412 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2» d S. IX. Mat 2G. '60. 



honour of Clifton devolved on her eldest son Edward, 

 now Baron, he having his claim allowed in 1711, and his 

 seat next to the Lord Tcynham.' " 



I quote the above from Nicholl's Irish Com- 

 pendium, ed. 1727. There is evidently an error in 

 the latter statement. Debrett says " Edward, 2nd 

 Earl of Darnley, took his seat in the House of 

 Peers on Feb. 1, 1737, as Lord Clifton." By 

 virtue of the above alliance the Earls of Darnley 

 quartered the arms of Hyde, O'Brien, Steuart, and 

 Clifton. Henry W. S. Taylor. 



Portswood Park. 



There is an extensive pedigree of the Clifion 

 family of Clifton, co. Notts, in Thoroton's History 

 of Nottinghamshire, vol. iii. p. 104. edit. 1790, in 

 which the Christian name of Gervase occurs ten 

 or twelve times. But I fear your correspondent 

 Mr. Robinson will find no trace in it of the 

 Baron's grandfather, William Clifton of London. 

 Lord Clifton is mentioned as having been com- 

 mitted to the Tower by the Lords of the Council, 

 at p. 136. of Letters of George Lord Carciu, lately 

 published by the Camden Society. J. Sansom. 



Medals op the Pretender (2" a S. v. 417.) — 

 In Mr. Hawkins's interesting paper on the four 

 medals of Prince Charles, he has omitted to 

 specify the meted in which No. 3. is struck. Are 

 we to infer it to be silver, as are Nos. 2. & 4. ? 



Jos. G. 



Fletcher Family (2 nd S. ix. 162. 254. 351.)— 

 Your correspondent asks whether the arrow borne 

 on the coat of arms of the family or families of 

 Fletcher is not allusive to the first of the name 

 having been "archers in the army of William the 

 Conqueror ? " In reply, I beg to say that I have 

 been unable to find any cause for the latter sup- 

 position, but, on the contrary, that the Fletchers 

 derived their name from Fleschier, "arrow maker;'" 

 hence, probably, the introduction of the arrow in 

 the coat of arms. If, however, we go deeper into 

 subject, I think that it will be found that the 

 Fletcher arms are of comparatively recent origin, 

 and were not in reality connected with the name 

 in former times ; and, moreover, it is by no means 

 certain that the name in Scotland is not derived 

 from Flesher, the old (and even now common) 

 Scotch name for Butcher. Spalatro. 



Dr. Robert Clayton (2 nd S. ix. 223. 332.) — 

 I send the following particulars of the family of 

 this prelate, which I find in a pedigree of Clayton 

 of Adlington, Lancashire, cr. Bart. May 3, 1744 

 (vide Debrett's Baronetage, vol. ii. p. 764., edit. 

 1819): — 



" Robert de Clayton came into England with Willm. 

 Conq. ; -was born at Cordevec in Normandy, and for his 

 laudable services had the manor of Clayton in Lane, 

 given him. He had 3 sons, John, William, and Robert ; 



and 2 daurs William, 2nd son of Robert, served 



K. Stephen in many troubles, particularly when Ranulph 



Earl of Chester, and mam' others, took possession of 

 London. A very obstinate battle was fought on Candle- 

 mas Da3% where, ' God wot, William de Clayton lost his 

 life in 1141.' The 24th in lineal descent from him was 

 Dr. Robert Clayton, bishop successively of Killala, Cork 

 and Ross, and Clogher, in Ireland; to which last he was 

 translated in 1745." 



From Thomas, brother of the bishop, descended 

 Richard, who " resigned the Chief Justice of the 

 Common Pleas in Ireland in 1770," and died July 

 8, that year, and Sir Richard Clayton, F.A.S., 

 created a Bart, as above, who was succeeded by his 

 brother Robert, at whose death, in 1839, I believe 

 (he title became extinct. A short account of Dr. 

 Robert Clayton and his works, in the Nat. Cyclop., 

 states his preferment to have been chiefly owing 

 to Mrs. Clayton, afterwards Lady Sundon, who 

 was one of Queen Caroline's bedchamber women. 

 I have been unable to trace the relationship of the 

 bishop to Lord Sundon, which no doubt can be 

 proved. II. W. S. Taylor. 



Engravings by Rembrandt (2 nd S. ix. 367.) — 

 Your correspondent, Mr. C. Le Poer Kennedy, 

 should be informed that original engravings by 

 Rembrandt (his justly celebrated etchings) are 

 continually in the market, as may be known on 

 perusing the advertisements of Messrs. Leigh 

 Sotheby & Wilkinson, and sometimes of Messrs. 

 Christie & Manson, particularly at this season. 

 The dealers in these fine works are few. The 

 Messrs. Evans, however, of the Strand, have al- 

 ways a fine collection in stock : the prices marked 

 in plain figures, according to the importance, 

 rarity, and early state of the specimens. Mr. and 

 Mrs. Noseda, at 19. Tavistock Street, Covent 

 Garden, can occasionally supply examples on 

 moderate terms. Copies, and worn or damaged 

 impressions of the plates, can always be had for a 

 few shillings, but these are invariably held to be 

 worthless by connoisseurs and respectable dealers. 

 Mr. Tiffin, late of the West Strand, long con- 

 sidered the* most experienced dealer, has retired 

 from the business, and now, I believe, sells pri- 

 vately on commission. The descriptive Catalogues 

 of Daulby & Wilson are deemed the principal 

 text-books for Rembrandt's etchings : these works, 

 now out of print, may probably be obtained of 

 the Messrs. Evans at a moderate price. 



WlLLETT L. ADYE. 



Merl}-, Dorset. 



Letters from Buxton (2 nd S. iii. 388.) : 

 Robinson's Rats : The Ancient: Bells. — I have 

 searched the biographies in vain for a Memoir of 

 Robinson. I believe he was an adventurer, and 

 no connexion of the noble families of that name. 

 In The Pictorial History of England (book i. 

 cap. 1.), he is styled "the celebrated ministerial 

 manager, Mr. John Robinson, commonly called 

 Jack Robinson." In Selwyn and his Contempor- 

 aries, he is once mentioned as connected with 



