and to hold for the term of the life of them, upon this condition, that the same Thomas and Thomas should surrender to us the hamlet aforesaid (sup' hoc ijd'm Thom' & Thom' nob' sursu' reddideru't hamellu' p'd'e'm). Be it known that we have given and granted to the said Thomas de Bothe and Robert the son of the same Thomas, the hamlet aforesaid, with all its appurtenances. To have and to hold for the term of the lives of them the said Thomas and Robert, yielding therefore yearly to us and our heirs, 26s. 8d. at the usual terms for all services and demands. So that after the decease of the said Thomas and Robert, the said hamlet with its appurtenances to us and our heirs wholly shall revert. With clause of warranty.

"Given at Mamcestre at the feast of St. Margaret the Virgin [July 20] 31 Edward III [1357]."

(Seals gone.)

The other deed is of special interest, as it has an early reference to Smithfield, now the great Manchester market, one of the largest in the kingdom :

"Lease of a place of land called Smethefeld, from Lord Roger la Warre to Richard son of Robert, for 20 years.

This indenture witnesseth that Lord Roger la Warre hath demised and to farm let to Richard son of Robert, one place of land formerly called 'Smethefeld', which he formerly held for a term of years, whereof 3 years are unexpired. To hold to him and his assigns from the end of that term for 20 years thence next following, yielding therefore yearly to the said Lord Roger and his heirs 4s. at the usual terms by equal portions.

With clause of warranty.

'Given at Mamecestre on Wednesday next before the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross [Sept. 14] 31 Edward III [1357]." Seal.

Roger la Warre was dead in or before the year 1403, in which Thomas Lord la Warre, clerk, occurs as lord of the manor of Manchester. This was the celebrated Thomas la Warre, who was Rector of the Church of Manchester, and who made that building into a collegiate church, with John Huntingdon as its first Warden. This was in 1421, and in 1427 Thomas Lord la Warre died, when the manor of Manchester passed to Joan la Warre, who married Sir Thomas West, third Baron West, and thereby caused the manorial rights to become vested in that family. This Sir Thomas West was then dead, hav

ing died on the 19th April 1405, leaving a son and successor, Sir Reginald West, Knt., who was summoned to Parliament on the 5th July 1427 as sixth Baron de la Warre.

In the year 1430 there is an interesting deed in this collection relating to the manor of Manchester, which mentions many distinguished persons who were appointed trustees. This is as follows:

'Appointment of Attorneys by Reginald West, Lord la Warre, to deliver seisin to Prince Henry, Cardinal of England, and others, of the Manor of Manchester, etc.

"Be it known, etc., that I Reginald West, knight, Lord la Warre, have assigned and in my place constituted my beloved in Christ Edmund Trafford, knight, William Wynard, John Henage, Thomas Ouerton, and Richard Hue, my true and lawful attorneys. jointly and severally to deliver for me and in my name to the eminent Lord and Prince, Henry, Cardinal of England, Bishop of Winchester, William Earl of Suffolk, Robert Lord de Wylloughby, Nicholas Thorley, William Bonevyle, Thomas le Wekenore, Giles Daubeney, knights, John Westbury, William Stephenes, clerk, Richard Wentworth, and William Pakyn, full possession and seisin of and in the Manor of Mamcestr, co. Lanc., with all its appurtenances, and the advowson and patronage of the Collegiate Church of the Blessed Marie of Mamcestre, and also of all the rents and services with their appurtenances in Horwich in the said county of Lancaster, and in all other services, rents, etc., in Mamcestr, Horwiche, and elsewhere within the said county of Lancaster, according to the form and effect of a certain charter of feoffment. by me to them thereof made.

'Given the last day of May 1430.”

(Seal broken.)

A few years later, in 1435, Sir Reginald West appoints John Stafford, Bishop of Bath and Wells and Chancellor of England, as one of his trustees relating to the manor of Manchester; and we find the Bishop appointing "John Huntynton, clerk", then Warden of Manchester, and others, as his attorneys, to receive "full and peaceable possession of and in the manor of Manchester."

I may here mention that many of these early deeds are beautifully and clearly written, and have appended to them the heraldic seals of the grantors in fair preservation; and I had hoped to have exhibited some

of them this evening, but it was feared that with such a large audience they might accidentally become damaged, and it was considered wiser not to run any risk, as they could not possibly be replaced.

In 1450 one of the trustees for the manor of Manchester, appointed by Sir Reginald West, was no less a person than the Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England; but the deed is too long to be here quoted.

