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Orson if you look up the 'first name' on wikipedia you will get some ideas...

Orson, drxx's post @2 should point you firmly in the right direction.

The 3-letter boat is just a boat (the Spenserian spelling has a double-T at the end) - the 'in Scotland' is the wordplay.

Thanks, kt17 and spoffy. I did look up the first name in wikipedia and Chambers and the former gives so many possibilities. I don't know whether I can be bothered to trawl through so much Latin.

You're looking for the obvious culprit (under a 4 letter headword) in Chambers - not the Latin name.

I do see it now in Chambers. A 9-letter Latin word coming second!

Thanks to all for the hints & help, am really struggling with the parsing of these clues. Have now got the E half of the grid filled and some of the W but still have no idea of where I am going or what / who I am looking for. Busy day tomorrow but will try and apply the LGCs to the rest of the grid. Many thanks again.

That's it - the second name doesn't feature under the entry for its first name.

orson, at one point you said that you have the answer Barley.
The only place where it would fit in is 14a.
But I do not see any connection (Give preliminary payment for taps at one's home).

I still have to solve the NE corner.

Hint on 12a: I illuminate small volume held in one hand (8)

should give me an entry point.

I found the boat which could be a bed.

Still not sure about the theme.

Thanks.

Sunray, the second post on this thread said that 14 is thematic. Barley comes from By, at one's home, with Arle, preliminary payment for taps/rent, inside.

12 Just a lamp, a fixture. It's a, one hand (choose one!) and put a small volume (measurement) inside.

sunray - ARLE ('Give preliminary payment for') 'taps' (ie pierces) BY ('at one's home').