Chancellor representing the Lord's person and this Court the Governor may keep every week as occasion shall require Besides the customary Laws do so impower the Governor or any of the two Deemsters as that in effect they are Courts of Record in themselves If either of these be but riding or walking in the high-way and if any person have cause of complaint against another for debt or any extraordinary business he may procure a Token from the Governor or Deemster to bring the party before him And if the party do either confess the debt or matter or it appear by the testimony of two witnesses upon their oaths that such a debt is due either of the said officers may give their Token for execution to the Coroner or to his Lockman And this is as good and valid as if the matter had in Court received trial by verdict of the Jury or by a Decree in Chancery The Citations in the Courts of this Island are not in the form of a Writing but after this manner The Plaintiff cometh to the Comptroller and entereth his Complaint and taking a Copy thereof he sheweth it to the Governour or Deemster Either of them takes up a piece of blew slate which is common enough in any part of the Island and upon that slate scrapes what mark he pleases This stone so marked is called a Token which being given to the Plaintiff he delivereth it to the Crowner of the place where the Defendant resides and the Defendant having received it is bound to appear and answer It has been an antient custom in that Island that if the Plaintiff find his Adversary present in the Court while the Court is sitting he may take him by the arm and bring him before the Governour and set his foot upon his Adversary's foot and there plead his Cause against him without the formality of summoning him with a Token In these Courts each Party pleads his own Cause vivâ voce so that they have no occasion for any Lawyers Proctors or Attorneys which Custom obtains but in few places of Europe as in Sweden and Denmark From these Courts there lies an Appeal to the Lord of the Island and from him to the King of England but it seldom happens that they have any Appeals All Causes both in spiritual and temporal Courts are prosecuted and ended without one penny of charges They had here an old custom concerning Debts which is now abolished When the Debtor died An antrenâ— custom foâ— the recovery of Debts and was buried and there remained no Writings to prove the Debt the Creditor came to the Grave of the deceased and laid himself all along with his back upon the grave with his face towards Heaven and a Bible on his breast and there he protested before God that is above him and by the contents of the Bible on his breast that the deceased there buried under him did owe him so much money and then the Executors were bound to pay him But in the year 1609 this custom was abolished and such Controversies order'd to be tried according to the form of Law by Witnesses or otherwise In this Island there are several of those round hills The manner of uâ—ns fouâ— in this Isâ— which in the plains of Wiltshire are very frequent and by the Inhabitants termed Barrowes In the midland parts of England they are called Lowes and are commonly held to be places of Sepulture * Descr the Isle oâ— Man p 1â— Mr. James Chaloner during his abode in the Isle caused one of these to be opened in which were found 14 rotten Urns or earthen Pots placed with their mouths downwards and one more neatly than the rest in a bed of fine white sand containing nothing but a few brittle bones as having passed the fire but no ashes left discernible Some of these are environed with great stones pitched end-ways in the earth and some of the Urns found enclosed in Coffins of stone one Coffin containing divers of them The Isle of Man hath ever since its first plantation The Lorâ— of Man been reputed a Monarchical State and whoever is of right Lord of it may not only use the title of King but may cause himself to be crowned with a Crown of Gold * Walsiâ—â— Hypodigâ— Neustriâ— p. 546. though it is not improbable that in their first and original Installations they made use of a Crown of Iron as has been heretofore done by the Kings of England and as Charles the fourth Emperour of Germany was crowned at Milan An. 1334. The Kings of Man have now of a long time waved their title of King and instead thereof assumed the title of Lord but they still retain almost all the Jura Regalia they enjoyed heretofore They have still power of life and death to banish or condemn to perpetual Imprisonment to raise men and money to place or displace any officer in the Island at their own pleasure and all fines and forfeitures in cases of Treason Felony and Felo de se do belong to them The greatest difference betwixt a King and Lord of Man is That the Kings were crowned whereas the Lords now are only publickly proclaimed and installed The Kings created Barons made Knights and Esquires but the Lords never confer any titles of honour The Kings of Man in old times according to the Manks tradition claim'd the whole Island and all the Revenues thereof as belonging to the Crown The Inhabitants had no right to any Inheritance in the Island but were only Tenants at will and held their Lands of the King for the performance of certain duties and and services And this tenure they called The holding by the straw which was first changed into Leases for three Lives during the late Civil Wars thereby to augment the Lord's Revenues the Tenants being then obliged to pay yearly a quit-rent and a fine at renewing The Kings of this Island have at different times been tributaries both to the Kings of England Scotland and Norway and were obliged in token of their subjection to these States to pay a certain Homage at the Coronation of any of the Princes of these Kingdoms They have made many wars in attempts to enlarge their Dominions beyond the Confines of this little Island not only in Venedotia against the King of North-wales especially in Anglesey but also in Ireland where Godred Cron. of Man An. â—147 son to Olave King of Man was crowned King of Dublin and subdued a great part of Leinster but left it not to his successors Likewise for some years by the favour and aid of Magnus King of Norway they had under their subjection some if not all the Islands on the West part of Scotland Hollinsh â— 293. which are called Hebrides and upon this account stiled themselves Kings of Man and of the Islands But Alexander King of Scotland An. 1266. not only recovered these Islands but reduced the Isle of Man it self to his subjection and placed
