THE CROSS AT LUCCA.-William II. frequently made use of this oath, "By the Cross of Lucca," or, By the Crucifix at Lucca." Authentic information as to the origin of this expression would be acceptable. F. B. CAPTAIN WILLIAM HOOPER. I shall feel greatly obliged if any correspondent will direct me to some work giving information on the life, career, and descendants (if any) of Captain William Hooper, mentioned in Mrs. Hutchinson's "Life of Colonel Hutchinson," and who was the Parliamentary engineer officer at the siege of Oxford, in 1648. J. P. EMSLIE. NOBILITY. In England, I believe, this term belongs exclusively to the peerage; but in other countries of Europe it comprehends all classes raised by birth or privilege above the community at large. Is there any grant or statute in existence showing the origin of the term? T. R. "THE MOURNER."--Who was the author of a poem bearing this title, written, I believe, either early in the present century, or towards the close of the last. It is some time since I saw it; but, as near as I can recollect, it commences thus :— "Yes! there are real mourners: I have seen A fine, sad girl, mild, suffering, and serene." G. R. [The writer of this poem was George Crabbe, a native of Aldborough, in Suffolk. He was born in 1754, and was educated for the medical profession, but subsequently took holy orders, and became rector of Trowbridge, Wilts. "Tales of the Hall" is one of the principal poems of Crabbe.-ED.] SWAKELEY HOUSE, MIDDLESEX.-In Pepys' Diary, under date of Sept. 7, 1665, is this entry:-" To Swakeley, to Sir R. Viner's. A very pleasant place, bought by him of Sir James Harrington's lady. . . It is a place not very moderne in the garden nor house, but the most uniforme in all that I ever saw; and some things to excess.' Is this house still standing? If so, can any of your readers give me any information respecting it? "Here lieth the carcass Of honest Charles Parkhurst, But always was true to His sovereign lord the King Ob. Dec. XX. MDCCIV. ætat. LXXXVI. Can you, or any of your readers tell me who this individual was, whose name is thus handed down to posterity? J. SILLS. [In Epsom Church there is a monument, by Flaxman, to the memory of the Rev. John Parkhurst, author of a Greek and Hebrew lexicon: we believe the above Charles Parkhurst was a member of that family.-ED.] GARTH, THE POET.-Can you furnish me with information respecting the history of Samuel Garth, the author of a poem entitled "Claremont," published early in the last century? Replies. T. ST. L. KENTISH CHURCHES.-The last time I was at Sandwich, great efforts were being made to restore the different churches in that ancient town. St. Clement's, which had been in a very dilapidated condition for many years, I was pleased to see, seemed likely to be preserved from the utter decay that at one time appeared to threaten it; St. Peter's ST. MARGARET-AT-CLIFFE, NEAR DOVER. had been "partially" restored; but St. Mary's seemed left to its fate. I should be glad to hear from any of your correspondents whether the good work of restoration has been carried on; and if so, to what extent. RAMBLER. HENCHMAN.-What is the meaning of this term? The word has, I believe, now become obsolete, but is frequently met with in descriptions of ancient ceremonials. L. T. (Vol. iii. 69). THE church dates back to the days of King Stephen, and is supposed to have been attached to St. Martin's Priory, in Dover. It is a most remarkably fine specimen of rich Norman architecture of the best period, and is now considered one of the finest Norman buildings in the county. The mouldings of the west door-way (emblematical of the Holy Trinity) should be noticed, as well as the beautiful tracery of [The word is mentioned in the second canto of Sir Walter Scott's the arcades, chancel arch, and north door-way. The five Lady of the Lake:" "Malise, what ho!'-his henchman came; A footnote explains that the term denotes a sort of secretary; in- ESSEX HEAD CLUB. -This club was once held at a tavern | of that name in Essex-street, Strand. Can any of your readers tell me anything about it, and when it ceased to exist? P. T. MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS.-This unhappy queen, we are told, when on the scaffold, was wounded in the shoulder by a false blow given by her executioner-whether from awkwardness or nervousness is uncertain. She is said 66 east windows of the chancel have been recently filled in with In reply to P.'s question respecting the beautiful Norman church at St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, near Dover, above, I send * The notice in "Murray" needs correction in his next edition. deserves to be. I shall be pleased to see any visitor who may wander to this ultima thule of Kent, and who would like to inspect the church. E. C. LUCEY, Vicar. you the list of books in which notices of it are to be met with. I, too, shall be very glad if any of your readers will kindly send me the name of a typographical work likely to contain the best account of its origin, and any facts connected with its history. I have looked into a great many, FOSSIL QUADRUMANA (Vol. iii. 82).