Some of the counties have had separate translation-extensions published, and some separate treatises have been issued, very full accounts of which are about to be published by the Domesday Society,' and by the Royal Historical Society, which has just issued Part I. of Domesday Studies. Besides Domesday proper, there are :— (a) The Exon Domesday, in custody of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, which contains an account of Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall, and is supposed to be a transcript of original rolls or returns made by Commissioners for Domesday, from which the latter was compiled. It is described in detail in Cooper on Public Records, vol. ii. pp. 208-221. For facsimile of part see 1819 Report, No. xxxi. (b) The Inquisitio Eliensis (Cotton MSS. Tiberius A. VI.) Supposed to be similar rolls for the possessions of the Monastery of Ely. Refers to the counties of Cambridge, Herts, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Huntingdon. Described in Cooper, i. pp. 222-224. For facsimile of part see 1819 Report, No. xxxii. (c) The Winton Domesday (now belonging to the Society of Antiquaries). An inquest taken between 1107 and 1128 for Henry I., who was desirous of ascertaining what Edward the Confessor held in Winchester as of his own demesne. Described in Cooper, i. pp. 222-226. Report, No. xxxiii. (d) The Boldon Book. of Durham, taken 1183. For facsimile of part see 1819 Survey of possessions of the Bishopric For facsimile of part see 1819 Report, No. xxxiv. The four books above mentioned were printed by Government, with the edition of Domesday published in folio, as above. Besides these " Domesday Books" there are several others so called, e.g., The Domesday of St. Paul's (d. 1222), which was printed by the late Archdeacon Hall in 1858, for the Camd. Society; The Norwich Domesday; The Ipswich Domesday; and The Domesday of Chester, in the possession of the Dean and Chapter of York. See Cooper, ii. pp. 345-347. Next in date and importance to Domesday came the Pipe 1 That is if it ever comes to anything. It seems standing still just now. 1 Rolls, which are perhaps, all things considered, the most interesting series of records extant. For each year there is a great brown roll, broad, long, and unwieldy, containing as a general rule as many skins as counties, though sometimes, when the year's matter more than fills both sides of the skin, there is what is called a residuum carried over to some other partly vacant skin. These rolls are mostly in good preservation, and the writing is clear and regular; but the words are abbreviated in a most extraordinary way. The series from Henry II. is almost perfect. * 2 Some of the rolls have been printed: those marked by the Government, and the others by the Pipe Roll Society. 4 The Pipe Roll Society, which is most deserving of support, will continue to print the Rolls of Henry II., and other records 1 No student of the Records should be without Madox's History of the Exchequer, which contains a most elaborate and admirable account of the Pipe Rolls. Nor should he fail to consult Stapleton's work on the Great Roll of the Norman Exchequer, published by the Society of Antiquaries in 1840 (1180-1203.) The learned introduction is very useful to the student of the English Pipe Roll, but unluckily it is unindexed; the third volume, which was to have contained the index, never having appeared. Why, it is hard to say, considering how wealthy the Society is, and one is tempted to say with Arthur Orton, "Some folks have money," &c. 2 There are duplicates of these Rolls, called "Chancellor's Rolls," from 11 Henry II., which were sent to the British Museum, but are now returned 3 This Roll has been ascribed by Madox to 5 Henry I.; by Prynne, to 18 Henry I.; and by D'Ewes, to 5 Stephen. Others think, as I do, that it is made up of odd membranes of early rolls. 4 Hon. Sec., J. Greenstreet, Esq., 16, Glenwood Road, Catford, S.E.; Treasurer, W. D. Selby, Esq., Public Record Office; Publishers, Wymans, 72, Great Queen Street. Every student should join, for the subscription is only £1. 