underwritten shall or may affect in any way whatsoever in the future, Peregrine Gastrell esq., LL.B., vicar-general in spiritualities & official principal lawfully appointed of the revd father in Christ & lord, Lord Francis, by divine permission bishop of Chester, greeting. We certify to you by the tenor of these presents that whereas in the suit for confirming the title of a certain bench, stall, or seat, situate & being in the north part of the chancel of the parish church of Blackburn in the county of Lancaster & diocese of Chester, next adjoining & contiguous to the bench or seat of Hy Feilden gent" on the east, and to the seats in the nave of the said church on the west, and measuring 5 ft. 1 in. in length & 3 ft. 10 in. in breadth or thereabouts, which sd suit was promoted by John Livesey, John Talbot, Wm Harwood, & Nich. Townley, inhabitants of the parish of Blackburn afs, against Thos Ainsworth, of Feniscolds or Feniscowes in Pleasington & the same parish, specially, and against all & singular others whomsoever having or pretending to have any right title or interest whatever in the bench, stall, or seat. afsd, generally, the Revd Arthur Fogg, S.T.P., our surrogate lawfully appointed, proceeding (after the proxyin-law of the afsd Thos Ainsworth had on his part withdrawn, and the afsd all and singular generally cited, having been three times judicially summoned, had not in any manner appeared) lawfully & judicially for the penalty of absence or contumacy against the same all & singular, on the petition of the proxy of the sd John Livesey, John Talbot, Wm Harwood & Nich. Townley, who first alleged their interest in this matter, decreed that the sd bench or seat should be confirmed to them for themselves & their families to the uses below written in that respect quickly apparent; now we therefore by these presents assign & confirm the s bench, seat, or stall first described to the afsd John Livesey, John Talbot, Wm Harwood & Nich. Townley, for themselves & their families (excluding all others unless by the permission first obtained of them. or any one of them) for the purpose of standing, sitting, kneeling, saying prayers & hearing divine services therein on Sundays & other festival & suitable times (saving nevertheless always the right of the Ordinary of Chester therein). In witness whereof we have caused the seal of our office to be affixed to these presents. Done at Chester the 27th day of the month of April 1723. STRAY NOTES LIVERPOOL CASTLE, 1235.-The Calendar of the Patent Rolls of Henry III. (iii. 89) has the following: "W. earl of Ferrars has letters directed to his knights and free men requesting them to make him an aid for the strengthening of his castle of Leverepul." It is of some importance to have the exact wording of the original entry, thus: "Pro W.com' de Ferar'.-W.com' de Ferr' habet literas patentes directas militibus et liberis hominibus suis deprecatorias quod ei faciant rationabile auxilium ad castrum suum de Leu'epul firmandum. T' apud Rading' xix die Jan." C. R. HAND. THE FOREST OF WIRRAL.-In the Transactions of the Society for 1907 I printed a translation of the charter of 20th July 1376, by which Wirral was finally disafforested. I also printed an undated petition asking that this charter should be confirmed by Parliament, and stated that there was no record of such confirmation; but as the petition was presented to Edward III. I appear to have confined my search to his reign. Though there was no confirmation by Parliament, I find that the charter was confirmed on 14th November 1389 by Richard II. (Charter Roll). R. STEWART-BROWN. FURNESS SAVINGS. The thrift of the people is illustrated by the mother giving money to the child going to the fair, with the words, "Here's half-a-crown for your fairing. And see you bring it safe back!" Another thrifty saying, which might have been used in the late times of scarcity, was "Good bread needs no butter, and bad bread deserves none." The gibe at puzzle-headed people, "As queer as Dick's hat-band, which went nine times round and wouldn't meet," occurs elsewhere. Slackness has a gentle rebuke in "This and better may do; this and worse will never do." REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1918 PRESENTED JANUARY 30, 1919 THE HE annexed table exhibits the Society's membership on January 1, 1919, and it is a matter for satisfaction to observe the increase in our numbers which has taken place in the period under review. We have to regret the loss by death of our oldest member, Mr. George Webster, in his 97th year. Mr. Webster joined the Society so long ago as 1849 and had thus, at the time of his death, been a member for nearly seventy years. Mr. Thomas A. Welton, who joined us in 1856, died during 1918. The close of the year has witnessed the happy termination of hostilities, and now that "Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front" we may hope that under happier circumstances the Society will experience a considerable expansion in membership and a continued career of usefulness. It is, indeed, very desirable that the Society should increase the number of its members in view of the considerable expense incurred in producing the annual volume of Transactions, and it is therefore hoped that members will use their best efforts to secure additional members. In order to meet the continued heavy cost of printing and illustrating the Transactions it has been necessary to invoke the help of our members so that the high standard of the volume may be maintained, and the Council welcomes this opportunity of expressing its gratitude to those members who so generously contributed to the fund raised for this purpose last year. During the past year no archæological discoveries have been reported nor have any excursions been held. It is hoped, however, that the latter may be resumed in the near future. The Society again wishes to thank the editors of the following newspapers for their kindness in inserting notices of the various papers contributed to its meetings: the Liverpool Daily Post and Courier, Birkenhead News and Advertiser, Cheshire Observer and Chester Courant. Jan. 31. Lantern evening. (Arranged by the Photographic Committee.) Feb. 14. "The Court of Passage." By WALTER PEEL, M.B.E., J.P. Feb. 28. "The Medieval Origins of Opera." By Dr. ARTHUR POLLITT. Mar. 14. "Notes on Speke Hall." By H. WINSTANLEY. April 14. "A Coffer of the House of Stanley." By Dr. R. T. BAILEY. "The Earliest English Alabaster Panels." By PHILIP NELSON, M.D., F.S.A. Oct. 31. "Medieval and Early Ivories." By P. ENT WISTLE. Nov. 14. "Early Highways and Byways of the Hundred of West Derby." By JAMES HOULT. 28. "The Misericords of Manchester Cathedral." By Rev. H. A. HUDSON, M.A., F.S.A. Dec. 12. "Cuttings from Old Liverpool Newspapers." By A. H. ARkle. REPORT OF THE HON. LIBRARIAN FOR During the past year the library of the Society has been made much use of for reference and the loan of books. It is kept up to date by exchange with other Societies; 28 volumes and parts have been received, 25 books have been borrowed by members. It is hoped that during the coming year the binding of various volumes, which was stopped owing to the war, may be resumed. The Society's thanks are given to the following for their kind donations to the library : Wm. Fergusson Irvine, Esq., M.A., F.S.A., Vice-President-"Liverpool F. C. Cheers, Esq.-"The Case of Impropriations: A History of H. C. Andrews, Esq.-"Bygrave," Herts. Members will be interested to learn that the volume of the minutes of the Society for 1869-1887, noted in the annual report for 1913 (lxv. 218) as missing, has been found by me in a cupboard at the Royal Institution. The whole of the Society's records, from its foundation in 1848, the minute books of the meetings of the Society and the Council meetings, are now complete and up to date, and are kept together in the Society's iron box. REGINALD THRELFALL BAILEY, January 30th, 1919. |