It would, we know, be idle to talk to men who know not the names of their own grandfathers, about the value of historical associations; but as it is a matter of policy to increase the respect of the lower orders for the aristocracy, is it, we ask, wise to remove the few architectural remains which involuntarily excite respect for such members of the peerage as derive their wealth and honours from ancestors whose fame forms part of their history? Can a man view Alnwick, Arundel, or Warwick castles, for instance, without inquiring into the history of these magnificent edifices; and does not that history impress him with respect for the representatives of their former owners, as well as for the elevated station which enabled them to perform those deeds which thrill the listener with interest and wonder? Little analogy as there may appear to be between ancient castles or palaces and the aristocracy, government may rest assured that they insensibly decrease the veneration of the public for the second estate in the realm, when they destroy buildings which are identified with those events in English history whence the most ancient of our nobility derived their honours, or in which they were conspicuous. Far be it from us to deny, that the man who, by his talents and virtues, acquires a patent of nobility, is inferior to him whose ancestor gained it by the same means four hundred years ago; but we do assert, that the respect paid to the peerage is mainly to be attributed to the historical associations connected with the names we have mentioned; and that in proportion as objects which cannot fail to keep that respect alive are removed, the peerage itself is lessened in the public estimation.

BRITISH MUSEUM.-We would suggest to the trustees of the British Museum, the propriety of placing in the Reading-room an interleaved copy of the catalogue of each collection of their MSS., for the insertion of notices of such as have been edited. A regulation might be formed, that, upon the publication of any entire MS. or portion of one, the editor should furnish the Keeper of the Manuscripts with a reference to such printed copy. Similar mention ought to be made of complete transcripts taken at any time from a volume, although not for the immediate purpose of publication, in case of injury happening to the original.

Is it to indulge a personal pique, at the expense of the public, that a printed Catalogue of one department of MSS. is not placed among the other Catalogues in the Reading-Room?

The most important purpose of the Library is, that it may contain voluminous works, and more particularly books of reference, which are not readily to be found elsewhere. Among these may be classed the "London Gazettes." The set in the Museum is not only very imperfect, but many of the volumes for the last ten years are bound up without the Indexes, and neither these Gazettes nor any other periodical publication is, we are told, placed in the Library for two years after its appearance. Now, is it too much trouble for one among the host of librarians, sub-librarians, deputy sub-librarians, and assistants of that establishment to see that so valuable an official publication as the London Gazettes" is bound up properly, and that it be regularly supplied?

66

In one of the most valuable, but least known, Collections in the Museum are about ten thousand charters, which were indexed by Ayscough. Why is not that Index printed?

THE WARRENS OF POYNTON.-The principal object of "The History of the House of Warren," a work in which it is manifest that great attention was given to the subject by its learned author, was to prove that a race of gentry of the name of Warren, who had resided, from the reign of Edward III., at Poynton, near Stockport, in Cheshire, were in legitimate descent from the ancient Earls of Warren; and that, being so descended, the head of that family had a right to the earldom of Warren.

The second position was a palpable non sequitur. For if it could have been proved, to the satisfaction of a Lords' Committee, that Sir George Warren did descend in the line contended for by Mr. Watson, it would by no means have followed that he was entitled to the rank and privileges of Earl of Warren, which had once passed to the issue of a female heiress; and, on the same principle, would have gone, on the death of John, the last Earl of Warren, if any where, to the issue of his sister, the Countess of Arundel.

In his first position he appears to be equally in error. He has shown, indeed, that Vincent1 and Dugdale' are both wrong when they deduce the Warrens of Poynton from John de Warren, an illegitimate son of the last Earl. He has also produced very probable reasons why the Warrens of Poynton did not descend, as others have conjectured, from a John de Warren, said to be son of John, the seventh Earl, who died in 1304, by a second wife, a daughter of Mowbray. But it does not follow that, having cleared away these two hypotheses, the third which he adopts becomes established as indisputably true. We are persuaded, indeed, that that hypothesis is equally without the support of evidence, and in opposition to very pertinent probabilities with the two which Mr. Watson has ably disposed of.

