THE JOURNEY TO LONDON.

IN MARCH 1780, I began my annual journey to London. At Cheſter ſome improvements had taken place ſince my laſt ac⯑count of the city. A very commodious building has been erected in the Yatchfield, near the Watergate ſtreet, for the ſale of the Iriſh linen at the two fairs. It ſurrounds a large ſquare area; on each ſide of which are piazzas, with numbers of ſhops well adapted for the purpoſe.

IN digging the foundation for certain houſes near the ſtreet, were diſcovered ſome Roman buildings, and a large Hypocauſt with its ſeveral conveniences; and ſome other antiquities, par⯑ticularly a beautiful altar ^*, dedicated Fortunae Reduci et Aeſculapio. Much of its inſcription is defaced; but the rudder, cornucopia, rod, ſerpent, and various ſacrificial inſtruments, are in good pre⯑ſervation.

[2] ON leaving the city, I paſſed under the fine arch of the Eaſt Gate: a work owing to the munificence of Lord Groſvenor.

Boughton, BOUGHTON. a ſuburb in the pariſh of St. Oſwald, a little diſ⯑joined from this part of the city, had before the diſſolution an hoſpital ^* for poor lepers, as early as the beginning of Edward II. From an eminence, the retreat of the unfortunate brave, is a view of very uncommon beauty; of two fine reaches of the Dee, bounded on one part by meadows and hanging woods; on the other terminated by part of the city, the antient bridge, and over it a diſtant view of the Cambrian hills.

ADJOINING to that part of Boughton which is within the liber⯑ties of the city, is the townſhip of Boughton, in the county of Cheſter; the inhabitants of which appear at the court of the dean and chapter of Cheſter, and pay there a chief rent: but uſually clame and diſpoſe of the waſtes.

NEAR the two miles ſtone I croſſed the canal to Chriſtleton, a pretty village, ſeated, as uſual with thoſe of Cheſhire, on the free⯑ſtone rock. Criſtetone, as it is called in the Doomſday book, was held before the Conqueſt by Earl Edwin. At that event, pro⯑bably, it had a chapel, or very ſoon after. This manor had been beſtowed by Hugh Lupus on Robert Fitz Hugh, one of his follow⯑ers, who gave the chapel of Criſtentune, with the land belonging to it, and the land of a certain peaſant, with the peaſant himſelf, to the abbey of Cheſter ^†. His great great grand-daughter Iſabel, wife of Sir Philip Burnet, joined with her huſband in ſuing the abbey for this, and ſome other contiguous manors. It is pro⯑bable, that the monks might have taken an advantage of a fit of [3] remorſe for ſome crime, or the weakneſs of an illneſs, to obtain this gift from her anceſtor. They thought fit to compromiſe the matter with her; and on payment of two hundred pounds re⯑ceived, in 1280, the ninth of Edward I. a confirmation of the grant: and at the ſame time full liberty was given to the abbot to make a reſervoir of water, and to convey it to the abbey.

IN the year 1282, FREE WARREN. William de Birmingham had free warren given him of all his demeſne lands in this village; but it is appre⯑hended he was only an inferior lord to the paramount privileges of the abbey. In the Saxon times, every man was allowed to kill game on his own eſtate, but on the Conqueſt, the king veſted the property of all the game in himſelf, ſo that no one could ſport, even on his own land, under moſt cruel penalties, without permiſſion from the king, by grant of a chaſe or free warren. By this, the grantee had an excluſive power of killing game on his own eſtate, but it was on condition that he prevented every one elſe; ſo that, as our learned commentator ^* obſerves, this ſeeming favor was intended for the preſervation of the beaſts and fowls of warren; which were roes, hares, and rabbits, partridge, rails, and quails, woodcocks and pheaſants, mallards and herons, for the ſport of our ſavage monarchs. This liberty, which they allowed to a few individuals, being deſigned merely to prevent a general deſtruction.

Chriſtleton paſſed from the Birminghams, in Richard II.'s time; to Sir Hugh Brower: Sir Hugh loſt it by his attachment to the houſe of York; and Henry the IVth, in the fourth year of his reign, be⯑ſtowed it on John Manwaring, of Over Peover, an attendant on his [4] ſon, afterwards Henry V ^*. Manwaring having no lawful iſſue, beſtowed this place on Sir Thomas le Groſvenor, lord of Hulme; but it paſſed immediately from him to John de Macclesfield, in the 10th of Henry V. One of his deſcendants alienated it, in 1442, or the 21ſt of Henry VI. to Humphrey (afterward Duke) of Buck⯑ingham. Henry Lord Stafford, ſon to Edward Duke of Bucking⯑ham, ſold it to Sir William Sneyde, of Keel; and Sir Ralph Sneyde, to Sir John Harpur, of Swerſton, in Derbyſhire; one of whoſe de⯑ſcendants ſold it to Thomas Brock, Eſquire, the preſent lord of the manor. The living is a rectory, in the diſpoſal of Sir Roger Moſtyn: the church dedicated to St. James.

FROM hence I took the horſe-road acroſs Brownheath, by Hoc⯑kenball, formerly the ſeat of a family of the ſame name. The riſing country to the left of this road appears to great advantage, oppoſing to the traveller a fair front, beautifully clumped with, ſelf-planted groves.

PASSED over a brook, and reached the ſmall town of Tarvin, which ſtill retains nearly its Britiſh name Terfŷn, or the Boundary, and is ſo to the foreſt of Delamere. In Doomſday book, it is ſtiled Terve: the biſhop at that time held it. It then contained ſix taxable hides of land. The biſhop kept on it ſix cowmen, three radmen, ſeven villeyns, ſeven boors, and ſix ploughlands. The firſt were to keep his cattle; the ſecond to attend his perſon in his travels, or to go whereſoever he pleaſed to ſend them; the third, by their tenure, to cultivate his lands; and the fourth, to ſupply his table with poultry, eggs, and other ſmall matters. The ploughland, or caruca, was as much as one plough could [5] work in the year. This ſhews the eſtabliſhment of a manor in thoſe early times; which I mention now to prevent repetition.

IN Henry VI.'s time, the village and manor were eſtimated at £23 a year, and were held by Reginald, biſhop of Lichfield, in the ſame manner as they were held by his predeceſſors, under the Prince of Wales, as earl of Cheſter. They continued poſſeſſed by them till the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when they were alienated to Sir John Savage, who procured for the town the privilege of a market. The church is a rectory, and ſtill continues part of the ſee of Lichfield; being a prebendary, originally founded about the year 1226, by Alexander de Stavenby, biſhop of that dioceſe. It is valued at £26. 13s. 4d. the higheſt endowment of any prebend in that cathedral. It is called the prebend of Tarvin, which preſents to the living.

THE ſame prelate alſo beſtowed this church on the vice-pre⯑bendal church of Burton, in Wiral ^*; and formed out of its reve⯑nues an hoſpital for ſhipwrecked perſons. This hoſpital was pro⯑bably at Burton, Tarvin being too remote from the ſea for ſo hu⯑mane a deſign.

AGAINST the church-wall is a monument, in memory of Mr. John Thomaſine, thirty-ſix years maſter of the grammar-ſchool. The epitaph deſervedly celebrates the performances of this ex⯑quiſite penman, as ‘highly excelling in all the varieties of writ⯑ing, and wonderfully ſo in the Greek characters. Specimens of his ingenuity are treaſured up, not only in the cabinets of the curious, but in public libraries throughout the kingdom. He had the honour to tranſcribe, for her Majeſty Queen Anne, [6] the Icon Baſilike of her royal grandfather. Invaluable copies alſo of Pindar, Anacreon, Theocritus, Epictetus, Hippocrates's Aphoriſms, and that finiſhed piece the Shield of Achilles, as de⯑ſcribed by Homer, are among the productions of his celebrated pen.’

‘As his incomparable performances acquired him the eſteem and patronage of the great and learned; ſo his affability and humanity gained him the good-will of all his acquaintance; and the deceaſe of ſo much private worth is regretted as a pub⯑lic loſs.’

FROM Tarvin I travel on the great road, and at about two miles diſtance, leave on the right Stapleford, which retains the name it had at the Conqueſt, when it was held by Radulpus Venator from Hugh Lupus. After a long interval, it fell to the Breretons. In 1378, or the ſecond of Richard II. it was held by Sir William Brereton of the king, as earl of Cheſter. From that family it paſſed to the Bruyns, and was purchaſed by the late Randle Wil⯑braham, Eſquire.

Two miles farther, on the left, ſtood Utkinton Hall: the ma⯑nor, with Kingſley, and the baileywick of the foreſt of Delamere, was given by Randle Meſchines, earl of Cheſter, to Randle de Kingſley; whoſe great grand-daughter Joan, about the year 1233, conveyed it to the Dones. Richard Done was poſſeſſed of it in 1311, the ſixth of Edward II. He held it by a quarter part of a knight's fee, and the maſter foreſterſhip of Mere (Delamere) and Mottram, by himſelf, and a horſeman and eight footmen under him, to keep that foreſt, then valued at £10. 10s. 3 d.

UPON the failure of iſſue male of Sir John Done, in the begin⯑ning of the laſt century, the manor of Utkinton came to his [7] daughters, and has been ſince held by them, or perſons claming under them. Mary, the ſecond daughter, married, in 1636, John, ſecond ſon of Sir Randle Crew, of Crew; and Elinor, the younger, to Ralph Arderne, Eſquire.

THE Dones of Flaxyard, in this neighbourhood, were another conſiderable family, at conſtant feud with the former, till the houſes were united by the nuptials of the heir of Flaxyard with the heireſs of Utkinton. But at this time, both thoſe antient ſeats are demoliſhed, or turned into farm-houſes.

FROM hence I ſoon reached Torporley, a ſmall town, ſeated on a gentle deſcent. It had once been a borough town, of which Richard Francis was mayor in the twentieth of Edward I. In the tenth of the ſame reign, Hugh de Tarpoley had licence to hold a market here every Tueſday, and a fair on the vigil, the feaſt-day, and the day after the exaltation of the Holy Croſs; but he alienated this privilege, with his property, to Reginald de Grey, chief juſtice of Cheſter.

IN the eighth of Richard II. this manor was divided into two moieties; one of which was held by John Done, the other by Reginald Grey, of the family of Lord Grey, of Ruthin.

THE manor and rectory of Torporley are now divided into ſix ſhares: four belong to the Arderns; one to the dean and chap⯑ter of Cheſter; and another to Philip Egerton, Eſquire, of Oulton.

THE living is a rectory in the gift of John Ardern, Eſquire. The church is dedicated to St. Helen, the Empreſs of Conſtantius, the daughter of Coel, a Britiſh prince, a popular ſaint among us, if we may judge from the number of churches under her protec⯑tion. That in queſtion is of no great antiquity, in reſpect to the [8] building; nor yet of beauty. Within is much waſte of good marble, in monumental vanity.

THE beſt, are two monuments in the chancel, ſeemingly copied from half-length portraits, included in carved borders of marble, in imitation of frames. The figures are included in them in mezzo-relievo: the one of Sir John Done, Knight, hereditary fo⯑reſter and keeper of the foreſt of Delamere, who died in 1629. His figure is pictureſque, in a laced jacket, and a horn in his hand, the badge of his office: which horn deſcended to the different owners of the eſtate, and is now in the poſſeſſion of John Ardern, Eſquire.

WHEN that Nimrod, James I. made a progreſs in 1617, he was entertained by this gentleman at Utkinton; ‘who ordered ſo wiſely and contentfully,’ ſays King ^* ‘his Highneſs's ſports, that James conferred on him the honor of knighthood.’ He married Dorothy, daughter of Thomas Wilbraham, Eſquire, of Woodhey; who left behind her ſo admirable a character, that, to this day, when a Cheſhire man would expreſs ſome excellency in one of the fair ſex, he would ſay, ‘There is Lady Done for you.’

The other is of John Crew, Eſquire, ſecond ſon of Sir Randle Crew, of Crew, Knight, married to Mary, daughter of Sir John Done. His face is repreſented in profile, with long hair. He died 1670.

His lady, and her elder ſiſter Jane Done, an antient virgin, lie at full length in the Utkinton chapel, with long and excellent cha⯑racters. One lies recumbent; the other reclined and ſtrait laced, [9] which give little grace in ſtatuary. Jane died in 1662; Mrs. Crew in 1690, aged 86.

SIR John Crew, Knight, ſon of Mr. John Crew, lies reclined on an altar-tomb, with a vaſt perriwig, and a Roman dreſs, with a whimpering genius at head and feet. Sir John married, firſt, Mary, daughter of Thomas Wagſtaff, of Tachbrook, in Warwick⯑ſhire, Eſquire; and for his ſecond, Mary, daughter of Sir Wil⯑lughby Aſton, of Aſton, Baronet. He died in 1711, aged 71.

I MUST not quit this place without letting fall a few tears, as a tribute to the memory of its honeſt rector John Allen; whoſe an⯑tiquarian knowlege and hoſpitality, I have often experienced on this great thoroughfare to the capital. From the antient recto⯑rial houſe, at the bottom of the town, is an aweful view of the great rock of Beeſton, backed by the Peckfreton hills, tempting me to take a nearer ſurvey.

THE diſtance is about two miles. In my way I croſſed the canal at Beeſton Bridge, and called at the poor remains of Beeſton Hall, the manor-houſe, inhabited by the agent for the eſtate. This place was burnt by prince Rupert, during the civil wars. There is a tradition, that he had dined that day with the lady of the houſe. After dinner, he told her, that he was ſorry that he was obliged to make ſo bad return to her hoſpitality; adviſed her to ſecure any valuable effects ſhe had, for he muſt order the houſe to be burnt that night, leaſt it ſhould be garriſoned by the enemy.

THIS manor had been part of the barony of Malpas, and was held under the lords, by the family of De Bunbury; who changed their Norman name, St. Pierre, and aſſumed that of the place where they firſt ſettled.

[10] IN 1271, or the fifty-ſixth of Henry III. Henry de Bunbury, and Margery his wife, gave it to their nephew Richard, who made the place his reſidence, and aſſumed its name. It continued in his family for many generations. Sir George Beeſton poſſeſſed it in the forty-fourth of Queen Elizabeth. At length, by the marriage of Margaret, daughter of Sir Hugh Beeſton, with William White⯑more, of Leighton, it was conveyed into that houſe; and as ſud⯑denly transferred, by Bridget, heireſs of Mr. Whitemore, to Darcie Savage, ſecond ſon to Thomas Viſcount Savage, of Rock Savage; whoſe grand-daughter, another Bridget, brought it by marriage to Sir Thomas Moſtyn, Baronet, with the lordſhips of Peckfreton, Leighton, and Thornton; in whoſe houſe they ſtill remain. This lady was a Roman Catholic. Tradition is warm in her praiſe, and full of her domeſtic virtues, and the particular attention that ſhe ſhewed in obliging her domeſtics, of each religion, to attend their reſpective churches. Her huſband and ſhe were lovely and plea⯑ſant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they died within a day or two of each other, at Gloddaeth, in Caernar⯑vonſhire, and were interred in the neighboring church of Eglwys Rbôs.

THIS rock is crowned with the ruins of a ſtrong fortreſs,BEESTON CASTLE. which roſe in the year 1220; founded by Randle Blondeville, earl of Cheſter, on his return out of the Holy Land; for which purpoſe, and for the building, of Chartley Caſtle, he raiſed a tax upon all his eſtates ^*. At that time it belonged to the lords of the manor of Beeſton; from whom he obtained leave to erect his caſtle. It de⯑volved afterwards to the crown; for, according to Erdeſwick, ^* [...]r Hugh Beeſton purchaſed it from Queen Elizabeth, and reſtored it to his lordſhip.

It had been a place of very great ſtrength. The acceſs, about midway of the ſlope, was defended by a great gateway, and a ſtrong wall fortified with round towers, which ran from one edge of the precipice to the other, acroſs the ſlope; but never ſur⯑rounded the hill, as is moſt erroneouſly repreſented in the old prince. Some of the walls, and about ſix or ſeven rounders, ſtill [...]iſt. A ſquare tower, part of the gateway, is alſo ſtanding. [...]th [...]n this cincture is a large area, perhaps four or five acres in [...]xtent. Near the top is the caſtle, defended, on this ſide, by an amazing ditch, cut out of the live rock; on the other, by the [...]upt precipice that hangs over the vale of Cheſhire.

THE entrance is through a noble gateway, guarded on each [...]e by a great rounder, whoſe walls are of a prodigious thick⯑neſs. [12] Within the yard is a rectangular building, the chapel of the place. The draw-well was of a moſt ſurprizing depth; being ſunk through the higher part of the rock, to the level of Beeſton brook, that runs beneath. In the area juſt mentioned, was an⯑other well: both at this time are filled up; but King remem⯑bered the firſt to have been eighty, the other ninety-one, yards deep, although the laſt is ſaid to have been half filled with ſtones and rubbiſh.

WE are quite unacquainted with the events that befel this ſtrong hold, for ſeveral centuries after its foundation. Slow ^† ſays, that Richard II. lodged here his great treaſures during his expe⯑dition into Ireland, and garriſoned it with an hundred men of arms, choſen and able; who, on the approach of Henry duke of Lanceſter, yielded it to the uſurper. But other hiſtorians aſſert, his treaſures were placed in the caſtle of Holt.

THE fortreſs certainly fell in ruins ſoon after this reign; for Ireland, in his poem on the birth of Edward VI. ſpeaks of it as ſuch, when he makes Fome to alight on its ſummit, and foretell its reſtoration.

The caſtle was reſtored to its former ſtrength, between the days of Leland and the ſad contentions betwixt the king and parle⯑ment, in the times of Charles I. It was firſt poſſeſſed by the par⯑lement;SI [...]G [...]. but on the 13th of September 1643, was taken by the royaliſts, under the famous partizan Captain Sandford; who ſcaled the ſteep ſides of the rock, and took it by ſurprize ^*. Steel, the governor, was ſuſpected of treachery, tried, and ſhot to death.

THE parlement made a vigorous attempt to recover a place of ſuch importance, and beſieged it for ſeventeen weeks; during which time it was gallantly defended by Captain Valet. At length, on the approach of prince Rupert, the enemy abandoned the attack, on the 18th of March 1644 ^†.

[14] IN the following year it was taken, after a moſt vigorous de⯑fence of eighteen weeks. The defendants were reduced to the neceſſity of eating cats, &c. when the brave Colonel Ballard, out of mere compaſſion to the poor remains of his garriſon, conſented to beat a parley, and obtained the moſt honorable conditions, far beyond what would be expected in ſuch extremity; viz. to march out, the governor and officers with their horſes and arms, and their own proper goods (which loaded two waggons); the com⯑mon ſoldiers with colors flying, drums beating, matches alight, aproportion of cannon and ball, and a convoy to guard them to Flint Caſtle. On Sunday, the 16th of March, he ſurrendered the caſtle to Sir William Brereton, and, according to articles, marched out with his men, now reduced to about ſixty ^*. The fortreſs ſoon after underwent the fate of the other ſeats of loyalty.

FROM Beeſton Caſtle I continued my journey about two miles to Bunbury; a village,BUNBURY. and the ſeat of the pariſh church. This was the Boliberie of Doomſday Book; which, with ſeveral neigh⯑boring places in the antient hundred of Riſeton, now compre⯑hended in that of Ledeſbury, were poſſeſſed by Robert Fitzhugh. The family who aſſumed the name of the place, held it under him and his ſucceſſors, till, Humphrey dying without iſſue, his ſiſ⯑ters, Ameria and Joan, became co-heireſſes. Ameria's ſhare came to the Patricks, and from them to the St. Piers. At length Iſa⯑bel, daughter and heireſs of Uriam St. Pier, brought it by mar⯑riage to Sir Walter —; who ſold his ſhare of the ad⯑vowſon of the church to the famous Sir Hugh de Calvely. Joan's moiety came to her ſon Alexander, who ſtill continued the name De Bunbury. Sir Hugh de Calvely obtaining likewiſe [15] the other ſhare of the church, erected here a college for a maſter and ſix chaplains; for which purpoſe he obtained li⯑cence, dated March 12th 1386, from Richard II. on paying to the king the ſum of forty pounds. It was inſtituted for the good ſtate of the King and of Sir Hugh, as long as they lived; and on their death, for the ſouls of them and their progenitors, and thoſe of all the faithful ^*. Its revenue was an hundred marks, but at the diſſolution, was £48. 2s. 8d. when the foundation conſiſted of a dean, five vicars, and two choriſters.

IN the fourteenth of Queen Elizabeth, it was purchaſed of the crown by Thomas Alderſey, of London, merchant-taylor, a ſecond ſon of the houſe of Spurſtow, in this pariſh. Here he founded a preacher's place, of 100 marks a year, with a good houſe and glebe; an aſſiſtant or curate, with £20 a year; the other for an uſher ^†, with £10; ten pounds a year to the poor; and ſe⯑veral other charitable gifts. The diſpoſal of the places here are in the haberdaſhers company, London. ^‡

IN reſpect to the ſucceſſion of the manor, Sir Thomas Cokeſey, in the latter end of the reign of Henry VII. having no iſſue, alienated his ſhare to the Bunburies. In the thirty-ſecond of Henry VIII. Richard Bunbury was lord of the manor; from whom the family of the Bunburies of Stanny, in Wirral, and the preſent Sir Charles, is lineally deſcended.

THE church is a handſome building, embattled,CHURCH and the tower ornamented with pinnacles. The architecture ſeems of the time of Henry VII. It is dedicated to St. Boniface; from whom the [16] place takes its name. Whether the patron was Boniface, an Engliſhman, firſt archbiſhop of Mentz, who died in 754, or Pope Boniface the Firſt, who died in 423, I cannot determine; for both received their apotheoſis.

THE church is diſtinguiſhed by the magnificent tomb of Sir Hugh de Calvely, TOMB. whoſe effigies in white marble lies on it recum⯑bent. He is armed in the faſhion of the times; and, to give an idea of his vaſt proweſs, his figure is repreſented ſeven feet and a half long. He was the Arthur of Cheſhire; the glory of the county: accordingly the moſt prodigious ſeats are recorded of him. Whe⯑ther, like Milo, he could kill a bull with a blow of his fiſt, is not ſaid; but our ballads give Sir Hugh no more than the honor of devouring a calf at a meal. His head reſts on a helmet, with a calf's head for the creſt, alluſive to his name; yet probably gave riſe to the fable.

Sir Hugh ſprung from a neighboring hamlet (of which I ſhall have occaſion to ſpeak) from whence he took his ſurname. Ac⯑cording to the caſt of the times, he fought adventures in the mi⯑litary line; and, like a ſoldier of fortune, firſt appeared a princi⯑pal commander of the Grandes Compagnies, Tard venus, or Malan⯑drins, a ſpecies of banditti, formed out of the diſbanded ſoldiery of different nations. On the captivity of king John, at the battle of Poitiers, they amounted at leſt to above forty thouſand veteran troops. They lived upon plunder; yet were ready to join the ſide moſt adverſe to France. At the battle of Auray, in 1364, Sir Hugh ^* ſerved with a conſiderable body of them, under the Engliſh general, Lord Chandos; and had the honor of turning the fortune of the day, in which was taken the great De Gueſelin.

[17] IN 1366, Sir Hugh was won over by that illuſtrious general, (again at the head of the armies of France) to join him in an expe⯑dition into Spain, to dethrone Peter the Cruel, king of Caſtile. The enterprize was ſucceſsful; but, on the expreſs command of Edward III. to Lord Chandos, Sir Hugh de Calvely, and others of his ſubjects, leaders of the companies, to forbear hoſtilities ^* againſt Peter, they deſerted the quarrel they had eſpouſed; and, on the appearance of the Black Prince in Spain, who, to his diſ⯑grace, took part with the tyrant, Sir Hugh, and a great body of the companies, joined him. The prince reinſtated Peter on the throne, after the great victory of Najara over his rival Henry of Traſtamare; to which the bravery of Sir Hugh, and his troops, was highly contributory. On the recall of the Black Prince, by his father, in 1367. Sir Hugh was left commander of the com⯑panies. Hiſtory gives him a royal conſort, in reward of his va⯑lour, and marries him to the queen of Arragon. If at this pe⯑riod he took a moſt antiquated piece of royalty; for I can find no other dowager of that kingdom, unleſs Leonora, relict of Alonſo IV. who became a widow in 1335, was then alive. There was no iſſue by this match; ^† but by his ſecond wife, heireſs to Mottram Lord of Mottram, his line was continued.

IN 1376, the laſt year of Edward III. he was appointed to the important government of Calais. ^‡ In 1378, he plundered and burnt La Bas Bentagne, with ſeveral veſſels which lay in har⯑bour: he alſo retook the caſtle of Mark, loſt before by neglect. In 1379, he reſigned the place to the earl of Saluſbury, and was appointed by Richard II. admiral of his fleet ^‖.

[18] In 1382, we find him governor of Guernſey, and the adjacent iſles. The laſt mention we find of him, is in a cauſe that was to be determined in 1388 ^*; after which, hiſtory is ſilent in reſpect to this hero. Fuller remarks, ‘It was as impoſſible for ſuch a ſpirit not to be, as not to be active.’ probably old-age might ſubdue his enterprizing ſoul; for I find that he lived to the reign of Henry IV ^†: but mention is made of the weak ſtate of his body in Rymer's record of the cauſe ^‡.

THIS tomb is kept always very neat; which is owing to the piety of Dame Mary Calveley, of Lea; who, in 1705, left the in⯑tereſt of an hundred pounds, to be diſtributed annually among certain poor of this pariſh, on condition they attended divine ſer⯑vice while they were able and ſwept the chancel, and cleaned the monument.

THE Ridley chapel, founded in 1527, belonging to the Egertons of Ridley, is ſeparated from the church by a wood-work ſkreen, painted. This had been their place of interment; but nothing monumental remains, unleſs the impreſſion of a plate of a kneel⯑ing man, againſt one of the walls.

IN the chancel is a recumbent figure of Sir George Beeſton, who died in 1600. This monument was erected by his ſon Sir Hugh, the laſt male of this antient line; who for ſome time ſurvived his only ſon George. ^‖

[19] AT a ſmall diſtance from Bunbury, I fell into the great road, oppoſite to Alpram, a hamlet, whoſe name is corrupted from the Saxon Alburgham, in the Doomſday book. In after-times it was the ſeat of the Pages, now extinct.

A LITTLE farther lies Calvely, long the property of that il⯑luſtrious family, now likewiſe loſt. The place was beſtowed on a Hugh, by Richard Vernon, Baron of Shipbrook, about the time of Richard I. In Edward the IlI.'s time, it came to the Davenports, by the marriage of Arthur to Catharine, daughter and heireſs of Robert de Calvely: in which family it has continued till the pre⯑ſent time.

MY road lay along the low unpleaſant lane that led towards Nantwich; the proſpect frequently deformed by the great foſſes of the unfortunate canal, falling in on each ſide of the road; for it croſſes at Barbridge, and is finiſhed from thence to Nantwich. This was only a ſecondary conſideration, executed on the hopes of conſiderable profit in the carriage of ſalt and cheeſe. The ori⯑ginal and principal object was, to continue the main trunk by Church Minſhul to the great Staffordſhire canal, near Middlewich, and by that means ſhare in the freight of the goods of the oppo⯑ſite ſide of the kingdom: but various cauſes have fruſtrated all hopes of that benefit; and this part of the plan remains un⯑attempted.

AT Acton the proſpect mends a little. That village,ACTON. with its handſome new church, ſtand on a ſmall riſing, and command an⯑other great extent of flat, beyond Nantwich. This place, EARL MORKAR'S. before the Conqueſt, was poſſeſſed by Morkar, the gallant brother of the gallant earl Edwin, laſt earl of Mercia. At that time, the hun⯑dred it lay in was called Warmundeſtreu, at preſent Namptwich. [20] Actune, as it is ſtiled in the Doomſday book, was a very con⯑ſiderable place. There were eight hides of land taxable: there were thirty plough-lands; in the lord's demeſn three: two ſer⯑vants, thirteen villeyns, and fifteen boors, with ſeven plough⯑lands, a mill for the uſe of the court (curiae) and ten acres of meadow: a wood ſix leagues long, and one broad: an aery of hawks: two preſbyters, who had a plough-land: two aliens, having a plough-land and a half: a ſervant: ſix villeyns: ſeven boors, with four plough-lands.

THIS not only ſhews the greatneſs of this Saxon manor, but that it was the ſeat of Morkar, by the proviſion made for his ſup⯑port. The tenants had likewiſe the right of pleas in the hall of their lord, and one houſe in Wich (Nantwich) where they might make ſalt without interruption. In the time of the Confeſſor, the manor was valued at ten pounds a year; at the Conqueſt, at only ſix. It may be obſerved, once for all, that the troubles oc⯑caſioned at that event, and the ravages committed, inſtantly ſunk the value of the land.

AT the Conqueſt, this place was a member of the barony of Wich Malhang, or Nantwich. Hugh, ſecond lord of Nantwich, beſtowed the advowſon of the living, with the lands belonging, on the abbey of Cumbermere, which he had founded in 1113 ^*.

THE third, or laſt baron, had only daughters, among whom the eſtates were divided; and Acton ſell to the ſhare of Alinora, the eldeſt; whoſe daughter Joan marrying Lord Lovel, it re⯑mained in that line as late as 1389, the thirteenth of Richard II. when it was poſſeſſed by Sir John Lovel. It was afterwards the [21] property of the Arderns. Sir Leonard Ardorn was lord of it in 1407, the ninth of Henry IV.

IN 1498, the fourteenth Henry VII. and in 1541, the thirty-third of Henry VIII. it was in the heirs of Ralph Ardens. In the reign of Queen Mary it was the property of the Wilbrahams of Woodhey, in this pariſh; and at preſent belongs to Wilbraham Tollemache, Eſquire, by virtue of the marriage of Grace, eldeſt daughter of Sir Richard Wilbraham, Baronet, with his anceſtor Lionel earl of Dyſart.

ABOUT twenty years ago, CHURCH. the ſteeple and roof of the church were deſtroyed; but the whole has ſince been reſtored, in a very handſome manner. One monument is in good preſervation, not⯑withſtanding this church was a temporary priſon after the battle of Nantwich, in the civil wars of Charles I; but the priſoners were of the party which reſpected theſe memorials of the dead.

THE moſt ancient is one in St. Mary's chapel, in memory of Sir William Manwaring, of Over Pever, and of Badely, in this neighborhood. This knight, before his departure on an expe⯑dition to Guienne, in 1393, ſettled his eſtate, and next year made his will; by which he bequeaths his body to this church, and orders a picture in alabaſter, to cover his tomb. He alſo left to the ſame church part of Chriſt's croſs, which the wife of his half-brother had ſhut up in wax, and a competent ſalary for a chap⯑lain to ſay a competent number of maſſes, in St. Mary's chapel, for the ſake of his ſon, for ſeven years, when it might be ſup⯑poſed to have been redeemed from Purgatory, and

[22] After his death, which happened in 1399, a magnificent tomb was erected beneath a Gothic arch, with a large embattled ſuper⯑ſtructure. Under the arch lies Sir William in full armour, with ſuppliant hands. His head is caſed in a conic helm, bound with a fillet entwined with foliage. From his helmet is a guard of mail, which covers his neck, and riſes to his lips; over which flow two great whiſkers. His head reſts on a caſque, with an aſs's head for a creſt. Above, within the arch, is a row of half-lengths, with a book oppoſite to each; probably religious, chaunt⯑ing his requiem. The whole is painted. On the edge of the tomb was this inſcription, now much defaced by time: Hic jacet William Manwaring quondam dominum de Badeleye, qui obiit die Veneris xx^o ante feſtum Pentecoſtae, anno Dni. m^occc^o nonogeſſimo nono.

THE tomb of Sir Thomas Wilbraham, Baronet, and his lady Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Roger Wilbraham, Knight, and one of the Maſters of Requeſt to James I. is very handſome. Their figures are placed on an altar-tomb, in white marble, recumbent: he in armour, long curled hair, and a turn-over, with one hand in his breaſt, the other by his ſide. Beneath him is ſpread a large cloak. The lady has a book in one hand; the other, like his, reclines on her breaſt. He died in 1660.

THE church had been long the place of ſepulture of the houſes of Woodhey and Badeley. The vain attention of our forefathers to poſthumous honors and ſuperſtitious rites, is well exemplified from the probate of the will of William Wilbraham, of Woodhey, who died in 1536; by which ‘he bequeaths his body to be bu⯑ried before the image of our Lady, in the chancel of the church of Acton, and beſtows x⁹. to be laid out on a tenor bell, if the pariſh will provide the reſt; but if not, then the money to be laid out on a pax and two cruytts of ſilver, to ſerve at the high altar on good days. He further wills, that 12 white gowns be given to 12 a poor men; as alſo, that 12 torches be made, to hold about his body the day of his burial; and that a light be over him, with viii. tapers, in the middle whereof a bigger taper ſhould ſpring out; alſo, that penny-dole ſhould be given at his burial, to every perſon that would take it.’

‘HE, moreover, requires his executors to buy a ſtone of mar⯑ble to lie on him, in the ſaid chancel of Acton, with pictures of himſelf and his wife, and their arms; alſo, that they put out xi £ under ſure keeping, to pay xi^s. yearly to a well-diſpoſed prieſt, to ſing (during twenty years) for him and his wife, chil⯑dren, father and mother, and all that God would be prayed for; and the ſaid ſervice to be performed in his chapel of Woodhey; which prieſt ſhould likewiſe have iv £ more yearly for his ſa⯑lary, if ſo be his heir is not pleaſed to give him his board and chamber-room ^*.’

[24] THE monument alluded to, either never was executed, or was deſtroyed by the fall of the ſteeple.

FROM Acton, I went down a gentle deſcent to Nantwich, about a mile diſtant. Antiently this place was known only by the name of Wich, ^* an Anglo-Saxon word for diſtrict, or habitation; and a very common termination of a multitude of places. Here the Britiſh Nant is added, to ſhew its low ſituation.

IMMEDIATELY before the Conqueſt, its revenues were divided between the king and earl Edwin. After that event, it was be⯑ſtowed by the great proprietor of Cheſhire, Hugh Lupus, on Wil⯑liam de Malhedeng, or de Malhang, a Norman chieftain; from whom it was called Wich Malhang. Hugh erected it into a barony, in favor of Malhedeng, and honored him with a ſeat in his par⯑lement.

THIS dignity continued only in him and his two ſons, Hugh and William. The laſt died without iſſue male. Of his three daughters, Alionora, the eldeſt, by marriage of her daughter Joan, conveyed her ſhare to the Lord Lovels; Philippa, the ſecond, to the Audleys; ^† and Alda, the third, to the Vernons, barons of Shipbroke.

BY theſe marriages, the barony became divided into four, reckoning the part which had been given by Hugh Malhang to the abbey of Cumbermere; and ſoon after, by different alliances, became ſplit into multitudes of other ſhares.

[25] WHEN entire, it was under the government of the lord, or his ſteward; who were veſted with the uſual baronial powers. This town had been governed by a bailiff; but the election of that officer being dropt, it is at preſent under the government of the conſtables. It has likewiſe ſeveral other officers, ſuch as the rulers of walling, who were guardians of the ſalt-ſprings, and re⯑gulated all matters reſpecting their important ſtaple of the place ^*.

AFTER them came the ale-taſters; whoſe office related to the aſſize of bread and drink.

THE next were the health-keepers; who attended to the right of the beam-heath, antiently called the creach; and took care to pre⯑ſerve it from all incroachments, or treſpaſſers.

THE leave-lookers ſuperintended the markets, inſpected the weights, and deſtroyed unwholeſome meat of every kind. Theſe correſponded a good deal with the Aediles cereales of the Romans; as the next officers, the fire-lookers, did to the triumviri nocturni. They had the care of the chimnies, and were to guard againſt all accidents that might ariſe from fire.

THE town is large, but conſiſts chiefly of old houſes. The Weever, which divides it in unequal parts, is here a ſmall ſtream, and not navigable higher than Winsford Bridge. The inhabitants of Nantwich had, many years ago, an act for making this river navigable from that place to their town; but they never carried the power into execution. The Cheſter canal is now completed from that city, and finiſhes in a handſome broad baſon, near the road between Acton and the town; but at this time, it remains [26] an almoſt uſeleſs ornament to the country; nor has it, as might have been expected, given the leſt increaſe to the ſalt-trade, for which this antient town was once ſo diſtinguiſhed. Unfortunately for it, the other ſalt-towns lie more conveniently for commerce, and abound almoſt to exceſs with that uſeful article.

THE chief trade of the place is in ſhoes, which are ſent to London. Here is a ſmall manufacture of gloves; but thoſe of bone-lace and ſtockings, once conſiderable, are now loſt. In the reigns of Queen Elizabeth, and James I. the tanning buſineſs brought much wealth into the town.

THE ſalt made from the adjacent brine-ſprings, formed once a very important buſineſs. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, here were two hundred and ſixteen ſalt-works, of ſix leads-walling each: in 1774, only two works, of five large pans of wrought iron. The duty produced from them amounts annually to near five thouſand pounds: from the whole diſtrict, including the works at Lawton, and a ſmall one at Droitwich, from eighteen to twenty thouſand pounds. The tax on this uſeful article is very conſiderable; which it bears, as being of moſt cheap fabrick, and moſt univerſal uſe. It ſeems, for that reaſon, to have been one of the earlieſt taxes of the Romans; for Ancus Martius, near 640 years before Chriſt, ſalinarum vectigal inſtituit ^*. This tribute was continued on the Britons when the Romans poſſeſſed our iſle.

THE latter alſo made ſalt part of the pay of their ſoldiers, which was called ſalarium; and from which is derived our word ſalary.

THE art of making ſalt was known in very early times, to the [27] Gauls and Germans: it is not, therefore, likely that the Britons, who had, in ſeveral places, plenty of ſalt-ſprings, ſhould be ig⯑norant of it. The way of making it was very ſimple, but very dirty; for they did no more than fling the water on burning wood; the water evaporated by the heat, and left the ſalt adher⯑ing to the aſhes, or charcoal ^*.

IT is very probable that the Britons uſed the ſpring of Nant⯑wich for this purpoſe; numbers of pieces of half-burnt wood being frequently dug up in this neighborhood. Salinis was a place not far from hence, one of the wiches; but I am uncertain which. The Romans made uſe of the ſprings, and made ſalt by much the ſame proceſs as we do at preſent. The ſalt produced was white. It ſtruck the natives, who ſtiled this place, perhaps the firſt place where they ſaw ſalt of this kind, Heledd-Wen, or the white brine-pits, to diſtinguiſh them from the ſprings which they uſed in ſo ſlovenly a faſhion.

THE Romans were acquainted with rock-ſalt, but had not diſ⯑covered it within the limits of Italy. There were mountains of ſalt in India. Spain afforded the tranſparent colorleſs rock-ſalt, and Cappadocia the deep yellow ^†. The Romans were converſant in the methods of producing this uſeful article from the brine ^‡, which they practiſed in our iſland, and communicated their in⯑ſtructions to the natives. Salt was an early import into Britain, [28] but it was only to the Caſſiterides, ^* and the neighboring parts, which were remote from the ſalt-ſprings.

THESE advantages are but ſparingly ſcattered over Great Bri⯑tain: Scotland and Ireland are totally deſtitute of them. In Eng⯑land there are ſeveral, but few that contain ſalt ſufficient to be worked. Thus, there are ſome which riſe out of the middle of the Were, in the biſhoprick of Durham; others in Yorkſhire, Cumberland, Lancaſhire, and Oxfordſhire: ^† all thoſe are neglected, either on account of their weakneſs, or, in ſome places, by reaſon of the dearneſs of fuel. Theſe in Cheſhire, and thoſe at Droit⯑wich in Worceſterſhire, with the ſmall works at Weſton in Staf⯑fordſhire, are the only places where any buſineſs is done. Droit⯑wich, and thoſe in Cheſhire, were worked by the Romans, and had the common name of Salinae.

FROM that period to the preſent, they have been ſucceſſively in uſe. The Saxons, according to their idea of liberty, divided them between the king, the great people, and the freemen. Thus, at Nantwich was one brine-pit, which gave employ to numbers of ſalinae, or works. Eight of them were between the king and earl Edwin, of which the king had two ſhares of the profits, the earl one. Edwin had likewiſe a work near his manor of Aghton, out of which was made ſalt ſufficient for the annual conſumption of his houſhold; but if any was ſold, the king had a tax of two pence, and the earl of one penny.

