Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 4.djvu/210

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. iv. SEPT . 9, 1911.


-portrait, signed F. J. Skill, was for some few years a leading attraction. After 1854 he was, however, superseded by Francesco Sargent, whose woodcut portraits were less ^artistic, but who was, no doubt, better at a likeness. Skill always had the ambition to be an illustrator of serial stories'; but, except on CasselTs Family Paper (1860-61), his talents in this direction were slighted. "Time and again he would join the staff of

Some ephemeral weekly or monthly ; but

.after leaving The London Journal he cannot "be said to have prospered. For portraits on wood H. Anelay had in those days first place on The Illustrated London News ; Bow Bells employed T. H. Wilson ; while CasselVs favoured many portrait - artists, amongst others Ed. Morin, and, best of all, the late 'Thomas Dewell Scott.

Towards the last Skill devoted himself to landscape-painting, visiting the Continent rBkstching notably at Venice. Between 1858 and 1876 he exhibited twenty-six pictures in London, yet with disheartening results. Had he striven more after force .and action in his work, and less, maybe, after dainty pencilling, he would perhaps have been a greater success ; but, alas ! passed over while he lived, he is now remembered only by a couple of pictures .at South Kensington and a few lines in Bryan. I do not think he ever married. Bryan does not give his Christian names in full ; I believe they were Frederick John. HERBERT B. CLAYTON.

39, Renfrew Road, Lower Kennington Lane.


URBAN V.'S FAMILY NAME.

POPE URBAN V. (1362-70) appears to have been a man of talent, learning, and integrity, and was connected with England by his attempt to put into practical force John's

frant of England as a fief to the Papal ee, and also by his contest with Wickliff. But I find no little confusion as to his family name, and am led by examination of the point to conclude that, instead of belonging to some otherwise totally obscure French family, he was a scion of one of the oldest and most powerful of the European mediaeval septs, i.e., of the Grimaldi, Princes of Monaco, Salerno, &c., and holders of numerous dukedoms, mar- quisates, &c., in Italy, Spain, and France.

That there is uncertainty in the matter is clear from the fact of his family name being so diversely given by various writers. 'The excellent ' Histoire d'Urbain V.' by


Abbe Magnan (Paris, 1862) calls Urban V. Guillaume de Grimoard, and does not mention his family beyond his father. ;I have been unable to procure copies of the lives of Urban V. by Charbonald (Paris, 1872) and by Albanes (Paris, 1872), so I am unaware by what name those writers call this Pope. Other writers spell the name as follows :

1. Grimoard. Platina ; Duchesne ; Camp- bell ; Waller ; Gould ; Choisy ; McBurney ; Chambers ; Gregorovius ; .Mosheim ; ' Ency- clopaedia Americana.'

2. Grimoardi. Bosquet ; Muratcri ; Taylor ; Bower.

3. Grimardi. Duchesne ; Rose.

4. Grimaud. Pleury ; Nicolas.

5. Grimoald. Froissart ; ' Encyclopaedia Britannica.'

6. Grimoaldi. Henschenio ; Riccioli.

7. Grymbold. Bale.

8. Grimaldo. Dobelli ; ' Bullarum Roman- orum.'

9. Grimaldi. Cavallerus, ' Pontificum Ro- manoruin Effigies' ; ' Epitome Pontificum Romanorum Cardinalium ' ; a Latin Life.

10. Grimoaldus. Baronius, Raynaldi.

There is a sufficient similarity between these varieties to suggest their being variants of the same name, and the only great family name of that time among them is No. 9, Grimaldi, Grimaud (4) is a corruption of the same ; for in Provence is the Golfe de Grimaud, named after Gibalin Grimaldi, who conquered that part from the Saracens ( Pemberton, ' History of Monaco ' ). As, therefore, in Gibalin's case Grimaldi was turned to Grimaud, so it may have been in that of Urban V. The spelling Grymbold (7) is that applied to the Elizabethan poet Nicholas Grimaldi, who in his ' Cicero ' spells his name Grimald. For the same reason Urban' s name may have been corrupted from Grimaldi to Grymbold. Grimoald (5), Grimoaldi (8), and Grimoaldus (10), are evidently the same name with Italian and Latin terminations. In this form the early Dukes of Benevento often appear, instead of as Grimaldi. The spel- lings Grimardi (3) and Grimoard (1) differ more It seems as if the I had been accident- ally changed to r, and then perpetuated. Otherwise all the spellings appear to be derived from Grimaldi.

This conclusion is almost certain, since three authorities gi^ nis name as Grimaldi, viz., Cavallerus, * Pontificum Romanorum Effigies,' Basse, 1585 ; Panvinius, 'Epitome,' Venetiis, 1559 ; and a Latin Life of Jrban V. in which he and his brother are spoken of as " Gullielimus Grimaldi" and " Angelicus Grimaldi."