Notes and Queries, Number 17, February 23, 1850Various
History
Notes and Queries, Number 17, February 23, 1850
Various
Questions and answers -- Periodicals
There is another like account rendered in 23 & 24 Hen. VII. These,
and no doubt many other accounts and documents respecting the honor of
Wigmore and its appartenances, are among the Exchequer records, and
we are entitled to infer from them, firstly, that a _parcarius_ and a
_pocarius_ are two different offices; secondly, that, whether the duty
of the latter was performed on the dikes or in the woods of Boringwood
chase, the theory of Mr. Bolton Corney (pace cl. viri dixerim) is
very deficient in probability. If the above authorities had not fallen
under my notice, I should have confidently adopted the conjecture
of the noble Querist, who first drew attention to the word, and,
so far from considering the substitution of "poker" for "parker"
an improbable blunder of the copyist, I should have pronounced it
fortunate for the house of Harley that their founder had not been
converted into a porcarius or pig-driver.
E. SMIRKE.
_Pokership_.--I had flattered myself that _Parkership_ was the real
interpretation of the above word, but I have once more doubts on
the subject. I this morning accidentally stumbled upon the word
"Porcellagium," which is interpreted in Ducange's _Glossary_,
"Tributum ex porcis seu porcellis."
_Porcarius_ also occurs as _Porcorum custos_, and mention is made
of "Porcorum servitium quo quis porcos domini sui pascentes servare
tenetur."
Now, considering how much value was formerly attached to the right
of turning out swine in wooded wastes, during the acorn season, it
seems probable that Sir R. Harley might be the king's "Porcarius,"
or receiver of the money paid for an annual license to depasture hogs
in the royal forests; and, after all, _Porkership_ is as like to
_Pokership_ as _Parkership_, and one mistake would be as easily made
as the other.
BRAYBROOKE.
Audley End, Feb. 16.
[We are enabled to confirm the accuracy of Lord Braybrooke's
conjecture as to _Pokership_ being the office conferred
upon Sir Robert Harley, inasmuch as we are in expectation of
receiving an account of the various forms of its name from
a gentleman who has not only the ability, but also peculiar
facilities for illustrating this and similar obscure terms.]
_Havior--Heavier or Hever_.-Supposed etymology of _Havior, Heavier_,
and _Hever_, as applied by park-keepers to an emasculated male
deer.--"NOTES AND QUERIES," (No. 15. p. 230.)
Pennant, in his _British Zoology_, 8vo. edition, 1776, vol. i. p.
38., and 8vo. edition, 1812, vol. i. p. 45., under the article,
"Goat" says:--
"The meat of a castrated goat of six or seven years old,
(which is called _Hyfr_,) is reckoned the best; being
generally very sweet and fat. This makes an excellent pasty,
goes under the name of rock venison, and is little inferior
to that of the deer."
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