Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 8.djvu/105

 128. VIII. JAN. 29, 1921.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 81 LONDON, JANUARY 29, 1921. CO NT E NTS. No. 146. NOTES : Problems of Vagrancy in the Eighteenth Century, 81 An English Army List of 1740, 82 Among the Shake- speare Archives: The Town Clerk's Pig, 83 London Coaching and Carriers' Inns in 1732, 84 St. Paul's Chapter House " Boss-bent," 88 "Parapet," a Street Footway Karly Effort at Flying John Egerton Sir Walter Scott and France a Century Apo, 87. QUERIES: "Mrs. Drake Revived' Bagration Green, of co. Tipperary Paul Marny The British in Sardinia Zella Trelawny Volans. 88 Robert Croke,^. 1270 John tBeaumont Portrait of Leopold I. of Belgium Gouger Stapleton, Tutor to O'Connell Edward Booty Kinema or Cinema ? The Mayflower : Peter Brown Maundrell's ' Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem,' Easter, 1697, 89 Tobacco: "Bird's Eye" 'Thomas Bann and Alice Lucas ' " A miss is as good as a man " TheTurbulines Book Wanted Stanier Tavern Sign : " None the Wiser "William Holder Chippendale. 90 Leigh Hunt Morgan Phillips Spencer Turner Authors of Quota- tions Wanted, 91. iREPLIES : Tercentenary Handlist of Newspapers, 91 Poor Uncle Ned,' 93 The First Lord Westbury An Old Silver Charm Tulchan Bishops, 94 A Wake Game Nola: Cnollare : Pulsare Cbartularies, 95 Bottle-slider Education of the First Duke of Marlborough, 96 -Poor 'Relief Badge Book of Common Prayer " To Outrun the Constable "Yew-trees in Churchyards, 97 Statues and Memorials in the British Isles Light and Dark "A" iHeadpiece, 98 " Coiity " Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Swords French Prisoners of War Scott of Essex Author of Quotation Wanted, 99.
 * NOTES ON BOOKS : ' Udimore : Past and Present '

' The Adventures of Ulysses ' ' A Saunter through Kent with Pen and Pencil ' ' Quarterly Review.' Notices to Correspondents. JJote. .PROBLEM OF VAGRANCY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. IN view of the present condition of un- employment the enclosed letter, undated, .and unidentified but for the name of Denys Rolle of Bicton and Holcombe, South Devon (who married Ann, daughter of Arthur Chichester of Hall, and died in 1797), is useful as showing the social condition in the -county after a long period of war about 1748. The remedy then was the provision of work and not, as now, money. The letter is long, but several clauses are worthy of reproduction : MY LORD, Reading in the Morning Paper Lord, Radnor's observations on the Vagrant Bill respecting soldiers and sailors and your Lordships senti- ments coinciding with Lord Radnors as I am ignorant of the Amendments intruded I beg Jl.-ave to intrude on your Lordship a few lines on "that subject of what has occurred to me I hope not unworthy your Perusal. Being introduced to the meeting some years since which was then held at the late Duke of Montague's and being honoard by His Grace with a seat near Him : on a Mr. Bowdlers delivering some Propositione relative to Vagrants and on which there had been Justices of Peace as Delegates from each County met in Town. There was an exception in the taking up of Vagrants as to soldiers and Sailors I took the liberty to observe to His Grace the Duke of Montague " That much ill applied Charity to a great amount was bestowed par- ticularly to Persons under the Description of Sailors " : as a Maritime County, my Residence Devon, we saw therein a vast number of such, but when they were Real sailors most deviated far from the direct Tract from Port they landed at to the port at Home they proposed to go. But cheifly under that Denomination were Villains who either had Forgd Papers or xised Plausible False Complaints and Travelld round the County for years and committed frequently Robberies and murders and for want of a proper Police at Plymouth our Goal List is commonly filled with Real Sailors from that District. On the press. I think it might be on the Application of the Russian War a Fear of being Pressd some Sailors migrated from the Southern Ports towards the Northern Coast and hoverd about for some time near my seat and on their committing some acts of Robbery or attack my Daughters were prevented even from walking the least distance from the House. In my walks in the County of Hants I was accosted by a Real Sailor for Alms to whom making scarce any or low answer, being but little way passd him he turned about and accosted me. " Have you no Tongue in your Head ' ' he had a short stick in his hand I probably should have felt had not a man been within sight making a Hedge. No Person would wish more to assist Real Distress than myself but believe the Best Charity is That Indiscriminately bestowd on Beggars should be entirely droppd and Proper Care be provided on the spot by a Good Police Indescriminately on all to whatever Parish they belong, and that the same Power exercise their Authority on all found begging capable of work to be immediately made to work in such manner as they are capable to work. Having in my early youth in the conclusion of the War of 1730 in 1748 put all Persons coming from that war, instead of "relieving them by Charity, to work during the whole Winter from October to May they then without my dis- charging them, gave me thanks and betook themselves to their antient employ. At the same time reduced the Poor Rates of a con- siderable Town one hundred on nine Hundred and fifty if I remember right by attending the Weekly Payments and regulating Indiscriminate and Improportionate Relief. That this Nuisance and Imposition of Soldiers and Sailors or Vagrants under such Descriptions should be prevented the safety of the subject requires. ffhe 3 Ports of Falmouth Plymouth and Dart- mouth occasion many to traverse Cornwall Devon Dorset Somerset and Western Counties to the Ports in the Eastern or Northern Shores or their own Homes at a distance. Passes I humbley presume might be given by the Magistrate of