the same great man and real poet might, if living, have thus addressed him, and, when we regard his circumstances and his place of residence, not inaptly "Speak thou whose thoughts at humble peace repine, The Vanity of Human Wishes. It may be interesting to some readers to have a specimen of the Valor, or Rent-Roll; the following portion of it has therefore been selected, comprising the estates in Holderness, in the county of York, referred to at p. 265. DOMINIUM DE HOLDERNES. Preston, Lelley et Dyke,-Spratley,- Estanwyk, -Burton Pidse, -Skeeling,— Bondbristwyk,-Kayngham,—Outhorn,-Withornese,- Kilnese,- Esyngton,-Skeftling,-Barowe,- Skipse-maner, Pauleflete, Skipse-burgus, - Hedon, -Cleton,— Moys,-Tainstall,-Dunceley,-Helpston,-Holdernes,-Kayngham Mersk, Lanuath, --Littel Humbr,-Brustwick,- Berneston, Somma Totalis valoris omnium dominiorum, maneriorum, terrarum et tenementorum dictorum infra dominium predictum, sicut supra continetur, 9497. 118. 44d. unde de — Redd' et firm' £ 8, d. 548 15 11 267 6 51 Exit' Husbond' Perquis Cur.' Somma Total' deduction' predict' ibidem hoc anno, sicut supra continetur, 1187. 08. 94d. unde de Et valet ultra hoc anno.-8317. 108. 7d.-Inde Deduct' in Feod' et vad' diversor 1 I am indebted to the kindness of Sir Charles Anderson, Bart., who, on comparison of this list with the names of places in Holderness, as given in Poulson's History, remarks that the existing names closely correspond with the above, with some slight variations, such as Sproutley, Elstanwick, Burstwick, &c. Moys is now written Meaux. Barrowe may be Barrow on Humber, in Lincolnshire. In a MS. at Burton Constable, in the possession of Sir Clifford Constable, Lord Paramount of Holderness, Sir Charles finds Bond, Burstwick, Lambthorpe, Hildeston, and Marisc, possibly identical with Lanwath, Helpston, and Mersk, in the list above given. Dunceley in that record may be Nun-keeling, and Cleton may be Carleton. Officiar,' cum salario cappellani, et in expens' senesc,' Rec' et Aud' allocat' in compoto Receptoris ibidem, hujus anno, ut patet ibidem, 467. 4s. 71⁄2d. Et valet ultra onera anual' hoc anno, 785l. 78. 114d. Inde Deduct' in annuitat' Johannis Constable, armigeri, 10., Roberti Danby 21., et Thome Berston 10 marc., eisdem per dominum concess,' ut patet per comp' Receptoris predictum, 15l. 68. 8d. Et valet ultra hoc anno-7697. 198. 34d. Inde Deduct' in reparacion' ibidem hoc anno fact,' et in dicto compoto recept' allocat' (147. 38. 1d.) et respectuat' (15. 168. 8d.) cum expens' for' et necessariis (68. 8d.) ut patet in eodem compoto. -321. 128. 1d. Et valet ultra hoc anno clare-7371. 7s. 24d. qui faciunt in marc' 1106 marc' -61d. ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS FOR THE BIOGRAPHY OF THREE GEFFREY OF MONMOUTH, WALTER MAP, ARCHDEACON OF OXFORD, COMMUNICATED TO THE HISTORICAL SECTION, AT THE MEETING OF THE INSTITUTE AT OXFORD, MANY who, in past ages, made themselves conspicuous either by their actions or their writings, lay under great disadvantage, because their deeds before the invention of printing, were mentioned in few books, sometimes probably only in one, and therefore the knowledge of them was liable to be destroyed by a single accident. Moreover, their exploits or works having been recorded in characters which have grown obsolete with the lapse of time, the knowledge of their reputation was confined to those only who were capable of reading those characters. Therefore, all the events, which can throw additional light upon their history, should be collected together, and made accessible to the public by printing;-it becomes even a duty in those, who discover such facts, to make them known. With this persuasion, the following memorials of the lives of three celebrated writers connected with Oxfordshire, collected from the Godstow Cartulary, are presented to the Archaeological Institute. Their names are, Geffrey Artur, generally called Geffrey of Monmouth, author of the "Historia Britonum: " Walter Map, author of "Lampoons against the Cistercians," a new monastic order which had sprung up a little before his time; and Alexander de Swerford, supposed to be the author of the work entitled "De Scaccario. Geffrey Artur stands first in priority of time; partly cotemporary with him lived Walter Map; and Alexander de Swerford follows in the reign of Henry III. We meet with the mention of Geffrey Artur in the Godstow Cartulary, in two charters granted to that monastery by Walter de Wallingford, Archdeacon of Oxford, from A.D. 1104 to 1151. They are given at pages 286, 287. I will make observations upon two points in Geffrey's History. He says Walter gave him a " very old" (vetustissimum) book. Having, as I trust, proved that the book was given to Geffrey before the year 1152, it is not likely that Geffrey would have called a book written since the Conquest by the Normans a very old book; and yet in the latter part of the work he speaks of the entry of the Normans into England. This can only be accounted for by his additions to the original translation in a second edition. It would; therefore, be very desirable to have the text of his translation as it was before he made these interpolations. Where Geffrey de Monmouth was born is, I believe, not positively known. It is said at Monmouth, but I have met with no decisive evidence of that fact. My reason for making this query is, that a family surnamed, of Monmouth, existed for many generations at or near Long Marston, in Gloucestershire, and several of this family were named Galfridus, as appears by ancient charters. The inquiry might arise, therefore, did this family spring from the