Goodall, General Sir Henry Smyth, Mr. L. Liberty, Mr. A. H. Cocks,
and Mr. E. J. Payne. The Committee: Rev. E. D. Shaw (standing
chairman), Messrs. T. Horwood, J. Rutland, G. Weller, E. Wilkins,
Rev. C. O. Phipps, Messrs. R. E. Goulden, F.S.A., Stephen Darby,
J. T. Harrison, R. H. Barrett, Rev. R. W. Carew Hunt, and Mr. E.
Swinfen Harris. Hon. Secs.: Messrs. J. Parker and A. H. Cocks.
Treasurer: Mr. J. Williams. Auditors: Messrs. T. Horwood and
E. Wilkins.

Mr. Parker read the Treasurer's statement for the year ending Dec. 31, 1901, which was as follows:-Receipts: Balance in hand, £14:3:4; subscriptions, £79:7; sale of "Records," £3:16. Payments: On account of printing "Records": Balance of 1899, £25:11:5; on account of 1900, £30-£55:11:5; rent, £6; caretaker, £4:15; Treasurer, £5; commission on subscriptions collected, £3:19; sundries, £3:2; balance in hand, £18:18:11. Liabilities: Balance of printing account, 1900, £27:9:1; printing, 1901, £69:16. Mr. Parker mentioned with much regret that Mr. Williams had been ill, but he was now improving in health, and hoped to be able soon to attend to the Society's business again.

66

Mr. Parker then gave his report as one of the hon. secretaries. After referring to the appointment of the Earl of Rosebery as President, an appointment which was, needless to say, eminently suitable and an advantage to the Society. Mr. Parker proceeded to remark that excavations had been carried on at Burnham Abbey by Mr. St. John Hope and Mr. Brakspear, F.S.A., the latter having recently read a paper on Laycock Abbey (Wilts) publiched in the Archeologia," which was also a religious foundation of Augustinian nuns. His paper on Burnham Abbey would appear in the "Records." Excavations had been carried out also at Little Marlow Abbey, a nunnery of the Benedictine order dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, under the superintendence of Mr. C. R. Peers, F.S.A., with the sanction and personal co-operation of the owner, Mr. A. Vaughan Williams, and a paper upon that subject by Mr. Peers would appear in the "Records.' The Society resolved to co-operate with the Aylesbury Coronation Committee in a project for the extension and improvement of the Councy Museum, and to join a deputation to the Lord Lieutenant of the County to lay the proposals before him. The deputation from the Society consisted of Sir Henry Smyth, Mr. Cocks, and himself. The deputation met the Lord Lieutenant in London, but were not successful in the objects they had in view. Mr. Parker called attention to the interest taken at Reading in the Museum, enhanced by the recent discoveries at Silchester now deposited there. Also to the excellentlyarranged Museum at St. Albans, the action of the Hertfordshire County Council and their Chairman having greatly aided in the establishment of this Museum. The hopes in the future for establishing Museums, and by so doing for advancing historical enquiry, greatly, it would appear, depended on the support and encouragement of enlightened bodies such as our County Councils are proving to be.

Mr. A. H. Cocks also spoke upon the question of the County Museum, and thought there was great credit due to Aylesbury for suggesting the Coronation scheme, which he was sorry could not be carried out. He mentioned that he had received a letter from the Vicar of Denham, inviting the Society to pay a visit to that part of the county.

Dr. Bradbrook gave an account of the Parish Register Transcribing Society, and said they had completed the Walton register, which was now in the printer's hands.

The following were then elected members of the Society:-The Rev. H. A. Harben, F.S.A., Newlands, Chalfont St. Peter: Mr. C. A. Cripps, K.C., M.P.; Mr. W. A. Forsyth, A.R.I.B.A., 16, Great

Marlborough Street, London; Mr. J. C. Fox, Hambleden; Mr. H. R. Grenfell, Hambleden; Mr. Hugh Kerr, M.D., Stone; Mr. H. V. Humphrey, Stone; Rev. J. W. Cruikshank, Stokenchurch; Mr. P. S. Stephens, K.C., Little Missenden.

IPSTONE.

