Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 10.djvu/27

12 S. X. JAN. 7. 1922.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 17 Protestant faith. Though he was excepted from banishment under the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, his sons had to resign their commissions in the Army and Navy. After his death his body was refused honourable sepulture, but his son Henri erected a statue to his memory at Geneva (see Charnock, ' History of Naval Archi- tecture,' vo ! . ii., pp. 311-13). For copious biographies of Duquesne and | Renau see Larousse ; and for a description j of the " hell-burner," or infernal machine j invented by the Italian, Giambelli, and used to destroy the Duke of Parma's bridge over the Scheldt during the siege of Ant- werp, see Motley, ' History of the United I Netherlands,' vol. i., pp. 190-97. The bomb -ketch must have been intro- j duced into the British Navy between 1684 and 1688, as it is not noticed in the enumera- j tion of vessels given by Charnock, vo 1 . ii., pp. 422-25. Boats of this description took part in the battle of Copenhagen (1801), where they were placed in a row behind the line of warships and fired their mortars over them into the town and fortifications. They were also used ineffectively by Nelson j in his unsuccessful attack on the Boulogne j flotilla of invasion in August of the same year ; but in the bombardment of Sve iborg in 1855 they did excellent service ; for these occasions see the volumes of Clowes. Berkeley, Cal. N. W. 1 HILL. DOMINOES (12 S. ix. 447). As to the material of which Napier's " bones " were composed, the following may be quoted from The Standard newspaper of Oct. 5, 1912: The first calculating machine ever invented is to be put on the market shortly by Messrs. Sotheby. The parent of the modern slide-rule is known as " Napier's Bones." It was the device of John Napier, Baron of Merchiston, who invented the present notation of decimal fractions and the canon of logarithms. . . . " Napier's Bones " are wooden and metal numbering rods, and by manipulating them in conjunction with some numbered metal plates a calculator was able to add, subtract, divide, and multiply large numbers with much greater speed than the un- assisted brain allowed. In William Lilly's ' History of his Life and Times,' he says, " Lord Merchiston was a great lover of astrology " ; and the edition ol 1822 contains a portrait of Napier in the act of manipulating his invention 4 ' from a rare print by Delaram." W. B. H. TURNER FAMILY (12 S. v. 94, 249 ; viii. 238, 299). Notwithstanding the notes at the above references, and searches that have been made, I have not yet been able to connect the family of Turner of Martholme and Altham with that of Manchester and Wilmslow, and as I feel convinced that the information required can only be supplied from private records, I again appeal to readers of ' N. & Q.' who may have any genealogical data regarding Turner families to help me if they can. The first of the family of whom I have record Was Robert Turner of Martholme, in 1687. He was buried at Great Harwood Church, Dec. 2, 1727. The name of his wife is not known, but he left, with other issue, a son, Thomas Turner of Martholme, a trustee of township charities in 1743 and 1759. He married and had issue : - 1. Margaret Turner, born 1723, died 1790. She married, firstly, Giles Hoyle of Altham Hall; secondly, Thomas Royston of Great Harwood. 2. William Turner of Martholme, of whom presently (I.). 3. Thomas Turner of Altham Hall; bpt. at Great Harwood, Aug. 13, 1731 ; died April 10, 1812 (II.). 4. Robert Turner of Blackburn ; died Oct. 17, 1811 (III.). 5. Jennet Turner ; bpt. at Great Har- wood, Nov. 1, 1738. 6. John Turner, M.D. , of Hobstones, Colne. William, Thomas and Robert built up a large business in calico-printing in the vicinity of Blackburn. I. William Turner, of Martholme, born 1727, married Jane, daughter of William Mitchell, or Robinson, of Hoarstones, in Pendle Forest, on Jan. 3, 1753. He died May 22, 1782, aged 55, having had issue : 1. Thomas Turner, born 1755, died 1781. 2. Robinson Turner, born 1757, died 1761. 3. William Turner, born 1758, died 1796 (of Mart holme). 4. James Turner, born 1759, of Carter Place, Haslingden. He married Mary, dau. of Ralph Ellison, gentleman, of Accriiigton, and died May 30, 1822. 5. John Turner ; bpt. at Great Harwood, Sept. 21, 1761. 6. Edward Turner ; bpt. at Great Har- wood, Feb. 4, 1766 ; of Woodlands, near Manchester. He married Alice He died May 26, 1833, and was buried at St. Mark's, Cheetham Hill. She died March 26, 1830.