2o6 Devon Notes and Queries. The underlying inscription had evidently been painted out of set purpose and from no reason of decay or illegibility, for the inscription evolved itself as sharp and well cut to-day as the day it was done. There are traces of gilding in the ornamentation around underlying the paint, which suggest the average " restoration," but in this case why ? Possibly Sir Simon Leach disapproved of the execution, or maybe its magniloquence offended some later critic, possibly anything. The parish register unfortunately does not go back to the 17th century, and the Churchwardens' accounts, which commence in 1755, do not reveal anything to the point. To complete the record of the epitaphs of the Leach family, I append here that of the last Lady Leach of Cade- leigh, in Mamhead Church, Devon, kindly furnished by Preb. Granville. She was the daughter-in-law of Bridget, and to whom Bridget in a codicil (7th February, 169 1-2) to her will, left all her diamond rings. DOMING. MARIi£ TERESXiK LEACH VmUiB SIMONIS LEACH EQUITIS BALNEI ET FILIiB PR^NOBILIJ^OMINI THOM^E CLIFFORD BARONk DE CHUDLEIGH QU-fi OBIIT 9 OCTOB. 1715. [Sacred to the Memory of Mary Theresa Leach the widow of Sir Simon Leach Knight of the Bath and daughter of the noble lord Thomas Baron Clifford ofChudleigh who died gih October lyisJ] Arthur Fisher. 165. Apple Tree Charms (II., p. 113, par. 79.) — The firing at apple trees on Old Christmas Day, 5th January, was very usual in the neighbourhood of Ashburton during •the fifties, when I remember the salvoes of fire-arms from the various orchards on that night. How far the actual wassailing was observj^ I do not know, but all the old men spoke of it as having been usual in their younger days. The last occasion in which I took part was on 5th January, 1887, when a party of young men proceeded to our orchard and vigorously saluted the trees with volleys itora
