
By R. C. A. Prior, Esg., M.D. 349 
‘““ Wishford Reetory, Salisbury, 
May 31st, 1875. 
Dear Sir, 
I have much pleasure in supplying information about this parish, 
which is somewhat rich in old customs and traditions. I will enclose with this 
all the authentic memoranda I have been able to collect about the seven children 
-of one birth, brought to church in a sieve to be baptized. 
The first is written by Roger Powell, who was curate here for thirty years, 
1612—1642; his rector was inducted in 1573, exactly one hundred years after 
the death of Sir Thomas Bonham, and from him, I suppose, Mr. Powell had the 
tradition ; the two effigies of Sir Thomas and his wife are still in excellent pre- 
servation, but only three of the brass figures of the children are remaining, 
though we can trace the matrices and lead holes of the other six. 
_ My second memorandum is a note from Aubrey. 
The old schoolmaster who made the third memorandum in 1828 is still living 
here. 
For my part I am disposed to accept the story as quite true, with one very 
important modification—to read three instead of seven children: or, if it were 
possible for a woman to have seven at a birth, I would suppose that four were 
still-born. This would agree exactly with Aubrey’s account, and would be 
confirmed by the remains of the brasses on the great stone slab, of which three 
appear of like size, and the latter ones dwindle down much smaller, 
Yours, dear Sir, faithfully, 
Epwarpd HItt.” 
‘‘The legend of the seven children of one birth, brought to the Church of 
Wishford Magna in a sieve. 
I. from the fly-leaf of the oldest Register-book (1558—1640).— 
‘There is in the bodie of our Church a monument, an ancient monument of 
stone of the ancestors of the Bonhams and said to be that of Bonham and his 
wife that had seven children at one birth : the inscription of the tombe is this that 
follows, word for word :—Hic jacet Thomas Bonham, armiger, quondam patronus 
istius ecclesiz, qui quidem Thomas obiit vicesimo nono die Maii,anno Dom: 1478 ; 
et Editha uxor ejus, que quidem Editha obiit vicesimo sexto die Aprilis, anno 
Dom: 1469. Quorum animabus propitietur Deus. Amen.—They were both 
buried under the great Marble Stone in the middle alley of our church, and the 
inscription was cutt in brass. Beneath this inscription in the lower end of the 
same marble stone toward the Choire there were the small statues or images of 
nine young children set in brass, all w™ I myselfe knew standing there about 
twentie yeares ; but of late one of them is broken out of the stone by meanes 
of some violence and negligence of them that wrought in the Church and laida 
great quarrie stone uppon the grave of Robert Hillman lately buried. The 
statues of the said Thomas and Edith Bonham are said to lie in a hollow vaulted 
-arch under the wall on the North side of the Church, and such statues indeed 
there are. His statue lies next to the doore of the said side and her statue at 
the feet of his. 
By mee Roger Powell, Curate there 
Aprill the 10 Anno Dom: 1640,’ a 
