Minor Queries with Answers.
Bunyan's Descendants.—As a recent Query respecting John Bunyan may lead to some notices of his descendants, perhaps I may be informed in what edition of his works it is stated that a branch of his family settled in Nottingham? for I find in the burgess-roll of that borough that George Bunyan was entered freeman in 1752. William Bunyan, lieutenant in the navy, 1767; Thomas Bunyan, hosier, 1776. In event of the above story being verified, a pedigree may possibly be extracted hereafter from the parish registers of the town. As far as my own examination goes, the editions in the British Museum afford no corroboration to what I have heard.
Furvus.
Plumstead Common.
[We have been favoured with the following article on this subject from George Offor, Esq., of Hackney:
"Where are John Bunyan's Descendants?—It is natural to inquire after the ancestors and descendants of great men, although experience proves that intellectual greatness runs not in blood, for earth's great and most illustrious sons descended from and left descendants who merged among the masses of her little ones. Of his ancestors Bunyan boasted not, but pleaded with the readers of the first edition of his Sighs from Hell, 'Be not ashamed to own me because of my low and contemptible descent in the world.' From the life of the great dreamer, appended to my second edition of Bunyan's works (Blackie, Glasgow), it appears that he left three children: Thomas, a valuable member of his church; Joseph, who settled in Nottingham; and Sarah. Joseph is named by one of Bunyan's earliest biographers, who told his father that 'a worthy citizen of London would take him apprentice without money, which might be a great means to advance him; but he replied to me, God did not send him to advance his family, but to preach the Gospel.'
"The Rev. J. H. A. Rudd of Bedford and Elstow has most kindly searched the registers of Elstow and Goldington, and has discovered some interesting entries; and, as his numerous engagements will permit, he will search the registry of the parish churches in Bedford and its vicinity. Information would be most acceptable relative to Bunyan's father and mother, his two wives, and his children, John, Elizabeth, and Mary, who died in his life-time; and also as to Joseph. If your correspondent Furvus would search the registers at Nottingham, he might discover some valuable records of that branch of the family. Bunyan is said to have been baptized about 1653; and in the Elstow register it appears that his daughter Mary was registered as baptized July 20, 1650, while his next daughter, Elizabeth, is on the register as born April 14, 1654, showing the change in his principles, as to infant baptism, to have taken place between those periods. The family Bible given by John Bunyan to his son Joseph, now in my possession, confirms the statement verbally communicated to me by his descendant Mrs. Senegar, that her great-grandfather Joseph, having conformed to please his rich wife, was anxious to conceal his affinity to the illustrious tinker. The registers contained in it begin with Joseph's son Thomas and Susannah his wife, and it is continued to Robert Bunyan, born 1775, and who was lately living at Lincoln. I should be most happy to show the Bible and copies of registers in my possession to any one who will undertake to form a genealogy."
George Offor.]
Epigram on Dennis.—
"Should Dennis publish you had stabb'd your brother,
Lampoon'd your monarch, or debauch'd your mother," &c.
is printed as by Savage in Johnson's Life of Savage. In the notes to The Dunciad, i. 106., it is said to be by Pope. Utri credemus?
S. Z. Z. S.
[From the fact, that this epigram was not only attributed to Pope, in the notes to the second edition of The Dunciad, published in 1729, but also in those of 1743, the joint edition of Pope and Warburton, and both published before the death of Pope, it seems extremely probable that he was the author of it; more especially as he had been exasperated by a twopenny tract, of which Dennis was suspected to be the writer, called A True Character of Mr. Pope and his Writings; printed for S. Popping, 1716. D'Israeli however, in his Calamities of Authors, art. "The Influence of a bad Temper in Criticism," quoting it from Dr. Johnson, conjectures it was written on the following occasion: "Thomson and Pope charitably supported the veteran Zoilus at a benefit play, and Savage, who had nothing but a verse to give, returned them very poetical thanks in the name of Dennis. He was then blind and old, but his critical ferocity had no old age; his surliness overcame every grateful sense, and he swore as usual, 'They could be no one's but that fool Savage's,' an evidence of his sagacity and brutality. This perhaps prompted 'the fool' to take this fair revenge and just chastisement." After all, Dr. Johnson, who was at that time narrating Savage's intimate acquaintance with Pope, may have attributed to the former what seems to have been the production of the latter.]