—Having been prebut the accounts given are very meagre. The details of the work round the arcades and chancel arch are marvel- sent at the meeting at Sion College, my recollection of what lously clear, and look as fresh as if they had left the was said differs somewhat from the "story current in clerical circles" as reported. Professor Huxley, having prebuilder's hands only a year or two back. Upwards of 3000l.viously complained of the opposition of the clergy to scienhas been recently expended on its restoration, the old carving tific discovery, was invited to meet some of them at Sion scarcely being touched, but from the isolated position of St. College, to explain his own views, and " give them a bit of Margaret's (on the coast between Dover and Deal, at some his mind;" and accordingly, taking for his text the ring given distance from the main road, and with sea on three sides of by Pharaoh to Joseph, as one among other evidences of a it), the church is not so well known to antiquaries as it high state of civilization among the ancient Egyptians, which they must have required ages to reach, he proceeded to explain that their remote ancestors dwelt over the Delta of the Nile, known to be at least 60 feet thick, and which must have taken many years, possibly as much as 100 for each foot of thickness in forming. Below that, again, was another stratum, also requiring a long period for its deposition; how long he did not say, nor can I remember his mentioning several, or even one hundred thousand years; although of course, as every one knows, the learned Professor, with most geologists, believes the world to have existed much longer. Professor Tyndal, who was present, scouted the idea of the world having been given over to an evil spirit, but I do not remember any one avowing his belief of such a thing, or that the devil caused the appearances of fossils. A clergyman, who spoke in opposition to Huxley's views, was shortly after presented to a living; certainly not for having spoken on that occasion, but on account of his scientific writings. With reference to Marsh's discovery of quadrumanous fossils in the Roman formation of the Rocky Mountains, is there no error, I would ask, in the designation of the formation? Animals, even mammals, existed, as has long been known, in formations preceding the Eocene; and about twenty years ago remains of an undoubted quadrumanous animal, proved by Professor Owen to belong to a monkey, of the genus Macacus, were found at Kyson, a few miles east of Woodbridge, in a deposit of yellow and white sand underneath a bed of Eocene clay twelve feet thick. Other mammiferous fossils were found in the same bed, as of an opossum, an insectivorous bat, &c. The macacus was the first example of any quadrumanous animal found in strata so old as the Eocene. It was not until after the year 1836 that the Since that period, they have been discovered in France, India, and Brazil. (Sir C. Lyell's "Elements of Geology," ch. xvi. ; and see J. Beete Jukes's "Manual of Geology," p. 656.) F. J. LEACHMAN. I should very much like to restore the exterior of the tower, one angle of which fell down many years ago, and the church restorers (?) of those days, instead of replacing the arcade of the clerestory, used the stone to rebuild the tower with. On the south side, the arcade ran (as on the north side) to the end of the tower, if not round it. The ugly and clumsy buttress, then erected, stands to this day, marked with the initials of the churchwardens of the period, and the date of their handiwork, hieroglyphics which I have very frequently to explain to visitors and enthusiastic archæologists. The proper restoration of the tower would cost about 1000l., but the great difficulty that has been experienced in collecting the money already expended, makes one rather shrink from a fresh effort, especially as other local matters have demanded considerable outlay. Still, if any antiquaries will take up the subject, I shall be most happy to do all in my power towards the completion of so good a work. During the restoration I dug down under a stone coffin lid in the nave, hoping to find the coffin; about five feet from the surface, or rather less, I came upon the skeleton of a man who had evidently been buried in a wooden coffin, for there was a well-defined dark line of discoloured earth marking the place of the coffin. On taking up the skull I found a lock of hair adhering to it, as fresh as mine is at this moment. The body must have been buried a very great many years, probably a century or more, but evidently had nothing to do with the stone lid. The whole surface of the nave had been previously disturbed, and portions of human remains were scattered over it; these were carefully collected before the