20
NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. iv. JAN , 1918.
Society's ' Letters of Denization, Io09-1603.'
I have very full abstracts of these documents,
which, if not too lengthy, I should be glad
to reproduce in these columns. In my
opinion, however, they do not support Mr.
Page's description of the Flemish colony as
glassmakers. The whole point of the
quarrel between the two parties is obscured
if we lose sight of the fact that they were
rival craftsmen. Flower, we know from
T.R. Misc., vol. 236, 7 Hen. VIII. Dec.,
bought large quantities of Norman or white
glass ; and I believe that his coloured glass
was " Rhenish," i.e., Lorraine glas?. It
would be possible to compile from the above-
mentioned documents and other sources a
fairly complete list, of the foreign glaziers in
London of this period, and a less complete
list of the native workmen for the same
period. If any reader of ' N. & Q.' has
leisure for the task, I shall be happy to
place my material at his disposal.
E. WYNDHAM HUMIE. Clare, Sevenoaks.
WHITE HART SILVER, DORSET.
(12 S. iii. 30, 97.)
MAY I be allowed to supplement what I said on this subject at the latter reference 1
In answering Miss CRAIG'S question as to whether the fine of " White Hart Silver," as imposed by Henry III. on certain estates in Dorset, was still paid into the Exchequer, and also her request for any general in- formation on the subject, I gave the story as recorded in Coker's ' Survey of Dorset- shire ' and Hutchins's ' History of Dorset.'
But I was then rather of opinion that the whole story was of a somewhat legendary character, and doubted whether any definite information on the subject would be forth- coming, though, at the same time, I suggested that inquiries might be made in the proper quarters. These inquiries do not seem to have been made, or, at all events, no result has been recorded in ' N. & Q '
I note, however, that ME. BAYLEY, following on mv reply, gives (p. 98) an extract from F. R. Heath's ' Dorset' (" The Little Guides "), p. 84, in which
"Fuller vouches for the payment of White Hart Silver, having in his own person made the payment, although he quaintly adds, he ' never tasted the venison.' so the custom survived to the days of the Great Rebellion. The old legend apart from this, i-e-, as rfgr.nls the origin of the payment, lacks confirmatory evidence, for both the Pipe Rolls and other official records arid documents are silent on the subject-"
This is the opinion of the last editors of
Hutchins's ' Dorset ' (3rd edition) ; but,
however this may be, I am now able to
bring some further evidence (and that of
quite a modern character) to bear upon the
authenticity of the payment of the alleged
customary fine.
Some little time after my reply appeared in . & Q.' I happened to meet the Rev. Canon J. C. M. Mansel-Pleydell, late Vicar of Sturm inster Newton, Dorset, and knowing that he was a son of a late owner of the Whateombe estate,* which comprised the Clenston property, the subject of the locus in quo, I asked him if he could give me any information relative to Miss CRAIG'S inquiry, and showed him the articles that had appeared in ' N. & Q.' on the subject. Thereupon he very kindly went into the matter, so far as it could be gathered from family papers to which he had access, and gave me permission to make what use I pleased of such information as he was able to give me. He referred me, of course, to the account given by Coker which formed the basis of what is related in Hutchins, and stated that Hxitchins's account of the story is the one generally accepted in the family. He writes :
" I am afraid I have nothing more to go upon, except that I have often heard my father talk of it as the correct traditional story in the family. Tie also told me that there was a charge upon the estatef (I think about II. 10s- per ann.) until he accepted an offer to commute the annual payment by a final sum."
It is believed that this occurred about the year 1880.
Canon Mnnsel-Pleydell also said that he had looked very carefully through all the family papers in his possession, hoping to come across some record to throw light upon the story, but without success.
In a subsequent letter he said :
" I enclose you notes of Sir J. Be la Lynde- I am afraid they tell no more than you know already. But I am certainly correct as to what my father told me about payments to the Ex- chequer. I wonder whether we could obtain infoi-mation from the Exchequer Office. It might be worth trying."
At the same time he sent me extracts from the pedigrees showing how the De la Lynde property came to the Mortons and Pleydells ;
- The late Mr- J. C- Mansel-Pleydell of What-
eombe, co. Dorset, one of the founders and first President of the still flourishing Dorset Natural History and Antiqiiarian lield Club, and author of several well-known works xipon Dorset flora and fauna.
t Wicterborrie Clenston, part of the What- eombe property.
