CHURCH ALE-GAMES, AND INTERLUDES.

Bungay Holy Trinity.

These early games of the church, which formerly desecrated our Sabbaths, have now happily given place to a purer and better observance of the Lord's Day. As written evidence of them only now exists, it may, possibly, not be thought uninteresting to many of the readers of the East Anglian to learn, that in the records of the parish of Bungay Holy Trinity, dating from*1557, are contained many particulars respecting the celebration of them, a selection from which I purpose giving. It is not stated whether those for the years 1558 and 1559 were held in the churchyard, but it is most likely to have been so, as there was at that time ample space, the two churchyards of Trinity, and St. Mary then forming one churchyard only; the " game gere (as it is called) was borrowed for the sports in 1558 at Yarmouth, and the contributions for carrying them out were made in malt, rye, and wheat, as well as money. Those for 1560 and 1565 were held on Trinity Sunday, the former yielded, "all things paid," xliijs. iiijd., and the collection for 1565 amounted to xvijli. xiijd., on which occasion we are informed that Mr. Hasser (or Haffer), "dyd procure his neyburs of Beckylls and other places to come." In 1566 and 1567, the scene was enacted in the churchyard, and the "churche porche was specially made "cleane" for the joyful event, and there were brought in at the charge of vjd, "iij Burdens grene Bushes" to deck the scene, flags were also hoisted, "gone powder" fired, "skaffollds" and stages for the performances, with booths for the feasting and drinking erected, and the app'ell (apparel) of my lord of Surrey' we are told was borrowed at Norwich specially for the occasion, to be worn, probably by the Lord of the feast for the day; "tynn fyle," "visors," "stayned clothes," and "gloves for the wyttche" are mentioned as forming part of the "gere"; the latter in 1570, and in 1566, there is " gyuen to Branche's Boye for turnyng of speete jd."

66

The feast and games for 1568 (of which full particulars of provisions, &c., will be given in a future number) were held in the castle-yard, and the principal part of the collections for them were made in money of the inhabitants, by married women appointed for the purpose, each of whom was supplied by the churchwardens with a purse to receive her gatherings, and the remainder during the celebration of the games, &c. The lady of the feast it would seem, from the first entry in this year, was also a married woman, being there called "the wife for the game."

To judge from the quantity of viands, &c. provided, there must have been a large gathering of the people present to take part in the proceedings of the day.

The bill of fare embraces in the aggregate 5 calves, 11 lambs, of veal, 4 stone of beef, 4 coombs of wheat, 3 gallons and 7 pints of butter, 29 gallons of cream, 13 barrels and 2 firkins of beer, 9 pints of honey, 10

This book, dating from 1537 down to 1613, had been long lost to the parish, until about three years since, when it was kindly restored to the

churchwardens by the Rev. C. R. Manning, of Diss, Hon. Secretary to the Norfolk and Norwich Archæological Society.

pounds of raisins, 5 pounds of currants, and 200 eggs, besides a few minor articles, and an abundance of "gustards and pastys;" the beer being equal to 4032 pints, and the meat (assuming the calves to have averaged 8 stones each, and the lambs 32 pounds) to 1076 pounds, exclusive of bread stuffs, puddings, &c. Other entries show the scene to have been one of festal revelry and low buffoonery. It is singular that neither sheep, mutton, or pork, are named in the bill of fare; the price of beef per stone is 18. 6d, and the average price of calves, 78. 4d. each; lambs, 28. 84d; wheat, 78. 5d. acoomb; butter, 2d2. a pint; cream, 74d. a gallon; beer 68. 61 a barrel; honey, 4d. a pint; raisins, 2d; and currants, 4d. a pound; eggs, 18. 7d. a hundred. The whole amount gathered for the game, &c. this year, was £20. 138. 4d.; the cost of provisions was £12. 18. 6d., and the incidental expenses £1. 138. 10d., leaving a balance of £6. 188. for the funds of the church, portions of which were lent out, as customary by the parish to the parishioners on security.

In 1577, the churchwarden acknowledges to have received of John Edwards the elder, his predecessor in office, "all the game players gownes & coats that were made of certayne pecs of olld copes,' and in the same year, "all the residewe of pecs of copes, & others that remaynyd" were sold to him with the "assent of the jnh'it' of the p'ishe for xls."

V8.

The last entry I can find relating to these games, &c., is in 1591, when is received for the "players cootes."

