be Bernwaled unknown to me who he was So is also that of the fifteenth only it was an eminent name amongst them as was also Aethelstan on the sixteenth That upon the seventeenth is likely to be of that valiant and noble Viceroy of Mercia married to the King's daughter Ethelfleda a woman of admirable wisdom courage and zeal in sum a daughter worthy of such a father The eighteenth is of Edward Senior that victorious and glorious son and successor of King Aelfred equal to his father in valour and military skill but inferiour to him in learning and knowledge His actions are sufficient for a volume On his head is a close or imperial crown born by few if any other besides the Kings of England The reverse is Leofwine or Lincoln The twenty third Beornwald I rather read it Deorwald i.e. Deirorum sylva York-woulds the chief Town whereof was Beverly And the rather because of the twenty fourth Diora Moneta which seems to be the money of the Deiri or Yorkshire-men The rest of the Coins of this Prince are easily understood The names upon the reverses seem to have been Noblemen or Governors The twenty fifth is remarkable for the spelling Jedword the reverse is Arnerin on Eoferwic i.e. York The twenty sixth hath the reverse Othlric on Ring which might be Ringhornan in Lancashire a large Town one of the eight built by his sister Ethelflede Of the twenty seventh I do not understand the reverse The twenty eighth is of that most famous and worthy King Aethelstan the true progeny of such a father and grandfather In his youth his grandfather King Aelfred saw such a spirit and indoles in him that he foretold if it should please God that he came to the Crown he would perform very great actions for the good of his country and he made him also I think the first that we read to have received that honour in this nation a Knight and gave him ornaments accordingly the more likely because Aelfred also order'd the robes and ceremonies of the Coronation This Prince extended his Victories Northward even into Scotland Which countreys till his time were never peaceably settled because the two nations Saxons and Danes mingled together in their habitations and yet having several Kings and Laws could never be long in quiet Upon the borders of Scotland he fought one of the most terrible battles that ever was in England against Anlaf King of Ireland Constantine King of Scotland and a very mighty and numerous Army Wherein were said to be slain five Kings seven Earls or chief Commanders besides vast numbers of inferior Officers and Soldiers Authors say that King Aethelstan's valiant Chancellor and General Turketill with wonderful courage and strength broke through the enemies ranks till he met with King Constantine and slew him with his own hand Others say that Constantine was not slain but his son Turketill after all his wars and greatness resigning his estates and wealth repaired to the Monastery of Croyland and lived in it himself till his death The reverse is Biorneard moneta Londonensis civitas or Holond ci The former reading is the true The twenty ninth is King Edmund Brother and not inferior either in valour or counsel to Aethelstan He pursued the design of reducing all his subjects to perfect unity and peace by extirpating those rebellious irreconcileable enemies the Danes In the beginning of his Reign he cleared Mercia of them For King Edward seeing the Kingdom so much depopulated by those destructive wars ever since the entrance of the Danes upon promise and oath of fealty and obedience as his father also had done amongst the East-Angles permitted these Danes to live amongst his natural Subjects and chiefly in the great Towns thinking because of their profession of arms and soldiery they would better defend them than the Saxons more industrious and skilful in labour and husbandry The Danes also having been themselves beaten and conquered by him were very ready to engage to obedience peace and loyalty But the Saxons by their labours growing rich and the Danes retaining their former tyrannical and lazy dispositions began to oppress and dominere over the natives Edmund therefore after Mercia began to reduce Northumberland where remained the greatest number of them for Edward himself had suppressed those in East-Anglia and to reduce those Northern counties into the form of Provinces and committed Cumberland as a Feud to Malcolme King of Scotland His zeal for justice cost this heroical Prince his life For celebrating the festival of St. Austin and giving thanks for the Conversion of the nation he spied amongst the Guests one Leof a notable thief whom he had before banished The King's spirit was so moved against him that rising from the Table he seized upon him threw him to the ground and was about to do some violence unto him The Thief fearing what he had deserved with a short dagger which he concealed wounded the King mortally who died in a short time to the very great grief and affliction of his people The reverse is very imperfect but it may perhaps be Edward Moneta Theodford or rather Eadmund Martyr to whose Church he gave the Town called St. Edmund's-bury The thirtieth is Eadred who degenerated not in the least from his father King Edward or his brethren the precedent Kings He compleated the reduction and settlement of the North making Osulf the first Earl of it The Scots voluntarily submitted and swore Allegiance to him An. 955. in the fifth year of his reign and flower of his youth he sickned died and was exceedingly lamented of his subjects The thirty first is Eadwig son of K. Edmund who being come to age received the Kingdom so lovely a person that he was named the fair His actions are variously reported by Historians generally they accuse him of voluptuousness and neglect of his affairs insomuch that a great part of the North applied themselves to his Brother Edgar and set him up against Edwy who as is thought with sorrow sickned and died An. 958. Heriger on the reverse seems to have been Mint-master Tabula VII Nummi saxonici Page cxlvi The thirty third Eadgar son of King Edmund peaceably enjoyed the fruits of the labours and dangers of his predecessors A man admired by all both foreigners and natives for his great piety justice prudence and industry in governing the Kingdom Sine praelio omnia gubernavit prout ipse voluit The reverse is Leofsig Moneta Hamptonensis The thirty fourth is of Eadward son of King Edgar by Ethelfleda the fair called also Eneda Daughter of Duke Ordmear He is much commended for a virtuous well-disposed and hopeful Prince and such the small remainders of his History do truly represent him But by order of his Stepmother Alfritha to whom he was too obedient he was murthered to empty the Throne for her son Aethelred Edward was accounted a Saint and Martyr because of the many miracles said to be done at his Tomb which occasioned the
as were design'd for a march and imagining that this had won the favour of the Gods they immediately set to sea and fell to their oars There was another way the Danes had of appealing their Gods or rather of running into most detestable superstition which Ditmarus a Bishop and an author of somewhat greater antiquity than Dudo thus describes Lib. 1. But because I have heard strange things of the ancient sacrifices of the * North-mannâ— Normans and Danes I would not willingly pass them over There is a place in those parts the capital city of that Kingdom call'd Lederun in the province of Selon There they meet once every nine years in January a little after our Twelfth-day and offer to their Gods 99 men and as many horses with dogs and cocks for hawks being fully perswaded as I observ'd before that these things were most acceptable to them About the time of King Egbert The Danish pâ—â—â—ders in the 800 year of Christ they first disturb'd our coasts afterwards making havock of every thing and plundering over all England they destroy'd Cities burnt Churches wasted the lands and with a most barbarous cruelty drove all before them ransacking and over-turning every thing They murder'd the Kings of the Mercians and East-Angels and then took possession of their kingdoms with a great part of that of Northumberland To put a stop to these outrages a heavy tax was impos'd upon the miserable Inhabitants called b i.e. a certain sum paid to the Danes from the Saxon Gyldan to pay and thence our Yield Dangelt Dangelt the nature whereof this passage taken out of our old Laws does fully discover The Pirates gave first occasion to the paying Danigeld For they made such havock of this nation that they seem'd to aim at nothing but its utter ruine And to suppress their insolence it was enacted that Danigeld should yearly be paid which was twelve pence for every hide of land in the whole nation to maintain so many forces as might withstand the Incursions of the Pirates All Churches were exempt from this Danigeld nor did any land in the immediate possession of the Church contribute any thing because they put more confidence in the prayers of the Church than the defence of arms But when they came to dispute the cause with Alfred King of the West-Saxons he what by retreats and what by attacks did not only by force of arms drive them out of his own territories but likewise slew the Deputy-Governor of the Mercians and in a manner clear'd all Mercia of them And his son Edward the Elder prosecuting his Father's conquests recover'd the Country of the East-Angles from the Danes as Athelstan his spurious son to crown their victories after a great slaughter of them subdu'd the Kingdom of Northumberland and by his vigorous pursuit put the Danes into such a fright that part of them quitted the kingdom and the rest surrendred themselves By the courage of those Princes was England deliver'd out of that gulph of miseries and had a respite of 50 years from that bloody war But after Aethelred a man of a cowardly spirit came to the Crown the Danes raising fresh hopes out of his dullness renew'd the war and made havock of the nation till the English were forc'd to purchase a Peace with annual contributions And so insolently did they behave themselves that the English form'd a Plot and in one night slew all the Danes through the whole nation to a man imagining that so much blood would quench the flaming fury of that people and yet as it happen'd it did but add more fuel to it For Sueno King of the Danes incens'd by that general massacre invaded England with a powerful army and push'd forwards by an enraged spirit put Ethelred to flight conquer'd the whole nation and left it to his son * Cnut in the Coins Canutus He after a long war with Ethelred who was then return'd and his son Edmond sirnam'd Ironside but without any decisive battle The Danes infested England 200 years reign'd about 20. was succeeded by his two sons Harald his spurious one and Canutus the Bold After the death of these the Danish yoke was shaken off and the government return'd to the English For Edward whose sanctity gain'd him the name of Confessor Edward the Confessor the son of Ethelred by a second wife recover'd the Regal Dignity England now began to revive but presently as the Poet says Mores rebus cessêre secundis The loads of Fortune sunk them into vice The Clergy were idle drousie and ignorant the Laity gave themselves over to luxury and a loose way of living all discipline was laid aside the State like a distemper'd body was consum'd with all sorts of vice but Pride that forerunner of destruction had of all others made the greatest progress And as Gervasius Dorobernensis observes of those times They ran so headlong upon wickedness that 't was look'd upon as a crime to be ignorant of crimes All these things plainly tended to ruine The English at that time says William of Malmesbury us'd cloaths that did not reach beyond the middle of the knee their heads were shorn their beards shaven only the upper lip was always let grow to its full length Their arms were even loaded with golden bracelets and their skin all set with painted marks The Clergy were content with a superficial sort of learning and had much ado to hammer cut the words of the Sacraments The NORMANS AS in former ages the Franks first and afterwards the Saxons coming out of that East-Coast of Germany as it lies from us I mean the more Northerly parts of it plagu'd France and Britain with their Piracies and at last became masters the Franks of France and the Saxons of Britain so in succeeding times the Danes first and then the Normans follow'd the same method came from the same Coast and had the same success As if providence had so order'd it that those parts should constantly produce and send out a set of men to make havock of France and Britain and establish new kingdoms in them They had their name from the Northern parts from whence they came â—d â—nt for Nordmanni signifies no more than Northern men in which sense they are likewise term'd c From the Saxon Leod a people or nation Nordleudi â—dâ—â—i â—molâ— i.e. Northern people as being the flower of the Norwegians Suedes and Danes In the time of Charles the Great they carry'd on their trade of Piracies in such a barbarous manner both in Friseland England Holland Ireland and France that that Prince when he saw their vessels in the Mediterranean cry'd out with a deep sigh and tears in his eyes How am I troubl'd that they should venture upon this coast â—r Sanâ— de Geâ— Caroâ—â—agni even while I am living I plainly foresee what a plague they are like to prove to my successors And in the publick Prayers and
chanel and over-against the Island was a City call'd by Ptolemy Rhutupiae â—â—â—â—â—piae us Truâ—â—â—â—s by Tacitus Portus Trutulensis for Rhutupensis if B. Rhenanus's conjecture hold good by Antoninus Rhitupis portus by Ammianus Rhutupiae statio by Orosius the port and city of Rhutubus by the Saxons according to Bede Reptacester and by others Ruptimuth â—â—â—â—borâ—â—â— by Alfred of Beverley Richberge and at this day Richborrow thus has time sported in making alterations of the very same name aa What the original of it may be is not certainly agreed upon But since Sandwich and Sandibay places near this have their name from Sand and Rhyd Tusith in British signifies a sandy ford I would willingly if I durst fetch it from thence The City was stretch'd out along the descent of a hill and there was a tower upon a high ground that over-look'd the Ocean which now the sands have so entirely excluded that it scarce comes within a mile of it When the Romans govern'd here it was exceeding famous From hence they commonly set sail out of Britain for the Continent and here the Roman fleets arriv'd Lupicinus sent over into Britain by Constantius to stop the excursions of the Scots and Picts landed here the Heruli the Batavians and the Moesian Regiments And Theodosius father of Theodosius the Emperour to whom as Symmachus tells us the Senate decree'd statues on horse-back for having quieted Britain came to land here with his Herculii Jovii Victores Fidentes which were so many Cohorts of the Romans Afterwards when the Saxon pirates stopp'd up all trade by sea and infested our coasts with frequent robberies the second Legion call'd Augusta which had been brought out of Germany by the Emperour Claudius and for many years resided at the Isca Silurum in Wales was remov'd hither and had here a * Praepositus commander of it's own under the Count of the Saxon shore Which office was possibly bore by that Clemens Maximus who after he was saluted Emperour by the soldiery in Britain slew Gratian and was himself afterwards slain by Theodosius at Aquileia For Ausonius in his Verses concerning Aquileia calls him Rhutupinum Latronem i.e. the Rhutupian Robber Maximus armigeri quondam sub nomine lixae Foelix quae tanti spectatrix laeta triumphi Fudisti Ausonio Rhutupinum Marte latronem Vile Maximus at first a knapsack rogue O happy you who all the triumph view'd And the Rhutupian thief with Roman arms subdu'd There was also another President of Rhutupiae Flavius Sanctus whose memory the same Poet has preserv'd in his Parentalia speaking thus of him Militiam nullo qui turbine sedulus egit Praeside laetatus quo ‖ Some are of opinion that Rhutupinus in this place signifies all Britain Rhutupinus ager Who bore with ease the long fatigues of war And blest Rhutupium with his constant care Ausonius likewise bestows an Elegy upon his uncle Claudius Contentus who had put to usury a great stock of money among the Britains and mightily encreas'd the principal by interest but being cut off by death left it all to foreigners and was bury'd here Et patruos Elegeia meos reminiscere cantus Contentum tellus quem Rhutupina tegit And let my Uncle grace the mournful sound Contentus buried in Rhutupian ground This Rhutupiae flourish'd likewise after the coming in of the Saxons For Authors tell us it was the palace of Ethelbert King of Kent and Bede honours it with the name of a City But from that time forward it decay'd nor is it so much as mention'd by any writer except Alfred of Beverley who has told us how Alcher with his Kentish men routed the Danes then encumber'd with the spoil about this place call'd at that time Richberge But now age has eras'd the very tracks of it and to teach us that Cities dye as well as men it is at this day a corn-field wherein when the corn is grown up one may observe the draughts of streets crossing one another for where they have gone the corn is thinner and such crossings they commonly call S. Augustine's cross Nothing now remains but some ruinous walls of a tower 71 Of rough flint and long Britain bricks mightily strengthned by tract of time so that the cement is as hard as the stone Over the entry whereof is fixed a head of a personage engraven in stone some say it was Queen Bertha's head but I take it to be a Roman work of a square form and cemented with a sort of sand extremely binding One would imagine this had been the Acropolis it looks down from so great a height upon the wet plains in Thanet which the Ocean withdrawing it self by little and little has quite left But the plot of the City now plow'd has often cast up the marks of it's Antiquity gold and silver coyns of the Romans and shews its daughter a little below call'd from the Sand by the Saxons SondÆ¿ic and by us Sandwich Sandwich bb This is one of the Cinque-Ports as they call them fenc'd on the north and west sides with walls on the rest with a rampire a river and a ditch As it was formerly sensible of the fury of the Danes so was it in the last age of the fire of the French Now 't is pretty populous tho' the haven by reason of the sands heap'd in and that great ship of burthen of Pope Paul the fourth's sunk in the very chanel has not depth enough to carry vessels of the larger sort 72 In ancient times it sundry times felt the furious forces of the Danes Afterward King Kanutus the Dane when he had gained the Crown of England bestow'd it upon Christ's Church in Canterbury with the royalty of the water on each side so far forth as a ship being afloat a man might cast a Danish hatchet out of the Vessel to the bank In the Norman reign it was reckon'd one of the Cinque Ports and to find five ships In the year 1217. Lewis of France of whom we spake lately burned it King Edward 1. for a time plac'd here the Staple and King Edward 3. by exchange re-united it to the Crown About which time there flourished here a Family sirnamed De Sandwico which had matched with one of the Heirs of Creveceur and D'auranches Lord of Folkeston and deserved well of this place In the time of King Henry 6. it was burned by the French In our days Sir Roger Manwood chief Baron of the Exchequer a Native of this place built and endowed here a free school and the Netherlanders have bettered the Town by making and trading of Baies and other Commodities Cantium Prom. Below Rhutupiae Ptolemy places the promontory Cantium as the utmost cape of this angle read corruptly in some Copies Nucantium and Acantium call'd by Diodorus Carion and by us at this day the Foreland Notwithstanding the whole shore all hereabouts is call'd by the Poëts the Rhutupian shore from Rhutupiae From whence
afterwards the penitent King cleans'd the Sanctuary rebuilt the Monastery restor'd the old endowment and added new possessions and at last Roger Bishop of Salisbury gave the place to m One Wimund who instituted Canons Regular and became the first Prior of them a very learned Canon Regular who there setled a perpetual society of such Regular Canons for the service of God But leaving these matters let us return to the University The Danish storms being pretty well blown over the pious Prince K. Aelfred restor'd the Muses who had suffer'd a long exile to their former habitation and built three Colleges one for Grammarians another for Philosophers and a third for Divinity q But you have a larger account of this in the old Annals of the Monastery of Winchester In the year of our Lord's incarnation 1306 in the second year of St. Grimbald's coming over into England the University of Oxford was founded the first Regents there and Readers in Divinity were St. Neot an Abbot and eminent Professor of Theology and S. Grimbald an eloquent and most excellent Interpreter of the holy Scriptures Grammar and Rhetorick were taught by Asserius a Monk a man of extraordinary learning Logick Musick and Arithmetick were read by John Monk of St. Davids Geometry and Astronomy were profess'd by John a Monk and Collegue of S. Grimbald one of a sharp wit and immense knowledge These Lectures were often honour'd with the presence of the most illustrious and invincible Monarch K. Aelfred whose memory to every judicious taste shall be always sweeter than honey Soon after this as we read in a very fair MS. copy of that Asserius who was himself at the same time a Professor in this place there arose a sharp and grievous dissention between Grymbold and those learned men whom he brought hither with him and the old scholars whom he found here at his coming for these absolutely refus'd to comply with the Statutes Institutions and Forms of reading prescrib'd by Grimbold The difference proceeded to no great height for the space of three years yet there was always a private grudge and enmity between them which soon after broke out with the utmost violence imaginable To appease these tumults the most invincible K. Aelfred being inform'd of the faction by a message and complaint from Grymbold came to Oxford with design to accommodate the matter and submitted to a great deal of pains and patience to hear the cause and complaint of both parties The controversie depended upon this the old Scholars maintain'd that before the coming of Grymbold to Oxford learning did here flourish tho' the Students were then less in number than they had formerly been by reason that very many of them had been expell'd by the cruel tyranny of Pagans They farther declar'd and prov'd and that by the undoubted testimony of their ancient Annals that good orders and constitutions for the government of that place had been already made by men of great piety and learning such as Gildas Melkin Ninnius Kentigern and others who had there prosecuted their studies to a good old age all things being then manag'd in happy peace and quiet and that St. German coming to Oxford and residing there half a year what time he went thro' all England to preach down the Pelagian Heresie did well approve of their rules and orders The King with incredible humility and great attention heard out both parties exhorting them with pious and importunate entreaties to preserve love and amity with one another Upon this he left them in hopes that both parties would follow his advice and obey his instructions But Grymbold resenting these proceedings retir'd immediately to the Monastery at Winchester which K. Aelfred had lately founded and soon after he got his tomb to be remov'd thither to him in which he had design'd his bones should be put after his decease and laid in a vault under the chancel of the church of St. Peters in Oxford which church the said Grymbold had raised from the ground of stones hewn and carv'd with great art and beauty This happy restauration of Learning receiv'd two or three interruptions in few years For in the reign of K. Etheldred n Probably out of revenge for the injuries they had done 'em An. 1002. when upon the King's Commission to kill all the Danes in England the execution at Oxon. was more particularly severe the Danes sack'd and burn'd the city And soon after Harold sirnam'd * Levipes Haretoot was so incens'd against the place for the death of some of his friends in a tumult and prosecuted his revenge in so barbarous a manner that the scholars were miserably banish'd from their studies and the University a sad spectacle lay as it were expiring till the time of the Conquerour when too as some say he besieg'd and took this city o Notwithstanding all the Copies of Matthew Paris and Roger Wendover call it Oxonia which is confirm'd as well by other Authorities as an old Tradition that while the Conquerour was in his march to the north for the quiet of these parts he came to Oxford which refusing to yield to him and a soldier from the wall highly affronting him he storm'd it on the north-side and getting possession gave the greatest part of the city to Robert de Oily who in the Survey had within the walls and without 42 houses inhabited and 8 lying waste but those who write so have been impos'd upon by reading in faulty copies Oxonia instead of Exonia Yet that it was even then a place of study we may learn from the express words of Ingulph who flourish'd in that age p The Editors of Ingulph 684. found this passage in all the Copies which confutes those who would make us believe it is not genuine I Ingulph being first placed at Westminster was afterward remov'd to the Study of Oxford where in the learning of Aristotle I improv'd beyond most of those who were of equal years with me c. For what we now call Universities they call'd Studies as I shall by and by observe However about this time the city was so impoverish'd that whereas according to the general survey there were reckon'd within and without the walls 750 houses besides 24 mansions upon the walls 500 of 'em were not able to pay the geld or tax When to speak from the authority of Domesday-book this city paid for toll and gable and other customs yearly to the King twenty pounds and six sextaries of honey and to Earl Algar ten pounds Soon after Robert de Oili a noble Norman before-mention'd when for the reward of his services he had received from the Conquerour a large portion of lands in this county he q An. 1071. by order of the King who was jealous of the fidelity of those parts built a castle on the west-side of the City fortified with large trenches and rampires and in it r It was not built for a Parish-Church for the Oseney-Register
