Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/146

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. x. AUG. is, MM.

"Rouen received such exemption from their English lords, but in the dominions of the French ting no such privilege is granted. It seems not too much to impute, as Mr. Ballard does, to these early practical economists in England some half-con- scious perception of the principle accepted in later centuries, that the removal of restrictions is a main condition of prosperity in commerce.

Another curious anticipation of modern ways may be detected on examining the development of a borough from the point of view of the lord. At first sight, what with their independent jurisdiction, their tenure of their lands by a money-rent free from all servile conditions, their freedom to sell and devise their lands, and the frequent possession of a monopoly of trading within the borough, it certainly might appear that the burgesses gained hugely more than the lord by the charters conceded to them. But the lord, besides often pocketing a good round sum in cash as the price of his charter, gained also by -the enhancement of his rents. The sites of boroughs were plotted out, just as building estates are at the present day, and Mr. Ballard quotes the case of Stratford-on-Avon, where the plots were something like a quarter of an acre in -extent, and commanded each plot a rent of l'2d. ; whereas for agricultural land the rent paid was but dd. for a whole acre.

The lecture on ' Borough and Hundred ' is of necessity more largely than the previous one a discussion of the diffeient theories propounded by different scholars, comparison with the French commune being again used very instructively.

There are four good discussions by way of appendixes, and added to them is a useful table showing the characteristics of the principal Domesday boroughs.

THE Transactions of the Birmingham Archaeo- logical Society for the year 1913 include an account by Mr. F. T. S. Houghton of ' The Stone Lecterns at Abbots Norton, Crowle, and Wenlock.' These he believes to be the only three remaining examples. The one at Abbots Norton was dug up in 1813 ; the history of that at Crowle seems to be quite unknown. That at Wenlock, found within the site of the Priory Church, is carved out of a block of the local Silurian limestone. Al- though the details differ markedly, the basis of the design is the same in all three examples.

Mr. Philip B. Chatwin traces the history of Edgbaston from the entry in the Domesday Survey, and gives particulars of the various owners of the estate the Middlemores, Gages, and others. The first clear idea of Edgbaston is from the survey made by Sparry in 1718 after the property had been purchased by Sir Richard Gough. At this time it was a quiet little place, but with no actual village, there being only sixty- four houses scattered over the whole parish. Of the original church but little is known ; in its earliest days it was only a small chapel. Several beautiful views of the church at more recent periods, as well as a survey of the lordship of " Edgberston " in 1701 by William Deeley, illus- trate this carefully prepared paper. There is also a fine portrait of Sir Richard Gough. Richard the antiquary was his grand-nephew.

Mr. J. A. Cossins writes on ' The Excursions of 1913 ' ;*Mr. Philip B. Chatwin takes for his second subject}' Kyre Wyard ' ; Mr. J. A. S. Hanbury

contributes a paper on ' Early Periodical Litera- ture '; Mr. H. R. Hodgkinson, ' Notes on the History of Midland Waterway.- ' ; and the Rev. J. E. H. Blake a paper on some remains of the Bronze Age at Mathon. The excursions included Ludstone and Claverley ; Coleshill and Maxstoke ; Dorchester and Christchurch; and Shrewsbury and Uriconium.

We are glad to see that twenty-one members have been added to the Society during the past year, the number now being 2u7. Additional members are greatly needed to cop with the large amount of photographic work remaining to be done. The mounted photographs belonging to this Section can be seen on application to Mr. C. J. Woodward, 25, St. Mary's Road, Harborne.

THE Fifty -Second Annual Report of (he Birmingham Free Libraries is highly satisfactory : 8,078 volumes have been added to the Reference Library, making a total of 2i2,3G3, while the number added to the Lending Libraries and Branch Reference Libraries has been 9,869. The grand total in all the libraries amounts to 151,510, the total issue being 2,250,197. Quick reference books are well used.

WE have received two little books from the Lindsey Press, each published at one shilling net.

In Francis David, Mr. William C. Cannett relates in sixty pages the story of the founder of Unitarianism in Hungary. He died a mart\T fur his faith, and an illustration is given depir-tiug him pleading for liberty and toleration in religion at the Diet of Torda in 1568. This is reproduced from a picture by Korosf o i- Kriesch Aladar, painted by order of the Town Council of Torda when Hungary in 1896 was preparing to celebrate its millennium.

The second book is The Religious Philosophy of Plotinus, and some Modern Philosophies of Kclit/ioH, by Dean Inge, and forms one of the Essex Hall Lectures established by the British and Foreign Unitarian Association in 1893. The first lecture was delivered in that year by Mr. Stopford Brooke, who discoursed on ' The Development of Theology as illustrated in English Poetry from 1780 to 1830.' There is no intention on the part of the Association of making the Lectures manifestos of a denomination or sect ; they are the free utter- ance of the lecturers on some religious subjects of general interest.

' BOOK- AUCTION RECORDS.' The subscription to this is II. Is. yearly not 21. 2-?., as stated in our review last week. The arrangement, as our readers will remember, has been alphabetical from the commencement. We are glad to see that Messrs. Karslake have in preparation a Ten Years' Index, 1902-12, by Mr. William Jaggard, the price of which will he 21. 2>>. to subscribers.

to (E0msp0ntonts,

MR. J. G. BARTLETT and M. GAIDOZ. Forwarded.

W. D. H. (" Cuius octavum," Arc.). Hor., ' Odes,' II. iv., last lines.

CORRIGENDUM.- Ante. p. 69, col. 2 (' Black-Letter Testament'), for "P. iii" please read "Y iii " as the signature of the leaf on which begins ' The order of Times.' The slip, I fear, was mine. R. S. H.