Notes and Queries, Number 211, November 12, 1853

"Item. That persons of the retinue of the King wear the same livery.

"To which our lord the King then answered to the said earl....

"That soon after the coming of his said uncle of Guienne, when he came from Spain last into England, that himself our lord the King took the collar from the neck of the same his uncle and put it on his own neck, and said that he vowed to wear and to use it in sign of good love of whole heart between them also, as he did the liveries of his other uncles.

"Item (as to the third). Our lord the King said that it was by leave from him, and by his wish, that persons of his retinue wear and use the same livery of the collar."

This practice of one of our early sovereigns seems to afford a precedent for the mode in which divers gentlemen and persons of quality voluntarily showed civility towards Richard Evelyn, and for that in which several gentlemen of birth and estate testified their respect and affection for Humphrey Chetham. Nicholas Assheton also appears to have the support of this royal precedent in so far as relates to his accepting and wearing the livery of a friend and neighbour; and the custom of his day evidently lends its sanction to his forming, upon a state occasion, one of the body of menial servants in attendance upon Sir Richard Houghton, when he went to meet the king.

Another passage in the Rolls of Parliament seems to afford a respectable civic precedent for the services performed by Nicholas Assheton and other liveried gentlemen, when they waited at the lords' table at Houghton Tower:

"11

Edward III. A.D. 1337

"A nre Seigneur le Roy et a son conseil monstre Richard de Bettoyne de Loundres, qe come au Coronement nre Seigneur le Roy q ore est il adonge Meire de Loundres fesoit l'office de Botiller ove CCC e LX vadletz vestutz d'une sute chescun portant en sa mayn un coupe blanche d'argent come autres Meirs de Loundres ountz faitz as Coronementz des

genitours nostre Seigneur le Roy dont memoire ne court pars et le fee q appendoit a cel jorne c'est asavoir un coupe d'or ove la covercle et un ewer d'or enamaille lui fust livere

assent du Counte de Lancastre et d'autres Grantz qu'adonges y furent du Conseil nostre Seigneur le Roy

la mayn Sire Roƀt de Wodehouse et ore vient en estreite as Viscountes de Londres hors del Chekker de faire lever des Biens et Chateux du dit Richard xx/iiii ixli. xiis. vid. pur le fee avant dit dont il prie qe remedie lui soit ordeyne.

"Et le Meire et Citoyens d'Oxenford ount

point de chartre q'ils vendront a Londres l'Encorronement d'eyder le Meire de Loundres pur servir a la fest et toutz jours l'ount usee. Et si i plest a nre Seigneur le Roy et a son Conseil nous payerons volonters la fee issent qe nous soyons descharges de la service."—Rolls of Parliament, vol. ii. p. 96.

"To our lord the King and to his Council sheweth Richard de Bettoyne of London, that whereas at the coronation of our lord the King that now is, he their mayor of London performed the office of butler with three hundred and sixty valets clothed of one suit each, bearing in his hand a white cup of silver, as other mayors of London have done at the coronations of the progenitors of our lord the King, whereof memory runneth not, and the fee which appertained to this day's work, that is to wit, a cup of gold with the cover, and a ewer of gold enamelled, were delivered to him by assent of the Earl of Lancaster, and of the other grandees who then there were of the council of our lord the King, by the hand of Sire Robert de Wodehouse, and now comes in estreat to the viscounts of London out of the Checquer, to cause to take the goods and chattels of the said Richard, eighty-nine pounds twelve shillings and sixpence, for the fee aforesaid, whereof he prays that remedy be ordained to him.

"And the mayor and citizens of Oxford have, by point of charter, that they shall come to London to the coronation, to help the mayor of London to serve at the feast, and always have so done. And if it please our lord the King and his Council, we will pay willingly the fee, provided that we be discharged of the service."

There can be little doubt that the citizens of Oxford bore their own travelling expenses; and it seems probable that the citizens of London and Oxford bore the cost of the three hundred and sixty suits of clothes and three hundred and sixty silver cups; but this is scarcely sufficient to account for their willingness to pay a sum of money equivalent to about fifteen hundred pounds in the present day, in order to be relieved from the honourable service of waiting clothed in uniform, each with a silver cup in his hand, helping the Mayor of London to perform the office of butler at coronation feasts. However this may be, it is still somewhat remarkable that, in the seventeenth century, Nicholas Assheton of Downham, Esq., and other gentlemen of Lancashire, upon a less important occasion than a coronation feast, dressed in the livery of Sir Richard Houghton and voluntarily attended, day after day, at the lords' table at Houghton Tower, and served the lords with biscuit, wine, and Jelly.

    J. Lewelyn Curtis.

FEMALE PARISH CLERKS

(Vol. viii., p. 338.)

The cases of Rex v. Stubbs and Olive v. Ingram, mentioned in the following extracts from Prideaux's Guide to Churchwardens, p. 4., may be of service:

"Generally speaking, all persons inhabitants of the parish are liable to serve the office of churchwarden, and from the cases of Rex v. Stubbs (2 T. R. 395.; 1 Bott. 10.), in which it was held that a woman is not exempt from serving the office of overseer of the poor, and Olive v. Ingram (2 Str. 1114.), in which it was held that she may be a parish sexton, there may, perhaps, be some ground for contending a woman is not exempt from this duty."

    Russell Gole.

A few years ago (she may still be so) there was a gentlewoman the parish clerk of some church in London; perhaps some of your readers may be able to say where: a deputy officiated, excepting occasionally. But many such instances have occurred.

In a note in Prideaux's Directions to Churchwardens (late edition), the following references are given as to the power of women to fill parochial and other such offices: Rex v. Stubbs, 2 T. R. 359.; Olive v. Ingram, 2 Strange, 1114.

    H. T. Ellacombe.

Rectory, Clyst St. George.

I beg to inform Y. S. M. that when I went to reside near Lincoln in 1828, a woman was clerk to the parish of Sudbrooke, and died in that capacity a very few years after. I do not remember her name at this moment, but I could get all particulars if required on my return to Sudbrooke Holme.

    Rich. Ellison.

Balmoral Hotel, Broadstairs, Kent.

I am able to mention another instance of a woman acting as parish clerk at Ickburgh, in the county of Norfolk. It is the parish to Buckenham Hall, the seat of the Honourable Francis Baring, near Thetford. A woman there has long officiated as parish clerk, and still continues acting in that capacity.

    F. R.

I beg to refer Y. S. M. to the following passage Madame d'Arblay's Diary, vol. v. p. 246.:

"There was at Collumpton only a poor wretched ragged woman, a female clerk, to show us this church: she pays a man for doing the duty, while she receives the salary in right of her deceased husband!"

    M. L. G.

At Misterton, near Crewkerne, in Somersetshire, Mary Mounford was clerk for more than thirty years. She gave up the office about the year 1832, and is now in Beaminster Union, just eighty-nine years old.

    Herbert L. Allen.

POETICAL EPITHETS OF THE NIGHTINGALE

(Vol. vii., p. 397.; Vol. viii., p. 112.)

To the one hundred and ten epithets poetically applied to the nightingale and its song, collected by Mr. Bede, permit me to add sixty-five more.

Azure-crested. Cowper.

Bewailing. Drummond.

Chaunting. Skelton.

Chaste poet. Grainger.

Dappled. Anon.[2 - Blackwood's Mag., Jan. 1838.]

Darling. Carey.

Daulian minstrel. Herrick.

Delightful. Shelley.

Dusky-brown. Trench.

Early. C. Smith.