which the late porter (the sub-custodian of the Birmingham Tower records), dusted them, namely, by flinging them from the height of about twenty feet on to the floor," and he adds, that "one precious Plea Roll was found sadly mutilated by damp, all in a state of dust and dirt incredible." With these facts before us, there can scarcely remain a doubt of the immediate necessity of adopting some measure calculated to rescue the public records of Ireland from destruction, and to render them accessible to the public. It appears by a recent announcement, "that the records of the Birmingham Tower in Dublin Castle are about to be cleansed and arranged under the direction of the present Under-Secretary, Colonel Larcom," and as there are many other state records in Dublin of equal if not of greater value, and in an equally neglected state, it is very desirable that they should be no longer overlooked.

Considerable progress has, as we are informed, been made in Ireland in rendering the ancient records of the Chancery accessible to the public through the means of printed calendars and indexes. The Patent and Close Rolls of that court, which commence in the year 1301, have been thus made available for every reign from that period to the close of Henry VII.'s time, and those of the reign of Henry VIII. have been printed but not published. These calendars were printed under the directions of the Record Commission for Ireland, which began its labours in 1811, and ended them in 1830; since which time a calendar to the Patent Rolls of James I.'s reign has been printed, but is not yet published, and we understand that great desire is manifested by many of the literati of Ireland that the calendar to the entire series of these Chancery records should be completed.

The

contents of the ancient records of the King's Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer, are unknown to the public, owing to the want of books of refer ence; and nothing has yet been done towards the publication of the transcript of the Irish statutes, which was made at considerable expense to the public when the Record Commission for Ireland was in existence. As the statutes for England, Scotland, and

Wales have been printed, it appears to be but just and reasonable that those for Ireland should be published in like manner. Since the year 1830, when the Record Commission expired (a period of 24 years), nothing has been done towards rendering the state records of Ireland accessible to the public (save the mere printing of the calendar of the Patent Rolls of James I. above referred to), and, with the exception of a trifling grant recently made for the purpose of effecting a hasty arrangement of the ancient records of the Exchequer, no effort has been made during that long period of time towards their preservation or safe custody.

In consequence of the want of a general record repository and of a systematic guardianship, many of the public muniments of Ireland have (as we understand) on several occasions been abstracted from their places of deposit and sold to strangers. We will here make mention of two instances out of many. By the Irish Record Reports, vol. i. pp. 481, 482, it appears that "several volumes of original books of recognizances in chancery had been disposed of in a chandler's shop in Dorset Street (Dublin), by a representative of the late Mr. Deane, one of the Six Clerks, and clerk of the recognizances." These records were purchased, as it appears by these Reports, in or about the year 1812 by the late Sir William Betham, and they have lately appeared in the Catalogue of his Manuscripts, sold by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson, numbered 80 to 85. Whether these public records have been purchased for the public benefit, and thereby the order originally made with respect to them by the Irish Record Commissioners, that "they should be restored to the proper officer," has been carried into effect at this very favourable opportunity, we have not hitherto ascertained.

The other instance of abstraction and sale of public records to which we will advert, relates to the acquirement by purchase recently made by the present custodian of the ancient records of the Exchequer in Dublin, of several fragments of Irish records (for to fragments had they been cut) of the reigns of Edward I. and III., and of one entire roll or compotus only of the reign of

James I. This gentleman having been informed during the past year by the Rev. H. T. Ellacombe that several of the Exchequer Records of Ireland were, as he understood, then in the possession of the Baron de Lassberg in Switzerland, who had procured them of a wandering Jew, he proceeded in the month of April, 1853, to that country, and recovered them at a cost of 301.

Where so much confusion exists amongst the Irish public records, it is not surprising that the documents or records of any particular court are not to be found in any one place or department. As, for instance, the records of the King's Bench are deposited in, at the least, four different offices: 1. the Record Tower at the Castle; 2. the Rolls Office at the Four Courts; 3. the Dome of the Four Courts; and, 4. the King's Bench Offices. Those of the Common Pleas are kept partly at the Record Tower, partly at the Rolls Office, and partly in the Common Pleas Offices; and the records of the Exchequer are deposited in part at the Record Tower, partly in the Custom House, partly in the Rolls Office, and partly in the Exchequer Record Offices at the Four Courts.

