Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 3.djvu/176

 170

NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. m. MAR. 4, 1911.

SlMON PlNCEBNA AND WESTMINSTER.

Hals in his ' History of Cornwall ' states that Henry III. granted Lanherne in Cornwall to Simon Pincerna " in consideration that he, the said Simon, had enfeoffed the. said King Henry with the lordship and manor of St. James at Westminster."

Is anything more known of this trans- action, and if so, where can I find an account of it ? Where may I find genealogical particulars of this Simon Pincerna and his forbears ? J. HAMBLEY ROWE, M.B.

[Much information concerning the Pincernas is supplied at 10 S. ii. 90-92.]

" B E Z A N T." (11 S. iii. 107.)

THE Bezant was a popular festival formerly held on Monday in Rogation week in the town of Shaftesbury, so ancient that no authentic record of its origin exists. It was a formal acknowledgment on the part of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough to the lord of the manor of Mit- combe, of which Enmore Green forms part, for the permission to use the water of that hamlet. No charter or deed exists among the archives of the town as to the com- mencement of the custom, neither are there any records of interest connected with its observances beyond the details of the expenses incurred from year to year. On the. morning of Rogation Monday, the mayor and aldermen, accompanied by a lord and lady appointed for the occasion, and by their mace bearers carrying the Bezant, went in procession to Enmore Green. The lord and lady performed at intervals as they passed plong a traditional kind of dance to the sound of violins ; the steward of the manor meeting them at the green, the mayor offered for his acceptance, as the representative of his lord, the Bezant, a calf's head uncooked, a gallon of ale, and two penny loaves, with a -pair of gloves edged with gold lace, and gave permission to use the wells for another year. The steward, having accepted the gifts, retaining all for his own use except the Bezant, which he graciously gave back, accorded the privilege, and the ceremony ended in a dinner given by the Corporation to their friends.

The Bezant itself said by Hutchins to be worth as much as 1,500Z. consisted of a

decorated trophy, round which were hung ribbons, flowers, &c., fastened to a frame about 4 ft. high, ornamented with jewels, coins, c., lent by persons interested.

By the town and the manor passing into the same hands in 1830 the practice ceased. The ancient borough, through the liberality of the Marquis of Westminster, is now sup- plied with water taken from an artesian well sunk for the purpose. (See ' The Book of Days,' vol. i. p. 585 ; Hutchins, ' History of Dorset,' 1803, vol. ii. p. 425 ; ' Brit. Popular Customs, Past and Present,' T. F. Tbiselton Dyer, 1876 Bonn's Lib.)

As to the origin of the word 'Bezant there seems much doubt. It is thought that possibly an ancient gold coin of that name may originally have been tendered to the lord of the manor. Could it have any con- nexion with the offering by the kings of England at the Sacrament, or at festivals so called? See * Oxford Eng. Diet.,' under " Bezant." Bezaunce is an obsolete form of beisance or obeisance.

An alternative account can be found in Brand's ' Popular Antiquities' (Bolin, 1853), quoting 'Travels of Tom Thumb,' p. 16, in which the garland is described as a " prize besom," and the manor to which the acknowledgment is made is referred to as " Gillingham." Perhaps the original form of the word was besom, in which case its derivation would need no explanation.

F. W. BAXTEB.

The * E.D.D.' describes this as follows :

" The name of a ' trophy,' and of a festival held in the town of Shaftesbury, or Shaston, on Monday in Rogation week. The Bezant was an acknowledgment on the part of the Borough to the Lord of the Manor of Mitcombe for the permission to bring up water for use from the hamlet of Enmore Green. The festival sadly degenerated, and in the year 1830 ceased al- together. The ' Bezant ' which gave its name to the festival consisted of a sort of trophy constructed of ribbons, flowers and peacock's feathers, fastened to a frame, about four feet high, round which were hung jewels, coins, medals, &c., lent for the purpose."

It refers to the 'Book of Days,' i. 585. It also adds :

" This use of ' bezant ' for an offering may be compared with its use for the name of a certain offering made by the Kings of England at the Sacrament or at festivals, and by French Kings at their Coronation."

The ' N.E.D.' derives it from Byzantium, where it was first struck as a gold coin " seemingly identical with the Roman solidus, or aureus" It was current in Europe from the ninth century, but was