Church Services.

Sonning.-SUNDAY: II o'clock in the morning.

3 o'clock in the afternoon.

6 o'clock in the evening.

DAILY: half-past 8 in the morning.

All Saints.-SUNDAY: II o'clock in the morning.

half-past 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

S. John's, Woodley.-Sunday: 11 o'clock in the morning. 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

MEMORIAL WINDOW.

It is proposed to place a stained glass window in Sonning Church, in memory of the late Bishop of Winchester. The Bishop was so well-known amongst us, and so much beloved, and was himself so fond of Sonning, that we believe it will be the wish of all the parishioners that there should be a memorial of him in our Church, and there can be no more fitting one than a painted window. Contributions towards it are invited from all in the Parish, to be sent to J. B. Lee, Esq., or the Rev. Hugh Pearson.

SALE.

The Sale of Children's Clothes will take place at the Woodley Schoolroom, on Tuesday, 18th of November, from one till four o'clock, open to all in the parish. The needlework must be sent in by the 10th instant.

NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SONNING.

II.

In the last paper upon wild birds known in this parish, I gave some account of the common Heron. Another of the same family, called the Bittern, is a very curious bird, and must be considered only a rare visitor in these parts. There are but few places in England in which it is known to breed, but specimens are still occasionally met with, though far less frequently, since so many marshes, and lonely uncultivated tracts suited to their habits, have disappeared.

The Bittern is a shy solitary bird; never seen on the wing by day, but in the dusk of the evening it will soar to a vast height, flying in the same heavy manner as the Heron, feeding also in a similar way. If wounded by a sportsman, or attacked by other birds, it defends itself bravely, trying to pierce the enemy with its strong pointed beak. A young Bittern, disabled in one wing only, by a shot, was once brought to us, and we kept it for some weeks in a walled garden, hoping to make it sociable and happy, for it was not nearly so wild as we had expected. A broad milk pan of water, with small fish in it, was placed in one corner, close to the wall, and there the bird resorted for his food; he would sometimes walk slowly half round the garden, returning by the same track to his own corner; but often when we wished to find him, we had great difficulty in so doing, for he had a strange way of sitting up, perfectly still, and

making himself look exactly like a decaying cabbage stalk, or tuft of reedy grass of yellow-brown colour, like his plumage, so that unless we caught sight of his bright twinkling eye, he was completely disguised, and hidden among the vegetables.

It was found so difficult to supply this bird with enough proper food, and it was so likely to die therefore, during the approaching winter, that it was sent to the care of the Managers of the Zoological Gardens, but it did not live long, even under such good treatment, and we learnt that several other Bitterns added to their collection, had already shared the same fate, being so difficult to preserve in confinement.

To finish our notes on birds which feed chiefly on fish, and therefore frequent the banks of rivers and pools, I will here mention the Kingfisher or Halcyon, though he is, in all other respects, most unlike all we have before introduced.

These beautiful birds were formerly, often to be seen in this Parish. I have noticed them some years ago, near Sonning bridge, darting about the banks of the river, their bright colours glancing in the I fear their old haunts are scarcely quiet enough for them now, and that they have forsaken our river for the Loddon, or some place where steam whistles, and all other such disturbances, are as yet unknown.

sun;

I have one curious circumstance to relate, which belongs to a time when Kingfishers were numerous, near the Thames, here. In the centre of the same garden where the Bittern once resided, is a large bason or reservoir for water, about three feet deep, and edged with stone. Soon after this was made, some gold and silver fish, the gift of a neighbour, were placed there, and they throve well, and multiplied considerably, so that the following season there were a number of young fish of various sizes to be seen, besides the larger ones originally given to us. We were disappointed, however, not long after, to find that the smaller fish disappeared rapidly and unaccountably, for none were found dead. To discover the truth, the place was watched each morning, as soon as daylight dawned, when it became clear that the young fish were carried off by Kingfishers. Several of these birds were seen sitting on the edge of the bason, eagerly watching the water, and then darting down, according to their wellknown habit, and never missing their aim. What made this fact so remarkable, was the distance the birds must have travelled to reach the fish, and then, how could they have found out that there were any in that place? The river is nearly a quarter of a mile off, and at least 100 feet below the level of the garden, with a thick wood moreover, covering the steep hill down to the river's bank. Kingfishers never fly high, so they could not have seen the water while soaring over it, as a heron might possibly have done.

