P. 179. Albreda de STONACRE was one of the godmothers of the infant child of Joanna de Otteringdene ux. Geo. de Laverton (Ing. p. m. 21 Edw. I. No. 123, Cal. Geneal. p. 469). P. 242. The arms of " Sellinge of Shurland" arg. on a cross az. (or sa.) 5 annulets or impaling ... Billetty a Griffin segreant arg. "are in glass in the east window of the south chancel" in Pluckley church (Harl. MSS., 3917). In Falkham church by Ash are a fess in chief 2 annulets, and a fess in chief 3 annulets, and a bordure: and in Town Sutton church are arg. on a bend sa. 3 birds arg. quarterly with arg. a fess gules between 3 annulets impaling Norton (ibid). Sir John Foliot of Kent bore az. 6 annulets or. (Glover's Ord.) John Elys held land in Selling 1358 of the Abbot of St. Augustine (Hasted's Kent, fol. ed.) P. 226, we have seen that Robert Elys had lands in Selling, and these two facts in conjunction with the circumstance that 3 other coats were borne by Selling or Shelving (the two at p. 242, and that borne by S. who mar. d. and h. of Brockhull, besides 3 others in the Dictionaries) are in favour of the coat with annulets being derived from.Elys.* * It is necessary in consequence of additional facts disclosed by the "Liber Rubeus" of Canterbury, being in fact a fine copy of the Cartulary and Rental of St. Augustine's in 2 vols. (Cott. MSS., Claud. D x and Faustina A i) and hitherto unexamined, to renew the enquiry into the acquisition of the cross and crescents by Ellis of Stoneacre. In the former vol. we find Elyas de Shillingheld and Daniel his br. named in a deed 22 Hen. II. (f. 190). Wm. fil. Elye de S. had land in Selling (f. 301). Fol. 304, Sir John de Sellinge and Elyas fil. Elye de Ofne occur. Fol. 308, there is given "alia carta Daniel Elys feoff. Wm. de Elsinges," and a ch. of the latter reciting the former as that of Daniel fil. Elye. Fol. 215-7, the names of the following in charters as grantors or witnesses: Reginald de Cumbroc (living 25 Hen. III.), Rob. de Coningbrok, Gerard and Thomas de C., Gerard de Bertun, Elyas de C. The instances of families of Elys founded by persons with that Christian name occurring at pp. 69, 229 and 223, readily create the presumption that some of the numerous Ellises in Kent had such an origin. One case indeed seems pretty well established at p. 226, viz. that derived from Elias de Brevesham, and possibly the Daniel Elys and Elyas de Ofne above were the stirpes of families of Elys. The important question now arises whether Elias de Coningbrook might not have been the patriarch of the Elyses of Kennington and Stoneacre. The rental of the manor of Kennington alias Coningbrooke 20 Edw. II. (1290) given in Faustina A i (fol. 141-4) mentions land formerly held by Reginald de C. as then held by the heirs of Wm. de C.; the lands which Elyas and Roger de C. held then held by Warin Winchombe, Johannis Aurifaber and his brs. Rob. Wm. and Thomas. Wm. s. of John Elys held other lands. John Elyas held land late of Wm. de Burton. Matthew and Wm. Elys and others held land of Wm. de Cryel at Swatford. John Llys formerly held land at Wyvelsbergh. And a John Elis occurs as contemporary of Elias de C. in a List of Tenants. Now in Landsd. MSS. 276 (Philipot's MSS.) p. 51, it appears 25 a. of land called Wylleys in Ebden, parcel of the manor of Pulstrey were held of the King in capite 13 Edw. I. "post mortem Johannis Elye." This might be the John Elys above who P. 107. ARMS OF ELLISES.-The arms Gules six plates appropriated to ELLYS, have doubtless a common origin with the similar coats of Punchardon, Sable 6 plates, and Lacy, Argent 6 roundels sa. The latter impaling arg. a raven gules, and the arms of Thwaites were formerly in Berwick in Elmet church (Harl. MSS. 1394). The family of Lacy of CromwellBotham co. Yorks. bore these arms. Punchardun who bore 6 plates were owners of Little Mitton temp. Hen. III. (Whitaker's Whalley, p. 253). sa. Or on a cross sable 5 crescents arg. a mullet in the first qu. pierced gules, with the crest of a Goat's head erased, in his mouth a serpent, are attributed to the name of ELYS in Harl. MSS. 5849, p. 3. Argent on a chevron sa. 3 escallops or, in chief a greyhound in 1290 was evidently dead. Thomas s. of John Elys of Coningbrook occurs 1307. (P. 77, Notices). This John Elys was doubtless the John Elys of the Rental. The words here "of Coningbrook" according to numerous analogous cases mean place of residence not patronymic, and might in this particular case mean Kennington generally, or the manor house of Coningbrook in particular as the residence of the Bailiff of the Abbot's manor, which this John Elys or his son probably was. We now see that though Elias de C. might have left children who took his Christian name as a fixed patronymic, yet it does not appear that John Elys was one of them. But as it is possible that all the Elyses above mentioned should be his descendants or of some other Elias, the question of the relationship of the Elyses of Stoneacre to the Elyses of Kiddall must be examined from another point of view, viz. their social position and claim to bear coat-armour. Philipot, in his "Villare Cantianum," says that "Stoneacre is an ancient seat which for some centuries of years has acknowledged no other proprietary but Ellys. The deeds that fortify their interest in this