156
NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 8. HI. FEB. 24, 1917.
Fund, and the Guinness Dwellings now
occupy the site.
The Hermitage, Yeoman's Row, was a pretty little villa, standing just at the back of what is now known as Ovington Square and Ovington Gardens. It was from 1806 until 1814 (when she left England) the residence of Mdme. Catalani, and in an advertisement in The Times of April 11, 1815 (reprinted on the same date in 1915), this house was announced to be for sale by Messrs. Robins. It is there described as
" a singularly elegant Residence. . . .an unequalled Bus in Urbe, fitted up in a style of elegance few could equal, and is seated in the centre of near 2 acres of pleasure grounds and gardens, laid out with infinite taste. . . .held for 30 years at a reserved rent," &c.
This house, like Blacklands, ended its days as a lunatic asylum, and finally was pulled down in 1844. ALAN STEWART.
ANCIENT IRISH TITLES (12 S. iii. 91). MR. McGovERN will be interested in the following :
" The M'Quillin (deceased).
" Adult male M'Quillins are requested to nominate a M'Quillin for election to chieftainship. Address ." Freeman's Journal, Dublin, Feb. 5, 1917.
The M'Quillins act in accordance with ancient custom by electing one of their number to the M'Quillinship, though, in the past, a " strong man " has, now and again in their history, assumed the dignity,
MR. McGovERN knows the chief of a clan must not, when elected, have lost a limb, or be blind, or physically incapable.
The ancestral ruin of the M'Quillins is Dunluce Castle (Dun-lis = " a strong camp "), Giant's Causeway, County Antrim. It is said to be equipped with two ghosts one in M'Quillin's Tower, the other (a lady) in the Banshee's Tower both eminently " respect- able " spirits ! BERNARD BACACH.
STAFFORDSHIRE M.P.S (12 S. iii. 90). John Levett, Lichfield, 1701-2. Is not this date a mistake ? should it not be 1761-2 ? If this supposition is correct, the following n^te may be of service :
John Levett, born Lichfield, 1722 ; son of Theophilus Levett ; matriculated Brase- nose College, Oxford, Feb. 23, 1739 ; barrister - at - Law, Inner Temple, 1743; M.P. Lichfield, April 8, 1761 ; unseated on petition, February, 1762 ; died Nov. 22, 1799 ; of Wichnor, by purchase, 1765.
Rowland Okeover, Stafford, 1685-7. May be the same as Sir Roland (or Row- land) Okeover, born Okeover, 1624 ; son of Humfrey Okeover; matriculated Wad-
ham College, Oxford, May 8, 1640 ; knighted
April 19, 1661 ; of Okeover ; married Mercy,.,
daughter of Edward Goodyere of Heythrop^.
Oxon ; died 1692.
John Pershall, Stafford, 1761-2, There is a pedigree of Sir John Peshall in the Ash- mo lean MSS.
Edwin Skrymshire, Stafford, 1681. Born 1663 ; son of Gerard Skrymshire of Aqua- late ; matriculated Trinity College, Oxon, Nov. 9, 1650 ; B.A., Oct. 'l2, 1652 ; student Middle Temple, 1655 ; M.P. Stafford, 1681 ; one of the intended knights of the Royal Oak temp. Charles II. ; married, 1659, Joyce,, daughter of William Awbrey of Bishop's Grendon, Herefordshire ; died 1689.
Daniel Watson, Lichfield, 1660>. Born Burton, 1617, son of Henry Watson ; matriculated Queen's College, Oxon, April 10, 1635 ; barrister-at-law, Gray's Inn, 1645 ; M.P. Lichfield, 1659-60; unseated June 27, 1660.
All the above are from Simms's ' Biblio- theca Staffordiensis.'
HOWARD H. COTTEHELL, F.RJHist.S.
Walsall.
[In Dr. Magrath's 'The Flemings in Oxford," vol. i. App. F., is given the full list of the persons proposed as Knights of the Royal Oak, with figures in parentheses denoting their several annual incomes. At p. 518, under "Stafford," appears "Edwin Scrimshire, Esq. (1,000)"]
FRANCIS BALDWIN, 1564 (12 S. iii. 90). Franciscus Balduinus, whose- name OTTTIS turns into English, was Fraj^ois Baudouin,.. a native of Arras, where he was born Jan. 1, 1520. He died in 1573. He wrote in Latin on law, history, and controversial divinity,, and was first a friend, and afterwards an opponent, of Calvin. Various biographical dictionaries mention him, either as Baudouin or as Balduinus. Those, however, which I have been able to consult omit his principal claim to remembrance in these days. He was virtually the discoverer of Minucius Felix,, whose only known work, an elegant dialogue called ' Octavius,' is perhaps the earliest extant defence of Christianity by a Latin writer. Perhaps I may quote from the introduction to a translation of the ' Oota- vius ' published by Messrs. George Bell &: Sons in 1903 :
Minucius was unknown during a great part of the Middle Ages. The only manuscript of the ' Octavius ' is a minuscule of the ninth eentury, and has been for many years in the Paris Library. It> is headed : ' Arnobii liber VII. explicit. Incipit liber VIII. feliciter.' Now, Arnobius's celebrated! work against the Pagans contains only seven books ;: there is no eighth book of Arnobius. Unfortu- nately, when these seven books? were first edited.