IN this place were likewiſe numbers of works belonging to the people of the neighborhood; which had this uſage: From Aſcenſion-day to the feaſt of St. Martin, they might carry home [29] what ſalt they pleaſed; but if they ſold any on the ſpot, or any⯑where in the county, they were to pay a tax to the king and the earl: but after the feaſt of St. Martin, whoſoever took the ſalt home, whether his own, or purchaſed from other works, was to pay toll, except the before-mentioned work of the earl; which enjoyed exemption, according to antient uſage.

IT appears, that the king and earl farmed out their eight works; for they were obliged to give, on the Friday of the weeks in which they were worked, xvi. boilings; of which xv. made one ſum of ſalt. This is a meaſure, which, according to Spelman, amounts to a horſe-load, oreight buſhels. The pans of other people, from Aſcenſion-day to that of St. Martin, were not ſubject to this farm on the Friday; but from St. Martin's day to Aſcenſion they were liable to thoſe cuſtoms, in the ſame manner as thoſe of the king and the earl.

THE Welſh uſed to ſupply themſelves from theſe pits, before the union of our country with England. Henry III. in order to diſtreſs them, during the wars he had with them, took care to put a ſtop to the works, and deprive them of this neceſſary article.

ALL theſe ſalt-works were confined between the river and a certain ditch. If any perſon was guilty of a crime, within theſe limits, he was at liberty of making atonement by a mulct of two ſhillings, or xxx. boilings of ſalt; except in the caſe of mur⯑der or theft, for which he was to ſuffer death. If crimes of that nature were committed without the precinct, the common uſage of the county was to be obſerved.

IN the time of the Confeſſor, this place yielded a rent of xx [30] pounds, with all the pleas of the hundred; but when earl Hugh received it, it was a waſte.

THE Germans had an idea of a peculiar ſanctity attendant on ſalt-ſprings; that they were nearer to heaven than other places; that the prayers of mortals were nowhere ſooner heard; and that, by the peculiar favor of the gods, the rivers and the woods were productive of ſalt, not, as in other places, by the virtue of the ſea, but by the water being poured on a burning pile of wood ^*.

WHETHER this notion might not have been delivered from the Germans to their Saxon progeny, and whether they might not, in after-times, deliver their grateful thanks for theſe advantages, I will not determine; but certain it is, that on Aſcenſion-day the old inhabitants of Nantwich piouſly ſang a hymn of thankſgiving, for the bleſſing of the brine. A very antient pit, called the Old Brine, was alſo held in great veneration, and, till within theſe few years, was annually, on that feſtival, bedecked with boughs, flowers, and garlands, and was encircled by a jovial band of young people, celebrating the day with ſong and dance ^†.

THIS feſtival was probably one of the reliques of Saxon pagan⯑iſm, which Mellitus might permit his proſelytes to retain, ac⯑cording to the political inſtructions he received from Gregory the Great ^‡, on his miſſion, leaſt, by too rigid an adherence to the purity of the Chriſtian religion, he ſhould deter the Engliſh from accepting his doctrine. In fact, ſalt was, from the earlieſt times, in the higheſt eſteem, and admitted into religious ceremonies: it [31] was conſidered as a mark of league and friendſhip. ‘Neither ſhalt thou,’ ſays the Jewiſh Legiſlator, ^* ‘ſuffer the ſalt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering With all thy offerings thou ſhalt offer ſalt.’ Homer gives to ſalt the epithet of divine. Both Greeks and Romans mixed ſalt with their ſacrificial cakes. In their luſtrations they made uſe of ſalt and water, which gave riſe, in after-times, to the ſuperſtition of holy water; only the Greeks made uſe of an olive branch in⯑ſtead of a bruſh, to ſprinkle it on the objects of purification.

Stuckius tells us, that the Muſcovites thought that a prince could not ſhew a gueſt a greater mark of affection, than by ſending to him ſalt from his own table ^†. The dread of ſpilling of ſalt, is a known ſuperſtition among us and the Germans, being reckoned a preſage of ſome future calamity, and particularly, that it fore⯑boded domeſtic feuds; to avert which, it is cuſtomary to fling ſome ſalt over the ſhoulder into the fire, in a manner truly claſſical ^‡:

IN this town was an antient hoſpital dedicated to St. Nicholas, [32] endowed with a portion of tythes, which were granted to W. Grys by Queen Elizabeth ^*. The hiſtorian of this place alſo men⯑tions a priory, dependent on Cumbermere, and a domus leproſorum, or lazar-houſe, called St. Laurence's Hoſpital; both which ſtood in the Welſh Row, the ſtreet next to Acton; but at preſent, even their ſcite is hardly known. Here was, beſides, a chapel called St. Anne's, near to the bridge; but that, likewiſe, has been totally deſtroyed.

NEAR the end of this ſtreet ſtands a large houſe, called Town's End, till of late the reſidence of the very worthy family of the Wilbrahams; that honeſt and diſtinguiſhed lawyer, the late Ran⯑dle Wilbraham, was a younger brother of the late owner, and, with unblemiſhed reputation, raiſed a vaſt fortune by his pro⯑feſſion. For ſeveral years before his death, he retired from buſi⯑neſs, and enjoyed the fruits of his labors in an hoſpitable re⯑tirement.

THE church is a very handſome pile, in form of a croſs, with an octagonal tower in the centre. The eaſt and weſt windows are filled with elegant tracery. The roof of the chancel is of ſtone, adorned with pretty ſculpture. The ſtalls are neat. Tra⯑dition ſays, that they were brought, at the diſſolution, from the abbey of Vale Royal.

THIS town was the only one in the county which continued firm to the parlement from the beginning to the end of the civil wars. It underwent a ſevere ſiege in January 1643, by Lord Biron; who, after the ſignal defeat he here experienced from the army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax ^*, on the 25th of that month retired with his ſhattered forces to Cheſter. The place was defended only by mud-walls and ditches, formed in a haſty manner by the inhabitants and country people; who were highly incenſed at ſome cruel and impolitic treatment they had met with from the royaliſts. The garriſon defended themſelves with great obſtinacy. The moſt remarkable attack was on the 18th of January, when the beſiegers were repulſed with great loſs. Among the ſlain on their ſide, was the famous Captain Sandford; who again employed the eloquence of his pen, but to as little purpoſe as he did before at Hawarden. On each occaſion ^† he maintains the ſame ſtile.

AMONG many other priſoners of diſtinction taken by Sir Thomas Fairfax, was Colonel George Monk, in after-times the famous in⯑ſtrument of the reſtoration of Charles II. Fairfax was ſo well ac⯑quainted with his merit, that he was determined that he never ſhould have an opportunity of exerting his courage again in the royal cauſe. He ſent him up to London, where he was committed priſoner to the Tower, and confined near four years. On his re⯑leaſe he joined the parlement; but, through a ſenſe of honor, de⯑clined acting againſt his old maſter: and employed his ſword againſt the Iriſh rebels, in which ſervice he was engaged till after the death of the King.

Nantwich was the reſidence of the widow of the great Milton, during the latter part of her life. ^* She was the daughter of Mr. Minſhul, of Stoke, in this neighborhood. The poet married her in the fifty-third or fifty-fourth year of his age, wanting, in the ſeaſon of his infirmities, aſſiſtance from a dearer relation than that of domeſtics. I fear that he was diſappointed; for ſhe is ſaid to have been a lady of moſt violent ſpirit. Yet ſhe maintained a [36] great reſpect for his memory; and could not bear to hear the leaſt imputation of plagiariſm aſcribed to him. She uſed to ſay, that he ſtole from nobody but the muſe who inſpired him; and that muſe was God's grace, and the Holy Spirit, which vi⯑ſited him nightly. She probably had heard him ſay as much, in the compoſition of his invocation to Urania, in his 7th book:

And again, with greater force,

I CONTINUED my journey along the London road, flat, tedious, and heavy. At the fourth ſtone lieth, a little out of the way, Wibbunbury, a ſmall village, ſuppoſed to have taken, its name from Wibba, ſecond king of the Mercians, who died in 615. The manor was antiently in the great family of the Praers. Sir Ro⯑bert de Praer gave it to his ſon Richard, about the reign of King John, upon condition of rendering to the heirs of his elder bro⯑ther two barbed arrows yearly, on the feaſt of St. Peter and St. Paul, in lieu of all other ſervices. But the Praers remitted all their right in this manor, and the patronage of the church, to the biſhop of Litchfield and Coventry, in 1276, the fifth of Edward I. and the biſhops continued to be lords of the manor [37] till the ſecond of Queen Elizabeth; about which time it was alienated: but the biſhops ſtill continue patrons of the church.

THERE had been, in much earlier times, a family in this place which took their name from it; for Richard de Wibbunbury was ſheriff of Cheſhire in 1233. Whether the Praers ever aſſumed that name, is uncertain. It is probable, that the Richard above⯑mentioned was the ſame with the ſheriff, and took the addition on receiving the place from his father.

THIS village was formerly ſurrounded with gentlemen's ſeats. Among thoſe was Lee, the reſidence of a family of the ſame name; from which were deſcended the Lees, earls of Litchfield, derived from Benedict, a ſon of this houſe, who made a ſettlement at Quarendon, in Buckinghamſhire, in the beginning of the reign of Edward IV.

THE church is a very handſome building, embattled and pin⯑nacled: the tower lofty; the roof is timbered on the inſide, and carved with the arms of the various benefactors. Part of the church was taken down in 1591; at which time many of the monuments were deſtroyed: of thoſe remaining, are ſeveral in memory of the Delves of Doddington. The moſt antient is a large altar-tomb of alabaſter, with the figures of a father, and ſon, and lady, engraven on the ſtone: at the feet of each is a dog, and be⯑neath, a dolphin: on the front of the tomb, ſeveral figures, their progeny. The perſons repreſented are Sir John Delves, his ſon John, and his wife Ellen, daughter of Ralph Egerton, of Wrinehill, in the county of Stafford; for which, probably on account of conſanguinity, a diſpenſation was granted in 1439 ^*.

SIR John was in high favor with Henry VI. and enjoyed ſeveral [38] lucrative poſts under him. This he repaid with the moſt faithful adherence, raiſed forces in his ſupport, and loſt his life valiantly fighting, in the fatal field at Tewkeſbury, on Saturday, May the 4th, 1471. His ſon, with numbers of perſons of diſtinction, took refuge in the abbey. The furious Edward purſued them, with his drawn ſword, into the church ^*; but was oppoſed by a reſolute prieſt, who for the preſent diverted his vengeance by liſting up the hoſt, interpoſing the ſacred myſtery, and denied him admit⯑tance till he obtained a promiſe of pardon; depending on the king's word, they neglected making their eſcape, and continued in the ſanctuary till the Monday, when the relentleſs monarch cauſed them to be drawn out and beheaded, according to the cuſtom of the times, without any proceſs. The bodies of this unfortunate pair were at firſt buried at Tewkeſbury ^†, but after⯑wards tranſlated to this place; where their remains lie, with the following inſcription:

Hic jacet Johannes Delves, miles, et Elena uxor ejus, nec non Johannes Delves, armiger, filius et heres predicti Johis. qui quidem Johannes, miles obiit quarto die Maii, anno Dni. MCCCCLXXI. quorum animabus propitietur Deus. Amen.

Ralph, the ſecond ſon of Sir John, and his wife Catharine, are repreſented on a tomb by two braſs plates. The inſcription im⯑ports, that he died the 11th March, 1513.

THE tomb of Sir Thomas Smith, of the Hough, in this pariſh, and his lady, is magnificent in its kind. Sir Thomas lies beneath a canopy, ſupported by four pillars of the Ionic order, of white marble, gilt and painted. He is repreſented recumbent and [39] armed, with his gauntlets lying at his feet: his hair long, curled, and flowing: his viſage bearded and whiſkered. His lady (Anne, daughter of Sir William Brereton) has a faſhionable fore-top, a great ruff, and extended hood. Sir Thomas died on the 21ſt of December 1614; and his relict erected this monumental com⯑pliment.

ON getting into the great road, I paſſed on the left the ſcite of the antient ſeat of Lee, and an iron forge.

A LITTLE farther ſtood the antient ſeat of Doddington, origi⯑nally belonging to a family of the ſame name; but in the reign of Edward II. paſſed to the Praers: in 1352, the twenty-ſixth of Edward III. to the Breſcies, by marriage with the heireſs of the houſe: but in the thirtieth of the ſame reign, John Breſcie, with Margaret his wife, alienated it to John Delves, of Delveſhall in Staffordſhire, one of the four renowned 'ſquires who diſtinguiſhed themſelves under the Lord Audley, at the battle of Poitiers. Sir John Berniers, Lord Bourchier, the noble tranſlator of Froiſſart, relates the deed with all the ſimplicity of the original. ‘But when Lord James Audeley ſawe that ſhoulde nedes fyght (he ſayde to the Prynce) I have alwaies ſerved truly my lorde your father, and you alſo, and ſhall do as long as I live. I ſay this, be⯑cauſe I made ones a vow, that the firſt batayle that other the Kynge your father, or anie of his chyldren, ſhoulde be at, howe that I wulde be one of the fyrſt ſetters on, or elſe to dye in the ſayle. Therefore I requyre your Grace, as in rewarde for any ſervyce that ever I dyde to the Kynge your father, or to you, that you will gyve me licence to departe fro' you, and to ſet up my ſelf there, as I maye accomplyſhe my vowe. The Prince, according to his deſyre (and ſayde) Sir James, God gyve you [40] this daye that grace to be the beſt Knyght of all others, and to take hym by the hande. Than the Knyght departed fro the Prince, and went to the foremoſt front of all the batayles all, onely accompanyed with four Squyers, who promyſed nat to ſayle him. This Lorde James was a ryghte ſage and a valiant knyght, and by hym was muche of the hooſte ordeyned and governed the day before. — The Lord James Audeley, with his foure Squyers, was in the front of that battel, and theſe dyd marvels in armes; and by great prowes, he came and fought with Sir Arnolde Dandrchen, under his own banner; and there they fought longe togyder, and Sir Arnolde was there ſore han⯑dled. — And there was Sir Arnolde Dandrchen taken pryſoner by other men than by Syr James Audeley or his foure Squyers; for y^t daye he never toke priſoner, but always foughte and wente on his enemyes. — On the Englyſhe parte, the Lord James Audeley, with the ayde of his foure Squyers, foughte alwayes in the chyefe of the batayle: he was ſore hurte in the bodye, and in the vyſage. As longe as his breth ſerved him he fought: at laſt, at the end of the batayle hys foure Squyers toke and brought hym out of the felde, and layed hym under a hedge ſyde, for to refreſhe hym. And they unarmed hym, and bounde up his woundes as well as they coude.—After the battle, the Prince demanded of the Knyghtes that were aboute him, for the Lord Audley, if any knewe any thing of him. Some Knights y^t were there anſwered and ſayde, Sir, he is ſore hurt, and lieth in a litter here beſide; by my faith, ſaid the Prince, of his hurts I am right forye, go and knowe if he maye be broughte hider, or els I will go, and ſe him there, as he is. Than twoo Knights came to the Lord Audeley (and ſayde) Sir, [41] the Prince deſireth greatly to ſee you: outher ye muſt go to him, [...] el [...] he will come to you. A, Sir, ſayde the Knighte, I thanke the Prince when he thinketh on ſo pore a knight as I am, then he called eyght of his ſervanntes, and cauſed them to here hym [...] lytter to the place where was the Prince. Than the [...] toke hym in his armes and kyſt hym, and made him [...] at ch [...]ar, and ſayd, Sir James, I ought gretly to honour you, for by your valiance ye have this day achyved y^e grace and renowne of us al, and ye are reputed for the moſt valyant of al others. I retain you for ever to be my knight, with five hun⯑ [...]ed ma [...]es of yearly revenues. When Syr James Audeley was broughte to his lodgynge, the [...]ne he ſend for Syr Peter [...], his brother, and for the Lorde Bartylemawe of Bren⯑ [...], the Lorde Stephanne of Goutenton, the Lorde of Wylly, and the Lorde Raſſe Perres: all theſe were of his lynage: and than he called before them hys foure Squyers, that hadde [...] hym that daye well and trewlye: than he ſayde to the Hyde Lordes, Syrs, it hath pleaſed my Lorde the Prynce to g [...]ve [...]e five hundred markes of revenues by yere; for the which gyft I have done him but ſmall ſervyce with my bodye. [...], beholde here theſe foure Squyers, who hath alwayes ſerved [...] truely, and eſpecyally thys day: that honour that I have is by there valyantneſſe, wherefore I well 'eward them: I gyve and reſigne into their [...] the gyft that my Lorde y^e Prynce [...] me of five hundred marke of yerely revenues, to [...] and their heyres for ever. I clearly diſheryte me there [...] and inh [...]ryte there [...]ythout any rebell or condyryon ^*.’

[42] I HAVE dwelt the longer on this account of the Lord Audley, [...] only as his hiſtory is ſo mingled with that of his four 'ſquires, [...], Dut [...] Fe [...]churſt, and Hawkeſton; but becauſe all five were Cheſhire mer [...] the 'ſquires, by attachment; following their neighbor to the [...] of military glory. I muſt add, that their gallant leader enjoined them, as a further proof of his eſteem, to bear in ſome part of their coa [...] of arms, his own proper atchieve⯑ment gu [...], a fret d [...]or ^*; which the families conſtantly re⯑ [...]ned.

THE ſtatues of Lord Audley and his four 'ſquires, cut in ſtone, are ſtill preſerved at Doddington Hall. Doctor Gower ſuppoſes that of Lord Audley to have seen original; the others to have been made in the reign of Queen Elizebeth, when the late man⯑ [...]o [...] was [...].

SIR John (for he was knighted by Edward III.) was diſtin⯑guiſhed by ſeveral marks of royal favo [...] had the wardſhip of the Dutcheſs of Bre [...]g [...]e: was conſtituted one of the juſtices of the King's Bench, and had [...]cence to embattle his houſe at Doddington. He beque [...]ced his body to be buried in the church of St. James, [...]t Audley in Staffordſhire, and, dying on the 16th of Auguſt 1309, was interred there, according to his deſire. Near him, in the ſame church, were depoſited the remains of his illuſtrious patr [...]n.

Audley lies a very few miles to the north-eaſt of Doddington, ſeated on the top of [...] ill, on the road between Nantwich [...] [...]. A reveren [...]ed curioſity led me once to viſit the [...] ⯑ [...]ques of theoſe her [...]es. Theſe of the Lord Audley [...]e beneath a [43] [...]ain altar-tomb, formerly having his figure on the ſlab, engraven on a ſmall braſs plate.

His 'ſquire is perpetuated in a more oſtentatious manner, and [...]reſented in alaba [...]er, at full length, with his coat of arms on his breaſt. The inſcription is loſt.

ONE of the reſidences of the Audleys was at this village: from which they took their name. A farm occupies the ſcite of their [...]uſe; but in latter times they inhabited Heleigh Caſtle, about [...] miles diſtant.

THE L [...]s had many privileges he [...]; ſuch as court-lect, tum⯑prel, and gallows: nor could any one [...]rreſt a perſon here, except [...] officer of the manor. Theſe eſtates paſſed, by marriage of Sir [...]n T [...]uchet, to Joan, daughter of the great Lord Audley, and [...]nd co-heir of his ſon Nicholas. George Touchet, Lord Audley, ſold it, in 1577, to Sir Gilbert Gerrard; from whoſe fa⯑ [...]ly it deſcended to the Fleetwoods; and in this century was loſt [...] ſingle night by the caſt of a die.

THERE is a particularity in the ſituation of the houſe of Har⯑ [...]nd, adjacent to this pariſh, which I cannot forbear men⯑ [...]ng Whenever the family go to church (which is that of [...]) thev [...] out of the province of Canterbury into that of [...] paſs through two counties, viz. Staffordſhire and Cheſhire; [...]hes, Woolſta [...] Audley, and Lawton; three conſtable⯑ [...] T [...]ſ [...]l, Chell, and Lawton two hundreds, Pirchill and [...] and two dioceſes, L [...]tchfield and Cheſter.

[...]gton continued in the family of the Del [...]es till the preſent [...] when, by the failure of iſſue male, in deſcended to the [...] of [...]ghton in the county of Stafford, by virtue of the [...] of Sir Br [...]an Broughton, in the [...]ear 1700, with Elezabeth, [44] daughter of Sir Thomas delve [...], Baronet. The houſe is feated in a yark, wa [...]ed on one ſide by a large mere; with a ſmall Hand, o [...]ted with an elegant rotundo. The preſent owner, Sir Themes Bryghton, is now building a new houſe, in a magnificent [...], and [...] a far more [...]greeable ſituation, at the head of the [...] a [...] ſome diſtance from the old manſion. The an⯑cient houſe was fo [...]fied, and garriſoned during the civil wars; and taken and retaken in the courſe of the conteſt.

[...]TER, [...]av [...]ling about there miles ſurther, in the ſame tedious [...]e, a p [...]o [...] of SHROPSHIRE preſents a hilly front, W [...]. and inter⯑ [...]cts [...] read. On the top of the aſcent lies Wore, or Oare, a [...]m [...]e [...] of a few houſes, with a ſmall chapel, dependent on the rectory of Muccieſten, in the county of Stafford. Old Stow in⯑ [...]o [...]ms us that Ran [...]alph Woolley, of London, merchant-taylor, left to the reader of the place £5 for freely inſtructing the children of the inhabitants of this pariſh.

FROM W [...] I qu [...]ted, for the ſake of a ſmall digreſſion, the London road, and at about two miles diſtance enter, at Bearſton⯑ [...] county of STAFFORD^*.

A LI [...]TL [...] father ſtands V [...]ccl [...]ſion, [...] a ſmall village, ſeated on a [...] ſing ground. The church, [...]dicated to Si. Mary, a rectory in the gift of John Crew, h [...]quire, of Crew, lord of the manor. I [...] the twentie [...] of the Cono [...]or, it wat held by Kenning, one of the Ty [...]nes it afterwards was poſſeſſed by the Morgans, [...] [45] [...] weſt country, till about the firſt of Queen Elizabeth; when [...] ſold by Robert Morgan, Eſquire, to Sir Thomas Oſſley, [...] Lord Mayor of London in 1556; whom Fuller calls the [...] of that city, not for his low ſtature, but high charity.

FROM the tower of the church,BATTLE OF BLOREHEATE. Margaret of Anjou the faithful [...] ſpirited conſort of Henry VI. ſaw the fierce battle of Blore⯑ [...], fatal to the cauſe of her meek huſband, then at Coleſhill. [...]chard Nev [...]l, Earl of Saluſbury, commanded the Yorkiſts: he was [...] time on his march from Middleham Caſtle, with four or five thouſand men, under pretence of ſettling with the King the [...], of the two houſes. Margaret, fearing for her huſband's [...] directed Lord Audley to intercept him on the way. He [...] himſelf on Bloreheath, with ten thouſand troops, collected [...] C [...]ſhire and Shropſhire, who [...]e chieftains were diſtinguiſhed by ſilver ſwans, the badges of their young prince. Saluſbury, [...] the diſparity of numbers, determined to ſtand [...] of the day, but wiſely had recourſe to ſtratagem. He [...] at night on the banks of a rivulet, not broad, but [...] and in the morning pretended a retreat; Audley follow⯑ [...] him with the impetuous valor natural to himſelf and the [...] Saluſbury made an inſtant attack on the divided forces of [...]. The field was long diſputed, with the animo⯑ [...] [...] uſual in civil feuds, Audley ſell, with two thouſand four [...] of his troops, chiefly the flower of the Cheſhire gentry; [...] led them to the front of the battle. A great [...] marks the ſpot of their leader's death. The Queen fled [...] Caſtle. Saluſbury joined the Duke of York at Ludlow. [...] commemorates the ſlaughter of the day, and [46] preſerves the names of the Cheſhire heroes; for the county liſten [...] both banners.

I RETURNED into the great road by Winnington forge and Wil⯑ [...] edge wells. The laſt were once in high eſteem for their fa⯑native waters, ſtrongly impregnated. with ſulphur. They were formerly much frequented on account of bathing and drinking. A houſe for the reception of patients was built, and a bath in⯑cloſed, but it preſent the waters (which to look and caſte differ not from common) are entirely deſerted.

I RE-ENTERED the London road on Maer Heath, [...] in the pariſh of Maer, or M [...] ſo ſtiled from a large piece of water, the head of the r [...]ver Tern, which flowing through Shropſhire, falls into the [...] three miles below Shrewſbury. Maer and Aſton, an ad⯑ [...]ce [...] manor, were on the Conqueſt divided between William de Maer and Robert Stafford. Some centuries afterwards, a Staf⯑ford changed his part of Maer, with Ralph, the ſon of John M [...]esfield; by which it came into that family, who ſold it to John Lord Chetwynd.

THIS pariſh is remarkable for Saxon antiquities. On a hill is an antient [...]ortreſs or ſtrorng hold, [...] compoſed of two deep ditches and [...], formed chiefly of ſtone, the precinct not of any [47] regular ſhape, for the foſſes conform to the ſhape of the hill; as [...] uſual with the Britons and the earlier Saxons. Two of the [...]ers project naturally, and form a ſpecies of baſtions. The [...]ance was on the ſide next the preſent road. The approach is very viſible: it crept up the ſteep ſides; divided [...] midway, one branch took to the left and the other to the [...] Near this place finiſhed his courſe Oſred, the licentious [...]ng of the Northumbrians; a deſpiſer of monks and corrupter of [...]ans [...]lain in battle in 716, at Mear, in the bloom of youth. [...] ſortreſs is called the Bruſſ, corruptly from Burgh. It ſeems [...] been caſt up by Kinred, king of Mercia, againſt the inva⯑ſion of the former. Kinred probably gave his antagoniſt the [...] funeral honors, and interred him, and his officers, with the reſpect due to their rank. Tumuli, or barrows, ſome round,BARROWS. others oblong are ſcattered over the neighboring hills and heath. Un⯑ [...] the large conical hill, called Coplow, might, be depoſited the corpſe of Oſred; beneath the others, thoſe of his unfortunate fol⯑lowers. I muſt not paſs over in ſilence the Camp-hills, notwith⯑ſtanding the name has outlived the veſtiges of entrenchments; [...] does any tradition of the poſſeſſor remain. Shall we ſuppoſe [...] to be Oſred, who might have been there before his defeat?

THIS country is gravelly, full of commons and low hills, en⯑ [...]ly covered with heath; which ſtill give ſhelter to a few black [...] and red. The mention of the vegetable reminds me,HEATH [...]ED [...]. [...] a century ago it was ſometimes made uſe of inſtead [...] a practice continued to this day in ſome of the He⯑ [...].

[...] Hatton and Swinerton heaths.SWINERTON. The laſt in a parish and [...] of the ſame name, owned, from the Conqueſt to the reign [48] of Henry VIII. by the Swinertons. Their anceſtor was called [...] who held the eſtate from Robert de Stafford; who, at the time of the general ſurvey, poſſeſſed in this county alone eighty-one manors This family produced numbers of knights; and, among them, Roger de [...] had the honor of being ſum⯑moned to parlement in the reign of Edward III. He ſeems to have been favored in thoſe reigns. In that of the firſt Edward [...] obtained free [...] for his manor, and got the privilege of a market and a fair to be held there. In the reign of Edward II. he was appointed governor of Stafford; afterwards, of the impor⯑tant caſtle of Ha [...]ch, in Marionethſhire; and was made conſtable of the Tower of London. In that of his ſucceſſor, beſides the ho⯑nor above recited, he was made a bannere [...]; and had for his ſeve⯑ral ſervices as aſſignation out of the exchequer, of an hundred and forty-five pounds thirteen ſhillings and eight pence. In the reign of Henry VIII. this manor of Swinerton paſſed into the fa⯑mily of the Fitzherberts, by the marriage of the youngeſt daughter of H [...]y, left male heir of the line, to William Fitzherbert of Norbury; in which name it ſtill continues.

THE church, and [...]eat of Mr. Fitzherbert command a vaſt view into Worceſterſhire and Shropſhire. In the firſt is a tomb of a croſ-legged knight; and a plain altar-tomb, inſcribed Deminus de Swinerton & Ellen uxor ejur.

IN the ſchool-houſe is placed the coloſſal figure of our SAVIOUR, ſitting. He is repreſented as if after the reſurrection, ſhewing the wound in his ſide to the incredulous diſciple. It was found under ground, near the place it now occupies; and ſeems to have been buried in the reforming times, to preſerve it form the rage of the image-breakers.

[49] [...] the houſe is a very fine full-length portrait of Sir John Fitz⯑ [...], Knight.

[...] deſcending a hill, I reached Darlaſton, DARLASTON. a village on the [...] Near this place, on the ſummit of a hill, called Bury Bank, [...] area of an oval form, about 250 yards in diameter, envi⯑ [...]ed by a deep trench and ramparts: the entrance is on the north-weſt. On the ſouth part is a tumulus, ſurrounded with a [...] This I imagine to have been formed out of the ruins of ſome buildings, and to have been a ſort of praetorium to the occu⯑pier of this poſt. It is ſuppoſed to have been the reſidence of [...] who reigned over Mercia from 656 to 675. The old [...] W [...]ſereceſter in a manner confirms the opinion. Whether [...] neighboring Cop, or Low, was the place of his interment, as [...] drinks, is doubtful.

Hence I [...] meet with the Trent. This river riſes in the More⯑ [...] [...] Biddulph, out of Newpool, and two ſprings near Mole⯑ [...] [...] this place it is an inconſiderable ſtream, becomes navi⯑ [...] [...] Burton on Trent, and, after flowing through this county [...] it almoſt equally divides) that of Derby, Nottingham, and [...] it loſes its name in the Humber, the great receptacle of [...] rivers. Poets have taken moſt beautiful liberties in [...] [...]ologies of the name of this; for i [...] neither derives it [...] its thirty kinds of fiſh, nor yet from its thirty rivers that [...] waters.

AFTER quoting the ſublime deſcription of M [...]lon, we ſhall [...] ſimple derivation.

in [...] the name is [...], and for [...]ed from the word [...]ie, (three) on account [...] from three heads.

AFTER croſſing the river and aſcending a ſmall bank, STONEFIELD I find myſelf in a vaſt open tract riſing to the left, called Stonefield Here, in 1745, the Duke of Comber [...]ed drew up his army, to give battle to the rebels, who were ſuppoſed to have been on their march this way. His intelligence failed him, and the Scotch inſurgents poſſeſſed themſelves of Derby. In future times poſ [...]erity will almoſt doubt the fact, when they read that an in⯑cons;iderable band of mountaineers, undiſciplined, unofficered, and half-armed, had penetrated into the center of an unfriendly [...], with one [...]my behind them, and another in their front: that they reſted there a few days; and that they retreated above three hundred miles, with ſcarcely any loſs, continually preſſes by a foe ſupplied with every advantage that loyalty could afford.

PARA [...]L to my road runs that magnificent enterprize the [...] for the junction of the eaſtern and and the weſtern oceans; [...] deſigned to give to each ſide of the kingdom an eaſy ſhare in the comm [...] ⯑ [...] of both. In other countries, the nature of the land permits a ready execution of theſe deſigns. Egypt and Holland are levelled to the workmen's hands. Our aſpiring genius ſcoffs at obſtruc⯑tions and difficulties ſerve but to what our ardor: our aqued [...] [...] over our once-admired rivers, now deſpiſed for the purpoſes of navigation: we fill vallies, we penetrate mountains. H [...] [51] [...] the prophet have been treated, who, forty years ago, ſhould have predicted, that a veſſel of twenty-five tons would be ſeen [...] over Stonefield? Yet ſuch is the caſe ar preſent.

[...] great enterprize was begun a July 17th 1766, near th⯑ [...] end of Hare-caſtle Hill, in this county. Its [...]nure length is [...] three miles, viz. ſixty-one miles two furlongs from the ſouth [...] of that hill to Wil [...], ferry, in the county of Derby; and [...]-one miles ſix furlongs on the north ſide, to its function with [...] Duke of Bridgewater's canal at Preſton on the Hill, in Che⯑ [...].

To affect this work, there we forty locks on the ſouth ſide; [...] in all three hundred and ſixteen feet fall; and on the north [...]-five, with three hundred and twenty-ſix feet fall. Six [...] ſouthern locks are fourteen feet wide adapted for the [...] of large veſſels, from, oppoſite to Burton to Gainſho⯑ [...] Midd [...], on the north ſide, is another, of the ſame [...].

THE common dimenſions of the canal are twenty-nine feet [...] at top; at bottom ſixteen; arid the depth four and a [...] in the part from W [...]de [...]. to Burton, which is thirty [...] at top, eighteen at bottom, and five and a half [...] The ſame is obſerved from Middlewich to Preſton on the [...] upon which veſſels, capable of navigating in the eſtuary of [...] may paſs to the port of Liverpool.

[...] is carried over the river Dove, in an aqueduct of [...] arches, and the ground raiſed one mile and two fur⯑ [...] and to a very conſiderable height, It is alſo [52] [...] over the river [...], on an aqueduct of ſix arches, [...] twenty one feet ſpan each: and again over the river Dane [...] the ſame [...], on three [...] of twenty feet diameter.

BESIDES theſe there are near a hundred and ſixty leſſer [...] and [...], for the conveyance of brooks and [...] the canal many of which are in ſpan from twelve to eighteen feet.

THE undertakers, for the conveniency of the ſeveral perſons whoſe lands they have out though, or when the canal interfeers any public road, [...] built a [...] hundred and eighty-nine cartridges, and [...] fiit-bridges; and frequently, when the canal paſſes [...] of any gentleman's [...] have politely given it a [...], to improve me beauty of the proſpect.

[...] hills or rocks, that obstracted the canal [...] in the following places.

THE moſt [...] it is called, is at Hermits [...] of an hundred and thirty [...] horſes [...] and [...]de.

[...] through them [...] Caſtle is cut through [...] and was a [...] of [...] difficulty and [...] of the courage and [...]. In paſſes under [...] eight hundred and eighty yards [...] twenty [...] arches with [...].

[...] in the pariſh of Great Budworth, is [...] five hundred and ſixty yards long; as Saltenford, in [...] and fifty yards long [...] [53] [...], at Preſton on the Hill is another, which paſſes under [...] twelve hundred and forty-one yards; each of them [...] feet four inches high, and thirteen feet ſix inches [...] that, at Preſton on the Hill it emerges, and ſoon con⯑ [...] [...] courſe, by falling into that formed by an uſeful Peer, [...] of Bridgewater which drops into the Merſey at Run⯑ [...] with a fall of eighty-two feet, eaſed by terv magnificent [...].

[...] Middlewide to Mancheſter is a dead level, which does [...] a look in all that ſpace.

[...] of this great work have employed on it about [...] excluſive of thoſe belonging to other perſons, which [...] left to the ſame number. They are calculated to [...] twenty-five tons each; are drawn by one horſe, for which [...] receive per mile three halfpence a ton.

[...] be ungrateful not to pay ſome reſpect to the memory [...] architect and contriver or theſe works,OF JAMES BRINDLEY. Mr JAMES [...] rare genius was born at Tunſted, in the pariſh [...], in the year 1716. His father was a ſmall [...] himſelf by following the ſports of the [...] himſelf from giving his children any fort of [...].

[...] ſhewed very early the goodneſs of his-heart, by [...] familly be ſuch labore as he was ca⯑ [...] [...] he bound himſelf apprentice [...] Ma [...]field, when his amazing abilities were [...] He ſpeedily became a great proficient and per⯑ [...] [...] of things a which his maſter was totally ignorant [...] was equal to his genius; for he overpaid any [54] inſtructions he might receive from his maſter, by maintaining [...] manner when, he [...] paſt working, and felt into [...].

THE firſt [...] the public received from him, was a [...] conſiderable improvement in the paper-preſs. He got great [...] water-engine at C [...]fro [...], in Lancaſhire; and [...] more [...] the machinery of new ſilk- [...] at [...], to which he gave many moſt imiportant movements. He highly [...] gr [...]ling [...] for the potteries and in 1756, erected [...] on a new plan, by which he reduced the conſumption of word to one half.

IT was a peculiar [...], to the Duke of BRIDGEWATER, to find a genius ſuch as Brindley, cotemporary to the great deſigns formed by his Grace. That wonderful mechanic [...] rally fell under the Duke's patronage, [...] was the grand con⯑ [...]ver of all the work which his noble friend carried on. Many of his projects were of ſo ſtupendous [...], and ſo incomprehen⯑ſible to vulgar maids, as to ſubject him to great ridicule, [...] were put [...] confuſion by the ſucceſsful execution.

[...] any great difficulty aroſe, be conſtantly took [...] bed, excluded all light and lay in meditation for two or three [...], all he had [...] completed whole of his plan. A [...] would have [...], he was viſited by his [...] in thoſe hours [...] certainly [...] [...]lumma [...], amidſt ſhe darkneſs by [...]. He reminds [...] ſimilar method: Clauſ [...]e ſe [...]eſtr [...] [...] [55] [...] ſequor, qui cadem qu [...] mens [...]lent quoties non vi⯑ [...]. ^*

[...] [...]ound his health and faculties to decline, he virtu⯑ [...] [...] to extend as far as poſſible his ſervices, even grave. He communicated all his plans and deſigns [...], his wife's brother, who had been employed [...], from the beginning, as clerk of the works. [...] and [...] ſeem to have compenſated for the loſs [...] for the moſt difficult parts in the undertaking [...] ſucceſſfully executed, ſince Mr. Brindley's death ^†, un⯑ [...] direction of M [...]. Henſhall.

[...] the clamors which have been raiſed againſt to undertaking, in the places through which it was, intended [...] when ii was firſt projected we have the pleaſure now to [...] reign univerſally on its banks, and plenty attend its [...] cottage inſtead of being half covered with mi⯑ [...] is now ſecured with a ſubtaintial covering of tiles [...] brought from the diſtant hills of Wales or Cumberland. [...] which before were barren, are now drained, and, by [...] of man [...], conveyed on the canal toll-free, are [...] with a beautiful endore. Places which rarely knew the [...] plentifully ſupplied with that eſſential article upon [...] and what is [...] of greater public utility, the [...] corn are prevented from exerciſing their infa⯑ [...] [...], for, the communication being opened between Liver⯑ [...] [...] and Hall line of the canal being through [56] [...] [57] [...] [58] [...] [59] [...] [59] countries abundant in grain, it affords a conveyance of corn un⯑known to paſt ages. At preſent, nothing but a general dearth can create a ſcarcity in any part adjacent to this extenſive work.

THESE, and many other advantages, are derived, both to indi⯑viduals and the public, from this internal navigation. But when it happens that the kingdom is engaged in a foreign war, with what ſecurity is the trade between thoſe three great ports carried on; and with how much leſs expence has the trader his goods conveyed to any part of the kingdom, than he had for⯑merly been ſubject to, when the goods were obliged to be car⯑ried coaſtways, and to pay inſurance?

I BELIEVE it may be aſſerted, that no undertaking, equally ex⯑penſive and arduous, was ever attempted by private people in any kingdom; and, in juſtice to the adventurers, it muſt be allowed, that, conſidering the difficulties they met with, owing to the na⯑ture of the works, or the caprice of perſons whoſe lands were taken to make the canal, that ten years and a half was but a ſhort time to perform it in; and that ſatisfaction has been made to every individual who ſuffered any injury by the execution of the undertaking. The profits ariſing from tonnage is already very conſiderable; and there is no doubt but they will increaſe annually; and, notwithſtanding the enormous ſum of money it has coſt in the execution, the proprietors will be amply repaid, and have the comfort to reflect, that, by the concluſion of this project, they have contributed to the good of their country, and acquired wealth for themſelves and poſterity.

