Replies.

'THE MISTLETOE BOUGH.'

(12 S. xi. 171, 214, 238, 273.)

As I was born at Bramshill House (Hampshire) and brought up in the traditions of that place, I may be allowed to know more about it than most people. Certain mistakes have found their way into print; quite recently a ridiculous account of the story was given at an "outing" of a local Field Club. These sort of errors uttered under the ægis of the Society of Antiquaries do harm by perpetuating mistakes.

Sir Anthony, in the title and estates in 1676, did spend many years of his life" on the Continent, as family papers preserved at Bramshill show. During the time he was abroad he purchased several pieces of furniture, including a large chest. When his eldest son, Sir John Cope, Bart., bought Bramshill from the trustees of Sir Robert Henley, this chest came thither. Rogers wrote that the picture of Ginevra was painted by Zampieri (also known as Domenico), who was born in 1581 and died in 1641. Sir John Cope was in Italy in the first half of the seventeenth century; he, as already stated, purchased a chest when on his foreign tour. The tradition in the Italian family, as before The question is often asked, Where did mentioned, is that one member found her the incident happen? More than one old death in a chest on the day of her marriage, ancestral mansion in England, as well as one and that the chest was sold to an Englishon the Continent, in Italy, claim to be the man. If Rogers is correct in saying he scene of the tragedy. Amongst our English saw the picture by Zampieri then the rest houses where the tragedy is said to have of the tale pieces together like the parts of a occurred three are in Hampshire, viz., Mar- puzzle. The chest remained at Bramshill well Hall, Malshanger and Bramshill. How until the year 1812, when on the death of the first two are connected with the legend Sir Denzil Cope without issue it passed to I do not know, but of the last-Bramshill- his widow, who removed it to Firgrove I propose to tell.

House, Hampshire. When Lady Cope died in 1840 it became the property of her nephew, in whose family it still remains. Thus we see how the Italian romance travelled to England, and how Bramshill became connected with the story of The Mistletoe Bough.'

This unhappy wedding-day has been described in verse by Haynes Bayly in the ballad The Mistletoe Bough,' set to music by Sir Henry R. Bishop. But Haynes Bayly is not the only person that has related the story of the lady who hid in the old oak chest. Samuel Rogers, banker and Traditions that have centred around a poet a member of the Holland House set, place seldom, if ever, become divorced from when that place was the rendezvous of men it. In the gallery at Bramshill is another of letters in the first part of the nineteenth large chest that the imagination of visitors century-has, in his Italy,' in the poem has fixed upon as the Mistletoe Bough 'Ginevra,' told the same story, the scene Chest." This has been photographed by a being laid in Modena, and the victim-local photographer, and sold on picture the bride a member of the illustrious house postcards under the title The Bridal Chest of Orsini, married to her first love, Francesco at Bramshill.' Doria. Furthermore, Rogers has mentioned how enraptured he was with her picture by Zampieri. This last is an important point to bear in mind, for it will later enable us to fix the date of the chest being brought to England.

What is, then, the connexion of the tale with England and with an English house, Bramshill? In one of the noble Italian families there is a tradition that a member of the family did perish in the manner described, and that later the chest in which the bride had hidden and in which she had found her death was purchased by an Englishman travelling in Italy.

Sir John Cope, Bart., of Hanwell Castle, Oxon, before he succeeded his elder brother,

A few words are now needed to describe the original chest which was once at Bramshill. It was of Italian workmanship and in Italian is called a cassione. Such were used in former days to carry the bride's trousseau to her husband's home. The chest in question measured about eight feet in length and was three feet in height and the same in breadth; thus it was quite big enough for anybody to hide in. The front was divided into three sections, each separated from the other by panels. The inside of the lid had three hinges, the long straps of which ended in fleurs-de-lis. In the upper centre was a globe supported by two amoretti, having arabesques beneath. On one side, in a landscape, were two figures

the

kneeling in homage to a crowned figure the first of 1844 onwards; the first four ediholding a sceptre and seated on a throne; tions of Joanne' (1841-1865): all behind the kneeling figures was a man in editions of 'Murray' from 1838 (the first) armour. On the opposite side were two save the thirteenth, of which I believe armed men with shields meeting a third man. there is no copy either in the British Museum At each end of the lid was a man in armour or at the publisher's. standing on a pavement.

The question may be asked, Why did the bride propose a game of hide-and-seek to celebrate the wedding festivities? In answer it has been said that such a game was a relic of an old custom, when a bride hid after her wedding and had to be caught; it was typical of the ancient custom of marriage by capture.

Among my old maps of Switzerland, Savoy and Piedmont the oldest is that of Switzerland, by Conrad Türst, made 1495-7, but this only in facsimile, as there are only two or three copies of the original known.