Blue, green and bright brown, are the prevailing colours of their plumage; they have very small feet, and short tails; they build their nests in holes in the bank, often only just above the water's edge; the nest is made of small fish bones, and in it may be found 6 or 7 very small eggs. Some singular notions have prevailed about these birds, especially in ancient times. They were believed to have the

power of calming the water of the sea or river, over which they made their nest, or skimmed across in their short flights. From this came the expression" Halcyon days," to signify a smooth unruffled life. In modern times, an idea once prevailed, that a stuffed Kingfisher, suspended by a string from the ceiling of a room, would always turn it's beak towards the quarter from which the wind blew. To this fancy an allusion may be found in Shakespeare's play of "King Lear," where one of his characters speaks of rogues who,

"Turn their Halcyon beaks with every gale, and vary of their masters."

To be continued.

MEMORIALS OF THE PARISH OF SONNING.

VIII.

C. P.

In resuming our Parish Memorials, I must first mention that "Hildeslei," which occurs in the notice of Sonning in Domesday, is the ancient name of Ilsley in Berks. Alberic de Coci is said to have held "twenty hides in Hildeslei, which of right belong to the Manor of the Bishop of Sarum;" this property in all probability was at Ilsley, an ancient parish, of which there are several notices in Saxon days.

Our history has now emerged from Saxon to Norman times, and I must endeavour to collect such information as can be gained from the scanty records that remain of parochial histories during that period. The first document referring to us that I have met with after Domesday is in the Register of S. Osmund, Bishop of Sarum, and records the grant of a manse to the Vicar of Sonning. There is no date to it, but it is evidently of the time of Bishop Osmund, or very soon afterwards, at the period when Vicarages were first established. When the rectorial tithes of a parish were appropriated to a religious house or corporation, the clergy connected with these ecclesiastical bodies undertook the performance of all religious services in the parish church, but there was no one responsible person to whom the cure of souls was intrusted, and great irregularity constantly ensued, from there being no security against neglect of duty. To get rid of this abuse the only remedy was to force the religious Corporations to devote some portion of the tithes, or land of the livings, to endow permanently a priest to stand, so far as spiritual matters were concerned, in the place of the Rector of the parish. This arrangement was greatly opposed, but about the year 1100 the Bishops gradually succeeded in founding Vicarages. Vicar was the title given to the Rector's substitute, from the Latin Vicarius, which means one acting in the place of another. The Dean of Sarum held the tithes of Sonning, and was therefore Rector of the Parish. The Vicarage was, I imagine, founded by Bishop Osmund, and, as just mentioned, a house was granted to the Vicar at the same time by the Dean. The deed is as follows:

“To all the faithful in Christ to whom the present deed shall come, “the Dean of Sarum sends greeting: Whereas we understand that "the Vicar of Sonning has not a fit domicile wherein he can lay “his head. We are induced to provide in perpetuity for him and his

"successors in this respect as far as we can.

Therefore we grant to "William, Vicar of the said Church, to build and inhabit therein, "all that parcel of land which extends in length from a lane which "is on the West side of the Church even to the river Thames, and "in breadth from the parcel of land of Elias de Sunninges, Clerk, on the south even to the parcel of Elias the Shepherd, which is in "the fee of the Lord Bishop of Sarum. Witnesses, John de Wari, "and Richard, Canon of Heytesbury and others."

I cannot perfectly make out these boundaries, but it is evident that the Vicarage stands on the same site still. Bishop Osmund died A.D. 1099, and this would probably be about the time when the present Church was begun. A vast impulse was given to Church building throughout all England by the Normans, and there still remains sufficient evidence in our Church of a Norman building, which preceded the present one. The south doorway and the small window over it are both Norman, of a late date, perhaps A.D. 1200.

