2i8 RECORDS OF OLD TIMES 



water-bearing stratum of the chalk formation. One 

 of St. Edburg, at Ellesborough, from which prob- 

 ably the village took its name. There still exists 

 a well dedicated to Sir John Schorne, at North 

 Marston, which had great credit for curing the 

 ague. This local saint was a remarkable instance 

 of a corruption of words. The legend was, 



Sir John Schorne, gentleman borne, 

 Conjured the devil into a boot. 



There are old stone carvings and other representa- 

 tions of this feat, in which there is a large boot, 

 and the devil's head appearing at the top, and his 

 forked tail coming out at the bottom. There is, 

 however, little doubt that the legend means — that 

 the wonderful knight ' conjured,' or ' persuaded,' him 

 into a ' boot,' or an ' exchange,' for some supposed 

 service rendered. Throughout England holy wells 

 exist, many of great antiquity, most of them famed 

 for curing certain diseases. Notwithstanding their 

 sanctity, they were not so efficacious in curing 

 maladies as the 'royal touch,' as was shown by 

 one Wulwin, a Saxon, son of Wulmar, of the village 

 of Nutegershall (Ludgershall, in Bucks), who, after 

 hard labour in cutting down fuel in the wood at 

 Brill, in the neighbourhood, fell into a deep sleep, 

 and lost his sight for seventeen years ; and then, 

 upon the strength of it, dreamt that he went round to 

 eighty-seven churches, to beg relief from their re- 

 spective saints, and at last came blind to the King's 

 Court at Windsor, when he was immediately cured 

 by a touch of the King's hand. Various rites were 



