11 S. I. MAR. 12, 1910.]
NOTES AND QUERIES.
205
tions, they would be troubled by persons
desiring to see them. In that case, if the
owner objected, he could easily send a polite
refusal. These catalogues would be most
valuable to historical students and students
of economics.
In consulting the Reports issued by the Historical MSS. Commission one often finds that the present owner of some of the manu- scripts is unknown.
If a bibliography of these private lists were compiled, it would supply the necessary indications to the position of the collections.
T. C.
MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS. I do not know what progress other counties are making with the work of recording these aids to genealogical research, affording as they do .much additional ^information to that obtainable from the p'arish registers ; but within the past four years (1906-9) nearly half the county of Hertford has had the inscriptions recorded by voluntary workers. The lists for each Hundred Edwinstree, Odsey, Braughing, and Hitchin have been carefully transcribed, indexed, and bound in volumes for reference ; and inquiries will be freely answered if a stamped and addressed envelope is enclosed.
W. B. GEBJSH.
Bishop's Stortford.
ALDERMAN ATKINS AND THE THOMASON TRACTS. Many readers of these tracts have been puzzled as to the cause of the countless stories regarding Atkins which must have made his life a misery to him. They are all quite unquotable. Perhaps one which may be described as amusing is to be found in Mercurius Pragmaticus for King Charles II., June 5-12, 1649, which, I think, was written by Sheppard. The Man in the Moon, Feb. 20-27, 1650, has another story on p. 350.
The solution of all this (it is not quite quotable) is to be found in * Free Parliament Queries l (20 April, 1660), E 1019 (23).
J. B. WILLIAMS.
TATTOOED HEADS. In the review of ('<>]. Rivett - Carnac's interesting 'Many Memories '- (ante, p. 178), reference is made to the collecting of skulls in India. This recalls t<> my mind the fact that a shameful trade in tattooed heads was carried on with the natives of New Zealand by the traders, who sold the heads to various museums. Slaves wrro tattooed for the sole purpose. Governor Darling issued a proclamation in 1831 for the suppression of the practice. It is a positive fact that the head of a live man
was sold and paid for beforehand, and
afterwards delivered " as per agreement.'*
This slave, who had the hardihood to run
away with his own head after trouble and
expense had been incurred in tattooing it to
make it valuable, is no fiction. For fuller
particulars see 'Old New Zealand,' by
a Pakeha Maori (the late F. E. Maning).
WILLIAM R. ADAMS.
OLNEY IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. The two items which follow are from the testa- mentary records of the Commissary Court of London, now preserved in the Principal Probate Registry.
The will of Robert Olney of " Weston Undyrwode, ? * " Squyer," dated 20 Jan., 1486, is in Book Lichfield, folio 100.
The will of Thomas Roberd, ' ' f ysch- monger,'* of London, dated 1499, contains the following :
" I bequeth to the chirch of Olney in the Counte of Bukk' XLs. It'm, to the Reparacions of the Brige of the same Town XLs. It'm, I will that an obyte be kepte for my soule in seyd chirch of Olney And spent in Syngyng and Byngyng in Bred and Ale XLs." Book Harvey, folio 201.
The testator's parish church was St. Nicholas Coleabbey. GILBERT HUDSON.
" CLERIC S ^AND THE ' N.E.D/ This word was used for clerk or scrivener as well as priest or minister. Henry Walker describes himself as cleric in this sense only on the title-pages of his ' Perfect Occurrences.* So also does Daniel Border, who was not a preacher, like Walker, on his ' Faithful Scout * of 1649. Again, The Man in the Moon, Oct. 17-24, 1649, says of Walker :
" If ever you saw the picture of Judas in a
painted cloth, it is just like him He hath
been of divers professions ; as, first, an iron- monger ; Secondly, a bookseller ; Third, a preacher ; Fourth, a clerk or Machiavillian pamphleteer ; and hath a long time done penance in two sheets of ' Perfect Occurrences.' "
J. B. WILLIAMS.
"RosE ?J IN THE 'N.E.D.' Under 'Rose * Dr. Craigie says : " The petals of the rose have been used for various economical pur- poses : cf. Attar, Otto, Rose -cake, Rose- vinegar, Rose-water, etc." J Surely mention ought to have been made here of the medicinal use of rose-petals, which are, and always have been, in our official Materia Medica, and are used directly in the prepara- tion of confection of roses and acid infusion of roses. The omission is the stranger because the medicinal use of rosemary (which is itself no longer official) is noted. The definition of " rose - water " is " wate
