132 On Anglo-Saxon Laws and Customs. Mr. URBAN, Aug. 1. H AVING very lately had occasion to peruse the very able and interesting History of the Anglo-Saxons, by Sharon Turner, I was pleased to find, that notwithstanding the many subsequent years, and commercial and political conuexions which have engaged the attention and communication of this Country with all others, yet how numerous are the institutions, and far greater the original terms in our modern language, which retain, through every part of our improvements, a strict assimilation and identity with those of our Saxon ancestors. This research has carried me back more than a 1000 years, and traced the original footsteps of a race whom we cannot venerate for their virtues, but to whom we owe many obligations for their valour; who form an important link in the chain of our destiny, and wove the banners of our maritime glory. It appeared to me that a few selections from their language will excite an agreeable surprise to see how closely united we are with those of our ancestors, and that neither the Roman dominion of 476 previous years, nor the subsequent Danish irruptions, nor the Norman invasion, nor all the foreign influence which continued during the reigns of 54 monarchs, have been able to eradicate the language of the Saxons, who were governed by a disunited octarchy during 620 years, from Vortigern to William of Normandy. It does nowhere appear why the Romans thought fit to improve Britain so little, and to relinquish their long dominion over it; nor how blinded their quick-sighted policy and power of arms was to succeed so ill in this island. As their government of it weakened, they yielded to the enterprising sway of Saxon pirates, who found it well worth their while to fix themselves in the establishments which they had formed; to adopt, even in their rudeness, many of their useful arts and enjoyments; and to become, in their stead, the founders of a rival greatness, far surpassing them in dignity, in dominion, and in power! The simplicity of Saxon times was coeval with the customs of barter, and the little value set upon money, according to modern estimation; thus at Dover, when the King's messenger arriv ed, the burghers had to pay threepence for transporting his horse in winter, [Aug and twopence in summer; and they also provided a steersman and helper. -2 Turner, p. 108. ITS The Gilds and Burghers contributed to the King's, or to the Lord's revenue, sometimes in systers of honey, and sometimes in money. Ninety of them at Bath yielded 60 shillings, and per sonal services, by which they held rights which have been since transmitted to their posterity. When the Saxons settled in England, they ceased to be pirates; higher prospects opened before them; fertile lands, flowing rivers, woods peopled with cattle, and all the beneficial arts of the spindle, the distaff, the ploughshare, and the progress to habitation, possession, and property, rendered maritime robbery needless; and the rights of social life exalted their nature. I now proceed to the derivations selected. BRIDE AND BRIDE-GROOM.-From Bryd-guma. Guma means a man, which word we have perverted into groom. Bryd implies marriage; hence also the bride. The Welsh for marriage is priodas; and priodvab is a bridegroom; priodi, to marry; all these in composition change into the initial B. THE DEUCE.-The venerable Bede, in his Commentary on Luke, mentions demons appearing to men as females, and to women as men, whom he says the Gauls call Dusii, the presumed origin of our word Deuce.Turner, p. 17. The deuce is in him, means the demon or devil is in him. The name of idol was wig; and the altar was wighed, a table or bed for the idol. FREEMEN, as well as Serving-men, were in the employment or service of superiors. Among their laws it is prescribed that, "if any give flesh to his servants on fast-days, whether they be free or servile, he must compensate for the pillory." So in the laws of Ina, "if a Freeman work on a Sunday without his Lord's orders, he shall lose his liberty, or pay sixty shillings.-Leg. Ine. 15. 2 Turn. 95. A Freeman was respected as well in his station as in punishments for offences committed by or against him: and if reduced to slavery, he was called a white theow, or penal slave. "Theow or esue, or slave, had no political existence or social considera tion." P. 96, They were bought, sold, and conveyed and bequeathed, and are often enumerated by name with their posterity; and a late law enjoined that no Christian, or innocent man should be sold from them.-Laud. Wilk. Leg. Sax. p. 107. Malms. 1. 