IMMEDIATELY after leaving Stonefield, STONE reached the little town of Stone, a place remarkable for religious antiquity. Legend tells [57] us, that the before-mentioned Wulferus, then a Pagan, put to death his two ſons, Wulfad and Rufin, on ſuſpicion of favoring the Chriſtian faith; Wulfad at this place, Rufin at Burſton, about three miles diſtant. Over each, ſtones were erected, as uſual, in memory of the dead; from whence the names of thoſe places are derived. Wulfere, after this unnatural deed, was ſtruck with the utmoſt remorſe, and, by the influence of his queen and St. Cedda, or Chad, who lived in a neighboring hermitage, was converted to the religion he had ſo lately perſecuted; and, by way of expiat⯑ing his guilt, among other works of piety, founded at Stone a college of canons regular, COLLEGE. about the year 670. His queen Er⯑menilda is ſaid to have alſo founded a nunnery here. On the in⯑vaſion of the Danes, the religious were diſperſed; but on the abatement of the cruelty of thoſe barbarians, it is probable they returned, or at left a new eſtabliſhment was formed. This is certain, that religious were found here after the Conqueſt; for there is an idle tale of two nuns and a prieſt being ſlain there, by Enyſan, a Norman. This Enyſan, of Walton, was the true re-founder. Caution muſt be uſed in reading the hiſ⯑tories of theſe times, which are filled with pious romance. Little credit ſhould alſo be given to the murder of the ſons of Wulfere. The Saxon Chronicle is ſilent about the deed. That prince was a convert to Chriſtianity, and ſeems to have founded the houſe through the common motives of zeal.

Enyſan, on his re-eſtabliſhment of this houſe, filled it with canons from Kenelworth, PRIORY. and made it a cell to that place. The Staffords, who were his ſuperiors, aſſumed the honor of this new foundation; and a ſecond Robert de Stafford, about the year 1260, rendered it free from Kenelworth, excepting the right of patron⯑age, [58] and a yearly penſion. The church of this priory was the place of interment of ſeveral of this great family; and numbers of magnificent tombs, with their figures in alabaſter, lay there till the diſſolution; when they were removed to the Auguſtines, on Stafford Green. I ſee on the road-ſide a fragment of a thick wall, perhaps a remnant of the priory. The church is quite new, and is a very elegant building, dedicated to St. Wulfad, one of the ſuppoſed martyrs. At the time of the ſuppreſſion, a tablet, giving the whole hiſtory of the houſe, was hung up in the priory: it is related in old Engliſh metre; but is ſo tedious, that I muſt refer the readers, who deſire to peruſe it, to the cited author. ^*

As ſoon as I left Stone, ASTON. I ſaw on the right a large houſe called Aſton, originally the property of a branch of the Heveninghams of Suffolk. Walter, the laſt of the line, left two daughters; the ſe⯑cond (who only had children) conveyed by marriage the eſtate to Sir James Simeon, who rebuilt the hall. He alſo built in the garden a mauſoleum; in which, I think, he is interred. The place is at preſent the property of Edward Weld, Eſquire, of Lulworth caſtle, in Dorſetſhire, and deſcended to him of late years, by virtue of a marriage of an anceſtor with a daughter of this houſe, in the reign of Charles II.

THE road from this place, BURSTON. for ſeveral miles, paſſes along a pretty vale, watered by the Trent, bounded by two hills, and much enlivened by the courſe of the canal. About the third mile from Stone, I went by Burſton, a ſmall hamlet, noted for⯑merly for a chapel erected over the ſpot where Rufin, ſecond ſon of Wulfere, was ſuppoſed to have been martyred; and on that account, in old times, greatly frequented by the devout.

ABOUT a quarter of a mile from hence, on the top of a hill, [59] ſtands the church of Sandon. SANDON. This manor, in the twentieth of William the Conqueror, was in the hands of the king; who be⯑ſtowed it on Hugh Lupus; and he again gave it to William de Malbanc, or Nantwich. It paſſed from this family (by the gift of Adena, eldeſt daughter of William, grandſon to the former) to Warren de Verdon; and by his daughter Alditha, to Sir William Stafford; and by the marriage of Margaret, daughter of one of his deſcendants, in the twelfth of Edward III. to Thomas of Erdeſ⯑wik. It continued in poſſeſſion of that family till the reign of James I. In his time it was ſold to George Digby, groom of the ſtole to that monarch, by his half-brother Richard Erdeſwik. Charles Lord Gerard, of Bromley, became maſter of it, by mar⯑riage with a daughter of Mr. Digby; whoſe grand-daughter, by matching with William Duke of Hamilton, conveyed it to Lord Archibald Hamilton; who, in 1776, diſpoſed of it to Lord Har⯑rowby. A law-ſuit concerning this place gave riſe to the fatal duel, in November 1712, between James Duke of Hamilton and Lord Mohun; in which both combatants loſt their lives.

THE antient manſion ſtood near the church, within a moat; but is now demoliſhed, and a beautiful houſe, commanding a fine view, was built by Lord Archibald Hamilton, on an eminence im⯑pending over the Cheſter road. The ſteep ſlope is beautiful, cloathed with plantations of recent date, but extremely flou⯑riſhing.

THE church is in the gift of Lord Harrowby. Before the diſ⯑ſolution, it belonged to the abbey of Cumbermere; being beſtowed on it by the founder, Hugh de Malbanc.

THE monuments are curious. The fineſt is in memory of the celebrated Sampſon Erdeſwik, the learned antiquary of the county; [60] a faithful guide of all that concerned the families, till his death, which happened in 1603. He might have ſpared himſelf the ex⯑pence of a monument; his work would have perpetuated his name. He erected one in his life-time; and is repreſented recumbent, a coloſſal figure in a jacket with ſhort ſkirts, and ſpurs on his legs. Above, in two niches, are his two wives, kneeling: the one was Elizabeth Dikeſwel; the other Maria Neale, widow to Sir Everard Digby, and mother to the unfortunate victim to the gunpowder plot. Beſides inſcriptions to theſe ladies, is a pedigree of the houſe; for which, as well as ſeveral other epitaphs of the Erdeſwiks, the reader is referred to the Appendix. I ſhall only mention, that the tombs are of the altar-form, and have the figures of the per⯑ſons commemorated engraved on the ſtone.

THE inſcription on a plain marble tomb, in memory of Mr. Digby, OF GRORGE DIGBY. once owner of the place, is very worthy of preſervation: as it records a remarkable piece of hiſtory, I ſhall give it here at length, and add notes to the obſcure parts.

FROM Sandon the hills recede to the north. I directed my courſe to Chartley, CHARTLEY. about four miles and a half diſtant, and about three north from the great road. This venerable pile is built round a court, and great part of it curiouſly made of wood, em⯑battled at top, and the ſides carved. In many places are the arms of the Devereux; the devices of the Ferrars and Garniſhes; and, in Saxon characters, the initials of the founder, W. D. (Walter Devereux) with the motto Loial ſuis je. Over the door of the gateway is carved a head in profile, with a crown above. In the middle of the court ſtands a fountain: and the whole building is ſurrounded with a moat. The view within the court is faithfully ſhewn in Plot, tab. v.

IN ſeveral of the windows are painted glaſs. In the great bow-window of the hall are the horſe-ſhoes, the antient device of the Ferrars; in others, the arms of that family, the Devereux, Garniſhes, and Shirlies. A bed is ſtill preſerved here, the work of Mary Stuart, who was for ſome time impriſoned in this houſe: beſides this, at preſent there are no veſtiges of its former gran⯑deur. [63] Within and without is a mortifying appearance of neglect and approaching decay ^*.

AT a ſmall diſtance from the houſe, on a knowl, are the poor remains of the caſtle; CASTLE. conſiſting of the fragments of two round⯑ers, and a bit of a wall, almoſt hid in wood. This fortreſs was very ſoon permitted to fall in decay. Leland ſpeaks of it as a ruin in his days. When the power of the nobility was broken, by the policy of Henry VII. numbers of the barons, finding their caſtle no longer a protection to their inſolence, were glad to quit ſo in⯑commodious a kind of habitation. We often ſee, as in the pre⯑ſent inſtance, an antient manſion near the remains, or on the ſcite of a more antient caſtle: the times were ſo much bettered, and monarchy had recovered ſo much rightful ſtrength, that the for⯑mer became uſeleſs againſt; their prince, or their rival reguli, who then began to acknowlege the power of law. Yet ſtill ſome ſpe⯑cies of caſtellated manſion, againſt popular commotions, or the attacks of bands of robbers, was requiſite. Conveniency, and a ſort of elegance, was affected in their houſes; but a neceſſary ſuſpicion ſtill remained, and ſafety provided for by the deep ſur⯑rounding moat, by the gateway, and the ſtrong door.

Chartley caſtle was built by Randle Blundeville, Earl of Cheſter, in 1220, on his return from the Holy Land; and to defray the expences of this, as alſo of Beeſton, which he alſo founded, a tax was levied on all his vaſſals. By his death, this part of his eſtate devolved on William Ferrars Earl of Derby, in right of his wife Agnes, third ſiſter of Randle.

His ſon Robert, entering into the factious views of the barons, received a defeat at Cheſterfield in 1266. His eſtates were con⯑fiſcated, and the caſtle and manor beſtowed by Henry III. on Ha⯑mon [64] Le Strange; but, notwithſtanding this, he poſſeſſed himſelf of it by force, and the king was obliged to order his brother, Edmund Earl of Lancaſter, to beſiege the place; which he took, but not till after much loſs on both ſides. Edmund, and the nobility who aſſiſted in the ſiege, thought proper to obtain his majeſty's par⯑don for the lives loſt on the occaſion. Ferrars himſelf received his pardon, was diveſted of the earldom of Derby, but was ſuf⯑fered to retain this caſtle; poſſibly, being reduced ſo low as to be incapable of giving farther disturbance. It continued in his line till the reign of Henry VI. when, in 1447, by the marriage of Anne, or Agnes, ſole heireſs to William Lord Ferrars, to Walter Devereux, ſheriff of Herefordſhire, it paſſed into another great race of peers. The lady was at that time only eleven years and eight months old; but by the king's ſpecial favor, in 1452, ſhe had livery of her lands, without further proof of her age. This eſtate continued in his poſterity (the Lords Ferrars, Viſcounts Hereford, and Earls of Eſſex) till the year 1646, when it fell to Sir Robert Shirley, by his marriage with Dorothy, youngeſt ſiſter to Robert Earl of Eſſex, the noted parlement-general; and is at preſent poſ⯑ſeſſed by their deſcendant Earl Ferrers.

IN hopes of finding, STOW CHURCH. in the neighboring pariſh-church of Stow, the monumental honors uſually attendant on great families, I vi⯑ſited it, at the ſmall trouble of a mile's ride. I was diſappointed; for I found only, one of this great line depoſited in the place. This is very frequent with a race of heroes, whoſe active ſpirits carry them into ſcenes remote from their natal ſoil, or bring themſelves to fates that prevent poſſeſſion of their parental ſe⯑pulchres. Walter Devereux, the firſt Lord Ferrars, fell in the field of Boſworth, fighting valiantly in behalf of Richard, and was [65] buried among the undiſtinguiſhed ſlain. Walter, his deſcendant, firſt Earl of Eſſex, died Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, September 22d. 1576, as ſuppoſed by poiſon, and was interred at Caermarthen. His ſon, the favorite of Elizabeth, fell a victim to his indiſcretion and ambition; periſhed by the ax, and was flung among the at⯑tainted herd. His ſon, for a ſeries of victories in the cauſe of liberty, received from his grateful party the magnificent honors of a public funeral in the capital, which his arms had defended.

I FOUND here only the tomb of Walter, firſt Viſcount Hereford, grandſon of the firſt Lord Ferrers, and founder of the houſe of Chartley. He ſerved with honor in the French wars, under Henry VIII; and in the naval attack of Conquet, in 1512, he was honored with the garter by his royal maſter, and with the title of Hereford by his ſucceſſor. His death happened in 1558. He lies here under a fine monument, erected in his life-time; his figure is repreſented in robes, with the collar of the garter round his neck: his head repoſed on a plume of feathers, wreathed round a helmet. On one ſide of him is placed his firſt lady, Mary, daughter of Thomas Marquis of Dorſet; on the other, his ſecond, Margaret, daughter of Robert Garnyche, Eſquire, of Kyngeton, in Suffolk. Around the ſide is repreſented, I ſuppoſe as mourners, ſix female and ſix male figures; the laſt begirt with ſwords.

NEAR this is another tomb of alabaſter, with the figures of two perſons engrav [...]n on it; but ſo cankered with age, that neither inſcription nor diſtinction of ſex, can be made out.

ON the chancel floor a braſs plate preſerves the memory of Thomas Newport, ſteward of the houſhold to Walter, firſt Earl of Eſſex, and delivers his character in theſe terms:

FROM Stow I haſtened to the Cheſter road, WYCH WESTON. which I reached at the hamlet of Wych, in the pariſh of Weſton on the Trent, whoſe ſpire ſteeple appears at a ſmall diſtance on the other ſide of the road. This place is productive of ſalt, and has been long noted: for its brine-pits, the property of Earl Ferrers.

AFTER going about two miles farther, HEYWOOD. I paſſed through Great Heywood, a village beſtowed by Roger de Melend, alias Long Epee, a worthleſs prelate, in the reign of Henry III. on his valet Roger de Aſton; whoſe family made it their reſidence, till the marriage of a deſcendant with the heireſs of Tixal, occaſioned it to remove to the new acquiſition. In my memory the old ſeat was in poſ⯑ſeſſion of the Whitbies. It has ſince been re-united to the houſe of Tixal, by purchaſe. The barn belonging to the manor-houſe of Heywood, was of a moſt magnificent ſize; but of late has been greatly reduced.

THE horſe-bridge over the Trent, ITS LONG BRIDGE. adjoining to Heywood, was not leſs remarkable, for I remember it to have conſiſted of two-and-forty arches; but the number at preſent is much leſſened. There is a tradition, that it was built by the county, in a compli⯑ment to the laſt Devereux Earl of Eſſex, who reſided much at Chartley; and, being a keen ſportſman, was often-deprived of his diverſion for want of one. I am not clear about the truth, of this report. There certainly had been a bridge here long before, ſo that, if there was any foundation for ſuch a mark of reſpect, it could only have been rebuilt after falling to decay.

[67] FROM the middle is a view, of very uncommon beauty,VALE OF SHUGBOROUGH. of a ſmall vale, varied with almoſt every thing that nature or art could give to render it delicious; rich meadows, watered by the Trent and Sow. The firſt, animated with milk-white cattle, emulating thoſe of Tinian; the laſt with numerous ſwans. The boundary on one ſide, is a cultivated ſlope; on the other, the lofty front of Cannock Wood, clothed with heath; or ſhaded with old oaks, ſcattered over its glowing bloom by the free hand of nature.

IT is more difficult to enumerate the works of art diſperſed over this Elyſium; they epitomize thoſe of ſo many places. The old church of Colwich; the manſion of the antient Engliſh baron, at Welſely Hall; the great-windowed mode of building in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in the houſe of Ingeſtre; the modern ſeat in Oak-edge; and the lively improved front of Shugborough; are embelliſhments proper to our own country. Amidſt theſe ariſe the genuine architecture of China, in all its extravagance; the dawning of the Grecian, in the mixed gothic gateway at Tixal; and the chaſte buildings of Athens, exemplified by Mr. Stuart, in the counterparts of the Choragic monument of Lyſicrates, ^* and the octagon tower of Andronicus Cyrrheſtes. ^† From the ſame hand aroſe, by command of a grateful brother, the arch of Adrian of Athens, embelliſhed with naval trophies, in honor of Lord Anſon, a glory to the Britiſh fleet; and who ſtill ſurvives in the gallant train of officers who remember and emulate his actions. My much reſpected friend, the late Thomas Anſon, Eſquire, preferred, [68] the ſtill paths of private life, and was the beſt qualified for its enjoyment of any man I ever knew; for with a moſt humane and the moſt ſedate diſpoſition, he poſſeſſed a mind moſt uncommonly cultivated. He was the example of true taſte in this country; and at the time that he made his own place a paradiſe, made every neighbor partaker of its elegancies. He was happy in his life, and happy in his end. I ſaw him about thirty hours before his death, liſtening calmly to the melody of the harp, preparing for the momentary tranſit from an earthly concert to an union with the angelic harmonies. The unfiniſhed improvements are carried on with great judgment, by his worthy nephew and ſuc⯑ceſſor George Anſon, Eſquire.

AMONG the great number of ſtatues which embelliſh the place, an Adonis and Thalia are the moſt capital. There is alſo a very fine figure of Trajan, in the attitude of haranguing his army. The number of rude Etruſcan figures in the garden, ſhew the ex⯑travagance of the earlieſt ages, and the great antiquity of the art of ſculpture in Italy, long before the Romans became, a people. The beautiful monument in the lower end of the garden, does honor to the preſent age. It was the work of Mr. Schemecher, under the direction of the late Mr. Anſon. The ſcene is laid in Arcadia. Two lovers, expreſſed in elegant paſtoral figures, ap⯑pear attentive to an antient ſhepherd, who reads to them an in⯑ſcription on a tomb,

Et in AZCABIA ego!

OPPOSITE to the back-front of the houſe, on the banks of the Sow, ſtand the ſmall remains of the antient manſion, which, according to Leland, originally belonged to Suckborrow with a long heard, and who, as ſome ſay, gave it to the mitre of Lichfield. It muſt have been in very early times; for the manor of Haywood (in which this is included) belonged to the ſee in 1085, the twentieth of William the Conqueror, and ſo continued till the reign of Edward VI. who beſtowed it on Lord Paget. The houſe was till that time one of the palaces of the biſhops. The reliques, at preſent, ſerve to give the appearance of reality of ruin to ſome beautiful Grecian columns, and other fragments of an⯑tient architecture; which were tacked to the front by the late Mr. Anſon.

Shugborough was frequently the houſe I had the happineſs of making my head-quarters: from whence I made many an excur⯑ſion to the neighboring places. I beg the reader's pardon for in⯑dulging myſelf with a recollection of what formerly gave me ſo much pleaſure in the ſurvey, and for detaining him with the ac⯑count of a ſhort circuit, rich in objects.

I SHALL croſs the Sow, and begin with Tixal, TIXAL. diſtinguiſhed at preſent only by the magnificent gateway, a motley pile of Gothic and Grecian architecture, embelliſhed in front with three ſeries of

[72] AT a very little diſtance from this heath lies Ingeſtre, INGESTRE. or Ingeſ⯑trent, a reſpectable old houſe, ſeated on the eaſy ſlope of a hill, and backed by a large wood, filled with antient oaks of vaſt ſize: this makes part of the pleaſure-ground. The walks are partly bounded by enormous hedges of foreſt-trees, and partly wander into the antient wood, beneath the ſhade of the venerable trees.

THIS manor, about the time of Henry II. was the property of Eudo de Mutton; in the reign of Edward III. it was transferred to the family of the Chetwynds, by the marriage of Iſabel, daugh⯑ter of Philip de Mutton, with Sir John de Chetwynd; in which line it continues, being at preſent owned by John Chetwynd Talbot, Eſquire, grandſon of John Lord Chetwynd.

THE houſe is built in the ſtile of the reign of Elizabeth, with great windows in the center, and a bow on each ſide: the laſt are of ſtone, the reſt of the houſe brick. In the great hall, over the fire-place, is a very good picture of Walter Chetwynd, Eſquire, in a great wig, and croſſed by a rich ſaſh. This gentleman was diſ⯑tinguiſhed by his vaſt knowlege in the antiquities of his country,CHURCH. and more ſo by his piety. The preſent church of Ingeſtre was rebuilt by him, and was conſecrated in Auguſt 1677. A ſermon was preached, prayers read, a child baptized, a woman churched, a couple married, a corpſe buried, the ſacraments adminiſtred, and, to crown all, Mr. Chetwynd made an offering on the altar of the tythes of Hopton, worth fifty pounds a year, to be added to the rectory for ever. The church is very neat, and is prettily ſtuccoed. In it is a mural monument, in memory of its great benefactor, who died in 1692.

Hopton Heath lies on the ſide of Ingeſtre Park, HOPTON HEATH SKIRMISH. and is noted for [73] a ſkirmiſh between a party of the King's forces, under the Earl [...] Northampton, and another of the parlement's, commanded by [...] William Brereton and Sir John Gell. Victory, notwithſtanding [...] great inequality of numbers, declared itſelf on the ſide of the [...]yaliſts; but it was purchaſed at ſo dear a rate, that, as Lord [...]arendon expreſſes, a great victory had been an unequal recom⯑ [...]ence for the loſs ſuſtained in the General. The earl fell in the [...]tion, neglected by his troops, buſied in the purſuit; and left en⯑ [...]oned by enemies. He flew his firſt aſſailants, and died valiantly, [...]fuſing the offered quarter.

AFTER riding from Ingeſtre three miles, through very bad roads, [...]eached Stafford, a good town, STAFFORD. containing about five thouſand [...]habitants, ſeated on a plain, bounded by riſing grounds at a [...]ry ſmall diſtance. The ſtreets in general are well built; the [...]arket-place large, ornamented with a handſome town-hall, with [...]e windows in front: it is built upon pillars, and preſents a [...]cade with ſix arches, intercolumniated with Ionic pilaſters. [...]is is the county-town; and here the aſſizes are appointed to [...] held, by a ſtatute of the firſt of Elizabeth.

THE county infirmary lies at a ſmall diſtance from the town, INFIRMARY. [...]a good plain building; was finiſhed in 1772, and is ſupported [...] an annual ſubſcription of between eight and nine hundred [...]ear.

Stafford conſiſts of but a ſingle pariſh, CHURCHES. with two churches. That [...] St. Mary is a rectory, in the gift of the king; a large building [...]th an octagon tower, and formerly with a lofty ſpire riſing from Here is to be ſeen the tomb of Sir Edward Aſton, the builder Tixal; who died in 1567, and Joan his wife. Their figures are preſented in alabaſter, under a large canopy.

[74] THE font is a ſingular piece of antiquity: very clumſy; but the ſides and baſe moſt ſingularly carved into rude Gothic figures.

THIS church had been collegiate, and was given, a little before the year 1136, by King Stephen, to the biſhop and chapter of Lich⯑field and Coventry. The patronage was granted, in 1445, by Henry VI. to Humphrey Duke of Buckingham. It was of exempt juriſdiction, and conſiſted, in the twenty-ſixth of Henry VIII. of a [...]ean and thirteen prebendaries ^*. The dean's houſe ſtood at the veſe end of the church, and ſerves at preſent for the ſchool.

THE religious houſes were the Grey Friars, RELIGIOUS HOUSES. or Franciſcans, at the north end of the walls, founded, according to Erdeſwik, by Sir James Stafford of Sandon. It was valued at £35. 13s. 10d. per annum, and granted in the thirty-firſt of Henry VIII. to James Leveſon.

THE FRIERS AUSTINS had a piece of ground given them on the green, at the ſouth end of the town, by Ralph Lord Stafford. ^† in order to found a houſe, about the year 1344, for his own ſoul's ſake, thoſe of his wives (Katharine and Margaret) Sir Humphrey Haſtings, Knight, and that of Edward III. The tomb of his great line were removed to this church from Stone, at the diſſolution, but ſoon ſuffered to periſh. It was granted, in the [...] of Queen Mary, to Thomas Neve and Giles Iſam.

A PRIORY of black canons, founded by Richard Peche, biſhop of Lichfield and Covenery, about the year 1180; as others ſay, by Ge⯑vard Stafford, on land which he held from the biſhop, whom [...] complimented with the title of founder ^‡. The prelate had [75] a great affection for this houſe; for, on reſigning his ſee, he be⯑came a canon of it: and here ended his days ^*. It maintained only ſeven religious, whoſe revenues were £198 a year. On the [...]tion it was granted to Rowland Lee, biſhop of Lichfield.

BESIDES theſe, were two hoſpitals, and the free chapel of Saint Nu [...]as. in the caſtle.

THE town was defended partly by the river Sow, FORTIFICATIONS. which bounds one half of it; the reſt was guarded by a wall, and by a ditch, ſupplied by the river with water. It had formerly four gates; of theſe two are yet ſtanding. The place never was defencible; at laſt ever ſtood a ſiege. Sir William Brereton, the parlement general, took it by ſurprize, in May 1643, with the loſs only of a ſingle man.

THE origin of Stafford is very uncertain: the firſt name of it is led to be Betheney, ORIGIN OF STAFFORD. and that it had been the ſeat of an hermit called Bertelin, in high fame for his ſanctity. The earlieſt au⯑ [...]hentic mention of the place is in the year 913, when Ethelfleda ^† Counteſs of Mercia, and ſiſter of Edward the Elder, built a caſtle her [...]. This lady had one child by her lord Ethelred; when, ba⯑ [...]ing the pangs of parturition with the joys of connubial rites, [...]azon like, ſhe determined to forbear for the future all commerce with him. From thenceforth her delight was in arms, in con⯑queſts, and in ſecuring her dominions. Such was her proweſs, that laying aſide all feminine titles, ſhe received that of King, as if Counteſs and Queen were inadequate to her heroiſm ^‡

[76] THE ſcite of this fortreſs is not preciſely known. Doctor Plot is of opinion, that it lay within the entrenchments at Billington, at ſome diſtance from Stafford, and ſeems to found his conjecture from the lands wherein they are being ſtill a remaining part of the demeſne land of the barony of Stafford ^*. Cambden attributes a tower to Edward the Elder, founded in the year after that which was built by his ſiſter, and places it on the north ſide of the river. A mount ſtill remains near the new bridge, called by Speed, Caſtle-hill; at preſent named Bullyhill, on which it probably ſtood.

THE poor remains of the caſtle, CASTLE. which was garriſoned in the civil wars, ſtand on a little inſulated hill, a mile ſouth from the town. The keep was on an artificial mount: the whole is ſur⯑rounded with a deep foſs, which, on the ſouth ſide, has beſides the additional ſtrength of a high rampart. This was founded by William the Conqueror, and was ſoon after demoliſhed. It is ſuppoſed that during the time it ſtood, the cuſtody of it was committed to Robert de Tonei, younger ſon of Roger, ſtandard-bearer of Normandy, ^† a follower of the Conqueror, who took from this circumſtance the name of Stafford. It is conjectured, that the king at that time reſerved this manor to himſelf, and that it was not included in the vaſt grant made by him to Robert, of eighty-one manors in this county, twenty-ſix in that of Warwick, twenty in Lincolnſhire, two in Suffolk, and one in each of thoſe of Worceſter and Northampton. It appears that it continued in the crown till the ſecond of Edward II. when Edmund Lord Stafford received the grant, and held it in capite by barony, together with that of Bradeley and Madeley, by ſervice, of finding for forty days, at his [77] own charge, three armed men, with three equis coopertis, horſes harneſſed for war, as often as there ſhould be war with Wales or Scotland. ^* I do not affirm for certain the reſtorer of this caſtle. Mr. Erdeſwic ſays, it was Ralph de Stafford, a diſtinguiſhed war⯑rior, cotemporary with Edward III. It was garriſoned by the king in the laſt civil wars; was taken by the parlement forces, and demoliſhed in 1644.

ABOUT a quarter of a mile ſouth of the caſtle, in a low ſitua⯑tion,MANOR-HOUSE. ſtood the manor-houſe of the family, fortified by the ſame Ralph; for I find from Dugdale, ^† that he had permiſſion, in 1348, to make caſtles of his manor-houſes at Stafford and Madeley. This great family had in it barons, earls, and dukes; and in the year 1637 became extinct: at that time humiliated into barens again. The moat of their antient reſidence is ſtill to be ſeen, ſurrounding a rectangular piece of ground, the ſcite of the houſe.

My curioſity led me about two miles further, to Billington, BILLINGTON BURY. to examine the ſuppoſed ſcite of the antient Stafford caſtle. Near the extremity of a high hill, ſteeply ſloping on three ſides, and commanding a moſt extenſive and beautiful view, I found a large ſea, ſurrounded in ſome parts with one, in others with two, deep foſſes. This had been a Britiſh poſt, as it agrees with thoſe we find in many parts of the kingdom; but as it retains the name of Billington Bury, it probably might have been occupied by the Saxons, whoſe poſts are diſtinguiſhed by the addition of Borough, Bury, and Berry.

THE town of Stafford is governed by a mayor, recorder, ten al⯑dermen, and twenty common-council-men; and was incorporated [78] in the third of Edward VI. It firſt ſent burgeſſes to parlement in 1294, the twenty-third of Edward I. They are elected by in⯑habitants paying ſcot and lot, and are returned by the mayor ^*.

THE borough ſtill retains one antient cuſtom, BOROUGH. the privilege of borough Engliſh, or the deſcent of lands, within its liberty, to the youngeſt ſons of thoſe who die inteſtate: an uſage which is ſup⯑poſed to have been originally founded on the preſumption, that the younger child was the moſt incapable of providing for itſelf.

THE barony was, BARONY. even at the Conqueſt, one of the greateſt in England, and afterwards, like other great ſeigniories, ſtiled the Honor of Stafford. None were ſuch originally, but which were royal; but were afterwards beſtowed in ſee on ſome nobleman, as proved the caſe with this, as mentioned in page 76; when it was given to Edmund Lord Stafford, with eighty-one dependent manors, with ſixty knights ſees, viz. nine in his demeſne, and fifty-one in ſervice.

AFTER leading the town, I croſſed the Wolverhampton Naviga⯑tion ^† at Redford Bridge. This may be called a port to Stafford. A little further is Weeping Croſs, ſo ſtiled from its vicinity to the antient place of execution. A little farther on, opens the rich view of the vale of Shugborough, varied with rivers and canals, and bor⯑dered with the ſeveral ſeats before deſcribed.

CANK WOOD. ON approaching Cank Wood, HEYWOOD PARK. I find on its confines Heywood Park; a ſmall houſe, the property of Lord Paget, remarkable for [79] the beautiful woody dingles that wind into the ſides of the foreſt. When I was wandering through them, I imagined myſelf engaged in thoſe of my native country. Here I ſuppoſe to have been the park of red deer, which Leland ſays the biſhop of Lichfield had in his manor of Shugborow. I ſkirted part of the wood, which here ends boldly, almoſt driving the traveller into the Sow. This front has received from Mr. Anſon a wonderful change. ‘Miraturque novas frondes.’

Pines inſtead of oaks; which, waving over the head of the paſſenger, would recall to his memory, had he been abroad, the idea of many an alpine ſcene.

RETURNING over Heywood bridge, I paſſed through the two hamlets of that name; and within two miles of the firſt, reached the church and village of Colwich. I muſt imagine the traveller,COLWICH. as well as myſelf, blinded, if we rode this ſpace inſenſible of the moſt elegant view of the vale. It is perfectly prodigal in its beau⯑ties, and ſpreads at once every charm that can captivate the eye. It ſhews here at once, all that I before mentioned en detail.

THE parſonage and church of Colwich contribute to the variety of the view, from another ſtation: both are antient. This place had been the property of a family of the ſame name ^*, at le [...]t from Henry III's reign to about the beginning of Elizabeth; when it paſſed into that of Leiceſter of Tabley, in Cheſhire, by the marriage of the daughter of Edward Colwich ^† to Peter Leiceſter, Eſquire.

The church is dedicated to St. Michael, CHURCH. and is a prebend in [78] [...] [79] [...] [80] the cathedral of Lichfield. Within is a tomb, with the recum⯑bent figure, dreſſed in a gown, of Sir William Wolſely. Here is alſo the burial-place of the Anſons, made a l'antique, in form of a catacomb. I muſt not forget an inſcription, in memory of an⯑other Sir William Wolſely, which does not commemorate his un⯑lucky and ſingular end; being drowned in his chariot, on the 8th of July 1728, by the accidental breaking of a mill-dam, in the village of Longdon, by a thunder-ſhower. His four horſes periſhed. The coachman was ſaved, being carried by the tor⯑rent into an orchard, where he ſtuck till the water abated.

BISHTON. AT a little diſtance from Colwich is Biſhton, WOLSLEY BRIDGE. near which I croſs the navigation again, and inſtantly after the Trent, at Wolſley Bridge, placed at the foot of the hanging-woods of Wolſley park; an incloſure of much native wild beauty. The antient manſion of the family of the ſame name, lies low and near the river. This manor is a member of Heywood. In the twentieth year of the Conqueror. Nigellus, the paternal anceſtor of Greſlei, held it of the biſhop. About the reign of Henry II. it was a divided manor, between Richard Hints and Richard Wolſley. ^* Soon after this, they ſeem to have become ſole proprietors.

AFTER riding a little way along the Lichfield road, I turned to the left, and croſſing the vale, which now expands and grows leſs rionte, repaſs the Trent at Colton, on a bridge of a fine ſingle arch.THE BURBOT. Near this place is ſometimes taken the Burbot, ^† a fiſh of diſguſt⯑ing appearance, but of a delicate flavor, and very firm. It is not common in theſe parts, but abounds in the Witham, and in the fens of Lincolnſhire; and is very common in the lake of [81] Geneva, where it is called Lota. According to the new arrange⯑ment of fiſh, it is ranked among the gadi, or cod-fiſh: by Mr. Ray, among the eel-ſhaped fiſh. The form is long; the head depreſſed; the mouth large, armed with ſmall teeth; the noſe furniſhed with two beards, the chin with one: on the back are two fins; the ſkin ſmooth and ſlippery, of a diſagreeable green color, ſpotted with yellow. It is very voracious, and very pro⯑lific. The noted old fiſherman of the Rhine, Leonard Baltner, took out of a ſingle fiſh not fewer than 128,000 eggs.

MR. Erdeſwik informs us, that at the time of the Conqueror, one Galfridus was lord of Colton. Soon after,COLTON. Sir Hardulph de Gaſtenoys had either all, or ſhared it with another; for in the year 1315, Sir William Gaſtenoys and Anſelm le Marſhal were joint lords of it. After many generations, a female (Thomaſine, ſole heireſs and daughter of Sir Thomas Gaſtenoys, laſt male heir of the fa⯑mily, by marriage with Sir Nicholas Greiſlei, about 1379) tranſ⯑ferred it to the houſe of Drakelow. The old hall, which was large enough to contain fourſcore lodging-rooms, was burnt down in the time of Charles I. by the careleſſneſs of a ſervant. It at that time belonged to Lord Aſton. ^*

THE country now alters for the worſe, and the ſoil becomes wet and miry. About two miles diſtance from Colton ſtands Blithefield, BLITHEFIELD. the reſpectable old ſeat of the reſpectable family of the Bagots; a moſt antient and virtuous race. At the time of the Conqueſt they were found poſſeſſed of Bagot's Bromley. In 1193, or the fifth of Richard I. a younger branch became ennobled, by the marriage of Milliſent, heireſs of Robert Lord Stafford, ^† with [82] Hervey Bagot; from which match ſprung a long line of peers of every rank. The elder branch acquired this place by the mar⯑riage of Sir Ralph Bagot (before the reign of Henry IV.) with Elizabeth, ſole heireſs of Richard Blithefield, lineally deſcended from a Saxon of the name of Hereman, or the warrior.

THE houſe is built round a court, and ſtill retains, on the out⯑ſide, the ſimplicity of appearance of that of an antient baron; and within, the old hoſpitality. The beſt rooms are, the hall, the library, and a large drawing-room, lately added. The firſt is a noble apartment, unadorned, excepting over the chimney-piece, where is a repreſentation in bold and good ſculpture, in free⯑ſtone, of an event dear as life to every true Engliſhman; that of King John granting to his ſubjects the great charter of liberty.

AMONG the portraits, I obſerved on a board, in a flat manner,LORD-TREASURER BURLEIGH. the head of lord treaſurer Burleigh, with a white beard, bonnet, collar of the garter, the George, and a white wand. His abilities as a ſtateſman were inimitable; his private virtues not beyond the power of the great to copy; his magnificence was attended with hoſpitality; his annual deeds of alms to the amount of five hundred pounds; his honeſty, temperance, moderation, induſtry, and juſtice ^*. As his life was excellent, ſo his death was happy; dying in the fulneſs of years and of glory, envied, as his greateſt enemy declared, only becauſe his fun went down with ſo much luſtre; not clouded, as generally is the fate of great mi⯑niſters.

A CONTEMPORARY of his is painted in the ſame manner, HENRY EARL OF HUNTINGTON. with the collar of the garter; his beard forked: the date 1588, [83] aet. 52. This preſerves a likeneſs of a very different character, Henry Earl of Huntington, lord preſident of the north, and one of the peers to whom the cuſtody of the queen of Scots was entruſted. Burleigh created a fortune by his prudence; Huntington diſſipated his, by being the dupe to the miniſters of the riſing fanaticiſm of the age, which, nurtured by ſuch wooers of popularity as Leiceſter, Eſſex, and this noble peer, in the next age attained ſtrength ſuf⯑ficient to ſubvert the church it pretended to purify.

A NEIGHBORING ſtateſman, Sir Walter Aſton of Tixal, SIR WALTER ASTON. is painted on board. He appears with a firm countenance, ſhort hair, and whiſkers; in a black dreſs, laced with gold on the ſeams, and graced with a triple gold chain. Sir Walter was ambaſſador to Spain in the time of the negotiations about the Spaniſh match, in the reign of James I. and favored the deſigns of the young prince, and his favorite Buckingham. He was reſolute and prudent, and had great knowlege of the importance of the Engliſh trade with Spain. ^* He might ſerve his maſter, but he hurt his own fortune; diſſipating great part of £10,000 a year in ſupporting the dig⯑nity of his character, and the honor of his country. His reward was a Scotch peerage; being created by Charles I. in the third year of his reign, Lord Forfar.

AN half-length of Walter Earl of Eſſex, father to the unfortu⯑nate Robert. He is repreſented in rich armour.WALTER EARL OF ESSEX. On one ſide are the words Virtutis comes invidia; alluſive to the conſtant ill uſage he met with from the worthleſs favorite of Elizabeth, the Earl of Leiceſter. He was a nobleman of great merit and courage; was [84] ſent to command in Ireland, in 1573, and performed ſervices wor⯑thy of his character; but at length, worn out by the ill uſage of the miniſtry, who with-held from him the neceſſary ſupport, he came over to England, to lay his complaint before the queen. He was artfully received, and ſent back with the promiſes of better uſage. Grief, or, as others ſay, poiſon, adminiſtered by the inſtigation of Leiceſter, who loved his wife, cut him off at the age of thirty-five, at Dublin, in 1576. Perhaps the infamy of Dudley's character, and the ſpeedy and indecent marriage of the counteſs with that favorite, might give riſe to the ſcandal; for an inquiſition was made on his death, and the report in conſequence was, that he died of the flux; a diſorder very frequent in Ireland in thoſe days.

HERE are ſeveral portraits of different perſons, COLONEL RICHARD BAGOT. of this worthy houſe. Among them is Colonel Richard Bagot, governor of Lichfield, who fell in the cauſe of loyalty, in the fatal battle of Naſeby. He is dreſſed in a buff coat, and repreſented with long hair.

I MUST not omit a curious-picture of a countrywoman of mine,MRS. SALUSBURY. Mrs. Saluſbury of Bachymbed, in Denhighſhire, in a vaſt high ſugar-loafed hat and kerchief, bordered with ermine. Near her are two of her grandchildren, Sir Edward Bagot, and Elizabeth, after⯑wards Counteſs of Uxbridge, by her daughter Jane, who married Sir Walter Bagot, and conveyed the Welch eſtate into the family. A head of her ſon Charles Saluſbury, in long hair, and flowered night-gown, is alſo preſerved here.

MARY Counteſs of Ailsford, LADY AILSFORD. painted in her old-age, by Hudſon, ſitting, is a moſt beautiful portrait. She is dreſſed, ſimplex mun⯑ditiis, [85] in pale brown ſattin, white hood, handkerchief, apron, and ſhort ruffles: a reproach to the unſuitable fantaſtic dreſs of theſe times, which attempts to diſguiſe reſpectful years, and renders that inevitable period the object of ridicule.

Mary, daughter to Hervey Bagot, Eſquire, of Pipehall, firſt mar⯑ried to Sir Charley Berkeley. Earl of Falmouth, ^* and afterwards to Charles Earl of Dorſet; a brown, beauty of the gay court of Charles II. and, as Grammont ſays, the only one that had the ap⯑pearance of beauty and wiſdom in the departments of maids of honor to the Dutcheſs of York.

William Legge, firſt Earl of Dartmouth, and his lady; parents of the late Lady Barbara Bagot.

THAT eccentric ſtateſman, Henry Earl of Bolingbroke, when young, dreſſed in his robes.

