12 



THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY NATURALIST. 



tion. " I never meant," he writes, "instating that 

 Greywell Church, according to tradition, was built in 

 1215, in King John's reign, to imply that it was built ' 

 by him, as he would not favour church building ; 

 still less would he favour anything in commemoration 

 of Magna Charta. Far more likely to be the work of 

 the priests-vicars, holding the tithe. The rectorial 

 was commuted at .1,690, and the vicarial 31^583. 

 Both were united until the rectorial was confiscated 

 by Henry VIII." With regard to the font, he says 

 that there are only two others in England similar to 

 the one at Odiham ; but many cases of such excre- 

 scences occur on the continent. The name on one of 

 the brasses should be Mary Pye (not Py). 



A paper of Miss Emma Swann, niece of Professor 

 Westwood, on " Fonts of unusual shape with 

 appendages " was read at a meeting of the Oxford 

 Archl. and Historical Society, in March, 1887, and in 

 it was described and figured the Odiham font. This 

 paper is just being published, and the following is the 

 part specially relating to Odiham font : 



Odiham font is peculiar from being, in the first place, an 

 inscribed one. This inscription, sent me by the Rev. G. 

 W. Minns, is cut in augulated gothic characters about six 

 inches high round the basin of the font and is to be read : 

 Auxiliu meum a dno qui fecit ccefu (et)tra, and is pre- 

 ceeded by a pretty lily flower. The font is further remark- 

 able for its curious oblong projection on the south-west 

 side of the basin, which projection has not been added to 

 the side of the font, but has evidently been cut out of one 

 block of stone with the basin. It is hollowed out into a 

 species of small trough, 5 inches in length by 3^ in breadth, 

 and i| in depth. At the bottom of this trough are two 

 round holes, one at each side, with an external outlet 

 on each side of the projection which would 

 serve as drains, by means of which any liquid 

 poured into the trough would escape and trickle 

 down the outside of the font. Various uses have been 

 assigned to this projection; the most likely ones being 

 either that it was for fastening on a cover by means of a 

 bolt running through the two holes, or that it was a piscina 

 to carry off the water poured over the head of the baptised 

 person, and prevent this water from falling back into the 

 consecrated water in the font. The use of these piscinas 

 is required in early baptismal ceremonies, and they are 

 still in use amongst Roman Catholics. Fonts with 

 secondary receptacles are unusual in England, although 

 there are some examples of them. I have drawings of fonts 

 in France, Jersey, Sweden, and Wales with these append- 

 ages. I may add that from the style of the lettering on the 

 Odiham font it is probably of the i4thcenturv. 



SOUTHAMPTON'S ANCIENT COMMERCE. 



King Henry VI having taken to his own use a 

 certain quantity of Allom soyle, of the value of eight 

 thousand pounds, the property of the merchants of 

 Geno, being in the port of Southampton, in order to 

 secure the payment of the said sum to the said mer- 

 chants, it was ordained by the King, Lords, and Com- 

 moners, in Parliament assembled, that the said mer- 

 chants should ship in vessels to pass the Straits of 

 Marrok, all wools, woolfells, tin, and other merchan- 



dise to them belonging in the port of Southampton, 

 and also to discharge and put to land all merchandise 

 to them belonging, coming into the said port from 

 parts beyond the sea, and retain the duties and 

 customs arising thereupon in their own hands to- 

 wards the payment of the said sum ; and should like- 

 wise take and receive all manner of customs and sub- 

 sidies arising and growing in the said port after a 

 certain day then following, upon all manner of wools, 

 woolfells, hides, tin, and other merchandise, which 

 after that day should be shipped, until the said sum 

 of eight thousand pounds should be fully paid and 

 satisfied. (Rot. Parl. 29th Henry VI, as quoted 

 in Worsley's Isle of Wight.') 



J. DORE. 



THE HAMPSHIRE INDEPENDENT, October 26, 1889. 



" ROYAL WINCHESTER." 



Winchester is a city with such a wealth of historical 

 and antiquarian associations that it is not astonishing 

 that it has attracted the pens of many writers. Its 

 history has been recorded by Milner, and again in 

 more popular form by the Misses Bramston and 

 Leroy, without, however, detracting from the 

 welcome which will greet the promised work of 

 Dr. Kitchin, the present accomplished and learned 

 Dean. Under the title of " Royal Winchester " there 

 has just been published an attractive book of 

 " wanderings in and about the ancient capital of Eng- 

 land " by the Rev. A. G. L'Estrange, M.A.,* illustrated 

 with numerous engravings from original sketches by 

 C. G. Harper. The book is cast in the form of walks 

 about the charming old city, in which the author 

 chaperones a couple of friends, discoursing to them 

 on the historical events connected with the various 

 buildings met with. And as we wander about under 

 his guidance we feel that there is scarcely a turning, 

 scarcely a street, but has its link with 

 the past and some tale of the older 

 days to tell. Churches, castles, public buildings 

 of every description are all visited in turn, the old 

 inns are called upon, and the city walls perambulated. 

 Of each and all there is something ot interest to record, 

 and the guide does his work in a way that not only 

 must have given satisfaction to his visitors, but will 

 engross the attention of his readers. For the book 

 is not written in a dry-as-dust antiquarian style, 

 bristling with controvertable matter and an array of 

 authorities, but the historical parts are dealt with in a 

 light and sketchy manner so as not to weary the most 

 fastidious. So far indeed is it from any danger of 

 this that one cannot fail to find entertainment either 

 in picking up the book and opening it here and there, 

 or in reading it through from beginning to end. 



As the ancient capital of England, Winchester has 

 taken a very prominent part in our national history 

 'London : Spencer Blackett and Hallara, 1889. 