Saint Mary's parish appears to have taken a very minor part at any time in these exhibitions, if the entries in the churchwardens accounts of that parish are to be received as the full extent of them. They are there referred to but twice, once in 1526, where iiijs. is "payde for the copying ouzt of ye game booke," and in 1543, "paid for sewyn s'ten (certain) abbs yt was occupyd at ye games on corp's xxi day [Corpus Christí day] jd."

The only other notices of any part being taken in these proceedings are the contributions of St. Mary's, thus entered in the Trinity churchwardens accounts in 1567, viz., "Rec. more of or Ladye p'ishe xvjs, xjd.,” and in 1568, Rec. the reward of or ladie p'ishe xvijs. vjd."

Bungay.

GRAY B. BAKER.

(To be continued).

REVIVAL OF OLD FAMILY NAMES.

Those of our readers-and they are many-who are familiar with the "Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica," in 8 vols, and the more recent "Topographer and Genealogist," in 3 vols, by Mr. Gough Nichols, will rejoice to learn that this distinguished and untiring antiquary is again in the field of genealogical research; and that his great knowledge, his profound acumen, and immense industry, are in this instance to be devoted exclusively, "in the first place, to the antiquities of Heraldry, and in the next, to those branches of local and family history, to which Heraldry lends material aid;" and that one of the objects of the Editor's new labours "will be to increase and popularise an heraldic taste." Among

the papers in the two first parts of most general interest is one on the "change of surname proprio motu," which, notwithstanding many grave objections, appears of late to have gained some ground; and the other "on the whim of refashioning a name without actually altering it," by the prefix "de," by altering the vowel i into y &c., or by the reduplication or dropping of a letter, &c., all of which several modes of producing " a distinguished singularity, or an affected antiquity" is severely censured.

We extract the following remarks on the prefix "de" adopted in modern times by East Anglian families :—

The name of DE BEAUVOIR has been assumed by two English families. It has also been conferred on a metropolitan suburb, which is called De Beauvoir Town: having a church consecrated under the name of St. Peter in 1841. This "town" has arisen from the purchase of the manor of Balmes, in the parish of Hackney, made by Richard de Beauvoir, Esq., of the island of Guernsey, who died in 1708. But, as in the cases of Carteret, Saumarez, and others, to which we before alluded, this family dropped the de on taking up their residence in England. Osmond Beauvoir, Esq., the son of Richard, purchased the manor of Downham, in Essex, and was sheriff of that county in 1742. His son was the Rev. Peter Beauvoir, Rector of Downham, who died in 1822. On that occasion Richard Powlett Wrighte Benyon, Esq., of Englefield House, Berkshire, the son of Richard Benyon, Esq., by Rachael Tyssen, daughter of Francis Tyssen, Esq., and Rachael Beauvoir, aunt of the deceased, took the name under its original form of De Beauvoir, after Benyon, discarding those of Powlett and Wrighte, which he had formerly assumed in 1814. This gentleman died without issue, in 1854, having latterly signed his name R. de Beauvoir Benyon.

Richard Wright, Esq., of East Harling Hall, Norfolk, was uterine brother to Elizabeth (Beard) the wife of Osmond Beauvoir, Esq.; and his only daughter (being the relict of Admiral Macdougall) was married in 1825 to John Edmond Browne, Esq., son and heir of Sir John Edmond Browne, created a Baronet of Ireland, in 1797. On the marriage Mr. Browne took the name of DE BEAUVOIR, and is the present Sir John Edmond de Beauvoir, Bart.

Spencer Horsey Kilderbee, Esq., of Glemham, in Suffolk, assumed the name of Horsey, instead of Kilderbee, by royal license dated on the 27th Feb., 1832; but on the 13th April, in the same year, he obtained a second license to write and subscribe the surname DE HORSEY, alleging that the patronymic of his maternal ancestors was so written, as shown by records in the College of Arms.-P. 154.

In 1850 the name of DE FREVILLE was assumed by Edward Humphrys Greene, Esq., of Hinxton Hall, co. Cambridge. By the will of his uncle Henry Green, Esq., the manor of Freville's, in the parish of Great Shelford, was settled upon this gentleman, with a direction to take the surname and arms of De Freville, under pain of forfeiture. On inquiry at the College of Arms he found that the arms of Freville could not be allowed him, as he was in no way descended from that family; but on representing that he was anxious so far as might be to comply with the directions aforesaid (which was indeed necessary to his possessing the estate), by taking the name of De Freville in addition to his then surname, the royal licence was granted accordingly.-P. 156.

