Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 5.djvu/94

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [io"s.v.o AN. 27,1906.

Johnson and Middleton." A foot-note at p. 318 of the second edition of Busteed's 'Echoes of Old Calcutta' states that among the Impey MSS. one folio volume is filled with letters from these two officials to the Chief Justice during 1782 asking for his intercession in their behalf with Hastings. The foot-note adds that

Middleton,' and after his death 'Middleton of Unhappy Memory,' in allusion to his evidence at Hastings's trial."
 * ' Middleton at a later period was called ' Memory

JAMES WATSON. Folkestone.

MANTEGNA'S HOUSE (10 th S. iv. 87). Seeing that no answer has appeared, 1 give below an extract from a letter from Mantua :

"About some of our national artistic works we seem to know less than foreigners. It may be that I did not inquire at the proper sources, but I regret to say that 1 was unable to find out anything about Mantegna's house. I passed the inquiry on to my brother-in-law, who is an architect, and he con- fessed his ignorance on the matter. At Porta Pusterla there is certainly a technical school, but I am not aware that any part of the building dates from 1496. Still, I repeat that we are not well posted in these matters, and you may possibly ascertain something more definite from another source."

LEO C.

BRANDON, DUKE OF SUFFOLK (10 th S. v. 9) The following notes from the Brandon ligree will probably suffice as a reply to l.'s query.

Sir William Brandon, of Wangford, Suffolk was knighted on the field of Tewkesbury by Edward IV., 3 May, 1471. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Wingfield, of Letheringham. His will was proved in P.C.C., July 1491; that of his widow in 1496. He had (with other children) three sons :

1. Sir William. (See under.)

2. Sir Thomas. Knighted at the battle o Blackheath, 17 June, 1497. Installed KG 10 May, 1507. Will dated 11 Jan, 1509/10 proved 11 May, 1510. Buried in the church of Black Friars, London. Died s.p.

3. Sir Robert. Knighted at the battle p Stoke, 1487 j made banneret, 1512. Sherif of Norfolk and Suffolk, 1492, 1508, and 1509 Was of Wangford, Suffolk. Died s.p. Wil dated 22 Feb., 1522/3; proved 28 Nov., 1524

Sir William Brandon, eldest son. Knightec by Henry VII. upon his landing at Milforc Haven, 1485, and appointed standard-bearer Killed " in a desperate assault by King Richard himself" on Bos worth Field, 22 Aug. 1485. He married Elizabeth, daughter anc coheir of Sir Henry Bruyn, of South Ocken

ion, Essex, and widow successively of

Villiam Malory and Thomas Tyrell. bhe

died shortly before 30 May, 1485, at which

date her Inq.P.M. was taken. They had

,. William. Named in the will of his grandmother Elizabeth (Wingfield), Lady Brandon, in 1496. Apparently died young.

2. Anne. Named in the same will.

3. Charles. Born about 1484. Knighted 20 March, 1511/12. Successively created Viscount Lisle in 1513, and Duke of Suffolk 1514.

It is thus clear, from the foregoing, that both the father and the grandfather of the Duke of Suffolk were knights, and that Hall the chronicler was right in so styling them. The younger Sir William being slain so quickly after the honour was conferred upon him, his knighthood has been almost lost

The only other Brandon knights of whom I have any knowledge are the two youthful sons of the Duke, both knighted at the coronation of Edward VI., and afterwards successively second and (for half an hour) third Duke ; and another Sir Charles Brandon, knighted "after the conquest ot Bolleyne," September, 1544. He appears to have been an illegitimate son of the first Duke of Suffolk, and died in 1551.

Lowton, Newton-le-Willows.

"BBL." (10 th S. v. 27). Is not this abbre- viation for barrel a misprint ? When com- piling my * Author and Printer,' I never met with it, although I consulted every list of abbreviations that I could find, whether published in the United Kingdom or else- where. ,.

The correct abbreviation for barrel is "bl."; for barrels, " bis.," as given in * Author and Printer,' which contains a full list ot abbreviations. F. HOWARD COLLINS.

Torquay.

I would suggest that " bbl." is the abbre- viation, not for barrel, but for barrels, just as MSS. is used for manuscripts.

RALPH ASSHETON.

Downham Hall, Clitheroe.

[In the 1902 edition of 'Webster's International Dictionary' (Bell & Sons) the list of abbreviations and contractions on p. 1919 contains the entry : "Bbl Barrel.-6W*. Barrels." The instance cited by MR. ASSHETON hardly supports his contention, as the last letter of MS., the contraction for manuscript, is doubled for the plural. The first letter is sometimes doubled to indicate a plural, as in "pp." for pages, frequently seen in ' N. & Q,, and " ff." for following pages, given by MR. HOWARD COLLINS in ' Author and Printer.']