90
NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. i. JAN. ao, 190*.
Now the existence of an "Axe Yard" cer-
tainly indicates a yard to which had formerly
been attached an inn with the sign of an
axe. The incongruity could never have
occurred to Cunningham of associating what
was presumably the symbol of one saint to
wit, St. Ursula with the name of another ;
more appropriate, rather, would be some
emblem of St. Helen, to the prioress and
convent of whom, in Bishopsgate, the church
of St. Mary Axe belonged until the priory's
dissolution. There was also an Ax Alley
in Leadenhall Street in 1732 (see a scarce
volume, ' New Remarks of. London, collected
by the Company of Parish Clerks,' of that
year, p. 77) ; and Hughson in his ' History of
London" (vol. ii. p. 163) says that "St. Mary
Axe was so called from its situation opposite
the Axe Inn." Whether the site of St. Mary
Axe Church can be identified by comparing
it with that of Axe Yard in Ogilby's map
I cannot at present say, but St. Mary's,
says Hughson, "stood on the West side of
St. Mary's Street, now St. Mary Axe."
There is also a description, in Taylor's 'Carriers' Cosmographie,' 1637, of the "Axe," in St. Mary Axe. This description, however, I do not quite understand, and perhaps COL. PRIDEAUX could kindly explain the difficulty, for the Water-poet has two allusions to the inn as follows :
" The Carriers of Coventry doe lodge at the signe of the Axe in St. Mary Axe, in Aldermanbury " (italics mine).
Again :
" The Carriers of Derby and other parts of Derby shire doe lodge at the Axe in St. Mary Axe, neen Aldermanbury."
I confess I do not understand this descrip- tion by Taylor; for, as City distances go Aldermanbury is far distant from St. Mary Axe. The "Axe" Inn in Aldermanbury is given in both Ogilby's and Rocque's maps the latter dated 1746
Finally, in the Exhibition Catalogue de- scribing the Gardner collection of views, prints, &c., relating to the topography oi London, Westminster, and Southwark, which were exhibited at the Guildhall in, I think 1872, are items relating to two exterior views by Richardson, in water colour, of the "Golden Axe " in St. Mary Axe, as it appeared in 1855
The question, of course, is then, Did the church derive its designation from the inn or did the inn acquire its sign from its proximity to the church ? The probabilities I will be so bold as to aver, are all in favoui of hypothesis the first.
J. HOLDEN MACMlCHAEL. 161, Hammersmith Road.
RALEIGH : ITS PRONUNCIATION (9 th S. xii.
366, 497). It may serve to throw some light
upon this point to know that in the entries
of admissions into this Inn, where the name
appears under date 27 February, 1574/5, it is
written " Walter Rawley " ; and as there is
abundant evidence to show that these entries
were in most cases, if not all, taken down
trom word of mouth, and written by the
entering scribe phonetically, it may, I think,
be taken as certain that that spelling
represents the name as the owner pronounced
it, and there seems no good reason for
supposing that the sounds of those syllables
were not the same then as now. Just below
Sir Walter's entry in the register comes the
name of one Thomas Cockes, who is described
as of "Beamondes," Herts (meaning "Beau-
monts" in that county), a clear indication
that the clerk was writing from sound, as
above stated. JOHN HUTCHINSON.
Middle Temple Library.
'The Diary of John Manningham,' 1602-3, published by the Camden Society in 1858, has on p. 109 the following entry, which I think ought to be held conclusive as to the contemporary pronunciation :
" 30 Dec. 1602. Sir Wa. Rawley made this rime upon the name of a gallant, one Mr. Noel : The word of deniall, and the letter of fifty, Makes the gent, name that will never be thrifty.
(Noe. L.}
and Noel's answere,
The foe to the stommacke, and the word of disgrace, Shewes the gent, name with the bold face. (Raw. Ly.)"
AVERN PARDOE. Ontario Legislative Library.
MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (9 th S. xii. 148, 196, 238 ; 10 th S. i. 36). Perhaps it may not be uninteresting to mention that ' k the queen's letter to the .Scottish Estates announcing her marriage with the Dolphin, June 26, 1558," commences, "Marie, be the grace of God Quene of Scottis and Dolphines of Viennois, to the nobillitie and rest of the estaites_ of our realme"; and the queen's proclamation of 5 May, 1568, with "Mary, be the Grace of God Quene of Scottis." Vide pp. 493, 512 of 'Mary, Queen of Scots,' by David Hay Fleming (Hodder & Stoughton, 1897).
In the ' Family Records of the Bruces and Cumyns,' by M. E. Gumming Bruce (Black- wood & Sons, 1870), it is recorded at p. 566 :
"Nine commissioners were sent from Scotland to pass into the realme of France as represent- ing the three Estates, and there to contract the marriage of the most excellent Princess Marie, Queen of Scotland, our sovereign, with Francis,
