president's address. 231 



without lifting a cover. All students owe a debt of gratitude to 

 Mr. Eandolph greater than I can express. No such work has 

 been undertaken, so far as I know, or is likely to be undertaken 

 in any other diocese in the kingdom. 



In 1558, another series of registers was established called 

 "Act Books," containing a variety of information excluded from 

 the registers proper. They contain licenses to marry, to practice 

 medicine and surgery, to keep school, and a variety of other 

 matter of more or less interest. 



There are also deposited in this office Perambulations, and 

 Terriers of ecclesiastical lands, and Inventories of church goods, 

 &c. Among the archives of some of the ancient Cornish boroughs 

 may be found many mediseval documents of considerable interest 

 and historic value. 



There is another class of records, of vast importance as regards 

 the devolution of lands and manors, and the descent of families, 

 which I have omitted to notice. I allude to Charters, Deeds, 

 Manor rolls, and other classes of records connected with matters 

 territorial : I do not know what repositories there may be of 

 such archives in the county of Cornwall, nor do I know if any 

 agent of the Historical Commission has visited and reported 

 upon private collections in the county. But I chance to know 

 that there is a large and very valuable collection of ancient 

 Charters at Tregothnan, and doubtless in other similar houses in 

 the county, to which a gentleman writing a history of the county 

 on a large scale it is hoped would not be refused access, for in 

 such houses much valuable material, unknown to the owners, 

 might bo found by an expert. Manor rolls, also, are most 

 invaluable as aids to a local knowledge of the social and econ- 

 omical condition of the rural population in mediaeval times. 

 They throw great light on the tenure of land, the customs of 

 manors, which were very various, the systems of agriculture 

 practised, and the gradual abolition of servile tenures. By the 

 enfranchisement of copy-holds, manors are rapidly becoming 

 extinguished, for without copy -holders to form the " homage " 

 the memorial system cannot be carried out. 



The great and valuable works of the late Dr. Oliver are 

 doubtless familiar to most persons here, but perhaps some may 



