Reviews and Book Notices. 239 
A History of Barmby Moor from Prehistoric Times, by W. D. Wood 
Rees, Vicar. Pocklington, 1911. 109 pp., 3/-. 
In sending us this pamphlet, the author asks us to cast it aside if it 
is not worth favourable mention, as he would rather it were buried in 
oblivion than ‘dam’d’ with faint praise. We feel flattered to hear that 
if the book is not noticed in this journal it may be ‘ buried in oblivion,’ and 
as we can hardly give it even faint praise, it is a little difficult to know what 
to do. However, as only a small edition has been issued, and half of this 
has been sold, it is just within the bounds of possibility that a new edition 
may be called for at some future time. This being so, we beg to offer a 
few suggestions for the benefit of the author. In the first place, instead 
of consulting Taylor’s ‘ Book of British Fossils,’ William Andrews’ works, 
Moule’s ‘ English Counties,’ and ‘ Placito De Quo Warranto,’ he should 
read Cox’s ‘ How to write the history of a Parish,’ the Geological Survey 
Memoirs for the district, and, for the natural history, the publications 
of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. None of these appear to have been 
seen. The words ‘ A History’ in the title should read ‘ A Scrapbook,’ in 
order to more accurately define the contents. The portrait and autograph 
of the author as frontispiece should be omitted, as it may give the impres- 
sion that the author is rather proud of this ‘history’, whereas, as a matter 
of fact, he refers to it as ‘puny.’ Part of the book is addressed to his 
parishioners, and part to ‘my readers.’ It should be addressed to the 
one or the other throughout, or to neither. There is no evidence that the 
weight of the glaciers during the great Ice Age caused them to ‘ sink in,’ 
and melting, leave their heterogeneous deposits deep in the clay.’ The 
‘red deer jaws,’ figured on page 2, are jaws of a cart-horse, with some of 
the teeth in their wrong places.. The description of the illustration should 
therefore be deleted, as well as the accompanying letterpress. The red 
deer was not ‘ very much larger than a horse,’ and in examining the skeleton 
in the York Museum, the author did not trouble to read the label, or he 
would have found out it was ‘Irish Elk’; a very different animal. ‘The 
Scripture and Primeval Lore,’ quoting the piffle about ‘ bronze, translated 
brass, is mentioned forty-three times. Iron is mentioned only four times,’ 
in the Bible, should be omitted, as it conveys nothing. There are no 
such things as ‘ five-flanged’’ and ‘ docketed’ axes; somebody’s hand- 
writing has not been distinct. The Sancton urns are Saxon, not British, 
and they do not contain ‘ silver-grit.’ Geologists do not call thunderbolts 
‘ dirivative oolitic belemnites,’ and do not know ‘ coral mussels,’ and would 
spell rhynchonelle and Hippopodium properly. We should want much 
more evidence before accepting the statement that the foundations of 
“two rooms, nearly square,’ found on the site of the new vicarage, were an 
‘ Ancient British: Cottage.’ Under the heading ‘The Roman Road,’ we 
expected to find a little more than the statement that the author was 
“very proud and thankful’ he helped the surveyor to trace it. There 
should be more about the part played by the village inn in the old coaching 
days: the Barmby Moor Inn being a halting place for the horses. An 
old oil-painting of the inn exists in a Yorkshire Museum, and was described 
in one of its publications. ‘Our dear old parish church’ appears to be 
a new one. The modern custom of throwing confetti at weddings may. 
be ‘ meaningless, foolish and annoying’, but if the present writer were 
ever able to have the opportunity of choosing, he would prefer confetti, 
even if the chickens did go without a feed. The vicar only ‘ fancies’ 
that kissing under the mistletoe is still in vogue at Barmby: he ought to 
make certain. Nuremburg tokens are found everywhere, and the one 
found at Barmby had nothing to do with Nuremburg pilgrims going to the 
shrine at Wilberfoss. There are five different newts recorded for Barmby 
in this ‘ History ’—two more than appears in the Yorkshire list ; and the 
author says he finds a reference to the hedgehog in ‘Harl. MSS.’ We 
wonder what that is, as it is not referred to in the ‘ list of Books and MSS. 
consulted.’ The quotations from George Wales’ ‘ Book of Charms’ is 
igtt June tr. 