With respect to all documents of a public character, it appears to us to

be essentially necessary to bear in mind three important considerations: 1st. that they should be carefully preserved from injury; 2ndly. that their safe keeping should be enforced; and 3rdly. that they should be made accessible to all men upon payment of reasonable fees. To obtain these objects, or at least some of them, two modes of dealing with records are sug gested, namely, a Special Commission or an Act of Parliament. Judging of the future by the past, it will naturally occur to the many who feel an interest in this description of public property, that all former Special Record Commissions have ever been the occasion of large expenditure and little benefit. It is possible, we admit, that much useful work may be effected under a Record Commission; but, owing to the many difficulties ever attendant upon its management, we cannot but come to the conclusion that nothing can be effectually performed for the future safe custody and preservation of the Irish Records, until they have been placed under the control of the Master of the Rolls for Ireland, by the passing of an Act for that country similar to that which has been passed for England, or that the English Act be extended to Ireland.

paper, announced as from the pen of Francis J. Baigent, esq. a local antiquary personally unknown to me, but of whose skill and fidelity in copying works of this description I have on several occasions had satisfactory demonstration. The paper comprises curious information not only in regard to the mural paintings at Winchester, and at other places, of which coloured reproductions are given from Mr. Baigent's drawings; but it supplies many par ticulars relating to Becket, his shrine, and generally to the tragic close of his life. The antiquary is indebted to the writer of this memoir for calling attention to the "Passio et miracula gloriosi martyris Thome," a MS. bequeathed by William Wykeham to Winchester college, and still preserved in the college library. This relation, it is believed, is inedited, but it appears to correspond with some of the fragments of the Life of Becket, attributed to William of Canterbury. The author or compiler, however, is at present unknown.

In perusing Mr. Baigent's dissertation, I was struck with surprise at finding a close similarity in the narrative of the martyrdom to that given in the Quarterly Review.

At first, I was somewhat startled by perceiving amongst Mr. Baigent's footnote references a citation of a passage in "Garnier," whose metrical biography of Becket is very little known in this country, and I had reason to think that, with the exception perhaps of the talented author of the Review already mentioned, scarcely any writer is familiar with the poet of Pont St. Maxence. Dr. Giles has promised to bring his production within our reach in a Supplement to his curious Collection of Biographies of Becket.

Having been thus led to refer to the Quarterly Review, it became obvious that Mr. Baigent had enriched his memoir not only with the citations but with a copious transcript from the text. The former, indeed, he scarcely appears to have comprehended, since he has simply copied the names and pages indicated by the reviewer, but gives us no clue to the works thus cited having been edited by Dr. Giles,

or to the particular volume of his Collection of Biographies to which reference is made. The expression transcript, however, is not strictly correct, since the plagiarism is accompanied by certain omissions, of those passages and phrases especially which seemed in any degree unfavourable to Becket; but the chief part of about seven pages of Mr. Baigent's composition will be found, I believe, substantially abstracted, with some interpolations and changes of phrase, from the interesting narrative of the reviewer. It can be no cause of surprise that Mr. Baigent was impressed like myself with the graphic recital, but it is surprising to find that he has omitted any acknowledg. ment of the source to which he has been so much indebted. The fidelity of the copyist, it may be observed, is shown even in the adoption of the oversights of the original.

For instance, the progress of the archbishop from his palace to the scene of the martyrdom had been inadvertently described by the reviewer as along the southern, instead of the northern, cloister; Mr. Baigent has transcribed the blunder of the press, which the slightest consideration of the localities would have corrected.

It must universally be a subject of regret that any literary or antiquarian writer, those especially whose zealous researches and ability may well claim our respect, should thus fail to recognise the imperative obligations, not only of courtesy, but of honesty, in literary concerns. An unknown reviewer may appear perhaps less securely protected from the plagiarist than those writers who do not assume an anonymous character. Any deviation, however, from honourable dealing is not on that account less reprehensible. You, Mr. Urban, have always been foremost, and most properly, to denounce any literary pilfering. Unpleasant as the duty must be, all who value historical or scientific truth must insist upon the necessity of the strictest candour in literary relations, and denounce any such disingenuous appropriations as that to which I have called your attention. Yours, &c. A. T.

IN THE CITY

MR. URBAN,-Some few months ago I was (through the kindness of the Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth) enabled to inspect an ancient volume containing the accounts of the churchwardens of that parish between the years 1539 and 1640. This interesting record appearing to have hitherto escaped the observation of those whose publications have embraced sub. jects of a similar nature, I shall, so far as

OF LONDON.

the limits of this paper will allow, endeavour to present such a selection of extracts as may interest those who are curious in such matters.

