Queries.

CAPTAIN FARRE.

I send you a Note and a Query respecting the same person. Many years since, I passed a few days in one of the wildest spots in the south of England—Hawkley, in the neighbourhood of Selbourne. On a visit to the church of Emshott or Empshot, I heard that the screen had been presented by a Captain Farre, whose memory was in some way connected with the days of the republic; and on farther inquiry tradition, it appeared, had come to the conclusion that Farre had been one of the regicides who had retired into the neighbourhood, and lived and died there in a sort of concealment. I found out, also, the house in which he had lived: a pretty modest cottage, in which a small farmer resided. I was struck, on approaching it, by the beauty of the brick-work of the little porch, which appeared to have been an addition to the original building. On entering the cottage, I found that the kitchen and bed-room only were occupied by the family; the one room, which had been the sitting-room, being used as a granary. The ceiling of this room was ponderous, with a deep rich sunken panelling. The little porch-entrance and the ceiling of this room were so out of character with the cottage, and indeed with all around, that I caused search to be made in the Registers of the parish to see if I could find some trace of this Captain Farre; and I now send you the result. There was no regicide of that name; but Col. Phaer was one of those to whom the warrant for the execution of Charles was addressed: and he certainly was not one of the twenty-nine subsequently tried for the high treason as it was called. What became of him I know not. Whether he reappeared here as Capt. Farre, or who Capt. Farre was, I shall leave to the speculation of the better informed. There were many Farrs and Phaers out in the great Revolution, and the name is sometimes spelt one way, sometimes the other. Empshot, under Nore Hill or Noah Hill, was certainly an excellent place for concealment. The neighbourhood was, and is, as White said, "famous for its oaks, and infamous for its roads."

Extracts from the Parish Registers.

"Captaine Farre of Nore, when our church was repaired, gave the new silke cushion and pullpit cloath, which was first used on Christmas Day, Anno Domini 1664."

"1683, Feb. 5. Anne Baker, kinswoman of Capt. Farre, was buried, and that very day the moone was new, and the snow thawed; and the frost broke, which had lasted from Nov. 26, 1683, to that day, which is 10 weeks. The ponds were frozen 2 feet, and that little water which was, was not sweet; the very grave wherein she was buried in the church was froze almost 2 feet over, and our cattel were in a bad case, and we fared worse: and, just in our extremity, God had pitty on us, and sent a gracious raine and thaw. She was buried in linnen; and paid 50s. to the poore, and 6s. 8d. for being buried in the church."

"1685, April 1. Mrs. Farre was buried in linnen, and p^d 50s. to the poore."

"1694. John, son of Mr. John Palmer and Elizabeth his wife, was born Tuesday, May the 1st, and baptized at home May the 11th; y^e Captaine died Thursday last, y^e day before."

"An Account of the Briefe for the Relief of the French Protestants, read May 16th, at Newton, 1686.

At Noare in Newton.

Capt. Mr. Robert Farre gave 1 lib. for himself, and his kinswoman Mrs. Elizabeth Farre.

"Gathered towards the relief of the French Protestants, May 11, 1688;

Captain Far and Mrs. Elizabeth Far, 5s."

C. F.

MARRIAGE CEREMONY IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY.

Will some one of your correspondents (learned in such matters) refer me to a work treating of the marriage ceremony as performed in this country during the fourteenth century, in order to the explanation of the following passages, which refer to an event in English history—the marriage of Edward I.'s daughter with the Count of Holland? The king's writ to the Bishop of London speaks of the marriage as about to be celebrated on the day after the Epiphany, upon which day (as shown by the Wardrobe Account) the ring was put on; but it was on the next day (the 8th) that the princess "despons fuit," as shown by the same account.

In Rymer's Fœdera, vol. i. p. 850., will be found a writ directed to the Bishop of London (and others) as follows:

"Quia inter Comitem Holandiæ et Elizabetham, filiam nostram carissimam, matrimonium hac proxima die Lunæ, in crastino Epiphaniæ, apud Gyppesivicum solempnizari proponimus, Domino concedente," &c.

