In the case of the armorial bearings of Nelthorpe of Gray's Inn, Middlesex, a sword erect in the shield, a second sword held upright in the crest, and a red hand held up in the angle of the shield, would, as naturally expected, in the absence of better information, lead to the, supposition of some sanguinary business in the records of the family.

Of interest akin to the preceding is the Legend of Sir Richard Baker, surnamed 'Bloody Baker,' who lies interred in the Church of Cranbrook, in Kent, where a handsome monument is erected to his memory. The gauntlet, gloves, helmet, and spurs, were (as is often the case in monuments of Elizabeth's date) suspended over the tomb. The colour of the gloves was red, denoting the blood Baker had shed in his lifetime, of which the following strange tale is told.

The Baker family had formerly large possessions in Cranbrook, but in the reign of Edward vi. great misfortunes fell on them by extravagance and dissipation they gradually lost all their lands, until an old house in the village (afterwards used as the poorhouse) was all that remained to them. The sole representative of the family remaining at the accession of Queen Mary was Sir Richard Baker. He had spent some years abroad, in consequence of a duel; but when Queen Mary reigned, he thought he might safely return, as he was a Papist. On coming to Cranbrook, he took up his abode in his old house; he only brought with him a foreign servant, and these two persons lived alone. Very soon strange stories began to be whispered of unearthly shrieks

having been heard frequently to issue at nightfall from his house. Many persons of importance were stopped and robbed in the Glastonbury woods; and many unfortunate travellers were missed, and never after heard of.

Richard Baker still continued to live in seclusion, but he gradually repurchased his alienated property, although he was known to have spent all he possessed before he left England. But wickedness was not always to prosper. He formed an apparent attachment to a young lady in the neighbourhood, remarkable for always wearing a great number of jewels. He often pressed her to come and see his old house, telling her he had many curious things he wished to show her. She had hitherto always evaded fixing a day for her visit; but happening to walk within a short distance of the house, she determined to surprise Baker with a call. Her companion, a lady older than herself, endeavoured to dissuade her from doing so; but she would not be turned from her purpose. They knocked at the door, but no one answered them: they, however, discovered it was not locked, and determined to enter. At the head of the staircase hung a parrot, which, on their passing, cried

out:

'Peapot, pretty lady, be not too bold,
Or your red blood will soon run cold.'

And cold did run the blood of the adventurous damsel, when on opening one of the room doors she found it nearly filled with the bodies of murdered persons, chiefly women. Just then they heard a noise, and on looking out of the

M

window saw Bloody Baker and his servant bringing in the body of a lady. Paralyzed with fear, they concealed themselves in a recess under the staircase.

As the murderers with their dead burden passed by them, the hand of the murdered lady hung in the baluster of the stairs with an oath Baker chopped it off, and it fell into the lap of one of the concealed ladies. They ran away, having the presence of mind to carry with them the dead hand, on one of the fingers of which was a ring. On reaching home, they told the story, and, in confirmation of it, displayed the ring. All the families in the neighbourhood who had lost relatives mysteriously were then told of what had been found out; and they determined to ask Baker to a party, apparently in a friendly manner, but to have constables concealed ready to take him into custody. He came unsuspectingly, and then the lady told him all she had seen, pretending it was a dream. Fair lady,' said he, 'dreams are nothing; they are but fables.' 'They may be fables,' replied she; 'but is this a fable?' And she produced the hand and ring! Upon this the constables rushed in, and took Baker into custody; and the tradition further says that he was burnt, notwithstanding Queen Mary tried to save him on account of his professing the Roman Catholic religion.

A somewhat similar legend is connected with a monument in the Church of Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, the appearance of a 'bloody hand' upon which is thus accounted for.

Two

young brothers of the family of Vincent, the elder of whom had just come into possession of his estate, were out shooting on Fairmile Common, about two miles from the village. They had put up several birds, but had not been able to get a single shot, when the elder swore with an oath that he would fire at whatever they next met with. They had not gone much further before the miller of a mill near at hand (and which was standing a few years ago) passed them, and made some trifling remark. As soon as he had passed by, the younger brother jokingly reminded the elder of his oath, whereupon the latter immediately fired at the miller, who fell dead upon the spot. Young Vincent escaped to his home, and through the influence of his family, backed by large sums of money, no effective steps were taken to apprehend him. He lay concealed in the Nunnery' building on his estate for some years, when death put a period to the insupportable anguish of his mind. To commemorate this rash act, and his untimely death, the 'bloody hand' was placed on his monument in Stoke Church; but the narrator of the story conjectures that the hand might be only the Ulster badge.

LEGEND OF THE BODACH GLASS.

AMONG the warnings or notices of death to be found in the dark chronicle of superstition, the omens peculiar to certain families are not the least striking. Pennant tells us that many of the great families in Scotland had their demon or genius, who gave them monitions of future events.

Thus, the family of Rothmurchan had the Bodac au Dun, or Ghost of the Hill; and Kinchardines, the Spectre of the Bloody Hand; Gartnibeg House was haunted by Bodach Gartin; and Tulloch Gorus by Manch Monlach, or the Girl with the Hairy Left Hand. Bodach signifies, from the Saxon, Bode, a messenger, a tidings-bringer.

The Bodach Glass is introduced in the novel of Waverley as the family superstition of the MacIvors, the truth of which has been traditionally proved by three hundred years' experience. It is thus described to Waverley by Fergus:

"You must know, then, that when my ancestor, Ian nan Chaistel, wasted Northumberland, there was appointed with him in the expedition a sort of Southland chief, or captain of a band of Lowlanders, called Halbert Hall. In their return through the Cheviots they quarrelled about the division of the great booty they had acquired, and came from words to blows. The Lowlanders were cut off to a man, and their chief fell the last, covered with wounds, by the sword of my ancestor. Since that time his spirit has crossed the Vich Ian Vohr of the day when any great disaster was impending. My father saw him twice: once before he was made prisoner at Sheriff Muir, another time on the morning of the day on which he died.'

Fergus then relates to Waverley the appearance of the Bodach: Last night,' said Fergus, 'I felt so feverish that I left my quarters, and walked out, in hopes the keen frosty air would brace my nerves. I cannot tell how much I dislike going on, for I know you will hardly believe me.