Nov. 15. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



389 



liujus Coll" quondam Socii, postea Vicarii de Wilsham- 

 stead, natiis apud Wilslianistead, in com. Bedf. lit. 

 gr. inEtruclus apud Barapton in com. Devon, sub 

 JM" Wood. Adm. est Sizator :24''' Aug. 175-2, annum 

 agens 17"", Tut. J. Lawson et J. Cranwell.' 



" ' 4. Jokannes, fil. natii max. Nicolai Gay, de Newton 

 St. Cyres in co:n. Devon. Vicarii, ibidem natus, lit. 

 vero gram. inst. apud South-3Iolton per sexennium, et 

 apud Ottery St. INIary per trienniiun sub viro rev"""" 

 Joanne Colridge. Adm. est Sizator 15'° Junii 1762, 

 annum ajens 19"°, Tut. Gul. Elliston, JM" C' et 

 Job. Hey';* 



" Gay (1.) was a scholar of Peter Blundell's 

 foundation, and in 1724 succeeded to a fellowship on 

 the same foundation. This fellowship, of which there 

 are two at this college, is tenable for ten years ; and all 

 our fellows are compelled to proceed regularly to the 

 degree of B. D. (seven years after they have taken that 

 of M.A.). Mr. Gay was M.A. in 1725, and might 

 have proceeded to B.D. in 1732: but he never took 

 any higher degree than M. A. He must therefore have 

 vacated his fellowship before 1732. I find no mention 

 of his name in our College Office-book later than 7th 

 May, 1730. He was probably presented during that 

 year to the vicarage of Wilshamstead (which of course 

 Avould render void his fellowship), and subsequently 

 entered upon another kind of fellowship, one of the 

 results of which was Gay (3.). 



"Of Gay (2.) I find it recorded that he was 

 appointed Chapel Clerk in 1719; that he was B.A. 

 1722, and M.A. 1731. As far as dates are concerned, 

 it might be questioned which of the brothers (1. or 



' 2.) was the author of the ' Preliminary Dissertation.' 

 In our University Library I can find only two editions 

 of Law's translation of Archbishop King's work, viz. 

 the 2nd edit., 1732, which contains the ' Preliminary 

 Dissertation,' but no mention of its author ; and the 

 4th edit., Camb. 1758, at the end of the Preface to 

 which are these words : " The fallowing Dissertation 

 was coinposed chiefly by the late Rev. Mr. Gay.' The 

 author of the Dissertation must therefore have died 

 in or before 1758. But in the entry of Gay (4.) 

 1762 (who was without doubt nephew of 1.), I 

 do not find ' defuncti' attached to his father's name, 

 which it has always been usual to add, in the case of 

 tlic father being deceased. 



" r am convinced in my own mind that the Mr. Gay 



j of Sidney College, mentioned by Paley in his life of 

 Bishop Law, was Gay (1.). There would be no 

 difficulty, I should think, in ascertaining the time of 

 Mr. John Gay's decease. The present vicar of Wils- 

 hamstead could no doubt readily inform you. If it 

 should be found that Mr. Jolui Gay died before 1758, 

 then there can be no question but that he is Bishop 



Law's late Mr. Gay. 



Fellow of Sidney College." 



VEBMIN, rAYMENTS FOR DESTRUCTION OF, AND 

 ANCIENT NAMES. 



(Vol. iv., p. 208.) 



Tlie 8 Eliz. c. l.T. and 14 VA'v/.. c. IL provide that 

 in every parish the churchwardens with six other 



parishioners shall yearly on one of the holydays in 

 Easter week, and at every other time when needful, 

 tax and assess every land and tithe-owner within 

 the parish to pay such sums of money as they shall 

 think meet according to the quantity of such 

 their lands or tithes, and on nonpayment thereof 

 within fourteen days after demand to forfeit five 

 shillings, which, together with the sum assessed, 

 shall be levied by distress on the goods and 

 chattels of such land or tithe-owner ; and as well 

 the said sums as penalties shall be delivered to 

 two honest and substantial persons of the parish 

 eligible by the churchwardens, to be named "The 

 distribution of the provisions for the destruction of 

 noisome fowl and vermin." Such is the authority 

 required by J. B. (Manchester), by which church- 

 wardens in old times paid sums of money for the 

 destruction of vermin in the several parishes of 

 England. It will, however, be observed that their 

 authority was not confined to " vermin," but ex- 

 tended to the "fowls of the air;" and the "old 

 volumes of churchwardens' accounts," to which 

 your correspondent has access, amply testify to 

 the fact that those churchwardens were fully 

 alive to their duty, powers, and authority, under 

 the above-named statutes ; inasmuch as two, at 

 least, of the ancient names belong to the feathered 

 tribe ; glead being identical with kite, and ringteal 

 or 7-ingtail (iiuhbuteo) with a species of hairk, in 

 some districts more commonly called the huhhy. 

 Greas head I must leave to some other head to 

 determine, unless indeed is meant the great- 

 shrike or butcher-bird belonging to the same order 

 (dccipitres) as the kite and ringtail or hobby. Not- 

 withstanding J. B.'s diffidence, I am much inclined 

 to adopt his surmise, that the worthy church- 

 warden really intended badger when he wrote 

 baggar. Franciscds. 



It is hardly so impossible to identify the animals 

 mentioned by your correspondent J. B. as he 

 supposes. Glead is the A.-S. glida or kite, though, 

 in our version of Deut. xiv. 13., both glede and 

 kite are mentioned. Ringteal or ringtail is the 

 female of the Circus cyaneus or hen-harrier, another 

 species of falcon. Greas' head and baggar refer to 

 the same animal (the badger), for there is no 

 wonder that a scribe who writes greas'' head for 

 grays head should write also baggar for badger. 

 This latter animal has a variety of names by which 

 he is known in one and the same district, c.^. gray 

 or gray e^ baicson or buwson, b?'ock and badger, and 

 in (mr churchwardens' accounts these names occur 

 indiscriminately. I hope some one will be able to 

 point out the origin of paying for the destruction 

 of these animals out of the parochial funds ; I have 

 frequently searched without success such autho- 

 rities as I have access to. The earliest entry of 

 tiie kind in the books of this parish (which date 

 from 1520) is in 1583. 



