Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 10.djvu/256

 206 NOTES AND QUERIES. [1Z S.X.MAR. 18,1022. one of the most considerable persons in that Rebellious pack, shall give several instances from the special trust and employment he then had in the sway of the Realm. It must be remembered that, although Sir Simon de Montfort sided with the barons of England, he was unwisely regarded with disfavour by many of the barons. They looked upon him as a foreigner who had obtained lands and titles in England. On one occasion, when Lord Peter de Montfort was charged with being a relative of Sir Simon's, he swore by the soul of the King that he was not related to the Earl. The two families, as we have seen, were quite distinct, the one being largely of French and the other mainly of Norman blood. Dugdale goes on to say : Shortly after this victory at Lewes, so obtained, they agreed amongst themselves, that IX Persons should be nominated to exercise Regall power, whereof three, at least, to be constantly resident in Court, for disposing of the custody of all Castles, and other affaires ; with the nomination of the Chancelour, Justices, Treasurer, and all other Officers, great and small, tending to the govern- ment of the Kingdom ; of which number this Peter was one ; which persons, so appointed, made use of the great Seal, transacting all things, touching the state of the Realm, in the King's name. . . . In which Commission, bearing date of Canterbury the Saturday after the Feast of the Nativity of our Lady there was a more especial power given to our Peter, than any of the rest ; that is to say, that whatsoever he should swear to do, the King must be bound by it. For a time he resided at Winchester House, London. The association of Sir Simon de Montfort with the barons was undoubtedly, to some extent, a source of weakness to them ; for, owing to the fact that the Earl of Leicester was by blood a Frenchman who had married a daughter of King John, many of the English barons were afraid that, in the event of the defeat and death of the King and his son, Sir Simon's position might lead to diffi- culties regarding the succession. After the defeat of the barons at Evesham in 1265, where Sir Simon de Montfort and Lord Peter de Montfort were killed, the King dealt very leniently with the rebellious barons and their families ; for, by the dictum of Kenilworth, the sons of Peter had their family possessions restored to them ; .but the sons of Sir Simon de Montfort refused to make their peace, and remained abroad. Until the adoption of surnames by the English people, it was only the eldest son of the family who retained the family name. After 1300 the younger sons of the Montforts began to use the name as a surname, and they are now numerous in Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. About 1500 they began to adopt Simon as a Christian name, and many of them seem to have for- gotten the great Lord Peter from whom they were really descended. The descendants of the Montforts of Beldesert can be accurately traced down to about 1770 ; but there do not seem to be any Montforts living who can, with cer- tainty, couple their pedigrees in the male line with the old family. R. M. DEELEY. FEVER IN THE WEST INDIES : EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY. The following items are taken from Adm. Med. Journals, 98/2, at P.R.O., I have inserted a few personal particu- lars in the text of the first. 1. H.M.S. ECHO : DEATHS OF FIVE NAVAL SURGEONS. Messrs. Gordon and Smith* (cetat. circ. 22 and 23) Assistant Surgeons were. received on board this vessel on the llth January 1839 at Bar- badoes for passage to Jamaica having arrived at the former Island from England two days before. On the afternoon previously to embarkation these gentlemen attended the funeral of Captain [James] Polkinghorne [entered H.M.S. Crocodile from half pay, Oct. 20, 1837] who had died of Fever. When the heat of the sun, and walking for nearly two hours, and the circumstance of attending a funeral immediately on arriv- ing in the West Indies appeared to affect them considerably, and on the next day Mr. Gordon was lying on his bed, labouring under considerable excitement. I adopted every measure which my experience suggested, bit on the 9th evening Mr. G. died in Port Royal Hospital twelve hours after admissior. Shortly after the commencement of poor Gordon's illness, his companion Smith also com- plained of mitigated pyrexial symptoms, when I had recourse to appropriate means, but Dr. S. was evidently under the influence of fear and the very worst anticipations with regard to fever, Entry Whence Name Quality Date of Death Where 12 Jan. 1839 > Racer for passage to Nimrod Robert Smith G. D. Gordon Asst. Surgn. 23 Jan. 1839 21 Port Royal Hospital rr
 * H.M.S. Echo. Adm. Muster Bk., Ser. II. 8950.
 * r 5-5