: "HONOURED Sir, Fakenham, Friday morn, Oct. 5, 1723. "I ordered this round of my Michaelmas Courts to end here, on purpose that I might spend three or four hours with you at Witchingham, in my return to Norwich; and by your new neighbour at Reipham gave you some intimation of my design so to do but having had word sent me to Ely that my little boy was ill of a fever, and no direct account since of his recovery, or what state he is in, I am in pain till I see him; so intend to strike off to Deerham and Matshall, where he is ;-which must plead my excuse at present.-As soon as my old horses are a little recovered, I will wait on you from Norwich ;-being, as ever, with great respect, your obliged humble servant, THOM. TANNER." "GOOD MR. NORROY, Norwich, Sept. 5, 1724. "I thank you for my kind entertainment, both in study and dining-room, when last at Wichingham. I have run over these books you were so kind as to favour me with, and return the same with hearty thanks for the favour of them, and so many others lent to, dear Sir, your most obedient humble servant, "Good Sir, THOM. TANNER." Norwich, April 17, 1725. I shall endeavour that you shall have safely back again at Witchingham such books, printed and MSS. as you have been so kind as to favour me with, before I go to Oxford, which will not be till the beginning or middle of July; for, the Parliament being not likely to rise till the latter end of May, our Bishop cannot begin his Primary Visitation which he has appointed this summer till the beginning of June;-nor can I stir hence till that is over. "Whenever I go thither, I will do what I can to settle your quit rent account at Merton College, without acquittance fee, if possibly it may be; however, will send you an account, and do nothing contrary to your orders;-but I shall see you in Norfolk again before I go. "I wrote to your Friend at Bromley, about Trinity or Christ Church Priory; which, no doubt of it, was above 200l. per annum clear value, as may appear from the Roll in the Tower, or the Book in the Exchequer of the Valuation 20 Edw. I.; but, it being surrendered 23 Henry VIII. it could not be in the Valuation of 26 Henry VIII.; nor will the lands belonging to it be discharged of tithes, as those of the greater Monasteries dissolved by 31 Henry VIII. as I conceive. "I am, with great respect, dear Mr. Norroy, your most affectionate friend and servant, THOM. TANNER." Norwich, May 12, 1725. "GOOD MR. NORROY, "I hear that Dr. Stukeley's Itinerarium Curiosum' is, or will shortly be, published. When I was in London, February 1723-4, I subscribed, and paid two guineas at the Mitre Club towards it. I desire you would, before you come into Norfolk, enquire after the book I am to have; and, if there is any thing more to pay, that you would deposit it for me; it shall be repaid with thanks. Some "Some few years since, I remember you favoured me with a large quarto pamphlet, giving an account of the Free-Masons' Societies, so much in vogue of late; in which there seemed to be no great matter, but some old traditionary stories and new songs, Just as I was going to return the MS Register of Canterbury, which I lent you last year, I cast my eye upon what has the most shew of Antiquity for their Lodges of any thing I have yet met with; and being only in the list of such persons as the Prior gave the Church Livery to that year, I almost fancy that you passed it over, and therefore send you a copy of what I transcribed thence. Besides the name, whether they had any signs, &c. like our present Free and Accepted Masons, does not appear. "I hope shortly in Norfolk to assure you that I am, with great respect, Sir, your obliged servant, THOM. TANNER." "DEAR SIR, Christ Church, Oxford, July 28, 1725. "I forbore to write to you, till I could give you some account from hence of what I had done in your Merton College affair; which I was not unmindful of, but spoke to the Warden within two or three days after I came to this place about it, in the presence of our Dean; who, having been some years Bursar of New College, assured him 'that it was not customary there to insist upon any thing for receipts for dry quit-rents, but only for lease in farm-rents.' The Warden said, Neither he nor the Bursar were the proper persons to receive the Ram's Head inn rent, but it was always charged to an Officer of College called the Bailiff of Holywell, who accounted for that and several other such rents to the Society-that person was at present out of town; but that I should have notice when he came ;-and that in the mean time he would enquire how many years you were in arrear, as charged on their books.' "I would have endeavoured to have