Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/144

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. vn. FEB. w, 1901.

the seventh baronet, in 1774, the title would fall to the issue of Darcy Wyvill, the brother of the fifth baronet, as follows : 1, William ; 2, Edward ; 3, Hale. William settled in America, and Burke says that his descendants, if not barred by alienage, being American subjects, are entitled to the title. Edward had a son Christopher, who, accord- ing to Burke, married Elizabeth, daughter of the sixth baronet, and inherited the Burton Constable property, but Burke gives no par- ticulars respecting his birth, &c. Foster's 'Yorkshire Pedigrees 'does not endorse Burke's opinion respecting the husband of Elizabeth Wyvill being the son of Edward Wyvill, which doubt would require clearing up before it can be said their issue can claim the title. If the first are barred out, and the second have no claim, the title falls to the issue of Hale, whose son Luke died in 1747.

JOHN RADCLIFFE.

EASTER MAGIANT (9 th S. vi. 508 ; vii. 34). There can be no doubt that " herb pudding," in which Easter magiant is an important ingredient, formed one of the maigre dishes in Lent or Holy Week. It would be eminently wholesome, as it is com- posed of Easter ledges [?J, young nettles, and almost any young green to be found at that season, such as dandelion leaves, sorrel, wild spinach, primrose leaves, ladies' mantle, &c., in minute quantities all chopped together, mixed with a pint or so of real groats (rice is now frequently substituted), tied in a cloth, and boiled some hours. When served a raw egg is well incorporated with the mixture. I have never eaten it in the south of England, but in Paris something tasting like it may be met with. The leaf o the Easter magiant is not unlike that of the dock, the stems being pink when drawn from the ground, and the flower is also pink. It is usually found on moist ground, and springs up in March or April. In his descrip- tion of Westmorland (' Beauties of England and Wales ') Hodgson speaks of the plant for which ME. CURWEN inquires as " the Alpine bistort, Easter-ment-gian." M. N.

The 'E.D.D.' makes a suggestion which seems plausible. Doubtless MR. CURWEN can see a copy of that work. If not, I hope he will give the directors of the nearest public library no rest till they buy one.

O. O. H

A QUAINT CUSTOM (9 th S. vii. 49). At Sir Charles Grandison's wedding

" we were called to dinner. It was a sumptuous ope. Mr. Selby was very orderly, upon the whole

But he remembered, he said, that when he was married (and he called upon his Dame to confirm it) ie was obliged to wait on his Bride, and the Com- pany ; and he insisted upon it, that Sir Charles

~hould. 'No, no, no,' every one said But Sir

Jharles, with an air of gaiety that infinitely be- came him, took a napkin from the butler Sir

Charles was the modestest servitor that ever waited

at table Then going to Mr. Selby: ' Why don't

you bid me resume the napkin, sir?' ' No, no ; we see what you can do ; your conformity is enough for me. You may now sit down when you please. You make the waiters look awkward.' He took his seat, thanked Mr. Selby for having reminded him of his duty, as he called it, and was all Himself, the most graceful and obliging of men."' The History of Sir Charles Grandison' (Dublin reprint, 1753, vol. vi. pp. 338-9).

The custom must have been allowed to drop by Sir Charles's time, or he would never lave waited to be " reminded," being far too lear perfection for that. Mr. Selby would lave been married, doubtless, about the beginning of the eighteenth century.

IBAGUE".

BOULDER STONES (9 th S. vii. 27). Though I cannot answer J. R.'s query, I may state for his information (which may assist him in his inquiries) that I have myself seen two very interesting examples of these stones. One was at Winkfield, near Windsor, on the margin of a lane nearly opposite to the surgery, where then, forty years ago, lived my old friend Dr. O. Ward. He was a very good geologist, and informed me that it was undoubtedly of glacial origin, and of the " puddingstone" or "conglomerate" order. The other was at Streatley-on-Thames, Oxon, and lay on the edge of the road (near the mill) which led from the bridge into the village. Both stones were of .similar appear- ance externally, roughly speaking, nearly circular in form and (writing from memory) about one foot six inches or two feet in diameter. Dr. Ward assured me, with regard to the Winkfield stone, that there was no natural stone deposit or stratum of that order within eighty or a hundred miles of the place, so that its position there was a mystery, except on the theory of glacial action. EDWARD P. WOLFERSTAN.

There are various local tales relative to these isolated stones found up and down the country. Those in a field near Marsden, a village in Bedfordshire, are known as the Devil's Jump. They stand a long way apart, and the story goes that Lucifer, making a hurried escape from the locality, went off with a tremendous hop, skip, and a jump. Further, the exact spots where Belial's cloven feet touched mother earth on that particular