A HEAD of that great actor, and dramatic poet, Moliere. MOLIERE He lived the adoration of his countrymen; but, dying in his pro⯑feſſion, was, according to a cuſtom of the church of his na⯑tion, refuſed Chriſtian burial by Harlai de Chanvalon, a de⯑bauched archbiſhop of Paris. The king (Lewis XIV.) at length prevailed to have him buried in a church; but the curate would not undertake the office. The populace, with difficulty could be perſuaded to ſuffer his remains to be carried to their grave. Bouhours marks the injuſtice done this great man, in the follow⯑ing lines:

I QUIT the ſubject of paintings, notwithſtanding there are mul⯑titudes of pictures, by the beſt maſters, in this houſe. They were all undergoing a removal; therefore I avoid further men⯑tion of them, until they are fixed in their permanent ſituations. But I muſt not be ſilent about the collection of coins, one of the moſt valuable and inſtructive in England, the bequeſt of his be⯑loved neighbor and friend Thomas Anſon, Eſquire.

THE park is at ſome diſtance from the houſe. PARK. The oaks are of a very great ſize: a twin-tree was lately ſold for £.120, and ſome ſingle ones for half that ſum; and I am told, that there are ſeve⯑ral now ſtanding equally large.

THE church is very near the houſe, CHURCH. in the gift of Sir William Bagot, dedicated to St. Leonard. Within, are ſeveral ſculptured tombs, of the time of the fifteenth century; ſome with imaged figures, others engraven; moſtly in memorial of the Bagots: one of an Aſton of Broughton, and another expreſſed by a little ſkele⯑ton of a Broughton, a child of three months old. The monument of Sir Edward Bagot, who died in 1673, is mural, and ſuperſedes the ten commandments, being placed over the altar. The in⯑ſcription tells us, that he was a true aſſertor of epiſcopacy in the church, and hereditary monarchy in the ſtate; which probably [87] entitled him, in thoſe days, to this ſacred place. On the outſide of the church, two modeſt heaps of turf, parallel to each other, mark the ſpot where the remains of the laſt amiable owners of the place repoſe; whole merit ſurvives in their ſucceſſor.

I FOUND myſelf here not very diſtant from Whichenoure Hall, and could not reſiſt the deſire of viſiting the ſeat of the celebrated Flitch, the deſperate reward of conjugal affection.

IN my road, not far from Blithefield, I again met with the Trent, HERMITAGE. and the Canal: the laſt a moſt fortunate embelliſhment to the neat ſeat of Mr. Liſter of Hermitage. The proprietors (with the re⯑ſpect they uſually pay to gentlemen) have before this houſe given it an elegant form; and, to add to the ſcenery, luckily the awe⯑ful mouth of a conſiderable ſubterraneous courſe of the naviga⯑tion opens to view, and affords the amazing ſight of barges loſing themſelves in the cavern, or ſuddenly emerging to day from the other ſide.

THE church of Hermitage, ſeated on a ſmall eminence,CHURCH. forms another beautiful object. This belongs to the cathedral of Lich⯑field, and is ſtiled the prebendary of Hanſacre, a hamlet in this pariſh, founded by Biſhop Clinton.

ON the oppoſite ſide of the Trent is Maveſton Ridware, a rec⯑tory, MAVESTON RIDWARE. whoſe church is dedicated to St. Andrew. This had been the property of the Maveſtons, at left from the time of Edward I. to that of Henry IV. The tomb of Sir Robert Maveſton, or Mau⯑veſine, in the pariſh-church, recals to memory a melancholy ſtory. In the beginning of the reign of the uſurping Henry, when the kingdom was divided againſt itſelf, two neighboring knights, Sir Robert Maveſton, and Sir William Handſacre, of Handſacre, took arms in ſupport of different parties: the firſt, to aſſert the cauſe of Bo⯑lingbroke; [88] the laſt, that of the depoſed Richard. They aſſembled their vaſſals, and began their march to join the armies, then about to join battle, near Shrewſbury. The two neighbors, with their re⯑ſpective followers, unfortunately met, not far from their ſeats. Ac⯑tuated by party rage, a ſkirmiſh enſued: Sir William was ſlain on the ſpot. Sir Robert proceeded to the field, and met his fate with the gallant Percy. What a picture is this accident, of the miſeries of civil diſſenſion! What a tale is the following, of the ſudden vi⯑ciſſitude of hatred to love, between contending families! Mar⯑garet, one of the daughters, and co-heireſs of Sir Robert Maveſton, gave her hand to Sir William, ſon of the knight ſlain by her father; and with her perſon and fortune compenſated the injury done by her houſe to that of Handſacre. ^*

THE other daughter, Elizabeth, married Sir John Cawardine, whoſe poſterity was extinct here in the male line, by the death of Thomas Cawardine, Eſquire, in 1592.

THE tomb of Sir Robert is altar-ſhaped: his figure armed and helmed, with a great ſword on one ſide, and a dagger on the other, is engraven on the incumbent alabaſter ſlab, with the fol⯑lowing inſcription: ‘Hic jacet Dns. Robertus de Mauveſine, miles, Dns. de Mauveſine Rid⯑ware, qui occubuit juxta Salopiam, 1403, ſtans cum rege, dimi⯑cans ex parte ſua uſque ad mortem, cujus animae propitietur Deus.’

HERE is a tomb of two other Mauveſins, one croſs-legged, with each hand on his ſword; both under arches in the wall.

NEAR the church is the gateway, part of the antient manſion of the family of Mauveſin; and on the other ſide of the Trent, be⯑yond [89] High Bridge, is a moated fragment of the rival houſe of Handſacre.

AT the diſtance of about two miles from Maveſton, KING'S BROMLEY. I paſſed by King's Bromley. Before the Conqueſt, this manor had been the re⯑ſidence of the Earl of Mercia. Here, in 1057, died the pious Leoſric, ^* huſband to the famous Godiva. At that time, it was called Brom-legge. After the Conqueror took it into his own hands, the name was changed to that of King's Bromley. It con⯑tinued in the crown till the year 1258, or the forty-third of Henry III. when Roger Corbet died, holding it of the king in capite ^†. It continued in that family till the year 1451, or the thirtieth of Henry VI. when it came by deſcent to Praiers of Bad⯑deleigh, in Cheſhire: from him to one Partridge, who ſold it to Francis Agard of Ireland; whoſe deſcendants poſſeſſed it for ſome generations, when it was ſold to John Newton, Eſquire, of Bar⯑badoes; in whoſe line it remains.

FROM hence I paſſed by Orgrave, one of the ſeats of George Anſon, ORGRAVE. Eſquire, lately the property of the Turtons. Afterwards, through the village of Alrewas. The manor was in poſſeſſion of Algar Earl of Mercia; but on the forfeiture of his ſon, the brave Edwin, was beſtowed by the Conqueror, with the following, on Walter de Somervil, one of his Norman followers.

FROM hence I viſited Whichenoure, or Wichnor, WHICHENOURE MANOR. where I croſſed a bridge of the ſame name over the Trent, not far from the place where it receives the Tame. The Roman road paſſes this way, and on this marſhy ſpot was formed upon piles of wood. It runs from the eaſt ſide of Lichfield, and points to the north-eaſt. [90] Much braſs money has been found, and, as I am informed, there are veſtiges of a Roman camp in Whichenoure park.

THE church ſtands on an eminence, CHURCH. on the north ſide of the river. The houſe is at a ſmall diſtance, and enjoys a moſt beau⯑tiful view. I believe this to have been on the ſite of a very an⯑tient manſion, which Leland obſerves to have been quite down in his days; and that the ſeat was then below,SINGULAR TENURE. much ſubject to the n [...]ngs of the Trent. The preſent houſe is a modern building, remarkable for the painted wooden bacon flitch, ſtill hung up over the hall chimney, in memory of the ſingular tenure by which Sir Philip de Somervile, in the time of Edward III. held the manors of Whichenoure, Sireſcote, Ridware, Netherton, and Cowlee, of the Earl of Lancaſter, then lord of the honor of Tutbury. The ſervices clamed were theſe, viz. two ſmall fees; ‘that is to ſay, when other tenants pay for releef one whole knight's fee, one hun⯑dred ſhillings; he, the ſaid Sir Philip, ſhall pay but fifty ſhil⯑lings; and when eſcuage is aſſeſſed throgheout the land, or ayde for to make the eldeſt ſon of the lord knyght, or for to marry the eldeſt doughter of the lord, the ſayd Sir Philip ſhal pay bot the moiety of it that other ſhal paye.’

‘Nevertheleſs, the ſayd Sir Philip ſhal ſynde meyntienge and ſuſteiyne one bacon flyke hanging in his halle, at Wiche⯑nore, ready arrayed all tymes of the yere, bott in Lent, to be given to everyche mane or womane married, after the dey and yere of their mariage be paſſed; and to be given to everyche mane of religion, arch biſhop, prior, or other religious; and to everyche preeſt, after the year and day of their profeſſion finiſh⯑ed, or of their dignity reſeyved, in forme following. Whenſoever that ony ſuch before named wylle come for to enquire for the [91] baconne in their owne perſon, or by any other for them, they ſhall come to the bayliff or porter of the lordſhip of Whiche⯑nour, and ſhall ſay to them in the manere as enſewethe: Baylife, or Porter, I doo you to knowe, that I am come for my ſelf (or, if he come for any other, ſhewing for whome) one bacon flyke, hanging in the halle of the lord of Whichenour, after the forme thereunto belong⯑inge.’

‘After which relation the bailiffe, or porter, ſhal aſſigne a daye to him, upon promiſe by his feythe to return, and with him to bring tweyne of his neighbours; and in the meyn time the ſaid bailif ſhal take with him tweyne of the freeholders of the lord⯑ſhip of Whichenoure, and they three ſhal goe to the mannour of Rudlowe, belonging to Robert Knyghtley, and there ſhall ſomon the foreſaid Knyghtley, or his bayliffe, commanding him to be ready at Whichenour the day appoynted, at pryme of the day, with his carriage; that is to ſay, a horſe and a ſadyle, a ſakke, and a pryke, for to convey and carry the ſaid baconne and corne a journey out of the county of Stafford, at his coſtages; and then the ſayd bailiffe ſhal, with the ſaid freeholders, ſomon all the tenants of the ſaid manoir to be ready at the day appoynted at Whichenour, for to doe and performe the ſervices to the ba⯑conne. And at the day aſſigned, all ſuch as owe ſervices to the baconne, ſhal be ready at the gatte of the manoir of Whiche⯑nour, from the fonne riſinge to none, attendyng and awayting for the comyng of hym and his felowys chapaletts, and to all thoſe whiche ſhal be there, to doe their ſervices deue to the ba⯑conne: and they ſhal lede the ſaid demandant, wythe tromps and tabours, and other manner of mynſtralſeye, to the halle dore, [92] where he ſhal fynde the lord of Whichenour, or his ſteward; redy to deliver the baconne in this manere:’

‘He ſhal enquere of hym which demandeth the baconne, if he hath brought tweyne of his neighbours; who muſt anſwere, They be here redy; and then the ſteward ſhal cauſe theis two neighbours to ſwere yf the ſaid demandant be a weddyt man, or have be a man weddyt, and yf ſyth his marryage one yere and a day be paſſed, and yf he be a freeman or a villeyn: and yf his ſeid neghbours make othe that he hath for hym all theis three poynts reherſed, then ſhal the baconne be take downe, and brought to the halle dore, and ſhal there be layd upon one half a quarter of wheatte, and upon one other of rye: and he that demandeth the baconne ſhal kneel upon his knee, and ſhal hold his right hande upon a booke, which ſhal be layd above the baconne and the corne, and ſhal make oath in this manere:’

‘Here ye Sir Philip de Somervyle, lord of Whichenour, mayn⯑tayner and giver of this baconne, that I A. ſyth, I wedded B. my wife, and ſyth I had her in my kepyng and at wylle, by a yere and a daye after our marryage, I would not have changed for none other, farer ne fowler, richer ne powrer, ne for none other deſcended of gretter lynage, ſlepyng ne waking, at noo tyme; and if the ſeid B. were ſole, and I ſole, I wolde take her to be my wife before all the wymen of the worlde, of what condytions. ſoevere they be, good or evyle, as helpe me God, and his ſeyntys, and this fleſh, and all fleſhes.’

‘And his neghbours ſhal make oath, that they truſt verily he hath ſaid truely. And yf it be founde by his neghbours before named, that he be a villeyn, there ſhal be delyvered to him half [93] a quarter of wheatte and a cheeſe; and yf he be a villein, he ſhal have half a quarter of rye, withoutte cheeſe, and then ſhal Knyghtley, the lord of Rudlow, be called for, to carry all their thyngs to fore reherſed; and the ſayd corne ſhal be layd upon one horſe, and the baconne apperteyneth ſhal aſcend upon his horſe, and ſhal take the cheſe before hym, if he have a horſe; and yf he have none, the lord of Whichenour ſhall cauſe him have one horſe and ſadyl, to ſuch tyme as he paſſed his lordſhippe; and ſoe ſhal they departe the manoyr of Whichenour with the corne and the baconne to fore him, him that hath wonne ytt, with trompets, tabourets, and other manoir of mynſtralſce. And all the free tenants of Whichenour ſhal conduct him to be paſſed the lordſhip of Whichenour; and then ſhall they retorne except hym to whom apperteiyneth to make the carriage and journy withoutt the countye of Stafford, at the coſtys of his lord of Whichenour. And yf the ſeid Robert Knyghtley doe not cauſe the baconne and corne to be conveyed as is reherſed, the lord of Whichenour ſhal do it to be carryed, and ſhall diſtreigne the ſaid Robert Knyghtley for his default, for one hundred ſhil⯑lings in his manoir of Rudlowe, and ſhall kepe the diſtreſſe ſo takyn irrepleviſable ^*:’

SUCH is the hiſtory of this memorable cuſtom. I wiſh, PRESENT STATE OF THE FLITCH. for the honor of the ſtate matrimonial, that it was in my power to con⯑tinue the regiſter of ſucceſsful clamants, from that preſerved in the 608th Spectator; but, from the ſtricteſt enquiry, the flitch has remained untouched, from the firſt century of its inſtitution to the preſent: and we are credibly informed, that the late and pre⯑ſent [94] worthy owners of the manor, were deterred from entering into the holy ſtate, through the dread of not obtaining a ſingle raſher from their own bacon.

THE firſt peſſeſſor of this manor was Sir Walter de Somervile, a Norman, on whom it was beſtowed by the Conqueror. It reſted in his family till the death of the above-mentioned Sir Philip de So⯑mervile, who left two daughters, Joan, wife of Sir Rhys ap Griffith, Knight; and Maud, married to Edmund Vernon. This eſtate fell to the former, and remained in the family till the laſt century, when it was ſold by Mary, daughter or widow to Henry Griffith, to — Offley, Eſquire, anceſtor to the late owner; who, within theſe few years, alienated it to the preſent John Levet, Eſ⯑quire.

I CANNOT tell the preciſe year in which it was ſold to Mr. Offley; but it appears that Henry Griffith was living in 1597.

IN compliance with my original plan, I took the ſame way, in order to return into the great road. Soon after,RUDGLEY. repaſſing the Trent, at Colton bridge, I reached Rudgley, a ſmall town, cele⯑brated for its great annual fairs for horſes of the coach breed.

THE church is a little north of the town, CHURCH. is dedicated to Saint Auguſtin, and is a vicarage belonging to the chapter of Lichfield. Oppoſite is a very antient timber-houſe, belonging once to the Chetwynds; at preſent to Mr. Anſon. On an eminence, above the town, is beautifully ſituated a large houſe, formerly belonging to the Weſtons, greatly enlarged and improved by the preſent owner, Aſhton Curzon, Eſquire.

THE antient owners of Rudgley were of the ſame name with the town: ſome of the family had the honor of being ſheriffs of the [95] county, in the reign of Edward III: another was knight of the ſhire, in the ſame period. The name continued here till after the time of Henry VI. Erdeſwik mentions this to have been a ma⯑nor belonging to the biſhop of Lichfield; which I find was alien⯑ated to the king by biſhop Sampſon, in 1547.

THE pariſh and village of Longdon ſucceeds that of Rudgley. LONGDON. The church lies out of the road, on the left; is a vicarage, dedi⯑cated to St. James; and belongs to a prebendſhip of Lichfield. The village conſiſts of ſcattered houſes, extending for a vaſt way on each ſide of the lane; from whence the name. This gave riſe, to a common ſaying in theſe parts,

THIS village antiently was full of gentlemen's ſeats; a moſt uſe⯑ful ſpecies of population to the poor, whoſe diſtreſſes ſeldom fail reaching the ears of mediocrity, but whoſe cries rarely attain the height of greatneſs. Sir Edward Littleton had a houſe called Cheſtal; Simon Rudgley, ſheriff of the county in the time of Edward III. had another; the younger brother of the Aſtons had a ſeat here, from the reign of Edward I; the Broughtons had Broughton Hall, from the days of King John; and Adam Arblaſter poſſeſſed Liſwys (now Longball) in 1351, or the twenty-fifth of Edward III. in whoſe name it continued till of late, when it was purchaſed by Francis Cob, Eſquire.

THIS manor is of vaſt extent. Above thirty other manors, lordſhips) and villages, owe ſuit and ſervice, beſides Cank, Hey⯑wood and Rudgley, to the court-leet, which is held here every [96] three weeks. It once belonged to the biſhop of Lichfield, but was alienated by Biſhop Sampſon.

AFTER winding up the ſteep of a high hill, an advanced part of the foreſt of Cank, I turned out of the road to Beaudeſert, BEAUDESERT. the princely ſeat of Lord Paget, placed on the ſide of a lofty ſloping eminence, ſheltered above, and on each ſide, by beautiful riſing grounds, and emboſomed with trees, commanding in front, over the tops of far ſubjacent woods, a moſt extenſive and agreeable view; ſo that it well vindicates the propriety of its name.

THIS had been a place belonging to the biſhops of Lichfield, which, with the manors of Longdon, Heywood, Berkſwick, Cank, Rudgley, and Shugborrow, were part of the ſpoils of that ſee, wreſted from it in the time of Edward VI. with the connivance of Richard Sampſon, then biſhop, who accepted in their ſtead certain impro⯑priations of the value of an hundred and eighty-three pounds a year. Theſe livings at that time were good rectories; now poor vicarages, or mercenary curacies, annexed to the biſhoprick.

THE leviathan who ſwallowed theſe manors, was Sir William Paget, created by Edward VI. Baron Beaudeſert. He firſt appeared in the reign of Henry VIII. and from a low beginning, merito⯑riouſly roſe to the dignity of ſecretary and ambaſſador to Charles V. and Francis I. In the next reign, he was made chancellor of the dutchy of Lancaſter, and comptroller of the houſhold; and obtained a peerage. In that of Mary, became lord privy-ſeal, and was re⯑ſtored to the order of the Garter, from which he had been de⯑graded in the time of her predeceſſor. At the acceſſion of Eli⯑zabeth, at his own requeſt, he was permitted to retire from the ſervice of the ſtate, being zealouſly attached to the religion of his [97] former miſtreſs ^*. Yet his zeal for the old religion, produced in him no ſcruples about ſharing in the plunder of the church. The reforming Somerſet, and the papal Paget, agreed in that ſingle point. His poſterity derive from him an uncommon extent of in⯑tereſt and command.

Beaudeſert was rebuilt by Thomas Lord Paget, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It is a very handſome ſtone edifice, in form of an half H; of late moſt admirably improved, and fitted up by the noble owner. It is totally diſengaged from the gateway, walls, and other obſtructions that encumbered it in the days of Plott; ^† and the grounds that environ it are layed with the ſim⯑plicity that forms true grandeur.

HERE is a gothic hall of eighty feet by twenty-one; a dining⯑room of forty-two by twenty-ſeven; and a magnificent gallery of ninety-ſeven by ſeventeen. The other apartments are ſmall.

IN the drawing-room is a fine portrait of the founder of the family,PORTRAIT OF LORD PAGET. the firſt Lord Paget, a three-quarters length; in a bon⯑net, black gown furred, with a great forked beard, the George, a ſtick, and dagger. A fine performance of Holbein's.

FROM the houſe I aſcended to the ſummit of the hill,CASTLE-HILL. on the verge of Cank heath, to an antient Britiſh poſt called the Caſtle⯑hill. It is encompaſſed with a vaſt rampart and two ditches. The two entrances are oppoſite to each other, and before the eaſtern are ſeveral advanced works. It commands a vaſt view, and was well ſituated for the purpoſes of a temporary retreat. I refer the reader, for an account of the uſes of theſe entrench⯑ments, to my Welſh Tour ^‡; for they are common to moſt parts [98] of Britain. Doctor Plott aſcribes this work to King Canute; but I ſuſpect it to be of earlier origin.

FROM hence is an extenſive view of the chace, CANK FOREST. or foreſt, of Cank, or Cannock, which Plott derives from the name of the Daniſh prince Canuti Sylva. This vaſt tract was once covered with oaks, but for ſome centuries paſt, has been ſpoiled of its honors; even old Drayton ^* deplores its loſſes, owing, as he ſays, to the avarice of the times.

BUT this change is much more beautifully deſcribed by Mr. Maſters, in his Itinerary ^† of 1675; in which he deſcribes his journey in moſt elegant Latin. His paſſage over Cank wood, and the tranſlation by my ingenious friend ^‡, cannot but be ac⯑ceptable to every reader of taſte.

FROM Caſtle-hill I deſcended towards the great road, and paſſed by Fairwell church ^*, once conventual,FAIRWELL CHURCH. belonging to a priory of Benedictine nuns. It originally was the property of canons regu⯑lar, or hermits; but at the requeſt of Roger, Jeffry, and Robert, brothers of Farewell, ^† and with the conſent of the chapter of Lichfield, was beſtowed on the priory, about 1140, by Roger de Clinton, biſhop of Litchfield; who endowed it with the mill, and all the lands between the brooks, then called Chiſtals, and Blache Siche, with other emoluments mentioned in his two grants. Henry II. was alſo a great benefactor to theſe nuns, beſtowing on them three ploughlands at Fagereſwell, one at Pipe, and one at Hamerwich, and forty acres of land cleared from wood, in the foreſt of Cank, ^‡ in 1527. On the ſuppreſſion of the leſſer religious houſes, it was given to Lichfield, to increaſe and main⯑tain [100] the choriſters, in recompente of a penſion which ſhould have been given by Cardinal Wolſey, out of his college at Oxford. ^*

AFTER a ſhort ride, I reached the ſummit of a long but gentle deſcent, from which is a fine view of the city of Lichfield, lying at the foot of it. The ſituation is delightful, in a fertile and dry ſoil, with ſmall riſings on almoſt every ſide. The cathedral, with its three ſpires, is a moſt ſtriking object.

Lichfield is a place of Saxon origin, LICHFIELD. and owes its riſe to Ceadda, or Chad, the great ſaint of Mercia. I omit the legend of the thouſand Chriſtians, diſciples of St. Amphibolus, that were mar⯑tyred here under Diocleſian; or the three kings ſlain at this place in battle, as ſculptured over the-town-hall. I take up its hiſtory about the year 656, when Oſwy, king of the country, eſtabliſhed a biſhoprick here, and made Dwina, or Dinma, the firſt prelate. To him ſucceeded Cellach and Trumberct; and on his demiſe,ST. CHAD. the fa⯑mous Ceadda. This pious man at firſt led an eremitical life, in a cell, at the place on which now ſtands the church of his name, and ſupported himſelf by the milk of a white hind. In this place he was diſcovered by Rufine, the ſon of Wolphere, who was pri⯑vately, inſtructed by him till the time of his martyrdom, before-recited. Remorſe, and conſequential converſion, ſeized the Pagan prince. As ſome ſpecies of expiation, he preferred the apoſtle to the vacant ſee. He built himſelf a ſmall houſe near the church, and, with ſeven or eight of his brethren, during the interval of preaching, read and prayed in private. On the approach of his death, flights of angels, ſang hymns over his cell. Miracles at [101] his tomb confirmed the holineſs of his life. A lunatic, that by accident eſcaped from his keepers, lay a night on it; and in the morning was found reſtored to his ſenſes. The very earth taken out of it, was an infallible remedy for all diſorders incident to man or beaſt.^* Ceadda was of courſe canonized; a ſhrine was erected in honor of him; great was the concourſe of devotees: the place increaſed and flouriſhed.

THE hiſtory of our cathedrals is; in its beginning, but the his⯑tory of ſuperſtition, mixed with ſome truth and abundance of le⯑gend: humiliating proof of the weakneſs of the human mind! yet all the fine arts of paſt times, and all the magnificent works we now ſo juſtly admire, are owing to a ſpecies of piety that every lover of the elegance of architecture muſt rejoice to have exiſted.

WE are told, that in the days of Jaruman, about the year 666, CATHEDRAL WHEN FOUNDED. the cathedral was founded.

I SHALL not trouble the reader with a dry liſt of prelates; but only mention thoſe diſtinguiſhed by ſome remarkable event, that befel the ſee during their days.

IN thoſe of Winfrid, ſucceſſor to St. Chad, in 674, Theodore, archbiſhop of Canterbury, thought fit to divide the biſhoprick into two, and to eſtabliſh the other at Sidnaceſter; in Lincoln⯑ſhire, the preſent Stow [...] Winfrid diſapproving this defalcation, was deprived for contumacy. The dioceſe might well bear di⯑viding; for at that time it contained the whole kingdom of Mercia. At preſent, it comprehends all Staffordſhire, except [102] [...], which belong to Worceſter; the larger part of? [...] and about half Shropſhire.

IN the time of Biſhop Adulf, Oſſa, king of the Mercians, pro⯑cured liberty from the pope of erecting the fee into an arch⯑biſhop [...]ick, in 786, and to aſſign him for ſuffragans Wincheſter, Hereford, L [...]g [...]ſter (Leiceſter), Helmham, and Dunwick. This honor died with Adulf.

A BISHOP Peter, in 1067, the year ſucceeding the Conqueſt, re⯑moved the ſee to St. John's, in Cheſter; where he died, and was interred, in 1085.

HIS ſucceſſor, Robert de Limeſey, ſmitten with the love of the gold and ſilver ^* with which the pious Earl Leofric had covered the walls of his new convent at Coventry, in 1095 removed the ſee to that city, and at once ſcraped from a ſingle beam, that ſup⯑ported a ſhrine, 500 marks worth of ſilver ^†.

I NOW ſpeak of a prelate of a different temper; [...] C [...]I [...]TON. to whoſe muni⯑ficence both the church and city were highly indebted. Roger de Clinton, conſecrated in 1129, took down the antient Mercian cathedral. We are not informed of the dimenſions or nature of the building, any more than we are of that built by this biſhop. It muſt have been, according to the reigning mode of the times, of the ſpecies of architecture uſually called Saxon, with maſſy pil⯑lars and round arches. There is not at preſent the left relique of this ſtile. But I am unacquainted with the accident, or calamity, which deſtroyed the labors of this pious prelate; who took up the croſs, and died at Antioch, on a pilgrimage to the holy ſe⯑pulchre.

[103] AFTER a ſucceſſion of twelve prelates, Walter de Langton, BISHOP LANGTON trea⯑ſurer of England, was conſecrated biſhop of this ſee, in 1296. He was highly favored by Edward I. His proſperity was interrupted by the reſentment of the prince, who meanly revenged on the biſhop a ſhort impriſonment he had ſuffered in the time of his father, for riotouſly deſtroying his deer. After a perſecution and confinement of above two years, he emerged from all his difficul⯑ties, and reſumed his paſtoral charge in a manner that did him great honor. He may be conſidered as the third architect of this cathedral: to him we are indebted for the preſent elegant pile. He laid the foundation for our Lady's chapel; an edifice of un⯑common beauty, finiſhed after his death with money left for that purpoſe. He built the cloyſters, and expended £2,000 upon a ſhrine for St. Chad. He beſtowed on the choir ſeveral rich veſt⯑ments, a chalice, and two cups of beaten gold, to the value of £200. To the vicars choral he gave a ſtanding cup, and an annual penſion of £20, and procured for them and the canons great immunities: in particular, there was an order from the king to the juſtices of Staffordſhire, that, without trial, they ſhould hang upon the next gallows divers perſons that by force kept their lands from them. This prelate alſo ſurrounded the cloſe with a wall and ditch, made the great gate at the weſt end, and the poſtern at the ſouth. He gave his own palace, at the weſt end of the cloſe, to the vicars choral, and built a new one for himſelf at the eaſt end. He partly built, or enlarged, the caſtle at Eccleſhal, and the manors of Heywood and Shugborow, and the palace in the Strand. He finiſhed his uſeful life in November 1321, and was buried in the chapel of his own founding.

THE cathedral continued in the ſtate it was left by Biſhop [104] Langton, till the time of the diſſolution, when the rich ſhrine of St. Chad, and other objects of ſimilar devotion, fell a prey to the rapacity of the prince. The building continued in its priſtine beauty till the unhappy wars of the laſt century, CATHEDRAL FORTIFIED. when it ſuffered greatly by three ſieges. The ſituation of the place on an emi⯑nence, ſurrounded by water and by deep ditches, and fortified with walls and baſtions, rendered it unhappily a proper place for a garriſon.

IN 1643, it was poſſeſſed by the royaliſts of the county, under the Earl of Cheſterfield: when it underwent the attack rendered memorable by the death of Lord Brook, commander of the parle⯑mentary forces. His lordſhip, in reconnoitring the cathedral, in a wooden porch in Dams ſtreet, was ſhot into the eye by a muſ⯑ket-ball, on March 2d, 1643. This happened to be the feſtival of St. Chad, the patron of the church. The cavaliers attributed the direction of the fatal bullet to the influence of the Saint, in reſentment of the ſacrileges this nobleman was committing on his cathedral. What ſhare the Saint had in this affair, I will not pre⯑tend to ſay; but the muſket was aimed, and the trigger drawn, by a neighboring gentleman poſted in the leads, known by the name of dumb Dyot. The loſs of Lord Brook gave very ſhort reſpite to the garriſon; which was taken almoſt immediately after, by Sir John Gell.

IN April, in the ſame year, it was attacked by Prince Rupert At that time it was commanded by Colonel Rouſwel; a ſteady governor over an enthuſiaſtic garriſon. He defended the plac [...] with vaſt reſolution. A breach was made by the blowing up o [...] a mine. The attack was made with great bravery, but great loſs [105] At length the garriſon gave up, on the moſt honorable con⯑ditions ^*. The colonel took care to plunder the church of the communion-plate, during the time the fanatics were in poſſeſſion. They uſed every ſpecies of profanation; hunted a cat in it with hounds, to enjoy the fine echo from the roof; and brought a calf, dreſſed in linen, to the font, and ſprinkled it with water, in deri⯑ſion of baptiſm ^†.

THE prince appointed Colonel Hervey Bagot ^‡

Colonel Bagot met him, and after a briſk action, whipped the fellow himſelf into his retreat, and narrowly miſſed taking him.

the governor; who kept poſſeſſion till the ruin of the king's affairs, in 1646; when the colonel, and other commanders, being ſatisfied that the king had not an hundred men in any one place in the field, nor any garriſon unbeſieged, ſurrendered on very honorable terms, on the 10th of July, to Adjutant Louthian ^‖.

THE ſtate of this church, after ſo many ſieges, may eaſily be conceived. The honor of reſtoring it to its former ſplendor, RESTORED BY BISHOP HACKET. was reſerved for John Hacket, preſented to this ſee in 1661. On the very next day after his arrival, he ſet his coach-horſes, with teams, to remove the rubbiſh; and in eight years time reſtored the ca⯑thedral [106] to its preſent beautiful ſtate, at the expence of twenty thouſand pounds ^*; one thouſand of which was the gift of the dean and chapter; the reſt was done either at his own charge, or by benefactions reſulting from his own ſolicitations. He died in 1670. A very handſome tomb was erected in the choir to his memory, with his effigies laid recumbent on it, with a mitre on his head, and in his epiſcopal dreſs.

THE weſt front is of great elegance, adorned with the richeſt ſculpture, and, till of late, with rows of ſtatues of prophets, kings of Judah, &c. and, above all, a very bad one of Charles II. who had contributed to the repair of the church, by a liberal gift of timber. This ſtatue was the work of a Sir William Wilſon, ori⯑ginally a maſon from Sutton Coldfield, who, after marrying a rich wife, arrived at the dignity of knighthood.

THE ſculptures round the doors were very elegant; but time, or violence, hath greatly impaired their beauty.

James II. when Duke of York, beſtowed on this church the magnificent weſt window. The fine painted glaſs was given of late years, by Dean Addenbrook.

THE northern door is extremely rich in ſculptured moldings: RICH NORTH DOOR. three of ſoliage, and three of ſmall figures in ovals. In one of the loweſt is repreſented a monk baptizing a perſon kneeling be⯑fore him. Probably the former is intended for St. Chad; the lat⯑ter for Wulferus. It is a misfortune, that the ornaments of this cathedral are made of ſuch friable ſtone, that what fanaticiſm has ſpared, the weather has impaired.

[107] IN the front are two fine ſpires, and a third in the centre, FRONT. of a vaſt height, and fine proportion.

THE roof was till of late covered with lead, but grew ſo greatly out of repair, that the dean and chapter were obliged to ſubſtitute ſlates inſtead of metal, on account of the narrow revenues left to maintain this venerable pile; and, after the ſtricteſt oeconomy, they will be under the neceſſity of contributing from their own income, in order to complete their plan. The excellent order that all the cathedrals I have viſited are in, does great credit to their members; who ſpare nothing from their own incomes to render them not only decent, but elegant.

THE body is lofty, BODY. ſupported by pillars formed of numbers of ſlender columns, with neat foliated capitals. Along the walls of the ailes are rows of falſe arches, in the gothic ſtile, with a ſeat beneath.

THE upper rows of windows, in the body, are of an uncommon form, being triangular, including three circles in each.

IN each tranſept are two places, formerly chapels; at preſent conſiſtory courts, and the vicar's veſtry-room.

THE choir merits attention, CHOIR. on account of the elegant ſculp⯑ture about the windows, and the embattled gallery that runs be⯑neath them. On each ſide are ſix ſtatues, now much mutilated, placed in beautiful gothic niches, and richly painted. The firſt on the left is St. Peter; the next is the Virgin; the third is Mary Magdalene, with one leg bare, to denote her legendary wanton⯑neſs. The other three are St. Philip, St. James, and St. Chriſto⯑pher, with CHRIST on his ſhoulders.

THE beauty of this choir is much impaired by the impropriety [108] of a rich altar-piece, of Grecian architecture, terminating this ele⯑gant gothic building.

BEHIND this is St. Mary's chapel, ST. MARY'S CHAPEL. with a ſtone ſkreen, the moſt elegant which can be imagined, embattled at top, and adorned with ſeveral rows of gothic niches, of moſt exquiſite workman⯑ſhip; each formerly containing a ſmall ſtatue. Beneath them are thirteen ſtalls, with gothic work over each. In this chapel are nine windows, more narrow, lofty, and of more elegant work than any of the others; three on each ſide, and three at the end.

In this chapel ſtood the ſhrine of St. Chad. SHRINE OF ST. CHAD. Here was interred Ceolred ^*, king of the Mercians; and in later times, here was placed the magnificent tomb (on the ſite of the ſhrine) of the firſt Lord Paget, adorned with columns, MONUMENTS. with two kneeling figures of a man and woman between the front and back pillars. Theſe were deſtroyed in the blind fury of civil war; as was another fine tomb of a Lord Baſſet of Drayton, who died in 1389. Few indeed eſcaped. Of thoſe are the effigies of the great Biſhop Langton, with his paſtoral ſtaff in one hand, and the other hand in the action of benediction: another of Hugh de Pateſhul, who died in 1241, remarkable for having the ſtigmata, or marks of our Saviour's, wounds on the hands and feet: a reſpectful ſuper⯑ſtition of antient times. Dean Heywood is repreſented in his habit, and again naked, with the emaciated change which death oc⯑caſions.

HERE are ſeveral monuments within the walls, of a moſt fru⯑gal nature, having no appearance of any part but the head and [109] feet. From an intermediate bracket, it is probable ſome favorite ſaint might have been honored with a rich image.

I HAVE a ſingular drawing of a tomb now loſt, of a knight naked to his waiſt; his legs and thighs armed, and at his feet and head a flag's horn; his hair long and diſhevelled a [...] his hands, as if he was reading a confeſſion, or act of cont [...] ⯑ [...]ion: acroſs his middle, on his ballet, is his coat of arms; which ſhew him to have been a Stanley. He is called Captain Stanley. [...] ſaid to have been excommunicated, but to have received funeral rites in holy ground (having ſhewn ſigns of repentance) on condition his monument ſhould bear thoſe marks of diſgrace. I [...]nd [...] Sir Humphry Stanley of Pipe, who died in the reign of He [...] VI [...]. who had a ſquabble with the chapter, about conveying the water through his lands to the cloſe. He alſo defrauded the pr [...]bendary of Stotford of his tithes: ſo probably this might be the gentleman who incurred the cenſure of the church for his [...]mp [...]ety.

ON the floor, near the weſt door, are two droll epitaphs. ‘Wi⯑liam Roberts ^* of Overbury, ſome time malſter in this town (tells [...]ou) for the love I bore to choir ſervice, I choſe to be buried in this place. He died Dec [...]. 16th, 1748.’

THE other gives you the poſthumous grief of a deceaſed wife, [...] claſ [...]ical knowledge of the living huſband:

[110] In St. Mary's chapel is a fragment of ſingular ſculpture, of two [...] beneath one is a king ſitting, with one hand on young p [...]ce; in the other a monarch alſo ſeated.

[...] there lay near the north door a very thick and clamſy [...], with a croſs [...]eury on it, and a great knif [...] reſembling thoſe repreſented in Monfo [...]on I part II. tab 4xv. as [...] I know of ne [...]es in the Chriſtian church which [...] inſtrument; therefore preſume it to be a ſimp [...] [...], and that the perſon whom the ſtone comme [...] [...] was neither more nor leſs than a butcher. Theſe [...] acknowledgements are not unfrequent: I have ſeen a deceaſ [...] ſhearer de [...]d by his ſhears, and a taylor by his gooſe.

^* ON the part of the ſouth choral aile is the chapter-houſe▪ [...] is approached through a paſſage with gothic [...] ſ [...]te. The room is an octagon, conſiſting of two long [...] ſix [...] or ſide [...], orn [...]mented with arches, like the approach; [...] the loſt pillars, inſtead of being reſtored, are now ſupplied wi [...] [...] uniform pla [...]ter, ſupported in the center by a cluſtered [...] l [...]m [...]. Above is a library, instituted by Dean Heywood, conta [...]ng ſome [...]aluable books and manuſcripts.

^* T [...], [...] ſurrounding ſp [...]re, is built on three ſides. The palace originally founded by Biſhop Longton, was rebuilt [...] manner by Biſhop Hacket. The dea [...] [...] in the civil wars, was reſrtored after the reſtoration.

I [...] the hall of the antient palace [...]as pain [...]ed the life and moſt [...] of Edward I. and his officers; a [...]ng [...]al [...] deeds of Sir Roger de Puleſdor, againſt my [...].

[111] THE prebendal houſes are built around the cloſe. The whole property is in the church, except two houſes on the ſouth ſide, bordering on the pool, which, before the preſent cauſeways were made, were granted to the city, that the inhabitants might have landing-places, and acceſs to the cathedral; which in old times had a vaſt concourſe of devotees to the ſhrine of St. Chad.

THIS precinct is ſupplied with water from Maple Hay, WATER. about a mile and a half to the north; two fountains having been be⯑ſtowed on the church by Thomas Bromley, for ever, on the annual payment of 15s. 4d. I find that this donation was made before 1293; for in that year a diſpute aroſe between the dean and chapter, and Thomas de Abbenhale, about the paſſage of the water through his lands ^*.

THE whole cloſe is of exempt juriſdiction, MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. and quite indepen⯑dent of the city. Its members are, a dean, precentor, chancellor, and treaſurer, who have prebends annexed to their offices. There are twenty-ſeven other prebends, of which that of Eccleſhal is an⯑nexed to the biſhoprick. Out of theſe thirty-one, the dean and four more are ſtiled canons reſidentiary; which four are choſen out of the prebendaries and dignitaries. Here are twelve minor canons: five of whom are called prieſt-vicars; the other ſeven, lay-vicars, or ſinging-men. Both theſe were formerly collegiated, and had their hall and houſes. That of the prieſt-vicars is a handſome room, rebuilt, and uſually is lent for the purpoſes of aſſemblies, and other amuſements. A new houſe alſo ſtands on the ground once occupied by the houſe of the choriſters: before it ſtood, within memory, a very pretty gate, which formed the entrance; on which was inſcribed Domus Choriſtes.

