Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 8.djvu/239

 12 S. VIII. MARCH 5, 1921.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 193 This is probably derived from " Auster- land " or " Astreland " meaning "hearth "- or "home. "-land. Elton's ' Origins of Eng- lish History,' p. 191, has the following note with reference to the inheritance and divi- sion of land or property : " The word Astre is often used in old documents for the hearth, and for the dwelling house. A provincial use of the word in the latter sense in Shropshire is noticed by Lambarde, ' Peramb. Kent,' 563. Other instances are found in the local idioms of Montgomeryshire, and in many Earts of the West of England, where ' Auster- ind 'is that which had a house upon it hi ancient times." The Austerland generally passed to the youngest son or daughter. Sandys ' Consuetudines Kanciae ' has (p. 155) : " If a man die seised of landes in Gavelkinde? of any estate of inheritance all his sonnes shal have equall portion .... there ought to be graunted to the eldest the first choice after the division so to the part of the youngest there ought to be allotted in the division that piece of the mesuage which our treatise calleth ' astre,' that is to say, the stocke, harth, or chimney, for fire ; which ^oord (as I thinke) was derived of the Latin e astrum, a starre, bicause the fire shine th in the house as the starre therof ; and which, though it be not now commonly understood in Kent, yet do they of Shropshyre and other parts receive it in the same signification till this day." ARCHIBALD SPARKE. DR. ROBERT JAMES CULVERWELL (12 S' viii. 152). Boase seems to be quite correct in his statement that Culverwell died in 1852, and is supported by The Gentleman's Magazine, which says that he died " in Argyll Place on December 9, 1852, aged 50." Though some of his books bear the date 1855, this is no proof that he was alive then. The surname is quoted by Bardsley as a London one. . ARCHIBALD SPARKE. THE PACKERSHIP or LONDON (12 S. viii. 111). This was an officer charged with the packing, or supervision of the packing, of exported goods liable to custom. The Calendar of Letter Books of the City of London gives several entries relating to this Office. Letter Book "L." records the reversion in 1495 of the Offices of " Pakker- ship " and " Gawger Shippe " for a certain term to a Robert Goodeyere, Mercer, and gives the following note : " The offices of packing all manner of mer- chandize and of gauging wine-vessels (to see if they contained lawful measure) were granted (Infer alia) to the Mayor and Commonalty in 1478 by King Edward IV for a sum of 67,000." The same volume records the duty payable- to the " Pakker of London " in 1474, and in 1482 records " that Robert Fitzherbert, the Common Packer, thenceforth take for his labour for the package of every hundred calf-fells (he finding the cords- for such packing) the sum of 8 pence." A similar office is mentioned in P. L, Simmond's 'Dictionary of Trade Products,. Commercial Manufacturing, and Technical Terms,' 1858 : " Packing Officer : an excise officer who- superintends or watches the packing of paper, and other exciseable articles. ARCHIBALD SPARKE. Henry Chamberlain in his 'History and Survey of London ' (1769), at p. 229, writing, of King Charles I., in 1640, says : "The citizens advanced the king a con- siderable sum of money in consideration of his granting them another charter : by which, after first reciting their former privileges of package,, survey, or scayage of all goods, and of baillage,. ' his majesty, in consideration of four thousand two hundred pounds, confirmed the said offices,, and created ordained and constituted an office or officer of package of all sorts of goods and merchandize whatsoever, and an office oi carriage and portage of all wools, &c., and merchandize whatsoever ; and did ratify and confirm the fees set down in the tables hereunto annexed,- due to the said office. And his majesty did also give and grant the said offices of scavage, or surveying, baillage, package, carriage and postage,,, and their lawful fees, to the Lord-mayor and citizens of London to be exercised and occupied by sufficient ministers or deputies. ..." Waich- charter is dated the fifth day of September, in the sixteenth year of his reign." Chamberlain, then, pp. 229-35, proceeds to set forth in detail : (1) the Scavage Table of rates inwards ; (2) the Balliage [sic]' Duties outwards; (3) the Package Table of Rates ; and (4) Fees taken by the packers and water-side porters for landing and ship- ping out the goods of strangers. Probably the Packership cf London had ceased to be granted by patent to a private individual for seme considerable time before 1640. JOHN B. WAINE WRIGHT. WAT TYLER (12 S. viii. 110) Stow in his 'Survey of London ' 'fed. 1842), at p. 151,. says : "I find that in the 1 4th of TCichard II. these stew-houses belonging to William Walworth,. then mayor of London, were farmed by Froes of Flanders, and spoiled by Walter Tyler, and other rebels of Kent," and his note is : " Li. St. Mary Eborum. English people dis- dayned to be baudes. Froes of Flaunders were women for that purpose."