The map extends to the right, or east, as far the mouths of the Ganges. Roads are traced through Iudia, to several emporia, or places of trade, on the coast. To the west the map ends abruptly on the borders of Spain, including farther north only the eastern part of Britain. It is evident, as Mannert maintains, that one leaf ie wanting, and it has perhaps been lost.
PEW. The word pew seldom occurs in writers upon ecclesiastical law, who almost Invariably use the expression " church seat." Originally there were no pews in churches, and the only fixed seats mere stone benches carried along the sides of the churches, of which examples still remain in Salisbury and other cathedrals, and in ltomsey church, Hants, Portbury, Somerseteldre, and many other of our old parish churches. But in the 14th, and still more generally in the 15th century, open meets or benches of wood, with carved ends, were fixed across the nave (but leaving a broad central passage), though the practice was still perhaps not tuliversaL These, legally termed "church seats," were commonly called "pews," but pews in the modern sense of the word, namely, enclosed scats. (lid not come into use until about the period of the Reformation. Before that time no cases are to be found of claims to pews, although in the common-law books two or three claims arc mentioned to seats in a church, or particular parts of a seat.
By the general law and of common right, all the pews in a parish church are the common property of the parish ; they are for the use is common of the parishioners, who are all entitled to be seated orderly and conveniently so as best to provide for the accommodation of all. The right of appointing what persons shall sit in each seat belongs to the ordinary and the churchwardens, who are his officers to place the parishioners according to their rank and station. A pau-ishioner has a right to a seat in the church without any payment for it; and if he has cause of complaint in this respect against the churchwardens, ho may cite them in the ecclesiastical court to show cause why they hare not seated him Properly ; and if there be persons occupying pews who are not inhabitants of the parish, they ought to be displaced In order to make room for him. This general right, however, of the churchwardens as the officers of the ordinary is subject to certain exceptions, for private rights to pews may be sustained upon the ground of a faculty, or of prescription, which presumes a faculty.
The right by faculty arises where the ordinary or his predecessor has granted a licence or faculty appropriating certain pews to indi. viduals. Faculties have varied in their form sometimes the appro priation has been to a person and his family "so long as they continuo inhabitants of a certain house in the parish ; " the more modern form is to a man and his family " so long as they continue inhabitants of the parish " generally. The first of these is perhaps the least exceptionable form.
Where a faculty exists, the ordinary cannot again interfere; but where a party claiming by faculty ceases to be a parishioner, his right is determined. There may be, however, a prescription for a person living out of the pariah to have a pew in the body of the church.
With respect to ants in the chancel, the law has not been settled, and great inconvenience has been experienced from the doubts con tinued to be entertained. It is said that the churchwardens have no authority over pews in the chancel, and it has been said that the rector, whether spiritual or lay, has in the first instance at least a right to dispose of the seats; claims have also been set up on behalf of the vicar; and the extent of the ordinary's authority to remedy any undue arrangement with regard to such pews has been questioned.
With regard to aisles or isles (wings) in a church, the case is different. The whole isle, or particular seats in it, may be claimed as appurtenant to an ancient mansion or dwelling-house, for the use of the occupiers of which the aisle is presumed to have been originally built In order to complete this exclusive right, it is necessary that it should have existed immemorially, and that the owners of the mansion in respect of which it is claimed should from time to time have borne the expense of repairing that which they claim as having been set up by their prede cessors.
The purchasing or renting of pews in churches is contrary to eccle siastical law, pew-rents, under the church-building acts„being exceptions to the general law ; and rents taken iu populous places being usually (Junctional by special acts of parliament. Pew-rents in private uncon secrated chapels do not fall under the same principle, such chapels being private property.