the songs of the Welsh Bards The countrey on all sides is fenny Marishy distinguished into the names of Gedney Moore Sedege Moore Audre Moore Heth Moore Queenes Moore Brent-Marsh strong fastnesses of king Alfred and his English distressed by the warres of the all conquering Danes Ilchester Iscalis of Ptolemy vpon the riuer Evill Crookehorne vpon the river Parret Bridge-water vpon the Parret The arme of the sea below this the confluence of the Parret with another river from the fens of Glastenbury is named Vzella of Ptolemy Taunton vpon the riuer Tone Vpon the Ocean VVatchet Dunster The whole contayneth 42 Hundreds 33 Market-townes 385 Parishes The auncient inhabitants were part of the Belgae of Plolemy afterwards of the West-Saxons DORSET-SHIRE BOunded vpon the North with Somerset-shire aud VViltshire vpon the East with Hantshire vpon the South with the English Channell and vpon the VVest with Devonshire The soile is fruitefull especially Moreland or the valley of white-hart Townes of better note are Shaftsbury vpon the edge of Wiltshire Vpon the Stour Blandford Winburne Vindogladia of Antoninus Vpon Moreland Shirburne sometimes a Bishops See remoued to Sarisbury in the raigne of the Conquerour Vpon the Frome Dorchester Dunium of Ptolemy and Durnovaria of Antoninus the chiefe towne Along the Sea-coast Poole within a spacious Bay vpon a point of land almost encompassed with the sea Beyond the bay lyeth the I le of Purbecke a Peninsula environed on three sides with the Ocean Weymouth and Melcomb devided with the little riuer of Wey a noted Port. Vpon the South hereof standeth Portland sometimes an Iland now joyned to the Continent defended with a castle founded by king Henry the eight commaunding the entrance of the hauen of Weymouth Burtport Lime It contayneth 34. Hundreds 18 Market-townes and 248 Parishes The auncient Inhabitants were the Durotriges of Ptolemy afterwards part of the West-Saxons DEVON-SHIRE BOunded vpon the East with Dorsetshire and Somersetshire vpon the South and North with the English Channell and the Sea of Severne vpon the VVest with the riuer Tamar from Cornwall The countrey is hilly rich in mines of Tin especially towards Cornwall the West and well stored with convenient Ports and harbours for shipping The soile is leane yet made fruitfull thorough the great industrie of the inhabitants enriched by their intermixing of lime or sands fetched from the sea-caost Townes of more note are Axminster vpon the Ax. Honniton vpon the Otterey Vpon the Ex Tiverton Excester Isca of Ptolemy Isca Dunmoniorū of Antoninus the chief town a bishops See remoued hither from Kirton in the raigne of Edward the Confessour Columbton upon the riuer Columb Vpon the Creedy beyond the Ex Kirton an auncient Bishops See founded by Edward surnamed the Elder remoued afterwards to Excester Totnes vpon the Dert Tavestok vpon the Tavy In Dertmore a mountainous fruitles waste vpon the East hereof plenty of Tin is gotten Here also lately haue Loadstones beene found Vpon the Sea-coast and the English channell Plimmouth a famous Port at the fall meetings of the riuers Plim Tamar The haven is large and deepe affording a safe roade for ships in both rivers defended with the strong Iland of S t Michael other fortifications vpon the land Dertmouth a well frequented Port at the mouth of the riuer Dert Beyond is Torbay a spacious inlet of the sea and a commodious harbour At the mouth of the Ax towards Dorsetshire Seton Moridunum of Antoninus memorable onely for the antiquity Towards the Sea of Severne Bediford vpon the riuer Touridge West hereof lyeth Hertland point Promontorium Herculis of Ptolemy Berstaple vpon the Taw navigable here for great vessels a well traded and rich empory The Shire contayneth 33 Hundreds 37 Market-townes and 394 Parishes The auncient inhabitants were the Danmonii of Ptolemy named otherwise the Cornish after the invasion of the English These being driuen out by great Athelstan confined within the riuer of Tamar the West-Saxons succeed in their voide places CORNWAL BOunded vpon the East with the riuer Tamar from Devonshire and vpon all other sides encompassed with