May 12. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



373 



Rathlin Island (Vol. ix., p. 589.). — Abhba may 

 be glad to know that several particulars respect- 

 ing this interesting locality are given in Reeves' 

 Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor, and 

 Dromore, pp. 288—292, (4to,, Dublin, 1847.) 



Flos. 



The Nottingham Bate-look (Vol. xi., p. 283.) 

 is out of stock at Simpkin and Marshall's, but may 

 be procured direct from R. Sutton, Nottingham, 

 price 105. 6c?, cloth, 8vo. Furvus. 



Plumstead Common. 



Visit of Charles I. to Glasgow (Vol. xi., p. 282.). 

 — It would appear, from a detailed account of 

 Charles I.'s visit to Scotland in 1633 given by 

 Spalding (^History of the Troubles in Scotland, 

 ed. 1830, 13—20.), that the king did not go to 

 Glasgow on that occasion ; but on the 14th of July, 

 when at Seaton House, he granted for the ad- 

 vancement of the library and fabric of the College 

 of Glasgow 2001. sterling, which sum was paid by 

 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, in 1654. (See 

 Pennant's Tour in Scotland, ii. 156. ; Dibdin's 

 Northern Tour, ii. 713.) From this grant perhaps 

 originated a notion that it was made on occasion 

 of a royal visit to Glasgow. C. H. Cooper. 



Cambridge. 



Execution by Burning (Vol. xi., p. 222.). — 

 W. W. cites an example of a woman in Maryland 

 who wns burned for murder in 1746. I have 

 noted several similar instances which occurred in 

 our own country. In every case a woman was 

 the culprit.* 



July, 1735. At the Northampton assizes Mary 

 Fasson was condemned to be burnt for poisoning 

 her husband ; and Elizabeth Wilson to be hanged 

 for picking a farmer's pocket of thirty shillings. 



Same date, at Chelmsford, " a woman was con- 

 demned to be burnt for poisoning her husband." 



And these sentences were carried out, for on 

 Aug. 7 " Margaret Onion was burnt at a stake 

 at Chelmsford for poisoning her husband. She 

 was a poor ignorant creature, and confessed the 

 fact." 



Aug. 8. "Mrs. Fawson was burnt at Iforth- 

 ampton for poisoning her husband. Her be- 

 haviour in prison was with the utmost rigour of 

 contrition. She would not, to gratify people's 

 curiosity, be unveiled to any. She confessed the 

 justice of the sentence, and died with great com- 

 posure of mind." 



March, 1738. Sentence of death was pro- 

 notmced on Mary Troke, at Winchester, for poison- 

 ing her mistress. She was but sixteen years of 

 age, yet the poor creature was "burnt at the 

 stake." 



* Query, when was this relic of barbarism abolished ? 

 [See « N. & Q.," Vol. ii., pp. 6. 441.] 



Dec. 21, 1739. Susannah Broom, for the murder 

 of her husband, was drawn on a hurdle and burnt 

 at Tyburn. B. H. C. 



'^^ Accipe tuum calamum,^'' Sfc. (Vol. x., p. 139. 

 &c.). — The meaning of Bede's last words has 

 been discussed in " N. & Q.," but I believe neither 

 RupicASTREjJsis nor Sir J. E. Tennent has 

 cited Pliny in support of thfeir translations of the 

 word tempera, by " mix," or " dilute," or, as we 

 say, " thin " the ink. His words are these : 

 " Atramentum librarlum ex diluto ejus tempera- 

 turn, litteras a musculls tuetur." He is spealcing of 

 absinthium, or wormwood. (Nat. Hist, xxvli. 28.) 

 This passage will also fix the meaning of an ex- 

 pression quoted from Cicero, ad Quint. Fr. ii. 14. 

 (15.) B. H. C. 



jN". B. a few lines before Pliny says, worm- 

 wood "nauseas maris arcet in navigationibus po- 

 tum," i. e. it is a remedy for sea-sickness. ("N. & 

 Q.," Vol. xi., p. 221.) I agree with your corre- 

 spondent, that such passages might be quoted ad 

 nauseam. 



Sir Samuel Garth (Vol. xi., p. 283.).— Unless 

 the records of Harrow School contain an entry 

 of Sir gamuel's name, I do not think there is any 

 evidence to show his having been educated at that 

 school. Mr. Surtees, the historian of Durham, 

 took great pains to ascertain his early history and 

 education ; but he could not learn at what school 

 he was educated. Dr. Johnson gives us no in- 

 formation. Mr. Surtees states, — 



« He graduated A. B. of Peterhouse, 1G79, A. M. 1684, 

 and M. D. 1691. William Garth, the father of Sir Samuel, 

 recites in his will, that he had been at great charges in 

 the education of his eldest son, Samuel Garth, at tlie Uni- 

 versity of Cambridge, and in his taking his degiee there 

 of Doctor of Physic ; and that his son William had several 

 times denied great and good preferments offered to him, 

 choosing rather to live and remain with him (the father), 

 though to his loss of time. He had therefore in part re- 

 compense granted to William all his leasehold lands in 

 Bolam, held under the Hospital of Jesus in Guisborough ; 

 and the testator adds, ' 1 now devise to him all my l^ds 

 in Bolam.' " 



From the above extract of the father's will, we 

 may reasonably infer that Sir Samuel was not 

 educated at Harrow School. Fra. Mewburn. 



Darlington. 



Oysters with an r in the Month (Vol. xi., p. 302.). 

 — I cannot remember the questions of Vertaub 

 as to the date of this gastronomic canon, though 

 of course it originated in the observation of some 

 ancient Dando, that during four certain months 

 in the year, in the spelling of which no r occurs, 

 and which happen to be consecutive, oysters are 

 not in season. The rule is doubtless a pretty safe 

 guide ; but the fin gourmet need not be informed 

 that during the proscribed months a species may 

 be obtained on the south-east coast, known as 



