Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/479

 n s. v. MAY is, i9i2.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

395

Capt. Oliver (then lieutenant) of the 38th Regiment served throughout the Pen- insular War, and was wounded on more than one occasion, once whilst carrying the colours at the battle of Salamanca. He was engaged at the storming of Badajos, Tala- vera, and other places. Letters written by liim from the seat of war are still in existence, including one written on the eve of Sala- manca. ELSIE OLIVER.

45, Church Crescent, Muswell Hill, N.

Lieut. -Col. A. Pollock, in ' Badajoz and some Family Matters ' (Cornhill Magazine, April), mentions Major Wilson of the 43rd Light Infantry as having rushed the breach of San Roque on the night of 6 April, 1812. Both of Col. Pollock's grandfathers were wounded in the assault on the breaches. The whole article would interest Y. T.

ROY PIKE.

Col. Henry Ridge commanded the Fighting Fifth at Badajos, and was killed there. See Napier's ' Peninsular War.'

ERNEST F. Row.

DOGS IN CHURCHES (11 S. v. 209, 294). Fifty years ago it was a very common practice for those who went to church to take their dog with them. Two ladies who were sisters had a little black dog, which they valued very much. They lived in a small village about three miles west of Kirton-in-Lindsey. The dog never failed to accompany them. For the dog's use they had supplied themselves with a very narrow pew adjoining their larger one, the former being devoted solely to their interesting companion.

EDWARD PEACOCK.

A large board across the inside of the porch of St. Walburge's Church at Bruges has " Honden buiten " painted on it, with chapter and verse of the Scriptures showing where it occurs. It means, of course, literally " dogs without," though that church is the one in the town where they most frequently slip in with people who are not their owners.

JOHN A. RANDOLPH.

FINES AS CHRISTIAN NAME (11 S. v. 49, 139). MR. T. W. HALL asks if it is peculiar to Quakers. " Fiennes " was probably the origin of it. Fynes Moryson, the writer of the well-known 'Itinerary.' was born in 1566 in Lincolnshire. Parents have fre- quently named then* children from the patronymic of a friend they wish to remem- ber, sometimes after their own patronymic.

Hence in the register of St. Martin-in-the- Fields the name may be found " Finetta Finet " ; and I once lunched with " Miss Jonesa Jones." We cannot say a Christian name is peculiar to any class. In Warwick- shire registers I have frequently found Israel as a girl's name ; once I found Lucy as a boy's name, but it was taken from that patronymic. I have found Venus as a man's name in the Record Office, and I once knew a Scotchman called Zerubbabel. Parents seem to have no fear of making their children's names handles to hang jokes on. C. C. STOPES.

CONSTABLES' STAVES (11 S. v. 288). I have a somewhat similar staff of later date (1843). The royal arms are in red, gold, and green (for blue), ensigned by the crown imperial, and surrounded by the Garter motto. Immediately beneath the achievement is " Dieu et Mon Droit," black on white. The date, gold on red, is at the head of the staff; " V.R." in gold on either side of the crown; and beneath the second motto the word " Sidbury " (a village in S.E. Devon), gold on red.

A. R. BAYLEY.

I have a staff which is decorated in a somewhat similar way, but it is much older than that which MR. CAMPBELL LOCK holds. Mine is painted in red and gold. Nearly 6 in. from the top is a large crown bearing two smaller crowns. Just above the second band of the crown, which is in gold with ornaments in red, is a Maltese cross. Above it is an open book or scroll ; on the top of this is an orb, and resting on the orb a second Maltese cross. Below the cross, in gold and red, ira " G.R.," and underneath tlw word " Worksop," the letters shaded in red. Its age and history are not known, but it belongs to the days of the first George. It is somewhat the worse for its age, though the painting still shows bright. It is about 15 in. long and 4 in. in circumference. There is no hand-grip ; it is the same thickness from end to end, and is worm-eaten to a considerable extent. As it is not a fear- inspiring weapon to look at, it was perhaps used as an ornamental sign of authority. THOS. RATCLIFFE,

Worksop.

TOBACCONISTS' HIGHLANDERS (11 S. v. 130, 296). Is not the reason this : that tobacconists were vendors of snuff, when that titillant was in vogue, and Highlanders were supposed to be, perhaps were, par excellence snuff-takers ? The figures served