I can find nothing connected with our parish from the time of Osmund till the year 1130, when Aucherius or Ausgerus, Abbot of Reading, founded the Hospital of S. Mary Magdalene at Reading, for lepers. This is supposed to have stood near the great gate of the Monastery, the present Abbey Gateway. The interest to us lies in the fact of this Hospital having had a smaller house at Earley, Whiteknights, dependent upon it, of which we shall hear more hereafter. The chapel belonging to this establishment stood in Whiteknights Park, in the Liberty of Earley. Hospitals for lepers were numerous in England during the middle ages, and the ruins of several may still be seen. There was also provision made in the churches for the accommodation of lepers apart from the congregation.

A magnificent ceremony took place at Reading in the year 1135, no less than the burial in the great Abbey Church, of its founder, King Henry the First, at which doubtless the Bishop of Sarum, Roger, the King's Justiciary, one of the most eminent men of the age was present, coming from his palace, accompanied by the clergy and chief people of Sonning. The party would probably have proceeded by water in a state barge.

One other event of remarkable interest belonging to early days, we must find space for in this paper. A long period occurs of nearly a hundred years during which nothing comes to light. But in the reign of King John Sonning re-appears. This ill-fated monarch, who was often in our neighbourhood during the negotiations with the Barons before the signing of Magna Charta at Runnymede, was actually at Sonning itself for six days in September 1216, the last year of his reign. He arrived here from Reading on Thursday, September 8th, and stayed till the following Wednesday, on which day he went from Sonning to Wallingford. It is not stated where he took up his residence, but there can be no doubt that he was the guest of the Bishop, Herbert Poor, who had attended at his coronation. In King John's Itinerary, amongst the " attestations" or receipts of his Majesty for money paid to him, is the following :

*

King John's Itinerary, by Sir T. Duffus Hardy, Patent Rolls.

"Teste, 10th September, at Sonning:

"Know that we received in our Chamber at Sonning, on Friday, "the morrow of the Nativity of the Blessed Mary, (9th September), "and the eighteenth year of our reign, 240 marks, for the ransom of "William d Albiny."

There is also another receipt for 80 marks paid on the same day. This William d' Albiny, or d' Albiney, was one of the most distinguished of the Barons who opposed the King. After the settlement of Runnymede, John basely endeavoured to evade the pledges which he had there given, and brought in troops of foreigners to support him against his English subjects; in their defence William d'Albiney was despatched by the Barons, at the head of a chosen band, to take possession of the Royal Castle of Rochester. There he was besieged by the King, and though the Barons marched in haste from London to the relief of the Castle, they were unable to prevent its fall. D'Albiney surrendered, and John with his usual ferocity, ordered him to be hanged, with his whole garrison, but in deference to the advice of one of the foreign leaders, this barbarous order was not executed. The prisoners of inferior note were put to death, and the Knights were spared.

It is very interesting to know that the ransom paid for William d' Albiney's release was received at Sonning.

I am sure I have read somewhere, that one of the meetings of the Barons in this eventful time was held at Loddon bridge, in our Parish, but I cannot put my hand upon the reference. One could have wished that the only king, who we know for certain was at Sonning, had not been the most despicable that ever sat on the English throne. He died October 18th, 1216, only one month after his visit here, in the 49th year of his age, and the 18th of his calamitous reign. The great Pope, Innocent the Third, who crushed him, and from whom he had shamefully consented to hold the Kingdom of England as a vassal, had died in the July preceding. King John's death took place at Newark, in Nottinghamshire, not without suspicion of poison; by his own desire he was buried in Worcester Cathedral.

If he went to Church during his stay at Sonning, (and no doubt he did, for he was here on a Sunday), he would naturally have entered by the South Porch from the Palace grounds, and so would have gone under the very same Norman doorway by which we now enter.

Oct. 8th, at the Parish Church, Robert Dench, of Sonning, to Eliza Fitch, of Maidenhead.

SONNING.

BURIAL.

Sept. 26th, William Edward Norman, of Sonning, aged 24.