set this matter through; or, however, to have strictly pursued your directions before I left this place, which I shall not do till Michaelmas ;-and if, in the mean time, I can be any way serviceable in procuring any thing to be transcribed for you out of the Libraries here, you may freely command me. "Our Visitation ended Friday, July 9, and I was obliged to set out for this place on Monday morning, July 12,—so that I had not time to be so exact as to your MSS. as I intended,—but as far as my time would permit I made diligent search all over my study for them, and put up every one (with the MS. of Mr. Anstis's you desired) into a large hamper, with orders to have them taken care of till you were come into the country, and there was an opportunity of conveying them safe and dry to Witchingham. I must repeat my hearty thanks for your great kindness in the loan of them; and though I have already trespassed upon your goodness in that respect too much, and too long, yet I hope for your further favour in the use of some of them one winter more, when I hope I shall complete and finish my 'Notitia Monastica,' as to to which your Books have been very serviceable;-as I shall take care to acknowledge publicly when that work shall come abroad. I thank you for your note about Bruton Abbey Arms; — which I had supplied before out of the original Visitation-book of Benolt's MS. Ashmol. 763,'-and is said to be taken 1531. I read the surname of the Abbot to be Gilles; but, when I have opportutunity, will look again. "At my return from the Visitation, I found that Dr. Knight had sent Dr. Stukeley's book, and another which I had subscribed for; but I had not time to get them bound before I left Norwich, whither I hope to get before you leave Norfolk. Wherever I am, with great respect and much sincerity I am, honoured Sir, your most obliged friend and servant, THOM. TANNER." Nov. 13, 1725. "GOOD MR. NORROY, "Mr. Bokenham, of Stoke, will be in town on Monday; and, if nothing very extraordinary happens, he and I, and, I believe, J. Kirk-Patrick, and perhaps Mr. Makerell, (a little Society of Icenian Antiquaries) may attend you our President at Wichingham on Tuesday morning, if it be not an inconvenient time to you;-if it be, I hope, by some means or other, notice may be given on Monday to, Sir, "Your most affectionate servant, "GOOD MR. NORROY, THOM. TANNER." "1 heartily thank you for the favour of your last, and the kind notices you therein sent me out of Mr. Hare's MSS. of which I shall make due use in their proper places; but find I had corrected before that of R. Glanvill; however, am nevertheless obliged to you for hinting that mistake in the former edition of Notitia Monastica. "Your Kirby Ravensworth comes too low for me to mention; but am glad such an original is got into the hands of one who will so well and carefully preserve it. "Having never heard that the Gentlemen of your Office were uneasy on account of those MSS. they were so kind as to favour me with the loan of, I made the less haste to finish what I had to observe out of them; but, upon what you write, I will forthwith go through with them, and before you come down into Norfolk you shall certainly have them sent up in order to be replaced in the Library ;-of which, with my humble service and thanks, I desire you to acquaint your Society. "I am very sorry to hear that there are disagreements among our Friends at the Mitre +. My good wishes for peace, and prosperity to the Lovers of Antiquities will attend you on Wednesday night;-when, and always, I must be, Your affectionately obliged friend and servant,THOM. TANNER." *Indorsed: " Mem. to acquaint Doctor Tanner that John Warburton, esq. Somerset Herald, hath severall old deeds of lands in Beverley, co. Ebor. formerly belonging to St. John of Beverley.-This Letter to be showed to the Office next Chapter day, in May 1726.-Walsingham Acre, and my piece of land by the Brick-kilne Close." P. L.N. Where the Society of Antiquaries then met. VOL. III. 2 F "Good "GOOD MR. NORROY, Norwich, Nov. 12, 1726. "I thank you for your kind look on Monday, but ask ten thousand pardons for being so rude as almost to run away from you: but a meeting upon a public trust of almost all the Clergy in town, summoned by my order, made my attending in another place absolutely necessary, and I hope you will be so good as to excuse it. "I wish I knew which of my books of old deeds you have not yet had; and such shall be sent you. I have now returned every paper of those you left with me on Monday, and will take great care of any books or papers of yours which I have; and hope by your coming back again into the country to have finished with