removal of his body from Wereham to a more honourable place Shaftesbury and the Murdress repenting of that wicked action spent the rest of her days in grief and severe penances Who that Heremod on the reverse was we know not The thirty fifth is of Aethelred son of Edgar by Alfritha the only weak and slothful Prince of all the line of King Egbert endeavouring to govern his Kingdom not by true justice and valour as his predecessors had done but by tricks and as they call it policy First gave an opportunity to the Danes to renew their invasions and then negligently or unfortunately opposing them he brought the Kingdom into great poverty and calamity and afterwards into subjection unto those antient enemies and robbers of the country by his laziness losing all that his forefathers by their industry had acquired as Historians say St. Dunstan foretold of him at his Baptism Egbert began the advancement of the Kingdom by reducing it into one Monarchy his successors valiantly defended and setled and augmented it by subduing the Danes and all other enemies Edgar enjoyed it in full peace prosperity and glory and his son this Aethelred suffered it to run down again into a worse condition than ever it was And indeed it would be strange to imagine so great a change in one man's time did it not appear that there was no cause of ruine left unpractised in his long reign his own negligence cowardise want of intelligence unskilfulness in war the great factions enmities and treasons of the nobility the particulars whereof have filled the tedious relations of our Historians Saxon Coins TAB VII ALL the first ten are of Cnut called the Great the first Danish King of England There are very many of his Coins extant I have only described those wherein is some notable variety Though Swane his father made divers conquests and several countries as well as persons preferring his activeness before Aethelred's sloth not regarding the justice of the cause submitted to him and paid largely for his protection yet was he never King nor assumed he or his son the title till Edmund Ironside consented by the persuasion of a traytor to divide the Kingdom with him The vile but potent Edric thought that more was to be got by shoring up a new active Usurper than adhering to the just cause of his true and Royal Sovereign Nor was Cnut unmindful of him but according to his promise advanced him above all the other Lords of the Kingdom by cutting off his head and exposing it upon a high pole Amongst all these figures of Cnut only one the seventh is with a crown and that an open one contrary to that of the English Kings before him and adorned with lilies which would make me suspect that Coin to be counterfeit were it not that our Historians say that when he was young he wore his Crown at the great assemblies of the Nobility so many times in the year as was the custom both here in France Germany and I think with all European Princes in those times But one time being mightily flattered by his Courtiers he chanced to be upon the sea-banks whither he commanded his chair to be brought where sitting down upon the beach in great Majesty he told the sea that that was his land and the water his water wherefore he commanded the sea to be content with its own chanel and not cover any part of the land Which he had no sooner said but the water dashed upon him whereupon he told his flatterers that they should henceforward forbear all boasting of his power and greatness After this it is reported he would never wear a Crown Others say that he never wore a Crown after his coronation and that then also at his coronation presently after the Crown was set upon his head he took it off and fixed it upon the head of our Saviour crucified The ordinary covering of his head was sometimes a Mitre as fig. 6. other times a cap as fig. 5. sometimes a triangular covering used after him by Andronicus the Eastern Emperor and by St. Edward the Confessor The reverse of the first is Farthein Monet Eoforwic i.e. York Of the second Sunolf Of the third Crinam The fourth is Wulnoth All coined at York The fifth is Leodmer and seems coined at Raculf-minster now Reculver The sixth hath Luffwine at Dover The seventh hath Wulfric on Lunden The eighth is Selwi at Theoford The ninth is Outhgrim at York The tenth is Cnut aged with a Diadem about his head The reverse is Nodwin Moneta The name of the place I cannot read In his younger years he spared no labour nor any art just or unjust oppression or murder to acquire and settle the Kingdom to himself and Posterity Which being as well as he could performed he endeavoured to act more justly and plausibly that he might retain the obedience of the people which he had so unjustly gotten Yet not long before his death he dispossessed Olavus King of Norway of his dominion about An. 1029. The eleventh is of Harold Cnut's second son called for his swiftness Hares-foot Cnut to his eldest son Suane suspected to be none of his own gave the Kingdom of Norway to Harold his second son by foreign writers also called a Bastard the Kingdom of England to Hardacnut his son by Emma he gave Denmark Harold's Reign was short about four years and employed more in endeavouring to settle his title than perform any worthy action The reverse is Godric at Theotford The twelfth is of the same with a Diadem about his Helmet The reverse is Sliwine on Theodford The thirteenth is of Harthacnut He reigned about two years and died suddenly at a great feast in Lambeth Little of note mentioned of him besides that he was very affectionate to his mother's children and that he loved good eating making four meals a day The reverse is Elnwine on Wice perhaps Worcester The fourteenth is of St. Edward the Confessor of whom there are very many Coins still extant I have presented only those of most variety This represents him as a young man sitting with a staff or scepter which amongst the Romans was the Hasta pura and Sceptrum sometimes made of Ivory and many times an Eagle upon the top of it instead of which our Kings used commonly a Cross tho' not always of the same fashion sometimes also a Lily in his left hand a globe with a cross fastened in it This was used only by Christian Emperors and Kings as witnessing them to have that power through the virtue of the Cross or Passion of our Saviour The Pagan Roman Emperors used rather a stern or oar fastened to a globe shewing that they steered the world not expressing whence they received that power Whereas Suidas saith of Justinian that in his left hand he carried a globe with a cross upon it signifying that by faith in the cross of Christ he was advanced to be Lord of the world i.e. that he obtained
upon the disordered English kill'd great numbers of them whilst they stood doubtful whether they should run or fight But the greatest part posting themselves on the higher grounds got into a body encouraged one another and opposed the Enemy with great resolution as if they had made choice of that place for an honourable death At last Harold was shot through the head with an arrow and there with his two brothers Githus and Leofwine lost his life Upon this Edwin and Morcar with some few who had saved their lives made their escape by flight giving way to the hand of providence and the present necessity after they had fought without intermission from seven a clock in the morning to the dusk of the evening The Normans lost in this battle about 6000 men and the English a far greater number William overjoyed with his victory ordered a solemn thanksgiving to Almighty God and fixed his tent in the middle of the slain where he stayed that night Next day after he had buried his men and granted leave to the English to do the like he returned to Hastings to consider of proper methods how to prosecute his victory and to refresh his soldiers So soon as the news of this victory reached London and other cities of England the whole Nation was in a surprise and in a manner struck dead Githa the King's mother was so overcome with grief that no way could be found to comfort her She humbly desired of the Conqueror to grant her the bodies of her sons which she buried in Waltham-Abby Edwin sent away Queen Algitha his sister into the more remote parts of the Kingdom The Nobility desired the people not to despair and begun to consider of methods how to settle the Nation The Arch-bishop of York with the City of London