Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 11.djvu/352

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. XL MAY i, 1915.

People's Journal that circulated in Banff- shire. It is probable that the date, or the article itself, maybe discovered if reference can be made to the Halliday MSS. that may now be extant. A. G.

DE MEBIET CKEST. In 1883 Mr. B. W. Greenfield contributed to the Somerset Archaeological Society "*& Proceedings an article on the Somersetshire family of Meriet, which was published in book-form with additions and corrections in 1914. Mr. Greenfield's MSS. contain the following note :

Copy of Mr. John Batten's Abstract of Deeds in possession of the Earl of ilchester, and made by Mr. Thomas Bond of Tyneham Wareham.

Deed No. 6. John de Meriet releases to Matilda, late wife of his father John, all her rights in Great Lopen and Great Stratton. Seal, Meriet and Beauchamp quartered ; crest, on a helmet a dog, probably a greyhound, standing on a cap of maintenance. 40 Ed. III. (13 April, 1372).

No. 9. John de Meriet enfeoffs Rich. Palmer, John Hay ward and Nich. Beck, chaplains, Compton Dondene and Brodmerston ; same seal, 47 Ed. III.

No. 11. John de Meriet gives letters patent to Sir Thomas de Bouckland to attorn tenants of manors of Great Lopen and Great Stratton; same seal, 47 Ed. III.

No. 21. George de Meriet grants to Thomas, Duke of Surrey, and others the manor of Brode- merston. Seal, crest of Meryet on a helmet. 21 Rich. II. (20 March, 1398).

Ilchester Muniments.

See p. 124 of ' Genealogy.' I. shall be glad to know if there are any copies of these deeds now in existence, or if a copy of the arms and crest can be procured.

DOUGLAS MERRITT. Rhinebeck, N.Y.

BUMBLEPUPPY. What is the game of bumblepuppy ? In The Liverpool Mercury of 23 Oct., 1829, it is stated that a publican in Shaw's Brow, Liverpool, was charged with having allowed the game of bumblepuppy to be played on his premises. In the issue of 30 October a correspondent writes complain ing of the prohibition of bumblepuppy in public-houses. He says the game is never played for money, and that ale and spirits are the only stakes allowed. F. H. C.

[The ' N.E.D.' describes the game as a sorb ^ out-of-doors "bagatelle," played with leaden marbles, and adds that the name was also appliec humorously to "home," i.e. unscientific whist The instances of the latter use come, however from the eighties of the last century. Several note on the game will be found at 10 S. vii. 306, 456 viii. 72, 293.J

J. T. GILBERT, F.S.A. Can any one supply

ne with information concerning this writer ?

In 1871 he contributed to the Second Report

f the Royal Commission on Historical

Manuscripts, p. 223, a description of an old

~rish MS. in which I am interested, and again

lluded to it in the Thirteenth Report, 1892.

'. believe he died since the latter date.

Neither the ' D.N.B.' nor Webb's ' Com-

aendium of Irish Biography ' mentions him.

J. B. McGovERN.

St. Stephen's Rectory, C.-on-M., Manchester. [Sir John Thomas Gilbert died 23 May, 1898, and
 * hree columns are devoted to him in the First Sup-

plement to the * D.N.B.' Lady Gilbert published a Life of her husband in 1905. j

R. SERRES. Biographical or other infor- mation about this marine paintor is desired. [ have seen several pictures by him which are sufficiently in the manner of Dominique and J. T. Serres to suggest relationship to them ; but I find nothing about him in biographical dictionaries which mention them. E. RIMBAULT DIBDIN.

Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

CROMWELL'S IRONSIDES. (11 S. xi. 181, 257, 304.)

1 HAVE to thank MR. PIERPOINT for his reference to Josiah Ricraft's ' Survey,' &c., which I have compared with the 1647 edition, and find correct. It, however, does not affect the meaning of the word " Iron- sides," and is an additional proof that the Elural only was applied to Cromwell. Cleive- ind's mention of " lobsters " will be found in my final article. Apart from ERASDON'S and MR. BOLT'S con temporary in stances, the former apparently derived from the ' N.E.D.' or The English Historical Review, and the latter from Dr. C. H. Firth's ' Cromwell,' I have only modern instances supplied me. These are of no weight in a question of his- torical fact, and it is not derogatory to any of the authors cited to say so. Nearly all modern writers have based themselves upon S. R. Gardiner, and it is S. R. Gardiner whom I am impeaching. ERASDON thinks I am " rather severe " in my remarks about him. 1 . Of course, if this were the only unjustifiable inference on the part of Gardiner that I had encountered, my comment might be deemed too harsh. But I have found that this sort of thing (and worse) is fairly continuous in Gardiner's histories, as far as Cromwell is