place reach as high as the time of Edw. II. (III.) and instruct us that Ellys who enjoys it now, is by a stream of many uninterrupted descents issued out from John Ellys who possessed it then." (p. 263.) This John Elys is evidently the John Stonaker of the Subsidy Roll, 21 Edw. III. He was probably the Commissioner of 1326 (p. 228). Tho. Elys the Commissioner of Sewers 18 Edw. I. and 7 Edw. II. was doubtless of the same family, and perhaps the same person as "Thom. fil. John Elys de Conyngbrook " of 1 Edw. II. Now the Commissioners of Sewers or of Embanking and Draining were important persons. Associated with Tho. Elys in this duty were 2 knights and other persons of property, who we may be sure bore coat armour. But however this may have been, it is pretty certain that the 1st coat quartered by Ellys of Stoneacre is the coat of Stoneacre, which was formerly in the windows of Otham church. Now if John Elys were a novus homo, on marrying the heiress of Stoneacre, he would surely have adopted her armorial bearings; but he evidently did not, but doubtless bore the cross and crescents which it has been shown must temp. Edw. III. have been borne by the Elyses of Kent to account for the variations of that coat on the font of St. Clement's Church and as borne by Sir John Elys 1392-7. That, whatever might have been the case with other families, the coat of Elys of Kiddall was not appropriated by other families of the name courant party per pale gules and azure in a bordure vert bezanty, are the arms of JOHN ELYS (Add. MSS. 18,581; Collection of Arms, 1683). The same coat is given to Elys in an Alphabet of Arms, Add. MSS. 5522, p. 12. P. 261. HAMOND of Hants bore or 5 crescents in cross az. 1, 3 and 1. (Berry's Encyc. Her.) CUNDALL bore arg. on a cross couped sa. 5 crescents of the field. Crundall near to Wye co. Kent belonged to the family of Handloo who bore 3 crescents. STOTESBURY of Oxon (descended from S. of Evenley co. Northamp.) bore arg. on a cross engr. sa. 5 crescents or surmounted by flames gules (vis. Oxon 1574, Harl. MSS. 1095, p. 59). As there was a match of this family with Greene of not of their lineage, in the 15th or 14th centuries, we have the cases of two coats (p. 208) of the Elyses of Norfolk, which are quite different, as in fact though not so entirely are the arms of Ellis of Lincolnsh. And if Elys of Kennington appropriated the cross and crescents, Elys of Sandwich undoubtedly of the same family would also have appropriated them, but the arms on the font, and the coat or a cross sable [the crescents evidently obliterated] formerly on the windows of Ash Church (Planché, ut ante p. 187) along with the arms of Septvans, Tho. Elys of Sandwich, viz. arg. on a fess betw. 6 cross crosslets az. 3 plates, and others show that they were the original arms, afterwards replaced by the last mentioned coat, which we have supposed in part to be derived from Dering as the cross crosslets were probably from Goshall of Ash in whose arms they occur. If during the reign of Edw. III. and Ric. II. the cross and crescents were borne by Elys of Kent when the greatest strictness was observed, as is evinced by the celebrated Scrope and Grosvenor controversy, [and even a century later, viz. 1486, according to the authority of Dame Julyan Berners in the Boke of St. Albans who declares that "armys bi a mannys auctoritye taken (if an other man have not borne theym afore) be of strength enogh,"] we may confidently presume that they had an equal right to the coat with the Elyses of Kiddall; and therefore however much the Elyses of Stoneacre and their ancestors may be entangled and intermixed with other cotemporary Elyses of different origin, there can be no doubt of their descent from the same stock as the Elyses of Kiddall. And here the doubt expressed at p. 240 as to the ancestral right of the Ellises of Chiselhurst to the cross and crescents must be rescinded, as it is hardly likely, that at any period that family living not 30 miles off would be allowed to bear the identical arms of Ellys of Kennington and Stoneacre, whilst the latter was flourishing, if they had no right to them. Indeed the allegation that arms of old families were appropriated temp. Hen. VI. and afterwards, by new families of the same name requires verification and exemplification. As we meet with grants of arms as early as Edw. III. if not earlier, which imply a supervision on the part of the heralds fatal to such appropriation, identity of coat-armour in 2 or more families may be considered equivalent to cognate origin; except of course where it is proved to be otherwise. It should be added that in the Subsidy Roll, 1 Edw. III. Radulphus Alis is charged with the payment of 18d. (a low sum) under the Hund. of Barnfield, which includes Hawkhurst. But much weight should not be attached to this occurrence of the name of Alis in Kent, as it is a solitary case, and may have been a broad local mode of pronouncing Elys. S. of Evenley was held North. the crescents might have come from them. Statistics of the Name of Ellis. We have seen in No. I (pp. 44 and 49) that the name Elias in France may be traced to the middle of the 9th century, and in the following centuries was not uncommon as a Christian name; that it was probably a synonym of Louis, as in De Brecquigny's Receuil des Chartes the latter name occurs only as as that of Royal personages from the 9th to the 12th century whilst Elias occurs frequently; that Alis-ay near Pontdelarche, which was formerly owned and named by the family of Alis, was the seat of councils in the 9th century, that therefore the name of Alis must be as old; that Alis was probably a crasis of Helouis, and became eventually if not originally synonymous with Elias; and that Elias in England, and also Alis, in the 13th century took the settled form of Elys.