Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 3.djvu/86

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [io< s. HI. JAN. 28, IMS.

John of Liegf., the most celebrated cutler in that city in the century before last, and the inventor of that species of manufacture."

Although this extract does not meet the point raised at the last reference, it is an important confirmation of previous state- ments on the meaning of a singular term, and it has special interest as the evidence of a man whose father counted Allan Ramsay among his intimate friends, and who himself knew personally Robertson, Hume, Adam Smith, Lord Monboddo, Burns, and Scott. Burns visited Jedburgh in his Border tour of 1787, and in the journal he kept during his progress he refers to Somerville as "the clergyman of the place, a man and a gentle- man, but sadly addicted to punning." Dr. Somerville died on May 1C, 1830.

THOMAS BAYNE.

'VISITATIONS OP SOUTHWELL.' This interest- ing record was edited for the Camden Society in 1891 by Mr. A. F. Leach. On p. 119 a testator mentions his house, land and appur- tenances "within Morton towne and foyeder," which last word the editor suggests means misreading of " fey Ides," i.e., fields, a quite usual phrase. On p. 121 another testator leaves his " tuffall of paysen the which standeth over inyn oxen," and the editor marks "tuffall" with "query." It is " to- fall," i.e. fall-to, now called a lean-to. Mention is made on p. 129 of the house of black- friars " at the greate fote " in Lincoln, which the editor cannot explain unless it be great font. This is doubtless another misreading, and should be "grease," i.e., stair; the " grecian stairs " are mentioned in Maddison's 4 Vicars-Choral of Lincoln,' 1878, p. 26.
 * ' for ever." But it is merely somebody's

W. C. B.

ANGELO BENEDETTO VENTURA. (See 9 th S. ii. 368.)-In The Times of 18 March, 1828, there is an advertisement for '" heirs at law of Caroline Ventura (wife of Angelo Benedetto Ventura), formerly of Shenley Hill, in 'the county of Hertford, afterwards of Southampton

Row, Bloomsbury but late of Kilburn

deceased (who died in the month of August)," &c.

LEO CULLETON.

STAFFORD : TATTON. The writer will be glad to communicate with the descendants (if any) of the three daughters of John Stafford, of Macclesfield, Esq., attorney-at-law, and Lucy, fifth daughter of William Tatton, of Wythenshawe, co. Chester, Esq. Sarah, eldest daughter, married Harry Langford, of Macclesfield, Gent. Lucy, second daughter, living in 1807, married Samuel Wilkinson, Esq, sometime colonel of the Surrey Militia. .Penelope Margaret, third and youngest

daughter, married the Rev. Richard Popple- well Johnson, rector of Ashton-upon-Mersey, living 1807, and had a daughter named Catherine. JUBAL STAFFORD.

7, Grange Avenue, Heaton Chapel, by Stockport.

"NUMBER-MEN." I recently came across this term for the first time, and, as it is probably unknown to the Philological Society, make a note of it.

It is used by an old Liverpool publishing firm upon the wrappers of their 'Grand Folio Bible,' dated 1813, when referring to their canvassing agents, thus : "Those subscribers, therefore, who choose to be accommodated with the Apocrypha may now be supplied by

giving orders to the Number-men." In the

United States the term " back-number-men " is still applied to old-book dealers who stock serials. WM. JAGGARD.

139, Canning Street, Liverpool.

' THE LASS OF RICHMOND HILL.' (See ante, p. 20.) For " Surrey " should be read York- shire. A. H.

[Our contributor speaks positively. It will be well, however, to consult what was said in the very long discussion in the last four volumes of the Fifth Series. ]

" FED UP." Within the past three or four years, the slang term "fed up" has come into common use, meaning as if from overfed or stuffed full that some practice is being so overdone as to be wearisome. It is now to be found in such a serious place as the City article of The Times, in which, on 1 Oct., 1904, applauding a decision of the Government to make an immediate issue of Exchequer bonds, it was said :

" We are, indeed, of opinion that November would not have proved a very convenient time from the City's point of view, whatever may have been the feeling of the City at the beginning of August, when every one was in a state of nervous apprehension regarding new issues of any kind, and particularly issues of high-class securities, with which they were, to use an expressive piece of slang, ' fed up.' " ALFRED F. ROBBINS.

" TOURMALINE " : ITS ETYMOLOGY. This important mineralogical term is remarkable for the variety of ways in which our dic- tionaries explain its origin. The only point of agreement between them is that it has something to do with Ceylon. The oracle of our school - days, Nuttall, derives it from " Tour mal i, in Ceylon," apparently a place- name. The ' Century ' says it is " from tournamal, a name given to this stone in Ceylon." The ' Encyclopaedic ' says " from the Cingalese turamali, under which name it was first introduced into Europe in 1703."