shoes similarly decorated.* There were also two female figures, who probably represented the two children referred to in the will. Over the figure are three coats of arms. In the centre the ancient arms of Chaffe, already blazoned, with mantling and crest: A demi lion ramp. or, holding between its paws a fusil az. On the dexter side; Chafe impaling Burgoyne: Az. a talbot pass. arg. in chief a mullet. And on the sinister side Risdon: Arg. 3 bird bolts sa., impaling Chafe. During the "restoration" of St. Giles's Church, to which I have already alluded, this monument was taken down and removed from its original position to another part of the building. The two female figures then disappeared; and I understand that "they fell to pieces, and could not be put together again." The inscription upon the front of the monument is as follows: IN THOME CHAFE GENEROSI MEMORIAM EX PER ANTIQUA CHAFORUM DE CHAFE COMBE FAMILIA IN COMITATU ORIUNDI EO COLLEGIO EXON. IN ACADEMIA OXON. ARTIUM MAGISTER VIRI AETATIS QUE SUE CLIMACTERIO MAGNO EXUVIAS SVAS EXUIT MEDICUS. UXOREM Reliquit MargERIAM PROSAPIA ORTI MATRONAM RELIGIOSISSIMAM BONORUM Q OPERUM QUE ET OBDORMIVIT IN DOMINO PLENISSIMAM DIE A CHR. NATO 16- AETATIS VERO SUE ANNO ABSTULIT A NOBIS MISERE QUEM FLEMUS ADEMPTUM NEC CECIDIT SOLUS NAM QET PRUDENTIA VIRTUS TESTE VEL INVIDIA VITA LETHO QUE BEATUS The spaces left blank for Margery Chafe's death have never been filled in. She was buried with her husband 30th March, 1655. In a little work published in 1885, entitled We Donkeys in Devon, the authoress mentions this tomb in the following words: "There is a very interesting monument with a recumbent figure, apparently in a clerical dress, of Thomas Chafe, Master of Arts of Exeter Coll., Oxford." LYSONS' Magna Britannia tells us that this Thomas Chafe was the father of Mrs. Risdon. (See vol. ii. p. 247, note.) Thomas Chafe must have passed his sixty-second birthday, since he died "in the year of his grand climacteric;" that is to say in his sixty-third year. I have taken the inscription from a photograph of the tomb, and it will be seen that the chronogram gives the age as fifty-two. This is owing to a mistake on the part of the person who cut the letters; had the letter U in "medicus" been enlarged the age would have appeared correctly-62. His beloved sister, Pascha Risdon, had predeceased him, although she survived her husband, Tristram Risdon, for about six years. Her will was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 10th September, 1647. It is dated April 21st, 1646, and in it she is described as "Pascoe" Risdon, of "Winscott," in the parish of St. Giles, and county of Devon, widow. She gives her son, William Risdon, “her heir and sole Executor," "the Manor of Winscott and the Barton farm & demesne thereof and all her other lands in Devon for ever." This bequest upsets the assertion of the authors of the additions to Risdon (p. 422, edit. 1811), who state that Giles Risdon (her eldest son, who had then been dead about two years) "inherited the estate after his father, and was succeeded by his brother William.” She gives her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Margery Risdon, two stocks of bees and her still. To "my daughter, Mrs. Joane Hearle, all my best woollen and lynnen apparel and my wedding-ring." To my grandchild, Margaret Rattenbury, £5 at sixteen years of age. Her daughter, Margaret, had died 26th of August, 1636, and her memorial inscription is given by Prince in the Worthies. She likewise leaves to her grandchild, Joane Hearle, "a bearing blanket and all my child bed linnen." There are also bequests to several of her god-children, and to John Maddcote, "godson of my husband, Mr. Tristram Risdon, deceased." The overseers are her nephew, Thomas Chafe, already mentioned, and her son-inlaw, Mr. James Hearle. William Risdon, of Winscot, the second son of the antiquary, proved his mother's will, and succeeded to the property at her death. He died in 1701, and was buried in St. Giles Church with his family. He had one daughter, Mary, who by her first husband, John Prust, had one child, a daughter, who died in infancy. She was subsequently married three times-viz., to Amos Rolle, to John Holland, and to John Stafford-but had no issue by either of them, therefore Winscot ultimately descended to Joane, daughter of James Hearle and Joane his wife, the daughter of Tris tram Risdon. This Joane, who by her grandmother's will is to receive "two bearings blankets," and other equally useful articles, became the wife of Edward Lovett, of Corfe, in the parish of Tawstock, who was the sixth son of Sir Robert Lovett, of Liscombe, in the county of Buckingham. Her husband gave a large silver flagon to the church of Tawstock. They had three children-Robert, who died without issue; Joan, who married Hatch; and Penelope, who was the wife of Sir Henry Northcote, M.D., the fourth baronet, and the present Lord Iddesleigh is now the representative of Tristram Risdon. Winscote, which descended in the Northcote family, has of late years become the property of the Hon. Mark Rolle. In conclusion, I have to thank my esteemed correspondent, the Rev. W. K. W. Chafy-Chafy, of Rous Seneh Court, Worcestershire, for kindly furnishing me with copies of the three interesting wills