Rev. Dr. CHARLES LYTTELTON* (afterwards Dean of EXETER, Bishop of CARLISLE, and President of the Society of Antiquaries) to Dr. DUCAREL. "SIR University College, Dec. 12, 1742. "I was very glad to receive your commands, but not so many apologies for giving me an opportunity of serving an old acquaintance and Brother Antiquary. "I went last night to Mr. Clement, but could not meet with the Ichnographia Oxoniæ' you are in pursuit of. To say truth, he gives me no hopes of procuring it in Oxford. I will call tomorrow at every Bookseller's and Printshop in town; and, if it is to be had, you shall receive it the first opportunity. "I know the Print you speak of, viz. the Founder of Queen's; it was taken from the old brass figure, which formerly adorned his tomb-stone in the old Chapel. I will use all my interest at Queen's (which is not much) to get you one; but if without success, you shall be welcome to mine. I have one at your service. Pray make my kind compliments to Mr. Holmes, and service to honest Biew. I am, Sir, "Your faithful obedient servant, C. LYTTELTON." "SIR, Deanery in Exeter, March 23, 1754. "I am favoured with yours; and will do my best to complete your Catalogue of Vicars General and Chancellors of this Diocese, from the time you mention. I am sorry you did not apply to me last year, for I was then deeply engaged in the Registers for Dr. Milles and Mr. Borlase, and could have made you the completest list of any Diocese in the Kingdom; as I began with the oldest Register, and did not leave off till the beginning of the last century; but, as there are no Indexes to them, it is impossible for me to go over them a second time. "I doubt the Ratcliff Trustees cannot possibly buy Mead's Library. Could they have laid out their surplus money in any other way than charity (which they are confined to by the express words of his will) they would, I know, have long ago purchased the Harleian MSS. "Make my compliments to Mr. Mores. I am, Sir, "Your obedient humble servant, C. LYTTELTON." SIR, Deanery in Exeter, April 24, 1754. "A fortnight's confinement to my house by illness, and a erowd of company all last week on account of Elections, have put it out of my power to obey your commands sooner: but I have now endeavoured to enlarge and amend the list you communi *Of this very excellent Antiquary, and accomplished Bishop, see the "Literary Anecdotes," vol. V. p. 378; vol. VI. p. 465. nicated nicated to me, and wish it was more complete. You will pardon the blots and razures, for I have not time to copy it; and observe that where I have prefixed an asterisk before the date, that line ought to come later, exempli gratia, 1331. Thos. de Astelegh; the two next dates precede this in point of time, being 1325 and 1327,-consequently, when you transcribe my paper, Thos. de Astelegh should follow Adam Murimouth. I suspect that Mag'r Rich. de Coleton, the first Vicar General in your list, who falls under the year 1231, is antedated near a century, for in 1317 a Vicar General occurs in Stapledon's Register of the same name. In the Register, both of 1231 and 1277, no such Vicars General are to be found as Prynne gives us. Adam Murimuth, who occurs Vicar General in 1327, was a famous Writer, and not only Precentor of Exeter, but, I think, Canon of St. Paul's likewise. See Tanner De Scriptoribus. From 1595 to the present time, the Vicars General are taken from the Probates of Wills, and not from the Episcopal Registers, which is the reason that there are no authorities added to their respective names. I find, through hurry, I have omitted the number of the folio of some Registers from whence I took the names of the Vicars General, exempli gratia, 1552. Rob. Weston, V. G. ibid.; now ibid. refers only to the last-named Register, viz. Coverdale's; but not to the first folio. As I suppose you mean to give the world more than bare names, I have endeavoured to discover what preferments the Vicars General had; and, by the help of Le Neve's Fasti, have found out the preferments most of the early ones enjoyed; but, as I drew up this list in a hurry, you will do well to compare each name with Le Neve.