Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/571

 i2s. viz. DEC. n s i92o.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

471

'THE LEGITIMIST KALENDAB.' The second issue of this book was published in 1895, and the ;third in 1899. I should be glad to know.'the date of the first issue, -and also if there jwas any issue^after that of 1899. JOHN ^PATCHING.

Lewes.

BYEBLEY OF MIDRIGGBAVINGE, DURHAM. Can any reader tell me who was the wife of Anthony Byerley ? In 1662 he is -described as of Midriggravinge, co. Durham. I shall be glad of any information about the ^Byerley family. E. W. BBUNSKILL.

Cark in-Cartmel, North Lanes.

" BOTTLE SLIDEB." In ' Guy Mannering,' chap, xxxvi. the lawyer Pleydell is found in a tavern "enthroned as a monarch his head crowned with a bottle slider." Was this article a metal ring, which rested on the shoulder of the bottle, bearing a name which indicated its contents ? , ;...,., J. C. ^

AUTHOR or QUOTATION WANTED.

Can any reader inform me who is the author of

the following quotation :

" Many men can talk clever sense, but few can

taflk clever nonsense."

11 Airlie Gardens, W.8.

A. BERKELEY HILL.

Jiepiws,

CORNISH ACRES IN DOMESDAY. (12 S. vii. 392, 437.)

REFEBBING to my query ante, p. 392, as no one quotes me an existing decision on this matter, perhaps I may be allowed to offer my own suggestion. The references I make are to the pages of the Record version of Exon Domesday (vol. iv. Additamenta).

In the first place I may note that this acre does not appear in the Geld Inquest. I think we may infer that it was convertible into the term of the Hide. Next it figures in three different connexions in Domesday. It is used to define (1) the land which "is there," (2) geldabiliity, (3) the proportion of ^demesne. (It is worth noting that this last proportion is nearly always based on the "land there," not on the assessment for .geld.) 1

From the comparison of figures we might guess that the Cornish acre was more than half a ferling and less than a virgate, but 'as some of the items relate to geld and other

to land-shares it is not possible to argue with any certainty from this.

The King's manor of Winnetona is the first entry in the Exon Domesday for Cornwall (p. 90). The case of this under the Conqueror seems to be rather peculiar. The dominant position of his half-brother the Count of Mortain, in the county asserts itself. The Crown retains the Actual demesne profits, but what may be called the execu- tive powers have passed to the Count. What had been thegn -lands attached to the manor are now held by him, and sub- infeuded to persons, doubtless milites or servientes, who stand in the place of tha Saxon thegns.

The total assessment of the manor is stated as 15 hides. This is apportioned as follows : royal holding, 4 hides ; the Count's holding, 11 hides. These 11 hides are further divided into 22 tenancies (of which the Count himself holds one as demesne).

Now the sum of the details of these tenancies is 10| hides and 7 acres. The total given before was 11 hides. It is evident that the half a hide of the total must be represented by the 7 acres.

Most of the sub -tenancies (I cannot identify all) reappear later under the Count of Mortain 's fee. One of the items thus given in duplicate is the sub -manor of Tretlant, held by Dodo.

The entry for this under Terra Regis (p. 92) gives the "land there" as 4 agri terrce.

The entry under the Count's fee (p. 206) gives it as 1 vircja terrce and 1 defer.

This seems as plain evidence as we could have that the Cornish acre equalled 10 ordi- nary acres three Cornish acres making one virgate of 30 ordinary.

We have been warned against building theories on isolated examples. But in this case, though I see no second example so definite, I think there are supporting facts.

At 10 acres (ordinary) to one acre (Cor- nish), the half-hide wanted at Winnetona should represent 6 Cornish acres. There are actually 7. But such a discrepancy could easily arise from a small holding being carved out of the royal demesne after the apportionment of geld had become stereo- typed ; or from that contempt for small amounts which has consoled students for other imperfect coincidences.

Again, the Canons of St. Achebran hold the manor of Lannachebran (p. 187). In it are 11 "acres" of land. Nothing is said here about geldability. But in the Geld