and Sea-soldiers Bâ—â—â—â—les commonly called Botescarles were for making Eadgar King and renewing the war with William Edwin and Morcar were secretly contriving how to get the government into their their own hands But the Bishops Prelats and others upon whom the Pope's Anathema made a deeper impression thought it most advisable to surrender and not to incense the Conqueror with a second battel the issue whereof was but at best doubtful nor resist God who for the crying sins of the nation seemed to have delivered up England into the hands of the Normans William leaving 〈◊〉 strong garison in Hastings resolved to march in a hostile manner directly towards London but to diffuse a greater terror through the nation and to make all sure behind him he divided his forces and marched through part of Kent Suffex Surrey Hamshire and Berkshire Where he came he burnt villages and towns plundering them passed the Thames at Wallingford and filled all places with horror The Nobility all this while were at a stand what to do nor could they be persuaded to lay aside private animosities and consult the publick interest of the nation The Clergy to avoid the curses of the Church and censures of the Pope by which he did at that time sway both the minds of men and whole kingdoms and considering that the affairs of the nation were not only decay'd but quite ruin'd stood so firm to their resolution of surrendring that many so save themselves withdrew privately out of the City But Alfred Archbishop of York Wolstan Bishop of Worcester along with some other Bishops and Edgar Etheling Edwin and Morcar met the Norman Conqueror at Berkhamsted He made them most glorious promises upon which hostages were given and they submitted themselves to his protection Forthwith he went to London where he was received with great joy and acclamations and saluted under the title of King Next he prepares all necessaries for the inauguration which he had appointed to be on Christmas-day and in the mean time employed all his care and thoughts upon the settlement of the nation This was the period of the Saxon's government in Britain which lasted six hundred and seven years The revolution that hapned in the Kingdom some imputed to the avarice of Magistrates others to the superstitious laziness of the Clergy a third sort to the Comet which then appeared and the influence of the Stars a fourth attributed it to God who for hidden but always just reasons disposes of Kingdoms But others who looked nearer into the immediate causes threw it upon the imprudence of King Edward who under the specious colour of religious chastity neglected to secure a succession and so exposed the Kingdom as a prey to ambition WHat an insolent and bloody victory this was the Monks who writ about it do fully inform us Nor can we question but in this as in all others villany had the upper hand William as a token of his conquest laid aside the greatest part of the English laws brought in Norman customs and ordered that all causes should be pleaded in French The English were dispossessed of their hereditary estates and the lands and farms divided among his Soldiers but with this reserve that he should still remain the direct Proprietor and oblige them to do homage to him and his successors that is that they should hold them in see but the King alone be chief Lord and they â—uciaâ— â—eal â—illiâ—â—he â—ucâ— Feudatory Lords and in actual possession He made a Seal on the one side whereof was engraven Hoc Normannorum Gulielmum nosce patronum By this the Norman owns great William Duke On the other side Hoc Anglis signo Regem fatearis eundem By this too England owns the same their King Further as William of Malmsbury tells us in imitation of Caesar's policy who would not have those Germans that skulk'd in the forrest of Ardenna and by their frequent excursions very much disturb'd his army suppressed by the Romans but the Gauls that whilst foreigners destroyed one another himself might triumph without blood-shed William took the same methods with the English For there were some who after the first battle of that unfortunate Harold had fled over into Denmark and Ireland where they got together a strong body of men and returned three years after To oppose them he dispatched away an English army and General and let the Normans live at their ease For which side soever got the best he found his interest would go forward And so it proved for after the English hâ—d skirmâ—shed for some time one with another the victory was presented the King without any trouble And in another place After the power of the Laity was destroyed he made a positive declaration The English thrown out of their Honours that no Monk or Clergy-man of the English nation should pretend to any place of dignity wherein he quite receded from the easiness of King Canutus who maintained the conquered party in full possession of their honours By which means it was that after his death the natives found so little difficulty in driving out the foreigners and recovering their ancient freedom After he had setled those
bringing about that happy change The soil for some miles about Bathe especially to the westward as at Coston and thereabouts is so very stony that when 't is newly plough'd one would rather take the ridges for so many pitch'd Causeys to walk on than for a plough'd land to sow corn in so little of earth is to be seen among those bare stones the plough-share turns up Yet here they have as good wheat as any in England tho' perhaps not altogether so much on an acre as in deeper land The Country-men attribute these large crops mostly to the stones and if those were carry'd off the earth left upon the hard rock would be so little that it would not cover their corn and so light that the wind would blow it away t Between Bathe and Bristol a little river runs into the Avon â—â—nâ— â—r MS. upon which is Stanton-drew whereof the latter part might seem to point out some relation to the old Druids but that Drew is the name of an ancient family in the western parts and the monument there call'd the Wedding would strengthen such a conjecture The occasion of the name Wedding is a tradition which passes among the common people That a Bride going to be married she and the rest of the company were chang'd into these stones They are in a circular form 5 or 6 foot high and the whole monument is bigger than Stonehenge the Diameter here being 90 paces tho' no appearance of a ditch Returning to the river Avon we come to Cainsham rather Keynesham Keynesham call'd so from the Virgin Keina of whose family the Keynes of this County some whereof are still living affirm themselves desâ—ended But whereas Mr. Camden affirms he saw a stone like a serpent brought from hence with a head it is a mistake for all our Naturalists now agree that such stones are form'd in Nautili shells and that there are no heads belonging to them Indeed many of them have rough and broken pieces of stone issuing from them beyond the moulded wreath at the broad end which may have led some to imagine that those pieces were imperfect heads but really they are not so Such kind of snake-stones of all sizes from above a foot to an inch or two diameter are found frequently in their quarries w Between this place and Bristol upon the Avon is Bristleton Bristleton abounding in the same sort of cole that are brought from New-castle From Bristleton in several places of the adjacent Country as far as Stratton and Mendippe-hills as also