It is admitted that the Poynton family descend from a Sir Edward Warren, who was living in the reign of Edward III. This is a point about which there is no dispute. The question is, how Sir Edward was connected with the Earls? Mr. Watson deduces his descent from Reginald, a second son of William, the second Earl (and consequently grandson to Gundred, the daughter of the Conqueror), who is said to have had, by Adeliza, a daughter of Roger de Mowbray, William, his only son and heir; who, by Isabel, a daughter of Sir William de Haydon, had Sir John Warren; who, by Alice, daughter of Roger de Townsend, had another Sir John, father to Sir Edward, by Joan, daughter of Sir Hugh Port.

Now, we have no attempt to prove the existence of the two Sir Johns: no inquisitions (for the latter of these, at least, must have lived within the period through which we are so rich in that species of evidence): no reference to any thing which has the semblance of authority for the marriage with Townsend and Port. The whole is

taken from an unsupported pedigree, which purports to have been prepared by Flower and Glover, but which would seem to betray some inferior hand, when it gravely states that Hugh Capet was the son of Osmund de Comitis Villâ, by Warina, sister to Herfastus, did we not know that the truly respectable name of Glover is subscribed to other northern pedigrees in which there are errors as palpable. We think, therefore, that till there is something to prove the existence at least of these two Sir Johns and their wives, it were too much to call upon his majesty to allow a dignity to their supposed personal representative, which would have had the effect of placing him above all the earls of the realm. We think, moreover, that the true descent of Sir Edward Warren, and consequently the relation in which the Warrens of Poynton stand to the Earls of Warren, is shown in a very satisfactory manner in a volume relating to the topography of the south part of Yorkshire, which has been lately published. It was known to Dugdale that the last Earl of Warren, who died in 1347, left a will which was entered in the register of Zouch, Archbishop of York. Mr. Watson, when he was preparing his History of the House of Warren, inquired for this will; but, to his great mortification, found that Zouch's register, which contained it, was lost. He was therefore compelled to take his knowledge of it from the few notices of its contents to be found in Dugdale's Baronage, In the course of the researches made for the topographical work just referred to, the author discovered, not indeed the original register, but a very valuable abstract of it made by Dugdale's great friend and coadjutor, Dodsworth'; and in that abstract a much more ample notice of the contents of the earl's will than is to be found in the Baronage. He mentions in it several children, males and females, all of whom must have been illegitimate; and amongst them occurs the name of Edward de Warren, to whom he leaves 201.

It is then for the first time shown, that the last Earl of Warren had a son who bore the name of Edward; and as the house of Poynton is known to descend from an Edward de Warren, who must have been contemporary with that Edward; as there was a strong current of tradition that it did descend from an illegitimate son of the last Earl of Warren; as the distinction in the arms of the Warrens of Poynton was a lion rampant ermine, which was the coat of Nereford, and the earl is well known to have had a mistress of the name of Maud de Nereford; as there is also an absence of all evidence for any other descent of Sir Edward Warren, the undoubted ancestor,-we confess we see not how the conclusion can be evaded that he is the Edward de Warren named in the will, a son, but not legitimate, of the eighth and last Earl.

The name of Warren was allowed to all the male issue of the Earl. This appears to have been on the same principle that the Cornwalls, Barons of Burford, and the Somersets, now Dukes of Beaufort, had their surnames. The one descended from an Earl of Cornwall, the other from an Earl of Somerset. So the Earl of Warren gave the

1 Dodsworth's MSS. at the Bodleian, vol. xxviii. f. 134.

name of his earldom to his illegitimate sons. Another illegitimate son of the Earl of Warren not noticed by Watson, named Ravelyn, is mentioned in the Rolls of Parliament, 9 Edward III. '

