Author’s notes

In college and then in graduate school, I have always been fascinated by medieval English literature. The story of the survival of Cotton Vitellius A XV is an astounding one, and I have tried to convey just how fortunate we are that the manuscript withstood all the myriad forces that seemed bent on its destruction. (On this point, however, I willingly admit some of my former students might disagree heartily.)

The Whispering Gallery at St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of those architectural oddities that definitely deserves a visit should you ever find yourself in London. For those for whom all knowledge is grist for their mill, I can recommend Lord Rayleigh’s “The Theory of Sound.” Although I cannot even pretend to understand most of it, the section on the Whispering Gallery is fascinating.

The HMS Menelaus was a Royal Navy 38-gun fifth-rate frigate that entered service in 1810 at Plymouth. She saw action in the war of 1812, raiding American positions along the eastern coastline. She also took part in the Battle of Baltimore. In 1820 she moved to Chatham and in 1832 was transformed into a hospital ship, becoming the quarantine ship at Sandgate Street. In December 1848, she accepted sick inmates from the convict ship Hasemey, which qualified her to be listed among the infamous prison “Hulks.” She remained with the Quarantine Service until 1890. In 1897, she was sold for the last time.

With regard to the title of Prime Minister, there would seem to be no specific date for when the office of prime minister first appeared. History tells us that the position was not created but rather evolved over a period of time through a merger of different duties. Still, the term was regularly, if informally, used of Sir Robert Walpole by the 1730s. It was also used in the House of Commons at the beginning of the 19th century and appears to have gained currency in Parliamentary use by the 1880s. However, it was not until 1905 that the post of prime minister was officially given recognition in the order of precedence. Although most modern historians generally regard Walpole, who led the government for more than two decades, and thus is also longest serving prime minister, it can be argued that Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was the first prime minister officially referred to as such in the order of precedence.

Chubb locks are mentioned in both “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Golden Pince-Nez.” They continued to be manufactured under that name until 2010 when the license was not renewed. The locks are still produced under the names Yale and Union, and as the new manufacturer likes to say, the locks are still “Chubb at Heart.”

At one time the Lebus Furniture Company could lay claim to being the largest furniture factory in the world. The firm started out producing desks and other pieces, but in World War I, the firm produced, among other things, wooden ammunition boxes. In World War II, the furniture was shunted aside as the company was called upon to produce a number of different types of aircraft for the government. The firm eventually closed its doors in 1969.