Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 8.djvu/209

 ii s. vii. MAR. 15, i9i3.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

My grandfather, the late Rev. Thomas Browne, Vicar of Bradley, Staffs, when a lad, knew " Mr. Jones " very well, and the following particulars are taken from a manuscript written by his eldest daughter (my aunt) for " my nephews and nieces, who often ask me questions about the family history and connexions " :

" My father was of course at school, the latter part of the time at the Rev. Mr. Hatton's, Incum- bent of Waters Upton, who took a small number of pupils. When my father was at Waters Upton he often saw Mr. Cecil, afterwards Earl of Exeter, who lived near, and was passing under the name of Mr. Jones. He was very intimate with Mr. Hatton, and the pupils were very pleased to go there on messages, as Mr. Jones always treated them well. The only person in that neighbourhood in his confidence was Mr. Gilbert Home, who was reading for ordination with Mr. Hatton. When the Earl succeeded to the title, he had Mr. Horne at Burleigh, and was kind to him in many ways. Mr. Home wrote a history of Burleigh House. My father had a copy from the author. ' Mr. Jones ' built a cottage on the edge of the common, to which he added at various times. It was called ' Bolas Villa '; it is now named 'Burleigh Villa,' and is the property of Mr. Taylor. As Mr. Jones's antecedents were not known and he did not seem short of money, although he had no profession or way of earning a living, the people put him down as a highwayman. There were several young ladies to whom he paid attentions, but they were indignantly rejected. Then he married Sarah Hoggins, the daughter of a small farmer. I have heard that she was trundling a mop when he first saw her. When he gave away an ox to the poor on the birth of his son, there was much amusement at his presumption. On one occasion when he was in Shrewsbury the people of the hotel were rude to him, and would not attend. Mr. Horne, who was with him, was heard to say, ' Why don't you tell Jthem who you are ? ' "

E. P. BIRD. 53, Millais Road, Bush Hill Park, Middlesex.

" BBACH MERRIMAN " : AN EMENDATION. May I be allowed to suggest an emenda- tion in the text of the following passage from the Induction to ' The Taming of the Shrew ' ? Huntsman, I charge thee, tender well my hounds ; Brach Merriman, the poor cur is embossed, And couple Clowder with the deep-mouthed brach.

I believe it is generally agreed that " Brach " at the beginning of the second line cannot be the true reading, because, if for no other reason, it is a feminine term, and could not be applied to a doghound. Apart from that, the line as it stands is meaningless, and even if a comma were inserted after " cur," as in the Whitehall Edition, it would still be very weak and out of keeping with what follows. Hanmer has suggested Leech for "Brach"; Dr. Johnson Bathe; and Dyce Trash, meaning to put the hound on a leash, to prevent him from fatiguing himself still

further by running about. But this, as the- hunt was over, would seem unnecessary.

May not the true reading be "Drench," i.e., give a dose of physic ? This would be proper treatment for a hound " embossed," or foaming at the mouth from exhaustion. Moreover, the word " Drench," if illegibly written, might easily be mistaken for Brach by a careless copyist or printer.

Could you or any of your readers kindly inform me whether this reading has ever been suggested by commentators ?

H. C. IRWIN.

VANISHING LONDON: PROPRIETARY CHAPELS. (See 11 S. ii. 202, 254, 293, 334; iii. 149, 193, 258; iv. 434; vi. 33.) It is worthy of note that the foundation stone of the new Church of the Annunciation, formerly the old proprietary Quebec Chapel r in Bryanston Street, Marble Arch, was laid by Mrs. Ferdinand Huth on 2 Nov. last, the Bishop of Willesden officiating at the cere- mony.

From the trustees' report we find that, since the fund for rebuilding the church was started as far back as 1894, the sum of nearly 22,OOOJ. has been collected. These gentlemen hope that " in the next few years all the money required for the actual build- ing, to buy the extra site, and to provide organ, &c.," will be duly raised. Those recalling memories of the well-known edifice will hope so also. CECIL CLARKE.

Junior Athenaeum Club.

THE WAXWORK EFFIGIES IN WESTMIN- STER ABBEY. It was formerly the custom at funerals of great personages to have as- part of the procession a platform highly decorated with black hangings, on which was placed a waxen effigy of the deceased. This platform was called the " herse," a term now applied to the car which conveys the coffin. The " herse " was placed in the Abbey, near the grave, for about a month, but in the case of sovereigns for a much longer period. After a time the effi- gies were detached from the platforms and E laced in wainscot presses above the Islip hapel. Dryden wrote in 'Miscellaneous Poems ' :

And now the presses open stand, And you may see them all-a-row.

In 1658 the following figures were exhibited r Henry VII., Elizabeth of York, Edward L, Eleanor of Castile, Henry V., Katharine of France, Prince Henry (eldest son of James I.), James I., Anne of Denmark, and Queen Elizabeth.