Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 10.djvu/598

 492 NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 S.X.JUNE 24, 1922. seat on Feb. 16, 1827, when Thomas Bish, the lottery contractor, who had been returned with him, was unseated. He was not a candidate for Newport or for any con- stituency other than Leominster at the General Election of 1826, and the state- ment of SIB ALFBED ROBBINS that he con- tested simultaneously one seat as a Whig and another as a Tory, which savours of the obviously absurd, is simply a figment of imagination due to the assumption of in- accurate premises. Stephenson contested Newport in March, 1823, against Jonathan Raine, who had vacated his seat by accept- ing a Welsh judgeship. Raine was re- elected, polling 40 votes to 36 for Stephen- son. If SIB ALFBED ROBBINS will refer to The Royal Cornwall Gazette of March 29, 1823, he will find this date confirmed. Rowland Stephenson (II.) was the son of Edward Stephenson, who died in 1768, having been President and Governor of Fort William in Bengal for the brief space of one day in 1728, on the strength of which he appears to have been known afterwards permanently as " Governor Stephenson." This Rowland was a partner in the banking firm of Bland, Grey and Stephenson, Lom- bard Street, in 1759, a firm which appears in Hilton Price's list of bankers for that year and also for 1765. In 1766 he is found as a partner in Batson, Stephenson and Hoggart (previously Knight, Batson and Co.), also in Lombard Street, and members of his family were partners in this bank till its collapse at the end of 1828. In a list for 1794 the name " Stephensons " stands first, the style being Stephensons, Batsons, Remington and Smith. The name of Bat- son was omitted in 1812; in 1821" Stephen - sons " dropped the plural termination, and from 1824 to the end the name of Remington took precedence of Stephenson, the firm (then styled Remington, Stephenson, Rem- ington and Toulmin) being generally known as Remington's bank. Rowland (I.) in- troduced into the firm his cousin John, who was father of Rowland (II.), by whom he was succeeded in the partnership. Row- land (II.) married the eldest daughter of Edward Stephenson of Farley Hill, who was the only son of Rowland (I.). This Edward had a son, Rowland (III.), who assumed the name of Standish and died in 1843. According to the ' Annual Register ' for 1829 (Chronicle, p. 186), Rowland (II.), after his flight from London, proceeded to Clovelly, and thence to Milford Haven, where he embarked on a vessel bound for Savannah. So far as I have been able to ascertain, nothing is known of him after he left Milford. The year and date of his death, as in the case of two other famous senatorial rogues (Andrew Cochrane Johnstone, Dundonald's uncle, and James Sadleir), both of whom were expelled from Parliament, have not been recorded. ANDREW B. BE A YEN. Leamington. There were two Rowland Stephensons. The one who sat for Carlisle in 1786 died Nov. 30, 1807, at the age of 80. He was one of Romney's earliest friends, and he sat to him for his portrait in 1784 (see Ward and Roberts, ' Catalogue Raisonne of Romney's Works,' p. 150). The later Rowland Stephen- son, the whilom owner of the Garrick- Hogarth-Shakespeare chair, in whom SIB ALFBED ROBBINS is more particularly inter- ested, was the second son of John Stephen- son, cousin of Romney's friend, the banker, Rowland Stephenson the elder. Rowland Stephenson, M.P., the younger, the banker and bankrupt, married the eldest daughter of Edward Stephenson, who was the only son of Rowland Stephenson the elder ; and thus the two families were doubly allied by mar- riage, as well as being associated in the banking business. The absconding and fraudulent banker was educated at Eton (second form 1796, fourth form 1799). " Went to America " is the laconic comment which follows a few details about him in Stapylton's 'Eton School Lists' (1864). W. ROBEBTS. 18, King's Avenue, S.W.4. REID THE MOUNTEBANK (12 S. x. 409). Reid, as often known as Read, who died in 1715, was a well-known charlatan in his day. To Stella, Swift wrote on April 11, 1711 : Henley would fain engage me to go with Steele and Howe, to an invitation at Sir William Read's. Surely you have heard of him. He has been a mountebank, and is the Queen's oculist ; he makes admirable punch, and treats you in gold vessels. But I am engaged and won't go, neither indeed am I fond of the jaunt. In Dr. Radcliffe's 'Life' (1724), p. 41, it is recorded : Read, the mountebank, who has assurance enough to come to our table upstairs at Garra way's, swears he'll stake his coach and six horses, his two blacks, and as many silver trumpets, against a dinner at Pontack's. MB. WAINEWBIGHT will learn further