Читать книгу: «Notes and Queries, Number 17, February 23, 1850», страница 6

The offices conveyed to Sir R. Harley by James I. had been, before his reign, the subject of crown grants, after the honor of Wigmore had become vested in the crown by the merger of the earldom of March in the crown. Hence, I find that in the act 13 Edward IV. (A.D. 1473), for the resumption of royal grants, there is a saving of a prior grant of the "office of keeper of oure forest or chace of Boryngwode," and of the fees for the "kepyng of the Dikes within oure counte of Hereford, parcelles of oure seid forest." (6 Rot. Parl. p. 94.)

In a similar act of resumption, 1 Henry VII., there is a like saving in favour of Thomas Grove, to whom had been granted the keepership of Boryngwood chase in "Wigmoresland," and "the pokershipp and keping of the diche of the same." The parkership of Wigmore Park is saved in the same act. (6 Rot. Parl. p. 353 and 383.)

In the first year of Henry VIII. there is a Receiver's Account of Wigmore, in which I observe the following deductions claimed in respect of the fees and salaries of officers:-

 
"In feodo Thomæ Grove, forestarii de Bringewod,
6l. 1s. 6d.
– ejusdem Thomæ, fossat'de Prestwode dych,
18d.
– Edm. Sharp, parcarii parci de Wiggemour,
6l. 1s. 6d.
– Thomæ Grove, pocar' omnium boscorum
in Wiggemourslonde – 30s. 4d."
 

There is another like account rendered in 23 & 24 Hen. VII. These, and no doubt many other accounts and documents respecting the honor of Wigmore and its appartenances, are among the Exchequer records, and we are entitled to infer from them, firstly, that a parcarius and a pocarius are two different offices; secondly, that, whether the duty of the latter was performed on the dikes or in the woods of Boringwood chase, the theory of Mr. Bolton Corney (pace cl. viri dixerim) is very deficient in probability. If the above authorities had not fallen under my notice, I should have confidently adopted the conjecture of the noble Querist, who first drew attention to the word, and, so far from considering the substitution of "poker" for "parker" an improbable blunder of the copyist, I should have pronounced it fortunate for the house of Harley that their founder had not been converted into a porcarius or pig-driver.

E. SMIRKE.

Pokership.—I had flattered myself that Parkership was the real interpretation of the above word, but I have once more doubts on the subject. I this morning accidentally stumbled upon the word "Porcellagium," which is interpreted in Ducange's Glossary, "Tributum ex porcis seu porcellis."

Porcarius also occurs as Porcorum custos, and mention is made of "Porcorum servitium quo quis porcos domini sui pascentes servare tenetur."

Now, considering how much value was formerly attached to the right of turning out swine in wooded wastes, during the acorn season, it seems probable that Sir R. Harley might be the king's "Porcarius," or receiver of the money paid for an annual license to depasture hogs in the royal forests; and, after all, Porkership is as like to Pokership as Parkership, and one mistake would be as easily made as the other.

BRAYBROOKE.

Audley End, Feb. 16.

[We are enabled to confirm the accuracy of Lord Braybrooke's conjecture as to Pokership being the office conferred upon Sir Robert Harley, inasmuch as we are in expectation of receiving an account of the various forms of its name from a gentleman who has not only the ability, but also peculiar facilities for illustrating this and similar obscure terms.]

Havior—Heavier or Hever.-Supposed etymology of Havior, Heavier, and Hever, as applied by park-keepers to an emasculated male deer.—"NOTES AND QUERIES," (No. 15. p. 230.)

Pennant, in his British Zoology, 8vo. edition, 1776, vol. i. p. 38., and 8vo. edition, 1812, vol. i. p. 45., under the article, "Goat" says:—

"The meat of a castrated goat of six or seven years old, (which is called Hyfr,) is reckoned the best; being generally very sweet and fat. This makes an excellent pasty, goes under the name of rock venison, and is little inferior to that of the deer."

As Pennant was a Welchman, a scholar and a naturalist, he will probably be considered good authority; and Hyfr, the most likely origin of the altered terms of the deer park-keepers.

The word occurs twice in page 61. vol. ii. of the Sportsman's Cabinet, in the article on the Stag or Red Deer, where it is printed Heavier; and it will be found also as Hever, in Mr. Jesse's Scenes and Tales of Country Life, at page 349.

WM. YARRELL.

Ryder Street, St. James, Feb. 11. 1850.

Mr. Halliwell gives the words haver and havering, in the same sense as havior. Are not these words identical with aver, averium, in the sense of cattle, tame beasts? Averium, from the old French, aveir, i.e. avoir, originally meant any personal property; but like catalla, chattels, it came to signify more particularly the most important part of a peasant's possessions—namely, his live stock. Thus, in the laws of William the Conqueror (Thorpe's Ancient Laws, vol. ii. p. 469.), we find:—

"Si præpositus hundredi equos aut boves aut oves aut porcos vel cujuscumque generis averia vagancia restare fecerit," &c.

