A _Miss_ Jennings, or rather perhaps _Mrs._ Jennings, died in November
1736, who is said to have laid strong claims to eccentricity. This
lady breathed her last at the _Oxford-arms Inn_, Warwick-lane; and was
buried at Christ-church, Newgate-street; but the singularity of her
conduct consisted in a predilection for _Inns_; she made them in short
her constant residence, whether in the country or in London, where she
had her steward, two female servants, a coachman and footman; and,
though she sometimes remained several months stationary, her bills were
regularly paid every night. At the same time her host was kept in utter
ignorance of her name. Mrs. Jennings left a fortune of 80,000_l._ to
five children, her first cousins; and appointed ---- Jennings, Esq. of
Northaw, her executor.
A Chair-woman, named Frances White, was interred at St. Margaret's,
Westminster, in 1736; but the _singularity_ of the circumstance is,
that she should have been deposited before the Altar of the Church,
which she thus accomplished: In the course of her pursuits she was
observed to be remarkably assiduous and industrious, and often asked
charitable assistance: this she frequently received, and so carefully
preserved that her sister gained a bequest of 1150_l._ on the easy
condition of procuring a grave for her body _within_ the church, and
affording it a handsome funeral. The above sum had been concealed in
various _hiding-places_ contrived in her chamber.
A writer in the Weekly Miscellany for August 7, 1736, pertinently
observed, that "the attention of the good people of England is very
frequently ingrossed by the bold pretensions of persons starting up
from time to time in several sciences, but more particularly in those
of Divinity and Physick; and with the more reason of hoping to succeed
in their views, as the soul, in which the one is concerned, and the
body, in which the other, are the two grand subjects which engage
the human mind; and each of these pretenders respectively becomes in
vogue for a certain period, and then generally dies away in a silence
proportioned to the noise they once made. The Stroking Doctor in the
reign of Charles II.; the French Prophets in the reign of Queen Anne;
the Quicksilver lunacy lately; the itinerant preaching Quakeress
since; and Mr. Ward's pill and drop, not yet quite gone off from its
vogue--are signal instances of the truth of our observation. So it may
be observed, that the Quicksilver fashion seems to have been beat out
of doors by the pill and drop; and now the vogue of the pill and drop,
which seem to owe their success to their violent operation in desperate
cases, appears in a fair way of subsiding to a new object of the
public attention, which really seems (beyond all that we have named)
to deserve it, as it is attended with plain and unartificial fact, as
it is neither violent or dangerous in the operation, and carries in
every act the clearest demonstration along with it.--What we mean is
the famous female Bone-setter of Epsom, who must be allowed as much
to excel the others, as certainty does imagination, as simplicity does
artifice, and as seeing and feeling do the other senses.
"This person, we are told, is daughter of one Wallin, a bone-setter
of Hindon, Wilts, and sister of that Polly Peachem whom a gentleman
of fortune married. Upon some family quarrel she left her father, and
wandered up and down the country in a very miserable manner, calling
herself _Crazy Sally_; and often, as it is presumed for grief, giving
way to a practice that made her appear to have too good a title to
the name. Arriving at last at Epsom, she has performed such wonderful
cures, that we are told the people thereabout intend a subscription for
300_l._ a year to keep her among them."
Many of those cures are then described, which seem well attested, and
are really surprising. "In fine, the concourse of people to Epsom
on this occasion is incredible; and it is supposed she gets near 20
guineas a day, as she executes what she does in a very quick manner.
She has strength enough to put in any mans shoulder without assistance;
and this her strength makes the following story, which may be depended
upon, the more credible.
"An impostor came to her, sent, as it is supposed, by some Surgeons, on
purpose to try her skill, with his head bound up; and pretended that
his wrist was put out; which, upon examination, she found to be false;
but, to be even with him, she gave it a wrench, and really put it out,
and bade him go to the fools who sent him, and get it _sett again_; or,
if he would come to her that day month, she would do it herself."