[112] BESIDES theſe members, are an organiſt, two vergers, a ſacriſt, and ſub-ſacriſt. It is remarkable, that the four archdeacons have here no ſtalls, as is uſual in all other cathedrals.

THE other churches are that of St. Mary, ST. MARY'S rebuilt ſince the year 1716, when, the body being ruinous, its fine ſpire ſteeple was unneceſſarily pulled down. In the time of Edward III. a reli⯑gious guild was inſtituted, and after that much promoted by Dean Heywood. Five prieſts belonged to this ſociety, who offi⯑ciated in the church ^*. It is a vicarage, in the gift of the dean.

ST. Michael, ST. MICHAEL. or Greenhill, is on an eminence eaſt of the town; remarkable for its extenſive church-yard. This, and that of Stow, or St. Chad's, are curacies dependent on St. Mary's. St. Chad's is reckoned the oldeſt of the churches of this city. In its north end formerly ſtood the ſhrine of St. Catherine, whoſe chauntry-prieſt had his ſtipend from the vicars-choral of the ca⯑thedral. Near it is the well of the faint, where he had his firſt oratory; which in antient times was much frequented by de⯑votees.

THE grey friars had a houſe here, GREY FRIARS. founded about 1229, by Biſhop Alexander, who gave certain free burgages, on which it was erected. It was deſtroyed by fire in 1291, but rebuilt in the thirty-ſixth of Henry VIII. It was granted to Richard Crum⯑blethorn. At preſent, both houſe and land ſupport an hoſpital at Seal, in Leiceſterſhire. The water which now ſupplies the city, was granted, on St. James's day, in 1301, by Henry Campanarius, ſon of Michael de Lichfield, bell-founder. Henry gave his foun⯑tains [113] at Foulwel, near Alreſchaw, in pure and perpetual alms to the friars of this houſe, with power to cover them with a head of ſtones, and of carrying the pipes through his land, on condition that, whenever they wanted repair, the friars were to indemnify him and his heirs for the damage done to the ground. Several parts of the houſe are yet ſtanding, and form a pleaſant and com⯑fortable habitation. In digging near it, was found a large tomb⯑ſtone, with a croſs fleury, ſurrounded by a ſingular inſcription, to the following purpoſe:

The ſtone is ſtill to be ſeen there. A figure of it was ſent to the Gentleman's Magazine, by Mr. Greene, in this city. The inſcription and tranſlation are copied from the ſame magazine: for they ap⯑pear to me to be equally faithful and ingenious.

A LITTLE beyond, ſtands the hoſpital of St. John's, HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN. conſiſting of a maſter and twelve poor brethren. The maſter is a clergy⯑man, who has a good houſe and ſtipend for ſuperintending the [114] charity, and reading daily prayers in the chapel belonging to it. The founder is uncertain. We only know that William Smith, while biſhop of Lichfield, in the time of Henry VII. formed here a new foundation for a maſter, two prieſts, and ten poor men. Henry patronized the charity, and endowed it with the old hoſpi⯑tal of Denhal, and the lands and impropriation of Burton church, both in Wiral, in Cheſhire. Smith alſo founded the grammar-ſchool in this city ^*.

AMONG other things worthy of attention in this city, is the ca⯑binet of curioſities, antient, natural, and artificial, in the poſſeſ⯑ſion of Mr. Greene, ſurgeon. It contains numbers of moſt valu⯑able and inſtructive pieces in each claſs. A viſit to my worthy friend is the more agreeable, as he takes great pleaſure in gratify⯑ing the curioſity of all that favor him with their company.

THE city is divided from the cloſe by a large piece of water, CITY. originally three; at preſent remain only this and another, called Stowpool, a little to the eaſt. Biſhop Langton made the cauſeway, bridges, and dams, at each end of the pool. Before that, the great road went round Stowpool, near Stow church. The city is neat, and well built; contains little more than three thouſand ſouls; is a place of great paſſage, has a conſiderable manufacture of ſail-cloth, and a ſmall manufacture of ſaddle-cloths and tammies.

IT was originally governed by a guild and guild-maſter; HOW GOVERNED. which were the origin of corporations, and took riſe before the time of the Conqueſt; the name being Saxon, ſignifying a fraternity, which unites and flings its effects into a common ſtock, and is derived [115] from Gildan, to pay ^*. A guild was a public feaſt, to commemo⯑rate the time of the inſtitution; and the guild-hall the place in which the fraternity aſſembled: Theſe (at leſt after the Conqueſt) paid fines to the crown, and formed part of its revenue. Richard I. enabled it to purchaſe lands to the value of ten pounds; but it was not chartered till the reign of Edward VI. who formed it into a regular corporation by its firſt charter. This was confirmed by Queen Mary and Elizabeth; and Charles II. granted a new one, confirming all the others.

IT is governed by a recorder, high ſteward, ſheriff, two bailiffs, a town-clerk, and coroner. One of the bailiffs is elected by the biſhop; the others to be elected annually by and out of the bre⯑thren which form the corporation. The city has power of life and death within their juriſdiction; a court of record; and a pie-powder ^† court, which regulated the diſputes ariſing in fairs.

THE diſtrict of the city and county of Lichfield is called the ſheriff's ride, DISTRICT. and lies at unequal diſtances around. In this the corporation has excluſive juriſdiction.

THIS city ſent repreſentatives in the thirty-third of Edward I;MEMBERS. the fourth, fifth, ſixth, ſeventh, and twentieth of Edward II. and firſt, fourteenth, and twenty-ſeventh of Edward III; from whoſe reign they were diſcontinued, till that of Edward VI ^‡. The members are returned by the ſheriff and bailiffs. The right of [116] electing is in the freemen by ſervitude; in the burgage-holders, or ſuch who live in the town and pay a ſmall acknowlegement to the corporation; and in the freeholders of forty ſhillings a year, within the ſheriff's ride.

Lichfield is quite an open town: all the traces of the ditches made by Biſhop Clinton are loſt, CASTLE. as well as of the tower, on which he is ſaid to have beſtowed ſuch great expence ^*. The name only of Caſtle Ditch, in the eaſt part of the town, preſerves its memory. Probably in this fortreſs Richard II. kept his ſump⯑tuous Chriſtmas, in 1397, when he conſumed two hundred tuns of wine, and two thouſand oxen ^†; but with more certainty we know that it was his place of confinement, in his road to the tower of London, in 1399, a captive prince. The unhappy Richard here attempted his eſcape, by ſlipping from the window of the high tower into a garden; but being ſeen, was carried back to his impriſonment ^‡.

Wall, WALL, OR ETOCETUM. the antient Etocetum, lies about a mile and a half from Lichfield, on the Watling-ſtreet road, on a riſing ground. There are ſtill ſome remains of the walls to be ſeen, mixed with roots of ſome very old aſh-trees. Coins and tiles evince it to have been the Roman Etocetum, as well as its diſtance from Pennocrucium, a place ſomewhere on the river Penk, not far from Penkridge; but the ſite not well aſcertained. The Watling-ſtreet road enters the county near Tamworth, and is continued into Shropſhire, as far as Wroxeter. Near Wall, another Roman road croſſes it; and at the interſection is an exploratory mount, about forty feet in dia⯑meter, called Offlo, in ſight of Borough Cop, near Lichfield, on which [117] the martyrdom of the thouſand Chriſtians, in the tenth perſecu⯑tion, is ſaid to have happened. This is aſſerted by John Roſs, a Warwickſhire antiquary, who died in 1491, near twelve hundred years after the event; which he alone relates.

THESE lows, which have the ſame ſignification as laws in Scot⯑land, LOWS. and mean a mount, and placed here in ſight of one another, were uſually deſigned as exploratory, and for the repetition of ſignals; and ſometimes were ſepulchral.

I MADE one day an excurſion in ſearch of the ſeven Tumuli, TUMULI. which are ſaid, in the firſt volume of the Archaeologia, p. 57, to be near this town. As I could diſcover only Borough Cop and Offlo, which fall within the deſcription, I was obliged to extend my ride. I paſſed through Whittington, a village with a church and ſpire-ſteeple, about two miles N. E. of Lichfield. Paſſed through Fiſherwick park, a fine ſeat of the Earl of Donnegal, built from a deſign of Mr. Brown's: the grounds bounded by the Tame, a beautiful river. Elford church, village, and houſe, the ſeat of the late Earl of Suffolk, form a pretty groupe of objects on the op⯑poſite bank. I forded the river, and went by Elford Low, a verdant mount, which Doctor Plott proved, from examination, to have been ſepulchral; but, from its ſituation and elevation, I ſuſpect it might have had on it a ſpecula, or watch-tower; and that all the others might have been for the ſame uſe, and to repeat ſig⯑nals in time of danger ^*.

Elford, before the Conqueſt, was poſſeſſed by Earl Algar; ELFORD. after which the Conqueror himſelf ſeized it for his own uſe. About Henry the Third's reign, William of Arderne was lord of it, and [118] his poſterity was ſeiſed of it till the marriage of Maud, ſole heir⯑eſs of Sir John Arderne, with Thomas, ſecond ſon of Sir John Stanley of Latham, Knight; he dying in 1463, the 6th of Ed⯑ward IV. Margaret, his daughter, conveyed it by marriage to the Stantons: by the ſame means it paſſed from the Stantons to the Smiths; from the Smiths to the Huddleſtons, and from the Huddle⯑ſtons to the Bowes. So very rapid was the change of family in this place! It continued with the Bowes four or five genera⯑tions; but, about the latter end of the laſt century, became the property of the Honorable Craven Howard, by marriage with Mary, daughter of George Bowes, Eſquire: and continued in his poſterity (the Earls of Suffolk) till the death of the late able and honeſt peer; when it devolved to his ſiſter, the Honorable Frances Howard.

IN the church are ſeveral fine monuments, CHURCH. in the antient ſtile.

IN the north wall is a painted figure, with curled hair, gown down to his knees, buſkins on his legs, ſword, gold chain, his hands cloſed, and a ring on his thumb.

AN alabaſter tomb of an Arderne, in a conic helmet, mail round his neck, chin, and ſhoulders, and a collar of S S: one of his hands claſps that of his wife, who has on a rich pearl bon⯑net, a cloak, and gown. Around the tomb are various figures, in the dreſs of the times.

SIR William Smith, who died in 1500, lies armed, has a collar of S S. and is repreſented beardleſs. He lies between his two wives: Iſabel, in long hair and a coronet, daughter of John Nevil Marquis of Montacute, brother to the great Earl of Warwick; and Anne, daughter of William Stanton, by whom he acquired this [119] place. Monks, and coats of arms, ſurround the tomb: the firſt, to expreſs his piety; the laſt, to gratify the vanity of ſur⯑vivors.

SIR John Stanley, ſon of Thomas Stanley and Maud Arderne, lies under an arch, with both hands ſupplicatory, in armor, with a mail muffler. His head reſts on a helm, with the Eagle and Child, the cognizance of the Stanleys.

UNDER another arch is his eldeſt ſon, a child with curled hair, and in a long gown, recumbent: one hand points to his ear; the other holds a ball, the unfortunate inſtrument of his death; on which was inſcribed Ubi dolor ibi digitus.

ABOUT two miles further, in a place called Elford Park Farm, I diſcovered the ſite of the ſeven Tumuli, or Barrows: only one exiſts, the reſt having been deſtroyed within a few years; that which remains is ſmall, and evidently ſepulchral. There had probably been a battle on this ſpot during the heptarchy: whe⯑ther between Saxons and Danes, or two Saxon princes, is un⯑certain.

Croxal church ſtands on an eminence. Within are two tombs, CROXAL CHURCH. with the figures of an armed man and his wife, curiouſly engra⯑ven on each. One commemorates John Horton, of Caton, and his ſpouſe, Anne, daughter of John Curzon, of this place. He died in the year 1500. His name is expreſſed in form of a rebus; the word Hor cut upon a tun.

THE other tomb is of George Curzon, Eſquire, and his wife Catharine, who died in 1605. By the marriage of their only daughter Mary, to the famous Sir Edward Sackville Earl of Dor⯑ſet, it was conveyed to that noble family, in which it ſtill re⯑mains. [120] The Curzons had been poſſeſſed of it ever ſince the reign of Henry I.

PASS by Hazelar hamlet and chapel. The laſt is prebendal, and at preſent converted into a pig-ſtye. Ride for ſome time by the ſide of the little river Meaſe, the boundary, in this part, be⯑tween Staffordſhire and Derbyſhire. A little further is the village and church of Clifton, CLIFTON. uſually called Clifton Camville, from a family of that name, who poſſeſſed it from the year 1200, or the ſecond of King John, to about the year 1315. The ſpire of the church is extremely elegant, joined to the tower by flying buttreſſes. In the church is a tomb, with the effigies of Sir John Vernon of Har⯑leſton, in this neighborhood, and Dame Allen, his wife. He is dreſſed in a bonnet and long gown, with a chain from his neck, as uſual with people of worſhip; for he had been one of the king's counſel, and cuſtos rotulorum of the county of Derby. His wife is dreſſed in a ſquare hood, with a purſe, knife, and beads by her ſide. They died in 1545.

VISIT Thorp Conſtantine, THORP. a ſmall church cloſe by the ſeat of my matrimonial relation, William Inge, Eſquire, who deſervedly bears the reſpectable and uſeful character of being the beſt juſtice of any country gentleman in England. The living is in his gift, and the whole pariſh his property. The manor was once belonging to the ſee of Ely; for it appears that Hotham, biſhop of that dioceſe in 1316, obtained for it a charter of free warren.

Henry Lord Scrope, favorite of Henry V. beheaded for his un⯑grateful plot againſt his maſter, left to this church a veſtment worth 26s. 8d. on condition the prieſt ſhould pray for his [121] ſoul on Sundays, and in all his maſſes. His will, made before his treaſon was diſcovered, is a curious piece of hypocriſy ^*.

I CONTINUED this little ramble to Sekindon, a mile diſtant, on the edge of Warwickſhire, remarkable for a lofty artificial mount, the keep of a Saxon caſtle, with a flat area beneath; at the bot⯑tom are the remains of a great rampart, and the whole ſurrounded with a deep ditch. This place is celebrated for the battle be⯑tween Ethelbald, king of the Mercians, and Cuthred, king of the Weſt Saxons, in 755 ^†, when Ethelbald, diſdaining flight, was ſlain by Beonred; ^‡ one of his own officers, who, for a ſhort ſpace, uſurped the kingdom.

ABOUT four miles farther lies Tamworth, TAMWORTH between the conflux of the Tame and the Ankor, which formed at this place the ap⯑pearance of an iſland; its Saxon name being Tameneordige and Tamanweorthe; ige ſignifying an iſland. It had long been the reſidence of the Mercian princes, who preferred it on account of its pleaſant ſituation, and the quantity of woodland, which afforded them in plenty the pleaſures of the chaſe. Offa dates a grant, in 781, to the monks of Worceſter, A ROYAL RESIDENCE. from his royal palace at Tam⯑worth. Ceonulf, Bernwulf, and Burthred, date other charters, in the years 814, 841, and 854, from the ſame place ^§. The pre⯑cinct of their reſidence was an enormous ditch, forty-five feet wide, protecting the town on the north, weſt, and eaſt; the ri⯑vers ſerving as a defence on the other ſide. The ditch is filled up in many places, yet ſtill there are veſtiges of it, and alſo of two mounts, on which probably ſtood two ſmall towers.

[122] Tamworth was totally ruined by the incurſions of the Danes: RUINED BY THE DANES. at length was reſtored by the celebrated Ethelfleda, who, RESTORED BY ETHELFLEDA. in the ſpring of 913, erected a tower ^* on the artificial mount on which the preſent caſtle ſtands. Here, in 920, ſhe finiſhed her glorious life, and in 922 ſhe received, I may ſay, poſthumous honors, by the aſſemblage of the Mercian tribes ſhe had conquered, who, with the princes of North Wales, here acknowleged the ſovereign power of her brother Edward, ^† probably obtained by her valour and prudence.

THE town, or borough, as it was called on the Conqueſt, con⯑tinued part of the royal demeſne, but was afterwards ſet at a certain rent to the lords of the caſtle; the firſt of whom, after that event, MARMIONS. was Robert Marmion, one of the followers of the Conqueror, on whom it was beſtowed. His poſterity remained maſters of it for ſome generations, holding of the crown in capite, by the ſervice of finding three knights at their own coſts, for forty days, in the wars of Wales.

ON the death of Philip Marmion, in 1291, the twentieth of Edward I. this fortreſs deſcended to his eldeſt daughter Joan, wife of William Mortein; who dying without iſſue, it fell three years after, by agreement among the co-heirs, to Joan, FREVILES. a relation of Philip Marmion, and wife of Alexander Frevile. The Freviles by this means owned it till the year 1419, or ſeventh of Henry V. when Sir Baldwyn Frevile dying childleſs, Thomas Ferrers, ſecond ſon of William Lord Ferrers, of Groby, became maſter of it, in right of Elizabeth his wife, eldeſt of the three ſiſters of Sir Baldwyn. FERRERS. The Ferrers held it till the beginning of the preſent [123] century; when it paſſed into the family of the Comptons, by the marriage of James Earl of Northampton with Elizabeth, ſiſter to Robert Lord Tamworth, grandſon and heir apparent to Robert Earl Ferrers, who had obtained it by his marriage, in 1688, with Anne, daughter of Sir Humphrey Ferrers, of this place. Lady Charlotte Compton, ſole ſurviving daughter of the match, Baroneſs de Ferrers in right of her mother, married the preſent Lord Townſhend, whoſe ſon, now Lord De Ferrers, enjoys the place. I muſt not forget to add, that Sir John Baldwyn, Knight, on the coronation of Richard II. claimed the honor of being the king's champion, by virtue of tenure of this caſtle (a ſervice performed by his predeceſſors the Marmions); but it being found that the Marmions held their right only from the tenure of Scrivelſby ma⯑nor, it was challenged by Sir John Dymock, the then owner, and adjudged to him ^*.

TILL the preſent century it had been the ſeat of its lords. CASTLES. The rooms are numerous, but inconvenient and irregular, except a dining-room and drawing-room; each with large projecting windows. Around the firſt are painted great numbers of coats of arms of the family of the Ferrers, and its alliances. The chim⯑ney-piece of the drawing-room is richly carved, in the old taſte, and beneath the arms is the motto, Only one.

THE beauty of the ſituation of Tamworth is ſeen from the caſtle to great advantage, varied with rich meadows, two bridges over the Tame and the Ankor, and the rivers wandering pic⯑tureſquely along the country. Michael Drayton, born on the [124] banks of the laſt, moſt elegantly paints out his love-complaints, and celebrates the laſt in the ſweeteſt ſtrain.

THE town is large and well-built; part is ſituated in Stafford⯑ſhire, and part in Warwickſhire; for which reaſon its members are returned by the ſheriffs of both counties ^*. It firſt ſent repreſen⯑tatives in the fifth year of Queen Elizabeth: and was made a cor⯑poration two years before; which conſiſts of two bailiffs, a recor⯑der, and twenty-four capital burgeſſes. The right of voting is in the inhabitants paying ſcot and lot.

THE church is large, CHURCH. built at different times. Near the chan⯑cel are two great round arches, with zigzag moldings, which were prior to the reign of Henry III. when this ſpecies of arch fell into diſuſe. Here are numbers of monuments, ſome antient, of the Freviles and Ferrers, with their figures, and thoſe of their wives. [125] Here is alſo a handſome monument of John Ferrers, Eſquire, who died in 1680, aged 52; and of his ſon Sir Humphry Ferrers, knight, who died in 1678, aged 25. Their figures are repre⯑ſented in marble, as big as life, in a Roman dreſs, long flowing hair, and half-kneeling. Sir Humphry was the laſt male heir of his line.

THE church is dedicated to St. Editha, daughter to king Edgar; who, preferring the cloiſtered life to the troubles of a throne, re⯑ceived after death the honor of ſaintſhip. It has been ſaid, that ſhe founded here a nunnery, and that Robert Marmion, lord of this place, received from her very ſenſible marks of reſentment, for daring to remove the holy ſiſters. St. Editha deſcended from heaven, and, while Marmion was lying down, after a coſtly feaſt, in Tamworth caſtle, ſhe admoniſhed him to reſtore them to their rights, and, by way of memorandum, gave him ſuch a blow with her croſier on his ſide, that he roſe in extreme torments; which inſtantly ceaſed on repentance and reſtitution ^*. It is probable that this very Marmion made the church collegiate, and placed here a dean and ſix prebendaries, each of whom had his ſubſti⯑tute, or vicar; for it is the opinion of Leland, this foundation aroſe from the piety of one of the name ^† The idle legend might have been formed from ſome real offence ^‡, which might have been expiated in the manner uſual in old times.

SAINT Editha had alſo an image here. After the diſſolution, [126] the ſeven incumbents had penſions, as late as 1553 ^*. Queen Elizabeth granted the college, and all its prebends, to Edward Downing and Peter Aſhton. At preſent, this great church is only a curacy.

In 1286, HOSPITAL. the fifteenth of Edward I. Philip Marmion dedicated here an hoſpital to St. James, intending to found a houſe of Premonſtrenſians; but, till he could execute his deſign, granted it to William of Combery-hall, with all its appurtenances, and paſ⯑ture in Aſhfield for four oxen and two horſes, on condition it ſhould celebrate maſs for his ſoul ^†. There is now an hoſpital founded for more uſeful purpoſes, by Mr. Guy.

FROM Tamworth I returned to Lichfield, and reſumed my jour⯑ney along the London road.

ABOUT two miles from the city, SWINFEN. ſee on the left Swinfen, the ſeat of a gentleman of the ſame name; happy in its beautiful de⯑meſne, ornamented with an extent of water, meads, and hanging-woods. This place was once the property of the Spermores; but in the time of Henry VI. by marriage of Joyce, daughter and heir⯑eſs of the family, with Willam Swinfen, it came into that name. The executors of the laſt of that line, a Doctor Swinfen, ſold it, in the preſent century, to Mr. Swinfen, of London; in whoſe family it continues.

A LITTLE farther, the great Watling-ſtreet croſſes the road near Weford, or the ford on the way. This is ſeated on Blackbrook, a ſmall ſtream, now furniſhed with a bridge. The ſtream runs through a beautiful tract of narrow but rich meadows, prettily bounded by low and fertile riſings. This ſpot had been the ſcene of much civil rage. A Purefoy was here ſlain by Sir Henry Wil⯑loughby, [127] in the cauſe of Edward IV; and Sir Henry in the ſame place fought, and was deſperately wounded by Lord L'Iſle ^*. Weford Common, a black heath, ſucceeds; and a little beyond, on the left, ſtood Canwell priory, founded about the year 1142, by Geva, CANWELL. wi⯑dow of Jeffry Riddel, and daughter of Hugh Earl of Cheſter, for Be⯑nedictine monks. It had ten pounds a year in ſpiritualities, and fifteen pounds ten ſhillings and three pence in temporalities. It became at length a cell for a ſolitary monk; was ſuppreſſed, and granted by Henry VIII. to Cardinal Wolſey, towards the endowment of his two colleges ^†.

NEAR this place I entered WARWICKSHIRE, in the pariſh of Middleton; from which the Willoughbies take their title. The road is over part of the common of Sutton Cofield, which is finely bounded on the left by a long-continued range of woods.

A FEW miles farther, I paſſed Moxhull hall, MOXHULL. the neat-dreſſed ſeat of Mr. Hacket, a deſcendant of the worthy biſhop of that name; whoſe ſon, by marriage with Mary, eldeſt daughter of John L'Iſle, became owner of it, after it had been in the L'Iſles, or de Inſula, for ſome hundreds of years ^‡. On the right is the pariſh-church, Wiſhaw, and a little farther, that of Curdworth. CURDWORTH. That manor was poſſeſſed, in the time of the Conqueror, by Turchil de Warwik, ſon of Alwine, a potent Saxon in the time of Edward the Confeſſor. Turchil is recorded to have been the firſt in England [128] who, in imitation of the Normans, took a ſurname, ſtiling himſelf Turchil de Eardine, ^* or Arden, from his reſidence in that part of the country then called Arden, or the foreſt; a word, according to Cambden, ^† by which both Britons and Gauls expreſſed a wood⯑land tract. He was anceſtor to the antient and reſpectable fa⯑mily which flouriſhed under the ſame name, till the year 1643, when it was loſt in the male line, by the death of Robert Arden.

ABOUT half a mile from Curdworth, I croſſed the Tame at Curd⯑worth Bridge, and a mile further the Cole, The view from hence, of the ſtream watering a range of rich meadows, bounded on one ſide by hanging-woods, is extremely agreeable; as is, a little far⯑ther, the town of Coleſhill, COLESHILL. covering the ſteep aſcent of a lofty brow, on whoſe top appears the handſome church and elegant ſpire.

THE place had been long a royal demeſne; was poſſeſſed by Edward the Confeſſor, and afterwards by the Conqueror. It fell, either in his reign or that of William Rufus, into the hands of the Clintons, in whom it continued till the year 1353, the twenty-ſeventh of Edward III; when it paſſed to Sir John de Mountfort, by virtue of his marriage with Joan, daughter of Sir John Clinton. ^‡ The Mountforts held it till the reign of Henry VII. when, by the cruel attainder and execution of Sir Simon Mountfort, for ſend⯑ing thirty pounds, by his younger ſon Henry, to Perkin Warbeck, on ſuppoſition that Perkin was the real ſon of his former maſter Edward IV. This brought ruin on himſelf and family. He was [129] tried at Guildhall, in 1494, and condemned to be drawn through the city, and hanged and quartered at Tyburn. ^* His manor of Coleſhill was immediately beſtowed on Simon Digby, deputy-con⯑ſtable of the caſtle, who brought the unfortunate gentleman to the bar. He was a younger ſon of the houſe of Tilton of Leiceſ⯑terſhire, anceſtor of the Lord Digby, the preſent worthy poſ⯑ſeſſor.

IN the upper part of the town is a ſmall PLACE, neatly built. The church-yard commands a fine view of a rich country. The vicarage was formerly belonging to Markgate, in Bedfordſhire, but is now in the gift of its lord. The ſpire, lofty as it is, was fif⯑teen feet higher, before it had been ſtruck with lightning in 1550; when the inhabitants ſold one of the bells towards the repairs.

IN the church are numbers of fine tombs of the Digbies, CHURCH. with their figures recumbent. Among others, that of the above⯑mentioned Simon, and his ſpouſe Alice, who lie under a tomb erected by himſelf. He died in 1519: ſhe ſurvived him, and left by her will a ſilver penny to every child under the age of nine, whoſe parents were houſekeepers in this pariſh (beginning with thoſe next the church) on condition that, every day in the year, after the ſacring of the high maſs, they ſhould kneel down at the altar and ſay five paternoſters, an ave, and a creed, for her ſoul, that of her huſband, and all Chriſtian ſouls; and the annual ſum of ſix ſhillings and eight pence to the dean, for ſeeing the ſame duly performed, and likewiſe for performing the ſame himſelf. At the reformation, this cuſtom was changed. The inhabitants [130] purchaſed from the crown the lands charged with this money part maintains a ſchool: the reſt is diſtributed to ſuch children who repair to the church every morning at ten o'clock, and ſay the Lord's prayer; and the clerk has an allowance for ſeeing the performance, and for the ringing the bell to ſummon them ^*.

THE figure of Simon Digby is in armor, with lank hair, and bare-headed. His grandſon John, and great grandſon George, knighted at the ſiege of Zutphen, are repreſented in the ſame manner, with their wives. The firſt died in 1558; the laſt in 1586. Theſe are of alabaſter, and painted.

THE tomb of Reginald, ſon of Simon, who died in 1549, differs. His figure, and that of his wife, are engraven on a flat ſlab of marble, with twelve of their children at their feet.

ON a pedeſtal, with an urn at the top, is an inſcription to Kil⯑dare Lord Digby, of Geaſhil, in the kingdom of Ireland, who died in 1661; and on the oppoſite ſide is another, in memory of his lady, who died in 1692, drawn up by Biſhop Hough, forming a character uncommonly amiable and exemplary; the integrity of that worthy prelate giving ſanction to every line.

I FELT great pleaſure in peruſing an epitaph, by a grateful miſtreſs, to the memory of a worthy domeſtic, Mary Wheely, whom ſhe ſtiles an excellent ſervant and good friend; for what is a faithful ſervant but an humble friend?

BENEATH two arches are two antient figures of croſs-legged knights, armed in mail, with ſhort ſurtouts, in all reſpects alike; only one has a dog, the other a lion, at his feet. On their ſhields are two fleurs de lis, which denote them to have been ſome of the [131] earlier Clintons; and by Dugdale ^* it appears, that one was John de Clinton, lord of this place, a ſtrong adherent to the barons againſt Henry III. who ſuffered a temporary forfeiture of his eſtate; but was reſtored to it by the famous Dictum de Kenel⯑worth. He became a favorite of Edward I. and clamed for his manor of Coleſhill by preſcription, aſſize of bread and beer, gal⯑lows, pillorie, tumbril, a court-leet, infangthef, outfangthef, mer⯑cate, faire, and free warren. He died in the year 1291, the period of cruſades, and is buried croſs-legged.

I OBSERVE, that the piety of the Catholics has given the ſame attitude to ſeveral of the Sherborns, in the church of Mitton, in Yorkſhire, who were interred in the laſt century; ſo that I ſuſpect it to have ſometimes been conſidered merely as a reverential ſign of our SAVIOUR'S ſuffering.

THE deſerted ſeat of the Digbies lies about a mile or two from the town, COLESHILL HALL. in a fine park. The houſe conſiſts but of one ſtory, beſides garrets; yet the apartments are numerous, approachable by ſtrange and unintelligible acceſs to all that are unacquainted with them, according to the ſtile of old buildings.

FROM Coleſhill I deſcended to pay a reſpectful pilgrimage to Blithe Hall, the ſeat of the great antiquary Sir William Dugdale; BLITHE HALL. from whoſe indefatigable labors, his ſucceſſors in the ſcience draw ſuch endleſs helps. In reſpect to this county, he has fairly baffled every effort towards the diſcovery of any thing that could eſcape his penetrating eye.

THE houſe lies about a mile below Coleſhill, on the river Blithe; was purchaſed by Sir William from Sir Walter Aſton, and made his [132] place of reſidence. It at preſent belongs (by female deſcent) to Richard Gueſt, Eſquire; whoſe politeneſs to an inquiſitive in⯑truder I ſhall ever acknowlege. He was ſo obliging as to ſhew me an excellent half-length of his great anceſtor, dreſſed in black, with a bundle of manuſcripts in his hand, PORTRAIT OF SIR WILLIAM DUGDALE. painted at the age of ſixty, by Peter Boſſcler, ^* in 1665.

ANOTHER portrait of his wife, Margery, daughter of John Huntback, Eſquire, of Sewal, in Staffordſhire; a head of Lord Keeper Bridgeman, a thin primitive face; LORD KEEPER LITTLETON. another of Lord Claren⯑don; and a third of Lord Keeper Littleton, with a jovial open countenance. As a judge (for he had been lord chief juſtice of the King's Bench) he was, as Sir Edward Coke ſaid, a well-poiſed and weighed man ^†. As lord keeper, diſpirited, from the melancholy apprehenſions he had of the approaching calamities of the times. For a while he temporized with the views of the oppoſition. At length, finding the reſolution of the leaders to ſeize on the ſeals, and make uſe of them againſt his royal maſter, he gave them up to a meſſenger, appointed for that purpoſe, and followed them, at the hazard of his life, to the king at York; ^‡ where he loyally reſumed their uſe, till his death, at Oxford, in 1645; when he at once performed the functions of lord keeper, privy-counſellor, and colonel of a regiment of foot.

A HALF-LENGTH of the famous Elias Aſhmole, ELIAS ASHMOLE. whom Antony Wood ſtiles ‘the greateſt virtuoſo and curioſo ever known or read of in England. Uxor ſolis took up its habitation in his breaſt, and in his boſom the great God did abundantly ſhore up the [133] treaſures of all ſorts of wiſdom and knowlege ^*.’ It is well for poor Aſhmole, that the peeviſh hiſtorian never read the wonderful diary of his life, in which is a moſt minute and filthy detail of all his ails and ſtrange miſhaps ^†; otherwiſe Antony never would have been ſo profuſe of his praiſe. Yet, amidſt his foibles, he was an able botaniſt; of moſt uncommon knowlege in the ſtudy of anti⯑quity and records; a phyſician, herald, chemiſt, and aſtrologer. On rectifying his nativity, he found his birth to have been on the 23d of May 1617, about three in the morning, or ‘3 hours 25 minutes 49 ſeconds A. M. the quarter 8 of II aſcending; but, upon Mr. Lilly's rectification thereof, anno 1667, he makes the quarter 36 aſcending ^‡.’ This jargon ſhould not deprive him of his real merit. To him we owe a moſt elaborate treatiſe on the inſtitution of the order of the Garter, he having been Wind⯑ſor herald; various manuſcripts reſpecting county antiquities, ſtill extant; and, above all, the foundation of the Muſeum at Oxford, which bears his name, finiſhed in 1682, on purpoſe to receive the vaſt collection of curioſities beſtowed by him on that univerſity, which he had defended in 1646, as comptroller of the ordnance. Mr. Aſhmole was doubly engaged to the worthy owner of this houſe: firſt, by the friendſhip reſulting from the congenial turn of their ſtudies; and again, by his alliance with Sir William, in his marriage with his daughter Elizabeth, which proved a ſource of great generoſity, on his part, towards his father-in-law and his family. By his portrait, drawn by Nave, ^‖ in 1664, in his he⯑rald's [134] coat, he appears to have been a good-looking man, in long hair, with a view of Windſor in the back-ground.

FROM hence I viſited Maxſtoke caſtle, MAXSTOKE CASTLE. three miles ſouth-eaſt, moſt of the way through fields. The caſtle is very entire, and ſtands on a plain, in a moſt ſequeſtered ſpot, ſurrounded with trees, and guarded by a moat. It is of a ſquare form: at each cor⯑ner is an hexagonal tower, and at the entrance a fine gateway, with a tower of the ſame form with the reſt on each ſide. The gates are in their original ſtate, covered with plates of iron. Above, are the holes for pouring of hot ſand, or melted lead, on aſſailants, and the cavity which once held the portcullis. Theſe gates were made in the time of Humphry Stafford earl (afterwards duke) of Buckingham. He fixed on them his arms (ſtill remain⯑ing) impaled with thoſe of his wife, Anne Nevil; ſupported by two antelopes, derived from his mother, as one of the daughters of Thomas Woodſtock, Duke of Glouceſter; and added the burning nave, or knot, the cognizance of his own anceſtors. Within the court the walls are pierced with divers cells, the antient caſernes of the garriſon.

MUCH of the habitable part is ſtill ſtanding, but part was burnt by accident; what remains is the dwelling-houſe of Mr. Dilkes, in whoſe family it has been for ſeveral generations. The great vault ribbed with ſtone, the old chapel, and kitchen, ſtill remain; and the noble old hall, and a great dining-room with a moſt cu⯑rious carved door and chimney, are ſtill in uſe.

AFTER the Conqueſt, OWNERS. it was given to Turchil de Warwick; from one of his poſterity it was granted to the Limeſies, lords of Long Icbinton and Solibull; from them to the Odingfells; and from the Odingfells, by Ida, eldeſt daughter of the laſt of the name, to the [135] great family of the Clintons before mentioned, who made it their chief ſeat. In 1437, the ſixteenth of Henry VI. Sir William de Clinton exchanged it with Humphry earl of Buckingham, with whom it became a favorite reſidence. On the execution of his ſon Henry Duke of Buckingham, in 1483, the firſt of Richard III. it was ſeized by the king. Richard, on his march towards Notting⯑ham, ordered all the inner buildings of Kenelworth caſtle to be re⯑moved here ^*. After his defeat and death in Boſworth field, this place reverted to Edward, ſon of the laſt duke; who fell a victim, in 1521, to Henry VIII. a tyrant greater, and more inexcuſable, than him who deſtroyed the father. The eſtates, again forfeited, were granted to Sir William Compton, a favorite, and gallant tilter, in the reign of the former, and anceſtor of the Earl of Northampton. In 1596, his great grandſon, William Lord Compton, conveyed it to Lord Keeper Egerton, who, in two years after, ſold it to Thomas Dilke, Eſquire; in whoſe family it remains.

I DID not viſit the neighboring priory of Maxſtoke; ſo ſhall ſay no more of it; than that it was founded in 1336, by Sir William de Clinton, afterwards Earl of Huntingdon, and peopled with canons regular of St. Auguſtin ^†

RETURNED through Coleſhill, and at a ſmall diſtance, on the left of the road, digreſſed to Packington, the ſeat of the Earl of Ailſ⯑ford. PACKINGTON. The manor antiently belonged to the priory of Kenelworth, being granted to it by Geoffry de Clinton, lord chamberlain to Herny II: At the diſſolution, it was ſold for the ſum of ſix hun⯑dred and twenty-one pounds and one penny, to John Fiſher, Eſquire, gentleman-penſioner to Henry VIII. and four ſucceeding [136] monarchs. By the marriage of Mary daughter and heireſs of Sir Clement Fiſher, Baronet, with Heneage, ſecond Earl of Ailsford, the place was transferred to that noble family. The ſituation has of late years been highly improved by the change of the road. The grounds are prettily ſloped by nature, are well wooded, and the bottom filled with two pleaſing pieces of water. The houſe has alſo undergone many alterations; is a plain convenient building; except on one ſide, where opens a loggio (in our climate) moſt admi⯑rably adapted for the encouragement of rheums and rheumatiſms.

WITHIN is a good portrait of its founder, John Fiſher; a half⯑length, with a ſquare white beard, cloſe black cap, upright ruff, and black jacket.

A BEAUTIFUL picture of Henrietta Maria, conſort to Charles I. She is repreſented ſitting, in blue, with roſes in her hand, and her thorny crown by her.

HERE is alſo a portrait of Charles Duke of Somerſet, in his robes, father to the Counteſs Dowager of Ailsford.

THE country here begins to loſe the comforts of a gravelly ſoil, and changes to the wet-retaining clay. At the pleaſant village of Mireden it is uncommonly deep, MIREDEN. but by the aſſiſtance of turn⯑pikes become an excellent road. The pretty houſes on each ſide of the way, and the magnificent inn, famed for time immemorial for its excellent malt-liquor, with the various embelliſhments (made by the old inn-keeper, Reynolds) of gateway, little ponds, ſtatues, and other whims, enliven the ſpot greatly.

THE church is ſeated a little higher up, CHURCH. on an eminence. Within is a handſome alabaſter tomb of John Wyard, in armour and mail, with ſword and dagger by his ſide; his arms a cinquefoil on his breaſt. This gentleman had been 'ſquire (as the inſcription re⯑lates) [137] to Thomas de Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, and founder of a chauntry in this church; near which he had his reſidence. He was alſo knight of the ſhire for this county, in the ſecond year of Richard II.

HERE is another tomb, with a figure in ſtone, ſuppoſed to have been that of one of the Walſhes, the antient lords of this manor. His figure, as well as the former, is recumbent, with their hands in the action of ſupplication: but this gentleman has a ſhort ſkirt over the lower part of his armour.

THE antient name of this place was Alſpath, or Aileſpede, even till the beginning of the reign of Henry VI; about which time, becoming a great thoroughfare, it got the name of Myreden; den ſignifying a bottom, and myre, dirt: and I can well vouch for the propriety of the appellation, before the inſtitution of turn⯑pikes.

IN March 1739-40, I changed my Welſh ſchool for one nearer to the capital, OLD FASHION OF TRAVELLING. and travelled in the Cheſter ſtage; then no deſpi⯑cable vehicle for country gentlemen. The firſt day, with much labor, we got from Cheſter to Whichurch, twenty miles; the ſecond day, to the Welſh Harp; the third, to Coventry; the fourth, to Nor⯑thampton; the fifth, to Dunſtable; and, as a wonderous effort, on the laſt, to London before the commencement of night. The ſtrain and labor of ſix good horſes, ſometimes eight, drew us through the ſloughs of Mireden, and many other places. We were con⯑ſtantly out two hours before day, and as late at night; and in the depth of winter proportionably later.