of which I have given the particulars, and also for sending me an admirable photograph of the Chafy tomb, and for presenting me with copies of the pedigree of his family. From these it appears that he is the representative of the elder branch of the "Per antiqua familia Chafomen de Chafe Combe," being descended from John Chafy, of Sherborne, Dorset, the elder brother of William Chaffe, of Wellington, county Somerset, who was father of Robert Chaffe, mayor of Exeter. Mr. Chafy bears for arms (quarterly 1st and 4th) P.P. gu. and az. a griffin segr. arg., on a chief engd. erm. three fusils in fesse of the second; second and third, the old coat of Chafe or Chaffe which I have already blazoned. The first and fourth quarters were upon petition to the Earl Marshal, granted by the College of Arms to his grandfather, the late Rev. William Chafy, M.A., afterwards D.D., and Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, Vice-Chancellor of the University, and Chaplain in Ordinary to King George III., George IV., William IV., and to her present Majesty the Queen. He died in 1843. NOTES ON AN OLD LAWSUIT RELATIVE TO THE RIGHTS TO SEATS IN TOTNES CHURCH. A FEW years since a friend-Mr. R. Dymond, F.S.A.—kindly obtained for me an old document relating to Totnes Church, which proved to be a brief in an action brought by the Corporation of Totnes against Nicholas Trist and his servant, one James Symons, in relation to a dispute, in 1706, relative to certain seats in Totnes Church. The great value of the document consists in its giving an account of some of the muniments of the Corporation, which were to be produced at the trial; and the date of the beautiful stone screen in the Church, recently restored, is fixed by it. The parish church of St. Mary, Totnes, is stated to have been originally erected by the Corporation, and was repaired by them down to the passing of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1836. They appointed both churchwardens, and generally managed matters; and in the seventeenth century paid the vicars their stipend, letting the seats for the purpose of raising funds. The tithes became, at the suppression of the Priory, private property; and after changing hands several times, are now the private property of the Duke of Somerset, the lay rector, who also takes a rental for the seats in the chancel. The brief in question consists of three closely-written sheets of brief paper. It commences with the declaration of the plaintiffs, that the town of Totnes is an ancient borough, and that the inhabitants and burgesses, time out of mind, had been a body corporate, and from 30th January, 20 Henry VII., known by the name of "The Mayor and Commonalty of the Borough of Totnes," and were also known afterwards and at that time as "The Mayor and Burgesses of the Borough of Totnes." The declaration or pleading then proceeds as follows: "And whereas in the parish Church of Totnes aforesaid there is and during all the time aforesaid hath been a certain Isle situate on the North side of the said Church, the which Isle and the seats in the same the Mayor and Commonalty and Mayor and Burgesses respectively for the time being have time out of mind kept up and repaired the same at their own costs as often as there hath been occasion by reason thereof the Mayor and Commonalty and the Mayor and Burgesses respectively for the time being during all the said time have been used and accustomed at their pleasure to assign and dispose of the places and seats in the said. Isle to such Inhabitants of the said Borough as they thought fit to hear divine service celebrated in the said Church Notwithstanding which the Defendants Nicholas Trist and James Symons though well acquainted with the same maliciously intending to injure the said Mayor and Burgesses and to deprive them of their priviledges of placing people in the seats of the said Isle on the 15th day of February in the 5th year of her present Majesties reigne broke open and carryed away 3 locks which the said Mayor and Burgesses had put upon 3 of the seats in the said Isle and put up another lock upon one of the said 3 seats to the exclusion and hindrance of persons appointed to sit there and damages were claimed of 100%. To this the defendants pleaded the general issue of "Not Guilty." Then follows the case for the plaintiffs, which contains. much of interest, the introduction being as follows: "In the parish Church of Totnes are a Chancell and two Isles one of them called the South Isle alias the Receiver's Isle and the other called the North Isle alias the Churchwarden's Isle which last is the Isle now in question. The Chancell is wholly repaired by the Impropriator of the Rectory who therefore have the disposall of all the seats in the same But the two Isles as also the whole body of the Church have been always repaired in all its necessary reparations at the charge of the Corporation and noe private person ever repaired any part of it neither was there ever any Church Rate as usual in other parishes known to be made unless upon very extraordinary occasions as new casting the Bells &c which likewise is very rare not perhaps above twice or thrice within the memory of man (but this I think you had not best mention except moved first of the other side) And its |