312
NOTES AND QUERIES. m s. xn. OCT. IG, 1915.
'thus possible, by comparison of crosses, devices,
and, shapes of letters, to trace, through his stamps,
- the work of one bell-founder up and down the
country ; and putting such comparisons with the instances where initials have afforded clues, and where a reference to town records has elucidated
- the initials, students have brought together
a surprising amount of information about the pre-Reformatipn bell-founders who forbore to advertise their names upon their work. An interesting example of the results thus attained
- is the history of a bell-founding business in London
which in the early fifteenth century was owned by one Robert Burfprd, whom Richard Hille
succeeded. Richard Hille stamped his bells with a shield bearing a bend between a cross and a ring. From 1440 onwards bells are found with this
-stamp having above it a lozenge in token of widowhood, showing that the work of the bell- foundry it was situated at St. Botolph's, Aldgate
was carried on by his wife Johanna. Later,
again, bells are found with the stamps and letters belonging to Richard Hille, but bearing the letters I. S. with a coin between them. These refer to the second marriage of Johanna Hille with one John Sturdy. Finally, the I. and S. are found having the coin between them surmounted by a lozenge, thus denoting that Johanna and the work of the foundry survived her second husband also. There is yet mo re of the history of this family to be gleaned from these pages, but we have no space to set it out.
Mr. Tyssen is generous in the matter of tables and lists. He gives in the article of 1914 a useful chronological list of the ancient Sussex bells, and a table of the bells cast in all counties year by year from 1560 to 1860 ; and the original paper sets out the weights of the tenors in all the churches of Sussex. To these are added, in alphabetical arrangement of parishes, the inscriptions on all the Sussex bells in 1864, and an index of bell- fcunders.
Giving, as it does, a most careful and detailed conspectus of the labours of many students in many directions, hi so far as they bear on Sussex, this book should not be missed by the local anti- quary, nor, indeed, by the antiquaries of other counties. It is illustrated by numerous cuts, of which more than a third are new, the rest having appeared in the original publication.
Almanacks for Students of English History. By Edward Alexander Fry. (Phillimore & Co., 7. Qd.)
THIS useful little volume should receive a cordial welcome from students of English history. Its design is to spare them the need of tiresome calculation in order to ascertain the exact equi- valent in modern reckoning of any date inscribed on an ancient document, whether this be recorded by the Roman Calendar, by a feast of the Church, or by the regnal year of a sovereign.
The first part of the work consists of thirty-five yearly Almanacks, for every day upon which Easter can fall, from A.D. 500 to A.D. 2000, followed by a special Almanack for 1752. Only eleven times within the period of 1500 years do we find Easter on 22 March, the first possible day, and the last occasion thereof has already past, having been 1818. It may amuse some contributor to tell us when it will so fall again. Twelve times within the period do 25 April
I (the last possible day) and Easter coincide. 1886
is the only instance within living memory ; there
will be another in 1943. Thirty-four times has
Easter " fallen in Our Lady's lap"," and will again
in 1951. With the exception of 1649 none of the
specially calamitous years of English history is
among them. The day upon which Easter falls
most often fifty-seven times is 16 April.
A chronological list of years showing Easter Day with the table to be used ; a special table for the countries which adopted New Style in 1582 ; and two tables of movable feasts, for the common years and leap-years respectively, come next, and following them an alphabetical list of saints' days, and a calendar of saints' days and fixed feasts, to which is prefixed the Roman Calendar. The three remaining divisions give the regnal years of English sovereigns from 1066, each year being referred to its proper table ; a list of the Popes from Alexander II. onwards ; and two tables (O.S. and N.S.) of Law Terms. We really think that to the mind of the laborious student, of whom most date-books require the trouble of ascertaining the Dominical Letter of a given year and calculations accordingly, this work needs no further recommendation.
Chats on Military Curios. By Stanley C. Johnson.
(Fisher Unwin, 5s.)
MILITARY curios form rather a thankless subject for " chat." No one needs to be persuaded to take some sort of interest in them, and yet in them- selves, with the exception of swords and mediaeval objects, they are rarely of any intrinsic merit or beauty. Take the subject of medals, the one which is most carefully and satisfactorily dealt with here : the facts to which medals stand as symbols are best sought for in histories and memoirs, and lend themselves ill to brief gossiping notes. As regards the medals themselves, systematic tabulation with no " chat " about it is handier and more useful to the collector than rambling dissertations on the plan of this series. Thus we are afraid that few readers will find the volume before us entirely satisfactory; for the well-informed on any subject with which it deals e.g. Armour or Military Prints will find it extraordinarily slight, and those who come to it for the first time will probably wish for something clearer and more definite. Page after page, too, has the peculiar dullness characteristic of hackwork. Still, there are good anecdotes and bits of information embedded in it, and an index whereby to track these put ; and there is also a good bibliography, to which, however, a list of regimental histories might with advantage have been added.
10
ME. J. W. S. HARRISON, MR. D. C. MACBRYDE,
and MR. R. PIERPOINT. Forwarded.
CORRIGENDA. Ante, 'p. 282, col. 2, 1. 3, for " last of them " read lack of them ; and 1. 10, for " Hook " read Hoole. At p. 284, col. 2, 1. 16, for "North- ampton " read Nottingham.
ST. SWITHIN is most grateful to M. P. for copies of translations from Verlaine. He considers that the sentiment of the original is too delicate to bear the shock of change of language.
