_Marks of Cadency._--The copious manner in which your correspondent E.K.
(Vol. ii., p. 221.) has answered the question as to the "when and why"
of the unicorn being introduced as one of the supporters of the royal
arms, induces me to think that he will readily and satisfactorily
respond to an heraldic inquiry of a somewhat more intricate nature.
What were the peculiar marks of cadency used by the heirs to the crown,
apparent and presumptive, after the accession of the Stuarts? For
example, what were the changes, if any, upon the label or file of
difference used in the coat-armour of Henry, Prince of Wales, eldest son
of James I., and of his brother Charles, when Prince of Wales, and so
on, to the present time?
_Miniature Gibbet, &c._--A correspondent of the _Times_ newspaper has
recently given the following account of an occurrence which took place
about twenty-five years ago, and the concluding ceremony of which he
personally witnessed:--
"A man had been condemned to be hung for murder. On the Sunday
morning previous to the sentence being carried into execution,
he contrived to commit suicide in the prison by cutting his
throat with a razor. On Monday morning, according to the then
custom, his body was brought out from Newgate in a cart; and
after Jack Ketch had exhibited to the people a small model
gallows, with a razor hanging therefrom, in the presence of the
sheriffs and city authorities, he was thrown into a hole dug for
that purpose. A stake was driven through his body, and a
quantity of lime thrown in over it."
Will any correspondent of "NOTES AND QUERIES" give a solution of this
extraordinary exhibition? Had the sheriffs and city authorities any
legal sanction for Jack Ketch's disgusting part in the performances?
What are the meaning and origin of driving a stake through the body of a
suicide?