Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 4.djvu/35

 12 S. IV. JAN., 1918.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

before matters could be adjusted, and an engage- ment legally given by his friends. A little before twelve, however, the coffin was put into a hearse and six horses, followed by a mourning coach and four, the state chariot of the deceased, with four other carriages, and about a dozen coaches and four in procession," &c.

" Sir B. Turner was chosen Alderman of the City of London in 1781, and was knighted on tarrying up the City Address in March last."

The above may be of interest to DR. MILNE, although it does not give the in- formation for which he asks.

WILLIAM F. ANDREWS.

Hertford.

The following is from The Gentleman's Magazine for October, 1794 :

" Tuesday, Sept. 2. As the corpse of a gentle- man was proceeding to the burial-ground, it was arrested by a sheriff's officer and his followers, under the usual warrant of capias ad satisfacien- dum. The friends, who followed, immediately left their coaches, and told the officer, if he chose, he was welcome to take the body, but he should not have coffin, shroud, or any one particle in which the body was enveloped, as those things were the property of the executors ; and farther insisted that, as the deceased had, by his will, bequeathed his body to them, no execution would hold good against the corpse. The bailiff, after attending to many literary and persuasive arguments, and having discussed the matter as fully as the time and place would permit of, was very properly convinced that the spirit of the law meant a living, and not a dead, body, and accordingly marched off without insisting farther on the legality of his capture. This, it is presumed, is the first and only instance of the kind that has happened since the arrest of the dead body of a Sheriff of London, not many years since."

W. B. H.

Brand's ' Popular Antiquities ' (Chat to & Windus, 1900, p. 453) states that " Mas- singer's ' Fatal Dowry,' 1632, contains some curious thoughts delivered at the funeral of a marshal in the army whose corpse was arrested for debt."

The practice is discussed in Barrington's ' Observations on the More Antient Statutes,' p. 474. Mr. Wm. Andrews, in ' England in the Days of Old,' has an article on ' Detaining the Dead for Debt.' E. E. SQUIRES.

Hertford.

"PACIFICIST": "PACIFIST" (12 S. iii 479). The word was evidently coined from pacificus, plural pacifici, as in the Latin version of what in English, at Matthew v. 9, is rendered " peacemakers." I believe that when first introduced the word was correctly written " pacificist " ; but this was considered cumbro\is by the ordinar^ journalist, who, caring nothing as to its

derivation, moulded the word by analogy rom " pacify," &c., which speedily replaced he more correct form. At the time, strong protest was made by scholars against the ase of " pacifist," and " pacificist " is still he form used in literary journals and by
 * orrect writers and speakers ; but unfortun-

ately (not by any means for the first time n the history of word-building) the shorter hough incorrect form appears to be the more popular. F. A. RUSSELL.

116 Arran Eoad, Catford, S.E.

REV. GEORGE JERMENT (11 S. v. 448; vi. 37, 56). On p. 167 of " The Parish Church of Peebles, A.D. 1784-1885. Presby- teriariism. By Dr. Gunn" (Peebles, 1917), we find, under the heading " Peebles Anti- Burgher Church," these notes :

' 1755, September 10. Bichard Jerment, first minister of Peebles Anti-Burghers. Ordained on above date. Congregation very weak ; little progress for thirteen years. Many calls given to the minister on this account.

' 1769. Mr. Jerment allowed to be trans- ported."

Dr. Clement Bryce Gunn, with whom I have conversed on this subject, as I did in 1912 with MR. R. S. ROBSON, thinks it probable that Mr. Richard Jerment was the father of the said George.

E. S. DODGSON.

Peebles.

FOLK-LORE : THE SPIDER (12 S. Hi. 272,

395, 491). I was taught not to kill spiders ; to do so would bring ill-luck to a household. To have a small spider on one's clothes was the best of good fortune, as they brought money and were known as money-spiders and 'money-spinners. I have seen men catch them and put them in their pockets, and even eat them, with the object of draw- ing money to themselves.

THOS. RATCLIFFE. Worksop.

" MEN OF KENT," AND " INVICTA " ON MILITARY BADGE (12 S. iii. 477). The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) was, on the abolition of the old numbers by which the infantry of the line were known, made up of two single-battalion regiments, the 1st Battalion having been formerly the 50th Foot, originally the 52nd Foot ; the 2nd Battalion, late 97th (Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot.

The regiment has for its principal badge, worn on the helmet plate, the White Horse of Kent on a scroll inscribed " Invicta " ; above the horse another scroll, inscribed " Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt," all in silver on