Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 3.djvu/114

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NOTES AND QUERIES. en s. m. FEB. n, 1911.

or the name of a near relative ? If this was the case, I shall be glad of any indication where I can get information regarding the practice. INQUIRER.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. It is formally announced that among the portraits recently acquired by the Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, and now placed on exhibition, is that of

"Thomas Robinson, first Baron Grantham, 1695- 1770. Diplomatist, Ambassador at Vienna, 1730-48. Leader of the House of Commons, 1754-5. Pastel by an unknown artist."

The story of Robinson's brief and in- glorious leadership of the House of Commons is well known to all students of the political history of that time ; but when was this position earliest recognized in formal fashion and the title " Leader of the House of Commons " first employed ?

POLITICIAN.

LADY O'LOONEY'S EPITAPH. In a little book entitled ' English Epigrams and Epitaphs,' selected by Aubrey Stewart, and published by Messrs. Chapman & Hall, 1897, the following epitaph is given (p. 218) with the heading ' In Pewsey Church ' :

Here lies the body of

Lady O'Looney,

Great-niece of Burke, commonly Called the Sublime.

She was Bland, passionate, and deeply religious ;

Also she painted in water colours, And sent several pictures to the Exhibition.

She was first cousin to Lady Jones, And of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Is this epitaph still in Pewsey Church ? Is it dated, and is anything known of its history ? SENESCENS.

[Mr. E. E. Suffling, who prints this epitaph at p 287 of his 'Epitaphia,' 1909, adds: "In the chapel of St. George's Bury i tig-ground, London, facing Hyde Park, was, until its removal a few years ago, a slab with a tremendously long and nauseously adulatory epitaph upon it to Mrs. Jane Maloney (' Lady Looney'), who died in 1839. How the lady could also be buried at Pewsey I cannot say."]

" STRIKE OF SAUNSONS." In a Court Roll of the Manor of Duffield, Derby, dated 29 November, 152;), occurs the following sentence :

"And also paying to the said John Harewood and his heirs annually one measure of apples called a strike of Saunsons growing upon the land afore- said."

The words italicized are in English in the Court Roll, the remainder in Latin. A strike was a measure equal to about two

pecks; but what is a "Saunson" ? Was there an apple so named ? It is not given in Gerarde's ' Herbal ' (1595) or Parkinson's ' Paradisus Terrestris ' (1633), nor in any work in the Royal Horticultural Society's library. Was it a local namo ?

I shall be much obliged if any correspon- dent can help me. C. W. FIREBRACE.

70, Cadogan Square, S.W.

SAMUEL GEOKGE SLOMAN of Exeter died in 1846. Can any one kindly tell me where he was buried, and the name of his. father ?

C. K. R.

" -DE- " : " -TY-." What is the origin of " de " in such words as " hobbledehoy/* " clapperdeclaw," " fleberdegibet " ? Is it merely the definite article ? What is the meaning of " hobberdidance " ? It looks like "Hob o' the dance" beside "Hob goblin."

In North of England place-names we find Pikedebield and Catchedecam (also spelt Catcheety) ; but " -ty-" is more common, e.g. Joppletyhow, Gracetymoor, Lamitysike, Fishertyhow, and Cockledebeck or Cocklety- beck. Probably we cannot explain these either by the article or by the word " tye-" so common in the South. OLD SABTJM.

AISLABIE FAMILY. William Aislabie, Deputy Governor of Bombay (brother of John Aislabie, Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was turned out of the House of Commons on account of his connexion with the South Sea Company), had a son William, who is said to have been M.P. for Ripon from 1727 to 1734. I should be glad of further information about him. Was he the William Aislabie who was a captain in the 4th troop of Horse Guards in 1722 ? He married Elizabeth, daughter of John and Arabella Scattergood of Fort St. George, about 1729. Where did the marriage take place ? William Aislabie is said to have been of Ditton, Surrey. There was a son of this marriage, John Aislabie, who also appears to have been a captain in the Army. I should be glad tc know more of him.

BERNARD P. SCATTERGOOD.

Far Headingley, Leeds.

CECIL HOWARD. Is there any biography of this amiable gentleman and dramatic critic, who died in September, 1895 ? In Lewis Melville's 'William Makepeace Thackeray,' it is stated that Thackeray wrote (20 January, 1862) to Cecil Howard in regard to ' Lovel the Widower ' to know if that was the book that Howard was think-