means they gain'd great esteem and respect from all hands by the bounty of Princes 27 Devout people had large possessions and much wealth and flourisht in great reputation for their piety 28 Yea and in the opinion both of the holiness of the men and of the place King Henry 3. c. Upon one of those Monuments the characters whereof are obscure I read Comes Pembrochiae and on the side Mâ— eram â—â—â—tis Mâ— multoâ— vâ—cerat armâ—s The Statute concerning the Templars lands 17 Edw. 2. Many Noble-men were bury'd among them whose Images are to be seen in this Temple with their leggs across for so all those in that age were bury'd who had devoted themselves to the service of the Holy War or as those times worded it had taken up the Cross Among the rest were William 29 Marshal the elder a most powerful man in his time the father William and Gilbert the sons all Marshals of England and Earls of Pembroke 30 Upon William the elder his Tomb I some years since read in the upper part Comes Pembrochiae and upon the side this Verse Miles eram Martis Mars multos vicerat armis But 31 But in process of time when with insatiable greediness they had hoarded great wealth by withdrawing Tithes from Churches appropriating spiritual livings to themselves and other hard means their riches turned to their ruin For thereby their former piety was after a manner stiflâ—d they fell at jarr with other Religious Orders their professed Obedience to the Patriarch of Jerusalem was rejected envy among the common sort was prâ—cured which hope of gain among the better sort so enkindled that in the year of our Lord 1312. this Order was condemn'd for Impiety and by authority of the Pope utterly abolisht However their revenues by Act of Parliament went to the Knights-Hospitalers of St. John of Jerusalem lest what was given upon a Religious design contrary to the Will of the Doners should be turn'd to other uses Notwithstanding it appears plainly by ancient Records that after the Templars were driven out this place was the seat of Thomas Earl of Lancaster and of that 32 Sir Hugh Spencer Spenser who was a great favourite of King Edward the second as afterwards of 33 Sir Aimer de Valentia or Valence Audomar de Valentia Earl of Pembroke and at last it was turn'd into two †Collegia Inns for Lawyers Concerning the other two I have met with nothing upon record only there is a Tradition that one of them was the habitation of the Lords Grey 34 Of Wilton the other of the Earls of Lincoln Near these between the New and Old Temple King Henry the third built a House of Converts for the maintenance of those who turn'd from Judaism to Christianity which afterwards King Edward 3. made a place for the Rolls and Records upon which account it is at this day call'd the Rowles The Rowles o These Suburbs run along in a continu'd set of buildings and the stately houses of some of the Nobility upon the Thames as far as Westminster The most considerable of them are ‖ â—ride-well St. Bridgid's-Well where King Henry 8. built a Palace for the reception of the Emperour Charles the fifth but now it is a house of Correction Buckhurst-house 35 Or Salisbury Court belonging sometimes to the Bishops of Salisbury 36 The White Friers or c. the house of the Carmelites the Temples before-mention'd 37 Then without the Barrs Essex-house built by the Lord Paget Arundel-house 38 Before call'd Hampton-Place Somerset-house built by Seimor Duke of Somerset Next to pass by the rest the Savoy so call'd from Peter Earl of Savoy who liv'd in it which Eleanor wife of Henry 3. bought of the Fraternity of * Montis Joâ—â—s Montjoy and gave to her son Edmund Earl of Lancaster whose posterity had it for a seat a good while till Henry the seventh made it a †Pauperibâ—â— sacraâ— Hospital for the Poor 39 Worcester-house late Bedford-house Salisbury-house Durham-house built by Anthony Bec Bishop of Durham and Patriarch of Jerusalem 40 And thereby the only ornament of this part the Britain Burse built by the Earl of Salisbury and so nam'd of King James 1. York-house for so it has been call'd of late formerly 41 And Northampton-house now begun by Henry Earl of Northampton Bath house But what do I giving particular names to these †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which do not belong to any one but as Fortune disposes of them Westminster Wâ—â—tminâ—â—er formerly above a mile distant is now by these Suburbs joyn'd so close to London that it seems to be part of it notwithstanding 't is a distinct City of it self and enjoys its own Magistrates and Privileges Once it was call'd Thorney from the thorns now Westminster from its westerly situation and the minster For 't is particularly eminent for that Church for its Hall of Justice and the King's Palace The Church's greatest honour is deriv'd from the inauguration and burial of our Kings in it Sulcardus affirms that there once stood in that place a Temple of Apollo and that it was thrown down by an Earth-quake in the time of Antoninus Pius Out of the ruins whereof Sebert King of the East-Saxons built another to St. Peter which being destroy'd by the Danes was re-edify'd and granted to a few Monks by Bishop Dunstan But afterwards King Edward sirnam'd the Confessor built it anew out of the tenth peny of all his revenues for a burying place to himself and a Monastery to the Benedictine Monks endowing it with lands dispers'd here and there through all England But hear a cotemporary Historian The devout and pious King has dedicated that place to God both for its nearness to the famous and wealthy city for its pleasant situation among fruitful grounds and green fields and for the nearness of that principal river which from all parts of the world conveys whatever is necessary to the adjoyning City But above all for the love he bore to the Prince of the Apostles whom he always reverenc'd with a singular zeal and veneration he made choice of that for the place of his sepulchre Then he order'd a noble structure to be begun and built out of the tenths of his whole revenue such a one as might become the Prince of the Apostles that after the transitory course of this life he might find a propitious God both upon account of his piety and his free offering of those lands and ornaments with which he designs to enrich it Whereupon the work thus nobly begun is successfully carry'd on without sparing for either present or future charges so it may be made worthy of and acceptable to God and the Blessed Apostle Peter Please also to take the form of this ancient building out of an old Manuscript The * Principaâ— area body of
the Church is roof'd with lofty Arches of square work †Pari commissura the joints answering one another but on both sides it is enclos'd with a double Arch of stones firmly cemented and knit together Moreover the Cross of the Church made to encompass the middle Quire of the ‖ Canentium Domino Singers and by its double supporter on each side to bear up the lofty top of the middle tower first rises singly with a low and strong arch then mounts higher with several winding stairs artificially ascending and last of all with a single wall reaches to the wooden roof well cover'd with lead But 160 years after Henry the third demolish'd this Fabrick of Edward's and erected a new one of curious workmanship supported by several rows of marble Pillars and leaded over which was fifty years in building This the Abbots very much enlarg'd towards the west and Henry the seventh for the burial of himself and * Suorum his children added to the east part of it a Chapel of a most neat and admirable contrivance call'd by Leland the miracle of the world for you 'd say that all the Art in the world is crowded into this one work wherein is to be seen his own most splendid and magnificent Monument made of solid brass q After the expulsion of the Monks it had several revolutions first it had a Dean and Prebendaâ—ies next one single Bishop Thomas Thurlbey who after he had squander'd away the revenues of the Church gave it up and surrender'd it 42 Surrender'd it to the spoil of Courtiers to the Dean Presently after the Monks and their Abbot were restor'd by Queen Mary but they being quickly ejected by Authority of Parliament Queen Elizabeth converted it into a Collegiate Church nay I may say a Nursery of the Church For she settl'd twelve Prebendaries as many old Souldiers past service forty Scholars calld King's Scholars sent successively to the Universities and thence transplanted into Church and State c. Over all these she constituted a Dean 43 Over these she plac'd Dr. Bill Dean whose Successor was which dignity not long since was honourably bore by Dr. Gabriel Goodman a person of singular worth and integrity and a particular Patron both to me and my studies There were bury'd in this Church to run over those likewise in order Princes bury'd in Westminster-Abbey and according to their Dignity and the time when they dy'd Sebert first 44 And first Christian King of the East-Angles Harold bastard-son of Canutus the Dane King of England St. Edward King and Confessor with his Queen Editha Maud wife to King Henry the first and daughter to Malcolm King of Scots Henry the third Edward the first his son with Eleanor his wife daughter to Ferdinand third King of Castile and Leon. King Edward the third and Philippa of Hanault his wife Richard the second and Anne his wife sister of the Emperour Wenzelaus Henry the fifth with his wife Catharine daughter of Charles the sixth King of France Anne wife of Richard the third and daughter of Richard Nevil Earl of Warwick Henry the seventh with his wife Elizabeth 45 Daughter to King Edward 4. and his mother Margaret Countess of Richmond K. Edward the sixth Anne of Cleve fourth wife to K. Henry 8. Queen Mary and one not to be mention'd without the highest expressions both of respect and sorrow I mean our late most serene Lady Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth of blessed memory the darling of England a Princess endow'd with heroick Vertues Wisdom and a greatness of Mind much beyond her Sex and incomparably skill'd both in Things and Languages Here she lyes bury'd in a stately Monument erected for her out of a pious veneration by King James But alas how inconsiderable is that Monument in comparison of the noble qualities of so great a Lady She her self is her own Monument and a more magnificent and sumptuous one too than any other For let those noble actions recommend her to the praise and admiration of Posterity RELIGION REFORM'D PEACE ESTABLISHT MONEY REDUC'T TO ITS TRUE VALUE A MOST COMPLEAT FLEET BUILT NAVAL GLORY RESTOR'D REBELLION SUPPRESS'D ENGLAND FOR XLIIII YEARS TOGETHER MOST PRUDENTLY GOVERN'D ENRICHT AND STRENGTHEN'D SCOTLAND FREED FROM THE FRENCH FRANCE IT SELF RELIEV'D THE NETHERLANDS SUPPORTED SPAIN AW'D IRELAND QUIETED AND THE WHOLE WORLD TWICE SAIL'D ROUND The Dukes and Lords that have been bury'd here are Edmund Earl of Lancaster younger son to King Hen. 3. Avelina de Fortibus Countess of Albemarle his wife William and Audomar de Valentia of the family of Lusignia Earls of Pembroke Alphonse John and other Children of K. Edward 1. John de Eltham Earl of Cornwall son of K. Edward 2. Thomas de Woodstock Duke of Glocester youngest son of Edw. 3. with others of his children Eleanor daughter and heir of Humfrey Bohun Earl of Hereford and Essex wife to Thomas de Woodstock the young daughters of Edw. 4. and Hen. 7. Henry young son of Hen. 8. who dy'd at 2 months old Sophia daughter of K. James 1. who dy'd ‖ Primo aetatis diluculo almost assoon as born Philippa Dutchess of York Lewis Viscount Robsert of Hanault in right of his wife Lord Bourchier Anne the young daughter and heir of John Moubray D. of Norfolk betroth'd to Rich. D. of York younger son to K. Edw. 4. 46 Sir Giles Daubeney Giles Daubeney Lord Chamberlain to K. Hen. 7. and his wife of the family of the Arundels in Cornwall Viscount Welles Frances Brandon Dutchess of Suffolk Mary her daughter Margaret Douglas Countess of Lenox grand-mother to James K. of Great Britain with Charles her son Winefrid Bruges Marchioness of Winchester Anne Stanhop Dutchess of Somerset and Jane her daughter Anne Cecil Countess of Oxford daughter of Baron Burghley Lord high Treasurer of England with her mother Mildred Burghley Elizabeth Berkley Countess of Ormond Frances Sidney Countess of Sussex 47 James Butler instead of Thomas Butler Thomas Butler Viscount Thurles son and heir of the Earl of Ormond Besides Humfrey Bourchier Lord Cromwell another 48 Sir Humfrey Bourchier Humfrey Bourchier son and heir of the Lord Berners both slain in Barnet-fight 49 Sir Nicholas Carew Baron Carew instead of Nicholas Baron Carew Nicholas Baron Carew the Baroness of Powis Thomas Baron Wentworth Thomas Baron Wharton John Lord Russel Thomas Bromley Lord Chancellour of England Douglasia 50 H. Howard Howard daughter and heir of Viscount Bindon wife of 51 Sir Arthur Gorges Arthur Gorge Elizabeth daughter and heir of Edward Earl of Rutland wife of William Cecil 52 Sir John Puckering John Puckering Keeper of the Great Seal of England Frances Howard Countess of Hertford Henry and George Cary father and son Barons of Hunsdon and Lord Chamberlains to Q. Elizabeth the heart of Anne Sophia the young daughter of Christopher Harley Count de Beaumont Embassador in England from
and Thet are not very unlike 'T is now but thin peopled tho' pretty large and formerly a populous and famous place Besides other marks of it's Antiquity it shews a huge mote thrown up to a great height fortify'd with a double rampire and formerly too as they say with walls Some will have it to have been a work of the Romans but others are rather inclin'd to think it done by the Saxon Kings under whom it was in a flourishing condition for a long while But by the cruelty of Sueno the Dane who set it on fire in the year 1003. and that of the Danes who spoil'd it 6 years after it lost all it's dignity and grandeur To restore which Arfastus the Bishop remov'd his Episcopal See from Elmham to this place and his successor William spar'd neither cost nor pains for it's ornament so that under Edward the Confessor there were reckon'd in it 947 Burgesses And in the time of William the Conquerour it had 720 mansions whereof 224 stood empty and their chief Magistrate was stil'd Consul 1 Which name may intimate that it was a Roman town But when Herbert sirnam'd b Leasung in Saxon signifies a Lye or trick Losenga as being almost made up of lying and flattery the third Bishop that rais'd himself to this honour by ill arts and bribery had translated this See to Norwich it relaps'd as if come to it 's last period Nor did the Monastery of Cluniacks built there by his means make amends for the removal of the Bishop The house was built by Hugh Bigod as appears from what he says in his original Foundation-Charter I Hugh Bigod Steward to King Henry by his consent and the advice of Herbert Bishop of Norwich plac'd Cluniac-Monks in the Church of St. Mary lately the Episcopal See of Thetford which I gave them and afterwards founded them another more convenient without the village Then the greatest part of the City which had stood in the hither bank fell to decay by little and little but in the other part tho' that too fail'd very much about two ages since there were seven Churches besides three small Monasteries one whereof they say was built in memory of the English and Danes slain here For our Historians tell us that the most holy King Edmund a little before his death engag'd the Danes hard by for seven hours together not without vast loss on both sides and that at last they parted with equal success such effect had those frequent turns of fortune on both sides that it had made them altogether senseless NORFOLK By Robt. Morden The Yare has not run much towards the east till a little river Wentsum by others call'd Wentfar empties it self into it from the south Upon this near it's rise is a square entrenchment at Taiesborrough containing 24 Acres It seems to be an Encampment of the Romans possibly that which by the Chorographical Table publish'd by Mark Velser is call'd Ad Taum Higher up upon the same river formerly stood Venta Icenorum 〈◊〉 Iceâ—â—m the most flourishing City of this People but now it has lost the ancient name and is call'd Caster â—â—â—â—â—r Nor need we wonder that of the three Ventae in Britain this alone should have lost it's name when it has lost it's very being For now setting aside the broken walls which in a square contain about 30 acres the marks where the buildings have stood and some Roman Coins which they now and then dig up there is nothing left h But in after-ages Norwich at three miles distance had it's rise out of this standing near the confluence of Yare and another anonymous river call'd by some Bariden which in a long course 11 By Fakenham which K. Hen. 1. gave to Hugh Capel and K. John afterward to the Earl of Arundel with it's dinted and winding banks comes this way by Attilbridge leaving Horsford â—â—â—sfâ—â—d to the north where the Castle of William de Casinet or Cheney who in the reign of Hen. 2. was a chief man among the Nobility lies overgrown with bushes and brambles The Norwich â—â—â—wich above-mention'd is a famous City call'd in Saxon Norðƿic i.e. the northern bay or bosom if Æ¿ic in Saxon signifies a bay or winding 〈◊〉 what â—â—gnâ—fâ—es â—â—â—g the 〈◊〉 as Rhenanus has told us for here the river runs along with crooked windings or the northern Station if Æ¿ic as Hadrianus Junius will have it signifie a secure Station where the houses are built close one to another or else the northern castle if Æ¿ic as 12 Archbishop Alfrick the Saxon has affirm'd denote a Castle i But if I should imagine with some that Norwich were the same with Venta what were it but a downright renouncing Truth For it has no better title to the name of Venta than either Basil has to that of Augusta â—â—â—usta or Baldach to Babilonia â—â—â—coâ—â— Namely as this latter rose upon the fall of Babilonia and the former upon that of Augusta just so our Norwich grew up long after the decay of the ancient Venta Which appears from it's British name in Authors Caer Guntum wherein as in the river Wentsum or Wentfar we find the plain remains of the name Venta For the name of Norwich does not appear in any Writer before the time of the Danish wars So far is it from having been built either by Caesar or Guiteline the Britain as some fabulous Authors tell you who swallow every thing that comes without either consideration or judgment However at present upon account of it's wealth populousness neatness of buildings beautiful Churches with the number of them for it has a matter of 30 Parishes as also the industry of it's Citizens Loyalty to their Prince and Civility to Foreigners it is to be reckon'd among the most considerable Cities in Britain It 's Latitude is 52 degrees 40 minutes the Longitude 24 degrees 55 minutes 'T is pleasantly seated long-ways on the side of an hill reaching from south to north a mile and a half the breadth of it is hardly half so much and towards the south it draws it self in as it were by little and little like a Cone It is fortify'd with walls that have a great many turrets and eleven gates on all sides except the east which the river defends with a deep chanel and steep banks after it has with it's winding reach wash'd the northern part where 't is made passable by four bridges In the infancy as it were of this City and the reign of King Etheldred a Prince of no manner of policy or conduct Sweno the Dane who invaded England with a great army first spoil'd and then burnt it Notwithstanding which it recover'd it self and as appears by the Conquerour's Survey-book in the reign of Edward the Confessor reckon'd 1320 Burgesses At which time to use the expression of that Book it paid 20 pound to the King and 10 to the Earl and beside that 20
the People Tacitus Tacitus imagines them to have come first from Iberia upon account of their * Colorati vultus ruddy complexion their curl'd hair and their situation over against Spain But Florianus del Campo a Spaniard is very positive in that matter and takes a great deal of pains to find the Silures in Spain and to obtrude upon us I know not what stories about Soloria and Siloria among the old Astures However this Country was very large for it seems probable from Pliny and Tacitus that they were possess'd of all South-Wales and the Inhabitants were hardy stout warlike averse to servitude of great boldness and resolution term'd by the Romans †Pervicacia obstinacy and stubbornness not to be wrought upon either by threats or kindness and their posterity have not degenerated in any of these particulars When the Romans out of an itching desire of enlarging their Empire made attempts upon them See pag. xlvii they partly reposing a confidence in the courage and conduct of King Caratacus and partly incens'd by a saying of Claudius the Emperour That they were to be as entirely routed as the Sugambri had been engag'd the Romans in a very troublesome and difficult war For having intercepted the Auxiliary Troops cut off the Legion under Marius Valens and wasted the territories of their Allies P. Ostorius Propraetor in Britain was quite wore out with all these crosses and dy'd of grief Veranius too who govern'd Britain under Nero was baffled in this enterprize against them For where Tacitus says Tacit. Annal L. XIV Illum modicis excursibus Sylvas populatum esse that he destroy'd and wasted the woods with slight excursions instead of Sylvas with the Learned Lipsius only read Siluras and all 's right Nor could an end be made of this war before Vespasian's reign For then Julius Frontinus subdu'd them and kept them quiet by garisons of the Legions A certain Countryman of ours has wrested that verse of Juvenal upon Crispinus to these Silures magnâ qui voce solebat Vendere municipes fractâ de merce Siluros Who with hideous cry Bawl'd out his broken Sturgeon in the streets As if some of our Silures had been taken prisoners and expos'd to sale at Rome But take it upon my word he has mistook the genuine sense of the Poet. For any one that reads that passage with attention will quickly perceive that by Siluros he designs to express a sort of Fish and not a People HEREFORDSHIRE HErefordshire call'd by the Britains Ereinuc is in a manner of a circular form bounded on the East with the Counties of Worcester and Glocester on the South with Monmouth on the West with Radnor and Breknock and on the North with Shropshire A Country besides its pleasantness both for feeding of Cattel and produce of Corn every where of an excellent soil and admirably well provided with all necessaries for life Insomuch that it may scorn to come behind any County in England for fruitfulness of soil 1 And therefore says that for three W. W. W. Wheat Wooll and Water it yieldeth to no Shire of England To which excellencies are to be added its fine rivers the Wye the Lug and the Munow which after they have water'd the verdant flow'ry meadows and rich and fruitful corn-fields at last have their conflux and in one chanel pass to the Severn-Sea a 〈◊〉 River 〈◊〉 The Munow has its rise in Hatterell-hills which shooting up aloft look as it were like a Chair and are a sort of wall to this Shire on the South-west-side Hence the river descending first struggles Southward along the foot of these hills 〈◊〉 to Blestium a town so plac'd by Antoninus that both for situation and distance it can be no other than that which standing upon this river 〈◊〉 Town is by the Britains call'd Castle Hean that is the Old Castle by us The old Town An inconsiderable village but nevertheless this new name makes much for its antiquity for in both tongues it sounds an Old Castle or Town Next to this lyes Alterynnis surrounded with water Alterynnis the Seat of the Cecils as it were an Island in a river the seat in former ages of the ancient and knightly family of the Sitsilters or Cecils whence my right honourable Patron highly accomplisht with all the Ornaments of Virtue Wisdom and Nobility Sir William Cecil Baron of Burghley and Lord High Treasurer of England is descended From hence the Munow turning Eastward for a good way parts this Province from Monmouthshire and is augmented by the river Dore at Map-Harald or Harald Ewias Harald-Ewias a Castle This Ewias-Castle to give you the words of King William the first 's Book was repair'd by Alured of Marleberg The Family of Ewias Afterwards it belonged to one Harald a Nobleman who Their Arms. in a Shield Argent bore a Fess Gules between three Estoiles Sable from whom it first took the name of Harold Ewias but Sibyll his Great-grand-daughter and one of the heirs transferr'd it by marriage to the Lords Tregoz Tregoz and Grandison from whom it came at length to the Lords of Grandison originally of Burgundy of whom elsewhere Now the Dore above-mentioned falling down from the North by Snotthill a castle Gidden Vale. and sometimes the Barony of Robert Chandois where there is a Quarry of excellent Marble cuts through the middle of the valley which the Britains from the river call Diffrin Dore but the English that they might seem to express the force of that word have term'd it The Golden Vale. Which name it may well be thought to deserve for its golden rich and pleasant fertility For the hills that encompass it on both sides are clothed with woods under the woods lye corn-fields on each hand and under those fields lovely and gallant meadows In the middle between them glides a clear and crystal river on which Robert Earl of Ewias erected a fine Monastery wherein most of the Nobility and Gentry of these parts were buried Part of this County which bends towards the East now call'd Irchenfeld Irchenfeld in Domesday Archenfeld was as Historians write laid waste with fire and sword by the Danes in the year 715 Camalac a British Bishop being then carried away captive Herein once stood Kilpec a noted castle the seat of the noble family of the Kilpec's Kilpec who as some report were Champions to the Kings of England in the beginning of the Normans which I am very willing to believe In the reign of Edward the first Robert Wallerond liv'd here whose ‖ Nepos nephew Alane Plugenet was honourd with the title of a Baron In this Archenfeld likewise as we read in Domesday-book certain Revenues by an old custom were assigned to one or two Priests on this condition that they should go in Embassies for the Kings of England into Wales and to use the words of the said Book The men
oâ—â—e Barons of Dacre the last whereof some years ago dy'd young and his Uncle Leonard chosing rather to contend with his Prince in War than with his Nieces in Law about the estate seis'd upon the Castle and got together a company of Rebels in opposition to his Prince But the Lord Hunsdon with the garrison of Berwick easily defeated them put a great many to the sword and the rest amongst whom was Leonard himself to flight x 19 But of him more in my Annals Nearer the Wall beyond the river Irthing was lately found this fair votive Altar erected to the Goddess Nymphe of the Brigantes for the health of the Empress Plautilla Wife to M. Aurelius Antoninus Severus and the whole Imperial family by M. Cocceius Nigrinus a Treasurer to the Emperour when Laetus was second time Consul with intricate connexion of letters which I read thus DEAE NYMPHAE BRIGantum QUOD VOVERAT PRO SALUTE PAUTILIAE COnjugis INVICTAE DOMini NOSTRI INVICTI IMP. M. AURELii SEVERI ANTONINI PII. FELicis CAESaris AUGusti TOTIUSQUE DO MUS DIVINAE EJUS M. COCCEIUS NIGRINUS Questor AUGusti Numini DEVOTUS LIBENS SUSCEPTUM Solvit LAETO II. Nearer the Wall stood the Priory of Lanercost founded by R. de Vallibus Lord of Gillesland y and upon the wall is Burd-Oswald Below this where the Picts-Wall pass'd the river Irthing by an arch'd bridge at a place now call'd Willoford was the Station of the †See the Additions to Ambleside in Westmorland If we are to settle the Amboglana here the many rivulets in those parts which carry the name of Glen oâ— Glynn afford us a probable original of the name Cohors prima Aelia Dacorum as appears by the Notitia and several Altars erected by that Cohort and inscrib'd to Jupiter Optimus Maximus Some of them I think proper to give you tho' they 're much defac'd and worn with age Jovi optimo Maximo * I. O. M. COH I. AEL DAC CVI PRAE IG I. O. M. CoH. I. AEL DAC C. P. STATV LoN GINUS TRIB I. O. M. OH I. AEL DA C. C. A. GETA IRELSAVRNES PRO SALVTE D. N MAXiMIANO †Fortissimo Caesari FOR CAE VA OAED L E G. VI. V I C. P. F. F. I. O M. COH I AEL DAC TETRICIANO RO C. P. P. LVTIC V. S. DESIG NATVS TRIB I. O. M. COH I. AEL DAC GORD ANA. C. P EST. I. O. M. H. I. AEL DAC C. PRAEESI FLIUS FA S TRIB PETVO COS. The first Lord of Gillesland that I read of Lords of Gillâ—sâ—â—â— Out oâ—â— old Mâ—â— R. Câ—â— Clarenceux 〈◊〉 him Raâ—â— as also 〈◊〉 MSS. of Fountaâ—â— and Hiâ—â— Abbâ—â— was William Meschines brother of Ralph Lord of Cumberland not that William who was brother of Ranulph Earl of Chester from whom sprang Ranulph de Ruelent but the brother of Ralph but he was not able to get it out of the hands of the Scots for Gill the son of Bueth Å¿ This was but for a short time for the father was banish'd into Scotland in Earl Randolph's time and the son Gillesbueth as he was call'd was slain by Robert de Vallibus at a â—eeting for Arbitration of all differences so that that family seems never to have claim'd after The murther was barbarous and Robert to atone for it built the Abbey of Lanercost and gave to it the Lands that had caus'd the quarrel held the greatest part of it by force of Arms. After his death King Henry the second bestow'd it upon Hubert de Vallibus or Vaulx whose Coat Armour was Chequey Argent and Gules His son Robert founded and endow'd the Priory of Lanercost But the estate within a few years came by marriage to the Moltons and from them by a daughter to Ranulph Lord Dacre whose posterity flourish'd in great honour down to our time z Having thus took a Survey of the Sea-coast and inner parts of Cumberland we must pass to the East of it a lean hungry desolate sort of Country which affords nothing remarkable besides the head of South-Tine in a wet spungy ground and an ancient Roman stone Cawsey * 8 Ulnaâ— above ten yards broad 'T is call'd the Maiden-way Maiden-way leading out of Westmoreland and at the confluence of the little river Alon and the Tine we spoke of on the side of a gentle ascent there are the remains of a large old Town which to the North has been fortify'd with a fourfold Rampire and to the West †Sileâ—â— with one and a half The place is now call'd Whitley-castle and as a testimony of it's Antiquity has this imperfect Inscription ‖ Compâ—â— of a scriâ—â— ratioâ—◠〈◊〉 risimâ—leâ— compendiously written with the Letters link'd one in another from which we learn that the third Cohort of the Nervii built a * Aedemâ— Temple there to Antoninus the Emperour son of Severus IMP. CAES. Lucii Septimi Severi AraBICI ADIABENICI PARTHICI MAX. FIL. DIVI ANTONINI Pii Germanici SARMA NEP. DIVI ANTONINI PII PRON. DIVI HADRIANI ABN DIVI TRAIANI PARTH ET DIVI NERVAE ADNEPOTI M. AVRELIO ANTONINO PIO FEL AVG. GERMANICO PONT MAX. TR. POT X IMP. COS. IIII. P. p. PRO PIETATE AEDE VOTO COMMVNI CURANTE LEGATO AVG. PR COH III. NERVIO RVM G. R. POS. Now seeing the third Cohort of the Nervii was quarter'd in this place seeing also the Notitia sets them at Alione as Antoninus does at Alone and a little river running under it is call'd Alne if I should think this to be the very Alone I could not indeed deliver it for a positive truth because the injuries of time and the violence of wars have long since put these things out of the reach of human knowledge but it would at least seem probable Upon the decay of the Roman power in Britain tho' this Country was cruelly harrass'd by the Scots and Picts yet did it longest keep its original Inhabitants the Britains and fell late under the power of the Saxons But when the Danish wars had well nigh broke the Saxon government it had its petty Kings â—â—gs of â—â—mberâ—â—â—d stil'd Kings of Cumberland to the year of our Lord 946. At which time as Florilegus tells us King Edmund by the assistance of Leolin King of South-Wales spoil'd Cumberland of all its riches and having put out the eyes of the two sons of Dummail King of that County granted that Kingdom to Malcolm King of Scots to hold of him and to protect the North-parts of England both by Sea and Land against the incursions of the Enemy After which the eldest sons of the Kings of Scotland as well under the Saxons as Danes were stil'd â—mbriâ—e 〈◊〉 Governours of Cumberland But when England had yielded to the Normans this County submitted among the rest and fell to the share of Ralph de Meschines whose eldest son Ranulph was Lord of Cumberland and at the same time in right of his mother and by the favour of his Prince Earl
