Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 1.djvu/199

 n s. i. MAE. 5, i9io.j NOTES AND QUERIES.

191

Mermaid in Shoe Lane ; [&c.].*

Miter, in S' Stephen's Ally [sic'], Westminster

[&c.].*

Mouth, Bishopsgate ; within Aldersgate. Old Hoop, in Thames Street. Plow, without Aldgate. Pye, at Aldgate.

Queen's Head, at Queen Hithe ; [&c.].* Red Lyon, on y e Mill Bank, Westminster ; Shore

ditch ; Billingsgate ; Gracious Street ; S

George's Church, Southwark ; S' Glare's

Water Gate. St. Christopher's, in Clerkenwell, at y e end o:

Turnmill Street.

[St. Dunstan : see ante, Dunstan's.] St. John's Head, in Milk Street. St. Martin, near Charing Cross. Three Croicns, in the Vintry ; Poultrey ; Stranc

near y e Savoy ; Old Baily ; Chancery Lane

S l Olave's Street, Borough of Southwark. Three Cups, in Holbourn. White Crosse, in White Cross Street ; Red Cross

Street.

Maidenheads Miters Peacocks. . Prince's Arms Stars

33

10

2

Merm'aids. . Nagg's Heads Pope's Heads Queen's Heads Suns

The above transcript is verbatim et literatim, save as regards certain lapses from the true alphabetical order, which are corrected, capitals being also used rather more uniformly than in the original. A confusion in the MS. towards its conclusion leaves room for doubt whether any signs after Q are omitted. As I do not possess a copy of Taylor's book (which is noted by the compiler of the list in an addition to his heading as issued "in 8vo " in the year specified), I cannot conveniently investigate this point, however.

WILLIAM McMuRRAY.

MOST EXPENSIVE ELECTION (11 S. i. 107). The account (published by J. Gore & Son. of Liverpool) of the famous Ewart- Denison election, 23 to 30 Nov., 1830, states that Mr. Ewart's expenses were verging on 65,000?., while his unsuccessful opponent Mr. Denison is said to have incurred charges of from 47,000?. to 50,000?., making a total of nearly 115,000?. I have always under- stood that this was about the most expensive election ever fought. A. H. ABKLE.

Honiton has probably been the scene of some of the most expensive elections. Sir George Yonge has left on record some idea of the amount it cost him to retain his seat for the lace town. Sir George was first returned for the borough on 16 April, 1754. He sat in continuous Parliaments up to


 * See these three in table at end.

1799, when he was appointed Governor of the Cape of Good Hope. I do not know how many contested elections he fought, but he was returned to seven Parliaments, and re-elected on his appointments respec- tively as one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (1766), Vice-Treasurer of Ireland (1782), Secretary at War (1782 and 1783), and Master and Worker of the Mint (1794). He is reported to have said in his old age that he had inherited 80,000?. from his father, his wife brought him a like amount, and Government paid him 80,000?., but Honiton swallowed it all !

It is further recorded that Mr. Bradshaw, returned for Honiton in 1805, gave each voter, after the election, six guineas a sum which was from that time usually paid until the second election of Mr. Guest in 1830. Lord Cochrane, however, who won Honiton in 1806, gave all his supporters ten guineas each.

Honiton people in the early days of the nineteenth century seem to have done well out of their members of Parliament.

W. G. WILLIS WATSON.

19, Park Road, Exeter.

There can be little doubt that the North- ampton election in 1768, known as the " Spendthrift Election,** was the most ex- pensive that ever occurred in this country. The circumstances are detailed in Grego's ' History of Parliamentary Elections, 1 1892, pp. 226-8. If we accept Grego's account, the querist has greatly understated the amount of money spent at the election, rego remarks (p. 227) : "It is said Lord Spencer expended one hundred ihousand pounds ; his antagonists [Lords Halifax and Northampton] are credited with having wasted one hundred and fifty thousand pounds each." He thus sums up the result (p. 228) :

' Earl Spencer came off lightest, and appears to lave been in no way involved ; Lord Halifax was ruined : Lord Northampton cut down his trees, sold his furniture at Compton Winyates, went abroad for the rest of his days, and died in Switzerland."

Canon James's ' History of Northampton- shire ' is cited in confirmation of the above tatements. W. SCOTT.

1 Parliamentary Representation of York- hire,' compiled by Godfrey Richard Park, gent., 1886, states on p. 27 :

" 1807. This election is still known as the

?reat contested Yorkshire election is said to

have cost the three candidates not less than half a million of money."

HENRY JOHN BEABDSHAW. 27, Northumberland Road, Sheffield.