Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 3.djvu/290

 284

NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. m. APRIL is, m

Farmers, Hoskinsons, and Judkins,

Godkins, Jenkins, Rankins, Rudkins,

The Batts and Matts, the Natts, the Watts,

The Hodges, Ridges, Madges, Potts,

The Stopfords, Stratfords, Coles, Craffords,

Alcocks, Haycocks, Crawleys, Traffords,

The Rowleys, Bayleys, Murdocks, Ladbys,

Newells, Howells, Cooks, and Bradleys,

The Nailors, Braziers, Smiths, and Greydons,

Goskins, Ludlows, Vernons, Haydons,

The Sirs, and Swans, Shoes and Shoebottoms,

Hempenstalls, and Higginbothams,

The Joneses, Townses, Downses, Monsons,

Hobsons, Jobsons, Jacksons, Johnsons,

Gibsons, Gatons, Leesons, Wilsons,

Thomsons, Griersons, and Tilsons,

With Nelson, Watson, Wellington,

Lewing, Langley, and Billington,

And many more ; but let us stop,

And this fond prayer offer up :

May Erin's sons of every cast

Be irishmen from first to last,

Nor name nor creed divide them.

HENRY GERALD HOPE. Clapham, S.W.

A REMARKABLE EPITAPH, at South Kilving- ton, Yorkshire, is noticed in ' The History of Thirsk,' &c., compiled by J. B. Jefferson in 1821 :

A Grave Stone in the church yard cannot but be admired for its beautiful simplicity and the absence of the fulsome panegyric which too often disgusts the passenger. Its inscription is this : JONES t

ST. SWITHIN.

H.R.H. THE DUKE OF YORK. The incident with which I close this communication is perhaps sufficiently curious for notice, as showing the striking contrast between mili- tary manners of the time of George III. and those of the reign of Victoria. Recollecting that this great officer had not only been Commander- in-Chief of the British ' Army, but was actually second son to the sove- reign, arid at the time of the insult passing his father's royal palace, it seems sufficiently surprising, and is probably only to be ac- counted for by the connexion with Mrs. Clarke having already been partially dis- closed.

Her name reminds me of what I heard when staying at Cava di Terrani, between Naples and Salerno, in 1880. Near Cava is the little village of Avocaletta. In 1879 Miss Louisa Clarke died, aged ninety-one, in the house of the village priest of this place, where she had lived for about thirty years.

There was a mystery about her. She re- ceived a pension from the British Govern- ment, was well educated, had evidently been handsome, her memory was well stored with anecdotes of the Court of George III.,

which she was fond of detailing, and sh( had the appearance of having moved ir very good society. An English barristei who had resided some years at Cava became acquainted with her, and told me it was surmised that she was the daughter of th< celebrated Mrs. Clarke. It was in 1809 that in consequence of the Clarke revelations, th< Duke was obliged to resign his post. The anecdote is copied from a MS. in my posses sion written at the time, in the year 1809 :

" His Royal Highness the Duke of York. Or Sunday, April 30, as the late Commander in Chie: was passing by the temporary entrance to Sainl James' palace (in Consequence of the destructior of the old one by Fire), he pulled his hat off his head and held it in his hand till he had passed the first Centinel he then put it on his head and die the same to the Second Centinel, who was about 5 yards distance, both of whom were of course pre- senting arms. He was not five yards distance from them when one of them in the most Contemptable mariner possible turned to his Companion, and ir the presence of about 8 people (of whom Mr. Christopher Spurrier, L. G., and myself were three' showed his utter Disrespect to the 'Duke by a laugh which was so loud that I much doubt whether i( escaped the ears of the Duke himself." 78, 79.

D. J.

CHRISTMAS DAY ON SUNDAY. The follow- ing is an extract from the Grantham Journal for 31 December, 1898 :

"Few people are aware that Christmas Day falls oftener on Sunday than on some other days. It falls on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday fifty-eight times, and on Friday and Saturday fifty-seven times each, for every fifty-six times it falls on a Monday or a Wednesday. This, according to the Vicar of All Saints', Margaret Street, London, who is an expert in these calculations, will continue to be the same until the present error of 22i seconds in the length of the year is compensated for by substituting a common year for a leap year once in fo years."

four thousand

CELER ET AUDAX.

THE JOHNSONIANS, A LIVERPOOL SECT. The well-known ' History of Religious Rites,' by the Rev. William Hurd, D.D., was reprinted, with some local additions, by Mr. Gleave at Manchester in 1811. One of these additions refers to a Liverpool sect, of which it is said :

" Johnsonians, so called from the late Mr. John- son, a respectable Dissenting minister of Liverpool : they do not apply this name to themselves, but it is given to them by Christians of other denomina- tions. They must be regarded as a distinct de- nomination, as they will haveno religious fellowship with those who dissent from their views of the Gospel, which are sufficiently discriminating, and have sometimes applied to themselves the words of Balaam, respecting the children of Israel, 'The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.' They deny the pre-existence of Christ and at the same time believe that he is properly God ; because all the fulness of the Godhead dwells