Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 8.djvu/91

 10 s. vm. JULY 27, loo:.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

73

Tyrringham Backwell was married on 8 May, 1704, to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Francis Child ; and his two sons Barneby and William Backwell entered the bank, and subsequently were taken into partner- ship with Samuel Child at " The Mary gold " in Fleet Street. Barneby Backwell was returned member of Parliament for Bishop's Castle, Salop, 18 April, 1754 ; and on 3 October that year he died.

I am unable to give any information relating to the Gordons.

F. G. HILTON PKICE.

In Mr. Price's ' Handbook of London Bankers,' 1890-91, p. 52, will be found an account of Barneby Backwell (not Blackwell).

R. J. FYNMOBE. Sandgate.

STUBMY OB ESTTJBMY FAMILY (10 S. vii- 209, 312; viii. 16). I believe that no trustworthy pedigree of this family can be found in print. For several generations the Suffolk branch of the family held my lordship of Buxhall. Richard Esturmy of the time of Stephen is named in the Pipe Rolls of 1 Rich. I. Sir Roger Esturmy (possibly his son) was lord of Buxhall in 1200 ; and his son Sir William Esturmy was High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1214. From him the descent is

Sir William Esturmy, d. 1225.

Sir Robert Esturmy, d. 1244. Sir Roger Esturmy, d. 1253, Inq. P.M. 38 Hen. III.

William Esturmy.

The dates are conjectural. In the lordship of Buxhall this William was succeeded by Roger Sturmy, who was succeeded by his son Sir William Sturmy, who died 40 Ed. III. Sir William's only daughter Rhoisia married William Clement of Stow, and their only child Emma married John Cakestreet, whose only child Alice married John Sorrell, and their child and heir Anne married John Copinger, who held the manor of Buxhall about 1412. W. A. COPINGEB.

Manchester.

CHUBCHWABDENS' ACCOUNTS (10 S. viii. 9). Pessock is the diminutive of pess, a hassock (' E.D.D.'). It seems to be a variant of bass, a hassock ('E.D.D.'); in fact, the diminutive form bassock occurs in dialects, with the same sense as this pessock.

Bask. A variant of bast, which is better known in the form bass, a mat, a hassock ; so called because made of bast (' N.E.D.' ; 'E.D.D.').

Commission of payments. --I suspect that payment means " a pavement." The word pavement was spelt pament in the four- teenth century, payment in the fifteenth, pamente in the sixteenth ; see ' N.E.D.'

Shade. The true Midland form of the word now spelt shed ('E.D.D.') It is a remarkable fact that shed is not Midland, but Kentish.

Sparrabling. Fastening with sparrables. The older spelling was sparrow-bills, as in " sparrow-bils to cloute Pan's shoone " T. Dekker, ' London's Tempe ' (' The Song '), 1629. There is no reason for supposing that sparrow-bill is other than a compound of sparrow and bill, from the shape of the nail.

Squab. A cushion, &c. (' E.D.D.').

Pear. The same as pier, a pillar or post of a gate ; see pier in ' N.E.D.'

Your correspondent should consult the dictionaries for himself. He would learn much more by it. WALTEB W. SKEAT.

Pessock bassock, of which bask, 1714-15, is an abbreviation. A bass or bassock was a plait-covered cushion made of straw for kneeling upon.

Commission of payments = a body composed of commissioners of bankruptcy, fines, or licences, as the case might be.

Tounfair& fair held in the town, the " King's Letter " relating to some ordinance.

Squab = a, soft stuffed cushion or stool (Bailey's ' Diet.,' 1740).

J. HOLDEN MACMlCHAEL.

" DBOWSE "=DEVIL (10 S. viii. 6). It is with great diffidence that I venture to question the correctness of any opinion of MB. JAS. PLATT'S concerning words, but I cannot help suspecting that drowse = throes, and that when Hanijkin swears " by Gpt's drowse," he refers to the pains of the Passion.

I pray God give him a hounded drouse may in like manner be a wish for the abund- ant physical discomfort of Bowse : " from toe to crown he'd fill his skin with pinches."

ST. SWITHIN.

" FUNEBAL " : " BTJBIAL " (10 S. viii. 9). I have a copy of ' The Blame of Kirk- buriall,' by the Rev. William Birnie, minister of Lanark, printed by Robert Charteris, Edinburgh, 1606. In chap, iv., which treats ' Of the generall abuse of Buriall ceremonies,' it is said that

"all buriall ceremonies may be reduced to two ranks : for some are funerals, serving for prepara- tion to ; and some sepulchrals, serving for placing in the grave the defunct."

As this 1606 edition is not to be found in