Northward in Glocestershire are found veins of this cole which afford a strong and cheap firing to all those parts These veins of Cole are cover'd with a shell of a black hard stony substance call'd wark which will split like blue slat but is much more brittle and not by much so hard Upon dividing this Wark there is often sound upon one of the separated surfaces the perfect shape of a fern leaf as if it had by a skilful hand been engraven which as an exact mould or case receives the protuberant figure of the like leaf standing out on the other x Next the Avon runs to Bristol Bristol eminent for it's Goutes or subterraneous vaults by reason of which they draw all things on sledges for fear the shaking of cart-wheels should loosen these arches y About the Conqueror's time they paid thirty three marks and one mark of gold to Bishop G. Who this Bishop was is not express'd in Domesday nor any more than the bare initial either of his name or See If we durst say that G. were instead of an S. for those two letters are not unlike Sherborn or Salisbury under whose jurisdiction it seems to have formerly been would solve the difficulty but if that will not do I find none of the Bishop's names about that time beginning with G. If we preserve the reading Glevum or Glocester offers it self fairest which tho' annex'd at times to Lichfield and Worcester seems notwithstanding to have had the title of a Bishop's See z As for the place's being fortified by Robert Bishop of Constance it is a mistake for Geofry as appears from Bishop Godwyn in his Catalogue of Bishops under the title Exon. And Osborn in his Chronicon Juridiciale at the year 1072. tells us that Geofrey Bishop of Constance was the Chief Justiciary of England in that notable cause between Lanfranck Archbishop of Canterbury and Odo Bishop of Bayeux 'T is possible the name of Mowbrey Earl of Northumberland who was nephew to the Bishop and his name Robert might lead our Author into an error aa The castle which our Author tells us was built here by Robert Rufus Consul of Glocester is now quite demolish'd and built into a street aaa The honour of this place has been encreas'd by giving the title of Earl to John Lord Digby of Shirburn created 20 Jac. 1. to whom succeeded in the same honour George his son and John his grandson bb Mr. Camden makes the Diamonds of S. Vincent's rock admirable for thâ—ir six corners but if we may trust our Naturalists they assure us that 't is not worthy of admiration since very often Crystals and Berills and even sometimes your common Sparrs in many parts of England as well as elsewhere are of that figure cc And thus Avon passes into the Severn-sea tho' before we leave it it may not be improper to observe that it furnishes Bristol at the vernal equinox or then abouts with a dish perhaps not to be met with elsewhere which they call Elvers Elvers Some time in the spring the river about Cainsham is yearly cover'd over and colour'd black with millions of little eels scarce so big as a goose quill tho' some would have them a particular species These with small nets they skim up in great numbers and by a particular way of ordering them make them skower off their skins Being thus stripp'd and looking very white they make them up into little Cakes which they fry and so eat Continuation of the DUKES By the attainder of Edward Duke of Somerset that title lay vacant for a long time only Sir Robert Carr Knight of the Bath was by the favour of King James 1. created Earl of Somerset who falling under disgrace upon the account of Sir Thomas Overbury's death and having only a daughter that honour was at an end Upon the restoration of King Charles 2. William Seymour Marquess of Hertford was for his eminent services restor'd to the title of Duke of Somerset and was succeeded by William grandchild by Henry his third son William and Robert the two elder brothers dying unmarry'd William dy'd unmarry'd and had for his successor John Lord Seymour his Uncle who dy'd without issue Whereupon this title was devolv'd upon Sir Francis Seymour the third son to Edward Lord Beauchamp son and heir to Edward Earl of Hertford whose posterity now enjoys it More rare Plants growing wild in Somersetshire Aria
large Fen beginning at the banks of the river Gront overgrown here with Sedge there with dusky springs at a third place is woody Isles and takes a long course by many crooked banks from the south towards the north as far as the sea It is the same that William a Crowland Monk has thus describ'd in his life of Guthlake Est apud Angligenas à Grontae flumine longo Orbe per anfractus stagnosos fluviales Circumfusa palus orientalisque propinqua Littoribus pelagi sese distendit ab Austro In longum versus Aquilonem gurgite tetro Morbosos pisces vegetans arundine densa Ventorum strepitus quasi quaedam verba susurrans In British lands where Gront's old streams surround The trembling marshes and unfaithful ground From south to north is stretch'd a spacious moor Near to the Ocean on the eastern shore Where pois'nous fish the stinking water breeds And rustling winds still whistle in the weeds If you please add thus much out of Henry of Huntingdon This fenny Country is mighty rich and delightful plentifully water'd with rivers sufficiently garnish d with lakes of all sorts and as much adorn'd with shady groves and islands Take this little from William of Malmesbury Here is such vast store of fish as all strangers wonder at for which the inhabitants laugh at them nor is there less plenty of water-fowl and for a single half-penny five men may have enough of either not only for a taste but a competent meal I shall say nothing of the sound and wholsome advice was concerning the draining of these fens which yet was perhaps nothing but a specious pretence of doing good to the publick so often mov'd in Parliament It is to be fear'd they 'd soon return to their old state as the Pontine Marshes in Italy have often done after their draining So that some think it the safest way â—â—â—sanias 〈◊〉 Corinth to follow the Oracle's advice in the like case Not to venture too far where heaven has put a stop The natural strength of this place and the plenty of provisions every where has often made it a retreat for rebels not only the English against William the Conquerour but also the Barons whenever they were out-law'd from hence molested their Kings but were always unsuccessful tho' they erected forts at Eryth and Athered now Audre â—udre where is an open passage into the Isle And to this day there 's a rampart nigh Audre not high but very large call'd Belsar's hills from one Belisar but what he was I know not The south and largest part of this fenny Country which belongs to this Shire was call'd by the Saxons Elig now the Isle of Ely â—â—y from the chief of these Islands Bede derives it from it's Eels and therefore some have call'd it the Isle of Eels k An. 1221. King Henry 3. being at Oxford says Fuller sent to the Bailiff of Cambridge as living near Ely the staple for fish to send him such a proportion of Eels for the provisions of his Court and it should be discounted unto him out of the Exchequer Polydore Virgil derives it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Marsh others from Helig a British word signifying Willows or Sallows which it bears in abundance and they are the only thriving trees here We find that one Tombert K. of the South-Girvii setled a great part of this Country upon his wife Etheldred for a joynture who after she