Welsh Journals

Dec, 1879. BYE-GONES. 331 not muck to relate about the personal character of this nobleman, but representing as he did the blood and vir¬ tues of his great ancestor, he carries us back to the days of William of Orange, and to the great struggle for constitu¬ tional liberty which may be said to have been crowned at the Battle of the Boyne. RUSSELL, Thomas, a native of Clyve, in Shropshire, tilled the office of town clerk at Shrewsbury in very early times. He died in 1336, and in his will he styles himself Olericus burge Salop. The document is a curious example of how our ancestors provided for their interment, and for the due celebration of Mass for their poor souls. This good old clerk is very much concerned for the " souls of my wife and my sons, and particularly for the souls of those to whom I am bound in any debt with or without my knowledge." A sort of roving commission was given to the praying priest, who carried out this part of his will to pray for all sorts and conditions of men who happened to be of his kith and kin. We smile at the simplicity of the man who could thus trouble himself in the prospect of death, but it is impossible not to respect the truly pious motive which induced him to try and make his peace with God and men. According to the lights he had, he thus endeavoured to purge himself of his offences after the manner which in his times met with honourable and honoured attention. Our worthy has the reputation of being learned, pious, and charitable withal. RUTTER, Jonathan, a Cheshire man by birth, suc¬ ceeded in making for himself a local name, by his pre¬ sumption in undertaking the education of youth, without first obtaining a licence to do so. He was cited before the Chester ConsistoryiCourt in 1682-3 for this offence, and was monished to produce his authority to conduct a school by a day named; but he being a stubborn man, neglected to do so, and was then excommunicated in due form. Ap¬ pealing to the higher Court at York, that august body confirmed the sentence of the Court below and condemned him in the costs, upon which he appealed to the Court of delegates, and most likely fared no better there. Bishop Cartwright in 1686, with more wisdom than his sub¬ ordinates had shown in the matter, invited Mr, Rutter to dinner, and soon afterwards had the satisfaction of recording in his diary—" I sealed a licence to Jonathan Rutter, to be schoolmaster in St. John's in Chester," and thus by kindness secured a sub¬ mission to authority, which persecution had failed to in¬ sure. We may without offence commend the Bishops "'more excellent way" of dealing with recalcitrants, to the especial notice of Churchmen in our day. Christ s promise to the "persecutors" must seem to indicate how unwise a thing it is to hale men to courts of law; for what with monitions, appeals, and the pursuit of forms, religion is fast becoming the laughing stock of the worldly minded, the game of lawyers, and a scandal to the nation. Mr. Rutter died in peace in 1688, a far better son of the Church, than if he had been sent to prison for his puny offence against Ecclesiastical law. RYLE, Henry, born in Cheshire about the year 1484, is mentioned by Mr. Canon Raines as "s young secular priest, patronized by the Traffords." He was Cantonel of St. Nicholas's Chantry, Manchester, in 1508. borne say that he was a Vicar of the parish of Manchester m 1526, but he was certainly rector of Wilmslow in his native county in 1537, and so continued for some time, for he was restored to it by Queen Mary in 1553, and "deprived of it again by Queen Elizabeth in 1559. The general belief is that he died soon afterwards. He descended from a very honourable race, and we may conclude from the little said of him, that he himself was a very honourable man. DECEMBER 3, 1879. NOTES. THE STANNEY FAMILY OF OSWESTRY (Apr. 2, Nov. 27, 1878).-Will 1547 (47 Alen Perog. Ct. Cant.). " I David Stanney . . . to be buried in or lady Chauucell* by my mother in the Churche of Saint Oswalde King and martir .... to John Wyn Stanney my nephewe and to his heires in fee simple all my landes wt'in the towne and Lordshipp of Osestree . . . . Elizabeth my sister . . . myne uncle Richarde Blodwell . . . my brother Thomas Stanney . . . Margaret ap Hewe my wiffe ..." In sentence confirming the will, the widow is described as " Margareta Stanney alias price,"—the inference being that she had remarried to one Price. *The use of the word " Chaucer' as an equivalent for " Chapel" is not very uncommon. Will dated 13 Sep. 1553, and proved 3 Feb. 1558-9 (33 Welles). "Robert Stanney, parson of St. Chistopher's London . . . . Sister Elizabeth lludd .... John Stanney son of John Stanney .... Cousin Richard Draper .... Niece Jane Lludd ..." Newcourt in his Repertorium, Vol. 1, p, 324, gives the date of Stanney's presentation to St. Christopher's as 28 Mar. 1536 and, apparently in error, calls him "Thomas" Stanney. His successor thereto was appointed 29 Jan. 1558-9, but the Parish Register under date Jan. 8, 1564-5 mentions the burial of " Mr. Stanie, person." Inasmuch as the will was proved six years before that date the in¬ ference is that an error was made when the Register was transcribed sixty years after. I have to thank Col. Chester for this Register extract, as also for the following " Stanney" note :— Marriage Licences, Bishop of London. " 1588 Sep. 7. John Ingledewe of Staple Inn, gent: & Ellinor Stanney of St. Christopher le Stocks, spinster, daughter of Roger Stanney, late of Oswestry, Co : Salop, gent : deceased" J.G.C.S. QUERIES. FINE ART IN SALOP.—New discoveries in Art are always interesting, and doutless so the Salopians found it in 1804, when they were told that " The Grand and General Objection to Crayon painting," which was an " Apprehension that they were subject vto be injured by Time or defaced by Touch," was at length obviated, by a nameless Artist who would show the results of his skill at "Mr. Bulford's, Glover, Pride Hill, Shrewsbury." Did this Artist turn out to be a native of the district or a wandering professor ? S.B. REPLIES. SHUTS (Oct. 22, 1879).—Several of the entries or passages leading from the main streets at Welshpool are in common parlance generally called "Shuts," e.g., the Boot Shut the Gullet Shut, Bebbs Shut, &c. beveral of them, no doubt, formerly were, and I think some of them still are. closed at the end furthest from the street. R. W. GEORGE MEARES, Esq. (June 4, 1879),—As an addenda to the reply of "H." concerning this Montgomery. shire worthy I extract from the Salopian Journal of