Families which travelled in their own carriages, contracted with Benſon and Co. and were dragged up in the ſame number of days, by three ſets of able horſes.

[138] THE ſingle gentlemen, then a hardy race, equipped in jack⯑boots and trowſers, up to their middle, rode poſt through thick and thin, and, guarded againſt the mire, defied the frequent ſtumble and fall; aroſe and purſued their journey with alacrity: while in theſe days their enervated poſterity ſleep away their rapid journies in eaſy chaiſes, fitted for the conveyance of the ſoft inhabitants of Sybaris.

I CONTINUED my way to Coventry through Alleſey, ALLESEY. a village with a church and ſpire-ſteeple. The place was originally a member of that city, Biſhop Clinton having permitted a chapel to be built here for the uſe of the poor, reſerving the right of burial to the mother church ^*. In a place called The Parks, ſtood a caſtle, doubly moated, probably the reſidence of the Haſtings, who poſſeſſed this place in the time of Edward I. The preſent hand⯑ſome ſeat is owned by — Neale, Eſquire.

AFTER a ride of two miles from hence, COVENTRY. I entered Coventry, a great and antient city. The time of its foundation is unknown. By the addition of tre, a town, it ſhould ſeem as if it had been inhabited by the Britons, before the Saxons added the word coven to it, as is conjectured, from a nunnery very antiently eſtabliſhed here. The ſite of the old town is ſuppoſed to have been on the north ſide of the preſent, not only becauſe great foundations are diſcovered about the ſpot called St. Nicholas Church-yard, but, I may add, from the tumulus near it, on the Atherſton road, called Barrs Hill, on which might have been a caſtelet.

THE certainty of there having been a convent here in the early times, SAXON NUNNERY. depends on the authority of John Rous ^† who ſays, that [139] when the traitor Edric ravaged this country, in 1016, he burnt the nunnery in this city, of which a holy virgin, St. Oſburg, had been abbeſs.

ON its ruins, Leofric, fifth earl of Mercia, and his counteſs Godeva, founded a monaſtery. At that period Coventry muſt have been a conſiderable place, and its number of inhabitants great, otherwiſe the fair Godeva could never have made ſo great a merit of riding naked through the town, STORY OF GODEVA. to redeem it from the intole⯑rable taxes and grievances it at that time labored under. The cauſe muſt have been equal to the deed. Her huſband long reſiſted her importunity in its behalf, on account of the profits that accrued to him: at length thought to ſilence her by the ſtrange propo⯑ſal: ſhe accepted it, and, being happy in fine flowing locks, rode, decently covered to her very feet with her lovely treſſes. The hiſtory was preſerved in a picture, about the time of Richard II. in which were portrayed the earl and counteſs. He holds a charter of freedom in his hand, and thus addreſſes his lady:

Legend ſays, that previous to her ride, all the inhabitants were ordered, on pain of death, to ſhut themſelves up during the time; but that the curioſity of a certain taylor, overcoming fear, took a ſingle peep; which is commemorated even at preſent, by a figure looking out of a wall in the great ſtreet. To this day, the love of Godeva to the city is annually remembered, by a proceſ⯑ſion; and a valiant fair ſtill rides (not literally like the good counteſs) but in ſilk, cloſely fitted to her limbs, and of color emulating their complexion.

[140] AFTER the Conqueſt, NORMAN OWNERS. the lordſhip of this city fell, by the mar⯑riage of Lucia (daughter to Algar, ſucceſſor and ſon of Edwin, and grandſon of Leofric) with her third huſband Randle Meſchine, to the earls of Cheſter ^*. Randle beſtowed on it the ſame privileges that Linſda enjoyed, and beſtowed great part of the city on the monks. When Henry III. took the earldom of Cheſter into his hands, the remainder of Coventry fell to William de Albany earl of Arundel, in right of his wife Mabil, daughter of Hugh Cevelio [...]. On the death of Hugh earl of Arundel, in 1243, it fell to Roger de Montalto, who had married Cecilia, his youngeſt ſiſter. After that, it was granted by his grandſon Robert, in default of iſſue, to Iſabel, queen mother of Edward III. with remainder to John of Eltham, afterwards earl of Cornwall; and then to Edward king of England. It thus became annexed to the earldom of Cornwall, INCORPORATED. and became more immediately the object of royal favor. Ed⯑ward III. in the eighteenth of his reign, by letters dated the 20th of January, made it a corporation, conſiſting of a mayor and two bailiffs, whom the inhabitants were to chuſe out of themſelves. The firſt mayor was John Ward, who was choſen in the year 1348.

Henry VI. in 1451, beſtowed on this city a very particular mark of his affection, by erecting it, with a conſiderable diſtrict around,MADE A COUNTY. into a county^†, by the name of the city and county of Coventry; and ordered that the bailiffs from that time ſhould be ſheriffs: ſo that at preſent, it is governed by a mayor, recorder, two ſheriffs, ten aldermen, thirty-one ſuperior and twenty-five inferior common-council-men. [141] Henry came expreſsly to Coventry, heard maſs in St. Michael's church, preſented the church with a gown of cloth of gold, and then created the firſt ſheriffs.

THE repreſentatives are choſen by the citizens paying ſcot and lot, and are returned by the ſheriffs. The city ſent members the four firſt parlements of Edward I. That privilege was interrupt⯑ed (except the eighth of Edward II. and twentieth and twenty-fifth of Edward III.) till the thirty-firſt of Henry VI. when it was reſumed.

AMONG all its privileges, unfortunately for the magiſtrates, it has that of life and death.

Two parlements have been held in this city,PARLEMENTS HELD HERE. in the great cham⯑ber of the priory. The firſt, in 1404, by Henry IV. which was ſtiled Parliamentum indoctorum; not that it conſiſted of a greater number of blockheads than parlements ordinarily do, but from its inveteracy againſt the clergy, whoſe revenues it was determined not to ſpare: whence it was alſo called the Laymen's Parle⯑ment.

THE other was held in the chapter-houſe of the priory, in 1459, by Henry VI. and was called Parliamentum diabolicum, by reaſon of the multitude of attainders paſſed againſt Richard Duke of York, and his adherents.

THE trade of this city was originally the manufacture of cloth, TRADE, CLOTH. and caps, or bonnets ^*, which aroſe to a great degree of conſe⯑quence, as early as 1436, and continued till the laſt century, when it was changed for the worſted buſineſs; and, for a long time, the making and ſale of ſhags, camblets, laſtings, tammies, &c. [142] &c. proved a very extenſive and profitable trade; but this gra⯑dually migrated into Leiceſterſhire and Northamptonſhire; and at preſent, only a few articles, ſuch as camblets and laſtings, con⯑ſtitute the woollen trade.

I MUST remark, that in the beginning, or middle, BLUE THREAD. of the ſix⯑teenth century, Coventry had a vaſt manufacture of blue thread; which was loſt before the year 1581 ^*. So famous was it for its dye, that true as Coventry blue became proverbial.

ABOUT eighty years ago, RIBANDS. the ſilk manufacture of ribands was introduced here, and, for the firſt thirty years, remained in the hands of a few people, who acquired vaſt fortunes; ſince which, it has extended to a great degree, and is ſuppoſed to employ at left ten thouſand people; and has likewiſe ſpread into the neighboring towns, ſuch as Nuneaton, and other places. Such real good reſults from our little vanities!

THERE are about a dozen traders in Coventry, who have houſes in London; to which they ſend up weekly great quantities of ri⯑bands; and, before our unhappy breach with America, a very ex⯑tenſive trade was carried on with the colonies: but the home-conſumption has been always reckoned moſt material. A few ribands are exported to Spain, Portugal, and Ruſſia; but the French underſell us at thoſe markets.

WITHIN theſe few years, four or five houſes have begun to in⯑troduce the making of gauzes; and for that purpoſe chiefly, em⯑ploy hands from Scotland. This branch is at preſent in its in⯑fancy. Another of broad ſilks was likewiſe ſet up, which, I am ſorry to find, does not go on with the expected ſucceſs.

[143] THE military tranſactions of this city are very few. It was an open town for many centuries, and, of courſe, incapable of ſuſ⯑taining a ſiege. The walls were not begun till the year 1355, WALLS. and then by virtue of a licence granted by Edward III. twenty-ſeven years before; nor were they finiſhed in leſs than forty. They were built by money raiſed by taxes, and by cuſtoms on the wine, malt, oxen, hogs, calves, and ſheep, conſumed in Co⯑ventry. Theſe walls were of great ſtrength and grandeur, fur⯑niſhed with thirty-two towers and twelve gates. Theſe continued till the 22d of July 1661, when great part of the wall, and moſt of the towers, and many of the gates, were pulled down, with certain circumſtances of diſgrace, as a puniſhment for the diſloy⯑alty of the inhabitants, in ſhutting their gates againſt their mo⯑narch Charles I. on the 13th of Auguſt 1642. His majeſty, after ſetting up his ſtandard at Nottingham, had ſent to this city, to acquaint them that he meant to reſide there for ſome time, and deſired quarters for his forces in and about the place. The mayor and aldermen, with many expreſſions of affection, offered to receive the king, but refuſed admittance to any of the ſoldiery. Incenſed at this, his majeſty attacked the city, CITY ATTACKED BY CHARLES I. and with his ord⯑nance forced open one of the gates; but was repulſed by the valour of the citizens, and obliged to retire with loſs ^*. In the following month Coventry was regularly garriſoned by the parle⯑ment ^†, and remained in its poſſeſſion during the whole war.

I SHOULD have mentioned before, that in the fifteenth century another monarch had been denied the poſſeſſion of this city. The great Earl of Warwick armed it againſt Edward IV. in 1470, [144] when he attempted entering on the ſide of Gosford Green. The king amply repaid the inſult on the citizens, who perhaps acted by conſtraint. He deprived them of their privileges, and made them pay five hundred marks for the recovering of them, by having the ſword reſtored to them.

BEFORE the building of the walls, CASTLE. there had been, from very early times, a caſtle on the ſouth ſide of the town, near Chyleſ⯑more, with a park belonging to it. This had been the reſidence of the kings and earls of Mercia: it afterwards fell to the earls of Cheſter, and at length was veſted in the royal line. No veſtige of it is now to be ſeen: in its place is a very antient wooden building, the remains of the manor-houſe of Chyleſmore, probably built after the demolition of the caſtle.

KING Stephen forcibly took this fortreſs from Randle de Gernons earl of Cheſter. The earl, in 1146, attempted to reduce it, not by ſiege, but by erecting a fort near it, in order to diſtreſs the gar⯑riſon, by cutting off ſupplies. The king twice attempted its re⯑lief; the firſt time without ſucceſs, but in the ſecond action he defeated the earl; forced him to fly, covered with wounds; DEMOLISHED. and then demoliſhed the caſtle ^*.

I SHALL take notice of the eccleſiaſtical hiſtory, churches, re⯑mains of religious houſes, and the public buildings, in the courſe of my walk about the city, in which I was accompanied by the Reverend Doctor Edwards; whoſe hoſpitality and politeneſs I have more than once had occaſion to experience.

Coventry is ſeated on ground gently ſloping on moſt ſides: CITY DESCRIBED. its length, from Hillſtreet-gate to Gosford-gate, is about three quarters [145] of a mile, excluſive of the ſuburbs. The ſtreets in general are narrow, and compoſed of very antient buildings, the ſtories of which, in ſome, impend one over the other in ſuch a manner, as nearly to meet at top, and exclude the ſight of the ſky. By the appearance of the whole, it is very evident that it never under⯑ [...]ent the calamity of fire; which, deprecated as it ought to be, is uſually the cauſe of future improvement.

THE number of inhabitants, taken at different periods, NUMBERS. in the laſt two hundred years, is very different. Before 1549, they were found to have been 15,000; but on that violent convulſion, the Diſſolution, trade grew ſo low, and occaſioned ſuch a diſperſion of people from this city, as to reduce them to 3,000. To re⯑medy this evil, Edward VI. granted the city a charter for an ad⯑ditional fair. To this cauſe perhaps was owing the increaſe, by the year 1586, to 6502. In 1644, when the inhabitants were [...]umbered, from the apprehenſion of a ſiege, they were found to amount to 9,500 ^*. By Bradford's ^† Survey of Coventry, made in 1748 and 1749, there appears to have been 2,065 houſes, and 1211, people. The accounts at preſent vary from 20,000 to [...]0,000; but, from my enquiries, the middle ſum between both may come neareſt the truth.

THE city is watered by the Radford and the Sherborn brooks, which, from N. and S. meet within the walls, and, after a ſhort [...], bound the north-eaſtern parts without the walls.

WE began our progreſs from the Cheſter road, SPONNE HOSPI⯑TAL, FOR LEPERS. on the weſtern ſide of the city, at the reliques of Sponne hoſpital, conſiſting of the chapel and gateway. It was founded for the lepers which [146] happened to be in Coventry, by Hugh Ceveilioc earl of Cheſter, out of affection to William de Auney, a knight of his houſhold, afflicted with the leproſy. Here was alſo a prieſt, to pray both for the living and the dead; alſo certain brethren and ſiſters, to pray, with the lepers, for the good eſtate of all their benefactors. This hoſpital is ſaid once to have belonged to the abbey of Baſing⯑werk, in Flintſhire; but at length was appropriated to the monk [...] of Coventry, from whom it paſſed to the crown, in the time of Edward IV; who gave it to the canons of Studley, in order to obtain their prayers for him, and all his connections.

THAT loathſome diſorder, which gave riſe to this, [...] APPEARANCE IN ENGLAND. and number [...] of other ſimilar foundations, was introduced into England in the reign of Henry I. and was ſuppoſed to have been brought out of Egypt, or perhaps the eaſt, by means of the cruſades. To add to the horror, it was contagious; which enhanced the charity of a proviſion for ſuch miſerables, who were not only naturally ſhunned, but even chaced by royal edict, from the ſociety of their fellow-creatures ^*. All the leſſer Lazar houſes in England were ſubject to the rich houſe at Burton, in Leiceſterſhire, which again was ſubject to that in Jeruſalem. ^† They were uſually de⯑dicated to St. Lazarus, from whom they derived their name.

IMMEDIATELY within the walls, on the left, ſtands the church of St. John, CHURCH OF ST. JOHN. a very handſome building, with a neat but not lofty tower, placed in the centre: the inſide is in form of a croſs, in⯑terſected by a ſhort tranſept: the windows high, and form a long range, with very narrow diviſions. This church was originally a chapel to the merchants gild, the moſt antient in Coventry, licenſed by Edward III. in 1340, for a fraternity of brethren and ſiſters, with a warden, or maſter, to be elected out of the body; who might make chauntries, beſtow alms, and do other works of piety; conſtitute ordinances, and purchaſe lands to the value of £20 a year, within the liberty of the city, for the founding of a chauntry of ſix prieſts, to ſing maſs every day in the churches of the holy Trinity and St. Michael, for the ſoul of king Edward, queen Philippa, their children, and for the ſouls of the gild, and others. Soon after, Iſabel, queen-mother, aſſigned the land on this ſpot, then called Bablake, for the building a chapel, in which maſſes were to be ſung daily for the ſame purpoſes; which was finiſhed and dedicated in 1350. At length, in 1399, licence was given for celebrating divine ſervice here, provided it might be done without injury to the mother-church ^*.

ON the diſſolution, its revenues were found to be £111. 13s. 8d. and that they ſupported a warden and eight prieſts, who had chambers in the precinct; a maſter of a grammar-ſchool, two ſinging-clerks, and two ſinging-boys, and ſeveral poor men, who had been brethren of the gild. The church has of late years [148] been rebuilt; made a rectory by act of parlement, in 1734, and ſettled on the maſter of the free-ſchool of Coventry ^*.

BEHIND this church is Bablake hoſpital, BABLAKE HOSPITAL. an old building, with a court in the middle: one part is occupied by Bond's alms-houſes, founded in 1506, by Thomas Bond, mayor of Coventry in 1497, for ten poor men and one poor woman, with a prieſt to pray for the ſoul of the founder, his grandfather, father, and all Chriſtian ſouls. At that time the revenues were £49. 11s. 7d. In the firſt of Edward VIth's time, they were veſted in the city; and, the revenues being improved, at preſent they maintain eighteen old men and a nurſe, each of whom have three ſhillings a week, a black gown, and other emoluments ^†. About the year 1619, an infernal ambition of becoming chief of the houſe, ſeized one of the alms-men; who, to attain his end, poiſoned eight of his bre⯑thren; five of whom inſtantly died. On detection, the wretch effected his own deſtruction by the ſame method, and was buried with the uſual marks of infamy. Had his fortune flung him into a higher ſtation, his deeds would have paralleled him with Ceſar Borgia, or his more monſtrous father, Pope Alexander VI.

THE other part of the building is allotted for the blue boys: a foundation owing to a very ſingular accident. Mr. Thomas Wheatly, mayor of Coventry in 1556, and ironmonger and card⯑maker by trade, ſent his ſervant, Oughton, to Spain, to buy ſome barrels of ſteel gads; which he thought he did, in open fair. When they were brought home and examined, they were found to contain cochineal and ingots of ſilver. Mr. Wheatly kept them for a conſiderable time, in hopes of diſcovering the owner; [149] for his ſervant did not know from whom he bought them. At length he applied the profits, as well as much of his own eſtate, for the ſupport of poor children.

FROM thence my walk was continued along the weſt ſide of the city, CANAL. to Biſhopgate-ſtreet. A little without is the head of the great canal, which, paſſing by the neighboring collieries at Hawkeſbury, is to extend to Brinklow, Hill-Morton, Branſton in Northampton⯑ſhire, return into Warwickſhire, and, after paſſing by Banbury, con⯑clude at Oxford ^*. By another branch, likewiſe begun near to Coventry, it is to paſs by Atherſton and Tamworth, and to unite with the great Staffordſhire canal on Eradley heath, three miles N. E. of Lichfield ^†. which, by means of the Stour Port canal, would have become the uniting ſpot of the commerce of Thames, the Severn, and the Trent, had Britain flouriſhed in the manner it did when theſe vaſt deſigns were undertaken, in the full intoxi⯑cation of its proſperity. At preſent it is only finiſhed as far as Atherſton.

AT the lower end of this ſtreet is the free-ſchool: it ſprung out of an hoſpital, FREE SCHOOL. founded in the beginning of the reign of Henry II. by Laurence, prior of Coventry, and his convent, at the requeſt of Edmund, archdeacon of Coventry, for the reception of the ſick and needy. At the diſſolution, John Hales, a gentleman [150] who had large ſhare in the plunder of the church, and having neither wife or child, converted this foundation, which he had purchaſed at a very cheap rate, into a free ſchool, and endowed it with CC marks a year in land. At firſt, the boys were in⯑ſtructed in the church of the White Friers; but the magiſtrates finding that Mr. Hales had bought the lands but not the church, took advantage of the flaw, and removed the ſcholars to the pre⯑ſent place, and pulled down the church ^*. The chapel, now re⯑duced to one aile, is the preſent ſchool; and the maſter reſides in the houſe belonging to the antient maſter of the hoſpital. The ſchool has alſo a library belonging to it.

PASS by Cookſtreet Gate, on the outſide of the city, and a little further, by the Three Virgins, or Priory Gate, between which there is a complete part of the wall. On the outſide was a paved road, in imitation of the military way from turret to turret on the famed wall of Severus: ^† and beſides, here were four others, which went a mile each way from the city.

AT a ſmall diſtance without the Priory Gate, is Swanſwell Pool, which ſupplies the city with water. This did belong to the priory, but was at the diſſolution purchaſed by the corporation from the crown ^‡.

FROM hence I returned to the priory, PRIORY. ſeated on the ſouth ſide of the brook Sherburn. What bears that name is an uninhabited houſe, of much later date than that monaſtery; but built on ſome part of the ſite of this great foundation.

ABOUT the year 1043, earl Leofric and his fair counteſs more than repaired the loſs in 1016, in the deſtruction of the famous [151] Saxon nunnery, by founding in its ſtead a magnificent monaſtery. They placed here an abbot, and twenty-four monks of the Bene⯑dictine order; enriched the very walls and the church with maſſy gold and ſilver, and endowed it with half the town and twenty-four manors. All this they did with the advice of king Edward the Confeſſor and the reigning pope, and dedicated the church to the honor of God and his bleſſed mother, St. Peter, St. Oſburg, and all ſaints. The pious founders were buried, according to the cuſtom of the times, in the porches; for the diſtaſteful cuſtom of church interment did not prevale till long after.

THE firſt abbot was Leofrin; but that dignity was of ſhort du⯑ration, for, on the removal of the ſee of Lichfield to this place, in 1095, by Robert de Limiſie, the office was ſuppreſſed, the biſhop being in ſuch caſes always eſteemed ſupreme of the houſe ^* in his ſtead; a prior was appointed, but without derogating from the honor of the houſe; for the priors were barons in parlement as well as the preceding abbots, and the place a mitred abbey. This firſt prelate was more attracted by the wealth of the houſe than by any ſpiritual call; for he at once ſcraped from a ſingle beam five hundred marks worth of ſilver, in order to carry on the intrigue at Rome againſt the poor monks. He reduced them to ſuch ſhort commons, that he depreſſed their ſpirits, diſcouraged all ſorts of knowlege among them, and, in ſhort, rendered them too dejected to think of obtaining any redreſs.

THIS was a prelude to greater misfortunes. In the latter end of the following century, Hugh Novani, a Norman, became biſhop. He ſoon fell at variance with the monks; who, in a ſynod held [152] before the high altar, doubtleſs on ſome high provocation, broke his head with the holy croſs. ‘Tantaene animis caeleſtibus irae!’

This enraged the proud prelate (as he was called by thoſe meek monks) to lay his complaint againſt them at Rome. The pope attended to it, expelled the antient inhabitants, and placed in their room a ſet of ſecular canons. The monks, now driven into the wild world, had only the ſatisfaction of ſeeing their per⯑ſecutor ſtruck with deep remorſe; for, in 1198, lying on his death-bed, in the abbey of Bec, in Normandy, he was ſeized with fierce horrors at his conduct towards thoſe holy men; implored forgiveneſs, and deſired their interceſſion with the Almighty in his behalf. He requeſted to be buried in the habit of the order, that he might receive the benefit of its protection in the other world, and finally conſigned himſelf to purgatory, ibi in diem ju⯑dicii cruciandus.

LUCKILY at the time of this event, Thomas, a monk of Coven⯑try, happened to be at Rome ſoliciting the cauſe of his brethren: he ſo enraged Innocent III. (then pope) by his importunities, as to order him to withdraw. The poor monk, with tears, replied, ‘Another pope will come, to whom I ſhall not ſue in vain. I therefore will patiently wait your death, as I have that of your two predeceſſors.’ "Here is a devil of a fellow" (ſays his Ho⯑lineſs, in high wrath, to his attendants) ‘by St. Peter! He ſhall not wait for my death; ſo I will not put him off any longer, but make out the purpoſe of his petition before I put a morſel more into my mouth ^*.’

[153] THIS troubleſome affair ended, they were replaced with double advantage; their privileges, as if by way of atonement for their ſhort ſufferings, increaſed beyond all reaſon; for in the time of Edward III. they obtained, that they and their tenants, except thoſe who held by knight ſervice more than half a knight's ſee, ſhould be quit of murder, robbery, ſuit to the county or hundred courts, aid to the ſheriffs, view of frankpledge, and repair of the king's caſtles or pools ^*. Reign after reign they received freſh emoluments; ſo that in the end it became poſſeſſed of re⯑venues to the amount of £731. 19s. 5d. or, after repriſes, £499. 7s. 4d ^†.

AMONG the ſacred furniture was an image of the Virgin Mary, adorned with a chain of gold enriched with gems, beſtowed by the Counteſs Godeva on her death-bed: to which the devotees were to ſay as many prayers as there were in it precious ſtones.

AND beſides this, an arm of St. Auguſtine of Hippo, which Agelnethus, archbiſhop of Canterbury, in 1020, bought at Rome from the pope, for the ſmall ſum of C talents of ſilver, and one of gold ^‡.

BUT even this arm had not power to ward off the blow given by the more irreſiſtible one of Henry VIII; who, not content with the expulſion of its inhabitants, and ſeizure of the revenues, di⯑rected this noble pile to be levelled with the ground; which he did, notwithſtanding the earneſt prayers of its biſhop, Rowland Lee, one of his moſt ſervile tools. A deed equally wanton and impious!

[154] THE loſs is the more to be regretted, as this cathedral is ſup⯑poſed to have been built on the model of that of Lichfield, and equally beautiful. Nothing remains except a fragment, conſti⯑tuting part of a private houſe, to be ſeen with difficulty, and after ſome ſearch. The palace ſtood between the priory and Saint Michael's, and was ſold in 1651, for its materials, to Nathaniel Lacy and Obadiah Chambers, for the ſum of an hundred guineas. The laſt prior, Thomas Camſel, in 1538, was prevaled on to make a ſurrender of the houſe, either through fear of death, for with⯑ſtanding the tyrant's pleaſure, or through lucre of penſion; for he had not leſs than £133. 6s. 8d. annuity, beſides other al⯑lowances to the monks ^*. The ſite was then granted to John Combes and Richard Stansfield, after flouriſhing under monaſtic government above five hundred years.

WHEN the cathedral was ſtanding, Coventry poſſeſſed a match⯑leſs group of churches, all ſtanding within one coemetery.ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH. Saint Michael's at preſent is a ſpecimen of the moſt beautiful ſteeple in Europe: a tower enriched with faintly figures on the ſides; an octagon riſing out of it, and that lengthened into a moſt elegant ſpire. Every part is ſo finely proportionable, that it is no wonder that Sir Chriſtopher Wren ſpoke of it as a maſter⯑piece of architecture. The outſide is extremely handſome; the inſide light and lofty, conſiſting of a body and two ailes, divided by four rows of high and airy pillars and arches. The height of the ſteeple and length of the church are the ſame, three hundred and three feet; the width of the latter an hundred and four.

[155] IN king Stephen's time, this church was a chapel to the monks; became afterwards a vicarage, and on the diſſolution fell to the gift of the crown. This, Trinity, and St. John's, form the pa⯑riſhes of this great city; ſo numerous are the diſſenters.

ITS beautiful ſteeple was begun in the reign of Edward III. in 1372, by two brothers, Adam and William Bota, at their own charges, which amounted annually to one hundred pounds; nor was it finiſhed in leſs than twenty years. By the ſtile of architecture, I agree with Sir William Dugdale, that the preſent body was built in the reign of Henry VI. Some ornament was alſo added to the ſteeple at the ſame time. Coventry ſeems to have been particu⯑larly favored by Henry, or, to ſpeak more properly of that meek prince, by the heroine Margaret; for this city uſed to be ſtiled the ſecret harbour of that queen.

TRINITY church, and its ſpire, would be ſpoken of as a moſt beautiful building, was it not eclipſed by its unfortunate vicinity to St. Michael's. Within are two epitaphs, which I give for their ſingularity. One is on Philemon Holland, the famous tranſlator. He was ſchool-maſter and phyſician in the city. A wag made this diſtich on one of his labors:

HE was called tranſlator-general of his age; acquired much credit by his fidelity, but none greater than by his tranſlation of Cambden, in that great antiquarian's life-time, and by his conſent; to whoſe work he made conſiderable additions.

HE wrote a great folio with one pen, and, as he tells us, did not wear it out.

AT length (if I may be allowed to pun with Fuller) death tranſlated this tranſlator to the other world, in 1636, at the good old age of eighty-five; leaving behind this epitaph of his own compoſition.

THE other commemorates a Captain Gervas Scrope, written; as the proem tells you, in the agony and dolorous pains of the gout, ſoon before his death.

ON leaving of theſe churches, I ſurveyed with indignation, ſuch as antiquaries experience, the ſite of the elegant and antient croſs, till of late years ſuch an ornament to the city. CROSS. I am not furniſhed with an apology for the corporation who deſtroyed this beautiful building; ſo muſt leave it doubtful, whether the gothic reſolution was the reſult of want of money, or want of taſte. In 1629, the city paid it ſuch reſpect, as to expend £323. 4s. 6d. in its repair ^*.

IT was built, or rather begun, in 1541, to replace another [158] croſs, taken down ſome years before. The founder was Sir Wil⯑liam Hollies, lord mayor of London, and ſon of Thomas Hollies of Stoke, near this city, who left by his will two hundred pounds towards the deſign. The baſe was hexangular, finely ornamented with gothic ſculpture; above, roſe three ſtories of moſt light and elegant tabernacle-work, leſſening to the ſummit. In the niches were ſaints and Engliſh monarchs, from Henry II. to Henry V. and around each ſtory variety of pretty figures with flags, with the arms of England or the roſe of Lancaſter expreſſed on them: and on the ſummit of the uppermoſt plate Juſtice, and other gracious attributes.

A LITTLE ſouth of St. Michael's, ST. MARY HALL. ſtands St. Mary Hall, at pre⯑ſent uſed for corporation-aſſemblies. This place was built in the beginning of the reign of Henry VI: a venerable pile, whoſe en⯑trance is beneath a large gateway, over which are the figures of a king and queen ſitting; probably Henry and his conſort Mar⯑garet. Within this building is a fine old room: in the upper end is a noble ſemicircular window, divided into nine parts, ele⯑gantly painted with figures of ſeveral of our monarchs, with coats of arms and ornaments, but now very imperfect: thoſe in the win⯑dows on the one ſide are loſt; ſeveral of thoſe on the other are entire, and were deſigned to repreſent ſome of our great nobility, who had honored this hall with their preſence as brothers and ſiſters of the gild, for whoſe uſe this hall was founded. This had been the gild of St. Katherine, eſtabliſhed by certain citi⯑zens of Coventry, in 1343, by licence of Edward III; after which it was united to thoſe of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady, and Saint John the Baptiſt.

THE illuſtrious perſonages repreſented here, are William Beau⯑champ, [159] lord of Abergavenny, and fourth ſon to Thomas Earl of Warwick; and by him is his counteſs Jean, daughter of Richard Earl of Arundel.

Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, and his ſecond wife Iſa⯑bella, daughter of Thomas Lord D' Eſpencer; Humphry Earl of Stafford, with a battle-ax in his hand; and one of the John Mo [...]rays Dukes of Norfolk. All thoſe great men are dreſſed with the magnificence and luxury of the eaſt, in long robes lined with ermine, and with large and ſingular hoods. Theſe were the garments of peace, when they paſſed the feſtive day in honor of their fraternity.

ALONG the walls are ranged a number of Latin verſes, with a [...]ort of Ste [...]nhold tranſlation oppoſite. I ſhall only give the laſt, as Doctor Stukely has already preſerved the former in his Itine⯑rary.

IN the apartments of this building are held the balls and aſſem⯑blies of this city. In one of the drawing-rooms is to be ſeen, in high preſervation, an antiquity equally delicate and curious; an unique, which Coventry alone has the happineſs of poſſeſſing. Here it is known by the name of The Lady's Spoon, but is doubtleſs no other than the S [...]ph [...]m of the antients, deſcribed by Coelius Rhs⯑ [...]nus and [...], Rerum [...]morab [...] deperd ^†.

THE front of the Drapiers Hall is very elegant, DRAPIER [...] HALL. ornamented with Tuſ [...]an pi [...]aſters, and does much [...]edit to the city. It was lately rebuilt on the ſite of the antient hall, [...]ounded by certain drapiers, whoſe n [...]mes have long ſince periſhed.

THOSE friars were celebrated for their annual exhibitions of the [...] ſtories called Corpus Chriſti plays, CORPUS CHRISTI PLAYS. which they performed on that day, to their great emolument, before crowds of ſpectators. [...] [...]orted hither at that ſeaſon from all parts. Like Theſpis of old, they are recorded ‘Plauſtris vexiſſe poemata.’

[...] have gone to the moſt advantageous parts of the city, [...] po [...]table theatres drawn on wheeled carriages, from which [...] exhibited their pageants, which amounted to forty. The [...]ubjects are announced in a ſort of prologue, by a perſon called [...] or, who probably carried a flag painted with the ſubject of the day, and at the ſame time gave out to the crowd the hiſ⯑ [...] [...] was to expect. The hiſtory is taken up at the creation, [...] [...]ds with the laſt day. I have ſaid much of theſe religious [...] in my Weſh Tour ^* therefore will not peſter the reader [...] preſent with more than Eve's rhetoric, after being tempted by [162] the ſerpent, to perſuade poor Adam to taſte of the forbidden [...].

Henry VIII. put an end to the performances of theſe poor friars, who had the honor of falling with the greater monaſteries having eſcaped the wreck of the leſſer, becauſe they had nothing worth ſei [...]ing to gratify that rapacious court. But the king, net content with their ruin, added to it the mortifying obligation of making their ſurrender on the 5th of October 1538, and to ſign it with their names and common ſeal. The inſtrument is curiou [...] and worthy peruſal.

‘For as moche as we the wardens and freers of the houſe of Say [...] Frances in Coventre, commonly callyd the Grey Freers in Coventre, in the county of Warwick, doo profoundly conſider, that the perfection of Chriſtian livynge dothe not conſi [...]t [...] [163] [...]me ceremonies, werynge of a grey coot, diſgeaſinge our ſelfe [...] ſtrau [...]ge faſſions, do kynge, noddynge, and beckyng, in gu [...]rdyng our ſelves wythe a gurdle fulle of knotts, & other like papiſticall ceremonies, wherein we have ben mooſte principally practiſed and miſlyd in tymes paſte; but the very true waye to pleſe God, and to live a tru Chriſtian mon, wytheout all ypo⯑ [...] and fayned diſeimulation, is ſinceerly declared unto us by our Mr. Chriſte, his evangeliſts and apoſtles; being myndyd hereafter to followe the ſame, conformynge our ſelf unto the will and pleſure of our ſupreme hedde under God in erthe, the kynges majeſtie, and not to folowe henſeforth die ſuperſti⯑ [...]us traditions of any forinſecall potentate or peere; wythe mu⯑ [...]il aſſent and conſent do ſurrendre and yelde up into the [...]ondes of the ſame all our ſeide houſe of Saynt Frances, in the [...] of Coventre, commonly callyd the Grey Freers in Coventre, wythe alſo the londs, tenements, gardens, medows, waters, [...]diards, fedings, paſtures, comens, rents, reverſions, & alle other our intereſt, ryghtes, or titles appertaining unto the [...]ame: mooſte humbly beſeechinge his mooſte noble grace to [...] of us, and of the ſame, as beſte ſhall ſtonde wythe his [...]ooſte gracious pleaſure. And further, frely to graunte unto [...]ery on of us his licenſe under wretyng & ſeealle, to chaunge [...] habits into ſecular faſhion, and to receive ſuche maner of [...] as other ſecular prieſts commonly be preferred unto. And we all faithfully ſhall pray unto Almighty God long to preſerve his mooſte noble grace wythe increaſe of moche feli⯑ [...] and honour. And in witnes of alle and ſingular the pre⯑ [...], we the ſeide warden and covent of the Grey Freers is Coventre to thes preſences have putte our covent ſeealle, the [164] fivithe day of October, in the thertythe yere of the raynge of our mooſte ſoveraynge lord king Henry the eyghte.’

• Per me Johannem Stafford, Guardian,
• Per me Thomas Maller,
• Per me Thomas Sanderſon,
• Per me Johannem Abell,
• Per me Johannem Wood,
• Per me Rogerum Lilly,
• Per me Thomam Aukock,
• Per me Matheum Walker,
• Per me Robartum Walker,
• Per me Thomam Bangſit,
• Per me Willielmum Goſnelle.

Which ſ [...]d houſe, or ſite, was in the thirty-fourth of Henry VIII. granted by the king [...] ali [...]) to the mayor, bailiffs, and com⯑monalry of this city, and their ſucceſſors for ever.

NOT far from the friary is a f [...]ne gate, called The Grey Frier Gate, the moſt beautiful of any left ſtanding.

A [...] farther to the eaſt is Cheleyſmor, where is ſtill to be ſe [...] part of the ma [...]or-houſe: a wooden building, with a gate way beneath. This, or ſome other on the ſite of it, had been the [...]dence of the lords of the place, and of the kings and earls of [...]; after that, of the earls of Cheſter; and finally, it fell to the [...], when that [...]arldom was reſumed: which, with the park, about three miles in circumference, belongs to the Prince of W [...]es as Earl of Cheſter. The caſtle ſtood not remote from the manor-houſe.

[165] FROM hence we proceeded to the Carmelites, or White Friars; whoſe houſe ſtands at the eaſt end of the city: another order de⯑voted to poverty, who lived on charity both from the living and the dead; for they often received legacies, ſuppoſed expiations for ſins. Their houſe was built about the year 1342, by Sir John Poultney, four times lord mayor of London: a gentleman de⯑ſervedly celebrated for his pious munificence ^*. At the diſ⯑ſolution it was granted to Sir Ralph Sadler. It was afterwards [...]ell to John Hales, who, reſiding here, occaſioned it to be called H [...]les' Place. At preſent, it is occupied by numbers of poor fa⯑milies.

HERE are conſiderable remains of the building: part of the [...]ed cloiſters; the refectory and dormitory, and vaſt vaulted room, which ſerved as magazines for proviſions. A very hand⯑ſome gateway, with three niches on the front, is ſtill ſtanding; and on an inner gate are three arrows, the arms of one of the be⯑ [...]factors.

IN the courſe of my walk a chamber was ſhewn me, in Gosford-ſtreet, noted for the melancholy end of Mary Clues, in February 1772, who was found almoſt conſumed by fire, occaſioned by an accident of a moſt uncommon nature. She had been confined to her bed by illneſs, the conſequence of intemperance. The room was [...]ored with brick; the bed furniſhed with only one curtain, and that was next to the window. The fire-place was on the other ſide. She was left, the evening before the accident, with two [...]mall bits of coal put quite back in the grate, and a ruſh-light on the chair, by the head of the bed. The next morning a great [166] ſmoke was perceived in the room. On burſting open the door [...] flames appeared, which were eaſily extinguiſhed. The re⯑mains of the woman lay on the floor, but the furniture of the room was only ſlightly damaged; the bedſtead ſuperficially burnt but neither ſheets, feather-bed, nor blankets deſtroyed.

THE ſolution of this phaenomenon is rather ridiculous. Mrs. [...] was exceſſively addicted to dram-drinking: ſhe would drink a quart in a day, either of rum or aniſe-ſeed water; and by that means, filling her veins with pure ſpirits, became as inflam⯑mable as a lamp. She tumbled out of bed, took fire by the can⯑dle, and in about two hours was fairly burnt out to her thighs and one leg, and nothing left except her bones, completely calcin [...]d ^*.

THIS is not the only inſtance I have read of perſons being [...] by their own phlegiſt [...]n, natural or [...]equired. Two Co [...] ⯑ [...]nd noblemen, after a drinking-match of ſpirituous liquors, died ſcorched and ſuffocated: and the Counteſs Cornelia Bau [...], of [...] in Italy ^†, was found in the ſituation of Mary Clu [...], but without imputation of the guilty origin. Semele was certainly one of thoſe combuſtible ladies; but the gallant Ovid has aſcribed her fatal end to another cauſe.

Theſe two lordes made proviſion for that was neceſſarye ‘for them for their battayle. The Earl of Derby ^** ſent his [...]ſſangers in to Lombardy, to the Duke of Myllayn, Sir Gal [...], for to have armure at his pleaſure. The duke agreed [...] the erles deſyre, and cauſed the knight that the erle had ſent [...], whoſe name was Fraunces, to ſe all the dukes armorye; [...] wh [...]n the knight had choſen ſuch as he lyked, than the duke [...]rthermore, for love of the erle of Derby, he ſent four of the beſt armourers that were in Lombardy to y^e erle into Englande [168] with the knight, to [...]henten [...] y^t thei ſhuld arme & make armure accordyng to the cries entent. The Erle Marſhal, on his part, [...], and in to other places, to provyde him for the journey. The charge of theſe two lords was greate. But the Erle of Derby was at mooſte charge.’

