Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/122

 100 NOTES AND QUERIES. p» s. vi. AUG. *, 1900. show the rowa of squalid houses which are a reproach to our taste and our civilization. We are glad, moreover, to think that ao much of old Fulham la to be traced in the designs now incorporated in the pages before us. In praising Mr. Feret'a book we have, as we eaid, dealt only with a few points. It is not, indeed, to be judged or read in anurry. It is, according to the tastes of the reader, to be dipped into or studied. If the reader belong to Fulham the book is an indispensable portion of his library; if otherwise, it is none the less a most desirable possession. We sincerely trust that the reception of the work, which is admirably got up in .".II respects, will be such as to induce Mr. Feret to persevere with his efforts and exploit further that field of history and archaeology in which he is so earnest and so successful a labourer. Calendar of Documents preserved in France illus- trative of the History of Great Britain and Ireland. —Vol. I. A.D. 918-1206. Edited by J. Horace Bound. (Eyre & Spottiawoode.) THERE are few, if any, of the long series of calendars of historical documents more important than the volume before us. France was for five hundred years so intimately connected with this country that it is impossible to understand the history of one of them without much political and local infor- mation regarding the other. That which exists in a documentary form in France has. however, been hitherto, in a great measure, denied to the English student. Many of the most important documents have never appeared in print. Not only have wars and accidents wrought great destruction, but there was at one time a fanatical desire to sweep away all memory of the English connexion. So fierce did this passion become that in 1794 it was actually decreed that all documents relating to the English dominion in what is now France should be destroyed. The Revolution, though not absolutely successful in its war against knowledge, caused terrible losses of record evidence of all kinds, for not only were the archives exposed to neglect and injury, but Mr. Round tells us that during that terrible time many of " the finest charters were deliberately employed to make cartridge cases for the navy.' There had been, however, long before the storm burst, a school, or rather schools, of eminent anti- quaries which C9pied and made abstracts of much that in its original form has perished. To these energetic and self-sacrificing men we owe a heavy debt of gratitude. Mr. Round is well qualified for the delicate labour he has undertaken. No one knows more of the literature—using the word in its widest sense—of which the Conqueror's great survey is the centre, than Mr. Round, and his acquaintance with the families and alliances of the great feudal houses is, we believe, unequalled. That the prefaces attached to these calendars are restricted within narrow limits is, on the whole, for the best; but in the present instance, like many other acts of good intention, it has worked evil. Had the editor been permitted to comment at will on what was before him, a bright light would have been shed on much that ia at present shrouded in fog. We trust, however, that he will take some other occasion of showing the historical importance of some of the treasures with which he has become familiar. Not to enter into details, for which room is denied us, we may point out that there is a charter of the earlier part of the twelfth century which throws light on the beginnings of the great house of BallioL It may be well to note also that we find evidence here that Joacelin de Perceio (Percy) and his brothers Roger and Robert held land at Colster- worth in the reign of Henry II. Every fact relating to great races such as the above is worthy of minute attention. As we may, unfortunately, assume that most of those who possess the volume will not read it through, but be content to use it only as a book of reference, it has been wise in the editor to add an " index rerum." It will be useful to many who are pursuing special subjects of investigation, but who have alight interest in monastic institutions or feudal tenures. The catalogue of various sorts of personal property which were subject to tithe is very interesting. It is too long to quote, but we may mention that, among other things, beasts of chase were subjects of decimation. We are at a loss to understand how the tithe was in this in- stance levied. We may note, in passing, that in Normandy, as well as in England, the wild cat was a beast of chase. Waa this on account of the value of its fur, or simply because of the pleasure received from hunting it? Under "gifts" we have a cata- logue of many objects given as a pledge of con- veyance of property. In 1087 a branch of a cherry tree was laid on the altar of a church as the symbol of a manor near Arundel, and a small branch of a rose tree and a knife were, in 1099, used for a like purpose elsewhere. Our Henry II., as Duke of Normandy, ia found giving all the hivea of bees in the forest of Leona to the convent of Mortemer, to furnish wax for lighting the church. This is very interesting. The Targe quantities of wax called for by the mediaeval services must have raised it to famine prices after cold and wet summers. $'otirfs to We must call special attention to the following notices :— ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. WE cannot undertake to answer queries privately. To secure insertion of communications corre- spondents must observe the following rules. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. When answer- ing queries, or making notes with regard to previous entries in the paper, contributors are requested to put in ]>arentnese8, immediately after the exact heading, the series, volume, and page or pages to which they refer. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to head the aecoud com- munication " Duplicate." ALF. J. KING.—We have no other address for Mr. Booth than that supplied. H. A. King is obviously a mistake for yourself. XOTICE. Editorial Communications should be addressed to " The Editor of ' Notes and Queries' "—Advertise- ments and Business Letters to "The Publisher"— at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.C. We beg leave to atate that we decline to return communications which, for any reason, we do not print; and to this rule we can make no exception.