i 3 6 



THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY &> NATURALIST. 



to learn how a fairy tale, for instance, or a super- 

 stitution is paralleled amongst civilized or savage 

 races in distant parts of the world. 



Telling bees of the death of their owner is an item to be 

 met with nearly all over Europe ; and sometimes, as in 

 Hertfordshire, the plough horses are the recipients of the 

 message. A spider descending upon any one from the 

 roof is a token of great good luck in many parts ' England 

 and in Ireland. To have a hare cross your path is unlucky. 

 * * * To tell bees of the death of their owner is a 

 Hindu custom ; the descent of a spider is a lucky omen in 

 Polynesia ; a hare crossing the path is unlucky in India, 

 among Arab tribes, the Laplanders, and in south Africa. 



It will be seen that there is here an extensive field 

 for any one making Folk-lore his hobby, with the 

 advantage that the subject is not hackneyed, and that 

 the researches even of a tyro may have some value in 

 advancing the study. It is by no means difficult to 

 unearth a variety of examples in our towns and 

 villages. To gitfe an instance or two that have come 

 under the writer's observation. The other day the 

 housewife leaned the poker up against the bars of the 

 grate in the full belief that it would help the fire to 

 burn. When at the Longstone or Mote-stone which 

 gave its name to Mottistone, in the Isle of Wight, the 

 other day he was told by an inhabitant of the locality 

 that the two stones were said to have been thrown 

 there from St. Catherine's Down (seven miles away 

 as the crow flies), the larger one by a giant and the 

 smaller by the Devil ; and that the giant had to stoop 

 to throw his stone because it was so heavy. The 

 belief in Satanic action in connection with ancient 

 remains is widespread. Then there are stories of the 

 pixies in the New Forest, Southampton has its legend 

 of Sir Bevis, and examples might be multiplied in- 

 definitely. Any one going in for the collection will 

 find Mr. Gomme's little handbook of great service ; it 

 gives information as to how to go to work, and gives 

 many suggestive questions. 



The best collecting is that which is done by accident, by 

 living among the people and garnering up the sayings and 

 the stories they let fall from time to time. But one can 

 hardly make a complete collection, even within a limited 

 area, in this way ; and deliberate search is therefore neces- 

 sary, which is often a very uphill task, though to the 

 student ol human nature, who "loves his fellow men," it 

 must always be an entertaining and pleasant one, calcula- 

 ted to add to his enjoyment of a country holiday. 



For our part we shall be willing to afford facilities 

 to collectors and to invite co-operation (or merely 

 isolated records) through the medium of our " Local 

 Notes and Queries " column. The subject would be 

 a good one for some member or members of the 

 Hants Field Club, whose meetings bring several 

 instances to light, and the materials would soon be 

 obtained for an interesting paper for a literary or 

 debating society. 



There is one omission in the handbook, which 

 should be remedied in a future edition. There is no 

 index or table of contents. And in reading it we do 

 not remember having seen any reference to the signi- 



ficance of dreams. On this point we reprinted a few 

 weeks ago a curious fulfilment of a dream in connec- 

 tion with the destruction of Netley Abbey. A few 

 words might also be given to the origin of the name 

 " Folk-lore." 



DISCOVERY OF OLD COINS. 



A few days ago as the workmen were demolishing 

 the old premises at No. 33, High-street, Southamp- 

 ton, and while removing a portion of the flooring 

 they came upon two silver coins between the joists 

 near the hearthstone. They were both in good pre- 

 servation, and only slightly tarnished. The larger 

 one about the size of a florin bore the date 1670 ; 

 the other, the size of a shilling, was dated 1709. They 

 ultimately came into the possession of Mr. Harding, 

 dealer in the antique, High-street. 



ST. BONIFACE AT NURSLING. 



I think that C.S. can have no scruple in reckoning 

 St. Boniface among the worthies of Devonshire. 

 Willibald's biography is quite clear on that point, but 

 if we are to consider Bishop Grandison's statement, 

 founded on ancient legends, that Crediton was the 

 place of his birth to be a mere guess, and if Camden's 

 account had no better ground than Bishop Grandi- 

 son's guess, I fear that " no further light has been 

 or can be thrown upon Boniface's place of birth.'' 

 In a work published at Ratisbon in 1880, styled " St. 

 Bonifacius und seine Zeib," the author quotes his 

 authority for every statement which he makes. With 

 respect to Winfnd's birthplace, he gives Camden as 

 his authority ; as Willibald only alludes to it as being 

 near Adescancastre, which must, I think, be a Saxon 

 form "of ad Exan Castrum. Now for the question 

 " Can we take it that Winfrid's education began at 

 Exeter and finished at Nutshalling?" Can we have 

 any doubt of this, so clearly recorded in his life by 

 his contemporary and relation, Willibald ? 



C.C.B. 



STOKE CHARITY. 



At the meeting of the Hampshire Field Club at 

 Stoke Charity in July, I mentioned that the earliest 

 owner of the manor of whom we have any record 

 after the Norman Conquest is William de Feritate, 

 who held it as part of his Norman barony in right of 

 the conquest of England, and I suggested, in the 

 absence of better evidence at that time, that perhaps 

 the name of the place might have been derived from 

 his family by a corruption of pronunciation. Better 

 evidence has since come to hand. The visit of the 

 club aroused the interest of the Rev. A. C. Radcliffe, 

 the Vicar, and of his brother, who is I believe a 

 Barrister-at-Law, in this subject. Mr. Radcliffe has 



