Bicêtre just outside Paris on the road to Fontainebleau. At Bicêtre was a castle in former times, and Littré derives the name from Winchester.

C. WANKLYN.

HELL FOR LEATHER” (cliii. 156).The earliest example in the N.E.D.' is from Mr. Rudyard Kipling s Shillin' a day' in the Barrack Room Ballads' (1892): When we rode hell for leather both squadrons together." It has been suggested that the phrase stands for (1) All of a lather " or (2) Heil für Leder,' "Safety for leather," i.e. 'to save one's skin." See also 12 S. iv. 186; v. 25.

JOHN B. WAINEWRIGHT. A letter in the Sunday Times of 26 June stated that:

in the Middle Ages, the practice of fleeing for sanctuary gave rise in Germany to a password for fugitives, "Heil für Läufer " (save the runner). This expression is in common use in our own language to-day, when we talk of running hell-for-leather."

J. R. H.

I have seen it suggested somewhere that this is probably a corruption of the German phrase Hülfe für Leder, referring to the desperate run of a hunted animal seeking safety for its leather, i.e. skin.

ARCHIBALD SPARKE.

JOHN POND, ASTRONOMER ROTAL

EDMOND HALLEY (cliii. 116, 159).In reference to Dr. Edmund Halley 16561742, who became Astronomer Royal in 1721, it is of interest to note that it is believed he was the one and only civilian to be invested with a post-captain's commission in the Royal Navy and that he was given the command of PARAMOUR, 6, pinck, built at Deptford by Fisher Harding. Added 4 April, 1694. 52ft. o.k., 18ft. o.b., 9ft. 7in. d.h. (89) T. 20 men.

Sergison's List of Additions states:

"She was built for Mr. Middleton, and use Establishment of men and guns.' Capt. Halley's appointments were as follows:

1698, Aug. 19 to 1699, July 20. 1699, Aug. 24 to 1700, Sept. 18. 1701, Apl. 30 to 1701, Oct. 16. MS. Navy List of 1698 gives his name as Edmund HAWLEY.

He sailed November, 1698, and returned to England to change his officers; re-sailed September, 1699, crossing the equator 16 Nov., 1699. He took many observations for longitude and determined the position

of Trinidad Island in the South Atlantic (not Trinidad, W.I.); and made a survey of the South Atlantic for variation of the magnetic needle, returning to England 6 Sept., 1700.

The PARAMOUR, 6, pinck, was sold 22 Aug., 1706, at a publick sale to Capt." Constable for £122 as (89)T. pinck [no guns mentioned]." Halley had made noted stellar observations at St. Helena in 1676, but the indefatigable Assistant Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society has failed in her untiring search to reveal the name of, we believe, the East Indiaman which carried him there.

Halley's four magnetic pole theory-the only sound explanation of the variation of the needle was dealt with very thoroughly and delightfully in Terrestrial Magnetism,' by F. A. Black (Gall and Inglis), 1905. JOHN A. RUPERT-JONES, F.R.A.S.

F. H. Hart, in his 'History of Lee and its Neighbourhood,' 1882, says: "In the same vault lies buried John Pond, the Astronomer Royal, born 1767, died at Greenwich, 1836, aged 67 years.'

F. WILLIAM COCK. MR. MCPIKE's supposition, at the first reference, that All Hallows Barking Church is in Essex, has doubtless been the reason of his not being able to find any particulars

of the marriage of Pond's parents

The name by which this ancient church is usually known is All Hallows Barking by the Tower; it is situated at the corner of Great Tower Street and Seething Lane, in the City of London, near the Tower. Hence its name.

dedicated to St. Margaret, and the firstThe parish church of Barking Essex, is named one is frequently associated with this

old Essex town.

FOLK ETYMOLOGY: TOW LAW (cliii. 135, 177).--The meaning of law in a place-name is usually small hill " or "mound." But as out-door courts were held at such places, it is connected with our present word, and in some cases might have that meaning. On the meaning of the element tow I am afraid I can throw but little light. It is, I feel sure, a pre-historic place-name element. We have a Tow Tree place, and I have seen it stated that Tow indicated the horse-chestnut tree, but I do not place the least confidence in this derivation. I have a kind of feeling that indicates something of mop-shape. There is a Towbury Camp in Worcestershire, and

it

a Towford and a Towan Head elsewhere.

Towchester seems to prove it to be at least as early as Roman times. Towyn would be, I think, Tow-wynne, the white

Hereford.

?

ALFRED WATKINS.

PUBLIC WAYS THROUGH OR UNDER CHURCHES (clii. 352, 394, 413, 429, 447, 466; cliii. 30, 47, 86, 101, 139, 160).MR. GAWTHORP agrees with my interpretation of my example of the four Oxford churches aligning, back to a certain point, namely, that they originally stood in the open with no houses round, but tracks coming to them. But here, I think, he comes to the wrong conclusion that each track was made after the church was built,

in order to approach it, and ignores the strong evidence from which I conclude that the track was there first and the church

built on it.

This evidence is (1) that the four churches align, and that the four tracks approaching them are on that alignment; (2) that ancient sites older than the churches, namely, the bench of justice at Carfax, and the ancient ford at The Folly, are on this one track, which has survived as one continuous track to the present day, diverging to one side to avoid St. Aldate's Church, and dividing to both sides of St. Mary

and

Major F. C. Tyler (Hon. Sec. of the Straight Track Club), sends me the following examples of ways through churches dwelling-houses. Extract from Mr. Elliston'Pilgrims' Road': 'In the church, [i.e. at Wrotham, Kent], there is an unusual opening through the tower, which is probably a processional passage analogous to "those at East Burgholt, Suffolk, and Hythe, Kent."