The word may naturally enough have been applied to deer reduced to the state of tame and domesticated cattle.

C.W.G.

[TREBOR furnishes us with a reference to Pegge's Anonymiana, who endeavours to show that the proper term is "halfer;" on the same principle that an entire horse is spoken of, the word being pronounced "hâver" by those who call half "hâfe," while those who pronounce half with the open a say "hauver:" while J. Westby Gibson suggests that Havior is Evir, from the Latin "Eviro, Eviratus, Eviratio," but admits that he can give no authority for the use of Evir.]

Sir W. Hamilton (No. 14. p. 216.).—Douglas says, that this Sir W. Hamilton was not son, but grandson and brother of the 1st and 2nd earls of Abercorn, his father having died vitâ patris. I therefore doubt that the inscription has been miscopied. "He was," Douglas says, "resident at Rome, on the part of the Queen Dowager;" but this could hardly be the service alluded to.

C.

Dr. Johnson's Library (no. 14. p. 214.).—I have a copy of Dr. Johnson's Sale Catalogue. The title is as follows:

"A catalogue of the valuable Library of Books of the late learned Samuel Johnson, Esq., LL.D., deceased, which will be sold by auction (by Order of the Executors) by Mr. Christie, at his Great Room in Pall Mall, on Wednesday, February 16. 1785. and three following Days. To be viewed on Monday and Tuesday preceding the Sale, which will begin each Day at 12 o'Clock. Catalogues may be had as above."

It is a Catalogue of 28 pages and 662 lots, of which 650 are books. The twelve last are prints, chiefly "framed and glazed." The Catalogue is very rare; there is not a copy in the British Museum, and Messrs. Christie and Manson are without one. I may add, as your correspondent is curious about Johnson's Library, that I have the presentation copy to the Doctor of Twiss's Travels in Spain, with "the gift of the Author" in Johnson's handwriting, immediately beneath Twiss's MS. presentation. The Twiss was in Lot 284.

PETER CUNNINGHAM.

MISCELLANIES

Etymology of "News."—The word "news" is not derived, as many suppose, from the adjective new, but from a practice that obtained in newspapers of an early date, of prefixing to the title the letters expressive of the cardinal points, thus:—

meaning that their intelligence was derived from all quarters of the globe. This must, at any rate, be allowed as ingenious etymology.

J.U.G. GUTCH.

THE GOLDEN AGE

(From the Latin.)

 
Why "golden," when that age alone, we're told,
Was blest with happy ignorance of gold—
More justly we our venal times might call
"The Golden Age," for gold is all in all.
 

RUFUS.

NOTES ON BOOKS, SALES, CATALOGUES, ETC

Messrs. Sotheby and Co. will sell on Monday next two collections of Autographs; the first consisting of Autograph Letters, the property of a gentleman; which will be immediately followed by that belonging to the late Mr. Rodd, and the extensive Correspondence of the late William Upcott, Esq., comprising several thousand Autograph Letters. Mr. Rodd's collection comprises many letters of great historical and literary interest.

Messrs. Puttick and Simpson will sell by auction on Friday, March the 8th, and seven following days, the extensive and very important Stock of Books of Mr. James Carpenter, of Bond Street, who is retiring from business. The characteristics of this fine collection are the numerous books of prints and illustrated works which it contains, such as the matchless Series of Piranesi's Works, being the dedication copy to the king of Sweden: a copy of Boswell's Life of Johnson, in 8 vols. folio, illustrated with nearly six hundred Portraits and Views.

We heard some time since that the long-established and highly-respectable house of Payne and Foss, of Pall Mall, had succeeded the late Mr. Rodd in the agency of purchasing for the British Museum. The rumour proved to be unfounded, and now receives a formal contradiction by the announcement that Messrs. Payne and Foss are retiring from business, and that the first portion of their extensive and valuable Stock of Books will be sold by auction by Messrs. Sotheby and Co.; the first division in a ten days' sale, commencing on the 18th and terminating on the 28th March; which will be followed by the second division, which will also occupy ten days, and commence on Monday the 8th April. The lovers of choice copies of fine editions of first-class books will have, on this occasion, such an opportunity of enriching their collections as rarely presents itself.

We have received the following Catalogues:—

"Number Two, for 1850, of John Miller's Catalogue of Books, old and new, on sale at 43. Chandos Street, Trafalgar Square."

"Catalogue of curious and rare Books, recently purchased, now on sale by George Bumstead, 205. High Holborn."

"Catalogue (No. 5.) of Books, Theological and Miscellaneous, and Catalogue (No. 6.) of Books, consisting chiefly of Foreign Literature and Theology, on sale by Andrew Clark, No. 4. City Road."

"Cheap List of useful and curious Books relating to Ecclesiastical History, Councils, Ceremonies, the Puritans, &c., on sale by S. and I. Palmer, 24. Red Lion Street, Holborn."

"A List of Books, chiefly curious ones, now selling by Thomas Kerslake, Bookseller, at No. 3. Park Street, Bristol."