Aug. 11. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



109 



the parish of Bletchingly, and that it is well known 

 to shepherds on the downs between Reigate Hill 

 and Guildford. It enters Gatton Park a little 

 south of the higher lodge, passes on through the 

 wood to the left of the carriage road to the house, 

 and for some distance runs parallel with it, and 

 forms part of it towards the bottom of the hill 

 near the middle lodge ; it then enters the wood to 

 the north of Gatton Tower, and appears as a 

 terrace along the side of the bill ; it appears again 

 in the avenue leading up to the Merstham Lodge, 

 which stands on its line. Beyond Gatton Cottage 

 a short hollow way by the side of the footpath to 

 Merstham marks its course ; it is lost in the fields 

 beyond, but points in the direction of Sir William 

 JoUiffe's house, and the south of Merstham Church. 

 It is generally of a raised character ; near the 

 higher lodge it is slightly raised, nine or ten feet 

 broad and paved with flints. Query, Was not 

 this originally a Roman road from Venta Bel- 

 garum (Winchester) to Darovernum (Canter- 

 bury) ? In Antonine a road is marked from 

 Venta Belgarum to Vindomis (Farnham), and 

 this was probably continued between that town 

 and Guildford along the chalk ridge called the 

 Hog's^ Back, though neither ancient nor modern 

 historians describe any Roman via in this direction 

 through Surrey, and so on to Canterbury. The 

 nanie Gatton {i. e. Gate-town) might lead one to 

 conjecture that a Roman road had passed through 

 or near it ; but though Roman coins are said to 

 have been found there, no via has ever been 

 pointed out. It is not likely that this ancient 

 road was constructed for the especial use and ac- 

 commodation of the " folke," whose name it bears, 

 but was in all probability a medium of commu- 

 nication between the capitals of the eastern and 

 western provinces, for the legions of Rome and 

 the natives of Romanised Britain. W. S. 



Hastings. 



SIR JEEOME BOWES. 

 (Vol.x., p. 348.) 



The pedigree of the " first English Ambassador 

 to Russia " has been given to the readers of " N. 

 & Q." by your correspondent A. B. His article, 

 however, contains little of Sir Jerome's personal 

 history. Thinking that a few incidents may 

 heighten the effect of the bare genealogical tree, 

 I venture to offer them to you! 



Pepys, under date Sept. 5, 1662, has the follow- 

 ing entry : 



" To Mr. Bland's, the merchant, by invitation ; where 

 I found all the officers of the customs, very grave fine 

 gentlemen, and I am glad to know them : viz. Sir Job 

 Harvy, &c., very good company. And, among other dis- 

 course, some was of Sir Jerome Bowes, Embassador from 

 Queen Elizabeth to the Emperor of Russia : who, because 



No. 302.] 



! some of the noblemen there would gp upstairs to the 

 I Emperor before him, he would not go up till the Emperor 

 j had ordered those two men to be dragged down stairs, 

 ! with their heads knocking upon every stair, till they 

 were killed. And when he was come up, they demanded 

 his sword of him before he entered the room. He told 

 them, if they would have his sword, they should have his 

 boots too ; and so caused his boots to be pulled oflF, and 

 his night-gown and night-cap, and slippers, to be sent 

 for ; and made the Emperor stay till he could go in his 

 night-dress, since he might not go as a soldier. And 

 lastly, when the Emperor, in contempt, to show his com- 

 mand of his subjects, did command one to leap from the 

 lyindow down, and broke his neck in the sight of our 

 Embassador, he replied, that his mistress did set more by, 

 and did make better use of, the necks of her subjects : but 

 said, that to show what her subjects would do for her, he 

 would, and did, fling down his gantlett before the Em- 

 peror ; and challenged all the nobility there to take it up 

 in defence of the Emperor against his Queen : for which, 

 at this very day, the name of Sir Jerome Bowes is famous 

 knd honoured there." 



In a note, appended to the above passage, Lord 

 Braybrooke informs us, that Sir Jerome's portrait 

 is in Lord Suffolk's gallery, at Charlton. 



In Stowe (by Howes, edit. 1631, p. 669.) there 

 is mention made of Sir Jerome Bowes, in an ac- 

 count given of certain proceedings at law, between 

 Simon Lowe and John Kyme on the one part, and 

 Thomas Paramore on the other part. The said 

 proceedings were touching " a certain manor, and 

 demaine lands belonging thereunto, in the Isle of 

 Harty, adioining the Isle of Sheppy in Kent." The 

 said Thomas Paramore offered to defend his right 

 " by battel." His challenge was accepted, and 

 fixed to be tried on Tothill Fields. On the ap- 

 pointed day, the plaintiff's "champion," one Henry 

 Naylor, master of defence, and servant to the 

 Right Hon. the Earl of Leicester, was led into the 

 field by Sir Jerome Bowes. The fight did not 

 come off; but the ceremony must have been im- 

 posing. Stow expatiates quaintly on the dresses 

 and appointments, in his usual minute manner. 



My extracts have already swollen this article to 

 a great length ; I shall therefore content myself 

 by begging A. B., or any other correspondent, to 

 be kind enough to communicate all they know, or 

 may hereafter discover, of Sir Jerome Bowes. 

 From the position we find him occupying in the 

 year 1571, that of backer to the servant of Leices- 

 ter, and again in 1583 ambassador to Russia, 

 we may fairly conclude him to have been what is 

 now called " a rising politician." 



J. Virtue Wtnek, 

 1. Portland Terrace, Dalston. 



BLUE ROSE. 



(Vol. xi., pp. 346. 474.) 



A correspondent, under the shelter of a Greek 

 pseudonom, asserts his belief in the production of 

 a blue rose ; though he says, " Years may elapse 