The business of the meeting concluded, the members, without unnecessary delay, took their seats once more in the vehicles, and a pleasant drive of half-an-hour through a pretty, well-wooded stretch of country brought them to Ipstone. Mr. Downs makes the following remarks on the name of the village:-"The name of this little village preserves the name of the early Saxon settler, who probably reached the locality at the time when immigrants from Wessex and Surrey began to occupy various positions in Bucks and Oxon. Ipstone is the ton' or town of Ebba, who appears to have given its name also to Epsom, i.e., Ebba's-ham. Both sounds of the consonant are found in the patronymic, and consequently we meet with them in the local name, which accounts for the variation in the pronunciation and orthography of the word, which appears sometimes as Ibstone and at others as Ipstone.'

In Domesday the place is called Hibestanes. There may be differences of opinion as to the origin of this name, which it is not here the intention to discuss. The following is an extract translated from Domesday:-"Harvey the pope's legate holds of the King in Hibestanes two hides. There are five plough lands-in demesne half a hide, and there are two ploughs, and seven velleins have two ploughs, and a third might be added-there is a blacksmith (faber) and four servants. For all dues it is worth 4. in the reign of Edward the Confessor, for 51. when Tovi, a thane of the Kings, held the Manor and could sell it.'

The presence of a blacksmith at Ipstone at the time of the survey is noteworthy.

The place is situated partly in Buckinghamshire and partly in Oxfordshire, a division which has existed for many centuries, and was recognised when the Domesday Survey was made. The Church of St. Nicholas is described by Mr. W. A. Forsyth in his paper in this number of "The Records."

FINGEST.

Another short drive along lanes bordered with hills and woods, and the members arrived at Fingest Church, which stands in a delightful little valley surrounded by remnants of the forest from which the place acquired its designation. The subject of the Manor and Church of Fingest has been already dealt with in two papers in the "Records," either in the one on Fingest Church or in the one on "Delafield's MS. Notes on Fingest," Vol. VIII., p. 457, et seq. But the charter which settled the long-standing differences between the Church of Lincoln and the Monastery of St. Albans was not set out in the latter paper, and is therefore here introduced. The cause of Lincoln Church was maintained by its Bishop, Robert de Chesney, and that of the Abbey by Robert de Gorham, its prior, in the presence of King Henry II., Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, Roger Archbishop of York, and the following Bishops: Henry of Winchester, William of Norwich, Joceline of Salisbury, Bartholomew of Exeter, Hilary of Chichester, Hugh of Durham, Richard of Coventry, Gilbert of Hereford, and Godfrey of St. Asaph. Robert, Earl of Leicester, also Justiciary of England, was present, together with earls, barons, abbats, archdeacons, and an immense multitude of people, at Westminster, on the Thursday before Easter, when the following charter was signed: -"Robert, by the

grace of God, Bishop of Lincoln, to all the children of our holy Mother Church, health! Be it known to all of you, that the controversy which I raised against Robert abbat of St. Albans, and his brethren, concerning the monastery itself, and the 15 privileged churches which they held on their own lands, and which I claimed as their bishop, to be in subjection and obedience to myself, is now for ever at an end, I having, with the consent of the Chapter, renounced these claims in presence of the witnesses aforesaid. Furthermore, I have also, with the consent of my Chapter, received from the said abbat and brethren the village of Fingest, with its church and all appurtenances, for ten liveries of land, to be peaceably held hereafter by the Church of Lincoln for ever, as a compensation for having renounced the aforesaid claims. the rights which I claimed over the Abbey aforesaid, in the person Moreover, of Abbat Robert and his successors, and over the fifteen churches aforesaid, as belonging to my Church, myself, and my successors, I have resigned into the hands of our lord the King, both for myself and my successors for ever. Be it therefore free, henceforth, for the monastery of St. Albans and the fifteen churches aforesaid, to receive the chrism, oil, and the blessing, and all the other sacraments of the church, from whatsoever bishop they please, without opposition from us or our church; and further, that church shall remain free in the King's hands, as his demesne; but the other churches of the said monastery, throughout the diocese of Lincoln, shall render due obedience and subjection to the Bishop of Lincoln, like the other churches. That this may never again be called in question, I have confirmed it by the attestation of this present writing, and by attaching thereto my seal, and that of the Chapter."

This amicable settlement was confirmed by the King, Archbishop Thomas, and Pope Alexander, who, following their example, ratified it with the privilege of the Roman See.

TURVILLE.