3. Personal slavery at Bristol abolished by the preaching of Wultstan. Ibid. 99. Manumission, both by gift and by will, to slaves, was frequent, and is traced up to Edgar's time. Sometimes absolutely, sometimes on a condition annexed. Documents of this kind are in preservation, where the freedom was purchased as a charitable act by some patron for five shillings, or two shillings, signed and duly attested (p. 101), and sometimes the slaves purchased their freedom with their own savings. They were sometimes declared free at the altar; and the synod in 816 enjoined that at the death of a Bishop his English slaves, who had been reduced to slavery in his life-time, should be freed. Spel. Conc. 330. Without the possession of a certain quantity of landed property, the dignity of sitting in the wittena-gemot could not be enjoyed, not even by a person who was of distinguished or noble birth, p. 92. Honour might be acquired by descent, by property, by office, by freedom; but the distinction of property was a still higher qualification for the gemot. This is a very high authority against the arguments for universal suffrage. HYDE OF LAND.-Hynde of Land gave distinction to their owners as Twyhyndum, Syxhyndum, and Twelfhyndum. This also shews that not only the Hyde of Land, but the numbers in common use at this time are the same as those in the Saxon æra. HOCUS-POCUS.-There were two personages feared in the North of Europe in Saxon times; from whose names words have become very familiar to ourselves! one was OchusBochus, a magician and demon; the other was Neccus, a malign deity, who frequented the waters. If any perished in whirlpools, or by cramp, or by bad swimming, he was thought to be seized by Neccus. Steel was supposed to expel him, and therefore all who bathed threw some little pieces of steel into the water for that purpose. It is probable that we see here the origiu of Hocus-pocus and Old Nick.2 Turner, 17. 133 KNIGHT.-The Anglo-Saxons distinguished the period between childhood and manhood by the term cuithade, knighthood. It is stated in Ina's Laws, that a cniht of ten winters old might give evidence; and Bede's expression of a boy about eight years old, is translated by Alfred, " wæs eahta wintra cnight.' LUCKY DAYS may be traced to our Saxon ancestors, who, says Turner, 2. 23, adopted from Chaldea the notion that the celestial luminaries influenced the fortunes of mankind, and operated powerfully on the Saxon mind. Affairs were thought to be undertaken with better chance on peculiar days, and the full or new moon was the indication of the auspicious season. The sun was addressed as a female, and the moon as a male. MILK.-Tri-milchi, the month of May; so called, because their cattle were then milked three times a day; which also proves the Saxon origin of the word. Book-Boc.-Beech, bark wood; on which letters were either cut or impressed. So the same word in Welch, gwydd, is a tree or wood, used to denote a book for the same reason. P. 30. MORGEN, or Marriage-gift, a present to the Bride by the Husband on the day after their marriage; intended, says Mr. Turner, 2. 83, as a compliment to the ladies for honouring a suitor with their preference, and for submitting to the duties of wedlock. If she survived him, having children, she had half his property if she chose to live with them; but if she was childless, his paternal relations took his possessions and the morgen gift; also if she chose another husband. This morgen gift laid the foundation of modern settlements and trusts. Wilk. Leg. Sax. p. 7. STOOL.-On the death of the father, the child (cild) was ordered to remain under the mother's care, who was to provide it with sustenance; for this she was to be allowed six shillings, a cow in summer, and an ox in winter; but his relations were to occupy the frum- stol, the head seat, until the boy came of age. Wilk. 20. TUMBLE.-Tumbling and dancing seem to have been synonimous, as they are both represented by the verb tumbian. The Anglo-Saxon version of the Gospel mentions that the daugh ter 134 List of Pictures at Holme Lacy. ter of Herodias tumbude before Herod; and the word for dancing is tumbere. It is probable that the mode of dancing included much tumbling. 2 Turn. 76. Probably the morris-dancing, and those on the summer theatres, used in pantomimes, and in the theatrical booths at fairs, take their origin from this ancient date of more than 1000 years. These instances are sufficient to remind the inquirer of the object stated at the beginning of this letter; many more selections might of course have been made, but these will excite his interest, and, without fatiguing his attention, afford him some amusement in his present recreation. A. H. List of Pictures at HOLME LACY, Co. LOBBY ROOM. [Aug. hair, ruff and farthingale, white dress, embroidered with flowers, and puffed arms. The Duchess of Norfolk's mother when young, and her Grandmother, wholelength, in green blue mantle; her mother is sitting by the side of a font. Three figures, whole-length, in Vandyke dresses, called the three Penderils. By the style of the picture, I should think it foreign; one of them is playing on a Spanish guitar. "Lewis XIII. aged 38, 1639, Beaubours fecit;" whole-length; pearl and white slashed dress; trunk hose, breeches and stockings; staff in his right hand; robe of France. Anne of Austria, grosse de huit mois, 1638, aged 27, "Beaubrun fecit," in black dress, with lace. DRAWING ROOM. Charles II. when a boy, a long green robe, capped red table, over the door. LADY NOEL, a daughter of the Earl and Countess of Southampton, by