of good reward singular commendation for it You the motioners in the reading shall receiue great pleasure by it the rest of the GentlemeÌ„ of this Realme that of themselfes see what things in their awne couÌ„tries are of gretest fame now by that boke shal know what those things and other things were long agone must needes with great delight receiue it and surely being as he is vnto mee a very deere freende for myne awne parte J meane also God willing vpon some fit occasion with my request to further it The xvj of Aprill 1576. Your Countrey man and very louing friende J W ¶ GVLIELMVS FLETEwodus Vrbis Londinensis Recordator ad candidum Lectorem EN tibi Lector adest series dignissima reruÌ„ Canticolûm si nôsse cupis pia stemmata siue Si tibi sacra placent horum coÌ„mixta prophanis Siue meare libet per compita flumina pontes Seu reserare velis septem diademata regum Cuncta Topographia hac LaÌ„bardus pingit apertè Jngenio rarus grauis arte labore notandus Cuius mellifluo debet nunc Cantia libro Plurima myriades rerum dum ventilat aptè Quas benè si capias habet hic cuÌ„ foenore sorteÌ„ The Saxon Characters and their values Characters values a a b b c c d d e e f f g g h h i i k k l l m m n n o o p p q q r r s s s s t t u u Æ¿ w x x y y z z The abbreuiations Their values and ê§ that ð th þ th à th g ge The pointes Comma which is marked after the common periode thus Periode whiche is here signed as the Greeke interrogatiue thus SVndry faultes gentle Reader haue we vnwillingly coÌ„mitted in this Booke imprinted in the absence of the Authour Of these some do blemish only the beautie of our owne workmanship others do offend against the lawes of Orthographie Some doe shrewdly peruert the sense of the writer and will stay thee others doe vtterly euert his meaning and will muche trouble thee Suche therefore as be most daungerous we haue here set before thine eye beseeching thee to amende them with thine owne pen before thou enter into the Booke The whiche labour we doubt not but thou wilt the more willingly vndertake in this one copie when thou shalt haue rightly weighed what a worke it woulde be for vs to perfourme it in sixe hundreth bookes Pag Lin. Error Correction 2 4 Sctos Scots 7 3 Zenagogus Xenagogus 48 6 bropam Broxam  29 Haniswel Hamswell   Southfrith for Southfrith forest 54  adde Wye to the Scholes there    Richard Agall Richard Argall 56 17 Syr Humfrey Iilbert S. Humfrey Gilbert   adde Iohn French to the names in F. there  57  William Lambade William Lambarde 58  adde S. Walt. Waller to the names in W.  60 27 in Latine into Latine 64 29 Kenulfus Kenulfus   Amend the nuÌ„bers of the. 2. pages folowing nexte after the page 67.  76 1 take out this Malm. Couent  77 13 partly for the. partly by the. 78 5 Æ¿aenEt þaenEt  22 Æ¿aenEt þaenEt 84 20 Leoswine Leoswine 103 27 Symon Barley Symon Burley 108 1 then were appoin that were appointed 109 18 Aulaf Anlaf 110 15 Syphinus Syphnius 112 34 whiche drewe withdrewe 119 1 Dorus. Doris 121 16 kept till keepe till  32 a Captaine a Captiue 122 20 and speede and sped 123 20 Borieux Baieux 124 8 Borieux Baieux 126 5 tenure terrour  28 contained continued 128 32 a newe worke the newe worke 130 2 port sayle portsale  3 crowne landes Crownelandes 131 18 strengthened straightned 135 27 a litle a title 136 12 you knowe of you knowe out of  34 to edifie to deifie 137 22 shriued shryned 142 15 had at Rumney did at Rumney  21 vpon theÌ„ to the laste man. vpon them and slue them to the last maÌ„ 143 16 Badhenham Hadhenham 147 3 to the wood into the wood  13 in a place stronger stronger in a place 150 32 had receiued her had recouered her 155 2 then order then ordered 156 19 Borieux Baieux 159 17 vsed in haue vsed in   After the page 160. amende the numbers of the next eight pages following  161 3 to the very end to the very same end 162 9 landed in Pontein landed in Pontieu  10 angeon poieton angeou poietou  24 and conuerture and couerture 163 15 eight carnes eight Carews 166 18 procured the Pope procured of the Pope 167 18 conteined foure contented foure 169 8 in weald in the weald 174 34 pronounce it of pronounce of 177 10 and in a companie and in the company 178 3 Augustine Augustines 180 15 cydÆ¿itE cyldÆ¿itE 181 10 possession profession 182 29 take out these foure words as it is sure  187 25 if you offer if you offered 190 11 Kemsley towne Kemsley downe 191 18 harted in his harted to his 192 7 preachment after