132 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 277. 



Esq.) ; Thomas Tresham, of Newton, his second 



son, who married Elizabeth, daughter of 



Dickinson, of 'Manchester, and several daughters. 



Y. 



Jennens of Acton Place (Vol. xi., pp. 10. 55.). — 

 Your correspondent Q. D. has given with perfect 

 accuracy the devolution of the vast property of 

 Mr. Jennens, real and personal. Can he authen- 

 ticate the following anecdote ? I have heard it 

 upon authority so apparently unexceptionable, 

 that I know not how to doubt it. 



Mr. Jennens was supposed to possess a Bank 

 of England note of 100,000Z. Two of this pro- 

 digious amount had been issued by the Bank 

 since Its institution. One had been returned 

 years ago, and cancelled ; and the other was 

 universally considered to be in Mr. Jennens's 

 possession. He had the habit of hoarding and 

 secreting his money ; and he left a written memo- 

 randum, directing his executors to search in such 

 places for such and such sums, specifying how 

 much in notes, how much in coins, &c. Every 

 direction was strictly accurate, except that which 

 referred to the Leviathan note. That note was 

 missing. It was not in the place indicated, and 

 has never been recovered. Such is my story. 

 Query, Is it true ? B, (2) 



Psalm-singing and Nonconformists (Vol. xi., 

 p. 65.). — John Scribe will probably find an 

 answer to his question in the Poet of the Sanc- 

 tuary, a centenary commemoration of Dr. Watts, 

 by Josiah Conder (Snow, London, 1851). This 

 book contains an essay of an historical character 

 upon the subject of psalm and hymn singing. If 

 John Scribe can refer to Ainsworth on the Pen- 

 tateuch, he will find in the early editions both 

 rhymes and music at Exod. xv. and Deut. xxxiii. 

 Ainsworth was one of the earliest who adopted 

 the principles of Independency. The fact appears 

 to be, that while bad singing characterised all 

 classes of British Protestants till a recent period, 

 it was worst among Dissenters. This arose partly 

 from the acknowledged circumstance, that many 

 of them refused to sing any human compositions. 

 But it is certain that next to nothing of value was 

 either written or borrowed by the Nonconformists 

 to be used by them In the worship of praise till 

 the last century. There are other reasons which 

 lie deeper, but which are scarcely suitable for 

 these pages. B. H. C, 



'■'■ Belchild" (Vol. x., p. 508.).— I beg, through 

 your communicative publication, to inform Mr. 

 Davewet that a belchild is a grandchild ; and in 

 confirmation thereof, I give theTollowIng extracts 

 from early wills : 



" John Porter, of Long Stratton, by will, dated xiiij 

 daye of July, Mcccccxui, bequeths to eche of his bel- 

 ehildren, via. ; and every of my godchildren, iiijd." 



" Agnus Borughs, by will, dated the fyrst daye of 

 March, m.cccccxliiii, bequeth to either of her belchildren, 

 Agnus Cowpe (otherwise Knott), and Isabell her sister, 

 xxrf. ; and bequeth to either of my godchildren, John 

 Ffecke and Stephen Ffecke, vjs. viijd. Also bequeth to 

 eche of my belchildren, William Cowle the j'^onger, Maryon 

 Bowie, and Margaret Bowie, iijs. iiijd. Also bequeth to 

 Rose Aldred, vjs. viijd. ; and to my godchild, Agnus 

 Aldred, xxd." 



In another will, of about the same period. Is : 



" I give to John Goche, my belchild, one cowe ; to be 

 delivered at the age of xij yeres of the said John Goche." 



Archdeacon Nares, in his Glossary, explains 

 belsyre and beldame to be grandfather and grand- 

 mother ; though beldame is now applied as a term of 

 disgrace, as is the term " wench" — which formerly 

 was used respectfully to young ladies of the most 

 respectable families, and even to royalty. (See 

 Nares under the latter term, Wench.) 



GoDDARD Johnson. 



Death of Dogs (Vol. xi., p. 65.). — A circum- 

 stance of the same nature as that described by 

 your correspondent H. W. D. has just happened 

 in Surrey ; a gentleman having about a fort- 

 night since lost three valuable dogs, which were 

 supposed to have been poisoned : on examination, 

 however, no traces of poison were found in the 

 stomachs. I shall endeavour to find out whether 

 any others in the neighbourhood have suffered 

 losses of the same sort, and, if so, communicate 

 the fact, as well as anything else that may tend to 

 throw a farther light on the subject. J. S. A. 



Old Broad Street. 



Dying Words of the Venerable Bede (Vol. x., 

 pp. 139. 329.). — The passage from Cicero's Let- 

 ters, wherein the expression "atramento tempe- 

 rato" occurs, would seem decidedly to favour the 

 Interpretation put on the word tempera by Rupi- 

 CASTRENSis and Sir Emerson Tennent. Perhaps 

 the following lines from Persius may deserve^ a 

 passing notice, and tend to illustrate the practice 

 of moistening or diluting Ink with water, to which 

 they have alluded : 

 " Jam liber, et bicolor positis membrana capillis, 



Inque manus chartae nodosaque venit arundo. 



Turn querimur, crassus calarao quod pendeat humor : 



Nigra quod infiisa vanescat sepia li/mpha ; 



Dilutas querimur geminet quod fistula guttas." 



Sat. in. 10—14. 



In connexion with the mention of Bede, I 

 observe, in looking over Dr. Burton's Description 

 of the Antiquities of Rome, it Is stated that his 

 remains were said to have been burled under a 

 stone near the silver gate of the old church of 

 St. Peter's. A resident in the diocese of Durham 

 may be excused for disbelieving this tradition. 



•^ E. H. A. 



Gelyan (or Julian) Bowers (Vol. xi., p. 65.). — 

 I find the following extract in my common-place 

 book, under the head of " Julian's Bower, near 



