y answered. The parish of Keswick proved that some
years before they had buried a body found on a piece of land. This was
evidence of reputation that at the time of the burial the land was in
Keswick, otherwise the parishioners would not have taken on themselves
this work of uncalled-for benevolence. The fact of their having incurred
an expense, which, unless the land was in their parish, would have been
the burden of Markshall, satisfied the commissioner that the land must
have belonged to Keswick. I have no doubt this was the reason, though I
never heard of the question in connexion with Keswick and Markshall.
Battersea Rise, I heard when a boy, had formerly belonged to Clapham,
and been given to Battersea for the same reason as E. G. R. states to
have been the cause of Markshall losing its territory to Keswick.

J. H. L.

_Surname of Allan_ (Vol. vii., p. 205.).--I think A. S. A. will find
that this name was introduced into Britain from Normandy. It occurs in
early Norman times as a personal name, and afterwards as a patronymic.
Thus Alan, the son of Flathald, who had the castle of Oswestry granted
him by the Conqueror, had a son, William Fitz-Alan, ancestor of the
great baronial house of Arundel. In the _Hundred Rolls_, temp. Edward
I., it is very common under the orthographies of _fil. Alan_, {341}
_fil. Alain_, _Alayn_, _Aleyn_, _Aleyne_, _Aleynes_, _Aleynys_, &c.
Allen has always remained a baptismal name, and hence it is probable
that there is no more affinity between the numerous families now bearing
it as a surname, than between the various Thompsons, Williamses, and
others of this class. The MacAllans of Scotland may have a separate
Celtic source, though it is far likelier that this name (like MacEdward,
MacGeorge, and numerous others) is the English appellative with the
patronymic Mac prefixed.

MARK ANTONY LOWER.

Lewes.

_The Patronymic Mac_ (Vol. vii., p. 202.).--The present Earl of Stair
has collected and printed, under the title of _Almacks Extraordinary_, a
list of seven hundred Scotch and Irish surnames with the prefix "Mac;"
and a highly esteemed correspondent promises me a _supplementary_ list
of "a few hundreds" of such appellatives, which must therefore be in the
aggregate upwards of a thousand in number. I hope to include all these
in my forthcoming _Dictionary of British Surnames_.

MARK ANTONY LOWER.

Lewes.

_Cibber's "Lives of the Poets_" (Vol. v., p. 25.).--When MR. CROSSLEY