Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 12.djvu/217

. xii. S^T. 12, 1903.} NOTES AND QUERIES.

209

is in 1318 addressed as one of the Barone Majores for a Parliament invoked. Is there a record of this ; if so, how is the name spelt therein 1 GLOUCESTER.

MIDLAND REGISTERS. At a time when so much good work is being done towards the publishing of parish registers, might I put in a plea for the much neglected counties of Warwick, Worcester, and Stafford? The registers of Stratford-on-Avon are the only ones of general interest yet taken in hand, end they, after some four years, are not yet complete. There is a store of interesting information in the registers of churches in such places as Lichfield, Burton-on-Trent, Warwick, Malvern, Rugby, &c. Will not some one come forward and strive to equal in the Midland Counties the wonderful record of Mr. W. P. W. Phillimore in Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, &c. ? MIDLANDER.

ELIZA ELLEN HOPKINS. Has any reader of *N. & Q.' any photo, illustration, or in- formation of the following subject 1 In the early summer of 1860, just forty-three years ago, there lived at 13, Blewett's Buildings, Fetter Lane, E.G., Eliza Ellen Hopkins, aged four years, the only daughter of Frederick Hopkins, a bootcloser, and Mary Anne (Dymond) Hopkins, an upholstress. On ac- count of her remarkable development of body and mind she was sent to the public school at the above-mentioned age. On the first day she started to school, she had hardly gone but a few doors, when the multitude caught sight of her, and in a very few minutes tens of thousands of people crowded round her, blocking her way, and expressing their astonishment and admiration for her remark- able and fascinating beauty. The wealthy people filled her pinafore with toys and her pockst with money. Thus she came home from school the first day. But this continued day ,-,fterday. Meanwhile the London papers were interestingly discussing the subject. Her rather accompanied her to school the second morning, and " lectured " the people abou making a public show of his daughter by -/ing her money and toys, but he failed to stem he tide of popular enthusiasm, and gave up t; * attempt. At the third day, being un- accoi panied, she came home from school with ier pinafore loaded with toys and her pockf-; with money.

Th re was dread in the family that some- thing might happen to her, as there was great. danger of her being kidnapped by some persoi infatuated with her beauty. But, as usual Providence suddenly came to the rescui. For, one morning, as she was about

to go down stairs to go to school, slipping her foot upon a potato-peeling she fell over the entire flight of stairs and broke her neck. That very morning the multitudes were watching for her, and when they found she did not come went home greatly disappointed. This they did for a few mornings ; but their disappointment grew deep, and their patience lost its bounds. They through the London papers made inquiries concerning the cause of her absence. Finally, they made search, and found their beautiful idol shattered. They expressed deep sorrow at their loss, as they had learnt to love and admire the beautiful child as if she had been their own. She did not die immediately, but lingered a few weeks or months on a bed of pain, and departed this life 21 June, 1860, aged a little over four years.

I am going to write a biography of this child, and if any readers of ' N. & Q.' have anything that will assist me in gathering material for this work, I shall be greatly indebted to them. In conclusion, I might explain that I am the youngest brother of this little child, but was born nearly five years after her death. F. A. HOPKINS.

Los Angeles, California.

0- WORDS IN THE 'NEW ENGLISH

DICTIONARY.' (9 th S. xii. 165.)

I AM surprised that * N. & Q.' should have printed the article over the signature of THEO. GILL, Cosmos Club, Washington, U.S., in which the writer gives a string of instances of Living words for which later quotations could have been given. Of course they could ! Of the 100,000 living words already dealt with in the ' Dictionary ' there are very few tor which later quotations could not have part of the plan of the ' Dictionary ' to give them ! But it has never been proposed nor pretended to give the latest available quota- tion for a current word. The 'Dictionary' does indeed give the earliest quotation (known to us at the time) for every word and sense (except that for the native Germanic words, which have been English from the Deginning, we have not sought to give the earliest known Anglo-Saxon instance which would prove nothing but merely to give sufficient Anglo-Saxon instances to show torm and use). And in the case of obsolete words and senses, we have been careful to quote the latest instances known to us, as
 * )een given by the handful, if it had been any