the Ocean The countrey is hilly like vnto Devonshire but more barren enriched chiefely by neuer decaying mines of Tin and with fishings and commodities arising from the sea The valleyes notwithstanding afford plenty of grasse corne fatted with sea-sand and a sea-weede which they call Orewood Amongst the minerals Gold and Silver likewise are found as also Diamonds of a large seize angled and polished by nature but yeelding to the Orientall in colour and hardnes The Inhabitants as of Devonshire are strong and well-limmed tall good wrastlers skilfull mariners and braue warriours both by sea land stout vndaunted resolute thorough a more vegetiue quality of the Westerne winde wherevnto they are exposed or by some hidden nature of the heauens or ground Places of more note are Tamerton Tamara of Ptolemy vpon the right shore of the Tamar named from hence More remote from the riuer Stratton Launston vpon the brow of a hill the chiefe town Saint Germans vpon the riuer Liver a meane village sometimes a Bishops See for the Cornish remoued hither from Bodman Lestuthiel Vzella of Ptolemy vpon the Fawey much decayed of late yeares thorough the choaking of the riuer by sand rubbish falling from the Tin-workes a common daunger of all the navigable streames of the countrey Bodman an auncient Bishops See founded by Edward surnamed the Elder Monarch of the English remoued afterwards to S. Germans during the warres and troubles of the Danes and lastly vnited with Kirton in the raigne of Canutus Tregenie Truro Penrin vpon certaine Creekes of the great Bay of Falmouth S t Buriens Nere herevnto is the Promontory named the lands-Lands-end lands- Bolaeum Antivestaeum of Ptolemy the most Westerne point of the kingdome Vpon the shore a long the South sea East and West Loo at the mouth of the riuer thus called Foy a noted Port at the mouth of the riuer Fawey West hereof amongst others of obscurer sort is Falmouth a deepe and spacious Bay before mentioned Cenionis Ostium of Ptolemy reaching for a great space within the land deviding into sundry Creekes and safe Roades for ships defended at the entrance with two Castles or Forts S t Maudits vpon the East and Pendinas vpon the West built by King Henrie the eight Within the Bay stood the towne Voluba of Ptolemy now either extinct or vnknowne called by some other name Further West is the Lizard point the Promontorie of the Danmonij and Ocrinum of Ptolemy the furthest point of the Iland towards the South Pensans within Mounts-bay named thus from S t Michaels-Mount a strong fort vpon a craggie and high rocke at euery Full-sea environed with waters defending the Rode Vpon the North-sea Padstow neere vnto the mouth of the river Alan It contayneth 9
length totally subdued by Edmund Monarch of the Saxons aided by Lewelin king of Dimetia or Southwales and giuen by Edmund vnto Malcolme king of the Scots to be held vnder the sief of the kings of England with condition to defend the Northerne frontire of the English against the Danes and forraine invaders After this time Cumberland and Westmoreland or the countrey hereof for aboue the space of one hundred yeares were possessed by the Scottish Nation whose Praefects as the Scottish writers tearme them or immediate Princes were the eldest sons or next Heires of Scotland By king William surnamed the Conquerour they were taken from the Scots and with the rest of England subjected to the Normans King Stephen ingaged in a dangerous war against Maâ—de the Empresse restored Cumberland to the Scots to be held with the old conditions recouered againe not long after by king Henry the second his successour disliking this liberalitie of Stephen and so great a diminution of his kingdome and incorporated with the Crown of England in which vnion the country hath euer since continued the name language and accompt of the Britons thorough their English and Scottish subjection being long since here worne out and extinguished THE VVELSH BRITONS THese in their natiue language call themselues Câ—mro Cymero and Cymbri as their Latihe Authours Cambri and their countrey Cambria which they would haue to be deriued from Camber one of