flooring for the pews was put down, and buried with the skeleton above referred to. The flat grave-existence of any fossil quadruman was brought to light. stone is now in the vestry, very similar to the sketch given in the small edition of "Concise Glossary of Architecture," P. 271. The foot of the stone is much worn, but the head, with the upper part of a cross upon it, is perfect. The columns nearest the tower have a broad stone base; that on the west side being the larger of the two, and the font is placed on this. It has been suggested that these bases formed the only seats in the church when it was first built, and that if any other seats were in the building, they were placed against the walls. I believe the old saying of "the weakest goes to the wall," has its origin in these seats so placed in churches. On The church is large, 121 feet long; the tower having been opened out by the removal of a huge organ gallery which completely blocked up the fine tower arch. the cap of a column near the chancel are two heads, making wry faces at the devil, and looking towards the west, the region of darkness; at the opposite corner are two faces bowing towards the east, or the altar. The work in the porch is very rich, the cabling being very perfect. In the centre panel is a fleur-de-lis; the third to the left is a Scotch thistle; the English rose is clearly met with, and a friend suggested that these emblems marked the nationality of the masons who built the church. I fail to discover a shamrock. Can any of your readers kindly tell me if this suggestion is worth anything? TOPOGRAPHICAL QUERIES (Vol. iii. 69).—For the dedication-names of churches in England and Wales, consult Liber Ecclesiasticus (1835), and Ecton's Thesaurus Rer. Eccles. (1763). ALISON. MINSTER CHURCH, KENT (Vol. iii. 78).—Either your querist or Mr. John Timbs must be in error with regard to the tomb of Sir Robert de Shurland. It is Minster not Minster, in the Isle of Thanet. Some time since I had Church, in the Isle of Sheppey, that contains this tomb, and the pleasure of paying a visit to this church; and I here. from notes made on that occasion. with enclose a short account of the building, drawn up partly W. D. [Our correspondent's "enclosure" will be found under the heading of "Notes on p. 90.-ED.] BRACE (Vol. iii. 46).—This word rightly signifies a couple, not two, except as coupled; so with printers it may include more than two, e.g.:— So may they fall, and all they that design WOOD ENGRAVING (Vol. iii. 20, 35).—Possibly Mr. Rylands may not be aware that a good authority has decided that the date 1423 cannot be that of the "St. Christopher" to which it is attached. In Notes and Queries (1868 I think), is a number of papers on this subject, in which Mr. H. Holt disposes the existence of any genuine wood engraving prior to the time of Albert Dürer's master, Wohlgemuth, or at least prior to 1440. ALISON. ROMPU (Vol. iii. 78).-This word is applied in heraldry, as broken. Thus in blazon, we term a chevron or a bend, rompu, that is, broken, or with an opening near the centre. It is the same as the French word rompée, broken; as in Latin it would be ruptus, or fractus. The family arms borne by the Sault family, were a chevron rompu, between three mullets. C. G. THE term rompu is applied to a chevron when the upper part is taken off, and remains above it, as in the shield here given. ST. MUNGO (Vol. iii. 78). This is the popular name given to St. Kentigern, one of the three great missionaries of the Christian faith in Scotland. He was born early in the sixth century, and is said to have been so beloved by his monastic brethren that his baptismal name of Kentigern became by common consent exchanged to Mungo, which . signifies "dear friend." He is said to have performed many miracles, and to one of them the device in the arms of Glasgow appears to owe its origin. Dr. Gordon, in his recently published History of Glasgow," in describing the arms of the city, which, by the way, is represented as an oak tree with a bird on the top, a salmon with a ring in its mouth, and a bell, quotes the following legend from the "Aberdeen Breviary," in which the miracle above alluded to is thus set forth The Queen of Cadzow was suspected by her husband, King Roderick, of being too intimate with a knight whom he had asked to hunt with him. The king waited his opportunity to abstract from the satchel of the knight, when asleep, a ring which Queen Cadzow had presented to him. King Roderick, in furious jealousy, threw it into the Clyde. When they returned to the palace at Cadzow from the day's hunting, the king, in the course of the evening, asked her where her ring was. It could not be produced. Death was threatened if it were not forthcoming. The queen sent one of her maids to the knight for the unfortunate ring; and being unsuccessful, a bearer was sent to Cathures (Glasgow) to St. Mungo, making a full confession of all. The Apostle of Strathclyde commiserated the queen. Forthwith he sent one of his monks to the river to angle, instructing him to bring home alive the first fish he should take. This was done. St. Mungo (dear friend), found the annulet in the mouth of the miraculous fish, and speedily sent it to the Mr. SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE FINE ARTS.