Philadelphia.
"Chair" or "Char."—I am desirous of ascertaining the meaning of this term, as occurring frequently in the Cambridgeshire Fens. It is variously spelt, chair, chaire, chare, or char. In the Cambridgeshire dialect it may be remarked, air or are is pronounced as "ar." Thus, upstairs, bare, are "upstars," "bar." There is a Char Fen at Stretham, laid down in Sir Jonah Moore's Map (1663). There is also a Chare Fen at Cottenham; and at Littleport is a place called Littleport Chair. This last had the name at least as early as Edward II.'s reign; as in a description of a neighbouring fen, not later than that date, one boundary is "A le chaire per Himmingslode usque Gualslode End." A friend who has searched the documents in the Fen Office at Ely on this subject for me, has been unable to discover the least clue to the meaning of the term.
At Newcastle-on-Tyne, a narrow street or passage between houses is called a chare; but there is nothing narrow about Char Fen, which was part of an open common. The course of the rivers at Littleport may be imagined to form a rude outline of a chair or seat; but this does not apply to the other instances in which the name occurs.
There are numerous local names in the fens, of which the history may be traced for some centuries, deserving investigation.
E. G. R.
Aches.—I am aware that there is abundant proof of "aches" being a dissyllable when Shakspeare wrote, and long after; but I wish to know whether there is any rhyme earlier than that in Butler, which fixes the pronunciation as artches.
S. S.
Leeming Hall.—There was formerly a mansion somewhere between Liverpool and Preston, called Leeming Hall. Can any of the correspondents of "N. & Q." inform me if it still exists, and what is the name of the present owner? I should also be glad to have some information respecting the genealogy of the family of Leemings, who formerly lived there, or to learn the name and residence of some member of the family to whom I could apply for such information.
G.
Caricature; a Canterbury Tale.—Many facts are recorded in the caricatures of the day, of which there is no other account. The reference of the following may be well known, but I should feel obliged by any of your correspondents explaining it. Fox, the Prince of Wales, and a third figure (?), are in a boat pushing off from shore, with Burke looking over a wall with a large bag in his hand. He says, "D——me, Charley, don't leave me in the lurch;" who replies, "Self-preservation is the first law of nature." His companions joining with "Push off, Charley, push off."