Supplementary to my articles on the above in “ Beds. N. and Q.,” Vol. III., pp. 1-7, 257-260, I am now able to add a few more notes which may be helpful in elucidating the difficulties in connection with Sir William Harper and his two wives. On making an exhaustive search a few years ago in the Parish Registers of St. Paul’s, Bedford, I came across the record of the burial of Dame Margaret Harper, which has hitherto escaped the notice of those who have worked at the Harper pedigree; it is thus recorded:—

The Registers of St. Alban’s Abbey contain—as stated on p. 29, Vol. I. of “ Beds. N. and Q.”—the record of her marriage with Edward Maxie in 1583, and the Registers of St. Peter’s in St. Albans record the burial of her father thus:—

Administration to the estate of the above William Lether was granted to Thomas Raper, Citizen and Clothworker, of London, on the 8th May, 159I. I have quoted the above extract in confirmation of my contention that the entry in the P.R. of St. Paul’s, Bedford, is a record of the burial of Dame Margaret Harper, for it will be noted that in both extracts she is accorded the name and rank of her former husband, though subsequently married, but to resolve any doubt there may be as to the place of her burial I now produce from the duplicate P.R. of St. Paul’s, Bedford, the record of her burial, which reads thus:—

This sets the place of her burial at rest, but it is rather curious that both the late Mr. G. D. Cary Elwes, who contributed an article on Sir William Harper (” Beds. N. & Q.,” I., pp. 9, 27), and also the writer of the Supplement to the “ Ousel “ Christmas Number, 1899), should have overlooked this entry, and have arrived at the conclusion that Dame Margaret Harper was not buried at St. Paul’s, Bedford.