Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/297

 ii s. v. MAR. so, 1912.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH -30, 1912.

CONTENTS. No. 118.

NOTES : Daniel Defoe and the Family of Foe, 241 Charles Dickens, 243 Harrison the Regicide, 244 The Batheaston Vase and the Olympic Games, 245 Jellicoe Surname 'The Suffolk Literary Chronicle' "Psycho- logical," 246 Old London Nomenclature Beaumont and Hamilton, 247.

QUERIES : James Yorke, the Lincoln Blacksmith- Nobody's Friends Lieut. -General Sir John Elley Losses by Fire : Licences to Beg Authors' Errors Anthony Walshe Peter Plenderleath " Precedence" : its Pro- nunciation, 248 Heralds' Visitation Proverb about Shoes and Death Sophia Howe Batley Grammar School Robert Drewrie, Priest, 1607" Ethrog" " Bell of Anns " Little Wit-ham Combe-Martin Market Charter -The Danish National Flag, 249 -Collier Family Biographical Information Wanted Tooley Street : Tooley Family Evans's Prints and Engraved Plates, 250 " Carronade " Guns " Bunkins " Boydell's Catalogues of Plates" Like" Last Witch Burnt, 251.

REPLIES : Brodribb of Somerset, 251 Roman Empresses Hans Sachs's Poems" Pimlico order," 254 Urban V.'s Family Name Sir Francis Drake and the Temple " Piccadilly gates," 255 Hurley Manor Crypt Dean Swift and the Rev. J. Geree Henry Mayhew Centenary, 256 Margaret Anne Jeffray French Prisoners of War at Nottingham Trussel Family Diseases from Plants Matthew Fern, Jacobite, 257 Authors of Quotations Wanted Kirby's 'Winchester Scholars' Jones and Blunkett, 258.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' The English Catalogue of Books for 1911 ' ' Index to the Cole Manuscripts ' ' A Guide to Books on Ireland.'

Booksellers' Catalogues.

jlofcs.

DANIEL DEFOE AND THE FAMILY

OF FOE.

I.

MB. THOMAS WRIGHT, in his ' Life of Defoe,' gives a pedigree of the family commencing with Daniel Foe of Etton, Northants, who died in 1631. It appears that Daniel Foe had three sons, namely, Daniel, who lived and died in his native town ; Henry ; and James, who was the author's father. There are no further particulars in the pedigree as to Henry, Defoe's second uncle, beyond the date of his baptism in May, 1628. The following nuncupative will, proved atP.C.C. <33 Dycer), is most probably that of the Henry Foe in question, in which case James Foe, the executor and legatee named therein, must have been Daniel Defoe's father:

" Memorandum. That on or about 19th April, 1674, Henry Foe, late of the parish of St. Botolph, Aldgate, London, deceased, did decree and make his last Will & Testament by word of mouth .... after payment of debts, &c. I leave and bequeath what shall remain to my brother James Foe, Whom I make Executor. " Wit. Timothy Drink- water, Richard Jones. Proved 13 April, 1675, by James Foe, brother and Executor."

It is generally thought that Defoe intended ' A Journal of the Plague Year,' as if written by his Uncle Henry. It will be remembered that the writer of the ' Journal ' lived " about midway between Aldgate Church and Whitechapel Bars, on the left hand or north side of the street," which would be in the parish of St. Botolph, Aid- gate, a coincidence which suggests that Defoe chose that parish on account of his uncle having actually lived there.

The following is a list of some of those of the same name living in London during the latter half of the seventeenth century :

1666 (after). Tho. Foe. Farringdon without

Bridewell precinct.* 1671. Jac. Foe. French Court, Broad Street

Ward.f 1673. James Foe. Citizen and Merchant of

London. \

II.

In searching the Indexes to the Chancery Proceedings in the hope of finding some information as to the family of Defoe, I found three suits in which Daniel Defoe was plaintiff. Although they are of bio- graphical rather than genealogical interest, I took notes of them, thinking they might be of some interest to a future biographer.

From the bill in the first suit (Defoe v. Ward, Ch. Pro., 1714-54, Key. 2578) it appears that in 1724 Defoe, who was then living at Stoke Newington, was induced by the false statements of a certain John Ward, a mercer of Coleshill, co. Warwick, to accept him as tenant of a farm near Colchester, the property of Defoe's daughter Hannah. A memorandum of agreement was drawn up by which Ward took the farm at a rent of 100Z. a year for the term of five years, it being arranged that a lease should be exe- cuted in due course. Before this was done, Ward took possession, and finding, as he represented, that it was necessary for him to go to Warwickshire to obtain some money, he, before going, prevailed on Defoe to buy on his (Ward's) behalf some cattle, sheep, wagons, &c., promising to repay the amount expended. On returning from War- wickshire, Ward took possession of the stock and cultivated the farm for about a year. He then complained to Defoe that the rent of part of the land was too much ; it was therefore arranged that he should occupy the remaining portion at a rent of 60J. a year, a memorandum to that effect being endorsed on the first agreement. After


 * Lay Subs. 147/627.

t Lay Subs. 252/23.

i Exch. B. and A. Ldn. Chas. II. No. 1049A.