had left her second husband Egfrid K. of Northumberland for Christ's service 〈◊〉 Ethelâ—red comâ—â—â—â— St. â—â—uaâ—y founded a Nunnery in that chief Isle properly call'd Elyg which was then valu'd after the rate of 600 families of which place she her self was the first Abbess However this was not the first Chuâ—ch in the fens for the Ely-book mentions our St. Austin as the founder of a Church at Cradiden Cradiden which afterwards was ruin'd by Penda the Mercian and Malmesbury says that Felix Bishop of the East-Angles had his first seat at Soham Soham still in Norwich diocese Soham says he is a village situated by a fen formerly very dangerous to water-passengers from thence to Ely but now passable by foot men by reason of a causey made through the marshes and reeds There is still the ruins of a Church demolish'd by the Danes wherein the inhabitants were overwhelm d and burnt with it At the same time St. Audry's Nunnery fell a prey to the fury of the Danes but was restor'd by Ethelwold Bishop of Winchester who by agreement with the King bought the whole Isle ejected the Priests and fill'd it with Monks to whom King Edgar as we find in his Letters Patents gave jurisdiction in secular causes over two Hundreds in the fens and over five Hundreds and an half out of the fens in Wicklow in the province of the East-Angles which to this day is call'd St. Audry's Liberty St. Audry's Liberty After that Kings and Noblemen richly endow'd it with large revenues especially Earl Brithnoth who being then ready to engage the Danes in the year 999 Ely-book gave to this Church of Ely Somersham Spaldwic Trumpinton Ratindum Heisbury Fulburn Tmerston Triplestow and Impetum because these Monks had treated him nobly if he dy'd in that battel He was kill'd at last at Maldon after he had fought with the Danes fourteen days together It was so rich a Monastery that the Abbot says Malmesbury yearly put 1400 pound into his own pocket And Richard the last Abbot Earl Gislebert's son intoxicated as it were with money and d sdaining to be under the Bishop of Lincoln fell to work upon the King with golden promises as the Monks write and indefatigable industry to have him e ect a Bishoprick at this place but his sudden death hinder'd it But soon after Hen. 1. got leave of the Pope and made Hervy Bishop of Bangor in Wales and then abouts ejected by the Welsh the first Bishop of Ely to whom and his successors he laid out Cambridgeshire for the diocese which before was part of that of Lincoln and likewise settl'd upon them l In the Isle of Ely the Bishop hath all the rights of a County-Palatine and beareth chief sway therein for by his own power he appointeth a Judge to hear and determine all Causes arising within the said Isle He holdeth Assizes Gaol-delivery and Qâ—arter-Sessions of the Peace for the said Liberty and hath his chief Bailiff and Under-Bailiffs for the execution of Process Blome in Cambridge-shire some marks of Soveraignty in these Islands He gave the Bishop of Lincoln the manour of Spaldwic to make him amends for Cambridgeshire and this Isle or as the Ely-book has it The manour of Spaldwic was setled upon the Church of Lincoln for ever in lieu of the episcopal care over Grantbridgeshire Assoon as Hervy was setled in his Bishoprick he made it his chief care to raise the grandeur of his Church He got it to
Grey afterwards Marquess of Dorset held this honour a little while It is evident from the Records that William Herbert Earl of Pembroke again brought in the Charter of Creation whereby his father was made Earl of Pembroke into the Chancery to be cancelled and that Edward the fourth created him Earl of Huntingdon in the seventeenth year of his reign But in the memory of our fathers Henry the eighth settled this honour upon George Lord Hastings But Francis Lord Hastings his son dying in his life-time this honour descended to Henry his son a truly honourable person both for Nobility and Piety he dying without heirs his brother George succeeded him whose grandchild by a son Henry enjoys the honour at this day This little Shire contains 78 Parishes ADDITIONS to HVNTINGDONSHIRE a HUntingdonshire call'd in * Annal. p. â—â—1 l. 1. p. 147. l 36. Saxon huntandunescyre and by later Writers Huntedunescire and Huntyngdonschyre is of very small extent scarce stretching out it self 20 miles tho' measur'd to the best advantage †â—â—eeâ— fâ—â—m â—ir R b. Cottâ—n It has been an observation upon this County that the families of it have been so worn out that tho' it has been very rich in Gentry yet but few Sirnames of any note are remaining which can be drawn down beyond the reign of the last Henry The cause of such decay in places nearer London is plain enough viz. the many temptations to luxury and high living and the great wealth of Merchants always ready to supply their extravagance with money till the whole be run out But this cannot hold here so that we must see whether a reason brought by a later Author will not solve it viz. That most of the County being Abby-land upon the Dissolution many new Purchasers planted themselves herein and perhaps their new possessions might have the same fate that Church-revenues have had in other places where they fell into Lay-hands b Our Author observes that it was all Forest till the time of Henry the second But if we may believe Sir Robert Cotton who sent the account to Speed and had himself design'd a History of the County this was never fully effected till the time of Edward 1. For Henry 2. did pretend to enfranchise his subjects of this Shire from servitude of his beasts except Wabridge Saple and Herthy his own Demains But such were the encroachments of the succeeding Reigns that the poor inhabitants were forc'd to petition for redress which was granted them by the great Charter of Henry 3. Only his son resum'd the fruits of his father's kindness till in the 29th year of his reign he confirm'd the former Charter and left no more of this shire Forest than what was his own ground The government of the County is very peculiar Cambridgeshire in the Civil administration being joyn'd to it so that there is but one High-sheriff for both Shires He is one year chosen out of Cambridgeshire out of the Isle of Ely a second and a third out of this Shire In the Isle of Ely he is one time chosen out of the north part and out of the south another c It 's chief town is Huntingdon Huntingdon in Saxon huntandune huntendune huntenduneport which appears formerly to have been a flourishing town reckoning no less than 15 Churches tho' in our Author's time they were reduc'd to four and of these the zeal of the late times only left two The cause of this decay seems to have been the ‖ Cotton in Speed alteration made in the river by Grey a Minion of the time as my Author calls him who procur'd the passage of it to be stop'd whereas before to the great advantage of the Inhabitants it was navigable as far as this town King John granted it by Charter a peculiar Coroner profit by Toll and Custom a Recorder Town-Clerk and two Bailiffs but at present it is incorporated by the name of a Mayor twelve Aldermen and Burgesses d Its neighbour Goodmanchester Goodmanchester probably by the methods our Author mentions grew so wealthy and considerable that in the reign of King James 1. it was incorporated by the name of two Bailiffs twelve Assistants and commonalty of the Burrough of Goodmanchester e Lower down upon the river is St. Ives St. Ives which a late Writer calls a fair large and