I have copies of Münster's (1544 and 1550) Cosmographia Universalis, and of J. Stumpf's Chronik (1548, 1586, and 1606), all of which contain general Swiss As the tale of The Mistletoe Bough' still maps, and also special maps of various clings to Bramshill, and as tradition asserts regions. My oldest separate originals are that the lost bride was a member of the Cope the nine sheets of Thomas Schöpf's map of family, I may here say that no member the Bernese Oberland of 1578, and four of my family ever perished on her wedding- of Metellus, dated 1594. day either by hiding in a chest or in any other manner. Bramshill House was built in the early years of the seventeenth century by Edward, Lord Zouche. John Thorpe was the architect, who also designed Hatfield House for the Earl of Salisbury and Holland House for Sir Walter Cope. In of the first edition (1680) of Borgonio's 1699 the Bramshill estate was purchased by the original are known, as well as an original map, of which only some dozen copies of Sir John Cope, Bart., the sixth baronet, of the edition of 1772. I have also SIR whose ancestor, Sir Anthony Cope, was H. G. FORDHAM's useful Studies in CartoBibliography' (1914), and many books in French and German on the general subject of cartography.

created a baronet in 1611. There is no con

firmation for the statement sometimes made that Bramshill House was built for the eldest son of James I., viz., Henry, Prince of Wales. JOHN HAUTENVILLE COPE.

Finchampstead Place, Berks. GUIDE-BOOKS (12 S. xi. 245).-Like SIR H. G. FORDHAM I have a considerable collection of old guide-books (and maps), but almost wholly limited to Switzerland and the chain of the Alps. Many years ago (1889) I published in London a book entitled Swiss Travel and Swiss Guide-books,' but I should now be able to enlarge it enormously, as I have since then collected many other examples of old guide-books. My earliest is J. J. Wagner's Index Memorabilium Helvetiae' (Zürich, 1684), while I also possess the third edition of this book, issued in 1701 under the title of Mercurius Helveticus,' but I have never succeeded in obtaining the second edition dated 1688, though the engraved title with that date is in my copy of the 1701 edition. Then I have all the five early editions of the ' Délices de la Suisse (1714-1778); the first edition (1793) and many subsequent editions of Ebel's Guide'; many editions of 'Baedeker' from

Among my early Savoy maps I have than the Savoy of Bullion (1570), and many photographs or facsimiles of several earlier originals dated after 1600, as well as an I have also a photograph

Ortelius of 1603.

I agree with SIR H. G. FORDHAM that it is a most fascinating subject of study, but I have not seen The Times article of July 25 last. W. A. B. COOLIDGE.

Grindelwald, Switzerland.

TOAST AND WATER (12 S. x. 230).-Toast and water was made by pouring boiling water upon freshly toasted bread. When cold the liquor was poured off, generally into glass jugs or vessels. It was a hay-coloured liquid and not unpalatable. When I went up to Oriel College, Oxford, in 1857, it was served at dinner as an alternative to beer. I am told that in 1864 it was served at Winchester College to candidates for scholarships at the lunch provided for them by the College during the examination, not in glass jugs. Its use in Oxford prevailed till the corporation provided drinking water of good quality. that previously derived from pumps and wells not being always fit to drink. As the water had been boiled, toast and water was regarded as quite safe to drink. It must

have gone out of use in Oxford between 1860
and 1870.
JOHN R. MAGRATH.

Recipes for constructing this nutritious but rather insipid beverage may be found in almost any standard cookery book. The following is given in Mrs. Beeton's book:Ingredients. One crust of bread, one pint of cold water.

:

Method.-Toast the bread very brown and hard but do not burn it or it will impart a disagreeable flavour to the water. Put it into a jug, pour over it the cold water, let it soak for one hour then strain and use.

Other recipes substitute boiling water for cold water.

My parents always had a jug of it at dinner some sixty years ago, but I think if one asked for it at the Ritz or Carlton nowadays the waiter would have a fit on the spot. WILLOUGHBY MAYCOCK.

66

hard crust is better than anything else for the Mode.-Cut a slice from a stale loaf (a piece of purpose). Toast it of a nice brown on every side, but do not allow it to burn, or blacken. Put it into a jug, pour the boiling water over it, cover it closely, and let it remain until cold. When strained, it will be ready for use. Toast and water should always be made a short time before it is required, to enable it to get cold; if drunk in a tepid or lukewarm state, it is an exceedingly disagreeable beverage. If, as is sometimes the case, this drink is wanted in a hurry, put the toasted bread into a jug and only just cover it with the boiling water; when this is cool, cold water may be added in the proportion required, and the toast and water strained; it will then be ready for use, and is more expeditiously prepared than by the above method. A toasted biscuit, instead of the bread, is a good thing to

I well remember toast and water as a drink for children (and parents) at the midday meal, about 1840; and I remember our doctor recommending to a tippling patient, 'Nothing stronger than toast use. and water," about 1850. It was made I well remember my mother, when we in a special jug with a straining provision were children at home, giving us toast and at the back of the spout, by pouring boiling water when we were ill and feverish. It was water on a piece of well-toasted bread, and supposed to be better for us than cold water. letting it stand till cold, the toast remaining It was not used as a general drink, but only while the drink lasted. It is still drunk made and given to us when we were ill. by a few people. J. T. F. WM. SELF-WEEKS.

1805.)

E. C. WIENHOLT.

Westwood, Clitheroe.