and although some of the Churches are defaced yet wants it not its beauties so divided too that almost every street is inhabited by a several trade apart and is furnished by the Tay every tide with commodities from sea in their light Vessels b. It gives the Title of Earl to the Family of Perth chief of the name of Drommonâ— Upon it J. Johnston so often mentioned PERTHUM Propter aquas Tai liquidas amoena vireta Obtinet in medio regna superba solo Nobilium quondam Regum clarissima sedes Pulchra situ pinguis germine dives agri Finitimis dat jura locis morémque modúmque Huic dare laus illis haec meruisse dari Sola inter patrias incincta est moenibus urbes Hostibus assiduis ne vaga praeda foret Quanta virum virtus dextrae quae praemia nôrunt Cimber Saxo ferox genus Hectoridum Felix laude novâ felix quoque laude vetustâ Perge recens priscum perpetuare decus Near Tay's great stream amongst delightful plains Majestick Perth in royal splendour reigns For lofty Courts of antient Kings renown'd Fair is the site and ever rich the ground Hence laws and manners neighb'ring parts receive Their praise 't is to deserve and hers to give No walls like her her sister towns can show Which guard her riches from the bord'ring foe How stout her Knights what noble spoils they won The Britains Saxons and the Danes have known Renown'd in eldest and in latest days Oh! may her glories with her years encrease And new deserts advance her antient praise And now lately King James 6. hath advanced Perth to an Earldom upon his creating James Baron Dromond Earl of Perth Earl of Perth Near Perth is Methven Barâ—â— Methven which Margaret of England Dowager to King James 4. purchased with ready money for her third husband Henry Stewart of the Blood Royal and his Heirs and withal obtained of her son James 5. the dignity of a Baron for him A little lower is Rethven a Castle of the Rethvens Râ—â—hven on Râ—eâ—erâ— a name to be accursed and raz'd out of all memorials since the States of the Kingdom past a decree that all of that name should lay it down and take a new one after that the Rethvens Brothers in an execrable and horrid conspiracy had plotted the murther of the best of Princes James 6. who had created their father William Earl of Gowry but afterwards upon his going insolently to prescribe Laws to his Sovereign and being convicted of High Treason beheaded him But I may seem to have said too much of persons condemned to eternal oblivion and yet the mentioning such wicked generations may be of use to caution posterity As for Gowry Gowry so much celebrated for its Corn-fields and the excellency of its soil it lyes along the other side of the Tay being a more level country In this Tract over against Perth on the farther side of Tay stands Scone Sâ—â—ne a famous Monastery in times past and honoured with the Coronation of the Kings of Scotland ever since King Keneth having hard by made a general slaughter of the Picts placed a stone here enclosed in a wooden chair for the Inauguration of the Kings of Scotland It had been transported out of Ireland into Argile and King Edw. 1. of England caused it to be convey'd to Westminster Concerning which I have inserted this Prophecy so common in every man's mouth since it hath now proved true as few of that sort do Ni fallat fatum Scoti quocunque locatum Inveniunt lapidem regnare tenentur ibidem Or Fate 's deceiv'd and heaven decrees in vain Or where they find this stone the Scots shall reign Now by the special favour of King James Scone gives the title of Baron to c He erected here stately buildings which are possessed by his heirs under the title of Vicounts of Stormont Theatr. Scotiae p. 46. David Murray Where the Tay now grown larger dilates it self Arrol Arrol hangs over it the seat of the noble Earls of Arrol Earls of Arrol they have been hereditary High Constables of Scotland ever since the Bruses times and deduce their original which is certainly very antient from one Hay a man of prodigious strength and courage who together with his sons in a dangerous battle against the Danes at Longcarty catching up an Ox-yoke by fighting valiantly and encouraging others rallied the retreating Scots so as they got the day Which victory and deliverance both the King and the States ascrib'd to his singular valour Whereupon several excellent lands were assign'd hereto him and his posterity who in testimony of this action have set a Yoke for their Crest over their Coat of Arms 13 Three Escutcheons gules in Argent As for Huntley-Castle Huntley-Castle hard by I have nothing to write of it but that it has given name to a very great and honourable family of which hereafter g ANGVS UPon the aestuary of the Tay and up a little way within it along the North-Eske lyes Angus called by the genuine Scots Aeneia extending it self into fields bearing wheat and all other sorts of grain large hills lakes forests pastures and meadows and beautified with several sorts and castles In the first entrance into it from Gowry stands Glamis â—â—o Glaâ—â—â— a Castle and the Barony of a Family sirnamed Lyons which have been famous ever since J. Lyon a great favourite of King Robert 2. received this and the dignity of a Baron with the King's daughter in Marriage and therewith as I find written the sirname of Lyon with a Lyon in his Arms within a Treassure Floury â—e shield 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 and â—reassure â—â—ry B. as the Kings themselves bear but in different colours Patrick now Lord Glamis very lately obtained the honour of Earl of Kinghorn from King James 6. At a little distance is Forfar â—isdom 〈◊〉 â—orfâ—r where for the administration of Justice the Barons Greies are hereditary Sheriffs 〈◊〉 â—ry who are descended from the Greies of Chillingham in Northumberland and came into Scotland with King James 1. when he returned out of England Upon the first of whom nam'd Andrew the King bountifully conferr'd the Lordship of Foulis with Helena Mortimer for his Wife â—â—ndee 〈◊〉 â—tene 〈◊〉 verb. â—â—if Near the Tay's mouth is Dundee d This Town has a good Trade fine buildings and an Hospital for the poor At present it gives the Title of Marquiss to the chief Family of the Grahams which the antients called Alectum others Taodunum a town well frequented and whose Constable by a peculiar privilege is Standard-bearer to the Kings of Scotland Hector Boetius â—â—â—tor â—â—â—tius who was here born expounds the name Dundee Donum Dei by allusion This person in that age when learning began again to flourish wrote an elegant history of Scotland out of such hidden monuments of Antiquity that Paulus Jovius wonder'd there should be
Conjectures upon the British Coins lxxxvii Additions xci Notes upon the Roman Coins xcvii Additions c Destruction of Britain ci Britains of Armorica cv Britains of Wales and Cornwall cvii Picts cix Scots cxiii Saxons cxxi Names of cxxxiii Saxon Coins cxxxvi Danes cli Normans cliii Division of Britain clxiii Degrees of England clxxi Law-Courts of England clxxxiii Discourse concerning Earl-Marshal clxxxix Original and dignity of Earl-Marshal cxciii Danmonii Cornwall 1 Devonshire 25 Durotriges Dorsetshire 43 Belgae Somersetshire 57 Wiltshire 85 Hamshire 113 Isle of Wight 127 Atrebates Barkshire 137 Regni Surrey 153 Sussex 165 Cantium Kent 185 Arsenals for the Royal Navy in Kent 229 Dobuni Glocestershire 231 Oxfordshire 251 Cattieuchlani Buckinghamshire 277 Bedfordshire 285 Hertfordshire 291 Trinobantes Middlesex 307 Essex 339 Iceni Suffolk 367 Norfolk 383 Cambridgeshire 401 Huntingdonshire 419 Coritani Northamptonshire 429 Leicestershire 441 Rutlandshire 455 Lincolnshire 459 Nottinghamshire 481 Derbyshire 489 Cornavii Warwickshire 499 Worcestershire 315 Staffordshire 527 Shropshire 539 Cheshire 553 Silures Herefordshire 573 Radnorshire 585 Brecknockshire 589 Monmouthshire 593 Glamorganshire 609 Dimetae Caermardhinshire 621 Penbrokshire 629 Cardiganshire 641 Ordevices Montgomeryshire 649 Meirionydhshire 655 Caernarvonshire 663 Anglesey Mona 673 Denbighshire 679 Flintshire 687 Princes of Wales 695 Brigantes Yorkshire West-Rid 705 East-Riding 735 North-Riding 749 Richmondshire 757 Bishoprick of Durham 771 Lancashire 787 Westmorland 805 Cumberland 819 Picts-Wall 837 Ottadini Northumberland 847 Large ADDITIONS at the end of each County Explication of the Letters and Figures in the Text. a b c. refer to The Additions at the end of each County where the same Letters answer them a b c. The cursory Remarks at the bottom of the Page 1 2 c. Dr. Holland's Interpolations set in a small Italick at the bottom of the page ENGLAND By Robt. Morden BRITAIN BRitain called also Albion and by the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most famous Island of the whole world is divided from the Continent of Europe by the Ocean It lies over against Germany and France in a * Figura Triquetra Triangular form having its three Promontories shooting out three several ways viz. Belerium the Lands end towards the West Cantium the Kentish Foreland towards the East Tarvisium or Orcas Cathness towards the North. On the West between it and Ireland the Vergivian or Irish Sea breaks in on the North it is beaten upon by the vast and wide Northern Ocean on the East where it faceth Germany it is washed by the German Ocean on the South over against France by the British Chanel Thus divided by a convenient distance from these neighbouring Nations and made fit by its open harbors for the traffick of the whole world it seems to have advanc'd it self on all sides into the sea See in Kent as it were for the general benefit of mankind For between Kent and Calais in France it runs so far out into the sea and the Chanel is so contracted that a That Britain was ever by an Isthmus joyn'd Eastward to the Continent of France seems an improbable opinion However see besides Authors cited by Mr. Camden White 's Hist Brit. L. 11. Not. 11. Burton's Comment on Antonin p. 18. 19. Twin de Rebus Albion Britan. Sammes Britan. l. 1. c. 4. Verstegan l. 1. c. 4. Some Foreigners also Dominicus Marius Niger Antonius Volscus Vivianus and Du Bartas have favour'd this groundless fancy some are of opinion that a breach was there made to receive the sea which till that time had been excluded and to confirm it they bring Virgil's Authority in that Verse Et penitus toto divisos orbe Britannos And Britain quite from all the world disjoyn'd Because says Servius Honoratus Britain was anciently joyn'd to the Continent And that of Claudian they urge in imitation of Virgil Nostro diducta Britannia mundo And Britain sever'd from our World And it is not unlikely that the outward face and fashion of the earth may by the Deluge and other causes have been alter'd that some mountains may have been rais'd and heightn'd and many high places may have sunk into plains and valleys lakes and meers may have been dried up and dry places may have become lakes and meers and some Islands may have been torn and broken off from the Continent But whether it be true indeed and whether there were any Islands before the Flood I shall not here argue nor give too rash a judgment upon God's Works All know that the Divine Providence hath dispos'd different things to the same end And indeed it hath always been allow'd as well by Divines as Philosophers that Isles scatter'd in the sea do no less contribute to the beauty of the whole World in general than lakes dispers'd in the Continent and mountains rais'd above plains Livy and Fabius Rusticus have made the Form of this Island to resemble an * Seâ—tulae Oblongae oblong Platter or b See Sir Henry Savil upon this place in Tacitus †Bipâ—nni two edg'd Ax and such certainly is its shape towards the South as Tacitus observes which yet hath been ill apply'd to the whole Island For Northward the vast tract of land shooting forward in the utmost shore groweth narrow and sharp like a wedge The Ancients thought it so great and so very large in circumference The Panegyrick spoken to Constantius falsly entitled to Maximian that Caesar who was the first of the Romans that discover'd it wrote that he had found out another world supposing it to be so great that it seem'd not to be surrounded with the sea but even to encompass the Ocean And Julius Solinus Polybistor asserts that for its largeness it almost deserv'd to be call'd another World Nevertheless our age by the many surveys made by several persons hath now well nigh found the true Dimensions of the whole Isle For from Tarvisium to Belerium reckoning the windings and turnings of the shores along the West side are computed about 912 miles From thence along the Southern coasts to Cantium 320 miles Hence coasting the German Ocean with crooked bays and inlets for 704 miles it reacheth Tarvisium So that by this computation the whole Island is in circuit 1836 miles which measure as it falls much short of Pliny's so is it also somewhat less than Caesar's Com. l. 5. †Schymnus Schitinius Chius is not worth my mentioning who in Apollonius de Mirabilibus having told us strange stories of fruits growing in Britain without kernels and grapes without stones makes its circuit 400 †Stadiis furlongs and no more But Dionysius Afer in his Description of the World hath given a much better account of the British Islands that is Briâ—ain and Ireland 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vast is the compass of the British coasts A like extent no rival Island boasts And with him Aristides and other Greek Writers agree who
matters his principal care was to avoid the storm of the Danish war which he saw hanging over him and even to purchase a Peace On this occasion he made Adalbert Archbishop of Hamburg his instrument For Adam Bremensis says There was a perpetual quarrel between Sueno and the Bastard but our Arch-bishop being brib'd to it by William made it his business to strike up a peace between the two Kings And indeed 't is very probable there was one concluded for from that time England was never apprehensive of the Danes William however made it his whole business to maintain the dignity of his government and to settle the Kingdom by wholsome laws For Gervasius Tilburiensis tells us That after the famous Conqueror of England King William had subdued the furthest parts of the Island and brought down the Rebels hearts by dreadful examples lest they might be in a condition of making outrages for the future he resolved to bring his Subjects under the obedience of written laws Whereupon laying before him the Laws of England according to their threefold division that is Merchanlage Denelage and West-Sexenlage some of them he laid aside but approved others and added to them such of the foreign Norman Laws as he found most conducive to the peace of the Kingdom Next as we are assured by Ingulphus who lived at that time he made all the inhabitants of England do him homage and swear fealty to him against all â—â—hers He took a survey of the whole nation so that there was not a single Hide of land through all England but he knew both the value of it and its owner Not a lake or any other place whatsoever but it was registred in the King's Rolls with its revenue rent tenure and owner according to the relation of certain taxers who were picked out of each County to describe the places belonging to it This Roll was called the Roll of Winchester and by the English Domesday Domesday-book called by Gervasius Tilburiensis Laher Judiciarius as being an universal and exact account of every tenement in the whole nation I the rather make mention of this Book because I shall have occasion to quote it hereafter under the name of William's Tax-book The Notice of England the Cessing-book of England The publick Acts and The Survey of England But as to Polydore Virgil's assertion that William the Conqueror first brought in the Jury of Twelve Jury of 12. there is nothing can be more false For 't is plain from Ethelred's Laws that it was used many years before that Nor can I see any reason why he should call it a terrible Jury Twelve men Twelve men who are Freeholders and qualified according to Law are picked out of the Neighbourhood these are bound by oath to give in their real opinion as to matter of fact they hear the Council on both sides plead at the Bar and the evidence produced then they take along with them the depositions of both parties are close confined deny'd meat drink and fire till they can agree upon their verdict unless want of these may endanger some of their lives As soon as they have delivered it in he gives sentence according to law And this method was looked upon by our wise Forefathers to be the best for discovering truth hindering bribes and cutting off all partiality How great the Norman courage was I refer you to other writers I shall only observe The Warlike courage of the Normans that being seated in the midst of warlike Nations they never made submission their refuge but always arms By force of these they possessed themselves of the noble Kingdoms of England and Sicilie For Tancred * Nepeâ— Nephew to Richard the Second Duke of Normandy and his Successors did many glorious exploits in Italy drove out the Saracens and set up there a Kingdom of their own So that a Sicilian Historian ingenuously confesses that the Sicilians enjoying their native Soil Th. Fazâ—llus lib. 6. Decadis Posterioris their Freedom and Christianity is entirely owing to the Normans Their behaviour also in the wars of the Holy land got them great honour Which gave Roger Hoveden occasion to say That bold France after she had experienced the Norman valour drew back fierce England submitted rich Apulia was restored to her flourishing condition famous Jerusalem and renowned Antioch were both subdued Since that time England has been equal for warlike exploits and genteel Education to the most flourishing nations of the Christian world The English Guards to the Emperors of Constantinople So that the English have been peculiarly made choice of for the Emperor of Constantinople's guards For as our country man Malmsbury has told us he very much admired their fidelity and recommended them to his son as men deserving of respect and they were formerly for many years together the Emperor's guards Nicetas Choniata calls them Inglini Bipenniferi and Curopalata Barangi Barangi These attended the Emperor where-ever he went with halberts upon their shoulders as often as he stir'd abroad out of his closet and pray'd for his long life clashing their halberts one against another to make a noise As to the blot which Chalcondilas Chaâ—condilas has cast upon our nation of having wives in common truth it self wipes it off and confronts the extravagant vanity of the Grecian For as my most learned and excellent Friend Ortelius has observed upon this very subject Things related by any persons concerning others are not always true These are the People which have inhabited Britain whereof there remain unto this day the Britains the Saxons or Angles with a mixture of Normans and towards the North the Scots Whereupon the two Kingdoms of this Island England and Scotland which were long divided are now in the most potent Prince King JAMES happily united under one Imperial Diadem It is not material here to take notice of the Flemings who about four hundred years ago came over hither In the County 〈◊〉 Pembâ—â—â—â— and got leave of the King to settle in Wales since we shall mention them in another place Let us then conclude this part with that of Seneca From hence it is manifest De Conâ—latioâ—â— Albiâ—â— that nothing has continued in its primitive state There 's a continual floating in the affairs of mankind In this vast orb there are daily revolutions new foundations of cities laid new names given to nations either by the utter ruine of the former or by its change into that of a more powerful party And considering that all these nations which invaded Britain were Northern as were also others who about that time overran Europe and after it Asia Nicephorus's Nicephorus observation founded upon the authority of Scripture is very true As God very often sends terrors upon men from heaven such are thunder fire and storms and from earth as opening of the ground and earthquakes as also out of the air such as whirlwinds and immoderate
century and tithing or if he could not should expect the severity of the laws But if any one standing thus accused should make his escape either before or after the bail was given that whole Hundred and Tithing was liable to be fined by the King By this project he settled peace in the Kingdom so that even upon the high-roads where four ways met he commanded golden bracelets to be hung up which might expose the avarice of travellers whil'st there was none durst venture to take them away Wappentacks Tithings and Laths These Centuries are in some parts of the Kingdom called Wappentaches if you desire to know the reason I will give it you out of Edward the Confessor's Laws When any one received the government of a Wappentach on a set day and in the place where the meeting used to be held all the elder sort met him and when he was got off his horse rose up to him Then he held up his spear and took security of all there according to custom for whoever came touched his spear with theirs and this touching of armour confirmed them in one common interest and was a publick league In English arms are called wepun and taccare is to confirm as if this were a confirmation of weapons or to speak more agreeably to the English tongue b See Sir Henry Spelman's Glossary under the word Wapentachium Wepentac is a touching of armour for wepun signifies armour and tac is touching There were also other Jurisdictions above those of Wapentaches which they called Ãrihingas including the third part of the Province and those who were Lords over them were termed Ãrihingerefas To these were appeals made in such causes as could not be determined in the Wapentaches So that what the English named a Hundred these called a Wapentach and what was in English three or four hundreds they called c Of which the Ridings in Yorkshire are a corruption Ãrihinge But in some Provinces what they called Trihing was in English term'd Lew and what could not be determined in the Ãrihinge was carried into the Shire These Counties which if you would express in proper Latin Shirâ— may be term'd either Conventus or Pagi we call by the peculiar name of Shyres from the Saxon word Scyre signifying to branch and divide By the first division there were only 32. for in the year 1016. in the Reign of Aethelred Malmsbury assures us there were no more In the life of Aethelred he writes thus At this time the Danes invaded 16 Counties whereas there are but 32 in all England And in those days these Counties were divided according to the variety of the laws Div'faâ— Englaâ—â— acc râ—â—â— to Laâ— For the Laws of England were threefold those of the West-Saxons called West-saxenlage those of the Danes called Denelage and those of the Mercians called Merchenlage Under the West-Saxon-Law were comprehended nine Counties Kent Sussex Surrey Berkshire Hamshire Wiltshire Somersetshire Dorsetshire and Devâ—â—shire To the Dane-Laws belonged fifteen Counties Yorkshire Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Northamptonshire Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Hertfordshire Essex Middlesex Norfolk Suffolk Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire The other eight were judged after the Mercian-Law Lib. â— S. Eâ—â— di those were Glocestershire Worcestershire Herefordshire Warwickshire Oxfordshire Cheshire Shropshire and Staffordshire But when William the first made his Survey of this Kingdom Domâ— book there were reckoned 36 Counties as the Polychronicon tells us But the publick records wherein he registred that Survey reckon up no more than 34. For Durham Lancashire Northumberland Westmorland and Cumberland did not come into the number the three last as some wouâ—d have it being then under the Scots and the other two either exempt from taxes or included under Yorkshire But all these being afterwards added to the number made it as it is to this day 39. Besides which there are 13 moâ—e in Wales d But thâ— Statute of 34 and 35 of Hen. 8. Cap. 26. tells us That eight Shires were of ancient and long time to wit those of Glemorgaâ— Caeâ—mâ— then Pembroke Cardigan Flint Caernarvon Anglesey and Merioneth and other foâ—r were made by the Statute of 27 Hen 8. Cap. 26. beâ—des Monmouthshire namely Radnor Brecknock Montgomery and Denbigh So that in Edward's time there seem to have been eight whereof six were in Edward the first 's time Wal◠〈…〉 Câ—â—â— the rest Henry the eighth settled by Act of Parliament In each of these Counties in troublesome times especially there is appointed a Deputy under the King by the name of Lieutenant who is to take care that the State suffer no damage The first institution hereof seems to be fetch'd from King Alfred who settled in every County the Custodes regni or keepers of the kingdom These afterward were restored by Henry the third under the title of Capitanei For in the fiftieth year of his Reign he as John of London has it held a Parliament wherein this wholsome Law was enacted That in every County there should be one Capâ—nâ—â—â— Captain maintained by the King who by the assistance of the Sheriff should restrain the insolence of robbers Upon which many were so affrighted that they left that trade and the Royal power began to revive This was wisely enough ordered but whether Canutus the Dane when he made a Tetrarchy in a Monarchy 89 〈◊〉 Wâ—â— did not act more prudently let our Politicians determine For he as Hermand the Archdeacon says being an exceeding sagacious man so contriv'd the government of the Kingdom He 〈…〉 that it should fall under Tetrarchs such as he had found faithful to him The government of the West-Saxons which was the greatest he took to himself â—rcha Mercia the second part he committed to one Edrick the third called Northumbre to Yrtus and Earl Turkille had the fourth i.e. East Anglia a very plentiful country This account I owe to the diligence of Fr. Thinne who hath prosecuted this study of Antiquities with great honour and particularly communicated this to me 〈◊〉 of Shire But every year some one inhabitant of the Lesser Nobility is set over the County and stil'd Vice-Comes i.e. a deputy of the Comes or Earl and in our language he is called Shiriff i.e. one set over the County and may very well be term'd the Quaestor of the County or Province For 't is his business to get up the publick revenues of the County to gather into the Exchequer all Fines even by destraining to attend the Judges and to execute their orders to empannel twelve men â—â—elve 〈◊〉 who are to judge of matters of fact and bring in their Verdict to the Judges who are with us only Judges of law and not of fact to take care that such as are condemned be duly executed and to give judgment in petty causes There are also in every County certain Eirenarchae or Justices of the Peace settled by King Edward III. and those
