Devon Notes and Queries, 175 of that class of animal. Thus much for Howberhayne ancient; now a little gossip as to Howberhayne modern. When a hard lad more years ago than one cares to acknowledge, I was a frequent and privileged visitor to the old house of John Strowbridge, late Tudor built, of some size, and not much altered. Its then owner and resident was Mr. Clifford Shirreff, a genial kind-hearted man, the owner also of the adjacent estate of Yardbury, the old nest of a cadet branch of the Drakes of Ash, residents when there in the flesh, of similar status to the Strow bridges, and housed in a similar residence, which, alas, I afterward saw consumed by fire during a tempest of storm and wind, with terrific violence ; a beautifully carved and panelled room burning with extraordinary fierceness and brilliancy. Mr. Shirreff while resident at Howberhayne was a great bee-master, at which he was an adept, and. occasionally when there I was requisitioned, generally to my great terror, to assist him in his operations with the bee kind, and on one occasion the bees not relishing the interference swarmed out in great numbers, and sundry of them settled about my ears, stinging me severely, whereon I took to my heels for home with great celerity ; Mr. Shirrefif, who the bees appeared to know, retreated a little way off, and was highly amused at my sudden flight, which was not exactly the case with the writer. He subsequently resided at Beacon Downs, Pinhoe, where he died and was buried in the churchyard there. Occasionally Mr. Peter Shirreff, his father, visited and remained a time with his son at Howberhayne. He was a most remarkable man, standing six feet four and half inches high, out of his shoes, well grown, not stout, and although well advanced in years, "tall and straight as a poplar tree,** and I used to accompany him on his walks round the place now and then, holding on to his crooked elbow, by his desire, which I was just able to reach, scarcely with comfort. His great height, broad-brimmed hat, long grey locks, strong, well-chiselled features, voluminous white cravat, dependant long coat, encircling a pair of well shaped legs, clad in well fitting pantaloons, formed a figure rarely to be seen even then, in what we should now call the old days, now, never. He was a musician also, and had a splendid pair
