Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 3.djvu/164

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. in. FEB. 24, 1917.

was a witness on the trial of Laud in March, 1644 added to the Commissioners of the Admiralty, Oct. 4, 1645 ; on the Commission for ordering the Collegiate Church of West- minster, November, 1645; one of the Commissioners on the propositions to the King in June, 1646, for the conservation of pea?e between Scotland and England ; on the Goldsmiths' Hall Sequestration Commit- tee, 1647 ; and also on that f or taking the Engagement by the Nation, 1649. In the debate upon the King's Answers constituting a ground for peace, in December, 1648, he spoke against the same, and by entering his dissent" against the resolution of the House in favour of the motion he retained his seat after " Pride's Purge." He how- ever, did not long survive that event On the first anniversary of the King s execution, Jan. 30, 1649/50, he strangled himself in his own house in Westminster. He had lately been extremely melancholy, and the coroner s inquest found him non compos mentw. died intestate.

He was twice married : (1) to Elizabeth, daughter of William Menken, innholder and Sheriff of York, in 1606-7. She died Dec. 9, 1639, and was buried at St. Martins, Micklegate. (2) To a lady whose Christian name was Susannah. She survived her husband and administered t^hg estate.

Lowton, Newton-le- Willows.

To PLAY "CROOKERN" (12 S. ii. 470; iii 16 99). The question asked under this heading promises to prove exceedingly use- ful for the light the answers may throw u-oon the meaning of the place-name " Crewkerne," which has so many variants ranging from Cruce to Crookhorn, a form adopted in the speech of some of its present natives. MR. J. W. FAWCETT advances an opinion I have not seen previously ex- pressed, namely, that the word may have been derived from the Welsh gragan, to speak aloud (hence the English creak, "croak," and "crake"). I cannot, how- ever, believe Crewkernians to have ever been given to croaking ! No, I would rather stretch my conscience, and believe that- Crewkerne was the "Hermitage at the Cross " as Collinson and Pulman believed, or even agree with Barnes that it was the " Stagbrook." It has also been suggested that the word means "the Crossings, as represented by the Danish form Crukerne or the Norwegian Krokorna. I recollect that during some correspondence on this question some years ago one writer fell back on the

Celtic, and explained the word as crewk or crook, cross, and erne, big marsh or- swamp,as Treherne, the village by the lake or swamp; so Crewkerne would mean the "Cross by the Lake." This, says the writer, equally with the Dorsetshire poets " Stagbrook," would suit the local condi- tions of the Crewkerne district in the pre- Danish period when, perhaps, the churc alone rose out of the marshes surrounding it as at Ely and Croyland. Hill in his ' Somerset Place-Names ' has also some- thing to say about this. He favours the- origin of the word from the Norse name Krokr (a big, strong man), and if he be right Crewkerne is but the variant of a family name. He rather ridicules the Cross theory. W. G. WILLIS WATSON.

Exeter.

In ' The Place-Names of Somerset ' the author is incorrect in calling what " is said to be one of the finest of the many fine combes 011 the Quantocks," Crocfcercombe. It is " Cockercombe," and until lately was as described in his book; but the recent timber-felling the length of the combe has, alas ! marred its beauty for many years to- come. WEST SOMERSET.

AUTHORS OF QUOTATIONS WANTED (12 S. iii. 69, 119). ' Letters from High Latitudes. 1 " Out of space, out of time," is not printed as a quotation in Mr. Cavenagh s edition of this book ; and the other quota- tion 2, "This very morn," &c., he has been unable to trace. Mr. Cavenagh gives Racine,. ' Britannicus,' II. ii. 7, as the reference for 3, " Le simple appareil," &c. ; 4, 8os /AOI TO -n-repov, he refers to a- possible source in ' Acharnians r ' 584, with the Scholiast's note thereon.

As H. K. ST. J. S. has kindly offered to provide the references for other unfound, quotations, perhaps he would be so good as to turn to the reference given in the Editor's foot-note (11 S.xi. 88 not 89) and see what are the points still needing elucida- tion. C. B. WHEELER.

80 Hamilton Terrace, ft.W.

ST. BARBARA Y. M. (12 S. iii. 41, 136). Having lived in Provence for some-years past, I observe some of the old Prove^al customs in my household ; and one of these is to sow- some wheat in a plateful of earth on Dec. 4,. St. Barbara's Day. Duly watered, it soc sprouts, and on Christmas Day the tabl< is adorned with a plate of green wheat i full span high. I plant it out in the gardei a few days after, I have not been able