Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 4.djvu/177

 io» 8. iv. AUG. 19,1995.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 141 LONDON. SATURDAY, Al'CCST 19. 1901. CONTENTS.-No. 86. ROTES:—Sir Robert Howard, 141—Early Latin-English- Basque Dictionary, 143—Punctuation in MSS. and Printed Books, 144—Sir John Fastolf—Prorogation of Parliament. 145 — Prime Ministers and Newspapers — ' The Siege of Belgrade,' 14«—Inscriptions at Figueira da Foz—George Bucbanan, 147. QUEKIUS :-Thomns ii Becket—Napoleon and Bvron, 147— H. Sanderson, Clockmaker—George III.'a Cleverness— Severance as a Proper Name—Sophony—Public Meeting —"Newlands," Cbalfont St. Peter—W. Congreve—West- minster Hall—W. Lewis, Comedian—Thornbury on the Civil War, 148-De Gourblllon—Elizabeth Milton—For- rester of Garden—Countess of Huntingdon at Hfghgate— Kaster Woods—Officer* of State in Ireland—Ahst*-mius in Xiop'a ' Fables'—Jane Wenham — David Colvllle, 149— KoItrUon of Struan—"The Star and Garter"—Slipper, Surname—' Doctrlnall Alani'—T. Dudley, l.'.n. BKPLIKS—Joseph Anstice. 160-'La Belle Assemble^': Mlis Cubitt—" Knlaz," 152-Nicholas Kllmlus—Ballad : Spanish Lady's Love for an Englishman—Forests set on Fire by Lightning—Jack and Jill, 153—Letter of Emanuel of Portugal to Pope Julian II.—References Wanted— William Waynflete, 154—Wellington's Badge-Prerogative Court of Canterbury Will Registers — American Place- names—' Chevy Chase,' 155—Luther's * Commentary on the Galatians ' — " England," " English " : their Pronuncia- tion— M(lisande : Ettarre—Basil Montagu's MSS.— Yacht- Ing, 166—Doherty. Winchester Commoner—Hemming= Stevens—Homannff and Stuart Pedigree—Arcbiepiscopal Croas and 'Becker.'—Why has England no Noblesse? 157 —Southwold Church — Caldwell Family—Lord Chester- field—"Tbn Pilgrim of Eternity "—Horace Walpole's Letters—' Don Quixote,' 1695-6—Authors Wanted, 158. NOTES ON BOOKS: —Matthews's 'Cardiff Records'— • Hakluyius Posthumus '—" Toe Muses' Library "—Kmer- •on's Works—' Poets and Poetry of tbe Nineteenth Cen- tury'—'Grimm's Popular Stories'—Lambs' 'Tales from Shakespeare'—' Household of Mir Thomas More.' Booksellers' Catalogues. SIB ROBERT HOWARD, THE DRAMATIST, AND HIS FAMILY. THE life and matrimonial relations of Sir Robert Howard, K.B., wit, dramatist, soldier, and politician (son of the first Earl of Berk- shire, and brother-in-law of Dryden), have long puzzled the genealogists. The ' Dic- tionary of National Biography' blunders hopelessly in dealing with Sir Robert's four wives, and even such a careful writer as Paget, who had access to the private MSS. of the Berkshire Howards, is entirely wrong when he represents Sir Robert as leaving children by his second wife, Lady Honour O'Brien. Thanks to recent researches, the present writer is now able to unravel the tangle for the first time, and place the wives And children of "Sir Positive Atall " (as Shadwell styled him) in their proper order, besides explaining many hitherto puzzling facts in the life of that remarkable man. Sir llobert was knighted for gallantry at Xewbnry 19 Januar5T, 1645/6. Thirteen days later (1 February, 1645/6) he was married at Church Oakley, near Basingstoke, as the parish registers show, to " Mrs. Ann Kings- enill, second daughter of Sir Richard Kings- mill, of Malshanger." Sir Richard Kingsmill was second son of Sir William Kingsmill, of Sidroanton, Hants, and his will, dated 16 March, 1662, may be seen at the Win- chester Probate Registry. Another of his daughters, Dorothy, was married in 1639 to John Fanshawe, Esq., of Parsloes, Essex, although Burke's 'Landed Gentry ' wrongly makes this lady "Catherine, daughter of Sir William Kingsmill, of Sidmanton." Sir Richard of Malshanger, indeed, seems to have been ignored by the genealogists, but lie was a notable Hampshire worthy, and evidently in sympathy with the Parliament, as we find him marrying couples in 1656, as a justice. on the farm of Fabyans, near Church Oakley, probably rented from his father-in-law. The Church Oakley registers record the births of the following children of Sir Robert and his wife Ann : (1) Robert Howard, bapt. Feb., 1645/6 ; (2) William Howard, bapt. 4 April, 1647; (3) Dorothie Howard, bapt. 6 July, 1649, and buried 26 Dec., 1649; (4) Thomas Howard, bapt. 26 Feb., 1650/1 ; (5) Dorothy Howard, bapt. 20 Jan., 1653/4; (6) Ellesabeth Hooard (sic), bapt. and buried 17 Aug., 1656. The fourth child, Thomas, was the one who eventually succeeded to his father's estates of Ashstead and Castle Rising. He is usually described as son of Sir Robert, by Lady Honour O'Brien. There was yet another daughter, Mary Howard, born (Gi'llow's ' Diet, of Eng. Catholics') 28 Dec., 1653, but whose birth is not entered at Church Oakley. She fled from the amorous advances of Charles II., says her biographer, Alban Butler, was dis- inherited by Sir Robert, entered the Order of Poor Clares, and died abbess of the convent at Rouen, 21 March, 1735. I have not been able to find any record of the death of Ann, Lady Howard, nte Kingsmill. She must have been Sir Robert's first wife, as he was only nineteen when he married her. She was dead, one supposes, before 1666, when we find Sir Robert remarried to the Lady Honour O'Brien, fifth daughter and co-heir of Henry, fifth Earl of Thomond. This lady was widow of a Wiltshire baronet, Sir Francis Englefield, who had died in May, 1665, leaving absolutely to his wife the valuable estate of Wootton Bassett, with the adjacent manor-house of Vasherne (about which inquiry was made recently in 'N. & Q.'). Sir Robert evidently married Lady Honour for her money alone, and in October, 1666, we already find him paying attentions to the actress Mrs. Uphill (vide Evelyn's 'Diary'). In September, 1667 [' State Papers, Dom., Chas. II.'), Lady Honour petitioned the king for
 * After his marriage Sir llobert Howard resided