Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 8.djvu/109

 10 s. VIIL AUG. 3, 1907.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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by omnibuses. Since then until yesterday there has been an unbroken service of omnibuses from
 * The Bird in Hand,' High Street, to London."

A. F. R.

SEAL INSCRIPTIONS. I send a few curious examples :

1. To a deed between Richard Osberne -of Essington and Sir John de Swynnerton of Hilton, temp. Edw. II., preserved at Hilton, cp. Staff., there is a seal showing a hare riding on a dog and blowing a horn, and the legend " Sohou, Roben ! "

2. To another deed there is a seal repre- senting a hare only, and the legend " Sohou, sohou ! "

3. Another at Hilton shows a lion ram- pant and the legend " Sum leo fortis."

4. Another seal (ibid.) has an eagle with wings displayed and the legend " Volante aquila."

5. Another (ibid.) represents a man and a woman in long garments, standing face to face, and each holding on to a tree twin- branched which grows out of a heart. The man is bearded, and his hair is long and bushy ; the woman wears a little kerchief. The motto round about is " Love me and I yew."

6. Another at Hilton, being a seal of Richard le Tayllour of Essington, repre- sents the busts of a man and a woman with a three-branched palm out of a heart, and the motto " Je suis sel de amour lei " ("I am the seal of affection leal ").

7. On another at Hilton there is a female crowned ; and another has a motto I could not quite decipher, but it looked like " Ave m'ia reules " (?).

8. On another deed of Robert, Lord of Essington, the seal shows a stag at bay or dying and the motto " Alas Bowles."

Most of these deeds temp. Edw. II. are those of Richard le Tayllour of Essington, who seems to have had quite a pretty fancy in seals of a sentimental character.

Mr. Vernon, of Hilton Park, kindly allowed me to take notes of his deeds and charters some years ago. I should be glad to hear of other curious seals.

CHARLES SWYNNERTON.

" BLOC " : " BLOCK "= POLITICAL AMAL- GAMATION. We have been becoming accus- tomed during the past three or four years to the newspaper use of bloc in connexion with the amalgamation of the various Republican sections in the French Chamber of Deputies in support of successive Minis- tries ; but the word is now being anglicized as block, and extended to other countries.

This is shown in the following statement of The Times Vienna correspondent on 6 June : " No critic of the Austrian ' Liberal ' Germans could have conceived a more damaging exposure of their, moral and political character than they them- selves furnished by their conduct yesterday. Four Liberal, that is, non-Clerical, groups since, pend- ing proof to the contrary, the German Agrarians have a right to be considered non-Clerical com- prising in all some 80 Deputies, met in plenary conference to discuss the formation of a united German Liberal block."

POLITICIAN.

WE must request correspondents desiring in- formation on family matters of only private interest to affix their names and addresses to their queries, in order that answers may be sent to them direct.

WII.SCOMBE CLUB. A friend of mine has a small silver pepper caster engraved with the above name. The hall-mark is of 1800. Can any of your readers give me information concerning the Wilscombe Club ?

JOHN MURRAY.

50, Albemarle Street, W.

DEFOE'S ' COLONEL JACQUE.' I should be glad to learn where a copy of the first edition of this book, with title-page dated 1722, may be seen. Kindly reply direct. (Col.) W. F. PRIDEAUX.

1, West Cliff Terrace, Ramsgate.

FRENCH REFUGEE BISHOPS IN BRITISH TERRITORY. I should be grateful for addi- tional information about the French refugee bishops of the time of the Revolution and the Concordat numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, and 11 to 19 inclusive in the following list.

1. Augustin Rene Louis Le Mentier (or Le Mintier), the last Bishop of Treguier, was born in 1729 ; was consecrated 30 April, 1780 ; and is said by MR. HIBGAME (10 S. vii. 72) to have been buried in Old St. Pancras Churchyard in 1801.

2. Alexandre Cesar d'Anterroches, Comte de Brisade, the last Bishop of Condom, was born in 1719 ; was consecrated 5 June, 1763 ; and died in Panton Street, Haymarket, on 28 Jan., 1793. He was buried in Old St. Pancras Churchyard three days later. He was probably related to the Vicomte d'Anterroches buried at St. Pancras in January, 1798.

3. Ange Fra^ois de Talaru de Calmazel, Bishop of Coutances, was consecrated 10 March, 1765, and, according to MR. HIBGAME, was buried in Old St. Pancras Churchyard in 1798.