same origin as the celebrated historian, or may his descent be traced to the family in question? Mr. Wright, in the Preface to his edition of Walter Map's poems, has industriously collected together such particulars of the Archdeacon's history as were then known to him. Mr. Wright observes that the greater portion of our information relating to Walter Map, or Mapes, is contained in the "Speculum Ecclesiæ," an inedited work of Giraldus Cambrensis, his intimate friend, who states that Walter was a favourite of Henry II., and was esteemed by that king for his extensive learning and his courtly manners. He obtained by the king's favour various ecclesiastical dignities, being Canon of Salisbury and St. Paul's, Precentor of Lincoln, incumbent of Westbury in Co. Gloucester; and in 1197, he was made Archdeacon of Oxford.' He visited Rome between 1193 and 1205. 1 Latin Poems attributed to Walter Mapes; edit. Camd. Soc. 1841. Pref. p. v. "de Mr. Wright doubts his having written the poem, Palpone," because he does not find that Walter lived at or near Wimborne; but it is not unlikely, for, as Wimborne was in the Diocese of Sarum, he may have been a chaplain, or the incumbent there, prior to his becoming a Canon of Sarum. With regard to the origin of Walter Map, I am inclined to believe Map is a Welsh name, and, if so, it is probable that Walter was a Welshman. Hence may have arisen the friendship between this triad of illustrious writers, namely, Walter, Giraldus Cambrensis, and Geffrey of Monmouth. Walter Map took the trouble to convert Giraldus's account of Wales into a poem in that doggerel species of Latin verse, peculiar to himself, thereby showing that he felt a strong interest in the history of that country. Walter Map had a nephew living between 1183 and 1197, named Philip Map, and the name existed about 200 years since, in the person of Leonard Mapes, whose Will, dated 1620, is in the Prerogative Office, and the name may possibly exist still, under that mode of spelling it. Leland, Bale, and Pits, are said to state that Walter Map was the Archdeacon, who gave the ancient Welsh MS. of the "Historia Britonum" to Geffrey of Monmouth. The statement, however, that he received it from Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford, (cf. Pits, p. 217,) cannot relate to Walter Map, for by the following remarks it will be shown that it was not possible he should have been the donor. Walter Map was made Archdeacon of Oxford in 1196 or 1197. Geffrey says, "While I fell into a train of thought on the History of the King of Britain, (wondering that Gildas and Bede had said nothing of those kings which inhabited Britain before the birth of Christ, nothing even of Arthur, nor of many others since that time, although their actions are worthy of eternal praise, and were traditionally handed down among the people,) Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford, offered me a very old book in the Welsh language, giving the history of Britain from the time of Brutus to the reign of Cadwallader ap Cadwallon." It would be clear from this, that the book was not translated by Geffrey until after 1197, if, as I said before, this Walter, Archdeacon, should be Walter Map. Henry of Huntingdon dedicates his work to Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, who died, 1147. From this it is evident, that the additional Preface to Henry of Huntingdon (which is only found in some MSS.), where Henry speaks of Geffrey's work, must be either an interpolation, or Henry of Huntingdon must have lived fifty years after he had finished his own history, if Walter Map gave the MS. This reckoning by the common age of man, would produce this result, that Henry must have finished his history between the age of twenty and twenty-five, an age much too young to have executed such a work. William of Newburgh, who was born in the first year of Stephen, A°. 1135, writes against Geffrey, and says his History is a fiction altogether. William of Newburgh ends his History in 1197, in the same year, or the year after that, in which Walter Map was made archdeacon. If we are to suppose that William of Newburgh uttered this invective in the year 1197, as soon as he had finished his own work, we must give Geffrey great credit for industry, in translating the work so expeditiously. In one of the charters which are now brought forward, we find a Walter the Archdeacon called "de Godestow," but this seems to be another Walter, Archdeacon, not mentioned by Le Neve in his " Fasti," for he appears to have been archdeacon in the time of Henry II., which was not the case with Walter Map. It would appear probable, then, that this was Walter de Constantiis, afterwards Bishop of Lincoln. Ralph de Monemuta and Magister Galfridus Arturus were witnesses to his charter. But to one of these charters, which Geffrey Artur witnessed, Robert, Bishop of Exeter, was a witness. Now the last bishop of that name, prior to Walter Map, was Robert Warlewast, who died 1159, before Walter de Constantiis was made archdeacon; therefore this Walter de Constantiis could not be Walter the Archdeacon, who gave the book to Geffrey. We must have recourse then to a third Walter and we find another Walter in whom these several points unite. This was Walter de Wallingford, who, according to Le Neve, lived in 1151, within the episcopate of Robert Warlewast. In these charters we find as witnesses William, Abbot of Eynesham, who lived in 1138; Godfrey, Prior of Eynesham, probably the same who was afterwards Abbot in the time of Stephen; Robert, Prior of St. Frideswid, 1141; and Reginald, Abbot of Evesham, who died 1149. |