Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/406

 334

NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. vii. OCT. 23, 1020.

This agrees with the Aston pedigree and with the life of Bishop Gastrell in ' Notitia Cestriensis ' (Chetham Society), vol. ii. pt. 2, from which it appears that Henry Gastrell of Slapton had two sons, Edward and Francis (the Bishop). Peregrine Gastrell, of Slapton, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Chester who died in 1748, was son of Edward, and he had two sons, Edward Peregrine, and Francis, the Rector of Frodsham. The Bishop had ah only son Robert who died young in 1716, and a daughter Rebecca. Francis Gastrell was thus great -nephew of the Bishop. Mrs. Francis Gastrell was sister- in-law (not sister) of Gilbert Walmsley, registrar of the diocese of Lichfield, who married her sister Magdalen Aston.

The following notice of Mrs. Gastrell 's death is in The Gentleman's Magazine, under Oct. 30, 1791 :

"At Stow-hill, near Lichfield, Mrs. Gastrell, sister to Mrs. Walmsley (wife of Johnson's first friend), arid sister also of 'the lady of whom Johnson used to speak with the warmest admiration by the name of ' Molly Aston,' who was afterwards married to Captain Brpdie, of the Navy. [Quotation from 'Boswell. J Neither Mrs. G. nor her husband, we are well assured, deserved this severity of Mr. Boswell, though we are not in possession of the controverting proofs."

R. STEWART- BROWN.

Bromborough.

In Ormerod's ' Cheshire,' Francis Gastrell, Bishop of Chester, is said to have sprung from an ancient family in Berkshire, and to have been the son of Henry Gastrell, Esq., of East Garston in that county. He was born in 1662 and was the father of Francis Gastrell, Vicar of Frodsham. Francis G. junior was instituted 1740, and died (as his monument in Frodsham records) in 1772 {Helsby Edition, Orm. i. 102; ii. 55 and 58) in his 64th year. Several Gastrells of the eighteenth century were buried in the Lady Chapel of Chester Cathedral (i. 295), but there is nothing in Ormerod's 'Cheshire' to show in what way they were related to the Bishop, and to each other. ( 1 ) Edward Pere- grine G., died 1772, aged 64 ; (2) Edward G., died 1798, aged 58 ; (3) Elizabeth G., died 1747 ; (4) Peregrine G., late Chancellor of the diocese of Chester, died 1748, presumably husband of Elizabeth G. and perhaps the same Peregrine G. mentioned by MR. BAYLE Y, although the date of the birth of Peregrine G. of Slapton is the same as that of Edward Peregrine G. mentioned first in this list. W. F. JOHN TIMBRELL.

Coddington Rectory, Chester.

I am afraid that .facts will show MR. SINTON that he has made a mistake in his dates, and I would refer him to Sir Sidney Lee's * Life of Shakespeare ' (p. 289), where a long note will be found relating to "the tradition " that the great poet planted the mulberry tree, and the writer evidently disbelieves the story connected with it. He says that "the tradition " was not put on record until the tree in question was cut down in 1758, while Shakespeare died in 1616. The tree, he tells us, was " perhaps planted in 1609, when a Frenchman, named Veron distributed a number of young mulberry trees through the midland counties by order of King James I., who desired to encourage the culture of silk worms " ;

and, further, that one

" Thomas Sharp, a wood-carver of Stratford-on- Avon, was chiefly responsible for the eighteenth- century mementos of the tree-goblets, or fancy boxes, or ink-stands ; but far more objects than could possibly be genuine have been represented by dealers as being manufactured from Shake- speare's mulberry tree. From a slip of the original tree is derived the mulberry tree which still flourishes on the central lawn of New Place garden."

I would add that the name of the Rev. Francis Gastrell, is not mentioned in the book from which I have quoted, and that, also, would seem to make it appear that there must be a mistake somewhere.

ALAN STEWART.

ROE ARMORIALS (12 S. vii. 268). Sir Thomas Roe, of Bulwick, Northants., had an exemplification of arms from R. St. George (Clarenceux) on Apr. 30, 1632 ; copy Haii. MS. 1441, fo. 60 B. On Oct. 25, 1647, Wm. Roberts (Ulster) granted arms to Richard Roe, Captain in Colonel Anthonie Hungerford 's Regiment, showing the arms of Roe of Maxfield in Cheshire. A copy,*the pro- perty of Mr. S. B. Roe, C.B., of Bailyconnell, was on view in the Heraldic Exhibition held at Edinburgh in 1891. Richd. St. George (Norroy) granted arms on June 9, 1608, to Roger Rooe, of Alport, co. Derby. In 1595 R. Cooke (Clarenceux) made a grant to Sir William Rooe, of London, ' ' Iremonger. " For five Rowe grants see Foster's ' Grantees of Arms ' (Harleian Society), vol. i.

For the grant to Sir Fredk. Adair Roe, MR. F. GORDON ROE should apply to the College of Arms where the reference is "Grants," vol. xli., p. 236.

S. A. GRUNDY-NEWMAN, F.S.A.Scot.

Walsall.