Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/353

 11 S. X. OCT. 31, 1914.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

347

" FUBB'S YACHT '' TAVERN, GREENWICH. An interesting London relic of the vie intime of Stuart times still exists in Brew- house Lane, Greenwich, close to the entrance of the Greenwich footway tunnel, but may .shortly be demolished, as the premises were closed under the new Licensing Act, and Jiave since had a board outside stating that they are " To let."

This tavern could be entered from either the lane or the river, which its " pilots' room " overlooked ; but a set of steps which formerly led from the water to the river- side entrance has been removed. The signboard, " Ye old Fubb's Yacht," is still there on the side facing the river ; and at the Brewhouse Lane entrance the doors have clouded glass designs showing a yacht under sail, with the words " Fubb's yacht " under- neath.

The story of the tavern sign is interesting. The first yacht known in England was one given by the Dutch to Charles II. when he was in exile in Holland, and it followed him here after the Restoration, when he and his brother, the Duke of York, became greatly interested in yachting, and had several yachts built at Deptford by Pett the -ship- wright. The royal brothers used to race these and the Dutch yacht from Greenwich to Erith and Gravesend. The King gave to the Duchess of Portsmouth one of these yachts the third which was built here and also called it by the nickname he had himself given the Duchess, namely, " Fubbs " because, he said, " they were both rather broad in the beam."

The course of the first yacht race on record in England was from Greenwich to Gravesend and back, and the stakes, which King Charles won, were 100 guineas. The Duchess used to keep her yacht at Greenwich, and the sailors forming her crew frequented the inn, which finally took the name at the head of these remarks.

In ' The Palace and the Hospital ; or, Chronicles of Greenwich,' by the Rev. A. G. L'Estrange, it is recorded that

44 some grand events connected with the Royal Family took place in Greenwich about the middle of the eighteenth century. October 18, 1743, was a gay day for the townspeople, for Her Royal Highness the Princess Louisa, accompanied by the Countess of Albemarle, His Excellency Baron Solenthall, the Danish Envoy, and many persons of distinction, drove from Lambeth to Greenwich in coaches, and the Princess there embarked in the Fubb's Yacht, and made sail for Holland, where she was to be married to the Prince Royal of Denmark."

I have to thank Mr. James Compton Merryweather for some references to local archives. These, however, do not state what became of the yacht itself.

J. LANDFEAR LUCAS.

Glendora, Hindhead, Surrey.

[Many interesting particulars in the history of the yacht and the tavern will be found at 11 S. ii. 107, 171, 253.]

THE ROYAL EXCHANGE. (See US. ii. 503; iii. 385; iv. 138, 176, 499; ix. 220; x. 168.) It is a pleasure to be able to record that, after being closed for more than four months, the Royal Exchange ambulatory is now again open to ladies, the prohibitive notice having been recently removed. Let us hope many Belgian friends now with us may find an opportunity to inspect our fine show of mural paintings.

CECIX CLARKE.

.junior Athenaeum Club.

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.

JOSEPH RITSON. I am engaged in the preparation of a biographical and critical study of Joseph Ritson, and would appre- ciate very much any information concerning him which has not already appeared in print. If any of the readers of ' N. & Q.' possess Ritson MSS. (letters, notes, diaries, or books), I should like to see them. They will be carefully handled, copied, and returned, with due acknowledgment on publication. HENRY A. BURD.

University of Illinois, Urbana, 111.

'THEOPHANIA.' In 1850 HENRY KERSLEY stated in ' N. & Q.' that he had a copy of ' Theophania,' and asked for information about the book. In 1852 JAMES CROSSLEY replied that he had a copy with a manu- script key to the allegories. At present I have been able to trace five copies of the book : one each in the British Museum, Chetham's Library /Manchester City Library, Library of Congress, and Newberry Library (Chicago). None of these seems to be Crossley's copy. I should like to be in- formed" whether it is known what became of Crossley's copv, which may be recognized by the MS. note of " S r W. Sales " on the title-page. Is any other copy known to be extant ? AUGUSTUS H. SHEARER.

Newberry Library, Chicago.