Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 3.djvu/90

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. in. FEB. 4, 1911.

charter of the chapel of Northye, Sussex, a copy of which is included in the Register of Bp. Robert Rede of Chichester (1397- 1415), and another at the end of Book Y in. the Chichester Cathedral muniments. This charter is shown by internal evidence to belong to A.D. 1262. The passage is : " Et tres acras terre mee susane in eadem parochia [Bixle, i.e. Bexhill] quas Robertus Bercarius aliquando tenuit de me in Calde-

cote " Book Y reads, " Et tres acras

mee Lusane," which looks as if the copyist did not understand the term. The Rev. E. Turner in Suss. Arch. Coll., xix. 23-6, gives a very free translation of the charter, and avoids this word altogether.

I have only one more probable instance of its occurrence, namely, in " Susan's Farm," Eastbourne. This has been traced on an old map, and seems more likely to be a survival of a piece of terra susana than a personal place-name.

If it is assumed that the term came from across the Channel it is natural enough that it should not occur beyond the counties of Kent and Sussex. As to its derivation, Somner's explanation seems unsatisfactory, for land passed over for the year in ploughing operations would be fallow rather than derelict, to become fruitful again after suffi- cient rest. It seems to be coupled with marshland in Kent, and William de Northye's grant shows that it was near five other acres

aquis et fossatis circumquaque inclusas." An ingenious guess, therefore, has been made that it may be land soused, or subject to periodical flooding in wet seasons ; but this conjecture could not " hold water " if the term came from Normandy, and its French origin seems to be matter of certainty. Littre gives no help, nor does the word occur in Moisy's ' Glossaire Anglo -Normand,' or M. Eusebe de Lauriere in his ' Glossaire du Droit Francois ' (a Paris, 1704, torn. ii. p. 397) explains the term " Susan, Surana- tion," thus :
 * Dictionnaire du Patois Normand ' ; but

" When a process commenced has not been followed up .... or when a Sentence, a com- mission, a judge's mandamus, or a prince's rescript has not been put into execution within the year. ..." and a note is added :

" In France a rescript which any one has obtained from the prince perishes in the ye;-r if it has not b een used, like a Pontifical rescript."

Such a process then becomes useless, of no value ; so does over-cultivated land. May this be the clue to the meaning of terra susana, or is it to be sought elsewhere ?

The double form sur, sus, gives no difficulty. Both in Normandy were equivalent to the Latin super, says Kelham, sub becoming suz.

CECIL DEEDES. Chichester.

BURIAL-ENTRIES OF STRANGERS.

I HAVE sometimes thought what an excellent thing it would be for genealogical searchers if the numberless entries in parish registers of the burial of strangers (where parishes or places are mentioned) could be made gene- rally accessible. Unquestionably, some of these " foreign " entries, could they be known to interested parties, would supply many a missing pedigree-link ; but they occur where no ordinary searcher would dream of looking for them. Large towns, or even villages situated on important roads, would probably supply many examples.

By way of illustration, I append a series of rough notes I recently extracted from the unprinted registers of St. Peter's, Notting- ham, during a recent search over a period of about 'a century. I may add that scores of officers and soldiers occur among burials of the Civil War period, many of whom were doubtless far from their homes :

1573. John, son of Tho. Forman of Strelley, Notts, buried.

1576. " One Michaell, a stranger, who by his own confession came from within a myle of Oxforde, and departed at the house of one Robert Wilkenson in the towne of Nott., bookebynder," buried.

1593. Sir James Abercrumby buried.

1599. Robert, son of William Burbidge, late of Stanton-le-Stones, co. Derby, buried.

1612. Martin Hornesey, gent., prisoner, buried.

1614. Nicholas Neale, gent., traveller, buried.

1624. Mary, d. of Mr. William Tomlinson, minister of Thorpe, near Ashburn, co. Derby, buried.

1628. An, d. of William Couper of Burton Jorse, buried.

1628. Richard Muston of Cropwell Butler, buried.

1636. Gervase W T est, gent., " chiefe cooke to the right honourable Lord Chamberlaine to the Kings Maiesty," buried.

1640. Symon, son of Richard Bullock of Lon- don, deceased, buried.

1655. John, son of Mr. Walter Whalley of Cotgrave, buried.

1656. Ruth, wife to Squire Middleton, buried. 1659. Richard Ryder, gent., buried at Sauley. 1659. Mrs. Mary, widow of Tho. Cooke of

Whatton, buried.

1675. Mary, d. to Mr. John Hull, London, baptized.

1680. John, son of Thomas and Dorothy Towle of Bramcoate, baptized.

1681. Sarah, d. of Henery Tealar and Dorothy, of Darley, co. Derby, baptized.