x. DEC. 27, 1902.] NOTES AND QUERIES.
501
LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1902.
CONTENTS. No. 261.
NOTES : The Measurement of Dower, 501 C I.V. Nick- names, 502-Opticians' Signs, 503 Soukle or Souble : Troce, 505 Hallowe'en in Minnesota Ice before Christ- masHow Biography is Written : 'N.B.D.,' 50-i-Keats's ' La Belle Dame sans Merci 'Monument in Beverley Minster" Bletheramskite " " Finials " at Rick Ends. 507.
QUERIES: Amy Robsart-Allusions in Sartor Resartua, ' 507 Ireton Family' Friendly Cautions 'Petty Norton Family St. Botolph in London Holt Family Tallant Miller Osborne Pavenham Church Woodwork, 508 Armigerous Families "La Triste Heritiere " Sale of Mytton and Hardwick MSS. Pegge Family Good Mordaunt College Worsham " Muskeg Berry" Glen- cairn Peerage Knife Superstition Merimee's " In- connue," 509.
REPLIES : A. H. Hallam, 510 C. J. Mathews Seven- teenth-Century Queries " Lutes of amber " Cabinet Ministers and University Honours, 511' Hymns Ancient and Modern' "Spice" Humorous French Poetry Blihu Yale's Wife, 512 ^Eoliaa Harp Portrait by Zur- baran Villon, 514 Poets on Adversity Scott's ' Wood- stock 'Lord Salisbury on Decaying Nations, 515 Dr. Brewer's Monument Historical Point in an Epitaph "Typulator " Wigwam : its Origin, 518 The Iron Duke "Compass Window": "Compass Ceiling" Sexton's Tombst.one Shakespeare's Seventy-sixth Sonnet, 517 White-headed Bjy Admiral Edwards "Policy of pin- pricks," 518.
NOTES ON BOOKS :-Creigh ton's Historical Essays and Reviews 'The ' Dialogus de Scaccario ' Hutchinson's 'Catalogue of Notable Middle Templars' ' Who's Who,' 1903 ' Upper Norwood Athenaeum' ' Interme'diaire ' ' English illustrated Magazine ' and ' Idler '-De la More Booklets.
Mr. George Chambers.
States*
THE MEASUREMENT OF DOWER.
AT the Great Court Baron held for the manor of Holmesfield, near Dronfield, in Derbyshire, on 20 April, 1692, the jury, consisting of twelve men, presented and said that since the date of the last court Joshua Barker was dead, and died seised of "one messuage house with severall copyhold lands thereunto belonging," and that Adam Barker, about sixteen years of age, was his eldest son and heir. And the jury did
" present and say that Mary, the wife of Joshua Barker, ought by the custom of this manor to have for her dower the third part of all the messuage house and severall acres of land which the said Joshua Barker died seased of within this manor dureing the term of her naturall life, and therefore wee do assign and set forth her third . part as followeth : The house wherein she now liveth and the chamber ouer it, and one bay of a barn next adioyning to the dwelling house, and liberty to thresh her corn upon the barn flore when she hath accasion. Also wee do assign her the croft and the garden next adioyning to the parlor end, and one close commonly called or known by .the name of Little Hurst. Also wee assign the way to the said close to goe forth at the north west end on to the mower or common called Lon..., and to have free liberty and free ingresse, egress, and regress through the fold to the said out houseing for cattle, corn,
and hay, and to lay her manure in the fold or any
other fulter* what so ever."f
This is a case in which the jury of a manor assigned dower to a widow by metes and bounds. The division of houses or other buildings into bays would help to make measurement and specific partition easy, either as between the heir and the widow, or, in respect of gavelkind lands, as between the coheirs.
In the thirteenth century we hear of breve mensuramenti dotis,t a writ of the measure- ment of dower. We may be sure that it would rarely be necessary to issue a writ, or empanel a jury, to apportion dower, as the parties themselves would agree upon the quantity. What I wish to make clear is the fact that dower was once a measured portion of buildings and land. In these days we regard it as a third of the rent arising from an intestate husband's real property, and the Statute of Limitation limits the recovery of dower to six years' arrears of such rent. We have ceased to regard dower as the enjoy- ment by a widow for life of a defined portion of her husband's houses and buildings and of his land.
An interesting "assignment of dower" in the thirteenth century is given in the second volume of 'Yorkshire Inquisitions,' || and is there translated thus :
" Assignment of dower to Hawyse, who was the wife of Ralph de Gousill, deceased, made at Bruste- wyke before John de Lythe [greynes], escheator beyond Trent, on Monday before the feast of St. Peter in Cathedra, 24 Edw. (21 Feb., 1295/6). In Dodington a third part of the capital messuage with appurtenances nearer the sun, and eight bovates of demesne lands towards the sun ; a third part of forland and pasture, a third part of a windmill ; a toft which Peter Chappeman holds in bondage, a toft held by Sarra in bondage ; id. to be received from the G... croft yearly: also in Coldon a third part of the capital messuage, eight bovates of demesne lands towards the sun, 8d. free farm to be received yearly from the site of the mill, a toft held by Margaret Bakun in bondage, a toft held by Adam Skotard in bondage, four bovates of land held by Henry Suthiby in bondage, third part of a toft held by Isolda daughter of Juliana (fiV Julian') in bondage. Also assigned to her in Pagell a bovate of land which John in le Wynde holds in bondage ; third part of a bovate held by Robert de Skyrlage in bondage ; 2Qd. rent of free farm to be received yearly from William de Camera and Thomas Chap- lain ; id. free farm from Robert son of Ellen (fiU Elene); tyd. from Stephen de Pagula; 2%d. from Stephen Chaplain; 2d. from the hospital
- M.E. fidthe, filth, with the final e sounded.
t The original roll is in the Sheffield Public Library.
' Rotuli Hundredorum,' ii. 203.
3 & 4 Will. IV., c. 27, s. 41.
|| Yorkshire Arch. Society (Record Series), vol. xxiii. p. 167.
