Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 1.djvu/449

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n s. i. JUNE 4, mo.] NOTES AND QUERIES.


441


LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE /,, 1910.


CONTENTS.-No. 23.

NOTES : The Proclamation of the Sovereign in Scotland 441 George Bubb Dodington and his Circle, 443 Inscriptions at Malaga, 444 May-Day Songs Shake speare and the Green Sea Winter Wage and Summe Wage Koftgari Work " Cheminots," 446 " Postiers,' 447.

<JU ERIES : St. Lawrence's Tears " Scribble "Conn D'Orsay's Journal Duncan Liddel and J. Potinius Shakespeare: "Montjoy et St. Dennis," 447 "Quilt " Three-legged Race " Handyman "=Sailor G. Smith Contractor Mr. Agnew on the Huguenots Chaplains tc the Kings of England Comets and Princes Paul Kestei Latin Law Pleadings Strettell-Utterson, 448 Clergy men educated at Nonconformist Academies Warming City Churches Manorial Penalty Rolls -John Sparrow 449 -The Yew in Place-Names, 450.

REPLIES : Lady William Stanhope : Capt. Morris, 450 St. Austin's Gate, 451 The Lily-White Boys, 452 Admiral Tryon Prodigal Nabob Index to the Christian Fathers Wyclif and "Sister Me Needeth," 453 Borro^ in the Isle of Man Initial Letters for Names Coade an Artificial Stone, 454 Authors Wanted Hon. John Finch Peter Wilcock, 455 Truchsessian Gallery Major Johnson Notting Hill Ball Family, 456 " Pull "Mark Twain : Artemus Ward, 457" Galley " and " Worth " in Place-Names " Blessed word Mesopotamia," 458 Dickens: Shakespeare: " Woodbine," 459.

NOTES ON BOOKS : Mr. Tucker Brooke's Marlowe ' 'Folk-Stories from Southern Nigeria.'

Booksellers' Catalogues. Notices to Correspondents.


THE PROCLAMATION OF THE SOVEREIGN IN SCOTLAND.

AMONG the Royal Burghs there are many rights which are jealously guarded. These have been handed down from, time imme- morial, and are rightly looked upon as a heritage to be fenced in with every possible precaution, statutory and otherwise. Of these, one which is justly considered to rank high in the scale of privileges, liberties, and immunities in those Burghs which had " a recognized judicature and legislature of their own,' 1 is the right to proclaim the accession of sovereigns within Burghs Royal. By the 21st Article of the Act of the Union we find that all " the rights and privi- leges of the Royal Burghs of Scotland as they now are do remain entire after the Union, and notwithstanding thereof." Cer- tain Royal Burghs have the express right of Sheriffship, among them being Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, and Stirling. Sheriffship has been thus defined by Mr. Erskine :

"Our kings sometimes erected certain lands, which are only parts of a county, and at other times Royal Burghs, with the jurisdiction of Sheriff-


ship within themselves, in which cases the Judge of the privileged territory had a jurisdiction, cumulative with the jurisdiction of the Sheriff of the county within which it was locally situated.' '

The Estates, wishing to have all these matters in proper order, nominated one person to be employed for dispatching all proclamations, and on the occasion of the procedure in the case of James VI., the Privy Council ordered proclamations to be made at the Mercat Crosses of the different Burghs.

On the accession of Charles II. the Act passed by the Estates read as follows :

" Ordaines Johnne, earle of Lowdoun, Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. . . .to goe upon the Croce and read the said proclamatioun and ane herauld accompanied with his brethrene heraulds To proclaime the samyne. And whill the Lord Chancellor craved to enter the said Croce It was enquired be the Provest and Baillies of Edr. what his Lo. was going about to doe, Who answered To proclaime Charles the Second King of Greate Britane, france, and Ireland. Imme- diatlie thairefter the Provost and Baillies of Edr. most cheerfullie and willinglie to testifie thair approbatioun thereto Did open the Doore of the said Croce and caused ordor the way up thairto."

In the records of Glasgow Town Council are to be found notices of one rather quaint function under date 10 Feb., 1649, where the receipt of the notice regarding proclamation is mentioned, and the Council causes it "to be procleamit this day at xj houris with the gretest solempnitie ; and for this ordaines the baillie Ninian Andersone to reid the samyne to the messenger quha cryes it out, and the haill Counsell to goe to the Grose."

No doubt in those days all the pomp and ceremony would be observed. James VI. promulgated an edict enjoining the wearing, by Provosts and other representatives, of Dlack gowns, "with some grave kynd of 'urring,' 2 at their meetings, but more par- icularly in the " Conventions of thair 3urrows " when they were chosen repre- sentatives. The gowns were to be after the style of "burgesses and citizensis gowns," and to be worn, by them " as most comelie and decent for thanne and thair estate." The garments of those representing the principal burghs were to be of " reid scarlatt 3loathe," instead of the black which was /o be good enough for those of minor degree. On the occasion of the proclamation of William and Mary the costs incurred by Alexander Monro, the official of Parliament,

worked out as follows :

t &. '/ .

tern. To John Middlemas, Eddie- stone Kirk, with letters to the Town and Sheriff Clerks of Peebles and the Clerk of Lintoun 18