in which after 193 11 exercerentur exercentur 195 2 þƿangcEastsE þƿangcEastrE  15 Thongraster or Thwangraster Thongcaster or Thwangcaster 209 29 the very first their very first   After the page 211. amende the numbers of the two next pages following  214 10 not greatly not greedely 219 8 Kings reward Kings awarde 220 13 on the otherside they on the other side 222 13 church adioyning churches adioyning 228 18 chart of donation charter of donation 229 8 the iustice of the iniustice of 233 31 hath nowe susteined hath susteined 236 6 dissolued the. dissolued there  13 and like the. and let the. 241 22 Claredowne Clarendune 243 19 writeth it twyteth it 244 26 not their manner not the manner 247 6 was giuen then was giuen them 251  in the margine S. Sepulchres S. Stephans 252 29 to maugre his myter race maugre his myter to race 261 26 gotten by patterne gotten by periurie 262 34 with might with night 264 18 sufficiently defended sufficiently defenced 270 5 and yet loste and yet lefte 271 13 recitall of the recitall of  22 Gibmandus Gibmundus 272 2 Alstanns Aelsstanus  15 Gualeramus Gualerannus 273 1 and there it is and there is 276 28 Cadishe Achates 279 16 tythed the number tythed that number 282 25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  33 displeasure receiued displeasure coÌ„ceiued 283 4 pountion pountion  12 pountion pountion 289 2 againe the Britons against the Britons  6 stede of Horse stede of Horsa   In the margine of the page Horstede borne in Horstede barne nere 295 23 lesse worthy lesse worth 296 19 Borieux Baieux 297 13 strengthened straightened 299 29 accomplement accouplement 304 8. 9 debet sull debet 3. sull  15 de Althe de Athle  24 Nedestane Medestane  27 Heyburne Heyhorne 313 19 and. 2. Ric. 2. 316 26 wearinesse warinesse 317 11 as is in as he is in 318 16 put our seales put to our seales 325 12 that number
Robertus de Winchelsey a notable traitor to the King true seruant to the Pope  19. Thomas de Cobham elected but refused by the Pope he was cōmōly called Bonus Clericus   1312. Walterus Reignold  14. 1328. Symon de Mepham 5. Thus farre out of the Storie of Couentrie 1334. Iohānes de Stratford  29. 1350. Iohannes Offord or Vfford   Thomas Bradwardine he erected the Black friars in London   1350. Symon Islepe he foūded Canterbury Colledge in Oxford  17. 1367. Symon Langham  2. 1369. Wilhelmus Witlesey  5. 1375. Symon Sudbury  6. 1381. Wilhelmus Courtenay  15. 1396. Thomas Arundel attainted of treason by Parleament in the one and twentie yere of Richard the second  18. Rogerus Walden in the exile of Arundel but deposed Then made Bishop of London againe deposed and dyed in the seuenth yeare of Henrie the fourth   1414. Henricus Chicheley built Alsoules and S. Iohns Colledge in Oxford and the Colledge of Higham  29. 1443. Iohannes Stafford  8. 1452. Ioannes Kempe  3. 1455. Thomas Bourchier  33. 1486. Ioannes Moorton buylded muche at Knol and repayred Lambeth  14. Thomas Langton elected but he dyed before cōsecration   1500. Henricus Deane or Deny  ◠ Willielmus Warham builded Otforde house  28.  Thomas Cranmer he was burned for the trueth    Reginaldus Poole  3. Mathaeus Parker   Thus haue you the succession of seuentie Archbishops in the recital whereof I doe of purpose spare to dispute the variance arising amongst writers as touching the continuance true times of their gouernment whiche discrepance groweth partly for the defaulte of the auctors themselues not obseruing the due accompte of yeares and partly by the vnskil of suche as haue vntruly copied out their woorkes I willingly reserue also for other places sundrie the hystories of their liues and doinges bothe bicause I thinke it fruitlesse to reconcile suche manner of disagréements and also for that as I saide before of the Kings I déeme it impertinent to my purpose to speake further of any thing then the very place in hand shall iustly giue me occasion It followeth therefore that according to promise I handle suche particular places within this Diocese as are mentioned in hystorie in whiche treatie I will obserue this order First to begin at Tanet and to peruse the East and Southe shores til I come to the limits betwéen this Shyre Sussex then to ascend Northward and to visits such places as lye along the bounds of this Diocess Rochester returning by the mouth of Medwey to Tanet again whiche is the whole circuite of this Bishopricke and lastly to describe