324 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2nd s. No 43,, Oct. 25. '56. 



at this time is sufficiently obvious. His father 

 was now (1726) under prosecution by the govern- 

 ment. But more of this hereafter. S. N. M. 



SIR THOMAS MORE S HOUSE AT CHELSEA. 



[The following curious memorandum, drawn up at the 

 commencement of last century, is printed from a MS. of 

 the time, kindly forwarded to us by a correspondent for 

 that purpose.] 



Probable Reasons showing where S^ Thomas 

 ATore's Mouse stood in Chelsey. 



As there were 7 Cities in Greece, which con- 

 tended for the Birth-place of Homer; so there are 

 in this Parish 4 Houses, which lay claim to the 

 place, where S' Thomas More's house stood. To 

 wit, 



1. TheDukeofBeauforts. 2^K The old House 

 of M*^' Butlers lately M" Woodcocks School 

 House. 3. That w^h was once S"" Reginald 

 Braye's at the Arch, w'^h is now built into Seve- 

 ral Tenements. And 4'''. S"" John Danvers's, w'^h 

 is also now puU'd down, and upon part of the 

 Ground a short street is built called Danvers 

 Street. 



Now of all these in my opinion Beaufort 

 House seemes probably to be the place, where 

 S' Thomas More's House stood. My reasons for 

 thinking so are these, that follow. 



First. His great Grandson M' Thomas More 

 (who wrote his life, and was born (1566) in the 

 beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reigne about 30 

 years after S"^ Thomas suffer' d) may well be sup- 

 posed to know, where the most eminent Person of 

 his Ancesto'^' lived. Now he writes, page 120 of 

 his Book, That S'' Thomas Mores House in Chel- 

 sey, was the same, w'^h my Lord of Lincoln bought of 

 S'' Robert Cecil. It appears pretty plainly, that 

 S' Rob' Cecil's House was that, w'h is now the 

 Duke of Beauforts. For in divers places the 

 letters R. C and also R" E with the date 1597. 

 Which letters stand for the first of his, and his 

 Ladie's name ; and the date of the year, the time, 

 when He new built, or at least new fronted it. 

 Besides from the Earl of Lincoln, that House was 

 conveyed to S"" Arthur Gorges : From him to 

 Lionel Cranfield Earl of Middlesex. From him 

 to K Charls y'' first. From the King to the D. 

 of Buckingham Georg Villars. From his Son 

 after the Restoration to one Plummer for Debts. 

 From Plummer to the Earl of Bristol. And from 

 his Heires to the Duke of Beaufort: So that we 

 can trace all the mesne Assignments from S"" 

 Rob* Cecil down to the present possesso* of that 

 House. 



But 2'^. S"" Thomas More built the south chan- 

 cell, or chappel of the Church of Chelsey. And 

 as an evidence thereof Hia coat of Arms (viz* In 



a Field Argent a Cheveron engrailed sable be- 

 tween 3 Moor Cocks of the same) remain in the 

 Glasse of the East Window of that Chancell to this 

 day. Now that Chancell originally went with, 

 and belonged to Beaufort House ; untill S' Ar- 

 thur Gorges sold that Great House, but reserved 

 the Chancell to a lesse House near it, to which it 

 belongs still, and is with that lesse House now in 

 the occupation of the Heirs of the late S"" William 

 Milman, who dyed in that House. 



So that the Chappel, or Chancell belonging In 

 the beginning to S"' Thomas More's House ; and 

 descending down to the several Possesso"' of 

 Beaufort House (untill S" Arthur Gorges his 

 conveying it to the E of Middlesex) we may 

 conclude, that Beaufprt House was S"" Thomas 

 More's. 



"long LANKYN BALLAD. 



Perhaps some correspondent of " N. & Q." may 

 be able to point to some work where an authentic 

 edition of this curious old ballad may be obtained, 

 or to fill up the several gaps in the following ver- 

 sion, which is derived by tradition from the nurse 

 of an ancestor of mine who heard It sung nearly a 

 century ago In Northumberland. The tune is 

 singularly quaint and pathetic, and extremely 

 simple : and. If one may judge by internal evi- 

 dence In such a case, the music is of considerable 

 antiquity. Is it known whether this ballad is 

 founded on fact in any degree ? It evidently 

 points to a time when the English and Scottish 

 Border was infested by the marauders called Moss 

 Troopers ; and it is possible that "Long Lankyn" 

 may have been a popular name for a real member 

 of that troublesome fraternity. "Johnstone" is a 

 name well known amongst the Lowland Scotch ; 

 and the only doubt as to the locality of the ballad 

 seems to arise from the passage — 



" And he must be in London before break of day ;" 

 certainly a glaring impossibility In those days of 

 slow travelling. Perhaps "London" may be a 

 modern interpolation, instead of " Lowdon," or 

 some other Scotch name of a similar sound : or it 

 may be merely a poetical licence, signifying any 

 great place at a distance from the scene of action. 



It Is right to mention, however, that to my 

 knowledge a version of it has been met with In 

 another and distant part of the kingdom (Glouces- 

 tershire), in which the name " Old Slamklns " was 

 substituted for "Long Lankyn." But in this, 

 and other similar cases, it is possible that, on 

 minute inquiry, the individual who sang It might 

 have been found to have derived it from northern 

 authorities. 



Each hiatus (arising from defect of memory) Is 

 marked by a line of asterisks. When sung, each 

 line is repeated throughout. The tune finishes 