Football played on Shrove Tuesday.—The people of this and the neighbouring towns invariably play at football on Shrove Tuesday. What is the origin of the custom? and does it extend to other counties?
J. P. S.
Dorking.
["Shrove-tide," says Warton, "was formerly a season of extraordinary sport and feasting. There was
anciently a feast immediately preceding Lent, which lasted many days, called Carniscapium. In some cities of France an officer was annually chosen, called Le Prince d'Amoreux, who presided over the sports of the youth for six days before Ash Wednesday. Some traces of these festivities still remain in our Universities." In these degenerate days more is known, we suspect, of pancakes and fritters, than of a football match and a cock-fight:—the latter, we are happy to say, is now almost forgotten among us. As to the pancake custom, no doubt that is most religiously observed by the readers of "N. & Q.," in obedience to the rubric of the Oxford Sausage:
"Let glad Shrove Tuesday bring the pancake thin,
Or fritter rich, with apples stored within."
According to Fitz-Stephen, "After dinner, all the youths go into the fields to play at the ball. The scholars of every school have their ball and bastion in their hands. The ancient and wealthy men of the city come forth on horseback to see the sport of the young men, and to take part of the pleasure, in beholding their agility." And till within the last few years:
"... The humble play
Of trap or football on a holiday,
In Finsbury fields,"—
was sufficiently common in the neighbourhood of London and other places. See Brande's Popular Antiquities, vol. i. pp. 63-94. (Bohn's edition), and Hone's Every-Day Book, vol. i. pp. 244. 255-260.]
Vossioner; its Meaning.—In looking over a parcel of brass rubbings made some years since, I find the word vossioner used, and not knowing its signification, I should be glad to be enlightened on the subject; but, in order to enable your readers to judge more correctly, I think it better to copy the whole of the epitaph in which the word occurs. The plate is in Ufton Church, near Southam, county Warwick; it measures eighteen inches in width by sixteen deep.
"Here lyeth the boddyes of Richard Hoddomes, Parsson and Pattron and Vossioner of the Churche and Parishe of Oufton, in the Countie of Warrike, who died one Mydsomer Daye, 1587. And Margerye his Wiffe wth her seven Childryn, as namelye, Richard, John, and John, Anne, Jane, Elizabeth, Ayles, his iiii Daughters, whose soule restethe with God."
I give the epitaph verbatim, with its true orthography. There are some curious points in this epitaph. First, the date of the death of the clergyman only is given; second, the children are called hers, while the four daughters are his; and two of the sons bear the same Christian name, whilst only one soul is said to rest with God. The family is represented kneeling. Above the inscription, and between the clergyman and his lady, is a desk, on which is represented two books lying open before them.
J. B. Whitborne.
[Vossioner seems to be corruption of the Italian vossignor, your lord, or the lord, i.e. owner or proprietor. Many similar words were introduced by the Italian ecclesiastics inducted into Church livings during the sixteenth century. The inscription is given in Dugdale's Warwickshire, vol. i. p. 358.]
The Game of Chess.—At what period was the noble game of chess introduced into the British Isles; and to whom are we indebted for its introduction among us?
B. Ashton.
[The precise date of the introduction of this game into Britain is uncertain. What has been collected respecting it will be found in the Hon. Daines Barrington's paper in Archæologia, vol. ix. p. 28.; and in Hyde's treatise, Mandragorias, seu Historia Shahiludii. Oxoniæ, 1694.]
A Juniper Letter.—Fuller, in describing a letter written by Bishop Grosthead to Pope Innocent IV., makes use of a curious epithet, of which I should be glad to meet with another instance, if it be not simply a "Fullerism":
"Bishop Grouthead offended thereat, wrote Pope Innocent IV. such a juniper letter, taxing him with extortion and other vicious practices."—Church History, book III., A.D. 1254.
J. M. B.
["A juniper lecture," meaning a round scolding bout, is still in use among the canting gentry.]