60 Bishop Tanner, his Family and Writings. 
I was indeed, little aware of the difficulties connected with an 
arrangement of my detached items of information; and the still 
greater difficulty of producing from such scanty materials a narra- 
tive satisfactory to the Biographical enquirer, and at all interesting 
to general readers. 
None, except those who have undertaken similar tasks, can be 
aware of the unavoidable errors, and the protracted, and often fruit- 
less investigations, that arise from want of access to books of refer- — 
ence. Many things must necessarily be left to conjecture, when 
there is rare opportunity afforded, of applying to such sources of 
information, as lie in the MS. Department of the British Museum ; 
the Registry of Doctor’s Commons; or (especially for the present 
purpose) in the Bodleian Library at Oxford; where Bishop Tanner’s 
Collections are deposited. 
Still, the notes which I have, however imperfectly,*been able to 
put together may, at some future time, assist any compiler of 
Parochial History, who may describe the Memorabilia of Market 
Lavington; the “Cheping Lavington” of Camden; or as Tanner 
calls it, in his additions to Camden, “Steeple Lavington,” or “ East 
Lavington.” 
From a correspondence with the Rev. Thomas Tanner, Vicar of 
Burlescombe, Somerset, I learn that Tanner is a very common 
Surname in the West of England. We find it in Wiltshire, at an 
early date; I mean early, in reference to any Heraldic Visitation. 
In 1569, Roger Tanner was Mayor of New Sarum; the name has 
ever since been associated with that City; and a few years back, 
perhaps even now, a family of Tanner resided there, who are stated 
in Berry’s and also in Burke’s Heraldic Dictionary, to wse the Arms 
of Tanner of Court, Cornwall; the self same Arms which Bishop 
common knowledge of the science of blazoning arms or ensigns armorial. His 
store of knowledge on such matters was somewhat marvellous. Hence he was 
a valuable contributor to the pages of the original ‘‘Gentleman’s Magazine” 
and of the more modern ‘‘ Notes and Queries.” He died, in his 74th year, on 
the 4th and was buried at West Lavington on the 8th May 1871. 
J. E. Jackson, 
Leigh Delamere, Hon. Canon of Bristol. 
Chippenham. 
