Notes and Queries, Number 55, November 16, 1850

In Short

This installment of the mid-Victorian periodical Notes and Queries functions as an open-ended forum for scholars, bibliophiles, and amateur historians. Rather than presenting a single narrative, the issue gathers concise essays, urgent inquiries, and erudite responses regarding literary authorship, local traditions, historical relics, and linguistic oddities. It records a living dialogue among researchers determined to rescue vanishing lore and settle obscure historical facts. The publication has lasted as a primary record of nineteenth-century intellectual culture, demonstrating how collaborative research, public participation, and shared curiosity shaped modern historical scholarship long before the digital age.

The Story

The issue unfolds as an intellectual assembly, opening with formal critical essays before shifting into crowdsourced exchanges. Samuel Hickson initiates the proceedings by evaluating the authorship of Henry VIII. Drawing upon earlier commentary by Samuel Johnson, Edmond Malone, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Hickson investigates whether Shakespeare composed the entire text or whether John Fletcher later revised it, introducing a softer, more familiar versification for its 1613 revival. Following this textual analysis, Bolton Corney introduces a rare French ballad by fourteenth-century poet Eustache Deschamps addressed to Geoffrey Chaucer. Corney examines Deschamps's praise of Chaucer as a philosophical "Socrates" and a master of rhetoric, while another contributor, writing under the initials D.C., scrutinizes the poem's orthography and questions whether it belongs to the late fourteenth or fifteenth century.

The structural middle of the issue turns toward physical spaces, historical items, and local traditions. E.F. Rimbault and A.D.N. supplement Peter Cunningham's Handbook of London by documenting forgotten urban sites, such as the New Tunbridge Wells tea-gardens at Islington—once frequented by royalty but reduced to an obscure spring amid a poverty-stricken area—alongside the London Spa, Spring Gardens, and the Spa Fields Chapel. Brief entries record eclectic folklore: a ghost-laying ritual, tests for witchcraft, and the origins of comic nonsensical tales like the one attributed to James Quin. Contributors also detail practical artifacts of daily life, such as the brass "ring-dial" used by Irish hedge-schoolmasters to tell time via sunlight.

The second half resolves questions raised in previous issues through a network of active correspondents. A featured entry examines the fate of the Black Rood of Scotland, a golden cross containing a piece of the True Cross and an ivory figure of Christ. The contributor traces its history from Saint Margaret’s flight into Scotland after the Norman conquest to its placement at Dunfermline Abbey, its eventual removal to Durham Cathedral, and its final listing in a 1383 inventory. Elsewhere, writers clarify the precise royal genealogy connecting the British House of Stuart to the Duke of Modena, dispute whether a bishop's crook should be called a "crozier" or a "pastoral staff," and trace the East Anglian dialect word "mauther" through Danish, Anglo-Saxon, and Dutch root words. The publication closes with notices of historical books, architectural works, and classified advertisements, completing its sweep of contemporary Victorian research.

How It Unfolds

The literary opening Contributors debate whether Shakespeare wrote all of Henry VIII. or shared the work with Fletcher, while examining how medieval French poet Eustache Deschamps viewed Geoffrey Chaucer.

Urban topography and local history Writers submit forgotten details regarding London’s historic landmarks, including early eighteenth-century tea-gardens, ancient chapels, and lost gardens in Spa Fields.

Folklore and minor notes Short entries detail regional superstitions, including ghost-laying practices, ring-dials used by Irish schoolmasters, and nonsense stories passed down through theatrical tradition.

Queries from the readership Correspondents ask for help identifying rare chap-books, tracking royal relics like Edward the Confessor’s gold chain, and clarifying the history of licensed midwives and ecclesiastical hoods.

Replies and historical resolutions Scholars resolve past queries by detailing the lineage of the Black Rood of Scotland, clearing up Lord Byron's exact birthplace, tracing the Jacobite succession, and analyzing regional dialect words.

The bibliographic close The issue finishes with editorial notices, requests for rare out-of-print books, and advertisements for architectural and historical studies.

The People

Samuel Hickson A literary investigator driven to separate Shakespeare’s authentic verse from later additions. He analyzes the meter of Henry VIII. to establish where the original playwright stopped and where revisers like John Fletcher stepped in.

Bolton Corney A dedicated bibliophile who aims to establish accurate texts of early European literature. He seeks to highlight continental references to early English writers, specifically bringing Eustache Deschamps's French ballad to the attention of English Chaucer scholars.

The Hermit of Holyport An inquisitive reader seeking to understand why an inexpensive 1708 chap-book edition of Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel claims to have been printed for the "Benefit of the Poor" despite missing thirty lines.

Saint Margaret of Scotland The historical queen who carried the Black Rood—a golden relic containing a piece of the True Cross—into Scotland following the Norman conquest. Her devotion to the cross during her final hours established its status as a national sacred artifact.

In Its Own Voice

"He must be supposed to have new-woven the substance of the whole piece; a fact almost incredible."

— A quoted comment by Steevens within Samuel Hickson's essay, addressing the theory that a secondary author altered the versification of Shakespeare's Henry VIII.

"There was a small hole in it, which, when held opposite the sun, admitted the light against the inside of the ring behind."

— J.M.B. describing the simple brass "ring-dial" used by nineteenth-century Irish hedge-schoolmasters as an affordable substitute for a pocket watch.

"She carried this cross with her amongst her other treasures... she caused it to be brought to her, and that she embraced, and gazed steadfastly upon it, until her soul passed from time to time to eternity."

— A correspondent recounting the origin of the Black Rood of Scotland and its significance to Queen Margaret during her final days in 1093.

What It's Really About

Underneath its fragmented format, Notes and Queries represents an argument for collective memory and open intellectual exchange. The issue demonstrates how historical truth is preserved not by isolated geniuses, but by a network of curious individuals preserving small details—a forgotten street name, an unusual regional word, or a line of marginalia in an old text. It tackles the tension between oral tradition and written record, showing how folklore, obscure proverbs, and ephemeral printings like cheap chap-books risk disappearing unless systematically recorded. The publication asserts that every fragment of human history, no matter how small or specialized, possesses inherent value and deserves preservation.

Why Read It Today

This publication appeals to historians, lovers of literature, and readers who enjoy wandering through historical trivia. Reading it feels like stepping into an private nineteenth-century library where dozens of scholars sit at long tables, passing notes back and forth across the room. It captures the atmosphere of Victorian antiquarianism—earnest, meticulous, and unhurried.

The text presents very few difficulties, though readers must adjust to its fragmented nature; there is no single narrative arc to follow, and arguments shift abruptly from Tudor drama to municipal geography or Scandinavian etymology. Some entries include untranslated medieval French or Latin phrases, reflecting the period's assumption of classical literacy. However, the short entries keep the pace lively. What stays with the reader is the sheer passion of its contributors, who wrote in to correct minor errors, share regional phrases, or trace the journey of a forgotten relic with genuine delight.

<ElicitationsGroup message="To explore this issue of Notes and Queries further:"> <Elicitation label="Analyze the Shakespeare authorship debate in this issue" query="Analyze the debate surrounding the authorship of Henry VIII presented in Notes and Queries No. 55, focusing on the arguments of Samuel Hickson and the cited critics."/> <Elicitation label="Explore the folklore and local antiquities covered in the issue" query="Summarize the specific pieces of folklore, local history, and antiquities documented in Notes and Queries No. 55."/> </ElicitationsGroup>