shall add a sort of grain sown plentifully towards the further end of this County that is Avena nuda Ger. J. B. C. B. Park Naked Oats called hereabouts Pillis or Pill-corn from its being naturally as it were pilled or denuded of the husk wherewith the common Oat is covered It is much esteemed and of equal price with Wheat DEVONSHIRE THE hither Country of the Danmonii which I have mention'd is now commonly call'd Denshire by the Cornish-Britains Deunan by the Welsh-Britains Duffneynt that is deep vallies because they live every where here lowly in the bottoms by the English Saxons a The true Saxon name is Defnascyre for the Saxons never set h after c that being a way of writing which we owe entirely to the Normans Deuenschire from whence comes the latin Devonia and that contracted name us'd by the vulgar b I think in most parts of England it is still commonly call'd Devonshire without such a contraction Denshire and not from the Danes as some Pretenders do stifflly hold This Country as it shoots out on both sides with greater breadth than Cornwall so it has more commodious harbours on each side of it nor is it less rich in tinn mines a especially towards the west-part being enamel'd with finer meadows shelter'd with more woods and very full of towns and houses But the soil in some places is as poor and lean on the other side which however makes a good return to the husbandman if he has skill in husbandry a mind to labour and a good purse to bestow upon it Nor indeed are there many places in England where land requires more charge to till it for it is almost quite barren in most parts unless it be over-spread with a c See the Additions to Cornwall and Philosophical Transactions Numb 103. p. 29. certain sand from the sea 〈◊〉 sand which renders it very fruitful and as it were impregnates the glebe and therefore in places more remote from the shore it is bought dear b In describing this County my way shall be first along the west-side bounded by the Tamar then along the south which lies upon the Ocean from hence by the eastern-bounds where it touches upon the County of Dorset and Somersetshire I will return to the north-coast which is bounded by the Severn-Sea The Tamar which divides these counties first on this side from the east receives the small river Lid upon which stands Lidston a little market-town â—ord and Lidford now a small village but formerly a famous town c most sadly shaken by the Danes in the year 997. This town as it appears from that book wherein William 1. took his survey of England was wont to be taxed at the same time and after the same manner that London was This little river Lid being here at the bridge pent up with rocks has made it self so deep a fall continual working that the water is not to be seen but only the murmure of it to be heard to the great admiration of those that pass over Lower down the Teave a little river runs into the Tamar upon which flourishes Teavistoke commonly Tavistoke formerly famous for an Abbey Tavistoke The foundation Charter which Ordulph the son of Ordgar Earl of Devonshire by the admonishment of a vision from heaven built about the year of our Saviour 961. The place says Malmesbury is pleasant for the convenience of wood for fine fishing and an uniform Church the banks of the river lie along just by the shops which by the force of it's current washes away all the rubbish thrown into it Saint Rumon a Bishop is much talk'd of there where he lies bury'd And there is seen in the same Monastery the sepulcher of Ordgar and the huge bulk of Mausolaeus his Son is look'd upon as a wonder he is call'd Ordulf of gigantick growth and prodigious strength For he could break the bars of gates and go along the river ten foot broad stridewise if we may credit the said William But it had hardly continu'd thirty three years from the foundation of it till it was burnt down by the Danes Yet it flourish'd again and by a laudable institution Saxon Lectures here were Lectures of our old mother tongue I mean the Saxon-language which is now grown into disuse continu'd down to the last age lest that which hath almost now happen'd the knowledge of it should be quite lost d The Tamar having receiv'd the Teave comes next to it's mouth where the Plim in conjunction with it rolls into the sea and gives name to the town Plimouth Plimouth seated on it which was formerly call'd Sutton this seems to have been twofold 13 H. 4. for we find mention in the Acts of Parliament of Sutton Vautort and Sutton Prior which partly belong'd to the family of the Valletorts and partly to the Prior. In the last age from a small fisher-village it grew up to a large town and is not inferiour to a city in number of inhabitants as we see it at this day e The convenience of the Haven was the cause of this rise which admits the greatest ships that are without striking sail and yields them safe harbour tho' never so big as well in the Tamar as the Plim besides it is sufficiently fortify'd to withstand the attacques of an enemy For in the very middle the d The name of this Island is S. Nicholas and contains two acres of ground or more Isle S. Michael lies before it which is also fortify'd And then the Haven at the town is guarded on both sides and block'd up with a chain crossing it upon occasion being guarded on the south by a bastion and by a castle on the next hill built as 't is thought by the Valletorts The whole town is divided into four tribes which we in our language call Wards who are all govern'd by a Mayor ordain'd by Henry 6. and under him formerly a * Capitaners Captain was made to every single ward who had each one also his inferior Officers As to that fable of Corinaeus's wrastling with Gogmagog Gogmagog the giant in this place it may suffice to subscribe a verse or two from the Architrenius concerning our giants Hos avidum belli robur Corinaeus Averno Praecipites misit cubitis ter quatuor altum Gogmagog Herculea suspendit in aëra lucta Anthaeumque suum scopulo detrusit in aequor Potavitque dato Thetis ebria sanguine fluctus Divisumque tulit mare corpus Cerberus umbram With those rude Monsters bred in wars and blood Brave Corinaeus clogg'd the Stygian flood High in the air huge Gogmagog he shook And pitch'd the vile Antaeus from his rock His hated carcass on the waves was tost And Cerberus started at his monstrous ghost That Rock from which the Giant is reported to have been thrust off is now call'd the Haw a hill between the town and the sea on the top whereof which is levelled into a delicate
has been a long series of successors no less eminent for wealth and honour than for piety and devotion 5 But among others St. Swithin continues yet of greatest fame not so much for his sanctity as for the rain which usually falls about the feast of his translation in July by reason the Sun then is Cosmically with Praesepe and Aselli noted by ancient writers to be rainy Constellations and not for his weeping or other weeping Saints Margaret the Virgin and Mary Magdalen whose feasts are shortly after as some superstitiously credulous have believed and by a peculiar privilege are Chancellors to the Archbishop of Canterbury and Prelates of the Garter Some of these at great expence have beautify'd and enlarg'd this Church particularly Edington and Walkeling but above all Wickham who with incredible cost built the West part of the Church from the Choire a neat and curious piece of work in the middle of which between two pillars is his own monument The Church has been accordingly dedicated to new Patrons Amphibalus Peter Swithin and lastly to the Holy Trinity by which name it is at present call'd Among the Saxons it was in great repute for being honour'd with the Sepulture of some of their Kings whose bones were gathered by Richard Fox Bishop and put into little gilded Coffins which with their several Inscriptions he placed upon a wall that runs along the upper part of the Quire It was formerly call'd h Ealdan-Mynster Chron. Sax. Ealden-mynster i.e. the old Monastery or Minster to distinguish it from the more modern one i Niwan-Mynster Chron. Sax. NeÆ¿an-mynster i.e. New Minster which King Aelfred founded and to build the Offices belonging to it bought of the Bishop a certain peice of ground for every foot whereof he paid one Mark according to the publick Standard This new College as well as the old one was first founded for marry'd Priests who were afterwards expelled by Dunstan Archbishop of Canterbury upon the miracle of a Cross speaking and condemning the Order and so Monks were brought into their room These two Monasteries had their walls so near one another that when they were singing in one the noise was a disturbance to the other upon which arose some quarrels between the two Societies that afterwards broke out into feuds This reason and another inconvenience of a great confluence of waters which ran down the streets from the West-gate and making a standing pool at this new Monastery did infect the air with unwholsome vapours caus'd the Church 200 years after it's first building to be remov'd into the northern suburbs to a place call'd Hide Hide-Abby where by the licence of Henry 1. the Monks built a large and beautiful Monastery which within a few years by the treachery of Henry of Blois Bishop of Winchester as a private little History of that place tells us was miserably burnt down in which fire was consum'd that famous Cross the gift of Canute the Dane that as some old Records deliver it cost him the yearly revenue of all England But the Monastery was raised again to a noble fabrick as the present ruines testifie and grew by degrees till that fatal period for the destruction of Monks For then this house was demolished and the other of St. Trinity which is the Cathedral Church upon ejection of the Monks had a new foundation of a Dean and 12 Prebendaries At the East-side of the Cathedral stands a spacious k It was built A. D. 1137. by Henry Bishop of Winchester Leiger-Book of St. Cross in the hands of Mr. Worsley palace of the Bishop's call'd Wolvesey fortify'd by several turrets almost surrounded by the river and reaching to the City-walls m In the south suburbs there is a neat College that answers it which William of Wickham Bishop of this See the greatest patron and encourager of Learning that was in England A College bâ—â—â—â— by William of Wickham and whose memory shall be celebrated through all ages in the Monuments of Learning built for a publick school which affords great numbers of learned men both to Church and State In this are maintain'd gentilely a Warden 10 Fellows 2 Masters 70 Scholars l Particularly 3 Chaplains 3 Clerks an Organist 16 Choristers and the statutable servants with some others There are also other eminent buildings in this City most of them consecrated to religious uses which because time has destroy'd I have no mind to mention n tho' I cannot but take notice of that * Partheâ—â—â—m St. Mary's Abby Nunnery or Monastery for Virgins which Aelfwide wife to King Alfred founded it having been so noble a piece of building as the ruines of it still shew and the place out of which Henry 1. Maud wife to Henry 1. took his wife Maud daughter of Malcolm King of Scots by whom the Royal families of the Saxons and Normans were united and by which means that Prince gain'd much on the affections of the English For she was great grand-daughter to Edmund Ironside by his son Edward The banished and a Lady not only endow'd with all the vertues becoming a Queen but more especially eminent for piety and devotion Whereupon this old Tetrastick was made in her commendation Prospera non laetam fecêre nec aspera tristem Aspera risus ei prospera terror erant Non decor effecit fragilem non sceptra superbum Sola potens humilis sola pudica decens Nor bless'd rejoyc'd nor when unhappy mourn'd To laughter grief and joy to fear she turn'd Nor beauty made her frail nor sceptres proud Humble tho' great and scarce more fair than good As to Guy Earl of Warwick so famous in story who in a single combat here conquer'd Colbrand that Danish †Typhoëus Giant and Waltheof Earl of Huntingdon beheaded in this place where afterward was the Chapel of St. Giles and as to the famous adjoyning Hospital of St. Cross founded by Henry de Blois Brother of King Stephen and Bishop of this City and farther endow'd by Henry de Beaufort Cardinal I shall say nothing of all these because a full relation is already given of them in our common Histories As to the Earls of Winchester Earls of Winchester to pass by Clito a Saxon who at the coming in of the Normans was depriv'd of this ancient honour King John made Saer Quincy Earl of Winchester The Quincy's Arms. whose Arms were * Baltheus militaris a Fesse with a †Lemniscus label of seven as I learn'd from his seal To him succeeded Roger his son who bore in a field Gules seven ‖ Rhombos Mascles voided Or. But he dying without Issue male the honour was extinct in him for he marry'd the oldest daughter and co-heir by a former wife of Alan Lord of Galloway in Scotland in whose right he was Constable of Scotland But by her he had only 3 daughters of whom the eldest was marry'd to William de Ferrariis Earl of
k The Notitia adds reliquos officiales comprehending all the Under-Officers c. And I no way doubt but it was in imitation of this method of the Romans that our Ancestors set over this coast a Governour or Portreve commonly call'd Warden of the Cinque-ports Warden of the Cinque-ports because as the Count of the Saxon-shore presided over nine so does he over five ports Kent deliver'd to the Saxons But after the Romans had quitted Britain Vortigern who had the command of the greatest part of it set over Kent a Guorong i.e. a Vice-Roy or Freeman without whose knowledge he frankly bestow'd this Country as Ninnius and Malmesbury have it upon Hengist the Saxon on the account of his daughter Rowenna with whom he was passionately in love a. Thus was the first kingdom of the Saxons settled in Britain in the year of Christ 456. call'd by them CantÆ¿ara-ryc i.e. the kingdom of the Kentish-men which after 320 years upon Baldred the last King 's being conquer'd came under the jurisdiction of the West-Saxons and continu'd so till the Norman Conquest For then if we may believe Thomas Spot the Monk no ancient Writer having any thing of it the Kentish men carrying boughs before them 4 And representing afar off a moving wood surrendred themselves to William the Conquerour at Swanescomb a small village where they tell us that Suene the Dane formerly encamp'd upon condition they might have the Customs of their Country preserv'd entire that especially which they call Gavel-kind Gavel kind b By which 5 By which they are not so bound by Copy hold Customary tenures or Tenant-right as in other parts of England but in a manner every man is a Free-holder and hath some part of his own to live upon all lands of that nature are divided among the males by equal portions or upon defect of issue-male among the females By this they enter upon the estate at 15 years of age and have power to make it over to any one either by gift or sale without consent of the Lord. By the same the sons succeed to this sort of lands tho' their parents be condemn'd for theft c. So that what we find in an ancient Book is very true tho' not elegantly written The County of Kent urges that that County ought of right to be exempt from any such burthen because it affirms that this County was never conquer'd as was the rest of England but surrender'd it self to the Conqueror's power upon Articles of agreement provided that they should enjoy all their liberties and free customs which they then had and us'd from the beginning William the Conqueror afterwards to secure Kent which is look'd upon to be the Key of England set a Constable over Dover-castle and constituted the same in imitation of the ancient Roman custom Governour of 5 ports stiling him Warden of the Cinque-ports Lord Warden of the 5 Ports Those are Hastings Dover Hith Rumney and Sandwich to which Winchelsey and Rie are annext as Principals and some other little towns as members only And because they are oblig'd to serve in the wars by sea they enjoy many and large immunities For instance from payment of Subsidies See in Sussex p. 177. from Wardship of their children as to body not to be su'd in any Courts but within their own town and such of their inhabitants as have the name of Barons at the Coronation of the Kings and Queens of England support the Canopy and for that day have their table spread and furnish'd upon the King 's right hand c. And the Lord Warden himself who is always some one of the Nobility of approv'd loyalty has within his jurisdiction in several cases the authority of 6 A Chancellor and c. Admiral and other privileges But now to the places The Thames chief of all the British rivers runs as I observ'd but now along the north part of this County which leaving Surrey and by a winding course almost retiring into it self c. 7 Doth there admit into his chanel into the first limit of this shire Ravensburne a small water and of short course which riseth in Keston-heath hard under the pitching of an ancient Camp strange for the height as double rampiers and depth as double ditches of all that I have seen doubtless the work of many labouring hands Of what capacity it was I could not discover for that the greatest part thereof is now several and overgrown with a thicket but verily great it was as may be gather'd by that which is apparent We may probably conjecture that it was a Roman Camp but I might seem to rove if I should think it that Camp which Julius Caesar pitch'd when the Britains gave him the last battel with their whole forces and then having bad success retir'd themselves and gave him leave to march to the Thames side And yet certes Keston the name of the place seemeth to retain a parcel of Kaesar's name for so the Britains call'd him and not Caesar as we do As for the other small intrenchment not far off by W. Wickham it was cast in fresh memory when old Sir Christopher Heydon a man then of great command in these parts trained the Country people This water having passed by Bromeley a Mansion-house of the Bishops of Rochester when it hath gathered strength the depth of his ford giveth name to Dâ—râ—ford c. first sees Depford Depfoâ—d a most noted Dock where the Royal Navy is built and when shatter'd repair'd there is also settled a famous Store house and a place or incorporation something like a * Hâ—â—naâ—â—â— College for the use of the navy It was formerly call'd West Greenwich and upon the Conquest of England feâ—l to the share of Gislebert de Mamignot a Norman Maâ—igâ— whose grandchild by the son Walkelin it was that defended Dover-castle against King Stephen and he left behind him one only daughter who upon the death of her brother brought by marriage a large estate call'd the Honour of Mamignot into the family of the Says d From hence the Thames goes to Grenovicum Gâ—â—aâ— commonly Greenwich i.e. the green creak for the creak of a river is call'd in German Wic formerly famous for being a harbour of the Danish fleet and for the cruelty that people exercis'd upon Ealpheg Archbishop of Canterbury whom they put to death by most exquisite torments in the year 1012. Whose death and the cause of it Ditmarus Mersepurgius who liv'd about that time has thus describ'd in the eighth book of his Chronicle By the relation of Sewald I came to know a very tragical and therefore memorable act How a treacherous company of * 〈…〉 Dueâ— Northern men whose Captain Thurkil now is seized upon that excellent Archbishop of Canterbury Ealpheg with others and according to their barbarous treatment fetter'd him put him to endure famine and other unspeakable pains He overpower'd by
into stones The figure of them however rudely drawn I shall here represent to the Readers eye They are irregular and of unequal height and by the decays of time are grown ragged and very much impair'd The highest of them all which lyes out of the ring toward the east they call The King because they fancy he should have been King of England if he could have seen Long-Compton a village within view at three or four steps farther five larger stones which upon one side of the circle touch one another they pretend were Knights or Horsmen and the other common Soldiers But see the draught I should think this monument to have been rais'd in memory of some victory here obtain'd perhaps by Rollo the Dane who afterward possest himself of Normandy For at the same time when he with his Danes and Normans infested England with depredations we read that the Danes and Saxons had a fight at Hokenorton and another engagement at Scier-stane in Huiccia g 'T is at Sherston in Wilts see the Additions to that County p. 101. which I should take for that great boundary stone that stands hard by and divides four Counties or Shires for so the Saxon word Scierstane does plainly intimate 2 Certainly in an Exchequer-book the town adjacent is call'd Rollendrich whereas it is there specified Turstan le Despenser held land by Serjeantry of the King 's dispensary i.e. to be the King's Steward d As to Hochnorton â—cnorâ— the inhabitants were formerly such clowns and churls that it past into a proverb for a rude and ill-bred fellow To be born at Hogs-Norton But this place is chiefly memorable for the fatal slaughter of the English in a fight with the Danes under Edmund the elder e It was afterward a Barony of the D'oily 〈◊〉 of â—ey an honourable and ancient family of Normandy The first of that name who came into England was Robert de Oily D'oily who for his great service in that expedition was rewarded by William the Conquerour with this village and many other lands some of which he gave to his sworn brother h Not John de Eiverio as Leland and after him Dugdale names him Mr. Camden's writing is confirm'd by the MS. Register of Oseney and the Domesday-Inquisition Roger Ivery and this part was afterwards the Barony of St. Walery Barony of St. Walery But this Robert deceasing without issue male his brother Nigel succeeded in his estate whose son Robert the second was Founder of the Monastery of Osney Registry of Osney-Abbey At last an heir female of this family of D'oily was married to Henry Earl of Warwick by whom she had Thomas Earl of Warwick who died without issue in the reign of Henry 3. and Margaret who died likewise without issue though she had two husbands John Mareschal and John de Plessets both Earls of Warwick Upon this as the Charter of Donation runs King Henry 3. granted Hochnorton and Cudlington to John de Plessets or Plessy 37 Hen. 3. which were the inheritance of Henry D'oily and fell into the King's hands upon the death of Margaret Countess of Warwick wife of the foresaid John as an escheat of the Lands of the Normans to have and hold till such time as the Lands of England and Normandy should be made common But of this ancient and honourable Family of D'oily there remains still a branch in this County who have yet the honour of being Knights Evenlode runs by no other place remarkable 3 But la Bruer now Bruern sometime an Abbâ—y of White Monks but after a long course takes in a small brook upon which is seated Woodstock Woodstock in Saxon Wudestoc i.e. a woody place where King Etheldred heretofore held an assembly of the States and enacted several Laws Here was a magnificent palace built by K. Hen. 1. f who adjoyn'd to it a large Park enclos'd with a wall of stone Which John Rous affirms to have been the first Park in England First Park in England though we meet with these words Parca sylvestris bestiarum several times in Doomsday-book But afterwards they encreas'd to so great a number that there were computed more in England than in all the Christian world besides so great delight did our Ancestors take in this noble sport of hunting Our Histories report that King Henry 2. being deeply enamour'd with Rosamund Clifford whose extraordinary beauty and other great accomplishments drove the thoughts of all other women from his heart and made her commonly call'd Rosa mundi the Rose of the world to secure her from the restless jealousie of his Juno Queen built in this place a Labyrinth Labyrinth where the many windings and turnings made an inextricable maze yet at present we see no remains of it The town having now nothing else to be proud of does boast of the honour of being the * Alumnus suus Jâ—ffrey Chaucer birth-place of our English Homer Jeffrey Chaucer To whom and some other of our English Poets I may apply what the learn'd Italian sung of Homer and other Greeks Hic ille est cujus de'gurgite sacro Combibit arcanos vatum omnis turba furores This he to whose immortal spring of wit Each water Poet ows his rivulet For he defying every rival in wit and leaving all our Poetasters at a long distance from him jam monte potitus Ridet anhelantem dura ad fastigâ—a turbam Sits down in triumph on the conquer'd height And smiles to see unequal Rivals sweat The Isis when iâ— has taken in the Evenlode divides its own Châ—nel and cuts out many pretty Islands among which stood Godstow Godstow i.e. The place of God a Nunnery founded by one Ida a rich widow improv'd and annually endow'd by King John to the intent those holy Virgins might according to the devotion of that Age pray for the Souls of King Henry 2. his Father and Rosamund his Concubine who was here buried with this rhyming Epitaph Hac jacet in tumbâ Rosa mundi non Rosa munda Non redolet sed olet quae redolere solet g 4 We read that Hugh Bishop of Line Diocesan of this place coming hithâ—r caused her bones to be remov'd out of the Church as unworthy of Christian burial for her unchaste life Nevertheless the holy sisters there translaâ—ed them again into the Church and laid them up in a perfum'd leather bag enclos'd in lead as was found in her tomb at the dissolution of the house and they erected a Cross there whereby the Passengers were put in mind with two rhiming verses to serve God and pray for her but I remember them not Rose of the world not Rose the fresh pure flow'r Within this Tomb hath taken up her bow'r She senteth now and nothing sweet doth smell Which earst was wont to savour passing well The Isis before it's streams are again united meets with Cherwell which coming out of Northamptonshire flows
occasion of this monument might be is not hinted to by any Inscription upon the stones or by any other marks about them which seems to make it probable at least that it was not erected in memory of any persons that were bury'd there For if so we might hope ‖ See Câ—â—â—wâ—ll p â—â— 23. as in other places of this kingdom to meet with a Cross or something of that kind implying the design if Christian but if Pagan one would expect to find barrows at some small distance Besides that curious Antiquary Ralph Sheldon Esq making a diligent search in the middle after any thing that might lead us to the first design of it and particularly bones found himself disappointed Though if we may take an estimate of this from another of the like nature the bones if there are any may more probably be met with without the circle * See Wilts under Kyâ—â—â— as they were some years ago at a little distance from that at Kynet in Wiltshire and have been formerly at the famous Stone-henge How true soever our Author's opinion of its being erected in memory of some victory may be in the main yet the relation he makes it have to Rollo the Dane will not agree with the engagement either at Hokenorton or Sceorstan For the Saxon-Annals tell us that it was in 876. this Rollo made inroads into Normandy and that was after he had been in England whereas the battle of Hokenorton was in 917. and that of Sceorstan a hundred years after this Nor does that passage of Walsingham telling us of the assistance which Rollo sent to King Athelstan and ininsisted upon by a later Author clearly take away the difficulty unless we can suppose what is hardly to be imagin'd that Rollo could be of age to plunder England in the year 875. to make incursions into Normandy in 876. and the same Rollo live to assist King Athelstan who came not to the Crown till the year 925. But if this rub did not lay in the way and the matter of fact were suppos'd to be true yet unless it appear'd at the same time that the suppos'd defeat was in those parts there is nothing to support the conjecture beside the bare affinity of names What our Author observes of the common story about the King and his Army though it be upon the whole ridiculous enough yet may it as we very often find in such traditional tales have something of truth at the bottom For why may not that large stone at a little distance which they call the King be the Kongstolen belonging to the Circle of stones rais'd usually for the Coronation of the Northern Kings as Wormius informs us especially since the learned See Nat. Hiâ— Oxon. p. â—â— Dr. Plot has observ'd from the same Wormius that this Kongstolen though ordinarily in the middle was yet sometimes at a distance from the Circle e Not far from hence is Hokenorton Hâ—kenorton which Florence of Worcester calls Villa Regia i.e. a Royal Village and makes the battle mention'd by our Author to be in the year 914. contrary to Brompton and Huntingdon who tell us it was An. 911. and to the Saxon Chronicle which has it in 917. The barrows of Tadmerton and Hookenorton ‖ â—â—id p. 334 the former large and round the other smaller and rather a quinquangle than a square were probably cast up upon this occasion the round one by the Danes and the square by the Saxons South from hence is Great-Tew Gâ—eat Tew * â—â—d p. 327. near which was plough'd up an Opus Tessellatum or pavement cut into squares somewhat bigger than dice and of four different colours blew white yellow and red all polish'd and orderly dispers'd into works As was another at Steeple-Aston hard by which consisted likewise of squares of divers colours and set in curious figures though not cubick like the former but oblong squares f More to the south is Woodstock Woâ—dstock where our Author observes King Henry 1. built a Royal palace But not to insist upon King Etheldred's calling a Council there it must have been a Royal Seat long before King Henry's time since it was here that King Aelfred translated Boëtius de Consolatione Philosophiae as Dr. Plot has observ'd out of a MS. in the Cottonian Library g And Godstow Godstow where the Religious-house was built by Ida but her name was really Editha an eminent and devout matron who upon a plot of ground given by John de S. John erected it at her own charge and at the latter end of December An. 1138. it was dedicated by Alexander Bishop of Lincoln to the honour of the Virgin Mary and St. John Baptist The additional endowment here mention'd by King John may probably be a mistake for Richard 1. who we find in the first year of his reign gave a large Charter to this Abbey If it be an error 't is likely it arose from Thomas Walsingham's attributing the whole foundation to King John and the occasion of it to a prophecy of Merlin h The next river that flows into the Thames is Cherwell near which is Banbury Bâ—nuury made famous by our Author for the Victory of Kinric But if the Saxon name of the place be as he tells us Banesbyrig it cannot lay claim to this battle which the Saxon-Annals expresly say was at Beranbyrig and this we have prov'd †See p. 112. before to be most probably in Wiltshire But wherever it was fought the success of it does not seem to belong so entirely to the Saxons as Mr. Camden intimates 'T is true before that they had been too hard for the Britains in several engagements but here all the strength of this people in the midland parts was united and they were so numerous as to divide their army into nine battalions so that by the assistance of their numbers and resolution our Historians confess they bore up so well that when night came the battle was depending And 't is more than probable if our Writers would but speak out that they had the better of the Saxons at this turn For whereas this happen'd in 556. we find they held their garrisons in this County till the year 571 or as some Writers say 580. which they could hardly be supposed to do had the victory been so compleat But what seems of greatest moment in this matter is the manner by which the Saxon Chronicle delivers this engagement The only objection perhaps that lyes aganst the authority of it is partiality to the Saxons against the poor Britains in the course of those wars and yet upon this occasion it is content barely to tells us ‖ Chron. Sax. Sub. An. 556. that Cynric and Ceawlin fought with the Britains at Beranbyrig which as we may gather from other Instances had not likely been let go without express mention of the victory if it had fell to the share of the Saxons i The battle