Sir Reginald West died in August of this year (1450), and was succeeded by his son and heir, Sir Richard West, the seventh Baron de la Warre. There are not many deeds referring to him in this collection; but on his death, in 1476, he was succeeded by his son, Sir Thomas West, Knt., the eighth Baron de la Warre, Knight of the Garter. But a few years earlier, in 1472, the manor of Manchester had been settled upon him, as shown by the following interesting deed, to which the Archbishop of York and others were parties:

"Settlement of the Manor of Manchester, etc., by George Archbishop of York, and others, on Thomas West and Alianore, his wife, and their heirs male.

"Let all present and future know that we, George Archbishop of York, William Bishop of Winchester, Maurice Berkeley, knight, Roger Lewkenore, knight, Robert Danby, knight, and Thomas Pounde have demised, and by this our present charter indented confirmed to Thomas West and Alianore, his wife, the Manor or Lordship of Manchester, co. Lanc., together with the advowson of the College and Church (Collegii & Eccl'ie) of the Blessed Marie of Manchestr aforesaid. To have and to hold to the said Thomas West and Alianore and the heirs male of their bodies lawfully begotten, of the chief lords of the fee, by the services thence due and of right accustomed. And if it happen the said Thomas West and Alianore die without heir male of their bodies lawfully begotten, then the said Manor, etc., shall remain to Richard West, knight, Lord la Warre, father of the said Thomas West, his heirs and assigns for ever, to hold of the chief lords of the fee by the services thence due and of right accustomed.

Nicholas Ravald, clerk, Hugh Garside, and Robert Cutberd, are appointed attorneys to deliver seisin.

"Given at Manchestr the 24 April, 12 Edward IV [1472]."

Sir Thomas West died in Oct. 1525, having held the manor of Manchester for over fifty years, when he was

succeeded by his son and heir, Sir Thomas West, Knt., ninth Baron la Warre. A very full settlement of the manor of Manchester, dated 14 June 1543, is unfortunately too long to be given here; but on his death, in 1554, he was succeeded by his nephew, Sir William West, Knt., the son of his half-brother, Sir George West, Knt. Much scandal attached to this succession, as it was alleged that he had tried to poison his uncle. Certain it is that he was not created Baron de la Warre till many years later, the patent being dated 5 Feb. 1570. 1581 he entered into negociations for the sale of the manor of Manchester, and by a deed dated the 18th July, 23rd Elizabeth (1581), made between "John Lacy, citizen and clothworker of London, on the one part, and the Rt. Hon. Sir William West, Knt., Lord la Warre, and Thomas West, Esq., son of the said Lord la Warre, on the other part", the manor of Manchester was conveyed to the former for ever.

In

From this John Lacey the manor passed, as is well known, to Sir Nicholas Mosley, Lord Mayor of London, the founder of the Mosley family, and it remained in the possession of the Mosleys till it was sold to the Corporation of this city in 1845, as already described.

I much regret that the limited time which is allowed for the reading of papers before this Congress has obliged me to take a very cursory glance over the more interesting of the many old deeds now in the possession of the Corporation. I can only trust that I have shown that they possess sufficient local and general interest to warrant their being printed in the manner already suggested.

"RIDING SKIMMINGTON" AND "RIDING

THE STANG."

BY C. R. B. BARRETT, ESQ., M.A.

N an early stage of the recent action, Monson v. Tussaud, an outcome, as all will remember, of the sensational Ardlamont murder case, one of the Counsel made mention of the "ancient actionable wrong of Riding Skimmington"; which wrong, he stated, enabled a husband to obtain damages at law for reflection cast on his wife.

Only a few weeks previously I had been interested in the subject both of "Riding Skimmington" and the nearly allied ceremony of "Riding the Stang". The terms in which "Skimmington" was mentioned did not, however, coincide with the view of the subject which I derived from my investigations, and this fact led me to put together a brief paper both on "Skimmington" and the "Stang", a paper which I have the honour of reading before this Association to-night.

I shall, I believe, be able to show that though at times erroneously confounded one with the other, the customs of "Riding Skimmington" and "Riding the Stang" are

1 Dr. Brewer (not a good authority, by the way), under "Stang" writes: "To ride the Stang,-to be under petticoat government. At one time a man who ill treated his wife was made to sit on a 'stang, or pole, hoisted on men's shoulders. On this uneasy conveyance the 'stanger' was carried in procession amidst the hootings and jeerings of his neighbours." We have also a "stang" or "stanck" ("pertica, ligneus vectis", Coles), a stake or wooden bar or post; and gives as an example of the use of the term,—

"An inundation that o'erbears the banks

And bounds of all religion. If some stancks