226 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd S. No 90., Sept. 19. '67. 



the testimony of two of the highest authorities — Pro- 

 fessors Doctor O'Donovan and Curry — on Irish anti- 

 quities now living, or wlio have flourished since tlie days 

 of Cormac of Oashel, as to this MS. The Dr. pronounces 

 it to be the original. Professor Curry asserts the con- 

 trary. Dr. O'Donovan, in the volume and note above 

 quoted, says: 'There is still extant a curious MS., which 

 belonged to Fenagh Moyran, in the Barony and County 

 of Leitrim, and which enumerates the lands, privileges, 

 and dues of the monastery. The original is preserved in 

 the British Museum ; and a copy made in 1515 by Mau- 

 rice, son of Paudin O'Mulconry, was lately in the posses- 

 sion of a Kev. Mr. Rod}% who lived near Fenagh, of which 

 John O'Donovan himself made a copy in the year 1829, 

 •which is now in the Library of the Royal Irish Academj'.' 

 This seems to be an unanswerable identification of the 

 book. Professor Curry affirms that ' the original book 

 of St. Caillin still exists in the county of Leitrim. There 

 is a modern copy of it on vellum in the Library of the 

 Royal Irish Academy, and another in Maynooth College, 

 but they are defective, as is also the supposed original.' 

 (Curry, Catalogue of Irish MSS.) My conviction is 

 (continues " A Celt"), that the evidence is conclusively 

 in favour of the Doctor, and that Professor Curry was led 

 into a series of mistakes by the antiquity of the copy in 

 the County of Leitrim, which the Doctor says dates from 

 1515. The localitj' in which it exists seems to justify, in 

 the absence of evidence to the contrary, that assumption. 

 Like most Irish MSS., the great probability is, that the 

 Leitrim copy bears marginal evidence of the original, the 

 transcribers and the date as given by the Doctor. If so, 

 the question of originality is settled. We have the ad- 

 ditional fact, that they are defective. Can the modern 

 copy, on vellum, mentioned by Curry, be that tran- 

 scribed in 1829 by the Doctor? If so, I am surprised he 

 did not identify the hand of his old friend and coUabora- 

 teur. Should this come under the notice of either of 

 these gentlemen, I hope he will consider the inquiries 

 here made sufficiently important to forward a line, to 

 solve the doubts. I shall dismiss this matter with re- 

 calling to mind the fact, that in the old English prefixed, 

 it is distinctly stated that 'the book was written by 

 Callyen,' and this testimony is as early as about 1200." 



So far " A Celt : " and as an Irisb scholar deeply 

 interested in such inquiries, and conversant with 

 the Irish collections in the Museum, I hope these 

 inquiries will be by " N. & Q." considered en- 

 titled to a place, and that they will be replied to. 

 The value of the MS. depends in a great measure 

 on the reply. J. E. O'C. 



Minav ^utxiti. 



John Hampden the Patriot. — Can any of the 

 correspondents of " N. & Q," give me any inform- 

 ation about the wife of Hampden, who was a Miss 

 Symonds ? Where can I find a pedigree of her 

 family ? J. A. S. 



Coke and Gurnhill. — There is in my possession 

 a Bible (Barker's, 1608,) containing many entries 

 relative to the family of William Coke, and Eliza- 

 beth his wife ; and of a family named Gurnhill of 

 Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, dating from 1697 

 down to 1775. The Cokes are said to be bap- 

 tized at Ley. If either of these families, or their 

 representatives, wish for the information con- 



tained in this book, they are welcome to it, and I 

 enclose my card to you for reference. A. M. D . 



Nichols Family. — Information is earnestly re- 

 quired respecting the predecessors, arms, crest, 

 and motto (if any), of John Nichols of Kings- 

 wood, near Bristol, who was buried in St. Martin's 

 churchyard, London, about 1808. Pheons. 



Poo-Beresford. — Sir John Poo-Beresford was 

 created a baronet May 21, 1814. Whence is the 

 name of Poo derived ? The present baronet is 

 Sir George de la Poer Beresford, and the name 

 Poo does not appear in any of that numerous 

 family. E. D. 



Seats in Churches. — May I trouble you with 

 a few remarks, or rather Queries, on church 

 matters, for those who have studied such sub- 

 jects more than myself. It is my impression 

 from observation that our ancient ecclesiastical 

 buildings were originally intended to be entirely 

 open, without any seats, except those in the 

 chancel for the use of the clergy, it not being in- 

 tended that the laity were to sit, but only to 

 stand or kneel ; and that it was not till about the 

 time of Henry VII., when the desire for the union 

 of instruction with worship began to grow in men's 

 minds, that seats were placed in the body of 

 churches to accommodate the congregation. So 

 that they who apply the term restoration so exclu- 

 sively to the substitution of open seats for pews, 

 are only returning to a style of one given period 

 rather than another ; and If my notion be a cor- 

 rect one, by no means to the plan upon which 

 churches were originally arranged. 



At Lincoln Cathedral, for instance, and probably 

 elsewhere, there is a stone seat which runs round 

 the body of the building against the outside walls, 

 which I conjecture to have been originally the 

 only seat with which the congregation were fa- 

 voured, the chancel being exclusively occupied by 

 the clergy. 



It is worthy of remark that sitting, the accom- 

 modation for which forms so large a part of the 

 fitting up of all churches now, is certainly not or- 

 dered in the Rubric. 



I therefore cannot see cause why one kind of 

 seat is to be thought so much more correct than 

 another. Hoping that these remarks may draw 

 forth others from abler pens, I am, &c. A. P. 



Appended Initials to Proper Names. — These 

 are now frequently carried to an inconvenient 

 length. A candidate for medical preferment in 

 a provincial newspaper affixes to his signature 

 M.D., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., L.A.P. With some . 

 trouble, these may be understood ; as also A.S.S. 

 S.E.C. to another literary aspirant, he being as- 

 sistant secretary ; but what is the meaning of 

 R.A.M. appended to the name of a country 

 schoolmaster ? E. D. 