as one expresses it will make you split your sides with laughing I know not whether I should here take notice into what vain groundless hopes of finding gold at Norton Norton hard by King Henry the eighth was drawn by an itching credulous Avarice But the diggings speak for me Between the Gipping and Wulpett upon a high hill are the remains of an old Castle call'd Hawghlee in compass about two acres Some will have this to have been call'd Hagoneth-Castle Hâ—gâ—â—eâ—h which belong'd to Ralph de Broc and was in the year 1173. taken and demolisht by Robert Earl of Leicester 13 During the intestine war between King Henry 2. and his disloyal son Upon the same river are seen Stow and Needham small Market-towns and not far from the bank Hemingston wherein Baldwin le Pettour observe the name held Lands by Serjeanty thus an ancient Book expresses it for which he was oblig'd every Christmas-day to perform before our Lord the King of England A merry Tenure one Saltus one Suffletus and one Bumbulus or as 't is read in another place he held it by a Saltus a Sufflus and Pettus that is if I apprehend it aright he was to dance make a noise with his cheeks puff'd out and to let a fart Such was the plain jolly mirth of those times 'T is also observ'd that the Manour of Langhall belong'd to this Fee Nearer the mouth I saw Ipswich Ipswâ—â— formerly Gippewich a little City lowly seated and as it were the eye of this County It has a pretty commodious harbour has been fortify'd with a ditch and rampire has a great trade and is very populous being adorn'd with fourteen Churches and large stately private buildings g I pass by the four Religious Houses now demolisht and the magnificent College begun by Cardinal Wolsey a butcher's son and born in this place whose vast thoughts were always took up with extravagant projects The Body Politick of it as I have been told consists of 12 Burgesses whom they call Portmen and out of them two Bailiffs are annually chosen for their chief Magistrates and as many Justices out of 24 more As to its Antiquity so far as my observation has carry'd me we hear nothing of its name before the Danish Invasion which it felt sufficiently In the year of our Lord 991. the Danes plunder'd this place and all along the sea-coast with so much cruelty and barbarity that Siricius Archbishop of Canterbury and the Nobility of England thought it most advisable to purchase a Peace of them for ten thousand pound But for all that before nine years were at an end they plunder'd this town a second time whereupon the English presently engaged them with a great deal of resolution but as Henry of Huntingdon has it by the cowardly fear of one single man Turkil our men were put to flight and the victory as it were dropt out of our hands Thus small accidents give a strange turn in the affairs of war In Edward the Confessor's reign as we find it in Domesday-book Queen Edeva had two parts of this town and Earl Guert a third and there were in it 800 Burgesses that paid Custom to the King But when the Normans had possess'd themselves of England they built here a Castle which Hugh Bigod held for some time against Stephen the usurping King of England but at last surrender'd it Now 't is so entirely gone to decay that there is not so much as the rubbish left Some are of opinion that it stood in the adjoyning parish of Westfeld where appear the remains â—f a Castle and tell you that was the site of old Gippwic I fancy it was demolisht when Henry the second levell'd Waleton Waletâ—â— a neighbouring Castle with the ground For this was a harbour for the Rebels and here the three thousand Flemings landed who were invited over by the Nobility to assist them against him when he had fell upon that unlucky design of making his son Henry an equal sharer with him in the Government and when the young man who knew not how to stay at the top without running headlong out of a mad restless desire of reigning declar'd a most unnatural war against his own father Though these Castles are now quite gone yet the shore is very well defended by a vast ridge they call it Langerston Langerston which for about two miles as one observes lays all along out of the Sea not without great danger and terrour to Mariners 'T is however of use to the Fishermen for drying of their fish and does in a manner fence the spacious harbour Orwell And thus much of the south part of this County From hence a crooked shore for all this Eastern part lyes upon the Sea running northward presently opens it self to the little river * Oâ—hers calâ— it â—â—â—aâ—â—â—g Deben It rises near Mendlesham to which the Lord of the place H. Fitz-Otho or the son of Otho †â—â—lpâ—oi◠〈◊〉 the Mint-master procur'd the privilege of a Market and Fair of Edward the first By his heirs a considerable estate came to the Boutetorts Bâ—utâ—tort Lords of Wily in Worcestershire and from them afterwards in the reign of Richard the scond to Frevil 14 Barkley of Stoke Burnel and others From hence the river Deben continues its course and gives name to Debenham a small Market-town which others will have call'd more rightly Depenham because the soil being moist and clayie the roads all round about it are deep and troublesome From thence it runs by Ufford formerly the seat of Robert de Ufford Earl of Suffolk and on the opposite bank is Rendilis-ham Rendilis-ham i.e. as Bede interprets it the home or mansion of Rendilus where Redwald King of the East-Angles commonly kept his Court. He was the first of all that People that was baptiz'd and receiv'd Christianity but afterwards seduc'd by his wife he had as Bede expresses it in the self same Church one Altar for the Religion of Christ and another for the Sacrifices to Devils Suidhelmus also King of the East-Angles was afterwards baptiz'd in this place by Cedda the Bishop From hence the river Deben runs on to Woodbridge a little town beautify'd with neat buildings where at certain set times is the Meeting for the Liberty of S. Etheldred and after the course of a few miles is receiv'd by the Sea at Bawdsey-haven Then the shore steals on by little and little towards the East By others câ—â—â—'d Wincâ—â—â—â— to the mouth of the river Ore which runs by Framlingham Fâ—amlingham formerly a Castle of the Bigods 15 Through the bounty of King Henry 1. and presently upon the west side of it spreads it self into a sort of Lake This is a very beautiful Castle fortify'd with a rampire a ditch and a wall of great thickness with thirteen towers within it has very convenient Lodgings From this place it was that in the year of our Lord
an ancient family but now of execrable memory for a most cruel and horrible plot never parallel'd in any age which Robert Catesby of Ashby St. Leger the dishonour of his family running headlong upon villanies gaping after the most detestable cruelties and impiously conspiring the destruction of his Prince and Country lately contriv'd under a specious pretext of Religion Of this let all ages be silent and let not the mention of it convey this scandal to posterity which we our selves cannot reflect on without horrour nay the dumb and inanimate Beings seem to be moved at the hainousness of such a villanous conspiracy Hard by is Fawesley Faweâ—â—â— where the Knightleys have long dwelt adorn'd with the honour of Knighthood descended from the more ancient family of Knightley of Gnowshall in Staffordshire And more eastward upon the Nen whose chanel as yet is but small stands Wedon on the street Wedâ—◠〈◊〉 the Street once the royal seat of Wolpher K. of the Mercians and converted into a Monastery by his daughter Werburg a most holy Virgin whose miracles in driving away Geese from hence some credulous writers have very much magnified I shou'd certainly wrong truth shou'd I not think tho' I have been of a contrary opinion that it is this Wedon which Antonine in his Itinerary calls Bannavenna Bennavenna Bennaventa Bannâ—â—na 〈◊〉 Isaâ—â—â—na 〈◊〉 naâ—â—â— and once corruptly Isannaventa notwithstanding there remain not now any express footsteps of that name so much does length of time darken and change every thing For the distance from the ancient Stations and Quarters on both sides exactly agrees and in the very name of Bannavenna the name of the river Aufona Avenna now Nen the head whereof is near it in some measure discovers it self Likewise a Military-way goes directly from hence northward with a Causey oft broken and worn away but most of all over-against Creke a village where of necessity it was joyn'd with bridges but elsewhere it appears with a high ridge as far as Dowbridge near Lilborne A little more northward I saw Althorp â—â—â—â—p the seat of the noted family of the Spencers Knights allied to very many Houses of great worth and honour out of which Sir Robert Spencer the fifth Knight in a continued succession a worthy encourager of virtue and learning was by his most serene Majesty K. James lately advanced to the honour of Baron Spencer of Wormleighton Hard by Althorp Holdenby-house 〈…〉 â—â—denby makes a noble appearance a stately and truly magnificent piece of building erected by Sir Christopher Hatton 〈◊〉 Christoâ—er Hatâ—◠〈◊〉 died 〈◊〉 1591. Privy Counsellour to Qu. Elizabeth Lord Chancellour of England and Knight of the Garter upon the lands and inheritance of his great grandmother heir of the ancient family of the Holdenbys for the greatest and last monument as himself afterwards was wont to say of his youth A person to say nothing of him but what is his due eminent for his piety towards God his love for his Country his untainted integrity and unparallel'd charity One also which is not the least part of his character that was always ready to encourage Learning Thus as he liv'd piously so he fell asleep piously in Christ Yet the monument the learned in their writings have rais'd to him shall render him more illustrious than that most noble and splendid tomb in St. Paul's Church London deservedly and at great charges erected to the memory of so great a person by Sir William Hatton Kt. his adopted son Beneath these places the Nen glides forward with a gentle small stream and is soon after encreas'd by the influx of a little river where at the very meeting of them the City called after the river Northafandon and in short Northampton â—orthampâ—â—n is so seated that on the west-side it is water'd with this river and on the south with the other Which I was of late easily induced to imagine the ancient Bannaventa but I err'd in my conjecture and let my confession atone for it As for the name it may seem to have had it from the situation upon the north-side of the Aufona The City it self which seems to have been all of stone is in it's buildings very neat and fine for compass large enough and wall'd about from which walls there is a noble prospect every way into a spacious plain Country On the west-side it hath an old Castle 10â—5 â—egister of Andrews beautiful even by it's antiquity built by Simon de Sancto Licio commonly call'd Senliz the first of that name Earl of Northampton who joyned likewise to it a beautiful Church dedicated to St. Andrew for his own sepulture and as 't is reported re-edified the town Simon the younger also his son founded without the town ‖ De Pratis De la Pree a Nunnery It seems to have lain dead and neglected during the Saxon Heptarchy neither have our Writers made any where mention of it in all those depredations of the Danes unless it was when Sueno the Dane with barbarous fury and outrage ravag'd all over England For then as Henry of Huntingdon reports it was set on fire and burnt to the ground In the reign of St. Edward there were in this City as we find in Domesday 60 Burgesses in the King 's Domain having as many Mansions of these in King William 1.'s time 14 lay waste and 47 remained Over and above these there were in the new Borough 40 Burgesses in the Domain of K. William After the Normans time it valiantly withstood the siege laid to it by the Barons during the troubles and slaughters with which they had then embroil'd the whole Kingdom Who being maliciously bent against King John for private and particular reasons did yet so cloak them with pretences of Religion and the common good â—â—â—rtitus 〈◊〉 that they termed themselves The Army of God and of Holy Church At which time they say that military work was made they call Hunshill But it stood not out with like success against Hen. 3. their lawful King as it did against those Rebels For when the Barons brought up and now inur'd to sedition begun a war against him in this place he made a breach in the wall and soon won it by assault After this as before also the Kings now and then held their Parliaments here for the conveniency of its situation as it were in the very heart of England and in the year of Christ 1460. a lamentable battel was here fought wherein such was the Civil division of England after the slaughter of many of the Nobility Richard Nevill Earl of Warwick took that most unfortunate Prince King Hen. 6. then a second time made Prisoner by his subjects To conclude the longitude of Northampton our Mathematicians make 22 deg 29 min. and the latitude 52 deg 13 min. d From hence the Nen hastens by Castle-Ashby where Henry Lord Compton has begun a very fine House near which is
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
the Saxons died in this City and was here interr'd altho' he left commands to the contrary for he as 't is related by Ninnius Eluodugus's disciple hop'd and was fully perswaded that his Ghost would defend Britain from the Saxons if he should be buried on the Sea-shore But yet the Saxons after they had demolish'd this old Lindum first inhabited the South-side of the hill 11 At the foot whereof they built as it seemeth the gate yet standing compiled of vast stones and fortified it with the ruins of the former town afterwards they went down near the river built in a place call'd Wickanforde and wall'd it on that side where it was not guarded by the water At which time Paulinus as Bede Bede affirms preach'd the word of God in the Province of Lindesey and first of all converted the Governour of the city Lindcolnia whose name was Blecca with his whole family He built in this city a curious Church of stone the roof whereof is either fall'n down for want of repairing or beat down by force of some enemy for the walls are yet to be seen standing Afterwards the Danes won it twice by assault first when those pillaging troops took it from whom Edmund Ironside wrested it by force secondly when Canutus took it from whom 't was retaken by Aetheldred who on his return out of Normandy valiantly drove Canutus out of this town and beyond all expectation recover'd England which was very nigh lost In Edward the Confessor's reign there was in it as 't is set down in Domesday-book one thousand and seventy Inns for entertainment and twelve Lagemen having their Sac and Soc. 'T was indeed in the Norman times as Malmsbury relates one of the most populous cities of England and a mart for all goods coming by land and water for at that time there were taxed in it as 't is in the said Domesday-book Nine hundred Burgesses and many dwelling houses to the number of one hundred sixty and six were destroy'd for the castle with 74 more without the limits of the castle not by the oppression of the Sheriff and his Ministers but by misfortune poverty and fire William the first to strengthen it and to keep the Citizens in awe built a very large and strong castle on the ridge of the hill and about the same time Remigius Bishop of Dorchester to grace it transferr'd hither from Dorchester a little town in the farthest part of his Diocese his Bishop's See And when the Church erected by Paulinus was utterly decay'd The aforesaid Râ—migius bought in the very highest part of the city several houses with the ground thereto belonging near the castle that overtops all as Henry of Huntingdon notes with its mighty towers and built in a strong place a strong and fine Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and endow'd it with 44 Prebends at which the Arch-bishop of York was very angry for he claim'd for himself the property of the ground This Church being disfigur'd by fire was afterwards repair'd as the said Henry mentions with very great art by Alexander that bountiful Bishop of Lincoln of whom the aforesaid William of Malmsbury speaks thus Seeing he was lookt upon as a prodigy by reason of his small body his mind strove to excel and be the more famous in the world and among other things a Poet of that age wrote thus Qui dare festinans gratis ne danda rogentur Quod nondum dederat nondum se credit habere Still with frank gifts preventing each request What is not yet bestow'd he thinks not yet possest And not only these two but Robert Bloet who was predecessor to Alexander and R. de Beaumeis Hugo Burgundus and their successors contributed to advance this work which was too much for one Bishop to its present state and grandeur The whole pile is not only very costly but indeed very beautiful and excellent for its workmanship especially that porch on the West-side which attracts and delights every beholders eye Altho' there be many tombs of Bishops and others in this Church yet the only ones worth our notice are that of brass in which the entrails of the most excellent Queen Eleanor wife to Edward the first 12 Who dy'd at Hardby in this Shire are interr'd and that of 13 Sir Nicholas Nicholas de Cantelupo with one or two belonging to the family of Burghersh also that of Katharine Swinford third wife to John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster and mother of the Somerset-family with whom lyes buried her daughter Joan second wife to Ralph Nevill the first Earl of Westmorland who had many children by her The Diocese of the Bishops of Lincoln being of a far greater extent than that of the Bishops of Sidnacester who in the primitive Saxon Church presided in this County contain'd under it so many Counties that its greatness was a burden to it and altho' Henry the second took out of it the Diocese of Ely and Henry the eighth those of Peterborough and Oxford yet 't is still counted the largest Bishoprick in England both for jurisdiction and number of shires and contains no less than 1247 Parish-Churches Many excellent Bishops have govern'd this See since Remigius but to be particular in reckoning them is beyond my design And therefore make no mention of Robert Bloet on whom King William Rufus set an amercement of 50000 pounds alledging that the Bishop's title to the city of Lincoln was defective â—â—eden nor of that bountiful Alexander who was ever extravagantly fond of prodigious buildings nor yet of Hugo Burgundus who being canoniz'd had his corps carry'd to the grave as my Author says on the shoulders of King John and his Nobles out of respect and duty to God and the sainted Prelate I must not however omit mentioning two persons 〈◊〉 diâ—d â— â—233 the one Robert Grostest a better Scholar and Linguist than could be expected from the age he liv'd in â—atth Paris â—d an â—nymous â—tâ—rian an awe to the Pope a Monitor to the King a Lover of Truth a Corrector of Prelates a Director of Priests an Instructor of the Clergy a Maintainer of Scholars a Preacher to the People and a diligent Searcher of Scripture a Mallet to the Romanists c. The other is the most reverend Father Thomas Cooper very deserving both from the Common-wealth of Learning and from the Church whom I am bound always to honour for that he was the Master in whose School I must graetfully own I had my education The city it self also flourish'd for a long time being made by Edward the third a Staple â—he Staple as they call it that is a Mart for Wooll Leather Lead c. Tho' it cannot have reason to complain of great misfortunes yet it has been once burnt once besieged and that in vain by King Stephen who was there overthrown and taken prisoner and once taken by Henry the third defended then against him by his rebellious Barons who
had call'd in Lewis of France to take upon him the Government of England however he did not do it much damage Since that 't is incredible how much it hath sunk and decay'd under the weight of time and antiquity for of fifty Churches that were remembred in it by our grandfathers there are scarce now eighteen remaining t 'T is distant that I may also make that remark 53 degrees and 12 minutes from the Equator and 22 degrees and 52 minutes from the farthest point Westward As that Roman high-way leads us directly from Stanford to Lincoln High-dike so from hence it goes Northward in a high and streight but yet here and there discontinued Causey for about 10 miles as far as a little village call'd The Spittle in the street and somewhat farther When I was about three miles from Lincoln I also observ'd another military high-way calld Ouldstreet going very plainly out of this towards the West I suppose 't is that which led to Agelocum the next garrison to Lindum But I will follow the road I am upon The Witham being now past Lindum runs down near Wragbye a part of the Barony call'd Trusbutt Barons of Trusbutt which title was by the Barons of Roos convey'd to the Manours now Earls of Rutland After it passes by the old ruin'd walls of Beardena or Peartaneu commonly call'd Bardney Bardney heretofore a famous Monastery Oswald's Banner here King Oswald was interr'd and had a banner of gold and purple over his tomb as Bede writes The Historians of the foregoing ages did not account it enough to extol this most Christian Hero Oswald unless to his glorious exploits they added ridiculous miracles which I willingly omit But that his hand remain'd here uncorrupted for many hundred years our ancestors have believ'd and a very ancient Poet has thus told us Nullo verme perit nulla putredine tabet Dextra viri nullo constringi frigore nullo Dissolvi fervore potest sed semper eodem Immutata statu persistit mortua vivit Secure from worm and rottenness appears The wondrous hand nor cold nor heat it fears Nor e're dissolv'd with cold or parch'd with heat Lives after death and keeps it 's former state This Monastery as Petrus Blesensis writes Appendix to Ingulphus being sometime burnt down by the fury of the Danes and for many years together not inhabited Gilbert de Gaunt the noble and devout Earl of Lincoln rebuilt it and very bountifully annex'd to it the tithes of all his manours wheresoever in England besides many other possessions Afterwards Witham is encreas'd by the little river Ban which rising in the middle of Lindsey runs first by Hornecastle Horn-castle sometime belonging to Adeliza de Conde but laid even with the ground in King Stephen's reign after that it was a Barony of Gerard de Rodes but now as I have been inform'd of the Bishops of Carlisle u And then by Scrivelby a manour of the Dimocks Dimock Inq. 23 E. 3. who had this by descent from the Marmions by 14 Sir John J. Ludlow King's Champion Fines Mic. An. 1 H. 6. and hold it by service of grand Serjeanty I speak in the Lawyers terms viz. that whensoever any King of England is to be crown'd the Lord of this manour for the time being or some in his name if he should be unable shall come well arm'd for war upon a good war-horse in the presence of our Lord the King on the day of his Coronation and shall cause it to be proclaimed That if any one shall say that our said Lord the King has not a right to his Crown and Kingdom he will be ready and prepar'd to defend with his body the right of the King and Kingdom and the dignity of his Crown against him and all others whatsoever The Ban a little lower at Tatteshall Tatteshall a small town pretty commodiously situated in a marshy Country built for the most part of brick as is also its castle and noted for it's Barons runs into the Witham 'T is related that Eudo and Pinso Norman Noblemen having entred into a kind of mutual brotherly alliance had by the bounty of William 1. many possessions given them in these parts which they so divided that Tatteshall fell to Eudo who held it by Barony from whose posterity it came by Dryby and the Bernakes to 15 Sir Ralph Ralph de Cromwell Cromwell whose son of the same name was Lord Treasurer of England in Henry 6.'s reign and dyed without issue And Eresby Eresby which is not far off fell to Pinso from whose children the inheritance came by the Bekes to the Willoughbies Willoughbies who had very large inheritances by their wives not only from the Uffords Earls of Suffolk but also from the Lords de Welles Lords Welles who brought with them the great estate of the de Engains Lâ—rds Engain an ancient noble family and of great power in this County from the first coming in of the Normans The most eminent man of those Willoughbies was 16 Sir Robert Robert Willoughby in Henry 5.'s reign who for his great courage and bravery was made Earl of Vandosme in France From these by the mother's side descended Peregrine Berty Baron Willoughby of Eresby a man famous for his great soul and warlike gallantry x Witham being now near the sea receives out of the north another nameless little river Lib. Stanlow at the spring-head of which in a very low ground y lies Bollingbroke-Castle Bolling-broke built by William de Romara Earl of Leicester of a brittle sandy stone taken from Alice Lacy by Edward 2. for that she married against his consent 't is famous for the birth of Henry 4. who from it had the name of Henry de Bollingbroke in whose time it began to be counted one of the honorary manours call'd Honors z The Witham having receiv'd this river below Boston aa as we have said discharges it self into the sea From the mouth of Witham as far as Humber-frith the shore lies out with a great bent into the German Ocean chop'd every where so as to admit little arms of the sea It has but few towns by reason there are but few havens in it and many shelves of sand along the shore Yet some of them are remarkable particularly Wainfleet Wainfleet as being the birth-place of William Wainfleet Bishop of Winchester founder of Magdalen College in Oxford and a great patron of learning Next is Alford Alford memorable for its market for which it is beholden to Leon Lord Welles Barons Welles who obtain'd it this privilege of Henry 6. This family of the Welles was indeed very ancient and very honourable but the last of them married King Edward 4.'s daughter and was made Viscount Welles by Henry 7. He died without issue so that the inheritance came by females to the Willoughbies Dimoes De la launds Hois c.
