Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 9.djvu/452

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NOTES AND QUERIES. p s. ix. JUHB 7. loos.

Griggs and Gregorians here their meetings hold Convivial Sects, and Bucks alert and bold f A kind of Masons, but without their sign ; The bonds of union pleasure, song, and wine. Crabbe, 'The Borough,' Letter X.

The Historical Society. See the Mathe- matical Society.

Hook and Eye Club. Douglas Jerrold's club held its weekly meetings at the " Albion Tavern and Hotel," No. 26, Russell Street.

Horseshoe. "The Knights Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Horse- shoe " met at the " White Horse," King Street, Golden Square, in 1782 (Banks Coll. Admis- sion Tickets, portfolio 2).

The House of Lords Club held their meet- ings at the "Fleece" or " Golden Fleece " in Cornhill. It appears to have been known as the "Fleece Tavern" Club in 1736, the membership being composed, in its earlier times, of influential citizens, for in the St. James's Evening Post of 6 May in that year we are told that "the Gentlemen of the Common Council, belonging to the 'Fleece Tavern Club' waited upon the Lord Mayor to desire his Lordship would call a Common Council to congratulate his Majesty upon the happy Nuptials of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales with her Royal Highness the Princess of Saxe Gotha [mother of George III.],

and his Lordship was pleased to receive them

in a very handsome Manner and to promise to speedily call a Common Council for that purpose."

Ned Ward, however, says it was composed of tippling citizens and jocular Change brokers, who met every night

" to wash away their consciences with salubrious claret ; that the mental reservations and fallacious assurances the one had used in their shops, and the deceitful wheedles and stock-jobbing honesty by which the others had outwitted their merchants, might be no impediment to their night's rest ; but that they might sleep without repentance, and rise next day with a strong propensity to the same practice.^'

One of the last houses where the House of Lords Club met was the " Yorkshire Grey" (Daniel's Livery Stables) in Fetter Lane. But they had previously removed from the "Fleece" to the "Three Tuns " in South wark to escape the sarcastic attentions of the London apprentices. But as late as 1825 there was a tavern with the sign of the " Abercrombie " in Lombard Street where a House of Lords Club appears to have survived, or had, per- haps, only been revived (' Tav. Anecd.'). Its heyday was evidently at the " Fleece " in Cornhill before its down-grade period set in, when it was broken up for a time through the leading members having committed suicide ! See ' Compleat and Humorous Ace. of Club Societies,' by Ed. Ward, ' Knights of the Golden Fleece.' There is a

card in the Banks Collection of Admission Tickets, showing that the House of Lords Club held their anniversary dinner as late as 1786.

The Royal Humane Society. The "Chapter Tavern and Coffee- House " is further remark- able (see Conger Club) for having seen the formation of the Royal Humane Society. It was in 1773 that the benevolent Dr. Hawes, whose father was the landlord of the ** Old Thatched House Tavern" in Cross Street, Islington, began to call attention to the means of resuscitating persons apparently drowned, encountering, of course, much ridi- cule and opposition. In 1774 Dr. Hawes and his friend Dr. Cogan, who subsequently became registrar of the society, each brought fifteen friends to a meeting at the " Chapter Coffee-House," when the society was at once formed. Dr. Hawes's zeal and benevolence in advertising rewards to persons who, between London and Westminster Bridges, should, within a certain time after the accident, rescue drowned persons from the water and bring them to places appointed for their reception, irresistibly remind one of a story told by Sir Wemyss Reid concern- ing a shrewd Novocastrian known as "Cuckoo Jack." Jack lived upon the Tyne in a well- patched boat, picking up any trifle that came in his way from a derelict log to a corpse. One day an elderly and most estimable Quaker of Newcastle, in stepping from a river steam- boat to the quay, slipped and fell into the stream. " Cuckoo Jack " was at hand with his boat and quickly rescued the luckless "Friend," landing him dripping on the quay. The good man drew half-a-crown from his pocket, and solemnly handed it to his preserver. Jack eyed the coin for a moment with lack-lustre gaze, spat upon it for good luck, and, having placed it safely in his pocket, said in a matter-of-fact tone to the soaking Quaker, " Man, ah J d hev gotten five shillin' for takin' ye to the dead-house."

The Humdrum Club of the Spectator held its silent meetings in Ivy Lane.

The "Je ne sais quoi" Club (1797) met at the " Star and Garter " in Pall Mall.

The Judge and Jury trials. For full accounts of these disreputable proceedings see Sporting Life, 7 October, 1848, ' A Night at Baron Nicholson's ' ; Daily Telegraph, 28 August, 1894, G. A. Sala, ' Things 1 have Known,' and 20 November, 1896, Clement Scott, who gives a graphic description of Baron Nicholson and his infamous judge and ury trials. Baron Nicholson was at one time andlord of the "Wrekin" (q.v.). There is till a Judge and Jury Club which holds its