-I hope, before this time, you have received the Drawings from Caen, without which I would not have you publish. I remain, Sir, with esteem, &c. C. LYTTELTON." Grosvenor- treet, Nov. 24, 1755. "As I am going out of town for a week, and consequently shall not have an opportunity of seeing you at the Society on Thursday, I must return you my thanks in black and white for your curious and elaborate Dissertation on the Antient Bezants. As you have taken so much pains in this enquiry, I despair of ever seeing the whole difficulties cleared up which attend it by any other person, but should be glad you would recollect what authority there is for supposing that these Coins were used by our two first Norman Princes. None of their contemporary Writers mention Bezants; nor do I believe the word once occurs in the Domesday Survey. I am just getting into my chaise, so hope you will excuse this hasty scrawl from, dear Sir, "SIR, "Your obliged and obedient servant, C. LYTTELTON." "SIR, Cork-street, Burlington-gardens, Jan. 23. "I shall be much obliged to you to inform me, by a pennypost letter, unless I have the pleasure of meeting you on Thursday at the Mitre, whether, in any of the ancient castles you saw in Normandy, you observed any of those large artificial tumuli, or mounds of earth, which occur frequently in our ancient for tresses tresses in England, as Windsor, Oxford, Berghampstead, &c. &c. and which go by the name of the Keep, Dungeon, and so forth. I am, your most obedient servant, C. LYTTELTON." "DEAR SIR, Hagley Hall, Sept. 17, 1757. "Lord Lyttelton having left your account of Normandy in town, and my copy being at Exeter, I am obliged to give you this trouble to beg the favour of you to send me an extract from it relating to a Bridge at Rouen, which his Lordship has occasion to mention in his History, as being originally built by Maud the Empress. He wishes also to have the particulars of any other works done by her there, if any occur in your Normandy Letter. Pray be so kind, if you have Tanner's 'Notitia Monastica' by you, to transcribe his account of the foundation of Bordesley Abbey, in Worcestershire, and send it me. I am much mistaken if this was not one of the Empress Matilda's foundations. Carte asserts roundly, that Stoneley Priory, in Warwickshire, was the only Religious House of her foundation. Please to inclose your answer to Lord Lyttelton, at Hagley, near Stourbridge, Worcestershire; and excuse the freedom taken by, Sir, "Your faithful obedient servant, "DEAR SIR, C. LYTTELTON." Hagley Hall, Sept. 26, 1757. "Give me leave to return you Lord Lyttelton's and my own hearty thanks for the very satisfactory answer you have made to our enquiries concerning the Bridge at Rouen, and Bordesley Abbey. You are vastly kind in offering to give me that curious work, entitled Histoire de la Ville de Rouen;' but I shall think myself highly obliged with the loan of it for my Brother's immediate use. I have therefore taken the liberty to order his porter to call at your house for it, that it may be sent to Hagley by the first carrier. My Brother is now in that part of the work which falls in with the acts of the Empress Matilda; and, as the press will not wait, he must peruse your book soon, or it will be of no use to him. "I was much pleased with hearing of the late good Archbishop's having mentioned you in his will, and more so of the present Archbishop having conferred an office upon you which you so well deserve; but I hope this is an earnest only of a more lucrative employment. I am, Sir, with great esteem, "Your much obliged obedient servant, C. LYTTELTON." "DEAR SIR, Hagley, Oct. 10, 1757. "I was favoured with your second letter, together with a curious paper of extracts from several scarce Authors, relating to the Empress Matilda. Your books also arrived safe on Friday, for all which Lord Lyttelton and myself are highly obliged, and we desire you will accept our best thanks. His Lordship is fully satisfied with the lights you have given him in regard to the Empress Maud's place of sepulture, &c.; so will not trouble. you farther. I hope to be in town in a month, when I shall be able to thank you in person; in the mean time believe me, Sir, "Your very obliged obedient servant, C. LYTTELTON." VOL. III. X Lord Lord LYTTELTON to Dr. DUCAREL. "SIR, Old Burlington-street, Monday, Jan. 31, 1758. "I am much obliged to you for the trouble you have been so good as to give yourself for my service in my literary affairs. The Map of the Vexin I shall be glad to purchase at the price of six guineas; but shall not want it before next year at the soonest. "I am, with great regard and esteem, LYTTELTON." Bishop LYTTELTON to Dr. DUCAREL. "DEAR SIR, Rose Castle, July 9, 1763. "Not knowing exactly how to direct to Mr. Rivington, who is publishing a new edition of Ecton's Valor, I beg the favour of you to convey the inclosed papers to him, which contain my corrections of Exeter Diocese from the Episcopal Registers. As I communicated many of them to Dr. Willis, it is probable they may be found in the second edition: I have only the first. If these are worth his acceptance, Worcester Diocese shall speedily follow. Excuse this very rude and hasty scrawl from "Your faithful obedient servant, CHA. CARLISLE." "DEAR SIR, Rose Castle, July 16, 1763. "The day after I sent away my packet to you, containing my additions and corrections of Exeter Diocese in Ecton's Thesaurus, for