Sept. 24. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



293 



bell; and the people are summoned to divine 

 service from the belfry of the town-hall, which has 

 a very respectable steeple. Indeed, so much more 

 •ecclesiastical in appearance is the town-hall than 

 the church, that (as I was told) a regiment of 

 soldiers, on the first Sunday after their ari-ival at 

 Berwick, marched to the former building for divine 

 service, although the church stood opposite the 

 barrack gate. My kind informant also told me 

 that he found a strange clergyman one Sunday 

 morning trying the town-hall door, and rating the 

 absent sexton ; having undertaken to preach a 

 missionary sermon, and become involved in the 

 same mistake as the soldiers. 



But more curious still was the news that there 

 is a meeting-house in Berwick belonging to the 

 anti-burghers, who are dissenters from the Church 

 of Scotland, which has a bell, for the ringing of 

 which, as a summons to worship, Barrington, 

 Bishop of Durham, granted a licence, which still 

 exists. I was not aware that bishops either had, 

 or exercised, the power of licensing bells ; but 

 my informant will, I doubt not, on reading this, 

 either verify or correct the statement. At the 

 time when the bell was licensed, the congregation 

 were in communion with the Church of Scotland. 



Alfred Gatty. 



The Keate Family, of the Hoo, Herts. — I shall 

 be obliged to any of your readers for information 

 respecting the Sir Jonathan Keate, Bart., of the 

 Hoo, Hertfordshire, who was living in the year 

 1683 ; also for any particulars respecting his 

 family ? I especially desire to know what were 

 his relations to tlie religious parties of the time, 

 as I have in my possession the journal of a non- 

 conformist minister, who was his domestic chaplain 

 from 1683 to 1 688. G. B. B. 



Cambridge. 



Divining-rod. — Can any of the correspondents 

 of " N. & Q." supply instances of the use of the 

 divining-rod for finding water ? I know several 

 circumstances which might incline one, in these 

 table-turning days, to inquire seriously whether 

 there be any truth in the popular notion. 



G. W. Sktking. 



Medal and Helic of Mary Queen of Scots. — I 

 have in my possession a medal, the size of a crown 

 piece, of base metal, with perhaps some admixture 

 of silver. On one side of this are the arms of 

 Scotland with two thistles, and the legend — 



MARIA ET HENRICDS DEI GRATIA R: ET R *. SCOTORUM, 



and the reverse, a yew-tree with a motto of three 

 ■words, of which the last seems to be vires, the 

 date 1566, and the legend — 



EXQRGAT DF.US ET DISSIPANTUR INIMICI. 



Associated with this for a very considerable period 

 bas been a small wooden cross, which is said to 



have been made from the yew-tree under which 

 Mary and Darnley had been accustomed to meet. 



I have been told that there is some farther tra- 

 dition or superstition connected with these relics : 

 if there be, I shall be glad to be informed of it, or 

 of any other particulars concerning them. 



W. Feaseb. 



Tor- Mob un. 



Bulstrode's Portrait. — Prefixed to a copy la 

 my possession of Essays upon the following Sub- 

 jects: 1. Generosity, Sfc, by Whitelock Bulstrode, 

 Esq., Svo. Lond. 1724, there is a portrait of the 

 author, bearing this note in MS. : " This scarce 

 portrait has sold for 71." It is engraved by Cole, 

 from a picture by Kneller, in oval with armorial' 

 bearings below, and is subscribed " Anno Salutis 

 1723, a3tatls 72." I am at a loss to suppose it 

 ever could have fetched the price assigned to my 

 impression by its previous owner, and should feel 

 obliged if any of your correspondents would state 

 whether, from any peculiar circumstances, it may 

 have become rare, and so acquired an adventitious 

 value. It does not appear to have been known to 

 Granger. 



"While the two names are before me, I venture 

 to inquire how the remarkable interchange oc- 

 curred between that of Whitelock Bidst7-ode the 

 Essayist, and Bulstrode Whitelock the Memorialist, 

 of the parliamentary period. Was there any 

 family connexion ? Balholensis. 



The Assembly House, Kentish Town. — Can 

 any of your antiquarian correspondents give me a 

 clue as to the date, or probable date, of the erection 

 of this well-known roadside public-house (I be^ 

 pardon, tavern), which is now being pulled down ? 

 I am desirous of obtaining some slight account of 

 the old building, having just completed an etching, 

 from a sketch taken as it appeared in its disman- 

 tled state. Possibly some anecdotes may be 

 current regarding it. I learn from a rare little 

 tome, entitled Some Account of Kentish Town, 

 published at that place in 1821, and written, I 

 believe, by a Mr. Elliot, that the Assembly House 

 was formerly called the Black Bull. The writer 

 of this Query asked "one of the oldest inha- 

 bitants," who was seated on a door-step opposite 

 the house, his opinion concerning its age : con- 

 sidering a little, the old gentleman seriously said 

 he thought it might be two or three thousand years 

 at least ! This opinion I am afraid to accept as 

 correct, and I would therefore seek, through the 

 medium of " N. & Q.," some information which 

 may be more depended upon. W. B. K, 



Camden New Town. 



Letters respecting Hovgomont. — Could any 

 reader of " N. & Q." kindly furnish the under- 

 signed with certain Letters, which have recently 



