OLD ENGLISH PIPES. 



163 



kind were found in the parish of Old Swinford in 

 Worcestershire, and the country folks there had a 

 tradition that it was a favourite spot for the resort 

 of Queen Mab and her court, and that among other 

 appendages of royalty was a fairy pipe-manufactory, of 

 which these were the remains. Nearly all of them 

 had initials or maker's marks on the broad stem, which 

 was formed to allow the pipe to be laid on the table in 

 an upright position for the temporary convenience of 

 the smoker, a fashion now " gone out," but which 

 might be revived with advantage. 



The result of Mr. Croker's unremitting attention to 

 the age of pipes and their forms, he obligingly com- 

 municated to the author of this volume, before his 

 death ; and a selection carefully made from many 

 hundreds, gave the varieties here engraved, from the 



era of Elizabeth to that of William the Third :— Fig 1 

 was found at Dundanion Castle (between Innishannon 

 and Bandon), Ireland ; it is chiefly remarkable for a 