-On Thursday, the 15th inst., Mr. Wyke Bayliss, F.S.A., lectured on the "Message of Art; or, Beauty and the Beast,' Dr. GLADSTONE, F.R.S., in the chair. Bayliss said, "That as Beauty in the legend came to the king's son, awakening him from his debased condition to the rich inheritance of his birthright, so the sacred influences of Poetry and Art come to us, ennobling us, refining us, lifting us from baser pleasures, teaching us that we are indeed the King's children, and that Beauty is his messenger. For not the divine alone or the philosopher is charged with a message, but the poet and the painter also, whose message is about the Beautiful. There are lilies by every river side, there is poetry in every phase of life, and what the lilies and the other flowers are to the margin of the stream, such should Poetry and Art be to our lives "O flower-de-luce, bloom on and let the river O flower of Song, bloom on and make for ever This Message of Art is always and everywhere for our good. To the great sun of glory, and thence swoop Down upon all things base, and dash them dead." At the close of the lecture Dr. Gladstone made a few appropriate remarks, characterizing the lecture as a poem in itself; and after a vote of thanks, proposed by Mr. George Browning (hon, secretary) and seconded by Mr. Dicksee, to the Lecturer, and the thanks of the meeting had been cordially given to the Chairman, the proceedings terminated. graphed with wonderful accuracy, at the Bombay Government Press, Astronomicus.-Sir Isaac Newton, the distinguished mathemaand they give fac-similes of ancient inscriptions in various parts of tician, was a native of Colsterworth, Lincolnshire. He was born in India, copies of grants, inscriptions on temples, and ancient alpha-1642, the same year in which Galileo died. bets. The papers which accompany and describe these ancient documents give translations in English. The editor has undoubtedly succeeded in obtaining the co-operation of eminent scholars and collectors of folk-lore, as may be seen from the fact that, among the numerous contributors to this volume are the following professors:-A. Weber, of Berlin: S. Sastre, of Madras; Mitchell, of Calcutta; Banerjea, of Calcutta ; G. Bhaudarkar, of Bombay; and Blochmann, of Calcutta The main portion of the work, however, consists in the marvellous collection of folk-lore and popular rhymes, which has been brought together chiefly by members of the Civil Service in all parts of India and Ceylon. These stories cannot fail to be of interest to all educated Englishmen who have a taste for such studies. They are supplied, among a great many others, by the following learned members of H.M.E.I.C.S.:-Messrs. Beames, of Balasore; Benett, Oudh; Burnell, of Mangalor; Caldwell, of Madras: Damant, of Dinajpur; Davids, in Ceylon; Fleet, of Belgam; Gower, of Madras: Growse, of Mathura; Ramsay, of Bombay; Sinclair, Bombay; V. Westmacott, Bengal; and White, of Fathypur. One of the most interesting papers, which we observe is about to be used as a separate work, consists of a translation of Weber's "Treatise on the Ramayana," by the Rev Mr. Boyd, of Bombay. There are also papers by the editor, Mr. Fergusson, D.C.L.; Mr. Ball, Geol. Sur., Babu; R. Bose, of Banka; Dr Buhler, of Gujarat; Mr. Hyde Clarke, C.E., and other distinguished writers. The field chosen is a wide and rich one, and the results obtained are well worth being treasured in this, as "A Journal that might serve as an adequate medium of communication between Orientalists and archaeologists in the different provinces of India, and in Europe and America; in which all that relates to the history, geography, ethnography, mythology, literature, religion, manners, customs, folk-lore, arts and sciences, natural history, &c. &c., of India and the neighbouring countries might find a record, indexed and easy of reference The Journal is well worthy the support, not only of scholars, but of all who take a rational interest in our Indian empire. The Rock Temples of Elephanta, or Gharapuri. Described and illustrated with plans and drawings. By James Burgess, M.R.A.S., F.R.G.S. With thirteen photographs by D. H. Sykes. Bombay: Thacker & Co. London: Trübner & Co. THE author of this work-the editor of the Indian Antiquary-re. cently published a historical and descriptive introduction to Mr. Sykes's splendid album of "The Temples of Shatrun-zaya, the celebrated Jaina place of pilgrimage, near Palitana, in Kathiawar." It furnishes a very full account of the Jains, their religion, and history, and a description of all the buildings of note on the sacred hill, while the forty-five