suche places as lye in the body and midest of the same Tanet called in Brytish Inis Rhuochym of the Shore Rutupi it is named of some writers in Latine or rather Greeke Thanatos in Saxon tenet in stead of ƿaenet IVlius Solinus in his description of England saith thus of Tanet Thananatos nullo serpitur angue asportata inde terra angues necat There be no snakes in Tanet saith he the earth that is brought from thence will kill them But whether he wrote this of any sure vnderstanding that he had of the quality of the soyle or onely by coniecture at the woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Gréeke signifieth death or killing I wote not much lesse dare I determine bycause hitherto neither I my selfe haue heard of any Region hereabout onely Ireland excepted which beareth not both snakes and other venemous wormes neither am I yet persuaded that this place borowed the name out of the Gréeke but rather tooke it of the propre language of this oure natiue countrie For ƿaenet in the Saxon or olde Engglishe tongue soundeth as muche as moysted or watered whiche deriuation howe well it standeth with the situation of Tanet being Peninsula and watered in manner round about I had rather without reasoning referre to euery mans iudgement then by debate of many woordes eyther to trouble the reader or to interrupt mine owne order Leauing the name therefore I will resorte to the thing and shewe you out of Beda and others the content and stoarie of this I le There lyeth saieth Beda speaking of the place where King Ethelbert entertained Augustine in the East part of Kent an Iland called Tanet conteining after the manner of the Englishe accompte sixe hundred families or Hides of land as the Saxon booke of Beda hath whiche be in deede after the opinion of auncient writers plough landes It is diuided from the continent or mayne land by the riuer called Wantsume whiche is about thrée furlongs broade and to bee passed ouer in two places onely Hereunto if you adde the opinion of Polydore the description wil be the more euident It conteyneth saith he about nyne myles in length and not muche lesse in breadth and it was some time diuorced from the continent by a water but nowe it is almoste vnited againe Thus muche for the description As touching the hystorie you may read in Geffray of Mōmouth that after such time as the Brytons had deposed Vortiger their King for that he brought in the Saxons whiche beganne soone after theyr entrie to shewe themselues in déede suche as they were in name not shieldes against the Pictes and Scots but swords to shead the Brittan bloud Vortimer his sonne whome they places in his seate so streightned the Saxons in this I le the whiche as William of Malmesbury writeth Vortiger had giuen them to inhabite at their first Arriuall that for a colour they sent Vortiger to treate with him of peace and in the meane whyle for feare conueyed them selues into theyr Shippes and Sayled homewarde againe The same Authour reporteth that after this Cador the Duke of Cornewall by commaundemente of King Arthur chased the Saxons into Tanet where he slewe Childric their leader and receiued many of the residue to grace and mercy Howbeit the Saxons themselues after that in processe of time they had gotten the dominion ouer the Britons enioyed not the possession of Tanet in much better quiet then the Britons had done before them For in the dayes of King Athulf the father of Alfred the Danes fought in Tanet against Ealhere the Duke or captain of Kent and Huda the Duke of Surrey slaying them bothe ouerthrewe their powers and possessed the I le After this in the time of the same King they soiourned with theyr armie a whole wynter in Tanet and lastly in the reigne of King Etheldred they herried spoyled and sacked it in suche sort that the religious persons were constrained to abandon the place for I finde that shortly after King Canutus gaue the body of Mildred and all the landes belonging to Mynster Abbay that thē was in this Ile to the Monkes of saint Augustines at Canterbury But for asmuche as good order requireth that I should tell you of the foundation before I
