Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 11.djvu/289

 10 s. XL MAR. 20, i909.j NOTES AND QUERIES.

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partly concealed, and painted stone colour like its surroundings, it had escaped nay notice. For the purpose of being seen it would be better placed in the Guildhall Museum. PHILIP NORMAN.

ANNE BOLEYN'S REMAINS (10 S. xi. 88). See ' Notices of Historic Persons buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London, with account of the Discovery of the Supposed Remains of Queen Anne Boleyn,' by D. C. Bell. There Is a copy of this in the Kensington Library.

J. HOLDEN MACMlCHAEL.

[MB. W. E. HARLAND-OXLEY also refers to the volume by Mr. Doyne C. Bell.]

"BEESWAXERS" (10 S. xi. 187). One may suggest that the word means, simply, boots dressed with beeswax, or " dubbin," to keep the leather wet-proof, and void of boot polish. As to the erudite explanation suggested, Jamieson renders " beswakit," over a quotation from Dunbar, as appa- rently, soaked, drenched : this by the way, for it is difficult to see how a Scottish word long fallen out of use, could have influenced Winchester boys. H. P. L.

EARLY VICTORIAN SONGS (10 S. xi. 128). The first one mentioned by MR. CORNISH was a " nigger " ditty sung by T. D. Rice, of " Jim Crow " notoriety. The music was arranged by a prolific composer named William West. The " only authentic " edi- tion was published about 1845, by T. A. Purday, 50, St. Paul's Churchyard, with a sketch on the cover of Rice dancing at a niggers' ball.

The title of the other was ' Tea in the Arbour.' It was a comic song above the average merit. The writer was Jacob Beuler, author of several other songs popular in old men's youth or memory. The music was " arranged " by A. C. Whitcombe, and always seemed to me reminiscent of Arne's " We all love a pretty girl under the rose." The song was published in 1835 by B. Williams, 30, Cheapside, with a humorous sketch on the cover by George Cruikshank.

A. RHODES.

The first verse of ' Sich a gittin' Upstairs ' ran something as follows :

Some like coffee, some like tea ;

Some like pretty girls, just like me I

And dere was (rallentando)

Sich a gittin' upstairs an' playin' on de fiddle,

Sich a gittin' upstairs I never did see.

I remember Madame Vestris singing some lines to the melody of " Sich a gittin' up-

stairs " " Sich a gittin' upstairs an' a- playin' on the serpent " in a burlesque at the Lyceum Theatre I think ' The Island of Jewels,' by J. R. Planche some time before 1850. JOHN HEBB.

I can remember ' Such a getting Upstairs ' being sung as a street ballad as far back as 1840. Thackeray incorporated the re- frain in one of his short but amusing papers ' A Visit to some Country Snobs,' contributed to Punch circa 1845-6.

JOHN PICKFORD, M.A.

Newbourne Rectory, Woodbridge.

I should think that both these songs would be found in song-books of the period. There was one, I believe, called ' Diprose's Song-Book.' We used to sing ' Tea in the Arbour ' when I was at school, in the forties.

J. T. F.

Durham.

[M. N. G. and MR. J. B. WAINEWRIGHT also thanked for replies.]

"RAISED HAMLET ON THEM" (10 S. xi. 65, 137). " Playing Hamlet " is a common expression here among the working-class for making a disturbance or (in children) for sulking. I have heard a mother say of her child, " If I ask her to do what she don't like, she '11 begin playing 'Amlet directly." ALICE HALL.

Church Street, Sheffield.

I am familiar with this expression, also the analogous one of " playing Hanover." There appears to be something attractive about the letter H, e.g., " Go to Halifax."

NOVOCASTRIAN.

The Yorkshire phrase "play Hamlet with " is given in ' E.D.D.' as " to play the deuce with ; to give one a ' good blowing up.' " F. HOWARD COLLINS.

ROD OF BRICKWORK (10 S. x. 388 ; xi. 77, 116). In America land is always measured by rods, and not, as in England, by poles and yards : thus if in a country town you inquire the position of a certain house, you will be told it is so many rods from the church or the post office.

N. W. HILL.

New York.

EASTRY, KENT : O.E. " GEA " (10 S. xi. 87, 171). It is suggested at the latter refer- ence that the Kentish place-name Eastry as well as the names Ely and Surrey origin- ally contained the O.E. element *gva, a