the sonnes of Brutus their progenitour vnto whose share this part of the Iland should fall in the devision hereof with his brethren a fable begunne by Geffrey or Monmouth and yet maintained by all their Historians Commentatours men otherwise learned and skilfull in antiquities but over zealous to preferre the glory of this their Troian descent The name as before we haue shewed was common to the Britons of Cumberland and to the rest of the nation the words Britons Britaine not being British originally but imposed by the Greekes and forreiners The Etymologie hereof we cannot conjecture vnlesse from Gomar the sonne of Iapheth first peopling these VVesterne parts of Europe and from whom after Iosephus and Zonaras the Gaules were aunciently called Gomarenses and Gomares of which nation the first Britons were a colonie Their name of Welsh or Walsh was Dutch and of a later imposition signifying strangers with the Saxons in which accompt the English still held the Britons They were a more great strong remainder of the vanquished Britons vnder their King Careticus before mentioned driuen ouer the Severne by the victorious Saxons and sheltering themselues amongst the Silures Ordovices and the Mountaines of the VVest The name notwithstanding of the Welsh we finde not vntill afterwards and the yeare 708 at what time we first read in Henry of Huntington of one Gerent King of the Welshmen ouercome in so attaile by Ina the VVest-Saxon some 19 yeares after the decease of Cadwallader and end of the British kingdome The more auncient bounds hereof were vpon the South the sea of Severne by which they were diuided from the Cornish Britons vpon the West the Irish Ocean and vpon the North East the rivers Dee Severne from the Mercian Saxons By the raigne of Offa King of the Mercians succeeding in the yeare 758 all the plaine Country beyond the Severne where now is Herefordshire with parts of Glocestershire Shropshire and Worcestershire being subdued and taken in by the Saxons of Mercia they were wholy shut vp within their Mountaines for their better distinction enclosed by Offa and severed from his English with a wide and deep ditch continued from Basingwerk vpon the Dee betwixt Chester Ruthland in Flintshire along the hills vnto the mouth of the river Wye neere Bristoll whose tract in many places is yet seene and named Claudh Offa in their language or Offa's ditch afterwards the common bound of both nations Others notwithstanding as a more known limit make the river Wye to be the bounds of both Their government after Cadwallader was vnder diverse Lords whom their Histories call Kings Amogst these their Chronicle maketh mention of Edwall Roderique and Conan Tindaethwy descended from Cadwallader and following in a direct line the progenitours of the succeeding Princes Afterwards Roderique surnamed the Great grandchild by his mother vnto Conan Tindaethwy attained to a Monarchy of the whole Wales which about the yeare 870 he deuided into three parts or provinces which limited and distinguished with their meeres he left vnto his three sons with the authority name of Kings Guinedh or Northwales bounded with the Dee the Ocean the riuer Dovi the part of Anarawd his eldest sonne Deheubarth or South-wales lying beyond the riuer Dovi Powys extended vpon the East toward England the portions of Codelh and Mervin his two yonger sonnes These likewise subdeviding their estates amongst their numerous issue as did continually their successours after them for such was then the bad custome of the Welsh the countrey againe became shared amongst many petty Lords each sonne hauing a part of his fathers inheritance whereof some notwithstanding the eldest sonne most commonly or who otherwise overtopped the rest in power or favour with the people still bore the titles of their generall divisions knowne in their histories by the names of Kings of North and South-Wales and Lords of Powys continuing those stiles vntill towards their subiection to the English Amongst these likewise one was still accompted soveraigne or chiefe Lord to whom the rest were to pay tribute and to doe seruice which honour by the order of