1s.; and the extra vol., containing the glossary, is simply invaluable. to 1200. It published in 1884 a most useful introduction to the study of the Pipe Rolls, with most copious lists of abbreviations and a glossary, as well as a treatise on the usages of the Exchequer. Oxford students may care to be reminded that Nos. 12-17 of the Dodsworth MSS., No. 4154-9, Bodleian Library, are transcripts, or rather full extracts, in six folio vols., from early Pipe Rolls. 1 On the next four pages is given, in the form of a modern balance sheet, an analysis of so much as relates to London and Middlesex of the first of the long series of these Pipe Rolls, as to the date of which there is no dispute (2 Henry II.) It is hardly necessary to say that the "Pipe" Roll did not get its name from having anything to do with pipes in the modern sense of the word, any more than the Feet of "Fines" had to do with penalties. It used to be called the Great Roll, the roll par excellence, and its derivation is thought to have been because the sheriffs all sent in their accounts as it were through so many pipes into the common receptacle or Exchequer. This derivation seems rather a far-fetched one, but I have no better to offer. Taken as a whole the Pipe Rolls are the most interesting of all our national records. To a great extent they are the budgets and balance sheets of the ancient Chancellors of the Exchequer. They comprise yearly accounts of all the taxes collected in the different counties of England, of fines, reliefs, escuages, &c., paid by the tenants in capite, whereby their descents may be easily traced, of sums paid to the king for having justice, or for liberty to commence suits at law. But to the antiquary, as compared with the genealogist, the interest lies in the entries for disbursements made by the various sheriffs, either on their own responsibilities or by the king's writs. Practically speaking, the king had a banking account open with the sheriff of every county. Whenever the king wanted to make a payment, he gave a close letter on the sheriff of the handiest county, or, as we should say, drew a 1 A propros of the Dodsworth MSS., it is to be noted that an index to the first seven vols. was printed in 1879, but is not for sale. 2 Another attempt to reproduce a Pipe Roll in a tabular form is on p. 145 of Thomas' Handbook, London, 1853. LON Gervase and John [Sheriffs of London] render [their] Accoun Robert de Ponte owes 20s. for having a plea against Wido fil. Tecii. [407 9 11] 120 0 0 [To error in casting] 06 10 £120 6 10 By paid [for] 4 loads of iron for the fortification of the tower 200 ells of flax web to make napkins [as directed] by the King's writ By spent in carrying the king's treasure to Shoreham By paid for] shields and saddles for the King's use to Ernald the shield maker, [as directed] by the King's writ By [paid] for orphreys for the King's use as do.... By [paid for] two cushions for do., do. By [paid for the presents which the King sent to the Kings of Norway, and for gifts for their ambassadors By [paid for] making a pavilion for the King and the cost of it, besides the gold By paid for the Queen's affairs [as directed] by a writ from her and the justices By paid for repairs to the King's houses at Westminster [as directed] by the Bishop By gold to gild the King's bridles as do." ... By delivered out of the Treasury to Roger the doorkeeper [as directed] by the King's writ By [paid for] repairing the Houses of the Exchequer By given to Humfry Pincewerre, the King's approver Pollard Pipelorious Robert Crispus the approver William fil. Warin the approver By the allowance of Gerard the forger By the expense of the trial of those who forged the King's seal to a certain female approver for a house or hut to burn a thief for mutilating a maker of false money a man beaten in a duel for the Queen's corrody [table expenditure] for the corrody of the King's son Henry and his sister and her aunt £. s. d. 0 13 4 10 5 3 13 13 9 8 11 5 2 5 7 5 14 0 7 19 8 1 2 9 300 6 15 10 2 10 0 1 6 8 10 O 0 400 16 13 4 37 2 8 96 12 8 38 4 10 0 0 050 216 0 1 8 5 368 1 6 3 1 16 8 0 15 1 0 16 3 068 1 4 9 0 14 2 055 0 15 2 0 13 4 068 050 0 5 0 40 0 0 24 00 700 660 336 8 1 [By cash paid] into the Treasury By payments to the King's merchants, through William Cumin By exemption allowed by the King's writ on the lands of the Chancellor By allowance made for lands] wasted [in the time of King Stephen, and now unable 200 14 16 4 20 0 0 £120 6 10 |