Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 3.djvu/347

 ii 8. 111. MAY 6, mi.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

341

LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1911.

CONTENTS.-No. 71.

KOTES : Cromwelliana, 341 Musical Dictionaries, 342 Agostino Grimaldi, Bishop of Grasse, 344 Coronation Bibliography " Kangaroo Closure "Dominoes : their Origin, 345 London Remains Anglo- Irish " Vein" "Secure arms" "Nib" Queen Elizabeth's Horses, 346.

QUERIES: "Segundo" Rev. T. Delafield's Manu- scriptsSanctuary Rings Bal Ian tyne's Kelso Press Junius on George Grenville and Lord Chatham Hannah More Portraits, 347 Admiral Vernon Robert Rollo Gillespie at Vellore Madame D'Arblay and Disraeli- Church Briefs Francis Family Authors Wanted Lawrence's Sketch of Mrs. Linley Kelsey Family Gloucestershire Booksellers, 348 Church of England c. 1750 Drawing the Organ Robert de Valle Stafford- shire Charter : Camerarius Scots Music Sampson Family, 349.

REPLIES :- Fishing in Classical Times-Arnolflni Family, 350 Pawper Bird "C" and "T" Interchanged Arms of the Archbishops of York, 351 Remarkable Echoes, 352 Warwick Lane Simon de Montfort Rev. Mr. Garrard Sonnets by Rafael Alex. Cunningham, 353 American Words and Phrases Mansel Family Burns and 'The Wee Wee German Lairdie,' 354 Authors Wanted James Grant of Bengal 4 The Yahoo ' The Confession of Louis XVI., 355 Charades by Col. Fitzpatrick Franklin and Dreams, 356 Buddha in Christian Art Walter Haddon Bagehot on the Crown Shakespeare and the Earl of Rutland, 357 Tennyson's " Flower in the crannied wall" "Cackling Clouts," &c. "Never swap horses when crossing the stream "Hertford Street French Ambassadors in London, 358.

NOTES ON BOOKS:-' A Book of Cambridge Verse'

1 Visitation of Ireland.' Booksellers' Catalogues. Notices to Correspondents.

CROMWELLIANA.

I. CROMWELL'S COUSIN A POISONER.

THOMAS CARLYLE in his ' Oliver Cromwell ' states of his hero's uncle Sir Philip Crom- well of Biggin that his

" fifth son, Robert, poisoned his master, an attorney, and was hanged at London if there be truth in Heath's ' Flagellum ' (Noble, i. 35) ' and some Pedigrees ' year not given ; say about 1635, when the lad, born 1617, was in his 18th year. I have found no hint of this affair in any other quarter, not in the wildest Royalist Birkenhead or Walker's Independency lam- poon ; and consider it very possible that a Robert Cromwell having suffered for poisoning an attorney, he may have been catted the cousin of Cromwell by Heath and some Pedigrees. But, of course, anybody can poison an attorney and be hanged for it." "

Mr. J. C. Jeaffreson in ' Middlesex County Records ' has shown that a London Oliver Cromwell was hanged for theft in 1648 ; but as no Puritan or RovaUst attack on

Cromwell mentions this, it is clear that this man was not a near relation of the Pro- tector.

Notwithstanding Carlyle, plenty of allu^ sions to the poisoner can be found in the contemporary satires on Cromwell and his friends, though the general impression seems to have been that the Robert Cromwell who was hanged was Oliver Cromwell's eldest son, Robert. c Reason against Treason ; or, a Bone for Bradshawe to picke ' (9 July, 1649), remarks :

" We know Oliver had a Tyburn bird to his son for poysoning his master, an apothecary, and thus,? ' egregia est soboles scelerata nata parente.' "

And " A Hue and Cry after Cromwell ; or, the Cities Lamentation for the losse of their Coyne and Conscience" (24 July, 1649), states :

'' That young Cromwell should be hang'd, drawn and quarter' d for poysoning the master of one single family and that old Cromwell should scape for murdering his lord and soveraigne that was master of all the private families in England.

Tempora ! O Mores I

Young Noll at Tyburn suffered for his fact Old Noll's unhang'd, has done the baser act."

The Historical Manuscripts Commission's Seventh Report, Appendix, Part I., pub- lished in 1879, calendars letters from Sir Thomas and Judith Barrington (the originals are now in the British Museum), from which

1 take the following statements :

" 1632. April. Holbourne, London. My cousin Robert Cromwell, son to Sir Philip, is (upon his masters death) imprisoned, and ques- tioned for poisoning of him which we hope he will be clear from in the close."

And

" Tuesday. Whitsun week. Yesterday your [Lady Barrington 's] cousin Cromwell's trial was heard, the probabilities are foul, but he is likely to find great friends." Again :

" 1632. May 25. My cousin Cromwell is reprieved and generally reputed a guiltless poor youth, and this evening my lord of Holland endeavours his farther reprieve and pardon."

The fate of Robert Cromwell is shown in the MSS. of the College of Physicians calendared in the Eighth Report of the Historical Manuscripts Commission, Ap- pendix, Part I., published in 1881 :

" 27 May, 1632. Letter of Lord Holland to the College. Cromwell is condemned to death for the murder of his master Mr. Lane. -Doubts are expressed of poisoning. They are to examine persons who were present about the sickness of Lane, the manner of his death, what has been observed on the opening of his body, or may be collected from sight and trial of the medicine, if any be left, and present their report to tin* King before Wednesday next. Evidence of