July 31. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Ill 



Haberdasher (Vol.vi., p. 17.). — Minshew de- 

 rives it fi-oin Haht ihr das, Teut. Possibly the real 

 derivation is berdash, an old English neck-dress, 

 whence a seller of this article was called a ber- 

 dasher or haberdasher. R. J. A. 



Burials in Woollen (Vol, v., pp. 414. 542., Vol.vi., 

 p. 58.). — H. W.'s quotation of Pope's distich, — 



" Odious ! in woollen I 'twould a saint provoke. 

 Were the last words which poor Narcissa spoke," 



seems to require the addition of the date. Nar- 

 cissa (Mrs. Oldfield the actress), died in 1731, and 

 Pope's Essay was published in 1734. Mrs. Old- 

 field escaped the " woollen," and was really " buried 

 in Westminster Abbey in a Brussels lace head- 

 dress ; a Holland shift with tucker, and double 

 ruffles of the same lace; and a pair of new kid 

 gloves." — Gent. Mag., March, 1731. C. 



In reference to this subject, the parish register 

 of Bretforton, Worcestershire, has the following 

 entry : 



" Here begins the register book of all and every 

 person that liave been buried in the parish of Bret- 

 forton, according to act of parliament entitled ' An 

 Act for burying in woollen only since tlie 1st of 

 August, 1678."' 



I have seen many of the parochial registers in 

 this county, but none of them contain the affi- 

 davits alluded to. J. Noake. 



Worcester. 



Slums (Vol. iii., pp. 224. 284.). — Your corre- 

 spondent D. Q. is certainly in error in supposing 

 that slums is an Americanism. I never heard the 

 word used in this country, either in the Atlantic 

 or the Western States. Not one American in ten 

 thousand could form any idea what back slums 

 meant, were he to hear it in conversation. We 

 occasionally meet with the expression in English 

 books, but know not what it means. Uneda. 



Philadelphia, Pa., June 15. 1852. 



Fairfax Family Mansion (Vol. v., p. 490.). — 

 There is probably no family reason for the disuse 

 of the strait old-fashioned entrance. I have seen 

 the same practice in twenty other places. When 

 the strait avenue went out of fashion, a winding, 

 and, as it was thought, more natural and park-like 

 line of approach was adopted. Sometimes the old 

 gates were removed altogether ; sometimes they 

 remained, but were never opened. I think this 

 style of strait avenues and iron gates is rather 

 coming in again, with the terraces and parterres. C. 



Gospel Trees (Vol. v., pp. 157. 209. 306. 444. 

 570.). — I have a venerable silver fir-tree (west 

 coast of Argyleshire), which, although not called 

 a " Gospel tree," was, before the existence of the 

 parish church, hallov/ed by having its large bole 

 used as a pulpit for the minister, and its extensive 



shade, as a canopy under which the people listened 

 to the preaching of the Gospel. There is nothing 

 apocryphal about this : it was done in my father's 

 time. On wet Sundays the people assembled in 

 the mansion house. 



I may mention that tradition assigns a less holy 

 ancient (possibly apocryphal) history to this tree, 

 whose shape, by the way, is exquisitely adapted to 

 the alleged purpose. The lairds, so it is said, 

 were wont to suspend their refractory vassals on 

 the branches. Hence it is affectionately called 

 " the Lairds' tree." You are no doubt aware, 

 that, in the glorious feudal times, the lairds exer- 

 cised the power of life and death over their own 

 people, as well as over all others under their ban, 

 and within their reach : a noble privilege which, 

 alas ! has long ago yielded to the baying of the 

 many-mouthed novarum rerum cupidi. W. C. 



Maturin Laurent (Vol.vi., p. 11.). — The anony- 

 mous but too well-known author of the Compere 

 Mathieu, and several other publications of the 

 same loose class, was Henry Joseph, Abbe du 

 Laurens — of whom, and of his works, the less said 

 the better. C. 



Flemish Clothiers in Wales (Vol. v., p. 36). — 

 Your correspondent may wish to learn, that the 

 Flemish Clothiers, or such traces as are left, are to 

 be found in Pembrokeshire : — a colony of Flemings 

 landed there in the reign of Henry I., and brought 

 over their woollen manufactures; — that the Castle 

 of Haverford West is said to have been inhabited 

 by them ; there is also a road called the " Flemish 

 Way," yet existing; — that here as well as in the 

 neighbourhood of Milford Haven, and throughout 

 a great part of this county (Pembroke), traces of 

 the manners and appearances yet remain : both 

 sexes wore a short cloak called by them a " Gawr 

 Wittle," similar to that worn by the early Fle- 

 mings ; — that the customs of some of these \Velsh 

 to the Flemish, is also noticed in a work entitled 

 Barber's Tour through South Wales, 8vo. 1803. 



C. G. 



Paddington. 



Curious Mistranslation (Vol.vi., p. 51.). — P.T. 

 misses the point of Mr. Dickens's humour. The 

 Frenchman is designedly made to mistranslate 

 " sabots." Quiz- 



Seal of Mary Queen of Scots (Vol. vl., p. 36.).-^ 

 E. A. S. is mistaken in supposing his seal "the ori- 

 ginal," I have one answering his description in a 

 box with a printed label, " Queen Mary's Signet 

 Ring, from the Collection of the late Earl ,of 

 Buchan." Device, quarterly, the arms of Eng- 

 land, France, Ireland, and Scotland; the shidd 

 surmounted by a crown, and between the initials 

 M. R. Surely the original (judging from arms 

 and initials) belonged to Mary of Modena, wife of 

 James II. Mbtaouo. 



