60 



Bishop Tanner, his Family and Writings. 



I was indeed, little aware of the difficulties connected with an 

 arrangement of my detached items of information; and the still 

 greater difficulty of producing from such scanty materials a narra- 

 tive satisfactory to the Biographical enquirer, and at all interesting 

 to general readers. 



None, except those who have undertaken similar tasks, can be 

 aware of the unavoidable errors, and the protracted, and often fruit- 

 less investigations, that arise from want of access to books of refer- 

 ence. Many things must necessarily be left to conjecture, when 

 there is rare opportunity afforded, of applying to such sources of 

 information, as lie in the MS. Department of the British Museum; 

 the Registry of Doctor's Commons; or (especially for the present 

 purpose) in the Bodleian Library at Oxford; where Bishop Tanner's 

 Collections are deposited. 



Still, the notes which I have, however imperfectly, been able to 

 put together may, at some future time, assist any compiler of 

 Parochial History, who may describe the Memorabilia of Market 

 Lavington; the "Cheping Lavington" of Camden; or as Tanner 

 calls it, in his additions to Camden, "Steeple Lavington/'' or "East 

 Lavington." 



From a correspondence with the Bev. Thomas Tanner, Yicar of 

 Burlescombe, Somerset, I learn that Tanner is a very common 

 Surname in the West of England. We find it in Wiltshire, at an 

 early date; I mean early, in reference to any Heraldic Visitation. 

 In 1569, Roger Tanner was Mayor of New Sarum; the name has 

 ever since been associated with that City; and a few years back, 

 perhaps even now, a family of Tanner resided there, who are stated 

 in Berry's and also in Burke's Heraldic Dictionary, to use the Arms 

 of Tanner of Court, Cornwall; the self same Arms which Bishop 



common knowledge of the science of blazoning arms or ensigns armorial. His 

 store of knowledge on such matters was somewhat marvellous. Hence he was 

 a valuable contributor to the pages of the original " Gentleman's Magazine" 

 and of the more modern " Notes and Queries." He died, in his 74th year, on 

 the 4th and was buried at West Lavington on the 8th May 1871. 



J. E. Jackson, 



Leigh Delamere, Hon. Canon of Bristol. 



Chippenham. 