17 More inward are Driby and Ormesby neighbour towns which gave sirnames to two great families in their times From the Dribyes descended the elder Lords Cromwell now determined and from Oâ—â—â—esbies the house of Skipwiâ—h still continuing Then Louth a little market-town of good resort taking its name from Lud a little river that runs by Cockerington heretofore the head of the Barony de Scoteney And lastly Grimsby Grimsby which our Sabines Eulogium lovers of their own conceits will have so call'd from one Grime a Merchant who brought up a little child of the Danish blood-royal nam'd Havelock that was exposed for which he is much talk'd of as is also that Haveloc his Pupil who was first a Scullion in the King's kitchen but afterwards for his eminent valour had the honour to marry the King's daughter He perform'd I know not what great exploits which for certain are fitter for tattling gossips in a winter night than a grave Historian bb 18 But the honour and ornament of this place was the right reverend Doctor Whitgift late Archbishop of Canterbuâ—y a peerless Prelate for piety and learning in our days Scarce six miles from hence farther in the Country is to be seen the ancient castle call'd at this time Castor Castor in Saxon Duang-caster and Thong-caster in British Caer-Egarry Thong-castle but in both languages it takes the name from the thing viz. from a hide cut in pieces as Byrsa Byrsa the most noted Carthaginian castle did For 't is affirm'd in our annals that Hengist the Saxon having conquer'd the Picts and Scots and got very large possessions in other places begged also of Vortigern as much ground in this place as he could encompass with an Ox's hide cut out in very small Thongs where he built this castle whence one who has writ a Breviary of the British history in verse transpos'd Virgil's verses in this manner Accepitque solum facti de nomine Thongum Taurino quantum poterat circundare tergo Took and call'd Thong in memory of the deed The ground he compass'd with an Ox's hide From Grimesby the shore gives back with great winding and admits the aestuary Abus or Humber by Thornton heretofore a College for divine worship founded by William Crassus Earl of Albemarle and by Barton where we pass into the County of York Thâ—â—â—â— Câ—llâ—g by a very noted Ferry Next this lies Ankam a little muddy river and for that reason full of Eels Bâ—â—◠〈…〉 â—ber which at last runs into the Humber near the spring-head of it stands Market-Rasin so call'd from a pretty throng market there A little higher stands Angotby now corruptly call'd Osgodby belonging heretofore to the family 19 Of Semarc of S. Medardo from whom the Airmoines had it by inheritance Oâ—gâ—â—â— and Kelsay which was sometime the estate of the Hansards very eminent in this Shire Kâ—â—â— from whom it came to the Ashcoughs Knights by marriage cc Afterwards the Ankam is joyn'd with a bridge to Glanford a little market town call'd by the common people Brigg from the bridge the true name being almost quite forgotten Near this town within a park is to be seen Kettleby the seat of the famous family of the Tirwhitts Knights 20 Descended from Grovil Oxenbridge and Echingham but formerly the dwelling-place of one Ketellus Kâ—ttâ—â—â— as the name it self intimates Tirwâ—â—â— which was very common among the Danes and Saxons For in Saxon Bye signifies an habitation and Byan to inhabit which is the reason why so many places all over England but especially in this County end in By. Bye This County is at certain seasons so stock'd with fowl to say nothing of fish that one may very justly admire the numbers and variety of them Birds and those not common ones and such as are of great value in other Countries namely Teal Quails Woodcocks Pheasants Partridge c. but such as we have no Latin words for and that are so delicate and agreeable that the nicest palates always covet them viz. Puittes Godwitts Knotts that is as I take it Canutus's birds for they are believ'd to fly hither out of Denmark Dotterells Knots so call'd from their dotish silliness for the mimick birds are caught at candle-light by the fowler's gestures Dottâ—â—â—s if he stretch out his arm they imitate him with their wing if he holds out his leg they likewise will do the same with theirs to be short whatsoever the fowler does they do after him till at last they let the net be drawn over them But I leave these to be observed either by such as delight curiously to dive into the secrets of nature or that squander away their estates in luxury and epicurism More westward the river Trent after a long course within its sandy banks which are the bounds to this Shire falls from the Fossedike into the Humber having first of all ran pretty near Stow Stow. where Godiva Earl Leofrick's wife built a Monastery which by reason of its low situation under the hills is said by Henry of Huntingdon to lye under the Promontory of Lincoln dd Then by Knath now the seat of the Lord Willoughby of Parham formerly of the family of the Barons of Darcy Knath who had great honours and possessions by the daughter and heir of Meinill This family of the Darcies came from one more ancient to wit from one Norman de Adrecy or Darcy of Nocton who was in high esteem under Henry 3. His posterity endow'd the little Monastery at Alvingham in this County Dâ—rcy de Nocâ—â—â— Knath But this honour was in a manner extinct when Norman the last of the right and more ancient line left only two sisters the one married to Roger Penwardin the other to Peter de Limbergh Fiâ—es 29 Eâ— â— Afterwards the Trent runs down to Gainsborow a little town famous for being the harbour of the Danish ships and for the death of Sueno Tiugskege Gaâ—â—â—â—â—row a Danish Tyrant who when he had pillaged the Country as Matthew of Westminster writes was here stabb'd by an unknown person and so at last suffer'd the punishment due to his wickedness Some ages after this it was the possession of 21 Sir William William de Valentia Earl of Pembroke who obtain'd of Edw. 1. the privilege of a Fair for it The Barons of Borrough who dwell here of whom we have spoken before in Surrey are descended from this Earl by the Scotch Earls of Athol â—â—â—s of â—â—ough and the Percies ee In this part of the County stood formerly the city Sidnacester once the seat of the Bishops of this County who were call'd Bishops of Lindiffar â—â—acester but this town is now so sadly decay'd that neither the ruins nor name of it are in being ff I must not omit that here at Mellwood there flourishes the honourable family of St. Paul Knights corruptly call'd Sampoll which
greatness and great men There are 130 Parishes in this County ADDITIONS to STAFFORDSHIRE AS Staffordshire has the advantage of two ancient ways running through it which have secur'd to us some considerable remains of Roman Antiquity so is it remarkable for several engagements and revolutions relating to the Saxon and Danish times For the British it is not altogether so considerable tho' there want not some small footsteps of that people which the discovery of such weapons as we know they formerly us'd point out to us But whatever curiosities or rarities it might have afforded the world must have been in a great measure strangers to them if it had not fallen under the search of the learned Dr. Plot both as to it 's Natural History and also it's Antiquities which he has given us by way of Appendix without mixing them with the body of his work The latter of these is our business at present wherein he must be our greatest guide whilst we travel over this County a To begin with Mr. Camden Dudley-Castle Dudley-castle he tells us descended from Fitz-Ausculph to the Somereys but between these two were the Paganals whereof Gervase Paganal founded a Priory there From that family it next descended by an heiress to the Somereys from whom by a co-heir it came to Sir John Sutton descended from the Suttons of Nottinghamshire afterwards the Dudleys were possessed of it from whom it pass'd by the daughter and heir of Sir Ferdinando Dudley son and heir of the last Lord Dudley to Humble Lord Ward of Birmicham b More towards the north is Wolver-hampton Wolver-hampton which had by K. Hen. 3. a Fair granted to it upon the eve and day of St. Peter and St. Paul and also a Market weekly on Wednesdays There is in it a Free-school founded by Sir Stepehn Jennings sometime Lord Mayor of London c From hence passing by Tetnall Tetnall we go to Wrottesley * Hist of Staff p 394. eminent for the remains of some old British or other Antiquity whether fortification or city tho' my Author inclines to the latter because of the several partitions like streets running divers ways within the limits of it as also the large hinges which have been found there and some of the stones squar'd The whole contains in circuit about 3 or 4 miles and stones of a vast bigness have been found hereabouts whereof one made 100 loads another after 10 loads of stone were hew'n off it requir'd 36 yoke of oxen to draw it and made the great cistern in the malt-house at Wrottesley which tho' left very thick both at bottom and sides will yet wet 37 strikes of barley at a time If the historical account of the Danes here in England can assert this monument to them I have nothing to object against it but so far as that opinion is grounded upon Mr. Camden's interpretation of Theotenhall which is near it is very false for that name implies no more than the hall or palace of a Lord without any necessary relation to Heathens or Christians If the construction of Paganorum aedes were true the argument were certainly undeniable since every body knows that the Danes in all our historians go under the name of Pagani Seasdon Seasdon upon the edge of Shropshire offers it self next to our consideration †Id. p. 3 near which at a place call'd Abbots or Apewood-castle there is an ancient fortification standing on a lofty round promontory with a steep ridge for a mile together having hollows cut in the ground over which 't is suppos'd anciently they set their tents The hills at each end which seem to have been the bastions make it probable that the whole has been one continu'd fortification Whether it be Roman or British is not so easily determin'd only we know of no signal action hereabouts which makes it more probable that 't is British because if it had been Roman their histories might perhaps have left us some account of it And Tacitus makes it plain that the Britains did fortifie as well with earth cast up as stones when he tells us Annal. l. 12. c. 31. that the Iceni chose a place septum agresti aggere aditu angusto ne pervius equiti foret where the agrestis agger does most probably signifie a bank of earth Towards the south-east from hence is Kings-Swinford King's-Swinford in which parish upon Ashwood heath there is a large entrenchment that measures about 140 paces over which notwithstanding its distance from the way is yet in the opinion of the learned Dr. Plot really Roman i.e. a tent or castrametation made at that distance on the account of their being drawn off from their ways and ordinary quarters to skirmish with the enemy as occasion might require In this parish likewise at Barrow-hill are two uniform Barrows or Tumuli all rock which notwithstanding Dr. Plot thinks to have been earth at first and turn'd into stone by subterraneal heats At the utmost south-borders of this County lies Clent Clent famous for the death of S. Kenelm slain at seven years of age by the contrivance of his sister Quendred Not far from whence is Kinfare Kinfare where is an old fortification of an oblong square about 300 yards long and 200 over The name will answer either a Danish or Saxon original so that to conclude upon either barely from that is a false bottom And the signification does not imply that any one was kill'd there For Fare tho' it signifies a going an expedition or journey yet I am confident it never denotes passing into another world I should rather believe that some King in his march had stop'd there or made that his head-quarters and so deriv'd the name upon it Going to Watlingstreet we meet with Hynts Hynts near which place is a large Roman Tumulus now like those at Barrow-hill turn'd into a hard rock There are more Roman Barrows upon this street one at Catts-hill two on Calves-heath another near Great Sarden On the edge of Warwickshire is Tamworth Tamworth which the Saxon Annals call Tamanpeorþige In the year 781. it appears to have been the palace of the Mercian Kings by a Grant of Offa to the Monks of Worcester which is dated from his royal palace there A square trench is still remaining by the name of King's ditch which is very large That there was a Castle before Aethelfled's time is very plain because she only repair'd it after it had been demolish'd by the Danes but by whom it was first made a place of strength does not appear A little farther towards the north lies Elford â—lford where is a Roman Tumulus the description whereof after a curious examination Dr. Plot has given us Level with the surface of the ground about it is a moist blackish sort of earth without any mixture of gravel or stones about 2 yards diameter and a foot and half deep in the middle lying much in
was in times past exceeding strong Which being surprized by the English while King James 2. of Scotland was besieging it he was untimely slain in the flower of his youth by a piece of Cannon that casually burst He was a Prince much missed and lamented by his Subjects Notwithstanding this the Castle was surrender'd and being mostly demolished is now scarce to be seen But the adjacent Territory called from it the Sheriffdom of Roxborough â—â—â—â—â—ffâ—â—â—e of â—â—â—boâ—â—â—gh â—â—â—editaâ—â—â—heriffs hath an hereditary Sheriff of the family of Douglass who is usually called the Sheriff of Teviotdale And now f It is now an Earldom belonging to the same Family Roxborough by the favour of King James 6. is also a Barony in the person of Robert Kerr Kerr of the house of the Kerrs a very noble and numerous family in this tract from which are descended the Fernhersts and others who being educated in the school of Arms have render'd themselves very illustrious Twede Twedale aforesaid runs through the middle of a Valley or Dale that takes its name from it abounding in sheep whose wool is very valuable This is certainly a Noble River which having its source amongst the hills more inwardly Westward and running as it were with a streight Channel by Drimlar-Castle by Peeblis Peeblis a Market-Town * See more in the Additions which hath for its Sheriff Baron Zester as also g This town is a burgh-Royal has a weekly market and several â—airs is the head burgh of the shire and the seat of the Sheriff and Commissary-Courts Selkirk Selkirk †See more in the Additions hard by which hath one out of the family of Murray of Fallo-hill it receives the little River Lauder upon which appears h Here the late Duke of Lauderdale has built a well-contriv'd handsom Church consisting of four Isles with a large Steeple rising in the middâ—e Lauder together with Thirlestan Here Sir John Maitland not long since Chancellor of Scotland for his singular prudence created by K. James the 6. Baron of Thirlestan Baron of Thirlestan hath a very beautiful seat i The said Duke has adorned it with avenues pavillions out-Courts and other beauties requir'd to the making of a compleat Seat Then being increased by the accession of the River Teviot beneath Roxburgh it watereth the Sheriffdom of Berwick which is most of it the Estate of the Humes wherein the Head of that Family exerciseth now the Jurisdiction of a Sheriff and then running under Berwick the best fortified Town of Britain whereof I have already spoken with a prodigious plenty of Salmon it emptieth it self into the Sea b MERCHIA MERCH or MERS MErch which is next and so named because it is a March-Countrey lieth wholly upon the German Ocean Here k It was demolished by the English in the late War Hume Castle first presents it self the ancient possession of the Lords of Home or Hume who being descended from the Earls of Merch have spread themselves into a numerous and noble family Of which Alexander Hume who was before Primier Baron of Scotland and Sheriff of Berwick was lately advanced by James King of Great Britain to the Title of Earl of Hume Earl Hume Not far off under this Castle lieth l It is a burgh of Barony and a large beautiful Town Kelso Kelso formerly famous for a Monastery founded by King David the first among thirteen more for the propagation of God's glory but to the great impairing of the Crown Lands Thence we have a prospect of Coldingham Coldingham called by Bede Coldana and Coludi urbs perhaps the Colania Colania of Ptolemy consecrated many Ages since to professed Nuns whose Chastity is recorded in ancient Writings for their cutting off together with Ebba their Prioress their Noses and Lips chusing to secure their Virginity from the Danes rather than preserve their Beauty but they notwithstanding burnt them together with their Monastery Hard by is Fastcastle belonging to the Humes so called from its strength near the same St. Ebbe's Promontory who being the Daughter of Edelfrid King of Northumberland when her Father was taken Prisoner seized upon a Boat in the Humber and passing along the tempestuous Ocean landed in safety here became famous for her sanctity and left her name to the place But Merch is much more celebrated in History for its Earls Earls of Merch. than places who were highly commended for their Martial Courage They were descendants of Gospatrick Earl of Northumberland who after his being driven out of his Countrey by William the Conqueror was entertained by Malcolm Conmer that is Great-head King of Scotland and honoured by him with Dunbar-Castle and the Earldom of Merch. His Posterity besides very large possessions in Scotland held as appears by an old Inquisition the Barony of Bengeley in Northumberland that they should be Inborrow and Utborrow between England and Scotland What the meaning should be of these terms let others guess what my conjecture is I have said already But in the reign of King James the first George of Dunbar the Earl of Merch by authority of Parliament upon the account of his Father's Rebellion lost the propriety and possession of the Earldom of Merch and the Seigniory of Dunbar And when he proved by good Evidence that his Father had been pardoned that fault by the Regents of the Kingdom he was answered that it was not in the Regents power to pardon an offence against the State and that it was provided by the Laws that the Father's transgression should succeed to the Children to the end that being Heirs to their Father's Rashness as well as Estate they should not at any time out of a vain opinion of power plot against their Prince and Country The Title of Earl of Merch was afterwards amongst other Honourable Titles conferr'd on Alexander Duke of Albany And in our memory this title of honour was reviv'd in Robert the 3. Brother of Matthew Earl of Lenox who being of Bishop of Cathness made Earl of Lenox soon after resigned up that Title to his Nephew created Duke of Lenox and received of the King by way of recompence the name and stile of Earl of Merch c LAVDEN or LOTHIEN LOTHIEN also called Lauden Lauden and anciently from the Picts Pictland shoots out along from Merch as far as the Scottish Sea or the Frith having many hills and little woods but for its excellent Corn-lands and civility is commended above any County in Scotland About the Year of our Lord 873. Edgar King of England between whom and Keneth the third King of Scotland there was a strict alliance against the Danes the Common Enemy resigned up his right in this Lothian unto him as Matthew Florilegus asserts and to tie his heart the closer to him He bestowed upon him moreover many Lodges in the way wherein both he and his Successors in their coming to the Kings
of England and return homewards might be entertained which till K. Henry the second 's time remained in the hands of the King 's of Scotland In this Lothian the first place that presents it self upon the Sea Shore is Dunbar Dunbar a Castle in ancient times very strongly fortify'd the seat of the Earls of Merch before-mentioned thence commonly called Earls of Dunbar Earls of Dunbar often taken by the English and recovered by the Scots But in the Year 1567 it was demolisht by order of the States to prevent its being a retreat for Rebels But King James in the year 1515. conferr'd the Title and Honour of Earl of Dunbar upon Sir Geo. Hume for his approved Loyalty whom he had created before Baron Hume of Berwick Baron Home or Hume of Berwick to him his Heirs and Assigns m It is now a Viscounty in the person of Robert Constable Viscount Dunbar Hard by the little River Tine after a short course falleth into the Sea near the source whereof stands Zeister Zeister which hath its Baron of the Family of the Hays Earls of Arroll who is likewise hereditary Sheriff of the little Territory of Twedale or Peblis Upon the same rivulet some few miles higher in a large plain lies Hadington or Hadina fortify'd by the English with a deep and large ditch and a four square turf-wall without with four bullwarks at the Corners and as many more upon the Inner wall and as valiantly defended by Sir George Wilford an Englishman against Monsieur Dessie who fiercely attaqu'd it with 10000 French and Germans till the Plague growing hot and lessening the garison Henry Earl of Rutland came with a great Army and rais'd the siege and having levell'd the Works conducted the English home And now of late K. James 6. hath for his loyalty and valour elected into the Nobility of Scotland Sir John Ramsey whose RIGHT HAND was the DEFENDER OF THE PRINCE AND COUNTRY in that horrid Conspiracy of the Gowries under the title and honour of Viscount Hadington Viscouâ—â— Hadinâ—ton n It is now an Earldom in the famiâ—y of the Hamiltons Of this Hadington J. Johnston hath these Verses Planities praetensa jacet prope flumina Tinae Fluminis arguti clauditur ista sinu Vulcani Martis quae passa incendia fati Ingemit alterno vulnere fracta vices Nunc tandem sapit icta Dei praecepta secuta Praesidio gaudet jam potiore Poli. Near Tine's fair stream a spatious plain is shown Tine's circling arms embrace the hapless town Where Mars and fiery Vulcan reign'd by turns With fatal rage whose dire effects she mourns By sad experience now at last grown wise She slights their fury and their power defies Contemns the dangers that before she fear'd And rests secure when mighty heaven 's her guard A little way from Hadington stands Athelstanford Athelâ—â—â—â—ford so named from Athelstan a Commander of the English slain there with his men about the year 815 but that this was Athelstan that Warlike King of the West-Saxons must be utterly deny'd if we have any respect to time or the manner of his Death Above the Mouth of this Tine upon the doubling of the shore stands Tantallon Castle from whence Archibald Douglas Earl of Angus was very troublesome to James 5. King of Scotland Here by the winding of the shores on both sides room is made for a very Noble Arm of the Sea well furnished with Isllands and by the influx of many rivers and the Sea-tides dilated to a mighty breadth Ptolemy calls it Boderia Tacitus Bodotria Bodoeâ—â—â— from its depth as I conjecture the Scots the Forth and Frith we Edenborough-Frith others Mare Fresicum and Mare Scoticum and the Eulogium Morwiridh Upon this after you are past Tantallon Tantalâ—â—â— are seated first North-Berwick antiently famous for a House of Religious Virgins and then Drylton Dryltoâ— which formerly belong'd to the eminent family of the Haliburtons and now by the favour of K. James 6. gives the Title of Baron to Sir Tho. Ereskin Captain of his Guards as Felton Viscouâ—â— Felton hard by gives the Honourable Title of Viscount to the same person who was the first that had the stile and dignity of a Viscount in Scotland Over against them in the sea near the shore lies the Bass The Bass an Island which rises up as it were in one continued craggy rock on every side inaccessible yet it has a Fort a fountain and pasture-grounds but is so hollow'd and undermined by the waves that it is almost wrought through What prodigious flights of sea-fowl especially of those Geese they call Scouts â—â—outs and Soland-Geese at certain times flock hither â—â—â—andâ—â—eâ— â—â—ch â—â—â—n to be â—â—â—'s Piâ—â—â—ae for by report their number is so great as in a clear day to darken the Sun what multitudes of Fishes they bring so as that 100 Soldiers in Garison here liv'd upon no other provision but the fresh fish brought hither by them as they give out what a quantity of sticks they convey for the building of their nests so that by their means the inhabitants are abundantly provided with firing what vast profit also their feathers and oyl amount to are things so incredible that no one scarcely would believe it but he that had seen it â—â—â—on â—â—â—â—-town Then as the shore draws back Seton appears which seems to take its name from its situation upon the Sea and to have given one to the Right Honourable House of the Setons descended of an English Family and a Daughter of King Robert Bruce of which the o The Marquisate of Huntley is now in the family of Gordon who are likewise Dukes of Gordon Marquiss of Huntley Robert Earl of Wintoun 〈◊〉 of Winâ—â—â—n Alexander Earl of Dunfermling all advanced to honours by King James 6. are Branches d After this the River Esk hath its influx into the Frith having run by Borthwic â—â—â—thwic which hath its Barons so sirnamed of Hungarian extraction by Nâ—wbottle â—â—wbottle that is the new building formerly a little Monastery now a Barony in the person of Sir Mark Ker by Dalkeith â—â—â—â—â—â—th lately a pleasant seat of the Earls of Morton and Musselborough â—â—â—â—â—boâ—â—â—gh below which upon Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset's entring Scotland with a * compleat Army â—â—â—â—o to challenge the performance of Articles for the marrying Mary Queen of Scotland to Edward 6. King of England there happened a most dismal day to the youth of the noble Families in Scotland who there fell in the battle Here I must not pass by in silence this Inscription which J-Napier a learned person in his Commentaries on the Apocalyps informs us was here dug up and which the eminently ingenious Sir Peter Young Knight King James the 6th's Tutor hath thus more truly described APOLLINI GRANNO Q. LVSIVS SABINIA NVS PROC AVG. â—â—tem â—â—ptum â—â—it luâ—â— meriâ—â— V. S. S. L
