Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 11.djvu/196

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. XL MARCH 7, UK.

Lynn Road ' that John Walton, who in the latter days of the old coaches drove between Broxbourne railway station and Cambridge, used to exclaim when he beheld the train moving towards him, " Here comes old Hell- in-Harness" (p. 31). How had Walton ac- quired this phrase? Was it traditional, or had he come by it some way or other in an indirect manner from Sir Walter Scott, who alludes in ' The Antiquary ' to one of Sir Arthur Wardour's ancestors, who bore that pleasing name 1

' 'There,' said the Antiquary to Sir Arthur, 'we won't dispute but there you see the gratitude of the poor people naturally turns to the civil virtues of your family. You don't hear them talk of Red- hand or Hell-in-Harness " (chap, xliii. ). We have good reason for believing that Scott did not invent the name of "Dryasdust," which has now become a familiar word in our language (8 th S. xii. 286; 9 fch S. ii. 325). It is not improbable, therefore, that he had picked up "Hell-in-Harness" either from tradition or in the course of his very wide reading. EDWAKD PEACOCK.

HORNE OR HEARNE. This name has been supposed to be derived from various words, such as heron, a nickname after the bird of that name, or the Celtic aern, a villager or aboriginal inhabitant, or to be a modification of the Welsh Owen. It seems, however, to be European, and appears in the Ernes, Hearns, and Hearnes of North Ireland the Hearns of Essex and Oxfordshire, the 8 or Hernes frora the town of that name in Westphalia, and the Herns of France and Italy. There are also similar names both Celtic and Teutonic, such as Heron, Tara- naern or Treherne, and Aherne Is the true origin of the name known, or have the some- what similar names different origins?

Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

COPPER TOKEN. I enclose a rubbing of a copper com or token. On one side is a picture of Norwich Barracks, with the date "1793" On the reverse are the words, "ProRege et Patna, a figure of a dragoon, and the words

Uueens Bays"; while round the edge of

If v m v are .^ W ^ rds " Pa y a ble at John Rooks Norwich." Could you give me any dea of the use and present value of the coin?

F. HALL BRAMLEY.

AUCTION BY INCH OP CANDLE.-This curious

bom (once common enough, but now nearly

xtinct) still lingers on at Broadway Dorset

and was observed there last New Year's Day

? K W> th!- Pr pe. r ty, of the town, wis rented by auction, the bidding continuing

as long as a candle an inch long was burning. During the last few seconds the greatest excitement prevailed, and the last bid was accepted simultaneously with the extinction of the candle. Can any reader of ' N. & Q.' tell me of other places where this ancient custom still prevails?

FREDERICK T. HIBGAME. [See 8 th S. ii. 363; v. 106; ix. 404.]

' A NEW TALE OF AN OLD TUB,' &c. I shall be very glad if some reader can oblige me with a full collation of this pamphlet, giving also the author's name, if known, and the date. I believe that there was a copy sold at Sotheby's last year with some other pamphlets, but I cannot trace it.

F. M. H. K.

"Tnou UNRELENTING PAST." Can you kindly oblige me by saying where the follow- ing lines are from 1 Thou unrelenting Past!

Strong are the barriers round thy dark domain; And fetters sure and fast Hold all that enter thy unbreathing reign. Thou hast my better years;

Thou hast my earlier friends; the good, the kind Yielded to thee with tears The venerable form, the exalted mind.

J. P. CARR.

THE OLD WIFE. Near Ballater, Aberdeen- shire, there is a hollow called the How o' the Caillech (Old Wife). It is said that this Old Wife, for spinning on Sunday, was condemned to spin for ever behind the rocks in the bed of the stream. Any one listening can still hear what is said to be the " birr " of her wheel. From the reference to Sunday this must be a modern myth; but can any one say whether an Old Wife is a figure in old Celtic mythology; or is this a solitary in- stance? A. R. Y.

ZODIAC. Can any of your readers tell me the origin of the zodiac, what is its purpose, and the meaning of the curious figures in it? Any information on this will oblige, or a reference to any book which will explain it. B. WELLS.

The Martyrs, Crawley.

[Many books and articles on the zodiac are referred to at 8 th S. xii. 103; 9 th S. i. 103, 202; ii. 62, 82, 303; iii. 24, 402, 463; iv. 124, 202; v. 42, 331;

" UNRAM." The dictionaries hitherto pub- lished do not seem to have loaded themselves with all the possible words beginning with un. Words which the newspapers contain to-day may appear in a book next week. Will the ' H.E.D.' extend its room for unram?