H.

Ringing a Handbell before a Corpse.—­Is it true that whenever an interment takes place in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, the corpse is preceded on its way to the grave by a person who rings a small handbell at intervals, each time giving a few tinkling strokes?  My informant on this subject was an Oxford undergraduate, who said that he had recently witnessed the burials both of Mr. ——­, a late student of Christ Church, and of Miss ——­, daughter of a living bishop:  and he assured me that in both cases this ceremony was observed.  Certainly it is possible to go through the academical course at Oxford without either hearing the bell, or knowing of its use on such occasions:  but I should now be glad to receive some explanation of this singular custom.

A.G.

Ecclesfield.

Church of St. Saviour, Canterbury.—­Tradition, I believe, has uniformly represented that an edifice more ancient, but upon the present site of St. Martin’s, Canterbury, was used by St. Augustine and his followers in the earliest age of Christianity in this country.  St. Martin’s has, on that account, been often spoken of as the mother-church of England.  Lately, however, in perusing the fourth volume of Mr. Kemble’s Codex Diplomaticus, p. 1.  I find a charter of King Canute, of the year 1018, which states the church of ST. SAVIOUR, Canterbury, to be the mother-church of England: 

    “AEcclesia Salvatoris in Dorobernia sita, omnium AEcclesiarum regni
    Angligeni mater et domina.”

In none of the histories of Kent or of Canterbury can I find any mention of a church dedicated to St. Saviour.  May I beg the favour of you to insert this among your Notes?

HENRY ELLIS.

Mock Beggar’s Hall.—­What is the origin of this name as applied to some old mansions?  One at Wallasey, in Cheshire, was so named, and another near Ipswich, in Suffolk.  And what is the earliest instance of the title?

BURIENSIS.

Beatrix Lady Talbot.—­Since the publication of Sir Harris Nicolas’ able contribution to the Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica (vol. i. pp. 80-90.) no one may be excused for confounding, as Dugdale and his followers had done, Beatrix Lady Talbot with Donna Beatrix, daughter of John, King of Portugal, to whom Thomas FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel, was married, 26th Nov., 1405.  What I now wish to learn is, whether anything has since been discovered to elucidate further the pedigree of Lady Talbot?  It is evident that she was of Portuguese origin; and it may be inferred from the quarterings on her seal, as shown in a manuscript in the British Museum (1st and 4th arg., five escutcheons in cross az., each charged with five plates in saltire, for Portugal; and 2nd and 3rd az., five crescents in saltire, or), that she was a member of the Portuguese family of Pinto, which is the only house in Portugal that bears the five crescents in saltire, as displayed on the seal.