Leaving Fingest and its interesting associations, a few minutes' drive brought the visitors to St. Mary's, Turville, a building of mixed styles ranging from the Norman period through the various Gothic styles to the 18th century, when the North aisle was added. Besides this modern addition the Church has a South porch, West tower, nave, chancel, and recently-erected vestry and organ chamber. On August 30, 1900, during the restoration of the Church, a stone coffin was found six inches below the level of the floor in the S.E. corner of the nave. It dates from the early part of the 13th century, and contained the bones of two skeletons, the remains of one of them being much later than those of the original occupant of the coffin. An account of this coffin, illustrated, from the pen of Mr. A. H. Cocks, appeared in "The Records of Bucks," Vol. VIII., p. 285 et seq. Mr. Cocks has also supplied an account of the intramural monuments of the Church, and Mr. W. A. Forsyth has described the architectural features of the Church and the process of restoring the building, he having been the architect in the work of restoration. (See "Records of Bucks," Vol. VIII., p. 342 et seq.) The following brief notes on Turville are here subjoined :Turvill, Therfield, Tyrefield, Tyrefold. The earliest account of this parish appears in a grant from Egfrid, son of Offa, King of Mercia, in 794, in Therfield terram decem manensium to the Abbey of St. Albans, founded by that King in 791. The St. Albans holding is considered to be distinct from the Manor of Turville. The place does not occur in Domesday among the Manors belonging to the Abbot of St. Albans in right of his Church. It is probable that Turville was demesne land of the Crown, and granted at a very early period to the family of Mosteyn. William Mosteyn was Sheriff of Warwickshire 2

Edw. I. Langley had perused old deeds of the Manor from 12 Edw. I., 1283, the first being a grant from Constance Mosteyn to Eustace her son, dated at Tyrefield. He considered these the most ancient deeds in the hundred. The Manor passed from the Mosteyns to the Botilers. Joan, wife of Alan Botiler, possessed this Manor 13 Hen. IV., 1412; it continued in the Botiler family for many years. In 1546 John Botiler or Butler passed a fine of this Manor to Sir John Williams, Knt., Lord Williams of Thame, and soon afterwards the family of D'Oyley of Oxfordshire were in possission of it. The D'Oyleys built the Manor House it is supposed in the reign of James I., about a mile from the village. The Manor of St. Albans extended over the village, rectory, and glebe land of the Vicarage. It continued in possession of the Abbey till the Dissolution. The Abbot surrendered Dec. 5. 1539. Hen. VIII. granted the estate under the title of the advowson and Manor of Turfield Rectory and Vicarage to John Marsh, and 37-38 Hen. VIII. the same was granted to Edward Harman or Chamberlain, of Sherborne Castle, Oxfordshire, who conveyed it to Sir Michael Dormer, third son of Geoffrey Dormer, of West Wycombe, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1541. It continued in that family till at the usurpation it was conveyed toWest, Esqre., of Chepping Wycombe. Langley traces the Manor down through successive owners, but in a note says he learnt the Manor and advowson were divided into six shares, and that Byshee Shelley, Esq., had one share. He says there is some confusion in the different accounts collected by him, and he did not give a determinate opinion on the point. The Manor House, a respectable mansion," built at different times, stood in a small deer park, which extended to the confines of the county. Langley gives an extract from the Court Rolls of this Manor in Latin, which may be translated thus: "View of Frankpledge at a Court before Baron Robert D. Lord Dormer, 6th Sept., 1621.

"Also the Jurors present that George Tovie, who held of the Lord of the aforesaid Manor, by copy of Court Rolls of the same Manor, one cottage and certain lands, died since the last Court, whereupon *he presented to the Lord of the aforesaid Manor for a herriot (una toga) one coat, for which (seneschallus) the steward of the Lord's Manor accepted satisfaction."

Mr. Forsyth gave the visitors a detailed and lucid description of the churches at Ipstone, Fingest, and Turville. After the visit to the latter church the members by kind invitation of the Vicar, the Rev. M. Graves, made their way to the lawn in front of the Vicarage, where they partook of tea. Some of the party returned to Wycombe in time to catch the train, but the remainder stayed to pay a visit to Mr. A. H. Cocks's house at Poynetts, returning an hour later. The day was fine, and the excursion was much enjoyed, the district passed through presenting some of the most lovely prospects to be seen in Bucks-hill, valley, and wood succeeding each other in pleasing variety, and every turn of the road bringing into view some fresh charm of scenery.

[The account of the Society's excursion was prepared by Mr. R. S. Downs for the Bucks Herald: it has been revised and additions have been made to it for the Society's publication.-ED.]

*This must be the incoming tenant.

INDEX.

PAGE Brill Church, Norman Doorway. 223
Broughton Church, Ancient Bell

1