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NOTES AND Q QERIES. [11 s. iv. OCT. 21, 1911.

PEPYS ROBBED. E. Hallam Moor- house, in her recently published * Samuel Pepys, Administrator, Observer, Gossip," narrates (p. 308) the quaint story of her hero having been robbed on the highway at Chelsea on Michaelmas Day, 1693, the robbers demanding of the party " what they had, which Mr. Pepys readily gave them," .as he himself stated in evidence at the Old Bailey. But a later robbery from the diarist, and that not very long before his death, is to be found recorded in The Post Boy for 7-9 May, 1700, when there appeared the following advertisement :

"Lost about a Fortnight ago out of Mr. Pepy's house, in Porter's Street by Leicester Square, .a hair Portmantle Trunk with an Hat-case, wherein were the following things, viz. A Broad Cloath Coat trim'd with black, a black silk Wastcoat, a pair of Knit Breeches, Deer-colour .and white, 3 new silver Spoons, one of which had .a Scoop, niark'd F.H.E., a silver Salver, the same mark, and underneath D.C.A., large Manuscript Book of Receipts, 3 Lignum Vitum Casters, 6 Lace and plain Shirts, 4 white Hankerchiefs, two Silk red and blew, 2 plain and 4 Laced- Neck-clothes ; also a little Gold Purse with a hair Ring, under the Cristal with a Cypher F.H. And a Leather shooting Pouch with 33Z. in Gold .and Silver, with several other things : Whoever gives Notice of them to Mr. Pepy's aforesaid, or Mr. Campbell, Goldsmith, at the Three Crowns in the Strand, shall have 5 Guinea's Reward, or proportionately for any of the said Goods that .are recover' d."

There is the true Pepysian touch about the description of the various daintily coloured articles of apparel which makes this record of especial value.

ALFRED F. ROBBINS.

HERTFORDSHIRE INSCRIPTIONS. From time to time I have noted in these pages the progress made in transcribing the inscrip- tions in the churches and churchyards, chapels and burial-grounds in the county of Hertford. The recording of all the memorials it has been found possible to decipher in the above-named places of sepulture has now been completed for the .following parishes : -

HUNDRED OF HERTFORD. Great Amwell, Bayford, Bengeo, Little Berkhamsted, Bramfield, Broxbourne, Ches- hunt, Essendon, Hertford, Hertingford- bury, Hoddesdon, Stapleford, Tewin, and Wormley.

HUNDRED OF DACORUM. Aldbury, Aldenham, Great Berkhamsted, Bovingdon, Bushey, Caddington, Chipper- field, Flamstead, Flaunden, Great Gaddes-

den, Little Gaddesden, Harpenden, Hemel Hempstead, Kensworth, King's Langley, Markyate, North Mimms, Northchurch, Puttenham, Shenley, Studham,Tring,Wheat- hampstead, and Wigginton.

The inscriptions in the Hundred of Hert- ford have been carefully transcribed, an index of names prepared, and bound in volumes, which may be freely consulted, by arrangement, in my library at Ivy Lodge, Bishop's Stortford, or inquiries will be duly answered if a stamped and addressed envelope is enclosed.

The inscriptions in the Hundred of Daco- rum await transcription from the rough slips, indexing, and binding before they will be available for reference.

Considerable progress has been made with the recording of inscriptions in the last Hundred, that of Cashio, and it is hoped that it may be possible to complete the work in the summer of 1912.

W. B. GERISH.

"W" PRONOUNCED LIKE " V." In the September Pall Mall Magazine, Miss Flora Masson, writing of ' The London of Other Days,' suggests a somewhat plausible origin for a habit of speech once prevalent among lower-class Cockneys. The ballad from which she quotes I have not, myself, hitherto met with ; but no doubt it was popular in its day :

" Our grandmother" used to quote, for our benefit .... an old song which she could remember hearing a maiden aunt warble : Ven Villiam, at eve, met me down by the stile, How sveet vas the nightingale's lay. . . . .and she used to explain to us how it was then still ' the mode ' to pronounce all the w's as if they were v's, in imitation of the broken English of the German-born Georges."

HERBERT B. CLAYTON. 39, Renfrew Road, Lower Kennington Lane.

THE EARL OF TARRAS. Annotators of the historic peerage may like to know that Margaret Scott, the youngest daughter of the curiously named and conditioned Earl of Tarras, Lord Alemoor and Campcastell, married Thomas Gordon, an officer of the Scots Fusiliers. The ' Scots Peerage,' vii. 82, gives her birth only. But in her will, onfirmed 21 June, 1749 ('Edinburgh Com- missariot Testaments,' vol. 112), she is described in 1741 as " daur. of the deed. Walter, Earl of Tarras, and relict of Lieu- tenant Thomas Gordon of the Royall Scots Fuzeleers." She died at Edinburgh 7 May,