The church, from its architectural peculiarities, having received frequent notices at the hands of writers eminently qualified for their task, I shall content myself with quoting a curious passage in an old Statute Book of ST. MARY WOOL

CHURCH, mentioned by Malcolm in his Londinium Redivivum, iv. 431, which affords some information as to the ecclesiastical government of the parish in the Middle Ages:

"The parish shall chese ij. oneste persons chyrche wardens, both of goods and good name, to rule the goods and ornaments and reparacyons of the sayd chyrche, the bells with all tother thyngs, the beme lyghte with all reparacyons that longythe therto; that ys to wete, the sayd wardens to gadyr for the sayd beam lyghte iiij. tymes a yere, that ys to wete, Ester, Mydsomer, Myghelmas, and Crystmas.'

The parish was also to elect " two clerks with connyng in redyng and syngyng," whose annual wages together

amounted to 35s.

One of the earliest entries in the volume, A.D. 1539, makes mention of Sir John Percyvall, who had a chantry in this church. He was Mayor in 1498, and Sheriff in 1486, received the honour of knighthood from Henry VII. and died circa 1504.

"1539. It'm receyved of the Maister and Wardens of the Merchynt Taillors for the beme light of this churche according to the devise of Dame Thomasyn Percyvall, widow, late wyf of Sir John Percyvall, knight, decessed, xxvjs viijd

"It'm receyved more of the Maister and Wardens of Merchant-taillours for ij. tapers, th'oon of xv lb. and the other of v lb. to burne about the sepulchure in this chirch at Ester Sunday and for the churchwardens labor of this churche to gyve attendance at the obit of St John Percyvall and of his wife according to the devyse of the said Dame Thomasyn Percyvall his wyf iiijd, vjs iiijd.

"It'm receyved of the said Maister and Wardenns of Merchant-taillours for the reparacions of the ornaments of this chirche according to the will of the said St John Percyvall, vj

"It'm receyved of the Chirchwardenns of Saint Edmonds, in Lombard Strete, for the pascall light at Ester according to the wille of Thomas Wymound, that ys to say vs for the pascall and iiijd for the parson, or hys deputee, for exorting the paryshen's at their housyll to say a pater noster and an ave for the soule of the said Thomas, v* iiijd

"It'm receyved of Richard Pawlyn for the rest of the rent of the Cardynalls Hatt and the tenement in the aley for a hole yere ending at the said Myghelmas viij."

Simon Eyre, Sheriff 1434, and Mayor 1445, gave a tavern called the Cardinal's

GENT. MAG. VOL. XLII.

Hat with the adjoining tenements ("in the aley") to a brotherhood of our Ladye in this church. He died in 1459.

"It'm receyved of Sir Thomas Revett, knight, by th'ande of Mr. Bowes, alderman, for an annual quite rent goying out of the greate measuage in Lombard Strete wherin the said Mr. Bowes dwellith, graunted for evermore by Sir Hugh Brice, knight, for a hole yere iij' and iiijd."

Sir Martin Bowes, Mayor 1545, of whom there is a portrait by Holbein in the Goldsmiths' Hall, was likewise a benefactor to the church, and upon the dissolution of religious houses the presentation to the living fell into his hands. He died 1569; and suspended from the walls of the present building, on either side of the organ, are his spurs, helmet, crest, sword, gloves, tabard, and pennons, a description of which is given in Allen's History of London, vol. iii. p. 691.

Sir Hugh Brice, one of the Governors of the Mint in the Tower, was Mayor 1485, and died 1496. He built a chapel in this church called the "Charnell," as also part of the body and steeple, besides leaving money for the completion of the works.

"It'm for holy and ive* againste Crystmas, iiijd

It'm for makyng a new stop for the orgynne the xxiij. day of December, ijs iiijd "1540. It'm paid for palme flowers and cakes on Palme Sonday, vjd "It'm paid for wafers againste Estere, ijd "It'm paid for watchyng of the supulkur, viijd

"It'm paid for rose garlands on Corpus Xti day, ijs

"It'm for a holy water sprynkill, ja. "It'm for a chayne for the same sprynkyll, ijd.

"1542. It'm paid to Emery for mendyng of ye pewes, iijd.

"It'm paid for bromes on Palme Sonday even, ijd.

"It'm paid to Howe, the organ mak', for mendyng the organs, vijs.

"1543. It'm paid for water to the fonte at Ester and Whytsontide, ijd.

"It'm paid to a carpenter for iiij. days, ijs viijd.

"1544. It'm for makyng and setting up a storehous in the Cloister, vlib vjs vjd. "It'm paid for mending the belle wheles, ij".

It'm paid fra hunderthe of new latten nales to set the names on the pewes, (2) ijd.

"1547. Pd to a mason for heving down the stones where the images stode at the side aulteres, xxa.

G