Page:Sussex Archaeological Collections, volume 6.djvu/28

 speaks of these tables, so designating them; for I cannot find that Leland does anywhere speak of lists or tables at Battle. It is just possible that Willis may have seen some portion of the 'Collectanea' not printed by Hearne; but in Hearne's edition of the 'Collectanea' there is nothing said of any list at Battle, the only list being that at vol. i, p. 206, an isolated fragment of history occupying pages 221-4, of Leland's manuscript, the two pages before it and the four which follow being left by him blank. It is true that it is an old list of families said to have come in with the Conqueror, but it is not said that it was found at Battle. It is, moreover, entirely different from either Holinshead's or Stowe's, being one of those sing-song lists in which the names are placed in couplets, of which more afterwards. If this is the list of which Willis speaks, we have then three lists, for all of which a Battle Abbey authority is claimed.

Holinshead was not the first person who printed one of these lists; for Grafton had printed the same list before him. Negative evidence of that kind, it may be said, does not go for much; but Grafton, when he introduces the list to the reader, says nothing of Battle, but only that he had the list of Mr. Clarencieux, meaning Cooke.

Fuller is only named here to show that he reproduces both Holinshead's list and Stowe's; following them in referring the lists to Battle Abbey.

Leland does not inform us from whence he derived the list which he has placed in his fine body of Collections for the history of English affairs. It is however one of the best. He gives the title, which he found with it, thus: "Et fait a savoir que toutes cestes gentez dount lor surnouns y sont escritz vindrent oue William le Conquerour a de primes." This is probably not later than the reign of Edward the First. It contains 498 names, beginning thus:

and thus it goes on, ending with