large photographs illustrate very fully the splendid city of temples which the Shrawaks have reared in the course of centuries at such enormous cost. This work-measuring 17 by 21 inches-must have been produced at much risk; yet it was soon followed by another, nearly as large, entitled, "Forty-one Large Photographs, from Somanath, Girnar, Junagadh, and other places in Kathiawar, with descriptive introduction by J. Burgess.' Both these works display much research on the part of the editor, and absolute perfection of skill and taste on the part of the artist. In the case of the ELEPHANTA Album now issued the editor's work predominates in importance over that of the artist. The thirteen photographs of the famous groups of sculpture which surround the cave were obtained by admitting sufficient light by a complicated system of reflectors, devised on purpose by Mr. Sykes. The photographs measure ten inches by eight, and are handsomely mounted in large oblong quarto leaves. The introductory eighty pages give a description of the structure and sculptures, elucidating their meaning, from the works of Kalidasa and other Sanskrit writers; and, in fact, constitutes a complete body of mythology connected with the distinctly phallic traditions of the Shaiva sect, of which this was a temple. These elucidations are drawn from all available sources, ancient and modern. The discussion of minutiæ and references are relegated to the notes, which are, we may say, entirely exhaustive of the subject at the present time, The plans and architectural illustrations are interesting, and drawn with care. The book will be prized by old Indians, and by all who are versed, or wish to become skilled, in the old arts and religion of India. Answers to Correspondents. A. Z.-Sir Roger Newdigate, the founder of the Newdigate Prize at Oxford, was some time Member for Middlesex, and afterwards for the University of Oxford. He died in 1806. L. R. (Gravesend).-The term "Perpendicular," as applied to architecture, denotes the style which was prevalent from about the end of the 14th to the middle of the 16th centuries, and is chiefly distinguishable by its stiff and rectilinear lines. The very elegant vaulting known as 'fan-tracery" belongs to this period. 7. Laud (Rochester).-Sir John Oldcastle, once popularly known as the "good Lord Cobham," lived in the reign of Edward III., and we believe resided some time at Cowling Castle. F-Boutell's Book on Heraldry we would recommend. Mr. Elvin has written a very useful book, called "A Synopsis of Heraldry," published by Hardwicke, in Piccadilly. discovered about the year 1740 by Vitus Behring (or Beering), a Dane, F. Jenkins.-Behring's Island, in the North Pacific Ocean, was and an officer in the Russian service. 7. G.-Hieronymus Amati was the name of a celebrated maker of violins. He was a native of Cremona, in Italy, and lived about the year 1600. R. (Lichfield).—Sir Dudley Rider was Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench in 1734. A patent was signed by the king, for his elevation to the peerage, but he died before its completion; his son was, however, created Lord Harrowby by letters patent in 1776. XY. Z.-The lines you quote occur in Eliza Cook's "The King's Old Hall.” poem, entitled T. S. (Taunton).-Sir James Edward Smith, celebrated as the purchaser of the collections and library of Linnæus, and founder of the Linnean Society, was born at Norwich in 1759. F. Allen-The "Defence of Poesie," the great work of Algernon Sidney, and upon which his fame as an author mainly rests, was published in 1595. L. D.-Egidius Alvarez Carrillo Albornoz was born at Cuença about the beginning of the 14th century, He was Archbishop of Toledo, and afterwards created a Cardinal by Pope Clement VI. rising of 1745. The present Lord Lovat acquired the barony of the F. G.-Lord Lovat was executed in 1747, for participation in the ancient Scottish peerage of Lovat, in the House of Lords, in 1857. United Kingdom by patent in 1837, and established his right to the T. H. (Windsor).-The Yeomen of the Guard, or Body Guard of the Queen, is the oldest corps in her Majesty's service. The corps was instituted by Henry VII. in 1485. A. B. (Fairford).—The see of Gloucester was erected in 1541, and was formerly part of the diocese of Worcester. It was united to the Bishopric of Bristol in 1836. Erin.-You will find some account of the honourable order of the Vol. II. p. 161. Brotherhood of St. George in "D'Alton's History of Drogheda," T. T. (Bedford).-Milton was born in London in 1608, and died in 1674. He was buried in the parish church of St. Giles's, Cripplegate. T. R. (Glossop).-According to Mr. J. H. Parker, the earliest Norman keep known is the tower commonly called St Leonard's, at West Malling, in Kent. R. S.-The subject you suggest is one scarcely suitable for our pages. F. T. (Romsey).-The first recorded inundation of Old Winchelsea occurred in 1236. The town was wholly destroyed about fifty years later. H. R. S. (Dover).