Page:Devon and Cornwall Queries Vol 9 1917.djvu/36

 i8 Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries. and Cornwall.) Excluding Cornwall, Monmouth (then in Wales,) the five northern counties (all except Yorkshire) in Cumberland, and Rutland (which at the Conquest was partly in Notts and partly in Northants), we have thirty-two divisions in the Teutonic area These are generically called •• shires," but in seven out of the thirty-two, all representing the small eastern kingdoms and sub-kingdoms, the terminal syllable " shire " is not found. These seven are : — Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk It would then seem that the original right to the suffix "shire" belongs to twenty-five counties, of which six represent Wessex as it was in the early years of Egbert's reign (802- 812), and nineteen the tenth-century sub-divisions of Mircia and Danelagh, all these nineteen being unlike the earlier six, called after their chief towns. Devonshire was a "shire" or portion of the province of Wessex. Simeon (or his annotator) gives a curious piece of information about Cornwall. " In Cornwealas sunt sex parvae scirae." We hear of Triconshire, Wellshire, Pydarshire, and (perhaps) Powdershire. Were the other two shires Kerrier and Penwith? Cornwall in those days was probably more densely peopled (owing to the influx of British refugees) and therefore relatively more important than any of the neighbouring divisions. J. J. Alexander, M.A. 13. Mayoral Elections held in Churches — Can any of your readers inform me whether the election of Mayors took place at any time in the Churches of other Devon towns than those of Plymouth and Totnes .'* Is there any instance in Cornwall where such an official was similarly chosen ? Ecc. Ant. Inq. 14. Mayoral Elections held in Churches. — With regard to this query there is no proof that Mayors of Totnes were ever elected in the Parish Church. It is true that in the rolls of the guild Merchants of Totnes there are references to the seats of the members, and Mr. Riley of the Historical Manuscripts Commission thought the references were to seats apportioned in the body of the Parish Church, and this may have been so, as the Corporation repaired the Church (except the chancel) and to a large extent had control of it. Toulmin Smith, in his English Gilds says he finds no similar case.