This strange woman utterly ruined herself by giving way to that
eccentricity, which too frequently in one way or other marks all our
characters. The object of it was a Mr. Hill Mapp, on whom she fixed
her affections, and to whom she was determined at all events to be
married, though every effort was made by her friends to prevent the
match. On the day appointed for the ceremony, Sir James Edwards, of
Walton-upon-Thames, waited on her with the daughter of Mr. Glass,
an Attorney, a poor afflicted child whose neck was dislocated and
supported by steel instruments. Miss Wallin saw the girl, and said she
could restore the parts, but would do nothing till she became Mrs.
Mapp. A gentleman present, finding her resolute, lent her his chariot
to convey her to Ewell, where she expected to obtain a conveyance to
London with her intended husband, though in that expectation she was
disappointed. "As she was going to Ewell, Mr. Walker, brazier, of
Cheapside, met her, and returned with her to the Inn. He was carrying
down his daughter to her, a girl about 12 years of age, whose case
was as follows: the vertebræ, instead of descending regularly from
the neck, deviated to the right scapula, whence it returned towards
the left side, till it came within a little of the hip-bone, thence
returning to the locus, it descended regularly upon the whole, forming
a serpentine figure. Miss Wallin set her strait, made the back perfect,
and raised the girl two inches. While this was doing, Sir James
Edwards's chariot with two gentlemen in it, came to beg her to come
back to Epsom, suspecting she might not return again; but all their
persuasions availed nothing, and the best terms they could make with
her were, that she should not go to London to be married, but have
the chariot and go to Headley, about three miles from Epsom. As the
coachman was driving her by Epsom, she was told that the Minister
of Headley was suspended for marrying Mr. C. whereupon the coachman
said he would carry her no further, unless it was to Epsom. She then
alighted, and went into a cottage on the side of the town; presently
after which, information being given that she was there, Mrs. Shaw and
several other ladies of that place went to her on foot to importune
her to return; but, to avoid any farther solicitation, she protested
she would never come nigh the town, if they opposed her marriage any
longer; and then walked on towards Banstead. Sir James Edwards, being
informed how much she was affronted by his coachman, immediately
ordered a pair of his horses to be put to a four-wheeled chaise, and
sent them with another driver to offer their service to convey her
where she pleased. Mr. Bridgwater in his chaise, and several other
people on horseback, followed her also, and overtook her when she had
walked about a mile over the Downs towards Banstead, where she had
determined to be married. When she came there, the Minister having no
licences, she returned to her first resolution of going to London;
but, the horses having travelled that morning from Walton, and being
harassed about without any refreshment, the coachman was afraid to
venture so far as London with them, and desired to be excused; upon
which Mr. Bridgwater, in regard to the child Sir James Edwards had
brought, and other unhappy creatures who were in Epsom waiting for
their cure, brought her in his chariot to London, saw her married, and
conveyed her back again immediately after, being fully resolved to see
her perform her promise." Mrs. Mapp was buried at the expence of the
parish of St. Giles in 1737!!
The methods adopted by Lord and Lady Vane to render themselves
conspicuous in the annals of their Country were so extremely eccentric,
and are so well known, that their shades would feel indignant should I
refuse the Viscount's advertisement a niche in this odd catalogue of
worthies. His Lordship thus introduced himself to public notice January
24, 1737:
"Whereas Frances, wife of the right honourable the Lord Viscount Vane,
has for some months past absented herself from her husband, and the
rest of her friends, I do hereby promise to any person or persons
who shall discover where the said lady Vane is concealed, to me or
to Francis Hawes, Esq. her father, so that either of us may come to
the speech of her, the sum of 100_l._ as a reward to be paid by me on
demand at my lodgings in Piccadilly. I do also promise the name of the
person, who shall make such discovery, shall be concealed, if desired.
Any person concealing or lodging her after this advertisement, will be
prosecuted with the utmost rigour. Or, if her Ladyship will return to
me, she may depend upon being kindly received. She is about 22 years
of age, tall, well-shaped, has light brown hair, is fair-complexioned,
and has her upper teeth placed in an irregular manner. She had on when
she absented a red damask French sacque, and was attended by a French
woman, who speaks very bad English.