Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 7.djvu/117

 10 s. VIL FEB. 2, loo?.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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Simond's most entertaining ' Journal of a Tour in Great Britain,' vol. i., 1817, drawn and etched by him. A Highlander, Low- lander, or indeed any but a Jew at the date these snuff - taking representations were made, wearing a beard, would be as great an anomaly as a moustache worn in pow- dered-wig days. HAROLD MALET, Col.

THE SCOTS GREYS AND GREY HORSES (10 S. vii. 26). I have not seen the article in The Illustrated London News, and do not know if mention is made in it of the grey uniform in which the regiment was clothed, as appears from official papers dated 1683.

As regards the colour of the horses, I quote the following from Prof. John Walker's ' Economical History of the Hebrides and Highlands of Scotland,' Edinburgh, 1808, vol. ii. p. 154 :

" Near three centuries ago, a breed of grey horses was established in Clydesdale, by the Hamilton family. These were long held in great request. For a long time, no gentleman in the West thought himself well mounted, but on a grey horse. It was on the horses of this breed, that the old regimented corps of cavalry, the Scots Greys, was first mounted."

w. s.

" ESLYNGTON " : ISLINGTON (10 S. VI.

29). MR. ALECK ABRAHAMS inquires whether the variant " Eslyngton " occurs elsewhere than in the ' Diary ' of Henry Machyn in 1554. I can give him an instance eighteen years earlier, therefore I do not think it can be attributed to Machyn's phonetic rendering only. To the best of my belief, I have come across it very much earlier, but am not quite sure. The letter which was sent from Ralph Broke to Lisle, dated 21 March, 1536, was from " Eslyntoun, nr. London " (Gairdner's ' Letters and Papers,' vol. x. p. 206).

JOSEPH COLYER MARRIOTT. 36, Claremorit Road, Highgate.

Thomas E. Tomlins in his ' Perambula- tion of Islington,' p. 2, refers to Islington as a vernacular corruption of Yseldon, " anciently pronounced and written Eysel- don," and he proceeds to deal with the derivation. Perhaps this early use of the initial E will account for the use of it by Henry Machyn. FRANK PENNY.

" OVER FORK : FORK OVER" (10 S. vi. 449; vii. 33). " Over fork over " appears to be used as a motto by various branches of Cunninghams for instance, Sir Percy Cun- ynghame, Bt., creation 1702 of Milncraig, Ayrshire, whose arms are Argent, a shake fork between three fleurs-de-lis sable, and

supporters : Dexter, a knight holding in his exterior hand a spear ; Sinister, a countryman, in his exterior hand a hay- fork. This family is a younger branch of the Earls of Glencairn.

See also Dick-Cunningham, Bt., creation 1677 and 1807 ; Cunninghame, Bt., crea- tion 1672 ; Fairlie-Cuninghame, Bt., creation 1630 ; and the Marquis Conyngham, who, like the above-mentioned baronets, includes a shake-fork in his coat of arms and bears the motto " Over fork over." It is curious what a number of varieties in spelling there are of the family surname.

The Cunninghames of Kilmaurs, Scotland, were founded by Warnebald, who settled in Cunningham as a vassal under Hugh Moreville, Constable of Scotland, in the twelfth century, and assumed the name of Cunninghame. The chief line of this ancient race, the Cunninghams, Earls of Glencairn, became extinct at the decease, in 1796, of John, fifteenth Earl of Glencairn, the friend and patron of Robert Burns, whose beautiful ' Lament ' has added new lustre to the name of Glencairn.

The heir-generalship of this family is now vested in the Fergusson baronetcy, creation 1703, of Kilkerran, Ayrshire. The third baronet claimed in 1796 the Earldom of Glencairn (created 1488) : the Lords decided that he had proved himself to be the heir- general to Alexander, Earl of Glencairn, who died 1670, but had not proved his right to the earldom.

My maternal grandfather, the late Col. Sir John Laurie, R.A., eighth Baronet of Maxwelton, creation 1685 Nova Scotia, was considered to have a claim to the earldom ; and there was a transference of lands in Dumfriesshire from the Earl of Glencairn to the grandfather of the first Laurie baronet in the middle of the sixteenth cen- tury, which territory to this day has not been alienated.

Among the derivative branches of Kil- maurs, I may mention the Cunninghams of Glengarnock, Caddell, Polmaise, Drumqu- hassel, Ballindalloch, Aiket, Monkredding, Caprington, Lainshaw, Auchenharvie, Cun- ninghamhead, Craigends, Corshill, Carlung, and Montgrenan, who bore for arms Ar., a shake - fork sa. Crest, A unicorn's head, couped ar, maned and horned or. Sup- porters, two rabbits ppr. Motto, " Over fork over." F. W. R. GARNETT.

Wellington Club, Grosvenor Place, S. W.

" ITO " : " ITOLAND " (10 S. vi. 461 ; vii. 12). In reply to MR. ABRAHAMS'S criticism,