iS^ NOTKS — ORIC.INAl, AND SELECTED. 



curious picture of piiarmacy at the end of tiie seventeenth and beginning of tlie 

 eighteenth centuries. 



The MS. of Morant's "History of Essex."— The Rev. Cecil Deedes, 

 writing in " Notes and Queries," refers to the collection of MSS. in the Colchester 

 Museum, presented in 1871 (?) by Mr. Hills, of Colne Park, and also alludes to 

 the statements made concerning them by Alderman Harvey and others to the 

 effect that they are the work of William Holman, of Halstead, and that they 

 really are the manuscript of Morant's " History of Essex." Mr. Deedes points 

 out that the supposition that Morant was not entitled to the credit of the compila- 

 tion of the history of Essex requires more confirmation, and asks in whose hand- 

 writing are these particular MSS. A writer in the " Essex County Standard " of 

 October 15th isdecidedly of opinion that the MSS. are " in the hand-writing of Mr. 

 Holman, that they practically form a great portion of the manuscript of Morant's 

 ' History of Essex,' and that much of them is derived from Thomas Jekyll's collec- 

 tions. Mr. Holman sold his collection to Morant, and though Morant un- 

 doubtedly ' compiled ' and added to the matter, Mr. Holman's very complete 

 collection deserves the credit of being the foundation of Morant's ' History of 

 Essex.' " Writing on October 20th, the Rev. C. L. Acland, the late Hon. 

 Curator of the Colchester Museum, says : " Holman's MS. History of Essex was 

 sold by him (then minister of an Independent congregation at Halstead) to the 

 Vicar of Halstead, whose name, I am sorry to say, I cannot call to mind. Morant 

 was at that time assistant-curate at Halstead, and his signature appears as witness 

 to the deed of sale. Of this I am quite sure. I saw the deed of sale many years 

 ago. It was shown to me by Mr. J. B. Harvey. I was under the impression that 

 he deposited it, with the rest of the Morant MSS., in the Museum ; but as I have 

 looked for it carefully since his death, and ifailed to find it, I am probably mis- 

 taken on this point. I wish I had taken a copy of it. I am sorry I cannot give 

 fuller details, but of the main fact I am quite certain. How Holman's MSS. 

 passed into Morant's possession I do not know. That Morant was very much 

 indebted to Holman's History I am quite sure, though I do not remember that he 

 ever owns the indebtedness. Reference to the Parish Register at Halstead would be 

 useful." [Some particulars of William Holman in connection with a MS. cata- 

 logue of papers used by him in compiling his " History of Hinckford Hundred," 

 exhibited by Mr. Cole, will be found in Essex Naturalist, vol. iii., pp. 160-161 ] 



Colchester Castle — The editor of the " Antiquary " writes as follows in the 

 November number : — " In the course of the formation of the new public park in 

 the grounds surrounding the Castle of Colchester, some walls have been unearthed 

 which are of some interest, as showing that there was a fortress on this spot in 

 Roman limes. On the west, north, and east sides of the Castle Bailey are large 

 earthen ramparts, and in a cutting through the north-west corner a wall was found, 

 having distinct and unmistakable Roman characters ; and from the area inclosed 

 by it a cloaca was uncovered, arched over with Roman bricks, and plastered inside 

 and on the bottom with hard red mortar, usually considered Reman. These 

 discoveries rather support the theory of the late Rev. H. Jenkins, that the present 

 keep is also a Roman building, as it may be fairly argued that, if the outworks 

 were of this period, the remaining portion of the fortress is also of the same age. 

 It is easily to be seen that many of the characters, relied on to prove the Norman 

 origin of the keep, are clearly insertions into an older building, so that after all 

 the late Rev. H. Jenkins and those who follnv him may be correct in ineir deter- 

 mination of the date of its erection. 



