John Scott.
Norwich.
Sir William Hankford (Vol. ii., p. 161. &c.).—Your learned correspondent Mr. Edward Foss proves satisfactorily that Sir W. Gascoigne was not retained in his office of Chief Justice by King Hen. V. But Mr. Foss seems to have overlooked entirely the Devonshire tradition, which represents Sir William Hankford (Gascoigne's successor) to be the judge who committed Prince Henry. Risdon (v. Bulkworthy, Survey of Devon, ed. 1811, p. 246.), after mentioning a chapel built by Sir W. Hankford, gives this account of the matter:
"This is that deserving judge, that did justice upon the king's son (afterwards King Henry V.), who, when he was yet prince, commanded him to free a servant of his, arraigned for felony at the king's bench bar; whereat the judge replied, he would not. Herewith the prince, enraged, essayed himself to enlarge the prisoner, but the judge forbad; insomuch as the prince in fury stept up to the bench, and gave the judge a blow on the face, who, nothing thereat daunted, told him boldly: 'If you will not obey your sovereign's laws, who shall obey you when you shall be king? Wherefore, in the king's (your father's) name, I command you prisoner to the king's bench.' Whereat the prince, abashed, departed to prison. When King Henry IV., his father, was advertised thereof (as fast flieth fame), after he had examined the circumstances of the matter, he rejoiced to have a son so obedient to his laws, and a judge of such integrity to administer justice without fear or favour of the person; but withal dismissed the prince from his place of president of the council, which he conferred on his second son."
Risdon makes no mention of Sir W. Hankford's being retained in office by King Henry V. But at p. 277., v. Monkleigh, he gives the traditional account of Hankford's death (anno 1422), which represents the judge, in doubt of his safety, and mistrusting the sequel of the matter, to have committed suicide by requiring his park-keeper to shoot at him when under the semblance of a poacher:
"Which report (Risdon adds) is so credible among the common sort of people, that they can show the tree yet growing where this fact was committed, known by the name of Hankford Oak."
J. Sansom.
Mauilies, Manillas (Vol. vii., p. 533.).—W. H. S. will probably find some of the information which he asks for in Two Essays on the Ring-Money of the Celtæ, which were read in the year 1837 to the members of the Royal Irish Academy by Sir William Betham, and in some observations on these essays which are to be found in the Gentleman's Magazine of that year. During the years 1836, 1837, and 1838, there were made at Birmingham or the neighbourhood, and exported from Liverpool to the river Bonney in Africa, large quantities of cast-iron rings, in imitation of the copper rings known as "Manillas" or "African ring-money," then made at Bristol. A vessel from Liverpool, carrying out a considerable quantity of these cast-iron rings, was wrecked on the coast of Ireland in the summer of 1836. A few of them having fallen into the hands of Sir William Betham, he was led to write the Essays before mentioned. The making of these cast-iron rings has been discontinued since the year 1838, in consequence of the natives of Africa refusing to give anything in exchange for them. From inquiry which I made in Birmingham in the year 1839, I learnt that more than 250 tons of these cast-iron rings had been made in that town and neighbourhood in the year 1838, for the African market. The captain of a vessel trading to Africa informed me in the same year that the Black Despot, who then ruled on the banks of the river Bonney, had threatened to mutilate, in a way which I will not describe, any one who should be detected in landing these counterfeit rings within his territories.
N. W. S.