ancient town with a fine Stone-bridge over the Ouse But within these three or four years it was a great part of it burnt down and whether it have so far recover'd it self as to merit that character at present I know not f Between Ramsey and Peterborrow our Author observes that King Canutus made a large Cawsey call'd by our Historians Kingsdelfe Kingsdelf But whatever way our Authors mark out by that name 't is certain they cannot mean Canutus's road for the name Kingsdelf or Cingesdaelf in those parts appears upon Record before Canutus's time I mean in the reign of King Edgar who in his Charter to the Church of Peterburrow * Chron. Sax. p. 119. lin 18. makes this Cingesdaelf one of the bounds of his Donation Besides the daelf will not answer a via constrata lapidibus or pav'd way but seems rather to mark out to us some ditch drawn at first for the draining those fenny grounds and reducing the waters into one chanel g On the west side of this County is Kimbolton Kimbolton which our Author says in his time was the seat of the Wingfields It has since pass'd from them by sale to the Mountagues and Henry Earl of Manchester of that name very much improv'd the Castle sparing no cost that might add to its beauty †Lel. Itin. MS. vol. 1. It was Sir Richard Wingfield who built new Lodgings and Galleries upon the old foundations of this Castle which was double ditch'd and the building of it very strong Here is at present a pretty fair town seated in a bottom which gives the title of Baron to the Right Honourable the Earl of Manchester h Leighton Leighton mention'd by our Author to be the seat of the Cliftons is now the Lady Butler's daughter and heir to the late Richard Earl of Arran who had it in marriage with the sole daughter of James Duke of Richmond as this Duke had by the Lord Clifton's Continuation of the EARLS Henry the last Earl mention'd by our Author had by Elizabeth daughter and coheir to Ferdinando Earl of Derby Ferdinando Earl of Huntingdon father to Theophilus the seventh Earl of that name who was Captain of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners Privy-Councellor to King Charles 2. and King James by whom he was made chief Justice in Eyre of all the Forests south of Trent as also Lieutenant of the Counties of Leicester and Derby His son and heir apparent is George Lord Hastings I have not as yet observed any Plants peculiar to this County the more rare being common to it with Cambridgeshire NORTHAMPTON SHIRE by Rob t
as unfortunate as could be Catharine of Spain and Mary Queen of Scots lye interr'd finding rest here from all their miseries g 〈◊〉 Penns Beneath Peterborow the Nen by this time remov'd about five and forty miles from its Spring-head and carrying along with it in its chanel all the little streams and land-floods occasion'd by rain divides it self into several branches And by this means finding no certain course for its stream diffuses its waters all abroad the plain Country and overflows it far and near in the winter nay and sometimes the greater part of the year so that it seems to be a vast level Ocean with here and there an Island bearing up and appearing above the surface of the waters The cause the neighbouring people alledge to be this that of the three chanels in which such a vast deal of waters was us'd to be convey'd the first that went to the Ocean by Thorney Abby and thence aside by Clowscross and Crow-land the second also by the cut made by Morton Bishop of Ely call'd the New Leame and then by Wisbich have a long time been neglected and upon this account that the third which bends its course down by Horsey-bridge Wittles-mere Ramsey-mere and Salters-load is not able to receive so much water so that it breaks out with more violence upon the adjoyning Flats And the Country complains of the injury done them as well by those who have neglected the keeping open and clearing the chanels as by others that have diverted the water to their private uses and as the Reatines in Tacitus they say That Nature her self hath well provided for man's use in giving all rivers their issues and courses and their endings as well as their springs But of this enough if not too much In this place the County is narrowest for between the Nen and the river Welland one of the boundaries on the North-side it is scarce five miles over Upon the Welland which Ethelwerd an ancient Writer calls c The Saxon-Annals p. 109. call it Weolud and Florence of Worcester Welund Weolod near its spring stands Braibrooke Castle B. brooke Lords of B. brooke built by Robert May alià s de Braibrok a great favourite of King John's whose son Henry having married Christiana Ledet an heiress of a great estate his eldest son took the sirname of Ledet From one of whose grand daughters by his son as I said before it fell to the Latimers and from them to the Griffins who now enjoy it h Hard by amongst the woods I saw some few remains of a Monastery call'd anciently De Divisis now Pipwell Pâ—pwell founded by William Buttevillein for Cistercian Monks in the reign of Henry the second From thence we have a sight of Rockingham a Castle sometime of the Earls of Albemarle built by King William the Conquerour at which time it was a Waste as we find in Domesday-book Domesday-book fortified with rampires bulwarks and a double range of battlements seated upon the side of an hill in a woody forest thereupon named Rockingham Forest i It runs next by Heringworth the seat formerly of the * De Cantempo Cantlows and now of the Lords Zouch who fetch their original from Eudo a younger son of Alan de la Zouch Lords Zouch of Ashby and have grown up to an honourable family of Barons having been much enobled by matches with one of the heirs of Cantlow and also with another of Baron †De Sancto Mauro Seymour who likewise drew his pedigree from the heir of the Lord Zouch of Ashby and the Lovels Lords of Castle-Cary in Somersetshire k Here also in this Forest I saw Deane belonging anciently to the Deanes afterwards to the Tindals which is worth mentioning if it were but for its being at present a pleasant seat of the Brudenels of which Family Sir Edmund Brudenel Kt. lately deceased was a great lover and admirer of venerable antiquity The family likewise of Engain Barons of Engain which was both ancient and honourable had their seat hard by at Blatherwic where now live the House of Staffords Knights descended from Ralph the first Earl of Stafford and converted their Castle named Hymel into a Monastery call'd Finisheved Their Issue-male fail'd about 200 years ago but of the daughters the eldest was married to Sir John Goldington the second to Sir Lawrence Pabenham and the third to Sir William Bernack Knights of great worth and honour Here also we see Apthorp d It is now the possession of the right honourable the Earl of Westmorland the seat of that worthy Knight Sir Anthony Mildemay whose father Walter Mildemay late Privy Councellor to Queen Elizabeth for his virtue wisdom piety favour to learning and learned men shown by founding Emanuel-College in Cambridg hath worthily deserv'd to be registred among the best men of this age In the neighbourhood stands Thornhaugh Thornhaugh belonging formerly to the family of ‖ De Sancto Medardo Semarc and now to the right honourable William Russel son of Francis Earl of Bedford descended of the same family of Semarc whom King James for his virtues and faithful service in Ireland while he was Lord Deputy there advanced to the dignity of Baron Russel of