THE armour of the great men was uncommonly ſplendid and expenſive uſually inlaid with gold and ſilver, with moſt elegant devices and patterns. That of Francis I. in poſſeſſion of Mr. W [...]p [...]e and that of George Earl of Cumberland, at Appleby caſtle, exiſt as ſpecimens of the great attention given to that circum⯑ſtance. Beſides beauty, the utmoſt regard was paid to the eſſen⯑tial requiſite of its being proof. This was to be the reſult of the [...] of the a [...]m [...]ourer not of art-magic; for the combatants [...]ere to clear themſelves by oath, from having any commerce with [...] any or of rendering their armour or bodies invul⯑nerable by any charm. Let their cauſe be ever ſo bad, they de⯑termined to die like good Chriſtians; diſavowed all dependence on the power of Satan, and ſupplicated the prayers of the pious [...].

I SHALL give the conſequence of this important affair in the very graphical words of honeſt Holinſhed, who minutely deſcribes the pomp and ceremony preceding the reſolution taken by the unfortunate monarch, which in the end coſt him his crown and life.

[169] ‘At the time appointed, the king came to Coventrie, where the two dukes were readie, according to the order preſcribed therein; comming thither in great arraie, accompanied with the lords and gentlemen of their linages. The king cauſed a ſumptuous ſcaffold, or theater, and roial liſtes there to be erected and prepared. The Sundaie before they ſhould fight, after dinner, the duke of Hereford came to the king (being lodged about a quarter of a mile without the town, in a tower that belonged to Sir William Bagot) to take his leave of him. The morrow after, being the daie appointed for the combat, about the ſpring of the daie came the duke of Norfolke to the court, to take leave likewiſe of the king. The duke of Here⯑ford armed him in his tent, that was ſet up neere to the liſts; and the duke of Norfolke put on his armor betwixt the gate and the barrier of the town, in a beautiful houſe, having a fair perclois of wood towards the gate, that none might ſee what was done within the houſe.’

‘The duke of Aumarle that daie being high conſtable of England, and the duke of Surrie marſhal, placed themſelves betwixt them, well armed and appointed. And when they ſaw their time, they firſt entered into the liſts with a great company of men, apparelled in ſilke ſendal, imbrodered with ſilver both richlie and curiouſlie; everie man having a tipped ſtaff, to keep the field in order. About the houre of prime came to the barriers of the liſts the duke of Hereford, mounted on a white courſer, barded with green and blew velvet, imbroi⯑dered ſumptuouſly with ſwans and antelopes of goldſmiths worke, armed at all points. The conſtable and marſhal came to the barriers, demanding of him what he was? he anſwered, [170] 'I am Henrie of Lancaſter, duke of Hereford: which am come hither to do mine indevor againſt Thomas Mowbraie duke of Norfolke, as a traitor untrue to God, the king, his realme, and me.'—Then incontinentlie he ſware upon the holie Evangeliſts, that his quarrel was true & juſt; and upon that point he re⯑quired to enter the liſts. Then he puts up his ſword, which before he held up naked in his hand, and, putting down his viſor, made a croſs on his horſſe, and with ſpeare in hand entered into the liſts, and deſcended from his horſſe, and ſet him down in a chaire of green velvet, at the one end of the liſts, and there repoſed himſelf, abiding the comming of his adverſarie.’

‘Soone after him entered into the field, with great triumph, King Richard, accompanied with all the peerſes of the realme; and in his companie was the earle of Saint Paule, which was come out of France, in poſt, to ſee this challenge performed. The king had there above ten thouſand men in armour, leaſt ſome fraie or tumult might riſe amongſt his nobles, by quar⯑relling or partaking. When the king was ſet in his ſeat, which was richly hanged and adorned, a king at arms made open proclamation, prohibiting all men, in the name of the king, and of the high conſtable and marſhal, to enterpriſe or attempt to approach, or touch any part of the liſts, upon pain of death, except ſuch as were appointed to order or marſhal the field. The proclamation ended, another herald cried, 'Behold here Henrie of Lancaſter duke of Hereford, appelant, which is entered into the liſts roiall, to do his devoir againſt Thomas Mowbraie duke of Norfolke, defendant, upon paine to be found falſe & recreant.’

[171] ‘The duke of Norfolke hovered on horſſeback at the entrie of the liſts, his horſſe being barded with crimſon velvet, imbro⯑dered richlie with lions of ſilver and mulberie trees; and when he had made his oth before the conſtable and marſhal, that his quarrel was juſt & true, he entered the field manfullie, ſaieng aloud, 'God, and him that hath the right;' and then he departed from his horſſe, & ſate him downe in his chaire, which was of crimſon velvet, courtined about with white and red damaſke. The lord marſhall viewed their ſpears, to ſee that they were of equall length, and delivered the one ſpeare himſelf to the Duke of Hereford, and ſent the other unto the Duke of Norfolke by a knight; then the herald proclamed, that the traverſes & chaires of the champions ſhould be removed, commanding them, on the king's behalf, to mount on horſſebacke, and addreſs themſelves to the battel and combat ^*.’

‘The duke of Hereford was quicklie horſſed, and cloſed his bauier, and caſt his ſpeare into the reſt; and when the trum⯑pet founded, ſet forward couragiouſlie towards his enemie ſix or ſeven paſes. The duke of Norfolke was not fullie ſet for⯑ward, when the king caſt downe his warder, and the heralds cried 'Ho, ho.' Then the king cauſed their ſpeares to be taken from them, and commanded them to repaire againe to their chaires; where they remained two long houres, while the king and his councell deliberatlie conſulted what order was beſt to be had in ſo weightie a cauſe. Finallie: after they had deviſed, and fullie determined what ſhould be done therein, [172] the heralds cried 'Silence;' and Sir John Buſhie, the king's ſecretarie, read the ſentence and determination of the king and his councell, in a long roll; the effect whereof was, that Henrie duke of Hereford ſhould, within fifteene daies, depart out of the realme, and not to returne before the terme of ten yeares were expired, except by the king he ſhould be repealed againe; and this upon paine of death: and that Thomas Mow⯑braie duke of Norfolke, bicauſe he had ſowen ſedition in the relme by his words, ſhould likewiſe avoid the realme, and ne⯑ver returne againe into England, nor approch the borders or confines thereof, upon pain of death: and that the king would ſta [...]e the profits of his lands, till he had levied thereof ſuch ſummes of monie as the duke had taken up of the king's trea⯑ſuror, for the wages of the garriſon of Calis; which were ſtill unpaid.’

‘When theſe judgements were once read, the king called be⯑fore him both parties, and made them to ſweare that the one ſhould never come in place where the other was, willinglie, nor keepe any companie togither in any forren region: which oth they both received humblie, and ſo went their waies. The duke of Norfolke departed ſorrowfullie out of the realme into Almanie, and at the laſt came into Venice, where he, for thought and melancholie, deceaſſed; for he was in hope (as writers record) that he ſhould have beene borne out in the matter by the king; which, when it fell out otherwiſe, it greeved him not a little. The duke of Hereford tooke his leave of the king at Eltham, who there releaſed foure yeares of his baniſhment; ſo he tooke his jornie over into Calis, and from thence went into France, where he remained.’

[173] ‘A woonder it was to ſee what number of people ran after him, in everie towne and ſtreet where he came, before he tooke the ſea, lamenting and bewailing his departure; as who ſhould ſaie, that when he departed, the onlie ſhield, defenſe, and comfort of the commonwealth was vaded and gone.’

ABOUT two miles from Coventry, I croſſed the little river Sow at Binly bridge, a little beyond which ſtands the beautiful ſmall church of the name, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, BINLY CHURCH. formerly be⯑longing to the monks of Coventry; now a curacy in the gift of Lord Craven, who rebuilt the church with uncommon elegance. The roof is coved, and ornamented with ſcriptural hiſtories, in form of medallions, and with pious ornaments of croſſes, crowns, and thorns, and other decorations adapted to the place. The altar is in a tribune, with marble pillars; and its window conſiſts of glaſs painted with a fine holy family, by Mr. William Pecket.

Combe Abbey, or, to ſpell it with propriety, Cwm, from its low ſituation, COMBE ABBEY. lies about two miles farther. Notwithſtanding its con⯑verſion to the ſeat of a nobleman, it retains in part the form of its conventual ſtate. The cloiſters are preſerved on three ſides of the antient court, glazed as when occupied by the antient owners, and their walls enriched with the ſpoils of the chace. Methinks the jovial abbot is now before me, formed out of the monk ſo admirably deſcribed by old Chaucer.

THE abbot is now repreſented by a jovial Engliſh baron, not leſs a lover of the generous exerciſe. He derives his right to the place from his anceſtor Sir William Craven, Knight, great grand⯑ſon of Henry Craven, elder brother to Sir William, lord mayor of London in 1610; one of the richeſt men of his time. It was purchaſed from that ſquanderer Lucy counteſs of Bedford, who in⯑herited it from her brother Lord Harrington, who derived it from his mother Anne, daughter of Robert Kelway, who received [175] it in leaſe after the forfeiture of John Dudley duke of Northumber⯑land, to whom it had been granted by Edward VI. It had been founded by Richard de Camville, in 1150, and peopled with Ciſ⯑tercian monks; FOUNDER. who were at the diſſolution found to be endowed with upwards of three hundred pounds a year ^*. Robert Bates, alias Kymmer, was the laſt abbot; who, for his ſurrender, was re⯑warded with a penſion of eighty pounds a year ^†, and his thirteen or fourteen religious with ſmall pittances, as the merit of the deed reſted in the former.

THAT accompliſhed nobleman Lord Harrington was the re⯑founder of this houſe; which Cambden ſays aroſe from the aſhes of the antient abbey. His taſte is evident, in his preſervation of the venerable cloiſters. It is indebted to the owners of the pre⯑ſent name for its inſtructive furniture of portraits; probably en⯑tirely to the hero William Craven, a moſt diſtinguiſhed perſonage of this family.

IN the north parlour is a fine full-length of his great maſter in the art of war, PORTRAITS. Guſtavus Adolphus; under whoſe banners he de⯑fended the Proteſtant cauſe in Germany, and, when very young, gained immortal honor at the deſperate ſtorming of the fortreſs of Creutenach, in the palatinate.

A FULL-LENGTH of James Stewart duke of Richmond, in black, with long flowing flaxen hair, and a dog by him. This illuſtri⯑ous nobleman forms one of the moſt amiable characters in the reign of Charles I. His attachment and affection to his royal re⯑lation was unequalled: he is even ſaid to have offered his own life, to ſave that of his devoted maſter ^‡. He was permitted to [176] attend the funeral of the beloved remains; then lingered away a few years, and died a victim to grief on March 30, 1655.

Frederick V. elector palatine, a full-length, in robes, and with the unfortunate crown which he wore, as ſhort-lived king of Bohemia, elected by the revolted ſtate in 1619, when it attempted to ſhake off the yoke of the emperor Ferdinand II. The battle of Prague, in the following year, deprived Frederick of his new kingdom and his hereditary dominions, and, from a potent prince, reduced him hereby to that of a fugitive beggar in Hol⯑land. He ſurvived his own misfortunes twelve years, but died with grief, on the death of his great friend Guſtavus Adolphus, in 1632.

NEAR him is his queen, dreſſed in black, and with a melan⯑choly look. She was the daughter of our peaceful monarch James I; who, either through hatred of war, or diſapprobation of his ſon-in-law's ambition, reluctantly undertook his defence, and made, under Mansfield, an unfortunate eſſay. His daughter Eli⯑zabeth ſupported her unhappy ſituation with uncommon dignity, and ſhewed, amidſt the moſt diſtreſsful poverty, an illuſtrious example of magnanimity. She viſited the army of Guſtavus, which had in view her huſband's reſtoration, as well as the giving liberty to the German Proteſtants. The Engliſh volunteers ſeem to have fought her battles, inſpired by love. She was the admi⯑ration of the camp, and had votaries among every nation. The young Craven was among her warmeſt devotees, and continued his attachment to the laſt moment of her life; poſſeſſed her de⯑ſerved confidence, directed all her affairs, and gave a moſt diſtin⯑guiſhing proof of his eſteem, by building for her uſe, at his eſtate in Berkſhire, a magnificent palace. The difference of rank alone [177] prevented the publication of their union, which is generally ſup⯑poſed to have taken place. Her ſpotleſs fame was never aſperſed with improper connection.

I MUST ſtep to another room, the picture-gallery, for the por⯑trait of her admirer; a fine head, with the body armed, and croſſed with a ſaſh. Let me finiſh his hiſtory with ſaying, that after the death of Guſtavus, he retired from the Swediſh army into the ſervice of the Dutch, and, notwithſtanding he never interfered in the civil wars of his own country, yet, in 1650, his eſtates were confiſcated by the parlement (as is ſaid) through falſe accu⯑ſations of favors done the exiled king. On the reſtoration he came over, and in 1670, on the death of the Duke of Albemarle, he was appointed colonel of the Coldſtream regiment of guards. His gallant ſpirit never forſook him: he braved the peſtilence in its greateſt fury, and, with a few other worthies, undertook the care of London in 1665, during the deſolation of the plague; and in every fire, was ſo active in preventing the devaſtation of that other ſcourge, that it was ſaid, ‘his very horſe ſmelt it out.’

I MUST return to the parlour, to mention a fine converſation-piece, conſiſting of prince Rupert, prince Maurice, and the duke of Richmond at table, in the manner of Dobſon, by Honthurſt. Thoſe of the king of Bohemia and his queen are by the ſame hand; Honthurſt having had the honor of inſtructing that unfortunate princeſs and her family.

A HEAD of Raphael.

THE brazen ſerpent, ſurrounded by the terrified multitude: a fine performance.

Judith and Holofernes. Her maid, a ſwarthy old woman, is performing the operation of cutting off the head.

[178] ON the ſtair-caſe is a large picture of Lord Craven on horſe-back, with a truncheon in his hand.

IN the breakfaſt-room is a fine ſcene among the Alps, by John Loren, a Dutchman, who, reſiding much in Switzerland, became ce⯑lebrated for his wild romantic views.

IN the picture-gallery is a fine half-length of David, with the head of Goliah, by Guercino. Frederick Tromellus, count Lavella, a head.

John Erneſt duke of Savoy.

Guſtavus Adolphus, a half-length, and the heads of ſixteen of his illuſtrious generals, by Mirevelt. Theſe, and moſt of the other portraits of men of eminence in Germany, were brought over by the queen of Bohemia, and by her bequeathed by will to Lord Craven.

A HEAD of Mirevelt, and another of Honthurſt, painted by themſelves. The former reſided chiefly at Delft, and was pre⯑vented from viſiting England by reaſon of the plague. The lat⯑ter was here ſome time, by the encouragement of Charles I.

Chriſtian duke of Brunſwick, a fierce hero in the army of Guſ⯑tavus, ſubdued by the charms of our royal countrywoman. It is ſaid, that he ſnatched a glove from her, put it in his cap, and ſwore he would never part with it, till he ſaw her huſband in poſſeſſion of the capital of Bohemia ^*.

SIR Edward Cecil, third ſon of the earl of Exeter, a celebrated commander during thirty-five years in the Netherlands. He died in 1638, after being honored with the title of Lord Wimbledon. His picture is a head, with ſhort grey hair; his body in rich [179] [...]rmour, with a ſaſh. From this the print by Simon Paſs was [...].

A REMARKABLE legend of Otto, or Otho I. earl of Oldenberg, re⯑preſented as wearied with the chace, and ſeparated from his com⯑paſſions, on a wild mountain. When he was almoſt fainting with [...], a beautiful virgin, in white, with long flowing hair, and a [...]land on her head, burſts out of the ſide of the hill, and offers him drink out of a rich horn, which ſhe put into his hand, aſſur⯑ [...] him, that if he drank, proſperity would attend him and his houſe. He diſliked the propoſal, ſuſpecting deceit. According⯑ly, pouring ſome of the liquor on the hind part of his horſe, found it ſo noxious as to take off the hair. He inſtantly rode off [...] the horn full ſpeed, terrified at the adventure; and the ſp [...]re retired into the bowels of the mountain. The horn, which gave riſe to this fable, is of ſilver, gilt, and of moſt ex⯑quiſite workmanſhip; and is ſtill preſerved in the muſeum at [...]. ^* Inſtead of being of the age of Otho I. or about the year [...], it is proved to have been made by Chriſtian I. in honor of the three kings of Cologne, whoſe names are inſcribed on it; [...]or it ſeems it was cuſtomary, among the northern nations, to de⯑ [...] their cups or horns to ſaints, and make large libations out of them, invoking the ſaint to aſſiſt the mighty draught: Help Gol [...] Maria dat [...]w Got ^†. What gave riſe to the particular le⯑ [...] relative to the horn, is the figure of a woman on the recur⯑ [...]ed up, with a label, with this jovial exhortation, Drine all w [...]; [...] the lip, O mater Dei memento mei.

[180] In ſeveral apartments whoſe names I have forgotten, are va⯑r [...]ty of other paintings and portraits.

AMONG them is one of the founder of the family, Sir William Craven, lord ma [...]or of London, by Janſen; two full-lengths of Earl Craven, in armour, one very ſpirited; and a portrait of Sir William Craven of this place, by Sir Peter Lely; Lucy counteſs of B [...]ford, by Janſen, in the ſame attitude and dreſs in which ſhe is painted at Weburn and at A [...] ^*.

AN elegant figure of Henry prince of Wa [...]s, in a gay ſilk jack⯑et, crimſon hoſe, roſes to his ſhoes, a white ſilk hat and feather before h [...], and a glove in one hand. He ſtands in a room with a pretty view through the window. Drawn while that amiable prince was in his boyhood.

Charles II. when young, his body armed with ſteel, the reſt with buff.

GENERAL Monk, cloathed entirely in buff. This ſpecies of defence was uſually made of the ſl [...]n of the elk, and oftentimes of the ſtag, and was proof enough to turn a ball.

DUKE of Ormond, by Sir Peter Lely.

A PRETTY half-length of Lord Herbert, young, in armour, laced crav [...]t, and his helmet before him.

THE puniſhment of ſloth: a man whipping a woman out of bed.

A F [...]NE decollation of St. John, by Albert Dur [...]r. The execu⯑tioner ſheathing his ſword▪ Herodias's daughter receives the head with great ſatisfaction of countenance, and her ſwelling waiſt ſhews the price of the Evangeliſt's deſtruction.

[181] FOUR muſicians: two, a Flemiſh gentleman and a lady; the other, peaſants: a capital performance, by Frank Hals.

THE offering of the wiſe men in the eaſt, by Paul Veroneſe, equally fine.

AN old woman and boy, heads, by candle-light, likewiſe fine.

TWO fine paintings, by Rembrandt, of two philoſophers; each with a noble pupil: one in a Turkiſh dreſs; the other in an er⯑mine robe. Theſe young figures are called Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice. The time of the reſidence of their mother in Holland, agrees entirely with that of Rembrandt in Amſterdam, which makes the conjecture probable.

I RETURNED through Coventry, and, paſſing over the ſite of the New gate, ſoon entered on a long common. At about a mile's diſtance from the city, on the left ſide of the road, ſtood the Chartreux, now inhabited by — Inge, Eſquire. Little of the antient building remains. The wall of the precinct is ſtill ſtand⯑ing and in a wall in the garden are the marks of many ſmall doors, the entrance into the cells of the auſtere inhabitants.

THIS religious houſe aroſe from the pious intentions of William Lord Zouch of Harringworth, in Northamptonſhire, who obtain⯑ing, in 1381, fourteen acres of land in this place from Sir Baldwyn Frevile the elder, determined on that to erect a monaſ⯑tery of Carthuſians, and endow it with ample revenues. Death prevented the execution; but in his laſt illneſs he left ſixty pounds towards a future eſtabliſhment.

THE deſign was ſpeedily completed by various pious perſons. Richard Luff, a mayor of Coventry, and Richard Botoner, a fellow-citizen, beſtowed four hundred marks on the church-choir, cloiſ⯑ters, [182] and three cells: others followed their example. Richard II. on his return from Scotland, in 1385, aſſumed the honor of being the founder, and, at the inſtance of his queen Anne, laid the firſt ſtone of the church with his own hands, declaring, in the pre⯑ſence of his nobility, and of the mayor and citizens of Coventry, that he would bring it to perfection. After this, it received con⯑ſiderable endowments, and at the diſſolution was found, accor⯑ding to Dugdale, to be poſſeſſed of £131. 6s. 8d. above all re⯑prizes. The prior ſeemed to want the reſolution of this ſevere and conſcientious order; for more of this than any other reſiſted the will of their cruel monarch, and underwent martyrdom in ſupport of the truſts committed to them. It is probable that John Bochard, the laſt who preſided over the houſe, was prevaled on to ſurrender for the conſideration of the great penſion of forty pounds a year: after which it was granted to Richard Andrews and Leonard Chamberlain.

A LITTLE farther I croſſed the Sherbourn, leaving on the right Whitley, WHITLEY. a large old houſe, in which Charles I. reſided during the attempt upon Coventry. I was told, that the hiſtory of many of his actions had been painted on the wainſcot. About a mile and a half from hence I paſſed the Avon, at Finford bridge. This is the river that runs by Warwick and Stratford, and diſcharges itſelf into the Severn, near Tewkeſbury; ſtill retaining the Britiſh name Afon, or river, as is the caſe with ſeveral others watering Engliſh ground.

ASCEND an extenſive brow, commanding a rich and vaſt view toward the north and weſt. On the ſummit is a tumulus, from which the ſpot, which gives name to the hundred, is called Knightlow, KNIGHTLOW. or mount. It ſeems to have been ſepulchral, and to [183] have covered the aſhes of ſome Roman eques, or knight, from which it was denominated. It lies very near a great Roman road, as cuſtomary with ſimilar memorials. On it in after-times ſtood a croſs; on whoſe baſe the inhabitants of ſeveral towns in this hundred ſtill attend, and pay the dues to the lord on Martinmaſs-day: the ſums are from 1d. to 2s. 3d. each. Theſe rents are called Wroth-money, and Warth or Swarff penny, and are ſup⯑poſed by Dugdale to be the ſame as ward-penny: Vicecomiti aut aliis caſtellanis perſoluti ob caſtrorum praeſidium vel excubias agendas. They muſt be paid at this croſs before ſun-riſe, and the party paying muſt go thrice round the croſs, ſay wroth-money, and put it into the hole in the ſtone before good witneſs, or on omiſſion to forfeit thirty ſhillings and a white bull ^*.

A SMALL ſpace beyond, the Roman foſs-way croſſes the road: ROMAN ROAD. it enters this county at High Croſs, on the verge of Leiceſterſhire, where it is interſected by the great Watling-ſtreet, and traverſes direct to Stafford upon Foſs, near the edge of Gloceſterſhire.

Go over Dunſmore heath (now incloſed) and, after riding in a tedious avenue of elms and firs for five miles, reach Dunchurch, or the church on the hill; a ſmall village, whoſe church once be⯑longed to the monks of Pipwell, in Northamptonſhire.

DESCEND the hill, and about three miles further go near Willoughby, or the place of willows; a little village, WILLOUGHBY. with a church dedicated to St. Nicholas, formerly appropriated to the hoſpital of St. John, without Eaſt-gate, Oxford; now in the patronage of Magdalen College. This bottom, at preſent enlivened with the windings of the canal, aſſumes a commercial appearance, by the number of new buildings riſing on its banks, and the magazines [184] of coal and limeſtone laid up for ſale. The former gives a moſt comfortable proſpect to the half-ſtarved inhabitants of Northamp⯑tonſhire, by flattering them with the ſpeedy approximation of the means of warmth, and giving to their poor good fuel, inſtead of the wretched ſubſtitute of horſe-dung, which they collect in ſcanty portions for that purpoſe.

IT would be ungrateful to leave Warwickſhire, without paying a tribute to the memory of Mr. Henry Beighton, author of the map of this county, ſurveyed by him in 1722, 23, 24, and 25. As it was the earlieſt, ſo it was the beſt performance of the kind. He had an eſtate of about a hundred a year, in the pariſh of Coton, in this county. He aſſiſted his income by ſurveying, in which, for elegance, accuracy, and expedition, he had few equals. He left behind him, in his neighborhood, numbers of excellent ſurveyors, who own him for their maſter. His account of London bridge, in the Philoſophical Tranſactions, ſhews his ſkill in mechanics. He was interred at Chilvers Coton; where a ſmall monument barely tells that he lived and died, without men⯑tioning his merit, neglected by his countrymen during life; for he never met with encouragement to publiſh his admirable map: which was done about the year 1750 ^*. by ſubſcription, for the ſupport of his widow.

FROM Willoughby I inſtantly entered NORTHAMPTONSHIRE,BRAUNSTON. in the pariſh of Braunſton. The village, church with ſpire ſteeple, and the number of narrow incloſures, appear on the ſide [185] of a ſlope, on the left of the road. This is among the few places I neglected to viſit. I muſt therefore ſpeak from Mr. Bridges ^* of its croſs, twenty-four feet high; of the effigy of the Knight Templar in the church; and of the inſtance of the longevity of William Bren, of this village, who attained the age of an hundred and twenty-one.

AFTER the Conqueſt, the D' Aiencourts and the Peverels held land here. From the laſt it fell, by marriage, to Albricius de Harcourt; by his daughter, to William de Truſſebot, a man raiſed from a low ſituation, by his deſperate valour, to great eſtates. In the reign of king Stephen, being attacked in Bonville, of which he was governor, he ſet fire to his own houſe in four places; which ſo terrified the enemy, that they inſtantly evacuated the town.

BY his daughter Roeſe, it fell to Everard de Roos; a family who flouriſhed here for ſeveral centuries, a diſtinguiſhed race. One of them, William, was clamant to the crown of Scotland, under the arbitration of Edward I ^†. They became extinct in the male line, in the reign of Henry VII. when Elinor, eldeſt ſiſter of the laſt Lord Roos, conveyed it by marriage to Sir Robert Manners; and it was ſold by his deſcendant, Henry earl of Rutland (who died in 1563) to Gregory Iſham, of London, merchant, a younger ſon of the reſpectable and antient family of that name.

THE preſent lord of the manor is — Web, Eſquire; who keeps in the ſmall manor-houſe a court-leet and baron. SINGULAR TENURE. The te⯑nure of a conſiderable portion of land in the pariſh is very ſingular. If a widow appears at the next court after her huſ⯑band's death, and preſents a leathern purſe with a groat in it, ſhe [186] can keep her huſband's copyhold lands for life; but ſhe muſt at⯑tend every court after ſhe has done this ſervice.

FROM Dunchurch the country grows hilly, and till of late un⯑incloſed; pleaſant during the verdure of the young, and the rich yellow of the ripened corn. About three miles from Braunſton appears Daventry, DAVENTRY. on the ſide and top of a hill. The place is populous, and carries on a conſiderable manufacture of whips: is an incorporated town, governed by a bailiff, twelve burgeſſes, and a recorder; has two ſerjeants at mace, and one town-clerk. The bailiff for the time is juſtice of the peace, and alſo the year following; and is likewiſe coroner of the inqueſt. The ſer⯑jeants may arreſt any within their juriſdiction for a ſum under one hundred pounds, and the cauſe is to be decided here. No county juſtice hath power in this place; the juſtices of the bo⯑rough having power of commitment to the county-jail in crimi⯑nal cauſes. The inhabitants alſo enjoy the privilege of exemp⯑tion from ſerving on juries at the county aſſizes.

ITS charter is ſaid to have been firſt granted by king John, and was renewed by queen Elizabeth. The place is of conſiderable antiquity; eſpecially if we give into the derivation of its name, Dwy Avon tre, the town of the two Avons, or rivers, from its ſituation between them. Certainly it was a place of note at the Conqueſt; had in it ſixteen plough-lands; in the manor three, with three ſlaves, twenty villeyns, a preſbyter, and ten boors, and twelve acres of meadow. It had been worth three pounds: after that event improved to eight.

THIS was part of the great poſſeſſions of the counteſs Judith, niece to the Conqueror, whom he had married to the brave Waltheof earl of Northumberland; and farther to engage his fide⯑lity, [187] he gave with her this county, and that of Huntingdon. Wal⯑theof unfortunately engaged in a conſpiracy; and, notwithſtanding he repented, and flung himſelf at the king's mercy, was beheaded in 1074, at the inſtigation of his wife ^*. It ſeems ſhe had caſt a favorable eye on another perſon: but was diſappointed; for the king offered to her Simon de Liz, a noble Norman, lame of one leg: him ſhe rejected; which ſo enraged her uncle, that he de⯑prived her of the two earldoms, and gave them to De Liz, with her eldeſt daughter; which obliged Judith to a ſtate of peniten⯑tial widowhood during life.

HERE are ſome remains of the priory, PRIORY. inhabited by poor fami⯑lies. The place is eaſily diſcovered, by ſeveral gothic windows, and a door acceſſible by a great flight of ſteps. Four Cluniac monks were originally placed at Preſton Capes, in this county, by Hugh de Leyceſter, ſheriff of the county, and ſteward to Maud, ſiſter to the firſt S. Liz earl of Huntingdon; but finding the ſitua⯑tion inconvenient, for want of water, he built a priory here; to which place he removed them, about the year 1090. It was dedicated to St. Auguſtine, and was ſubordinate to St. Mary de Caritate ^†. Its ſpiritualities were valued at £115. 17s. 4d. per annum; its temporalities £120. 10s. 2d. Cardinal Wolſey made five of his emiſſaries to pick a quarrel with the poor monks, about certain lands of theirs; and, cauſing the diſpute to be referred to himſelf, took occaſion to diſſolve the houſe, and, as Stow ſays, to be given to his own college. ‘But of this irreligious robbery, done of no conſcience, but to patch up pride, which private wealth could not furniſh, what puniſh⯑ment [188] hath ſince enſued by God's hand (ſayeth mine author) partly ourſelves have ſeen; for of thoſe five perſons, two fell at diſcord between themſelves, and the one ſlew the other; for which the ſurvivor was hanged: the third drowned himſelf in a well: the fourth, being well known, and valued worth two hundred pounds, became in three years ſo poore, that he begged till his dying-day: and the fift, called Doctor Allane, being cheefe executor of theſe doings, was cruelly maimed in Ireland, even at ſuch time as he was biſhop ^*’.—The pious hiſ⯑torian then traces the judgment to the cardinal, who died under the king's diſpleaſure: to the colleges which occaſioned the ſacri⯑lege; that of Ipſwich being pulled down; that of Chriſt-church never finiſhed under Wolſey's patronage: and laſtly to the pope, who permitted theſe violences on religious houſes; for he was beſieged in his holy ſee, and ſuffered a long impriſonment.

THE pariſh-church had been the conventual: CHURCH. of late years it was handſomely rebuilt; but is no more than a curacy in the gift of Chriſt-church college. The arms of the college, and of the earl of Winchelſea, lord of the manor, grace the eaſt window.

FROM Daventry I viſited the noted camps on Borough-hill, BOROUGH-HILL. or Danes-hill, about a mile ſouth-eaſt of the town. It is lofty and inſulated. The area is of an oblong or oval form, about a mea⯑ſured mile in length, and near two in circumference. The whole is ſurrounded by two, three, or four deep trenches, and the ſame number of great ramparts, or banks; according as the ſtrength or weakneſs of the ground required. Theſe [189] run on the margin of the hill, and on the ſlope; and hav⯑ing the entrance on the eaſtern and weſtern ſides oppoſite to each other.

WITHIN the area, near the middle, is a bank, which paſſes ſtrait from the weſtern ſide towards the eaſtern: the remainder is deſtroyed. Farther on is the veſtige of another, running paral⯑lel. Theſe, when entire, would have formed a rectangular camp, by the aſſiſtance of part of the ditches on the ſides of the hill.

NEAR this camp are ſeveral tumuli of the ſepulchral kind; but ſince Mr. Morton's time, their number is evidently leſſened; for in his days, he informs us, there were eighteen.

THE northern end of the hill is formed into a third camp, of a circular ſhape, and of vaſt ſtrength. Two ditches, of prodigious depth, with ſuitable ramparts, and a deep entrance, croſs the area, and fall into the general ſurrounding ditches, which have been deepened to add to the ſtrength of the third part. There is like⯑wiſe the imperfect remains of another ditch and bank on the out⯑ſide, a little ſouth, deſigned to add to the ſecurity.

ON the north-weſt part of the great rampart of this round camp, is a great mount, either exploratory, or the ſpot where the chieftain pitched his tent.

I MUST differ with Mr. Morton about the makers of the firſt of theſe camps or poſts, which were the Britons themſelves. It has every agreement with the multitudes of others ſcattered over the kingdom, and ſuits exactly with the deſcription left by Tacitus of the method of defence uſed by our anceſtors, Tunc montibus arduis, et ſi qua clementer accedi poterunt in modum valli ſaxa praeſtruit. I [190] ſhall not here repeat what I have fully dwelt on in my Tours in Wales and Scotland ^*.

THIS poſt was in all probability made uſe of when the victo⯑rious Oſtorius was traverſing this iſland, to quell the commotions he found on his arrival in Britain. It is evident, that the Britons at this period made uſe of the ſame ſpecies of defence which is proved to have been common to the whole country. The Iceni lodged themſelves within a poſt of this kind, againſt this very general (Locum pugnae delegere ſeptum agreſti aggere et aditu anguſ⯑to ne pervius equis foret) ^† but it did not avale. The Coritani of theſe parts had recourſe to the ſtrong hold of what I dare ſay they called Ben Avon, or the head over the river; one of the ſtreams which form the Nen, the river of this country, paſſing be⯑neath.

THIS poſt proved no obſtacle to the Conqueror; he found it ſit for a ſtation: he contracted its limits eaſt into the ſhape of the camps of his people, and made this a ſummer ſtation, as he did the warm bottom, near the fort, a winter ſtation. Numbers of Roman coins found on the ſpots, evince the conjecture. The Romans, as is frequently the caſe, latinized the Britiſh name, and formed from it their Benvenna; which I beg leave to place here, rather than at Wedon, a place deſtitute of all claſſical traces.

I MUST add, that on the ſouth-eaſt ſide of Borough-hill, about two or three hundred yards below the ditches, is a leſſer camp, ſurrounded by a foſs and bank. Mr. Morton gueſſes it to have [191] been the receptacle of the carriages of the greater camp: I ima⯑gine it to have been a proceſtria, a ſort of free poſt attendant often on camps, where proviſions and other neceſſaries were brought.

As to the third diviſion of the area of this hill, it is probably Saxon; the words borough, burgh, berry, and bury, being the conſtant appellation left by the Saxons to ſimilar places. It is my belief, that every poſt of this nature, occupied by that nation in our iſland, had been originally Britiſh; which they altered to their conceptions of ſtrength and defence; which was uſually done by deepening the ditches, raiſing the ramparts, and clearing the area, and often exalting one part into what was called the dunjeon, or keep. Theſe places were ſtationary, not properly camps; for the antient Germans, from whom theſe invaders were derived, and whoſe cuſ⯑toms they retained, made uſe of no other defence to their camps than a barrier of waggons, with which they formed the precinct. Omnes Barbari, ſays Vegetius, carris ſuis in orbem connexis ad ſimili⯑tudinem caſtrorum ſecuras a ſupervenientibus exigunt noctes^*. Caeſar twice ^† mentions this cuſtom among the German nations; and I am told, that even in later days, this mode of defence has been uſed, and called Waggenburg, or the camp of waggons.

EVERY thing on this hill muſt not be attributed to remote an⯑tiquity; for Charles I. a few days before the fatal battle of Naſeby, occupied this poſt, and fortified it: ſo poſſibly ſome of the entrenchments might be the work of the unfortunate mo⯑narch ^‡.

[192] I MUST not quit this place without mentioning a ſpot which I overlooked. BURNT WALLS. This is what Mr. Morton calls the Burnt Walls; where many loads of walls and foundations have been dug up. The precinct is about ſix acres, and was moated round. The water that filled the moat was conveyed from pools in Daventry Park, a place not remote. Tradition ſays, that within the area ſtood a ſeat of John of Gaunt; which is probable, as this manor was once poſſeſſed by the earls and dukes of Lancaſter, in Ed⯑ward III's time, annexed to that dutchy, and aſſigned to that great duke ^*.

CONTINUE my journey: turn a little out of my road, on the left, DODFORD CHURCH. to Dodford church; and found there a tomb of a croſs-legged knight, armed in mail, with both hands upon his ſword, as if in the attitude of drawing it. On his ſhield are, ill-blazoned, vaire, argent and azure; two bars gules, which denote the perſon here depoſited to have been a Keynes, one of the antient lords of the place; and, from the attitude of his legs, to have lived during the faſhionable madneſs of cruſades.

Two ladies, in hoods, recumbent, ſaid to have been two ſiſters, co-heireſſes of the manor, and probably Margaret and Maud de Ayote, who were poſſeſſed of this manor, I think, in the time of Richard II; which deſcended to their father, Laurence, from his mother, Lettice, ſiſter to William de Keynes.

A BRASS plate of William Wyde, who died owner of this place in 1422, and another of his wife.

AN alabaſter figure, armed, of John Creſſy, a ſucceſſor of the former; who diſtinguiſhed himſelf in the French wars, under the [193] duke of Bedford, was captain of Lycieux, Orbef, and Ponteſque, in Normandy, and privy-counſellor in France. He died in 1443, at Tove, in Lorrain ^*.

IN this manor, the Watling-ſtreet croſſes the road to Wedon: it enters the county at Dowbridge, on the edge of Leiceſterſhire, paſſes cloſe by Borough-hill, and proceeds from Wedon to Touceſter and Stoney Stratford, where it enters the county of Bucks.

NEAR the ſixty-eighth mile-ſtone is the entrance to the new turnpike-road to Northampton, which is above ſeven miles diſ⯑tant; and on an eminence, a little to the left, is pleaſantly ſeated the church and village of Flore, or Flower.

A LITTLE beyond, on the right, lies the village of Wedon on the Street, WEDON. or Weedon Bec; from which I chuſe to transfer the old Bennevenna to Borough-hill, on account of deficiency of claſſical evidence at this place, and the little difference of diſtance from the other ſtations.

SUFFICIENT honor will remain to Wedon, in allowing it to have been the ſite of the royal palace of Wulfere ^†, the Mercian mo⯑narch; afterwards converted into a nunnery, at the inſtance of his daughter, St. Werburg; who preſided for a time over it. Here ſhe performed the miracle of the wild geeſe; who, at her word, forgot their nature, were driven by her ſteward from their ravages among the corn, into the grange, and, after receiving from her a ſevere check for their depredations, were commanded to take wing, and never appear in her demeſns. They obeyed in part, but kept hovering about, till one of their companions, which had [194] been ſtolen (and ſome ſay eaten) by a ſervant, was reſtored; on which they bid an eternal adieu to the fields of Wedon ^*.

THIS nunnery was deſtroyed by the Danes; but the memory of the foundreſs was preſerved in Leland's day, by a fair chapel dedicated to that ſaint ^†.

AFTER the Conqueſt, Roger de Thebovil gave a moiety of lands in this monaſtery to the abbey of Bec, in Normandy; which was, with many other grants to the ſame houſe, confirmed by Henry II. That abbey afterwards became poſſeſſed of the whole, when it was made dependent on their great cell or priory at Okeburn, in Wilt⯑ſhire. Vaſt privileges were beſtowed in favor of the monks of this abbey; ſuch as exemption from ſuit and ſervice to the county and hundred courts; from toll paſſage and pontage; and exemption from foreſt laws. They had alſo free warren, and right of determining in murder, manſlaughter, &c. &c. all which periſhed at the diſſolution of the priories; and this manor, as part of the poſſeſſions of Okeburn, was veſted in the provoſt and fellows of Eton college, by Henry VI; in which it ſtill con⯑tinues ^‡.

FROM hence, I was led by my curioſity about two miles weſt⯑ward, CASTLE DIKES. to Caſtle Dikes, in the pariſh of Farthingſtone, remarkable for ſome antient works attributed to the Saxons. They are placed on the brow of a ſteep hill, commanding a vaſt view; but at pre⯑ſent ſo overgrown with thick woods, that I had but a very in⯑diſtinct ſight of them. They appeared to comprehend near thir⯑teen [195] acres of ground, and to conſiſt of ſtrong holds, divided from each other by a ditch of ſtupendous breadth and depth. A plat, called the Caſtle-yard, ſtands to the ſouth-weſt of theſe, entrenched on all ſides but the ſouth-weſt, comprehending about ſeven acres, on which, tradition ſays, a town was ſituated.