In the Household Book of King Edward I. for the same year (Add. MS. 7965.) will be found the following entries, p. 6.:

"Oblat p'ticipat.—Tercō die Januar in oblat p¯ticipatis ad Missam celebrātam ad magnū altare ecclīa priorat' bi Pet in Gippewico die Nupciar Alienore de Burgo.... vij.

"Pro Comitessa Holland.—Eodem die (vij Januar) in denar tam positis sup¯ librū qin jactatis īter homines circumstantes ad hostium in introitu ecclīe Magne Prioratus predci ubi comes Hollandie sub.... vit Dnam Elizabetham filiam Regis cū anulo auri.... lxs.

"Fratribus predicatoribus de Gippewico p¯ ... sua unius diei videltz viij diei Januar quo die Dna Elizabeth filia R. despons fuit, p¯ M. de Cauford, xiijs. iiijd."

R. C.

MANUSCRIPT CATENA.

About four years ago I purchased, at the sale of the museum of Mr. George Bell of Whitehaven, a folio vellum MS. in Latin, written apparently in the fourteenth century: containing a Catena, or a series of notes on the Epistles to the Romans and Corinthians, selected from the Fathers of the Church, viz. Origines, Ambrosius, Gregorius, Jeronimus, Augustinus, Cassianus, Beda, Lambertus, Lanfrancus, Anselmus, and Ivo Carnotensis. As many of those authors were English, I infer that the volume was compiled in England for some English monastery.

The beginning of each chapter is noted on the margin, but there is no division into verses. The sentences, or short paragraphs of the text, are written in vermillion, and the comments upon them in black: those comments are generally taken from one, but often from two or three authors; the names of each being stated. There are large handsome capitals at the beginning of each book, and the initials to the paragraphs are distinguished by a spot of red, but there are no illuminations. Two leaves have been cut out at the beginning of the volume; a few at two or three places throughout the volume, and at the end, by some former possessor. As the style of binding is very uncommon, I will describe it. It was bound in oak boards of half an inch thick; the sheets were sewed on thongs of white leather, similar to what cart harness is stitched with. Instead of the thongs being brought over the back edges of the boards (as in modern binding), they are inserted into mortices in the edges of the boards, and then laced through holes, and secured with glue and wedges. The boards were covered first with allumed leather, and over that seal-skin with the hair on. The board at the beginning of the book had four feet, placed near the corners, of nearly an inch in height, half an inch in diameter at the base, and about a quarter of an inch at the point. Each was cast in one piece, with a circular base of about an inch and a quarter in diameter, and rising towards the centre; and they were each fastened on by three pins or nails. The board at the end of the book was ornamented with four circular brass plates about the size of a halfpenny, placed near the corners; having in the centre of each a stud, the head of which represented a prominent close flower of four petals. And in the centre of the board, there had been a stud or button, on which to fasten the strap from the other board to keep the book shut. Only one stud and one foot remained; but the places where the others had been were easily seen. I presume that the volume was meant to lie on a lectern or reading-desk, resting on its feet; and when opened out, the other board rested on its studs, as both were worn smooth with use.

The binding being loose, and the cover torn to shreds (part of which was held on by the stud), I got the book rebound as nearly as possible in the same manner as the first, only substituting Russia leather for the unsightly seal-skin; and the remaining stud and foot afforded patterns, from which others were cast to supply the places of those deficient.

Nothing is known of the history of this volume, except that it was purchased by Mr. Bell from Alexander Campbell, a bookseller in Carlisle. I am inclined to think, that it had belonged to some monastery in Cumberland; and the seal-skin cover would seem to indicate Calder Abbey (which is near the coast, where seals might be caught) as its original owner.

Can any of your correspondents inform me, from the marks which I have given, whether this is a copy of some known work or an original compilation? And if the former, state where the original MS. is preserved; and if printed, the particulars of the edition?

If my MS. can be ascertained to have formerly belonged to any library or individual, I shall be glad to learn any particulars of its history.

J. M. K.

Shoreham.