Page:Sussex Archaeological Collections, volume 6.djvu/29

 We have now had three of these lists brought before us. The next I shall notice is that contained in the Chronicle of John Brompton, abbot of Gervas, a monastery in Yorkshire. It is probably one of the oldest. Of later writers Fuller and Du Chesne have both reproduced it. Du Chesne prefixed this title—Cognomina eorum qui cum Guilelmo Conquestore Angliam ingressi sunt: Ex Historia MS. Jorvalensi, authore Johanne Brampton, abbate Jorvalensi, qui floruit anno 1199. The fact, however, only is that the chronicle ends with the death of King Richard the First, in 1198. There is doubt about the exact time and the authorship of this Chronicle, not material to our present purpose.

The author of the Chronicle says of this list that he found it written, without any reference to the place where, and that the names which occur in it when he wrote were in frequent use in England. It is introduced by a piece of old French verse, in which the author of the list informs us that it was his intention to give a catalogue of the persons who accompanied the Conqueror, but finding that the names given at the font were often changed, as Edmund into Edward, Baldwin into Bernard, Godwin into Godard, and Elys into Edwine, he shall be content to give the surnames only which were not changed. Then follow 240 names in rhythmical couplets:—

The names with which it concludes are,

The fifth of these lists contains 250 names. It much resembles the one just described, but is still materially different, as will be seen on comparison of the first four lines.

It may be read in the Harleian MS. No. 293; where it is said to be taken from a manuscript of Matthew of Westminster in the Library of All Souls College. It has this title—Hec