2»< S. NO 87., Aug. 29. '57,] 



NOTES AND QUEKIES. 



169 



8IE WILLIAM KEITH. 



The precise locale of Sir Wm. Keith's decease 

 seems to be involved in some obscurity. R. R., in 

 reply to my Queries, intimates tliat there was 

 such a prison as the " Old Bailey." (" N. & Q.," 

 June 6th.) F. A. C. (June 27th) disagrees with 

 him ill this particular. I am sure that I have fre- 

 quently heard the Old Bailey* spoken of as a 

 prison, and when in London some twelve years 

 since, such a building was pointed out to me by 

 my guide ; but the location I have forgotten. 

 Perhaps he was imposing upon my credulity or. 

 ignorance as a stranger in *' the world of brick 

 and mortar." 



I am inclined to the belief that Sir William 

 died in the Fleet Prison : for in a letter to John 

 Adams, in 1813, Thos. McKean of Pennsylvania, 

 writes, in alluding to Keitli's plan of taxing the 

 colonies (the first on record, by-the-by), suggested 

 to Sir Robert Walpole : " He was then, I believe, 

 in the Fleet Prison ;" intimating also that Sir 

 William is alluded to by Peregrine Pickle, in his 

 amusing autobiography, as one of the inmates of 

 that institution. Sir William, it is known, was 

 very poor, and burthened with debt for several 

 years previous to his death. I also find that in 

 1732 he was in Parliament, in place of Sir Arch. 

 Grant, expelled. (Gent's Mag., 1732, vol. ii.) 

 Lady Keith died in Philadelphia in the year 1740. 

 Her tombstone may still be seen in Christ church- 

 yard, Philadelphia. 



It may not be generally known on your side of 

 the water that Sir William Keith's "baronial 

 seat" is still an object of interest here. The 

 house erected by him in 1722 is still in fair pre- 

 servation. It is situated in the county of Mont- 

 gomery, Pa., about twenty miles from Philadelphia. 

 There he had a " plantation " of 1200 acresj and 

 lived in a style becoming his descent, and con- 

 genial to his tastes. I am preparing a history 

 of that noble estate from the date of its foundation 

 to the present time, with its varied and inter- 

 esting social, literary, and political associations. 

 Keith's career in the colonies was a chequered 

 one, and he has the credit of first suggesting to 

 the crown the taxing of the colonies. I have a 

 document which shows this conclusively. I also 

 have a document containing a schedule of his per- 

 sonal property conveyed to his wife when he left 

 " Fountain-Low," his plantation, for England. 

 It evinces that he lived in elegant style for that 

 day. His stud consisted of four stallions for the 

 coach, seven saddle horses, and six others for 

 breeding and draught. He had large herds of 

 choice cattle, some twelve negro slaves, besides 



other domestics ; plate, china, and glass in profu- 

 sion, and furniture of the most costly description. 

 He also had a brewhouse on his premises for the 

 manufacture of his own beer. The traditions of 

 the neighbourhood relate that he kept an open 

 house to his friends, and that there were many 

 convivial gatherings under his ample roof. Much 

 more of interest I have, which may not be in-* 

 truded upon your columns at present. 



I am very desirous of learning something re- 

 garding Hugh Henry, or Henry Hugh, Fergusson, 

 as mentioned to you in " N. & Q.," 2"" S. iii. 266. ; 

 I believe I stated all I knew of him. He was Com- 

 missary of Prisoners for General Howe in 1777-8, 

 went to J^ngland in 1779, and is supposed to have 

 died in Flanders in the service of the government. 



Can any of your correspondents enlighten me 

 farther, at an early date ? H. C. W. 



New York. 



[* Newgate, the chief prison for the city of London, is 

 in the Old Bailey ; the Court at which the criminals are 

 tried i« the Old Bailey : hence the conftiaion referred (o by 

 our correspondent. — El>. " N. & Q,"] 



^tn0r ^utviti. 



Syon Sancti Adriani. — In a recent number of 

 "N. & Q." (2""^ S. iii. 421.) mention is made of 

 the village of Eckeren, near Antwerp, by a corre- 

 spondent who seems well acquainted with it and 

 its vicinity. Perhaps he or some other corre- 

 spondent would be so obliging as to inform me 

 whether there is or was a monastery or convent 

 there known as " Syon Sancti Adriani," or by any 

 equivalent appellation. I am well aware that the 

 great monastery of St. Adrian is or was at Gram- 

 mont. The motive of this inquiry is the hope of 

 elucidating an obscure legend on a conventual 

 seal. W. S. W. 



Lady Chichester. — Can any reader of " N. & 

 Q." explain the following passage written in May, 

 1615; 



" The Ladie Chichester, the onelye sister of the Coun- 

 tesse of Bedford, is dead, w'='^ gaue a new wound to her 

 and the olid Ladye." 



The then Earl of Bedford was Edward Rus- 

 sell, the third earl, who married Lucy, sister and 

 coheir of John, second Lord Harrington ; but 

 whom did the other coheir marry ? I am unable 

 to trace any Lady Chichester who was sister to a 

 Countess of Bedford. Sir Arthur Chichester, 

 created Baron Chichester of Belfast in 1612, mar- 

 ried Letitia, daughter of the famous Sir John 

 Perrott. His elder brother. Sir John Chichester, 

 Knight, married, but his wife's name is not given 

 in the pedigrees to which I have access ; whilst 

 his younger brother, called Sir John Chichester 

 the Zounger, is not stated to have been married. 

 He had been taken prisoner and beheaded in Ire- 

 land in 1597, by James MacSorley MacDonald, 

 afterwards Earl of Antrim. Who was the old 

 lady referred to ? John Maclean. 



Hammersmith. ta^-M w • 



