Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 9.djvu/53

 s. ix. JAN. is, 1902.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

45

When exiled from his own sees of York and Hexham he found a refuge in Mercia, and for a time (692-705) administered the diocese of Leicester. Had York been a composite diocese he might have continued to govern the Mercian portion after being expelled from Northumbria, but there is no hint of anything of the sort. It may be objected that, "in the opinion of Bishop Stubbs," the small archdeaconry of Stow, lying between the Ancholme and the Trent, represents the original diocese of Lindsey (Venables and Perry, 'Lincoln Diocese,' p. 7). This, how- ever, must have been a mere obiter dictum of that great scholar, for it is a singular fact that the places Bede mentions as lying in Lindsey are outside the limits of this arch- deaconry Bardney, Partney, Barrow-on- Humber, and Lincoln itself (* H. E.,' ii. 16 ; iii. 11 ; iv. 3). Then, as Lindsey had its first separate bishop from Northumbria, during a brief period of conquest (Bede, iv. 12), so it is not difficult to imagine that on the de- struction of the bishopric about 860, as a result of the Danish invasions, the administra- tion of Church affairs, so far as anything of the kind was possible, would fall to the arch- bishops of York as being close at hand. From 950 to 1000 the title was revived by the bishops of Leicester or Dorchester, but " all real episcopal power had ceased long before, and the very name was soon to pass away " (Venables and Perry, p. 33). From a remark in the work cited (p. 51), it may be con- jectured that the archdeaconry of Stow is really a fragment of the archdeaconry of the West Riding, which would in turn indicate that its small district had formed part of the Hseth feld land of the ' Tribal Hidage,' the eastern limit being not the Trent, but the Ancholme.

The see was at Sidnaceaster. If this be Stow, it would be a convenient centre for the diocese, as would Retford also. It is curious that old Roman stations or chesters should have been so commonly adopted as episcopal sees Canterbury, Rochester, London, Win- chester, Dorchester, Leicester, York, Wor- cester, Exeter ; and Lichfield has a Chester- field close at hand. Some of these also were border cities, as London and York, so that a central situation was not a primary requisite. J. B.

ST. HELIERS. In Black's 'Guide to the Channel Islands,' eighth edition, 1896, pp. 6-7, we find these words : " Royal Square, originally the market-place. The market cross used to stand where we see now that odd, gilt statue of George II., erected in July, 1751." I

remember that some few years ago, when the statue referred to was so begrimed with the dirt of generations that doubts were felt as to whom it was intended to represent, some discussion was raised on the point, but not being in a position to refer to your General Indexes I cannot call to mind whether the discussion was carried on in your columns or in the local newspapers published in St. Heliers. At all events, the statue about that date was thoroughly cleaned, and it was then made out to be a statue of George II., but I am not able to say what the favour was which that king had conferred on the islanders in return for which this statue was erected.

In an account of St. Heliers by M. de la Croix, published in Jersey by Richard Gosset in 1845, on pp. 11-12 of No. 1, we may read (I condense the French) that between the west gable of the Royal Court-house and the house known under the name of k ' L'Hotel de 1' Union " there existed in old times a narrow passage (ruelle\ which afforded a communica- tion from what is now called Hill Street to. the market-place. The soil of this passage subject to the above public right of way belonged to a certain Mr. Gosset. We further learn that about the year 1750 the Royal Court-house was being rebuilt. I will now carry on this story in somewhat fuller detail than as here set out by recalling what I read of it a few years ago in another work, by the same author, I think, and of about the same date (1845). Mr. Gosset was some sort of a builder or contractor, and when he happened to be in Plymouth a few years before say in 1745 or thereabouts a priva- teer brought in a Spanish ship captured in the Mediterranean. Among the miscel- laneous goods which made up the cargo of this prize was an old statue, supposed to date from Roman times, and possibty repre- senting an emperor. At the auction of the cargo which followed Mr. Gosset, probably
 * or a mere trifle, bought this statue, and,

carrying it to Jersey, stored it in his builder's yard. The States of Jersey, having in 1750 nearly finished their court-house, seem to have thought that some embellishment of the ground in front would be desirable, and no embellishmentcould be more appropriate than
 * hat of their reigning sovereign. By good

luck also at about this date Mr. Gosset, wishing much to enlarge his own premises, which could only be done by stopping up ihe narrow passage, applied to the States
 * or their assent, and as a result I condense

again now from M. de la Croix's pages the States gave the required permission in