264 CORRESPONDENCE OF GILBERT WHITE 



foot from the Earth, and S r Simeon Stuart's* Oak is 14 feet 

 at 4 feet from the Earth. The best Oak i have, is 14 F. 2 L& 



• [That Sir Simeon Stuart, who owned and occupied the parish of 

 Hartley Maudit, and who at one time represented the county in Parliament, 

 was closely associated with the contiguous parish of Selborne, is shown 

 by the following letter, which was addressed by him " To Mr. White, at 

 Selebourn ;" to which is added, in another hand, " To be given to the next 

 vicar." It is remarkable that Gilbert White, the vicar, the grandfather 

 of the naturalist, had died in February of the same year; and, although 

 the letter is dated eight mouths later, Sir Simeon could not even then 

 have been aware that he had lost his neighbour. — T. B. 



" Harteley, Nov. 22, 1727. 



" Sib, 

 " In the last will of my Lady Stuart my Grandmother, there is a 

 clause hisce verbis. ' I give & devise to y e L d of y e mann r & the Church 

 Wardens & Overseers of y e poor of Harteley Maudytt Com. Southton, 

 fifty pounds to be laid out by them on the purchase of some land or house 

 for"y e use & intent following, that is to say y* they the then L d of y e 

 Mann r Ch Ward ns & Overseers of y e poor shall procure an able minister 

 out of the neighbourhood of y e s d Parish of Harteley every year on y e day 

 of my Death, to preach a Sermon in y' parish Church on Death, future 

 Judgement or on the Resurrection from Death. And for the Ministers 

 pains in so doing to give unto y e s d Minister for so doing 20 s , & y* they, 

 y e s d L d of the Mann r Ch War & Overseers of y e Poor shall distribute 

 "amongst y e poor people of y e parish of Selebourn and y e poor people of 

 Harteley that shall then & there be present at Divine Service y e residue 

 of ye Rent of y e s d Land &c. without any mann r of Favour & Affection.' 

 My Lady died Sep. 1699 & there has been an annuall Sermon, & y e 

 Interest of y e s d money, y l is 50 s yearly, distributed according to y e s d 

 Will. This present year some considerable time before y e B d Day of my 

 s d Lady's obit I, as L d of y e mann r of Harteley, y c Ch: W & Over, did, by 

 writing under our hands, appoint M r Long Curate of Greathamto preach 

 y e s a Sermon on one of y e above texts— w eh when he acquainted M r 

 Avery therewith, he (Avery) did with some warmth refuse him, that he, 

 nor no other w* ever should preach in his pulpitt, and y l he would doe it 

 notwithstanding any appointment of any one— upon w ch notice being 

 given me by y e s d M r Long I caused y e poor to be made acquainted that 

 there would be no such Sermon on y l day in Harteley Church as appointed 

 by y e Testatrix & of the true reason thereof, as well to save y e poor 

 people coming so far in vain as also to preserve my poor Grandmother's 

 intention as far as may be— but they were then acquainted that y e s d 

 money should be distributed in y e s d 2 parishes nevertheless— I was from 

 home at y 6 time but on consideration of y e size of y c parishes and of y e 

 proportions y 1 used to be had in giving y e s d money, I think it may be as 



