Costume,” the first edition of which appeared as a volume of the Library of Entertaining Knowledge in 1834, and a new edition in 1847. Before this publication, Mr Planché’s talents had been acknowledged in high quarters, he having been elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, 24th December 1829. As to the years 1836, &c., he writes — “At the choice little dinners of my friend Thomas George Fonnereau, in the Albany — a great lover and liberal patron of art — I constantly met Eastlake, Stanfield, Roberts, Maclise, and Decimus Burton, the architect.” Between 1837 and 1840 he wrote the history of costume and furniture in the sixth chapter of each book of the Pictorial History of England. Acquaintance with coats-of-mail, shields, and helmets, naturally led to the study of heraldry. Mr Planché constantly visited the College of Arms as an amateur and an enquirer, and received all the courteous attention and aid for which the College is renowned. About 1851 he brought out his volume, entitled “The Poursuivant of Arms, or Heraldry founded upon Facts;” and in 1854 he actually became a Poursuivant, with the title of Rouge Croix. In 1866 he was promoted to the dignity of Somerset Herald; during that year he edited the eighteenth edition of Clarke’s Introduction to Heraldry. In 1872 he published two volumes of “Recollections and Reflections” (on which my memoir is founded) — “To my dear grand-children (he writes) I dedicate these recollections of a life, the decline of which has been cheered by their smiles, and blessed by their affection.”
(22.) Rev. Arthur Henry Kenney, D.D. (styled in 1842 Rector of St Olave’s, Southwark, formerly Dean of Achonry, and Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin), is known as the biographer of Archbishop Magee. He ought, probably, to be included among the descendants of Huguenot refugees. One reason for this conjecture is, that a well-represented family, surnamed Kenny, has already been so honoured, on the authority of Burke’s Dictionary of Landed Gentry. Another reason is that Dr Kenney is the author of a volume which contains a readable digest of Claude’s Pamphlet on the Persecution in France, and of the controversy between Bossuet and the Huguenots, in which Archbishop Wake so ably and gallantly wielded his pen. This volume was published in 1827, with the title “Facts and Documents illustrating the history of the period immediately preceding the accession of William III., referring particularly to Religion in England and France, and bearing on recent events.” With the view of showing his desire that the law for the political emancipation of the Romanists in the United Kingdom should have a fair trial, he soon withdrew this volume from circulation; but he re-issued it in 1839 with a new title, “The Dangerous Nature of Popish Power in these countries, especially as illustrated from awful records of the time of James the Second.” The following is Dr Kenney’s note regarding the burning of Claude’s pamphlet:— “A general denial of the truth of Claude’s narrative was published by order of Louis XIV.; but no proof was brought to invalidate it, while it was attested by such a multitude of concurrent witnesses, and confirmed by such various and unquestionable circumstantial evidence. According to a requisition which the French Ambassador, by command of Louis, presented to King James’s government, a copy of the English translation of Claude’s narrative was burned by the hangman, and an order was issued for the suppression of the book. But the Romish method of refuting a book by committing it to the flames, or ordering it to be suppressed, was but an unfortunate kind of argument against the truth of a narrative established by so many decisive proofs.”
(25.) Benjamin Langlois,'M.P., Under-Secretary of State, was the youngest son of Monsieur Pierre L’Anglois, a Huguenot refugee of a noble Languedoc family, by Julie, sister of Major-General de La Melonnière. Benjamin was Secretary to the British Embassy at Vienna, under Viscount Stormont, and sat for the borough of St Germains in the House of Commons, for eleven years. On the appointment of Lord Stormont as Home Secretary, he went to the Home Office as Under-Secretary, and Beatson represents his tenure of office to have been from 1779 to 1782, and the same dates are assigned to Stormont’s Secretaryship. In Chief-Justice Lefroy’s Memoir the date of the letter offering him the office is printed thus:— “London, January 31st, 1789;” but this must be a misprint. The letter is interesting:—
