Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/489

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ii s. vi. NOV. -23, 1912.] NOTES AND QUERIES.


4(11


LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER -2-\, 1913.


CONTENTS. No. 152.

N OTES : Parish Church of St. Felicitas, Phillack, 401 Charles Gore of Weimar, 402 Wood's ' Athenae Oxon- ienses,' 404-Richard Burbage. 406 -Two " Ghost-words " in Recent Dictionaries T. Chippendale, Upholsterer, 407 Tiews of London at the Guildhall Royal Tunbridge Wells, 403.

CUE RIBS:' Chancellors of York Minster Galignani Symbol for " Li "To be " out " for a Thing Weston hanger in Kent V. Hulsdonck and O. Hoynck Mrs. Whittle, Actress, 409 William Carter, Artist Author of Quotation Wanted Clothworkers' Company Joseph Hart Margaret, Wife of Thomas Monthermer Kelly Moses Hugh History of Parish Registers " Xolke- iumskoi " : Duke of Cumberland Heraldic Dooms in Churches, 410 Red Riding- Hood " Jag "" Sex horas somno " Comtesse de Beon Anonymous Works 41 Finstall "Parody of Dryden by O'Connell ' My Old Letters ' Belshazzar's Feast, 411.

REPLIES : " Employee," 411 Maidens' Garlands The Dutch Ell, 412 Sacred Wells Date of Publication Wanted Judges Dying on the Bench Price of Tobacco Portrait of Sir P. Lely, 413 Inscriptions on Brasses- Burial at Midnight ' Rule, Britannia' Authors of Quotations Wanted Dick Turpin's Ride to York. 414 Fullwood and Halley Biographical Information Wanted "Club Walks," 415 " Gulyas" Mrs. Ellis W. Amherst "Yelver" in Place-NamesBotanyLondon Bridge, 416 Denny Family Solemn League and Covenant in Belfast. 417 " Nulla non donanda lauru" Cawthorne " Saraft "Fourier Society Felix Arvers Churchyard Inscriptions, 418.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' Book of the Knowledge of all the

Kingdoms that are in the World.' Booksellers' Catalogues. Notices to Correspondents.


PARISH CHURCH OF ST. FELICITAS. PHILLACK.

^Efcp following account of a Cornish church, one of the most ancient in Britain, has been printed and hung up within the building itself for the information of parishioners and visitors ; but it seems well worth while to give these curious and interesting par- ticulars to a wider public than is likely to find them out in situ :

This church and its surroundings have an interest which runs back for many 'hundreds of years. It is unknown when a church was first built on this site, but the Labarum in the gable of the porch is pro- bably of the fifth century. In the whole of England but nine or ten of these monograms remain, of which six are in Cornwall. Chris- tianity is said to have been brought into these parts about 450 A.D. by missionaries, sent by St. Patrick, who landed at Riviere. Of this company were St. Piala (the original


Saint of Phillack) and St. Gwithian, or St. Grothian. The first church may ha\f been built by some of this missionary band, or by some of the first converts, in memory of St. Piala, who, tradition says, was martyred at Riviere. Ever since those days a church has stood on the same spot in Phillack. The original building in course of time gave place to a Norman structure which, to judge by the few pieces of stone- work left, would have been of the eleventh century. Of this church remain the pillars and capitals of the tower arch, a piece of a capital built into the wall of the vestry (inside), and the font. This last underwent a good deal of " treatment " in 1856-7. The Norman clergy, knowing nothing of the Celtic saints, substituted St. Felicitas for St. Piala.

The Norman church in its turn gave place to another building in the fifteenth century, when the tower was raised up, and one Norman arch at the north-west end of the nave was left standing. What this arch was like, probably, may be seen by paying a visit to Lelant Church. In course of time the fifteenth-century building fell into a very bad state of repair, and it became necessary to take it down and rebuild it. This was done in 1856-7. The nave, chancel, and north aisle were lengthened, and the south aisle was built, being an extension eastward of a transept known as the " Bod- riggy- Aisle." The seating accommodation was increased from 153 to 320. In the course of taking down the walls much that wits of interest was brought to light. A small granite altar slab, measuring 2 ft. 9.1 in. by 1 ft. 81- in., 4 in. thick at the ends, and 3iin. thick in the centre, and having the five consecration crosses, was discovered in the foundations of the north wall. Near this was a rude phial of white glass containing some dark, blood-coloured liquid. In the same wall was found an ancient British granite monolith about 5 ft. by 2 ft., with an inscription in minuscules, which has been deciphered as " Clotualus Mobratti " (or Mogratti) " Clotualus, son of Mobrattus " (or Mograttus). This person, supposed to have been a British prince, is not men- tioned in history. The bottle, with its contents, was replaced in the north Aval]. The altar slab was taken up, and used for many years as a credence table, but in 1906 it was placed in the centre of the altar, and rededicated by the Bishop of St. Germans to its original purpose. This slab, from its rude Avorkmanship, may be of the eleA'enth century, and, if so, Avould have been the