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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. ix. FEB. u, nu.

part of a candid friend to his former co- religionists, though the work is mostly a romance and is not genuine autobiography. He died in the above-named town on 24 Jan., 1836.

ARCHIBALD SPARKE, F.R.S.L. Bolton.

There is a notice of W. P. Scargill in Davy's Suffolk Collections, in manuscript, in the National Library.

RALPH THOMAS. [V.H.I.L.I.C.I. V. also thanked for reply.]

JAMAICA : STEVENS AND READ FAMILIES (11 S. ix. 71). There is in the 'Landed Gentry,' 4th ed., vol. ii. p. 1286, a pedigree of Rodon of Vere, in the island of Jamaica. John Rodon had a daughter by first marriage named Ann-Mitchell. He married secondly, 1814, Marianne, daughter of George Mac- kenzie, Esq., of the Cromarty family, and had an only son John, b. 1816, whose son was George Seaforth Rodon, retired Royal Scots Regiment, living in Ireland.

There was living at Ash some years ago Archdeacon F. Rodon MichelL

The above may afford a clue to inquiry by H. R. J. FYNMORE.

ISandgate.

" WIDOWS' MEN" (11 S. ix. 28). The exact reference for this term is Marryat, ' Peter Simple,' chap, vii., foot-note (p. 29 of Routledge's shilling edition) :

" Widow's [not widows'] men are imaginary sailors, borne on the books, and receiving pay arid prize-money, which is appropriated to Green- wich Hospital."

The definition appears when Peter, having been inquiring for " Cheeks the marine," is informed that he is a " widow's man." Perhaps money obtained in such a way did not always go to Greenwich Hospital.

In ' Jack Tench ; or, The Midshipman turned Idler,' by " Blowhard," 1841, p. 58, chap, xv., Jack joins the guardship at Spit- head at the age of eleven. There had been " some ' kick-up ' about boys being borne on the books, whilst they were actually at school, which

was the case in Jack's instance he had been

rated as a ' volunteer of the first class ' for nearly two years, and had shared prize-money for the Spanish ship Rosalia, captured by the guard-ship's tender."

On p. 63 the guardship is called the Royal Billy. At eight years of age, having been rated a " volunteer of the first class " on board the guardship of which his uncle (by marriage) was first lieutenant, the boy was " rigged out "in a midshipman's round jacket, blue trousers, &c., and sent to a

school, where " an old spectacled pedant " taught Latin, Greek, navigation, &c. (p. 47). The term " widow's man " is not given. Who was the author of ' Jack Tench ' I do not know. In August, 1907, a query of mine about the authorship appeared in ' N. & Q.,' but no reply was forthcoming. The story is a poor imitation of Marryat, perhaps par- ticularly of ' Frank Mildmay.'

ROBERT PIERPOINT.

SHILLETO (US. ix. 71). In ' The Norman People and their Descendants in England ' the following derivation is given :

" The fief of Hugh de Siletot, Normandy, held from Philip Augustus (Mem. Soc. Ant. Normandy, v. 191)."

In Ferguson's ' Teutonic Name System of France, Germany, and England ' the name is indexed as English, and at pp. 360-61 the derivation is conjectured to be from Old Norse skilice, to understand, &c.

D. G. P. 3, Buckingham Gate.

Shilleto is probably a corruption of De Sigillo. I met with the name John De Sigillo many years ago while making some genealogical researches at the British Mu- seum Library. SAMUEL WADDINGTON. Junior Constitutional Club, W.

The following information is quoted from "A Dictionary of English and Welsh Sur- names, with Special American Instances, by the late Charles Wareing Bardsley. London, Henry Frowde, 1901 " :

" Shilito, Shillito, Shillitoe, Shilleto, Shillitto. ? Local, ' of Selito ' (?). This great Yorkshire name completely baffles me. Probably, like Sholto (co. Northumberland), the suffix is how (y. How, 2), in which case, of course, the name is local. But I cannot identify the spot, and there is no prefix de to the instances. No entry is found in any of the great rolls, like the Testa de Neville, the Hundred Rolls, or the Placita quo Warranto.

"Adam Selito (Houghton Grass), 1379: P. T. Yorks, p. 133.

"Johannes Selito (Houghton Grass), 1379, ibid., p. 249.

" 1721. Bapt. John, s. Peter Selleto : St. Mary Aldermary (London), p. 122."

BERNARD CLAUSSON.

Kirkdale, Liverpool.

THROWING A HAT INTO A HOUSE (US. viii. 288, 336, 377). It was formerly a habit pour plaisanterie on the part of a farmer or yeoman (of the good old-fashioned class) on arriving at home to throw in his hat to assure his welcome, or else to see whether, playfully or otherwise, it would be kicked out. I know for a fact that my grandfather acted thus. JAS. CURTIS, F.S.A.