Thornhaugh Neither is the little Town of Welledon Welledon Bassets of Welledon to be past by considering that anciently it went for a Barony which by Maud daughter and heir of Geoffrey de Ridell who was drown'd with King Henry the first 's son descended to Richard Basset Lord Chief Justice of England in whose race it continued till K. Henry the fourth's time when Male-issue failing it fell by the females to the Knevetts and Alesburies From Heringworth the Welland visits Colliweston where the Lady Margaret Countess of Richmond King Henry the seventh's mother built a fine house Beneath Colliweston the neighbouring inhabitants dig great store of Slates Slates for covering Houses for building From hence Wittering-heath a plain runs out a long way Eastward upon which the Inhabitants tell you the Danes receiv'd a memorable overthrow And now Welland arrives at Burghley a most beautiful seat from which that singularly wise and honourable Councellor Sir William Cecil Lord high Treasurer of England the great support of this Nation receiv'd the title of Baron Burghley Burghley Baron Burghley at the hands of Queen Elizabeth This house he adorn'd with the lustre of his own virtues and beautify'd with magnificent buildings laying to it a large Park for that †Parcus word Varro uses encompass'd with a Stone-wall of great circumference l Below this at Berneck lye the old Stone Quarries out of which the Abbies of Peterborow and Ramsey were built Here to use the very words of the History of Ramsey The toiling strength of the Quarriers is often exercis'd yet still there remains work whereon to employ them resting and refreshing them now and then by a cessation And we read in King Edward the
said Count both to give their advice and attendance and also to grace his Court with their presence a This country Malmesbury says yields corn very sparingly especially wheat but cattel and fish in abundance On the contrary Ranulph of Chester affirms that Whatever Malmesbury might fancy from the report of others yet it affords great store of all sorts of victuals corn flesh fish and of the best Salmon it drives a considerable trade not only by importing but by return as having within it self salt-pits mines and metals Give me leave to add farther that the grass of this Country has a peculiar good quality so that they make great store of Cheese The best Cheese more agreeable and better relish'd than those of any other parts of the Kingdom even when they procure the same Dary-women to make them And therefore by the by I cannot but wonder at what Strabo writes that some of the Britains in his time knew not how to make Cheese and that Pliny should wonder how barbarous people who liv'd upon milk come to despise or else not know for so long time the benefit of Cheese especially seeing they had the way of Curding it to a pleasant tartness and of making fat butter of it From whence it may be inferr'd that a the art of making Cheese was taught us by the Romans Altho' this Country is inferiour to many others of this Kingdom in fruitfulness yet it always produc'd more Gentry than any of them There was no part of England that formerly supply'd the King's army with more Nobility or that could number more Knights-families On the South-side it is bounded with Shropshire on the East-side with Staffordshire and Derbyshire on the North with Lancashire and on the West with Denbigh and Flint shires Toward the North-west it shoots out into a considerable Chersonese Wirâ—all where the Sea insinuating it self on both sides makes two Creeks which receive all the rivers of this County Into that Creek more to the West runs the river Deva or d ee which divides this County from Denbighshire Into that more to the East the Wever which goes through the middle of the County and the Mersey which severs it from Lancashire discharge themselves And in describing this County I know no better method than to follow the course of these rivers For all the places of greatest note are situate on the sides of them But before I enter upon particulars I will first premise what Lucian the Monk has said in general of it lest I should be accus'd hereafter for omitting any thing that might conduce to the commendation of the Inhabitants besides that Author is now scarce and as old almost as the Conquest But if any man be desirous either fully Lucian the Monk in commendation of Chester or as near as may be to treat of the manners of the Inhabitants with respect to them that live in other places of the kingdom they are found to be partly different from the rest partly better and in some things but equal But they seem especially which is very considerable in points of civility and breeding to feast in common are cheerful at meals liberal in entertainments hasty but soon pacified talkative averse to slavery merciful to those in distress compassionate to the poor kind to relations not very industrious plain and open moderate in eating far from designing bold and forward in borrowing abounding in woods and pastures and rich in cattel They border on one side upon the Welsh and have such a tincture of their manners and customs by intercourse that they are not much unlike them 'T is also to be observ'd That as the County of Chester is shut in and separated from the rest of England by the Wood Lime so is it distinguish'd from all other parts of England by some peculiar immunities by the grants of the Kings and the Excellencies of the Earls they have been wont in Assemblies of the people to attend the Prince's sword rather than the King's crown and to try causes of the greatest consequence within themselves with full authority and licence Chester it self is frequented by the Irish is neighbour to the Welsh and plentifully serv d with provisions by the English 't is curiously situated having gates * Positione antiquâ of an ancient model It has been exercis'd with many difficulties fortified and adorn'd with a river and a fine prospect worthy according to the name to be call'd a City secured and guarded with continual watchings of holy men and by the mercy of our Saviour ever preserved by the aid of the Almighty The river Dee The river Dee call'd in Latin Deva in British Dyffyr dwy that is the water of the Dwy abounds with Salmon and springs from two fountains in Wales from which some believe it had its denomination For Dwy signifies two in their language But others from the nature also and meaning of the word will have it signifie black water others again God's water and Divine water Now altho' a fountain sacred to the Gods is call'd Divona Divona in the old Gallick tongue which Ausonius observes to have been the same with our British and altho' all rivers were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Antiquity esteem'd Divine and our Britains too paid them divine honours as Gildas informs us yet I cannot see why they should attribute divinity to this river Dwy in particular Rivers sacred above all others We read that the Thessalians gave divine honours to the river Paeneus upon the account of its pleasantness the Scythians attributed the same to the Ister for its largeness and the Germans to the Rhine because it was their judge in cases of suspicion and jealousie between married persons but I see no reason as I said before why they should ascribe Divinity to this river unless perhaps it has sometimes chang'd its course and might presage victory to the Inhabitants when they were at war with one another as it inclin'd more to this or that side when it left its chanel for this is related by Giraldus Cambrensis who in some measure believ'd it Or perhaps they observ'd that contrary to the manner of other rivers it did not overflow with a fall of rain but yet would swell so extraordinarily when the South-wind bore upon it that it would overfloat its banks and the fields about them Again it may be the water here seem'd holy to the Christian Britains for 't is said that when they stood drawn up ready to engage the Saxons they first kiss'd the earth and devoutly drank of this river in memory of the blood of their holy Saviour The Dee the course whereof from Wales is strong and rapid has no sooner enter'd Cheshire but it 's force abates and it runs through Bonium Bonium more gently which in some copies of Antoninus is spelt Bovium an eminent city in those times and afterwards a famous Monastery From the Choir or Quire it was call'd
