394 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 54. 



thing but SS. ; while, on the other hnnd, those in 

 No. 2., as he rightly observes, are more like figures 8,8, 

 than the letters SS.] 



While the origin of the Collar of Esses is in- 

 structively occupying your correspondents, allow 

 nie to direct your attention to the enclosed para- 

 graph extracted from the Morning Post of the 

 ]8tli instant, from which it appears that Lord 

 Uenman's collar has been "obtained" (Q;/- by 

 jmrchase?) by the corporation of Derby i'or the 

 iiittire use of their mayor. I wish to know, can a 

 Qt(0 wa7-7'anto issue to the said mayor for the 

 assumption of this badge ? and if not, in whom 

 does the power reside of correcting this abuse, if 

 such it be ? 



" The Gold Chain of the Lord Chief Justice of 

 England.- — On Wednesday week, at a meeting of the 

 corporation of Derby, the mayor stated that the chain 

 he then had the honour to wear was the one worn by 

 the Lord Chief Justice of England, and that it had 

 been obtained from Lord Denman by the cor))oration 

 fur all future cbiL'f magistrates of the borough. We 

 understand the corporation obtained the chain upon 

 the same terms as it would liave been transferred to 

 Lord Campbell, if his lordship had taken to it from his 

 noble predecessor." — ( Quoted from Nottingham Journal, 

 in Morning Post, 18th Oct. 1850.) 



F. S. Q. 



The inclosed parngraph, extracted from the 

 Morning Post of last Saturday completes the his- 

 tory of the municipal collar of the corporation of 

 Derby, concerning which I recently proposed 

 a Query. The right to purchase does not, how- 

 ever, establish the right to wear such a deco- 

 ration. 



" The Insignia of Mavoualty. — Considerable ex- 

 citement prevails just now in many municipal corjjo- 

 rations res|)ecting the insignia of mayoralty. At Derby 

 the mayor has recently obtained the gold chain worn 

 by Lord Denman when Lord Chief Justice. In re- 

 ference to a question whether or not the chain was a 

 present, a correspondent of the Derby Mtrcvry says, 

 ' I am sorry to admit, it was a bargain ; it cost 100/., 

 and is paid for. The chain is the property of the cor- 

 poration, and will grace the neck of every succeeding 

 mayor. The robes did not accompany the chain ; they 

 are bran new, gay in colour, a good cut, and hang well ; 

 tliey are private property, consequently not necessardy 

 transfeiable. Every mayor will have the privilege ( f 

 choosing the shape and colour of his official vestment, 

 and can retain or dispose of it as he may deem proper. 

 It was suggested that the robes should be the property 

 of the corporation, but a difficulty arose, from the fact, 

 that mayors differ as much in their bodies as they do 

 ill their minds, so that one measure would not conve- 

 niently fit all. Economically speaking, the suggestion 

 was a valuable one, but the physical difficulty was in- 

 surmountable. It has been hinted that a wardrobe of 

 habiliments for different sized mayors might be kept 

 on hand at the Town-Hall, but as the cost would be 

 great, and the arrangement would partake too much 



of the customary preparation for a fancy ball or mas- 

 querade, it was thought objectionable. The Liberal 

 corporation have, therefore, very properly resolved on 

 throwing no obstacle in the way of Free Trade, and it 

 is their determination to enable all mayors, in the 

 selection of their vestures, to buy in the cheapest market 

 and sell in the dearest.'" — Morning Post, Oct. 26. 

 1850. 



F. S. Q. 



As I was the first to open the fire on the very 

 puzzling subject of (he SS. Collar, which has led 

 to more ]ileasant and profitable, though loarm dis- 

 cussion, than CA'er any jierson could have expected, 

 it seems now to be time lor some one to step for- 

 ward as a moderator ; and if I be allowed to 

 do so, it will be to endeavour to check the almost 

 uncourleous way in which our Armigeb friend bos 

 taken up the gauntlet on the question. 



If, Sir, you admit severe and sneering criticism, 

 it will, it may be feared, tend very considerably 

 to mar the influence and advantage to be drawn 

 from your viseful pages, which are intended, I 

 conceive, for calm, friendly and courteous inter- 

 change of useful information. AVithout vituperat- 

 ing the lucuhrations of Mb. John Gough Nichols, 

 or sneering at those who " pin faith on his dicta," 

 which have much merit (Vol. ii., p. 363.), it would 

 be surely possible for Armiger to advance his 

 own views with good temper and friendly feeling. 



I have also a word to say to Mr. Nichols on 

 his remarks on Mr. Ellacombe's view. He im- 

 putes to Mb. E. ignorance of the "real formation 

 of the collai." lie could only mean that the S 

 hook or link gave the idea of such an ornamental 

 chain ; and I believe he is correct : which orna- 

 ment the taste of the workman would adopt and 

 fashion as we now have it, with the insertion of 

 another link both for the comfort of the wearer, 

 and for variety in the construction. 



A series of SSes (SSS) by themselves would 

 certainly be a galling badge, whatever honour 

 might be considered to be conferred with it. 



B. (original), 

 in future SS., as my initial has been usurped 

 by some unknown friend. 



Oct. 30. 1850. 



Collar of Esses. — I am glad to see the interest 

 shown by your correspondents upon this curious 

 subject, and the various opinions expressed by 

 them as to the actual formation of the collar ; the 

 signification of the letter, if a letter be intended (of 

 which I think there can be no reasonable doubt) ; 

 and the persons who were privileged to wear it. 

 The first two questions will for ever occasion dis- 

 cussion ; but allow me to suggest that one step 

 towards the solution of the third, would be a 

 collection in your pages of the names of those 

 persons who, either on their monumental effigies 

 or brasses, or in their portraits or otherwise, are 



