Notes and Queries, Number 56, November 23, 1850

Qui prius augustâ gestabat fronte coronam
Exiguâ nunc pulvereus requiescit in urnâ
Quid solium—quid et alta juvant! terit omnia lethum,
Verum laus fidei ac morum haud peritura manebit
Tu quoque summe Deus regem quem regius hospes
Infaustum excepit tecum regnare jubebis."

But a different inscription formerly was placed over the king's remains in this church, which has now disappeared; at all events, I could not discover it; and I suppose that the foregoing was preferred and substituted for that, a copy of which I subjoin:

"D.O.M. Jussu Georgii IV. Magnæ Britanniæ &c., Regis, et curante Equite exc. Carolo Stuart Regis Britanniæ Legato, cæteris antea rite peractis et quo decet honore in stirpem Regiam hic nuper effossæ reconditæ sunt Reliquiæ Jacobi II., qui in secundo civitatis gradu clarus triumphis in primo infelicior, post varios fortunæ casus in spem melioris vitæ et beatæ resurrectionis hic quievit in Domino, anno MDCCI, v. idus Septemb., MDCCCXXIV."

At the foot of the monument were the words—

"Depouilles mortelles de Jacques 2. Roi d'Angleterre."

A third monumental inscription to the memory of James II., in Latin, is to be seen in the chapel of the Scotch College in Paris. This memorial was erected in 1703, by James, Duke of Perth. An urn, containing the brains of the king, formerly stood on the top of it. A copy of this inscription is preserved in the Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, vol. vii.

    J. REYNELL WREFORD, D.D.
    Bristol, November 8. 1850.

JUDGE CRADOCK

My transplantation from Gloucester to Devonshire, and the consequent unapproachable state of my books, prevents my referring to authorities at the moment in support of what I have said about the arms of Judge Cradock alias Newton: still I wish to notice the subject at once that I may not appear to shrink from the Query of S.A.Y. (Vol. ii., p. 371.)

I happen to have at hand a copy of the Grant of Arms to Sir John of East Harptree, Somerset, in 1567 in which, on the authority of the heralds of the day, arg. on a chevron az. 3 garbs or, are granted to him in the first quarter as the arms of Robert Cradock alias Newton. The Judge seems to have been the first of the family who dropped the name of Cradock. His forefathers, for several generations (from Howel ap Grononye, who was Lord of Newton, in Rouse or Trenewith, in Poursland), went by the name of Cradog Dom. de Newton.

Robert Cradock, mentioned in the Grant I have quoted, married Margaret Sherborne. He was the Judge's great-great-grandfather. Sir John Newton, to whom the grant was made, lies buried at East Harptree; and on his tomb may be seen (besides his effigies as large as life) the twelve quarterings in their original (?) blazoning, impaled with those of his wife, one of the Pointz family. The same arms (of Newton) are still discernible on a beautifully wrought, though now much mutilated shield, over one of the doors of Barres Court, at East Hanham, in Bitton, Gloucestershire, where Newton also had a residence, where John Leland on his itinerary visited him, and says (Itin. vol. vii. p. 87.) "his very propre name is Caradoc," &c. This property Newton inherited as a descendant from the De Bittons or Button (through Hampton), a family of great note in their day, and residents on the site of Barres Court, a "fayr manner place of stone," which evidently took its name from Sir John Barre, who married Joan, the relict of Robert Greyndon, and daughter of Thomas Roug by Catherine, who was the last heiress of that branch of De Bittons—(she died 1485, and is buried with her first husband at Newlond). Of the same family were the three bishops of that name, in the reigns of the early Edwards; one of which, Thomas, Bishop of Exeter in 1299, was the pious founder of a chantry chapel adjoining Bitton Church, over the bodies of his father and another, who were buried there; the building itself is quite an architectural gem. The said bishop must also have resided there, for in 1287, when Dean of Wells, the Lord of the Manor of that part of Bitton where his estate lay, impounded some of his cattle, and had a trial thereon at Gloucester, as appears by a Placite Roll of that date.

I send you a copy of the Grant of Arms, as it may be interesting, to publish—besides, it is a reply to the latter part of S.A.Y.'s Query. It is copied from the Ashmol. MSS. No. 834. p. 34.

Of the Newtons of Yorkshire I know nothing; but if S.A.Y. wishes to question me further, I shall be happy to receive his communication under his own proper sign-manual.