Extract from Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor.' (On a track from Bideford to Darmouth). Hence [i.e. from Kes Tor], it crossed the farms of Frenchbere, Yardworthy, Shapley, Burston (this is thought to be Hoar Stone"), Venn, Jurston, Littaford, Liapa, called, and went on to Combe, where it runs or Leeper as it is usually through the passage of a dwelling-house.

WITH GRAECO-LATIN NAMES (cliii. 137).-Is the thaumatrope too obvious an old toy to be included in the list? It is still, I think, supplied in Christmas crackers: it " illustrates the persistence of an image upon the retina."

stating also that her crew consisted But he does not say built at Havana). of 525 men and boys. where she was built. (Probably she was The Naval Chronicles

may give more information on this point.

HER

ERALDIC: TALBOT OF SPREYTON (cliii. 155).—See particulars in a paper on Spreyton Parish in Devon Notes and Gleanings, February, 1889 (Vol. ii., No. 14, p. 23) by the late Winslow Jones, Publisher, Pollard, North Street, Exeter. E. V. F.

The date 1404 would appear to require further consideration; possibly 1464 was intended. There was a Talbot (Richard), Lord of Spreyton, so late as 1451. He contributed to the building of Spreyton church in that year, as is proved by an inscription, in Latin, in the roof of the chancel there. An English translation of the inscription is included in John Stabb's book, 'Some Old Devon Churches,' Vol. ii., p. 161, 1911, and see cxlvii. 228, 270, 322, 359. It is quite likely that this Richard T. was father of Sir William T. (called a rebel) who married Elizabeth Bonville (see Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1461-7, pp. 89, 112, 114) and that William

and Elizabeth had a daughter Elizabeth, who married Kelly of Kelly.

M.

JOHN A. RUPERT-JONES.

A SPITT" (cliii. 120).-In an inventory

of church goods at Marsh Chapel, Lincolnshire, 1614, it is stated that the town spit is in the hands of a certain person. G. S. G.

BALACLAVA:

CHARGE OF THE

HEAVY BRIGADE (clii. 423; cliii. 69, s. v. The last of the Six Hundred ').— Admiral Mark Kerr, in his Land, Sea, and Air,' after giving an account of how the charge of the Light Brigade came to take place writes, at p. 350:

[Charles Maitland, of the Grenadier Guards, When the Crimean War was over, my uncle who was on the Staff] went to the Holy Land,

and on board the steamer he met an officer of the Russian heavy cavalry, who remarked to him: about your light cavalry charge of Balaclava. All your people make a great fuss Of course, it was a very fine piece of bravery, though it was perfectly mad, but none of your people ever speak about your heavy cavalry's work and saved you. I know, because I was charge, which was a much braver piece of in our heavy cavalry, which outnumbered yours by about three to one. We were in three distinct lines with a wing formed of a regiment on either flank. Your heavy cavalry could get through the first line, but they went met us at a gallop. We never thought you through our first line at a gallop, the second line at a trot, and the third line at a walk. They broke us up, and that was the finest feat of arms that I have ever heard of.

JOHN B. WAINEWRIGHT.

THE WIFE OF CHARLES KNEVET

(cxlviii. 350, 394; clii. 412; cliii. 15).— The pedigree of Lady Gates, as recorded on her memorial brass in Seamer Church, does not record the name of her mother. There is just a chance that the names of the god

was

fine

housewives keeping the top drawer for special articles of clothing, and this habit transferred from putting the same things into the till of the old linen-chests, when chests of drawers took the place of chests. F. WILLIAM COCK.

AND NAVY PENSIONERS' ARMY SLANG: "DITTY-BOX" (clii. 370; cliii. 106, 141).-In 1898, Messrs. Cassell published A Gun-Room Ditty Box,' by G. Stewart Bowles, lately a sub-lieutenant in Her Majesty's fleet, with a preface by RearAdmiral Lord Charles Beresford. This contained a

written by the author when a midshipman. number of poems and sketches, He refers to the bluejacket's little white 'ditty-box' above the hat-racks where live his household gods." G. H. WHITE.

23, Weighton Road, Anerley.

THE BLUE-JACKET'S COLLAR (cliii. 137).-I wish to confirm MR. E. CUNDELL'S implication at the above reference that the three white stripes have nothing to do with any naval engagement. I went into this matter fully before writing the article on it which appears at p. 690 of the 3rd ed. of my 'Popular Fallacies.'

A. S. E. ACKERMAN.

THEATRES IN THE CITY (cliii. 118,

160). A useful book is Erroll Sherson's 'London's Lost Theatres of the Nineteenth Century' (1925). City of London Theatre, 36, Norton Folgate; first called Norton Folgate Theatre, built 1837 for Mrs. Honey. City Theatre, Grub St. (Milton St.), c. 1830-1836, afterwards City Pantheon. J. ARDAGH.

IDENTIFICATION OF HERALDRY (clii.

259, 299). From the History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham by William Fordyce I learn that the latest commission under the Great Seal for registering descents, was issued in 1686; and, since that time, it has been left to the

choice of individuals to continue or not the pedigrees of their respective families at the Heralds' College.

Mr. Fordyce had intended to continue down to the time of publication the list of families who had registered their pedigrees or procured armorial bearings at the Heralds' College. His application to the College for the necessary information brought the following reply