The last instance that we have to notice of the assumption of the prefix de is of a peculiar character, presented by a gentleman calling himself the Baron DE BLISS. Henry Aldridge, Esq., was the maternal nephew and heir of Edward Bliss, Esq., of Brandon Hall, Suffolk (sheriff of the county in 1836); and in pursuance of his uncle's will he assumed the name of Bliss instead of Aldridge by sign manual dated in 1845. Subsequently, in 1855, he succeeded to the title and estates in Portugal of his cousin, the Baron de Alreyo; and received the King of Portugal's royal letters patent, "granting him the privilege to succeed to the title in the name of Bliss, on account of his

* The manor of Little Shelford was sold by the Frevilles soon after 1600. Lysons' Cambridgesh. p. 250.

being unable to use, and being strictly prohibited from using any other surname than Bliss, under the terms of his late uncle's will."*

The family of DE GREY, of Merton, in Norfolk, now Lord Walsingham, seems to have really maintained the prefix De with great pertinacity, and is therefore a remarkable, but at the same time an exceptional instance of the continued existence of the particle, not actually coalesced into one word with the name. In Blomefield's "History of Norfolk," under Merton, will be found several English epitaphs of the middle of the 16th century, in which the name appears as "de Grey;" and others dated 1644, 1696, and 1697; together with extracts from the parish register, throughout which the name is written de Grey, except in the year 1600, where we have Gray and Graye.-P. 158.

QUERIES.

The Curfew Bell.-Many of your correspondents have been kind enough to give copies of the inscriptions on bells in East Anglian churches; although the list is not yet by any means complete. May I be allowed to suggest that it seems also desirable to make a list in your pages of the East Anglian churches, in which the curfew bell is still rung, the hours at which it is rung, and whether any endowment exists, and under what circumstances left for the payment of the ringer? Here, as I have stated in my History of Hadleigh, the curfew bell is rung at eight o'clock in the evening, and a bell is also rung at five o'clock in the morning, from the Sunday nearest the 10th of October, to the Sunday nearest to the 10th of March, and the ringer's fee of £2. 28. has hitherto been paid out of the rates. There is an endowment for a curfew bell at Monks Eleigh I believe, left under curious circumstances. I will ascertain the particulars and communicate them in some future number of the East Anglian.-HUGH PIGOT.

Four élite or eleet.-There are several places in Suffolk, and probably in other counties, where two roads cross each other, which go by the name of the Four élite, or eleet or perhaps releet; I cannot learn the right spelling, owing to the rapid pronunciation of the words. Will Mr. Charnock, or any other of your correspondents be kind enough to give,-1st, the right way of spelling them; 2nd, their etymology and meaning; 3rd, and how they came to be applied to cross roads? I have often heard the questions asked, but have never known an answer given to them.-P.

Suffolk Tokens.-A token I have just met with reads, Obv; IOHN SHUCKFORD WADE, in small capitals, and in three lines. Rev: BENHALL, SUFFOLK, 1765, in small capitals, in three lines. Are these manorial tokens, and if so, what purpose were manorial tokens issued for, and its date is of an unsual period ?—G.

Arms.-I shall be thankful if your correspondents in Heraldry will inform me to what families the two following bearings belong. 1, Argent a fess Or, between three bezants. 2, Party per fess Gu. and a griffin Or.-H. Daveney.

* Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 1862, under Foreign Titles of Nobility, p. 1173.

STEEPLE BOARDS.-No. II.-(Continued from p. 290.)

V.

ST. PETER MANCROFT.

This Peal was opened June 21, 1775.

On Wednesday, Nov. 22nd, was rung a Compleat 5170 of Grandsire Cinques, in 4 hours 7 minutes; called by James Watling. On Monday, March 16th, 1778, was rung in this Steeple by the same Company 6240 Changes of that practical Peal, Oxford treble Bob Maximus, which was performed without a Bell out of Course or a Change alike in 5 hours 22 minutes, called by Thomas Barton. This excelled every attempt hitherto known on 12 Bells in England; and for regular striking, and bold dexterous ringing, was allowed to be a masterly and unrivalled Performance for the weight of metal, the Tenor being C. Wt 41.

Men's Names and the Bells they rung are as follows:

Thomas Barton, Treble

John Dixon,

VOL. I.

7

John Peak,

2

James Watling,

8

Simon Watling,

9

William Warner,

4

John Dye,

10

John Read,

5

James Vines,

11

Christr. Lindsey,

Jno. & James Trowse, Tenor.

3 D