Chapter I: R."

The popular legend is, that the ten men perished by the falling in of a gravel-pit, and that their remains were buried together. This, however, will not account for the "men of strife."

Is it not probable that, in the time of the civil wars, the bodies might have been disinterred for the sake of the leaden coffins, and then deposited in their present resting-place?

{148}

The tomb may have been erected some time afterwards by "I. R.," probably a relative of the "Henry Rogers," the date of whose death is commemorated.

T. J.

Bath.

_Books worthy to be reprinted_ (Vol. vii., pp. 153. 203.).--In addition to those previously mentioned in "N. & Q.," there is one for which a crying necessity exists for a new edition, namely, _The Complaynt of Scotland_. It is often advertised and otherwise sought for; and when found, can only be had at a most extravagant price. It was originally written in 1548; and in 1801, a limited impression, edited by Dr. Leyden, was published; and in 1829, "Critiques upon it by David Herd, and others, with observations in answer by Dr. Leyden," to the number of seventy copies. _The Complaynt of Scotland_ and _Sir Tristrem_, an edition of which was edited by Sir Walter Scott, and published in 1804, are two of the oldest works of which the literature of Scotland can boast.

INVERNESS.

_Napoleon's Thunderstorm._--The passage of the Niemen by the French army, and its consequent entry on Russian territory, may be said to have been Napoleon's first step towards defeat and ruin. A terrible thunderstorm occurred on that occasion, according to M. Ségur's account of the Russian campaign.

When Napoleon commenced the retreat, by which he yielded all the country beyond the Elbe (and which, therefore, may be reckoned a second step towards his downfall), it was accompanied by a thunderstorm more remarkable from occurring at such a season. Odelben says:

"C'était un phenomène bien extraordinaire dans un pareil
saison, et avec le froid qu'on venait d'éprouver,"
&c.--Odelben, _Camp. de 1813_, vol. i. p. 289.

The first step towards his second downfall, or third towards complete ruin, was his advance upon the British force at Quatre-Bras, June 17, 1815. This also was accompanied by an awful thunderstorm, which (although gathering all the forenoon) commenced at the very moment he made his attack on the British rear-guard (about two p. m.), when the first gun fired was instantaneously responded to by a tremendous peal of thunder.

Thunder, to Wellington, was the precursor of victory and triumph. Witness the above-mentioned introduction to the victory of Waterloo; the terrible thunder, that scattered the horses of the dragoons, the eve of Salamanca; also, the night preceding Sabugal. And perhaps some of the Duke's old companions in arms may be able to add to the category.

A. C. M.

Exeter.

_Istamboul--Constantinople._--Mr. (afterwards Sir George) Wheler, who took holy orders and became rector of Houghton-le-Spring in the diocese of Durham, makes the following remarks in his _Journey into Greece, &c._ (fol., Lond. 1682), p. 178.:

"Constantinople is now vulgarly called _Stambol_ by the Turks;
but by the Greeks more often _Istampoli_, which must needs be
a corruption from the Greek ... either from Constantinopolis,
which in process of time might be corrupted into _Stanpolis_
or _Istanpoli_; or rather, from it being called πόλις κατ'
ἐξοχήνο. For the Turks, hearing the Greeks express their going
to Constantinople by εἰς τὴν πόλιν, which they pronounce
Is-tin-polin, and often for brevity's sake Stinpoli, might
soon ignorantly call it _Istanpoli_ or _Stambol_, according as
either of them came into vogue first. And therefore I think
theirs is a groundless fancy who fetch it from the Turkish word
_Istamboal_, which signifies a city full of or abounding in the
true faith, the name being so apparently of Greek original."

W. S. G.

Newcastle-on-Tyne.

* * * * *

Queries.

STRUT-STOWERS, AND YEATHERS OR YADDERS.