Dert Stourmouth in this Shyre of Stowre and such other like And no lesse common with vs of later time is it to corrupt by contraction the true names almoste of al places but especially of so many of the same as consisted at the first of thrée sillables or aboue For of Medweys Towne we make Maidstone of Eglesford Ailsford of Ottanford Otford of Seuennocke Sennock and so foorth infinitely bothe throughout this Shire and the whole Realme and that so rudely in a great many that hardly a man may know them to be the same For Maildulphesbyrig we call Malmesbury Eouesham Esham and Hagustaldsham we cut of by the waste and nickname it Hexam Neyther hath this our manner of abbreuiation corrupted the names of townes contagion almoste our whole speache language calling that which in old time was Heofod now Head Kyning King Hlaford Lord Sunu Sonne and in numerable suche other so that our spéech at this day for the moste part consisteth of wordes of one sillable Whiche thing Erasmus obseruing merily in his Ecclesiast Compareth the Englishe tongue to a Dogges barking that soundeth nothing els but Baw waw waw in Monosillable If this roueing arrow of mine own coniecture haue missed the marke of Glademouth wherat I directed my shotte yet will I pricke at Yenlade with an other out of the same quiuer and happely go nearer it Beda speaketh there of the Northeast mouth of the floud Genlade whiche speache of his were ydle if that water had none other mouthe but that one And therefore hauing read that the Northwest month of the same water running betwéene Shepey Hoo is called Yenlade also though our Statute bookes misplacing some letters name it corruptly Yendal I suppose that Yenlade is a name proper to the whole streame that passeth betwéene Shepey and the maine Land hauing the two mouths Eastswale and Westswale well inough knowne Reculuers in Saxon Raculf Mynster deriued as I gesse of the Brittish woord Racor that signifieth forward for so it standeth toward the Sea. THe present estate of Reculuers deserueth not many words As touching the antiquitie therefore and beginning of the place I read first that Ethelbert â—he first King of Kent hauing placed Augustine at Canterbury withdrewe himselfe to Reculuer and there erected a Palaice for him self and his successours Furthermore that Ecgbrighte the seuenth King of Kent in succession after Hengist gaue to one Bassa the land at Reculuer to builde him a Mynster vpon whiche stoode at the one side of the water Wantsume that ranne two sundrie ways into the Sea and made Tanet an Iland And finally that not long after the same time one Brightwald being Abbat there was aduaunced to the Archebishopricke of Canterbury was the first o al the SaxoÌ„ Nation that aspired to that dignitie In which behalf Reculuers how poore and simple soeuer otherwise hath as you sée somewhat whereof to vaunt it selfe As it may also of the body of Ethelbert the second a King of Kent whiche as the Annales of Saint Augustines report remaineth likewise interred there Thus haue I walked about this whole Diocoese now therefore let me cutte ouer to Watlingstreete whiche I will vse for my way to Rochester and tell you of the places that lye on eche side But first heare I pray you of Stouremouthe and Wyngham which be in my way to Watlingstreate Stouremouthe in Latine Ostium Sturae that is to say the mouth of the Riuer Stoure KIng Alfred hauing many times and that with much losse more dauÌ„ger encountred his enemies the Danes finding that by reason of the sundrie swarmes of them arriuing in diuers parts of his Realme at once he was not able to repulse them beeing landed he rigged vp a royall Nauie and determined to kéep the highe Seas hoping thereby either to beate them vpon the water or to burne their vessels if they should fortune to arriue Soone after this it fortuned his Nauie to meete with the Danish fléete at the mouth of the Riuer Stoure where at the first enccunter the Danes lost sixtéene saile of their ships But as many times it falleth out that securitie foloweth victory so the Kings armie kept no watch by reason whereof the Danes hauing repaired their forces came freshly vpon the Englishe Mariners at vnwares and finding them fast a sléepe gaue them a great and bloudie ouerthrowe The likenesse or rather the agréement of the names would leade a man to thinke that the true place of this conflict should be Stouremouthe in this Shyre the rather for that it is deriued of the mouth of the riuer Stoure and that by the circumstance of the storie it appeareth that King Alfred was in Kent when he made determination of this iourney Howbeit he that shall aduisedly read the storie as it is set downe by Asserus shall confesse it to haue