May 19. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



389 



" BEL CHILD." 



(Vol. xi., pp. 36. 132.) 



The interest taken in the application of the 

 word hel-child induces me to continue (he inquiry. 

 I respectfully differ from your correspondent 

 F. C. H. (Vol. xi., p. 36.), and in some material 

 points from Mb. Goddard Johnson (p. 132.). 

 I found my objections to their surmises upon the 

 followinn; extracts, taken from the very curious 

 will of Robert Davenie, of Snetterlon in Norfolk, 

 1580: 



" Itm. I doe gyve and bequeathe unto Ann Davenye 

 my wyffe, all that tent lying m Snetterton aforesayde, 

 w*h the pigtithes therefo belonging, w'^ all such landes 

 Vf"^ I latelie purchased w* the same tent of one Edmond 

 Thayne of Shropham, to have and to hold the same tent 

 w'h all the saved land thereto belonging, w*'' all and 

 singular the appurtenances, unto the sayd Ann my wyffe, 

 and to her assigns for and during the hole term of her 

 naturall lyffe, w^^out any impeachment of wayste ; and 

 after her decease my will and mynde that Austyn 

 Steward, and Prudence nowe his wyffe, shall have the 

 same premisses, v!^^ their appurtenances, for and duringe 

 their naturall lives. And after their decease my will and 

 mynde is alsoe: I doe g}'ve and bequeathe the same 

 tenement, w"» all and singular the appurtenances, w*"" the 

 premisses, which were bequeathed unto Ann my wyffe, 

 unto Ann Steward, the daughter of the sayd Augustyn 

 Steward, and to the heirs of her bodie lawfully begotten ; 

 and for want of such issue, I will and bequeath the same 

 unto Edward Steward her brother, being my ♦ bel-child,' 

 and to the heyres of his bodie lawfully begotten." 



The inference to be drawn from the above ex- 

 tract is, that Prudence was his daughter, and con- 

 sequently Ann his granddaughter ; while it is ex- 

 pressed Edward was her brother, and selected and 

 chosen her heir in default of issue by the testator, 

 " being his hel-child^ Thus it follows, a grandchild 

 may be a bel-child; but it by no means establishes 

 the point, that a bel-child is necessarily a grand- 

 child. 



The will contiaues : 



" Itm. I gyve and bequeathe unto everie one of my 

 godchildren xiid." 



This distinctly proves the baptismal vow bore no 

 reference towards the debatable word, but a pre- 

 ference to this tie is confirmed by the amount of 

 the legacies subsequently bequeathed. 



The testator then names five children of four 

 different families, to each of whom he gives xs., 

 and calls them separately "my bel-child." If 

 these were his grandchildren, and iu that affinity 

 alone could be his bel-children, it is truly singular 

 that three of the four daughters should have had 

 but one child; and it appears improbable, and 

 almost impossible, that not one of these four 

 daughters should have been named in their father's 

 will. 



If hel-child is used as a term of endearment, the 

 selection I conclude was evidently voluntary ; but 

 from the wording of this will, I am induced to 



believe, that some rite, sacred or profane, consti- 

 tuted a moral and perhaps an obligatory tie, of the. 

 meaning of which in a comparatively short space 

 of time all record is lost. HENiir Davenet. 



FRENCH PROTESTANT REFUGEES. 



(Vol. xi., p. 206.) 



I was reminded by Mb. Lower's Query of " the 

 short and simple annals" of a French refugee 

 family in humble life, of which I made a note 

 some years since, and which may not perhaps be 

 altogether uninteresting to him and to others of 

 your readers. 



In the churchyard of Hinton Blewett, in the 

 county of Somerset, there is (or was) a plain old 

 tombstone, very much sunk in the ground.; but 

 bearing thus much of its original inscription 

 legible : 



" Heare resteth the bod}' of Louis Thiery, whoe de- 

 parted this life the 9th of June, 1665." 



On the wall, just above it, is another inscrip- 

 tion as follows : 



" Near this wall do lie interred the bodies of Eichard 

 Thiery and Mary his wife. He died the 6th of Novem., 

 17.51, aged 68 years ; and she died the 10th of June, 1745, 

 aged 57 years. Also four of their children, viz. Kichard, 

 Marv, Sarah, and Hannah. Richard died the 13th of 

 Feb.", 1738, aged 22. Mary died the 2nd of March, 1740, 

 aged 22. Sarah died the 2 1st of Mav, 1740, aged 18, 

 Hannah died the 29th of April, 1743, aged 17." 



Within the chancel there is a more modern in- 

 scription, which explains the descent of the family : 



" In memory of Louis Thiery, who was born in France, 

 and (being persecuted for true religion) came over to 

 this free and happy kingdom about the year of our Lord 

 1650, and was buried under this stone about the year 

 1680 ( ?). He had by his wife Grace 5 sons and 1 daughter, 

 who were most of them buried near this place. 



" Bevis Thiery, hosier, one of the sons of the above 

 Lewis and Grace, died at Coley ; and was interred here 

 the 23rd of April, 1746, aged 82 A-ears. He had by his 

 wife Mary 3 eons, Richard, Lewis, and Bevis; and 5 

 daughters, Grace, Hannah, Dorothea, Mary, and Betty; 

 who all lived to be married, and left a numerous offspring. 



" Dorothea (who was the last of that line) died at 

 Litton, and was buried here the 24th of Novem., 1788, 

 aged 88. She lived to see 64 great-grandchildren, 44 of 

 whom are now living ; and, by her particular request, 8 of 

 her grandsons carried her to her grave. 



" The above family (though not all of them possessed 

 of abundant riches) lived well by honest industrj', re- 

 spected by their superiors and equals, and beloved by all 

 men. 



" Reader, let their bright examples provoke thy imita- 

 tion." 



In my boyhood, and probably it may still be so, 

 there were some of the family remaining who 

 were farmers, and, I think, small proprietors, 

 though their name was universally corrupted into 

 Carey. C. W. Bingham. 



