Temple.
Hugh Peachell—Sir John Marsham.—Can any of your correspondents give me information respecting one Hugh Peachell, of whom I find the following curious notice in a bundle of MSS. in the State Paper Office, marked "America and West Indies, No. 481A."
"St. Michael's Toune in ye Barbados, Sept. 30. [1670]. Jo Neuington, Addrese w. Mr. James Drawater, Mercht at Mr. Jo. Lindapp's, at ye Bunch of Grapes in Ship yard by Temple barre.—All ye news I can write from here is, yt one Hugh Peachell, who hath been in this Island allmost twenty years and lived wth many persons of good esteem, and was last with Coll. Barwick. It was observed that he gained much monyes, yet none thrived lesse than hee; and falling sicke about 3 weeks since, was much troubled in his conscience, but would not utter himself to any but a minister, who being sent for He did acknowledge himself ye person yt cut of ye head of King Charles, for wch he had 100lbs and wth much seeming penitence and receiving such comforts as the Devine, one parson Leshely, an emminent man here, could afford him, he dyed in a quarter of an hour afterwards. This you may report for truth, allthough you should not have it from any other hand. He had 100lbs for ye doing of itt. There is one Wm. Hewit condemned for ye same, I think now in Newgate; he will be glad you acquaint him of this if he have it not allready."
Oldmixon, in his British Empire in America, mentions a Sir John Marsham of Barbados; was he a knight or baronet, and when did he die?
W. Downing Bruce, F.S.A.
Middle Temple.
Legend represented in Frettenham Church.—Perhaps some one of your numerous readers may
be able to give an explanation of the following legend, for such I suppose it to be:—
In the parish church of Frettenham, co. Norfolk, several alabaster carvings were discovered some years ago, near the chancel arch, having traces of colour. The most perfect, and the one which had most claims to merit as a piece of sculpture, represented a very curious scene. A horse was standing fixed in a kind of stocks, a machine for holding animals fast while they were being shod. But it (the horse) had only three legs: close by stood a Bishop, or mitred Abbot, holding the horse's missing fore quarter, on the hoof of which a smith was nailing a shoe. Of course the power which had so easily removed a leg would as easily replace it.
The details of the story may be very safely conjectured to have been—a Bishop or high church dignitary is going on a journey or pilgrimage; his horse drops a shoe; on being taken to a smith's to have it replaced, the animal becomes restive, and cannot be shod even with the help of the stocks; whereupon the bishop facilitates the operation in the manner before described. One feels tempted to ask why he could not have replaced the shoe without the smith's intervention.