May 15. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



471 



on vellum and paper, supposed to be of the tbir- 

 teenth century, and which was given to the library 

 in 1649 by the Hector of Thrussington. 



There are hospitals in Leicester of similar style, 

 and two of much earlier periods, 1330 and 1512. 



Kt. 



Leicestershire. 



OLD SIR RALPH VERNON. 



(Vol. v., p. 389.) 



In an old manuscript book now before me, con- 

 taining a copy of Flower's "Visitation of Cheshire," 

 1580, together with a very great number of coats 

 of arms, copies of charters, &c., is the curious 

 account of old Sir Raulfe Vernon, which I now 

 send you. I have not at present Ormerod's His- 

 tory of Cheshire to refer to ; but, if I remember 

 right, there is an account of the old knight, and 

 •of the great age he is said to have attained, there. 

 The latest date in the book from which this is ex- 

 tracted is 1610 ; but there is bound with it eleven 

 pages of " Armes of the Gentry of Cheshire, en- 

 tred in y« Visitation of that County made in A° 

 1663 and 1664, by me W™. Dugdale, Esq-"., Norroy 

 King of Armes." 



*' Coppies of old Pedegrees remayning to** jS**" John Savadge, 

 1583. 

 " Theare was S"" Raulfe y« Vernon ye old, ye quych 



levet vij yer and x yere, and he had to his first WyfFe 

 on Mary ye Lordes doughter of Dacre, and he had 

 Issue by her one S' Raulf ye Vernon of Hanwell, JM"^ 

 Ric"> person of Stockporte, other two sonnes Mighell 

 & Hugh, ye quich wer both freres: and two daugh- 

 teres, Agnes and Rose and yen deghet ye forsaid Mary, 

 and after her death ye forsaid old S' Raulf tooke to 

 paremer on Maude ye Grosevener, and had Issue by 

 her Ric'* and Robart bastardes. Ye forsaid S' Raulf 

 ye Vernon of Hanwell was maryed to A. Seintper, and 

 had Issue by her Ralyn, Hychcoke, John, & Thomas, 

 ye quiche Ralyn had Issue S"" Raulfe ye Vernon of 

 Mottrem, ye quich S"" Raulf had Issue yong S' Raulf, 

 ye forsaid S' Raufe ye Vernon of Hanwell, Ralyn his 

 Sonn, and S' Raufe his sonn deygen, lyvand ye old S"^ 

 Raufe ; and ye sam tym on S"" Ric"^'* Daraory was 

 Justice of Chester, and ye forsaid old S"^ Raufe and 

 he weren accordet yat ye yong S"" Raufe shold wedde 

 Agnes daughter of ye forsaid S' Ric'"* Damorj-, and 

 that Sir Raufe ye old shold be fyne reret at Chester, 

 gife all his landes &c. to ye said M' Kic'^ his sonn, 

 getten by ye forsaid Mary of Dacre and to his heires, 

 and so it was done, and the sam Ric"* pson gyfe the 

 sam lands &c. to ye sam old S' Raufe againe to term 

 of his Lyve; and after his dessease to ye yong S'^ Rauf 

 and to Agnes his Wyfe daughter to S' Ric"i Damory, 

 and to ye heires male of yr bodyes geten ; for default 

 of Issue mall of ye forsaid yong Sir Raufe and Agnes, 

 yat all ye Landes &c. then Remaine to Ric'"! ye Sonn 

 of Raufe ye Vernon of Shibbrocke getten by Maud ye 

 Grosvener, and to ye heires of his body begotten male, 

 and for default of Issue of his body getten male, that 



all ye Landes &c. sholden remain to ye rigVit heires of 

 ye forsaid Mr Ric"* w"'outen ende. Ye forsaid yong 

 S* Raufe and Agnes deyhten w^out Issue of hose 

 bodyes begotten male, and yen entret S' Raufe yat 

 last deyhten as sonn and heir to Ric'** ye Vernon ye 

 sonn of old S"" Rauf ye Vernon and Maude ye Groseve- 

 nor, by Vertue of ye fyne before rehersed. Ye forsaid 

 S' Rauf Ric'* son deyget w'liout heir of his body 

 getten mall, and, so S' Ric"^ ye Vernon brother to yis 

 last S"^ Rauf entret heir male, and continued all his 

 Lyfe and had Issue mulier S' Ric"' ye quiche is now 

 dead w^'out Issue malle." 



C. DE D. 



OLD TREES. — FAIRLOP OAK. 



(Vol.v., p. 114.) 



I have, in my scrap-book, a curious old print of 

 Fairlop Oak, to which some verses are attached, 

 which I think is somewhat of a rarity. It is oa 

 thin, miserable paper; size, demy quarto; without 

 date or printer's name ; in general character bear- 

 ing a very Catnachian aspect. The print of the 

 tree occupies nearly half the sheet, and is a most 

 vile specimen of both drawing and engraving. 

 The tree is represented as in. a dilapidated condi- 

 tion, with a huge hollow trunk, within which are 

 seen some persons making themselves "jolly" at a 

 drinking-table. The tree has but five principal 

 branches, and these are only tipped here and there 

 with foliage, the work of popular demolition under 

 which the tree is known to have fallen being plainly 

 seen in its many barren branches, and still more 

 pointedly suggested by the four persons, who, 

 having climbed aloft, are airing themselves in the 

 forks of its boughs. The background is filled up 

 with the incidents of the fair. To the right, in the 

 fore-ground, is one of the well-known " boats " 

 mounted on wheels, the deck manned by block- 

 makers "on their legs" singing a chorus. Behind, 

 in the distance, is a theatre or exhibition-booth, 

 with the band and sundry performers entertaining 

 the crowd gratis ; on the proscenium above is 

 written, . . . gell . clark. On the left hand is an- 

 other of these unclassical erections, Avith a man ia 

 front balancing himself on a ladder ; the name 

 SAUNDERS being inscribed above. Below this is 

 an exhibition of a minor sort, and several groups 

 of gaping cockneys. A " boat," a booth, and a set 

 of " knock 'em down " complete the scene ; in the 

 latter case a woman caters for the encouragement 

 of the English but ignoble sport of " three throws 

 a penny." * Below the print is a line in large tyi)e 

 (scarcely legible), announcing it to be " An ori- 

 ginal Drawing by an eminent Artist [printed oflf ] 

 a Woodcut engraved on a Block of the celebrated 

 Tree." I transcribe literally what follows. 



* Query, whence the origin of this fashionable ac- 

 companiment of cockney fairs ? 