—" London Stone," the Roman_milliarium, or stone from which distances were measured, is alluded to in Shakespeare's play of Henry VI." It is preserved in a recess in the wall of St. Swithin's Church, Cannon-street. L. L. (Leeds.)-The appointments of officers, &c., at the Heralds' College are in the gift of the Duke of Norfolk, as hereditary Earl Marshal. Curious-Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate-street, was restored by public subscription in 1836. The building is now used as a public dining room and luncheon-bar. J.T.(Hackney).-St. Bartholomew's Hospital was founded in 1102, A. H. (Dundee).—The dates of these battles were as follows:-Marathon, B.C. 490; Salamis, B.C. 480; Plataa, B.C. 479 D. C.-Mark Akenside, the poet, was born November 9, 1721. He was the son of a butcher, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. F. H.-Olympias was daughter of Neophtolemus, King of Epirus, and mother of Alexander the Great. NOTICES. Correspondents who reply to queries would oblige by referring to the volume and page where such queries are to be found. To omit this gives us unnecessary trouble. A few of our correspondents are slow to comprehend that it is desirable to give not only the reference to the query itself, but that such reference should also include all previous replies. Thus a reply given to a query propounded at Vol. iii., page 4, to which a previous reply had been given at page 20, and another at page 32, requires to be set down (Vol. 111. 4, 20, 32). We shall be glad to receive contributions from competent and capable pers ons accomplished in literature or skilled in archæology, and generally from any intelligent reader who may be in possession of facts, historical or otherwise, likely to be of general interest. To all communications should be affixed the name and address of the sender; not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Communications for the Editor should be addressed to the Publishing Office, 11, Ave Maria-lane, E.C. LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1873. CONTENTS.-No. 52. THE CASTLES, HALLS, AND MANOR HOUSES OF ENGLAND:-Brambletye House, Sussex, 97. MISCELLANEA:-A Zealous Mayor, 100. NOTES:-Kentish Churches, 102-Mounts Sinai and Horeb-Cooperation in the Last Century-St. Valentine's Day-Curious Enigmatical Epitaph-Popular Rhymes: "The Minister and the Dominie," &c. Use? well-known loyalty of the Comptons has led to the surmise that the demolition of the house took place during their tenure; and in one of the skirmishes in the civil war, Brambletye is reported to have been attacked and taken by the Roundheads, who forced an entrance through the gateway, and arranged their forces in the courtyard, which is now ploughed up. The destruction of the mansion house can hardly have taken place during that period, for John, the son of Sir Henry Compton, is recorded to have died at Brambletye, in July, 1659. From the court-rolls of the manor it does not appear who QUERIES:-Gloucestershire Relics, 103-On one of Van Dyck's Por- succeeded this family in the possession of the mansion; but traits of Charles I.-Arms of the Isle of Man-What is Gothic it is certain that it was occupied during the reign of Charles Architecture The Earldom of Warwick-Loxley, in Warwick- II. by Sir James Richards, a gentleman of French extracshire-Hened-penny-The Parish of Brandsburton, YorkshireThe Fitz-Eudo Family in Essex-Robert Fitzharding-Stainsby, tion, whose father had come to this country with Queen near Heath, Derbyshire-Pensioners-The Mottoes of Edward Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I. Being knighted for an the Black Prince-What was a Lychnoscope, and what was its act of bravery in the sea-service, he was afterwards advanced to the dignity of a baronet-his patent of baronetcy, dated REPLIES:-Arms of the Isle of Man, 106-Devonshire Customs- 26th February, 1683-4, describing him as "of Brambletye Irish Cannibalism-Unpublished Letter of Dr. Samuel Johnson -Tirling at the Pin-Alexandrian Codex-Claudii Ptolomei House." This gentleman is traditionally credited with Cosmographia-St. Mungo-Burnsiana-St. Valentine's Day- being the cause of the premature decay and desolation of The Dukedom of Roussillon-Grant to wear Hats at Court-Brambletye House. It is recorded that on a suspicion of Minster Church, Kent. treasonable practices against a proprietor of this house, officers of justice were despatched to search the premises, when large supplies of arms and other military stores were discovered. Intimation of these circumstances being quickly I conveyed to the owner of the house, who was at that time engaged in the diversions of the chase in the neighbouring Forest of Ashdown, he deemed it prudent not to return to Brambletye House, but made his escape forthwith, and is said to have quitted England and settled in Spain, where some of his descendants ultimately occupied high positions in the Spanish army. PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES:-Royal Historical Society, 108-Society of Biblical Archeology. