in Hampshire and died at his seat, Bruton House in that county, on the 10th April, 1807.-EDWARD R. GARDINER.

A few months ago while some workmen were engaged in executing some work on the bank of a stream close to Betterton, in the parish of Lockinge, on the estate of Lord Wantage, they came across a skeleton in a crouching position some 7 feet under ground. It was unfortunately much damaged by the workmen's tools. From the ornaments found in its immediate neighbourhood it was supposed to be that of a female. It is much to be regretted that the bones were not properly examined by an expert at the time instead of being, as they were, immediately reinterred at the same spot. The ornaments, which are now in the possession of Lord Wantage, consisted of a plain ring broken into three pieces, made either of copper or gold, it is uncertain which; two circular brooches or links, 1 inches in diameter, with the remains of pins; a glass bead of a bluish colour, perforated, the hole on one side larger than that on the other, with eight grooved indentations cut in it; a small bone, probably part of a finger. Some of our readers may be able to throw some light on these relics.EDWARD R. GARDINER.

CARDINAL WOLSEY AT READING.-The Bishop of London, in a speech delivered at the Reading School, referred to the supposed connection of Cardinal Wolsey with the School. Archbishop Parker, in his De Antiquitate Britannica Ecclesiæ, states that "Wolsey, when Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, being expelled for some depredations upon the College chest, retired to Reading, when he opened a grammar school.” Dr. Doran, the historian of Reading, says "The fiction of Cardinal Wolsey having been expelled from Magdalen College, Oxford, has been long since exploded. Though many have placed him at the head of the list of masters of the free school from a belief in the above story on the authority of Archbishop Parker, there is no doubt of Long [John Long, 1503] having been appointed to that office."-EDITOR,

LUCAS'S HOSPITAL, WOKINGHAM.-The history of this hospital has been recently investigated by the Rev. J. Stratton, the present master, and the results of his researches he has kindly given in a lecture delivered at Wokingham in October. Lucas, the founder, was descended from a Suffolk family. After his career at Cambridge he entered the Middle Temple in 1605, became Secretary to the Earl of Holland, M.P. for Cambridge University in 1640, sat in the Short and Long Parliaments, and died in 1663, being buried in the Temple Church. He left in his will his library to the University of Cambridge, and £7,000 to found a hospital in Berks for a chaplain and “as many poor old men of the forest district as may be conveniently provided for." We regret that want of space prevents us from publishing at present Mr. Stratton's lecture in extenso. The history of the hospital has for many years been buried in oblivion, and the present master has most diligently gathered a store of information with regard to the past annals of the institution over which he presides.-EDITOR. Henry, Lord Clarendon, married Flower, daughter of of Swallowfield, widow of Willm. Bishop, who died 1658.-Heralds, Vis. Berks, 1664-5. Thus the Backhouses were connected by marriage with the Royal Family. The Christian name Flower is uncommon. I have only once seen it before; that is a single instance in our Sulhamstead register, perhaps derived from a surname. As a surname it was known in Pangbourne, and survives in "Flower's Farm.”—E. E. THOYTS.

Backhouse,

MRS. MACAULAY GRAHAM.-Since I sent you the short account of Mrs. Macaulay Graham which was inserted in the Quarterly Journal for October last, I have found two more references to her. In the life of the celebrated quack-doctor, James Graham, given in the National Dictionary of Biography (Vol. 22, p. 324), I find it stated that: "In January, 1777, he began to practise at Bath, where he met Catherine Macaulay, who afterwards married his younger brother William; he gained, as he admits, his first start by his treatment of her." In the second volume of T. Hearne's Remains there is a note added by the editor, Dr. Philip Bliss, to an entry by Hearne in his diary on March 2nd, 1726-7, that "On Tuesday last called upon me Mr. Wilson, bach. of arts of Christ Church, son of Dr. Wilson, bp. of Man." To which Dr. Bliss appended a note that "this Mr. Wilson, after he had graduated as a D.D, at Christ Church, removed to St. Mary's Hall, where is a good whole-length portrait of him. He was an eccentric but very benevolent man, a furious politican, the friend of Wilkes, and a great admirer of Mrs. Macaulay." This throws some light on P. Pindar's dubious couplet, quoted in my former note :

"Not Dr. Wilson, child of am'rous folly,

When young Mac Clyster bore off Kate Macaulay.'

Dr. Wilson died at Bath. Is it possible that by 'young Mac Clyster' Dr. Wolcot intended to invent a nickname for William Graham, the younger brother of the Scotch quack-doctor, the moerens conjux of the Binfield Epitaph ?— C. W. PENNY, Wellington College.

Mrs. Macaulay-Graham, born 1730, daughter of John Sawbridge, Esq., of Olantigh, Wye, near Ashford, Kent, her brother being noted as Alderman Sawbridge, of the City of London, and Lord Mayor, 1775. Catherine Sawbridge married, 1760, Geo. Macaulay, M.D., a London physician, but soon became a widow. In 1778 she married Mr. Graham, a clergyman, brother to Dr. Graham. In 1785 she went to America for the purpose of visiting Washington, with whom she maintained a correspondence. Her “ History of England was published between 1763 and 1782 in 9 vols. quarto, with her portrait attached to it, finely engraved as a medallion. Died 1791.