béen in Eastangle whiche conteined Norfolke and Suffolke c. And for the more certeinty I take it to haue chaunced at the same place whiche we nowe call Harwiche Hauen For that Riuer diuideth Essex from Suffolk and not farre from the head therof in Essex there standeth a Towne yet called Sturmere whiche in my fantasie sufficiently mainteineth the knowledge of this matter Thus muche I thought fitte to say of the name Stowremouth least otherwise the Reader whome I would kéepe within the limits of Kent might be shipped in the boate of this errour and be soudainly caried from me Againe it shall not be amisse for the better vnderstanding of this selfe same Hystorie penned by Henrie Huntingdon to note that in this place he calleth the Danes not Paganos as in the rest of his book he vseth but by a strange name Wicingas as the Saxon Chronicles in report of the same matter do terme theÌ„ which word I thinke he tooke out of some Saxon Chronicle that he followed and happely vnderstood not what it signified For if he had why should he not rather since he wrote Latine haue called them Piratas as the woord in deede meaneth and as Asserus in the rehersall of the same fight had done before him It may be that he was a Norman borne but truly I suppose rather that the Saxon speach was well nighe worne out of vre in the reigne of King Stephan vnder whome he liued seeing that euen immediatly after the comming in of the Conquerour it began to decline For it is plaine that the Normans at the very first entrie laboured by al means to supplant the English and to plante their owne language amongst vs and for that purpose they both gaue vs the lawes and all manner of pastimes in the French tongue as he that will peruse the Lawes of the Conquerour and consider the termes of Hawking Hunting Tenise Dice playe and other disportes shall easily perceaue They reiected also the Saxons Characters all that their wonted manner of writing as writeth Ingulphus the Abbat of Croyland whiche came ouer with them and as a man
may yet sée in the booke of Domesday it self which notwithstanding that it was written within a few yeares after the arriual of the Conquerour yet being penned by Normans it reteineth very few letters of the Saxon Alphabet Thus farre by occasion of the water Stoure in Suffolke as touching the course of our owne Riuer of the same caling which bothe giueth the present name of Stourey Stouremouthe and the olde name to Canterbury also I will referre you wholy to the Map of this Shyre VVingham BEsides the statelie and Princelike Palaices at Canterbury Maidstone Otford Knoll Croyden and Lamb-hythe which the Archbishops of this Shyre kept in their handes bothe to perfourme their set solemnities of housekeping and to soiourne at with their whole traines when they traueiled toward the Court and Parleament or remained for busines about the same they had also of auncient time diuers other Manor houses of lesse cost and capacitie planted in diuers partes of this Countrie in whiche they vsed to breathe themselues after their great feasts and affaires finished and to lodge at when they trauailed the Countrie to make their visitations Of this number amongst other were Foorde Charte Charing Charteham Tenham and this our Wingham at the whiche Baldwyne the Archebishop in the Reigne of King Henrie the second lay at suche time as he had contention with his couent of Christes Church for making a Chappell at Hakington as in fitte place you shall finde more largely disclosed In the meane season I will only tel you that as the Annales of Saint Augustines reporte when two of his Monkes came to this house on horsbacke in great hast to serue the processe of that suite vpon him he receiued the Processe dutifully but he caused them to dismount and to walke home on foote faire and softly At this house also King Edward the first rested for a seasō with Robert of Winchelsey then newly made Archebishop whilest he tooke order for the defence of the Sea Coastes charging bothe the spiritualtie and commons with horse and armour according to the quantities of their liuelyhoodes and possessions And here was he aduertised that one of his familie called Syr Thomas Turbeuille whom hee had sent into Gascoine with commission was fallen into the hands of the French King his enemie and imprisoned in Paris and that for his deliuerance he had conspired with the Frenche King and promised to betraie the King