from the Church as a Feudatory and Vicegerent and obliged his Successors to pay three hundred Marks to the Bishop of that See Yet the most eminent 1 Sir Thomas Hol. Thomas Moor who sacrificed his life to the Pope's Prerogative denies this to be true For he says the Romanists can shew no grant and that they have never demanded the said money nor the Kings of England acknowledged it However with submission to this great man the thing is really otherwise as most clearly appears from the Parliament-Rolls which are evidence incontestable For in a Parliament in Edward the third's Reign the Chancellor of England informs the House That the Pope intended to cite the King of England to a tryal at Rome as well for homage as for the tribute due and payable from England and Ireland and to which King John had bound both himself and his Successors and desired their opinion in it The Bishops required a day to consider of this matter apart as likewise did the Lords and Commons The next day they met again and unanimously voted and declared that forasmuch as neither King John nor any other King whatsoever could put the Kingdom under such a servitude but by the consent and agreement of a Parliament which was never had and farther that since whatsoever he had done in that kind was directly contrary to the Oath which he solemnly took before God at his Coronation if the Pope would insist upon it they were resolved to oppose him with their lives and fortunes to the very utmost of their power Such also as were learned in the law made the Charter of King John to be void and insignificant by that clause of reservation in the end saving to us and our heirs all our rights liberties and regalities But this is out of my road From King John's time the Kings of England were stiled Lords of Ireland till within the memory of our fathers Henry the eighth was declared King of Ireland by the States of that Realm assembled in Parliament the title of Lord seeming not so sacred and venerable to some seditious persons as that of King In the year 1555 when Queen Mary offered the subjection of the Kingdom of England by the hands of her Ambassadors to Pope Paul the fourth this name and title of Kingdom of Ireland was confirmed by the Pope in these word To the praise and glory of Almighty God and his most glorious mother the Virgin Mary to the honour of the whole Court of Heaven and the exaltation of the Catholick Faith We at the humble request of King Philip and Queen Mary made unto us by the advice of our brethren and by virtue of our full Apostolical authority do erect the Kingdom of Ireland and do for ever dignifie and exalt it with the title honours powers rights ensigns prerogatives preferments Royal praeeminencies and such like privileges as other Christian Realms have use and enjoy or may have use and enjoy hereafter Having accidentally found a Catalogue of those English Noble men who went in the first invasion of Ireland and with great valor subdued it to the Crown of England lest I should seem to envy them and their posterity the glory of this atchievment I will here give you them from the Chancery of Ireland for so 't is entitled The Names of such as came with Dermic Mac Morrog into Ireland Richard Strongbow Earl of Pembroke who by Eve the daughter of Morrog the Irish petty King aforesaid had an only daughter who brought to William Mareschall the title of Earl of Pembroke with a fair estate in Ireland and had issue five sons who in order succeeded one another all childless and as many daughters who enriched their husbands Hugh Bigod Earl of Norfolk Guarin Montchensey Gilbert Clare Earl of Glocester William Ferrars Earl of Derby and William Breose with children honours and possessions Robert Fitz-Stephens Harvey de Mont Marish Maurice Prendergest Robert Barr. Meiler Meilerine Maurice Fitz-Girald Redmund nephew to Stephen William Ferrand Miles de Cogan Richard de Cogan Gualter de Ridensford Gualter sons of Maurice Girald Alexander sons of Maurice Girald William Notte Robert Fitz-Bernard Hugh de Lacy. William Fitz-Aldelm William Macarell Hunfrey Bohun Hugh de Gundevill Philip de Hasting Hugh Tirell David Walsh Robert Poer Osbert de Harloter William de Bendenge Adam de Gernez Philip de Breos Griffin Nephew of Stephen Ralph Fitz-Stephen Walter de Barry Philip Walsh Adam de Hereford To whom out of Giraldus Cambrensis may be added John de Curcy Hugh Contilon Redmond Cantimore Edmond Fitz-Hugh Miles of St. Davids and others The Government of the Kingdom of IRELAND SInce Ireland has been subject to the Crown of England the Kings of this Realm have ever sent their Vice-Roys to manage the publick affairs there who at first in their Letters Patents or Commissions Loâ—d Depâ—â—ies of â—â—â—â—and were stilled Keepers of Ireland after that Justices of Ireland or at pleasure Lieutenants and Deputies Their jurisdiction and authority is really large and Royal they make war and peace have power to fill all Magistracies and other Offices except some very few to pardon all crimes but those of high treason and to confer Knighthood c. These Letters Patents when any one enters upon this honourable office are publickly read and after the new Deputy has took a solemn oath of a certain set form for that purpose before the Chancellor the sword which is to be carried before him is delivered into his hands and he is seated in a Chair of state attended by the Chancellor of the Realm the Members of the Privy-Council the Peers and Nobles of the Kingdom the King at Arms a Serjeant at Arms and other Officers of State So that whether we consider his jurisdiction and authority or his train attendance and splendor there is certainly no Vice-roy in Christendom that comes nearer the grandeur and majesty of a King His Council are the Chancellor of the Realm the Treasurer and such others of the Earls Barons and Judges as are of the Privy-Council Orders or degrees iâ— Ireland For Ireland has the same orders and degrees of honour that England has Earls Barons Knights Esquires c. The Courts or Tribunals of IRELAND THE supream Court in Ireland is the Parliament which Parliament at the pleasure of the King of England is either called or dissolved by his Deputy â—as an 〈◊〉 12. and yet in Edward the second 's time it was enacted That Parliaments should be held in Ireland every year 2 Which seemeth yet not to have been effected Here are likewise observed foure Law-terms in the year as in England and five Courts of Justice held 〈◊〉 the a The Court was called The Court of Castle-chamber because it was usually kept in the Castle of Dublin but has never been held since the Court of Star-Chamber was supprest in England Star-Chamber the Chancery King's-Bench Common Pleas and the Exchequer Here are
also Justices of Assize Nisi prius and Oyer and Terminer as in England Justices of Peace in every County to preserve the Peace and the King has his Serjeant at Law his Attorney and his Sollicitor General There are also other Governors besides these to administer justice in the remoter Provinces and that is in Conaugh stilled chief Commissioner is call'd b Since the Country has been well inhabited with English and much more civiliz'd than heretofore the Presidencies of Munster and Conaught were superseded by King Charles II. about the year 1671. President in Munster who have certain of the Gentry and Lawyers to assist them and are all directed by the Lord Deputy As for their Law the Common-law used there is the same with this of ours in England For thus it is in the Records of the Kingdom King Henry the third in the twelfth of his reign sent an order to his Justice in Ireland that he should assemble the Archbishops Bishops Barons and Knights of that Kingdom and make the Charter of King John be read unto them which he did accordingly giving them an oath to observe the laws and customs of England and that they should hold and keep the same 3 Nevertheless the meer Irish did not admit them but retain'd their own Brehon-Laws and lâ—ud Customs And the Kings of England used a connivance therein upon some deep consideration not vouchsafing to communicate the benefit of the English Laws but upon especial grace to especial families or sects namely the O Neales O Conors O Brien O Maloghlins and Mac Murough which were reputed of the blood royal among them So that even the Parliamentary Laws or Statutes of England were of force in Ireland till King Henry the seventh's time For in the tenth year of his reign they were established and confirmed by Act of Parliament in Ireland 4 In the time of Sir Edward Poinings government But since that time they have lived by Acts and Statutes of their own making Besides these civil Magistrates they have also one Military officer named the c There being no War in the Kingdom there is no such Officer Marshal Marshal of Ireland who is serviceable to the State not only in restraining the insolence of soldiers but also in checking the outrage of rebels who are now and then troublesome This office formerly belonged hereditarily to the Lords Morley of England 9 of King John For King John gave them this Office to hold in see of him in these words We have given and granted to John Marshall for his homage and service our Marshalship of Ireland with all appurtenances We have given him likewise for his homage and service the Cantred wherein standeth the town of Kilbunny to have and to hold to him and his heirs of us and our heirs From him it descended in a right line to the Barons of Morley This Marshal has under him * Submaresâ—allum a Provost-Marshal and sometimes more according to the difficulties and exigencies of affairs who exercise their authority by Commission and Instructions under the Great Seal of Ireland But these and all other curiosities of this nature I leave to the diligence of others As for the methods of Justice and Government among the wild Irish I shall take care to insert something in a more proper place when I come to treat of their Mannors and Customs The d See Ware 's Antiquitat Hibern Cap. 3. pag. 11. Division of IRELAND â—â—â—on â—â—â—land IReland from the manners and customs of the Inhabitants is divided into two parts e At present there is no such Div sion or distiâ—ction but the King 's Writ runs through the whole Kingdom and every part of it is now answerable to Law they who reject all Laws and live after a barbarous manner are called the Irishry or wild Irish but those civilized who submit themselves with respect and obedience to the laws are termed the English-Irish and their Country the English Pale for the first English men that came hither set their boundaries in the east and richest part of the Island as taken in for themselves within which compass even at this day some remain uncivilized and pay no deference to the laws whereas some without are as courteous and genteel as one would desire But if we consider it as it was more early this Country from its situation or rather number of its Governors heretofore must be divided into five parts for it was formerly a Pentarchy namely Munster southward Leinster eastward Connaught westward Ulster northward and Meath almost in the middle Which as to civil administration are thus divided into Counties In Munster are the Counties of Kerry f At this day there is no such County as Desmond part of that Territory lying in the County of Kerry and the rest in the County of Cork Desmond Cork Waterford Limerick Tiperary g The County of the Holy-Cross is swallowed up in that of Tiperary with the County of S. Cross in Tiperary In Leinster are the Counties of Kilkenny Caterlough Queen's County King's County Kildare Weishford Dublin In Meath are the Counties of East-Meath West-Meath Longford In Connaught are the Counties of h Instead of this Dr. Holland has put Clare which yet is in the Province of Muâ—ster Twomund Galloway Maio. Slego Letrim Rofcomon In Ulster are the Counties of Louth Cavon Farmanagh Monaghan Armagh Doun Antrim Colran Tir-Oën Tir-Conell or Donegall Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction The Ecclesiastical state of Ireland was antiently managed by the Bishops either consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury or by one another But in the year 1152 as we find it in Philip of Flattesbury Christianus Bishop of Lismore Legat of all Ireland held a very full and honourable Council at Meath where were present the Bishops Abbots Kings Dukes and Elders of Ireland and there by the Apostolical authority with the advice of the Cardinals and the consent of the Bishops Abbots and others met together four Archbishopricks were constituted in Ireland Armagh Dublin Cassil and Tuam The Bishopricks which were under these formerly for some of them have been abolished to feed the greedy humor of ill times others have been confounded or annexed to one another while others again have been translated I do desire to subjoyn here in their true and ancient order from an old Roman Provincial faithfully copied from the Original Under the Archbp. of Armagh Primate of all Ireland are the Bishops of Meath or i Cluanard The Bishop is stiled of Meath Elnamirand Down otherwise Dundalethglass k Clogher Cloghor otherwise Lugundun l Connor is united to Down Conner m Ardagh Ardachad n Rapho Rathbot Rathluc Daln-liguir o Derry or London-Derry Dearrih 4 Holland has added Cloemacniso which ought to be writ Clonmacnois and is now united to Meath as also Dromor and Brefem now Kilmore Under the Archbp. of Dublin are the Bishops of
Iveragh and Dunkerran In this Castle dwelt Donald Mac Carty More a petty King of Irish descent who in the year 1566. resigned his estate to Queen Elizabeth and had it restored to hold of her after the English manner by fealty and homage At the same time he was created Baron of Valentia â—â—ron of 〈◊〉 â—â—â—l of â—â—â—ncar an Island adjoyning and Earl of Clan-car being a man eminent and of great power in these parts and formerly a bitter enemy of the Fitz-Giralds who dispossest his Ancestors Kings as he pretended of Desmond their antient seat and inheritance He enjoyed not this honour very long having but one daughter legitimate whom he married to Florence Mac Carty and lived to be very old â—â—ve The second Promontory lying in the middle between two Bays the Maire and the Bantre is called the b A ridge of hills running through this Promontory makes the bounds betwâ—en the Counties of Coâ—k and Kerry That part on the North side is the Barony of Glanerough in the County of Kerry that on the Sâ—uth is the half Barony of Bear in â—he County of Cork to which the half Barony of Bantry joyns Beare the soil of which is a hungry gravel mixt with stones where lives O Swillivant O Swilliâ—ant Beare and O Swilivant Bantre both of the same family and men very eminent in these parts The third named c This third Promontoâ—y is at this day part of the Barâ—ny of West-Caâ—bâ—y in the County of Cork Eraugh lyes between Bantre and Balatimore or Baltimore a Bay famous for the many herrings took in it and yearly visited by a Fleet of Spaniards and Portuguese in the very middle of winter â—â—ahâ—ns to fish for Codd In this the O Mahons had great possessions bestowed upon them by M. Carew This is that Promontory which Ptolemy calls Notium The Promontory Notium or the South-Promontory at this day Missen-head under which as we may see in him the river Iernus falls into the sea As for the name it now has Jernus a river I dare hardly in so much darkness pretend to guess at it unless it be that which is now called Maire and runs under Drunkeran aforesaid I am as much at a loss likewise for those people whom Ptolemy places upon these Promontories seeing their name differs in several Copies Iberni Outerni Iberi Iverni unless perhaps they are a Colony of the Iberi in Spain as well as their neighbours the Luceni and Concani were Desmonia was formerly of great extent in these parts even from the sea to the river Shanon and was called South-Mounster The Fitz-Giralds of the family of Kildare having conquer'd the Irish became Lords of very great possessions here Of these Maurice Fitz-Thomas to whom Thomas Carew heir to the Seigniory of Desmond made over his title was in the third of Edward 3. created Earl of Desmond Earl of Dâ—smond Of the posterity of this Earl many have been rich and valiant and men of great reputation But this glory was and still continues sullied in James who excluding his nephew has forcibly seiz'd the inheritance and impos'd upon the people those grievous tributes of Coyne Livery Cocherings Bonaughty c. for the maintenance of his Triarii and ravenous Soldiers His son Thomas as he exacted the same of the poor people was apprehended by an Order from John Tiptoft Lord Deputy and beheaded in the year 1467. for his own and his father's wickedness However his children were restored and this honour was hereditarily enjoyed by his posterity till Girald's time the rebel before mentioned who being banished by Act of Parliament Desmond was annext to the crown reduced into a county and a Sheriff ordain'd to govern it from year to year 5 Nâ—vâ—rthâ—lâ—ss in thâ— last rebellion the â—â—bels erected a titâ—laâ—â— Earl and against him Queen Elizabeth granted the Title of Earl of Desmond uâ—to J mâ—s Fâ—â—z-Giraâ—d sâ—n to the foresaid â—ebel who shortly after dyed â—ssucless in thâ— year 1601. The most noted and considerable Houses here for interest and riches are those descended from the Fitz-Giralds known by several and distinct names which upon various accounts have been assum'd by them VODIAE or CORIONDI MOre inward beyond the Iberi dwelt the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who are termed also the Vodiae The Vodiae and Udiae some resemblance of which name remains very express and clear in the Territories of Idou and Idouth and of the Coriondi The Coriondi in the County of Cork which borders upon them These people inhabited the Counties of Cork Tipperary Limerick and Waterford Comitatus Corcagiensis commonly The County of Cork THE County of Cork which was formerly a Kingdom and contain'd all that part of the country upon the shore between Lismore and St. d Brandon-hills in Kerry Brend * P rhaps Missâ—n head Muskeray where Westward it faces Desmond has in the midland of it Muskeray a wild and woody country where Cormac Mac Teg is very famous and towards the sea Carbray Carbray where the Mac-Carties are the most considerable The first place we come at upon the Coast is e A Bishop's See united to Cork Ross a road for ships and formerly frequented but now by reason of a ledge of sand across it seldom used From hence there shoots out a narrow neck of land into a peninsula called the old head of Kinsale near which the Curcies heretofore flourished in great wealth descended from a brother of John Curcy an English man that subdued Ulster Of which family here still remains Curcy Baron of f Baron of Kinsale Ringrom Curcy Baron of Ringrom but such is the uncertainty of human affairs poor and of mean fortune After it in a fertile spot upon the mouth of the river g Bandon Bany and withall well enough wooded stands Kinsale Kinsale a commodious port fortified with old walls under which in the year 1601. the Kingdom of Ireland was at stake and put to a fair trial whether it should belong to Spain or England For at that instant the Island was embroiled both with foreign and civil wars and Don John D' Aquila with an Army of 8000 Veteranes had surpriz'd this place and fortified it relying upon the censures and excommunications which Pius 5. Gregory 13. and Clement 8. had thunder'd out against Queen Elizabeth and upon the assistance of those Rebels The Spaniards driven out of Ireland who had sent for them under pretence of establishing their Religion the mask and disguise for all the Villanies of this degenerate age which makes such a scuffle about it In opposition to these 6 Sir Charles Charles Blunt Baron Montjoy Lord Deputy though his Army was harrassed and it was now the winter season besieged the Town by land and sea and at the same time also took the field against those Rebels headed by the Earl of Tir-Oen O Donell Mac Gwyre and Mac Mahound whom
24 Yet will I note thus much which I have since hapned upon in the Records When as King Richard aforesaid had advanced that Robert Vere Earl of Oxford to be Marquiss of Dublin and had given to him the Seigniory of Iâ—eland during his life Pr. pat an 9. Ric. 2. m. 1. he desirous to augment his honour by more ennoblishing him with honourable Arms granted also that as long as he should live and hold the said Seigniory he should bear these Arms Azure 3 Crowns Or in a border in his Standards Pennons Coat-armors and other things werein Arms are to be shewed in all Marshal matters and eâ—sewhere at his pleasure But this grant was soon after recalled and those Arms abolished Where the river Liffy runs into the sea stands Houth almost encompassed by the salt water Baroâ—â— Hoâ—â— S. â—aâ—reâ—ce which gives the title of Barons to the noble family of S. Lâ—urence who have lived there so happy that in a long series of successors for they derive their pedigree as low as Henry the seventh's time no one of them as 't is said has ever been attainted of treason or left in minority A little distance from hence is Malchid Maâ—châ—â— eminent for its Lords the Talbots an English family More to the north inward stands b Fingall Fâ—ngaâ— which is an Irish word and signifies a nation of Foreigners for they call the English Gall i.e. Strangers and Saissâ—nes as it were Saxons a small territory well cultivated and the granary in a manner of this Kingdom it yields such plentiful crops of corn every year Here the earth strives as it were to be grateful to the husband-man which in other parts of this Island is so neglected that for want of tillage it seems to reproach the sloth and idleness of the Inhabitants Here are scatter'd up and down this Country many eminent families of the English besides those but now mentioned the Plunkets the Barnwells the Russâ—lls the Talbots Dillons Nettervills Holywoods Lutterels Burnells Fitz-Williams Goldings Ushers Cadleys Finglases Sarfelds Blackneys Cruces Baths c. Thus much as briefly as I could of Leinster which formerly went no farther I cannot tell whether it would best deserve laughter or penning that Thomas Stukely Thomâ—â— Stuâ—â—â— when he had lost his reputation and fortune both in England and Ireland and escap'd the danger of the Law by his fair promises and ostentation insinuated himself so much into the favour of Pope Gregory the thirteenth that he conferr'd upon him the titles of Marquiss of Leinster Earl of Weisford and Caterlagh Vicount of Murrough and Baron of Ross and Ydron Thus big with the vanity of these titles intending to invade Ireland he turn'd into Africa and along with three Kings that were slain in one battle ended the scene of his life honourably enough d This is a Barony in the County of Dublin METH THE remaining part of the Country of the Eblani was formerly a Kingdom and the fifth part of Ireland call'd in Irish Mijh in English Methe by Giraldus Midia and Media because perhaps it lay in the middle of the Island For they say that Kil-lair a Castle in these parts which seems to be that called by Ptolemy Laberus Labeâ—us as the name it self intimates is as it were the Navel of Ireland For Lair in Irish signifies a Navel a This Description of Meath comprehends also West-Meath and Longford This Meth lyes extended from the Irish Sea as far as the river Shanon The soil of which as Barthol Anglicus tells us yeilds good corn and makes good pasture which is well stockt with cattle the County is also well furnished with fish and flesh and other victuals as butter cheese and milk and well watered with rivers The situation is pleasant and the air wholsom By reason of woods and marshes in the borders of it the entrance or access is difficult so that for the great number of inhabitants and the strength of its towns and castles it is commonly by reason of the peace it enjoys called the Chamber of Ireland Within the memory of our fathers when the Country was too large to be governed by one Sheriff for the more easie administration of Justice it was divided into two by Act of Parliament in the 38th of Hen. 8. the County of Meth and the County of West Meth. The County of METH THE County of Meth on the South bounds upon the County of Kildare on the East upon the County of Dublin and the Sea on the North upon the territory of Louth and on the West upon the County of West-Meth The whole is subdivided into 18 Baronies Dueleke Scrine Slane Margallen Navan Kenles the moiety of the Barony of Fower near Kenles Killalou Demore Clove Moylagh Loghern Old-castle Luyn Moyfeuraraghe Deese Rathtouth and Dunboyn The Boyn R. Boâ—n in Ptolemy Buvinda in Giraldus Boandus a noble river rising in the North side of the King's County runs through the middle of this shire In the hither part on this side the Boyn the places memorable are Galtrim â—â—â—trim where the Family of the Huseys have long dwelt â—â—in Killin-Castle built by Hugh Lacy Keeper of Ireland in Henry the second 's time and Dunsany â—â—â—sany which has its Barons of Parliament eminent for their antient and noble family descended from the Plonkets others derive them from the Danes but their Arms are the same only in different colours with Allan Plonket of Kilpeck in England â—â—â—kett who was also a Baron in Edward the first 's time These Plonkets in Ireland have been eminent ever since 25 Sir Christopher Christopher Plonket a man of great wisdom and gallantry who was Deputy as they call it to Richard Duke of York Viceroy in Henry the sixth's time enjoy'd the Barony of Killin which fell to him by his wife as heir to the Family of the Cusakes and his second son had the title of Baron of Dunsany â—â—â—â—n â—â—â—sany conferr'd upon him for his great worth and virtue Beyond the Boyn 〈◊〉 â—ramletâ—â—â—â—n stands Trimletstoun which is a Barony belonging to one of the Family of the Barnwells 〈◊〉 â—nwell For 26 Sir Robert Barnwell John Barnwell was made a Baron of Parliament by Edward the fourth Then Gormanston which has its Vicounts â—â—counts â—â—rmanâ—â—on men of great worth descended from the Prestons of Lancashire as 't is thought and Slane â—â—ons â—oâ— which has also its Barons of the Family of the Flemings and b The name is Athboy Abâ—y a populous Market-town Upon the Boyn after it has passed Glan-Iores i.e. the land of the sons of George who was of the Family of the Birminghams whose heir by marriage brought a fair inheritance with the Castle of Carbray Carbray to the Prestons it arrives at Trim Trim. an eminent Market-town where William Pepard built a Castle This was an antient Barony of the Lacyes which afterwards became one of