In the Collection of divers curious Historical Pieces printed by the Rev. Francis Peck at the end of his _Memoirs of Oliver Cromwell_, is--

"Some account of the Murder of the Hermit of Eskdale-side,
near Whitby, in Com. Ebor. by William de Bruce (Lord of Ugle
Barnby), Ralph de Peircy (Lord of Snealon), and one Allatson, a
Gent., and of the remarkable penance which the Hermit enjoyned
them before he died."

The story is briefly this:--On the 16th October, 15 Henry II., De Bruce, De Peircy, and Allatson were hunting the wild boar in Eskdale-side, where was a chapel and hermitage, in which lived a monk of Whitby, who was a hermit. The boar being hotly pursued by the dogs, ran into the chapel and there laid down and died. The hermit shut the door on the hounds, who stood at bay without. The three gentlemen coming up, flew into a great fury, and ran with their boar-staves at the hermit and so wounded him that he ultimately died. The three gentlemen, fearing his death, took sanctuary at Scarborough, but the Abbot of Whitby being in great favour with the king, removed them out of sanctuary, whereby they became liable to the law. The dying hermit (he survived till the 8th December), on the abbot's proposing to put them to death, suggested the following penance, to which, in order to save their lives and goods, they consented, and to which the abbot likewise agreed:

"You and yours shall hold your lands of the Abbat of Whitby and
his successors after this manner, viz. upon the eve [or morrow
before] Ascension Day, you, or some of you, shall come to the
wood of Stray-Head, which is in Eskdale-side, by sun-rising,
and there shall {149} the officer of the abbat blow his horn,
that ye may know how to find him. And he shall deliver to you,
William de Bruce, ten stakes, eleven strut-stowers, and eleven
yeathers, to be cut by you, and those that come for you, with
a knife of a penny price. And you Ralph de Peircy, shall take
one and twenty of each sort, to be cut in the same manner.
And you, Allatson, shall take nine of each sort, to be cut as
aforesaid. And then ye shall take them on your backs, and carry
them to the town of Whitby, and take care to be there before
nine of the clock, and at the same hour, if it be a full sea,
to cease your service. But, if it be low water at nine of the
clock, then each of you shall, the same hour, set your stakes
at the edge of the water, each stake a yard from the other,
and so yeather them with your yeathers, and stake them on each
side with your strut-stowers, that they may stand three tides,
without removing by the force of the water. And each of you
shall really do, perform, and execute this service yearly at
the hour appointed, except it be a full sea, when this service
shall cease; in remembrance that ye did most cruelly slay me.
And that ye may the more seriously and fervently call upon God
for mercy, and repent unfeignedly of your sins, and do good
works, the officer of Eskdale-side shall blow, Out on you! Out
on you! Out on you! for this heinous crime of yours. And if you
or yours shall refuse this service at the aforesaid hour, when
it shall not be a full sea, then you shall forfeit all your
lands to the Abbat of Whitby and his successors."

There is a similar account, with verbal and other variations, "From a printed copy published at Whitby a few years ago," in Blount's _Jocular Tenures_, by Beckwith, pp. 557-560. In that account the word, which in Mr. Peck's account is "yeathers," is "yadders." Mr. Beckwith states, "This service is still annually performed."

Sir Walter Scott (_Marmion_, Canto II. st. 13.) thus alludes to the legend:

"Then Whitby's nuns exulting told,
How to their house three Barons bold
Must menial service do;
While horns blow out a note of shame,
And monks cry 'Fye upon your name!
In wrath, for loss of silvan game,
Saint Hilda's priest ye slew.'--
'This on Ascension Day, each year,
While labouring on our harbour pier,
Must Herbert, Bruce, and Percy hear.'"

In note 2. C. the popular account printed and circulated at Whitby is given. It is substantially the same with that given by Beckwith, but for "strut-stowers" we have "strout-stowers;" and for "yadders" we have "yethers." It appears, also, that the service was not at that time performed by the proprietors in person; and that part of the lands charged therewith were then held by a gentleman of the name of Herbert.

I shall be glad if any of your correspondents will elucidate the terms strut-stowers, and yeathers or yadders.