"OF THE SIGNIFICATION OF THE ARMOR Of a Knight.-Unto a Knight, which is the most honourable office above all other, is given a sword, which is made like unto a crosse, for the redempc'on of mankinde, in signifying that like as o'r Lord God died uppon the crosse for the redempc'on of mankinde, even soe a knight ought to defend the crosse and to overcome and destroie the enemies of the same; and it hath twoe edges, in tokening that with the sword he ought to meyntayne knighthood and justice. Alsoe to him is given a spere, signifying truth, which is even as a speare; and truth ought to goe before falsehood: the iron of the speare betokeneth that truth hath much strength afore falsehood; which truth is susteyned by hope. The targett is put forth afore him and sheweth it to the people, which keepeth him from the stroke of the enemie; even soe it betokeneth that truth doth shewe himselfe to all men, and hath not power to doe any falsehood. The helmett is close, and a man having it on cannot looke on highe but towards the earth, which alsoe defendeth the cheife most highe and principall member of man's bodie, which betokeneth feare, without which principall he cannot be obeisant to the said order; whearby it maketh him ashamed to incline himselfe to any vilanous deeds, which be contrarie to the said most noble office. The bodie harnissed, which is close and suer to his bodie on all sides, betokeneth a castell or fortresse, which is well kepte and closse, that noe man enter into it, which unto the knight giveth noble corage; soe that by his default theare can enter into him neither treason, shame, unfaithfulness, or other kinde of vices, and alsoe keepeth his bodie that he be not suddenlie overcome. The legg harnisse is given a knight to keep him suer from perill, signifying that a knight with sword, speare, mace, and other necessaries of iron, which apperteyneth to a knight, ought not to shrinke, but keep his waie. The spurres be given him to put forth and prick his horse for the more expedic'on makeing, signifying dilligence and spede; for thearby he maye mayntayne the highe hono'r which he hath and maketh hast for his things to be done. The gorgett is given a knight to keep and defend him from strokes, which, without it, would soone pierce him, for it is writhen aboute his neck; which betokeneth obedience, which maketh him to fulfill the said order, and to doe his sovereign's will and commandements; whearby treason, desceit, unfeithfulness, nor other kinde of vice, maye cause him to breake the oathe which he hath made, and contrariewise being disobedient he doth dishonor his lord, and worketh not according to his oath and order. The marke, token, or armes, is given a knight to the end that he maye be discerned and the better knowne howe farre and which waye he goeth, signifying thearby his force and courage; which force of corage defendeth a knight from

1 Vol. ii. p. 88.

VOL. II.-PART III.

M M

all manner of vices, and inforceth him to vertues and good customes, by the which they maynteyne rightfullie the order of knighthood, according to the high honor which to them is due and app'teyneth. The shield is given him to put betwene the enemie and him to beare of the strokes, betokening that a knight's office is to be meane betweene the king and his people, for a p'fect unitie betwene them. The gantletts are given a knight to weare on his hands, to the end he maye defend the same, and maye be the more suer to receive the strokes if it chance any part of his armo to faile, signifying that beside noble corage, yet vertue ought to be in him, to the end that if his corage did pricke him to do any thing contrarie to the said order, yet vertue might staie him and resist the same. The saddell of his horse is to the end that he maye sit suer therein and stedfast when he rideth, soe that he cannot stirr or move unlesse he be willing; signifying thearby the steadfastnes and suertie of courage which ought to be in him; whearby it causeth him to be in the front of the battaile, wch suertie aideth him in adventuring for the love of knighthood. And the great charge and deed of knighthood is, that he ought not to remove or retorne from things lawfull. The horse is given to the said knight, whearby he is mounted and sett more higher than another man, and seen further of; signifying thearby the noblenes of courage, and the apt and redie apparrelling of him to that which apperteyneth to the order of knighthood more in him than any other man. The horse hath a bridle, which the knight holdeth in his hand by the raynes, whearby he maye holde and refrayne his horse at his will; signifying thearby that he ought likewise to refreyne his will from evil, end to bend himselfe to goodnes."-From a MS. in the College of Arms.

PERQUIRENDA.

ROLLS OF PARLIAMENT.-We believe an Index to these valuable parliamentary and historical documents was commenced about the year 1767. When we consider their importance, and the rigidness with which evidence is exacted of the fact of a sitting under a writ of summons to Parliament in cases of claims to peerages, and which are to be founded upon the Records of Parliament, we can readily imagine of what infinite value this Index would be; and few persons will deny that it ought long since to have been published. That accuracy in a work of that nature is of essential importance is most clear; and consequently a series of years may have been required for the perfection of so laborious an undertaking, in order to prevent the possibility of a second life being devoted to the same object. Still, however, should it assume the most perfect form, time and money enough have been sacrificed. We cannot therefore be deemed impatient, if, after the lapse of a half century, we venture to inquire, whether it is likely to be completed before the moths and worms have destroyed those sheets which have been some years lying useless in the printer's warehouses? Many are the works, whose authors are long since numbered with the dead, that might have benefited by the references