396
NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. n. NOV. 12, 190*.
vious source of the name as indicated by the
Editor is no doubt correct. JOHN T. PAGE.
West Haddon, Northamptonshire.
"Kissing gate is in use in the southern counties of England its origin the swinging of the gate between two shutting posts, each of which it touches in its swing. The touch is a kiss. JOHN P. STILWELL.
Hilfield, Yateley.
An Irish lady a few weeks ago boasted, as she helped a friend to pack, that no one was better than she at " kissing - gate parcels," and explained that in Ireland the hosts always accompanied the departing guest as far as the first or "kissing" gate, there to renew their farewells ; there, too, the "for- gets " were handed in. M. F. H.
ANTIQUARY v. ANTIQUARIAN (10 th S. i. 325,396; ii. 174, 237). The objection to the word "antiquarian" seems to be made on an insufficient ground. If " antiquary " had not been in existence, " antiquarian " would have been used without question. For the termination -arian is not absolutely adjectival, and even if it were, there is no reason why the adjective should not be used absolutely. ^ Thus we have barbarian, cen- tenarian, disciplinarian, humanitarian, sab- batarian, sectarian, tractarian, Unitarian, vegetarian, and many others. We do not call a man a " centenary " ; and " sectarian " has ousted the older "sectary." Moreover, the 'X.E.D.' gives "antiquarian" as an adjective used absolutely, and records no sentence of impropriety, quoting even Dr. Johnson himself as an authority. W. C. B.
It is, perhaps, worthy of mention that a hundred years ago the letters F.A.S. Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries were far more used to denote Fellowship of that body than were the letters F.S.A. I can give numerous instances of "F.R.S. and A.S." and the like being affixed to authors' names in different works.
CHAS. F. FORSHAW, LL.D., F.R.S.A.I.
Baltimore House, Bradford.
THE DECAMERON ' (10 th S. ii. 328). Much information as to this will be found in Ugo Foscolo's "Discorso storico sul testo del Decamerone," prefixed to Pickering's edition of 1825. Most of the important editions of the 'Decameron' are described in Gamba,
- Serie dei Testi.' J. F. R.
THOMAS BLACKLOCK (10 th S. ii. 228). I venture to suggest that the Gilbert Gordon referred to was Gilbert, collector of excise in Dumfries, who was served heir to his father
Archibald of Minidow. The latter died in?
1754. J. M. BULLOCH.
118, Pall Mall.
EPITAPHIANA (10 th S. ii. 322). If, as I infer, the Editor intends in future to allow an- occasional column or two of authenticated epitaphs under this heading, I trust corre- spondents will be more explicit in their statements as to where each particular epitaph is to be found. It is not enough to give the name of the church or churchyard ; the exact position of the stone, tablet, or tomb should certainly be indicated. The accompaniment of the name of the person for whom the epitaph was written of course adds- considerably to its value. The date on which the copy was taken might also be in evidence. By way of example I may say that I copied the third epitaph recorded by W. B. H. from All Saints' Churchyard, Hastings, on 13 May,, 1901. It is contained on a plain white upright stone standing a few paces south of the church tower. The epitaph is beneath an inscription " to the memory of John Arch- deacon, son of John and Ann Archdeacon, who departed this life June 5th, 1820, aged & years." JOHN T. PAGE.
West Haddon, Northamptonshire.
NINE MAIDENS (10 th S. ii. 128, 235). It is hardly a truism to say that the stone circles with which antiquaries are accustomed to associate the youth of the inhabited world exist in these realms in greater numbers than are dreamt of in our urban philosophy. And not only is this so with regard to those with which antiquaries have made us better acquainted, for there are those undiscovered circles which, forming grave mounds, have not yet been denuded "of the earth in which they are embedded, and which, as Llewellynn Jewitt says, would be among the best remaining examples of small " Druidical circles," as they are commonly called (LI. Jewitt's 'Grave Mounds,' 1870). W. Hutchinson, in his ' Excursion to the Lakes/ alludes to a place called Nine Churches (the repetition of the number in this connexion is perhaps remarkable), near Penrith ; and he also describes " Meg and her Daughters," near Little Salkeld, as being a circle of three hundred and fifty spaces formed by massy stones sixty-seven (not sixty-nine) of which stand upright of various qualities, forms, and dimensions, without any traces of art. The Keswick circle was also at one time, I think, if not now, known as " Meg and her Daughters." Both Pennant, in his 'Tour in Scotland,' and Henry Kett, in his 'Tour of the Lakes,' give an account of what,, in comparing