In Nichols' Leicestershire, vol. iv. pt. 2. p. 807., is a pedigree of Cradock bearing the same arms, and it is there laid down that Howel ap Gronow was slain by the French in 1096, and buried at Llandilo Vawr; also that the Judge was called Newton from his birth-place. (It is in Montgomeryshire, I believe.) Matthew Cradock, who lies in Swansea Church, bore different arms.

"To all and singular as well nobles and gentills as others to whom these presents shall come, we, Sir Gilbert Dethicke, knight, alias Garter, principall kinge of armes for the Order of the Garter, Robte. Cooke, alias Clarenciault, kinge of armes of the south, William Flower alias Norroy, kinge of armes of the northe, and all others the hereauldes of armes send humble commendacion and gretinge: that whereas we being required by Sir John Newton, of Richmond Castill, in the countie of Somersett, knight, to make serche for the ancient armes descendinge to him from his ancetors [sic], at whose requeste we, the said kinges and hereauldes of armes have not only made diligent serche in our regesters, but also therewithall perused diverse of his ancient evidence and other monumentes, whereuppon we doe fynd that the said Sir John Newton, knight, maye beare twelve severall cotes, that is to say, the armes of Robte. Cradocke alias Newton, the armes of Robte. Sherborne, the arms of Steven Angle, the armes of Steven Pirot, the armes of John Harvie, the armes of Sir John Sheder, knight, the armes of Richard Hampton, the armes of Sir John Bitton, knight, the armes of Sir Matthewe Ffurneault, knight, the armes of Walter Cawdecot, the armes of Sir Aunsell Corney, knight, and the armes of Sir Henry Harterie, knight. All which armes doth plainlie appere depicted in the Margent; and for that the said Sir John Newton is yncertaine of any creaste which he ought to beare by his owne proper name, he therefore hath also required vs, the said kings and hereauldes of armes, to assigne and confirme vnto him and his posteritie for ever, the creaste of Sir Auncell Corney, knight, which Sir Auncell Corney, as it doth appere by divers ancient evidence and other monuments of the said Sir John Newton, was at the winnynge of Acom with Kinge Richard the First, where he toke prisoner a kinge of the Mores: and farther, the said Sir John Newton, knight, hath made goode proofe for the bearinge of the same creaste, that the heires male of the said Sir Auncell Corney is extingueshed, and the heires generall do only remaine in him. In consideracion whereof wee, the said kinges and herehauldes of arms, do give, confirme, and grant vnto the said Sir John Newton and his posteritie for ever, the said creaste of Sir Auncell Corney, knight, that is to say, vppon his helme on a torce silver and asure, a kinge of the Mores armed in male, crowned gold, knelinge vpon his left knee rendring vppe his sworde, as more plainly aperith depicted in this Margent, to have and to horold the said creast to him and his posteretie, with there due difference to vse, beare, and show in shelde, cote armour, or otherwise, for ever, at his or their libertie and pleasure, without impediment, let, or interruption of any parson or parsons. In witnesse whereof we, the said hinges and hereauldes of arms, have caused these letters to be made patentes, and set herevnto our common seale of corporation, given at the office of arms in London, the twelvethe of December, and in the tenthe yeare of the reigne of our sovereign ladie Elizabeth, by the grace of God Queene of England, France and Ireland, defender of the faithe," &c.

    H.T. ELLACOMBE.
    Clyst St George, Nov. 4. 1850.

Cradock—I should like to know whether the MSS. of Randle Holme, of Chester, 1670, which afterwards were penes Dr. Latham, are still accessible? Nichols refers to them as his authority for Cradock's pedigree, as laid down in his Leicestershire (vol. iv. part ii. p. 807.).

    H.T.E.

REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES

REPLIES BY GEORGE STEPHENS

I beg to encloze ðe following scraps, purposely written on slips, ðat ðe one may be destroyed and not ðe oðer if you should þink fit so to do, and for eaze ov printing.

Pleaze to respect my orþography—a beginning to a better system—if you can and will. Ðe types required will only be ðe Ð, ð, and Þ, þ, ov our noble Anglo-Saxon moðer-tongue, letterz in common use almost down to ðe time ov Shakspeare!

If you will not be charmed, ov course you are at liberty to change it.