them, and then to be able to return them with my most hearty thanks. I have worked night and day upon the Abstracts of the Rolls which you were so kind as to procure me from the Office; and will do so till I have all I want from them. I fear I shall scarce get them through next week, but will forthwith, before the end of the month. I trust, however, before Christmas (God sparing me life and health) they shall, with Mr. Anstis's books, be sent up. "My very humble service to Mr. Garter, and all your Society who ask after their and, Sir, "Your most affectionate servant, THOM. TANNER."" "GOOD SIR, Norwich, Dec, 26, 1726. "According to my promise, I have dispatched Bowyer's Abstracts before Christmas, and sent them up in a box directed to you at the Office (carriage paid), by Nasmith's waggon last Thursday; if there should be any further charge I will repay you with thanks. There are in the box the four volumes belonging to your Office Library, and also the volume belonging to Mr. Garter; which I desire you to return respectively, with my humblest thanks for the use of them, and assurances of my making some farther acknowledgment upon proper occasion. I gave you a note with penalty for the Office-books, which you will be so kind as to take out, and cancel, or return. "All the good wishes of the season to Mr. Garter, and all our common friends, especially the good company at the Mitre. If Mr. Thomas Martin be with you on Wednesday night, let him know that I received his Letter, and that I am inclined to shew all favour to Mr. Menes, that his case will bear. "I am, with great respect, Mr. Norroy, Your most obliged faithful servant, THOM. TANNER." "GOOD MR. NORROY, Nov. 18, 1727. According to my promise,' I return the two 'Notitia Monastica,' with my thanks :-I find some few things which I had not before--and I know you will be improving. "I am sorry I did not know, till J. Kirk-Patrick told me on Thursday, that you was so long in town last week, and that Mrs. Neve was with you :-if I had, I should have endeavoured to have got the favour of waiting on you and her one day at dinner in my my house, with such friends as you and she should like; for I am very much her and, dear Sir, "Your obliged humble servant, THOM. TANNER. "My Letters say that Sir Hans Sloane looks on Lord Townshend as a dead man." "DEAR MR. NORROY, July 26, 1729. "I am very glad to find that you are again in Norfolk, where, if possible, I will pay my respects to you before I go to Oxford. I thank you for the Prints you are so kind as to favour me with; and do herewith return you the old Norfolk Satirical Verses, which I mislaid last year. Pray God perfectly re-establish your health. I am, with due respects to Mrs. Neve, her and "Your obedient humble servant, THOM. TANNER." Rev. JOHN TANNER* to the Rev. Mr. BURRoughs, Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge. "SIR, From Mr. Willoughby's, in Kingstreet, Bloomsbury, Nov. 10, 1739. "I received your kind Letter, and thank you for the account you sent me of Books relating to the Abbey of Bury,-which was the thing I wanted. My Brother had got an account of most of them before; so that I only added from yours, Books and Papers in the Evidence Room, &c. at Bury.' Sir Richard Gipp's Collections relating to Bury Abbey I never heard of; his Collections concerning the County of Suffolk in general were given to my Brother, and are amongst his MSS. in the Bodleian Library. My Brother had likewise four quarto parchment Registers relating to Bury Abbey,—which, I believe, were formerly Bishop Moore's, and were sent among his other MSS. to the Bodleian Library. This I chiefly mention, that you, or any other who wants to consult those Books, may know where they are.-But I could be glad to know if any body could tell me, how Bishop Moore's were bought ;-if, according to a Catalogue then taken, I conceive the University have a right to all he had in possession (even though some of them belonged to other people) and to none else, though other people had books of his at that time in their hands. I mention this, because I am sure that Bishop Moore had then the third Volume of Rymer's Foedera, of my Brother's;—and have reason to believe that my Brother had at that time more than one book of Bishop Moore's in his hands ;but whether he ever settled the account of books borrowed and lent between the Bishop and him, either with the University or the Bishop's family, I cannot tell. He survived Bishop Moore twenty-one years and I would hope he did settle it ::-but, as I *Of this worthy Divine, who was more than 50 years Vicar of Lowestoft, and died in 1759, æt. 75, see the "Literary Anecdotes," vol. VIII. p. 402. |