2nd s. No 49., Dec. 6. '56.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



455 



given to the world. With a large portion of this 

 work — by the kindness of the editor — I have 

 long been familiar, and I feel satisfied that the 

 anecdotes and information given in these pages 

 will be appreciated as a very valuable contribu- 

 tion to English History. 



Hearne says : 



" Formerly it was usual to be buried in winding-sheets 

 without coffins, and the bodies were laid on biers. And 

 this custom was practised about three score years ago 

 (1724), though even then persons of rank were buried in 

 coffins, unless they ordered otherwise. Thomas Neile, of 

 Hart Hall, in Queen Elizabeth's time, is represented in a 

 winding-sheet, in Cassington church. It seems, therefore, 

 he was not buried in a coffin, especially since his effigies 

 in the winding-sheet there was put up in his life-time. 

 In the monkish times stone coffins were much in vogue, 

 especially for persons of quality, and for those other dis- 

 tinguishing titles, such as archbishops, bishops, abbots, 

 abbesses, &c. Even many ;of the inferior monks were 

 sometimes so buried, though otherwise the most common 

 way was a winding-sheet. Yet even many persons of 

 distinction, instead of coffins, were wrapt up in leather, as 

 wer4 Sir William Trussell and his lady, founders of Shot- 

 tesbrook church and chantry, in Berks, as may be seen in 

 my edition o{ Leland's Itinerary, and 'twas in such leathern 

 sheets or bags that others were put that were laid in the 

 walls of churches." 



The notice of Thomas Neile's monument will 

 remind your readers of Dr. Donne's. His " Pic- 

 ture " on board, repraeenting him in his winding- 

 sheet, was placed by his bed-side. The tomb 

 itself, in marble, by Nicholas Stone, was fixed up 

 in St. Paul's Cathedral after his death, but it has 

 never been assumed that the dean was buried in 

 the vaults of his cathedral without a coffin. 



Amongst the vestry minutes of St. Helens', 

 Bishopsgate, is the following (March 5, 1564), 

 proving that the custom had prevailed, and ought 

 to be stopped : 



"Item, that none shall be buryd within the church, 

 unless the dead corpse be coffined in wood. Mr. Lott, in his 

 notices of this very interesting church, remarks that this 

 is the first sanitary minute with which he is acquainted." 

 — Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaologi- 

 cal Society, p. 66. 



J. H. Markxand. 



SIR THOMAS MORe's HOUSE AT CHELSEA. 



(2"'i S. ii. 324.) 



With respect to Sir Thomas More and his house 

 in dhelsea the following notes of entries on the 

 patent rolls may be interesting : 



"Pat. 4 April, 28 Hen. VIII. p. 1. ni. (15). — Custody 

 of a capital message, &c., late of Sir Thomas More in 

 Chelseheth granted to Sir William Poulett, knt., during 

 the King's pleasure. 



"Pat. 34 Hen.lVIII. p. 6.m. (6).— Lease'to Alice More, 

 widow of Sir Thomas More, of a messuage described thus : 

 • Unum mesuagium in Chelsey cum pertinentiis in comi- 

 tatu nostro Midd', quondam Mewtes * ac nuper in tenura 



Edwardi Berker et Edmundi Middelton et modo in tenura 

 rectoris ecclesiae parochialis de Chelsej'; Quod quideni 

 mesuagium cuni pertinentiis fuit parcella terrarum et 

 possessionum nuper dicti Thome More militis de alta pro- 

 ditione attincti, ac in manibus nostris ratione ejusdem 

 attinctura; modo existunt.' The lease was for 21 years, 

 and the rent 20s. 2d,, being twopence more than the last 

 tenant paid. 



« Pat. 10 Hen. VIII. p. 1. m. (12). — Annuity of 100/. 

 to Thomas More, one of the King's Councillors. 



"Pat. 18 Hen. VIII. p. 1. m. (28). — Licence to Sir 

 Thomas More to export 1000 woollen cloths. 



"Pat. 12 June, 27 Hen. VIII. p. 1. m. (24). — Mar- 

 riage articles of William Daunce, esq., son and heir of Sir 

 John Daunce and Elizabeth daughter of Sir Thomas 

 More, having been confiscated, were delivered up to Sir 

 John Daunce. 



"Pat. 16 March, 28 Hen. VIII. p. 4. m. (23). — An- 

 nuity of 20Z. for life to dame Alice More, widow." 



In addition to the above I may also note a 

 document which shows that a certain Sir Thomas 

 More was sheriff of Dorset and Somerset in May, 

 1533. It would, perhaps, be rash to presume his 

 identity with the author of Utopia, without farther 

 evidence than his name and knighthood ; but it is 

 certainly remarkable that a person of that name 

 should have been sheriff of two western counties 

 soon after Sir Thomas had resigned the office of 

 Lord Chancellor. The document in question is a 

 pardon to one Thomas Budde of Bath for felony 

 and breaking prison, and is entered on patent roll 

 25 Hen. VIH. p. 1. m. (36). James Gairdner. 



* Perhaps John Meautis, Henry VIII.'s French secre- 

 tary, may have been one of its former tenants. He had 



''History of the Sevarites"" (P* S. iv. 43.) — 

 Turning over your earlier volumes, I notice that 

 your correspondents have been trying to fix the 

 authorship of this work, but have, apparently, left 

 the question as they found it ; some ascribing it 

 to Isaac Vossius, and some to Denis Vairasse. In 

 L.'s communication (see 1" S. iii. 4.), speaking of 

 the original book, printed for Brome, in 1675, he 

 says, this first part has no Preface, which is literally 

 true ; but it has an address of ten leaves, " The 

 Publisher to the Reader," relating, in the style of 

 all fictitious narratives, how the mysterious MS, 

 came into the hands of the compiler, and is signed 

 D. V. 



Where the evidence was before rather \n his 

 favour, I think this decidedly shows Denis Vai- 

 rasse to be the original inventor of this curious 

 piece belonging to the large class of imaginary 

 voyages. Perhaps you may deem this worth 

 notin'g, particularly as this introductory matter is 

 not to be found in the Museum copy of Capt. 

 Siden's History of the Sevarites, or Severambi. 



J. vJ. 



an exemption from serving on juries by patent 4 Jan., 2 

 Hen. VIII. p. l.m. (11). 



