Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 1.djvu/293

 ii s. i. APR. 9, i9io.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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1763 (see Capel Lofft's Reports, 1776) the Court sat from nine in the morning, and the verdict was brought in at twenty minutes past eleven at night. There is no mention of any of the solicitors in the case.

In Serjeant George Wilson's Report (1799, ii. 151) of the Wilkes case Mr. Wilkes's " counsel and solicitor " are several times mentioned, though not by name, as having applied to see Wilkes in the Tower, but were refused admission ; " Mr. Wilkes's solicitor " was, however, allowed to have a copy of the warrant of commitment. The cases in HowelFs ' State Trials * are acknowledged to be taken from Serjeant Wilson's and Capel Lofft's Reports. Reynolds was attorney for Lord Chatham, John Wilkes, Dr. Johnson, and other celebrated men (i. 7, 49). He was Under Sheriff to Sawbridge (i. 10) in 1769, and to John Wilkes ajid Bull (i. 18) in 1771. So much was he associated with Wilkes that a mob at Bath in the summer (i. 77) of 1770 shouted " Wilkes, Reynolds, 45. and liberty." Forty-five was the number of The North Briton with the attack on the King's Speech.

F. Reynolds speaks of the great intimacy there was between his father's family and the Wilkeses. It commenced in 1754, and Wilkes became a client in 1765 (i. 6). In Almon's ' Wilkes ' this is amply confirmed. On 29 July, 1770, Wilkes writes to his daughter from South Barrow : "I am just returned with Mr. Reynolds's agreeable family from Bromley church " (iv. 74). In the same volume (p. 80 ; see also p. 99 in 1772) Miss Wilkes mentions being at a dinner- party in Lime Street on 11 Feb., 1771, with only " Mrs. Reynolds and the two misses." Miss Wilkes goes to South Barrow 31 July, 1773 (iv. 150, also 162).

In 1776 F. Bull writes to Wilkes that <; Reynolds thinks I have already advanced for you more than I am warranted to do " (v. 83).

About 1773 much against his will, as it took him away from the immediate neigh- bourhood of his clients, but at the instance of his wife and her sister Miss West (i. 8), who wanted to be nearer the fashionable world Reynolds removed to Salisbury Court, Fleet Street. This in its turn was found not sufficiently westward, so they subsequently removed to the Adelphi, then in course of construction, off the Strand (in 1776 ; see i. 65).

Having saved money, he set about to get a hundred per cent for it, and invested 10,000/. in such a wild speculation as a sugar estate in Dominica. This was probably the

beginning of his misfortunes. Next he lost 8,000?. through the suspension of a banker (i. pp. xi. 172, 227). Worse than all this, however, he neglected his business for farm- ing, leaving his clerks to see the clients, and had further acquired the then popular habit of drinking (i. 42, 331).

With prudence he might have accumulated a fortune. In 1787 (i. 327) his pecuniary difficulties were such that he was compelled to live in concealment ; Southbarrow and the town house were sold, and about 1789 he fled to France to avoid arrest, with only twenty-three guineas in his pocket. He returned in 1790, up to which year his name is in ' The Law List,* but lived under the name of Ray (ii. 95). His son says little about his father after this time, but I must do him the justice of mentioning that he never utters a word of reproach on account of the mother and family being suddenly steeped in poverty. On the contrary, in after years he says (i. 144) he must ever revere his father's memory.

Incidentally Frederick says his father died, but without "mentioning the exact year of his death. He only says (ii. 392) that during the four years previous to 1813 he lost father, mother, brother John, and faithful nurse. This is not correct, but Frederick Reynolds never troubled much about accuracy.

It would be interesting to have the following points cleared up :

The date of the death of John Reynolds's father of Trowbridge.

The exact date of birth (at Trowbridge ?) of John Reynolds, and the date of his death. The latter probably took place in London between 1798 a,nd 1813 (ii. 392).

GLWYSIG in 1862 asks for the Christian name of Mrs. J. Reynolds. This I have not ascertained, nor have I been able to identify her father Mr. West. His widow lived in a large house facing Montpelier Row, Twicken- ham (in 1762 ?).

I am doubtful about the age of Mr. West, namely, one hundred years, which I give on F. Reynolds's authority.

RALPH THOMAS.

CIVIL SERVICE ARCHIVES AND RECORDS. A writer in The Quarterly Review recently called attention to the desirability of pre- serving national archives and records. I shall be glad if you will kindly spare me space to inform readers of ' N. & Q.' that a project has been started to form a Society for collect- ing, indexing, and properly arrangingVold