Mr. Rivington, I received your obliging Letter of the 9th instant, accompanied with a very circumstantial description of the Norfolk Domesday MS.; for which pray accept my best thanks. "I here trouble you with some corrections of Worcester Diocese, which you will be so good to deliver to Mr. Rivington. I imagine several of them occur in the second edition, and if so, no doubt they are printed right in the third edition; which is now almost ready for publication; but, as part of them were made since the second edition came out, I hope all my labour will not be lost. There should be added to the sheet which contains Carlisle Diocese, or rather in the Appendix, among the Carlisle corrections, as follows, viz. Keswick, a Markettown in the Parish of Crosthwaite, had antiently a Chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalen. The Parochial Chapels of TempleSowerby and Ravenstondale, in Westmoreland, are Peculiars, and no way subject to the Bishop's jurisdiction.' "I have little doubt of the Augmentation-office affair succeeding, as Mr. Grenville has planned it in the manner you mention. It is very unusual for the assisting Lords of the Treasury to reject any thing that the Chief Lord has destined and previously settled. Dr. Giffard is an excellent Officer, especially as far as the knowledge in antient Coins qualifies him; but, if he is weary of the office, I heartily wish Mr. Astle may succeed him. Mr. Nicholson, my good neighbour and friend, is returned to Hawkesdale Hall from Ireland, and will be very glad to hear from you. If franks are scarce, you may inclose to me. "I beg my compliments to Sir Joseph Ayloffe; and remain, Sir, with great regard, your most obedient servant, CHA.CARLISLE." "DEAR Rose Castle, July 29, 1763. "DEAR SIR, "Many thanks for your letter, and the several interesting articles of antiquarian intelligence, which are exceeding welcome to me. I was led into a mistake with regard to the two Peculiars in my own Diocese, viz. Temple Sowerby, and Ravenstondale; for, it seems, the Curates claim no other Ecclesiastical jurisdic tion but that of proving wills. Will you allow me, therefore, to give you the trouble of calling at Mr. Rivington's, and alter that particular in my sheet of corrections, which at present stands thus, viz. Temple Sowerby and Ravenstondale are Peculiars, and no way subject to the Bishop's jurisdiction. It should be altered as follows: Temple Sowerby and Ravenstondale claim the probate of wills, but in all other respects are subject to the Episcopal jurisdiction. "In the removal of my books from Exeter hither, many of them were damaged in different ways. Your curious letter on Normandy got very dirty: if you or the Printer can furnish me with a new copy, I will not bind up this, otherwise I shall. I. noted down a good many marginal remarks, which I have some notion I submitted to your perusal. If I did not, I will carry it with me to town, and put it into your own hands. I am hugely pleased with your having got accurate drawings of the two very old edifices at Caen, and wish you could procure a specimen at least of the basso-relievos which adorn the outside of the North, West, and South doors of Bayeux Cathedral, especially the South, which you suspect relates to the History of our William the First. As you inform us that this Church was built by Bishop Harcourt, anno 1159, these sculptures must be near a century after William the Conqueror's time. "I have some notion of having heard it once dropped by one of the Bishops at the Board of Queen Anne's Bounty, that Mr. Willis had done very imprudently in publishing to the world what number of Churches had received the Augmentation. I then thought, and still think, he was not at all blameable in this point; on the contrary, it is fit the publick should know what benefit has accrued to the poorly endowed Cures throughout England by this disposition of the First-fruits and Tenths, and nothing will so effectually silence the silly objections that have been made by the Church of England's enemies against so large an annual sum being given to the Clergy. I would wish you to consult his Grace of Canterbury on this point, and be determined by his opinion. My compliments to Sir Joseph Ayloffe and Mr. Astle. Mr. Nicolson sends you his. I am, Sir, with great regard, "Your most faithful obedient servant, CHA. CARLISLE." "DEAR SIR, Rose Castle, Aug. 1, 1763. "Having wrote to you so lately, and my time at present being rather precious, I should not trouble you so soon again, but to express my congratulations to yourself, Sir Joseph Ayloffe, and Mr. Astle, on the good success of our late transaction with Mr. Grenville in relation to the Augmentation-office. I have no doubt but ye will all do honour to my recommendation, by reducing that x 2 |