Thomas Hearne, Neville Wantonness, and Merry Wives of Windsor

Thomas Hearne was an antiquarian and diarist who lived in Berkshire near Billingbear, the ancestral home of the Neville family.

In his diary entry from 1706 he writes the most amusing and nasty anecdote about the Neville family's love of music on Sundays. The reference here is to "Grey Neville"  (1681–1723):

Mr. Nevil Junior Parliament Man for Abbingdon being lately married, to entertain his Lady he had some Extraordinary Musick for about a Fortnight or three Weeks at his Father's House at Billingbear in Berks, for performing which were three Musicians, two of them Oxford men, one of whom told me that he had dancing & musick upon this Occasion one Sunday night for three or four Hours. Such is the Religion of these pretended Hypocritical Saints; who always have reviled King James I. & K. Charles I. for allowing innocent Recreation in Publick on ye Lord's Day, when they themselves give themselves up to chambering and wantonness on the same day; but not with the like Innocence: it being father observable that the said Person told me yt all the time he was in ye House he saw not the least shew of Appearance of Religion, nor indeed any thing becoming a Gentleman (which this Nevil so much pretends to, & for which he is cry'd up among the Rascality of Whiggs & Low-church men) they being forc'd to come with very little Satisfaction for their Pains.

Of course, in Merry Wives of Windsor there is the legend of Herne the Hunter and Herne's Oak.

Well, at least we know in 1706 there was a "Hearne" living close enough to Billingbear to gossip about its inhabitants. His father George Hearne was born in the same location in 1649. So maybe a Hearne ancestor inspired the story. Interesting area for further research.