2ndS, VII. Feb. 26. '69.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



161 



LONDON, SATURDAY, FESIiUARY 20, 1859. 



No, 165. — CONTENTS. 



Notes:- Page 



Last Days of Charles I. from the Exch. Rolls, by W. H. Hart - 161 

 Bishop Bedell, by Bev. J. E. B. Mayor - - - - 164 



Tlie Wellesleys : the Descent of the Manor from which they 



derive their Name - - - - - - - 164 



The Marchioness Broslio Solar! - - - - - 166 



Italy Dancing: on the Kope, France and Spain Watching to 



CatchherifsheFalls, by T.C.Smith - - - - 167 



Dryden and Kins; William - - - - - - 168 



Minor Notes: —Hymn by the Father of Robertson the Historian 

 — Betheelert — A Suggestion — Maggie Lauder — Provision for 

 ft Lunatic in 1025 - - - - - - -168 



QUERIKS : — 



Kniahts-Templars' Cross - - - - - - 169 



BurghCastle, by Sir J. P. Boileau - - - - - 170 



SIi.voR QuEBiKs : — EnElish Subscripiion for the Kmpress Maria 

 Theresa — Kojrer Dudley — Gipsy Language of Indian Origin — 

 Hearing through the Mouth— Quotation Wanted, &c. - - 170 



Minor Qceriks with Answers : — Riant Jaune — Quotation — 

 Drawcansir — "Miscellaneous Observations upon Authors" — 

 Rev. Treadway Russell Nash, D.D. _ " Adeste Fideles," &c. - 172 



Replifs : — 

 Captain Burt, by R. Carruthcrs - - - - - 174 



Schiller's " Lucy "--...-. 174 

 Constable of England, by Frecheville L. B. Dykes, &c. - - 175 



Madame Fucher and Holy Coat of Treves, by R. S.Charnock, &c. 176 



Repmes to .Minor Qiikriks: — Archbishops' Mitre — "Perhaps it 

 was right to dissemble your love " — Words used by Milton — Se- 



faration of S-'exes in Churches — James Davies — The Crown of 

 ranee otfered to the Duke of Wellington, &c. - - - 176 



Notes on Books, &c. ------- 185 



LAST DAYS OF CHARLES I. FROM THE EXCHE- 

 QUER ROLLS. 



The discovery of any new sources of informa- 

 tion relative to the reign of King Charles I, and 

 the troublous times in which that monarch closed 

 his last days must naturally be gratifying to the 

 historical student, and more especially to those 

 who devote their attention mainly, as some do, to 

 that most critical and most important era of the 

 history of this country : I am therefore induced to 

 lay before your readers a brief outline of two 

 very interesting Exchequer Rolls of that period, 

 now at the Public Record Office, and which to 

 the best of my knowledge have never met the 

 public eye, 



I will remark at the outset that it is not my 

 intention in this communication to enter into any 

 elaborate dissertation on these Rolls: I merely 

 wish to explain to the reader their nature and 

 contents, with such few annotations as necessity 

 may require ; to exceed this would be to edit 

 them, — a performance not so well suited to your 

 pages as to the volumes of the Camden Society, 

 whose attention I would earnestly request to these 

 curious documents. 



It will be recollected that in the reign of Charles 

 I. there was appointed by the House of Commons 

 a body entitled the Committee for Managing the 

 King's Revenues, of whom frequent mention will 

 be found in the Journals of that House : they acted 

 in the performance of their duties by collect- 

 ing in all the monies belonging to the royal re- 

 venue, and disbursing the same according to the 

 orders of the House of Commons, These two 

 Rolls in question are the "discharge" of this 



Committee for so much of the royal treasure as is 

 therein stated to have been expended during the 

 years 1647-8 and 1648-9, giving all the particu- 

 lars in detail ; and the information thus afforded 

 being obtainable from no other source is of a 

 highly interesting character. The Rolls are doubt- 

 less part only of a series, but at this distance of 

 time it is impossible to conjecture their probable 

 extent : there ma^ even now be some existing in 

 private hands, owing to the distribution and muti- 

 lation of Exchequer Records so injudiciously per- 

 mitted some years back ; if so, this may perhaps 

 lead to their discovery. 



We are, however, most fortunate in possessing 

 these two Rolls, on account of their period, and 

 this will in some measure atone for the absence of 

 others. 



Their existence induces me to cite a passage 

 in Hume on the subject of this Committee, re- 

 specting which he appears to fall into an error. 

 He says : — 



" The Committees, to whom the management of the 

 different branches of revenue was entrusted, never 

 brought in their accounts, and had unlimited power of 

 secreting whatever sums they pleased from the public 

 treasure. These branches were needlessly multiplied, in 

 order to render the revenue more intricate, to share the 

 advantages among greater numbers, and to conceal the 

 frauds, of which they were universally suspected. The 

 method of keeping accounts, practised in the Exchequer, 

 was confessedly the exactest, the most ancient, the best 

 known, and the least liable to fraud. The Exchequer was, 

 for that reason, abolished, and the revenue put under the 

 management of a Committee who were subject to no con- 

 trol." * 



This statement of Hume's seems to be some- 

 what erroneous ; for if the Committees never 

 brought in their accounts, how comes it that we 

 possess these Rolls ? It is not a matter on which 

 to argue here : we have the Rolls, and that is 

 enough for our purpose. But without more ado, 

 I will introduce the reader to his new friends, and 

 that ceremony being completed, it is anticipated 

 that he will afterwards wish to better his acquaint- 

 ance with them. 



These Rolls take up the period of history at the 

 commencement of the year 1647. The King had 

 been delivered up by the Scotch Commissioners, 

 and was sojourning at Holdenby House in North- 

 amptonshire, where the daily expenses of main- 

 taining his Majesty are charged at 501. per diem, 

 I will now extract the commencement of the ac- 

 count, which enters into particulars : — 



" Paid unto M^ Peter Whalley for so much by him paid 

 unto M''. Frauncis Cressett, Treasurer of the moneys de- 

 signed to defray the king's expences at Holdenby, parcel 

 of 3000/. ordered bv the Commons House, and by warrant 

 of the said Committee, dated 21 Ma.v, 1647 - 1740/. 



" Paid unto the said Frauncis Cressett, Treasurer of the 

 monej-s designed for the expence at Holdenby and else 

 where, by way of imprest, in part of 50/. by the daj', for 

 the whole expence of the king and commissioners there, 



*. Hume's History of England, vol. vii. p. 92. chap. 59. 



