Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/52

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NOTES AND QUERIES.

. I. JAN. 15, '98.

the castle of Hugh, and the garrison essayed to keep the castle against him ; but Rhys obtained the castle by force, passing the garrison through fire and sword. The following day he marched towards (the castle of Ystum Llwynarth in) Seng- henydd [Ab Ithel's Welsh text on the opposite page has "Sein Henyd"]; and from fear of him the garrison burned the town. And they, without being diverted from their purpose, proceeded to the castle of Ystum Llwynarth, and ne encamped about it that night; and the following day he obtained the castle, which, with the town, he burned. And by the end of three days he reduced all the castles of Gower; and thus, happy and victorious, he returned home."

Mr. Koberts illustrates his third paper by a map of Young Khys's march, from which I see that Hu's castle was situated at Pont ar ddulais. The same map shows Ystum Llwynarth near Oystermouth, and Sein He- nyd in the immediate neighbourhood of the present Swansea (Abertawe). Mr. Roberta's fourth paper analyzes the compound Sein Henyd, and proves, on philological grounds, that Sein would naturally develope into Sweyn, later Swan. As I have said above, I have not seen Col. Morgan's pamphlet, nor, indeed, the first two of Mr. Koberts's papers ; but so far as I can make out, these two gentlemen deserve the credit of having for the first time established a reasonable and satisfactory derivation for Swansea. I should add that the words enclosed in parentheses in the above quotation from Ab Ithel's trans- lation are from MS. E (latter part of the fifteenth century). J. P. OWEN.

48, Comeragh Road, W.

AUTOGRAPH LETTER OP SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN. Mr. J. D. Grace has recently pre- sented to the Royal Institute of British Architects, of which he is an honorary mem- ber, an autograph letter of Wren, addressed to Mr. Vanbruck, which was rescued by his father from a mass of documents at Green- wich Hospital which were ordered for de- struction some time between 1840 and 1845. Mr. Grace is not quite sure whether the Mr. Vanbruck to whom the letter is addressed was the famous architect of Blenheim, who was afterwards known as Sir John Vanbrugh, but suggests that he may have been employed at Greenwich 1700-1, which Mr. Grace thinks is the date of the letter, in some subordinate capacity. Perhaps some of your readers may throw light on this point. JOHN HEBB.

PATTENS. These were commonly worn by women in the early years of this century, but have now become almost, if not quite, obsolete, and, I think, well-nigh forgotten also. I remember their being used less than forty years ago, but never see them now. They

consisted of a wooden sole with a large iron ring fastened to the bottom. This ring was for the purpose of raising those who wore pattens above the region of the wet and mud. They were fastened round the instep by a strap. The clatter they made was not a pleasant sound. In some places it was the habit of women when they went to church in pattens to leave them outside in the porch, lest the noise they made on the pavement should disturb the congregation. I have heard that notices to the effect that all pattens were to be removed before entering were sometimes posted up by the wardens on the church doors. That pattens were not a new invention is certain. Sir Thomas More mentions them, though whether the pattens of his time were identical with those which survived into the Victorian era may admit of question. He says :

"But loke if ye see not some wretches y e scant can crepe for age, his hed hanging in his bosom, and his body croked, walk pit a pat vpon a paire of patens, with the staffe in the tone hande and the pater noster in the tother hande, the tone f ote almost in the graue already, and yet neuer the more hast to part with any thynge, nor to restore that he haith euyl gotten, but as gredy to geat a grote by thebegiling of his neybour, as if he had of certaynty

seuen score yere to liue." ' Workes wrytten in

the Englysh tonge,' 1557, 94. D.

The word patten does not occur in Mrs. Cowden Clarke's ' Concordance ' to Shake- spere's plays.

My reason for referring to pattens at the present time is because I have just come upon a sample of derivation-making which may perhaps amuse your readers. A writer in the Sporting Magazine for 1812, speaking of some one or other who had been alluding to pattens, says :

"He means the kind of shod clogs those ugly, noisy, ferruginous, ancle -twisting, gravel -cutting, clinking things called women's pattens: taking their name from beautiful blue-eyed Patty who first wore them." Vol. xl. p. 27.

The true derivation of the word may be found in Prof. Skeat's ' Concise Dictionary.' EDWARD PEACOCK.

ROBERT GOMERSALL. As we know from the article in the ' Diet. Nat. Biog.,' xxii. 101, that the last published verses of this dramatist and divine are dated 1639-40, and signed " Robert Gomersall, Vicar of Thorncombe in Devon," it seemed worth while to test the accuracy of Wood's statement that "one Rob. Gomersall died 1646, leaving then by his will," &c. The will duly came to light (P.C.C., 143 Twisse), and in the Probate Act Book for 1646 this Robert Gomersall is de- scribed as " ate of Thorncombe in the co. of