Roderique the great and of Howell Dha their lawgiuer was due vnto the succession of Anarawd before mentioned the Kings of Northwales the first borne or chiefe of the house of Cadwallader These their soueraigne lords are named kings in the Welsh historie vnto Owen surnamed Guyneth succeeding about the yeare 1137 who first is called Prince which title is continued vntill the time of Edward the first King of England to Lâ—evelyn their last prince taken vp since by the heires of the house of England By Egbert the great Saxon Monarch the nation is first made subject to the tribute and homage of the English ruled neuerthelesse after their owne lawes and free from forreine yoake vntill the Kings of England of the Norman race By Bernard de Neumarck a Norman gentleman assisted by the Aubryes and other of the French English nobility in the raigne of William Rufus king of England Brechiniauc now Brecknockshire after a long and hard warre is wrested herefrom and annexed to the English Empire By Robert Fitz-hamon in the same raigne Morganwc now Glomorganshire By Arnulph of Mountgomerie and Girald of Winsore his successour in the warre in the raigne of King Henry the first the Country of Dyvet now Pembrokeshire at what time a colonie of the Flemmings whose countrie had beene drowned by the Ocean by the permission hereof were planted in Ros a part of Dyvet continuing
with Middlesex The countrie is fruitfull no lesse pleasant Places of more note are Roiston vnder the downs and vpon the edge of Cambridgeshire Bishop-Stortford vpon the river Stort Vpon and along the course of the Lea Hartford the Shire town Herudford of Beda the place of a Synod of the English and British Bishops in the time of Saint Austine the Apostle of the Saxons Ware a great and noted roade Hoddesdon Theobalds a royall house of the Kings More VVest-ward S t Albans occasioned by the Monasterie thus named founded by Offa king of the Mercians to the memorie of S t. Alban the first Martyr of the Britons here put to death during the tenth persecution in the raigne of the Emperour Dioclesian Close by where is Verulam stood sometimes the towne Verulamium of Tacitus and Vrolamium of Ptolemy a Municipium of the Romans and after Gildas the countrie of S t Alban the Martyr Neere vnto Redburn vpon VVatlingstreet or the Roman militarie way betwixt this Dunstable is thought to haue stood Durocobrivis of Antoninus as on the other side vpon Brockley hill neere Ellestree in the same roade towards London Sulloniacae of the same Authour Barkhamsted It contayneth 8 Hundreds 18 Market-townes and 120 Parishes The auncient inhabitants were the Cattyeuchlani of Ptolemy afterwards part of the Mercian and East-Saxons MIDLE-SEX BOunded vpon the North with Hartfordshire vpon the West with the river Cole from Buckinghamshire vpon the South with the Thames from Surrey Kent and vpon the East with the Lea from Essex The aire is healthie pleasant the countrie fruitfull graced with sundry faire villages and townes and houses of the gentrie and nobilitie Places of better note are Vxbridge vpon the Cole Along the Thames Stanes at the fall or entrance of the Cole Hampton-Court a great magnificent house of the Kings Brentford London Londinium of Ptolemy Antoninus and Tacitus Lundonium surnamed Augusta of Ammianus Marcellinus a famous Mart-towne of the Britons misplaced by Ptolemy amongst the Cantij now the royall chamber of the kings a Bishops See the chiefe citie of the kingdome with VVestminster Redcliff and Limehouse wherewith it is continuate extended vpon the river for about 4 miles in length and some mile and a halfe in breadth sumptuous in buildings mighty populous esteemed at 600 thousand of Inhabitants flourishing in trades and gainefull manufactures strong in marchants shipping the magazin of all the riches and commodities which the whole earth and world affordeth At VVestminster in the magnificent Church of S t Peter the Kings of England are vsually Crowned as likewise enterred begun by Sebert the first Christian king of the East-Saxons but raised to the state we see by Edward the Confessour and the succeeding English Monarches Blackewall a