* In Wales the name is met with as early as in France. A.D. 815 Griffi s. of Cyngen s. of Cadell was slain through the treachery of his br. Elisse. (Brut y Tywysogiun; Chronicles of the Princes of Wales, 1860) Roderick the Great, King of Wales, 843-76, had a grandson named Elis. Anarawd King of N. Wales had a son Elis slain 940. Subsequently the name is met with in Welch pedigrees, but not so numerously as Lewis. Both names were doubtless synonymous at first, and came from France as conjectured at p. 51. In England the name of Elys does not occur in any shape amongst the Saxons living at the time of the Confessor and mentioned in Domesday. In Scotland the name of Elias is met with earlier than in England: Helias Scotus 1003 fit abbas S. Martini Coloniæ, ob. 1042 (Monumenta Britannica). Instances are given in No. III. p. 143 of the name in Scotland in the 12th century, and in the North of England it is found early associated with Uchtred, Waldeve, etc. We thus see the sources of the families of the name of Elie, Elyes, Alais, Ales, etc. in France, and of Ellis in the United * Mr. Lower in his Patronymica Britannica remarks "in the whole range of family nomenclature there is perhaps no name which admits of more variety of origin, or a greater number of differing forms." The very reverse of this is the case. It is questionable indeed if there be but one origin of the name. Ella, the name of the South-Saxon king, could never have been its etymon, though found in local names as Ellis-field, Ellesham, etc., for if so it would be found as a Saxon name which it is not; the only resemblance to it is Elsi or Alsi, which never became Elys, or Alestan. As to Ells in British meaning son-in-law-and thus originating the name, it is sufficient to observe that sons in law had names before they became such. Kingdom in the present day. It will be interesting now to compare this Name with others having a similar origin viz. a Christian Name. In Wales it was and appears now one of the least common of names of its class. In the two large quarto volumes of Welch Pedigrees by Sir S. R. Meyrick, the name is comparatively rare. In the Index of Welch names to the Record of Caernarvon, temp. Edw. III. it does not occur half a dozen times whilst Elydir occurs 20 times and others with manifold frequency. The Welch pedigrees in No. III. are all that could be gleaned from Meyrick, Burke and other sources, including private communications. The name of Ellis does not occur in a List of 50 of the most common Names in England given in Mr. Lower's work (p. xxvii.) This list contains the Welch names of Davies, Edwards, Evans, Griffiths, Hughes, Jones, Lewis, Morgan, Morris, Philips, Price, Roberts, Thomas, and Williams.* In Domesday Book, the name of Helius occurs only once, and Alis once. In the List of the Companions of Wm. the Conqueror 1066 compiled by M. L. de l'Isle (Her. and Gen. i. 202) the following proportions occur of certain Christian Names ;-Bernard 4, Walter 17, Geoffrey 17, Gilbert 12, William 75, Humphrey 8, Hugh 32, Ralph 42, Richard 18, Robert 43, Roger 30. Only one Alan occurs in this List, and yet Allen is one of the 50 most common names in England. In the Liber Niger 1166 the name of Elias as a Christian name occurs 40 times, and there are about 5500 names of all kinds in the Record. In the Testa de Nevill a century later, the name of Elias occurs 52 times out of a total of 12,900 names, which gives the proportion of 4 in a thousand. As in the reign of Hen. III. or certainly of Edw. I. hereditary surnames had become general it is not likely that one in 10 possibly not one in 50 of these or other Eliases became the stirps of a family of Elys. And as Alis from the Conquest, and families of Fitz-Elys and Elys from a period a century later were hereditary surnames, their offshoots must have become so many stirpes of existing families of the name, so as greatly to restrict the probable number of Eliases who might have originated families of the name. The name of Elias at early periods was perhaps more common as a Christian name in Yorkshire than in other counties (vide Burton's Monast. Ebor.) That circumstance and the early establishment of the family of Elys of Kiddall would prepare us to expect a greater frequency of the name in that county than elsewhere. Accordingly that is found to be the case.† * Of the 328 Registration Officers and their Deputies acting in the Districts of Wales, 207 are comprised under 17 Surnames in the following proportions, viz. — Jones, 46, Williams 26, Davies 16, Evans 16, Thomas 15, Roberts 14, Lewis 11, Hughes 10, Edwards 8, Lloyd 8, James 6, Griffith 6, Morgan 6, Rees 6, Owen 5, Morris 4, ELLIS 4. (Lower's Pat. Brit. p. xxv.) In Leeds and its Suburbs the ratio of the Ellises to the whole population is |