Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/419

 9*8. V.MAY 26,

NOTES AND QUERIES.

411

then Lord Mayor (1470-1) ; Matthew Phillip, Alderman of Aldersgate (M. 1463-4) ; Richard Lee, Alderman of Walbrook (M. 1459-60); William Taylor, Alderman of Cheap (M. 1468-9) ; Ralph Verney, Alderman of Bas- sishaw (M. 1465-6) ; William Hampton, Alder- man of Vintry (M. 1472-3) ; William Stocker, Alderman of Castle Baynard (M. 1485); George Ireland, Alderman of Cordwainer (sheriff 1461-2) ; Thomas Stalbrooke, Alder- man of Bridge (sheriff 1467-8) ; John Crosby, Alderman of Broad Street (sheriff 1470-1) ; John Yonge, Alderman of Billingsgate (M. 1466-7) ; Bartholomew James, Alderman of Farringdon Out (M. 1479-80). Probably also Richard Horswyke, knighted at the same time, was another alderman, but who served neither as sheriff nor mayor. King Edward also knighted, apparently during their year of office, the following mayors : John Browne, Alderman of Farringdon In (M. 1480-1), though seemingly he was a knight before 1476; William Her riot, Alderman of Broad Street (M. 1481-2) ; Edmund Shaa or Shaw, Alderman of Crinplegate (M. 1482-3). Each of these is called knight in his will. King Richard III. knighted Thomas Hill, Alder- man of Cheap (M. 1484-5).

Henry VII.'s mayors are, with scarcely an exception, all called knights, but in reality not more than half the number were so entitled. The following were knighted by the king, generally in their year of office : Robert Billesdon, Alderman of Bread Street (M. 1483-4), knighted as "late Lord Mayor" ; Hugh Brice, Alderman of Langbourne (M. 1485-6) ; Henry Colet, Alderman of Cornhill (M. 1486-7) ; William Home, Alderman of Lime Street (M. 1487-8; William Martin, Alderman of Cordwainer (M. 1492-3) ; John Tate the younger, Alderman of Tower (M. 1496-7) ; John Perceval, Alderman of Lang- bourne (M. 1498-9), knighted 1487 ; John Shaw or Shaa, Alderman of Bread Street (M. 1501-2), knighted when sheriff in 1497 ; Bartholomew Rede, Alderman of Aldersgate (M. 1502-3); William Capel, Alderman of Walbrook (M. 1503-4), knighted 1486 ; Richard Haddon, Alderman of Bridge (M. 1506-7), knighted 1497. Altogether some twelve of Henry VII.'s mayors were not knighted, and the only one of his sheriffs not afterwards mayor who received the accolade seems to have been John Fenkyll, Alderman of Aiders- gate (sheriff 1487-8) ; but William Fitz William, Alderman of Broad Street, sheriff in 1506-7, was knighted by his successor in 1515.

In the first ten years of the reign of Henry VIII. the only knighted mayors were

Stephen Jenyns (M. 1508-9), William Butler (M. 1515-16), and Thomas Exmewe (M. 1517-18). From the mayoralty of Sir James Yarford in 1519-20 every mayornot previously knighted received the accolade during his year of office, with few exceptions, down to the reign of George II. W. D. PINK.

Leigh, Lancashire.

OPEN FIELD LAND. From the portions of the bill printed below it will interest your readers to know that there is still in existence a remnant of the old system of cultivation by "fields," with accompanying rights of grazing in a piece of pasture land in this parish. We have also in this parish large commons which are managed under rules made by the " homage " of the court-leet.

" Soham horse-fens, 1900. To persons rated as, and actual occupiers of open field land in the parish of Soham. Notice is hereby given, that the annual meeting for making out the horse-fen parts will be held by the Fen Reeves, at the ' White Hart' inn, Soham, on Thursday and Friday, the 10th and llth days of May instant, commencing at two o'clock in the afternoon on the Thursday, when the accounts of the past year will be laid before the meeting, and that four shillings will be required upon each part for the present year. Notice is also given, that twelve acres are required to make one part, and that the feeding of the said horse-fens will extend from the 14th day of May till the 8th day of November, and no longer, and that no bull will be allowed upon any of the horse-fens nor sucking calves after the age of one month, and that no person will be allowed to transfer any part or parts without consent in writing from one of the Fen Reeves."

JOHN CYPRIAN RUST.

The Vicarage, Soham, Cambs.

" MESSUAGE." There is no ground for con- necting this with the English word mete, to measure, as suggested ante, p. 349. The old word meese, mese, mease, is nothing but another form of manse, and is (like F. maison from L. mansionem) from the O.F. maise, Late L. mansa, which Godefroy explains by "herb- garden." The Lowl. Sc. mete-hamys, cited by Jamieson, occurs only once, in a disputed passage in Wallace, viii. 401, so that it cannot be built upon. The most reasonable explanation seems to be "meat-houses," as Mr. Donaldson suggests. The notion that Medstead was originally " mete-stead " is ob- viously impossible, for a t cannot turn into a d before an st; the contrary process is common enough, being a natural one. There is no reason why the Med- in Med-stead may not mean " mead," i. e., meadow ; but in any case we know for certain that it does not come from the verb to mete. The word mes- suage is of well-known origin to all French