Roade for greater vessels almost continuate with Limehouse The auncient inhabitants were the Trinobantes of Caesar and Trinoantes of Ptolemy afterwards the East-Saxons Here are contayned onely 73 Parishes besides 121 accompted within the City Liberties and Suburbs ESSEX BOunded vpon the West with the riuer Stort from Hartfordshire and the Lea from Midle-sex vpon the South with the Thames from Kent vpon the East with the German Ocean and vpon the North with the Stoure from Suffolke The Countrey is large woody fruitfull rich but low flat in many places more especially vpon the Thames Sea-coasts marishy agueish and verie vnhealthfull Townes of more note are Waltham vpon the Lea naming the great forest thus called Neerer London vpon the same riuer Leiton a straggling village thought to be Durolitum of Antoninus Barking at the confluence of the Thames and the riuer Roding Rumford Brentwood conjecturally Caesaromagus of Antoninus Ralegh Not farre of at the mouth of the Thames lyeth the Iland Convey Convennos of Ptolemy low and subject to invndations Chelmesford not vnprobably Canonium of Antoninus Cogshall vpon the riuer Froshwell Pant or Blacke-water for by all these it is named Further downe vpon the same riuer Maldon Camudolun of Ptolemy and Camalodunum of Tacitus others the royall seate of Cynobellinus king of the Trinobantes afterwards a Roman Colony planted by Ostorius Scapula in the raigne of the Emperour Claudius Below vpon the Blacke-water in Dengey Hundred a flat vnhealthfull soile stood sometimes Ithancester of Beda the place where S t Cedda baptized the relapsed East-Saxons in the raigne of Sigebert their king thought to be Othona of the Notitia the station of a foote company of the Fortenses The towne hath long since beene worne into the river The shore hereabouts yeeldeth plenty of most excellent oisters Colchester Colonia of Antoninus vpon the riuer Colne the chiefe towne Harwich a noted port at the mouth of the Stoure Walden Close by is audley-Audley-end a great sumptuous house of the Earles of Suffolke In the bordering fields as in Cambridge-shire and Norfolke groweth store of Saffron It contayneth 20 Hundreds 21 Market-townes 415 Parishes The auncient inhabitants were the Trinobantes of Caesar afterwards the East-Saxons SVFFOLKE BOunded vpon the West with Cambridgeshire vpon the South with the Stoure from Essex vpon the East with the German Ocean and vpon the North with the Lesser Ouse and the Wavency from Norfolk The soile is most fat and rich vnles towards the East the countrey large populous and well furnished with harbours and safe roades for ships Places of more note are Sudbury vpon the Stour Hadley vpon the Breton Towards the head of the riuer Bretenham Combretonium of Antoninus Wulpet Ipswich vpon the riuer Orwell the chiefe towne a populous rich noted empory Woodbridge vpon the Deben Framlingham a beautifull strong castle Vpon the Sea-coast Aldburg Dunwich Domuc of Beda sometimes a Bishops See the first of the East-Angles founded by king Sigebert in the person of Faelix the Apostle hereof extinguished by the Danish warres The towne now is ruinous and much decayed for the greatest part worne into the sea Southwold at the mouth of the riuer Blith Iland-like at everie Full-sea environed with the Ocean Beyond is Easton-nesse Extensio of Ptolemy the furthest point Eastward of the kingdome More West S t Edmundsburie Villa Faustini of Antoninus named thus from S t Edmund the last king of the East-Angles martyred by the Danes and here enshrined New-market in both counties of Suffolke and Cambridgeshire amongst greene spacious plaines The shire contayneth three greater devisions which they name the Geldable S t Edmonds Liberty and the Liberty of S t Audry distributed amongst 22 Hundreds 28 Market-townes and 575 Parishes The ancient inhabitants were part of the Iceni of Tacitus the Simeni corruptly of Ptolemy afterwards the East-Angles NORFOLKE BOunded vpon the South with the Lesser Ouse and the Wavency from Suffolke vpon the East and North with the Ocean the Washes the river Nen from Lincolneshire and vpon the West with the Greater Ouse from Cambridgeshire