complete as possible. It will contain many illustrations, and the value of the book will be materially increased by an appendix of original documents; including a hitherto unprinted charter of Canute, with a translation and notes by Mr. Walter de Gray Birch, F.S.A., of the British Museum, who writes that it is one of the earliest documents relating to tithe in England," a charter of Henry VI. granting a market and two fairs at Lambourn to the Dean of S. Paul's, etc.

66

HURLEY PRIORY.-With reference to the date of foundation of Priory which Mr. Wethered has fixed by its omission from Domesday, may I be allowed to point out that, as the Athenæum in a recent issue very aptly put it, the Norman survey was not a guide for mediæval tourists," and the mention of many castles and religious houses which are known to have existed was unnecessary, as being in no way contributory to the revenues of the Crown.-NATHANIEL HONE.

HURLEY PRIORY.-May I be allowed to comment on two statements in Mr. Wethered's paper on Hurley in your last number (vol. ii., No. 5)

1. It is stated that the date "1040" was discovered on a wooden cross, and Mr. Wethered assumes that this is "very clear evidence indeed of the Saxon origin of Hurley church," since "Harold (Harefoot) and Hardecanu te, sons of Canute, were the reigning kings of England in 1040."

Unfortunately, it is a fact that Arabic numerals were not used at all in this country until, at the earliest, the thirteenth century, and did not begin to be common before the middle of the fourteenth. It is difficult, therefore, to see how

2. It is said to be "unusual for a Prior to carry a crosier." This is not quite accurate. When, as in the case of the Hurley Priory, the prior was head of the house, he always carried a crosier, and so did a prioress who ruled over a house of nuns. When a prior was only second in command, as at Reading, (or a prioress, as at Shaftesbury), he had no right, and did not use a staff, unless by special licence granted to him, as in the case of the prior of Worcester, who bore a staff with a head of a peculiar form, as may be seen in the "overthwart' effigy behind the high altar at Worcester.

26th April, 1892.

W. H. ST. JOHN Hope.

HURLEY.-Referring to Miss Thoyts' note concerning the first volume of our Hurley Registers, it is quite clear that the same handwriting prevails from 1560, the first year, to March, 1626. At the head of the first page of the volume is the following: "A Register of all that were Baptized, Maryed and Buryed within the parish of Hurley in the count of Berks sithence the ffirst (?) yeare of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth of ffamous memory accordinge to the ordinary (?) computance set doune in the ould Register." Parish Registers were established by Cromwell, Lord Essex, in 1536. With regard to Miss Thoyts' remarks about the Moores, there must be some mistake in referring to their pedigree in a note connected with Hurley.

F. T. WETHERED.

MURAL PAINTings in Berks.—An article on this subject, giving a description of most of the wall paintings in the county, appears in the "Reliquary" for this month. It is written by the Rev. P. H. Ditchfield, and contains some admirable illustrations by Miss Blanche C. Wroughton. Mr. Ditchfield has recently edited for Mr. Edward Stanford a second edition of his "Guide to Berkshire."

UFTON COURT.-The history of Ufton Court and Parish has been written by Miss A. M. Sharp, and is about to be published by Mr. Elliot Stock. The author has with much trouble and research brought together a large amount of interesting information concerning the past history of Ufton and its owners. The book is a handsome 4to. volume replete with illustrations, and will be a valuable addition to every library.

SILCHESTER.-The excavations at Silchester have yielded some important discoveries; the foundations of what is probably the earliest church in Britain have been unearthed. Mr. St. John Hope's letter to the "Times" and other newspapers contains a description of this important find, which will attract many visitors to the ancient Roman city.

On account of want of space we have been obliged to postpone until our next number the first part of a valuable paper on Berkshire Wills, by Mr. Tudor Sherwood, and the second part of Mr. De Vitré's Berkshire Crosses.

THE REGISTERS OF THE PARISH OF ST. MARY, READING, 1538-1812.

The registers of this important and historical church are being transcribed by the Rev. G. P. CRAWFURD, and Vol. I., containing the Baptisms, List of Vicars, and Collections on Briefs, has already been published. We desire to congratulate Mr. Crawfurd upon the conclusion of this portion of his arduous labours, and to express our hope that he will receive sufficient support and encouragement from those who are interested in genealogical investigations which will enable him to complete the remaining volumes. It is satisfactory to note that so many inhabitants of Reading and the neighbourhood have shown themselves public spirited enough to subscribe towards the publication of this work, and we hope that the example which the clergy and parishioners of St. Mary's have set will be speedily followed in the other ancient parishes of Reading and the neighbourhood. When transcribers, like Mr. Crawfurd, are willing to devote their time and energy in the production of works of this magnitude, it is not too much to hope that they may receive public support and sympathy in their labours.

The present volume opens with a List of Vicars which is remarkably complete, dating from 1173 A.D., when William de Lincoln held the benefice, to the present day. The churchwardens have wisely placed a permanent record of this list on a tablet over the south door of St. Mary's Church. It bears witness to the continuity of the Church of England, as the present Vicar has ably pointed out in two sermons recently preached in St. Mary's Church; inasmuch as one John Whetham held the benefice during the four reigns of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary and Elizabeth, when the Church was gradually purging herself from Roman errors and freeing herself from external control. It must not be supposed that this instance of John Whetham was an isolated one. We have abundant evidence to show that happily in this country the Reformation occasioned no violent disruption, but was a gradual movement which, without disturbing the foundations of the ancient Church, preserved for future generations all that was sound and good in pre-reformation practice, doctrine and worship, and restored the Church of England after the model of a primitive and purer age. We notice later the record of the troublous time of the Commonwealth when in 1641 Thomas Bunburie was ejected, and the vehement Covenanter, Christopher Fowler, sent to supply his place. At the Restoration the Puritan is displaced by Peter Mews, who afterwards became Bishop of Winchester. The List includes several noted names of illustrious men, amongst whom we may mention William Lloyd, afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph, one of the seven Bishops committed to the Tower by James II. for their defence of the liberties of Englishmen, Archdeacon Nares and Dean Milman.

The preface of Mr. Crawfurd's work is written by one of the most eminent historians of the day, the Lord Bishop of Oxford, and is a valuable contribution to the study of Genealogy and Parish Records, and ought to be carefully read by