Here is recipe from Still Room Cookery: Recipes Old and New,' by Mrs. C. S. Peel (London, Archibald Constable and Co., 1905):

A nicely made piece of toast (stale bread), lightly but crisply browned. Put into a jug, pour over boiling water, cover and when cold strain through a muslin. This must be made quite two hours before it is wanted and can be iced if liked.

As a child and youth (residing in Norfolk)
I drunk nothing else at dinner, and greatly
appreciated it when newly made.
J. CLARE HUDSON.

Woodhall Spa.
[Several other correspondents thanked for re-
plies and recipes to the same effect.]

THE IRISH KILT (12 S. xi. 231). The 3, Ellachie Road, Alverstoke, Hants. inquiry of your correspondent regarding the Irish kilt is one of those concerning dress [Our correspondent also sends us receipes from difficult to answer from authentic records, The Dictionary of Daily Wants (1841);The for unfortunately there is no encyclopædia of Cook and Housekeeper's Manual, by Mistress Margaret Dods of the Clinkum Inn, St. Ronans' dress which gives details enabling exact (1842); and Francatelli's Cookery Book' (1860).] reproduction to be made. Answers to such

at the back with buttons and buttonholes. The fourth had the front of the supporting bodice of similar material to the skirt, only needing sleeves and the back to be of similar material to be a frock. They were all worn with short jackets. One of the most beautiful and artistic skirt costumes ever worn by young gentlemen is one founded upon an Albanian style. The Greek skirt costume is too well known by photographs of Greek soldiers to need discription.

BARRADEL

questions can only be given by correspon- number for West of Ireland use. There dents seeking to fix knowledge which has were four varieties or styles. One, a plain come to them through tradition or ex- skirt, supported by fastening around the perience. As regards the Scots kilt, much waist with a band; another, little used, confusion exists by the mixing of names being plainly cut and with open or apron and their very careless use; due in some front after the style of the Scots kilt. A measure to ignorance. The Scots garment third was supported by a bodice, fastening is a kilt, not kilts. It is made of tartan, which is the material. The plaid is the check design woven into the tartan. The plaid also has another significance, namely, the long piece of material used as a shawl. In former days the plaid was long, and the method of folding it around the loins to form a skirt gave rise to the pleats from which the modern kilt is developed. In the Scots kilt the pleatings are all to the left, each pleat extending sufficiently beyond the preceding one to exhibit the downward line of the chief band of colour forming the centre of that which, when crossed, forms the check. The pleated part is sufficient to reach to midway of each hip, the other parts being plain. To put the Scots kilt on it is drawn a little above the waist, the right hand carries the underfold of the apron over to the left-hand side of the waist. Being thus in position, the left-hand part is drawn over to the right hip, where it is secured by two straps and buckles. The front apron then shows the whole design of the check. The checks of course have their Clan significance. The revival of the Irish kilt shows a departure from the Scots garment, the pleats mostly being right and left in form of what is known as the box pleat. Of these box pleats I have seen three, five, seven, and nine in number, though there may be many variations. In many cases the apron front is closed, turning the kilt into a skirt. also has been made attached to a bodice for support. Checks have no significance as in the Scots kilt. Where mentioned at all historically the colour is saffron; very rarely a light mauve is used and still more rarely green. The material is a native homespun. Both Scots and Irish kilt are necessarily without pockets. Whilst the Scots kilt has the addition of the sporan in full dress, the Irish kilt is without this decoration, which sometimes in the Scots kilt also serves as a pouch.

It

In The Times of Aug. 31 (p. 12) is a fulllength portrait of Lord Ashbourne "in Irish costume," in which strange dress he attended the "Memorial Service for Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith" in Paris. The costume much resembles the accepted Highland dress. The main differences are that the cap is apparently a round soft woollen thing, much like the old "Tam o' Shanter," and the kilt-if kilt it be is very short, shorter than that of "the old Highlander' in Tottenham Court Road, formerly outside a tobacco shop, now (or recently) taking snuff at the door of a linoleum shop. Lord Ashbourne's skirt, though probably a kilt, may be merely part of a long coat divided by a belt. The photograph is not clear.

ROBERT PIERPOINT.

WIFE IMPALING HUSBAND'S COAT (12 S. xi. 249).—That ladies impaled their paternal arms on the dexter side of their own seals is a fact well known (MR. WALTER RYE will find some remarks on that subject in The Genealogist, N.S., vol. xxxi., 1914, p. 7), but whether only in pura viduitate is uncertain. A notable example is the seal of Joan de Lacy, Countess of Lincoln and Lady of Audley, who has the coat of her last husband, Nicholas de Audley, impaled on the sinister side. See Additional Charters,' B.M., No. 53588, A.D. 1369.

It is held by some that this custom was observed only when the family of the femme was of higher rank than that of the baron.

As regards the petticoats worn by boys in the West, I have seen them in various forms. They are generally made of homespun, thick and coarse, and consequently But I greatly doubt it. warm to the wearer, whose ages ranged The beautiful seal of Ela, dau. of Wm. from infants to 14 or 15 years. In the Longspee and widow of James de Audley early seventies my mother made a large (A.D. 1272) also displays her family arms