Earl of Gainsborough. Two French Ladies, unknown, both in ovals. GREAT ROOM. Charles the First, over the Chimney, whole-length, in white Sattin, very fine, by Vandyke. (The same as Strange's print.) Sir James, father of Viscount Scudamore, whole-length, in black and gold armour; very large, tilting spear in his right hand; white laced apron, flying sash over his shoulder, black boots. Lady Digby, whole-length, leaning on a pedestal; by Sir Godfrey Kneller, very fine. Sir John Packington, whole-length, with an immense ruff; white and black dress reaching half-way down his thighs; white breeches and stockings in one. Unknown whole-length, full front; small falling ruff, red sash and gloves, staff in his right hand, and buttons all down the front of his black doublet. Sir Peter Lely, a fine double-portrait; the Earl sitting; black cloak, with a very large star on it; white sleeves; white staff in his hand; blue ribbon; and long hair; his lady is in yellow, standing. Charles I. in black and white slashed; ribbon round his neck; taggs; ruff; left hand negligently holding the handle of his sword; star on his cloak. Henrietta-Maria, in black, hands across James II. in armour, with long wig, láced cravat, and ribbon across; an oval painting. Anne of Austria, in yellow, sitting with Lewis XIV. when a baby, swaddled up, a blue ribbon on her lap; a curious picture. A most elegant beautiful portrait of a lady sitting in an elbow chair, dressed in white, with a brown and flowered robe loose, which her arms pass through; a red and black flowered petticoat; the cap, &c. like those of Mary Queen of Scots; she has a ruff; her right hand with a glove on, and a glove belonging to the other hand in it, negligently falls over the corner of a table by her; her left is in her dress; red chair, table, and curtain, within a garland of flowers, is inscribed 12 March, 1614," under it "nospring till now;' she has a bracelet of pearl on her left wrist. Lady Packington, whole-length, red This lady can be no other than the no torious 1825.] Monuments to Dr. Jackson, Bp. North, and Adm. Russell. torious Countess of Essex, who was divorced, and married Car, Earl of Somerset in December 1613. The Spring of 1614 was the first she ever had seen according to her wishes. A man and woman in black, both unknown; he with a ruff, cloak, hand on his sword, and black bonnet; she with a row of pearls in her hand, and an anchor round her neck. Three portraits; two gentlemen and one lady, by Sir Peter Lely, unknown; the lady in an oval. NEXT ROOM. Man over the door, in gilt armour, red sash, &c. ruff; oval. Two ladies over the other two doors, both unknown; one in white sattin, the other in red. STAIRCASE. Here are several French portraits, &c. unknown. Prince de Condè, in black and gold armour, with ribbon across. James 1. when a boy, 1574, with a cap, ruff, green breeches, pink stockings, and a hawk in his left hand; a curious whole-length. Cardinal Mazarine. Lewis XIII. a boy in black armour, and white sash. Anne of Austria, a head, black veil, Philip II of Spain, a head only. 135 mense ruff, very yellow, or red hair, and a fan in her right hand. A long passage gallery is hung with prints, but none are curious. The table in the Servants' Hall is twenty-four feet long, and three wide, of one plank of oak; on the South side of the house is a noble gravel walk, twenty-four feet wide, and nearly half a mile long. Mr. URBAN, Aug. 5. T is with great pleasure I see it an It is wied that Chantrey's large sta placed in Christ Church, Oxford; and tue of Dr. Cyril Jackson was last month of the finest pieces of sculpture the that it is generally pronounced to be one University can boast. The resemblance has been taken from the Doctor's portrait by Owen. The Cathedral of Winchester has just received a monument to the meBrownlow North. It is erected at the of the late venerable Prelate, Dr. mory East end of the church. A handsome monument is also just raised, in the Church of Canford Magna, co. Dorset, to the memory of Admiral Russell, of whom you gave so long and interesting a Memoir in vol. XCIV. ii. p. 369. It consists of a large dove-coloured ground, surmounted by tablet of statuary marble, raised on a appropriate naval trophies, and with the Admiral's arms, and motto "Che Mr. H. Harris, of Poole, and is highly sara sara," below. It was executed by creditable to his abilities. The tablet contains the following inscription,-a just statement of the gallant officer's naval career : "Sacred to the memory of Thomas Macnamara Russel, esq. Admiral of the White, late Commander-in-Chief in the North Seas. He actively served his country seventy years, with ardour, bravery, and ability, and combated her enemies in thirty-six engagements. His most undaunted spirit of enterprise during the first revolutionary wars of America and France was unrivalled. In 1784 he was offered the honour of knighthood, and at the * It may be so; but we are not entirely convinced. According to the old manner of dating, the 12th of March, 1614, was in the Spring of the year 1614-15, whilst the