Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 5.djvu/24

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. v. JAN., 1919.

It is recorded in the List of Donations ! (i. 59) :

De Ablode et Paygrave.

Henricus rex senior dedit Deo et Sancto Petro Gloucestriae et monachis ejusdem loci Ablode, et gravam de Bertona quse vocatur Paygrave in es cambium pro placea ubi nunc turris stat Glou- cestrise, ubi quondam fuit hortus monachorum anno regni regis Henrici ejusdem nono, tempore domni Petri abbatis.

Tho printed text puts a comma after abbatis, and continues, " de sex sellionibus retro ouriam de Ablode," which is unintelligible. I have no doubt that this clause was intended as a heading for the remainder of the paragraph, which records the gift of " sex selliones terras retro curiam de Ablode " by Ralf de Wylintone and his wife..

Although the eccentric punctuation appears to connect the date with the existence of the garden, we may assume that it was the grant in exchange therefor which took place in 9 Hen. I. ; yet the editor (i. 318) assigns the wide date-limits 1100- 1 1 12 to the corresponding writ (No. ccxci. ): De Grava que dicitur Peygrave.

Henricus, rex Anglise [sic], Sampsoni [Wigorni- ensi] episcopo, et Waltero vicecomiti de Glouces- tria, et baronibus Francis et Anglis de Glouces- tresyra, salutem.

Prsecipio quod monachi de Gloucestria habeant gravam in bertona mea cum terra quam dedi eis pro escambio terrse ubi turris mea sedet, et volo lit bene et honorifice teneant.

The succeeding charter (ccxcn.) is wrongly headed " Confirmatio ejusdem." It has nothing to do with the King's grant, being a confirmation by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, of a grant by Richard fitz Neel, and is a duplicate of No. DLXXIL, confirming DLXXI. (ii. 89).

To revert to the List of Donations : the grant of Coin is recorded thus (i. 69) : De Culna Bogeri.

Anno Domini millesimo centesimo quinto, Bogerus de Gloucestria miles, apud Waleyson graviter vulneratus, dedit monachis Gloucestrise pro anima sua in montanis Culnam quse vocatur Culna Bogeri, rege Henrico confirmante, abbatia vacante per mortem Serlonis abbatis.

What is the meaning of "in montanis " ? Can montanis be a wrong extension of some part of morior ?

In the List of Donors we have consecutive entries (i. 123) :

" Bogerus de Gloucestria dedit Culnam Bogeri.

" Walterus vicecomes liberavit nobis Abbelode per prseceptum Uenrici regis pro excambi*."

It is quite clear that Roger's gift of Coin had nothing to do with the monks' garden. CD the other hand, if the grant of Ablode and Paygrave Wood were made in 1109,

MB. SWYNNEBTON is very likely right in holding that No. CXLII. passed at the same time as the charter to the canons of St. Oswald in Round's ' Ancient Charters ' (No. 3). (It is worth noting that the canons also had, or claimed, rights in Ablode, a dispute between the two houses about the tithes of " Abbe- lode," and other matters, being settled in 1218 i. 25.)

How untrustworthy is the Cartulary text, as printed, may be seen by comparing the following charter, No. CXLIII., with the text printed by MB. SWYNNEBTON from the original charter (12 S. iv. 149). In the Cartulary this valuable record is rendered unintelligible by reading " Willelmus " in- stead of Gislebertus where the original has " q'd Gis't' versus eos & Abbate' suum clamabat." AngV is extended as " Anglise " instead of Anglorum ; monachis is given as " monachos " ; and there are minor errors.

G. H. WHITE.

23 Weighton Boad, Anerley, S.B.

WAB SLANG : REGIMENTAL NICKNAMES (12 S. iv. 271, 306, 333). As explained in a recently published book entitled ' Behind the Barrage,' by Mr. George Goodchild, " scrounge " appears to be used in a much broader sense than that conveyed by my friend MB. SPABKE'S explanation (iv. 307). Mr. Goodchild, in the book referred to, deals with the life and work of a gunner, and as an officer in "a heavy battery he had p-mple opportunity of acquiring first-hand knowledge. His book is one of the most realistic specimens of war literature that it has been my pleasure to read. Mr. Good- child, on p. 94, writing of the various duties performed by the signalling party of which he was in charge, says :

" In the category of ' odd jobs * came ' scroung- ing.' ' Scrounging ' is eloquent armyese it covers pilfering, commandeering, ' pinching,* and many other familiar terms. You may scrounge for rations, kit, pay, or leave. Signallers are experts at it, and they usually scrounge for wire. Scrounging for wire is legitimized by the War Office, and called by the gentler name of ' salving.' We were informed it was our duty to economize in the cost of the war by salving the wire that was disconnected by shell fire, or which appeared to be serving no iiseful purpose. We had first to ' tap it ' on the line with a field tele- phone, and if we got no response the wire was ours.... We made 'scrounging' a daily affair, and not infrequently ' scrounged ' wire that was not disconnected and belonged to other batteries."

Further on he writes: "They [the men] scrounged round for a nice shell-hole, rigged a bit of tarpaulin over it, and called it ' billets.' "