in a winding chanel sometimes broad and sometimes narrow runs through many Counties as we have already observed The chief families are the O Rorcks O Murreies Mac Lochleims Mac Glanchies and Mac Granells all pure Irish John de Burgo the son of Richard Earl of Clan-Ricard who was made Baron Letrim Baron Letrim by Queen Elizabeth and soon after slain by some malicious rivals took his title as some say from another place and not from this Letrim and I have not certainly discovered the truth of that matter The County of ROSCOMAN BElow Letrim to the south lyes the County of Roscoman first made by Henry Sidney Lord Deputy of great length but very narrow bounded on the west by the river Suc on the east by the Shanon and on the north by the Curlew mountains Curlew-â—ountains This is for the most part a Champian country fertile well stock'd with cattle and ever plentiful in its corn-harvests if assisted with a little good husbandry and tillage Towards the north are the Curlew-mountains steep and unpassable till with much pains and difficulty a way was cut through them by George Bingham and famous for the slaughter of 35 Sir Coniers Clifford Coniers Clifford Governor of Conaught and other brave old soldiers cut off there not very long since by his negligence There are four Baronies in this County first the Barony of Boile Barony of Boile under the Curlew-mountains upon the Shanon where formerly stood a famous monastery founded in the year 1152 together with the Abbey of Beatitude * Mac-Dermot quasi rerum potitur Balin Tober This is the Seigniory of Mac Dermot Next the Barony of Balin Tobar upon the Suc where O Conor Dun has the chief power and interest neighbouring upon the Bishoprick of Elphin Lower down lyes Roscoman Roscoman the Barony of O Conor Roo that is Conor the red wherein stands the head town of this County fortified with a castle built by Robert Ufford Lord Chief Justice of Ireland the houses of the town are all thatch'd More southward lyes Athlone Athlone the Barony of the O-Kellies so called from the principal town in it which has a castle a garison and a fair stone bridge built within the memory of this age by Henry Sidney Lord Deputy at the command of Queen Elizabeth who designed to make this the seat of the Lord Deputy as most convenient to suppress insurrections The Lords of CONAGHT IT appears by the Irish Histories that Turlogh O Mor O Conor formerly reigned over this Country and divided it between his two sons Cahel and Brien But when the English invaded Ireland it was governed by Rotheric under the title of Monarch of Ireland who was so apprehensive of the English power that he submitted himself to King Henry the second without the hazard of a battle Soon after he revolted and thereupon Conaght was first invaded by Milo-Cogan an English man but without success However the King of Conaght was reduced to such straits that he was fain to acknowledge himself a liege-man of the King of England's Rog. Hove ac 1175. p. 312. Claus 7. Joâ—nnis so as to serve him faithfully as his man and pay him yearly for every ten head of cattle one hide vendible c. Yet by the grant of King John he was to have and to hold the third part of Conaght to him and his heirs for 100 marks However this County was first subdued and civilized by William Fitz-Adelme whose posterity is the De Burgo's in Latin or as the Irish call them the Burks and Bourks Robert Muscogros Gilbert Clare Earl of Glocester and William de Bermingham William de Burgo or Bourks and his posterity under the title of Lords of Conaght governed this and the County of Ulster for a long time in great peace and enjoyed considerable revenues from them But at last it went out of the family by the only daughter of William de Burgo sole heir to Conaght and Ulster who was married to Leonel Duke of Clarence son to King Edward the third He generally residing in England as well as his successors the Mortimers this estate in Ireland was neglected so that the Bourks The Bourks their relations and stewards here finding their Lords absent and England embroiled at that time confederated with the Irish by leagues and marriages seized upon almost all Conaght as their own and by little and little degenerated into the Irish barbarity Those of them descended from Richard de Burgo are called Clan Ricard others Mac William Oughter i.e. Higher others Mac William Eughter i.e. Lower So those of greatest interest in the County of Maio were simply called Mac William assumed as a title of much honour and authority as descended from William de Burgo already mentiond 36 Under countenance of which name they for a long time tyranniz'd over the poor Inhabitants with most grievous exactions ULSTER ALL that part of the Country beyond the mouth of the river Boyn the County of Meath and Longford and the mouth of the river Ravie on the North make up the fifth part of Ireland called in Latin Ultonia and Ulidia in English Ulster in Irish Cui Guilly i.e. Province of Guilly and in Welsh Ultw In Ptolemy's time it was wholly peopl'd by the Voluntii Darni Robogdii and the Erdini This is a large Province water'd with many considerable loughs shelter'd with huge woods fruitful in some places and barren in others yet very green and sightly in all parts and well stock'd with Cattle But as the soil for want of culture is rough and barren so the Inhabitants for want of education and discipline a This is to be understood of the Irish Inhabitants who are now so routed out and destroyed by their many Rebellions and by the accession of Scots who for the most part inhabit this Province that there are not supposed to be left 10000 Irish able and sit to bear Arms in all Ulster are very wild and barbarous Yet to keep them in subjection and order for neither the bonds of justice modesty nor other duty could restrain them this hither part was formerly divided into three Counties Louth Down and Antrimme and now the rest is divided into these seven Counties Cavon Fermanagh Monaghan Armagh Colran Tir Oen and Donegall or Tirconell by the provident care of 37 Sir John John Perott Lord Deputy Jo. Perot Lord Deputy 1585. a man truly great and famous and thoroughly acquanted with the temper of this Province For being sensible that nothing would more effectually appease the tumults of Ireland than a regulation and settlement of these parts of Ulster he went himself in person thither in that troublesome and dangerous time when the Spanish descent was so much expected there and in England and by his gravity and authority while he took care to punish injurious actions which are ever the great causes of dissention and War gain'd so much respect among
meaning his own body The O-Neals afterwards wrested it out of their hands but they being attainted of treason Sir Thomas Smith Knight and one of Queen Elizabeth's Privy-Council by her permission planted a Colony there an excellent design but very unsuccessful For after great expence his own natural son whom he had set over it was taken by an Ambuscade of the Irish and then thrown to be tore in pieces by the dogs a piece of cruelty for which they afterwards severely suffered being themselves put to death and given to the wolves Above Ardes westward lyes the more southern Clanboy Clanboy the Upper i.e. a Yellow Sept or the family of Hugh the Yellow as they interpret it a woody Country which extends to the bay of Knock-Fergus inhabited by the O-Neals and counted the very utmost part of this County of Down The County of ANTRIM THE next County to Louth northwards is the County of Antrim so called from Antrim a small town only remarkable for giving name to the whole shire which is bounded by the bay of Knock-Fergus Knock Fergus the Lough Eaugh and the river Ban. This bay of Knock-Fergus called Vinderius in Ptolemy took it's name from a town situate upon it which the English term Knock-Fergus the Irish Carig-Fergus that is the rock of Fergus from that famous Fergus drowned there who first brought the Scots out of Ireland into Britain This town is more frequented and famous than any other upon this coast by reason of a commodious haven fortifications though not yet finished a castle standing upon a high rock and has a garison to keep the country in subjection with an ancient palace now converted into a magazine Near this lies Clane-boy the lower Clanboy the Lowâ—â— the habitation likewise of the O-Neals memorable for the death of that lewd rebel Shan or John O-Neal who after many outrages was defeated in one or two skirmishes by 49 Sir Henry Henry Sidney Lord Deputy and reduced to such streights that he was resolved to go and address himself to the Lord Deputy with a halter about his neck for pardon but his Secretary dissuaded him and induced him rather to seek assistance from the Island Scots who under the conduct of Alexander Oge were now encamped here and ravaged the country Accordingly he went to them and was kindly received but put to death soon after with his whole party for the slaughter he had formerly made among their relations The war being thus ended by his death and he attainted with his whole party Queen Elizabeth bestowed this Clane-boy upon Walter D'Evereux Earl of Essex who came hither sent perhaps by means of some Courtiers under pretence of honour for he was made Governor of Ulster and Marshal of Ireland into a Country ever rebellious and ungovernable Where endeavouring with great expence to compose affairs and reduce them to a state of peace and quietness he was at last after many and great difficulties snatch'd away by an untimely death to the loss and trouble of all good men and to the benefit of the O-Neals and Brian Carragh of the family of the Mac-Conells who thereupon got this territory and since that time have been at war with one another for the Lordship of it Near this Knock-Fergus lies a Peninsula joined by a small neck of land to the continent which is call'd the Isle of Magie 〈◊〉 oâ— Maâ—â—â— being four miles in length and one in breadth Here some suppose that the Monastery of Magio so much commended by Bede did stand which I have already mentioned in the County of Maio. Then the Glinnes â—â—â—nnes that is the valleys begin at Older-sleet a bad road for ships and run along a great way by the sea This territory belong'd formerly to the Bissets â—â—â—ts Noblemen of Scotland who for making away Patrick Earl of Athol were banished hither and by the favour of Henry the third King of England were settled in an estate here For John Bisset who died in the beginning of Edw. the first had a great estate in lands here and in Edw. the 2d's reign Hugh Bisset forfeited part of it by rebellion In the last age this was invaded by the 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ni â—â—torâ—s 〈…〉 Coâ— Irish Scots from the Cantire and the Hebrides under the conduct of James Mac Conell Lord of Cantire in Scotland who claimed it as descended from the Bissets Shan O-Neal having cut off their Captain soon repelled them Yet they returned and made cruel ravages in these parts fomenting rebellions in the Kingdom till but very lately 50 Sir John John Perrot Lord Deputy first reduced Donall Goran who was slain together with his brother Alexander in Conaught by 51 Sir Richard Richard Bingham and afterwards Agnus Mac Conell the sons of James Mac Conell to that pinch that they submitted themselves to the Queen of England and upon their humble petition received this Country to hold of her by Knight's service on condition to bear arms for none but the Kings of England and to pay a certain number of Cows and Hawks yearly c. Above this as far as the river Bann the Country is called Rowte The Rowte the seat of the Mac Guillies Mac Guâ—lly a family of no small note among the Irish but pent up in this narrow corner by the outrage and continual depredations of the Island-Scots For Surley-Boy Surley boy also Chairly boy that is Charles the yellow brother to James Mac Conell who possessed the Glinnes did in a manner make himself master of this tract till 52 Sir John John Perrot the aforesaid Lord Deputy having took the castle of Donluse Doniuse strongly situated upon a rock hanging out into the sea and severed from the land by a deep ditch drove out him and his party However he recovered it the year following by treachery after he had slain Carie the governor who made a stout defence Upon this the Lord Deputy sent out Meriman an experienced Captain against him who cut off the two sons of James Mac Conell with Alexander the son of this Surley Boy and pressed him so closely driving away his cattle the only riches he had for he was able to make up 50000 Cows of his own stock that he surrender'd Donluse came to Dublin and made an open submission in the Cathedral exhibiting a petition for mercy Being after this admitted into the Governors lodgings as soon as he saw the picture of Queen Elizabeth he threw away his sword once or twice and fell down before it devoting himself entirely to Her Majesty Being received into favour and protection among the other subjects of Ireland hereupon he abjured both in the Chancery Kings-Bench all allegiance to any foreign Prince whatsoever and by the bounty of Queen Elizabeth had four territories or Toughs as they call them from the river Boys to the Ban bestowed upon him namely Donseverig Loghill and Ballamonyn together with the government of Donluse
call'd Hogelyn John de Northon John de Breton and many others Item On the 16th before the kalends of July Dolovan Tobyr and other towns and villages bordering upon them were burnt down by the said malefactors Item Soon after this a great Parliament was held at London wherein a sad difference arose between the Barons upon the account of Pieirs Gaveston who was banish'd out of the Kingdom of England the day after the feast of S. John the baptist's nativity and went over into Ireland about the feast of the Saints Quirita and Julita together with his wife and sister the Countess of Glocester and came to Dublin in great state and there continued Item William Mac Baltor a stout robber and incendiary was condemn'd in the court of our Lord the King at Dublin by the Lord Chief Justice John Wogan on the 12th before the kalends of September and was drawn at a horse's tail to the gallows and there hang'd as he deserv'd Item This year a marble cistern was made to receive the Water from the conduit-head in Dublin such as was never before seen here by the Mayor of the City Master John Decer and all at his own proper expences This same John a little before made a bridge to be built over the river Aven-Liffie near the priory of S. Wolstan He also built the Chappel of S. Mary of the Friers minors wherein he was buried and the Chappel of S. Mary of the Hospital of S. John in Dublin Item This John Decer was bountiful to the convent of Friers Predicants in Dublin For instance he made one stone-pillar in the Church and laid the great stone upon the high altar with all its ornaments Item He entertain'd the friers at his own table on the 6th day of the week out of pure charity as the seniors have reported to their juniors Item The Lord John Wogan took ship in Autumn to be at the parliament of England and the Lord William Bourk was appointed Keeper of Ireland in his room Item This year on the eve of S. Simon and Jude the Lord Roger de Mortimer and his Lady the right heir of Meth the daughter of the Lord Peter son of Sir Gefferey Genevil arriv'd in Ireland As soon as they landed they took possession of Meth Sir Gefferey Genevil giving way to them and entring himself into the order of the Friers predicants at Trym the morrow after S. Edward the Archbishop's day Item Dermot Odympsy was slain at Tully by the servants of Sir Piers Gaveston Item Richard Bourk Earl of Ulster at Whitsontide made a great feast at Trym and conferr'd Knighthood upon Walter Lacie and Hugh Lacie In the vigil of the Assumption the Earl of Ulster came against Piers Gaveston Earl of Cornwal at Drogheda and at the same time turn'd back towards Scotland Item This year Maud the Earl of Ulster's daughter imbark'd for England in order for a marriage with the Earl of Glocester which within a month was consummated between them Item Maurice Caunton kill'd Richard Talon and the Roches afterwards kill'd him Item Sir David Caunton was hang'd at Dublin Item Odo the son of Cathol O Conghir kill'd Odo O Conghiâ— King of Connaght Item Athi was burnt by the Irish MCCCIX Peter Gaveston subdued the O Brynnes in Ireland and rebuilt the new castle of Mackingham and the castle of Kemny he also cut down and scour'd the pass between Kemny castle and Glyndelagh in spite of all the opposition the Irish could make and sâ— march'd away and offer'd in the Church of S. Kimny The same year the Lord Peter Gaveston went over into Englanâ— on the eve of S. John Baptist's Nativity Item The Earl of Ulster's son's wife daughter of the Earl oâ— Glocester came into Ireland on the 15th of October Item On Christmas-eve the Earl of Ulster returned out of England and landed at Drogheda Item On the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sir John Bonevil was slain near the town of Arstol by Sir Arnold Pover and his accomplices and buried at Athy in the Church of the Frierâ— predicants Item A Parliament was held at Kilkenny in the octaves of thâ— Purification of the Blessed Mary by the Earl of Ulster John Wogan Justiciary of Ireland and others of the nobility wherein a difference among certain of the great men was adjusted and many proviso's made in the nature of statutes that might havâ— been of good consequence to the Kingdom if they had been observ'd Item Shortly after Sir Edward Botiller return'd out of England where he had been knighted at London Item The Earl of Ulster Roger Mortimer and Sir John Fitz-Thomas went over into England Item This year died Sir Theobald Verdon MCCCX. King Edward and Sir Peter Gaveston took theiâ— march for Scotland against Robert Brus. Item There was this year a great scarcity of corn in Ireland * Eranca an eranc of corn sold at the rate of twenty shilling and upwards Item The Bakers of Dublin were punish'd after a new way foâ— false weights For on S. Sampson the Bishop's day they werâ— drawn upon hurdles at the horses tails along the streets of thâ— City Item In the Abby of S. Thomas the Martyr at Dublin Sir Neiâ— Bruin Knight Escheator to our Lord the King in Ireland departed this life his corps was buried at the Friers-minors in Dublin witâ— such a pomp of tapers and wax-lights as never was before seen iâ— this Kingdom This year a Parliament was held at Kildare wherin Sir Arnold Pover was acquitted of the death of the Lord Bonevil for it waâ— found Se defendendo Item On S. Patrick's day Mr. Alexander Bickenor was witâ— the unanimous consent of the Chapter made Archbishop of Dublin Item The Lord Roger Mortimer in the octaves of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin return'd into Ireland Item This year died Henry Lacy Earl of Lincoln MCCCXI In Thomond at Bonnorathie the Lord Richarâ— Clare gave the Earl of Ulster's party a very strange defeat Thâ— Lord William Bourk and John the Lord Walter Lacy's Son werâ— taken prisoners with many others This battle was fought on thâ— 13th before the kalends of June and great numbers both of thâ— English and the Irish slain in it Item Tassagard and Rathcante were invaded by the rapperies namely the O Brinnes and O Tothiles the day after S. John Baptist's nativity Whereupon in the Autumn soon after a greaâ— army was rais'd in Leinster to defeat them both in Glindelory anâ— in other woody places Item In August a Parliament was holden at London between thâ— King and the Barons to consider the state of the Kingdom and thâ— King's houshold and a committee of six Bishops six Earls and six Barons was appointed to consult the good of the Realm Item On the 2d day before the Ides of November the Lord Richard Clare cut off 600 Galegolaghes Item On All saints day last past Peter Gaveston was banished out of England by the Earls and Barons and many good statutes were
p United to Dublin Glendelac q United to Leighlin Fern. Ossory otherwise r And Kilkenny de Canic Å¿ Leighlin Lechlin Kildare otherwise Dare. Under the Archbishop of Cassil are the Bishops of t Killaloe Laonie or de Kendalnan Limrick Isle of Gathy u Kilfenora united either to Kâ—illaloo or Tuam Cellumabrath x Emly annext to Cashell Melice or de Emileth Rosse otherwise Roscree Waterford otherwise Baltifordian y Lismore united to Waterford Lismore z Cloyne Clon otherwise de Cluanan Corcage or Cork a Rosse united to Cork De Rosalither b Ardfort united to Lamerick Ardefert Under the Archbishop of Tuam are the Bishops of Duac otherwise c Kilmacough united to Clonfert Killmacduoc De Mageo Enachdun De Cellaiaro De Roscomon Clonfert d United to Killalla Achad 5 Or Achâ—iry Hol. Lade otherwise e Killalla Killaleth De Conani De Killmanduach Elphin ¶ Besides these alterations already mentioned the Bishopricks of Rathluc Dalnliquir Isle of Gathay Roscree Mage Enachdun de Câ—laiar Râ—scomon and Câ—nany are united to some of the rest so that there are no such in being at this day MOMONIA or MOUNSTER MOmonia in Irish Mown and in compound wown in English Mounster lies southward open to the Vergivian-sea separated from Connaught for some while by the river Siney or Shanon and from Lemster by the river Neor Formerly it was divided into many parts as Towoun i.e. North Mounster Deswoun i.e. South Mounster Heir woun West Mounster Mean-woun Middle Mounster and Urwoun the fore part of Mounster but at this day into two parts West Mounster and South Mounster The West Mounster was in old time the country of the Luceni the Velabri and the Uterini the South was that of the Oudiae or Vediae and the Coriondi but at present it is distinguished into a Into â—â—x at present Cork Kerry Limerick Clare Typerary and Waterford seven Counties Kerry Desmond Cork Limerick Tiperary Holy-Cross and Waterford In the most westward part of Ireland and where it tents towards the Cantabrian Ocean confronting at a great distance south-westward Gallitia in Spain the Velabri and the Luceni formerly inhabited as Orosius writes The Luceni of Ireland who seem to derive their name and origînal from the Lucensii of Gallitia in the opposite coast of Spain Lucâ—ni of whose name some remains are to this day in the Barony of Lyxnaw were seated as I suppose in the County of Kerry and in b Conilogh Conoglogh hard by upon the River Shanon The County of KERRY THE County of Kerry near the mouth of the Shannon shoots forth like a little tongue into the sea roaring on both sides of it This County stands high and has many wild and woody hills in it between which lye many vallies whereof some produce corn others wood This c It was soâ— but is not at prâ—sent is reckoned a County Palatine and the Earls of Desmond had herein the dignity and prerogatives of a Count Palatine by the gift of King Edward the third who granted them all royalties excepting the trying of four pleas Fire Rape Forestall and Treasure-trouve with the profits arising de Croccis which were reserved to the King of England But this liberty through the weakness of such as either would not or knew not how to use it became the very sink of all mischief and the refuge of seditious persons In the very entrance into this Country there is a territory called Clan-moris Câ—an-Moâ—â—â— from one Moris of the family of Raimund la Grosse whose heirs were successively called Barons of Lixnaw Cross through the middle of it runs a little river now nameless though perhaps by its situation â—â— riv that which Ptolemy calls the Dur and passes by Trailey a small town now almost desolate where has been a house of the Earls of Desmund Hard by lyes Ardurt â—â—hâ—prick 〈◊〉 the See of a poor Bishop called of Ardefertb. Almost in the end of this promontory there lies on one side Dingle â—â—â—gâ—e a commodious haven and on the other Smerwick â—â—erwick contracted from St. Mary-wic a road for ships d Now united to Limerick where lately as Girald Earl of Desmund a man basely treacherous to his Prince and Country wasted and spoiled Mounster arrived some * Tumulâ—â—â—â—i confused troops of Italians and Spaniards sent to his assistance by Pope Gregory the thirteenth and the King of Spain who fortified themselves here calling it Fort del Ore and threatning the Country with great ruin But this danger was ended by the coming and first onset of the Viceroy the most famous and warlike Baron Art Lord Grey Lord Arthur Grey For they forthwith surrendered and were put to the sword most of them which was thought in policy the wisest and safest course considering the then present posture of affairs and that the rebels were ready to break out in all quarters In conclusion the Earl of Desmund was himself forced to fly into the woods thereabouts for shelter and soon after set upon in a poor cottage by one or two soldiers who wounded him so being discovered he was beheaded for his disloyalty and the mischief he had done this Country Perhaps some will impute it to want of gravity and prudence in me A ridiculous persuasion of the wild Irish if I give an account of an old opinion of the wild Irish and still current among them That he who in the great clamor and outcry which the soldiers usually make with much straining before an onset does not huzza as the rest do is suddenly snatch'd from the ground and carried flying into these desart vallies from any part of Ireland whatsoever that there he eats grass laps water has no sense of happiness nor misery has some remains of his reason but none of his speech and that at long run he shall be caught by the hunters and brought back to his own home DESMONIA or DESMOND BEneath the Country of the old Luceni lyes Desmond stretching out a long way with a considerable breadth towards the South in Irish Deswown in English Desmond formerly peopled by the Velabri Vâ—â—â—â—ri and the Iberni who in some Copies are called Uterini The Velabri may seem to derive their name from Aber i.e. aestuaries for they dwelt among such friths upon parcels of ground divided from one another by great incursions of the Sea from which the Artabri and Cantabri in Spain also took their names Among the arms of the sea here there are three several Promontories besides Kerry above mentioned shoot out with their crooked and winding shores to the South-west which the Inhabitants formerly called Hierwoun i.e. West-mounster The first of them which lyes between Dingle-bay and the river Mair is called Clan-car and has a castle built at Dunkeran by the Carews of England a It is nâ—w divided into the Baronies of