Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 8.djvu/352

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. vn. MAY 3, 1913.

of the seas, which occurs in the epigrams of Theodorid.es and Antipater (see Mac- gregor's ' Greek Anthology,' 1864, p. 232). But this latter name would seem really to point to a cetaceous skeleton, its enormous length and numerous ribs having been fancifully assimilated with a myriapod.

KUMAGUSU MlNAKATA. Taiiabe, Kii, Japan,

GEORGE WALKER, GOVERNOR OF LONDON- DERRY. There is a tradition among the McCreas anciently the MacRaes of Kin- tail that this fighting ecclesiastic belonged to their family, and at one time used their name. I am anxious to find out whether the tradition is correct, and, if so, to ascer- tain Walker's place in the McCrea pedigree, and the reason for his change of name. Was he, perhaps, a McCrea through the female line, or connected with the clan by marriage ? A number of MacRaes, leaving Scotland for the sake of their religion, were settled among the Presbyterian population of LifTord, co. Londonderry, and there, it is said, changed the spelling of their name. Replies may be sent to me direct.

F. B. McCREA. 48, Burton Court, S.W.

[The ' D.N.B.' says that the governor of London- derry was " the son of George Walker, a native of Yorkshire."]

RELIC OF A FOOD OFFERING TO THE DEAD. An ancient tradition and pagan custom of feeding the dead or reviving their memory is said to be still observed once a year in the celebrated cemetery of Pere- Lachaise in the capital of France, as stated in a recently published illustrative intro- duction to ' Comparative Religion,' by Dr. J. Estlin Carpenter. On p. 13 the author remarks :

" An annual feast for the dead still survives in the cakes and confectionery carried on All Souls' Day to the graves of Pere Lachaise."

It seems desirable and worth noting to have this observance confirmed, and to learn that such a practice is indeed still surviving and widely spread, not only in that consecrated place, but elsewhere in France, Germany, Russia, and in other countries of the Western and Eastern Church. H. KREBS.

THE WIFE OF JAMES MOHR DRUMMOND. Can any of your readers tell me the name of the wife of James Mohr Drum- mond (or MacGregor), well known to readers of ' Rob Roy ' and Stevenson's ' Catriona,' the third son of the famous Rob Roy ?

W. G. M. HUTCHISON.

DUKE OF NEWCASTLE AT MARSTON MOOR. I have somewhere seen it stated that at Marston Moor the Duke of Newcastle sat in his carriage, smoking his pipe. Can any one give me a reference ?

G. L. APPERSON.

ST. MARY'S, SCARBOROUGH. To what monastic order was the church of St. Mary, Scarborough, formerly attached ? Popular guides state that the foundation was origin- ally Cistercian,' but I cannot find it referred to in Gasquet's ' English Monastic Life.' A. H. HUDSON.

MORLAND'S RESIDENCE. Mr. Gilbey in his ' Life of Morland ' states that Morland after his marriage went to live in Pleasant Passage, Camden Town. Mr. Barrett in his ' Annals of Hampstead ' gives Morland's address as Pleasant Row. Both localities, exist. Which is the correct address ?

MAURICE JONAS.

" PLECK." What is the derivation of the term " Pleck " as applied to certain localities, such as " The Pleck," Walsall, and " Old Pleck," Birmingham ? and in what other parts of the country is this use found ? WM. OAKLEY.

Walsall.

[The 'N.E.D.' states that pleck is the Middle English plecche, plecke,plek, ''a small piece or spot of ground ; a plot or plat ; a small enclosure." The quotations extend from the fourteenth century. The word is now dialectal.]

ROBERTUS PERKES, CHIRURGUS. I shall be grateful for any information about Robert Perkes, who" was practising as a surgeon in the reign of Queen Anne. Especi- ally do I want to know where he lived. SYDNEY H. LONG.

37, St. Giles Street, Norwich.

Two OLD-FASHIONED ROMANCES. I have two old romances, called respectively ' The Black Monk ; or, The Secret of the Grey Turret,' and ' Villeroy ; or, The Horrors of Zindorf Castle.' They were published about seventy or eighty years ago in weekly penny numbers, and illustrated by startling wood- cuts.

I shall be exceedingly obliged if any reader of ' N. & Q.' can give me any information as to the authorship of these two old books*

G. A. YOUNG.

STURMINSTER MARSHALL, DORSET. Can any reader tell me if the large stone basin resting in the churchyard near the porch is- the basin belonging to the ancient font of the church ? INQUIRER.