MR. Morton informs us, that a vaulted room, formed of ſquared ſtones, was diſcovered in his time, and beneath that another, which falling in accidentally, a ſmell, reſembling that of putrid carcaſes, iſſued from it. Two or three, rude ſculptures were alſo diſcovered among the rubbiſh.

IT is conjectured that this place was burnt by the Danes; for vaſt maſſes of cinders, mixed with pebbles and clay, have been found in different parts; and many of the ſtones had on them the marks of fire ^*. There is no account left of the particulars of their ravages; ſo this reſts upon conjecture, as well as the notion of Ethelfleda having been founder of this place, among her other great works performed in 913.

ON my return to the great road, about two miles from the place, I viſited the church of Stow-nine-Churches, STOW-NINE-CHURCHES. to ſee the moſt elegant tomb which this or any other kingdom can boaſt of; that of Elizabeth, fourth daughter of John lord Latimer, wife, firſt to Sir John Danvers, of Dantrey, Wiltſhire, and afterwards to Sir Edmund Cary, third ſon of Henry lord Hunſdon. Her figure is of white marble, lying recumbent on a ſlab of black. The attitude is the moſt eaſy poſſible, that of one aſleep; her head, covered with a looſe hood, reclines on a rich cuſhion. One hand is placed on her breaſt, the other lies on one ſide. Round her neck is a [196] quilled ruff. The faſhionable ſtiffneſs of her embroidered ſtays is a diſadvantage to this elegant ſculpture. Her gown flows to her feet in eaſy folds, and covers them. She lies on a long cloak, lined with ermine, faſtened at her neck with rich jewels. At her feet is a griffin holding a ſhield of the family-arms. The whole reſts on a white marble altar-tomb, with inſcriptions and arms on the ſides. After informing us of her parentage, marriages, and children, are theſe lines:

She left three ſons and ſeven daughters by her firſt huſband. Sir Charles, the eldeſt, loſt his head through his unfortunate attach⯑ment to the ill-fated Earl of Eſſex; Henry, an able warrior, died Earl of Danby, full of years and glory; Sir John married into the great family of the Newports, in Shropſhire.

THIS noble monument was erected by the lady in her life⯑time, and was the chef d'oeuvre of that great ſtatuary Nicholas Stone, maſter-maſon to king James and Charles I. ſtatuary and ſtone cutter; ſo humbly does he ſtile himſelf. It appears by a note of his, that, ‘March the 16. 1617. I undertook to make a tomb for my lady, mother to Lord Davers; which was all of whit marbell & touch ^*; and I ſet it up at Stow of the nine [197] Churches, in Northamptonſhire, ſom 2 yeare after. One altar tombe: for the which I had 220 li. ^*’

OPPOSITE to this is a very handſome cenotaph, in memory of the Reverend Doctor Thomas Turner, born at Briſtol in 1645, and buried in 1714, in Corpus Chriſti college, Oxford, of which he had been preſident.

HE laid out his great income in acts of hoſpitality and cha⯑rity; and on his death, after bequeathing £4000 to his rela⯑tions and friends, left the reſt of his wealth to pious uſes. He augmented the ſtipends of the poorer members of Ely cathedral, in which he was prebend: he left £100 to be expended in ap⯑prenticing poor children of that city: he left £6000 for im⯑proving the buildings of the college he preſided over: and fi⯑nally, left £20,000 to be laid out by his executors in eſtates and lands, to be ſettled by them on the governors of the charity for the relief of the poor widows and children, of the clergy. Ac⯑cordingly they purchaſed this manor, and other eſtates here, and at Weſt Wratling in Cambridgeſhire, to the amount of up⯑wards of £1000 a year, and ſettled them, in 1716, agreeable to his will ^†. This manor was purchaſed from Edward Hooley, Eſquire, for £16,000; which occaſioned the honorable mark of gratitude in this church. It is ſingular, that Francis Turner, bi⯑ſhop [198] of Ely, loſt his preferments in 1690, for refuſing the oaths to William and Mary, when this gentleman, his brother, had the good fortune to preſerve his, without injuring his conſcience.

IN 1702, the laſt year allowed for undergoing the teſt, he left London on the 28th of July, and went to Oxford with a full reſo⯑lution to ſacrifice all his preferments on the firſt of Auguſt, the laſt day allowed by the act. He wiſely made no reſignation, well knowing that his refuſal would be ample deprivation. Whether he was forgotten, or whether the omiſſion was winked at, does not appear; but he retained all his benefices to his dying day ^*.

THIS charitable divine is placed ſtanding in a graceful atti⯑tude, in his maſter of arts robes, in his own hair, under a canopy ſupported by two fluted pillars of the Corinthian order, of colored marble. On the ſide of him is Religion, repreſented by a woman on a celeſtial globe, with a croſs in one, and a font in the other hand. On the laſt is inſcribed [...]. The doctor ſtands on a terreſtrial globe, with a book in his hand, in which is written [...]. The account of his various charities is placed on the pediment.

IN a corner of an aile, to make room for this ſumptuous monu⯑ment, was removed the tomb of a croſs-legged knight, armed in mail, and partly covered with a ſurtout. One hand is on his breaſt, the other on his ſword. On an enormous ſhield, which is belted to his body, is a rude figure of a lion paſſant guardant, and crowned. He is ſuppoſed to be one of the Gilbert de Gants, the [199] antient owners. There were five of them. The firſt was great nephew to the Conqueror; the laſt died in 1295.

FROM hence I deſcended to the great road: the country hilly and clayey. The quarries are of a coarſe grit ſtone, often filled with ſhells, but of too ſhattery a nature to be uſed, except in or⯑dinary buildings. A few miles farther is an eminence, called Forſter's Booth, ſo named from a booth erected here by one Forſter, a poor countryman. It grew at length into a ſcattered ſtreet, of ſeveral houſes and carriers inns, through which runs the Wat⯑ling-ſtreet road in a direct line to Touceſter, four miles diſtant.

THIS is a pretty conſiderable town, ſeated on a plain, TOUCESTER. on a ſmall ſtream called the Tove, from which the name is derived; Tou⯑ceſter, or the caſtle on the Tove. The great tumulus on the eaſt ſide of the town, points out of the ſite of the ſpeculum or watch⯑tower. The Roman coins found in digging about, prove it to have been an appendage to a Roman ſtation, whoſe name has ne⯑ver reached us. The Saxons profited of this little fortreſs, and added the foſs which ſurrounded it. From them it received its preſent title of the Bury, or Borough, to which has been ſince added the double tautology of Berry Mounthill.

THE Saxons called the town Tofeceaſtre. In the time of Edward the Elder it was almoſt ruined by the ravages of the Danes; but in 921, the king determined to reſtore it, and for that purpoſe detached part of his forces; who, ſoon after their arrival, were at⯑tacked by the Danes reſident in Northampton and Leiceſter ^*; but, aſſiſted by the townſmen, they repelled the barbarians; and Ed⯑ward, in order to prevent future inſults, fortified the whole place [200] with a ſtone wall ^*. But time hath deſtroyed every veſtige of it.

THIS manor, after various changes, became the property of the famous Sir Richard Empſon, one of the inſtruments of the avarice and oppreſſion of Henry VII; who, in 1509, loſt his head, with Edmund Dudley, on Tower-hill; perhaps more deſervedly than le⯑gally. Empſon had been the ſon of a ſieve-maker in this town: by his great abilities in the profeſſion of the law, he was promoted to the chancellorſhip of the duchy of Lancaſter; but by his un⯑bounded ſubmiſſion to the will of his rapacious maſter, fell a vic⯑tim, in the next reign, to the demands of an enraged nation. At preſent, the manor belongs to the Earl of Pomfret, who derives it from his anceſtor Richard Fermor, a merchant of Calais, and a younger brother of the antient houſe of Fermors, of Oxford⯑ſhire.

THERE was a church here at the Conqueſt, CHURCH. which was given by the Conqueror to the abbey of St. Wandragaſile, in Normandy. In the preſent, is nothing remarkable, excepting the tomb of William Sponne, archdeacon of Norfolk, and rector of this pariſh in the reign of Henry VI. who founded here a college and chantry for two prieſts to ſay maſs for his ſoul, and the ſouls of his friends. At the diſſolution, it was worth £19. 6s. 8d. a year ^†. He was alſo a great benefactor to the town, and his charities are ſtill felt here, governed by feoffees, conſiſting of fifteen of the principal inha⯑bitants.

HIS figure is repreſented recumbent, dreſſed in a red gown, which reaches round his feet, with ermine hood and ſleeves. Be⯑neath is another repreſentation of him after death, with a ſunk [201] noſe and emaciated body, and all the changes wrought by that fell monſter on the human frame.

THE town is ſupported by the great concourſe of paſſengers, and by a manufacture of lace, and a ſmall one of ſilk ſtockings. The firſt was imported from Flanders, and carried on with much ſucceſs in this place, and ſtill more in the neighboring county of Buckingham.

I TOOK a walk about a mile eaſt of the town, to ſee Eaſton-Neſton, EASTON-NESTON. the ſeat of the Earl Pomfret. The wings were built by Sir Chriſtopher Wren, in 1682; the center by Hawkeſmore, about twenty years after, who is ſaid to have departed greatly from the original deſign. It has nine windows in front, and is enriched with pilaſters. The inſide has been long ſince deſpoiled of its curious portraits and valuable ſtatues: the latter having been preſented to the univerſity of Oxford, by the late Counteſs of Pomfret, grandaughter to the lord chancellor Jeffries.

THIS manor was purchaſed by the ſame Richard Fermor, MANOR. in 1530, from Thomas, ſon of Sir Richard Empſon. The antient houſe ſtood below the church, in a park incloſed by Sir Richard, by licence from Henry VII, at the time it came into the poſſeſſion of Mr. Fermor. He lived here with boundleſs hoſpitality, till the year 1540, when, for ſending 8d. and a couple of ſhirts, to one Nicholas Thane, his confeſſor, then in priſon at Buckingham for denying the king's ſupremacy, he incurred the tyrant's diſplea⯑ſure. He fell under a praemunire, and, in his old-age, being ſtripped of all he had, was forced to live with the parſon of, Wapenham (whom he had preſented); which he did for ſeve⯑ral years, with conſummate piety and reſignation ^*.

[202] THE recovery of part of his fortune was owing to a ſingular accident. During his proſperous days he kept, as uſual in thoſe days, in the eſtabliſhment of people of rank, a fool or jeſter: his was the noted Wil. Sommers, WIL. SOMMERS. who, for his drollery, was promoted to the ſame office under Henry VIII. I have a very ſcarce print of this illuſtrious perſonage, by Delaram, with all the inſignia of his place about him. Wil. with a gratitude not frequent at courts, remembered his old maſter; and in the latter days of Henry, when his conſtitution was weakened by infirmities, took occaſion, by ſome well-timed ſpeech, to awaken the king's conſcience; who, touched with a compunction rarely known to him, ordered reſtitution ^*; but died before it could be effected. His pious ſucceſſor, Edward VI. reſtored to him this manor, that of Touceſ⯑ter, and ſome others of his eſtates, and added many grants, by way of compenſation for the injury done him; but all fell ſhort of the great loſſes he had ſuſtained from the cruel father. He returned to his houſe, which he enjoyed only two years, dying in January 1552-3. He ſeemed to have a preſage of his end; for on the day of his death he had invited a number of his friends and neighbors, took his leave of them, retired to his cloſet, and was found dead in an attitude of devotion ^†. His tomb, with his figure in braſs, and that of his wife, are ſtill to be ſeen in the ad⯑jacent church.

THERE are, CHURCH. beſides, ſeveral other family-monuments. Sir John Fermor (ſon of Richard) and Maud his wife, are repreſented kneel⯑ing at a deſk, beneath an arch: ſhe is dreſſed in a great ruff and lappets. He, perhaps out of reſpect to his father's ſufferings in [203] the cauſe of the ſee of Rome, received the honor of Knight of the Bath at the coronation of queen Mary. He died in 1571.

His ſon Sir George lies in alabaſter, recumbent and armed, with peaked beard and ſmall whiſkers. His wife, Mary daughter of Thomas Curzon, of Addington, Bucks, lies by him, dreſſed in a gown tied neatly with ribands from top to bottom, a quilled ruff, and great tete à caleche. Beneath are repreſented, kneeling, their ſeven ſons and eight daughters. Above all, is a vaſt quantity of ornaments, arms, &c. &c. This gentleman might, like Sir Fulk Grevil, have boaſted of being the friend of Sir Philip Sydney, having contracted an intimacy with him in the wars in the Ne⯑therlands, where he ſerved all his youth, under William prince of Orange, and walked at the funeral of the celebrated Engliſh hero. He alſo improved himſelf by foreign travel; lived at home with vaſt ſplendor and hoſpitality; and, on June 11, 1603, his houſe had the honor of being the place of meeting between James I. and his queen, on her journey from Scotland, to receive her new crown. Here they dined, and were entertained, with all their trains, in a princely manner ^*. He quitted this life in 1612.

SIR Hatton Fermor, who with nine other gentlemen were knighted at the above interview, is alſo buried here. He died of the conſequences of a broken leg, in 1620. He and his lady are very elegant figures, placed ſtanding: he armed; in great boots, flapping down; vaſt whiſkers; peaked beard; and, what was not in uſe at the time of his death, a cravat. It ſeems the monument was not erected till 1662, when his widow Anna, daughter of Sir William Cockain, lord mayor of London, gave this proof of her affec⯑tion.

[204] She is dreſſed in a looſe gown, and with long flowing treſſes: her hand is on an hour-glaſs; his on a ſcroll: between, is a buſt of a man in long hair: above, are three moſt aukward figures of kneeling women. I muſt not quit the lady, without ſaying ſhe ſuffered, with exemplary patience, a long impriſonment and great confiſcations, on account of the loyalty of her family; which were rewarded with a peerage in the perſon of her ſon Sir William Fermor.

FROM hence I continued my journey ſouthward, and much of the way near the borders of Whittlewood, or Whittlebury Foreſt, WHITTLEBURY FOREST. which ſtill continues wooded for ſeveral miles in length, and of different extents in breadth, in a moſt deep and clayey country. Much of the timber is cut in rotation, but in parts towards the edge of Buckinghamſhire, are conſiderable quantities of good oak. This foreſt remained in the crown till the year 1685, when Henry Fitz-roy, firſt duke of Grafton, was appointed hereditary ranger. The preſent duke hath an elegant houſe, called Wakefield Lodge ^*, originally built by Mr. Claypole, ſon-in-law to Oliver Cromwell, and ranger of the foreſt. This was one of the five tracts, called walks; viz. Wakefield, Shelbrook, Hazelbury, Shrob, and Hanger. Fourteen townſhips are allowed the right of common in the open coppices and ridings, from the principle of juſtice, that ſome re⯑paration might be made to them for the damages ſuſtained by the deer. In this great tract here are two lawns, i. e. ſpots in⯑cloſed with pales, for paſture for the deer: one is Wakefield Lawn, the other Sholbrook Lawn, which are ſecluded from the foreſt cattle.

[205] THAT fierce animal the wild cat, is ſtill met with in this foreſt. In the reign of Richard I. the abbot and convent of Peterborough had a charter for hunting in this place the hare, the fox, and the wild cat; which was confirmed to them, in 1253, by Henry III ^*. By theſe charters, the wild cat ſhould be added to the beaſts of foreſt, or of venerie; which the book of St. Albans, and old Sir Triſtram, in his worthie Treatiſe of Hunting, confined to the hart, the hynde, the hare, the boare, and the wolfe: the hart and hind being ſeparated, becauſe the ſeaſon of hunting them was diffe⯑rent; yet they remain in ſpecies ſtill the ſame. Beaſts of the chace (which was an inferior ſort of foreſt) were the buck, the doe, the fox, the martion, and the roe ^†.

THE fondneſs that ſeized the regular clergy for the pleaſures of the chace, did not appear till after the Conqueſt. The Saxon clergy were expreſsly forbidden the amuſement. King Edgar directs the prieſt ‘to be neither a hunter nor hawker, nor yet a tippler; but to keep cloſe to his books, as becomes a man of his order ^‡.’

THE canon law ſtill preſerved its ſeverity, and forbad to ſpi⯑ritual perſons the amuſement of the chace. This probably was rather deſigned to check what might by the exceſs eſtrange them from their ſacred function. The common law, from a principle of good ſenſe and humanity, permitted the recreation, from theſe ar⯑guments; that nothing could contribute more effectually to the performance of their duty than good health, reſulting from fit ex⯑erciſe; as nothing could diſqualify them ſo greatly as the diſor⯑ders ariſing from a ſedentary life. This indulgence probably [206] ſoon ended in abuſe. In the twelfth century, we find Abelard un⯑happy in preſiding over a monaſtery of huntſmen. Chaucer, as I have before quoted, flings a fine ridicule on the ſporting monk. Finally, the chace became ſo neceſſary an appendage to the ec⯑cleſiaſtical ſtate, that every ſee had a number of parks: that of Norwich, thirteen; and the ſixth mortuary which the king clamed on the death of a prelate, was his kennel of hounds.

PASS by Potters Pery, POTTERS PERY. a village which takes its name from the manufacture of coarſe ware, ſuch as flower-pots, &c. which has been long carried on here. The clay is yellowiſh, pure, and firm; yet the pots made with it are very brittle, unleſs glazed; when they endure the weather as well as any.

THE poſt-road is ſtill continued the whole way on or near the Watling-ſtreet. Near Potters Pery I quitted it, PASSENHAM. through curioſity of viſiting Paſſenham, about a mile or two diſtant, on the banks of the Ouze, near this village. Edward the Elder encamped here to cover his workmen, who were employed in building the walls of Touceſter ^*, from being interrupted by the Danes. A ſquare en⯑trenchment is ſuppoſed to have been caſt up by him, and garri⯑ſoned for that purpoſe.

THE church is ſmall, CHURCH. and without ailes; dedicated to Guth⯑laius, the ſaint of the fens. It was rebuilt in 1626, at the ſole ex⯑pence of Sir Robert Banaſtre. This gentleman was lord of the manor; he died in 1649, aged about eighty. His figure is a half⯑length, with a book in his hand, placed againſt the wall. His epitaph informs us, that he was born at Wem, in Shropſhire; that he was bred at court, and ſerved three princes; that he had three [207] wives, and by the laſt an only daughter, who conveyed the eſtate, by marriage with William lord Maynard, into that family; a younger branch of which poſſeſſes it, as I apprehend, at pre⯑ſent.

I REGAINED the great road, and paſſed through the hamlet of Old Stratford, ſeated on rich meadows, OLD STRATFORD. watered by the Ouze' which riſes in this county, not remote from Brackly. This place is reaſonably ſuppoſed to have been the Lactodorum, or Lactoro⯑dum, of the Itinerary, as the diſtance ſuits extremely well, and Roman coins have been found in the neighboring fields. Anti⯑quaries derive it from Llech dwr, and Llech rhyd: one ſignifying the ſtone on the water; the other, the ſtone on the ford ^*: a name beſtowed on it by the Britons, probably becauſe the bank of the river was marked by a military ſtone on this great military way. I here croſs the river into BUCKINGHAMSHIRE; which, with Bedfordſhire and Hertfordſhire, formed the country of the Catticuchlani. The preſent name is, according to Mr. Camb⯑den, taken from the quantity of beeches found in parts of it; a word derived from the Saxon bucken. Two arguments ſerve to confirm the aſſertion of Caeſar, that this tree was not found in Britain at the time of his invaſion: one is, that the woods of it are merely local, and confined to a very few of our ſouthern counties: the other is, that the Britons had no name for it, but [206] [...] [207] [...] [208] what they derived from the Latin fagus; for they ſtiled it, as we do ſtill, Ffawydden, and Pren ffawydd.

ON croſſing the Ouze I entered Stoney Stratford, STONEY STRATFORD. a town built on each ſide of the Watling-ſtreet. It ſuffered greatly by fire on May the 19th, 1742, which almoſt deſtroyed the whole place; but it was ſoon reſtored by the vigour of Engliſh charity. One church (that of St. Giles) has never been rebuilt; the body of the other (St. Magdalene's) is reſtored in a very handſome manner, by Mr. Irons, architect in Warwick, and, I ſuppoſe, enlarged ſufficiently to ſupply the want of the other. St. Giles's had been a chantry, valued at £20. 2s. 6d. a year; and was at the time of its ruin a curacy: St. Magdalene's was a chapel belonging to Wolverton, but now in the preſentation of the pariſhioners.

MY journey was continued along the Street road to the 47th ſtone, BLECHELEY CHURCH. where, tempted by the ſame of certain monuments in Blecheley church, I digreſſed about a mile and a quarter to the right. I found there a very fine alabaſter tomb of Richard lord Grey of Wilton, TOMB OF LORD GREY. reſtored by the celebrated antiquarian Brown Willis, Eſquire, who added an inſcription, and in the front the arms. From the former we find, that beſides Richard, his ſon Reginald, who died February 22, 1493; and his great granſon Edmund, who died Water-hall, on May 6th 1611; were interred here.

THIS Richard lord Grey, by will, dated at Blecheley, Auguſt 12, 1442, bequeaths his body to be buried in the church of the B. V. Mary of Blecheley; and directs his executors to find a prieſt, for four years, to perform divine ſervice in the ſaid church for his ſoul; and that they make a tomb of alabaſter or marble, accor⯑ding to his ſtate and degree. He bequeaths to the lady Mar⯑garet [209] his wife, his mano [...] of B [...]y-hall, in Eſſex, for life. The reſidue of his lands and goods he gives to his executors, to diſ⯑po [...]e of for the health of his ſoul; viz. the lady Margaret Grey, [...] Darcy, Eſquire. John [...]ethal, Eſquire, Roger Eton Clere, rector of Blecheley, and William Barker ^*.

THE tomb is of alabaſter: his figure is armed, his hair cropt, his face without a beard; round his neck is a collar of SS, and round the lower part of his armour is another collar of jewels, in the midſt of which is a ſmall ſhield with the croſs St. George; for he was made Knight of the Garter by Richard II. On the fingers of his left hand are not fewer than ſix rings.

NOTWITHSTANDING it may be thought tedious to many, yet I cannot forbear deſcribing two monuments, full of the faſhionable [...]blem, p [...]n, and quibble of the times. The firſt is in memory of THOMAS SPARKE, S. S^ee. Theol. Dr. [...]le [...]er bujus eccle. reb [...]or vi⯑ [...]iſſimus, DR. SPARKE. as inſcribed round the oval that contains his figure. A little altar with ſparkling flames is placed near his name. The monument is a ſmall but extremely neat one of braſs ſet in a white marble frame: on the top is the creſt, a demi [...]albot ram⯑pant, ſtudded with [...]orteauxes, and ſparks of fire iſſuing from his mouth [...] on the braſs is finely engraven an altar-tomb, on the ta [...]e of which is an urn, with ſparks iſſuing from the mouth; and on the [...]elly is written

Non extincta, ſepulta licet; S [...]i [...]tilla favilla eſt.

ON the [...] ſide of the urn ſtands Death, in [...]rm of a ſkeleton, [...] a ſpade, on the flat part of which, going to cover the mouth of the urn, is wrote Mors teg [...]; and an angel in the he hea⯑vens [210] founding a trumpet, from the end of which iſſues theſe words, Retege [...] [...]untius iſ [...]e [...]; and on a ſ [...]r [...], in the ſame ha [...] is written, Iſ [...]a cadu [...] ro [...] eſt: juſt above which, in the other hand of the angel, is a freſh-blown roſe, inſcribed Sed [...], about the angel's head, and in the clouds, are ſeveral ſta [...] and quite at top is written, Qu [...] [...]ultos ad juſt [...]m, [...] ſ [...]ell [...] ſemper ſpl [...]ndebunt.

[...], with her uſual attributes of ears, eyes, and tongue [...] blowing a trumpet, ſtanos on the other ſide of the urn. On each ſide of her are two ſcrolls: o [...] one [...]s▪ ‘Vindex fam [...] li [...]ros ſa [...]a [...]l to [...]lit ab ur [...]a.’ on the other, ‘Si [...] S [...]ntilla micat quem tegit atra cinis.’

Fame holds in one hand a book, near the mouth of the [...] on which is written Funer [...] Sermons. On other books, ſcat [...] about are inſcribed, A Perſuaſive to Conformity; A comfort [...] [...]reatiſe for a troubled [...], Motives to Qu. Elizabeth for Succeſſor, A Treatiſe of Ca [...]chiſing; A Confutation of J. Albin [...]word out of the mouth of the trumpet, The high way to Heaven. Th [...] were the works of the Doctor, who was a moſt famous contro [...] [...]ia [...]ut, in the reign [...] of Elizabeth and [...] I. He is engraven [...] front of the tomb, a half-lenght, in gown, caſſock, ſcarf, ſcull- [...] ruff, and ſquare beard. On each ſide of him is a ſhield: on o [...] is [...]: on the other, [...] a noſtr [...] ſunt ſpiritual [...]. [...] ſide of the figure are three clergymen in their habits, [...] with a church o [...] each; and beyond them two women in high crowned hats. Theſe five were h [...]s children, whom he ad [...] [211] [...]es, Filioli cavete vobis ab idolis; and above their heads are [...] lines:

[...] the other ſide of his picture are repreſented his pariſhioners, [...] theſe verſes:

[...] Doctor died in 1616; his wife the year before. Luckily, [...] was Roſe; which afforded freſh matter of alluſions.

[...] is in memory of Mrs Fa [...]h Taylor, wife of Mr. [...], miniſter of the pariſh, with many pretty ſportings [...] Fa [...]th; but the dulneſs of this ſpecies of epitaph has [...] [...]me, as I fear it has the reader, that I dare not venture [212] on the tranſcript of [...]hat was probably [...]uch admired at the p [...] ⯑ [...] of [...].

I [...] I got into [...] great road at Fenny Stratfford, FENNY [...]. [...] from its [...] The chapel, which is in the par [...]ſ [...] [...] as [...] at the expence of Mr. [...] His [...] was nea [...] the church [...] for the works of his own hands, he [...] the Reverend Mr. William Cole, the [...] [...] of the pariſh, the following inſcription; which Mr. Cole was requeſted to [...] to be inſcribed on a white marble ſtone [...]i [...]cered with [...]ck, to be laid over him in this chapel.

ON the [...] are the [...] of all benefactors of ten pounds [...] upwards The chapel had been originally a chantry ^*. [...] was dedicated to St. Martin, out of reſpect [...] who happened to die on that day. The ſame [...] [213] phyſician firſt made a ſettlement in this pariſh, by the purchaſe of the manor of Blecheley, and that of Fenny Stratford, from the [...] George Villiers duke of Buckingham.

FROM hence I kept a gentle aſcent to Little B [...]ckhill, ſeated on the ſleep of a long range of ſand-hills, divided by pleaſant [...] dingles, which extend for a conſiderable way, and form a any frontier at this end of the county. Very ſoon after my [...]age over them, I entered the county of BEDFORD, [...] keep as far as Dunſtable on the Wa [...]ling-ſtreet, which goes di⯑ [...] to this town. In the beginning it croſſes a moſt undula [...]ed [...]. On the right are the woods and park of Battleſdon, a ſeat [...] [...]rs. Page. In the bottom go through Hockley in the Hole; HOCKLEY. [...] range of houſes, moſtly inns, built on each ſide of the [...] The Engliſh rage of novelty is ſtrongly tempted by one ſa⯑ [...] publican, who informs us on his ſign, of news-papers [...] to be ſeen at his houſe every day in the week.

[...], place, whoſe proper name is Occleie, or Hockeliff, HOCKELIFF. was [...], with a maſter and ſeveral brethren, dedicated to [...] Baptiſt ^*. In 1 [...]83 here was a [...]eudal of quarrel, between [...] of the priory of D [...]nſtaple and thoſe of William de [...], a potent baron; in which one John the Smith was [...] on the ſide of the priory, and Thomas Muſta [...]a, a fierce [...] o [...] the other ^†. In old times, theſe were very frequent, [...] fatal: men were always formed into [...]rties, and ready [214] to [...]rſue the moſt bloody ends on the moſt trivial occa⯑ſions.

TWO miles farther, [...] I reached the foot of Chalkhill, formerly of a tremendous ſteepneſs, and the terror of country paſſengers; at preſent formed into an eaſy aſcent. This is the firſt ſpecimen the traveller [...] with of the great chalky ſtr [...]um which interſect [...] the kingdom. A lint drawn from Dorcheſter, in the county of Dorſet, to the county of Norfolk, would include all the chalky be [...] of the kingdom; for none is found in any quantity to the weſt of that line. This earth was of great eſtimation, and an ar⯑ticle of comm [...]ce in the times of the Romans. The workers in it ha [...] [...] their goddeſs Nehele [...]nia, who preſided over it. To her [...] we find this votive altar,

AFTER deſcending the [...]ll, [...] I turned about half a mile out of [...] to viſit M [...]e [...]' [...] Bower, a very large Daniſh camp of [...], ſurrounded with a great rampart with a ditch [...] ſide [...] on a plain with a portion verging towards a [...]. Its hiſtory is unknown, yet mer [...]ts a [...] the [...] of the [...]nes are not very common [...].

[...], [...] enter Dunſtable, a long town, [...] ſide of the Wa [...]ling ſtreet, and interſected in the midd [...] [...] [215] [...]e I [...]nield-ſtreet. This town had been the Magiovinum, or Magi⯑ [...], of the Itinerary: and probably had four port [...], anſwerable [...] the great [...]oads. The Icknield-ſtreet iſſues out on the north ſide of the church. Antiquarians derive the name, very properly, from Maes Gwyn, or the wh [...]e field, from the color of the chalky [...]. Roman money has been found about the place, which the country people call ma [...]ing money: which, as Dr. Stukely obſerves, [...] have no reference to Maiden's Bower, which belonged to an⯑other people. But on a hill, called Caſtle-hill, about half a mile well of it, is a Roman camp: within which, near one end, is a [...] mount, very hollow in the top; and near the outſide of one of the ramparts is a deep hole, probably the place of the draw⯑ [...]. The whole ſtands on a [...]t [...]ep promontory, projecting weſt⯑ [...].

[...] was certainly occupied by the Saxons, after the de⯑ [...] of the Romans. We can indeed only argue from the pre⯑ [...] [...] Du [...]-Staple, the mart near the hill. We cannot allow [...] ſh [...]gend, that it was called Dun's Stable, or the ſtable [...] of that name. It probably was a waſte at the time [...] Conqueſt, as many places were, and might become a har⯑ [...] [...], by reaſon of the woods with which the country [...]. This determined Henry I. to colonize the ſpot; [...] that purpoſe, he encouraged people by proclamation to [...] and, in order to deſtroy the ſhelter which the foreſt [...], directed the woods to be grubbed up. He alſo [...] [...]oyal palace, called Kingſbury ^*, which ſtood near the [...] and whoſe ſite is now occupied by a farm-houſe. Here [216] he kept his Chriſtmas in 1123, with his whole court, and received at the ſame time the embaſſy from the earl of Anjou ^*. He ma [...] the town a borough, beſtowed o [...] it a fair and a market, and va⯑rious other privileges; particularly, that the inhabitants ſhould not be [...] to be called before the [...]iner [...]t juſtices, but that [...] cauſes ſhould be determined by the juſtices of the king, [...] a jury of twe [...]ve of the burgeſſes ^†. He kept the town [...] in [...]is own hands, and then beſtowed it, with all [...] prive⯑leges (re [...]r [...]ng only his royal reſidence) on the priory, [...] founded here ſome time after the year 1 [...]31, for black [...] honor of St. Peter. At the time of the diſſolution, here [...] prio [...] and twelve canons, whoſe revenues, according to [...] were £344. 13s. 3 d. a year: to Speed, £40 [...]. 14s. 7 d.

THE laſt prior [...] [...]rv [...]ſe Markham, [...] who, with his canon [...] [...]ſcribes to the king's ſupremacy in 1534; and on the diſſolu⯑tion [...] had a penſion of ſixty pounds a year for life. His reward was the greater, as his conven [...] was the reſidence of the commi [...] [...] for carrying on the divorce between Henry VIII. and Catharine of Arragon; in which he took an active part ^‡. The unfortunate princeſs at that time reſided at Ampthill. [...] neighborhood.

THE church, CHURCH. and an arch in the wall adjoining, are the only [...] ⯑mains of the prio [...]. The front of the church is ſingular, [...] a gallery d [...]vided [...]y c [...]rved gothic arches: a great door with round arch richly c [...]rved with ſcrolls and ovals, including [...] figures. [...] [...]pitals of the pillars cut into groteſque forms. [217] The leſſer door is gothic, richly ornamented with nail heads. Between both doors is a row of falſe arches interlaced; the co⯑ [...] conſiſt of very ſingular greater and leſſer joints, placed alternate, not unlike one ſpecies of the foſſils called en⯑ [...].

THE ſteeple is attached to one ſide of the front, and has two [...] of niches,STEEPLE. now deprived of their ſtatues. Formerly [...] towe [...] correſponded with this: both fell down in [...] and deſtroyed the prior's hall and part of the church ^*. [...] body was rebuilt in 1273, by the pariſhioners; but one [...] Ch [...]de went to the greateſt expence ^†. The inſide of the church is ſupported with ſix round arches, all plain except one: the windows above are alſo round at the [...]op. Either the date [...] the rebuilding is wrong, or the Saxon or round-arched mode and have continued longer than is generally allowed.

THE church had been originally in form of a croſs, with a [...] the center. Two of the vaſt pillars which ſupported it [...] to be ſeen at the eaſt end.

ABOVE the altar in a large and handſome painting of the Laſt [...]pper; which, with [...] plate and [...]ch pulpit-cloth, were [...] two maiden ſiſters, of the name of Carter.

I [...]ITTED in its place a viſit made to the priory by Henry III. [...] family; when the monks preſented the king with a gilt [...] and the queen with another; and gave his ſon Edward and daughter Margaret a gold claſp apiece. In return, the royal vi⯑ [...] beſtowed on the church eight pieces of ſilk; and the king [...] for the making of a thuribule and a pix ^‡.

[218] I [...] with ſome a [...]i [...]nt tombs, [...] dated between the years 1400 and 1500▪ but none of dignity ſufficient to be mentioned. Sir [...]'s [...]amous pedigree-book has preſerved one, in me⯑mory of William M [...]lſ [...] and his wife ^*. Both are dreſſed in their [...] their [...]and in the [...]titule of pr [...]ver. At their feet [...] group of [...], another of ſeven daughters. The [...] of th [...] four evangeliſts are placed at the corners. [...]etween their [...]eet were theſe lines:

THIS gentleman was [...], in the county of Northhamp⯑ [...] The name of the [...], [...] Marmore. This ſeems to have been [...] [...]hem [...] celebrates for having three times, three children [...], and twice five children ^† I ſuppoſe they muſt [...] by [...] and h [...]band; for the pedigree gives her but [...] ^‡.

BESIDES the religious houſe, was one of friars preachers, who [...]ttled here about 1 [...]59. It was valued only at £4. 18s. 4d; and at the diſſolution its ſite was granted to Sir William Herbert. Theſe brethren as the Chronicle ſays, came ſorely againſt the will of the [...]; but by their intereſt with [...] queen, and courtiers, got leave to ſtay here.^‖. It ſeems the inhabitants of the priory did not like ſuch [219] inſinuating interlopers as Chaucer deſcribes this order to have been, who were ſure to win all the penitent males and fe⯑males.

HERE was a houſe or hoſpital for lepers. Whether it was the ſame with that marked at the poſt-houſe, a mile weſt of the town, in the new map, I cannot determine.

THE ſchools here were probably conſiderable; for I find the quarrels between the ſcholars and the townſmen important enough to be mentioned in the Chronicle.

THIS town is now ſupported chiefly by the great paſſage of travellers. A ſmall neat manufacture of ſtraw hats, and baſkets, and toys, maintains many of the poor. In old time the brew⯑eries raiſed many of the inhabitants to great wealth. We are told by Hollinſhed of one William Murlie, an eminent brewer in this town, who fallied out in the time of Henry V. to join the fooliſh inſurrection of the Lollards, near London, followed with two led horſes with gilt trappings. He alſo took with him a pair of gilt ſpurs, ready to wear on his receiving from lord Cobham the ho⯑nor of knighthood ^*; but had the hard luck to be taken and hung, with them about his neck.

ABOUT four miles from Dunſtable I paſſed by Market Cell, MARKET CELL. at preſent a gentleman's ſeat; formerly a nunnery of Benedictines, dedicated to the Holy Trinity of the Wood. Legend aſcribes its [220] origin to Roger, a monk of St. Alban, who, on his return from Jeruſalem, led here an eremetical life; and, taking under his care Chriſtina, a rich virgin of Huntingdon, inſpired her with the ſame contempt of the world. She ſucceeded to his cell, and many temptations reſiſted, many divine viſions viſited by, and many miracles wrought in her favor ^*. She was patronized by Geoffry, elected abbot of St. Albans in 1119, who built and endowed a houſe, and conſtituted Chriſtina firſt abbeſs. The ſite of ſome adjoining lands were the gift of the dean and chapter of Saint Paul ^†; but the reſt of the pious work reſulted ſolely from the abbot, who twice rebuilt the ſame, after it had ſuffered by fire ^‡: but Mathew Paris complains, that all this was done at the ex⯑pence of the convent of St. Albans, and even without its con⯑ſent ^‖, to the great injury of the church. In the time of Henry VIII. Humphry Boucher ^§, ‘baſe ſunne to the late Berners, did much coſte in tranſlating of the priory into a maner place;’ i. e. converting it into a manſion for himſelf, but left it un⯑finiſhed. It probably was granted to him; but it afterwards was beſtowed by Edward VI. on George Ferrers ^**. At the diſſolution it was valued by Dugdale at £.114. 16s. 1d. a year; by Speed at £.143. 18s. 3d.

IT appears that theſe religious were grievouſly oppreſſed by a neighboring knight; of whom they complained in certain lines too ludicrous to be inſerted ^*†. Whether they got any redreſs does not appear.

[221] AFTER paſſing through the village of the ſame name, built on each ſide of the Watling-ſtreet road, I entered the county of HERTFORD; and near the twenty-eighth mile-ſtone leave on the right Flam⯑ſted, FLAMSTED. where ſtood a ſmall priory of Benedictine nuns, founded in the time of king Stephen, by Roger de Tonei. The manor had been granted by the Conqueror to Ralph de Tonei. His predeceſſor was a Saxon knight, called Thurnoth, who, with the true ſpirit of the times, engaged with thirteen ſoldiers, Waldef, and Thurman, to protect all paſſengers from the thieves and wild beaſts which then infeſted the road; and in time of war, to protect the church of St. Albans with all their might. Leofftan, abbot of that convent in the time of the Confeſſor, facilitated the undertaking, by cut⯑ting down the great woods on the ſide of the Watling-ſtreet, which gave ſhelter to robbers. He beſtowed on Thurnoth this manor; who, in return, preſented Leofftan with five ounces of gold and a fair palfrey. Thurnoth, at the Conqueſt, reſiſted the power of the Norman invader; who beſtowed it on de Tonei; who directed that the ſame ſervices ſhould be ſtrictly performed to the abbey ^*.

ABOUT three miles further, go through Redburn, a ſmall town, REDBURN. built like the former, on each ſide of the antient road. At this place was diſcovered the bones of St. Amphibalus, the noble Bri⯑ton, [222] who lodging at the houſe of St. Alban, at Verulam, proved the means of his converſion. In the Diocleſian perſecution he was diligently ſought after; but St. Alban, generouſly determined not to give up his gueſt, promoted his eſcape by putting on his pre⯑ceptor's cloak, and ſuffering himſelf to be ſeized by the ſoldiers in his ſtead ^*. Amphibalus for a time evaded their fury; but was at length ſeized, and underwent a moſt cruel death ^†, on the ſpot on which his pious convert was martyred. The Chriſtians ſtole the body, and gave it a private interment at this place. In 1178, the reliques were removed to St. Albans, enſhrined near thoſe of his fellow-ſufferer; and a prior and three monks, with 20s. a year, were appointed guardians of the ſacred depoſit. I am ſorry to find, that, after all, the very exiſtence of this Saint is doubted; for there are ſome who believe that the Saint was no more than an amphibalus, a long cloak, which St. Alban, be⯑fore he went to execution, threw about him; which being at length perſonified, was canonized, and received into the Ka⯑lendar ^‡.