MS Princeton University, Parrish Collection C0171: Box 29

My dear Mr Freeman
I waited to answer your kind note till I should have learnt a little more about the Downton Mote. I find that it is mentioned by Sir Richard Colt Hoare but it seems to have been nearly forgotten since his time, as the archaeologists do not seem to have noticed it when making excursions in the neighbourhood¹

I believe he thinks it not large enough to be a Shire mote, but only one for a hundred, especially as it is so near the border of the county. I enclose a bit of Sir William Heathcote’s letter about it, in answer to my question whether the convex part was opposite to the concave, do you know the one at Lexden near Colchester? It is a great circular flat topped mound, now in a laurel copse.²

Thank you about Ludwig – the Lud is all safe, what I want to be clear about is the wig – which if wig in modern German seems to be wek in Frank and make vicus – and – though I cannot now find my authority, I was certainly assured, connected itself with the modern German wehen to consecrate, but I have never come across any comparative etymology of wehen,- and I do not know of what authority this is. I thought it was professor Munch who told me, but I have looked over his letters and cannot find the thing.³

Certainly Clovis was Hlodweh and the point is whether weh answers to wig. I shall try if I can get the edition sold off cheap and really I am sure I can improve the thing very much –

Another book the public is provoking about is the second part of Historical Selections where Miss Sewell did a capital account of Frederick Barbarossa

With many thanks
Yours sincerely
C M Yonge