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS, 108. THE CASTLES, HALLS, AND MANOR BRAMBLETYE HOUSE, SUSSEX. Sir James Richards is stated to have died about the year 1705, and to have been succeeded in the title by his sons, John, Joseph, and Philip respectively; but since the death of the last-named holder of the title all trace of the family seems to have been lost, and the title is therefore now considered dormant. Brambletye House-or, rather, what is left of it-stands in the midst of some very charming scenery, about three miles from East Grinstead, in Sussex, and thirteen miles from Tunbridge Wells. It is situated in a pleasant and fertile valley, watered by the river Medway, which having risen at a short distance to the west of East Grinstead church, flows languidly along through the verdant meads; whilst in its immediate vicinity is the celebrated Forest of Brambletye House being thus left uninhabited, was sufAshdown, the scenery from which, in every direction, is offered gradually to fall into decay. From the fact of Sir the most romantic description. The remains of the house are of the time of James I., and consist of the principal entrance, one square turret, and a portion of another, the upper part of which, together with much of the building, has at different times been taken away by the tenants on the manor, and used for building purposes. Underneath the ruins are traces of the domestic apartments, which appear to have been extensive; they display pointed arches, and the entrance to them is under an arched passage at the end of the building. The entrance tower is square, and has within it two niches for the reception of figures. This part seems to have been highly ornamented, and apparently led to the principal apartments. Both inside and outside of the doorway, at some few feet from the ground, there is a large acorn and an oak leaf carved in stone. Brambletye House was built, from an Italian model, by Sir Henry Compton, who held the manor at the commencement of the reign of James I. This gentleman was twice married: first to Lady Cicely, daughter of Robert, Earl of Dorset, and secondly to Mary, daughter of Sir George Browne, Kt. From the armorial bearings of Compton impaling Browne, which appear carved in stone over the principal entrance, it seems that the house was erected during the lifetime of Sir Henry's second wife, and this supposition is further strengthened by the initials and date (C.H.M., 1631) which appear on a lozenge-shaped stone on the upper story. From the beginning of the reign of Edward I., to that of Edward III., the manor of Brambletye was held by a family of the name of Audehame; in the latter reign, however, we read that John, son of John de St. Clare, was seised of the lordship. The property continued in the possession of this family for many years. As above shown, the manor was in the hands of the Comptons in the reign of James I. The James Richards being the last known resident there, it is more than probable that the destruction of the house, attributed by some to the rebellious propensities of its owner, ought to date from the time of Sir James Richards quitting it. A writer in the Patrician some years ago remarked that, "no period of English history receives more welcome from an English reader than that of the great civil war. The contest so vitally momentous between popular freedom and kingly privilege, which, whatever were its immediate results, led to our present limited and happy monarchy; the contest where appeared both for prince and parliament such display of mind and heart, genius and valour; the contest, in fine, which brought into action the whole muscle and nerve of England; that contest rests as fresh now as ever on the memory; men dispute about it to-day no less keenly and interestedly than they have done for years upon years gone by, and it will doubtless form the main topic of English story and conversation until this fair realm be no more. Towards the recollection of that era, there is one attraction predominantly pleasing; one which never fails to create general sympathy and admiration-we mean the loyalty of the Cavaliers. Their devotion to the king was of a nature so gallant and generous, so romantic and chivalrous, that we look back upon them through it as through an encircling halo. For that loyalty the faults of the Cavaliers are by their friends forgotten; for that loyalty, sincere and staunch even to deprivation and death, the sternest Republican feels some indulgence; for that loyalty, too, England owes a debt of gratitude, since it was that which eventually becoming combined with the purifying spirit of independence ushered into life by the Roundheads, saved the constitution. With such remembrance, then, of the plumed soldiers of King Charles, most people naturally view with friendly |