Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 4.djvu/95

 us. iv. JULY 29, ion.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

89

Jo. BEN. ON ORKNEY. Jo. Ben.'s 'De- scriptio ' of Orkney (Macfarlane's ' Geo- graphical Collections relating to Scotland,' vol. in., Scot. Hist. Soc.) purports to have been written in 1529, but internal evidence proves that it cannot have been written before 1582 (Antiquary, vol. vii. p. 200). I have been told that there is a rime in which " Ben Jonson, Jo. Ben," occurs, but have been unable to get further information. Ben Jonson when at Hawthornden may have seen Mr. William Fowler's MSS., and may have thus got material on which he might have written the ' Descriptio ' as a skit on Orkney. Fowler, William Drummond's uncle, had been an exile in Orkney, and his MSS. have been preserved in the Haw- thornden Collection. The original MS. of the ' Descriptio ' does not exist, but there are several transcripts. The dates are all wrong, and some names are unrecognizably corrupt ; while the folk-lore is absurdly exaggerated, and certainly in some cases reads better in the original Latin than in the English translation".

A. W. JOHNSTON. 29, Ashburnham Mansions, Chelsea.

' PICKWICK ' : Miss BOLO. Can any of your readers inform me what Greek figure of speech is represented by the following sentence in * Pickwick ' ? " Miss Bolo went straight home in a flood of tears and a sedan chair." ALFRED GWYTHER.

[Syllepsis. The passage above is quoted under that heading in * The Concise Oxford Dictionary.']

LADY ELIZABETH STUART, DARNLEY'S SISTER. I should be glad of any information as to the marriage of a .sister of Henry, Lord Darnley Lady Elizabeth Stuart. I believe she married a Mure of Rowallan.

Burke's 'Extinct Peerage' (1846) states that the Earl of Lennox and Lady Mar- garet Douglas had four sons and four daughters, all of wjiom died young except two sons ; but Burke's ' Extinct Baronet- cies ' states, under ' Cairnes,' that Sir Alexander Cairnes was descended maternally from a sister of Lord Darnley.

NEWTON SPICER. Marnhull, Anerley Hill, Upper Norwood, S.E.

BOARD OF GREEN CLOTH. Is there any account published concerning the history and officials of the Royal Household in the eighteenth century, especially of the Board of Green Cloth ?

MARY TERESA FORTESCUE.

Sprydoncote, Exeter.

JOHN NAPIER OF MERCHISTON, INVEN- TOR OF LOGARITHMS. Can any reader give me the names of the parents of the above John Napier (1550-1617), and his relation- ship, if any, to the first Scottish Baron Napier (of Merchiston), created in 1627 ? E. HAVILAND HILLMAN, F.S.G.

q/o Anglo-South American Bank, Old Broad Street, B.C.

[John Napier was the eldest son ofc Sir Archibald Napier by his first wife, Janet Bothwell. John's son Archibald was created Baron Napier of Mer- chiston in 1627. See the lives of both in the ' D. N. B,']

OVERING SURNAME. I have often noticed how rarely the name Overing occurs in any local or professional directories. I have come across only two or three instances. I should be glad of any references to the name. Such can be forwarded direct to W. CLARK THOMLINSON. Low Fell, Gateshead.

GRINLING GIBBONS. Will any reader oblige me with titles of books dealing with the life and work of Grinling Gibbons ?

Any suggestions where contemporary mention of this artist may be found will be greatly appreciated. Evelyn's Diary, Walpole, and ' The Encyclopaedia Britannica ' have been consulted. AITCHO.

DUMBLETON, PLACE-NAME. 1 shall be

greatly obliged if any of your readers can throw light on the origin of the name Dumbleton, a village in Gloucestershire.

R. HOLMES.

DEER-LEAPS. Will some of your readers be good enough to give me references for information on the subject of " deer-leaps " ? I have some, but I am desirous of extending what I have. F. B. FAIRBANK.

Caversham.

HERRINGMAN. James Herringman was admitted to Westminster School in January, 1725/6, aged 10, and John Herringman in January, 1728/9, aged 7. I should be glad of any information about them.

G. F. R. B.

HICKS. Henry and Robert Hicks were admitted to Westminster School in January, 1718/19, aged 1.4 and 7 respectively; and Michael Hicks in July, 1735, aged 15. Par- ticulars of their parentage and careers are desired. Gr. F. R. B.

DANIEL HORRY was admitted to West- minster School 10 September, 1781. Can any correspondent of ' N. & Q.' give me information about him ? G. F. R. B.