I have a large work in ðe press (translationz from ðe A.-Saxon) printed entirely in ðis orþography.

    GEORGE STEPHENS.
    Stockholm.

[Even our respect for Mr. Stephens' well-known scholarship, fails to remove our prejudices in favour of the ordinary system of orthography.]

On a Passage in "The Tempest" (Vol. ii., pp. 259. 299. 337.).—Will you allow me to suggest that the reading of the original edition is perfectly correct as it stands, as will be seen by simply italicising the emphatic words:—

"Most busie least, when I doe it."

The construction is thus merely an instance of a common ellipsis (here of the word busy), and requires the comma after least. This is another proof of the advantage of being slow to abandon primitive texts.

    GEORGE STEPHENS.

Saint, Legend of a (Vol. ii., pp. 267.).—The circumstance alluded to is perhaps that in the legend of St. Patrick. It was included by Voragine in his life of that saint. See the "Golden Legend" in init.

    GEORGE STEPHENS.

Cupid and Psyche (Vol. ii., pp. 247.).—This is probably an old Folk-tale, originally perhaps an antique philosophical temple-allegory. Apuleius appears only to have dressed it up in a new shape. The tale is still current, but in a form not derived from him, among the Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, Scots, Germans, French, Wallachians, Italians, and Hindoos. See Svenska Folk-sagor och Afventyr, efter muntlig Ofverlemning samlade och utgifna of G.O.H. Cavallius och G. Stephens, vol. i. (Stockholm, 1844-9), p. 323.

    GEORGE STEPHENS.

Kongs Skuggsia (Vol. ii., pp 296. 335.).—This noble monument of Old Norse literature was written at the close of the twelfth century by a Norwegian of high rank, but who expresses his resolution to remain unknown, in which he has perfectly succeeded. He probably resided near Trondhjem. See, for other information, the preface to the last excellent edition lately published by Keyser, Munch, and Unger, as follows:—

"Speculum Regale Konungs-Skuggsjá Konge-Speilet et philosophisk-didaktisk Skrift, forfattet i Norge mod slutningen af det tolfte aarhundrede. Tilligemed et samtidigt Skrift om den norske kirkes Stilling til Statem. Med to lithographerede Blade Facsimile-Aftryck."—Christiana, 1848. 8vo.

    GEORGE STEPHENS.
    Stockholm.

The disputed Passage in the "Tempest" (Vol. ii., pp. 259. 299. 337.).—I am the "COMMA" which MR. COLLIER claims the merit of having removed, and I humbly protest against the removal. I adhere to the reading of the folio of 1632, except that I would strike out the final s in labours. The passage would then read:

"But these sweet thoughts so refresh my labour
Most busy least, when I do it."

That is, the thoughts so refresh my labour, that I am "most busy least" (an emphatic way of saying least busy), "when I do it," to wit, the labour. MR. HICKSON is ingenious, but he takes no notice of—

    COMMA.

Viscount Castlecomer (Vol. ii., p. 376.).—S.A.Y. asks whether Lord Deputy Wandesford (not Wanderforde) "ever took up this title, and what became of it afterwards?" He never did; for on the receipt of the patent, in the summer of 1640, Wandesford exclaimed, "Is this a time for a faithful subject to be exalted, when his king, the fountain of honours, is likely to be reduced lower than ever." A few months afterwards he died of a broken heart. We are told that he concealed the patent, and his grandson was the first of the family—apparently by a fresh creation in 1706—who assumed the title. The neglect of sixty-six years, perhaps, rendered this necessary: Beatson does not notice the first creation. The life of this active and useful statesman, the friend and relative of Strafford, was compiled from his daughter's papers, by his descendant, Thomas Comber, LL.D. Of this work Dr. Whitaker availed himself in the very interesting memoir which he has given of the Lord Deputy, in his History of Richmondshire, written, as we may suppose it would be by so devoted an admirer of Charles I., with the warmest feelings of respect and admiration.

"The death of my cousin Wandesford," said Lord Strafford, "more affects me than the prospect of my own; for in him is lost the richest magazine of learning, wisdom, and piety that these times could boast."

    J.H.M.
    Bath.

Steele's Burial-place (Vol. ii., pp. 375, 441.).—I have been able to get the following particulars respecting Steele's burial-place. Steele was buried in the chancel of St. Peter's church, Caermarthen. The entry stands thus in the Register:—