his maister wherevpon king Edward caused suche diligent watche to be laide for him that he was taken and suche speedie and seuere iustice to be executed vpon him that he was foorthwith condemned drawen thorowe London and hanged on liue Of this man a Poet of that age alluding to his name made this verse folowing and some other Turbat tranquilla clam Thomas Turbida Villa c. Our things now in tranquillitie Thom. Turbuill troubleth priuilie It is no small token of the auncient estimation of this place that it giuethe the name to the whole hundrethe in whiche it is situate for that is moste vsuall bothe in this Shyre and elswhere that the whole territorie be it Lathe Wapentake or Hundreth most commonly beareth the name of some one place moste notable and excelling other within the same at the time of the name imposed although happely at this day some other place doe muche excéede it To make an end here was sometime a religious College the gouernour whereof was called a Prouost whiche I suppose to haue béene founded by some of the Archebishops and I finde to haue béene valued at fourescore and foure pounds of yearely reuenue Watling streete in Saxon ƿeatlingastrete of one Weatle whome the printed booke of Mat. West calleth vntruly Wading KIng Molmutius the Brittish Solō first Law maker decréed amongst other things that such as were found praying in the Temple labouring at the plough or trauailing in the highe waies should not be impeached by any officer but that they should enioy peaceable fréedome and libertie bothe for their goods persons But forasmuche as he had not in his life time described those wayes that he would haue thus priuileged great contention arose after his death which wayes should be taken for highe and royall and whiche not and therefore Belinus his Sonne and successor to cease all controuersie limited in certaine foure especiall highe wayes whereof the first was called Erming-streete and lead after the opinion of some from South-hampton to S. Dauids in Wales or as others write to Carlile in the Northe the second was named Fosseway and extended from Cathnes in the North of Scotland to Totnes a cape of Cornewall The third Ikeneled or as others write it Rekeneld and reached from East to West as Huntingdon affirmeth but as others will from Tinmouth to S. Dauides whiche is from Northeast to Southwest Watlingstreete where we nowe are was the fourth and it beganne at Douer after the opinion of Ralfe Higden passed through the midst of Kent crossed the Thamise at the West end of London howbeit others to whom I rather incline thinke that it ranne through London and there left the name to Watlingstreet there frō thēce to S. Albons Dūstable Stretford Towcester Lilburne Wrecken thence ouer the riuer of Seuerne to Stretton so through the midst of Wales to Cardigan and to the banke of the Irishe Sea. And this is the common and receyued opinion although in deede there be diuers touching the firste beginning and description of this way But Simon the Chaunter of Durham and he that made the continuation to the Hystorie of Asserus Meneuensis both very good authours ascribe bothe the beginning and the name also of this way to the sonnes of a Saxon King whome they called Weatle which their opinion as I doe not greatly receiue bycause I finde not that name Weatle in any Catalogue of the Kings that I haue seene So will I not rashely reiecte it for the estimation that I otherwise reteine of the writers them selues But doe leaue the Reader to his frée choice to take or leaue the one or the other And as there is difference concerning the first beginning and name of this way So al agrée not in the trace and true course of the same For Henrie the Archedeacon of Huntingdon affirmeth that it stretched from Douer to Chester And this Simon reporteth that it extended it selfe from the East Sea to the West Whiche third and laste opinion may well inough stand eyther with the firste or the seconde But nowe as touching this priuilege graunted by Molmutius althoughe it continue not altogether in the same plight yet some shadowe thereof remaineth euen to this daye as by the lawes of King Edward the Confessour whiche confirmed the protection of the foure wayes by name and by the Statute of Marlbridge whiche forbiddeth distresses to be taken in any the Kings highe wayes or common stréetes and by the Statute called Articuli Cleri whiche commaundeth that such as