Spring of 1613 (that is 1613-14) was the first after the Countess's shameless marriage. We are inclined to regard the motto "No Spring till now!" rather as a compliment, (not extravagant in those times,) paid to the lady's beauty by the painter or some other admirer, than as having any particular allusion. Still the portrait may very probably be the beautiful but " rotten branch of the Howards," as Sir Francis Bacon termed her. If the picture be still at Holme Lacy, the question may be decided by reference to her engraved portraits. EDIT. close 136 Baskerville, Dyneley, and Goodere Families. close of his brilliant career he received the warmest acknowledgments from the Admiralty, for his superior conduct as a Naval Chief. His successful blockade of the Texel during the threatened invasion of our shores, was conducted on a new and admirable system of his own. He was the first who had ever dared to anchor a fleet there, in the strongest gales of a northern winter, and on an enemy's lee shore! Heligoland surrendered to him, by which he secured invaluable advantages to his country. The magnanimous, intrepid, and generous heart of a British seaman was united in him with the urbanity of a courtier. He departed this life on the 22d day of July 1824, in his 85th year. Elizabeth, his wife, died on the 2d day of March, 1818, in her 66th year. This tribute to departed inestimable worth is affectionately inscribed by his son-in-law, George Edward Paley." Still more recently than the preceding, an elegant Grecian tablet of white marble has been erected to the memory of Lord Byron in the Church of Hucknal Torcard, about four miles from Newstead Abbey. It bears the following judicious inscription: "In the vault beneath, where many of the ancestors of his mother are buried, lie the remains of GEORGE GORDON NOEL BYRON, Lord Byron of Rochdale, in the county of Lancaster, the Author of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.' He was born in London on the 22d of January, 1788; he died at Missolonghi, in Western Greece, on the 19th April, 1824, engaged in the glorious attempt to restore that country to her ancient freedom and renown. His sister, the Honourable Augusta Maria Leigh, placed this tablet to his memory." Mr. URBAN, Lea Hall, near Birmingham, Aug. 12. "R. I." YOUR Correspondent, Gent. Mag. XCIV. ii. p. 290, who is in want of information respecting the family of Baskervill, will find in Nash's History of Worcestershire," vol. 1. p. 156, a pedigree of that family, beginning with Nic. Basquervile, who married a daughter of Herfust, who was brother to Gonore, the wife of Richard Duke of Normandy, the great grandfather of William the Conqueror. There are twenty-two generations recorded, terminating in coheirs, one of whom was the mother of the first Lord Chedworth. In answer to "A. Z." for information respecting the Dineley and Goodere families. I would refer him also [Aug. to Nash's "Worcestershire," vol. 1. p. 272, where he will find that Sir Edward Dineley left an only daughter and heir, who carried the estate of Charlton to her husband, Edward Goodere, who was created a Baronet. Sir Edward Goodere died March 29, 1739. As he lived at Burghope, he probably was buried at Wellington in the county of Hereford, in which parish Burghope is situated. The Baronetage did not become extinct upon the murder of Sir John, and the execution of Capt. Samuel Goodere for that murder; but descended, first to Edward, the eldest son of the Captain, who died unmarried March 1761; when he was succeeded by his brother Sir John Dyneley Goodere, who died in 1809 a poor Knight of Windsor, where he was well-known for his eccentricities; upon his death the title became extinct (see vol. LXXIX. 1171). This last Baronet many years before his death sold the Burghope estate to Lord Selsea, which one of his ancestors had purchased of the heirs of William More, a descendant of the Mores of More Hall." The late Earl Coningsby, of Hampton Court, was used to fancy in his later years that all the most valuable estates in his neighbourhood belonged to him; and one day, full of this imagination, personally demanded possession of Burghope House, with sword in hand; Sir John Goodere, who was ed of this strange and unexpected reas mad as his Lordship, being informquisition, immediately sallied from his house, inflamed with fury, mounted his horse, and drawing his sword, with a true spirit of chivalry, challenged his Lordship to decide the inatter by single combat. The latter perceiving the resolute countenance of the knight, turned the head of his horse, and clapping spurs, valiantly rode away with the utmost speed, pursued with vengeful ire by Sir John, and but just able to shelter himself under his own roof from the stroke of his infuriated opponent." Leominster Guide, 1808, p. 275. The Brass Mortar mentioned by your Correspondent Mr. Yates, which I rescued from the melting-pot of a Brass-founder in Birmingham, is still in my possession, where it shall be preserved, with as much care as so ancient and curious a relic deserves. Yours, &c. JOHN BLOUNT. |