Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 7.djvu/273

 9> s. vii. APRIL c, 1901.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S CENSUS PAPER, 1851. At the Royal Military Ex- hibition at Chelsea in 1890 there was ex- hibited the great Duke's census paper of 1851, filled in by his own hand. Among other questions that were answered by him were the two following: "Where born 1" and "If deaf and dumb," to which the answers were " Ireland believe in Athy" and "Deaf." I thought it extraordinary that the Duke should have believed that Athy was his birthplace. He is generally supposed to have been born in Dublin on 1 May, 1769.

T. W. B.

A LEGEND OF MUGGINTON, DERBYSHIRE. I append a cutting from the Derby Mercury of 6 March. It is new to me, and may possibly be worth a place in *N. & Q.':

" In the outlying hamlet of Mugginton there is a quasi-Palladian chapel, about 15 feet square, which is commonly known as Halter Devil Chapel. The story is a bad one. Francis Brown, who had a bad reputation both for drunkenness and for feeding his horses at the expense of his neighbours, went forth one night to bring home a truant steed, and, in spite of drink and darkness, found the animal with- out difficulty. On reaching home and bringing out a lantern he found the halter was round the neck of a horned beast, which conscience suggested must be the devil himself. He repented of his evil deed, and by way of atonement attached a chapel to his own little farm, which was situated on a stretch of land taken into Mugginton from the adjoining parish of Hulland. The grotesque attempt at classical architecture which the little chapel pre- sents contrasts strangely enough with the farm buildings to which it is attached. It is said that it has never been consecrated or licensed, but a curate officiates in it once a month, and receives the rental of some 17 acres of land, which form the endowment. On a tablet in the pediment of the chapel are the lines

Francis Brown in his old age Built him here this hermitage. The register of Mugginton parish contains the fol- lowing entry: ' 1781, June llth, Francis Brown, of Hulland Ward, buried, Intakes Founder of Chapel in 7th Intakes Ward, to be annexed to Mugginton for ever, after death of his widow, his daughter, and her husband, Edward Allen.' "

W. H. QUARRELL.

TWENTIETH-CENTURY MEDAL. The mayor of the ancient Cornish borough of Lostwithiel has presented to the first child born there during the present century a silver medal bearing the following inscription :

"Annie Alexandra Stephens, born 29th January, 1901. The first child born in the Borough of Lost- withiel during the Twentieth Century and the Reign of King Edward VII. Presented by Robert Barclay- Allardice, Esq., Mayor of Lostwithiel 1899-1901."

T. Y. L.

MRS. GRANT OF LAGGAN. As considerable attention has lately been given in these

columns to this Scottish lyrist and friend of Sir Walter Scott, it may be well to state that her maiden name was Macvicar, and not "Macivar," as in the "Golden Treasury" volume of 'Scottish Song.' This is Mrs. Grant's account of her parentage and birth, as given in the autobiographical fragment utilized in her son's 'Memoirs of Mrs. Grant' (Longmans & Co., 1845) :

" My father, Duncan Macvicar, was a plain, brave, pious man. He was born in the parish of Craignish, in Argyllshire, and was early left an orphan. He removed, when a young man, to Fort William, in Inverness-shire, where he had some concern in farming along with his relation, Capt. Macvicar. In 1753 he married my mother, who was a grand- daughter of Mr. Stewart of Invernahyle, an ancient family in the neighbouring county of Argyll. Some time afterwards my parents removed to Glasgow, where I was born on the 21st February, 1755."

To this it may just be added that Mrs. Grant's maternal grand - uncle, Alexander Stewart of Invernahyle, was the prototype of the Baron of Bradwardine in 'Waverley.' Stewart, says Scott (introduction to * Waverley,' 1829), "was a noble specimen of the old High- lander, far descended, gallant, courteous, and brave even to chivalry." It was but fitting that his grand-niece should be one of the first to recognize his ideal presentation in * Waver- ley,' and to express her decided opinion as to the authorship of that remarkable work.

THOMAS BAYNK.

UNITED STATES FLAG. In a volume of 'Humorous Tales and Poems,' published 1824, but written about 1790, occurs the following: The man who whipt apostle Paul Five times forgot to give him all His lashes ; sith he gave no more Than nine and thirty for two score ! But this obliging beadle gave One over what Snap ought to have, And to indulge his country cousin, Let him have thirteen to the dozen ! Drew out and painted on his back A Yankee-doodle Boston jack,* Then set the wincing culprit free With thirteen stripes and liberty !

R. J. F.

SINGING IN CHURCH. I recently extracted the following quaint notice from the Times of 12 January, 1839, p. 6, col. b :

"The following Notice was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Greenwood, Rector of the Parish of Colne Engain, Essex, on Sunday, the 30th ult., at the Church of that Parish in the course of the afternoon service : 'I beg respectively [M'C] to give notice that it is not lawful for any person of another parish to sing

ornament or use. Since the secession of the Ame- rican colonies their characteristic flag is composed of thirteen stripes, representing the number of the United States.
 * A small flag or colour used on ship-board for