190
NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. ix. SEPT. 5, iou.
A NAPOLEONIC BUTTON. I have a button
said to have been worn on his uniform by
Napoleon I. On one side is the letter N
surmounted by a crown ; and on the other,
going round the button, " A. Bonnardot &
Cie, F eur de 1'Empereur," with a crown and
the words " G & Cie " in the centre.
Can any one say if this was a button likely to have belonged to the Emperor himself ? I surmise that Bonnardot was " Facteur de 1'Empereur." RAVEN.
PRESENTING THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON TO THE CONSTABLE OF THE TOWER. Sir Henry Calthrop's interesting little work ' The Liberties, Usages, and Customes of the City of London,' &c., 1642, provides at p. 19 the following :
" The Constable of the Tower of London, in the default of the Barons of the Exchequer being absent from Westminster, and also of the King at such times as the Major ought to be polluted [sic], must take the oaths of the Major and of the Sheriffes without the Tower Gates."
For " polluted " we, of course, read pre- sented, but the appended reference, " lib. albo. fol. 36 b, Anno 12 H. 3," is appa- rently incorrect, as I cannot trace the original form of this direction, and it has possibly escaped the notice of several writers on this subject.
I shall be greatly obliged for any references. ALECK ABRAHAMS.
DAUGHTER OF A ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL- MASTER TEMP. ELIZABETH. A Hungarian traveller Martin Csombor, who in 1616-18 made an extensive tour in Europe, mostly on foot, mentions in his description of London the daughter of the schoolmaster of St. Paul's who, at the age of 15, wrote for Queen Eliza- beth a book of poetry in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, which " even after her death " was republished and read with great delight by everybody. What was the clever young lady's name ? L. L. K.
REV. WILLIAM LANGBALNE, RECTOR OF TROTTON, SUSSEX. In his will and codicil (dated respectively 1771 and 1779) he speaks of a niece Elizabeth Alcock, to whom he leaves " Buttermilk Hall," in Oving parish, Bucks; of a great-niece Mary, and great- nephews William and Charles, children of John Alcock ; and of estates in East Wittering parish, Sussex.
If any Alcocks of the above family are extant, have they any Langbaine informa- tion ? Please reply direct.
HENRY BRIERLEY. Pooley Bridge, Westmorland.
A SIXTEENTH-CENTURY FLEMISH SIDE-
BOARD. I have recently had the oppor-
tunity of examining an interesting carved
oak sideboard of sixteenth-century Flemish
workmanship. It is such a splendid example
that I feel it will in all probability be known
to furniture collectors and experts.
I should be glad to know if the piece can be recognized from the following descrip- tion ; and what fables, legends, and persons the scenes carved on the cupboard doors represent.
The sideboard contains six cupboards : three above the board, and three below. On the top right-hand cupboard door are carved two foxes, a stag, and a tree faintly resembling a vine. One of the foxes is carrying two geese by their necks, whilst the other appears to be attempting to reach the fruit on the tree. Possibly this is intended to represent the fable of the fox and the grapes. The centre cupboard door is ornamented by a mermaid combing her hair in front of a mirror, whilst a " bird- beast," not unlike the " griffin " of ' Alice in Wonderland,' looks on. Two goats and a horse are carved on the third door.
Only two of the three bottom cupboards are carved, both bearing female heads, apparently those of queens, as both wear crowns. CARL T. WALKER.
Mottingham, Kent.
BONAR. The Rev. A. C. W. Hallan in Northern Notes and Queries, iv. 114, sug- gests that this surname was of Flemish origin, and came into Scotland in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, when there was a large immigration of tradesmen from Flanders. Can any of your readers give me a reference to its being in common use in Flanders at the above period or earlier ? Can they give me any information of its being now in use there ?
HORATIUS BONAR.
Edinburgh.
WHITFIELD. I am seeking for informa- tion about persons bearing the surname Whitfield or Whitefield, and shall be most grateful to any reader who can supply me with any. A. S. WHITFIELD.
High Street, Walsall.
" KENNEDIE." To what bit of Scots history do the following lines refer ?
'Twixt Wigton an' th' town of Ayr, Portpatrick an' th' Creves of Cree,
No man need think for biding there, Unless he count the Kennedie.
THOS. RATCLIFFE.