which rose out of the ruins of it One of those things which argue the Antiquity of the place intimates it to be of a much more early date The Coyns I mean discover'd there some whereof are of gold tho' but rarely found some of stone red green blue c. others of silver very commonly met with and the rest of brass copper and mix'd metals They are call'd by the inhabitants Dynders and are so worn and decay'd that there is not one in ten found the Inscription whereof is perfectly legible or the Image distinguishable Now amongst all these as I have the account from a person who has been an eye-witness there is not one but what is Roman from whence we may infer that the destruction of this city was before the coming over of the Saxons or at latest in their wars with the Britains for if it had continu'd till the Danish times there would certainly have been some of the Saxon Coyns mixt amongst the Roman And the Saxon name Wrekenceaster from whence the present Wroxeter flows perhaps may imply that it was when they came Æ¿paeced that is wrack'd and destroy'd unless we say that this name is moulded out of the old Uriconium THE COUNTY PALATINE OF CHESTER By Rob. t Morden As to the urns there have several of them been found whole in the memory of man when they have had occasion to dig 3 or 4 foot deep in their sandy land For as the dead corps here bury'd are in red clay so are their urns lodg'd in a red sand h Our Author observes that Watlingstreet went over a bridge a little way from the City And 't is true there is yet discernable in the bottom of the Severn at low-water the foundation of a stone-work which is probably enough the remains of a bridge But certainly the road went through the midst of the City and so through the ford now call'd Wroxeter-ford as is yet plainly to be discover'd by the old Strait-way pointing exactly upon it on each side of the river â—â—ewsâ—â—y i At some distance from hence is Shrewsbury the Castle whereof our Author observes to be built upon a rock and at the bottom of it's foundation it may be so but the bank appears outwardly to be nothing but a soft mould for the most part sandy k And he farther takes notice that in Hen. 1.'s time that part was wall'd which was not secur'd by the river Now it is wall'd quite round though not very strongly and where the river does not fence it i.e. on the neck of the Peninsula is the Castle built l The School that is now there is a fair stately stone building erected and endow'd by Qu. Eliz. having one Master and three Under-Masters with a very good Library The Buildings and Library are not inferiour to many Colleges in the Universities besides which there are very good houses for the Schoolmasters belonging to it At about 4 or 5 miles distance at a place call'd Grinshill there is another School-house built of the same white stone whither the Masters and Scholars may repair in case any contagious distemper or other cause should render it unsafe for them to stay in the town m About Rossal not far from this place our Author mentions the Flotes but these are seldom seen of late Here is much us'd by the fishermen a small thing call'd a Coracle â—racle in which one man being seated will row himself with incredible swiftness with one hand whilst with the other he manages his net angle or other fishing-tackle It is of a form almost oval made of split Sally-twigs interwoven round at the bottom and on that part next the water cover'd with a horse-hide It is about 5 foot in length and 3 in breadth and is so light that coming off the water they take them upon their backs and carry them home n Upon the eastern border of this County is Oswestre Oswestre where as †Itin. MS. Leland has left it is S. Oswald's Church a very fair-leaded building with a tower'd Steeple but it stands without the new gate so that no Church is within the town It was sometime a Monastery call'd the White minster and was afterwards turn'd to a Parish-Church o About a mile from Oswestre is Caerhendinas Caerhendinas ‖ Aubrey's Monumenta Britan. MS. a hill every way rising the form whereof is an oblong square encompass'd with three great works one higher than another The space within is about seven acres and the tradition is that this place was the last retreat of the Britains Continuation of the EARLS Gilbert dying without issue-male was succeeded in this honour by Edward his brother but he too dy'd without issue surviving and the chief branch of this noble family being thus extinct George Talbot of Grafton in Worcestershire lineal heir to Sir Gilbert Talbot second son to the famous John succeeded who dying also without issue his Nephew John Talbot succeeded Earl of Shrewsbury he dying left Francis his eldest son Earl of Shrewsbury father to this present Charles who is lately created Duke of Shrewsbury and Marquess of Alton More rare Plants growing wild in Shropshire Gramen juncoides lanatum alterum Park Juncus Alpinus capitulo lanuginoso sive Schoenolaguros C. B. Hares-tail-Rush On Ellesmeer meers in great abundance This is the same with the Gramen junccum montanum subcaeruleâ spicâ Cambrobritannicum of Parkinson who makes two Plants of one it is also the Gramen plumosum elegans Phyt. Brit. Persicaria siliquosa Ger. Codded Arsmart or Touch-me-not On the banks of the river Kemlett at Marington in the Parish of Cherbury also at Guerndee in the Parish of Cherstock half a mile from the foresaid river among great Alder-trees in the high-way Ger. p. 446. Rosmarinum sylvestre minus nostras impropriè dictum cùm Cistiledon dicti potiùs species sit Quidam ad Ericas referunt At Birch in the moors of Ellesmeer plentifully It grows in all the Countries near viz. Cheshire Lancashire c. in mosses and boggy places CHESHIRE THE fifth and last part of these Counties formerly possessed by the Cornavii is the County of Chester in Saxon Cestre-scyre now commonly Cheshire and the County Palatine of Chester 〈…〉 for the Earls of it had a certain Palatine Jurisdiction belonging to them and all the inhabitants held of them as in chief and were under a soveraign allegiance and fealty to them as they to the King As for the word Palatine that I may repeat what I have said already of it it was common to all formerly that had any office in the King's Court or Palace 〈◊〉 Pâ—â—â—â— in 〈◊〉 Dâ—scr 〈◊〉 Câ—â—mâ—◠〈◊〉 and in that age Comes Palatinus was a title of dignity conferr'd upon him who had before been Palatinus with an authority to hear and determine causes in his own territory and as well the Nobles whom they call'd Barons as the Vassals were bound to frequent the Palace of the