Refer to Maunder's Biographical Treasury; Brayley's Beauties of England, vol. viii.; History and Topography of Wye, 1842, Morris, p. 46.-R. J. FYNMORE, Sandgate, Kent. Oct. 16th, 1891.

Queries.

Can anyone suggest a probable explanation for the extraordinary name of a copse at Padworth called "Aqua vitæ." I have not seen it written, but suppose it is spelt as above ?-E. E. THOYTS.

BANASTRE FAMILY.—I should be glad to receive any information concerning this old Berkshire family. I do not think that they first settled in Lancashire, as recently stated. Robert Banastre came into England with the Conqueror, and obtained the Manor of Prestaton, in Englefield, Berks; his son removed to Lancashire. A branch of the family were Lords of the Manor of Finchampstead from the 12th century. What is the modern name of the Manor of Prestaton ? -W. LYON.

The Quarterly Journal

OF THE

Berks Archæological and Architectural Society.

HE Annual Meeting of the Society, which unfortunately had been postponed, was held on March 30th. After the reading of the report and the election of officers, the members adjourned to the Hospitium of the Abbey of Reading, which has recently been restored. Mr. S. S. Stallwood, under whose direction the work has been carried out, read a paper on the history of the building.

**

THE Annual Meeting of the Thames Valley Antiquarian Society was held at Maidenhead on February 24th, when a valuable and interesting paper on the History of Cookham was read by Mr. Stephen Darby. We hope to publish the paper in a subsequent number.

A Lecture on Reading Abbey and Monastic Life was delivered at Wokingham by the Rev. E. A. Gray on February 23rd; on March 15th the Rev. P. H. Ditchfield lectured at Hurst on the Antiquities of Berkshire Villages, exhibiting a collection of flint implements, Roman pottery, coins, &c.; and on March 22nd the Rev. J. M. Guilding read a paper on the "Hospitium of Reading Abbey before the Reading Literary and Scientific Society.

I

Some Berkshire Crosses.

By John Denis De Vitré.

ROSSES were formerly erected for almost any purpose to

C which a religious meaning could be attached, and were

apparently excessively common; indeed, the scarcity of notices that exist of them would seem to show that they were so common as to be ordinarily overlooked. Sometimes they were erected at the places where the corpse rested on its way to burial, as the Eleanor crosses at Waltham and Chasing ; crosses of this kind were erected that persons might pray for the soul of the deceased; of this type there are none existing in Berkshire as far as I know.

Then there were the crosses erected in churchyards, from which it would seem that sermons used to be preached, as at St. Paul's Cross in London; these churchyard crosses are most common of any, and I should be very glad to learn of any other use to which they were put.

Thirdly, there were the market crosses, round which markets were held, and from which proclamations were made; these were also called "cheeping" crosses, from the Anglo-Saxon "cheap" to buy, from which word, I have been told, such towns as Chippenham, Chipping Norton, etc. take part of their names. It has also been suggested to me that crosses were erected in market places to remind persons of the sacredness of bargains, and because sales and fairs had originally much of a sacred character attaching to them.

Crosses were also erected by monasteries on the boundaries of the property, just as boundary stones are used nowadays. Doubtless crosses were often erected for other purposes beside those I have mentioned, but all the examples I have been able to find are either churchyard or market crosses. It may be worth noticing that almost all of the former type of cross stand on the south side of the church and face east and west; sometimes there were two

crosses in the same town, not only a churchyard cross and one in the market place, but two market crosses; this occurs at Lambourn where there were formerly two crosses in the town, though I cannot find that there was ever one in the churchyard.

I should be very much obliged if anyone would tell me of any crosses not mentioned in my list, especially in the eastern part of the county, where I have not been able to go, and of any details of construction or customs connected with the same.

ABINGDON.-All traces of this cross have now utterly vanished, the market-house standing on the spot formerly occupied by it: there is a rude picture of it on the river end of the almshouses facing St. Helen's church, which corresponds in a very slight degree with the various notices I have been able to find about it.

Ashmole says "Leland and Camden both take notice of a cross formerly in this town, built of free-stone, and not inferior in workmanship to any in England," and again when talking about the brotherhood of the Holy Cross, founded in the reign of Henry VI., he says, "To them, as appeared from the arms of the trustees of this charity, was owing the stately cross mentioned before." This cross was destroyed by the Puritan soldiers under Sir William Waller during the civil wars.

Lysons also mentions it, saying that it stood on pillars, and that among the arms with which it was ornamented were those of Sir John Golafre*; also that it was repaired in 1605 at the instance of Mr. Little, the historian of Abingdon. When the accommodation with the Scots was celebrated in this town, by order of Parliament, in 1641, the 106th psalm was sung at the cross by 2,000 choristers. Richard Symonds, an officer in King Charles' army, who was at Abingdon in May, 1644, says that it was adorned with three rows of statues, consisting of kings, saints, and bishops.

ARDINGTON.-There is an exceedingly picturesque cross in the churchyard, standing on the north side of the church; the steps and pedestal are the original but the shaft is modern, having been erected, I believe, in 1852, when the remains of the old shaft were removed to the intersection of four roads just below the church; the old shaft was apparently of the usual shape, square at the base and octagonal above, but at the present time has been worn almost round.

*In Clarke's Hundred of Wanting, the arms of Golafre are given as, Barry, nebulæ of six argent and gules, on a bend sable three besants.