Wordsworth's Friend Jones.—Can any reader give me further information about the Mr. Jones who was Wordsworth's fellow-collegian and friend? The poet, in 1791, "paid a visit to his friend Jones, at the house of his father in Wales." The 'D.N.B.' only states that he was "Robert Jones of Plas-yn-llan, Denbighshire, afterwards fellow of St. John's," Cambridge. There are many old mansions in Denbighshire bearing the name Plas-yn-llan. Which was the one associated with Wordsworth?
There was a family of Joneses living at that time in Plas-yn-llan, Llangynhafal, near Ruthin. A son of this place (John Jones, M.A. of Hertford College, Oxford) was Rector of Efenechtyd, also near Ruthin, from 1799 to 1817, and then of his native parish Llangynhafal from 1817 to 1831. He would be a near contemporary of the poet. I wonder was Robert Jones a brother of this John Jones. It is true they were not of the same University.
Replies.
DR. JAMES, MASTER OF ST. BEES SCHOOL.
(11 S. v. 269, 357.)
The following pedigree is extracted from family papers and correspondence in my possession, and though I have not been able to test its accuracy, which is open to doubt, it may be of use by way of suggesting sources of information.
I. Roger James of Scaleby, co. Cumberland, died in 1627 (will at Carlisle), married Agnes , who died in 1630 (will at Carlisle), and had issue
II. Thomas James of Scaleby, gent., b. circa 1600, married Janet Cadnell (?), b. 1609, and had issue
III. Thomas James of Scaleby, bapt. at St. Cuthbert's, Carlisle. 12 August, 1632, died in 1687 (will at Carlisle), married Ann, daughter of Thomas Jackson, gent. (City Chamberlain and Town Clerk of Carlisle in 1645); she died in 1689 (will at Carlisle). There was issue of this marriage three sons and six daughters; the eldest son and third child was
IV. Hugh James of Wide Open Dykes, b. 1669, churchwarden of Scaleby 1699 (he had a brother Thomas James of Longpark parish, Scaleby, churchwarden of Scaleby 1693, who, by his will dated 20 October, and proved at Carlisle 27 October, 1744, devised Longpark to his eldest son Robert, who subsequently sold the estate to a Mr. Jefferson). Hugh James (described as of Longpark), in his will, dated 9 June, 1756, and proved at Carlisle 26 August, 1758, mentions many children and grandchildren; he died 15 July, 1758, æt. 89, M.I. in Scaleby churchyard. He married, first, Ann, daughter of John Scott of Beckfitt, Sowerby Raw, by whom he had issue
And, secondly, Ann, daughter of Gaven Noble and Elizabeth (Fletcher) his wife, and by her had, amongst other issue, a daughter Elizabeth, who married Thomas Grayson of Lamonby Hall, and thereby became the mother of Dr. James's wife, Ann Grayson.
Some of the pedigrees in my possession give Hugh James's (IV.) first wife as Jane Pattinson and his father as Robert James, but the above seems to me more likely to be correct. I shall be glad if I can be of any further use to your correspondent, and at the same time I shall welcome corrections and additions to the above pedigree, in which I am interested as one of Dr. James's great-great-grandsons.
Latin Guide to Westminster Abbey (11 S. v. 308).—I possess the quarto booklet about which information is desired. The title-page has, printed within a broad ornate border, the following:—
"Reges, | Reginæ Nobiles, | et alij in Ecclesia Col- | legiata B. Petri West- | monasterij sepulti, vsque ad Annum reparatæ Sa- | lutis 1600."
After this there are two quotations, the first from St. Augustine's 'De Civitate Dei,' the second in Greek, from Euripides. Below this: "Londini | Excudebat E. Bollifantus | m.dc."
This copy belonged to Robert Davies, the antiquary, of the family of the Davieses of
