Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/129

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ii s. vi. AUU. 10, i9i-2.j NOTES AND QUERIES.


101


LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1913.


CONTENTS. No. 137.

NOTES : The Rev. Richard Penneck, 101 Lowndes's ' Bibliographer's Manual," 103 Calcutta Statues and Memorials, 104 The Royal Standard and St. Martin's- in-the-Fields Morris Dancers A Goethe Quotation in Carlyle and Ruskin, 106 Drogo, Count of the Vexin Dick Turpin's Pistol, 107 "Bag and baggage" In- ventory of 1701 Unusual Symbolism, 108.

QUERIES : Sir John Beale of Kent : his Baronetcy ' Mandrakes found at Albury,' 108 Sir Henry Lawson's Papers Author Wanted References Wanted Throwing Balls in Church on Easter Monday Armourers and Brasiers' Company Regent's Circus, 109 Mary Seymour Magic Lucky Pear at Colstoun, Haddingtpnshire The Bxiyal George : Name of Durham Biographical Informa- tion Wanted Hanwell : Brewerne Abbey Irish Parish Registers Touching for Jaundice, 110' Van Dyck and the Sunflower,' 111.

REPLIES : Brodribb of Somerset, 111 Barrow at Gotham Employment of Counsel in Trial for Treason, 112 Casa- nova and Charles Fox, 113 Prebendary Gabriel Grant " By a fluke "Duration of Families in Male Line, 114 Ships lost in the Great Storm Ballad of Lord Lovel, 115 Milton Portrait by Samuel Cooper William Penn or George Penne Weather Rime Author of Quotation Wanted, 116 Delafield Arms " Morgenstunde hat Gold im Munde," 117 The Fitzwilliam Family "Aircraft": "Turnout" References Wanted, 118.

NOTES ON BOOKS: -The Oxford Dictionary "The Nineteenth Century ' ' The Burlington.'

Booksellers' Catalogues. Notices to Correspondents.


JSofes.

THE REV. RICHARD PEXXECK

(1728-1803).

THE post of Superintendent or Keeper of the Reading-Room at the British Museum has been filled by many scholars eminent in English literature, but not one of them surpassed the Rev. Richard Penneck in the friendship of the illustrious writers of the day. He was the fifth son of Charles Penneck of Taskus, in Gwinear, Cornwall (steward of the estates of Lord Godolphin), who married at Morvah in that county, on 1 October, 1712, Lydia, eldest daughter of John Borlase of Pendeen. He was baptized at Gwinear on 14 April, 1728, and educated by a Mr. White at the grammar school of the neighbouring town of Helston. On 7 March, 1745/6, he was admitted as pensioner at Trinity College, Cambridge, became a scholar of the college in 1747, and graduated B.A. 1749. M.A. 1753. He was a candidate for a Fellowship at his college in 1752, but was defeated by Richard


Cumberland. This was generally regretted, especially as the regulations had been altered adversely to Penneck's interest. Cumberland graduated tenth wrangler in the mathematical tripos 1750-51, and was " elected to his fellowship in the second year after his degree, the regulations which had hitherto excluded candidates until their third year having been altered on this occasion." 'D.N.B.,' sub Richard Cumberland.

Penneck was probably the Richard Pen- neck who was ordained at Exeter on 3 May, 1750, and licensed on the following day to the curacy of Cubert in Cornwall (informa- tion from Mr. Thomas W. Burch). In 1757 he was elected one of the four chaplains on the foundation of his college, and remained such until 1802. The duties of the post could not have been arduous, for in 1758 he was appointed chaplain to the embassy at Madrid of George William, second Earl of Bristol. This appointment he resigned in January, 1760. Lady Hervey regretted his action : he was " a moral man and a good ecclesiastic " (' Letters,' p. 263).

"A Sermon preached on the general fast day, March the 12th, 1762, at the parish church of St. Catharine Cree," by Penneck, and printed in that year, was dedicated by him to Francis, Earl of Godolphin, with fitting acknowledgment of his " many instances of Benevolence " and his " noble manner." In the following year Penneck was appointed to the lectureship of that church, and had the reputation in London of being an eloquent preacher. Through Lord Godolphin's influence he became rector of Abinger in Surrey on 26 July, 1764, and vicar of St. John's, Horsleydown, on 9 October, 1765. These preferments he held until his death (Manning and Bray, ' Surrey,' ii. 144 ; iii. 613).

Penneck became connected with the science of his day by his election as F.R.S. on 14 April, 1768; and he was brought into contact with literature by his appointnient as Keeper of the British Museum in succes- sion to Peter Templeman, whose resigna- tion took effect on 18 December, 1760. The manuscript of Fray Gerund de Campazas which he presented to that institution on 10 January, 1772, is of sufficient importance to have been described in Bernard Gaudeau, ' Les Precheurs Burlesques en Espagne ' (1891), pp. 458-9. His rooms in the British Museum were the centre of much convivial life. " He had a turn for humour and poetry. Whenever I received an invitation to dine with him, it was generally conveyed in rhyme," is the language of John Taylor of